River Blue

  "Welcome, cousin and guest." Xiang Xhi, the Hunarch of Moniq, ruler of Moniq, a tall, curvaceous woman, greeted Amarat and Flora.   "Your majesty." Amarat replied, just as he had as a boy, and curtsied, leading Flora's hand to indicate she should do as well.   "Your majesty." Flora remembered meeting the woman in different circumstances, the flag bridge of a warship having different courtesies than the palace garden.   "Thank you for joining me, there is much to discuss, and while I'd love to discuss it with your aunt, she's unavailable."   "We'll do what we can, what is the issue?" Amarat's reply was wary.   "Sirius, and how it's playing hardball with the contract for my two Flycarriers." The ruler of Moniq wasn't pulling punches.   "I'm not at liberty to discuss Sirius." Amarat went from wary to 'oh I am in such trouble now' in two seconds flat.   "No?" Xiang's tone was tender, he was her step-son now, no sense in roughing him up.   "No, it's a point of Kagomine law, I'm their indirect part owner, on the condition I do not influence them." Amarat bit his cheek nervously.   "Oh, that's a very inconvenient condition." Xiang wanted to kick something, or throw something, arggh.   "I can take a message from your embassy to ours, adressed to them, perhaps?" Amarat offered.   "No, I've already sent two, and spoke to Meihomei over jade bank, there is willingness to help, but apparently, not ability..." Or perhaps, this is deliberate... thought Xiang.   "You can influence them now..." Flora interjected.   "What?" Amarat was dumbfounded.   "You passed your shares to me, remember?" Flora just beamed.   Amarat palmed his face.   "You're right, I forgot."   "So you can be of some help?" Xiang asked, suddenly very interested.   "Yes, but I will probably be banished to the couch for it..."   Both women giggled.   "Just how many of his shares do you own now, Flora?"   "I believe it is said, he passed them to me in toto."   "Just what did you do to deserve that! There's maybe a fifth of the nations in the G-12 whose budget is smaller than those shares of Sirius by now."   "Surely, you exaggerate."   "Perhaps, but consider, that I think you passed his mother and Meihomei herself, on the list of the richest women in Arnd."   "What?"   Desperate for a distraction, Flora asked: "What's that?"   "The River Blue, well it's called the River Sloshy there, but it is part of the River Blue."   "So mighty!"   "Yes, it is indeed. Lake Tassafaronga gives it so much water."   "That's upstream?"   "Yes, come, we can see it from upstairs."   They ascended to the top floor of Hunarch Palace of Sook Zenith, where indeed, the view was rather breathtaking, the dormant volcano's cone was truncated just enough to show the huge lake in its entirety, and the time of day meant the sun stained everything in sight with dawn colours.  

---

  "She was joking, right?"   "What?"   "I can't sleep, because of what she said. Me, the richest woman in Kagomei? That's ridiculous."   "You're richest, ex-aequo with my mother and my aunt, not richer. They own shares of Sirius too."   "Oh, is that all their money?"   "No, but neither is it where all yours is."   "I know you had Lunqui try to explain, but my brain melted after 5 minutes."   "It's simple, you own 33% of Burrshire Thataway, which owns 100% of Burrshire Fund Management, which owns, among other things, a third of Sirius Technologies."   "Among other things?"   "Well, it is their largest holding, but they own Sunset Travel, Food Preparation International, and some smaller things."   "You didn't mention Platinum Redoubt."   "That's not owned by Burrshire, that's owned by DeeDeeDeeVeeVeeVee Holdings. Of which I own 20% as largest single shareowner"   "Oh, so you're not destitute?"   "No, not quite."   "Who else owns DDDVVV?"   "Linus and Luci and the three dell'Auro sisters each own 16%."   "Oh, family company?"   "As befits a restaurant in Eurani City."   "Or in Sook Zenith, we going out tomorrow night?"   "Hmm, we should, I hear the duck is sublime at Three Red Peppers down the street."   "You hear? You've not been?"   "No, I've only explored two restaurants in Sook so far, and so far I've been unimpressed."  

