12-02-2019, 08:21 PM
Palace of Flowers/President Arnott's office
December 2nd - 11:00 am Xiomeran time
Imperial Attendant Tlalli hummed softly to herself as she dialed the number to the office of the Kerlian President. Many people thought that being an Attendant was a menial job, serving the high and mighty. But being Attendant to the Empress of Xiomera had its perks. One of them was that she, just by dialing a number, could either make powerful peoples' day or ruin it, depending on the nature of the call. Tlalli wasn't sure which category this call would fall into yet.
When the other end of the line answered, Tlalli informed them that the Empress was requesting to speak with President Arnott.
In her office, President Arnott had been drinking tea and watching a Lauchenoirian TV show that was technically illegal in an attempt to distract herself from the stresses of running Kerlile, when her own assistant informed her she had a call from the Empress of Xiomera. She quickly swallowed her tea and turned off the TV, asking her assistant to put her through immediately.
"Good morning, President Arnott. Thank you for taking my call. I trust that your day is going well?" Yauhmi said in a calm voice. She was seated in the gardens outside her private chambers, enjoying an unseasonably cool day in Montelin. The gardens were empty except for the pair of Shorn Ones standing nearby. The Empress had next to her a cup of coffee with chocolate, and a tablet with the latest report from the Security Secretariat on the screen.
"Reasonably so, Empress Yauhmi," she replied. "Things here have been stressful since I took office, of course, but today is no worse than any other. What can I do for you?" she asked, sounding lighthearted and calm herself.
On the other end of the phone, Yauhmi smiled slowly. I suppose I'll have to break the ice, she thought. "I wanted to touch base with you, since I will be traveling to Kerlile in a few days for my state visit. An.....interesting series of events has come to my attention," the Empress said. "An individual by the name of Omapācatl is at the center of these events. Does the name sound familiar?" Yauhmi asked in a questioning tone that was naturally false. The Empress knew that either Arnott knew fully well what she was talking about, or she was a dunce.
Arnott sighed. She had been expecting this to come at some point, ever since Councillors Pierre and Hale had come into her office yelling at each other.
"Yes, I recognise the name. She contacted us the other day, though Councillor Hale and Pierre could not seem to agree on exactly what they thought had happened to her."
"Ah, yes. Councillor Hale and Councillor Pierre's disagreement on the subject must have been quite vocal - we heard it all the way over here in Xiomera," Yauhmi replied in a dry tone of voice. "But just out of curiosity, what did they think happened to her?"
"Councillor Pierre believes she was brainwashed, though she did not specify how. Councillor Hale, on the other hand, believes that she enjoyed her life in Xiomera, and loved her family enough that she overcame her earlier loyalties to forge new ones," Arnott shrugged.
"The second interpretation is closer to the truth," Yauhmi said. "Incidentally, since you mentioned Councillor Pierre....it was brought to my attention that she made certain threats to the person who decided to remain in Xiomera. As that individual is now under my personal protection, it would be rather unwise for anyone to attempt to harm her. Or anyone else similar to her who may decide to avail themselves of my protection in the future. I would be most grateful if you could convey that message to Councillor Pierre, or anyone else on the Council who may feel as she does." While the words made it sound like a request, the tone of voice used begged to differ.
"I assure you, I have already made it clear to Councillor Pierre that any action taken against any individual in Xiomera is strictly forbidden," Arnott assured Yauhmi. She didn't much like Pierre herself, which meant she took great pleasure in what she said next. "If she chooses to disobey my orders... I assure you, I will consider any extradition requests your government may send."
"That's very good to hear," the Empress replied. "It is important that we are on the same page in regards to this matter. As for others like Omapācatl in Xiomera who may, shall we say, shine like the northern lights....the Xiomeran government would appreciate any cooperation you can provide in locating them and either repatriating them, or in allowing them to remain here in a more open fashion." Again, while the request was made in a pleasant enough way, there was a definite undertone of we are not amused underneath.
"Yes, I understand your position on the matter," President Arnott said, then added reluctantly, "but there is a problem. To give you my personal opinion, I would dearly like to resolve this situation as quickly as possible, and we have no reason to deny your request. Alas, Councillor Pierre is proving... reluctant in divulging the necessary information, and I do not actually have the ability to access it myself. I assure you, I am working on convincing her it is in her best interests to cooperate."
