Soban
Convention Veteran
- RP Date
- YE 44.3
- RP Location
- Pices Station
YE 44.3
International Relations Conference
Pisces Station
Anslen smiled and shook hands with the last of the guests at the reception. He left the room feeling tired, but accomplished. As a senator, the IRC was vital to Yamatai’s and Essia’s ambitions on the larger galactic stage. He made his way to the suite that was hosting him and a few family members. It was made of several rooms with a sitting room in the middle and a large overlook onto a park in the huge space station. The park was in a simulated night, but lights provided illumination for them to look at. Sitting in the sitting room was one family member he rarely got to see, Iriss. “Glad you could make it.” He said with a wide grin.
Iriss looked up as Aslen entered the sitting room. Her lips curled upwards at the sight of one of the kindest people she’d ever had the chance to meet. “I’m glad to, ” she said as she moved off the seat and slithered her way to her father. “I’m glad I got the time off to see you at work, being a diplomat too, though admittedly I am excited to see how the future comes from this too. “ She said after a hug before moving back to the table, where she’d set up some drinks. “I got you ssomething to drink. I figured you’d need something, but I wasn’t ssure if you’d got a drink already.”
Anslen took a drink and lounged onto the couch comfortably. “Thank you, I appreciate your forethought. Come sit, tell me what you’ve been doing. I must confess that with the negotiations with the Hidden Sun Clan I haven’t had much time for more enjoyable things.”
Iriss moved onto the couch beside him as he thanked her for her forethought. She nodded her head, s she had caught a glimpse of the negotiations. “I was able to watch as Negotiations happened in the audience ssection, I was sso proud. to ssee you at work. ” She said as she allowed herself to rest back. Aslen might have noticed that since the last he checked, she wasn’t pronouncing her, S’s as much though there were still some words she still did. She’d been taking special classes, and it was slow going. “It also seemed that I wasn’t the only one with family on the diplomatic sside. As for work, it’s been going well, Before I got lave, and ssomeone to replace me, I was doing 7 pm to 6 am shifts at one of the Galactic Horizon’s Warehousess. Thuss far, I’ve had no trouble, at least from Pirates, or the anti-government Neshaten civilians. As for me, things have been fine, I do of course make sure to get enough ssleep, if not my roommate will get on my case about it.” She finished with a chuckle.
“The IRC is gametime, but a lot of it is show too. And people talking in back rooms as well. How are the Neshaten treating you? Your very different from them and they are famously xenophobic. Have you been able to make friends?” Anslen asked, trying to focus on her and her life rather than the larger societal and political implications of making friends.
As Iriss listened to Aslen talking, she learned that the Senator thought that the IRC is gametime, and that a lot of it was show. Though it seemed that people were talking in back rooms. That seemed to be about normal. She smiled again as he turned his attention to her. “Indeed, they are xenophobic, but I have made friends, my Roommate for example, is a friend, in fact, my first friend there. She’s a member of the Neshaten. A Daur, I believe, when I haven’t been working she has taken me on a tour, and has made sure that I stay away from the more unsafe areas, where the civilians were the most Xenophobic. But she’s tried to expose me to the culture, rather the good parts of it, and I got to sample their food and drink. Thanks to her, I have also met others of her species and made new friends who were like-minded as she was.”
Anslen nodded, letting the stress of the IRC fade away as he listened intently to his daughter rather than some self interested politician. “Excellent, it sounds like you have made a good friend. Tell me more about her, how did you meet? What is she like?”
Iriss nodded her head as Aslen commented about how she’d made a good new friend. Aslen was correct in his assessment. “She had posted a roommate wanted ad one of which was ssent to the main headquarters. Ssince I was assigned to the warehouse nearby, I found her contact info and spoke to her. She was amenable to one of us being her roommate, and we met there. She iss a nice girl, very polite with a bubbly personality, and she is kind too. Whenever I awaken for my shift, she has food ready for me sso I don’t need to take time to cook or create something to eat.” She said before she remembered something and took out a volumetric device, before a picture of a Daur, with red hair appeared. “Thiss iss her” The Daur was shown smiling and waving at the person seemingly taking the picture.
