The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring (pLease sign up first)

[Riemaia]

Claire looked up at Elijah and smiled at his request, and jumped right of her chair and grabbed Elijah's hand. "You lead the way, hot stuffs!" She said as she smiled at him, getting ready to shake her tush around with a man she just felt like spending a few hours alone with. "I hope you are a good dancer, because I certainly am!" She didn't want to embarrass the man, but Claire had spent seven years of her life in dancing school, learning everything from hip-hop dancing to the tango, and from erotic dancing to the waltz... she even knew how to do the highland fling! "After you, darling!"

[Gehenna Tartarus]

Marissa greeted each of the people that Anneli introduced with a smile and a slight nod, although she was slightly taken aback by the hug, even a small one. But before she could respond to Anneli’s question, the group was joined by some man she did not know, who invited Claire to dance. She watched him lead her to the dance floor and then turned back to the Empress.

“I do not mean to intrude,” she said, looking directly at the Empress. “I had merely wanted to greet you.” Even though she had seen Anneli earlier in the day, it was normal Tartarian protocol to be reacquainted with them at the ball, mostly as a show that you had not forgotten who they were in the intervening couple of hours. “And wish you a very pleasant evening.”

[New Edom]

Elijah led her out onto the floor. She wasn't that much older than him, as Elijah was thirty years old, and so he felt relaxed about this, though he was admiring her and attracted to her. "I am called a good dancer, and am one," he replied, "But being a good dancer with you will be a little distracting." the song changed to something more lively and springy, a jig, and Elijah laughed, saying, "Well, this is going to be a fun one to do with you--Claire, you're one of the loveliest women here, I can barely take my eyes off you. I think you don't even remember me," he said, as he began to step in time, moving easily and joyfully, glad to be off duty and having some fun. "I was just a skinny kid when you last saw me, every other time you've visited I've been at sea or something."

[Riemaia]

"At least it's none of that classical crap everyone else likes!" Claire said as she let her mind go free, letting her years of dancing school take control. "Well I bet it has been a long time since I really last saw you, I am only thirteen years older than you afterall! Six-Eighths right? Yea... six-eighths," Said Claire as she began to hop to the music, "And hop back! You are pretty good at this Elijah, why couldn't I have found a dancing partner like you years ago?" She continued as she started to shift her weight on her feet, perfect with the rhythm. "The gigue, always a favorite of mine, although I can dance to anything with a harpsichord playing... and not one of those devilish pianos!"

Anneli smiled at Marissa and patted the seat next to her, which her mother was sitting in. "Have a seat! You are definitely not intruding, I insist!" Anneli was happy to see someone she enjoyed talking to, and would love to continue talking while everyone else was dancing. "Finally they aren't playing that classical trash, am I right?"

[Hittanryan]

Irene smiled at the man and curtsied. "Why thank you, I don't believe we've met," Irene said, taking his hand as they began to waltz. "I'm her Highness Princess Irene Galinson, what's your name?" She asked, smiling at the man again.

"Attache Tomas Alvarado, at your service," he said with a smile as they danced. Waltzing was easy, Tom had dropped the mental counting and stepping on toes back in high school. He'd also gotten over the idea of 'only dance with a girl you like,' for the moment he'd just noticed someone who looked like she was interested in a dance. "So what brought you here from Constaniana? My stick-in-the-mud colleague and I are here to enjoy ourselves and make the two Adirans with real power seem more casual."

[United Slavic Nations]

Clapping her hands to the beat of the jig, Annya giggled shrilly; like a small schoolchild, if you will. Never being much of a dancer, she rather enjoyed watching other people "bust a move". It truly was wonderful, and the gowns that some of these women wore were down right gorgeous! Looking down at her cocktail dress, she grimaced. Her mother had just sent her a beautiful red gown and she couldn't wear it. What a shame...

Returning her attention to the ball, she carried on in her usual way, minding not the strange looks she was getting from the other people here.

