((So... yeah.. I was a bad person and didn't save this log as we went along. Then towards the end... I blew a breaker and lost stuff. BUT luckily, Magnus had joined the JP and was able to retain the logs from when he oocly joined the room. So we have a summary before the RP!))
Ayana had gone back to her room on the Heion to go over some paperwork and brood a bit about how badly her day had ended up being.
Tio stopped by to inform her that she was in fact, going to be the one representing Yamatai in the conference because Katsuko had confidence in her and her previous experience working with the SMX and Nepleslia.
Ayana remarked that the day was a beginning of a bad season for her and Tio decided to take the moment to attempt to soothe the frazzled Senator's nerves with a kiss.
BUT she pulled away from Tio and offered him some scotch in an attempt to redirect the conversation back towards business...
"Straight" he said, sitting down in the chair. "We definitely need to move the conversation away from Uesu. My goal at minimum is to get an Armistice drafted between us and the SMX."
Ayana nodded as she poured the scotch from the decanter into the empty glass. "What about Nepleslia? I think once we get the others to vote in, the extradition proposal will pass. Hanako hasn't made a rebuttal since my last statement on the matter. I'm still curious as to why the SMX are fighting us... or what Melisson means by surrendering being different than submitting."
"We need to focus on more neutral issues for tomorrow. If we can build a good foundation using that it will make handling the more difficult topics easier. I think we have been clear what is within our capabilities on the issue of Uesu." He leaned back in the chair, slouching a little to get comfortable. "I hope she meant surrendering in the same way I did...I am all for reforms away from the old ways."
"Right, I'm almost at a loss what would be neutral though, most of us are emotionally invested in the war somehow. And trade agreements and peace treaties won't occur until some of the more pointed issues and concerns are addressed. I might just be too wrapped up in today's drama to see it though, I was kind of hoping the scotch would help uncloud my vision." Ayana said with another sigh as she sat down in her chair behind the desk, running her fingers along the top rim of the glass.
"We are not going to change their minds, I believe it was addressed. We can move onto trade, etc with the Nepleslians. But I would hold an armistice with the SMX to be our primary goal...we need the fighting to stop." Tio said, taking a sip of scotch. He watched Ayana, watching how she moved, and the changes in her eyes as they moved from topic to topic. She had him captivated to say the least, yet he stayed in his chair.
"We do. I don't believe that an armistice has ever occurred in our nation's history. But what we saw in Melisson's territory is a good example of the notion that the SMX forces are mostly children that have been living and breathing nothing but war and hate. I don't know how we could give them any other direction or purpose in life without giving them something more meaningful than another battle to fight," Ayana said thoughtfully again as she looked up at Tio again, having recovered some of her composure again. She lifted the glass up to her lips with both of her hands for a moment before setting her left own down on the table again. "What are their goals really? She was very vague and Hanako-Taisa interrupted her before she could give me another cryptic answer. It's something unrelated to why they hate us, so much."
Tio sighed, setting down his scotch on the table beside his chair. "Somehow I feel that lies within more of the skeletons in our closet...There seems to be a lot of them."
Creighton waved off a few personnel with him as he approached the Senator's quarters. He felt drained and the work that just kept coming. Rubbing his tired features for a moment, the Yamataian attempted to regain some composure. With that Creighton stepped up to Ayana's doorway and made his presence known, keying the door chime. "Senator, it's Creighton. May I come in?"
"Yes, you may, Mr. Marks," Ayana chimed pleasantly. It's not locked, please just us." She looked from the door to Tio. "Quite possibly. It's hard to get a straight answer out of Melisson, it almost seems like she wants us to figure it out on our own."
Tio stood up, greeting Creighton. "Good evening. I thought you fell victim to some eatery on Pisces." he smiled and pointed to the chair he had been sitting in. "By all means, have my chair. I have sat long enough." he grabbed his scotch and moved to standing beside Ayana.
The young man stepped through the threshold and was greeted by the sight of both Ayana and Tio. Pleasantly surprised Creighton bowed slightly to the two diplomats. "I took the better part of valor and I ate on board. May not be the best but at least I knew who went in instead of what." He joked back to Tio. "I do hope I am not interrupting anything important?" He asked casually trying to gauge the situation. Moving into the room Creighton hesitated at the chair and waited for a response.
Ayana coughed, like she had almost gagged when Tio was suddenly next to her again. She covered her mouth, as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. "Excuse me, that went down the wrong way. Motoyoshi-sama, have my chair it'd be impolite of me to make you stand. Mr. Marks, interest you in a little scotch."
