10-17-2019, 05:33 AM
Xiomeran National Museum and Archives
Monday, October 14th (morning)
(Joint post with Lauchenoiria)
Samantha Clavell was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to go home. Her visit to Xiomera was going terribly. The Xiomerans had declined to provide her with accommodation, unlike all the other guests, and with the budget stretched, she was staying in a 3-star hotel. The people in the next room had had an argument in the middle of the night, keeping her awake.
While her Kerlian counterparts rode around in limousines, she had been assigned the most basic model of official car in Xiomera. She had no security, which made her nervous, given the recent violence in the country in the form of the riots. She felt wholly unwelcome, and she desperately wished she could just leave.
She had requested to visit the National Museum and Archives, claiming she, as Lauchenoirian Minister for Culture and the Arts, had wished to educate herself on Xiomeran history and culture, with an aim of bridging the divide between the two countries. Which was partly true. She was interested in culture... but she had another reason for visiting this location.
Upon arrival, and for the moment thankful she had no ASI escort, she wandered through the corridors of the museum. She paused to look at artefacts and made sure she appeared interested and not distracted, waiting for the arrival of the man she had come here to meet.
"That greenstone staff is remarkable, isn't it?" a soft voice echoed behind Clavell. "It was the staff of Quiauhticue, the first Emperor of Xiomera. He had it crafted to celebrate the unification of Huenya under one ruler - him. Not that I personally find that worth celebrating. But the staff is a remarkable work of early Huenyan craftsmanship." A gray-haired man had come to stand next to Clavell, adjusting his pince-nez glasses to see the staff better. "I am Cozamalotl. I believe you are who I am here to see?"
"Samantha Clavell," she said, turning slightly to look at the man. "It is a pleasure to meet you. It is a shame this subterfuge is necessary but I understand that meeting with someone from my nation would, well, do more harm than good for you, given our two nations'... present relationships. Still, I am glad you agreed to meet with me."
"I am honored to meet you, Minister Clavell," Cozamalotl said politely. "And I do understand why this type of meeting is necessary. The real shame is why it is necessary. Our two nations should not be at odds. And our side is mainly to blame for that, I suspect."
"I..." Clavell hesitated, "I do not believe my own government is entirely blame-free. I would not admit this in public, but I disagreed with Marwick's decision on the extradition debacle. Handing over Bloch to Shuell while refusing Kerlile and Xiomera reeked of favouritism... but I will not comment on whether I felt they should have all been rejected, or all accepted. I wish deeply that this had not stained our relationship, leading to increasingly worsening relations. I would deeply like to get relations between our two nations back on track. I fear, however, that should an Emperor be chosen who sticks to the path of their predecessors... that our relations will go from their present state to either highly hostile or nonexistent."
"You are not wrong about that. Two of my opponents, Yauhmi and Tepilcayotl, are both intensely nationalistic. They see any rejection of Xiomeran requests as an insult to Xiomeran pride. I do not fault your government for rejecting the extradition demands; I personally feel that they should never have been made in the first place. I really feel that our lack of free speech in Xiomera is the true root of the problem, but anyway. If someone such as Yauhmi or Tepilcayotl is selected, I do fear the ramifications that will have for not just Xiomera, but for its neighbors as well," Cozamalotl replied.
"My government has a vested interest in preventing either of those two from becoming Emperor. We would like to see someone who is amenable to change in power in this country. Someone like you," Clavell said, monitoring his reaction closely. She wanted to know what he was thinking before she proceeded further.
In truth, she had two reasons for this meeting. The request from her government to speak with Cozamalotl, made through covert channels - something she had not expected and was a little unnerved by. And her own personal mission to try and seek peace between their two peoples. Fortunately for her, the two missions coincided nicely. She was pleasantly surprised that Alvarez wished to improve relations too. Perhaps she had misjudged the Prime Minister. So Clavell studied Cozamalotl's reaction, hoping that she would succeed.
"I am glad to hear that. Xiomera is, despite the appearance of things, a very troubled country. There are pressures beneath its perfect surface. Pressures of ethnicity and class, pressure for greater freedoms. Those pressures can either be released gently through political change, or will release themselves violently through a revolution. People like Yauhmi and Tepilcayotl think they can keep these pressures bottled up through greater repression and keep change at arm's length. They are quite foolish. And not students of history," Cozamalotl sighed. "So, I am glad to hear that your government would like to see me become Emperor. I must warn you, though, in fairness, that I have quite a challenge ahead to pull that off."
"We realise that. And we are well aware of the foolishness of ignoring pressures. As you can see from last year, they exploded in our face - though I confess that was a very different situation," Clavell sighed dejectedly. Thinking of the war always brought down her mood. "We would like to provide assistance but we realise that any overt support from Lauchenoiria would likely do more harm than good. We know this will be a challenge, but, well - do we have anything to lose here?"
Cozamalotl laughed at Clavell's last statement. "Indeed, we do not. And we stand to gain a lot, if we succeed." He paused. "I would be grateful for any assistance that you could provide. It would have to remain covert, as you say, both for my sake and that of your government. But I am quite happy to see how we can work together."
