'The Beautiful Isle', North Chieti, Kouralia
15.02.2014 - 1545hrs
The glorious tropical sun beat down across the island as the twin-engined floatplane swooped in to land on the beautiful blue bay. Leaving a lengthy trail of spray behind it, the black and yellow plane of the Chietan Airlines began to slow, its engine note changing to a low grumbling noise as it carried its passengers closer to the grey stone dock. 'La Bella Isola' as it was known wasn't especially large, and it was almost entirely the tourist trade which would pack itself onto the regular flights to and from it, most of the residents content to stay where they were in their town and villages, making their living as they and their families had done for centuries - before and after the Kouralians conquered the kingdom of Chieti. "Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking." Came the reassuring voice of the pilot across the radio to her twenty passengers, "Thank you very much for choosing to fly Chietan Air for your journey to this wonderful island, I can assure you ladies and gentlemen that you'll be having the time of your lives here. Tonight especially you can look forward too..." As she continued to talk, the sole member of the cabin crew walked from the front of the plane toward the back, sharply dressed in the almost militarily-pressed, khaki suit, white shirt and black tie of the airline's uniform, gently shaking awake any who were still asleep before taking up a position by the door and preparing one of the passengers' wheelchair for use.
As the plane swept across the sublime scene, the people going about their normal lives outside barely paid it a second glance, the daily flights at this hour being so expected that they'd be more concerned if it didn't turn up. Rocked gently as the floats' wake passed by them, a pair of dark-skinned fishermen were gently putting out to sea, one of them saluting to the plane with a friendly grin on his face before being pulled back by an older and more dour looking partner - probably his dad. Others were in the bay too, some clearly there for business such as a pair painting religious iconography to the side of a boat at anchor, but others like the attractive bikini-clad young woman who even now swept past in a carefree and happy manner on her jetski were obviously there for fun. Beyond the alluringly azure waters, the town's homely and brightly painted wooden structures soon thinned out around the bay, and before it was half-way even to the light house on the point the white sands were forming a narrow strip between the waters and the dark green hues of the island's ever-present forest.
"...So, remember people: kick back, relax and enjoy yourselves is practically the motto of this island." The Captain finished a few moments later as, with a slight bump, the plane was pulled against the jetty by a pair of shirt-sleeved, swarthy men tied it into place, letting the tide rock it gently as the engine came to a stop. As the seatbelt lights went off, people began to stand and pick up their luggage as the cabin crew member opened the door at the back to let in the faint sea breeze and the spray it carried with it. After the disabled man was let off accompanied by a friend with the bags, the rest of the plane's complement was allowed to exit in good order onto the pale grey stone jetty. Each had their hand shaken by the cabin crew member and was wished a good day, sir or ma'am, whichever was appropriate, and if necessary was helped across onto dry land by one of the shirt-wearing men who stood by trying to look both smart and suitably chilled at once.
Beyond the crew members, the jetty was rather small - a fenced off fuel tank for the planes, and at one end stood a small shack which passed for an airport check-in. Its lone inhabitant was an elderly and bored looking gentleman who was barely able to muster the energy to tear his eyes from the melee on TV to look at the tickets and ID, let alone pay attention to any of the details on them. Beyond even that terrifying obstacle, there was naught else. The pavement of the quay-side road with its marked-out pick-up zone just outside the open doorway of the wooden ticket office stretched in either direction, though it wasn't far before a turning was visible heading more inland into the town. On the opposite side of the road a small yellow and blue Kouralian truck stood with a pair of light blue-clad Chietan Police standing around showing off their uniforms with their shiny shoes and smart hats for all the ladies to see. As for any sign of a car for the certain arrivals, there was none yet.
