The Artabanos Canal Opening Party

[Inquista]

The Girls on Tour jet landed in North Diessen, at the airport closest to the newly-opened Artabanos Canal. Before deboarding her lovely pink jet, the Archbishop examined herself in a full-body length mirror, eyeing every seam of her blue gown. The Artabanos Canal project was very expensive, and so the Archbishop made sure to look equally as expensive as the project itself. Mikaela thought that her colour choice for her gown was rather clever, with blue resembling the colour of water.

As the Archbishop approached the door to descend and exit from the jet, she noticed that Captain Jimin was standing ready to bid her a warm farewell as he always does.

"Thanks for yet another safe flight, Captain Jimin. Smooth as butter as always," Mikaela smiled.

"Not to worry, it's my pleasure, Your Holiness."

"By the way, I'm also so sad to hear about the permanent disbandment of your band, BTS. Just know that you will always have a position as my pilot, for as long as you'd like!"

"Thank you! Well... actually, that's just thing. We actually disbanded because of that," Captain Jimin stated rather meekly.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I mean, you pay me way better as pilot than Mr. Bang ever did as a member of BTS! I also much prefer flying to singing, to be honest. I'm much more passionate about the work I do for you, and I'd like to do it all the time! I will fly you wherever you need to go."

"Aww, Captain Jimin, you are too sweet. It's my pleasure. I knew that paying you a 18.5 million Inquisto salary per year was a good investment, despite what my personal accountant Rhonda had to say," Mikaela answered proudly.

"A great investment, that's for sure! We gotta fire Rhonda," Silas stated, suddenly appearing from behind Mikaela. "Have you seen what people are saying on Twitter? It's amazing!"

Mikaela looked puzzled. "No, what?"

"Literally every teenage girl on this planet is attacking you right now. I've never seen so many death threats!" Silas explained in amusement. "You're single-handedly being blamed for the disbandment of BTS. #KligenbergIsToBlame #KligenbergEndedBTS #MikaelaKligenbergIsAWitch are all trending on Twitter!"

"That's horrible!" Mikaela responded in bewilderment, grabbing Silas' phone to scroll through Twitter comments. "How could you say it's amazing!?"

"Well, 16-year olds can't vote..."

"So, and?"

"... but adults can. Take a look at our latest polling numbers. They're all up, across the board! Your approval rating has never been higher. Every demographic above the age of 18 almost universally approve of the BTS disbandment. Our largest demographic support base, the Himbos, are especially approving of the fact you ended BTS. Re-election in next year's elections is all but certain for us!" Silas gleamed in excitement.

"Aww, but I feel horrible now! I don't want to break the hearts of all these girls," Mikaela sighed.

"It's really fine, Your Holiness. Don't blame yourself. I really want to move forward with this career, with you, forever," Captain Jimin assured, patting the Archbishop on the back.

"I can't believe this is the second time I've done this, after I convinced Chris Kirkpatrick to go solo from NSYNC," the Archbishop pouted.

"Who?" Captain Jimin and Silas asked in unison.

"Well, not my best moment. Who knew that Justin Timberlake would be the one to break out from the group?"

"I mean..." Silas began.

"Don't worry Captain Jimin, we will take good care you, especially after such a sacrifice," Mikaela said, turning back towards Captain Jimin, and giving him a steady smile. Captain Jimin simply nodded in return.

"Anyway, let's go. We're gonna be late," Silas announced, prodding Mikaela forward.

The Archbishop and Bishop Secretary quickly descended from the aircraft and to their limousine, which then promptly drove them towards the canal opening party. The road to the party location followed along the canal, and the Archbishop and Bishop Secretary admired the water as they drove along. Silas grinned every time the limousine passed a billboard that advertised its opening.

Silas had recently invested significantly into a consortium of Inimican and Diessenar shipping and transportation companies, all of which were looking to greatly profit from the opening of the canal. Silas thought it best to see the opening of the canal himself, and to meet with some of his billionaire 'friends' who would likely be in attendance as well.

"I hope nobody minds me crashing the party, I didn't RSVP to the invitation," Silas wondered.

"That's fine, but you should have told me you were coming. If we have table, there might not be a seat for you."

"Perfectly alright, someone can just sit on my lap and use me as a seat instead," Silas retorted, looking pleased with himself.

The Archbishop visibly shuddered and instead just looked out of her window. "You know, I flew right over the canal not long ago and it wasn't even close to being done, but now it is! Isn't it funny how time works soooooo fast in our world sometimes?"

"Just tell that to the cyclists in Angleter," Silas murmured. "Say, don't you think we should have traveled here by yacht? We could have pulled up straight to the party."

Mikaela's eyes widened the moment Silas suggested that they travel by yacht. The Archbishop was overcome with PTSD as she remembered crashing a yacht into an Inimican port.

"We could have stopped by in Spain and picked up President Aguilar. I hear the Spanish are great seafearers," Silas added.

The Archbishop nervously laughed as her face turned red with embarrassment. "Oh? Really? Good to know!" Mikaela replied while gritting her teeth.

"Look at the canal! Isn't it so beautiful?" Mikaela stated, quickly changing the subject. "Well, obvi it is, because is named after Artabanos himself, who is so handsome! It makes so much sense to name something so beautiful it after someone like him!"

"But what does that say about you, then? The only thing named after you is some shitty school in the middle of nowhere in Czech Slavia that teaches kids to shovel dirt for a living," Silas replied with confusion.

"Hey, Si! The children are our future."

"Is that why you're collecting them like Pokémon cards? You've got like, what, three now?"

"Si! You're talking about your niece and nephews!" Mikaela responded rather angrily, then turning her body away from Silas and falling silent. It was rather rare for the Archbishop to get upset, but Silas managed to strike a nerve.

The Inquistans sat in silence until finally arriving at the party. Silas got out first and walked around the limousine to the other side of the vehicle, and opened the door for Mikaela, who Silas then helped out.