Anslen took the picture, looking at it with a thoughtful smile before handing it back. “I remember when I was a young journeyman blacksmith, your aunt would always find reasons to hang around the smithy. Occasionally, she would bring me some fruit. I was young and fairly oblivious to this, until one day I’m sunning on the rocks with some friends of mine. Lucian, good man, he ran the second factory I ever built, asked me if I was going to ask her out because if I wasn’t he was. This was the first time I had ever thought of something like that. However, Thalia and I went on our first date before the sun set.”
Iriss listened as Anslen told her a story of his youth, and as she did so, her lips curled up into that of a grin and she couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of him being oblivious. Though as she thought of it, she found the story to be familiar, which was when she realized Thalia had mentioned a story like it. She recalled that it was a story she told to get Iriss to meet Separa’shan males to talk to and to hopefully form a relationship with.
She smiled and as Aslen finished, she started speaking. “Aunt Thalia told me a ssimilar sstory, but from her point of view before the Kuvexians came. She found you very attractive, and she was impressed with your skills in the blacksmith. She loved watching you, but your right, she did have to find reasonss. When her name changed from Sanssinia to Volontany wass the happiesst day of her life. I got the ssense that it frustrated her that she needed to have reasons, but I might be wrong. I’m glad that in the end that you two went on your date.”
“As am I, we have brought each other much happiness in life. When you find people who make you happy like that, like Lucian, like Thalia, keep them close. I made both of them my partners in different ways. Lucian was a business partner, we butted heads I don’t know how many times, but our friendship was deeper than money could buy. You can rent people with money, but true friendship has no price, and the highest one, time and effort. You can never get back a day that has passed, but you can make back the gold you lost. Thalia, our romance has waxed and waned, but we made a commitment to stay together through it all. A commitment that both her and I have honored our entire lives. She completes me, and I complete her.” Anslen explained. “But enough of an old man reminiscing about his life, what have you found yourself to enjoy doing?”
Iriss nodded in agreement at the vice advice to keep those that make her happy close. She thought about whom in her life had that effect on her. Of course, she found that one of those people was right in front of him. Aslen spoke of his partner in business, Lucian, and Thalia, his partner with family, and how things were with both of them. She was surprised that Aslen and Lucian butted heads, but pleased that their friendship was going strong, the same with Thalia. She didn’t know why he was talking about him, but she did get to thinking.
“Well, after the fight on Essia, I wass advised by a priestess, that I should do something, something that would be a ssort of outlet to deal with the violence, and when I ssaw Naga’shun’s workshop with all those statuess, I began to get interested in pottery. I found it calming, and enjoyable of course therapeutic to throw pottery, but mostly the failed ones. I mean, it’s not like KS would appear if I did anyway and it would be a waste. I enjoy it because I need to focus. If not, it would collapse on itself when I get the table to turn. Violence is part of my job, as security, but creation is enjoyable. Of course, it’s different from Blacksmithing, obviously”
Anslen nodded, “A difference in type, but not in kind. Of course, when I was a young smith, it was a job, as was pottery making. You could make quite a bit of gold for a well made and beautiful pot. The world was changing, even before Yamatai arrived. I took advantage of that, building my factories. There was a lot of resistance to the changes when Yamatai arrived. I must admit, I was one of them. Then…” Anslen took a breath, and his shoulders collapsed a bit in sadness and regret. “Well, after one of your older sisters died, I had to understand the world she was so enamored by. So I left myself. I set up business deals, but my real quest was to understand. One thing led to another, and here I am. An old man, at least by the standards I grew up with. However, I still find time to go to a forge from time to time to make something. That reminds me, I have something for you…” He stood up and went into the other room and returned with a box that he handed to her.
Whatever was in the box was heavy, “While your name means ‘rainbow’ in our language, you also share a similar sounding name with a flower. I don’t know what the intent of your name means, but I thought this might be appropriate.”
When Iriss opened the box, inside was a steel and gold iris flower. It had some flaws and imperfections from being handmade, but it was still clearly the work of a master who had put time and effort into making it. Each of the petals was carefully gilded so that the gold mimicked the coloration of the flower. “The steel is for strength, the gold is for beauty, both of which you have in abundance.” Anslen explained.
