Seventh day after my arrival
Dear Diary
it's now been I've been on Hohmiy for a week now. Or, well, it would be a week on a human calendar. The Vanaery don't seem to divide their years further. Or "cycle" as they call it. They just date it like "54th day", no weeks, no months. Although, I guess defining months is probably tricky with three moons.
All in all, I've started to settle in for now. My daily language lessons and the frequent talks with the doctor have kinda become routine already, but they are still interesting. I've also more or less come to terms with the fact that I'll probably be spending at least the foreseeable future on this world. That is mostly thanks to everyone being so nice and welcoming to me. I don't know if that is just part of their culture or if they all are like this because of the princess. Speaking of, she really is a great person. Even though she is insanely busy, she seems to always have time for me. It's almost as if I've got a loving big sister. I know she would deny it, but I can never repay her for what she's done for me. Well, maybe if I save her life a few more times. ^^
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Kyirtin could hear Nadine chuckle about something. He was currently sitting under her open window, ready to jump up. He didn't know what she was doing right now, but whatever it was, it seemed to distract her, so that was his cue. This time, he would manage to surprise her, this time he'd definitely...
"Can I help you, Your Highness?"
"OH, COME ON!"
As the young prince looked up, he stared directly into the gleaming gemstones that were Nadine's eyes, her long hair falling down the sides of her face as she stuck her head out of the window. He didn't even get startled anymore when this happened, it was just frustrating at this point.
"How do you always notice me? The attendants never find me!" he asked as he stood up. Nadine's mouth made the movement he had learned was called a "smile".
"Well, then I guess human hearing is better than a Vanaery's. As I have already told you, I can literally hear you breathe. And your steps aren't exactly silent either, at least by my standards."
"Then what am I supposed to do? It's not like I can stop breathing!"
"Then maybe it is time to stop trying something that's evidently futile, Your Highness."
"Never! I swear by the First Ones, I will get you one day."
Nadine chuckled again before stepping away from the window to let him climb in.
"And you can drop the "Your Highness", I hate how stiff that makes everything! And you are also no subject of ours."
"Wouldn't... that go against etiquette?" the alien girl asked carefully.
"Screw etiquette, I'm not gonna be king anyways. And no one is going to hear it if it's just the two of us, so who cares? Would you feel better if I ordered you to speak informally?"
Her smile reappeared.
"Order? I'm no subject of yours though."
Okay, now she was just messing with him. But fine, two could play that game. He straightened his posture, put his lower two arms behind his back, and crossed the upper ones before his torso.
"Well, if that's how we're gonna do things, then I guess it is due that we catch up on our proper introductions. I am Kiyrtin of Clan Kiyron, son of King Kiyrta and Queen Mirvani, and 2nd Prince of Hohmiy," he flawlessly regurgitated the words he had had to memorize countless times. Nadine just looked at him for a moment, before bursting into laughter.
"Okay, okay. You made your point."
"Oh no, forget it! You had your chance, now it's your turn!"
"Hmm... sure. Let's see if I can do it like in the movies."
Her face went into a neutral expression as she bowed her head and slightly lifted the edges of her skirt with her hands, as well as putting one leg before the other and arching them.
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"I greet His Highness, Kiyrtin of Hohmiy, Prince of the Vanaery."
The sudden change in her demeanor completely caught him off guard. The regal aura surrounding her now was such a stark contrast to her usual casualness that he was at a loss for words.
"I am Nadine Valentina Esmeralda Anastasia von Klot of House Heydenfeldt, daughter of Karl-Heinz and Sarina von Klot of House Heydenfeldt. I am honored to make your acquaintance."
"...say what now?"
"I am-"
"STOP! I understood you, but... what by the First Ones was that? Was that all your name? Is that normal for humans?"
She now straightened her posture and folded her hands in front of her body.
"Mankind is spread throughout a multitude of different cultures and languages, and naming conventions thus are manifold. And even within these conventions, capriciousness often takes the reigns of those..."
"Okay, y-you win, just stop it!"
Nadine slightly tilted her head.
"Has this one displeased-"
"No, you haven't, j-just stop talking like that!"
