A Beach Feast (IC)

by **Quen Minh** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:46 am

"An opportune time to change," Hyùnh replied excitedly before patting Loan, "Hey, let's go while the food grills as it should."

"Why not," Loan shrugged, "I kind of feel out of place with all the swimsuits around."

"If you don't mind, we'll be back in a while," Hyùnh turned to Branwen, "We just need to change. Though, I am not seeing any bathrooms around here. Is there a problem with those or is it something else?"

by **Aurora Confederacy** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 5:24 am

Jason, turning around to the visitors replied,
"his name is Marvin", he said in a relaxed voice, before tapping the sand "Marvin, come here bud" he says before turning to Karen, "This is Karen, my wife"
Marvin turned around and ran up to Jason, and lay down beside him, his eyes focused on the admirer, as he gazed over her he gave his eyes a slow blink as Karen stroked the back of his neck. Marvin is one pampered cat and the glossyness of his fur shows, however due to a genetic defect, his legs are about half the length they should be, and he has no claws so at least the upholstery at home is safe.

Despite her large tattoo and plethera of piercings, she is in fact a pleasant person and the way she holds her face shows it, always smiling. "heya" she says, propping her self up on an elbow

by **Hanoverian Great Britain** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 6:20 am

As she listened to the bartenders' words, she was seemingly taken in by their explanations. Personally, though she has never heard of such modelling company, she could see much that the two bartenders are fit for modelling, which brought her some memories of herself as a short-term model before switching over to the military. Regardless, she was also surprised by the fact that both of them are also foreigners to the area. "I see, well then, if applicable, care to make a tripartite group of gals having their first time here?", suggested her in a playful manner.

As she continued her words, she specifically turned her attention to Lykke, "You know Lykke, your suggestion of a guide sounds pleasant, I'll take it then, but not before an another cup of lemonade, this drink is surely captivating!, commended Alexandra in her seemingly joyful and happy tone, as she had just finished her first cup of lemonade.

Upon giving her her order to Lykke, Alexandra then turned to the former's brunette companion, whom she addressed in a much more lower and whispering tone, "Since you're a lady, I prefer you more to answer a question I'm going to ask. Does the beach provide any changing rooms or sort? I might need to get out of this floral dress in a moment", asked Alexandra as she arched forward by a little, exposing her leather-made, white coloured bra straps. At the same time, she was also careful as to not slip and accidentally raise the unwanted attention of the 3 young lads nearby, who might try to flirt with her in a really creepy manner.

by **AHSCA** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 12:01 pm

"Aha" She giggled nervously "Well....It's not important but I guess you can say I just don't get out much, is all. But being here has been lovely so far, I mean just nice and pleasant, many nice people to see. Including you fine folks!"

by **The Gristolian Imperium** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 4:34 pm

Miss Donatella Pintaral
Pléaráca Beach, Tearmann Island Resort
Conversing with Asteria

The Selkie wrote:Asteria Aoibhiúil of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled slightly as Donatella petted Ga, who let her and even enjoyed it.
He seemed to be really into it, too, but I also saw Donatella's bang of pain and homesickness. A beloved pet left home, missed dearly? Likely. Just as likely as said beloved pet having departed.
Back to the question.
"One of the reasons, yes.", I admitted a bit sheepishly, "A colleague of mine got invited on account of working for the company hosting it and she asked around, whether we wanted to attend, too, before the Mianach, and I agreed. It seemed fun - and free food and drink!"
I threw her a wink.

Donatella let out a chuckle, finding Asteria funny. "I hope they have some good things to drink," the heiress said as she though out loud. "I am starting to get thirsty." Staring into space for a moment, Donatella seemed to go into autopilot as she petted Ga.

Brought back into the moment by some irrelevant noise, she asked, "Wait, was is a Mianach? Is it a person?"

by **The Selkie** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 5:03 pm

AHSCA wrote:"Aha" She giggled nervously "Well....It's not important but I guess you can say I just don't get out much, is all. But being here has been lovely so far, I mean just nice and pleasant, many nice people to see. Including you fine folks!"

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Something was weird about her reply, yet I decided not to press.
She would tell, when she wanted to tell.
I did smile at her compliment. "That you very much, Ayla.", I said and meant it, "The fun part about such parties is meeting new people and getting to know them."
"Speaking of meeting new people...", Dad suddenly began, grinned, "The girl you rode with... who is she?"
I felt my face heat up considerably.

Palmyrion wrote:Kiana Rúisc of the Tribe of Waterford.
I rejoined them a bit out of breath after the guy with the long, green hair and his brunette wife (Finnegan and Enya, as I would get to know them later, both models of BI) had finished their warm up piece, a hearty dance of fiddle and flute.
Dancers had already enjoyed one, Jerald and Evelyn among them, but I had spent most of the time searching for them. Dance couples changed, I waved off a lad, who had wanted to ask Evelyn. He understood quickly.
"You gave me quite a scare, you two!", I told them, then grinned, "Come! Let's get acquainted with our host tonight and then we can chat a bit about the future. Sounds good?"

Jerald and Evelyn meanwhile danced a bit as the music went live around the bonfire, then switching afterwards with other people. Well, Jerald may have been quite the lover boy back in his college days, but now that he was taken he flinched a bit from pairing up with a girl up front that he got paired up with after he initially paired with Evelyn, which the girl understood; he literally left some room for Jesus, so to speak. Meanwhile, a guy tried to flirt with Evelyn, but Evelyn flinched away from him, insisting that she was already taken.

Finally, after a while, Kiana caught up to the couple. Kiana was out of breath looking for them, and quite anxious. "You gave me quite a scare, you two!" Kiana exclaimed to Jerald and Evelyn, still locked in an embrace with each other during the dance. "Come! Let's get acquainted with our host tonight and then we can chat a bit about the future. Sounds good?" she added.

Jerald responded gleefully in approval, with Evelyn nodding in approval. "Sure! I'd love to expand my connections as a businessman..." said he as her chuckled, afterwards turning to Evelyn and asked her: "Tara, babe? Sama ka?" (Let's go, babe? You going with us?). Evelyn responded just as gleefully in approval, saying "Sige ba! Why not?" (Sure! Why not?), afterwards chuckling as Jerald wrapped his arm around her.

Kiana Rúisc of the Tribe of Waterford.
With the two of them in tow, I turned and walked off the 'dance floor', towards the large fire and towards a couple of men. One was a tall fellow in a long-sleeved shirt, the topmost buttons unopened, his long, black hair open and straight, while his blonde and very busty assistant had hers in blonde curls, a waterfall of colour.
I admit, that I envied her a bit - natural, blonde locks! My hair fell straight, no matter what I did, and that was why I usually kept it in a bun or a braid or something...
Anyway, they were not our objective.
Our objective was the tall man they were talking to, his blue eyes the colours of the ocean around these parts, his face as if cut out of marble. He was a very good looking man, rocking the swimming trunks and light jacket he wore.
He was married, though, so... only lookie, no touchie.
I cleared my throat, when we were an appropriate distance away and the face of the black-haired fellow lit up with a bit of joy. "Ah, Siora Ruisc!", he said, "I did not know, that you would be here tonight!"
"Me neither, but Caja saw the posters and thought, that we'd drop by, Siore Esecutore.", I said and bowed my head lightly, "Siora Alce." The blonde nodded as well. I then turned to Jerald and Evelyn. "Jerald, Evelyn, if I may introduce, Silvio Esecutore and Aurora Alce, of the Casa di Commercio dei Viticoltori a Fortezza, as well as our host..." I turned to the blonde man. "...Finnegan Drisiúr of the Tribe of Cork of Bicíní Industries."
Drisiúr bowed his head lightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Please, just call me Finn.", he said and then offered his hand for a shake, a bit awkwardly as this was an unusual gesture for a Selkie.

Isla Saighead of the Tribe of Westmeath.
I smiled and bowed my head lightly to Eithne, who returned the gesture and off I was with Mister Vicente in tow.
"So...", I said, smiled slightly, "...I'm a bit parched, I must admit. Care for sharing a drink with me?"
I smiled and cocked my head slightly, in a way, that made lads of my age group quite nervous. I was sure, that it would not have the same effect on Gerald, but a girl needed to hone her skills.
And, while I thought myself to be good looking, I was well aware, that I was literally surrounded by models, which was not exactly good for the self-esteem of many girls I knew. I, however, thrived with the challenge ahead of me!

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
Galen grinned and Kean smiled at the enthusiasm of both girls, I couldn't help but giggle.
"No, Crúibín and Friochadh are anything but ponies.", Kean said and rose to his full, impressive height of 1.99 meters as he referred to the two horses by their names.
A moment later, the two men were sitting on the backs of their horses, directed their steeds to 'pull up', if you will, alongside Bianca and Isabel, Galen to the left, Kean to the right, and reached down with their hands.
I knew, that both men were strong enough to pull the girls up into the saddles easily, so there was no need to be afraid of that.
It was Kean, who spoke to both girls, "Miladies, may we, humble horsemen and Men of the Lance, for the honour of having you ride with us? Grab onto our hands."
I smiled and gave both girls an encouraging smile.

A m e n r i a wrote:Yali stretched her arms up high, letting out a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and smiled as she basked in the all-too familiar tropical sun. She may be far from home, but the climate is just like that of the Imperial Harem she grew up in with her mother, her sisters, and their mothers.

She had her long, brown, wavy hair tied in a ponytail, the dark colour contrasting her bright skin. She was wearing a indigo rash guard with long, black sleeves, unzipped to reveal the black bikini top underneath. She also had a black pair of shorts on, showing off her long, slim legs and her Mark of the Starchild on her left calf, which looked like six indigo dot-like birthmarks, or birthmarks that look like the constellation Aries, if one is perceptive enough. She had a larger bust size than hip size, and one could wonder why she decided to cover her torso more than her legs.

"Ah..It's nice to breathe in some nice, fresh, tropical air that's not from back home, ain't it? Look, jiejie, many people have arrived already!" Yali remarked excitedly to her sister, Valeriya, in her southern accent. It's no surprise, as she was born from and raised by a Shenyang woman. Valeriya, however, was born from a different woman. She was the daughter of a Siberian woman, which explains why she didn't look much like Yali, but still looked eastern nonetheless.

"Yea, I getcha. Let's go then." Valeriya replied, nodding to Yali and walking with her to the scene. Her skin was even brighter than Yali, her figure taller and thicker, and her hair darker. She wore a frilled bikini, which matched the natural black of her hair. Like Yali, Valeriya also bore the Mark of the Starchild, which was silver and looked like the constellation Virgo - a proof of being Tianshi's daughter, on the lower left part of her belly. To the unfamiliar eye, it just looks like a bunch of dots, maybe a tattoo of sorts.

As they walked closer, they ducked slightly in surprise after hearing the loud horn, but figured out it was nothing, as the locals didn't seem so fazed. After all, if worse comes to worse, Valeriya could just turn into an aeroplane and evacuate the civilians. A few steps later, they saw a convoy consisting of a tank, some cavalry, some motorists, and some carts. "Huh. What's up with that?" Valeriya shrugged. "I dunno, maybe some ceremonial stuff." they continued on their way to the party.

