Two For the Road [Closed|Padradis Only]

[Kannap]

The world is in the midst of a time of uncertainty. Every nation is facing their domestic challenges while the nations of Padradis unite together to fight an international challenge - one that ascends above all nations. Despite these challenges, the world seeks to find a way to find some semblance of normalcy - life must go on. For the nations of Vermont and Kannap, that manifests itself as election season.

On March 3, 2020, the nation of Vermont had national elections, in which Dr. William J. Pepper won the office of Governor, the highest office in the land. On March 30, 2020, the citizens of Kannap came together to vote, electing Francis Stevens to be the next person to lead them into the near future. As small inaugural ceremonies are chosen to be held, broadcasted online or televised rather than large, crowded events, leaders from around the world and other guests come to attend these small gatherings in a bid to continue to seek the normal we're all used to and continue living as we always have.

[The Champlain]

April 6th, 2020 -- Montpelier, Vermont

The small entourages of Basel-Triesen had arrived late Saturday evening to a completely empty airport in Burlington. Governor John Blakeslee, Lieut. Governor Melanie Watkins, and two guards would be meeting them today after the drive from the capital. The group boarded the Capital Line of the Green Mountain Express and took their seats. The trip would take about 75 minutes.

"I'm really not so sure that we should be having, you know, Europeans, coming over for this. Seems like a bad idea."

"You invited them, John," Watkins retorted with a laugh. "It's a bit late to send them home now isn't it?"

"It's not in my control is it? This is Pepper's event, he can bring over whoever he wants," he replied flatly.

"You don't really want to go, do you? You know it's -"

"Yeah, right, just a formality. I know. I just really can't see anything good coming from this guy sitting in Montpelier. Nobody trusts him, there's no reason to trust him either. I could have a beer with him definitely, but voting for him was out of the question... How the hell did Lodewijk lose anyway?"

"He ran a good campaign John, you know that. Besides it wasn't the plan to run another candidate anyway. You just had to say that stuff about your work being done didn't you?" she asked with a mocking tone. "You were gonna run again, we all knew it," she paused. "Regardless... Pepper's a black swan. He'll be gone in three months tops. Maybe I'll appoint you Lieutenant then," she said with a laugh.

[Basel-Triesen]

April 6th, 2020 -- Grand Vermont Hotel -- Burlington, Vermont

King Alexander XIV and his brother, Prince Kristian arrived in Vermont two days ago. Much of their visit so far has been disappointingly uneventful, but today - the day before the inauguration of Vermont's new Governor, they'll get to meet with some of the nation's leaders.

The two had come with four Royal Guardsmen, two each. The two had rooms at the Grand Vermont Hotel, their detail had rooms as well, one of their guards would be posted outside their door at all times while they occupied their rooms. If going out, both guards accompanied their protected royal.

Both the king and the prince had descended to a large private events room connected to the lobby, two of their guards stood at the doors while two of their guards were in the room with them. Their guards were in full dress of the Triesen Royal Guard uniform.

The two men where sitting comfortably in the event room, just having finished breakfast, when the people they were supposed to meet entered the room. One was a man that the king recognized as the present governor of Vermont, the other is a woman he recognizes seeing the face of on the news but forgets who she is. They've brought two security men of their own.

Prince Kristian stands as the two enter the room, but King Alexander remains seated. The prince smiles at the two entering the room, "Good morning, it's my pleasure to make your acquaintance, I'm Prince Kristian and this," he gestures to his brother sitting, "Is His Majesty King Alexander XIV, ruler of the kingdom of Triesen, dual ruler of the kingdom of Basel-Triesen, and Lord of the Realm of Grønnland."

At this moment, the king stands and the prince and the two guards in the room both bow for a brief moment from where they are standing. Alexander smiles and greets the two newcomers, "Formalities aside, just call me Alexander, it's my pleasure to meet you. Normally I'd shake hands but probably not the best thing to do these days."

[The Champlain]

Burlington, Vermont

"Right... Hello," Blakeslee says while half waving to greet Alexander.

"As I'm sure you know I am Governor John Blakeslee and this is the lovely Lieutenant Melanie Watkins," he says while pointing at her. The Governor's slight English cadence, which he got from his mother, always seemed to come out when speaking with foreign dignitaries.