Iriss listened as Aslen spoke of pottery and a bit of his past once more. She did learn that she could get a lot of gold for a well-made and beautiful pot, which gave her ideas, that if she needed to retire from security jobs she could do pottery. She thought she’d need to do some research on how much is a gold compared to Yamatai KS.
Iriss had frowned as she learned of one of her older sisters dying, it made her sad to know that she couldn’t meet her. But it seemed that her elder sister was open to change, that Aslen was eventually able to be too. Iriss continued to listen as he spoke of leaving Essia himself, setting up business deals, and how his real quest was to understand. Iriss smiled, as she went on a similar quest. Once she left the pirates she’d returned to Essia, to learn about her species, her people, and by extension who she was.
She blinked in surprise when he mentioned he had something for her, and she watched as he left the room, but soon returned with a box. Her hands moved one underneath his own, the other to the side. She saw that it was heavy., so she tried to be extra careful as she set the box down and then glanced at him as he spoke before she opened it. Her eyes widened as she saw it before her.
Yes, she was able to see some flaws and imperfections, but she also saw beauty too. “It's beautiful!” She said and immediately she hugged Aslen “I’m honored and grateful for the gift,” She said and once he was finished with the hug she sat back again. “As for my name... I chose it when I was on the trip to meet you the first time. my creatorss called me ssomething else that was vulgar in translation so I looked at a book of names, and Iriss was the name I’d always come back to, and thankss to my sspeech pattern, I got a unique version of it.”
Anslen hugged her back, a slightly wistful smile on his face. “I’m glad you like it, I hope in the long times that we spend apart, it will remind you of me. I would also appreciate a bit of your pottery, to remind me of you.”
Iriss smiled back at him and nodded her head “Certainly, I’ll be sure to send you my next one.” She said, while making a mental note to make sure that she have a lot of focus, and to make her best one yet for him. She had a feeling that it had been he who made the flower she now had beside her. “Indeed, it shall, though I do think of you often, and how proud I am, that you're helping our Empire gain allies.”
“I’m proud of you as well, you are discovering who you are. Know that no matter who you become, no matter how we might fight, I will always love you as my daughter.” Anslen said told her.
Iriss smiled as she couldn’t help but feel that Aslen rose in the rank of her opinion of him. He was a good man, and she hoped that the two never fight, or at least never resort to violence. “I love you too, as my father. I’m forever grateful for how you welcomed me and treated me kindly’ she said and once more she hugged him.
Anslen hugged her in return, the two embracing for a long moment before returning to the couch. “It was a lesson that I had to learn the hard way. One of your older sisters, her name was Sacre. Sacre Volontany. We were more alike than we were different. She was headstrong, certain of herself even before her ascension. She was a dreamer, seeing the best in everything, naive in a way. Including the best in what everyone felt were invaders, Yamatai. We fought about everything, and I should have learned to accept her finding her own way in life. Learned how to not try and force how I thought she should live her life on her. We got into a cycle, we would fight usually over something stupid in retrospect. She would run away, and eventually come back for the cycle to start over again. Then one day, I don’t even remember what the fight was about, she ran away and didn’t come back. We later found out that she took a transport offworld. The transport never arrived. According to the report of the ship that found the wreckage, the pirates killed them probably so that they couldn’t identify them to the authorities. We’ll never really know. But I didn’t ever tell her that I loved her enough, even though I really did. I didn’t accept her for who she was. I don’t want to make those mistakes again.” Anslen explained sadly.
Iriss enjoyed the embrace, something she hadn’t exactly received with her creators. It was also something she hadn’t received as much from Argus either, her other father. So she hugged and embraced as long as Aslen wanted with no desire to let go until it almost got awkward. But let go she had, so that she can return to the couch to lounge.
Aslen mentioned that love was a lesson he’d learned the hard way. He spoke of her older sister, Sacre Volotany, and he spoke of their relationship. When he spoke of invaders, it wasn’t Yamatai he thought of but rather Kuvexians and their allies. She’d been used to a world under the control of Yamatai, but Kuvexians tried to take it away. Of course, Kuvexia found that the world wasn’t so easily kept by the invading aliens. Iriss listened as Aslen spoke of Sacre, and she could tell how sad it made him. She wished there was something she could do. She hoped that Sacre was alive and that maybe she could send feelers out to find her.
