NationStates Jolt Archive

Calvin "Coolidge" Drzka's Office; the Hack's Embassy; Unity Island

Calvin's office was a study in controlled chaos. Much as children would often proclaim that their shabby rooms were just fine because they could find what they needed when they needed it, so too did Calvin. Granted, his wasn't a total disaster area, and he could indeed find anything he needed as quickly as an organized person could in an organized office. Poking out from the ceiling was a small holographic projection dome. He was tapping his chin and staring at the projection, trying to hold on to his sanity. After all, he remembered the last time some poor fool tried this.

Of course, he was a bit smarter about it, all things considered. Instead of trying to view every single nation at the same time, the globe shifted from reality to reality. It was the standard rotation pattern, and helped to avoid problems such as multiple nations supposedly occupying the same space, while also avoiding the headaches of forcing non-Euclidian geometry into Euclidian space. It also kept him sane. He tapped a few keys on the control pad and forced the project to a more 2D shape, focused on a more local area, and on the 'baseline' reality.

He blinked as he looked at the map and realised that there was a glaring hole in the actions of the diplomatic core. Well, the diplomatic core, such as it was. The Oligarchy was a wonderful thing in that he had pretty much total freedom, but it was a real bitch if you were wanting to pass the buck off on someone else.

Granted, this wasn't really his responsibility, but he decided to take the task on anyway. After all, there wasn't a whole hell of a lot for him to do here, so he might as well make himself useful. Grabbing his hat and squaring it on his head he left the embassy, walking the reasonably short distance to the Gehenna Tartarus embassy. He tipped his hat to the security guard, "Don't suppose that Ambassador Walsh has a free moment?"

Tartarian Embassy, Unity Island

It had been a long day, or so it seemed as nothing had happened of interest. The gates had been quiet all day, other than a couple of cars coming and going, which was why the arrival of the man on foot caused a stir inside the guard office. Stepping out to greet the newcomer, Lt Parker ran his eyes over the man’s form before answering his question.

“Ambassador Walsh may be free at present. May I enquire who is asking?” The man’s voice was full of boredom, brought on by a day of doing nothing. Moments later, having received the information required, he re-entered the building, picked up the phone and called the Ambassador’s office. A few minutes later, he emerged, and once more gave the man another look over. “If you wait in here, someone will be down to escort you inside.”

* * * * *

Heather Walsh returned her receiver to the cradle and frowned, as she wondered why the Ambassador for the Hack was requesting a moment of her time. She had had little dealings with any of the other delegates on Unity Island, except during meetings and other official gatherings, and then she never seemed to go down to well. This visit did not make her feel easy in the least; she just hoped it was not bad news.

Clicking the intercom button, she spoke rapidly into the com. “Lindsay, will you go down to the main gate and escort Ambassador Drzka here.” She paused for a moment, once again wondering what he could possibly want. “And once you get back, can you see to some refreshments?” Hearing an affirmative on the other side of the link, she released the button and let her assistant carry out her tasks.

* * * * *

Lindsay Clark made her way quickly to the front door of the Embassy, where she walked down a few steps and climbed in one of the golf cart type vehicles, and made the trip down the drive. Tartarian’s were a little uneasy with security, and liked to make sure there was a suitable safe distance between the main building and the security gate. And this was easier to traverse in one of the electric carts.

Ten minutes after Calvin Drska had arrived at the gate, Lindsay entered the security office attached to the gate, and with a welcoming smile, presented her hand to the newcomer. “Ambassador Drska, I am Lindsay Clark, Ambassador Walsh’s assistant. If you will follow me, I will escort you to her office, where she is waiting to meet you.”

Her smile firmly fixed in place, she indicated the door she had entered, which was opposite the one the guest had entered through, and took them to the other side of the gate. “I hope you were not waiting too long. I know sometimes the security personnel can be a little difficult, but I guess they are only doing their job, trying to keep us all safe.” She paused as she waited for him to get seated, as she took her own place in the cart. “It’s such a nice day today, do you not think?” She started the engine and began to drive them up to the main building.

Calvin was something of an anachronism. Hailing from the small city of Hali on the northernmost point of Mhu Thulan, the residents there often looked to be fifty or so years behind the times. As such, Calvin was almost never seen in public wearing anything less formal than a double-breasted coat, vest, and hat. While he certainly fit the bill of 'dapper', he looked not only out of time, but out of place, as it was usually quite warm on Unity Island. Still, he seemed perfectly at ease with it, and since he didn't have the typical Hali accent, he just looked like someone who wore less than usual clothing.

He gave Lindsay a friendly smile as he sat in the cart, "Oh yes, quite nice, the reason I decided to walk. It's usually so hot here, the cool breeze is very refreshing." He folded his hands in his lap, enjoying the ride. While the denizens of Hali tended to be more 'traditional', they were far from arrogant about their views. Thus, he didn't have any real problem with being driven by a woman. Besides, she was a very charming young woman. "No, I can't say that security caused me any real hassle. They were a little surprised at me popping in out of the blue, but you have to expect that. They're a credit to their profession."

---

After arriving at the main building, he hopped out of the cart, taking a moment to admire the embassy. He'd never actually visited the Tartarian embassy, so this was the first time he'd seen it in person. Satellite photography, while very sharp, still couldn't compete with seeing it in person. Being something of an archetecture buff, he took his time looking over the lines and design. He smiled sheepishly as he got absorbed by the building, "Apologies, Miss Clark. Something of a hobby of mine. Archetecture, that is." He tipped his hat slightly, "Still, mustn't keep Ambassador Walsh waiting, I suppose. Lead on."

He politely removed his hat as he followed Lindsey into the building, trying to keep from growing too distracted by the interior of the embassy, but still making sure he looked around a little. Brushing a non-existant piece of lint from his shoulder, he waited patiently to be shown to Heather's office.

Lindsay smiled at Calvin and knocked on the door to Heather’s office, popping her head around the corner. “Heather, Mr Drska to see you.” She pushed open the door and stepped back, giving the gentleman access to get into the room. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr Drska.” She looked at Heather and mouthed that she would see to some refreshments. With another look at the visitor, she disappeared back into the outer office, pulling the door closed behind her.

“Mr Drska.” Heather had risen from her chair and had moved toward the door to greet her visitor. “This is an expected pleasure.” As she drew near, she outstretched her hand to shake his. “Please, make yourself comfortable. I’ve ordered some refreshments, also nice on such a hot day.” She smiled, as she indicated a chair and then made her way back to her own seat.

Making herself comfortable, she looked over her desk at the Calvin. “I hope we didn’t keep you too long. It’s not every day we have visitors.” She gave the man the once over, a little surprised by the way he was dressed, not only because of the fashion but also by the unsuitability for the temperature. She flicked her eyes briefly to her own cotton shirt and thin trousers. She was unaware whether she had been successful in hiding her surprise.

“So, Mr Drska, what can I do for you today?” She frowned for a moment, unsure whether she had missed anything that she should have done. He had totally caught her unprepared, but she hoped that the smile that soon returned to her lips would hide this fact.

Calvin smiled a little at how the Tartarian accent pronounced his last name, but said nothing of it, taking the offered seat, casually crossing his legs and placing his hat on his knee. He ran his fingers through his short, dark hair, mildly amused at the concern on Heather's face.

He looked perfectly relaxed as he talked to her. "Nothing to worry about, Ambassador Walsh, I assure you that this is a perfectly friendly and innocent visit." He paused as Lindsey returned with a pair of drinks. He took one and gave his thanks, taking a sip before continuing.

"I must apologise for my unannounced arrival, but with things being reasonably quiet on the island, I figured that I wouldn't be imposing too much. At any rate, I was reviewing our current embassy staffing when I realised that while allies and on friendly terms, our two nations have never gotten around to an ambassador exchange.

"I decided that this wasn't entirely acceptable, especially given our relative geographical closeness, and decided to come over and float the idea past you, as you're the only official the Oligarchy has any contact with."

He smiled, "I realise that your government would probably need to vet any prospects we have, but I was hoping you could forward things on up the line, as it were."

Heather looked at Calvin curiously, annoyed with herself that her expression had given away her concern. She gave him a smile, and took a sip of her own drink as she let his words sink in. “Mr Drzka, I admit that what you have makes a lot of sense. It is very lacking in both our governments to have such a gapping hole in our relations, especially considering that the NDA connections we have made are one of our strongest ties with other nations.”

She pulled out a clean piece of paper, and picked up the pen that was resting on her desk, and quickly scribbled down some notes. “I will most certainly inform the Foreign Office about your visit, and will convey to them what you have said.” She looked up from her writing and fixed her gaze back to his face. “I should imagine that once we get the ball rolling, this oversight will be correct immediately.”

Finishing her notes with a flourish, she placed the pen back on the desk, and replaced it in her hand with her cup, taking another sip, feeling more at ease. She looked over at the window, and gazed out at the sun. “You definitely picked a nice day for a walk,” she said as she flicked her eyes back to him. “I really must take the opportunity for a stroll around the Island, one day.”

Calvin smiled happily, his hand idly adjusting his hat slightly. "In all honesty, I would probably blame my own government for this oversight. It's been... hectic; as I'm sure you can imagine. Also, our fragmented command structure tends to mean everyone expects someone else to do it." He waves his hand dismissively, "Rectified now at any rate, thank you."

He followed her gaze, glancing out the window and nodding a little, "It is indeed. It's warm, but not as oppresively hot as it usually is this time of year..." He studied her look for a minute before mentally shrugging and giving her a friendly smile, "Far be it from me to impose, but if you have the free time, I would be more than willing to give you a small walking tour." He chuckled, "I must say that our technitions did a fabulous job of building the island."

Heather was slightly taken back by the suggestion, not really expecting her remark to have caused this response. “It would be a pleasure.” She smiled and nodded her head enthusiastically. “I have such good things about the construction, so to speak, and have yet to really witness the spectacle.” She rose from her chair and then stopped realising her manners. “Of course, we should finish our refreshment first.” She sat back down and picked up her glass.

“Perhaps while we walk, we can discuss further the Ambassador deficiency, and then maybe we can start to rectify the rest of the world’s problems.” She laughed lightly, before taking another sip. “It is actually very nice speaking to someone other than my staff. It will make a change not talking about Tartarus or anything Tartarian, unless you want to cover anything about us of course.” She smiled, as she raised her glass to her lips and finished the contents.

Calvin nodded and finished off his drink, casting his eyes about for a place to set it: he didn't want to leave a ring on the desk. He spotted the tray left by Lindsey and deposited his glass. He smiled at her, "I hope my suggestion wasn't too forward, but it seemed like a good idea." He chuckled at her joke, "Perhaps the embassy will suffice... don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves." He stood casually, looking perfectly relaxed despite his dress as he waited to be sure there was nothing that Heather needed to take care of before their walk.

Having noticed that Calvin was ready to leave, Heather grabbed her mobile, slipping it into her pocket just in case anyone needed her urgently, not that she had been overly rushed off her feet since arriving at the island, but it never paid to go out unprepared. Making she that she had everything she require, she walked over to the door, and opened it for Calvin letting him exit her office, and then following him through. She looked over at the desk where Lindsay was working.

The young woman looked up, surprised to see her boss standing beside her desk. She looked a little concerned. “Is everything alright, Ambassador Walsh.” Using Heather’s title to keep things looking more professional, normally both women were on first name terms.

Heather nodded and indicated her companion. “Ambassador Drzka has kindly offered to show me around the island, as it is truly a master stroke of engineering. And as it is such a lovely day, and it is quiet, I’ve decided to take him up on his offer. Should anyone call, take a message and I’ll get back to them as soon as I return.”

Looking more than a little stunned, Lindsay looked on speechless until she finally found her tongue. “And do you know when that might be?”

The Ambassador shook her head. “Whenever we have finished our walk.” She turned to Calvin. “Shall we go, Ambassador?” She gave him another smile, and indicated their way out of the building. It was not long before the two exited, and stood in the blazing sun. “Definitely as waste to spend too much time inside when there is this wonderful weather to make the most of.”

Calvin's nickname came from his habit of frequently stating things in as few words as possible, and his habit for drastic understatement. As such he simply smiled and tipped his cap to Lindsey as they left the embassy, mildly amused at the girl's confused look. As they left, he smiled at Heather, "There's something to be said for spontaneity."

He led her around the island, setting a casual pace; there was no need to rush, they pretty much had the whole day. He demonstrated a certain amount of national pride in the fact that his country was responsible for the existance of the island, but also displayed an appropriate amount of humilty concerning the fact that the flora and fauna were not his nation's doing; they had been imported and planted by the principles of the NDA; the Hack wasn't a member back then.

He largely avoided business, prefering to enjoy Heather's company and slowly teasing her personality out. She was a consumate professional, as was he, and at times it was difficult to stop being Ambassador For The Nation and to simply be yourself. He had gotten used to slipping back and forth between the personas due to the luxury of being given almost totally free reign in how he conducted himself, and by being from Hali, which was something of the bastard child of the Hack.

Stopping at a deserted park -- it seemed that most of the diplomats were busy actually working -- he relaxed on a bench and offered a seat to his companion. Despite it being rather warm and a touch humid, he looked perfectly relaxed in his suit. The only affect the weather seemed to have was the fact that it got him to remove his coat and sling it over his shoulder. His tie, however, remained in place. He smiled and looked over at her, "I always liked this park. I usually take my lunch here." He carefully folded his coat and set it next to himself, deciding to worry about embassy plans later.

Heather took the seat next to Calvin and relaxed, turned slightly to face him. She had not really had the opportunity to make the most of the island, even though she was there every day. Like usually, people tended to miss what was right under their nose. She let her gaze remain on his face, taking a moment to get a better look at the man beside her, realising how easy it was to forget his unusual form of dress. She smiled to herself as she noted that he actually suited it, and he would have looked odd dressed in anything else.

“I can imagine why you would.” She let her eyes flick around her, taking in her surroundings. “It is a very beautiful and peaceful spot. I think someone could truly forget that anyone else existed while sitting her.” She laughed lightly. “Although I imagine it can be hard tearing yourself away and getting back to work. I think I would struggle.” She turned back to him, smiling. She was enjoying herself more than she had thought she would. “Maybe I should try it some lunch times, if you could bear the company.”

They were in a central portion of the park, a few benches circling a small fountain that bubbled softly. It's was quite pacific and even a touch idylic; the later partially being due to Calvin's almost quaint attire.

He smiled at her, "Luckily, there's very rarely anything that requires my attention." He chuckled and winked conspiratorially, "At times I'm here for hours." At her suggestion, he nodded, still smiling, "Oh, I'm not one to complain about company for lunch. It'd be nice." He tipped his hat back a little, looking at the fountain, deciding to save business for the walk back. Or even another day.

Heather smiled, and relaxed back on the bench, her eyes still focused on him. “Then it’s a date.” She laughed lightly, as she let her gaze more from him and pass over their surroundings. Letting her eyes close, she felt the breeze blowing on her skin, tickling with the gentlest of caresses. She sighed softly, contentment evident in the sound she had made. She remained sitting there, listening to the sounds around her, the rustle of leaves, the calling of birds, the breath of the man beside her. Her ears focused on that sound, finding it oddly calming.

Opening her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light again, she smiled broadly. “I think this has been the most pleasant day since I arrived here.” She mused softly, not letting her voice serenity the calmness around them. “I am not sure what brought you to my door today, but it has certainly improved everything.”

She turned around a little more, almost sitting sideways on the bench, one leg slightly beneath her body. “I want to thank you.” She smiled broadly. “And I don’t just mean verbally. Come to dinner with me.” She was certain he was going to refuse so she rushed on, not giving him time to speak. “I get tired having dinner on my own and having company would be nice…”

Suddenly she paused, realising she knew nothing of the man beside her, he could have a wife and family he needed to get back to. “That is, if you have no other plans, of course.”

Calvin tipped his hat slightly to Heather, "I'm thrilled that you're enjoying yourself." He grinned, "Seems like you needed the break." He shrugged slightly at her questioning comment of why. "Oh, nothing much, really. I saw something that needed to be addressed and did so. This," he waved vaguely, indicating the park, "is simply a bonus and a bit of inspired spontaneity."

A sly smile creeped across his lips, the whole situation deeply amused him. It seemed the Tartarians had a deep sense of what was, and wasn't proper, and sometimes had difficulty dealing with things that violated that sense. Such as him dropping in unannounced and then absconding with the ambassador. He was sure Lindsey was loosing her mind wondering just what in the world was going on. Heather, for her part, certainly seemed to be getting into the spirit of things, but was still being careful; old habits die hard.

He stood up, offer her his hand in a perfectly gentlemanly gesture to help her stand. He smiled cheerfully, "I would be honored to accept your offer." After all, Tartarians weren't the only ones to get hung up on tradition.

Heather smiled up at Calvin as she took his hand and rose from the seat. “I almost don’t want to leave.” Her smile grew as his acceptance of her offer filtered through to her brain, and then sent her into overdrive. “When would be a good time for you? I’m free most evenings.” She frowned at how lonely that made her sound. She missed Tartarus sometimes, when a person could eat dinner with a different person every night of the week. “Tonight? If that is not too short a notice. Actually, maybe tomorrow night, as I’m not sure what I have to offer.”

She laughed loudly. “It’s been a while since I offered anyone dinner.” She shook her head and sighed. “My head is in a whirl and I haven’t even asked if you had preferences, like vegetarian or something.” She wondered how she could handle the problems of the nation where it related to her role and yet a simply invitation to dinner had sent her over the edge.

Calvin chuckled softly, holding on to her hand ever so slightly longer than was necessary before turning to pick up his coat. "At times, Ambassador, I think you worry too much." He smiled good naturedly, "Tonight is perfectly fine, but I can wait until tomorrow if that's better for you. My calander is free, provided no other super-weapons pull into harbor."

He slung his coat back over the shoulder on the other side of Heather, setting a leasurely pace back towards the Tartarian embassy. He took a different path, passively showing off more of the island, "Oh, I'm flexible. Just about everything's fine. How about some traditional Tartarian cuisine?"

“Traditional Tartarian it is.” Heather smiled and fell easily into his pace, as they began the stroll back to back the way they had come. She brushed her hair behind her ear, and pondered for a moment. “Tonight it is. I believe I have some wine in the fridge and I should be able to rustle something up, just don’t expect too much, I’m not the best chef in Tartarus.” She laughed lightly.

She turned her head, looking at his profile and smiled. “And don’t worry about dressing up, wear something casual. I hate sitting around the house in clothes that should only be worn when dining out.” She looked at him and frowned. “Unless you would rather dress up of course, either works for me.” She shook her head, wondering why this dinner seemed suddenly so important to get right.

Calvin smiled a little as Heather brushed her hair aside. He was pleased that she was beginning to relax a little, "I'm sure it'll be fine, I trust you." He started to chuckle as she started to fret again, "It's just dinner, I'm sure the attire isn't that critical." He smiled, not wanting to upset her, "I'll tell you what: Since I'm not an exceptionally casual dresser in the first place, I'll simply wear what I'm wearing now. Dress as you feel appropriate."

Agreeing to his terms, Heather smiled, and exchange general conversation with Calvin as they returned to the Tartarian Embassy. She said her farewells at the gate, having arranged for him to come to dinner at seven thirty. With a smile, she returned to her office, ignoring the strange stares she received from Lindsay and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to work, but found she was focusing too much on the evening ahead to actually achieve anything. Deciding that she was wasting her time, she finished early and returned to her apartment.

Having decided on a menu, nothing too fancy as she really did not have the time or the ability to produce something outstanding, she set the meal cooking as she began to make her preparations for the evening. The first part of her toilette was easy, and consisted of showering and washing her hair. The next part was not so easy, deciding what to wear. She had told him that he did could dress casually, but he had said he was going to wear something a little dressier.

Recalling what he had been wearing, she frowned as she realised that meant she would feel uncomfortable in something too casual, which made her throw out her original plans. Looking in her wardrobe, she frowned as she realised that she really had nothing suitable to wear. Flicking through her clothing, she came across a scarlet halter neck dress that was not overly evening but was also something she would wear out to dinner. Slipping it on, she positioned herself in front of the mirror and admired her reflection, doing a twirl as she frowned wondering if it was suitable.

She shook her head, and dashed back to the kitchen, remembering that she had not checked the oven for a while, and it really would not do for her to serve burnt offerings. Pulling open the door, she managed to save the dinner just before it began to burn, and placed it back in the oven to keep warm. Her gaze reached the clock, indicating that she had only ten minutes before her guest was going to arrive.

Rushing back into the bedroom, she slipped on some stockings and put on a pair of shoes, despite the fact that she was remaining in. The heels added to her height, and the whole effect worked well together. She tumbled her hair into the top of her head, holding it with some hair clips, before she added the finishing touches by applying some makeup.

Once more she admired her reflecting in the mirror, and laughed at her self, as she realised she had managed to make herself look dressier than she originally had planned. She frowned slightly, realising that she had no time to change now, so shrugging her shoulders she returned to the kitchen and finished with the minor preparations for the meal, which would be ready by eight.

A knock at the door, sent her into a panic, as she rushed around making sure that her apartment was looking tired, and that everything was in place. Checking her appearance once more in the mirror, she walked over to the door, and pulled it open, a smile on her lips as she gazed upon Calvin.

“Come in, Mr Drzka.” She stepped back letting him into the apartment. “Let me take your coat.” Taking the garment from him, she hung it in a closet near the door and indicated for him to go further into the room. “Please make yourself at home.” She looked at him, her eyes twinkling, while looking a little flustered. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Calvin's day had been considerably more relaxed. He had returned to the embassy and, much as expected, found that nobody had missed him. Indeed, only the security guard had even noticed that he was gone. No e-mail, no voice mail, no memos, no nothing. He shook his head, wondering if his presence on this island was a brand of punishment. Perhaps he had been sent here so that he wasn't in anyone's hair. He couldn't imagine who he could have upset so much, but he decided not to worry too much about it. Better to be banished to purgatory than Hell, he supposed. One could even argue that as exile went, a tropical island wasn't too bad of a deal.

He'd spent some time doing busy work, largely because he had little else to do before meeting Heather for dinner. After awhile, he decided that he could just as well waste his time at home as at the office. He stopped by his apartment, treating JJ, his cat, to an early dinner. He took a quick shower, shaved and put on a new suit. The new was much the same as the old; simply a slightly different shade and freshly pressed. Still having plenty of time, he stepped out onto his balcony to watch the ocean and have a cigarette. As the agreed upon time neared, he gave in to a mild indulgence and called for one of the embassy cars to take him to Heather's apartment.

He smiled as she greeted him at the door, allowing her to take his coat and removing his hat, deftly tossing it onto the closet shelf -- one certainly didn't wear their hat when they were a guest at a lady's home. "I must say, you look magnificent." He quirked an eyebrow slightly as a bit of her nerves showed through, "A drink would be fine... I hope I haven't caused you any... ah... undo stress; that wasn't my intention."

“Oh, thank you.” Heather smiled at the compliment, hoping not for the first time that she had not overdone her outfit. She had said comfortable after all. She gave him a smile as she guided him into the apartment. “No, no stress.” She laughed lightly. “I’m just not the best chef around, and I want everything to be perfect. It’s not like I get to play hostess every day.” Indicating a chair in the lounge for him to use, she did not wait for him to sit, before she headed off into the kitchen.

“Do you like wine? I have red or white.” She called, as she opened the cupboard to get out a couple of glasses. “I have something stronger if you prefer?” Her voice seemed be to closer as she poked her head around the door, looking at her guest. Not waiting for a reply, she returned to the kitchen, and gave one of the pans on top of the stove a stir, making sure it did not get all thick and burnt. “I thought we would start with a soup, nothing special.” She returned to the door. “Did you want wine?”

Calvin smiled reassuringly, making gentle calming motions with his hands, "I'm sure it's wonderful." He didn't want to upset her by downplaying the whole thing too much, but he didn't want her to be unable to enjoy the dinner because of excessive worry. With a slight chuckle, he accepted the offered seat, relaxing in it a little, even as his eyes cast about the room, taking in the decorating schema. "Very nice apartment you have," he called after her.

He was sorely tempted to follow her to the kitchen to facilitate conversation, but didn't want to intrude, and figured that if the situation was reversed, he wouldn't much appreciate a guest in the kitchen. He was about to respond to her question the first time it was asked, only to have her vanish again. He simply bit his tongue and patiently waited her to appear again, "Not to be difficult, but red or white would largely depend on what you've prepared, wouldn't it?" Not giving her a chance to respond, "But, white will be fine, thank you."

All things considered, he supposed it could be viewed as flattering that she wanted to be sure everything was picture perfect. After all, gas station hot dogs would probably be rather insulting.

Heather looked at Calvin from the door, and laughed as she made her way over to where he was sitting, safe in the knowledge that the food was cooking nicely and was not about to spoil. She gave him a smile, as her laughter subsided. “You must think me very odd.” She frowned. “It’s been a long time since I dined at home with a guest, normally I eat out or microwave.” She giggled slightly.

“Can I offer you something stronger?” She indicated to the drinks cabinet, which was open and displaying an arrangement of bottles of alcohol. “I just like to sip a wine before dinner…” She blushed, hoping she was not suddenly sounding like a lonely woman, despite the fact that she could technically call herself one. “It helps me unwind.”

Calvin smiled diplomatically, "Not in the slightest." He shrugged a little, "I'd probably be just as... frantic if the situation was reversed. We don't get many opportunities to entertain, after all." He smiled at her, "You're doing fine, honestly. And since microwaving would be an upgrade for me, I'm in no position to complain about your cooking."

Calvin quirked an eyebrow in a decidedly Spock-like manner as she showed off the alcohol selection. A smile slowly spread across his lips as he noticed the bottle of Macallan single malt sitting in with the other bottles of various spirits. He carefully removed it from the cabinet, examining the label and grinning a little, "If you don't mind, this would more than suffice." He grinned a little, "You have impeccable taste."

“It was a gift.” Heather grinned, which turned slowly into a laugh. “I’m afraid I don’t know one whisky from the next. But as you seem to think you will enjoy it, then I will gladly open it.” She moved over to the drinks and pulled out a glass from the cabinet, and poured Calvin a double, or as close to it as she thought. She moved over to where he was sitting and presented him with the glass. “Feel free to top up, if and when.”

She moved back to the kitchen, and following the opening of a cupboard, the sound of a bottle being uncorked and the swishing of liquid as it filled a glass, Heather re-emerged with a glass of white wine in her hand, and made her way back to where he was sitting, lowering herself onto the couch.

“It was a very pleasant surprise, you turning up at the Embassy today, Mr Drzka.” She smiled and reclined slightly in the seat, her hand cupping her glass, before she lifted it to her lips and took a sip. “Mr Drzka sounds so formal for dinner.” She looked at him, her nerves beginning to come under control, and she had only had one sip.

Calvin grinned as he admired the bottle, "Quite a gift... thirty year Scotch Whisky is... a treat." He took a sip from the glass, enjoying the warming feel as the smooth alcohol slid down his throat, "Very nice," he murmured softly, more to himself than anything. Taking a few minutes to savor the amber liquid, he let himself relax, even if his hostess couldn't let herself.

"I suppose it was something of a lark." He gently tapped his tumbler against her wine glass, "I'd say it was a pretty good idea, all things considered." He smiled leaning back into the couch a little, "Mmm... I would have to agree, Ambassador," he grinned a little, "I'm sure that we can dispose of formailty, just this once you understand." He smiled, "Please, feel free to call me Calvin."

