Kingdom and Greater Imperium

[callmedelta]

Amélie Lang always felt a bit nervous looking across the Elerian border. The...'historic' forts, to put it nicely, always seemed to imply something dangerous beyond the border, but the Imperium was always this unknown. The briefing given to her by the GA hardly did much to change that fact, only giving her the basic rundown of the nation, practically reading from a children's textbook for all the information it had. The nation was a child, hardly 11 years old. They had never reached out, either diplomatically or militarily, and in return Franerre had hardly seen a reason to do the same, before today. So there Amélie found herself looking across the border.

"Ms. Lang, are you ready?" an aid asked, breaking the woman from her trance. 

"Of course," Lang answered, walking towards the plane that would take her over the border and continental territories into the Elerian island to meet with her counterpart. Soon, the ambassador and her aid took of from the military airstrip, and were flying over Elerian airspace.

[DrMedic]

As the ambassador's flight neared the island of Eleria, four fighter aircraft intercepted them, hailing them over radio. Their squad leader's message was broadcast in Commons, though he carried a heavy accent in his speech.

"IEAF Claidheamh-mor 1-1 off yae left wing. Franch target 'o interest, please identify yourself and state your business in Elerian airspace, o'er."

[callmedelta]

"This is FFAA Leon-17, Clay-da-mor," the pilot answered in commons, "We are on a diplomatic mission to Eleria and we will be flying straight to Iomairt, over."

'Father above, do all of them have that accent?' Lang thought as the Elerian's words ran through her headset.

[DrMedic]

"Aye, please standby while we contact air traffic control." He said, before going silent over the radio for a short while. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the channel he'd left the transport on.

"Alright, everything seems in order, the Imperatrix is expecting your presence. We'll have ye land at 22 left, and we're seventy-three miles out of Iomairt. Advise yae adjust bearing to 283 and begin your descent to therty-five hundred feet, over."

[callmedelta]

"Understood," the pilot said, making the necessary adjustments. Amélie let out a sigh of relief. That was the first hurdle cleared, but still many more to go before the mission would be over. Thankfully, the flight was calm the rest of the way to Iomairt. 

[DrMedic]

It was cold out, a chilly breeze blowing loose snow across the ground, the individual flakes dancing about before piling up into loose, dry snowdrifts. Yet even with the cold, there was plenty of business to be handled, and so Imperatrix Marina sat patiently at the airstrip, waiting for the arrival of her guest. She was flanked by a legion of guards, their uniforms all in perfect shape for the occasion, several holding the Imperial standard aloft. This was something entirely new to her, meeting with foreigners. Typically it would be her husband that handled such affairs if anyone, though with him occupied in Kumosenkan, there was no other candidate. It did bring her a fair bit of comfort that at least she could handle the matter at home, away from the prying eyes of the world who would no doubt be so desperate for a glimpse into the Imperium. At the very least, she felt she could rest easy knowing that she could make a good impression, though she wasn't exactly ecstatic about having an outsider enter and spread word about the nation, no doubt it would draw more attention to them. 

Eventually, an unfamiliar airplane came into sight as it broke through the low clouds, flanked by four Elerian fighters. Marina straightened her posture, making herself ready to receive the Franch ambassador, the rest of the guard silently following suit.

[callmedelta]

The pilot took the plane down carefully, though the small plane still had a rather bumpy landing on the unfamiliar airstrip. The pilot let out a sigh of relief once the plane had safely landed, his hands' shaking now ceased. That didn't bother Amélie, though, as she was too busy staring out the window to care. Franerre, especially the coast of Estiere where Lang had lived most of her life, never received snow, and the small white flakes slowly drifting around the air captivated the woman. It wasn't until her aid tapped Amélie on the shoulder that she was brought back from her trance, and by then the plane had already been taxied to where the Imperatrix and her party were waiting. As another unfortunate side effect of Amélie's lack of experience with snow, she had severely underestimated how cold it would be in Iomairt, and by the time her feet hit the runway, Lang was starting to shiver under her coat. "Ah, Imperatix," Lang said, "It is an honor to meet you."

