(2/9/02)
Things are not as they should be.
That much is obvious upon first sight. The Cathedral of Nisan, of the City of Peace, the site of one of the world's oldest and most well followed religions... Is empty. Empty of anyone and anything. No hymns ring across these halls, no footsteps echo amidst its huge and gorgeous walls. A city of pilgrimage, a location usually full of the sisters, worshipers and others.. Is completely empty of anything at all.
Wait. There is one person who stands before the altar, dwarfed by the massive statues of angels, standing so still that it is nearly entirely posible to miss her still and quiet form. But as the Holy Mother enters, and Kaori shuts tight the doors behind her.. Yui simply smiles to herself. And gives herself a moment more before the altar, as if she were collecting her thoughts or dropping a prayer, before she turns around.
She is Shevvite. She is dressed like one- A proper ambassador of one, but one all the same- formal in the extreme. Perhaps Margie has seen the wife of Citan before.. Perhaps not. But it does not seem to matter to Yui. Who gives an elaborate and beautifully polite bow, fully of the respect that Margie deserves, before she speaks. Her features held in a smile that never seems to falter, eternally calm, eternally collected. And her words are even and kind, "It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you, Holy Mother Marguerite. I trust our summons did not come at a bad time for you?"
Never has just the simple task of a door sliding shut scared Margie quite as much as this one. There is a note of finality to it that is nearly terrifying, locking out the world outside, putting a barrier between her and any potential help she could attain. Be brave, Marguerite. Be brave. For this could easily just turn out to be an extraordinarily odd event, and nothing of risk to her at all... And yet. And yet.. She swallows softly, forcing calm into her features, slowly walking deeper into the main room of the Cathedral. It is so.. Silent. So empty. And that realization forces her to smother a -shudder-. In all her life, in all her days, the Cathedral has never been completely vacant of some form of life. This.. This reducing of this sacred building to something of a ghost town... Makes her want to turn and flee only moreso. Makes her worry only more. And she does not even notice the pale-clad figure before the altar before she turns, before she talks. And Margie has to take pains not to outright -jump- at that. Be formal, girl! And strong. You have a duty to fulfil. "It is a pleasure to meet you too, as well, Miss..." Who is she, anyway? Margie never had the honor of meeting Yui before. This is something of a mixed blessing now. "You did not catch me at a bad time, no, but I must confess that I am a little confused... I was given very little information on why you wished my presence here. Would it be too out of the question for me to ask who you represent?"
"Uzuki. Yui Uzuki."
That voice is so calm, so soft... Unthreatening in any extent of the phrase. Slowly, she moves, her steps light, barest taps echoing across the broad room, as she approaches Margie, stopping a comfortable many feet away. Unthreatening, always. The poor young woman was terrified, wasn't she? Marguerite's jasper eyes rang of nothing but uncertainty, doubt and even a little fear. And that strikes a unique chord indeed within the woman. Although it does not as much touch her eternally calm features.
"Of course not. You deserve to know that and more. I am well aware of how little you were told. That has made you rather nervous, hasn't it?" There is such a maternal tone lilting in the back of Yui's words, so kind and soft and careful. And she smiles a little at Margie then, continuing on without pause, "It is all right if that is so. Well... Perhaps it is best for me to come clean then, isn't it?"
Yui smiles, giving a moment of silence while all of that settles in. Or perhaps.. because she wants Margie to be prepared for what she is about to say. As when she finally speaks, her voice is low, deliverered in the same quiet and gentle way that one would deliver bad news. "I have come from the Kingdom of Shevat, Holy Mother, to speak of an amelioration of the unfortunate situations we currently face."
'Come clean'. That is just one of those phrases that makes one tense and -worry-. For there is nothing in this world that can follow a line like that and turn out to be good news. And yet, while Margie tenses in uneasiness of those words, not wanting to be as rude as to confess her fear, not wanting to seem half as uneased or caught off guard as she entirely is.. Something finally catches her attention, a beat later and a moment off. "..Pardon, did you say Uzuki? I believe I knew someone with that last name.." That is not quite the time or the place to observe such a thing, but Margie.. Is rather jumpy enough to let her attention be torn every which way like that. Yes. Tactfully ignore the comment of her being afraid, of her being unnerved. For all that Margie gives in responce is a faint few words, attempting to be as half as calm as Yui is, "I... admit I am a shade confused, that is all. This was very unexpected, and rather nontraditional." And yet... Little does she know that her comment is about to answer itself. For that.. -That- is when Yui says, in that tone that one would report a murder to the surviving mourners, where she has come from. And Margie's blue-and-blue eyes go wide, wide, at that.. And she chokes silent for a moment in surprise. Oh, it's not formal, it's not proper, it's not right. But Margie is too stunned to be anything more than a baffled teenager, "...Did you say... Shevat?" Shevat. Saying that word aloud makes Margie's voice shake just a tiny bit. Disbelieving, somehow.. And terrified in the same instant that it is true. "But.. If that is so, why would you wish to speak with me?"