“Thank you, Calvin,” Heather smiled. “And you may call me Miss Walsh.” Letting out a little laugh, she shook her head. “Please, call me Heather.”

She lifted her drink to her lips, as she settled down once more, though her smile remained, and she felt much more at home. It was strange inviting a relative stranger back to her apartment. She had had the privilege of meeting him before; they had on occasion met in a professional manner. Perhaps if she had invited him out to dinner she would have felt more relaxed, but this was her on display, and in a very personal setting.

“Calvin is so much easier than Drzka.” She lowered her glass, and placed it on the coffee table before her. “I apologise if on occasion I pronounce it wrong. I know I have a tendency to call you Drska.” She frowns slightly, though the humour does not leave her eyes. “Which is very poor for a diplomat. I have heard wars have been started over less.” She turned in the chair, her arm resting on her back as she faced him. “Do you mind if I take my shoes off? Sitting with them on at home just feels…well, uncomfortable.”

Calvin laughed along with her joke, pleased she was finally letting her proverbial hair down, "Heather it is."

The tumbler was suspended between his finger-tips, hanging down casually as his arm rested on the arm of the couch. He gave her a little smile, "Oh, I don't mind. It's not the easiest name in the world, and I've heard worse mispronunciations." He chuckled softly, shaking his head, "I wouldn't worry about any hostilities over this. It's not like the Hack has a force to project." He grinned, "Besides, I'm willing to forgive since you've been so hospitable."

Calvin blinked slightly, looking down Heather's body and at her shoes, almost as if he hadn't really noticed them before. He cocked his head to the side slightly and shrugged, "Sure. I don't mind at all."

Curling her legs up under her, Heather slipped off her shoes and dropped them lightly on the floor beside the couch and smiled, as she wriggled her toes. “Mmm, that’s much better.” She laughed lightly. “The first thing I do, when I get home, is take of my shoes. The thought of spending the evening in them was most unappealing.” She slipped curled up slightly on her couch, the elbow of her arm resting on the back of the chair.

“If someone had said to me this morning I would be dining with the Ambassador from the Hack, I think I would have called them mad.” She let her eyes wonder slowly over his form, getting a better view from her position and feeling a little easier about doing so in her own place. “I’ve never been to the Hack, would you recommend a vacation there?” She smiled, as she once more reached over and picked up her glass, and merely cradled it in her hands.

Calvin stretch his legs out, they would have been touching hers had she not curled them up under herself. It could be viewed as a mild intrusion into her personal space, but the situation was quickly growing more relaxed. He took a drink from his glass, composing his thoughts for a moment, "Well, the Hack is hard to explain, in a way.

"I like it very much, but I'm, perhaps, not the best person to ask. I come from the north of the country, a small city called Hali." He chuckled, "I say small city, but there's a good million people there, it's just tiny compared to the billions in the megalopolises. I can't speak for those very well, as I always avoided Chiba and Tindalos. I know Chiba has a nice park, but," his voice trailed off non-commitally. He shrugged a little, "Hali is very nice however, if a little cold most of the year." He smiled a little, thinking about his home, "I think it would be a nice place to vacation, especially since so few people go there; it's not a tourist trap or anything."

He chuckled a little, indicating his attire, "It's something like going through a time-warp, mind..."

“I really should note it down as a possible place to visit.” Heather smiled, having watched the expression on his face. This was truly someone who loved where he lived, she could tell by the flicker of emotion on his face. “And it does sound most interesting and I’m not afraid of the cold. After being here on the island, some days it would be heaven to visit somewhere cooler.” She took another sip, feeling the liquid begin to take effect. “Hali sounds delightful.”

She took the opportunity to once more run her gaze over Calvin’s body, this time more openly, as she admired his look. “It I may say so, time-warp suits you.” She looked back up to his eyes, her own shining as she relaxed. “There are not many who could pull off your look and not look out of place.” She shifted slightly in the seat, the hem of her dress moving an inch further up her leg. “Unfortunately, I just tend to stick to the norm.” She indicated her own dress by sweeping her hand down the length of her body, starting from her breast down to her legs.

Calvin smiled, "I hadn't planned to make it sound like an advert, but I'm sure you'd enjoy yourself." He grinned, "Just be sure to bring a coat, we're knocking on the Arctic Circle." He pondered a moment, "Of course, you'd have to not mind a heavy military presence... well, heavy for the Hack. Most of our fusion reactors are in Hali, so we make a show of protecting them."

While Calvin wasn't the type to blush, there was a slight coloration in his cheeks as Heather looked him over with more than the usual amount of interest. He coughed slightly, taking another drink, "Well, yes... thank you, Heather." He grinned, "Glad I simply look anachronistic as opposed to ridiculous."

The movement of her dress didn't go unnoticed, despite his practiced nonchalantness at the whole thing -- obviously a product of his training in diplomacy. He did, however, follow her hand movement, telling himself that she was wanting him to look her over. He smiled, "There's something to be said for understatement. And I think the dress looks fantastic on you." The obvious corollary went decidedly unstated.

“Thank you.” Heather smiled, as she felt his eyes travel over her body, and even managed to blush slightly at the compliment. She sipped her wine, gazing at him over the rim of her glass, before once more cradling it in her hand. Her arm which was resting on the back of the chair now became a headrest, as she supported her head with her hand, her elbow against the leather. She played her fingers absentmindedly through her hair.

She paused for a moment. “Have you ever been to Tartarus?” Not that she expecting him to answer in the affirmative, she had yet to meet anyone who had actually been there. “It’s not cold, but it doesn’t have the best, all round weather.” Laughing lightly, she shook her head. “It’s the sign of a bad hostess when she has to resort to talking about the weather.” She frowned, a line creasing her brow, and then she grinned, her eyes twinkling.

“Tell me about you, Calvin.” She smiled. “Are you married? Do you have kids?” She decided not to beat about the bush, diplomacy was for sitting around a meeting table, not in the prelude to having dinner.

Calvin shook his head mildly, "Actually, I haven't travelled much. I spent most of my time in Hali, went to college in Chiba, and then came here." He chuckled a little, "And Chiba's weather isn't exactly charming either. I can handle a few clouds or some smog."

He stood up, walking over to the cabinet, refilling his class, pausing to glance towards the kitchen, "Smells good." He returned to the couch and sat back down, slightly closer to Heather, turning to face her. "About me, hmm?" He took a sip of the Scotch and tapped the rim of the glass briefly, "Like I said, I grew up in Hali and attended college in Chiba. I spent a little time in Tindalos -- quite an experience, much more multi-species than the rest. Worked for North Hack News for awhile, but didn't much care for gutter-press. I joined the diplomatic core, and somehow was given Unity Island. Still not sure why, but I wasn't going to pass it up.

"To your questions, no and no. There's no Mrs. Drzka lurking back at the embassy. Was always too busy to date much." He shrugged slightly. It wasn't a comment of regret, simply of fact.

Heather bit her lip lightly in thought. “My mother always said, when the right person comes along you will be in the right place, at the right time to meet them.” She laughed lightly. “I guess I keep missing my appointment. But if I’m honest, I don’t feel like now is the time for settling down. There’s far too much to do and see, and having to work around others is hard work, especially in this game.” She did look kind of sad at the thought, but it was quickly brushed aside and replaced with a smile. “I’ll worry about it in a few years.”

She sat for a moment, pensive. Her finger continued to circle through her hair, winding and unwinding. “This is a good position, despite it being in the middle of the ocean, miles away from anyone and kind of lonely.” She laughed, and looked at him, her eyes remaining slightly serious. “Of course, I wouldn’t be sitting here having dinner with you if I wasn’t here.”

The smile slipped from her lips. “The soup!” She got off the chair and raced to the kitchen, just in time to see the contents of the pan bubble up over the top. She killed the gas, and frowned, silently berating herself.

Calvin smiled a little, "Hm. Sounds like your mother was a pretty wise woman." He chuckled, "Seems we see things the same way: if it is indeed fated, then we needn't worry about missing an opportunity, hmm?"

He was about to respond to her when she jumped up and dashed out to the kitchen. He couldn't help but smile at it, getting up and casually following her. He leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, not wanting to breech that invisible barrier, "I hope it didn't scortch." He gestured vaguely to the dining room, "We could always continue our conversation over the soup to avoid other... mishaps."

“Do you mind bubbly soup?” Heather waved her hand over the pan, trying to disperse the steam so she could assess the damage. She stopped her actions and began to giggle, her hand moving in front of her mouth, as she tried to control herself, but instead of helping it just made matters worse, and it grew into laughter. Finally bringing herself under control she looked at Calvin, as large smile on her lips, her eyes sparkling more than normal due to her laughing.

“I’m sorry. I wanted everything perfect.” She sighed over dramatically. “But it isn’t everyday you get to get bubbly soup, so this should be a memorable evening for you.” She turned away and moved over to the cupboard and pulled out too bowls. “I’ll have to make sure I’m not too wrapped up in you when it comes to the main course.” She faced him briefly and grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Calvin quickly found himself lost in the mirth of the moment. Her giggling was positively infectous and he couldn't help but join in her laughter, "Well, at least I know it's fully cooked." He gave her a reassuring smile, "I kept telling you not to worry. I'm sure dinner will be fine. If nothing else, the company is most delightful."

He made his way to the dinning room table, peering at his pre-meal drink briefly, and deciding to stick with it. He set it down and took his seat, noticing a pair of candles on the table. It looked like they had barely been used, but enough that they clearly weren't just decoration. While Heather was busy with the soup, he got back up and dimmed the lights a little, pulling out his lighter and lighting the candles. He smiled at the look on her face, a light grin playing across his lips, "Adding a bit to the ambience." His grin broadened a little, "I would hate to cause you undue distraction, Heather. My deepest apologies."

Heather smiled as she walked forward, the bowls of soup held on a tray. “The low lighting will probably help disguise the look of the first course.” She stood beside the table, and placed a bowl in front of him and then repeated the process with her own, and took her seat. She watched him from her seat, then picked up her bread roll and broke a bit off, nibbling it thoughtfully.

“And you need not worry about distractions; the next course has a little while yet.” She picked up her spoon, and tentatively placed it in the soup, taking a cautionary sip and smiled with relief, as it actually still tasted palatable. “I think I managed to catch it just in time.” She lowered the spoon and picked up her glass, raising it in front of her. “To new friendship and closer ties.” She smiled, as she clinked her glass against his.

"Oh, I'm sure it's just fine. A little boiling never hurt." The soup was a light affair with watercress in it. It threw Calvin for a slight loop, until he realised that the curry he'd been smelling must have been coming from the main course. It made for a nice dichotomy, a light, thin soup to start before the stronger, more pungent main course. He smiled to himself: Heather clearly put a lot of effort into this last minute dinner.

He was about to taste the soup when Heather raised her glass for an informal toast. He raised his tumbler and lightly tapped it against Heather's wine class. He nodded in agreement, "Yes, here's to both." He took a sip from his Scotch and then sampled the soup, giving Heather an honest smile, "You worried for nothing. It's wonderful."

“Think how good it would have been if I hadn’t burnt it.” Heather grinned, and lowered her glass to the table once more eating, continuing the conversation around mouthfuls. “Still, it could have been worse.” She looked at his glass and then her own. “Can I get you another drink? Some wine perhaps?” Not waiting for a reply she headed back into the kitchen, bringing back a bottle of white wine with her, and a fresh glass for Calvin, in case he wanted to partake in some.

“Today is turning out better than I thought.” She smiled, as once more she took her seat and gazed into his face, finding his eyes. “I was a little worried about this evening, which is kind of strange in this line of work. I can mingle in a roomful of people, I can stand up in the middle of a meeting and speak my mind, but invite someone to dinner, and I go to pot.” She laughed. “I’m a little embarrassed for my behaviour. You are probably the most pleasant man I have ever had dinner with, and I was expecting some kind of ogre.” She took another sip of her soup, and broke off a piece of bread.

Calvin looked at his glass again as if he was seeing it for the first time. He swirled the amber liquid around inside, looking up at Heather as she returned, "Actually, that's a good idea." He set the tumbler aside and poured himself some of the wine, clearing his palette with the soup before tasting the wine. He crooked his head to the side briefly, "Good vintage."

His gray eyes met her gaze, he was perfectly relaxed and calm, and not simply because of the alcohol. "I would assume you have a better idea of what to say when working in an official capacity." He grinned impishly, "That, or I'm more distracting than I thought." He chuckled softly as she continued, "I have to admit curiosity at thinking I'm an ogre... was I that rude during the... ah... 'Anya' meetings?" He looked genuinely concerned at the impression he might have made, pausing his eating as he listened to her reply.

“Oh, no, I mean…” Heather blushed slightly, realising she had put her foot in to again. She could already see the news story ‘Ambassador kills chances of Embassy exchange with her mouth’. “I just was concerned more that I might have offended you with my opinions. It has never been my way to skirt important issues. Jump right in, explain myself and take the consequences.” She frowned. “Not speaking my mind when I have something to say seems silly, and as long as I feel I can justify myself, I am happy to speak out.”

She smiled nervously, as she began to work on damage limitation. She certainly did not want to spoil the evening now that she was enjoying herself in his company. “I didn’t really think you would be an ogre – that was just a poor choice or word.” She blushed, realising she was failing miserably and had probably just lost the chance for the lunch meetings in the park. “I guess I was a little concerned that you might have held the ‘Anya’ meetings against me.”

Calvin listened to her explinations and then smiled, "Fair enough." He grinned a little, "There's nothing wrong with being blunt, I suppose..." He left his words hanging, pausing to have some more of the soup, "Very good, by the way." He set down his spoon and looked at her across the table, "Nothing to worry about, no offence taken. I was simply afraid that I had made a bad impression." He chuckled a little at the situation, "Interesting, isn't it? Seems we're always walking on eggshells, afraid of causing offence." He grinned, "Seems we're a little too good at our jobs."

He had some more of the soup before continuing, "However, since we're on the topic of business... supposedly this all started about an embassy, didn't it?" He gave a half-grin half-smile, "Seems I forgot all about it when we went to the park."

Heather frowned slightly as he finished, before quickly replacing it with a smile. “Yes, the Embassy.” She berated herself silently for ruining the time they had been having, enjoying each others company in a more light hearted fashion, and now they were back to work. It appeared that her recovery had crashed and burned, but she knew that work was the reason they were here, not for anything else, and she had been a fool to think otherwise.

“Tomorrow morning, I will send word to Tartarus concerning the conversation with had, and hopefully, someone there will begin the process of contacting your government.” She smiled before sipping another spoonful of soup. “I guess once that happens, we can just sit back and watch.”

Calvin noticed the frown but made no comment. They seemed to be swinging wildly between poles and points of conversation. The irony was almost painful: here they were, a pair of trained communicators and trained negotiators, yet they couldn't seem to manage small talk -- or even dinner -- without hitting massive roadbumps. He smirked to himself, it reminded him of being a teenager at a drive-in, wonder what was and wasn't acceptable. Paralysis by over-analysis indeed. He took a drink from his wine glass, paused, shrugged, and topped off both his glass and hers. Just to calm the nerves.

"That sounds good to me. I sent a perlim notice to Elisa Day, who -- I think -- is still -- vaguely -- in charge of foreign relations," amazing how complicated things get when you largely eliminate governemnt, "and she seemed pretty open to the concept." He smiled, "So, assuming your end is okay with it, I think we're probably good to go."

“Being as the Hack is already an ally through the NDA, the foreign office will be more than willing to push forward the idea. The Empress is keen to promote relations, and is keen to increase her Embassy exchange program.” She watched as her glass was filled, and picked it up, taking a long sip. “If you would like, I can forward you their answer once I hear it so that you can keep tabs on how your original suggestion has been received.” She gave him a smile, and broke of another piece of bread.

She nibbled on the bread, her mind whirling. “Listen, I realise that I put my foot in it back there, calling you an ogre and such.” She shook her head and smiled. “Years of diplomatic training and I fail to keep peace at a private dinner. I would like us to be friends. For one, I was kind of looking forward to having someone to eat my sandwiches with on occasion.” She laughed lightly, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. “Do you think we can start again?”

Calvin nodded, finshing his soup and nursing a piece of bread, "Sounds like the business is largely taken care of." He shrugged, "Or at least as much as we're able to manage here." He nodded again, "I'd like that. I'm sure the Oligarchy will keep me informed, but it'd still be nice."

He glanced up from his bread as Heather continued. He pondered ever so briefly and smiled, "Yes, I'd like that too." He chuckled softly and extended his hand, "Good evening, I'm Calvin Drzka. I've seen you around the island. Come here often?"

“Good evening.” Taking his hand, Heather shook it and smiled, her eyes once more filled with fun. “I’m Heather Walsh, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Calvin. I believe you might have seen me around before. I’m sure I’ve seen you, you are kind of hard to forget.” She paused nibbling on her lip for a moment, as she looked at him, happy that he was willing to give her another chance. She had had dinners in the past that were not so easily healed. She really did have to learn to hold her tongue.

Rising from her chair, she picked up her bowl, and moved over and took his too, placing them on the tray she originally brought them in on. “I’d better check on the main course, I really don’t want that ruined.” She gave him a smile, and walked back into the kitchen, the sound of crockery and cutlery could be heard clanking around as she prepared her next course. She poked her head out from around the door, rubbing her brow slightly. “I’ll just be a minute.” Disappearing again, she began to hum to herself as she continued to serve up the meal.

A couple of minutes later, she reappeared carrying two steaming plates of chicken curry and rice. She placed the first meal in front of Calvin and then repeated the process with her own. She once more took her seat and smiled. “If you want any more, there’s plenty. I seem to have overdone the portions.” She grinned. “I could be eating curry for breakfast and dinner for the next week.”

Calvin laughed, shaking his head slightly, "Yes... dressing a hundred years out of date tends to leave an impression, doesn't it?" He looked down at his dress, he looked almost modern with his coat off, simply slightly overdressed. He smirked, "Now, in Hali, I'd blend right in..."

He smiled as she got up to bring the main course, having some more of his wine and resisting the urge to hum or drum his fingers on the table, wondering where all this nervous energy was coming from. As she returned, he assumptions about the curry were confirmed and he smiled, "Have you been spying on me? I love curry." He grinned at her, "I don't know about curry for breakfast, might be a little too spicy. Lunch, however..."

“But I’m planning on sandwiches for lunch.” Heather smiled as she reached for her fork, her eyes fixed on his face. She was pleased that they had managed to fall back into their previous mood. Taking a mouthful, she carefully chewed it, making sure it was not too hot, as she did not want to burn her mouth. “I’m glad you like curry…if you had said you didn’t I don’t know what I would have given you to eat. I think I have a can of tuna.”

She let her gaze once more moved over his body, his previous remark from before she left the table coming to mind. “I don’t think you look out of place.” Her eyes linger probably longer than was necessary, as she slowly moved them back up until she met his eyes. “And if you look even better in Hali than you do here, I most certainly will be arranging a vacation when you are next there.” She laughed lightly, wondering if she had said a little too much.

"Magnificant," he commented after trying the chicken, the heat wasn't too low that you'd never notice it, but it wasn't so hot that your head would explode in an unattractive cascade of tears, sweat, and snot. He chuckled a little, "Ironically, I'm not a fan of albacore." He took a few more bites of the chicken, followed with a drink of wine, not really noticing Heather looking him over. He raised his eyes again, just in time to catch hers. "Well, I simply said I wouldn't look out of place..." He coughed slightly, accepting the compliment, "But, yes... that would be nice." He grinned slightly, "I'm sure I could show you around, at the very least."

Heather smiled. “That would be nice, but I think arranging more than lunch with our schedules would be near on impossible.” She laughed suddenly. “Except dinner tonight, of course.” She took another mouthful of food, and chewed it thoughtfully. She could not remember the last time she had had this pleasant a day. Normally she would be curled up in front of the television, a tray across her legs, flicking through the available channels. This was certainly an improvement. If she worshipped a god, she would be thanking him about now for guiding Calvin to her door.

Lowering her fork, she picked up her glass and took a slow sip, gazing at him from over the rim. It was strange how quickly she had become accustomed with his appearance, in her office she had been caught up surprise. “I hope you don’t have to rush off after dinner.” She smiled and then took another sip. Placing the glass on the table, she paused in her actions. “I’m really enjoying your company. I’ve not had this pleasant an evening since…” A laugh passed through her lips. “Longer than I want to recall.”

"Oh, posh. Doesn't the Empire give you vacation time? I should think you could manage to swing a week or two." He enjoyed more of the dinner, finding himself wishing that she could indeed take time off. The thought of showing her around his home town appealed to him, and seemed like a wonderful way to spend a week or two. Certainly wasn't the result he had in mind when he popped in on a lark to ask about an embassy, but he wasn't about to complain.

He couldn't help but grin as she asked about his plans for the evening. "Oh, I'm pretty free tonight. Nobody noticed when I stepped out earlier, so I'm sure they'll manage without me for an evening." He smiled, drinking some more of the wine, "I think I'd rather like to stick around after dinner, especially since you're offering."

Heather smiled. “Of course, they give me vacation time. I was merely suggesting that timing would be difficult.” She took another mouthful of curry and chewed, following with a sip of her wine. “But the chances of me being free at the very time you were back in the Hack would be slim. I don’t believe that much in coincidence, do you?” She laughed lightly, as she gazed at her plate before returning her eyes to his.

She paused for a moment as she took in his words. “I would be delighted if you did stay.” Her eyes twinkled mysteriously, and her words spoke more than she expected. “We might be able to curl up on the couch with a bottle of something and a good movie.” She grinned. “Or we could just talk…or I could just abuse your offer and make you do the washing up.”

Calvin smiled slyly, "Well, we might have to coordinate things a little. Perhaps some scheduling synergy." He wasn't very good at those kinds of buzz words and hollow phrases, which made him sound all the more silly. He smirked a little eating some more chicken, "Unless, of course, such a thing is... ah... inappropriate for your paradigm?"

His eyebrow crooked up slightly, "Indeed..." He coughed slightly, his features still smiling, "Dishes? Ah... so that's why you invited me over! You needed a bus boy!" He chuckled softly, "Now then, the bottle and movie sounds like a great idea... I'll have my people call your people." He smirked.

“I thought we could handle this more one on one.” Heather raised an eyebrow playfully and smiled, before she lifted another forkful of curry to her mouth, and savoured the spicy taste on her tongue, once more being grateful that she had not ruined that course. “Unless, of course, you do not feel up to the task.” She lowered her eyes from his, focusing on her plate briefly.

Returning her fork to her plate, she once more raised her eyes to his, and smiled, picking up her glass and taking a very slow sip. As she moved it back to the table, she bit lightly on her lip and slowly released it, until she once more broke into a smile.

Calvin smiled slightly, "An interesting proposition, that." He took the last bite of chicken, chewing thoughtfully as his fork idly herded the remaining rice. "I suppose the question is what exactly needs 'handling', now isn't it?" His eyebrow waggled slightly and he gave her an innocent smile, drinking some more of his wine.

A playful grin spread across his features as he set the fork down, "That was very good, Heather; thank you for inviting me over." He gave her a genuine smile, "This has been one of the nicer evenings I've had in ages." He raised his wine glass slightly in a small toast to her before finishing off the remaining wine.

Heather smiled, as she lowered her fork to her plate, and picked up the napkin what was positioned on the table, always useful when eating curry. “It was a pleasure. It really is nice to have company, especially when the company is so charming.” She looked into his eyes, and picked up her glass, raising it in a mirror action to his. Taking a sip, she rose from her seat and indicated for him to do the same. “Would you like to make yourself comfortable in the other room, while I clear the table?”

Calvin nodded, "I have to agree, quite enjoyable..." Noticing that his wine glass was empty, he glanced at the tumbler of Scotch, deciding to leave well enough alone, and simply left it on the table. He stood, grinning a little, "I thought you had invited me here for my table-clearing services?"

“Oh, I’ve been too well trained to let a guest do the washing up.” Heather laughed, as she picked up the plates. “And I’m not talking about the diplomatic service either.” She looked at him and smiled. “But you can grab another bottle from the fridge, if you want to do something useful.”

Calvin laughed with her, "Fair enough, fair enough." He rooted around in the fridge, pointedly avoiding being overly curious and finding junk food or the like. He pulled the wine bottle out and uncorked it. As she cleared the table he refilled their glasses and carried them out to the front room. He placed them on the table and sat on the sofa, patiently waiting for her to finish.

Heather watched as Calvin walked back to the lounge, her eyes lingering on his bottom as he went, as grin appearing on her lips, as she turned and continued to load the plates into the dishwasher. She suddenly wished she had a mirror to check her appearance, and picked up a spoon from the drawer and tried to see herself in it.

Moments later, she emerged from the kitchen and moved over to the couch, not rushing. Lowering herself next to him, she kept a safe distance between them, and picked up her glass, which she had spotted on the table. Cradling it in her hands, to give them something to do, she turned to Calvin, her eyes instantly finding his. “So, are you up for a movie?” She smiled. “Or would you like to try something a little more exciting?” She raised her eyebrow questioningly, not sure exactly what she was offering for them to do instead.

Calvin almost choked on his wine as she asked her second question, but recovered masterfully. It wasn't that he was upset at the tantalizing offer of 'something more exciting', more that he was surprized at her forwardness.

Back in Hali, a woman would pretty much never make the first move. This was another reminder that he was far from Hali. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing. Smiling innocently, he decided to see what she had up her sleeve, "A movie's nice, but... this more exciting 'thing' sounds intreguing, too." He grinned a little, "Whatever could you have in mind?"

“Well…I…thought we could…” Heather smiled confidently, while desperately trying to think of something. She had not really expected him to choose the second option, he seemed so…sweet. She grabbed the word from the air. “Get to know each other in a very different way.” She grinned, knowing that she was leading him, trying to judge the level that she could push to.

She took another sip of her wine, and lowering her eyes, before slowly bringing them back up his body, until she found his eyes. As she did, she nibbled lightly on her bottom lip then placed her glass back on the table, freeing up her hands.

Calvin smiled despite himself. This was becoming quite interesting, even if it went against pretty much everything he was used to. There was something to be said for experiencing other cultures, and he did enjoy her company, after all.

Mirroring her actions, he set his glass on the table, and let his eyes look over her body, lingering for the first time since they had met. He slowly raised his eyes back to hers, "How would you suggest we do that, Heather?"

Heather shivered as his eyes moved over her body, excitement and anticipation spreading over her. She could feel her confidence growing, as his reactions gave her strength. She shifted slightly in the chair, closing the gap slightly between them, turning her body, so that she was sitting sideways on in the seat. Her movements conveniently allowing her hand to brush over his leg.

“I suppose we could talk.” Her voice sounded husky to her own ears, as she focused her gaze on his mouth, her own lips parting slightly. She moved her tongue lightly around her lips, wetting them, giving them a sparkle that matched the twinkle in her eyes.

"Talk, hmm?" He grinned slightly, deciding to tease things out a bit, despite the chills that shot up his spine as her hand brushed his thigh. He leaned in a little, just enough to be in her personal space and softly asked, "What would you like to talk about...?"

A frown flickered slightly over her face, which quickly disappeared. “Let’s talk about you.” She smiled, as she moved again, once more getting ever closer to him. “Tell me, how well do you kiss?” Not waiting for an answer, she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips tenderly against his, her hand resting lightly on his thigh, stroking softly.