Tio's eyes widened slightly, he awkwardly said "It is okay, I have been sitting all day at the summit." He couldn’t figure out, if she really gagged on the scotch, or if he had done something to repulse her.
"Ah, well thank you Senator. A little would be fine, I am still on duty." Creighton bowed his head slightly. Stepping around to the front of the seat, Creighton sat cautiously on the edge. "I don't want to intrude for long. I just wanted to gather assessments of the situation." He folded his hands around each other and looked to the two. "And prepare for the events tomorrow."
Ayana looked up at Tio curiously, "Are you sure?" She looked at Creighton with a polite nod as she leaned over and retrieved another glass from the desk drawer, "Do you take it straight or on the rocks?" As she moved, the thin fabric of her dress fell slightly forward as the shoulder strap slid halfway down her left arm. It seemed that she hadn't noticed this yet.
Tio nodded, watching as her dress strap slipped, he moved behind her gently sliding it back up and into place. He talked to Creighton, as if nothing was happening. "So, how are you getting into the summit tomorrow? I can only take one back in…"
Creighton watched the interaction on slightly, sending any thoughts off to the back of his mind to be considered later. "I'll most likely be dealing with security outside. I thought of more interesting alternatives, but it seems I'll have to be content interviewing those that I can afterwards." Creighton replied, he didn't mention his previous idea of bugging the room and listening in from another location.
Ayana looked a little surprised at Tio's touch but didn't flinch as she set the glass on the desk and removed the stopper from the decanter again, "Mr. Marks, say when." She seemed content enough to play hostess for a little while as she slowly started pouring Creighton's glass of scotch.
Creighton eyes focused on the glass for a time. Watching the bronzed liquid coat the boat of the glass. As the level dipped slightly above a finger's width Creighton spoke, "That should be plenty, Senator. You have my thanks for this." He nodded appreciatively. "What about you. Tomorrow is going to be a full day, I would hope you are prepared?" Creighton asked Ayana before looking to Tio. He began to hope they were ready for the new rigors of the conference.
Tio was still thinking about the Conference. "Creighton, why not wear your Shroud Suit? It should be able to get around the basic sensors setup inside the room. I would feel more comfortable with you there."
Ayana stopped as she was asked and carefully set the decanter down on the desk again replacing the stopper before taking the glass to Creighton. "Here you are, Mr. Marks." She smiled warmly. "I've been trying to simulate some of the older aging techniques, it's hard to mimic the actual 12 year aging artificially though."
"I would hope I made you feel at ease. If not I would not be doing my duty." Creighton responded to Tio. He carefully turned over the ideas of the shroud suit in his head. It's capabilities were still new to the former ship pilot. "If that is one of your desires I can accomplish that with ease. I can with certainty say that I would feel more at ease this way." Creighton nodded to Ayana as she handed him the glass. Smell the smoky odor the Yamataian smiled warmly. "I will say nothing beats genuine aging. Our wine is one of the few left that does it. If you truly need to speed up the aging a specialized cask needs to be made." Creighton began to ramble, his mind drifting to him estate back on Yamatai.
Ayana nodded, "I have to see about getting some new ones made when things settle down." She smiled again as she turned again and walked back to her seat behind the desk, she as slightly more mindful of how the fabric of the thin dress moved around her this time. The senator seemed visibly more relaxed now as she took her own glass in her hands again. "I wish it didn't feel like we were being rushed through this. But yes, I think I am as prepared as I can be for tomorrow before a little bit of rest and a snack, Mr. Marks. How do you feel about the whole situation. I can't imagine Taisho Yui's threat made you feel very warm and fuzzy inside."
"Any of the threats at the conference must be taken with grains of salt." Creighton mused. He agreed with the Ayana completely about the rushed feel to all this. "Yui, Melisson, Davis. They all command a degree of respect, but they act at times. A show if you will." Creighton sipped at the scotch. He felt it immediately, a good sensation of burning warmth in his mouth and throat. "They cannot afford to make mistakes and signs of weakness. Poor wine is easily removed. Speaking of which, I was not aware you enjoyed the trade. Brewing I mean." Creighton continued, waving off the topic at hand.
Ayana nodded again, "I was originally created as a slave neko to do farm work. We got bored and many times experimented with making different types of moonshine. I just kept with it after I worked my way up into management. I'm a 'little of this and a dash of that' type of brewer. I can't wrap my head around the more complex chemical equations, so it's partially why I feel so intimidated being here. I'm a long way from the fields I grew up working on." She traced the rim of her scotch glass again with one of her hands.
