A Fly Caught in the Web

[Sophie]

"That might have been for the best." She paused for a moment and looked out the window to make sure the cars were following close behind them. Satisfied she turned back to the Imperator. "I've read several reports on Eleria and your rather extreme isolationism. So you can imagine how surprised I was to see your request pop up on my desk that morning. From what I read I never would have expected you to want to hold this meeting in Kumosenkan. I'm happy to see you're trusting enough to allow us the pleasure of hosting you." It would've taken a complete moron to miss how incredibly anxious Laurence was, but Kyou chose to continue to not comment on it. Though.. that might be something the Empress would be interested in knowing. "If you have any burning questions I'll do my best to answer them. We're still at least twenty five minutes from the hotel."

[DrMedic]

"I pray you do not take this the wrong way, Kyou-kas, but if I could have avoided having this meeting altogether, I certainly would have. We would much rather keep to ourselves so as not to make any enemies who would seek to enslave us once more. Nevertheless, there comes a time when keeping to oneself becomes a much greater risk than speaking with those from foreign lands, and this is one of those times..."

Laurence shut his eyes a second and breathed deep, sitting back in his chair and loosening up a bit. While he knew he would be entirely unable to relax for the duration of their journey, he also understood that looking like a deserter on the way to his execution wouldn't do much to inspire faith with the Kumo.

"...But, this is my first time in your beautiful empire, and I believe tomorrow will have plenty of time for us to speak on international politics. Please, if you don't mind, tell me a bit about Kumosenkan, my knowledge on this land is quite limited, and I do so enjoy learning something new."

[Sophie]

"I'm not surprised to hear that. Though to be blunt with you the Empress was very excited to hear that you have information for us." Kyou was consistently giving the Imperator the side-eye, taking notes of his clear and extreme anxiety. She stifled a grin and nodded to herself. "Our culture is quite a bit off from your own. To start with I'd recommend acquainting yourself with honorifics. The Kas, I had you add to the end of my name. You'll use that specific honorific with almost everyone you come into contact with here. However, with the Empress, you'll only address her with the honorific 'Kama'. Specifically, you'll call her, 'Doku-Kama'. In all other situations, you'll use someone's last name, but because the Empress's last name is Kumo she prefers you use her middle name to avoid confusion."

Taking a beat she thought up some other information for Laurence. "If you've never had it before I recommend the Katsu Curry for dinner tonight. It's our national dish. Fried meat over rice with a curry sauce. In my opinion, there's nothing better. If you are a drinker, I'd tell you to order our Rice Wine. If not then Ramune, it's a carbonated sugary drink in a glass bottle."

She would've continued talking but it was clear that the Imperator's anxiety was only rising. After a bit of an awkward pause, she spoke up again. "Excuse my bluntness Imperator, but is this the first time you've seen a Kumo in person?"

[DrMedic]

Well, now he'd gone and done it. Despite his best efforts, he'd failed to hide his mounting dread. Within his own thoughts, he kicked himself for not being better about it, no doubt this could have a negative impact on relations if he handled it poorly. Still, the question remained, should he reveal his fear or hide it? Would they look down on him for it? Surely being both a soldier and a national leader he was supposed to have an iron will and a heart of courage, much of humanity looked to him as an example in their times of need, hell, that was how he'd ended up here in the first place. If he was caught in a lie though, that could be looked at as an even greater act of cowardice, let alone the kind of frame it would put his Imperium under. No, there was little choice, the only wise option was truth, regardless of whether or not he wanted to say it. After yet another awkward pause, he closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh, before breaking the silence.

"Yes, it is indeed, and I would ask that you please forgive me for my demeanor. I feel a great sense of regret for failing to contain myself, alas, I am but a man. I do not wish to offend of course, but I am terribly afraid of spiders, and your people bear quite a resemblance to them, though you Kumo are much... bigger. Admittedly I had expected a more reptilian people, not unlike those to the north, I'd even prepared myself to face someone more vulpine, but I could not have prepared myself for this. I only pray you will not think less of Eleria for my fault."

