Snippet #2577532

A blanket of oranges and pinks coated the interior courtyard of the Kalixian palace. Each of the seven estates held decorations extolling the virtues and bounties of that region of the North. Being a city on a chain of islands, the chief resource in Kalixo predictably related to fishing and related industries.

Northern architecture chiefly consisted of simple lines and common, earthy materials. The Kalixian palace decidedly broke from these Northern traditions, declaring their burgeoning connection with the South in the very materials they chose. Recently renovated at great expense, the architecture of simple bones remained, but now, glittering mosaics and colorful paintings covered the palace, depicting the veritable zoo of creatures from which the Kalixo citizens made their livelihood.

At the center of this glittering courtyard sat a small fountain of sorts. The creatures who lived within best resembled a cross between tiny sea sponges and jellyfish. The brightly-colored, semi-transparent creatures, most no bigger than a navel orange, darted through the turquoise pool. Similar to jellyfish, the creatures would sting when touched, but this sting was generally mild, and provided a pleasant, tingling sensation. Like the Misu, these creatures could change their color to suit their emotions, and were long considered the unofficial mascot of the people of Kalixo.

There were few common citizens within the walls of the Kalixo palace, but it wasn't devoid of life. A flurry of bedwarmers swarmed the halls in occasional bursts of activity, visible through open archways commonly used in place of windows in more temperate zones. Housing a port and lying on the path between Northern and Southern Misu – between which travel had increased considerably within the last few years – had clearly produced a secondary income source for the historically impoverished residents of Kalixo.

A servant came to greet Ambassador in short order, and notified him that although dinner was long since cleared away, the vestiges of recent arrivals still cluttered the great hall, invested in deep conversation. The servant noted he would be welcome to join them, or retire to quarters, if he chose to stay within the palace walls.

Within the great hall, Pavé sat with only her translator for companionship. Keeping a contingent of bodyguards or soldiers within palace was one of the gravest offenses a Misu leader could make, and implied a lack of trust in their hosts. Still, a woman of Pavé's reputation couldn't be expected to lack protection. It was highly likely that her maidservant and translator and the Prince herself carried at least one weapon, folded in with the ornately patterned drapery that pinned to their bronze-colored frames.

The home, though gaudy by Northern standards, felt positively drab to Pavé's discerning eyes. Traveling North always felt so odd to Pavé. Here, she possessed far less political power, but people treated her with far more respect. Although the journey had surely been a grueling affair, Pavé herself showed no hints of fatigue, which would be another sign of disrespect to her host. She conversed closely with the host himself, Protector Jaimo, a thin man with a jolly face. A recent string of civil unrest aimed towards undermining the power of the historically female Protectors had shaken the villages. Though many suspected Jaimo himself played some role in the demonstrations, no one would dare accuse him outwardly.