A Beach Feast (IC)

by **Lillorainen** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:47 pm

While Chris couldn't see, that Cel's Mam was taking a snapshot with her smartphone, he wouldn't have been surprised, if quite a few people were now watching and taking images. No wonder, actually ...
Little Enya got to an idea, asking her 'Big Sis Cel' if she could ask her 'Big Bro Chris' for a dance later on, which immediately, without any further notes or questions, received 'Big Sis Cel's' approval, whereupon she did what she had been permitted to do at once.
It had worked last time in Launceston, just like it had worked with Princess Marla back in Dumhach, and with Little Enya growing, the height gap to compensate would decrease even more. Of course, she would be too big to receive Cel's permission someday, but this 'someday' was still quite a couple of years ahead, and who knew where Chris and Cel would be then, anyways. That would be a point to discuss ... well, a 'someday' before that 'someday'.
But, by the Aesir, Vanir, and Jötnar - that cuteness level!
While Chris felt his heart melting, too, he said, "It would be a pleasure to me!"

Alya compared the price range of Shamsiyyan Raki to the one of Kyrenaian Doggy Aragh - which caused horrific memories with Amy. Those in the know already were aware of the morning she had woken up and noticed, that she had ended up rolled up on Kean's back, and those not in the know where aware, that there was no sense in asking how that could have happened, for neither Amy, nor Kean would remember themselves, anyway. But everyone could imagine how long it had taken them to cure their hangovers.
Kira had to laugh again. "I'll take your word!" - she said. "I now feel reminded of the effects of other beverages we're not used to, especially Seishu - this stuff has already caused some of us waking up next to each other and strangers and having no idea as to how that happened, or why." She shrugged. "Not that I wanted to go in detail with that - at least not before we're well beyond ten o'clock."
Dragan added, "Which reminds me of another important point to consider, should you ever end up in Wiedheim - do yourself a favor and politely refuse any beverage recommendations by locals, if you can't immediately understand the names of them, or pronounce them correctly! Otherwise, these episodes are precisely what is almost inevitable to occur. Needless to say, I'm talking from experience."
Leo put her hands up. "Innocent!" - she said.
Kira snorted.

by **Shikonjima** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 2:47 pm

Setsuko thought about the saying and its meaning for a moment, then nodded. It could easily serve as a warning about an impending coup d'etat, but then, there were businesspeople who could harm you more than any head of state or government could, if they were keen on showing you, that you were in their way.
"Yeah, that sounds familiar" - she said. "We have a fairly similar saying from old times, although one might need to add, that centuries back, the saying usually got amended by the note, that bringing mercenaries would also be appropriate once two merchants meet, provided one of them is blonde and pale." She shrugged. "And while this may sound, as if this had been targeted against merchants of the Storöer-League in particular, it was actually rather representative for the general attitude towards merchants from very faraway places in general." She took another sip of lemonade, wondering if leaving it in the sun would actually leave pieces of sugar at the bottom of the glass in the same manner one could gain salt from vaporizing sea water. "Truth be told, Shikonjimanese guilds back then didn't really trust merchants from Lillorainen and its surroundings. Of course, this is a thing of the past now."
The history was known - with all the mutual trade between Shikonjima and what would now be Lillorainen in medieval times, there had been a lot of mistrust from both sides, a part of the problem possibly being, that Shikonjima and Shamsiyya, both high cultures with millennia on the clock and a similarly long history of trading with each other and drawing clear lines between there spheres of influence while rarely crossing them, suddenly had been confronted with a new, imponderable trade power from another direction - naturally, this power everyone had, up to that point, simply perceived as a funny bunch of Vikings roaming around on the islands they themselves had abandoned millennia before, had been viewed with suspicion. Over the time, the trade relations had evolved into a trade war, and even to a literal war in 1562, near Lollerup. With this, the Clan Wars lasting until more than a century later, the founding of the Shogunate and acquisition of colonies, as well as Saressidia emancipating itself from the Sharulsi Empire and starting to become a power factor on its own, the traditional east-west trade routes had lost most of their meaning, as opposed to new north-south routes. This, with lots of changes in power, had gone on for centuries - but now, the Shikonjimanese relationships with the Federation, not only trade-wise, were stronger than ever. The JATRACO railway project, which the Lillorainian Railway Company LBB assisted in, would make their trade with each other, as well as the countries located along the new railroad, even more efficient. And all this history had left Shikonjimanese merchants amazingly pragmatic - could a nation that had managed to arrange with hordes of Vikings and Mongols, and to go out of this successfully, really be afraid of anything?
With this important history lesson in mind, Setsuko sometimes dreamed of travelling back in time and telling a Shikonjimanese merchant, that there once would be an alliance called SEA, with Lillos, Shamsiyyans, Selkie, and a few more involved, while Shikonjima wouldn't be part of it, but openly welcome people from all of the member states - only to see their reaction. Then again, there was little fun to have in medieval Shikonjima, if someone had been thought to be crazy ...
"But yeah, generally spoken, it's similar with us" - she continued. "Everyone has to go out of a deal knowing, that it has been a fair one - and, another important point, that no party is giving gold coins to a cat; everyone involved should receive what they put a value in. Of course, you'll also find merchants, who limit it to giving their trade partners the feeling of having made a good deal - in other words, they wish to sell your underwear without you noticing -, but that kind exists everywhere, and they usually stay in their niches and rarely, if at all, succeed among the big players, who are keen on preserving their face."
She shrugged.
"Looks like our codes of honor aren't too different, eh?"

Kazuo and Yelda had snorted in amusement, too.
"As I said, we can only go by the previews so far" - Kazuo said, "but I could easily imagine, that it's severely dependent on what kind of map one plays. Of course, if you have a map rich at all sorts of resources you need nearby and all you need to do is train enough villagers in order to keep a constant, sufficient influx of resources onto your stockpile, then sure, it'll remain a gimmick for nerds for most of the time. But once you play on a map with any particular resource barely available, or even not at all, the thing will start to get interesting, for the only way for you to get that particular resource on a larger scale will be trading your other resources away for it - especially if it's not gold or silver, which you technically can alternatively generate by trading with your allies. And even if it is either of both, it'll still get interesting, for akin to the AoE mechanics, the prices and exchange rates will not be static, but will vary on a supply-and-demand basis. The more you buy of a given commodity, the more expensive it will get."
"And it might be universally the same for all players" - Yelda added. "Imagine a map in the style of Shikonjima or the Ferinan-Archipelago, with lots of gold, but few silver mines to speak of. Even though the silver price might only rise slightly, if one player buys some, it would easily hit the roof as soon as all players keep purchasing silver for their technologies and for units which high silver costs - especially those playing civilizations with very silver-intensive units. I could quite imagine, that it keeps the game fluent and exciting even in scenarios where you have two halves of the map basically playing Cold War and waiting for the first one to charge, for there's always something to keep track on in your own lands, even in the static phases of the game where you're waiting for the action to happen - without keeping you too busy to have an eye on the frontlines."
"And if it's only trying to beat Yelda at building Wonders, eh?" - Kazuo said.
"This will clearly be one of my favorite parts!" - Yelda replied, grinning. "Aside from razing those of the trash unit noobs, that is."

by **Aurora Confederacy** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 5:00 pm

"Nah, I will be here, whilst Karen heads over to the group" replied Jason, "this will probably burn for an hour or so before dying down, by that time, the bits should be cooked nicely"

Marvin just stretched out clenched his paws and lay his head on the sand as Ribin petted him, yes "Lake Hai'lu'kai's most dangerous cat" is actually soft, very soft!

Karen however looked over towards Nolly, she was however not quite sure sure what was said but figured it was not that polite, however Karen is of a polite nature and so gave a smile towards Nolly. "heya" she said when Nolly got a bit closer whilst reaching over towards Marvin, tickling the pads of one of his paws

by **Polish Prussian Commonwealth** » Sun Jan 19, 2020 6:43 pm

The Selkie wrote:
Polish Prussian Commonwealth wrote:Stanislaus
The temporary relaxation from sketching soon turned into frustration.
God-damn, why was drawing hands so difficult? He could draw machines of war well enough, but hands were hit damned pet peeve. After a few more tries, each ending in frustration, he threw in the towel and decided to sleep off his jet lag.

Marie-Adelheid
"...erm...uh...I'm not sure about that...there are kids here..." Marie blushed and seemed a little uncomfortable. "...We don't normally wear these things, back at home..."

Adelheid shook her head at the sight of Marie...although, truth be told, she was had a bit of the same issue. She wasn't totally against the idea of changing into something else-after all, she did want to go swimming later...but...well, if Irene was here, she'd probably wring her neck.

She shook her head clear of these thoughts, turned back to Illia and smiled at his salute.
"Starting early, eh? Not bad. And Logistics as well...Bullets don't fly without supply, as they say..."
She paused for a little bit.
"What's it like being in the Younger Militas? Do you just play around with crossbows and pikes?"

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Macha smiled.
"Don't worry, I am not talking about lingerie here!", she clarified and glanced over to Cao, "I am thinking more along the lines of what Cao is wearing, at the most."
Cao struck a pose, grinning, which showed off her red bikini, a modest piece, which left much to the imagination and didn't emphasize any of her curves, modest as they were (please don't tell her I thought that...). "You may take a closer look, if you want!", she offered to Marie with a grin.
I grinned.

Ilia, meanwhile, bit back an impolite comment.
"I am still a Middle Schooler and thus a Child, so that means, that I am trained to use spear and shield to defend my city and represent it at ceremonial occasions.", he told her, "Aside from that, the afternoon a week we spent with Younger Militia Training is also the time we learn things like first aid, a bit of survival skills and NBC-Protection Drills, once a year." He shrugged. "A remain of the times, when the Lutetiians and us were in a sort-of Cold War."
"Luckily, those days are over.", a new voice suddenly chimed in, belonging to a woman, who was pale as milk, her long hair open and her blue eyes like sapphires. She was of a slim built, dressed in a modest bikini in white as she slung her arms around Ilia and pulled him into a hug from behind. "Took a while, but they are."
"Hi, Mam!", Ilia said, then turned to Heidi, "Miss Adelheid, me Mam, Eithne Banphrionsa of the Tribe of Cavan. Mam, Miss Adelheid."
Banphrionsa bowed her head lightly, looking Heidi in the eyes, not challenging, but measuring. "It is a pleasure.", she said.

Adelheid
Adelheid blushed. "Oh. Erm...Sorry. Yven mentioned something about you all doing disaster relief, but...ah...sorry about that...In any case, I assume the drills in question are the standard 'hide under your desk' sort of thing?"

At the arrival of Illia's mother, Adelheid stood and bowed her head a little, subconciously dusting off her cargo-shorts and t-shirt. "A pleasure to meet you here as well, Madame Banphrionsa..."
"...If only I could say the same for Prussia-Poland." she added grimly.

Marie

Marie calmed a little. "Ah...still, things like this weren't common back home...granted, I lived pretty far inland and I've never really gone to the beach...Back in Ochjno, we usually went backpacking instead. We'd spend a day or two in the woods, then head back...But in any case...erm, have you any spares?"

Tomasz and Stanislaus

Stanislaus would find his rest being rudely disturbed by a sharp pain in his ribs.

"OW!" he yelled, as he sat up, to find a certain Lipka Tatar staring at him with a shit-eating grin.

"Oi." the newcomer said. "How you, gelding?"
"For fuck's sake, Tomasz, I only lost one ball. And I was doing just fine until you broke my ribs."
"Oh, shut up. If you could handle your ball being shot off with only a few minutes of crying like a little girl you can handle a kick."
"Two entirely different things."
"So you say. Marie here?"
"Aye, think so. So is Big Boss, but they're both busy."

Tomasz raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see-OW!"
He rubbed his stinging cheek.

Stanislaus laughed. "Get your head outta the gutter or I'll throw much worse than my hand at your cheek!"

"Oh, fuck off." Tomasz groaned. "You going to throw your shoe at me or somethi-"
Stanislaus began unlacing his boots. Tomasz cringed. "Let's not go there, aye, Stan?"

"Hmmm, maybe..."
"Okay, fine I'm sorry, just don't throw a shoe at me."
"Aight, fair enough."

by **Minroz** » Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:55 am

The Selkie wrote:Isla Stiúrthóir of the Tribe of Fingal.
I waved my goodbye at them, smiling, but soon had another customer, funnily enough the white-haired girl, which Nasrollah had bumped into and someone, who looked an awful lot like her mother.
Both wanted salads and both got salads - another happy pair of customers.
They, too, sought the shade of a palm tree nearby, which was almost identical with the tree line...

