Lazarus

Treadwellia wrote:

Like a Tubbian scale?

Yes

Renea sorry my bit isn't out yet, I've been very busy, from roof leaks to athletics, and probably most of the things inbetween. I'm writing it right now, and since I don't want to write the scene where your leader is introduced, and I'm having some writer's block, my bit is really only some background/character building during the boat ride, and just fleshign them out a bit, all you need to know is that McNamara does swallow his pride to show respect in the end. Nothing I write should have a major effect on what should happen in the near future, just go ham, I guess.

*It appears my writers block dissipated immediately. I wrote everything after the first paragraph in half an hour.

Renea wrote:

It was difficult to say if the Reneans had noticed anything, as they kept a steady pace and, if they had noticed anything, they didn't make any signs of it. Tenge and Koa exchanged several words that they did not understand, and whatever tone of speech they were using was lost at the linguistic barrier - it was a nice advantage in these talks, given that the Michiganians had no translators of their own, and the Reneans could say whatever they wanted. It wasn't unlikely that they would do this more; Koa was certainly prepared to lie as much as she needed. It was just politics, after all.

Afterwards they took a boat to the city and traversed through the waterways that made up Katikatiyama's main streets, a journey that included a good amount of small talk and plenty of cultural and historical Renean trivia as they pointed to the urban features. For a nation that was no doubt up to date with the most modern technology, the houses were old fashioned - constructed nearly entirely of wood, with stone forming the foundations, walls, and the canals. They eventually arrived at the castle, or, at least, that was what it was called. It was a far cry from the typical definition of a castle, having six separate rectangular segments stacked on top of each other forming a single large central tower with curved roofing overhanging each level culminating in one root at the top, stretching a hundred and sixty or so feet tall, with a black and white exterior formed by marble and black ceramic roof tiles. It looked more like a fancier apartment building, and to some extent, it wasn't inaccurate to call it such; in the centuries following its initial construction as a military fortress, the castle had been extensively remodeled until its current state as a royal palace.

Entry mostly went without a hitch, though McNamara's medals managed to set off several metal detectors. Inside the castle was mostly wood, which was the predominant building material of choice for the quarry-less island city that was built on the water. It certainly didn't give the same sense of security that a stone castle might have, but that was hardly the point anymore, and besides, it was almost definitely fitted with hidden security befitting the emperor of the nation. Maids roamed the halls, occassionally greeting the Michiganians with words they couldn't understand. In line with the odd Renean tradition that the servants and guards of the sovereign were one and same, the maids had rifles strapped to their back, largely for show; who knows how they hid their actual weapons.

"One of the joys of our language is our cursing," Koa once remarked with a smile, as a maid passed by them, mumbling something. "Did you catch it? She just cursed you, your parents, your grandparents, your cousins, your teacher, your dog... in four words, no less."

It was difficult to ascertain as to how true it was, but Koa didn't seem to be lying - and she wasn't. They then stopped before a sliding door with decorated wooden panels, which lead to the room in which they were about to meet in. They heard a faint sound of music from within. Tenge knelt before the door, Koa rang a bell that hung over it, waiting, and it seemed the two were silently demanding that the Michiganians show some level of formal respect even prior to seeing the empress - James wasn't the only person there hoping that McNamara wouldn't be his usual self.

James always got weird looks from his colleagues whenever the newest patriotic broadcast came on and he didn't kneel down on the floor to worship their leader like he's a god. It seems people are starting to forget the founding principles of this government. It was envisioned as a meritocracy, where talent leads to promotions, rather than money and bribes like the old democracy, or so the history textbooks say. Now, everywhere he goes it's always someone kissing the flag in front of their boss and getting a raise, or like last week, his coworker wrote a (admittedly moving) poem about how great the nation is, and got promoted. Nobody cares about skill it seems, it's always 'How much do you love your country?' or something like that which leads to success. It's steadily eroding the talent pool, too. The unskilled men are getting command and government positions while the kids who have the potential to be the next paragon in their field are left as janitors because they didn't salute with enough fervor.

