Empress Naoki's Office

For a moment or so, the guards simply stand there, considering Ryden with two pairs of steely eyes. After a small handful of moments, they nod in unison, and the one on the right says, “Very well,” before shifting his spear to his left hand and using his right hand to push open his section of the double door, a motion mirrored by the other guard a second later, resulting in the doors opening in a very uneven fashion.

Regardless, the doors open, allowing Ryden passage past this final barrier and into the office itself. After he enters, the guards shut the doors behind him to allow the occupants of the room a level of privacy.

Predictably, Madame Naoki is sitting at her desk toward the far end of the room. The desk itself is piled high with documents, scrolls, and other such bits and pieces of paperwork. A quill - still wet - sits in its holder, presumably where she placed it to give her full attention to this visitor. She herself sits in her high-backed chair, arms folded across her chest, eyes directed toward the door- and toward Ryden. The upper portion of her body is covered by a cream-colored, cabled cashmere cardigan, over what would seem to be a relatively simple black dress. The rest of her body, including her additional furry appendage is currently out of sight below the desk. Artemis stands to her immediate right, cooly regarding the newcomer.

Naoki’s expression is fairly neutral, as expressions go, as she considers him. An interesting sort, he seems at first glance. Apparently here to inquire about a position within her new government, if he can be believed. Perfectly willing to hear the man out, she gestures to the chairs that sit before the desk, wordlessly inviting him to sit down and introduce himself.

Madame Naoki nods, somewhat impressed with Ryden’s knowledge. It is, of course, correct, but she hasn’t yet distributed advertisements or professed her search publicly. His information must be either primarily inference, or sourced from someone within one of her inner circles. Also interesting, he doesn’t seem to have reacted in any discernable manner to her ears. Either he was aware before his arrival- her physiology was hardly a secret at this point, or he’s able to take those sorts of things in stride quite well.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Greyiron, and you are quite correct.”

With a tilt of her head, arms still crossed, she indicates the mounds of documents present on the desk between them.

“I am still in the process of making major alterations to Isra’s governmental structure. Repealing outdated legislation, removing inadequate officers and replacing them with new ones, and generally tweaking things to suit my taste. The previous Lord, Lord Ildesias, he didn’t delegate very many matters, leaving Isra largely without commanding officers presiding over the major departments of government, the various lieutenants instead reporting directly to him, the Lord. I find such structuring to be highly inefficient, and lack the patience to micromanage each and every sargent. He found the arrangement to be tiring to the point of forcing his retirement. As such, there are a great number of positions with Isra’s government that I am seeking to either fill, replace, or create.”

She tilts her head to the side to consider one of the many papers on the desk, this one in particular containing an overall listing of the matters she intends to attend to today. Among them, a listing of a handful of high authority positions are listed, in the context of beginning to search for individuals to fill them. After taking a moment to peruse the list, she returns her gaze upward to levy another appraising look at Ryden.

“With that said, what manner of services are yours to offer? What manner of position are you looking to be appointed to, and what manner of experience do you have that would qualify you for such a position?”

After listening to the extent of Ryden’s statement, Naoki nods, and returns her focus to the list. It seems as if her age-old problem had not seen it fit to leave her during the transition. People seeking to be employed still don’t know what they’d like to do. Would it kill them to come in with a plan? A solid idea of what field they’d like to work in? Just once, even.

Though. She supposes, a great deal of success could be indirectly attributed to her ability to place individuals in positions that suit them. She probably shouldn’t be quite so irritated at one more- seemingly skilled employee-to-be. It allows her to- as he stated, make a more educated decision about where Ryden would best be suited. However, it’s still yet another major decision to be made today, one more for the heap.

“Hm.”

She glances up at the bearded man sitting across the desk, and back down to the list. It’s rather untidy, as lists go, covered with small notes, alterations, crossed out terms, and corrections. However, this untiness is no product of Naoki’s own script, but rather a side effect of the list being so exhaustive, and having been iterated upon many times over the course of the last few days.

A few portions of the document are unobscured and legible enough to be read. In her dancing script, they read as follows. (In no particular order.)