Watkins nodded and smiled slightly, not saying anything to acknowledge the introduction.

"I'm sure you've been cooped up in this hotel long enough for the trip, so I'll show you around the area if you'd like to come... Unfortunately we can't really show you how exciting life can be in our biggest city here, you know, everything's closed for the time being. But our nation is known for the outdoors anyway -- isn't that the case in Europe too?" The king nodded.

"Right, so... We could go for a bit of a walk around one of our national parks if you'd like to do that. There shouldn't be that many people out on a Monday morning anyway. There's a few quite beautiful ones not too far from here. We could go to Underhill and go up a mountain path if you'd like."

"And," Watkins butts in with her strong New England accent, "we could show you around our rural areas as we go. There's lots to see out there, that's another thing we're known for."

Meanwhile

William Pepper had overslept. His alarm had gone for fifteen minutes before he finally got out of bed that morning. He was due to catch a train from his native Rutland to the station in Burlington at 9:30, but had to take the 10:00 one. Always fashionably late, William Pepper.

He arrived at the Grand Vermont Hotel just after the Governor and Watkins had finished their introductions to the Basel-Triesen entourage. Pepper's long hair was a bit disheveled, but nothing uncommon for him on a Monday morning. He handed his briefcase to the Secret Service guard appointed to him and hurried into the private room.

"Hello hello! All, I am the next Governor of Vermont, Doctor William Pepper, it's good to meet the two of you." He lowers his voice to a regular speaking volume. "Hello John, Melanie."

"I trust that John has already filled you in on what we're doing today, right?"

[Basel-Triesen]

Burlington, Vermont

Alexander nodded, agreeing to the wonderful idea, he loved hiking after all

"Yes, the time cooped up in this hotel has been a bit disappointing. I imagine this city, Birmington?" Alex looked at his brother, embarrassed to have forgotten the name of the city in front of people who lived in this country.

Kristian chimed in, "Burlington, Your Majesty." At first had been weird referring to his older brother in such a formal way in front of other people, but he'd quickly gotten used to it. Whenever they're not around others, he still calls his brother Alex, as he has for as long as he can remember.

Alexander blushes a bit in embarrassment, "Burlington, right, sorry about that," he turns back to face the Vermonters, "I imagine Burlington normally has quite a lot to do and see. It's unfortunate that my first visit has been under rather bleak circumstances. I do hope to come back in the future and perhaps see what the city has to offer, but until then hiking today sounds quite enjoyable. Whenever I travel abroad, I miss the mountains back home. I try to go hiking every day, if I can fit it into my schedule. When I can't, I can usually see the mountains from my office or my room in Burg Eltz or any of my other castle residences."

Alexander smiled as William Pepper entered the room. Prince Kristian started to speak, "Pleasure to meet you Sir, I am Prince Kristian and this is my brother, His Majesty the Ki-"

Alexander interrupted, "King Alexander XIV, but you can just call me Alexander." His brother looks a bit hurt at being interrupted, "Sorry Kristian, but I seriously hate that formal introduction, once this morning was enough."

Alexander turned back towards William Pepper, "It's my pleasure to meet you, yes I've been told we're going hiking. I do love a good hike."

[The Champlain]

Burlington, Vermont

Pepper's eyes widened a bit as he heard the plan and nodded half-assuredly.

"Hiking, of course," he said before turning back to his Secret Service guard. He whispered to him somewhat audibly, "You're gonna have to get me different pants for that." The guard grimaced and suppressed a smile before nodding, and Pepper turned back to the group.

"Going to Underhill I assume? Alright, I'll just meet you at the base... Don't start without me." Pepper turned to leave with his guard and exited the room.

"So that was Mr. Pepper!" Watkins sarcastically said after he left.

"Your group can either come with us in our car or travel in a convoy -- I assume you have your own vehicle here, right? We'd all meet in the big lot in Underhill if that's the case." the Lieutenant Governor continued.

[Basel-Triesen]

Underhill, Vermont
The king nodded, of course they brought their own vehicles - two to be exact. They agreed that the Basel-Triesen cars would follow the Vermonters in their vehicle.

