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Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting
Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,310 Views)
Cetatsenia
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If one was to take a place from the nation of Demoness to Cetatsenia, one would most likely see the dichotomy that the nation was rather known for. In the southern parts of the nation one would notice the highlands, heavily forested and almost untouched by man aside from the winding roads and the occasional town. But further north, the terrain would give away to the lowlands of the Centric Basin. This land was flat, and lacked the expansive forests, though there were smaller isolated forests. But the main difference one would notice would be the level of development, it was dominated by a large amount of farmland as the lowland soil was incredibly fertile, but there was also the occasional city, bustling with people.

Albraustana-zid was one such city, and it was the primate city of Cetatsenia, the richest and most populous and most important of them all. It was built along both sides of the great Albastru River that ran through much of Cetatsenia, though most of it was on the southern bank of the river. This was because of the simple fact that Albraustana-zid had begun life as three separate forts and settlements built along the river. Albrau and Stana had been built on the Southern bank, and over time had grown together until they were finally united into Albraustana. And while Zid would eventually become part of the greater whole, for a long time it was simply considered a city separated from the capital only by the river.

Since it had grown organically over the numerous years, and had once been three separate cities, the streets and roads had a habit of being winding and could be complicated to navigate for those unfamiliar with them who had no map. Though the roads had over time been widened and revamped in order to accommodate cars, and the newest sections of the city on the outskirts actually had a gridded street plan. As it was the middle of the day, the streets were currently filled with cars and buses, and the sidewalks filled with pedestrians, while the newest addition to the city's transportation network, the subway system, ran below the streets.

While there was a number of attractions in the city, such as the museums and baths, one of the most prominent is the Palatul Regal, the Royal Palace. The site of the original settlement of Albrau and lying atop a hill, it has been torn down or otherwise destroyed and then subsequently rebuilt several times throughout history. The most recent being the ascension of Ioan I to the throne of Cetatsenia, though it has been renovated and updated since then.

The Palace itself is surrounded by a wall that rings the entirety of the hill, with only a single gate leading up to it. The wall is patrolled by a special corps of Cetatsenian soldiers, easily identified by their bright blue ceremonial uniforms and ornate, pointed helmets. After that, a road lead up to the palace proper, an expansive building with a stone exterior that shared more in common with a medieval castle than what one thinks of when they hear the word 'palace'. It was home to a fair number of servants, as well as the guardsmen, and a small number of government officials. Most of those lived out in the city, and worked in their own buildings. It was absolutely huge, and in front of it was an expansive pool of water. Overall, it was an impressive sight that could be seen from a good portion of the city.

At the moment, however, Voivode Gavril IV Suveraneshti was not at his home in the palace. Rather he was at the airport, which had been cleared of any citizens besides him, the guards arrayed with him, and those who worked there; all flights to this airport had either been delayed or rerouted to other nearby airports. Today was an important day, as this was the decided upon day of Jia Li's visit to Cetatsenia. As two nations whose relationship could be accurately described as "mutually neutral", this was a rather important meeting, and Gavril did not want to mess anything up. So he stood alongside his older sister Andreea, the Steward of Cetatsenia, in the airport, ready to head out onto the tarmac to greet the Empress as soon as her plane set down.
Edited by Cetatsenia, Apr 22 2014, 09:58 PM.
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Cetatsenia
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"Well, anyway, now zat we have seen ze painting, what would you like to do now?" Gavril asked, "We could have a look at ze courtyard of ze palace, or we could go on a tour of ze city. Zough it seems a shame to leave ze Palace already, we did not arrive very long ago after all."

"Oh, ze courtyard is boring zis time of year. Ze trees are all starting to die and shit," Gavrila said.

Gavril gave his cousin a look that said "Stop that," and Gavrila simply smirked at him. Then he looked back to Jia Li, "Well, zere is much more of ze Palace we can look around. Zough most of it isn't particularly exciting; it is not a museum after all."
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Demoness
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"In all honesty, I may tour the courtyard tonight on my own, so perhaps we should move onto the city," Jia Li suggested, keeping in mind her insomnia. She also liked gardens at night as they tended to be abandoned and she enjoyed having the area to herself. When she was younger, the garden had been her own private world and shared only with her sister and a handful of friends.
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Cetatsenia
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"Alrighty zen!" Gavrila said excitedly, "I love ze city and I did not get a chance to walk around yet, so let us get going."

"Well, zat is fine wiz me," Gavril said before turning to Gavrila, "So, were you going to take your own car or ride in ours?" The car they had driven in coming to the palace was plenty large enough to easily fit two more people, and Gavril was fairly certain he knew her answer, but it was still polite to ask.

She gave him a playful punch in the shoulder in response, "I am going to ride wiz you of course." Then she left the room just as suddenly as she'd entered. Gavril simply shook his head and sighed, smiling.

"Well, I will meet you all out at ze car," Gavril said, to the Demonessians, "I must go and get my coat from ze study." He was a little embarrassed by that, but it wasn't a big deal and so he was able to hide that fact.

Then Gavril made his way out of the room, and Andreea lead the group down into the lobby and back outside to the car the group had arrived in. Gavrila was leaning up against the car, with Aurel standing besides her. As the group came closer, Aurel moved quietly to the car door and opened it, gesturing for the Demonessians to enter.