Green: spoken in Chinese

Note: Quote modified by removal of spoiler-tags.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
Ceili, in my eyes, was the most beautiful girl in the whole, wide world.
Blonde, her red eyes shining like the rubies her mother's company unearthed in the Northern Islands while digging for other natural resources, her skin of a white, that was not pale. She had strong arms and legs, I could attest to that, and... I was the luckiest lad in the history of ever to be even near her, let alone call her my friend and rival.
We were both Marcach, of the Youth League, specialized in the Art of the Sword, and fierce competitors - off the field, however, we were friends. Training partners. And... I liked her very much.
We were both of eleven Springs, so maybe it didn't mean anything, like my Dad sometimes said, but to me, it meant the world - and it meant the world, that Ceili saw me similarly.
She wore a cute, blue-white bikini with a sarong, that suited her and her sunny personality perfectly.
I, on the other hand, was a few centimeters taller, my pink hair in a long braid, dressed in a pair of swimming trunks, myself being a trained young lad as well - and, if I may say so, in swimming trunks, I did not look like a girl at all! School uniform was a different matter, though...
We were just laughing about something Barrógi, that is Ceili's and her mother's Jalid White Wolf, did. The canine in question was with us as well, his impressive height of well over one meter at the shoulder and his long, heavy fur, made him sit with us on a beach towel, sometimes taking a sip or two from his water bowl, which we kept well-filled at all times.
Suddenly, the massive canine lifted his head, his ears perked up in alertness. That usually meant something was not right. I didn't have my armour piercer on me and Ceili not her broadsword, but I knew, that her sarong hid a rather short and very sharp dagger, while I had a similar one in my pocket.
We were, after all, Selkie.
Yet, Barrógi didn't snarl, so maybe he was just curious.
We followed his gaze and it came to two women, both of which had weird tattoos, one of a number of dots in a specific pattern I could not decypher, the other of a constellation of stars, which I recognized: Absinnu, the Seed-Furrow, by the Kyrenaian Name for the constellation.
I had no idea as to why they wore it. Decoration? Cultic Purposes? Something else?
That they were very good-looking, and one of them quite well-equipped, was lost on me...
Ceili, meanwhile, looked from the Jalid White Wolf to the two, then to me, then to Barrógi. She decided something, raised her arm to wave at the two with a grin: "Good evening!", she said, "Come, join us!"
If they would was the question...

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
"Indeed, Cao.", I told Marie with a grin, then turned to Heidi, "Ya see, Cao's not only a friend of mine, she's also..."
What I wanted to add was left to posterity as I suddenly was tackle-hugged by a brunette young woman with long, brown locks framing her face - her hair did little to hide the two fox ears on her head, which bristled with joy, her grin wide, her vulpine tail swishing back and forth. She wore a swimsuit, a modest, red bikini, that left way more to the imagination then what it showed.
She grinned at me, planted a kiss on both of my cheeks, then let me go and turned to Marie and Adelheid. "I heard, that he was about to introduce me, so I thought, that might I might do so myself.", she said and bowed her head lightly to Adelheid, "I am Caoimhe Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan, but everyone calls me Cao, so feel free to do so, too, Heidi!"
Then she turned to Marie, spread her arms.
"And you need hugs!", she announced and pounced the other young woman, with Marie having ample chance to dodge, which made me grin, joining Heidi's side.
"Don't worry.", I told her, "Cao's the best."
It was not only brotherly pride speaking out of me.

Khalid Faris.
I nodded.
"Well, if you are okay with porta potties, they'd be over there.", I pointed towards the tree line, by the point where the last convoy had arrived, where the street petered out. "A bit hidden, but there they are."
I got the feeling, that this was less about modesty and more about her worrying about her clothes, which seemed to be handmade. I could understand that.
And over there, a bit hidden from view by the trees and reachable by a small gravel path, indeed stood eight porta potties around a little square with benches, for people, who waited on friends. A small fountain for washing hands was nearby as well, as well as a storage chest for cleaning equipment, spare rolls and other stuff one might need.
Unbeknowst to me, one of the horsemen was just in the process of refilling that chest.

Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
I smiled sheepishly.
"Well, there aren't any changing rooms or bathrooms nearby, but there is a number of portable toilets, which some of us used as changing rooms.", I said with a small shrug, "Granted, the three of us wore our swimsuits when we got here, but I know, that there're there."
Elin nodded. "Indeed they are.", she looked to me, "How about you show them the area and I organize something to drink with Ritu?"
"Actually...", the Mimio said with a small blush, "...I'd like to see, where those are, too."
Ah... someone needed a potty break.
"Suit yourself.", Elin said and kissed the other women on the cheek. "Then I'll organize the drinks myself!"
We grinned, knowing, that either Ritu or myself would be the target of a small prank, and a moment later, I offered Hyùnh and Loan to take them by their hands.
"Come!", I said, "I'll show you the way!"

Brenda Iarnród of the Tribe of Louth.
Well, turned out his name was Marvin and Miss Piercings was Karen.
The two were married.
We gave Karen the slimmest bow of the heads possible for polite company, but to be honest, I doubted, that she, or her husband, would recognize the difference. What they would quickly come to realize was, that our main focus was on the cat.
"I'm Brenda, that's Ribín.", I introduced us in turn, mostly speaking to the man and the cat, while I stretched out my hand for Marvin to smell.
"Whazzup.", Ribín said. She was an Ironcastle Girl, daughter of a foreman in one of the steel mills, so she was a bit rougher... and to be honest, that made her quite attractive for a young woman of fourteen Springs.
"He is a bit short-legged, isn't he?", I added.

Asteria Aoibhiúil of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled and began to lead the way.
We had a party to arrive to and it would be rude to be late! Besides, Donatella wasn't the only one, who was getting thirsty...
"It's an event.", I explained, "The Mianach Air Race, held four times a year in Gaineamh. It is a competition of the best pilots, who ever heard of it, many of them from around the region. The conditions and aircraft allowed to be used change every time its held, but this time, it's fixed-wing propeller. I fly a HMW-FW 19 Fighter-Bomber, of course demilitarized, an old warbird, which is actually from Teressien. A wonderful aircraft, especially at speeds... but getting her up to speeds will be a bit of a problem."
Ga followed me, thus hopefully making Donatella come as well.

Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
We did not understand a word - or at least I did not know of anyone, who did.
Still, the song has a marching cadence, which made it easy to follow and adjust the work to, which was always a plus for such songs. That some of her friends seemed familiar with it did not surprise anyone in the slightest, though they did sing along in a lower tone. Setsu was the star of the show and she was good.
She was no Aingeal, sure, but she was good.
We cheered our congratulations, seeing, that we were rather occupied with hefting boxes around, before silence fell - no one commented, until someone spoke. She was a girl around my own age, the olive skin of a Kyrenaian woman, rather flat-chested, actually, but with the lithe form of a swimmer, only emphasized by the competition swimsuit, which she wore. Her brown hair was short, her blue eyes shone like sapphires.
"May I offer the next song?", she asked, and if my skills in accent-spotting were good, I would say, that she was of Megido's Deserts.
Captain Fearg nodded. "Sure thing, lassie, fire away!", he agreed to agreeing murmurs of the majority. We knew a few songs, that ran over the radio every once in a while and sometimes were sung by our BI-Kyrenaians (the Khana had a nice voice), but I was wondering, what this girl would offer us.
She began to sing in Kyrenaian... allow me to break the fourth wall here and give you the English Lyrics:

The Sands of Fenchu,
They blow gently over the face,
Carried by a breeze send by the Mountains' Voice
To comfort warriors in lands hostile.

It had a marching cadence and I knew, that I had heard the song somewhere... and then I knew it: Every time the Al-Khansa Girls' Academy's Horsemen Teams were somewhere, the audience cheered for their girls by singing this song.
I even knew, what it told - not the exact words, but the meaning.

Tabar in hand,
Strength does not come from the arms in hand,
Honour comes not from the enemy slain.
Victory is found in Dignity.

It was a song of warriors, of the Khanate of Las, the Robber-Khanate. From its fierce female warriors, the AKGA's Teams drew their spirit, traditions, strength - considering, that a Lasite Beyeha was the current Captain of the Horseman Teams, specialized in Axeriding and even giving the TBA's Team a run for their money, it was not hard to miss.

True victory is what we seek,
Not to subjugate and conquer,
But to be victorious,
To show Consideration
And to show Wisdom.

I once heard, that it was a song explaining the foundations of the Furusiyya, the twelve values of the Kyrenaian Code of Chivalry, and how they applied to the Battlefield in the minds of the People of the Robber-Khanate.
It was a very interesting place, steeped in history.

Strength is found in the Even Hand,
Honour comes from its application,
For it is the Robber-Khana we fight for,
Her Image sends us out to Fenchu's Deserts.

I also remember, that someone once told me, that the song had to do with the Fenchu-Rebellion, a particularly bloody time in Kyrenaian History, that lasted from 1400 to 1406, I think.

Righteousness stems from the Axe's Weight,
Hardness must be learned,
Swiftness must be considered,
Decisiveness stems from the need.

It was not contemporary to that, though, but considerably younger - from around the time, when Ellaha-Sultana was becoming more and more of a popular figure and a role model. The Sultana, who had ruled back then, and who was now some sort of archetype for a Sultana, embodying these virtuous.

Send a whisper on the Winds,
Warriors of Lasite Mountains,
Hope your beloved will hear them
And fight for Victory in distant land!

We cheered as the song came to an end.

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
I smiled as Chris waved back at us, then listened to the songs sung, both by the Shiko and by the Kyrenaian. Little Enya asked her Mam for a translation between the songs, but both drew blank with her.
She did promise Little Enya to ask them later, though, with her in tow, so that they could get an idea. I saw it in Mhairin's eyes, that she was curious, too.
The supply carts were getting emptier and emptier and soon, it would be high time for someone to receive his proper welcome...

by **A m e n r i a** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 5:26 pm

Yali turned her head in reaction to someone calling out. She looked around for whoever might have done the calling, and concluded that it was a pink-haired man, who was with a blonde woman and a wolf. Wait a minute, wolves aren't supposed to be on beaches. Also, apparently, bright hair colours are normal here too. Maybe the Amenrian neon subculture has expanded here?

She pointed at herself as she looked at him, as if asking "You talkin' to me?" On confirmation, she would gently nudge her sister and nod towards the man, asking her to come with her to talk to him. The two half-walked half-runned towards the duo (trio? Does the wolf count?). "Hi!" Valeriya greeted with a smile and wave to the man, then a nod to the woman. "Are you locals here?"

by **New Visayan Islands** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 6:44 pm

Gerald Vicente
At the Party

"I do not see why not," Gerald replied with a nod. "To be honest, I could also use a drink...yesterday's festivities were somewhat lively, and I'd rather not pass up the opportunity to enjoy the party if I could help it.

"Oh, you'll need context: yesterday Victoria Shipyards - Selkie Branch held a year-end celebration. Think 'Christmas Party at the office,' and you'll get it." What he didn't say was that the celebration was spent on the deck of the Spirit of Diamond, just like the first time VSSB celebrated Christmas. It was explained away as simulating what the buyer might use their yacht for, be it moored on the pier or out to sea; the celebration started at 0730 and ended at 2130 to account for that exact scenario.

by **Quen Minh** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 3:06 am

Hyùnh and Loan exchanged looks of flummox before shrugging to themselves.

"Eh, why not," Hyùnh suggested.

They then held onto the wrists of the Spiorad, gripping their bags containing their swimsuits tightly to not let them be stained with grains of sand.

"Lead the way, Miss Branwen," Loan urged.

by **Aurora Confederacy** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:10 am

Marvin crept forwards and had a sniff before rubbing his neck aganist the outstretched hand

"Pleased to meet you, and by the way, I'm Jason. As for Marvin, he's got a genetic defect and the breeder couldnt give him away as no one wanted him, however he's been a lovelly member of the family and I wouldn't trade him in for love nor money, he's part of the family now. We keep him on a leash when we're out, mainly to protect him and he walks pretty well" replied Jason, before turning to Marvin, "you don't like stairs do you mate, eh?" he says, stroking Marvin's fur before reaching to a bag, "Im gonna have to put a trackie on, getting quite breezy", even Karen was beginning to feel the chill so was reaching for her own clothes

Marvin just gave a soft meow, before lying down and rolling around in the sand, his eyes focused on his new admirers

by **Minroz** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 8:35 am

Pléaráca Beach, Tearmann Island Resort.

