A Beach Feast (IC)

[Mervay]

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
I took both of them into my arms, pressing them against me with surprising strength for a man of my age – then again, not many men grew to become as old as me.
I held them for a few moments, then kissed them both onto their foreheads, then let them go.
As we sat again, I smiled at them: “Congratulations again. Dilly was overjoyed, when he heard, I take it?”

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled at Athena – I would have guessed her to be twenty, at most, but 24... I was not going to complain. Though I will admit, that I would have some problems with keeping my eyes away from the waitresses...
I led Athena into the bar and told her: “That depends...” I looked at her with pleading eyes. “...do you still know the math stuff from your graduation exams? Because I could use a bit of help in that department...”
It was only partially a joke.
I led her to a table and pulled out a chair for her.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
For a man of his age, Gawain did really held them tightly and with surprising strenght for his age; then again, he had a few centuries but looked like on his mid to late-20's. As soon as he let off and kissed their foreheads, as a way to answer his question; Dilly broke off from his friends for a minute to return with their human friends, to which the couple greeted with a warm smile like he did so too. Melting in the arms of both.

"Does that answer your question?" Lise asked jokingly at Gawain before going back to pet Dilly with a warm smile. It certainly appeared that their friend took it very well and is all in for the idea, who knows; perhaps if he wants to he could bring the rings to the couple!

Athena Freezis
Certainly Leo's smile was mixed with a hint of surprise considering her age, indeed she looked like a girl of 19 to 20 years old which was always something many asked regarding her age and showed their surprise.
When he asked her jokingly about the math from her graduation period she laughed back at it, never looking away of him.

"I wouldn't be a businesswoman if I don't, my line of work requires me to know everything about mathematics." The woman smiled at him; if Leo needed help, Athena would gladly help him. When he pulled out a chair for her to seat, the violet eyed woman smiled at him while having a teasing smile.

"My, my such a nice gentleman you are." She told him with that teasing smile before finally going to other things to talk about.

"So. You are set to graduate in less than two years right?? Have you thought what are you gonna study if you plan to enter to an university??"

[Ezhara]

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
Another person came, as we were standing around a bit stupidly, admittedly...

As Marco listened, he stayed silent, his mouth covered by his fingers and his sharp gaze scrutinizing every word that was said, but not out of hostility. Rather, a practiced calm much like Park's came out of him, that of a trained soldier assessing his situation. At the mention of bowling Eiko over, Marco blinked slowly. Judgment? Compassion? Pity? Nothing could be gleaned for certain, and he seemed intent on leaving himself unreadable. Once she finished speaking, he blinked again and shifted his weight. A second passed. A sigh.
"I see. And thank you for your best efforts." He nodded, then turned to the sea, his fingers waggling up and down in front of his mouth — some quirk of thought — while, behind them, Park began carrying Eiko back to the hotel. "But if anything... I suppose this is more so our fault for not knowing, though I'm not sure if that's the right word. He's... always been rather secretive, always acting. I suppose someone had to have tried to help him, but it's impossible to do that with someone who doesn't want help... I suppose he considers it a battle for just him. Only, why?" Eiko's mouth moved; Park paused and turned around, her mouth slightly agape.

"I... can't," Eiko muttered.
"Hm?" Park said. "Is there something else wrong?" Silence. "You can tell me, Eiko." Still nothing. "Marco, I think I'll just have to take him back to the room. He needs time."
"I suppose that would be best." He turned to RIbin and Nolwenn. "If either of you two want to check up on him..." He gave the hotel and room number. "I don't know if it'd be any good for either of you to involve yourselves further, but I have a feeling your consciences would demand it. Whatever the case..." He shrugged. "It's not something that he can really hide anymore. Whatever he's going through, I just wish he spoke about it sooner. There's never shame in Ezhara for any troubles, especially not with Talents — the system is arranged to prioritize their health and the sustainability of their passions. That Eiko didn't..."

He paused, recalling some incident or another, it seemed. "Park, be sure to call Eiko's parents."
The boy squirmed, and his eyes widened. "Don't! Don't call them, you can't, you can't— don't— you shouldn't call them, please, please..." His voice sank, drowned away by his tears, his desperate gasps for breath. After everything, he was close to simply collapsing, and with the vortex of voices rising in his head again, perhaps it would only be a matter of time. It would be a mercy, wouldn't it? That quick breath of silence... if only it came sooner.

Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
I smiled at him...

Kaz smirked. "I don't mind waiting a bit," he said. "Silence with another person... that's enjoyment enough, sometimes. Helps me notice all the little things." He looked at her, his amber eyes radiating with attraction. Various other thoughts and flirts raced through his mind, but something nagged at him, told him that he really should be more careful with what he said, that some other might not be so pleased if he got too... implicatory. When Sessenanians like him entered their teenage years, they had a habit of getting hit hard by and succumbing to their newfound impulses, and Kaz was no exception even though he lived in Harikuni. Infamous didn't even begin to describe his behavior back home. Whether in presentation, sports, or academics, he was the sort of boy who always did his best and made a show out of it, the sort who would not only be right, but spectacularly so.
The relative silence would not stay for long; it would be broken by him quietly whistling, then mumbling to himself, as though he were whispering some profound secret while some paralytic worked away at his body, wearing him down so that not every part of his body was willing to move, or perhaps it was someone teasing their beloved as morning rays broke through the window. Yet, there was a musicality to his mumble. A song. With no backing, and only the slightest of movements, he was singing in his homeland's language as he lazily poked at random spots on his turned-off phone.

He did not grow appreciably louder at what would've been the songs climax, either. He was intent on keeping just enough silence, while demonstrating some of his performance mastery. Of course, as an Idol, he had other abilities, but demonstrating those would be too much for his gentle reverie. When the song ended, he heard someone else at the grill near them, and he turned around.
"Is that a dog?" he said, looking at Malik. "And I thought Ezhara had its oddities."

[Kuronami]

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Kay and I laughed – Kay loud and I more a giggling.
“Nah, neither of us is with the Army, lass!”, Kay said and turned the vehicle, making the way up and out of the creek. “Don't get me wrong, they're good people, but I don't have the nerves for it, to be honest. And not the mindset.”
“We practice a sport called Sensha-Do, or Tankery.”, I explained, “It's a sport, where two teams of tanks clash to seek a victor in different kinds of competitions. It's an interesting sport. Both of us are mostly in it for the mechanical side of things, though, the machines, the sounds...”
“Like this!” With a grin, Kay revved up the engine. The sound caused a small vibration. “Admittedly not the best example, but it gives you an idea.”
“The teams in the Free Lands use historic vehicles, where a second function comes in.”, I continued, “Keeping historic vehicles in running order, preserving them and presenting them to a, hopefully, interested public.”

"A sport with tanks?" Isabel was a bit puzzled "What a country...."


"Well I think that's really interesting!" Bianca responded. "The fact you made a whole sport around tanks and that! I mean we're pretty ordinary in Kuronami, baseball and soccer are the main sports in our country. Nothing as exciting as tanks!"

[Alegeharia]

He did not grow appreciably louder at what would've been the songs climax, either. He was intent on keeping just enough silence, while demonstrating some of his performance mastery. Of course, as an Idol, he had other abilities, but demonstrating those would be too much for his gentle reverie. When the song ended, he heard someone else at the grill near them, and he turned around.
"Is that a dog?" he said, looking at Malik. "And I thought Ezhara had its oddities."

Malik:

Malik swivels his head hearing about a dog. “Dog where?” His ears jump up and then he giggles oh. “Oh you mean me!” Malik wags happily and smiles. “My name is Malik Velkari, it is nice to meet ya!” Malik churrs in appreciation looking up at the new person. “What's your name mista?" Malik looks around studying the mans outfit. "Are you of royalty too?" It was clear after a sentences the "dog person" was a child of 8 years. Despite appearances thankfully age could be seen in a voice, and perhaps in height too, Malik only stood at 4 feet and 3 inches. He was a mixture of different species, but most notably that of a german shepherd, it however did not explain his long fluffy tail. Malik Ponders for a few minutes then softly gasps. "Oh yes! This is my brother Aither."

[Mediama]

Marion smiled, briefly looking away to hid her blush before her gaze returned to Nia's. She had a point there, though New London in wintertime was still crowded, busy, and noisy at times even despite the weather, especially during new year's celebrations, truthfully she had some bad feelings about the coming year for some reason, yet she brushed it all aside to focus on the present.

She hummed in agreement at Nia's conclusion, and at the mention of summer parties, Marion briefly perked up, "That's a thought. although there are modern parties that I go to with some of my friends from time to time, most of the gatherings I go to often revolve around balls and dances from different time periods."

She pursed her lips as she remembered the sum of the parties she's been to throughout the year, "I've been to some parties cover the 1920's, 40's, and 50's, even some in the teens, though I seem to feel home in the 1910's and Victorian balls and gatherings, there's surprisingly a large number of the latter around North America. Although they seem formal, they are still amusing and casual for the most part."

She turned to look to Nia, "If you ever stop by during the summer, perhaps you would like to come along to one of those balls, if you want of course." She smiled, looked around, and leaned closer as if she was going to share something scandalous, "Unless you'd want some other form of 'amusement'." she gave a wink of her own, before she leaned back out, "Personally, I love the romantic notions of such balls and gatherings, but as I mentioned before, Mediama and New London offer a lot of choices for amusement as well."

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I smiled and nodded.
“I'll certainly not refuse such an opportunity.”, I said and exhaled, “Believe it or not, but that'd be my first ball... well, the first one deserving that name... though we did crash at least one during my time on the Seol. Even made it into pop-culture – if you ever read Book six of the Spirit of Fire Novels, by Finnegan Scríbhneoir of the Tribe of Cork, we did that before it was cool!”
I grinned at that rather modern expression.
Though, granted, it had also been a wanton act of destruction, plundering, pillaging and none of the party guests left the building unharmed, if at all...
“The Spirit of Fire Novels are worth a read in any case, though.”, I said and nodded, “Youth books and quite good ones at that. Adventures on the high seas with pirates and treasures and even Princesses.”

Marion smiled as she listened to Nia’s tales of piracy and robbery, though at the same time, she felt the urge to rectify this lack of a ball that Nia had in her life, she secretly promised to herself that should they go out for a ball, that she would make it memorable, whether or not it would be for better or for worse was still up in the air until said ball actually happened.

She had to admit though, the forlorn look on her face as she set her determination on her goal could easily be confused for disapproval for Nia’s past acts, so she quickly put on a smile and looked back at Nia, “As much as I enjoy a good book once in a while, I think I’d rather prefer to see the genuine article myself.” She said, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips.

[The Selkie]

Somewhere on the Beach.

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
"I am sure, that it'll be a highlight among highlights.", I said and watched her, maybe a bit mesmerized. She was beautiful and... yes, she was also like a Princess from another world. And to some extend, from what I knew of the UIS, that was truer then it might first appear. Still, I also valued her wits and charme. "Though, I will bring my horse along - Asalcloig. If you want, I can take you out for a ride, then?"

"All right it's a date then! And a ride would be a lot of fun, so yes bring him along! I'll make sure you both are given a warm welcome on my little island I call home. I'm sure you're gonna find it a wonderful place to come and stay. I'll make sure of it! And the festival especially is such a lively event."

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled and nodded.
“Oh, if they are anything like our festivals, we'll have a lot of fun, I am sure of it!”, I said and nodded, “And you'll get to see your home from a different perspective – and in a different form of motion.” I shrugged. “I do not know about you, but I know, that many people see riding as a way of motion, which is more then just novel for them... and which causes motion sickness in some.”
Indeed, I knew some people like that.

[...]

Somewhere on the Beach.
Dragan, Leo, and Kira didn't need to search for a spot to stay for too long - a woman, silver-haired, pale-skinned, and ruby-red-eyed, waved at them for joining them, if they wanted. A girl next to her looked very similar, but judging by a rough guesstimation as to how many Summers both had seen, the stage of development of certain parts of their bodies taken into account, she was most likely her daughter.
Both were wearing bikinis; the older one a black side-tie model with a halterneck-top and a fur-trimmed rash guard above it, the younger one a similar one, but with frills and red highlights. Both wore sandals.
Dragan, Leo and Kira looked at one another for but a moment, then nodded and decided to join.
Leo nodded towards them, said, "Dang'schee!", then realized, that they might not understand German (or whatever people in their homecountries took for it), and corrected herself, "Thank you!"
They began to dig small pits in the sand in order to make it comfortable spots.

