Gregorio & the Lictor-Magister
It was no sooner than Gregorio had spoken into the intercom than he heard the Lictor-Magister's voice. This time, over his shoulder.
"Greg. It has been a while."
The Lictor-Magister had his traditional, deadpan expression - but, for a moment, Gregorio saw that familiar glint in his eye. The one the Lictor-Magister got at drinking competititons and the harpastum matches, when victory was just within his grasp. The Lictor's look of recognition - even, amicability. "I would certainly enjoy having you in my conversation, but I must first take on the role of informant."
The Lictor quietly indicated the closest drawing room - conveniently, Montani's. "It will only be a moment. I promise."
Quickly darting into the drawing room, Greg could quite clearly see an air of exhaustion surrounding the Lictor. It was not physical - there was no sweat, nor the lightness of eye that came with sleepnesses. It was mental. His eyes did not have the sharpness and diligence Gregorio had come to expect of the up-and-coming law agent. His voice sounded dulled, and muted. His deadpan expression was going so far as to crack for a weary smile. "The events surrounding the Consular Office have led to some concerns in domestic politics. I felt you should know, given your personal ties with Imperium."
He sighed. "There are traditions of decorum that have not been kept since Johanna Jura was appointed, regarding the Medical Service. Given the circumstances, we believe there are political motivations. My personal position is not, at the moment, optimal. Was the most I could do to have Judas' daughter in the Consular Office - Giancomina, I believe she is attending to the Ilamzati delegation with the Princeps Varus."
He suddenly leaned over, pulling a little flask from his boot and taking a swig. "Those are the formalities. Traditionally, that is more than we are allowed on the Ides, but tought times call for tough people." He offered the flask to Greg, cracking a smile. "Katarina's - we called her Highlights. She moved from distilling petrol to distilling whiskey. It seems that that investment of her father's finally pulled through. I've actually got the signed bottle in my office - it was the first of her year. Of course, you know her. I got it in a package with her seal on it, and it came with the cap opened and two shots already poured out." He chuckled. "Probably chased each of them with stout. Then again, it's good enough to stand on its own - between you and me, Caesar's going to stock it starting next year."
The Lictor-Magister let his smile dwindle into a lively poker face. "Now, how have you been? It has been a long time since we last met. I hope that Imperium's...flirtations with Ilamzat have not been putting you off. Ah, but such discussions would get me in even more trouble with the Magisters - best that any discussion of Ilamzat and the Consuls happen away from me. I would, however, like very much to know how business is, in Montani. I've been looking to make some investments, and I hear your government has been very successful in a certain industry. I do hope I'm not mistaken."
Ilamzat, Varus, & Giancomina
Varus offered Babak and Arash a warm smile. He'd, of course, been personally briefed on Giancomina's conduct - she was another subtle concession to Ilamzat, as well as to Varus' personal interests. It was no piece of skulduggery, as far as his sister was concerned. The two were close and clear on their goals, and Johanna had no interest in putting an ally in international affairs. She was working on stocking up the Consular Office with experts and insiders, to help capitalize on her growing popularity and to stave off the potential negative impact of Varus' own followers.
Truth be told, Varus was entirely aware that her only real interest was keeping him safe from himself. It would explain why most of his secretarial staff were paramedics, and why she'd insisted he spend so much of his time on tour out of Alba Longa whilst she handled international affairs. It hurt him - she was his beloved older sister, and he her charge for life.
But the lictor, Giancomina was his own. His handpicked choice from the recollections and reports of the famed journalist Emilia the Red, Imperium's foremost reporter of Ilamzat affairs, whom she had accompanied and struck up an amicable relationship. A rare arrangement for a Lictor and a journalist.
"I have an absolute faith in her. It is required to have people of her stoicism in negotiations with the...system of things. She is, I must admit, a lictor - but one who comes recommended from trustworthy folk."
Varus gave the pair a quirked eyebrow.
"I imagine this pomp and circumstance is not in the tastes of Ilamzat, given my recollections. The...reconstruction of the architectural tradition was still under way at the time, but I got a sense of it all. How is the reconstruction, by the way? Giancomina told me that the airport was in substance completed in your new style. I would believe that it must be incredible to see your homeland taking a new shape like that."
