A Harbour for Weary Souls (IC, Open)

by **Cartoonia** » Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:16 pm

“Naya, Captain Shepard, Lieutenant Stockton” she repeated. A pleasure to make acquaintances. The Roza? Ah! Your ship must be that Victorian schooner docked next to us aren’t you?”. As the tour guide continues to sing her little song, Odyssia smiles at the comment made by the lieutenant.

“Ah, you have a keen eye for ship details. It is true that this ship is from the grand age of ocean liner travel, you are off by about four years. This ship was constructed in 1912, launched in 1913. This ship before it was christened the name Fascination went by the name Empress of Russia, it was christened the name Fascination after she was purchased by the Pacific-Oriental Steam Navigation Company in 1924. She has been christened numerous names after that, until the organization purchased her as a museum ship in the 1960s. I can go on about this wonderful ship and it’s interesting history. In fact, let me be the first to show you around, for a token fee of course”.

Gerald offers his hand. The canine sniffs about. It would seem that he was accepted. The canine switches from sniffing to licking, as many dogs have done to Gerald.

“Ah, excuse me,” he says seeing the other man approaching them, standing up tipping his hat in greetings. “Where are my manners, my name is Gerald Rothbart, the current captain of the SS Fascination. Well, I say current captain. She hasn’t been sailed in years, since she is currently a museum ship from my country”.

by **The Welstanville Isles** » Sun Nov 14, 2021 8:34 am

Broodeheim Harbour

Alejandra had decided to put the new car idea on hold for now. Food blogging came first. Made more sense that way for now.

She walked along the harbour at a steady pace, with Katherine following her in tandem. Neither spoke much, but they didn't feel much like talking. Not for any reason like hating one another, just lack of energy.

Their long walk had them getting lost several times, asking for directions, being mistaken for American tourists who were obnoxious bozoes, before eventually ending up where Julia and Wilhelm were, at a popular food stall. Alejandra had got her phone ready for taking snapshots of the food. She'd also got plenty of money too, she was crazy-prepared like that.

by **Katase** » Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:17 pm

Ridderli wrote:Lien Sunnewirbele.
I had heard Jette's offer and with the newfound knowledge, that I was right, I smiled.
“It is a pleasure.”, I said and bowed my head lightly. People always said, that my pink eyes shone, when I was excited. “I am Lien Sunnewirbele, an actress from Ridderli. You might have caught an episode or two of Setzei...”
I let a beat pass, trailing off hopefully.
Granted, it was pretty unlikely, but that was another question.
I turned to the other two.
“These are Jette and Aaltje Schreyg, fellow actresses from Teressien.”
“Well, I'm a part-timer.”, Jette objected, smiling, “Aaltje is the big star.”
I nodded – that was true.
But soon...!

"Afraid we haven't." Uzume admitted as both she and her mother looked at each other sheepishly, this was a bit embarrassing, they knew them but not vice versa?

"No, I am sorry but now that we know, we'll make it a good point to see your work." Maaya responded "Fellow dramatists as ourselves we should support one another and be aware. Good to meet you, Lien, Jette, Aaltie. Lovely to meet you all and make your acquaintances."

by **Ridderli** » Wed Nov 17, 2021 2:54 am

Western Fardelshufflestein wrote:Julia

"One Pfeilfischbrötchen, please," Julia requested, the German word rolling effortlessly off her tongue. She was a fan of seafood, and one could not go wrong with a sandwich, especially one that was a local staple.

After she had paid and received her Pfeilfischbrötchen, she meandered toward the boy that had been in front of her. He seemed around her age, and, if she retained social skills even half a standard deviation above those of her mother and father, should would succeed in having a conversation with him--after she tried the Pfeilfischbrötchen, of course.

The Pfeilfischbrötchen was, despite its distinctly un-breakfast-like composition, delectable: soft bread with a crunchy, flaky shell perfectly complementing the vinegary pickles and onions that were nested within the roll. The fish, hearty and sweetened by the clear waters surrounding Ridderli, tasted more pure than Icelandic cod or fish from home, as though the flesh had the currents themselves captured within.

Julia did not express her reaction in such a ladylike manner. On the contrary, she let out a strangled "O mein Gott!" as soon as she absorbed the flavors. Upon swallowing, she coughed a bit, exclaimed, "This is amazing!" in Fardelshufflesteinian.

As she took another voracious bite, she caught the water-blue eyes of the other boy, who had his Pfeilfischbrötchen in hand. He had almost certainly observed her tearing into the sandwich like a complete barbarian. "Uh. Got a tad excited, I guess," she admitted lamely after the second bite had been sufficiently savored.

Wilhelm

He followed two small boys chasing after one another with his eyes, recalled being that small himself. He and Allie used to be that way, rollicking wantonly across the palace and New Hamletberg streets, inseparable for the first stretch of Wil's life despite their five-year age gap. Wil had gradually grown disillusioned with his brother pre-adolescence; when social standing began to matter, he distanced himself from his brother and best friend.

He had time to make up for his unruly and frankly despicable behavior now. 'Twas far too short a time to do so, five more years at best, but 'twas also ample time to be with Allie and actively bond with him. They would never frolic freely in the palace fields again, or anywhere for that matter, but mayhap they would become inseparable once more.

"I love festival days," commented his bench partner. Wil nodded and deduced the man was a local, though he could not be certain.

He shut his eyes for a moment, lulled into a sort of half-sleep by the crisp early morning air and his jet lag. His breath was steady, as was his heart rate. He had been warned not to be involved in too much excitement lest he experience a cardiac event, but he doubted one would occur whilst he reclined on a bench.

"Zis is my first time here," he finally murmured, voice a breathy croak. He opened his lids and made eyes contact with the other man. "I am not from zis country."

[...]

The Welstanville Isles wrote:Broodeheim Harbour

Alejandra had decided to put the new car idea on hold for now. Food blogging came first. Made more sense that way for now.

She walked along the harbour at a steady pace, with Katherine following her in tandem. Neither spoke much, but they didn't feel much like talking. Not for any reason like hating one another, just lack of energy.

Their long walk had them getting lost several times, asking for directions, being mistaken for American tourists who were obnoxious bozoes, before eventually ending up where Julia and Wilhelm were, at a popular food stall. Alejandra had got her phone ready for taking snapshots of the food. She'd also got plenty of money too, she was crazy-prepared like that.

Sunna Fischli.
The guy working the stall got more and more customers by the minute, including a pretty tall woman and her companion (I would have placed them into the direction of Auwalt, Teressien, maybe even Pittenmark, not whatever Americania was). He did his best to serve them all quickly.
Luckily, a second line was opened pretty early, a colleague of his stepping up.
One could pay in cash or via card – and thanks to COVID, card was preferred.
The lass, who got her Pfeilfischbötchen gifted to her by the cute lad, seemed quite excited about it and I could get behind that. They were delicious.
No matter if they switched the line or not, the tall woman and the one besides her soon would receive theirs and would be free to try it.
I took a bite out of mine and waved in their general direction, but it was not at them, but at a young woman of my age standing behind them: She was eighteen as well, an athlete, her short, purple hair a messy bob, her yellow eyes sparkling as she saw me.
“Morning, Heda!”, I called in Teressian.

Meanwhile, the older gentleman nodded, returning the look. By the way his beard moved, one could deduce, that he was smiling.
“I figured. Hence why we are talking English.”, he said and nodded, “I am from here, actually. Well, not here-here, but from this city.” He let a beat pass, regarding the younger man with a bit of interest, then looked at his nurse for a brief moment. “If I may be asking, what brings you here? Trying to relax or business?”

Fai Koshisha.
I came aboard, Suniku following me with his head looking from one side to the other. He was weary where I dragged him to this time, but the large Jalidi White Caracal did his best to stay close to me.
In any case, I smiled at the girl with the ears.
For a brief moment I wondered – Spiorad, Okunarutsuran or something else?
“The United Island States of AHSCA.”, I said with a small nod. “I recognize the flag.”
Mostly from media, I had never been there, and the recent press exposure the islands had gotten thanks to a diplomatic kerfuffle with Kyrenaia made sure, that everyone in Kyrenaia's general vicinity knew the flag... and the name of their Head of State, who in a fit of rage, had thrown out the fucking Sultana of Kyrenaia.
I remembered times, when Sultans would have set the entire island group aflame.
I also remembered times, when there were no Sultans in Kyrenaia. I had walked the streets of Almadaldima after all.
Still, that was not important right now.
“Could you tell me a bit about her history, then, young sailor girl?”, I asked politely.

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
“What does breakfast in bed sound to me like...?”, I asked him, putting my pointer to my chin, as if I had to think for a long time... my hand went to his chin, holding it steady as my lips found his, though without tongue. “...answer enough?”
With that, I rolled off of him, sitting up.
I knew, that the Will's cook would make pancakes, oatmeal for vegans (which I was not) or sardine omelettes or burritos. Pancakes sounded delectable, though, and it would leave enough room for whatever food stalls at the harbour festival had to offer.
A bit more cuddling would have been nice, but the idea sounded too wonderful... besides, my stomach was reporting a low point. Not troubling yet, but soon, it might be.

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Speicherstadt.
In the Speicherstadt, meanwhile, the Visayans weren't the only ones, who were busy with resupplying. Many of the vessels in the harbour needed to top off fridges and pantries. I was directing my people through it as well – granted, the Marcharnnau was a 'pirate ship' by stretching the definition as far as one could reasonably allow it (we did 'raid' ships for a living after all), but we still preferred to spend our coin in harbours.
I did notice Aguirre taking a discreet snapshot of my ship, though, which was in excellent view from the windows of this store here in the Speicherstadt. I chuckled to myself and decided to play a bit.
With a move of my hand, my purser knew, that he'd have to take charge of the half-dozen Spiorad and Yojaode of our resupply team.
I, on the other hand, followed Aguirre (though I did not know her name) and browsed a shelf next to her, before casually remarking: “You do know, that we are open for tourists, right? Can't speak for the Patunex, though.”
I had no idea, that she was a spy from a ship of spies.

Miu Fuwa.
Broodeheim Old Town Harbour, Harbourfront.
We walked past the family of people, who missed the last century of fashion with a polite nod... granted, the kids ran past, Siegbald tried to flirt with me, I watched the kids and nodded politely. The family seemed to be a bit culture shocked, the kids staring at me and I had a rough idea as to why.
In any case, the mother reminded the kids, that it was impolite to stare, the two kids greeted politely and I made a decision.
Nodding to Siegbald, I stopped, took in air to reply, but then a shrill whistle blasted from the lips of my companion – he lowered his fingers and called to one of the girls with my sister, funnily enough their leader.
He turned, smiling sheepishly as the group turned around, the crowd going back to whatever they were all doing. I held a hand up to hide my giggle. He looked cute when sheepish.
“Anyway...”, he said, turned to the family, “Morning to you, too.”
Then, like a tidal wave, my sister and her group arrived, crashing over us like a large wave.
His little sister, Nela, looked at Ophelia and Cordelia and then grinned at her big brother: “Do you think, that they can join us in the treasure hunt?”
“Don't you think you should introduce yourself first?”, her brother reminded her with a smile.
“Oh, right, sorry!”, the girl said, then turned to the Gram-Family: “Hi, I'm Nela and these...” She made a sweeping motion over the entire gaggle of kids, “...are the Weasels, my Crew! Wanna come along to find treasure?”
She was not wasting any time, one had to give her that...

Cartoonia wrote:
Abetton wrote:

"Ahoy there," Milano called out with a wave "Glad to meet you! I'm Captain Milano Shepard, Captain of the RMS Roza."

"and Lieutenant Alexandra Stockton. I'm Roza's first officer."

"And my right hand. Couldn't have made it here without someone as trusted and skilled as she is. Hoping for permission to board to get a glance of your lovely ship here!"

"She's a beaut! Let me guess, I'm surprisingly good at this, I'm gonna say she's circa 1909?"

Ridderli wrote:
Naya smiled.
The singer was not bad – quite on the contrary, the singer was good. But Naya turned back to the sailor, who had introduced herself as Odyssia Katamura.
“Call me Naya.”, she said and smiled. Odyssia did not need to know, who she was.

“Naya, Captain Shepard, Lieutenant Stockton” she repeated. A pleasure to make acquaintances. The Roza? Ah! Your ship must be that Victorian schooner docked next to us aren’t you?”. As the tour guide continues to sing her little song, Odyssia smiles at the comment made by the lieutenant.

“Ah, you have a keen eye for ship details. It is true that this ship is from the grand age of ocean liner travel, you are off by about four years. This ship was constructed in 1912, launched in 1913. This ship before it was christened the name Fascination went by the name Empress of Russia, it was christened the name Fascination after she was purchased by the Pacific-Oriental Steam Navigation Company in 1924. She has been christened numerous names after that, until the organization purchased her as a museum ship in the 1960s. I can go on about this wonderful ship and it’s interesting history. In fact, let me be the first to show you around, for a token fee of course”.

Ridderli wrote:Aldhiyb, still sniffing and not barking, was under the control of the woman.
She nodded. “Offer him your hand to smell and if he accepts it, you can pet him.”, she told him with a smile. “Aldhiyb doesn't like to be petted by people he doesn't know.”
And with that, she snapped her fingers and the canine sat down, panting.
The young man, who accompanied the woman, joined their side with a short “Good morning.”, and received a kiss on the cheek from the woman for his troubles.

Gerald offers his hand. The canine sniffs about. It would seem that he was accepted. The canine switches from sniffing to licking, as many dogs have done to Gerald.

“Ah, excuse me,” he says seeing the other man approaching them, standing up tipping his hat in greetings. “Where are my manners, my name is Gerald Rothbart, the current captain of the SS Fascination. Well, I say current captain. She hasn’t been sailed in years, since she is currently a museum ship from my country”.

Aboard the Fascination, they would very soon find out, that Naya was not very talkative, more of a listener then a speaker. She took out her wallet and took out thirty Silbergulden, if she had the exchange rates to the NSD right, that was enough to pay for her tour and for the two others and then some.
“For all three of us.”, she said and handed the money over.
It was not exactly a token fee, but it was a reasonable price, especially when one kept in mind, that it was most likely used for the upkeep of the Fascination, which couldn't be cheap.
She gave the Captain and her Lieutenant a smile, raising a hand in a placating gesture. It was fine, she'd pay for their tour, no need to thank her. If she was honest with herself, there had been worse things that she had spent money on – far worse things.

The young woman smiled.
“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Captain Rothbart.”, she said with a small bow of her head, “I am Aurelia, that is Atif...”
The young man bowed his head lightly and spoke a small greeting.
“...and this is Aldhiyb.”
The Sand Wolf did not reply to the greeting, being far too busy being petted and licking, before he had enough of that and went back to his Mistress' side. She smiled.
“He knows, where he gets the best cuddles and food from.”, Atif commented, making the young woman laugh. He turned to the Captain. “Anyway, Captain, I heard the Fascination is hosting a gala tonight. If all goes well, we will see each other there?”

Lien Sunnewirbele.
Aaltje's face fell for but a moment, then she had caught herself.
“The pleasure is ours.”, I said and smiled, “We all know, that we aren't that internationally well known, but... yeah. It will be cool to know, that Maaya Tennouboshi went out of her way to watch our work.” It was not even that much of an overstatement, but honest hero worship. I had watched a few of her movies, granted in the subbed version. “I personally liked you most in Dragon's Den.”
Aaltje nodded. “Yes, that was a nice one.”, she said and I looked at her. “Subbed. I liked Gambits more, though.”
I nodded. “In any case...”, addressing the whole group, I smiled, “Who's up for ice cream?”
Jette raised her hand.

by **New Visayan Islands** » Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:09 am

Gerald Vicente
Eternal Will

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Gerald replied before getting on his feet. He would have to clean himself up some before heading to the galley, but with pancakes for breakfast in bed, it would be quick. Maple syrup and butter were considered all but mandatory for pancakes, and the yacht's buyer did go out of his way to ensure that there was enough of both to go around.
Making his way to the galley, he saw Peter reviewing something on his tablet--data from the night before, if he was any judge--over a half-finished plate of sardine omelette. The haggardness was clear on the engineer's face; after getting an update from Peter, Gerald told the man that he ought to get some more sleep.
"I'm surprised you wouldn't mind if I get some more rest, Gerald," Peter said. "Daylight's burning, after all."
"Pete, we both know that's what I would do," Gerald replied.
"I know," Peter retorted. "That girlfriend of yours sure is something."
"Yes, Amy is. Maybe one of these days you might find love here as well." There was a chuckle in Gerald's voice as he responded to Peter's comment. "That said, I've got breakfast in bed to make, and you need to call it a night, so get some more sleep, you hear?"
"Roger that, Director. Coffee's Liberica, just so you know." At that, Gerald left Peter to prepare breakfast in bed for himself and Amy.

