NationStates Jolt Archive

The time had come for Euroslavia to continue its expansion of diplomacy to nations with which it had little contact with. Relations were currently being discussed with Scolopendra and the Dominion of Dread Lady Nathicana, of which are going by very smoothly. It was determined; however, that relations with the rest of the world, and space for that matter was still below average. In order for Euroslavia to advance further into the world stage, it needed to present itself to other nations, set up contact, develop trade, and exchange customs, beliefs, ideals, and most importantly, relations. Lady Destra was always one to be open-minded to others customs, especially those that she knew little about.

Trade was one of the more important notices in the minds of those in the higher seats of the government, particularly within the Cabinet of Advisors. Euroslavia was in need of imports more than it has in previous times, due to the ever-growing population, especially in the areas of Valua and Arcadia, which are the two largest cities, respectively. Agriculture was of the utmost importance to the nation, with Euroslavia being one of the largest exporters of farming goods and machinery. There really isn’t any specific area that the nation needed the most imports from, but with the growing population, more of each product was necessary to keep the populace in line, though, the government has never really had any sort of problems with keep the citizens of Euroslavia satisfied.

The way the government determined which nations to contact was never really understood, especially by the Cabinet of Advisors; however, they all trusted Lady Destra, as well as Lady Marona for their decisions, and didn’t dare question their authority. It was also decided that the diplomatic gathering would be …different this time around. There were a few nations that Lady Destra had in mind, to invite to the gathering, but this time, the invitation to come to Euroslavia was going to be left open for the rest of the nations of the world. The events occurring would be different this time around as well. This is the schedule of events:


1) Each leader is greeted upon arrival, and transported to the area in which they would meet.
2) A small meet and greet would take place, for a short amount of time, but not into any of the serious matters that were to be discussed.
3) Transportation will arrive to take the representatives from each nation to the forests of Pyrynn, whereupon an archery competition will take place.
4) Awards will be handed out to all who have attended, no matter how your performance goes, and transportation will return, and take the representatives back to Arcadia for a Festival of the Arts, where the representatives can learn more about Euroslav culture, as well as taste the food that is part of the culture.
5) A special performance of the native dances in each region will be performed for the representatives as a finale to the festival of arts.
6) After the performance, everyone will return to the appropriate building, where negotiations may begin, along with a formal dinner.

Invitations would be sent out to the appropriate nations, as well as leaving the gathering open to nations that were interested in participating in the events that were to come. It is with hope that this gathering will be successful in establishing relations between Euroslavia and the rest of the world, as well as aiding in the establishment of relations between each nation involved. Discussion and cooperation with all of the nations who accept the invitation to Euroslavia is of utmost importance.

Lavenrunz, diplomatic office of Midlonian Economic and Foreign affairs.

Daniel Dyer threw another folded shirt into the battered leather case that he must have had for around 30 years now, and it still served him well.
Across the room Bratcher, his bodyguard, looked out of the window.
'Gunna miss this place lad?' grunted Daniel as he limped over to the other side of the room, he now had an extravagently crafted silver walking stick that he had to use due to his old bones taking so long to recover from the explosion back at Auroa's "sweet" sixteenth.
'Well, Yes, I suppose.' Bratcher curtly replied.
'Sti-' Daniel Began as he fished out a pair of cream trousers.
'Upper lip, I know.' muttered Bratcher.
Daniel simply smiled and threw the trousers in too.

35 minutes later, airspace over Lavenrunz

The sleek Midlonian built private jet thundered through the sky, the course was set to arrive in Euroslavia and this lovely sounding event, by the morning.

The formal living room of the Ewige Verdammnis Palace looked out over the sprawling grounds. From the French window, the immaculate lawns leading to the rose garden and beyond to the lake could be seen, in all their glory. The sound of birds whistling outside, and the gentle footfalls of people walking through the corridor as they went about their daily chores were the only sounds that interrupted the peace and quiet of the young woman sitting down on own of the antique couches reading one of the old tomes that filled one of the cabinets.

Gehenna rarely had time to relax, but on this day, she had managed not only to free up her afternoon but to find a quiet spot in the Palace that was far enough away from others to be almost isolated. As she turned over the page, she heard a faint whistle coming from the garden. Closing the book, she placed it on the couch and rose from her seat, heading instantly for the French doors, looking out at the man making the little tune.

“Val?” Gehenna frowned slightly, as she looked at the man before her. “I thought you were flying out to Euroslavia today.” She stepped back, letting her cousin enter the room, indicating for him to make himself comfortable on one of the many chairs that filled the room. “Is there some delay?”

Lord Stratton shook his head, and grinned at his cousin. “The flight isn’t until later, so I thought I would call in and see my favourite cousin before I left.” He took a seat, and watched her as she moved back over to her own chair. “Plus, I wanted to make certain that there was nothing else you wanted to be imparted during the trip.”

“No, I think we have covered everything.” She smiled, her eyes twinkling. “And I trust you to be able to make a decision on anything that arises that we may have missed.” She pondered for a moment. “Just promise that you will have some fun and you will enjoy yourself.”

Val laughed heartily. “Gehenna, you are talking to the king of party goers.” He relaxed back in his seat, his eyes never leaving her face. “I could understand you being worried if you were sending Damien, but…”

Nodding her head, Gehenna managed to stop him going any further. “Let us not ruin a beautiful day, Val.” She made herself more comfortable, enjoying being able to spend a little time with her cousin, at least the one she liked anyway. “Who is accompanying you?”

“Debbie Cornick, the young woman who replaced Ambassador Ormond.” Val’s voice indicated his effort not to laugh at the remembered memory. “Hopefully this event will not have the same outcome.”

Gehenna nodded. “Yes, let us hope so.” She smiled slightly, and rose from her seat, and looked out of the window, admiring the calming effect of the garden. “Let us take a stroll before you have to leave.”

The two continue out into the garden, where they took a gentle stroll around, discussing everything they hoped to get out of the trip to Euroslavia. A few hours later, Lord Val Stratton and his assistant Debbie Cornick were sitting on a plane, heading for a diplomatic gathering, with high hopes for a fun and successful trip.


[ooc: My inclusion in this thread has already been agreed with Euroslavia, hence my not replying with an acceptance letter]

Seven Dogs Barking again surveyed the UN report on Euroslavia. A shame it's practically all we know about them. Seven Dogs Barking thought to himself. It was well passed the time Serpent Country ventured out into the world; there were still many nations with which Serpentians had only a passing familiarity.

The carved wood door swung open slowly, and a breeze from outside ruffled the ferns hanging from the ceiling. A junior diplomat marched into the office, wearing the distinct multicolored robes and feathered headdresses that passed for formal dress in Serpent Country. Seven Dogs Barking gestured for her to take a seat. Typical looking for a Serpentian, she was short, with dark skin, blonde hair, and radar-green eyes. She was in her early thirties but certainly didn't look it; she seemed almost ageless.

Seven Dogs Barking reflexively scratched his head, trying to recall the junior diplomat's name. "So... Ms... Repentant Badger." the young woman nodded. He had got it right. "I understand that you've served for a while with the consulate in Elesk, and that you're fluent in both Russian and English."

Repentant Badger nodded again. "Yes, that is true."

"Excellent. We have just the assignment for you." Seven Dogs Barking reached into the desk and produced a copy of Euroslavia's factbook, and the UN report he had been reading. "That is - assuming that you'd still like an assignment."

Repentant Badger perked up in her seat, but tried valiantly to hide it "May I ask where you wish to send me?"

"To Euroslavia."

"Euroslavia?" As a student of Russian and a diplomat Badger had at least a passing familiarity with nations in Eastern Europe, but specific details of Euroslavia's politics were beyond her.

"Yes." explained the senior Diplomat. "We've received a schedule for an open diplomatic gathering in their capital of Arcadia. It seems that they've become interested in furthering relations and in opening trade. My superiors think this will be an excellent opportunity to expand our country's relationships with other lands. And, I think this mission will be perfect for you - assuming you accept it, and assuming the Euroslavians confirm our permission to depart."

"Of course, it would be wonderful." answered Repentant Badger. She would get to see Europe...

Seven Dogs Barking smiled. "Wonderful. I'd suggest you start packing your bags, and my office will dispatch an acceptance letter. Your airship leaves at noon tomorrow; we can arrange to have suitable staff sent to accompany you." he handed her the copy of the factbook, as well as the UN report, and the invitation Lady Destra had sent. He also produced a paper produced by the Ministry of Trade, it listed a number of commodities Serpent Country was interested in importing, and more specific trade information. "I suggest you read this as well, though I apologize for the hurry we're putting you in. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me in the morning, before you depart."

"Thank you, sir. It is no trouble at all." the junior diplomat stood up, and bowed. She filed out, wondering what awaited her in Arcadia.