Laurence sighed to himself, he felt a sense of relief getting that off his chest, as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders, yet he was still anxious how his hosts would feel about this new revelation. Moira on the other hand, he knew how she would react. Sure enough as he turned to his right to sneak a glance at her, she smirked at him and chuckled a bit before addressing him in Tìreil. 

{You do realize that's probably the stupidest thing I've heard come from your mouth since that one time at Seamus's after the Battle of-}

{Yes, thank you Lieutenant, you don't need to remind me of my drunken mistake. Might I remind you that you didn't exactly hold your tongue either.} He fired back, rolling his eyes at her. It was clear Tavish had been rubbing off on her a bit, but he didn't think that such a zealot would have followed in the veteran's footsteps so quickly.

[Sophie]

Kyou stifled a laugh. "You know you're not exactly the first diplomat we've dealt with that has arachnophobia. You should know we don't just look like spiders, but we share an ancestor with them. At least that's what they teach the kids in biology." This time, she allowed herself a short laugh. She hoped it'd cut through some of the awkwardness. "We try not to look down on those with arachnophobia as it is annoyingly common amongst foreigners. It's only to be expected from a nation such as yours."

Before she could continue the convoy came to a halt. "It would seem we've arrived Imperator." The driver quickly hopped out of the car and opened the door for Kyou allowing her out to stretch her legs. The Hotel was large, wooden, and quite ornate with all the signatures of Kumosenkan architecture. 

The hotel was decently busy, the lounge had a handful of teenage Kumo wearing their absolute best. Which mostly consisted of Yukata. As all the Elerians and their assigned guard piled out of the cars a male human pushing a dolly approached the motorcade. Kyou smiled at Laurence. "It's been a pleasure Laurence-Kama. Though I'm afraid I have other obligations for the night. If you have any concerns, needs, or wants please address Sergeant Nakano Akiko. She'll be more than happy to take care of you." She pointed out one of the larger Kumo who had ridden in the car with him. She had the body of a generic wolf spider, and long white hair pinned into a neat bun. She bowed upon being addressed. "This man will take your baggage. Your meeting with the Empress is at one pm sharp. I don't need to tell you not to be late. Enjoy your night."

[DrMedic]

Laurence and his squadron gave the Emissary a bow. He was a bit taken aback, he had not expected such understanding from a foreigner, especially a demi-human. He'd expected to either be met with cold silence or told off about his phobia, but a simple laugh and reassurance? Still, he was glad to be through with the journey, at least now he wouldn't make a further embarrassment of himself.

"Thank you, Kyou-kas. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated, and the pleasure is all mine. Have an excellent night, you have been quite a remarkable hostess for us, I will not forget that."

With that, the group retired to the hotel for the night, taking the opportunity to relax and unwind a bit. Laurence even managed to ease up a fair bit throughout the course of the evening, slowly growing more comfortable amongst the Kumo that surrounded him. Eventually though, the time for rest came. There was much to be done the following day, and handling such matters without being well rested would be foolish.

[Sophie]

Kyou smiled and watched as the squadron disappeared inside the hotel. She dropped her smile the moment they were out of sight and climbed back inside the car. "Palermo-Kas, take me to the Kumo Palace immediately." The man started the car, "Of course Kyou-Kama." The car ride was silent, and despite the below-freezing temperatures outside Kyou had cranked up the car's air conditioner. They drove a few miles out of the city and finally arrived at the outer gate of the palace. A guard, armed with a semi-automatic rifle and whose outfit signified the absolute highest of the Kumosenkan guard, approached the window of the car and Kyou rolled it down and handed out her ID badge. The guard looked at it, and then at Kyou. He handed back the ID and went back to the post to open the gate for her. Another short drive and Kyou finally arrived at the Palace. The palace was a massive wood, concrete, and tile collection of buildings with gold used liberally as an accent. The roofs were covered in thick snow, as was the ground. The snow perfectly outlined the guards' patrol patterns.

She left the car and walked up to the massive entrance door. It seemed to open automatically before her, but of course, she knew it was the Empress's army of maids. She took a few steps in and was quickly greeted by the Empress herself. Reitō was wearing what she would call a casual night Yukata, but it cost more than the average Kumosenkan citizen made in a year. Kyou bowed deeply "You honor me with your presence Doku-Kama."

