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

[Krugeristan]

"Well, what are the personality differences between the male and the female?" Evanu asked. "I'd like to know which would better suit President Assad. He's--" Evanu took out a small notebook, in it was taped a photograph of Assad that was usually intended to use for a missing persons report (which, fortunately, didn't have to be used for that purpose yet), "this is him. He's got a good heart, I can assure you, very intelligent, can be a bit of a wise-ass, devoted to his family and country, is active, but not active often."

"That would fit him well," Golahman muttered, thinking while speaking. "May I see whom is up for adoption?"

The old man smiled apologetically, as he replied: "Deciding such matters is not up to me, you see?", he said as quite a few Black Foxes crowded around the picture, some even climbing over each other to have a look at the much-spoken-of man, Ban in the first row. They understood, what the young Corporal was saying and looked at the picture.
The old man, meanwhile, continued: "It is, first and foremost, up to the animal in question and the prospective owner. If they don't like each other from the get-go, it is hopeless. A pet, for us, is not a subordinate, but a partner, be it a Grey Wolf, a Black Fox or any other animal. Companions and fellowship..." He smiled. "These critters..."
Whatever was with these critters was relayed to posterity as a short scream came from the back room, screamed by a female voice very familiar to the old man. The old man turned white and reached under his counter, motioning to Evanu to take the lead.

Celina smiled as she heard his question. "One moment, please.", she said, and judged, that the little one in her arms had enough lunch. She removed the bottle, kissed the little one on the snout and headed back to the small basket with the other cubs.
The Black Fox, who had watched them the whole time, stood above it, looking at the little cubs... a glint in the eyes.
The young woman covered the little one up and pushed the basket under the table again. "They like that.", she explained, "Gives the impression of a cave, I guess. And it helps them sleep, too. I hope, that you understand, why none of them are for adoption yet. The others..." Celina stood up and turned to Golahman. "...well, I'll..."
Whatever she had to do, the Black Fox in her back tittered and with one jump tackled itself into Celina's back, lightly enough to not hurt her, but strong enough to throw her forward.
Into Golahman.
She reacted on instinct, a short scream escaping her lips as she threw her arms around the Krugeristani to keep herself from falling over, he seemed like a stable enough post... if he held, though, her being thrown into his back... that was another question.

Golahman shouted as well, trying to move back while holding Celina by her arms to keep her from falling completely, and he turned a stark shade of white from shock over the audacity of the fox and the sudden fall of Celina. He turned to see Evanu and the old man, his face still pale. "I don't know . . ." he stammered, "One of the cubs jumped on her and I had to do something."

[Jathana]

The leather-clad Selkie shook the offered hand, although a bit awkwardly.
"Yes, I'm Liliane.", she replied, "From Ard, it's my pleasure. Call me Lilly, though. Anyway..." She looked at the members of Akela's band. "You look like some Metal Sub-Genre... we play Rock, at Ard, but that's no reason to not get along, right?" She smiled a welcoming smile. "As it is, though, welcome to the Free Lands and Cuan, Lodan Lir's Pearl. Speaking of which - I didn't know, that foreign bands named themselves after a critter of the Great Sea."

The band members looked confused for a moment, but it slowly sank in that different cultures had different names for things, and apparently Mara was the name of a creature in the Free Lands. Akela chuckled "Oh! Well, Mara is regarded as a Buddhist demon. Mara attempted to seduce the Buddha with visions of women and luxury, but the Buddha was not phased. We chose the name Mara because it's catchy. I guess it could confuse some who know the name Mara as the name of a creature, but regardless, we enjoy it."

[Ru-]

The Sergeant nodded. "One of the shortstacks of my superior's superior's superior. Brigadier Oga, the MFC's Commanding Officer. The lad being here can only mean, that the Brigadier is here, too, most likely at the Lounge." She grinned. "The SDF donated quite a sum to the Cabhair Group, which hosts this festival, so they gave us a lounge to watch the proceedings. We can go there later, if you want!"
She grinned. "For now, though..."
Whatever she wanted to say was drowned out by the sound of a silver horn, sounding over the inner parts of the city they were in, sounding loudly and proudly.
"...fow now, let's get to the square, the Opening starts in a few minutes.", the Sergeant finished with a smile.

Yoshio was about to answer that a visit to the lounge sounded like a good idea to him but he was interrupted by the horn. He twisted in place, looking around to try and figure out what was going on before the Sergeant answered that question. "Oh let's go!" he shouted out and started to run off in the direction of the square but was quickly stopped in his tracks when His Knight grabbed his arm and sternly pulled him back close.

Knights of the White Cloak were long permitted to take much greater liberties when it came to physically handling the king then was granted to most others in the interest of their lifelong duty to his personal safety. Yoshio's eyes widened in surprise but he soon realized that he acted rashly and simply dusted himself off and adjusted his coat to regain his dignity. He then walked briskly but calmly ahead, along with his companions. "Ahem, well, we wouldn't wanna be late after all..."

[The Selkie]

The band members looked confused for a moment, but it slowly sank in that different cultures had different names for things, and apparently Mara was the name of a creature in the Free Lands. Akela chuckled "Oh! Well, Mara is regarded as a Buddhist demon. Mara attempted to seduce the Buddha with visions of women and luxury, but the Buddha was not phased. We chose the name Mara because it's catchy. I guess it could confuse some who know the name Mara as the name of a creature, but regardless, we enjoy it."

"Well, if that's the origin.", Lilly replied with a smile, "Though, I can't say, that our Maras offer women and luxury to anyone..." Her hand reached into a belt pouch, taking out a small picture book, where various photographs were displayed. She turned it as she found the one she was looking for... the picture of a creature in its natural habitat, looking scary and not really friendly.
It was a seahorse, the scales were blue, except for a few, yellow belly scales, thin spines atop the head and the slim snout looked more like the barrel of a gun then the snout of a living organism. Then there were the thin fins, white ones under the cheeks and two-pronged ones slightly longer then the cheeks, a fifth one on the back, getting support by blue spines.
It swam in water, looking at someone off-camera angrily, in the background a coral reef.
"...only pain. And quite nasty rashes.", she concluded.

The Sergeant nodded. "One of the shortstacks of my superior's superior's superior. Brigadier Oga, the MFC's Commanding Officer. The lad being here can only mean, that the Brigadier is here, too, most likely at the Lounge." She grinned. "The SDF donated quite a sum to the Cabhair Group, which hosts this festival, so they gave us a lounge to watch the proceedings. We can go there later, if you want!"
She grinned. "For now, though..."
Whatever she wanted to say was drowned out by the sound of a silver horn, sounding over the inner parts of the city they were in, sounding loudly and proudly.
"...fow now, let's get to the square, the Opening starts in a few minutes.", the Sergeant finished with a smile.