Hiram E. Yabut
Eternal Will, Broodeheim, Ridderli
November 6th, AD 2021
0710 Local Time

The Mindoro Man behind Solar Overdrive--and as a native of Calapan, he knew about the Men, the Memes, and the Myths behind the Visayan version of Florida Man--was going through his second sardine omelette as he noticed Gerald prepare a tray for two. Lucky bastard is lucky, he thought to himself as he saw the Director grab two plates with two pancakes each, some maple syrup, and just enough butter for both plates.
"Director," he said in greeting, "I'll admit to some curiosity here; lucky gal?" Hiram couldn't find it in him to address a person by their name unless prompted to, something he chalked up to his conservative upbringing.
"That obvious, Hiram?" Gerald responded rhetorically. "And please, it's Gerald; I'm not that old," he added with a chuckle; there was an almost four-year gap between the two, after all.
"All due respect, Gerald, I expected a briefing from Engineer Turrija."
"Three hours of sleep is not something I would wish on anyone, Hiram."
"...come to think of it, I will not blame him if he has to call it a night."
After being appraised by the Director of VAI's Global Operations, the entrepreneur understood how the sea trials would make for an easier time once the Eternal Will was "commissioned." Sure, it meant he'd get a rebate, but with the Indomitable Spirit-class going for 300 million Universal Standard otherwise, there was simply no excuse for him to pass up the opportunity to participate in what was essentially a chance to promote his yacht...and, as he was onboard, that also meant promoting Solar Overdrive was entirely possible for him. With any luck, he might even end up expanding the company beyond the Confederation's borders; he understood that this, too, was how Victoria Associated Industries got its big break.

Meredith Aguirre
Speicherstadt

Fuck, I've been spotted, Meredith thought, as she was greeted by someone from the Capall na dTonn. Just be cool about it, you were trained for this.
"Well, I'd love to," she replied, "but I'm afraid I've plans for later tonight. See, the yacht I came from is planning a mixer. Anyway, I never really got your name: I'm Meredith Aguirre, with Harrison, Murata, and Goco Consultants. You?" While she would normally offer a hand for shaking, COVID-19 was still a thing to consider. Granted, all hands and the guests alike were fully vaccinated, but still.
From the corner of her eye, she could see the three crewmembers reviewing the supplies list the quartermaster gave them.

Kimberly C. Menendez
M/Y Spirit of Diamond, Broodeheim, Ridderli
November 6th, AD 2021
0716 Local Time

Emerging from the cabin's bathroom to dry herself off, Kimberly noticed Clement leave the cabin after ensuring that the last bits of breakfast in bed were cleaned out and everything else squared away. Hash browns, ham, and eggs for breakfast with strong coffee on the side--she suspected Liberica, but Clement insisted it tasted more like a Robusta--made for a filling and useful kickstarter for a person's body. Just as well, the previous night did take a lot out of both DJs, what with the DJs Hammer and Diamond engaging in a DJ battle as part of their combined performance that night. The fact that every single guest went through a good chunk of booze that night also made for interesting things...

by **Mervay** » Fri Nov 19, 2021 1:41 am

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay/Carolina Coral
The perfect disguise one must say. One where she can relax out of the public eye, where even if she can even act like she really is, she has to show a lot of restraint and there will be visibly at least two agents and a dozen incognito ones around.
Which gave born to her disguise as Carolina Coral, a character she used a lot of times to hide her identity back at home as well. Dark black long hair, a wig which made it look entirely realistic and perfect to hide her new look, that shorter, to shoulder and daring natural blonde hair with blonde-strawberry locks and red highlights that replaced her blonde cascade hair. Her blue eyes, covered by brown contacts, while her clothes, well, they were something she would usually wear as both persona's.

She smiled sweetly with a giggle coming out as she walked the streets of the port with her baggage for her two weeks stay, she looked at the streets after she walked out from the Teressian ferry that carried her from the mainland and the Principality, where she had an pleasing dinner with Prince Alrich and Lady Findehoof where she gently teased them for an invitation to their wedding if it ever happened, all the while being the only two people to know her cover as Miss Carolina Coral. And here, only the Ridderli Goverment and their intelligence and security organizations, that also included Chancellor Guzele.
Albeit... Those weren't the only people that knew her identity here.
Agents Blackwell and Labertian, while on a break, they were briefed should any eventuality happen of her location and stay... And then there was Aurelia... If she knew well, what she felt and with an answer clear and loud where she wants to at least try it out, and see where they will go and that meant what was the thing Atif and her had; perhaps, she would be the only one to know who she was behind the persona she fabricated.

So, she must make these two weeks worth it!

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Olivia Freezis
Fun and pleasure were the reasons she was here, reasons that were clear and logical after a long period of work as the second in command of an economical juggernaut back at home and their area. At least her sister has said she'll cover for her and someone else will do so to lessen her burden, but then again, 'Thena said of her and their family to join her for her christmas travel to the Free Lands to meet her boyfriend's family.
She was smitten with him so much that she couldn't help it but tease her for it, and the results brought Athena being a blushing mess and ending in with an fond smile, the things silbings do to help them, now her sister was paying back the favour.
And so that explained why she was here in middle of Broodeheim's Promenade en route to her hotel, a one month vacation here was all she needed to rest and by what her sister told her she could find herself with some people she knew in PruCh and possibly as well the Sloroimh family, and Olivia knew that Ms. Sloroimh's daughter and Athena were very close, in fact 'Thena was already seeing what to do for Cel after she helped her out in having that time with her boyfriend back in july.

And the second of the Freezis sisters - even if she was adopted into the main family after hers died when she was a baby - knows well that will be persistent. But then again, they both had been in various cases, the opposites of the other and then similar personality wise, complementing the other well. Alone were unstoppable, but together, they were a force of nature.

She looked at her clothes and her baggage as well, 6:00 AM was when she last checked a few minutes ago, the Empress Corette got before schedule from what the crew told her after making their last stops in Brettenwald and other destinations before it would make the voyage home in a week, one she was sitting out until december.
She had a few plans on line on what to do, some sightings to see, people to know, fun to be had and that involved that elite club here she heard of, The Kuddelmuddel Club and her nightclub, the Hasenhof. It reminded her a lot of The Merlaut Club back at home with it's exclusiveness and how it was a place for the elite, rich and famous to mingle, herself an example as member of that place. Hopefully they didn't had the same reputation for supposedly being some center of command for some conspiracy theory, the people that believed those things were crazy.

But either way, step by step, Olivia, step by step.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Alec and Ayla Labertian and Isabella Vendramin
A break and rest was something they dearly needed, after all, work has been always an stressing endeavour and for the unique threesome of two racing drivers which were bitter rivals on-track and friends off-track, and a maid from the Crown and personal maid of His Highness, Prince Pandareos; it was fair to see the reasons of a break. The former two came off from another championship battle where the dark skinned and orange eyed young driver won his third crown, making it even with the brunette driver. While the maid, she had her reasons as well, and those involved a break after both Luciano and Lisa, her partner and friend, told her to have a break like she did last month, that also included not being involved on any mission required of her as an agent beyond her cover as a maid, albeit the Prince told her of her sister being in the area and another agent as well, just in case something happens of course and they also know how she looks like.
Logical reasons, add a silbing bonding moment after years being apart and try to know the other again, and the two drivers trying to have fun and know better alongside mending some incidents of the past and things will be interesting.

Their clothes were their usual ones out of work.
They walked down the promenade with their luggage, there was a comfortable silence that was soon interrupted by a joke that ended in their laughter, the most widest of all came from the younger silbing and friend, the two women besides him looking with warm eyes as he let off the mask of caution around them, like if he could be himself and nothing would happen; they knew well how he kept a facade that few would see crack. In Isabella Vendramin's opinion, the Labertian Silbings for all the time she knew them were always fun to hang around, no matter how cold they might seem or be.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Antonella Pistriani
For the redhead in the aqua dress, she was glad to be in Broodeheim, a break was all she needed and for Antonella Pistriani that was something she would take. Renowed swimmer and college student, studying in the Tristan Royal University in engineering. She had a reason to come as a way to rest from her studies and training, alongside give a little bit of thought on moving on.
Alec...
Of all people she had to find the cause of her thoughts in the same cruise ship and with his championship rival and sister, make it worse by an uncomfortable meeting as the words said a month ago were still fresh in their minds. She knew well he moved on after what happened and she regretted what she did back then, yet, they could never hold an conversation without ending up being awkward; and as much as her hobbies and studies helped, she knew that a fresh air out of Tristan would give her that other thing she needed to keep moving on. So Ridderli became the perfect spot, knowing how everyone was talking about it and how the festival would be, the perfect opportunity to take a break, she hoped that Meabh would join her, but she was still in the Free Lands until next week where she will return to Mervay and Themis.

Well, first things first was find an hotel and enjoy the city.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Darius Blackwell
He certainly was dressed diferently than what he would had gone were it not Her Majesty gave him the two weeks here to rest, even if he has to keep watch over the lady he's protecting, and thank god that Agent Labertian was here since if things went south, they could make things quickly and evade the worst, which also includes whatever Lady Agustinas has with Princess Aurelia bint-Damir and if it ends badly.
He sighed, knowing the young woman, that cover of hers will certainly work like a charm; so that won't be a concern. Now he should see where to go that is, as he has already left his baggage on his hotel, perhaps he could go to have something to eat, or see one of the many ships in the harbour? Well, he had two weeks so options were open.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Elijah Da Silva
A week was all he needed after a long and busy period of school and without going out, while Mervay's education system was of high quality, strict, yet flexible, attentive and supportive of students with lot's of activities for them to pursuit in all levels of education, from university education, where he was present to the kinder, but even then, all students wanted their time off to wind down, and that was Elijah Da Silva's case.
The 21 years old college student was off a week to rest in Ridderli, one he has been looking foward to since he heard of the festivities and one he was glad of, after all, college was always stressing to a degree no matter what and he was entirely sure that he needed it. His eyes were focused on the streets as he walked by them, taking notice of the redhead that he saw back in the ship and how she seemed busy in her thoughts, it has been that way for a while with everyone it seemed; like the moment they set their feet in the place, they begun to think on what to do in the country during their stay, not that he blames them as he also has to see what do,which noticing how early it was and how he didn't had breakfast in the ship, well, seems he had a idea of where to begin.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Erin Walker and Miranda Skylark
Serving in the military was always stressful, more when your surname was the same of the current head of the navy. It was no secret that Erin Walker was daughter of Admiral Amelia Conway Walker, which added the fact that she had to prove herself in the service and be her own persona outside of her mother's shadow; something she sucessfully accomplished as her years of service went by. Indeed, she has seen active combat during her years in peacekeeping missions and enforcement operations, she was fairly lucky that her deployment this year ended and her ship, the MRNS Captain Aquile, Pride of the 1st Fleet was at, that meant she was able to spend remained of this year close to her girlfriend, Miranda Skylark.
The only daughter of the Skylark Family, supposed heiress to the title of Marchioness/Marquise of Ladier and what remained of the Skylark Empire, a shadow of it's former self; so pressure begun to build on her and so did a perfectionist personality did followed, a promise of nobility that had the wits, looks and charm to accomplish anything she wanted, of course, it was everything for her family, but of course her family never saw her as a daughter, but an political asset.
It changed ever since they met, at first as people dealing with the shadows of the families and trying to make a name of their own, then a close friendship until the romantic relationship they have now where the two grew out of their shadows and became their own person; Erin, an Navy Pilot and Ace; Miranda, a woman completely indepedent of her family's clutches and well off through the same means she would had used to bring back the name ofthe Marquis Family, but if she wants to now, it will be on her own conditions and away of her father's political ambitions.

Their Clothes unsurprisingly spoke of their different and sometimes opposite personalities, yet they complimented the other in a way that was unique, but that will go later on. For now the couple, carrying their luggage walk with their hands linked and fond smiles to their hotel.

27 November 2022

Hispania Major wrote:WF - Alastair
Western Fardelshufflestein wrote:The conversation he'd been so eager to eavesdrop in on was quickly becoming boring, but he wasn't about to wander away from a yacht called the Corona II, so he remained in place. He twiddled his thumbs and wondered if anyone would spot him, and, if they did, whether they would recognise him. He supposed that if Julia or Uncle Wil saw him, they'd figure he was up to no good and draw him away from the Corona II, because of course he wasn't up to any good.

He thought of taking out his phone again and playing on it, but decided that wouldn't be interesting enough. What he really needed to do, or wanted to do, was cause a bit of a stir. Nothing that anyone would notice, but a definitive act of mischief--like carving his initials into a bench. He didn't have the tools for that, though, so he settled instead for a more tame activity: disruption.

He knew how to introduce himself properly, being a prince and all, but he'd never done it except when he absolutely had to. As he made his way toward the pale lasses and yellow-dressed woman (and the other one who had blue hair), he steeled himself for a world of hurt, but he ultimately didn't care. He was here to have fun, right?

Halfway there, he stopped himself. This was completely stupid. It served no purpose, and 'twould not be fun. And now he was in the same situation as before, except they would almost certainly notice him now, and judge him for being the fool he ultimately was.

By now, Al's presence was starting to generate extra interest and scrutiny from Jesús and Gloria, the two bodyguards standing watch over the Spanish imperial princess and her friend. For although several people had come and gone, the boy in the T-shirt and swim trunks was still standing there, staring intently at the group and their imposing vessel in the background. Sure, this could just be an innocent kid having some fun, but there was a non-zero chance he could be some sort of secret agent, recruited by Spain's enemies (of which there were many) to assassinate, kidnap or poison the Princess. In any case, they were not going to take any chances by letting him approach. Instead, one of them would go up to him and find out his intentions, while the other stayed with the group.

Leaning toward Jesús, Gloria whispered something to him in Spanish. Jesús gave a quick nod, adjusted his tie a little and walked over to Al, maintaining the friendly and courteous demeanor of his servant persona. "How has your morning been, my friend?" he asked the boy in slightly accented English. "You look a little down. Are you lost?"

Al

Al was completely inside his own head, thinking about how clear the air was and how he was thrilled to not have any homework, when someone approached him. He came in the direction of where the ships were, though Al hadn't been paying attention and knew not which one. He hoped 'twas the Corona II. So he fixed his posture rather hastily and lifted his chin, though he appeared far from regal in his casual getup, and decided he would tell this man his name was Steve.

"How has your morning been, my friend?" began the man in a way that made Al wonder if he was a stalker. Predators of that nature were not a huge problem in WF, but they did exist, and he'd been told to be wary of one. He started to suspect this was because Dad spent four years in the States when he found out his friends at school had never received such warning, though it may have had something to do with their being royalty.

When Al didn't answer right away, the man continued, "You look a little down. Are you lost?"

"No," Al responded. It took him half a second to orient himself to English. He spoke it well enough, but he was not fluent by any means. "I'm just thinking. About ships and things." He shrugged and started to pull away from the man, but he was not sure his action would work.

Ridderli wrote:WFS- and TWI-Quotes
Western Fardelshufflestein wrote:Julia

"One Pfeilfischbrötchen, please," Julia requested, the German word rolling effortlessly off her tongue. She was a fan of seafood, and one could not go wrong with a sandwich, especially one that was a local staple.

After she had paid and received her Pfeilfischbrötchen, she meandered toward the boy that had been in front of her. He seemed around her age, and, if she retained social skills even half a standard deviation above those of her mother and father, should would succeed in having a conversation with him--after she tried the Pfeilfischbrötchen, of course.

The Pfeilfischbrötchen was, despite its distinctly un-breakfast-like composition, delectable: soft bread with a crunchy, flaky shell perfectly complementing the vinegary pickles and onions that were nested within the roll. The fish, hearty and sweetened by the clear waters surrounding Ridderli, tasted more pure than Icelandic cod or fish from home, as though the flesh had the currents themselves captured within.

Julia did not express her reaction in such a ladylike manner. On the contrary, she let out a strangled "O mein Gott!" as soon as she absorbed the flavors. Upon swallowing, she coughed a bit, exclaimed, "This is amazing!" in Fardelshufflesteinian.

