Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was an honor to hold such trust from the queen that Youkimi had long respected. It would have been a great joy to spend more time in her company and were circumstances different, perhaps even have more reasons for joy. Yes, there were people stressed and anxious. Yes, there were more refugees every day. Fortunately, they were not alone. The people were beginning to spread across the land, free to harvest what they would and to rebuild their homes, to settle in Kaishin, Titus lands, or in any of the provinces within Ethe. While there was initial crime, it would soon fade as the people began to organize themselves. Their numbers were only a fraction of what they used to be. Nevertheless, there was room for them yet. They would grow.

The interruption cut through the queen's question and unfortunately did not allow Youkimi time to ponder its meaning and its depth. The mayor was here? The baroness's expression soon darkened, disappointed at the news. Where was decorum? Where was the mere politeness of letting someone know they were coming? What a rude interruption!

"Why did he not write to alert us of his coming?" Youkimi said quietly, almost to herself, but the queen was close enough to hear it. Nevertheless, the situation was as it was, and there was little that could mend it now. He refused to be turned away, and so it was that he needed to be spoken with. She turned back to Ophelia, given the freedom to go and to handle the matter. Still.... she did not want to leave right now.

She gently squeezed the queen's pale hands and then relaxed her hold on them. She stood and moved the tray of food from the table that had been brought in by a maid and set it down on the nightstand beside the bed, within easy reach of the queen. "Yes. You will do well. As I have been told, the kitchen has made an excellent meal. Tell me what you think of it when I return."

Youkimi straightened with a smile, bright and hopeful. She did want to hear this opinion from the queen. The spread was something that looked wonderful. There was a simple bowl of oatmeal, small fruit pieces carefully cut on the side, to be added in at leisure with the maple-sugar and cream, and there was also fresh-made bread from the wheats of harvest, best enjoyed with some of the remaining grape preserves. There were also a few small baked tarts, each made with mashed fruit so that the flavor was rich to the nose and to the tongue. The kitchen staff deserved every bit of praise for their work.

"I will not be long." And with a polite bow, she excused herself so that she could attend to the mayor, who surprised her yet again, and she found herself dreading the thought. This would not be the last time, would it? She stepped outside and found a nearby maid who anxiously waited for instruction. Youkimi asked her to sit in with the queen, to be on hand in case the queen was in need of assistance, someone to speak to, or just to have female company while the baroness was absent. The knight that reported to the two ladies fell into step with her and escorted her to the room where the mayor waited.

To the credit of the knight, he opened the door and bowed, standing aside while the baroness entered. He announced her presence and she stood within the room, once again looking on the mayor who was older than herself, and now the father of the emperor's new wife. How did he feel about this arrangement?

The baroness' expression was calm, but not passive. If anything, she seemed to be mildly disappointed with this situation. "Mayor Alexi.... we were not expecting you at the palace today."



OoC: Thank you very much. :] I'm glad you approve.

▁ ▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ Ophelia Estelle Quatrez Queen of Ethe
❛It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one.
We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up.
And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know.
It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is.

Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and readjust the way you thought of things.❜
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○I'm feeling anxious.
●I'm speaking to Youkimi at the moment.
○I'm currently wearing something formal, minus the wings, of course.
●I have 700EC on me.
○I currently have feelings for no one.

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She’d tell the guards to send anyone else away should they show up without prior notice, however, Ophelia was not the type of person to do so. She knew better, than to send away people who bring notice regarding the kingdom. However, she wanted little to do with those who have even the slightest relation to the emperor, to Azazel. She wanted nothing but to curse him into the depths of hell, but at the same time, she couldn’t bring himself to do so. She was constantly on both ends of the spectrum, and she knew one day, it’ll eventually tear her mind apart, should she hold onto said fear any longer.

The queen could hear the baroness’ displease, and she could relate, though Ophelia soon shook her head, gesturing that it was fine. However, her eyes suggested otherwise. There was a sense of fear bubbling from within, and despite knowing Joachim was a friend, an ally, Ophelia found anyone in relation to Azazel posing as a threat. Perhaps.. it was her biased way of thinking.

