Scene #6796: Dinner, Drinking, and Fighting

Owner	Pose
Zenos yae Galvus	Zenos walks into the location that was reserved by Nagato. He was in his full dark steel regalia, a mask covering his face with a strange pearl in the center of its forehead similar to an 'eye-hole' might look like. On his hip was something akin to a golf caddy, and inside were three blades. The sword revolver looks heavy, but if he were perturbed by its weight, he does not show it. The pace at which Zenos moves is unhurried, he seems uninterested in being swift. The slow walk takes him towards the Admiral, as he places a bottle of what might be wine on the table/platform/whatever was set aside for them. It is a bottle of Garlean Red, presumably very expensive given that Zenos tends not to take half measures on anything. Sitting down, Zenos slowly removes his mask, revealing a handsome young man, long blonde hair coming down either side of his head, while the strange pearl is mirrored on his own forehead, just like the mask. His expression is a dispassionate one, seemingly never taken interested in things around him, but is still here regardless. Those eyes, however, always calculating. "I trust the evening has found you well?"
Nagato	Nagato's sitting down, a normal sized table in some hustle and bustle, a small clay-like container in front of her along with two small cups. There's a stoic look upon the Admiral's face as she looks around the area, the large armored man gets her attention, much more so does the blade-caddy. "Mmm, this must be the Legatus." she mutters to herself, a soft nod is given and she gives a light smile. The bottle of Garlean Red is shown and she looks towards the Legatus curiously, nodding. Stoic means dispassionate and she nods, "It has, Zenos. I appreciate the time you've given me today." with little fanfare, she pours out a small bon of sake, "Japanese sake, traditionally made, private selection for my command. I offer some to you as good will today."
Zenos yae Galvus	Zenos takes the wine and uncorks it, taking the offered glass from Nagato, and he pours her a glass of the red for herself, an exchange in pleasantries. It appears, for his apathy, he does appear cultured in stately affairs. Placing the bottle, down, with cork, he takes the sake that is offered into his hand. He does not sniff it like wine, which is what most foreigners would do. Instead, he takes the sake close to his mouth, lets it sit for a moment. He seems to be taking in the sent, but not actively sniffing it. Then he takes it into his mouth and runs it over his mouth gently before swallow. He places the cup down after a moment. "A much better quality than the kind you can get in Doma these days. However, it is very similar to the drink they make there. I imagine their rebellion left a heavy toll on their production of the drink. Unfortunate, but necessary to the stability of the empire." There is a pause, "Regretable that the fire has been put out of their bellies too. I suppose the Sub Viceroy is doing her job too well."
Nagato	Nagato, however, does take a sniff at the wine as she sees some of her Italian ships do. "Doma?" there's a pause before she sips the wine, setting the glass down gently. "Mmm, this is good, I like the flavor." she comments, "It's a bit different from the Italian wines at base for Pola and Zara." She leans back in her chair lightly, "Forgive me for asking, but this rebellion? What is it that gave rise to such? Were they discontent, were they opressed?" beat "Mind, I am not saying you are doing such things." the talk about a fire being extinguished has her with a concerned look. "Mmm?" Nagato puts it aside for a moment, "Ah, but let's set that aside, shall we. Two rulers together for a drink and a social gathering." a pause "I dare say I cannot remember the last time I had the honor to sit with someone of a leadership role like this."
Zenos yae Galvus	"Italian wines, as I understand it, are grown from a different type of grape than ours. I would like to say it is the best wine in our world, but there are two I would say have a better flavor. Unfortunately, that one was lost in the Calamity, the other a province of the empire." "They were treated fairly, they were a full-fledged nation and nearly fully integrated into the empire. They were allowed self-rule because of their good behavior. They took a chance to rebel when the Empire was going through a troubled time after the death of our last emperor, and the succession crisis that followed." "They were the only province to do so openly and were made an example of. A critical figure in the intelligence gathering was made my subordinate in rule, as my attention has had to focus back on the Ala Mhigan provinces as well as the Multiverse as a whole." "I, too, do not often take a drink with other leaders in such a way. I think the last time I did so was with the Concord and King Gilgamesh. I am, however, not a Diplomat. As I imagine, neither are you? You are Admiral, are you not?"
Nagato	"You would be right." she replies to the wine response, "A shame that a good drink was lost to an unfortunate event. Perhaps, one day, it may make itself known should someone find a sliver of it or a recipe." then talks towards the Doman nation and she hmms. "I could not speak on the politics of your nations, but if the fires of rebellion are quelled, then perhaps, once more they should be able to respect it?" there's a confused look upon her face and she shakes her head, "I'm afraid I don't have much to say on that subject, the only ones I lead would be the girls at base." There's a nod given, "Then I wish your subordinate well upon their endeavour." a pause "I do not fancy myself a diplomat, no, but I will try should the need arise. Outside of that, you are correct. Admiral of the Hikari Defense Alliance, a mixture of kanmusu like myself, humans and other offworlders such as a Neuroi, you may know her as Evangeline, work to protect the sea." There's a look given to the barrel and swords, "Katana." she whispers, "If I may be bold to ask, your armor, the ornamentation and apparent weight look to weigh any normal person down, however, you move with apparent ease. How is this so?"
