There are 3 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. [DL-J] Combining Negotiations and Confusion!
From: "Sandy Brown" <Shinju_01@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
2. [DL-N] Hot Sands and Desperation
From: Bianca Payne <biancaknox@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
3. [DL-J] The Emperor's Plan
From: Kristen <aubidar@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 10:59:22 -0600
From: "Sandy Brown" <Shinju_01@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-J] Combining Negotiations and Confusion!
/snip from Arlene's post/
Corwin stood and cleared his throat. "That is
an...interesting...proposal," he said. "And now, I call upon Sarilyn,
Lunath's rider, to present Jasra Warren's own opening statement."
/end snip/
/snip from Andrew's post/
She heard Corwin's voice as he introduced Sarilyn to the assembly, and
with
determination continued her forward progress, slow as it may be.
Finally,
she stopped just outside the conference room and looked at the doorknob
for
a moment. Gathering her strength, she reached down with her good right
hand
and slowly opened the door, then as quietly as an injured person in
dented
and scored metal armor could, she stepped into the room, standing a
good 10
feet behind Corwin's back, making eye contact with Tanami as Sarilyn
walked
forward to address the Baron.
Drip. Drip. The sounds of blood dripping from Hsina's hand were all
but
drowned out as Sarilyn cleared her throat and began to speak.
/end snip/
Tanami's eyes widened at the sight of Hsina standing in the doorway,
and her
first thought was to bring the queenrider's presence to Corwin's
attention.
But she decided that her Wingleader's attention was needed to support
Sarilyn, and Hsina, despite her obvious determination, appeared to be
having
trouble just supporting herself. She quietly slipped out of her chair,
just
behind Corwin, and hurried over to the doorway. "Hsina, you should not
be
here!" she whispered urgently, in a voice low enough that she prayed to
Ythfaru that Corwin wouldn't overhear. "The healers..."
Hsina just gave her a stern look and shook her head, making a motion
with
her uninjured hand that told the Wingsecond that her duty for the
moment
would involve standing by Hsina and waiting until the Queenrider chose
to
reveal herself. To help, she shifted herself so that she was standing
between Hsina and the Imperial delegation. What little court
experience she
had told her that if Hsina had wanted her presence to be immediately
known,
she'd have announced herself at once. And so, the two of them waited
for
the moment.
Sarilyn immediately recognized the Baron's opening proposal as being
complely
unacceptable, and quite possibly a test of her understanding of what
she'd
been up,
literally all night, learning about protocal. Smiling, she rose from
her
seat, and offered the respectful gesture she'd learned that was given
before speaking.
Then, she gave her opening remarks, standing tall but not appearing
*too* proud of what she was about to embark upon for her Warren and her
friends. Her voice carried clearly in the room, but was tempered with
respect,
"We of Jasra Warren welcome the Emperial delegation, and hope that
through
these talks; with open minds, as well as open hearts, and in the spirit
of
friendship and mutual understanding...as well as compromise, that all
of our peoples will leave with respect and honor shared among both
sides.
And, we hope, we shall leave as new friends."
Then, still smiling, she replied to the proposal that had just been
made, "An interesting proposal to be sure. And here is Jasra's counter
proposal."
Locking eyes with the Baron, she said evenly, "Your Empire, no matter
the boundaries, becomes a complete and total protectorate of Jasra
Warren.
All of your troops, any and all fighting forces, retainers and retinues
will fall under the commands of our various Wingleaders, and of course,
owe
full allegience to Jasra's Warrenlady, Tara."
Sitting, she said, "We now welcome discussion on this point." She'd
made up the entire thing, off the cuff, after hearing the Baron's
'proposal',
and decided to show him just what she was made of.
