NationStates Jolt Archive

His Majesty, John Antonette, invites Franz von Papen to come and
tour Cherry Ridge, and see a play in the Royal theatre House. He has
heard great things about this man, yet has never met him, except briefly. He also invites any family of his to join him.
~The Royal Office~
*signed by John Antonette*

OOC: I suppose I should tag this, shouldn't I? :)

OOC: Oops, forgot about this thread. I should be able to respond over the weekend, though.

OOC: Hey look! A post!
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rekjyavich-Andropov Military City

Franz von Papen read the letter from Antonette in suprised amusement. Papen hasn't really dealt with Antonette a whole lot. Because of Alexei's and John's close friendship, they rarely had a mediator. In fact, that's pretty much how it was with all of the major players in Greater Prussia. He made no hesitation in his response.

"Dear John,

I would be delighted to come to Cherry Ridge. I don't believe I've ever been there outside the capital, and even then that was a very long time ago. My family would be happy to see your nation. However, I have a large family, so I'll just be bringing my wife and my granddaughter, Katrina. She's about your age, if I recall correctly. You'll like her.

I look forward to seeing you.

God Bless,

Franz von Papen"

Franz,
I look forward to seeing you, your wife, and Katrina. I am working on getting

some sites set up, as well as plenty of time for you to pick what you want to see.

God bless,
John

ooc- just post arrival, your cleared

OOC: Of course I'm cleared. :p ;) :D
=============================================================
The Papen's plane glided along the atmosphere as the pilot locked coordinates and began his descent.

Twenty-three year old Katrina, a recent graduate of Moscow University with a Bachelors Degree in International Business (working on her Masters), was looking out the window at the passing earth, leaving the Prussian Continent and going to the Burgundian one.

"Hey, Dad, what's Cherry Ridge like?" Franz looked over to his granddaughter and smiled.

"I have no idea, honey. I've never been outside the capital, and that was awhile ago. It's gonna be a bit of a new experience for me, too." Katrina chuckled at her grandfather's comment.

"And you're the Foreign Minister."



The executive plane (an X-33) finally landed at The Venerable Cardinal De Vito International Airport in Cherry Ridge -- no real reception, Papen wasn't a fan of them -- and taxied into the runway.

A convoy of several vehicles drove onto the runway. Sleek, black, Lincoln SUVs drove up. Behind them came a stretch Lincoln Continental. Out of the Lincolns, Ridgian Army guards poured out, and lined the path to the limosine. A red carpet was placed, and the King walked to the end of the carpet. (ooc-Derscon said I can escort his characters tot he palace) Out of the plane stepped the Papens. Antonette, wearing a dark black suit, with a white shirt, and an equally dark black tie (as the suit). His shoes were soft leather, and as the mark of his office, he wore his sword. He stopped when he met the Papens. he shook hands warmly with Franz, and gave the standard Ridgiam kiss to his wife. When he saw Katrina, his eyes locked with hers. He paused, then noticed he waited too long. he quickly gave her the standard kiss, and led them to the limo.
"Welcome to Cherry Ridge!" he said to them.
First entered Franz's wife, then Franz, then Katrina, then John. He laid his sword in its spot, and offered them something to drink.
After a short drive, and talk, they arrived at the Palace. Servants took their bags, and they went up to John's office.
"Have a seat! he said, motioning to seats. He then asked,
"Would you like anything to drink? We have almost anything you could want. Feel free to make yourself at home, the palace is big enough. So, what would you like to do in Cherry Ridge?"

He's cuter in person, Katrina thought when she made eye contact with Antonette. She smiled at the King and returned his kiss while Count Franz von Papen was glancing at them. I sense flirtation... He smiled to himself and looked up at King John. "Thanks for having us all over. It's nice to get away from work for once. Besides, I'm retiring soon, so the new guy needs to get used to the work!"

When they arrived at the office, they all sat down as Antonette continued to talk.

"Well, if you don't mind, John," Franz responded. "My wife will take any cognac, I'll take a Bailey's Irish Creme, and....Katrina?"