Yoshio was about to answer that a visit to the lounge sounded like a good idea to him but he was interrupted by the horn. He twisted in place, looking around to try and figure out what was going on before the Sergeant answered that question. "Oh let's go!" he shouted out and started to run off in the direction of the square but was quickly stopped in his tracks when His Knight grabbed his arm and sternly pulled him back close.

Knights of the White Cloak were long permitted to take much greater liberties when it came to physically handling the king then was granted to most others in the interest of their lifelong duty to his personal safety. Yoshio's eyes widened in surprise but he soon realized that he acted rashly and simply dusted himself off and adjusted his coat to regain his dignity. He then walked briskly but calmly ahead, along with his companions. "Ahem, well, we wouldn't wanna be late after all..."

The Sergeant smiled at the King and moved along. "Of course not, Sir.", she said and her smile widened, as they entered the large, central Láir Square. Four hectares, the centre a grassy field, around which the tournament grounds were established, and the cobbled square itself, surrounded by the most important structures of Cuan: The City Hall, the Ropaire Inn and the large Lodan Lir Temple, including the Temple School of Cuan. The latter was closed today, the staff area of the tournament field established in front of it. On one of the larger balconies of the Ropaire, a multitude of uniformed people, soldiers, waited and watched on.
Of course, the City Guard and the Militia were on the street, securing the entrances to the square and making sure, that nothing bad happened. The Sergeant nodded at the men and women.
The crowd warranted the officers, many, many people already there, the square packed full with people - still, they made way for the Sergeant and her followers without so much as a frown - as in the middle, a road was left free. From their vantage, between a beautiful maiden with flaxen hair, who gave the knight a look with a smile and a raised eyebrow, and an old gentleman, who smiled at the young King and rummaged in his pockets for a sweet.
This was the procession route and their view was good enough to see the small stage by the entrance of the tournament field and the entire lengst of the gap over the square. It was a very good spot.

Golahman shouted as well, trying to move back while holding Celina by her arms to keep her from falling completely, and he turned a stark shade of white from shock over the audacity of the fox and the sudden fall of Celina. He turned to see Evanu and the old man, his face still pale. "I don't know . . ." he stammered, "One of the cubs jumped on her and I had to do something."

The old man lowered the very mean-looking, very loaded crossbow and had a frown on his lips as the girl jumped back, panic in her eyes. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, which seemed to allow her to relax a bit.
"Thank you for not letting her fall.", he said slowly and with barely repressed anger, which wasn't aimed at the President of Krugeristan. "I can assure you, that I will deal with that problem of that little prankster... You okay, Celina?"
"A bit shaken up, but otherwise fine.", she said and nodded, bowing her head to Golahman as a sign of gratitude a moment later. She breathed heavily, the old man simply pulled her into a hug, whispering words of comfort.

[Krugeristan]

Golahman shouted as well, trying to move back while holding Celina by her arms to keep her from falling completely, and he turned a stark shade of white from shock over the audacity of the fox and the sudden fall of Celina. He turned to see Evanu and the old man, his face still pale. "I don't know . . ." he stammered, "One of the cubs jumped on her and I had to do something."

The old man lowered the very mean-looking, very loaded crossbow and had a frown on his lips as the girl jumped back, panic in her eyes. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, which seemed to allow her to relax a bit.
"Thank you for not letting her fall.", he said slowly and with barely repressed anger, which wasn't aimed at the President of Krugeristan. "I can assure you, that I will deal with that problem of that little prankster... You okay, Celina?"
"A bit shaken up, but otherwise fine.", she said and nodded, bowing her head to Golahman as a sign of gratitude a moment later. She breathed heavily, the old man simply pulled her into a hug, whispering words of comfort.

Golahman knew the reactions of everyone would've been different had he not done anything, but he knew he wasn't as disciplined as someone like Evanu was; he couldn't will himself to not catch Celina. It was an automatic reaction, part of human nature, something that wasn't able to punished or related to anything. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, and by the look he saw on Evanu's face, the guard didn't want anyone here hurt either.

[AHSCA]

Liam was, for a moment, dumbstruck, opening and closing his mouth like a fish on dry land.
Then the reality hit him like a ton of bricks... and he bowed his head. "It would be my greatest honour to fight as your Champion, Kumiko.", he said and blushed himself. With tender care, as if it could rip with the slightest bit of too much strength, Liam took the ribbon and bound it to his left arm, where it would be visible next to the vambrace, a good spot, where it would be proudly displayed and not be in the way. As a test, he flexed his arm a few times, gave it a nod...
...and then turned to Kumiko, leaning in to a soft, tender kiss on her cheek.

Finn grinned back. "Awesome!", he cheered and told her: "I'm here with my family, too, from Scilly, a bit to the south and a lot to the west, but by train! Through rolling hills and over lush fields! Say, where are you going next today? Have you been to the Petting Zoo?"

"Mmm" Kumiko nodded again still smiling in a bashful way grateful he accepted and gave a kiss back. "Liam, do your best." Win or lose she was impressed by him.

Mamiko's eyes widdened with curiosity "Wow a train. Oh wherever mama and I go, we wanted to see more of the fair. I really want to see the petting zoo! There's so many interesting animals here that I've never seen before." She cusped her little hands around her eyes as if peering through a pair of imaginary binoculars.

[Ru-]

The Sergeant smiled at the King and moved along. "Of course not, Sir.", she said and her smile widened, as they entered the large, central Láir Square. Four hectares, the centre a grassy field, around which the tournament grounds were established, and the cobbled square itself, surrounded by the most important structures of Cuan: The City Hall, the Ropaire Inn and the large Lodan Lir Temple, including the Temple School of Cuan. The latter was closed today, the staff area of the tournament field established in front of it. On one of the larger balconies of the Ropaire, a multitude of uniformed people, soldiers, waited and watched on.
Of course, the City Guard and the Militia were on the street, securing the entrances to the square and making sure, that nothing bad happened. The Sergeant nodded at the men and women.
The crowd warranted the officers, many, many people already there, the square packed full with people - still, they made way for the Sergeant and her followers without so much as a frown - as in the middle, a road was left free. From their vantage, between a beautiful maiden with flaxen hair, who gave the knight a look with a smile and a raised eyebrow, and an old gentleman, who smiled at the young King and rummaged in his pockets for a sweet.
This was the procession route and their view was good enough to see the small stage by the entrance of the tournament field and the entire lengst of the gap over the square. It was a very good spot.

Larra was very pleased with the Sergeant's ability to acquire a spot for them, the view was wonderful and it seemed to him to certainly be a spot worthy of the King of Ru. She had done well. He nodded to her before noticing the attention paid to him by the pretty young lady next to him. He answered her with a charming smile and a small knightly bow. He was quite used to female attention by now, as he was the youngest of the 9 White Cloaks and widely considered back in Ru to be very handsome. He couldn't help but notice however that the local girls seemed to be checking him out a little more then even he had become accustomed to. He wondered if it was just a coincidence.