Samira Tanqulia.
Kaylee Paisúile of the Tribe of Galway was an awesome woman.
She had short, purple hair, a singular yellow eye, the other being covered by an eyepatch. She was so mature and self-confident, even with someone like me, a Kyrenaian girl, who practiced Mobility Archery, following her. I was curious and she was only happy to sate that curiosity.
What was I curious about?
All along the tree line, including close by a couple of tourists under a palm tree, were small bowls. These small bowls were filled with all manner of foods, which animals would love.
The Tribute, as the Selkie called it.
This was my first time in the Free Lands, too, so I was unfamiliar with this custom, but it seemed logical: Instead of fighting with humans for food, which they might not even like, there was a small offering in place so that they would not harass the people.
Kay, as she told me to call her, not Miss Paisúile, also said, that it was an offering for the Gods, which lived in these forests, a little show of respect and deference. Her job, and by extension mine, was to check up on these bowls and maybe refill when needed.
We waved at the couple under the palm tree, as they ate their salads... soon, Kay had said, they would light the main fire and start the grilling.

In response, the Aryanian couple waved back at Samira and Kaylee. Although, Roksana waved her hand cheerfully while Nasrollah just gave a light wave of acknowledgements. On other hand, they didn’t seem to notice the empty bowls next to the tree they’re sitting underneath. Considering the two are foreigners who’re not familiar with Selkie culture, they certainly didn’t know the meaning behind ‘The Tribute’ lined up at the forest. Nevertheless, they’re enjoying their salad meal with lemonades.

[“The people here are quite friendly~. I could’ve relaxed here all day, Praise be to God~.”] Roksana remarked as she continue eating her meal.

[“We haven’t been to their mainland. It could be different life from here. Tearman Island is just one of their islands.”] Nasrollah said as he sipped his lemonade.

[“Must you be so serious?”] The redhead quizzed with a teasing smile. [“Don’t forget, we’re here to relax and have fun, honey. Loosen up a little.”]

[“I am.”] The Aryanian man ate some bits of his salad.

The two could’ve sat anywhere else. However, they also have military training of discipline and flexibility. They’re adaptable to any situation with little-to-no complaints. What the couple didn’t know there’s some certain people approaching towards the spot, next to the tree they’re under.

by **The Selkie** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 7:27 am

AHSCA wrote:
The Selkie wrote:Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
"Why don't you tell her yourself?", Dad asked with a smile, "People love festivals and I am sure, that Isa will agree with that."
"Did I just hear a stingy Selkie-Merchant use my name and not invite me?", a new voice said with bemusement, appearing behind Iliane, who was startled, looking up into the smiling face of a woman, I knew her to be 30, with long, brown hair and green eyes, which sparkled. She wore beach attire, a white bikini with blue borders and a sarong, a wide sun hat on her head. "And if it isn't young Aonas!"
I smiled and rose. "Auntie Isa, it is good to see you again!", I said - she flinched at being called 'Auntie', just as intended. It was a friendly hug, which I gave her.
A storm of introductions, which did not leave out Ayla, and Isa was sitting with us.
"So... I heard my name being mentioned.", she said and looked at Ayla, "What was that about?"
Dad nodded to Ayla and left her the field. She was the one with the traveling agency.

As if destined by fate itself the woman they were talking about had joined them. Well her ears must have truly been burning. "Good to meet you." Ayla nodded "These gentlemen were telling me you know a thing about tourism and I've been interested in seeing a bit of an upswing of tourists back home. I'm from AHSCA as you just heard and well tourism is starting to really boost our local economy up quite a bit. Things have been changing in our little part of the world for the better I'd say. The Festival of Holy Light which is a religious celebration has also brought a great swell of visitors to the island. A bit hard admittedly and there's been the occasional hiccup...But otherwise yes it's been a blessing if you ask me. Besides I may not get out a whole lot but I like meeting new people and the people of my island especially are very warm and open to people."

Hiccup indeed, kike the time a major hurricane had to hit during the festivities but no need to get into that right now besides the casualties were very light; as bad as it sounds to have casualties after a disaster, it could have been tremendously worse between the amount of tourists and locals packed together in a time where a lull in storms was usually expected. Not to mention the Kyrenaian and others relief efforts made recovery swift and easy. "I also invited these fellows down for a stay with me anytime they felt like it. And you would be just as welcome as my guest too!"

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Auntie Isa smiled at being told, that we told Ayla, that she 'knew a thing about tourism'. A bit of an understatement, but a pleasant one, so she didn't correct her. She nodded at the explanations, and, when Ayla was finished, she smiled and bowed her head.
“I am very grateful for your kind invitation, Miss Ayla. If you ever find yourself in Zieselhaven in Teressien, give me a shout. I know a very nice, little Kaffeehauserl.”, she said with a smile and raised her head again, her smile becoming more business-like. “Now, as for what you mentioned... I make a policy out of visiting the places I offer trips to myself, both for quality check and due to being a bit of a restless woman myself, so I will definitely put the Festival of Holy Light on my list for next year.” I saw her pondering a bit. “Now, the thing is, tourism can boost a local economy quite a bit, but it can also change the locals quite a bit. They can say, that they are unchanging as much as they want, but the moment you hold a restaurant menu with annotations in three languages and drinks, which are not from local production, in hand, you stop believing.”
I smiled slightly – I knew, which example she meant.
“At the end of the day, if you want to boost tourism, you certainly came to the right place with me.”, she said and grinned, “It sounds very good for a start, that is for sure. Please tell me a bit more – whatever you believe is important or interesting or nice to know!”
I smiled and listened to the conversation, my hand on Iliane's, who was getting more and more comfortable with the touch.
That was, when from the direction of the large fire, a cheer rose...

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
When the strange guy appeared to be alright, Ceili turned to Valeriya, smiling slightly: “If you are into mining, sure, ask her, if she has a job fer ya.”, she said, “That is, what she does: Mining and prospecting, usually up in the Northern Islands, sometimes down in Kyrkraut, usually for iron and copper.”
She shrugged.
“She doesn't need many people, though, and she is usually quite allergic to it, when I drag people to her, who want jobs.”, she added, then leaned forward, “So, my recommendation is to ask her yourself. Last I saw her, she was by the large fire and talked with Mistress Banphrionsa.”
And just as she said that, a large cheer rose from that direction.

Enya Cíochach of the Tribe of Navan.
Ida smiled slightly, took a sip from her lemonade, before she answered: “Actually, it's the other way around.”, she told Lucas, “We live in the Free Lands, mostly, but come from Teressien. Our Dad is the Teressian Ambassador. Kiah and I study here, while Enya...”
She grinned slightly at me and I took it as my signal.
“I just graduated High School.”, I said and smiled proudly. “Third of my year, too! I'll be returning to Teressien, though. I am going to study Trade and Industry at the University of Hochheyde.”
“That, and courtly protocol!”, Kiah added, poking my side teasingly, “Our little Enya is the girlfriend of Prince Alrich, you see?”
I blushed heavily, did no attempts at denying it – why should I? It was true. But hearing it spoken out loud... it was something else.
A cheer rose from the large fire and Ida looked over, then back to us with a grin: “Who's hungry?”, she asked.

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I noticed her blush at the question – well, admittedly, it was not the first thing I would ask, but okay. She did make the frontlines clear, got aware of how far she was able to go... I could appreciate that, both for her sake and mine. After all, no one wanted to get into the embarrassing position of snogging with a beautiful woman only to find out, that she was married and had two children.
Or rather, this experience was enough after one time...
“I am single.”, I said with a smile and a small bow, before I asked, with a slightly teasing smile, in return: “What about you? I could imagine, that a beautiful woman such as you is drowning in suitors?”

Aurora Alce.
One of the most important important foundations, which Maestro taught me, was, that it was not really in the merchant's responsibility as to what the customer did with its merchandise. That went both for wine and for firearms.
So, as we went away from the main group and fire, towards the small cliff at the northern end of the beach, I contemplated, what Toschya might wanted to do with what we sold him: He did not really strike me as a government official, to be honest. He did mention a PMC, though...
As we arrived there, mostly in solitude, safe for a few birds, Maestro turned to him.
“You mentioned, that you work for a Private Military Contractor, Siore Toschya. Trans World Operations, if I remember correctly.”, he began and I nodded at the name, turning slightly so I could keep an eye on the surroundings so that no one would eavesdrop... and that I would know those, who did, for later identification and processing. “Allow me to ask you a few questions: What do you need? What do you want? And how much are you willing to spent?”
This, if we were Christians, might as well be called writing a Christmas List.

Fintan Muc of the Tribe of Cork.
I smiled, when I saw her preparations and the chaise lounge – sure, it was one for one person, but I was rather short and Alexandra, although taller then me, might be swallowed by it as well.
Still, what happened next was... a bit of a surprise, to say the least.
She carried me over, checked the lounge and sat down, taking me with her, placing me on top of her and then brought our heads together softly, embracing mine.
“Now, take my word of advice.”, she told me softly, “Forget the rifts and thorns, throw them away. Let them go, my dear, move on and just embrace the things ahead, and one of them, is right here...”
I was speechless. I never had a girlfriend, but now, I was sitting on this gorgeous woman, had kissed her, had told her of my problems, of many things... and now...
...I had no bloody clue as to what to do other then blush.
Okay, Fintan, calm down. Calm. Down.
I wrapped my arms around her back, moved on and embraced the things ahead and pulled her a bit closer. “Thank you, Alexandra...”, I whispered to her and then...
I moved forward to kiss her, softly.

Isla Saighead of the Tribe of Westmeath.
“Pleasure to meet you, Gerald!”, Pina said with a smile, then waved us to join in a loose circle. Amy and I took Gerald between us, around two meters apart, like the others were from each other, too. Enough space for everyone to move. Once everyone stood, Pina nodded. “Donny, start us up!”
The tall man grinned, then threw the ball lightly up before kicking it into Lugh's direction in a high arc. The other young man took the ball with his left knee, allowing it to fly a bit upwards before making a header into Amy's direction.
The ball arrived at her place at the right height to pass it over to Pina, who kicked it over into Gerald's direction.
One should add, that during all of this, the ball did not touch the sand once, just like the rules said.

Galen Lannaire of the Tribe of Louth.
I smiled, the explanation was true, and the anecdote was cute, too.
But, as it was, we were arriving back with their brother, his girlfriend and Milady Macha, who watched us with a huge grin.
“Miladies...”, I said and brought my horse to a stop, “I am afraid, that we are back.” I looked to Kean, who looked at me with a small smile. “Lemme just say, and I think, that Kean will agree, that it was a lot of fun to ride with the two of you. You two will go places, I know that.” Kean nodded in agreement. “And I look forward to meeting you again once you are grown up and are allowed to ride alone. Then, we will do a little race!”
Kean's smile grew. “Absolutely!”, he agreed, his smile also being a bit challenging.

The Gristolian Imperium wrote:Miss Donatella Pintaral
Pléaráca Beach, Tearmann Island Resort
Talking with Asteria

The Selkie wrote:Asteria Aoibhiúil of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I laughed, not offended in the slightest.
"I am fairly good, I'd say!", I told her, "Won a few, got second and third in others, went under also-ran quite often, too. Won the Mianach last year and won the Khana Amana Trophy in Kyrenaia a few months ago."
I was also drying up, to be honest, but there was one simple solution: Closeby, there was a cooler, guarded by a man, who watched some girl playing with a baby, smiling at the scene. I recognized the girl as Princess Marla bint-Amina, the adopted daughter of Khana Amina bint-Karim of Kyrenaia, who had given me the Khana Amana Trophy and a kiss on the cheek for the victor a few months ago.
I nodded into the man's, and the cooler's, direction: "Donatella, can you do me a little favour?", I asked of her, "Can you get the two of us a lemonade, please?"
It was usual for such parties, at least among the Selkie, that those, who brought food and drink handed them out free of charge, so I was not worried, that he would ask her for anything worse then a dance later tonight.

"Then, I guess I am speaking with one of the best air racers," Donatella remarked as she flashed a smile. Following Asteria's nod, she glanced over at the cooler. She did not find the request for drinks too difficult. Not surprisingly, this was not the first time the heiress had to charm her way to a free drink. Now, there were many differences between a drunk man at a night club in Serkonos and a sober, stern man at the beach. Turning towards Asteria, Donatella nodded and said, "Consider it done! I will be right back."

As she approached the cooler and the man, Donatella noticed a young women playing with a baby. As the baby glanced at her, the heiress made a silly face that she hoped pleased the baby. The heiress had a weird view of children, because, on one hand, she saw other people's children as adorable, but, on the other hand, the idea of getting pregnant and having kids horrified her. The thought of having something grow within her was too scary to imagine.

"Hi," Donatella said as she greeted the man by the cooler, "I was wondering if there is any chance you would have two lemonades for me and my friend," she motioned towards Asteria, "to borrow...I mean have?"

Asteria Aoibhiúil of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I was too far away to hear the man's reaction, but it was quite clear, that Donatella didn't really have to charm her way to two drinks. Rather, he opened his box and basically told her to take as many as she wanted.
It took me a moment to recognize him: He was the husband of Dumhach's Mayor, Ciaran Rialtóir. I knew, that he was not exactly too keen on sugar, so it would not surprise me, if he had the Teressian Lemonade in his cooler, which had less sugar then ours.
Be it as it may, he was a nice man, too, so he shared at a party. His daughter Nolwenn was amused by the silly face Donatella had made.
When she returned, I would lean over and peck Donatella on the cheek as a thank you.