"Excellent," Clavell smiled. "I, personally, would like to see Lauchenoiria have positive relations with all nations. I am an internationalist, I want to see the barriers broken down and all hostilities ended. Idealistic, I know. But one can dream."
She smiled again, then froze slightly and her expression became slightly more worried. "They would not hurt you if you fail, would they? This is not like Kerlile?"
"It depends. If I politely go away after losing and don't cause any trouble, as is traditionally expected of the defeated here, then I would be fine. If I decide to be stubborn....Xiomera is not like Kerlile. But in our own special and unique way, Xiomera is just as bad as Kerlile. This is a risk we all take when we challenge the existing system." Cozamalotl sighed. "This is why it would be best if I won," he added wryly.
"My apologies for bringing it up. I have a... thing about Kerlile," she cringed slightly as she spoke. "They... well, they terrify me. During the war I had nightmares about them coming and taking over. I do hope you win. As long as your nation is in an alliance with Kerlile, I fear for you. I do not trust the Matriarchy one little bit."
"I understand how you feel, given your nation's history with the Kerlians. I do believe there are those within Kerlile, like those of us in Xiomera, who genuinely want things to change but find themselves facing both a hostile government and social inertia. But in both countries, reformers face an immense challenge. This is where people like you and I come in," Cozamalotl said with a smile.
"There will always be challenges, yes, and will always be people seeking change in bad places thankfully. I would like to see a better Kerlile too, one day. I just fear that is a much longer way off than it should be," she sighed. "I shouldn't keep you, I do not want to raise suspicions. And I would like to see more of the museum. If there is anything we can do in particular though, do reach out to us. Otherwise, I am led to believe my government has a... pre-prepared strategy for assisting in influencing opinion abroad."
"Of course. If you can swing popular opinion a certain way, even our system is not immune to that, try as the powers that be might to insulate it from the people. If you can approach any individual voters on the ihuicatl directly that can also help. But truly, anything you can do will be a huge help, both for myself and for my country."
"Of course," she nodded. "We are happy to help. It has been a pleasure to speak with you. I hope we meet again someday."
"As do I. I also hope that the next time you return to Xiomera, that I can welcome you in a much nicer fashion as the new Emperor." Cozamalotl gave a polite nod to Clavell before walking out of the gallery.
Clavell turned back to the exhibits, musing over the conversation. She was pleased, but the easy part was over. Influencing the "election" would be far more difficult. She didn't even personally approve of such actions (and had been rather horrified to hear her government had a plan in place for such an eventuality), but desperate times call for desperate measures. She continued to walk through the museum, wondering if her trip to Xiomera hadn't been a total waste after all.
Monday, October 14th (morning)
(Joint post with Lauchenoiria)
Samantha Clavell was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to go home. Her visit to Xiomera was going terribly. The Xiomerans had declined to provide her with accommodation, unlike all the other guests, and with the budget stretched, she was staying in a 3-star hotel. The people in the next room had had an argument in the middle of the night, keeping her awake.
While her Kerlian counterparts rode around in limousines, she had been assigned the most basic model of official car in Xiomera. She had no security, which made her nervous, given the recent violence in the country in the form of the riots. She felt wholly unwelcome, and she desperately wished she could just leave.
She had requested to visit the National Museum and Archives, claiming she, as Lauchenoirian Minister for Culture and the Arts, had wished to educate herself on Xiomeran history and culture, with an aim of bridging the divide between the two countries. Which was partly true. She was interested in culture... but she had another reason for visiting this location.
Upon arrival, and for the moment thankful she had no ASI escort, she wandered through the corridors of the museum. She paused to look at artefacts and made sure she appeared interested and not distracted, waiting for the arrival of the man she had come here to meet.
"That greenstone staff is remarkable, isn't it?" a soft voice echoed behind Clavell. "It was the staff of Quiauhticue, the first Emperor of Xiomera. He had it crafted to celebrate the unification of Huenya under one ruler - him. Not that I personally find that worth celebrating. But the staff is a remarkable work of early Huenyan craftsmanship." A gray-haired man had come to stand next to Clavell, adjusting his pince-nez glasses to see the staff better. "I am Cozamalotl. I believe you are who I am here to see?"
"Samantha Clavell," she said, turning slightly to look at the man. "It is a pleasure to meet you. It is a shame this subterfuge is necessary but I understand that meeting with someone from my nation would, well, do more harm than good for you, given our two nations'... present relationships. Still, I am glad you agreed to meet with me."
"I am honored to meet you, Minister Clavell," Cozamalotl said politely. "And I do understand why this type of meeting is necessary. The real shame is why it is necessary. Our two nations should not be at odds. And our side is mainly to blame for that, I suspect."
"I..." Clavell hesitated, "I do not believe my own government is entirely blame-free. I would not admit this in public, but I disagreed with Marwick's decision on the extradition debacle. Handing over Bloch to Shuell while refusing Kerlile and Xiomera reeked of favouritism... but I will not comment on whether I felt they should have all been rejected, or all accepted. I wish deeply that this had not stained our relationship, leading to increasingly worsening relations. I would deeply like to get relations between our two nations back on track. I fear, however, that should an Emperor be chosen who sticks to the path of their predecessors... that our relations will go from their present state to either highly hostile or nonexistent."
