A Beach Feast (IC)

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

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.

Cornwall Zimmern

"Thank you, sir." Cornwall gave a curt nod to one of the nurses and watched as Alastair was loaded into the back of the ambulance with consternation. His lord had fallen completely unconscious, his entire form limp like a rag doll and cherry red, and did not react to the treatment the paramedics had begun to administer.

"We suspect heat stroke. Nothing one cannot fix!”

"Right...." Cornwall grimaced. He knew heat stroke could be deathly, and if Alastair's recent distress was anything to go by, the man was not healthy to begin with. "Pardon while I dial ze taxi service. Snowflake Hospital, you said?" 'Twas an interesting name for a medical facility, he observed. But he was on foreign sand and had almost zero knowledge of the local culture.

He dialed 4-0-1-0 on his Blackberry and brought the device to his ear. Snowflake, he repeated silently, Snowflake Hospital. That was where he needed to go.

Cornwall kept his gaze fixated on the ambulance as it pulled away from where he stood. He had failed Alastair, failed to protect him from the biggest threat he faced: himself. He had trusted the Prince would be able to handle himself for a day, unwind, relax, but that trust had evidently been misplaced. However he had allowed himself to drift off, he now had widespread sunburn and what was likely heat stroke. His very life could be in jeopardy.

And Cornwall knew, knew Alastair could not be left to his own devices. Immense hardship had made him volatile and exacerbated his depression. Cornwall should have provided support for him instead of accepting a one-day vacation; Alastair would not be in this mess if he had not.

Please, God, let the taxi arrive anon.

[New Visayan Islands]

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

Here Gerald whistled. "Sounds like quite the interesting experience, if you ask me. Before I was assigned here, I would spend Christmas with my parents back home in Bohol without fail, especially when you consider that the branch I was assigned to prior to this one was located in the District of Humabon, the Confederation's Capital District." A fastcraft from Cebu City, DH to Tagbilaran, BH would take a passenger 2 and a half hours; slower RORO ferries took twice that, but were often cheaper, especially on the night trips. "I'd return to the District just after the New Year; back to work on the 3rd, making sure my team did their job well. The only other time I'd go back home was the Elections, and even then I'd game my clock, so to speak: a slow ferry the night before, and a fastcraft scheduled for the end of the day. This was, of course, before I opted for having my ballot mailed in; the Big Boss encouraged us to arrange for absentee voting before we left for here. First time we took advantage of that was last year, during the 2018 Midterm Elections. Fun times." Gerald put his phone away before asking the bartender for his recommendations.

[Mervay]

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.”

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.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
Lise smiled at that comment as she imagined how it would had been his face, of course her boyfriend besides her had a more difficult time trying to contain his laugh as he had the same thought on his mind; couldn't blame him as she was close to too.

Then she heard the story and was surprised about to what use did that man tried to use the fox as courier to send messages to his mistress and as a way to test it used his daughter as the recipient of test messages; and since the fox got used to send it to her, when the message that was to be finally sent to his mistress went to his daughter and then his wife. Well, it can be said both Lucas and her laughed at the poetic and ironic justice of it.

"It is certainly Ironic and poetic justice." Lucas chuckled at the thought of it while his girlfriend was thinking about something, looking like she had to tell something that couldn't be forgetten and... Oh; oh... Now he understood what it was, it was very needed.

"Sorry that I'm gonna change the course of our conversation but..." She was telling before getting to a sudden stop, looking at the one that sooner or later was to be her husband and then he looked back at him, he just smiled and nodded to her to continue as it would certainly make things easier for everyone. She smiled warmly back at him as it was time to that.

"But, Lucas and I have something to tell you. And well tell to Cel and Chris if you don't mind telling us later where we could find them." She spoke seriously about it and hoped Gawain would understand.

"It is something I had kept as a secret for a long time and it's time that as our friend you know the truth." It was certainly very important for her this as it was an aspect certainly few knew about outside Mervay.

"The truth is that I'am the Crown Princess of The Grand Duchy of Ardens, a former Kingdom now part of Mervay. Member of the House of Ardens or also known as House of Devienne." She told to him deeply truthful about it while Lucas knew it was his turn.

"You might not believe it, but I'm the son of the director of an important security agency back at home while my mother is an important Navy Officer." And it was truthful as he was the son of NCA (National Crime Agency) Jonathan Walker and Admiral of Her Majesty's Navy, Amelia Conway Walker. It could certainly pass as surprising considering that while Lise was known of being from an important family, that part was told to them; you wouldn't had thought she would be royalty and neither Lucas that comes from a family that has such important positions in the government.

Hopefully Gawain would understand this and later on when told the truth, Celina and Chris.

Athena Freezis
His family had quite the interesting background and it could be easily said that, he had craftsmanship and swordfighting on his blood; to which Athena smiled warmly while listening to every detail the story before smiling with delight at the mention of Leo showing her his creations one day.

"Wonderful to hear that! It's truly interesting to hear such background." She smiled warmly as her gaze was kept on him. "And please do, I would love to see them as I can be certain they are beautiful." She was really looking foward to that before grinning at the comment he made early on of her family having an old history.

"Yup. A thousand years of history on it at least, but I'd rather continue that when we have our drinks." The violet eyed young woman told while looking at her surrundings to see if a waitress was close.

"So what other drink would you recommend a foreign lady like me??"

[Mediama]

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...

Marion nodded, "I would love to see the view is like from up there." She turned to look closely at the tower. The ruins looked sturdy enough, though there was a little negging feeling on the uncertainty pertaining to the soundness of the structure before her. That tower, as Nia had noted, was centuries old, probably around the same age as Fort Elizabeth, maybe even older. "Still, I'd be lying if I didn't say I am curious as to whether or not the ruins would be sound enough to support us. Either way, I'll take your word for it if it is."

Marion also noticed the temperature cooling as the sun began to set, it looked as if night was coming soon. She felt like regardless if the tower was safe to climb on or not, Nia would be there along the way to help her and reassure her.

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

OOC: WATCH THIS SPACE, POST COMING SOON.

[Ezhara]

I nodded. “Ribin, ya know yer job, dontcha?”

Park nodded, and she followed Nolwenn while Eiko muttered to himself behind her, speaking in a much higher tone than normal, as though he were a child. "I can't see them... the stars, where are they?" He sounded lost, like he had lost all sense of that heavenly home he ought to have had. Spun round and round in a centrifugal adult's life, he had been left in a daze, yet had picked himself up, and to Park, it seemed he figured that he had to live that way, that he bore some inescapable crux for him and him only. "Mom... where are you? I can't hear you at all. Please— I can't remember the constellations, I need you."
Park frowned, wishing she could do more, but she was powerless. Powerless in drawing out any sort of truth hidden away in the actor-stories of Eiko. Powerless in giving him any sort of solace. Powerless in giving him a constellation in the night sky to hold onto.
She glanced up as she walked. What was she supposed to say? She didn't know any constellations, let alone any from Suzurai. He was now like a porcelain doll, expecting nothing, wanting only to be appreciated, and was thus set out in the windowsill. Nothing came out of him, no crack in his facade was noticed; indeed he insisted he was fine even as the sun scorched his paint, 'till his body suddenly crumbled and gave way this bitter night.

What had she done wrong? Could she even attribute it to herself— and what of all the other adults in his life? He couldn't have just been born broken. Yet, the implication... who could do such a thing?
She parted a nervous bang of hair away from her face, and paused her thoughts to breathe. "Eiko..." she said. The boy continued to babble to himself in Suzuraigan creole; she assumed it was still about the stars, still begging for his unseen mother's voice to save him. "Eiko, I'm here..."
He ignored her, and ignored Kean when he spoke. Park, though, acknowledged him with a nod. "Thank you, sir, and yeah, it's him," she said. Once the carriage opened, she and Eiko would board, the latter still listing out the constellations, as though that was his last link to reality.

Amy was more focussed on what Aither was saying...

Malik tilted his head...

Kaz froze at Malik's terms. To some extent, it was true. Back home, his treatment of others, his playboy personality, was not unknown, and while certain cities had a habit of denouncing his habits, it wasn't necessarily forbidden. Still, he wasn't the sort of person who would brag about it to anyone younger than him, much less the tiny dog-prince before him.
"I won't say if that's true in your kingdom," he said, lazily slipping back on his light hoodie as though to hide a bit of his shame. His voice remained a lazy whisper, but there was now a sense of maturity, of knowledge in it that replaced his usual seductiveness. "It'll be something for you to find out when you're older, but, ah, I wouldn't call myself... something like that. For starters, I'm not a lady, and secondly, I can't quite have those sorts of relations at my age... oh, and I said I was an Idol. A singer. A performer." His tone conveyed amusement more than anger. "I'm the sort of boy able to captivate the hearts of an audience — or, a single person. Either works for me. Either one, I can do. So, dear prince, rest assured that my performances can be public."

He slumped over the table, still listening, but was now muttering-singing some ballad of his that he had once performed. His voice came like a soothing, ephemeral summer rain, dripping gently down after a ferocious storm, or like someone who was still mumbling in their sleep and still enraptured by their dreams. His whispery timbre fell out without any modicum of hurry; it was waiting for someone else to draw them into his dream, rather than marching forward to meet them. He sang in the foreign Harikunin language of some lonely lover, begging for this one chance to sing, to dance, to express its truth — its emotions — yet doubting it, its heart too fractured to allow it to embrace that love Kaz endlessly sought. Twice, his voice squealed in his song, but he kept it quiet so as not to make anyone else think he were suffering from some ailment, though anyone nearby would obviously be able to tell that he was singing.
And yet, he smiled as he sang. To be an Idol in Ezhara was a grand honor, and his casual, yet amazing control over his voice demonstrated just that.

To be one at fourteen, and to be one of the most famous even before high school...
It was a wonder why Eiko despised Kaz, when nearly everyone else adored him.

[The Selkie]

Somewhere on the Beach.

I nodded. “Ribin, ya know yer job, dontcha?”

Park nodded, and she followed Nolwenn while Eiko muttered to himself behind her, speaking in a much higher tone than normal, as though he were a child. "I can't see them... the stars, where are they?" He sounded lost, like he had lost all sense of that heavenly home he ought to have had. Spun round and round in a centrifugal adult's life, he had been left in a daze, yet had picked himself up, and to Park, it seemed he figured that he had to live that way, that he bore some inescapable crux for him and him only. "Mom... where are you? I can't hear you at all. Please— I can't remember the constellations, I need you."
Park frowned, wishing she could do more, but she was powerless. Powerless in drawing out any sort of truth hidden away in the actor-stories of Eiko. Powerless in giving him any sort of solace. Powerless in giving him a constellation in the night sky to hold onto.
She glanced up as she walked. What was she supposed to say? She didn't know any constellations, let alone any from Suzurai. He was now like a porcelain doll, expecting nothing, wanting only to be appreciated, and was thus set out in the windowsill. Nothing came out of him, no crack in his facade was noticed; indeed he insisted he was fine even as the sun scorched his paint, 'till his body suddenly crumbled and gave way this bitter night.

What had she done wrong? Could she even attribute it to herself— and what of all the other adults in his life? He couldn't have just been born broken. Yet, the implication... who could do such a thing?
She parted a nervous bang of hair away from her face, and paused her thoughts to breathe. "Eiko..." she said. The boy continued to babble to himself in Suzuraigan creole; she assumed it was still about the stars, still begging for his unseen mother's voice to save him. "Eiko, I'm here..."
He ignored her, and ignored Kean when he spoke. Park, though, acknowledged him with a nod. "Thank you, sir, and yeah, it's him," she said. Once the carriage opened, she and Eiko would board, the latter still listing out the constellations, as though that was his last link to reality.

[...]

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
The lad was was off to somewhere, where no one could follow by the time we boarded the carriage.
Kean gave me a look. Shouldn't we rather get him to a nuthouse?, he asked nonverbally. It was a very telling look.
I shook my head. He apparently had an episode.
Once they were onboard, Kean closed the door and swung himself up onto the block, helped me and Ribin up and let the reins snap – and off we were, not at breakneck speed, but at quite a good speed, towards the hotel...
Oh, dear, lad... what did they do to you?

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
Lise smiled at that comment as she imagined how it would had been his face, of course her boyfriend besides her had a more difficult time trying to contain his laugh as he had the same thought on his mind; couldn't blame him as she was close to too.

Then she heard the story and was surprised about to what use did that man tried to use the fox as courier to send messages to his mistress and as a way to test it used his daughter as the recipient of test messages; and since the fox got used to send it to her, when the message that was to be finally sent to his mistress went to his daughter and then his wife. Well, it can be said both Lucas and her laughed at the poetic and ironic justice of it.

"It is certainly Ironic and poetic justice." Lucas chuckled at the thought of it while his girlfriend was thinking about something, looking like she had to tell something that couldn't be forgetten and... Oh; oh... Now he understood what it was, it was very needed.

"Sorry that I'm gonna change the course of our conversation but..." She was telling before getting to a sudden stop, looking at the one that sooner or later was to be her husband and then he looked back at him, he just smiled and nodded to her to continue as it would certainly make things easier for everyone. She smiled warmly back at him as it was time to that.

"But, Lucas and I have something to tell you. And well tell to Cel and Chris if you don't mind telling us later where we could find them." She spoke seriously about it and hoped Gawain would understand.

"It is something I had kept as a secret for a long time and it's time that as our friend you know the truth." It was certainly very important for her this as it was an aspect certainly few knew about outside Mervay.

"The truth is that I'am the Crown Princess of The Grand Duchy of Ardens, a former Kingdom now part of Mervay. Member of the House of Ardens or also known as House of Devienne." She told to him deeply truthful about it while Lucas knew it was his turn.

"You might not believe it, but I'm the son of the director of an important security agency back at home while my mother is an important Navy Officer." And it was truthful as he was the son of NCA (National Crime Agency) Jonathan Walker and Admiral of Her Majesty's Navy, Amelia Conway Walker. It could certainly pass as surprising considering that while Lise was known of being from an important family, that part was told to them; you wouldn't had thought she would be royalty and neither Lucas that comes from a family that has such important positions in the government.

Hopefully Gawain would understand this and later on when told the truth, Celina and Chris.

[...]

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
When the two broke the news to me, I was silent for a while.
To be honest, I had expected something along the lines of me becoming the Godfather of the firstborn or something.
When I finally got something out, it was: “...huh...”
Not my strongest or most intelligent reply, I must admit, but quite fitting.
“That would explain the air you two carry yourselves with.”, I said and nodded after a few more moments. I exhaled. “Thank you for sharing that information with me.”
Needless to say, that I know enough Princesses and Company Princes to recognize certain signs, certain behaviours and certain... well, I called the air they carried around themselves. It was not something bad, mind you, but if one knew, what to look for...
“I imagine, that this must be a very frightening moment for you two.”, I said and gave a small smile, “Don't worry. I will not hold it against you two, that you kept this a secret from me. I understand.”
And I really did.

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...

