Where Rivers meet, People meet (Spring Festival, IC)

[Aurora Confederacy]

There were quite a few policemen in uniform on the streets, both mounted and dismounted, but their uniform was not something both Fitt and Robbie would immediately recognize as such, mainly because they were armoured in the typically half-cuirasses preferred by the Selkie. It looked a lot like black-painted steel, which mainly came from the fact, that it indeed was black-painted steel, but that wasn't the main-part of the armour, which was intimidating enough when worn by a fully armoured and armed horseman - that was the brigandine beneath it, a woolen vest with small plates of ceramic armour woven into it. A cloak over the shoulder, showing the Coat of Arms of Cuan, identified them as police.
Despite their rather intimidating appearance, though, the policemen and -women were friendly. And, as the first got, that they both got a discount and that the stuff was good, they sent out a radio call towards their colleagues.
Meanwhile, however, another nose rose up and sniffed, making its way over on silent, but powerful paws...

As expected, this brought more custom to the little trade stall, and with the scent wafting across, it probably wasn't long before a pallet of smoked fish was empty, although the large canine making its way was soon spotted by Robbie who is extremely observant. "Gina, a grey wolf i think, could be interesting although with the line of customers here we should be okay" she turned to one of the customers, handing over the order and change "there you go sir, enjoy your meal" she said with a smile. Robbie, like Fitt is one with good manners, a good sence of customer service although every now and then she glances over to see where that large wolf had gone.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, power for the refrigerator became stronger and soon the system was operating at full capacity, charging the batteries as well as supplying power to the coolers inside, keeping the trailer inside a comfortable, food-safe -5c, whilst the belly box refrigerator was around 3c, giving the soft drinks a lovelly, refreshing cool feel to them, nothing beats a cold drink on a warm spring day.

Over by the marina
Micky and Zoe, having got changed for walking around a spring festival in black latex catsuits might be okay in the Aurora Confederacy, it would probably not be acceptable in the Free lands, as such Zoe now wore jeans, trainers and a tartan-esque blouse whilst Micky wore leather pants and a leather tube top with matching leather boots that came up to her knees. Stepping off the boat Zoe secured the hatches, checked the lines to see how secure they were before making her way over to the airport to catch a plane to the town where the festival was being held. It would probably take couple of hours to get there but it would be worth it and having heard about the laid back ways of the Free Lands, and its medievalesque way of life it would be a pleasant change from the fast pace of Mi'Aza and Lake Hai'lu'kai. The port town of Mi'Aza, (pronounced "Meeza" - like Pisa in italy but with an M instead of a P at the start), being a particularly busy town as it is an ocean side deep water port and major sea to rail and sea to road container terminal for the nation with the other container terminal that serves the nation being inland up a river that flows out of Lake Hai'Lu'Kai (with several locks and waterflow management upstream of the port to keep any chance of river pollution from the port getting into the lake). It was this laid back way of life that Zoe and Micky plan to photograph, document and put into a travel magazine, hopefully to encourage more from the Aurora Confederacy to visit.

[The Selkie]

"Oh really? Well many wishes for you on your birthday." Kumiko said

"Mmmhm" Mamiko nodded enthusiastically

"Or as they say I suppose, happy birthday." Kumiko then added.

"Thank you.", Ava said with a bow for all three of them, "Though, the thing is, it's not actually the day we were born on, but more of... ritual birthday. You see, we count our years not by the times the day of our birth had passed, but by how many Spring Equinoxes passed - which is today."
"By that...", Viola said with a smile, "...I'm now 38 Springs old."

Golahman could only give a weak smile. He didn't like rough landings either, but wanted to look brave for Fiona. With that, he gave her a hug, kissing her forehead lightly, still attempting to be somewhat of a gentleman. "It's your country, and your festival," he said, "We will go wherever you want to go first." He gestured to Evanu, who stood up at attention.

Fiona returned the hug and kiss with a small hug of her own, incorporating it into his.
She thought for a moment.
"Less where I want to go and more where I need to go.", she said softly and looked at Golahman, "There'll be several parades today, Karak, and while you aren't even required to watch them, let alone taking the salute or participating in them, I am required to participate in one of them, at the Opening of the Festival. I'll be one of Mom's Escort Riders, together with Tyran. After that... I could use a bite to eat. You, too?"

Samuel Cui
In transit to South Cuan

"Don't mention it, Kiah," Samuel replied, returning to his book. Too bad I can't smoke in here; I swear, I could use a cigar right about now, he thought. Ah well, I'll probably ask away when I get to Cuan.

He was almost finished with his book when he felt the need for a quick snack. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pack of crackers and began to wonder if eating was allowed in the train.

"I can eat in here, can't I?"

Kiah, who had, as no conversation began, pulled a textbook from school out of her bag (something about Selkie-Literature, the cover showing the Lovers, the statue of two mythical heroes in front of the backdrop of the City of Wembury, who fought first each other and then for their love) and had concentrated on the text, was a slight bit startled at the sudden talking by Mister Cui, looking up.
Then again, he had been reading, when she intruded, so it was only understandable.
It took her a moment to come to her senses and to be aware of the question - something which she covered by an elegant wiping of a few strands of her hair out of her face, behind an ear. "Yes, you can eat on the train.", she answered with a nod, "But I would recommend against it - we'll be in Cuan in a bit and they have some very good inns!"

Lukas gave a small smile. “New experiences with a rather destructive past don’t mix well.” He breathed. He recognized the look on her face; a knowing look, but decided he shouldn’t press the issue. No need to bring up anything that might be a painful memory while he was here for a festival. He looked down. “Whatever has kept me alive for this long, will keep her alive too.” He said with a certain amount of resolve.

Mona, for a short moment, saw a familiar figure behind Lukas, a few metres away and making her way over on tip toes, motioning her to be silent.
The girl's eyes, having strayed for but a moment, went back to the Criskan: "I'd say whoever, Major.", she said with a smile, still holding his hand, "But that's just semantics. Point is, that all will be well. The two of you make a wonderful team and you have something very spacial." She smiled, a bit sadness in her eyes, which vanished in the blink of an eye. "Miss Gwen..."
Whatever was with Nora's daughter was postponed for a while, as two hands, two very familiar hands, put themselves onto Lukas' shoulder pulled him back into a soft, light hug, as a very familiar voice, the voice of a certain, and highly pregnant, Mistress Nora Cathlong of the Tribe of Cork, entered Lukas' right ear as the scent of the sea, of a field of flowers and of a herbal hand creme assaulted his nose. "Good morning, Lukas... shall I be jealous?"
Mona giggled.

Ceol Inn

Paine Amora woke up slowly. She was still flight lagged and had woke up four hours before only to realize she might as well as well go back to sleep because it was too early to do anything. Her sister was already dressed and showered for the day, smiling. Her red eyes glinted slightly in the sunlight, and she was characterically wearing a black long sleeve shirt and leggings.

“Ashe, I told you to wake me up when you got up…” Paine stretched as she rose into a sitting position and leaned against the wall.

“I know, I forgot to. I wanted to watch the city get up.” Ashely Amora replied as she dashed the chair next to the window and put her elbows on the backrest and looked outside. Paine yawned and smiled, not regretting asking her parents if Ashe could come along.

“I’ll be ready soon, Ashe, don’t get into any trouble in the next half-hour please.”

“Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.” Ashe smiled as she looked back and watched her sister enter the bathroom. She kept looking out of the window the entire time. Even though she was thirteen she acted normally closer to eight, mostly because she had nearly boundless energy and a keen interest in the world around her. Eventually, closer to an hour later, her white haired sister exited the bathroom in her normal attire; a studded leather folded top ahs shorts with a red-eyed skull sitting on her right hip; a gift from one of her archaeologist major friends, with tights and boots.

“Breakfast?” Paine breathed, smiling.

“Mhm.” Both of them headed down stairs to get food.

The Ceol was one of the best inns in the Free Lands, both due to the house itself and the people, who worked there. So, as the two Kuruvans made their way down, they were greeted friendly by the members of the staff, who they met, which weren't that many at this time.
Most were engaged in one way or the other with preparations for the festival.
The restaurant part of the Coel Inn was busy, too, but with the usual morning routine of serving breakfast. Many Selkie and tourists were in the large room, eating delicious smelling breakfasts of larger kinds and smaller kinds, most commonly the so called full course, with porridge, Battered Sausages, eggs and bread to wipe up the fat it was all delivered with.
Greasy, yes, not for the faint of heart or foreigners having to look out for the bikini figures, yes, but good.
A few tables were still free and finding a quiet spot for two was not a problem.

As expected, this brought more custom to the little trade stall, and with the scent wafting across, it probably wasn't long before a pallet of smoked fish was empty, although the large canine making its way was soon spotted by Robbie who is extremely observant. "Gina, a grey wolf i think, could be interesting although with the line of customers here we should be okay" she turned to one of the customers, handing over the order and change "there you go sir, enjoy your meal" she said with a smile. Robbie, like Fitt is one with good manners, a good sence of customer service although every now and then she glances over to see where that large wolf had gone.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, power for the refrigerator became stronger and soon the system was operating at full capacity, charging the batteries as well as supplying power to the coolers inside, keeping the trailer inside a comfortable, food-safe -5c, whilst the belly box refrigerator was around 3c, giving the soft drinks a lovelly, refreshing cool feel to them, nothing beats a cold drink on a warm spring day.

Over by the marina
Micky and Zoe, having got changed for walking around a spring festival in black latex catsuits might be okay in the Aurora Confederacy, it would probably not be acceptable in the Free lands, as such Zoe now wore jeans, trainers and a tartan-esque blouse whilst Micky wore leather pants and a leather tube top with matching leather boots that came up to her knees. Stepping off the boat Zoe secured the hatches, checked the lines to see how secure they were before making her way over to the airport to catch a plane to the town where the festival was being held. It would probably take couple of hours to get there but it would be worth it and having heard about the laid back ways of the Free Lands, and its medievalesque way of life it would be a pleasant change from the fast pace of Mi'Aza and Lake Hai'lu'kai. The port town of Mi'Aza, (pronounced "Meeza" - like Pisa in italy but with an M instead of a P at the start), being a particularly busy town as it is an ocean side deep water port and major sea to rail and sea to road container terminal for the nation with the other container terminal that serves the nation being inland up a river that flows out of Lake Hai'Lu'Kai (with several locks and waterflow management upstream of the port to keep any chance of river pollution from the port getting into the lake). It was this laid back way of life that Zoe and Micky plan to photograph, document and put into a travel magazine, hopefully to encourage more from the Aurora Confederacy to visit.

The animal approaching on silent paws, people making way for him, was not a Grey Wolf.
Not by a long shot.
Considerably larger then a Grey Wolf, the animal was a feline, dark mane with blue parts of fur, a tail swishing behind it - at it's tip was the thing, that gave the animal its name, a knot of fur, nerve ends and muscle in the form roughly resembling a star. The red eyes of the male commanded respect wherever they turned and respect was, what this predator, one of the most prideful in the Free Lands, got.
After all, they said, that in every good Selkie-woman's chest beat the heart of a Star Lynx and albeit that one was used to humans, they had a healthy amount of respect for what they referred to as 'Master Lincse' - Master Lynx.
The eyes of the predator settled on Gina, looking deeply into her eyes and, it appeared, trying to look deeply into her soul.

The 'airport' of Beál was a small and short affair, a runway fit for STOL-planes and not even paved, with a small tower - indeed a former fortification tower, the rest of the fortification having been removed - and a small hangar. It was not that much of a departure for any norm about such fields in the Free Lands.
Two planes stood on the tarmac, one being worked on by a mechanic, having a wing removed to work on something there, and the other one being a small passenger plane with shoulder-mounted wings driven by turboprops, painted in an elegant blue and white paintjob, with a pilot sitting outside, chatting with a pair of Selkie, who looked like passengers.
All in all, it was neither busy nor hectic, but actually rather quaint.

[New Visayan Islands]

Samuel Cui
In transit to South Cuan

"That's good to know," Samuel replied before opening the pack of crackers he had. What were three crackers against a good selection of inns, after all? he didn't add.

Overall, the train ride was quiet as both occupants were busy reading their respective books.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Gina, alerted by Robbie keeps her eye on the marauding cat, "Robbie, get some fish out for the next batch as we're getting low here, and get some rope out of the locker, tie a slip not in it and be ready", her eyes keep a close, careful watch on the large cat as she continues to cater to the line of customers. Robbie does what she is asked to do, taking some rope from the trailer that is normally used to tie cargo down and quickly ties a knot and gets it ready, the tail looped through the hoop that has just been tied onto the other end.
"now what?" she asks
"just be ready to use it, oh and don't forget the scruff" says Gina in a calm voice One thing she knows is that any strike from a cat is no where near as bad as being alone in the ocean not knowing if help will come, only here there is likely to be plenty of help if the lynx makes a move. There is however only one way in to the gazebo, and that is through the front as the rear of sides are boxed in and the rear of the gazebo is up against the trailer and between It and them is a very hot hob plate, not to mention the customers!.

It was at that point that Fitt remembered the woman who ordered the fish, she then ponders for a second, thinking that the cat may actually be hers,

[Krugeristan]

Golahman could only give a weak smile. He didn't like rough landings either, but wanted to look brave for Fiona. With that, he gave her a hug, kissing her forehead lightly, still attempting to be somewhat of a gentleman. "It's your country, and your festival," he said, "We will go wherever you want to go first." He gestured to Evanu, who stood up at attention.

Fiona returned the hug and kiss with a small hug of her own, incorporating it into his.
She thought for a moment.
"Less where I want to go and more where I need to go.", she said softly and looked at Golahman, "There'll be several parades today, Karak, and while you aren't even required to watch them, let alone taking the salute or participating in them, I am required to participate in one of them, at the Opening of the Festival. I'll be one of Mom's Escort Riders, together with Tyran. After that... I could use a bite to eat. You, too?"

Golahman nodded a little. "I"ll eat . . . something small, I guess. I don't have much of an appetite and I shouldn't be eating well with foreigners around. It would look bad on my part. Evanu and I . . . we'll patiently wait for you."

[Ru-]

With a smile, Gwen followed Yoshio, while the Sergeant hurried after him.
The older of the two nodded. "I would recommend that. It's one of the best breakfasts in Cuan." One of the waiters raised an amused eyebrow, to which Gwen replied with a challenging smirk, to which he replied with a nod, going towards the entrance into the kitchen. She smirked at the knight. "And we just challenged them to prove, that they are the best in Cuan, so it would be rather rude of us not to stay."
She made a short pause.
"But yes, this would be a good place to learn a few things about us.", she said with a smile, receiving the graceful nods in greeting offered by the staff with a bow of her head herself. Most of the waiters and waitresses were clad in a particular variation of the Geansai, one, which replaced the sleeves with an apron-like piece of wool with different, partially intricate patterns (the older the waiter or waitress seemed, the more intricate it was). "And about our cuisine."
The last one was accompanied by a smirk.

