A Beach Feast (IC)

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

As Alexandra swallowed the new revelation, her memories allowed her to vividly recall the image of this particular Eileen, one of the lassies she had met before, though in her case in particular, she had interacted with her far less than anyone else. Regardless, she was a bit surprised that the name Juna did not came up. "Multiple admirers, I see", the thought played itself in her mind.

When Mhairi got to the "little brother" part, Alexandra couldn't subtly agree more as she herself had her own experience of seeing Fintan as one during their brief moment. Without giving away any more details, a simple nod would suffice for her.

"I would not, I promise", replied her in a cheeky manner at the request. Seeing the offer of linking arms, Alexandra yet saw a better alternative, as she "linked" one of her suitcase with one of Mhairi's free hands instead and swiftly had her own free hand curled around Mhairi's back, a sign of affection. Surely, Alexandra had mastered the trait of being extremely affectionate and "cute" as some might say since she was just a little girl, which did much in earning herself as the favourite of her mother and grandmother.

[Kuronami]

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Kay rose and led us off, grinning.
"You know, Fi and I really met for the first time during our studies. Economics, UoL.", she explained, "Before that, we were at different schools. She's from the Iris..."
"...and Kay here is a Binn-Lass.", I added, took the lead and adjusted our course lightly. "But we had one thing in common: Sensha-Do. Both of us practiced Tankery in school and follow the sport to this day.", I explained, "In my time with the Coileáin, I learned to drive and maintain the Colúr-Tankette, while Kay is one of the best drivers and gunners on a Mealltach Reconnaissance Tank you'll ever see."
"Thanks.", Kay showed her gratitude for the compliment, "But the thing with our lovely Fi here is, that she owns a Tankette. That thing there."
And here we were: 3.2 tons in weight, 3.6 meters long, 2.1 wide, 1.6 meters high, powered by a V8 petrol engine, basically a motorized box on tracks and not ashamed to show it. It had been designed as an APC, which can drag around stuff, but by now, it was mostly used as a tractor for anything and everything heavy, a staple on the roads of the Free Lands, if you ever met a motorized vehicle. Gabha Motorworks still produced them, when there was a demand, despite being from the early Thirties.
This one was of that vintage, too.
I opened the back hatch so that my passengers didn't have to climb over the open sides, and smiled as the equipment inside, ropes and heavy boots and a few other things, were still present and accounted for.
"Alright, all aboard. Be careful, though, there's a bit of equipment inside.", I warned with a smile and went forward.
"If one of the little lassies doesn't find a spot...", Kay began as she sat down on the front passenger seat, "...tell me, I have a spot free on my lap!"
I smiled. Thing was, the passenger compartment was designed for four fully equipped soldiers, with the equipment we had and the lassies, and the lad, we would have enough space.
Hopefully.
If not... well, there were enough adults with laps present.

"Wow you own that?!" Bianca was stunned "You must really have a lotta money!" Bianca went wide eyed and pointed out.

"Hehe generally in our parts of Kuronami only very wealthy folks have their own vehicles." Isabel commented

"Like Isabel really! Otherwise rest of us gotta take the train or bus to go anywhere far." The girls climbed aboard as directed a bit of a squeeze but no problem for a pair of 8-year old girls.

"Well I never mind having Bianca on my lap, although you best lay off the sweets, Bianca before you get too heavy for me!"

"Well you're the one who always has such good cakes at tea time!"

Both settled into their positions just fine. "This is pretty cozy though." Bianca admitted "Like being in my brother's bedroom. They have bunk beds. But I think this whole thing could fit in your bedroom alone, Isabel"

Isabel blushed a little "W-well I guess I do have a big room."

[Greater Orcadia]

Lykke Blon.
Fiete agreed with a nod, points had been made.
"And if you can get it for free, all the better.", she said and smiled at me, "Lykke here did..."
"Well, I was technically at work!", I protested with a smile, just as a couple came up asking for two ales.
Fiete grinned and left me alone with the two Draycorans, while she took care of the two newcomers.
"I turned to the two Draycorans and told them: "I model for the host of this party on the side. Like Fiete, I am actually a Hausmädchen in Teressien, but... well, I was discovered by an agent of BI and here I am. There are certainly worse places to travel to for work!"

Meanwhile, from the corner of my eye, I saw Fiete reply to the two newcomers: "Alcohol comes out when the kids are in bed.", she told them, smiled as a couple of said kids, a pair of roundabout eleven year old Selkie-lassies, halted behind the two of them, conversing in their melodic tongue. It sounded as if they were singing arias to each other with how melodic and flowing their language was. Fiete looked back at the newcomers. "I can give you lemonade or iced tea, though. And, by the way, your can put your wallet away, no one here pays for anything, for all has been paid."
That seemed to be their first party around these parts.

Ryan glances across at Louise, she pauses momentarily,
"Lemonade please" she says,

"make that two" says Ryan his voice having a notable Scotch twang, after all he is from Glasgow after all,

Louise being from Barrow In Furness is not that far from Glasgow, maybe around 3 hours or so.

As the kids stopped behind Louise, she glances around, "careful kids" she says, fearing that they may if they are not careful, skittle her

"I like this place Lou, in fact Id love to retire here, but first I have to see the world" Says Ryan, picking up his lemonade with a nod of thanks to the barkeeper as Louise picked up hers, "...and ya know what, next time you have shore leave, its about time you came on a run with me"

Louise scans the area, looking for a place to sit,
"over there, by those two, i think there's space" she says, pointing to a table before turning to face Ryan, placing her arms over his shoulders Ryan places his arms around Louise, going in for a soft, respectful kiss, after all, these two are happily married so it would be unusual for them not to show affection.

"lets take a seat" she says. and so the two of them make their way over to the table, but as expected, thanks to a prosthetic, Louise does have a very slight limp.

Once at the table, Ryan and Louise take their seats, and with the music being played Ryan starts to tab his feet, it is there he spots Captains Tumadóir and Faerg dancing before turning to Louise.
"shal we dance?" he asks
"i can but try" Louise replies, downing her Lemonade

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

Caoimhe Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I didn't even know, that there might be dots to connect, so I didn't even try.
I did know, though, that Saranidia was... not exactly the nicest of places, quite unstable at that, so I made a face.
"Sounds like a rough time.", I said and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, though. This is a way nicer place!"
And, as if to prove my point, we arrived back at the beach, giving us a panorama of the area, the party going on and, of course, the partygoers, who were being merry.
I smiled at Marie, then added: "You're among friends. You don't even know a handful of them, but a new guy is but a friend you haven't met yet.", I said, then remembered: "If I remember correctly, you had some business to attend to, right? I'll get us something to drink, you do your thing and we meet back at the bar when you are ready?"

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I nodded, offered her my arm to link.
"Sure, let's go.", I said, then remembered: "Though, alcohol is not brought out until the kids are in bed." I looked to the oldest of our conversation group. "Madame Banphrionsa, if you would please excuse us?"
"Of course.", she said with a smile, "Have fun, you two!"
With a small bow of my head, I turned Heidi towards the bar.

Adelheid
I blushed a little when Yven offered his arm to me, but linked my arm with his anyway. "Farewell, Madame Banphrionsa!" I called, with a smile. "And thanks! You too!"
I turned back to Yven. "Of course not. Wouldn't want 'em getting funny ideas or seeing the things adults get up to when drunk, aye?"

---

Marie
"Wasn't too bad. Everyone-well, nearly everyone was dumb as a brick, except for one officer from Dagestan. Intelligent man, but exasperated and stuck in an army of fools."
I smiled a little at the memory. God damn, Suleiman was a godsend. "But, yeah. I very much prefer here."

My smile disappeared at her words. Really, now. I thought. Chances are, new people are either trying to hire me, buy something from me, or kill me. I'd rather not meet people again, unless someone I know can vouch for 'em.

At the mention of business, I nodded. "Aye. Shouldn't take me too long. Just a few minutes. See you in a bit, Cao."

I slipped away from her, and set off across the beach, in search of one Vladimir Toschya.

[Ezhara]

A pier would be hard to find for Park and Eiko...

The two of them had been walking for a few minutes when Eiko tugged on Park's arm like an anxious child. "Um, Miss Park," he said, looking back at where they came from, then back down at his empty cup. "I don't think there's a pier anywhere around here. All I see are boats and... people."
She paused. "Well... well, all right," she said. "I don't suppose you'd care for boats?" He followed her finger, pointing out to sea at the several boats, and crouched down, but he couldn't really see them all that well, not that he really did care for boats. Both of them were silent, and Eiko peered at his cup, delicately shining in the beachside sunlight. He needed a refill of matcha, but he doubted that anyone on the beach would just happen to be carrying all that stuff around. Sighing, he sat down on the sand, and his vision drifted to the waves coming in, out, in, out, nearly reaching his sandals. Out at sea, he could see a darker patch of water amidst the boats, but whether it existed...

"Ms. Park." He rose, staring out at the ocean with a blank expression. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here."
"What?"
"Something's in the water, and I think it doesn't want me here." He took a step back. His face seemed paralyzed rather than blank now. "It wants someone else, but... I don't know who it wants. It feels disappointed, even from here. Who could it want?" He looked down at his cup, as though expecting an answer from there, but nothing came. That sense of wrongness, of disappointment, remained in him. "It doesn't want me here."
"Eiko, would you like to head back to the hotel room, then?"
"No... no, I'm fine, I think. I can put up with it just fine." He turned to face her, and a rehearsed smile slipped onto his face, and his childlike tone returned. "Let's just keep looking around. I'm sure there's something nice to see."

How could he snap from dread to joy like that? Granted, he was an actor, a fine one at that whose rejection of the position of Talent was odd, to say the least. Park was hesitant, but then he tilted his head. "Come on." This time, he was the one dragging her along, and she nearly tripped as he grabbed her hand and took off. "Eiko, a-are you sure you're fine?"
"Yes, I am," he said, turning back with a cheery smile. "Please, you don't have to worry about me, Ms. Park. I just get distracted every now and then. Ah, that reminds me, the boats."
eiko, dear
He forced his smile a little more, trying to ignore the whisper in his head, trying to distract Park from further investigation. "That's a pretty big yacht, it reminds me of the businesswoman's. I wonder if someone like her is here. Probably is. And... oh, that yacht has a black-and-white banner. Almost looks like a pirate's flag from here, haha."

"Are you— are you sure you're okay, Eiko? You seem kind of... hyper."
"My doctor says I'm fine, so I'm fine. I mean, wouldn't you prefer me this way, anyway?" He gave a cutesy tilt of his head — surely Park, like every other adult in his life, would prefer him as the sweet, innocent child he was always cast and hired as, and he couldn't imagine why anyone else would want otherwise, not that there was one.
eiko, stop lying
"Ah, you know, I'm a little thirsty. My tea's all out." He spun out of her grasp, showing her the cup with a tilt of his head. "I'm probably hyper because of the caffeine in my tea, you know? Haha."
eiko, you know that's wrong

"I'm fine..." he whispered.
she knows you're lying
His smile faded, but he still tilted his head and sounded happy. "Ms. Park, do you think I'm lying?"
"Wha—" After everything, she was... stunned, to say the least. The way Eiko flitted between emotions was unlike anything that she had ever seen, especially out of him, who was normally reserved and dead silent. But then again, he did get hit by a car a few weeks ago — perhaps he was still recovering from that? She stood there, silent and unsure. Would it hurt him if she was honest?

"... yes."
Eiko relaxed. "Sorry, I just... sometimes I get a little... shocked, I think, and I just sort of forget what I'm doing. Disassociation. Yeah, that's it. But I really am fine. My parents say so, and I know that they love me." Something about what he said seemed off to Park, but she couldn't pin anything specific, especially since he started talking immediately after. "Ah, maybe if I get some more tea, I'll stop being so antsy. I need matcha, or else I start feeling unreal. Too bad there's no temple nearby..."
The two of them began walking on the beach again, perhaps towards somewhere where tea could be had, perhaps to some other nice destination. "Why is that?"
"Ms. Park, there are four things that I really love in this world: my sister, my hair, my tea, and my ceremonies. They're... very dear to me."
have you forgotten me, eiko?

"Oh, and by the by, is it just me or... are Selkie women really, really big?"
"What?" She squinted back at him, not sure if he really did say that, or if his imagination was contagious.
"I mean, I... just noticed that between you and pretty much every women here, you're really, really flat, Ms. Park." She remained silent. "Ms. Park? I mean, well, I guess I just sort of blurted it out, I'm sorry." The two continued to walk on.

By the food, Kaz and Marco would have a bit more luck...

Kaz put away his phone as he and Marco approached the stand. "Oh?" the elder of the two said. "Didn't expect you could put that thing away."
"Well, sir," Kaz said, his scrying eyes and smirk oozing with arrogance, "if I spoil my fans too much, that'll be pretty bad. They need some time apart. And besides, who knows who else might be here. I've always gotta be ready — I'm sure someone like you knows what I mean?" Marco didn't respond. He was already annoyed enough, and he was pretty sure that if he said anything to Kaz, it'd probably be recorded anyway. That would be inconvenient.
He took a subtle breath to calm himself down. "Good evening, miss," he said as he walked up to Isla, examining the salad as he did so. "Might the boy and I have some salad?"
"It looks pretty good." Kaz tilted his head as he looked back at Isla. "Course, I think you look bet—"

"It's for a clothing business, Kaz, what'd you expect?" Marco's expression had a look of "I will throw you into the ocean," but he made no such move; still, his anger was palpable.
The retort hardly diminished his smugness. "What, can't I compliment someone, Mr. Garitta?" He winked at Isla, then turned back to Marco. "No need to be such a prude like Eiko."
"Kaz, you're only fourteen."
The boy flitted on his sunglasses. "What's your point, Mr. Garitta?" He didn't speak more, but there was something in his expression and pocketed hand that said, shut up loser, I've already got more girlfriends than years you've been alive, what makes you think that anything you say means a word to me? Whether that was true... Kaz's charisma and utter confidence could push aside any fact of another's; the limelight was on him, and only him. He had a personality, to say the least, though perhaps Isla, assuming she was sensible, would resist it quite well anyway.