International Relations Conference
Pisces Station
Anslen smiled and shook hands with the last of the guests at the reception. He left the room feeling tired, but accomplished. As a senator, the IRC was vital to Yamatai’s and Essia’s ambitions on the larger galactic stage. He made his way to the suite that was hosting him and a few family members. It was made of several rooms with a sitting room in the middle and a large overlook onto a park in the huge space station. The park was in a simulated night, but lights provided illumination for them to look at. Sitting in the sitting room was one family member he rarely got to see, Iriss. “Glad you could make it.” He said with a wide grin.
Iriss looked up as Aslen entered the sitting room. Her lips curled upwards at the sight of one of the kindest people she’d ever had the chance to meet. “I’m glad to, ” she said as she moved off the seat and slithered her way to her father. “I’m glad I got the time off to see you at work, being a diplomat too, though admittedly I am excited to see how the future comes from this too. “ She said after a hug before moving back to the table, where she’d set up some drinks. “I got you ssomething to drink. I figured you’d need something, but I wasn’t ssure if you’d got a drink already.”
Anslen took a drink and lounged onto the couch comfortably. “Thank you, I appreciate your forethought. Come sit, tell me what you’ve been doing. I must confess that with the negotiations with the Hidden Sun Clan I haven’t had much time for more enjoyable things.”
Iriss moved onto the couch beside him as he thanked her for her forethought. She nodded her head, s she had caught a glimpse of the negotiations. “I was able to watch as Negotiations happened in the audience ssection, I was sso proud. to ssee you at work. ” She said as she allowed herself to rest back. Aslen might have noticed that since the last he checked, she wasn’t pronouncing her, S’s as much though there were still some words she still did. She’d been taking special classes, and it was slow going. “It also seemed that I wasn’t the only one with family on the diplomatic sside. As for work, it’s been going well, Before I got lave, and ssomeone to replace me, I was doing 7 pm to 6 am shifts at one of the Galactic Horizon’s Warehousess. Thuss far, I’ve had no trouble, at least from Pirates, or the anti-government Neshaten civilians. As for me, things have been fine, I do of course make sure to get enough ssleep, if not my roommate will get on my case about it.” She finished with a chuckle.
“The IRC is gametime, but a lot of it is show too. And people talking in back rooms as well. How are the Neshaten treating you? Your very different from them and they are famously xenophobic. Have you been able to make friends?” Anslen asked, trying to focus on her and her life rather than the larger societal and political implications of making friends.
As Iriss listened to Aslen talking, she learned that the Senator thought that the IRC is gametime, and that a lot of it was show. Though it seemed that people were talking in back rooms. That seemed to be about normal. She smiled again as he turned his attention to her. “Indeed, they are xenophobic, but I have made friends, my Roommate for example, is a friend, in fact, my first friend there. She’s a member of the Neshaten. A Daur, I believe, when I haven’t been working she has taken me on a tour, and has made sure that I stay away from the more unsafe areas, where the civilians were the most Xenophobic. But she’s tried to expose me to the culture, rather the good parts of it, and I got to sample their food and drink. Thanks to her, I have also met others of her species and made new friends who were like-minded as she was.”
Anslen nodded, letting the stress of the IRC fade away as he listened intently to his daughter rather than some self interested politician. “Excellent, it sounds like you have made a good friend. Tell me more about her, how did you meet? What is she like?”
Iriss nodded her head as Aslen commented about how she’d made a good new friend. Aslen was correct in his assessment. “She had posted a roommate wanted ad one of which was ssent to the main headquarters. Ssince I was assigned to the warehouse nearby, I found her contact info and spoke to her. She was amenable to one of us being her roommate, and we met there. She iss a nice girl, very polite with a bubbly personality, and she is kind too. Whenever I awaken for my shift, she has food ready for me sso I don’t need to take time to cook or create something to eat.” She said before she remembered something and took out a volumetric device, before a picture of a Daur, with red hair appeared. “Thiss iss her” The Daur was shown smiling and waving at the person seemingly taking the picture.