Marion nodded, "I would love to see the view is like from up there." She turned to look closely at the tower. The ruins looked sturdy enough, though there was a little negging feeling on the uncertainty pertaining to the soundness of the structure before her. That tower, as Nia had noted, was centuries old, probably around the same age as Fort Elizabeth, maybe even older. "Still, I'd be lying if I didn't say I am curious as to whether or not the ruins would be sound enough to support us. Either way, I'll take your word for it if it is."

Marion also noticed the temperature cooling as the sun began to set, it looked as if night was coming soon. She felt like regardless if the tower was safe to climb on or not, Nia would be there along the way to help her and reassure her.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I smiled as I led her upwards the small staircase.
“Oh, don't worry.”, I said, “Three centuries of neglect might have done a number on it, but the ruin is more or less safe.”
We climbed up and on the other side of the cliff, another beach lay – there was a party, too, but this seemed to have skipped the part about sending the kids to bed and was already having quite a few heavy drinkers.
Regardless, I paid it no heed.
Half a dozen people was inside, on the ground floor. The ground floor was mostly intact, but not empty: Coolers and boxes turned over as chairs, a camping table as a platform to play cards on.
The oldest looked over to us, her eyes widening.
A moment later, all six stood (a few of them on wobbly feet) and bowed to me lightly. “Good evening, Milady.”, the oldest greeted in English.
“Thank you. Good evening.”, I said and returned the bows, which prompted them to get back to their game. I whispered to Marion a bit sheepishly: “Don't worry... that might happen a few times, actually...”
The ground floor had one hole in the paving of flagstones, a hole next to the entrance, where a spiral staircase went down into a cellar (one, which I knew well), as well as three holes in the walls: Windows, which one once used to look out, to mount light weapons and to shoot at enemies. But what interested me most was the staircase leading up to where a second floor once has been, stones, anchored into the wall.
The second floor has rotted away, but the steps were still there. I led Marion to it and up, careful as the steps were quite slippery.
On top, a bird's nest sat, undisturbed – or so it seemed, at first glance. It was empty, though, it's contents weathered away already. I still put it onto the wall carefully, then motioned for Marion to sit with me, our feet dangling over the ground floor, three meters below.
The view was stunning.

By the Bar.

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

Here Gerald whistled. "Sounds like quite the interesting experience, if you ask me. Before I was assigned here, I would spend Christmas with my parents back home in Bohol without fail, especially when you consider that the branch I was assigned to prior to this one was located in the District of Humabon, the Confederation's Capital District." A fastcraft from Cebu City, DH to Tagbilaran, BH would take a passenger 2 and a half hours; slower RORO ferries took twice that, but were often cheaper, especially on the night trips. "I'd return to the District just after the New Year; back to work on the 3rd, making sure my team did their job well. The only other time I'd go back home was the Elections, and even then I'd game my clock, so to speak: a slow ferry the night before, and a fastcraft scheduled for the end of the day. This was, of course, before I opted for having my ballot mailed in; the Big Boss encouraged us to arrange for absentee voting before we left for here. First time we took advantage of that was last year, during the 2018 Midterm Elections. Fun times." Gerald put his phone away before asking the bartender for his recommendations.

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Our bartender, so to speak, was a Teressian Hausmädchen and it was before the Kids had gone to bed, so her recommendation was quite simple: Several juices, fruit teas, normal teas, herbal teas, water, lemonades and ginger ale.
I asked for a low-sugar lemonade, please and thank you – Gerald got, what he'd like as well.
In any case, taking up the conversation, where we had ended it off, I told him: “We elect our mayors, our city councils and our Elders. We elect the Elders for the rest of their lives, so... the election of an Elder is also the last act in a long funerary ritual marking the passing of an former Elder. And people only elect the Elder of their Tribe, so I elect Monaghan's Elder, that is currently Raidri Saighdiúir. Old, but hale, good ol' Uncle Raidri.” I shrugged. “I guess, it is a bit different with your President. And I guess, that he rarely gives out home-made candy to kids.”
The last was accompanied by a wink.

Slácan Bar, Pléaráca Hotel.

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.

Mhairi Uasal of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
“Hm...”, I made, then thought a bit, “...actually, a lot of secrets and stories, only known to the initiated... or those, who had seen them transpire.”
I let a beat pass.
“For example, during my first time, I got... well, let's be honest here, I got sloshed.”, I said and shrugged, “Eileen dragged me out, but I had forgotten something...” Donny snorted in amusement at the memory, he had been a barman back then. “...specifically, a ring I had liked to wear back when. A gift from one of my uncles for graduation, nothing too spectacular, but I liked that one... so, hungover as I was, I came back.”
I smiled.
“Let's just say, that hangovers and the sounds of a bar cleaning up and getting ready for business do not mix well.”, I finished, “But I got the ring back. It's now back home in Riverwood.”
The juices arrived, the barman placing our drinks in front of us. I raised my for a toast.
“To trinkets one never wants to loose?”, I proposed.

[...]

Athena Freezis
His family had quite the interesting background and it could be easily said that, he had craftsmanship and swordfighting on his blood; to which Athena smiled warmly while listening to every detail the story before smiling with delight at the mention of Leo showing her his creations one day.

"Wonderful to hear that! It's truly interesting to hear such background." She smiled warmly as her gaze was kept on him. "And please do, I would love to see them as I can be certain they are beautiful." She was really looking foward to that before grinning at the comment he made early on of her family having an old history.

"Yup. A thousand years of history on it at least, but I'd rather continue that when we have our drinks." The violet eyed young woman told while looking at her surrundings to see if a waitress was close.

"So what other drink would you recommend a foreign lady like me??"

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
A waitress indeed was close, one of the women in frilled maid-bikinis. We had new ones every year, some of our girls really looked quite like something in them – the waitress was on a whole different level, though.
I must admit, that my eyes might have strayed a bit too much, which was, why I cleared my throat and looked at Athena.
“For a start, I'd recommend a whiskey. Selkie-Whiskey of course, a... hm...”, I made, “...maybe a Cineamh?” I nodded. The whiskey of the Cineamh Brewery was known for its mild taste, a bit fruity with a soft feel in the mouth. It was a ten year old one. I turned to the waitress, focussing on her eyes, and ordered: “Yes, two Cineamhs, please. It's on me.”
I smiled as I turned back to Athena. “You'll like that one.”

Snowflake Hospital, Main Entrance.

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.

Cornwall Zimmern

"Thank you, sir." Cornwall gave a curt nod to one of the nurses and watched as Alastair was loaded into the back of the ambulance with consternation. His lord had fallen completely unconscious, his entire form limp like a rag doll and cherry red, and did not react to the treatment the paramedics had begun to administer.

"We suspect heat stroke. Nothing one cannot fix!”

"Right...." Cornwall grimaced. He knew heat stroke could be deathly, and if Alastair's recent distress was anything to go by, the man was not healthy to begin with. "Pardon while I dial ze taxi service. Snowflake Hospital, you said?" 'Twas an interesting name for a medical facility, he observed. But he was on foreign sand and had almost zero knowledge of the local culture.

He dialed 4-0-1-0 on his Blackberry and brought the device to his ear. Snowflake, he repeated silently, Snowflake Hospital. That was where he needed to go.

Cornwall kept his gaze fixated on the ambulance as it pulled away from where he stood. He had failed Alastair, failed to protect him from the biggest threat he faced: himself. He had trusted the Prince would be able to handle himself for a day, unwind, relax, but that trust had evidently been misplaced. However he had allowed himself to drift off, he now had widespread sunburn and what was likely heat stroke. His very life could be in jeopardy.

And Cornwall knew, knew Alastair could not be left to his own devices. Immense hardship had made him volatile and exacerbated his depression. Cornwall should have provided support for him instead of accepting a one-day vacation; Alastair would not be in this mess if he had not.

Please, God, let the taxi arrive anon.

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
We were, for a moment, catching a bit of fresh air.
Our driver was a smoker, so he had his pipe out. I was filling out some paperwork on a clipboard on my knee as the taxi pulled up.
I looked up, saw the (admittedly good-looking) man from before on the beach in it. I smiled and waved at him. If he wanted, he could come over, it would not be an issue.
We had good news, too.
I had no idea, that he was beating himself up over something he had not any influence upon.

---

Fintan Muc of the Tribe of Cork.
I was walking along the beach with Juna, our arms hooked into each other.
Alex had preferred to go with Mhairi, so I was free for the night. Our jamming session would come later, maybe after a beer or two, but for now, I was happy walking with Juna.
We were both people, who enjoyed speaking more by our music then by words anyway, so this was... fine, actually.
Besides, Juna was really pretty in this kind of light.
I could not help but watch her, mesmerized by her beauty and, I'll be honest here, with her eyes. Her purple eyes sparkled like jewels as she watched some of the younger ones present at the party play in the surf. Soon, it would be bedtime for them.
For us? Let's see...
Did I like Juna? Yes. How much? Quite a lot, actually.
Alex, tonight, the short stint, had been a bit of an eye-opener. Sure, Alex was mature, her eyes had been captivating as well, her body... let me be honest, she was a mature young woman and I would lie, if I were to claim, that this hasn't been a bit of a draw to her.
Juna was three years younger then I was. She was someone I knew quite well, a fellow bassist and from a circle of friends, which liked me as well. And while Juna was but a flower yet beginning to bloom, she...
That was the moment the ball the kids played with landed on my head.
A moment later, I was on the ground, another moment later, Juna was hovering over me, concern in her beautiful eyes. That was another thing: Juna was a hearty woman, one, who I felt the emotion of, and not a peacock in a fake-jewel swimsuit.
“How many fingers?”, she asked, holding up her hand, three extended.
I smiled. “The three most beautiful ones.”, I said, then decided to be bold: I reached up and gave her a shot peck on the lips, my hand softly in her hair. It felt good, so good, that I had to restrain myself from forgetting to peck and going straight ahead. She seemed dumbfolded as I rose. “Hey, kiddos!”
They were halfway with us, all three of them with deep concern in their eyes. I recognized Ilia, the adopted son of our hosts, as well as two BI-girls. “Are you alright?”, the lad asked.
“Right as rain, laddie!”, I said and picked up their ball. “What do you say – us two against you three?”
I glanced over to where Juna rose with, a blush dusting her cheeks and a slightly shaky smile on her lips. She did not seem to object.
“Alright, let's see, what ya can do!”, Ilia replied to the challenge.

---

Elin Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
Naelle was a nice lad, that was not the question, but he had... shall we say... a bit of a crush on my sister... Branwen was fine with it, as he was a nice lad, but I thought, that he could use to get to know a few lassies of his age group. He was fifteen for a few months now. Asteria Vena, a lass we got to know by coincidence, was also here, was of the same age and she was Half-Lutetiian.
The two were chatting in their shared mothertongue, from what little I caught, it was about movies. Both were from Zara, too, which was a big coincidence, if you asked me. Anyway, the two got along splendidly.
Ritu and I were standing with Branwen a bit away, glancing over to the two of them every now and again. We were having a lemonade each, after we spent some time dancing.
“Getting jealous?”, I asked. Branwen blushed, turned to me and Ritu, who was smiling with slight bemusement – that was the moment my little sister noticed, that she had watched him a bit longer then might be appropriate. But I saw something in her eyes, which made my teasing vanish. “No, you are not jealous, are you?”
She shook her head.
“She is unsure.”, another voice said, a fourth woman joining us. She was black-haired and had brown eyes, much like Naelle – which didn't really surprise, seeing that she was his older sister. Flora Villegiante rocked her dark blue one piece swimsuit, but she had made it clear to Khalid, that she had no interest in modelling. She joined our group officially, standing next to Branwen. “Unsure if she ever was good enough if he turns to the next girl this easily.”
Branwen nodded, softly.
“Let me tell you something about boys in puberty, Bena...”, Flora began, smiling softly, putting an arm around Branwen's hip, which did surprise her a bit. “...the girl is not unworthy of the boy, but the boy is unworthy of the girl.”
We raised eyebrows. We knew many comforting phrases like that, we had been through Middle School, after all (and Ritu was over two centuries old), but this one was new...
“Especially if he pulls something like that.”, Flora added.
“No, I think, that it is good for him.”, Branwen said, smiled slightly, and put an arm around Flora's shoulder, which, in turn, surprised her a bit. “The two of them seem to have fun. Besides, I have four more Springs then he does.”
Flora smiled. “Really?”
“You as his Big Sister should be proud of him aiming for girls way outside of his league.”, she added, which made Ritu and me grin, “And not only that, but also succeeding.”
We glanced over to where Naelle and Asteria were turning towards the dance floor, waiting for the next dance to begin.
Flora laughed. “Yes, I guess, that you are right!”, she said and smiled, we all did. Then she looked at Branwen. “Speaking of which, would you be interested in a dance? Or would I be aiming for a girl way outside of my league, too?”
“Whether or not I am out of your league is not my matter to decide, Flora.”, Branwen said and smiled, “But you are succeeding.”
The two nodded to us and went off, Ritu turned to me, both of us were surprised: Not only did a girl from Lutetii ask another girl for a dance, but my sister Branwen taking her up on the offer? Well, the evening was full of surprises already...

---

Tea Gaol of the Tribe of Antrim.
Meave and I had left Kay and Fi and their new acquaintances from Kuronami to their treasure hunt – sure, it sounded exciting, but we had different plans. We were aiming for something, or rather Meave was and I supported her as best as I could.
You see, she was crushing on someone. Among us, she did have taste, as that someone was Lugh Íon of the Tribe of Cork, a young man of seventeen Springs, 1.89 meters tall, short, silver hair and golden eyes, which sparkled like embers when he was laughing. He was also quite scarred all over, something he said had to do with an unfortunate run-in with a teddy bear (we doubted it).
Though, that also meant, that her crush was five years older, nearly forty centimeters taller, had a heart-melting smile and was interested in girls other then early teens.
He was talking with another lad of BI, Wicho Cochall of the Tribe of Fermanagh and the two men, Wicho was older then Meave and I together, were enjoying themselves with a lemonade. If the words floating over and hand gestures were interpreted correctly, the two of them were talking about archery, which was understandable, seeing that Wicho was one of the best archers of the Free Lands.
The two seemed free for the next dance.
And both knew us. We were the fresh meat of this shooting, but Milady Macha had made sure to introduce us to everyone. Lugh had grinned and welcome us, while Wicho gave only a quick word (he had been carrying stuff at the time). And Meave had been as if struck by stars from the moment she met Lugh.
That left only one problem...
“Come on, now's your chance!”, I told her in a whisper.
She shook her head. “What if he doesn't like to dance?”, she asked nervously.
“Only one way to find out!”, I said, but Meave would have none of it. I rolled my eyes. Damn, it was like with Ciaran all over again... “Come on, he's right there!”
By now, I was sure, that the two men noticed us, judging by the quick glance the two threw over to us.
“But... but...!”
I decided to take matters into my own hands and gave Meave a hearty shove – she stumbled forward, right head-first into Lugh's stomach, who grinned.
“Can I help you?”, he asked with his heart-melting smile – Meave was red as a strawberry, mumbling and stuttering. I crossed my fingers and held my thumbs, wishing Meave all the blessings of all the Gods known to anyone. Finally, she stuttered out, that she would like the next dance with him. “Well, if that is the case...”
He took her hand and led her to the dance floor, where the redness from her face seemed to spread all over her body. I smiled, was happy for her.
“You're Meave's cousin, right?”, Wicho asked with a smile, joining my side.
I nodded, hummed in agreement.
“Brave girl, have to give her that.”, the young man said, then offered me a hand. With a slight bit of confusion, I put mine into his. “May I have this dance?”
I blushed deep red, but I nodded.