Lillorainen wrote:While Chris couldn't see, that Cel's Mam was taking a snapshot with her smartphone, he wouldn't have been surprised, if quite a few people were now watching and taking images. No wonder, actually ...
Little Enya got to an idea, asking her 'Big Sis Cel' if she could ask her 'Big Bro Chris' for a dance later on, which immediately, without any further notes or questions, received 'Big Sis Cel's' approval, whereupon she did what she had been permitted to do at once.
It had worked last time in Launceston, just like it had worked with Princess Marla back in Dumhach, and with Little Enya growing, the height gap to compensate would decrease even more. Of course, she would be too big to receive Cel's permission someday, but this 'someday' was still quite a couple of years ahead, and who knew where Chris and Cel would be then, anyways. That would be a point to discuss ... well, a 'someday' before that 'someday'.
But, by the Aesir, Vanir, and Jötnar - that cuteness level!
While Chris felt his heart melting, too, he said, "It would be a pleasure to me!"

Alya compared the price range of Shamsiyyan Raki to the one of Kyrenaian Doggy Aragh - which caused horrific memories with Amy. Those in the know already were aware of the morning she had woken up and noticed, that she had ended up rolled up on Kean's back, and those not in the know where aware, that there was no sense in asking how that could have happened, for neither Amy, nor Kean would remember themselves, anyway. But everyone could imagine how long it had taken them to cure their hangovers.
Kira had to laugh again. "I'll take your word!" - she said. "I now feel reminded of the effects of other beverages we're not used to, especially Seishu - this stuff has already caused some of us waking up next to each other and strangers and having no idea as to how that happened, or why." She shrugged. "Not that I wanted to go in detail with that - at least not before we're well beyond ten o'clock."
Dragan added, "Which reminds me of another important point to consider, should you ever end up in Wiedheim - do yourself a favor and politely refuse any beverage recommendations by locals, if you can't immediately understand the names of them, or pronounce them correctly! Otherwise, these episodes are precisely what is almost inevitable to occur. Needless to say, I'm talking from experience."
Leo put her hands up. "Innocent!" - she said.
Kira snorted.

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
Enya cheered with a huge grin, then threw her arms around Chris' throat, hugging him again.
She was a little hugging-bug, but with her, that was more then okay. Even when she would become too large to ask for my permission for a dance, she would be allowed to hug and to dance with Chris all she wanted (provided, of course, she left some time for me, too, and he allowed it).
“Come, let's tell yer Mam about it!”, I proposed to Little Enya, who nodded with enthusiasm, still in Chris' arms. I took Chris' free hand, holding it as we moved towards Mama Mhairin and my own Mam, who smiled enigmatically. I, meanwhile, much rather smiled at Chris: “You do know, that she won't be the only girl you're going to dance with tonight, right?”
“But I'll be the cutest!”, Little Enya chimed.
“And what about me?”, I teased.
Little Enya smiled at me and Chris. “You are not in the competition, Big Sis Cel!”, she said, then motioned to Chris: “Mam said, that he would be too biased to be a fair judge.” A beat passed. “What does that mean?”
I giggled as a cheer rose up by the large fire.

Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
Kira wasn't the only one, who had to suppress laughter, Alya and I were there right with her.
“As long as nothing happened, that anyone would rue, it's alright.”, Alya said and then shrugged, still grinning, “Granted, that does sometimes happen and sometimes, there are photographs, some of which might even end up in the press, which causes your mother to call you back home to explain yourself in the Silver Hall...”
“That sound like a lot of fun...”, I said with a bit of compassion, putting my hand on her shoulder.
Alya looked at me. “The Lioness of the Silver Hall didn't look as scary as my Mother that day.”, she said and shook her head. “Lesson of the day, don't drink until you loose control over yourself. Everything in measures.”
“And make sure, that the press doesn't find out.”, I added and Alya nodded with a smile returning, “Well, that is easier said then done...”
Whoever might now feel spoken to, I hoped, that they were aware, that we didn't suspect them of doing such a thing to any of us. By the large fire, a cheer rose up.

Shikonjima wrote:Setsuko thought about the saying and its meaning for a moment, then nodded. It could easily serve as a warning about an impending coup d'etat, but then, there were businesspeople who could harm you more than any head of state or government could, if they were keen on showing you, that you were in their way.
"Yeah, that sounds familiar" - she said. "We have a fairly similar saying from old times, although one might need to add, that centuries back, the saying usually got amended by the note, that bringing mercenaries would also be appropriate once two merchants meet, provided one of them is blonde and pale." She shrugged. "And while this may sound, as if this had been targeted against merchants of the Storöer-League in particular, it was actually rather representative for the general attitude towards merchants from very faraway places in general." She took another sip of lemonade, wondering if leaving it in the sun would actually leave pieces of sugar at the bottom of the glass in the same manner one could gain salt from vaporizing sea water. "Truth be told, Shikonjimanese guilds back then didn't really trust merchants from Lillorainen and its surroundings. Of course, this is a thing of the past now."
The history was known - with all the mutual trade between Shikonjima and what would now be Lillorainen in medieval times, there had been a lot of mistrust from both sides, a part of the problem possibly being, that Shikonjima and Shamsiyya, both high cultures with millennia on the clock and a similarly long history of trading with each other and drawing clear lines between there spheres of influence while rarely crossing them, suddenly had been confronted with a new, imponderable trade power from another direction - naturally, this power everyone had, up to that point, simply perceived as a funny bunch of Vikings roaming around on the islands they themselves had abandoned millennia before, had been viewed with suspicion. Over the time, the trade relations had evolved into a trade war, and even to a literal war in 1562, near Lollerup. With this, the Clan Wars lasting until more than a century later, the founding of the Shogunate and acquisition of colonies, as well as Saressidia emancipating itself from the Sharulsi Empire and starting to become a power factor on its own, the traditional east-west trade routes had lost most of their meaning, as opposed to new north-south routes. This, with lots of changes in power, had gone on for centuries - but now, the Shikonjimanese relationships with the Federation, not only trade-wise, were stronger than ever. The JATRACO railway project, which the Lillorainian Railway Company LBB assisted in, would make their trade with each other, as well as the countries located along the new railroad, even more efficient. And all this history had left Shikonjimanese merchants amazingly pragmatic - could a nation that had managed to arrange with hordes of Vikings and Mongols, and to go out of this successfully, really be afraid of anything?
With this important history lesson in mind, Setsuko sometimes dreamed of travelling back in time and telling a Shikonjimanese merchant, that there once would be an alliance called SEA, with Lillos, Shamsiyyans, Selkie, and a few more involved, while Shikonjima wouldn't be part of it, but openly welcome people from all of the member states - only to see their reaction. Then again, there was little fun to have in medieval Shikonjima, if someone had been thought to be crazy ...
"But yeah, generally spoken, it's similar with us" - she continued. "Everyone has to go out of a deal knowing, that it has been a fair one - and, another important point, that no party is giving gold coins to a cat; everyone involved should receive what they put a value in. Of course, you'll also find merchants, who limit it to giving their trade partners the feeling of having made a good deal - in other words, they wish to sell your underwear without you noticing -, but that kind exists everywhere, and they usually stay in their niches and rarely, if at all, succeed among the big players, who are keen on preserving their face."
She shrugged.
"Looks like our codes of honor aren't too different, eh?"

Kazuo and Yelda had snorted in amusement, too.
"As I said, we can only go by the previews so far" - Kazuo said, "but I could easily imagine, that it's severely dependent on what kind of map one plays. Of course, if you have a map rich at all sorts of resources you need nearby and all you need to do is train enough villagers in order to keep a constant, sufficient influx of resources onto your stockpile, then sure, it'll remain a gimmick for nerds for most of the time. But once you play on a map with any particular resource barely available, or even not at all, the thing will start to get interesting, for the only way for you to get that particular resource on a larger scale will be trading your other resources away for it - especially if it's not gold or silver, which you technically can alternatively generate by trading with your allies. And even if it is either of both, it'll still get interesting, for akin to the AoE mechanics, the prices and exchange rates will not be static, but will vary on a supply-and-demand basis. The more you buy of a given commodity, the more expensive it will get."
"And it might be universally the same for all players" - Yelda added. "Imagine a map in the style of Shikonjima or the Ferinan-Archipelago, with lots of gold, but few silver mines to speak of. Even though the silver price might only rise slightly, if one player buys some, it would easily hit the roof as soon as all players keep purchasing silver for their technologies and for units which high silver costs - especially those playing civilizations with very silver-intensive units. I could quite imagine, that it keeps the game fluent and exciting even in scenarios where you have two halves of the map basically playing Cold War and waiting for the first one to charge, for there's always something to keep track on in your own lands, even in the static phases of the game where you're waiting for the action to happen - without keeping you too busy to have an eye on the frontlines."
"And if it's only trying to beat Yelda at building Wonders, eh?" - Kazuo said.
"This will clearly be one of my favorite parts!" - Yelda replied, grinning. "Aside from razing those of the trash unit noobs, that is."

Faye Donn of the Tribe of Wexford.
“Yes, that does sound about right.”, a new voice, a male voice, interjected. The speaker was a tall man, well-built, white hair short and silver eyes looking at the world. Most remarkable, at least for many, was the pair of feline ears on his head. A tail swished slightly behind him. “Your people were always more focused on 'saving face', even if you had to kill to do so.”
“Milord Gwydion!”, I said with a huge smile – the ancient Spiorad, who had experience with Shikonjima, turned to me and his dark expression, with which he had looked at Setsu, cleared up as I rose and hugged him, he recognizing me. Behind his shoulder, I saw Carys winking at me, Gwydion's daughter smiling at the nice save. “It is good to see you! How have you been?”
“Quite good, quite good, Faye!”, he said, kissing me on both cheeks, then whispered to me, loud enough for Setsu to hear, “Though you should keep an eye on what sort of company you keep... one can not trust the Shikos and their 'honour'.”

Raidri Gormchló of the Tribe of Fingal.
“That sounds like a fun afternoon.”, I said to Áed, grinning at him: “Burn, pillage, plunder, weasel our measly black guts out, get the shirt, go home, eat dinner and go to bed.”
“If you think, that this was a normal day for Milady Macha for a while...”, he said with a grin, then turned to the others: “For our historical accuracy nerds, the makers of Rúid! had an awesome idea: The Tutorial-Campaign and the Challenge-Mode are basically the Selkie-Campaigns, which they modelled with support from Spiorad, including them doing the voice-overs. Several of them even appear as Campaign-Only Hero Units, too, with individual lines, too.”
“We saw a making-of documentary and Milady Branwen, Branwen Chwilfrydig that is, told them, how weird it was for her.”, I added, “Seeing herself made into pixels, her memories brought into a computer game, of things, which, for us, are history – for her, it's part of her life. And some of her lines were too funny to her, too.”
“Let's get going, cubs.”, Áed quoted one of them, “Lest Belimaw gets impatient!”
I nodded – cheers rose from the direction of the main group and the large fire.

Brenda Iarnród of the Tribe of Louth.
Nolly's reply to Karen's greeting was not any less polite, but a remarkable lot colder. “Good evening.”, she simply said, then told me something in Selkie.
I nodded and hummed in agreement, getting up. “Well, seems, that I am required elsewhere. They need someone to sing Tine, dúisigh an foirnéis, smeach an chruach!”, I said and Ribin looked at me with a small smile. Tine, dúisigh an foirnéis, smeach an chruach!, also known for international audiences by its English name of Tine, awaken the Furnace, smelt the Steel!, was a workers' and semi-religious song from the foundries and smelteries of Áitadagantiarann – she, as a foreman's daughter, was actually more in tune with the usual singers of this song, but it was usually I, who did this, as the Boss' daughter, whenever the company needed me to do it for whichever reason. “I can leave ya alone with the kitty?”
“Sure, sure!”, Ribin replied with a smile, “Show the fuel tank girls, where the best singers come from!”
I nodded and joined Nolly's side. “Will do! Karen, if ya want, come along!”, I said and joined Nolly's side, who had snorted at Ribin's comment. Technically, she was a fuel tank girl, too: A girl with tits large enough to work as additional fuel tanks, to quote the old joke, which one of the Free Lands' most famous air racers was subjected to.
Who, really, had fuel tanks.

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I was glad, that Marie calmed a bit, especially as she explained, that the region she was from was more into hiking and backpacking – which raised the question if there were swimming baths and rivers and lakes one could take a dip in, but that was not, what Macha zeroed in on.
“Oh, we can look into clothes options for that tomorrow.”, she told Marie with a smile, in a way, that suggested, that she already had a pretty good idea as to what she would try. “But anyway, yes, we do have spares! Come with me!”
I smiled and waved. I would do many things in my life, but coming along when two girls were putting on swimsuits? Nope. I would much rather enjoy the result.