"We're probably the last to arrive," Silas remarked. The Archbishop didn't respond. "True to its meaning, we're fashionably late, because you look so great, and so glamorous in your dress. Easily the best dressed here tonight," Silas added.

"Alright, I forgive you!" Mikaela let out in exacerbation, as if she was holding her breath. "I can never hold a grudge against you!"

"That must have been the hardest five minutes of your life," Silas laughed.

The Bishop Secretary offered his arm to the Archbishop, ready to escort her into the party. The Archbishop smiled and wrapped her arm around his.

"I need something to drink," Mikaela suggested.

Silas nodded approvingly. "Now you're speaking my language. Let's beeline."

The duo headed straight to the drinks. The Archbishop grabbed herself a glass, while the Bishop Secretary took glasses in both of his hands. "Cheers!" they toasted in perfect synchronisation.

[Inimicus]

It appeared that Artabanos's main duty throughout the day would comprise the safeguarding of His yacht's drinks supply: not only the Strathaen delegation kept gunning for the liquor cabinet whenever He wasn't looking, but even the Elthics appeared to want something to lift the pain of having to interact with people they didn't like, and now that Čikarová, Reiserová, and the Kligenbergs were on site, Artabanos wondered how He was ever going to keep His stock secure.

With all guests aboard, the signal was given for the yacht to start its journey down the Artabanos canal. The trip would take this strange, wonky collection of foreign dignitaries through the urban scapes of Fatima and Gessel, before turning south through the Great Plains of Linnich (for whose weather Artabanos had had special, highly reflective sunroofs installed on the yacht). Traversing several locks on the way south, the Imperial yacht would finally exit the 'new' portion of the Canal where it met the river Sarkaya, and would terminate on the shiny Persian Gulf beaches near Waspik. Obviously, a massive container ship (or, as Artabanos was more fond of imagining, one of the Imperial Navy Supercarriers named after Him) would take really quite some time to traverse this whole section, but His famous yacht, the HIMS Eric Pickles, would blitz through it in no time at all, helped by the fact there was literally no other traffic on the whole route.

Soon after departure, with Fatima and Gessel behind them and with the straighter, newer parts of the Canal around them, the yacht passed the first of many massive billboards Artabanos had insisted that Nestor have installed.

"Well, Nestor", Artabanos said, having caught the Diessenar President away from the guests, who all appeared to be standing around Mikaela Kligenberg and Elthic President Grimwald, engaged in a fierce drinking competition, "We've done it. We actually did it. It took months, several hundred eliminations, and a civil war, but the Canal is here, and it's open."

"You say several months", Nestor responded, "But You planting me at that soddy Diessenar newspaper was years in the making. That must've been my favourite part of the whole process though, I will say: trying to work as a journalist was absolutely not hard at all. It's the pretending to be an autonomous president that's the real challenge."

Sadly, the two men had not noticed that Silas Kligenberg, the Inquistan Archbishop's intensely weird associate, had been standing right behind them. The three exchanged strange looks, but Artabanos wasted no time. He walked up to Silas and took a stack of Inimician Guilder bills from His coat pocket -- of which He always carried several for such occasions -- and stuffed them in Silas's jacket. "Drop me a line and we can chat about all that uranium ore I've got hiding in the mountains", He said, and walked off.

---

Nestor, still dumbfounded by the spectacle that had just unfolded, went to join the group of guests. President Grimwald had ended up on the yacht's floor in what could only be described as really quite a sorry state, and aides quickly arrived to reinvigorate him with one of Artabanos's "special tonics". Nestor moved on, and saw the Spanish delegation chatting up the Czech Slavians a few metres away. "Mind if I join you all?", he said. "This, as far as the eye can see, are the Great Plains of Linnich. It's a mixture of protected nature reserve, agricultural land, and, well, prime real estate. Who knows, perhaps some Spanish and Czech companies would care to invest in this stunning landscape now that the Canal is here."

"Anyway, is this your first time in North Diessen? I will say we've had quite the turbulent time of late, but really, thank goodness for Artie -- I mean, Emperor Artabanos. He's been quite good at pacifying these nasty folks around here, and you can rest assured that everything is peaceful and quiet in North Diessen", Nestor declared, as the yacht proceeded past a building site shrouded in mysterious curtains which obfuscated what was being constructed there. The Czech President, indeed, enquired about the purpose of the site, prompting Nestor to swiftly and diplomatically excuse himself.

Meanwhile, Artabanos ran into Jean-Claude and the Duchian Prime Minister, Peter Key. The latter appeared to be questioning Juncker on his proclivity for theme park design and business infrastructure, and there was a visible sign of relief on the former Commissioner's face when the Emperor appeared. "Ah, John Peter", Artabanos said, "How are things? Quite the shocker of aviation-related events in the Duchies of late, am I right? Naturally the Empire was glad to help out wherever. Anyway, perhaps we should do something like this with your canal? Unless of course that's disallowed as per the Treaty you all signed."

And so, the HIMS Eric Pickles executive yacht continued on its way south, passing a wide selection of covered-up construction sites, immense seas of grass, and the occasional bystander waving in slight confusion. While the Leagioan President was learning the arts of campaigning from Juncker, the Strathaens were being kept from the drinks cabinet by what remained of the Elthic delegation, and the Czech and Spanish were watching it all go by, the progress of the yacht ushered in a new era for the continent.

[UK and California]

The Cambridges engaged with the Spanish royals.

"Since we, Dad and Camilla take up more, Grandmum has been great. She does need a break; good Lord, she has earned one," William said. "I'll tell Dad to check in with Leonor."

"Elizabeth would love to see her," Katherine added. "The Spanish and British look out for each other."

"I hope she has a great time," William said.