---

Prince Elian ibn-Sarah.
My sister and I were walking along the beach, together as... well, just siblings.
Granted, we were both children of Sarah bint-Aaron, which meant, that one of us would be Ilkhan (or Ilkhana) of Kyrene one day, Lord of the Palace of the Silver Hall of Sabratha, protector of the holiest sites of Kyrenaia and ruler of over 42 million people.
Not to mention having at least one shot at becoming Sultan.
But right now, none of that mattered.
We were siblings, we walked along the beach, not trailed by a Handmaiden or something (Alaya and Fadwa had the evening off, were most likely enjoying one of the bars of our hotel) and we were silent.
It was not uncomfortable, but very nice.
Alya was a beautiful young woman – I understood very well how some of the TBA's lads had tried their hands at wooing her, but she let them all meet with a very solid rebuff, especially after... well... a scar on her right thigh told of a piece of shrapnel having cut her there not even half a year prior, when someone tried to kill Princess Aurelia because she dared to love another woman.
My sister, one hundred other wounded and twelve dead apparently had counted as acceptable losses to them, who only gave Aurelia a ringing in her head and much more resolve.
This was one of her first parties in a long, long time and she had been hesitant to come. We all knew, why that was. This was a safe space however, has always been. To us, at least.
I still had to employ the mightiest weapon known to man in order to convince her: Little Enya.
The cute girl had asked Alya and she had promised, that she would come. And a Kyrenaian Princess did not go back on her promises if she couldn't help it.
“You'll depart in a few days, right?”, she suddenly asked, “To meet up with Prince Damir and to prepare for the trip to that Empire of whatever it was, right?”
“Astares Amauricanum.”, I said with a smile, “Though I'd love to see the face of our host calling his realm that. And yes, I'm afraid so. Prince Damir was very keen on having me along for the trip.”
“Consider it an honour.”, Alya said and squeezed my hand, “But first, you'll meet Razia and introduce her to Mother, won't you?”
I nodded again. “Yes, that was the plan.”
“Wished I could be there...” She exhaled. “But... well.”
“Yeah.”, I said and then said with a smile, “You are part of your own diplomatic mission, to my understanding – while Amina meets the Elder Council, Marla and you will visit her hometown.”
“Hainadún, yes.”, Alya said with a small smile, “You wouldn't believe how much she looks forward to it. Dilara and Alaya, not so much, as they will have a hard time understanding anyone, but that did not stop them much.” She let a beat or two pass. “I look forward to it, too. They said on the forecast, that it will snow the day before.”
I snorted. One can only imagine how wonderous snow is for desert people, even if the highest mountain tops are white all year long.
“You talked with Okka, didn't you?”, I said with a grin.
Alya hummed in agreement and then added: “She had some nice tips as to what to do in the snow.”
“Yeah, if knows, then it is Okan's Jalidi girlfriend.”, I said and earned a slap on my stomach. “Ow! What was that one for?”
“The two aren't a couple.”, Alya said, “Okan's afraid, that he will one day leave her heartbroken due to his condition and Okka is afraid, that any move on her part will be seen by him as a power move, not as her being in love with him.” She sighed. “And people think being a Prince or a Princess is easy and simple...”
“It never is.”, I said with a smile and squeezed her hand.
“I'd still ship 'em.”, Alya said and turned to me, a concern on her face. “I am not sure if we will get the chance to say goodbye in private, so I want to do that now... watch out.” She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me into a hug, to which I responded in kind. “And be careful. These Astarians strike me as no good.”
“I will.”, I assured her and hugged her tight, then kissed her on her cheek. “And you be careful as well.”
She nodded, then broke the hug. Her hand remained in mine, though, as we continued down the beach.
“I don't want to participate in the general drinking competition.”, she suddenly said.
I nodded. “Yeah, me neither...”, I said, “I promised to have a drink with some, though...”
“Yeah...”, Alya agreed, “I think, that I'll head to our room early. You come later?”
I nodded. “And I'll try to be halfway sober.”, I promised with a smile.
She snorted.

---

Kiana Rúisc of the Tribe of Waterford.
One could presume, that Silvio Esecutore was pleased with the situation he was in: On either side of him was a stunning woman in a swimsuit, he was discussing profitable business and the weather was nice, too.
Problem one, that he did not show, if he was pleased or not.
Problem two, Aurora Alce, the woman to his left, was not interested in pleasing her teacher with her physical built (and there was a lot of built).
Problem three, we were kind of competitors, but also reliant on each other.
The thing was, Caja (the redhead to my right) and I worked for the Mangaire Dealership Company, the arm of Gabha Blacksmiths, which did the business with the entities they did not want to be linked with. We were disguised as a company, which bought surplus military stock and resold it.
Alce and Esecutore, on the other hand, worked for La Coste Nostre, the LCN – one of Lutetii's largest crime syndicates, which also engaged in arms smuggling and dealing.
Alce was a sweet girl, known as il Fanciulla, the Girl, dreaming of becoming a merchant and specializing in luxury wares, but as it stood, she was part of the Casa di Commercio dei Viticoltori a Fortezza, one of the LCN's fronts.
Esecutore was the LCN's Chief Enforcer.
So, at the end of the day, we were reliant on each other, but also competitors, and this was not a social meeting near the tree line. And I presumed, that Esecutore would much rather be caught dead then wearing trunks, which was why he wore suit and suit pants (at least he wore no tie).
“So, the CCVF wants to buy farm equipment from Gabha Motorworks and wants us to facilitate an easier deal.”, I said with a small smile. Of course, this was all a pre-agreed code, with the CCVF being a front, farm equipment was weaponry, Gabha Motorworks was actually Eabhar Blacksmiths Limited and we were us. “Do you want something light and easy or do you need larger material?”
“Something light and easy, for a start.”, he replied, “Our vinters want to diversify a bit to be prepared for a crop failure with their vines. Large machines would be detrimental to that.” Ah, so handguns and similar size, not rifles. “It wouldn't hurt, if these machines were modern.”
“I might already heard of something, which your vinters might like.”, I said and smiled slightly, “They might be willing to make a demonstration of what they have in stock in Lutetii.”
Esecutore nodded, his face set in the expression, which reminded me of a long-suffering artist. “That would be nice, if you could arrange for a few vehicles to be sent.”, he said, “We will then have our experts and farmers look over them, see if they are, what we are looking for.”
“Am I right to assume, that they are looking for something, that is as loud as a bear?”, I asked with a small smile.
“Indeed.”, Esecutore answered in the positive.
Ah... someone wanted to get his hands on new Scaled Bear Killers – also known as 10.8x35 mm Eabhar. I'd also see, if we couldn't get a few E-8s into the mix as well.
“Wonderful. I'll see, what can be arranged.”, I said and let a beat pass. “I also heard, that the CCVF is planning to introduce winemaking in Lahharenyu.”
Esecutore nodded. “Indeed we are. For some, it will be quite the adventure, but we are relatively certain, that for now, the wines from there won't knock anyone's socks off.”, he admitted, which made me smile slightly.
“We could see, if we can extend the deal to also cover material intended for those farmers.”, I offered.
Esecutore raised a hand. “One after the other, please. The officials are already nervous enough and need some alleviations for their concerns.”, he said, referencing the rampant corruption in Lahharenyu. “Besides, I heard, that there is a company working closely together with Mangaire already there.”
“Indeed, Sanhama Motorworks.”, I admitted, without any clue as to how important Sanhama would soon become for us. “I would think, that you now know, where you can get the vehicles maintained.”
Esecutore nodded. “Or buy some locally.”
“Of course, we would facilitate a nice deal with Sanhama as well.”, I added for consideration. “If you want to buy locally, of course, but their range of farming equipment is rather limited.”
Esecutore nodded in agreement.
“So, we have a deal?”, I asked and turned to him, our line walking down the treeline transforming into a small round.
“We have a deal – pending the approval of our respective higher-ups and if everything works out as planned, of course.”, Esecutore agreed with a nod, reaching into one of his pockets. He took out a small silver box, where he had his cigarettes. He offered all of us one, but none of us smoked. He lit up one anyway. After a moment of silence, he said: “I sometimes envy the Selkie for the Archipelago.”
We looked at him with a bit of surprise.
“Sure, Lutetii is beautiful and I would not want to trade it for anything in the world, but Lutetii... it lacks a place, where we are at home and away at the same time, if that makes any sense.”, he explained, then shook his head, “Forget I said anything.”
“Will do.”, Caja agreed and I did the same. “Though, if you are interested, I do know someone, who you could use as a stadtholder.”
Esecutore nodded. “I might come back to you on that.”, he said.

---

Eileen Íseal of the Tribe of Conn.
With Juna and Fintan off to... somewhere, NSB had been short a bassist and singer, but I jumped in. It had been fun to make music with my little sis Mona, who had sung (setting up a keyboard or a piano on a beach was a bit complicated without the appropriate infrastructure) and with Liv.
But now, it was time to hand the stage back to the actual musicians of the evening, Finnegan and Enya Sáraigh of the Tribe of Clonmel, or rather Finny and Big Enya. I had already met Little Enya, who had been adorable, but Big Enya had a quality of her own.
She was a married woman now, though, so she was off limits.
Her husband with his fiddle, she with her flute, they were quite a match anyway.
Yet, we had to hand over the stage properly.
Bowing to each other, we arranged ourselves, Enya and Mona in the middle, they would sing, Finnegan to their left side, Liv and myself to their right. We had exchanged a few words and that had been all, which had been needed as we adjusted for the hand-over-song, if you will.
We looked at each other, then Enya at Mona, the latter nodding – and Enya began to sing as we began with a happy melody:

”Mount up,
Ready to go,
Fired up,
Pepper in the hole!”

This was a cover-version, neither band had ever made such a song. Ciaróg, though, did such a song, in the 1970s. Time for an acoustic cover, though.
As the older ones recognized the song, there were laughs shared – and then the younger ones recognized the song as well. Not too long ago, the song had been used in a commercial for vacations in the Archipelago.

”The Archipelago calls
For a Party-Vacation!
Music, Song and Dance
All Winter long!”

One could easily estimate why the song was used for a commercial, seeing that it was a happy song about making a vacation over the winter on the Archipelago – which was exactly what they aimed for in the commercial campaign.

”Swimming, hiking,
Riding, diving,
Sitting, working on the tan,
Hot sun above, winter in the North!”

The crowd danced to our fiddle, our two singers, bass and guitar like only Selkie could (although I did spy some foreigners in the mix as well). They danced free and with joy in their hearts, not worrying about things others would worry about.
There was a lad dancing with a young teenager, who was red as a strawberry, both because she barely reached his collarbone and because she was liking him, if my eyes did not deceive me – ah, the first crush... it was a wonderful feeling. But, if her height was worth any estimate, she would soon depart for with the dusk settling, the alcohol would be brought out.
A bit further away, Amina-Khana was dancing with one of BI's photographers, an appropriate distance apart, but both had fun. Her ward was not too far away, dancing with the kid of BI's bosses, Ilia was his name, if I was not completely mistaken.

”The Archipelago calls
For a Party-Vacation!
Music, Song and Dance
All Winter long!”

From my vantage, I spotted Prince Elian and Princess Alya sharing a dance – poor lass, with all she went through this year, but she had a strong brother. He was a solid young man, one of the men, who I promised to have a drink or two with. And he was a good musician, too. I would love to maybe jam a bit with both him, Mhairi and Razia Wasima, his unofficial girlfriend, one of these days.
Speaking of, Mhairi and her girl-toy for the night were nowhere to be seen, but I wished them a lot of fun anyway.

”No one is a puppet on some strings,
especially not in this light,
so party as if we lost it all,
send my head into a spin!”

The speed of the song picked up, for a bit of a game changer for the dancers out there, and there were a lot, not only couples, but also triples, usually with one between them. It was a funny sight, seeing three people trying to coordinate a dance between them, but at least one couple did it for the giggles.

”The Archipelago calls
For a Party-Vacation!
Music, Song and Dance
All Winter long!
Music, Song and Dance
All Winter long!”

And with a flourish, the song ended to cheers and applause, the impromptu band on the stage finished, exchanged hugs and handshakes, then a peck for everyone (although Enya made sure, that no one took Finnegan's lips, but that was her prerogative, not that anyone wanted to anyway). Ah, yes, the end of 2019...
I was blissfully unaware, that exactly a year later, I would fight for my life.
But right now, it was time to say goodnight to some people around, who would head into their rooms for some shuteye, either because they were too young or because they did not want to take part in the more adult part of the celebration. Alcohol would be around and of course that was not to everyone's liking.
I'd have a few drinks as well and see, where the evening would go.

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

"To trinkets!", replied her enthusiastically as the two ladies roased a toast in unison. Likewise, she had been considerably entertained as well by Mhairi's surprising new tip of a revelation. "Well, you were certainly lucky enough to still have the ring, weren't you? Understandably enough, first times can be difficult..", in a sense, her commentary presented a much ironically contrasting view to that of her 'strictly no alcohol' self though, despite her quirky history, she was quick to grasp just how polarising could drinking alcohol for the first time be, certainly polarising enough.

Hoping to extend the conversation, Alexandra quickly retaliated with an "embarrassing" story of her own, "So, you know how other than my sister, I also have a pair of twin brothers? They are Richard and Alistair and at the moment, they're both in a relationship with these very gorgeous fashion models and let me tell you, when I said gorgeous, they're really gorgeous!", having taken a brief pause as to lessen her dramatically increasing tone, Alexandra briefly utilised her phone once more to demonstrate to her female friend the aforementioned "gorgeousness" of her twin brothers' girlfriends, while also showing the latter that of her brother for familiarity."So these are my brothers, and these, are my brothers' girlfriends, they're Megan and Lottie!".

Following the brief visual exposure, Alexandra herself was quick to get back on track. "So you see, Megan is dating the older one named Richard while Lottie there is dating the younger one Alistair, and since they're twins, it is pretty hard to distinguish between each other, right? So one day, I decided to play a little practical joke on the girls by having Megan kissing my other brother Alistair instead! Though it was short and they were quick to realise on who's who but still, it's funny seeing how my brothers' girlfriends dealing with the fact that their boyfriends look awfully similar..", as she concluded her story, she took an another sip from her drink and before Mhairi could utter a reply, she decided to throw in a few more words at the end. "Oh, and if you're wondering, all five of us got over by it now and like I said, I love both my brothers and their girlfriends, we are besties! Oh and I am really sorry if you couldn't keep up with that..", concluded her with a well delivered pitiful tone at the end.