"After you," Andreea said, "We can decide where to head once Gavril returns."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 16 2013, 12:14 PM.
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Demoness
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Since there was no discussion, Jia Li turned her attention to her husband. He was stiff and properly, but as she slid her arm through his, she interlaced her fingers with his and leaned into him as they walked. He often kept his bearing and provided her with support, as she infrequently became dizzy or tired with long meetings, but this was more a private moment shared between them and his free hand caressed their interlocked hands. But despite this pleasant distraction, his mind was still on his mother's aggressive behavior, which seemed to have evaporated like a morning fog.

It had been many years since Xel had ceased to fully trust in his mother and he could not recall any specific incident which had inspired the change. He had known since he was little that she'd been a member of Vulareishite as she had decided it was paramount to counter them at all costs; he and his sister had been her secret allies in that endeavor. Throughout Jia Li's childhood, Ariana had appeared to have a weak spot for her and Hikari's needs, but Xel was aware that his mother was able to place on many masks, so he took any current fawning over her with a grain of salt. What had concerned him greatly, however, was an incident several years ago.

Ariana's sociopathic tendencies had always been checked by her husband Ikarin and her love-hate relationship with Adiwyn Tsukihana. To Xel's knowledge, Ariana could kill either one of them without hesitation or even exertion, yet she always deferred to Adiwyn's will. During Jia Li's last pregnancy, Ariana solidly beat Ikarin in a duel; throughout their relationship, he at least had given her some cause to strain, even if she always won or ended in a draw. But this particular duel set off a deeper psychological issue: if Ikarin was growing old, then so, too, was she. Growing old and becoming useless had always been her deepest fear and she set to reassure herself. Unlike other mid-life crises, she did not buy a new car or change her wardrobe; instead, she set off to prove that she was still a formidable force and ended up injuring a large percentage of Palace Security - including her second-in-command. Xel noticed this change, as she had challenged him as well, but he had not been privy to its resolution; he only knew it had involved the joint effort of his father and Adiwyn, a ninety-year-old woman who could inflict no more harm than others of her age. If Ariana was experiencing another crisis of usefulness, he doubted the old woman would be able to mollify her again.

Ariana, however, appeared no more affected by emotions than she had throughout most of the trip. She assisted Jia Li and her son into the car and then entered after Makoto. She gave no mind to Aurel, if he had been the source of her sudden anger.
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Cetatsenia
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Gavrila watched Jia Li and Xel as they came out of the building, and a small smile played across her lips. They were holding hands and the Empress was leaning on her husband, and Gavrila thought it was almost unbearably cute. She wished she had a relationship like that with someone, and she was going to tease them about it again, but decided against it. Maybe she'd do it later, as she was eager to get out into the city.

And so the Cetatsens made their way into the car after the Demonessians, with the exception of Aurel, who stayed outside next to the door. Gavrila frowned and stuck her head out of the door, "Aurel, get your ass in here. My cousin can close ze door himself."

Aurel simply nodded and responded with a "Of course, doamna." He made his way into the car, moving slowly as he did so and taking a seat next to the Knezinja.

Then Gavrila looked around at everyone in the car and smiled, "So? Where should we go? My vote's for ze Aurora bazhou-"

"We have already discussed zis, and zat is not possible," Andreea said, cutting her cousin off.

Gavrila frowned, but didn't question her cousin. Instead she simply asked, "So, where do you wanna go? Zere is some museums, monuments, ze Park, a whole bunch of places really."

"Well what kind of place would you like to visit?" Andreea added, "After all, zere is plenty to see in ze city, and we cannot list every place."
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Demoness
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"Hmm," Jia Li muttered as she thought. Despite being highly educated, her interests were rather pedestrian as her attention often was easily distracted. Those who managed her personal accounts noticed this most often as she invested in ideas that sounded novel, but she would cease to check on them after a few months. While it was an excellent trait for inventors who needed funding, it quite often gave her accountants headaches.

Instead, Jia Li's true interests lay in entertainment and while as a teen she was a patron of science fiction and anime, her tastes had matured somewhat and she'd come to enjoy live performances as well as film and television. She'd also grown fond of books, choosing to spend many hours in her private library, but she did not believe a library would be an appropriate destination. "Do you have any theatres?" she asked. "I'm kinda curious about how your plays and musicals."
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Cetatsenia
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"Oh, come on, zeatres are boring," Gavrila said, "It is just watching people jump around on a stage for God knows how long."

Andreea gave her cousin an irritated look, "I happen to enjoy zeatre Gavrila."

"I know."

Andreea resisted the temptation to roll her eyes at her cousin, a reaction like that was probably what she was looking for. Or, alternatively, Gavrila was just speaking her mind as she normally did; it could be difficult to tell the difference sometimes.

"And to answer your question, Empress, zere are several zeatres in Albrausana-zid," Andreea said, "Ze largest of which is ze Octogon."

"Guess what shape it is," Gavrila asked, once again smiling.
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Demoness
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"A triangle?" Jia Li joked. "Which one would you recommend?" she asked Andreea.
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Cetatsenia
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"Well, ze Octogon, it is ze largest and nicest zeatre in ze city" Andreea answered, then smiled and joked, "Zough I do wish zey had named it a bit more creatively when it was built."

Gavrila chuckled at Jia Li's joking answer, then rolled her eyes as Andreea answered. She wasn't fond of theatres, but she'd still go to one if necessary. Then she looked over her shoulder out the window and muttered, "I wonder why my cousin is..."
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Demoness
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Ariana followed Gavrila's line of sight, wondering the same thing.

Jia Li nodded. "Normally, they name structures after the people who built them or some other important figure," she added.

"Not everyone is creative with names," Xel interjected, thinking of the four top companies she owned; one was simply named "BioTech", which is incidentally what it produced.
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