Dressed in their respective swimsuits under their jackets, a certain Aryanian couple were hanging out at the local foodstalls to look for a quick bite. The island itself is their first time visiting the land where the Selkies called their homeland as ‘Free Lands’. The cultural customs of the Selkies have comes across as understandably odd to Aryanians but the hospitable nature of the locals are welcome. It was an interesting sight for Roksana and Nasrollah, considering they hailed from an ancient nation rich in history and culture while the Free Lands seemed to be ‘primitive’ in regards. That was their first impressions and they’ve travelled all the way to arrive in the Free Lands on invitation via magical teleportation and followed by conventional transport.

The couple happened to get the invitation to the certain tropical island by their friend who is a businessman who just got back from the Free Lands. And so they decided to take this chance to drop-by for vacation as a break from their duties as the royal guards of the Shahanshah. At other hand, the two appreciate the nature and environment of the island and especially the beach. Besides the Aryanian people in general value nature and make every attempt to spent time in the open air, no matter how urbanized they are.

Back to the couple, the two have already booked themselves at the resort beforehand as part of preparations. For now, they’re enjoying themselves on the beach…at least in case of Roksana who is more fun-loving than her younger husband.

[“All Praises to God~! Isn’t it beautiful, darling? You can see the people here, whether they’re locals or tourist, enjoying themselves.”] Roksana Esfahani grinned, conversing with her lover in their native tongue.

[“It’s certainly is.”] Nasrollah Afshar grunted with agreement. [“For a tribal culture, they’re quite modern in their own way. Similar to the tribes in Khorasan but of course they’re not technologically-advance as us. The beach is pure as the white moon to put it poetically.”]

[“Oh, is that so? Not as beautiful as me~?”] The redhead bent forward, enough for him to see her cleavage.

It didn’t help that the woman of his life happened to be wearing a rather daring swimsuit. Not something the more conservative old folks and mullahs will approve back home in Aryan. Nasrollah remembered the day when she first approached him one time in one of the royal ball, back then he was a straight-laced boy befitting his station as a noble. The heir to the ancient House of Afshar marrying the daughter of the extremely wealthy commoner might’ve made an interesting story. At first, he’s infuriated by her casual manners and how she treated him like a little child to which he perceived as humiliating but as times goes by they fell in love with each other and eventually got married.

[“I-I’m sure, you’re more beautiful than all the white moons in the universe, created by All-Compassionate One.”] Nasrollah blushes, eyes looking away. This amused Roksana very much.

[“Ahaha, you know I’m teasing you. I don’t mind looking at me that way. We’re married couple by the way~.”]

[“Ah…yes, I suppose, my love.”] He said shyly, still blushing.

Spotting a particular stall, Roksana tapped Nasrollah’s shoulder to get his attention.

[“Let’s go over there! It looks like their food is delicious.”] The redhead points to one stall in particular.

[“Oh? I’ll come with you to see. I hope there’s any pork.”] Nasrollah said, following Roksana behind. He knew his wife is quite fluent speaker of English which sounded closely like American English. After all, they’ve learnt speaking English is acceptable in Free Lands.

Nevertheless, Roksana and Nasrollah were going to spend their time together as a couple. The two eventually came over to this one particular stall.

“Salam! Good evening, what did you have here, friend~!?” The redhead woman beams happily at the stall-owner.

by **Polish Prussian Commonwealth** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 10:07 am

Adelheid chuckled at the display. "Your sister, I assume? Or a cousin?"
Marie laughed and rushed to meet Cao, throwing her arms around her. "Cao! How have you been?"
It would probably be an odd sight to those around to see a woman in a heavy grey utility uniform that left everything to the imagination, hugging one in a swimsuit and talking like old friends. But, that's what they were. The two first met in a certain dictatorship known as 'Purgatio', infamous for it's eugenics program. Both were, in fact, in the same student-exchange program.

Of course, said exchange program was now off-limits to any Prussian-Polish students after the testimony provided by the students who attended(which included one member of the House of Wittelsbach), and the War Ministry, presumably, was drawing up comprehensive plans for the invasion and destruction of that nation-or, at least, plans to make it easier for other countries to do so. But that's a story for another day.

by **Lillorainen** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 12:33 pm

The Selkie wrote:Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
We did not understand a word - or at least I did not know of anyone, who did.
Still, the song has a marching cadence, which made it easy to follow and adjust the work to, which was always a plus for such songs. That some of her friends seemed familiar with it did not surprise anyone in the slightest, though they did sing along in a lower tone. Setsu was the star of the show and she was good.
She was no Aingeal, sure, but she was good.
We cheered our congratulations, seeing, that we were rather occupied with hefting boxes around, before silence fell - no one commented, until someone spoke. She was a girl around my own age, the olive skin of a Kyrenaian woman, rather flat-chested, actually, but with the lithe form of a swimmer, only emphasized by the competition swimsuit, which she wore. Her brown hair was short, her blue eyes shone like sapphires.
"May I offer the next song?", she asked, and if my skills in accent-spotting were good, I would say, that she was of Megido's Deserts.
Captain Fearg nodded. "Sure thing, lassie, fire away!", he agreed to agreeing murmurs of the majority. We knew a few songs, that ran over the radio every once in a while and sometimes were sung by our BI-Kyrenaians (the Khana had a nice voice), but I was wondering, what this girl would offer us.
She began to sing in Kyrenaian... allow me to break the fourth wall here and give you the English Lyrics:
"The Sands of Fenchu,
They blow gently over the face,
Carried by a breeze send by the Mountains' Voice
To comfort warriors in lands hostile."
It had a marching cadence and I knew, that I had heard the song somewhere... and then I knew it: Every time the Al-Khansa Girls' Academy's Horsemen Teams were somewhere, the audience cheered for their girls by singing this song.
I even knew, what it told - not the exact words, but the meaning.
"Tabar in hand,
Strength does not come from the arms in hand,
Honour comes not from the enemy slain.
Victory is found in Dignity."
It was a song of warriors, of the Khanate of Las, the Robber-Khanate. From its fierce female warriors, the AKGA's Teams drew their spirit, traditions, strength - considering, that a Lasite Beyeha was the current Captain of the Horseman Teams, specialized in Axeriding and even giving the TBA's Team a run for their money, it was not hard to miss.
"True victory is what we seek,
Not to subjugate and conquer,
But to be victorious,
To show Consideration
And to show Wisdom."
I once heard, that it was a song explaining the foundations of the Furusiyya, the twelve values of the Kyrenaian Code of Chivalry, and how they applied to the Battlefield in the minds of the People of the Robber-Khanate.
It was a very interesting place, steeped in history.
"Strength is found in the Even Hand,
Honour comes from its application,
For it is the Robber-Khana we fight for,
Her Image sends us out to Fenchu's Deserts."
I also remember, that someone once told me, that the song had to do with the Fenchu-Rebellion, a particularly bloody time in Kyrenaian History, that lasted from 1400 to 1406, I think.
"Righteousness stems from the Axe's Weight,
Hardness must be learned,
Swiftness must be considered,
Decisiveness stems from the need."
It was not contemporary to that, though, but considerably younger - from around the time, when Ellaha-Sultana was becoming more and more of a popular figure and a role model. The Sultana, who had ruled back then, and who was now some sort of archetype for a Sultana, embodying these virtuous.
"Send a whisper on the Winds,
Warriors of Lasite Mountains,
Hope your beloved will hear them
And fight for Victory in distant land!"
We cheered as the song came to an end.

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
I smiled as Chris waved back at us, then listened to the songs sung, both by the Shiko and by the Kyrenaian. Little Enya asked her Mam for a translation between the songs, but both drew blank with her.
She did promise Little Enya to ask them later, though, with her in tow, so that they could get an idea. I saw it in Mhairin's eyes, that she was curious, too.
The supply carts were getting emptier and emptier and soon, it would be high time for someone to receive his proper welcome...

It turned out, that Dragan's educated guess had been correct - Setsu was Shikonjimanese, and while he understood as little as the others around him, save for the lad and the lassie she had come here with, namely, nothing at all, he could have sworn, that he already had heard that song. It wasn't exactly the style of music Radio Eleven-Eleven would play, but rather one of these songs which tended to suddenly end up in one's WhoTube playlist for no comprehensible reason ...
Still, Setsu had a good singing voice - nowhere near angelic, but still good. The marching cadence was ideal to keep the chain working.
After that, and a moment of cheering, no one said anything - until a girl with an olive skin tone spoke up, and before Dragan could have continued the little Let's-guess-ethnicities game he was playing in minds, her accent already identified her as Kyrenaian; Kira guessed a Megido accent from her cadence, preferably Eastern Megido, maybe Sinope or Kerkouane - or something in between.
Turned out, it was something in between. While Kira's knowledge of Kyrenaian was nowhere near the one of her colleague Layla Murashiniq, who had gotten herself a certain fame thanks to the New Lands, she understood most of it, even though there were notable differences between Kyrenaian and Shamsiyyan. Then again, it could easily depend on the dialect - Ilkhanate Shamsiyyan was a difficult thing for people used to, for instance, South Shore Shamsiyyan. Or any other variant. But Kira, as a Student of Literature, was quite accustomed to having to deal with extremely different variants of the languages she was capable of speaking.
The Khanate of Las, it was then ... the Robber-Khanate. Or, as the CmB and some Roofkattendeerns would have said, a Role-Model-Khanate.
Another cheering followed. Chris noticed, that Little Enya asked her Mam for translations, but Mhairin was just as lost with the foreign languages the songs were sung in. Setsu and the Kyrenaian girl were likely to be asked for some explanations somewhere tonight.
The supply carts emptied more and more, but there was probably time for yet another song. Dragan's singing talent had gone entirely lost ever since his voice had broken, and it had never returned, but he thought of something which would be both a good march song and a song representing Lillorainen at this little Beachvision Song Contest. Preferably something else than shanties and Rhenish drinking songs - these would come later on. Chris would certainly be glad to assist.
Ironically, the one who now came up with one didn't even own the Federation's passport. (... yet?)
Leonie Theiss cleared her throat in the same manner Setsu had and hummed the first beats - Dragan, Chris, and Kira knew what would come now at once.
The Lokahallir March was a fairly old Lillorainian march song, and thanks to various interpretations, it had become famous beyond the Shores of Lillorainen - it wasn't only known due to being sung during any military march ever seen in Lillorainen, but also due to one interpretation by the Wiedheimer Town Patrol Music Corps in 1961 (most certainly the one Leo knew), as well as a Nordic Metal version by Jorunna Pandrup released in 2015.
Leonie began to sing, in Old Norse language.

"The Werewolf's Path leads to an Old Temple,
Move on, young Warrior!
From here, there is no way back!
Loki's Halls await your arrival!"

Along with the marching rhythm similar to the previous songs, one would easily hear the typical Nordic traditional melodic cadence. With those in the know, it would easily project an imagination in one's mind: the dark pine forests of Visholm, a pathway where dangers could await one at every tree standing next to it. A bunch of blonde, blue-eyed lads and lassies (if one wished to go with the cliché) without any fear, leaving the nice, old, big, safe city of Longenager, passing Kolderby, Baldursskov, Rikkesager, Saskilde, Stjernerup, Rosröd, and other places providing safety - for roughly a kilometer each. Destination: Lollerup.

"Here in the darkest corner of Midgard,
Aegir will not send His Waves,
Thor will not smash His Mjölnir,
Only the Blackbirds sing, the Wolves will keep silent."

Today, going the path was easy - get into or onto whatever you prefer to use for your travel, turn right at the Kolderby Boulevard, look out for the sign directing to Highway A26, pass the Autobahnkreuz Longenager-West - and burn the rubber. But back in the olden days, travels were long and dangerous, and the likelihood of returning without any damages was ... let's say it like this - ever seen a goat solving a crossword?

"When the sun wheel stops turning,
And the Moonlight will guide your way,
The Blackbirds will become silent,
Only a howling will be heard."

Parents in Lillorainen had a long history of picking the most spooky and horrifying motives to tell their children as a tale - especially when it was the only way to make the children actually listen to their parents. How they were supposed to sleep easily was beyond many people's understanding, but hey, traditions are traditions, eh?