Enya Parad.
“You're welcome.”, Mama replied in Teressian with a smile, shifting slightly to face all three of them, “I am Wilrun, that's my daughter Enya.”
I gave a small wave. “Hi!”
Now, you should understand, that Teressian, Lillo-German and Auwaltian share a lot of similarities. They were not mutually exchangeable, not even in written form, but simple phrases like expressions of gratitude or introductions could be understood by the other.
Mama switched to English: “Who do we have the pleasure with?”

Somewhere on the Beach.

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
“How about we meet at the Pléaráca Hotel's Front Desk?”, I suggested as we arrived by the grill, Malik already head over heels for the selection: Bull Boat steaks and cuts, roasted potatoes, a lot of sausages and other cookies and...
“Hello, Ceridwen.”, I said to the woman behind the counter. She was like I was, animal ears on her head and of incredible age – and neither of us was someone, who forgot grudges. This time, however, I had a distinct advantage: Ceridwen was flat as a board. “Three steaks, please... and whatever these two lads want additionally.”
Ceridwen chuckled, turned to the guys manning the grill: “Two of your best and a piece of charcoal!” Luckily, Kieran and Eoin knew and spotted me. Ceridwen, meanwhile, turned to Malik and Aither. “So, what else for you two?”

Aither:

Aither nodded at the idea; “sounds good, I should get us to the hotel soon, it is getting dark and I want to see what the hotel offers.” Aither smiled at Macha, before pulling out a bamboo chute to chew on idly. He watched her order her food and quirked a brow at the response of the new person. “Hmmm… Ceridwen was it? Pleasure to meet you, what all is on the menu? I have a youngin here who happens to be the nations leader.”

---

Malik:

Malik’s Ears perked up as attention was brought to him and blushed softly as he turned from what he was staring at and hopped into a seat. “Hell there! I’m Malik! Are you this establishments purveyor of food? I would like fried chicken… please…” He was talking rather loud but quieter at the please. “Thank you, oh! If you don’t mind, I would like some water too, thanks.” He giggled and wagged happily as food was on the way unsure if what he even ordered they would have.

[...]



Kaz smirked. "I don't mind waiting a bit," he said. "Silence with another person... that's enjoyment enough, sometimes. Helps me notice all the little things." He looked at her, his amber eyes radiating with attraction. Various other thoughts and flirts raced through his mind, but something nagged at him, told him that he really should be more careful with what he said, that some other might not be so pleased if he got too... implicatory. When Sessenanians like him entered their teenage years, they had a habit of getting hit hard by and succumbing to their newfound impulses, and Kaz was no exception even though he lived in Harikuni. Infamous didn't even begin to describe his behavior back home. Whether in presentation, sports, or academics, he was the sort of boy who always did his best and made a show out of it, the sort who would not only be right, but spectacularly so.
The relative silence would not stay for long; it would be broken by him quietly whistling, then mumbling to himself, as though he were whispering some profound secret while some paralytic worked away at his body, wearing him down so that not every part of his body was willing to move, or perhaps it was someone teasing their beloved as morning rays broke through the window. Yet, there was a musicality to his mumble. A song. With no backing, and only the slightest of movements, he was singing in his homeland's language as he lazily poked at random spots on his turned-off phone.

He did not grow appreciably louder at what would've been the songs climax, either. He was intent on keeping just enough silence, while demonstrating some of his performance mastery. Of course, as an Idol, he had other abilities, but demonstrating those would be too much for his gentle reverie. When the song ended, he heard someone else at the grill near them, and he turned around.
"Is that a dog?" he said, looking at Malik. "And I thought Ezhara had its oddities."

Malik:

Malik swivels his head hearing about a dog. “Dog where?” His ears jump up and then he giggles oh. “Oh you mean me!” Malik wags happily and smiles. “My name is Malik Velkari, it is nice to meet ya!” Malik churrs in appreciation looking up at the new person. “What's your name mista?" Malik looks around studying the mans outfit. "Are you of royalty too?" It was clear after a sentences the "dog person" was a child of 8 years. Despite appearances thankfully age could be seen in a voice, and perhaps in height too, Malik only stood at 4 feet and 3 inches. He was a mixture of different species, but most notably that of a german shepherd, it however did not explain his long fluffy tail. Malik Ponders for a few minutes then softly gasps. "Oh yes! This is my brother Aither."

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
Ceridwen threw a glance at Malik, nodded and replied to Aither: “He's quite cute for a Head of State.” At least one thing we agreed on. “So, water – for the rest of the menu, Miss Stiúrthóir has salads...” She motioned to where a blonde woman was manning a stall and indeed distributing salads. “...and there is a bar over there. Other then that, many people have their own drinks and snacks along and I would be surprised if anyone was unwilling to share.”
Our steaks arrive and Kean and Eoin were good boys, all three were large and massive, well-grilled pieces, none of them charcoal. Ceridwen seemed to shrug internally.
Meanwhile, someone nearby remarked about dogs, calling Malik and Aither such, I glanced over and watched their reaction. Malik seemed to be confused for a moment, then shot off to meet that person and... I smiled, for I recognized someone nearby.
Nudging Aither, I whispered to him: “Let's join those two – I know the girl, she's alright.”
The girl, meanwhile, smiled at Malik. Amy Laoch was her name, she was eating herself, recognized Malik as a kid and was willing to cut him more then enough slack due to that.
She watched the two boys interact for a moment, seemingly quietly smitten by the lad she was sitting with.

As Alexandra took in Mhairi's words, her mind began to randomly project presumed images of the bar in his mind, at least in a sense of her own imagination. Whatever they were, it is never going to deter her from setting her foot inside the place itself. "More lascivious, you say? Quite interesting...", as Mhairi briefly responded to a passing tourist, Alexandra herself was too busy pondering, but at the very least, she caught a little sight of the exchange of facial expressions between her friend and the tourist. Almost miraculously however, it prompted her mind to latch onto an another, different topic instead.

"That man seems to be from not around here, he looks surprised at a sight of two women together...", commented her lazily. “Though if someone gets too touchy, make sure, that the barkeeper sees it... then you can break his nose.”, as the reminder quickly made it into her mind, Alexandra herself knew all too well of its meaning, for she, like most normal people would never accept or welcome an uninvited physical contact, and though she did not have to resort to physical repatriation back home which was mostly due to her 'divine' royal status, she could see a possible instance of such physical repatriation here against anyone who dare to do such thing to her. Surely, her military training would absolutely come in handy this time around. "Absolutely will my dear", remarked her simply as her mind, this time switches to a walkthrough of her own self taking down some uninvited, drunken man with unfriendly intentions, which brought some glee into her, with a broad smile on her face as a testimony.

Mhairi Uasal of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I noticed the broad, almost savage smile on Alex's lips and smiled – oh, someone was fantasizing!
Not that I minded. Such things happened, but very rarely. I had my own fantasies of dealing with such a person, but I never was in a situation, where I could enact such fantasies.
The Hotel came into view: A number of small buildings grouped around a larger one, which served as a reception and service building. Alex might have seen it before, if only in passing. In one of the smaller building were the rooms of myself and Eileen and of our little sisters... it was charming.
I stopped Alex at the street, looked to the left and right, it was a street crossing after all, and then we crossed it to the side of the main building.
“Just so that we're along the same lines, though, Alex...”, I said with a grin, “...I'll pay. I have a membership card, so I'll get a small discount.”
I threw her a wink. Judging by her previous attire, she was not in a position, where she needed to worry about funds and I wasn't either, I knew that, but there was no reason not to save the odd Gil, now was there?

Cornwall Zimmern

Cornwall watched the paramedics load Alastair onto the ambulance with a clenched jaw. The Selkie woman's hand brushed against his bicep in a way that made his skin bristle, but he was not keen on showing any more emotion. "I was off duty," he deadpanned, nodding toward Alastair. "I am sorry, but I really must go with him and make sure he is alright. And then I will have to make some calls...thank you for looking out for him." He pulled away from the two and strolled toward the paramedics, who were pumping saline into Alastair's arm.

"I am pray that I am not intruding, but it is imperative that I accompany my boss." His pupils flicked worriedly toward Alastair, who was the color of baked salmon and moaning softly, the idiot. He must have fallen asleep to pass the time until the bar opened and awakened like this. Shame that he was careless enough to end up in these situations.

Alastair Kehrer

As if his skin was not already on fire, they had to stab his arm. He protested as pain shot through his arm and traveled up his shoulder and jaw. Groaning, it seemed, was grounds for more agony.

Without prelude, a wave of nausea roiled through him. He turned his head to the left, and, before he could register what was happening, vomited all over one of the paramedics. Dizziness gripped his mind, and the skin on his torso felt like it was ripping, ripping apart, to the point where breathing too deeply was certain to tear apart his chest. His arms and legs tingled as he struggled to keep himself from falling into pieces, but this required too much effort, too much pain.

The last thing he felt before he lost consciousness a second time was the sensation of being set on fire.

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
As the leading nurse, I was of course responsible for the patient, some foreigner, who had been found with extreme dehydration by a Kyrenaian and a Selkie-lass. They had done good work and now...
...he was throwing up over my lower body.
Well.
I knew a uniform, which would get a very good watch.
Other then that, he seemed to be in extreme pain, then lost consciousness. That was not good.
Heat stroke? Heat Exhaustion? I barked an order to my coworker, one to start cooling him down, while I checked the fluids.
From the corner of my eye, I saw our driver intercept another guy (an admittedly good looking one) and ask him, if he could identify himself with reliable, official documents.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
For a man of his age, Gawain did really held them tightly and with surprising strenght for his age; then again, he had a few centuries but looked like on his mid to late-20's. As soon as he let off and kissed their foreheads, as a way to answer his question; Dilly broke off from his friends for a minute to return with their human friends, to which the couple greeted with a warm smile like he did so too. Melting in the arms of both.

"Does that answer your question?" Lise asked jokingly at Gawain before going back to pet Dilly with a warm smile. It certainly appeared that their friend took it very well and is all in for the idea, who knows; perhaps if he wants to he could bring the rings to the couple!

[...]

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
I laughed.
“Indeed it does!”, I said with a grin, “He is a good lad in a good home – so he is happy, when you are happy – and as you two are very happy...” I smiled. “If trained properly, a Little Black Fox can be a very good courier. Cel has trained two to act as her personal messengers in Cuan. Chris can tell you a story about that... ask him, who fetched him at the harbour when he came to Dumhach for the first time.”
I gave them a wink with a smile.

As Marco listened, he stayed silent, his mouth covered by his fingers and his sharp gaze scrutinizing every word that was said, but not out of hostility. Rather, a practiced calm much like Park's came out of him, that of a trained soldier assessing his situation. At the mention of bowling Eiko over, Marco blinked slowly. Judgment? Compassion? Pity? Nothing could be gleaned for certain, and he seemed intent on leaving himself unreadable. Once she finished speaking, he blinked again and shifted his weight. A second passed. A sigh.
"I see. And thank you for your best efforts." He nodded, then turned to the sea, his fingers waggling up and down in front of his mouth — some quirk of thought — while, behind them, Park began carrying Eiko back to the hotel. "But if anything... I suppose this is more so our fault for not knowing, though I'm not sure if that's the right word. He's... always been rather secretive, always acting. I suppose someone had to have tried to help him, but it's impossible to do that with someone who doesn't want help... I suppose he considers it a battle for just him. Only, why?" Eiko's mouth moved; Park paused and turned around, her mouth slightly agape.

"I... can't," Eiko muttered.
"Hm?" Park said. "Is there something else wrong?" Silence. "You can tell me, Eiko." Still nothing. "Marco, I think I'll just have to take him back to the room. He needs time."
"I suppose that would be best." He turned to RIbin and Nolwenn. "If either of you two want to check up on him..." He gave the hotel and room number. "I don't know if it'd be any good for either of you to involve yourselves further, but I have a feeling your consciences would demand it. Whatever the case..." He shrugged. "It's not something that he can really hide anymore. Whatever he's going through, I just wish he spoke about it sooner. There's never shame in Ezhara for any troubles, especially not with Talents — the system is arranged to prioritize their health and the sustainability of their passions. That Eiko didn't..."

He paused, recalling some incident or another, it seemed. "Park, be sure to call Eiko's parents."
The boy squirmed, and his eyes widened. "Don't! Don't call them, you can't, you can't— don't— you shouldn't call them, please, please..." His voice sank, drowned away by his tears, his desperate gasps for breath. After everything, he was close to simply collapsing, and with the vortex of voices rising in his head again, perhaps it would only be a matter of time. It would be a mercy, wouldn't it? That quick breath of silence... if only it came sooner.

[...]

