"Hmmm . . ." Diana swirled her tongue around in her mouth, testing the concoction of the night prior in order to ensure she hadn't been swept up in the passion of the craft. Arc had manufactured fifteen one liter bottles for Diana to use with the carbonator, all of which were filled with one product or another. Six contained the classic soda flavors, two each of cola and lemon-lime, one of a cherry cola variety (for Cherry, of course), and one of root beer. Those were her insurance, inoffensive beverages that most could appreciate.

The remaining nine were arranged before Diana in something like Punnett Square, these being the brews with the Sitrice inside of them. The left most column was strawberry flavored, something she remembered went quite well with lemon-lime, while the right column was Orange flavored. The two were selected both for their complementary taste to Sitrice as well as their color. Pink and Orange were fairly eye-catching, and they would make a lime green marketing label pop. The central row featured the same lemon-lime flavoring as the sodas, the focus being to intensify the flavor rather than complement it.

As for the rows, the top row was a soda. Ideally, this would make a fancy morning beverage, something sweet and sparkly to start the morning off. The bottom row mostly did away with the sugar and substituted alcohol. Ideally this would be something for parties or special occasions, a bit sweeter than the usual but still not like a desert. The middle row was the combination of the two, a sugary alcoholic beverage.

Diana wasn't entirely pleased with the outcome of the center row, but she hadn't experimented enough with it to get a good idea of 'ideal' in the first place. She wasn't even sure if an alcoholic beverage this sweet would find a market, though she imagined the feminine crowd would appreciate it. Unless women here didn't like sweets. It sounded preposterous, but it wasn't impossible.

Could Diana's dream of a chocolate empire fail?

"Are we ready?" Diana ignored Donovan for the moment, pouring out the contents of the bottle, the strawberry alcohol-soda, before remeasuring the amount of Sitrice they had determined to be optimal, adding the alcohol-syrup mix, and then carbonating it.

"Can I get some help? I don't want to mix them up."

"Sure." Donovan popped through the door moments later. "Which ones?"

"I want you to carry these ones, the alcohol free variants, in your left arm and these ones, the alcohol focused variants, in your right. I'll handle the combined ones, and you can come back for the regular soda while I set these up." Diana thought about what else she might need. This banquet was her idea, after all. "Could you bring some ice in a bucket out with you when you do? I'd like Morizo and Merndil to have an idea of how they taste both lukewarm and cold."

"Merndil's attending?" Did she forget to tell Donovan about it?

"I offered an invitation, but he made it clear that it could be difficult to get rid of his entourage. I'm not counting on it, but I would like to play it safe."

"Got it. How much ice?"

"Just fill the bucket next to the freezer." Diana looked around the kitchen, through the mess, trying to see what else needed to be brought out. She had spent most of the day cooking, she was the only one who understood how these devices worked and knew how to cook, though most of her efforts amounted to fancy side dishes. "Oh, could you also put the ice cream I made at the bottom? It might not be ready yet, so I would like to keep it cold. We'll be eating it last regardless."

"If that's the case, why don't we just leave it in the freezer? I'd be happy to get it at that time."

"That's probably a better idea."

"Great. Let's take these out then." Donovan physically began to push Diana in a bid to get her out of the kitchen. "Let's focus on the showmanship now."

Diana blessed Donovan with a smooch on the cheek before picking up her share of the burden and following him out the door. 

- - - - -

"I really must thank you, Wiz. I wouldn't have been able to extricate myself from that mess had you not made an appearance today." Prince Merndil nodded his head to an old acquaintance and good friend. "And to you as well, Viro. I know social gatherings are not your forte, but you handled yourself quite admirably."

"Mom's been drilling all the manners and rules into me non-stop. At this point its honestly more of an act!" Arrewiz and Arreviro sat opposite to Merndil and Rashtvice in the carriage, all on their way to a common destination.

"That is the beauty of them. Because they are so rigid, they allow you to act more or less interested than you actually are." Merndil and the children of House Arre lived in two different worlds, politicking and warfare, though one might mistake Arrewiz for being competent in that arena as well. "I find myself putting up a similar act more often than I want."

"S-sometimes I struggle to distinguish between his acting and his real self, and I'm his brother." Rashtvice allowed himself a slight jab at his older brother, understanding they were in the company of friends.

"That is the curse of being royalty, not even family can be trusted completely." Wiz smiled, teasing his junior was incredibly fun when he could understand subtext. "That being said, it sounds like you've found a pair of reliable allies Merndil."

"A trio, if we are to be completely honest."

"A trio? I've only heard of Donovan and Diana. Who is the third?"

"Titanyana Strapper, 'Tempest'." Merndil allowed a moment for Arrewiz to connect some dots. "Ah, my apologies, I made a mistake. It should be Queen Titanyana Strapper now."

