Henrik arrives, following Sameera.

Henrik leaves, following Sameera.

Henrik arrives, following Sameera.

Lucita steps into the area lightly, her Lycene styled silk garments nicely cool in the warmth of summer. As she approaches the meeting area she glances around and curtsies, but remains quiet till she assesses what is happening.

Alaric takes a seat at the table and grabs the bottle of rum there to open it up and have a sniff. "And as long as you had 52 people at the meeting, your trick should reasonably work at least once," he observes dryly. "Well now, don't let me delay you from opening your forum," he declares encouragingly to Jaenelle. "I do try to attend these Ministerial functions when I can for support, but also I try to stay out of the way and let the Ministers exercise their capable skills at leading their branches of the Crown." With that, he extends his hand to Zelda, who gives him a small bag with glasses inside. He sets them on the table and taking one, pours the rum in and settles in to watch.

Alaric has joined the small circular table.

Jaenelle has claimed a few of the tables for people to sit at while she addresses, sitting at one of them herself with a deck of cards and a bottle of rum. The guards that were sitting with her stand and move off to the side as proceedings begin. Moving from the chair of the table as she just was, she sits onto of the table's surface for better results at seeing anyone who might join them. Lucita is noticed as she moves through the park, and is given a wiggle of her fingers, "welcome Lady Lucita, I have not seen you in forever. I hear congratulations are in order?" Because greeting is just as important as business. She turns to look at Alaric as he joins her and helps himself to the rum shes brought, and takes the poured glass for herself, "I am glad you are here, Your Majesty, to assist me in answering important questions."

Lucita gives a beguiling smile to Jaenelle and Alaric as she is greeted. "Thank you." Her gaze drops to the table, the cards and the rum. At the important questions comment she murmurs. "Sometimes one comes to listen in hopes of learning enough to form questions that are not trivial."

Alaric wrinkles his nose faintly and pours a second glass of rum, semi-pointedly keeping it out of Jaenelle's easy reach in the process. "I think the rum will be of greater assistance, somehow," he declares wryly before smiling to Lucita. "Ah, hello Lady Lucita!" He glances back to Jaenelle. "And here I was just telling you about musicians. You really -should- find her a position in the Ministry," he concludes triumphantly.

With Henrik at her side Sameera enters the judgement green and finds a spot to park herself that gives her easy escape paths. She is not ending up trapped in by people. The jeweler is, for once, not wearign all black.

With Henrik at her side Sameera enters the judgement green and finds a spot to park herself that gives her easy escape paths. She is not ending up trapped in by people. The jeweler is, for once, not wearign all black. she also has blue, yellow, and sea greens on.

"That is a good point" Jaenelle tells Lucita, nodding, "well. I wished to discuss the plans for the shops in the ward of the compact today with anyone who might have a vested interest in shops around here" she motions in a wide circle. "I currently have taken over management over for two shops so far, and plan on continuing to do so to assist crafters who come into the city who need to find a place to work for a lesser price than renting or constructing new makeshift shops." She squints over towards Sameera, "I dont know who you are, welcome!" She takes a sip of the rum, grinning down at Alaric, "musicians are wonderful people. I should learn an instrument. Perhaps I could just say I do in another life."

Lucita's eyes widen and a faint color rising in her cheeks as Alaric speaks. A nod is given the strangers but her attention goes back to Jaenelle and Alaric. As she listens about the shops, she nods. "That sounds a good idea. Are the established merchants accepting of it? A lesser price for renting or constructing helps them get a good start and build up customers as long as they do not take too much advantage and undercut some of the others who have to clear enough profit to pay their expenses? Or are there enough overall customers for that to not be a problem." She pauses then adds. "I can play, but not teach yet."

"They do say music and mathematics aren't too far apart. I'm not sure -why- they say it, but doubtless there are some ineffable scholarly reasons for it. That's the sort of thing I appoint people like you to know, anyway," Alaric observes to Jaenelle before following her look to Sameera. "Ah yes, that's Mistress Sameera. Her jewlery shop's just to the north of here, I think." He smiles welcomingly to her. "Hello there. Have any inquiries or other matters to bring to the attention of the Minister of Infrastructure?" he asks curiously. Thus directing Sameera to Jaenelle, he turns to Lucita. "Hmm, do let me know when you are giving lessons," he requests.

Lucita murmurs quietly to Jaenelle. "I had to try to figure out a similar situation moving some of the refugees to Granato and try to keep the March's balanced. Its really hard to figure out and anticipate problems." To Alaric she gives a smile of pure delight and says. "Gladly, Your Majesty."

To Jaenelle Sameera dips into a bow at her welcome. Sameera seems pretty content to just keep in her out of the way spot. Then Alaric puts her on the spot. To him she gives an exasperated look, "Difficult King." she greets him, sort of using a title towards him. She is quiet for a moment then asks, "What are you going to do with the shops that have their owners unavailable?" Sameera is probably just making up some random question since Alaric called attention to her.

"I have contacted the Crafter's Guild, explaining that this is in no way meant to ruin the current shops within the ward and look forward to hearing back from them. Right now the shops currently have no owners, their owners have sadly passed on, so they remain vacant shells of what their former glory once was. To sit empty leaves the city looking poorly to visiting merchants. Why would you wish to do business with a city whos shops remain locked and darkened? They also attract crime, empty buildings which have no foot traffic surrounding it could be used for illegal activities, and again that looks poorly on the city and the Crown. Giving these shops new life will benefit everyone, from royalty who wish to spend coin to the crafter who wishes to earn it yet has no space in which to do so. The Crown will sell the shop to whomever wishes to purchase it and will put it to good use, what they sell and for how much is their decision, as the Crown does not wish to regulate their freedom to their own worth."

