Gravity's Pull

Jade nodded. She had a hard time deciphering how she felt in this moment, faced with someone who believed her and greeted her with the sort of manner of a diplomat meeting another, and also faced with a being who was so great and advanced, she could only describe them as a localized, massive presence that had full awareness of its region, being... as far as Jade knew, the building. Far from the image she'd conjured in her mind of a dark figure that lurked in the shadows of a massive room, reaching out with slender and dextrous fingers to touch a person's mind.

No, this was both more frightening and less frightening at the same time.

Questions, though... She had many. "There are many things I do not understand here, including about Soundmasons and the... unique greeting I experienced, if you do not mind my wording. Host Ríváné educated me on a great many things, but I was impatient to greet you, and my education on local customs, technology, and more are lacking because of it."

She directed her words toward Máté, since... he seemed to be Two-Stars-Weeks-Away's mouthpiece, in a way. After a moment, she looked around, half-expecting the imagined creature to be conjured to act as a sort of avatar, though she knew it was silly. This was far from the massive, grey square room she'd imagined.

"What was that greeting? Host Ríváné mentioned it to try to warn me, but... I am not surprised that she could not define it. It is called... áratidéfíl?" She looked around, red eyes wide as she left her mouth hanging open slightly, half-expecting the building itself to answer. "I have more questions than I can put to words right now."
 
Jade's words did not ruffle any feathers as far as Máté or Two-Stars-Weeks-Away were concerned. The confusion over áratidéfíl was completely expected, especially from someone who had grown up in a completely different environment that lacked the conveniences of ránei or ítéra. The two had gained a very brief insight to her feelings on the matter when the small woman connected with them at the moment of entry and the subtle differences in her perceptions told them that the experience was completely out of the world for her. It was something new for them too, to meet someone who did not even know of the concept of áratidéfil.

"We will answer your questions the best we can and what we wish to discuss is not of extreme urgency," said Máté. "We have declared the next four hours to be yours. If our conversation is finished sooner, then so be it, but we wanted to give you enough time to recover from your first áratidéfíl. When you meet us again, you will not experience this feeling, however, other pairs will give you a very similar experience. You should not fear or try to shield yourself from it, because it is nothing more than a reflection of yourself along with the soundmason you are facing." The explanation was clearly not over yet, but Máté let his words sink in before he would continue. For someone who had no idea about this phenomenon, it must have been frightening and it would take a long time for them to understand that the illusion of overwhelming knowledge is just that.

"The identity of a soundmason is far greater than that of a human," continued the Ruler as he stepped away from his throne to bridge the distance between himself and Jade. He stopped in front of the small woman literally looking down on her to meet her red eyes head on. "You can feel it in this room if you listen to yourself close enough. That is the feeling of áratidéfíl, and the first occasion in the presence of a soundmason is a part of it. To Two-Stars-Weeks-Away, you are just as foreign and incomprehensible as they are to you. As such, they are very interested in you. When you entered this room, they extended their identity to see who you are. Both of you gained an insight about the other, but Two-Stars-Weeks-Away does not know more about you than you know about them." Another pause. Máté had to make sure that Jade understood the concepts that he was telling her before he finished his explanation.

"We do not know if you will understand this, however, what you have seen was what you would have seen if you were a soundmason, but at the same time, it was also yourself reflecting on yourself. We felt the same thing. We were faced with our own identity and a small part of yours that revealed to us where you come from and what you are." This whole time, Máté had been patiently explaining the peculiarities of the feeling Jade had recieved upon the moment of her entry. There was not a single hint of anger or displeasure about the man, but speaking volumes more than that was the feeling that embraced Jade's mind. Áratidéfíl. She could feel curiousity mixed with a desire to know, protect and understand. All coming from something that was clearly a giant compared to her.
 
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"I understand more than I did before this, though it is still difficult to grasp. I would like to try to put it into my own words, to see if my understanding is growing in the correct path." She closed her eyes as she worked at remembering the words.

