“Yas, yas, my friends Rogsaar happy to see you. Please, please come, you must see other Rogsaars in Lecur!” Rogsaar was erupting while running down the palace stairs to meet the Muse of Mischief and Agent Brzko. They were intercepted about halfway up.
“Hello Rogsaar, I’m glad to see you are well, it seems as though you are enjoying your time here on Ploosnar.” Brzko said as they embraced in greeting.
“Yas, yas, food good, orange rooms better!”
The Muse of Mischief, Brzko, and Rogsaar stood in a small circle on the landing, laughing about how much Rogsaar loved his orange rooms.
“Muse of Mischief, Agent Brzko, welcome!” Empress Nalau called as she emerged from the palace entrance.
“Empress,” M greeted her with the customary curtsy “it is always a pleasure.”
Brzko greeted the Empress with his customary bow and kissing of her extended hand “Your Majesty, thank you for receiving us.”
Brzko’s charm was irresistible to Empress Nalau, she giggled like a young girl. “You look fabulous today Empress; this yellow gown is stunning.” She was wearing a bright yellow gown with a tight bodice, high collar and no sleeves. The skirts were full and trailed behind her. The color was stunning against her dark skin.
“Thank you Brzko, now come. We have much to tell you.” she said as she whisked them all into the palace.
They were seated in the grey sitting room. This room is a little smaller than the formal green sitting room, but the monochrome effect is similar. Nalau’s yellow gown was positively stunning against the drab backdrop of grey. There was no doubt that the sitting room of the day was selected based on the way the color of the room would interact with Nalau’s fashion.
“Bartala is out at Lecur this morning, we will join him shortly. There are over 100 Rogsaars here now, more arriving every day.” Empress Nalau explained.
“Rogsaar never see more Rogsaars. So many, and we were all on different planets, many stories to share, many stories to share.”
“You must enjoy sharing time with them Rogsaar. I’m surprised you aren’t in Lecur with them now.” M said with just the hint of a question.
Before Rogsaar could explain, Empress Nalau offered an explanation “It seems my new friend here finds the orange rooms too comfortable to leave. Rogsaar has been staying in the palace at night and spending his days in Lecur.”
“Yas, yas, I like orange rooms very much.” Rogsaar said. “Rogsaar, was that a pronoun I heard?” Brzko teased.
“Yas, yas, Empress Nalau has been helping Rogsaar… ah, me, speak better. Much in my head, need help to get it out.” Rogsaar said looking at Nalau with gratitude.
“It is my pleasure Rogsaar. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to be alone for so many years. You did the best you could with the resources you had at your disposal.” Empress Nalau said. “Now why don’t we take the Muse of Mischief and Brzko on a tour of Lecur?”
Lecur is not far from the palace, close enough to walk. It is located just near the forested area to the east of the palace. The group descended the palace stairs turning toward Lecur. They were of course followed by a small group of palace guards. As they neared their destination, Emperor Bartala came walking down the path toward them.
“My darling, how I have missed you. Thank you for bringing our friends.” He said as he greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek. His arm slipped around her waist with ease. She was still in her bright yellow gown and he was wearing a long red velvet coat. The lapels were stitched with fine yellow accents and the buttons were silver, matching Nalau’s jewelry. The lining of Bartala’s jacket was the same shade of yellow as Nalau’s dress. They were stunning.
Bartala left his wife’s embrace and approached M “Hello old friend” he said with enthusiasm as he scooped her up and bear hugged her.
“Ahhhhhhh can’t breathe,” she said, sort of joking.
“Oh, oh, sorry M, I’m just so genuinely excited today. Being a part of the Rogsaar reunion is fulfilling, each of them has been away from home for a very long time. Now… to be around other Rogsaars… the excitement is electric. Can you feel it? Can you feel the energy? Brzko, tell me you can feel it too.” Bartala returned M to the ground and turned to Brzko, grasping his hand and forearm in a passionate greeting.
“Yes, I feel it Emperor Bartala. There is excitement in the air.” Brzko answered.
“Come, come, and let us join the group. We have set up a reception area outside of the main meeting hall. The weather is so nice today that all of the Rogsaars have gathered there.” Bartala explained as he led the group down the walkway.
Lecur is made up of several large buildings that were once used for processing Roinad. The operation has since moved to more technologically advanced buildings west of the palace, but Lecur has not been left to decay. Quite the opposite was true. Ploosnarians take pride in everything they do. Everything from their personal appearance to the work they perform is done with great care and always a bit of personal flair. You would never find a Ploosnarian outside of their home that is not dressed to the nines, from maintenance workers to interstellar contract negotiators; everyone takes great pride in their appearance and always behaves with grace.
The groundskeepers here in Lecur had absolutely applied some of that personal flair to their work. The gardens are immaculate and amazingly laid out. There is a series of walkways leading toward the central meeting area. The plants lining the walkways are of course blue, as is all indigenous flora on Ploosnar, but the flowers here are remarkable. They begin with very small white flowers on low bushes. They then transition to pale blue flowers; each succeeding planting has a taller plant with larger flowers of a deeper blue. By the time the group reached the main reception hall they were surrounded by shrubs as tall as M that were filled with huge, midnight blue flowers. The reception area is a large round patio filled with round tables and chairs. On the back side of the patio is the reception building, the side of the building along the patio is made of curved glass, angled to match the edge of the patio. There are four evenly spaced walkways converging to the reception patio. Aside from the glass wall of the reception building, the patio is lined entirely with the brilliant midnight blue flowers; these tall shrubs give it the feel of being an outdoor room.
“This is brilliant, what an amazing space.” M exclaimed as the group came to a stop. It took her a few seconds to shift her gaze away from the perimeter of the patio to the individuals inhabiting the tables. They were dressed as individuals but it was clear that they were all identical.
Emperor Bartala stepped in front of the group and turned to face them, “You see, you see, is this not amazing? I have never in my life seen this. Almost one hundred genetically identical beings in one place, but each one still an individual. The energy I tell you, well it’s… it’s like nothing else!” he said as he enthusiastically waved his arms up and down.
The Muse of Mischief tried to suppress the laugh. She averted her eyes, looked to the ground, but it was of no use. The minute she looked back at Bartala she burst out with a hearty laugh. “Have you been watching Babylon 5? Because I swear, you are more like Londo every time I see you.”
“Ahhhh I cannot hide anything from you my old friend. Yes, yes, I have been watching this Earth entertainment, just a little.”
They all shared a good laugh.
“I can’t help it; I have to see what becomes of this Londo. I do not think things will end well for him. Now let us go meet some Rogsaars.” Bartala said.
The Muse of Mischief 