As she took another voracious bite, she caught the water-blue eyes of the other boy, who had his Pfeilfischbrötchen in hand. He had almost certainly observed her tearing into the sandwich like a complete barbarian. "Uh. Got a tad excited, I guess," she admitted lamely after the second bite had been sufficiently savored.

Wilhelm

He followed two small boys chasing after one another with his eyes, recalled being that small himself. He and Allie used to be that way, rollicking wantonly across the palace and New Hamletberg streets, inseparable for the first stretch of Wil's life despite their five-year age gap. Wil had gradually grown disillusioned with his brother pre-adolescence; when social standing began to matter, he distanced himself from his brother and best friend.

He had time to make up for his unruly and frankly despicable behavior now. 'Twas far too short a time to do so, five more years at best, but 'twas also ample time to be with Allie and actively bond with him. They would never frolic freely in the palace fields again, or anywhere for that matter, but mayhap they would become inseparable once more.

"I love festival days," commented his bench partner. Wil nodded and deduced the man was a local, though he could not be certain.

He shut his eyes for a moment, lulled into a sort of half-sleep by the crisp early morning air and his jet lag. His breath was steady, as was his heart rate. He had been warned not to be involved in too much excitement lest he experience a cardiac event, but he doubted one would occur whilst he reclined on a bench.

"Zis is my first time here," he finally murmured, voice a breathy croak. He opened his lids and made eyes contact with the other man. "I am not from zis country."

[...]

The Welstanville Isles wrote:Broodeheim Harbour

Alejandra had decided to put the new car idea on hold for now. Food blogging came first. Made more sense that way for now.

She walked along the harbour at a steady pace, with Katherine following her in tandem. Neither spoke much, but they didn't feel much like talking. Not for any reason like hating one another, just lack of energy.

Their long walk had them getting lost several times, asking for directions, being mistaken for American tourists who were obnoxious bozoes, before eventually ending up where Julia and Wilhelm were, at a popular food stall. Alejandra had got her phone ready for taking snapshots of the food. She'd also got plenty of money too, she was crazy-prepared like that.

Sunna Fischli.
The guy working the stall got more and more customers by the minute, including a pretty tall woman and her companion (I would have placed them into the direction of Auwalt, Teressien, maybe even Pittenmark, not whatever Americania was). He did his best to serve them all quickly.
Luckily, a second line was opened pretty early, a colleague of his stepping up.
One could pay in cash or via card – and thanks to COVID, card was preferred.
The lass, who got her Pfeilfischbötchen gifted to her by the cute lad, seemed quite excited about it and I could get behind that. They were delicious.
No matter if they switched the line or not, the tall woman and the one besides her soon would receive theirs and would be free to try it.
I took a bite out of mine and waved in their general direction, but it was not at them, but at a young woman of my age standing behind them: She was eighteen as well, an athlete, her short, purple hair a messy bob, her yellow eyes sparkling as she saw me.
“Morning, Heda!”, I called in Teressian.

Meanwhile, the older gentleman nodded, returning the look. By the way his beard moved, one could deduce, that he was smiling.
“I figured. Hence why we are talking English.”, he said and nodded, “I am from here, actually. Well, not here-here, but from this city.” He let a beat pass, regarding the younger man with a bit of interest, then looked at his nurse for a brief moment. “If I may be asking, what brings you here? Trying to relax or business?”

Wilhelm

Wilhelm wondered if the man could peer into his mind and probe his thoughts, could view the sudden onrush of emotions that gushed within him. This man reminded him of Father, now a year and a half gone, though his mind has been lost long before that. His age alone was sufficient for him to bear resemblance, though Wilhelm found himself analyzing the features for any trace of his father.

He'd been working in his office when he'd had a seizure. There had been no obvious signs of deterioration in him at the time, but retrospectively Wilhelm had realised what he'd taken to be crotchetiness had actually been symptoms of the tumor swelling in his father's brain.

Glioblastoma Multiforme, the cancer was called. Insidious, malignant, and lethal, with no known cause and no cure, though rigorous treatment had kept his father alive for almost three years whilst the tumor matastasised and devoured his brain tissue until he was reduced nothing but a skeleton sustained by machines. Wil had watched the father he'd only so recently reconnected with grip the fleeing scraps of his life with a stubbornness Wil did not know he possessed until the fight drained from him, and the final bit of the man he'd always been was gone.

He blinked back tears that encroached almost suddenly. Why must he ruminate now, when Father is long dead and they only just spared Allie from the same fate? Or had he and Marie repeated history in their battle to keep Allie alive and doomed him to suffer?

"I figured. Hence why we are talking in English." The man gave a nod. "I am from here, actually. Well, not here-here, but from this city." He studied Wil in such a way that the hairs on Wil's neck stiffened. Not because the man was unpleasant to any capacity, but because the way he spoke in the local accent reminded Wil of Father. “If I may be asking, what brings you here? Trying to relax or business?”

Wil steeled himself to respond to this man with a deep yet unsteady sigh. His tongue formed the shape of his father and brother's name in his mouth, released it, formed more relevant words instead. "I am here to relax, I suppose. Escape my life for a while." He squinted at the multitude, believing himself to have spotted Al. His nephew was unmoving amidst the slinking threads of the crowd, a lone beacon ensnared in chaos. "I brought my niece and nephew. Zey...zey need time away from everything for a bit. 'Tis been so difficult for zem...not for ze obvious, but for more personal reasons. A family matter." He breathed, then flicked his hand toward the nurse. "Jane is here in case something averse happens to either of zem, zough I am most likely to have a health crisis. I underwent surgery some weeks ago." He pronounced Jane with a y sound like the English word you. "It...well, it did not pan out as projected. In more ways zan one."

by **Abetton** » Sat Nov 20, 2021 10:45 am

"Right you are," Captain Shepard said with a smile and nod "but in our case it would be the Lizbeth Era, she was built in the reign of Queen Lizbeth which is the same span of time so it's all semantics at the end of the day."

"Ah not bad it seems like, I was pretty close" Alexandria confidently nodded at getting the correct era down.

"A fee is no problem, anything for the greater preservation of our maritime traditions right?" Both reached into their pocketbooks they had plenty of cash on hand for their trip here, not that they'd flash it so willy nilly but offering the fee plus anymore for an extra donation if they'd take it, just as Milano said, for the preservation of their old maritime traditions it was worth it. "Sounds like she's had the history of our old gal. Going through multiple names and hands and now a destination for the tourists."

Seems others were also joining on this tour, one young lady who introduced herself as Aurelia with her wolf (or something of the like) companion. Aurelia, that name sounded strangely familiar but Milano couldn't put her thumb on why. Then again, it wasn't an uncommon name in of itself, especially in Abetton so maybe that's why, she shrugged it off but the name would stick in the back of her mind a while.

Alexandria meanwhile had no idea at all. Milano spoke again, "So Captain, I take it she only stays in port as a museum piece and doesn't sail around?"

The Gram Family

The girls eyes went starry at the mention of treasure. "Wow, treasure?!"

"Treasure!?" The twins echoed each other back and forth as they often did. "Mama, papa, can we?"

"A treasure hunt sounds like a lot of fun," Their father chuckled "just for our two young ones or can we adults participate too?"

"If we find treasure," Cordelia mused to her sister, "Then mama could buy the entire Rolling Greens Stable for herself, and she could be running it! Not that old grump Mr. Wilson."

"Mhmhm" Ophelia nodded in agreement, as if anything were that simple or even if the treasure was real or the kind of treasure of money, gold, jewels and the like but hey, kids.

Cordelia spoke louder this time to address Nela "Captain Nela, we would like to join the treasure hunt!" Was she a captain? Honestly they didn't actually know but anyone speaking of treasure in a ship festival must be a pirate captain, right? Again kid logic!

"uuuh but first we gotta ask our mama and papa." Ophelia half-whispered out.

"If we must." Cordelia said turning back to her parents whom both nodded in a okay "Of course." CJ agreed "Providing we can come along after all even if all we do is watch." Can't blame a father being protective.

"You did mention we should probably get changed first" Katy remembered the fact she asked about a place to change "What do you suggest, you probably know better than us."

by **Polish Prussian Commonwealth** » Sun Nov 21, 2021 3:27 am

The "man" halted and locked eyes with her for a long while, 'his' eyes inscrutable behind 'his' dark sunglasses. Behind 'him', Vivian and Xaiver waited. Both of them seemed a little concerned, and Vivian tapped 'his' shoulder.
"...hey, Sep. You alright??"
"Yeah." Sep replied after a pause, 'his' voice cracking a little. "Just give me a moment, will you?"

Vivian looked at the woman as well, and seemed to scrutinize her for a bit. "...You sure you don't want us to come along?" She asked.

"I...thought you'd be busy."
"Nah." Xaiver replied, shaking his head. "Got nothing but time. Again...uh. You sure you don't want us tagging along?"
"Fine." Sep started off for the gangplank, and would halt at the edge, with Vivian and Xaiver trailing behind 'him'.

by **Cartoonia** » Mon Nov 22, 2021 7:37 pm

Abetton wrote:
Cartoonia wrote:“Naya, Captain Shepard, Lieutenant Stockton” she repeated. A pleasure to make acquaintances. The Roza? Ah! Your ship must be that Victorian schooner docked next to us aren’t you?”. As the tour guide continues to sing her little song, Odyssia smiles at the comment made by the lieutenant.

“Ah, you have a keen eye for ship details. It is true that this ship is from the grand age of ocean liner travel, you are off by about four years. This ship was constructed in 1912, launched in 1913. This ship before it was christened the name Fascination went by the name Empress of Russia, it was christened the name Fascination after she was purchased by the Pacific-Oriental Steam Navigation Company in 1924. She has been christened numerous names after that, until the organization purchased her as a museum ship in the 1960s. I can go on about this wonderful ship and it’s interesting history. In fact, let me be the first to show you around, for a token fee of course”.

"Right you are," Captain Shepard said with a smile and nod "but in our case it would be the Lizbeth Era, she was built in the reign of Queen Lizbeth which is the same span of time so it's all semantics at the end of the day."

"Ah not bad it seems like, I was pretty close" Alexandria confidently nodded at getting the correct era down.

"A fee is no problem, anything for the greater preservation of our maritime traditions right?" Both reached into their pocketbooks they had plenty of cash on hand for their trip here, not that they'd flash it so willy nilly but offering the fee plus anymore for an extra donation if they'd take it, just as Milano said, for the preservation of their old maritime traditions it was worth it. "Sounds like she's had the history of our old gal. Going through multiple names and hands and now a destination for the tourists."

Seems others were also joining on this tour, one young lady who introduced herself as Aurelia with her wolf (or something of the like) companion. Aurelia, that name sounded strangely familiar but Milano couldn't put her thumb on why. Then again, it wasn't an uncommon name in of itself, especially in Abetton so maybe that's why, she shrugged it off but the name would stick in the back of her mind a while.

Alexandria meanwhile had no idea at all. Milano spoke again, "So Captain, I take it she only stays in port as a museum piece and doesn't sail around?"

Ridderli wrote:
Aboard the Fascination, they would very soon find out, that Naya was not very talkative, more of a listener then a speaker. She took out her wallet and took out thirty Silbergulden, if she had the exchange rates to the NSD right, that was enough to pay for her tour and for the two others and then some.
“For all three of us.”, she said and handed the money over.
It was not exactly a token fee, but it was a reasonable price, especially when one kept in mind, that it was most likely used for the upkeep of the Fascination, which couldn't be cheap.
She gave the Captain and her Lieutenant a smile, raising a hand in a placating gesture. It was fine, she'd pay for their tour, no need to thank her. If she was honest with herself, there had been worse things that she had spent money on – far worse things.

“Yes, she has had quite the life. From the twenties to the war years. I’d like to think she has seen everything, and probably has. She served as a troopship, a passenger liner, and now a museum. I wish some of the other liners shared the same fate, and some do, including being a floating hotel. But sadly, there are many liners that are sold to scrap, or just left to rot. But that is what we at the Cartoon Maritime Historical Preservation Society is here for, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else”. She gladly accepted some of the generous donations made by the three. Though one said she would pay for all three of them, they still wanted to donate for the preservation of this ship.

“This treasure will do very nicely,” Odyssia takes the cash and places it in the cash register. They’ll gladly take any currency. It’ll be easy when they get back home to convert everything that they earned to Tooniusas.

“Excellent, let me begin the tour with the place you already are in. This is the grand foyer, the first-class entrance of the ship. We have the interiors of the staircase just as she looked after a remodel in Gallagher in the 1920s. As you can see, her railings are based on the popular art deco style of the day, and it would be the first thing passengers would notice. Including a painting of a London scene and a clock built inside. And over the that is a band stand where the ship’s orchestra would play the popular music of the day. Now if you would follow me, we will be heading down the first-class dining saloon”. And with that, the tour has begun. The small group making their way to the dining saloon. On the way, Milano would ask the question.

“Aye! That be right! We had her as a museum ship for a long while. She hadn’t sailed on its own power for several years. In fact, she went through sea trials for the first time in decades so that we could sail in”.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Aurelia, Atif” Gerald says doffing his cap, and politely waving to the wolf, “Aldhiyb. You know, I have a nice dog at home too, had it since after the Second World War. I was a sailor at the time before I became an officer. In any case, we will be having a gala on the Fascination tonight, 1920s themed to be precise. It’ll be hoot-in-nanny of a party let me tell you. I will probably meet you there then. But if you also would like, we will be sailing out during the Chokana-Kata demonstrations if you would like a closer look at the event”.

by **Ezhara** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 12:43 am

Summertime buzz to cover the little things
Eiko had no idea how Kasem convinced him to take a vacation at some random harbor, or that they should take a 45-minute bus ride just so Kasem could swim, or why Kasem was even fine with Eiko just lying on the sands in a kimono, but hey, at least it was fun watching him splash around, swim around, nobody with him. Aimlessly... He wasn't too sure what was so fun about that, but he had never been a normal kid.
Last visit to a foreign beach was all the proof he needed of that, but this wasn't that beach. This one, namely, had his boyfriend, and no pretentious idol, and it wasn't too crowded. It really was like a drea—
"Eikooooooooo!"
His eyes fluttered op— had he fallen asleep? Kasem was running towards him, drops of water shining on the curls of his black hair, and that, Eiko knew, was bad news, news only confirmed when the actor saw his beloved's knees spring downward.
"What are y—" Eiko rolled left, and moments later, he heard a violent plop in the sand, as a cloud of it flew out.

He stared at Kasem, at the glisten of his soaked back, then at his lacquer wood cup.
Sand... his cup...
"Kasem."
The other boy poked his head up from the blanket, smiling. "Yeah?"
Eiko pointed to the cup, Kasem looked at it, turned back, and his joy turned to a nervous grin. "Oh." He sprang up and kneeled, then shrugged. "Sorry." Eiko watched as his younger picked it up and gave him the cup, its upper layer clouded in yellow sand. "Didn't think that would happen..."

"Kasem..."
"I'll pay you for a refill." He crawled towards Eiko. "Or a clean. Or... something."
The other sighed. "What were you thinking, jumping around like that? You could've hit your head or hit a rock or something," he said. "And besides, you said you wanted me to treat you less like a kid, but how am we supposed to do that when you're doing things like—"
"Eiko, relax." Kasem grabbed his clenched hand, softening it into an open palm that his own hand fit perfectly into. "We're tough enough to take that hit, and besides, we're at a beach. Can't you just relax a little?" He paused. "I know I said that, but I meant more... I don't know, I meant where it matters, like decisions about what we do or my orders for food, things like that. We're just relaxing here, and I think you should have some time to... be that way, too, right? Not so stressed and trying to protect me and all that?"

Eiko breathed out and felt his whole body relax. Just how long had he been holding that tension, that panic? How long had he ignored the soft sand at his feet? Or even, Kasem's smile?
"I guess I am a little too tense..." Eiko said.
"You are, Eiko... but trust me when I say that I'm not that stupid anymore." Kasem leaned back. "Besides, you've known me for a year now." He smirked, and dove forward—
"Oi!" Eiko recoiled and watched as Kasem scurried off, his cup falling at his side. "Don't play with me like that!"
By now, Kasem had already gained a fair distance, and he spun around to yell at Eiko. "Then come and catch me!"

