The North PacificBoard

Natalia was impressed but also struck with fear with the display and the words that Tiara bestowed upon her. Her hands visibly trembled as she looked at them and brought them close to her own breast, feeling the touch of her little Paulina comfort her. She felt guilty and humiliated that her own daughter had to steady her instead of her steadying her daughter. She wondered if she was worthy even to be a mother to her own children in the future. And then she began to have doubts about the future of Azenyanistan in the hands of her children, in the hands of Paulina.

She looked at her own daughter even though she wasn't by blood. She felt a few tears come to her eyes as her child reached out and steadied her. Then the Queen blinked those tears out, wiping them with the sleeve of her dress. Then she turned to Tiara and asked her

"What must I do to maintain myself and keep myself from being too corrupt? What measures must I take so I can still love my children, my family and my people that I may not become a despot to overthrow?"

Her words were stabbed with even more fear. With doubt. With insecurity. With an eager, desperate search for answers. The Queen continued

"Will my magic....will it be able to combine with yours?"

A few moments later, Luna came from the hall, wearing a carmine dress with gold accenting along the seams. Her blonde hair was left flowing down, reaching to the middle of her back. Looking down to the main hall, she spotted the young Edwerlanti representative; a Lieutenant General from their Zirconia Alserium Guard, who had a clearly nervous face. ‘Is she new to this?’ Luna pondered to herself, as she continued, walking down the staircase. “Hello. I am Empress Makyus, and you are..?” She asked, nodding as a polite gesture.

Marilyn hadn't thought of putting too much effort into anything. She arrived in her combat uniform. She had matte black combat boots with laces, forest camo for pants and a long-sleeved button up. Her blond hair flew down from under the forest camo cap she wore. Some of her hair got in her face's way, revealing only one eye. She trembled in place, not sure as to how anything would go.

As she stood there, watching an approaching figure reach her, she absorbed the details of her body. It was almost otherworldly in beauty. 'She l-looks… n-nice…’ Marilyn mentally stammered. What she hadn't noticed is that she was standing in place for the last ten seconds after the Empress introduced herself. Marilyn flashed a deep blush, and cleared her throat.

“H-hello… I-I'm La-Lady Marilyn…” She replied, shaking a bit more visibly, her legs vibrating back and forth rapidly. Marilyn was a bit ecstatic, as she managed not to embarrass herself. 'Maybe we c-could get along…’ She hoped.

Luna smiled and chuckled softly, looking away to hide the smile. ‘Remember, be professional, Luna. They are WP and they can easily try to bully Hardonius into submission.’ She thought to herself, looking back to the shaking officer. ‘But, this young Lady is adorable.’ She cleared her throat, regaining her composure. “Right. Well, Lady Marilyn..shall we begin?” She asked, gesturing for the Edwerlant to follow her.

She started forward, heading for the Grand Art Hall, a massive section of the palace where hundreds of pieces of Hardonii and foreign art were stored and displayed. Statues of heroes band paintings depicting gruesome battles lined the walls. “I welcome you to the Grand Art Hall. While it may seem strange, I find that speaking of diplomacy whilst taking a tour of artworks makes negotiations move easier and not so hostile. So, please..let us begin.”

Marilyn looked all around her, darting her eyes from artwork to statue back to random artwork. But she noticed something. Battle. Gruesome battle. Her face began to contort to one of sadistic pleasure, but she quickly looked away, bringing back the shy, anxious Marilyn. She then left a mental note to not look to her right in this room. Ever.

Marilyn was luckily listening to what Empress Makyus had to say, and was somewhat interested. Having techniques planned out passively is something she admired. “I-uh… I… Negotiations… I'm… oh gosh…”

Marilyn stuttered constantly, almost making her want to bolt out of the palace all together. Marilyn twiddled her fingers to try and calm herself down, which she did.

“I… uhm… wanted t-to say t-that all of t-this tension was unnecessary… We could be friends and things… Like two people picking out flowers in a field, or going to breakfast or lunch together and things… oh my… I'm not good at these things!” Marilyn pulled down her cap, covering her face, as she hid herself in shame.

Luna chuckled softly at Marilyn as she stumbled over her words, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Easy, Lady Marilyn. Please, sit down.” Luna said, guiding them to a bench and sitting down, motioning a servant over. “Fetch us tea.” She said, the servant nodding and rushing away. “Do you drink tea, Lady Marilyn?” She asked, smiling to the Edwerlant as she tried to comfort the anxious woman. However, something bothered her when she was watching Marilyn look around the hall, stopping on a war painting. Something in her eyes, it frightened Luna.

The servant returned quickly, a silver platter in hand with two tea plates, two tea cups, a cup of sugar, and a pot of tea. “Right. Please, take a drink. It’s all grown here in Hardonius.” She said, handing Marilyn the plate with a cup full of tea, offering some sugar and dropping a cube inside. She then took a cup and plate herself, dropping a cube of sugar inside her own tea as well, stirring it with a spoon.

“Right. As I was saying..” She continued, sipping her tea and setting the spoon down on the platter. “As much as Hardonius would love to work with the Edwerlanti, we simply do not hold a favorable position of the Warsaw Pact currently. And, as a member of that alliance, Edwerlantin falls under the same poor vision.” She finished, sipping her tea again before looking to Marilyn.

Marilyn graciously accepted the tea, taking a somewhat large sip of it to cool her nerves. Instead it set it on fire. The tea was a teeny bit too hot for her. Marilyn put down the plate and cup, while dangling her tongue out her mouth, hoping to cool off her hot taste buds. After a few seconds of noticing what she did, Marilyn produced a small yelp, and quickly retracted her tongue.