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
I thanked Marco as he gave us their contact data – I knew, that both Ribin and I would contact them.
Marco was surprisingly understanding, though, at least I interpreted it as such. He was not mad, at least not at Ribin or me, but he was certainly not happy, least of all about his own role in this. Eiko seemed to be quite stressed out as well.
After he had finished opposing contacting his parents, which, I thought, might be a part of the problem, I nodded.
“If you want, Ribin and I are here on motorcycles and a friend is here with a horse carriage.”, I said and automatically excluded Kay and Fi. Their tankette had most likely long since departed, they had a treasure to hunt, after all. “It might not be ideal, but it is better then walking.”
One thing was certain: Like Ribin had said, he was fighting demons and that needed time.

"A sport with tanks?" Isabel was a bit puzzled "What a country...."


"Well I think that's really interesting!" Bianca responded. "The fact you made a whole sport around tanks and that! I mean we're pretty ordinary in Kuronami, baseball and soccer are the main sports in our country. Nothing as exciting as tanks!"

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
“Sensha-Do is actually not our invention.”, I corrected, “We have it from Kyrenaia and they got it from elsewhere and so on. Who started it?” I shrugged. “No idea. I guess, it is like with sport archery: One day, two archers stood next to each other, firing at targets and one said: Hey, bet ya I can shoot an apple off of a head!” I smiled. “And like that, it went with tanks: Hey, bet ya I can hit that target over there from further down the range!”
“Of course, this is all theory.”, Kay added with a smile, “Though, among us, there is nothing wrong with playing football.”

Marion smiled as she listened to Nia’s tales of piracy and robbery, though at the same time, she felt the urge to rectify this lack of a ball that Nia had in her life, she secretly promised to herself that should they go out for a ball, that she would make it memorable, whether or not it would be for better or for worse was still up in the air until said ball actually happened.

She had to admit though, the forlorn look on her face as she set her determination on her goal could easily be confused for disapproval for Nia’s past acts, so she quickly put on a smile and looked back at Nia, “As much as I enjoy a good book once in a while, I think I’d rather prefer to see the genuine article myself.” She said, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I had seen Marion's slightly forlorn look, but I much rather blamed it on her not knowing, which books I was talking about. I did go in for the peck, though, making it a short peck indeed.
I smiled.
“The genuine article, eh...?”, I mused as we arrived at the cliff, smiling at Marion. “That sounds like a fun thing... though I'd have to learn ball dancing first.”

By the Bar.

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"My father was a banker, and when the War came he signed up. Spent a few more years in the Army before going back to banking," Gerald said. "He was with the First Infantry Division as part of the finance staff of one of its battalions, and when I grew up he'd tell me stories about the War. I've lost count of the times he'd regale me with the time that they held what is now the City of Tubigon from both the loyalists of what is now New Luzon and the Maoists at this point.
"When he retired, he gave me his service pistol. It's back home now with them, but he told me that the pistol in question saw him through the War in ways that made the Tagbilaran Riots look like child's play. Anyway, enough about my old man, what of yours?" Gerald's smile deepened.

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I smiled.
„My Dad is a houseman.”, I said and shrugged, “My Mam is the one, who you might know. Finnya Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan, one of the Free Lands' leading experts in Fisheries Research.”
I grinned, leaning forward.
“Guess where I got my passion from.”, I asked of him and winked, then leaned back. “She is an awesome Mam. Sure, she has a lot of work and Dad was mostly responsible for raising me, but she was always there, when I needed her. And she took me and Dad to some conferences when I was a kid, so awesome memories from there!”
Cealg gave a sound.
“And both love him, too.”, I said and scratched Cealg behind his ears.

On the Dance Floor.

Celina Reathaí of the Tribe of Westmeath.
I shook my head. “Can't say I have.”, I admitted, “But maybe another time.”
As we sat there, a woman approached our group – a challenger? Oh, she certainly was, unlike Louise, which had little to do with her prosthetic, but... the woman had a certain sway in her hips, her grey-silver hair open and fluttering in the light breeze, her yellow-brown eyes a bit like embers. She was either with BI or a natural, that much was clear.
“Good evening, Captain Fearg.”, she said in Selkie, in an accent... I would place her somewhere along the northern shores of Lake Mór. “Felicia Leathchúpla. May I have the next dance?”
Liam rose. “My deepest apologies, ladies, gentleman, but I am afraid, that I do not myself able to refuse this request.”, he excused himself in Eglish and stepped out, offering his arm as new dancing couples arranged themselves on the floor, the band ready soon.
Felicia linked arms with him and smiled as he led her off.
“Lucky bint.”, Alaina mumbled in Selkie, Gwenny and I nodding and murmuring in approval.

"You off?" asks Ryan of Liam

Louise however took a sip of her non alcoholic drink "Looking forwards to going back to sea?" Asks Louise, looking across to Liam

Celina Reathaí of the Tribe of Westmeath.
As the Captain and his next dance partner were about to leave our midst, he looked at us, raised an eyebrow as if to ask, whether or not we thought, that the Orcadians were serious.
He just was asked for a dance and had accepted – of course he was off.
He turned to the two and said, with a small bow, “My apologies, Miss, but I am afraid, that the answer to that question will have to wait for a bit. If you'd now excuse me?”
A few beats passed.
“Well...”, Alaina said and made to rise, “...let's see if I can't get some lad on the dance floor as well. Celina, Gwen, see you around.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
Alaina nodded to the two foreigners and was off.
And with that, Gwen and I were alone with the two Orcadians.

Slácan Bar, Pléaráca Hotel .

Slácan Bar, Pléaráca Hotel.
Indeed, after a long record of having Cel's head placed on his shoulder on evenings like this one, Chris had grown accustomed to it; and while he did enjoy it over and over again, he didn't consider it anything to make a fuss about.
Of course, she would be where he was, and he would be where she was.
There was no reasonable doubt.
He noticed, that her hand sought his, and he grabbed it softly, while slowly using his other hand to take his glass of wine, which he took another sip of and placed it back on the table.
"Not necessarily" - he whispered into her ear, and as a side effect of the wine, his Rhenish accent grew a bit stronger again. "Who pays for the wine and who doesn't, that's secondary at best. It's more important whom one enjoys it with."
With this said, he pecked the head resting on his shoulder.

[...]

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
I smiled as he pecked my head.
This was a wonderful feeling... like the wine, our relationship has matured and so had we. I was not the little girl from Purgatio anymore, who bawled her eyes out after that horrid day, and while he was still my rock, he, too, had grown. He seemed a lot stronger, his hand firmer, his voice wiser.
Then, as the memory of that day in Purgatio came to my mind again, another memory surfaced and I had to giggle.
“Remember our first night together?”, I asked. I still had his shirt.

Slácan Bar, Pléaráca Hotel.
Right in this moment, the small round of two Shikos and one Sharulsi was approached by one of the waitresses dressed in Maid Bikini, balancing a platter of chocolates on her hand, which made it obvious, that she wasn't just working in here since yesterday. There were certainly days when lassies working in here their first day also called it their last day, depending on what type of customers they were confronted with.
She placed the platter into the middle of the table. Some were quite obviously from Teressien, which was a quality seal in and of itself, but there were also some from other places. Then, she would ask for further wishes.
She smiled at Kazuo, who had an excellent view, and who was giving his best to hide, how excellent he found this view. The waitress might not have noticed anything about it, but Setsuko and Yelda did throw glances at him like they were policewomen who were but a second away from catching a perpetrator in flagrante delicto.
Kazuo closed his eyes for a second and nodded towards her, smiling. "Thank you very much" - he said. "And absolutely no problem" - he added, referring to her apologies for the House needing a moment to arrange the chocolates.
Saved it.
As she asked for further wishes, he said, "Hm, maybe a glass of water each?", then looked at Yelda and Setsuko, who nodded, especially since the latter was already a bit tipsy.
She scanned the chocolates for the darkest ones, containing the least amount of milk possible, or at least no lactose ...
"Three glasses of water, it is then" - he confirmed the order.

Alaina Oscailte of the Tribe of Antrim.
I smiled and nodded. “Three waters, coming right up!”, I confirmed and went off to fetch them.
Oh, the lad had liked the view – he had tried to hide it, and the girls hadn't liked him liking the view, but I had spotted it. I didn't blame him, in fact, I found him trying his best to hide it quite cute. It was certainly refreshing to some other guests.
I passed the businessman and the woman in a one-piece, who were flirting and enjoying themselves, nodded to the barkeeper and was off into the kitchen.
Where there was an air of suave and relaxed professionalism and appeal in the restaurant, the kitchen was busy and it was just as professional. Waitresses like me were not allowed into the kitchen proper, we were confined to the counter by the entrance, but we still had an excellent view of the proceedings... and the young kitchen aid had an excellent view of us.
“Hi, Alaina.”, he greeted and grinned, “What do you need?”
He was cute, so I smiled back.
“Three waters for Table 4, please.”, I said and watched him type the order into his computer. In a few seconds, they would be delivered. I took the opportunity for a breather, smelled the air in the kitchen... “...Tawagine?”
“Good nose.”, the lad complimented, “Finnya will take it to the room later, some Kyrenaian guest asked for the delivery.”
“Ah...”, I made with a smile. Kyrenaian Cuisine had its charmes, but usually, it was too hot for me. Then my tablet with three water arrived, plus a glass can with more fresh spring water bottled in the Silver Mountains. It was crystal clear. The lad gave it to me, I grinned. “Thank you!”
And off I was, back towards the table.
As it was not hard to see, who got which water, I cleared my throat once I came close enough to hear a hushed conversation, then set out the three waters on Table 4, one for each person.
“There you go.”, I said, placing the can on the table as well. That done, I took the tablet and placed it in front of my stomach, bowing my head. “Good appetite.”
If they had further orders, now was the time.

[...]

Athena Freezis
Certainly Leo's smile was mixed with a hint of surprise considering her age, indeed she looked like a girl of 19 to 20 years old which was always something many asked regarding her age and showed their surprise.
When he asked her jokingly about the math from her graduation period she laughed back at it, never looking away of him.

"I wouldn't be a businesswoman if I don't, my line of work requires me to know everything about mathematics." The woman smiled at him; if Leo needed help, Athena would gladly help him. When he pulled out a chair for her to seat, the violet eyed woman smiled at him while having a teasing smile.

"My, my such a nice gentleman you are." She told him with that teasing smile before finally going to other things to talk about.

"So. You are set to graduate in less than two years right?? Have you thought what are you gonna study if you plan to enter to an university??"

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Athena's teasing made me smile and blush, but I was happy about it.
At her question, I decided to be open with her: “Actually, I thought about not studying, but making an apprenticeship, either as a carpenter or as a toymaker, both with the option of expanding into tinkering.” I shrugged slightly. “My little sis loves it when I make toys for her so I guess, that I am at least decent at it and it certainly is fun to me, so...”
I shrugged.
“I am not sure yet, though.”, I added. Let a beat pass as we waited for a waiter. “How about you? How did you find your calling? Or did it find you?”

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
"Hence why we have our own spice mixtures with us.", I said with a smile, "Some even more then one. I have a classmate, who grows her own herbs at home and uses them to make spicing mixtures - some of the best I ever tasted. She can't cook to save her life, but she can do that."
I grinned at that, taking a small tube out of my pocket.
"Looks like this.", I said and offered it to her, screw cap at the top. "If you want, that is my favourite spicy mixture."

Caoimhe Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I was glad about the trust Marie showed as she embraced Filly - and Filly, a hugging-person with heart, mind and soul, enjoyed the hug, pressing Marie tightly to her.
Both were all right lassies.
"So, Marie...", Filly said and took out a bottle of low-sugar lemonade, "...care for a drink?"
I smiled and nodded. "We need to drink a lot in this heat.", I added, putting an arm around the shoulders of either lass.

Marie Ernst Gluck
I...did not take kindly to the arm around the shoulder, initally.
A flashback? In a fanservice session/beach episode? Well, yes. It...brought up some uncomfortable memories. Nothing too bad, I assure you, dear reader, but...still things I'd rather not go through.
Needless to say, my hand instinctively went to my hip and I was about to draw my knife, when I reminded myself that, first, I was wearing a swimsuit, second, that my knife was back at the research station, and third, that this was neither Saranidia nor basic training, but the Free Lands, and I was among friends.
I let my hand hang with a sigh, and my face reddened a little. "Sorry, Cao. Force of habit. And, uh, yeah. Would like a drink."
As Cao, presumably, opened the bottle, I piped up again, eager to try and move on. "So! Uh, Filly, what do you do for work?"

Adelheid von Hohenzollern-Jagiellon
I laughed and shook my head, refusing the tube. "Oh, no thanks. Tabasco's good enough for my purposes, anyway. But I would like to learn how it's made."
As the sun wore on, the heat began to take it's toll, and I was starting to sweat heavily.

