Barasha took the box and smiled warmly at the delegates.
"Thank you for your gift, I believe that the Amonite people will take your gift as a symbol of our nations friendship."
He smiled, looking the various members of the delegation up and down.
"I hope you do not think us ungrateful, but we do have a gift for you in return," He guestered to the Presidential Palace, "but it awaits inside," he said, "as does the President."
He took the moment to take another glance at the gift from Kaitaine before turning to the Palace and handing it off to an aide, who would find a cabinet somewhere to display it. He had done reading up on the religion of his people's neighbours before the visit, to make sure he maintained etic enough to avoid gracious offence, and he had wondered at the time on their reverence and use of this "spice". It was one of those religious oddities that, though he may wonder at and disbelieve, was ultimately no more odd than the belief that one shouldn't work on the Sabbath.
He led the group up the Palace's steps, leading them quickly through the outer gate house, avoiding the gaze of the portrait of the President hung above the archway. He led them inside the Palace, up the winding staircase, trying to maintain small talk, offering them refreshments if needed, and sending aides snapping off to the kitchen.
He paused before the door, leading to the presidential office wing, mustering himself, and then opening them. Leading the delegates down the corridor, lined with the painted faces of heroes of ages past and the coloured scenes of battles lost and won, he stopped before the desk of Attal's secretary
The boy, a young lad Barasha, could never remember the name, looked at the group, up and down, before nodding to Barasha.
"Minister Barasha," the secretary said, " please head right in, the President is waiting."
Attal's office was well furnished. He had his desk, solid oak carved with scenes taken from the Torah, whilst he himself reclined in a large leather chair. A portrait of himself hung behind him in a frame of gold leaf, whilst a glass chandelier illuminated the mahogany walls and red carpeting. In the corner, a large cuboid object was covered with a velvet cloth, the gift for the Bene Gesseri he had visiting him. There was a bookcase in the corner, filled with works of political and geopolical theory, as well as several copies of his father's autobiography. A book on economics made an occasional appearance, but like most on the shelf, rarely had a broken spine. In the corner was a small door, built into the wall, that led to a small room for him to think in. The room had, of course, had to have been completely renovated when he had moved into the Palace, with the archaic and ageing memobrillia of past President's being discarded.
A light on his desk lit up, informing him that the door to the office wing of the Palace had been opened. That would be the visitors.
He stood up, dusting his tailored suit off, and quickly readjusting his tie. He heard voices outside his door and smiled broadly as it was opened and his Foreign Minister Lea the visitors in.
"Preaident Attal," He said, holding out his hand across the desk to the advancing Bene Gesserit, "Reverend Mother, it is an honour to be able to meet you, and your kinsmen alongside you, Duke and Duchess" nodding to them.
"I understand that you have a gift for my people, and I must say a marvellous gift it is at that, such artesian quality! I wish to repay the favour," and he gestured at Barasha to pull off the covering, not wanting to get out from behind his desk.
The covering fell off, revealing a tank filled with a variety of fish and underwater fauna.
Attal guestered to it proudly, "the tank is filled with a variety of waterline native to the fair rivers and marshes of Kishon, some of the fish are eveb almost extinct in the wild. All our gift to you."
He paused dramatically, giving them time to digest the gift before he sat back down, and pulled out a schedule.
"I am, fortunately for my poor secretary, a man of routine, and I have devised a list of topics for us to discuss and go through."
He laid them out in front of the Bene Gesserit.
"If you want to add anything to said list, please just pencile it in... oh, please do take a seat."
- Furthering economic ties between our two nations
- Cooperation in the face of communist aggression
- Geopolitical realities and incidents
- Outreaching culture between our two nations
