Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
New to the forum? Check out our Introduction Page and New Members Guide! 1.1: Statistical Updates have been completed for the month.
Add Reply
Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting
Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,277 Views)
Cetatsenia
Member Avatar

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.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Replies:
Cetatsenia
Member Avatar

"Yes, I am ze Cetatsenian equivalent of ze crazy cat lady," Gavrila laughed, "I live alone wiz all my great rats. But hey, ze little guys are like family; and zey are adorable."

------

The Great Hall that Ariana would have walked into would be very different from the empty and quiet Great Hall she'd seen previously. Instead, there was about 50 servants sitting all around the tables, occasionally getting up from their seats to get more food. More servants worked in the Palatul Regal, but these were those who lived in the building itself. And as for the food, there was plenty; more food had been brought out since the Voivode and Empress had left, and while it didn't look bad it didn't look quite as nice as the food Gavril ansd his guests had eaten. This was due to the fact that Horea himself had focused on the food the Voivode and the Demonessians would be eating, and let his assistants make the food that was just for the servants. It was a rather loud, unstructured, and informal affair.

It wasn't long before Marina arrived back at the Great Hall, got a plate of food, and began scanning the tables for Ariana. When she saw the woman, she grinned and made her way over to her. Sitting down next to her and smiling, "Hello again!"
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Demoness
Member Avatar

Jia Li laughed. "I think I can admit we know a bit of what that's like," she said. "Chitaels are allowed wherever they want to go. We own most of them, of course, but every once in a while I'll see a wild one wandering around and wonder what made xem come up."

---

Ariana got herself a plate and found herself a quiet corner, observing the servants. She wasn't directly hostile, at least she didn't intend to be, but long ago servants on the plateau had realized she should be left alone; her true personality was abrasive and it seemed only her husband, brother, and a handful of others chose to stand it.

Marina, it appeared, was one of them. "Hello, Marina," she replied.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cetatsenia
Member Avatar

"Ha, well at least you have your husband," Gavrila said, chuckling, "At my palace it is just me, my rats, and my servants. And ze servants do not count, since zey are just zere because zey work zere."

"Gavrila, you are not old enough to be a 'crazy rat lady'," Gavril said with a smile, "Give it a couple of decades, zen maybe. But I zink you will find a husband before zen."

"Damn, I really hope so," she replied with a shrug.

------

Marina wasn't in the least bit unperturbed by Arian's personality, at least not yet. She was friendly and enjoyed making friends with people, and would try even if they didn't seem like the most personable of people. "So, you may not have seen much of Cetatsenia, but what do you zink of ze food?" she asked, smiling, "Horea's assistants may not be as good as he is, but zey still make good food. Ze chef would not have taken zem as assistants if zey were not."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Jan 23 2014, 04:40 PM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Demoness
Member Avatar

Jia Li smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it. The harder you try, the more likely it is you'll make a bad decision. I have- Well, no, she's your cousin," she said, indicating Xel, "about our age who still hasn't quite found a husband either. She has a boyfriend - at least I think she does - but I don't believe they're anywhere near being serious."

"If they aren't serious, it's Ryuu's fault," Xel interjected, "and I feel sorry for that boyfriend of hers."

Jia Li frowned and shook her head. "She's a bit immature. That's all he means." He nodded, but it was clear that wasn't all.

---

"It is interesting," Ariana agreed. "I can see why the Empress and her party enjoyed it."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cetatsenia
Member Avatar

"Oh believe me, I am not going to marry a man unless I am sure he would be a good husband," Gavrila said, "Because I sure as hell do not want a repeat of my last marriage."

"What do you mean by immature?" Gavril asked, "Immature is not necessarily bad; one could say my cousin is somewhat immature."

"Hell yeah," Gavrila admitted with a grin, while Andreea sighed and shook her head. She'd realized that 'immaturity' wasn't the entire reason, but it seemed like Gavril had unfortunately not picked up on it. And she wasn't sure whether Gavrila had missed it too or just didn't care.