"Soundmasons and Rulers work in a pair. Soundmasons are beings that are beyond humans, and are difficult to understand. I assume that is why the áratidéfíl phenomenon happens—as a way to bridge understanding, though it is... jarring. It is a way to attempt to greet and make very personal introductions?" She trailed off. "That made no sense spoken aloud." She closed her eyes a moment, feeling less certain of her understanding than before. "It is very foreign, but though it was overwhelming, I did not feel as though I was in danger."

She fumbled a short time more, then sighed. "I am on the correct path, at least? Or is my understanding mangled horribly?" Red eyes stared up at him, unblinking as she searched his face for what sort of reaction he would have. "I want to understand as much as I am able..." She trailed off, feeling once more tiny and primitive. This was a place of giants in stature, power, and intellect. Even the most basic people seemed somehow so much greater than her, even though she was near-divinity, and the Multiverse herself...

No, now wasn't the time for those feelings of inadequacy. Now was the time to learn, to bridge the gap as far as she could.
 
For someone who was not familiar with soundmasons or Civitatem Lucis, Jade was relatively close to the truth, or at least as close as she could get at this time. Over time, she would no doubt understand the phenomenon of áratidéfíl better, but for now, Máté would have to be content with correcting a few of the errors that she made in her assumptions. Regardless, both the soundmason and him were impressed by Jade's sharp mind, so she really should not have feared of her lack of knowledge.

"You are mostly correct, however, you are still experiencing áratidéfíl," said Máté patiently, reiterating his point. "Every being in this room can feel the identity of Two-Stars-Weeks-Away, because they are present in this place. It is an attempt to further a soundmason's understanding of a human, but it does not replace an introduction. Unfortunately, your language lacks the words to correctly represent áratidéfíl, so all we can say that your identity is different from your name or your titles. At the same time, those things are a part of what make up your identity. We are not sure how to breach this gap in language between us, but we believe that it is best for you to think that when we brushed your identity, we gained no more than where you came from and what being you are. And your senses were overwhelmed by what we are, so you could not see where we came from."

Would Jade understand this explanation? So far, she was quite quick on the uptake and judging by her identity, she was an intelligent woman who was willing to learn. She would no doubt try to understand this phenomenon, but if she did not, perhaps a simpler explanation was needed. Of course, Two-Stars-Weeks-Away was not pleased by that, because they felt that their identity was reduced if the complexity of the explanation was reduced, but Máté assured the soundmason that it was not the case. Sometimes, humans who had no ideas about the existence of something could understand only astonishingly simple explanations.
 
Jade fell silent, and her gaze dropped as she closed her eyes to process the information. "That explains the sensation I have been feeling, and the further explanation is helpful." She fell silent again. "I think I understand at a basic level, then. None of what you said just now was confusing, though some of it prompts more questions, but the language barrier will likely thwart their answers until I learn the local language and culture in more depth. You have also answered a question I had planned to ask—the reason for your belief in my introduction." She remembered how Ríváné had laughed and told her she was wrong. That reaction remained sore.

She fought off the scraps of smugness that tried to rear their heads. Now wasn't the time, and this wasn't the place. She was here to learn and to greet, and to find understanding, not to judge or hold anything over her host's head.

The tiny woman looked up and opened her eyes again. "I have other questions, however, about both of you. You often speak for Two-Stars-Weeks-Away, or so I assume based on the shift in how you speak. Am I correct in assuming the two of you share a mental bond in some fashion, and that Rulers act as a bridges of understanding between Soundmasons and Humans?"
 
She really was an intelligent woman. Máté was prepared for further explanation of the phenomenon, but it appears that it was completely unnecessary. All the better! If Jade had such a high intelligence along with the capacity to adapt quickly, then she would feel at home on Abevr in practically no time. She had all the traits of a good explorer, someone whom the first people in space would have been proud to have at their side, a thought which made Máté smile as Jade spoke to him. It was not a mocking smile, of course. It was one of genuine enjoyment which seemed to shift slightly when the small woman asked her question.