[Istkalen]

Rikkalek had time to think, now. The past month had been busier than usual, although perhaps that should have been expected. Although perhaps it had, in a way, been easier. Without the constant infighting, the constant interference, everything was much calmer, much smoother.

Of course, he was now just as powerful, if not more, than the emperors had been. That had given him pause, at first. Now, really, he was just exhausted, too exhausted for it to matter in any significant way. He had stopped dictating; his role was more or less as an administrator, trying merely to keep the country together and functioning Well, of course, that had been his dream, when he had been younger, after ditching traditionalist Catholicism, for the transformation of governing into the administration of things - although this was different in a way, in many ways.

But he had come here not to work, but to have fun. He hadn't been able to enjoy himself for a while; in the Diessenar sun, he'd thought that things might be different. They weren't, as of now, although the warmth and the mild sunshine were a pleasant change from Kirelesile, where the weather was perpetually frigid but the sun burning. The only thing bad about an otherwise wonderful city, really.

He put down his copy of The Society of the Spectacle, less something he was reading seriously than an attempt to remind himself of or maybe relive his twenties - he feared, a little, becoming old - placing it in a briefcase otherwise containing an envelope and a folder containing orders he had written and signed on the plane (every second needed to be used, nowadays), of a nature that was surely illegal by European law. A task that unnerved him, that made him feel sick and nauseous and disgusted with himself, the only task that made him, again, fear what he was becoming - but all the same one that was necessary. The people he condemned were irredeemable, terrorists and genocidal maniacs who were incompatible with his republican project.

He really needed to get his mind off work. Locking the briefcase, but making sure to take out the envelope he stretched his legs, his arms, glanced, a little longingly, at the drinks cabinet (per Liris, government officials ought to lead in example, and it wasn't as though he had liked the debauchery of previous cabinets, so a few things had to given up), before looking out to the canal, its shores, and the occasional billboards. All fairly unfamiliar to him; he'd never been this far south, never seen, for himself, the gently rolling plains, drenched in sun, of this part of the world. The billboards were to him bizarre; why was the brotherhood of two states represented by its leaders? In Istkalen it would be unacceptable and nonsensical, a sign of an inappropriate ego but also a complete disconnection from the reality of the state. It was ostentatious, decadent, something he couldn't help but feel both disgusted and completely confused by. Culture shock, probably.

It wasn't as though Artabanos was a bad leader. He was an example, in a way; excessive, certainly, but all the same effective. Stabilizing the unstable; well, that was something he could, would, learn from. Almost an obligation at this point, really.

He quickly snapped back to the yacht. He used to be a more social person; governing the least governable country in all Europe had destroyed that. All the same, lest he seem strange - a disaster not merely for him but for Istkalen, which he needed to normalize, after the chaos, after the insanity - he needed to make an effort.

He greeted, finally, Artabanos and Karaman - "congratulations on the opening of this Canal, what a magnificent effort!" - before quickly moving to Silas.

"Ms. Areai wrote a letter to you. I haven't opened the envelope they sent it in, so I don't know what exactly's in it."

He smiled, softly, and handed the envelope to Silas, before walking away.

Confirming, in part, what he had said, the envelope was addressed to Rikkalek's office. There was also a return address, but all that could be read of it was "Helvetines en" (the administration of); the remainder had been blacked out.

The letter was very short, although Rikkalek did not know this, and was as follows:

Dear Silas Kligenberg,
Well, this will never get to you. You've become more or less an imaginary figure, whom I write to in anger, at myself more than anything. But I've found it strange. I want to escape who I was, and I felt as though I did, here, even like this. But I occasionally remember the things you tweeted, and I remember again. I don't want to remember, I don't want to revisit that. But I think, now, that it's inescapable. So long as people remember, I won't be able to cleanse myself of what I did - whether it's celebrated, by people like you, or condemned, by the rest.

I often wish that you wouldn't exist. That I would have a chance at atonement. But you do, and so I must face the fact that I did things, terrible things, forever. I will not feel whole until I am forgiven for what I have done, and when people like you exist, I feel as though I will never receive that forgiveness, and so will live in suffering, like this. Perhaps I deserve it; I probably do. Perhaps this suffering is my atonement, given to me by some deity. Perhaps there is some hope in this. But for me I know that there is no God; my only relief, relief through good works and through forgiveness, is taken from me by this.
Your love is blind, twisted, but blind nonetheless. There's something a little heartwarming in that. For you, perhaps, it's liberatory in a way. But it chains me down, in so many ways, and I know that it will never end. For you, it's a blessing, but for me it's a curse.
I've only a few moments, nowadays, to myself, to think like this. Perhaps it's a good thing that I spend it like this, perhaps not.
With respect,
Josephine Areai.

[Lusitanovetonia]

The Lusitania and Vettonia delegation plane arrived at the nearest airport in time to avoid being late for the inauguration. Throughout the trip, they interacted very little with other delegations. Elisa Ubrique has taken control of all international relations during the trip, and this has prevented Governor General Orato Gonzo from talking to the other nations.

The reason for Ubrique's international chatter is her role as head of state and the deep differences between the government (controlled by the Conservatives, with a parliamentary majority) and the liberal head of state. Orato has submissively accepted this role throughout the visit because she knows the risks of confronting someone who can call elections.

While the First Gentleman, Eduardo Malera, talks with Orato about some domestic political issues, Ubrique begins in his role of trying to open up Lusitania and Vettonia to the European Union. So after a while of maintaining the shyness that characterises the people of his country, he has begun to greet the different delegations, talking to them about all kinds of international political matters and commenting on things about their respective countries on the cultural and sporting level.

At one point in the party, Orato finally manages to talk to Ubrique:

+Then with the natives...

-We're having a party Jose. It's not the time to start with domestic political negotiations, we've already talked about this.

+Yes, excuse me madam president. I can't help but be impressed by this display.

-That's the thing about investing money, then you have to show the world the results. Is the sustainable project progressing well?