[Mediama]

Marion nodded to the suggestion to dance for another round. At the suggestion of putting Nia in the middle, however, her flush deepened as Macha made the suggestion. While she was getting the hang of dancing to the music, she still had a rather sizeable amount to learn when it came to Selkie dancing, she wasn't sure if she was going to pull it off.

The last thing she wanted was to disappoint either Nia or Macha.

Regardless, after a beat of ponderance, she looked first at Nia, taking in her eyes, and then to Macha, before she bit her lip and smiled, turning back to Nia, "Why, what an excelling proposal Miss Macha, though we best be careful the danger of stepped toes does still stand." Marion grinned in amusement, mainly to abate her nerves.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
I smiled. "Oh, it'll be fine!", I said and switched positions with Marion, facing her, closely, while Macha was behind me. "It'll be a slow dance, too, so..." I leaned over and whispered into Marion's ear: "...concentrate on me and I'll guide you through it..."
And then, they began, indeed a slower song - and a bit of a ballad. I honestly did not know, that NSB had a ballad of all things in their repertoire, but here we went - there it was.
The translation of the song into English was a bit bumpy, but in Selkie, it was a bit of a tearjerker.

"It's the lions within the land,
which will never allow us free.
Their melody stomps the ground
and makes your blood turn cold."

It was an interesting introduction to the song, but to be honest, I cared little for it: Marion held my attention, as Liv sang her heart out.

"Sing to the Lovers' Gods
And stand your ground,
Free our minds, Songbird,
Grab your harp and guide my voice!"

I felt in the young girl's, no, young woman's voice, that this was quite a bit of herself in this song, maybe a love, which was not meant to be? Maybe unfulfilled due to circumstances outside of their control?

"Strike the strings,
Songbird.
Release our chains,
Unburden us, Songbird,
So that we can soar
On breeze and storm."

The other was a musician, that much was certain, a harpist - or maybe a player of another stringed instrument? In any case, it resonated with me a bit... I was eternal, yet in a mortal world.
Did I fly? For centuries now, I had been... limited in my radius. Branwen and Elin, my cousins for the lack of a better term, had helped me a bit to widen that radius, but was I free?

"Unwritten is our story,
So clear it is before us.
Treasures await us past the clouds,
Thoughts are cast aside,
Confines are torn down,
As we will see another land,
Unraveling what makes you and me.
So, Songbird, guide my voice!"

I felt how Macha retreated step by step, leaving Marion and me to it, while to me, only music and Marion existed, my eyes locked onto hers, my tail coiling forward to lay itself onto her hip.

"Strike the strings,
Songbird.
Release our chains,
Unburden us, Songbird,
So that we can fly
On breeze and storm."

Slowly, my friend left me and Marion, her agenda and conspiracy coming to fruition - she most certainly hoped, but if I hoped it...?
I was not sure, to be honest. Neither of if I hoped that whatever Macha had in mind worked or if she had in my mind what I thought she had in mind.

"Paint the sun on our wings,
So we may be a guiding light,
To those who love another like us.
Take heart and shine in the dark.
Let burden and restraints blow away
And throw it all in the wind,
Let letter rule upon another day
But give us spirit here for all to see."

She was a good friend, after all, at times more, and I certainly saw, that Macha had an eye on Marion and vice versa, but Marion also had an eye on me... and vice versa. She was cute, charming, beautiful... Marion, I mean, and... what kept me?

"Strike the strings.
Songbird.
Release our chains,
Unburden us, Songbird,
So that we can fly
On breeze and storm."

The young women on stage were beautiful, their song a ballad, that brought more then one tear to dry eyes, including to Eileen's. The member of Dísréad stood behind the stage, listened, her own bass unplayed - this was their song, she would only disrupt.
After the last stanza, a sharp eye could see, that Liv had a tear streaming down her cheek as well. She was remembering someone.
And so was I, an old friend, curious about nature and things being...

"Strike the strings.
Songbird.
Release our chains,
Unburden us, Songbird,
So that we can fly
On breeze and storm."

And while the girls sang the refrain a second time, I decided - to release that chain, which prevented me to fly.
My lips found Marion's, ready to be rejected, but also ready to be accepted, softly, and easy for her to push me away, if she so desired.
I hoped, that she desired not to push me away.

Marion nodded, and signed softly to calm her nerves. She decided to follow Nia's advice and look squarely at her. She looked onto her features, from her pale white skin, to her equally pale quite hair, from her scratch-able ears, to her glowing yellow eyes.

The music at least, as a form of silver lining thank goodness, was slow, a ballad of some form, and while Marion was unable to parse what was being sung, she could feel the emotion connected to it. Every note, of every melody. The girl had suffered, and she was letting it all out.

Eventually, Macha decided to step away with a smile, much to Marion's surprise and initial confusion. Nevertheless, she kept her attention on Nia, now free to wrap an arm around Nia's waist, she did so and held her hand, entangling their fingers with her other hand as Nia did something similar with her tail. They were so close, so warm...

She hardly was able to feel this close to a person before, she was too focused on her work, her passions, her studies, to take mind of the more human side of living. And while she did have her own circle of friends to talk about vintage fashion and historical costuming, and despite her numerous fans and subscribers who enjoyed her work and who she would sometimes meet at conventions, she was always at a distance from them, even from her family, who were either living too far away from her, or who were no longer there.

New London, the bustling metropolis it was, could be lonely for a girl living on her own in a flat full of hundreds of people.

The more Marion looked at Nia, she could see the apparent loneliness in her eyes. Whether or not she was trying to hide her pain was uncertain, but what was certain was how morose she became in her facial expressions as she listened to the ballad, clearly knowing the true meaning behind the song. What did she have to go through? Knowing that while she and some of her loved ones would live on, others did not have the same luxury? Marion pondered. Having lived eons and eons through history, meeting new people, falling for them, mourning for them... It had to be agony.

They were both the same in some morbid sense. Both stuck in time, both alone...

As the song drew to a close, she noticed how Nia appeared to be gather courage to do something, and soon after she inched closer to the young lady. Her breath hitched as the Spiorad inched closer to her, their mutual warmth evident in both their proximity to each other, and in their breaths, until the inevitable happened, and they were both in lip lock.

Marion's eyes widened in surprise, but then she closed them as she deepened the kiss and pulled her closer to her, smiling into the kiss as it seemingly dragged on for an eternity, she felt tingling all over, a warm feeling swelled within her chest, her heart beating so quickly that she almost thought she had a heart attack.

It was a seldom feeling, one she had not felt for a while, but one that had felt right with her.

she hummed in content as they continued, long before the ballad ended, until they had to break off for air. She looked back at the seemingly anxious girl, and smiled a simple, close-lipped smile, too content to even try to put her thoughts in words.

If they were going to be lonely, at least they could be lonely together.

[The Selkie]

Somewhere on the beach.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
They could try to get south, to somewhere where there was peace and calm, maybe a bit away from the main group, but worth for the fun for sure. However, just as they decided to take that path and turn south; Dilly felt an familiar presence, one that made him run from her owners.

"Dilly!!!" The couple screamed as they begun to run after him. They followed him until a part of the beach where they would find a lot of black foxes, there they could see who it was the familiar face.

"Mr. Folaíotchta..." Lise spoke as Dilly went besides him and snuzzled around him before returing to Lise's arms as she picked him up again.

"Long time no see..." She smiled at him.

Athena Freezis
The black haired woman nodded and gladly linked arm with him, holding him close as she looked at the red haired guy smiling.

"Sure, lead the way." And so he did, they were walking towards the tree line as she thought about this. They did looked like a couple in a way, while they could be considered friends by now, it was clear they did had feelings for the other, just the sole thought of them being a couple made the generally calm and cool woman to blush madly about such thoughts.

From what Leo was saying, it appeared the place he was taking her was, one off the maps for tourists and, not that known compared to the other restaurant close to it.

"I see, then I hope we have some nice drinks there." She grinned at him, still tightly close to him as they walked. Athena wanted to speak, but, perhaps the talks could happen at the bar. Would be better.

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
I was torn out of my thoughts and petting of Garbh, the old matriarch of my foxes, when they suddenly looked up and tensed. I thought, that I heard someone call out "Dilly!", but I was not sure.
I was sure, however, when two familiar faces ran up, two friends of Cel. Lise and Lucas, if I remembered correctly, and their little black Fox Dilly.
"Long time no see, indeed.", I said and smiled, rose, Garbh taking the opportunity to climb up onto my shoulder, making herself comfortable there. "It is good to see you three again. I see, that your little friend is doing well? Are you two as well?"
Let's be honest here for a moment, I am not the youngest anymore, yet young love, like between the two of them, always made me smile - what a world of possibilities was before them! For love, the tender, little flower, to grow, to bloom and to shine evermore, to shine upon many beautiful children and grandchildren, to shine on days of sunshine and on days of rain... I hoped, that this flower would never wither and die.
Some of the foxes welcomed their fellow member of the same vulpine species with joy and sniffing.
I motioned for the two of them to sit, offering Lise my upturned box.

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled, nodded.
"Yeah, they do.", I said, "And, among the two of us, they have a very good Cane-Whiskey."
Cane-Whiskey, Fuisce Cáne, was a stuff more in line with Rum then whiskey, admittedly, made from fermented sugar cane juice (hence the name) and herbs. Bad Cane Whiskey gave one heck of a headache, but this one was very good.
Drunken straight or on ice was best, but it also worked in drinks, if one wanted. I liked it most straight, though.
We reached the tree line.

As Alexandra swallowed the new revelation, her memories allowed her to vividly recall the image of this particular Eileen, one of the lassies she had met before, though in her case in particular, she had interacted with her far less than anyone else. Regardless, she was a bit surprised that the name Juna did not came up. "Multiple admirers, I see", the thought played itself in her mind.

When Mhairi got to the "little brother" part, Alexandra couldn't subtly agree more as she herself had her own experience of seeing Fintan as one during their brief moment. Without giving away any more details, a simple nod would suffice for her.

"I would not, I promise", replied her in a cheeky manner at the request. Seeing the offer of linking arms, Alexandra yet saw a better alternative, as she "linked" one of her suitcase with one of Mhairi's free hands instead and swiftly had her own free hand curled around Mhairi's back, a sign of affection. Surely, Alexandra had mastered the trait of being extremely affectionate and "cute" as some might say since she was just a little girl, which did much in earning herself as the favourite of her mother and grandmother.

Mhairi Uasal of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I saw her swallow and I saw her cheekiness as she replied, that she would never tell Viola.
Something was off, especially with how quickly she tried to shower me in affectionate gestures and distract me by having me drag one of her suitcases.
I raised an eyebrow for but a moment.
"You wouldn't happen to know him already, would you?", I asked, "He is easy prey, after all."

"Wow you own that?!" Bianca was stunned "You must really have a lotta money!" Bianca went wide eyed and pointed out.

"Hehe generally in our parts of Kuronami only very wealthy folks have their own vehicles." Isabel commented

"Like Isabel really! Otherwise rest of us gotta take the train or bus to go anywhere far." The girls climbed aboard as directed a bit of a squeeze but no problem for a pair of 8-year old girls.

"Well I never mind having Bianca on my lap, although you best lay off the sweets, Bianca before you get too heavy for me!"

"Well you're the one who always has such good cakes at tea time!"

Both settled into their positions just fine. "This is pretty cozy though." Bianca admitted "Like being in my brother's bedroom. They have bunk beds. But I think this whole thing could fit in your bedroom alone, Isabel"

Isabel blushed a little "W-well I guess I do have a big room."

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Kay replied over her shoulder: "That, and this thing was designed to be small and handy!", she told them and started the engine. The low rumbling filled the air between all of us and, for but a moment, made conversation impossible. Then it became a bit more silent and we set into motion. "Needed to fit on landing ships and ferries, after all."
I smiled Bianca. "Don't worry, I know, how you feel.", I said and smiled, "Truth being told, my first room would fit inside this thing easily, bed and all."
Kay waved at the guy standing watch by the horses, the lad waving back.

By the Bar.

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

Gerald chuckled. "I'll admit: there have been quite a few ladies who caught my eye. As to how many, I'd rather not tell," he replied with a wink and a knowing look. To his credit, he had the looks; despite the generally conservative outlook borne by Boholanos, he had his share of flings since the breakup. Commitment, on the other hand, was something he was wary of as a consequence of the same, but to his relief he heard nothing from the rogue ex ever since her sentencing...perhaps it was time to get back to seeking a serious relationship, he thought idly as the conversation continued.

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I chuckled at his joke about how many women had caught his eyes over the years since his breakup, then watched him for a moment - sure, he had the looks and, let's be honest, the salary, too, but... could I imagine myself in a relationship with him?
Something to ponder.
"I know the feeling.", I said and nodded, "And the predicament... though, admittedly, I rarely have to pay for drinks when I go out with the lassies."
I smiled at that and Cealg mewled in happiness.
"Your scratching seems to find his approval!", I said with a smile.