"We are glad that you understand us, and you are correct when you say that Rulers are meant to connect humans and soundmasons. I am a translator for Two-Stars-Weeks-Away to make sure that humanity's messages reach them. To achieve that, I am not completely human, however, I am not a soundmason either. You could say that I am between two worlds, but it is a great honour to be able to speak for a soundmason." Strictly speaking, Máté did not need to tell that to Jade, but he felt that he owed her an explanation for her ability to communicate with Two-Stars-Weeks-Away through him. Besides, he had the feeling that if he had not started his explanation for the phenomenon, Jade would have asked about it anyways.

"A Ruler has to go through much training to become paired to a soundmason," he added after a second. "Would you like to ask us any more questions? If we can answer your concerns or clarify anything that you have encountered during your visit, we will gladly do so. Time is not of the essence and we have the luxury of speaking as we please."
 
"Fascinating..." The utterance came out in English. She caught herself with a slight blush, and quickly translated, shifting back to ónic. "Fascinating." She fell silent as she once more thought about just what she could ask. She could ask what they knew of Earth, but... no, she didn't really want to hear that... not right now. That was too emotional. Even just the memory of what she saw made her throat close.

She forced her mind away from that. "While time may not be limited, and I know there is much of which I am unaware, I am having a difficult time framing further questions. Am I free to ask as new questions occur to me?" She wanted to know more, but there was so much, she had no idea where to start. It frustrated her, not knowing how to begin asking about Soundmasons, and not knowing what questions might be rude to ask of such a being and their translator.
 
Naturally, the first word which escaped Jade's lips completely wheezed by Máté and Two-Stars-Weeks-Away, at least until the latter chose to play it back in order to find it in an English-óníc dictionary. As her next words confirmed, she seemed to be absolutely fascinated by their existence or possibly the entirety of Civitatem Lucis as soundmasons along with Rulers were one of the few things which represented every one of the Four Philosophies equally. The two of them could vaguely register her awe that made ripples in her identity before she asked her questions.

"That is only natural," said Máté with little contemplation. "However, if you have no more questions for now, then it is our time to ask questions about your identity. We have seen you and we have concluded that your identity affects reality in a unique way that has never been recorded in history." The Ruler was still talking smoothly and organically, pacing his words so that they could easily sink in, however, Jade could feel a tiny ripple of something in the feeling which was still cradling her. It was almost as if it was a pang of curiousity or excitement, yet at the same time it was so alien that it was impossible for her to comprehend its meaning. "We would like to know what your identity is capable of if it is something that you can share. We will understand if your government wishes to keep the full extent of your abilities a secret, however, we would like to know as much as possible."

Indeed, the reality around Jade was distorted in a unique manner as far as Máté and Two-Stars-Weeks-Away were concerned. The closest they have seen were the quantum-linked wormholes that Civitatem used to travel between their star systems, but that was like saying that an ape was a cat because both of them were mammals.
 
Jade tilted her head, and then her lips twitched slightly upward at one corner for only a brief moment. She tilted her head, then raised her hand and drummed her finger tips against the pad of her thumb, as she had before in the presence of her host, and then in the transport, save this time, she moved more theatrically, with emphasis on the movement, and sparks showered along the edges of the melon-sized portal that faced the Ruler.

On the other side, perhaps less splendid than Civitatem Lucis, the portal showed a lush earth, Jade's earth, as seen from orbit. It spun slowly, and the air that emanated from the portal smelled metallic and chemical, though not overly strong. The planet was visibly lush, even from this distance. It changed with a brief image of white static on blackness, and it showed glimpses of places alien to this advanced civilization.