------

"I would have to say ze same about your food," Marina said, gesturing down to a Demonession dish she had on her plate, "Zough I would imagine it would taste different if it was made by an actual Demonessian." Though Ariana didn't seem like she wanted to have a conversation, Marina seemed intent on talking to the woman.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Demoness
Member Avatar

Jia Li looked to her husband for permission to continue; after all, it was his family. However, his views of familial bonds were different since he'd been born into the High Guardsmen and his cousin was not. They interacted on occasion and he liked her just fine, but that didn't mean he approved of her behavior and Jia Li wasn't aware of the full extent of it. Ryuu was a priestess, which in and of itself seemed innocuous, but she had fully adopted the ideas of "returning" to the old ways; somehow this had been interpreted as being promiscuous. She was also a Seer and Xel disbelieved her ability to "remember" her past lives, which sometimes justified her strange behavior.

Because she was a Seer, it was hard to dismiss her from the Church, and Xel suspected some of her behavior was an affectation. She worked directly for Apolline Hayashibara, the Head of the Order of Oracles and one of Jia Li's largest supporters during the Civil War. Apolline, however, also fancied herself a spymaster and while some of her antics had helped to uncover Apostate activity, he did not approve of her meddling. Megumi Orikasa, the Director of NDAISE, however, looked the other way and so there was not much he could do. Ryuu, it seemed, was Apolline's primary tool in this game. He wasn't sure how much the stress of her role affected her behavior and how much was her, but he had always remembered her as a troubled youth.

Xel nodded. Jia Li shrugged as she continued. "She just sometimes acts like she's still a teenager. She goes to concerts, parties, drinks... Things like that. I believe she has a son too, but her boyfriend is the one who takes care of him most of the time. She travels a lot - but that's for her job."

---

Ariana nodded, disinterested, until she noticed how Marina was eating. "No, like this," she said and corrected her. The dish was meant to be eaten in a certain way - wrapped in leaves rather than used as a garnish - and squeeze lemon over the finished product.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cetatsenia
Member Avatar

"Well zere is nozing wrong wiz ze occasional concert or drink," Gavrila said, uncharacteristically serious, "But when you have a child you should love zem and take care of zem, and not push them off onto your boyfriend."

"Gavrila," Andreea warned; she was worried about offending Xel or Jia Li. This was another of the topics Gavrila had strong feelings about, since her parents had done little actually parenting and the young Gavrila had mostly been raised by nannies and her Aunt and Uncle. Andreea didn't want Gavrila's feelings and personal experience causing her to make assumptions when she didn't know the entire story.

"Perhaps it would be best to change ze topic," Gavril said, much for the same reasons as Andreea.

------

Marina nodded in thanks. "Zank you," she said, smiling as she began eating the dish the proper way, "So, what exactly is zis called anyway?"
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Demoness
Member Avatar

Xel nodded. "She isn't entirely irresponsible, but she does have her moments," he said. "But we were talking about poor choices in mates. We might have asked you earlier, but why haven't you gone on a date since you were divorced?"

---

"It's a kind of spring roll," Ariana answered. "I'm not certain why the phrase was chosen for English, as it has nothing to do with the season, but this is a type of pickled red cabbage. This filling is chicken and a few vegetables. The lemon is supposed to complement the sourness. The rice is just there. It's part of the meal, but it's not integrated into bites like you were doing."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cetatsenia
Member Avatar

Gavrila shrugged. "To be honest I am not entirely certain," she said, a "I do not know, maybe because I did not want anozer guy like my ex. And maybe I was, I do not know, hoping I would run into a guy I was wiz before I got married." The Knezinja's voice had taken on a morose tone the Demonessians had yet to hear from here.

Gavril and Andree both stared at their cousin in surprise, as she tended not to mention the man she had been with before her marriage. They'd gotten on extremely well and it seemed like the pair would have gotten married eventually, but then Gavrila's parents had decided they wanted her to marry someone else.

"Anyway, if you are going to get on anyone's case over zat, talk to Gavril," Gavrila said, the moment passing and her normal demeanor returning, "I do not zink he has ever been on a date."

"Hey, zat is not true," Gavril protested, "I have to been on one before. Maybe two."

------

"Well I have to say, it is quite good," Marina said as she took another bite of the spring roll, "And zere are a lot of English words zat do not make a lot of sense. So 'spring roll' is hardly unique like zat." She smiled and laughed a little.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Demoness
Member Avatar

Jia Li and Xel both caught Gavrila's tone, knowing people who had been in a similar situation, but did not press even though Jia Li was curious. Instead, Jia Li smiled at Gavril. "And what is your excuse?"

---

Ariana nodded and continued eating.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Archive · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Theme Designed by McKee91