{Open Transmission}
{TRANSMISSION TYPE: Diplomatic Contact - Secure}
{FROM: Lord Indigo Blue, the Absolutionist State of Austar Union}
{TO: Foriegn Ministry, Euroslavia}
{SUBJECT: Re: Invitation}

I have actually been meaning to set up something between our two states - your recent activity in the foriegn relations department hasnt gone unnoticed. Thankyou for the invitation, and whilst I am not attending myself in person, I will send Erik von Hanskoff in my place.

Yours In Excellence,

Lord Indigo Blue
The Absolutionist State of Austar Union
{Close Transmission}

<<----Level 3 Transmission---->>
<<----To: Lord Indigo Blue, the Absolutionist State of Austar Union---->>
<<----From: Lady Destra nos Thiendrel, the United Freedom Forces of Euroslavia---->>
<<----Subject: RE: RE: Invitation---->>


We have received your transmission in which you have accepted out invitation, and are looking forward to your arrival in Euroslavia. Our nation has shown a particular interest towards your nation, and we wish to learn more about your culture, and your political and historical background. It was with hope that your representative enjoys their stay in Euroslavia. I do understand the fact that your leader is a busy man; I have been in similar situations in which I have been unable to attend events that I was hoping to attend; but alas, we cannot do everything that we want. There is an entire nation of people, and their own interests that need to be attended to before my own interests. This is what I accepted when I received the my position within Euroslavia.

We must ask of you that once you are within Euroslavian air space, that you immediately send a transmission to our air support, which is likely to be patroling the area that you are coming from. They will escort you to the heart of Euroslavia, Arcadia, and will guide you to the airport. Again, thank you for your interest, and we will meet each other in due time.

Sincerely,
Lady Destra nos Thiendrel
Free Dictator of Euroslavia

<<----Transmission Ended---->>
<<----Transmission Encrypted---->>
<<----Message Sent---->>

OOC: For now, I'm probably going to make this RP closed, but if you still have an interest in sending a representative to Euroslavia, send me a telegram, rather than posting in here.

The flight from Tartarus to Euroslavia passed with little more than a small amount of turbulence, but Lord Val Stratton was unaware of even this as he managed to fall asleep fifteen minutes into the journey, and slept right through it. In fact, he woke up once to enjoy some food, read a little of the book he had brought with him, and then fell back to sleep for the rest of the journey, waking up twenty minutes before landing, and this was only because Debbie had called him so that he could prepare for their arrival.

Debbie had spent most of the trip, as she usually did, which was reading up on the nations being represented by delegates at the forthcoming event, and making sure that neither she nor Lord Stratton made any mistakes that could cause offence or even worse cause an international incident. Seeing that Val had begun to wake up from his sleep, she returned to her paperwork, finishing off the last of the dossiers that made up the set she had brought with them.

“How long until we land?” Val took a sip of the coffee that had miraculously appeared near him during his sleep, feeling the caffeine beginning its work instantly. He ran his hand through his hair, making it even more tussled that it was already. “I hope I have time to freshen up.”

Looking up from her sheet, Debbie looked him up and down, and frowned. “You most certainly do need to do something about your appearance. You look like you’ve not seen a brush for a couple of months.” She laughed at the expression that appeared on his face. “You have twenty minutes, but I’m not sure it’s enough.”

Val let out a hearty laugh. “I’ll be looking my best in ten.” He grinned as he got out of his chair and stretched his body, feeling it begin to come to life. “And less of your cheek too, I’ve got rid of assistants for less.” Shooting her a mock frown, he broke into a smile as he headed off to the bathroom.

Shaking her head, Debbie returned her attention to the sheet, wanting desperately to finish before they touched down.

* * * * *

Thirty minutes later, the plane had landed and had taxied to a stop. Although from the outside everything looked calm and controlled, inside the people rushed around making sure that they had everything and were ready to descend down the steps to make their first meeting with someone from Euroslavia. Lord Stratton exited the plane first, followed moments later by Debbie. Both took a moment to adjust to the light and get their first glimpse of their surroundings, as their security personnel emerged.

Behind them, a small staff worked to get their belongings gathered together, which would be delivered to their destination once they had left the area. Both delegates smiled, Val looking more relaxed than his companion, who was relatively new to the role, and had taken a more backseat position in the past. Reaching the tarmac, they put themselves in the hands of their Euroslavian hosts.

The small plane bounced slightly as it hit the runway, the engines were thrown into reverse with a scream as it finally came to a stop.

Bratcher helped Dyer down the steps, a few hours in the plane had turned Daniel's legs into jelly and he needed help down the steps, when he reached the bottom he straightened out his jacket and then walked, leaning on his cane slightly when he came before the Euroslavian delegation.
Bratcher set down the three cases that he carried. Two were their own personal belongings and the other was the necessary equipment to report back on.

Bratcher then walked over and stood next to Daniel, out of his coat he drew out a small thermos flask, poured some of the dark brown liquid into a small plastic cup and then handed it to Daniel. Gratefully Daniel, leaning heavily on his cane he raised the cup to his lips and drank, not forgetting to raise his little finger into the air away from the cup as he did so.
'So sorry, needed it to calm me down, not very good with flying.' Daniel apologiesed.
'I'm Daniel Dyer, by the way, Midlonian Economic and Foreign affairs office.' he bowed slightly and smiled at the Euroslavians who had come to ferry them wherever.

The guests were well on their way, and the preparations within Euroslavia were just about finished. The archery competition was completely set up, as was the Festival of the Arts. All that was left was for the chefs to complete their preparation of the food at their appropriate areas. Lady Destra changed into one of her most formal dresses. It was always tradition for the host to dress in the most proper fashion, as to show respect for those coming to Euroslavia, whether it be their first visit, or their twentieth visit.

The transportation for Lady Destra and her second in command, Lady Marona, had just arrived as each finished dressing. They were both quite eager to be introduced to the new wave of contacts arriving in Euroslavia today.

"A few more countries have been confirmed today." as Lady Marona stated. "Tartarus was previously confirmed, while Austar Union, Serpent Country, and Midlonia recently confirmed that they would be sending representatives. The Island of Rose has yet to confirm its presence... so it is unlikely that they will show." as she shrugged.

"This gathering should go well if everything goes to plan. This is really the first time we've ever held such an open conference, as well as the first time we've hosted competitions. I hope that the competition doesn't spark any sort of rivalry between any nations, because we all know that certain people can get really competitive when it comes down to it." Lady Destra gave a loud chuckle, only to realize that Lady Marona wasn't amused. She stopped laughing, and waited for her to respond.

"Trust me Destra, this is going to be fine. It isn't really a competition, seeing as everyone receives awards. It's all in good fun," she said with a serious face. "Plus we have the Festival of the Arts right after the competition, so if any sort of 'rivalry' forms, the Festival will probably get rid of it. There's absolutely nothing to worry about Destra. Things are going to go as planned."

A messenger knocked on the door, just to make sure that he didn't catch them off-guard, while they were changing. Luckily, they had just finished, and Lady Destra walked over to the door, and opened it.

"Ma'am, I have a message. I have just confirmed that the nation of Tarlachia will be sending a representative to Euroslavia to discuss opening relations."

"One more nation added on to the list. This is bigger than I ever expected it to be." said Lady Marona.

The messenger walked out of the room, and out of the Palace, where the transportation awaited both of the women.

"We really don't have much more time. I think that we should head out now, in case our guests arrive early. That would certainly be a bad impression if we were not there to greet them."

This time, both Lady Marona and Lady Destra gave a loud chuckle, and walked out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the Palace, to be greeted by the driver.

"Welcome, m'ladies." as he opened the door for each of them to get into the vehicle.

They both hopped into the car, and the driver walked around to the drivers side, got into the car, and closed the door. The car started up pretty quickly, and quietly, and took off towards the airport, where the entire day would begin. The drive only took five minutes, since the Palace was in downtown Arcadia. They arrived at the area where the escort aircraft would be aiding the foreign planes to touchdown. Once the car stopped, the driver opened the door for the ladies, and they stepped out. Thankfully, they were a bit early, and no planes had arrived already. Lady Marona and Lady Destra walked over to the red carpet, and to where the planes would be stopping, so that they could greet the guests as they arrived.

Good timing had been a sign for them, as a foreign plane that was to be identified as the representative from Tartarus arrived at the airport. They each watched the plane touch down, and stop right before their eyes. The representatives from Tartarus walked out of the plane, and walked towards them. Lady Marona looked immediately towards Lady Destra, smiled, and nodded. She stepped forward first.

"Welcome to Euroslavia, my friends. It seems like the gods have smiled upon our occasion and have granted us the best of weather." as she chucked. "Oh goodness, where are my manners. My name is Lady Marona. I am the second in command of Euroslavia."

She gave a slight bow, which was a sign of great respect in Euroslavia. Lady Marona then immediately turned around, and looked at Lady Destra, who then walked forward, smiled, and began to speak.

"I am Lady Destra nos Thiendrel, the leader of the United Freedom Forces of Euroslavia. I'm very glad to see that you have arrived. I do hope you enjoy your stay here. We have a lot of interesting events planned for the evening."

