#character: arnaut reyes

[armoricaroyalty]

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author's note: thank you to @crownsofesha, @housekonig, @bridgeportbritt, and @simming-in-the-rain for sharing screenshots and headlines with me to fill out the news!

ETA: Thanks to @sirianasims for catching my typo!

[armoricaroyalty]

Nakawe Palace was both larger and grander than Blackwell Palace, all gilt trim and veined marble. Uspanians went rather more for ornamentation than the Armoricans, who still regarded damask wallpaper as the very height of sophistication and who had long preferred to showcase their wealth by pretending that it didn't exist.

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author's note: This post was an absolute monster to put together—12 sims, a couple dozen poses, and multiple rounds of revision with @nexility-sims. I'm ultimately very pleased with how it came together, but from now on, all my sims will exclusively be meeting in pairs in nondescript rooms.

Transcript under the cut!

Nakawe Palace // Armorican State Visit - Day 1

FREDERICK | I am going to pass out. EMILY | You're not going to pass out. Just relax. FREDERICK | How am I supposed to relax? I've got so much riding on this— EMILY | Frederick. You need to chill out. It's a lunch, not a battle. FREDERICK | Okay, it's not a battle. But you gotta admit, it is a minefield... ANDRE | ...y'know, you're the only thing that makes these things tolerable. LEONOR | Poor Andre...how would you ever make it through lunch without me. ANDRE | I wouldn't. I'd waste away. LEONOR | Then I suppose we're both lucky I'm here. [indistinct conversation] VIVI | [sighs] JULIÁN | Excuse me...is this seat taken? VIVI | ...there are name cards by every plate. JULIÁN | Well, then I suppose I'll have to rearrange them, won't I? JULIÁN | Anyway...how are you, Your Highness? VIVI | I'm sorry...have we been introduced? JULIÁN | I've forgotten my manners! Julián Reyes, at your service. ARNAUT | [offscreen] Julián. ARNAUT | [shakes head] JULIÁN | [does his very best "who, me?" routine] ARNAUT | [clears throat] Excuse me! On behalf of Mother Beatriz, I would like to invite our Armorican friends to find their seats so we can share this meal. [indistinct chatter] ANDRE | This is nice! I'm surprised everything is going so well... LEONOR | Were you expecting us to be poor hosts? ANDRE | No, I was expecting at least one of my children to act out. LEONOR | You don't need to worry about them, Andre. They do you credit. INVISIBLE FOOTMAN | Announcing...Her Majesty Queen Beatriz of Uspana! ANDRE | ...she seems to have her sights directly on me. LEONOR | Oh, Mother Beatriz is very eager to speak with you. Didn't I warn you? ANDRE | You did not. LEONOR | [amused] No? Oh dear. ANDRE | You are a cruel woman. LEONOR | Strange, you've never complained before... LEONOR | [whispers] Good luck. ANDRE | [in halting Uspanian] Good afternoon, Your Majesty— BEATRIZ | Please, let's continue in a language we both speak fluently. ANDRE | I have to apologize. I practice, but I've always struggled with languages. BEATRIZ | You tried. I can't fault you for making an effort. BEATRIZ | Anyway...it's really too bad that your wife couldn't join us. I was looking forward to finally meeting her. Pity. ANDRE | Elise keeps a very full diary. She does important work and I would never dream of asking her to set it aside— BEATRIZ | Interesting. We'll discuss this later. ANDRE | What— ANDRE | Where are you— BEATRIZ | I have to circulate. ANDRE | ...why does this always happen to me?

[armoricaroyalty]

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Transcript under the cut!

Crown Museum of Art and Culture // Armorican State Visit - Day 3

THEO | ...and of course, this is our pride joy, the portrait of HM the Queen. ARNAUT | First time she's worn those earrings since her wedding, right? LORRAINE | Mhm. And the exhibit guide said the pearls have been in the family for more than 150 years, only ever worn by the Queen or Queen-Consort. LORRAINE | Stunning. I'd wear them every day. ARNAUT | But then no one would ever talk about them! ARNAUT | Better to hold them back, in my opinion. LORRAINE | Well, she has held them back, that's for certain...

