Graînea
One Larry Street released a statement today, to the effect that Grainea, Daughter of Rembrandt, Niece of Bellini, had passed in her sleep today.
Meanwhile in the Mei(great/high) Palace of Megamisama in the equally Mei city of the same name... "Prepare an Edict, for my signature!" "An Edict?" The clerk knew how much paperwork was involved, on his part... "Make it a diplomatic proclamation, Amalthéa, she was a foreign permanent resident, after all, even if she was born here." "What, oh, right." "I am ready." Said the clerk. He wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, might get on with it. "It is Kagomei's fond wish that we participate into any funeral honouring Graînea, daughter of Namei Rembrandt Kagomei, prince of our land onto the last of his line. With The Grand Unified Kingdom of Breezh, Pickt, Mannheim, Marron, Delite, Dejoisey, Deguernsey and Kelty's government's permission, I would send a Voice of Meihomei to participate in the proceedings, and rapatriate her remains to our shores." "Meihomei, if I may..." "Yes, Tansley?" "Asking that Kittening be revoked in this manner could be misconstrued." "What?" "If you do not send another cat, well, the last time this happened, this coincided with a declaration of war..." "Do we have another cat to send?" "Linni's Raven just had four kits..." "So our nephew has new kittens?" Mikhala couldn't help but wince, her sister's use of we to mean the both of them indistinctly always rubbed her the wrong way. She'd fought to be her own person, Amalthea couldn't get a takeback on that. Linni was also Mikhala's nephew by marriage, not Amalthea's, bless Amarat's heart, he would never have made it that high. "Graînea was briefly a great-grandmother." Mikhala shifted, and petted Robyn in her arms. "Yes, you're a good kitty, and a grandmother, we're talking about your kits, fine girl." "Oh, right. But are they old enough to be taken from their mother?" "Not yet, and not for another month, at least." "Could we send one of the aunts?" "I'll let you persuade Linni, you two got along swimmingly at Lai Dang." "Oh, he's fond of the cats, isn't he?" "He had four more dumped into his lap, total of eight, and his first reflex was: 'let's see if I can make this work', not 'halp, Meihomei, I have too many kits' I think that says a lot." "Well, Amarat was babysitting for him." "He wanted to bring his kits on his hannabrid, it's unfortunately the only major religious occasion where pets are explicitly forbidden. I have a counter-proposal." "I'm listening." "Why don't we call your counterpart at Larry Street, and ask them what their funeral plans are? Putting a diplomatic declaration in play might just be premature." "All right, Jade?" "Jade Assistant coming on-line, please note Jade Assistant is not abilitated to handle sensitive or secret material." "Ugh, that disclaimer." "You know what it means..." "Err, actually, no, this escapes me." "They wanted to be abilitated for secrets, perhaps hoped I'd give them a pass on the enormous expense of having secured infrastructure for personnel handling secret material. This is all sour grapes, if you'd only listened, you could whisper Jade all your secrets..." "As if!" "Indeed. Jade, please schedule a call with the chief of state of the Grand Unified Kingdom of Breezh, Pickt, Mannheim, Marron, Delite, Dejoisey, Deguernsey and Kelty, to include Mikhala, myself, Luci and Linni." "Why those two?" "Besides them being the best choices for ambassadors besides yourself? No reason, but you're pregnant, and expecting in three months, if you don't want to hand this to one of these who, who, from all I can tell, are your unofficial deputies, I don't understand why you wouldn't." "Well, if Linni will agree, he could travel with all eight, and agree to leave one behind?" "All Nine, even if he agrees, or send Luci, by dint of rank, they would not be head of the delegation." "What, nine? They're practically head of departments, who'd outrank them?" "Robyn'd be going. It's her mother, after all, even if I doubt she'd understand, I think it'd be a powerful message. And she is a princess, she outranks everyone here but you and me." "Nameita Robyn, princess of Kagomei, it has a ring to it." "You're translating for our hosts?" "Someone will have to explain to them just how major potatoes Robyn is..." "You're humouring me." "I'm using childish language, the one we used when we adopted Robyn, but I'm not making fun of you doing so. She has seniority in this palace over everyone but Amarat, at your idea, for cripes sake!" "She has seniority over every one, period, until he accepts a writ of Bameimeito. Just how many human friends do you have, that are closer than that cat?" "Anyone closer is family, close family. Robyn's family, too, and you?" "She's family, our family, and unlike Amarat, she's as much my family as yours, giving her unanimity." Amarat shocked her sister, and just sat next to her, allowing Robyn to lay across both their laps. "She loves taking advantage too." "Why wouldn't she? She's a cat, taking advantage comes naturally."