His fists clenched, and Eiko felt Kagustsuchi's godly indignation erupt forther. In a film, there would certainly have been a volcano bursting forth from him, but still, Eiko had to admit that it would be futile, trying to pursue a recent Hawk Scout — in Din Thi Di's vocabulary, that was leader and athlete alike, as Eiko had learned with his visits to the city's scouting base, watching his beloved outrun and outperform any other scout. In proper gear, the two of them were at least about-matched in run times, but wearing a kimono and geita... well, it was the principle of the thing more than the actual result. Eiko couldn't let an insult go unanswered.
Eiko only got a few feet, half-shuffling, half-sprinting in the restraints of his kimono, before he figured that there wasn't any way he could catch him, not in his outfit. Unless he took it off... but there was no way he would soil it in the sands, waste time folding it up, or anything of the sort.

Still, he moved as quickly as he could, stretching out only just enough to not feel the silken tension inside, and Kasem about-matched his pace, skipping backwards, until he stopped and yelled. "You gonna catch me any time soon?"
Eiko glanced to his side, at the stairs leading back up to the town. If he could just get him up to the streets and into the weaving ways, where smarts and luck rather than speed would be crucial, maybe then he'd have a shot... There was another set of stairs behind Kasem, a bit to his side, and Eiko walked at an angle. Kasem didn't move, not until Eiko paused and started heading straight towards him, and when he touched the cold stones, he glanced back, then proceeded up, but paused and stepped back down.
"For an actor, you have an awful poker face."
"Shut up and just let me catch you," Eiko said, "so we can get to breakfast."
Kasem stepped forward, and Eiko changed his direction; if the other stepped back, he would be stepping onto the stairs. "Guess you'll just have to eat it alone," the Talent-Architect said.

An awkward moment of silence passed. Then, Kasem clambered up the stairs, stumbled once and lost four more steps of distance, then hurried back up, lost into the streets. Eiko continued his fast-walk; by the time he got to the top of the stairs, Kasem was long gone, and he looked around, sniffing the air. There was mainly the marine aroma, just like Din Thi Di, but here it was even more wild and natural, unlike the gardens that his beloved was fond of; just earlier, Kasem had stared out at the bus, bare arms pressed against the glass as he no doubt imagined the beauties that could be cultivated with a little bit of effort.
There aside, was the aroma of seafood, and a vague memory of touch stroked his cheek, wrapped in an imaginary blanket fit for a nascent royal, and he stepped forward. Then, the memory faded into the winds, and he paused to look around again. He felt only the beat of his heart; pulse, pulse, pulse, and he knew that across whatever way there was, Kasem's was echoing in that similar resonance.

It was Mori's loneliness that pushed him onward, the memories of days spent hunting with them in unfilmed, unwritten interims that replayed in his sleepless nights, lives that played for him and him alone, as the way that his emotions flickered and burnt. Next to the swordsman was the cry of forgotten Kagutsuchi, whose plea to find Kasem came from a playful vulnerability, a belief that he had found someone to remember him. Fire gave life inasmuch as it destroyed, but nobody knew of the former trait. Or, really, much of Kagustuchi's humanity, but neither character searched out of fear. It was adoration more than anything.
The minutes passed steadily, and amidst gaps in the crowd, Eiko saw Kasem's black curls dawdling forward, in front of a chattering, spice-fragrant restaurant that jutted out into the beach. A side street lay in his path, and EIko smiled to himself. He ducked into an alleyway, navigating this way, that way, until he saw the light of the broader main streets. Once close to the corner, he ducked behind a leftover box and lay in wait.

When Kasem's ambling form came into view, Eiko slipped forward, the clack of his sandals masked by conversations, but still his boyfriend paused.
"Ei—"
Mori's instincts surged forward. Eiko's arms wrapped around Kasem while his legs slammed into the ground to counter his quarry's burst forward. "Gotcha." He held him for only a moment, and then let him go, watching as he stumbled out and turned around.
Kasem smiled and put his arms behind his back. "So you did," he said, stepping towards Eiko. "So you did. Not as fun as it usually is, though."
"You try running in a kimono without tearing it."

Kasem tilted his head. "Fine... but I mean, couldn't you have at least worn a hakama?"
"Forgot." Eiko shrugged and he turned towards the restaurant, glancing inside. Speaking of forgetting... "Did either of us bring our things?" He could at least feel the matcha-filled inro hanging from his kimono sash and the lanyard-hanging phone tight and across his body, but certainly not the towels to dry Kasem off, nor the bag that would have everything else. His boyfriend, meanwhile, had just his shorts. His phone wasn't even in his pocket.
Kasem grinned. "Welp... guess we better get going."
"You, more like it." He gestured down at his kimono. "I'll only be slowing you down if I try to keep up, and besides, we did want breakfast. I can reserve, while you get the stuff."
"All right then." Kasem stretched out his arm for a high five, but Eiko simply stared at it. An awkward second passed. "Well... time me."

"Ready..." Eiko took out his phone, opened his stopwatch, and faced it towards Kasem, who put one foot back — nothing as extreme as a runner's stance, but still something to start off with. "Go." Eiko tapped the button, the stopwatch started ticking, and off his boyfriend ran, soon becoming hidden among the crowd. With that done, he turned to the restaurant, looking around for the host, who he would flag down.
"Is there a spot available for two, please?"

Abetton wrote:From another part of Abetton, pretty much as far from the ocean as one can be, a couple of country kids were here too...

You know, I don't think he'll ever be satisfied, even if this hunt ends
Joshua's sketching would proceed uninhibited until near the end of it, until two youths came from around the bend. One was a boy, dressed light for beach weather with shorts and shirt, plus an unbuttoned black-and-white jacket and messy blonde hair trailing out behind him.
The jacket was inscribed with... the eyes said senseless scribbles at first, but would not likely linger for long before they were drawn up to his face, where one brown eye was lighter than it should've been, and just below that ran a scar on his cheek, trailing up to that eye. Some sort of crime? He marched forward like a police officer close to their quarry, eyes down at his phone, reading something.
Once he came close, his jacket became more clear. The black and white lines were... something. When eyes strayed too close, they ended, they began, they vortexed, they swirled, they bled into each other like an untrained choir, converging here and there in eddies of black then splitting outward into dotted pockets of white— an eye there, a curly ear, a... no, no, that ear was a nose, wasn't it? Gazing upon it was like being out in the waters on a stormy day, where riptides and waves surged and whipped about, head above for a moment, then down, down, down until the current turned and kicked one back up, gasping for air.

All the while, there was only the black, turgid water.

Still, it was made by a human hand. There was enough order in the chaos to indicate that the boy wearing it, or at least whoever he bought it from, knew their way around a pen, not that the scowl on his mouth made him all that appealing to approach. His eyes, though, betrayed that he was enjoying something.
Was it the girl on his arm? She looked content enough, trying to hug it close, him pulling it away, charade repeating like some sort of awkward duet where only she wanted to perform. Compared to him, her white, brown-frilled dress didn't seem quite as practical as short-and-shirt, but it wasn't anything extravagant. A bag hung at her side, and a few plastic-wrapped white sticks poked out of it.
When her green eyes caught the children, she leaned close to her lad. "Schneider, honey—"
"Oi, don't call me that." He sidestepped away, towards the sea, and she stopped walking. "Especially not in front of people."
"Come on, Schneidy—"

"And no pet names either." In spite of his frown, his eyes showed his amusement. "We already get enough mischief at home with this, you know."
"Thought you were one for good memories and all that mushy-mushy?" Her hand reached into the bag and unwrapped a candy-cane-colored lollipop, which she bit into. "Funny stuff and funny adventures that you can look back on— those sorts of things?"
"Well." He stepped forward. "I can't be the 'funny' for everything you do. After all, I'm sure you can find some other guy here to bother who'd be just as interesting. as me." His glance backward paused at sight of Joshua's sketching, but he said nothing, and turned to the girl he entered with.
"Well, the revenge-obsessed artist who drew his own jacket..." She smirked, and tapped his chin with an unbitten edge of lollipop. "And figured a trip abroad would be another clue is interesting enough."
His hand lifted up and brushed against his cheek scar.
His expression remained the same half-and-half.

AHSCA wrote:"Salutations, friend." Aina did manage to understand...

At some point, they must've plied the coasts of Odona
"Where to, where to..." Daniel muttered, light jacket flapping behind him in the winds. Behind him, Jacob took in the scenery wearing t-shirt and shorts; a pale, wooden rosary hung at his neck. His pale physique and platinum-blonde hair reflected the beach sunlight like polished marble, and the stiff, uncertain movements of his legs indicated that he wasn't much used to neither the beach nor his sandals — or maybe it was because he was staring at everyone, mouth slightly agape and fist clenched around the felt daisy that he always carried.
"Jacob," the older said, "you wouldn't happen to have seen anything interesting yet, have you?"
He shook his head no.
"Well, have you—"
The boy gestured for his guardian to come close, then whispered.
"This beach is full of sinners, showing themselves off like this..."

He pulled away to stifle his laughter. "Jacob, we're at a beach," he said. "You wouldn't go swimming in something like this." He gestured at his charge's attire. "Would you? And even less in your usual clothes."
"Of course not." His voice remained as a loud whisper, audible only to those close to him. "But I'd at least wait to get to the water to change out instead of tempting—"
"Jacob..." Now, the man couldn't stifle it, and he chuckled. "No need to be so judgmental. We're in a foreign nation with its own traditions, own history of what they think is acceptable, what they think isn't. Perhaps they don't worry about it as much as Odonans like us. You wouldn't know."
The boy shuffled his feet, and his guardian continued. "I know you want to make a difference, but if you're going to deal with people, you need to know about them, too. What they want. What they don't want. Who they were, what their history is. Things like that." He paused, glancing up at the sky. "Jacob, you don't have to like it, you just have to understand it. Now come on."

They continued passing by ship after ship, and Jacob focused on the patterns in wooden vessels and paint in the more modern sorts. If he had any naval experience or curiosity, he didn't look the part, not with his pale, flimsy build. It looked like a stiff breeze would have sent him sprawled onto the floor, but nonetheless, he had some eye for ships.
He paused as he came to the Yuzu, and he looked at his father. An unspoken conversation elapsed between them, and Daniel looked towards Yuzu. "Pardon me," he said, glancing at the caracal. "This boat wouldn't happen to be open for a tour, would it?" Another twitch of the eyes back at the caracal, but he said nothing further about it.

by **Ridderli** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 9:37 am

New Visayan Islands wrote:Gerald Vicente
Eternal Will

"I'll take that as a yes, then," Gerald replied before getting on his feet. He would have to clean himself up some before heading to the galley, but with pancakes for breakfast in bed, it would be quick. Maple syrup and butter were considered all but mandatory for pancakes, and the yacht's buyer did go out of his way to ensure that there was enough of both to go around.
Making his way to the galley, he saw Peter reviewing something on his tablet--data from the night before, if he was any judge--over a half-finished plate of sardine omelette. The haggardness was clear on the engineer's face; after getting an update from Peter, Gerald told the man that he ought to get some more sleep.
"I'm surprised you wouldn't mind if I get some more rest, Gerald," Peter said. "Daylight's burning, after all."
"Pete, we both know that's what I would do," Gerald replied.
"I know," Peter retorted. "That girlfriend of yours sure is something."
"Yes, Amy is. Maybe one of these days you might find love here as well." There was a chuckle in Gerald's voice as he responded to Peter's comment. "That said, I've got breakfast in bed to make, and you need to call it a night, so get some more sleep, you hear?"
"Roger that, Director. Coffee's Liberica, just so you know." At that, Gerald left Peter to prepare breakfast in bed for himself and Amy.

Hiram E. Yabut
Eternal Will, Broodeheim, Ridderli
November 6th, AD 2021
0710 Local Time

The Mindoro Man behind Solar Overdrive--and as a native of Calapan, he knew about the Men, the Memes, and the Myths behind the Visayan version of Florida Man--was going through his second sardine omelette as he noticed Gerald prepare a tray for two. Lucky bastard is lucky, he thought to himself as he saw the Director grab two plates with two pancakes each, some maple syrup, and just enough butter for both plates.
"Director," he said in greeting, "I'll admit to some curiosity here; lucky gal?" Hiram couldn't find it in him to address a person by their name unless prompted to, something he chalked up to his conservative upbringing.
"That obvious, Hiram?" Gerald responded rhetorically. "And please, it's Gerald; I'm not that old," he added with a chuckle; there was an almost four-year gap between the two, after all.
"All due respect, Gerald, I expected a briefing from Engineer Turrija."
"Three hours of sleep is not something I would wish on anyone, Hiram."
"...come to think of it, I will not blame him if he has to call it a night."
After being appraised by the Director of VAI's Global Operations, the entrepreneur understood how the sea trials would make for an easier time once the Eternal Will was "commissioned." Sure, it meant he'd get a rebate, but with the Indomitable Spirit-class going for 300 million Universal Standard otherwise, there was simply no excuse for him to pass up the opportunity to participate in what was essentially a chance to promote his yacht...and, as he was onboard, that also meant promoting Solar Overdrive was entirely possible for him. With any luck, he might even end up expanding the company beyond the Confederation's borders; he understood that this, too, was how Victoria Associated Industries got its big break.

Meredith Aguirre
Speicherstadt

Fuck, I've been spotted, Meredith thought, as she was greeted by someone from the Capall na dTonn. Just be cool about it, you were trained for this.
"Well, I'd love to," she replied, "but I'm afraid I've plans for later tonight. See, the yacht I came from is planning a mixer. Anyway, I never really got your name: I'm Meredith Aguirre, with Harrison, Murata, and Goco Consultants. You?" While she would normally offer a hand for shaking, COVID-19 was still a thing to consider. Granted, all hands and the guests alike were fully vaccinated, but still.
From the corner of her eye, she could see the three crewmembers reviewing the supplies list the quartermaster gave them.

[...]

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
While Gerald went and got us breakfast, I leaned back and rested my head on his pillow. It was still warm and his smell was still there.
I liked his smell.
Let's be honest here for a moment, he was not my first boyfriend, but he was the first one, who's smell I liked this much, that I was drawn into his pillow rather then my own. He was also the first man I considered for something else...
...not marriage, no, not yet. We were together for almost two years now, but this was still a bit early, but something else.
Something I had sat on for a while and which I wanted to talk about with him. If not today, then when?
I felt myself dozing off, snuggled into his pillow, and I did not resist.
It would be how Gerald found me once he returned, too, a small smile on my lips and while one of the straps of my nightgown had slipped down, there was little erotic, let alone sexy in the image. That might have something to do with the small bit of drool that had escaped my mouth in my sleep as I dreamed of breakfast and Gerald and syrup...

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Speicherstadt.
I smiled and bowed my head lightly.
“I am Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.”, I said and rose again, my eyepatch being at one end of my lopsided smile. “But please, Siana is fine. I am the Captain of the Marcharnnau and of the Marcharnnau Privateer Company.”
I raised a hand.
“Don't worry, these days, we only raid ships for tourists, as a bit of excitement during long voyages. We are usually booked.”, I said with a smile, “And we are open the whole day long, until 7. Then we will prepare for attending the Gala aboard the Fascination or turn in for the night, depending on how the day goes.”
I let a beat pass.
“Come over if you have the time.”, I offered and looked out of the nearest window. “Which one do you belong to?”

Mervay wrote:Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay/Carolina Coral
The perfect disguise one must say. One where she can relax out of the public eye, where even if she can even act like she really is, she has to show a lot of restraint and there will be visibly at least two agents and a dozen incognito ones around.
Which gave born to her disguise as Carolina Coral, a character she used a lot of times to hide her identity back at home as well. Dark black long hair, a wig which made it look entirely realistic and perfect to hide her new look, that shorter, to shoulder and daring natural blonde hair with blonde-strawberry locks and red highlights that replaced her blonde cascade hair. Her blue eyes, covered by brown contacts, while her clothes, well, they were something she would usually wear as both persona's.

She smiled sweetly with a giggle coming out as she walked the streets of the port with her baggage for her two weeks stay, she looked at the streets after she walked out from the Teressian ferry that carried her from the mainland and the Principality, where she had an pleasing dinner with Prince Alrich and Lady Findehoof where she gently teased them for an invitation to their wedding if it ever happened, all the while being the only two people to know her cover as Miss Carolina Coral. And here, only the Ridderli Goverment and their intelligence and security organizations, that also included Chancellor Guzele.
Albeit... Those weren't the only people that knew her identity here.
Agents Blackwell and Labertian, while on a break, they were briefed should any eventuality happen of her location and stay... And then there was Aurelia... If she knew well, what she felt and with an answer clear and loud where she wants to at least try it out, and see where they will go and that meant what was the thing Atif and her had; perhaps, she would be the only one to know who she was behind the persona she fabricated.