Creighton chuckled as Ayana finished. "But being in the fields and experimenting is where it happens; it is necessary. It's funny, my uncle was the same way. He preferred to call wine making an art form, something science was to have little place in. He took only a few workshops on the side and away he went." Creighton cradled his fingers around the small glass, swirling the liquid about and eyeing its movement. "Needless to say the first few years were less than stellar. But after 38 years I believe he has the hang of it. I learned most of what I know from him."
Ayana chuckled before taking a sip of her scotch. "It's a fun past time. Do you happen to collect foreign liquors? I'm not sure how I feel about the Lorath's tendency to spike their wine with different drugs.. I think it is almost blasphemy." She grinned. "After all, a good wine is supposed to make you feel calm or happy or calm you down. And the mood you present it is supposed to be the aphrodisiac."
"I see... Wine is indeed a unique specimen in the world of drinks. It acts in many ways. A drink for the sophisticated." Creighton smiled as he took another short sip of the scotch. "The Lorath's techniques are, unique to put it simply. I would hardly call it wine after they are finished with it. Anyway, no I don't collect much in the way of foreign liquors. Being on ships have prevented much of that. But I do indulge when give the opportunity." Pausing for a moment, he considered an idea that crossed his thoughts. "You and Tio should visit my estate sometime. It is in a quiet spot of Yamatai, quite a distance from any well-known towns. I can show you the vineyards there."
"I would love that, actually," Ayana smiled brightly again. "I don't get to see many vineyards outside of the one's I supervise whenever I get to be home, that is. What types of wine do you grow for?"
"It's a unique blend, my uncle happened upon it years ago. Mixing seeds and luck." Creighton started, staring down into his glass as he tried to recall the taste and familiarity. "A few tasters have claimed it to be a Bordeaux, while others have called it a Cabernet."
"That does sound like an intriguing blend, I definitely would love to have a bottle. I like to get two bottles of any unique liquors and wines I come across. One to drink and one to keep," Ayana leaned forward against the desk with a warm smile. "Sometimes, even the most disagreeable wine might get better one it gets a chance to breathe for a few days. I wish people were the same way."
"I agree. Once opened up and allowed to air its imperfections away, the wine seems to take on a bolder, better flavor." Creighton replied. He felt the same words could be used to respond to people as well. "But don't worry. I would stake my reputation on this blend. It has served my family well. But enough about that wine, you mentioned you manage more than one distillery? That must be quite the business."
Ayana had gone back to her room on the Heion to go over some paperwork and brood a bit about how badly her day had ended up being.
Tio stopped by to inform her that she was in fact, going to be the one representing Yamatai in the conference because Katsuko had confidence in her and her previous experience working with the SMX and Nepleslia.
Ayana remarked that the day was a beginning of a bad season for her and Tio decided to take the moment to attempt to soothe the frazzled Senator's nerves with a kiss.
BUT she pulled away from Tio and offered him some scotch in an attempt to redirect the conversation back towards business...
"Straight" he said, sitting down in the chair. "We definitely need to move the conversation away from Uesu. My goal at minimum is to get an Armistice drafted between us and the SMX."
Ayana nodded as she poured the scotch from the decanter into the empty glass. "What about Nepleslia? I think once we get the others to vote in, the extradition proposal will pass. Hanako hasn't made a rebuttal since my last statement on the matter. I'm still curious as to why the SMX are fighting us... or what Melisson means by surrendering being different than submitting."
"We need to focus on more neutral issues for tomorrow. If we can build a good foundation using that it will make handling the more difficult topics easier. I think we have been clear what is within our capabilities on the issue of Uesu." He leaned back in the chair, slouching a little to get comfortable. "I hope she meant surrendering in the same way I did...I am all for reforms away from the old ways."
"Right, I'm almost at a loss what would be neutral though, most of us are emotionally invested in the war somehow. And trade agreements and peace treaties won't occur until some of the more pointed issues and concerns are addressed. I might just be too wrapped up in today's drama to see it though, I was kind of hoping the scotch would help uncloud my vision." Ayana said with another sigh as she sat down in her chair behind the desk, running her fingers along the top rim of the glass.
"We are not going to change their minds, I believe it was addressed. We can move onto trade, etc with the Nepleslians. But I would hold an armistice with the SMX to be our primary goal...we need the fighting to stop." Tio said, taking a sip of scotch. He watched Ayana, watching how she moved, and the changes in her eyes as they moved from topic to topic. She had him captivated to say the least, yet he stayed in his chair.
