12-15-2020, 09:33 PM
Jinyu, Laeral
December 13th
Alice Lancaster fiddled with the opening of her jacket, her formal attire slowly being disturbed by her fidgeting. She loved the opportunity for a conference like this, but it couldn't come at a worse time. This goddamn war loves separating Adrian and I. I should be home, helping plan my own wedding. Instead, I'm in a foreign country, attending talks with the very same people who helped keep him captive. Fate has an incredibly cruel sense of irony.
As much as she despised being away from Adrian, she had to admit, these kinds of conferences are where she shines as a Diplomat. It is often joked that the Lancaster Twins should've switched roles, her being a politician and her brother a Diplomat, but whereas here brother has a talent for manipulating public opinion and his image, she could force people to negotiate, not through compromise or passive argument, but through tough rhetoric and occasional brute force. It's that, plus her management skills, that earned her the Minister of Diplomacy Position.
She walked into the Conference hall, quickly straightening her clothes as she entered. The conference hall was full of dignitaries, most of whom she recognized. Lira Nērala, the Minister of Justice, trailed behind her, followed by aides and their set of Solar Guards. Alice made a beeline for the Laeralian Delegation. "President Liu, it is an honor to see you again in person."
"Minister Lancaster!" President Liu said, breaking away from her conversation with her Chief of Staff to shake the Eirian diplomat's hand affectionately. "It's so good to see you again! Welcome to Laeral."
She returned the handshake, with a wide smile. "Thank you, Madam President. And thank you for having us here. I'm glad to be in a democratic country for negotiations." She gestured to Minister Nērala, who was politely standing next to her. "May I introduce Lira Nērala, the Eirian Minister of Justice, and Speaker of the Senate."
"A pleasure to meet you, Madam Speaker," said Liu with a smile. "I see that Eiria's sent her finest for the negotiations here. Of course, I suppose that it only makes sense for your nation to send such a robust delegation-- gven how important security in the Huenyan region is to Eirian interests, and of course your nation's long-standing commitment to human rights." Liu smiled warmly. "I'm very glad that you'll be making your views heard at this conference." She was being entirely sincere; she'd always found the Eirians to be excellent partners in past international negotiations, and their focus on curbing Xiomeran strength and promoting human rights issues hewed nicely with Liu's own agenda.
"Thank you very much, President Liu. I don't think I've been referred to as 'Eiria's finest' before." She smiled, as Alice nodded. "You should be. You've more than earned your position. And as for making our views heard, has Eiria ever really been silent on idealistic views?" She smiled her own quip, knowing the Eirian reputation for idealism. "I don't exactly have a habit of holding back my opinions much on Human rights or related matters."
Liu chuckled softly at Speaker Nērala's quip. "Trust me, that's exactly why I'm glad you're here. Someone's got to balance out the dictators in the room." She nodded with her head in the general direction of Empress Calhualyana, with a knowing smile. "So tell me, what are your very top priorities for this peace conference? What language would you most like to see written into a final peace accord?"
Alice thought for a moment, then answered. "Well, ideally, besides a standard cessation of hostility, we would like an internationally-maintained DMZ around the Canal and nearby area, with Canal profits split evenly between the two sides. We would also want a guarantee of independence for Manauia Island and the Necōatl Islands, with the provision that the latter cease their attacks on Xiomerans residing on their Islands. And I'd personally want a way to hold Yauhmi to her democratic processes, however that may be a bit difficult in a conference like this." Lira spoke up after Alice had finished. "Personally, I'd also like some sort of safety provision for the canal profits. I forget the exact phrase in English, but it would be a contingency plan of sorts. Like, if one side breaks the agreement, they forfeit all rights and future profits from the Canal."
Liu nodded as the Eirians spoke. "That's excellent, the ceasefire and de-militarized zone around the canal line up nicely with the desires I've heard from most of the states in attendance. I'm still meaning to talk it over with my staff and the other delegations, but it seems as if the best option for canal administration will be to establish a neutral international administration to oversee the canal and its profits, although an accountability mechanism like you mentioned, Madam Speaker, could be a thorny issue to solve. As for independence, the Xiomerans might not like it, but I'm determined to put in place a fair plebiscite-- a referendum, for the inhabitants of those islands to approve or reject independence. So all in all, it seems that we're much on the same page here. I'm very glad to hear it."
"I am glad to hear it too. Also, we brought gifts, for being generous hosts." She gestured to an Aide, who brought a few large bags forward. "Generally, the standard Eirian Saitdaveau, or Host-gift, is Wine, but I didn't want to just bring one kind of gift, so we also brought some Eirian Bestselling books that we picked out. Wine and books are two of Eiria's biggest exports, after all." She and her aides handed the bags off the the Laeralites. "Thank you again for having us."