So how one might wonder, did he get this position while very evidently not saluting the flag with enough fervor? Well, there is one very important man in Michigania who still values skill over fervor. The General himself. The almighty man at the top personally recruited James due to his astounding success rate without flipping tables and the use of dogs. In fact, he has the General's number in his phone! He only uses it for work, and sparingly at that, but to have the General's number is considered among the highest honors in all the nation. His boss, the chief of diplomacy has wanted to demote him for "unpatriotic activities" for a long time, but he is to scared of being 'relieved from duty'. James once knew a man who was relieved from duty, but he never existed, it seemed. It's not like James doesn't like his country, he loves it. He'd be willing to die on the battlefield for the glory of Michigania if needed, he just knew when too much was too much.

McNamara, it seemed, was among those infected with 'patriotic fever' as he liked to call it. James doesn't know much about his upbringing, he's real quiet about that. He does know, however, that there's only one reason McNamara rose so fast. It's that he's really good at his job. He was the top in all his classes, a certified officer by his early teens, and still starting puberty. He was a commander when most were entering their first years on the front lines. He was a general before most saw combat. He was a prodigy, and the high staff, particularly the General himself, took note. He also had the General's number. He's currently too young to serve on the high staff, but the moment he does reach age, they're sacking one member and replacing him with McNamara. That is why both Norman and McNamara are on this mission. Not because of their patriotism, but because of their sheer skill, and the General will not allow them to fail.

The boat ride went as smoothly as you'd hoped, really. McNamara was antsy most of the ride, but it was mostly anticipation. He was basically a child to James, being only 28 to his 54. He had war experience from his numerous campaigns into the wilds below he commanded, and despite is admittedly overwhelming level of patriotism and confidence he showed, James knew he was secretly trying to learn more. He did his research and knew Tenge was a great general, and he was hoping to pick up some of the wisdom earned through age in Renean lands, as he'd learned most everything there was about war back home. Still, he'd be hard-pressed not to go into a rant about how he leads the best army in the world. He does that a lot, doesn't he?

James was taken aback by the castle when they arrived. He'd known the look of the building from pictures, but to see it in person was another experience. He'd definitely have to come back here in retirement. The entrance was the highlight of his day, watching McNamara pull all of his medals off seemingly at every metal detector so they could scan them for anything dangerous. McNamara hated doing it, but he also knew the mission needed to succeed, so he did it. James found this muttered curses whenever he unpinned his Nth metal for the Nth time amusing, so he allowed some of it to show. It was calculated, enough to make the Reneans more familiar, but not much more. As they walked through the castle, their following guards looked uneasy, seeing the maids with rifles on their backs, probably imagining their funeral services back some saying "death by gun-wielding maid" as the cause of death. The shame it would bring.

"One of the joys of our language is our cursing," Koa once remarked with a smile, as a maid passed by them, mumbling something. "Did you catch it? She just cursed you, your parents, your grandparents, your cousins, your teacher, your dog... in four words, no less."

That shocked James, he was not ready for the sheer volume of insults Reneans can hurl at you. He took it with a smile and decided to learn Renean so he could swear at his bosses at one million insults per minute. That'll be more therapeutic than any service any therapist can offer. He didn't have anything to add to Koa's remark, so he kept following when they reached a door, followed by the ringing of a bell and Tenge kneeling, he knew they were at their destination. While unsure of what to do, kneel or not, it appeared Koa was not, and while James did not want to show disrespect, he also was unsure if the kneel had any meanings that could be offensive, information on Renean formal culture was limited back home. He instead opted for the Michiganian approach, to treat the empress like the General, with some slight modifications. He looked at McNamara. His eyes were boring holes in the door, it seems. James kicked his foot discreetly, to remind him of the events riding on this meeting. McNamara looked annoyed but he recognized the importance of this meeting and decided that he would try to keep his jingoism to a minimum. With that, the two returned their gaze to the door, and awaited the empress inside.

Good night