"I had heard that someone like that was in Len's squad, but I didn't know that she held a similar position to the other two. Has the situation changed since I spoke with Hlapven?" Arrewiz did not comment on the matter of an impromptu succession. Such things happened, and condolences were best presented to the person in question.

"Ah, no. Titanyana and her people are slated to become subjects of the Terrans. I have only managed to secure a favor with her in exchange for my help with a certain matter."

"I see." Wiz nodded. "Do you think I might be able to test her skills myself?"

"If she allows it, but keep in mind that the three of them will be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Leaving? In the middle of the year?" Viro seemed appalled by the prospect. "Everyone dreams of coming to the Sanctum and they're leaving?"

"Only for the rest of this academic year. They have a great deal of work on their plate, and they have made it abundantly clear that it needs to be done as soon as possible. A great many lives are at stake."

The carriage fell silent for a few minutes, the desire to know more about that last statement smothered by the understanding this matter was not something the crown prince had a right to elaborate upon.

"How about courtship, your majesty? Have you found a candidate for empress yet?" Wiz looked out the window, attempting to determine where they were. Such was a fruitless endeavor really, especially when they were in a locale that had been unused for decades. 

"I had, if only for a brief time, entertained offering Diana that position. She could have, nay, will, become an influential individual. She possess both beauty and brilliance."

"And you gave up on such a woman?"

"Gave up?" Merndil scowled at his smirking senior, a smirk that very quickly faded in the wake of an unchanging expression. "Arrewiz, I did not give up on Diana, I never stood a chance in the first place. I would go so far as to say I cut my losses."

". . ." Wiz and Viro appeared to be unconvinced, while Rashtvice nodded subtly.

"While weak at present, the Terrans are not to be underestimated." Merndil leaned forward. "Whether it is in the realm of war, lawfare, or economics, they possess a greater knowledge than all four of us combined. I would not be surprised if that knowledge of theirs exceeded the sum of our nation's experts."

". . . even warfare?" Viro was unwilling to believe that someone could rival her father in terms of military knowledge. 

"Especially warfare. Donovan may not be able to best you in a clash of blades, but he has demonstrated the ability to annihilate you and any force you could ever muster from farther than you could ever imagine."

"That seems-"

"Unlikely? Unbelievable? Impossible? Preposterous? Were you going to say something along those lines?" Viro nodded. "Tell me, my cute little cousin, do you know anybody that could put a hole through a foot of solid swordsmetal?"

"Huh?" The girl did not understand.

"A plate of solid metal about the thickness of your head. Do you think your father could stab through it?"

"Um, I don't think so?"

"Neither could the Marshall, and yet Donovan made it clear that such heavy armor was insignificant in his eyes." Merdil remembered the mauling that plate had endured, as well as Donovan's general disinterest regarding it. 

"I still don't see what's particularly threatening about it." Rashtvice had heard snippets of this arms demonstration from Merndil when the subject of the Terrans came up. "It isn't like anyone can fight with that much armor on them."

"But that's wrong, isn't it?" Arrewiz had a hand to his chin, contemplating. 

"Are there really people who walk around with that much armor?"

"Nobody wears it, but there are structures I would consider to be 'armor' that are ubiquitous to the defense of most realms. Castles." Arrewiz looked up at the ceiling, spiraling further into thought. "Or maybe just walls in general."

"Walls?"

"Yes, walls. We focused more on self defense for you two, but in the realm of siege tactics they are the most common headache. They present a physical obstacle in front of a tactical or strategic objective that put the attacker in a difficult position. In the first place, scaling them makes the movement of even the swiftest combatant predictable and therefore easier to intercept by less powerful opponents, while the relatively confined lane of combat atop the wall makes it difficult to get around your opponent's guard. The best method of defeating them is to send a squad of your most elite troops up to clear the top, however it is a huge gamble and incredibly risky. Honestly, my father is of the mind that letting the inhabitants of a fortified city starve themselves to surrender is a much better use of time and manpower."

"So the ability to pierce those walls and damage them . . ." Viro caught on quick.

"Would cripple the single most effective defensive strategy the galaxy relies on. I won't claim to be an expert, but I imagine that something that could pierce one or two feet of steel would be more than capable of piercing seven or eight feet of stone and earth. To my knowledge, that is the thickness of most city walls." Wiz bit his fingernail. "Sieges would be easy, something I never thought I'd say."

". . . that was not the capacity in which he demonstrated the weapon's use, but I imagine he can also use them in that way." Merndil didn't even want to think about the implications of this weapon being used on the field to engage infantry. "Instead, he showed that it may be used to disable and destroy ships from a distance."

