08-01-2021, 02:48 AM
Inside the Aurian Parliament Complex, Lumiere
July 31st, 4:12 PM
Sarah Berenstein tapped her foot over and over again on the hardwood floors of the meeting room, glancing at her watch every few seconds. Where the hell are they? Do those idiots think that they can just leisurely make the government wait for them without consequences? She looked down at the folder full of paperwork on the meeting table. They're getting an amazing deal out of this. Why are they taking so long?
She looked around the meeting room, previously deemed the "Charles Room'' after King Charles I. It was painted Laurent Purple, much to Berenstein's disgust. We'll have to redo some of these rooms eventually. We can't have these relics of the past in the Parliament Building any longer.
A small number of guards entered the room, followed by a number of nervous men and women in suits, some carrying boxes. These were the finest jewelers Auria had to offer, and the ones that Berenstein had contracted to give the crown jewels an update. "Ah, finally. I take it you've completed the project? Or do I have to deliver some bad news to the future King?" She said, putting on an intimidating facade.
The jewelers looked amongst themselves, and one placed a large fabric box on the table. "I'm sorry it took so long, Madame." The man said with a strong Franco-Aurian accent. "Most of the crown jewels weren't in the vaults, and we can't import any jewels from Eiria like we normally would, so we had to make do with what we had. I hope it is to your satisfaction."
She wasted no time, delicately opening the box. Inside rested an old circular crown that had been polished to its original golden glint. Red and orange gems glinted in the light, with a rather large dark red gem in the front. She examined it carefully, almost scared to touch it. "Amazing. You've done well." She turned the crown a bit, examining each gem. "Out of curiosity, what gems are these?"
One of the women spoke up, clearing her throat. "The large core gem is a red spinel, the biggest red gem we had access to. The more vivid orange gems are orange sapphires, and the more faded ones are spessartite. Finally, the smallest red ones are from the Lisieux deposit, the only known source of rubies in Auria. We replaced the old gems as you asked, and we did manage to retrieve the diamonds, amethysts, and purple sapphires that were previously embedded."
"Very nice." Berenstein felt a rare bit of enthusiasm. These weeks had been stressful and mind-numbing, between dealing with the future King and trying to organize Auria's new government. It's nice to have some investment pay off for a change. "Now you've got me excited. Can I see the rest?" The jewelers looked amongst themselves again, sharing the same nervous expression.
Damn it. Just as quickly as it had come, Berenstein's joyous mood faded. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, with the expression of a tired parent having to scold a child. "You realize I'm the one who's going to have to break the news to him, right?" She sighed. "At least it wasn't the crown. I'm glad you got that in on time, although you did cut it close. The coronation's tomorrow, for the sake of the Angels." She gestured for the relieved jewelers to leave. "Get them done as soon as possible. No more excuses. If you have any problem getting them done, you'll explain that to the king, and he's much less patient than I am."
They wasted no time, quickly leaving the meeting room as fast as courtesy would allow. One of them placed a small box on the table. "We were able to make the spessartite cufflinks." Looking at Berenstein's unchanged expression, he quickly retreated with the rest of them, closing the door as he went.
Now alone in the meeting room, Berenstein turned her gaze back to the golden crown before her. My God. This has to be worth a fortune. She slowly closed the box and examined the cufflinks. Not bad. Maybe they aren't entirely incompetent. She sat down in one of the chairs, a small smile on her face. Everything's ready for tomorrow.
---
Aboard the EIS Triton, docked at Klavina Naval Base, Western Eiria
Four Hours Later
Chief Admiral Maria Circe stood at the bridge of the large Flagship EIS Triton, examining every detail carefully. Enlisted and lower officers buzzed by her, working hard to get the ship in top shape again. She had insisted on being present to inspect the ship as it was being repaired, not wanting to leave anything to chance. This is my final deployment before retirement, after all. Nothing can go wrong here.
She watched each blank monitor blink to life as the ship started coming to life again, ready for the morning's mission. [/i]Never thought I'd be in charge of blockading a whole damn country, with several other nations assisting. This will be fun.[/i] She took a step back, giving the bridge one last once-over before starting down the flight of stairs, leaving the ship in a hurry.
And as she gave the ship one final glance from the shore, she had only one thought in mind.
