=== Céline & Fogado ===
--- C ---




[Fogado]
Princess Céline! Did you do something with
your hair? It's looking even flowier than usual.
[Céline]
Good day, Prince Fogado.
[Fogado]
I'll say. Any day I see you is a good one.
[Fogado]
Nothing, huh?
[Céline]
If I reacted to every bit of flattery that spilt from
your mouth, we'd be here all day.
[Fogado]
Flattery? Me? I wouldn't dream of it.
[Fogado]
Hey, I know! We should have tea together.
You like tea, don't you?
[Céline]
Indeed, I do!
[Fogado]
Being royals of Solm and Firene, I think it's
important we get to know each other.
[Fogado]
Talk about different values and whatnot.
Could be beneficial for both of us.
[Céline]
Haha, spoken like the prince of a nation
obsessed with trade.
[Fogado]
Nothing wrong with a little give and take.
[Céline]
Forgive me, but I must decline for now.
[Céline]
The Firenese lifestyle is more pastoral. We lack
your taste for intrigue and risk.
[Fogado]
You make tea with me sound like some kind of
big adventure.
[Céline]
Quite a dangerous one, yes. Good day,
Prince Fogado.
[Céline]

[Fogado]
And just like that, she's gone. Guess this'll take
some doing.
[Fogado]
Then again, what did I expect? She is
from Firene.
--- B ---




[Fogado]
Well hello, Princess Céline. You're looking
gorgeous as ever.
[Céline]
Thank you, Prince Fogado.
[Fogado]
So? What do you say? Want to have that cup
of tea? It's time we got to know each other.
[Céline]
Hmm. Is that wise?
[Fogado]
Oh, come on. You're still mulling it over?
[Fogado]
I guess you can't help being closed off. You are
Firenese, after all.
[Céline]
As I said, we have a distaste for risk.
[Fogado]
Yeah, but it's not just that.
[Céline]
Oh? What else?
[Fogado]
Firene's farming industry is so robust, you don't
need to keep reserves, let alone import goods.
[Fogado]
And that's a good thing, don't get me wrong.
[Fogado]
But self-sufficiency has made you folks a bit
unsociable, if you ask me.
[Fogado]
Your gates are shut so tight, they might as well
be walls.
[Céline]
Interesting. When put that way, we do seem
a bit isolated, don't we?
[Céline]
Very well. I accept your invitation.
[Céline]
I'll prove to you that the Firenese people are
in no way walled off.
[Céline]
Rather, the generosity fostered by our pastoral
ways makes us exceptionally accommodating.
[Fogado]
Haha! Good for you, Princess Céline!
[Fogado]
Taking it upon yourself to prove Firene isn't
a hermit kingdom. I respect that.
[Céline]
It's also a chance for me to gain a glimpse of
the secret to your prosperity.
[Céline]
Such as the way you curry favor with foreign
nobility to pry information out of them.
[Fogado]
I won't deny it. As a prince, I occasionally have
no choice but to mix business and pleasure.
[Fogado]
But no ulterior motives today, I promise.
Just tea and friendly conversation.
[Céline]
That would be lovely. I look forward to it,
Prince of Solm.
--- A ---




[Céline]
Do you ever get the sense that you and I are
quite similar?
[Fogado]
I was just thinking that.
[Fogado]
We look and act completely different, and yet
for some reason, we understand each other.
[Céline]
Yes, I know precisely what you mean.
[Fogado]
I guess it makes sense if you think about it.
We are in similar situations.
[Fogado]
Each of us is second in line to the throne.
The sovereigns' siblings.
[Céline]
Indeed.
[Céline]
Ever since childhood, I have endeavored to
grow into a role where I might support the king.
[Fogado]
Same here. I've spent my whole life thinking of
ways to help my sister.
[Fogado]
That meant becoming stronger than she was.
Training harder than she did.
[Fogado]
Leaving the palace to resolve conflicts around
the queendom.
[Céline]
I suspected as much.
[Céline]
Likewise, I honed my swordsmanship and
magical prowess to support my sickly brother.
[Céline]
But wouldn't you know it! Just when I thought
I'd strengthened myself enough...
[Céline]
my brother seemed to make a full recovery.
[Fogado]
Haha, and you didn't know whether to cheer
or break down sobbing.
[Fogado]
We really are alike.
[Céline]
We both dearly love our siblings, as we love
our nations.
[Fogado]
And to protect what we love...we'd be willing to
do the unthinkable.
[Céline]
Precisely. Neither of us would hesitate to
employ less-than-peaceful means.
[Fogado]
Heh heh...
[Céline]
...
[Fogado]
Good. Each of us knows what a monster the
other can be.
[Céline]
It's for that reason that I see any path putting
us in conflict with Solm as risky indeed.
[Fogado]
In that case, let's stay friends.
[Céline]
May we find a path forward. Together.
--- S ---