MARY | ...everyone's staring at us. MARY | How can you stand being on display all the time? I feel like a zoo animal. ROSALIND | I don't know...it's never bothered me. MARY | Hm. I think you like the attention. ROSALIND | [laughs] And what's wrong with that? ROSALIND | Honestly, though. Would it be better if I were whinging about being in the spotlight? Crying about my duty? I've been preparing for this my entire life. I'm good at what I do, and I won't apologize for being confident. MARY | Of course not...I find it very sexy, you know that? ROSALIND | [laughs] MARY | ... ROSALIND | ...this is nice, isn't it? MARY | What? ROSALIND | Just being here with you. Openly. MARY | It is. ROSALIND | I wonder what the press will say. That I'm flaunting you? MARY | No, that I've got my hooks in deep. ROSALIND | [laughs] It's the other way around, I think. MARY | [pleased] Just the way I like it.

ANDRE | ...it's not like her at all. Rosalind has always been so sensible. LEONOR | Is she being insensible now? I hadn't noticed. ANDRE | [sighs] This whole unseemly business with the ambassador's daughter... ANDRE | All this hubbub in the press...it's unbecoming, isn't it? LEONOR | It's not my place to approve or disapprove— ANDRE | I'm asking for your candid opinion. LEONOR | They're in love and you'd be a fool to oppose the relationship. LEONOR | The 'hubbub' hasn't phased them at all. They're calm, composed, and wholly united. That kind of steady presence is exactly what Rosalind will need by her side in the coming days. ANDRE | They lied to me for three years. LEONOR | The folly of youth. If you intend to step down, you cannot afford to feud with your heir now. ANDRE | [sighs] It'll be a relief when these decisions aren't mine to make any more. ANDRE | [offscreen] I'm getting too old for all of this. Politics is a young man's game...or a young woman's, I suppose. ANDRE | [offscreen] My children are all grown up now, starting families of their own, embarking on new adventures... [water running] ANDRE | [offscreen] ...it's time for them to make their own choices, now. ANDRE | [offscreen] Their own mistakes, too.

[armoricaroyalty]

After lunch, the itinerary was empty until dinner. The five-hour-gap was intended to give the Armoricans an opportunity to recover from the long flight and adjust to the time difference. Solitude was the last thing that Vivi wanted, but once the meal had concluded and the dishes had been cleared away, all the Uspanians had evaporated and she found herself alone again, replaying her conversation with Julián and wondering whether he had actually been flirting with her or merely playing the gracious host...

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author's note: The extraordinary acoustics of the sound garden at Nakawe Palace allow ordinary conversations to carry great distances with perfect clarity. @nexility-sims

Transcript under the cut.

Nakawe Palace // Armorican State Visit - Day 1

PHONE | You have 7 unplayed messages. Message 1. JACQUES | [on the phone] Hey Baby. Fly safe! Call me when you— PHONE | Message marked for deletion. Message 2. JACQUES | [on the phone] Hey! It's your man. I saw you touched down. Text me when— PHONE | Message marked for deletion. Message 3. JACQUES | Hey Vivi. I know you're busy, but call me when you get a minute. PHONE | Message marked for deletion. Message 4. JACQUES | Vivi. I've called you four times. When you get this, I need you to— PHONE | Message marked for deletion. Message 5. JACQUES | [over the phone] Vivi. When I call you, you need to— PHONE | Message marked for deletion. Message 6. JACQUES | [over the phone] I am not messing around, Vivienne. Pick up the— PHONE | Message marked for deletion. Message 7. JACQUES | Who do you think you are, ignoring me? Play stupid games, win stupid— PHONE | Message marked for deletion. You have no more messages. VIVIENNE | [sighs] ARNAUT | [offscreen, faintly] ...you and the Duchess were enjoying yourselves. VIVI | !!! JULIÁN | [offscreen] What's that supposed to mean? ARNAUT | [offscreen, wearily] You know exactly what I mean, Julián... VIVI | [gasps] ARNAUT | Is it a good idea for you to be playing with a married woman like that? VIVI | [under her breath[ Saints...if you're real, please kill me now. Amen. JULIÁN | Why do you say it like that? Why does everyone always assume I have nefarious intentions. ARNAUT | I'm not assuming anything. ARNAUT | I just want to know: do you think it's a good idea to be flirting with someone else's wife in front of your family and hers? JULIÁN | I was only trying to make her laugh... JULIÁN | She was miserable. Didn't you notice? Here without her husband, and nobody was talking to her, not even her family. She walking in and sat down alone. ARNAUT | [softening] Julián... JULIÁN | She's lonely. ARNAUT | [sighs] ARNAUT | That may be, but Julián...you have to understand about Armoricans. They're not like us. They are very strict about monogamy, especially for women. ARNAUT | [offscreen] If the King or the Crown Princess or any of their part thought that your lonely Duchess was enjoying another man's attention too much...it could cause problems for her. Do you understand? JULIÁN | I have no intention of causing problems. ARNAUT | I know, I know. You're just trying to be a good host. But these Armoricans are very different. For her sake and yours: you need to be careful. JULIÁN | Aren't I always? ARNAUT | [wearily] You are not. [Arnaut and Julián's conversation fades]

[armoricaroyalty]

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author's note: don't say I never did anything for ya

Transcript below the cut.