+I'm concerned that the Neathians are opposed to putting solar panels in the desert. But the project is almost ready.

-We have enough kilometres of desert to have to put them on top of it. We don't need to magnify the problem.

+On international affairs. I think it would be appropriate for Your Excellency to visit a country in a short period of time. We need to get international investment and open up the country to the outside world.

-That is what we are here for... Don't worry, all in good time.

[Kingdom of Reitzmag]

Of course, it was important that the EU's chief executive be in attendance to the opening. Joe wasn't much into partying and caught a late commercial flight to finish off some papers at his very busy work, quite a testament considering his term will end soon. And then, there he came landing at the nearby airport taking the public transport to the canal area. There he was very simply, wearing a very simple suit with a very simple tie and a very simple shirt and pants. He arrived quite late, but of course he hoped he could be understood considering he has a big responsibility as Premier Commissioner, although ultimately he just apologized for being late. He went on to have a look around and see what the canal compared to when he last saw it for inspection as part of his IAC duties then ultimately just sat down and looked at the other guests seeing who came and who didn't.

[BrumBrum]

Nikokai III was feeling a bit nervous. He'd done some foreign engagements and trained for it but he was 19 after all one of the youngest here. He started his rounds first he talked to the Cambridges and then continued round the room the Inquistans, Czechslavians , Spanish and of course Artabonos , everyone until he had met everyone and talked to everyone. He greeted Artabonos "How are things in Innimicus, you've got a grand canal here perhaps I should sail in my High Duke yacht up here some day."

Meanwhile the Strathaen delegation was still chatting away while moderating on the whiskey it was a party but no need to get drunk they went up to Artabonos and Karaman and started talking "Nice canal you got here. I'll be sure to encourage some of our companies to use it to ship goods to the Caspian." She wanted to impress them and the whole of Europe this was a new leader not nationalist, not too proud not basically blairite. One who instead of focusing on catholic hate would show catholics some love, foreigners more love and lead a new policy of more leniancy to foreigners and good relations towards other nations.

[Elthize]

"Oh, I have no idea where Grimwald is, actually. Sorry," Liam replied, not at all bothered with where he really was. It might have been a mistake to come here, after all. Meanwhile, Eva, who was still sober, found Greenwich, quite drunk, at least, drunker than he usually gets. Just as she was approaching him, Artabanos also entered the floor and assured Eva that he'd be given care. Oscar was... chilling, making sure he didn't consume too much alcohol. Will and Holly were casually chatting about their jobs and lives, as they lived on the opposite ends of the country, and Aubrey was desperately looking for someone to chat with. And Aubrey reached someone, someone that he didn't know at all... Nikolai III, aka the High Duke of the United Duchies.

"Hey, hi, hello!" Aubrey entered, in an exuberant manner. He wasn't drunk, but he had enough alcohol to make him more confident than he usually is. "You seem interesting enough for me to not be bored to death in this so-called party... So, who are you? If you don't mind, of course."

[BrumBrum]

Nikolai III was not surprised by this question. Abroad he often faced that question, to be honest it was a kinda nice feeling where he was just Nikolai and not High Duke. Being more incognito had its blessings.It really didn't help for recognition he was a generally down to earth person.

He replied "I'm Nikolai technically Nikolai III of United Duchies but honestly I prefer Nikolai after all I am a person not a position." He laughed at the comment about the party saying "Yeah , I get that feeling sometimes when there is a alot of the special events and parties . I find it better when you just go out and meet people or like host a group of ordinary people in the palace overnight, there is just something about ordinary people doing their hardest to help others that appeals to me." He was not a materialistic High Duke and truth be told he liked to keep low key like driving an MG or X-On or catching the train. He asked Aubrey "What about you ? I recognise your accent is Elthic , guessing you are here with Grimwald? Whats life like for you right now?"

[Czech Slavia]

"We could have brought other guests with us? Because I am fairly certain that Mr. Tusk is not a life partner of any Head of State or Government here." Reiserová started complaining to President Karaman and Emperor Artabanos almost immediately after greeting them, "You should have told me, if I knew that I..." she paused for a brief moment remembering that Čikarová stood right besides her and not wishing to insult her, "I wouldn't change a thing, you know." she lied, with disappointment in her eyes. If it was truly up to her she would bring either Saková, Šín or Mejzlík with her instead of Čikarová.

"And congratulations on the Canal, it looks that your workers did truly magnificent job!" Čikarová said immediately after Reiserová stopped complaining, which reminded the Czech President the reason of why she is here and forced her to smile and nod in agreement.

After this exchange with the hosts the two women went to greet the Spanish, much to displeasure of Čikarová. She was smiling when greeting the Spanish President, the Royal family members and her former oponent Juncker, but when greeting Donald Tusk her smile disappeared, "Mr. Tusk." she greeted him coldly.

"Jesus!" this time it was Reiserová attempting to diffuse the situation, "I have yet to congratulate you on the mature handling of, you know, our problem. Justice triumphed." she smiled, referring to the willingness of Aguilar to hand over Czechs who were now sentenced for attempting a coup in the Democratic Republic of Czech Slavia. "I hope the Spanish companies are satisfied with the conditions for conducting their business in Czech Slavia?" she continued, but before getting the answer the two delegations were approached by the newly elected President of North Diessen.

Both women confirmed that this is their first time visiting the country. "Well you are in luck, because, regarding the Czech companies, I do know," Reiserová nodded at Karaman's comments about Czech companies investing in North Diessen, "they won't invest in this stunning landscape. You know, our laws forbid our companies from operating outside of our borders. Sorry." she shrugged her shoulders before the covered construction site caught her attention. But right after she asked about it, the Diessenar Head of State excused himself and disappeared. Right when Reiserová wanted to remind him of the invitation to her own country.

