The City of Lights

[Mogar]

One of the unfortunate byproducts of the relationship between the two Empresses was that neither of them held the equipment required to produce an heir, and bringing in a third party would mean the child was not entirely theirs. Kazuko especially was quite interested in producing an heir, she was getting older and her husband had died before he could manage to do so, the poor sap. She looked upon herself in the mirror and sighed, she was not getting any younger. Technology meant she hadn't aged a bit since 25, but the biological clock was still tick tick ticking.

 

She arranged for a trip to France, and sent word to Jeanne, perhaps a night together would give her the courage to discuss that subject with her secret lover. The world was a powder keg, with Romanians threatening the nations surrounding them, a state weakened by tragedy lashing out at their neighbors. In another world she would have reached out to the new Queen, having been in that position previously, but unfortunately it seemed they would not listen to reason.

 

The trip went by in a flash, the hypersonic aircraft made flying much less of a chore, though she counted every minute, this would be their first "date", in years, hopefully everything went by perfectly.

[Shave N Haircut]

Jeanne was dressed for the occasion of course, as none in France would ever suspect she would dress, which is to say that she was dressed as the typical Frenchwoman would dress instead of military formal wear or other sort of formal dress. Instead she wore a short-skirt with thigh-high stiletto boots and a horizontally striped crop-top, a short black jacket worn over it. Of course, she also wore a black beret and a pair of sunglasses to hide her rather distinctive eyes.

 

She was, of course, sitting outside a small Parisian cafe, as one would stereotypically find women dressed as she was. She waited for her lover patiently.

[Mogar]

Kazuko wore a tight black dress, with a thing lace outer garment, and a light green wrap, while not quite as flashy as she normally went with, she was trying to be simply another Japanese tourist to the public, not wanting to deal with the formalities and attention. A quick taxi ride from the airport would bring her to the Cafe they had agreed upon, she smiled as she saw her prey, moving through the crowds to keep Jeanne from noticing until she was right behind her, leaning in to whisper "You waiting for someone?" the sound of her smile flowing through the words.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Mogar

[Shave N Haircut]

"Now who could that be, whose voice flows so nicely," Jeanne asks playfully as she turns around, "Oh, it's just you. Funny, I was waiting for the Empress of Japan but I'm sure the most beautiful woman in the world will do just fine as well." she stands and places her hand at the back of Kazuko's neck, pulling her in and leaning forward to give her a little peck on the lips, "What a wonderful surprise it is too."

[Mogar]

Kazuko returned the kiss, nipping at her lover's lower lip at they pulled away, sitting down at the open chair she held hands with Jeanne across the table, "Oh how you tease, I'm an old bat. I am happy to finally visit you after your lengthy disappearance, but nous avons seulement ce soir chéri." The waiter took their orders and they sat together as the sun grew lower in the sky, "I trust you have been well? I saw your sister briefly, unfortunate as that whole affair was, I hope she got the replacement dress I had gotten for her."

[Shave N Haircut]

Jeanne nods, "She sent a letter in return to thank you, though I'm not sure how well it made it through all the bureaucratic mess that it has to cross to get to your eyes. She was highly appreciative. She sends her regards to this meeting in fact, she told me that it was very nice to meet you, however short it was."

 

She relaxes a bit, "'Well' is a relative thing. I'm still alive, I'm still breathing, but there's been a lot of stress. I don't have to tell you why." She glances in a generally Northern direction, "It's been an interesting few months."

[Mogar]

"You've been there for me when I had to deal with my own unruly neighbors, the least I could do is be there for you in your time of need." she said, gently squeezing Jeanne's hand, "I didn't come here to have us dwell upon the stresses that come with the job though, We've gotten through harder times, we will survive the coming storm together. After this is all over I think we both need a vacation though, somewhere warm and sunny, with clean beaches and clear water, just you and me and the sound of the ocean." She'd pause as the waiter brought their bottle of wine and poured two glasses, raising hers to make a toast, "To our eternal friendship, may the fates ever remain in our favor."

