Chapter Two: Meeting

Lana tried to make herself seem presentable, she really did. But after fifteen hours on a plane with little sleep, it just wasn't happening.

"Don't fuss so much. This is an informal dinner." Ema hadn't done anything at all to her appearance. Was she just used to it?

"How can anything with the royal family of a country be informal?"

"They're people, too. No one can be perfect and regal all the time. Though his mother is close."

"Ema, you're not helping."

"Look, you're fine. They won't judge you for what you look like. They already know all about you from me."

"Fine." Lana still didn't feel comfortable going to a palace in her current state. At least she'd changed into better clothes. After her fussing session was over and Lana set her suitcase on a spare bed, the sisters set off for the palace on foot.

The walk there was nice and calm. The sun had begun its descent at the tops of the mountains, framing their silhouette and covering the city in shadow. The result was breathtaking.

Was this something Ema appreciated, about living here? Lana sure never saw this much nature in LA. Usually it didn't bother her, but this… she could understand getting used to this. Even if it was quite cold out.

Entering the royal residence was overall a smooth affair. Ema seemed to know the guard at the gate personally, and was allowed inside the second he saw the scroll and Lana was introduced.

Inside was a small village in itself. Off to one end was a large tomb, covered in the image of dragons. There appeared to be an opening on the other side of the wall, as well as an extension of the building. It was… a museum under construction?

Then, there were three palaces, two small and one large. Lana had assumed the main palace was the one they'd been headed to, but Ema pulled her into one of the side quarters, the one that looked like the temple she'd seen earlier.

"Nahyuta's not actually a king, so he chose not to live in the royal palace. He got the royal consort's old place, and had it remodeled," her sister explained.

"Okay." I'm… judging his decorating choices. It would be the equivalent of Lana deciding she wanted to sleep in a church every night. How could that in any way be comfortable?

Ema was about to open the door to the residence when it was pulled away from the other side. In its place stood a teenage girl, with twin black braids, green eyes, and a pink dress. Lana recognized her from the pictures in the media as Princess Rayfa.

She let Ema speak first."Good evening, Your Benevolence. Is dinner ready?"

"Bun Head! You're early," Rayfa stared at her, looking like she wanted to be angry about something. Her eyes flicked over to Lana. "You're… her sister, right?"

"Yes, Your… Benevolence," Lana didn't know what else to say. She held out her hand to be shaken, then put it down with nothing happened. "My name is Lana Skye. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"So you're the one who raised Bun Head. I have a few questions about your-"

"Rayfa, please don't leave our guests standing outside. Invite them in, like a good hostess."

Another female voice. This time, a tall woman appeared next to her daughter. With her pale hair and kind face, she was almost as tall as Lana… and a thousand times as beautiful. There was no mistaking her face, nor her intangible air of grace and serenity. Lady Amara.

Was the former queen really older than Lana? She barely looked older than Ema. Did women not age in Khura'in?

"Mother! I'm sorry," the princess instantly cowered, a blush showing up on her face. "I thought this was an informal dinner."

"It is. But you should be kind to your guests at all times. Not just as a queen, but as someone welcoming another into their home," the ethereal woman turned back to the Skye sisters. "My apologies, for not introducing myself. I am Lady Amara Sigatar Khura'in. Dinner tonight is my creation. I haven't cooked before, but I pray to the Holy Mother it turned out alright."

"Nice to meet you, Lady Amara. My name is Lana Skye." This time, her hand was shaken with a soft, smooth grip. Lana was grinning like an idiot. She didn't know what else to do.

"Good evening, Lana, and Happiraki. Ema has told us much about you. Only good things, I assure you." She stepped off to the side, encouraging her daughter to do the same. "Please, come inside. Nahyuta was kind enough to let me use his kitchen, and I can't stand here much longer or I'll burn something." She left them to their own devices after that. Lana couldn't help but watch her walk away.

"Where is Nahyuta, anyway?"

"Still meeting with the Head Priests of our border towns. Best I understand, they're requesting more secure defenses for the winter storms."

"I don't know what's taking Braid Head so long," the teenage princess said in a voice that wasn't quite complaining. "It all sounds like a very simple affair."

"Must be the money," Ema grumbled. "Nahyuta's frugal about almost everything, and I'm sure the border people want tons."

Hadn't Ema also said her boyfriend had no objections spending money on her? Lana was curious, here.

"I am what?"

Everyone turned around. Ema reacted first. "Nahyuta!"

So the fresh prince of Khura'in finally makes an appearance. This would be interesting.

He looked happy enough to see Ema, giving her a warm if tired smile. Lana's sister ran up to him, then looked back at Lana. "Lana, this is Nahyuta. Nahyuta, my sister."