"I see," Yauhmi replied softly. "Do you require assistance in convincing her? We have people who are quite skilled at being convincing."
"That should not be necessary," President Arnott tried to reassure Yauhmi, slightly alarmed. "If I can just have a little more time, I am sure I can get her to change her mind. If not... well. Perhaps other avenues will need to be considered."
"I am nothing if not patient. I do not mind if you seek to convince Councillor Pierre of the wisdom of cooperating with us. In the meantime, we will do our own searching, I suppose." Yauhmi's voice shifted slightly. "I should let you know that we intend to extend the same offer that was made to Omapācatl to any of her fellow companions that may become known to us. If they decide to return home....they can do so with our blessing. However, if they decide to remain here....that is probably not desirable from your perspective, but I am sure you can see my point that it's a small price to pay to smooth over what most nations would treat as a grievous breach of their sovereignty - especially for an ally."
"Of course," Arnott nodded. "Councillor Hale was correct when she said there was no basis in Kerlian law to deny Omapācatl's request to resign. The others may do the same if they wish, and all involved have been granted indefinite exit permits from Kerlile in the past. In my view, these individuals have every right to make whatever choice they deem necessary, and I give my assurance that they will meet no negative consequences from the Matriarchy of Kerlile."
"I am very pleased to hear that, and that this whole unfortunate incident will not result in negative consequences for the relationship between our nations as well. I am very much looking forward to my visit. There is much we have to discuss; my hope is that we can now strengthen the alliance between us," Yauhmi replied.
"I look forward to your visit also. I hope it will be productive, and I deeply regret this unfortunate incident," Arnott said truthfully. "I assure you, as soon as I have more information that may be of use, I will have it sent over immediately."
"I am quite pleased to hear that," Yauhmi replied in a warmer tone. "I thank you for taking my call as well. I had nothing else to discuss at this time, but if you have anything, please feel free to mention it."
"I am truly sorry this was necessary," Arnott said. "It was an oversight on my part that these individuals remained in Xiomera after I took power and I can only apologise. I have nothing else to mention urgently, I look forward to speaking in person."
December 2nd - 11:00 am Xiomeran time
Imperial Attendant Tlalli hummed softly to herself as she dialed the number to the office of the Kerlian President. Many people thought that being an Attendant was a menial job, serving the high and mighty. But being Attendant to the Empress of Xiomera had its perks. One of them was that she, just by dialing a number, could either make powerful peoples' day or ruin it, depending on the nature of the call. Tlalli wasn't sure which category this call would fall into yet.
When the other end of the line answered, Tlalli informed them that the Empress was requesting to speak with President Arnott.
In her office, President Arnott had been drinking tea and watching a Lauchenoirian TV show that was technically illegal in an attempt to distract herself from the stresses of running Kerlile, when her own assistant informed her she had a call from the Empress of Xiomera. She quickly swallowed her tea and turned off the TV, asking her assistant to put her through immediately.
"Good morning, President Arnott. Thank you for taking my call. I trust that your day is going well?" Yauhmi said in a calm voice. She was seated in the gardens outside her private chambers, enjoying an unseasonably cool day in Montelin. The gardens were empty except for the pair of Shorn Ones standing nearby. The Empress had next to her a cup of coffee with chocolate, and a tablet with the latest report from the Security Secretariat on the screen.
"Reasonably so, Empress Yauhmi," she replied. "Things here have been stressful since I took office, of course, but today is no worse than any other. What can I do for you?" she asked, sounding lighthearted and calm herself.
On the other end of the phone, Yauhmi smiled slowly. I suppose I'll have to break the ice, she thought. "I wanted to touch base with you, since I will be traveling to Kerlile in a few days for my state visit. An.....interesting series of events has come to my attention," the Empress said. "An individual by the name of Omapācatl is at the center of these events. Does the name sound familiar?" Yauhmi asked in a questioning tone that was naturally false. The Empress knew that either Arnott knew fully well what she was talking about, or she was a dunce.
Arnott sighed. She had been expecting this to come at some point, ever since Councillors Pierre and Hale had come into her office yelling at each other.
"Yes, I recognise the name. She contacted us the other day, though Councillor Hale and Pierre could not seem to agree on exactly what they thought had happened to her."
