((OOC: Hey, guys, there hasn't been a lot of IC lately in this game, and I think those of us who are really interested should try and do more. I know I'm also guilty of having next to no IC for the last week or two, but this is an incredibly interesting setting and game that I think deserves more attention. I'm not trying to shame anyone, like I said, I'm guilty of it too, but I'm just trying to get some more interest going. I mean, there's a Crusade going on! Let's see what the world has to say about that.))
Joseph sat in his office in Munich. It was fairly spacious, circular, and half the windows as well as the roof were made out of glass, allowing the Chancellor an excellent view of the city, especially when one considered the fact that his office was on the fifth floor. The glass was designed in a special way that not only made it so that those outside could not see in, but it was also highly resistant to bullets. Architects and engineers that visited the office often joked that the glass was stronger than the solid walls that made up the rest of the room. Joseph had seen the glass in action when a radical conservative-monarchist attempted to assassinate him during his first year in office. The bullet had done little more than leave a scratch, a scratch that Joseph often looked at when he began to day-dream. It was still there after two and a half years, silhouetted lightly against the evening sun. The glass, unfortunately, was rather prohibitively expensive, and as such it could really only be used to protect the royal family and high-level government officials.
"Sir, I have those reports you wanted," an aide said as he walked into the office carrying a stack of papers. The aide was young, likely no more than 25, and he looked rather nervous. This was not surprising considering it was still his first month on the job.
"Thank you, Carl. And don't look so no nervous. What is the worst thing that's going to happen to those papers while you're carrying them? You lose them? That wouldn't such a big deal, considering the fact that we make copies of almost every file. So relax a little," Joseph grinned. He watched as the aide took a somewhat relieved breath.
"Thank you, sir," Carl said gratefully.
"Call me Joseph. I get called sir and chancellor more than enough by other officials and dignitaries," the Chancellor replied.
"Alright si- I mean, Joseph," Carl agreed, although he looked incredibly unused to referring to the second most powerful man in the Confederacy by his first name. Carl stood there awkwardly for a moment before nodding slightly to Joseph and leaving the room. Joseph chuckled and began flipping through the papers.
"Everything according to plan. Scores are up across the country," Joseph muttered to himself as he saw report after report of soldiers and students breaking records at military academies and training grounds across the country. He then looked at the second set of papers Carl had brought him. "Some investment in the Ottoman Empire... Although not quite as much as I was hoping for..." he mused.
Joseph quickly called for a meeting between him and his economic advisers tomorrow morning to see if the investing situation with regards to the Turks could be improved. He also set an appointment to speak with his military advisers in a week's time. Scores may be up, but considering the Confederacy's small size, he knew that they would have to rely on quality over quantity.