"Can you believe that, he just..." Reiserová started talking to the Spanish delegation again, but when she turned to face them, she noticed they meanwhile started conversation with the British, leaving her alone with Čikarová. She left out a frustrated sight while the former Premier Commissioner's eyes were directed straight at her. Reiserová's eyes met those of Čikarová and she signalled to her to go somewhere else. Normally the President for Life would go directly to the Archbishop of Inquista, but the Archbishop was currently preoccupied drinking with still dominating the Elthic President in a drinking contest. This would not be an issue under most circumstances, but there was a risk that a picture of either Reiserová or Čikarová with a drink could be published, which would go against the norms of the Czech strick anti-alcoholism campaign.

Finally Rekiserová spotted Rikkalek and Silas, the latter reading some sort of paper, and she has decided to go join them, followed closely by Čikarová. "Can you believe some of the people here? Some just leaving in the middle of a conversation and some, you know, just interjecting themselves in the conversation of others." complained Reiserová, interjecting herself to the conversation of Silas and Rikkalek, while sitting down close to them. "Today you are not the only one who will not be drinking Mr. Rikkalek, me and comrade Čikarová will be joining you in your struggle." while Reiserová was speaking, Čikarová physically blocked Rikkaleks path when he was about to leave. She looked him straight in the eyes, bit her lips and slightly shook her head pleading him not to leave. She knew that if the President for Life will end up even more frustrated than she was at the moment, all the blame would fall on her own head. And while Čikarová didn't exactly wish to become the Councillor for Czech Slavia she preferred it to the alternative of becoming a director of a potato farm in some village, which she would become if the President became too dissapointed with her.

"Oh, Mr. Kligenberg allow me to thank you for your principled stance on all issues concerning the friendship of the Most Blessed State and the Democratic Republic. It means a lot to me." said Reiserová and looked at Silas. He seemed concerned to her. "Is everything alright?" she asked sounding concerned. She also looked at Čikarová briefly and nodded at her. Čikarová rolled her eyes and pulled out a small, foldable chess board and small chess pieces, placing them at the table. "Well I know what always gets me in a better mood." Reiserová smiled at Silas, despite the fact that contrary to her statement chess has so far always contributed to getting her in a bad mood as she was so far still unable to win at the game.

[Elthize]

"Ah, I see," Aubrey replied. "Man of the people, eh? My father likes to play that when he's out at rallies!" He continued, but the joke didn't land as he expected, as Nikolai had no clue who his father was. He wasn't even sure if he knew his name. "Wait, no... I didn't tell you... I'm Aubrey, son of Greenwich Grimwald. President of Elthize. Don't tell my dad I told that joke, please." Before continuing, he went blank for a while.

"Oh, you said what? Yeah, yeah, my life... It's fine. I do art, mostly. I paint, draw, take photos... On occasion, I sing and play, I dance... I write, also- I have projects I work on, though I can't tell you much now," Aubrey laughed. "I just balance all that with the university I'm going to. But it's fine."

"And what do you do? Any hobbies you got? How does it feel being here?"

[BrumBrum]

Nikolai laughed at the man of the people comment replying wittily "Well I am as much as a multi-millionaire son of a duke can be! But I've made it my mission in life to help all Duchians especially those who have it harder and need support. In a way I think thats the most underappreciated part of a High Duke role or role of a monarch its a lot about helping the least fortunate which any good monarch or head of state should do. I've got used to events like this due to having attended them all my life as a dukes son before but personally give me a day with ordinary people any time, I don't know those in power or with wealth are often different. Though I have to admit James Mizrachi-Roscoe and his family are certainly down to earth , I am pretty much a god parent to their 14 year old autistic son Amaziah so I spend a fair bit of time with him helping him overcome a lot of shit in his life that people have done to him, sad really but at least I can help him overcome it especially being autistic myself and understanding him better.

I imagine being son of a president isn't easy with all the pressures that come with that. Must be tough sometimes with the standards expected."

He replied to the hobby question "I like my country hikes, bike rides in nature and also going to theme parks and museums really. Anything to provide an adrenaline rush or relax after a hard week at the palace dealing with politicians. Don't tell them I said this but they can be real pain in the ass sometimes!"

[Leagio]

Ran Mouri-Kudo thank everyone and talked about the coming election in December with Juncker, Aguilar, and Artabanos. She enjoyed the many tactics that Juncker was providing her for the coming election for the House of Councilors in particular. The real test for these tactics and ideas will be for the Special Senate Elections that will be happening at the same time as the coming EU Commission election in July with also the election of the new State of Kyiv Legislature. She will see how those tactics will work and go from there with her fellow members in the party and hopefully alliance. Her husband and son were busy looking at the waters and all the fish following the yacht. As they were doing that, Ran Mouri-Kudo continued to discuss with the other members of the party and enjoy, especially with the Lusitania and Vettonia delegation.

[Inquista]

The Archbishop hadn't yet had the pleasure of meeting President Grimwald, the President of Elthize. After quietly eyeing the President down his drink, Mikaela decided to do the same. Grimwald then decided to refill his drink and down it again, and Mikaela decided to do the same. Suddenly, without sharing a word, the two found themselves in a drinking contest.

After finishing quite a few drinks, the Archbishop knew she was reaching her limit. Mikaela's had her fair share of puking incidents brought on by too much drinking, but even in her intoxicated mind, she knew there were too many eyes at this event. Besides, Mikaela knew that Silas would flay her if she caused a scene.

Despite being a typically fierce drinker, after finishing yet another cocktail, the Archbishop relented and admitted defeat to President Grimwald.

"Ok, ok, you win," the Archbishop announced, with her eyes only half open. "As a prize... you win... uhh... this!"

Mikaela then grabbed the two last remaining beverages on the bar table and offered them to the President, and prompted him to gulp down his victory drinks.

