311 Less is More
Diana abhorred the gaudy and provocative aesthetics of her female peers in the academy. Outside of lectures where a dress code of 'within reason' was enforced, many noblewomen walked around in outfits totally unsuitable for the occasion. Parties were much worse though, with people competing for the most striking and attention grabbing outfits unless the theme required otherwise. They were more concerned with garnering attention than presenting a favorable image or comfortable movement, though for most of the women the motivation was understandable.
They weren't there to make connections as much as find a husband, or at least sire a child with someone of reasonable power. Skimpy or provocative clothing was the best shot many of them had, their families often lacking the sort of power influential nobility might be interested in making a marriage alliance with. Better to flaunt what little appeal they had to less than sober noblemen in hopes of a one night stand than be relegated to wallflower status in search of a good husband, most of the 'worthwhile' were likely to be betrothed anyways. Given her understanding of their situation, Diana could stomach the fashion choices these women defaulted to. She frowned upon it, scowled at it even, however she was in no position to judge what was a fairly reasonable approach to an unreasonable goal.
Architecture and interior design was a separate matter entirely.
To Diana, who preferred the approach of 'less is more', the focus of most people on making everything as shiny and artsy as possible really put her off. When everything was eye catching, nothing could catch her eye. Everything set in comparison to each other made it incredibly difficult to appreciate the quality or value of any individual aspect without subsequently devaluing that measure on the whole. Gold, for example, was everywhere in their art and decor, so much so that what might normally be considered exquisite came off as standard. Scarcity was a powerful tool, one they did not seem to be aware of.
For example, Diana had a lot to work with when it came to fashion. Though she had been blessed with a 'well proportioned' body that could draw the sort of attention other noblewomen wanted with ease, she opted to conceal the sex appeal with thick and loose fitting fabrics to focus on her more colorful features instead. Eyes and hair - the entirety of her wardrobe was focused on enhancing these two features.
Dark clothing, most often black but occasionally blue, would help her hair stand out while details of gold would complement it. Jewelry was selected to complement the eyes, which unfortunately meant most of it was outdated. Here eyes had changed color from a clear blue to a gray bordering on silver when the Great Csillacra 'adapted' them. She couldn't bring herself to retire her gold and sapphire earrings - those popped against her hair - however the necklace she brought with her was no longer up to task. Silver with diamonds rather than gold with sapphires would be better, but she hadn't the time or justification to go out and select one.
The result was a cohesive and memorable look that could be made comfortable without sacrificing appeal. In a room of extravagant costumes she would certainly go unnoticed, however those who held a conversation with her were more likely to remember the features she focused on - eyes and hair. Conveniently these features were adjacent to if not part of her face, meaning people were more likely to remember her, which was helpful in the diplomatic role she occupied .
Whether through aesthetic sense or material constraint, the Nekh appeared to hold a similar aesthetic sense.
Diana had been given an impression of such given Titanyana's choice in clothing during their search for a suitable formal outfit, Titanyana defaulting to a simple green dress instead of something more extravagant, and had that impression reinforced with the arrival of Petunia, who brought with her a rather humble crown for the new Queen. However, this was only an impression, one formed around an individual and the symbol of monarchal authority. It was only once she began to wander the castle halls that this impression was reinforced as fact.
From appearance alone, two varieties of wood were used. A dark brown wood comprised the floorboards and main structural elements - columns, beams, and frames - while a slightly lighter variety was used for walls, doors, and furniture. The dark wood seemed to have use in detailing the lighter variety, however gold appeared to be the color of choice when detailing the darker wood, a choice which made the shiny metal pop in a manner similar to her dark colored wardrobe. Most of the cloth elements - carpets, curtains and covers - were a variety of lighter tans with patterns of a rich green sewn in, more important set pieces being that same green with patterns of gold or dark brown.
It didn't take long for Diana to make the connection between this color theme and Titanyana, particularly her hair and eyes. Those were the indicators of a Strapper, which combined with gold indicated the royal nature of the residence.