"Oh, I'll have what grandpa is having."

"So, John, since you asked, we basically came here to see the nation," Franz said, continuing to speak. "Oh, and I heard you had some excellent theatres here. Maybe we could see one?"

"You both have excellent taste. baileys is my favorite. In fact, their headquarters is in Cherry Ridge." he said, as he unlocked a drawer in his desk, and pulled out a bottle. An aide fetched a cognac bottle for Mrs. Papen. John pulled out four glasses, and pured them each their drinks.
"We do have excellent theatres." He pulled out a directory, and pointed to the Ridgian House of the Arts. He picked up its proggram and haded it to Papen.
"You can pick." As he did that, he stole at glance at Katrina.
I didn't know she looked that good.
"So, Katrina, I heard you are working on your masters. Hows it going?" he asked.

Papen skimmed through the brochures. "Actually, we can probably go to a few shows -- not in a row, obviously. It's not like we don't have time." Franz took a small sip of the drink, raised his eyebrows in satisfaction, and took more of a sip. "This stuff is really good. It's better here than the imported stuff in Derscon."

Katrina Papen smiled at John when he asked the question about her degree. She didn't smile because she asked -- she smiled because of the look in John's eye -- which Grandpa Papen caught, too. Oh, shit, Count Franz thought. The King of Cherry Ridge is courting my granddaughter.

"Well, it's going pretty good. I got a perfect score on my final for the last semester, and I have about four more semesters to go to get my degree. I'm on Christmas break right now -- I go back in about a month."

"I'm glad you like the drink." He turned to katrina and said,
"Thats cool. I just finished a masters in law. I was working on it before I assumed the throne, but only now got around to finishing my last few papers."
He then addressed all the Papens,
"Most of the churches here in CR are Catholic, obviously, but I hope you will tour them anyway. There aren't much protestant churches, most are small, but there is one rather nice one in Carmel. I assume you are all protestants, correct?"

"I'm glad you like the drink." He turned to katrina and said,
"Thats cool. I just finished a masters in law. I was working on it before I assumed the throne, but only now got around to finishing my last few papers."
He then addressed all the Papens,
"Most of the churches here in CR are Catholic, obviously, but I hope you will tour them anyway. There aren't much protestant churches, most are small, but there is one rather nice one in Carmel. I assume you are all protestants, correct?"

"No, Katrina here is a Catholic. I don't particularly approve, but she wanted to, so I supported her in her decision." Katrina leaned over on the couch and hugged Franz.

"Thanks, Daddy." She's still a kid at heart, Franz thought happily. I hope that never changes.

"Well, John, let's face it -- minus the Kremlin Cathedral, the Catholics definitely beat the protestants when it comes to church architecture. I'd love to tour a few."

John saw the hug, and tears formed in his eyes. He blinked them back, and realised she must have lost her parents as well, otherwise she would not be calling her grandfather 'Daddy'. He remembered...
Late on an August night, in a small suburb of Carmel, eight year old John Antonette was slowly falling asleep. His father had been working and his mother had dropped him off in the morning, unusually, as they were going out to dinner that night. She had gone to pick him up, and John was being watched by a neighbor's daughter.
'Mom will be home soon' he thought. He drifted into sleep peacefully. The next morning, he woke up and bounded into the kitchen.
"Mom" he yelled. There was no answer. He yelled her name again, then glanced into the living room, at the couch. The girl was still sleeping. He woke her up and asked,
"Where is my mom?"
She jumped up, realised where she was and said,
"I don't know, John. maybe they are home but saw me sleeping and decided to let me be. You check their room and I'll call my parents."
He checked: they were not there. Nervous, he boudned down the steps.
"They weren't up there! What did yuor parents say?"
"They didn't hear anything." Just then, a slightly battered, black, Monte Carlo pulled into the driveway. A man dressed in a clerical suit without his collar stepped out. He walked up the driveway, and knocked. He put his collar on, and waited. When John answered, Father Daniel De Vito, the parish priest, explained what happened. Something about another driver slamming into them. In the other drivers car they found communist propaganda. John hugged him, and wept in his arms. He then vowed to himself that he would crush communism in CR. John lived with his aunt and uncle from then on, but whenever he could, he went to the church and helped Father De Vito. He still leaned on him for advice to this day.
He quickly wiped away the tears that formed, and took a drink. He said,
"I'm glad you want to tour the churches. Um, going back to the plays, any one in particular?"