"You honour us, Voice of Meihomei." "I am not a 'mere' voice. I am CI-08 Vice-undersecretary Linnaeus Van Pelt. But I do not lead this delegation. The Nameita, that is the Princess Robyn has traveled thousands of kilometers to render honours to her mother." "I knew you people took kittening seriously, but this is next level..." "We didn't, not really, until Rembrandt, Grainea's father, became the most decorated cat in our history, and the second most decorated individual." "What? There's someone higher?" "LGOF-06 Electrum for Life and Patriarch of Megamisama First Lifeguards, Star-Emerald Knight of Great Kagome. Valour-keeper of Kagomei, Standard bearer of the Dawn, Defender of the Rising Sun, Sottoloro of Utta-Utta, Knight of Elbow River, would be higher, depending on who's counting. But this is like saying 'I'm on Mount Chomolungma, and looking up...'" "Who is this Marhamat?" "Marhamat Dandelion, my miptun's father, is the bodyguard to three successive Meihomei. With three Merits of Honour, and he is a Dawn-standard-bearer. Few walk before him, and none make him look down." "What about you, Ambassador?" "I look down, I know what's good for me, obviously. Or did, when he was alive. Can we not talk about my dead father in law, please, my Miptun will eviscerate me. And the Princess will probably ask for treats from my corpse." "Princess?" "She is the Nameita, second in the line of inheritance." "Who is first?" "Nameihomei Mikhala is first, but she could not make it." "And you bring a cat?" "I bring a cat, whom our ruler adopted as her heir, among other cats." "You bring multiple cats?" "I am a Kitten-Ra and catfather, father to Raven, Corbo, Corvo and Kruk, grandfather to Raven's Shy, Pretty, Wise and Sensible." Each of the cats responded to their own name. "And sometimes brother to Amarat Jr Veneer, Nameita Robyn Frobanasynnia Kagomei's favorite human." "Oh, so you're the cat specialist." "I try to take care of the cats I can." "I'm not betting against you, they seem to like you..." Linni, covered by nine cats at this point, wisely said nothing, while he petted the cats. The otter along for the ride just gave him a thumbs up, and the corgi that had came with gave a hopeful pant, and that was it. "Moving on..." "And this is another prince?" "Namei Rudiger is above me in the order of precedence, as the domeidom prince of Innu. He is no small potatoes either, although he will not usually hold people to account for it like the Nameita Robyn, his catsister, would." "You, yourself are a noble?" "I'm sorry, I should have said, he is way above me and my sister." "And your sister is?" "CI-09 Undersecretary of state for Kagomei, and Lanungmei of Trusimon Countess of Alaszt-Lorren, Baroness of Ryalfi, Baroness of Relogna, Electoral Princess of Saer-Natthingham." "When your sister takes a breath, heroes look up." "When my sister takes a breath, it's a wonderous occasion." "Oh, she doesn't yield the occasion to speak often?" "No, she considers it quite her preserve."
"What is this?" "These are accredited Kagominer Diplomats, milady. We've asked them to wait here will we verify their identities and clearance." "I can vouch for all of them, I saw them at the Funeral, Georg. And I know this one from Lai Dang, he is one of the bright stars of that conference." "Err, of course Milady, shall I leave them with you then?" "You might as well, Georg. "We are told you are one of our counterparts, here, in The Grand Uni...." "Please save your breath, and call it the United Kingdom, like everyone else, saves so much effort. I don't know if you remember me, I sure do remember you, Linnaeus Van Pelt, a Brunswicki name, a Benevent's taste for wine, and a Kagomine burr to your voice!" "Milady does me much honour." "I am the Aerla Theorina Shatterfort, Aerla of Pseuda, it is my honour to welcome you to our home." "Your home has been quite welcoming so far, thank you." "Not the United Kingdom, my actual home, the House of Pseuda, which you're walking into." "Oh, much honour." Linni had started to strain, he was beginning to appreciate carrying five cat-carriers. Inside, five cats, or perhaps housepanther was the better term, was quite the luggage. Shibué, who had dragged the kittens along, was more than a little impressed it had taken this long for him to show signs of flagging stamina. "You're not thinking of letting them out, are you?" "I'm sorry, but they do need a bit of exercise, is anyone here allergic?" "Thankfully, not me nor my husband. But I thought the Kitten-Ra would only let them out in the presence of chiefs of state?" "Err, no, although, sometimes that is preferred." "Why not?" "Err, quite frankly? Rembrandt and Bellini were so successful at bringing together alliances of chiefs of state, most Kitten-Ras like myself feel it's worth exploring diplomatic personnel as well now." "What, I could find myself with a cat?" "You could be offered one, yes, if you are chosen." "Chosen?" "Here Kruk, stretch your paws a bit." "Miau!" "My, he's a handsome feller. Are they all this tall?" As she said that, she almost tripped over Robyn. "EEEK! What's that one eat? Humans?" "Oh, no, she's not allowed, bad for digestion, and Gaigang's much tastier, she prefers that." "Gaigang?" "Moniqan river-fish, or