Prince Kristian rode in the first vehicle with his two Royal Guards while King Alexander rode in the second vehicle with his two Royal Guards. They followed the Vermonters to Underhill, meeting William Pepper at the base. He'd somehow made it there only a couple minutes after him, surprising the king already by not being late. The king and the prince both get out of their cars with their four guards while their drivers go to park and wait for their return.

Alexander looks around, "So here we are, looks a bit small - what's the elevation?"

[The Champlain]

Underhill

Governor Blakeslee, now looking rather gangly in all athletic wear, smirked back at the king.

"Nope, don't be fooled, it's the parking lot that's small. If we go all the way we'll be going about 4400 feet up."

"It's a good day trip," Watkins added.

While the four of them gathered together and made small talk, William Pepper arrived. He got our of his all-black official car, revealing that he had chosen to wear jean shorts and a button-up floral shirt for the outing. He leaned against his car and waved to the group to wait a couple minutes while he smoked a cigarette.

Blakeslee continued, "Only one other car just getting here too... Doesn't look like one of ours... Regardless I'm glad people are listening to the order, Melanie."

The other vehicle was an old pickup truck with a matching cover over the bed. Its tires still had chains on them from the winter. The truck parked directly in front of Pepper, blocking the other group from seeing him. A quite tall man got out of the truck wearing a surgical mask. Blakeslee, thinking the same thing as Pepper, assumed he was pre-approved to come to the site.

Pepper, meanwhile, looked back at his guard. "Was he approved to come here today?" he asked him.

"We didn't cordon off this site, Mr. Pepper. It's very low risk... He's fine."

Pepper approached the group and waved back at his guard to say goodbye.

"Ready to go John?"

[Basel-Triesen]

Underhill

Alexander listens as Blakeslee explains that the climb is 4,400 feet, he looks confused towards his brother. Kristian responds, without hesitation, "About 1,300 meters."

As he understands, he nods as Watkins weighs her opinion on the matter, "Yes, it certainly sounds like a good trip. I look forward to the challenge." He thinks about some of the 10,000 foot elevation mountains back home, but keeps that to himself. He's sure this hike will be enjoyable. The Vermonters sure seem excited about its promise.

Alexander watches with the others as William Pepper arrives soon after them, finding it humorous that the man is wearing shorts made out of denim. He stifles a laugh at the foolish choice in material. He looks around the parking lot, seeing the other random car in the lot as Blakeslee mentions it. Can't convince everybody to stay home all the time, people still need to go outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Alexander and the others watch a tall man with black hair get out of the truck wearing a surgical mask. The others seem to not be worried about his presence, so Alexander didn't worry. Though his gaze lingered longer than most of the others. He finally turned towards the four Royal Guards, calling them by their last surnames, "Laursen and Vestergaard, stay here with our vehicles." The two guards walked back across the parking lot to the Basel-Triesen cars, joining the drivers.

The king starts speaking in Lotharian, "Schäfer and Vogel, you two enjoy hiking if I remember?" The two guards nodded and Alexander continued, "Then hike with us, we shouldn't be the only ones enjoying the day."

As Pepper returned with the group, the entire group started walking towards the trailhead. Blakeslee, Watkins, Pepper, the king and the prince, and Schäfer and Vogel. Alexander found a steady pace walking alongside William Pepper to begin the hike, maybe hoping to get to talk to him a bit. Kristian found himself walking with Blakeslee and Watkins, perhaps hoping for lighter conversation than that which the king may be seeking with Pepper. Schäfer and Vogel found a pace that set them about twenty feet behind the rest, talking between themselves, both speaking in their native Lotharian.

Alexander speaks up to Pepper, "Please don't perceive me as rude, but unless my understanding is mistaken your upcoming leadership seems to be seen as unwanted or uncertain. Is that normal for your nation when a new leader is elected?"

Kristian asks his own questions to Watkins and Blakeslee, "So what's Vermont like on a good day? What are the people here like?"

[The Champlain]

Underhill Trail

Pepper and the king were a few paces behind the Governor and the other groups. Pepper's choice of uncomfortable clothing had caused him to walk more slowly than the others. The man from the parking lot appeared to be distantly behind them as well, hiking up at his own, slow, pace. Pepper then replied to the king in his characteristically-quick way of speaking.