***Meanwhile....at the water's edge...***
<Hello there!> Khamorray said to Lunath, as he came up on the bright
blue dragon lounging on the beach above the surf line. <It's sort of
quiet
here this morning, isn't it?>
<I suppose,> she admitted, "but my rider is involved in something very
important and I am helping her out. What are you doing?>
<Nothing, really,> Khamorray said, settling himself down onto the sand
nearby. <I was thinking of going out hunting. Do you like fish?>
<I prefer meat,> she said, looking curiously at him. <I don't know
what fish taste like.>
<I can show you,> he told her, standing up again. <Come on and stand
in the surf, and I will toss you some!> And with that, he scampered
into
the
surf, diving in and disappearing under the surface as soon as the water
became deep enough. Lunath followed for a ways, stopping when she was
about
knee deep in the surf. Just then, a large fish came flying out of the
water
in her direction.
<I'll toss them to you!> Khamorray called out from underwater.
<Catch!> And even as he said that last word, a second fish flew out of
the
water,
arcing through the air after the first.
Lunath blinked, losing her train of thought for a bit, sending images
of flying fish to Sarilyn even as she ducked one coming at her head.
< Not so fast! > came the reply, verbally yelped by Sarilyn even as she
tried not to lose it in a gigglefit over the flying fish. Lunath
gobbled one down, and crooned, <Flying fish, delicious! >
Sarilyn sent a mental glare, but it was tinged with chuckles, {{
Lunath! I'm trying to concentrate here! Flying fish? Are they good? }}
*** Inside.. ***
Sarilyn tried to keep the flush from spreading over her face, and
really tried to block out the thoughts and images from Lunath, but that
was
nigh on impossible, especially getting the occasional totally
unexpected
remark
in her mind.
< Delicious! Do you need to cook them? >
"Yes, cooked fish are wonderful!," Sari inadvertently yelped. She
fought the flush she felt rising to her cheeks, and smiled, covering
nicely.
"I
was thinking out loud, one of my favorite recipes. I was going to
invite
you to dinner, since it is getting a bit late. Exchanging cultural
knowledge
does not always stop at treaties and negotiations. Food often beings
people
closer, and to be honest, I would love to try some of your favorites."
Baron Kiriisha stood up with an angry glower on his face as he regarded
Sarilyn. "Did you come here to mock the Empire, young dragonrider? If
so, we do not see the humor in it. Perhaps we can continue these
negotiations
at another time, when you are prepared to discuss these matters in a
more
mature and dignified manner." He raised his arm, and the other Kataani
delegates stood up - all except the Emperor, who sat perfectly still,
as though watching the performance of a play. Which was, perhaps,
exactly
his intent.
Sarilyn stood, and still with that totally charming smile on her face,
replied softly, "We return in kind what is presented to us, Baron.
Reasonable offers will be met with reasonable replies. You spoke of the
Empire's neighbors - do any of these neighbors still exist as
independent nations? It was our understanding here that the Empire
ruled
the
entire known undersea realm."
The Baron scowled. "To enumerate the list here would take too long.
We can supply you with a written accounting." He knew very well that
no
other
independent states had existed on the Imperial borders in centuries, so
he would delay producing any such documents as long as possible.
"We can play at this game for the entire duration of these
negotiations," Sarilyn continued, "or we can actually get down to some
serious work
for the betterment of both our peoples' futures."
Baron Kiriisha half-turned so that he could gauge the Emperor's
expression, but his face was unreadable. In the doorway, he saw
Princess
Kiyomi,
who had apparently come late and was waiting for a moment to enter
unobtrusively. The Baron turned again to face Sarilyn.
"Before making such proposals, you should perhaps be aware of some
basic facts," the Baron told her. "The Empire has a population of more
than
twenty million, occupying several hundreds of thousands of square miles
beneath the sea. You have seen the army that lies offshore...know that
this
is but
one of several at our disposal."
Sari listened closely, the images of flying fish banished from her
mind..until...
*** Outside... ***
Hearing Lunath's mental shout, Khamorray stopped tossing fish and a
moment later his head broke the surface. He was, of course, still
holding a
fish in his mouth, which he proceeded to swallow. <So, how do you like
the
fish?> he inquired.