Ilia nodded at Adelheid's question. “Yeah, that's a part, too, actually the majority, but once a year, we do NBC-Drills, too. And more then Duck and Cover.”, he told Heidi.
His mother smiled. “Oh, my, what a well-raised young lady!”, she said and she meant it, “Though I must inquire, what do you mean by 'if only I could say the same for Prussia-Poland'? I hope, neither of my companies turned the Commonwealth's ire on us!”
The chances for that were rather slim, but there were cases, when that happened... after all, after a literal noodle incident, we were not allowed to import leather from Paísancho...

Both groups might notice the cheers rising from the direction of the main group and the large fire, but Tomasz and Stanislaus were close enough to actually feel what was happening – and in a good spot to watch, too.

Samira Tanqulia.
The two tourists waved back, then turned back to their food.
There was only one problem, namely, that one of the bowls for the Tribute was close by their tree, close enough to warrant an apology.
“Excuse me, lad, lassie.”, Kay started as we came close enough, “There is a small something we need to take care of nearby.” With that, she raised her basket, which contained the foodstuff for the Tribute. “Please, do not let us disturb you!”
I nodded, an apologetic smile on my lips as well.
And then, there rose a cheer from the direction of the Main Group and the large fire.

Ceridwen Golau, of Tralee Descent had been ancient when Macha had been a little cub and she had quite a long list of former students – Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent was but one of them – who had, in turn, a lot of famous students themselves. And Ceri, as friends were allowed to call her, was a Priestess of Neto, the God of War of the Spiorad.
What few people realized was, that Neto was also the God of Fire of the Spiorad, a rather fitting combination, if one asked her. Still, as a Priestess of that God, she had an important job. The boss of BI himself had asked her to do that and dozens of young men and women, their lifespans merely a blink of an eye compared to hers, watched her with respect and, in several cases, reverence. Those were, most prominently, the two huntsmen, who had killed the Bull Boar, who was on the main menu tonight.
“Milady Ceridwen.”, Kean began, the handsome young man (who was also already taken) lowering his head, “Please honour us by awakening the fire, by igniting the grill.”
Ceridwen herself was not dressed in traditional robes usually appropriate for her station, but in a swimsuit, a competitive one piece, a rash guard over it. From a pocket of said rash guard, Ceridwen took a small bundle of dried herbs, as well as two pieces of flint.
She nodded. “Child of the Great Woods, with pleasure I will do as you request.”, she said.
Of course, she was aware, that many of the people here had lighters and other means of making fire, but thing was, she had been requested to do that ceremonially, so she would do that ceremonially.
By now, the large fire was before her, a fire well over two meters in diameter and well over three meters high. Around half a dozen fire extinguishers were nearby, plus buckets of water and other means to get it out, if something went wrong.
Ceridwen knelt down, knees closed, placed the herbs before herself and spread her arms. In the ancient language of the Spiorad, Tafod, she recited a prayer, almost sang it, then went to work.
Three strikes of the flints against each other and a spark had ignited the dried herbs, which were now burning.
Someone with a fire extinguisher stood nearby, just to be safe.
That was unnecessary, though, as Ceridwen took the bundle and, with a flick of her hand, threw it onto the wood-pile, which caught fire and which spread quickly.
As the cheers rose, Ceridwen rose herself, raised a hand. “We might now bring the cuts of the Bull Boar, for the grill needs something to grill!”
Cheers replied to her as the first trays and utensils were brought.

by **Lillorainen** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 11:53 am

The Selkie wrote:Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
Enya cheered with a huge grin, then threw her arms around Chris' throat, hugging him again.
She was a little hugging-bug, but with her, that was more then okay. Even when she would become too large to ask for my permission for a dance, she would be allowed to hug and to dance with Chris all she wanted (provided, of course, she left some time for me, too, and he allowed it).
“Come, let's tell yer Mam about it!”, I proposed to Little Enya, who nodded with enthusiasm, still in Chris' arms. I took Chris' free hand, holding it as we moved towards Mama Mhairin and my own Mam, who smiled enigmatically. I, meanwhile, much rather smiled at Chris: “You do know, that she won't be the only girl you're going to dance with tonight, right?”
“But I'll be the cutest!”, Little Enya chimed.
“And what about me?”, I teased.
Little Enya smiled at me and Chris. “You are not in the competition, Big Sis Cel!”, she said, then motioned to Chris: “Mam said, that he would be too biased to be a fair judge.” A beat passed. “What does that mean?”
I giggled as a cheer rose up by the large fire.

Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
Kira wasn't the only one, who had to suppress laughter, Alya and I were there right with her.
“As long as nothing happened, that anyone would rue, it's alright.”, Alya said and then shrugged, still grinning, “Granted, that does sometimes happen and sometimes, there are photographs, some of which might even end up in the press, which causes your mother to call you back home to explain yourself in the Silver Hall...”
“That sound like a lot of fun...”, I said with a bit of compassion, putting my hand on her shoulder.
Alya looked at me. “The Lioness of the Silver Hall didn't look as scary as my Mother that day.”, she said and shook her head. “Lesson of the day, don't drink until you loose control over yourself. Everything in measures.”
“And make sure, that the press doesn't find out.”, I added and Alya nodded with a smile returning, “Well, that is easier said then done...”
Whoever might now feel spoken to, I hoped, that they were aware, that we didn't suspect them of doing such a thing to any of us. By the large fire, a cheer rose up.

With no hand free, as one held the little hugging-bug, and the other held Cel's hand, Chris followed Cel's appeal to tell her own and Little Enya's Mam about whom Chris would definitely have a dance with tonight, moving on towards them.
Of course, she wouldn't be the only girl he would have a dance with tonight, even though everyone had to go through the process of getting Cel's approval - which could quite be a process as difficult as getting Permit A-38 was, if one was within a certain age range.
And, of course, the good old question - who was the cutest?
Indeed, Chris would be way too biased to give a proper statement on that. He had noticed the enigmatical smile by both Mhairin and Finnya, which typically could mean everything or nothing, in case of mothers, however, always meant everything.
Well, not sure about that, though ...
What he was now noticing was the cheering from the direction of the large fire, which could only mean, that there would be food soon - and Chris, who already knew the taste of meat from Bull Boar, quite did look forward to it.
To Little Enya, he explained, "That means, that if a Big Bro is in a relationship with a Big Sis, she will be out of competition by default, for he won't be able to make a fair statement on it. For the same reson, judges never try their own relatives - it wouldn't be fair."

Kira, Dragan, and Leo nodded. While only very few people would care about what any of the three did when drunken, it was a tiny bit different with a Princess who might be extremely powerful someday ... and how little one could actually hide from the press, that was an issue especially Dragan and Leo could tell stories about.
Yeah, that sounded like a lot of fun ...
While a cheer rose up - the sign, that the grill got lit in a very ceremonial manner -, Dragan said, "Oh, no worries - whatever may happen tonight, no one will know about that. We're not on duty, after all!"
Leo nodded. "And even if we were, these details wouldn't really be of our interest. We leave that to the colleagues from the Yellow Press!" She visibly struggled to seriously refer to the people whose job and passion it was to collect spicy information on persons of interest without their consent as 'colleagues', but the point got clear. "What happens on the beach, stays on the beach!"

by **Shikonjima** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 11:54 am

The Selkie wrote:Faye Donn of the Tribe of Wexford.
“Yes, that does sound about right.”, a new voice, a male voice, interjected. The speaker was a tall man, well-built, white hair short and silver eyes looking at the world. Most remarkable, at least for many, was the pair of feline ears on his head. A tail swished slightly behind him. “Your people were always more focused on 'saving face', even if you had to kill to do so.”
“Milord Gwydion!”, I said with a huge smile – the ancient Spiorad, who had experience with Shikonjima, turned to me and his dark expression, with which he had looked at Setsu, cleared up as I rose and hugged him, he recognizing me. Behind his shoulder, I saw Carys winking at me, Gwydion's daughter smiling at the nice save. “It is good to see you! How have you been?”
“Quite good, quite good, Faye!”, he said, kissing me on both cheeks, then whispered to me, loud enough for Setsu to hear, “Though you should keep an eye on what sort of company you keep... one can not trust the Shikos and their 'honour'.”

Raidri Gormchló of the Tribe of Fingal.
“That sounds like a fun afternoon.”, I said to Áed, grinning at him: “Burn, pillage, plunder, weasel our measly black guts out, get the shirt, go home, eat dinner and go to bed.”
“If you think, that this was a normal day for Milady Macha for a while...”, he said with a grin, then turned to the others: “For our historical accuracy nerds, the makers of Rúid! had an awesome idea: The Tutorial-Campaign and the Challenge-Mode are basically the Selkie-Campaigns, which they modelled with support from Spiorad, including them doing the voice-overs. Several of them even appear as Campaign-Only Hero Units, too, with individual lines, too.”
“We saw a making-of documentary and Milady Branwen, Branwen Chwilfrydig that is, told them, how weird it was for her.”, I added, “Seeing herself made into pixels, her memories brought into a computer game, of things, which, for us, are history – for her, it's part of her life. And some of her lines were too funny to her, too.”
“Let's get going, cubs.”, Áed quoted one of them, “Lest Belimaw gets impatient!”
I nodded – cheers rose from the direction of the main group and the large fire.

Ceridwen Golau, of Tralee Descent had been ancient when Macha had been a little cub and she had quite a long list of former students – Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent was but one of them – who had, in turn, a lot of famous students themselves. And Ceri, as friends were allowed to call her, was a Priestess of Neto, the God of War of the Spiorad.
What few people realized was, that Neto was also the God of Fire of the Spiorad, a rather fitting combination, if one asked her. Still, as a Priestess of that God, she had an important job. The boss of BI himself had asked her to do that and dozens of young men and women, their lifespans merely a blink of an eye compared to hers, watched her with respect and, in several cases, reverence. Those were, most prominently, the two huntsmen, who had killed the Bull Boar, who was on the main menu tonight.
“Milady Ceridwen.”, Kean began, the handsome young man (who was also already taken) lowering his head, “Please honour us by awakening the fire, by igniting the grill.”
Ceridwen herself was not dressed in traditional robes usually appropriate for her station, but in a swimsuit, a competitive one piece, a rash guard over it. From a pocket of said rash guard, Ceridwen took a small bundle of dried herbs, as well as two pieces of flint.
She nodded. “Child of the Great Woods, with pleasure I will do as you request.”, she said.
Of course, she was aware, that many of the people here had lighters and other means of making fire, but thing was, she had been requested to do that ceremonially, so she would do that ceremonially.
By now, the large fire was before her, a fire well over two meters in diameter and well over three meters high. Around half a dozen fire extinguishers were nearby, plus buckets of water and other means to get it out, if something went wrong.
Ceridwen knelt down, knees closed, placed the herbs before herself and spread her arms. In the ancient language of the Spiorad, Tafod, she recited a prayer, almost sang it, then went to work.
Three strikes of the flints against each other and a spark had ignited the dried herbs, which were now burning.
Someone with a fire extinguisher stood nearby, just to be safe.
That was unnecessary, though, as Ceridwen took the bundle and, with a flick of her hand, threw it onto the wood-pile, which caught fire and which spread quickly.
As the cheers rose, Ceridwen rose herself, raised a hand. “We might now bring the cuts of the Bull Boar, for the grill needs something to grill!”
Cheers replied to her as the first trays and utensils were brought.

It took Setsuko a second or two to actually make sense of what was happening - obviously, some lad, who had a distinct aversion against her home country for whatever dumb reason, wasn't only keen on getting this aversion across, but, judging by his wording and acting while doing so, seemed to be truly committed to fucking up the first impression he left with her entirely. This surprised her in particular, as he didn't really look like a Mairani, or Nhoquocquese, or Nogoonian, or from some other place where Shikonjimanese were unlikely to be welcomed in a friendly manner.
Then again, whomever he must have messed with in Shikonjima (Setsu didn't get to another possible explanation as of currently), they might be long since dead by now, judging by his tail and feline ears, which easily identified him as a Spiorad.
Be it as it may. Whatever Shikonjimanese had left to him, politeness had obviously been sold out back then. Good job, laddie! Wanna play the merry ol' Let's-insult-each-other's-countries game? A game that's so much fun on Piffle can't be any less fun in real life!
But then, Setsu herself was well familiar with swallowing anger down, for obvious reasons, and not only due to that, but also because Faye seemed to know the guy and the lassie behind him, who could easily pass as his daughter, and not too badly.
She only marginally noticed the cheering.
"I wish you a wonderful evening, too, Sir!" - she said, her tone as polite and calm as one would expect it from her, but quite with slight touches of sarcasm and suppressed anger swinging along, and bowed her head lightly. "May I kindly inquire as to what your problem is?"