Zenos yae Galvus	"The grape used to create the wine was lost in the fires, or so I am told. Rather this is true or not, I do not know, but I am not a wine enthusiast as some among my retinue are," he says, with an easy tone, taking another mouthful of the sake. "Perhaps, or perhaps not. Perhaps they shall have an uprising to dwarf the previous one...now that would be an interesting thing to see. However, I shall pass along your wishes to her." He won't because he barely says five words to this woman ever. "Yes, I am aware of Evangeline, though I am not familiar with what she is exactly. I have heard the term used before, but I am unfamiliar with its significance." "It is Garlean armor, mine is specially crafted because of my rank. It serves as armor and environmental protection. Its weight is significant, but I have trained my body to handle it well. All it takes is the will, the desire to overcome your limitations and to seek a stronger power. So many others stop when something is good enough.." he says, disgustedly. "It is never enough."
Nagato	"Mmm." There's a bit of a sad look upon her face, "Ah, at least the history behind it will live on and perhaps..." she trails off slightly, listening back to the Legatus, "Hmm, I see you prefer them to have an uprising so you can quell it, am I right?" there's a bit of a tap of her foot, barely audible, "If I may ask, your leadership style, what is it?" "Evangeline is a Neuroi, I will not claim to know fully what that term is, but what I can tell is she's part of a hive and she's part of my fleet as my personal air support. She does a wonderful job in her role." there's a pause, "Though, you may have given me a slight idea... I will speak to Evangeline later upon it." There's another nod, "Though for some, there are limitations.. be it age, physique, experience. I understand the desire to improve, to overcome those limitations... something I do struggle with as Admiral, so many look up towards me for guidance." she shakes her head, sipping the wine, "The armor looks well put on you."
Zenos yae Galvus	"It would be preferable to the sullen faces and lifeless eyes that normally greet me there. While the victory I earned there was necessary, the price that came after it was not of my hand. I would have fostered more. Strength does not come from simple overpowering of the masses. It comes from showing them a bit of strength, thinking it is within their grasp so that they can try to claim it. Some, inevitably would try and find theirs outside of the empire...but most would come to the Empire, and to me." "As it stands now, it is like looking at a country of dead men." "She is part of your fleet, and yet you know nothing about her other than she is part of a hivemind? Like insects? How very strange, though I suppose it would pay off later in excitement should she prove more loyal to her hivemind than to yourself." "Thank you, but tell me. What do you struggle for?"
Nagato	"With Evangeline, I do not think she would be the type to turn like that. More so, willing to get her hive involved for the greater good." a pause, "But perhaps you've given me something to do as work, speak with Evangeline and know her better." she hmms... "Perhaps." she states, "It may be even more bold to suggest but perhaps excising that part, let them cultivate themselves, gather their strength, fix the fire in their hearts and later, once that life has been cultivated back in them, offer your hand once more to join." she sips the wine once more, "An idea I should have followed once." she shakes her head then looks towards the Legatus, "The state of affairs in my world, the war of Abyssal and Kanmusu. The woman who sits before you, used to be the pale skinned hate spewing monsters the Abyssals are. And yet, some of the Fleet wishes to ally themselves with them. Or at least, consider them less trouble to deal with because they assist with our affairs sometimes."
Zenos yae Galvus	"That would be a good thing to do, power and manpower are good things to have, but a blade that is untested, brittle, or dull can be as deadly as an enemy," Zenos says, finishing the glass finally. He accepts a refill, and continues on, serving Nagato more of the wine should she wish. "I accept that boldness for what it is. Perhaps it is something that can be cultivated. The young Prince still lives, or so the rumor goes, but in exile." He might be that pawn necessary. "So one can become an Abyssal, but also come back from this fate? Most interesting. The duality of your existence is something of interest. However, something that we can talk about later. Right now you are saying that your subordinates find common cause with your greatest enemy?" He taps the counter for a moment and thinks about this. "Tell me, how dedicated are you to your crew?"
Nagato	Nagato accepts the refill as she refills the sake dish in turn. "Yes, there are few who won't turn... such as myself." a pause, a nagging sense in the back of her mind, "But, there are some who turn when they sink." she taps her foot and hmms. "Yes... and dedicated enough to stay with them even in this... strange sense of camradarie. I've stepped back a bit, to see how this plays out, but it still worries me slightly."
Zenos yae Galvus	"There may be a way to cause realization in your crew," Zenos says, evenly, now a bit more interested in this drama. Perhaps a challenge could be born of these women. Now wouldn't /that/ be something... "Obviously, it is to show them the depths of depravity that your enemies can sink to. Show them what they are fully capable of, and how necessary it is to destroy your enemies, lest they destroy you. It could very well be your enemies are playing a longer game, slowly drawing them in." "One could say when someone uses deception like this, a quick cut of their roots can be done to prevent the poison from seeping in more."