[New Edom]

"The waltz is just tradition," laughed Elijah. "We always start with one, it's just customary. Pity the poor President, who must dance to it, one two three one two three marionette bow..." he chuckled, he enjoyed this, he'd forgotten what good company Claire was on top of her magnificent bust. She also seemed so much saner off her meds, or on her new ones or whatever it was. "I think on the card it said the next one is a Sarabande, if you don't mind Handel do you mind me having you for one more dance? And how have you been anyway, where are my manners? I bet at least a little relaxed after your afternoon with Ava..."

[Constaniana]

Irene smiled at the man and curtsied. "Why thank you, I don't believe we've met," Irene said, taking his hand as they began to waltz. "I'm her Highness Princess Irene Galinson, what's your name?" She asked, smiling at the man again.

"Attache Tomas Alvarado, at your service," he said with a smile as they danced. Waltzing was easy, Tom had dropped the mental counting and stepping on toes back in high school. He'd also gotten over the idea of 'only dance with a girl you like,' for the moment he'd just noticed someone who looked like she was interested in a dance. "So what brought you here from Constaniana? My stick-in-the-mud colleague and I are here to enjoy ourselves and make the two Adirans with real power seem more casual."

Irene l smiled at Tomas."Nice to meet you Tomas," she said. "Well, I actually came out here more for the Zoo and Botanical Gardens, as I'm a biology student, specifically marine biology, so I thought it would be interesting seeing this new zoological park the Edomites had built. Maximus is the more diplomatically inclined one, although that's not saying much compared with me," the Princess said, laughing a little bit. The princess looked at Tomas for a moment as they continued to waltz. "So what's your country like?" She asked him.

Clapping her hands to the beat of the jig, Annya giggled shrilly; like a small schoolchild, if you will. Never being much of a dancer, she rather enjoyed watching other people "bust a move". It truly was wonderful, and the gowns that some of these women wore were down right gorgeous! Looking down at her cocktail dress, she grimaced. Her mother had just sent her a beautiful red gown and she couldn't wear it. What a shame...

Returning her attention to the ball, she carried on in her usual way, minding not the strange looks she was getting from the other people here.

Maximus grimaced as he looked around for the source of the wretched noise. "OH Bloody hell not that mad whore again," he said. This woman was really beginning to royally piss him off, no pun intended.

[United Slavic Nations]

Clapping her hands to the beat of the jig, Annya giggled shrilly; like a small schoolchild, if you will. Never being much of a dancer, she rather enjoyed watching other people "bust a move". It truly was wonderful, and the gowns that some of these women wore were down right gorgeous! Looking down at her cocktail dress, she grimaced. Her mother had just sent her a beautiful red gown and she couldn't wear it. What a shame...

Returning her attention to the ball, she carried on in her usual way, minding not the strange looks she was getting from the other people here.

Maximus grimaced as he looked around for the source of the wretched noise. "OH Bloody hell not that mad whore again," he said. This woman was really beginning to royally piss him off, no pun intended.

Of course, she paid no attention, perfectly oblivious and naive. Slavics liked to enjoy themselves, no matter what people said about it, and this was - most definately - a time to be enjoyed. However, Slavics where also timid and xenophobic by nature. Waving at some random diplomats she knew not quite personally, Annya mainly kept to herself much of the time. No need to get fussy, right?

[Riemaia]

Elijah & Claire

"Sarabande?" Claire rhetorically asked, "Well sign me up! I think a dance with William would be nice later on... you know I met him once when I was in my twenties? Like when my Anneli was three years old, way back then, can you imagine it?" Claire continued to dance to the music, just getting absorbed into the moment. She had been off of her meds for almost a year now, with the pain from her fall down the steps in Betharan palace causing her ribs to break well long gone. "Ava is a great kid, and it was quite relaxing... but she just seems to be baked all the time, maybe a good date with my son Hesekiel would do her some good?" She somewhat jokingly suggested as she song came closer and closer to its end.