"You are not wrong about that. Two of my opponents, Yauhmi and Tepilcayotl, are both intensely nationalistic. They see any rejection of Xiomeran requests as an insult to Xiomeran pride. I do not fault your government for rejecting the extradition demands; I personally feel that they should never have been made in the first place. I really feel that our lack of free speech in Xiomera is the true root of the problem, but anyway. If someone such as Yauhmi or Tepilcayotl is selected, I do fear the ramifications that will have for not just Xiomera, but for its neighbors as well," Cozamalotl replied.
"My government has a vested interest in preventing either of those two from becoming Emperor. We would like to see someone who is amenable to change in power in this country. Someone like you," Clavell said, monitoring his reaction closely. She wanted to know what he was thinking before she proceeded further.
In truth, she had two reasons for this meeting. The request from her government to speak with Cozamalotl, made through covert channels - something she had not expected and was a little unnerved by. And her own personal mission to try and seek peace between their two peoples. Fortunately for her, the two missions coincided nicely. She was pleasantly surprised that Alvarez wished to improve relations too. Perhaps she had misjudged the Prime Minister. So Clavell studied Cozamalotl's reaction, hoping that she would succeed.
"I am glad to hear that. Xiomera is, despite the appearance of things, a very troubled country. There are pressures beneath its perfect surface. Pressures of ethnicity and class, pressure for greater freedoms. Those pressures can either be released gently through political change, or will release themselves violently through a revolution. People like Yauhmi and Tepilcayotl think they can keep these pressures bottled up through greater repression and keep change at arm's length. They are quite foolish. And not students of history," Cozamalotl sighed. "So, I am glad to hear that your government would like to see me become Emperor. I must warn you, though, in fairness, that I have quite a challenge ahead to pull that off."
"We realise that. And we are well aware of the foolishness of ignoring pressures. As you can see from last year, they exploded in our face - though I confess that was a very different situation," Clavell sighed dejectedly. Thinking of the war always brought down her mood. "We would like to provide assistance but we realise that any overt support from Lauchenoiria would likely do more harm than good. We know this will be a challenge, but, well - do we have anything to lose here?"
Cozamalotl laughed at Clavell's last statement. "Indeed, we do not. And we stand to gain a lot, if we succeed." He paused. "I would be grateful for any assistance that you could provide. It would have to remain covert, as you say, both for my sake and that of your government. But I am quite happy to see how we can work together."
"Excellent," Clavell smiled. "I, personally, would like to see Lauchenoiria have positive relations with all nations. I am an internationalist, I want to see the barriers broken down and all hostilities ended. Idealistic, I know. But one can dream."
She smiled again, then froze slightly and her expression became slightly more worried. "They would not hurt you if you fail, would they? This is not like Kerlile?"
"It depends. If I politely go away after losing and don't cause any trouble, as is traditionally expected of the defeated here, then I would be fine. If I decide to be stubborn....Xiomera is not like Kerlile. But in our own special and unique way, Xiomera is just as bad as Kerlile. This is a risk we all take when we challenge the existing system." Cozamalotl sighed. "This is why it would be best if I won," he added wryly.
"My apologies for bringing it up. I have a... thing about Kerlile," she cringed slightly as she spoke. "They... well, they terrify me. During the war I had nightmares about them coming and taking over. I do hope you win. As long as your nation is in an alliance with Kerlile, I fear for you. I do not trust the Matriarchy one little bit."
"I understand how you feel, given your nation's history with the Kerlians. I do believe there are those within Kerlile, like those of us in Xiomera, who genuinely want things to change but find themselves facing both a hostile government and social inertia. But in both countries, reformers face an immense challenge. This is where people like you and I come in," Cozamalotl said with a smile.
"There will always be challenges, yes, and will always be people seeking change in bad places thankfully. I would like to see a better Kerlile too, one day. I just fear that is a much longer way off than it should be," she sighed. "I shouldn't keep you, I do not want to raise suspicions. And I would like to see more of the museum. If there is anything we can do in particular though, do reach out to us. Otherwise, I am led to believe my government has a... pre-prepared strategy for assisting in influencing opinion abroad."
"Of course. If you can swing popular opinion a certain way, even our system is not immune to that, try as the powers that be might to insulate it from the people. If you can approach any individual voters on the ihuicatl directly that can also help. But truly, anything you can do will be a huge help, both for myself and for my country."
"Of course," she nodded. "We are happy to help. It has been a pleasure to speak with you. I hope we meet again someday."
"As do I. I also hope that the next time you return to Xiomera, that I can welcome you in a much nicer fashion as the new Emperor." Cozamalotl gave a polite nod to Clavell before walking out of the gallery.
Clavell turned back to the exhibits, musing over the conversation. She was pleased, but the easy part was over. Influencing the "election" would be far more difficult. She didn't even personally approve of such actions (and had been rather horrified to hear her government had a plan in place for such an eventuality), but desperate times call for desperate measures. She continued to walk through the museum, wondering if her trip to Xiomera hadn't been a total waste after all.
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