Franz was looking more closely at the brochures to the theatres. "Well, I've never seen The Nutcracker before, so I don't see why we can't see that. Although I am a big Tchaikovsky fan, so the music will be good." Papen leafed through some of the other packets of information about the other preformance areas. "Hmm, Swan Lake...." He thought a moment. "No, The Nutcracker." The Count looked up at King John.

"Is that okay with you?"

"Fine by me." his eyes however, looked bored at the prospect. He picked up a phone and dialed in a few numbers and said,
"Get us a reservation for the nutcracker. Ok? Thanks. Bye"
He stood up and said,
"Now I will show you to your suites." He led them outside, and down an elevator. He came to a spot in the hallway, next to a massive door, and flipped open a panel. Typing in a few numbers, the door opened. He led them to a door, opened it, and it revealed another hallway. Two doors were marked Papen. He pulled three keys out of his pocket. He handed them out to Franz, his wife, and Katrina.
"They all open the doors to almost everything in the palace, except other private suites and secure areas. You all have full use of all recreational facilities and any restaurant in the Palace you want. I'll let you guys get unpacked, and come back a little later for Dinner at Pisano's. It's owned by a few, ah, let's just say friends of mine. My living quarters are the entire topfloor, where my office was, si you need anything."
Four Burgundian Guards came out, and gave the Papen's their luggage. They took their posts, two at each end of the hallway. They were armed with small Uzi-like weapons.
"I'll leave you be now. oh, and their is a mini bar inside each room."
He left them to unpack and prepare for dinner.

The Papens took the keys as they listened to John's talk about where they could go in the palace. When he mentioned Pisano's and how they were "friends" of his, Franz von Papen made a mental note to himself. The MGB should be happy to have more stuff on Antonette's mob connections.

"Thanks, John," Franz said after the King was done with his monologue. "I'll enjoy that minibar," he added with a wink. As King John was leaving, the Foreign Minister turned to Katrina. "Well, I guess you can have the one room to yourself." Katrina picked up her bags and smiled at her grandfather.

"Thanks." With that, she disappeared into her room, while Franz and Maria disappeared into their own to unpack and get ready for dinner.

ooc- lets time jump up to dinner

ic-
King John Antonette made his way down to the Papen's rooms. He wore a dark suit (black). He had applied cologne. He wore no sword this time, but inside his coat, was a revolver. He knocked on Katrina's door first, and waited for an answer.

Katrina opened the door and saw John in his suit and smiled, her eyes sparkling a little. "Well, hello, Your Majesty." She looked him up and down, studying his attire. "You look nice today." Katrina moved aside her black shaul and moved closer to John. The golden dragon that stretched the length of the shaul seemed to fly as the shaul rippled down towards the end, exposing her neck and her shoulders, since her dress at the top consisted of two one inch thick black straps that went over her shoulder like a tank top.

The black silk dress flowed down to the floor, it waving every time she made a move. Gold, oriental dragons and phoenixes ordained the dress, and it's multicoloured floral motifs gave it an extra flare. She wasn't too into the heels, though, being a track runner, so she had on a sort of traditional Chinese slipper that a bride would often wear for a wedding, but black, and with no heel to it. She had to be careful, though, as if a single bug found its home in the slipper, it would either be squished, or if it managed to crawl along the soles of her feet, send Katrina in a mad frenzy due to her extreme ticklishness. She once caused a big scene at a formal dinner when one of the guests' dog rubbed against her foot at the same time a pencil sticking out of a passing waiter's pocket managed to poke her in the side, causing her to spaz out and knock a red wine on the guest's white suit. The guest, thankfully, was slow to anger and quick to laughter, and found the entire thing highly amusing, leaving Katrina embarrassed and harrassed by the members of the table for the rest of the night.