OOC: Once the brief introduction is finished between Lady Destra and the representatives from Tartarus, I'll recognize the plane from Midlonia arriving.

Lord Stratton smiled at both of the ladies standing before him, greeting each with a bow of his head. “I am Lord Val Stratton, cousin to Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna of Tartarus.” He indicated his companion, as he continued. “And this is my assistant, Debbie Cornick.” As she was introduced, she gave a small curtsey, and smiled her greeting.

“It is a pleasure for us both to be here. Her Majesty sends her apologies that she was unable to attend in person.” He looked about him, the smile still on his lips as he once more admired his surrounding. “I am sure that with the fine weather we have been blessed with and the events that you have arranged, we would be hard pressed not to enjoy ourselves in your glorious nation.”

As Lord Stratton made his speech, Debbie stood beside him, her eyes flicking between the three people with her. Unlike Val, she did not have the general patter that comes from being among equals, nor had she spent a lifetime living the role that he had been given.

Lady Marona and Lady Destra were both excited for the events that were planned for all of the representatives. It was a great way to get to know each representative for themselves, rather than for their position.

"Alas, I don't want to hold up the events that we have planned. I hope you are ready for an exciting day!" Lady Destra looked at Lord Stratton and his assistant and smiled at both of them. "All we need to do await the arrival of the rest of the nations attending, and we will be on our way to the archery contest. I hope you enjoy the outdoors!"

Another plane began to descend upon the airport, which was identified to be the representatives from Midlonia. The plane touched down, and stopped, almost nearly in the same exact spot as the Tartarian plane. They wasted no time in exiting the plane; however, and two men were seen first. They walked down the steps, and began to walk towards Lady Marona and Lady Destra.

'I'm Daniel Dyer, by the way, Midlonian Economic and Foreign affairs office.' he bowed slightly and smiled at the Euroslavians who had come to ferry them wherever.

Both of the Ladies bowed in return, and smiled. This time, Lady Destra stepped forward first, and introduced herself.

"I am Lady Destra nos Thiendrel of the United Freedom Forces of Euroslavia. We're pleased to see that you have arrived, and hope that you enjoy your stay here. There are some fun events that we have planned here, and I personally hope that this is a success with the guests. In Euroslavia, the entire evening, whether it it successful or not, depends on how the guest feels; therefore, we're going to do all that we can to assure you a good time."

Lady Marona stepped forward and began to speak.
"My name is Lady Marona, second in command of Euroslavia. There really isn't much else for me to say, since Destra pretty much covered it all." She looked over at Destra and gave a loud chuckle. "And normally, it is I who's better at the introductions." She smiled once again.

To Lady Destra nos Thiendrel
Free Dictator of Euroslavia

On behalf of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Aurora, I send greetings and hopes of good health and an excellent future, for you personally and as a leader. And to your nation, the best hopes of prosperity and peace for generations to come.
Your invitation to a conference comes to us at a moment when Lavenrunz is well recovering from a period of unprofitable insularity, and it would be very good for us to attend and offer what we can to hopefully good relations between our countries.
On that basis, I recommend to you our suggested envoy, Archduke Amadeus, who is our current ambassador to the VERITAS council, and the cousin of Her Majesty.
I have the honor to be
Aurora von Konigsmark
Foreign Minister

'How do youto both of you.' smiled Dyer and he bowed again 'This is Bratcher, my bodyguard and I like to think of him as my freind.' he indicated to Bratcher who he himself bowed.
'An honour to meet you both m'ladies.' he said with a smile.

'Events? Oh wonderful! I don't doubt for a minute that they will be most fun.' he tapped his cane on the floor and smiled. 'Well then m'ladies, shall we be off?'

Maayan smoothed out some crumples in her skirt then looked back at the mirror opposite her. She put on some eye shadow, then looked down at her nails. Long they certainly weren't, with the amount of pressure that came with this job, she was almost constantly nervous, which resulted in a lot of nail biting. Still, they'd definitely grown over the last week, she decided. She looked through her bottles of nail polish, then finally settled on a shade of pale red, applying it to her nails with the practised ease of one who had done it many times before.

She got up and retrieved her shirt and jacket from the cupboard, buttoning the shirt up slowly, in the manner of one who had all day. This holiday had been long overdue, she'd decided and she was going to enjoy it up to the last moment. Checking her watch, she smiled. That last moment was ten minutes away. She looked around the room of the hotel appreciatively, thanking it for a relaxing week.

Placing all her make up in her bag, she cursed as she tried to zip it shut. As usual, it was overflowing, despite the fact that she'd fitted everything into it on the way here, and she hadn't bought anything since. Rolling her eyes, she pushed the various items of clothing around some more then viciously tore the zip round, managing to close it.

She headed outside, the wheels on the bag clicking as they spun on the tiled floor. Once outside, she blinked in the sudden sunlight. Ah she'd miss it. 10C and dropping in Sanctaphrax, not much sun around at this time of year. She absent mindedly stepped into the transport provided for her and soon became lost in her own thoughts.

The car took her straight to the airport, where a Yas'ur 2000 helicopter, bought from the military and converted to luxury use by the government, waited for her. She stepped in, surrounded by oak and leather, and the blades instantly whirred into life.

She lay back as a screen unfolded in front of her, announcing the time and time in her destination. She smiled, they were off by two hours. Next came a map of Sarzonia and all the way to the destination, marked by a small circle. Didn't look much like Sanctaphrax to her. Probably just an error, left over from the last flight. Without giving it much thought, she fell asleep. Four hours later, the plane touched down in Euroslavia.

Stepping out, the sunlight blinded her. By this point she was confused, hadn't they told her it was going to be raining and cloudy? A quick confrontation with the pilot revealed that she was in fact, in Euroslavia. Why, he didn't know. Shaking her head, she left the plane again and moved down the steps, her long brown hair flying out behind her from the blades of the chopper. She noticed a small gathering of people, and headed over to it, hoping for some answers.

*A day before*
TO: Lady Destra nos Thiendrel
FROM: Cowlquape Pentephraxis, PM of Sanctaphrax
SUBJECT: Diplomatic Gathering
Lady Destra,
We have heard of a diplomatic meeting in your fine nation. We would be very much interested in participating, and have sent over our Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms Maayan Levy. She should arrive within 24 hours, and will stay for the duration of the talks.

We noticed that many of your allies are our allies, and therefore think talks would be beneficial for both of us.

Ms Levy was on holiday, and insisted on hearing nothing from work, and we had no way of making contact with her, so she may not know of the meetings. We will continue to try and make contact with her, assuming we fail, you will recognize her on account of the fact that she will be arriving in a former military helicopter.

I trust she will be safe there, and that security will be provided. I will be following these talks carefully, and hope they will end in success.

Yours sincerely,
C. Pentephraxis

Erik calmly sat back into the comfortable seat of which was designated toward him. Puffing his cigar with pleasure, he reflected back onto the times when he had been on the battlefields of Africa. Such an amazing time he had endured, yet time itself was passing him by. Not too old, he had already experience much of the life that many could only dream of, as a child. Within the Union itself, the von Hanskoff Estate was probably one of the most finest, and most famous among them all. Worth billions alone, and worth trillions as one of the family members, he had commanded so much power - both political and economical. He had actually been accused of being a secret member of the Black Webbed from time to time, an organisation which hadnt been known whether fabled or not itself. Whether it was true or not of course, was up to the watchful eyes of the individual. Erik had denied it afterall.

"Mr. Hanskoff, we will be landing immediatly." whispered one of the on-board staff.

Erik buckled himself in and prepared for the landing. It would be soft, but as soon as the craft would come to a halt he would perhaps be welcomed by a party from the Euroslavians. Something expected, nevertheless.

<<----Level 3 Transmission---->>
<<----To: Aurora von Konigsmark ---->>
<<----From: Lady Destra nos Thiendrel, the United Freedom Forces of Euroslavia---->>
<<----Subject: RE: RE: Invitation---->>

We thank you for your best wishes, and for your kind words. There's nothing that feels better than for another country to wish you the best of success in such a time of the world. I personally send you and your nation the best of wishes, in hopes that the situation within your nation improves with ease. We in Euroslavia will gladly accept a representative from your nation, and are excited to meet Archduke Amadeus. There is much that we can discuss, especially if there is anything that we can do to improve the state of your nation.

Sincerely,
Lady Destra nos Thiendrel
Free Dictator of Euroslavia



<<----Transmission Ended---->>
<<----Transmission Encrypted---->>
<<----Message Sent---->>

"We'll be leaving quite soon. We just need to await the arrival of the rest of the representatives that have confirmed their participation, particularly the representatives from Lavenrunz, Austar Union, Serpent Country, and now, Sanctaphrax. They should be getting close to the destination though; however, it would probably be a good idea to send the delegates that have already arrived to the area designated for the meet and greet. That way, each representative can have some time to get to know the other delegates that have been invited."