Calvin's eyebrows shot up briefly in surprize, but he eagerly leaned into the kiss. His left hand, which hand been resting on the back of the sofa, slid around to Heather's side, pulling her closer as their kiss deepened.

She felt herself relax as he reciprocated the kiss. Her body losing some of its tenseness as his hand held her body. She moved her hand, placing it lightly on the back of his neck, her fingers playing lightly with his hair. Her other hand moved onto his leg, tracing back and forth. Losing herself for a moment, she enjoyed the sensations that were flooding over her body.

Not sure how long had passed, she pulled her lips from his. A smiled quickly appeared, and her breath was raspy, as she looked into his eyes. “Well…that answers that question.” Her breath was heavy as she spoke. “Is there anything you want to find out about me?”

Calvin took a few minutes to catch his breath as Heather pulled back, finding himself acutely aware of where her hand was, and her heavy voice. He grinned slightly, "I take it you approve then..." His eyes smouldered as he gazed back at her, letting them flick over her body again, taking his time as he slowly looked down and then back up again, "Several things... very few of them proper to talk about..."

Heather smiled, pondering for a moment. “If you can’t talk about them, perhaps there is some other way that you can get your question answered.” She moved her hand from his neck, sliding it down until it rested lightly on his chest, her fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt. “I’m most willing to answer any question you might have.” Her eyes shone, as she spoke, indicating the sincerity of her words.

Calvin smiled, his hands moving to his shirt collar, not to stop her, but to remove his tie. "So far, you're doing a very good job of answering them..." Setting his tie down, his left hand returned to her bare shoulder, lightly caressing.

Watching his movement, Heather’s eyes followed his hand and once more travelled to his face, her eyes displaying her hunger and desire. “Hopefully I might be able to answer a few more before we are done tonight.” She placed a little pressure on his chest and pushed him back slightly, as she moved herself closer to him, looking down into his eyes. Smiling, she lowered her lips back to his, kissing him more passionately.

Calvin grinned slightly, "I'm sure you will..." He leaned back against the arm of the sofa, putting up no resistance, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed back; his passion matching her own.

Her hands moved, the one on his leg joining the one that was playing with his button, working in unison. It has been a while since she had been with someone in this position, and it took her a moment to work her away down his shirt, popping each button out of its hole, until the two parts of the material fell apart.

Once more she broke the kiss, looking down into his eyes. “Are you comfortable?” She frowned slightly as she noticed the position he was in against the arm of the chair. “We could perhaps, find a more…suitable place to continue…if you so desire.” Her eyes revealed that she was willing to give him anything he was willing to take.

He sat up, gently pushing her back a little. He cupped her face and gave her a kiss before she could worry he was rejecting her. As they kissed, he removed his shirt, letting it flutter to the floor. He licked his lips as they broke the kiss and grinned, "Perhaps someplace a touch more... comfortable?"

Taking his hand in hers, she rose from the couch, her eyes never leaving his. She pulled him slightly, urging him to come with her. “I think I know just the place.” She grinned slightly, as she walked backwards, leading him to where he probably already had guessed.

As they made their way to the bedroom, she stopped, and once more wrapping her arm around him, she pulled him into a kiss, beginning to move again, until their lips parted. Her eyes twinkled with mischief and desire, as she released his body, just guiding him with her hand. “I hope you will respect me in the morning.” She smiled, as finally she reached the bedroom door, which she kicked open with her foot, revealing a luxurious kingsize bed.

He grinned, following her, "I thought you might." At the kiss, his hands slipped around her back, and down to her hips, pulling her body to his, returning the kiss. Her desire and the look in her eyes hit his libido like a pipe, making him willing to follow her most anywhere at all.

He chuckled softly, "I most certainly will, no worries." He pulled her back, giving her a reassuring kiss before releasing her and grinning broadly as she kicked open the door. He smiled as he saw the bed, following her into the bedroom, "Nice..."

“I’m glad you like it.” She turned briefly and guided him to the bed, stopping as they reached the edge. Her eyes ran down his partially undressed body, her hand releasing his as she ran her fingers over his still covered chest. “I have thought of another question.” She grinned. “But again, I think it’s something I can answer myself.”

She began to run her hands over his body, working on freeing him from the rest of his clothing. Once she had removed his t-shirt, she traced her finger over his bare chest, and pushed him slightly, indicating for him to sit, as she began to work off his shoes. Rising out of her crouch, she stood before him, and unzipped her dress, before peeling the straps from her shoulders.

She smiled at the faint hiss, as it slid down her body, landing in a pile at her feet. Standing in just her underwear, matching black and sexy, she gave him a moment to admire her body, as she released her hair from the clips, sending it tumbling down onto her shoulders.

Calvin let her take the lead, finding the situation a welcome change from how he was always used to the male-female dynamic going. Her movements were mezmerising, and he followed them, his eyes never leaving her body. He barely heard her question, just nodding mutely and sitting on the bed without the slightest bit of hesitation.

He held his breath in anticipation as her dress fell the the floor in a crumpled pool of fabric. He barely had time to take in the sight of her before she dropped her hair. His mouth suddenly felt dry as she showed herself off to him. He slowly, pointedly, looked her over, smiling and nodding in approval. "Any more... 'questions'...?"

She stepped closer to him, her legs brushing against his. “Just a few, but I am sure they will be answered shortly.” She placed her hand on his shoulders and pressed her lips to his, guiding him back onto the bed, her own body following him down, resting against him. She broke the kiss briefly, as she began to work on his trousers. “Any that aren’t…I’ll ask you in the morning.”

He grinned at her, accepting the kiss as she pressed against him. He looked up at her, lifting his hips as she further undressed him, "Fine by me." Once she had removed his trousers, he pulled her back up and kissed again, his fingers brushing the clasp of her bra, "My turn to ask..."

She kissed him, losing herself in the touch of his body against hers, his skin warm. She did not put up a struggle as he eased off her bra, and dropped it onto the floor. A moment later, she looked down into his eyes, her lips once again parting from his. Her eyes grew ever more full of her desire and want.

“You ask, and I’ll do my best to answer.” She ran her finger over his cheek, down his neck, bringing it to rest on his chest. “I think nearly all my questions are answered, although there is one burning one that I am very eager to find out.” Her hand slid down his body until it brushed against the top of his underwear. “Actually I have two…” She began working on the next answer.

He held her close finding her answer most acceptable. As she looked down at him, he lightly ran his fingers over her grinning, "Perfect answer... A+." As she slid down, he lifted him hips again, his grin growing even wider as she looked at him, "Yes... only a couple questions left myself..."

“Perhaps we can work together on the last couple.” Heather climbed back up his body, pressing herself to him, as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her. Her lips once more found his, as he began to work on the last remaining piece of her clothing, a shiver rushing over her body.

Lying naked on the bed, there was really only one question left to answer, and for that she decided they had the rest of the night to answer. She did not break the kiss; she merely let her hands move over his body, as she lay on top of him, learning more about him through touch, enjoying herself more than she had for a long time.

It was amazing how a simple action could lead to an entire series of totally unexpected results. Just a handful of hours ago, he had seriously just been thinking about getting an ambassador exchange. Likewise, inviting Heather on a walk had been just as innocent. Indeed, it wasn't until he actually arrived at her apartment that the wheels in his mind started to turn.

And now he was here with a beautiful, and gloriously naked, woman in his arms as they kissed on her bed. Like her, he realised there really only was one question left, but he was also willing to be sure the answer was as complete as possible.

He gently rolled her onto her back, looking down at her, admiring her body before kissing her again, the pace may have slowed slightly, but the passion was still burning brightly.

Heather looked up into his face briefly, before he took her mouth in another kiss. Her arms wrapped around his body, her hands sliding down his back, her fingers gliding gently over his skin. Whatever happened now, she was caught up in him, her need for him, her desire for him. His body so close to hers caused her to tremble with anticipation.

She looped one of her legs around his, tangling their limbs together, pulling him, if possible, even closer to herself. Her heart beat loudly in her chest, as her need rose. He had caused sensations in her that she had not felt for longer than she cared to remember. She like him wanted what was to come, the perfect end to a perfect day. As her hands reached his bottom, one of them moved to his head, her fingers entwining with his hair, as her mouth began to work frantically against his. She felt calm and excited, desperate and patient. But wanting only one thing.

He felt her body shivering with her desire, the same desire and, indeed, the need that he felt. His kisses deepened as he felt her leg move around his, finding it harder and harder to delay. His body was taking over, his mind just along for the ride at this point, not that it would have wanted to stop, given the chance.
As her hands moved over his body, he pulled back slightly, pausing and smiling down at her. As her eyes opened in confusion, he kissed her passionately and answered their final question.

* * * * *

Several days later
Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Walking around her office, Gehenna read the communiqué she had received, a smile playing on her lips. One of the items at the top of her agenda for the Empire was to build ties with other nations, especially if it led to an Embassy exchange. Gehenna had been disappointed when she had taken the throne of Tartarus and discovered that her father had practically closed the door on the international community. It was her goal to undo his work, and make Tartarus a more integrated nation.

She turned to Alex. “There is no reason for us not to agree to this. The Most Glorious Hack is already an ally through the NDA, having an embassy exchange seems the ideal thing to do.” She walked over to her desk and settled into her chair. “Take down the following…”

* * * * *


To: Speaker for the Oligarchy, Elisa Day
From: Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna of Tartarus

Re: Potential Embassy Exchange

Following a communiqué from Ambassador Heather Walsh, stationed on Unity Island, in which she details a conference with your Ambassador, Calvin Drzka, I write to inform you of my eagerness to begin official proceedings to make an Embassy Exchange possible.

I await confirmation as to your interest in this matter.

Yours sincerely

Gehenna
Empress of Tartarus



[ooc: Please note: the Heather/Calvin scene is related to future character development.]

Co-written with Hack.

Shino Tokuta looked over the letter in his hand, crinkling his brow a little. The Kitsune had, of course, seen paper before, but it was so rare to get letters these days. Or, rather, letters that weren't from Faye. He'd almost thrown it out when he realised that it wasn't some random piece of junk mail, but actually an official letter. He ripped it open, kicking back in his chair as he skimmed it over.

"Reading my mail now?"

"Oh! Elisa... um..." He coughed nerviously, "Er... mail from the Empress of Tartarus."

She giggled softly, taking the letter, "You're cute. Thanks. We still on for dinner with June and Mito?"

Shino nodded, "Yup."

"Excellent." She wandered back into her office, reading the letter and talking softly to herself, "Ah... so that's what Calvin was talking about..." She glanced over at her terminal, a stream of data filling the screen which she quickly skimmed, "Hm. How'd we miss this?"

To: Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna of Tartarus
From: Speaker for the Oligarchy, Elisa Day
Re: Embassy

Imagine my surprize when I realized that despite mutual membership in the NDA, we have never moved towards more formal relations. I can't imagine what caused such an oversight, nor would I assume to bore you with excuses on why it might have happened.

I think an embassy is a fantastic idea, and am currently creating a dossier for potential staffing for your perusal. I'm also in the process of have blueprints drawn up for the building in question, unless you have a preexisting one that can be used.

Looking forward to closer relations,

Elisa

Emma Sarie sat, her palmtop in hand, as she listened to the younger woman sitting in the chair opposite. They were sitting on the comfortable chairs away from the huge mahogany desk, a set of papers strewn across a table before them. She watched as the Empress picked up, scanned and then discarded the document a frown on her face.

“Personally I would prefer them to have one of the buildings we already have, for one it would be nice for them to be used for their original purpose.” Gehenna looked up, her eyes finding her Foreign Ministers face. “Of course, if they would prefer to have their own design that would mean moving them more towards the outskirts of the city.”

Erebus was old, the centre of the city dated back hundreds of years, with a lot of the buildings still standing the test of time. They had lost a few in the big earthquake of 1842, which had destroyed the famous Opera House, but mostly the city had kept its historical look. As you moved outwards, the buildings became more modern and taller.

“I suppose our best option is to send them several options of current buildings and give them potential locations for a new build.” Gehenna lowered her eyes back to the sheets of paper before them. “I can leave that in your capable hands, Emma.” She sat back in the seat. “Possible candidates for Ambassador? What are your thoughts on that?”

Emma clicked on her palmtop and guided herself to the relevant place. “Well, I’ve short listed two candidates. Trent Masters and Gina Decosta.”

“Nathan Decosta’s daughter?” Gehenna made the connection to her Mediation Council Ambassador. “Is she a suitable candidate?”

Nodding, Emma smiled. “I believe that she has curbed her behaviour in the last few years, she is practically a new woman.” She clicked another button on her palmtop and reading the screen before once more looking at the Empress. “I think she is more than suited. I thought we would give her a chance, but if you would prefer that I remove her from the list…?”

Gehenna pondered for a moment. “No, she can stay. We can always call her back should anything happen.” Secretly she was already favouring sending Trent. “Again, I think we will send both of our short listed candidates with full background, to ensure that Ms Day has no reservations with either of them. Then we will make our decision.”

The two continued to discuss the business of the Embassy for some time before Emma took her leave and began to work on sending all the relevant details to Elisa Day.

"Well, what about Ericson?"

"He's half insane, Elisa. I don't think he'd make much of an impression. Or rather, one that we'd like to make."

Sarah poked her head into the living room. She was half asleep and in her housecoat, not surprizing given that it was three in the morning, "What are you two doing?"

Elisa looked up from the stack of papers, notes, datapads, and mini-holo projectors. She and Shino were on the couch, a couple cups of cofee on the table, and were going over this mountain of documentation. She got up, stepping over Shino and moving to give Sarah a hug, "Sorry, honey. We're trying to figure out who to send as an ambassador to Tartarus, and... we're short on quality canidates." She gave her wife a kiss, "We'll try and keep it down."

Sarah smiled, snuggling her wife a little, "Okay, thanks." She waved to Shino and wandered back to her room.

Elisa walked back over to the couch, playfully flicking one of Shino's ears, "Quit making so much noise, you."

He smirked, chuckling softly, "Quit suggesting nutters, you capitalistic witch."

Elisa snorted, "That work work, hon. You ain't from GMC."

He snorted, and dug through the papers again before grinning, "Think I got one... what about Tsukika Obayashi?"

Elisa paused, raising an eyebrow, "Former girlfriend of yours?"

Shino smirked, "No, no. Nothing like that. She was actually part of the team that helped with Cristiona. She's something of a linguist." He frowned, "You don't think the Tartarians would have a problem with Cervidine, do you?"

Elisa frowned, "Hm... good question." She leaned back on the sofa, cradling her coffee mug in her hands as she thought about it, "All we have to go on is there interactions on Unity Island. Their ambassador... ah... er..." She shifted through some papers, "'Walsh', yes, their ambassador, Heather Walsh, didn't seem to have any real troubles with Fusayoshi and company, but then, she was a little more pissed off about Anya, who's human..."

Shino nodded, "Counter point being that Kitsune seemed to be more accepted by people not used to non-humans." He grinned, "Probably because we look so damn good." He laughed as Elisa rolled her eyes dramatically, "Seriously though, my guess is that Naga's and Cervidine would have the most difficulty, being the least human looking..." He snickered, "Well, maybe Segonune too. People seem to expect spraying."

Elisa nodded, "Yeah, yeah." She closed her eyes as she thought about it, "I don't want to hold her back just because she's one of the lizard's science fair projects..."

Shino shrugged, "Well, they sent us the dossier for their ambassadors for vetting, we could certainly do the same." He frowned, "Of course, they sent us a couple names..."

Elisa shrugged, "They're a little more organized, I think." She gestured around vaguely, "I mean, we're here in the living room doing this. I'm sure the Empress has a staff for this sort of thing."

Shino smirked, "You do too: me."

Elisa glanced over, "If that was a double-entendre, I'm killing you."

Shino whistled innocently, getting up to refill their coffee cups.