[DrMedic]

"You as well, Miss Lang." Marina replied with a smile, her accent almost completely unnoticeable. She carefully assessed the outsider that stood before her, something seemed a bit off about her and the way she carried herself, but it quickly struck the Imperatrix. "Are you cold? You're hardly dressed for this sort of weather." 

[callmedelta]

Lang cringed a bit internally. "W-Why yes, I am a bit cold," Lang stuttered out, though she wasn't sure if it was the cold or the embarrassment causing it. "Things are hardly this c-cold on the coast of Franerre, and I thought this coat would b-be enough. P-p-perhaps we should start on our way, then? I'm sure it's warmer in the car."

[DrMedic]

"Of course, and here," she said, slipping her coat off and wrapping it around the ambassador, "you need this much more than I do." Marina beckoned Miss Lang to follow her, leading the way to the car as the column of soldiers fell in behind them. Even without her coat, Marina was fine. This was the weather she'd grown up in, and back when she was a girl, it was a very rare thing to have such warm clothing, let alone proper heating.

[callmedelta]

"I couldn't possibly..." Lang started, but her protests were soon quieted when she realized just how much warmer the coat felt around her body. "Thank you, Imperatrix," Amélie said as she walked behind Marina to the car. Once the pair were inside, Amélie tried her hand at some small talk. "Is it always this cold in Iomairt?" she asked, "If so, I will have to make sure to bring more proper clothing the next time I return, if I do."

[DrMedic]

"In winter, yes, it's usually fairly cold, but in spring it warms up and of course summers are typically rather pleasant. I'd recommend simply keeping a close eye on the seasons, and perhaps ask ahead about how the weather has been lately." She said with a bit of a stifled laugh, holding open the door to the car for Amelie. It was a nice vehicle of Eonian make, though a bit dated. Clearly it had been modified with comfort in mind, the soft interior clearly having been exceptionally well cared for with the old emblems of the Shah replaced by the newer Imperial seal. Sure enough, it was well warm inside the car, the soft chuffing of the steam engine only just audible despite the relative silence in the air.

[callmedelta]

As Amélie sat down in the car, she was shocked by just how old it was, especially when it was juxtaposed against the modern fighters that escorted them. Perhaps it was an attempt to display Eleria's grandeur? Lang had heard of people collecting old and exotic cars before, though personally she had never seen the appeal. Either way, the car was much warmer and much more comfortable than the weather outside, so she quickly returned to the conversation at hand. "My wardrobe might thank me for it, but I think that is a bit of a shame," Amélie said, staring out the window at Iomairt, "The snow looks beautiful, even if it's cold. The only places where it consistently snows in Franerre are in the Yasuhiro and Hideaki Mountains. I never saw the appeal before, though now that I see it first hand, I think it looks wonderful."

[DrMedic]

Marina stepped into the car, kicking the snow off her boots before she got the carpet dirty. His liege inside the car, the chauffeur took off towards the palace, seemingly working magic with the vehicle as it could hardly be heard even on the inside.


"Oh certainly, especially at night with little more than the dull glow of street lights to illuminate your surroundings. It's gorgeous, seeing the world blanketed in a soft coat of white, though close to the end of winter like this I often find myself eagerly awaiting the return of summer. Still, my husband does not share the same sentiment, he says he prefers winter. If I recall, it was something about it being a lot easier on the engines of those fighter planes with how well the radiators function in the cold." 

[callmedelta]

Amélie sighed. "No matter how beautiful the winter is, I think I must agree with you, as I do not think the cold will ever agree with me. Still, I think I will appreciate the winter's beauty from the inside of a warm place like this car." Amélie chuckled. "Maybe next time it is this cold, you will have to join me in Pareau or Desterque, where it's much more mild."