"Move on, Warrior, never stand still!
Keep your Sword ready!
Any stop could be your last one -
But why would a Berserk worry?"

Unlike said children, the lads and lassies marching towards Loki's Halls hadn't really known fear - they had hardly known how to spell it. No matter who or what would cross their way - they had a mission. And seven centuries ago, certain sailors with a cross on their flags and sails had gotten an impression as to what happened, if one got into Vikings' ways when they were on a mission. And not many of them had been able to tell anyone about it.

"After countless days on the Sages' Island,
The Werewolf's Path ends.
But when you hear the drums,
You forget about what has been."

Loki's Halls, or Lokahallir in Old Norse, were an awesome or a horrible place to travel to - depending on the reason to travel there. Merchants or leaders of Lillorainian or foreign domains usually had a good time there, once they passed the Halls' Guards. But those who had a hostile stance towards this place of worship - and thanks to Loki's controversial character, people with a hostile stance towards the only place of worship dedicated to the Trickster-Giant in the entire world were the rule rather than the exception - quickly realized, that anything that had obstructed their path had been a joke compared to what awaited them here.

"Move on, young Warrior!
Once you have danced in the Moonlight,
There is no way back!
Loki's Halls await your arrival!"

Cheering followed. Leonie wasn't uniquely talented, but quite good.

by **Shikonjima** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 12:34 pm

The Selkie wrote:Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
We did not understand a word - or at least I did not know of anyone, who did.
Still, the song has a marching cadence, which made it easy to follow and adjust the work to, which was always a plus for such songs. That some of her friends seemed familiar with it did not surprise anyone in the slightest, though they did sing along in a lower tone. Setsu was the star of the show and she was good.
She was no Aingeal, sure, but she was good.
We cheered our congratulations, seeing, that we were rather occupied with hefting boxes around, before silence fell - no one commented, until someone spoke. She was a girl around my own age, the olive skin of a Kyrenaian woman, rather flat-chested, actually, but with the lithe form of a swimmer, only emphasized by the competition swimsuit, which she wore. Her brown hair was short, her blue eyes shone like sapphires.
"May I offer the next song?", she asked, and if my skills in accent-spotting were good, I would say, that she was of Megido's Deserts.
Captain Fearg nodded. "Sure thing, lassie, fire away!", he agreed to agreeing murmurs of the majority. We knew a few songs, that ran over the radio every once in a while and sometimes were sung by our BI-Kyrenaians (the Khana had a nice voice), but I was wondering, what this girl would offer us.
She began to sing in Kyrenaian... allow me to break the fourth wall here and give you the English Lyrics:
"The Sands of Fenchu,
They blow gently over the face,
Carried by a breeze send by the Mountains' Voice
To comfort warriors in lands hostile."
It had a marching cadence and I knew, that I had heard the song somewhere... and then I knew it: Every time the Al-Khansa Girls' Academy's Horsemen Teams were somewhere, the audience cheered for their girls by singing this song.
I even knew, what it told - not the exact words, but the meaning.
"Tabar in hand,
Strength does not come from the arms in hand,
Honour comes not from the enemy slain.
Victory is found in Dignity."
It was a song of warriors, of the Khanate of Las, the Robber-Khanate. From its fierce female warriors, the AKGA's Teams drew their spirit, traditions, strength - considering, that a Lasite Beyeha was the current Captain of the Horseman Teams, specialized in Axeriding and even giving the TBA's Team a run for their money, it was not hard to miss.
"True victory is what we seek,
Not to subjugate and conquer,
But to be victorious,
To show Consideration
And to show Wisdom."
I once heard, that it was a song explaining the foundations of the Furusiyya, the twelve values of the Kyrenaian Code of Chivalry, and how they applied to the Battlefield in the minds of the People of the Robber-Khanate.
It was a very interesting place, steeped in history.
"Strength is found in the Even Hand,
Honour comes from its application,
For it is the Robber-Khana we fight for,
Her Image sends us out to Fenchu's Deserts."
I also remember, that someone once told me, that the song had to do with the Fenchu-Rebellion, a particularly bloody time in Kyrenaian History, that lasted from 1400 to 1406, I think.
"Righteousness stems from the Axe's Weight,
Hardness must be learned,
Swiftness must be considered,
Decisiveness stems from the need."
It was not contemporary to that, though, but considerably younger - from around the time, when Ellaha-Sultana was becoming more and more of a popular figure and a role model. The Sultana, who had ruled back then, and who was now some sort of archetype for a Sultana, embodying these virtuous.
"Send a whisper on the Winds,
Warriors of Lasite Mountains,
Hope your beloved will hear them
And fight for Victory in distant land!"
We cheered as the song came to an end.

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
I smiled as Chris waved back at us, then listened to the songs sung, both by the Shiko and by the Kyrenaian. Little Enya asked her Mam for a translation between the songs, but both drew blank with her.
She did promise Little Enya to ask them later, though, with her in tow, so that they could get an idea. I saw it in Mhairin's eyes, that she was curious, too.
The supply carts were getting emptier and emptier and soon, it would be high time for someone to receive his proper welcome...

Setsuko, Yelda, and Kazuo cheered along at the end of each song.
Of course, they knew about the history of the Khanate of Las - an interesting place, to say the very least. For several centuries, they had taken their matriarchal rule very seriously - so seriously, that men had even been barred from entering the cities. This had been a step even more extreme than anything the leadership of the Yue Khanate could have come up with. While with Las, the domination of the all-female Lasite robber bands and their thinking of men as useless for basically anything except for procreation had been the primary reason for what was called The Divide, the Yue-State had become a matriarchy after several major demographic shifts towards an overwhelming female majority as a result of the fighting men's optimism when defending their country against the Sharulsi mounted hordes; the strength of the Mangudai back then had been the reason why 'Khana' (or Khatun in Sharulsi Mongolian) was still the title of any Yue-Ruler.
Compared to their knowledge on the Lasite and Yue history, they had to admit, that they weren't familiar with the one of Loki's Halls in all detail. They did know, that Loki was a Trickster figure, but this was only one aspect of Loki's character and depiction in Norse mythology. They knew Visholm, and the City of Lollerup in particular rang a bell with everyone who knew, that a Lillorainian-Shikonjimanese naval battle near that place in 1562 had been the first presence of Shikonjimanese troops in the Lillöer-Archipelago ever since the abandonment of the Ancient City of Airahan. Later, Lollerup-based mercenaries had assisted the Saressides in colonizing Megaraia for a while ... but that was another story. Lillorainen would certainly be one of the next places Yelda would visit - and not only because she had a cousin there, who was nobody lesser than Saran Kiyat, the Mongol Blitz.
They noticed, that their chain had been nicely efficient - the carts would be empty soon.

by **The Selkie** » Wed Jan 01, 2020 9:31 am

Lykke Blon.
I smiled and began fixing her drink as Fiete nodded.
"Sure.", she nodded at Alexandra's first request, "We already organized ourselves a guide, so you can join us, if you want." She leaned forward a bit. "That'll be better for you, for he is an Archipelago-Lad, as they say around here, and he has his eyes on Lykke... he offered us the tour for free."
I heard the bloody wink Fiete was throwing her, knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I was looking for an opportunity to let Leonard down gently.
"As for changing rooms...", Fiete shrugged and I felt a bit miffed - sure, I was not of such a feminine built as her, but I was 26, so not a little girl one could not entrust with such a question. "...I'm afraid, that there's no such luck. We do have some portable toilets behind the tree line, though. Lykke and I changed in one of them." She smiled, raised a hand. "One each, of course."
While I placed the lemonade in front of Alexandra, one of the lads asked me for another iced tea, something I provided all too happily. The three of them were actually quite nice, but I understood, that a pretty woman might not wanted to get the attention of three lads, I'd guess them to be around sixteen.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I smiled slightly as they came up to us, watching them in their half-run, which...
*Ahem*
Anyway.
The two came towards us, greeted me and nodded to Ceili, who had called them over, and then asked, if we were locals. That was the moment, it came to my attention, that the two of them were very beautiful.
Not as beautiful as Ceili, but still... they could easily pass as models of BI, our hosts, but I had the feeling, that they were not, not only due to their question.
"Nah.", I said with a small smile, "We're actually from the Northern Islands. I'm Donny, that's Ceili..."
The girl at my side waved. "Hi!"
"...and this is Barrógi.", I finished, motioning to the large canine, who watched the two of them. "Extend your hands for him to smell!", I advised and smiled slightly, "Come, sit with us for a bit! We have lemonade!"
I was comfortably surprised as Ceili moved a bit closer to me.

Isla Saighead of the Tribe of Westmeath.
Problem was, I had no idea, what a Christmas Party was - I knew, what Christmas was, a religious holiday of the Christians, and I knew, what a party was (obviously), but due to me being a Selkie-Pagan, that was the end of that...
I smiled and nodded anyway.
"Come with me, then!", I told Vincent and turned towards where Lykke and her Teressian friend were manning one of the many point, where one could get something cool to drink. Fiete was currently explaining something to some woman in a floral dress and Lykke just finished up serving three lads, who toasted towards each other.
I must admit, that my hips have swung slightly as I walked towards the 'stall'.
Anyway, when we arrived, the BI-Model and Hausmädchen turned to us and asked: "What can I get ya two?"
I giggled. "Ya almost sound like a Selkie, Lykke.", I said. I knew her from a coincidence: During a Ball at Schloss Zyng, SDY sent my Dad and since Mam wasn't a dancer anymore, he had taken me along. After a lot of fun and dancing, I turned my ankle and it hurt quite a bit and Dad asked one of the Hausmädchen to get me a bag of ice, please, while I sat down. That Hausmädchen had been Lykke, who had dismissed my Dad soon after her return. We had met again the next day in Zyng itself, the local showing us her city. "Two ice teas, please."
She nodded and turned, took out both bottles from the cooler and handed them to us with the bottle opener. "There ya go!", she said, "Enjoy!"
I smiled and handed one bottle to Vincent.

Branwen Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
I blushed lightly.
"Please, call me Branwen. I'm not that old yet!", I said and pulled them along, towards the tree line and past the supply carts, which were getting even more empty by the second, the line making good progress. Ritu seemed quite bemused by me pulling her along like a kid pulling her parents along.
Or a puppy its master.
Let's not go there.
Anyway, we passed them and the tree line, suddenly being surrounded by either side by what might as well be called jungle, a paved road under out feet.
I greeted a straggler, who led his horse past us, the heavy saddle bags empty, he bowed his head to us, we passed each other.
I led us a bit down the street, then onto a small beaten path, which went through the thicket for a moment or two, then opened up into a small clearing. Around a little water fountain, a total of fifteen portable toilets were erected. They were not pretty, but they did their job and that was something.
A few lads and lassies were sitting on the benches nearby, waiting for friends, who were apparently taking a moment or two. Cousin Nia, with her snow white hair, looked over as she heard our steps, waved - I resolved to park my rear next to her in a minute.
"Here we are!", I said and let go.
Ritu immediately darted for one of the toilets.

Brenda Iarnród of the Tribe of Louth.
I smiled - Marvin, who was rubbing his head against my head, had a good taste, so I replied to his compliments with petting. I was a cat-owner myself, so I knew how to pet a cat.
Both Ribin and I listened about his story, but Ribin scoffed at Karen reaching for something to throw over her shoulders.
"This aint breezy, lassie.", she said, sitting there in her own bikini, "This is actually quite nice. A nice little breeze from the sea, warm and a bit salty... might take a dip later." She looked to me, offered her hand to Marvin. "Whaabout ya, Lil' Boss Lady?"
I grinned. Little Boss Lady was a bit rich coming from her, considering, that I was not only two years older then her, but also considerably bustier - still, the nickname came from my father's position as CEO of Ironcastle Ironworks and from my own position within our little group of motorcyclists.
"Yeah, a lil' dip sounds nice, later.", I said and smiled at her with a bit of savagery.
We all knew, that it would come to water games, splashing and dunking. I hoped, we would get some others to come along...