At that time, Franz and Maria Papen came out of their room and interrupted Katrina and John. "Well, we're finally ready to go. I've heard great things about this resteraunt, I can't wait to try it."

"Thank you Katrina, you look lovely yourself." He stared at her, and when Franz and his wife emerged, jumped a little bit. He looked at them and said,
"It is definitly the best, of that, I am sure."
----
A guard led them to a car, and drove them to the restaurant. Upon entering, they were immediatly led to the VIP area on an area raised above every other place. It was a retangular table, with four spots set. The guard left, and the owner,a somewhat large man, Salvatore Marco emerged.
"John!" He yelled, and embraced him, "How are you!"

"Im great, Sal, yourself?"

"Im fine." He helped them sit down, and with a grin, intentionally sat john down next to Katrina. John glared, but then his face softened into a slight smile.

Sal said,
"I will be sure to send the finest waiters, and I hope you enjoy your meal." Sal was obviously more than just the owner.

A water came out, and gave them menus.
"I will be waiting for your signal, Highness, to get you your drinks"

After looking it over, John signaled. He said,
"I will have a glass of Red Wine."


ooc- the menu has almost every alcholic drink, and many flavours of soft drinks. When it comes time to roder food, it has almost every Italian food.

Katrina sat down next to John and got herself comfortable, while the two grandparents sat opposite them. Katrina leaned over John to see the drink menu and picked out what she wanted while the married couple were looking at their own drink menu. When John called the waiter over, the Papens gave their orders.

"I will take a Chateau de Rothschild, please," Franz told the waiter. "And my wife will take any Chardonnay you have. Katrina?" The young girl looked over the menu one more time before ordering.

"I'll have a Dersconi blue birch beer, please."

"Excellant. i will be back shortly." A few minutes later, he came back and said,
"What can I get you to eat?"

John said,
"I'll have the soup of the day and baked ziti."

"Certainly, highness."

Katrina looked at the menu one more time, shrugged, and looked up at the waiter. "I'll have what the King is having." The two other Papens, though, thought about it more.

"We'll both have the stuffed chicken brest with sundried tomatoes, please."


OOC: crap post, meh.

"I will be back shortly"
John sipped his wine and said,
"So, Franz, how is Derscon these days? I haven't visited in a while."

Franz put down the glass and shrugged. "Strangely, the Kremlin has been relatively quiet the past few weeks. The people seem to be fairly happy with Alexei's relaxation on some of the law codes, so Alexei gets less petitions and things." He took another sip of his wine before continuing. "He's been giving the Council of Minister's a lot of power, though -- it is not something a Tsar typically does. I guess it is because of his son being born, and all. He is not only a father to the nation, now, but to his son." He shrugged again.

"And Cherry Ridge? I haven't been inside the Prussian Empire itself for awhile, nevertheless CR."

John sighed,
"Its been fine, I guess." The waiter returned with the soup for John and Katrina and a bowl of bread for everyone. The soup was Italian wedding soup. John ate some and then asked Katrina how it was.

Katrina took in a big whiff of the soup and her eyes filled with joy as the steaming soup was set down in front of her, the meatballs bobbing up and down in the broth. "Ooh, looks good." She played bumpercars with the meatballs a bit, and then finally took up a spoonful.

"Wow! This is delicious!" The Count looked up from across the table and chuckled.

"I figured you'd like that. Ah! Bread! I do believe that piece has my name on it."


-====================================
OOC: Christ, what is it with me and the crapiness of ze posts?