Yoshio beamed and clapped a bit. Excited for the food and all this playful talk about challenges. He was a boy who loved spectacle, even something as simple as this little challenge game.

The knight couldn't help but smirk along with everyone else. The king was a rather picky and particular child when it came to food,but he was also naturally curious and, to his credit, was at least wiling to try just about any unfamiliar dish at least once. He had a rather wide palate for his age as a result. The little king however, because of who and what he was, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and was accustomed to routinely dining on the absolute best the kingdom of Ru could offer. Gwen had seemed confident enough, but cooking for the king was considered a high honor and challenge among the top chefs of Ru, so the staff here wouldn't be the first to walk back to their kitchen with determination to impress him. He simply hoped her decision to hype them up beforehand did not prove arrogant, he was sure it'd be good, he just didn't want Yoshio to feel disappointed.

The knight folded his arms with a smile. "Well, I suppose we know where we will be eating then!" he joined in on all the smirking but motioned to the front desk. "However, we really ought to get this one checked into his room. Do you think we ought to do that now while they prepare or would it be more polite to sit down now instead?"

[Sceidan]

"Very interesting! It's nice to see different variation of cultural music. I love listening to the different genres of classical music from various cultures and seeing what is used technique-wise. A lot of my band's music has cultural influences actually. I feel as if adding culture to modern music helps it meet a larger demographic, no matter the genre." Akiko smiled, enjoying the conversation, but exhausted on what else to say, she changed topics. "I'm very excited to jam with you later! I can't wait to see you perform as well!"

"I do, too.", Aingeal said, glad about the topic-change, too, the music running along in the background, "I heard so much about you, that I am quite sure, that you very good - and we can always invite other people for jamming, too. For example..." She nodded towards the stage and the two fiddlers. "See the redhead? The guy like a wardrobe? That's Ayden. He's usually my background fiddler, but he has a talent to make his instrument sing. Singing to his jamming, or having him jam to the singing, is always a joy to see." She made an awkward pause. "Hear. Always a joy to hear."

"Yes, he's very good at what he does, I can tell. My band members are currently off doing their own thing. You'll meet them later for sure. They've had much experience in their genre as well as other genres of music. We all go way back, and in fact we haven't had any lineup changes since our formation in 2004. They play in their own bands as well."

[The Selkie]

Samuel Cui
In transit to South Cuan

"That's good to know," Samuel replied before opening the pack of crackers he had. What were three crackers against a good selection of inns, after all? he didn't add.

Overall, the train ride was quiet as both occupants were busy reading their respective books.

Kiah smiled (Foolish man, she thought to herself, You'll rue these three crackers!) and returned to her book, mumbling "Good appetite."
Her mother raised a polite daughter and her school only emphasized that.
The rest of the train trip passed in a blur and, as she stretched her neck with an uncomfortable expression, said neck having gone a bit stiff, she looked out of the window and grinned, before she spoke, more to herself then to Cui: "Ah, Rich Cuan, Pearl of Lodan Lir, how I yearned for you?"
Indeed, far in the distance, one could see a large city approach, nestled between the banks of two rivers meeting by it, the skyline dominated by seven bridges spanning the rivers, standing tall and proud, the Temple of Lodan Lir and the tower of the City Hall, nearly none other of the other roofs, which were covered by shingles, being as tall as those structures. A few old toll-towers told of the history of the city as a centre of commerce and trade and so did the roads leading to them.
Kiah was nearly home.

Gina, alerted by Robbie keeps her eye on the marauding cat, "Robbie, get some fish out for the next batch as we're getting low here, and get some rope out of the locker, tie a slip not in it and be ready", her eyes keep a close, careful watch on the large cat as she continues to cater to the line of customers. Robbie does what she is asked to do, taking some rope from the trailer that is normally used to tie cargo down and quickly ties a knot and gets it ready, the tail looped through the hoop that has just been tied onto the other end.
"now what?" she asks
"just be ready to use it, oh and don't forget the scruff" says Gina in a calm voice One thing she knows is that any strike from a cat is no where near as bad as being alone in the ocean not knowing if help will come, only here there is likely to be plenty of help if the lynx makes a move. There is however only one way in to the gazebo, and that is through the front as the rear of sides are boxed in and the rear of the gazebo is up against the trailer and between It and them is a very hot hob plate, not to mention the customers!.

It was at that point that Fitt remembered the woman who ordered the fish, she then ponders for a second, thinking that the cat may actually be hers,

Quite a few onlookers watched the Star Lynx and the two Aurorans by now, bemused by the latter two - the rope was a nice idea, but if a Star Lynx put a bit of effort into it, he would be able to shred them to tiny little pieces before they were even able to react, let alone bring the rope to bear.
However, the Star Lynx did not belong to the woman with the white hair. In the strict sense of the word, he did not belong to anyone, but he was associated with a redhead, who regularly helped with such petting zoos.
As it was, the man in question was nowhere to be seen.
As it was, as the Star Lynx approached, the crowd made way and the Star Lynx stood before the gazebo and in no way intimidated by the hot plates. He focussed onto the woman behind the counter, then looking at the fish ready to be cooked, then back to the woman and silently examining any obstacles, that might be in the way.
One of the current costumers volunteered an explanation: "I think, that he wants something to eat.", he suggested.

Golahman nodded a little. "I"ll eat . . . something small, I guess. I don't have much of an appetite and I shouldn't be eating well with foreigners around. It would look bad on my part. Evanu and I . . . we'll patiently wait for you."

"Thank you.", Fiona said as their plane came to a stop in a side-area of the tarmac. One could see a lone young man, who bore a striking resemblance to Fiona's father Finn, standing out there, patiently waiting, clad in a half-cuirass with intricate carvings and decorations, a sword at his side. "I'm quite sure, that my youngest brother, Glynn, would be happy to keep you company."

With a smile, Gwen followed Yoshio, while the Sergeant hurried after him.
The older of the two nodded. "I would recommend that. It's one of the best breakfasts in Cuan." One of the waiters raised an amused eyebrow, to which Gwen replied with a challenging smirk, to which he replied with a nod, going towards the entrance into the kitchen. She smirked at the knight. "And we just challenged them to prove, that they are the best in Cuan, so it would be rather rude of us not to stay."
She made a short pause.
"But yes, this would be a good place to learn a few things about us.", she said with a smile, receiving the graceful nods in greeting offered by the staff with a bow of her head herself. Most of the waiters and waitresses were clad in a particular variation of the Geansai, one, which replaced the sleeves with an apron-like piece of wool with different, partially intricate patterns (the older the waiter or waitress seemed, the more intricate it was). "And about our cuisine."
The last one was accompanied by a smirk.

Yoshio beamed and clapped a bit. Excited for the food and all this playful talk about challenges. He was a boy who loved spectacle, even something as simple as this little challenge game.