<Very tasty, just coming a bit fast,> Lunath told him. <Do you eat them
that fast yourself?>
<Only small fish like these,> Khamorray said. <Just one bigger one -
like a good-sized tuna - would pretty much fill me up. Do you want to
see
some of the bigger fish? There are some not far away...>
<Well, I'm not sure,> Lunath began.
<Oh, and there are some very pretty, brightly-colored fish in the
shallower waters,> Khamorray continued, as though he were conducting a
tour.
He
ducked his head under the water. <Yep, some right over there, by those
clumps of seaweed.>
<I don't see them...> she said, peering down at the water.
<Ooh, come on, they're moving, lets catch up to them!> Khamorray said
excitedly, bounding right over Lunath and half-dunking her in the
process.
<Ooh, look, there they go!> Khamorray called excited, sticking his head
up above the surface. <What are you waiting for?>
Lunath let out a startled trumpet, then looked for all the world like a
fountain as she shot a stream of water towards Khamorray. She moved
nearer, then ducked under, looking at the really brightly colored
specimens.
< Oh look, that one is blue, like me! > Lunath was prancing around,
when she *could* prance, just like a little hatchling discovering new
things. <
Why did I never see these before, I wonder? > Then she wriggled,
mentally
giggling, < Probably because I never thought to look? >
Eating fish turned to chasing fish, as Lunath darted all over, just
having fun watching the brightly colored fish speeding all over trying
to
get
away. < I wonder if this is what 'herding cats' is like? >
*** Inside... ***
Sari sat down abruptly, concentrating intently on her lap for a few
moments, and biting her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.
'Herding
cats?!'
Honestly!
Rellik immediately spotted a fallacy in Baron Kiriisha's facts...or, at
least, a concealed bluff. He quickly addressed Leviathan, asking him
to pass her a message through Lunath. *She needs to ask the Baron if
he
has any statistics on how many divisions are in reserve at any given
time,
and not deployed to defend the Empire's borders and undersea trade
routes.
Baron Kiriisha may not know the answer - and if he is pressed to
inquire, he may learn that the army here represents the full reserve
plus
divisions
taken from other duties. If he does not know this, and then has to
admit it, she will have the advantage...for a time."
Sarilyn managed to get her mind, and face, under control, and asked as
if she knew the answers already, "Baron, if you please, a question.
Would
you pass along the statistics on how many divisions you have in reserve
at
any one time, those not deployed to defend your Empire's borders and
trade
routes, of course. We would like to know exactly what we are dealing
with if we should ever need to assist you. It simply must be similar
to
herding cats." What??? Where had *that* come from?!
{{ Lunath! I'm making a fool out of myself in here. *Please* love,
can we keep the fun down to a dull roar? }}
Rellik blinked at the comment about herding cats, and even Corwin
looked a bit nonplussed. The Baron shook his head after a moment,
deciding
that
it was some inside *lander* joke that no self-respecting Kataani would
even care to know about.
"Our army is large enough to meet any conceivable threat," the Baron
said haughtily. "From the land or the sea!"
"So the entire force lying offshore from the warren is considered
'surplus' and not really needed for day-to-day defensive or patrol
duties?"
Sarilyn asked, pretending surprise. "The cost of maintaining such a
force
must
be enormous over, say, a year's time if its normal duties are simply to
wait for some unexpected emergency to come along. "Why, in food
alone..."
"I did not say that *all* of the forces offshore are spare troops that
could not be better employed elsewhere!" Baron Kiriisha snapped.
"I say that only as a thought, since our own underwater force is
capable of covering quite a large area," Sarilyn said. "Whereas I
would
guess
that yours must be heavily dispersed because of the sheer size of your
Empire and the fact that you can't know where a defense will need to be
mounted at
any given time."
"Our army has a long and proud tradition of guarding and serving the
Empire," said the Baron. "Are you implying that it is not?" He began
rifling through papers which had nothing to do with military matters,
but of course he pretended he did. "I will have you know that at
Neaopi
alone, we have over five thousand troops in place, none of which were
affected by
this present deployment...!"