John grinned when she wa playing with her food. After it was all consumed, the main course was brought out. The chicken was steaming, and the Ziti was covered with cheese and sauce.

ooc-
mine are not the best either

ooc- time jump

ic-
Two large trays of desert was brought out: Cannolis and Zeppoles. Coffee was delivered to John (coffee or tea, depending on which one they like, too the Papens) John ate a cannoli, and then got serious.
"Franz, I am worried. I feel that Dersconi and Ridgian relations are crumbling. I am sure that neither of us wants this to happen. I think a big party would fix it, but I'm going to wait for a big event."
While he was talking, John's leg slid across the floor and brushed against Katrina's.

ooc- time jump

ic-
Two large trays of desert was brought out: Cannolis and Zeppoles. Coffee was delivered to John (coffee or tea, depending on which one they like, too the Papens) John ate a cannoli, and then got serious.
"Franz, I am worried. I feel that Dersconi and Ridgian relations are crumbling. I am sure that neither of us wants this to happen. I think a big party would fix it, but I'm going to wait for a big event."
While he was talking, John's leg slid across the floor and brushed against Katrina's.

OOC: Woo! Time warp!!!



All of the Papens looked up with a hint of joy in their eyes as the dessert was brought out. Franz thanked the waiter for the coffee, Maria for the tea. Katrina, however, almost knocked the teacup over, and giggled sheepishly, slightly embarrassed. The waiter smiled and set the teacup down in front of her, giving her an extra napkin and a wink as he walked away.

Papen nodded when John began. "I agree, Derscon and CR are starting to slip apart. If you think about it, though, we're simply just going back to how things were. Tsar Rekjyavich Ivan Andropov III was very open with Derscon, while RIA the Second was about as isolationist as you can get while still having allies. Alexei is an odd mix of the two. However, I feel that this may be a small slip, and relations will improve shortly.

"And a party is an excellent idea, in my opinion," he continued. "Alexei intended on having a large celebration for the 3000th Anneversary of the foundation of the Eternal Empire, but that fell through due to security reasons, and since he was then Emperor of Greater Prussia, he had too much on his plate."

Katrina was only pretending to listen to her father, though, as John's leg brushing up against hers caught her interest. Curious, not knowing if it was a sign of affection or just an accidental bump, she had her leg brush up against his, and acted as if nothing happened.

John agreed with Franz,
"Probably right."

He noticed Katrina did not care when he brushed against her. WHen She almost spilled her cup, he led out a slight laugh, and looked her in the eye, his softening.

OOC: Oops.
==================================
Franz nodded. "Indeed."

Katrina wasn't paying attention, as usual, but she did catch John's laugh, and in retaliation, elbowed him in the ribs, albeit playfully. "Don't laugh at me!" was her mock scolding, giggling afterwards. She brushed her leg up against his again, realizing that John thought she didn't notice in the first place, and flashing John the sparkle in her eye.

"However," Franz said, pretending not to notice the exchange. "I overheard Alexei talking about having a Prominade Festival in Derscon for the entire world, so maybe that will help."

"Hopefully." After they were done eating, John stood up, and payed the bill, and left the tip. They were escorted out, and driven to the palace. They were escorted back to their rooms, John to his office. He nodded to a guard, who walked down to Katrina's room. He knocked and waited.

Katrina got back to her room and after the door closed, started getting out of the dress and into something more comfortable. She turned on the Riverdance Grand Finale from Lord of the Dance on her speaker system as she put on a medium-sized skirt, a flowery silk top, and a pink shoulder covering, but not bothering to put the slippers back on. The carpet sent shivers up her spine as she dragged the soles of her feet on it and flopped into the bed to work on some of her reading. Currently, the book was A Frozen Paradise: Live in the Western Tundaria Province of Dersconi Nova Prussia. It was for a Dersconi/Prussian Policy class, and frankly, watching grass grow in winter looked like the Stanley Cup match in overtime.

She was a bit surprised when she heard the knock on her door. Who is that? Katrina jumped off the bed and walked over to the door and opened it to see the guard. Hmm?

"Yes? What do you need?"

The guard produced a bottle of the finest Red Wine in Cherry Ridge.
"Compliments of His Majesty." He handed the bottle to her and continued, "Sorry to disturb you, Madam." He bowed deeply, and departed. On the card attached to the bottle, handwritten, though not in the neatest handwriting,
Katrina,
In case you get bored, here is some of the best wine in CR. If you need anything, just call, anytime.
-John

OOC: Well, shit, it's been almost a month. I'll get to a post tomorrow.

