Diplomatic Trials|Neo'anar, New Anarlina

[Darastrix]

Zack rubbed at the back of his neck as he walked into the temple. He wasn't really sure how things were going to go with the tests Twilight was having Sunray and Snowflake administer. He knew New Anarlina; he'd been living in the country since its founding and been a witness to the royal court for nearly as long, though in the capacity of a bard. And thanks to his relationships with the royals and Zira, he knew some politics, though he preferred not to play the game much himself.

Of course, just living as one of the people wasn't the same as knowing how everything worked. That had been made abundantly clear when Zira had begun to help him study. He knew social rules rather than laws and tales and rumours more than history. What he knew would be useful, but he'd needed to know more, and Zira had neatly headed off any possible protest by pointing out that he would need to know those things as a noble anyway, especially were he ever called to serve on the noble council.

Well, he knew more, that was for certain. He also knew that he would never, ever be a proper scholar. He didn't know how Sunray stood it. At least Zira had, with Zack's input, managed to arrange things so that he didn't go mad of boredom.

He stopped at Snow's chamber door and knocked, pushing down a sense of nervousness. Nobody never had any stage fright, but this was so far removed from bardic trials that he couldn't help feel a little more uneasy than usual.

"Snow?" he called. "It's me."

[Kender Bard]

Snowflake opened the door and smiled at Zack. "Hello Zack. Follow me if you'll please. One of the Thuothians kindly prepared a meditation study room for us to use. It'll be quiet and peaceful so you can concentrate on your answers. Sunray had suggested we walk around the heart of the temple but I didn't want to put more distractions in your way than necessary."

She closed the door behind herself and headed downstairs and towards the Thuothian wing. "How are you feeling?"

[Darastrix]

"Nervous," Zack confessed. "The only kind of 'tests' I've ever had have been musically-related. Schooling was never exactly strict and organized in Talen'sul. Ah, at least if I make a fool of myself, I'll be doing it in front of friends."

[Kender Bard]

"You won't make a fool of yourself, I'm completely sure," Snowflake said. Sunray was waiting at the entrance to the Thuothian wing and he flashed Zack a quick smile. Here, in this part of the temple, he seemed at complete ease and in a good mood. "In fact, I think you'll like the nature of the test."

"I still say it'd work better in a social setting," Sunray protested as the two of them escorted Zack to a study room. The door was thick, heavy wood and fitted to be almost too snug for the door frame. When it closed, it was as though the silence was deafening.

"We'll let Zack be the judge of that then," Snowflake said simply and shot Sunray a look that suggested the two had argued about the point and she didn't want to repeat herself. Instead, she gestured to one of the two seats and sat in the other, off in the corner.

Sunray remained standing and cleared his throat. "Pretend you're in Sensatia," he began. "And that I am a Sensatian."

Snowflake turned her head and smiled with a roll of her eyes.

Sunray cleared his throat again and began in a clearly forced and silly sounding accent, "Good day-"

Snowflake abruptly cut him off. "Speak as yourself, Sunny. Silly scholar."

Sunray looked a bit sheepish. "Er. Right. Um." He cast his sister an irritated look for getting him flustered. "Right. Good day, Lord Riel."

[Darastrix]

Zack had to feign a cough at Sunray's accent to keep from laughing outright. He'd never heard anyone from Sensatia sound like that. Granted, the only Sensatian he'd ever spoken to had been Thelon, but still.

His lips twitched in ill-concealed amusement as he replied, "And good day to you, friend. How are you this fine day?"

[Kender Bard]

"Excellent," Sunray remarked. "The embassy is so lovely today."

Snowflake giggled quietly but Sunray diligently ignored her and continued on. "Though I must proclaim a great curiosity to your land and its customs." Sunray had also taken a good deal of time to learn of Sensatia, or at least, as much as he could given the limited resources Anarlina had on the other lands of Naruta. "I'm told that your monarchy holds a court where audiences are brought forth. Could you perhaps explain why this is? In Sensatia, we find it more expedient to simply put in written petitions and most matters are dealt with by the judge of law with the option to appeal to the Master."