So, she must make these two weeks worth it!

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Olivia Freezis
Fun and pleasure were the reasons she was here, reasons that were clear and logical after a long period of work as the second in command of an economical juggernaut back at home and their area. At least her sister has said she'll cover for her and someone else will do so to lessen her burden, but then again, 'Thena said of her and their family to join her for her christmas travel to the Free Lands to meet her boyfriend's family.
She was smitten with him so much that she couldn't help it but tease her for it, and the results brought Athena being a blushing mess and ending in with an fond smile, the things silbings do to help them, now her sister was paying back the favour.
And so that explained why she was here in middle of Broodeheim's Promenade en route to her hotel, a one month vacation here was all she needed to rest and by what her sister told her she could find herself with some people she knew in PruCh and possibly as well the Sloroimh family, and Olivia knew that Ms. Sloroimh's daughter and Athena were very close, in fact 'Thena was already seeing what to do for Cel after she helped her out in having that time with her boyfriend back in july.

And the second of the Freezis sisters - even if she was adopted into the main family after hers died when she was a baby - knows well that will be persistent. But then again, they both had been in various cases, the opposites of the other and then similar personality wise, complementing the other well. Alone were unstoppable, but together, they were a force of nature.

She looked at her clothes and her baggage as well, 6:00 AM was when she last checked a few minutes ago, the Empress Corette got before schedule from what the crew told her after making their last stops in Brettenwald and other destinations before it would make the voyage home in a week, one she was sitting out until december.
She had a few plans on line on what to do, some sightings to see, people to know, fun to be had and that involved that elite club here she heard of, The Kuddelmuddel Club and her nightclub, the Hasenhof. It reminded her a lot of The Merlaut Club back at home with it's exclusiveness and how it was a place for the elite, rich and famous to mingle, herself an example as member of that place. Hopefully they didn't had the same reputation for supposedly being some center of command for some conspiracy theory, the people that believed those things were crazy.

But either way, step by step, Olivia, step by step.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Alec and Ayla Labertian and Isabella Vendramin
A break and rest was something they dearly needed, after all, work has been always an stressing endeavour and for the unique threesome of two racing drivers which were bitter rivals on-track and friends off-track, and a maid from the Crown and personal maid of His Highness, Prince Pandareos; it was fair to see the reasons of a break. The former two came off from another championship battle where the dark skinned and orange eyed young driver won his third crown, making it even with the brunette driver. While the maid, she had her reasons as well, and those involved a break after both Luciano and Lisa, her partner and friend, told her to have a break like she did last month, that also included not being involved on any mission required of her as an agent beyond her cover as a maid, albeit the Prince told her of her sister being in the area and another agent as well, just in case something happens of course and they also know how she looks like.
Logical reasons, add a silbing bonding moment after years being apart and try to know the other again, and the two drivers trying to have fun and know better alongside mending some incidents of the past and things will be interesting.

Their clothes were their usual ones out of work.
They walked down the promenade with their luggage, there was a comfortable silence that was soon interrupted by a joke that ended in their laughter, the most widest of all came from the younger silbing and friend, the two women besides him looking with warm eyes as he let off the mask of caution around them, like if he could be himself and nothing would happen; they knew well how he kept a facade that few would see crack. In Isabella Vendramin's opinion, the Labertian Silbings for all the time she knew them were always fun to hang around, no matter how cold they might seem or be.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Antonella Pistriani
For the redhead in the aqua, she was glad to be in Broodeheim, a break was all she needed and for Antonella Pistriani that was something she would take. Renowed swimmer and college student, studying in the Tristan Royal University in engineering. She had a reason to come as a way to rest from her studies and training, alongside give a little bit of thought on moving on.
Alec...
Of all people she had to find the cause of her thoughts in the same cruise ship and with his championship rival and sister, make it worse by an uncomfortable meeting as the words said a month ago were still fresh in their minds. She knew well he moved on after what happened and she regretted what she did back then, yet, they could never hold an conversation without ending up being awkward; and as much as her hobbies and studies helped, she knew that a fresh air out of Tristan would give her that other thing she needed to keep moving on. So Ridderli became the perfect spot, knowing how everyone was talking about it and how the festival would be, the perfect opportunity to take a break, she hoped that Meabh would join her, but she was still in the Free Lands until next week where she will return to Mervay and Themis.

Well, first things first was find an hotel and enjoy the city.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Darius Blackwell
He certainly was dressed diferently than what he would had gone were it not Her Majesty gave him the two weeks here to rest, even if he has to keep watch over the lady he's protecting, and thank god that Agent Labertian was here since if things went south, they could make things quickly and evade the worst, which also includes whatever Lady Agustinas has with Princess Aurelia bint-Damir and if it ends badly.
He sighed, knowing the young woman, that cover of hers will certainly work like a charm; so that won't be a concern. Now he should see where to go that is, as he has already left his baggage on his hotel, perhaps he could go to have something to eat, or see one of the many ships in the harbour? Well, he had two weeks so options were open.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Elijah Da Silva
A week was all he needed after a long and busy period of school and without going out, while Mervay's education system was of high quality, strict, yet flexible, attentive and supportive of students with lot's of activities for them to pursuit in all levels of education, from university education, where he was present to the kinder, but even then, all students wanted their time off to wind down, and that was Elijah Da Silva's case.
The 21 years old college student was off a week to rest in Ridderli, one he has been looking foward to since he heard of the festivities and one he was glad of, after all, college was always stressing to a degree no matter what and he was entirely sure that he needed it. His eyes were focused on the streets as he walked by them, taking notice of the redhead that he saw back in the ship and how she seemed busy in her thoughts, it has been that way for a while with everyone it seemed; like the moment they set their feet in the place, they begun to think on what to do in the country during their stay, not that he blames them as he also has to see what do,which noticing how early it was and how he didn't had breakfast in the ship, well, seems he had a idea of where to begin.

Broodeheim, Ridderli, Old Town Harbour.
Erin Walker and Miranda Skylark
Serving in the military was always stressful, more when your surname was the same of the current head of the navy. It was no secret that Erin Walker was daughter of Admiral Sienna Walker, which added the fact that she had to prove herself in the service and be her own persona outside of her mother's shadow; something she sucessfully accomplished as her years of service went by. Indeed, she has seen active combat during her years in peacekeeping missions and enforcement operations, she was fairlylucky that this year she wasn't deployed and her ship, the MRNS Ensign Marciel Larret, Pride of the 3rd Fleet, that meant she was able to spend this year close to her girlfriend, Miranda Skylark.
The only daughter of the Skylark Family, supposed heiress to the title of Marchioness/Marquise of Ladier and what remained of the Skylark Empire, a shadow of it's former self; so pressure begun to build on her and so did a perfectionist personality did followed, a promise of nobility that had the wits, looks and charm to accomplish anything she wanted, of course, it was everything for her family, but of course her family never saw her as a daughter, but an political asset.
It changed ever since they met, at first as people dealing with the shadows of the families and trying to make a name of their own, then a close friendship until the romantic relationship they have now where the two grew out of their shadows and became their own person; Erin, an Navy Pilot and Ace; Miranda, a woman completely indepedent of her family's clutches and well off through the same means she would had used to bring back the name ofthe Marquis Family, but if she wants to now, it will be on her own conditions and away of her father's political ambitions.

Their Clothes unsurprisingly spoke of their different and sometimes opposite personalities, yet they complimented the other in a way that was unique, but that will go later on. For now the couple, carrying their luggage walk with their hands linked and fond smiles to their hotel.

Cartoonia wrote:“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Aurelia, Atif” Gerald says doffing his cap, and politely waving to the wolf, “Aldhiyb. You know, I have a nice dog at home too, had it since after the Second World War. I was a sailor at the time before I became an officer. In any case, we will be having a gala on the Fascination tonight, 1920s themed to be precise. It’ll be hoot-in-nanny of a party let me tell you. I will probably meet you there then. But if you also would like, we will be sailing out during the Chokana-Kata demonstrations if you would like a closer look at the event”.

Aurelia spotted someone from the corner of her eyes right as the Captain spoke, took a second look and smiled.
“My apologies, I think I saw a friend in the crowd.”, she said, “Would you please excuse me for a moment?”
And before someone could reply, she was gone, leaving Aldhiyb with her boyfriend. Atif smiled at the Captain. “Thank you for the offer, but we already have a good spot to watch it.”, he said, “That being said, 1920s-themed... that will mean tuxedo and top hat... unless the entire gala will not be that formal to require white tie?”

Meanwhile, Aurelia ran after the woman with the black hair – who looked absolutely not like Queen Callista of Mervay, but who matched a description she had been given. Disguises were a funny thing, mainly because she was a living, breathing disguise.
Atif was, too. And so was Aldhiyb.
They were doubles of Princess Aurelia bint-Damir and her current plus one or boyfriend or stallion or whatever Atif Qalb was to her, as well as her Sand Wolf. They were good, but one would need to know Aurelia very well to spot the differences.
There had been days, when even Prince Damir hadn't been able to differentiate between his daughter and her double. Any attempts to skip bothersome duties with her aid had been thwarted by the double, however. Bothersome duties were also bothersome to her, for one thing, for the other, she was a security officer of the Tabardariyya.
Finally, Aurelia caught up to the woman: “Excuse me, Miss!”, she asked the woman, then spoke a code phrase, which the real Aurelia had given the Queen of Mervay: “Do you know the time at the Main Station?”
The correct reply would be: Thirteen past ten., a 'cute' reference to the day the state visit of Queen Callista to Kyrenaia had started, the 13th of October.
It would tell Callista not only, that there was someone in front of her, who knew, who she was, but also, that this someone looked like Aurelia, but wasn't. And that this someone had a message.
It was a bit like a spy thriller.

Olivia Freezis, meanwhile, had several options for hotels in Broodeheim: For one thing, the Kuddelmuddel Club offered rooms to stay for its members. They were not exactly the greatest of rooms, but they were comfortable enough for most.
The Galahotel was the most premiere hotel in Broodeheim, a large and modern building looming at the edge of the Old Town Harbour, close to the Speicherstadt and close to the end of the Promenade. When the rich and famous didn't come via their own boat, they usually stayed in the Galahotel and thus, the house had a reputation to uphold.
Alternatively, there were a few smaller hotels for the rich and famous around town, but only the Fuchshöhle really stood out among them: It was a subterranean hotel, with a wing, which extended into the harbour basin and which had glass roofs. That allowed to watch the ships pass by from an angle no one ever considered.
In summary, Olivia had options, depending on where she had made her reservation.
Antonella, depending on whether or not she would take the promenade, had different options, too: One of them were the countless less noble hotels around the city. There was also the option of using her University ID to actually go to the University of Broodeheim, which had a small resting house on campus, usually for visitors to the university like guest professors, but 'usually' was an invalid word on festival days. And then there was the Fatachán, the flagship of the University of Fortham Sailing Team had offered stays for tourists out of luck and with a penchant for adventure.
She had options to pick from, in any case.
Erin and Miranda, on the other hand, were a bit more free in their decision: While the University had shown good manners, The Fatachán's crew was always happy about new faces and if they had no place to stay, they would find a home there. Other then that, a wide range o hotels still had spots free. One of them was even the large Hasenturm, on the opposite end of the Promenade when seen from the Speicherstadt and the Galahotel, a large complex of small holiday flats for tourists planning to stay a bit longer.

Alec, Ayla and Isabella, on the other hand, might run into some problems on the promenade – it was filling up more and more with festival-goers, people, who were out for fun just as much as they were.
And one of them was Leona Sofer. Having changed her usual race queen outfit in favour of a red, backless shirt and a pair of denim shorts, under which she wore her black swimsuit, the black-haired Lutetiian woman was quite uncomfortable in the crowd, ironically enough. She usually spent her time sitting on the hood of cars, which most people here wouldn't even be able to afford in their wildest dreams, answering questions and being ogled, or driving these cars herself, but at least there was some distance.
Here, there was only crowd.
It reminded her of some car salons before the pandemic struck.
She pushed herself to the side, toward the low wall separating the crowd from a short drop into the harbour water and took a breath. She hated being in the middle of crowds.
And worse of all, by the stinging of her right buttock, some perverted son of a woman, who's company one could buy, had decided to further imprint her dislike of crowds. She turned and looked into the crowd, spotting a group of three with lugguage.
They were talking and joking among each other, and not stressed out like she was. One of them looked oddly familiar, if she was honest, though...
She cocked her head in thought.

Many restaurants were offering breakfast services this early, not to mention the countless stalls (like the one where Sunna Fischli was enjoying her Pfeilfischbrötchen). The Zofenturm certainly had some renown, but that was on the fortified island in the bay. The Cafe Pferdeschiff had a large selection of cakes in its window, the outdoor area being full and indoors there being a few spaces left, not to mention it also had a view over the harbour promenade. Some of the ships, like the Fascination, also offered restaurant services.
Elijah would certainly not starve – if he had the right money, or a credit card, that is.

Naya smiled and followed the tour, listening to the tour guide and the other guests talking shop. She was the first to admit, that she had no idea about ships or the history of this ship, despite owning a floating research greenhouse thingy herself. Though, she also had to admit, that the foyer was impressive. It reminded her a bit of the Traumfänger, Teressien's State Yacht.
The art and the décor, she didn't like as much, but that was personal taste.
She loved flowers and trees and vines and all such things, so an area so sparse with them was not destined to be her favourite. Still, she followed the tour and the shop-talk without speaking up herself.

Western Fardelshufflestein wrote:[...]

Wilhelm

Wilhelm wondered if the man could peer into his mind and probe his thoughts, could view the sudden onrush of emotions that gushed within him. This man reminded him of Father, now a year and a half gone, though his mind has been lost long before that. His age alone was sufficient for him to bear resemblance, though Wilhelm found himself analyzing the features for any trace of his father.

He'd been working in his office when he'd had a seizure. There had been no obvious signs of deterioration in him at the time, but retrospectively Wilhelm had realised what he'd taken to be crotchetiness had actually been symptoms of the tumor swelling in his father's brain.

Glioblastoma Multiforme, the cancer was called. Insidious, malignant, and lethal, with no known cause and no cure, though rigorous treatment had kept his father alive for almost three years whilst the tumor matastasised and devoured his brain tissue until he was reduced nothing but a skeleton sustained by machines. Wil had watched the father he'd only so recently reconnected with grip the fleeing scraps of his life with a stubbornness Wil did not know he possessed until the fight drained from him, and the final bit of the man he'd always been was gone.

He blinked back tears that encroached almost suddenly. Why must he ruminate now, when Father is long dead and they only just spared Allie from the same fate? Or had he and Marie repeated history in their battle to keep Allie alive and doomed him to suffer?

"I figured. Hence why we are talking in English." The man gave a nod. "I am from here, actually. Well, not here-here, but from this city." He studied Wil in such a way that the hairs on Wil's neck stiffened. Not because the man was unpleasant to any capacity, but because the way he spoke in the local accent reminded Wil of Father. “If I may be asking, what brings you here? Trying to relax or business?”

Wil steeled himself to respond to this man with a deep yet unsteady sigh. His tongue formed the shape of his father and brother's name in his mouth, released it, formed more relevant words instead. "I am here to relax, I suppose. Escape my life for a while." He squinted at the multitude, believing himself to have spotted Al. His nephew was unmoving amidst the slinking threads of the crowd, a lone beacon ensnared in chaos. "I brought my niece and nephew. Zey...zey need time away from everything for a bit. 'Tis been so difficult for zem...not for ze obvious, but for more personal reasons. A family matter." He breathed, then flicked his hand toward the nurse. "Jane is here in case something averse happens to either of zem, zough I am most likely to have a health crisis. I underwent surgery some weeks ago." He pronounced Jane with a y sound like the English word you. "It...well, it did not pan out as projected. In more ways zan one."