Elisa laughed, turning her attention to reviewing the dossiers sent from Tartarus.

~~~

To: Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna of Tartarus
From: Speaker for the Oligarchy, Elisa Day
Re: Embassy Details
Attachments: Tsukika Obayashi Dossier

My assisstant and I have reviewed the information you sent over, and we feel that either of your canidates would be more than capable to fulfill ambassadorial functions. We'd welcome either to Chiba City and think they would fit in very well.

As to the building itself, I have reviewed the information you sent along, and I think the building at $address would be wonderful for our uses. When I offered to construct our own, I wasn't aware that you had so many magnificent buildings already constructed for that purpose that were available. Pending a review by our security team (I apologise for being so terribly rude, but Section 3 would have my head if we didn't), we'll be ready to move in as soon as you're ready to receive us.

Attached to this e-mail is a complete dossier on our leading canidate to be our ambassador to your nation. Briefly, Tsukika is a highly gifted linguist. She's helped us with several of our translation programs, including one of our AI's who is currently working with the Greater Ascendancy. She's been a member of our diplomatic corps for quite some time, usually working behind the scenes. As you can see from the attached photograph, she is a Cervidine. I wanted to be sure this wasn't a problem; Cervidine are largely unheard of outside of the Federation.

If there are any difficulties, don't hesitate to contact me.

Elisa

To: Speaker for the Oligarchy, Elisa Day
From: Emma Sarie, Foreign Secretary
cc: Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna of Tartarus

Re: Embassy Details

Thank you for the information pertaining to your Ambassador. Having read her dossier, the Empress Gehenna has accepted her suitability into the role, and looks forward to the chance of making her acquaintance.

As to our Ambassador to The Most Glorious Hack, out of the two candidates short listed, we can confirm that Ambassador Gina Decosta will be representing the Empire. She will be arriving once all the necessary checks have been carried out.

We look forward to the arrival of your security team, our own will be dispatched to The Most Glorious Hack on a date most suitable to you.

If you have any questions or require further information, please contact me.

Emma

.

Erebus International Airport; Erebus; Tartarus

Tsukika Obayashi stepped from the private jet, her hooves clicking softly on the tiled floor. She was quite tall, even for a Cervidine, and wore a red kimono with a subtle pattern over it in muted gold. She carried a small bag which contained the barest essentials. She had a decidedly regal look about her, and she could very well pass for royalty if the Hack had such traditions. She introduced herself to the representative that was waiting for her. Her voice had a faint GMC accent, "Good afternoon." She bowed slightly, "I am Tsukika Obayashi, and I'm pleased to be here."


Hack Embassy; Erebus; Tartarus

Tsukika frowned a little to herself. It seemed that she was going to be largely responsible for setting up shop in the embassy. The security team had left and certified that the building was clean and that they had set up secure communications back home, but everything else was aparently up to her.

She ran her finger over one of the counters, frowning at dust that stuck to her short fur, sighing softly. She liked the freedom she had back home, but it would have been nice if there had been someone she could complain to. It's not like she was going to call up Speaker Day and complain about it.

A slight shrug as there was little that could be done about it. And with a, "Time to get to work, I suppose." She set about all the things that were needed to bring the embassy up to full operation. Lists of people to hire: secretaries, assistants, security details, janitorial staff, attaches, etc.; lists of equipment to purchase; and so on. First things first, however, was meeting with the people she'd be dealing with, both official and civilian.

Meeting the officials will be easy enough. They'd come and get her, or tell her when and where. Meeting the citizenry would be just as easy: go shopping. She generally prefered to dress for where ever she was at the time. This let her be more comfortable with the people she was dealing with, let them be more comfortable with her, and allowed her to travel light as she wouldn't need bags of clothing.

Chiba City International Airport, Hack

The airplane taxied to a halt, bringing those inside the plane into a frenzy as they began to gather together their belongings. Fortunately, there were few inside, just Ambassador Gina Decosta and some other member’s of staff for the Embassy. Her Aid and several others had already gone ahead to make sure that the building was ready for her arrival. Her Aid, Kyle Bastion had reported back several reports to Tartarus informing her that everything was ready for her arrival.

Stepping off the plane, she gave the waiting getting party a warm smile and a hearty handshake, before talking to them as they made their way to the waiting vehicles. Behind her, the rest of the staff continued to unload the plane.


Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, Hack

As she walked through the door, Gina saw that the Embassy was still a hustle and bustle of people as they made the finishing touches to the building. People were rushing in and out of rooms, carrying boxes or other bits and pieces. Around them, others were sitting at desks trying to deal with the general day to day business of the place. A smile crept on to Gina’s face as she walked through the building, greeting those that were not too busy to notice her arrival.

Before she had got halfway through the reception hall, she heard someone calling her from up ahead. “Ambassador!” A voice rung out through the crowd that seemed to be gathered there. “Ambassador, welcome to Hack.” The familiar face of Kyle beamed at her as he shook her hand. “I’ve only just heard that you had arrived.” Panting slightly, showing signs of rushing, the man went on. “Everything is running to schedule, most of the important stuff is in place, this is mainly cosmetic.” He waved his hand at the people milling around.

“It does look impressive, Kyle. You’ve definitely managed to work wonders in such a short time.” Gina looked around her, her gaze picking up little bits and pieces, until she was once more looking at her Aid. “Shall we discuss this some place, less congested?”

Nodding, Kyle turned and headed towards a set of elevators. “The main offices are complete, and are already in use. Yours is fully furbished and just waiting for you to move in. Like I said, the rest is mainly décor. We left the lower offices for later, as they really won’t see much use until we are officially open.”

Gina entered the lift as it arrived, and watched as Kyle pushed the button for their level. “And when should we be ready? Are you talking days? Weeks?”

“Days. In fact, we are in all sense of the word ready, but we don’t want to cause ourselves problems when people get hit by someone moving things.”

“Very true.” Gina smiled. “And as for other business, anything I should know about?”

As the lift reached their desired floor, the doors swung open, and Kyle indicated for the Ambassador to go first. “We’ve arranged some meetings with various need-to-see-people, a list is on file. And Ms Sarie has left a message for you to contact her, once you are settled.”

Nodding her head, Gina followed Kyle to her new office.

Hack Embassy; Erebus; Tartarus; A Week Later

The change was stunning. The embassy had gone from a virtual tomb to a buzzing hub of activity. Tsukika had worked nearly around the clock to bring the embassy up to full functionality. She was fully staffed, the computers were up and running, her closet was full of the latest Tartarian fashions, and security was wandering about looking impressive and sharp. While she was very clearly in charge, she didn't rule like many ambassadors did, and so people were pretty happy and enjoying their work. It was something of an eclectic group, hand-picked by Tsukika, from all three major portions of the Federation.

"How are we managing, Eric?"

Tsukika's secretary glanced up from his computer terminal, "Well, looks like everything's where its supposed to be." He shrugged, "Guess all we need now is official business, hey?"

She laughed, nodding, "Hmm... yes. I'll feel silly if we don't actually do anything." Her hooves thudded softly on the carpet as she wandered back to her office, to see about actually doing her job.

To: Emma Sarie, Foreign Secretary
From: Tsukika Obayashi, Ambassador

Hello!

I just wanted to let you know that we're up and running. I'd also like to thank you for your hospitality. I was wondering if it would be possible to have a face to face meeting with yourself or the Empress, just to get to know each other.

If you have any questions about myself, our operation, or my country, please don't hesitate to ask; my door is always open.

Cordially,

Tsukika


Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

The nondescript hovercar touched down up the road from the Tartarian embassy's gates. The driver, Amarissa Arrendo, frowned as she dug around for her datapad which had fallen off the passenger-side seat. She took off her seatbelt and lunged across the car, feeling around blindly in the impossibly tight place between the seat and the door. She gave a shout of triumph as she retrieved it, "Gotcha!" She flicked it on, gnawing on the inside of her cheek as she looked up the directions for where she was going, "Could get lost in a wet paper bag," she muttered to herself.

She sighed, mentally kicking herself as she realised that she was all of four blocks from her destination. In fact, she could see it from where she was right now. "How the Hell did I miss those gates?" she asked nobody in particular. With a sigh, she shifted into gear and zipped over the half mile separating herself from the Tartarian embassy.

She pulled up to the main gate and lowered her window to talk to the guard, "Heya! I'm Amarissa Arrendo, from Speaker Day's office. I'm here on a curtesy visit to see Ambassador... um..." she glanced down at her 'pad briefly, "...ah! Ambassador Gina Decosta." She blinked as she realised that she was probably sounding more than a little suspicious and pulled out her credentials.

The credentials were a rather complicated affair, containing not only her name and position ("Senior Diplomatic Staff: Office of Foreign Affairs"), but also a picture, a small biometric chip, a copy of the barcode that was on her neck (currently hidden by her long red hair), her immediate supervisor (Elisa), a verification number (for those connected to the Hack network) and a phone number that could be called for verification. It was one of those typically over-engineered, overly technical affairs that the Hack was not only known for, but highly fond of.

Her bright smile faded a little, "Oh dear, I haven't come at a bad time, have I?"

To: Tsukika Obayashi, Ambassador
From: Emma Sarie, Foreign Secretary

Tsukika

First, let me officially welcome you to the Empire of Tartarus. I apologise for not doing this in person sooner, but now that you have finished with your preparations, it delights me to be able to rectify this matter.

Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress Gehenna of Tartarus, officially invites you to meet with her at the Ewige Verdammnis Palace on $date $time.

If you are unable to attend, please forward notification to this office.

Regards

Emma



Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

The security man stared at the woman in the car for a moment, before his eyes focused on the credentials she had presented him. Scanning his eyes over the information, he raised his eyes and met the woman’s gaze. “If you could just wait here for a moment, Ms Arrendo, I will inform the Ambassador that you are here.”

Giving her one more look, he disappeared into the security office, appearing a little while later. “If you drive up to the main entrance, someone will meet you there.” He handed her back her identification, and nodded his head to his colleague, who was stationed inside the grounds, and the gates began to slowly part. Stepping back, he watched as she drove up the drive to the main building, settling back into his station once the gates closed behind her.

* * * * *

Stepping out of the main entrance as the car pulled up, Ambassador Gina Decosta gave the occupant of the car a smile and made her way down the steps. Stopping far enough away from the vehicle not to be hit by the door as it swung open. Once the woman had climbed out, Gina once more moved and presented her hand in greeting, and shaking enthusiastically.

“Ms Arrendo?” She asked, despite being certain that the woman before her would be. “I am Ambassador Gina Decosta. It is a pleasure to meet you.” She indicated the door with her hand. “Shall we go inside?”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Emma Sarie looked at her watch, as she made her way from the Empress’s office to greet the new Ambassador from the Hack. She made her way through the palace, heading down the more than familiar route to the main door. Reaching the entrance, she stepped out and watched as a car made its way up the long drive from the main gate.

She smiled as she waited for the vehicle to pull to a stop, and watched as one of the footmen, who had seen the car arrive, pulled open the door to allow the occupant to exit.

Emma was already with her hand outstretched, as she greeted. “Ambassador Tsukika Obayashi, I am Emma Sarie, Foreign Minister. It is a pleasure to get the opportunity of meeting you in person.” She shook hands and guided Tsukika up the steps to the main door. “If you will come with me, I will take you to meet Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna of Tartarus.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa nodded to the guard, shoving the ID card into her back and slowly driving up to the main entrance, noting the landscaping around, "Nice..." At the entrance, she stopped the car, which hovered a few inches from the ground. She stepped out and smiled at Gina, "Please, call me Amarissa, and it's nice to meet you too."

She walked into the embassy with Gina, smiling happily, and rather impressed at the efficiency with which the Tartarians had made the building their own. "I trust everything's going alright? Elisa, er... Speaker Day wanted to be sure that you were getting settled and everything." She smiled, "Chiba City can be pretty daunting if you aren't used to it." And even when you are she thought ruefully, remembering getting lost less than a mile from the building.


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

The vehicle in question was, oddly enough, of a local make, driven by a man in a sharp suit. It wasn't overly ostentatious, but large enough that slightly over six foot Cervidine in the back seat could sit comfortably. She got out once the car rolled to a stop, stretching her long legs a little; even the most roomy car can feel cramped after you've been in it long enough.

Tsukika was quite tall and statuesque, almost like a Scandinavian model, allthough she would flat out deny being attractive enough to model anything. Like many Cervidine, she had a haughty, aloof, almost Elf-like quality to her. Also like many Cervidine she tried very hard to avoid coming off that way. A genetic inconveniance. Aside from her height, short fur, small tail (getting her clothing custom tailored to accomidate it had been aggrivating) and short, branchless antlers, the most striking thing about her was her ruby red eyes; a Federation hallmark of an individual who was an 'enhancile'.

She smiled at Emma, shaking her hand lightly, "Likewise, Minister Sarie." Her step was light yet casual, her practiced grace looked to be a combination of culture and a practical desire to avoid sounding like a cow clomping about when walking on any surface that wasn't padded. She smiled at Emma, "Thank you very much for arranging this. I've been looking forward to this night."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina nodded and smiled pleasantly, as she led Amarissa into the building, which despite being ready and open still had the odd person wandering around with armfuls of stuff as they made the final touches to each room. In fact, over the last few days, whole rooms had been shifted to new locations as someone realised that it would be better there rather than here.

“It is very kind of Speaker Day to enquire, and you may inform her that we are settled and most happy with the help that we have received.” She stopped them in front of a set of elevator doors and pushed the call button. “And I must thank you for the warning about Chiba City. I have to admit to having zero time to look around the city that is just outside those gates.” She indicated in the general direction of the door with her hand. “Of course, now that everything is finished here, I’m hoping to rectify that as soon as possible.”

A ding sounded, and the doors of the elevator whooshed open. Stepping inside, she waited for her guest to follow and then hit the button for their require floor. “Amarissa is a very nice and unusual name. Oh, and please call me Gina.” She ran her fingers through her hair, and tucked a portion behind her ear to keep her currently blonde hair out of her face.


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Emma, despite trying not to, took a moment as she met Tsukika to look at her. She had never been fortunate enough to meet a Cervidine before, and she was instantly taken by the grace and movements of the woman before her. She could not help feeling that as much as she might have feared the reception that the Hack Ambassador might receive in Tartarus, she was now convinced she had been prematurely worried.

“The Empress Gehenna is looking forward to welcoming you to the Empire, and we are pleased that you could manage it at such short notice.” Emma led them towards the left side of the sweeping staircase, above which the regal portrait of Gehenna stared down at them.

As it was evening, the meeting had been set to take place in one of the formal sitting rooms, rather than in the office portion of the Palace. Gehenna preferred to do the Ambassador greetings in a more relaxed location, although those not used to the inside of the palace, which was dominated by portraits, antique furniture and the richly, elaborate décor, were sometimes overawed by it. The rooms, though comfortable, were not the kind of place that you could really relax in.

Finally reaching the door they needed, Emma tapped and waited for ascent to enter. As she stepped inside, she looked at the young, dark haired woman, who was rising from her seat. “Your Majesty, may I present Ambassador Tsukika Obayashi of the Hack.” She indicated the woman beside her and then turned to Tsukika. “Ambassador Obayashi, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna of Tartarus.”

Gehenna gave the woman a warm smile and walked towards her, as Emma guided the Ambassador into the room. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ambassador Obayashi. I hope that you are finding everything you need to make your stay in Tartarus an enjoyable one. If there is anything you need, please feel free to contact Ms Sarie, who will be delighted to help.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa looked about curiously as people hurried by with this and that. Her job description had always been rather vague, usually amounting to little more than doing whatever needed to be done, or whatever she felt needed to be done. Or, occationally, whatever the Hell she felt like doing. This was a case of the former however, but meeting people was something she enjoyed. She'd never give herself such a vacant title as 'Good Will Ambassador', but that was largely what she was.

"She's very interested in making sure that people get along well. She would have come down here herself, but she's been pretty busy lately." She smiled a little, "Actually, a lot of the detail-work in getting things ready for you before you arrived was dropped in my lap, part of the reason I was asked to see how you were doing.

"Oh, I didn't mean to make Chiba sound ominous or anything, it's just so big." She smiled a little proudly as one would expect from someone describing a home that they loved, "We've got well over two billion people living here, and with the hovercars, the whole place is uniquely 3D." She giggled, "On-board GPS is almost mandatory these days." She smiled weakly, "I would have been here sooner, actually, except mine's on the fritz."

She stepped into the elevator behind Gina and grinned, "My mothers told me it was Hebrew for 'given by God'." She shrugged, "Guess it makes sense as they adopted me." She leaned back against the wall of the elevator a little, "Well, Gina," small smile, "if you like, I could see about giving you a little tour of the city. Er, part of the city. Lil' big for the whole thing."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika was used to odd looks and thought little of it, not being offended by Emma's curiosity not bothering her in the slightest, especially as she was deeply curious about the palace itself. Not really being familiar with the trappings of royalty (save the research she had done after being assigned this post), she found everything fascinating: the portraits, the family crests; the artwork and statuary and so on. "If I can't make time for my host, what kind of ambassador would I be?" She smiled a little; she was serious, but not obessively so.

As she walked through the palace, she also was rehearsing in her mind what she had read of Tartarian etiquette as well as the phrases she had learned. She deeply loved languages, but hadn't had much time to learn Tartarian, so she had focused on common words, and formal greetings.

She bowed to Gehenna, speaking comfortably in Tartarian despite her accent making it sound a little odd, "The pleasure is mine, Empress; I am honored to meet you. While I have had little time to enjoy the hospitality of your nation, what experiences I have had have been..." a slight beat as she mentally scrambled for the proper word, "delightful."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

“Then I suppose it is you that I should be thanking.” Gina turned her head, so that she was looking at her companion, and gave her a warm smile. “I was pleasantly surprise how well we managed to get everything up and running. Your office has been very accommodating.” The ding filled the elevator car, cutting off her speech as she watched the doors whoosh open, revealing the floor her office was on.

Unlike the ground floor, the third had rich plush carpets, in a deep red, which added warmth to the surroundings. The walls were off white, rather than looking like a wing in a hospital. Upon the walls hung paintings of various scenes from back in Tartarus, almost to make those living away from the Empire feel like they could still see it.

They walked along a corridor, each side lined with doors, that led to various offices, at the end, could be seen a set of double doors, in front of which, off slightly to one side, sat a middle-aged woman, who was busily typing away at her keyboard. That was their destination, Gina’s office.

“A tour of the city would be wonderful.” Gina’s voice suddenly held a note of excitement. “I don’t mind looking around myself, but having someone who knows their way around makes things so much easier.” She sighed slightly. “In my youth, I did the tourist thing, and I swear if it weren’t for making friends in the cities, I would have missed so much.” She did not add that most of the places she ended up were not exactly the sightseeing spots, but more the best nightclubs the cities could offer.

“If you are free to do so, I would be more than happy to accept your kind offer.” Gina moved them closer to her office, peaking in several of the offices that had their doors open to nod at the occupants. “I’ll contact your office to book a da…appointment.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Gehenna smiled, more than a little impressed to hear Tsukika address her in Tartarian. It was the little touches like that which made her smile. Of course, she did not expect everyone that came to Tartarus to speak the language fluently, there were some places in the Empire where the home tongue was not used, but the effort the Ambassador had made definitely left a very good impression in the young Empress’ mind.

“Our previous lack of an Embassy for the Hack was, in my opinion, a grievous oversight on our part. It delights me that this has now been rectified.” She indicated one of the chairs to Tsukika, having replied in Standard. “Would you care to sit?” Having made the offer, Gehenna returned to the seat she had been occupying, and made herself comfortable. Almost as if as part of an unspoken request, Emma too sat herself down.

As if on queue, a knock at the door drew the attention of the Empress, and wish a brief word of ascent, a young woman dressed in a palace uniform entered carrying a tray of refreshments. She placed the tray on a table near to where Emma sat, as Gehenna turned back to the Ambassador. “Would you care for refreshments? I have ordered beverages, but there is a choice of wines or spirits also available.” On the tray was also a selection of nibbles, which was just a filler until they sat down to dine.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa blushed softly at the praise being offered by Gina, "Oh, well, I don't know about that. I was just doing my job. You guys did a lot more these past few days than I did." She self consciously brushed a lock of hair from her face, "But, um... glad you appretiated it."

She was definately impressed with the upper level. When she was last here, there was no carpeting, the paint had been chipped and there was no decoration or furniture at all. She followed Gina towards the office, trying not to lag too far behind as she observed the metamorphasis.

She laughed a little, "Well, I'm not the best guide, but I know how to find a few, er, interesting places." She smiled at the people they passed, looking reasonably comfortable in her surroundings. Grinning slightly at Gina's slip, she pulled her card and a pen from her pocket, "Oh, no need to bother them for this." She scribbled on the back of her card, "My cell number's on the back, you can just call me on that."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

A wave of relief washed over Tsukika, pleased that she hadn't said anything to embarass herself, and glad that the Empress seemed happy with her. She was even more relieved that Gehenna had chosen to continue their conversation in Standard; she had been momentarily concerned that their conversation would continue in Tartarian, which would have been rather awkward.

She took the seat and nodded polietly, "Thank you, Empress, and I agree that the lack of an embassy was an oversight, but I don't think that it is solely on your part. The Hack has been rather lax in embassy establishment. I'm not fully sure why, but at least it has been rectified in this case."

Tsukika smiled, glancing towards the tray, "Yes, please, that would be wonderful." She selected something to eat, pleased that they were small enough so that one wouldn't make a mess of themself trying to eat it. "Whatever you ordered is fine, I'm sure." She smiled, "and thank you again."

She relaxed slightly in her chair; it was a difficult position to manage as she was desperately interested in making a good impression, so she found herself juggling the need to look relaxed while managing to be alert and careful so as not to make an error. She did a rather admirable job, too: she looked rather at ease.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Fingering the card, Gina smiled and placed it in her pocket. “I’ll ring you in a couple of days and we’ll see what we can arrange.” She continued walking until they finally reached her secretary, who looked up at their approach and greeted them. “Helen, can you hold all my calls and can you arrange for some refreshments?” The woman nodded, and picked up the phone, as the Ambassador pushed open her door, and stepped back to let Amarissa walk through.

“It’s come a long way since you were last here, hasn’t it?” Gina laughed as she closed the door behind her. “I can’t believe sometimes how much the place has changed since I arrived, and it was almost finished then.” She pointed to one of the comfortable chairs in one corner of the room, away from the large desk that dominated the room. “Would you like to wait for tea and coffee, or can I tempt you in something a little stronger?”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Gehenna sat relaxed in her chair, giving her companion a warm smile. She was more than happy with the Hack choice of an Ambassador, the woman before her was exactly the kind of person she like to have take up her Embassy seats abroad, and for a moment, she wondered if she had made a mistake in Tsukika’s counterpart. But it was a little too late to worry about that now.

The staff member, that had brought the refreshments, poured each a cup of what they wanted then left the room with little more than a bob in the direction of the Empress as she was given leave to exit the room, leaving the three women alone.

“Ms Sarie is arranging a liaison officer for you, who will be your main contact in the Foreign Ministry. I apologise for not getting it arranged sooner. Our Ministerial procedures do not always run smoothly, however much we would like them to, but I assure you this is being given priority. The last thing I want is for you to run into any difficulties that could so easily be averted.” Gehenna paused and took a sip of tea.

“I am so pleased that you could accept my dinner invitation.” The Empress continued. “There will be a small gathering, four in total. I thought it might be beneficial for you to meet some of the key people you might meet on a more day-to-day basis. My cousin, Lord Val Stratton and Secretary for State, Stuart Marsden will be joining us. Ms Sarie, unfortunately, is preparing for a trip, she leaves tonight.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled, "That would be perfect. It'd give me a chance to get the GPS system in my car fixed." She grinned, "That way we won't get lost and end up God knows where."

She looked around the office and smiled, "Very nice, indeed." She smiled softly, "They did work before you got here? Oh my, it looked horrible even after I'd straightened things up." She giggled, "The refridgerator looked like something out of a horror movie. We ended up just replacing it."

Still smiling happily, Amarissa dropped down into the chair, smooth her skirt a little self-consciously, "Mmm... comfy." She looked up at Gina and fought a brief internal battle, "Oh, what the Hell. A little whiskey would be very nice in some coffee, if you've got it."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika sipped the hot tea, smiling happily at the staff member, "Very good, thank you." She nodded to the Empress, "That would be wonderful, thank you. I feel bad about taking up so much of the Minster's time, she's been most patient with me."

She waved her hand slightly, "Oh, no worries, Empress. I couldn't have asked for a more delightful reception, and the embassy is just perfect. I believe that I will enjoy working here very much."

She smiled a little, a light yet unforced laugh following, "How could I possibly refuse? I was pleasantly surprized to be granted simply an audiance, to be invited to dinner is a great honor." She bowed slightly in her set, a gesture that could very well have been clumsy or run the risk of the tea spilling, but Tsukika made it look perfectly natural and graceful.

She looked over to Emma and gave her a bow as well, although more shallow, as a sign of respect to the Empress. She smiled, "Pity you won't be able to join us, but I would like to thank you again for your assistance." She half-bowed again, "Domo arigato."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

“Sounds good, I think I’ll join you in one.” Moving away from the seating area, Gina had just located the whiskey amongst the other alcohol bottles, when a knock at the door indicated the arrival of the refreshments. “Enter.” She called, and the door swung open revealing a young woman carrying a tray, on which were two pots one of coffee and one of tea, a jug of milk and a jug of cream, dishes of sugar, lemon and other assorted items to suit several tastes.

“If you could put it on the table over there,” she pointed towards a coffee table in the middle of the comfortable chairs, just in front of Amarissa. “Thank you.” Moments later the woman had left, and Gina walked over the to chairs carrying the bottle of whiskey.

Playing mum, Gina poured out two cups of coffee and tipped a liberal amount of the alcohol into each, before picking up one of the cups and handing it to Amarissa. “Feel free to add if needs be.” She smiled as she lowered herself into one of the chairs, and brought her own coffee to her lips, taking a sip. “I would offer you a tour, but I think you’ve already seem enough of the Embassy. In fact, you probably know your way around better than I do.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

As they were finishing their refreshments, a tap on the door announced the arrival of the other dinner guests. Lord Stratton and the Secretary of State entered, and walked over to where the three women were sitting. Neither of them paid attention to the two security personnel who seemed to meld into the background, along one side of the room.

Inclining their heads to Gehenna, they turned to face the ambassador, each giving her a friendly smile, Val’s slightly more natural that his companion. Gehenna made the introductions. Lord Stratton sat down on a chair nearby, as Stuart Marsden took a seat opposite.

Gehenna concluded the introductions, pointing first at her cousin and then the minister, and then indicated refreshments. “Dinner should be announced soon. If you care to partake in something, please help yourself.”

Val turned to the Empress and declined politely, while Marsden helped himself to a cup of coffee, having had little time other than to dash home from a meeting, dress and get to the palace in time for dinner. “Ambassador Obayashi, it is a pleasure to meet someone from the Hack. I have not had the privilege of doing so before.” He gave her a smile, his gaze like the Empress’ not lingering or staring despite his not ever meeting a Cervidine before.

The Empress smiled. “Lord Stratton is the roving member of the family.” She said as if to explain her cousin. “I believe it is his wish to meet someone from every nation possible.” She gave him a smile, the first time during the meeting that she had broken her normal protocol.

Nodding his head, he pondered for a moment. “I think you may be correct, your Majesty,” he grinned at her, before turning his attention back to Tsukika. “I will probably bore you with questions over dinner, as I attempt to find as much out about you and the Hack.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa grinned a how generous Gina had been with the whiskey, and her aparent desire to keep its use secret. She took a sip of the doctored coffee, and coughed slightly, her face glowing a little from the alcohol, "Mmm... I think you got it just perfect, Gina." She tried to pace herself, not wanting to have too much too quickly, ruefully remember that she was a terrible light-weight when it can to alcohol, and it wouldn't do well for her to get drunk on her first official meeting at the new embassy.

She took another drink and smiled, "Well, I don't think a tour would be so bad. I'd love to see what you've done to personalize the place. After all, it was pretty much gutted when I got here, remember?" She grinned over her coffee cup, "Or you could just show me the highlights... you know, interesting things."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

A light smile graced the Cervidine's lips, her red eyes sparkling a little in the soft light of the room. She seemed perfectly at ease with the new arrivals, bowing her head slightly to each in turn, her every movement as gracefull, efficient, and flowing as one would expect from a anthropomorphic deer.

She smiled lightly, sipping her tea, "It is part of my job, Lord, to answer questions. I am not here just to forward the Oligarchy's views, after all." She grinned, "Ambassador Drzka on Unity Island has that job cornered. I view my job as one of cultural sharing." She set her tea cup and saucer down, "As you've probably noticed from my accent, I spent my formative years in GMC before moving to the Hack to persue my degree in linguistics."

She spread her hands generously, "If you have any questions about either nation, the Federation in general, or..." She smiled wryly, "the Cervidine species, feel free to ask." She smiled more, her eyes showing her amusement, as she demurely, yet casually crossed her legs. Such a move might be coyly flirtatious when done by another women, Tsukika's motivative seemed to be more one of accenting one of the biggest differences in her appearance: her nicely polished hooves.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Taking a sip, Gina felt the warmth of the coffee and the alcohol spread over her body, bringing a smile to her lips as she cradled the mug in her hands. “Sure, a tour of the interesting places sounds good to me.” Looking down at her drink, she watched as the steam rolled over the rim and faded as it climbed away into the air. “We’ll finish our coffee first.” Her eyes travelled from her hands until she once more found Amarissa’s face.

“I just hope that our definition of interesting is the same, I would hate to disappoint you on our first meeting.” She lowered her cup to the table, freeing her hands, which picked lightly at the hem of her jacket. “I have to admit though, that the pictures I saw of this place before it was finished makes me proud of the people we had working her, and your own, of course. From gutted to liveable in such a short period. I wish my landlord back in Tartarus was as efficient.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

