Piazza

Looking over the newest sample of stained glass, President Ozymandius of Tansanko nodded his approval. "Good work lads. I will dispatch another guild to the beach to set up operations, so that this rare find can be mass produced" Ozy instructed, making sure to announce his intentions. Such openness was good for his political figure, it gave his subjects a feeling of reliability in the government. As the small group of engineers left for the beaches once again to capitalize on this strange phenomenon, Ozy took a moment to take stock of his countries position. Tansanko was practically in a golden age at the moment, wherever one went wealth seemed to be abound. The Tansanko Trading Company was bringing in record profits (and thus record taxes), thanks to reforms in the fleet to make use of wind power, farmers had enough substance to live on and then some, thanks to reforms in produce storage and distribution, and the governments approval rating was almost unanimously supportive, thanks to tight control on propaganda and carefully chosen public works. However, in regards to foreign affairs, it was a different story.

The problem is rooted in the ever increasing Tansanko population. With everyone being fed due to the prosperity, not many are dying off, resulting in a mass population boom. With ever decreasing space and a rise in energetic youth, the citizens of Tansanko are pleading for new land. Public opinion of the other two countries does not help either. While Tansankians get along just fine with those of Kiivas, they receive a lot of their manufactured goods from there, public opinion of Eramaa is constantly falling, not helped by the fact that recent wood imports have stopped due to mud slides. In short, the people were one spark short of demanding a war for the colonization of Eramaa, justified by the fact that they are such a "backwards society". They seem to forget that their president once came from these primitive lands. In fact, Ozy seems to forget that fact himself sometimes.

"Is that all sir?" a voice was heard to say. Ozy snapped back to the present and nodded his approval. "Yes, send for Ms. Nikki and Mr. Reginald at once. I have an errand for them." Ozy instructed, sending the young ferret off that he had called for just minutes ago. Strange, he had to have a messenger to fetch his messengers. Shrugging, he went back to admiring the stained glass samples that now adorned the inside of the capital building.

"I just don't know why you have to be so grumpy all the time, that's all I'm saying, Reggie." Nikki scoffed quietly with a playful smirk. All day long she had to listen to this turtle whine and complain as he free-loaded on her back because, well, if they walked at his speed nothing would ever get delivered. Why he ever decided to be a messenger with his walking abilities, she would never know. Her tail flicked side to side as she laid in the soft grass beneath her, it felt good to rest. It had been such a long time since they had had a moment to just sit and rest, and did Nikki ever cherish it. Her eyes watched Reggie sigh in discontent over her words and rolled them at his response.

"Reginald." he corrected her, making sure she understood how much the nickname displeased him, as always, before proceeding. "And I am not grumpy, simply realistic." his face scrunched up in the displeasure he took in her criticism and the discomfort he felt in the grass that never ceased to itch and irritate his skin. He hated sitting and doing nothing, it was so anti-efficient. They were workers, not slackers, and he hated to feel contrary. In fact, he pretty much disliked the entire situation he was in. The sun was much too hot, making his eyes hurt, and all he was hearing was negative pish-posh from a raccoon. "And I am a messenger because it is my duty" he said, emphasizing the last word despite barely participating in the messenger process at all, "But I would thank you not to think such unkind things about me." In his mind, she probably thought those things on purpose to upset him. She would have known better than to not to in front of a mind reader.

"Oh jeez," Nikki responded, hardly moved that her thoughts had been exposed. "Well, can't take them back now!" a laugh escaped her lips, lightening the air a little and allowing Reggie to relax. But the laughter was cut short when Reggie perked up, letting out a stern, "We have another mission coming, I can hear him coming." Nikki sighed, and she had been so happy for her short break. They both looked up, Nikki following Reggie's gaze in the direction he had heard the thoughts coming from and seeing one of President Oxy's assistants coming towards them. Before he even had a chance to speak, Nikki stood up and shouted, "We're coming, we're coming. We know the drill." With a shrug and a shake, she lowered herself to allow Reggie to climb upon her back, "Let's go, Sir Reginald". Adding a fake air of snootiness and mocking Reggie's british accent as she claimed him 'Sir Reginald'.

Reggie snorted, allowing himself to let the snide comment go and get onto Nikki's back without the risk of her getting angered at a comment he may make about it and throw him off. No, he wasn't that stupid. Not like these simpletons around here. He sat quietly on Nikki's back, hearing her make idle chit-chat with the assistant taking them back to the president. Oh, what a glorious honor it was to be one of the esteemed trustees of the president. Not that he didn't work hard enough for it! Before long, though, they had reached their destination and presented themselves before President Oxy. Reggie, of course, making sure to hop off Nikki's back and make sure he was seen as separate than her.

"Mr. President," Reggie began, making a melodramatic gesture of himself, "And what is it we may do for you this evening?"

In the time that it took to fetch the messengers, Ozymandius had changed his mind at least four times in regards to the content of the message he was going to send. How forceful should he be? Is the recipient likely to be offended? Would that offense lead to severe diplomatic penalties? What would his rivals in government think? Is this the best move for Tansanko? Is it the best move for himself? These questions and more had been buzzing around in his head for quite some time, and as a result Ozy's mood was slowly deteriorating.

Then it hit him like a slap to the face. Why not deliver the message himself? He would have plenty of time refine his intentions on the journey, and he would not have to worry about the messengers, however unintentional it may be, from slurring the meaning of the message. Besides, he had been aching to get out of this stuffy bureaucratic capital for some time now, and the salty sea air would do good to satisfy his nostalgia for the past. Besides, it was not as if he had never done this sort of thing before, in fact, as it was preferable for Ozy to hand deliver anything of utmost importance. And the threat of war was in fact a matter of the utmost importance. Besides, he had more friends than foes here in the capital, and things should be running smoothly until he returns. Other than the incident of the northern beach sand, there was little that was out of the ordinary, and if Tansanko's government was good at one thing, it would be handling the ordinary.

At last, two of his most prestigious messengers arrived. They may not be the most compatible socially, but together they always seemed to get the job right. "Ah, good evening Mr. Reginald and Ms. Nikki, it seems like it was just yesterday that I had sent you out for yet another mission. I am sure you are familiar with the strained relations between this country and Eramaa, especially with the recent lumber shortage. In that light, I believe it is high time that I set sail for a diplomatic visit, and I wish that you two will accompany me. It will be good experience for you should I ever have to send you with a message to Eramma again." Ozy explained thoroughly. In a way, he was acting like they had a choice in this situation, where as in reality, he would normally just order them to come along. Besides, it would be nice to have someone along besides those stuffy old guards that the council insisted that he have follow him around.