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Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting
Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,307 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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Gavrila nodded, "Yeah, silliness can be great, unless zere is too much of it in a setting zat is trying to take itself seriously. And everyone should be able to enjoy whatever ze hell zey want."

"You mean like you enjoy zose trashy romance novels?" Gavril teased, hoping to embarass her at least a little bit. It wasn't something he did normally, but he enjoyed trying to do it to his cousin when the occasion presented itself.

However, his cousin didn't take the bait, and simply looked at her cousin with a completely straight face and responded, "Exactly." Gavril frowned at her response; one of the reasons he rarely teased his cousin was because it rarely ever actually worked.

------

"While zat is true, ze Voivode is not one of zose individuals," Lieutenant Dalca responded simply. Considering the rather lax gun control laws in Cetatsenia, accidental shootings were, while not uncommon, certainly weren't rare. Of course, that wasn't to say that getting a gun in Cetatsenia was easy, but it was certainly easier than in some countries and almost any adult could get one if they desired.
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Demoness
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Jia Li laughed. "If they weren't good, they wouldn't have an audience." Xel looked at his wife in surprise; he evidently didn't realize she read them as well. "What? What do you think I'm reading on my laptop?" He sighed and rolled his eyes.

---

"Good," Ariana replied curtly. "Though those in charge can abuse their privileges. I am satisfied that the Voivode did not in order to arm himself."

For years, Adiwyn, Ariana, and, by extension, the rest of the palace ignored Yuri's use of her father's firearm. Her father, a High Guardsman, made certain she knew how to properly use and clean the weapon and while she rarely used it, especially without his knowledge, she had taken to carrying it around in order to feel secure; since her mother was an abusive alcoholic, this small token was permitted. However, she was granted a license when she became an adult - despite having no connection to the police or military, aside from a minor contract - and Ariana suspected she had been granted it simply because she knew Empress Jia Li and due to her father's connections. While Yuri had never had an incident with the firearm, Ariana still felt it was an abuse of privilege for her to have a license.
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Cetatsenia
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Gavrila smiled and laughed at Jia Li's response, as well as her husband's reaction. "Oh come on, zere is nozing wrong wiz her reading zem," she said to Xel, teasing him in response to him rolling his eyes.

------

"Ze Voivode is an honourable man," the Lieutenant responded with a shrug, "He only 'abuses' his power when it is for ze greater good."
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Demoness
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"They're the literary equivalent of Twinkies," Xel retorted with disgust. Jia Li shrugged.

---

Ariana, not being a woman of many words, simply nodded a response. If she enjoyed conversation, she would have pointed out that many people abuse power for "the greater good" and end up being bad people; the earlier discussion regarding the Global Wars was evidence of that. Instead, she looked out the window and scanned for probable threats. Though a healthy exercise for any amontsu, it was also a game she played to amuse herself, though instead of planning for probable ambush points and how to counteract them, as other players of the game should do, she pondered the most effective way to use those points and slip away undetected; this was more difficult since her old age limited her options.
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Cetatsenia
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"Excuse me? And what exactly is wrong wiz zat?" Gavrila said, pretending to be offended, "Twinkies are absolutely delicious. I cannot believe anyone would imply otherwise."

Gavril just shook his head and chuckled, "Not everyone likes zem, you know Gavrila."

"Well zose people are wrong," Gavrila said with absolute conviction in her voice.

------

When Ariana didn't respond, Lieutenant Dalca saw no reason to continue the conversation. After all, not everyone enjoyed talking and this was hardly the time and place for idle chit-chat. The car ride wasn't particularly long and traffic wasn't that bad, so it wouldn't be long until they arrived at the library. Though while Ariana and Dalca kept quiet, the other guardsmen were under no obligation to do so and chatted and spoke with one another. Ariana wouldn't be able to tell what they were talking about even if she cared however, as they were speaking in Cetatsen.
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Demoness
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Jia Li shook her head. "They are not very popular in Demoness. Too...Twinkie." While Demonessians would describe their cuisine as health-conscious and natural, most of the rest of the developed world would simply call it bland. Regardless, strong tastes were said to offend the Demonessian palate and while the occasional sweet was produced and consumed, natural sugars were preferred.
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Cetatsenia
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Gavrila looked at Jia Li with mock shock. "I have to say zat I pity you," she said solemnly, "Twinkies are like creamy, golden heaven."

Then she just shrugged, "Oh well, it is your loss. I still say you are wrong zough." Then she grinned, to show the Demonessians that she was just joking, and that it was all in good fun.

"Wiz all zis talk of Twinkies, now I am curious, what do you usually snack on in Demoness?" Andreea asked the Demonessians politely.
Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 18 2013, 11:39 PM.
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Demoness
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"We don't really snack," Jia Li answered. "At least not in the sense that you're thinking. The traditional day had closer to four meals rather than three and the current work schedule is inconvenient for a three-meal schedule. Generally, a 'snack' is a small 'meal', like a sauteed vegetable or dumplings or, more often, dried or fresh fruit. We have imported a few snacks and adapted a few ideas. Rice cakes, pretzels, and nuts are very popular, as are a few smaller portions of chocolates."
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Cetatsenia
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"Oh yeah, chocolate is one of ze best snacks. It is just delicious," Gavrila said, "Ugh, and now I am hungry..."

Gavril shook his head, "You did eat before you got here, right?"

"I stopped and got some fast-food," she said simply, and then laughed, "You should have seen ze guy in ze drive-zrough's face when he saw who was in ze car."

"I do not understand how you can eat so much," Gavril said to his cousin, and then turned back to Jia Li, "I do have a question about your meals; ze extra meal, is it like a second breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Or does it not have an analogue?"
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Demoness
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"Mmm... If you must say 'second', it is like second lunch or maybe even afternoon tea, if I am understanding that term correctly," Jia Li replied. "There are generally meals right before and right after the afternoon nap, if you are familiar with that custom."

"The afternoon sun is quite hot, especially in summer, so our agricultural ancestors took a nap to wait out the afternoon heat," Xel explained. "Taking that into account, our work days aren't as long as it would appear at first."
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