Only now did Kiyrtin realize that he was shouting. And panting. How did it come to this? Nadine was half a head shorter than him and got completely dwarfed by adults. How was she able to radiate such a crushing presence?
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she laughed. And just like that, it was gone. She was back to being nothing more than the strange alien his sister had picked up.
"Seriously, do you always introduce yourself like that?"
"Of course not," she chuckled. "I just say my first name, and even if I have to introduce myself in full, I leave out the middle names. Although I write them sometimes if I wanna flex. And I never say my parents' names, I just did that because you did. But jokes aside, my parents did go a bit off the rails with my names, it is not common where I'm from."
Relieved, he chimed in on her laughter. "You know that you don't always have to one-up me, right?"
"I'm not trying to."
"That's even worse!" he joked. He then noticed a strange drawing on her desk. It wasn't a simple sketch, but a detailed technical drawing, similar to those he did when planning one of his contraptions. Except it wasn't something mechanical. It was a long, thin object with a curve and a wing-like cross-section, with seemingly no moving parts. Why go so into detail for something that was basically a glorified stick? Or was it part of something bigger?
"What's that?"
"Oh, just a boomerang. It's an ancient hunting weapon of my people. Well, at least if by "my people" you mean all of humanity. Nowadays it's only used for sports. That specific version is called a kylie I think. Last year, my parents and I went to a hotel that had a range for those. It was fun, and dare I say I was pretty good. Anyway, the topic came up by chance when I was talking to your sister, and she offered to have one built so I don't have to sit in my room all day."
Kiyrtin's head perked up at that remark.
"If you're bored, we could do some things! Can you climb?"
"In this gravity? Definitely."
"Then I know some great places, follow me!"
He was already halfway out of the window before Nadine had the chance to answer.
"Sorry, but your sister wanted to speak with me. But it shouldn't take too long, so maybe later. See ya... Kiyrtin."
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"You wanted to talk, Your Highness?"
Silgvani nodded.
"I believe I already told you that we are expecting visitors?"
"Yes, the Tys...trie?"
"Correct, their ambassador is scheduled to arrive soon. We received word that they left the hyperlane, so subtracting the time the message took to reach us, they should be here in two days."
She leaned forward and crossed her hands.
"Just to make this clear, I do not plan to restrict you in any way. I believe it to be for the best to not yet announce that we made contact with a new species. But ultimately, that is your decision to make, as right now you are the one representing humans," she explained as she shifted her position. "It's no problem if a commoner on this planet sees you. Most of them see at best one other species in their life, they won't notice that you are a new contact. Except of course our servants, but they are all in on this and trustworthy. But if an ambassador or their entourage sees you, that's a different story."
"So... I need to hide in my room?"
That got a chuckle out of the princess.
"No, don't worry about that. They're not gonna stay in the palace."
"Huh? I thought the whole purpose of this palace was to greet and house guests."
"Normally, you'd be correct. But the palace is too big relative to the number of people living here. Their religious dogma, therefore, forbids them from sleeping here. They will only be here during negotiations, so as long as you don't go into the west wing, all should be good."
The small alien cocked her head.
"That's an... oddly specific rule."
"True, but that's how it is. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that usable space is scarce on their planet. But either way, they take their beliefs very seriously, so they will be housed elsewhere. Considering our history with them, I don't want them to feel insulted again."
Nadine made a questioning expression.
"Insult? Did that happen often?"
"Not intentionally, and also not to me. It is just..." she sighed. "Well, you'll meet them sooner or later anyway, so I might as well tell you now. My parents are... not good with words."
"As in, they are not good speakers?"
"No, as in, I guarantee you that when you eventually meet them, they will say something inappropriate within the first five sentences and not even realize it. They are competent rulers - and I know I shouldn't say something like that about my parents - but diplomatically, they are a disaster waiting to happen."
"Both of them?"
"Both of them. Maybe it's because they grew up together. And with the Tystrie it was especially bad. I can't even count how many concessions we had to make to them before I took over our foreign politics. My parents mean no harm, but they never think before they speak. And they never learn. It is no coincidence that I meet guests on the literal other side of the planet."