[center][h2]Anne Mayer[/h2][h3]Nieve — Castle Plaza[/h3][/center]
Anne had known from the start that Remilia would be tricky to manage, but even she hadn't expected the vampiress to be quite [i]this[/i] blunt. Now, she watched the proud lady rage at the guards from a few paces back, and tried in vain not to let her embarrassment show on her face.

[i]I really should stop her... Seriously, why do I always end up with these types...[/i] Her gaze slid over to the horned girl beside her, the half-mute chimera from another time and place. What was Fran even doing here right now? Had she come to help, or just followed along out of boredom? She was the last person Anne would have picked for this negotiating team, and certainly not equipped to handle a delicate situation such as this. In the worst-case scenario, she might be able to 'calm Remilia down' with that giant mace of hers—but it would be better to resolve things without resorting to violence in the first place.

With a weary breath, the Knight straightened her shoulders and stepped up to Remilia's side. "My Lady," she said, taking a half-bow with her hand laid over her heart, "please don't trouble yourself over such trivial matters. The good people of Nieve are doubtless merely unaware of your true stature: let me resolve this misunderstanding, and I'll see to it that you're welcomed as befits someone of your status."

Her sudden change in demeanor would be obvious to even the introverted Fran, but Anne's flattery served two purposes. Her goal wasn't only to mollify Remilia and keep her from escalating further, but also to lend credence to her claims of wealth and status. The guards would never yield to the badgering of some unknown girl—but when that girl was clearly accompanied by a deferential servant, who herself was dressed in cleaner and more flashy clothing than half the people in the plaza, they might start to have second thoughts. Even if they couldn't let her through, did they really want to risk making a rich and powerful enemy?

Before any of them had a chance to consider it too carefully, Anne addressed them all herself. "As my Lady has generously informed you, she belongs to an esteemed and noble house, from outside the borders of your country. We come with urgent information, of some military importance—and it would please my Lady to know how she should arrange an audience with the royal household, or at least a general in their service." There had to be some way to get an in with the court, so long as they managed to avoid being blacklisted from the outset.

[@Rezod92][@Izurich][@PKMNB0Y]