"No problem at all Mr... uh, Alexander. I think some people don't know what to expect, but that's okay. I'm pretty much an outsider to the way things work in Montpelier, but I'm damn good too. I passed a whole lot of stuff in Rutland when I was on that council. I know how to work with difficult people." Realizing he hadn't entirely answered the question, he then continued. "Oh, right, yes. I do. Every time there's an election we're all uncertain with how the next guy is gonna do, especially if we didn't vote for him. I have a lot to prove to the other 49% of this nation but I think it'll be fine. If some people still don't like me, screw them, you know? The people on the TV haven't been very nice to me and I think that's brought a lot more fear than usual. I wouldn't call it... 'undermining'... but it sure isn't helpful," he said with a snicker.

Blakeslee and the others walked at a more brisk pace. The Governor and Watkins had both done this trail many times in the past, and knew it well. The two of them looked at one another before answering the question.

"Hospitable," Blakeslee said. "Yeah, hospitable sounds right to me," Watkins added.

"You won't find a homelier group of people than good farming Vermonters. Always feels refreshing when I get to talk to our people," she said.

"She's right, but there's plenty of nice-ness to go around here. City people are just as good as farmers..." Blakeslee added.

"Right, John, of course." She paused, thinking of what to say next.

"I think you're seeing Vermont on a good day right now, even with the MODED situation. We're thawing, the sun is out, it's pretty warm. People are great, yes, but to really experience our nation you're right where you wanna be. Out here."

"Fair enough," Blakeslee commented.

[Basel-Triesen]

Underhill Trail

Alexander nodded, "That makes sense, I suppose. There must be uncertainty when a nation comes together and votes for the next leader, maybe not knowing the people running as well as they'd like. Especially when elections get so closely contested. Makes our monarchy sound a whole lot easier in comparison. There's no doubt who the next leader is going to be. Everybody's known it for decades and you're always in the national spotlight."

The king looks around at their surroundings as they walk before spotting Pepper's pants again, "So how do the people of Vermont generally feel about the outdoors? Do you guys enjoy getting outside and walking or hiking or doing whatever else?"

Kristian listened intently to the two as they spoke to him. He continued watching the surroundings as he listened and they all walked. He'd noticed the other guy from the parking lot was hiking behind them, seemingly keeping a respectful distance. He nodded along as he listened to Blakeslee and Watkins.

When they finished talking, he immediately had another question ready, "So besides hiking, what are the hobbies most Vermonters have, do you think? Do the people who live in the cities have different hobbies generally than those who don't live in the cities?"

[The Champlain]

On the trail

Pepper took an awkwardly long step to adjust himself due to his ill-chosen clothes before answering.

"Of course! Everyone goes outside when they can. These trails, well this one especially, are packed during better days. You know John, er, Melanie, she issued that order and these places just dried right up. Good for us I suppose," he said with a smile, "you should see what it's like on the first warm day after winter. People sitting outside tanning in February because it's finally above 40 degrees. A truly remarkable nation."

Back with the main group, Blakeslee thought for a few seconds about what to say. Neither him nor Watkins had very typical upbringings, and tended to be more involved in the political sphere than on the ground.

"Well... I think you could say that, yes. Universally people love the outdoors, but there's, I guess, more of an interest in guns in rural areas. People in Burlington especially seem pretty uncomfortable with them compared to people out here."

"Music, John, a lot of Vermonters make music. Lots of folk singers around here," she says before looking back at Kristian. "Music in Vermont has been so exciting since the 1970s when all those new people came here." She was referring to the population doubling from 1960 to 1980 as many people from the United States moved to Vermont to farm in communes.

The man who had lagged behind them for the walk had taken off his mask, feeling more comfortable farther along the trail. He picked up his pace and started lightly jogging up the flatter sections of the path.

"Anyway... Kristian, is it? I have to know. What do you make of Mr. Pepper back there? How has he been shown in your media?" Blakeslee asked.

[Basel-Triesen]

On the trail

Alexander listens as Pepper talks about the outdoor loving people of Vermont. He nods and glances back and notices the guy from the parking lot getting closer progressively. Alexander lingers for a second to fall behind to his guards, speaking to them in Lotharian, "If he wants to pass us for being too slow, let him through. It's a public trail." He picks the pace back up a bit to catch back up to Pepper.

Alexander doesn't speak again yet, wondering if Pepper would have anything of his own to say or ask.