Lady Destra looked back at the transportation vehicles, which now numbered to four. She walked back from the Midlonian representatives, but remained in the center of the guests that had already arrived so that she could speak to all of them, and began to talk.

"I apologize for the small wait, but I must stay here and greet the guests upon arrival. I must ask that you enter your own vehicle so that you can be taken to the meet and greet area, where you can enjoy some of the snacks that have been made for the occasion, while the rest of the representatives arrive."

She then directed them all towards their own car so that they could be taken to their next destination, while she and Lady Marona awaited the next arrivals.

Listening intently as they were addressed, both Lord Stratton nodded their heads, and followed the instructions they were given. They understood the need for the hosts to greet their guests, so with little more than a word of thanks, they made their way to their vehicle. Getting comfortable, they felt the transport begin to move and enjoyed the ride to their destination.

“They seem a very pleasant couple of ladies.” Val casually dropped into conversation with his assistant as the zoomed along. “This should be a most interesting visit. And there seems to be a nice selection of other guests, and one an ally no less.”

Nodding her head, Debbie smiled. “At least we will have something to talk about to at least one of the guests then.”

“Debbie, do not be so pessimistic, these events are an opportunity to build new bridges and extend our international participation.” He relaxed back in the chair. “And if none of that happens, we still have archery and other delightful events to look forward to.”

Laughing, Debbie made herself comfortable as they continued to discuss various topics on the way to the meet and greet area.

<<----Level 3 Transmission---->>
<<----To: Cowlquape Pentephraxis, PM of Sanctaphrax ---->>
<<----From: Lady Destra nos Thiendrel, the United Freedom Forces of Euroslavia---->>
<<----Subject: RE: RE: Diplomatic Gathering---->>

Euroslavia has been keeping an eye on Sanctaphrax's foreign affairs, seeing as we have mutual allies. We see no reason why you shouldn't come, and look forward to meeting with your representative, Ms Maayan Levy. Upon your arrival in Euroslavian airspace, we will send escorts to guard your plane until it arrives at the Arcadian International Airport, whereupon you will be greeted by myself, and Lady Marona, who will introduce herself when you arrive.

Security is going to be packed tight for this conference, seeing as we have multiple representatives, and even leaders from other nations arriving in Euroslavia. There is no need to worry about that, it'll be covered to the best that we possibly can commit.

We have high hopes for this conference, and we hope that you enjoy your stay here in Euroslavia.

Sincerely,
Lady Destra nos Thiendrel
Free Dictator of Euroslavia



<<----Transmission Ended---->>
<<----Transmission Encrypted---->>
<<----Message Sent---->>

Just as the guests had begun to leave for the designated area, another plane had started to begin its landing procedure. The plane was identified to be of Austar Union. Lady Marona looked excited. She was especially interested in talking to the representatives from Austar Union. She had once visited the Union quite a few years ago, and was overwhelmed with the amount of culture and kindness that she encountered.

The plane had finally reached the ground, and came to a stop. Lady Marona and Lady Destra waited outside, and at a fair distance from the foreign aircraft. There were only a few more representatives that needed to arrive, and the events planned will finally begin...

Standing ready, the heavy door of the craft slowly opened, revealing the welcoming party. Including both Lady Marona and Lady Destra, Erik was pleased that they had been willing to even come to his arrival. It actually was more of the standard practice in the Union, that the guest would be welcomed by a diplomat of whom would escort them to wherever it was they needed to go. That diplomat would be assigned to them personally, to cater for their needs - since Indigo himself was much more of a busy man. The latest hosting of arrival had probably been from the Triumviate of Yut not long ago, and also representatives from the Non-Democratic Alliance. It made a good change nevertheless to be visiting someone else, rather than having them visit you.

In the meantime, once the stairs had been fully lowered, Erik reached his walking stick forward, and clambered down them with relative ease. Now on the tarmac, he smiled at the welcoming party, particularly the two ladies who had been so gracious to meet him personally. He hobbled just slightly, yet not obviously - a sure sign that he had been involved in much more than just a regular, comfortable lifestyle, and reaching the group of Euroslavians, he stood before them with hand outstreched.

"Hello, I am Erik von Hanskoff of the Austar Union. It is a pleasure to meet you," he opened.

There was a slight knock on the door, before it opened to the entry of Arleni Greenwood. She nodded in greeting to Sigrun, who was dressed in traveling clothes, and had a bag on the chair nearby him. Sealing up the bag, he shouldered it and nodded back to her with a smile.

"I took the liberty of arranging for one of the Black Crows to take you to Euroslavia. It is ready for takeoff when you are."

Sigrun gave a sly smile. Immediately, Arleni narrowed her eyes, "What are you planning?"

"Send the Crow back to the hangar. I'm taking Pyros."

Arleni held a surprised look. "Pyros? You are aware this is a diplomatic trip, yes?"

Sigrun gave a nod.

"Then, why?"

"Simple. You know I don't like flying in steel coffins." he explained.

She let out an exasperated sigh, "Of all things... You've been inside all kinds of ships, even aboard each of the ships in our new space fleet, which goes out into space if I might be so bold to elaborate, where there is no air! Honestly, I think you're lying to me, Sigrun."

He gave a smile again, "Let me be. I'll be fine."

He began to walk out the door, but stopped and faced her. He gave her a hug. "Always watching out for me, eh cousin?"

"You're damn right. You're too reckless sometimes. Especially in your youth."

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" He replied with a triumphant smile.

"You died once. Remember?" she scowled, "That wasn't exactly something I enjoyed learning about. Seeing the picture of your head decapitated in my morning mail isn't exactly my cup of tea."

"Even then, I came back, although in a new body..."

Arleni shook her head with another exasperated sigh. "I don't think I'll ever understand you."

"Good." he replied, "for if you were to, it would only be a matter of time before my enemies do."

Sigrun departed, leaving Arleni to stare about an empty room with her arms crossed in front of her. Soon, she walked to the open window, just in time to see Sigrun atop his dragon mount and rising rapidly to the clouds. As much as she cared about her cousin, she knew that he had a good head on his shoulders. She knew that the Euroslavs would see that sooner or later.

Looking over to the other airstrip that was close to the one where the representatives had been landing, Lady Destra realized that there was another plane that had landed. Feeling a little bit confused, she noticed a woman walking towards the group from a decent distance away. She turned to Lady Marona and began to speak.

"Did our aircraft identify that plane over there?" she asked.

"It seems that they did, but our directions for them must have been misunderstood, seeing as they went to the other landing strip. We definitely need to apologize for that."

"Well, there was already a plane in the area where it needed to be, so I suppose they did that on purpose. I don't think they exactly wanted to cause an international incident with crashing into a foreign nations' aircraft."

They both nodded, and chuckled briefly before realizing that the plane that had landed was being opened, and people were walking out of it. A man with a slight limp had walked out of the plane and had reached where both of the women had been standing.

"Hello, I am Erik von Hanskoff of the Austar Union. It is a pleasure to meet you," he opened.

Lady Marona was the first to step forward and extend a hand of friendship towards him. She shook his hand briefly, but gentle.

"The pleasure is ours," she replied. "My name is Lady Marona. I am the second in command of Euroslavia, behind Lady Destra." She looked over at Destra, whom in response reached her hand out to shake the Austar Union representative. "We're excited that you were able to make it to our nation. Some of our guests have arrived already, specifically the representatives from Midlonia, Tartarus, and Santaphrax which had just landed about the same time as you had." she pointed over to the plane at the other landing strip. The woman had gotten quite close to the greeting area.

Looking back towards Erik von Hanskoff, Lady Destra began to speak.
"I hate to cut this introduction short, but we're hoping to get the meet and greet started as soon as possible, with almost all of our guests arriving. We're still awaiting any sort of response from the representatives from Lavenrunz and Serpent Country. If they don't respond soon, then it would seem that we would have to continue on with the day, and if they are to arrive late, we will direct them to join the gathering at the appropriate area. So I must ask that you get into one of those cars over there, where you will be taken to the meet and greet area, where the Tartarians and the Midlonians have already arrived. We will have time to introduce ourselves, and get to know each other better very soon."

The women then politely excused themselves from Erik von Hanskoff, and awaited the woman from Sanctaphrax to arrive at the greeting area. They did feel bad about the fact that she had to walk all that distance just to get here, but there wasn't really anything that could be done about it. They were going to have to do something to make it up to her, perhaps something that represents Euroslav history? Or perhaps a paid trip to some of the historic sites in Euroslavia? Places that the representatives wouldn't see today. Either way, something good would come out of it for the unfortunate Sanctaphrax woman.

Both women smiled and looked ahead while the distance between each of them grew smaller. It seemed like the other woman was walking very fast. Perhaps she was the athletic type?