The Empress laughed lightly, as she listened to the exchange between her cousin and Tsukika. “Believe me, Ambassador Obayashi, if Lord Stratton gets caught on a topic of conversation, you may well be stuck on it for quite some time.” Her eyes met her favourite cousin’s. “He has been known to spend whole evenings on just one subject.”

“Your Majesty does me an injustice.” Val laughed along. “It was merely the subject of one nation, but I assure you, we covered every aspect from religion to education, to what the populace considered the best flavour of ice cream.” He turned and grinned at Tsukika. “I promise not to go into that much depth with you.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “My reason for doing so was the guest on my left was a lavish bore, and I had no interest in speaking with her.”

Stuart Marsden lowered his cup; his eyes fixed to the form of the Ambassador, having never seen someone with hooves before, and was oddly fascinated with the young woman’s legs. He did raise his eyes to her face as he addressed her. “And how are you finding Erebus, your Excellency? I imagine it is immensely different from your home nation.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa giggled slightly, "Oh, definately finish first." She grinned, "I'd hate to let good whiskey go to waste." To emphasize her point, she took a long drink from her mug, her eyes watering ever so slightly from the heat of the coffee and the strength of the whiskey. He cheeks were slightly rosy as she met Gina's eyes -- possibly just from the alcohol -- and she smiled happily.

"Oh, I'm sure they're similar enough." She smiled some more, "And I doubt you could disappoint. Besides, you've done so much work, it should be wonderful to see everything." She laughed softly, "My landlord's not much better, if that helps. I've taken to fixing things myself, as it'd take forever if I asked him."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled slyly, looking Val over slowly, as if she was sizing up an opponent, "Really now," she mused softly. She casually took a sip of her tea before grinning a little, "That almost sounds like a challenge, your Majesty." Her grin broadened some more, "I wonder if he would run out of questions before I ran out of answers..." She laughed softly at Val's joke, "That sounds like something I should keep in mind... I would hate to bore anyone."

She took a sip of her tea, turning her head to Stuart, looking bemused as he finally made eye contact; once again, she seemed perfectly at ease with receiving strange and curious looks from people. "Different, yes." She pursed her lips as she pondered her reply. She brushed a lock of violet hair back, going around her antler so that it could help hold it back.

"Like most things, you find similarities in the oddest places. GMC is something of a military dictatorship, here we have a monarchy, and the Hack is... something else alltogether." She laughed softly, "Technocracy-through-apathy, I guess." She smiled, "Rules and regulations are different, of course, and I'm not used to seeing so many police about," She paused, her tone not condemning in the slightest, "Actually, I'm not used to seeing police period. I think I've seen one since I moved to Chiba City.

"At any rate, these are largely cosmetic differences. What I've seen when I was in the city, talking to civilians and purchasing clothing, I found that the people were very nice and quite happy, which is really the important thing." She gave a slight shrug, "So many people are so willing to condemn a method of government, yet they don't take the time to look locally at the effects said method has. In the case of the Federation or this Empire, I would say that the effects are quite good." She waved her hand dismissively, "The rest are details. So; yes, you Honor, there are differences, but where it matters -- the people -- there are few, and I have thus deeply enjoyed my time in Erebus; I look forward to spending a good deal of time here."

She smiled at her long winded reply and grinned at Val, "As you can see, you aren't the only verbose person in the room." She took a sip of her tea to try and keep her pulse under control, hoping that she hadn't said too much or made a fool of herself.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Watching as Amarissa took a sip of her coffee, Gina grimaced as she saw her eyes begin to water. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She smiled awkwardly, her eyes never leaving the other woman’s face. “I guess I put in a little too much whiskey.” Her brow furrowed as she pulled a very apologetic face. “My friends are always accusing me of trying to get them drunk.” She laughed and held her hand out, requesting the cup. “Let me get you a fresh one.” Her eyes held Amarissa’s for a moment before she rose from the chair.

“Or, we could take the tour now, and perhaps I can persuade you to join me for lunch?” The look she gave was expectant, her smile encouraging. “If you don’t have to rush off, that is. I’m pretty free today, and lunch with someone would be nice. I do hate eating on my own.” She took the cup from Amarissa, placing it on the table, breaking her eye contact for a moment.

Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Val’s laughter echoed around the room. “It seems I may have a worthy challenger for my title.” He grinned at Tsukika as he regained his composure, his head nodding slowly. “Yes, a very worthy opponent.” He looked at Gehenna and smiled. “I apologise for taking over the conversation, ma’am, but it is nice to meet someone so refreshingly honest.”

The Empress remained smiling. “If I was offended by you monopolising the conversation, Lord Stratton, you would have not made it onto the invite to dinner.” She looked first at Stuart. “Mr Marsden and I are more than used to your ways.” She turned to Tsukika, her eyes twinkling. “I just hope that her Excellency is not alarmed by you. The last thing I want is for you to offend our guest.”

“I believe Ms Obayashi is more than capable of putting me in my place should I overstep the mark.” He turned to her, his smile large on his face. “Please, do not hesitate to inform me if I offend you.”

Just then, a gong sounded, announcing dinner. A man in Palace livery stood by the door at the far side of the room, which had been opened, observed only by the palace security officers. “Dinner is served, your Majesty.”

Gehenna rose from her chair, offering her arm to Stuart, leaving Lord Stratton to do the same for Tsukika.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled, "Oh, it's okay..." She took another sip before letting the other woman take the cup from her hands. She looked at the cup before standing up herself and smiling happily, "That sounds good to me, actually."

She brushed her skirt off a little a nodded happily, "Lunch sounds wonderful, thank you. I'm completely free today, actually." She shrugged a little and laughed lightly, "I've got a few reports to write up, but those can always wait." She grinned conspiratorially, "Besides, I can easily spin it as part of my job. And Elisa's pretty easy going anyway."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled, finding herself enjoying the situation. While being in a monarchy was something different, she was beginning to quite like Tartarus, despite the differences she had left unsaid. The Federation nations had a wide variety of freedoms that seemed absent here, but it was still quite nice. So while there weren't likely to be nude beaches, she felt that Gehenna did have her subjects' best interests at heart.

"Oh, I'm not too likely to be offended, I should think." She smiled playfully, "If you get too out of line, I can always kick you." She wiggled her foot slightly, accenting the hoof.

With the sounding of the gong, she stood and took Val's arm, smiling at him as she was lead to the dining room. Her steps were just as graceful as everything else she did, and she seemed to almost glide across the floor; light enough on her feet to make a ballarina jealous.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself. It was nice to speak to someone on level terms. Since she had been at the embassy, the staff had been treading very lightly around her, as if they were weighing her up, judging just how far they could go in her presence, and she was getting a little tired of all the ‘yes, your Excellency’, ‘no, your Excellency’, as if she had suddenly stopped being a person. She knew it would change, knew that they would come to terms with her, everyone had said so, but it was nice to be able to discuss landlords and whiskey with someone.

“You know, if you don’t mind, we’ll have lunch first and then the tour.” Gina looked around the room and walked over to her chair, pulling her jacket from where it lay folded on the arm. She pulled it on, and straightened it against her body, fitting snugly against her form. Her hand brushed through her hair and tussled, putting some life into it. Grabbing her bag, she flung it over her shoulder and looked over at Amarissa.

“If you have no objections?” She indicated the door with a smile, and headed in that direction. “If Ms Day has any problems with your absence, I would willingly send in a report thanking your office for all your assistance during your visit and apologise for keeping you so busy.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“You know, Ms Obayashi, I have never been under any doubt that you could keep me in line. Not that I wish to push you to such extremes.” Lord Stratton gave Tsukika a brief smile as he walked her into the dining room that was adjacent to the sitting room they were leaving. “I have often discovered that females are more resilient than we men have been led to believe over the centuries. I know that in a verbal argument Her Imperial Majesty has yet to be bested.” And he had seen some of her more heated discussions with his brother.

He lowered his voice as he continued. “Of course, the fact that she brings out the oft used threat of beheading does seem to swing things in her favour.” He winked and grinned to show that he was, if fact, teasing.

As they entered the room, Gehenna took the seat at what could be described as the head of the table, just by its location in the room. Stuart Marsden sat to her left and Lord Stratton sat to her left, with Tsukika sitting opposite her. Despite the formality of the dinner, they were using one of the smaller dining rooms, with a less than formidable table dominating it.

Lord Stratton saw Tsukika to her seat before taking his own, while Marsden performed the same task for the Empress. Once they were all seated, the first course arrived with an array of choices, from salad to soup. Wine was presented to each of those present by one of the serving staff, who also wandered around the table offering food choices.

“If there is anything you would care for, Ambassador Obayashi, please feel free to ask.” Gehenna spoke, as a young man poured her a glass of white wine and a glass of water. She gave a most gracious smile then turned her attention to another member of staff who was presenting her with a choice of starter.

“If you have any questions about anything,” Val spoke as the others at the table were busy, “please feel free to ask. We want you to feel a part of Tartarus, well, as much as you would like to feel a part, that is.” He grinned.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa shrugged lightly, gathering her things, "That's fine with me. There's a nice little place just up the road, if you like." She paused, "It's clothing optional, though..." She giggled, "If you don't want that much 'culture' at once, we can go somewhere else." She brushed her hair back a little, clearing her thoat softly; she hadn't even thought that suggesting such a place would be a little out of line. "Yeah, probably not go there this time... there's a more... um... appropriate? place that's close too."

She laughed slightly, shaking her head, "Oh, no need for that. I can't imagine that she'd get mad at me." She smiled, "And if she does, I'll just buy her dinner or something." She grinned, "We're usually pretty casual, after all. As long as everything gets done, it doesn't much matter." She winked, "And since my reports have to do with this embassy and its staff, I call this research."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika laughed softly, "Ah yes. Beheading is a rather potent trump, isn't it?"

She took her seat in an odd mix of professionalism and casualness. It was probably an artifact of her cultured upbringing and general ease with herself that she was able to blend to diametric opposites so effortlessly. It almost looked as if she attended events like this every day, even though it was her first time at such a formal function. Of course, being given such a post with no experience spoke to her confidence and capabilities.

Speaking quietly to the server -- loud enough for him to hear, soft enough so as not to disturb the others -- she inquired about the possibility of a vegetarian main course, while opting for the salad. She hated having to make such a request, but she had learned that people often never realised that as an engineered deer, she wasn't inclined towards meat. Once everything was squared away with the server, she turned her attention back to Val, taking a sip of wine, "Mmm... tell me, Lord Stratton... this ambition of yours to visit every nation. Is this in official capacity, or for personal fulfillment?"

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

“As long as I don’t have to undress in front of you on our first meeting, I have no problem with trying out the culture. But if you would prefer to save it for another time…?” Gina smiled as she met Amarissa’s gaze before leading her back down the hallway to the elevators. As she passed, she informed her secretary that she was out for lunch gave her attention back to her companion. “I guess in the Hack ‘dressing for dinner’ takes on a completely different meaning.” She laughed lightly at her own joke.

Pushing the button, Gina ran her fingers down the edge of shirt, checking her appearance in one of the pictures that hung opposite her on the wall. “Ms Day sounds like a delightful boss. I could not imagine Emma or The Empress being so lenient following a lunch.” She returned her eyes to Amarissa’s face. “But they really won’t mind me building relations with our neighbours.” A ping indicated the arrival of the elevator car.


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Lord Stratton requested soup from one of the members of staff, and broke open the roll that sat in front of him. “I am afraid that my ambitions are not that huge, but I would like to visit as many places as I can. Of course, the more that I can see on the Empire’s budget the better.” He grinned and flicked a brief look at Gehenna, who merely smiled in return.

“My lord, if I had known that you were abusing my requests so blatantly, I would have ensured that you were last on my list rather than first.” She looked over at Tsukika. “Lord Stratton is the one member of my family that actually prefers being away from the Empire.”

Val looked hurt, in a playful manner. “Your Majesty, you know that nothing fills me with more pleasure than being in your company.” He gave her a wink, which caused her to laugh lightly in reply. He turned to Tsukika. “Her Majesty does me an injustice. I love the Empire, but I am also of the belief that one should broaden their horizons.” He smiled.

“I understand, your Excellency that you are very accomplished in several languages.” Gehenna inquired, pausing in her eating of her meal. “Should you wish, I could appoint you a liaison that could assist you in learning Tartarian, if it is your desire to do so, of course?”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa blushed at Gina's comment (and her mental image of it), "Well, no, you wouldn't have to, of course... it's just that... well... there's likely to be a good number of naked people dining there." She smiled a little, "See, they're quite popular in GMC, and with people moving back and forth, and the liberalization of nudity laws here, well... they're becoming quite popular. But the food is good," she added, almost as if trying to justify it.

She relaxed a little in the elevator, nodding happily, "Oh, she's wonderful. And she prefers to let us do things as we see fit. I mean, I was assigned to this embassy, of course, but what I do and how I do it is largely left up to me." She giggles, "So taking you to lunch on the work account is perfectly acceptable.


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika laughed softly, drizzling a little bit of the dressing on her salad; just enough to add a little flavor, as opposed to it being the flavor. "I can see the advantage of that," she stabbed at a bit of her salad with her fork, taking a small bite, "Expense accounts are wonderful things."

Smiling at the interchange between Val and Gehenna, she nodded, "I fully understand that view-point, Lord. I'm rather fond of experiencing other cultures, as I'm sure you can imagine." She gave a very brief glance down at her clothing by way of example.

She set her fork down as Gehenna addressed her, giving the young Empress her full attention. She smiled, lowering her head slightly in a self-effacing gesture, "You flatter me, Your Majesty. But, yes, I have picked up quite a few languages over the years." This was something of an understatement, as her personal file would attest to. She was fluent in 'a few' languages, but had reasonable competence in many more (Tartarian fell into this group), and knew bits and pieces of even more. She was at least mildly familiar with almost every major group (Romance, Germanic, Asian, etc.) and her talent was probably only eclipsed by Cristiona -- the AI she helped program -- who was designed to be a linguist. She smiled happily at the offer, "I would love such a liason, Your Majesty, especially since I haven't even started to learn the written form. Most of what I've learned has been through the 2N, because of lack of time. I far prefer learning from someone, however. Especially through conversation." She bowed her head, thanking Gehenna again; this time in Tartarian.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

“I’ve been to a beach before where everyone went without clothing.” Gina laughed as the memory popped into her head. “I’ve never been to a restaurant like it. Of course, bare sunbathing is a very dangerous hobby, especially if you fall asleep, but that is a story for another time.” She smiled, calming her laughter as the elevator reached the ground floor.

She walked them out of the entrance, saying a few words to the man on the front desk as he called out a greeting. Stepping outside, she looked about her and smiled. “I’m looking forward to lunch. It’s been a while since I had time to spend with a pleasant companion. As you can imagine, preparing for my trip here and organising things since I’ve been here has eaten into my time.” She looked about her until her gaze fell onto Amarissa’s vehicle. “Do you mind playing chauffeur, unless walking is easier, of course?”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Gehenna gave Tsukika a warm smile. “I will make sure that it is arranged for you.” She looked at the plate before her and picked up her spoon, gliding it through the rich creamy liquid. “I know from experience that learning a language is so much easier when taught by someone. Not that I have tried any other form. Although I do understand that much is thought of subliminal learning.” She lifted the spoon to her mouth, and took a sip then swallowed before continuing. “Of course, my advisors are against me using any such practice.”

Lord Stratton nodded. “I can imagine they have a point. Subliminal persuasion is a form of hypnosis. People would have a field day you start using something like that.” He grinned. “Of course, Lord Nefarious might be willing to let you try it.”

The Empress laughed lightly, as she lowered her spoon back into her bowl. “I can imagine he would.” She looked over at Tsukika. “I assume you have travelled much by your remark earlier. Have you been to many interesting places?”

Breaking a piece of his roll, Lord Stratton looked at the Ambassador, interested in her answer. Stuart nibbled on a prawn, his eyes also turned to Tsukika.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa giggled softly as Gina related the dangers of nude sunbathing, "Sounds like there's an interesting story there..." She smiled and nodded, "Well, like I said, since it's clothing-optional, we'll be fine like this. I just wanted to warn you." She giggled softly again, "Of course, there are other restaurants where it isn't allowed at all, but I've never gone to one of those."

She walked over to the car, which was resting on the ground at this point to conserve power. She grabbed the handle and opened the passenger door for Gina; the biometric lock reading her fingerprint and unlocking automatically, "I don't mind at all." She hopped into the driver's side, and flipped a small switch, another biometric scanner powering up the car. It smoothly rose up to cruising level and she drove to the gate, waving to the guard, and pulling out to the street. The restaurant was just a few blocks away, as promised. Amarissa parked in a nearby car park and led Gina inside.

The restaurant looked much like any other restaurant, the only difference was the fact that about a third of the patrons were naked. Amarissa blushed softly as a stunning Segonune led them to a table, leaving them with a couple menus. The restaurant seemed to specialize in Italian cuisine, but had a wide variety of dishes to offer. Amarissa smiled, "Some of these places have the two sections divided." She giggled, "Just as much for the ease of nude diners as clothed ones, oddly enough."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled, "Well, learning from the 2N is more like using a CD or a book as opposed to subliminal learning. Some people actually have solid-state memory (like a pen drive but smaller) installed near their neural-jack. They can actually download a language into their head. While they can communicate, they sound like a text book." She smiled, "They also sell specialized plugs that keep the language on the plug, but they have the same drawbacks." She shrugged, "I prefer sounding like a native speaker." A light laugh, "Aside from my accent, of course."

She took a pause to have a sip of water and to eat more of her salad. She was glad that she wasn't especially hungry. She had assumed that she would spend more time talking than eating, so she had had a light snack before coming over. A growling stomach would be very bad form indeed. "I've travelled a little. As I mentioned, I was born in GMC and my family moved to the Hack. I also visited Grafton's. Before the war, that is. I haven't had a chance to go their since then.

"I try to travel as much as possible, but I don't often get a chance, it can be a bit expensive on my salary, and I'm usually too busy. I have managed a few trip though, generally to other NDA nations." She smiled, "I've been to the Dominion in the fall, and I was even able to go on a carefully controlled trip to Tsaraine. Both were fascinating, and each place is so different, and yet so similar, to each other.

"I also managed a trip to Menelmacar as part of a VERITAS trip." She smiled, "The archetecture was simply beautiful, even if the language is a little too fluid for my tastes." She laughed softly, "I guess I prefer... ah... 'harsher' languages, like the Germanic ones or Sekhel, like in Tsaraine." She smiled and returned to her salad, not wanting to babble like an idiot in front of the Empress.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

As she walked through the restaurant, Gina managed to make her way to the table without too much staring at the other patrons. Taking her seat, she opened the offered menu and ran her eyes down the contents, her stomach suddenly realising just how long she had gone without food. The choices before her were not going to make next part of the process very easy.

“This is certainly a first for me.” She gave Amarissa a smile from over the top of her menu. “Today seems to be shaping up into a very interesting day. I admit, I was not expecting to enjoy myself as much as I am.” Her eyes once more returned to the list of food before her, each one making her mouth water and her stomach threaten to grumble. “I don’t think I can choose, so I’ll have whatever they recommend.”

She lowered the menu, and looked at her companion, her eyes taking in her features and body for the first time. “I can imagine some of the less clothes patrons wanting a little privacy. After all, it’s hardly fair them baring all, and others in here just taking in the view.” Her eyes lingered, meeting Amarissa’s eyes. “And I am sure that you would have nothing to fear should you decide to go natural, you have a good body.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Gehenna had stopped eating again, as Tsukika described the manners of learning that they had in The Hack. “I have heard of neural implants and other such things, thought I have to admit that I would not feel at all comfortable undergoing such a process.” She slipped her spoon into her soup. “The idea of being able to access information does have its appeal, but I am off the opinion that if you want to do something properly, you have to take time and effort.”

Lord Stratton clinked his spoon against his bowl, as he paused in his eating. “I think the idea of being able to speak a language without having to study for years does have sound interesting.” He looked between Tsukika and Gehenna. “But like Her Majesty, I do not think that I would relish undergoing the surgery needed to implement such a thing.”

“Of course, it is each to their own, and what is considered right for Tartarians is not necessarily right for everyone, and vice versa.” Gehenna continued, hoping that she had not managed to insult the ambassador. “The Empire is not against moving technology forward, we are just a little slower at doing so.” She took a sip of her soup.

Nodding his head in agreement, Val looked at Tsukika. “I hope that you will keep us informed of your progress, Her Majesty said that you could pick up languages easily.” He looked over at his cousin, and grinned. “And I would be most interested in hearing some of your travelling tales, perhaps at a later time. You sound like you have been to some very interesting places.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled happily looking over the menu herself, "I hope I haven't set your sights too high." She laughed a little, "Don't want you to think every day will involve booze and a questionable restaurants. You might have to work every now and then." She smiled, "If you like, I can order for both of us."

She blushed at Gina's compliment, smiling shyly and fighting the urge to hide behind her menu, "Thank you, Gina, I... um..." She giggled softly, "You do too." She cleared her throat a little, averting her eyes from Gina briefly before looking back, grinning a little, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind..."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

The young Cervidine smiled, "Oh, it's rather common in the Hack, actually. Of course, I suppose that just goes to show that our technophile reputation isn't totally undeserved." She smiled, subconsciously brushing her hand against the back of her neck where her own jack was located, "It's so common that it's an outpatient procedure."

She smiled at Val, giving a slight shrug, "It's handy if you're going on vacation and don't want to lug around a translation guide, but like I said, you sound like a text book, and if anyone says somethng idiomatic, you'll likely be lost. All of our official translators need to have true fluency for their jobs."

She calmly cut a tomato with her fork, smiling a little, "I've been told that I'm something of a natural linguist, yes." She grinned, "Of course, that doesn't mean that there's no work involved," a light laugh, "and it gets harder as you learn more, especially from the same family. I've blended languages before, much to my embarassment and to the other person's confusion. Or amusement." She smiled, "I think part of the trick is that I don't translate in my head, when I see or hear a word in a language I'm fluent in, I think in that language, as opposed to standard." She frowned slightly, "I do hope that made some kind of sense... it's kind of hard to explain at times."

Val was greeting with a slighly shy smile, "Oh, I don't know how interesting they possibly could be. I'm sure they couldn't compare to your tales, Lord."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

“If you don’t mind ordering, I would be grateful.” Gina smiled, as she looked at Amarissa. “I always hate coming to new places to eat, it’s so hard to make a choice when there is so much on offer. I like my choices to be slightly more focused on to just one or two.” Her eyes lingered as she watched her companion for a moment, before she lowered her eyes back to the menu. “Do you mind wine for lunch?” Her gaze flicked back up to Amarissa’s as she asked the question.

Returning her attention to the wine list, she began to study the choices, before her eyes were once more drawn to Amarissa’s face. “Maybe one day, we’ll both be brave enough to attempt it naked dining.” She suddenly grinned as a thought came to her. “If I am still here in a year today, we’ll come back here to celebrate the anniversary of our meeting, dressed – or undressed - correctly, of course. How does that sound?”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“Next time I find myself in The Hack, I might have to book myself an appointment.” Lord Stratton grinned, before he took another sip of his soup. “Sounding like a tourist has never really bothered me in the slightest and think how well it would go down on a diplomatic trip when you could tell the host all about his or her nation.” He looked over Gehenna. “Could I put the procedural costs down to the nation?”

Gehenna laughed and shook her head. “Val, if you want to turn yourself into a tourist guide book, I am afraid you are going to have to pick up the cost yourself.” She smiled at Tsukika. “You must forgive Lord Stratton’s behaviour. He gets unbearable if ever the discussion touches on travelling. Is that not so, Mr Marsden?”

The Secretary of State, who had merely been following the conversation as he ate, suddenly found himself thrust into the middle of it. “I have always found Lord Stratton a perfectly entertaining dinner guest, your Majesty.” He managed having cleared his mouth of some pate. “I find his tales of his travels most fascinating.”

Val laughed heartily. “I shall take that as a compliment, but as I do not wish to bore the table with my stories, I shall move the conversation along, and ask Ambassador Tsukika if she has plans for her time in Tartarus other than working and learning the language.” His eyes found hers as he finished.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa nodded, missing any subtext that might have been present as she quickly scanned the menu over. She was reasonbly familiar with the restaurant, but wanted to just double check that she was ordering right. Satisfied with the order she smiled at the waitress who came to serve them. The waitress was a tall, smiling elf who, like many waitresses, wore a simply apron. Unlike most waitresses, that was all she was wearing. Her long pale hair was pulled back and she held up a little touch pad -- writting down orders and carrying them to the back was so passé. "Aww, you two make a cute couple. What can I getcha?"

Amarissa blushed deeply, "Um, well, er... it's not like that..."

The Elf crooked a sculpted eyebrow and laughed softly, "If you insist..." Amarissa nodded, rattling off their order before getting more flustered; chicken parmesan and a bottle of red wine. Their waitress smiled again at the order of wine, "A good year. My name's Cledwyn, if you need anything else." She gave the two of them a smile before picking up their menus and heading off to another table.

Now unable to hide behind the menu, she smiled weakly at Gina, "Um... sorry about that... er... what were you asking me?"


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika grinned at Val, "The procedure isn't that expensive, acutally. Cheaper than most cosmetic surgery." She gave him an almost feral look, which looked quite curious on her face, "It's rather like getting a piercing*, actually." Her tone was almost a challenge to him, but stopped short of crossing the line into rudeness; she was largely just enjoying the banter."

She smiled to herself as Marsden attempted to largely keep himself out of the conversation. She wasn't used to seeing someone so (aparently) meek in a position like Secretary of State, but who knew how things worked in an Empire? Or, perhaps, he wasn't feeling well, or was intimidated by her. She found that a mildly amusing concept, actually.

The banter between the Empress and her cousin gave Tsukika time to finish her salad, which she did just as Val's attention turned back to her. She smiled as she set her fork down, taking a sip of her drink as a way of delaying her reply. She smiled, "Well, I updated my wardrobe," she indicated her outfit, "and I have done a little bit of sight seeing already. I think that after I'm a little more comfortable with your language, I might see about culture. Opera, theater, museums or something along those lines." She also had decided to see about nightlife as well, but that didn't seem especially appropriate to mention just now.


*OOC: If you've ever seen eXistenZ, imagine an infinitely more sterile version of the garage scene. With smaller equipment, too.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina smiled at the waitress’ comment, and had to fight from giggling at Amarissa’s reaction to it. She managed to keep her face as straight as possible, giving the Elf a smile as she gave her name and walked away to fulfil their order. “Oh, no, please, there is no need to apologise.” She caught Amarissa’s eye, her gaze containing a little sparkle of humour and maybe something else. “I’m flattered that she thought I would be able to attract you.”

She brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, wishing she had put it up that morning. Normally she only wore it down away from her desk, but as she had been quiet at the Embassy and was still most focused on arranging the building rather than actually meeting people, she let herself come to work a little less formal. She liked to literally let her hair down when she was out of the office.

“I’m pleased to say, that I have only had good things to say about my stay in the Hack. No, I’ve covered that already.” She nibbled on her lower lip, a slight frown creasing her forehead, as she tried to remember where they had gotten to. “You know, I don’t think I can remember what I was saying.” She laughed softly and shook her head.


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Lord Stratton raised his eyebrow and grinned. “I’m sorely tempted, but I fear her Majesty would have my head.” He looked briefly at his cousin, who facial expression acknowledged that would be her course of action. “I will just make do with the old-fashioned ways of doing things.”

As Val returned to finishing off his soup, Stuart put down his fork, having cleared his plate. “Do these interfaces have a problem with the possibility of them becoming infected with computer viruses or are they less computer like than am I imagining?” His eyes met Tsukika’s as he waited for an answer. “Of course, we know the Hack is very technically advanced, but I just wondered if there was potential for people to take over and control the individual user.”

Gehenna looked at Tsukika. “It’s a very good point. If the answer is ‘yes’, I may just consider Lord Stratton’s request.” She met her cousin’s gaze and smiled.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa, not surprizingly, blushed a little more at Gina's compliment, "Er, well... thank you." She smiled softly at the other woman, brushing her hair back a little. This situation was certainly unexpected. While she had hoped that the ambassador was friendly, and had been hoping for a nice lunch, she hadn't expected being hit on by the ambassador, nor did she plan on being in a clothing-optional restaurant with said ambassador. Leaning that the ambassador was female, friendly, and flirtatious was a little unexpected.

She smiled at Gina happily, "You flatter me, Gina." She added softly, "Thank you." She was just starting to say something when Cledwyn returned, carrying a bottle of wine rather more expensive than the one Amarissa had ordered.

Before Amarissa could object, Cledwyn cut her off, "Compliments of the owner." She grinned a little, "She thought you made for a cute couple too."

Amarissa coughed slightly, "Um... thank you," she wasn't really sure what to say, so she just accepted the gift, smiling as her glass was filled. Cledwyn gave them a friendly smile and padded off to see to other tables. Amarissa picked up her glass and giggled softly, "Um, to us, I guess."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika nodded, "To be perfectly honest, I prefer the 'old fashioned way', myself as well. There are just certain aspects that require the plug. And, well, a wireless plug is a lot easier to carry around than a laptop." She grinned a little.

She shook her head to Val, "Not at all; they're perfectly safe." She smiled a little, "If you'll indulge some technobabble a little, I'll explain." She took a sip of her water, and hearing no objections launched into a brief explination. "As I'm sure you're aware, DNA is little more than a code. It's organic to be sure, but it's essentially just a very long code.

"Awhile ago, we cracked the DNA code -- Anesca was a tremendous help in this, too. With that cracked, we are able to use it for identification purposes, and we've been able to compress the code so that we can have a good portion of it with only a small amount of memory space.

"With this information, we now have a very secure method of identification. We can take, say, the 43rd, 879th, and 12th base pair, and use that for authentification. Of course, it's more complicated than that, but you get the idea. Since faking your own DNA is... well... mostly impossible, it makes things very secure. It's impossible to 'hack' a person via their plug.