Marilyn's intellect already refuted Luna's response, but her mouth had a hard time cooperating. “Uhm… Empress Makyus… I w-would like to refute that p-point… You s-see… Just because a n-nation is within a non-friendly a-alliance with you doesn't ne-necessarily mean t-that the nation is b-bad… E-Edwerlantin is be-becoming m-more peaceful day by day… We're o-opening up t-to the world s-slightly. G-give us a c-chance, or I could d-die…”

Luna raised her brow to the blonde, a look of slight concern as the officer tried to cool her tongue. As Marilyn spoke, Luna listened intently, nodding as she finished. “I understand that your nation is not necessarily bad due to your allegiance. And, even with peace, that means nothing to us, nor does opening up to the world.” She said, calmly sipping her tea again before taking a deep breath.

“The Edwerlanti have been invaluable friends in the past, but so have the Syca. However, their forces took advantage of the kindness granted to them. And, another poor move like that puts not only Hardonii national security at risk, but my leadership into question.” Luna said, closing her eyes as she sighed softly. “It’s a hard thing to balance, Lady Marilyn. And, for what reason would you die for the Hardonii not giving the Edwerlanti a chance?” She finished, looking over to Marilyn.

The combat-dressed blonde had her heart just curb stomped. 'T-they don't t-trust us…' Marilyn sobbed lightly. 'I'm going to die… I'm going to die… oh god oh god…' Marilyn cried even louder, covering her face and damp hair with her hands. The right leg on her pants were covered in splotches of tears. She stood up and ran away, outside the palace rather rudely, leaving Luna to herself.

Marilyn barged her way out, cowering in an indiscriminate corner to cry her heart out. She couldn't go back home. She'd be marked as 'Kill on Sight’ and will never get to see family again. She can't hide out here, as Edwerlantin would find her one way or another. It wasn't a battle of if, but when. This made Marilyn cry even louder.

Shouting could be heard nearby as the Hardonii Justicars searched the area for the runaway representative. Spotting her in the corner, they rushed over and tried to calm her down. Around the bend, Luna arrived and approached Marilyn, prompting the Justicars to stand and step back. Luna extended a hand to Marilyn, offering the tearful blonde a hand up.

“Come along, Lady Marilyn. We've hardly finished negotiations.” Luna said, smiling softly and tilting her head a bit with her smile. “It's not impossible to convince us to give you a chance after all.” She looked back down, her crimson eyes reflecting the sunlight, causing them to appear a fiery red.

Marilyn was scrunched up in a fetal position, almost ready to cry even louder from the multiple heat sources that came towards her. But one's intentions she noticed quite clearly. 'It's Empress Makyus…' Marilyn thought, her tears slowing down from the distraction. She saw a hand. A soft-looking one. And crimson eyes. Eyes that looked like it belonged to a monster, but those eyes radiated warmth. Marilyn shakily accepted the hand, pulling herself up.

She looked towards Empress Makyus with a full blush on her face. ‘Firstly, I embarrass myself, then I embarrass myself in front of another leader and take their hand?!’ Marilyn mentally screamed, almost affecting her outside form. She still looked dejected, and decided not to speak for a while. She'll earn that ability back.

As Marilyn returned to her feet, Luna smiled and placed her hand on the Marilyn's back. “Well, you failed to answer my question from earlier.” Luna said, looking to the blonde. “Why would you die for not getting a chance from the Hardonii?” She asked again, stopping her and Marilyn on the sidewalk.

At that same time, a Justicar leaned forward, whispering into Luna's ear. Luna nodded and turned back to Marilyn. “Right. Please excuse me. I'm willing to continue this discussion soon, perhaps at dinner tonight in the Dining Hall at 1900 hours?” Luna asked, guiding Marilyn back to the palace. “Well, what do you say?” She asked, smiling and flashing her shining white teeth.

'Marilyn, you can't refuse… It's mean to, a-after all she did…’ Marilyn shakily nodded, signifying her acceptance. As Empress Makyus lead her to God knows where, she had time to truly think everything over. 'I've basically been rather rude to Empress Makyus for the entire time… I-I should be grateful for her company. I-I have to s-speak up more…’ Marilyn gulped, as speaking was something rather hard for her to do.

“Emp-Empress Maky-Makyus?” Marilyn said shakily, softy tugging on her carmine dress. She stopped in the middle of their route, looking at the floor and taking off her military cap, letting her blond hair flow freely, swishing back and forth with every movement.

“I h-haven't been t-the best guest, but I-I wanted to… t-thank you f-for being so gentle and s-slow with me… People o-often leave me b-behind for my s-social inep-ineptitude… A-and to answer y-your question… The Guard have a c-cutthroat policy… You f-fail a m-mission, you g-get punished… If an o-officer fails… it's a s-slow death a-at the hands of t-the Empress's personal g-guard… I just d-don't want to be r-riddled with b-bullets and w-wounds…” Marilyn let out a small, barely noticeable chuckle of nervous laughter.

“Well, it’s only courtesy to be kind to a guest, especially one of a foreign nation.” She said, tipping her head forward slightly and smiling. ‘These policies are barbaric. It’s a surprise anyone there is alive.’ Luna thought to herself, nodding as she turned back to the palace. “I’ll have the Justicars escort you to the palace’s guest house. I must tend to other matters.” She finished, starting forward as a Justicar stepped forward next to Marilyn. “I’ll see you tonight, Lady Marilyn.”

She stood there, understanding, but had a pang of disappointment. 'She's too nice to me… this is a dream come true…’ Marilyn blushed behind her hair, and followed the Justicars to her guest room.