Kazuo and Yelda quite noticed the cheering - but they were way too busy with their shoptalking about strategy games to immediately realize what was going on at the other end of the table.
At least, they wouldn't have to wait for food much longer, which was quite a plus.
"It must be an awkward feeling, indeed!" - Kazuo said. "While we don't know that many people whose life goes back that far, we have grandparents, and sometimes even great-grandparents, too, who might be confused - especially since I've heard, that they're currently also developing a global strategy game similar to the Hearts of Iron series, set in the era of the Shikonjimanese Colonial Wars. Although it's nowhere near the same as literally seeing oneself as a Hero Unit in a game, of course, I'm sure, that my grandparents might be left bemused by it."
"Part of their lives, but history for us" - Yelda said, nodding, "this will still be a point they can surely relate to."
"What we know, at least" - Kazuo continued, "is that campaigns of various sorts will be a part of Fushigi no Jidai as well, using real historical scenarios as much as possible. As I said, there will be civilizations only available in campaigns or custom maps - messing around with the Map Editor tool is another thing that's a lot of fun, by the way -, but regardless of that, scenarios like the Crusades will definitely be a part of it in some way or the other. Especially since these weren't only an essential part of Selkie-, thus ultimately also Nouvelle-Dunkerquois history, but also of the Lillorainian one. A part of history that still has an impact today."

by **Kuronami** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 2:03 pm

The Selkie wrote:Galen Lannaire of the Tribe of Louth.
I smiled, the explanation was true, and the anecdote was cute, too.
But, as it was, we were arriving back with their brother, his girlfriend and Milady Macha, who watched us with a huge grin.
“Miladies...”, I said and brought my horse to a stop, “I am afraid, that we are back.” I looked to Kean, who looked at me with a small smile. “Lemme just say, and I think, that Kean will agree, that it was a lot of fun to ride with the two of you. You two will go places, I know that.” Kean nodded in agreement. “And I look forward to meeting you again once you are grown up and are allowed to ride alone. Then, we will do a little race!”
Kean's smile grew. “Absolutely!”, he agreed, his smile also being a bit challenging.

Joshua was happy to see his sister again when she returned from her small excusion. Helping her down from the horse safely planted on her feet, "Oh welcome back!"

"Hope you weren't looking for a little more alooone time" Bianca teased

"Nah we're all good." Sono was also fine seeing the two girls returned to them.

"Anyway, count on a race, when I'm bigger and have more practice riding, we'll ride the wind together!" Bianca extend her hand to give him a friendly promise shake.

by **Polish Prussian Commonwealth** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:03 pm

Tomasz and Stanislaus

Both men noticed the sound of merry-making coming from the fire.

"They havin' fun over there, eh?" Stanislaus inquired.

"Probably. I just got here..."

"Let's not jump in immediately, aye? For all we know they could be snorting crack or something, so let's make sure we know what they're doing."

"...Is this your excuse to play a peeping-tom?"
"...Do I have two balls?"
"Touche."
The two Prussian-Poles would crest a sandhill, and both would try to make out what was going on around the campfire.

Adelheid and Marie
Adelheid blinked, and spent some time processing Banphrionsa's words, before breaking out into laughter.
After a short while, she recovered her composure. "Nothing of the sort, Miss."
Her smile disappeared. "It's just that we have...unfriendly neighbors, if you will, and...we've got fingers in too many pies."

Marie followed Macha, and caught up to her. "Right...erm, Miss, where are the spares you mentioned?"

by **AHSCA** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 3:07 pm

The Selkie wrote:Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Auntie Isa smiled at being told, that we told Ayla, that she 'knew a thing about tourism'. A bit of an understatement, but a pleasant one, so she didn't correct her. She nodded at the explanations, and, when Ayla was finished, she smiled and bowed her head.
“I am very grateful for your kind invitation, Miss Ayla. If you ever find yourself in Zieselhaven in Teressien, give me a shout. I know a very nice, little Kaffeehauserl.”, she said with a smile and raised her head again, her smile becoming more business-like. “Now, as for what you mentioned... I make a policy out of visiting the places I offer trips to myself, both for quality check and due to being a bit of a restless woman myself, so I will definitely put the Festival of Holy Light on my list for next year.” I saw her pondering a bit. “Now, the thing is, tourism can boost a local economy quite a bit, but it can also change the locals quite a bit. They can say, that they are unchanging as much as they want, but the moment you hold a restaurant menu with annotations in three languages and drinks, which are not from local production, in hand, you stop believing.”
I smiled slightly – I knew, which example she meant.
“At the end of the day, if you want to boost tourism, you certainly came to the right place with me.”, she said and grinned, “It sounds very good for a start, that is for sure. Please tell me a bit more – whatever you believe is important or interesting or nice to know!”
I smiled and listened to the conversation, my hand on Iliane's, who was getting more and more comfortable with the touch.
That was, when from the direction of the large fire, a cheer rose...

"Boy, I think I could go much of the day about my homeland. The UIS is lovely, beautiful. My island is little but has its importance." Understanding it, two of it's highest senators in the UISC were from Corona. "Ah it's just a little slice of heaven. I doubt many would find us particular interesting but it's been a huge boost to Aurora and Animalpolis to have so many visitors. Really I know it does mean a little give and take but I can only hope people would be receptive to us and us to them. Islanders are very friendly people you know, we're generally very hospitable."

by **Hanoverian Great Britain** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:48 pm

Genuinely, Alexandra could've been given just a mere few seconds to reply to that "thank you" but the immediate kiss proved a suitable replacement. While Alexandra felt the need to take charge as she always did, she decided to let it pass and allow Fintan to have his way with her as some sort of reward.

As much as Alexandra was intoxicated with the love octane, she is still able to cling on to reality. As the two slowly parted their lips apart, Alexandra's eyes painted the image of a young lady who felt pretty relieved with her current state at the moment. "You know, if you were taller and much more heavier than me, I could have had you bring me here and just, kiss me, as you will it", evidently, even in a state of tiredness, Alexandra was never incapable of teasing Fintan from time to time. Admittedly, while it held nothing impressive in the eyes of most women, Alexandra proved to be an extremely rare exception as her eyes silently trailed down Fintan's physique. "I love you", as Alexandra fatefully uttered the 3 words sentence, she brought her head close to Fintan's chest, to which she affectionately nuzzled for a few seconds before returning to her original position. Additionally, while she might not have said it in an explicit manner, Alexandra clearly saw the 18 year old Fintan as her new boyfriend, or lover as the term she preferred to use more.

"You know my dear Finny, I felt a bit plain in this lingerie, would you allow me to take some time into changing into this?", as she Fintan aside on the chair for a moment to allow her to get up, she quickly reached for the black suitcase. As she finally opened the lock for the black suitcase, she could only smile when the suitcase's interior revealed an extremely eye-catching and expensive pair of lingerie which is neatly placed in the middle of the suitcase's interior. Surely, Alexandra could catch the sight of Fintan's awe as he saw that the £ 1.52 million lingerie is made up of an extensive network of nearly 6,000 white diamonds, yellow saphires, and blue topazes which totaled over 640 carat and is set in 18-carat yellow gold. Seeing this, he could probably guess that Alexandra might've chose to wear her regular underwear as to not damage the said lingerie in the suitcase which seemed pretty reasonable.

by **New Visayan Islands** » Thu Jan 23, 2020 12:17 am

Gerald Vicente
At the Beach

I was right, Gerald thought as he played ball. It really was that simple. As the game went on, he found himself getting a little more used to it...until muscle memory kicked in several minutes into his first few turns and he intercepted the ball with a roundhouse kick, sending it out of the playing field and into the water.

"Sorry about that, ladies and gents," Gerald then said sheepishly. "I got this," he added before moving into the water to get the ball back.

by **Mediama** » Thu Jan 23, 2020 1:53 am

The Selkie";p="36637304][quote="Mediama wrote:Marion smiled fondly, remembering warm memories. “My mother taught me how to sew initially, and I took a liking to it from there.” She fiddled with her swimsuit, “Soon enough I became an assistant to a costume designer for a theatre, and so I helped create costumes for actors and actresses to wear.”

She looked back at Nia, “I continued studying in costume design at university, but I quickly changed my mind. There were so many intricate and beautiful designs out there from all time periods, and though costume design was an art form in itself since we had to take take into account durability and costume changes, it was... disconcerting to see such designs having to take a back seat to zippers and the like.”

She continued on, “For my internship, they decided to send me to assist a historical costuming school, and next thing you know, I’m helping them write a book on historical patterns while was learning about historical stitching.” She giggled softly, “Now I’m just trying to figure out what to do now with my skill set.” She concluded. “What about you?” She asked, “Were there any skills that you were taught by your mother or by someone important?”

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I smiled as Marion told her story, of how her mother taught her, how she made it her career and further developed in the field, to the mastery she had now. And she was currently asking herself, what to do with the skills she had acquired.
That certainly was a complicated question, but with some brainstorming, we would be able to find a solution.
For now...
"Well, there are quite a few things, which other people taught me, and quite a few people, who taught me.", I said and smiled softly, "One of the people, who taught me, was a certain Ceridwen Golau, of Tralee Descent - she should be around here somewhere, actually. She taught me how to use a sword. Her lessons went on to be important to me."
Meave and Tea listened with great interest.[/quote]

Marion raised her eyebrows, "Oh? Is that so?" She leaned in with some curiosity and keen interest. "I've seen actors and actresses do stage combat before, especially with swords. I've always wondered whether or not their moves were accurate and proper." She pondered for a moment aloud, "Surely there must be some differences, like weight or fluidity of movement and clothing and the like."

Honestly, a cursory glance over Nia's physique, much to her burning face’s flustered state, told a multitude of fitness, so it wasn't completely out of the question that she had partook in some sports or activities like swords. "Do you happen to still do it? Or fencing?" she asked after Nia gave her a reply to the two previous questions. Her mind was engaged, and she at least had a track of thought thanks to Nia's little nudging.

by **A m e n r i a** » Fri Jan 24, 2020 1:28 am

As if on cue, the moment Ceili mentioned where this Mam was at, cheering was heard. "Well, it sounds like she struck gold. Anyways.." Valeriya let her nanites out, a mass of tiny, black, flying machines escaped her fingers, went to take two bottles of lemonade to give its master one and her sister another. It also helped open the bottles for the women to drink. And drink she did, before continuing her sentence.

"I notice your hair colours. Are those popular around or is it just your thing?"

by **The Selkie** » Fri Jan 24, 2020 4:03 am

Lillorainen wrote:With no hand free, as one held the little hugging-bug, and the other held Cel's hand, Chris followed Cel's appeal to tell her own and Little Enya's Mam about whom Chris would definitely have a dance with tonight, moving on towards them.
Of course, she wouldn't be the only girl he would have a dance with tonight, even though everyone had to go through the process of getting Cel's approval - which could quite be a process as difficult as getting Permit A-38 was, if one was within a certain age range.
And, of course, the good old question - who was the cutest?
Indeed, Chris would be way too biased to give a proper statement on that. He had noticed the enigmatical smile by both Mhairin and Finnya, which typically could mean everything or nothing, in case of mothers, however, always meant everything.
Well, not sure about that, though ...
What he was now noticing was the cheering from the direction of the large fire, which could only mean, that there would be food soon - and Chris, who already knew the taste of meat from Bull Boar, quite did look forward to it.
To Little Enya, he explained, "That means, that if a Big Bro is in a relationship with a Big Sis, she will be out of competition by default, for he won't be able to make a fair statement on it. For the same reson, judges never try their own relatives - it wouldn't be fair."

Kira, Dragan, and Leo nodded. While only very few people would care about what any of the three did when drunken, it was a tiny bit different with a Princess who might be extremely powerful someday ... and how little one could actually hide from the press, that was an issue especially Dragan and Leo could tell stories about.
Yeah, that sounded like a lot of fun ...
While a cheer rose up - the sign, that the grill got lit in a very ceremonial manner -, Dragan said, "Oh, no worries - whatever may happen tonight, no one will know about that. We're not on duty, after all!"
Leo nodded. "And even if we were, these details wouldn't really be of our interest. We leave that to the colleagues from the Yellow Press!" She visibly struggled to seriously refer to the people whose job and passion it was to collect spicy information on persons of interest without their consent as 'colleagues', but the point got clear. "What happens on the beach, stays on the beach!"

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
Enya smiled and nodded. "That makes sense! It's as if I was to play Footvolley with Donny and Pina and Lugh and Pina would have me on the team!", she paraphrased. I smiled and nodded. Chris was really good at making things understandable to her. "Would Mam and Auntie Finnya be in the competition?"
That was a dicey question, but whatever Chris might answer, my Mam, a.k.a. Auntie Finnya, took care of that: "I might, searrach, but I doubt, that I could compete." The looks some of the lads threw her over the evening spoke a different language, as my mother and Little Enya's Mam greeted us, my own Mam kissing me on both cheeks, while Mama Mhairin kissed Chris on the cheeks (which I did not mind) before picking up Little Enya, pecking her onto the nose. Little Enya giggled as my mother looked at Chris. "I am but an old hag and maybe his future mother in law. It might not be fair either."
Their relationship was... weird, mostly defined by me: My Dad wanted to use me as a pawn to marry me off to a business ally's son (who was a nice lad, but there was no spark), and for a while, my Mam had been of the same opinion. Then she took the time to meet Chris, back in Cuan, the two talked, and Mam came to the understanding, that Chris was a good lad.
She was not a frenetic supporter, but she was one.
"Hello, Christopher.", she said.

Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
Alya nodded with caution. I knew, what she might be thinking: Journalists are never off duty. Whatever noodle incident she might be involved this time around, she would make sure to not have those two close-by.
I was sure, that it was nothing too personal.
"I share your dislike for those representatives of the press.", Alya said with a slow nod, "Though I imagine, that my experience with them differs a bit from yours." She let a beat pass. "On to a merrier topic, please!"
I nodded. "How about we talk a bit about the inductees?", I asked into the round.

Shikonjima wrote:It took Setsuko a second or two to actually make sense of what was happening - obviously, some lad, who had a distinct aversion against her home country for whatever dumb reason, wasn't only keen on getting this aversion across, but, judging by his wording and acting while doing so, seemed to be truly committed to fucking up the first impression he left with her entirely. This surprised her in particular, as he didn't really look like a Mairani, or Nhoquocquese, or Nogoonian, or from some other place where Shikonjimanese were unlikely to be welcomed in a friendly manner.
Then again, whomever he must have messed with in Shikonjima (Setsu didn't get to another possible explanation as of currently), they might be long since dead by now, judging by his tail and feline ears, which easily identified him as a Spiorad.
Be it as it may. Whatever Shikonjimanese had left to him, politeness had obviously been sold out back then. Good job, laddie! Wanna play the merry ol' Let's-insult-each-other's-countries game? A game that's so much fun on Piffle can't be any less fun in real life!
But then, Setsu herself was well familiar with swallowing anger down, for obvious reasons, and not only due to that, but also because Faye seemed to know the guy and the lassie behind him, who could easily pass as his daughter, and not too badly.
She only marginally noticed the cheering.
"I wish you a wonderful evening, too, Sir!" - she said, her tone as polite and calm as one would expect it from her, but quite with slight touches of sarcasm and suppressed anger swinging along, and bowed her head lightly. "May I kindly inquire as to what your problem is?"

Kazuo and Yelda quite noticed the cheering - but they were way too busy with their shoptalking about strategy games to immediately realize what was going on at the other end of the table.
At least, they wouldn't have to wait for food much longer, which was quite a plus.
"It must be an awkward feeling, indeed!" - Kazuo said. "While we don't know that many people whose life goes back that far, we have grandparents, and sometimes even great-grandparents, too, who might be confused - especially since I've heard, that they're currently also developing a global strategy game similar to the Hearts of Iron series, set in the era of the Shikonjimanese Colonial Wars. Although it's nowhere near the same as literally seeing oneself as a Hero Unit in a game, of course, I'm sure, that my grandparents might be left bemused by it."
"Part of their lives, but history for us" - Yelda said, nodding, "this will still be a point they can surely relate to."
"What we know, at least" - Kazuo continued, "is that campaigns of various sorts will be a part of Fushigi no Jidai as well, using real historical scenarios as much as possible. As I said, there will be civilizations only available in campaigns or custom maps - messing around with the Map Editor tool is another thing that's a lot of fun, by the way -, but regardless of that, scenarios like the Crusades will definitely be a part of it in some way or the other. Especially since these weren't only an essential part of Selkie-, thus ultimately also Nouvelle-Dunkerquois history, but also of the Lillorainian one. A part of history that still has an impact today."

Faye Donn of the Tribe of Wexford.
I looked from one to the other as Gwydion switched to Shikonmanjese - or rather the four centuries old version of that language, which he had mastered in his time there. I did not understand him and I was not too sure about whether or not Setsu would understand him.
Carys muttered the translations to me.
"Hello, there, my dear, pleasure to meet you!", he said, responding to her politeness with very plastic politeness of his own. "I am Gwydion Ddeliwr, of Cefnffordd Descent. Tell me, is that clan of whoremongers, murderers and prostitutes that are the Tamori still in any position of power or did they die off by incest by now?"
His eyes said, that he knew the answer to that quite well.

Raidri Gormchló of the Tribe of Fingal.
"Milady Macha should be around here somewhere.", I said, then offered: "We can ask her later. I know her fairly well since she dedicated several vessels to their mission already."
Áed nodded. "And she is very nice, too!"
"Though...", I added, looking towards the fire, which was now burning merrily, "We might want to invite her for a bite or two - I must admit, that I am starving."
Áed nodded again, in agreement.

Macha Taise, of Cork Descent.
I rejoined the group as Bianca explained, that she and Galen were having a race once she was bigger and more experienced. I smiled as Galen took her hand and softly turned it.
"Among us Selkie, it is a gesture of respect towards a fellow rider to kiss the palm of the hand.", he explained and bowed down a bit to softly brush his lips over her palm, smiling mischievously. Kean nodded, smiling as well. Galen let her hand go. "And that is not premature praise. You will be a very good rider one day."
"Who knows?", I said, joining them officially, "Maybe she might even has the stuff for a Marcach?"
Galen smiled. "That should not stop us from racing!", he said and I nodded.

Gavin Taighdeoir of the Tribe of Tralee.
I had cheered as the fire had been ignited by the ancient Spiorad and was now watching as the merry grilling began, from cuts of the Bull Boar hunted by some friends of one of my students, over potatoes, some vegetables, various meats and, of course, meat products. Some were organizing the people into two lines, which would get their food soon, salads were handled by the statuesque blonde that was Isla Stiúrthóir of the Tribe of Fingal, non-alcoholic drinks by two bartenders.
True to form, the majority of people here was in beach attire.
Next to me, two men appeared, watching and watchful, with suspicion in their eyes - probably vegetarians.
I still gave them a polite nod and turned back to watching. Best strategy was to wait until the first food rush was over so that one could get a bite in peace.

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I joined Adelheid, Ilia and Mistress Banphrionsa, who nodded.
"I know that feeling, though mostly from observation.", she said, "Aside from being BI's Co-CEO, I am CEO of Áilleagán Limited - my cousin Gwen, however, heads Gabha Blacksmiths Limited." She let a beat pass. "That should tell enough. But on to merrier topics!"
She smiled at me, then at Heidi.
"Are you and your friend having fun?", she asked.

Macha Sáraigh of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Oh, please don't call me 'Miss'!", I said over my shoulder with a smile, "Just call me Macha, Marie!" A beat passed and then I replied: "As for your question, Cao is currently fetching some sets in different colours. And a mirror."
I smiled.
"Don't worry, we're going somewhere, where you can change and look at you without someone disturbing us!", I told her.

AHSCA wrote:
The Selkie wrote:Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Auntie Isa smiled at being told, that we told Ayla, that she 'knew a thing about tourism'. A bit of an understatement, but a pleasant one, so she didn't correct her. She nodded at the explanations, and, when Ayla was finished, she smiled and bowed her head.
“I am very grateful for your kind invitation, Miss Ayla. If you ever find yourself in Zieselhaven in Teressien, give me a shout. I know a very nice, little Kaffeehauserl.”, she said with a smile and raised her head again, her smile becoming more business-like. “Now, as for what you mentioned... I make a policy out of visiting the places I offer trips to myself, both for quality check and due to being a bit of a restless woman myself, so I will definitely put the Festival of Holy Light on my list for next year.” I saw her pondering a bit. “Now, the thing is, tourism can boost a local economy quite a bit, but it can also change the locals quite a bit. They can say, that they are unchanging as much as they want, but the moment you hold a restaurant menu with annotations in three languages and drinks, which are not from local production, in hand, you stop believing.”
I smiled slightly – I knew, which example she meant.
“At the end of the day, if you want to boost tourism, you certainly came to the right place with me.”, she said and grinned, “It sounds very good for a start, that is for sure. Please tell me a bit more – whatever you believe is important or interesting or nice to know!”
I smiled and listened to the conversation, my hand on Iliane's, who was getting more and more comfortable with the touch.
That was, when from the direction of the large fire, a cheer rose...

"Boy, I think I could go much of the day about my homeland. The UIS is lovely, beautiful. My island is little but has its importance." Understanding it, two of it's highest senators in the UISC were from Corona. "Ah it's just a little slice of heaven. I doubt many would find us particular interesting but it's been a huge boost to Aurora and Animalpolis to have so many visitors. Really I know it does mean a little give and take but I can only hope people would be receptive to us and us to them. Islanders are very friendly people you know, we're generally very hospitable."

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Auntie Isa nodded slowly.
"You would be surprised what tourists might find interesting. Even if there is literally nothing but the hotel, you will have people interested in the place, the loneliness and relaxing distance from everyone being the point of attraction.", she explained, "It's all a question of the marketing." She thought for a moment. "I'll travel to the next Festival of Holy Light for sure, to Corona Island. Maybe I can get a few friends to come along, too, aside from those two and the only sane one in their family!"
With that, she motioned to Dad and me with a smile, which my Dad, after a moment of realizing, that Isa just called us crazy and Deirdre sane, responded to with a booming laugh and I grinned.
"While we are at it...", Dad said still grinning, "...who's hungry?"

Hanoverian Great Britain wrote:Genuinely, Alexandra could've been given just a mere few seconds to reply to that "thank you" but the immediate kiss proved a suitable replacement. While Alexandra felt the need to take charge as she always did, she decided to let it pass and allow Fintan to have his way with her as some sort of reward.

As much as Alexandra was intoxicated with the love octane, she is still able to cling on to reality. As the two slowly parted their lips apart, Alexandra's eyes painted the image of a young lady who felt pretty relieved with her current state at the moment. "You know, if you were taller and much more heavier than me, I could have had you bring me here and just, kiss me, as you will it", evidently, even in a state of tiredness, Alexandra was never incapable of teasing Fintan from time to time. Admittedly, while it held nothing impressive in the eyes of most women, Alexandra proved to be an extremely rare exception as her eyes silently trailed down Fintan's physique. "I love you", as Alexandra fatefully uttered the 3 words sentence, she brought her head close to Fintan's chest, to which she affectionately nuzzled for a few seconds before returning to her original position. Additionally, while she might not have said it in an explicit manner, Alexandra clearly saw the 18 year old Fintan as her new boyfriend, or lover as the term she preferred to use more.

"You know my dear Finny, I felt a bit plain in this lingerie, would you allow me to take some time into changing into this?", as she Fintan aside on the chair for a moment to allow her to get up, she quickly reached for the black suitcase. As she finally opened the lock for the black suitcase, she could only smile when the suitcase's interior revealed an extremely eye-catching and expensive pair of lingerie which is neatly placed in the middle of the suitcase's interior. Surely, Alexandra could catch the sight of Fintan's awe as he saw that the £ 1.52 million lingerie is made up of an extensive network of nearly 6,000 white diamonds, yellow saphires, and blue topazes which totaled over 640 carat and is set in 18-carat yellow gold. Seeing this, he could probably guess that Alexandra might've chose to wear her regular underwear as to not damage the said lingerie in the suitcase which seemed pretty reasonable.

Fintan Muc of the Tribe of Cork.
The kiss was wonderful, me being in charge, Alexandra letting me do as I pleased, and when we parted, I had actually been quite chaste, my hands still where it was 'safe'. It felt wonderful.
As we parted, Alexandra looked relieved and beautiful, relaxed and still the tease I came to like - I wanted to protest, that despite my lack of size, I could still carry her, but she was quicker then me.
She stunned me with three words: "I love you."
Her nuzzling was nice, it gave me a moment to think: Did I love her? Really love, not just felt attracted to? ...I never had a girlfriend, but I knew, how love felt - not every guy was a successful womanizer and always got the girl.
And I knew, that in my heart, I loved Alexandra, too.
Before I could tell her that, she sat me aside again, got up, explained, that she felt a bit plain in that attire she currently wore and asked, if she could change - and she showed me a piece from her suitcase, which made my jaw drop. Jewels set in gold, on a piece of lingerie, which looked expensive.
And I could imagine, that Alexandra would look gorgeous in it.
But, I had another thing to do, to say: "I believe, that you would look stunning regardless of what you wear, Alex.", I said, softly wrapping my arms around her from behind, strong enough to feel her, but loose enough for her to get out or move in easily, "My heart is yours, for I love you." I smiled, softly, a bit of a sheepish note in my voice as I added: "I would still love to see you in this..."
My grip loosened a bit further.

Isla Saighead of the Tribe of Westmeath.
The game progressed easily, Gerald feeling at ease and seemingly getting more comfortable, until he shot the ball out into the water, apologized immediately.
"It's no problem!", Lugh said and we agreed as Gerald got the ball. As soon as he was back and seemed ready to kick off again, we readied ourselves, Lugh nodding: "Shoot it in!"
Once we were comfortable with the ball going around, Lugh asked: "So, Gerald, where're you from?"

