A meeting of the Lady and the Lord

[Lynneth]

It was the day after the King's funeral.

All throughout Bavaria, the people were still mourning, with one exception...Those in the Königsbau, the official seat of government, were working hard to reshape Bavaria slowly and with subtleness.

A lot of work lay before them, but with Minister Lahnstein's effective policies - he now was an 'advisor', though still with much of the same executive power - it would be easier. Bavaria's economy was growing, and already had surpassed the one trillion mark within such a short time, though inflation was growing because of this.

However, all this would step back for a while, as Lord Havelock Vetinari, Regent of Bavaria, was expecting a special visitor, who had asked to meet him after the Funeral.

Lady Sarah Tintagyl, very likely the most influential woman on the entire planet.

Currently, she likely was already being escorted in an open limousine sporting the Bavarian Coat of Arms towards the palace, being shown some of the sights of the capital, Munich. Some sights were being shown during the drive, among them the New Town Hall (where the mayor of Munich worked) or the Maximilianeum.

[Sarah Tintagyl]

No matter how she tried, Sarah could never fully rid herself of Europe. Maximilian had followed her dream of a diverse Europe, a Europe that could exist without the needing of Nordlandic despotism, could indeed thrive. That hegemony was just as dangerous and volatile as a cluster of warring European states. At least with the various states, there was room for separate cultures to exist and to rise. Bavaria and the Hansa had never had amazing terms. Sarah led one of the world's largest colonial powers, which had only recently given up its territorial claims in Europe. Then to pile further insult onto injury, Bavaria had followed Somal's principles at ignoring the call for help by the Hansa after the German missile attack on Brisbane. It was like two friends, who wanted to like each other, but couldn't because other affairs continued to get in the way.

Vetinari showed extreme promise though as a leader that Sarah wanted to immediately begin mending the gap and bring the Hansa back into European affairs. Perhaps not as a power, but as someone who had, and still has a stake in the future of European affairs. After being shown around Munich, with the various monuments, cathedrals, and government buildings Sarah finally arrived in the Königsbau, the residency of the Bavarian Head of State. It put her immediately in awe, a German Versailles if you will a pinnacle of beauty in art and architecture as she walked through the gilded hallways, like a fairy-tale princess trying to find her knight in shining armor.

After stopping to look at almost every room and every artifact that was on display, she finally arrived in Vetinari's private quarters. His gaze immediately set her off guard, but with the charm to draw her in further. She straightened her dress and walked forward. "Lord Vetinari, it is a pleasure to finally be able to meet you. Thank you for accepting my request for audience."

[Lynneth]

After stopping to look at almost every room and every artifact that was on display, she finally arrived in Vetinari's private quarters. His gaze immediately set her off guard, but with the charm to draw her in further. She straightened her dress and walked forward. "Lord Vetinari, it is a pleasure to finally be able to meet you. Thank you for accepting my request for audience."

"No problem, Sarah. You do not mind if I call you by your first name."

It was more a statement than question. Vetinari was sitting in a black chair, the sun shining into the room from behind, so it was hard to judge what the chair and his clothes looked like. What was visible of him were hands and face, the former folded as if he was thinking, the latter unmoving, merely an eyebrow raised for whatever reason he had.

Slowly, he stood up. Vetinari was a tall man, and thus had a rather long way upwards, each joint unfolding in a calculated and somewhat unnerving manner, until he finally was standing, leaning slightly forwards and reaching with a hand over the desk towards Sarah.

"So good to see you. Do sit down. I trust you are well?"

Drinks were already on the oaken desk, Sarah's drink incidentially being Pinot Grigio, while Vetinari had a red wine.

"Now, what was it that you wanted to talk about with me?"

Edited July 20, 2009 by Lynneth

[Sarah Tintagyl]

Intimidation was a good word to use here, but for all of Vetinari's spookiness and statuesque like figure, Sarah had dealt with worse.

"No problem, Sarah. You do not mind if I call you by your first name."

"Not at all..." She thought for a moment. "Havelock." And smiled at getting his name right. "I'd rather you call me Sarah, sometimes Lady Protector, Lady Sarah, and Lady Tintagyl get over used and very tiring. Especially when you have near everyone you meet offering the world with those names."

"So good to see you. Do sit down. I trust you are well?"

She shook his hand and nodded her head. "Thank you and yes, I'm quite well." She took the wine off of the desk and held it softly in her hand as she wet her lips. "Very nice. Thank you Havelock." Clearing her throat she set the wine down again and looked at him in the eyes. His mysterious gaze, set her a little of balance, but he would be equally returned by the sapphire gems that had wooed the hearts and souls of so many men before him.

"Well to be brief, I wanted to ask you a few questions about Bavarian and Hanseatic relations. As you know they are less than what they could be, but with the potential to become great friends until the end of time Lord Vetinari. You see, both I and the late King had the same vision, the same dream of what Europe could become. Now that we are free from Nordic oppression, we have that chance. I would like to know would you be open to expanding our relations and upholding the dream that Maximilian had along side myself?"

[Lynneth]

"Thank you and yes, I'm quite well."

Vetinari nodded, muttering an 'Excellent' while sitting down once more. Like standing up, it was strange to watch, calculated and unsettling in his movements.

"Very nice. Thank you Havelock."

"Not a problem, my dear."

Clearing her throat she set the wine down again and looked at him in the eyes. His mysterious gaze, set her a little of balance, but he would be equally returned by the sapphire gems that had wooed the hearts and souls of so many men before him.