[New Visayan Islands]

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"I'll have an apple juice, please," Gerald said to the Hausmädchen before turning his attention back to Amy.
"And yes, it is somewhat different," he then said. "For one thing, President Francis Cui--my boss's younger brother--is an industrialist who first made bank with the Boss and another brother making fiberglass furniture; he'll probably be more likely to give enough writing armchairs good for 750 students a year." Victoria Associated Industries' parent company, Victoria Fiberglass, donated writing armchairs to select schools as part of its corporate social responsibility, something the company committed to doing since 2004. "With Frank on his last term, I suppose it'll be a challenge to find someone who could step up to the task of keeping the Confederation open; the Presidential Election is this coming November 2020. Now, as to how we elect the various positions...we register for the elections as soon as we turn 18, where we are registered to vote at the local and the federal level. At the local level, we vote for our mayors, city or town councilors, governors, members of the provincial legislature, and district chairs with councilors. At the federal level, we vote for senators, assemblymen, the President, and the Vice President. At the federal level, each elected position has a term limit: two terms for the President and three terms for the VP, senators, and assemblymen. At the local level, term limits are dictated by the provincial constitution. Only office in the Confederation that serves a life term as far as I'm aware of would be the Supreme Court."

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

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.

Marie Ernst Gluck
Before Cao could get another word out, she would find that I had wrapped my arms around her, and was holding on as if for dear life.
An Englishman had once said that there was no greater exhilaration than to have been shot at without result; that the greatest relief in the world was to have narrowly avoided something harrowing, something that should have killed you or someone you knew well.

Bullshit.

As I embraced Cao tightly, I resisted the urge to break down. She was dear to me beyond words, and yet my own emotional baggage had almost killed her. Had I refused to change into a swimsuit, she would have been bleeding out on the sand; and what then? An M1905 Bayonet was a massive blade, over a foot in length; the thought of it slamming into her ribs, by my own hand, nearly brought me to tears.

She could have died- and I would have killed her.
I opened my mouth after what seemed to be an eternity to apologies, but no words came out-not even a sound. Perhaps it would be better that way; I didn't want to draw undue attention Cao by breaking down here, no matter how much I wanted to.

---

Adelheid
"Yeah, her mostly." I replied, blissfully unaware of Marie's impending crisis out on the shore. "Marie...well, we met in Lask. She was passing through on her way back from Sharifistan..."
I paused for a second. Marie's time in the Heer was well-known to both of us, but bringing it up now seemed impertinent and seemed like I was talking behind her back; to her former boyfriend, no less. But I pressed on regardless; Marie worried me, and she seemed like she could, most definitely, use a massive break.

"Between you and me-" I continued. "I'm not sure what Marie was like before Sharifistan. But when I met her...she had her moments, and still does. Sometimes she's glassy-eyed, sometimes she freezes at random moments or in response to things. Once I dropped a glass in her apartment and she nearly cried. Another time I tried putting my arm around her once; nearly got a knife in my ribs for that."

God, I sounded like a gossip.

"I think staying here, with you and Cao, at least, if I have to leave, would do a great deal for her." I finished.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
We were, for a moment, catching a bit of fresh air.
Our driver was a smoker, so he had his pipe out. I was filling out some paperwork on a clipboard on my knee as the taxi pulled up.
I looked up, saw the (admittedly good-looking) man from before on the beach in it. I smiled and waved at him. If he wanted, he could come over, it would not be an issue.
We had good news, too.
I had no idea, that he was beating himself up over something he had not any influence upon.

Cornwall Zimmern
Cornwall hastened into the hospital lobby and dove toward the front chest, his heartbeat pounding in his throat. "Good evening," he sputtered, "I'm here for Alastair Kehrer. He should have arrived just before I did."

Cornwall's anxiety was enhanced by the fact that he had just hung up with his boss, who was almost certainly contacting the Queen and Alastair's wife. He could not imagine the duress they were under from hearing that Alastair likely had heat stroke. The King was nearly dead from stage 4 cancer; 'twas possible he could die at any moment. Alastair's recklessly injuring himself would only make the family dynamic more strained, and judging by how severe his burns were, he was going to have several painful weeks ahead of him. That would make him crotchety and short-tempered, which would only make things worse.

"Please, do you have any information on how he's doing or when I can see him--it's--'tis urgent."

[Mervay]

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
When the two broke the news to me, I was silent for a while.
To be honest, I had expected something along the lines of me becoming the Godfather of the firstborn or something.
When I finally got something out, it was: “...huh...”
Not my strongest or most intelligent reply, I must admit, but quite fitting.
“That would explain the air you two carry yourselves with.”, I said and nodded after a few more moments. I exhaled. “Thank you for sharing that information with me.”
Needless to say, that I know enough Princesses and Company Princes to recognize certain signs, certain behaviours and certain... well, I called the air they carried around themselves. It was not something bad, mind you, but if one knew, what to look for...
“I imagine, that this must be a very frightening moment for you two.”, I said and gave a small smile, “Don't worry. I will not hold it against you two, that you kept this a secret from me. I understand.”
And I really did.

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
A waitress indeed was close, one of the women in frilled maid-bikinis. We had new ones every year, some of our girls really looked quite like something in them – the waitress was on a whole different level, though.
I must admit, that my eyes might have strayed a bit too much, which was, why I cleared my throat and looked at Athena.
“For a start, I'd recommend a whiskey. Selkie-Whiskey of course, a... hm...”, I made, “...maybe a Cineamh?” I nodded. The whiskey of the Cineamh Brewery was known for its mild taste, a bit fruity with a soft feel in the mouth. It was a ten year old one. I turned to the waitress, focussing on her eyes, and ordered: “Yes, two Cineamhs, please. It's on me.”
I smiled as I turned back to Athena. “You'll like that one.”

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
Well, for that other question Gawain was expecting he would have to wait a while as they weren't to marry for a while and even then they still have to discuss the idea of having kids; even so she should expect they will have to as to continue the line of the House of Devienne; but, that would come in another time. The couple was glad Gawain understood it all entirely and without any grudge, albeit they're surprised that he feels that air they had, certainly it came from a few centuries experiences at least to him to notice that; but, they sighed relieved that at least that was one problem off their chest even so, they still had to tell Cel and Chris if they find them together.

"Thank you." Lise says in a relieved and calmed tone while striking Gawain with a gentle and warm smile. "I thought you would get mad or something if we told you that we were quite important on our home." That was certainly quite the concern which wouldn't go away with who they had to talk next. Sure, Cel didn't want to get involved in whatever her father had planned and he would certainly be the type of man to come to their doorstep, either hers or her boyfriend's one to see if he could take advantage if he ever finds out who her daughter is friends with.

Meanwhile Lucas spoke up as his girlfriend was deep in thought.

"Repeating the sentiment of my girlfriend, or well soon to be fiancee-" A little tease intended as it worked on having Lise get out of her train of thought and having her blush at the sentence, which made him smirk before turning back to Mr. Folaíochta. "I also appreciate you understand why we were worried about what could you think of us after that." He said with that same tone, at least one chain off his shoulder too; albeit they still had another one to deal with.

Lise then decided that now it was also time to deal with Cel and come out clean with her and Chris.

"I think we should get going and tell Cel the truth, and if we find him, to Chris." She said while her boyfriend or also soon to be fiance nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, when the day comes we will tell you if you are to be the godfather of our child or not, but rest assured; you're to be invited at our wedding and perhaps one of the groomsman." That was confirmed by Lucas nodding with a smile on his face that said it all about it, so certainly he will have a great seat for when the day comes.

"Would you like to tell us where we can find her or them, if they are together?" She asked while they were grabbing their stuff to get going. Meanwhile; Dilly, he heard that they will have to leave and as such gave his farewell to his kin and returned to the couple with an smile, he surely had fun with the rest.

Athena Freezis
She could certainly make good of those bikinis as she looked at them, who knows, perhaps if she felt more stylish next year Athena could use those bikinis if she had the chance to come to the next shooting. She didn't minded Leo looking at the waitress, after all she wasn't someone of the jealous type of woman after all, sure wary she is considering her line of job but never jealous.

Leo recomended an Cineamh for starters, she heard something about it but never had the chance to taste it so here it was her chance while she smiled at him as he ordered two for them, with of course Athena teasing.

"Such a fine gentleman you are." The businesswoman giggled while locking her eyes on the red haired person in front of her.

"So Leo, I've never had the chance to ask but out of curiosity. What kind of women you like?"

[AHSCA]

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.

Again she giggled, Aonas really knew how to pour on the charm he was a real romantic. He was probably being friendly to Ayla but really Ayla couldn't complain, even if it was meant to be friendly warm and hospitable to this guest from a far off land, it was nice to be treated so well just for being well a nice person, rather than her status as a Chief. "Mia amiko. I'm eager but in good time I know."

[Alegeharia]

Kaz froze at Malik's terms. To some extent, it was true. Back home, his treatment of others, his playboy personality, was not unknown, and while certain cities had a habit of denouncing his habits, it wasn't necessarily forbidden. Still, he wasn't the sort of person who would brag about it to anyone younger than him, much less the tiny dog-prince before him.
"I won't say if that's true in your kingdom," he said, lazily slipping back on his light hoodie as though to hide a bit of his shame. His voice remained a lazy whisper, but there was now a sense of maturity, of knowledge in it that replaced his usual seductiveness. "It'll be something for you to find out when you're older, but, ah, I wouldn't call myself... something like that. For starters, I'm not a lady, and secondly, I can't quite have those sorts of relations at my age... oh, and I said I was an Idol. A singer. A performer." His tone conveyed amusement more than anger. "I'm the sort of boy able to captivate the hearts of an audience — or, a single person. Either works for me. Either one, I can do. So, dear prince, rest assured that my performances can be public."

He slumped over the table, still listening, but was now muttering-singing some ballad of his that he had once performed. His voice came like a soothing, ephemeral summer rain, dripping gently down after a ferocious storm, or like someone who was still mumbling in their sleep and still enraptured by their dreams. His whispery timbre fell out without any modicum of hurry; it was waiting for someone else to draw them into his dream, rather than marching forward to meet them. He sang in the foreign Harikunin language of some lonely lover, begging for this one chance to sing, to dance, to express its truth — its emotions — yet doubting it, its heart too fractured to allow it to embrace that love Kaz endlessly sought. Twice, his voice squealed in his song, but he kept it quiet so as not to make anyone else think he were suffering from some ailment, though anyone nearby would obviously be able to tell that he was singing.
And yet, he smiled as he sang. To be an Idol in Ezhara was a grand honor, and his casual, yet amazing control over his voice demonstrated just that.

To be one at fourteen, and to be one of the most famous even before high school...
It was a wonder why Eiko despised Kaz, when nearly everyone else adored him.

Malik:

Malik giggled seeing the man freeze and stumble some. It seemed a rather sensitive topic for the lad and nodded at Kaz. “As king it is my place to know all the goin ons of whats happening in my kingdom.” He giggled some more. “a idol can be anything depending on the suitor, and uh, why looking around it seems almost certain you have quite an allure mister kaz.” His voice was teasy but inoffensive.

He looked around then poked Kaz. “what sort of public performances? Dance song?” Malik perked up forgetting to ask the burning question before snapping back. “Oh yeah! You didn’t exactly say no mister. Are you what they call…” He looked around thinking some then whispered, “A gigolo?” He wasn’t sure if Kaz heard him however, he had started to break into singing that started to get louder.

[Ezhara]

The lad was was off to somewhere...

The closest Park had to a child had been the occasional ones at her mother's temple that she had been ordered to take care of every now and then, since their parents were busy or something to that effect. They were occasional delights, other times terrors, but they were still her charge. She would not disappoint her mother, whose powers with a broom inspired the same terror as kneeling before a god, and so her obligation gave her some sort of protective instinct. Eiko needed help, that she could tell, but the idea of shoving him in a foreign asylum seemed a tad extreme. Thankfully, Park hadn't seen Kean's look; it was probably for the better.
She held Eiko's hand, and the boy wrapped himself around her arm. "Ah... mom." He rolled around and his head ended up in her lap, while the rest of his body curled up like a lost kitten as he grabbed her other hand and set it on his hair. "Mom, you're so cold..."

Park inhaled and steadied herself. It was a bit strange, being called a mother but she'd hold off her confusion. He needed someone like her, or else... Another glance downward. Eiko's mumbling had tapered off, and he had drifted off to a blissful sleep. A slight smile was over his face, one unlike any of his advertisements, his films, his shows. It was the sort of smile that a sleeping child would have in a mother's embrace, of earnest adoration rather than one requested by a director or script. Those he did quite well; even this felt indistinguishable from his usual acting, but after everything that happened, this one had become a welcome reward for everything that had happened.
She hoped that they would arrive soon; he needed somewhere more permanent. And probably a bath, if at least to wash away the sins and give Park a window to speak with his mother.
Assuming they managed to get to the hotel soon enough, she would pick up Eiko and carry him to their hotel room, him on her shoulder, her hoping that it looked normal enough to be excused.

Malik giggled seeing the man freeze...

Kaz was paying attention as Malik spoke. He was a rather perceptive child, wasn't he? He was fine with that, but he really was talking too much, bringing to light things that felt wrong when heard from a princely, high-pitched voice. His chatter threw him off just a little, but after countless hours of focused performance, he could tune it out for the most part.
At the mention of a gigolo, though, Kaz tapered off, mumbled in his singing, then stayed silent for a few seconds as his fingers tapped at the table and a frown appeared. "I... in the clearest terms possible, no, I'm not," he said, now slightly more awake. "I'm only fourteen anyway, and besides, there's no way I'd sell myself out to someone. I'm not that sort of person, and I'd hardly be able to do anything like that under Ezharan laws." A glance towards Amy. He probably should have told her all that before flirting, in case she got the wrong impression off of him. Too late note.

Kaz leaned towards Malik. "Although," he said, "there is a green-haired boy in a kimono that you may have seen somewhere out and about on the beach. Or maybe he's sleeping... I wouldn't know." A smirk as he glanced down at his phone, fingers tapping at its black screen as he paused to think. "His name is Eiko. Eiko Michori. He's probably closer to someone like what you're talking about, but you shouldn't bother with him. He's not nearly as fun — just how he is. But, you know, I have seen him wandering around with his cast and crew. Some of them are pretty wealthy, and he's always been much more enthusiastic about being near them than I'd ever expect. I wouldn't be surprised to hear if he was something like what you're thinking of, in some manner. A surrogate child for a lonely adult..." Kaz leaned back in his seat. "Dunno if you care for him much, but I figured I may as well tell you, while you're here. A warning of sorts. He's not the sort of guy who shows his emotions or who's easy to read."

[The Selkie]

Somewhere on the Beach.

Marie Ernst Gluck
Before Cao could get another word out, she would find that I had wrapped my arms around her, and was holding on as if for dear life.
An Englishman had once said that there was no greater exhilaration than to have been shot at without result; that the greatest relief in the world was to have narrowly avoided something harrowing, something that should have killed you or someone you knew well.

Bullshit.