The knight couldn't help but smirk along with everyone else. The king was a rather picky and particular child when it came to food,but he was also naturally curious and, to his credit, was at least wiling to try just about any unfamiliar dish at least once. He had a rather wide palate for his age as a result. The little king however, because of who and what he was, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and was accustomed to routinely dining on the absolute best the kingdom of Ru could offer. Gwen had seemed confident enough, but cooking for the king was considered a high honor and challenge among the top chefs of Ru, so the staff here wouldn't be the first to walk back to their kitchen with determination to impress him. He simply hoped her decision to hype them up beforehand did not prove arrogant, he was sure it'd be good, he just didn't want Yoshio to feel disappointed.

The knight folded his arms with a smile. "Well, I suppose we know where we will be eating then!" he joined in on all the smirking but motioned to the front desk. "However, we really ought to get this one checked into his room. Do you think we ought to do that now while they prepare or would it be more polite to sit down now instead?"

"Depends on your priorities.", Fiona said with a smile, "Is the food more important to you or is it checking in? Alternatively, we can leave the Sergeant and Yoshio outside and check you two in." She leaned over and whispered to the knight as a suggestion: "The whole procedure is boring anyway and out here, he can see much more. We have to order anyway."
Meanwhile, activity was still in full motion, tables and chairs and a large grill being set up. Before even the first spark flew, there were three fire extinguishers closeby and ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice.
The guests from distant shores, as well as their Selkie-Companions were treated with the utmost respect, but mostly circumvented, as there was work to do. One waitress, with a very intricate pattern on her apron, had an eye on them and their actions, though, three menus under her arm.
The Sergeant meanwhile felt way out of her league. She earned well, even better then most Sergeants as she was of the Rangers, but this was still way out of her league, far more expensive then anything she would ever be able to affort.
As such, she concentrated onto her job.

"Yes, he's very good at what he does, I can tell. My band members are currently off doing their own thing. You'll meet them later for sure. They've had much experience in their genre as well as other genres of music. We all go way back, and in fact we haven't had any lineup changes since our formation in 2004. They play in their own bands as well."

Aingeal nodded. "I see.", she said and smiled, turning back to where Ayden was playing, smiling softly, "We usually change the musicians we play with by the evening, from whoever is available and willing to play, but fixed bands of musicians are a given amongst more professional musicians and pub-bands."
She made a small pause. "Ayden and Waari and a few others are the band I am part of, although Waari is also a solist and Ayden's original job is actually another one." She smiled in approval about what she heard from the stage, the fiddles filling the square with music. "He's spot-on this morning.", she said to herself.

[Krugeristan]

Golahman nodded a little. "I"ll eat . . . something small, I guess. I don't have much of an appetite and I shouldn't be eating well with foreigners around. It would look bad on my part. Evanu and I . . . we'll patiently wait for you."

"Thank you.", Fiona said as their plane came to a stop in a side-area of the tarmac. One could see a lone young man, who bore a striking resemblance to Fiona's father Finn, standing out there, patiently waiting, clad in a half-cuirass with intricate carvings and decorations, a sword at his side. "I'm quite sure, that my youngest brother, Glynn, would be happy to keep you company."

"I hope so, too," Golahman said. He realized he wasn't wearing a scarf, nor was he around any small, fuzzy animals, and his fidgeted with his hands nervously. I wish I had asked Assad advice on how to stop fidgeting. Oh, he wouldn't be much help with that, anyway; he's not a fidgeter.

[Criska]

Mona, for a short moment, saw a familiar figure behind Lukas, a few metres away and making her way over on tip toes, motioning her to be silent.
The girl's eyes, having strayed for but a moment, went back to the Criskan: "I'd say whoever, Major.", she said with a smile, still holding his hand, "But that's just semantics. Point is, that all will be well. The two of you make a wonderful team and you have something very spacial." She smiled, a bit sadness in her eyes, which vanished in the blink of an eye. "Miss Gwen..."
Whatever was with Nora's daughter was postponed for a while, as two hands, two very familiar hands, put themselves onto Lukas' shoulder pulled him back into a soft, light hug, as a very familiar voice, the voice of a certain, and highly pregnant, Mistress Nora Cathlong of the Tribe of Cork, entered Lukas' right ear as the scent of the sea, of a field of flowers and of a herbal hand creme assaulted his nose. "Good morning, Lukas... shall I be jealous?"
Mona giggled.

Lukas looked wide eyed at Nora and grinned as he glanced back at Mona. "Little imp!" He laughed. "No need to be jealous Nora," He took a deep breathe of her aroma, and smiled. "Even when you are pregnant you move quieter then anyone else I know," He continued as he rose from his seat--and his hardly touched breakfast. He looked affectionately at her before he gave a light kiss. "How have you been, my lady?" He said with a joking tone, with a matching bow, before pointed at Mona, :You will have to tell me what Gwen is up to at some point!"

[Kuruva]

The Ceol was one of the best inns in the Free Lands, both due to the house itself and the people, who worked there. So, as the two Kuruvans made their way down, they were greeted friendly by the members of the staff, who they met, which weren't that many at this time.
Most were engaged in one way or the other with preparations for the festival.
The restaurant part of the Coel Inn was busy, too, but with the usual morning routine of serving breakfast. Many Selkie and tourists were in the large room, eating delicious smelling breakfasts of larger kinds and smaller kinds, most commonly the so called full course, with porridge, Battered Sausages, eggs and bread to wipe up the fat it was all delivered with.
Greasy, yes, not for the faint of heart or foreigners having to look out for the bikini figures, yes, but good.
A few tables were still free and finding a quiet spot for two was not a problem.

Ashely was glancing all around the Ceol as Paine managed to successfully persuade her sit down--to her slight surprise. Paine was surprised that Ashely wasn't asking questions she wouldn't know the answers too constantly, but she was happy she wasn't; though it felt like something was missing from the air. "Something on your mind, Ashe?" Paine asked, glancing around the restaurant herself.
"Just thinking about why you wanted to come here..." She looked back with a smile. Paine opened her mouth to speak but never got a word out. "I can see why, so much more activity then there is back home! So much more fun in the air!" Paine leaned back in her chair and looked away as she smiled. She had no idea what she wanted to eat but she had a strong guess that Ashe was going to try and order a sample of everything.
"The world is much more interesting when experienced in person then through a textbook, alas Flintain prefers his lectures." Paine commented.
"I know. They are drier then the biscuits Kylie or Doran bring back from their military rations!" They both laughed.

[Sceidan]

"Yes, he's very good at what he does, I can tell. My band members are currently off doing their own thing. You'll meet them later for sure. They've had much experience in their genre as well as other genres of music. We all go way back, and in fact we haven't had any lineup changes since our formation in 2004. They play in their own bands as well."

Aingeal nodded. "I see.", she said and smiled, turning back to where Ayden was playing, smiling softly, "We usually change the musicians we play with by the evening, from whoever is available and willing to play, but fixed bands of musicians are a given amongst more professional musicians and pub-bands."
She made a small pause. "Ayden and Waari and a few others are the band I am part of, although Waari is also a solist and Ayden's original job is actually another one." She smiled in approval about what she heard from the stage, the fiddles filling the square with music. "He's spot-on this morning.", she said to herself.

Akiko smiled as she watched Ayden play, soaking his melodies in. She was lost for a moment, but quickly returned to reality and turned to Aingeal. "Do you know when my band could have their soundcheck? We don't take very long to make sure everything is okay, but it's just sort of a last-minute rehearsal. And you'll get a preview of how we sound." Akiko smiled, leaning her head toward Aingeal a bit.