The Empress frowned and waited for her maids to close the door and disperse before responding. "Doku-Kama, really Ninomae? In my own home?"

"Do you not want to keep up appearances in front of your servants, Reitō?" Kyou looked up to meet the Empress's gaze and smiled.

Reitō shook her head. "They wouldn't say anything." She laughed briefly. "Come inside. I'll have Haru-kas bring us Mirin."

"Thank you Reitō. That sounds lovely. Could you have her bring us something to eat as well? I haven't eaten since lunch. I was waiting for that damned squadron for three hours." Kyou complained. "Then I had to sit next to a complete sweaty mess for half an hour. I felt like he was going to melt into a puddle at any moment. If only I had shown him my fangs." Kyou laughed to herself for a few seconds, following Reitō deeper into the palace arriving at a small room with a table for two low to the ground and two cushions for them to sit on.

Reitō sat on one of the cushions and took the bottle that was waiting on the table and poured them both a small glass of her gourmet rice wine. "A mess you say? I would love to hear more of our esteemed guest." She took a careful sip out of her glass and stretched out her legs across the floor before curling them back in.

"A mess is putting it kindly. You'd expect the leader of a nation who has fought in a war to be able to hold it together for a short car ride next to a race you haven't met before." She took a sip of her wine before continuing. "He openly admitted to his arachnophobia. It should be quite easy for you to put pressure on him."

Before Reitō could answer a maid wearing a rather extravagant maid's outfit walked in. "Please excuse me ma'ams. I am Chihiro Komiya and I will be serving you tonight. It is my honor to serve the both of you." She bowed deeply. "If there is anything you'd like to order, there is no dish too extravagant for me."

Reitō looked to Kyou who in turn spoke up. "I'm in the mood for something a bit trashy. I would like fried Omurice stuffed with shredded Gaelian tuna."

"And you're highness?" The maid asked Reitō.

"Just a small plate of curry over rice." She answered decisively. This was her usual midnight snack food. The maid bowed again and left the room. "Well, as easy as it would seem to be to put pressure on the Imperator I'll only do so if I find it necessary." She finished off her glass of wine and grinned at Kyou. "And of course to have some fun. Actually, I have a perfect idea that should strike fear straight into his heart, and make sure he's telling us the truth." The Empress shared her plan with her closest friend and soon after they shared a meal together as provided by the Empress's maid. Though their meeting came to a close soon after and the Empress returned to her bedroom for the night. Kyou herself stayed in the palace, sleeping in one of the many guest rooms within the palace proper.

After the night passed the Empress was promptly brought to the Capitol meeting to begin her work. She had much to do before the meeting with the Imperator, including preparing the meeting room to her liking. She ensured that all the cushions, both on the ground and on the chairs were made of Kumonian silk. The room featured several paintings of her and her late husband as well as other high ranking Kumo. She smiled quite large at the chandelier that was currently being hung by silk produced from her own body. "It's perfect."

[DrMedic]

The next morning, Laurence and the rest of the squadron woke up bright and early, doing all they could to make ready for the day. They were representing the entirety of Eleria after all, and Laurence had made sure that each one of them knew the importance of the meeting could not be overstated. Still, with all their preparation, an air of anxiety radiated off the Imperator and spread through the group like wildfire. Many of them were quiet, simply doing their duties as assigned and making ready for the big meeting, but Moira took the opportunity to pull Tavish aside and into the hallway.

"What the hell are we still doing here Tav? He can't handle this, he's gonna be a nervous wreck once he gets in there up close and personal with their Empress. Shouldn't we be flying back home and sending the Imperatrix to negotiate instead?"

"Larry'll work it out, bairn's been through tougher stuff before. Hell, yae were there for yer fair share of it lass. Just like when he's flying, he'll slip up here or there, always does, but he'll pull through in the end. No need to get your knickers in a twist over it. If 'e don't, well, failin' means yer playin', right?" He replied, feeling quite confident in his prediction.