Lana didn't say anything right away. She was too busy analyzing his every move. In the end, he took up the initiative, politely introducing himself and offering his hand to be shook. Lana took it, momentarily grasping his long, soft fingers. Delicate, but not quite feminine.

"Ema spoke quite highly of you, Ms. Skye. When she told me you were coming to visit her, she insisted we have a chance to meet."

"I'm glad." Lana chose her words carefully, suddenly remembering he was a current head of state. "Ema's had a lot to say about you as well."

"Okay, enough of what I said." Ema seemed very bored with the whole affair. "Why don't we sit down, or help your mom with the meal?"

Her boyfriend shook his head, fingers shaped in the image of the Amazing Nine-Tails. "Mother seems quite determined she accomplish this task of her own doing. She wants to present us with a full table upon our arrival. It would be rude to interrupt her."

"Hm..." Ema pulled out an ever present bag of Snackoos, munching slowly and meticulously. She looked from Lana to Nahyuta, eyes darting and restless.

Lana's eyes landed on the princess, who was still in the room with them. The princess just watched her with wide eyes, evaluating the new foreigner within her family home.

Lots of evaluation going on here. Lana supposed a verbal test couldn't hurt.

"So... Regent Sahdmadhi. What's the latest news here in Khura'in?"

"Nothing quite that exciting, I'm afraid." He offered a slight smile that was barely there, a gesture of politeness more than anything else. "And please, Ms. Skye. There's no need for any formalities tonight."

Your speech patterns say otherwise. He must not do this all the time, or Ema would have a hard time being with him. Through with their busy schedules, Lana doubted they did much talking in their time together. Her partner in her senior year of college had been much the same way.

"Okay... Mr. Sahdmadhi. How are the courts faring here?"

"Revolution isn't a one step process, but progress is being made. The people of Khura'in are growing accustomed to the sight of lawyers once more. More notably, Apollo isn't the only defense attorney anymore. Since other lawyers have been released from prison or returned to the country, a few of them have wanted to return to their old job. This is especially good news for cities outside the capital, where English isn't as common." Lana supposed that made sense. Even now, she missed her days as a detective. "What do you do for a living, Ms. Skye?"

"I... manage a store. With somebody else."

"Ema said you were a detective like her once."

"I was never that interested in forensics. It was regular detective work for me."

"Until she became Chief Prosecutor, that is," Ema broke in, causing Lana to flinch. It wasn't the proudest time in her life, and she really wished she could have gone a dinner without it being shoved in her face. "She had the job for two years!"

"Like Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Sort of." Lana avoided the specifics. "The job description was a little different back then. Mr. Edgeworth had only been prosecutor a few years at the time." And Damon Gant and Blaise Debeste and Manfred Von Karma had all still been around. It wasn't a good time.

It was at that point the man seemed to catch on. He was more perceptive than Ema, it seems. "Well, welcome to this humble kingdom. The Holy Mother is delighted with your arrival."

How do you know? Lana always thought it was weird when clergypeople (of any religion) did this. Then again, she and Ema hadn't grown up with any sort of religion in their household. The whole thing was alien to her. She wondered how Ema was handling it so well. Miss Scientifically Speaking and all.

"...Does anyone know what Mother intends to make?" The princess spoke up for the first time in ages. Not gonna lie, Lana had forgotten she was there. She seemed to have been brooding the whole time. "I'm hungry, and she's been keeping it a secret."

"I really don't know," Ema admitted. "I hope it isn't too spicy."

Lana seconded the notion. She didn't know if Khura'in was the same, but most the Asian food she'd had before had some sort of kick to it. Not appealing to her.

"No worries. Mother knows she has foreigners eating with us, being a novice cook besides. She wouldn't make anything too extreme."

As if on cue, the group of four heard a pan fall to the ground with a loud clang, seemingly coming from the kitchen.

"Your Mercifulness, are you all right?" Lana didn't recognize the speaker's voice. Was it a servant?

"Please, dear. No need to worry. Dinner wasn't harmed, and I'm uninjured." This voice was softer, calmer. It must have been Lady Amara from earlier.

A few minutes later, the former queen came into the living room by way of the dining area. She had bits of food stuck in her hair, but didn't seem to notice. "Apologies for the wait. Dinner..." her arms reached out, calling forward several animals who showed up out of nowhere, "is served."


A/N's: Well, we have some first impressions going on here. So far, I would say Lana's still a little on edge, though I think it would be OOC of her to dislike Yuty from the outset. Especially when you consider the sheer amount they have in common, even if they don't quite know about that yet. It will come up, I promise.

But this was a fun thing to write. Amara made me smile so much during the game, and I wanted to give her some of my own experiences when cooking for a group of people. Rayfa was harder to fit in, but I love her as well.

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, thank you so much for the reviews and everything this story has received already, and I'll see you when I have another chapter out.