"We are well-versed in our language, your excellency. Visitors do come and go, and we try to make them as comfortable as possible. That's what a valet of the Cafe Sonata is required to do." Explained Darach, before he paused to suggest an order. "In that case, I shall recommend you to the Peonic Dragonflower Elderling Blend. It has some hibiscus tea too... Excellent, I'll bring your orders immediately."

The Peony then moved her attention to Finix.

"So my friend, would you like to go straight to the point? I am free to answer anything that you and the people of FiHami may require of us."

"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"

---

Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you.

- Doraemon


Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020
Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017
Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017
Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017

Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains

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Finix nodded, shifting in her seat to lean forward a little more to the table.  Her eyes stared directly at the Peony, making her case as best as she could.

"The world is getting more and more unstable, as I am sure you have seen in the news.  War is brewing in Valkyria and Hystaiga, the situation in the Frost Empire in the area of Reizen.  It seems that, by the day, things are getting more and more... dangerous."

Finix sighed, leaning back a small bit once again into her seat.

"As you know, I was appointed Ha'Coron' over the united Finixi tribes by Ha'Finix itself."  Finix sighed, moving the light tan shawl off her right shoulder slightly, showing off some of the old, burnt skin underneath.  "Because of the trust Ha'Finix placed in me, my duty is to protect the people until my dying breath.  I intend to fulfill my duty to the best of my ability, or die trying."

She let the weight of her words settle for a moment before resuming her small speech.

"I would assume you share at the very least, concern over the state of the world."

Empress of Fire 
Current Minister of Military Affairs
Chair Perch of the Assembly (February to June 2020)
SPSF Soldier
MoRA Fellow
Ambassador to Forest and Lazarus

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"You are still young, my friend." Said The Peony as she brings her hands back on her lap. "The South Pacific, in the past 10 years have always been riddled with chaos and instability. The nuclear missiles stand tall and mighty, yet are a testament to distrust and discomfort with others. Frost develops speed and strength, but has shut themselves in, and as they focus on RIM hundreds of thousands of people are at effect. Children separated, families torn, husbands killed and mothers raped, you would know the atrocities, for these are of the daily occurances of The South Pacific region."

"So to answer your question, yes, I am concerned. But forgive me for saying that the concerns of people like you and I, to them, are valued as much as a flabby pringle."

The Peony then looked out of the window, hearing the waves of the ocean for a whole four seconds since fifteen is too much, and looked back to the Ha'Coron once more.

"You know I once tried to read the history of the South Pacific? My mother had a collection in her study you see.. Difficult-looking encyclopedias stand in a formidable row. They mock me. I tried reading one, and it made my head hurt." said The Peony, "When I closed it, it slipped out of my hand. Then my foot hurt too."

The Peony then chuckled, before moving on, "The past has made us cynical, unkind and ruthless. Yet what must be understood is that no one can change the past, Finix. The only thing we can do is strive to make up for our mistakes. Because in so doing...we can find our way back, to our path." Said The Peony, "and after that, we can move on from our past mistakes towards a brighter future. That is what The Peocracy needs and strives to show."

It was then that Darach got The Peony's orders and placed them on the table, a hot chocolate drink with some cinnamon on top, and wafers on the side, sitting inside a porcelain mug normally used by the sailors of ZhangHai a long time ago. As for Finix, a single tall glass with a bulb of tea, without water.

Darach clapped to summon one of his attenders, he called for "Shogo", and a man in a Peonic traditional garmet walked up with a copper tea spout, a long one in which the spout is as tall as the person herself. He lowered his feet like he was riding a horse, His right hand on the kettle handle, he placed his left hand and hovered it towards The Peony and Finix. Going left to right. His left hand on the spout he proceeded to raise his stance, and looked as if he was pouring. It was then that he shuffled his left foot and twisted his body. Looking away, his left hand was holding the teapot, and guided the spout to the glass,

His head upside down, looking at the water poured in, accurately, without a single drop wasted.


As the spout was lifted, so begun the teaflower to bloom. Carrying red from Hibiscus, and a hue of green from the Peonic elderling tea.