Maayan kept walking, briefcase swinging by her side. Her knee-length skirt made walking distinctly uncomfortable, and the distance she was walking made it no easier. The sun beat down on her, causing beads of sweat to line her forehead. After what seemed like an hour, she made it over to the two women still left from the entire group that had been there when she'd landed.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Maayan Levi, Sanctaphraxian Minister of Foreign Affairs."
She forced a smile as she did so and held out her hand for the other woman to shake.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Maayan Levi, Sanctaphraxian Minister of Foreign Affairs."
She forced a smile as she did so and held out her hand for the other woman to shake.

Lady Destra took the lead, once again, and extended her hand out to shake Maayan's hand. Destra was amazed at the athleticism of the woman, and smiled at her.

"My name is Lady Destra nos Thiendrel of Euroslavia. This is my colleague, Lady Marona. Welcome to Euroslavia! Our two nations have had relations, but we've never really had a personal discussion about the state of our friendship. I'm very pleased that your nation decided to send a representative."

Almost immediately after Lady Destra stopped talking, there were sounds of screaming, while every aid and assistant looked to the sky. Lady Destra looked at Lady Marona, who looked as if she had seen a ghost. She finally looked up a few seconds later only to see a massive.. snake-like thing in the air. It was huge. No one knew exactly what it was, but it began to head straight for them. Lady Destra and Lady Marona immediately ran for cover and hopped into one of the transportation vehicles, hoping that the giant snake thing would go away.

The soldiers that were there to protect that international leaders had prepared to fire upon the snake-like thing in the air. They pulled together and aimed their anti-air missiles, unsure if they'd actually hit the thing, along with aiming their guns at it. The signal to fire upon it hadn't been given, but if it got any closer to their leader, they were going to have to destroy it.

The small airship cruised quietly over Southern Europe, four internally mounted rotor-engines whisking it gently toward Euroslavia. The yellow and blue banner of Serpent Country was painted carefully on its outer hull, marking it as a diplomatic transport. In case the flag was unrecognized, the nation of origin was clearly identified on the vessel's hull, written in Serpentian, English, and Mandarin.

Repentant Badger took advantage of the transit time to do some reading. Arrayed on the balsa wood table in front of her was a neat stack of papers provided by Seven Dogs Barking and the rest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A great deal of material had also been provided by the Ministry of Trade; despite Euroslavia being located on the other side of the world, it seemed that a large number of interests in the Home Islands were very interested in economic exchange. Euroslavia being an exporter of agricultural machinery was one of these reasons the Ministry of Trade had sent this stack of papers; their economy being rated as "Frightening" was another. Good relations with powerful nations would hopefully attract more foreign investment, and the Home Islands were having a shortage of foreign investment.

Setting down the primer for the Euroslav language, Repentant Badger decided it was probably time to appear presentable. It probably wasn't technicially necessary to know any Euroslav for a state visit - the Ministry had paired her with a translator, and they might conduct business in English anyway. But it was always a good courtesy to at least know a few words in the local tongue of a nation she was visiting.

"We've passed into Euroslav airspace now, Ambassador." cracked the cabin's loudspeaker.

"Thank you." answered Badger reflexively. She proceded to open the plastic case that contained her face paint, retrieved the small mirror, and began adding streaks of yellow and blue to her umber-colored cheeks. With another practiced gesture she added a black spiral with golden wings to her forehead, then crowned herself with a crescent halo of teal feathers. She had made sure that the feathered headdress had matched the teal on her largely pine-colored robe, just as she had made sure that the blue and yellow that decorated both her cheeks and her clothes precisely matched the colors on Serpent Country's flag.

I'll probably stand out like a parrot in Antarctica. she thought to herself, with a trait of amusement. Serpentians didn't usually travel to Europe for formal trade or diplomatic arrangements; their realm was in the Indian Ocean. And travellers who visited Europe informally seldom bothered to dress up elaborately. She suddenly wondered if the Diplomatic Corps should follow the suggestions that they adopt western garb for such ventures.

Her ritual of preparation complete, the ambassador suddenly found herself idle. She did her best to reflect on everything she had read about Euroslavia, and on everything the Ministry of Trade had wanted her to mention. All of the thoughts were recalled properly in her head, but she kept feeling that she was missing something, which was not a good feeling on the eve of her reception.

"You're pacing again, honored Ambassador." a voice addressed her. She looked up to see the boyish face of her translator grinning at her with perfectly white teeth. As dark as Badger, his hair was dyed sky blue to match his eyes, and he wore a dark robe. At any rate, he was right; Badger had been pacing.

"Of course not." Badger answered. "I never pace, ever. I always stand in one place, prim and proper."

"Sure you do." the translator answered wryly, then faked a serious expression. "By the way, you do plan on hitting the target at least once during the archery contest, don't you? You don't want to embarass our country."

"Oh?" asked the diplomat, who had never handled a bow in her life. "I don't know what you're talking about; I thought that you were the archer-ambassador of our fair country."

"Archer-ambassador?" the translator asked. "Does this mean I get paid as much as you?"

"Probably not." Repentant Badger replied. Not that she made that much money anyway. As for the archery contest, she was wondering if her translator would volunteer, and if so - how well he would do. She planned on at least trying it out of politeness, but she doubted her performance would be spectacular. As was, she was more concerned by the diplomacy than by the archery.

***** ***** *****

The Diplomatic Transport Voice of Kulkulkan hovered low over the assigned landing strip, slowly floating to a landing. While a mooring mast would have been ideal for docking, most airports did not include mooring masts, and the Ministry of Foreign affairs had evidently forgotten to ask if Euroslav airports were equipped with such facilities. At any rate, it was of little concern, as the ship's pilot was skilled enough to level the ship reasonably close to the ground with a minimal venting of helium.

The cabin door slid open and the colorful train of Serpentians stepped down gracefully, led by Repentant Badger and her translator. Momentarily a shadow passed slowly over them. One of the train members pointed upward, and the diplomat followed with her gaze.

And then, they saw a giant flying snake, racing overhead. The member of the delegation charged with holding the Ceremonial Fruit Basket Offering let out a shriek. Badger and the other members did not. Perhaps this is simply a rare animal of Euroslavia... she thought, bemused. Then she saw the Euroslav air defenses start kicking into gear. Badger's mind started racing, pondering what to do.

"Should we head back in, honored Diplomat?" asked the translator, using the Serpent Tongue.

Repentant Badger wondered if they'd be any safer inside the airship or out. Particularly with air defenses firing.

"Everyone, calm down." she said in the most authorative voice she could muster, which didn't sound particularly authoritive. "We'll wait here for now."

The screams from afar rose into the air, and soon afterwards, the infamous voices of war began to chatter. Immediately, Sigrun held his hand out, watching as a light blue shield enveloped Pyros and himself. It was merely a precautionary shield, in case they got too nervous and began to fire upon him.

Pyros let out a slight roar as he turned his leathery wings to the earth, his massive form snaking through the air for the earth. From a distance, it appeared that the dragon and its rider were going to crash into the earth with suicidal intentions. At the last minute, the beast leveled out just above the ground and dug large claws into the earth. Dust and wind flowed about the creature in such great quantitites that for several moments, neither Pyros nor Sigrun could be seen.

The natural winds blew the unsettled dust away, revealing a single figure walking toward the Euroslavians. As he approached, they saw he was unarmed, save for the sword that hung on his backside. In his left hand, he held a bag containing his few belongings he had brought along with him, as well as some other things for this meeting. As he drew near, he noted the military forces moving to block his path. He paused and held his hands up to them.

"Lower your weapons, I am here on international business. I am Sigrun Greenwood, of Tarlachia."

He glanced back to the dragon that now lay upon the ground behind him, and watching him. Turning back to the Euroslavians, he continued, "You'll have to excuse my mode of transport. I just don't like flying in mechanical constructs."

A blue halo engulfed the flying monster, which then dove toward the ground in what looked like a rage. It landed in an explosion of dirt a hundred meters from where the Serpentians landed, and the diplomatic party looked on in anticipation.

Repentant Badger spotted the rider emerging from the wreck, and saw the winged creature waiting. Oh... it was just an aerial mount! thought Badger. Like a mythical flying Serpent, a real-life dragon.... She then realized that the party of Serpentians looked kind of stupid huddled near the airship in a colorful ball.

"Shall we carry on?" she asked the party, though it was really a command. Repentant Badger began to march confidently toward where the Euroslavians and the rider had dismounted, and the rest of the train followed, laboring valiantly to hide any hesitation in their steps.

Sigrun noted the arrival of the representatives from Serpent Country and bowed in respect as they drew near. "Greetings."

Silently, he sent a telepathic message to Pyros. Approach, I sense all of them here would like to get a better look of you. Approach with caution, and do not startle them.

You know I hate these kind of exhibit showings... Pyros replied with a dismal voice.

Shut up and get over here already.

As he glanced around at the other dignitaries, he heard the beast behind him rise to its feet and step closer. Sigrun could see the looks upon the faces of the others, "Do not worry. He will not hurt you."