[Darastrix]

Well, Zack thought with wry humour, I've certainly heard Twi go into that one.

Of course, there would be no need to deliver his reply with anything near the vehemence Twilight had used when Sunray abdicated.

"To our thinking, it's what's right," Zack said. "In court, whether a you're the head of a noble house or a stableboy, you can bring your concerns to the king and queen and know you'll will be heard as an equal. It's not expedient--" How could it be? Even on days when I'm playing, it can feel like forever. "--but it shows the people that they're valued, no matter who they are, and it helps keep the rules in touch with their people."

[Kender Bard]

Sunray nodded as though this was all new to him and so terribly interesting. Snowflake struggled not to giggle again. He's been around bards for too long, she thought in amusement. Or it was his inner Flamehart showing. Love knew he wasn't very good at expressing the inner flare for drama that his older siblings were so adept at.

Apparently satisfied with that answer, he took a different route entirely. "I've heard there have been some... political upheaval in your land in the recent years."

Snowflake stopped smiling. She was surprised Sunray was going where he was.

"I consider it one of the reasons why a monarchy can be so precarious," Sunray went on. "After all, the people are at the mercy of the king unless he is killed or abdicates or some similar situation, and then they are still left with the family of the former king. And, of course, family tends to be similar, be it sibling or offspring. Has Anarlina ever considered switching to a democracy or, since your faith runs so strong, a theocracy? And if not, what do you do when your ruler, shall we say, becomes unfit?"

[Darastrix]

Zack's brows rose. He hadn't been expecting that, either. At least, not of Sunray, considering he'd been the cause of the "political upheaval."

"Ah, as to the first, maybe in theory and speculation, but it's not been considered seriously," he said slowly, trying to recover his mental footing. "To the second...if you're asking if there's an official procedure, no." Surely he would have heard if there were. "But even with a democracy or theocracy, if a leader refuses to step down and has enough supporters in power despite being unfit, you're more or less in the same situation."

From what we heard from the first Shyamal, Morilanta had that happening.

[Kender Bard]

"Well said," Sunray replied, perhaps a touch grimly.

Snowflake felt it was time to intercede. She stood and Sunray took his hint, backing off to lean against the wall. Snowflake smiled at Zack but she didn't really go for the play-acting. "Why do the Anarlinans worship Love?" The Forces knew it was the one question she heard most from the native Narutans.

[Darastrix]

Zack glanced at Sunray as the other man stepped aside for Snow. Had he managed to offend Sunray? There wasn't time to worry about that, because then Snowflake was asking a question of her own.

Why? Why not?

"Because she's no less a Force than Efil or Thuoth," he said. It was probably better to err on the side of keeping it simple. He was no priest and, hopefully, most people would take that into account. "She doesn't appear to us like the others, but she's with all of us all the time--a constant influence."

[Kender Bard]

"I know it's a hard question," Snowflake said, as though she sensed Zack's thought. "Sometimes I cannot answer it very well either. But please keep in mind that it is a defining characteristic of Anarlina and so naturally people will question you about it as our representative."

She shifted her stance and apparently the questioning was to continue. "Anger, hate, sorrow, all of these are within us too. Why not worship them?"

[Darastrix]

That was a little easier to answer, thankfully, though Zack's first thought on the question was Why would anyone want to?

"Because Love was created when Efil gave more of her essence to the first people," he said. "Those others weren't, and how you feel or react to them can be influenced by Love."

[Kender Bard]

The questions went back and forth a bit with both Snow and Sunray exchanging places. Their questions ranged widely but after a bit both seemed satisfied.

"I think it's safe to tell Twilight he has himself an ambassador now," Sunray remarked with a grin at Snowflake who smiled and nodded in agreement.

[Darastrix]

Zack sighed with relief--more glad at the interview being over than its result--and let himself slide down in his chair. "Sunny, I will never understand how you scholarly types can willingly submit yourselves to tests."