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I smiled slightly.
"I still practice with the sword, I even am a Swordmistress by the regulations of the Marcach Guild of Redruth.", I said with quite a bit of pride, "Now, as for how the movies do it... better then in times past. Of course, there's still a lot of dramatics and unnecessary flaunting in it, but at least the majority of movie-swords have similar weight and balance to swords how I know them. That's a very important step." I leaned back. "The major problem this day and age is still the clashing of swords, the actual blades being hammered against each other. That is something you want to avoid, it actually damages the sword, which is bad."
"It makes the sword unhappy.", Tea chimed in.
"And an unhappy sword makes an unhappy swordsman.", Meave added.
"Exactly.", I said with a smile, thinking to myself, that not too long ago, the unhappy swordsman would also be a dead swordsman.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
As Valeriya let her black mass out to snatch bottles, the two of us were watching with wide eyes. "Well, you could have asked!", I said her about that before replying to her question: "As for our hair, it's the natural colour."
Ceili nodded. "Many foreigners are quite confused by that, but that's indeed the case.", she said, took herself a bottle and opened it with an already used cap. She looked to Barrogi. "You alright there, lad?"
The massive canine lifted his head, looked at us and Ceili poured him a bit more water into his bowl.
We would take him with us later, when we went to bed.

by **New Visayan Islands** » Fri Jan 24, 2020 5:56 am

Gerald Vicente
At the Beach

"Confederation of the New Visayan Islands," Gerald replied. "Eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time, no DST, and a tropical nation," he added as he kicked the ball in. "More specifically, I'm from the Province of Bohol, the Confederation's most socially conservative territory." He said that last part with a slight grimace.

"Beg pardon; we Boholanos, for better or worse, have a somewhat puritanical attitude toward things coupled with a tendency to wear our hearts on our sleeves," Gerald said to head off any possible reactions. All this time, the ball was still in the air, and Gerald was going all out, scars be damned.

by **Palmyrion** » Fri Jan 24, 2020 7:24 am

The Selkie wrote:[spoiler=HGB-Quote]

Kiana Rúisc of the Tribe of Waterford.
As the young man got out the bottle, Finnegan's eyes widened with a bit of surprise, taking the bottle with care and a huge smile.
"Thank you very much, Jerald.", he said and turned the bottle in his hands, "I never heard of this stuff, to be honest, but from what it says on the label, it sounds delicious. I am sure, that we'll have a fun time with that later!"
It was not unknown to us, that the Commonwealth might soon be in need for even more small arms then currently were available and Mangaire was willing to deliver - yet, we had little idea about the culture, or spirits, within the Commonwealth.
"I am sure, that we will have more then enough to return the favour.", Finn said and then grinned, "Though that'll have to wait until ten o'clock."

"Ten o'clock it is then. Then let's feast and party!" Jerald replied in jest. The new CEO wanted to make use of this break time to refresh from the hustle and bustle of corporate life, but it's as if this party blessed him with what could be the start of Palmyro-Selkie business relations (even if, back in St. Perpetua, either side funded opposing forces even if they didn't engage each other in open warfare); add to that the fact that it was two arms manufacturers from two different countries, and they were talking about something serious...especially now that in the recent spate of violence, De Leon Armoury's production capability might face a significant blow.

"And since we have a lot of time on our hands, perhaps we can talk business too?" Jerald asked.

by **Lillorainen** » Fri Jan 24, 2020 10:25 am

Little Enya's paraphrase showed, that she now understood what was meant - apparently, Chris wasn't too bad at explaining things to her. He had smiled and nodded, too, as she knew the principle. She went on to a rather dicey question, which, however, Cel's Mam already took care of, by stating, that she could hardly compete, even though this opinion wasn't exactly shared by the lads threwing a look over to her. And while Chris was sure to remember, that back in Cuan, he had told her, 'One is always as old as one feels', giving the number of Springs she had seen little meaning beyond just being a number, judging one's own future mother-in-law (at least potentially) wouldn't make the turnout exactly fair, either. Especially since their relationship was already ... interesting enough, to say the least.
After getting greeted, in Mhairin's case with kisses on his cheeks, he said, "Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you again! How are things going?"

Dragan and Leo could guess what Alya was thinking when she nodded cautiously - better not have anyone around who worked for any newspaper or some other sort of media corporation at any incident like this. One could easily argue, that neither of both had any equipment around (not even their smartphones - these were in their hotel rooms and would definitely stay there), and that there was something called 'professional ethics' - the thing that told them apart from 'those representatives of the press', and that especially Leo could easily come up with her record so far, articles published in the WAZ and interviews done over in Eastern Slavia (which had also been aired on Lillorainian TV - for most Lillos and Wiedheimers the first time they had ever heard of the former Soviet Republic and the chaotic mess it had been since its independence, probably only being outperformed by Kupandukira in that regard), showing, that she genuinely wasn't after noodle incidents and whatever else one could possibly after, if one didn't even know how Berufsethos was spelled - but yeah, they wouldn't be able to come up with Alya's experiences with that kind. Though, Flemming and Prescher surely could ...
Alternatively, there was the solution to get the two of them sloshed enough to make sure, that they wouldn't remember anything. While this might be considerably harder with Dragan and his firm Slavic liver, it wasn't impossible, either - especially not with Doggy Aragh.
But that was something to sort out later.
For now, on to a merrier topic - the inductees.
"Yeah, there are a few lads and lassies around I surely would remember, if they had already been around last time" - Dragan said, looking around a bit, especially twoards the grill, but also towards the 'bar'.
"At least I know, that the Blaidd-Sisters are around" - Leo said, remembering the conversation on Piffle with Elin a while ago. Her mention could easily serve as a little hint to Dragan to finally get himself an account there, and if it was only for the purpose of reading along.
Dragan kept watching out.

by **Shikonjima** » Fri Jan 24, 2020 10:26 am

Setsuko was confident, that the man, who introduced himself as Gwydion Ddeliwr, of Cefnffordd Descent, would surprise her quite a couple of times within the next few minutes. Not only because of the quite bumpy start, to say the very least, but also because of the way he spoke Shikonjimanese - an older variant, with slight variances in pronunciation and grammar, possibly also influenced by regional variations she wasn't used to hearing, neither from Toriyama, or from Moukogawa. It sounded like a south-eastern variant, Miyuki or Akatsuki dialect perhaps, and using some terms and grammatical forms sounding quite a bit archaic. Her educated guess led her to Middle Shikonjimanese, commonly spoken between the 16th and 18th century.
But she understood him perfectly.
Which led her to what he was actually saying about the Tamori Clan, and saying, that it was not nice, was like saying, that the sky is blue - technically correct, but not covering the whole story. It was much rather the textbook example of what was covered by §28 Ritsuryou - Lèse-Majesté.
Then again, he was fluent at a variant of the language that had been spoken during a very certain era of Shikonjimanese history, and while Setsuko was nowhere near an expert on past events (she studied Economics, Jim, not History!), she had quite a bit of general knowledge on it, not only from an economic point of view. She did quite have an assumption as to where his aversion against Shikonjima in general and the Tamori Clan in particular came from, and one could safely argue, that the times had changed since then, with the most famous Tamori being a car and motorcycle racer, who sometimes even went on joyrides with various people (one of these lucky ones being a fifteen-year-old girl sitting only a few meters away from Setsu), not to mention other nobles of the Tamori (or also Yamura, or Hanada, or Gonda, or Sageshima, for that matter) who were everything else but proud of what their Ancestors had done during the Clan Wars, to say the least - but it was him who had opened this ever-so-nice conversation, so it was about him to explain himself first.
Thus, she decided to continue in the same manner and tone as he did, with plastic politeness, explaining what he was likely to already know.
"Abe Setsuko, hajimemashite dozou yoroshiku" - she introduced herself, speaking her modern Shikonjimanese he would surely understand. "Now, while the Honorable Royal Majesties of the Tamori are nowhere as powerful as they used to be in former centuries" - she put an emphasis onto the address, "they do still hold quite a couple of major fiefs, including Akebono, the largest one. Until a bit less than two centuries ago, they used to be in power of the Shogunate, including its colonial possessions, but with Tamori no Nanako Kougou's line ending, Kazuo-Shogun took over power, and with him, the line of the ruling Yamura line started, with Yamura no Kyouko Koushaku having been our current Ruler since Wakaijidai 1 - or 2011, according to the international calendar." She let a beat pass. "It might or might not surprise you, Ddeliwr-san, but the days when Shikonjimanese Royalty engaged in prostitution and murder have already been over for ..." - she demonstratively looked onto her wrist, as if to check her watch, "... well, let's say, three centuries. The times have changed much since then. I'm afraid, it seems to me, as if your stance of knowledge on Shikonjima and the Magnificent Lineage it is ruled by, is not exactly up-to-date."
She wasn't sure, if he would appreciate her fairly straightforward appeal to try running update.exe, especially since he obviously hadn't really bothered to do so for quite a long time - but well, he had asked, he had received his answer.

Yelda could easily follow Setsuko's less convenient conversation with one ear (and, despite knowing her, kept wondering how she managed to keep relatively calm - she knew what she would say, if he had used such a wording about the Sharulsi Khanate and its ruling house ...), while continuing to listen to Raidri and Áed. Raidri offered to ask 'Milady Macha' later on; and if 'Milady Macha' was the one Yelda had already seen in the New Lands, then she could imagine, that she had a lot of stories to tell - especially since it was known, that she had seen the faraway place named Lillorainen three times so far - once in the 13th century, and twice this year. And who knew, whom she had met in between ...?
"That sounds like a terrific idea!" - Kazuo said. "Well, I mean both. Asking Milady Macha and getting some food!"
Yelda nodded.

by **AHSCA** » Fri Jan 24, 2020 12:19 pm

The Selkie wrote:Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Auntie Isa nodded slowly.
"You would be surprised what tourists might find interesting. Even if there is literally nothing but the hotel, you will have people interested in the place, the loneliness and relaxing distance from everyone being the point of attraction.", she explained, "It's all a question of the marketing." She thought for a moment. "I'll travel to the next Festival of Holy Light for sure, to Corona Island. Maybe I can get a few friends to come along, too, aside from those two and the only sane one in their family!"
With that, she motioned to Dad and me with a smile, which my Dad, after a moment of realizing, that Isa just called us crazy and Deirdre sane, responded to with a booming laugh and I grinned.
"While we are at it...", Dad said still grinning, "...who's hungry?"

"Wonderful! I look so forward to seeing you there! Again consider you my guest." She'd have to let her in on her little secret she was Chief of Corona, now everyone was friendly with one another seemed no reason to be quiet about it further. "Come by sea if you need, well then again it sounds like the good people here are still in touch with the sea. It might be a bit rough in places but the journey always makes it worth it. And there's ships that land directly at Corona so no need to head for Aurora. Well unless you want too." She giggled a bit, far be it from her to sway people from her fellow islanders. Then it was suggested to get food, well perfect timing because as on cue Ayla's stomach growled. "Oooh well I'd say I'm hungry and needing something good to eat. Might I join you folks for a meal as well?"

by **Polish Prussian Commonwealth** » Sat Jan 25, 2020 8:38 pm

Adelheid
Adelheid shrugged. "Fun? Maybe."
She then smiled. "But it's certainly fairly peaceful, and that's all I need."
In other words... she thought, The issue with that question is that my idea of fun involves hurtling through the sky in a tin can with wings and a gun strapped on. And without a trainer yelling in my ear.

Marie
Marie nodded. "I assume that includes both you and Cao, yes? I mean...erm, I wouldn't want you watching me change, no offense."
Especially if it's...that. she added mentally.

Tomasz and Stanislaus
Tomasz went up to Gavin first. "Oi..." he started. "Sorry to bother you, but...erm, this is where we grab the food, yes?"
Stanislaus held back for now. Only now did he realize that wearing a uniform was a mistake. Half of the damned beach was probably staring at him now.

by **Mediama** » Sun Jan 26, 2020 3:18 am

Marion nodded, “Ah, I understand. An unhappy sword also makes an unhappy props director.” Marion giggled at what she just said, fondly remembering from her days as a costuming assistant, “One time when we were doing a production that had stage combat, one of the lead actors put a little too much effort into his blows, he ended up breaking the blade from the handle.” She chuckled, “He ended up get quite the earful from the props master and the props director.”

She pursued her lips, “When you work in theatre as long as you do though, you tend to see the reasoning behind what they do. Flare and dramatization to make a situation more engaging, loud clashing to get the point across on what is happening, there’s oftentimes little subtlety in theatre until otherwise. Nevertheless though, a good director would be able to balance subtlety and still get the point across.”

She blushed as she slightly put her hands up in defense, “D-Don’t take my words wholeheartedly though, I was just the costuming assistant, I didn’t usually make such calls during productions.”

by **The Selkie** » Sun Jan 26, 2020 5:47 am

Isla Saighead of the Tribe of Westmeath.
Lugh waved his hand. "Eh, no problem!", he said and gave the ball a hearty header in my direction. I nearly missed his further words as I accepted the ball and played it towards Donny. "Being open is never a weakness. It makes it clear, who one stands and why one stands there."
Donny kicked and the ball went far over Pina's head, splashing into the surf.
"Yep, point for ya, Isla!", he said and ran to fetch the ball.
I looked to Pina. "We don't play for points, do we?"
"No.", the young woman said, "But ya know the lads..."
I nodded slowly, which caused Amy to giggle - no, I did not really know the lads.