Well that's nice of him, Katrina thought to herself. She didn't open the bottle of wine quite yet, but instead walked over to the phone and called John.

"Hey, John, I got your note and present. Thanks. I was wondering, though -- would you like to enjoy it with me?"



OOC: Ugh, I've been losing what touch I had at writing. Sorry.

John answered the phone and listened. His heart lept and he replied,
"Sure! I'll be right down!" He hung up the phone, and quickly got dressed in black slacks and a button down, collared, blue shirt, with pink and white stripes. He made his way down, and knocked.

Katrina opened the door to see John and smiled at him. "Come in, Your Majesty, please." She led him in and shut the door behind them, and made her way to her bed, where GPNN was on, and the bottle of wine was on the nightstand, with two glasses.

"I don't like tables, they're too formal." She was just wearing a short-sleeve sweater and a semi-short skirt, both black and gold. She kicked off her slippers (she didn't like socks, for some random reason no one has yet to figure out) and, while back-flipping onto the bed, grabbed the wine bottle and a knife. The moment she landed the cork flew off the bottle and when she caught it, she placed it aside and grabbed the two glasses on the night stand, filled them, and gave one to John and one to herself.

"I want to thank you for this wine, it's really good."

"I thank you for this company." He sipped the wine, flippd off his shoes (which were just flip flops, as he did not feel like wearing "real" shoes). He sat down on the bed, close to Katrina, and sighed.
"Your lucky you don't have to run a country. It's a pain in the ass sometimes." His face grew red and said,
"Excuse my language."

Katrina giggled at John's embarrassment. "It's okay, I've heard worse from your drinking buddy." She rolled over onto her back and spread out on the bed, throwing her one arm over her head and resting on it.

"And yeah, I'm glad I don't have to run a nation," she said, looking up into John's eyes. "It's too stressful. I remember how my granddad was when he had a lot of responsibility. He was never really around, even though we lived practically across the street, and his hair was really gray. Since the Deputy Foreign Minister has been getting more and more responsibility, since my dad's retiring soon, he's been a lot happier, around more, and his hair is getting it's blond colour back, even though he's 89." She smiled a bit at the thought of an eighty-nine year old still being as up-beat and alive as Franz von Papen.

"What about you? How do you handle ruling a nation?"

"I guess I do OK. Running Burgundy is the pain in the ass." He smirked. "The Cardinal helps me handle the stress." He sighed again. "As you do know, my parents died when I was young, like yours." Pain once again returned to his eyes, and he blinked back tears. He chugged the wine, and poured more. "Anyway, how is John?" he said attempting to change the subject.

Katrina took a small sip when she saw tears start to form in John's eyes. She leaned up toward him and grabbed his hand softly.

"What about your parents? What happened to them?"

"Communist bastards killed them in a car crash." He squeezed her hands tight, though not too tight and softly said,
"Didn't your parents die too?"

Katrina's eyes softened and drooped a little. "I'm sorry to hear that." When John asked about her parents, she shifted her eyes a little, clearly uncomfortable.

"Yeah...kinda. They might as well be dead, anyways."

John's eyes softened even more at her discomfort. He started stroking her hands with his fingers and said,
"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can't say a whole lot," she said, starting to mumble out the words. "It's technically a State secret. I think around seven people died in order to preserve it." She wiped a tear from her eye as she leaned up against John.

"It was back when Rekjyavich Ivan Andropov II was in power. I wasn't born yet, and I think...Cardinal De Vito was in power at the time, here in CR. Well, the Tundra in Derscon, as you know, is forbidden to enter without approval from RAMC. Well, my...father...went on frequent trips up there. I don't remember a whole lot, I'm sorry. And the stuff I do remember I'm not allowed to say." She started to choke up a little and wrapped her arms around John, clutching him tightly.