Tanami, who had been to Neaopi more recently than Rellik, quickly
spotted the untruth and whispered quietly into Hsina's ear.
"Queenrider,
you know that we took prisoners from both the 1st Guards Division and
the
19th Division in yesterday's battle in front of the warren...and yet I
know
that both of those were assigned patrol duty at Neaopi when I was there
just
a short time ago. Each of those numbers more soldiers than the five
thousand
the Baron is talking about!"
"I remembered the units, but did not know where they came from," Hsina
whispered back. "So they have one understrength division guarding
their
capital city. He tries to make himself seem stronger than he
is...which
means that he does not believe himself strong enough to get what he
desires
without bluffing. Have your dragon tell hers this, so she will know.
Let
us see what she does with it."
Sarilyn got the message, and began shuffling some papers...filled with
notes she'd been taking during her 'lessons' the night before...and
pretended
to be reading them intently. Then, she looked up and nodded. "I see.
So, the fact that your 1st Guards Division, as well as your 19th
Division
were
only recently assigned to guard Neaopi but both are now here, doesn't
seem a
tad...odd to you?" She offered a smile, one of her 'I've got
you by the short and curlies...did the Katanni *have* short and
curlies?...and went on, as if she knew everything she wasn't supposed
to, "I would think that five thousand soldiers at Neaopi is what..about
a
third of the normal contingent?"
Looking directly at the Baron, Sarilyn let the bomb drop. "Baron, with
all respect, let's be honest with each other here. I'm not, nor will I
ever be, a young foolish girl swayed by double-talk and fact-bending.
I'm a
fighter, a trained one, and I'm standing here trying to get *both* of
our
peoples something agreeable and acceptable for both sides. Playing
games,
and
hedging honest replies to our questions, when they are meant only to
help you, and us, get along, isn't helping. It is, in fact, only
hurting
the negotiations. You accepted me as the Warren representative, then
treat
me with the respect you would give anyone in my position. If there is
some reason you *don't* like working with a woman, please tell me now,
and
stop wasting both of our valuable time!"
She'd just blown it, she just knew she had. But she had never liked
being treated like a child, and she wasn't about to let people walk all
over
her now. Somehow, she had to get the upper hand, or she'd fail her
Warren,
her friends, and herself. Her mind flashed back to the most insane,
and
crazed, thing her father had ever done. But, in the end, it had gotten
him
exactly what he'd wanted, respect...until he changed...but if she dared
try
it
now...would it work?
She had to ask someone. Anyone.
* * *
(Meanwhile, just offshore...)
Khamorray gulped down yet another fish and then came to the surface,
noticing that Lunath was floating in place, her legs and tail slowly
paddling against the gentle tidal swells to keep her in place.
<Come on, there's still all sorts of things to see here!> he said,
swimming up alongside her with a toothy grin on his snout.
<My rider wants us to keep things down to a 'dull roar,'> she said.
<What is a dull roar?> he asked curiously.
<I think she means that our playing is disturbing her,> Lunath said.
<Perhaps we'd better settle down for awhile.>
<Oh...that's too bad,> said Khamorray. <Well...maybe I can play and
you can watch?> he wondered. <Ooh, watch this!> He quickly submerged
and
dove
under the water, swimming rapidly out into deeper water. Then he
turned and headed for her at full speed.
<The dolphins like to do this, lets see if I can!> he told her,
launching himself out of the water and arcing through the air
dolphin-style,
with
his wings tightly folded. He sailed right over Lunath and splashed onto
his
back, sending up a tremendous splash and creating a small wave that
pushed her back a bit from the shore.
<Are you all right?> she giggled, as he slowly sank beneath the water,
disappearing into a bed of waving kelp fronds.