Damnation and brimstone! Why didn't I bring a change of clothes(And before you ask, reader; no, the swimsuit that I carried on me does not count)? And why, of all things, did I bring what was essentially a mixture of a shirt and a t-shirt?

I scowled a little as I finally gave in to the weather and unbuttoned the top of my shirt, showing a small amount of my neck and chest. Sure, it was only a few inches of skin, give or take, and maybe a little more, but still, I really didn't like doing this. Even with Yven.

Actually, hell, especially with Yven. It felt weird showing even that little skin to someone who had dated Marie just a year ago, even more than if Yven was some absolute random stranger.

[New Visayan Islands]

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"I have an abridged version of a book on the native fauna of The Free Lands; I read up on it when I sailed from the Confederation aboard one the yacht's sisters," Gerald said. "To be honest, I think the version was too abridged," he added, wincing for effect. "Either that, or I had the wrong book altogether; I honestly didn't recognize your mother's name in the articles of the book.
"That being said, I see where you get your passion from." Gerald returned Amy's wink. "My mother, Adelina Vicente, was a science teacher when she met Dad; she loved teaching the next generation of high schoolers. After the War, there were a good number of vacancies left by teachers who joined the Free Visayan Armed Forces and died fighting; Mom had the qualifications short of the tenure needed to become a principal, but just enough in tenure to become vice principal. She held that post for nine years, five in Mansasa High in the Mansasa District of Tagbilaran City and four in the Tagbilaran City Science High School, after which she became its second principal until she joined the staff of the Tagbilaran City Schools Superintendent in 2006.
"Knowing my parents, though...it would not surprise me to see them enjoy Cealg; after I left for Cebu, my parents would spend their free time fishing off the town of Dauis. I still have the pictures." Pulling out his phone, he showed one such picture; in it were his parents holding a blue marlin.

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

Luckily enough, despite having her head in the clouds, she did not unwantedly got herself into a road accident due to her own negligence, save for Mhairi's guidance. Upon regaining her full mental consciousness, her eyes were met with the sight of the Hotel, made up of small sized buildings grouped around a larger sized building, nothing out of the ordinary when compared to the dozens of hotels she had been to before. However, when Mhairi unexpectedly offered to pay ahead on their behalf, Alexandra was a little taken aback, not least for being offended or anything, for she could see definitely see through the fiscal benefits for herself, but from an another perspective, it slightly reminded her of the days when she was immensely pampered by her Middle Eastern boyfriends, whose tremendously huge, oil-based wealth would change anyone, even a peasant's life in under a mere second. At the same time, there were quite a few 'positively'-natured pampering, such as that from her beloved, late paternal grandmother.

Realizing once again that she has drifted away into her thoughts, something that can be said as a habit judging by its frequent occurrences, Alexandra quickly snapped herself awake into reality. "Such generous of you, I appreciate it", replied Alexandra with a half-attempted smile. "Curses, these imaginations!", the words loudly resonates inside her own head.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Somewhere on the Beach.


Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
As the leading nurse, I was of course responsible for the patient, some foreigner, who had been found with extreme dehydration by a Kyrenaian and a Selkie-lass. They had done good work and now...
...he was throwing up over my lower body.
Well.
I knew a uniform, which would get a very good watch.
Other then that, he seemed to be in extreme pain, then lost consciousness. That was not good.
Heat stroke? Heat Exhaustion? I barked an order to my coworker, one to start cooling him down, while I checked the fluids.
From the corner of my eye, I saw our driver intercept another guy (an admittedly good looking one) and ask him, if he could identify himself with reliable, official documents.

Cornwall Zimmern

Cornwall rushed toward the ambulance with the intention of boarding, only to be stopped by the driver. He was asked to show his papers, which he did, and his credentials. He hastily explained that Alastair was his boss and that it was absolutely imperative he accompany Alastair to the hospital, as it was his duty to protect and looked after him.

He took a quick glance at Alastair, who seemed to be unconscious. One of the nurses was stained in a brownish liquid that could only be vomit. The said nurse was nonetheless continuing with her work; as Cornwall watched, she said something to another nurse, probably related to the fact that Alastair had thrown up on her.

"He--my lord is Prince Regent of our nation. He effectively runs the executive branch of the country because his father, our King, is dying. Please, this is a matter of governmental affairs; I entreat you to let me ride in ze ambulance with him." His calm was slipping, just a little. It was enough to make his accent stand out more.

"I need to ensure he is alright."

[The Frozen Forest]

Prince Ari

Ari didn't like sand, it's was coarse, rough, irritating and it got everywhere. He was Prince of The Frozen Forest and son of King Alvor, Ari had seen enough sand to last him a lifetime and he didn't enjoy any of his time around it. When he was a boy his father had sent him to the colonies to see how their colonial subjects lived and to become at least a little versed in their cultures. This meant weeks, months spent in The Treezian Archipelago in a beach house with his older brother and younger sister. More than the sand he hated the sound of the ocean and the animals that roamed the beach. Crabs for example were something he would only rather see on his dinner plate. One might ask how why he had agreed to come to come to The Selkie in the first place.

Ari recalled the shouting match he had with his father only a week prior. Evidently Ari had come out the loser in that argument but he didn't feel any particular remorse for shutting down that Selkie-loving school. Foreigners like the Cameloneans were one thing-at least Frozen Forestrians shared cultural and religious ties with Camelone. The Selkie on the other hand spoke a foreign tongue, wore primitive clothing and refused to assimilate into proper civilization. The Selkie diaspora in The Frozen Forest was hundreds of years old and yet it still clung to it's traditions like a drowning man clutches onto driftwood.

Yet here he stood in The Free Lands of The Selkie with nothing but his old friend and bodyguard Rollo for company. Ari looked down at the sand around his feet and back at Rollo who was busy looking for sea shells on the beach. Rollo as a matter of fact was 1/8th Selkie, a fact that wasn't lost on Ari. Ari couldn't help but feel suspicious of Rollo and wondered whether his father had put him on Ari's detail intentionally.

"Rollo!" Ari shouted, causing the Guardsmen's to look up alerted. "Remind me again why you ended up on my detail for this trip?"

Rollo

"I was on your sisters detail until her wedding, then I was assigned to your older brother for a couple of months. You're father offered me a position on your detail for this trip but as for why I couldn't say My Prince." Rollo offered a small bow in recognition of being addressed by Ari and then stood straight.

Ari looked at him for a long moment silently and then turned to go further down the beach. Rollo stood where he was and watched the Prince step away from him. Rollo really didn't know the reason why he had been assigned to Prince Ari's protection detail but he had lied about any sort of offer from the King. His Royal Majesty had ordered him to work on Ari's detail but Rollo couldn't understand why given how much the Prince seemed to dislike him.

Rollo remembered that on his first day on Princess Freja's detail the younger Prince Ari tricked him into searching the entire west wing of The Royal Palace because his friend "Thordi Guldoldson" had gone missing. As it turned out Thordi Guldoldson was a superstition, a supposed ghost that wandered The Royal Palace after being wrongfully executed.

Rollo began to follow the Prince while simultaneously scanning the tree-line for people. He wasn't allowed to take his sidearm on the trip that didn't mean he could just relax on the job. All it would take was one mistake for him to be relieved of his position-a position he needed if he wanted to keep paying his sisters hospital bills. That meant keeping an eye on the Prince and anything that could harm him. Yet Rollo hadn't seen anyone for some time even though they were starting to get close to the resort. A bad feeling crept over him and he stepped closer to the Prince, being only two or three steps behind him as they moved closer to the resort.

[The Selkie]

Somewhere on the beach.

Marie Ernst Gluck
I...did not take kindly to the arm around the shoulder, initally.
A flashback? In a fanservice session/beach episode? Well, yes. It...brought up some uncomfortable memories. Nothing too bad, I assure you, dear reader, but...still things I'd rather not go through.
Needless to say, my hand instinctively went to my hip and I was about to draw my knife, when I reminded myself that, first, I was wearing a swimsuit, second, that my knife was back at the research station, and third, that this was neither Saranidia nor basic training, but the Free Lands, and I was among friends.
I let my hand hang with a sigh, and my face reddened a little. "Sorry, Cao. Force of habit. And, uh, yeah. Would like a drink."
As Cao, presumably, opened the bottle, I piped up again, eager to try and move on. "So! Uh, Filly, what do you do for work?"

Adelheid von Hohenzollern-Jagiellon
I laughed and shook my head, refusing the tube. "Oh, no thanks. Tabasco's good enough for my purposes, anyway. But I would like to learn how it's made."
As the sun wore on, the heat began to take it's toll, and I was starting to sweat heavily.

Damnation and brimstone! Why didn't I bring a change of clothes(And before you ask, reader; no, the swimsuit that I carried on me does not count)? And why, of all things, did I bring what was essentially a mixture of a shirt and a t-shirt?

I scowled a little as I finally gave in to the weather and unbuttoned the top of my shirt, showing a small amount of my neck and chest. Sure, it was only a few inches of skin, give or take, and maybe a little more, but still, I really didn't like doing this. Even with Yven.

Actually, hell, especially with Yven. It felt weird showing even that little skin to someone who had dated Marie just a year ago, even more than if Yven was some absolute random stranger.

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
As Heidi opened the topmost buttons of her blouse, exposing a bit of flesh, I was unbothered - sure, she was a good-looking woman, no question asked, but... let's be real here, I was on a beach with a bunch of models in tight, sometimes quite revealing swimsuits.
If I was bothered by it, I was both at the wrong place and was most likely already dead from blood loss.
As I was quite alive, and wasn't bleeding, but I was smiling.
"I can show you a few tricks, if you want - though not tonight.", I said and grinned, "Maybe you and Marie visit Cao and me in our room tomorrow and we hang out a bit? Including a spice mixture session?"
I hoped, that by promising both my sister's and her friend's (and my former girlfriend's) presence, that she would not think ill of me or would think, that I would try and seduce her or something - no, I really wanted to hang out (and show her a few cooking tricks) and nothing more.

Caoimhe Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I felt how Marie tensed, reaching for a knife, which wasn't there - shit.
If force of habit or not, it seemed as if I had overstepped my bounds and... shit. I think the only thing saving me from having a long, metal object inserted into me in a way, which was not fun, was, that said metal object wasn't present.
I did open the bottle and smiled apologetically, mumbling something about her not needing to be sorry and that I was at fault, but Marie had already turned to Filly.
She smiled. "Oh, I am actually a student. I study fisheries science at the University of Launceston and am specialized in the Archipelago. Next year, I'll start my work as a research fellow. And, on the side, I am a model and actress, though I only have a few indie-movies under my belt." She shrugged. "Nothing major, but it was fun."

Somewhere on the Beach.


Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
As the leading nurse, I was of course responsible for the patient, some foreigner, who had been found with extreme dehydration by a Kyrenaian and a Selkie-lass. They had done good work and now...
...he was throwing up over my lower body.
Well.
I knew a uniform, which would get a very good watch.
Other then that, he seemed to be in extreme pain, then lost consciousness. That was not good.
Heat stroke? Heat Exhaustion? I barked an order to my coworker, one to start cooling him down, while I checked the fluids.
From the corner of my eye, I saw our driver intercept another guy (an admittedly good looking one) and ask him, if he could identify himself with reliable, official documents.

Cornwall Zimmern

Cornwall rushed toward the ambulance with the intention of boarding, only to be stopped by the driver. He was asked to show his papers, which he did, and his credentials. He hastily explained that Alastair was his boss and that it was absolutely imperative he accompany Alastair to the hospital, as it was his duty to protect and looked after him.

He took a quick glance at Alastair, who seemed to be unconscious. One of the nurses was stained in a brownish liquid that could only be vomit. The said nurse was nonetheless continuing with her work; as Cornwall watched, she said something to another nurse, probably related to the fact that Alastair had thrown up on her.

"He--my lord is Prince Regent of our nation. He effectively runs the executive branch of the country because his father, our King, is dying. Please, this is a matter of governmental affairs; I entreat you to let me ride in ze ambulance with him." His calm was slipping, just a little. It was enough to make his accent stand out more.

"I need to ensure he is alright."

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
While we were putting the finishing touches on making him ready for transport, the man was imploring our driver to let him come along.
Our driver nodded. "I understand, where you are coming from...", and we all really did, considering, that we had once transported a Kyrenaian Princess after she had a little accident and broke something. "...but I'm afraid, that we can't allow you to ride with us in the ambulance, Mister Zimmern. It's against the regulations." He raised a hand to forestall any protests. "What I will do, however, if you want, is call a taxi here for you, so that they can bring you to the hospital directly behind us."
"Almost ready!", I called out to our driver.
Our driver gave me a thumbs up.