"Ah, yes. Councillor Hale and Councillor Pierre's disagreement on the subject must have been quite vocal - we heard it all the way over here in Xiomera," Yauhmi replied in a dry tone of voice. "But just out of curiosity, what did they think happened to her?"
"Councillor Pierre believes she was brainwashed, though she did not specify how. Councillor Hale, on the other hand, believes that she enjoyed her life in Xiomera, and loved her family enough that she overcame her earlier loyalties to forge new ones," Arnott shrugged.
"The second interpretation is closer to the truth," Yauhmi said. "Incidentally, since you mentioned Councillor Pierre....it was brought to my attention that she made certain threats to the person who decided to remain in Xiomera. As that individual is now under my personal protection, it would be rather unwise for anyone to attempt to harm her. Or anyone else similar to her who may decide to avail themselves of my protection in the future. I would be most grateful if you could convey that message to Councillor Pierre, or anyone else on the Council who may feel as she does." While the words made it sound like a request, the tone of voice used begged to differ.
"I assure you, I have already made it clear to Councillor Pierre that any action taken against any individual in Xiomera is strictly forbidden," Arnott assured Yauhmi. She didn't much like Pierre herself, which meant she took great pleasure in what she said next. "If she chooses to disobey my orders... I assure you, I will consider any extradition requests your government may send."
"That's very good to hear," the Empress replied. "It is important that we are on the same page in regards to this matter. As for others like Omapācatl in Xiomera who may, shall we say, shine like the northern lights....the Xiomeran government would appreciate any cooperation you can provide in locating them and either repatriating them, or in allowing them to remain here in a more open fashion." Again, while the request was made in a pleasant enough way, there was a definite undertone of we are not amused underneath.
"Yes, I understand your position on the matter," President Arnott said, then added reluctantly, "but there is a problem. To give you my personal opinion, I would dearly like to resolve this situation as quickly as possible, and we have no reason to deny your request. Alas, Councillor Pierre is proving... reluctant in divulging the necessary information, and I do not actually have the ability to access it myself. I assure you, I am working on convincing her it is in her best interests to cooperate."
"I see," Yauhmi replied softly. "Do you require assistance in convincing her? We have people who are quite skilled at being convincing."
"That should not be necessary," President Arnott tried to reassure Yauhmi, slightly alarmed. "If I can just have a little more time, I am sure I can get her to change her mind. If not... well. Perhaps other avenues will need to be considered."
"I am nothing if not patient. I do not mind if you seek to convince Councillor Pierre of the wisdom of cooperating with us. In the meantime, we will do our own searching, I suppose." Yauhmi's voice shifted slightly. "I should let you know that we intend to extend the same offer that was made to Omapācatl to any of her fellow companions that may become known to us. If they decide to return home....they can do so with our blessing. However, if they decide to remain here....that is probably not desirable from your perspective, but I am sure you can see my point that it's a small price to pay to smooth over what most nations would treat as a grievous breach of their sovereignty - especially for an ally."
"Of course," Arnott nodded. "Councillor Hale was correct when she said there was no basis in Kerlian law to deny Omapācatl's request to resign. The others may do the same if they wish, and all involved have been granted indefinite exit permits from Kerlile in the past. In my view, these individuals have every right to make whatever choice they deem necessary, and I give my assurance that they will meet no negative consequences from the Matriarchy of Kerlile."
"I am very pleased to hear that, and that this whole unfortunate incident will not result in negative consequences for the relationship between our nations as well. I am very much looking forward to my visit. There is much we have to discuss; my hope is that we can now strengthen the alliance between us," Yauhmi replied.
"I look forward to your visit also. I hope it will be productive, and I deeply regret this unfortunate incident," Arnott said truthfully. "I assure you, as soon as I have more information that may be of use, I will have it sent over immediately."
"I am quite pleased to hear that," Yauhmi replied in a warmer tone. "I thank you for taking my call as well. I had nothing else to discuss at this time, but if you have anything, please feel free to mention it."
"I am truly sorry this was necessary," Arnott said. "It was an oversight on my part that these individuals remained in Xiomera after I took power and I can only apologise. I have nothing else to mention urgently, I look forward to speaking in person."
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