Adelheid
I blushed a little when Yven offered his arm to me, but linked my arm with his anyway. "Farewell, Madame Banphrionsa!" I called, with a smile. "And thanks! You too!"
I turned back to Yven. "Of course not. Wouldn't want 'em getting funny ideas or seeing the things adults get up to when drunk, aye?"

---

[...]

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I nodded. "That's right!", I said and smiled. "Lemonade's good, though, and so is tea."
We quickly arrived at the bar, the brunette barwoman Fiete smiling at us as she swallowed her own sip of her bottle.
"Good evening.", she greeted us with a smile, putting aside her drink, "What can I get you two?"
Her colleague in running the bar was occupied with another 'customer'. The absence of any handing over of money would surely indicate, that no one would pay for anything tonight.
And there was a series of boxes nearby, where one could dispose of empty bottles - one must not litter!

A pier would be hard to find for Park and Eiko...

The two of them had been walking for a few minutes when Eiko tugged on Park's arm like an anxious child. "Um, Miss Park," he said, looking back at where they came from, then back down at his empty cup. "I don't think there's a pier anywhere around here. All I see are boats and... people."
She paused. "Well... well, all right," she said. "I don't suppose you'd care for boats?" He followed her finger, pointing out to sea at the several boats, and crouched down, but he couldn't really see them all that well, not that he really did care for boats. Both of them were silent, and Eiko peered at his cup, delicately shining in the beachside sunlight. He needed a refill of matcha, but he doubted that anyone on the beach would just happen to be carrying all that stuff around. Sighing, he sat down on the sand, and his vision drifted to the waves coming in, out, in, out, nearly reaching his sandals. Out at sea, he could see a darker patch of water amidst the boats, but whether it existed...

"Ms. Park." He rose, staring out at the ocean with a blank expression. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here."
"What?"
"Something's in the water, and I think it doesn't want me here." He took a step back. His face seemed paralyzed rather than blank now. "It wants someone else, but... I don't know who it wants. It feels disappointed, even from here. Who could it want?" He looked down at his cup, as though expecting an answer from there, but nothing came. That sense of wrongness, of disappointment, remained in him. "It doesn't want me here."
"Eiko, would you like to head back to the hotel room, then?"
"No... no, I'm fine, I think. I can put up with it just fine." He turned to face her, and a rehearsed smile slipped onto his face, and his childlike tone returned. "Let's just keep looking around. I'm sure there's something nice to see."

How could he snap from dread to joy like that? Granted, he was an actor, a fine one at that whose rejection of the position of Talent was odd, to say the least. Park was hesitant, but then he tilted his head. "Come on." This time, he was the one dragging her along, and she nearly tripped as he grabbed her hand and took off. "Eiko, a-are you sure you're fine?"
"Yes, I am," he said, turning back with a cheery smile. "Please, you don't have to worry about me, Ms. Park. I just get distracted every now and then. Ah, that reminds me, the boats."
eiko, dear
He forced his smile a little more, trying to ignore the whisper in his head, trying to distract Park from further investigation. "That's a pretty big yacht, it reminds me of the businesswoman's. I wonder if someone like her is here. Probably is. And... oh, that yacht has a black-and-white banner. Almost looks like a pirate's flag from here, haha."

"Are you— are you sure you're okay, Eiko? You seem kind of... hyper."
"My doctor says I'm fine, so I'm fine. I mean, wouldn't you prefer me this way, anyway?" He gave a cutesy tilt of his head — surely Park, like every other adult in his life, would prefer him as the sweet, innocent child he was always cast and hired as, and he couldn't imagine why anyone else would want otherwise, not that there was one.
eiko, stop lying
"Ah, you know, I'm a little thirsty. My tea's all out." He spun out of her grasp, showing her the cup with a tilt of his head. "I'm probably hyper because of the caffeine in my tea, you know? Haha."
eiko, you know that's wrong

"I'm fine..." he whispered.
she knows you're lying
His smile faded, but he still tilted his head and sounded happy. "Ms. Park, do you think I'm lying?"
"Wha—" After everything, she was... stunned, to say the least. The way Eiko flitted between emotions was unlike anything that she had ever seen, especially out of him, who was normally reserved and dead silent. But then again, he did get hit by a car a few weeks ago — perhaps he was still recovering from that? She stood there, silent and unsure. Would it hurt him if she was honest?

"... yes."
Eiko relaxed. "Sorry, I just... sometimes I get a little... shocked, I think, and I just sort of forget what I'm doing. Disassociation. Yeah, that's it. But I really am fine. My parents say so, and I know that they love me." Something about what he said seemed off to Park, but she couldn't pin anything specific, especially since he started talking immediately after. "Ah, maybe if I get some more tea, I'll stop being so antsy. I need matcha, or else I start feeling unreal. Too bad there's no temple nearby..."
The two of them began walking on the beach again, perhaps towards somewhere where tea could be had, perhaps to some other nice destination. "Why is that?"
"Ms. Park, there are four things that I really love in this world: my sister, my hair, my tea, and my ceremonies. They're... very dear to me."
have you forgotten me, eiko?

"Oh, and by the by, is it just me or... are Selkie women really, really big?"
"What?" She squinted back at him, not sure if he really did say that, or if his imagination was contagious.
"I mean, I... just noticed that between you and pretty much every women here, you're really, really flat, Ms. Park." She remained silent. "Ms. Park? I mean, well, I guess I just sort of blurted it out, I'm sorry." The two continued to walk on.

By the food, Kaz and Marco would have a bit more luck...

Kaz put away his phone as he and Marco approached the stand. "Oh?" the elder of the two said. "Didn't expect you could put that thing away."
"Well, sir," Kaz said, his scrying eyes and smirk oozing with arrogance, "if I spoil my fans too much, that'll be pretty bad. They need some time apart. And besides, who knows who else might be here. I've always gotta be ready — I'm sure someone like you knows what I mean?" Marco didn't respond. He was already annoyed enough, and he was pretty sure that if he said anything to Kaz, it'd probably be recorded anyway. That would be inconvenient.
He took a subtle breath to calm himself down. "Good evening, miss," he said as he walked up to Isla, examining the salad as he did so. "Might the boy and I have some salad?"
"It looks pretty good." Kaz tilted his head as he looked back at Isla. "Course, I think you look bet—"

"It's for a clothing business, Kaz, what'd you expect?" Marco's expression had a look of "I will throw you into the ocean," but he made no such move; still, his anger was palpable.
The retort hardly diminished his smugness. "What, can't I compliment someone, Mr. Garitta?" He winked at Isla, then turned back to Marco. "No need to be such a prude like Eiko."
"Kaz, you're only fourteen."
The boy flitted on his sunglasses. "What's your point, Mr. Garitta?" He didn't speak more, but there was something in his expression and pocketed hand that said, shut up loser, I've already got more girlfriends than years you've been alive, what makes you think that anything you say means a word to me? Whether that was true... Kaz's charisma and utter confidence could push aside any fact of another's; the limelight was on him, and only him. He had a personality, to say the least, though perhaps Isla, assuming she was sensible, would resist it quite well anyway.

If there was something in the water, which didn't want Eiko at the beach, it sure didn't show itself, neither to him nor to anyone else - or maybe it didn't want to be seen, an ancient creature of the Archipelago, which had sensed, that something was off at his old grounds and wanted the humans gone, which only Eiko sensed?
It sounded like the premise of a horror movie...
What happened to the duo of Eiko and Miss Park next, though, sounded like a premise for a romantic comedy, mainly because someone would bump into them, or rather Eiko.
And who might that be?

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
A minute or two ago, our ball, with which I and a few friends had played Footvolley with in the surf, had been shot far over his mark by myself, so it was me, who had to fetch it.
Not a problem, I had thought and wondered off, focused on it like the anti-air missile onto a passenger plane, and went off while the others caught their breath. Wearing a dark-blue one-piece swimsuit with a cut-out by the chest, which gave a nice window into the cleavage, one could see, that I was well-equipped.
In my infrared-guided focus I did miss the two people, especially the shorter of the two, who might soon turn out to be Eiko, bowling the guy over.
"Ack!", was my appropriate response to that development, followed shortly by a: "Oh, sorry, lad - you alright?"

Isla Stiúrthóir of the Tribe of Fingal.
I smiled at the lad's flirtarious advances.
"Thank you, Kaz, was it?", I said and leaned forward slightly, "I must disappoint you, though, I do not work for BI. A friend of mine does and she roped me in making salads for tonight." I motioned to the many different dishes I offered. "As a little reward for your compliments, though, you get a dance once I have a break. Shouldn't be too long."
I gave him a wink.
"For now, however...", I said and took a plastic plate, "...what can I get you two?"
I had Potato salads of different kinds, lettuce salad and chicken salad, all made after my own recipies, which you can... *ahem*. No shameless self-advertising for my cooking book, Isla. Still, they all looked delicious and would go very well with the meat still on the grill.
Except for the chicken salad. Two kinds of meat might be a bit too much.

On the Dance Floor.

Heardread Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Aonas smiled and waved his hand for a moment, mouthing a "You're welcome.", as I laughed.
"Indeed, a lucky man as well!", I said and then looked at Ayla, "Though I must admit, that I am more than satisfied with one woman on each arm. No need to overdo it!" I smiled at Aonas. "You are yet young, Aonas. What do you think?"
"I think, that I should first learn how to properly treat one woman before I start any larger endeavours, Dad.", he said and grinned, especially as Isa burst out laughing. He then turned to Ayla. "Speaking of which..." He cleared his throat and extended his hand. "If I may ask for this dance? I believe, the next one is a bit slower."

"Aha I must agree, I don't think I could handle multiple partners like that. My my, two dances in one evening? Why it'd be my pleasure to. Now I think I've gotten the hang of it enough that I'll do it with grace." She stood again taking his hand. "Good sir, you lead and I'll follow."

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
We missed the ballad, but to be honest, that might have been a bit too much - dancing with a girl I barely knew to a song, in which another girl poured her heart out? Eh...
I gently led her off, nodding to Dad, who leaned back slightly and conversed with Isa, while I smiled at Ayla.
"We missed the ballad, sorry.", I said a bit sheepish. "Let's see, what comes next..."
Upon arrival on the dancefloor, I gently placed a hand on her hip, took her hand with the other, pulling her at a medium distance - close enough to count as a dance couple, but not so close that we could pass as a couple (or me as a molester). Unlike with my Dad, I was not a massive tower, but Ayla and I were of roughly similar heights, too.
My grip was light enough for her, if she didn't like it, to dismiss me easily.
And as the other couples had arranged themselves, the band began to play again, with Juna taking over vocal work...

Ryan glances across at Louise, she pauses momentarily,
"Lemonade please" she says,

"make that two" says Ryan his voice having a notable Scotch twang, after all he is from Glasgow after all,

Louise being from Barrow In Furness is not that far from Glasgow, maybe around 3 hours or so.

As the kids stopped behind Louise, she glances around, "careful kids" she says, fearing that they may if they are not careful, skittle her

"I like this place Lou, in fact Id love to retire here, but first I have to see the world" Says Ryan, picking up his lemonade with a nod of thanks to the barkeeper as Louise picked up hers, "...and ya know what, next time you have shore leave, its about time you came on a run with me"

Louise scans the area, looking for a place to sit,
"over there, by those two, i think there's space" she says, pointing to a table before turning to face Ryan, placing her arms over his shoulders Ryan places his arms around Louise, going in for a soft, respectful kiss, after all, these two are happily married so it would be unusual for them not to show affection.

"lets take a seat" she says. and so the two of them make their way over to the table, but as expected, thanks to a prosthetic, Louise does have a very slight limp.

Once at the table, Ryan and Louise take their seats, and with the music being played Ryan starts to tab his feet, it is there he spots Captains Tumadóir and Faerg dancing before turning to Louise.
"shal we dance?" he asks
"i can but try" Louise replies, downing her Lemonade

The ballad ended on the sad note, observers along the dance floor's sidelines wiping away tears as the band prepared for the next song, soon to be played. While Ayla and Aonas went on the floor, a few couples changed, others decided to dance another one together, some dance partners handed theirs off to the next one waiting for the chance.
They might have spotted Naelle, the Lutetiian Lad, who was friend with the Blaidd-Sisters, being handed over to Ritubani Aoi, the bunny-eared girlfriend of Elin, who he had a promised a dance.
However, if their focus was on Captain Fearg and Captain Tumadóir, they would be able to watch him hold her hand, make a step back and bow down, kissing the palm of her hand, which made her blush heavily.
The man with the seemingly eternal grin rose, offered her an arm to link and motioned for someone to come to a spot near where Ryan and Louise sat - the odd couple was soon joined by a woman with long, brown hair and violet eyes in a white bikini, which did little to hide the fact, that she was very well equipped, and another woman, a brunette with brown-golden eyes. She was not as-well equipped, but she looked like a more solid woman, wearing a black one-piece swimsuit with silver highlights.
The two newcomers held one excess bottle of lemonade each, which they handed over to the two Captains, who took them with gratitude.
Those in the know would recognize the two new women as Captain Celina Reathaí of the Tribe of Westmeath of SDFS Rhiannon and Captain Gwen Misneach of the Tribe of Laois of SDFS Abhcan.
The three Frigate-Captains were on a vacation, having met their colleague, and enjoying a party together.

Marion nodded, and signed softly to calm her nerves. She decided to follow Nia's advice and look squarely at her. She looked onto her features, from her pale white skin, to her equally pale quite hair, from her scratch-able ears, to her glowing yellow eyes.