[Shave N Haircut]

Jeanne threw her glass back. It wasn't her style to get drunk, nor to waste good wine by drinking too fast, but this wasn't the time for moderation, with her nerves so high, "I only wish for the safety of my people, you know that." she pours herself another one and goes easy on this one, "I know just the place, I took my sisters there just a few months back, Tahiti, wonderful place. South Pacific, crystal clear water. When all this blows over I'll take you there and we'll relax for a couple weeks. I'll leave the country with my little sister, she's had some experience on administration by now."

 

Her expression sours, but she doesn't say anything.

[Mogar]

Kazuko only took a mouthful, she wasn't about to complain since getting Jeanne drunk would make her goal a bit easier. "You and me both, but we don't live in a world in which the safety of civilians is unfortunately secondary to the pursuit of power by some. They can chase their power, I think we have a much nobler goal in mind..." trailing off finishing her own glass, and pouring another. "Tahiti sounds wonderful right now, it'll be nice to escape the winter chill for a little while. I will have to entrust my Prime Minister with the country for a while since I am not as fortunate to have any siblings, or an heir for that matter."

[Shave N Haircut]

"Heirs." Jeanne practically spits the word, "For want of an heir my sister was divorced." The reason for the sour expression had been on the tip of her tongue anyways, "She's cried into my ear over the phone about that for a week. She's getting a flight back here tomorrow." she shakes her head, "I don't need one, if it comes down to it one of my sisters who's more interested in children will take over and the line will continue like that. Hell, I might give the position to one of my more competent generals, provided they keep my family comfortable and don't abuse the people."

 

"But yes, Tahiti is the perfect place. War hasn't touched Tahiti in centuries, it's a peaceful place." She finishes a second glass and begins work on a third.

[Mogar]

"Comes with the blood beau, if we don't continue the family lines then we become merely memories. I suppose it is a bit different in Europe, but I am considered to be an avatar of the Shinto gods by a good portion of the Japanese population, can't have the bloodline of Amaterasu die out, otherwise my neighbors might be able to claim my throne when I am gone." she said sarcastically, sticking out her tongue. "I was saddened to hear about your sister, and I'm sure you did not enjoy dealing with all that emotion, sometimes I dont even know how you put up with me." Thinking for a moment she would reply, "I hope through my relationship with the Northlands and New Zealand we will keep the Pacific free of any warfare forever, such beautiful locales should not be ruined by the horrors of war."

[Shave N Haircut]

"The Northlands wouldn't dream of crossing us so long as we express no interest in taking Belgium from them." Jeanne says in a disinterested tone, "And New Zealand is a good friend of mine. But that's not what we're here to talk about, is it? We've got more interesting things." She downs a fourth glass, not caring so much for appearances at this point, and gaining a worried glance from the waiter as he passed, though it was sure he hadn't heard anything, "We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves, not talking politics."

 

Jeanne pauses, "There are a lot of people around here who would be very put out by the news of a possible heir." she considers out loud.

[Mogar]

"I was more thinking of my own heir, though with modern medical science we could produce a child from both of us, without either of us even needing to carry the " she suggested, having thought of all of this, "but if you are in that sort of mood mi amour, we should probably go somewhere more private..." She hadn't planned ahead for that, but she assumed Jeanne did, it being her country after all, she'd know where to go where people would keep their mouths shut.

[Shave N Haircut]

"Not right now." Jeanne says, blushing a little, "Though don't think you're going to get away from here without it."

 

She thinks for a couple seconds, the previous subject coming back to her mind, "I suppose if you wish to have a child that is biologically ours I could agree, but it would be difficult with our situation. Across the world from each other, monarchs. I wouldn't want to be an absentee from the raising of a child I'm partially responsible for, but what would the public think?" She finishes her fourth glass, her cheeks starting to get rosy, "I suppose you've thought this out though."