A throne room made from a singular stone, with a nude, pink caricature of a woman shouting in a foreign language as a much stronger, taller creature began to cry as it fell to its knees, covering its tusked mouth as it stared with tears flowing while two strange creatures with dark grey and dark violet skin dragged it away effortlessly using only vines that sprouted from their slender backs.

A city made of spires, where a man in simple clothes with shaggy hair napped in a garden at midday, reaching up towards a tower that resembled a jellyfish.

Metal all around, and a man with a strong resemblance to Jade laughed as he lifted a bottle of stinking liquid to his mouth for a drink before he looked at the portal and spoke in English. "Jade? Jadey, honey!" He waved and leaned forward with breath like vodka, and the scene very quickly changed as Jade's face reddened, to instead show an image of a grand forest filled with fox-like creatures that through the treetops on platforms.

"I can create portals, heal with four times the speed of a normal human, and I have another form that I may take should I desire it, however, these abilities are limited by my exhaustion." She resisted heavily the need to brag about being the multiverse and about being a 'demigoddess'. They likely didn't have a concept of divinity, and science-minded idiots likely despised the very idea of luck...
 
The display was absolutely stunning to watch. Not only because both Máté and Two-Stars-Weeks-Away could take in a completely new phenomenon that had not been classified up until this point, but also because how Jade played with the lines of perspective. She was taking them apart then reassembling them into patterns which have never been seen before using methods that were usually reserved for a legion of machines. At this point, the two of them were not even sure that Jade was using the principles which Civitatem Lucis discovered as her portals seemed to be tied to her directly rather than being something that was always only a small part of her which was then emphasized by a long, ardous and difficult process.

She was completely different. Honestly, they should have been expecting that when they felt that she was not a part of this universe, but the difference was far beyond their expectations. As the different portals opened to different places, they could also feel a part of their identities, recognising them as separate from their reality. There were threads of connection within their identities just like with Jade, however, there was no possible way to mistake their feeling for the sensation that was the room around them along with the brushes of Abevr at the edge of their senses.

"We have not seen anything like that," admitted Máté after he had considered everything that his senses could convey to him about the nature of what he saw. "We would like an explanation, however, we also think that your abilities fall outside of the scope of Civitatem Lucis' Four Philosophies. The way your identity affects reality around you is unique to you, therefore, if you permit us, we would like to study your abilities if you feel like you have rested enough. We also assure you that your permission or lack of thereof will be respected." In effect, as much as Máté would have liked to find out what made this small woman's powers tick, humane concerns were above scientific concerns. Violating that unsaid agreement would result in less than pleasant consequences.

"We would also like to know if your identity changes in your other form," added the Ruler after he had let the information sink in. "It is important that Civitatem Lucis be able to recognise the humans under its protection." That was another issue that they needed to cover. If Jade wanted to use her other form amongst humans, then they needed to be able to recognise her, or at least be aware of who or what they were facing. If needed, Máté was prepared to take a sample of the other form's identity, but for the moment, he waited on Jade as if she would know what he meant.
 
Jade nodded. "I will give my consent to a study, however I am not fully aware of the method through which it functions, only that it does. It is innate, and the ability to open these portals was given along with my position when I was sixteen years old. As for my other form, I can move to it with ease."

She closed her eyes and for a moment, the identity of Jade the human disappeared, replaced by something vast that was tied to the identities of the vision of earth she'd given, and the vision of the man with the long blond hair. Imagery relating to luck and both good and bad fortune filled her body, invisible to the naked human eye, as her body suddenly shifted, too quickly to see, before it solidified back to her human identity, though the vast 'luck' identity remained as well.

Jade's physical form had changed, however, and its change was clear to anyone who looked at her. Her eyes remained red, and her face and figure remained much the same. Her chest had been reduced, and her hair turned black. She wore a black headband with long, diamond-shaped ears with rounded edges. Her face and body were covered in red hearts, red diamonds, black spades, and black clubs, along with black dots and tapered stripes.

