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

[refashioned]

I think right now it's less that it hasn't occurred and more that their advisors are quite possibly more interested in a war.

[That's a leap that Veronica has taken long before this little suggestion. She may be wrong, but it suits her narrative, so she's not changing it right now.]

As for romance, I believe people had it in their heads that we intended to lock them in a room together like some high school game of seven minutes in heaven. Only it would be twenty years in hell because we'd somehow force them into an unhappy marriage with a contract that we can't even make happen.

[abortz]

Why would anyone WANT a war??

And why twenty years? Someone else said your marriage is for life.

[refashioned]

Fear. Hunger for power. What might come from the chaos. The list can honestly go on. They might even be afraid that Nama might look weak.

[There's a pause and then she goes on:]

Typically marriage is for life.

Typically.

[abortz]

[The "typically" is curious on its own, but...]

How long do humans live?

[refashioned]

It depends on the culture, era, and what medical knowledge is available.

[Insert shrug emote here.]

You'd have to ask around to figure out what's an appropriate answer for Hanabira.

[abortz]

[Ew, you want them to specifically reserach something like the natural expiration of an organic species? Gross. They don't care that much. They don't even want to think about it that much.]

I'm asking for an estimate.

[refashioned]

That's why I can't give one. It can vary by as many as fifty to sixty years.

[abortz]

So? That's not that long.

[refashioned]

[Ah ...]

How long is long to you?

[abortz]

[That they have to pause and think about. What's a length of time they'd consider significant enough to make an estimated range useless? It's hard to say.]

A thousand years?

[It's not necessarily an impressive length of time. Longer than they've been alive, maybe, but they're one of the younger gems.]

[refashioned]

Yeah, that's typically relegated to the supernatural and other sorts.

[abortz]

What do you mean "supernatural"?