"Was it-"

"A projectile? Yes. A cluster of them, but they were not launched from a bow or other such contraption. The device spit flames from its maw, hissing and roaring loud enough to render myself deaf at a distance." Merndil gave something along the lines of a demonstration to his relatives, mimicking the sounds to the best of his ability. "It split a ship in two, though it did not seem like that is how Donovan intends to use it. He seems more interested in dealing with an entire fleet than a single ship."

"It would be easy with a weapon like that." Wiz looked ready to drool. In theory it was possible to conduct battle in the void, but the dangers and risks associated with the process made it quite difficult to pull of successfully. Ramming, a viable tactic when combatting the occasional pirate on the ocean, would more often than not result in a hull that broke upon landing. Much the same, boarding actions were a coin flip, something no commander would count on. "You wouldn't even need to worry about land defenses, just pick off ships until they give up and run."

"Eeeh, I don't know about that. Donovan isn't exactly hot on the whole 'honor' thing, so he'd probably ensure everyone there to attack him ended up dead or dying." Rashtvice honestly agreed with some of his stances when it came to waging war, though he couldn't bring himself to condone it entirely.

"Which is exactly why I am begging you to stay on their good side, to do nothing that would sour their opinion of me or the Empire as a whole." Merndil, dead serious, looked directly into Viro's, not Wiz's, eyes. "Diana has expressed a desire to make some form of alliance, one I imagine could be of immense benefit, one that may provide us with an unmatched advantage in the case of a succession crisis."

"I won't cause problems! I promise!" Viro put one hand on her sternum and bowed her head, a formal method of giving one their word. "Even if I don't particularly like them, I have been putting in a lot of practice to maintain a cool head."

"So I've heard." If Linarin had actually brought herself to be serious with her daughter's manners, then there really wasn't anything to worry about. "As for you, Wiz-"

"I won't go pestering him about his secrets. I'm not that tactless."

". . . I was more concerned about your tendency to challenge people to duels." Merndil rolled his eyes. "Given their connections with the Holifanian Theocracy there is a non-zero chance that Trebar, who I'm sure you are aware of, will be in attendance. Actually, scratch that. There is an incredibly large chance that Trebar and elements of his squad will be in attendance. It is my expectation that you will keep your provocations to a minimum. I can find it in my soul to overlook one challenge, perhaps a second should they be amenable to such antics, however I must remind you that this is a social gathering to send off the Terrans."

"I . . . fine. Would it be fine if I arranged for such duels to take place later in my trip?"

"That should be fine, but only if they agree."

"What about me?" Viro, set to attend the academy next year, was still a fairly formidable combatant in her own right. She had inherited the same reckless fighting personality as her brother, but didn't have many people within her skill range to duel back home. "Would it be alright if I dueled someone?"

"Only if they agree, and it will need to happen after this gathering."

"Aww." Outwardly displeased, Merndil did not miss the fist clenched in excitement at her side. She still had a long way to go if she wanted to be a court lady, though he had a feeling that position wasn't going to be on her dossier. 

"What about Rash then? Don't you need to tell him off?" Viro was obviously referring to Rashtvice having a similar disposition towards combat. 

"Nah, I'm good. I've already been beaten by Titanyana twice, and I don't want to make any trouble for Donovan."

"Oho? Twice? You simply must tell me more."

"Nothing special. We had a bout during the recruitment phase, I lost faster than I'd like to admit, then I congratulated her on the win with a pat on the back, apparently touching something of an inappropriate spot in the process."

"I believe it took about a week for the bruise to fade, right?" Merndil smiled at his brother. Outright telling them that he was done with his lectures and warnings would be a bit awkward. The four of them were close enough that he could get the message across like this instead, with actions and implication. "And the record is three times. I recall you got shit-faced at a certain party and she had to set your straight."

"Oh! Daddy said that he fell in love with mom when she punched him in the face too!" Viro rarely expressed an interest in love and matchmaking, but this story had been told so often in the Arre household that it was bound to come up eventually. "Did you feel a spark or anything?"

"Ah-ahaha. Ahm, er, no . . . I, uh, I have my sights set on someone else right now, though I will say I found that brief bit of feistiness attractive. I-it's something I see a-as a good trait in a woman."

cakeonfrosting

Enter stage right, Len's family! We continue to set up the primary players in the Bulsarzian Empire arc that is slated to happen some time in the future. At the moment, these factions include -

Merndil Faction - Merndil (duh), Rashtvice, Hlapven, Arrewiz, Arreviro, Satie

Neutral Faction - The Emperor, the Prime Minister, Arrelois

Third Prince Faction - Rishtahn, the Third Prince

Vrie Faction - unknown

Now I'm off to do my schoolwork, pray I complete it.