"So basically, my father was arrested in the assassination of Tsar RIA the Second, possession of a nuclear device, treason, fifteen hundred counts of murder in the first degree, fourty counts of Grand Theft Auto, and countless other charges. Unfortunately, as you know, he was the son of the Foreign Minister, a greatly respected man in Derscon. And RIA III, at the time a Field Marshal and acting Tsar, knew that, and was good friends with my grandfather, so his tie in with the nuclear assault from TFU on the Daytona 500 which the Tsar was at was suppressed entirely. He was cast into the dungeons, tortured, and executed. My mother, my cousins, and some family friends were all sent to the Tundra labour camps. MY mom specifically was sent to Kolyma, the worst of them. No one makes it out of there alive.

"Well, I was born there, and my grand-dad found out about it, and had the baby taken from Kolyma and he raised me. My mom died a few days later."

At this point she was sobbing uncontrollably, with her head on John's chest. She wasn't wailing, but it was a quiet crying, a subdued and seemingly submissive one. Katrina curled up and hugged John tightly, as she wanted someone to hold her, since she told that story. THere's much more to it, but such things are not meant to be repeated....

John hugged her tightly, and softy carressed her hair.
"I'm sorry Katrina. Thats terrible, punishing your family for the sins of one person." He rubbed her back, and then he gazed into her soft, brown, eyes. He leaned in, and slowly, began to kiss her. After he finished, he said,
"I'm so sorry for making you speal of it. At least my parents died quickly and weren't" his voice trailed off, "Tortured." He leaned in, and kissed her again.
---
Cardinal De Vito, in full choir dress, walked steadily down the hall. He traced the King's path asking the guards. He found Katrina's room and knocked.
---
"Who's that?" asked Katrina.
"No one important." said John.
---
The Cardinal continued to knock, and waited for a moment.

Franz was adjusting a suit when he heard a continuous pounding outside the room. He put on some loafers and went outside to see the Cardinal, and smiled.

"Hey, Danny! What's with the pounding on...my daughter's...door?" He glanced at the door, and back at the Cardinal, looking inquisitively at De Vito.

"I am arresting her for a false conversion." he said, extremly serious. He stared into Franz's eyes, and then smirked. "John is in there." They looked at each other, and then the Cardinal took out a master key. He opened the door, and saw the two kissing.
John stood up and said,
"Cardinal! We were just, uh." The Cardinal cut him off, and strolled in.
"If it was not for things like this, humans would not be here. Just as long as you wait tuntil you are married to run all the bases." John's face turned red, an altar boy who had gotten scolded by an old monsignor. The Cardinal looked, and noticed redness in Katrina's eyes from crying. He said to himself,
I can't say anything now.

John looked at Franz and moaned to himself, waiting for his reaction. Meanwhile, the Cardinal walked over to Katrina and said,
"You must be Katrina von Papen. I am Cardinal De Vito."

Franz chuckled a bit when the Cardinal smirked. "I almost wish you were telling the truth."

Franz walked in with the Cardinal, and seeing his little girl making out with the King of Cherry Ridge caused his jaw to drop to the floor and his eyes bulge out of his skull.

When Katrina looked up and saw the Cardinal and her (grand)dad, she instinctively rolled behind John and clutched him, poking her head up, her face bright red. When the Cardinal came up and introduced himself, her voice was shaking, and it looked like she was about to cry again.

"I...I'm K-k-kaaatrina, yy-y-ess..."

The Cardinal removed the Biretta from his head. He placed it gently on a night stand. He would have made another comment about the inquisition, but saw her trembling. His eyes turned sympathetic, and he held out his hand, and helped her out from behind John.

"Katrina, there is no reason to be embarressed. Franz over there is more shocked than anything else." He then led Katrina over next to John, and John grasped her hand.

"John, the ship on redemption isle was attacked by Templars. That's what I had to tell you. Everything's fine though." He explained the rest of the situation, and John nodded.
"I'll send backup, but they will stay out at sea for now."
"Good idea."

John then looked at Franz, his normal complexion had returned, and said,
"I apologise sir if this, uh, shocked you." He suppressed a laugh, and squeezed Katrina's hand. He then awited for Franz's response.