December 13th
Alice Lancaster fiddled with the opening of her jacket, her formal attire slowly being disturbed by her fidgeting. She loved the opportunity for a conference like this, but it couldn't come at a worse time. This goddamn war loves separating Adrian and I. I should be home, helping plan my own wedding. Instead, I'm in a foreign country, attending talks with the very same people who helped keep him captive. Fate has an incredibly cruel sense of irony.
As much as she despised being away from Adrian, she had to admit, these kinds of conferences are where she shines as a Diplomat. It is often joked that the Lancaster Twins should've switched roles, her being a politician and her brother a Diplomat, but whereas here brother has a talent for manipulating public opinion and his image, she could force people to negotiate, not through compromise or passive argument, but through tough rhetoric and occasional brute force. It's that, plus her management skills, that earned her the Minister of Diplomacy Position.
She walked into the Conference hall, quickly straightening her clothes as she entered. The conference hall was full of dignitaries, most of whom she recognized. Lira Nērala, the Minister of Justice, trailed behind her, followed by aides and their set of Solar Guards. Alice made a beeline for the Laeralian Delegation. "President Liu, it is an honor to see you again in person."
"Minister Lancaster!" President Liu said, breaking away from her conversation with her Chief of Staff to shake the Eirian diplomat's hand affectionately. "It's so good to see you again! Welcome to Laeral."
She returned the handshake, with a wide smile. "Thank you, Madam President. And thank you for having us here. I'm glad to be in a democratic country for negotiations." She gestured to Minister Nērala, who was politely standing next to her. "May I introduce Lira Nērala, the Eirian Minister of Justice, and Speaker of the Senate."
"A pleasure to meet you, Madam Speaker," said Liu with a smile. "I see that Eiria's sent her finest for the negotiations here. Of course, I suppose that it only makes sense for your nation to send such a robust delegation-- gven how important security in the Huenyan region is to Eirian interests, and of course your nation's long-standing commitment to human rights." Liu smiled warmly. "I'm very glad that you'll be making your views heard at this conference." She was being entirely sincere; she'd always found the Eirians to be excellent partners in past international negotiations, and their focus on curbing Xiomeran strength and promoting human rights issues hewed nicely with Liu's own agenda.
"Thank you very much, President Liu. I don't think I've been referred to as 'Eiria's finest' before." She smiled, as Alice nodded. "You should be. You've more than earned your position. And as for making our views heard, has Eiria ever really been silent on idealistic views?" She smiled her own quip, knowing the Eirian reputation for idealism. "I don't exactly have a habit of holding back my opinions much on Human rights or related matters."
Liu chuckled softly at Speaker Nērala's quip. "Trust me, that's exactly why I'm glad you're here. Someone's got to balance out the dictators in the room." She nodded with her head in the general direction of Empress Calhualyana, with a knowing smile. "So tell me, what are your very top priorities for this peace conference? What language would you most like to see written into a final peace accord?"
Alice thought for a moment, then answered. "Well, ideally, besides a standard cessation of hostility, we would like an internationally-maintained DMZ around the Canal and nearby area, with Canal profits split evenly between the two sides. We would also want a guarantee of independence for Manauia Island and the Necōatl Islands, with the provision that the latter cease their attacks on Xiomerans residing on their Islands. And I'd personally want a way to hold Yauhmi to her democratic processes, however that may be a bit difficult in a conference like this." Lira spoke up after Alice had finished. "Personally, I'd also like some sort of safety provision for the canal profits. I forget the exact phrase in English, but it would be a contingency plan of sorts. Like, if one side breaks the agreement, they forfeit all rights and future profits from the Canal."
Liu nodded as the Eirians spoke. "That's excellent, the ceasefire and de-militarized zone around the canal line up nicely with the desires I've heard from most of the states in attendance. I'm still meaning to talk it over with my staff and the other delegations, but it seems as if the best option for canal administration will be to establish a neutral international administration to oversee the canal and its profits, although an accountability mechanism like you mentioned, Madam Speaker, could be a thorny issue to solve. As for independence, the Xiomerans might not like it, but I'm determined to put in place a fair plebiscite-- a referendum, for the inhabitants of those islands to approve or reject independence. So all in all, it seems that we're much on the same page here. I'm very glad to hear it."
"I am glad to hear it too. Also, we brought gifts, for being generous hosts." She gestured to an Aide, who brought a few large bags forward. "Generally, the standard Eirian Saitdaveau, or Host-gift, is Wine, but I didn't want to just bring one kind of gift, so we also brought some Eirian Bestselling books that we picked out. Wine and books are two of Eiria's biggest exports, after all." She and her aides handed the bags off the the Laeralites. "Thank you again for having us."
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