"I love the way this place looks." Dinner consisted of the same sort of ration being distributed to the masses and a bit of the wine left in the cellar. The food stock of the castle had been consumed shortly after Petunia left. "I can see how its been modeled after you and your family line, Titanyana."
"Oh, yes, I suppose it has." The dining room they were eating in was an excellent example, gold and brown trimmed emerald banners hung between tall windows, each emblazoned with a pair of golden swords crossed atop a brown circle, the handles of which blended into a bushel of wheat and a fish tail. "I've always thought of it more like the colors we all wish to see return to our home. Even in the depths of the untamed forest, browns and greens these rich are hard to come by."
"Not to mention the gold." Leno chimed in, being more familiar with this wilderness Titanyana appeared fond of. "Even we cannot afford to mine gold anymore, even a healthy harvest of grain would be a sign of great prosperity . . . most of it is a pale yellow or beige these days."
"It doesn't taste good, and it isn't as nourishing, correct?" Diana was going to have to pester Donovan for a run down on what he learned about split thus far. Even if the Arboreal Maiden insisted it wasn't necessary for her to focus on it, the stuff played such a pivotal role in the workings of the most fundamental processes that falling behind could make conversation difficult. "Have we brought any back to Nectar yet?"
"Um, my understanding is that we haven't fully marked plots for agriculture yet." Despite Diana's efforts to get a handle on things in Donovan's absence, Titanyana had been the one out in the field most of the time. Even upon his return, Donovan had been stuck trying to work out solutions to various logistical issues that had been plaguing the operation, so Titanyana still had the best grasp of how expansion was going, at least of those present. "Most of the work has been to construct housing and clear paths for roads so far."
"I think it's a good idea to bring a few fields worth of crops you are familiar with, if only because you won't need to learn a new crop." Donovan stabbed one of the pieces of rehydrated meat with his fork. "We also need to secure a source of that special crop. Littervine? Was it?"
"Of course! It's key to our mating and pairing rituals!"
"Right . . ." Donovan hadn't been there for that particular conversation, only being told through message that this Littervine was 'paramount to future development'. "So what exactly is it for? I mean, I'm not gonna delay acquisition if its the sort of plant you give each other on the first date, but I won't be able to justify investments in expanding the supply beyond a certain point. We can always focus on expanding the supply once the, uh, the rush is over."
Unsurprisingly, Titanyana blushed in response to this inquiry, Diana and Petunia also getting a bit flustered considering the occasion. Once again Leno, unperturbed by the faux pas and recognizing Donovan to be a man who appreciated direct answers, responded.
"You might call it a fertility aid. The fruits of the vine can be made into a wine that is considerably more potent than most, and is particularly effective at reducing the cautious inhibitions a pair might have before coitus. The vine itself is usually clipped and dried, then later stowed in the clothing of the male on the day of their union until it is time to seal their bond, at which point it is burned. The smoke is supposed to have an amplificatory effect on the scent of the male, making it much easier to stimulate the woman's bond with him and therefore increase the chances of a successful impregnation."
"I see, and what is this bond exactly?" Diana smacked her forehead in shame. Had she really forgotten to tell him? "I mean, I am aware that not every culture calls it marriage, but the way you talk about it makes this bond seem different somehow."
"That, ah . . ." Even Leno was faltering here, evidently not adequately prepared for such a topic to arise during dinner. "Nekh women may have exactly one partner in their lives. This isn't a cultural practice, as I assume you just imagined, but a reality of our biology. They have very little say in who this bond is formed with, though we have some indicators and ways to prevent bonds from occurring randomly. We know it is scent-based, at the very least, and that most bonds form with someone the woman is familiar with or view as dependable."
"I feel obligated to elaborate, Donovan, that the women are not capable of being impregnated by a male they haven't bonded with." Diana managed to assemble herself well enough to get the key point across in a blatant manner. "I want there to be no mistake in your understanding here. There is exactly one person they can have children with in their entire lives, they will not form another bond."