Prince Ari

Ari didn't like sand, it's was coarse, rough, irritating and it got everywhere. He was Prince of The Frozen Forest and son of King Alvor, Ari had seen enough sand to last him a lifetime and he didn't enjoy any of his time around it. When he was a boy his father had sent him to the colonies to see how their colonial subjects lived and to become at least a little versed in their cultures. This meant weeks, months spent in The Treezian Archipelago in a beach house with his older brother and younger sister. More than the sand he hated the sound of the ocean and the animals that roamed the beach. Crabs for example were something he would only rather see on his dinner plate. One might ask how why he had agreed to come to come to The Selkie in the first place.

Ari recalled the shouting match he had with his father only a week prior. Evidently Ari had come out the loser in that argument but he didn't feel any particular remorse for shutting down that Selkie-loving school. Foreigners like the Cameloneans were one thing-at least Frozen Forestrians shared cultural and religious ties with Camelone. The Selkie on the other hand spoke a foreign tongue, wore primitive clothing and refused to assimilate into proper civilization. The Selkie diaspora in The Frozen Forest was hundreds of years old and yet it still clung to it's traditions like a drowning man clutches onto driftwood.

Yet here he stood in The Free Lands of The Selkie with nothing but his old friend and bodyguard Rollo for company. Ari looked down at the sand around his feet and back at Rollo who was busy looking for sea shells on the beach. Rollo as a matter of fact was 1/8th Selkie, a fact that wasn't lost on Ari. Ari couldn't help but feel suspicious of Rollo and wondered whether his father had put him on Ari's detail intentionally.

"Rollo!" Ari shouted, causing the Guardsmen's to look up alerted. "Remind me again why you ended up on my detail for this trip?"

Rollo

"I was on your sisters detail until her wedding, then I was assigned to your older brother for a couple of months. You're father offered me a position on your detail for this trip but as for why I couldn't say My Prince." Rollo offered a small bow in recognition of being addressed by Ari and then stood straight.

Ari looked at him for a long moment silently and then turned to go further down the beach. Rollo stood where he was and watched the Prince step away from him. Rollo really didn't know the reason why he had been assigned to Prince Ari's protection detail but he had lied about any sort of offer from the King. His Royal Majesty had ordered him to work on Ari's detail but Rollo couldn't understand why given how much the Prince seemed to dislike him.

Rollo remembered that on his first day on Princess Freja's detail the younger Prince Ari tricked him into searching the entire west wing of The Royal Palace because his friend "Thordi Guldoldson" had gone missing. As it turned out Thordi Guldoldson was a superstition, a supposed ghost that wandered The Royal Palace after being wrongfully executed.

Rollo began to follow the Prince while simultaneously scanning the tree-line for people. He wasn't allowed to take his sidearm on the trip that didn't mean he could just relax on the job. All it would take was one mistake for him to be relieved of his position-a position he needed if he wanted to keep paying his sisters hospital bills. That meant keeping an eye on the Prince and anything that could harm him. Yet Rollo hadn't seen anyone for some time even though they were starting to get close to the resort. A bad feeling crept over him and he stepped closer to the Prince, being only two or three steps behind him as they moved closer to the resort.

Darufa Rialtóir of the Tribe of Conn.
I, as Dumhach's Mayor, was of course glad to see BI's party being such a success - it gave attention to this beautiful region of the Free Lands and with that, hopefully more tourism from abroad. But I also liked seeing BI being so successful. I had been a model for them, a long time ago, after all.
With Nolly on my arm, dressed in a white, light summer dress with a bikini underneath it (if you looked closely, one might be able to spot the outlines, if the light fell right), I walked. My husband was having a footvolley match with some of BI's younger models a bit further down the beach, so it was just me and my little girl.
The two men, who came closer, seemed... well, the young lad seemed as if he wanted to be anywhere else but here and the man looked as if he was looking for troublemakers, who might harm his... I was tempted to say 'charge', mainly because the two struck me as being unrelated to oneanother.
I smiled as I approached them as they were along my route, which I wanted to take with Nolly.
"Good evening.", I greeted in English, Nolly speaking her own greeting in Selkie with a happy, childish wave. "Lovely evening for a walk, isn't it?"
It was one of those phrases, which either invited for further conversation or us walking past each other exchanging greetings - whichever was more to the other side's liking.

By the Bar.

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"I have an abridged version of a book on the native fauna of The Free Lands; I read up on it when I sailed from the Confederation aboard one the yacht's sisters," Gerald said. "To be honest, I think the version was too abridged," he added, wincing for effect. "Either that, or I had the wrong book altogether; I honestly didn't recognize your mother's name in the articles of the book.
"That being said, I see where you get your passion from." Gerald returned Amy's wink. "My mother, Adelina Vicente, was a science teacher when she met Dad; she loved teaching the next generation of high schoolers. After the War, there were a good number of vacancies left by teachers who joined the Free Visayan Armed Forces and died fighting; Mom had the qualifications short of the tenure needed to become a principal, but just enough in tenure to become vice principal. She held that post for nine years, five in Mansasa High in the Mansasa District of Tagbilaran City and four in the Tagbilaran City Science High School, after which she became its second principal until she joined the staff of the Tagbilaran City Schools Superintendent in 2006.
"Knowing my parents, though...it would not surprise me to see them enjoy Cealg; after I left for Cebu, my parents would spend their free time fishing off the town of Dauis. I still have the pictures." Pulling out his phone, he showed one such picture; in it were his parents holding a blue marlin.

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I moved over as he took out his smartphone to show me images, sliding up close to him. I smelled a bit like the sea, a bit like Cealg and a bit like grilled meat, all three scents, which I have seen men go gaga over - individually.
What he would think of that combined bouquet?
Anyway, when I saw his parents with the result of one of their fishing trips, I smiled.
"That's a marlin.", I said and grinned a bit sheepish at Gerald. "Sorry, veterinary researcher..." I looked at his parents, his father and his mother. "They look nice, too. Your Mam look like she made a feast out of that one."

Slácan Bar, Pléaráca Hotel.

Luckily enough, despite having her head in the clouds, she did not unwantedly got herself into a road accident due to her own negligence, save for Mhairi's guidance. Upon regaining her full mental consciousness, her eyes were met with the sight of the Hotel, made up of small sized buildings grouped around a larger sized building, nothing out of the ordinary when compared to the dozens of hotels she had been to before. However, when Mhairi unexpectedly offered to pay ahead on their behalf, Alexandra was a little taken aback, not least for being offended or anything, for she could see definitely see through the fiscal benefits for herself, but from an another perspective, it slightly reminded her of the days when she was immensely pampered by her Middle Eastern boyfriends, whose tremendously huge, oil-based wealth would change anyone, even a peasant's life in under a mere second. At the same time, there were quite a few 'positively'-natured pampering, such as that from her beloved, late paternal grandmother.

Realizing once again that she has drifted away into her thoughts, something that can be said as a habit judging by its frequent occurrences, Alexandra quickly snapped herself awake into reality. "Such generous of you, I appreciate it", replied Alexandra with a half-attempted smile. "Curses, these imaginations!", the words loudly resonates inside her own head.

Mhairi Uasal of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"You're welcome.", I said and led her along, into one of the small side streets - there, the entrance was, not much to look at, but that was part of the charme.
The usual tourist wouldn't even throw the small side road a second glance. I opened the door into a small antechamber one could easily walk through without really noticing, with coathangers and everything, into the actual restaurant.
The carpet was dark, muffling steps, the ambiente not bright, but not dark either. A well-stocked bar was to one side, tables distributed all over the floor, the light notes of background music played by a small band in the air.
There were not many people here, a businessman and a woman in a one-piece swimsuit sat at the bar, flirting, a couple in one of the booths, a triple in another. Half of them was in swim-attire and no one bat an eye.
Considering, that the waitresses wore maid bikinis, frills and garters and chokers and headdresses, while the waiters wore trunks and detachable collars with ties and nothing else, we were in good company. The barkeeper was well-dressed, though.
I smiled at Alex, offered her my arm to link.
"Shall we?", I asked and indicated towards the bar with a nod.

[AHSCA]

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled and nodded.
“Oh, if they are anything like our festivals, we'll have a lot of fun, I am sure of it!”, I said and nodded, “And you'll get to see your home from a different perspective – and in a different form of motion.” I shrugged. “I do not know about you, but I know, that many people see riding as a way of motion, which is more then just novel for them... and which causes motion sickness in some.”
Indeed, I knew some people like that.

"Don't worry about me, I'm tough. Well I know it's not quite the same but I'm not prone to sea sickness even in the stormiest of conditions, so I want to say I can handle horse riding. But I'll still trust you to teach me a few things, after all, I'm not all knowing!" she smiled and winked.

[The Frozen Forest]

Rollo

Down the beach Rollo watched two individuals walk into view. There was a woman and what he could guess was probably her child. Not exactly the hardened assassins he had been trained to protect the Royal Family from, but anyone could pose a reasonable threat and plenty of other monarchs had been killed by women and children who were sufficiently motivated. Rollo stepped in front of Prince Ari as the distance between them and the mother and child shortened. Rollo came to a stop as they were greeted (not doing so would be considerably rude!).

"Good evening ma'am, It certainly is a nice evening to be out." Rollo glanced back at the Prince and noticed him looking away and towards the ocean with crossed arms. He didn't seem like he was in a sociable mood. "You'll have to forgive my companion. He isn't particularly fond of sand or the beach. My name is Rollo Halvardson and this is...Ari." Rollo offered a pleasant smile, hopefully making up for the Princes apparent rudeness.

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

As Alexandra's steps brought her closer to the bar, such was the case too for her hopes, which was rising by every seconds that passed. For starters, the antechamber did less to disappoint her, nor did it do much to appease her instead.

Regardless, the bar's surrounding proved quite enthralling. "A carpet in the bar? I see..", murmured Alexandra as her legs swiftly grazed the surface of the carpet which, unbeknownst to her muffled her own footsteps. "Not too bright, not too dark, perfect..", then came her second round of reviews as the pair continued their entrance. While the music sounded foreign to her, she was quite pleased with what she had seen so far as her eyes briefly observed the groups of couples that were already there, enjoying their time.

Before they were to finally settle in, Alexandra's eagle-like observation landed once more on the choice of attire worn by the waiters and waitresses. In all honesty, while she had at times been to bars or pubs in the UK herself (though neither of those resulted in her drinking even a sip as a sign of adherence to her own no-alcohol pledge), never had her eyes landed on such a sight in those places, save for the ones she saw on the Playboy mafazines, but that would be an another matter to speak about.

"Absolutely!", a swift reply came out of her mouth as she promptly linked arms with Mhairi, added with a head lean on the shoulder for effect. "Oh and a question, do they serve, any non alcoholic drinks? I do really want to stick to a promise that I made for myself, and besides, a dance wouldn't be perfect with a drunk me", questioned Alexandra in a slightly concerned tone for all the respective reasons.

[New Visayan Islands]

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

As Amy came closer he could recognize the smells: Cealg his nose was starting to familiarize itself with, but the smells of the sea and grilled meat were things Gerald was no stranger to. And he liked the combination. Even without Cealg the smell reminded him of the numerous times he enjoyed the beach with family and friends...
As Amy spoke, he found himself focused on her voice; it was as if he lost himself in the smells. Remembering that he showed her the picture of his parents, his mind went back on track.
"Yes...yes, they did. If I'm getting the date correctly this was on February 18th, 2012; their 25th anniversary was on the 21st, and they both had work at the time, so they decided on an early celebration," Gerald said. "Mom emailed the pictures to me; I was already working at Victoria Shipyards at the time." To demonstrate he swiped at the screen, showing more pictures; one of them was cropped with the caption Antonio and Adelina at 25 and showed Gerald's parents at the barbecue ready to cook the marlin.

[Kuronami]

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
“Sensha-Do is actually not our invention.”, I corrected, “We have it from Kyrenaia and they got it from elsewhere and so on. Who started it?” I shrugged. “No idea. I guess, it is like with sport archery: One day, two archers stood next to each other, firing at targets and one said: Hey, bet ya I can shoot an apple off of a head!” I smiled. “And like that, it went with tanks: Hey, bet ya I can hit that target over there from further down the range!”
“Of course, this is all theory.”, Kay added with a smile, “Though, among us, there is nothing wrong with playing football.”

"Ooooh, adopted the sport from the Sultanate! I see. I would like to go see there next at some point."

"I can make that happen for us, Bianca." Isabel agreed. "But yeah football is fun, I agree. Bee's brothers like playing it too."

"They do. I play with them some times but I like watching more."

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Somewhere on the beach.

