video; un: lodge (with special guest alucard)

[refashioned]

[Happy Valentine's Day, Club Ophelia! Naturally, this guild is neither a club nor really in a place to pass around cute Valentine's with fantastic puns, but one could consider this a spectacular day to publicly broach a specific issue: marriage.

No, not among the various members of the lovely guild, but the Empresses themselves. Love is in the air, isn't it? Or it could be. In time.

As it is, incoming Veronica and a beautiful vampire man by the name of Alucard. Thankfully, no one will be announcing any murders here, accidental, in self-defense, or otherwise.]

Hello, Guild Ophelia! [That's Veronica. She's as chirpy and confident as ever.] Alucard and I have a proposal to make. Let's just say "proposal" is a fitting way to talk about precisely how we want to approach the rest of this mission. Some of you have already heard what I have to say about this, but I think it's fitting if we hear it from another party.

[Alucard, on the other hand, is calm and keeping his usual regal approach.] In addition, I thought it best to ensure everyone heard what we had to say. Veronica’s idea is a wise one: there will be persistent unrest with all people in both regions. If they are unable to agree to one ruler, there is no reason to not revere both as ruling parties. It would be an ideal resolution.

This could be arranged easily by marriage between both Empresses.

[Veronica is seen nodding in response to this, pleased that this is coming together.]

I know a number of you think a peace treaty might be the answer. I don't disagree, but we're here to ensure that there's a more permanent solution moving forward. The union of these two women is the best way for both of these societies to have their cake and eat it, too. Their combined resources and culture can only make them both better. And we're not left desperately trying to make Doro be the one in charge … or someone like him. We know he just doesn't suit the unique nature of this world. [One that Veronica herself is rather fond of!]

So, let's discuss team.

Comments

@z ; voice }

[hackedhistory]

Obligatory "arranged marriage is kind of archaic and people deserve to be with people they love" comment.

[She is making a face but there's a reason why she's doing voice not video. But she also doesn't seem like she can't be convinced, depending on what Veronica and Alucard have in mind.]

I'm not saying it's not the right political move, but arranged marriage is generally a tool of a world that cares more about power than happiness, so I'm not sure how pragmatic we want to be here.

But who knows. Maybe the empresses are secretly star crossed lovers.

audio; un: aloy

[datapoint]

I agree. We can suggest it to them, but we shouldn't count on it. They're people, too, not our toys.

[refashioned]

Who said anything about treating them as objects?

[datapoint]

Well, you're saying they should get married to complete our mission. Without considering their feelings. So...

[refashioned]

It's a part of their culture.

[datapoint]

Marrying off men.

[refashioned]

They're both grown women being influenced by advisors who don't have their best interests at heart.

And if you have an issue, I'd like to hear an alternative. A permanent one.

[A beat.]

Not that I'm here to argue. I'm genuinely asking.

[hackedhistory]

Do we genuinely have their best interests at heart if this is our best permanent solution?

[But she's asking for suggestions so here it is:]

Why not empower the opposite end? Have them lease land in the Flowerlands rather than controlling it outright. That way the farmers there can continue with their livelihoods and the two empires can be encouraged to trade with each other in order to maintain those leases.

[refashioned]

Political marriages are already a part of this culture. [It's said a little impatiently.]

The Flowerlands aren't the only thing that they're trying to get. They want the one ruler to rule them all, because this other Empress appeared out of nowhere. Empowering the Flowerlands—and therefore Doro—is questionable at best.

And something that Doro lacks the resources to manage.

[hackedhistory]

There are lots of things that are part of culture, that doesn't mean they're right. I'm also not saying that it isn't an option, but it also isn't the only option we should provide.

[That being said:]

Also if you don't think they'll go for the peace treaty, why do you think a marriage would be better?

[refashioned]

Out of curiosity, how do you think I planned on proposing this? I mean, do you get why I think a peace treaty isn't enough?

audio; un: alucard

[reposing]

I would hardly make the suggestion as an arrangement, but there is a certain political advantage to having them marry.

But I would prefer it with their consent, not by force.

[refashioned]

It's not like we have the authority to force it either way.