King Yoshio smiled back up at the man and greeted him, the boy noticed that the gentleman was getting something out, possibly something for him, and he stood up on the balls of his feet and rocked them slightly in anticipation.

[Aurora Confederacy]

While the Free Lands were famous for their whiskey, beers and ales, and had that reputation for a reason, no matter where Zoe and Mickey went, waitresses, shop owners or simple clerks would shake their heads at their inquiries about something alcoholic.
One of them, a waitress at the end of her thirties, her intracate pattern on the apron showing high rank and experience, brought it to the point: "Sorry, lassies, no can do. Opening of the taps is at 6, p.m., before you ask, and selling something beforehand would be disrespectful towards the Gods. And believe me, you don't want to offend them." She smiled. "We do have a good apple juice, though!"

The Lieutenant smiled. "Very good. Free and with people, who know, what they are doing. Some people also call it homeopathic, mostly people from abroad, mainly because we don't throw pills at every little problem.", she grinned at Gina, "Believe me, many problems are solved with herbal teas and a good night's sleep, no need to bring out heavier guns until necessary. Granted..." She glanced at her knee. "...some things can't be solved with herbal medicine, but in some cases, it helps. Considerably so... I remember, when I woke up, one arm missing... my first medicine against the panic setting in was a nurse, a pretty little thing, helping me drink a good cuppa. It calmed me down more then anything else."

On hearing the alcohol selling times it all began to make sence "aah thanks" repled Zoe, a litte dissapointed but no beer till after 6 is no beer till after 6, "in that case two lime fruit sodas with ice please" before looking at Micky, "then we head to the arena to get the prime spot before it fills up"

Micky smiled "okay, is there sword fighting, jousting to something you want to watch"

"Micky, i think thats on the time table" and so with their drinks handed Zoe and Micky begin to make their way to the arena.

Over by the sound check area, "when the boat ran over my leg and the prop chewed it up I thought that was it, game over for me but I popped up and was greeted by dead crewmembers everywhere. I was the suit of a dead man and his clothing that saved me, wrapped a lot of it around the wound and used a belt to tighten it before using one of the survival suits and there I lay wating for the end in a half deflated rubber boat drifting away from shore. now Im not that religious, born Catholic but not massively devout and having been in the ocean for 2 days I could have sworn I heard someone tell me to turn arund and when I did there was that lynx to pick me out of the sea. I dont remember anything else until I woke up I was in a white room aboard a ship minus a leg and ya know that feeling you get when they pump you full of opiates to quell pain? I had that kind of feeling. They had kept me under for three days" replies Gina, talking about the night every thing changed. "I suspect my left knee will begin to wear prematurely though as its doing a lot of work but I will cross that when I get to it"

Gina turned to the subject of the festival, "so what can I expect to miss as I will be running a stand just outside?, but I might send Robbie round to have a look at what is going on"

[The Selkie]

Golahman knew the reactions of everyone would've been different had he not done anything, but he knew he wasn't as disciplined as someone like Evanu was; he couldn't will himself to not catch Celina. It was an automatic reaction, part of human nature, something that wasn't able to punished or related to anything. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, and by the look he saw on Evanu's face, the guard didn't want anyone here hurt either.

The old man asked Celina something in Selkie, to which she replied in a deadpan tone, that carried over.
He laughed and lowered the crossbow completely, grinning at Golahman. "Now then, you have my gratitude, too.", he told the younger man, "If you'll have one of my foxes, though..."
He looked at Celina, who deeply breathed out, looking the man in the eye.
Silence for a minute.
"If there is a volunteer, then I don't see any problem.", she said and nodded, "Quite on the contrary."

"Mmm" Kumiko nodded again still smiling in a bashful way grateful he accepted and gave a kiss back. "Liam, do your best." Win or lose she was impressed by him.

Mamiko's eyes widdened with curiosity "Wow a train. Oh wherever mama and I go, we wanted to see more of the fair. I really want to see the petting zoo! There's so many interesting animals here that I've never seen before." She cusped her little hands around her eyes as if peering through a pair of imaginary binoculars.

Liam nodded. "I will.", he said and added in his mind ...win.
There was determination in his voice and especially in his eyes, a smirk on his face. He not only felt honoured, but also lucky... he could get lost, gazing into her eyes, loosing all feeling for time and space. He would freely admit, that she wasn't exactly the first woman to kiss him, but this one little, shy peck on the cheek beat them all.
He would win or die trying.

Finn laughed. "You won't need one of those here!", he said with a wide smile and extended his hand, "All free for playing and petting and doing awesome stuff!"
The blonde rider smiled, looking over to Mamiko's mother, then to the two kids. If they would move one inch from there, she would follow them and chaperone, lest they got into trouble - however, trouble seemed to find them and quite suddenly, too.
A large, green, gecko-like creature with a red stomach, impressive claws for hands, powerful legs. There were leaf-like looking blades on each of its wrists, while another one hung from the head. The creature was suddenly there, cocking his head and looking curiousity at both Finn and Mamiko.
The boy shifted his stance, half-covering Mamiko, as he had never seen one of those.

The Sergeant smiled at the King and moved along. "Of course not, Sir.", she said and her smile widened, as they entered the large, central Láir Square. Four hectares, the centre a grassy field, around which the tournament grounds were established, and the cobbled square itself, surrounded by the most important structures of Cuan: The City Hall, the Ropaire Inn and the large Lodan Lir Temple, including the Temple School of Cuan. The latter was closed today, the staff area of the tournament field established in front of it. On one of the larger balconies of the Ropaire, a multitude of uniformed people, soldiers, waited and watched on.
Of course, the City Guard and the Militia were on the street, securing the entrances to the square and making sure, that nothing bad happened. The Sergeant nodded at the men and women.
The crowd warranted the officers, many, many people already there, the square packed full with people - still, they made way for the Sergeant and her followers without so much as a frown - as in the middle, a road was left free. From their vantage, between a beautiful maiden with flaxen hair, who gave the knight a look with a smile and a raised eyebrow, and an old gentleman, who smiled at the young King and rummaged in his pockets for a sweet.
This was the procession route and their view was good enough to see the small stage by the entrance of the tournament field and the entire lengst of the gap over the square. It was a very good spot.

Larra was very pleased with the Sergeant's ability to acquire a spot for them, the view was wonderful and it seemed to him to certainly be a spot worthy of the King of Ru. She had done well. He nodded to her before noticing the attention paid to him by the pretty young lady next to him. He answered her with a charming smile and a small knightly bow. He was quite used to female attention by now, as he was the youngest of the 9 White Cloaks and widely considered back in Ru to be very handsome. He couldn't help but notice however that the local girls seemed to be checking him out a little more then even he had become accustomed to. He wondered if it was just a coincidence.

