08-30-2018, 03:30 AM
12:00
For the moment, President Brennan was sitting in his chair, hands folded on lap, watching with a neutral expression as Charissa Clarke made her speech. More of a collection of ramblings against Laura Moore than anything else, Marie-Claire Beringer thought sourly. Flat-out incorrect ramblings, too.
She was in an irritated mood today, although she didn't know quite why. She amused herself by looking directly across the table at the Junta's negotiators, staring them down and scrutinizing them closely. When she was a child, the old women in her home town would sometimes repeat old sayings about the the evil eye when she was angry at someone. She'd been told she had quite an intimidating stare, and she took full use of it as she scanned the ranks of opposing negotiators.
On the flight over, she and Nicholas had discussed what they were hoping to get out of any peace deal that would spring from the talks. They'd decided on a list of conditions they considered 'absolutely necessary':
1. Free and fair Lauchenoirian elections,
2. Removal of all Kerlian and Gonhogian troops from democratic Kerlian territory.
Everything else was open to varying degrees of compromise. Partition of Lauchenoiria would not be an ideal solution, but Nicholas had told her to sign an agreement including partition if necessary to meet the Sanctarian deadline. 6 days. That was absurd. Marie-Claire would have preferred at least a month. Still, the Sanctarians held most of the cards here, and if they wanted to force a quick end to the war, there was nothing she or Laeral could do about it.
Charissa Clarke finished, and Marie-Claire stood stony-faced as the delegates from the Junta side applauded. She watched Laura Moore's speech carefully, and saw that she was staying on script. Good. Marie-Claire had sat down with her and many of the other Resistance/Coalition representatives to discuss the details. Marie-Claire hadn't been expecting Moore's call for a new constitution, but after some thought and discussion with Nicholas, Allysia, and Aarón, they'd told Laura Moore they would give her support.
15:00
The Laeralian delegation had decided to stay largely silent on the matter of Aelurian independence. Truth be told, Marie-Claire and Nicholas had disagreed on the matter, with Marie-Claire arguing that the island should hold a referendum on independence, while Nicholas was saying that Aeluria wasn't yet self-sufficient and therefore shouldn't become independent. So the Laeralian negotiators sat stony-faced, watching the rhetoric heat up all around them.
For the moment, President Brennan was sitting in his chair, hands folded on lap, watching with a neutral expression as Charissa Clarke made her speech. More of a collection of ramblings against Laura Moore than anything else, Marie-Claire Beringer thought sourly. Flat-out incorrect ramblings, too.
She was in an irritated mood today, although she didn't know quite why. She amused herself by looking directly across the table at the Junta's negotiators, staring them down and scrutinizing them closely. When she was a child, the old women in her home town would sometimes repeat old sayings about the the evil eye when she was angry at someone. She'd been told she had quite an intimidating stare, and she took full use of it as she scanned the ranks of opposing negotiators.
On the flight over, she and Nicholas had discussed what they were hoping to get out of any peace deal that would spring from the talks. They'd decided on a list of conditions they considered 'absolutely necessary':
1. Free and fair Lauchenoirian elections,
2. Removal of all Kerlian and Gonhogian troops from democratic Kerlian territory.
Everything else was open to varying degrees of compromise. Partition of Lauchenoiria would not be an ideal solution, but Nicholas had told her to sign an agreement including partition if necessary to meet the Sanctarian deadline. 6 days. That was absurd. Marie-Claire would have preferred at least a month. Still, the Sanctarians held most of the cards here, and if they wanted to force a quick end to the war, there was nothing she or Laeral could do about it.
Charissa Clarke finished, and Marie-Claire stood stony-faced as the delegates from the Junta side applauded. She watched Laura Moore's speech carefully, and saw that she was staying on script. Good. Marie-Claire had sat down with her and many of the other Resistance/Coalition representatives to discuss the details. Marie-Claire hadn't been expecting Moore's call for a new constitution, but after some thought and discussion with Nicholas, Allysia, and Aarón, they'd told Laura Moore they would give her support.
15:00
The Laeralian delegation had decided to stay largely silent on the matter of Aelurian independence. Truth be told, Marie-Claire and Nicholas had disagreed on the matter, with Marie-Claire arguing that the island should hold a referendum on independence, while Nicholas was saying that Aeluria wasn't yet self-sufficient and therefore shouldn't become independent. So the Laeralian negotiators sat stony-faced, watching the rhetoric heat up all around them.