Cornwall Zimmern

Cornwall rushed toward the ambulance with the intention of boarding, only to be stopped by the driver. He was asked to show his papers, which he did, and his credentials. He hastily explained that Alastair was his boss and that it was absolutely imperative he accompany Alastair to the hospital, as it was his duty to protect and looked after him.

He took a quick glance at Alastair, who seemed to be unconscious. One of the nurses was stained in a brownish liquid that could only be vomit. The said nurse was nonetheless continuing with her work; as Cornwall watched, she said something to another nurse, probably related to the fact that Alastair had thrown up on her.

"He--my lord is Prince Regent of our nation. He effectively runs the executive branch of the country because his father, our King, is dying. Please, this is a matter of governmental affairs; I entreat you to let me ride in ze ambulance with him." His calm was slipping, just a little. It was enough to make his accent stand out more.

"I need to ensure he is alright."

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
While we were putting the finishing touches on making him ready for transport, the man was imploring our driver to let him come along.
Our driver nodded. "I understand, where you are coming from...", and we all really did, considering, that we had once transported a Kyrenaian Princess after she had a little accident and broke something. "...but I'm afraid, that we can't allow you to ride with us in the ambulance, Mister Zimmern. It's against the regulations." He raised a hand to forestall any protests. "What I will do, however, if you want, is call a taxi here for you, so that they can bring you to the hospital directly behind us."
"Almost ready!", I called out to our driver.
Our driver gave me a thumbs up.

Cornwall Zimmern

Cornwall shook his head firmly. "If I cannot ride with him, even in ze cabin with you, I shall call my own taxi. Just get him there as quickly as you can."

Another glance at Alastair confirmed his suspicion: he was severely overheated, possibly afflicted with heat stroke, and he appeared to be unconscious.

"Is't heat stroke? Dost thou know? Is he going to be alright? And--what is ze number for ze taxi that I may call it?"

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

Somewhere on the beach.
Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
As Heidi opened the topmost buttons of her blouse, exposing a bit of flesh, I was unbothered - sure, she was a good-looking woman, no question asked, but... let's be real here, I was on a beach with a bunch of models in tight, sometimes quite revealing swimsuits.
If I was bothered by it, I was both at the wrong place and was most likely already dead from blood loss.
As I was quite alive, and wasn't bleeding, but I was smiling.
"I can show you a few tricks, if you want - though not tonight.", I said and grinned, "Maybe you and Marie visit Cao and me in our room tomorrow and we hang out a bit? Including a spice mixture session?"
I hoped, that by promising both my sister's and her friend's (and my former girlfriend's) presence, that she would not think ill of me or would think, that I would try and seduce her or something - no, I really wanted to hang out (and show her a few cooking tricks) and nothing more.

Caoimhe Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I felt how Marie tensed, reaching for a knife, which wasn't there - shit.
If force of habit or not, it seemed as if I had overstepped my bounds and... shit. I think the only thing saving me from having a long, metal object inserted into me in a way, which was not fun, was, that said metal object wasn't present.
I did open the bottle and smiled apologetically, mumbling something about her not needing to be sorry and that I was at fault, but Marie had already turned to Filly.
She smiled. "Oh, I am actually a student. I study fisheries science at the University of Launceston and am specialized in the Archipelago. Next year, I'll start my work as a research fellow. And, on the side, I am a model and actress, though I only have a few indie-movies under my belt." She shrugged. "Nothing major, but it was fun."

Adelheid
I thought about it for a while. Yven seemed nice enough, and my annoyance was directed more at the weather and at myself for not bringing more clothes than at him. "I'll go if Marie goes." I said at last. "Of course, you might need to ask Marie first. Not sure if she's leaving tonight."
What was the worse that could happen, anyway?

Marie
I nodded quickly. Abruptly, this whole interaction had turned into a minefield, and I needed to fix this quickly. Even if it meant snubbing Filly for a few minutes, as loath as I was to do that.
"I should go back to school one day." I remarked. "Reichswehr pulled me out of college, and my term of service technically isn't up yet...anyway, erm, Filly, do you mind if I grab Cao for just a few minutes?"

[Ezhara]

I thanked Marco as he gave us their contact data...

Park looked skyward as she considered, then nodded as Eiko clutched his head, and bent it down. "I think the carriage would be better," she said. "I... have a bad feeling about using a motorcycle with him. Eiko, do you have a preference?" A beat as he turned up to look at her, and his vacuous eyes looked as though some essential component of his had just been siphoned out. "Eiko?"
"Xū... where is it? I can't—"
"Please, just trust me." She reached her arm behind and took off one of his hands. His neck craned back up, once again towards the constellations where his shifting arm and bleary eyes connected the stars, whereas she herself turned to the Selkie who remained. "I think we should start heading back now." Her attempts at gentleness were underlined by a military-like discipline, one that asked a demand and ordered an immediate result, but not out of ill will, and it was clear her background was not one that usually involved youths. Still, she had her responsibility as an Ezharan, as one who vowed to protect the future of the nation.

"I take it you'll handle this, then?" Marco asked. He received a nod. "Without me?" Another nod.
"Make sure Kaz doesn't get into trouble," she said, "and try to enjoy yourself before you end up throwing him into the ocean. I'll get Eiko sorted out." The boy muttered out an apology amidst his analysis of the stars, but she paid it no heed. Though she couldn't understand his Suzuraigan creole, she had do admit that his encyclopedic knowledge of the constellations was impressive — perhaps a character of his? Yet, some part of her disagreed, felt that there was a much more visceral reason behind his passion towards the stars above.
"Hmph, fair enough, Park." He shrugged and frowned. "But I can't promise the latter. He found a girl, and we all know what mischief he goes through for other people's pleasure. But, I suppose if it keeps him distracted from Eiko... well." He turned around to leave. "Call me if you need me."

Ceridwen threw a glance at Malik...

Malik swivels his head hearing about a dog...

Kaz continued to smile as he watched Malik speak, his hand held in his chin as he leaned forward, his amber eyes inspecting the boy. Cutesy looks. Just precious, not a bad kid. Wonder if he'd like being pet. He glanced towards Amy with a romantically-veiled gaze, gauging her reaction. Still on me. Good. His focus quickly returned to Malik, and once the younger finished speaking, Kaz sat up straight, which happened to expose the rest of his hidden torso towards Amy, not that he drew further attention to it; it was a carefully-choreographed movement, carrying his usual confidence and won't you be mine? aura, but it still looked natural enough that it was innocuous even as he exhaled softly and had his hand snake towards Amy's.

Unless one were already charmed romantically, in which case, it was clear that he knew how to use every part of himself in his work as an Idol, and that he reveled in the adoration of his fans, abilities that would surely transfer elsewhere, what with his voice pulling one into his magnetic charm, into a world just for two. It could uplift even the most broken of souls into his aerie, where he'd embrace one and promise it all. Eiko, though? He wasn't nearly as receptive to that. Perhaps Kaz hid something else beneath his charms, but it didn't feel obvious. Everyone had their sins, after all, but for someone as perfect as him, surely it was his failures to save someone.
"Well, good evening to you two," he said in his usual sluggish whisper, hand brushing against his chest, "I'm Kaz Mansur, a teen Idol of Ezhara. Seeing as I'm not here for Idol work, though, just call me Kaz — no need for formality." A beat. "Anyway, I'm no royalty, but I'll take it as a compliment. My family has a bit of noble background beyond my career as an Idol, but my performing ability... that, I think, is more self-made, and if we have the opportunity, I wouldn't mind demonstrating."

[Mervay]

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
I laughed.
“Indeed it does!”, I said with a grin, “He is a good lad in a good home – so he is happy, when you are happy – and as you two are very happy...” I smiled. “If trained properly, a Little Black Fox can be a very good courier. Cel has trained two to act as her personal messengers in Cuan. Chris can tell you a story about that... ask him, who fetched him at the harbour when he came to Dumhach for the first time.”
I gave them a wink with a smile.

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Athena's teasing made me smile and blush, but I was happy about it.
At her question, I decided to be open with her: “Actually, I thought about not studying, but making an apprenticeship, either as a carpenter or as a toymaker, both with the option of expanding into tinkering.” I shrugged slightly. “My little sis loves it when I make toys for her so I guess, that I am at least decent at it and it certainly is fun to me, so...”
I shrugged.
“I am not sure yet, though.”, I added. Let a beat pass as we waited for a waiter. “How about you? How did you find your calling? Or did it find you?”

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
It was pretty much true that point, they were a very happy couple; one to marry at some point too. They both grinned back at Gawain for the comment while keeping focused on what he was telling them about as it appeared, with proper training; Little Black Foxes can be great couriers.

That made Lise chuckle when she imagined Chris being picked up at Dumhach's Harbour by one of Cel foxes; it would certainly be something odd back at home if she had to say it.

"It would certainly be something strange back at home if you ask me." She said laughing a bit as the image is still on her mind. But what he said wasn't a bad idea, it could be helpful on tense situations without trouble and as a way for them to seek help on a worst case scenario shall normal communication lines fall.

"It isn't that bad of an idea to train him to be a courier, actually; it could be very helpful on a worst case scenario." Lucas remarked after laughing about that image too. "I mean it has it advantages right??"

Athena Freezis
She smiled back at Leo while noticing blush, she also had that shade of red on her cheeks while looking at him too; she just couldn't help it. Then Athena heard him being open regarding what he had planned on doing; it was interesting, to say at least. But considering how The Free Lands was a place where handmade crafting was normal rather than the other choice, it made sense; albeit it was always nice to have a back-up plan just in case.
Athena thought about what Leo was able to tinker; she was very curious about it. Plus she was surprised when he said he had a sister.

"Toys for your little sister?? How cute!" She exclaimed happy while thinking about that, what a nice brother he was. "I can be certain your toys are great, perhaps you show me one of your creations one day." Her eyes smiled at him warmly as she thought about it. Then, of course; it was her turn to answer.

"You could say a mix of both." The woman answered truthfully while beginning to expand on that. "My family already has a proud tradition regarding the world of business, more than a thousand years of history in that field mind you; so it was only natural for me to take up the family business." She kept going about that, the Freezis Family had Indeed a long history, one even older than the nation's one. Only the royal, noble or aristocratic families had such long history (of which they were part of that group); and she knew quite a few examples.

"Of course. I had to work hard and prove myself entirely at what I loved; it wasn't easy, but it paid off." She said grinning at that thought. "You could consider me as a prodigy for how young I'am in regards about my control of massive corporative group if I have to say it." She chuckled at that part, only the best and a prodigy could get that high so quickly.

"Of course I had a back-up plan in case I wasn't selected to take on my family's group, it was becoming an historian; and it was a nice choice considering the many languages I had to learn during my childhood and even now. I guess that happens when you want to learn more of an family ancestor that is remembered fondly as one of the nation's greatest leaders alongside her husband." Athena added before letting a beat pass; her family might be focused in business, but there were many other remembered figures of her family out of those in the business world such as Queen Agnès I; a woman that alongside her husband passed to history as one of the nation's greatest leaders.

[Mediama]

Marion smiled as she listened to Nia’s tales of piracy and robbery, though at the same time, she felt the urge to rectify this lack of a ball that Nia had in her life, she secretly promised to herself that should they go out for a ball, that she would make it memorable, whether or not it would be for better or for worse was still up in the air until said ball actually happened.

She had to admit though, the forlorn look on her face as she set her determination on her goal could easily be confused for disapproval for Nia’s past acts, so she quickly put on a smile and looked back at Nia, “As much as I enjoy a good book once in a while, I think I’d rather prefer to see the genuine article myself.” She said, leaning in for a quick peck on the lips.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I had seen Marion's slightly forlorn look, but I much rather blamed it on her not knowing, which books I was talking about. I did go in for the peck, though, making it a short peck indeed.
I smiled.
“The genuine article, eh...?”, I mused as we arrived at the cliff, smiling at Marion. “That sounds like a fun thing... though I'd have to learn ball dancing first.”

Marion smiled, "Oh I'd be delighted to teach you. Usually if there was an orchestra they would play some slow music anyway so newer dancers can enjoy the festivities without risking stepping on anyone's toes, both metaphorically and literally."

She leaned in and hooked her free arm around Nia's leaning into her arm and laying her head on her shoulder, "Where are we heading to next?"