As I embraced Cao tightly, I resisted the urge to break down. She was dear to me beyond words, and yet my own emotional baggage had almost killed her. Had I refused to change into a swimsuit, she would have been bleeding out on the sand; and what then? An M1905 Bayonet was a massive blade, over a foot in length; the thought of it slamming into her ribs, by my own hand, nearly brought me to tears.

She could have died- and I would have killed her.
I opened my mouth after what seemed to be an eternity to apologies, but no words came out-not even a sound. Perhaps it would be better that way; I didn't want to draw undue attention Cao by breaking down here, no matter how much I wanted to.

---

Adelheid
"Yeah, her mostly." I replied, blissfully unaware of Marie's impending crisis out on the shore. "Marie...well, we met in Lask. She was passing through on her way back from Sharifistan..."
I paused for a second. Marie's time in the Heer was well-known to both of us, but bringing it up now seemed impertinent and seemed like I was talking behind her back; to her former boyfriend, no less. But I pressed on regardless; Marie worried me, and she seemed like she could, most definitely, use a massive break.

"Between you and me-" I continued. "I'm not sure what Marie was like before Sharifistan. But when I met her...she had her moments, and still does. Sometimes she's glassy-eyed, sometimes she freezes at random moments or in response to things. Once I dropped a glass in her apartment and she nearly cried. Another time I tried putting my arm around her once; nearly got a knife in my ribs for that."

God, I sounded like a gossip.

"I think staying here, with you and Cao, at least, if I have to leave, would do a great deal for her." I finished.

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I nodded.
What Heidi had described sounded a lot like Uncle Connor, who had been with the SDF-Army until a few years ago – he had been to quite a few places in his time and...
“I think so, too.”, I replied to Heidi, smiled softly, put a hand on her upper arm, “Even if you must leave, don't worry. We'll take good care of her.” Then my smile morphed into a grin. “Though, to be honest, 'we', in this case, might mean a few more people. Who knows, she might make a few more friends?”
The majority of people of BI were good lads and lassies – some had questionable tastes in drinks, sure, but generally, they were good. And they were hearty and open people. If Marie would be willing, they would take her in, integrate her into our web and help her heal.
Cao especially would most likely move mountains to help Marie, if I knew my sister correctly.
The question was, if Marie would take the offer, now wasn't it...

Caoimhe Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Oh.
Oh, dear.
Seems like Marie had taken the entire thing not in stride, quite on the contrary. She was visibly holding together by sheer force of will, as she hugged me deeply. I mean, I had seen her bayonet, it was a massive thing and having it inserted wouldn't have been fun, to say the least, and...
I returned the hug, pressed her close, allowed her to hide her face in the crook of my neck, if she wanted to. She would be able to smell me, the soft and subtle scent I had put on earlier tonight, while I softly stroked her back.
She did not collapse.
It would draw undue attention to the two of us, and people in, who might mean well, but who would only make things more complicated.
As Marie opened her mouth to apologize, no sound left her throat.
I smiled, the squirrel ears on my head high up (most people presumed, that they were cat ears, but they were actually of a genus of squirrel native to the Riverwood Area), and wiped the hair off of her forehead, softly planting a kiss there. It was a platonic gesture (although I did like Marie very much, I did not like her in that way, if that... get your minds out of the gutter!), at least in my book, especially as I looked at her afterwards.
“It's alright. Nothing happened and I am fine.”, I told her softly, pulled her closer still. “Are you?”

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
Well, for that other question Gawain was expecting he would have to wait a while as they weren't to marry for a while and even then they still have to discuss the idea of having kids; even so she should expect they will have to as to continue the line of the House of Devienne; but, that would come in another time. The couple was glad Gawain understood it all entirely and without any grudge, albeit they're surprised that he feels that air they had, certainly it came from a few centuries experiences at least to him to notice that; but, they sighed relieved that at least that was one problem off their chest even so, they still had to tell Cel and Chris if they find them together.

"Thank you." Lise says in a relieved and calmed tone while striking Gawain with a gentle and warm smile. "I thought you would get mad or something if we told you that we were quite important on our home." That was certainly quite the concern which wouldn't go away with who they had to talk next. Sure, Cel didn't want to get involved in whatever her father had planned and he would certainly be the type of man to come to their doorstep, either hers or her boyfriend's one to see if he could take advantage if he ever finds out who her daughter is friends with.

Meanwhile Lucas spoke up as his girlfriend was deep in thought.

"Repeating the sentiment of my girlfriend, or well soon to be fiancee-" A little tease intended as it worked on having Lise get out of her train of thought and having her blush at the sentence, which made him smirk before turning back to Mr. Folaíochta. "I also appreciate you understand why we were worried about what could you think of us after that." He said with that same tone, at least one chain off his shoulder too; albeit they still had another one to deal with.

Lise then decided that now it was also time to deal with Cel and come out clean with her and Chris.

"I think we should get going and tell Cel the truth, and if we find him, to Chris." She said while her boyfriend or also soon to be fiance nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, when the day comes we will tell you if you are to be the godfather of our child or not, but rest assured; you're to be invited at our wedding and perhaps one of the groomsman." That was confirmed by Lucas nodding with a smile on his face that said it all about it, so certainly he will have a great seat for when the day comes.

"Would you like to tell us where we can find her or them, if they are together?" She asked while they were grabbing their stuff to get going. Meanwhile; Dilly, he heard that they will have to leave and as such gave his farewell to his kin and returned to the couple with an smile, he surely had fun with the rest.

[...]

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
I smiled softly at the two youngsters.
“It would be my honour to attend your wedding, when the time comes.”, I said and bowed my head lightly, but all in good time. The foxes were nuzzling their kinsman Dilly goodbye and in but a moment, I would have to do something similar. “Though, before that time comes, allow me to tell you the story of how I met Princess Macha... that is for another day, however.”
As they had finished packing up, I nodded.
“You'll find my young vixen at the Slácan Bar. It's an establishment of the Pléaráca Hotel, which she likes to frequent. A good place, though, keep your wits about you.”, I cautioned, especially looking at Lucas. I did not worry about his eyes lingering where they shouldn't, but better be safe then sorry. I opened my arms. “Now, allow an old man a hug!”

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.

Again she giggled, Aonas really knew how to pour on the charm he was a real romantic. He was probably being friendly to Ayla but really Ayla couldn't complain, even if it was meant to be friendly warm and hospitable to this guest from a far off land, it was nice to be treated so well just for being well a nice person, rather than her status as a Chief. "Mia amiko. I'm eager but in good time I know."

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
“Indeed, all in good time.”, I said with a smile.
We walked down the beach together, which was awesome. She was a charming woman and apparently, my charms weren't lost on her either, which was always nice. She was beautiful, too, and a good dancer...
I offered her my hand to take, if she wanted to.

By the Bar.

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"I'll have an apple juice, please," Gerald said to the Hausmädchen before turning his attention back to Amy.
"And yes, it is somewhat different," he then said. "For one thing, President Francis Cui--my boss's younger brother--is an industrialist who first made bank with the Boss and another brother making fiberglass furniture; he'll probably be more likely to give enough writing armchairs good for 750 students a year." Victoria Associated Industries' parent company, Victoria Fiberglass, donated writing armchairs to select schools as part of its corporate social responsibility, something the company committed to doing since 2004. "With Frank on his last term, I suppose it'll be a challenge to find someone who could step up to the task of keeping the Confederation open; the Presidential Election is this coming November 2020. Now, as to how we elect the various positions...we register for the elections as soon as we turn 18, where we are registered to vote at the local and the federal level. At the local level, we vote for our mayors, city or town councilors, governors, members of the provincial legislature, and district chairs with councilors. At the federal level, we vote for senators, assemblymen, the President, and the Vice President. At the federal level, each elected position has a term limit: two terms for the President and three terms for the VP, senators, and assemblymen. At the local level, term limits are dictated by the provincial constitution. Only office in the Confederation that serves a life term as far as I'm aware of would be the Supreme Court."

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
The Hausmädchen got us our drinks in a moment, while Geralt was replying.
I nodded.
“A lot of crosses you need to make.”, I said, nodded, “But yeah... before Uncle Raidri became an Elder, he was a master baker and confectioner.” That'd also explain, where the sweets came from. “He held several important positions with the Baker's Guilds, got several important agreements through, broke up the Baker's Strike of 1999 in Lodge and earned himself the respect of all sides and bakers, as well as of his Tribe, for his wisdom.” I let a beat pass. “When Ol' Uncle Finnegan, his predecessor, died in 2003, he threw his hat into the ring and won. Since then, he has been wise in word, deed and advice.”
I shrugged.
“A good man. And a good baker, too.”, I added for good measure, “He's from Perran. Have you been to the Eornor-Peninsula?”

Kaz froze at Malik's terms. To some extent, it was true. Back home, his treatment of others, his playboy personality, was not unknown, and while certain cities had a habit of denouncing his habits, it wasn't necessarily forbidden. Still, he wasn't the sort of person who would brag about it to anyone younger than him, much less the tiny dog-prince before him.
"I won't say if that's true in your kingdom," he said, lazily slipping back on his light hoodie as though to hide a bit of his shame. His voice remained a lazy whisper, but there was now a sense of maturity, of knowledge in it that replaced his usual seductiveness. "It'll be something for you to find out when you're older, but, ah, I wouldn't call myself... something like that. For starters, I'm not a lady, and secondly, I can't quite have those sorts of relations at my age... oh, and I said I was an Idol. A singer. A performer." His tone conveyed amusement more than anger. "I'm the sort of boy able to captivate the hearts of an audience — or, a single person. Either works for me. Either one, I can do. So, dear prince, rest assured that my performances can be public."

He slumped over the table, still listening, but was now muttering-singing some ballad of his that he had once performed. His voice came like a soothing, ephemeral summer rain, dripping gently down after a ferocious storm, or like someone who was still mumbling in their sleep and still enraptured by their dreams. His whispery timbre fell out without any modicum of hurry; it was waiting for someone else to draw them into his dream, rather than marching forward to meet them. He sang in the foreign Harikunin language of some lonely lover, begging for this one chance to sing, to dance, to express its truth — its emotions — yet doubting it, its heart too fractured to allow it to embrace that love Kaz endlessly sought. Twice, his voice squealed in his song, but he kept it quiet so as not to make anyone else think he were suffering from some ailment, though anyone nearby would obviously be able to tell that he was singing.
And yet, he smiled as he sang. To be an Idol in Ezhara was a grand honor, and his casual, yet amazing control over his voice demonstrated just that.

To be one at fourteen, and to be one of the most famous even before high school...
It was a wonder why Eiko despised Kaz, when nearly everyone else adored him.

Malik:

Malik giggled seeing the man freeze and stumble some. It seemed a rather sensitive topic for the lad and nodded at Kaz. “As king it is my place to know all the goin ons of whats happening in my kingdom.” He giggled some more. “a idol can be anything depending on the suitor, and uh, why looking around it seems almost certain you have quite an allure mister kaz.” His voice was teasy but inoffensive.

He looked around then poked Kaz. “what sort of public performances? Dance song?” Malik perked up forgetting to ask the burning question before snapping back. “Oh yeah! You didn’t exactly say no mister. Are you what they call…” He looked around thinking some then whispered, “A gigolo?” He wasn’t sure if Kaz heard him however, he had started to break into singing that started to get louder.

[...]

Kaz was paying attention as Malik spoke. He was a rather perceptive child, wasn't he? He was fine with that, but he really was talking too much, bringing to light things that felt wrong when heard from a princely, high-pitched voice. His chatter threw him off just a little, but after countless hours of focused performance, he could tune it out for the most part.
At the mention of a gigolo, though, Kaz tapered off, mumbled in his singing, then stayed silent for a few seconds as his fingers tapped at the table and a frown appeared. "I... in the clearest terms possible, no, I'm not," he said, now slightly more awake. "I'm only fourteen anyway, and besides, there's no way I'd sell myself out to someone. I'm not that sort of person, and I'd hardly be able to do anything like that under Ezharan laws." A glance towards Amy. He probably should have told her all that before flirting, in case she got the wrong impression off of him. Too late note.

Kaz leaned towards Malik. "Although," he said, "there is a green-haired boy in a kimono that you may have seen somewhere out and about on the beach. Or maybe he's sleeping... I wouldn't know." A smirk as he glanced down at his phone, fingers tapping at its black screen as he paused to think. "His name is Eiko. Eiko Michori. He's probably closer to someone like what you're talking about, but you shouldn't bother with him. He's not nearly as fun — just how he is. But, you know, I have seen him wandering around with his cast and crew. Some of them are pretty wealthy, and he's always been much more enthusiastic about being near them than I'd ever expect. I wouldn't be surprised to hear if he was something like what you're thinking of, in some manner. A surrogate child for a lonely adult..." Kaz leaned back in his seat. "Dunno if you care for him much, but I figured I may as well tell you, while you're here. A warning of sorts. He's not the sort of guy who shows his emotions or who's easy to read."

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
I was so glad, that Amy was more occupied with talking with Aither, because as Malik suggested Kaz, I think his name was, to be a 'Man for the Night', he revealed, that not only he was not (which was good), but that he was also that he was Amy's junior by three years (which was not insurmountable, but decidedly less good).
What had drawn Amy to the lad was beyond me, to my knowledge, she was into older men...
But then again, she was young, so she could sample what the world had to offer before she was too old. Speaking of, at fourteen, he was not legal, at least not anymore, around these parts as well.
A year ago, the law had been changed and the Age of Consent raised from 11 Springs to 15 – long overdue, if one asked me.
“Say, Aither...”, Amy asked with a bit of a teasing smile, “...would you be up for a dance?”

Slácan Bar, Pléaráca Hotel.

"To trinkets!", replied her enthusiastically as the two ladies roased a toast in unison. Likewise, she had been considerably entertained as well by Mhairi's surprising new tip of a revelation. "Well, you were certainly lucky enough to still have the ring, weren't you? Understandably enough, first times can be difficult..", in a sense, her commentary presented a much ironically contrasting view to that of her 'strictly no alcohol' self though, despite her quirky history, she was quick to grasp just how polarising could drinking alcohol for the first time be, certainly polarising enough.

Hoping to extend the conversation, Alexandra quickly retaliated with an "embarrassing" story of her own, "So, you know how other than my sister, I also have a pair of twin brothers? They are Richard and Alistair and at the moment, they're both in a relationship with these very gorgeous fashion models and let me tell you, when I said gorgeous, they're really gorgeous!", having taken a brief pause as to lessen her dramatically increasing tone, Alexandra briefly utilised her phone once more to demonstrate to her female friend the aforementioned "gorgeousness" of her twin brothers' girlfriends, while also showing the latter that of her brother for familiarity."So these are my brothers, and these, are my brothers' girlfriends, they're Megan and Lottie!".

Following the brief visual exposure, Alexandra herself was quick to get back on track. "So you see, Megan is dating the older one named Richard while Lottie there is dating the younger one Alistair, and since they're twins, it is pretty hard to distinguish between each other, right? So one day, I decided to play a little practical joke on the girls by having Megan kissing my other brother Alistair instead! Though it was short and they were quick to realise on who's who but still, it's funny seeing how my brothers' girlfriends dealing with the fact that their boyfriends look awfully similar..", as she concluded her story, she took an another sip from her drink and before Mhairi could utter a reply, she decided to throw in a few more words at the end. "Oh, and if you're wondering, all five of us got over by it now and like I said, I love both my brothers and their girlfriends, we are besties! Oh and I am really sorry if you couldn't keep up with that..", concluded her with a well delivered pitiful tone at the end.

