A Blast from the Past (Closed)

by **The Selkie** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 3:21 pm

Macha hummed in agreement.
"Yes, I indeed do want to see, what stayed the same... and what changed.", she said, "The beach after a tide is not the same beach as before, nor will it ever be the same."
She let a beat pass and looked up the promenade and then down, smiled.
"And it wasn't the wheel, by the way.", she said and grinned at Rick: "It was a herbal spirit. Back in the day, it was less about patents and more about branding!"

"And it leaves twelvethousand young adults, a quarter of them not even in their sixteenth Spring, dead on the passageway between a ridge and a river. They didn't even bother counting the wounded.", Amy said, her voice heavy, "They stood with bows, arrows and pikes against machine guns and artillery."
She shrugged.
"Indeed, one could do it that way. But it's rather unproductive.", she said, "They did beat them back, though." Then Cogain nuzzled her and she giggled. "You're a good lad, aren't you?"

by **Lillorainen** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 4:47 pm

While Gesine was wondering, which one of both battles Amy was now referring to, since both made sense in this context, as there hadn't been many differences, Rick grinned back. He was sure, that she had gotten his little wheel joke.
He said, "Sure, a good herbal spirit is another thing our world would be lost without. Just like the wheel."
He let a beat pass.
"In any case, I assume -"
What exactly he was now assuming, this would remain a secret, as they got interrupted by the door of the restaurant being opened. Dragan came out, nodding in approval, as the horses, especially Cogain, seemed to be quite satisfied - not only with their meal, but also with the love they received. He had heard some of their conversations, through the window tilted.
"So, we're lucky!" - he said. "In their stable, there are at least two boxes free - two horses have today moved out, and Janina is out with two horse trailors, helping to move them to their new stable, which is in Butendonk, not awfully far away from here. That means we can get them there safely, and it won't even take a lot of time - theoretically."
He went the stone steps down.
"Practically, they might need some time, since they're sticking in a traffic jam, apparently an accident has happened there. What's going on today ...? Anyways, they might try to bypass it, but they can't tell how long it might take. They're giving their best, though."
Gesine had to grin. "Ah, Theoderich's new acquaintances arrive! They were announced to be transferred, since their owner is moving there, from ... somewhere near Jillich, I believe?"
Dragan nodded. "Yeah, from Jillich. So that stable in Butendonk is where you are?"
"It is, as much as possible, at least. You guys have to go some distance, eh? You're really lucky, then - riding all the way would take around a day, if not more. And while it's possible to go there by horse, I wouldn't exactly recommend it." She turned to Amy, grinning. "Another good reason not to repeat historical mistakes." Back to Dragan, she said, "You may have quite some time left. So, if you still wish something to drink, or anything else - we're there."
"Which reminds me of getting back to work again ..." - Rick said and grinned sheepishly. "I bet Thorsten and Sarah are already wondering why they have to do all on their own."

by **The Selkie** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:10 am

Lillorainen wrote:While Gesine was wondering, which one of both battles Amy was now referring to, since both made sense in this context, as there hadn't been many differences, Rick grinned back. He was sure, that she had gotten his little wheel joke.
He said, "Sure, a good herbal spirit is another thing our world would be lost without. Just like the wheel."
He let a beat pass.
"In any case, I assume -"
What exactly he was now assuming, this would remain a secret, as they got interrupted by the door of the restaurant being opened. Dragan came out, nodding in approval, as the horses, especially Cogain, seemed to be quite satisfied - not only with their meal, but also with the love they received. He had heard some of their conversations, through the window tilted.
"So, we're lucky!" - he said. "In their stable, there are at least two boxes free - two horses have today moved out, and Janina is out with two horse trailors, helping to move them to their new stable, which is in Butendonk, not awfully far away from here. That means we can get them there safely, and it won't even take a lot of time - theoretically."
He went the stone steps down.
"Practically, they might need some time, since they're sticking in a traffic jam, apparently an accident has happened there. What's going on today ...? Anyways, they might try to bypass it, but they can't tell how long it might take. They're giving their best, though."
Gesine had to grin. "Ah, Theoderich's new acquaintances arrive! They were announced to be transferred, since their owner is moving there, from ... somewhere near Jillich, I believe?"
Dragan nodded. "Yeah, from Jillich. So that stable in Butendonk is where you are?"
"It is, as much as possible, at least. You guys have to go some distance, eh? You're really lucky, then - riding all the way would take around a day, if not more. And while it's possible to go there by horse, I wouldn't exactly recommend it." She turned to Amy, grinning. "Another good reason not to repeat historical mistakes." Back to Dragan, she said, "You may have quite some time left. So, if you still wish something to drink, or anything else - we're there."
"Which reminds me of getting back to work again ..." - Rick said and grinned sheepishly. "I bet Thorsten and Sarah are already wondering why they have to do all on their own."

When Dragan arrived in their conversation, Amy brightened considerably, adoration and love shining in her eyes as she listened and fed her trusty horse another carrot, one hand scratching him behind an ear, which was spinning like a radar dish.
Macha nodded at the news: So, Janina's stables had spots free, she was even around with some trailers, but getting there would take a day, at least by horse. And she was delayed anyway, thanks to a traffic jam.
"So, we just need to get to Butendonk, was it?", Macha asked for confirmation, "Then Janina will pick us and our two lads up and move them to the stables near Jillich... where we want to go. Hm..."
"We could always spent the day on the road.", Amy supplied, "We have the provisions and materials."
"Indeed, we could.", Macha mumbled and remembered, that they had quite a few things with them, which were not usually travelling supplies, "Or... hm..." She looked to Dragan. "Would it be an issue for you to lead us to Butendonk, maybe a bit cross-country, so that we avoid the worst of the traffic?"

by **Lillorainen** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:01 am

Dragan nodded. "Shouldn't be an issue. I think there's a less frequented cross-country road ... I'd have to look it up ... won't take much, thanks to modern technology." He took out his phone again, opening a Maps app.
"Good idea" - said Gesine. "I usually get there by public transport, since I don't even have a driver's license, let alone a vehicle I could drive. But getting a horse into a metro train is nothing I would try" - she added, grinning sheepishly.
Dragan nodded again, then focussed the Nienhagen area on his app, especially its eastern surroundings. And indeed, there was a practical way for people who could neither use a motorized vehicle, or the Rathedelta Metro to get into the surrounding towns and villages.
"Yeah, that would even be quite easy" - he now said. "It's pretty much just the coastal country road, going from Nienhagen over Weilerswerth to Butendonk. The road is narrow and therefore less frequented, but it has a separated lane for pedestrians, bicycles, riders, and so on. All we need to do is to follow the signs saying 'L201'. I think they could even use it themselves ..." He zoomed in, "... uh, only until Weilerswerth. From there to Nienhagen, lorries and trailers aren't allowed to go. At least it says, maximum 3.5 tons here." He closed the app again. "But I think we may really just follow it, and maybe we're lucky and meet them halfway. If not, it will take us a bit, but at least not a day." While he already took his wallet out, prepared to go in and to pay, he murmered, "L201 ... that's easy. Two-oh-one."
Those who were familiar with the road numbering system would know, that 'L' was for Landesstrasse, or State Road in English.
"And you're sure you got enough supplies with you?" - Gesine asked Amy and Macha.