The Holy Mother has heard that last name before? Yui is.. unsurprised. Although she would have gladly prefered to avoid the subject entirely. For she simply nods once, solemnly, her voice dropping to something more distant, more observational as she responds, "That is quite possible. My husband has spent some degree of time in the company of the Yggdrasil."
That is all she says. Nothing more. In a tone that is not in the least bit hateful, as much as it is simply factual. Distant by necessity. For it is a /touchy/ subject with the swordswoman of Shevat. So much so that she simply distances herself from her words entirely. And moves on without pause.
But the Holy Mother is obviously disconcerted at her words, those eyes so full of surprise and fear, as her voice drops to stuttering and her words fill with doubt. This would not do at all. And yet Yui can understand why she is upset, why she is worried. And this sparks that maternal tone back into her words. Gently, she sits down on one of the rows, gently patting the spot next to her, as if she dealt with a child far younger. But she believes such a comforting gesture may do some little good.
"I promise you that we mean no harm. The only reason we were as vague as we were was because we believed that such was the only way to get your attention. Marguerite.. I know, and you know, that Shevat has grievances with the Yggdrasil and it's crew. But that need not extend to you and your country. Nisan and the memory of Mother Sophia have been as precious to us as it has been to Nisan. This is why we wished to speak with -you-."
Her.. husband? Oh. My... Who was it with that name, again? Margie knew that it would turn up if she thought about it long enough, but.. Admittedly enough, her focus is far elsewhere by this point. And the paradoxical wonder of what a Shevvite is doing married to a Yggdrasil-friendly soul does not even occur to her while the sheer depth of this realization clicks in. A Shevvite. Margie has been summoned here to deal with Shevat. Which makes this no simple and ordinary meeting... This makes this of such severity and importance that she can't help but wish anew that Bart was here as well. Although that.. Hmph. Margie is tougher than that. She does not need someone nearby to protect her, someone to do her duties.. She's more than a burden! Which is why she takes a deep breath, tries to calm herself.. And rather meekly makes her way over towards Yui, sitting a few feet away. Cautiously. But listening in baffled, wary puzzlement all the while, "I see." Wait, no she doesn't. But still. "So.. You wish the support of Nisan independantly of the Yggdrasil or Aveh? I must admit that I am a little confused.. Certainly you must realize that that is, ah.. complicated. Could you possibly explain what you mean?"
This is all a little informal, sitting in the rows of the Cathedral, having less of an ambassadorical meeting than just an attempt to get the Holy Mother to calm down. But Yui seems unbothered by this fact- Her features are still calm and collected. Her voice is still careful and kind. And if she is worried by a worrying Holy Mother, then it does not show in the least.
"Do not worry, Holy Mother. I am not proposing turning your countries interests against your fiance's." That is delivered without any buffer or grace, just as simply and evenly as anything else Yui has said. "I realize this is quite out of the blue, and a little strange. But.. Yes, an excellent notion. I shall explain, then."
She folds her hands neatly on her lap, smiling so softly, so kindly all the while. She gives a moment of polite silence, letting her words settle in as she collects her thoughts. And she speaks, finally, in that voice as calm as ever, "We turn to you not to make enemies, but to /avoid/ making enemies. We do not want your assistance, nor do we want the action of your country."
"Nisan is the City of Peace, is it not? And one that the situations have forced into neutrality. But why do you permit this neutrality to shift? Do you mean to befriend Aveh, a legalized haven for Solarian corruption, handed over to them at the expence of the true Prince? The Yggdrasil, which is not even a country in it's own name, and has reliquished it's right to its own? Nisan is a neutral state, with it's city open to all. All that we are asking, Holy Mother... Is for Nisan to remain in that state."