Mhairi Uasal of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
The girlfriends of Alex's brothers were blonde-blue-eyed girls, and they did look good, but if I were to be honest, I would not call them gorgeous – they, at least on the images, lacked that certain something, you know? Anyway, I nodded.
I could keep up with that, though, despite her talking speed.
I smiled.
“A fun story – we had a similar couple on the beach tonight, manning the grill... well, two couples, would be more appropriate to say. They are Children of the Great Woods, though.”, I said, trailing off, letting their legendary reputation speak for those, who knew of the Children. “I doubt, that something like that would work with them.”
Now it was my turn again.
“So, this one is one, which I only saw happening, but did not participate in it.”, I said, “You know, this hotel has a lot of international guests, including from Kyrenaia. Some of their royalty likes to make a vacation here, too. And where there is Kyrenaian Royalty, there are the Handmaidens not far away.” The bartender grinned, knowing, which story I meant. “I was sitting here, minding my own business, Eileen nursing a drink next to me, and there was this lass not too far away. A really pretty girl, dark skin, black hair, the works. Guy walks up to her, asks her for a dance, she agrees, gets up, he reaches around her... and gropes her rear.” I grinned. “A moment later, really, his hand hadn't even relaxed from his grip, said hand was on the counter, fixed to the counter by a dagger in the sleeve. The girl looked calm as a pond as she walked away took a seat a bit closer to Eileen and me, the entire bar staring at her. Sorry about your counter., she says to the barman, An occupational reflex. I am a handmaiden... if I may speak to your manager...” I let a beat pass, changed my voice to make it sound deeper, masculine. “Don't worry, lass!, the barman replied, That one's on the house!”
Our own bartender was grinning, as he added in: “The notch is still in it.”

[...]

Athena Freezis
She could certainly make good of those bikinis as she looked at them, who knows, perhaps if she felt more stylish next year Athena could use those bikinis if she had the chance to come to the next shooting. She didn't minded Leo looking at the waitress, after all she wasn't someone of the jealous type of woman after all, sure wary she is considering her line of job but never jealous.

Leo recomended an Cineamh for starters, she heard something about it but never had the chance to taste it so here it was her chance while she smiled at him as he ordered two for them, with of course Athena teasing.

"Such a fine gentleman you are." The businesswoman giggled while locking her eyes on the red haired person in front of her.

"So Leo, I've never had the chance to ask but out of curiosity. What kind of women you like?"

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
It did not seem as if Athena held my lingering eyes against me – I would have to make sure, though, that it didn't repeat itself. At least not too often... no, not at all!
End of discussion!
And after her teasing, she asked me, what sort of woman I liked.
I will freely admit, that I felt a bit stumped.
“I... am a bit at a loss about that question.”, I admitted, leaned back, “I mean... I never really thought about it that much, you know? Not like, me writing down a list or something like that.” I was silent for a moment. “I guess, if it clicks, it clicks?”
That was the best answer I could give her.

Snowflake Hospital, Main Entrance.

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I followed him inside, discarding the paperwork to our driver, who held onto it. Zimmern looked... worried beyond belief.
Anyway, the receptionist nodded, typed something into her keyboard.
“Sure, he is here.”, she said and smiled, “May I have your ID?”
“His name is Cornwall Zimmern. I vouch for him.”, I said from behind Cornwall, smiled up at the man, then put my ID onto the table for the receptionist. A quick flick of her hand and the barcode was scanned and entered into her computer, then the ID was back in my hand. She looked at Cornwall. “Station C, Room 15. Have a nice day!”
I smiled and motioned for the man to follow me, leading him into the building.
The floors were of a nice cream colour, calming and soothing, the floor of laminated wood, which made rolling patients over it easy and cleaning up even easier. I nodded to a nurse at Station C, who was more occupied with looking at Cornwall, checking him out, before she returned to her duties.
I imagined, that it looked very much like a hospital back in his homecountry, only that the signs had different letters on them.
“Your friend really only had a heat stroke and a lot of sunburns. Dangerous if left untreated, but we got to him in time.”, I said and stopped at the door to Room 15. Knocking softly, I opened the door to a standard hospital room, a bit of a small one, but that was standard around here. Only in ICU, the rooms housed more then one patient. I whispered: “He should be sleeping, so please be silent as a mouse!”

Pléaráca Hotel.

The lad was was off to somewhere...

The closest Park had to a child had been the occasional ones at her mother's temple that she had been ordered to take care of every now and then, since their parents were busy or something to that effect. They were occasional delights, other times terrors, but they were still her charge. She would not disappoint her mother, whose powers with a broom inspired the same terror as kneeling before a god, and so her obligation gave her some sort of protective instinct. Eiko needed help, that she could tell, but the idea of shoving him in a foreign asylum seemed a tad extreme. Thankfully, Park hadn't seen Kean's look; it was probably for the better.
She held Eiko's hand, and the boy wrapped himself around her arm. "Ah... mom." He rolled around and his head ended up in her lap, while the rest of his body curled up like a lost kitten as he grabbed her other hand and set it on his hair. "Mom, you're so cold..."

Park inhaled and steadied herself. It was a bit strange, being called a mother but she'd hold off her confusion. He needed someone like her, or else... Another glance downward. Eiko's mumbling had tapered off, and he had drifted off to a blissful sleep. A slight smile was over his face, one unlike any of his advertisements, his films, his shows. It was the sort of smile that a sleeping child would have in a mother's embrace, of earnest adoration rather than one requested by a director or script. Those he did quite well; even this felt indistinguishable from his usual acting, but after everything that happened, this one had become a welcome reward for everything that had happened.
She hoped that they would arrive soon; he needed somewhere more permanent. And probably a bath, if at least to wash away the sins and give Park a window to speak with his mother.
Assuming they managed to get to the hotel soon enough, she would pick up Eiko and carry him to their hotel room, him on her shoulder, her hoping that it looked normal enough to be excused.

[...]

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
We reached the hotel in good time, comfortably as well, Ribin ruminating on what had happened – she would chew on this for a while, I saw that in her eyes. She and I would have a drink or two later.
Kean was concentrated on the road and not on other things... he was a good man. No wonder so many girls crushed on him (myself, until a few years ago, included).
He stopped the carriage in front of the main entrance, Ribin and I were off before we had stopped completely. Carrying him on the shoulder like a sack of flour might not be too good medically, but it looked a lot like a mother or older sister, who had spent the entire day outside with their child/younger brother, who was now tuckered out.
We helped Park and Eiko off, Ribin stopping the woman with a soft tug on her arm.
“Ma'am, when he wakes up, can you please tell him, that I am sorry?”, she said, looked the other woman straight in the eyes. Those, who knew her, would realize, that she had mustered all of her bravery for those words. “I... did not want to have the evening end like this for him.”
I put a hand on her shoulder, smiled at her – she was honest and brave, two very important things.
I then stepped forward, wiped a few strands from the boy's forehead – he looked so... broken and helpless.
I planted a soft kiss on his forehead. “Sleep tight, Eiko.”, I whispered to him, then stepped back and nodded.

[New Visayan Islands]

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"I might have, but only in passing," Gerald replied, sipping his apple juice as he did. "Most of the time, when we're testing the yachts we're going around the waters of The Free Lands, setting sail from Traverse and back. Guess that's another addition to our 'must-see' lists moving forward," he added with a chuckle.
"I take it, then, that the Eornor Peninsula is a place of great beauty?"

[Kuronami]

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...

Bianca giggled, "Hehe sounds like my big brother, that's how he met Sono, or started dating her I should say!"

Isabel smiled a bit more quiet and contemplative, granted she was young, they were both young, maybe too young to really worry about boys but one thing was on Isabel's mind, that was Bianca. She actually rather liked Bianca. But telling her that? It might make things weird. If you like a lad, tell him the words echoed in her head a moment. Maybe the same could be applied for a lass, her best friend? She opened her mouth as if to say it but it seemed the words only came out as a quite murmur.

"Oh did you say something, Isabel?"

"Huh? Oh, just saying, I don't think I have any boys I like right now. But good advice."

"Yeah, I think I'm the same but you never know in a few years."

[Alegeharia]

Kaz was paying attention as Malik spoke. He was a rather perceptive child, wasn't he? He was fine with that, but he really was talking too much, bringing to light things that felt wrong when heard from a princely, high-pitched voice. His chatter threw him off just a little, but after countless hours of focused performance, he could tune it out for the most part.
At the mention of a gigolo, though, Kaz tapered off, mumbled in his singing, then stayed silent for a few seconds as his fingers tapped at the table and a frown appeared. "I... in the clearest terms possible, no, I'm not," he said, now slightly more awake. "I'm only fourteen anyway, and besides, there's no way I'd sell myself out to someone. I'm not that sort of person, and I'd hardly be able to do anything like that under Ezharan laws." A glance towards Amy. He probably should have told her all that before flirting, in case she got the wrong impression off of him. Too late note.

Kaz leaned towards Malik. "Although," he said, "there is a green-haired boy in a kimono that you may have seen somewhere out and about on the beach. Or maybe he's sleeping... I wouldn't know." A smirk as he glanced down at his phone, fingers tapping at its black screen as he paused to think. "His name is Eiko. Eiko Michori. He's probably closer to someone like what you're talking about, but you shouldn't bother with him. He's not nearly as fun — just how he is. But, you know, I have seen him wandering around with his cast and crew. Some of them are pretty wealthy, and he's always been much more enthusiastic about being near them than I'd ever expect. I wouldn't be surprised to hear if he was something like what you're thinking of, in some manner. A surrogate child for a lonely adult..." Kaz leaned back in his seat. "Dunno if you care for him much, but I figured I may as well tell you, while you're here. A warning of sorts. He's not the sort of guy who shows his emotions or who's easy to read."

Malik:

Malik smiled. “Only fourteen?! Well, I shouldn’t be too surprised, I’m only eight.” He giggled then nodded hearing about eiko. “That sounds good and all but highly troublesome, trying to pawn me off already? Sadly, I can’t just leave and amuse myself I gotta stick close to my brother Aither. He’s that red panda over there who doesn’t realize he is being flirted with. Poor thing can shoot a duck between the eyes but misses every pickup line in the book. “Malik loudly giggles drawing some attention to his cute form.

“Hey friend, you seem to have caught some eyes yourself.” Malik leans his head towards the onlooker and smiles back at kaz. “Shall we play a game? It’s called have you met.”

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
I was so glad, that Amy was more occupied with talking with Aither, because as Malik suggested Kaz, I think his name was, to be a 'Man for the Night', he revealed, that not only he was not (which was good), but that he was also that he was Amy's junior by three years (which was not insurmountable, but decidedly less good).
What had drawn Amy to the lad was beyond me, to my knowledge, she was into older men...
But then again, she was young, so she could sample what the world had to offer before she was too old. Speaking of, at fourteen, he was not legal, at least not anymore, around these parts as well.
A year ago, the law had been changed and the Age of Consent raised from 11 Springs to 15 – long overdue, if one asked me.
“Say, Aither...”, Amy asked with a bit of a teasing smile, “...would you be up for a dance?”

Aither:

Aither looks up having drifted into a daydream hearing someone ask a question. “Do what? Oh uh..” Aither cleared his throat and smiled back. “I’m sorry I don’t dance, not much my thing.” Oh, how he longed for a weapon bout now, too much sitting around becomes boring after so long, he should probably nab up Malik and drag him to the hotel room to get out of here finally. “heh” Aither muttered out loud as he thought of ways to mess with his brother.

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

OOC: post soon

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

As Alexandra took the gesture of listening to Mhairi's story in return, her face could not help but instinctively react according to the story itself, for her shocks, awes and surprises were clearly visible. "Oh my, what a nasty young man, wasn't he!? I would like to pity towards such brutality but I guess things worked out the way they are supposed to...", commented her in a mischievous manner as she took an another sip from her deliciously prepared mango juice drink. Reminiscing on the details again, she continued, "Say, these Kyrenaians do sound like an interesting bunch, don't they? At least from where I am from, we also have people like that whom we call 'Nepalese'. A large number of them live in hills and when it comes to battles, they can be very ferocious!".

After briefly scouting her surrounding once more, Alexandra decided to drop down a new question that had coincidentally popped up in her mind a few seconds earlier, to which she let Mhairi know that she was doing so by inching herself a little closer than she previously was, implying the question's nature. "Say, was modelling personally a little difficult for you? I'd admit that I do look pretty in a general manner but its just, some people do find my really odd-looking eyes a turn off when it comes to planned photoshoots that I should've got. Job only lasted for two weeks before I went to the Army next to seek an actual purpose in my life", as she unexpectedly lamented about her past, her 'odd-looking' eyes did not missed their chance to make a statement as they briefly stared straight in the eyes towards Mhairi's, all the while emphasising the apparent uncommon distance between her eyes and its accompanying large size. Indeed, back when Alexandra herself was a short-term model at the time, her unnatural looks, while subjectively said to be beautiful and captivating also did much to nullify her chances of immediate success in the modelling world despite her royal status which would've logically given her a massive head start. The awfully worded nickname, 'Big-Eyed Princess' still resonated in her head even to the present day, made apparent whenever she revisits her modelling past in any form. Regardless, Alexandra herself has not missed either from coming terms to it through her family members' own appreciation and the fact that her presumed future sister-in-laws themselves are well-involved in the modelling world themselves, aside from their occasional duty as unofficial princesses of the British royal family.

[Western Fardelshufflestein]

Snowflake Hospital, Main Entrance.

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I followed him inside, discarding the paperwork to our driver, who held onto it. Zimmern looked... worried beyond belief.
Anyway, the receptionist nodded, typed something into her keyboard.
“Sure, he is here.”, she said and smiled, “May I have your ID?”
“His name is Cornwall Zimmern. I vouch for him.”, I said from behind Cornwall, smiled up at the man, then put my ID onto the table for the receptionist. A quick flick of her hand and the barcode was scanned and entered into her computer, then the ID was back in my hand. She looked at Cornwall. “Station C, Room 15. Have a nice day!”
I smiled and motioned for the man to follow me, leading him into the building.
The floors were of a nice cream colour, calming and soothing, the floor of laminated wood, which made rolling patients over it easy and cleaning up even easier. I nodded to a nurse at Station C, who was more occupied with looking at Cornwall, checking him out, before she returned to her duties.
I imagined, that it looked very much like a hospital back in his homecountry, only that the signs had different letters on them.
“Your friend really only had a heat stroke and a lot of sunburns. Dangerous if left untreated, but we got to him in time.”, I said and stopped at the door to Room 15. Knocking softly, I opened the door to a standard hospital room, a bit of a small one, but that was standard around here. Only in ICU, the rooms housed more then one patient. I whispered: “He should be sleeping, so please be silent as a mouse!”