---

Fire Wallace
Enclave check-in
Re-attempt negotiation with Goraia
Justice Department ★
Contract warding expert
Assess status and inhabitants of dungeon
    Find a term less archaic than ‘dungeon’ to use
Promote Liz
Have lamps moved into office
Speak with Indil and Alden about appointment when they return ★ ^{Also Jun}
Ensure Citadel accommodations and security are suitable ★
Dinner with Takhana ★
Locate suitable secretary
    Also new Treasurer
Speak with Cyronin
Have someone investigate rose emblems

---

The list continues further, but there is only so much one can read, upside down and inconspicuously. Again considering both the list and the man that sit before her, Naoki figures it best to give Ryden an inquiry to respond to. With a larger sample size, and by extension, a deeper understanding of his character, Naoki thinks that she may be able to more accurately place him.

“Riddle me this, Sir Greyiron. You’re evidently a recent arrival to Isra. I would have heard of you by now if you were not. How recent of an arrival are you, and how much do you know of Isra, its history, its culture, policies, and other such related topics?”

“Hm. Well, I’ve not the time to impart upon you the full history of Isra or the detail of its policies, but you should understand at least this abbreviated version.”

“Isra, at the time, only called “The Free City”, was founded roughly five years ago in this plain. It was founded by a mixed group of deposed leaders, merchants, soldiers, and other associated citizenry from all walks of life who were seeking a superior and more free life than they had been allowed in whatever land they had come from. I was among them, a hanger- on, without any particular significance.”

Madame Naoki selects from the items on her desk the quill that she had evidently been using earlier, the ink on the tip having dried by now. Between two of the fingers on her left hand, she begins to spin the quill about, causing the feathered end to bob rhythmically with the tempo of her speech.

“In the years since, the city was named, Isra, and has grown into the highly populated and prosperous city we stand in today. Since its conception, Isra’s primary governing body has been an Assembly, of one hundred Ministers. The current total is somewhat smaller- only eighty-three. Ministers are chosen by a combination of public elections, appointment by officials, and conscription by the Assembly itself in a complicated set of rules and ratios that I can’t be bothered to explain right now. Regardless, it is through this democratic body of The Assembly that all major decisions must be made. My station as Lady only allows me a limited degree of direct authority over the high level administrative decisions of Isa. However, discluding the largest of matters, such as war, major changes to the governmental structure or laws, I am able to make mostly unilateral decisions, though they may be repealed or anger the Assembly later.”

“As far as policies go, Isra’s focus so far has been most closely aligned with the concepts of freedom, libertarianism... tolerance, neutrality…”

She counts on her fingers as she lists the concepts.

“And free trade, I suppose. There’s more to be said about the nuances of each concept and how it is applied literally, but again…”

Naoki gestures to the list, implying that she still has just as many things to do as when they started this conversation.

“One of the concepts that hasn’t yet been emphasized, however, is security. I’m not sure how much time you spent observing the streets on your way in, or the roads on your travels, but there are far more threats to Isra and its people about than I would really prefer. Criminals, bandits, monsters, debatably hostile bordering nations, spies, the list goes on. On and on, longer than it really should be. And, to be fair, the city guard does an admirable job of keeping the worst sorts out, monitoring the road, and protecting merchants, but not as thorough a job as I would like. Our military is adequate enough that I don’t actively fear large scale invasion or anything of that sort, but it is sometimes the death-by-a-thousand-cuts, or the issues that eat a nation from the inside out that are the most deadly. The sorts of things I can’t sic a platoon of griffin cavalry on to make them go away.”

“As such, I’m looking to find individuals to be part of a new department of the government. One primarily concerned with defense of the interior, criminal justice, oversight of other departments, and other similar sorts of tasks. A department to ensure that I can focus on the external affairs, rather than the internal threats. Based on what you’ve said so far, I’m inclined to consider you for possible involvement with such a department.”

Thoroughly tired of sitting so rigidly upright, Madame Naoki reclines into the depths of her seat, leaning down into the cushioning and continuing to twirl the quill in one hand.