"Don't think I doubt the Imperator, but I believe there could be better ways about this, don't you agree?"

"Yae think so? Why don't you go ask him yourself then?"

"You think me disloyal enough to doubt Laurence? Let alone openly express my doubt right to his face, have you been drinking Tavish?" She asked, giving him a look of utter confusion.

"Yae just openly talked aboot yer doubt right then, didn't yae? Yer off yer head lassie, besides, yae know he'd listen if yae just talked to 'im about it. Maybe he wouldn't agree, but he'd give ya the time'a day enuff t' hear yer thoughts..."

Laurence and the remainder of the squadron stepped out of their rooms and into the hall, the Imperator raising an eyebrow at the pair. 

"Captain, Lieutenant, is something wrong?"

Tavish simply gave Moira a look, but she held her tongue. With a sigh, Laurence silently started down the hall and led the way out the building. He already had enough on his mind, squabbles between other pilots were the least of his concern.

[Sophie]

Kyou was patiently waiting outside by a single car. She hadn't been waiting long as she arrived on time and the guards were escorting Laurence to the Car. She frowned openly upon seeing that his entire group was with him. "Good morning Laurence-Kama. I hope you slept well. Before we get moving I should inform you that the Empress has requested that you only bring one other person to this meeting. Is that alright?"

[DrMedic]

Laurence seemed a bit uncomfortable at the prospect of venturing into this alone, but deep down he knew that noncompliance was a surefire way to anger the Empress Reito. After all, his hosts had treated him and his squadron quite well thus far, and so with a heavy sigh, he relented. "Yes, of course. Moira, come with me."

She turned back and gave a glance to Tavish, who simply responded with a smile and a wink. With a silent nod to Laurence, she stood at his side, ready to make way for the palace.

[Sophie]

The trio climbed into the car and the driver immediately began driving them to the capitol building. The drive from the hotel to the building was a much shorter one than the drive to the hotel from the airport, so there wasn't much time for small talk. Kyou gave Laurence a quick reminder of how to address the Empress and stepped out of the car. The capitol building was rather ornate, but still had the distinct features of an office building. Kyou quickly lead them inside from the parking garage and through security. With Kyou's ID, they were able to pass through very easily. Not long after they were standing before the door in which they would meet the Empress. "Please wait here, I'll let Doku-kama know that you're ready." Kyou quickly disappeared into the room.

After a single minute, the Empress emerged from the door. Her pink hair was tied off into her standard side ponytail. She was wearing a mostly black yukata with a white floral pattern in the middle as well as a velvet strap tied into a bow on her back. The yukata highlighted her mostly white exoskeleton and even more so the red spikes extending from her body. She smiled at Laurence and bowed deeply. "You must be Imperator Laurence. I am Empress Reitō Doku Kumo. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Please follow me, we have the meeting room all set up." She turned and walked back into the room she had just exited. Kyou was already seated at the table, and the room was exactly as described previously.

[DrMedic]

Meeting the Empress for the first time, the first thing Laurence noticed about her was her great stature. She easily dwarfed him in size, let alone poor Moira. He returned her bow, steeling himself whilst his face wasn't visible to those around him. He knew this was going to be a long meeting, but for his people, he'd make sure to see it all through personally. Rising out of his bow, his eyes were drawn to the large red spikes that adorned her form. Concealing a wince, he issued his reply in surprisingly normal tone given the circumstances.

"Of course, Doku-kama, and I assure you the pleasure is all mine. Also, I wish to express my gratitude for the hospitality you have shown me and my squadron. We are quite grateful and... frankly impressed, we did not expect to be treated so well." He said as he followed the Empress into the room. 

Entering the room, the Imperator's eyes widened a bit. The fabrics within were unlike any he'd seen before, and the silk had a luster like polished silver. Everything was very ornately decorated, so much so it came as a bit of a shock to him. He had not seen such fabrics, especially not within Eleria. Of course silk was quite common at home, but this was something quite clearly different. Still, he couldn't put his finger on exactly what the material was, but evidently it was quite strong, given how easily it held the chandelier in place above their heads.

