The tako reappears at the end of the day, a new letter in its mouth.
Gura glares while taking the letter from it. The tako is unphased, and continues to smile and lazily flap its nubs as if nothing is wrong.
"...next time wait you little shit."
"Wah."
Gura sighs and uses her nail to pop open the strange seal on the front of the envelope.
To my Queen.
The Empress is going to be dramatic even in her letters now, huh?
Do pardon the tako's excitement. They tend to solve problems in the simplest way they can think of. Please, do not hesitate to send me any questions you might have. I am more than happy to provide answers if I can.
I am more than content with any of those options, but I will admit a preference for the less intense options, unless it involves dance. Some private discussion time with the lovely Queen of Atlantis sounds like a perfect way to spend a visit, if you are so inclined. I simply must assemble more questions for such an occasion!
One thing we simply must make sure to discuss is your eventual visit to the Empire. I have a few ideas for such, but I would rather offer them to you in person so you can adequately inquire about the details.
I have quite a bit of business in the coming week, so eight days from today would likely be the best date for my visit if such a thing can be accommodated. If not, I shall make time. Please, do not let me inconvenience you, and do not worry yourself with too many accommodations or preparations if you are not inclined to. I am plenty flattered without such things.
If the visit can be accommodated to eight days from now, I will also be able to arrive promptly after sunrise for breakfast and stay until sundown. Of course, I expect you have your own duties, so feel free to modify the duration of my stay as long as is convenient.
I look forward to seeing you again my Queen. Please be well until I can see you again.
Yours,
Ina'nis Ninomae.
"Yours?" Gura mumbles, eyeing the letter. "Laying it on thick, huh?"
"Wah."
"What sort of ploy is this anyway? What's she trying to get out of it?"
"Waaah."
"Well…" Gura thinks for a moment, drumming her fingers on the table. "Two can play at that, Empress."
"Wah!" For some reason the tako seems very excited about this.
It seems a bit unrealistic to fluster the Empress, but at the very least trying to fight back will feel better than just standing there and taking it. This is an unknown battlefield, but one she will navigate with the same iron will and focus as military combat.
Admittedly, it's not going to be any fun not knowing the sort of tactics she should be employing or their potential chances of success, but some effort is better than none. Hopefully.
She grabs a new sheet of seaweed and her inscriber.
Dear Empress.
…is that too little? Too much? Should she copy and go with 'my Empress'? Maybe 'My dear Empress'? But that sounds too forward.
Gura groans. This shouldn't be difficult already. She's written only two words!
No, no, wait, she has an idea.
Dear Lady Ninomae.
Yes, she can work with that. The Empress did say 'my lady' was okay, so presumably this should be fine. Hopefully.
Gah, she's already second-guessing herself. This is fine. Just write, Gura.
Eight days from now is more than acceptable. Please, come as early as you like. Atlantis and I are always more than happy to be graced with your presence. I shall specially prepare my personal sitting room for you, so that we may have uninterrupted conversation time as per your preference. I shall additionally arrange an array of snacks for you to try; likely Atlantis does not have as much variety as the surface, but we assuredly have our own exclusive treats, and with advance warning this time I can properly have them prepared for your pleasure.
Prepare all the questions you can think of, and I shall strive to answer them as best I can. My skills as a host were not up to the Atlantean standard last visit, but I will make every effort to ensure they are up to par this time. It would be a grave insult to leave a Lady unsatisfied twice in a row after all. However, please keep in mind that I will have questions of my own! The Empire intrigues me just as Atlantis must intrigue you.
I do hope a trip to the Empire for myself can be organized in short order so I can sample the nation that managed to produce as wonderful a ruler as yourself.
Yours truly,
Gura Gawr.
Is that enough? Not enough? Too much? No. She can't doubt herself. Before she can question herself any more she rolls up the message and hands it to the tako. It disappears in less than a second, whisking her message off to the Empress.
"There, a counterattack. Now I just need to keep this up." Gura thinks.
…not that she expects that to be in any way simple.