“So let me ask you another question. Or rather, ask you for a definition. In your own words, as many as you’d care to use, tell me what the word ‘justice’ means to you.”

Again, Madame Naoki nods thoughtfully, considering his statement fully before responding.

“Hm. Well, to be honest with you, I’m looking for neither of those things. Rather, simply an individual who can be given a handful of open ended directives, such as “guard the border”, “uphold the laws”, “prevent crime”, and “root out corruption”, and fulfill those directives in a manner that I find suitable, independent of any specious moral concepts. My singular concern is that the job be done well, to the satisfaction of all involved. I have little patience for what is “right” or “wrong” in a moral sense,“good” or “evil”. The only concept that manners to me in this circumstance is the security of the people who have chosen me to lead them. An individual ought to be able to sleep soundly in Isra, and not feel threatened as they walk its streets. While I do not entertain the unattainable notion of completely eliminating the concept of crime, I think that I am rightly displeased with the frequency and regularity with which it occurs in Isra, and I believe that by putting a larger emphasis on security, overall quality of life will improve.”

“Which is the great underlying goal, of course.”

“I asked the question primarily to see if you would go on an hour long rant about morality and ethics and the role of the government in the lives of its people. Seeing as how you did not, that’s good enough for me. I’m not looking to appoint a philosopher; I’m looking to appoint a leader and a lawman. Which is, conveniently enough, what you would seem to be.”

As she concludes that statement, Naoki sits back up, and manages to extract a blank bit of parchment from the piles. Placing it squarely before her, she shifts the quill to her other hand, dips it into a bottle of ink obscured somewhere among the mess, and begins to write.

“I won’t inquire further into your past or the circumstances that brought you here today. I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, and offer you an appointment of some sort within this new department of government we’re forming. There will be hoops to leap through, an Assembly meeting, and mounds of paperwork to legitimize the whole affair, but you’ll have a position in the end, assuming everything goes as I will it to, and you don’t turn out to be some elaborate sort of spy or deceiver. In the intervening time…”

Placing the quill back down on the desk, she reaches next with her right hand to her left, placing index and thumb around her left fourth finger. However, there’s nothing there to grasp at; simply a light crease suggesting a ring was once worn there.The habit of authenticating documents with a stamp of her signet ring is a habit that isn’t so easily broken, it seems. And, until her new ring is finished, one that she won’t be able to practice. Though she supposes that she could technically send for a traditional stamp bearing Isra’s insignia, she cannot be bothered to do so, instead opting to simply sign the document with another flourish of the quill, before placing it on the desk before Ryden.

“Take this. It is a document that establishes you as a guest of mine, and authorizes you to peruse the fortifications and other security installations of Isra at your leisure, discluding access to the most sensitive areas. With this in hand, guards should allow you to observe their work, and answer any reasonable inquiries you might direct their way. I suggest, over the next week or so, that you spend your time touring Isra. To properly oversee a city, you must first know the city. However otherwise qualified you may be to hold such a position, you lack the primary qualification: knowledge of your domain. Take a few days, walk around, familiarize yourself with the city, its people, the going’s on, all of that. Attempt to locate any areas of security that require immediate attention, and begin to formulate plans regarding what sorts of policies or alterations to the structure of Isra’s defenses may be in order. You could even consider preparing a formal report on the topic.”

“While you’re doing that, I will handle things on this end to establish the department you’re going to be appointed to, and work out the kinks in how it will all function. In perhaps a week or so, depending on how quickly the Assembly functions, I will be prepared to offer you a position formally.”

“With all of that said, do you have any questions, or do you need anything from me to complete that task? Funds, lodging, new attire, any of that?”

Yet again, Madame Naoki listens, and nods, taking the offered hand and shaking it. Her grip is firm- firmer than one might expect, but warm, as everything in the room tends to be. As if on cue, the sun decides that it is high time to be high, and aligns with Isra’s sun insignia on the window stretching up behind Naoki’s seat. The resultant rays of light begin to cast a matching sun insignia on the checkered floor, signaling mid-day.