...Oh my goodness. Margie was expecting a great many things.. She isn't quite exactly sure what, but none were particularly bright and cheerful... But she was not, by any stretch of the imagination, expecting that. She was expecting some sort of request, something formal, something underhanded.. But this.. This Margie really doesn't know -what- to make out of. Something about it seems so innocent, so honest, so true.. And at the same point, Margie wants to doubt it until she sees through it, peer at it until she sees what Yui is -trying- to say. But at the moment.. No. Nothing. Margie can blink and blink, but nothing comes to mind. It doesn't even seem to make sense outside of what Yui is presenting it as: A simple, polite request of peace. And that is shortly baffling. Not because Margie wants to think only ill and evil of Shevat or Yui... But because something about this simply -does not seem right-. Not the way it was presented, not the way it was delivered, not the way it's being worded now. And Margie simply blinks a little at this, silent for a long moment.. Before she speaks, her words very quiet. And echoing of the same uneasy confusion that she feels, "So.. All you wish is for Nisan to not close its doors to Shevat?" It makes.. An eerie lot of sense. On what basis could Nisan do so? For the sake of Solaris? For the sake of a country that doesn't exist? Neither were particularly justified or fair for a country that proclaimed it loved Nisan and it's faith. "I.. really don't know what to say. I confess that I wasn't expecting anything like this. I'm not really sure how to address something like this.."
And what does the Ambassador of Shevat do in response to the baffled confusion of the Holy Mother? She is totally unprepared, totally caught off guard. To anyone else, this might seem unprofessional. Childish. As if Margie had come prepared for only the worst, and thus been left totally unguarded when things went towards anything but. But.. To the contrary. Yui seems... pleased.
"Please, do not worry. I am aware that this was unexpected. Do not rush yourself for an answer or a decision yet. We are prepared to give you all the time you need. After all.. We did not come here to bully you, hm?" A smile crosses Yui's face at those words. Although just what she finds amusing about that is rather vague. On one level, she means it. And on the other... Somehow, bullying seems to be just one word for /everything/ that they have done to the Holy Mother so far. It all is ironic. It all is worth that same smile.
She rises then, elegant and silent, moving to gently pat Margie on the shoulder, a distant and maternal gesture as she smiles over to the child, "We have talked long enough, regardless. It is late, is it not? And you have likely spent all day worrying over this, not sure of who you were dealing with or why. I am sorry to have tried your nerves as far as we have already. Come." She offers a hand to the girl then, smiling so kindly, so deceptively, unfailingly kindly all the while.
As if that could hide the true under meaning of her words. "We have kept you long enough. I pray that your Yggdrasil shall be forgiving enough to pardon you for another day? You should rest, after the stress of all of this. Would you please take a room in the Cathedral for the night? You can have as much time as you wish to think about this.. And we can resume these talks when you are ready."
As if indeed. There is something about that line that makes Margie want to rebound right back into a frown, narrow her eyes critically and just wonder, wonder -wonder- what is going on here. Did she just hear what she thought she did? Is Yui--With such politeness, such grace!--Telling her to stay in the Cathedral, and not share this knowledge of what she was just told with the Yggdrasil 'until tommorow'? With that same vagueness carried along with those words that could also simultaneously mean that 'she could leave when she had come to a decision'. Margie... has a sudden urge to -shudder-. Instead, she weakly takes that offered hand, rising to her feet, trying to keep the worry from her eyes. Something is going on. Something. But what... What -is- it? And why is it not obvious enough for Margie to be able to protest aloud, address directly, and fix? But Margie... Is caught in this little web of vague deception and formality. Would you -please- stay tonight here, away from your friends? Would you -mind-, Holy Mother, in the name of peace? Never has Margie been so outright frustrated. And never was she forbidden to show it more. "I..." Want to protest, want to scream, want to point out that there is something -wrong- here. But instead... Margie's tone drops to something rather resigned. "...Suppose that would be the wisest thing. Very well. I would be glad to spend the night here, and give this issue the entirety of my consideration. And I shall come to a decision on it as soon as possible." How frightening. Never... In all of Margie's life, has she felt that she is being -trapped- in her own Cathedral. And yet, all she can bring herself to say.. Is agreement.
Perfect.
That is all there is to it. This is going so perfectly to plan... That Yui herself could have have wished it better had she tried.
And as always... It is impossible to tell. Her calm and even smile has not changed since the beginning of this conversation. It still drips with kindness, her words still ring with calm sincerity. Nothing about her is anything but serene. Even if she is toying with the Holy Mother. Even if she is, indeed, trapping her in the Cathedral and being nothing but plainly underhanded. She does it with a gentle, reasurring smile.
"I am delighted to hear that. Please, do not feel rushed. This issue is of highest importance to my Kingdom, and we would never wish for you to feel like there was a time limit set upon your decision. As much or as little time as you need, you will have."
And does that mean that Margie shall be waiting here until she decides? That part goes unsaid, unaddressed. For Yui nods then, and gestures gently, her light and graceful steps carrying her as she guides Margie towards the direction of the room that they had specifically chosen for her stay. "If you have any needs, any questions... Please. Always feel free to ask me. I wish nothing but to aide you."
And perhaps.. a little more. But that, like so many other things, remains unsaid.