He turned and patted Pyros' jaw with a hand. "Pyros." he stated to the dignitaries. Pyros spoke something in draconian, a series of growls and crudely formed words. Sigrun translated, "Greetings. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Having already left the airport, Erik did not have the unfortunate experience of the Giant Snake ordeal. He had been quickly escorted away by the Euroslavians, and had willfully followed them wherever they would lead him. He of course, maintained his composure when his arrival party had been cut rather short, and didnt exactly let on that he was slightly annoyed. Still they had at least made an effort to greet him there, the poor Euroslav's must be overwhelmed by all that was happening. And now, he was wherever he was - not quite aware of the city's area. Making small talk with his Euroslavian Associates was now, his business.

The car pulled to a halt outside their destination, and the door was opened allowing Lord Stratton and his assistant, Debbie to climb out and get their first glance at their surroundings. Giving the building a glance, they were quickly led inside to the room that the official meet and greet session was to take place. Looking around inside, it seemed that they were the first to arrive. They wandered around the room, looking at the décor and getting a feel for the place before the others arrived. A second car had been following theirs as they left, so they waited for the others to arrive.

Someone kindly came around with drinks, which they both took one of each, then walked over to a window and gazed out on the view, wondering where the archery would be taking place, both pointing in various directions before giving up their task and just admiring the scenery.

'Lovely day!' mumbled Dyer as he was helped out of the car by Bratcher.
'Yeah, wonder what the activities are.' Bratcher sighed as he hefted Dyer to his feet.
'Well, we're here for a laugh and to hopefully get some nice diplomatic deals out of all this.' smiled Dyer as he tapped his cane on the floor. Bratcher straightened out his Jacket coat and went to retreive his bags from the back of the car that had brought them there.
Bratcher turned around with the several bags only to see Dyer had wandered off.
'Where the bloody he- oh sod it he'll turn up eventually.' grumbled Bratcher as he began to lug the cases up into the building, and in the vain hope of finding their room.

Turning back from the window, Lord Stratton looked back into the room, surprised not to find the others there yet. He frowned slightly, wondering whether they had been shown into the right room. Glancing at his aid, he indicated the door that they had come in through. “I’m going to take a look around, see if any of the others are in view.” He gave her a smile. “You stay here in case they come in while I’m gone. If I’m not back in thirty minutes, send out a search party.”

Debbie laughed and nodded. “Or I’ll just let you wander and stand more chance of winning.” She took a sip of her drink and returned her attention out of the window, where the sun was smiling down on the land.

Lord Stratton moved towards the door, and looked down the route that they had taken, and quickly made himself out of the main door. There was another car outside, and he passed a man carrying luggage, to who he nodded to and walked passed. Stepping outside, he looked to his right and left, before choosing a direction and walking around the side of the building.

Almost turning back, he noticed someone up ahead and wandered up to him, assuming by the man’s outfit that he was not one of the garden staff. Approaching slowly, he cleared his throat to announce his arrival then spoke, so as not to startle the man. “Good morning, Sir.” He smiled in greeting. “I’m here for the meeting. I was just looking around the grounds, while the others arrive.” He thought it best to explain his purpose, in case he was somewhere he should not have been.

Dyer was looking at a Rose in full bloom, he glanced around and broke one off and placed into his lapel.
Sensing someone coming he turned around as the man spoke.

"Good morning, Sir." He smiled in greeting. "I’m here for the meeting. I was just looking around the grounds, while the others arrive."

"Good morning to you too Sir, it is indeed a fine morning, and yes I'm hear for this meeting too, I'm hoping it will be excellent." He tapped his cane on the grass making it go thump, thump. "Oh, I'd better introduce myself,' he chuckled as he moved closer to the man and stuck his hand out, "Daniel Dyer, Midlonian Economic and Diplomatic Corps." he smiled showing a single Gold tooth amongst the pearly white.

Val took hold of the man’s hand and shook firmly, his usual working smile plastered on his lips, though he truly did enjoy meeting new people, especially if they were from somewhere he had not had contact with before. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr Dyer.” He lowered his hand and straightened his jacket with a quick tug. “I am Lord Val Stratton, here on behalf of the Empire of Tartarus.”

He let his eyes move slowly around the garden, admiring the view, before his eyes focused on the man’s lapel, making him smile more genuinely. “I hear there are some interesting events leading up to the meeting.” He waved his hand in front of his face as a bug flew past, and brushed it on its way. “It is definitely a novel idea not to go straight from a plane to a meeting room.”

'Oh yes,' thump thump 'quite a bit different from the norm, I do hate it when we just have to sit around a table and chat, care to walk with me Lord Stratton?' Dyer turned and began to look down the flower gardens, he picked a route through them and then strolled off, regardless of wether Lord Stratton followed or not.

Lord Stratton could not stop the grin that appeared on his face as the man began to walk off, hardly waiting for him to reply. So taken was he by the strange behaviour of Dyer, he felt compelled to follow, more to find out what the man would do next than any other reason. He caught up with him in a few strides and managed to keep pace as he walked.

“It is a very beautiful garden.” He said, trying to make a conversation. “You seem very interested in flowers. You managed to find a very good specimen for your lapel.” He frowned, botany not being one of his best topics. “Are you looking for anything in particular or just admiring them all?” He grimaced, wondering how much of an idiot he was currently sounding.

"Lower your weapons, I am here on international business. I am Sigrun Greenwood, of Tarlachia."

He glanced back to the dragon that now lay upon the ground behind him, and watching him. Turning back to the Euroslavians, he continued, "You'll have to excuse my mode of transport. I just don't like flying in mechanical constructs."

Both Lady Destra and Lady Marona looked at each other in fear, but after a few seconds, began to feel a bit embarrassed. They didn't know exactly what that thing was, but they trusted that it wouldn't hurt them, or else face the wrath of the Euroslav security forces.

"You shouldn't frighten people like that. It's a good thing that the security forces didn't fire on you, or else we'd have an international incident on our hands here." Destra was able to let out a brief chuckle, at the thought of her running away in the way that she did. "Quite a first impression, Mr. Greenwood. I'm sure it won't have any sort of effect on our discussions later. It was a simple mishap. I still hope that you enjoy your stay in Euroslavia." she remembered that she hadn't introduced herself yet, and immediately stepped forward towards him.

"My name is Lady Destra nos Thiendrel of Euroslavia. I am the leader of this nation. I'm also looking forward to the discussions that take place in the rest of the day. I hope you enjoy archery!" as she let out another good laugh.

She looked around briefly, just to see how everyone else reacted to the dragon. Everyone else looked a little scared, but they seemed better than before. Lady Marona, on the other hand, was still pretty scared. She was probably one of the most naiive people that has been in existence, and that probably won't change.

"I must ask you though, to either enter one of our transports which will take you to where you need to be, or if you'd like to take your dragon, we will give you the specific directions, seeing as we're only really five minutes away, and that the Meet and Greet area is the Palace, which happens to be the biggest building in the city, not heighth-wise, but length. That choice is yours."

'It's a Rosa Nutkana, or, I suppose to put it simply a Nootka Rose (http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Plants/RONU.htm), just in bloom and rather small, normally the shrubs are bigger.' He stopped and raised his cane and pointed at a group of Coral orange flowers that emerged from the green of the stem. 'Over there are some Aeschynanthus 'Boschianus' he turned his cane again and pointed to another group, which had a large spectacular upright cluster of bright red flowers with dark green tapered leaves. 'Those are Aeschynanthus or 'Fireworks', lovely flowers, all Part of the Aeschynathus family, obviously, otherwise known as "The Lipstick plant"' He leaned back on his cane and grinned at the bemused looking Lord Stratten. 'Not much of a horticulturist Lord?' he chuckled.

"Shall we carry on?" she asked the party, though it was really a command. Repentant Badger began to march confidently toward where the Euroslavians and the rider had dismounted, and the rest of the train followed, laboring valiantly to hide any hesitation in their steps.

Lady Destra looked over at the Serpent Country representative, and finally smiled.

"My apologies for not introducing myself. My name is Lady Desta nos Thiendrel, and I am the leader of Euroslavia. I hope that what just happened wasn't too frightening for you or anyone in your party. We're all overjoyed that your nation decided it would be worth sending a representative over to us so that we may develop relations, and perhaps, a friendship after all has been said and done. I do not wish to be short with you at all, as we have much to discuss, but as we speak, representatives from the rest of the nations that have confirmed their attendance are waiting for us at the Meet and Greet area. It's time that we left this place, and end their wait. From there, we'll have a small meet and greet, along with a formal lunch." she looked over at Lady Marona, who seemed a little bit worried.

Lady Marona stood up and made note that there were still two countries missing.
"It seems that The Island of Rose and Lavenrunz haven't made their way towards Euroslavia yet. For now, we should send direct telegrams saying that if they are in fact, on their way, that they should be transported directly to the archery site, where we can introduce ourselves, then continue on with the day."

