Tenkyō
August 16th, 2022
0830 HoursTwo rows of guards stood at attention along the passageway between the aircraft and a state car, outfitted in dark blue dress uniforms. The insignia on their caps bore not the star seen across the military, but rather the Chrysanthemum, a symbol of both nobility and longevity as much as it was the seal of the Imperial Family. Beyond that, they were further distinguished by their rank insignia being made not of gold, but rather of silver as it presumably looked better than gold when paired with the red and blue. Suffice to say, the soldiers assembled were members of the Imperial Guard, specifically a detachment assigned to the Daijō Daijin—the Chancellor of the Realm—as was established in their duties many decades prior.
As Therz and Aginer descended from the aircraft, on the opposite end of the cordon a man could be seen, far older than the Emperor. Rather, greeting them was the Honorable Chancellor
Sachio Heishi, a descendant of the famous—or indeed infamous, depending on whether you were an Ardian or not—Chancellor Toshikatsu Heishi, who had served in the role from the 1890s until his death in 1936. All around, flags flew, carried gently aloft by the wind. From this distance, the guests could certainly have seen him pull out a sheet of paper, read it, and place it back in his pocket before the band played the anthems of both Heyra and Daitō. When this display was complete, he spoke up.
"On the behalf of His Imperial Majesty, our Heavenly Sovereign, I bid you, Chairwoman Francine Therz of the Republic of Heyra, a warm welcome to the Empire." He said, his voice just loud enough to be heard from all the way across the cordon. Despite the volume, it seemed gentle, perhaps not quite like the autumn breeze, but gentle nonetheless. "So long as you shall remain here, you shall be seen as our most honored guest. I wish, therefore, to invite you and your staff to approach at your own leisure."