by **The Selkie** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:28 am

Macha stopped Dragan with one quick move, grabbing him by the shoulder. She whispered into his ear: "I'll pay. You go and get to know Amy's horse, okay? You and Cogain share the rider, after all!"
And with that, and a wink to celebrate, the Spiorad moved inside, reaching into one of her belt's pockets. She quickly had found the coin she was looking for, grinning as she spun it between her fingers.
"Hi.", she said to the first waiter she could get, "I would like to pay for my table."
She smiled slightly. The golden coin, one Ór dancing between her fingers, was certainly a merry message.

Amy nodded and, holding onto the reins, went for the saddle bags, opening one of them.
"Of course we do. We are Selkie, after all, so...", she said and reached in, taking out a bag of around one kilogram weight, filled with a powder that once was dried dark meat. "...we take our Buan everywhere we go. Provisions are important." She put the bag back. "Granted, it'll only result in a soup, but it's certainly safer then hunting. And more legal, I imagine."
She closed the bag.
"So, we'll be traveling over state street, right?", she asked Dragan.

by **Lillorainen** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 10:13 am

Dragan was just about entering, as Macha grabbed him by the shoulder, telling him to leave paying to her and familiarize himself with Cogain instead - which sounded like a plan, considering, that he would, of course, sit on him with his honey.
He nodded, put his wallet back into his pocket, and went back to Amy.
Rick and Gesine would follow Macha to prepare the bill, as they were reassured, that no one would starve from hunger, or dry out, on their journey; they would formally say goodbye after that.
Dragan extended his hand to Cogain, to let the stallion smell it, in the same manner Gesine had before.
To Amy's question, he nodded, remembering he had already explained the system of A-roads, B-roads, and L-roads to her: A-roads were the legendary Federal Highways, Bundesautobahnen in German, indeed always autobahns, with the nice, logical numbering system. B-roads were Bundesstrassen, Federal Routes, which could be built up like A-roads, but also be country roads; this system was managed by the federal authorities and also had a national numbering scheme and speed limits. L-roads were roads of minor meaning, the quality also ranging from Autobahn-style to country roads; construction, maintenance, numbering, and speed limits were up to the authorities of their respective federated state, in this case the Rathland. Everything below this varied locally.
Dragan even had to smile, for she really remembered these little nice-to-know details.
"That's correct, State Road L201" - he said. "We will pass by the Ferryport again, turn left at the crossing where the old Nederkant Tower is, and then just go east. It's easy."

The waiter Macha talked to was a guy with blonde hair, blue eyes and glasses with a black frame, assumably the aforementioned guy named Thorsten. He nodded, his eyebrows raised, seeing the Ór coin. "Coming in a moment. Rick and Gesine have served you, right?"
Rick, who had followed Macha, nodded. "That's right. Gonna do that!"
Thorsten nodded back. "Roger."
While Rick took the dishes from the table, stacking them together and bringing them into the kitchen, Gesine now approached the Spiorad, smiling a bit nervously, as if to ask for a huge favor.
"One little question ..." - she began. "My shift for today will be over in a few, and I would have planned to go to Butendonk this afternoon, anyway. I've never tried going there by horse, so ... granted I might get along well with your horse, too, I wanted to ask, if there might be one spot free ...? It's no problem, if not ..."
She still smiled a bit sheepishly, as if a reply along the lines of, 'You mad? Cancelled 'cause no way!', would be the most certain one to be expected.

by **The Selkie** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:37 pm

Lillorainen wrote:Dragan was just about entering, as Macha grabbed him by the shoulder, telling him to leave paying to her and familiarize himself with Cogain instead - which sounded like a plan, considering, that he would, of course, sit on him with his honey.
He nodded, put his wallet back into his pocket, and went back to Amy.
Rick and Gesine would follow Macha to prepare the bill, as they were reassured, that no one would starve from hunger, or dry out, on their journey; they would formally say goodbye after that.
Dragan extended his hand to Cogain, to let the stallion smell it, in the same manner Gesine had before.
To Amy's question, he nodded, remembering he had already explained the system of A-roads, B-roads, and L-roads to her: A-roads were the legendary Federal Highways, Bundesautobahnen in German, indeed always autobahns, with the nice, logical numbering system. B-roads were Bundesstrassen, Federal Routes, which could be built up like A-roads, but also be country roads; this system was managed by the federal governments and also had a national numbering scheme and speed limits. L-roads were roads of minor meaning, the quality also ranging from Autobahn-style to country roads; construction, maintenance, numbering, and speed limits were up to the authorities of their respective federated state, in this case the Rathland. Everything below this varied locally.
Dragan even had to smile, for she really remembered these little nice-to-know details.
"That's correct, State Road L201" - he said. "We will pass by the Ferryport again, turn left at the crossing where the old Nederkant Tower is, and then just go east. It's easy."

The waiter Macha talked to was a guy with blonde hair, blue eyes and glasses with a black frame, assumably the aforementioned guy named Thorsten. He nodded, his eyebrows raised, seeing the Ór coin. "Coming in a moment. Rick and Gesine have served you, right?"
Rick, who had followed Macha, nodded. "That's right. Gonna do that!"
Thorsten nodded back. "Roger."
While Rick took the dishes from the table, stacking them together and bringing them into the kitchen, Gesine now approached the Spiorad, smiling a bit nervously, as if to ask for a huge favor.
"One little question ..." - she began. "My shift for today will be over in a few, and I would have planned to go to Butendonk this afternoon, anyway. I've never tried going there by horse, so ... granted I might get along well with your horse, too, I wanted to ask, if there might be one spot free ...? It's no problem, if not ..."
She still smiled a bit sheepishly, as if a reply along the lines of, 'You mad? Cancelled 'cause no way!', would be the most certain one to be expected.