Minroz wrote:Pléaráca Beach, Tearmann Island Resort.

Dressed in their respective swimsuits under their jackets, a certain Aryanian couple were hanging out at the local foodstalls to look for a quick bite. The island itself is their first time visiting the land where the Selkies called their homeland as ‘Free Lands’. The cultural customs of the Selkies have comes across as understandably odd to Aryanians but the hospitable nature of the locals are welcome. It was an interesting sight for Roksana and Nasrollah, considering they hailed from an ancient nation rich in history and culture while the Free Lands seemed to be ‘primitive’ in regards. That was their first impressions and they’ve travelled all the way to arrive in the Free Lands on invitation via magical teleportation and followed by conventional transport.

The couple happened to get the invitation to the certain tropical island by their friend who is a businessman who just got back from the Free Lands. And so they decided to take this chance to drop-by for vacation as a break from their duties as the royal guards of the Shahanshah. At other hand, the two appreciate the nature and environment of the island and especially the beach. Besides the Aryanian people in general value nature and make every attempt to spent time in the open air, no matter how urbanized they are.

Back to the couple, the two have already booked themselves at the resort beforehand as part of preparations. For now, they’re enjoying themselves on the beach…at least in case of Roksana who is more fun-loving than her younger husband.

[“All Praises to God~! Isn’t it beautiful, darling? You can see the people here, whether they’re locals or tourist, enjoying themselves.”] Roksana Esfahani grinned, conversing with her lover in their native tongue.

[“It’s certainly is.”] Nasrollah Afshar grunted with agreement. [“For a tribal culture, they’re quite modern in their own way. Similar to the tribes in Khorasan but of course they’re not technologically-advance as us. The beach is pure as the white moon to put it poetically.”]

[“Oh, is that so? Not as beautiful as me~?”] The redhead bent forward, enough for him to see her cleavage.

It didn’t help that the woman of his life happened to be wearing a rather daring swimsuit. Not something the more conservative old folks and mullahs will approve back home in Aryan. Nasrollah remembered the day when she first approached him one time in one of the royal ball, back then he was a straight-laced boy befitting his station as a noble. The heir to the ancient House of Afshar marrying the daughter of the extremely wealthy commoner might’ve made an interesting story. At first, he’s infuriated by her casual manners and how she treated him like a little child to which he perceived as humiliating but as times goes by they fell in love with each other and eventually got married.

[“I-I’m sure, you’re more beautiful than all the white moons in the universe, created by All-Compassionate One.”] Nasrollah blushes, eyes looking away. This amused Roksana very much.

[“Ahaha, you know I’m teasing you. I don’t mind looking at me that way. We’re married couple by the way~.”]

[“Ah…yes, I suppose, my love.”] He said shyly, still blushing.

Spotting a particular stall, Roksana tapped Nasrollah’s shoulder to get his attention.

[“Let’s go over there! It looks like their food is delicious.”] The redhead points to one stall in particular.

[“Oh? I’ll come with you to see. I hope there’s any pork.”] Nasrollah said, following Roksana behind. He knew his wife is quite fluent speaker of English which sounded closely like American English. After all, they’ve learnt speaking English is acceptable in Free Lands.

Nevertheless, Roksana and Nasrollah were going to spend their time together as a couple. The two eventually came over to this one particular stall.

“Salam! Good evening, what did you have here, friend~!?” The redhead woman beams happily at the stall-owner.

Isla Stiúrthóir of the Tribe of Fingal.
Well, calling it a stall might be a bit too much, but I had set myself up with a small camping table, setting my supplies up as they came in from Quartermaster Ilia. Three Boxes, which I had loaded onto the supply carts, with something very special, namely the only thing I could cook.
Salads.
I should introduce myself, I am Isla Stiúrthóir of the Tribe of Fingal, by day the leader of the Demonstration Lance of the Defenders of the Temple of Chorn, a Priestess of Rhiannon and a member of Her Lancemaidens. By day, I usually wore the heavy plate armour of a Beast of Rhiannon.
But, something a few people knew, I also had another side: I was a passionate swimmer and water sports woman, who spent a few weeks every year in the Archipelago, if time permitted. Time had permitted it this year, so I was here.
I had long, blonde hair, which went well past my hips, with natural curls and a certain bounce to it, two short hair drills framing my face and making my blue eyes shine like sapphires. I wore a black bikini, my favourite actually, with a halterneck top and a bow in the front, putting emphasis on me being very well equipped as far as my chest was concerned, as well as side-tie bottoms. Both pieces also had highlights in anthrazite, a bit lighter then the black of the majority of my swimsuit.
I was also well in form, which I had to be as a Lancemaiden.
"Salam! Good evening, what did you have here, friend~!?", the red-headed woman told me with a smile.
"And peace be with you as well, good evening.", I replied, thinking her to be Kyrenaian - who greeted with Salaam, Peace be with you, in more formal contexts. "I have salads." I put a small box onto the table. "Potato salads of different kinds, lettuce salad, chicken salad..." I motioned to where Lykke and Fiete were manning their 'stall' a few meters away. "I'm afraid you'll have to get your drinks with those two lassies, but I have the good and solid foundation for the day."
I leaned forward, elbows onto the table, eyes on the redhead - and a very, very nice view for her companion.
"What can I get you?", I asked.

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I smiled at Heidi as Cao told Marie, that she had been well, had been occupied by school and keeping me out of trouble, especially when it came to girls (she still liked how Marie and I had looked), then explained to Heidi: "My lil' sis, actually, by eight minutes. We are fraternal twins."
I smiled, then asked: "Do you have siblings, Heidi?"

Lillorainen wrote:It turned out, that Dragan's educated guess had been correct - Setsu was Shikonjimanese, and while he understood as little as the others around him, save for the lad and the lassie she had come here with, namely, nothing at all, he could have sworn, that he already had heard that song. It wasn't exactly the style of music Radio Eleven-Eleven would play, but rather one of these songs which tended to suddenly end up in one's WhoTube playlist for no comprehensible reason ...
Still, Setsu had a good singing voice - nowhere near angelic, but still good. The marching cadence was ideal to keep the chain working.
After that, and a moment of cheering, no one said anything - until a girl with an olive skin tone spoke up, and before Dragan could have continued the little Let's-guess-ethnicities game he was playing in minds, her accent already identified her as Kyrenaian; Kira guessed a Megido accent from her cadence, preferably Eastern Megido, maybe Sinope or Kerkouane - or something in between.
Turned out, it was something in between. While Kira's knowledge of Kyrenaian was nowhere near the one of her colleague Layla Murashiniq, who had gotten herself a certain fame thanks to the New Lands, she understood most of it, even though there were notable differences between Kyrenaian and Shamsiyyan. Then again, it could easily depend on the dialect - Ilkhanate Shamsiyyan was a difficult thing for people used to, for instance, South Shore Shamsiyyan. Or any other variant. But Kira, as a Student of Literature, was quite accustomed to having to deal with extremely different variants of the languages she was capable of speaking.
The Khanate of Las, it was then ... the Robber-Khanate. Or, as the CmB and some Roofkattendeerns would have said, a Role-Model-Khanate.
Another cheering followed. Chris noticed, that Little Enya asked her Mam for translations, but Mhairin was just as lost with the foreign languages the songs were sung in. Setsu and the Kyrenaian girl were likely to be asked for some explanations somewhere tonight.
The supply carts emptied more and more, but there was probably time for yet another song. Dragan's singing talent had gone entirely lost ever since his voice had broken, and it had never returned, but he thought of something which would be both a good march song and a song representing Lillorainen at this little Beachvision Song Contest. Preferably something else than shanties and Rhenish drinking songs - these would come later on. Chris would certainly be glad to assist.
Ironically, the one who now came up with one didn't even own the Federation's passport. (... yet?)
Leonie Theiss cleared her throat in the same manner Setsu had and hummed the first beats - Dragan, Chris, and Kira knew what would come now at once.
The Lokahallir March was a fairly old Lillorainian march song, and thanks to various interpretations, it had become famous beyond the Shores of Lillorainen - it wasn't only known due to being sung during any military march ever seen in Lillorainen, but also due to one interpretation by the Wiedheimer Town Patrol Music Corps in 1961 (most certainly the one Leo knew), as well as a Nordic Metal version by Jorunna Pandrup released in 2015.
Leonie began to sing, in Old Norse language.
"The Werewolf's Path leads to an Old Temple,
Move on, young Warrior!
From here, there is no way back!
Loki's Halls await your arrival!"
Along with the marching rhythm similar to the previous songs, one would easily hear the typical Nordic traditional melodic cadence. With those in the know, it would easily project an imagination in one's mind: the dark pine forests of Visholm, a pathway where dangers could await one at every tree standing next to it. A bunch of blonde, blue-eyed lads and lassies (if one wished to go with the cliché) without any fear, leaving the nice, old, big, safe city of Longenager, passing Kolderby, Baldursskov, Rikkesager, Saskilde, Stjernerup, Rosröd, and other places providing safety - for roughly a kilometer each. Destination: Lollerup.
"Here in the darkest corner of Midgard,
Aegir will not send His Waves,
Thor will not smash His Mjölnir,
Only the Blackbirds sing, the Wolves will keep silent."
Today, going the path was easy - get into or onto whatever you prefer to use for your travel, turn right at the Kolderby Boulevard, look out for the sign directing to Highway A26, pass the Autobahnkreuz Longenager-West - and burn the rubber. But back in the olden days, travels were long and dangerous, and the likelihood of returning without any damages was ... let's say it like this - ever seen a goat solving a crossword?
"When the sun wheel stops turning,
And the Moonlight will guide your way,
The Blackbirds will become silent,
Only a howling will be heard."
Parents in Lillorainen had a long history of picking the most spooky and horrifying motives to tell their children as a tale - especially when it was the only way to make the children actually listen to their parents. How they were supposed to sleep easily was beyond many people's understanding, but hey, traditions are traditions, eh?
"Move on, Warrior, never stand still!
Keep your Sword ready!
Any stop could be your last one -
But why would a Berserk worry?"
Unlike said children, the lads and lassies marching towards Loki's Halls hadn't really known fear - they had hardly known how to spell it. No matter who or what would cross their way - they had a mission. And seven centuries ago, certain sailors with a cross on their flags and sails had gotten an impression as to what happened, if one got into Vikings' ways when they were on a mission. And not many of them had been able to tell anyone about it.
"After countless days on the Sages' Island,
The Werewolf's Path ends.
But when you hear the drums,
You forget about what has been."
Loki's Halls, or Lokahallir in Old Norse, were an awesome or a horrible place to travel to - depending on the reason to travel there. Merchants or leaders of Lillorainian or foreign domains usually had a good time there, once they passed the Halls' Guards. But those who had a hostile stance towards this place of worship - and thanks to Loki's controversial character, people with a hostile stance towards the only place of worship dedicated to the Trickster-Giant in the entire world were the rule rather than the exception - quickly realized, that anything that had obstructed their path had been a joke compared to what awaited them here.
"Move on, young Warrior!
Once you have danced in the Moonlight,
There is no way back!
Loki's Halls await your arrival!"
Cheering followed. Leonie wasn't uniquely talented, but quite good.