Around her neck, she wore a white collar that matched similar white fastenings on her wrists, and instead of her denim shorts, cotton tee, and jacket, she instead wore a black, shoulderless one-piece that displayed the entirety of her arms and legs. Black heels and sheer black stockings finished the ensemble.

Perhaps most shocking, however, were visible ball joints on her elbows, hands, fingers, legs, and even her neck had joints and her new height of approximately 60cm. "This is what is called a 'demi form'. A demi attains it when they hit a certain point during puberty. I do not particularly enjoy mine, because it is uselessly tiny and the default clothing is moderately uncomfortable."
 
The phenomenon unfolding before Jade's audience captivated their attention and the subtle nature of áratídéfíl became more obvious as invisible eyes opened up in the space before her, spreading out all along the walls. She could definitely feel a shift of attention that transformed into an otherworldly shiver running down her spine, but at least it did not floor her this time, not to mention that it disappeared as soon as it had started within her. Every inch of Jade was being scrutinised for changes while her body shifted into a form which eclipsed her identity for a split second before the two became one in a merging process unique to her.

While the changes to Jade's body were no doubt impressive to the eye, they were even more impressive to the senses of songweavers and their Rulers. The way she shifted, so casually defying laws of physics that Civitatem Lucis was not able to bend nevermind to break so excessively was simply captivating. Her body essentially became an avatar to something that was greater than her or perhaps she became the representation of it or... There was no describing the phenomenon properly. It was completely new, at least to humans or modified humans. Identities were not supposed to shift this way, they were not supposed to scream the nature of the change at the top of their lungs, yet this woman became chance in all but name.

It was not something that Civitatem Lucis was capable of replicating, or at least that was the first impression of both Two-Stars-Weeks-Away and Máté. Perhaps the crazy science of the rahn'fehr could achieve these very same effects through some ridiculously complicated constructs if they put their labyrinthine minds to it, but even that was uncertain. She seemed to fit the workings of the universe while denying them at the same time, presenting a unique mixture that could give scientists decades of trouble. Just the data recorded today will probably cause never-ending headaches that is, if it does not get dismissed as an unsolvable problem for the moment.

"We are thankful for your cooperation," said Máté after the transformation finished, then he held out his hand in the air, palm facing upwards. "This form of yours has a completely different identity, so it will be useful in case you need to use this form of yours. We understand you not preferring to possess it as it has a rather unique presence." For what it was worth, he was not laughing at her, nor finding her ridiculous. Instead, he was looking at her with interest, studying the flow of chances around her through senses which only he and the soundmason could comprehend in the room.

"You can change back if you wish and then we may discuss more complicated matters." And with that, furniture literally started flowing from the ground as if it was liquid, composing a rather comfortable chair for Jade and Máté to sit down in. "We invite you to take a seat."
 
The tiny woman nodded. "Very unique." She looked at her hands and bent her fingers. No longer did they function with muscles, but she could feel strings inside of her body that pulled and released tension in turn. The unnatural rub inside of her body conflicted with the sensation of living flesh that moved with almost-normalcy.

She wrinkled her nose briefly, and then shifted again, regaining all aspects of her human form quickly, including the loss of the 'lucky' overlay. Every moment felt natural and normal. No internal strings—just muscles and tendons, fat, and flesh, with a pulse that moved through her entire body. This—even with things like periods and cramps, it felt right.

At the invitation to sit, Jade looked around for seating, only to see a seat that hadn't been there before. It reminded her of Ríváné's home, but that should not have surprised her. If Ríváné had it, surely a pair of high importance did as well. She sat slowly, grateful for the relief on her joints. "Thank you. Earth's gravity is not this strong." She looked toward Máté. "I am eager to begin the discussion." Absently, she glanced in Ríváné's direction, curious what she and their escort were up to—if they hadn't wandered off by now.
 