The old man nodded, several times during the monologue, and looked up to Jane with a small nod.
He was silent for what seemed like an eternity, though.
“Then you certainly came to the right place.”, he finally said, “Here in Ridderli, you will find relaxation. Broodeheim's harbour festival might not be the ideal place to start, but the youngsters might have a lot of fun.” He let a beat pass. “A bit outside of town is a small beach area, the Plattner Beach. It has a small promenade, a bus stop, lots of sand and not as many people. I like to go for walks there, especially since my operation.”
He smiled, tapping his hip.
“Artificial hip joint. Original one wore down, the replacement broke, this is my second.”, he said and sat down normally again. He turned serious: “I will not inquire about your family matters. They are your family's and theirs alone, but allow an old man to give you a piece of advice: The majority of family matters can be handled by talking to each other. And if that doesn't help, talking about one's problems always helps in general.”

Miu Fuwa.
Of course the kids were aboard for a treasure hunt and their parents were willing to come along, either as participants or chaperones, too. The Weasels were quite smitten with the idea, too, while Nela was beaming at being called Captain.
My little sis looked to me.
I nodded with a smile.
It would be alright.
Siegbald nodded, too, then spoke up: “If you need to change into something lighter, I recommend either returning to your ship or one of the clothes shops along the harbour front. Or... well...”
He looked to me and I nodded, turning slightly.
I pointed at a relatively militaristic looking vessel.
“That is the Ninai, the tender of the Nanko Girls' High School Chokanna-Kata Team.”, I explained. She was not too far away either. “We can go there and use the changing rooms there. We might also have a few spare school uniforms, if you need something lighter.”
This offer was for all four of them, we had uniforms in their sizes for sure, even for the man – thanks to the few male members of our crew.

The woman with the horns and pointy ears already expected the three at the edge of the gangplank, looking at Sep, then at Vivian, then at Sep again, and nodded. Xavier received a nod in greeting before she turned to the two, one of whom she still thought to be a man.
“You two are like me, aren't you?”, she asked out of the blue without much of a preamble, then continued: “I am Marcharnnau, spirit and personification of this ship and her predecessors in name and deed. Who are you two, friends?”
Meanwhile, the majority of our crew was out and about in the harbour and those, who were still with us, Spiorad and Migakemujara and Yojaode, milled about on deck, in one case expecting tourists for the tour. He did, however, leave the field with the first three to me, wisely enough.

Ezhara wrote:Summertime buzz to cover the little things
Eiko had no idea how Kasem convinced him to take a vacation at some random harbor, or that they should take a 45-minute bus ride just so Kasem could swim, or why Kasem was even fine with Eiko just lying on the sands in a kimono, but hey, at least it was fun watching him splash around, swim around, nobody with him. Aimlessly... He wasn't too sure what was so fun about that, but he had never been a normal kid.
Last visit to a foreign beach was all the proof he needed of that, but this wasn't that beach. This one, namely, had his boyfriend, and no pretentious idol, and it wasn't too crowded. It really was like a drea—
"Eikooooooooo!"
His eyes fluttered op— had he fallen asleep? Kasem was running towards him, drops of water shining on the curls of his black hair, and that, Eiko knew, was bad news, news only confirmed when the actor saw his beloved's knees spring downward.
"What are y—" Eiko rolled left, and moments later, he heard a violent plop in the sand, as a cloud of it flew out.

He stared at Kasem, at the glisten of his soaked back, then at his lacquer wood cup.
Sand... his cup...
"Kasem."
The other boy poked his head up from the blanket, smiling. "Yeah?"
Eiko pointed to the cup, Kasem looked at it, turned back, and his joy turned to a nervous grin. "Oh." He sprang up and kneeled, then shrugged. "Sorry." Eiko watched as his younger picked it up and gave him the cup, its upper layer clouded in yellow sand. "Didn't think that would happen..."

"Kasem..."
"I'll pay you for a refill." He crawled towards Eiko. "Or a clean. Or... something."
The other sighed. "What were you thinking, jumping around like that? You could've hit your head or hit a rock or something," he said. "And besides, you said you wanted me to treat you less like a kid, but how am we supposed to do that when you're doing things like—"
"Eiko, relax." Kasem grabbed his clenched hand, softening it into an open palm that his own hand fit perfectly into. "We're tough enough to take that hit, and besides, we're at a beach. Can't you just relax a little?" He paused. "I know I said that, but I meant more... I don't know, I meant where it matters, like decisions about what we do or my orders for food, things like that. We're just relaxing here, and I think you should have some time to... be that way, too, right? Not so stressed and trying to protect me and all that?"

Eiko breathed out and felt his whole body relax. Just how long had he been holding that tension, that panic? How long had he ignored the soft sand at his feet? Or even, Kasem's smile?
"I guess I am a little too tense..." Eiko said.
"You are, Eiko... but trust me when I say that I'm not that stupid anymore." Kasem leaned back. "Besides, you've known me for a year now." He smirked, and dove forward—
"Oi!" Eiko recoiled and watched as Kasem scurried off, his cup falling at his side. "Don't play with me like that!"
By now, Kasem had already gained a fair distance, and he spun around to yell at Eiko. "Then come and catch me!"

His fists clenched, and Eiko felt Kagustsuchi's godly indignation erupt forther. In a film, there would certainly have been a volcano bursting forth from him, but still, Eiko had to admit that it would be futile, trying to pursue a recent Hawk Scout — in Din Thi Di's vocabulary, that was leader and athlete alike, as Eiko had learned with his visits to the city's scouting base, watching his beloved outrun and outperform any other scout. In proper gear, the two of them were at least about-matched in run times, but wearing a kimono and geita... well, it was the principle of the thing more than the actual result. Eiko couldn't let an insult go unanswered.
Eiko only got a few feet, half-shuffling, half-sprinting in the restraints of his kimono, before he figured that there wasn't any way he could catch him, not in his outfit. Unless he took it off... but there was no way he would soil it in the sands, waste time folding it up, or anything of the sort.

Still, he moved as quickly as he could, stretching out only just enough to not feel the silken tension inside, and Kasem about-matched his pace, skipping backwards, until he stopped and yelled. "You gonna catch me any time soon?"
Eiko glanced to his side, at the stairs leading back up to the town. If he could just get him up to the streets and into the weaving ways, where smarts and luck rather than speed would be crucial, maybe then he'd have a shot... There was another set of stairs behind Kasem, a bit to his side, and Eiko walked at an angle. Kasem didn't move, not until Eiko paused and started heading straight towards him, and when he touched the cold stones, he glanced back, then proceeded up, but paused and stepped back down.
"For an actor, you have an awful poker face."
"Shut up and just let me catch you," Eiko said, "so we can get to breakfast."
Kasem stepped forward, and Eiko changed his direction; if the other stepped back, he would be stepping onto the stairs. "Guess you'll just have to eat it alone," the Talent-Architect said.

An awkward moment of silence passed. Then, Kasem clambered up the stairs, stumbled once and lost four more steps of distance, then hurried back up, lost into the streets. Eiko continued his fast-walk; by the time he got to the top of the stairs, Kasem was long gone, and he looked around, sniffing the air. There was mainly the marine aroma, just like Din Thi Di, but here it was even more wild and natural, unlike the gardens that his beloved was fond of; just earlier, Kasem had stared out at the bus, bare arms pressed against the glass as he no doubt imagined the beauties that could be cultivated with a little bit of effort.
There aside, was the aroma of seafood, and a vague memory of touch stroked his cheek, wrapped in an imaginary blanket fit for a nascent royal, and he stepped forward. Then, the memory faded into the winds, and he paused to look around again. He felt only the beat of his heart; pulse, pulse, pulse, and he knew that across whatever way there was, Kasem's was echoing in that similar resonance.

It was Mori's loneliness that pushed him onward, the memories of days spent hunting with them in unfilmed, unwritten interims that replayed in his sleepless nights, lives that played for him and him alone, as the way that his emotions flickered and burnt. Next to the swordsman was the cry of forgotten Kagutsuchi, whose plea to find Kasem came from a playful vulnerability, a belief that he had found someone to remember him. Fire gave life inasmuch as it destroyed, but nobody knew of the former trait. Or, really, much of Kagustuchi's humanity, but neither character searched out of fear. It was adoration more than anything.
The minutes passed steadily, and amidst gaps in the crowd, Eiko saw Kasem's black curls dawdling forward, in front of a chattering, spice-fragrant restaurant that jutted out into the beach. A side street lay in his path, and EIko smiled to himself. He ducked into an alleyway, navigating this way, that way, until he saw the light of the broader main streets. Once close to the corner, he ducked behind a leftover box and lay in wait.

When Kasem's ambling form came into view, Eiko slipped forward, the clack of his sandals masked by conversations, but still his boyfriend paused.
"Ei—"
Mori's instincts surged forward. Eiko's arms wrapped around Kasem while his legs slammed into the ground to counter his quarry's burst forward. "Gotcha." He held him for only a moment, and then let him go, watching as he stumbled out and turned around.
Kasem smiled and put his arms behind his back. "So you did," he said, stepping towards Eiko. "So you did. Not as fun as it usually is, though."
"You try running in a kimono without tearing it."

Kasem tilted his head. "Fine... but I mean, couldn't you have at least worn a hakama?"
"Forgot." Eiko shrugged and he turned towards the restaurant, glancing inside. Speaking of forgetting... "Did either of us bring our things?" He could at least feel the matcha-filled inro hanging from his kimono sash and the lanyard-hanging phone tight and across his body, but certainly not the towels to dry Kasem off, nor the bag that would have everything else. His boyfriend, meanwhile, had just his shorts. His phone wasn't even in his pocket.
Kasem grinned. "Welp... guess we better get going."
"You, more like it." He gestured down at his kimono. "I'll only be slowing you down if I try to keep up, and besides, we did want breakfast. I can reserve, while you get the stuff."
"All right then." Kasem stretched out his arm for a high five, but Eiko simply stared at it. An awkward second passed. "Well... time me."

"Ready..." Eiko took out his phone, opened his stopwatch, and faced it towards Kasem, who put one foot back — nothing as extreme as a runner's stance, but still something to start off with. "Go." Eiko tapped the button, the stopwatch started ticking, and off his boyfriend ran, soon becoming hidden among the crowd. With that done, he turned to the restaurant, looking around for the host, who he would flag down.
"Is there a spot available for two, please?"

[...]

Alvina Schurz.
Restaurant zur Sandbank, Sannbann.
The morning was pretty in Sannbann and Sannbann itself was pretty. It was the reason why it was a seaside resort town and one of high renown at that. It was also home to the Ridderlische Seebäderarchitektur, the unique architectural style associated with Ridderli and its seaside resorts or Seebäder.
The restaurant zur Sandbank was one of the older buildings in that style, not one of the newer ones towards the new marina, which evoked the style. It was a three storey building with balconies lining the facade above the first floor, the windows sat in arched frames. The building was a corner-building, with a central piece in the middle and two wings going of rectangularly. The central piece was crowned by a small turret with an open roof, an outdoor dining area.
Like almost all buildings in this style, it was white and built mostly of wood.
And I worked here as a waitress in a maid uniform.
The green-haired young man, who came up to my desk at the reception, asked for a table for two, yet he was alone – who knew, maybe he expected someone?
I smiled and nodded. “Certainly, Sir.”, I said and motioned for him to follow me, “Please follow me.”
We already were visited by our main customers, plus a few people, who had not slept in, but there were quite a few tables still free. The table I had in mind, however, was on the second storey, on a balcony, overlooking the beach to the side, the street below and the other person right opposite to one.
Breakfast Menus were already on the table, there was tea listed (including green tea), but also a lot of other drinks, but also food: Pancakes, a traditional Selkie Breakfast (including a warning because of the sheer amounts of fat contained within), cereal, a lot of things we had on offer and which we could serve the green-haired young man and his companion.
“There we go.”, I said and motioned to the table.

by **New Visayan Islands** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 5:17 pm

Gerald Vicente
Eternal Will

When he returned to the cabin he saw a sleeping Amy resting on his pillow. Putting the tray by the bedside, he kissed her forehead before whispering into her ear.
"Breakfast is here," he said: pancakes with syrup and butter, along with two mugs of coffee. Liberica, just like that time they first met...
Gerald was no stranger to relationships, but there was something about this one that really stood out in more ways than one, and while they were almost two years together, the thought of marriage was something that did not cross his mind just yet...something else probably did, though, and if I didn't think about it, she probably would, he thought.
Once she woke up, they would enjoy their breakfast and talk about things. If this helped Gerald and Amy let out what they had in mind, so be it.

Meredith Aguirre
Speicherstadt

So the ship is the Marcharnnau, Meredith thought. At the introduction as Captain of the Marcharnnau Privateer Company, her eyebrows were raised, only to lower after the explanation.
"I came aboard the Spirit of Diamond," she then replied, "and we, too, have a mixer scheduled for tonight at nine, which is why I should be riding herd on the three crewmembers right now. Not that I need to, though." Meredith let out a chuckle; the crewmembers in question had checked the list twice before placing the supply order.

by **Katase** » Tue Nov 23, 2021 7:29 pm

Ridderli wrote:Lien Sunnewirbele.
Aaltje's face fell for but a moment, then she had caught herself.
“The pleasure is ours.”, I said and smiled, “We all know, that we aren't that internationally well known, but... yeah. It will be cool to know, that Maaya Tennouboshi went out of her way to watch our work.” It was not even that much of an overstatement, but honest hero worship. I had watched a few of her movies, granted in the subbed version. “I personally liked you most in Dragon's Den.”
Aaltje nodded. “Yes, that was a nice one.”, she said and I looked at her. “Subbed. I liked Gambits more, though.”
I nodded. “In any case...”, addressing the whole group, I smiled, “Who's up for ice cream?”
Jette raised her hand.

"My my, truly didn't know how much Katase cinema gets around, I'd be so delighted to speak with a few admirers and well rising stars as well. So I agree, let's get a cold treat and let's talk shop a while huh? I'm sure you have no objections my dear?" She consulted Uzume who smiled brightly shaking her head "It'll be a lot of fun. I think you'll have more fun with mother than me though. I was in both those movies but I was killed in Dragon's Den and I was only in a single scene for mother's co-star. Blink and you'll miss me there."

"Nonsense, Uzume, your star is also rising my dear, and well, we are here as mother-and-daughter so I'm certain you fine ladies wouldn't object. And besides that, my Uzume has just secured a leading role of her own in TV. And if you have questions you want to ask me, I won't object. Now, lead on if you will."

by **AHSCA** » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:09 pm

For Captain Aina, with Yuzu running a impromptu tour and nothing much else to do, it allowed her to sort of relax a bit. Hard to do that on the open seas when there's always so much to do but now a momentary bit of quiet, but a bit of loneliness without her dear companion. Well oh well, like Yuzu said they had plenty of time together and The Yuzu (the ship) was here to be apart of a demonstration of AHSCA's culture. For the greater good, right? Pulling out a collapsible pipe and giving it a light she inhaled and puffed out a deep puff of smoke. It was nice to take in the scenery and harbor sights and sounds a bit, but duty soon called when a couple of men approached which she gave a hello and salutaitons. "Pardon me," he said, glancing at the caracal. "This boat wouldn't happen to be open for a tour, would it?"

"Oh, yeah. In fact my junior Sailor just took on our first tourist of the day if you'd like to join her, otherwise I'd be glad to show you around." Well it'd look kind of bad if she didn't. "I'm Captain Indou, Captain of this vessel." It was up to them if they'd like the Captain to show them or go with Yuzu who was leading a tour now for anyone gathering and interested, didn't matter if they wandered in, this was their first tour.

Yuzu, (the person) never wavered in her smile, in fact it beamed higher when Fai Koshisha, mentioned she heard the name and recognized the flag. AHSCA was not big, powerful or influential so just people knowing her homeland was enough for her. For Fai, it was due to some recent events with the Sultanate of Kyrenaia as for Yuzu, she'd been out of the country at sea for the past few months so recent events had largely passed her by.