---

  "Three Red Peppers is happy to welcome such Mei guests." The host spoke perfect Kagomine, he had to have been briefed.   "You are too kind. We would like a table, for two." Amarat asked, before more protocol got exchanged.   "Please follow me."   He took them to the fourth floor, at a corner booth, where the view was rather nice, showing off the mountain and some of the lake, but being half as high as the palace, it was less breathtaking. "Will this be suitable?"   "Surely, you jest, this is lovely, more than needed."   "We'll be fine." Added Flora, just wanting the Maitre gone. "Seat me, my Namei?" Amarat did as he was bid, while the Maitre bowed low.   Thirty seconds later, a waitress appeared, in traditional Moniqan clothes, with wooden sandals, a long red cotton dress with wide sleeves, whose slightly opened panels showed a layered set of blouses underneath, a name tag read Li Zhang. "What will Mei guests require today?"   "What would you recommend? We're new to this establishment, and indeed, to the city."   "If Mei guests appreciate fish, the freshwater Gaigang is much appreciated, it is caught fresh daily from the lake and the nearby river blue. We serve it with sliced tubers, root vegetables and a secret mix of spices. Otherwise, the chef recommends Yoté fren, served thinly sliced with seared tubers, spear vegetables, garlic butter and wine sauce."   "Both sound delicious. Amarat, let's have one of each and share, that way we can try both?" Flora opined.   "Sure Flora, that does sound delish."   "I will let the chef know you're here, he's a fan of your work." Li added.   "My work?" Amarat sounded uncertain.   "At The Redoubt, the plebes may not know, but we insiders do, my cousin worked for you for a time, too." Li beamed.   "Oh, Filixaterra Zhang?"   "How'd you guess?" Li seemed torn with pride that he recognized, but disappointed it had been that obvious.   "Family resemblance, you're just as ravishing as she is." Amarat's compliment flowed, Li blushed harder.   "Amarat! You really want to sleep on the couch?" Flora's barb flew.   "Aw, no..." Amarat looked like a three year old boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.   "What is that?" Amarat, looking for a distraction, pointed to the wall, where one section looked raised half a floor higher than the next.   "That's the earthquake and flood-defense marker, should there be a flood or quake event, you are to seek shelter under the nearest table, until it passes, or until our staff can evacuate you to safety."   "So, under our table? Does it happen often?"   "Thankfully no, perhaps every twenty years, there is a quake or flood on the Asirania plains. Much like Megamisama, I'm told, while Innu and other such places have more frequent events."   "Not many outside of Innu, let alone Kagomei know of Innu's disasters."   "Well, you and your mother did make the news here last year, bringing them aid, and heroically starting the rebuild. The Hunarch also pledged some support from our surplus, it was quite a topic for conversation for weeks here."   "I remember the aid, it was much appreciated. Did many Moniqans protest?"   "No, since it was mentioned quite clearly that it was surplus, sending them to an ally in need, was shrewd. And we were repaid when your mother formed the Treaty of Lai Dang, finding strong markets for grain and foodstuffs as well as entering into the treaty itself. Moniq has not been quite so strong economically in quite some time. And many attribute it to the goodwill generated then and since."   "I had no idea, I thought my part in Innu was to be kept secret."   "You tried to appear as a tourist, both you and your... Hérévallin, is that right word? But the pair of Merits of Honour you both carry are quite conspicuous, and well known here."   "Yes Flora?"   "How come they know about the Merit?"   "Moniq's ruler gets a ceremonial merit of honour as long as we're at peace and in good terms with them. Usually within a month of ascension."   "Oh."   "Then this particular Hunarch earned a second one from her Conclave Commitments, joining a Kagomine Task Force as one of it's lead priestesses. Some moniqan rulers may appear to be paper tigers, but Hunarch Xiang is a Kautanissian heroine."   "I've met her, silly, I know just how impressive she is."   "Yeah, that's why you had me tell the story..."   "Silly, I thought she liked guys better."   "But she's my step mother."   "She might still like a man telling the story better. Besides, I know she enjoyed your story, she was engrossed!"   "You've met the Hunarch?" The waitress interjected   "We did, years ago, during her to Kagomei, aboard the ship Northern Diagonal Flare."   "The Great Skycarrier?" Even Li, in Moniq, had heard of the three ships where the successive parts of the Treaty of Lai Dang had been signed.   "Yes, Flora here is one of its commanders."   "Oh, can I ask a favour? Can we take a picture later, my cousin will be so jealous!"   "The one from Alessia?" Flora asked, nonplussed.   "No, well she'll be jealous too, but one of my other cousins is in Kagomei, studying at your academy to complete their training to fly off our own carriers, learning shared doctrine."   "Oh, they'll be singing for their wings then?" Flora asked, happy to hear of another flyer.   "I'm not sure, I think so, it's a Kagomine tradition?" Li wondered, she hadn't heard of her cousin in a while.   "Yes, to get drunk in a public place once one has earned the flight license. And then sing a specific song about flying without making too many mistakes." Flora added, since Amarat's own participation in the ritual was abbreviated.   "We should meet at the ship, it's in port, and we can take the picture with it!" Amarat added.   "Ohhh, really? It's here?" Li was getting excited, that was a rare event.   "Well not Northie, but Southie is." Flora deigned to add.   "I'm sorry?" Li didn't know the full name was almost never used.   "Flora is the second-in-command of a fleet, with two such vessels, only one is in harbor currently." Amarat said, enjoying the conversation.   "Two such vessels?" Li tried to imagine that many ships, that many fliers, and failed. Flora and Amarat had commanded that, and more, downing revenge.   "Kagomine has commissioned six Flycarriers, to keep at least three in service at all times."   "Three?"   "Yes, three. Southern Diagonal Flare is on active duty now."   "Why does it say Northern Diagonal Flare on her name tag then?"   "Because that one's back in drydock, but it's also the lead ship of the fleet."   "Oh? Is it as big as the Hunarch Madrigal ?" Li asked.   "Larger, it is being made equal to the Hunarch Xanadrigal." Flora was getting into the topic, she was second-in-command of the fleet, after all.   "But it's new?"   "Two years of service, already."