"You got this!" Mikaela enthusiastically cheered while slurring her speech. "Oh, and by the way, I'm Mikaela Kligenberg, the Archbishop of Inquista. Nice to meet you! So, what's the name of today's hero?"

---

Silas was somewhat surprised to see Rikkalek, the Head of State of Istkalen. This party didn't seem like Rikkalek's kind of scene. The last time Silas saw Rikkalek, he felt disappointed with the Head of State's reluctance to accept the terms of his proposed arms deal. Perhaps Rikkalek was coming weaseling back, ready to accept it?

Surprisingly, Rikkalek came bearing news from Areai herself. Silas hastily read her letter and was left rather confused by its content. "Damn, it's really impossible to understand women. Women only speak in riddles. Why can't they just say what they really mean?" Silas thought to himself.

Moments later, President Reiserová and Sofie Čikarová of Czech Slavia both appeared, greeting Silas and Rikkalek. Silas was struck by President Reiserová's presence. He realised that the President was indeed the hot actress from a Glenbrno Winter herself. Silas readily agreed to her proposed game of chess.

Silas decided that he would be slick, and that he would lose to the President for Life on purpose, thinking that it was a clever ploy to make her feel that she had an upper hand on him. "Chicks love it when they think they're playing you. It's cute when they think they're in control," Silas thought while grinning. However, Silas' plan had one fatal flaw: it was nearly impossible to lose against the Czech President.

The Bishop Secretary repeatedly made terrible strategic decisions, purposely moving his pieces into adverse and unfavorable positions. Every time Silas made a bad move, it seemed like the President for Life somehow managed to make an even worse move. Silas was perplexed. Simultaneously, Silas couldn't hold back his competitive side. He instinctually found himself having to make some obvious moves, including having to take some of Reiserová's key pieces.

Suddenly, Silas had a thought. Was the President for Life also playing badly on purpose? Was she also trying to lose, in attempt to play the exact same mind game as Silas? The Bishop Secretary would never allow a woman to beat him at mind games. Silas was more determined than ever to lose now.

Yet, despite his determination to face defeat, playing chess against President Reiserová was simply unlosable. Somehow, Silas eventually backed himself into a corner where he found that his pieces would soon force a check-mate against the Czech President with virtually any combination of decisions made. Silas decided that his only way out was somehow terminating the game itself.

Silas calmly waited for the massive yacht to reach a patch of rough water, which, on the river waters, took some considerable patience. After the yacht succumbed to some rough waters, Silas quickly seized the opportunity to knee the chessboard from underneath so that it went flying to the floor.

"Oh, damn, just when things were heating up!" Silas cried with believable annoyance. "We can call it a draw, but I definitely think you had the upper hand. Victory was within your grasp," Silas assured the President for Life, despite that nearly every future move would have resulted in his own triumph.

"You see, I have a much bigger and more powerful yacht back in Saint Dominico, which is much more stable than this one. This would never happen on my own yacht. I must show it to you sometime," Silas shamelessly bragged while covering his own tracks. The Bishop Secretary then got up and collected the chessboard and chess pieces and handed them back to Čikarová. "I insist on a rematch, but only on my yacht. My bigger - much, much, bigger - yacht."

Silas turned to the Czech President and smiled. "But you're right. I feel much better already. Thank you for suggesting that game. It managed to take my mind of things for a bit."

The Bishop Secretary then put on a troubled demeanour. "Still, it's hard to take my mind off this."

Silas took out Areai's letter, which had visible instructions on it to keep it secret. Silas displayed the letter to Reiserová, Čikarová and Rikkalek, who were his audience. "It's from my ex. I think she wants me back," Silas explained, contextualising his made-up relationship with Areai.

Defying the letter's instructions, Silas then began to read it out loud. "Damn, this bitch sounds even crazier now that I'm reading it again," Silas thought to himself. Once he finished read it aloud, Silas looked up at his three companions for counsel. "I'm not sure if she's trying to come crawling back, or what she's saying at all, really. I of course have so much respect for babes - women, I mean women - and I of course would never call them crazy, but this sounds like nonsense, right?"

"I treated her so well. I always had nice things to say to and about her. Still, she never treated me back with the same respect, you know? Always take take take, but never give. Finally, once I started to move on: whoosh, she comes crawling back. She doesn't want to let me go. I think she wants me trapped, right? After she treated me so badly, and after breaking my heart, is she finally feeling remorse? Guilt? Should I forgive her? I don't know what to do..." Silas monologued, faking a sad stammer in his voice, hoping to paint himself as a victim and gain the sympathy of those present.

"Do any of you have any advice?"

[BrumBrum]

Nikolai III in between approached Mikaela Kligenberg and Silas. He knew and recognised them both. Who didn't they were only one of the most flamboyant politicians and he had to admit they were nice kind people if a little ostentatious. In fact so kind were they that James had selected Mikaela as his families god parents.

He went over and said "Mikaela how are you ? I see you're having a jolly time. How are things going with you Kligenbergs."

Nikolai also went up to Kate and William greeting them saying "William , Kate hows good old Lizzie doing. We very much hope she and you can make our High Dukes Dinner this year."

[Inimicus]

"See now, Nestor, this is where a party such as this still brings out the politics in people. You see ol' Joe Biden there? There's no way he wants to be here. The Czechs? They complained about other people being here. Mikaela? Well, I guess wherever there's a party atmosphere she feels at home. And Rikkalek -- gosh, you've got to admire him, but there's no way he'll say anything about what he's actually done over the last few months. It's all in his head", Artabanos elaborated to Diessenar President Karaman as the guests sat down to the lavish dinner Artabanos had had arranged for them.

