RP [Day 2] IRC YE 36

"Don't confuse our position."

Coast himself had his own skepticism over the current arrangement. With the Freespacers now folded into Nepleslia politically in concurrence with this new treaty, the Premier risked turning Nepleslia's image into that of a passive-aggressive expansionist state. Where there was once a view of Nepleslia as a stalwart defender of the Freespacers, now there would be talk of the Imperium electing to incorporate the Freespacers into their Empire through this treaty, directly undermining their right to self-govern.

Let them talk.

"We've grown, and so have our responsibilities. We have not come here to incorporate the Freespacers. With this arrangement, it will fall on us to make sure that the 'Spacers are properly represented through our council. Their fate and ours is now tightly woven together, and I will not let the Imperium fail them."

Johnathan Izgimmer said:

"Everyone just ends up in our shadows, and though we'll listen to anyone under ours, we'll never know if that's the same for others"

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"We'll keep our own honor clean."

"The tokenism presented seems a bit strange to me. Were we not to let our respective charges represent themselves, it'd fall on all of us to ensure they're adequately represented. It is another form of insularity in itself," Nibbi weighed in on the issue that seemed to fall mostly with the Nepleslians and Yamataians. "On the flip side though, were they and any of our respective charges to be fully integrated with the council, there'd be too many voices to manage at once, and perhaps nothing would get accomplished despite the diverse representation."

Having covered both sides of the issue to her understanding, she settled on one: "I have to concur with Premier Coast and Senator Izgimmer. I feel as though, while it may be difficult to manage, letting the Freespacers have a say in this would be befitting of the spirit of this treaty, as I understand its intent and purpose to be."

By this logic, the Helashio would have a say too. This worked for cultivating a positive image for the Lorath because no matter how many steps they seemed to take forward with upbringing the Helashio and being upfront and honest about their position in Lorath society, they kept on getting cried afoul of slavery.

Though it always struck Nibbi as a strange accusation. Weren't the Nekovalkyrja originally slaves to those who made them? She'd only heard offhand information about 'those before', the history that far back was still strange and murky to Lorath - a concrete conclusion just not drawn to yet. It just didn't take long for the Yamataians to draw their own conclusions for the Lorath's past. Maybe not people like Yuumi, but Yamataians.

Yuumi ignored them, facing the Middlewoman instead.

"Gensou, Yuujou, and everything galactic east of this line," Yuumi said, bringing up a star map and drawing a line across a piece of space. "Your pound of flesh. Siren we'll split."

Nibbi looked at the line written on the map and her first impression of it was good. She examined it and Yuumi could see a smile appearing on her face. "This is highly generous of you and your people. I accept this and I accept your terms, Ketsurui Yuumi."

The New Tur'listan looked at her right hand and peeled the glove off of it. A bare hand for a New Tur'lista showed that there was nothing to hide, and when used amongst each other, it showed naked trust because both parties could sense eachother's intentions with a touch. "Let us handshake on it." The corners of Nibbi's face were turned up in a smile, and her hand was shaking delicately. Was it nerves or joy that made it flutter in the still air?

Yuumi wasn't sure herself. Terror? Elation? Abject wonder?

She stretched out her naked hand and shook the Middlewoman's in turn.

"For peace," she said. "For peace."

"For peace," Nibbi echoed as she accepted the handshake and they shook on it like civilised people. This is how Peace begins, then. Nibbi contemplated as she looked Yuumi in the eyes with that pleasant smile on her face still. It feels so much more... electrifying than I'd thought.

Yuumi felt a pleasant tingle creeping up her arm as the handshake happened. It wouldn't affect her thought processes or subvert the woman in the slightest, being a nekovalkyrja, but it was still a sensation that was there to be catalogued and remembered. It was Nibbi's truest signature.

When Nibbi let go and looked to Coast for further input, she wondered what the embassy and her homeworld were going to say, what their official statements would be, how the news would run with it. A moment of situational vanity made her quietly wonder if she'd done her hair right this morning.

Conference Building - Outer Hall

It had been a long evening; but sleep was found for the aged Washran eventually. Now he stood at the door, looking around to see whom had made it back - and perhaps whom had not. Slowly, however, he did make his way in and began checking on various tables for what they had.