[Ru-]

"Depends on your priorities.", Fiona said with a smile, "Is the food more important to you or is it checking in? Alternatively, we can leave the Sergeant and Yoshio outside and check you two in." She leaned over and whispered to the knight as a suggestion: "The whole procedure is boring anyway and out here, he can see much more. We have to order anyway."
Meanwhile, activity was still in full motion, tables and chairs and a large grill being set up. Before even the first spark flew, there were three fire extinguishers closeby and ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice.
The guests from distant shores, as well as their Selkie-Companions were treated with the utmost respect, but mostly circumvented, as there was work to do. One waitress, with a very intricate pattern on her apron, had an eye on them and their actions, though, three menus under her arm.
The Sergeant meanwhile felt way out of her league. She earned well, even better then most Sergeants as she was of the Rangers, but this was still way out of her league, far more expensive then anything she would ever be able to affort.
As such, she concentrated onto her job.

The knight nodded as he saw Yoshio staring over at the large grill and all the commotion clearly very interested. Yoshio's eyes widened and lit up. The use of a grill was not at all common in Ruvian cooking, even backyard barbecues tended to much more commonly make use of slow cooking smokers instead. This grill in particular looked like it would make quite a spectacle if the fire extinguishers at the ready was any indication. It would be difficult to tear him away, and leaving him there to check in with Gwen made the knight feel uneasy. He would have to leave the king alone with the young Sergeant, and even though in the short time he had known her he had concluded that she seemed trustworthy and competent enough, she still wasn't a white knight of the royal guard, one of the select few knights allowed to take the sacred oaths to dedicate their lives to the defense of their king. Besides, he had been persuaded that it would be rude not to stay.

He turned to Gwen and answered. "I see, we can always wait to check in later. For now let's just find a proper seat and enjoy a meal together." The king turned from the busy staff to smile back to the group. "This already looks like it's gonna be alot different then food in Ru!" The knight smiled and glanced toward the Sergeant, then noticing her slight sense of discomfort and taking a stab at what was going on with her, turned and whispered. "Heh, just try to relax and enjoy this as a perk, my lady." She reminded him of himself right after he took his vows, and was more used to combat arts and military life then the trappings of a royal court. "You are his Majesty's protector and his guest. Order whatever you'd like without feeling guilty and enjoy his company, it is what he would want." He knew his little king would try and treat the three of them, he considered Gwen and wondered if the older woman would challenge him on that if he did.

[The Selkie]

"I hope so, too," Golahman said. He realized he wasn't wearing a scarf, nor was he around any small, fuzzy animals, and his fidgeted with his hands nervously. I wish I had asked Assad advice on how to stop fidgeting. Oh, he wouldn't be much help with that, anyway; he's not a fidgeter.

Fiona smiled and softly took his hand into her own, preventing it from fidgeting with his mate quite effectively with a soft squeeze. For a moment, she contemplated making a joke, something along the line of him needing something fuzzy to stroke, her holder was made of fur, but she refrained from that - they were in public, after all.
Instead, she pulled him along. "Come, let's get going!"
And that she did: A moment later, she was at the gangway, making her way down, Golahman at her side, as her little brother grinned up to them. She had seen photoes of her father, when he was younger and Glynn really looked the part - except for the armour, half-cuirasses as Selkie preferred them, intricately decorated and polished to a shine. All in all, he was a good looking young man, trained.
His grin, too, shined as she stepped forward and hugged his big sister, who was actually quite a bit shorter then he was, tightly and kissed her on the cheek tenderly. "Hello, Fiona.", he whispered to her.
"Hey, there, Glynn.", she replied and reached up to ruffle his hair, before she disengaged and turned to Golahman. "Alright, introductions, boys. Karak, this is my younger brother..." Glynn noted with a smile, that she didn't say 'little brother', mainly because she was around chest height for him. "...Glynn. Glynn, this is Karak Golahman, my boyfriend."
The young man nodded as he extended his hand in a gesture of greeting slightly awkward to him. "A pleasure, Sir. Sorry to miss you during your last visit."

Lukas looked wide eyed at Nora and grinned as he glanced back at Mona. "Little imp!" He laughed. "No need to be jealous Nora," He took a deep breathe of her aroma, and smiled. "Even when you are pregnant you move quieter then anyone else I know," He continued as he rose from his seat--and his hardly touched breakfast. He looked affectionately at her before he gave a light kiss. "How have you been, my lady?" He said with a joking tone, with a matching bow, before pointed at Mona, :You will have to tell me what Gwen is up to at some point!"

Mona by now smiled widely, nodding at the request and watching the two as they greeted each other - indeed, Mistress Cathlong was highly pregnant, the newest addition to her family due in June, and, as she knew, she was both very worried and well protected.
A spectre, if one wanted to call him that, made sure of that, a big canine predator by her feet, grey and black furred and rather nice-looking, if he wasn't on a mission - in this case, it was to protect his mistress' mother. Sról, Gwen's Grey Wolf and companion did his duty with his utmost ability... that being said, he wasn't above padding over to Mona and receive petting from her.
Nora, however, only had eyes for Lukas, gazing into them lovingly.
"It's a secret of the job.", she said with a smile, answering the question, before she kissed him again, before she sighed. "As for how I am... that little one is a bit heavy."
Her joke was accompanied by her settling her head onto his shoulder. There were a few other things, but not things, which she would talk about in public. She would tell him later, when they were amongst each other.

The Ceol was one of the best inns in the Free Lands, both due to the house itself and the people, who worked there. So, as the two Kuruvans made their way down, they were greeted friendly by the members of the staff, who they met, which weren't that many at this time.
Most were engaged in one way or the other with preparations for the festival.
The restaurant part of the Coel Inn was busy, too, but with the usual morning routine of serving breakfast. Many Selkie and tourists were in the large room, eating delicious smelling breakfasts of larger kinds and smaller kinds, most commonly the so called full course, with porridge, Battered Sausages, eggs and bread to wipe up the fat it was all delivered with.
Greasy, yes, not for the faint of heart or foreigners having to look out for the bikini figures, yes, but good.
A few tables were still free and finding a quiet spot for two was not a problem.

Ashely was glancing all around the Ceol as Paine managed to successfully persuade her sit down--to her slight surprise. Paine was surprised that Ashely wasn't asking questions she wouldn't know the answers too constantly, but she was happy she wasn't; though it felt like something was missing from the air. "Something on your mind, Ashe?" Paine asked, glancing around the restaurant herself.
"Just thinking about why you wanted to come here..." She looked back with a smile. Paine opened her mouth to speak but never got a word out. "I can see why, so much more activity then there is back home! So much more fun in the air!" Paine leaned back in her chair and looked away as she smiled. She had no idea what she wanted to eat but she had a strong guess that Ashe was going to try and order a sample of everything.
"The world is much more interesting when experienced in person then through a textbook, alas Flintain prefers his lectures." Paine commented.
"I know. They are drier then the biscuits Kylie or Doran bring back from their military rations!" They both laughed.