"Abevr is a much bigger planet than Earth." Máté immediately pursued this venue of the conversation, both as a way to transition into what he wanted to say and to give Jade more information about the situation she was in. "It also rotates at a different speed and the factors add up to produce 1.14 times the gravitational force of humanity's home. In other words, you weigh 1.14 times more than you are used to," he explained in both a complicated and a simple manner for the sake of easy understanding in case Jade had not had the time to look up the more complicated expressions that could be used within the óníc langauge. Then, he accessed the local projectors with an idle mental flex to produce the hologram of an interstellar map between the two of them.

Ríváné and her subordinates were long gone of course, probably ordered to leave the premises with some gesture or a command that the small woman missed while she was talking with Máté. The map projected in front of her was probably more interesting anyways as it connected dozens upon dozens of star systems with each other in an almost fractal pattern that resembled an always-branching snowflake. It started at a single point, then it reached many other points with straight lines, from which it spawned other connections and so on and so forth. There were also connections between the various branches, however, those were rather rare.

"Abevr's solar system, Tikafm, is located here," said Máté as he lifted his hand to indicate one of the many, brightly-growing circles at the centre of a branch, with at least a dozen or so paths starting from it. "There are six other planets within Tikafm, but their information can come later. Instead, we would like to start with a simple proposal. We believe that you have claimed yourself to be a representative of your universe's Earth along with their version of humanity. Are we correct in this matter?" As always, Máté's voice stayed pleasant to listen to and though he was inflicting his words just as Ríváné, there was some distance that he kept between himself and Jade. He was clearly more used to diplomacy than Jade's host.
 
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Jade let her eyes travel along the hologram that appeared to accompany Máté's explanation. Yes, that made sense. Larger planets had more mass to exert gravity. It was rare for her to go to one, since most of the time in her hopping, she went to alternate earth-planets—worlds that centered on Earth, even if it was drastically different, it started from the same root planet. Sometimes different continents appeared, or different life forms, but mostly, it was that universe's Earth. She kept her mouth shut for the moment to listen to the man's words, though. It wasn't important to discuss how most universes had an 'Earth'.

She let her eyes comb the map, and one finger traced a few millimeters away from one of the lines, only to pause midway as Máté mentioned the bit about being a representative.

Well, yes. As the only person present from her world, she was its representative, even if she was ill-suited. People often considered her too blunt, plain-spoken, and stone-faced.

"Yes." It was probably all that needed said of that line of thought. "In matters of my home universe, I have some authority given me by the ruler of most of Earth's countries." Namely, her mother. She herself was uncertain how far that authority reached, but the people from this universe didn't seem like they were unreasonable, or like they would complain overmuch if she said she was uncertain about a talking point without hearing from her mother first.

Jade paused as she realized she was starting to stress about this before any real discussions began, and took a slow breath to calm herself.
 
Máté smiled at the confirmation. If that was so, this was going to be easy and there was no reason to waste any time on further questions. From the extrapolations that Two-Stars-Weeks-Away ran with him, he reasoned that Jade's version of humanity had not reached the level of developing more than one colony, so she held quite a bit of power within her realm. She may not have held complete power, but they did not need that, in fact, they were grateful that they met with someone of limited influence. That way, they would not seen as intrusive or perhaps overbearing.

"Then we have a simple request," stated Máté as he subtly shifted his posture, emphasizing that the point which was about to come was of great importance. The pause was most certainly pregnant, packed with information that Jade could detect, but not explicitly make out. "We have spoken with the consensus of Rulers and soundmasons, who decided that if there are any other humans out there, Civitatem Lucis must extend their hand to them. Therefore, we would ask you to make it possible for us to establish contact with your Earth and start negotiations." The request was very simple, however, the gravitas of it was far-reaching. Máté would not be surprised if Jade did not believe it at first. But such was the way of this civilization, because there were unknowable threats lurking in the universe.

And one day, humanity might encounter one that would render it extinct, just as it almost had with the rahn'fehr.
 