[Sophie]

The Empress was somewhat surprised at Laurence's composure. From what she had been told she was expecting her mere presence to degrade him to a sweaty mess. "I am thrilled to hear that you have been treated so well, Imperator. From what I understand you are bringing us a gift, and you are our guest here so as long as you are in Kumosenkan I promise you will be treated well. Please have a seat." The Empress gestured to one of the chairs clearly made for human use. She sat directly opposite of him, next to Kyou. "What you have for me must be quite serious. Eleria has been closed off to us since it's formation. This is a meeting I didn't even have a contingency plan for." Reitō stared at the Imperator expectantly.

[DrMedic]

"Indeed, and I would ask that you please forgive me for my insistence on isolation. With our recent history, our focus has been almost entirely internal. There are a great many things within the Imperium that require my attention, and frankly, it's much easier to avoid unwanted attention when you aren't drawing everyone's eyes through diplomacy. Of course, I would not have reached out to you directly were it not for the great importance of the information I have to share, but of course, I did not simply come here to act as an informant. My goal is to act as a sort of arbiter between Kumosenkan, Takpoe, and the Greatferns within Elenria. The Greatferns have come to me seeking my assistance in fighting back against you and the other factions within Elenria, and whilst I would be lying if I said I had not considered it, I have no intention of jumping into a conflict headfirst before I know what's on the table and pursue every option that doesn't involve bombing cities and infrastructure. I'd much rather we not have to throw lives away when words can help assuage grievances. Thus, I ask you, what is your perspective on the Greatferns? Furthermore, what is your intent with Elenria?" 

His words were smooth and cold. Despite the spider people surrounding him, he was managing quite well, well enough to even cause Moira to raise an eyebrow. Unlike the day before, now he'd had the opportunity to prepare himself, and he was not about to let himself slip out of a silly fear, especially given how well the Kumo had treated him so far. He owed them the respect of maintaining his composure at the absolute least, and he would do all he could to show them his best side, they deserved it, after all.

[Sophie]

Reitō nodded and smiled. "I understand the isolation quite well. We ourselves were quite isolated ourselves until the fifth staol war. So many countries working together towards a common goal proved to me that aligning ourselves with others is possible, and that trust in others can be built. I'm not sure if you've heard of the Aegis Pact. It's an alliance I started with Kumosenkan's old enemies, Ulster-Gaelia, as well as our friends to the northeast Amali. If you told my mother I built an alliance with them, she'd have a heart attack."

Before the Empress could continue there was a knock at the door. Kyou went to answer it but soon returned with a woman in a medical coat wheeling in a small cart. "I apologize for the interruption your highness, but there was no other time we could fit this in. A prisoner is to be executed first thing tomorrow morning, so we need a dose of your neurotoxin." Kyou turned to the imperator with a genuinely apologetic expression and mouthed the words 'I'm sorry!' before returning to her seat.

The Empress frowned at the doctor but shrugged. "Well you're already here, we might as well get this done." Reitō opened her mouth wide, exposing both of her fangs. The doctor used one of her hands to prop open Reitō's lip and took a syringe off of the cart. She placed the needle of the syringe carefully into Reitō's right fang and slowly extracted a viscous yellow liquid into the body of the syringe. She removed the syringe and used it to insert the venom into a small vial. "Thank you Doku-kama. That will be all." As quickly as the woman arrived, she left.

Reitō rubbed her finger against her fang. "No matter how many times they do that I'll never get used to it. I genuinely apologize for the interruption Imperator. You wouldn't believe how busy my schedule gets these days. Where was I..." She laughed and waved it off. "Right, I believe it was quite wise of you to come to me rather than dealing with the greatferns. Doing so would have been seen as an act of war. The greatferns are terrorists. Regardless of how legitimate they may have made their plight seem I promise you they are monsters. They frequently attack and even bomb civilian installations. Several innocent lives have been lost to them. As far as all of Elenria is concerned. Elenria is a prefecture of Kumosenkan, just as much as Korishiro is. My intent is to protect the people under my care, and deal with the radical terrorists threatening them." The Empress answered firmly, staring straight into the eyes of Laurence.