<Yes, but I can see that this is best done in deeper water,> he said,
lifting his head out of the kelp-bed beneath her, but still staying
submerged. When she didn't answer, he figured she hadn't heard him for
some reason, and he reached up and tugged on one of her back legs to
get her
attention. <Helllooo!> he chuckled. <Are you awake?>
<Yes, but hold on, I am passing messages between my rider and the other
riders,> she said. <Perhaps you can amuse yourself for a few minutes?>
<Um, okay,> said Khamorray. He wondered what else he could do, but
there was no one else around he could amuse himself *with.* Well,
since she
wanted to keep the noise down, perhaps he could amuse himself quietly.
He reached down and idly plucked a feathery fishtail fern from the kelp
bed, idly swishing it under his nose while he tried to think. It made
him
sneeze, jolting not only himself but Lunath as well, since he still
hadn't let go of her leg.
Lunath jerked a bit, then tried to move. That seaweed was slippery,
and tickley, and it made her wriggle. And if she wriggled, then her
rider
would wriggle. She tried very hard to keep still, and not yelp out
anything.
But it was so much fun, and it felt so wonderful!
Feeling Lunath begin to pull away from him, he used both of his webbed
forepaws to try and hold onto her leg. <Hey, we can still have fun
without making any noise!> he assured her. Khamorray had kept his hold
on
the
fishtail fern with his paw when he grabbed her leg, and he didn't
notice as it started to brush across Lunath's own paw, its fringed tips
sliding
between her claws.
Lunath began sneezing, then dragon chuckling, and finally began
twisting to get away from that wonderfully ticklish seaweed! <It
tickles!
I
never knew I was ticklish!>
Khamorray giggled. <Ooh, you are?> he asked mischeviously. <Well,
this
should be interesting...>
<Um, well, let's not get carried away, now...> Lunath began, but
Khamorray
was having fun and started using light strokes from his claws in
addition to
the seaweed, just to see what she'd do.
Lunath was hard pressed to keep from letting out delighted mental yelps
of
pure delight, she was having so much fun! She was rolling in the water
like
a new hatchling discovering it for the first time. And being tickled
wasn't
helping either! Try as she might, she simply wasn't able to keep *all*
of
her giggles from reaching her rider, who was, in turn, trying to block
or
mute as much as she could without missing anything important.
*** Inside ***
Baron Kiriisha looked affronted. "Young lady...I mean, 'noble
delegate'...I
will have you know that I have overseen the resolution of numerous
disputes
and brokered hundreds of political settlements, and in all this time
have
never been spoken to in such a way! The fate of nations is tied to
these
discussions, and will not be settled if handled by delegates who are
unable
to negotiate without taking personal offense whenever a dissenting
position
is presented!"
Sarilyn wriggled slightly, glancing around quickly to see who or what
was tickling her. Then it hit her, {{ LUNATH! That tickles! }} She
stood, relieved, in fact, to have been so distracted.
"Emporer, Baron, noble delegates, please forgive me but I must have a
short
recess. I shall
return in exactly half an hour." She offered her respectful gesture,
then
touched Rellik on the shoulder, unseen, as she moved outside. {{
Lunath,
pass
on to
Leviathan, I need his, now. I have a...rather crazed idea. But I must
speak to him first. Hurry, please. This is urgent! }}
(( Leviathan, Mine needs you outside, urgently!, )) Lunath passed
along,
before getting back to her seaweed tickling party.
Sarilyn suddenly stopped, noticing something on the floor before she
noticed
Hsina. And as her eyes made the simple movement from the puddle on the
floor to where the Queenrider was stood stoically despite what everyone
knew
to be rather serious wounds, the
younger rider leaned to whisper discreetly, "You're bleeding on the
floor!
You should be at the healers, M'am, not here facing the possibility of
passing out. Please, at least sit down?"
Hsina's gaze did not waver as she replied, equally quietly though
clearly
with strength and conviction. "Believe me, the good baron will
pass-out
long before I do."