[Alegeharia]

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
Ceridwen threw a glance at Malik, nodded and replied to Aither: “He's quite cute for a Head of State.” At least one thing we agreed on. “So, water – for the rest of the menu, Miss Stiúrthóir has salads...” She motioned to where a blonde woman was manning a stall and indeed distributing salads. “...and there is a bar over there. Other then that, many people have their own drinks and snacks along and I would be surprised if anyone was unwilling to share.”
Our steaks arrive and Kean and Eoin were good boys, all three were large and massive, well-grilled pieces, none of them charcoal. Ceridwen seemed to shrug internally.
Meanwhile, someone nearby remarked about dogs, calling Malik and Aither such, I glanced over and watched their reaction. Malik seemed to be confused for a moment, then shot off to meet that person and... I smiled, for I recognized someone nearby.
Nudging Aither, I whispered to him: “Let's join those two – I know the girl, she's alright.”
The girl, meanwhile, smiled at Malik. Amy Laoch was her name, she was eating herself, recognized Malik as a kid and was willing to cut him more then enough slack due to that.
She watched the two boys interact for a moment, seemingly quietly smitten by the lad she was sitting with.

Aither:

He was sipping on the water as he was being introduced to different things and people looking at all the different nations food and tapped the tin in his pocket. "I understand, I have bamboo chutes to snack and chew on myself." He listened to another introduction this time following his friend to the new person. “Hello there, I am Aither Velkari, it is nice to meet you.” He smiled at the new person and offered a hand to shake. “Macha here says good things about you.” He watched Malik carefully as he looked over to where he went watching him interact with a different person.

Kaz continued to smile as he watched Malik speak, his hand held in his chin as he leaned forward, his amber eyes inspecting the boy. Cutesy looks. Just precious, not a bad kid. Wonder if he'd like being pet. He glanced towards Amy with a romantically-veiled gaze, gauging her reaction. Still on me. Good. His focus quickly returned to Malik, and once the younger finished speaking, Kaz sat up straight, which happened to expose the rest of his hidden torso towards Amy, not that he drew further attention to it; it was a carefully-choreographed movement, carrying his usual confidence and won't you be mine? aura, but it still looked natural enough that it was innocuous even as he exhaled softly and had his hand snake towards Amy's.
Unless one were already charmed romantically, in which case, it was clear that he knew how to use every part of himself in his work as an Idol, and that he reveled in the adoration of his fans, abilities that would surely transfer elsewhere, what with his voice pulling one into his magnetic charm, into a world just for two. It could uplift even the most broken of souls into his aerie, where he'd embrace one and promise it all. Eiko, though? He wasn't nearly as receptive to that. Perhaps Kaz hid something else beneath his charms, but it didn't feel obvious. Everyone had their sins, after all, but for someone as perfect as him, surely it was his failures to save someone.
"Well, good evening to you two," he said in his usual sluggish whisper, hand brushing against his chest, "I'm Kaz Mansur, a teen Idol of Ezhara. Seeing as I'm not here for Idol work, though, just call me Kaz — no need for formality." A beat. "Anyway, I'm no royalty, but I'll take it as a compliment. My family has a bit of noble background beyond my career as an Idol, but my performing ability... that, I think, is more self-made, and if we have the opportunity, I wouldn't mind demonstrating."

Malik:

Malik tilted his head as the man puffed his chest and started rubbing it idly. He sniffed curiously catching a scent that seemed… sensual? He wasn’t sure but had a question. “An Idol? What is that? You said performer, right?” He looked to the side some as he processed the information his fluffy face quirking into an inquisitive look. “Oh! Mr. Kaz, are you one of those…” He trailed for a second, nodding using the hand movement as the basis of his guess. “A lady of the night?!” He gasped as he said it rather loudly. “We don’t usually have those in our kingdom, at least that’s what I get told.”

He giggled and waved at the other person that joined them. “Oh, hello miss!” Malik returned to Kaz. “If you are one, I am certain a demonstration would not be necessary.” His voice lowered, “especially in such a public place, that would be bad right?

[The Selkie]

Somewhere on the Beach.

I thanked Marco as he gave us their contact data...

Park looked skyward as she considered, then nodded as Eiko clutched his head, and bent it down. "I think the carriage would be better," she said. "I... have a bad feeling about using a motorcycle with him. Eiko, do you have a preference?" A beat as he turned up to look at her, and his vacuous eyes looked as though some essential component of his had just been siphoned out. "Eiko?"
"Xū... where is it? I can't—"
"Please, just trust me." She reached her arm behind and took off one of his hands. His neck craned back up, once again towards the constellations where his shifting arm and bleary eyes connected the stars, whereas she herself turned to the Selkie who remained. "I think we should start heading back now." Her attempts at gentleness were underlined by a military-like discipline, one that asked a demand and ordered an immediate result, but not out of ill will, and it was clear her background was not one that usually involved youths. Still, she had her responsibility as an Ezharan, as one who vowed to protect the future of the nation.

"I take it you'll handle this, then?" Marco asked. He received a nod. "Without me?" Another nod.
"Make sure Kaz doesn't get into trouble," she said, "and try to enjoy yourself before you end up throwing him into the ocean. I'll get Eiko sorted out." The boy muttered out an apology amidst his analysis of the stars, but she paid it no heed. Though she couldn't understand his Suzuraigan creole, she had do admit that his encyclopedic knowledge of the constellations was impressive — perhaps a character of his? Yet, some part of her disagreed, felt that there was a much more visceral reason behind his passion towards the stars above.
"Hmph, fair enough, Park." He shrugged and frowned. "But I can't promise the latter. He found a girl, and we all know what mischief he goes through for other people's pleasure. But, I suppose if it keeps him distracted from Eiko... well." He turned around to leave. "Call me if you need me."

[...]

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
I nodded. “Ribin, ya know yer job, dontcha?”
The younger woman nodded. “See ya in a minute!”
And with that, she was off, somewhere between quickly walking and running.
I nodded at Miss Park, “This way, please.”, leading her and Eiko towards our impromptu parking lot.
A few motorcycles stood there, one could see them at a distance, the tankette was gone, the horses were roaming more or less freely. A lad with a lance guarded them all, chatting with a girl, who sat next to him.
Ribin was already hard at work as we came closer, attaching a large and mighty horse to a simple carriage, the man she did that with being equally large and mighty. I recognized Kean Tuadóir of the Tribe of Wexford at a distance, with how often he appeared in the movies. I waved.
Ribin waved back, Kean nodded.
“So, he's the lad?”, Kean asked as we met up, then nodded, pointing towards the carriage. “Take a seat, Miss, I'll get you back to your hotel room like the wind.” He raised a hand. “And don't worry about the payment. Ribin already took care of that.”

"Don't worry about me, I'm tough. Well I know it's not quite the same but I'm not prone to sea sickness even in the stormiest of conditions, so I want to say I can handle horse riding. But I'll still trust you to teach me a few things, after all, I'm not all knowing!" she smiled and winked.

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I nodded.
“It'd be my pleasure to show you how to ride.”, I told her, “And I am sure, that my horse would be thrilled to carry you, too. Or both of us.”
The last was accompanied by a wink.

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
“Sensha-Do is actually not our invention.”, I corrected, “We have it from Kyrenaia and they got it from elsewhere and so on. Who started it?” I shrugged. “No idea. I guess, it is like with sport archery: One day, two archers stood next to each other, firing at targets and one said: Hey, bet ya I can shoot an apple off of a head!” I smiled. “And like that, it went with tanks: Hey, bet ya I can hit that target over there from further down the range!”
“Of course, this is all theory.”, Kay added with a smile, “Though, among us, there is nothing wrong with playing football.”

"Ooooh, adopted the sport from the Sultanate! I see. I would like to go see there next at some point."

"I can make that happen for us, Bianca." Isabel agreed. "But yeah football is fun, I agree. Bee's brothers like playing it too."

"They do. I play with them some times but I like watching more."

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
“Yeah, football's neat, too!”, Kay said and continued steering our vehicle along the beach. It'd be a few minutes until we arrived where we wanted to go. “Our University has a good team, they even managed to get into the professional league – got utterly demolished, that's true, but they got there.”
“We both even know a few of the lads.”, I added with a small smile.
“But your eyes are on someone else.”, Kay teased, “Honestly, lesson for ya, lassies: If ya like a lad, tell him!”
I blushed. Yeah, that was the interesting part of my crushing...

Rollo

Down the beach Rollo watched two individuals walk into view. There was a woman and what he could guess was probably her child. Not exactly the hardened assassins he had been trained to protect the Royal Family from, but anyone could pose a reasonable threat and plenty of other monarchs had been killed by women and children who were sufficiently motivated. Rollo stepped in front of Prince Ari as the distance between them and the mother and child shortened. Rollo came to a stop as they were greeted (not doing so would be considerably rude!).

"Good evening ma'am, It certainly is a nice evening to be out." Rollo glanced back at the Prince and noticed him looking away and towards the ocean with crossed arms. He didn't seem like he was in a sociable mood. "You'll have to forgive my companion. He isn't particularly fond of sand or the beach. My name is Rollo Halvardson and this is...Ari." Rollo offered a pleasant smile, hopefully making up for the Princes apparent rudeness.

Darufa Rialtóir of the Tribe of Conn.
I smiled. “The pleasure is mine. I'm Darufa and this cute lass here...” I adjusted my grip on the kid on my arm slightly. “...is Nolly.” My daughter, two years of age, shyly waved at the two men. “You'll have to forgive her, too. She is young and quite shy at the moment.”
Apparently, Ari wasn't only not fond of the sand or the beach but also not fond of company. He reminded me a bit of my brother when we were both teenagers – he looked a lot like the sort of young man, who had no idea as to what he wanted to do with his life, but who most certainly knew, that he didn't want to be here.
“What brings you here, Mister Halvardson?”, I asked.
I had no idea, that he was 'just' the bodyguard and Ari a foreign Prince, but Halvardson did look like he was the older one.

Cornwall Zimmern

Cornwall shook his head firmly. "If I cannot ride with him, even in ze cabin with you, I shall call my own taxi. Just get him there as quickly as you can."

Another glance at Alastair confirmed his suspicion: he was severely overheated, possibly afflicted with heat stroke, and he appeared to be unconscious.

"Is't heat stroke? Dost thou know? Is he going to be alright? And--what is ze number for ze taxi that I may call it?"

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Our driver shrugged. “Don't know, you'll have to ask the medics...”, he said and then clapped his hands. “Now, if you'll excuse us? We have a patient to transport.” He paused for a moment. “And it's four-zero-four-one. That's the Taxi Company Headquarters here on the island. He'll be at the Snowflake Hospital.”
With that, we loaded our patient up, closed the door and I turned to the man: “We suspect heat stroke. Nothing one cannot fix!”, I said and rushed off to take my place in the cabin. My colleague was behind us with the guy.
With a deep rumble, the half-track began to move.

Adelheid
I thought about it for a while. Yven seemed nice enough, and my annoyance was directed more at the weather and at myself for not bringing more clothes than at him. "I'll go if Marie goes." I said at last. "Of course, you might need to ask Marie first. Not sure if she's leaving tonight."
What was the worse that could happen, anyway?

Marie
I nodded quickly. Abruptly, this whole interaction had turned into a minefield, and I needed to fix this quickly. Even if it meant snubbing Filly for a few minutes, as loath as I was to do that.
"I should go back to school one day." I remarked. "Reichswehr pulled me out of college, and my term of service technically isn't up yet...anyway, erm, Filly, do you mind if I grab Cao for just a few minutes?"

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I grinned. “Sounds fair – I have to ask Cao as well, so...”, I admitted and shrugged, still grinning, “Hope she stays, though... both of you look like you could use a few days to relax.”
Marie was my ex-girlfriend, that was true, but we parted on good terms, which meant, that I still cared about her as a friend, and about her friend, read Heidi.
“And if being roasted under the scorching sun isn't your cuppa tea, there are a few nice museums on the island.”, I offered.

Caoimhe Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Filly nodded, smiled. “Sure, go ahead.”
I nodded as well, offering Marie my hand as we left Filly for a moment, moving to a spot, where no one was within earshot. It took a minute, but this seemed very important to Marie, so best not let anything get burned.
I smiled, though, as I leaned over: “If you are worried, that the movies Filly talked about were of, shall we say, an adult variety, don't be. I saw them and while they were confusing, they were not porn.”, I said.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
It was pretty much true that point, they were a very happy couple; one to marry at some point too. They both grinned back at Gawain for the comment while keeping focused on what he was telling them about as it appeared, with proper training; Little Black Foxes can be great couriers.

That made Lise chuckle when she imagined Chris being picked up at Dumhach's Harbour by one of Cel foxes; it would certainly be something odd back at home if she had to say it.

"It would certainly be something strange back at home if you ask me." She said laughing a bit as the image is still on her mind. But what he said wasn't a bad idea, it could be helpful on tense situations without trouble and as a way for them to seek help on a worst case scenario shall normal communication lines fall.

"It isn't that bad of an idea to train him to be a courier, actually; it could be very helpful on a worst case scenario." Lucas remarked after laughing about that image too. "I mean it has it advantages right??"