"I'd be delighted to share! She's a paddle wheel steamer with sail auxiliary, you might think she was built in the past but nope, only about a decade ago! Well you see, Islanders are more fond of sea travel than air, and we've always loved the classical design of ships of the past so we continue to model our civil ships in that style. Given modern cruisers are more like floating hotels than ships, they wouldn't do well for us as a people. Anyway, the Yuzu took on her maiden voyage in 2012, from AHSCA to Lamoni, carrying a full load of passengers and for that it was a successful voyage. Her Captain, that is the good Captain you just met a moment ago has been her Captain since her launch, her first command. Her voyages for the next five years were the same, being able to take on longer hauls as she became more and more broken in. In 2017 though truly one of the most unusual situations would occur as an otherwise routine voyage to Mokastana became a real fight for survival. The weather turned out to be worse than expected and many fell deathly ill, not from sea sickness but an actual outbreak of sickness. If you can imagine anything worse happening well pirates also got involved as she came under active fire!" She cleared her thoat, it wasn't that difficult to talk about but this part always was, "I was a passenger aboard her that voyage. And well...I'm also patient zero. I was unfortunately the one who brought the sickness aboard, without realizing it. I survived but not without lasting damage to my own body. The ship too suffered damage between the storm and everything else and was dry-docked for extensive repairs for a while. Now she's back on her feet, now I serve aboard as a member of her crew, with the same Captain who got us to a safe harbor." Her cheeks glowed, "The Captain saved my life. And the lives of many others that night. I'm honored to be apart of her crew. Ahem. Now we begin a new chapter in her history, her first voyage to Ridderli for a festival of ships!"

by **Democratic Exodian Territories** » Wed Nov 24, 2021 11:54 pm

(standby for post to be placed here.)

by **New Visayan Islands** » Thu Nov 25, 2021 8:45 am

Maxim A. Surilla
Eternal Will, Broodeheim, Ridderli
November 6th, AD 2021
0733 Local Time

"Surprised to see one of my former clients," a voice next to Maxim said.
"Hasegawa-san," the actor replied, "I share your sentiments in that regard. What brings you here?"
"I would say 'admiring another one of my father's works made manifest,' but that would be an oversimplification," Domingo said with a chuckle. It was no secret that Domingo's father, Antonio Hasegawa, was the architect of the Indomitable Spirit-class motor yacht. "Yabut is another one of my clients. He's got me working on a project for a house that's fully solar-powered, but you never heard that from me."
"Heard what?"
"Precisely. Anyway, what's with the married lawyers?"
"Hell if I know," Maxim replied, taking a glance at the lawyers Domingo was referring to. One a corporate lawyer, the other a civil rights lawyer, the Torres couple had been invited by Hiram...and they were having a hearty breakfast.

Enrico Satou
Eternal Will

With camera in hand, Enrico started taking additional pictures from his position in the sun deck. There would be plenty to go around as far as he was concerned, but he just needed...
...bingo!
If a picture could tell a thousand words, the numerous other ships, boats, and yachts at the harbor were telling an entire book's worth...and he noticed among the seacraft a yacht that looked almost like this one...

by **Abetton** » Thu Nov 25, 2021 12:52 pm

"Oooh" The girls cooed at the thought of dawning another's uniform, it might be fun and pretty cute. Plus the trip back to their ship wouldn't yield much more anyway on top of that just eating up valuable time. "Yeaaaah" The girls chimed in unison agreeing to change into whatever they had "It'll be fun to try something new on"

"Yes, please, let's do that!"

"Mmhm"

"I think our two girls have their minds made up with that" Katy nodded "Whatever you can spare for them, we'd appreciate it, we'll take care of ourselves."

You know, I don't think he'll ever be satisfied, even if this hunt ends
Joshua's sketching would proceed uninhibited until near the end of it, until two youths came from around the bend. One was a boy, dressed light for beach weather with shorts and shirt, plus an unbuttoned black-and-white jacket and messy blonde hair trailing out behind him.
The jacket was inscribed with... the eyes said senseless scribbles at first, but would not likely linger for long before they were drawn up to his face, where one brown eye was lighter than it should've been, and just below that ran a scar on his cheek, trailing up to that eye. Some sort of crime? He marched forward like a police officer close to their quarry, eyes down at his phone, reading something.
Once he came close, his jacket became more clear. The black and white lines were... something. When eyes strayed too close, they ended, they began, they vortexed, they swirled, they bled into each other like an untrained choir, converging here and there in eddies of black then splitting outward into dotted pockets of white— an eye there, a curly ear, a... no, no, that ear was a nose, wasn't it? Gazing upon it was like being out in the waters on a stormy day, where riptides and waves surged and whipped about, head above for a moment, then down, down, down until the current turned and kicked one back up, gasping for air.

All the while, there was only the black, turgid water.

Still, it was made by a human hand. There was enough order in the chaos to indicate that the boy wearing it, or at least whoever he bought it from, knew their way around a pen, not that the scowl on his mouth made him all that appealing to approach. His eyes, though, betrayed that he was enjoying something.
Was it the girl on his arm? She looked content enough, trying to hug it close, him pulling it away, charade repeating like some sort of awkward duet where only she wanted to perform. Compared to him, her white, brown-frilled dress didn't seem quite as practical as short-and-shirt, but it wasn't anything extravagant. A bag hung at her side, and a few plastic-wrapped white sticks poked out of it.
When her green eyes caught the children, she leaned close to her lad. "Schneider, honey—"
"Oi, don't call me that." He sidestepped away, towards the sea, and she stopped walking. "Especially not in front of people."
"Come on, Schneidy—"

"And no pet names either." In spite of his frown, his eyes showed his amusement. "We already get enough mischief at home with this, you know."
"Thought you were one for good memories and all that mushy-mushy?" Her hand reached into the bag and unwrapped a candy-cane-colored lollipop, which she bit into. "Funny stuff and funny adventures that you can look back on— those sorts of things?"
"Well." He stepped forward. "I can't be the 'funny' for everything you do. After all, I'm sure you can find some other guy here to bother who'd be just as interesting. as me." His glance backward paused at sight of Joshua's sketching, but he said nothing, and turned to the girl he entered with.
"Well, the revenge-obsessed artist who drew his own jacket..." She smirked, and tapped his chin with an unbitten edge of lollipop. "And figured a trip abroad would be another clue is interesting enough."
His hand lifted up and brushed against his cheek scar.
His expression remained the same half-and-half.

Joshua sketched away, he wasn't going for super detailed, it wouldn't be long before his aunt or sister nagged him to hurry up so it was a quick and simple sketch but with so many ships, how could he not and how could Rosette's imagination not also put a story to his drawing? "Perhaps this ship carried some kind of witch, a witch saught by all the great crowns of the world..."

"See..." Elly got up behind them "Rosie, dear, you have a natural talent of making up flights of fancy. Imagine what you could do if you continue your education into ---"

Her train of thought was rather interrupted because a rather noisy couple seemed to come up from nearby, well guess it is a public dock but still....No sense getting annoyed as Joshua closed up his sketch book to swivel around to see the new couple arriving, chatting, talking, bantering but something stood out to him, one his jacket, two the fact the word artist came up and third, well his rather unusual appearance. The girl hanging on his arm, maybe a girlfriend or wife? Neither really knew but neither had a reason to be afraid either, the trip here was scary enough, (well scary for Elly maybe, not for them) "Heeey" Joshua went over to admire his jacket. "Pretty wild looking jacket you got. You make this? Sorry think I heard the ma'am here say something you were an artist or something?"

"Joshua, don't be rude" His sister reminded him, again, Rosette was technically older by 25 minutes so she took it upon herself to be a big sister to Joshua and their younger siblings back home as well. They weren't the oldest nor youngest, you can see why they were the way they were.

"Oh sorry. Pleased to meet you, I'm Joshua, you can call me Josh if you like. This is my sister, Rosette."

Rosette grabbed the hem of her dress and gave a curtsy to the couple.

by **Brettenwald** » Fri Nov 26, 2021 10:24 pm

"I went for a digital detox for two and a bit weeks," Helena said with a smile. "Read a ton, wrote some stuff, did yoga, worked out, meditated, didn't work on a tan too much- after I sunburned through 100 SPF sunscreen I came to the conclusion I'm just genetically unsuited for existence anywhere south of the Tropic of Cancer." Meyhan popped her water battle open and took a swig. "All I did was get seasick," she chimed in a second later, stuffing the bottle in Helena's handbag."Not fun. Don't ask her what she's been up to," she continued, playfully punching Marlena in the shoulder (who immediately turned bright pink.) "Rudi the deckhand doesn't know how good he's got it."

The Crown Princess glared. "Oi, knock it off. You'll have plenty of time to embarrass your cousin later. As you can see, I've got a lot of cat herding to do on this trip," she said, giving Lucia a wry smile. "Any particular plans for the day?"

Ridderli wrote:Sunna Fischli.
The cute lad seemed to like it, which of course made the stall-worker smile.
He pulled out a device. “We do accept credit cards – saves a lot on the calculating time.”, he said and then turned to Julia – considering, that she was next in line and indecisive, and the guy would pay for a stranger, he decided to advice her: “Your friend seems to like the Pfeilfischbrötchen and they are a good introduction to our fast food.” He leaned over. “And not too expensive, if you don't mind me adding that.”
I snorted and grinned at the lad, then raised my own breadroll as if I did a toast.
Then I took a bite.

Western Fardelshufflestein wrote:Julia

"One Pfeilfischbrötchen, please," Julia requested, the German word rolling effortlessly off her tongue. She was a fan of seafood, and one could not go wrong with a sandwich, especially one that was a local staple.

After she had paid and received her Pfeilfischbrötchen, she meandered toward the boy that had been in front of her. He seemed around her age, and, if she retained social skills even half a standard deviation above those of her mother and father, should would succeed in having a conversation with him--after she tried the Pfeilfischbrötchen, of course.

The Pfeilfischbrötchen was, despite its distinctly un-breakfast-like composition, delectable: soft bread with a crunchy, flaky shell perfectly complementing the vinegary pickles and onions that were nested within the roll. The fish, hearty and sweetened by the clear waters surrounding Ridderli, tasted more pure than Icelandic cod or fish from home, as though the flesh had the currents themselves captured within.

Julia did not express her reaction in such a ladylike manner. On the contrary, she let out a strangled "O mein Gott!" as soon as she absorbed the flavors. Upon swallowing, she coughed a bit, exclaimed, "This is amazing!" in Fardelshufflesteinian.

As she took another voracious bite, she caught the water-blue eyes of the other boy, who had his Pfeilfischbrötchen in hand. He had almost certainly observed her tearing into the sandwich like a complete barbarian. "Uh. Got a tad excited, I guess," she admitted lamely after the second bite had been sufficiently savored.

Ridderli wrote:Sunna Fischli.
The guy working the stall got more and more customers by the minute, including a pretty tall woman and her companion (I would have placed them into the direction of Auwalt, Teressien, maybe even Pittenmark, not whatever Americania was). He did his best to serve them all quickly.
Luckily, a second line was opened pretty early, a colleague of his stepping up.
One could pay in cash or via card – and thanks to COVID, card was preferred.
The lass, who got her Pfeilfischbötchen gifted to her by the cute lad, seemed quite excited about it and I could get behind that. They were delicious.
No matter if they switched the line or not, the tall woman and the one besides her soon would receive theirs and would be free to try it.
I took a bite out of mine and waved in their general direction, but it was not at them, but at a young woman of my age standing behind them: She was eighteen as well, an athlete, her short, purple hair a messy bob, her yellow eyes sparkling as she saw me.
“Morning, Heda!”, I called in Teressian.

Elia gave Sunna a toast in kind and Julia a cheerfully disarming smile, stifling a laugh at her... enthusiasm was the best word for it. "No worries, trust me," he replied. "I guess that makes two of us who had hardly anything for breakfast. It's definitely not something I'd normally order at this time of day, but when you only eat enough to get you through customs in half an hour and it ends up taking more than twice that I suppose you can't be picky." Another bite of his sandwich. The old Elia would have been considerably less self-assured around one cute girl, let alone two if you counted Sunna's presence despite the relative distance between her and himself & Julia- but for better or for worse the old Elia was finished. The new Elia stood up straighter, dressed better, made more eye contact, had started working out even more, and most importantly felt better on the inside. The only downside was having to keep a nuclear secret, but it wasn't that difficult. "Oh, by the way my dad's His Majesty the Emperor" wasn't exactly going to slip out in casual conversation.

"You don't sound like a local, but I can't place your accent anywhere besides not here. I'm Elia, by the way. Elia Roän," he said, extending a friendly hand.

Sigrid's attention, for she usually had her head on a swivel, was suddenly diverted by Jesús' absence. A second's search led her to a ways down the dock and some chubby boy in a T-shirt and board shorts, and she mentally facepalmed.

Ansseth's balls. I knew they were paranoid about security, but he's just some random kid with nothing better to do. Now, how do I tell this guy to shove it without starting an international incident?

She excused herself quietly and steeled herself for either awkwardness or a heated argument, semi-casually sauntering over and clearing her throat to say "I hope you're not seriously considering this kid a security risk" in a slightly more they-don't-pay-me-enough-to-put-up-with-this-shit tone of voice than she'd intended. "If you are you're a damn good actor," she jokingly added with a smile at Al. "Though I have to warn you that if you try anything, figuring out whether to send the hospital bills to his government or mine afterwards is your problem."

by **Polish Prussian Commonwealth** » Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:37 pm

Sep bowed 'his' head a little. "You are correct, madam." 'he' replied. "Orzeł-class submarine, Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Sęp. At your service."
Vivian nodded in response to Marcharnnau's question. "Aye, that I am. Kennebec-class oiler MV Patuxent, formerly United States Ship Patuxent." She smiled. "But all that's a mouthful. So you can call me Vivian!"
Xaiver took off his hat and bowed a little, but did no speak. A few men from both noticed Marcharnnau's odd features, but for the most part went on with their day, although a few lingered with their skipper and watched on in curiosity.

by **Hispania Major** » Mon Nov 29, 2021 1:43 am

Lucía couldn't help but snicker a bit at Meyhan's comment, but quickly composed herself. Ari, on the other hand, remained oblivious to the banter—her command of English was barely sufficient to make out what the trio were saying, let alone decipher the suggestive undertones in that statement. She simply smiled and nodded as though she were following along, when actually she was clueless.

What followed was Helena giving Meyhan a little telling-off, then asking Lucía what her plans were for the day. "Let's check out some boats, shall we?" she suggested, gazing at the line of docked vessels. Each one was unique, but one in particular caught her eye. She was a classic side-wheel paddle steamer, the Yuzu as her name would turn out to be, and she quite reminded Lucía of her father's previous yacht: the original Corona, herself a paddle steamer, built in the 1860s for Emperor Esteban III and still in active commission.

The first Imperial Yacht had quite the impressive history. Initially designed as a sailing paddle steamer with 10 knots at full steam and sail, the Corona was upgraded with an additional screw propeller in the 1920s, bringing her top speed to 15 knots. She was also the first Spanish ship to be fitted with the latest luxuries and safety features, such as electric lighting and radio. She underwent a second major upgrade in the 1970s, in which her boilers were converted from coal to oil, and she received a new set of engines, giving her another speed increase to 18 knots. She was also given an armament of machine-guns as a supplement to her ceremonial 14-pounder cannons, which although imposing in appearance, were unwieldy and useless against modern threats, like AK-toting pirates in speedboats. And despite all those innovations, she still kept her original paddle-wheels and sails—a perfectly fitting representation of the Spanish Empire's approach to progress and tradition: don't blindly follow either path, but take what's best from both sides, the latest-and-greatest and the tried-and-true.

Anyway, enough about that ship. It was time to see this one.

"How about that one over there?" Lucía asked, pointing in the direction of the Yuzu. "She looks a lot like my Dad's old boat. I bet she's got just as many stories to tell."

Meanwhile, Gloria decided to call Jesús back from his conversation with Al (and now Sigrid). "¡Vamos!", she beckoned to him. Let's go!

Western Fardelshufflestein wrote:Al was completely inside his own head, thinking about how clear the air was and how he was thrilled to not have any homework, when someone approached him. He came in the direction of where the ships were, though Al hadn't been paying attention and knew not which one. He hoped 'twas the Corona II. So he fixed his posture rather hastily and lifted his chin, though he appeared far from regal in his casual getup, and decided he would tell this man his name was Steve.

"How has your morning been, my friend?" began the man in a way that made Al wonder if he was a stalker. Predators of that nature were not a huge problem in WF, but they did exist, and he'd been told to be wary of one. He started to suspect this was because Dad spent four years in the States when he found out his friends at school had never received such warning, though it may have had something to do with their being royalty.

When Al didn't answer right away, the man continued, "You look a little down. Are you lost?"

"No," Al responded. It took him half a second to orient himself to English. He spoke it well enough, but he was not fluent by any means. "I'm just thinking. About ships and things." He shrugged and started to pull away from the man, but he was not sure his action would work.

Brettenwald wrote:Sigrid's attention, for she usually had her head on a swivel, was suddenly diverted by Jesús' absence. A second's search led her to a ways down the dock and some chubby boy in a T-shirt and board shorts, and she mentally facepalmed.