Cornwall Zimmern

Cornwall silently crept into his boss's hospital room, careful not to disturb him. As his accompaniment had surmised, Alastair was sleeping; though wrapped in bandages and hooked up to an IV, he showed no signs of distress. But Cornwall could not allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Alastair had been injured because he, Cornwall, hadn't been there to watch over him. He shouldn't have listened to Alastair and taken the day off. 'Twas his job to watch over Alastair, and he had failed to do that--with disastrous results.

This poor man was forced to run the country as his father slowly died, crawling painfully toward an end that seemed on the precipice of approaching yet infinitely far away. He was suffering immensely, what was left of him, for the cancer had overtaken his mental faculties alongside his physical ones. Bedridden, vegetative, King Alastair III was no longer the man who had guided the country for over twenty years. In his stead was a shell that showed no emotion other than agony, that never responded to visual or auditory stimuli, that didn't even recognize his own family. Cornwall had seen, and witnessed, the King display not so much as a simple eye movement at the sound of his own name.

No wonder the Prince had ended up like this. He was grieving a father who was gone by all counts except physically. Even that, however, was reduced to a form unrecognizable. It was as if every sign Alastair III existed was erased, and now the only thing left of him was a heartbeat that grew more feeble each day.

If witnessing the death of the King was debilitating to Cornwall, he could only imagine what it was like for his boss. To know that he was King in all but name, to know that his father was as good as gone, must be so crushing to him. Did he cling to the fact that his father was still clinically alive as solace for the fact that the man who raised him was gone?

Alastair's chest rose and fell steadily, his breathing much stronger than that of his father. The poor man was covered in loose bandages, and, from what Cornwall could see, blisters; a good portion of his face was covered in gauze, but the eyes, the lips, and the tip of the nose were all visible. They were an angry pomegranate, stark against the snowy bandages.

"You Highness?" Cornwall whispered. He approached Alastair's bedside and lowered himself into a nearby chair. The Prince did not stir. He was going to be in a great deal of pain when he awakened, so this was just as well.

Cornwall pulled out his phone to update his boss on the situation. He would need to talk to a doctor to see what Alastair's course of treatment was, how long he would be staying, if he needed skin grafts. Would it be possible to transfer him to a hospital back home, or was it best for him to stay here?

Sighing, Cornwall stood and thanked the woman who was with him. He needed to talk to the nurse, a doctor if he was lucky, who could tell him more about Alastair's condition. This was urgent, very urgent, for he knew everyone at home was desperately worried. And they needed answers, both from him and from Alastair. Since Alastair was asleep right now, the burden fell on Cornwall's shoulders.

[Mediama]

Marion nodded, "I would love to see the view is like from up there." She turned to look closely at the tower. The ruins looked sturdy enough, though there was a little negging feeling on the uncertainty pertaining to the soundness of the structure before her. That tower, as Nia had noted, was centuries old, probably around the same age as Fort Elizabeth, maybe even older. "Still, I'd be lying if I didn't say I am curious as to whether or not the ruins would be sound enough to support us. Either way, I'll take your word for it if it is."

Marion also noticed the temperature cooling as the sun began to set, it looked as if night was coming soon. She felt like regardless if the tower was safe to climb on or not, Nia would be there along the way to help her and reassure her.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I smiled as I led her upwards the small staircase.
“Oh, don't worry.”, I said, “Three centuries of neglect might have done a number on it, but the ruin is more or less safe.”
We climbed up and on the other side of the cliff, another beach lay – there was a party, too, but this seemed to have skipped the part about sending the kids to bed and was already having quite a few heavy drinkers.
Regardless, I paid it no heed.
Half a dozen people was inside, on the ground floor. The ground floor was mostly intact, but not empty: Coolers and boxes turned over as chairs, a camping table as a platform to play cards on.
The oldest looked over to us, her eyes widening.
A moment later, all six stood (a few of them on wobbly feet) and bowed to me lightly. “Good evening, Milady.”, the oldest greeted in English.
“Thank you. Good evening.”, I said and returned the bows, which prompted them to get back to their game. I whispered to Marion a bit sheepishly: “Don't worry... that might happen a few times, actually...”
The ground floor had one hole in the paving of flagstones, a hole next to the entrance, where a spiral staircase went down into a cellar (one, which I knew well), as well as three holes in the walls: Windows, which one once used to look out, to mount light weapons and to shoot at enemies. But what interested me most was the staircase leading up to where a second floor once has been, stones, anchored into the wall.
The second floor has rotted away, but the steps were still there. I led Marion to it and up, careful as the steps were quite slippery.
On top, a bird's nest sat, undisturbed – or so it seemed, at first glance. It was empty, though, it's contents weathered away already. I still put it onto the wall carefully, then motioned for Marion to sit with me, our feet dangling over the ground floor, three meters below.
The view was stunning.

Marion sighed in relief as Nia reassured her that the flow wasn't going to collapse on them as they climbed up the tower. She was right of course, the structure itself seemed rather sturdy for its shape.

So much so in fact, that there were already partygoers inside the tower when they entered, each of them bowed in respect.

Marion nodded in understanding as Nia explained, she had heard of the Selkie's reverence toward their elders. To be a woman whose physical age was significantly different from her actual age... she'd be equally embarrassed herself after a while. It was similar to some of the celebrity worship she received from some of her fans occasionally. Whilst she may show herself to be a woman of grace and poise, there's still plenty of flaws she has on her own.

She was human after all.

Nevertheless, they made their way up the tower, taking in the sights of what looked to be a once intimidating tower with the number of windows available to mount weapons on. Eventually they reached the second floor of the tower, its floor rotted away, home to a sole bird's nest that was long gone. As Nia motioned for her to sit next to her, she unbottoned then slipped off her shoes and stockings, put them and her bag safely next to her, outside of the threat of the long drop, before she sat next to Nia, taking in the sight before them while she swung her feet and wiggled her toes.

The sun was setting on the horizon before them, providing a backdrop for the festivities below, a grouping of lights and music as the festivals themselves changed with the passing of time, with the children being called to bed she imagined. She could even see the people scampering around the grounds like ants, moving around in their bikinis on their own accord to their own destinations.

Further out to sea, she could see the lights of several yachts and boats, and the vast ocean before them, dark blue tinted with the reddish orange of the sunset.

As she continued to take in the view, she leaned onto Nia's frame, resting her head against the crook of her neck, her heat a contrast to the cold of the height they were at as she took her hand in her own. "It's perfect." She said softly. "Like something you'd see at picnic with port and cheese."

It was indeed a picturesque view.

[Mervay]

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
I smiled softly at the two youngsters.
“It would be my honour to attend your wedding, when the time comes.”, I said and bowed my head lightly, but all in good time. The foxes were nuzzling their kinsman Dilly goodbye and in but a moment, I would have to do something similar. “Though, before that time comes, allow me to tell you the story of how I met Princess Macha... that is for another day, however.”
As they had finished packing up, I nodded.
“You'll find my young vixen at the Slácan Bar. It's an establishment of the Pléaráca Hotel, which she likes to frequent. A good place, though, keep your wits about you.”, I cautioned, especially looking at Lucas. I did not worry about his eyes lingering where they shouldn't, but better be safe then sorry. I opened my arms. “Now, allow an old man a hug!”

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
It did not seem as if Athena held my lingering eyes against me – I would have to make sure, though, that it didn't repeat itself. At least not too often... no, not at all!
End of discussion!
And after her teasing, she asked me, what sort of woman I liked.
I will freely admit, that I felt a bit stumped.
“I... am a bit at a loss about that question.”, I admitted, leaned back, “I mean... I never really thought about it that much, you know? Not like, me writing down a list or something like that.” I was silent for a moment. “I guess, if it clicks, it clicks?”
That was the best answer I could give her.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
It was thankful to know they had already an confirmed guest to their wedding when it happens, even so it was one it was likely to take a while to prepare as they needed time and to try to go an step at the time. More considering they only begun dating six or eight months ago if memory served them right. So this would take a bit longer than expected, but it could be pulled off well. Meanwhile Dilly was having his goodbye's with his kin, Gawain told them about a story for another time which was how he met Princess Macha, which by the history Lise knew... It was certainly a tale of another era, one left behind more than a thousand years ago; it made her and Lucas for the matter as soon as he heard about it from Lisolette, how old was the spirit in front of them? That was something for another day; they sighed relieved they would just had to go back to the hotel to talk with her, of course he saw the glare thrown at him and knew well what it meant, his eyes were on Lise and Lise only.

Of course they smiled as they gave him a warm hug for the last time in a while before finally leaving.

"We will keep in touch!" Lise shouted at their friend before fading into the route leading to the bar, it was; awkward to say the least. The Crown Princess knew her boyfriend well to know what would be his next question, even so she didn't wanted to hear it. His head turned at her before making the dreaded question.

"Lise, why didn't you tell them who you really were when you met them?" There it was, his eyes were serious and slightly cold before shifting to an more concerned glare which she wasn't expecting. "Were you scared about how they might had reacted if they found out?" It was the question she most dreaded after the other one and yet she should had expected it. Lise could only sigh before looking at him.

"Yes-" She let a beat pass. "I could had told them everything back in Purgatio and come clean but; I felt that maybe I shouldn't say it, fearing I will be seen as someone above others or that people would use me to get favours. I mean, I know well they won't do that; but, it's just something I have in my mind ever since I was born." It also helped her to not mention it during those two terrible exchanges she had a year ago, otherwise it would had been far worse. She could hear her boyfriend had the same sigh she did as she mentioned that.

"Well guess we're two on that field, both regarding status and how to conceal our true identities while being us. It has never been easy to hide that small part of ourselves that will always have, no matter what; some weight on the opinions of everyone on us." He sighed once again at that, the Crown Princess of Ardens and young child of two from a Military and Law Enforcement family; with Lise's case she was also known as a renowed musician and very talented too at that, but also had the "hidden" (only because she wasn't fan of singing in public for an massive audience) talent of being a great singer, that and how her cold stare from her eyes inherited from her parents; Lucas shared her passion for music, being a great singer also and good guitarist and bassist, which was the only instrument he was good at compared to his girlfriend, which was very proficient in a great variety of instruments, far more than he could count on. And him? Well he was known as being a very cold person considering the background of his family if found on serious moments and very deductive and a kind of a tactician and administrator; it should be no wonder from who he got it.

It seemed however, they will have to come to grips to that part when it comes to the people they're trusting this, embrace it as part of themselves not as what defines them, but as just another bit of themselves rather than let it be the key factor of a personality. Something which she thought after hearing what her boyfriend said, the right words for her to find the right answer; and it made her crack a little smile about it.

"But we can always make it the least important part of us, that we want to be defined by who we really are than what we are, to embrace it and let it be just a part of us rather than the defining trait of our personalities! We don't have to be only a Princess and the son of a military family, we know who we are and no one can change that!" She was so determined that Lucas could see that small bit of self-doubt on her was gone, very unlike her and out of character, yet an needed talk to come to terms with who she was; one that it also helped him as well to be confident on that area as well.

The Blue haired teen glared at Dilly and just smiled as he followed them. 'I can see even better now why you and her are so similar to the other now. So determined and confident.' He chuckled at that as his hand linked with hers, making the Crown Princess look at his direction. Their eyes said it all, that warm feeling in the other as they reassured each other and themselves; a minute of silence as they walked down the road to the bar to finally come clean, Lise to her friends of long time and while Lucas hasn't knew them for as long as she did, he also considered friends as well, just like they considered Gawain one.

Athena Freezis
It was quite the answer, that's for sure; one she had to give it thought as to how answer it in a way that convinces her. Difficult; she had given it thought interestly, yet how she could word it without making it sound like a list?

"Quite the answer I've must say." She said, smiling slightly while a finger goes to her chin in a thoughtful expression, tilting her head a bit as she thought of her answer before telling it loud. Then; she had it.

"If I have to say about myself, I want... Someone who can stay with me all our lives and beyond-" She let a beat pass, knowing how to answer the rest. "Someone who can stay with me and help me during the high's and low's like I will for him; someone who sees me for who I'am than what I'am, that treats me like an important character in his life rather than some background for his story; someone that is kind, beautiful, passionate, smart, confident, but most importantly; that he's his own person, that whatever mask he has is able to be thrown away in the security and comfort of the one you love and trust." The businesswoman kept silent for a minute as she was lost in those thoughts; she has found that person in front of her, her heart is confirming it while her mind is making sure she tests the waters like she's doing now before going that way, slow but steady and don't rush it. She then returned back, as her thoughtful glare was replaced by a warm one.

"That's the type of person I would like to have besides me in my life..."

[The Selkie]

Somewhere on the Beach.

Marion sighed in relief as Nia reassured her that the flow wasn't going to collapse on them as they climbed up the tower. She was right of course, the structure itself seemed rather sturdy for its shape.

So much so in fact, that there were already partygoers inside the tower when they entered, each of them bowed in respect.

Marion nodded in understanding as Nia explained, she had heard of the Selkie's reverence toward their elders. To be a woman whose physical age was significantly different from her actual age... she'd be equally embarrassed herself after a while. It was similar to some of the celebrity worship she received from some of her fans occasionally. Whilst she may show herself to be a woman of grace and poise, there's still plenty of flaws she has on her own.

She was human after all.

Nevertheless, they made their way up the tower, taking in the sights of what looked to be a once intimidating tower with the number of windows available to mount weapons on. Eventually they reached the second floor of the tower, its floor rotted away, home to a sole bird's nest that was long gone. As Nia motioned for her to sit next to her, she unbottoned then slipped off her shoes and stockings, put them and her bag safely next to her, outside of the threat of the long drop, before she sat next to Nia, taking in the sight before them while she swung her feet and wiggled her toes.

The sun was setting on the horizon before them, providing a backdrop for the festivities below, a grouping of lights and music as the festivals themselves changed with the passing of time, with the children being called to bed she imagined. She could even see the people scampering around the grounds like ants, moving around in their bikinis on their own accord to their own destinations.

Further out to sea, she could see the lights of several yachts and boats, and the vast ocean before them, dark blue tinted with the reddish orange of the sunset.

As she continued to take in the view, she leaned onto Nia's frame, resting her head against the crook of her neck, her heat a contrast to the cold of the height they were at as she took her hand in her own. "It's perfect." She said softly. "Like something you'd see at picnic with port and cheese."

It was indeed a picturesque view.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Marion's comment made me smile, wrapping an arm around her frame softly.
Indeed, soon the sun would vanish and make way for the moon and the stars, Moricil having a field day with his canvas – or the Nacinnór chasing each other. That depended on which belief system one followed.
Sure, there was a scientific explanation of stars and galaxies and whatnot, Branwen had written an entire novel set up there, but... it was so dry. Imagining Gods chasing each other or someone using the sky as his canvas was more fun.
Besides, the view was too beautiful.
“It is almost as beautiful as you are.”, I told Marion with a smile.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
It was thankful to know they had already an confirmed guest to their wedding when it happens, even so it was one it was likely to take a while to prepare as they needed time and to try to go an step at the time. More considering they only begun dating six or eight months ago if memory served them right. So this would take a bit longer than expected, but it could be pulled off well. Meanwhile Dilly was having his goodbye's with his kin, Gawain told them about a story for another time which was how he met Princess Macha, which by the history Lise knew... It was certainly a tale of another era, one left behind more than a thousand years ago; it made her and Lucas for the matter as soon as he heard about it from Lisolette, how old was the spirit in front of them? That was something for another day; they sighed relieved they would just had to go back to the hotel to talk with her, of course he saw the glare thrown at him and knew well what it meant, his eyes were on Lise and Lise only.