Amy smiled.
What were the autobahnen here were, for her, the Old Travelling Roads from the 11th century, which had connected the most important cities via paved roads and which had been protected by small horsemen garrisons in regular intervals.
The roads were still in use and the garrisons turned into inns and other such structures, but it was still kind-of the same thing, really. Mostly. They still had the same kind of pavement, though, asphalt was not a thing the Selkie did.
Bad for the horses.
Cogain sniffed his hand, meanwhile, a bit hesitant at first, then he gave a small neigh.
"If you want, you can pet him now, Dragan.", she said with a wide grin, "We should have a carrot somewhere still..."

Macha let a beat pass.
"If Clampar likes you and my travelling companions agree as well, I don't see anything, that could speak against it.", she said with a small smile, "Though, despite being the sozius, it will be expected of you to do your full duties to the team, no questions asked. That might include some uncomfortable situations."
She let another beat pass, to give her time to think.
"If you agree, we'll ask the others.", she added.

by **Lillorainen** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:43 pm

Before asphalted roads had become a thing in the Lillöer-Archipelago, travelling and trade routes had basically the same in these parts as in the Lands of the Selkie; paved roads with a few garrisons nearby. When motorized vehicles had become a thing, this got changed; the predecessor states of the Federation had introduced numbering systems, each their own (the early 20th century equivalent of the modern State Roads), soon, also a scheme for the entire archipelago had been proposed, to make orientation easier, and resulted in the modern Federal Routes. The latter often followed traditional routes for trade and travel, which was why most of them had a modern A- or B-road equivalent. The A-numbering scheme had been introduced in the early 1980s, after the founding of the Federation.
Back in the Middle Ages (Macha would remember), all major roads had milestones, large, grey rocks with the respective mile written in Runes. Their modern equivalent were little kilometer signs at the edge of highways, both sides, every 500 meters, or in case of country roads, little white plastic rocks, every 200 meters.
Dragan started petting Cogain and feeding him with a carrot. "Bon appetit!" - he said, grinning.

Gesine nodded, losing her nervousness a bit. She grinned.
"I might not be able to compete with you when it comes to experience" - she began, "but I'm sure, that you won't be disappointed! For I know, from my own, that riding is way more than just sitting on a horseback." She kept grinning, stood as straight as a candle, and said, "I will do my full duties, Ma'am!"
She saw Rick arriving with the bill.
"We should get the duty of payment behind us, first, then we may ask the others if they are fine with it" - she said. "I'd need to redress, but that will take just like two minutes."
Rick handed the bill over to Macha. It would show the name and the address of the restaurant, then list the three meals and the three cups of tea; as promised by Mr. Eschweiler, nothing else was included, the food and water for the horses being for free. The final price would be 11.40 Marks, thus, in Selkie-currency, a bit less than a Gil. - At the bottom, it said, You were served by: Richard Carstens & Gesine Ehrlicher. (As it would turn out someday in the future, Rick himself had insisted on mentioning both of them, although originally, it had been only him, for possible tips would arrive at both of them.)
Rick repeated the price, in both currencies.

by **The Selkie** » Mon Feb 18, 2019 6:54 am

Lillorainen wrote:Before asphalted roads had become a thing in the Lillöer-Archipelago, travelling and trade routes had basically the same in these parts as in the Lands of the Selkie; paved roads with a few garrisons nearby. When motorized vehicles had become a thing, this got changed; the predecessor states of the Federation had introduced numbering systems, each their own (the early 20th century equivalent of the modern State Roads), soon, also a scheme for the entire archipelago had been proposed, to make orientation easier, and resulted in the modern Federal Routes. The latter often followed traditional routes for trade and travel, which was why most of them had a modern A- or B-road equivalent. The A-numbering scheme had been introduced in the early 1980s, after the founding of the Federation.
Back in the Middle Ages (Macha would remember), all major roads had milestones, large, grey rocks with the respective mile written in Runes. Their modern equivalent were little kilometer signs at the edge of highways, both sides, every 500 meters, or in case of country roads, little white plastic rocks, every 200 meters.
Dragan started petting Cogain and feeding him with a carrot. "Bon appetit!" - he said, grinning.

Gesine nodded, losing her nervousness a bit. She grinned.
"I might not be able to compete with you when it comes to experience" - she began, "but I'm sure, that you won't be disappointed! For I know, from my own, that riding is way more than just sitting on a horseback." She kept grinning, stood as straight as a candle, and said, "I will do my full duties, Ma'am!"
She saw Rick arriving with the bill.
"We should get the duty of payment behind us, first, then we may ask the others if they are fine with it" - she said. "I'd need to redress, but that will take just like two minutes."
Rick handed the bill over to Macha. It would show the name and the address of the restaurant, then list the three meals and the three cups of tea; as promised by Mr. Eschweiler, nothing else was included, the food and water for the horses being for free. The final price would be 11.40 Marks, thus, in Selkie-currency, a bit less than a Gil. - At the bottom, it said, You were served by: Richard Carstens & Gesine Ehrlicher. (As it would turn out someday in the future, Rick himself had insisted on mentioning both of them, although originally, it had been only him, for possible tips would arrive at both of them.)
Rick repeated the price, in both currencies.

Macha indeed remembered, as it would turn out later, but for now, Amy had slightly other things to watch, namely her boyfriend feeding her horse and said horse taking the carrot with delight.
The young woman smiled and petted her trusty steed.
"This will be a busy day for him.", she said and smiled, "But he should handle it just well... he handled the shooting very well, after all." She let a beat pass. "Did you know, that horses usually eat small amounts over the day, again and again, whenever they can? That's why they'll want another treat and another one as soon as they got rolling... like you lad did, didn't you?"
There was a small neigh, as if to reply.
"But a good horse owner knows, that saying no every now and again is healthier.", she added.

Macha nodded to Gesine, indicating, that she was fine with the plan.
And for a moment, she saw a Militia Girl there, crossbow shouldered and bolt-quiver on one hip, the longsword on the other, a small round shield over the back, in chainmail and with a helped, as well as a surcoat. The image vanished as quickly as she got it.
"Well, then let's do that.", she told Rick, surprised, that it was that cheap - 11.40 Marks was nothing. Still... she handed him the gold coin, an Ór in all of its splendid glory of ten grams of precious metal. That meant, that he held 425 NSD in his hands, thanks to the fixed exchange rate. "Rest's for you two."

by **Lillorainen** » Mon Feb 18, 2019 8:06 am

For a second, Rick didn't know what to say.
One Ór ... according to his knowledge, this was about 350 Marks - meaning that if he shared the tip fifty-fifty with Gesine, which he would do, this was about 170 Marks for each of them. He calculated how many hours they would usually work for this amount ...
"What the ..." - he began, but interrupted himself. Then, he smiled. "Thanks a lot!"
Gesine nodded. "Thank you very much! I wouldn't have expected that ..."
... although Macha had announced to tip the both of them so hard, that Mr. Eschweiler would get jealous. But this could mean anything.
Still smiling, Rick went off to bring the coin to the cash register, murmuring, "Ka-ching!"
Gesine grinned. "Well, then we should go and ask the others, eh?" - she said, prepared to go out. She would need to bring the buckets back, anyways, as soon as they were empty.