"You're right," replied Destra. "We'll get that taken care of." she looked back at the representative from Serpent Country. "We must be off though. Again, thank you for expressing an interest in sending someone of high respects to discuss relations, and I hope that things go successfully, and that you enjoy your stay here."

Lord Stratton laughed. “Let us just say that I know what looks good, even if I do not know its name.” His Lordship’s eyes followed around where the man pointed; impressed with the man’s knowledge. He had not expected a lesson in flowers and shrubs when he boarded the plane in Tartarus. But it was a pleasant surprise and made a change to discussing national habits over and over again; that would more than likely happen once they reached the meeting room.

Enjoying the outdoors, he scanned his eyes over the gardens, looking at it once with fresh eyes. He had to admit that he was not one for really paying much interest in the work involved in creating such a spectacle. “And you knowledge, Sir, is it born from pleasure? Are you one of these people who can lose all their cares with a bit of gardening?”

'It's a nice hobby for when I manage to get home, I did try to get a nice garden going in Lavenrunz at the embassy there, bit to cold I'm afraid.' he chuckled. 'As for this place, it's wonderful, and I'm quite surprised at the amount of flowers that can grow hear, truly surprised.' he sighed and looked out across the flowers.
'Anyway Lord Stratton, what is it that takes your pleasure? Aside from meeting intresting peoples on your travels.' he smiled toothily.

Lord Stratton paused for a moment in thought. “I’m afraid I have nothing like yourself that is the love of my life, but I like to experience many different things. Art, music, architecture, all feature heavily in the things I appreciate.” He laughed lightly. “I did try my hand at the first two, and discovered I had neither the talent nor the time to do them justice.” He frowned, his brow creasing. “So I would say that what I do the most is experience all three in as many setting and cultures as I can.”

Repentant Badger nodded and smiled. Lady Destra was being a good host today, and the woman beside her seemed somewhat nervous. Is it because of me... no... more likely related to the conference's schedule, or something else entirely. After a moment of surveying her host, the Serpentian diplomat bowed, fluttering her headdress like a fan.

"The pleasure is mine to make your acquaintance, Lady Destra." answered Badger, speaking with a faint trace of an accent. Her translator stood ready beside her. "I am Repentant Badger of Serpent Country, I have heard much about you and your fair nation, and am grateful for the honor of representing Serpent Country in your presence.

I will apologize for any tardiness in our arrival; it is a long flight from the Home Islands to Europe. But at any rate, we do not wish to keep you, or the other nations in attendance waiting." Two members of the ambassador's train nodded, and the group prepared to follow.

Several in the Serpentian train turned to face the great snake beast that was now growling something incomprehensible.

"Oh, greetings. I apologize if I have been remiss in greeting you." Repentant Badger said aloud, to both Sigrun and the creature that was evidently his aerial mount. One of the Serpentian aides, a college-aged girl with a pierced nose and hair dyed orange approached Pyros, her steps belaying a wary fusion of curiosity and fear. Watching her assistant, Repentant Badger repressed a chuckle.

"That is a very impressive... creature you have there." she said to the man carrying the sword. She was about to continue, then realized she did not know the man's name.

"I presume you are another delegate, I am Repentant Badger of Serpent Country, and am glad to make your acquaintance. I must say, I have never seen anyone arrive to a conference upon a flying..." she realized that she did not know the proper term for Pyros. Several Serpentian languages had terms for similar, supposedly mythical creatuers, but she had no idea how to translate them into English, Euroslav, Russian, or any other language she had learned.

"Celestial Guardian?" she asked. "Is that the proper term? My command of English seems inadequate to describe your Pyros. He seems reminiscent of some of our ancient gods."

"Archery?" Sigrun asked with a bemused smile, "One of my favorite pasttimes." He could only laugh as he thought about his people, his blood-related people that was. They were elves, and elves were reknown the world over for their skill in personal combat and archery.

He turned his head as he watched another delegate approach Pyros. Pyros naturally kept his eye on her, but lowered his head to her head level. Pyros let out a small breath of fire that burnt the ground in front of the delegate to a crisp. Sigrun was suddenly beside the woman as he spoke, "You just been officially greeted by Pyros. A mark of respect to see the ground before you singed."

Sigrun gave a glance to Pyros before continuing. "Celestial guardian...an interesting title you give, the most creative one I've heard yet. In a way, he is a guardian, but we share a mutual bond. In my country, we call them dragons. There are several species that exist in the mountains. Pyros is obviously a fire dragon. We also have ice and lunar species as well."

He turned to their host and spoke, "I think I shall take my mount and follow, if you don't mind."

He turned to the delegate, "Would you be interested on a short flight atop Pyros?"

'Perhaps you should try your hand at architecture,' chuckled Dyer 'how is your firing arm by the way? I hear that there is some archery later on as a nice event to do, Bratcher was one of the best archers in the Greater Kingdom before becoming my aide and bodyguard, quite fortunate for him, archery is his love for life, you have anoybody else with you Lord?'

Lord Stratton laughed heartily. “Sir, if I was to try my hand at architecture, my first building would be dubbed ‘Stratton’s Folly’, and there would be no others.” He shook his head at the thought. “Not that it would probably stand for too long.” He managed to compose himself, still chuckling slightly, until his interest was suddenly piqued by the next question.

Taking up the pose, as if holding a make believe bow. “As for archery…now there is something I do pride myself on.” He lowered his hands and grins. “Although I am always weary of the fall that often follows.” His eyes grew slightly more serious. “And you, Sir, how much should I beware your own talents?”

He paused for a moment, as if suddenly remember the man’s final question. “My aid is with me, but I fear that Miss Cornick will be no match for your man.” He chuckled again. “She is not overly interested in Archery.”

'Myself?' he burst out laughing. 'I'm 72 my Lord! I'd barely be able to lift the bloody bow, let alone aim it.I did used to do clay pigeon shooting but alas.' he paused, then grinned. 'But it seems you do have a bit of a hobby then Lord, the Archery seems to intrest you, and I am sure there will be other activities to do that should please us all.'

“Sir, you are indeed right, but I would call it the hobby of my youth, rather than something I partake in anymore.” Lord Stratton grinned. “Although I have to admit that the challenge stirs old memories, but I do not expect to far as well as I did then.” Not that his Lordship was getting old, he had not even reached his thirtieth birthday, and still had more than a year to go. “I have heard that they have laid on some very interesting entertainments for us, so I am sure that we will all go home happy…and if not, there is always the brandy.” He chuckled, hoping that Dyer did not take him from a drunk.

Arriving at the house a little more late than everyone else, Erik was only slightly annoyed that it had taken so long. Apparently, they had been held up with some major traffic problems - a car accident it had been reported. Anyhow, now that he had arrived he hobbled out of the car, and wandered up the cobblestone path to the house. Inside, it was expected that there would be a few delegates whom had already arrived, how they got there past the traffic was but a mystery to him. In the meantime, he was there now and there was no use making a fuss. He thanked his Euroslavian Patrons and allowed them to lead him inside. Coming in, there he saw each of the delegates discussing their normal rubbish as usual. Making small talk, until the Euroslavians arrived.

Still, it would make for some good timing to expand their own relations with others.

OOC: Edited

He turned to their host and spoke, "I think I shall take my mount and follow, if you don't mind."

He turned to the delegate, "Would you be interested on a short flight atop Pyros?"


Repentant Badger weighed the merits of hoping on the Dragon. On one hand, the idea of riding on a flying fire-breathing snake was kind of scary. On the other hand, she would likely never again, in her life, have a chance to ride such a creature. In the end, a pang of curiosity won out.

"Dragon", Repentant Badger spoke the word slowly, playing with the sound. It was a word she hadn't known. "I have never ridden such a beast before." she said in a relatively even voice. "How could I refuse such an invitation?" she asked. "If Pyros would not mind carrying me, that is." she turned to the Euroslav group, "And if our hosts have no objections..."

'Oh ho, quite so Lord, I do hope that you do not drink to the excess, as it may reflect badly on such relations,' he grinned and winked, 'as for myself I do enjoy the occassional drink, and I am not known for turning down one when offered.' he grinned.

“Then I hope that I have the honour of being able to – perhaps not buy – but definitely procure you a brandy some time during our stay.” Lord Stratton laughed, kind of surprised how the conversation was going. When he had first spoken to Dyer, he had to admit that he was a little cautious of the man’s behaviour, but it had turned out that the man was not as eccentric as he had allowed himself to believe.

He pointed back the way he had come. “I wonder if we should perhaps make our way back to the house, as I am sure the others will be arriving shortly.” He frowned. “Although I have not heard the sound of any other vehicles since yours arrived.”


[ooc: AU, just post your people arriving at the house, like Midlonia and I have.]

'I dare say, nobody has, ho hum.' he tapped the cane on the grass again, shruged and began to make his way back towards the building. 'Bit of a shame if there's only us two, mind you, keeps things nice and cozy, eh?' he called back to Lord Stratton as he wandered his way across the grass, his cane making a gentle thumping sound on the ground as he walked away.