Shikonjima wrote:Setsuko, Yelda, and Kazuo cheered along at the end of each song.
Of course, they knew about the history of the Khanate of Las - an interesting place, to say the very least. For several centuries, they had taken their matriarchal rule very seriously - so seriously, that men had even been barred from entering the cities. This had been a step even more extreme than anything the leadership of the Yue Khanate could have come up with. While with Las, the domination of the all-female Lasite robber bands and their thinking of men as useless for basically anything except for procreation had been the primary reason for what was called The Divide, the Yue-State had become a matriarchy after several major demographic shifts towards an overwhelming female majority as a result of the fighting men's optimism when defending their country against the Sharulsi mounted hordes; the strength of the Magudai back then had been the reason why 'Khana' (or Khatun in Sharulsi Mongolian) was still the title of any Yue-Ruler.
Compared to their knowledge on the Lasite and Yue history, they had to admit, that they weren't familiar with the one of Loki's Halls in all detail. They did now, that Loki was a Trickster figure, but this was only one aspect of Loki's character and depiction in Norse mythology. They knew Visholm, and the City of Lollerup in particular rang a bell with everyone who knew, that a Lillorainian-Shikonjimanese naval battle near that place in 1562 had been the first presence of Shikonjimanese troops in the Lillöer-Archipelago ever since the abandon of the Ancient City of Airahan. Later, Lollerup-based mercenaries had assisted the Saressides in colonizing Megaraia for a while ... but that was another story. Lillorainen would certainly be one of the next places Yelda would visit - and not only because she had a cousin there, who was nobody lesser than Saran Kiyat, the Mongol Blitz.
They noticed, that their chain had been nicely efficient - the carts would be empty soon.

Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
The song in Old Norse was, thanks to the interpretation by Jorunna Pandrup, not unknown to me or others - ever since she had been on stage after Dísréad during the 2019 Preetz Mittsommer Festival, she had found herself as the target of a dramatic rise in popularity in our parts.
I was not a fan, but a friend of mine was.
Still, I hummed along with the song and cheered as it came to an end.
It was an awesome ride, indeed!
And indeed, the fame of how fiercely the Lillos defended their forests and cities and towns and villages was not only comparable to the fierceness we put into the very same, but it was also known to us, how fierce that actually was. Especially Macha had told stories of how dangerous pissed-off Lillo-Berserkers were.
There was enough truth to the song.
That the singer was quite good was the icing on the proverbial cake.
And then, I noticed a suspicious lack of boxes to heft around, looked towards the carts, where, on its back, Donnchadh stood and shrugged. "All sent!"
"All received!", Quartermaster Ilia called back from the other end.
Captain Fearg called out: "Then let's load up again, there are still songs to be sung, lads and lassies!"
There was a round of laughter at the joke and the line began to dissolve.
We were finished - and I finally knew how to respond to Dragan's mere presence: I turned towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck, softly hugging him.
"Hi.", I said, smiled up at him, "Nice to see, that you were washed up on our shores again..."

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
As the line began to dissolve, I smiled at Mhairin and Little Enya and excused myself, slipping into the crowd on the prowl for someone very specific.
I quickly lost sight of my quarry, though, quicker then I would like to admit, having wanted to surprise attack him with kisses and tongue, but after a minute or two in the hubbub, I surrendered.
I lost Chris.
Well... not forever, he was still around here somewhere, but I wanted to get the first kisses for the young man this evening in. He would receive enough of those in greeting, that was for sure, but I wanted to be the first...
Mainly because I was his girlfriend...

Faye Donn of the Tribe of Wexford.
I smiled as we were finished, stretching my arms upwards, which gave quite an interesting bit of movement, and stretched for a moment, before I lowered them again and grinned at my Shikonmanjese friends and their Sharulsi friend.
"That was fun!", I said and smiled at Setsu, "You'll have to tell me, what your song was about later! First, however, hard work calls for a hard-earned reward. Come, let's get something cool to drink!"
I smiled at that, suddenly feeling Liam hugging me from behind. "That was indeed a lot of fun.", he said and I could feel his smile, "Would you mind, if I were to tag along?"
"Eh...", I made with a smile of my own.

by **Polish Prussian Commonwealth** » Wed Jan 01, 2020 3:00 pm

Adelheid shrugged. "Yeah, three of them. Berengar, Casimir, and Annemarie...Berengar was a convoy gunner in the Sandbox, just came back a few days back. Casimir's studying to be a doc, Annemarie...well, she's still in 11th grade. Volunteers with a soup kitchen on the weekends, and rows every other day..."

Marie nodded, listening to Cao's every word, and then responded with a brief, perfunctory summary of what she had done, which conveniently left out all of the classified parts. Apparently she had gone to college, but then was drafted after freshman year, before being deployed to Saranidia, got herself captured, and then was returned later.

by **Lillorainen** » Wed Jan 01, 2020 3:51 pm

The Selkie wrote:Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
The song in Old Norse was, thanks to the interpretation by Jorunna Pandrup, not unknown to me or others - ever since she had been on stage after Dísréad during the 2019 Preetz Mittsommer Festival, she had found herself as the target of a dramatic rise in popularity in our parts.
I was not a fan, but a friend of mine was.
Still, I hummed along with the song and cheered as it came to an end.
It was an awesome ride, indeed!
And indeed, the fame of how fiercely the Lillos defended their forests and cities and towns and villages was not only comparable to the fierceness we put into the very same, but it was also known to us, how fierce that actually was. Especially Macha had told stories of how dangerous pissed-off Lillo-Berserkers were.
There was enough truth to the song.
That the singer was quite good was the icing on the proverbial cake.
And then, I noticed a suspicious lack of boxes to heft around, looked towards the carts, where, on its back, Donnchadh stood and shrugged. "All sent!"
"All received!", Quartermaster Ilia called back from the other end.
Captain Fearg called out: "Then let's load up again, there are still songs to be sung, lads and lassies!"
There was a round of laughter at the joke and the line began to dissolve.
We were finished - and I finally knew how to respond to Dragan's mere presence: I turned towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck, softly hugging him.
"Hi.", I said, smiled up at him, "Nice to see, that you were washed up on our shores again..."

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
As the line began to dissolve, I smiled at Mhairin and Little Enya and excused myself, slipping into the crowd on the prowl for someone very specific.
I quickly lost sight of my quarry, though, quicker then I would like to admit, having wanted to surprise attack him with kisses and tongue, but after a minute or two in the hubbub, I surrendered.
I lost Chris.
Well... not forever, he was still around here somewhere, but I wanted to get the first kisses for the young man this evening in. He would receive enough of those in greeting, that was for sure, but I wanted to be the first...
Mainly because I was his girlfriend...

Indeed, Macha had told quite a couple of stories confirming what had been an established fact already - having a good time had quite been possible in medieval Lillorainen, once one followed a set of important rules, the most important one of them being to not piss off anybody carrying a sword and wearing armor. Actually an easy rule to follow. There was quite a bit of truth in it ...
Everyone laughed along after Captain Fearg's joke of loading up again, to continue singing. The line dissolved.
Of course, Cel would keep looking out for Chris - and she would have a hard time finding him. Not only because people started to roam into all directions, but also because Chris had a different plan. Namely, sneaking around the first cart, passing by the second cart, roaming around the Tankette - which received a quick, admiring look -, and moving on towards the opposite direction, until he finally stood behind his girlfriend.
This plan wasn't only thought to surprise her, but also to make sure, that she would definitely be the first one greeting him, as it was most likely her wish, for some very awkward reason ...
He quickly hugged her from behind.
"Boo!" - he said, laughing.
Meanwhile, Dragan got hugged by Amy, softly. He hugged her back, while noticing, that she was finally responding. Only Svarog and Mokoš Themselves knew what she had been thinking all the time ...
"Yeah, I haven't been around for a while and thought, I might show up again" - he said, grinning.
"Hi, Amy!" - Kira greeted. Amy would be very likely to remember her from her visit in Lillorainen, almost a year ago.

by **Shikonjima** » Wed Jan 01, 2020 3:52 pm

Setsuko had nodded, smiling. Of course, she would explain the meaning of the lyrics and the song itself to Faye soon, possibly including the historical background thereof, depending on whether Faye would turn out familiar with it, or would require a bit of explanation - after all, Shikonjima was far away from these parts, and so was almost any territory that had ever been in Shikonjimanese hands ...
Yelda would certainly contribute to the explanation with a few details on the version of it sung in Sharulsi Mongolian, for while it had essentially the same message, the historical context was a tad-bit different.
But for now, Faye wasn't the only one who could need a cold drink - even if it was the sugary stuff they already had been warned about.
Liam hugged Faye from behind, asking if there were any objections on him tagging along. Setsuko, Kazuo, and Yelda looked at each other for a second, then shook their heads while shrugging.
"Feel invited!" - Setsuko said. Kazuo and Yelda nodded.

by **Aurora Confederacy** » Wed Jan 01, 2020 4:14 pm

Marvin has his ways of making you pet him, he's a cat so knows how to be bent on world domination whilst looking all cute and innocent

Jason began to put a pair of trackie bottoms on, though thats for other reasons, sand gains and highly expensive prosthetics do not mix very well, less so salt water and their electronics so he, unlike Karen won't be taking a swim.

"Marvin likes to swim as well, however Karen will probably go swimming, I wont be going in due to this thing" says Jason, pointing to the prosthetic leg.

"so you on a tour of the islands?" asks Jason, keeping a close eye on Marvin who was lapping up the petting whilst remaining on a leash

Karen also turned to Jason, "we should get the fire going to cook the sausages to share with the rest of the group", reaching into a holdall for a bag of kittybits.

by **Democratic Exodian Territories** » Wed Jan 01, 2020 5:51 pm

Tearmann Island Resort, approaching its seaplane port (2,000 feet/610 meters in altitude and descending)

The sharp, witful drone of a military-grade aircraft's turboprops could be heard from overhead, as an OVS-Supermarine CP-565 Aquarius, popular amongst groups such as the Exodian Navy's Territorial Protection Service, the Exodian Army Amphibious, the Mexican Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy dipped its wings as it started to descend towards the beautiful, sparkling waters.

This was no stern submarine-hunter in deep blue or gunmetal gray, however. This particular aircraft sported a nearly-immaculate silver-chrome coating around its engine nose and upper half, evoking images of postwar romantic vintage and exotic, luxurious locales, while the rest were painted in white, with baby-blue and yellow racing stripes bearing the logo of New Streak Air. A pair of smaller signature logos with the words "A Golden Star Merchant Line division" and "Member of the Constellation Group", on either side, decorated the seaplane's flanks.

It was a little loud. Kind of its only problem.

Having cleared the Free Lands' airspace some time ago, the medium-sized, sturdy and stout flying boat made preparations to land.

All the while, its sole passenger, Andrew Moseley, stared out the tinted windows, a hint of a smile juxtaposing his calm expression and betraying his excitement. Running a hand through his wavy, dark hair and adjusting large, silver aviator sunglasses with thick lenses, he hoped to be on the ground- and preferably the beach- quite soon.

“We’re nearing the water aerodrome. This might be a little bumpy, Boss. I've got it, though." The Aquarius's pilot proclaimed over the radio. "Wind's 12 kilometers per hour west, temperature's a wonderful 30.5 degrees Celsius. You'll feel right at home."

"You don't have to call me Boss, Marc." Moseley called over the engines' throaty roar.   “You’re higher than my manager. Knock it off, Mr. Moseley.”

As the floats of the aircraft brushed the waves, soon touching the waters, the pilot pushed the plane farther from a “kiss” into a wave-brushing skid, rattling the cabin a slight bit as it bounced and bobbed over the waves, the drone fading as the engines spooled to a stop.  

"I’ll see you around, Marc. Thanks for the ride.”  

“You too, Boss!”

Moseley stepped out, toting a slate-gray daypack, a silver single carry-on rolling suitcase, and a couple boxes of visible food- fish and oysters.  The man looked about. Dressed in a short-sleeved, white-and-cream-striped button-down and fashionably faded, royal-blue board shorts, as well as a tan and a ruggedly handsome appearance and presence, he could probably easily fit in were it not for his Anglo-Atlantic accent and the expensive, British-Swiss CWC G10 issued to the Exodian Army Amphibious on his wrist.
Normally he’d be carrying a GF-AM D114 Hi-Power and/or an LAC PS-R (either one in 9x19mm) with wooden grips on his hip, but local restrictions had sadly made him abandon his choices of firepower behind. Instead, a sailor’s rigging knife with a flat, blunt-nosed blade and a stylish, floral-engraved cigarette lighter rested in a sheath and a compartment on the shorts.