[Gehenna Tartarus]

Marissa took the offered chair with a mind to keeping an eye on Clare’s return so that she could get back out again. “I have a very strange view on classical music, if I just have to listen to it, I find it awful,” she said, wrinkling her nose as if it smelled bad just talking about it. “But at the same time, if I am dancing to it, it seems to sound much better.” She laughed lightly at the thought and shook her head. “It is as if when moving to it, I cannot hear the bad parts.”

She watched Clare dancing with Elijah. “They dance very well together. When you are able to, do you like to dance?” She asked, hoping that it did not make the Empress dwell on what she was missing out on. “I like ballroom dancing, but I also like more modern dancing, which you can just move your body too, rather than have to keep to set steps.”

[Hittanryan]

Irene smiled at Tomas."Nice to meet you Tomas," she said. "Well, I actually came out here more for the Zoo and Botanical Gardens, as I'm a biology student, specifically marine biology, so I thought it would be interesting seeing this new zoological park the Edomites had built. Maximus is the more diplomatically inclined one, although that's not saying much compared with me," the Princess said, laughing a little bit. The princess looked at Tomas for a moment as they continued to waltz. "So what's your country like?" She asked him.

"Please, it's just Tom," he replied. "Adiron? Oh, you know, representative democracy, regional power, high-tech industry, globally competitive education system, one of four nations that used to make up the Free State of Ceti, recently won war against two of our neighbors, competing for international influence with one of them. I think that about covers it." He punctuated each entry in the list with a couple of steps in the waltz as he thought of them. "Why, what have you heard so far? Probably that we have no royalty or even nobility to speak of, I bet. So, what can you tell me about where you're from?"

[New Edom]

"Or maybe she'll have him baked too, that sister of mine," sighed Elijah. The song came to an end and he clapped his hands with the others. "Phew, that was fun! Ah, they're doing the Sarabande next, I'll leave you to the President of the Allied States of New Edom," he said with a grin, bowing and stepping back. "I'm so glad to have seen you again, Claire." He looked around to see who was available for another dance, and approached Marissa, bowing and asking her, "Princess, may I have the honor of this dance please?"

Meanwhile the President was sipping a glass of fizzy water, talking to Sif Finnhald, Kohath and Kohath's wife Naomi, with General Abiathar and his wife in attendance.

As Perrin had been dancing with Tia, he realized he didn't really want anyone cutting in, but he decided not to be an idiot about it. Anyway he was distracted by something she had said a bit earlier. "What did you bring with you?" he asked curiously as the gigue came to an end.

[Cossacks]

Nordkrusen, The Ball

Glycal had declined to attend the ball, having sighted it as “a wasteful display of wealth, a blatant attempt to wow foreign dignitaries with materialistic means, and a pointless gathering as without Cossack music it would prove nothing more than a boring, slowly rhythmic collective movement.” However, Sybilla had, despite hating to admit it, was looking forward to the ball- despite the fact that she could be as cold as Kazakia’s north winds, and even though she was a brilliant political strategist, which in Kazakia implied military finesse as well, when the midnight sun did eventually set, she was still a girl- a relatively young girl. Her skin was still tight, soft, new to the world and was not yet worn or aged by the relentless onslaught of steadily marching time- she was what many girls sought to be and she understood that she had no right to refrain from enjoying her youth for the brief flicker of a candle’s flame that she would have it.