Sarilyn only barely kept from rolling her eyes. "All right if you're
going
to be stubborn, M'am. But I can help a bit..." Her face went blank,
and
she yelled for Lunath, (( Lunath, call for Wylith and have her rider
listen
very carefully. Tell her to go see our friend in the Infirmary. Have
her
bring back a cup of tea with an anti-coagulent in it, and a red towel.
Hurry! )) She wasn't a healer, but she'd learned from her mother, and
from
being around healers.
Lunath quickly relayed the message to Wylith, stumbling over the
'anti-coagulent' part but finally got it right. Darla dashed for the
Infirmary, and retrieved the items, saying she'd explain later, and ran
as
fast as her short legs could carry her, to where the negotiations were
going
on.
Being short, she slipped inside without being noticed, and made her way
to
where Sarilyn was standing. Sari took the tea, and passed it to Hsina.
"Drink this, M'am. It'll stop that bleeding for a time." Then she
pointed
down, Darla's eyes folliwing hers and going wide. "I'll explain later,
Darla. Please, just get it up before anyone *else* notices?"
Darla, admiring Sarilyn beyond anything anyone else would be able to
understand, quickly dropped down and mopped up the blood, grinning.
Red
towel, red blood, no one would be the wiser. Then, she slipped out as
unobtrusively as she'd entered, offering a wink to Sarilyn.
Then, Sarilyn slipped out as well, meaning to have a nice long talk
with
Lunath, as well as anyone who would listen to her crazy idea.
[Tag: Andrew, John, Arlene, Any!]
Summary: Sarilyn tries to concentrate on negotiations while Lunath has
a
slap-happy time in the water. Sari gets distracted and has to call for
a
break. She notices Hsina bleeding on the floor and has her friend
Darla
help with things.
-------
JP happily co-written by:
John: Kahmorray's rider (i'll get char names right someday, honest!)
Andrew: Hsnia, Goldrider
Jeanette: Sarilyn/Lunath
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 09:11:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Bianca Payne <biancaknox@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-N] Hot Sands and Desperation
Day 11 Near Midnight..after the second explosion.
Mallory was nearly frantic. There was fire from the medical center
and fire from the administrative offices and burning debris raining
down from the sky and everyone was rushing to keep the fire from the
coal storage cavern. None of that was her concern. Her concern was
Lily, crying in her head about how Momma wouldn't let them leave the
hatching grounds and the sands were all hot and the bright fire was
coming through the broken rocks.
Maddened by fear and worry, she pushed her way through the crowd and
tugged at the arm of the brawny man with the soot blackened face and
blue tattoos who was yelling orders at the sandbag crew. He pushed
her away, and he pointed a bucket crew towards a break in the line.
"Sir! Sir!" Mallory grabbed his arm again to get his attention,
trying to drag him towards the cavern by sheer force of will.
"Not now. It'll be okay. Just go help with the sand bags."
"But the hatching cavern! The momma dragon's too scared to let them
leave. Lily keeps crying. You have to send help. We have to save
them!"
Shock flashed across the man's darkened face, and he yanked one of
the men from the sandbag line to take his place, a huge, tall blond man
with a scar on his face. "Keep the lines covered and the water ready."
He grabbed two big buckets of water and followed the girl as she ran
for the hatching cavern.
Most of the newly joined were milling around in shock and panic by
the entrance, some with buckets or sandbags in hand. It was so close
to the site of the second explosion, that the heat was baking. The
man set one bucket down and poured the second one right over his head,
soaking his hair and clothing. Picking the first bucket up, he pushed
past the young riders and entered the cavern. Mallory, followed suit,
soaking her cloak and nightgown with her bucket of water, and grabbing
another from the hands of one of the other new riders. She followed
the rider inside.
Rocks had fallen from the ceiling and broken wall to litter the
sands, and some of the eastern wall , close to the cavern entrance had
collapsed. Flames licked through from the burning offices that
adjoined this wall of the hatching cave, blackening the ceiling and
pouring smoke into the huge cavern. The air was so hot her skin felt
tight, and the sand beneath her slippers was burning her feet.