King Yoshio smiled back up at the man and greeted him, the boy noticed that the gentleman was getting something out, possibly something for him, and he stood up on the balls of his feet and rocked them slightly in anticipation.

The old man handed Yoshio a small piece in colourful wrapping paper, smiling and nodding at the young king before turning back forward. The Sergeant, leaving Larra to his own devices for a moment, bowed down to Yoshio to whisper something to him: "Caramelized fruit.", she whispered to him.
The old gentleman nodded with a laugh. "Ruin an old man's fun, now will you, Sergeant?", he said with a smile, "Tell me, who is this youngster?"
The Sergeant narrowed her eyes, putting a hand onto Yoshio's shoulder protectively.

The maiden with the flaxen hair, the hair long and curling at its ends near her rear, going more into the yellowish then the yellow-greyish, was a pretty thing, even by Selkie-Standards, gifted with curves in just the right places and not afraid of showing them without showing them off. She was around twenty, carrying herself with self-conficende and assurance, her every move only emphasized by the Geansai she wore - natural colours of the fur, formerly belonging to a Grey Wolf, which meant, that she was a Servant to Gavida, God of Arts and Crafts.
"Hi.", she said with a smile, returning the bow - and, for but a moment, giving him a rather generous view.

While the Free Lands were famous for their whiskey, beers and ales, and had that reputation for a reason, no matter where Zoe and Mickey went, waitresses, shop owners or simple clerks would shake their heads at their inquiries about something alcoholic.
One of them, a waitress at the end of her thirties, her intracate pattern on the apron showing high rank and experience, brought it to the point: "Sorry, lassies, no can do. Opening of the taps is at 6, p.m., before you ask, and selling something beforehand would be disrespectful towards the Gods. And believe me, you don't want to offend them." She smiled. "We do have a good apple juice, though!"

The Lieutenant smiled. "Very good. Free and with people, who know, what they are doing. Some people also call it homeopathic, mostly people from abroad, mainly because we don't throw pills at every little problem.", she grinned at Gina, "Believe me, many problems are solved with herbal teas and a good night's sleep, no need to bring out heavier guns until necessary. Granted..." She glanced at her knee. "...some things can't be solved with herbal medicine, but in some cases, it helps. Considerably so... I remember, when I woke up, one arm missing... my first medicine against the panic setting in was a nurse, a pretty little thing, helping me drink a good cuppa. It calmed me down more then anything else."

On hearing the alcohol selling times it all began to make sence "aah thanks" repled Zoe, a litte dissapointed but no beer till after 6 is no beer till after 6, "in that case two lime fruit sodas with ice please" before looking at Micky, "then we head to the arena to get the prime spot before it fills up"

Micky smiled "okay, is there sword fighting, jousting to something you want to watch"

"Micky, i think thats on the time table" and so with their drinks handed Zoe and Micky begin to make their way to the arena.

Over by the sound check area, "when the boat ran over my leg and the prop chewed it up I thought that was it, game over for me but I popped up and was greeted by dead crewmembers everywhere. I was the suit of a dead man and his clothing that saved me, wrapped a lot of it around the wound and used a belt to tighten it before using one of the survival suits and there I lay wating for the end in a half deflated rubber boat drifting away from shore. now Im not that religious, born Catholic but not massively devout and having been in the ocean for 2 days I could have sworn I heard someone tell me to turn arund and when I did there was that lynx to pick me out of the sea. I dont remember anything else until I woke up I was in a white room aboard a ship minus a leg and ya know that feeling you get when they pump you full of opiates to quell pain? I had that kind of feeling. They had kept me under for three days" replies Gina, talking about the night every thing changed. "I suspect my left knee will begin to wear prematurely though as its doing a lot of work but I will cross that when I get to it"

Gina turned to the subject of the festival, "so what can I expect to miss as I will be running a stand just outside?, but I might send Robbie round to have a look at what is going on"

With their drinks handed to them, and on the way to the tournament field, the two Aurorans were soon to enter Láir Square, the centre of Cuan of roughly four hectares. The place, as it was, was already packed full and only a ceremonial street went from one of the entrances right to the arena. As no one was using it, it was rather clear, that it was not for normal pedestrian traffic.
However, the crowd was much less permitting to the two Aurorans then it had been to Yoshio and his group, which wasn't even with any ill intention. As it was harder for them to get through it, they had all the time in the world to look at the buildings around the square, including the Ropaire Inn.
The gate of the good house were open, just beyond it a group preparing to depart: A girl, around thirteen, with red hair and blue eyes checking the reins of a colt with tender care, a fuchsia colt with white mane and black muzzle, blue eyes. His reins were simple, yet sturdy and of leather. At either of her sides, two young women, one black haired and with blue eyes, one brunette, prepared their own larger, fully grown horses, themselves clad in the half cuirasses preferred by the Selkie, highly ornamented ones, each carrying a sword and a quiver at their sides, a stablehand holding two lances with pennons in different colours.
The girl gave a nod and then turned, spotting the two Aurorans and waving with a friendly, but shaky smile.

The Lieutenant listened to the story, nodding occassionally. She remembered her loosing her arm in far too much clarity, she remembered holding her own severed limb in her hands, blood dripping as... she shook her head rather violently, dispelling the images she had found herself under.
"Sorry, what was that?", she asked of the girl, a bit of nervousness in her voice, "What's going down today? Well, the main events certainly will be music here, on the Ceol Square, many Selkie bands and at least one foreign performing, as well as musicians jamming in the timeslots not occupied. Then there's the Greyfox Cup, a Lanceriding Tournament - not jousting, so that there is no confusion. And one can not forget the Spring Sacrafice... not to mention, the Petting Zoo. I believe, I read somewhere about a few foreigners putting up a stall near it, so you will be in for quite a show in the distance, if those are you two." She made a small pause. "Well, those are the major things, a whole lot of minor things go down as well. What would she be interested in?"

[Whalestron]

Lucinda and Taryn sat in their room, either one of them doing makeup or some other girly thing. Lucinda decided to do her hair and leave her face, while Taryn was taking the route of actually applying makeup, a mirror positioned between her legs. "Those bands were great! I've never heard anyone so good back in Whalestron!" Taryn said. Lucinda nodded, glancing over at her roomate. "Yeah, well, libraries don't exactly blare good music, do they?" Said Lucinda. "Hey, you think we should head out soon? Don't want to miss the show."

Taryn closed her makeup kit with a snap, puckering her lips one last time to adjust any lipstick that might have been uneven. "Yep! I'm ready." Taryn got up, heading for the door. "Oh, shoot.. Head out without me, I'll catch up." Lucinda called after Taryn. Taryn didn't know Lucinda's deal with carrying firearms, or the fact that Lucinda had been a tool of the government for almost all of her childhood. And Lucinda thought it best to keep it that way. Unfortunately for her, old habits died hard; she slipped the pistol she had into her purse, then jogged out to meet up with Taryn, who was waiting outside.