The conversation between the two was soon interrupted by a new voice, a woman in her middle ages, but still beautiful to look at, a brunette with a motherly expression of amusement on her lips.
"I can guarantee you, that nothing will be dry here, that isn't supposed to be dry.", the waitress, her apron with a very intricate pattern, said with a smile, "And no hardtack here. So, lassies, good morning. What can I bring you?"
She handed the two of them a card each, each with the morning menu on it, sometimes with pictures. Of course, there was the full course breakfast, but there were also lighter foods, amongst them bread (in the categories fresh, fresher and three days old) with plates of hams and cheeses, a few light salads, a fruit basket with all manners of fruit, a berry basket of the same, and a few smaller things, and a lot of drinks.
Lemonade in red, brown and white (including warnings, that those things were the nuclear warheads under the teeth destroyers), juices of apples, pears and berries, buttermilk, milk, iced tea, morning tea and brown mate... all that was offered and people drank it around the room.
"Don't worry about the cost, Major Dóire...", she pointed towards a group of men and women, who were watching someone trying to place a pear atop an apple on his head, "...invited the whole inn as per custom." The young managed it - for about five seconds, before the pear tumbled into his lap, much to his friends' amusement. The waitress gave a sidelong, dry smile. "The Free Lands' finest."

Akiko smiled as she watched Ayden play, soaking his melodies in. She was lost for a moment, but quickly returned to reality and turned to Aingeal. "Do you know when my band could have their soundcheck? We don't take very long to make sure everything is okay, but it's just sort of a last-minute rehearsal. And you'll get a preview of how we sound." Akiko smiled, leaning her head toward Aingeal a bit.

Aingeal smiled, letting the other woman rest her head onto her shoulder, watching her for a moment, as she heard Ayden play. Sometimes, she thought, one needed a new set of eyes to appreciate what someone had, in her case, that was indeed her fiddler Ayden, who she not directly took for granted, but of whom she sometimes forgot, how good he was, when he was solo.
He was always behind her on stage, never standing in the lights himself.
"Once the general technical check, what we are hearing now, is completed, the individual bands can do their individual soundchecks.", she explained, "Shouldn't take too long, now."

"Depends on your priorities.", Fiona said with a smile, "Is the food more important to you or is it checking in? Alternatively, we can leave the Sergeant and Yoshio outside and check you two in." She leaned over and whispered to the knight as a suggestion: "The whole procedure is boring anyway and out here, he can see much more. We have to order anyway."
Meanwhile, activity was still in full motion, tables and chairs and a large grill being set up. Before even the first spark flew, there were three fire extinguishers closeby and ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice.
The guests from distant shores, as well as their Selkie-Companions were treated with the utmost respect, but mostly circumvented, as there was work to do. One waitress, with a very intricate pattern on her apron, had an eye on them and their actions, though, three menus under her arm.
The Sergeant meanwhile felt way out of her league. She earned well, even better then most Sergeants as she was of the Rangers, but this was still way out of her league, far more expensive then anything she would ever be able to affort.
As such, she concentrated onto her job.

The knight nodded as he saw Yoshio staring over at the large grill and all the commotion clearly very interested. Yoshio's eyes widened and lit up. The use of a grill was not at all common in Ruvian cooking, even backyard barbecues tended to much more commonly make use of slow cooking smokers instead. This grill in particular looked like it would make quite a spectacle if the fire extinguishers at the ready was any indication. It would be difficult to tear him away, and leaving him there to check in with Gwen made the knight feel uneasy. He would have to leave the king alone with the young Sergeant, and even though in the short time he had known her he had concluded that she seemed trustworthy and competent enough, she still wasn't a white knight of the royal guard, one of the select few knights allowed to take the sacred oaths to dedicate their lives to the defense of their king. Besides, he had been persuaded that it would be rude not to stay.

He turned to Gwen and answered. "I see, we can always wait to check in later. For now let's just find a proper seat and enjoy a meal together." The king turned from the busy staff to smile back to the group. "This already looks like it's gonna be alot different then food in Ru!" The knight smiled and glanced toward the Sergeant, then noticing her slight sense of discomfort and taking a stab at what was going on with her, turned and whispered. "Heh, just try to relax and enjoy this as a perk, my lady." She reminded him of himself right after he took his vows, and was more used to combat arts and military life then the trappings of a royal court. "You are his Majesty's protector and his guest. Order whatever you'd like without feeling guilty and enjoy his company, it is what he would want." He knew his little king would try and treat the three of them, he considered Gwen and wondered if the older woman would challenge him on that if he did.

The Sergeant gave a slightly forlorn smile. "Enjoying his company should be easy, Sir.", she told him with a small blush on her cheeks as she was unused to being called 'my lady', "He's a nice little laddie, after all, but..."
"Don't worry about the payment, you two.", Gwen said with a smile, including both the knight and Yoshio, "It'll be on my tap. Same goes for you, Sergeant. Though, I'm afraid, that it'll be a while, until the grill is lit."
Hearing that, the waitress stepped forward with a smile, bowing her head lightly. "That is indeed the case, Mistress Banphrionsa.", she said with a smile and made an inviting gesture to one of the tables, one of the best, close to the tree, "Welcome to the Ceannaí Inn, Ma'am, Sergeant, Guests from Distant Shores."
"How often shall I tell you, Amy, call me Gwen!", the older of the two women said to the waitress with a smile as she went to the table.
"Force of habit.", the waitress replied with a smirk, handing out the menus to everyone except the apparent regular. "Sorry. So... what can I bring you all?"
The menu detailled what was available, besides the full course and bread (with the option to take small breadrolls) with plates of cheese and ham, there was also a variety of sweets, amongst them caramelised fruits, Scipeáil, Maith., battered sausages and fish, as well as chips, and a small variety of cakes and a huge selection of teas and lemonades.

[Krugeristan]

"I hope so, too," Golahman said. He realized he wasn't wearing a scarf, nor was he around any small, fuzzy animals, and his fidgeted with his hands nervously. I wish I had asked Assad advice on how to stop fidgeting. Oh, he wouldn't be much help with that, anyway; he's not a fidgeter.

Fiona smiled and softly took his hand into her own, preventing it from fidgeting with his mate quite effectively with a soft squeeze. For a moment, she contemplated making a joke, something along the line of him needing something fuzzy to stroke, her holder was made of fur, but she refrained from that - they were in public, after all.
Instead, she pulled him along. "Come, let's get going!"
And that she did: A moment later, she was at the gangway, making her way down, Golahman at her side, as her little brother grinned up to them. She had seen photoes of her father, when he was younger and Glynn really looked the part - except for the armour, half-cuirasses as Selkie preferred them, intricately decorated and polished to a shine. All in all, he was a good looking young man, trained.
His grin, too, shined as she stepped forward and hugged his big sister, who was actually quite a bit shorter then he was, tightly and kissed her on the cheek tenderly. "Hello, Fiona.", he whispered to her.
"Hey, there, Glynn.", she replied and reached up to ruffle his hair, before she disengaged and turned to Golahman. "Alright, introductions, boys. Karak, this is my younger brother..." Glynn noted with a smile, that she didn't say 'little brother', mainly because she was around chest height for him. "...Glynn. Glynn, this is Karak Golahman, my boyfriend."
The young man nodded as he extended his hand in a gesture of greeting slightly awkward to him. "A pleasure, Sir. Sorry to miss you during your last visit."

Golahman could only give a slight nod as he shook Glynn's hand. "That's . . . That's alright, I guess," he said, quietly. "Your sister is a wonderful person . . . though I don't know if classic sibling rivalries could prevent you from saying the same."

[The Selkie]

Golahman could only give a slight nod as he shook Glynn's hand. "That's . . . That's alright, I guess," he said, quietly. "Your sister is a wonderful person . . . though I don't know if classic sibling rivalries could prevent you from saying the same."