The Free Lands weren’t too different in geography from Exodia (a debatable matter of national pride), he thought- ’we have our sun, water and beauty and they have theirs.

Now, to that beach…’

…………………..

Pléaráca Beach

Now, unburdened from most of his belongings (besides the food and liquor, naturally), Moseley walked about, handling a pair of plastic-covered, vacuum-sealed platters and two bottles of mulled wine, his shirt now comfortably unbuttoned.
 Feeling the sand comfortably under his bare feet, he made his way over to the food and drink common, where he set down his goods and revealed the platters- One containing soy-glazed mahi-mahi fillets, which he’d had the great fortune of catching and preparing a little more than a day earlier but still waiting to have its spot on the fire, and the other containing skewered angels on horseback [oysters wrapped in bacon] in a similar state.

With that, he set his bottles down in a champagne cooler, moving closer at a slow pace towards the larger congregation of people, drifting from sights on one person to the next.
’Surely, there can’t be that many attractive people in the world…’ He noted to himself, quite impressed and eager to introduce himself but, as anyone would be in a first-impressions situation, a bit nervous.

The sun was high in the sky and the surroundings were a little too uncomfortably bright, and he was glad to have his sunglasses, but views would certainly be pleasing once dusk and evening came about.

by **Ard al Islam** » Wed Jan 01, 2020 6:38 pm

Farouk had no time to think. He jumped up to try and hit the ball back. He managed to hit it, but to the left, and it awkwardly flew towards the water, away from where the game was happening.
"Oops, my apologies," Farouk said. He then proceeded to run towards the water.
Darn, I've embarrassed myself, Farouk thought. No matter, I can come back from this.
Farouk grabbed the ball from the water and returned to the others. "Alright, get ready for this!" he called, and he served the ball. Well, he tried to. He threw it in the air, and then roundhouse kicked it over to the other side when it started to come down. He assumed that serving would be something like this, because you had to use soccer moves, and then, well, improv. Farouk hoped that he didn't just make a fool of himself.

Zehra, who was on the other side, smiled at his kick. At least the ball is going where it should this time, she thought.

by **Palmyrion** » Wed Jan 01, 2020 9:03 pm

The Selkie wrote:Kiana Rúisc of the Tribe of Waterford.
With the two of them in tow, I turned and walked off the 'dance floor', towards the large fire and towards a couple of men. One was a tall fellow in a long-sleeved shirt, the topmost buttons unopened, his long, black hair open and straight, while his blonde and very busty assistant had hers in blonde curls, a waterfall of colour.
I admit, that I envied her a bit - natural, blonde locks! My hair fell straight, no matter what I did, and that was why I usually kept it in a bun or a braid or something...
Anyway, they were not our objective.
Our objective was the tall man they were talking to, his blue eyes the colours of the ocean around these parts, his face as if cut out of marble. He was a very good looking man, rocking the swimming trunks and light jacket he wore.
He was married, though, so... only lookie, no touchie.
I cleared my throat, when we were an appropriate distance away and the face of the black-haired fellow lit up with a bit of joy. "Ah, Siora Ruisc!", he said, "I did not know, that you would be here tonight!"
"Me neither, but Caja saw the posters and thought, that we'd drop by, Siore Esecutore.", I said and bowed my head lightly, "Siora Alce." The blonde nodded as well. I then turned to Jerald and Evelyn. "Jerald, Evelyn, if I may introduce, Silvio Esecutore and Aurora Alce, of the Casa di Commercio dei Viticoltori a Fortezza, as well as our host..." I turned to the blonde man. "...Finnegan Drisiúr of the Tribe of Cork of Bicíní Industries."
Drisiúr bowed his head lightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Please, just call me Finn.", he said and then offered his hand for a shake, a bit awkwardly as this was an unusual gesture for a Selkie.

Kiana took Jerald and Evelyn to a group of men in another corner of the party, who were apparently talking to someone of high importance. An HVI - High Value Individual - so to say, from his ROTC days in college, and quite a tall, muscularly built man at that. He used to have that physique (sans the height), but years of desk work since his college graduate from the University of Palmyrion meant that his lifestyle became even more sedentary, him having gained a few kilos on top of his college weight.

Kiana and the group of men conversed for a while before turning to Jerald and Evelyn to introduce them. "Jerald, Evelyn, if I may introduce, Silvio Esecutore and Aurora Alce, of the Casa di Commercio dei Viticoltori a Fortezza, as well as our host..." said Kiana before turning to the blonde man, "...Finnegan Drisiúr of the Tribe of Cork of Bicíní Industries." she added afterwards.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. Please, just call me Finn." Finn said, whilst awkwardly offered hands for a shake. Jerald took his hand and shook it, afterwards introducing himself as well. "A pleasure as well to meet you, Mr. Drisiur. Or Finn, as you prefer to be called." Jerald said as he looked at Finn in the eyes square. "I'm Jerald de Leon, CEO of De Leon Armoury - the largest small arms manufacturer of the Royal Palmyrian Commonwealth." he added, with a bit of pride behind the prestige of his position as the man at the helm of Palmyrion's largest small arms manufacturer. He then released Finn's hand and introduced his fiancee as well. "Finn, this is my fiancee, Evelyn del Rey. We've been together for the past decade." he said as Evelyn extended her hand for another handshake.

by **Mediama** » Thu Jan 02, 2020 3:18 am

Marion nodded, “That sounds reasonable, I’ll be back in just a few minutes.” She picked up her carpet bag and walked to the clearing, following the instructions Khalid had given her. She looked around as she noted the 8 porta potties, and had briefly noticed that the supposed supply chest was in the process of being refilled. She only took in the sight for a few minutes before she got into the first unoccupied stall.

One Wonder-Woman/Superman costume change later...

Marion walked out in her bathing attire, it was a Edwardian swim piece, just to fit with the getup she had earlier, and she had managed to change everything from her swimwear, to the bathing slippers covering her feet (she intend to take them off when she got to the party proper, but for not she was wearing them for sake of slight protection.) she set everything down at the square and took inventory of what she had, making sure nothing was lost, she readjusted her looks and washed her hands before prepping to return to her waiting entourage.

by **Hanoverian Great Britain** » Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:09 am

Aside from being curious about this guide's hinted "crush" on Lykke, Alexandra was also curious on how the trip would actually go, as she curiously imagined the romantic vibes surrounding the trip. Though however, she was a bit disappointed but at the same time relieved that even the most common portable toilet could provide her some cover, helped by the naturally-made tree line. "I see, well then, I am pleased", summed her up in a delightful manner. As she looked back at the indicated direction again, she seemed rather pleased and quickly headed to the area, but not before telling that "she'll be back in a minute". (Correction, it was silk-made, not leather)

Upon crossing the tree line, Alexandra's expectations came about as she stumbled upon a few numbers of portable toilets, all of them hidden from plain view. As she went in on an empty one, she was happy enough that the toilet's interior is well-maintained. As she observed the height and width of the toilet's interior, she let out a small comment. "Seems just about right", said Alexandra.

Eventually, she reached down first for her purse, which was oddly but smartly strapped to her left leg, at a level that was shielded by the dress itself. Upon removing that as an obstacle and placing it safely on the ground at a safe distance as to not accidentally drop it down the bowl, she at last quickly undressed herself off her white floral dress, revealing a matching pair of white, and silk made bra and underwear, which accessorized her well-built structure.

by **The Selkie** » Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:42 am

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I smiled.
"I only have Cao as my siblings, but a veritable army of cousins!", I said and my smile widened into a full-blown grin, "Some of them close enough to be siblings in spirit!" I let a beat pass. "And yes, some of them are either soldiers or with the Orders or City Guards. Cousin Nia, for example... she's with the Shieldmaidens."
Meanwhile, Cao saw Marie being uncomfortable with the topic - and that she wasn't telling everything. Cao, and I, for that matter, had some friends, who's parents were with the Army, some with the 11th Dragan or the 18th Maor - Mobile Forces Command, engaged in Operation Spartacus. They, too, came back differently and Cao believed, that she saw some signs of the same in Marie.
She would not press and neither would I.
Well, she did press something: Herself against Marie, hugging the other girl again.

Brenda Iarnród of the Tribe of Louth.
We noticed the prosthetic leg right about then - indeed, sand in such a thing was not a good thing. We knew that, they knew that, and the three wearers of prosthetic limbs, two arms and a leg, knew that.
Didn't stop Uncle Ciaran from being a glassblower, though.
Anyway, when Jason asked, if we were on a tour of the islands, Ribin shook her head.
"Nah, we're here with BI.", she said and motioned to the big group of people, "Participated in the Archipelago Shooting, now reaping the rewards!"
"And Overwintering a bit until the Younger Militia is mustered to combat the snow.", I added, "Until then, we enjoy our time here with friends... though I do know someone crushing a bit on a colleague..."
Ribin blushed.

Democratic Exodian Territories wrote:Tearmann Island Resort, approaching its seaplane port (2,000 feet/610 meters in altitude and descending

The sharp, witful drone of a military-grade aircraft's turboprops could be heard from overhead, as an OVS-Supermarine CP-565 Aquarius, popular amongst groups such as the Exodian Navy's Territorial Protection Service, the Exodian Army Amphibious, the Mexican Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy dipped its wings as it started to descend towards the beautiful, sparkling waters.

This was no stern submarine-hunter in deep blue or gunmetal gray, however. This particular aircraft sported a nearly-immaculate silver-chrome coating around its engine nose and upper half, evoking images of postwar romantic vintage and exotic, luxurious locales, while the rest were painted in white, with baby-blue and yellow racing stripes bearing the logo of New Streak Air. A pair of smaller signature logos with the words "A Golden Star Merchant Line division" and "Member of the Constellation Group", on either side, decorated the seaplane's flanks.

It was a little loud. Kind of its only problem.

Having cleared the Free Lands' airspace some time ago, the medium-sized, sturdy and stout flying boat made preparations to land.

All the while, its sole passenger, Andrew Moseley, stared out the tinted windows, a hint of a smile juxtaposing his calm expression and betraying his excitement. Running a hand through his wavy, dark hair and adjusting large, silver aviator sunglasses with thick lenses, he hoped to be on the ground- and preferably the beach- quite soon.

“We’re nearing the water aerodrome. This might be a little bumpy, Boss. I've got it, though." The Aquarius's pilot proclaimed over the radio. "Wind's 12 kilometers per hour west, temperature's a wonderful 30.5 degrees Celsius. You'll feel right at home."

"You don't have to call me Boss, Marc." Moseley called over the engines' throaty roar.   “You’re higher than my manager. Knock it off, Mr. Moseley.”

As the floats of the aircraft brushed the waves, soon touching the waters, the pilot pushed the plane farther from a “kiss” into a wave-brushing skid, rattling the cabin a slight bit as it bounced and bobbed over the waves, the drone fading as the engines spooled to a stop.  “

I’ll see you around, Marc. Thanks for the ride.”  

“You too, Boss!”

Moseley stepped out, toting a slate-gray daypack, a silver single carry-on rolling suitcase, and a couple boxes of visible food- fish and oysters.  The man looked about. Dressed in a short-sleeved, white-and-cream-striped button-down and fashionably faded, royal-blue board shorts, as well as a tan and a ruggedly handsome appearance and presence, he could probably easily fit in were it not for his Anglo-Atlantic accent and the expensive, British-Swiss CWC G10 issued to the Exodian Army Amphibious on his wrist.
Normally he’d be carrying a GF-AM D114 Hi-Power and/or an LAC PS-R (either one in 9x19mm) with wooden grips on his hip, but local restrictions had sadly made him abandon his choices of firepower behind. Instead, a sailor’s rigging knife with a flat, blunt-nosed blade and a stylish, floral-engraved cigarette lighter rested in a sheath and a compartment on the shorts.