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
I laughed with them, then added: “Indeed it does – and it certainly surprised Chris!” I smiled at that particular memory, then returned to the present... sort of. “I remember, a long time ago, that a friend of mine had me train up a few foxes for him as couriers over longer distances. I told him, that it would not work over long distances, only over shorter ones, but he insisted. It was mostly intended for secret messages to his mistress anyway.”
I shrugged.
“Still, in their training, his daughter had a hand and the first test runs went better then I expected... come the first live run, with a love letter for his mistress...” I grinned by then. “The fox went to his daughter instead, who showed it to her mother. Let's just say, that one heard her screaming her head off at her husband over the entire city.”

Marion smiled, "Oh I'd be delighted to teach you. Usually if there was an orchestra they would play some slow music anyway so newer dancers can enjoy the festivities without risking stepping on anyone's toes, both metaphorically and literally."

She leaned in and hooked her free arm around Nia's leaning into her arm and laying her head on her shoulder, "Where are we heading to next?"

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I smiled – that sounded better and better by the minute!
As for the question of where we went next, we stood at the foot of the small outcropping that was the Fiántas Cliff, and I smiled. “That is a good question.”, I said and pointed upwards. “But if you want, I would love to show you the view from up there. It is pretty nice from the tower ruin.”
Alternatively, we could also go down into the surf, into the jungle or towards the music stage, where I could show her a bit of dancing myself, all of which were closeby, but the view was pretty.
Plus, the sun was in the middle of setting, so...

By the Bar.

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

As Amy came closer he could recognize the smells: Cealg his nose was starting to familiarize itself with, but the smells of the sea and grilled meat were things Gerald was no stranger to. And he liked the combination. Even without Cealg the smell reminded him of the numerous times he enjoyed the beach with family and friends...
As Amy spoke, he found himself focused on her voice; it was as if he lost himself in the smells. Remembering that he showed her the picture of his parents, his mind went back on track.
"Yes...yes, they did. If I'm getting the date correctly this was on February 18th, 2012; their 25th anniversary was on the 21st, and they both had work at the time, so they decided on an early celebration," Gerald said. "Mom emailed the pictures to me; I was already working at Victoria Shipyards at the time." To demonstrate he swiped at the screen, showing more pictures; one of them was cropped with the caption Antonio and Adelina at 25 and showed Gerald's parents at the barbecue ready to cook the marlin.

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I nodded. “Cool.”, I said, “It really looks delicious...”
I thought for a moment. Might take another piece of meat later... or a salad. We'll see.
“My Mam and my Dad never really celebrated their anniversaries with a vacation or something, but every Winter, we made trips to Kyrenaia, Teressien, the Archipelago, of course, and to many other places.”, I told him, “I remember even meeting Princess Rena of Wißenthen once – I found her horse cool and she found me cool for being a Selkie. She is a year older then I am and one of the very few foreigners, who are also accredited members of the Marcach-Guild of Redruth.”

[...]

Malik swivels his head hearing about a dog...

Kaz continued to smile as he watched Malik speak, his hand held in his chin as he leaned forward, his amber eyes inspecting the boy. Cutesy looks. Just precious, not a bad kid. Wonder if he'd like being pet. He glanced towards Amy with a romantically-veiled gaze, gauging her reaction. Still on me. Good. His focus quickly returned to Malik, and once the younger finished speaking, Kaz sat up straight, which happened to expose the rest of his hidden torso towards Amy, not that he drew further attention to it; it was a carefully-choreographed movement, carrying his usual confidence and won't you be mine? aura, but it still looked natural enough that it was innocuous even as he exhaled softly and had his hand snake towards Amy's.

Unless one were already charmed romantically, in which case, it was clear that he knew how to use every part of himself in his work as an Idol, and that he reveled in the adoration of his fans, abilities that would surely transfer elsewhere, what with his voice pulling one into his magnetic charm, into a world just for two. It could uplift even the most broken of souls into his aerie, where he'd embrace one and promise it all. Eiko, though? He wasn't nearly as receptive to that. Perhaps Kaz hid something else beneath his charms, but it didn't feel obvious. Everyone had their sins, after all, but for someone as perfect as him, surely it was his failures to save someone.
"Well, good evening to you two," he said in his usual sluggish whisper, hand brushing against his chest, "I'm Kaz Mansur, a teen Idol of Ezhara. Seeing as I'm not here for Idol work, though, just call me Kaz — no need for formality." A beat. "Anyway, I'm no royalty, but I'll take it as a compliment. My family has a bit of noble background beyond my career as an Idol, but my performing ability... that, I think, is more self-made, and if we have the opportunity, I wouldn't mind demonstrating."

Aither:
(Image)

He was sipping on the water as he was being introduced to different things and people looking at all the different nations food and tapped the tin in his pocket. "I understand, I have bamboo chutes to snack and chew on myself." He listened to another introduction this time following his friend to the new person. “Hello there, I am Aither Velkari, it is nice to meet you.” He smiled at the new person and offered a hand to shake. “Macha here says good things about you.” He watched Malik carefully as he looked over to where he went watching him interact with a different person.

Malik:
(Image)

Malik tilted his head as the man puffed his chest and started rubbing it idly. He sniffed curiously catching a scent that seemed… sensual? He wasn’t sure but had a question. “An Idol? What is that? You said performer, right?” He looked to the side some as he processed the information his fluffy face quirking into an inquisitive look. “Oh! Mr. Kaz, are you one of those…” He trailed for a second, nodding using the hand movement as the basis of his guess. “A lady of the night?!” He gasped as he said it rather loudly. “We don’t usually have those in our kingdom, at least that’s what I get told.”

He giggled and waved at the other person that joined them. “Oh, hello miss!” Malik returned to Kaz. “If you are one, I am certain a demonstration would not be necessary.” His voice lowered, “especially in such a public place, that would be bad right?

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
Amy was more focussed on what Aither was saying – thank the Gods as Malik was calling her the lad's, Kaz, if I caught that correctly, “lady of the night”... in other words, his whore. Malik was a kid, so he most likely didn't know, what he was saying there, but still... that could have gone worse... head-clonked-worse, that is...
She grinned at the Aither, then at me, then back.
“That's nice of her.”, she said and grinned, taking the hand, “I'm Amy. Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk, that is, but Amy is fine.” She grinned, turning to me. “I wonder if Milady Macha has something nice to say about you as well...”
I grinned myself. “Aither is a nice man, a gentleman... and he says, that he is quite good with the sword.”, I said, “Have to test him myself, but he looks solid.”
Amy's eyes were shining the moment I mentioned him being a swordsman himself. “Oh, then you and I are going to be good friends, Mister Velkari, for I am a bit of a swordswoman myself... and sworddancer.”

Slácan Bar, Pléaráca Hotel.

As Alexandra's steps brought her closer to the bar, such was the case too for her hopes, which was rising by every seconds that passed. For starters, the antechamber did less to disappoint her, nor did it do much to appease her instead.

Regardless, the bar's surrounding proved quite enthralling. "A carpet in the bar? I see..", murmured Alexandra as her legs swiftly grazed the surface of the carpet which, unbeknownst to her muffled her own footsteps. "Not too bright, not too dark, perfect..", then came her second round of reviews as the pair continued their entrance. While the music sounded foreign to her, she was quite pleased with what she had seen so far as her eyes briefly observed the groups of couples that were already there, enjoying their time.

Before they were to finally settle in, Alexandra's eagle-like observation landed once more on the choice of attire worn by the waiters and waitresses. In all honesty, while she had at times been to bars or pubs in the UK herself (though neither of those resulted in her drinking even a sip as a sign of adherence to her own no-alcohol pledge), never had her eyes landed on such a sight in those places, save for the ones she saw on the Playboy mafazines, but that would be an another matter to speak about.

"Absolutely!", a swift reply came out of her mouth as she promptly linked arms with Mhairi, added with a head lean on the shoulder for effect. "Oh and a question, do they serve, any non alcoholic drinks? I do really want to stick to a promise that I made for myself, and besides, a dance wouldn't be perfect with a drunk me", questioned Alexandra in a slightly concerned tone for all the respective reasons.

Mhairi Uasal of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded.
“Of course they do.”, I said and sat down at the bar, a bit downwind from where the businessman and the other woman were flirting. The barman came over, recognized me and smiled slightly, something, which I returned. “Hello, Donny.”
“Welcome back, Mhairi.”, he said and turned to Alex. “And a hearty welcome to you, Miss...?”
“Alex, that's Donny, the barman.”, I introduced, deciding to keep it simple. Leaning onto the counter with one arm, using it to prop my cheek onto my flat hand, I turned halfway to Alex, halfway to Donny. He was a tall man, nearly two meters, and of a good built. Dressed in typical barman-attire, he stood out among his colleagues. “For Alex, a freshly pressed mango juice for a start, and I'll take an apple juice. Both on me.”
“Alright, coming right up!”, he said and went off to prepare the drinks.
I turned to Alex. “I hope, that you don't mind me ordering for both of us?”, I asked her.

Athena Freezis
She smiled back at Leo while noticing blush, she also had that shade of red on her cheeks while looking at him too; she just couldn't help it. Then Athena heard him being open regarding what he had planned on doing; it was interesting, to say at least. But considering how The Free Lands was a place where handmade crafting was normal rather than the other choice, it made sense; albeit it was always nice to have a back-up plan just in case.
Athena thought about what Leo was able to tinker; she was very curious about it. Plus she was surprised when he said he had a sister.

"Toys for your little sister?? How cute!" She exclaimed happy while thinking about that, what a nice brother he was. "I can be certain your toys are great, perhaps you show me one of your creations one day." Her eyes smiled at him warmly as she thought about it. Then, of course; it was her turn to answer.

"You could say a mix of both." The woman answered truthfully while beginning to expand on that. "My family already has a proud tradition regarding the world of business, more than a thousand years of history in that field mind you; so it was only natural for me to take up the family business." She kept going about that, the Freezis Family had Indeed a long history, one even older than the nation's one. Only the royal, noble or aristocratic families had such long history (of which they were part of that group); and she knew quite a few examples.

"Of course. I had to work hard and prove myself entirely at what I loved; it wasn't easy, but it paid off." She said grinning at that thought. "You could consider me as a prodigy for how young I'am in regards about my control of massive corporative group if I have to say it." She chuckled at that part, only the best and a prodigy could get that high so quickly.

"Of course I had a back-up plan in case I wasn't selected to take on my family's group, it was becoming an historian; and it was a nice choice considering the many languages I had to learn during my childhood and even now. I guess that happens when you want to learn more of an family ancestor that is remembered fondly as one of the nation's greatest leaders alongside her husband." Athena added before letting a beat pass; her family might be focused in business, but there were many other remembered figures of her family out of those in the business world such as Queen Agnès I; a woman that alongside her husband passed to history as one of the nation's greatest leaders.

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I was, admittedly, for a moment a bit floored.
“That is certainly a long history.”, I said with a firm nod, “All I have to compare is, that an ancestor of mine was a Captain at the Battle of Fuigutóga in 1305, during the Crusade, and a few other ancestors of mine were mercenaries of some renown in various conflicts, but that's about it... oh, and my Grandma loves to tell me, that my Grandpa apparently was the carpenter in charge of making the beds when they renovated the Ropaire Inn in Cuan in 1910. ”
I grinned.
“But, back in the present, I'd love to show you some of my creations one of these days.”, I said with a firm nod.

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

A silent sigh of relief went through Alexandra as she was affirmed that she would have what she want in this foreign establishment. As she swiftly sat down, her eyes briefly caught the view of a businessman and an another woman enjoying each other's company. While she had nothing much to say as a remark, a short one however would suffice, "Just two lovely people minding each other", the words sputtered out of her mouth describing the scene.

She was well-informed when she was momentarily introduced to Donny the barman. Though aside from the looks that rather caught her attention, the apparent nickname bore by the man had also been the case, for it reminded her of a particular friend from her times at the Edinburgh University in Scotland, in which the latter, at least among his close circles was rather infamously known as "Pony Donny", attributing to his deep interest in horse riding.

The choice of drinks conducted on her behalf was rather simply satisfying, and she found herself in no reasonable position to oppose it, though in personal terms, she would rather be doing it by herself in such occasions. "Not at all, it's fine", responded her simply with a smile as she patiently waited for the deliciously sounding drink. In an effort to pass the time, she quickly jumped in with her own question, with her face clearly portraying an instaiably curious Alexandra. "Seems like this bar holds many, many secrets. Mind telling me more?", questioned her with an unconsciously newfound interest of the bar itself, first sparked by Mhairi's exposure regarding the prior antics of a friend of hers in the past.