They approached the arena within ten minutes, both of them chatting happily. They'd talk about the architecture, the culture, just about everything. Lucinda had seen many other countries, so it didn't exactly shock her, but she acted excited for Taryn. "This must be it!" Taryn squealed, tugging on Lucinda's arm as they closed in on the entrance.

[The Selkie]

Lucinda and Taryn sat in their room, either one of them doing makeup or some other girly thing. Lucinda decided to do her hair and leave her face, while Taryn was taking the route of actually applying makeup, a mirror positioned between her legs. "Those bands were great! I've never heard anyone so good back in Whalestron!" Taryn said. Lucinda nodded, glancing over at her roomate. "Yeah, well, libraries don't exactly blare good music, do they?" Said Lucinda. "Hey, you think we should head out soon? Don't want to miss the show."

Taryn closed her makeup kit with a snap, puckering her lips one last time to adjust any lipstick that might have been uneven. "Yep! I'm ready." Taryn got up, heading for the door. "Oh, shoot.. Head out without me, I'll catch up." Lucinda called after Taryn. Taryn didn't know Lucinda's deal with carrying firearms, or the fact that Lucinda had been a tool of the government for almost all of her childhood. And Lucinda thought it best to keep it that way. Unfortunately for her, old habits died hard; she slipped the pistol she had into her purse, then jogged out to meet up with Taryn, who was waiting outside.

They approached the arena within ten minutes, both of them chatting happily. They'd talk about the architecture, the culture, just about everything. Lucinda had seen many other countries, so it didn't exactly shock her, but she acted excited for Taryn. "This must be it!" Taryn squealed, tugging on Lucinda's arm as they closed in on the entrance.

The Láir Square was, at least for the morning, the centre of attention due to the Opening and the Spring Sacrafice, over midday due to the first rounds of the Greyfox Cup and in the afternoon due to the final rounds. All in all, it was already packed, but the Tournament Field itself, on the green of the square, where on usual market days the livestock would stand, was relatively empty. The ranks of the large wooden stands, erected for this specific purpose, were mostly empty, as were the places on the sidelines, one of the short sides cordoned off for participants of the tournament.
If one skirted at the edge of the crowd on the square itself, one could easily enter the tournament field.
There was already a bit of work done in there, contestants preparing their horses and equipment, as well as talking amongst each others - although opponents on the field, the Marcach (the Selkie-term for equestrian sportsmen of their variation) were a tightly knit community of fellows and friends.
Two, however, preferred to be in solace, sitting on the field together in silence, near the stands, talking to each other, friendly. A young man and a young woman, the young man with short, red hair and a lopsided grin, quite friendly and approachable looking... while his companion was the looker, a blue haired young woman, face easy on the eyes, blue eyes sparkling and a laugh like little silver bells, as she laughed about something her companion told her, relaying an anecdote.
They were both contestants, clad in the half-cuirasses preferred by the Selkie, both with little ornaments except scratches and a dent, above simple, yet sturdy leather gambessons. It somehow fitted the woman better then the man, who had a quiver at his hip.
Both did not notice the two new entries on the tournament field.

[Krugeristan]

Golahman knew the reactions of everyone would've been different had he not done anything, but he knew he wasn't as disciplined as someone like Evanu was; he couldn't will himself to not catch Celina. It was an automatic reaction, part of human nature, something that wasn't able to punished or related to anything. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, and by the look he saw on Evanu's face, the guard didn't want anyone here hurt either.

The old man asked Celina something in Selkie, to which she replied in a deadpan tone, that carried over.
He laughed and lowered the crossbow completely, grinning at Golahman. "Now then, you have my gratitude, too.", he told the younger man, "If you'll have one of my foxes, though..."
He looked at Celina, who deeply breathed out, looking the man in the eye.
Silence for a minute.
"If there is a volunteer, then I don't see any problem.", she said and nodded, "Quite on the contrary."

"Well . . ." Golahman looked around, ". . . If I can present one to Assad within a month or so, I can pick one now . . ." He nervously glanced at Evanu, who nodded a little.

[Whalestron]

[spoiler=Whalestron-Quote]

Lucinda and Taryn sat in their room, either one of them doing makeup or some other girly thing. Lucinda decided to do her hair and leave her face, while Taryn was taking the route of actually applying makeup, a mirror positioned between her legs. "Those bands were great! I've never heard anyone so good back in Whalestron!" Taryn said. Lucinda nodded, glancing over at her roomate. "Yeah, well, libraries don't exactly blare good music, do they?" Said Lucinda. "Hey, you think we should head out soon? Don't want to miss the show."

Taryn closed her makeup kit with a snap, puckering her lips one last time to adjust any lipstick that might have been uneven. "Yep! I'm ready." Taryn got up, heading for the door. "Oh, shoot.. Head out without me, I'll catch up." Lucinda called after Taryn. Taryn didn't know Lucinda's deal with carrying firearms, or the fact that Lucinda had been a tool of the government for almost all of her childhood. And Lucinda thought it best to keep it that way. Unfortunately for her, old habits died hard; she slipped the pistol she had into her purse, then jogged out to meet up with Taryn, who was waiting outside.

They approached the arena within ten minutes, both of them chatting happily. They'd talk about the architecture, the culture, just about everything. Lucinda had seen many other countries, so it didn't exactly shock her, but she acted excited for Taryn. "This must be it!" Taryn squealed, tugging on Lucinda's arm as they closed in on the entrance.

The Láir Square was, at least for the morning, the centre of attention due to the Opening and the Spring Sacrafice, over midday due to the first rounds of the Greyfox Cup and in the afternoon due to the final rounds. All in all, it was already packed, but the Tournament Field itself, on the green of the square, where on usual market days the livestock would stand, was relatively empty. The ranks of the large wooden stands, erected for this specific purpose, were mostly empty, as were the places on the sidelines, one of the short sides cordoned off for participants of the tournament.
If one skirted at the edge of the crowd on the square itself, one could easily enter the tournament field.
There was already a bit of work done in there, contestants preparing their horses and equipment, as well as talking amongst each others - although opponents on the field, the Marcach (the Selkie-term for equestrian sportsmen of their variation) were a tightly knit community of fellows and friends.
Two, however, preferred to be in solace, sitting on the field together in silence, near the stands, talking to each other, friendly. A young man and a young woman, the young man with short, red hair and a lopsided grin, quite friendly and approachable looking... while his companion was the looker, a blue haired young woman, face easy on the eyes, blue eyes sparkling and a laugh like little silver bells, as she laughed about something her companion told her, relaying an anecdote.
They were both contestants, clad in the half-cuirasses preferred by the Selkie, both with little ornaments except scratches and a dent, above simple, yet sturdy leather gambessons. It somehow fitted the woman better then the man, who had a quiver at his hip.
Both did not notice the two new entries on the tournament field.