He did indeed note the hidden strength of her eyes. It could make one think that she could not only look into one's soul, but read it like an open book. However, she was young. Less experienced compared to the man before her. He had no need of reading one's soul.

Instead, he just listened. He was extremely good at listening. He created a kind of mental suction. People told him things just to avoid the silence.

"Well to be brief, I wanted to ask you a few questions about Bavarian and Hanseatic relations. As you know they are less than what they could be, but with the potential to become great friends until the end of time Lord Vetinari. You see, both I and the late King had the same vision, the same dream of what Europe could become. Now that we are free from Nordic oppression, we have that chance. I would like to know would you be open to expanding our relations and upholding the dream that Maximilian had along side myself?"

"I see...Well. Perhaps you know that I dislike the Nords. Many Bavarians feel similar, as did the late King. Now that the thread seems to be gone, Europe relaxes. And Bavaria watches. Reports indicate of a pro-nord rebellion in Greater Croatia. Nord elements still are active in the Czech Kingdom. In fact, they seem rather...infelicitous that Nordland is gone."

He sipped from his wine glass, afterwards sitting back in his chair.

"The 'Nordic oppression', as you called it, it not entirely over. There still are elements all over Europe. Even in Bavaria, some are working against us, covertly. A shame, but only time will make us victorious."

"It is thus that I would gladly work together with you to let Europe stay diverse, yet unified. Even if it may require military action to take the last Nords in Europe proper out."

[Sarah Tintagyl]

She sighed. "I know, I don't think it will ever truly end. To be honest Lord Vetinari, the fall of Nordland was extremely hard on both myself and my people. For the casualties that we sustained, for the friends that were lost on both sides and I don't know if I can continue to pick up a gun. I should tell you that I am not much of a warrior and I am not much of a fighter. But I will tell you this that no matter what happens, the Hansa will be here to defend Bavaria and Europe in case the ghosts of the past arise again."

Sarah took a sip of wine again and savored the taste for a moment. "But you know what I ask from Bavaria, but if this is to be a mutual relationship. What does Bavaria ask from us? How can I help you Lord Havelock?"

[Lynneth]

"I know, I don't think it will ever truly end. To be honest Lord Vetinari, the fall of Nordland was extremely hard on both myself and my people. For the casualties that we sustained, for the friends that were lost on both sides and I don't know if I can continue to pick up a gun. I should tell you that I am not much of a warrior and I am not much of a fighter. But I will tell you this that no matter what happens, the Hansa will be here to defend Bavaria and Europe in case the ghosts of the past arise again."

"Many were lost, yes. Many more will find their end if Nordland returns and we do not take up arms immediately. It would gain strength once more, the result being what we have seen in the recent war, but possibly worse.

If you are not a warrior, ask others to fight for you. There are many who would gladly follow you into glory...And death."

"But you know what I ask from Bavaria, but if this is to be a mutual relationship. What does Bavaria ask from us? How can I help you Lord Havelock?"

"A simple friendship would be enough for the time being. We can expand this at a later time, obviously."

[Sarah Tintagyl]

"Well it is hard to aid a country that has everything." Sarah chuckled to herself. "Though, I would be interested to know a bit more about the man that is sitting in front of me. If you are so quick to call me by my first name, I would imagine that formalities are all ready out the door Havelock." She got up from the seat and stretched, still holding her wine glass and looking around the dim office of the Regent. "Tell me, what all is part of your plan for Bavaria? Changes and such? Forgive me, until just recently I had not heard your name and I try my best to keep up with world news."

She turned back to him and smiled. "What will the Vetinarian Bavaria look like My Lord?"

[Lynneth]

"Well it is hard to aid a country that has everything." Sarah chuckled to herself. "Though, I would be interested to know a bit more about the man that is sitting in front of me. If you are so quick to call me by my first name, I would imagine that formalities are all ready out the door Havelock." She got up from the seat and stretched, still holding her wine glass and looking around the dim office of the Regent. "Tell me, what all is part of your plan for Bavaria? Changes and such? Forgive me, until just recently I had not heard your name and I try my best to keep up with world news."

She turned back to him and smiled. "What will the Vetinarian Bavaria look like My Lord?"

"Formalities are a thing of those riding on high horses, thinking themselves to be better than others. I am but a man, working to make the life of my people more stable, predictable, yet not too boring. If you want to know more about me, you will have to prod, nudge and bore for quite a while. I am not one to talk about such trivial things."

He then leaned down to look for some files within a drawer of his desk, rummaging through the drawers for a good minute or two before finally finding it.

"There...Should you wish to find out about some of my plans, then you should read this."

He slid the thick folder to her end of the desk.

Should Sarah read it, she would find out essentially everything that would a few days later be mentioned in an announcement. Additionally, the reasons for the guilds, et cetera would be given. (OOC: See all later posts of mine, basically. Any info about guilds, "One man one vote", etcetera would be mentioned in the folder. /OOC)

She would also find that a scorpion pit was to be built for punishment of the mimes, the reason written under it being:

"It is necessary to have some apparently random and cruel law attributed to oneself to keep people on their toes. Additionally, their work is found annoying by most people, serves no practical purpose, and the punishment of infractors will have little effect on the average person. Indeed, many people actively dislike mimes, so prohibiting the practise of mime may actually raise the overall civic morale."

Sarah could find two sketches accompany that page.