"In theory, viruses might be possible, and there was a scare awhile ago, but it turned out to be unfounded. Pretty much the only way to get a virus would be to place one in a plug itself and plug in.

"See, there's two types of plugs, solid state and connection. A solid state plug is like a video-game cartridge. All the information is on it, and the transfer is between you and the plug. That's the only way to get a virus. Connection plugs still run through the Neural Network, and getting a virus through there is pretty much impossible. And any attempt to do so would be picked up, and... well... this is the sort of thing the Hack takes seriously. We might not have many police to speak of, but in a city of a couple billion, finding a vigilante wouldn't be particularly difficult, if you follow."

She took another sip and smiled, "So, it's perfectly safe. As long as you don't buy solid-state plugs from shifty people, you wouldn't have anything to worry about. No viruses, no hacking, no nothing." She smiled, "Hope I haven't bored you." She grinned a little, "And I'm not really into this sort of stuff, imagine if you had asked Dr. Specter or Mrs. Anderson..."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina looked over at Amarissa and frowned as the waitress walked away. “I apologise, I’ve made you uncomfortable. I’m thinking that I should have agreed to you taking us to some other restaurant.” Picking up her glass, her smile once more in place, she raised her glass. “To us!”

She took a long sip and savoured the flavour. “Very nice.” She laughed lightly, and lowered her wine to the table. “I might have to bring you here more often if the gifts are this pleasant.” Her eyes once more wandered over the other diners before she found her companion’s face. “Tell me, how long have you been doing what you do? We are having lunch, so we might as well get to know each other before we have to focus on work.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“I will be sure to keep that in mind,” Val replied, as a flurry of staff appeared around the table, having been summoned by the man who had remained during the dinner. “I think I will have to give the whole idea a little more thought before I begin tampering with things that I know little to nothing about. Not to mention, that I fear I would get little use out of it, not having the market over here for all the usual extras and such.”

The table was swiftly cleared as the party continued with their light conversation. The staff did not speak, but efficiently managed to remove everything with only a little clattering which did not distract those around the table. Almost as soon as they had left, another group of people arrived carrying an array of main course options, and again they wondered around the table, serving each with their choice of meats, vegetables and vegetarian options.

In what seemed like little time at all, the room was once again clear of the extra staff, leaving just the man in charge of the operations, who stood silently near the wall, ready to deal with any problems that the diners might have, be it more food or topping up their wine glasses.

Gehenna looked down at her plate, picking up her cutlery. “Have you been attached to any other nations, Ambassador Obayashi?” As she finished speaking, she placed a piece of potato in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, before she continued. “Do you have any questions? I realise we have been questioning you endlessly and have not allowed you the chance to address anything you may wish to know.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled at Gina, shaking her head a little as she took a sip of the wine, "No, there's no need to apologise. I should have expected something like this, and I certainly shouldn't be embarassed at the compliment." She smiled, "Guess I don't take them well." She silently thought for a moment before smiling slyly, not sharing the thought.

Instead, she latched onto Gina's question. "Well, I've been Elisa's assistant for a few years now. She hired me right out of college. I started off as a go-fer, but pretty soon she had me go with her to some of her meetings." She smiled proudly, sitting up a little straighter as she continued, "This is the first time I've been assigned a job like this, though." She grinned, "So I'll do my best to give you a good impression." She glanced around and giggled softly, "Even if it means taking you to a restaurant where our waitress is naked."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika was a little surprized at the sheer number of staffers. The tiny socialist section of her brain bristled at the thought while the capitalist side beat it down -- these people were being paid, even if the government took their money. Both side were soundly stomped by her diplomatic side which reminded everyone involved that it wasn't her job to judge -- or even care about -- internal politics. Externally, she simply nodded to Val, "Well, there's something to be said for market penetration. Neural plugs are as becoming as common as cell phones, so you can buy accessories and solid-state plugs almost anywhere. Here, you'd probably have to import, and even then, you couldn't make use of their primary function: connecting to the Neural Network.

She took a moment to look at her plate, soundly impressed by the Empress' chef. Far too many places she had been to thought that "vegetarian alternative" meant "flick the meat off the plate". It was depressingly rare to see someone make a vegetarian dish that was unique, as opposed to a meatless alternative to an existing dish. Something of a lost art, really. She sniffed at her food casually and smiled. The chef was good: many cooks thought that it was okay to use butter or lard when making a vegetarian dish, not so, this was truly animal-less. The only way she could feel more at home was if she had a pair of chopsticks, and that was just because she cherished her heritage to much.

She chewed thoughtfully on a carrot with a slight honey glaze -- she was vegetarian, not vegan, after all -- and shook her head at the Empress, "Actually, no, I haven't." She supressed a feeling that she had just insulted the nation by implying that they were only worth a novice, and quickly continued, "While this is my first ambassadorship, I have been involved with relations between the Hack and other countries, often as a translator. However, as per standard procedure, I was always fully aware of the Hack's postion on any given issue." She smiled, "You'd be surprized how often a delegate will try to weasle information out of a translator. So, in a way, I guess I've acted like an ambassador, even if I didn't have the authority or title."

She bowed her head slightly, smiling graciously, "Your questions are perfectly expected, Empress. I am here to represent my country to yours, so it is understandable that you would ask most of the questions." She gave a genuinely humble smile, "I am honored to answer your questions, and my own can easily wait for another time." She paused and then took a bite of her dinner. She clearly loved her country, and enjoyed talking about it. Much as one might expect from an ambassador. While she might be a novice, she was certainly a natural.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina laughed along softly with Amarissa, thinking as she did that their first meeting would surely be remembered, if for nothing else, for the location of their lunch. She had been to some eateries before that were slightly unusual but nothing like this. Of course, she was pleased that she had managed to gain a pleasant lunch companion. “I’m honoured to be your first.” She grinned slightly, before taking a sip of her wine. “And as for our location, it will certainly be remembered. And the waitress is at least cute. I’m just pleased you never took me to a naked diner, where the woman behind to counter is less than pleasing to the eye, even when fully dressed.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“I am honoured to have such a worthwhile candidate as the Ambassador from The Hack.” Gehenna picked up her glass of water and took a sip, before lowering it back to the table. “And there is nothing like new blood in the role rather than someone who has been in the job for far too long and cannot readily adapt to new surroundings or situations.” She paused as she once again picked up her fork. “I have met with Ambassadors, and I admit some of them are my own, who have forgotten that all nations are different and have to be viewed with open eyes and mind.”

She forked a piece of chicken up to her mouth, and continued once she had finished eating. “I am sure that you will find a lot of contrast between Tartarus and The Hack, but I have the impression that you will manage to fit in and become a very respected member of our international community.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa coughed slightly, almost choking on her wine at Gina's comment, desperately trying to keep from taking it the wrong way. She smiled at the other comment, offering a slight shrug, "I guess that's the risk you take when a society is this open. Anyone can walk around in the buff, so occationally you see people you'd just not assume see naked." She glanced around the dining room, smiling a little, "Doesn't seem to be the case today, tough."

She topped off her wine glass and Gina's as well, "So tell me, ambassador, am I your first too? Have you been assigned to other nations?"


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled and lowered her head slightly, her ears flattening a little more: the Cervidine equivalent of a blush. "You are too kind, Empress. I hope that I can live up to your expectations." She smiled a little, "I have to admit, it's all a little intimidating, in a way. Being immersed in a new culture is one thing when on holiday, it's quite another when officially representing one's home."

She took a bite of her dinner, savoring the blend of herbs, "Well, there's always contrast, even within the Federation. I've also seen them when travelling to nations that are very similar to the Hack." She smiled, "That's part of what makes it so enjoyable: embracing the differences." She 'blushed' again slightly, nodding her head, "I certainly hope so, Empress. What I've seen so far has been quite enjoyable, and I look forward more fully integrating."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina let her gaze fall on Amarissa’s face. “This is the most fun I’ve had in a while, and I’m pleased you were free for lunch. It’s so nice to spend time with someone who isn’t only talking décor.” She picked up her drink, and looked around her briefly looking for signs of their food, as her stomach gave a little gurgle. “Being wrapped up in Embassy business twenty-four seven has gotten a little tedious, I can tell you.” Her eyes once more found her companions. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my post, it’s just nice to see someone other than work colleagues, which is basically the limit of the people I know here.”

She picked up her glass and took a little sip, before she lowered her drink back to the table. “And as to whether you are my first…” She grinned, the double meaning not entirely lost on her. “You are, in an Ambassadorial role. I have to admit that I had done some roving ambassador type role, but nothing permanent.” She lowered her eyes to the table for a moment, watching her glass before raising them slowly to Amarissa’s. “I hope this becomes a frequent event. You are very pleasant company.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“The last thing I desire is for you to feel uncomfortable.” Gehenna smiled at the young woman, knowing how difficult it could be for Tsukika having to make sure she said the right things, in order not to upset the nation she was visiting. “I want you to make full use of our Liaison. Anything you need, even if it is merely a guide around the city until you grow accustomed, please feel free to address this to her.”

She stabbed the next bit of food on her plate, but did not raise it to her mouth. “The Foreign Office or my own is always available for any problems or questions you may have. Should you need to speak to me for any reason, contact my office and they will arrange an appointment for you.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled back at Gina, "I'm glad you accepted my offer, Gina. I'm having a nice time." Her cheeks colored slightly at the compliment and nodded quickly, "Oh, I certainly hope so." She giggled softly, "I might not pick such a racey place everytime, but I figured you'd want something nicer than Hackburger."

Almost as if on cue, the waitress returned, balancing the tray effortlessly on her hand. With a fluid motion, she rotated her hand and lowered the tray, bringing the lightly steaming plates into view. She placed a plate in front of each woman, Gina first, and smiled, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." She bowed slightly and walked back to the kitchen. The dinners were almost works of art, and looked like one might expect from a much classier restaurant. It looks, smells, and tastes perfect.


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika nodded, "That would be simply wonderful, Empress. I look forward to working with her. Right now, I'm staying at the embassy, so I should be pretty easy to find." She smiled a little, taking another sip of her drink and listening to the Empress. "Thank you again." She smiled, "It's wonderful that you'll be so accessable." She grinned a little, her eyes laughing, "I'll do my best not to abuse the priveledge and make a nusance of myself."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina smiled pleasantly as the waitress placed their food down on the table and walked away, leaving the two women once more one their own. “There is a time and a place for a Hackburger.” She looked down at her plate, admiring the display of food before her. “I’m almost upset at the idea of ruining the look of this.” She took a deep breath in, savouring the aroma. “Unfortunately it smells even better than it looks, so I might not have any trouble at all.”

She picked up her cutlery and cut into the food, pronging a mouthful of food and bringing it to her mouth. Once she had finished chewing, she smiled at Amarissa. “And if it is possible, it tastes even better than it smells. Perfect choice.” She once more dug her fork into the next piece of food.


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“‘Accessible’ may be a little bit of an overstatement.” Gehenna laughed lightly, her eyes fixed pleasantly on Tsukika’s face. “I sometimes think there is not enough time in the day, but if I am not available, there should always be someone who will be able to help. And I will get to you as soon as possible. You must know how busy some days can seem.”

As the Empress stopped speaking, Stuart Marsden spoke up. “Several of our departments are within easy reach for you. I know the Home Office, and I am sure I can speak for Miss Sarie in her absence, that the Foreign Office will also be available for anything you might have questions about or anything else you might need.” He paused for a moment. “I believe contacts for both departments have been supplied to your embassy, but should that not the case, I will arrange for the information to be sent to you.”

Gehenna watched Stuart as he gave the Ambassador the information, and nodded her head as he finished. “If you speak to Emma tomorrow, Stuart, I am sure our Liaison will make certain that Ambassador Obayashi has everything she needs.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled, "I'm sure there is, but this probably isn't it, hmm?" She glanced at her plate, admiring the chicken breats sitting in a bed of noodles, the read sauce covering everything. In the marinara, she could easily seen the oregano, cheeses, and the Prosciutto shavings.

She took a sample of her own dish, well aware of the quality at the restaurant. She nodded, savoring the taste, "Oh, yes. I really like coming here when I can." She smiled at Gina, "It's even nicer with company."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled, "To be fair, Empress, you're infinitely more accessable than some members of the Oligarchy at times." She laughed softly, "We may not be a 'traditional' anarchy, but it sure feels like it some times."

She turned her attention to Stuart, smiling and nodding a little, "Wonderful, thank you. I'm sure that whatever is arranged will be more than sufficient. I'd hate to make a nusance of myself." She grinned, "I prefer to try and solve problems myself, first." She nodded again, "We do indeed have the contact numbers on file."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

“I hope we get the chance to eat out again.” Gina smiled before popping another mouthful of food in her mouth and savouring the taste. Her fork was already picking its next victim as she spoke again. “The worse thing about working abroad, at least at first, is not knowing anyone. Eventually you start getting to know people and finding out their interests, but you always seem to miss out on so much when you first arrive.” She picked up her glass and took a long sip. “And evenings full of television just drive you to distraction…or they do me.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“I am glad I am a little accessible, I believe it adds something to the working relationship between Tartarus and the other nations that it works with. Of course, I do have a very good team of people who deal with the day-to-day running of the nation.” Gehenna looked over at Stuart and smiled. “I do like to know that the people we are trying to build relationships with are comfortable and are not stressing over little details that we can help with.”

She paused for a moment, as the flurry of staff once more entered and removed the plates of the party. Once everything was cleared away, the same people returned bearing several platefuls of dessert, and did their usual pattern of wandering around the table, offering the diners their choice.

As the staff disappeared again, Gehenna looked over at Tsukika. “Do you have anything you wish to ask or discuss? I really do not want you to sit there and not speak of anything that might be playing on your mind.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa nodded quickly, almost too eagerly, "Oh, me too." She blushed a little, taking a sip of her wine. She smiled, "Can't say that I'm too familiar. The only other country I've been to is GMC, and that's not really going to another country, ya know?"

She ate more of her dinner, grinning a little, "Well, yeah, I suppose it can get a little old." She giggles, "I usually just log on, myself." She shrugs, "But, that can get just as old, I guess."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika's eyes widened slightly at the selection. "Oh, hmm..." She selected a small slice of cheesecake. Her metabolism meant she could have picked a giant tub of lard and kept her figure, but she had always been a reasonably light eater. She took a bite before replying to Gehenna, "I can't think of anything right now. I like a certain amount of full immersion learning, and, well, as you said, you've arranged a liaison so I should be fine." She smiled, "I'll be sure to contact her tomorrow."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

“Can I ask a little favour of you?” Gina paused her fork between her plate and her mouth as she looked at Amarissa, her eyes full of question. “I understand you are busy and everything, but would you like to have lunch with me occasionally?” She smiled slightly. “It’s more informal than just meeting in my office or yours and it gets me out of the Embassy to much more…interesting locations.” Her gaze once more flicked around the other customers, still unable to really believe they were sitting in a restaurant in the middle of town rather than in some nudist colony. “If you say no, I’ll just have to find some other willing victim.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“I will ensure that she is with you tomorrow. The better we start off our mutual relations, the stronger it will become.” Gehenna picked up her glass of water and took a slow sip. “We have taken too long to reach this point, I really do not want any more oversights to get in the way. Our entry into the NDA has certainly opened the door to our understanding and meeting of other nations, and it is certainly a pleasure to have a representative of The Hack in Tartarus.”

Lord Stratton nodded. “I hope that you enjoy your stay here, and hopefully this will not be the only time we get to share in your company. I, for one, would like to know more about these implants and I will be interested to see how your Tartarian lessons progress.”

Gehenna looked at Val and smiled. “If I were a betting woman, I would say that you are sorely tempted to get on the next plane to The Hack.”

Val shook his head and grinned. “Just interested, I assure you.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled and nodded, "I'd like that. And since I'm attached to your embasy, it shouldn't be too difficult as long as you're free." She laughed softly, looking around the room and seeing the various couples, some fully dressed, some in clothing that covered nothing clothing usually did, and some completely nude, "I suppose interesting's a good word." She grinned, "I'll have to work to top this place, though..."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika set down her desert fork and smiled, "I have no complaints, Empress. Your nation has been most welcoming to me, and I'm thrilled to be here. I'll also do everything in my power to make sure there's no... ah... difficulties from my end. The Hack values its friendship with Tartarus and looks forward to even closer ties." She wasn't quite sure what those ties would be, as the Hack didn't engage in war games or the like, but she figured that some good would come of this. If nothing else, it was good to have allies.

She smiled to Lord Stratton, "I would be honored to dine with you again some time." She grinned, "I'm not used to meeting with royality, so this is a rare treat. Thank you for inviting me." She grinned, "With any luck, I'll be able to conduct our next meeting in fluent Tartarian." She winked, "And maybe you'll have laser eyes or some such silly thing."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

“I haven’t charged yet.” Gina smiled at her own remark, before popping in another mouthful of food as she let her eyes wander around the room as Amarissa spoke, bringing her attention back to her companions face. “This will certainly remain in my mind for a long time. I’ll just make sure I never let slip about the place to my mother next time she calls. She can be a little old-fashioned at times.” She giggled lightly under her breath at the image of her parent dining at the restaurant with the naked waitresses and customers.

Picking up her glass, she held it up and chinked it against Amarissa’s in a toast. “To new friendships.” Gina smiled and took a sip.


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Gehenna smiled, her own fork being placed on her plate. “I like to ensure that everyone is made to feel at home here, especially those that are going to stay with us for a while.” She picked up her glass and held it in front of her in a formal toast. “To the strengthening of ties between our two nations, and may it lead to a long and lasting friendship.”

The others around the table raised their glasses and took a sip in toast at the Empress’ words, before the conversation resumed its less official stance. Gehenna turned to answer a question asked of her by Stuart, while Val focused his attention on Tsukika.

“I probably won’t have the implants, as I would hate to upset her Majesty. As for laser eye, as long as you don’t tell anyone...” He gave her a playful wink and grinned. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Ambassador, I feel sure that you will be a welcome addition at all official functions that you attend.”

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smirked, "How kind of you. I'd hate to think that my charming company wasn't enough." She laughed a little at Gina's remark, "Well, it took awhile to liberalize the nudity laws here. We used to have some pretty strict laws about it: no public nudity, no nude beaches, not even topless beaches." She grinned, "Of course, we couldn't be a protectorate forever without those changing. Tindalos has even more, but they've got a huge population from GMC; especially Kitsune." She shrugged and winked a little, "Of course, right now, I just have to meet your approval, so I think I'm doing okay."

She tapped her glass against Gina's, smiling, "Cheers." She took a sip of the wine, smiling, "Have to admit, I was a little worried at first about what you'd be like, but everything seems to be running smoothly." She grins, "Best lunch I've had in ages."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika held up her glass of plum wine, smiling at the Empress and nodding in agreement, "Yes, indeed." She took a sip of the sweet desert wine, "And I'm sure that my counterpart in Chiba is also helping to strengthen the ties between our nations."

The Cervidine smiled at Val, "Likewise, Lord. I've deeply enjoyed this visit, and I'm quite enjoying the time spent in your nation. Your hospitality is second to none." She took another sip and set her glass down, silently thankful that her augmented liver was working just fine -- plum wine had a habit of sneaking up on you and getting you completely plastered. "I would be honored to attend such events, and I look forward to them."

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Lowering her glass from her lips, Gina smiled as she placed it on the table. “I’m pleased that I turned out better than you expected – or I hope I’m better than you were expecting.” She laughed lightly. “To be honest, I was kind of expecting you to be some old fuddy-duddy, who was strict on rules and would be forever pushing me to behave properly, almost like a mother figure.” She smiled. “You did such good work with the embassy that I had you down for a strict workaholic. I cannot tell you how glad I am that you are not what I was expecting.”

She lowered her eyes to her plate for a moment and placed her cutlery down across it. “That was delicious. You chose very well.” Her eyes once more found Amarissa’s. “I can’t remember the last time I had such a pleasant lunch. Next time, I’m taking us out.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Gehenna nodded and smiled. “I do hope that both sides are working equally as well to bringing our nations together. It is always a big step making new acquaintances, as well as setting up and establishing a viable working partnership. I feel confident that you and Ambassador Decosta will do a splendid job.” She picked up her glass and took as sip.

As the Empress stopped speaking, almost on cue, the staff once more appeared as if by magic and began to clear away dessert. The soft clatter of cutlery and crockery broke the slight silence that had fallen, until once more the four diners were left with just Gehenna’s security and the butler, who was overseeing the meal.

“I thought that we would take coffee in the drawing room, rather than in here.” Gehenna announced and rose from her seat, followed by Lord Stratton and Stuart. Smiling to her cousin, the Empress took the arm of her Secretary of State and walked into the other room, through the adjoining door.

Lord Stratton presented his arm to Tsukika. “Unfortunately, you have been burdened with my company, at least until we have coffee.” He smiled, in his usual friendly manner.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa grinned a little, "Well, I've got a lot of free time, so I spent it getting your embassy ready. And, well, it's not like I didn't have help." She smiled, "I think I'm going to really like this assignment." She giggled, "I could really get used to having a job that only entails going to lunch with an att... er... with a collegue." She quickly took another drink of her wine as she glossed over her near Fruedian slip. Then again, alcohol probably wasn't the solution to that problem, but it all that was handy.

She cleared her throat, hoping to shift things slightly, "Um... just so that I can pretend that I'm actually working, is there anything that you need from me in an official capacity?" She smiled, "Don't want to forget to actually be a laison, after all."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika nodded, "I'm sure she's doing just wonderfully, Empress. I'm not sure who her laison is, but I have every confidence that Speaker Day selected someone appropriate to make sure she has everything she needs."

Tsukika was, once again, impressed with the staff's smooth efficiency; she still wasn't used to having actual servents. Despite her socialist leanings, however, she found herself rather enjoying the experience; she could see why royalty thought it was worth the expense.

She gave Lord Stratton a bit of a grin, taking his arm, "Oh, I suppose that I can manage for just a little while longer... it's part of my duty to my country, after all." She was joking, of course; she found Lord Stratton to be perfectly charming. She could be stuck with worse people, after all.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina shook her head, smiling at her companion. “No, I can think of nothing I need at the moment, but should I think of anything you will be the first to know. I’m really pleased that we got time to get to know each other.” She paused, taking a sip of wine. “I think it’s easier to work with people you know, and I like to think that this is a good start to a friendship, one that is hopefully not only in an official capacity.”

Lowering her glass, she looked down at her empty plate. “That was delicious. This has got to be the most enjoyable time I have had since coming to The Hack.” She grinned. “Not that I dislike the place, but I’ve been so busy, this has been the first time I’ve been able to kick off my shoes and relax.” She smiled. “And for that, I thank you.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Lord Stratton chuckled. “I’ve been called some things in my time, but never a duty. This must be a first.” He led Tsukika into the drawing room, in time to see Gehenna and Stuart sit down in a couple of comfortable chairs. Guiding the Ambassador to her own seat, her released her arm and took a couple of steps to his own.

A young woman in a staff uniform was carrying in a tray laden with refreshments, which she placed on a table just to one side of the seating area, and looked at the Empress, who indicated for her to serve Tsukika first.

“What would you like?” The woman asked in a low voice, so as to not disturb any conversation that might start during her task. The tray was laid out with tea and coffee, several types of each that were in an array of silver jugs.

Gehenna turned to Tsukika with a smile. “If you have a preference that we have not catered for, please fell free to ask, and Marie will fetch it for you.” She looked over at the tray, knowing instantly the usual selection that was brought out on such occasions.

Tartarian Embassy, Chiba City, the Hack

"Here..." She slid a card across the table, "That's got my personal cell number on it. If you need anything, don't bother with the office, and just use that." She smiled shyly at the friendship comment, "I'd like that too, Gina."

She giggled softly, "Well, if you really want to kick back and relax, you could always take the rest of the day off. After all, getting a tour of the city from your personal laison would only help you to do your job better." She looked at her empty wine glass, "I'll be taking the day off anyway." She smiled, "Chiba's an amazing city, and it would take weeks to see all of it, so an afternoon shouldn't be too much of a problem." She grinned, "I could even write up some sort of official thingie if your home office would want that."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled, releaved that she hadn't inadvertantly insulted Val. The last thing she wanted to do was put her hoof in her mouth. She smiled at him and took her seat, almost being startled by the servant. She blinked at the tray and quickly scanned it.

She smiled, "If it's not too much trouble, a glass of sake, hot of course, would be a perfect cap to the evening."

A Restaurant, Chiba City, the Hack

Taking the card, Gina ran her eyes over the words, and placed it carefully into her bag, making sure that it was safely put away. “An afternoon off sounds like a splendid idea, and you need not worry about having to give me a note, I believe the Empire will be happy to know that I am making myself at home and getting to know my surroundings, while building ties with my liaison.” She smiled at Amarissa. “I find people tend to work better when they have a good relationship between them.”

She picked up her glass, and finished off the contents. “That was the perfect way to start the rest of the day.” Lowering her glass, she looked at Amarissa, as if memorising her face. “I’m sure the rest of the day can only get better.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

“It will be no trouble at all.” Gehenna smiled, and without uttering a word, one of the staff left the room silently to carry out Tsukika’s request. “Returning to business for a moment, the Palace is hosting a series of dinners over the next few months, invitations for them will be sent officially to your embassy. You are not expected to attend all of them, I just like the opportunity to meet our guests to ensure that everything is running smoothly, while in a less formal setting. It also allows our international friends the opportunity to meet each other.” She paused for a moment. “Your liaison will give you more information should you require it, and will make the arrangements for you.”

A Restaurant, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled back at Gina, a playful grin hinted at by her eyes. She started to say something, but the waitress returned with what could only be the check. It wasn't really a check, more just a small rectangle of plastic with numeric keys on it. Amarissa tapped in the tip and press her thumb against a small section on the bottom. The waitress smiled and left.

Amarissa grinned a little, "Biometric key." She relaxed a little in her seat, taking a sip of her wine and smiling at Gina, "So... we've got the rest of the day... I could give you a little tour if you like..." She grinned, "And once it's a little later maybe show you a sliver of the night-life?"


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika nodded, only slightly showing how impressed she was with the efficiency of the Empress' staff. She nodded as she listened to Gehenna speak and smiled, "For now, it seems my duties and services will be somewhat limited, so I don't forsee any problems attending these dinners." She smiled and softly thanked the servent-girl as a tray was brought in with an oddly shaped glass and cup (http://www.800saving.com/images/Sake-Cup-With-Glass2.gif). She accepted the items, setting them on the table and poured herself a measure, taking a sip and smiling, "Perfect."

Turning her attention back to Gehenna, she took another sip and smiled, "I will be at as many of the events as possible. I rather look forward to meeting more of my fellow ambassadors; thank you." She mentally filed a reminder to be alert for the invites as well as seeing about meeting with her laison in the morning.

A Restaurant, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina nodded and smiled as she watched Amarrisa settle the bill. “A tour sounds like a wonderful idea. We can put off the tour of the Embassy for a rainy day.” She gathered together her things, getting ready for the off. Standing up, her hand casually brushed over her outfit, ensuring that it was free of all unsightly creases. The thought of looking her best seemed somewhat important. “I would also love to try some of the nightlife. It will make a change from sitting in front of the television with a bottle of wine and myself for company.”

She looked over to the door and then turned her attention back to her companion. “Today is really shaping up to being one of the highlights of my stay so far.” She met Amarrisa’s gaze. “I think I’m going to enjoy working in The Hack.”


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Gehenna smiled, before raising her cup to her lips and taking a sip of her tea. Lowering the drink, she gazed over her other guests before setting her attention on Tsukika. “It has been very pleasant sharing your company, your excellency. I can only say that I am looking forward to meeting you at other functions.” She looked over at her cousin and smiled. “It was nice to see someone put up such a worthwhile fight against Lord Stratton.”

Val nodded. “I know that I will be more than eager to seek you out, Ambassador, when the opportunity arises.” His eyes flicked between the Empress and Tsukika. “I have had a most enjoyable evening.”

A Restaurant, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa nodded, giving Gina a smile as she stood and lead her companion back outside. It was a slightly cool afternoon, but not as bad as it often got in the Hack. A jacket wasn't really necessary, there was just a slight breeze. "I just hope you won't think it's inappropriate of me," she grinned a little, clearly not serious. "It seems pretty nice, how about a walking tour?"

Chiba City was huge, far too large to properly tour in a vehicle, let alone on foot, but it wasn't Amarissa's intention to show Gina everything. She stuck to nearby curiosities: sculptures, impressive buildings, interesting shops, that sort of thing. At one point she stopped and pointed west, to a tower that soared above every other building in the city. It was a slim, tapering building, and quite impressive, "You can see the Corporate Spire from here. I'll have to take you to the observation deck some time... you can see for miles."