[/spoiler]

Taryn nudged Lucinda, pointing out into the field. She was aiming more to surprise Lucinda with the people's preparing, but Lucinda's eyes fell on the two outliers. Taryn spoke about how interesting and awesome it would be to see fights and jousts. With a mention of her friend's name, however, Lucinda snapped out of it. "You should totally compete in one of these!" She said with a giggle.

Lucinda smiled, blushing. "No, I- I couldn't even if I wanted to. Closed sign ups, I'm pretty sure.." She said, trying to excuse herself from any embarrassment she'd likely receive. "Let's ask those two where the, uh, concession stands would be, y'know, they might have a good idea where everything is." Taryn nodded, although she wasn't fooled for a second with Lucinda's lie, following her through the small opening leading into the main field. They both approached the two, Lucinda stopping to get their attention. "Uh, excuse me.. Do either of you know where the concession stands are?" Asked Lucinda almost too lamely.

[AHSCA]

Liam nodded. "I will.", he said and added in his mind ...win.
There was determination in his voice and especially in his eyes, a smirk on his face. He not only felt honoured, but also lucky... he could get lost, gazing into her eyes, loosing all feeling for time and space. He would freely admit, that she wasn't exactly the first woman to kiss him, but this one little, shy peck on the cheek beat them all.
He would win or die trying.

Finn laughed. "You won't need one of those here!", he said with a wide smile and extended his hand, "All free for playing and petting and doing awesome stuff!"
The blonde rider smiled, looking over to Mamiko's mother, then to the two kids. If they would move one inch from there, she would follow them and chaperone, lest they got into trouble - however, trouble seemed to find them and quite suddenly, too.
A large, green, gecko-like creature with a red stomach, impressive claws for hands, powerful legs. There were leaf-like looking blades on each of its wrists, while another one hung from the head. The creature was suddenly there, cocking his head and looking curiousity at both Finn and Mamiko.
The boy shifted his stance, half-covering Mamiko, as he had never seen one of those.

Kumiko was feeling light on her toes and giddy as a school girl. Was she getting a crush on Liam suddenly or was it simply the event. No harm in letting things play out. "If the Goddess so Will." She muttered to herself in the thoughts racing through her mind. "Oh Mamiko." She turned to see her girl with the little boy Finn. "Aaah" She sighed with a giggle in her voice. "looks like my little one is finding a kindred spirit too" She turned her head a moment again diverting to the other events it seemed they were simply talking and Mamiko knew better to ask before going off, even if she could be a little rambunctious.

Mamiko still grinning ear-to-ear took Fin's hand "Mhm okay!" now in the face of this mysterious creature to Mamiko's eyes she tightened her grip on Finn's hand. "What is that thing? It's kind of scary..."

[The Selkie]

"Well . . ." Golahman looked around, ". . . If I can present one to Assad within a month or so, I can pick one now . . ." He nervously glanced at Evanu, who nodded a little.

Celina smiled a bit sheepish. "While that idea has its merits...", she said and interrupted the owner of the establishment, before he could get a word in, "...that would require one of us two to travel with you to Syria. Believe me, it'll be necessary, unless you want to have scratch marks all over you and Mister Assad."
She made a small pause.
"I guess...", the old man began, "...that he's have to come here or one of us with you. I'm an old man, though."

Taryn nudged Lucinda, pointing out into the field. She was aiming more to surprise Lucinda with the people's preparing, but Lucinda's eyes fell on the two outliers. Taryn spoke about how interesting and awesome it would be to see fights and jousts. With a mention of her friend's name, however, Lucinda snapped out of it. "You should totally compete in one of these!" She said with a giggle.

Lucinda smiled, blushing. "No, I- I couldn't even if I wanted to. Closed sign ups, I'm pretty sure.." She said, trying to excuse herself from any embarrassment she'd likely receive. "Let's ask those two where the, uh, concession stands would be, y'know, they might have a good idea where everything is." Taryn nodded, although she wasn't fooled for a second with Lucinda's lie, following her through the small opening leading into the main field. They both approached the two, Lucinda stopping to get their attention. "Uh, excuse me.. Do either of you know where the concession stands are?" Asked Lucinda almost too lamely.

The two looked up, the redhead smiling a lopsided smile, which seemed to encompass all of the world as he looked the two women up and down and came to the conclusion, that he's be honoured to show them around.
He took in air to reply...
...only for the bluenette to do so in his stead, a light accent of rolling Rs and dropped vowels shining through. "You are excused - there are no concession stands on the Tournament Field, but on the square and the entire festival grounds... which is more or less the entire Downtown Cuan.", she said and nodded towards one of the tents. "Alternatively, you could ask the sellers of concessions during the tournament, if they don't want to give you a taste. Or..."
She looked at the redhead, who nodded, knowing, what she had in mind. "Or you could stay with the two of us for a bit, we were planning of having a second breakfast with a few friends and I believe, that there's still room for a few people."

Kumiko was feeling light on her toes and giddy as a school girl. Was she getting a crush on Liam suddenly or was it simply the event. No harm in letting things play out. "If the Goddess so Will." She muttered to herself in the thoughts racing through her mind. "Oh Mamiko." She turned to see her girl with the little boy Finn. "Aaah" She sighed with a giggle in her voice. "looks like my little one is finding a kindred spirit too" She turned her head a moment again diverting to the other events it seemed they were simply talking and Mamiko knew better to ask before going off, even if she could be a little rambunctious.

Mamiko still grinning ear-to-ear took Fin's hand "Mhm okay!" now in the face of this mysterious creature to Mamiko's eyes she tightened her grip on Finn's hand. "What is that thing? It's kind of scary..."

Liam nodded, having followed her eyes to the short redhead and Kumiko's daughter, a lively little soul, it seemed.
"Ah, kids...", he said and smiled with a nod, "I know the boy, he's a good one, so don't worry about her. She's in good hands." He put an arm around her shoulder and leaned over to whisper something to her. "Do we follow them to have..."
He trailed off as the gecko-like creature approached... and put his hand on the handle of his sword.
Meanwhile, still half-covering Mamiko, still holding her hand, Finn's other went to his belt to draw a relatively long dagger, no crossbar, long blade and very sharp, pointy one, too. He held it down, not raising it yet.
The creature lowered his head in sadness and gave a short click, letting his shoulders hang a bit. He didn't look too happy with this development.

[Krugeristan]

"Well . . ." Golahman looked around, ". . . If I can present one to Assad within a month or so, I can pick one now . . ." He nervously glanced at Evanu, who nodded a little.