Everything's ready for tomorrow.
July 31st, 4:12 PM
Sarah Berenstein tapped her foot over and over again on the hardwood floors of the meeting room, glancing at her watch every few seconds. Where the hell are they? Do those idiots think that they can just leisurely make the government wait for them without consequences? She looked down at the folder full of paperwork on the meeting table. They're getting an amazing deal out of this. Why are they taking so long?
She looked around the meeting room, previously deemed the "Charles Room'' after King Charles I. It was painted Laurent Purple, much to Berenstein's disgust. We'll have to redo some of these rooms eventually. We can't have these relics of the past in the Parliament Building any longer.
A small number of guards entered the room, followed by a number of nervous men and women in suits, some carrying boxes. These were the finest jewelers Auria had to offer, and the ones that Berenstein had contracted to give the crown jewels an update. "Ah, finally. I take it you've completed the project? Or do I have to deliver some bad news to the future King?" She said, putting on an intimidating facade.
The jewelers looked amongst themselves, and one placed a large fabric box on the table. "I'm sorry it took so long, Madame." The man said with a strong Franco-Aurian accent. "Most of the crown jewels weren't in the vaults, and we can't import any jewels from Eiria like we normally would, so we had to make do with what we had. I hope it is to your satisfaction."
She wasted no time, delicately opening the box. Inside rested an old circular crown that had been polished to its original golden glint. Red and orange gems glinted in the light, with a rather large dark red gem in the front. She examined it carefully, almost scared to touch it. "Amazing. You've done well." She turned the crown a bit, examining each gem. "Out of curiosity, what gems are these?"
One of the women spoke up, clearing her throat. "The large core gem is a red spinel, the biggest red gem we had access to. The more vivid orange gems are orange sapphires, and the more faded ones are spessartite. Finally, the smallest red ones are from the Lisieux deposit, the only known source of rubies in Auria. We replaced the old gems as you asked, and we did manage to retrieve the diamonds, amethysts, and purple sapphires that were previously embedded."
"Very nice." Berenstein felt a rare bit of enthusiasm. These weeks had been stressful and mind-numbing, between dealing with the future King and trying to organize Auria's new government. It's nice to have some investment pay off for a change. "Now you've got me excited. Can I see the rest?" The jewelers looked amongst themselves again, sharing the same nervous expression.
Damn it. Just as quickly as it had come, Berenstein's joyous mood faded. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, with the expression of a tired parent having to scold a child. "You realize I'm the one who's going to have to break the news to him, right?" She sighed. "At least it wasn't the crown. I'm glad you got that in on time, although you did cut it close. The coronation's tomorrow, for the sake of the Angels." She gestured for the relieved jewelers to leave. "Get them done as soon as possible. No more excuses. If you have any problem getting them done, you'll explain that to the king, and he's much less patient than I am."
They wasted no time, quickly leaving the meeting room as fast as courtesy would allow. One of them placed a small box on the table. "We were able to make the spessartite cufflinks." Looking at Berenstein's unchanged expression, he quickly retreated with the rest of them, closing the door as he went.
Now alone in the meeting room, Berenstein turned her gaze back to the golden crown before her. My God. This has to be worth a fortune. She slowly closed the box and examined the cufflinks. Not bad. Maybe they aren't entirely incompetent. She sat down in one of the chairs, a small smile on her face. Everything's ready for tomorrow.
---
Aboard the EIS Triton, docked at Klavina Naval Base, Western Eiria
Four Hours Later
Chief Admiral Maria Circe stood at the bridge of the large Flagship EIS Triton, examining every detail carefully. Enlisted and lower officers buzzed by her, working hard to get the ship in top shape again. She had insisted on being present to inspect the ship as it was being repaired, not wanting to leave anything to chance. This is my final deployment before retirement, after all. Nothing can go wrong here.
She watched each blank monitor blink to life as the ship started coming to life again, ready for the morning's mission. [/i]Never thought I'd be in charge of blockading a whole damn country, with several other nations assisting. This will be fun.[/i] She took a step back, giving the bridge one last once-over before starting down the flight of stairs, leaving the ship in a hurry.
And as she gave the ship one final glance from the shore, she had only one thought in mind.
Everything's ready for tomorrow.
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