Dragan nodded. He had already heard something along these lines - probably inevitable, having Janina as a friend and Amy as a girlfriend. No doubt, he was surrounded by experts on equines.
Of course, all horses were different, but as a rule of thumb, it could be put this way.
While continuing petting and feeding Amy's lad, he said, "Indeed a method I would recommend to some human beings, too - starting with myself!" He grinned. It was known to Amy, that he had a sane sense of self-irony. He turned to Cogain. "Or what do you think, comrade?"
In this moment, the door got opened again; Gesine came out, being sure that Macha would follow.
"So ... I've already asked your friend - who just broke our tip record, by the way" - she had to grin, "but of course, you need to be fine with it, too. Now, I was planning to go to the stable today, anyway, and I'm going to clock off in a few. I was wondering if you would mind me coming along with you guys? I imagine it could quite be fun, for I've never had the opportunity to go there on horseback." She let a beat pass. "I've already assured to do my full duties for the team, in case you and the lad in question can deal with it."
Dragan looked at Amy, shrugging. "I got no issues with it. How about you?"

by **The Selkie** » Wed Feb 20, 2019 1:58 pm

Lillorainen wrote:For a second, Rick didn't know what to say.
One Ór ... according to his knowledge, this was about 350 Marks - meaning that if he shared the tip fifty-fifty with Gesine, which he would do, this was about 170 Marks for each of them. He calculated how many hours they would usually work for this amount ...
"What the ..." - he began, but interrupted himself. Then, he smiled. "Thanks a lot!"
Gesine nodded. "Thank you very much! I wouldn't have expected that ..."
... although Macha had announced to tip the both of them so hard, that Mr. Eschweiler would get jealous. But this could mean anything.
Still smiling, Rick went off to bring the coin to the cash register, murmuring, "Ka-ching!"
Gesine grinned. "Well, then we should go and ask the others, eh?" - she said, prepared to go out. She would need to bring the buckets back, anyways, as soon as they were empty.

Dragan nodded. He had already heard something along these lines - probably inevitable, having Janina as a friend and Amy as a girlfriend. No doubt, he was surrounded by experts on equines.
Of course, all horses were different, but as a rule of thumb, it could be put this way.
While continuing petting and feeding Amy's lad, he said, "Indeed a method I would recommend to some human beings, too - starting with myself!" He grinned. It was known to Amy, that he had a sane sense of self-irony. He turned to Cogain. "Or what do you think, comrade?"
In this moment, the door got opened again; Gesine came out, being sure that Macha would follow.
"So ... I've already asked your friend - who just broke our tip record, by the way" - she had to grin, "but of course, you need to be fine with it, too. Now, I was planning to go to the stable today, anyway, and I'm going to clock off in a few. I was wondering if you would mind me coming along with you guys? I imagine it could quite be fun, for I've never had the opportunity to go there on horseback." She let a beat pass. "I've already assured to do my full duties for the team, in case you and the lad in question can deal with it."
Dragan looked at Amy, shrugging. "I got no issues with it. How about you?"

Cogain neighed, as if to answer Dragan.
Just then, Macha and Gesine left the restaurant, the ancient Spiorad giving Amy a small nod - they had taken the Ór, which Macha had planned to give as a tip. She would later give her the share she owed her for the food, as per their prior agreement.
In any case, Gesine quickly explained, what was going on and Macha nodded, all true, Dragan agreed to it as well.
"Under two conditions.", she stated with a raised finger, "Dragan rides with me, behind me." The second finger came out. "And Cnyw accepts her."
Macha nodded. "I've seen him stare down Woodstalkers, you should be no problem with him. Hold your hand out for him to smell!", she said with a grin.

by **Lillorainen** » Thu Feb 21, 2019 7:21 am

As if to underline his girlfriend's statement, Dragan quickly moved over to Amy to peck her on the cheek.
Gesine used the space Dragan had, more or less intentionally, made for her and held her hand out to Macha's horse, in the same manner she had with Cogain. To Amy's two conditions, she nodded, smiling.
"If that's all, that shouldn't be the issue" - she said, then turned to 'the lad in question'. "Or what do you say?"
The door opened again; Rick stuck his head out. He asked Gesine, "Should I inform Eschweiler about you leaving for today?"
Gesine shook her head. "No need to, I got my stuff inside, so I'll do so myself. Thanks anyway."
Rick nodded. "Well, then." He opened the door a bit more, so his full physique was visible, and turned to Amy, Macha, and Dragan. "In any case, I wish you all a nice day! Feel free to come again!" He especially turned to Macha, and added, grinning, "And thanks a lot, again, for the gracious tip!"

by **The Selkie** » Thu Feb 21, 2019 4:08 pm

Cnyw smelled Gesine's hand after a long hesitation, then seemed to consider.
Meanwhile, Macha grinned at Rick.
"No, we have to thank you for the good food and service... and sorry for messing with you!", the ancient Spiorad said, then couldn't help herself but close the distance and peck the young Lillo onto the cheek. "Leave an old lady to her fun."
Her teasing was accompanied by her turning back to the scene, where Amy was grinning, her hand having found Dragan's and giving it a little squeeze.
That was the moment, when Cnyw came to a decision: He smelled Gesine's hand again and then gave a soft neigh, his way of agreeing with her.

by **Lillorainen** » Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:44 pm

It took Cnyw quite some time as well as two smells at Gesine's hand to eventually decide to give his okay to her by letting a soft neigh out. Gesine noticed that, and being satisfied with his decision, she started petting him.
As if to reiterate the stance of their relationship, Dragan gave Amy's hand a little squeeze back.
Despite quite being used to attract a special attention by female guests of all ages (the age span, usually ranging from 8 to 88 years, now being extended to the peak point of many centuries), Rick still blushed scarlet when Macha pecked him on the cheek.
"N-no worries ..." - he said, grinning, "Some fun can never harm!"
He told everyone goodbye by putting his flat hand on his temple, as if to salutate, then pulled it away.
Then, he closed the door again.

by **The Selkie** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 8:21 am

Amy smiled at Dragan, her hand receiving the squeeze with joy, then turned back where Rick was receiving Macha's attention before he retreated.
Macha, in proper style, replied to his salute by bringing her right hand, balled to a fist, to her left shoulder, an old greeting amongst the warriors of the Selkie. She grinned and turned as soon as the door was closed.
Her grin spoke volumes: Centuries old and still getting heads turned! Take that, cub!
Amy nodded.
"So, people...", the ancient Spiorad began, "...how about we get this show started? Dragan, you ride with Amy, Gesine with me, as soon as she returns from changing back. Amy, Dragan, you two are head, Gesine, the two of us are shaft." She let a beat pass. "And those of you, who need to giggle, do so now!"