With a gentle squeeze of the hands, her mismatched gaze returned to Youkimi. She lacked the usual aura she had as a queen. She lacked the.. power, the sense of authority, all just because. ”I will.” she answered. ”I cannot risk starving my children, after all.” they were the blood of the man she loathed, yet at the same time, she found the children to be her savior from the nightmares she lived in. For the sake of the innocent lives she carried, she has been taking care of herself, and as if they knew when she’d have an attack, they’d give her a kick now and then, and anchor her to the reality she was in. ”No words can thank you enough for what you’re doing.. I thank you on the behalf of the people.” and with a bow, the baroness left, and the queen was once again, alone in her room. She’d take a small bite from the tart that has been made, admiring the golden crust that has been baked until perfection. The sweetness would spread upon the tip of her tongue, and in that small instant, she felt everything would be alright. She felt.. at ease.

Perhaps, she would save some of the savoury for the baroness. A smile tugged against the corners of her lips, until the door was knocked once more, revealing a maid standing by the door way. Ophelia’s eyes widened at the sight of her slightly trembling figure. It was told, she has been the maid that the queen once harmed. Ophelia’s face fell, her lips accompanied with a melancholic smile. She’s never quite apologized for her actions, has she? Despite being a queen, Ophelia felt the maid deserved an apology. Status did not mean turning a blind eye to others’ suffering. ”I--..” she murmured, and eventually, lowered her head apologetically in a small bow. ”For what I’ve done to you in the past.. I hope you can forgive me. I’m terribly sorry.” and the maid on the other hand would panic when the queen bowed, dashing to her side just to have her raise her head. The hesitation has been apparent in her eyes, the queen noticed, but her words.. ”It’s alright--” would sound like a saving grace.

”Would you perhaps.. care to join me for a light meal while we a-await the baroness’ return?” she asked, and for once after a long while, she felt she could be at ease, even though only for a short moment.

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Out.Of.Crocodiles: Huehuehue Oh, and by the way! You don't have to wait on my reply after this! I'll wait until your interaction with the mayor is finished! ;v ;

Joachim smiled at the young baroness as he took his seat. the smile would stay on his face for a few seconds, it was the smile of a teacher seeing growth in a student. the smile faded and he continued to speak as politely as he could while getting across nothing of what he thought. he was here to tell her information, and to answer question.

" i would not say i was privileged, this was planned." he let a few seconds pass before he continued. he used those seconds to reaffirm in him that what he would say was needed to understand why he came rushing to the queens abode. " on that morning i received a letter by eagle from the second prince of the empire. it told me that Agni would be in the tower, and that i should rush there."

he frowned as he continued. " from what i heard it seems the ring of fire around ethe might have been done to protect us from the wrath of antari. and she confessed to being responsible for at least some of the deaths of the ethians in bellris. it seems antari blames agni for the deaths of her people in an old war, they spoke of a time before she was a godess."

he never let his eyes leave hers, as he spoke he tried to pear into her own eyes, trying to see what effect his words had. messuring just how much he could just straight out say and how much was better left unsaid until she made her determination.

she was in her element. unlike when he saw her in bellris he could tell she was bread for this. she truly was a noble

the pride of good work always seems less

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Rihenian

"not for long. he was the student of one of the teachers in the university. being the second prince i sometimes saw him for tea and guidance. he was a young man who sought to learn about the way magic weaves its way into us as we are born. and often used my old memories to help see what was truth and what was lie in our old tales."

she was guarded this was good. even he was guarded against the message he had received. " i would not had gone if not for my meeting with the goddess in the eternal fire. i still needed to converse with her. to ask her why she had not graced the queen with her presence and her blessing to help the queen in this trying time. i did not expect what i found."

he leaned forward his eyes showing his troubled state." that boy has met with the goddess Agni before. he shook his head. " but the way the message was sent it felt to personal, and it seems he might have sent me to mediate between the two godesses."

the pride of good work always seems less

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Rihenian

" lately yes. with the eruption bringing more obsidian to the earth, i have gathered some of the best gem workers to revive the old style of gem work that only we ethian people could do. i travel with some caravans to open ports and rads for us."" he smiled softly as he spoke, this was something he was proud of. " that is why i was there when we met in belriss, to create a deal that would help benefit booth of our people, and maybe lead to better understanding between us. after all royals and nobleman tend to love fine things. and that should help bring up peoples opinion of our country. and opinion and faith in trade gain power. which would lead to more money in the form of contracts for fine work, which would lead to the economy slowly getting stronger in ethe. if not for all the trouble coming from the goddess Agni awakening i would have come to you and count Dixon to see about leasing your mines or teaching your own miners how to separate obsidian from other gems without hurting either."