Celina smiled a bit sheepish. "While that idea has its merits...", she said and interrupted the owner of the establishment, before he could get a word in, "...that would require one of us two to travel with you to Syria. Believe me, it'll be necessary, unless you want to have scratch marks all over you and Mister Assad."
She made a small pause.
"I guess...", the old man began, "...that he's have to come here or one of us with you. I'm an old man, though."

Golahman looked at Evanu, who said, "Unfortunately, we've heard many times, from many people here, that Assad coming here would be incredibly unpleasant given his current circumstances. He'd be constantly surrounded by security, and it'd be difficult for him to breathe, metaphorically, because many of your people whom we've developed relationships with state that there are people here who'd like to see Assad dead."

[Ru-]

The old man handed Yoshio a small piece in colourful wrapping paper, smiling and nodding at the young king before turning back forward. The Sergeant, leaving Larra to his own devices for a moment, bowed down to Yoshio to whisper something to him: "Caramelized fruit.", she whispered to him.
The old gentleman nodded with a laugh. "Ruin an old man's fun, now will you, Sergeant?", he said with a smile, "Tell me, who is this youngster?"
The Sergeant narrowed her eyes, putting a hand onto Yoshio's shoulder protectively.

The maiden with the flaxen hair, the hair long and curling at its ends near her rear, going more into the yellowish then the yellow-greyish, was a pretty thing, even by Selkie-Standards, gifted with curves in just the right places and not afraid of showing them without showing them off. She was around twenty, carrying herself with self-conficende and assurance, her every move only emphasized by the Geansai she wore - natural colours of the fur, formerly belonging to a Grey Wolf, which meant, that she was a Servant to Gavida, God of Arts and Crafts.
"Hi.", she said with a smile, returning the bow - and, for but a moment, giving him a rather generous view.

Yoshio held up the sweetie happily after hearing what it was and thanked the man for it. He then smiled at him after he heard the question and the hand was placed on his shoulder. "I'm Yoshio Rel, King of Ru." he answered. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

The Knight smiled warmly at the display and answered "It would seem that we'll have the pleasure of watching these opening ceremonies together. I have the honor of being Sir Larra Bellgarden. I am serving as one of His Majesty's White Knights." he turned his head slightly to motion in the direction of the small boy wearing a crown.

[New Visayan Islands]

Samuel Cui
Teach Ósta

Looking at how Kiah played with her pet made Samuel smile, if only for a moment. While it did take him back to an older time, shortly before his father disappeared, he couldn't just let his new friend know about it just yet. True, he did tell her about his father's fate, but compared to the loss of his wife, it was far too distant a memory.

Great, now I need a smoke, he started to think. Pity he suspected the tavern to be nonsmoking, especially with someone who might as well be the daughter he never had with him.

[Jathana]

"Well, if that's the origin.", Lilly replied with a smile, "Though, I can't say, that our Maras offer women and luxury to anyone..." Her hand reached into a belt pouch, taking out a small picture book, where various photographs were displayed. She turned it as she found the one she was looking for... the picture of a creature in its natural habitat, looking scary and not really friendly.
It was a seahorse, the scales were blue, except for a few, yellow belly scales, thin spines atop the head and the slim snout looked more like the barrel of a gun then the snout of a living organism. Then there were the thin fins, white ones under the cheeks and two-pronged ones slightly longer then the cheeks, a fifth one on the back, getting support by blue spines.
It swam in water, looking at someone off-camera angrily, in the background a coral reef.
"...only pain. And quite nasty rashes.", she concluded.

"Most undesirable water creatures in Jathana are easily avoided if you live in cities. However, along some of the rivers a few dangerous creatures lurk. In the Pha Thaj River, which runs along west Jathana, there is a large eel-like fish we call a Blēḍa Mācha, which means Blade Fish. Many locals don't bother going near it, or even in the water if a Blade Fish is thought to be nearby. It's teeth are so sharp, that it can easily tear through bone. Of course, not many people have been injured by it, because children are taught to not swim in certain areas, and fishermen take precautions when fishing in rivers, but it's still quite scary."

[The Selkie]

Golahman looked at Evanu, who said, "Unfortunately, we've heard many times, from many people here, that Assad coming here would be incredibly unpleasant given his current circumstances. He'd be constantly surrounded by security, and it'd be difficult for him to breathe, metaphorically, because many of your people whom we've developed relationships with state that there are people here who'd like to see Assad dead."

The old man nodded. "I'm afraid of that, too.", he said with a small frown crossing his face, before he looked at Celina, "It seems to me, as if someone has a trip in front of her."
Celina's thoughts stopped for a moment, then looked at the old man, her expression a bit shakey. "With their permission.", she said firmly, indicating to the Krugeristanis, "And during school holidays. No offense to anyone, but school's important."
The old man nodded and put a hand on her back, reassuring her with that. "Of course.", he said and looked to Golahman, "What about you?"

Yoshio held up the sweetie happily after hearing what it was and thanked the man for it. He then smiled at him after he heard the question and the hand was placed on his shoulder. "I'm Yoshio Rel, King of Ru." he answered. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

The Knight smiled warmly at the display and answered "It would seem that we'll have the pleasure of watching these opening ceremonies together. I have the honor of being Sir Larra Mixon. I am serving as one of His Majesty's White Knights." he turned his head slightly to motion in the direction of the small boy wearing a crown.

The old man smiled as he beheld the couple, placing a hand over his heart and bowing his head, a gesture of respect, when one greeted an Elder or a foreign head of state, much akin to how Yoshio was greeted at the railway station.
"The pleasure is mine, Yoshio-Rí.", he said and raised his head again, "I'm Cormac, a son of this beautiful town and of its surroundings." He smiled at the Sergeant. "You don't need to do that, searrach."
Her grip tightened a small bit, her eyes narrowing. Something, she thought, was not right about this man.

The young woman bowed her head in greeting, smiling a smile as radiant as the sun.
"It seems like that.", she said, "I'm Liliane, but please call me Lilly, a humble Servant to Gavida, God of Arts and Crafts, craftswoman and attendant to my grandfather, who your companion is currently talking to." She smiled at the young man, definately liking, what she saw. "It's a pleasure."

Samuel Cui
Teach Ósta

Looking at how Kiah played with her pet made Samuel smile, if only for a moment. While it did take him back to an older time, shortly before his father disappeared, he couldn't just let his new friend know about it just yet. True, he did tell her about his father's fate, but compared to the loss of his wife, it was far too distant a memory.

Great, now I need a smoke, he started to think. Pity he suspected the tavern to be nonsmoking, especially with someone who might as well be the daughter he never had with him.