by **Lillorainen** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 10:57 am

Dragan and Gesine had to grin back to Macha - there wasn't a trace of doubt left, that she was quite able to compete with what the Selkie commonly referred to as cubs, despite her the enormous number of summers she had seen.
She suggested to get the show started, the order being entirely logical - Amy and Dragan, the latter being the only one who knew the direction, leading, followed by Macha and Gesine.
The Lillos nodded, showing that they had understood. Neither of them needed to giggle.
"Roger!" - Gesine said and got ready to enter her workplace to change. "Will be back as quickly as possible!"
With that said, she hurried to get into the restaurant again.
Dragan checked his phone again, having received a message by Janina with her exact location sent via messenger. He opened the Maps app again, traffic alerts being activated this time. The road system of this part of the North Shore appeared to him, roads now marked in various shades of green and red, the former indicating low, the latter representing high traffic density. The Federal Highway A1, at its northern sections between Jillich and Eppenrath, being in deep-red, surrounded by numerous Federal Routes and State Roads radiating from the city centers in all directions mostly in green.
Considering both this and the fact, that there were still two horses to bring safely into their stable, the four of them in here would definitely spend a good amount of time on the horseback until there would even be a remote chance to be picked up at some point.
According to weather data, it was around 13°C, unusually warm for this season. The light coastal wind carried a few clouds and the smell of saltwater from north to south.
Only, indeed, roughly three minutes later, Gesine came out again. She couldn't have looked any more different from before than she did now - her black hair, which she had previously worn as a bun (in order to meet hygiene standards in restaurants), she now wore open and long, emphasizing the color contrast between it and her green eyes even more, reminding of Janina a tiny bit. Instead of her working clothes, she now wore an old military jacket in camo, with emblems removed, only the Federation's Flag on the shoulders left, a brown backpack, as well as a pair of black riding pants and boots. No doubt - if the Federation's Army still maintained a cavalry unit, this, or something along these lines, was what a cavalry girl would have been most certain to look like.
"Now we can get the show started!" - she announced, ready to mount.

by **The Selkie** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 12:06 pm

Lillorainen wrote:Dragan and Gesine had to grin back to Macha - there wasn't a trace of doubt left, that she was quite able to compete with what the Selkie commonly referred to as cubs, despite her the enormous number of summers she had seen.
She suggested to get the show started, the order being entirely logical - Amy and Dragan, the latter being the only one who knew the direction, leading, followed by Macha and Gesine.
The Lillos nodded, showing that they had understood. Neither of them needed to giggle.
"Roger!" - Gesine said and got ready to enter her workplace to change. "Will be back as quickly as possible!"
With that said, she hurried to get into the restaurant again.
Dragan checked his phone again, having received a message by Janina with her exact location sent via messenger. He opened the Maps app again, traffic alerts being activated this time. The road system of this part of the North Shore appeared to him, roads now marked in various shades of green and red, the former indicating low, the latter representing high traffic density. The Federal Highway A1, at its northern sections between Jillich and Eppenrath, being in deep-red, surrounded by numerous Federal Routes and State Roads radiating from the city centers in all directions mostly in green.
Considering both this and the fact, that there were still two horses to bring safely into their stable, the four of them in here would definitely spend a good amount of time on the horseback until there would even be a remote chance to be picked up at some point.
According to weather data, it was around 13°C, unusually warm for this season. The light coastal wind carried a few clouds and the smell of saltwater from north to south.
Only, indeed, roughly three minutes later, Gesine came out again. She couldn't have looked any more different from before than she did now - her black hair, which she had previously worn as a bun (in order to meet hygiene standards in restaurants), she now wore open and long, emphasizing the color contrast between it and her green eyes even more, reminding of Janina a tiny bit. Instead of her working clothes, she now wore aan old military jacket in camo, with emblems removed, only the Federation's Flag on the shoulders left, a brown backpack, as well as a pair of black riding pants and boots. No doubt - if the Federation's Army still maintained a cavalry unit, this, or something along these lines, was what a cavalry girl would have been most certain to look like.
"Now we can get the show started!" - she announced, ready to mount.

When Gesine went inside again, and Dragan opened his smartphone again, the Selkie began their last preparations. While apparently, the result of Dragan's inquiry was positive, his girlfriend was checking the saddle and reins and saddlebags, if everything was affixed correctly and strongly.
Macha did the same.
Around the time Gesine came out, the two of them were finished, not really surprised, that she looked different out of her work-clothes. More relaxed, although the former camo jacket only helped that impression.
Neither of them thought, that she looked much like a cavalrywoman of the Federation's Army would look, mainly because Macha had seen the SDF-Army's Cavalry back in their day. Amy simply nodded at her announcement, not batting an eyelash.
"Then let's.", she said and placed a foot into the saddle. Grabbing the horn, the Selkie-girl swung herself upwards, one skirted leg high and sitting herself down onto the saddle, the horse standing still. She put her arse down, adjusted her seating slightly forward to make room for Dragan between herself and the saddlebags, then took the reins.
The colt responded with a flare of his nostrils, shaking his head and throwing his mane around. Amy grinned, leaning forward to pet him on the head.
Then she looked to Dragan, a soft smile on her lips, and extended her arm for him to grab without a word, one foot out of the stirrups so that he could use them himself. It was easy.
Macha did something similar with her own horse and Gesine.