Pyros released a soft growl, obviously approving the request from the delegate. Sigrun took a step upon a position draconian knee and hoisted himself into place. He looked down at Repentant Badger and held a hand out for her, pulling her up with ease. He felt her grip his waist with tension, causing him to smile and turn his head slightly.

"Relax. You could be standing on his back and he'll ensure you do not fall."

Pyros shifted and stood. The muscles beneath them flexed with their movements and the wings spread out to stretch and catch the wind.

"Lead the way." Sigrun indicated to their host before patting Pyros on the side of his neck. Immediately, the wind rushed about them as the beast took to the air, defying gravity with such ease.

"Dorath maan raoutkam le." Sigrun instructed to Pyros. The beast instantly complied by gently moving through several aerial manuevers: turning, dodging, and acceleration.

After Pyros was completed, Sigrun instructed him to circle overhead the other delegates and wait for the convoy to begin making their way to their collective destination. Sigrun then leaned back and asked, "You said Pyros is remniscent of your ancients gods. How so?"

Lady Destra and Lady Marona watched as the final delegates made their way towards the meet and greet area in downtown Arcadia. Lady Destra had slipped Sigrun a map so that they would know which building that they would enter.

Before they left, she spoke.
"Just be careful on where you land your dragon. If it all possible, we would prefer that you landed on top of the building, and go from there to the elevator that will take you to the first floor meeting hall."

The women of Euroslavia watched the dragon take off, and had begun to walk towards their vehicle so that they could return to the meet and greet area. Finally, it was time to begin the events that are to come. They were both very excited for the archery contest, as the citizens of Euroslavia are known for their competitive spirits, though, they wouldn't go as far as getting upset over a simple game. They are also interested in getting to know the representatives that had arrived on a more personal level, rather than a business level only. There was more interest in getting to know someone for who they are, rather than their title.

"I'm really looking forward to starting today off." spoke Lady Marona.

Lady Destra looked at Lady Marona, and replied. "I think today is going to be very successful. We have some very promising delegates that have come to us."

At that thought, they both jumped into the car, and took off from the airport, on their way to downtown Arcadia.

Lord Stratton laughed as he followed Dyer back along the way they had come, the man was certainly different, not that that was a bad thing. He followed behind, catching up to the older man as he hobbled along towards the entrance. As they neared the drive, it became obvious that some more guests had arrived, as there appeared to be several more cars around.

“It would seem that it is not going to be so cosy after all.” Val raised his eyebrow and then he frowned. “This also lessens my chances at winning the archery.” He stepped forward and moved towards the door, hoping that he and Dyer could enter the building before too many others arrived.

\.:|BUMP|:./

OOC: Only reason I haven't posted yet was because I was hoping that the people who departed before me could enter the building, and begin their interaction with the Tartarian and Midlonian delegates. I'll post though.

IC: Lady Destra and Lady Marona were well on their way towards Arcadia, and the Meet and Greet. They were both hoping that the rest of the representatives have had time to introduce themselves to each other by then. Either way, everyone was going to introduce themselves again when the entirety of the representatives have arrived.

The driver began to make the final turn towards the Palace, where the Meet and Greet was taking place. He looked back at the women and announced that they would be arriving in a few minutes.

Lady Destra looked at Lady Marona, who seemed a little nervous.
"Are you feeling well?" she asked.

"I'm fine really. Just a little nervous. I've never really participated in an event like this, with so many nations' representatives being present. I'll be fine though, thanks for asking."

"If you ever feel too nervous, and you need a break from it all, don't be afraid to excuse yourself. Your health is very important."

"I'll keep that in mind, but I have a feeling that I'll be ok."

At that point, the transportation had arrived at the Palace. The four guards got out of the car and opened their door, where both of the women took their steps outside of the vehicle. They smiled and nodded to their guards, and walked inside of the Palace, and headed towards the Meet and Greet room. The room was only a few paces away from the entrance, and they arrived within the minute...

Wind kicked Repentant Badger's face as the Dragon sped into air, whipping her short blonde hair back. She resisted the temptation to squeeze onto Pyros' back tightly; nontheless, as Sigrun said she remained bound to the Dragon's back, as though by invisible bonds. For a moment she forgot herself as the fields of Euroslavia rolled under her, and she let a small puff of air out as the

The elf's voice poked at Badger, as though waking her from a dream. "Oh?" she said in reflection. "It is a physical resemblance at least, perahaps nothing more. Some of our native gods look a little like Pyros, although they don't always have wings. They are a little like the Chinese flying king-lizards." she paused a moment, thinking.

"The being that judges the dead is called Lord Circumspection, and is such a flying Serpent. But he is said to be kilometers long and covered in eyes; so he can see things from all angles. He has four... heralds" she had to route around for the right word, " called the Bahau, that are like Pyros, only silver."

The Serpentian diplomat looked down at the point Pyros was circling. "So... tell me of Tarlachia. Are creatures such as Pyros common in your lands?"

Sigrun shook his head negatively as he guided Pyros to follow the convoy to their destination.

"Unfortunately, dragons are small in number in Tarlachia, mostly due to their wars they held long before the nation was a nation. Tarlachia, these days is mostly inhabited by humans, vampires, and elves. Dragons rarely make themselves present to modern society, and some prefer it that way. Nevertheless, we have managed to create a land to unify strange species together under a single banner, a single cause."

He tightened his grip as a side wind surprised them. Pyros easily deflected the wind, shifting slightly in his flight. Sigrun continued,

"The dragons now are considered citizens, for their intelligence levels can be quite astounding. They have much to share, if one can managed to convince one of them to share what he or she knows. Like Pyros."

Pyros turned his head to look sideways at Sigrun. Sigrun gave him a reassuring smile.

Dyer limped his way up the stairs and peered up at the building the venue was being held in.
'Hrm, wonder which room we're set up in' he frowned, muttering to himself.
He then wandered into the conference room, passing Bratcher on the way.
'Oi! There you are! Where have you been?' grumbled Bratcher.
'Outside, lovely flower garden.'
Bratcher merely shrugged as if in defeat and wandered in with Dyer to the main hall.

OOC: Sorry 'bout that, I was getting a little ahead of myself, and didn't realize that not everyone was in the room.

Lady Destra and Lady Marona both walked in, and looked at all of the representatives, smiled, and began to speak.

"Welcome to Euroslavia! Firstly, I must apologize for the rush from the airport to the Meet and Greet. It wasn't my intention to just push you away, if that was how you felt. Our security officers felt that it would be safer if we can keep everyone on the move, seeing as the airport is a public area, while the Meet and Greet area was not known. I must ask though, that everyone introduce themselves, if you haven't been able to speak with all of the other representatives. We both feel that if we know each other better, we will have a better time in the events to come. Just say a few things about yourself, such as where you are from, your position in your nation, and perhaps even your goals for this gathering." spoke Lady Destra.

Lord Stratton followed Dyer back into the building, and found his way back into the room where he had left Debbie, which was a lot fuller than when he left. He gave her a smile but remained close to Dyer, not wanting to appear rude and just disappearing. It was not as if Debbie did not know the score, which was why she barely blinked an eyelid as he left her on her own.

He looked at Dyer as the speech finished, having listened intently. “It is unusual for this kind of thing at a meeting; normally people assume everyone knows everyone else.” He stepped forward to get the ball rolling. “I’m Lord Stratton and that is my assistant, Debbie.” He pointed to the young woman by the window who smiled in greeting. “And I am here to represent Her Imperial Majesty, Gehenna of Tartarus at this gathering.” He smiled. “The Empire’s goal is only to improve it’s relations within the International community.”

OOC: I'm not letting this die...

Lady Destra listened to Lord Stratton and his assistant in their introduction. She was looking forward to getting to know them, as well as the rest of the guests very much. She looked over at Lady Marona, smiled, then noticed the time and realized that they were very much behind schedule. She stepped into the center of the room, and began to speak.

"It seems that our time in here will be cut short a tad bit, seeing as we must be off to the archery range. We can continue our introductions once we arrive there. I must ask that all of your please finish your drinks and snacks, before we head out. The transportation vehicles are outside, waiting for all of you. The range is approximately a thirty minute drive, since we have decided that the scenic route would be more accomodating. Please, take a look around Euroslavia during the drive."

She awaited the guests to take their leave, as it would be rude of her to leave the room first.

Dyer nodded curtly.
'Daniel Dyer, this is my dogsbody and bodyguard Bratcher.'
Bratcher nodded as Daniel looked at him.
'We represent the Greater Kingdom of Midlonia and seek, well, I suppose the same as the Tartarians. Come on lad,' he motioned at Bratcher,'our chariot awaits!' he stood as if his cane were a sword, his arm raised behind his head and stalked out of the room, bratcher merely shrugged, grinned and followed him.

OOC: Apoligies for my leave of absence - I had recently had some major troubles with getting online and getting to the roleplays I should have been, so I think it would be better to just retcon my character out of the whole event. Sorry mate.