The music at least, as a form of silver lining thank goodness, was slow, a ballad of some form, and while Marion was unable to parse what was being sung, she could feel the emotion connected to it. Every note, of every melody. The girl had suffered, and she was letting it all out.

Eventually, Macha decided to step away with a smile, much to Marion's surprise and initial confusion. Nevertheless, she kept her attention on Nia, now free to wrap an arm around Nia's waist, she did so and held her hand, entangling their fingers with her other hand as Nia did something similar with her tail. They were so close, so warm...

She hardly was able to feel this close to a person before, she was too focused on her work, her passions, her studies, to take mind of the more human side of living. And while she did have her own circle of friends to talk about vintage fashion and historical costuming, and despite her numerous fans and subscribers who enjoyed her work and who she would sometimes meet at conventions, she was always at a distance from them, even from her family, who were either living too far away from her, or who were no longer there.

New London, the bustling metropolis it was, could be lonely for a girl living on her own in a flat full of hundreds of people.

The more Marion looked at Nia, she could see the apparent loneliness in her eyes. Whether or not she was trying to hide her pain was uncertain, but what was certain was how morose she became in her facial expressions as she listened to the ballad, clearly knowing the true meaning behind the song. What did she have to go through? Knowing that while she and some of her loved ones would live on, others did not have the same luxury? Marion pondered. Having lived eons and eons through history, meeting new people, falling for them, mourning for them... It had to be agony.

They were both the same in some morbid sense. Both stuck in time, both alone...

As the song drew to a close, she noticed how Nia appeared to be gather courage to do something, and soon after she inched closer to the young lady. Her breath hitched as the Spiorad inched closer to her, their mutual warmth evident in both their proximity to each other, and in their breaths, until the inevitable happened, and they were both in lip lock.

Marion's eyes widened in surprise, but then she closed them as she deepened the kiss and pulled her closer to her, smiling into the kiss as it seemingly dragged on for an eternity, she felt tingling all over, a warm feeling swelled within her chest, her heart beating so quickly that she almost thought she had a heart attack.

It was a seldom feeling, one she had not felt for a while, but one that had felt right with her.

she hummed in content as they continued, long before the ballad ended, until they had to break off for air. She looked back at the seemingly anxious girl, and smiled a simple, close-lipped smile, too content to even try to put her thoughts in words.

If they were going to be lonely, at least they could be lonely together.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
The fact, that she did not push me away or rammed her knee into my groin (reflexes - it really happened to me once!) or gut was a good sign. She pulled me even closer, the dance forgotten.
We kissed for a long, long time, what seemed to be eternity and it felt so... right. So fulfilling. So... dare I say - exciting?
While the band on stage played their ballad, we had our own, encompassed by our raging heartbeats and locked lips.
When we came up for air, it was about time for the song and dance to end, I smiled at her with a tender, heartfelt smile - was it loving? Maybe. I liked Marion, that was for sure. I would love to have her in my life even after tonight, that was for sure, too.
But was it love? An ancient being like myself, in love like a schoolgirl?
Possibly. I didn't know.
I took her hand and raised it to my lips, softly kissing the palm, a gesture of deep respect in these parts, my tail softly stroking on her hip.
"Let's go somewhere less public.", I suggested with a smile.
I did not want to seduce her.

[New Visayan Islands]

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"It's good to know I have his vote of confidence," Gerald replied. He found scratching Cealg to be pretty relaxing, to be fair, and the thought of dating a Selkie was something to consider. He wasn't getting any younger, after all, and there weren't that many Visayan expats in the Free Lands to begin with.

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

"Not the eyebrow look", her inner voice ringed in her head. Though, Mhairi's words of him being an easy prey seem to confirm a minor thought Alexandra had herself, as she vividly remembered just how passive and "prey-like" Fintan was when the two had met. Besides, she had been the one who took it further after she caught the much younger Fintan eyeing her from the sides. Regardless, to entrust the details of such experience, even to someone such as Mhairi would not prove easy to do, regardless of the mutual trust present between the two of them.

Keeping her "cutely" composure, she decided to try her best in going ahead with the conservation. "Well, actually, I did happen to know him already", her reluctant tone was clearly heard but in a few seconds, hee tone quickly switched to a more regular, albeit a teasing one at that. Alas, such was her strategy.

"And to be fair, though he does seem like an easy prey, but rest assured, I have my own, highly dignified preferences", remarked her slyly. Clearly, even without the need for any physical indication, Alexandra clearly implied that Mhairi was lucky enough to have been hers.

[Greater Orcadia]

The ballad ended on the sad note, observers along the dance floor's sidelines wiping away tears as the band prepared for the next song, soon to be played. While Ayla and Aonas went on the floor, a few couples changed, others decided to dance another one together, some dance partners handed theirs off to the next one waiting for the chance.
They might have spotted Naelle, the Lutetiian Lad, who was friend with the Blaidd-Sisters, being handed over to Ritubani Aoi, the bunny-eared girlfriend of Elin, who he had a promised a dance.
However, if their focus was on Captain Fearg and Captain Tumadóir, they would be able to watch him hold her hand, make a step back and bow down, kissing the palm of her hand, which made her blush heavily.
The man with the seemingly eternal grin rose, offered her an arm to link and motioned for someone to come to a spot near where Ryan and Louise sat - the odd couple was soon joined by a woman with long, brown hair and violet eyes in a white bikini, which did little to hide the fact, that she was very well equipped, and another woman, a brunette with brown-golden eyes. She was not as-well equipped, but she looked like a more solid woman, wearing a black one-piece swimsuit with silver highlights.
The two newcomers held one excess bottle of lemonade each, which they handed over to the two Captains, who took them with gratitude.
Those in the know would recognize the two new women as Captain Celina Reathaí of the Tribe of Westmeath of SDFS Rhiannon and Captain Gwen Misneach of the Tribe of Laois of SDFS Abhcan.
The three Frigate-Captains were on a vacation, having met their colleague, and enjoying a party together.

Close to Captain Faerg, Louise and Ryan were in a relaxed mood, Ryan took hold of a simple, yet elegent necklace that is around her neck and pulls it out over her short sleeved shirt which is now partly undone revealing a blue lycra bikini style top underneath. Ot is also now that louise starts to relax a bit, although for Louise she is never truly relaxed on land as she is a maiden of the seas. They glance over towards Faerg and give a smile before Louise points to the sky, making out the glow of one of the first planets that comes out in the pre dusk sky. It was shortly after that Louise spotted the newcoming captains.

"Evening" she said, quietly as she leant into Ryan, his arm sofly embracing her with Ryan giving a smile before Louise took another glance at the sky, "and looks like its going to be a fine night and the sea is calm too"

"You love the sea, Lou" commented Ryan

"well when you are brought up travelling the world, it kinda gets into you" she replied "and just think in a few years all being well I will be in charge of a cruise ship or a container ship. At least with containers they dont complain about the rough seas like some passengers do on the ferry when it gets rough going to Kobenhavn" replies Louise, "oh when we get back to Felixstowe, we will have to adjust the mast of your yacht, you should be able to get more efficient sailing out of it"

[Mervay]

Marie
"Wasn't too bad. Everyone-well, nearly everyone was dumb as a brick, except for one officer from Dagestan. Intelligent man, but exasperated and stuck in an army of fools."
I smiled a little at the memory. God damn, Suleiman was a godsend. "But, yeah. I very much prefer here."

My smile disappeared at her words. Really, now. I thought. Chances are, new people are either trying to hire me, buy something from me, or kill me. I'd rather not meet people again, unless someone I know can vouch for 'em.

At the mention of business, I nodded. "Aye. Shouldn't take me too long. Just a few minutes. See you in a bit, Cao."

I slipped away from her, and set off across the beach, in search of one Vladimir Toschya.

Vladimir Toschya
Fiántas Cliff Tower
Perhaps it could not be the greatest place to meet someone if they feared high alttitudes, but the wiew was splendid!! Worth it all for sure; the idea was to meet someone here to finally seal a deal that a, let's say; A long term project that would be the work of a lifetime if he had to think about it. But either way, better wait for that person and seal that deal quickly, at least as soon as this is done everyone could return to the party.

Somewhere on the beach.
Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
I was torn out of my thoughts and petting of Garbh, the old matriarch of my foxes, when they suddenly looked up and tensed. I thought, that I heard someone call out "Dilly!", but I was not sure.
I was sure, however, when two familiar faces ran up, two friends of Cel. Lise and Lucas, if I remembered correctly, and their little black Fox Dilly.
"Long time no see, indeed.", I said and smiled, rose, Garbh taking the opportunity to climb up onto my shoulder, making herself comfortable there. "It is good to see you three again. I see, that your little friend is doing well? Are you two as well?"
Let's be honest here for a moment, I am not the youngest anymore, yet young love, like between the two of them, always made me smile - what a world of possibilities was before them! For love, the tender, little flower, to grow, to bloom and to shine evermore, to shine upon many beautiful children and grandchildren, to shine on days of sunshine and on days of rain... I hoped, that this flower would never wither and die.
Some of the foxes welcomed their fellow member of the same vulpine species with joy and sniffing.
I motioned for the two of them to sit, offering Lise my upturned box.

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled, nodded.
"Yeah, they do.", I said, "And, among the two of us, they have a very good Cane-Whiskey."
Cane-Whiskey, Fuisce Cáne, was a stuff more in line with Rum then whiskey, admittedly, made from fermented sugar cane juice (hence the name) and herbs. Bad Cane Whiskey gave one heck of a headache, but this one was very good.
Drunken straight or on ice was best, but it also worked in drinks, if one wanted. I liked it most straight, though.
We reached the tree line.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
Somewhere on the beach.
It was indeed a nice reunion, the fact they found a nice old friend from Cuan was surprising and happy to see, for sure the spirit was also happy to see the young couple once again. Dilly meanwhile grinned at Gawain happily before joining their fellow members and have fun with them, the first time in a long time he see's any black vulpines.

"Yes, thankfully Dilly is alright and in good shape alongside enjoying his life with us." Lise grinned while rejecting Mr. Folaíotcha's offer to take his box, deciding to sit in the sand alongside her girlfriend. "While us?? Well we have been great too thanks for asking." She said smiling while Lucas looked at him smiling too.

"And you?? How it has been??" He asked.

Athena Freezis
"Oh my. Guess it's a must taste drink if it is as good as you tell me then." She giggled while thinking about that drink. Perhaps would be a mix of rum and whiskey?? It was certainly an interesting drink to find about, so taste it would be very surprising. Then, they reached the tree line, Freezis looked around to see her surrundings while also trying to notice where that bar was, hopefully it wasn't that far away.

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

Vladimir Toschya
Fiántas Cliff Tower
Perhaps it could not be the greatest place to meet someone if they feared high alttitudes, but the wiew was splendid!! Worth it all for sure; the idea was to meet someone here to finally seal a deal that a, let's say; A long term project that would be the work of a lifetime if he had to think about it. But either way, better wait for that person and seal that deal quickly, at least as soon as this is done everyone could return to the party.

Marie
I had my doubts about the deal. Stanislaus was probably paranoid, but something about this man gave me a sleazy vibe. Then again, most international businessmen were like that; without a God, or gods, to honor, or a nation to guard.
But enough moralizing. I was here to sell him shit, nothing more. And, more to the point, I was going to sell him shit.

I took a deep breath, climbed up, and came face to face with him.

---

Marie Ernst Gluck certainly did not look the part of a veteran. A brown-haired, young girl in a swimsuit? Really?

But if Vlad had done his homework, he would have known that Marie commanded a battalion of light infantry in the Middle East that had, after a failed coup, had carved it's way out of hostile territory, and into Syria, where they had then been airlifted to the Commonwealth. Since then, they had been modernizing. That modernization was where he came in.

"You're Vlad, yes?" Marie asked, already known the answer. "Alright, you know what you're getting. A full battalion of BMD Infantry Fighting Vehicles, plus some MRAPs and 20 Type 9374 Okyinya tanks. Bring your own fuel, we'll hand you some ammo, fully working order not guaranteed due to the fact that some of these have been in battle and have been around since the end of the damned Cold War. But they should be fully serviceable for...whatever you're doing. Price will be 90,000,000 USD."

---

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I nodded. "That's right!", I said and smiled. "Lemonade's good, though, and so is tea."
We quickly arrived at the bar, the brunette barwoman Fiete smiling at us as she swallowed her own sip of her bottle.
"Good evening.", she greeted us with a smile, putting aside her drink, "What can I get you two?"
Her colleague in running the bar was occupied with another 'customer'. The absence of any handing over of money would surely indicate, that no one would pay for anything tonight.
And there was a series of boxes nearby, where one could dispose of empty bottles - one must not litter!

Adelheid
"Good evening, miss." I replied, returning the smile. "I'll take a Lemonade." I then turned to Yven. "How about you?"

I normally would've asked for a coke, but I had a feeling that the Free Lands didn't stock 'em. Which wasn't much of a loss, but still. Coke had been the go-to icebreaker of choice for the Prussian-Polish Royal Air Force. Especially if Americans were around.

...Thinking on it, a lot of the customs and culture of the Air Force were ported from the Americans. But were we really that Americanized? What was it about the Air Force that lead it to be decried as American? Was it the shades and the coke? But the missions fundamentally different-that had to count for something. The Prussian-Polish Air Force was focused on supporting the Land Forces and providing air defense. The American Air Force did not content itself with that, but also attempted to control the entire sky, and to conduct daring raids deep into enemy territory on strategically important infrastructure.

Which we could do too, sure. But that really wasn't what we did on a regular basis, or were assigned to do. My Frogfoot was made to kill tanks, not factories.