Nakawe Palace // Armorican State Visit - Day 1

There is a quartet playing a waltz. IDK enough about waltz music to pick an appropriate song, use your imagination. EMILY | You know...this is how we met. FRECERICK | I remember. It was New Year's Eve, your brother's wedding. EMILY | Mhm. We danced in the greenhouse... FREDERICK | That's right. You were hiding because you hate crowds. EMILY | I was not! And anyway, you were sneaking out— FREDERICK | Was I? [laughs] Saints alive, I was such a shit back then. EMILY | [laughs] I think everyone would agree that you're much improved. FREDERICK | All thanks to you, darling. Vivi watches Freddy and Emily being cute and has sad girl hours.

ARNAUT | Tomorrow should be uneventful. Just the soccer match, limited press. JULIÁN | Oh, is that all? I'd hoped for a little more? LORRAINE | You were briefed on this, Julián. The time to object was weeks ago. JULIÁN | I would have, but— hey, is that who I think it is? ARNAUT | [sighs] Here she comes. LORRAINE | [whispering] Behave yourself. JULIÁN | [whispering] You worry too much, Auntie! VIVI | Julián, would you dance the next dance with me? JULIÁN | I'd be honored, Your Highness. LORRAINE | [whispering] I thought you were going to speak with him. ARNAUT | [whispering] I did. But when has he ever listened?

JULIÁN | I hope you're enjoying yourself tonight, Your Highness. VIVI | I am. Your entire family has been very welcoming. JULIÁN | I'm glad. It breaks my heart to see a beautiful woman looking so sad. VIVI | Why are you doing this? JULIÁN | Doing what? VIVI | Flirting with me. You know I'm married...nothing can come of this. JULIÁN | Does it have to come to something? JULIÁN | [whispering] What's wrong with just enjoying ourselves, here and now? VIVI | [full-bodied horny shiver] VIVI | [whispering] My husband... JULIÁN | I won't tell him if you don't. VIVI | Anyway...I suppose I should thank you. JULIÁN | Oh? What for? VIVI | It's silly! It's just...oh, I don't know. VIVI | ...I guess I'm just to used to being looked at that I forgot how good it feels to be seen.

[armoricaroyalty]

Elise had been an integral part of the system for nearly thirty years, but she still counted herself as one of its critics. Even so, she couldn't suppress a wave of maternal pride watching Rosalind carrying out her duties. Her daughter had always been self-possessed, even as an eight-year-old girl pounding her way through her very first piano recital. Whatever her feelings, it was a pleasure to watch her perform.

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Transcript under the cut.

Blackwell Palace // Kingswood Green, Breizh, Armorica

ANCHOR | ...our top story tonight: HM King Andre has arrived in Nakawe for a planned 4-day visit to Uspana, his first official visit to the country since 2001. ANCHOR | The King is accompanied on this trip by Crown Princess Rosalind and the Duchess of Laye. This is the Duchess' first time in Uspana, and her first overseas engagement since her honeymoon tour with the Duke of Laye. ANCHOR | The King's packed 4-day itinerary will center around the opening of a brand-new exhibit of Armorican art at the Crown Museum of Uspanian Culture and Arts, a project led by Prince Frederick and the Institute for Armorican Culture. ANCHOR | Prince Frederick—and his girlfriend, Lady Emily Chandra—were on hand to greet the Armorican royals, along with Crown Prince Arnaut of Uspana, Crown Princess Lorraine of Uspana, and Princess Leonor of Uspana. ANCHOR | Crown Princess Rosalind paid tribute to her Uspanian hosts by accessorizing with jade, another demonstration of her skill at diplomatic dressing. ANCHOR | In fact, all eyes will be on the Crown Princess throughout this trip. According to royal experts, this visit is intended to showcase Rosalind's accomplishments as Crown Princess and establish her presence internationally. ANCHOR | It's hoped that this state visit will deepen the ties of friendship between the royal families of Uspana and Armorica and renew the bonds between the two nations. I'm Devon Thorn, thank you for watching the ANN Evening News Hour. [Evening News Hour commercial bumper plays] ELISE | [sighs] Thank goodness for Rosalind.