Still, she had turned down several request for dances- the daughter of the Hetman would not dance with the enemies of the Federation, which unfortunately ruled out most guest in attendance. However, briefly she thought she spotted someone, a familiar face but before she could identify him, he slipped back into the crowd and onto the sidelines, as though he was hiding- particularly from Edomites. With the calm and silence of a Cossack hunter she approached, and came closer to where, while he was not watching, she could identify him. Heinrich, well not exactly, technically it was Crown Prince Heinrich von Nordkrusen. The Nords were an ally, a brother even. Faintly, Sybilla could recall being introduced to Heinrich, though it had been years ago when she was only a child and he a youth as well. Despite the close relationship between Kazakia and Nordkrusen, and the closer relationship between Cossacks and Nords, Sybilla was often not taken to maters of state in which she would have the opportunity to speak with the von Nordkrusens, a side effect of Kazakian thought that women should be seen not heard and were accessories not dignitaries. She had only been sent here to New Edom so that her brother would have company during the ball he had flatly refused to attend, saying he had encountered too many mad women already and had no intention of dancing to poor music for the entire evening.

“Crown Prince Heinrich,” Sybilla said with the most serious face she could muster, “you have done all of Kazakia a great dishonor.” She paused briefly to allow the tone of her words to set; she knew that though they did not know each other well, that he would likely never forgive himself if he ruined the beautiful relationship between Kazakia and Nordkrusen. “Am I so unattractive that you have not even considered to ask for my hand in a dance?” Before the charade went any futher, as she did not want to scare him too greatly she allowed her façade to shatter and a brilliant smile appeared on her lips, “fortunately for you, I am willing to forgive you.” She raised herself to the tips of her toes, as he was a fair bit taller than her, and delivered a gentle kiss to each of his cheeks, an action only taken by Cossack women to close friends of their own or their House. “How have you been, it’s been too long.”

[Riemaia]

Claire & El Presidente

Claire curtsied to Elijah and then smiled at him, enjoying their time dancing, and then headed off to President Touchstone. Claire had met him years ago, well before the Edomite civil war during the first year of her being Empress, practically for her a lifetime ago. "Why hello Ms. Finnhald," said Claire in a respectful tone as she recognized at least one of the people in the group. Being off of her meds had really changed her over time, no longer was she the crazy empress of Riemaia who was prone to falling down, but now back to her early thirties self who enjoyed dancing and being alive. "Mr. President, it's been forever! Would you care to dance with me?"

Anneli

Anneli noticed Elijah walking up and asking Marissa to dance, so she decided to excuse herself and allow them to dance. "I think I will excuse myself for the time being, have fun dancing with Elijah! Oh, and you are a wonderful dancer by the way, I have never seen anyone get my mom do do something like that!" She then slowly got up out of her wheelchair, and slowly walked her way over to Mara and smiled. "Would you like to dance with your best friend? I might not be able to stand up for long or be able to move around like my mother, but I can try!"

[Gehenna Tartarus]

Marissa had not been expecting to have someone ask her to dance and for a moment, she did not realise that Elijah was talking to her and not the Empress. Before she could reply, which would have been in the positive anyway, Anneli had excused herself and walked over towards Mara. The princess focused back on Elijah and accepted his hand, as she rose from the chair.

“I would be most honoured,” she said, giving him her most charming smile and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. She was not usually someone who sat out of dances, but had done so for the first two dances rather than nudge her brother to escort her. “As much as I like jigs, I do hope this one is slightly slower.”

* * * * *

Tia could not believe that another dance had finished and she was still dancing with Perrin. She looked at him and grinned. “Time really does fly when you are having fun,” she said, with a laugh in her voice, as she looked to the others around her, finally focusing on the fact that they were not the only two people there. She reached for his hand and pressed a light kiss on his cheek. “But as much as I would love to spend the rest of the night dancing with you, I should not prevent someone else from enjoying your wonderful dancing skills.”

She leant into him as they were walking and lowered her voice a little, more for effect than being worried about being overheard. “I was hoping that we might get some time together, so I packed something black and sexy,” she replied to his question. Not that she really expected to have time to put it on, but the thought was there anyway. “I thought you might appreciate having me gift wrapped.”

