Random Weekly Roleplay - Week of 3/18/19

[Lloenflys]

The life of a diplomat is all about managing small talk. Percy had realized when he signed up for the Lloenflys International Service Corps that he would be exposed to a lot of new people and new situations. He just hadn't realized that so many of those people would be other diplomats who were about as interesting as he was ... and that wasn't very interesting. The magical opportunities to meet Presidents and Kings and Sheiks and even cultural icons didn't fall to the young functionaries like him, and he probably should have realized that ... but the brochures had seemed so alluring, promising opportunities to travel and experience new things, and with nothing much else to do after he graduated from college with a degree in Comparative Creative Writing with an emphasis on 13th Century slash fiction, he signed up. Now, here he was, munching on a stale cracker and eyeing a tray of shrimp suspiciously while other minor functionaries from throughout Europeia and beyond milled around him. He heaved a sigh and grabbed another tray. The food wasn't great, but at least it was free.

 

[Winged Bear]

It had taken about half an hour for Nancy to reach the dining room. To her defense the building was immense, and this was her first day.

Nancy considered herself lucky. Studying Law at Arnhelm University she had never reached top results. So when the time of premade internships was gone and she was dumped on the job market she was rather desperate. The law clerks did not want her, her many letters to Honourable Judges of the High Court had gone unanswered, and had it not been for that mysterious uncle of hers she probably would have been unemployed. But an uncle she had nonetheless. The only person in her family who seemed to have done anything meaningful for history. Nobody really knew what his job was: some said he was a Supreme Chancellor, others theorised he was a multi-term Senator. Whoever he was he must have been rather influential, because whereas Nancy had spent months trying to fix herself job interviews it took him no longer than a 5 minute phone call to land her in that new job of hers.

Accounting Under-clerk for the Citizens' Assembly. Nothing sexy and glamorous, no red carpets and media flashes, no chess game of politics. It was a clerical job like any other, or so it seemed. But Nancy realised that if her job was not that great the people she would meet could be very particular. Or so she hoped.

The dining room was full, and Nancy's heart sank as she saw everyone was in predefined groups. But as she grabbed her tray she saw one table with one man eating all by himself. Eating shrimp and crackers. Walking up to Percy she asked: "excuse me sir, would you mind if I take a seat at your table?".

 

[Lloenflys]

Percy was a bit surprised when he heard the young lady addressing him and asking to sit down. Most of the people in this room were the gregarious type who just started talking, or who just took a seat and launched into whatever it is they wanted to say. He stopped mid-bite and gestured at the chair, saying "Of course, of course, please do. Would you ... umm ... no, never mind, I was going to offer you a shrimp but ... best steer clear of those. I know just the thing, one moment!" and went over to the table where he grabbed a couple of butter cookies. The one thing he could rely on, no matter where the reception or what it was honoring, were the butter cookies. "Here you are. Eat one of these. Much better than anything else on that table." Percy glanced at the name tag, which identified the young lady in front of him as "Nancy" and indicated she was Citizen's Assembly staff. Well, no wonder she seemed slightly more bearable than the average person in this room - she wasn't a diplomat, after all.

 

[Winged Bear]

Nancy appreciatively took the butter cookies. It is true they definitely were better than what could possibly be hanging around the room. While she nibbled on one of them she suddenly remembered everyone carried a name tag and reflexively glanced at the young man's. What she saw nearly froze her blood.

Holy Nethel, he was a DIPLOMAT???? A damn diplomat!!!??? Oh no, surely she had headed to the wrong room, she couldn't remember after all if the reception clerk had told her to take left before or after the stairs...

Nancy viewed all diplomats as those important and impressive people who whizzed in private jets all around the world, sipping champagne and cocktails in lavish airport lounges whispering to the ears of Ministers and Emperors, cool headedly negotiating incredible treaties that could change the world. Tales said they could skip airport lines with special passports, could not get arrested, had unlimited credit cards and could make and break kings and vagabonds.

Surely she was in the wrong room, and all the people around were bodyguards ready to drag her to jail as soon as he would decide she was not that interesting of a person. She blushed so hard she could feel the heat on her face. She considered apologizing and leaving the table, but then maybe he'd find this offensive and send her to some obscure political prison for the rest of her miserable life.

"Come on Nancy" she thought "this can't be it. And don't stare at him like he's an extraterrestrial, it won't help you". Nancy was about to open her mouth and ask a question before realising it was open all that time, jaw-dropped. Clearing her throat she pretended she was most undisturbed as she asked the stupidest question ever...

"Ah, so you are from the Lloenflys International Service Corps? How's...that? Like do you get to meet with NPO generals and all?"

 

[Hezekon]

Lloyd ambled up to what he figured was the buffet table (considering there was a lot of food laid out), and was beginning to heap some mashed potatoes and sausages onto his plate, when he spied it: the cheesecake. He finished his heap, then made his way as quickly as he could to the delicious dessert. Arriving, he set aside for himself a slice, and then took a look around. There wasn't a whole lot of empty tables in this area, so he decided to move along to another room where he might find a spot to eat. Finally reaching a room filled with mulling people, he had a gander. Now, Lloyd wasn't very averse to eating with strangers, which came in handy when meeting diplomats outside his Hezekonic borders, but he did try to find friendly faces when he had the option. And it was with this in mind that he spotted two friendly-enough faces chatting with each other at a somewhat-abandoned section. He made his way over to the couple, already in conversation.

Once he arrived, he waited until the woman was finished asking her question before he submitted his own. "Excuse me. Do you mind if I join you here?" He was as chipper as a peach in Georgia.

 

[Lloenflys]

And just like that, Percy was again in the realm of diplomats. He didn't know this "Lloyd" fellow from Hezekon - unless maybe he had seen him at that Festival thrown on behalf a retiring Beriwenian bigwig ... but Percy wasn't going to remember that night. There was way too much Beriwenian wine and he woken up in bed with a half dozen people. Clothes on of course ... Percy wasn't *that* irresponsible at Festivals.

"No, no, of course not. Pull up a chair. Enoy your ... sausage and mash. This is Nancy and she works for the Citizen's Assembly. My name is Percy. I'm an attache on the Lloenflysian Diplomatic staff. Nice to meet you.

And Miss Nancy, to answer your question - I've never met a General, let alone one from the NPO. I'm far too junior for that sort of thing. The people I meet are usually rather like myself - nondescript, unimportant, and convinced we are far more interesting than we really are."

 

[Hezekon]

"No, no, of course not. Pull up a chair. Enoy your ... sausage and mash. This is Nancy and she works for the Citizen's Assembly. My name is Percy. I'm an attache on the Lloenflysian Diplomatic staff. Nice to meet you."

At that, Lloyd was pleased as ripened strawberries to take a seat -- he was ever so encumbered with his plate.

"And Miss Nancy, to answer your question - I've never met a General, let alone one from the NPO. I'm far too junior for that sort of thing. The people I meet are usually rather like myself - nondescript, unimportant, and convinced we are far more interesting than we really are."

Lloyd ate fairly quietly, interested in the general tone of the conversation. He wasn't sure what he'd stumbled upon, but it didn't sound half uninteresting. He was content, at the moment, just taking in what they might have to say to each other. A Lloenflysian diplomat and a Citizen's Assemblyperson, he thought to himself. Whatever have I got up to here?