Ewige Verdammnis Palace, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled, her head modestly dipping a little, "Thank you, Empress; I enjoyed your company as well." She grinned playfully, "And your cousin was... tolerable." She smiled warmly, "Kidding, of course. This was a wonderful evening, and I'm thrilled that you invited me and let me meet Lord Stratton, and Secretary Marsden." She took another drink and then set down her cup. She was a little fuzzy on protocol, so she wasn't sure if this was were she took her leave or not, and so she simply waited to see if there was anything further the Empress wanted.

Chiba City, The Hack

Gina was more than a little grateful that Amarissa had suggested walking. She had been stuck in her office since she had arrive, other than travelling to and from her residence or the odd walk around the grounds. But this would give her the opportunity to see the city she was now calling home and getting a little exercise at the same time.

She listened intently as Amarissa pointed out various places or objects of interest and tried to make a mental note to visit them at a future date. Looking up, her gaze finally found the top of the tower. “There is nothing like a bird’s eye view of a city. I shall add it to our ‘to do’ list.” She brought her eyes back down to her companion’s. “I trust we don’t have to walk up a million steps to get there. I remember the last time someone said I should see the sight from the top of a tower. She failed to mention we would have to climb the whole way. I remember not being able to move my legs the following day. Of course, it was the perfect excuse to stay in bed.”


Embassy of The Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

The rest of the evening followed in an informal way, with the four participants covering a variety of topics from world news to local points of interest that the Ambassador might find interesting and a run down of a few of the more historical and cultural places that Tsukika might wish to visit to get a broader sense of what made Tartarus the way it was. At the end of the night, Gehenna had informed the Ambassador how pleased she was to have met her, and she and Val had spoken later when they were alone about how impressed they were with her.

The following day, a black car pulled up outside the Embassy, inside sat a very frustrated young woman, as she rummaged around in her bag looking for her ID. “I had it here when I left.” She mumbled to herself, half speaking to herself and half to the security man. “I picked it up when I gathered the papers for Ambassador Obayashi. This is getting rid…Ah, here it is.” She pulled it out with a flourish and handed it to the man, with an awkward smile.

Sometime later, she finally made it up to the building, her eyes flicking around the exterior, as she climbed out of the seat, and slammed the car door shut behind her. Glancing at her watch, she noticed that she was already fifteen minutes late for her appointment with the Ambassador. Shaking her head, Melody Knight wandered into the Embassy, a pile of papers cradled in her arms, and her briefcase dangling from her hand.

Chiba City, The Hack

Amarissa was mostly thankful for the fresh air. She had worked up something of a buzz and walking around had helped to clear her head quite a bit, which also made her actually useful as a tour guide. It really was a nickle-tour of the city because of time constraints, but it certainly gave a nice slice of Hacker life.

Advertisements were everywhere, for one thing: holographic projectors and real people handing out leaflets; billboards and smaller signs; paint jobs on buildings, on benches; signs stapled to trees; everywhere they looked, they could see capitalism at work. Amarissa would have apologised on behalf of her city, but at this point in her life, she was dulled to it, and barely seemed to notice everything that was trying to catch her attention, instead she focused on pointing things out to Gina. Oddly enough, while the ads were everything, there was a feeling of good taste about them. There were no giant neon signs or anything of the sort; it was pervasive, but not oppressive.

"Stairs?" Amarissa laughed a little, "Well, there are stairs, but it's a quarter of a mile tall... I can't imagine trying to climb." She grinned a little, "As much as I'd love to give you an excuse to stay in bed, I think taking the elevator is the only way to go."


Embassy of The Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

The guard at the gate smiled placidly, thankful for something to do, and thus he didn't rush Ms. Knight, "Oh, take your time, ma'am." He took a sip from his coffee mug (printed on the front in big, unfriendly letters was 'RTFM'), which he set down when she poffered the ID card. He glanced it over, comparing her to the picture and chuckling softly at how ID cards were never flattering. He tossed it into a small machine on the counter that looked like a small laminating machine (http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000034DLQ.01-A2RT822UHB0YS8._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg). A few seconds and a soft hum later, the machine spit the card back out and a little green light turned on; the card's authenticity verified. He returned the card to Melody, "Everything checks out, Ms. Knight. Feel free to pull right up to the building. Someone will take care of your car." He glanced at a schedule, "Hm. I'm sure she's waiting for you." The gates opened and she was allowed in. The valet was just as nondescript as the security guard, taking her keys and waving her on inside the building.

Inside the building, it was like stepping out of Tartarus and into Tindalos. There was evidence of electronics everywhere, the most notable being semi-sentient solid-state holographic projectors; these were one of the newest toys that were gaining popularity in the Hack. They were like a normal hologram, but they used electromagnetic fields the manipulate a store of tiny beads, effectively letting the projection interact with the world around it. They were also semi-sentient, allowing them to follow basic commands; their only limitation being range.

The embassy was still in a state of semi-chaos as technitions further modified the building, making it more like home. Striding through the chaos -- and waving away a techie and a couple of the projections -- was a tall Cervidine. She smiled at she walked up to Melody, her red eyes shining bright, "Ms. Knight?" She glanced at her watch, "Oh dear, I haven't kept you waiting long, have I? It's still a little hectic around here."

Chiba City, the Hack

“I’m not about to argue with you. Elevator sounds perfect to me.” Gina smiled and once more raised her eyes to the top of the tower, trying to imagine the view that it would give of the city. The flight over had given her a bird’s eye view, but there was nothing like looking over a city, at night it seemed even more romantic. Not that now was the time to think of such things. She was in the middle of a new city, and although she had made a new friend, that did not promote romantic evenings strolling around the moonlit areas of Chiba City.

“From the small amount of The Hack that I have seen, I really do think I am going to enjoy my stay here.” She gave Amarissa a smile as she lowered her gaze to her companions face. “There is nothing like seeing a city with someone who knows their way around. You see things you would never find on your own.”


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Melody smiled graciously, she knew that the Ambassador was merely being kind to save her face, which she was most grateful for. “Ambassador Obayashi, it is a pleasure to meet you.” She managed to wedge her things under one arm to free up her hand to shake Tsukika’s. “No, I’ve not been waiting long. I have only just arrived myself. Last minute crisis back in the office and roadworks, unfortunately. You know how it is.”

She let her gaze flick around the lobby of the Embassy. “This has changed.” She returned her eyes back to Tsukika. “I hardly recognise the place.” She smiled. “The Foreign Office sent me a list of dates for receptions and other events that I should relay to you, although I believe you may have them already, but I thought, it’s better to be safe than sorry.” She giggled her briefcase and papers again, using both hands again. “I’m here to answer any questions you may have and to assist you in any way that you require me.”

Chiba City, the Hack

"We can go on up another da... time, if you like. The view really is wonderful." She lead Gina down another street smiling a little, "Well, I'm good at finding hard to find things because I'm terrible with directions." Her blush was partially hidden by the dim light, "I kinda drove past your embassy earlier today. Once I learn where something is, I'm good, but finding it that first time..." Her voice trailed off as she navigated a series of alleys before stopping in front of what appeared to be a nightclub.

If what she said was true, she must have been horribly lost when she'd found this place. It was the sort of establishment that catered to a select group of people; in this case, it catered to people who knew how to get here. Unlike most places, there was no bouncer and no long, winding line to get in, just a simple sign next to the door that read 'The Centracom'. Amarissa grinned a little, "This is one of those hidden gems, ya know?" She smiled impishly, "I found it by mistake, but finding it is all that matters. I think you'll like it." She opened the door and walked in.

Inside, it was similar to most any other nightclub in the world: plenty of alcohol and plenty of music; however, it was created with some of the oddest acoustics ever devised. The strangely shaped walls ushered the music to exactly where it was needed: the dance floor. Slight bleed-over meant that while standing at the bar, or at the door, the music could still be heard, but it wasn't over powering; Amarissa didn't need to raise her voice in the slightest to be heard. Off to the sides where comfortable couches, about half of them occupied with couples and groups, that inhabited the dead zones of the club. Someone could have a very quiet conversation with no interferance from the music at all: it couldn't be heard there. There were also other tables, chairs, and sofas that inhabited areas between the floor and the bar that were louder than by the bar, but also quieter than the floor.

Despite no advertising and highly limited word of mouth, The Centracom was very successful.

Amarissa smiled, and took Gina over to the bar, casually tapping a small reader with her thumb and glancing up at the bartender, "JJ, this is my friend, Gina. She'll be on my tab, okay?"

The bartender, a tall man, built like a brick wall, grinned behind his full, ZZ Top beard and nodded, "You got it." He turned around slightly, revealing his long pony tail which was just as white as his beard, before turning back and setting a drink in front of Amarissa. It was some kind of fruit-and-alcohol thing with a little paper umbrella stuck in it. He smiled at Gina, "Can I get you something, Gina?"


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika gave Melody a quirky smile, as if to imply that the secret of Melody being late was safe with her as she accepted the handshake. She followed Melody's gaze, taking in the slightly organized chaos of the entryroom and sighed softly, "Well, things were running smoothly until someone decided that they needed to muck things up. I'm not entirely sure what they're doing, but they assure me that it'll make things much easier and efficient." She laughed a little, looking back, "Personally, I think my job's easy enough as is, but it keeps them happy.

"Hm, no, this won't do. Here," she reached out and plucked Melody's briefcase from her hand, "let me help." She glanced around again and jerked her head towards a staircase, "Come on, we can talk in my office, this is ridiculous." She lead Melody through the maze of people, occationally opting to simply giving someone a gentle push to get them out of the way, and act that always drew an apology from whomever was receiving the shove. Her hooves clicked softly on the stairs up to the second floor. Indeed, aside from the clicking, it was much quieter upstairs, "All the work's being done downstairs," she explained. A quick walk down a hallway and they found themselves in Tsukika's office.

The office was a tasteful blend of GMC, Hack, and Tartarus culture. It was a simply decorating scheme, but important bits and pieces from all three could be seen: a rug here, a painting there, the bookshelf full of books in assorted languages on assorted cultures; the most singular item, and a hallmark to the heritage of her species, was a pair of long, thin, lightweight swords that were mounted on the wall behind her desk, above the window. The scabbards were ornately tooled, and they looked to be quite old and quite well cared for. Her desk was clean, just a couple neatly stacked piles of papers, a computer, and -- oddly enough -- a pair of action figures in dramatic poses: the Socializt Avenger and the Capitalizt Commando.

She set the brief case down by a small, wooden table and gestured for Melody to set the papers on it as well. She took a seat -- not behind the desk -- and offered Melody its twin, which faced Tsukika's. She smiled, "You look shattered... have a seat and relax. Is there anything I can get you?"

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Whatever Gina had expecting, it was not ‘The Centracom’. She wandered inside, her eyes wide with surprise as she let her gaze move around the surroundings. She followed Amarissa as she made her way through the club, unable to stop herself from gazing upon the other inhabitants, who seemed to be having a good time. There was something about the atmosphere of a place when people were enjoying themselves.

She smiled at JJ as her companion introduced her. “Hi.” She ran her eye over the décor, before settling her gaze once more on the bartender. “I’ll have whatever you recommend.” She turned to Amarissa and smiled, momentarily speechless. “This place is just…astounding.” Her smile grew on her lips. “I never imagined when I got up this morning, ready to face a day of work ahead, that I would find myself here.”


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

“Oh, no, this is a more relaxed look for me.” Melody smiled, and nodded towards her briefcase. “Thank you for your help. I swear I could do with another two pairs of hands.” She laid out the paperwork before her, which despite appearances was actually in very good order. Melody appeared scatty, but was actually more organised than she looked. “I’ve brought some things with me, just some event info that you might not have received, although I know my office has been sending you everything that it could in advance.”

She lifted a couple of pieces of paper that were dominated by her scrawl. “I’ve also been informed by her Majesty’s Office that you are learning Tartarian.” She looked up at Tsukika and smiled, her eyes showing great interest. “I’ve been asked to assist you in that, should you require it. Although I have a note here that mentions I might not be required. I understand you are quite the linguist?”

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

JJ grinned, "Oh, anything's good, ma'am." His voice was gravelly, like someone who smoked for a century and liked to eat barbed wire; something like Tom Waits, but less smooth. He glanced between the two women, grinned again, and quickly slid a drink to Gina, the same thing that he fixed Amarissa. "A little fruity for my taste, but Amarissa seems to love 'em. You ladies enjoy yourselves." As they turned, he cleared his throat -- a mildly disturbing sound, really -- "I almost forgot... live show today. Leæther Strip* starts in twenty."

Amarissa smiled, "Really? Great!" She smiled at Gina, leading her over to one of the sofas in the 'bleed-over' area; they could still see the stage and hear the music, but they'd be able to talk, too. "They're an industrial ambiant mix thing. Pretty good." She took a sip from her Perpendicular Hula, a little glad that Gina didn't know the name, and giggled slightly, "In a way, it'll help with your job, I guess. Cultural awareness and all." She looked at Gina a grinned a little, "That, and it's good to dance to... er... if you want, that is..."

She leaned back against the couch a little, cradling the drink in her hand, and smiled, "I like it here, really. It's a weird blend of elitist and ordinary. They don't want just anyone to come in, but if you find the place, they welcome you..." She blinked and smiled shyly, "I don't think I'm really making sense, am I?"


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika laughed lightly; a professional and controlled laugh, but still quite sincere, "If you want, I can get you a good deal on a PDA... certainly easier to carry around." She smiled a little playfully before picking up a couple sheets and skimming them, "Mmm... yes... I'll go over this later. I don't remember which invites I received and which I haven't, so I'll compare them." She gently set the papers aside as Melody continued.

She smiled a little, venturing a phrase in Tartarian, "Any help would be most valued. Er... valuable." She frowned a little in frustration, slipping back to common, "I'm still shakey on verb forms, my grammar's a little rough, and... well... I haven't even started trying to get the accent down." She smiled at Melody, "It's like having perfect pitch... in some cases it's wonderful, but when things are even slightly off, it's maddening." She looked down shyly for a moment before looking back up at Melody, a marked difference from her usual confidence, "I would hate to waste your time with my little... obsession... but I would be in your debt if you could help out when you have the free time."




* Yes, it's a real band...

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Gina sat back in her seat, almost mirroring Amarissa’s position. “Sounds interesting. And it is always good to get a little insight into the culture of a nation, and what better way is there than to let your hair down and dance.” She smiled, and took a sip of her drink, trusting totally in the choice of JJ and more importantly, Amarissa. Lowering her glass, she swallowed and grinned. “That is…let’s say it hits all the right spots.”

She let her gaze wander around her surroundings, letting her attention of Amarissa slip slightly, although it would not be long before her gaze was once more resting on her companions face. “So, what do we do for twenty minutes before the fun starts?” She let her eyes travel downwards, taking in Amarissa’s form, before she once more met her eyes.

“This is a very nice place, do you come here often?” She smiled as she spoke the usual pick up line, knowing that she meant it in quite a different way. The low lights of the interior made her eyes sparkle as her amusement rose. She really could not remember when she had enjoyed herself more.

Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

”Thank you for your offer, but would you believe I already have one?” Melody looked down at her belongings spread out before her. “Somewhere anyway.” Knowing her, she had probably left it in her car. She had a habit of taking it out and making notes as she headed for appointments, and then leaving the vehicle without picking it up. Still, despite her appearance, she had a pretty good memory for facts and details, which was very useful to her.

She smiled as Tsukika spoke to her in Tartarian, and nodded to her companion. “I’m sure you really will not take up too much of my time, which I give freely to your ‘obsession’.” Tsukika would be able to tell from her eyes that she was speaking sincerely. “Although you do not have the accent quite down, I really do not think it will be long before you are speaking it like a native.” She laughed lightly. “Maybe even better than a few of them too.”

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa couldn't help but blush slightly as Gina almost blatently looked her over, deciding to hide her shyness with a long pull from her drink. Trying to get herself under control and trying to stop acting like a giggling school-girl. Chastising herself for being silly, she set her glass down and smiled at Gina, "Here? Well... I don't always have the free time, but I try to get here as much as I can." She smiled, "The nice thing is that I can come here, listen to some music, have a drink, and not get chatted up by some neadrathal with more testosterone than brains." She grinned a little, "This place being out of the way means it's usually just regulars here, which is nice. And JJ may look like a loveable old bear, but he's also the bouncer." She laughed softly at a memory, "It doesn't usually happen, but there was a couple times where I saw him throwing people out. Literally."

Over on the stage, a roadie was starting a sound check, and Amarissa took advantage of the distraction to look over Gina with more than professional interest. She smiled charmingly at Gina as she leaned forward and picked her drink back up, "Well... we've got a little less time now, but I'm open to anything you are..." She grinned slightly, feeling pretty relaxed and comfortable with Gina.


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika laughed a little, smiling at Melody, "Oh my." She glanced around at the mounds of paper and laughed some more, before explaining, "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you. I just haven't seen this much actual paper in ages." She smiled, "Still, I'm not sure about all of these dates, and I certainly don't know what is required of me on some of these events. Any help you can offer would be most... well... helpful."

She lowered her head slightly, blushing at the compliment, "Oh, you're just flattering me. I can't conjugate to save my tail, and my structure is dreadful." She smirked, "To say nothing of my accent, yes." She laughed a little, despite herself, "I'm sure the GMC accent makes it all the more amusing." She smiled at Melody, "Helping me get settled... teaching me the language... I feel like I owe you."

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Gina smiled as she placed her drink down and looked up at Amarissa. “JJ does look like someone who can handle himself, and anyone else for that matter. I’ll have to make sure that I behave myself.” Her eyes twinkled, revealing that she had more on her mind than just getting thrown out of the place. “If I remain long enough, perhaps I can get myself membership. Keeping away from lots of testosterone is not such a bad plan.” She rolled her eyes as some memory that snaked through her mind. “I’ve been to places you can’t move through without getting half a dozen gropes before you’ve even stepped through the door.”

She settled back in her chair, making herself comfortable, feeling a little sorry that they did not have more time, but she knew that with a little luck their friendship would lead to more occasions where they could kick off their shoes and let their hair down. This was only their first meeting after all. Yet Gina knew that there was something about Amarissa that she liked. “I’m open to most things. We’ll have to arrange something for when we have more time. Maybe we can even get a dance in. Seems like an age since I had the time. Oh, for my heady days at university.” She leant forward slightly and lowered her voice, almost conspiratorially. “Of course, my father thinks I’ve grown out of my wild streak, but I like to keep a little in reserve for my free time.” She sat back and laughed.


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Melody frowned. “Oh, I must look so disorganised and backward to you, but there are things that paper can do that is instantly more relaxing than data on a screen.” She picked up a piece, read the contents, saw that it was nothing important and demonstrated what she meant, as she crumbled it in her hands. Looking at Tsukika, she grinned. “Normally it would fly through the air shortly afterwards. It’s a nice little stress reliever, one that I find does not have the same effect when you hit delete.”

She placed the crumbled paper back on the table as she shuffled the papers laid out across it into a more tidy pile and began to flick through them. “And seriously, you do not owe me anything. Helping you with Tartarian is a pleasure, and is part of my official duties. I’m sure that I do not speak as many languages as you do yourself, but language is my forte, which is probably why I have been assigned to you.” She looked up and grinned. “Not that that is the only reason, I am pretty good at other things, like organisation, despite how it might look.”

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa grinned back at Gina, a playful twinkle in her eye, "There's a certain amount of... misbehaving is just fine. Especially if your target doesn't complain." She sipped her drink, not quite liquid courage, but certainly enough to make vague allusions to less than wholesome topics. She nodded sympathetically to Gina's recounting of some less than enjoyable bars, "Oh, me too." She giggled, "You'd think with the reputation the Federation has, that guys would keep their hands to themselves, but maybe they're just desperate."

She nodded quickly, "Oh yes. I look forward to working with you. And possibly even doing some actual work." She smiled a little, finding herself wondering just how much Gina had kept in reserve when the music started. While industrial music made for a poor show -- there wasn't much to watch, just a guy with a keyboard and some turn-tables -- it was hard to sit still when it played. The base line was heavy, but not so heavy that it drowned out the rest of the music. Likewise, while there were plenty of samples tossed in, it didn't distract. Amarissa idly traced the rim of her glass before smiling at Gina, "You said something about dancing?"


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika shook her head, "Oh heavens, no." She smiled warmly, "You look like someone who's very passionate about her job. Just because I'm addicted to using a computer doesn't mean you should be." She smiled and picked up her wastepaper basket, taking it out from behind her desk and setting it in the middle of the office, "Be my guest." She sifted through the stack of paper and pulled out one mentioning a meeting that she had already planned for. She wadded it up and tossed it towards the can, bouncing off the lip. She frowned dramatically before laughing a little, "You have a point."

Her red eyes lit up as Melody mentioned her affinity for languages, "Really? Oh, that's wonderful." She laughed, "We'll have to compare notes some time. And if you like, I could maybe help you brush up a little." She smiled, "Amazing how much they tell you about the culture... for example, Der Angstians have more words for sexual deviancy than I ever thought possible." She laughed a little.

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

“I believe I did.” Gina smiled as she got to her feet, running her hands lightly over her outfit, suddenly wishing she did not look like someone who had just stepped out of an office. “It’s been a while since I had the time for dancing. And I’m not sure the ballroom dancing lessons that my father sent me on are going to help much here if I’ve lost my rhythm.” She laughed lightly, as she recalled how her father had sent her to almost every class he thought a young lady should go on.

She presented her hand to Amarissa, to take her glass. “If you’ll lead the way.” She took a final sip of her own drink, before placing it down on the table and returned her gaze to Amarissa.


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

”Unfortunately, such a stress reliever can leave you picking up a lot of rolled up paper by the time you’ve finished.” Melody laughed lightly, as she sat back in the seat, her hands full with several pieces of paper. “Of course, you also get that moment of elation when you finally get one into the bin. But I feel that is a conversation for another time.”

Melody looked up at Tsukika as she spoke about the Der Angstians. “I’ve not had the pleasure of working with their language, and now I’m not sure whether I wish to.” She grinned to show that she was not really as prudish as she was probably sounding. “Like I said, I am sure that you leave me standing for ability, but it is something I enjoy doing.”

She once more lowered her eyes to the paperwork in her hands. “I think you’ve probably received most of this before, so we might be very relaxed by the time we’ve finished.” She smiled to herself. “If we cover these details first, just to make sure you are fully up to date, then we can cover anything you wish to go over.”

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled as Gina smoothed her dress, "Oh, don't worry... you look fine." She gently took the other woman's hand and lead her out to the floor, getting a feel for the music before starting to dance. Industrial music isn't the best music for dancing 'with' someone; however, it's easy enough to figure out if a pair is a couple or not, and Amarissa certainly seemed interest in dancing with Gina, as opposed to simply next to her.

She wasn't a half bad dancer, either. She had a sense of rhythm, and didn't look like she was unfamiliar with her body; the only thing keeping her from being truly good was that she seemed a little too self conscious. Either she was worried that she'd look out of place, or she was just trying too hard; or both. As they moved, and as more people joined them on the dance floor, she seemed to relax a little, quite enjoying herself.


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika laughed and grinned a little, snatching up Melody's abandoned wadded ball of paper, glancing at the basket and launching the wad in a gentle arc the landed neatly in the basket. She smiled, "Hm. There's something to this. But, yes... another time." She had no trouble slipping back and forth between business and casual, largely letting Melody guide the conversation.

She shrugged slightly, "Well, it's not just words, but phrases and how they say things." She frowned a little, trying to draw a parallel, "Much like how some languages have words where the meaning changes based on which syllable is accented, or where meaning changes based on vocal inflection? It's that sort of thing. Much like slang in common, but... more official as it were." She smiled, "In a way, it's very creative, but it's also more than a little odd." She laughed softly, "I could always give you some lessons some time. There have been times where the best way to describe someone could only be done in Angstian, if you catch my meaning."

As Melody started to shuffle through papers, Tsukika frowned slightly and stood up, grabbed the heavy oak chair and hoisted it over the small table, setting it down next to Melody's. She sat back down, smiling a little, "Hope you don't mind, it just seemed it would be easier to go over things this way as opposed to across a table..."

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Gina smiled to herself as she was lead to the dance floor, she could not remember the last time she had had fun during a meeting. She thought to how their first session might have gone, and realised that at this moment she probably should be showing Amarissa around the embassy, pointing out details and generally boring the woman to death. This way was certainly more enjoying.

Once they reached the dance floor, she let go of Amarissa’s hand and let the music flow, moving easily with the rhythm. She stood facing her companion, her eyes never leaving her face, the rest of the people dancing fading into little more than a boundary of their space. She smiled, indicating her enjoyment, as it was always hard to get heard in these circumstances.

Although she was actually using her voice, Gina mouthed. “Thank you for bringing me here, this is great.” She smiled, hoping that Amarissa had caught her meaning, even if she did not understand totally what she had said.


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

“No, this is so much better.” Melody smiled, as she turned slightly to look at Tsukika, who was now beside her rather than across from her. “I hate trying to talk over tables, although this one is quite small, they always seem to get in the way.” She laughed. “Not that they aren’t useful, they just...” She stammered, before letting her words hang in the air.

“I don’t think there is much that I have that has not already been forwarded to you, as I know how eager the Office is to ensure that everyone is kept up to date.” She returned back to a more business attitude, where she tended not to go of on a tangent. “If you would care to, I could give you a tour of the city, point out some of the more important buildings, although I believe you have been to the Ewige Verdammnis Palace already for a meeting with Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna?”

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled back at Gina, giving up completely on trying to talk with her companion as the music swelled and made talking utterly impossible. The glint in Gina's eyes and the smile on her face was enough for Amarissa anyway. After a few songs, she motioned for Gina to follow her, needing a quick breather.

She beamed happily at Gina as she took a quick drink, "Oh, I'm so glad you came with me. I haven't had this much fun in ages!" She looked down a little, smiling shyly, her face flushed, possibly from exertion, but likely a bit of bashfulness too. She looked back up and grinned, "Better than a power lunch, huh?"


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled, hoping to calm Melody down a little, "No, no; I understand what you're saying. Part of why I moved my chair." She sifted through the papers on the table a little, "Quite useful, but they represent a barrier, and that's not especially helpful right now. I like to avoid them whenever possible, part of why I try to avoid being behind my desk when I meet with someone."

She nodded a little as she looked at the last of the papers, taking a few of them and setting them on her desk, mentioning their importance. She thought for a minute and smiled, "A tour would be lovely, thank you. I've seen the palace, and I've wandered a bit on my own, but I'd like... ah... a more personal tour. Important buildings, places you think are neat, whichever." She smiled, "You can leave these papers here, if you like."

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Gina laughed all the way back to their table, her face flushed and her eyes sparkling with fun and exertion. She looked at Amarissa, bringing her lips into a smile. “I’ve not had this much fun for a long time, either.” She took in a lungful of air as she picked up her drink. “This is definitely much better than a power lunch.” She brought her glass up to her lips and took a sip, her eyes not leaving Amarissa, as she looked at her from over the rim.

Lowering her drink, she cradled the glass in her hands. “I’m really going to have to find some way to thank you for your kindness today.” Her brow furrowed a little in thought, before she spoke again. “I’m not the best cook in the world, but maybe I can interest you in coming for dinner one evening.” Her eyes revealed her deep desire for her companion to accept.


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

“It might be easier if you look through them, just to make sure I haven’t missed anything.” Melody straightened the paperwork and placed it on the table in front of her. Leaning back in the seat, she turned to Tsukika. “As for the tour, if you let me know when you are free, I can arrange something. I’m not great at the tour guide stuff, but I can certainly point out places of important and interest.”

She smiled, feeling herself slowly growing more relaxed, now that she was sure she had covered the important things she had noted. “Although walking is so much more preferable, a drive around the city makes putting places into perspective much easier. Not that we can’t stop and have a look around if you want to, but some places are really not that impressive when you get too close.” She laughed lightly. “Although, I do like the old part of the city, it’s like stepping back into time. You might have noticed it when you visited the Palace.”

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled, enjoying being with Gina and enjoying the pumping music that wafted in from the dance floor; the acoustics really were amazing. Her face was flushed from dancing, and she had a slight sheen of sweat, clubs were always too hot once you got moving. She couldn't think of a time that she had enjoyed herself as much as right now. She certainly hadn't thought that meeting a dignitary from another nation would be so nice.

She shook her head, smiling happily, "Oh, you don't have to thank me, Gina." A wink, "I'm having fun too, you know?" She giggled softly, "The last time I had a job like this, it didn't last too long, actually. I was attached to the ambassador from GMC, and... well... when we joined the Federation, there wasn't much use for ambassadors." She smiled warmly, her eyes catching Gina's, "I hope your stay is much longer."

Her eyes lit up at the offer and she nodded, "Oh, that would be wonderful! Would you like me to bring anything? Maybe some wine?" She thought a moment and continued, "Since your embassy is pretty much my full time job now, I'm free any night you are." She took a drink from her glass, suddenly worried that she sounded desperate, or worse, boring.


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika laughed softly, "Well, I wasn't planning on shredding them, after all. Half a tic." She stood up and walked over to her desk, pressing a little button on the lower right corner, "Frode, could you come in here for a moment?" A gruff male voice responded in the affirmative and Tsukika walked back around, picking up the papers and needlessly straightening them as well. There was a light knock at the door, and with a 'come in!' from Tsukika, it opened and in walked Frode.

Frode made Tsukika look almost tiny, despite the fact that he was only a couple inches taller than her, as he was a powerfully muscled Gray Wolfen. Most Wolfen looked muscular because while their muscles were very lean, there was also a lot of it. Frode looked like he religiously worked out; he looked very much like the Wolfen version of a bodybuilder. Luckily his fur kept him from looking like a rippled freak; still, he was big.