Curled up in the farther most corner away from the flames, the great
golden dragon was trying to protect her new babies.
[Lily, I'm here! We're going to get you out of here. It's going to
be okay.]
[Momma says the fire is too close to the out-way. She's scared to
let us go incase there's another big boom. That's when the rocks fell.
It's hot in hear and it's hard to breathe.]
[I know. It'll be okay.] Mallory dropped her bucket and hurried
across the sands, zigzagging around chunks of fallen rock. Her first
thought was to get Lily to safety. Malani tossed her head and bellowed
as Lily scrambled over the golden leg and tail towards her rider.
Mallory untied her cloak and flung the damp fabric over the black baby
dragon. Lily was big, already heigher than her waist, but Mallory
scooped her up and heaved the little dragon over her shoulder,
determined to carry her to safety. Lily tucked her wings tight
against her body under the cloak so they wouldn't get in the way.
Mallory staggered under the dragon's weight as she turned towards the
entrance to the cavern, aware only that she had to get Lily to safety.
[Tag, Wil, Max, Carina and All]
Respectfully submitted by,
Bianca Payne
aka Mallory and Lily
Summary:
Day 11, Near midnight, after the second explosion
Mallory tries to get K'tarr to help her with the hatchlings in the
hatching cavern. K'tarr gets Link to take his place organizing the
fire control while he takes buckets of water and goes to help the
hatchlings. There's a break in the wall just inside the entrance to
the cavern and flames are spilling through, and some of the wall and
the ceiling has collapse. The cavern is filling with smoke and the
fire has superheated the sands of the hatching cavern. Malani is
worried about another explosion, and won't let the babies leave.
Mallory covers Lily with her dampened cloak and picks up the growing
baby dragon, trying to carry her to safety.
NRPG: Now would be a great time for Pearl's icy breath to help with
the fire. Hint Hint.:D
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:15:59 -0500
From: Kristen <aubidar@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [DL-J] The Emperor's Plan
The emperor sat listening the back and forth between the rider and the
baron. Neither were gaining much ground .. though neither were they
losing
much either. However he couldn't help think that none of what they were
discussing at the moment mattered.
He took the opportunity, during the recess to pull the Baron aside and
along
with his daughter, point out a few things.
"Baron," Toru started softly, "This discussion of the specifics of our
army's strength is getting in the way of these negotiations."
"But your majesty!" the Baron gasped with more then a little
resentment.
"You heard her impertant proposal that *WE* become a protectorate of
*THEM*!"
"Which is exactly the proposal ~you~ made in the first place." The
Emperor
waved his hand, "Neither is acceptable nor practical. Kiirisha, these
people
are not like the others we've had to deal with. They don't have the
same
traditions and protocals. And they are not weak."
"Neither are we!" the Baron protested.
"Of course not." Kiyomi interjected. "You know my father better then to
suggest he even thought such a thing!"
"The point is .." Toru said tersely. "Unless our people agree to open
and
honest negotiations, we will get no where. This is not a time for game
playing! And I want it to stop."
"B.. b.. but sir!" he protested again.
"I am sure that were Lady Tara here, she would agree with me. We must
work
together, because fighting will bring nothing but death for both sides.
They
can not hope to compete with us in the sea, nor we with them on land.
We
must be practical. I don't want you to allow them to think we are weak,
but
I also do not want you to try to bully them." Toru had made his point
and he
knew Kiirisha would obey him.
Toru had not expected negotiations to be easy. After all Kiirisha was
used
to dealing with people who cowered under the threat of the throne and
the
emperial wrath. These people would not be so easily swayed. And
Dragonrider
Sarilyn's youth and inexperience would certainly not help matters.
However
he knew she had counsel and he expected that eventually both sides
would
come to an understanding. They had to, for there would be nothing but
endless war, death and destruction for all of them.
Regards,
Emperor Toru
***
NRPG: I have more, but the other post is not coming as easily. Should
be out
soon tho :)
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