"御粗末!" The two of them bowed, and went out. The Peony noted that Finix was a bit... surprised.

"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"

---

Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you.

- Doraemon


Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020
Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017
Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017
Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017

Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains

(This post was last modified: 11-25-2020, 07:22 AM by Hammerstar.)

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What little surprise Finix displayed outwardly was felt thousands of times more inwards. The way the man poured the steaming water out so skillfully left a deep level of shock and admiration, so much so that she remained speechless for a solid minute.

"In FiHami, tea is a complicated business compared to the Antarchi and Antarchans, but tea must be a more complicated business in Huawan. I have never seen anything like this before." Finix smiled, watching the drink slowly become more and more colored.

"As for what you were saying before, I suppose I understand. All the horrible things happen in a world at war. FiHami is absolutely no stranger to the concept."

Finix grabbed the cup of tea, taking a small sip, sitting silently as she thought some more in her mind about what the Peony had said before, and of the bold flavor of the tea.

"One of the first stories I was taught after I was rescued from the Antarchi orphanages was a story of who is regarded as a great Chief. Ha'Coron' Saisani is said to be one of the incarnations of Ha'Finix itself. She was said to have turned to a bird and flew to many faraway lands and saw how much fighting there was. It makes sense that the world continues being the same."

Finix took another sip of her tea, allowing herself a shrug.

"I had noticed that while FiHami does not like to dwell on the specifics of war in our curriculum, other places love to detail their wars to make their history books heavy. Heavy enough to hurt a foot, even. But the more important events that happen are often looked over and ignored."

Empress of Fire 
Current Minister of Military Affairs
Chair Perch of the Assembly (February to June 2020)
SPSF Soldier
MoRA Fellow
Ambassador to Forest and Lazarus

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"Huawan takes the culture of drinking and serving tea very seriously. The man is known as a "tea valet", people that study specifically, the art of pouring tea."

The Peony bit a wafer and with both hands she took sip of the Gi-Lanndian chocolate. She knew that non-alcoholic rum was inside, it was a nice touch. There are times that she doesn't like using the handle, mostly because she always mistakenly grab the handle with her left hand, and drink. Which, in Islam, is a bit nono. She placed it back down, and took a tissue o wipe the chocolate off, her cherry red lips still intact.

"So all heads of state in FiHami are chosen by the Ha'Finix? What an interesting way, and I believe there are some.... false chosen ones too?" Asked The Peony, "But your parliament and heads of tribes are elected are they not? I'm interested in how FiHami functions, it does not seem to be like the usual Theocracy and skills of governance seem to be amplified upon contact with the Ha'Finix, I read that your leadership and physical strength peaked after your encounter, would you mind telling me how it felt?"

Another wafer was taken and bit by the Peony, a vanilla and mocha filling that lathers itself throughout her mouth. Working well with the slight bitterness of the hot chocolate.

"It is true. because war attracts the inner....beast....within us. It is a survival instinct to become the greatest, to gain power, and we all gravitate to war. Huawan tries to do the same in its curriculum, however, a different way. We try to teach them that war, and conflict, while sometimes a necessity to be done, yield tremendous loss of life in the big scheme of things, do not leave much to support. The minds of the country must understand that there are other ways to get what they need without a conflict of arms. To show off your superiority and skills in feats of economical and technological prosperity. To have your culture and your values rooted deep inside you. We try to provide them as much as they need in the study of history, and guide them to see that bloodshed is unnecessary in this day and age. For a wise man once said."

"Those who do not learn history, is bound to repeat it. Do you concur?"

"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"

---

Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you.

- Doraemon


Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020
Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017
Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017
Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017

Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains

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Finix nodded solemnly in agreeance to the Peony's words about war.

"The only thing that changed when I was attacked by the giant bird was my shoulder.  It dropped its torch on my shoulder.  But otherwise, nothing about me changed.  Eti, she is like a mother or teacher person to me, has called me a natural leader before I was appointed.  As for false chosen ones, I do believe that my successor or whoever she is meant to be is falsely chosen but the priests of FiHami have said that she is 'legit', as I see on the internet.  To answer to you on how it felt, I cannot remember the initial encounter, it was very quick, and the person with me pushed me into the river and it was over before I figured out what happened.  My shoulder did hurt a lot for a while though, and I will admit that at the time, I had no idea what happened."