Jade blinked. They wanted contact, and viewed that as an absolute need, and they wanted to begin negotiations of some form. She could imagine only a few things that her home could offer, one of which being a history that may have deviated from that of Civitatem Lucis in a large amount. She thought a few moments, then nodded. "I can introduce you to my mother." She let those words sink in for a few moments, only to realize they came off as perhaps... too cocky. "She will have a final say in anything, but I can guarantee she will at least meet with you and hear what you have to say, but my mother is a very..." She trailed off. What was the nice way to say it?

Was there a nice way to say it?

"Unique individual." That didn't cut it. "She has a forceful personality." Again, that didn't cut it. "She is... weird." Yes, that sounded about right.
 
The context was obviously lost on both Two-Stars-Weeks-Away and Máté as there was a long pause between what Jade said and their answer.

"We do not understand," said Máté simply. "We are not aware of who your mother is or why she might be important to your Earth. We believe that this means she holds more influence than you do, however, it would be clumsy if we spoke with the leader of your Earth right now, if your mother controls it. The Rulers and soundmasons of Civitatem Lucis can take several hours to compile the data necessary for a decision. Our authority is limited, so we can not offer more than an initial request of establishing negotiations right now." Naturally, the Ruler filtered out the little facts about a questionably person ruling Earth causing no small amounts of distress to the soundmason. They were concerned about the people there along with how well negotiations would go if there was a mentally unstable person in charge of that place.

At least Jade's condition was a good sign. Some mental disorders spread genetically, not to mention that the brush with her identity did not leave any lasting, horrific marks on Máté or Two-Stars-Weeks-Away. There had been nothing that they could detect which pertained to abuse, some sort of insanity in the family. She was merely a strange individual to their eyes because she had come from a different culture, so they hoped that her mother would not be too different.
 
"Sorry. I was unclear. My mother is the ruler of more than half of the nations on Earth. She gained this control through conquest, and has been working to improve the lives of the conquered people for longer than I have been alive. She is benevolent, but..." She trailed off as she tried to remember the world. "She is like an old person. Her mind is... eccentric." Yes, that was the word.

However, he went on to state they weren't ready for contact just yet, and just wanted to see if the option was open to them. That was fair. She wasn't about to initiate it this moment, anyway. That would be horrifying—her mother was sometimes more embarrassing than her father, especially after Jade was gone for any period greater than a couple days. There would be... hugs. The thought sent a shiver up her spine.

"As for the establishment of negotiations, I am willing to facilitate them through whatever means of which I am capable."
 
That was not a well-recieved piece of news. While Máté had not shown any outward signs of his dismay at hearing that the ruler of an entire planet was considered to be eccentric by her own daughter, he certainly noted the fact before he made sure to press this point at the future Civitatem Lucis gatherings. No one wanted for this diplomatic mission to turn into one of bloody conquest, mostly because there were so many fragments they could probably recover from Jade's Earth that it would have a historian salivating. Even though it was an alternate reality over there, it did not decrease the amount of flora and fauna that they had available. With the help of that planet's people, it might even be possible to completely restore their own home so that it could serve as a shining beacon of Civitatem Lucis' achievements.

It would certainly be the crown jewel of the state's already sizeable collection of jewellry. And if interdimensional travel could be somehow achieved, then all the better.

"We are grateful for your offer," said Máté without even pausing to let Jade glimpse into his underlying thoughts. "And we hope that we manage to come to a mutual agreement between our people and yours. We would be also grateful if you told us a few things about your home, specifically, your culture so that we know what to expect when our ambassadors arrive as we do not want to cause unnecessary conflict and we have no records of what Earth's society used to be like. If you believe that it would take you too long to inform us, you can record the details over time. We will be grateful as long as we recieve a copy of your culture's proper behaviour."

That would be only proper, of course, as Máté could not even imagine what sort of traditions held back then. He would not be surprised if some of them would be looked upon as disgusting or revolting by the standards of his people.
 
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