I shook my head and cleared my mind. I was at a beach party with friends; why the hell was I pondering this now, of all times?

[Ezhara]

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
A minute or two ago, our ball, with which I and a few friends had played Footvolley with in the surf...

Park was looking at the ocean. What had Eiko seen that had given him such a peculiar reaction, assuming he had seen something physical? There was something always about Eiko that she was suspicious about, what with her honed instincts, but she could never pin it down, and asking seemed just about as impossible, considering the sort of person he was. Even the meager rumors seemed more confused, uncertain than usual when it came to Eiko, like reality and fiction were melded together, left as an inextricable morass that didn't feel any different from plain old reality — which, speaking of, Park heard something land near her. But, whatever Eiko's problem was, it was a problem that the boy fought alone. At least, Park assumed there had to be a problem, what with how often he claimed that the adults in his life were both rotten and lov—

"Oof!" She turned her head, and noticed first Eiko on the sandy floor, second his growing wide-eyed shock and blush, and third... Purging the hints of jealous thoughts with a shake of her head, Park reached out to Eiko, who was still paralyzed on the floor. "I'm... fine," he squeaked out.
"Er, Ei-Eiko?" Park said. An awkward moment passed before he grabbed her hand. He seemed humiliated, and though Park assumed it had to have been some manner of uncomfortable contact, she couldn't quite see how that could have resulted. Whatever it was, Eiko wasn't looking the woman in the eyes, was now deeply interested in the floor, and was feeling the heat of the beach sun much more than before. "I-I'm just a little surprised, is all," he said, shuffling. "Wh-where's the changing room or restroom or whatever? I got s-sand in my robes." As suspicious as the circumstances were, something about the impact really did get sand in his robes, and at the news that there was no such structure immediately nearby, he yelled something in another language; probably a curse of some sort.

The way he saw it, he had two options: sprint into the distant trees... or sprint into the ocean. He didn't quite understand why the latter option even appeared in his head, but it had; perhaps a case of appel du vide. "Uh, b-be right back," he said, taking off for the former of the two options and leaving the two women. Park stepped forward, hesitated, and turned back to Nolwenn, looking down for a moment, and then back at her, confusion and awkwardness flashing through Park's face. "So, uh," she said, gesturing towards a ball near her, "that your ball?" In the distance, Eiko's green attire and hair stood out in the yellow sands as he ran, yet something about him camouflaged his presence, so that one would have to look back at where he was before noticing him. Park, meanwhile, seemed fine with letting him run off; it was a public beach, and he was mature enough.

Soon enough, he was standing in the trees, looking around to make sure that he was truly online. He was only slightly winded; he thought a silent thanks to his tennis coach's regimen as he took off his outermost robe, flapping it in the air to toss out the sand, then putting it onto a nearby branch. How did so much get in him from a simple fall? He patted down his hair and found only a few traces of sand.
Something was watching him — someone had to be, someone's eyes boring into his green robe, someone was watching, watching, looking, examining. Eiko spun around, but saw only the distant sand amidst the trees. Breathing a sigh of relief, he undid the obi around him and the charm around his chest, continuing to hope that nobody would see him.
psst, eiko
He whirled around. Nothing, but... wasn't that Kaz's voice? Was he here? He kicked a bush to make sure, but if there was someone somewhere, it stayed hidden, and as he looked around his hiding spot, he still saw nothing. No glimmer of camera, no wild tanned clothing, no scarf, no rich brown skin. He felt sand in his hair, and brushed it with his hand. A few glimmering pieces fell, but there was still sand inside.

And nothing was to upset his hair. He rubbed his head furiously, but whatever sand was inside refused to come off. Perhaps he needed to use his nails — rubbing turned to scratching, scratching to clawing.
eiko, stop that, you're hurting yourself. At his mother's voice, he paused for a moment.
eiko, get that sand out of your hair.
"I don't..."
Get that sand out of your hair. You aren't going to go anywhere with something as ridiculous as that on your head. Park would probably laugh at you, and could you imagine what Kaz would think?
He kneeled down to hide himself, yet no matter how hard he scratched, the sand still wasn't coming out. He could feel the mild discomfort become hotter, but still the sand persisted. He needed something more abrasive than just his fingers, and he looked at the tree in front of him.

That would do.
He slammed his head into it, then threw it up to abrade his head, stumbling backwards into another tree. That did the trick, and although he noticed the bloodstain on it, he thought little of it, and quickly cleaned out the rest of his clothes, as long as nobody disturbed him — and if someone did disturb him, he would immediately scream. Still, since his robes were opened from the front, he was able to get out the sand without much problem of staining them, and if he finished in peace, he would run back to where Park was, with a mild bloodstain in his scalp.

Isla Stiúrthóir of the Tribe of Fingal.
I smiled at the lad's flirtarious advances...

"Yup, Kaz is the name," he said, putting his arms behind his head. "And even if you're not a model, I think you come pretty close to one, anyway. Hard to tell, honestly, who's a model and who's not here. You know, I've done a few stints of modeling of my own, but I'm more of an idol than anything like that. I prefer concerts — but who knows, maybe I'll find something or someone here to inspire me, maybe pick it up a bit more. As for a dance..." He paused, considering his words. "I'll do my best, and then some more." Whether he meant it modestly or confidently, it was impossible to discern; something about his voice, his posture as he said that conveyed both, but it was up to the listener to decide which of the tones was more attractive. "Anyway, I think I'll have a chicken salad." He looked over at the grill, smiling without a hint of worry on his expression. He could take it easily. "Looks quite good."
"I'll have potato salad," Marco said.

Once they got their salads, Kaz turned around, and could see a distant blob of green. Eiko, running? He was alone for that matter...
Kaz did not want to let this opportunity slip. He only knew Eiko for a few months by now, but they had never gotten along, what with how he had insulted and resisted Kaz, and nobody could just resist his allure like that; even Anastasia and Menos from back home begrudgingly admitted that he was marvelous at being an idol. But Eiko? Eiko actively resisted it, no matter how hard Kaz tried, and he hated that. To Kaz, what point was there in knowing him if not to adore him? There was a darkness on his face as he thought, but it looked more cutesy than anything, for Kaz knew how to craft every vain action into a false altruism or allure.

He assessed his options of vengeance: Marco was no doubt on high alert. Insulting him more would probably just lead them to Kaz getting grounded or whatever. Perhaps he could convince Isla to persuade Marco, but then he wouldn't have an alibi if Eiko decided to tell the truth later. Certainly, he was easily manipulated, but after everything else, Kaz had a feeling that his target might just snap, and that wouldn't be any good. Kaz's smile faded as he realized this, but it wasn't for long; he couldn't keep folks waiting for him. As much as a lone Eiko was a great opportunity, it just wouldn't work out maybe a few hours into the night.
Marco squinted at the boy. Something felt off, and the man scoured the beach for Eiko. Despite his target's iconic green, it was not easy. Still, he eventually found Eiko. Alone. He figured that he best keep a closer watch on Kaz — and they would definitely have to rearrange the rooms.
"Something wrong, Mr. Garitta?"
"No, nothing, Kaz."
Whatever air of tension there might have been, Kaz's magnetic aura crushed. Why bother with controversy like that when you had him?

[AHSCA]

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
We missed the ballad, but to be honest, that might have been a bit too much - dancing with a girl I barely knew to a song, in which another girl poured her heart out? Eh...
I gently led her off, nodding to Dad, who leaned back slightly and conversed with Isa, while I smiled at Ayla.
"We missed the ballad, sorry.", I said a bit sheepish. "Let's see, what comes next..."
Upon arrival on the dancefloor, I gently placed a hand on her hip, took her hand with the other, pulling her at a medium distance - close enough to count as a dance couple, but not so close that we could pass as a couple (or me as a molester). Unlike with my Dad, I was not a massive tower, but Ayla and I were of roughly similar heights, too.
My grip was light enough for her, if she didn't like it, to dismiss me easily.
And as the other couples had arranged themselves, the band began to play again, with Juna taking over vocal work...

"It's fine, I'm rather good on my feet and adaptable. It'll be fun to dance to whatever comes next." Ayla took the tight grip as a sign maybe she should lead? Well she wasn't sure but it wasn't bad actually. She learned the new rythm quickly enough to make it through the steps. Good on her feet but even she could be a bit clumsy but good thing was they were close enough in height so that made it easier to work with. "Hey this seems to be working out well enough, don't ya think? I think I got this dance down. I'll admit, I'm not a ballroom dancer or anything, I've not even been to any kind of event that would have such things but I think I'm holding my own well enough."

[Mediama]

Marion nodded, and signed softly to calm her nerves. She decided to follow Nia's advice and look squarely at her. She looked onto her features, from her pale white skin, to her equally pale quite hair, from her scratch-able ears, to her glowing yellow eyes.

The music at least, as a form of silver lining thank goodness, was slow, a ballad of some form, and while Marion was unable to parse what was being sung, she could feel the emotion connected to it. Every note, of every melody. The girl had suffered, and she was letting it all out.

Eventually, Macha decided to step away with a smile, much to Marion's surprise and initial confusion. Nevertheless, she kept her attention on Nia, now free to wrap an arm around Nia's waist, she did so and held her hand, entangling their fingers with her other hand as Nia did something similar with her tail. They were so close, so warm...

She hardly was able to feel this close to a person before, she was too focused on her work, her passions, her studies, to take mind of the more human side of living. And while she did have her own circle of friends to talk about vintage fashion and historical costuming, and despite her numerous fans and subscribers who enjoyed her work and who she would sometimes meet at conventions, she was always at a distance from them, even from her family, who were either living too far away from her, or who were no longer there.

New London, the bustling metropolis it was, could be lonely for a girl living on her own in a flat full of hundreds of people.

The more Marion looked at Nia, she could see the apparent loneliness in her eyes. Whether or not she was trying to hide her pain was uncertain, but what was certain was how morose she became in her facial expressions as she listened to the ballad, clearly knowing the true meaning behind the song. What did she have to go through? Knowing that while she and some of her loved ones would live on, others did not have the same luxury? Marion pondered. Having lived eons and eons through history, meeting new people, falling for them, mourning for them... It had to be agony.

They were both the same in some morbid sense. Both stuck in time, both alone...

As the song drew to a close, she noticed how Nia appeared to be gather courage to do something, and soon after she inched closer to the young lady. Her breath hitched as the Spiorad inched closer to her, their mutual warmth evident in both their proximity to each other, and in their breaths, until the inevitable happened, and they were both in lip lock.

Marion's eyes widened in surprise, but then she closed them as she deepened the kiss and pulled her closer to her, smiling into the kiss as it seemingly dragged on for an eternity, she felt tingling all over, a warm feeling swelled within her chest, her heart beating so quickly that she almost thought she had a heart attack.

It was a seldom feeling, one she had not felt for a while, but one that had felt right with her.

she hummed in content as they continued, long before the ballad ended, until they had to break off for air. She looked back at the seemingly anxious girl, and smiled a simple, close-lipped smile, too content to even try to put her thoughts in words.

If they were going to be lonely, at least they could be lonely together.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
The fact, that she did not push me away or rammed her knee into my groin (reflexes - it really happened to me once!) or gut was a good sign. She pulled me even closer, the dance forgotten.
We kissed for a long, long time, what seemed to be eternity and it felt so... right. So fulfilling. So... dare I say - exciting?
While the band on stage played their ballad, we had our own, encompassed by our raging heartbeats and locked lips.
When we came up for air, it was about time for the song and dance to end, I smiled at her with a tender, heartfelt smile - was it loving? Maybe. I liked Marion, that was for sure. I would love to have her in my life even after tonight, that was for sure, too.
But was it love? An ancient being like myself, in love like a schoolgirl?
Possibly. I didn't know.
I took her hand and raised it to my lips, softly kissing the palm, a gesture of deep respect in these parts, my tail softly stroking on her hip.
"Let's go somewhere less public.", I suggested with a smile.
I did not want to seduce her.

Marion flushed at the kind gesture, one that harkened back to the olden days of the 19th and early 20th centuries. As Nia suggested to go to somewhere more private, she noted that her facial expressions told more of wanted to simply enjoy their time together in private than of wanting anything more explicit, and Marion had to agree, not knowing of anything better to do at the moment. She nodded, "Lead the way my dear."

As they started their walk to a more secluded place, Marion entangled her fingers with Nia's, softly squeezing her hand both not to lose her, and to stay close to her. She made to grab her carpet bag on the way out so to not lose any of her things.

[Kuronami]

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Kay replied over her shoulder: "That, and this thing was designed to be small and handy!", she told them and started the engine. The low rumbling filled the air between all of us and, for but a moment, made conversation impossible. Then it became a bit more silent and we set into motion. "Needed to fit on landing ships and ferries, after all."
I smiled Bianca. "Don't worry, I know, how you feel.", I said and smiled, "Truth being told, my first room would fit inside this thing easily, bed and all."
Kay waved at the guy standing watch by the horses, the lad waving back.

"Sounds important that these can go anywhere on land or on sea!"

"Tanks usually are, Bee." Isabel respond to her, wrapping her arms around her to hold onto her as the motion of the vehicle began.

"Sounds like a little cozy room too, like my own! My room is only a little bigger because it's to myself but my brother's share. Being the girl of the family has perks!" she grinned with a little wink

[The Selkie]

Somewhere on the Beach.

"Not the eyebrow look", her inner voice ringed in her head. Though, Mhairi's words of him being an easy prey seem to confirm a minor thought Alexandra had herself, as she vividly remembered just how passive and "prey-like" Fintan was when the two had met. Besides, she had been the one who took it further after she caught the much younger Fintan eyeing her from the sides. Regardless, to entrust the details of such experience, even to someone such as Mhairi would not prove easy to do, regardless of the mutual trust present between the two of them.