Glynn laughed. "I can say the same quite easily, Sir, mainly because I'm not Fiona's rival in anything. I'm but a simple lancer, who wasn't even able to qualify for the Greyfox."
"It was a tight race.", Fiona said and petted her brother's shoulder. "A very tight one."
"0.015 seconds." Glynn gave a lopsided grin, before his eyes fell onto Evanu. "And you might be?"

[Krugeristan]

Golahman could only give a slight nod as he shook Glynn's hand. "That's . . . That's alright, I guess," he said, quietly. "Your sister is a wonderful person . . . though I don't know if classic sibling rivalries could prevent you from saying the same."

Glynn laughed. "I can say the same quite easily, Sir, mainly because I'm not Fiona's rival in anything. I'm but a simple lancer, who wasn't even able to qualify for the Greyfox."
"It was a tight race.", Fiona said and petted her brother's shoulder. "A very tight one."
"0.015 seconds." Glynn gave a lopsided grin, before his eyes fell onto Evanu. "And you might be?"

"Corporal Evanu, Golahman's personal guard for this trip," Evanu replied, holding his hand out with slightly more confidence than his president.

Golahman weakly smiled. "Vershenov chose not to come, so, I placed him on nuclear inspection duty."

[The Selkie]

"Corporal Evanu, Golahman's personal guard for this trip," Evanu replied, holding his hand out with slightly more confidence than his president.

Golahman weakly smiled. "Vershenov chose not to come, so, I placed him on nuclear inspection duty."

"Ah...", Glynn made and took the hand into a shake, which might as well could have been putting his hand into a jaw vice for Evanu, if only for a brief moment. He grinned with it, glad, that it indeed wasn't Vershenov, for he knew, that the two of them wouldn't get along. He had joked with Fiona previously, that they could get rid of him by sending him into the Striapach Inn and then shun him, but Fiona noted that only as the last resort. "A pleasure, Corporal, welcome to Cuan and so on. Trip was okay?", he asked both men.

[Krugeristan]

"Corporal Evanu, Golahman's personal guard for this trip," Evanu replied, holding his hand out with slightly more confidence than his president.

Golahman weakly smiled. "Vershenov chose not to come, so, I placed him on nuclear inspection duty."

"Ah...", Glynn made and took the hand into a shake, which might as well could have been putting his hand into a jaw vice for Evanu, if only for a brief moment. He grinned with it, glad, that it indeed wasn't Vershenov, for he knew, that the two of them wouldn't get along. He had joked with Fiona previously, that they could get rid of him by sending him into the Striapach Inn and then shun him, but Fiona noted that only as the last resort. "A pleasure, Corporal, welcome to Cuan and so on. Trip was okay?", he asked both men.

"I guess it was," Golahman said. "We stopped in Syria beforehand, for a little bit, and the ride here was very smooth, for the most part . . ." He looked at his boots, nervously.

[Ru-]

The Sergeant gave a slightly forlorn smile. "Enjoying his company should be easy, Sir.", she told him with a small blush on her cheeks as she was unused to being called 'my lady', "He's a nice little laddie, after all, but..."
"Don't worry about the payment, you two.", Gwen said with a smile, including both the knight and Yoshio, "It'll be on my tap. Same goes for you, Sergeant. Though, I'm afraid, that it'll be a while, until the grill is lit."
Hearing that, the waitress stepped forward with a smile, bowing her head lightly. "That is indeed the case, Mistress Banphrionsa.", she said with a smile and made an inviting gesture to one of the tables, one of the best, close to the tree, "Welcome to the Ceannaí Inn, Ma'am, Sergeant, Guests from Distant Shores."
"How often shall I tell you, Amy, call me Gwen!", the older of the two women said to the waitress with a smile as she went to the table.
"Force of habit.", the waitress replied with a smirk, handing out the menus to everyone except the apparent regular. "Sorry. So... what can I bring you all?"
The menu detailled what was available, besides the full course and bread (with the option to take small breadrolls) with plates of cheese and ham, there was also a variety of sweets, amongst them caramelised fruits, Scipeáil, Maith., battered sausages and fish, as well as chips, and a small variety of cakes and a huge selection of teas and lemonades.

Yoshio made a move to argue against Gwen paying for him and his bodyguards but thought better of it. He was a visitor and she was a native so he would have to let her take the lead when it came to the local ettiquete here. And besides she seemed like she could afford it and he was still technically a little kid. Even in Ru it was considered highly unusual for a child to pay his own way. He simply said "Ah, well thank you then!" and began to order from the menu.

His knight wondered if thier hostess may regret it a little when she learned of the type of appeitie a young draylin boy could have compared to thier human counterparts. True to form, Yoshio ordered himself the full course, a lemonade and the battered sausages with chips. As if that somehow wasn't enough for him, he also asked the waitress about the foreign sounding items, most likely to find out if he'd prefer them to the other sweets on offer. He asked what the grill would be used for as well, though that was just because the boy was curious about it.

The knight merely ordered the bread with ham and cheese plates, and some hot tea when his turn eventually came. He thanked the waitress and handed yhe menu back to her.

[The Selkie]

"I guess it was," Golahman said. "We stopped in Syria beforehand, for a little bit, and the ride here was very smooth, for the most part . . ." He looked at his boots, nervously.

Glynn smiled and nodded. "That's good to hear.", he told them and turned, "Now, then, let's get moving - Dad expects us with the petting zoo and Lil got her hand on a carriage!"
"Really?", Fiona asked with a smile, as she took her little brother's hand in one and her boyfriends in the other, linking her arms with both.
"Granted, not the luxury variant, but it's a good one.", Glynn said. "We'll have to share it with a merry troupe of Tines, though. I hope, that this isn't a problem?"

The Sergeant gave a slightly forlorn smile. "Enjoying his company should be easy, Sir.", she told him with a small blush on her cheeks as she was unused to being called 'my lady', "He's a nice little laddie, after all, but..."
"Don't worry about the payment, you two.", Gwen said with a smile, including both the knight and Yoshio, "It'll be on my tap. Same goes for you, Sergeant. Though, I'm afraid, that it'll be a while, until the grill is lit."
Hearing that, the waitress stepped forward with a smile, bowing her head lightly. "That is indeed the case, Mistress Banphrionsa.", she said with a smile and made an inviting gesture to one of the tables, one of the best, close to the tree, "Welcome to the Ceannaí Inn, Ma'am, Sergeant, Guests from Distant Shores."
"How often shall I tell you, Amy, call me Gwen!", the older of the two women said to the waitress with a smile as she went to the table.
"Force of habit.", the waitress replied with a smirk, handing out the menus to everyone except the apparent regular. "Sorry. So... what can I bring you all?"
The menu detailled what was available, besides the full course and bread (with the option to take small breadrolls) with plates of cheese and ham, there was also a variety of sweets, amongst them caramelised fruits, Scipeáil, Maith., battered sausages and fish, as well as chips, and a small variety of cakes and a huge selection of teas and lemonades.

Yoshio made a move to argue against Gwen paying for him and his bodyguards but thought better of it. He was a visitor and she was a native so he would have to let her take the lead when it came to the local ettiquete here. And besides she seemed like she could afford it and he was still technically a little kid. Even in Ru it was considered highly unusual for a child to pay his own way. He simply said "Ah, well thank you then!" and began to order from the menu.