by **Lillorainen** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:36 pm

Amy and Macha had used the time being for last preparations, checking, if everything was affixed correctly, and indeed, saddles, saddlebags, and reins seemed to be fixed where they belonged. Dragan sent a short message to Janina, to inform her, that they would start off now, then put his phone back into his pocket.
Dragan had no problems mounting, as Amy extended her hand and made the stirrups free. Even less surprisingly, Gesine had no issues doing the same, either.
As soon as everyone had found their spot on Cogain and Cnyw, the Lillos having another eye on the saddlebags to make sure they were still fixed safely, they could go on - Dragan, of course, leading the way.
It basically went the same way back they had come here, leaving the Old Town eastwards through the short subways going under the wide street, then over the, also, wide pavement going parallel to the street. They passed by the same modern buildings as before - neither the street, nor the buildings seemed to be too busy, again, thanks to it being midday. After roughly a kilometer, they passed the entrance to the ferry harbor again, but this time, they did not turn towards it, but went straight on, under a wide bridge, which the Highway A53 went over above them.
Behind this, the buildings on the left and right got smaller and somewhat older again, yet not old enough to have been a thing back then, when Macha had been around these parts - this had been, indeed, mainly farmland, with a few garrisons, similar to what had been a thing in her homeland, too. Here, the houses were mostly white, with roofs of red tiles.
The street went to the right in a wide curve, turning south. It was basically the modern counterpart of what Macha would remember as the old travelling and trade route, going all the way south, crossing the western arms of the Rathe river at a bridge near Maschenich, then following the river at its western shore to the small town that had been named Pontroide back then.
This route, actually, had never lost its importance: despite getting more narrow at the point it left Nienhagen, it had still been very busy even just a few decades ago. With the Federation-wide numbering system being introduced, it had been referred to as B6, even though parts of the Autobahn had already been in use. With the A53 being completed, most sections of the B6 had been downgraded to a State Road and renamed into L217, but it was still a popular bypass for the highway, in case of a traffic jam. Plus, it was more silent and calm, at least in rural areas.
And, of course, there was the old watch tower, which Macha had already spotted from the Ferryport, and although this stone tower was so much older than the rest of the district of Nienhagen-Nederkant, it fit here quite well. It still seemed to protect the city, although it hadn't been in use for a long time.
A small bridge went over the street, here only four-laned, making it possible for pedestrians - and riders, in this case - to cross the street without actually having to go over it; the Selkie would notice, that in many urban areas in these parts, street crossings for non-motorized traffic had been replaced by bridges and subways as much as possible - on the one hand, to ensure maximum safety for pedestrians, bikers, riders and so forth, and on the other hand, to ensure maximum efficiency for the flow of motorized traffic.
A sign pointing into the direction of another street beginning here read:

L201
Butendonk: 24 km
Weilerswerth: 9 km
NH.-Muerrath: 1 km

The bridge led down to another pedestrian lane, separated from the part of the street reserved for cars and motorcycles, right next to the ground the watch tower stood on, which was surrounded by an iron fence of around two meters of height. Apart from a few trees, one had an excellent view on the entire tower, which Macha, unbeknownst to the others yet, would surely want to make use of.

by **The Selkie** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:31 pm

Lillorainen wrote:Amy and Macha had used the time being for last preparations, checking, if everything was affixed correctly, and indeed, saddles, saddlebags, and reins seemed to be fixed where they belonged. Dragan sent a short message to Janina, to inform her, that they would start off now, then put his phone back into his pocket.
Dragan had no problems mounting, as Amy extended her hand and made the stirrups free. Even less surprisingly, Gesine had no issues doing the same, either.
As soon as everyone had found their spot on Cogain and Cnyw, the Lillos having another eye on the saddlebags to make sure they were still fixed safely, they could go on - Dragan, of course, leading the way.
It basically went the same way back they had come here, leaving the Old Town eastwards through the short subways going under the wide street, then over the, also, wide pavement going parallel to the street. They passed by the same modern buildings as before - neither the street, nor the buildings seemed to be too busy, again, thanks to it being midday. After roughly a kilometer, they passed the entrance to the ferry harbor again, but this time, they did not turn towards it, but went straight on, under a wide bridge, which the Highway A53 went over above them.
Behind this, the buildings on the left and right got smaller and somewhat older again, yet not old enough to have been a thing back then, when Macha had been around these parts - this had been, indeed, mainly farmland, with a few garrisons, similar to what had been a thing in her homeland, too. Here, the houses were mostly white, with roofs of red tiles.
The street went to the right in a wide curve, turning south. It was basically the modern counterpart of what Macha would remember as the old travelling and trade route, going all the way south, crossing the western arms of the Rathe river at a bridge near Maschenich, then following the river at its western shore to the small town that had been named Pontroide back then.
This route, actually, had never lost its importance: despite getting more narrow at the point it left Nienhagen, it had still been very busy even just a few decades ago. With the Federation-wide numbering system being introduced, it had been referred to as B6, even though parts of the Autobahn had already been in use. With the A53 being completed, most sections of the B6 had been downgraded to a State Road and renamed into L217, but it was still a popular bypass for the highway, in case of a traffic jam. Plus, it was more silent and calm, at least in rural areas.
And, of course, there was the old watch tower, which Macha had already spotted from the Ferryport, and although this stone tower was so much older than the rest of the district of Nienhagen-Nederkant, it fit here quite well. It still seemed to protect the city, although it hadn't been in use for a long time.
A small bridge went over the street, here only four-laned, making it possible for pedestrians - and riders, in this case - to cross the street without actually having to go over it; the Selkie would notice, that in many urban areas in these parts, street crossings for non-motorized traffic had been replaced by bridges and subways as much as possible - on the one hand, to ensure maximum safety for pedestrians, bikers, riders and so forth, and on the other hand, to ensure maximum efficiency for the flow of motorized traffic.
A sign pointing into the direction of another street beginning here read:
L201
Butendonk: 24 km
Weilerswerth: 9 km
NH.-Muerrath: 1 km
The bridge led down to another pedestrian lane, separated from the part of the street reserved for cars and motorcycles, right next to the ground the watch tower stood on, which was surrounded by an iron fence of around two meters of height. Apart from a few trees, one had an excellent view on the entire tower, which Macha, unbeknownst to the others yet, would surely want to make use of.

Once their co-riders were seated, the horsewomen reclaimed the stirrups, they were essential in steering the horses, after all. To secure them in their seating, both Macha and Amy put the arms of their co-riders around their hips, a sort-of back-hug.
Macha was neutral with that, but Amy enjoyed it, even leaned back into the back-hug.
And Dragan still led them well, Amy leading them. The horses held their heads high, their ears up, not tense, but curious. A few other pedestrians gave them curious looks as well, which none of them minded.
Their way led them past the harbour, under a bridge (the A53 above them), and through houses, which got smaller and smaller. They were older, but not old enough for Macha to recognize them.
She did not mind. It looked idyllic.
Except for the highway, which was so close.
They turned south, along a road, which Macha did recognize. All of these years ago, shortly after she departed the Ride-On-Ride-Off-vessel of the MGoL, they had taken this road under arms and, from then, rode along it quite often, escorting trade caravans all the way from Nienhagen to Pontroide and back again. L217 was the name today, back then, Macha and her comrades had called it the Abhainnbhealaigh, the Riverway.
Macha reached forward, an old reflex, checking if her sword was, where it was supposed to be - and it was, hanging in front of her left leg on the saddle.
The Old Watchtower, a friend from days long past, a welcome sight after a long journey, promising beer, a warm bed and maybe even a bath, plus people to share it all with... including the warm bed.
They led their horses up the pedestrian bridges, carefully, for it was not easy, not even for experienced horsepeople like the two Selkie. In the end, they managed it - it was safer, but for horses with inexperienced riders, it was also a lot more complicated and dangerous.
The first sign of L201 came up - their destination was 24 kilometres away, or at least the town, where it was. With the normal four-beat walk of their horses, they would take three to four hours, if they didn't make any breaks.
The old watchtower was closeby their new route, surrounded by an iron fence, a few trees around it.
Macha smiled softly, bowed her head.
"You know, when we came back to Nienhagen...", she retold, "...from long escorts of merchant caravans down to the south, the first vanguard man spotting this tower gave a signal on his horn." She smiled slightly. "And when we departed, we had another call."
Raising her hand to wave, she called over: "Slán, care fed, tabharfamad banmachta!" She let a beat pass. "Goodbye, steadfast friend, we will bring greetings!"