He was also dressed in a smart business suit, which simply added to the strangeness of his appearance. He smiled happily, nodding to Melody, "Ma'am," and turned to Tsukika, "Yes ambassador?"

She grinned, "I keep telling you to call me 'Tsukika', and don't pull that tradition and honor claptrap, I'm as traditional as they come and you know it."

He chuckled, a deep rumbling sound, "How about 'respect'?"

Tsukika rolled her eyes dramatically and handed him the stack of paper, "Feh. That's a list of engagements, make sure we've got them all on file, and juggle things so that I can attend as many as possible."

"Yes ma'am." He turned, nodding towards Melody again and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Tsukika sat back down, smiling, "He does it just to annoy me, you know." Mentally setting aside the quirks of her coworkers, she thought for a moment, "Well... I rather enjoyed looking around the Palace, so maybe a tour of your favorite parts of the older sections?" She smiled, "Your the guide, so driving or walking is up to you..." She grinned and lightly kicked the table with her hoof, "It's not like my feet will get tired."

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Gina took another sip of her drink and smiled at Amarissa. She had been in situations like this, making friends and getting used to new cultures. But there was something different this time, she felt oddly more relaxed, which was a strange feeling as Gina rarely felt uncomfortable around new people. She had always been outgoing and unafraid to throw herself into the centre of things. It was one of her habits that worried her parents back when she was growing up, they were never sure who she was going to get mixed up with.

“I have no plans to disappear, at least not through choice.” She laughed lightly, her father’s voice coming to mind, hearing him warning her how she should behave if she did not want her position terminated. “There is far too much of interest in The Hack to make me want to run back home. And I’m sure there is still plenty for me to experience.”

The look she gave Amarissa spoke volumes of her meaning, if only her companion chose to read her correctly. “As for dinner, wine would be perfect. I’ll be just as happy if you just brought yourself though, so don’t go to any trouble.” She lowered her glass and looked back at the dance floor, feeling the beat of the music course through her body. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you have been assigned to look after me. I’ll just have to try not to take advantage of you.”


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Melody smiled at Frode as he greeted her and then conversed with Tsukika, remaining quiet as the two joked with each other. Her gaze followed the man back out of the room, before her eyes once more became focused on the Ambassador. “It’s always nice to have a good working relationship with your staff. It seems to make everything more efficient. Of course, there is the problem with over-familiarity but that only affects things when respect goes totally…” She paused, and smiled. “Of course, that only happens in some cases.” She finished weakly.

“As for the tour, we shall begin with the government buildings, as it’s always useful to know where the people you are dealing with are.” Melody picked up her pen, and began to make some notes on the back of a piece of paper. “Not that you should have any trouble while you are here or even need to call by, but it’s always good to know.” Her writing paused for a moment, as she looked at Tsukika. “And I’m only a phone call away, should you need anything. I think I wrote my number on one of these sheets, but I’ll give you my card anyway.”

She reached over to her case and began to flick through the paperwork that remained inside. “I’ll find you one out later.” She laughed and turned back to her note. “We’ll then look around the old town, as it has the most interesting buildings and has the most history.” She stopped for breath, realising suddenly that she had been waffling.

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa grinned, "Glad we can hold your interest. And to think, I've just shown you one place; we may only have two cities, but we pack 'em full." She rattled off a couple tourist attractions "for later", including things like taking a trip out the Tindalos to go up the Gibson Spire ("It's a mile up! You can see Chiba on a clear day!"), or even the Corporate Tower ("It's only 3/4's of a mile, but still...!"), as well as museums, other clubs, sights in GMC, still other clubs, so on and so forth. She tried to keep from babbling, but she wanted to give Gina an idea of how much stuff was handy and that she, of course, was more than willing to show it all to Gina personally.

She smiled, "I insist on at least bringing some wine. A friend of mine's in the buisiness, and I've got a very nice bottle that I'd love to share with you." Her eyes sparkled merrily as she thought about what to wear, her work suit certainly wouldn't suffice. She stopped worrying about that when she noticed Gina starting to sway a little to the music. She set her glass back down, "It's not taking advantage if I enjoy it, is it?" She grinned and stood back up, taking Gina's hands and pulling her up, "Care to dance some more?"


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled. Melody seemed to be a nice girl, just worried about not 'messing things up' or saying something wrong. Very professional, but very much in needing to relax a little. She pulled a small PDA from a pocket and made a quick note to send a letter speaking highly of Melody, she figured the praise would trickle down and maybe help her feel more comfortable. And she was please by Melody's work. As well as how calm she seemed about her Wolfen assistant. She smiled at Melody, "Oh, Frode's a marvellous worker, and the perfect assistant when I don't want to be bothered." She grinned, "Wolfen are somewhat rare outside of the Hack, so even a 'small' one like him is nicely intimidating." She gave Melody an almost conspiratorial smile, "And he's helping me learn the old tongue, which is just a bonus." With Tsukika, it seemed, the line between hobby and obsession could be quite fine.

The slim Cervidine nodded as Melody rambled a little, letting the smaller human talk. At no time did her red eyes betray even a hint of irritation, she took it all in stride. "Yes, I believe you did leave your number." She shrugged, "If nothing else, I'll look it up." She laughed softly, "Old town, yes."

She let Melody get her things, and thoughts, together before escorting her out of the office. Frode was relaxing in his desk, growling over the phone at some supplier over something or another. It created an amusing dicotomy: his tone was menacing, but he looked completely relaxed and his eyes betrayed his amusement at the situation. Still, even looking completely relaxed, the fact that he was six-and-a-half feet tall made for an impressive sight. Even if he was a little short for his breed.

Tsukika mouthed "Give 'em Hell" as she lead Melody out to the lobby, "I believe we decided to walk, yes?"

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

“I’m certainly not going to turn down the offer.” Gina smiled at Amarissa covering both the issue of bringing wine and dancing at the same time. Her fingers lightly held her companion’s as she allowed herself to be guided onto the dance floor. She could not shake the feeling that maybe she was moving too fast, and that she was heading for a fall, but she was enjoying herself, and it appeared that Amarissa was too.

Falling easily back into the rhythm of the music, she watched as Amarissa danced, her eyes flicking over her form, before once more meeting her gaze. The smile on her face revealed her genuine pleasure and her eyes sparkled with fun. “I don’t know how I’m going to explain what I’ve been doing when I return.” She grinned as she spoke loudly over the music. “I’m not sure they would believe checking out the sights.” Her gaze once more ran over Amarissa’s body, before she met her eyes again, with a laugh.


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

“Yes, walk.” Melody repeated, her gaze still fixed on Frode. “If he is having any trouble that I can help with…” She let the sentence hang, as she walked out of the door, following Tsukika. “We are actually very lucky today, the weather is that nice mix of sunny but not too hot, which is particularly good for walking.” She paused again. “Do you mind if I just drop some of this stuff into my car, will make the trip easier if I’m not dragging half my office around with me.”

She took in a deep breath, knowing that she was allowing her head to run away with her. Her gaze fell on Tsukika, searching for signs that would confirm Melody’s worst fears. She really needed to get herself organised and not worry so much, but she wanted to make sure she was doing a good job, not that she really thought she was not.

“Sorry, sometimes my mind just whirls.” She looked apologetically at the Ambassador, wondering if she should perhaps request someone else to take up the position she had been given. “There are some lovely buildings not too far, fortunately you are not stuck out in the outskirts of town. New is nice, but there is something more characteristically pleasing about old buildings.” She smiled. “Plus, they usually have far more interesting stories connected to them.”

Reaching her car, she opened the boot and placed her things inside, hoping that she had managed to keep everything in some kind of order. “Well, we’ll see where our feet lead us.” She closed the boot, and turned towards the Ambassador.

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Relationships in the Federation tended to move quickly, but that was probably because there was a good chance the girl or guy you were talking to was psychic, and thus able to get to know you (and share about themselves) with minimal effort. Speed dating never had it so good. Still, Gina was from another country, and her customs were likely to be very different, so Amarissa tried to keep from being too overt. It was also possible that the ambassador was just enjoying herself and wasn't having the same feelings that Amarissa was.

That thought made her frown slightly, but the music and the dancing didn't let her frown too long. There was no sense in not enjoying this afternoon, and she was going to have a good time regardless. Besides, even if she 'just' got a friend out of the deal, it was hardly something to complain about.

Amarissa laughed softly, "Just don't tell them which sights, I guess!" She had removed her suit coat awhile ago, and had untucked her blouse from her skirt. She had also long abandoned her shoes. They combined for a slightly rumbled, but quite casual look. She was clearly enjoying herself, and not just because of the alcohol.

Leæther Strip ended the set with a wild, manic, and loud song, topped off with a little bit of pyrotechnics. Amarissa smiled and clapped her hands as the man behind the music bowed, waved, and went behind a curtain. Amarissa smiled at Gina, still trying to catch her breath, "Told you he was good."


Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika smiled, "Oh, I'm sure he can handle himself. He seems to enjoy that sort of thing. Thrill of the hunt, or so he tells me." She calmly followed Melody to her car, a half step behind. One of the attendants had brought it around and Tsukika waited patiently while Melody unloaded herself. "Oh, I don't mind at all." She laughed a little, "I once almost got fired for zoning out during a meeting and not taking notes. The presenter had a very faint accent, and I spent the whole meeting -- all five hours -- trying to figure out exactly where they were from." She grinned, "Just imagine trying to explain that." She paused and frowned a little, "And, you know... I never did figure it out..."

She shook her head and pulled a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and slipped them on; they made her look a little more aloof, but she hoped that Melody knew her better by now and wouldn't think that. Her species tended to have an imperial air about them, but she tried to keep that from showing. She certainly didn't feel imperial.

With a nod and a smile, she lead Melody off the embassy grounds, her hooves softly tapping against the concrete. She looked around and smiled down at Melody, "Please, lead on. I put myself in your hands."

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Clapping her hands as the singer disappeared from the stage, Gina turned and looked at Amarissa, her breath slightly heavy from the dancing. “He was very good.” She let out a long breath. “And I never doubted you for a minute.” She ran her hand through her hair, bringing a little order to it. “That was definitely fun.” She took a moment, trying to bring her breath a little under control. “Would you like another drink or do you have to get back?”

She paused for a moment, looking at Amarissa, her eyes fixed to her companion’s eyes. Reaching out, she brushed a lose strand of hair from Amarissa’s face, allowing her fingers to brush against her skin, before smiling, and turning away slightly. “My mouth is suddenly very dry.” She caught the other woman’s eyes again.


Outside the Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

“I have been told that I have very capable hands.” Melody said, as she led the Ambassador out of the Embassy’s grounds. Ahead of them stood several old buildings, giving an initial indication of what they could expect as they moved around the Capital city. “I’m not sure how versed you are on this area, but there are several other embassies nearby. The Empire of Tartarus is slowly building up its International involvement, and other the last few years has managed to attract interest from nations outside of the NDA. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Gehenna is keen to continue with this endeavour. Of course, it is a slow and arduous task, even if the benefits are worth the effort.”

She led them further along, continuing to converse about similar topics, while trying not to bore the Ambassador with information she already knew. “Up until three years ago, this city was named after the Emperor Acheron. Upon the death of the Emperor Erebus, the city took his name, as is the tradition of the nation. Of course, this can cause a little administration headache, although, with the Empress Gehenna being so young, it is unlikely that it will change for some time.” She paused, pulling the conversation back under control.

“The city is overlooked by the Ewige Verdammnis Palace,” she explained as she pointed towards a part of the city, hidden by a building. “It lies over in that direction, and stands on a hill. From the right part of the city, when the view is slightly more open, you can see the Palace in its glory. Of course, you will probably find lots of images of it over the city, it’s quite a popular postcard image.” She smiled, as they continued on.

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa's face was slightly flushed from a combination of Gina's touch and the dancing. She smiled shyly as she looked at Gina, "I'm free for the whole night... I'd love another drink." She stood on the dance floor, just looking at her companion for awhile before snapping out of what seemed to be something of a daze.

She coughed slightly and ran her own fingers through her hair, leading Gina back to where they had been sitting. Her glass was empty and she started to turn towards the bar before stopping and looking at Gina again, "Um... if you want..." She blushed a little, "If you want, we could go back to my apartment for that drink..." She quickly added, "Unless you want to stay here of course."


Outside the Embassy of the Most Glorious Hack, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika nodded as they walked down the streets, listening to Melody talking about the city, "Yes, the palace is very nice. I was there last night, and it's really quite impressive." She smiled, "We don't really have anything like it back home. Chiba and Tindalos are all glass and steel; it's nice, but it certainly doesn't have the charm that Erebus does."

Despite Melody's attempts, Tsukika was fascinated with the name changing, "Really? Amazing... I know of a couple places that do something like that, but they're usually bars in the Warrens," she grinned a little. "Still, that can't be a common tradition for something like a capital city. I imagine it must be a logistical headache though." She pondered a moment, "Is this done for unpopular rulers as well?" She frowned, "Not that I'm attempting to slander any previous rules, of course, I'm just curious." She bit her lip a little, mad at herself for implying something like that.

'The Centracom', Chiba City, the Hack

Following Amarissa back to the table, Gina smiled to herself as she brushed her fingers lightly through her hair. She shook her head slightly, feeling her hair brush against her shoulders, before she tucked some behind her ear to keep it out of her face. Her flushed cheeks were a mix of the exertion on the dance floor and the reaction she had got from her companion.

Picking up her empty glass, she looked at it for a moment before turning to Amarissa, smiling warmly. “As much as I’ve enjoyed the dancing, I think a quiet drink would be most welcome. Your apartment sounds perfect.” She lowered the glass to the table, and reached over to grab her jacket that was lying across the back of one of the chairs.

“Do you live far from here?” Gina asked as she once more caught Amarissa’s gaze with her own. She was a little surprised that her companion had asked her back to her apartment. She knew that the two of them were hitting it off very well, but even in her wildest dreams, she had not thought she would be accompanying her home.

She smiled to herself, not daunted in the least how fast the two of them were becoming friends. She had always been taught not to mix business with pleasure, but was a drink and a dance breaking the boundaries of a first meeting? Of course, she had moved quicker in the past, but she also knew that if she was going to be a success in her job, she certainly did not want to do anything that could spoil the relationship she could have with Amarissa, be it business or pleasure.


On a street, Erebus, Tartarus

“Oh, the honour is bestowed on all previous Monarchs, whether they were well liked or not. I guess none of the successors thought about abolishing the tradition.” Melody laughed lightly at the thought, which was not even funny to her own ears. She pointed over to several buildings across the street that had signs of previous rulers on their façade, be it a plaque on the wall detailing when the building had come into existence, or some form of décor that had been added to commemorate the succession of the new ruler.

“If you look closely, you can see where some things are forgotten or overlooked, or just deemed too expensive to replace.” She smiled. “Of course, there are still places around here that uses stationary or some such thing that still bares the old name. Though it is not technically correct, most post will still get to the correct address. No one expects everything to change overnight, and it is nice to see some sign of the past.”

She continued to point out the old symbols of the Empire’s history. “As you get further into the city, towards the middle, you get to see items relating to further into the Empire’s past, which is kind of strange when it sometimes stands so close to newer buildings. Also you will find a lot of statues. Tartarus has always been keen on capturing the image of its passed rulers, though most seem to have been commissioned during the lifetime of the subject.” She paused, looking back at Tsukika. “Please let me know if I go on, I do have a tendency to get a little carried away.”

Out and About, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled, thrilled that her offer had been accepted, and suddenly a little worried that she was being too forward. She brushed the thought out of her head; after all, it was an invitation for a quiet drink, not a promise of anything else. Right? Right. Of course.

She gathered up her coat and nodded to Gina, "Not too far, really. I would have walked earlier, but I had to go to the office." She led Gina out into the cool night air -- refreshing after being in the hot club. Not exactly being in a rush, she took her time, pointing out buildings and little-known treasures like The Centracom, as well as laughing and generally having a good time. Cutting loose was nice, but it was even nicer when you were with someone.

The building she lived in looked a lot like most of the other buildings in Chiba: tall, nondescript, modern. She waved to the doorman and lead Gina inside. "It's nothing fancy, but nicer than the Warrens," she explained. The interior was actually rather nice, about what one might expect from a building with a mix of offices and middle-class residents. The doorman was in a sharp suit, the lobby was perfectly cleaned, tasteful art hung on the walls, and the desk had a professional-looking security guard in a crisp uniform.

Amarissa led Gina passed all of this to the elevator, which, thankfully, didn't have muzak piped into it. Her apartment was on the twentieth floor, which would say something about her income to a Hacker. That aside, it was quite nice; tidy would be the word to describe it. It had a nice view and a small balcony. Amarissa smiled nervously, "Sorry if it's too plain, but... it's home, I guess."


On a Street, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika grinned, "Continuing the tradition with the hope that it's continued when you pass on? Well, makes sense. It's actually quite nice. There aren't too many long-standing traditions back home, probably because we haven't existed for that long. Well, at least not in our present form." The Cervidine was in no real rush, and so took the time to take in the sights that Melody pointed out, having no trouble making out details on plaques even from across the street. "Hmm... much nicer than corporate sponsorship," she murmured to herself.

"Well, being it's the capital, I guess it would cause less problems than if, say, streets were renamed." She smiled, "You see, these are the kinds of things that are often overlooked in omnibus briefings given to us before we go somewhere, but the sort of thing I love hearing about. So, please, Melody, show off your city to me. I'm really enjoying this, thank you."

Amarissa’s Apartment, Chiba City, the Hack

“No, this is wonderful,” Gina replied as she gazed around the apartment. She had never been one for lots of clutter and gaudy showings of wealth, which probably stemmed from being brought up in such a house. “I like it. It’s very…homey.” She turned to Amarissa and smiled. “You should see my place at the moment, which you will of course when you come to dinner, but I have to warn you, I’m not exactly settled in properly. There are boxes still littering any empty spaces I could find.”

She moved further into the room, slipping her jacket off as she did, and placed it lightly over the back of the couch, hoping that she was not making herself too at home. “It’s so nice having a place to yourself,” she paused suddenly, looking at her companion. “Oh, I’m sorry, I assumed you were alone?” She looked questioningly at Amarissa, checking to see if she had read the situation incorrectly.


A Street, Erebus, Tartarus

Melody laughed. “Tartarus is not the quickest place to remove traditions. It does have a tendency to be rather stuck in its ways, especially if there is no major harm in keeping it. The naming of the Capital in this fashion has been around for centuries, and I guess there is a little bit of all the rulers who like the idea of living on beyond their death, even if it is as the name of the Capital.”

They continued to walk along the street, the further they walked the older and more ornate the buildings became. Of course, they were still some way from the oldest part of the city. The Capital was not a small city, and walking was not the best of ways to see much of it. It did have a rather extensive underground system, but if someone wanted to see the city at its best, a walk was really the only way to go, especially if architecture was something that was of interest.

“I’ll have to arrange at a later date a more in depth tour, preferably by car. There is so much to see, if you are interested of course.” Melody smiled, hoping that she was not taking liberties. “There are some very interesting stories attached to some of the buildings in the centre of the city, in the Old Quarter. Due to the positioning of the Palace and the way the land lies, the city grew in more of a fan than a circle. Nowadays, there is growth beyond the Palace, but it is not quite as extensive as that in front of it.”

Amarissa’s Apartment, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa smiled, "You're not just saying that? You like it?" She laughed softly, "I always thought it was too spartan. My mother hated bare walls..." She laughed more at Gina's description, "Well, you only just moved in. I wouldn't expect you to be unpacked." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone, "Luckily, I have more closet-space than I need; that's where the boxes are..." Amarissa was one of those people who just never got around to fulling moving in: there was always a couple boxes that never got unpacked. A more practical person might have thrown those items away, after all, they hadn't left the box for the past three or four moves, but she just couldn't bear to do so. She wasn't a packrat, she didn't have an emotional attachment to last week's newspaper, but she did have one to that awful dish set her cousin had bought her years ago. And on the off chance her cousin ever visited, she could actually take them out of the box and use them.

Inviting someone into your home is always a delicate thing. You have certain expectations, and think things should be 'just so', but you don't want to make the other person uncomfortable. It's a strange dance that humans play, and that jacket is a perfect symbol of it. To some, draping it over the couch would be too casual, or even an intrusion. To others, opening the closet and seizing a coathanger would be far to presumptious. And the less that's said about standing there waiting for the hostess to take it, the better. Amarissa, of course, doesn't worry herself too much about such things. She simply opens the closet near the front door and hangs up her coat. While she talks, she casually does the same for Gina's jacket. She also only partially closes the door; open would make things feel rushed, fully closed might demonstrate unreasonable expectations.

All this was thought by a sleek, but mischievous, orange striped cat. He sat way up on top of the entertainment center, looking down at the silly humans with a bemused look on his face; like only a cat can.

"It's just me and Clyde," Amarissa pointed up to where the red-eyed cat was resting, "Of course, he's not much for conversation."


A Street, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika laughed a little, "I can see the attraction in that. Kind of like parents naming their children after themselves. Everyone wants to be immortal, I guess." She thought about that brand of immortality, as well as what kind of mark she wanted to leave on the world. It wasn't something she would spend much time thinking about as she still had a good long life ahead of her, and there were so few people who truly made a mark in such a large world. Well, if nothing else, I'll be marked down in some ignored document as being an ambassador to Tartarus. I guess that counts for something.

She paused from time to time, offering soft apologies each time, and would examine a particular freize or design. She wasn't as obsessive as Calvin was, but she still enjoyed the craftsmanship and the durability. In a way, this was the stuff of immortality. To make something that lasts and inspires. "This is a very beautiful city, Melody. I really must thank you for taking the time to show me around." She bowed slightly and smiled, "And the idea of a more in depth tour is wonderful." She laughed a little more, her voice light, "I could take a vacation and just spend the time here, seeing the city." She smiled, "And I can't wait to hear some of these stories. Stories are the soul of a people, after all. When I know the stories, and can make them my own, that's when I feel fluent."

Amarissa’s Apartment, Chiba City, the Hack

“I can think of worse house mates than one that doesn’t talk,” Gina laughed as she looked at the cat. Her eyes wondered around her for a moment, talking in more of her surroundings. A first look was never enough; a person could always see much more of the owner if they took a moment. “Once I’ve settled in a little, I might have to think about getting myself such a companion. It would be nice not coming home to an empty house at night, and it would mean my mother would never come to visit, she’s allergic.”

As she finished talking, she looked back at Amarissa. “And as to whether I really like it?” She nodded her head and smiled. “I really do. It leads me to believe that you have no need to surround yourself with items for the real you to be present. I like that in a person. It’s kind of like a form of honesty. You don’t need to hide behind anything to be you.” She brushed some loose hair behind her ear and paused for a moment. “I wonder if you would consider me too…forward if I asked if I could kick off my shoes? I wear the most uncomfortable shoes you can possibly imagine for image sake, and then spend the rest of the day hoping for a time when I can take them off.”


A Street, Erebus, Tartarus

“I can’t guarantee that all of the stories are actually true, some of them have been passed down so many generations that I can’t help but to think that each has added their own embellishment to it.” Melody laughed lightly, her eyes fixed to Tsukika’s face. “There are some that are just so…unbelievable, that they would not be out of place in some tabloid publication, whereas some are actually documented from the time of happening. But I am sure that The Hack has similar myths and legends.”

She turned, as if suddenly noticing where they were. “Do you like shopping? There is a nice little section of the city just a few blocks from here, almost stuck in some kind of time warp.” She frowned. “Not that I’m suggesting…” She suddenly hoped that she had not caused any kind of offence. “It’s become a little tourist attraction, where they have kept up some of the old traditions of making things, mostly by hand or crude machinery, like what would have been used in the past. Maybe, if you are interested, we could make that a part of a later tour.”

Amarissa’s Apartment, Chiba City, the Hack

Amarissa laughed softly, even more so as the cat peered at Gina and let out a soft 'Mew?'. She smiled, "He's a weird one." She pointed to his eyes, "Normally, people with red eyes are genetically enhanced. I don't know how he managed that, but he did. I found him in an alley; he was fighting a Great Dane and was actually winning! I chased the dog off and he started purring as soon as he noticed me." She smiled some more, "And how could I just leave him? Once he gets to know someone, he's really friendly. I'm sure he'll end up in your lap before too long."

She laughed some, "Ever notice how cats immediately take to people allergic to them?" She giggled, "Imagine trying to pry off a cat like him!" She smiled at Gina, "Please, make yourself comfortable. There's no need to stand on formality, after all." Almost as if coreographed, as soon as Gina got her shoes off and sat down, Clyde launched himself from the entertainment center, landed in the middle of the room and promptly jumped again, landing softly in Gina's lap. He looked up at her with another soft 'Mew' and curled up, purring loudly. Amarissa smiled, "He likes you; usually it takes a couple days." Rather than thinking of the signifigence of her cat liking her guest, she decided to simply ask if Gina would like a drink, "I've got soda if you don't want wine or beer or anything like that..."


A Street, Erebus, Tartarus

Tsukika grinned a little, "Oh, I don't expect them to be true. After all, the way stories change can tell more about a society than the stories themselves. I'm sure there actually was a king or a warrior named Beowolf at some point, but look at how his story changed." She nodded a little, "Oh there's some. The Hack is strange as the nation, under that name, didn't exist all that long ago. We have some stories from the time of the Union, and even older stories about when the Hyperborean civilization supposedly existed, but Hack-specific folklore is sadly lacking." She thought for a moment, "However, I think it's happening a little with Carl Gibson; he was our first president and a war hero. I'm pretty sure a lot of his exploits have been exaggerated, and I wouldn't be surprized if he grew to some kind of superhero in a few hundred years or so." She laughed lightly, "It's like watching history happen." Continuing, she added, "Of course, the Cervidine species stretches back even further, so we have our own folk tales, myths and so on." She shrugged, "Guess I'm just more interested in nations."

She quirked an eyebrow, looking more confused than offended, "...suggesting?" She shrugged, "Still, it sounds very interesting, even if it is a tourist trap." She smiled, "There is value in things like that, though. It's good that somebody remembers the old ways. I would definately love to see it when we get a chance. Ah, provided it doesn't cause you any difficulties."

Amarissa’s Apartment, Chiba City, the Hack

Gina had just made herself comfortable when the cat landed in her lap. She reached out and gently began to stroke her hand down the length of its back. “I’m glad I’m making a good impression so quickly.” She smiled up at Amarissa from her position on the couch. “Winning over pets is usually one of the hardest things to do. They tend to be better judges of people, or so I’ve found in the past.” She left any explanation in the air, as she began to give some thought to her companions offer.

“Wine would be wonderful,” she looked back at the cat, her fingers still lazily running through its fur. “I think there is nothing nicer than sharing a bottle with a friend.” Her eyes once more found Amarissa’s, her smile still present on her lips. “I know I keep telling you this, but this has been a very enjoyable day. I had kind of given up the idea of just chilling out with a girl friend and chatting, rather than just discussing Tartarian business all day and then getting calls all night to discuss it some more.” She laughed lightly at the thought. “It’s nice to have someone I can just be Gina Decosta with.”


A Street, Erebus, Tartarus

Melody smiled, knowing that she was worrying herself too much. She had been dealing with people for a long time, this was the first time that she had been put in charge of a foreign official, and she really did not want to mess up on her first official day. “I am entirely at your beck and call, if you ever need to go anywhere or need to know anything, or just need something, I’m there. So if you would like to check out the areas around or just need a guide, I can make myself available.” She looked about her, trying to decide the best way to go.

Turning back to Tsukika, she pointed off towards the direction she had chosen. “I don’t want to take you too far from the Embassy, especially without a vehicle, so we’ll loop around so you get some idea of the general location that you are situated in. I have to say, that your government chose a nice part of the city, not that the Empire would have offered you anything less.” She laughed lightly. “I do find this area one of the more interesting, beaten only by the Old Town, but there is mainly Imperial and Official Tartarian buildings of any decent size there, other than theatres and other historical locations.”

“All in all, Erebus is like most towns a walk through history, there being some example of an era scattered around.” She paused. “But for now, we will continue with your neighbourhood.”

Amarissa’s Apartment, Chiba City, the Hack

Clyde almost immediately started purring and curled up in Gina's lap, looking very much like attempting to move him would be a grave insult on par with spitting in the President's coffee. Amarissa giggled, "I hope you weren't planning on standing any time soon..." She smiled at the purring cat, "Glad you approve." Clyde looked up with half-closed eyes, "Mew," as if that settled everything.

Amarissa nodded and vanished into the kitchen for a minute before returning with a pair of glasses, one of which she handed to Gina. She smiled, sitting down next to the Tartaran, "I've enjoyed myself too. I don't think this is what Elisa had in mind when she said I should make you feel welcome, but today's just been so nice." She ran her fingers through her hair and shrugged a little, "I'm sure there'll be times when we have to discuss business, but until it comes up, I'd rather just be myself."


A Street, Erebus, Tartarus

The tall Cervidine smiled and nodded to Melody, "It's nice to have somebody I can turn to with any silly questions I might have. I'll be sure that I don't bother you too much." She grinned, "And certainly not in the middle of the night." Following Melody's finger, she nodded, "Sounds good to me. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to wander aimlessly some other day." She fell into step with her companion as they made their way back towards the embassy.

"Part of the location was my idea. It seemed like a good place; close to needed places for official business while still close to what I figured would interest me on a personal level. It's good to hear I chose wisely." She pursed her lips in thought at the description of Old Town, as well as other locations. She smiled a little, "Hm. I'll definately have to get some kind of transportation... it sounds like there's plenty for me to see. Both on and off the beaten path, as it were." She laughed a little at Melody's final comment, "I leave myself in your capable hands."