"We do. I don't believe that an armistice has ever occurred in our nation's history. But what we saw in Melisson's territory is a good example of the notion that the SMX forces are mostly children that have been living and breathing nothing but war and hate. I don't know how we could give them any other direction or purpose in life without giving them something more meaningful than another battle to fight," Ayana said thoughtfully again as she looked up at Tio again, having recovered some of her composure again. She lifted the glass up to her lips with both of her hands for a moment before setting her left own down on the table again. "What are their goals really? She was very vague and Hanako-Taisa interrupted her before she could give me another cryptic answer. It's something unrelated to why they hate us, so much."
Tio sighed, setting down his scotch on the table beside his chair. "Somehow I feel that lies within more of the skeletons in our closet...There seems to be a lot of them."
Creighton waved off a few personnel with him as he approached the Senator's quarters. He felt drained and the work that just kept coming. Rubbing his tired features for a moment, the Yamataian attempted to regain some composure. With that Creighton stepped up to Ayana's doorway and made his presence known, keying the door chime. "Senator, it's Creighton. May I come in?"
"Yes, you may, Mr. Marks," Ayana chimed pleasantly. It's not locked, please just us." She looked from the door to Tio. "Quite possibly. It's hard to get a straight answer out of Melisson, it almost seems like she wants us to figure it out on our own."
Tio stood up, greeting Creighton. "Good evening. I thought you fell victim to some eatery on Pisces." he smiled and pointed to the chair he had been sitting in. "By all means, have my chair. I have sat long enough." he grabbed his scotch and moved to standing beside Ayana.
The young man stepped through the threshold and was greeted by the sight of both Ayana and Tio. Pleasantly surprised Creighton bowed slightly to the two diplomats. "I took the better part of valor and I ate on board. May not be the best but at least I knew who went in instead of what." He joked back to Tio. "I do hope I am not interrupting anything important?" He asked casually trying to gauge the situation. Moving into the room Creighton hesitated at the chair and waited for a response.
Ayana coughed, like she had almost gagged when Tio was suddenly next to her again. She covered her mouth, as a light blush appeared on her cheeks. "Excuse me, that went down the wrong way. Motoyoshi-sama, have my chair it'd be impolite of me to make you stand. Mr. Marks, interest you in a little scotch."
Tio's eyes widened slightly, he awkwardly said "It is okay, I have been sitting all day at the summit." He couldn’t figure out, if she really gagged on the scotch, or if he had done something to repulse her.
"Ah, well thank you Senator. A little would be fine, I am still on duty." Creighton bowed his head slightly. Stepping around to the front of the seat, Creighton sat cautiously on the edge. "I don't want to intrude for long. I just wanted to gather assessments of the situation." He folded his hands around each other and looked to the two. "And prepare for the events tomorrow."
Ayana looked up at Tio curiously, "Are you sure?" She looked at Creighton with a polite nod as she leaned over and retrieved another glass from the desk drawer, "Do you take it straight or on the rocks?" As she moved, the thin fabric of her dress fell slightly forward as the shoulder strap slid halfway down her left arm. It seemed that she hadn't noticed this yet.
Tio nodded, watching as her dress strap slipped, he moved behind her gently sliding it back up and into place. He talked to Creighton, as if nothing was happening. "So, how are you getting into the summit tomorrow? I can only take one back in…"
Creighton watched the interaction on slightly, sending any thoughts off to the back of his mind to be considered later. "I'll most likely be dealing with security outside. I thought of more interesting alternatives, but it seems I'll have to be content interviewing those that I can afterwards." Creighton replied, he didn't mention his previous idea of bugging the room and listening in from another location.
Ayana looked a little surprised at Tio's touch but didn't flinch as she set the glass on the desk and removed the stopper from the decanter again, "Mr. Marks, say when." She seemed content enough to play hostess for a little while as she slowly started pouring Creighton's glass of scotch.
Creighton eyes focused on the glass for a time. Watching the bronzed liquid coat the boat of the glass. As the level dipped slightly above a finger's width Creighton spoke, "That should be plenty, Senator. You have my thanks for this." He nodded appreciatively. "What about you. Tomorrow is going to be a full day, I would hope you are prepared?" Creighton asked Ayana before looking to Tio. He began to hope they were ready for the new rigors of the conference.
Tio was still thinking about the Conference. "Creighton, why not wear your Shroud Suit? It should be able to get around the basic sensors setup inside the room. I would feel more comfortable with you there."
Ayana stopped as she was asked and carefully set the decanter down on the desk again replacing the stopper before taking the glass to Creighton. "Here you are, Mr. Marks." She smiled warmly. "I've been trying to simulate some of the older aging techniques, it's hard to mimic the actual 12 year aging artificially though."
