"... As such, you are allowed to disembark by the grace of His Majesty; however, everyone else in your entourage stays upon your ship and will be under constant scrutiny for the duration of its stay." The officer bearing the report tore it away from his eyes and bowed his head towards the men of the<em>Fortune.</em>Most of them looked astounded.<br/><br/><em>Capitaine</em>Badeau, who had been peacefully sipping at a cup of rough tea, was the first to speak up. "Zis is preposterous! You kannot expect zat a royal diplomat representeeng ze King himself walk around unattended to by his aides! From who does zees foolish message come from, for ze fool not to know of basic negotiaire etiquette?"<br/><br/>The officer raised an eyebrow and replied, "Our King."<br/><br/>Armand Badeau promptly choked on his tea.<br/><br/>"This is all very charming." Lous-Verrant said suddenly, clearly unperturbed by this turn of events.<br/><br/>"But<em>mon seigneur-</em>"<br/><br/>"Come now, my dear Armand." The young aristocrat smiled winningly at the<em>capitaine</em>, the effect equivalent to dumping a bucket of cold water over the man's hot protests and quelling his rage instantly. "Have a look at it from a Tanperian perspective. 'Tis our fault for not announcing our arrival, no?"<br/><br/>"But a royal ship ... and a royal diplomat! Zey should 'ave at least ze manners to allow an escort, if not be ready to greet us!"<br/><br/>"Not all nations bear the same customs, and thus not all nations have the same forms of etiquette." Lous-Verrant responded affably. "We must not take offense at every little thing." Leaning over the side of the ship, Lous-Verrant called out "I shall make the assumption that I am to be escorted straight to your King's court with you fine gentlemen?"<br/><br/>"That would be best, milord." The officer called back.<br/><br/>"Well then, I will be on my way. Replenish the supplies best you can from the shore traders my dear Armand, I'm preparing for a long stay." He patted the<em>capitaine</em>on the shoulder and descended off the side of the ship and down into the waiting rowboat. The officer helped him down and proceeded to give orders for the rowboat to launch off. When the rowboat had sailed past the salty waters and touched the docks, Lous-Verrant eagerly stepped onto port, helped by one of the officers. At last, he tread upon Ende's soil. At last, he was going to make his mark.<br/><br/>"Straight to the castle then?" He asked of the officer.<br/><br/>"Yes milord."<br/><br/>"Lead the way." Lous-Verrant said promptly, trailing after his Tanperian escort as they made their way towards the castle.<br/><br/>Some time later, after they had arrived, Lous-Verrant took in the sight of the castle and nodded to himself approvingly. A cliff-based castle serving as an island stronghold. It hadn't taken him long to get here, since the port was not far away from the castle. As his Tanperian escort reached the gates and negotiated with the guards posted there, Lous-Verrant crossed his arms and marveled at the warm weather. Back in Avantier, winds constantly pelted anything in sight and the flags and pennants of his own beloved Norait were constantly flapping wildly or getting torn off their poles from the sheer ferocity of the wind. He observed the new environment cheerfully, snapping his fingers randomly in approval of one thing or another. A couple of ladies-at-court walked past him, their big frilly dresses slithering across the floor. Curious at the new sight, they cast side glances at him and were promptly dazzled by his warm and courtly smile. He bowed his head to them once, dusted down his elegant coat, and hid a smile as they nearly stumbled on their own dresses in their haste to return his attentions.<br/><br/>"You can enter now, milord-diplomat." The officer he was with announced, with the gate guardsmen nodding towards Lous-Verrant in a bored sort of fashion as one would expect from men posted to stare at the same old scenery day after day after day.<br/><br/>"Thank you very much." Lous-Verrant replied, nodding towards the officer as the gates parted, and then walking into the vast expanse of the structure with his native escorts following him dutifully.<br/><br/>"Your first priority is to see our King, milord?"<br/><br/>"Perhaps. But if he is, as you say, holding court - then why not take a tour? I wonder if I will meet anyone willing to give me a tour."<br/><br/>"We can do that for you, milord."<br/><br/>"Very good of you, my dear...?"<br/><br/>"Hill. Charls Hill."<br/><br/>"Very good of you, my dear Charls. But 'tis always good to meet new friends in a foreign land. No better way than through a tour."<br/><br/>"Of course, milord."