[TurtleShroom]

[quote="New Edom";p="9741424"Wollen snee verble verble grabso!" exclaimed the cab driver to the two TurtleShroomers. He was wearing some kind of long cream and green neckless long sleeved tunic and baggy trousers and flip flops, and wore a strange looking crooked cross, and had dark olive skin and black hair. "Grabso frab mollets!" and he began to drive them at a shocking speed, dodging around other cars, honking his horn and shouting out his window at other drivers, who shook their fists back and drove just as fast in some cases or shockingly slowly in other cases. There were no speed limit signs on the roads.[/quote]

He floored it, and the TurtleShroomian delegates each said silent prayers of thanks for seatbelts as the vehicle thundered to what was obviously the destination they had in mind.

"HEY BESSFORD!" Paul shouted, over the howling wind going by from the rolled-down windows and the car's roaring engine.

"YESH PAUL?"

"I THINK THAT'S AN END TIME CHURCH GUY."

"THE CULT THAT BOUGHT ALL THAT GOLD IN TURTLESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHRROOM?"

"YEAH, THAT'S THE ONE, BESSFORD! HOW CAN YOU TELL?"

"IT'S JUST A GUESS."

[New Edom]

[quote="New Edom";p="9741424]"Wollen snee verble verble grabso!" exclaimed the cab driver to the two TurtleShroomers. He was wearing some kind of long cream and green neckless long sleeved tunic and baggy trousers and flip flops, and wore a strange looking crooked cross, and had dark olive skin and black hair. "Grabso frab mollets!" and he began to drive them at a shocking speed, dodging around other cars, honking his horn and shouting out his window at other drivers, who shook their fists back and drove just as fast in some cases or shockingly slowly in other cases. There were no speed limit signs on the roads.[/quote]

He floored it, and the TurtleShroomian delegates each said silent prayers of thanks for seatbelts as the vehicle thundered to what was obviously the destination they had in mind.

"HEY BESSFORD!" Paul shouted, over the howling wind going by from the rolled-down windows and the car's roaring engine.

"YESH PAUL?"

"I THINK THAT'S AN END TIME CHURCH GUY."

"THE CULT THAT BOUGHT ALL THAT GOLD IN TURTLESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHRROOM?"

"YEAH, THAT'S THE ONE, BESSFORD! HOW CAN YOU TELL?"

"IT'S JUST A GUESS."[/quote]

It seemed to be a bit of a drive--after about half an hour or so from the train station they finally were driving through what seemed to be a rather business-industrial area of town--high rise office towers (in New Edom rarely more than 20 stories) lots of buildings with logos that referred to selling lumber, oil and gas, textiles, industrial equipment and so on. Finally however they were driving to the very edge of the city itself. There was a huge factory complex that lay spread out before them--practically a small town. It also appeared to be inactive; they could see at a large lot there were a number of eighteen wheelers docking there, and clearly the truckers who had driven them were leaving, putting chock blocks down and shouldering bags and heading off somewhere. A sign over a nearby gate said "GALA AUTOMOTIVES". "Wollen snee verble werble Gala!" said the cab driver proudly.

[New Edom]

Riemaians and Tartarans

Elijah leaned down to kiss Anneli on the cheek. "My dear, thank you so much. You look so sweet sitting there like a bird in a nest!" he looked at the little Empress fondly and said, "Please don't hesitate to ask people if you need anything of course, not just Mara!"

The Sarabande was a more stately dance, in which the dancers moved like herons or storks in a mating rite; Elijah wanted to dance with Marissa so he could get to know her a little. Melancholy people sometimes have moments of gladness when all seems full of light and possibility; this was such a time for Elijah. "You seem to have had a nice time at the zoo," he offered, "What did you like about it, if you don't mind my asking?"

President Touchstone bowed. "Your Highness, it would be an honor." as they went out to dance to the Sarabande, Touchstone said, "It has been a long time, Claire. You look more beautiful than ever. And I understand you are married now, to a Ganosian Prince no less! How goes that for you?" He looked definitely older, more careworn, and yet looked handsomer with it, the boyish look he had once had now more defined in face, his slightly greying hair distinguished, his manner more solidly confident.