Franz blinked a few times at John. "You're damn right I'm shocked!" he scolded. "I just came in to this room to find the man I just sat down with at dinner making out with my daughter!" He sighed. "Katrina, I'm disappointed in you," von Papen said, turning to his granddaughter. "IF you're going to get to know someone, engaging in such intimate actions is not until later. THings that start quickly end quickly." He smiled.

"I must say, though, at least she has good taste." Count Papen chuckled nervously and shook his head.

"Well, I suppose I can't stop you, but be reasonable about it. And John, if you do anything to her," the Foreign Minister said in a commanding voice, staring through John's eyes straight into him. "I don't care if you're head of state of a Dersconi ally. You're a dead man. I will cast you into the Kremlin dungeons and you will never see the light of day. The Spanish Inquisitors and even Ivan IV would gag at what you would go through. But if you're good to her, you go ahead and do whatever you want. But stay moral."

John stared straight back at him and said,
"I would not dare harm her." He gripped her hand even tighter. Before John could say something stupid, the Cardinal intervened on his behalf.
"Franz, I don't think John would ever have premarital sex."

Franz nodded to the Cardinal, smirking "I know, but she's my daughter, it's required to threaten the genatalia or life of the male figure. You two behave." With that, Franz walked out of the room and back into his.

Katrina was still behind John at this point, clutching his hand, feeling a little better because of her father's attitude towards it, but still greatly embarrassed at not only her father but a Cardinal walking in on them.

"As I sai8d Katrina, don't be ashamed." He grinned and said to John,
"Don't stay all night, ok?" With a flash of red, the Cardinal had shut the door. As he walked up the hall, he smiled to himself.
Maybe John has found someone. Finally.

When the door slammed shut, Katrina came out from behind John and clutched him tightly, shaking a little. "That's not something I want to experience again." She wrapped her arms around him again, listened for a little, and shuffled closer to John.

"Well, since they're gone, now..." Katrina pushed John over so he landed on his back on the bed, with her on top of him. She smiled and grabbed at his side, seeing if he was ticklish, kissed him, and rolled off from him, giggling.

John laughed softy, and said,
"I see you like to play rough, Miss Papen.. Well then..." he grabbed her wrists, and pulled her towards him. He then kissed her, and threw her onto the bed, playfully. He kissed her again, and then began to softly massage her shoulders. After a few minutes, he sat next to her, and pulled her close. He looked softly into her eyes, and admired them. He sat, hugging her, for a few moments, then stood up, and put his flip flops back on.
"I really have to go now. Tomorrow after the show?" he asked, but shut the door, assuming the answer was yes. He walked past his ofcice, then stepped back, and looked in. Sitting with his feet on the desk was a man in a clerical suit.
"I hope you had fun." He jumped up,
"Night John."

"Night, Your Eminence." He said mockingly, though good natured. After John got ready for bed, he picked up the phone, and called Franz's room. When answered, he said,
"Franz, I must say sorry for what you saw. Though, if your wife is the same way, you are very lucky. Don't worry, we didn't do anything immoral." He waited for a reply.

Franz chuckled over the phone. "Oh? Had some fun did we? I suppose I accept your apology. I admit, it is a bit hard to see my daughter with someone, see her truely grow up, but it had to happen sometime. At least she has good taste." He cleared his throat a little and continued. "However, you keep it zipped, cause if it comes out, it'll be cut off quicker than you can blink."

"I wouldn't let it come out. How would you know when it comes out though? Do you have a camera looking down my pants?" He laughed, then said,
"Anyway, for tomorrow, I guess we will have breakfast, then for a tour of the city, come back here and get changed, then dinner and a show?"

"Haha. It's a father's sixth sense for security of his daughter. I'll know, trust me. And yes, I'm up for breakfast and dinner. The desire for good food has not left me in my old age. I shall see you in the morning. Good night, Antonette."

With that, Franz hung up the phone and slipped into bed, waiting for the next morning to arrive.


OOC: Bump. Hopefully, we can get this started again.