Finix shrugged, pausing before speaking once again.

"Traditionally, Ha'Finix appoints ki Ha'Coron' by attacking the person, and speaks to ki Ha'ha'une in dreams and sends visions.  I believe the austral words are 'Chief' and 'High Priestess', respectively.  The Chief is to lead the United Finixi tribe fairly and defend them against threats.  The High Priestess is to oversee the will of Ha'Finix and communicate its teachings to the tribe.  When I killed the old emperor and freed ki Hani Finixi from the old empire, I knew I did not want to lead as I am not truly a good leader.  I am only 'good' because people seem to worship me and I hate it."

Finix grew visibly angry as she stated the last sentence, taking a second to recollect herself.

"Apologies.  But, I have appointed a Speaker for the Parliament, though I have been thinking of just naming them as Prime Minister since the goal of the Parliamentary Speaker is to be a head of government person.  Eventually, the Chiefs will enjoy only ceremonial power.  The 5 major tribes in FiHami do not have a leader.  Though, in legends, before the unification by the first Ha'Coron', Fi Onixia, the tribes were separated and constantly at war, and the leaders were descended from the original Matriarch.  Perhaps it is that you were referring to?  The House of Elders is simply a body of widely trusted elders of the tribe who have the job to sort out lower conflicts.  These are appointed by the people."

After a small second of silence to sip her tea, Finix spoke up once again.

"One question I have for you.  You are a very highly revered figure, how were you appointed to oversee Huawan?  Were you elected?  Does Ha'Finix pick you?"

Empress of Fire 
Current Minister of Military Affairs
Chair Perch of the Assembly (February to June 2020)
SPSF Soldier
MoRA Fellow
Ambassador to Forest and Lazarus

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The Peony gave a chuckle, a chuckle that seemed to give off an air of comedy and despair. With a dash of acceptance.

"I'm afraid it was nothing of a sort, but to tell you the truth I wasn't supposed to become The Peony of Huawan." Said The Peony, "Nine years ago, when my mom, Akane Yan, still held the office of the Nuwang, her predecessor, my grandmama, LingXin Yan, passed away. It did a number on our family, and we were devastated. Especially my mom, she had such a close relationship with grandmama. Two years after my grandmama's passing was the coronation of the new Peony, my older brother. Ryuunosuke, or Ryuu-chan, as I we like to call him."

The Peony continued to drink some of her chocolate, recalling a memory that scarred her, yet she had faced, a long time ago with great pain and despair.

"Everyone loved my eldest brother. He was a maestro, clever and strategic. At the age of 21 he followed my mom as the High Diplomat.. Or Minister of Foreign Affairs, often times he would type in the things needed saying and choosing to the tablet, and my mom would answer according to his direct suggestion. However... on 2011, a year after my grandmother's passing, my brother died in a plane crash. Malfunctioned engines, no survivors. I was on call that day as the paramedic, and I saw my brother's remains charred and dismembered, jet fuel does melt. My father followed suit two months later, heart attack."


The Peony paused, and continued.

"A new successor was chosen, my eldest sister, Shizuka Yan, became the crown princess. She was the most popular, and the one of the kindest person I ever knew. But the tragic loss of both my brother, my father and my grandmother severely impacted my mom. She tries to be strong, and I try to support her as her personal physician. Stress took the toll on her, and on 2014, two years after the incident, she sadly passed away. My eldest sister was to be coronated, but she refused the throne. She married her boyfriend, the Hammerstarian ambassador to Huawan, Sir Marcus Vanderbilt Rowena, and she orchestrated her immigration moments before her coronation. As a citizen of another country, she is not allowed the office of The Nuwang, which made me be in line."

She gave a sip of chocolate, and a bite little bite of toast. Swallowing it with difficulty.