"Black and lacy," Perrin was murmuring to Tia, "That sounds nice. I am looking forward to seeing it," he swiftly moved his hand down her back and pinched her bottom, "And everything else too." Then he chuckled and pointed discreetly, "See there--Princess Claire asking the President for a dance. There are rumors that there was some romantic interest between them when she visited New Edom as a young woman in the early nineties, when he was just a freshman Legislator--and formerly the slickest supply officer the Navy ever had...though she is married now to a Ganosian Prince and he is still a bachelor. Listen to me, I sound like a gossiping fish wife."

Mara almost wept when Anneli asked her to dance. She smiled, "Thank you kind lady, I would love to dance with my best friend." as they went out and the strains of the Sarabande surrounded them, she whispered, "What is wrong with me? Am I like poison or something? Where's my so-called fiance? Where's a man with the daring to pursue me? I mean--what the fuck?"

[Constaniana]

"Please, it's just Tom," he replied. "Adiron? Oh, you know, representative democracy, regional power, high-tech industry, globally competitive education system, one of four nations that used to make up the Free State of Ceti, recently won war against two of our neighbours, competing for international influence with one of them. I think that about covers it." He punctuated each entry in the list with a couple of steps in the waltz as he thought of them. "Why, what have you heard so far? Probably that we have no royalty or even nobility to speak of, I bet. So, what can you tell me about where you're from?"

Irene thought for a moment before she responded. "Well Constannia certainly has Royalty and nobility. We're sort of a mix between a Constitutional Monarchy and Absolute Monarchy. While there is no constitution limiting the authority of the Holy Emperor, he does follow traditions set by previous Kings, such as usually approving laws passed by Parliament, unless he finds there is a flaw with them, in which case they go back to Parliament for revision and he usually passes the law when it comes back to him," Irene explained. "As for famous things about us, probably the most well-known is our technology, which to other countries might seem a bit...old fashioned. While most other countries use gasoline or wind power now, Constannia for the most part uses steam, although we've gotten quite good at it. We have steam powered Mechas, Armoured zeppelins, things like that. Although my favourite famous thing about us has to be our Giant Badgers," Irene said, smiling as she continued to dance with Tom.

[Gehenna Tartarus]

Elijah & Marissa

It has been a very long time that Marissa had done something like a Sarabande. Although they could be oddly fun, in formal dances people moved towards waltzes and other classical ballroom dances. The princess looked at Elijah and smiled as he asked the question about the zoo. She really had enjoyed it, it had been the highlight of the day for her, which only had the possibility of the ball beating it and that was merely because Marissa loved balls and dancing more than anything.

“I had a wonderful time at the zoo,” she said, recalling some of the interesting animals she had seen. “It is hard to say what I liked about it, because so much of it was truly amazing. Being able to see animals that you had only read about is kind of awe inspiring and some of them are so cute. I am hoping to go to the gift shop tomorrow and see if I can find a book and maybe a cuddly version of one or two of them to take up with me, as a keepsake.” As she spoke, her face had lit up and her eyes were wide. “And the aquarium was amazing. I am not a big fish person, but I think it might have been my favourite part. I did not like the reptiles though.” She giggled at herself. “They kind of make me nervous. Did you enjoy the zoo?” There were so many people present, she could not remember if she had seen Elijah at the zoo or merely at one of the other functions of the day.

* * * * *

Perrin & Tia

Tia jumped when Perrin pinched her bottom and laughed lightly, before letting her gaze following in the direction that her companion had indicated and she listened as he told her about Claire and President Touchstone. It was always fascinating hearing about what happened between people when they were younger and how things had turned out. She sometimes wondered where she would be in a year’s time and whether she would still be seeing Perrin. She hoped that she would be, but so much happened in life that it was hard to tell.