clam, or mussel. Gogur rivermussel is a favourite, as is blue river Rainbow Trout." "Oh, no wonder she's so big then, a Gaigang's barely smaller than she is!" "Can't let her have a whole one though." "How many can all nine kits eat?" "Oh, four is a regular portion for these hungry fish eaters." "Four?" "Well, if you count the otter and the corgi, they can probably finish four..." "The corgi?" Rudiger waddled his tail in a friendly manner, but then, everything he did was in a friendly manner, unless he was very tired. "Him and Robyn have been family to each other for so long, it's a bad idea to seperate them." "How long have they been together?" "Robyn was a teenage mother when Rudiger was born, she practically helped raise him, and raised her own brood." "And now she is?" "She's almost sixteen, and Rudiger's turning fifteen soon." "Woof!" Rudiger waddled to their hostess, and give two woofs. The otter came along for a sniff, and got agitated. "Dit-click-click-dit!" "Did the otter say anything comprehensible?" "No, I don't know all her language yet." "Click-click, click-click." The otter looked agitated now. "What? Is something interesting?" The otter nodded and reiterated: 'click-click, click-click'. "Get everyone tested." Shibue's voice had gone ice-cold, and the steel of her conviction was a bit intimidating. "Tested?" "For the plague, everyone who's been in this place in the last twenty-four hours. That's what that double click code means." "What, that otter can..." "Smell the plague? Yes." "How come..." "It's not confirmed 100% by all the doctors yet, but she's helped hundreds of Kagomine and visitors to our shores. Ignore this advice at your own peril!" "But, house pseuda is a tourist attraction, thousands visit daily!" "Look, if you don't tell them, they'll give it to others, the ones that do have it." "Of course!" "And we'll need to get ourselves tested." "What?" "What if it got into someone from the staff? Besides, we can't return home without a negative test." "Such an indignity, no, you can't go outside Robyn, you have to stay with us, so you don't give the plague to anyone." "Miau!" "I can't go outside, good thinking, suggesting we stay here at house Pseuda." "Thanks, at least we're locked up together." "I hope the results come in soon, being locked up with you..." "Sorry, I thought two showers a day would be enough..." "No, it's not that... I just want a change of scenery, I love you, but you can't be my only conversation." "Why do you think I talk to the cats?" "What?" "Means I keep the meaningful bits to talk about to you..." "Now, why didn't I think of that?" "You did, you just kept the meaningful bits to talk to Jor-Jie." "Wow, you really do notice." "She's a real lifeguard, I'm just a civilian." His voice was bitter. "Worse, I'm a rainbow peacock." "Aw, honey, you can't let that epithet define my opinion of you, there's a lot more of how I think of you than this pithy nickname, even one originally given by Innu-the-founder." "But, you don't think of me as an equal..." "Not yet, listen, not all of that is you, I've spoke to my therapist about it... I realize some of that is me trying to be my job, trying to define myself by risking my life for someone else. It's not healthy. It's not good, and it's even worse when I look down at other people who have different skills and wants. I'm getting used to you, and if anything, I admire how you picked your path, and just go 'try and stop me'." "You're pretty rad, for a girl." "Are you trying to get me riled up?" "Maybe." "It almost worked! I itched to rearrange your face. You of all people should know better! You don't try to get the cats riled up, for cripes sake!" "And they have claws, so I have the scars to prove why it's a bad idea..." "I would have given you scars..." "And you'd have felt better... I swear the cats have less of a temper on them than you do right now.." "I'm... No, you're right, I am, I'm more bothered by being locked up here than I should..." Linni was starting to rub her kidney... "What are you doing?" "You're just tense, you need to relax, I'm on your side, remember?" "My side?" "I'm on your side, I try to make things better, remember, no frowny frowny with blankie-blankie-dude?" "I can't believe you chose to remind me of that... It's a child of four's words..." "As unexpected as it could be, it's a tough topic I'd like to bring up..." "What, childhood education?" "Child-rearing. We never spoke about you wanting to be a mother or not..." "What of it?" "Can.. can I ask?" "Ask what?" "Would you like to be a mother? Questions don't have to be complicated, you know." "Wait, we're locked up, waiting to find out if we've got a genegenineered plague designed to kill people at random, and if we're lucky, we'll be fine, but if not, we'll die in horrible suffering, and locked up to protect other people... And you're asking me if I want to have kids?" "Yeah, if I wait until we don't have any world-shaking circumstances I apparently won't get to ask at all, I fell in love with you while negotiating the biggest treaty in the history of ever! I didn't ask then, so I have to ask while we could die! Just shoot me." Linni just buried his face under the pillow
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