Although there was no formal seating arrangement, the Emperor soon wished there had been. The Spanish delegation was bunched together in the far corner of the square table, seemingly afraid to speak to their Strathaen neighbours -- although this was something Artabanos could vaguely understand. Across from them, the dozen-strong Elthic group attempted to reinvigorate their President with glasses of water, and some of his children were being entertained by Mikaela Kligenberg's phone picture collection. A sudden thought rushed through Artabanos's head, and He hoped she wasn't showing them anything from the Shadow EU group chat He, Mikaela, and the Czech President were a part of. He sat Himself and Nestor between the Czechs and the highly interesting and, above all, highly malleable Duke Nikolai.

The sun started to set across the final stretches of the Great Plains of Linnich, and the yacht would soon turn into the river Sarkaya to make its final approach to Waspik, where a dock had been arranged for their arrival. Before that, however, dinner was served. A selection of Diessenar dishes, of which Artabanos could never remember the names, appeared from the kitchens of His yacht on to the large set table. Mezzes of cod roe salad, spicy sausage, rice wrapped in grape leaves, grilled mixed vegetables, courgette fritters, falafel, and mashed aubergine preceded the main dishes. Borek filled pies, stuffed cabbage leaves, rice and vegetables cooked in stock, various dumplings with different fillings, soups and stews, and choban salad were among the meals served, although any dietary requirements made by guests were, naturally, honoured.

"So, Nikolai, you say you own really a rather massive yacht, too? How interesting. You'll have to invite Me over to show Me sometime", Artabanos said, tucking into a stuffed aubergine, "We can explore all the nooks and crannies of the whole thing together... Anyway, how are things? Bet you're busy running such and such -- although, actually, what powers does the High Duke have in the UD?"

Turning to the Czechs, whose company He had had to evade after they started questioning why some guests were allowed and others weren't, Artabanos and Karaman happily chatted about the processes involved in getting the Canal finished. "Of course", Nestor began, "I couldn't have done it without Artie here. Well, you've met Him before, haven't you, Albina? Quite the character, He is, but very decisive when He has to be, and especially when His friends are in need." For a moment, everyone involved in the conversation detected, perhaps, a hint of blushing on the Emperor's face. "Anyway, have the Czechs been involved in any lovely infrastructural projects of late? Perhaps I could come and visit them, and your country, sometime soon."

Artabanos excused Himself from the conversation immediately. He passed through one of the inside areas of the yacht, where, oddly, He witnessed Silas Kligenberg infatuated with a small piece of paper, sitting on a velvet sofa. Marching straight past the man He had just bribed, the Emperor went into a bathroom, and look at Himself in the mirror. He was not used to this. And He did not know whether He liked it or not.

In the absence of, by his own admission, a superior host, Karaman felt obliged to continue the conversation. Turning to Rikkalek, sitting nearby, he began questioning the Istkalenic leader on the merits of re-opening diplomatic ties between North Diessen and Istkalen. "Perhaps, who knows, there is room for your most religiously fervent citizens here in the Great Plains, if you'd like to export them." Strange and slightly horrified looks went across the Czech dignitaries present. Nestor still had much to learn, but he was sure the Czechs understood.

[Czech Slavia]

The President's heart nearly shattered as she watched the chess pieces fly off the table and onto the ground. Crushed, her eyes were pointed towards the pieces. However, she was soon brought back to reality when Silas proclaimed his belief that she had the upper hand. These words were enough to convince her that a glorious victory was just around the corner despite the reality of the hopelessness of her situation. "Good, next time then there won't be any natural phenomenon to save you!" she said defiantly upon being invited to Silas' yacht. "I think me and your cousin will be meeting again fairly soon to relax for a while, so perhaps I could come visit your yacht one evening when we'll start our holiday?" she asked and smiled. "Wait,.... this is my personal phone number, you know, in case you need it." she passed him a paper on which she just wrote her number, on the other side a notice to write her an SMS before calling was written.

Neither Reiserová nor Čikarová understood the message reportedly written by Josephine Areai. "Forward left, not a step back." Čiakrová responded to Silas' questions with frequently used Czech socialist slogan, "I'd say you have to move forward." she added, while Reiserová tried confronting the Bishop Secretary by putting her hand on his shoulder. Soon enough however Silas' complaining was interrupted by calls for attending the dinner. "I'll see you soon." Reiserová said before leaving him with his thoughts.

"Can you believe his luck? I had him precisely where I wanted him and suddenly the board get knocked off!" Reiserová reassured Rikkalek and Čikarová that she was just about to win.

"A real shame. You'll have to show him how it's done on his yacht." Čikarová fed the President for Life's ego.

"Yes!" Reiserová confirmed enthusiastically, despite being a bit saddened by the fact that there won't be any witnesses to the triumph she now saw as unavoidable.

"Hm, and what about you, Your Excellency, do you play any games?" Čikarová asked the Head of State of Istkalen hoping to finally escape the Czech President's newfound obsession with chess.

---

"Yes, I've had the pleasure of meeting Artie! And I must say, he contributed greatly to the improvement of Czech-Inimican relations." Reiserová responded to Karaman, before moving a bit close to him and whispering, "But you are right that he is quite the character. Tell me, does he always talk about something gory or, you know, disturbing with you too?" before returning to her position, looking at the Emperor himself and nodding with a smile.

"Well, not exactly any so ambitious infrastructure project like the canal you've opened. We have smaller infrastructure projects, but, you know, we are focused on finishing the Project Morana and we are pretty close to that." President for Life referenced the Czech nuclear weapons development programe. "But you are of course welcomed in our state! I already invited Artie and told him to take guests if he desires to. So, you know, you could come with him! Did he not tell you yet?"

Turning to High Duke Nikolai, she wondered how is he handling his responsibilities at such extremely young age. Before devolving the conversation about her film and TV projects when she was about his age.

"Sofie, could you do something for me? I don't want to seem like the bad guy you know, so if President Karaman here starts talking about something disgusting, could you please tell him to stop instead of me? Same goes for Rikkalek." the President for Life started giving out her orders. "In either case I don't want to hear it, and my friend is not looking all to well, so I'll be right back, stay strong." she added while looking at Mikaela Kligenberg who clearly drank too much, before tapping Čikarová on the shoulder and leaving her in her place to approach Mikaela and check if she is feeling alright.