"I would hope I made you feel at ease. If not I would not be doing my duty." Creighton responded to Tio. He carefully turned over the ideas of the shroud suit in his head. It's capabilities were still new to the former ship pilot. "If that is one of your desires I can accomplish that with ease. I can with certainty say that I would feel more at ease this way." Creighton nodded to Ayana as she handed him the glass. Smell the smoky odor the Yamataian smiled warmly. "I will say nothing beats genuine aging. Our wine is one of the few left that does it. If you truly need to speed up the aging a specialized cask needs to be made." Creighton began to ramble, his mind drifting to him estate back on Yamatai.
Ayana nodded, "I have to see about getting some new ones made when things settle down." She smiled again as she turned again and walked back to her seat behind the desk, she as slightly more mindful of how the fabric of the thin dress moved around her this time. The senator seemed visibly more relaxed now as she took her own glass in her hands again. "I wish it didn't feel like we were being rushed through this. But yes, I think I am as prepared as I can be for tomorrow before a little bit of rest and a snack, Mr. Marks. How do you feel about the whole situation. I can't imagine Taisho Yui's threat made you feel very warm and fuzzy inside."
"Any of the threats at the conference must be taken with grains of salt." Creighton mused. He agreed with the Ayana completely about the rushed feel to all this. "Yui, Melisson, Davis. They all command a degree of respect, but they act at times. A show if you will." Creighton sipped at the scotch. He felt it immediately, a good sensation of burning warmth in his mouth and throat. "They cannot afford to make mistakes and signs of weakness. Poor wine is easily removed. Speaking of which, I was not aware you enjoyed the trade. Brewing I mean." Creighton continued, waving off the topic at hand.
Ayana nodded again, "I was originally created as a slave neko to do farm work. We got bored and many times experimented with making different types of moonshine. I just kept with it after I worked my way up into management. I'm a 'little of this and a dash of that' type of brewer. I can't wrap my head around the more complex chemical equations, so it's partially why I feel so intimidated being here. I'm a long way from the fields I grew up working on." She traced the rim of her scotch glass again with one of her hands.
Creighton chuckled as Ayana finished. "But being in the fields and experimenting is where it happens; it is necessary. It's funny, my uncle was the same way. He preferred to call wine making an art form, something science was to have little place in. He took only a few workshops on the side and away he went." Creighton cradled his fingers around the small glass, swirling the liquid about and eyeing its movement. "Needless to say the first few years were less than stellar. But after 38 years I believe he has the hang of it. I learned most of what I know from him."
Ayana chuckled before taking a sip of her scotch. "It's a fun past time. Do you happen to collect foreign liquors? I'm not sure how I feel about the Lorath's tendency to spike their wine with different drugs.. I think it is almost blasphemy." She grinned. "After all, a good wine is supposed to make you feel calm or happy or calm you down. And the mood you present it is supposed to be the aphrodisiac."
"I see... Wine is indeed a unique specimen in the world of drinks. It acts in many ways. A drink for the sophisticated." Creighton smiled as he took another short sip of the scotch. "The Lorath's techniques are, unique to put it simply. I would hardly call it wine after they are finished with it. Anyway, no I don't collect much in the way of foreign liquors. Being on ships have prevented much of that. But I do indulge when give the opportunity." Pausing for a moment, he considered an idea that crossed his thoughts. "You and Tio should visit my estate sometime. It is in a quiet spot of Yamatai, quite a distance from any well-known towns. I can show you the vineyards there."
"I would love that, actually," Ayana smiled brightly again. "I don't get to see many vineyards outside of the one's I supervise whenever I get to be home, that is. What types of wine do you grow for?"
"It's a unique blend, my uncle happened upon it years ago. Mixing seeds and luck." Creighton started, staring down into his glass as he tried to recall the taste and familiarity. "A few tasters have claimed it to be a Bordeaux, while others have called it a Cabernet."
"That does sound like an intriguing blend, I definitely would love to have a bottle. I like to get two bottles of any unique liquors and wines I come across. One to drink and one to keep," Ayana leaned forward against the desk with a warm smile. "Sometimes, even the most disagreeable wine might get better one it gets a chance to breathe for a few days. I wish people were the same way."
"I agree. Once opened up and allowed to air its imperfections away, the wine seems to take on a bolder, better flavor." Creighton replied. He felt the same words could be used to respond to people as well. "But don't worry. I would stake my reputation on this blend. It has served my family well. But enough about that wine, you mentioned you manage more than one distillery? That must be quite the business."