Kristian continued to listen intently to John and Melanie, soaking up their every word and learning about Vermont. He then looked at Blakeslee as he was asked a question. He thought for a moment, "Admittedly our media hasn't covered much of him. Unfortunately Vermont's election season hasn't been as important in Basel-Triesen as keeping up with the Kannapian and American elections have been. Though my understanding is that the general consensus in online communities - Twitter, Facebook, Reddit - has been a bit reluctant to say anything nice about Pepper, they seem sad to see you go."

Kristian paused for a second, thinking, "I don't know if those opinions are indicative of the entire population, but that's where discussion of Vermont politics has been happening while the nation's media buzzes about Kannap and America."

[The Champlain]

The Trail

Blakeslee enjoyed the little ego boost from Kristian's answer.

"No that sounds just about right," Blakeslee replied with a slight laugh.

"Pepper isn't all that exciting is he?"

Watkins responds with a quip, "He is exciting, John, you gotta give him that."

He rolled his eyes. "Right. Sure," he said with faux poutiness.

"That guy is a nightmare on Twitter, you know, I don't think he does anything else with his time."

Meanwhile, Dr. Pepper had been thinking about things to say to the king. Nothing really came to mind at first; Pepper didn't generally have an interest in politics outside of his home nation.

"So, you're coming to the inauguration tomorrow? How did you get pulled into our little ceremony in the first place?"

Pepper by this point had started to become a bit winded by the walk in his uncomfortable clothes. His walking speed continued to slow until he was very near the king's guards.

"Mind if we take a breather here guy, king... Alex? I just wanna relax for a minute or two. We'll meet John up at the peak. Only have a little bit more to go by now, at least."

Pepper signalled for the group to stand on the left side of the trail so that the man from the parking lot could pass them. He jogged past the four of them with ease, saying "thanks," as he went, in a European-tinged New England accent. After he got ahead of the group, the man took a slight break along the side of the path to take a sip of water.

[Basel-Triesen]

The Trail

Kristian let out a bit of a laugh at Blakeslee response, "So you don't like this guy, do you then?" He tries to imagine what that means about Vermont politics but can't come to a conclusion.

Meanwhile, Alexander was still waiting for Pepper to say something, anything. Finally the older man asked how the king had gotten invited to the inauguration. "I don't rightly know. Myself and King Franz were both invited by Blakeslee and we accepted the invitation. We're heading for Kannap for their inauguration next."

He stopped with Pepper and both his guards as Pepper needed a break. Alexander watched as the Vermont man behind them jogged past and then stopped for a brief break of his own not too far up the trail. Alexander leaves Pepper with his two guards, they look at each other confused, and walks towards the stranger, "Hi, just curious - doesn't Vermont have a stay-at-home order in effect?" Alexander smiled at the man.

[The Champlain]

The Trail

Blakeslee smirked.

"I didn't vote for him," he said with a sense of humor, "that's all I'll say about that. I would have a drink with him, though."

Watkins laughed audibly while remembering the conversation on the train.

"John doesn't like him, no," she said to Kristian in between laughs, "but he's not the one who has to work for him."

Pepper stood still with the king's guards and watched him approach the other man. I wonder if they speak English, he thought to himself. He opened his mouth to ask them that question, but stopped himself and, instead, smiled politely. "Do you two want to keep walking?" he said while lightly panting. "I'll catch the rest of you up there."

The man gazed over his shoulder, not expecting a conversation. He spoke with the same, noticeably Mediterranean accent to the king. "I'm sorry, what did you want? I didn't hear what you said to me." He felt slightly uneasy, noticing the two armed guards distantly behind the king. "You can pass if you need to."

[Basel-Triesen]

The Trail

Kristian continues to laugh at Blakeslee's comments about Pepper. He continues listening intently as the two leaders talk about Pepper.

The guards stopped to look at Pepper blankly and continued speaking to each other in Lotharian, talking about Pepper now. They giggle a bit at their jokes.

Alexander smiled at the Vermont man, "Oh, sorry, I was talking to you. Suppose its a bit rude of me to randomly talk to a stranger. Hi, I'm Alex."

[The Champlain]

Blakeslee and Watkins quieted down as they neared the slightly challenging final section of the trail.

"It's just up here and then we can finally take a break," he said to both Watkins and Kristian.