Anslen took the picture, looking at it with a thoughtful smile before handing it back. “I remember when I was a young journeyman blacksmith, your aunt would always find reasons to hang around the smithy. Occasionally, she would bring me some fruit. I was young and fairly oblivious to this, until one day I’m sunning on the rocks with some friends of mine. Lucian, good man, he ran the second factory I ever built, asked me if I was going to ask her out because if I wasn’t he was. This was the first time I had ever thought of something like that. However, Thalia and I went on our first date before the sun set.”
Iriss listened as Anslen told her a story of his youth, and as she did so, her lips curled up into that of a grin and she couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of him being oblivious. Though as she thought of it, she found the story to be familiar, which was when she realized Thalia had mentioned a story like it. She recalled that it was a story she told to get Iriss to meet Separa’shan males to talk to and to hopefully form a relationship with.
She smiled and as Aslen finished, she started speaking. “Aunt Thalia told me a ssimilar sstory, but from her point of view before the Kuvexians came. She found you very attractive, and she was impressed with your skills in the blacksmith. She loved watching you, but your right, she did have to find reasonss. When her name changed from Sanssinia to Volontany wass the happiesst day of her life. I got the ssense that it frustrated her that she needed to have reasons, but I might be wrong. I’m glad that in the end that you two went on your date.”
“As am I, we have brought each other much happiness in life. When you find people who make you happy like that, like Lucian, like Thalia, keep them close. I made both of them my partners in different ways. Lucian was a business partner, we butted heads I don’t know how many times, but our friendship was deeper than money could buy. You can rent people with money, but true friendship has no price, and the highest one, time and effort. You can never get back a day that has passed, but you can make back the gold you lost. Thalia, our romance has waxed and waned, but we made a commitment to stay together through it all. A commitment that both her and I have honored our entire lives. She completes me, and I complete her.” Anslen explained. “But enough of an old man reminiscing about his life, what have you found yourself to enjoy doing?”
Iriss nodded in agreement at the vice advice to keep those that make her happy close. She thought about whom in her life had that effect on her. Of course, she found that one of those people was right in front of him. Aslen spoke of his partner in business, Lucian, and Thalia, his partner with family, and how things were with both of them. She was surprised that Aslen and Lucian butted heads, but pleased that their friendship was going strong, the same with Thalia. She didn’t know why he was talking about him, but she did get to thinking.
“Well, after the fight on Essia, I wass advised by a priestess, that I should do something, something that would be a ssort of outlet to deal with the violence, and when I ssaw Naga’shun’s workshop with all those statuess, I began to get interested in pottery. I found it calming, and enjoyable of course therapeutic to throw pottery, but mostly the failed ones. I mean, it’s not like KS would appear if I did anyway and it would be a waste. I enjoy it because I need to focus. If not, it would collapse on itself when I get the table to turn. Violence is part of my job, as security, but creation is enjoyable. Of course, it’s different from Blacksmithing, obviously”
Anslen nodded, “A difference in type, but not in kind. Of course, when I was a young smith, it was a job, as was pottery making. You could make quite a bit of gold for a well made and beautiful pot. The world was changing, even before Yamatai arrived. I took advantage of that, building my factories. There was a lot of resistance to the changes when Yamatai arrived. I must admit, I was one of them. Then…” Anslen took a breath, and his shoulders collapsed a bit in sadness and regret. “Well, after one of your older sisters died, I had to understand the world she was so enamored by. So I left myself. I set up business deals, but my real quest was to understand. One thing led to another, and here I am. An old man, at least by the standards I grew up with. However, I still find time to go to a forge from time to time to make something. That reminds me, I have something for you…” He stood up and went into the other room and returned with a box that he handed to her.
Whatever was in the box was heavy, “While your name means ‘rainbow’ in our language, you also share a similar sounding name with a flower. I don’t know what the intent of your name means, but I thought this might be appropriate.”
When Iriss opened the box, inside was a steel and gold iris flower. It had some flaws and imperfections from being handmade, but it was still clearly the work of a master who had put time and effort into making it. Each of the petals was carefully gilded so that the gold mimicked the coloration of the flower. “The steel is for strength, the gold is for beauty, both of which you have in abundance.” Anslen explained.