by **Lillorainen** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 3:48 pm

The Selkie wrote:Once their co-riders were seated, the horsewomen reclaimed the stirrups, they were essential in steering the horses, after all. To secure them in their seating, both Macha and Amy put the arms of their co-riders around their hips, a sort-of back-hug.
Macha was neutral with that, but Amy enjoyed it, even leaned back into the back-hug.
And Dragan still led them well, Amy leading them. The horses held their heads high, their ears up, not tense, but curious. A few other pedestrians gave them curious looks as well, which none of them minded.
Their way led them past the harbour, under a bridge (the A53 above them), and through houses, which got smaller and smaller. They were older, but not old enough for Macha to recognize them.
She did not mind. It looked idyllic.
Except for the highway, which was so close.
They turned south, along a road, which Macha did recognize. All of these years ago, shortly after she departed the Ride-On-Ride-Off-vessel of the MGoL, they had taken this road under arms and, from then, rode along it quite often, escorting trade caravans all the way from Nienhagen to Pontroide and back again. L217 was the name today, back then, Macha and her comrades had called it the Abhainnbhealaigh, the Riverway.
Macha reached forward, an old reflex, checking if her sword was, where it was supposed to be - and it was, hanging in front of her left leg on the saddle.
The Old Watchtower, a friend from days long past, a welcome sight after a long journey, promising beer, a warm bed and maybe even a bath, plus people to share it all with... including the warm bed.
They led their horses up the pedestrian bridges, carefully, for it was not easy, not even for experienced horsepeople like the two Selkie. In the end, they managed it - it was safer, but for horses with inexperienced riders, it was also a lot more complicated and dangerous.
The first sign of L201 came up - their destination was 24 kilometres away, or at least the town, where it was. With the normal four-beat walk of their horses, they would take three to four hours, if they didn't make any breaks.
The old watchtower was closeby their new route, surrounded by an iron fence, a few trees around it.
Macha smiled softly, bowed her head.
"You know, when we came back to Nienhagen...", she retold, "...from long escorts of merchant caravans down to the south, the first vanguard man spotting this tower gave a signal on his horn." She smiled slightly. "And when we departed, we had another call."
Raising her hand to wave, she called over: "Slán, care fed, tabharfamad banmachta!" She let a beat pass. "Goodbye, steadfast friend, we will bring greetings!"

Dragan had to grin, when he looked back and saw Macha reaching forward to check whether her sword still was where it belonged - an old reflex, coming from a time when it absolutely had made sense to have one around, especially when escorting caravans. Even though this had been one of the safest places on Elverholm Island, thanks to multiple trade partners all protecting their items of interest, it had surely been better to have one around, even if not needing it. And the MGoL had been quite known for escorting their caravans properly.
From some distant side street, a car honking the horn was to hear, right in the moment Macha finished telling about the signal horns back then.
Dragan said, "And they surely sounded nicer and more friendly than these horns ..."
Gesine added, "Less of 'get outta' my way' and more of 'Here we are, hope the fireplace is warm and the beer is cold', eh?"
Macha waved the watchtower goodbye, announcing to bring greetings.
For a second, the wind changed its direction again, and Macha would believe to hear something along the lines of, Slán! I hope the others are doing fine, eh? You may tell them we're doing excellent in here! So are they, I hope, right?
As they went on, the road went on a hill, an artificial one, so a bridge could have been built, higher than usual. While this river arm, the easternmost one, was not the main arm, some ships quite needed to pass here every now and then. A moment before they entered the massive road bridge with a steel structure and a wider side lane easier to go over for riders than that other pedestrian bridge, leading to another, already more rural part of the city, Gesine looked back to the tower.
"I love these old towers, I must say" - she said. "Although most of them haven't been in use for ages, it always feels as if somebody was still sitting up there and watching over everything around ...!"

by **The Selkie** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:42 am

Macha smiled, looking at Gesine behind her.
"Indeed it does. Even in these days.", she admitted, then shrugged as they rode up the artificial hill connecting the steel bridge, a massive thing - a long time ago, it had been a simple stone bridge, far lower and with a road toll attached to it, for maintenance. "Nienhagen's guardsmen always held a special place in our hearts, for they were honest and if you made a deal with them, they held it up."
"Deals with guardsmen?", Amy asked from the front, "Anything we should know about?"
"Depends.", the Spiorad said, "What are the periods of limitation for corruption in the Federation?" She shrugged. "We were quite liberal with these payments, admittedly, for we quite often transported wares, which we did not want to pay tolls for."

by **Lillorainen** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 6:49 am

Dragan and Gesine had to grin about the anecdote.
"I can imagine!" - Dragan said. "Now, I don't think you'll need to worry about possibly being prosecuted for this anymore, after eight centuries. I'm sure, that most people back then have avoided payments for tolls back then this way."
"Nowadays, the only tolls we have are an electronic highway toll system for large vehicles used for commercial purposes" - Gesine said, shrugging. "A bit hard to avoid, and pretty futile to try."
Dragan hummed in agreement. "I once have read about guardsmen who dealt with people until their bribe was so high, that it paid off more to just pay the tolls" - he said, grinning. "Must have been around 1190. It said it may have been more of a legend back then, but I could well imagine, that there's some truth about that."
The massive bridge would soon end in Muerrath, the northeastern district of Nienhagen, possibly known to Macha as Moerroide from olden days, as a farmers' village with a few garrisons on the edge of a large forest a gravel road had gone through. Today, only a few minor pieces of forest were to be seen here, and the farmers' village had turned into a lovely (but rather expensive) residential area with small brick houses and large gardens. A place that seemed even more idyllic than Nederkant, as there was no highway in the middle of it.
Small boat houses with wharfs were located at both sides of this river arm, and a bit more up north, almost at the mouth, the Federal Police had a base - one of the places where the Corrán-class vessels, bought from SDY last year, had gone to.