"I'll keep it in mind."
"No, Donovan. This isn't a 'keep it in mind' thing. This is mission critical information, the entirety of our demographic planning could very well depend on making sure this process of bond formation is unperturbed if not explicitly assisted. We need to keep an active lookout for how our actions and planning could affect it."
"I-it's not that important, Diana." Titanyana and Petunia had certainly emphasized the importance of such bonding in their explanation to her, however it was something the people could handle on their own. They had millennia of tradition and cultural practice to work off of, and were already self-segregating to account for it!
"It is, though." Donovan put down the fork, closing his eyes and resting his back against the seat. "Population growth is an exponential affair, and is particularly sensitive at low fertility rates. You might not expect much of a difference between a rate of three and four, but two generations of sustained growth at that rate will yield nine and sixteen children respectively for an initial pair. Take away the initial two and compare the numbers against each other, and the effective growth of population is slightly more than double. Sacrificing a bit of efficiency here and there is worth it if we can get that number up."
Titanyana first scrunched her brows, then tilted her head. She had to think about the math for a moment, considering both the example fertility rates Donovan presented and a few steps above that. The percentage difference was much smaller, however the raw difference in population was much larger. She didn't know what a realistic fertility rate would be once they were unconstrained by Nekh's conditions, however she felt Donovan would be willing to sacrifice a lot for a little bit more growth
"So . . . what would you do to increase it?"
"Well, I'll start by avoiding a decrease. Secure what I have before looking for more, if you follow. Beyond that, sponsoring fertility programs and matchmaking services would be all I could say for the moment." His eyes opened slowly, pupils darting between the far corners of the ceiling. "May I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"Aside from marriage ceremonies, when do people receive the stalks and wine?" Donovan had no gauge of the statistical difference between mating with and without these aids, however the emphasis on their efficacy implied a sizable margin.
"Litterwine is only ever given out on special occasions or as a reward." Petunia stood up and walked over towards the mess of tables and tools in the corner, looking for something. "Newlyweds receive one bottle for them to imbibe as they please courtesy of the Strappers, while clan administrations are given a stipend of about a hundred every year to offer as rewards for competence and excellence, or as compensation for something like property seizure or a relocation to somewhere in need of their skills."
Clattering of wood and metal covered her mumbling before she found the item in question, a dinner trolley with two domes atop it. It wasn't really a dinner trolley, the hues of blue, green, brown and white on the domes indicated otherwise, but for a moment Donovan hadn't considered that someone might split a globe in half. He was further surprised when this bisected globe was taken off of the trolley and placed in front of him.
"The stalks are a different matter. As a general rule, every couple will receive an additional stalk upon the birth of a child, however in recent years this has not been a particularly effective method of encouraging children." Donovan had to imagine a system meant to encourage pregnancies would run into issues if the reward was based on becoming pregnant. Perhaps there was some reason behind it when the supply of stalks was limited and the base chance of pregnancy wasn't abysmal, something like betting on the couples who succeeded assuming they had a higher natural fertility. "Stalks are distributed evenly to regional administrative bodies, who have been instructed to distribute excess stalks to couples at random."
"You seem to know a lot about this." Petunia hadn't done anything to the bisected globe after placing it before him, leaving Donovan to prod at it on his own. For the apparent age of the device the domes rotated smoothly, the synchronized spinning implied some mechanical interplay inside the tray.
"As a royal maid, I acted as an accessory to my fair share of councils and meetings."
"Mhm. Why did you bring this to me again?"
"To show you the regions littervine grows. Major settlements circled with purple are focused on the production and processing of littervine, those with red dashes over the circles are no longer suitable to the task and have been repurposed for general agriculture."
". . . there are a lot of dashed out circles." The settlements in question sat more or less around the 40 degree of latitude mark on both globes, though this latitude was not clearly delineated as it would be on a Terran map.
"For a long time, production decreased in step with our population." Leno shrugged. "Now it hardly grows, and we hardly have children."