[A suggestion is a suggestion, after all.]

[reposing]

[He snorts, sounding amused.]

Not short of threats. [He hesitates, then adds:] Not that I think it would help them remotely.

Regardless, we can only propose the idea. Nothing more.

[refashioned]

Given the dire circumstances, it's not like the women themselves haven't thought about it.

[A beat.]

Like, we have to give them credit. They have to know what the resounding solution is here. They're smart, not pawns for us to play around with.

[reposing]

If the ronin are anything to go by, then yes, I would agree.

I concur. They are not fools, and I think they long for resolution just as many of their people do.

[hackedhistory]

If you're marrying someone who you don't previously have a romantic relationship with, at the suggestion of other people - that's pretty much the definition of "arranged." But if it makes you more comfortable, we can go with "political."

[Her tone is a little dry there, but she reels it back as she continues.]

If they consent to it, if they agree that it's the best option, then that's fine. It's their lives and their choice. But I fail to see why this is being pitched as the better option over the peace treaty.

[reposing]

[Alucard scowls, very clearly unimpressed. Whatever he is thinking, he is careful to keep it to himself, but his narrowed gaze is a judgemental one.]

A peace treaty is far easier to betray than the unity of two regions, from my experience. The argument displayed for the empires is who is the true ruler. If both rule in a married union, the argument is irrelevant.

The problem was created due to two universes becoming one -- messily. A political marriage simplifies the matter significantly, a practice that I doubt would interfere with their traditions.

[hackedhistory]

Assuming that that really is the argument, and it's not something more complicated, like the Mountain Clan not wanting to recognize the ... more artistic lifestyle of the Sea Clan. Marrying Nama and Youmi could make things ten times worse because we're not addressing the real issue.

[Judge her all you want, but she's trying to think of the people and the way that will foster a less vitriolic rebellion. She also isn't sure why they're skipping over the simpler solution.]

audio; un:kyouken

[justbeingknife]

I gotta agree with ya on that first bit. But since they're the ones who're actually gonna have to live with this, maybe the best move here is to present 'em with what options we come up with and letting 'em make their own decision.

If they're old enough to rule a country, I figure they're old enough to decide if they wanna get hitched or not.

[refashioned]

Plus, making a proposal isn't forcing anything.

[hackedhistory]

If the group thinks it's the best idea to pitch it to them, then that's fine by me. I can deal with being outvoted. But I'm not convinced it's the only "permanent" solution, or a better one than the treaty itself.

[They both seem equally volatile, because they both still require the two empresses to work together.]

[justbeingknife]

I'd rather have more than one idea in the bag myself. We're outsiders, so there might be something we ain't anticipate or understand.

Also, hate to say it, but we actually don't know these women all that well. There's no guarantees for political marriages workin' out in the end even if both sides do agree.

[ Unbalanced power dynamics between an experienced and inexperienced empress, for instance, assassination attempts for another... engh. ]

Although in this case, we do have mind readers workin' with us.

[hackedhistory]

As handy as those are, that's also a little dicey. It's one thing to read the minds of insurgents, it's another to manipulate people we were sent to help.

[And even then, she doesn't feel one hundred percent with getting into people's heads to solve the insurgent problem either. But that's another problem to deal with another day.]

I just think this solution has the same risks, with what we know about the empresses currently, as the peace treaty itself. This one just involves putting them in closer proximity to each other.

[justbeingknife]

[ Hmm. Depending on the level of mindreading involved, Majima didn't necessarily see it as much different than the rest of their manipulations -- but maybe it would not be a good idea to bring that up since he'd rather find commonality and group consensus and questioning the very morality of their mission was Not Helpful Right Now.

Maybe later, when he'd had a couple.

For now, he'd just lay out his personal concerns, because he wasn't firmly Team Anything yet. ]

I think the most important thing is buying some time for the two sides to acclimate. Their cultures are different, they don't remember each other ever bein' there before. It's like ya dropped two angry cats in a room and left 'em to it.

If we can help set up a situation where there won't be too much fighting for a couple years, let 'em start building connections and getting used to having each other around, then that'll start becoming the new status quo.