His knight wondered if thier hostess may regret it a little when she learned of the type of appeitie a young draylin boy could have compared to thier human counterparts. True to form, Yoshio ordered himself the full course, a lemonade and the battered sausages with chips. As if that somehow wasn't enough for him, he also asked the waitress about the foreign sounding items, most likely to find out if he'd prefer them to the other sweets on offer. He asked what the grill would be used for as well, though that was just because the boy was curious about it.

The knight merely ordered the bread with ham and cheese plates, and some hot tea when his turn eventually came. He thanked the waitress and handed yhe menu back to her.

With a small smile, Gwen watched the young King order his breakfast, helping the waitress to explain some of the 'foreign-sounding items', which were actually part of the usual Selkie-Cuisine, Scipeáil being made of a thick filling make of breadcrumbs, dried fruit and sweetener between two small layers pastry, while Maith was simply bread boiled in milk with sugar and spices. The grill, they explained with mirth in their eyes, would be used for grilling.
Neither of them were bothered by the curiosity.
All the time, she thought, that she was reminded of her own kids and their hunger - then again, children were the same everywhere in the world.
A good breakfast promised a good start of the day and so, the two Selkie ordered as well, Gwen a full course, too, and a wake-up-tea, while the Sergeant asked for a specific cake with a small blush and a sheepish smile, a berry cake.
The waitress nodded. "It'll take a few minutes until it'll all be delivered. Until then... farewell!"
And with that, she was on her way to the kitchen to deliver the order.
Gwen smiled at the three people at the table with her and exhaled, tension leaving her body visibly. "Now then, Yoshio... like it so far?", she asked.

[Krugeristan]

"I guess it was," Golahman said. "We stopped in Syria beforehand, for a little bit, and the ride here was very smooth, for the most part . . ." He looked at his boots, nervously.

Glynn smiled and nodded. "That's good to hear.", he told them and turned, "Now, then, let's get moving - Dad expects us with the petting zoo and Lil got her hand on a carriage!"
"Really?", Fiona asked with a smile, as she took her little brother's hand in one and her boyfriends in the other, linking her arms with both.
"Granted, not the luxury variant, but it's a good one.", Glynn said. "We'll have to share it with a merry troupe of Tines, though. I hope, that this isn't a problem?"

"That's not a problem at all," Golahman said. "They . . . the Tines . . . they won't be aggressive if they smell . . . Luminous on me, will they?"

[Aurora Confederacy]

Quite a few onlookers watched the Star Lynx and the two Aurorans by now, bemused by the latter two - the rope was a nice idea, but if a Star Lynx put a bit of effort into it, he would be able to shred them to tiny little pieces before they were even able to react, let alone bring the rope to bear.
However, the Star Lynx did not belong to the woman with the white hair. In the strict sense of the word, he did not belong to anyone, but he was associated with a redhead, who regularly helped with such petting zoos.
As it was, the man in question was nowhere to be seen.
As it was, as the Star Lynx approached, the crowd made way and the Star Lynx stood before the gazebo and in no way intimidated by the hot plates. He focussed onto the woman behind the counter, then looking at the fish ready to be cooked, then back to the woman and silently examining any obstacles, that might be in the way.
One of the current costumers volunteered an explanation: "I think, that he wants something to eat.", he suggested.

As the large cat came closer, and with the suggestion that the cat may actually be after breakfast, Gina reached across to a fish and put it onto the griddle hob, as it landed it began to sizzle and within a few minutes it was cooked, Gina then took the fish and glanced to the side then made her way out from the cooking area, waving to the large feline as she did before gently offering the freshly cooked fish to the said cat. "GENTLY!!" she said with a meaningful tone in her voice, although whether the cat gives a dam is anyone's guess!

Robbie grabbed her phone and put it onto camera mode then snapped a photo of Gina feeding the large cat a rather tasty fish. Smoked Salmon probably never tasted so good to this cat!

Meanwhile, over at the airport...
Zoe and Micky made their way to the airstrip and boarded a floatie to take the shirt plane flight to the city of Cuan where the festival is being held. For Micky it was an un-nerving time having Never been in an aircraft, yet alone an old piston engined float plane, although she has travelled on the Trans Polar Orbis R500 express across the barren wastelands of the Aurora Confederacy, which all things said, the R500 is probably quicker than the floatplane she is about to fly in, and also possibly more comfortable.

At the check in desk, Zoe handed over the papers "Cuan, 2 please" she says, "we flying on the Otter over there?" she asked.
Micky, with her camera took a few photographs before taking her boarding pass. "how old is the plane we are flying on Zoe?"
"older than us I think if its the one I think it is" she said, taking the boarding passes and walking with Micky to the aircraft where she greeted the pilot with a handshake.

[AHSCA]

"Thank you.", Ava said with a bow for all three of them, "Though, the thing is, it's not actually the day we were born on, but more of... ritual birthday. You see, we count our years not by the times the day of our birth had passed, but by how many Spring Equinoxes passed - which is today."
"By that...", Viola said with a smile, "...I'm now 38 Springs old."

"Oh my that's interesting. I've never given much thought to my age, for whatever reason birthdays and celebrating them just have never been a big part of island life like it is in so many countries. It wasn't really until after the war we began to keep calendars and dates and that. I think if we were a decade or two in the past now, I'd probably not even be able to tell you how old Mamiko is."

"I'm six" She replied out

[Ru-]

With a small smile, Gwen watched the young King order his breakfast, helping the waitress to explain some of the 'foreign-sounding items', which were actually part of the usual Selkie-Cuisine, Scipeáil being made of a thick filling make of breadcrumbs, dried fruit and sweetener between two small layers pastry, while Maith was simply bread boiled in milk with sugar and spices. The grill, they explained with mirth in their eyes, would be used for grilling.
Neither of them were bothered by the curiosity.
All the time, she thought, that she was reminded of her own kids and their hunger - then again, children were the same everywhere in the world.
A good breakfast promised a good start of the day and so, the two Selkie ordered as well, Gwen a full course, too, and a wake-up-tea, while the Sergeant asked for a specific cake with a small blush and a sheepish smile, a berry cake.
The waitress nodded. "It'll take a few minutes until it'll all be delivered. Until then... farewell!"
And with that, she was on her way to the kitchen to deliver the order.
Gwen smiled at the three people at the table with her and exhaled, tension leaving her body visibly. "Now then, Yoshio... like it so far?", she asked.

After hearing about Scipeáil, Yoshio decided that he had to try it and ordered that as well. Overall Yoshio had been quite adventurous with his order. His knight would likely have expected him to go for the ham and cheese, since both were common in Ruvian breakfasts. The sausages were a particularly bold choice for him. Though sausages were a big part of Ruvian dining as well, battering them was pretty unheard of, much more often they would be spicy and drenched in an even spicier tomato sauce. The king was here to experience new things however, and at least for his first meal in the Freelands, he'd want a more Selkie experience rather then trying to grasp at what was familiar.

The boy bid farewell back to his server and turned to acknowledge Gwen. "Oh yes! There were a whole lot of things that looked good, and this table is great." He motioned cheerfully tot he grill once again. "Can't wait to see them light up that thing! Should be cool!" The knight was a bit eager to strike up conversation as well, seeing as they had a chance to sit still and relax a bit while they waited for their food. "So, have you known much about Ru before now?" It was a very casual question that he seemed to be posing to both of the ladies.