he sounded regretful as he said that. as if just remembering his former mission. he shook his head. " goddess Agni appears to me to still be childlike at times.. but aside from that, i hold the second prince in the same esteem that i woudl hold any i knew personally. i was aware of the fact that it coudl have been a trap, but i am not an important enough pawn, and the boy was in ethe since his 8th birthday."

he stopped for a few seconds before he continued." to bee honest he always struck me as someone who existed not for himself. aside from learning about the source of our power he focused on little else. i do not know how he came involved in this. tho i know why he sent me specifically, tho i do not know ho he came upon the secrets of my lineage."

he grumbled the last bit. he shook his head. returning back to the conversation." this only kept me for a day Baroness." he reminded her with thee utmost respect in his tone. " aside from that i have been trying to figure out how to best deal with the goddess Agni and how to deal with the violence that increased populations come with, i have increased the guard and the crime should lessen, tho my coffers are getting low, i can only keep up what im doing for another 6 months. the trade routes of bellriss being shut down is a blow to my plans. tho ii do still have trade routes in the other lands. i will find a way to reopen the land for trade."

he decided to also give her the report on his activities, she was acting in place of the queen.

Joachim could not help but to laugh. he could not help but do so. he stared at her for a few seconds before the laugh had started, his stare blank as if she had surprised him. His laugh was genuinely one of enjoyment, some of the years that his face wore seemed to be leaving him as tension left his body. " my coffer exist for just this purpose, i am just a mayor i would not presume to hold any form of wealth that is not to be used for etherland. but young baroness, you surprise me."

he smiled at her as if she was an old friend. " rebuilding the education system is something i did not think of. but yes that can be done. what io have gained is yours to use. i should be able to reach some of the teachers left but as you know knwledge leads to power, and if we teach al hildren someone would try to use said power to undermine the queen."

the last revolt was still fresh on his mind. he wondered if youkimi had thought this part of her request though. he would rework the education system, and he even had an idea of where to start. but knowledge was always a source of power.

the old man shook his head. the smile still clear on his face. " the only other thing, would be to see if i can be given permision to try to talk with the bellrisian queen." his eyes softened a bit. " i might be able to at the very least open up the possibility of figuring out what antarii wants. and how to stop or change her mind."

he stood up and bowed. " it had brought me great joy to hear your words baroness. very few have ever opened there mind to such thoughts. if count dixon sees as you do, then the nobles shall lead the way to a new enlightenment in ethe." his smile vanished for a second. " the queen is not well i have been told. you have already shown me that you will take good care of her. i will do as you have asked. please let her know what i have told you. she might not want to hear it. but i think its important for her to know"

with those words and a renewed determination he bowed once more before taking a scroll with the emblem for etherland acting as seal. " this holds the information you asked. it holds my trade routes, and the deals that i have made. as well as the names of the men that i have hired. they are yours to negotiate with." he placed the scroll on the chair closes to the baroness before leaving the room. it seemed that the nobles might be leading the way forward. that was good. he hoped the future could be bright, and that no one would muddy the waters that where about to be given to the thirsty ethian people.

[exit royal abode]

The palace was alive, but quiet. People worked and made themselves busy. The various outer offices of the estate were being used to help transition people from the chaotic etherland streets and to the rest of Ethe, where the baroness had expressed a hope that the people would be able to sustain themselves and no longer feel the pressures of the city. Those whose work did not allow them to farm found themselves other necessary jobs, such as smithing, creating, opening up shops or basic marketplaces for their people to begin trading, crafting, weavers, and other trades began to crop up, too. However, this lily of Ethe had been warned that it would be a difficult and long transition... she was not to expect it to be easy.

While the Baroness attended her duties and tried to mitigate everything, Emi was encouraged to look after the queen, and so she did. She was a half-bred phoenix, part light and part darkened feather. In the tumult that was the migration of people from Ethe, the orphaned young woman was taken under the wing of the baroness' staff members. Now, seeking to help protect her own younger brother, she worked with the people of Ethe. It was different working with a kingdom, but unlike all she had learned, and presumed about the kingdom, she did not see oppression from the monarchy.

Indeed, she was nervous about how she would appear before the queen. She was a stranger, who had never met her highness... or really... seen any true noble beyond the blue-plumed Lady Kai.

Nevertheless, she would be brave. She would continue to be brave.

She swallowed and approached her majesty's door. She lifted a hand, tanned by time in the sun, and she knocked. She nearly startled at merely the sound! When had she become so timid?

"Y-your majesty?" The maiden called into the room.