by **The Selkie** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:38 pm

Macha nodded.
"There indeed were guardsmen like that. And merchants, who had to pay because they did not invest in the protecting umbrella of the MGoL. We, when we were bothered too much by a particular guard officer, had means and ways to get rid of them." She shrugged. "And if the replacement promised to be not to be corrupted... well, let's just say, that the only question was, what the price was. That's, by the way, universal - here, in the Lands of the Selkie, in Kyrenaia, in other places. One thing, that definately changed for the better, the officials are less corruptable."
They rode through a small town, if Marla was not mistaken, this had once been Moerroide - a small farmer's town with a forest closeby and a military presence to protect the bridge. A gravel road... not good for carts and horses, especially when it rained, but they had made do.
The forest was mostly gone, in favour of small brick houses with large gardens. Surely, living here was expensive.
"There was an inn... roundabout over there.", Macha said and motioned towards their right, "We liked to hit it when we were free. A few of the others and me... it had this gigantic apple tree in the back, good beer and cute waitresses... and this cute brewmaiden. A lad of ours had his eyes on her, but he could not pull himself together sufficiently to ask her for what we would call a date." She snorted in amusement. "Finnegan was our lad and, funnily enough, Gesine was the girl's name."

by **Lillorainen** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 9:32 am

Gesine had to grin again - girls of her name seemed to have a longer tradition in the serving sector of the Lillöer-Archipelago than one might think. And not only there; there were quite renowned people of that name around, like Gesine van Haen, Lord Mayor of Nienhagen from 2004 to 2012, or Gesine Stuhrscheid, an actress known from various TV shows.
"Yeah, my name does have a good sound in these parts" - she said. "I've once read, that in 1998, my birth year, around two hundred thousand other girls named Gesine were born in the Federation. Also seems it was a popular name in the Middle Ages."
Again, more so than she thought, and not only amongst brewmaidens. Grand Duchess Gesine Thorhild von Kronstadt-Thule-Gössning had been legendary by a couple of lucky punches in trade law reforms in her lands the 1230s, a few years after Macha had left the Islands. And by having certain demands, combined with a bit too much of love for horses - but that was another story.
"As for corruption - integrity has become a great thing in these parts since then" - Dragan said. "Though, we have a saying in here - Everybody is corruptable, one has just to find out the amount needed. It's universal indeed, the threshold being higher in some places and lower in others. But it's a human thing, no matter if in here, or in the Free Lands, or in Kyrenaia, or in Shamsiyya, or whatever."
Gesine kept thinking about this, still when they left the bridge and entered the idyllic suburb of Muerrath, passing by the point Macha had remembered an inn being there; now, there was a bus stop there, and a side street to the right led, according to a sign, to Birnbeck, another suburb of Nienhagen, the railway station of Muerrath, which was well known to Gesine - and, indeed, an inn, around 400 meters from here. Hardly surprising, that numerous generations of locals had assumed that opening an inn in these parts might be a good idea.
They would keep following the State Route, though, a sign now announcing their destination in 23 kilometers and their possible meeting point in eight. Additional signs pointing straight on listed tourist destination like beaches, good-to-know things like gas stations, as well as a friendly reminder for motorized traffic, that this was a built-up area, that the speed limit in built-up areas was 60 km/h, and that schoolchildren were very likely to cross the street, as pedestrian bridges were less a thing in here than in more densely populated districts.

by **The Selkie** » Sun Feb 24, 2019 11:01 am

Lillorainen wrote:Gesine had to grin again - girls of her name seemed to have a longer tradition in the serving sector of the Lillöer-Archipelago than one might think. And not only there; there were quite renowned people of that name around, like Gesine van Haen, Lord Mayor of Nienhagen from 2004 to 2012, or Gesine Stuhrscheid, an actress known from various TV shows.
"Yeah, my name does have a good sound in these parts" - she said. "I've once read, that in 1998, my birth year, around two hundred thousand other girls named Gesine were born. Also seems it was a popular name in the Middle Ages."
Again, more so than she thought, and not only amongst brewmaidens. Grand Duchess Gesine Thorhild von Kronstadt-Thule-Gössning had been legendary by a couple of lucky punches in trade law reforms in her lands the 1230s, a few years after Macha had left the Islands. And by having certain demands, combined with a bit too much of love for horses - but that was another story.
"As for corruption - integrity has become a great thing in these parts since then" - Dragan said. "Though, we have a saying in here - Everybody is corruptable, one has just to find out the amount needed. It's universal indeed, the threshold being higher in some places and lower in others. But it's a human thing, no matter if in here, or in the Free Lands, or in Kyrenaia, or in Shamsiyya, or whatever."
Gesine kept thinking about this, still when they left the bridge and entered the idyllic suburb of Muerrath, passing by the point Macha had remembered an inn being there; now, there was a bus stop there, and a side street to the right led, according to a sign, to Birnbeck, another suburb of Nienhagen, the railway station of Muerrath, which was well known to Gesine - and, indeed, an inn, around 400 meters from here. Hardly surprising, that numerous generations of locals had assumed that opening an inn in these parts might be a good idea.
They would keep following the State Route, though, a sign now announcing their destination in 23 kilometers and their possible meeting point in eight. Additional signs pointing straight on listed tourist destination like beaches, good-to-know things like gas stations, as well as a friendly reminder for motorized traffic, that this was a built-up area, that the speed limit in built-up areas was 60 km/h, and that schoolchildren were very likely to cross the street, as pedestrian bridges were less a thing in here than in more densely populated districts.

Macha did not add to either statements from their Lillo-guides, visibly in thoughts.
Amy motioned to Gesine to let her be as the ancient woman seemed to remember. The suburb seemed so idyllic, unlike what Macha had known back in the day, a small village of farmers and guards, toll officers standing ready to receive their fees.
Both the official ones and the other ones... although some even left it with payment in kind.
Back then, there had been little in the ways of signs, one had to know, where what was and if not... well, have fun asking for the way. Especially if you don't speak the local language, which she had learned the hard way.
They followed the state route, with friendly reminders of speed limits and other signs.
Macha took off one of the fingerless gloves, which she wore as part of the Geansai, looking at the palm of her hand, which showed many, many little scars and weals, which spoke of a long and active life. The hand had held a lot of swords and bows and lances in her hand...
...and suddenly, there was another one, far, far younger, in it, belonging to Amy, who gave her hand a soft squeeze.
Macha smiled at her, receiving a grin back.
The Spiorad leaned over, kissing the younger woman on her lips, though without lips, separating a moment later. Amy wore a cute blush.
"I hope you don't mind.", Macha asked Dragan with a grin of her own.

A Blast from the Past (Closed)

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