"Unlike my siblings I am not a natural leader, nor am I given preparation to rule the country. My parents had accepted that I was to become a physician and a researcher. I neither possess half the skill of my peers in other states. Yet... The Royal Palace asks...no.....forces me, to rule. And thus they coronated me without me being there, I remembered staying in the manor for a whole month, still... In my room, my mind processing the things that just happened. I hate to admit that there were times I tried to kill myself, and oh how I feel the sweet satisfaction of an instant release from reality." The Peony explained, "but..... you soon to realize then Allah gave you the amanah, and you must see through the plans. I accepted my fate, and did what I can for the I was responsible for."

The Peony looked away, a bit silent and tired. She continued as she looked away at the crushing sea


"I don't want to seem indulgent when I discuss my lows, or my highs. Nor my demise and my uprise. but I pray to Allah, I just opened enough eyes later on... Gave you the supplies and the tools to hopefully use that will make you strong." Said The Peony, "Enough to lift yourself up, when you feel like I felt. Because I can't explain to you just...... how exhausted my legs felt, just having to balance myself on the eggshells I was made to walk on."

The Peony looked at Finix again, that was listening intently, she took the mug again and sipped once more.

".....天生我材必有用 (Tiānshēng wǒ cái bì yǒuyòng), If heaven made me, earth can find some use for me." Said The Peony before looking at Finix, giving a sincere smile, "I'm sorry I think I was rambling to myself. Would you like to order some main course your excellency? We could share it if you'd like?"

"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"

---

Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you.

- Doraemon


Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020
Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017
Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017
Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017

Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains

(This post was last modified: 11-28-2020, 04:16 PM by Hammerstar.)

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"I do dream of escape myself most nights, if I am to be honest..." Finix admitted, though fairly quietly. She shook her head. "As for main course, I am not opposed to sharing, and I am very curious about food from other lands. I have said a lot of times, when my job in FiHami is over, I would like to travel the world. But that will be dependant on whether there is peace or war abroad."

Finix thought for a second, glancing over in the direction of the kitchen.

"What country do you think has the best food?"

Empress of Fire 
Current Minister of Military Affairs
Chair Perch of the Assembly (February to June 2020)
SPSF Soldier
MoRA Fellow
Ambassador to Forest and Lazarus

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The Peony gave a laugh, she smiled towards Finix. "Thats an interesting question, and one Im fearful of answering. As mom's child, nothing beats her cooking."

What the nuwang wanted to answer is that of all the meals, her cup noodles are the best of the best. Divine taste brewed by hot water. But that's a secret she'll take to the grave.

"Food is the best way, to explore culture. And if I were to answer something second to Peonic cuisine..... Oh dear I love them all! Apart from the deep fried stuff, a waste of good cooking oil."

The Peony then shuffled her eyes up top to access her mind, on what she wants to eat.

"I assume you already have so much fish back home, might I interest you in a beef noodle hotpot? I can teach you how we eat fancy in Huawan. Itll take maybe a couple of minutes for them to prep it, and we could definitely finish our negotiations by the time it arrives. What say you?"

"毎日の小さな努力の積み重ねが歴史を作っていくんだよ。"

---

Put a little effort everyday and it will stack up and create a foundation for you.

- Doraemon


Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplay 2020
Treasure Island Awards Best Roleplayer 2020
Cocos Winner for Best Character Writer 2017
Cocos Winner for Best International Event 2017
Cocos Winner for Best Overall RP 2017

Things to know: Medical Intern and Biomedical Scientist from Indonesia, Muslim, 188 metres tall, loves trains

Reply

"Excuse me, one moment." Finix quickly grabbed her phone from her bag, typing something real quick on it, though she kept the phone's screen out of sight.

"What is this 'beef' thing?"

After a minute of searching, reaching the answer to her question, she turned her phone off, slipping it right back into her bag, and looked back up to the Peony.

"Apologies, I was curious if FiHami had a word for 'beef' but we do not. The animal it comes from looks interesting. I would like to try it."

Empress of Fire 
Current Minister of Military Affairs
Chair Perch of the Assembly (February to June 2020)
SPSF Soldier
MoRA Fellow
Ambassador to Forest and Lazarus

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