The Free Lands weren’t too different in geography from Exodia (a debatable matter of national pride), he thought- ’we have our sun, water and beauty and they have theirs.

Now, to that beach…’

…………………..

Pléaráca Beach

Now, unburdened from most of his belongings (besides the food and liquor, naturally), Moseley walked about, handling a pair of plastic-covered, vacuum-sealed platters and two bottles of mulled wine, his shirt now comfortably unbuttoned.
 Feeling the sand comfortably under his bare feet, he made his way over to the food and drink common, where he set down his goods and revealed the platters- One containing soy-glazed mahi-mahi fillets, which he’d had the great fortune of catching and preparing a little more than a day earlier but still waiting to have its spot on the fire, and the other containing skewered angels on horseback [oysters wrapped in bacon] in a similar state.

With that, he set his bottles down in a champagne cooler, moving closer at a slow pace towards the larger congregation of people, drifting from sights on one person to the next.
’Surely, there can’t be that many attractive people in the world…’ He noted to himself, quite impressed and eager to introduce himself but, as anyone would be in a first-impressions situation, a bit nervous.

The sun was high in the sky and the surroundings were a little too uncomfortably bright, and he was glad to have his sunglasses, but views would certainly be pleasing once dusk and evening came about.

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
After helping with unloading the carts, I was free again. Filly had spotted a friend and so I was on my lonesome, but I didn't mind. I had spotted a man, handsome face, slightly tanned, his shirt unbuttoned.
There were certainly worse-looking people.
And he was a foreigner.
Still, he was looking nervous - maybe even intimidated? I could understand him, when I began as a model of BI in 2011, I had been surrounded by so many beautiful women and men, and crushed on some of them, that I froze up. If it hadn't been for someone literally taking my hand and dragging me in, I would have had a short career here...
Granted, back then I had been 20 and he looked a bit older, but that was another story.
I stood next to him and smiled: "Good evenin'.", I said.

Eileen Íseal of the Tribe of Conn.
Oh, it was fine! We were here to have fun!
And fun we had. Farouk's little mishap didn't stop anyone, least of all him, who served the ball with a hefty kick, which sailed high.
Mhairi jumped up, made a header into my direction, coming down in a crouch, which I took with my knee, making it sail high up again, towards Zehra.
Mhairi was grinning, this jump had been fun and I knew, that the others were having fun as well.

Palmyrion wrote:
The Selkie wrote:Kiana Rúisc of the Tribe of Waterford.
With the two of them in tow, I turned and walked off the 'dance floor', towards the large fire and towards a couple of men. One was a tall fellow in a long-sleeved shirt, the topmost buttons unopened, his long, black hair open and straight, while his blonde and very busty assistant had hers in blonde curls, a waterfall of colour.
I admit, that I envied her a bit - natural, blonde locks! My hair fell straight, no matter what I did, and that was why I usually kept it in a bun or a braid or something...
Anyway, they were not our objective.
Our objective was the tall man they were talking to, his blue eyes the colours of the ocean around these parts, his face as if cut out of marble. He was a very good looking man, rocking the swimming trunks and light jacket he wore.
He was married, though, so... only lookie, no touchie.
I cleared my throat, when we were an appropriate distance away and the face of the black-haired fellow lit up with a bit of joy. "Ah, Siora Ruisc!", he said, "I did not know, that you would be here tonight!"
"Me neither, but Caja saw the posters and thought, that we'd drop by, Siore Esecutore.", I said and bowed my head lightly, "Siora Alce." The blonde nodded as well. I then turned to Jerald and Evelyn. "Jerald, Evelyn, if I may introduce, Silvio Esecutore and Aurora Alce, of the Casa di Commercio dei Viticoltori a Fortezza, as well as our host..." I turned to the blonde man. "...Finnegan Drisiúr of the Tribe of Cork of Bicíní Industries."
Drisiúr bowed his head lightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Please, just call me Finn.", he said and then offered his hand for a shake, a bit awkwardly as this was an unusual gesture for a Selkie.

Kiana took Jerald and Evelyn to a group of men in another corner of the party, who were apparently talking to someone of high importance. An HVI - High Value Individual - so to say, from his ROTC days in college, and quite a tall, muscularly built man at that. He used to have that physique (sans the height), but years of desk work since his college graduate from the University of Palmyrion meant that his lifestyle became even more sedentary, him having gained a few kilos on top of his college weight.

Kiana and the group of men conversed for a while before turning to Jerald and Evelyn to introduce them. "Jerald, Evelyn, if I may introduce, Silvio Esecutore and Aurora Alce, of the Casa di Commercio dei Viticoltori a Fortezza, as well as our host..." said Kiana before turning to the blonde man, "...Finnegan Drisiúr of the Tribe of Cork of Bicíní Industries." she added afterwards.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. Please, just call me Finn." Finn said, whilst awkwardly offered hands for a shake. Jerald took his hand and shook it, afterwards introducing himself as well. "A pleasure as well to meet you, Mr. Drisiur. Or Finn, as you prefer to be called." Jerald said as he looked at Finn in the eyes square. "I'm Jerald de Leon, CEO of De Leon Armoury - the largest small arms manufacturer of the Royal Palmyrian Commonwealth." he added, with a bit of pride behind the prestige of his position as the man at the helm of Palmyrion's largest small arms manufacturer. He then released Finn's hand and introduced his fiancee as well. "Finn, this is my fiancee, Evelyn del Rey. We've been together for the past decade." he said as Evelyn extended her hand for another handshake.

Kiana Rúisc of the Tribe of Waterford.
I saw, that Finn smiled with a bit of interest in his eyes: He was a businessman himself, and well-acquainted with the CEOs of several arms manufacturers of the Free Lands and their distributors. I knew, that he knew, that this hardly made him an expert in the field or the market, but I also knew, that he could hold his own.
"It's a great pleasure to meet you, Miss del Rey.", he said and bowed his head lightly, then grinned as he admitted: "I would introduce my wife Eithne and our son Ilia, but the two of them are currently occupied elsewhere along the beach." He shrugged. "As long as they have fun, I am all in."
I smiled and nodded, it sounded sensible.
"Please join us, Jerald, Evelyn, Kiana - the three of us were just talking about the year from the perspective of us businessmen.", Finn invited us, then motioned to Silvio, "Mister Esecutore was just telling us about the wine trade and how it boomed as of late for Lutetiian viniculturalists."

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I was waiting on one of the benches, currently a bit undecided about whether I should wait for my cousin Branwen, Elin's girlfriend, and their two friends, or what I should do...
The young woman in the rather old, but very well made dress, which had appeared a few minutes ago, came back out in a swimsuit - some people would look at her oddly, I knew that, but I was a bit surprised.
She sifted through her belongings close to me, after she washed her hands, and I could not help but note to her: "It has been a long time since I last saw such swimsuits...", I told her, then offered a slight bow, "I am Nia."
The wolf ears on my head were perked. I wore a black two-piece bikini myself, so...

No one would disturb Alexandra as she changed in peace and quiet and the portable toilet ensured, that no one could see her either.
And there were no peeping toms, or devices that aided in such endeavours, either. BI ensured the highest of standards in their people, so such behaviour, pervertedness in its purest form, was not tolerated and usually ended with Miss Banphrionsa banging some heads together.
Literally.
That being said, there were sounds coming in from the outside, the laughter of a couple of kids, who had finished their business and washed their hands, now on their way back to "Big Cousin Nia!"

Lillorainen wrote:Indeed, Macha had told quite a couple of stories confirming what had been an established fact already - having a good time had quite been possible in medieval Lillorainen, once one followed a set of important rules, the most important one of them being to not piss off anybody carrying a sword and wearing armor. Actually an easy rule to follow. There was quite a bit of truth in it ...
Everyone laughed along after Captain Fearg's joke of loading up again, to continue singing. The line dissolved.
Of course, Cel would keep looking out for Chris - and she would have a hard time finding him. Not only because people started to roam into all directions, but also because Chris had a different plan. Namely, sneaking around the first cart, passing by the second cart, roaming around the Tankette - which received a quick, admiring look -, and moving on towards the opposite direction, until he finally stood behind his girlfriend.
This plan wasn't only thought to surprise her, but also to make sure, that she would definitely be the first one greeting him, as it was most likely her wish, for some very awkward reason ...
He quickly hugged her from behind.
"Boo!" - he said, laughing.
Meanwhile, Dragan got hugged by Amy, softly. He hugged her back, while noticing, that she was finally responding. Only Svarog and Mokoš Themselves knew what she had been thinking all the time ...
"Yeah, I haven't been around for a while and thought, I might show up again" - he said, grinning.
"Hi, Amy!" - Kira greeted. Amy would be very likely to remember her from her visit in Lillorainen, almost a year ago.

Shikonjima wrote:Setsuko had nodded, smiling. Of course, she would explain the meaning of the lyrics and the song itself to Faye soon, possibly including the historical background thereof, depending on whether Faye would turn out familiar with it, or would require a bit of explanation - after all, Shikonjima was far away from these parts, and so was almost any territory that had ever been in Shikonjimanese hands ...
Yelda would certainly contribute to the explanation with a few details on the version of it sung in Sharulsi Mongolian, for while it had essentially the same message, the historical context was a tad-bit different.
But for now, Faye wasn't the only one who could need a cold drink - even if it was the sugary stuff they already had been warned about.
Liam hugged Faye from behind, asking if there were any objections on him tagging along. Setsuko, Kazuo, and Yelda looked at each other for a second, then shook their heads while shrugging.
"Feel invited!" - Setsuko said. Kazuo and Yelda nodded.

Faye Donn of the Tribe of Wexford.
Liam nodded, smiled and offered his arm for me to link, which I did, then did the same with Setsu, throwing her a wink.
Regardless of whether or not she took the offer, we were on our way a moment later, moving to where a middle-aged man with long, black hair and blue eyes was sitting next to a lad, who could only be his son, the two of them being competitors of Fiete and Lykke by handing out cold lemonades to everyone, who asked.
I smiled as the lad recognized me and as his father turned, recognizing both me and Liam. Then they spotted the three foreigners.
"Hello, there!", the man called, tapped his son lightly onto the shoulder.
"Cousin Faye!", he cheered and ran towards me, with the enthusiasm of a lad of ten Springs, me letting go of the Captain and hugging the boy.
He was not really my cousin, but I knew his mother, who was a good friend of mine. "Hello, Áed!", I greeted him, then kissed him onto his cheeks. "Hello, Raidri, I greeted his father.
Said man smiled at me, then at Liam. "Captain Fearg.", he greeted with a small bow.
"Mister Gormchló.", Fearg replied with a similar bow of his own. "We were hoping, if we could not join you for a bottle of lemonade?"
Raidri nodded, both at the Captain and the three others. "Suit yourselves, there's enough for everyone!", he said with a slight boast, "Though, who do I have the pleasure with?"

Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
I smiled as Dragan hugged me back, equally softly.
It was between two friends, after all, nothing more, and nothing less.
Then Kira came up and Dragan might notice with a bit of jealousy, how that went: "Hey, Kira!", I said, immediately recognizing her, letting go of Dragan and hugging the other woman, kissing her on both cheeks before holding her, "How have you been since the little round trip?"
I was happy to see her again.

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
I meanwhile, was, for but a moment, not happy - I was startled out of my wits!
I turned in the arms of the guy, who hugged me, knowing, who he was, and grinned wildly: "Chris!" I threw my arms around him myself, pressing me close to him, which was a wonderful feeling.
He was my beloved and hugging him again, feeling him again, his soul so close to mine and... I had whispered his name into the wind quite often over the last few months, hoping, that he would hear me.
But all the sadness of us being apart, keeping in touch via letters and phone calls, was almost wiped away.
And then, our lips met.
I ask you for some privacy concerning what came next, but I'll tell you as much: There was a lot of tongue involved.

A Beach Feast (IC)

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