Myroria, Stan Yera, & Johanna
Johanna returned Sfan's smile politely. She'd spent much of her early education at the bedside of patients, a pharmacologist who had as all biomedical students served in the hospital service. It was her responsibility to talk to patients about their use of prescriptions, to monitor their condition as a student whilst they discussed with a trained pharmacist or a nurse, to communicate between various specialists on the drug interactions and side effects to monitor.
She had become master of the imperceptible. She had none of the political nuance common to the Conclave - nor the interest in developing their manipulative streaks. More interested, she was, in keeping her patients happy, and maintaining an air of amicability. And safety. None to be hurt on her watch.
As Consul, her words and actions had become the matter of daily discussion. Here, however, was a safe place for her to exercise her opinions without regard for the way of things.
"The Ides are, in a sense, a celebration of my father's absence. We have this philosophy of everything from nothing, and the Ides are that manifestation. Caesar marks everything, and the Ides are a celebration of the nothing. It's on our flag, it's in the header of the invitation to this ball - "nothing can be born of nothing". Nothing, peace, is self-evident, the natural state of things.
The Ides are the nothing, in essense. We dispose of the traditions and the formalities, hence why none of us wear formal clothing. With the exception of the Divine-Magister, who is a self-righteous stick-in-the-mud. Thankfully, she does not leave the Palace during the Ides. No religious reasoning, she's simply an utter bore.
They're also more literally a nothing, of a sort. They mark the week during which businesses and institutions give breaks, twice a year - these ides, and those in the middle of the year. Soldiers - well, here, government officials - return from national service, either on break or to end it. Half are assigned one Ides, and the other half the other, as the major public holiday mandated by the state - other holidays are only mandated numerically, rather than by date. Students commence their breaks on the Ides - or the day before, to give them time to return home for the festivities.
The major cities, like Alba Longa, virtually shut down. It's a celebration of peace and prosperity and freedom - all those things that are otherwise abridged for the purposes of order, in theory. Even road laws are abridged for the festivities.
In theory, it's all religious - all worship of Paxus, or peace. There are precious few who actually do, though. As always, the Temple to Paxus is closed to the public except during times of war. At any rate, I do not know anyone would waste time praying for peace during the Ides.
The Divine-Magister isn't using the time for anything, but she isn't particularly peacible. If you want a laugh, ply her with alcohol. As long as the Lictor-Magister isn't around. The two hate each other - a curious arrangement for two people often considered the left and right hand of Caesar. She hates the Lictor even more than she and the Conclave hate Varus, and that's saying something."
Johanna looked at Emasun. She'd never done much in the way of pediatrics, but she was possibly the only Conclavist benign enough to attend to trivialities. This included, amongst others, talking with the many children who, for one reason or another, were entitled to visit the Palace at some point or another, and as the public face of the Augustine Household. She gave an annual class to the youngest and oldest members of the Youth Imperial Corps, and was well-accustomed to the particular hang-ups of a young servicemember. Not to mention her role as Chancellor of multiple universities.
She smiled brightly as she spoke to Emasun. "Why, thank you. I'm a doctor, so I know very little of architecture. But we are very lucky, here in Imperium. Some people say that of all the subjects in Imperium, the subject that gets the most overseas students is architecture. Our heritage planners are some of the best in the world.
Did you see the Palace by the Seas? That's my favourite. It was the big building that you would have passed by on your way to the airport, at the sea, with the big military ships and the bright lights. My brother wrote his thesis on it. Imperium's architecture is all about using modern materials, like steel and glass and carbon fibre, to conserve our ancient architecture, which generally uses marble. The Palace by the Seas looks, and is, really modern, but it's actually built on a marble foundation like this one. The courtyards and the inner planning has some incredible ancient mosaics.
When you're leaving, ask one of the staff to take you to the Balcony of Peace. You can see the Temple of Pax from there. It's a huge glass pyramid - and in the middle, there's a big stone temple that's older than Imperium. Even older than my family. We built the pyramid around it, and then we used modern materials to keep the inside of the pyramid matching all the look and the shape of the original temple."