Keeping her "cutely" composure, she decided to try her best in going ahead with the conservation. "Well, actually, I did happen to know him already", her reluctant tone was clearly heard but in a few seconds, hee tone quickly switched to a more regular, albeit a teasing one at that. Alas, such was her strategy.

"And to be fair, though he does seem like an easy prey, but rest assured, I have my own, highly dignified preferences", remarked her slyly. Clearly, even without the need for any physical indication, Alexandra clearly implied that Mhairi was lucky enough to have been hers.

Mhairi Uasal of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Aha... clearly refined tastes - combining the clues of her apparent age and the fact, that she was quite a skilled kisser, these refined tastes were a rather recent development.
"So, you met him, toyed with him a bit and when you found out, that he might be a bit too easy, you dropped him.", I guessed into the blue, smiled and shook my head, "Naughty girl... though so am I." I shrugged. "He is easy prey, after all... would I be but ten years younger, I might be on his." I winked at Alex. "Like this, though, he and Juna will have a blast. She really likes him, ya know... if it is the usual romantic scrape teenagers get into or not remains to be seen."

[...]
Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
Somewhere on the beach.
It was indeed a nice reunion, the fact they found a nice old friend from Cuan was surprising and happy to see, for sure the spirit was also happy to see the young couple once again. Dilly meanwhile grinned at Gawain happily before joining their fellow members and have fun with them, the first time in a long time he see's any black vulpines.

"Yes, thankfully Dilly is alright and in good shape alongside enjoying his life with us." Lise grinned while rejecting Mr. Folaíotcha's offer to take his box, deciding to sit in the sand alongside her girlfriend. "While us?? Well we have been great too thanks for asking." She said smiling while Lucas looked at him smiling too.

"And you?? How it has been??" He asked.

Athena Freezis
"Oh my. Guess it's a must taste drink if it is as good as you tell me then." She giggled while thinking about that drink. Perhaps would be a mix of rum and whiskey?? It was certainly an interesting drink to find about, so taste it would be very surprising. Then, they reached the tree line, Freezis looked around to see her surrundings while also trying to notice where that bar was, hopefully it wasn't that far away.

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
The two were very polite, leaving me sit on my box, while they sat down in the sand - admittedly, it made me feel a bit like the ancient being I was, sitting in front of children and recounting the many scrapes I had been in, always amusing, never scary. It was very polite, though, of Lise.
"I am glad to hear, that the three of you are fine.", I said with a smile, once more thinking, that the little flower of love between the two had only grown stronger by the last time we met. "I had been very well as well, thank you for asking. Celina has been a huge help around the shop... and there were young again this year, too. And..." I smiled a bit conspiratorial. "...I have found an ally in protecting the Black Foxes of Cuan with the City Guard."

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
We reached the tree line and entered. I saw Athena look around for the bar, but...
"Relax. We'll be there in a few minutes.", I said with a smile, "The drinks are worth the hike, though!"
We weren't the only ones on this little path, though. Coming towards us was a woman, close to her thirties, with a little girl by her hand. The woman had this motherly charme in her brown eyes and she was attractive, no question asked, but there were two reasons, why all of the lads under BI's employ would never make a move on her: One was the little girl, a sweet angel we all loved like only older siblings could, and two...
"Evenin', Mommy Mhairin!", I greeted our Team Mom with a smile. "Hi, Enya!"
Mhairin Mamaí of the Tribe of Kildare smiled at us. "Good evening, Leonard and Miss...?", she asked Athena with a nice and welcoming smile, while the girl, Enya, waved at us from behind her mother's legs.
"Oh, right, sorry.", I said with a sheepish smile, "Mommy Mhairin, this is Athena.", I introduced, "Athena, Mommy Mhairin, our Team Mom at BI and generally the one, who keeps us in good order and well fed. And this little darling here..." I smiled at the girl, which was way shorter then her mother, hiding behind her mother. "...is Enya."
She waved again.
"It's a pleasure, Athena.", Mommy Mhairin said and bowed her head lightly.

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Kay replied over her shoulder: "That, and this thing was designed to be small and handy!", she told them and started the engine. The low rumbling filled the air between all of us and, for but a moment, made conversation impossible. Then it became a bit more silent and we set into motion. "Needed to fit on landing ships and ferries, after all."
I smiled Bianca. "Don't worry, I know, how you feel.", I said and smiled, "Truth being told, my first room would fit inside this thing easily, bed and all."
Kay waved at the guy standing watch by the horses, the lad waving back.

"Sounds important that these can go anywhere on land or on sea!"

"Tanks usually are, Bee." Isabel respond to her, wrapping her arms around her to hold onto her as the motion of the vehicle began.

"Sounds like a little cozy room too, like my own! My room is only a little bigger because it's to myself but my brother's share. Being the girl of the family has perks!" she grinned with a little wink

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I laughed and smiled as well.
"I'm an only-child.", I said with a smile, "And now, I have a large room, too - even my own little flat, which I share with Kay." The thought of and whichever lad she brings home to warm her bed that night was left unsaid, mainly because it was a private matter, but also because those two kids were too innocent and young for such a thought. "We live together for a few years now."
"And so far, it worked out perfectly!", she said, "Except for a few hickups down the line, but eh... it's not like we're going to marry!"
I burst out laughing at a thought.
"You just imagined me as a blushing bride, didn't you?", Kay asked in a bit of a deadpan. I could only nod, which made her grin and turn to our passengers. "Hey, kids, wanna find out, what 'going anywhere' means with this baby-tank?!"
Well, this was properly foreboding. But it did sound fun!

By the Bar.

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"It's good to know I have his vote of confidence," Gerald replied. He found scratching Cealg to be pretty relaxing, to be fair, and the thought of dating a Selkie was something to consider. He wasn't getting any younger, after all, and there weren't that many Visayan expats in the Free Lands to begin with.

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Cealg seemed to have a blast with Gerald as well, that much was for sure.
"He is a good judge of character.", I said and felt a bit bolder due to his approval. Hm... There was only one major problem, though. "Ya know, I spend a lot of time in Launceston with my studies, but I am usually here every winter and quite a lot of time inbetween. Like this winter, I'll be here for... call it the next two months." I let a beat pass. "Maybe we can meet up tomorrow or sometime next week?"
It'd be a date.

Adelheid
"Good evening, miss." I replied, returning the smile. "I'll take a Lemonade." I then turned to Yven. "How about you?"

I normally would've asked for a coke, but I had a feeling that the Free Lands didn't stock 'em. Which wasn't much of a loss, but still. Coke had been the go-to icebreaker of choice for the Prussian-Polish Royal Air Force. Especially if Americans were around.

...Thinking on it, a lot of the customs and culture of the Air Force were ported from the Americans. But were we really that Americanized? What was it about the Air Force that lead it to be decried as American? Was it the shades and the coke? But the missions fundamentally different-that had to count for something. The Prussian-Polish Air Force was focused on supporting the Land Forces and providing air defense. The American Air Force did not content itself with that, but also attempted to control the entire sky, and to conduct daring raids deep into enemy territory on strategically important infrastructure.

Which we could do too, sure. But that really wasn't what we did on a regular basis, or were assigned to do. My Frogfoot was made to kill tanks, not factories.

I shook my head and cleared my mind. I was at a beach party with friends; why the hell was I pondering this now, of all times?

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
"I'll take a lemonade, too.", I said with a small smile, unaware of the thoughts Marie had.
Fiete nodded. "Two lemonades, coming right up!", she confirmed and turned, looking into one of the coolers. A moment later, she had two bottles of lemonade, glass, with bottle caps, and a bottle opener in her hands, turning back to us.
I raised a hand, the other already in my trunks' pocket. "Allow me."
"Alright. Have a nice evening!", Fiete said and as I got out my bottle opener, she turned to the next customer, a lad from abroad, who ordered four lemonades.
With quick hands, I decapped the two bottles, threw the caps into the recycling bin and handed Heidi one. I raised mine for a toast. "To the Archipelago. A paradise best enjoyed with friends.", I proposed, calling her my friend with pride.

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
A minute or two ago, our ball, with which I and a few friends had played Footvolley with in the surf...

Park was looking at the ocean. What had Eiko seen that had given him such a peculiar reaction, assuming he had seen something physical? There was something always about Eiko that she was suspicious about, what with her honed instincts, but she could never pin it down, and asking seemed just about as impossible, considering the sort of person he was. Even the meager rumors seemed more confused, uncertain than usual when it came to Eiko, like reality and fiction were melded together, left as an inextricable morass that didn't feel any different from plain old reality — which, speaking of, Park heard something land near her. But, whatever Eiko's problem was, it was a problem that the boy fought alone. At least, Park assumed there had to be a problem, what with how often he claimed that the adults in his life were both rotten and lov—

"Oof!" She turned her head, and noticed first Eiko on the sandy floor, second his growing wide-eyed shock and blush, and third... Purging the hints of jealous thoughts with a shake of her head, Park reached out to Eiko, who was still paralyzed on the floor. "I'm... fine," he squeaked out.
"Er, Ei-Eiko?" Park said. An awkward moment passed before he grabbed her hand. He seemed humiliated, and though Park assumed it had to have been some manner of uncomfortable contact, she couldn't quite see how that could have resulted. Whatever it was, Eiko wasn't looking the woman in the eyes, was now deeply interested in the floor, and was feeling the heat of the beach sun much more than before. "I-I'm just a little surprised, is all," he said, shuffling. "Wh-where's the changing room or restroom or whatever? I got s-sand in my robes." As suspicious as the circumstances were, something about the impact really did get sand in his robes, and at the news that there was no such structure immediately nearby, he yelled something in another language; probably a curse of some sort.

The way he saw it, he had two options: sprint into the distant trees... or sprint into the ocean. He didn't quite understand why the latter option even appeared in his head, but it had; perhaps a case of appel du vide. "Uh, b-be right back," he said, taking off for the former of the two options and leaving the two women. Park stepped forward, hesitated, and turned back to Nolwenn, looking down for a moment, and then back at her, confusion and awkwardness flashing through Park's face. "So, uh," she said, gesturing towards a ball near her, "that your ball?" In the distance, Eiko's green attire and hair stood out in the yellow sands as he ran, yet something about him camouflaged his presence, so that one would have to look back at where he was before noticing him. Park, meanwhile, seemed fine with letting him run off; it was a public beach, and he was mature enough.

Soon enough, he was standing in the trees, looking around to make sure that he was truly online. He was only slightly winded; he thought a silent thanks to his tennis coach's regimen as he took off his outermost robe, flapping it in the air to toss out the sand, then putting it onto a nearby branch. How did so much get in him from a simple fall? He patted down his hair and found only a few traces of sand.
Something was watching him — someone had to be, someone's eyes boring into his green robe, someone was watching, watching, looking, examining. Eiko spun around, but saw only the distant sand amidst the trees. Breathing a sigh of relief, he undid the obi around him and the charm around his chest, continuing to hope that nobody would see him.
psst, eiko
He whirled around. Nothing, but... wasn't that Kaz's voice? Was he here? He kicked a bush to make sure, but if there was someone somewhere, it stayed hidden, and as he looked around his hiding spot, he still saw nothing. No glimmer of camera, no wild tanned clothing, no scarf, no rich brown skin. He felt sand in his hair, and brushed it with his hand. A few glimmering pieces fell, but there was still sand inside.

And nothing was to upset his hair. He rubbed his head furiously, but whatever sand was inside refused to come off. Perhaps he needed to use his nails — rubbing turned to scratching, scratching to clawing.
eiko, stop that, you're hurting yourself. At his mother's voice, he paused for a moment.
eiko, get that sand out of your hair.
"I don't..."
Get that sand out of your hair. You aren't going to go anywhere with something as ridiculous as that on your head. Park would probably laugh at you, and could you imagine what Kaz would think?
He kneeled down to hide himself, yet no matter how hard he scratched, the sand still wasn't coming out. He could feel the mild discomfort become hotter, but still the sand persisted. He needed something more abrasive than just his fingers, and he looked at the tree in front of him.

That would do.
He slammed his head into it, then threw it up to abrade his head, stumbling backwards into another tree. That did the trick, and although he noticed the bloodstain on it, he thought little of it, and quickly cleaned out the rest of his clothes, as long as nobody disturbed him — and if someone did disturb him, he would immediately scream. Still, since his robes were opened from the front, he was able to get out the sand without much problem of staining them, and if he finished in peace, he would run back to where Park was, with a mild bloodstain in his scalp.

Isla Stiúrthóir of the Tribe of Fingal.
I smiled at the lad's flirtarious advances...

"Yup, Kaz is the name," he said, putting his arms behind his head. "And even if you're not a model, I think you come pretty close to one, anyway. Hard to tell, honestly, who's a model and who's not here. You know, I've done a few stints of modeling of my own, but I'm more of an idol than anything like that. I prefer concerts — but who knows, maybe I'll find something or someone here to inspire me, maybe pick it up a bit more. As for a dance..." He paused, considering his words. "I'll do my best, and then some more." Whether he meant it modestly or confidently, it was impossible to discern; something about his voice, his posture as he said that conveyed both, but it was up to the listener to decide which of the tones was more attractive. "Anyway, I think I'll have a chicken salad." He looked over at the grill, smiling without a hint of worry on his expression. He could take it easily. "Looks quite good."
"I'll have potato salad," Marco said.