“I like it when you tell me stuff,” she said, as she looked at him briefly. “It makes me feel more like a part of New Edom rather than just a tourist. And I like listening to you talk.” She was still feeling a little excited about the idea of seeing him later and was painfully trying to keep her mind from focusing on that part of the evening, and hearing about other people kept her thoughts one track. “I probably should dance with Prince Hugo.” She would have rather stayed with Perrin, but she had already annoyed the prince once already that day and she did not need to have him mad with her when he left.

[Riemaia]

Claire & William

"Oh Lance?" Claire curiously said as she began to start dancing. "He is quite the man actually, good husband, good father to the two kids we had together..." Claire then smiled, thinking about her two new children barely a year old. "And hes also having my other kids warm up to him, which is extra good, being a father figure to Anneli and my son Hesekiel." Claire had only gained a handful of wrinkles on her face, but had just a very light botox treatment every now and then to fix them, which made her look much younger than she was, but not young that she could be mistaken for someone in her twenties. "I heard you were shot while in Ossurwald, did you get my fruit basket?"

Anneli & Mara

Anneli smiled as they walked out to go dancing, and was hoping someone was going to film this moment, which off in the distance it was being discreetly filmed by Lena on her phone. Anneli listened to what Mara had to say, and gave a comforting smile back. "Theres nothing wrong with you! I know a guy who would die to be married to you, he is a King too! Mind you he is Riemaian and in his mid thirties, but he is so respectful to everyone he meets, and he loves the outdoors!"

[TurtleShroom]

A sign over a nearby gate said "GALA AUTOMOTIVES". "Wollen snee verble werble Gala!" said the cab driver proudly.

Paul and Bessford looked at the signs, and then to the driver. They paused for a moment, and made a connection. Then, they burst into laughter, ultimately laughing until they began to cry.

Paul put a kindly shoulder on the taxi driver.

"Friend," he said, wiping his eye, "I didn't mean Gala Company."

He reached into his baggage and pulled out a flyer for the Festival.

"This is where we need to go, sir. This, please."

Bessford continued laughing. Despite getting flashed, he laughed loudly and smiled at the cab driver in a kind fashion. Paul looked to him as he yanked out a white frying pan and handed it to the driver.

"Taxi guy, thish is a Ten Thousand denomination Shkillet. Ten thoushandsh."

He rubbed his pointer finger and index finger, the "money" gesture.

Paul handed the driver a picture graph.

[New Edom]

The TurtleShroom Expedition

"Verble FRYPAN?!" exclaimed the cab driver. "Nay, nay! Gala-wallala!" he said, gesturing at the sign. "You...pay!" he looked truculent, unyielding, insistent. He looked at the pamphlet and said, "Verble werble PARK!?" he threw up his hands, looking at them as though they were both insane. He picked up his radio and spoke into it. "Neeble Verble Werble Gala, Neeble FRYPAN?!" There were some unintelligible words from the radio amid pops and crackles. "Mushuh mishpy pur-pupple GOR." he sighed and looked at the two men. He waves the pamphlet. "Park?"

[Hittanryan]

As the dance wound down, Irene mentioned a few wholly impractical bits of Constannian technology. Tom was less than impressed, and a wry grin crossed his face. "I hope they're mostly ceremonial. As I understand it, humanoid fighting machines and zeppelins are large, expensive, physically unsound targets in this day and age. You'll forgive us if we stick with tanks and jets, right?" A waltz he could pull off, and casual stuff he could improvise, but a jig was oddly specific. Tom excused himself and grabbed a quick drink.

Looking back onto the dance floor, Tom saw Mara dancing with Anneli. It seemed...unusual. "Where's the fiance? Or everyone else who probably should be sucking up to a princess for that matter? What gives? All right, screw it." When the jig came to a close, he downed the rest of his drink and swaggered up to the two of them. "All right, normally the line would be 'Madam, may I have this dance?' except there's two 'madams' in this case. Empress Anneli, am I going to touch off a major incident with Riemaia if I borrow Mara for a dance?"