Kiah looked at Cui from the corner of her eyes, but just as she wanted to whisper a command at Cosantóir to keep the man company, the waitress from before came back with a grin and a shake of her hips.
She had their food with them - a veritable feast.
The full course was exactly as it was described before, porridge of good consistency, eggs roasted from both sides, battered sausages, fat from frying and bread, as well as a tea - it smelled delicious, it looked delicious and it was delicious, if one asked Kiah. A good and large breakfast for a good and large day to come.
The waitress bowed her head, giving a rather generous view of her 'argumentation amplifiers'. "We wish good appetite.", she said and then stepped back, leaving them to it.
Kiah grinned, as Cosantóir eyed one of the sausages on her plate, picking it up and feeding it to him as she told Cui: "Let's dig in, shall we?"

"Most undesirable water creatures in Jathana are easily avoided if you live in cities. However, along some of the rivers a few dangerous creatures lurk. In the Pha Thaj River, which runs along west Jathana, there is a large eel-like fish we call a Blēḍa Mācha, which means Blade Fish. Many locals don't bother going near it, or even in the water if a Blade Fish is thought to be nearby. It's teeth are so sharp, that it can easily tear through bone. Of course, not many people have been injured by it, because children are taught to not swim in certain areas, and fishermen take precautions when fishing in rivers, but it's still quite scary."

Lilly smiled. "Sounds like a nice laddie.", she said and nodded, "Something worthy of making leather of." She pondered for a moment, as she put away the little book, back into its pocket on her belt, a simple one of leather. "Reminds me a bit of a Portán, though. A kind of crab living on the Archipelago, around 30 centimetres tall, when it's adult... and gifted by nature with these gigantic pincers, which snap out at any- and anything coming to close for its comfort. More then one tourist's poodle ends with his head snapped off... cnack." She made a pincer move with her hand for emphasis and grinned. "Well, the Free Lands are one of those magical places, where everything living there would try to kill you, when it has the chance!"
She made a pause, thinking. "We should make a song about that..."

[Krugeristan]

Golahman looked at Evanu, who said, "Unfortunately, we've heard many times, from many people here, that Assad coming here would be incredibly unpleasant given his current circumstances. He'd be constantly surrounded by security, and it'd be difficult for him to breathe, metaphorically, because many of your people whom we've developed relationships with state that there are people here who'd like to see Assad dead."

The old man nodded. "I'm afraid of that, too.", he said with a small frown crossing his face, before he looked at Celina, "It seems to me, as if someone has a trip in front of her."
Celina's thoughts stopped for a moment, then looked at the old man, her expression a bit shakey. "With their permission.", she said firmly, indicating to the Krugeristanis, "And during school holidays. No offense to anyone, but school's important."
The old man nodded and put a hand on her back, reassuring her with that. "Of course.", he said and looked to Golahman, "What about you?"

"Well, I'll agree school's important, and, provided Celina stays safe in Syria and doesn't leave the relative safety of Damascus, I think it's alright she goes. I would call ahead of time, though, because they're tight about who enters the country, now."

[AHSCA]

Liam nodded, having followed her eyes to the short redhead and Kumiko's daughter, a lively little soul, it seemed.
"Ah, kids...", he said and smiled with a nod, "I know the boy, he's a good one, so don't worry about her. She's in good hands." He put an arm around her shoulder and leaned over to whisper something to her. "Do we follow them to have..."
He trailed off as the gecko-like creature approached... and put his hand on the handle of his sword.
Meanwhile, still half-covering Mamiko, still holding her hand, Finn's other went to his belt to draw a relatively long dagger, no crossbar, long blade and very sharp, pointy one, too. He held it down, not raising it yet.
The creature lowered his head in sadness and gave a short click, letting his shoulders hang a bit. He didn't look too happy with this development.

Kumiko nodded in agreement. "Right you are."

"Wow Finn, you're just like a character out of a fairy tale!" Mamiko praised him

[The Selkie]

"Well, I'll agree school's important, and, provided Celina stays safe in Syria and doesn't leave the relative safety of Damascus, I think it's alright she goes. I would call ahead of time, though, because they're tight about who enters the country, now."

Celina nodded. "I see and thank you.", she said, a small smile on her lips. "We'll do that once we have volunteers."
The old man nodded, telling her something in Selkie, which made her blush.
"By the way...", the young woman asked, both for distraction and because it came to her mind, "No one in the household of Mister Assad is allergic to Can f 1, right?" She made a small pause. "Sorry, Can f 1 is one of the major allergens of several species, including for example dogs and Black Foxes, although they are not dogs... in other words, is one of the Assad Household allergic to dogs?"

Kumiko nodded in agreement. "Right you are."

"Wow Finn, you're just like a character out of a fairy tale!" Mamiko praised him

Liam, the blonde and a few others watched, as Finn glowed with the praise, blushing, but not raising his dagger.
He took a deep breath - one could see, that his little heart beat heavily.
"Right.", he said, remembering the fairy tales he had been told, "Okay, pal..." He tried to sound sure of himself and strong, but he didn't know, if he managed. "...off you go!"
The gecko-like creature cocked his head, although everyone watching was quite sure, that it wasn't because of the command - and then turned tail, with a speed one would not suspect to be achieveable for such a large creature, scurrying off through the partially surprised crowd.
Finn breathed a sigh of relief.

[AHSCA]

Liam, the blonde and a few others watched, as Finn glowed with the praise, blushing, but not raising his dagger.
He took a deep breath - one could see, that his little heart beat heavily.
"Right.", he said, remembering the fairy tales he had been told, "Okay, pal..." He tried to sound sure of himself and strong, but he didn't know, if he managed. "...off you go!"
The gecko-like creature cocked his head, although everyone watching was quite sure, that it wasn't because of the command - and then turned tail, with a speed one would not suspect to be achieveable for such a large creature, scurrying off through the partially surprised crowd.
Finn breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was amazing!" She quickly let go of his hands and embraced in a hug for her little hero. "It was scary but you weren't scared one bit."

[Krugeristan]

"Well, I'll agree school's important, and, provided Celina stays safe in Syria and doesn't leave the relative safety of Damascus, I think it's alright she goes. I would call ahead of time, though, because they're tight about who enters the country, now."

Celina nodded. "I see and thank you.", she said, a small smile on her lips. "We'll do that once we have volunteers."
The old man nodded, telling her something in Selkie, which made her blush.
"By the way...", the young woman asked, both for distraction and because it came to her mind, "No one in the household of Mister Assad is allergic to Can f 1, right?" She made a small pause. "Sorry, Can f 1 is one of the major allergens of several species, including for example dogs and Black Foxes, although they are not dogs... in other words, is one of the Assad Household allergic to dogs?"

"No, as far as I know, no one in their home is allergic to dogs," Golahman said.

"Vershenov is allergic to stupidity," Evanu muttered in the background, cracking a joke about his commanding officer. "Senator Avsanka is allergic to dust. Corporal Malacov is allergic to bee stings."