[Mogar]

"Who else but you? I could find another royal to marry, but who is to say he would not ignore me like the last one did? I would rather my heir have a parent I can have a faith in caring for them than someone who merely sees my spawn as a meal ticket, or a way to control me, with you I believe you'd simply be interested in giving me an heir and not want to turn our kid into some sort of French/Japanese super monarch." She sighed, drinking slower than Jeanne but still probably faster than she should.

 

"To be honest I was not planning on having it be public knowledge, so long as it is my child and their DNA proves that, what does it matter who the other parent is? Let them wonder, You and I will know, and perhaps some doctor in Tikal, but considering no other nation even speaks the same language as them and their cultural isolation, I predict it would not ever be revealed. I can arrange for a surrogate, and we can even have the child carry on those beautiful eyes of yours." she said with a smirk, gazing into Jeanne's bright green eyes. 

Edited October 13, 2014 by Mogar

[Shave N Haircut]

"Would be too destabilizing to make a kid monarch of both countries. Too much land area, too much cultural diversity to take all into account." Jeanne says, "Wouldn't work. But yeah, we could do it, although I still wouldn't feel good about being gone all the time." She downs a fifth glass.

[Mogar]

Kazuko smirked, realizing she could probably get Jeanne to agree to marriage at the rate she was drinking. "You wouldn't need to worry, and it isn't as though I'd keep the child from you, what would you want anyway, a boy or a girl?"

[Shave N Haircut]

"I'd be more in favor of it being a girl." Jeanne says as she sips off her sixth glass, refilling it without hesitation, her cheeks quite rosy and her eyes hooded as she looks at Kazuko, "I just wish things were more simple. It's not possible to be a peaceful country these days. War war war all the time." she leans her cheek on the glass, spilling a little wine

[Mogar]

"I was thinking a boy, you have all sisters, and I was the only female child, a male would carry on the family name and perhaps one day marry into another family, solve some of the bad blood between East Asia and some other countries in the world." Sipping on her glass, "Don't you think you should slow down a bit? I would like to enjoy your company tonight instead of just you sleeping." she said half teasingly.

[Shave N Haircut]

"I haven't had that much." she says, looking at the bottle critically, "... Or I have." She sighs and rubs her eyes, "Sorry, I'm just stressed, you didn't come all this way to watch me get smashed and pass out." she puts her glass down, "Whichever you would prefer I suppose, I'm going to be less involved anyways."

[Mogar]

"Shall we go somewhere more quiet, away from prying eyes then?" she asked, finishing her glass, and standing up, electing to assist Jeanne in doing the same.

[Shave N Haircut]

Jeanne considers for a moment before nodding, "Sure." she stands up on her own, waving Kazuko away, "I've only had six, I've not lost motor control yet!" she giggles a little bit, "I need at least seven for that."

 

She picks Kazuko up in the bridal carry, though she stumbles a little bit on her high-heels, "Woops, standby." she catches herself and begins walking down the street, "So, what did you have in mind?"

[Mogar]

Laughing she shrieked "PUT ME DOWN!", before taking Jeanne's arm into hers, walking alongside her through the Paris streets just as the sun was setting, it was a picturesque evening, and certainly would be one of Kazuko's happier memories as of late, and probably for the foreseeable future.  "Well, I won't be so touristy that I'd say let's go to the Effiel Tower, how about simply a nice private room with a balcony, so you can get drunk and we can... de-stress together? I am fine with whatever we do so long as it's spending time with you, it's been far too long since we've had any personal time."

[Shave N Haircut]

Jeanne put her down reluctantly, "I know a nice hotel with a fantastic view of the silly thing if you'd like that." she says, walking better now that she wasn't carrying her lover, "They're nice, discrete, and don't really care what their clientele do, nor who they are."

[Mogar]

She leans against Jeanne, "This whole evening makes me wonder what would have happened if we weren't leaders, maybe we would have done something completely different, you could have been a mercenary for hire, and I could have been an archaeologist, travel the world together and explore dangerous locales. Thinking about it, it sounds like a movie, but I couldn't see either of us at a desk job working nine to five." She shivered a bit as the sun finally set, the air growing cool quickly. "I'd like anything tonight with you, sounds like a perfect place for us."