Midori Annapurna, First Princess of the Second Rank of the Nisei

"Anapurna Midori, Nisei-Sama!"

"Kagomei-Sama, Ni-kontach pyon-nihya!"

"I am hardly unknown in these parts, Midori-Nisei-Sama. But perhaps my Nisan isn't as good as your Kagomine, which is celebrated, so we can continue in this language?"

"You flatter me, Amarat-Na-Kagomei-Sama."

"And you are just as well informed as I heard, it's not even been announced officially yet."

"My condoleances on your cousin's untimely demise."

"I appreciate your sentiment, my mentor, the Magelord, asked me to consult with you, on the possibility of a cultural festival, a celebration of exchange, between our peoples, in the coming months, to cheer the people in the gloom of his unfortunate demise. Would you have some time to discuss this?"

Anupama grit her teeth, she hadn't been consulted, the Magelord had just dropped this upstart on her calendar without asking. Well, maybe not such an upstart, he was softening the blow by coming in person, and hinting that I could postpone, of course, I better have a good reason, considering his sponsor. "My time is brief today, since I must prepare to present my credentials to Meihomei this week."

"Except, as Bameimeito, I am accredited to accept them, I am the Heir to the Kagomine throne. It harms no one in Kagomei if your first visit comes as part of the festival, where we can celebrate our friendship, properly."

Oh, that stung. He had instructions to cut off her pageanted entrance, or at least, to make it optional, to get what he wants? Surely, he couldn't know how big of a threat... Of course he did! His mentor knew more about Nisan face than the next ten applicants. Once she replaces Hari Pawtel as Magelord, the first rule she'll change is to make it illegal to share so much about their culture with outsiders! This cannot be borne! "Would it really be necessary? Perhaps we could set up the principal lines together, and return to Kagomei and settle the finer details?"

"Have we agreed it should be in Kagomei already?"

Oh, damn, he was good. "Eo Island is such a fine spot though."

"Seylon has its charms, and is much friendlier to outsiders, even myself had to wait a week just to get a visa for a concert."

"What concert was that?"

"International Occult Diplomacy, my Miptun is such a great fan."

"That lollandese harsh sound?"

"Yes, their stage theatrics are quite good."

"Oh, I hadn't heard.". That was a lie, she was glad her disguise held, she had been there, she had met him at the concert, and he didn't remember!

"My miptun and I made a lovely acquaintance there, pity for her, her mask slipped, I'd hate to have to run into her, afterwards, knowing I'd known her real face."

What was he saying? He had seen through? "I'd not imagine such a thing to be mortifying, why?"

"The lady needed no mask to join us... Why she wanted so hard to be some punk rocker, from my youth, instead of a lady of the here and now..."

"A lady, from your youth?"

"Ninu dell'Auro, a childhood friend, adopted into the Dell'Auro family, but you see, you can't hide your aura from a priest, not under those circumstances... And for that matter, you've not hidden yours, not well enough, Juri-chan." He had dropped her commoner name, the one she had been born with, not the one she adopted when she became a mage. Such an insult! "Why, Juri-chan? Do you not have enough power for ten, just from being the first princess of the second rank of the Nisei?"

She grit her teeth, he was probably her equal, as Bameimeito, well technically, she was closer to Nameihomei of the Nisei, but he was growing ever closer and closer to that role, and his reaching Meihomei was never in doubt, while Hari Pawtel could always name another successor, just to spite her. "For duty."

"Duty?"

"Surely, you've adopted disguises for your land?"

"No, I'm no agent, if anything, I'm not that subtle."

"Well, I operate with a different set of limitations, you convince people head-on, I borrow another face, but they are equally convinced."

"Ah, yes, why you think that's not a violation of the laws and customs of war to impersonate a Brescian Royal we'll keep for another time."

"The Dell'Auros are more Eurani royalty than Brescian, at this point."

"Not helping your cause, not the least."

"You did date..."

"I dated Ninu, before you ...replaced her. I also dated Annunzia and Natalia when I was younger. You really thought you could fool me?"

This young butterball? Dating those three furies? Good luck to him! "I should have researched prior history more closely it seems, what will your silence cost me?"

"Nothing, I just wanted you to consider how little you fooled me, both then and now, before you attempt any such treachery in the future. I will not be amused."

"A threat?"

"Consider it that any future failures will not be kept silent, so far, I've told no one."

"Not even your mentor?"

"He needed not to be bothered by our meeting, yet."

Oh, he was good, such point and counterpoint. Hari Pawtel could have her eviscerated for either her failure to fool him, or keeping the truth from him. He had all the cards. "Suppose I agree to hold this festival, on Seylon, what do you expect of us?"

"Promotion of course, we can handly have a friendship festival without friends to share it with."

"And in exchange?"

"In exchange, no one will know how distracted you were and how listless a negotiation this was, truly, Juri-chan, did you think I would be an easy opponent?"

"It seems whatever estimation I had of you fell short of the mark." She grit her teeth again. This came too easily to him, he's supposed to be new to Nisei.

She couldn't know his mother had met Hari Pawtel in Nisei, when she was but a teenager, and him an academy student, their friendship dated back almost thirty years.