“Very well. That all sounds like a good way to get started. Depending on your station- and it’s beginning to seem like you’re going to be heading this venture- you’ll probably end up with a seat on the Assembly. High ranking officials tend to. It’s not as if the Assembly is full and someone else would need to resign. As for the funds and board…”

Once again, she dives into the perilous piles of paperwork that lie stacked upon her desk, before emerging victoriously with a small bit of parchment about as large as the palm of her hand. After checking the card front and back to ensure that it doesn’t have anything of great secrecy notated upon it, she rises from her own seat and places it on the far side of the desk for Ryden to take.

“Visit this establishment. I’ll see to it that they provide you what you need. My channels here in The Citadel haven’t yet been established; the only bed within these walls that I could offer you is my own, and it’s a little bit early for that sort of thing anyway.” She inclines her head in the direction of the insignia creeping its way across the floor. 

Madame Naoki nods as Ryden exists, satisfied. Another seemingly competent agent come seeking to be placed into her service. It’s pleasing to see that that particular trend hasn’t disappeared with the transition.

The matter seemingly handled for now, Naoki returns to the task she was working on before Ryden’s entry. Which was… what. Dammit. Having lost track, Naoki selects something from the top of the pile and begins to apply herself to figuring out just what exactly needs to be done and doing it. As she does so, the purple gemstone embedded into her ear begins to glow with an ever-increasing intensity. At first, she continues to write, but soon places the quill down to lean back in her chair and divert the entirety of her attention to the telepathic communications. Whatever is going on is evidently somewhat troubling, as her eyebrows draw closer together and her mouth forms into a thin line.

After perhaps a minute of this, she sits back up, locates a blank piece of parchment, and begins to write again, in slow, careful strokes.

Madame Naoki glances up from her work to see Ryden approaching again, but returns her gaze downward as he begins to speak, still scribbling away at the parchment on the desk. The attentive posture of her ears gives indication, however, that she is not ignoring him, and once he’s finished, she nods slowly, still concentrating on the document.

“I’m aware, yes. Well, I should clarify - I’m aware of the situation in the plaza, but not the extent of the corruption within our ranks. I’ve already gone ahead and declared a low level state of emergency. The majority of Ministers are asleep, and this is a matter that needs to be dealt with only with the highest level of expediency. I’ll have no trouble justifying this tomorrow. To that end, however…”

With a small flourish, she signs her name to the document, and slides it across the desk to Ryden.

“That document is a direct order that removes the current head of the guard from power. This sort of thing was his responsibility to prevent, and his complete failure to do so makes him unfit to hold his post.”

With another application of her signature, Naoki completes a second document, and places it atop the first.

“This document grants you emergency authority to temporarily take command of the guard. Not the military, mind you, just the city guard. Unfortunately enough, the majority of my trusted commanders are out of the city and therefore unable to assist, so it looks like you’ll be getting your position a bit sooner than we initially anticipated.”

With that document finished and presented, Madame Naoki returns her quill to its holder and takes a deep, sighing breath. She was aware that Isra’s guard wasn’t quite the group of shining paragons that she would have liked them to be, but this level of corruption is far in excess of both her expectations and what she is willing to tolerate. Admittedly, Ryden’s waiver did not actually compel the guards to comply with his orders, but to blatantly ignore her signature is inexcusable. After composing herself, she stands in a slow, deliberate motion, leaving one palm spread on the desk. The expression on her face is not one of anger or rage, simply cold, quiet displeasure.


“And this is me standing up to deal with the situation personally. If the guards will not respect my signature, they will be made to respect the underside of my boot. Take those documents and follow me. It’s time to send a message.”

With that somewhat ominous statement made, Madame Naoki takes a moment to collect a few belongings from the desk, place them into the pockets of her trousers, and strides from the room, knowing Artemis will be right behind her and expecting Ryden to follow. On the way out, she also beckons to a pair of The Citadel’s honor guard, instructing them too, to fall in line behind her.

A quick, professional knock sounded on the door to Empress Naoki office.

"Ma'am? It's Lieutenant Finch. I am escorting an emissary from the City of Dolburrim. Shall we come in?"