Kiana Rúisc of the Tribe of Waterford.
I gave a small smile, bowing my head lightly to Finnegan - the man was very well connected, that was true, but he was, at his heart a man, who sold clothes and toys, not arms. That was my thing.
"Indeed we can, Jerald.", I said and smiled, turning to the young man. "The business is good, after all, and to my knowledge, that goes for the businesses, which we represent in broad daylight. De Leon Armoury and Mangaire Dealership, that would be an interesting cooperation - provided, of course, DLA's leadership would be interested in opening a new distribution channel." I shrugged. "We are usually used for more... questionable sales, after all. When you or your government doesn't want to be seen selling military equipment to someone, we will gladly take care of that for you."
It was quite an open way of making business, but better not making any bones about it, then having a scandal on our hands later.

Lillorainen wrote:Little Enya's paraphrase showed, that she now understood what was meant - apparently, Chris wasn't too bad at explaining things to her. He had smiled and nodded, too, as she knew the principle. She went on to a rather dicey question, which, however, Cel's Mam already took care of, by stating, that she could hardly compete, even though this opinion wasn't exactly shared by the lads threwing a look over to her. And while Chris was sure to remember, that back in Cuan, he had told her, 'One is always as old as one feels', giving the number of Springs she had seen little meaning beyond just being a number, judging one's own future mother-in-law (at least potentially) wouldn't make the turnout exactly fair, either. Especially since their relationship was already ... interesting enough, to say the least.
After getting greeted, in Mhairin's case with kisses on his cheeks, he said, "Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you again! How are things going?"

Dragan and Leo could guess what Alya was thinking when she nodded cautiously - better not have anyone around who worked for any newspaper or some other sort of media corporation at any incident like this. One could easily argue, that neither of both had any equipment around (not even their smartphones - these were in their hotel rooms and would definitely stay there), and that there was something called 'professional ethics' - the thing that told them apart from 'those representatives of the press', and that especially Leo could easily come up with her record so far, articles published in the WAZ and interviews done over in Eastern Slavia (which had also been aired on Lillorainian TV - for most Lillos and Wiedheimers the first time they had ever heard of the former Soviet Republic and the chaotic mess it had been since its independence, probably only being outperformed by Kupandukira in that regard), showing, that she genuinely wasn't after noodle incidents and whatever else one could possibly after, if one didn't even know how Berufsethos was spelled - but yeah, they wouldn't be able to come up with Alya's experiences with that kind. Though, Flemming and Prescher surely could ...
Alternatively, there was the solution to get the two of them sloshed enough to make sure, that they wouldn't remember anything. While this might be considerably harder with Dragan and his firm Slavic liver, it wasn't impossible, either - especially not with Doggy Aragh.
But that was something to sort out later.
For now, on to a merrier topic - the inductees.
"Yeah, there are a few lads and lassies around I surely would remember, if they had already been around last time" - Dragan said, looking around a bit, especially twoards the grill, but also towards the 'bar'.
"At least I know, that the Blaidd-Sisters are around" - Leo said, remembering the conversation on Piffle with Elin a while ago. Her mention could easily serve as a little hint to Dragan to finally get himself an account there, and if it was only for the purpose of reading along.
Dragan kept watching out.

Celina Treoraí of the Tribe of Louth.
"Very well, thank you.", Mam said and smiled, then took her turn to greet Chris, by giving him a single kiss onto the cheek, giving him a light hug. I did not really know, what I wanted to think about this for now, but I knew, that I would find out soon enough. As Mama Mhairin took back Enya, Mam looked to her. "Would you mind terribly, if I were to kidnap this young man and my daughter?"
Whatever was up, Mama Mhairin nodded and Little Enya waved us goodbye.
Mam looked at the two of us. "Walk with me for a bit, please.", she said and motioned for us to follow her.

Amy Laoch of the Tribe of Dundalk.
"Yeah, the Blaidds...", Alya said, "Nice women, really, Elin is a Big Sis Type of woman and Branwen is a smart lassie, but let's be honest here, both have two arguments each, which make them instant hits with younger men."
I giggled. "Like we are ones to talk!", I said and looked to the three, "They're aren't the only ones, though, we have a few more kids, like Tea and Meave, and then there's Lykke. I can introduce you later!"
"And, if I interpret the Boss' look right, we might have a few new colleagues before the night is over!", Alya said with a grin.

Shikonjima wrote:Setsuko was confident, that the man, who introduced himself as Gwydion Ddeliwr, of Cefnffordd Descent, would surprise her quite a couple of times within the next few minutes. Not only because of the quite bumpy start, to say the very least, but also because of the way he spoke Shikonjimanese - an older variant, with slight variances in pronunciation and grammar, possibly also influenced by regional variations she wasn't used to hearing, neither from Toriyama, or from Moukogawa. It sounded like a south-eastern variant, Miyuki or Akatsuki dialect perhaps, and using some terms and grammatical forms sounding quite a bit archaic. Her educated guess led her to Middle Shikonjimanese, commonly spoken between the 16th and 18th century.
But she understood him perfectly.
Which led her to what he was actually saying about the Tamori Clan, and saying, that it was not nice, was like saying, that the sky is blue - technically correct, but not covering the whole story. It was much rather the textbook example of what was covered by §28 Ritsuryou - Lèse-Majesté.
Then again, he was fluent at a variant of the language that had been spoken during a very certain era of Shikonjimanese history, and while Setsuko was nowhere near an expert on past events (she studied Economics, Jim, not History!), she had quite a bit of general knowledge on it, not only from an economic point of view. She did quite have an assumption as to where his aversion against Shikonjima in general and the Tamori Clan in particular came from, and one could safely argue, that the times had changed since then, with the most famous Tamori being a car and motorcycle racer, who sometimes even went on joyrides with various people (one of these lucky ones being a fifteen-year-old girl sitting only a few meters away from Setsu), not to mention other nobles of the Tamori (or also Yamura, or Hanada, or Gonda, or Sageshima, for that matter) who were everything else but proud of what their Ancestors had done during the Clan Wars, to say the least - but it was him who had opened this ever-so-nice conversation, so it was about him to explain himself first.
Thus, she decided to continue in the same manner and tone as he did, with plastic politeness, explaining what he was likely to already know.
"Abe Setsuko, hajimemashite dozou yoroshiku" - she introduced herself, speaking her modern Shikonjimanese he would surely understand. "Now, while the Honorable Royal Majesties of the Tamori are nowhere as powerful as they used to be in former centuries" - she put an emphasis onto the address, "they do still hold quite a couple of major fiefs, including Akebono, the largest one. Until a bit less than two centuries ago, they used to be in power of the Shogunate, including its colonial possessions, but with Tamori no Nanako Kougou's line ending, Kazuo-Shogun took over power, and with him, the line of the ruling Yamura line started, with Yamura no Kyouko Koushaku having been our current Ruler since Wakaijidai 1 - or 2011, according to the international calendar." She let a beat pass. "It might or might not surprise you, Ddeliwr-san, but the days when Shikonjimanese Royalty engaged in prostitution and murder have already been over for ..." - she demonstratively looked onto her wrist, as if to check her watch, "... well, let's say, three centuries. The times have changed much since then. I'm afraid, it seems to me, as if your stance of knowledge on Shikonjima and the Magnificent Lineage it is ruled by, is not exactly up-to-date."
She wasn't sure, if he would appreciate her fairly straightforward appeal to try running update.exe, especially since he obviously hadn't really bothered to do so for quite a long time - but well, he had asked, he had received his answer.

Yelda could easily follow Setsuko's less convenient conversation with one ear (and, despite knowing her, kept wondering how she managed to keep relatively calm - she knew what she would say, if he had used such a wording about the Sharulsi Khanate and its ruling house ...), while continuing to listen to Raidri and Áed. Raidri offered to ask 'Milady Macha' later on; and if 'Milady Macha' was the one Yelda had already seen in the New Lands, then she could imagine, that she had a lot of stories to tell - especially since it was known, that she had seen the faraway place named Lillorainen three times so far - once in the 13th century, and twice this year. And who knew, whom she had met in between ...?
"That sounds like a terrific idea!" - Kazuo said. "Well, I mean both. Asking Milady Macha and getting some food!"
Yelda nodded.

Faye Donn of the Tribe of Wexford.
If there was a legislation against lèse majesté in Shikonjima, it didn't really look like Gwydion seemed to care - both because we were well outside of the reach of Shikonmanjese Law and because the old Spiorad did not like the Shikos. And that was an understatement.
"'Magnificent Lineage'...", he said with a smile, clearly amused, "Well, if no one respects you, you might as well give yourself a nice-sounding name so people think, that you actually have something to say. Lesson for the day, Setsu-tan, Marketing is everything." He let a beat pass. I knew, that he knew everything she had just told him, maybe in more detail then she would ever realize - he never really made any bones about having sold weapons to the rebels in Nho Quoc, during the Shikonmanjese Version of the Decolonization Wars. "Though in that sense, I must praise you, too, my dear. After all, you embody perfectly the calm phoniness of the Shikos. Good job!"
He bowed his head lightly.
"If you will now excuse me and Faye, we have a few things to talk about.", he said, switching back to English, "My daughter Carys will keep you a bit of company. Keep up the good work, Setsu-tan!"
Carys was giggling at that, but nodded in agreement.

Raidri Gormchló of the Tribe of Fingal.
Áed nodded, rose. "Then let's get going, Kazou, let's get a lot of salads, meat and..." He glanced to the cooler, I shook my head. We didn't need a resupply of that. "...and no new drinks, unless someone wants something special?"
I shook my head. "I'm fine. Please tell Miss Isla, that I'd like an extra helping of cál ceannann!", I said and Áed nodded. "Any other special requests?"
Áed seemed to be fine with doing the food-run.

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
"Sure, Ayla!", my Dad said with a wide grin, "You would be very welcome!"
"So, what I can spot...", I told Auntie Isla and Ayla, "...is the Bull Boar, a lot of other meat products and Captain Stiúrthóir and her salads. I also think..." I sniffed the air. "Yeah, someone is unpacking marshmallows and Maith and... Luqaimat, if I am not mistaken."
"Indeed!", Auntie Isla said, "And I think, that I saw some variations of dumplings."
"So, we have enough to eat in enough tastes for everyone.", Iliane said and smiled, "And I look forward to taste-testing the salads and the Bull Boar."
I nodded. "Well, then let's get going!", I said and made to rise, holding out my hands, both to help Iliane and one other lady, who needed or wanted the aid, up. Dad rose as well, offered a hand as well, so both Ayla and Auntie Isla had free pick.

Gavin Taighdeoir of the Tribe of Tralee.
The man in uniform and his friend did garner a few odd looks, more of them pitying then anything else (among us, how did he not sweat to death already?), but that quickly vanished.
I nodded. "Yes, around this part, you can get yourself a, and many more, bites to eat!", I said and motioned to the large fire, "Over there, meat and meat products." I motioned to where Isla was handing out salads. "Salads of various descriptions." The little stall of Lykke and Fiete came next. "Drinks, though alcohol comes out after ten, when the kids are in bed."
Then I shrugged.
"And, all over the place are little camp fires, where you can grill and cook your own stuff.", I explained, "I think, that I spotted a rather large pot of Stobhach, too. Selkie-Stew.", I added for understanding. "I'm waiting until the first run is over!"

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Mistress Banphrionsa smiled. "Indeed, it is peaceful. That is always a good start.", she said and looked over the beach, where the party was starting in earnest, "I look forward to when the Saraighs play up again!"
She smiled at me and I knew, that expected me to ask for a dance later, and I nodded. Of course I would ask her. And that was not only because she was my boss.
"If I may be so presumptious, but are you still in school or did you graduate already?", Mistress Banphrionsa asked.

Macha Sáraigh of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I smiled.
"If you don't want us to watch you change, then we don't.", I said and shrugged, "Among the two of us, I am not too keen on that either, no offense. And I don't think, that Cao is either. We got enough blows to our self-confidence during the shooting already..."
Cao, appearing next to us with a small bag over her shoulder, nodded, grimly. "Yes.", she simply said.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I giggled at the defense and the blush - it looked cute.
"I know, what you mean.", I told her and nodded, "Dramatics are important both in theater and in cinema. And, from what my cousins tell me, its also important for modelling."
"Yes, it is!", Tea said with a firm nod, "Big Sis Amy told us that - if ya want a piece look good on an image, ya need to strike a bit of a pose. A smile or a bit of movement, don't just stand there. That's why they let us dance with Big Bro Lugh and Big Bro Leonard!"
I nodded. "Indeed.", I agreed - although I had not thought about that, Tea was right. This might be their first time in a shooting, but they did know, what they were talking about.
And it was quite cute hearing them refer to their colleagues as 'Big Bro'.

by **New Visayan Islands** » Sun Jan 26, 2020 7:36 am

Gerald Vicente
At the Beach

"Good to know I'm in good company," Gerald replied. As Donny went into the surf to retrieve the ball, he heard Isla and Pina bantering about playing for points.

"Tell you guy what, I'm in the mood for a nice, cold drink or two; anyone want anything?" Gerald asked; he was feeling thirsty at the moment.

A Beach Feast (IC)

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