Jaenelle also does add for Alaric's sake, "math and music are alike because there is a lot of counting."

Alaric looks rather proud of his difficult title for some reason. He also looks proud of himself for appointing a Minister that can wall-of-text as effectively as Aion can. Or Jaenelle too. All things considered if you want to see somebody with a poor self-image, you're going to have to look somewhere besides the King of the Compact at the moment. He sips his rum like a rather successful executive. "Well said!" he says in a way that could refer to just about everybody.

Lucita listens to Jaenelle carefully, making a little 'ahh' sound as she both learns things and has ideas she was working on for her house confirmed, her expression and a little gesture helping indicate this. "Indeed. Princess Jaenelle is wise in this and hope can efficiently apply some of this back in Granato."

The tiny jeweler looks even more exasperated at the king when she notes his pride in her title for him. Though, there is also amusement in the look. A little 'oh' espcapes her and she ruffles among her pouches to pull out a mask. Over to Alaric she moves to plop it down before him, "I'm still working on the other piece." That done she moves back ot her little hidey spot. She has no further comments or questions. She asked some random question to sooth the obligation she felt.

Sameera gets a dark silver self-portrait full mask from a simple delivery pouch - RETURN TO SAMEERA.

"I do not feel wise sometimes, there has been a lot of preperation for this over the course of weeks" Jaenelle admits with a slight grin. "When I was first appointed the Minister, I hid in the Hundred Cities for weeks pouring over the city plans and sewer systems beneath the streets. I can fully admit that I never once considered I would be studying sewer systems before that moment."

Lucita says, "Is that what you were still doing when we met there?" She has a hint of mirth in her gaze and in the little smile on her lips. "Or just enjoying time without having to deal with that again." She looks down and then back up. "I find the more I learn the more I have left to learn, often things never contemplated would have to know. Just hoping that I do not falter too badly till I hopefully get better at the tasks before me." What she says is where all can hear, not ignoring them."

Alaric is taken with examining the mask he's received from Sameera for a while, holding it up to see how it catches and reflects light from a few angles, glancing from the mask to its creator back and forth a few times with a slowly spreading grin. "Well done, indeed," he declares approvingly. "I think you can consider the task you've set before you fully and excellently met, Mistress Sameera." He glances a bit belatedly over at Jaenelle. "Sounds enthralling," he deadpans before lightening his expression. "Although in all honesty, they are a marvel of ancient engineering. Both robust and study. I've heard that they require very little to maintain beyond occasional cleaning for large debris." He grimaces faintly. "Not precisely a job I'd want to have. I do hope we pay them well."

"We do" Jaenelle tells Alaric with clear certainty, "if there is a choice between paying those people well or having them clog and require the Minister of Infrastructure to go down there to determine if they should be replaced, fixed, or diverted elsewhere, I would rather pay them a large amount to not have to." To Lucita, she shakes her head and laughs softly, "no, that was the building codes for the ward of the Compact and the requirements each building must have to require them to be safe." So many charts and diagrams. As the mask is brought forward, Jae seems slightly distracted at the shiney before turning back towards Lucita, "none of them are as exciting as I make them out to be."

"You can only claim that once I have become happy with the anklet you want for your Quene Wife." The item in question is pulled from the same pouch the mask was in, "The flaws I keep finding are harder to get out in this one." Sameera's idea of flaws is likely very minimal, "Merek Black and Dame Alexis Wyrmfang contributed silver towards it. Seems shitty of me not to give them credit when they parted with silver speciifcally for this." When she notes Jaenelle's distraction to the shinies she offers the princess a closer look at the anklet intended for the queen. Silently. She's not interrupting the talks she is having with others. Alaric keeps talking to her so she responds to him, once she has a moment.

Lucita murmurs something to Alaric in a quiet tone as she looks at the mask and then looks toward the anklet, noting the fine workmanship and smiling. She says just. "Impressive. So very lovely!

Sameera drops a slender iridescite chain anklet with tiny charms that represent the Compact.

Jaenelle looks at the anklet as it is presented to her, clearly charmed at each of the precious baubles hanging from the chain. "It is truly lovely, Mistress Sameera, thank you for sharing such with me, as well as your gift with the city." She seems to be waiting for the now empty glass of rum to return to her as she slid it towards Alaric. Then with a look about, "so if no one else has any questions or concerns, perhaps we shall see the meeting to a close?"

Lucita shakes her head. "I can't think of any at present. Thank you for talking with us."

Alaric laughs appreciatively to Sameera. "I beg your pardon. I'll save the royal approval from when all your arduous tasks are fully pursued to completion, then," he replies personably, giving the anklet an approving nod. "It looks exceptional. I'm sure the Queen will be beyond impressed with the finished product if it's artificed as superlatively as the mask." He glances back to Jaenelle curiously. "I have a question. If I paid you in dragonweep, would you go down into the sewers and help clean them?" he asks more than a little impishly.

Jaenelle stares at Alaric, features impassive. Seconds pass, staring and blinking the only thing that happens. "Thank you all for coming, I appreciate your interest in the matters that were brought up. I look forward to working with everyone in more depth to assist the city as see if flourish."