Once they got their salads, Kaz turned around, and could see a distant blob of green. Eiko, running? He was alone for that matter...
Kaz did not want to let this opportunity slip. He only knew Eiko for a few months by now, but they had never gotten along, what with how he had insulted and resisted Kaz, and nobody could just resist his allure like that; even Anastasia and Menos from back home begrudgingly admitted that he was marvelous at being an idol. But Eiko? Eiko actively resisted it, no matter how hard Kaz tried, and he hated that. To Kaz, what point was there in knowing him if not to adore him? There was a darkness on his face as he thought, but it looked more cutesy than anything, for Kaz knew how to craft every vain action into a false altruism or allure.

He assessed his options of vengeance: Marco was no doubt on high alert. Insulting him more would probably just lead them to Kaz getting grounded or whatever. Perhaps he could convince Isla to persuade Marco, but then he wouldn't have an alibi if Eiko decided to tell the truth later. Certainly, he was easily manipulated, but after everything else, Kaz had a feeling that his target might just snap, and that wouldn't be any good. Kaz's smile faded as he realized this, but it wasn't for long; he couldn't keep folks waiting for him. As much as a lone Eiko was a great opportunity, it just wouldn't work out maybe a few hours into the night.
Marco squinted at the boy. Something felt off, and the man scoured the beach for Eiko. Despite his target's iconic green, it was not easy. Still, he eventually found Eiko. Alone. He figured that he best keep a closer watch on Kaz — and they would definitely have to rearrange the rooms.
"Something wrong, Mr. Garitta?"
"No, nothing, Kaz."
Whatever air of tension there might have been, Kaz's magnetic aura crushed. Why bother with controversy like that when you had him?

Nolwenn Gluaisrothar of the Tribe of Wexford.
The lad was up quickly, disentangling our limbs, although where he had landed was a bit of a mystery - I wanted to assure him, that it was my fault, I had zeroed in on my objective without regard, and make sure, that he was alright, before he shot off towards the tree line, covering the distance at impressive speed.
The woman with him shook me out of my thoughts as she asked me, if the ball was mine.
"Yeah.", I said. If she was still a bit jealous or not, I did not know as I picked up the ball and put it under my armprint. "Sorry about what just happened. I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable." I let a beat pass. "Will your kid be alright?"
When he returned, with a bloodstain on his scalp, I realized, that it might not be as simple...

Isla Stiúrthóir of the Tribe of Fingal.
I put their salads onto their tables, smiling to myself.
Kaz was a bit of an arrogant lad, wasn't he? If he had confidence or not in his skills as a dancer, his posture did not tell anything but him being a good actor. Well, two could play that little game...
The two of them seemed to have their own little problems, though, and far be it for me to meddle with that particular brand of mischief that was an arrogant lad and his guardian in opposition to each other. I had not spotted the green blob that was Eiko (though I also didn't know, what to look for, either).
I did spot them looking towards the grill, though, staffed by two lads and three lassies, handing out cuts and sausages and grilled potatoes and other goodies.
"The meat's mostly from a Bull Boar.", I told them with a small smile, "Good appetite!"

On the Dance Floor.

Close to Captain Faerg, Louise and Ryan were in a relaxed mood, Ryan took hold of a simple, yet elegent necklace that is around her neck and pulls it out over her short sleeved shirt which is now partly undone revealing a blue lycra bikini style top underneath. Ot is also now that louise starts to relax a bit, although for Louise she is never truly relaxed on land as she is a maiden of the seas. They glance over towards Faerg and give a smile before Louise points to the sky, making out the glow of one of the first planets that comes out in the pre dusk sky. It was shortly after that Louise spotted the newcoming captains.

"Evening" she said, quietly as she leant into Ryan, his arm sofly embracing her with Ryan giving a smile before Louise took another glance at the sky, "and looks like its going to be a fine night and the sea is calm too"

"You love the sea, Lou" commented Ryan

"well when you are brought up travelling the world, it kinda gets into you" she replied "and just think in a few years all being well I will be in charge of a cruise ship or a container ship. At least with containers they dont complain about the rough seas like some passengers do on the ferry when it gets rough going to Kobenhavn" replies Louise, "oh when we get back to Felixstowe, we will have to adjust the mast of your yacht, you should be able to get more efficient sailing out of it"

Louise's idea of attracting Fearg was a good one: Conversing about sailing and the sea nearby to maybe catch the attention of an esteemed Captain of the SDF-Navy, one of their best men, was a good idea in and of itself. Fearg did live a sailor's life, after all, if that wouldn't catch his attention, he had the wrong job.
There were, however, three major problems.
Those were, namely, Captain Alaina Tumadóir of the Tribe of Wicklow, Captain Gwen Misneach of the Tribe of Laois and Captain Celina Reathaí of the Tribe of Westmeath, all three attractive women (although Alaina was still asked for her ID, when she had tried to buy Aragh in Kyrenaia), all three singles (although rumour has it, that Captain Misneach and her first officer were not only in a professional relationship), who Liam knew very well. If it would be any other setting, one might call him a protagonist in a Shikonmanjese Harem Anime.
Celina made some joke and the quartet laughed, before Liam offered to go and fetch something to drink. As the band was rearranging for the next song, they nodded, Gwen offering to come along, while Alaina and Celina decided to use the time to have a dance themselves.

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
We missed the ballad, but to be honest, that might have been a bit too much - dancing with a girl I barely knew to a song, in which another girl poured her heart out? Eh...
I gently led her off, nodding to Dad, who leaned back slightly and conversed with Isa, while I smiled at Ayla.
"We missed the ballad, sorry.", I said a bit sheepish. "Let's see, what comes next..."
Upon arrival on the dancefloor, I gently placed a hand on her hip, took her hand with the other, pulling her at a medium distance - close enough to count as a dance couple, but not so close that we could pass as a couple (or me as a molester). Unlike with my Dad, I was not a massive tower, but Ayla and I were of roughly similar heights, too.
My grip was light enough for her, if she didn't like it, to dismiss me easily.
And as the other couples had arranged themselves, the band began to play again, with Juna taking over vocal work...

"It's fine, I'm rather good on my feet and adaptable. It'll be fun to dance to whatever comes next." Ayla took the tight grip as a sign maybe she should lead? Well she wasn't sure but it wasn't bad actually. She learned the new rythm quickly enough to make it through the steps. Good on her feet but even she could be a bit clumsy but good thing was they were close enough in height so that made it easier to work with. "Hey this seems to be working out well enough, don't ya think? I think I got this dance down. I'll admit, I'm not a ballroom dancer or anything, I've not even been to any kind of event that would have such things but I think I'm holding my own well enough."

Aonas Folracht of the Tribe of Wicklow.
The dance was a fast song, which Ayla adapted to quite quickly, leading me through it.
I smiled.
Indeed, it was working out and while both of us weren't ballroom dancers, we managed well enough - besides, this wasn't a ballroom. The aim here was to have fun and not to look good while impressing other ball-goers of the own skills and viability as a partner by dancing better then the competition.
Granted, Ayla had the looking-good-thing down either way.
When the dance ended, I smiled.
"It was wonderful.", I said and softly turned her hand, palm upwards, and kissed said palm softly, much like my Dad had done. "I really enjoyed this dance. You are good at this!"

Marion flushed at the kind gesture, one that harkened back to the olden days of the 19th and early 20th centuries. As Nia suggested to go to somewhere more private, she noted that her facial expressions told more of wanted to simply enjoy their time together in private than of wanting anything more explicit, and Marion had to agree, not knowing of anything better to do at the moment. She nodded, "Lead the way my dear."

As they started their walk to a more secluded place, Marion entangled her fingers with Nia's, softly squeezing her hand both not to lose her, and to stay close to her. She made to grab her carpet bag on the way out so to not lose any of her things.

Nia Sneachtúil, of Cefnffordd Descent.
With her bag collected and our fingers entangled, we walked along the beach.
I actually had a place in mind as to where to go, but it would be a bit of a walk until there. In the meantime, I watched Marion.
She was a cute, unspoiled and innocent woman, her heart on her sleeves and her mind on her lips - it was a nice change of pace from usual, mainly because people were usually on guard around me. I was an ancient being and whether I wanted it or not, that guaranteed a certain reverence.
Not so with Marion.
She was...
Lida and Harac, have mercy, I was like a kitten freshly in love again... I did not mind, though.

[Hanoverian Great Britain]

Surprisingly, Mhairi's guess had been rather accurate, or for Alexandra, near-accurate. Personally, she found herself somewhat emotionally bound to Fintan after a while but then, Juna's unexpected intervention subsequently led her to Mhairi, and now here. "Well, certainly, he was an easy prey", responded her shyly.

Furthermore, the revelation of Juna's interest in Fintan hadn't been a secret to Alexandra herself, who was able to experience it firsthandedly with much surprising turn of events. But yet, if Mhairi was her compensation prize for sacrificing Fintan, it might just soften her hidden leftover feelings for him. To keep things going however, she decided to pry for details into Mhairi's own implied naughtiness. "So, it seems that you have a similar experience such as mine? Maybe I could use some help from an expert, in discovering myself as someone potentially attracted to both genders", before she could continue, a classical-looking carriage, the very one that had transported her to the beach in the beginning came into view, with the aforementioned "Mister Scott" in one of the seats.

Luckily enough, Alexandra had made the right call of switching into a more moderate outfit, though in the case of Mhairi's, it would be a little surprising. Almost immediately the carriage came to a halt as the middle-aged man quickly walked over to Alexandra. "Greetings ladies, I am just stopping by for a very short while to hand over Alexandra her additional outfits", explained him as he handed a white coloured shopping bag containing exactly a pair of undergarments, an undershirt, a trousers and a blazer for the next day. Surprisingly, Alexandra seemed to have an undisclosed affinity with the color white as shown by the entirely homogeneous color of the bag and its content. "Thank you Mr Scott! Much appreciated!", replied Alexandra with a warm hug. The two briefly exchanged their well wishes before the middle-aged man began to depart back into the carriage.

"Beautiful, isn't it?", questioned Alexandra in a sudden as she spontaneously showed her newly acquired apparels to Mhairi.

[New Visayan Islands]

Gerald Vicente
At the Bar

"Well, tomorrow will be a busy day for me, emphasis on day," Gerald replied. "Tell you what, how does tomorrow night sound like to you? I'm free up until the first week of January," he added before pulling up his briefcase.
"Here's my card," he then said, after opening it up to pull out a business card. It contained his name, his position, and more importantly, his contact details; if anything, he wanted to make sure that Amy would have his contact details handy, phone or no phone. Speaking of which...
Gerald reached into his briefcase again, this time for his phone. With what this was developing into, an exchange of contact information was something all but guaranteed.

[Ezhara]

The lad was up quickly, disentangling our limbs, although where he had landed was a bit of a mystery...

"Yes, I think he'll be fine," Park said, looking back at the treeline. "He's always been a little bit... jumpy, so don't feel so bad." Somehow, as Park stood there, the minutes passed quickly enough, and soon enough, Eiko was back, moderately winded from sprinting back and forth. "Sorry about that Miss Park, and, um..." He vaguely gestured towards Nolwenn. "I'm afraid that I don't know your name, miss."
"Eiko, there's blood on your head." Park looked him over; somehow, the scratched line had become a sort of grotesque red blossom.
"There is?" He drove his fingers through it, and looked at his two bloodstained digits; one could hear the dial-up tone and see the throbber animation as he processed it. "Huh, there is. That sucks." He took out an alcohol wipe from a pocket, tore it open, and brushed it across his scalp. "Guess this'll do for now... Ah, maybe I need one more."
"I think we should take you back and get you cleaned up better than that," Park said. "I have more supplies in the basket we brought." As nonchalant as she was, there was a certain tension in her facade, but she took care not to reveal it.

"That won't be necessary, Miss Park. I don't think anything bad will happen." He stared at his cup. "I need more tea."
"Look, we'll get your head cleaned up, and then we'll get you some tea, okay?" She paused. "And what did you even do to scratch your head that badly?"
"I got sand in my hair. I don't like sand in my hair, so I used a tree to get it out. I think it did."
"A tree? Why?"
don't tell her. His chest seized up, his breath paused, and his eyes glazed over. He remembered how his parents finally found out, when he had walked into the street on his birthday, when he awoke in the hospital and tried to tell them about hearing his father speak to him, the ambiguous pity on their faces as they listened to the son of a sister who had thrown away her life. A murmur began in his head, a murmur of disapproving voices, of adults, interlaced with crackling static, stitched-up memories of dreams and music, a burning phonograph, and a din of a roaring tunnel. Reality seemed to melt, meld, warp.

please tell her, you need help
don't you dare, you'll terrify her. don't you remember what your parents said? why would they lie to you? you know they love you. you know they love you. you know they love you.
"Eiko?" Park's voice was barely audible, trapped as he was in the foggy terror of his mind. All he could do was stare ahead, cup in hand. "Are you okay?"
A rehearsed, "Yes," came out of him, and his eyes remained glazed over. "I think we should go back... go back to our bonfire." Park tried to take his hand, but he shied away, looking back at her in a shroud of uncertainty, one of a childlike terror, and his expression seemed more aware than just before. "Don't touch me," he whispered. "Please, don't touch me." She nodded and gestured for Eiko to follow her back to the bonfire — unless Nolwenn happened to know someone?
Park had not a clue as to what to do. Eiko had always been strange and unlike any other boy his age, but never to this point.

I put their salads onto their tables, smiling to myself...