The man turned to face the king. "Oh... hi. It's not that rude I don't think," he said with a polite smile, "I'm Camillo. Did you need something?"

[Basel-Triesen]

Blakeslee and Watkins quieted down as they neared the slightly challenging final section of the trail.

"It's just up here and then we can finally take a break," he said to both Watkins and Kristian.

The man turned to face the king. "Oh... hi. It's not that rude I don't think," he said with a polite smile, "I'm Camillo. Did you need something?"

Kristian continued hiking with the two leaders, clearly reaching near the end. He was ready to see the view from the peak, getting more excited as they neared it.

Alexander gestured behind his back for the two guards to continue going. They walked past and continued to the peak. Alexander smiled at the other man, "I just saw you wanted past and knew I had to introduce myself. Hopefully that's not too forward of me."

[The Champlain]

Kristian continued hiking with the two leaders, clearly reaching near the end. He was ready to see the view from the peak, getting more excited as they neared it.

Alexander gestured behind his back for the two guards to continue going. They walked past and continued to the peak. Alexander smiled at the other man, "I just saw you wanted past and knew I had to introduce myself. Hopefully that's not too forward of me."

"Oh... okay," Camillo said with a slight blush, "nothing too forward about that."

"I figure you want to walk the rest of the trail? We're almost at the peak, you know."

[Basel-Triesen]

Kristian continued hiking with the two leaders, clearly reaching near the end. He was ready to see the view from the peak, getting more excited as they neared it.

Alexander gestured behind his back for the two guards to continue going. They walked past and continued to the peak. Alexander smiled at the other man, "I just saw you wanted past and knew I had to introduce myself. Hopefully that's not too forward of me."

"Oh... okay," Camillo said with a slight blush, "nothing too forward about that."

"I figure you want to walk the rest of the trail? We're almost at the peak, you know."

The king nods, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I imagine the view from the peak is wonderful." Alexander starts walking with the other man, "So are you from around here?"

[The Champlain]

The king nods, "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I imagine the view from the peak is wonderful." Alexander starts walking with the other man, "So are you from around here?"

"Well... yes and no. I was born here, of course, but most of my family is from Bêr."

He looked at the king and thought for a second.

"I take it you're not from around here, are you? You don't seem like the type... but you don't seem like a flatlander either."

[Basel-Triesen]

"Well... yes and no. I was born here, of course, but most of my family is from Bêr."

He looked at the king and thought for a second.

"I take it you're not from around here, are you? You don't seem like the type... but you don't seem like a flatlander either."

Alexander nods as the man explains where he's from and where his family is from. He smiles and laughs a bit, hoping not to insult the man, "No, I'm from Triesen. Long way from home right now."

[The Champlain]

While the two were talking, Blakeslee's group had made it to the peak of the mountain. He let out a relieved sigh and gestured at the view of the long, grassy ridges that made up the Green Mountains.

Alexander nods as the man explains where he's from and where his family is from. He smiles and laughs a bit, hoping not to insult the man, "No, I'm from Triesen. Long way from home right now."

"Ah yeah, that sounds about right. My dad lived in Luebeck for a few years... knew I've heard that accent before."

He continued to walk slowly up the trail with the king.

"Are you a tourist? Lots of people start coming around summer time to go on the Long Trail."

Pepper was distantly behind them still, and after taking a few sips of water and smoking another cigarette he continued walking up. The soda cans he had put in his backpack were clearly starting to drag him down too much. I've made a huge mistake, he thought to himself before snickering.

[Basel-Triesen]

At the peak
Kristian reached the peak with Blakeslee and Watkins, and with the two guards who had managed to reach the peak briefly after them. The two guards stood towards one side, speaking in their native language but even the Vermonters could tell they were obviously talking excited about the view. Every few moments, one would point and excitedly start chattering about something they could see.

Kristian smiled at the two guards before looking back at the view before him, "This is beautiful. Very green, beautifully green."

On the trail
Alexander continued walking and talking with the Vermonter, listening as he asked if he was a tourist.

He smiled, "I'd say I'm more so here for business but one could also say I'm a tourist, yes. Hiking this trail seems more like a proper tourist thing to do."

Alexander had completely forgotten about Pepper, becoming distracted by this much younger Vermonter.