Iriss listened as Aslen spoke of pottery and a bit of his past once more. She did learn that she could get a lot of gold for a well-made and beautiful pot, which gave her ideas, that if she needed to retire from security jobs she could do pottery. She thought she’d need to do some research on how much is a gold compared to Yamatai KS.
Iriss had frowned as she learned of one of her older sisters dying, it made her sad to know that she couldn’t meet her. But it seemed that her elder sister was open to change, that Aslen was eventually able to be too. Iriss continued to listen as he spoke of leaving Essia himself, setting up business deals, and how his real quest was to understand. Iriss smiled, as she went on a similar quest. Once she left the pirates she’d returned to Essia, to learn about her species, her people, and by extension who she was.
She blinked in surprise when he mentioned he had something for her, and she watched as he left the room, but soon returned with a box. Her hands moved one underneath his own, the other to the side. She saw that it was heavy., so she tried to be extra careful as she set the box down and then glanced at him as he spoke before she opened it. Her eyes widened as she saw it before her.
Yes, she was able to see some flaws and imperfections, but she also saw beauty too. “It's beautiful!” She said and immediately she hugged Aslen “I’m honored and grateful for the gift,” She said and once he was finished with the hug she sat back again. “As for my name... I chose it when I was on the trip to meet you the first time. my creatorss called me ssomething else that was vulgar in translation so I looked at a book of names, and Iriss was the name I’d always come back to, and thankss to my sspeech pattern, I got a unique version of it.”
Anslen hugged her back, a slightly wistful smile on his face. “I’m glad you like it, I hope in the long times that we spend apart, it will remind you of me. I would also appreciate a bit of your pottery, to remind me of you.”
Iriss smiled back at him and nodded her head “Certainly, I’ll be sure to send you my next one.” She said, while making a mental note to make sure that she have a lot of focus, and to make her best one yet for him. She had a feeling that it had been he who made the flower she now had beside her. “Indeed, it shall, though I do think of you often, and how proud I am, that you're helping our Empire gain allies.”
“I’m proud of you as well, you are discovering who you are. Know that no matter who you become, no matter how we might fight, I will always love you as my daughter.” Anslen said told her.
Iriss smiled as she couldn’t help but feel that Aslen rose in the rank of her opinion of him. He was a good man, and she hoped that the two never fight, or at least never resort to violence. “I love you too, as my father. I’m forever grateful for how you welcomed me and treated me kindly’ she said and once more she hugged him.
Anslen hugged her in return, the two embracing for a long moment before returning to the couch. “It was a lesson that I had to learn the hard way. One of your older sisters, her name was Sacre. Sacre Volontany. We were more alike than we were different. She was headstrong, certain of herself even before her ascension. She was a dreamer, seeing the best in everything, naive in a way. Including the best in what everyone felt were invaders, Yamatai. We fought about everything, and I should have learned to accept her finding her own way in life. Learned how to not try and force how I thought she should live her life on her. We got into a cycle, we would fight usually over something stupid in retrospect. She would run away, and eventually come back for the cycle to start over again. Then one day, I don’t even remember what the fight was about, she ran away and didn’t come back. We later found out that she took a transport offworld. The transport never arrived. According to the report of the ship that found the wreckage, the pirates killed them probably so that they couldn’t identify them to the authorities. We’ll never really know. But I didn’t ever tell her that I loved her enough, even though I really did. I didn’t accept her for who she was. I don’t want to make those mistakes again.” Anslen explained sadly.
Iriss enjoyed the embrace, something she hadn’t exactly received with her creators. It was also something she hadn’t received as much from Argus either, her other father. So she hugged and embraced as long as Aslen wanted with no desire to let go until it almost got awkward. But let go she had, so that she can return to the couch to lounge.
Aslen mentioned that love was a lesson he’d learned the hard way. He spoke of her older sister, Sacre Volotany, and he spoke of their relationship. When he spoke of invaders, it wasn’t Yamatai he thought of but rather Kuvexians and their allies. She’d been used to a world under the control of Yamatai, but Kuvexians tried to take it away. Of course, Kuvexia found that the world wasn’t so easily kept by the invading aliens. Iriss listened as Aslen spoke of Sacre, and she could tell how sad it made him. She wished there was something she could do. She hoped that Sacre was alive and that maybe she could send feelers out to find her.