Kaz looked at the grill, smiling at what Isla said. "Hmm, sounds wonderful. Never had boar before. Only soft lamb. I'll be sure to try it though." He examined the grill and those behind it, assessing their appearances and the way they conducted themselves, smiling as Marco glared at him. "Don't you dare." The boy didn't respond; he didn't need to grace Marco with anything beyond a smile and a downward flick of his sunglasses, telling him you know you can't come anywhere close to controlling me. This time, Marco kept his cool — or perhaps he had given up — and took a bite out of his salad. "It's good," he said. "Now then, I'll—"
"Mr. Garitta, I think I'll get the meat for both of us." Kaz readjusted his hoodie, hopped off of his chair, and headed for the grill. "It's the least I can do."
It was pretty obvious what he was going to do, and if he was going to embarrass himself, Marco was not opposed.

Kaz strode up to the grill, diminishing his aura of confidence just a little, so that it would not be so overbearing. "Good evening," he said as he came up to the grill, sunglasses raised onto his head. "Nice to see some other folks my age." Compared to when he was talking with Marco, his voice now was much huskier, lower, softer. It was like a lover's sleepy whisper, just audible enough to be heard and listened well enough, and it demanded one's attention. His voice, after all, was the core of what made him an idol back home; for a horde of fans, there was a sense of a world for just you in his timbre. Of course, he wasn't even singing: that was when the full extent of his voice came out, the way it could sink low and shiver you, the way it could ascend to an angelic high.
"Might I please have some boar meat for me and the old man over there?" Kaz gestured towards Marco, who didn't seem to notice. "Thanks."

[Greater Orcadia]

Louise's idea of attracting Fearg was a good one: Conversing about sailing and the sea nearby to maybe catch the attention of an esteemed Captain of the SDF-Navy, one of their best men, was a good idea in and of itself. Fearg did live a sailor's life, after all, if that wouldn't catch his attention, he had the wrong job.
There were, however, three major problems.
Those were, namely, Captain Alaina Tumadóir of the Tribe of Wicklow, Captain Gwen Misneach of the Tribe of Laois and Captain Celina Reathaí of the Tribe of Westmeath, all three attractive women (although Alaina was still asked for her ID, when she had tried to buy Aragh in Kyrenaia), all three singles (although rumour has it, that Captain Misneach and her first officer were not only in a professional relationship), who Liam knew very well. If it would be any other setting, one might call him a protagonist in a Shikonmanjese Harem Anime.
Celina made some joke and the quartet laughed, before Liam offered to go and fetch something to drink. As the band was rearranging for the next song, they nodded, Gwen offering to come along, while Alaina and Celina decided to use the time to have a dance themselves.

Louise and Ryan turned to eachother and with their non alcoholic drinks picked up their glasses "chun na mara" they call, clinking glasses as they do so. chun na mara being Orcadian Gaelic for "to the sea", and so they down the remains of their drinks before getting up to go onto the dancefloor. Orcadian Gaelic is still spoken in the north of the country as well as traditional Gaelic on the island of Eire, however English is still the official language, Ryan however is fluent in Gaelic, the Irish Gaelic translation would be "chun na farraige"

(my guess is Selkie and Irish Gaelic are not that far apart)

Ryan gets to his feet and helps his wife to her feet and together they mosie their way back onto the dance floor to continue dancing like everyone else. Ryan, however as there are no swords laid on the floor crossed over, his dance will not be the traditional Gaelic sword dance, and at their wedding, the Gaelic sword dance was a major event of the wedding!!

[Mervay]

Gawain Folaíochta, of Wicklow's Tribe.
The two were very polite, leaving me sit on my box, while they sat down in the sand - admittedly, it made me feel a bit like the ancient being I was, sitting in front of children and recounting the many scrapes I had been in, always amusing, never scary. It was very polite, though, of Lise.
"I am glad to hear, that the three of you are fine.", I said with a smile, once more thinking, that the little flower of love between the two had only grown stronger by the last time we met. "I had been very well as well, thank you for asking. Celina has been a huge help around the shop... and there were young again this year, too. And..." I smiled a bit conspiratorial. "...I have found an ally in protecting the Black Foxes of Cuan with the City Guard."

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
We reached the tree line and entered. I saw Athena look around for the bar, but...
"Relax. We'll be there in a few minutes.", I said with a smile, "The drinks are worth the hike, though!"
We weren't the only ones on this little path, though. Coming towards us was a woman, close to her thirties, with a little girl by her hand. The woman had this motherly charme in her brown eyes and she was attractive, no question asked, but there were two reasons, why all of the lads under BI's employ would never make a move on her: One was the little girl, a sweet angel we all loved like only older siblings could, and two...
"Evenin', Mommy Mhairin!", I greeted our Team Mom with a smile. "Hi, Enya!"
Mhairin Mamaí of the Tribe of Kildare smiled at us. "Good evening, Leonard and Miss...?", she asked Athena with a nice and welcoming smile, while the girl, Enya, waved at us from behind her mother's legs.
"Oh, right, sorry.", I said with a sheepish smile, "Mommy Mhairin, this is Athena.", I introduced, "Athena, Mommy Mhairin, our Team Mom at BI and generally the one, who keeps us in good order and well fed. And this little darling here..." I smiled at the girl, which was way shorter then her mother, hiding behind her mother. "...is Enya."
She waved again.
"It's a pleasure, Athena.", Mommy Mhairin said and bowed her head lightly.

Lisolette Devienne and Lucas Walker
It certainly felt that way, young kids looking at the old man telling his stories and searching for his wiseness, all while hearing attentive to what he had to said. It was a good feeling.
They both smiled back at Gawain as they heard that and saw him smile, their love really strenghtening with each day passing while their fluffy friend also had the same strong bond with them being even stronger. He also had a nice time too, Cel has been helping him out a lot while it appreared that he had new foxes that were born this year too. That wasn't all neither, he found an ally to protect the black foxes of Cuan, the City Guard. That made Lise grin of happiness as she heard that advance.

"Sweet! That means the black foxes won't be persecuted like they were by those bastards that tried to kill them." She did hated those people after all, more considering all the things they did to the poor animals.

Athena Freezis
Leo looked at her smiling about her impatience, she wasn't from here so that was the answer. But what he said about the drinks made her smile at him and reply back.

"Then I guess I must need to remember this bar for when I come back anytime here." She grinned while they kept walking; they found a woman with a little girl by her side, her hand linked to who would possibly be her mother.

She was on her late twenties, close to her thirties; She was a beautiful woman with a motherly charm or aura, and, it appeared Leo knew her. When he greeted her, that was her answer... Her mom?? Or so she thought until the woman greeted them back with her daughter, which was hidden behind her leg, the name was Enya; what a cute girl she was, possibly very young too, 5-7 years possibly??

Then Leo presented them on a more personal matter, which she bowed respectfully and smiling warmly at Mhairin and Enya.

"The pleasure is mine Ma'am Mhairin." She said grinning while looking at Enya and kneeling to greet her too. "As so it is to meet you Enya." Freezis giggled at her and smiled warmly, patting her head before getting up.

"So. I believe you and your daughter were getting to the beach to have fun there right??"

Marie
I had my doubts about the deal. Stanislaus was probably paranoid, but something about this man gave me a sleazy vibe. Then again, most international businessmen were like that; without a God, or gods, to honor, or a nation to guard.
But enough moralizing. I was here to sell him shit, nothing more. And, more to the point, I was going to sell him shit.

I took a deep breath, climbed up, and came face to face with him.

---

Marie Ernst Gluck certainly did not look the part of a veteran. A brown-haired, young girl in a swimsuit? Really?

But if Vlad had done his homework, he would have known that Marie commanded a battalion of light infantry in the Middle East that had, after a failed coup, had carved it's way out of hostile territory, and into Syria, where they had then been airlifted to the Commonwealth. Since then, they had been modernizing. That modernization was where he came in.

"You're Vlad, yes?" Marie asked, already known the answer. "Alright, you know what you're getting. A full battalion of BMD Infantry Fighting Vehicles, plus some MRAPs and 20 Type 9374 Okyinya tanks. Bring your own fuel, we'll hand you some ammo, fully working order not guaranteed due to the fact that some of these have been in battle and have been around since the end of the damned Cold War. But they should be fully serviceable for...whatever you're doing. Price will be 90,000,000 USD."

Vladimir Toschya
And finally the contact came, Ma'am Ernst Gluck, the fact she was dressed like didn't made her less dangerous, she had survived with her battalion the failed coup back in the middle east, and now she was here, selling the obsolete equipment of said battalion to him while they modernized.

Toschya looked at her and when she asked who he was, he just smirked and nodded at the women while keeping hearing her; the price was quite expensive for what he was getting and those that were to scrap were just to cannabilize parts.

"Since we both want to end this quickly Lady Ernst Glock, I'm just going to be straight to the point. 70 million USD if some of the vehicles are faulty and work to cannabilize parts only; I'm being generous here Ma'am, we can both leave gladly with what we want." He looked at her with a serious look and waiting to hear her answer before consider options.

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

Vladimir Toschya
And finally the contact came, Ma'am Ernst Gluck, the fact she was dressed like didn't made her less dangerous, she had survived with her battalion the failed coup back in the middle east, and now she was here, selling the obsolete equipment of said battalion to him while they modernized.

Toschya looked at her and when she asked who he was, he just smirked and nodded at the women while keeping hearing her; the price was quite expensive for what he was getting and those that were to scrap were just to cannabilize parts.

"Since we both want to end this quickly Lady Ernst Glock, I'm just going to be straight to the point. 70 million USD if some of the vehicles are faulty and work to cannabilize parts only; I'm being generous here Ma'am, we can both leave gladly with what we want." He looked at her with a serious look and waiting to hear her answer before consider options.

Marie Ernst Gluck
I really didn't fucking care, I just wanted this sleazy bastard out of my hair and to get some money out of those shitty old African tanks. "Sure, sure." I replied, tersely. "Right, 70 mil, I really don't give a shit. Most should work, I think-at least the tanks should be functional. Pay in gold bullion, and ship it via FedEx to the Prussian-Polish Embassy to the Free Lands, I guess. That's all, yes? In which case, I shall take my leave."

Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan.
"I'll take a lemonade, too.", I said with a small smile, unaware of the thoughts Marie had.
Fiete nodded. "Two lemonades, coming right up!", she confirmed and turned, looking into one of the coolers. A moment later, she had two bottles of lemonade, glass, with bottle caps, and a bottle opener in her hands, turning back to us.
I raised a hand, the other already in my trunks' pocket. "Allow me."
"Alright. Have a nice evening!", Fiete said and as I got out my bottle opener, she turned to the next customer, a lad from abroad, who ordered four lemonades.
With quick hands, I decapped the two bottles, threw the caps into the recycling bin and handed Heidi one. I raised mine for a toast. "To the Archipelago. A paradise best enjoyed with friends.", I proposed, calling her my friend with pride.

Adelheid
I clinked my bottle with his.
"I'll drink to that." I replied, with a smile, before taking a sip from my bottle.
It was damned good. Really good lemonade. Granted, what I'd had before wasn't all that great, but this...wow.
"This is good stuff." I said, after swallowing my first sip.

[Alegeharia]

Malik:

The pup was busy digging in the sand as he looked past the oceans horizon, it had been some time since traveling by boat but at least this time he was with good company instead of being thrown in a deserted island for “training” purposes. Such a daft bird his teacher was, he huffed and flopped back, it felt weird to be in just trunks, and even more off to not have wrist and arm wear, for once he felt rather defenseless, but he giggled as he looked back at Aither, still dressed up in all that olive drab he wears. Malik waved at the red panda, as he was putting finishing touches on a sandcastle he had started earlier.

The castle was shaped akin to the one back in Alegeharia, he smiled at his handiwork and started on the walls, while shifting the sand around to create a moat and even small scale representation of the mountains that surrounded the royal capital. He wagged happily as he started to get more intricate designs using a stick and water to shape and mold the different textures of his kingdom.

---

Aither:

Aither huffed, as he idly chewed on a bamboo shoot. He tilted the patrol cap a bit father forward the sun in his face, it was almost always in his face as if he was cursed, he scoffed at the idea and checked the inventory of his pockets; meds for Malik, some bamboo shoots, keys, wallet, and other things one typically finds in a pocket. He nodded to himself and scanned the beach looking around his guard raised even if he looked to be lazing. He sighed, it was quiet here; perhaps they had found a secluded area to unwind for a bit, but it was almost time for some food so he needed to get up and figure out where to eat.

Out of one of the pockets he pulled a small leaflet out and unfolded it to inspect the map. They were at the beach and traced a pace with his claw looking to find the nearest food place.

[Kuronami]

Fiona Scáineadh of the Tribe of Monaghan.
I laughed and smiled as well.
"I'm an only-child.", I said with a smile, "And now, I have a large room, too - even my own little flat, which I share with Kay." The thought of and whichever lad she brings home to warm her bed that night was left unsaid, mainly because it was a private matter, but also because those two kids were too innocent and young for such a thought. "We live together for a few years now."
"And so far, it worked out perfectly!", she said, "Except for a few hickups down the line, but eh... it's not like we're going to marry!"
I burst out laughing at a thought.
"You just imagined me as a blushing bride, didn't you?", Kay asked in a bit of a deadpan. I could only nod, which made her grin and turn to our passengers. "Hey, kids, wanna find out, what 'going anywhere' means with this baby-tank?!"
Well, this was properly foreboding. But it did sound fun!

The girls giggled a bit at the exchange between two women. They were asked a rather abstract question and well it sounded exciting and how could they refuse? "Yeah go for it!" Bianca cheered

"Let's see what she's made of!" Isabel agreed.