Čikarová massaged her temples. She hated attending events with her and carrying out her demands. If she could she would have told the President for Life she is sick on that day to not have to go with her. But if everybody did this when they felt like not wanting to meet the Czech President, Reiserová would always attend all meetings alone. So she just sat back and listened to the conversation between the Heads of State of North Diessen and Istkalen.

[BrumBrum]

Nikolai responded to Artrabonos"We have a fairly traditional and big yacht for those moments its needed. Its good to entertain dignitaries to UD. You should visit us sometimes in your imperial capacity no politics as I know our political leaders have had differences show above all we have unity among our peoples. Things are good , been getting into the role and its meeting the people thats the important part really, being above the politics and serving all the people which is what I prefer, personally I've never been a fan of over partisanship. High Dukes sorta just a role to hold government to account make sure competant judges are on the Ducal Court and I select impartial Imperial Senators to the Imperial Senate based on their expertise and of course sometimes just banging heads together when coalition squabbles happen and basically tell them whats what. Politicians can be a pain sometimes but for the most part the current ones in power are good. I guess you could compare me to an overseer I make sure everythings going alright and just keep the peace and mediate if needed and be there as a nice figurehead for the people to unite them above politics , a side benefit is I can use my position to promote good non-partisan causes such as poverty relief or autism rights and support which is close to my heart as an autistic."

[Inquista]

Silas once again decided to study Areai's note as he seated himself on a sofa. Areai's message was confusing, yet also alluring and exhilarating. Areai often wishing that Silas never existed brought him a sense of joy and happiness, knowing that he occupied that sort of space in her mind. Since Areai was currently tucked away in rather unreachable whereabouts, Silas figured it was probably necessary to make use of Rikkalek's presence, and have Rikkalek relay his message back to her.

The Bishop Secretary pulled a black fountain pen from his suit jacket and penned a response on the back side of Areai's letter. Before Silas began writing, Emperor Artabanos came walking past him. Silas quickly lowered his head and intensely fixated his gaze on the letter, which he drew close to his face. Once Artabanos was gone, Silas quickly decided to write.

Josephine,

---

I am beyond atonement. My life has been nothing but a culmination of sickness and torment, and my soul has been rendered worthless a long time ago by the many unforgivable acts that I have committed. There is no saving me.

Instead, I must be punished. I am a monster that must be broken, and you must be the one to do it. By punishing me, you will do a great good, and you will cleanse yourself. Liberate yourself from the chains that you have described, and come find me, and come hurt me. You must wreck me, body an soul, so that you can become good again, and so that you can become whole again. If I am not ruined, then I shall ruin others. Please, you must.

Yours faithfully and entirely,

Silas

Once he finished writing his response, Silas tucked the letter back into the envelope and made his way around the yacht to where Rikkalek was seated. Silas dropped the envelope on Rikkalek's lap and knelt down beside his chair. "Please return this to her. It's of utmost importance."

Silas slung himself back up and ruffled Rikkalek's hair with his left hand, before then giving him a slight pat, as if he was a pet. The Bishop Secretary returned to the couch and then began to count the guilders that he was bribed with by Artabanos. Realising that Artabanos had not returned from the bathroom, Silas decided to get up and find him.

The Bishop Secretary walked into the bathroom to find the Inimican Emperor studying himself in a mirror. Silas announced himself so as to not disturb the Emperor too harshly.

"Artie," Silas declared. "You are too generous."

Silas waved the guilders in his hand. "You have my discretion. Glad to know that we speak the same language. Just know that I am a big fan of your work. You have no idea how much money I've been investing in companies that hinged on the success of this canal. For that, I must thank you.

I am also a big fan of your other work, although, sometimes, you are too forgiving with those who cross you. Don't be afraid to be dirty, Artie. If you ever need more loyal men to do some housekeeping, let me know.

Anyways, I wanted to speak to you in regards to that uranium you mentioned. I know that this might not be the right time or place, but it is best that we discuss it in person. I am not the paranoid type, but it is best that we keep our communication as private and minimal as possible."

Siled smirked before continuing. "As you know, our friends in Czech Slavia will be developing nuclear weapons. What's more is that it should be in your best interest that Inimicus develops more nuclear weapons as well. I am sure I can find a way to have the Archbishop give a resounding 'yes' to any request that you make to the ENAA. The future is truly nuclear, isn't it?

Expanding and opening more uranium mines in those mountains would be quite lucrative. We should make sure this opportunity is seized, shouldn't we?"

Silas then returned the guilders from his hand to Artabanos. "Consider this an early investment. I am more than happy to fund any further uranium mining projects in Inimicus. I heard the market dividends for the mining industry can be quite good, so who knows, maybe you should look into going into business there? I'll pass the information of some good investment banks your way. If you also happen to award any contracts to my Inimican friends, then remember that I am a giving philanthropist, and that the Artabanos Foundation could receive some additional financial support."

The Bishop Secretary smiled and bowed slightly, turning, ready to walk out of the bathroom, before then turning around again. "Oh, and as an aside, I wanted to let you know that the Port of Saint Dominico is a good entry point to the markets of Central Europe and the Mediterranean. It'll be more than ready to accept and help distribute as part of any supply chain if you increase export capacity in uranium, gas, or any other commodity. The port is very secure, and Kligenberg Industries controls most of it... but sometimes things slip through. Some of the workers at the port don't have very good vision, as part of an affirmative action campaign to hire the less abled, of course, and so sometimes, things that shouldn't be legally trafficked, make their way through anyway. Just something to note, I suppose."

Silas winked and exited the bathroom, prowling around the yacht to find another glass of something to drink.