Of course they smiled as they gave him a warm hug for the last time in a while before finally leaving.

"We will keep in touch!" Lise shouted at their friend before fading into the route leading to the bar, it was; awkward to say the least. The Crown Princess knew her boyfriend well to know what would be his next question, even so she didn't wanted to hear it. His head turned at her before making the dreaded question.

"Lise, why didn't you tell them who you really were when you met them?" There it was, his eyes were serious and slightly cold before shifting to an more concerned glare which she wasn't expecting. "Were you scared about how they might had reacted if they found out?" It was the question she most dreaded after the other one and yet she should had expected it. Lise could only sigh before looking at him.

"Yes-" She let a beat pass. "I could had told them everything back in Purgatio and come clean but; I felt that maybe I shouldn't say it, fearing I will be seen as someone above others or that people would use me to get favours. I mean, I know well they won't do that; but, it's just something I have in my mind ever since I was born." It also helped her to not mention it during those two terrible exchanges she had a year ago, otherwise it would had been far worse. She could hear her boyfriend had the same sigh she did as she mentioned that.

"Well guess we're two on that field, both regarding status and how to conceal our true identities while being us. It has never been easy to hide that small part of ourselves that will always have, no matter what; some weight on the opinions of everyone on us." He sighed once again at that, the Crown Princess of Ardens and young child of two from a Military and Law Enforcement family; with Lise's case she was also known as a renowed musician and very talented too at that, but also had the "hidden" (only because she wasn't fan of singing in public for an massive audience) talent of being a great singer, that and how her cold stare from her eyes inherited from her parents; Lucas shared her passion for music, being a great singer also and good guitarist and bassist, which was the only instrument he was good at compared to his girlfriend, which was very proficient in a great variety of instruments, far more than he could count on. And him? Well he was known as being a very cold person considering the background of his family if found on serious moments and very deductive and a kind of a tactician and administrator; it should be no wonder from who he got it.

It seemed however, they will have to come to grips to that part when it comes to the people they're trusting this, embrace it as part of themselves not as what defines them, but as just another bit of themselves rather than let it be the key factor of a personality. Something which she thought after hearing what her boyfriend said, the right words for her to find the right answer; and it made her crack a little smile about it.

"But we can always make it the least important part of us, that we want to be defined by who we really are than what we are, to embrace it and let it be just a part of us rather than the defining trait of our personalities! We don't have to be only a Princess and the son of a military family, we know who we are and no one can change that!" She was so determined that Lucas could see that small bit of self-doubt on her was gone, very unlike her and out of character, yet an needed talk to come to terms with who she was; one that it also helped him as well to be confident on that area as well.

The Blue haired teen glared at Dilly and just smiled as he followed them. 'I can see even better now why you and her are so similar to the other now. So determined and confident.' He chuckled at that as his hand linked with hers, making the Crown Princess look at his direction. Their eyes said it all, that warm feeling in the other as they reassured each other and themselves; a minute of silence as they walked down the road to the bar to finally come clean, Lise to her friends of long time and while Lucas hasn't knew them for as long as she did, he also considered friends as well, just like they considered Gawain one.

Princess Alya bint-Sarah.
I was a veteran of BI, so of course I knew Gawain – and I knew, that he said of himself, that he was as old as the Mountains and as young as the Breeze. As confusing as that statement seemed, it seemed to hold true, at least as far as the chronicles were concerned, mentioning him as a warrior for the High King of Mountain and Forest in the First Century BCE, during the War of the Cosántarraighi.
And even in those, he was mentioned as a wise and ancient warrior.
I also knew, that everyone talking with him usually left as his friend. He had this air about him, of ancient wisdom and familiarity.
That being said, I smiled at the two teenagers as both the two of them and I were leaving the beach. I wanted to get to bed early tonight, was uninterested in the drinking, which would undoubtedly come. Uninterested in their conversation, I was a few meters in front of them, saying goodbye to a friend with a short hug and kisses on both cheeks before resuming my way towards the hotel (and thus not catching a word of their conversation).
I noticed the Little Black Fox, though.
“Aw, that is a cute thaelshaebhar!”, I said with a smile, looked at the two, “Is he yours?” Then I let a beat pass before asking: “It is a he, right?”

By the Bar.

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"I might have, but only in passing," Gerald replied, sipping his apple juice as he did. "Most of the time, when we're testing the yachts we're going around the waters of The Free Lands, setting sail from Traverse and back. Guess that's another addition to our 'must-see' lists moving forward," he added with a chuckle.
"I take it, then, that the Eornor Peninsula is a place of great beauty?"

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I thought for a moment.
“Redruth is always worth a visit, especially if you like the Marcach – Crúb House, the Guild's Headquarters, is near Redruth. And the Eascann Brewery is in the town as well.” I craned for a moment. “Fi, that is Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan, should be around here as well – she can sing songs about their barley ale!” I giggled. “Granted, she is the company heiress and everyone here could sing of the Lasite Lass with the White Crown.”

[...]

Aither:
(Image)

Aither looks up having drifted into a daydream hearing someone ask a question. “Do what? Oh uh..” Aither cleared his throat and smiled back. “I’m sorry I don’t dance, not much my thing.” Oh, how he longed for a weapon bout now, too much sitting around becomes boring after so long, he should probably nab up Malik and drag him to the hotel room to get out of here finally. “heh” Aither muttered out loud as he thought of ways to mess with his brother.

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
I resisted the urge to pout, but the fox ears on my head did droop in disappointment.
“What is your thing then?”, I asked after a short recovery, “Aside from swordfighting, that is.” I did not forget, that we would be having a date tomorrow. I could very much imagine, that he would like messing with his little brother, after all, I knew, how siblings worked. “You might want to think about getting Malik to bed, because not too long and the alcohol will be brought out. He might receive the petting of a lifetime, but it would be more fun, if all involved could remember it by tomorrow morning...”

Slácan Bar, Pléaráca Hotel.

As Alexandra took the gesture of listening to Mhairi's story in return, her face could not help but instinctively react according to the story itself, for her shocks, awes and surprises were clearly visible. "Oh my, what a nasty young man, wasn't he!? I would like to pity towards such brutality but I guess things worked out the way they are supposed to...", commented her in a mischievous manner as she took an another sip from her deliciously prepared mango juice drink. Reminiscing on the details again, she continued, "Say, these Kyrenaians do sound like an interesting bunch, don't they? At least from where I am from, we also have people like that whom we call 'Nepalese'. A large number of them live in hills and when it comes to battles, they can be very ferocious!".

After briefly scouting her surrounding once more, Alexandra decided to drop down a new question that had coincidentally popped up in her mind a few seconds earlier, to which she let Mhairi know that she was doing so by inching herself a little closer than she previously was, implying the question's nature. "Say, was modelling personally a little difficult for you? I'd admit that I do look pretty in a general manner but its just, some people do find my really odd-looking eyes a turn off when it comes to planned photoshoots that I should've got. Job only lasted for two weeks before I went to the Army next to seek an actual purpose in my life", as she unexpectedly lamented about her past, her 'odd-looking' eyes did not missed their chance to make a statement as they briefly stared straight in the eyes towards Mhairi's, all the while emphasising the apparent uncommon distance between her eyes and its accompanying large size. Indeed, back when Alexandra herself was a short-term model at the time, her unnatural looks, while subjectively said to be beautiful and captivating also did much to nullify her chances of immediate success in the modelling world despite her royal status which would've logically given her a massive head start. The awfully worded nickname, 'Big-Eyed Princess' still resonated in her head even to the present day, made apparent whenever she revisits her modelling past in any form. Regardless, Alexandra herself has not missed either from coming terms to it through her family members' own appreciation and the fact that her presumed future sister-in-laws themselves are well-involved in the modelling world themselves, aside from their occasional duty as unofficial princesses of the British royal family.

Mhairi Uasal of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I thought for a moment.
“Aside from a bit of stage fright, no, it actually was never really a problem for me.”, I said and shrugged, “Though don't listen to the people, who think you look odd – they're just narrow-minded arseholes, who can't see beyond certain things.” I took a sip of my own drink and thought for a moment, then turned to the barkeeper: “May I borrow the photograph of Aynur-Ilkhana for a moment?”
The barkeeper nodded and handed over a framed photograph, which showed three people: One was the barkeeper himself and then two Kyrenaians. One was a young man, dark skinned and with blonde hair, well dressed and holding a cane in one hand, a tall young man as well, his red eyes shining like rubies. Next to him, a woman stood, dark skinned as well, her flaming red hair held back by a golden circlet, her lips blue, her green eyes shining with motherly bemusement.
Her arms were about as thick as the trunk of a small tree, her body toned and by far not as curvy as mine, but she did have the built of a fighter – and despite her toned figure, she looked absolutely stunning.
“The woman is Aynur, the Ilkhana of Megido. The lad is her oldest son, Prince Okan.”, I explained, “She is a Lasite, one of the warrior-women of Kyrenaia's Desert Mountains – and although she was and is not exactly a classical beauty, neither by our standards, nor by Kyrenaian Standards, she was one of the most sought-after bachelor women back in the days before she married a man, who could hold his own against her with a sabre. One might be tempted to say, that this was because she was a Lasite Princess, but those, who know the warrior-women know, that this is poppycock.”
“By the way, that image was when she was...”, the barkeeper began and thought for a moment: “...48 Springs or something.”

Athena Freezis
It was quite the answer, that's for sure; one she had to give it thought as to how answer it in a way that convinces her. Difficult; she had given it thought interestly, yet how she could word it without making it sound like a list?

"Quite the answer I've must say." She said, smiling slightly while a finger goes to her chin in a thoughtful expression, tilting her head a bit as she thought of her answer before telling it loud. Then; she had it.

"If I have to say about myself, I want... Someone who can stay with me all our lives and beyond-" She let a beat pass, knowing how to answer the rest. "Someone who can stay with me and help me during the high's and low's like I will for him; someone who sees me for who I'am than what I'am, that treats me like an important character in his life rather than some background for his story; someone that is kind, beautiful, passionate, smart, confident, but most importantly; that he's his own person, that whatever mask he has is able to be thrown away in the security and comfort of the one you love and trust." The businesswoman kept silent for a minute as she was lost in those thoughts; she has found that person in front of her, her heart is confirming it while her mind is making sure she tests the waters like she's doing now before going that way, slow but steady and don't rush it. She then returned back, as her thoughtful glare was replaced by a warm one.

"That's the type of person I would like to have besides me in my life..."

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I put my hand on the table, palm up, ready to take her hand into mine, should she want to.
I was silent for a long time.
My Father taught me, that one should treat a woman with honesty and respect – and maybe my reply was influenced by my experiences with my own mother, who died when I was but a child, and by my experiences with my own father, who was sad ever since.
“I am not sure, if I can be that person.”, I admitted, “Let's be honest, Athena, I like you. The two of us work well together and I would love to see, where we can go together... still, we know each other for but a few hours now. I do not know, if I am the right guy for you, if you don't deserve someone... well, better.” I let a beat pass. “Aside from that, I am many things, but 'kind' is not among them.”

Snowflake Hospital, Main Entrance.

Cornwall Zimmern

Cornwall silently crept into his boss's hospital room, careful not to disturb him. As his accompaniment had surmised, Alastair was sleeping; though wrapped in bandages and hooked up to an IV, he showed no signs of distress. But Cornwall could not allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Alastair had been injured because he, Cornwall, hadn't been there to watch over him. He shouldn't have listened to Alastair and taken the day off. 'Twas his job to watch over Alastair, and he had failed to do that--with disastrous results.

This poor man was forced to run the country as his father slowly died, crawling painfully toward an end that seemed on the precipice of approaching yet infinitely far away. He was suffering immensely, what was left of him, for the cancer had overtaken his mental faculties alongside his physical ones. Bedridden, vegetative, King Alastair III was no longer the man who had guided the country for over twenty years. In his stead was a shell that showed no emotion other than agony, that never responded to visual or auditory stimuli, that didn't even recognize his own family. Cornwall had seen, and witnessed, the King display not so much as a simple eye movement at the sound of his own name.

No wonder the Prince had ended up like this. He was grieving a father who was gone by all counts except physically. Even that, however, was reduced to a form unrecognizable. It was as if every sign Alastair III existed was erased, and now the only thing left of him was a heartbeat that grew more feeble each day.

If witnessing the death of the King was debilitating to Cornwall, he could only imagine what it was like for his boss. To know that he was King in all but name, to know that his father was as good as gone, must be so crushing to him. Did he cling to the fact that his father was still clinically alive as solace for the fact that the man who raised him was gone?

Alastair's chest rose and fell steadily, his breathing much stronger than that of his father. The poor man was covered in loose bandages, and, from what Cornwall could see, blisters; a good portion of his face was covered in gauze, but the eyes, the lips, and the tip of the nose were all visible. They were an angry pomegranate, stark against the snowy bandages.

"You Highness?" Cornwall whispered. He approached Alastair's bedside and lowered himself into a nearby chair. The Prince did not stir. He was going to be in a great deal of pain when he awakened, so this was just as well.

Cornwall pulled out his phone to update his boss on the situation. He would need to talk to a doctor to see what Alastair's course of treatment was, how long he would be staying, if he needed skin grafts. Would it be possible to transfer him to a hospital back home, or was it best for him to stay here?

Sighing, Cornwall stood and thanked the woman who was with him. He needed to talk to the nurse, a doctor if he was lucky, who could tell him more about Alastair's condition. This was urgent, very urgent, for he knew everyone at home was desperately worried. And they needed answers, both from him and from Alastair. Since Alastair was asleep right now, the burden fell on Cornwall's shoulders.

Celina Altra of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I waited outside, leaving the two men to their own devices – I would hear, if there would be any sort of distress, without a doubt. When Zimmern left the room, I still stood there, he thanked me and looked around for someone.
“You look like you want to speak with someone, who is in charge.”, I said and motioned for him to follow me. The ward nurse left a room not too far away, an older woman with the silhouette of a barrel. She held a notepad, looked at me, then at Zimmern, then back at me and gave me a long look. “Milady Mairin.”, I greeted with a small bow, she nodded, “This is Cornwall Zimmern, he is the travelling companion of the man in Room 15.”
“Ah, heatstroke and sunburn.”, the woman replied and nodded, then smiled at Cornwall. “Don't worry, lad, we'll keep him overnight and make a few tests tomorrow to see, if any complications arise. If that comes back negative, we'll release him by the end of the week. He should take it slow for the forseeable future, though... and avoid alcohol.”
The last was accompanied by a very stern look.