Ansseth's balls. I knew they were paranoid about security, but he's just some random kid with nothing better to do. Now, how do I tell this guy to shove it without starting an international incident?

She excused herself quietly and steeled herself for either awkwardness or a heated argument, semi-casually sauntering over and clearing her throat to say "I hope you're not seriously considering this kid a security risk" in a slightly more they-don't-pay-me-enough-to-put-up-with-this-shit tone of voice than she'd intended. "If you are you're a damn good actor," she jokingly added with a smile at Al. "Though I have to warn you that if you try anything, figuring out whether to send the hospital bills to his government or mine afterwards is your problem."

"Well then, have a nice day my friend," replied Jesús to Al, then he left the boy to carry on with his day.

As he was about to walk away, another person approached—this was the same woman who had accompanied Helena's group off their boat. Jesús wondered if she was also an undercover bodyguard. Not too surprising, since Helena was the heir of the Emperor of Brettenwald, basically their equivalent of the Princess of Asturias. His prediction was confirmed when Sigrid brought up the topic of security, which he himself had avoided until now. "Sí, I know what you're thinking," he said to her. "But can't be too trusting, you know?"

Before Jesús could say more, Gloria called him back—the Princess was about to go exploring the ships in the harbor, and he'd have to accompany her. "Please excuse me, señora," he told Sigrid. "I have to go."

by **Tangatarehua** » Tue Nov 30, 2021 4:16 am

Te Ikanui

"I'm so bored!" Groaned Moana as she theatrically threw herself into a large beanbag at the corner of her parents' cabin, trying to get them to look up and pay her some attention. "Why couldn't we have taken the jet to Broodeheim?"

"It's a harbour festival, not an aviation festival," Her father, E te Toa Kahurangi Roimata, said flatly without looking up. "Besides we're here to provide a bit of extra thrust to Te Waka Taua."

Moana glanced out the window, seeing the ancient sailing ship's wooden red hull glistening not far behind them, resplendent with carvings of ancient deities and demons designed to scare off any vessel that happened to cross its path.

The ancient waka had been restored to such an extent that almost none of the original wood remained, making it something of a ship of Theseus, but nevertheless one could sense even today the same feelings of grandeur mixed with terror that would have no doubt been felt by the 18th century mariners unfortunate enough to stumble upon it whilst sojourning the southern seas.

In the 18th century Tangatarehua had been known as the scourge of the southern seas - a nation whose pirates were indistinguishable from the imperial navy and whose brutality was known and feared far and wide. Most European ships who sighted Te Waka Taua, with its terrifying painted Taniwha face and gruesome carvings of sharp teeth, knew that it was a sign of near-certain death. Worse yet it also signified a high likelihood of death by cannibalism, for Rehuan pirates traditionally boarded other ships seeking not gold or treasure, but flesh. Legend had it that the ship was originally painted red using the blood of those who its crew would take aboard for slaughter.

Modern Tangatarehua was, thankfully, far removed from being such a presence in the oceans and today the ship that once engendered so much fear was merely a floating museum that harkened back to a day when the nation was respected entirely through being feared.

The historical significance of the ship unfortunately provided no cure for Moana Roimata's boredom. When she had envisioned taking a cruise on the family yacht to the faraway nation of Ridderli, she had imagined fun, sun and parties. She hadn't quite prepared for several weeks at sea with no internet.

"I can't even Instagram this!" She moaned. "And even if I could... it's just water. How many photos of water can you take? This is so boring!"

"We're not far away now," Said her mother, Whina. "Now have you been practicing your English? This isn't a school field trip, if you can't speak English with the locals you're going to have a dull time ahead of you."

"It's fine, I do speak English! I spend enough time on the internet... everyone speaks English on the internet."

"I appreciate your boredom and I know it's nearly your birthday, but you will be an adult in a few days," Kahurangi said, finally looking up from the thick tome he had brought with him for entertainment. "And I have to say your attitude is rather unbecoming of someone of your status let alone your age."

"What? I'm just saying I'm -"

"Need I remind you that we are a family of Toa. And not only that we are, if not officially, representing the nation and the Empress. Our conduct must be honourable and disciplined."

"Oh god..." Moana rolled her eyes.

"When I your age I'd already fought for two years in the war. We had no internet back then and certainly none of the privileges you enjoy today."

"Okay dad, I get it. Life was different in the old days," She glanced out the window at Te Waka Taua and giggled. "Hey dad, was that your boat during the war?"

Kahurangi's face, heavily decorated with Ta Moko, remained perfectly static.

"I'm just trying to explain to you that nobility is not a privilege, it's a responsibility. If you are a Toa, you are obligated to act accordingly. Your childish whining is not -"

"Holy shit!" Moana gasped, totally ignoring her father and jumping to the other side of the cabin. "There's land! We've arrived!"

Kahurangi arched an eyebrow and allowed his eyes to flicker momentarily out the window. "So we have. Welcome to Broodeheim. Best get your passports ready."

Unlike the scores of other travellers who were coming to escape the winter, the Roimati family were here to escape the summer. While their hometown of Kaiika boasted a similarly tropical climate, summer meant the rainy season - cyclones, monsoons and oppressive heat and humidity that they'd much rather be away from.

"Are the preparations complete for the Powhiri?" Whina asked her husband.

"Yes," He said. "Although we may have to adjust the ceremony to account for the COVID-19 outbreak. Ridderli still have it in the community so a hongi probably isn't going to be appropriate, even with masks."

"We're doing a powhiri? Won't that scare the locals?" Asked Moana.

"Yes of course we're doing a powhiri. We'll be doing it first thing tomorrow morning and I expect you to be there," Said Kahurangi. "And in the name of the Empress please dress appropriately! I'm not having the daughter of a Toa standing there in western clothing, thank you very much."

"Whatever," Said Moana. "But after the powhiri I'm gonna go and chill with the locals. I don't want you two killing my vibe while I'm here."

For the first time, Kahurangi cracked a smile. "We'll see about that. Your old man can be fun once the rum and whiskey starts flowing, just you wait..."

by **Ridderli** » Wed Dec 01, 2021 7:26 am

Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan.
Gerald woke me up gently, the smell of coffee sneaked into my nose and did its job: Liberica coffee was something very delicious, something, which I only enjoyed when I was with Gerald. I did not take long to rise, fix my strap and wipe the small bit of drool off of my cheek, hopefully without him noticing the latter. I folded my legs under myself and the two of us had breakfast.
It took me a few bites until I broached into the subject I wanted to talk about with Gerald.
“So...”, I began and then thought: Here goes nothing. “I will graduate next year. I have a job offer already, too, the Institute for Veterinary Medicine and Research in the Islands in Traverse.” I let a beat pass to let the word Traverse sink in. I would move into 'his' city. I took a sip of the delicious coffee. “So I was thinking of taking the two of us a step further... wanna take a flat together?”

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Speicherstadt.
“Oh, shouldn't we all?”, I responded, chuckling myself, “I swear, each of my crewmembers has centuries behind himself or herself, but sometimes, they are like pups...”
I exhaled.
“She is a beautiful ship, the Diamond, I mean.”, I complimented, “Though, while I would love to take a ride on her, she has too few sails for me. I am a classical lass.” I shrugged with a grin. “So, no Captainship on the Diamond or her sisters, at least not for me.”

Lien Sunnewirbele.
I looked to Aaltje and Jette, who both nodded.
“We don't object against you coming with us, Uzume.”, I said with a smile, “Quite on the contrary, the more the merrier, I'd say!” I motioned for everyone to follow me. “Come along, I'll show you a nice place for ice cream!”
I began to lead them away towards a place I knew, with a nice look over the Promenade.
Behind me, Jette walked next to Uzume and grinned at her – I heard her grin.
“Don't worry, Uzume. We're both in the shadow of more famous relatives, but the important part of acting is not the fame or glory, but the fun. Especially when you play in a movie by the name of Todeswolpertinger.” She shrugged. “At least, it's that way for me. I am actually an apprentice restaurateur.”

Ezhara wrote:They continued passing by ship after ship, and Jacob focused on the patterns in wooden vessels and paint in the more modern sorts. If he had any naval experience or curiosity, he didn't look the part, not with his pale, flimsy build. It looked like a stiff breeze would have sent him sprawled onto the floor, but nonetheless, he had some eye for ships.
He paused as he came to the Yuzu, and he looked at his father. An unspoken conversation elapsed between them, and Daniel looked towards Yuzu. "Pardon me," he said, glancing at the caracal. "This boat wouldn't happen to be open for a tour, would it?" Another twitch of the eyes back at the caracal, but he said nothing further about it.

AHSCA wrote:For Captain Aina, with Yuzu running a impromptu tour and nothing much else to do, it allowed her to sort of relax a bit. Hard to do that on the open seas when there's always so much to do but now a momentary bit of quiet, but a bit of loneliness without her dear companion. Well oh well, like Yuzu said they had plenty of time together and The Yuzu (the ship) was here to be apart of a demonstration of AHSCA's culture. For the greater good, right? Pulling out a collapsible pipe and giving it a light she inhaled and puffed out a deep puff of smoke. It was nice to take in the scenery and harbor sights and sounds a bit, but duty soon called when a couple of men approached which she gave a hello and salutaitons. "Pardon me," he said, glancing at the caracal. "This boat wouldn't happen to be open for a tour, would it?"

"Oh, yeah. In fact my junior Sailor just took on our first tourist of the day if you'd like to join her, otherwise I'd be glad to show you around." Well it'd look kind of bad if she didn't. "I'm Captain Indou, Captain of this vessel." It was up to them if they'd like the Captain to show them or go with Yuzu who was leading a tour now for anyone gathering and interested, didn't matter if they wandered in, this was their first tour.

Yuzu, (the person) never wavered in her smile, in fact it beamed higher when Fai Koshisha, mentioned she heard the name and recognized the flag. AHSCA was not big, powerful or influential so just people knowing her homeland was enough for her. For Fai, it was due to some recent events with the Sultanate of Kyrenaia as for Yuzu, she'd been out of the country at sea for the past few months so recent events had largely passed her by.

"I'd be delighted to share! She's a paddle wheel steamer with sail auxiliary, you might think she was built in the past but nope, only about a decade ago! Well you see, Islanders are more fond of sea travel than air, and we've always loved the classical design of ships of the past so we continue to model our civil ships in that style. Given modern cruisers are more like floating hotels than ships, they wouldn't do well for us as a people. Anyway, the Yuzu took on her maiden voyage in 2012, from AHSCA to Lamoni, carrying a full load of passengers and for that it was a successful voyage. Her Captain, that is the good Captain you just met a moment ago has been her Captain since her launch, her first command. Her voyages for the next five years were the same, being able to take on longer hauls as she became more and more broken in. In 2017 though truly one of the most unusual situations would occur as an otherwise routine voyage to Mokastana became a real fight for survival. The weather turned out to be worse than expected and many fell deathly ill, not from sea sickness but an actual outbreak of sickness. If you can imagine anything worse happening well pirates also got involved as she came under active fire!" She cleared her thoat, it wasn't that difficult to talk about but this part always was, "I was a passenger aboard her that voyage. And well...I'm also patient zero. I was unfortunately the one who brought the sickness aboard, without realizing it. I survived but not without lasting damage to my own body. The ship too suffered damage between the storm and everything else and was dry-docked for extensive repairs for a while. Now she's back on her feet, now I serve aboard as a member of her crew, with the same Captain who got us to a safe harbor." Her cheeks glowed, "The Captain saved my life. And the lives of many others that night. I'm honored to be apart of her crew. Ahem. Now we begin a new chapter in her history, her first voyage to Ridderli for a festival of ships!"

Fai Koshisha.
Jacob's nervousness around Suniku made me smile, while the Caracal was unpertubed.
I smiled at him, Don't worry, he's well behaved, then turned to Yuzu, who ran down her whole spiel, told me about her engineering. She was actually reasonably new, not a museum vessel – and still built in the outdated style of a paddle wheel steamer.
There were more efficient ways of building ships nowadays, but I understood, how important the former ways and antiquated methods were. I myself was living proof, but that was a different story, more importantly, her 2017 voyage to Mokastana had been quite eventful: Storms, sickness and pirates... one wondered, if the Gods of the Islanders had their mind set on destroying the little vessel for a perceived sleight.
The girl was also quite optimistic, having been aboard that voyage and now serving in her crew – a nice story. I applauded by the end.
“A wonderful story and quite an eventful history, which this ship had already.”, I said and nodded. “Though, one question... engines. How is this vessel powered? Aside from the sails, of course.”

Miu Fuwa.
I nodded and looked at my sister: “Minai, lead the way!”
My little sister nodded and, in her silent and cute voice, she said with a polite bow: “Please follow me.”
The Weasels took the Gram-Kids in without an issue, sweeping them away in a wave with us on their heels. The dozen of children led by my sister went towards the Ninai and Siegbald held contact with them, I walked along with Katy and her husband.
In no time we reached the pier with our tender, the post at the lower end of the gangplank waited until he allowed the kids aboard and the excited chatting of the kids had drawn a bit of attention from those of us, who had things to do aboard the ship. One of them was a tall woman with bovine ears, horns and... shall we say... 'ballast tanks'.
She smiled, her long, brown hair fluttering in the wind.
I waved at her, she waved back and moved to the top of the gangplank, where she received us with a bow. Minai greeted her with a respectful bow, Nela and some of the Weasels following suit with a small bit of hesitation.
The woman bowed her head as well, then spoke in English: “Hello, children. What leads you aboard my decks?”
“Hello, Miss Ninai.”, Minai greeted, “We need two school uniforms for these two.” She indicated to Cordelia and Ophelia. “Do you have some in storage by coincidence?”
Ninai nodded. “Sure, we have some of your size. And for you others, too, if you want.”
“Really?”, Nela said with a surprised cheer, turned to her older brother, “Can I, Siegbald?”
“Sure, go ahead.”, he said and smiled, “We adults wait on the deck while you get changed, kids. Miss Ninai... I'll leave the Beavers in your capable hands.”
He even indicated a small bow.
Ninai returned the gesture in kind. “Please wait on the forecastle. We'll return in a few minutes.” She looked at the dozen of children. “Please follow me, everyone.”
I looked at us adults. “Come, I'll show you where we'll wait.”

Polish Prussian Commonwealth wrote:Sep bowed 'his' head a little. "You are correct, madam." 'he' replied. "Orzeł-class submarine, Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Sęp. At your service."
Vivian nodded in response to Marcharnnau's question. "Aye, that I am. Kennebec-class oiler MV Patuxent, formerly United States Ship Patuxent." She smiled. "But all that's a mouthful. So you can call me Vivian!"
Xaiver took off his hat and bowed a little, but did no speak. A few men from both noticed Marcharnnau's odd features, but for the most part went on with their day, although a few lingered with their skipper and watched on in curiosity.

“It is my pleasure, Sep and Vivian.”, Marcharnnau replied with a small bow of her own. She was well aware, that her features drew some attention – not only those two features but her horns and pointy ears as well. She did not mind, but if someone would want a photo, she would appreciate being asked. “Please, call me Morgane. It's the name I go by when I am incognito, so to speak.”
She let a beat pass.
“I know, that some of our kind are around today and I invited some for an early morning cup of tea, or coffee, if you are so inclined. Would you two want to join us?”, she offered with a small smile, then turned to Xavier. “You are of course invited as well, Mister... my apologies, but I am afraid, that I didn't catch your name, Sir.”

Tangatarehua wrote:
Te Ikanui

"I'm so bored!" Groaned Moana as she theatrically threw herself into a large beanbag at the corner of her parents' cabin, trying to get them to look up and pay her some attention. "Why couldn't we have taken the jet to Broodeheim?"

"It's a harbour festival, not an aviation festival," Her father, E te Toa Kahurangi Roimata, said flatly without looking up. "Besides we're here to provide a bit of extra thrust to Te Waka Taua."

Moana glanced out the window, seeing the ancient sailing ship's wooden red hull glistening not far behind them, resplendent with carvings of ancient deities and demons designed to scare off any vessel that happened to cross its path.

The ancient waka had been restored to such an extent that almost none of the original wood remained, making it something of a ship of Theseus, but nevertheless one could sense even today the same feelings of grandeur mixed with terror that would have no doubt been felt by the 18th century mariners unfortunate enough to stumble upon it whilst sojourning the southern seas.

In the 18th century Tangatarehua had been known as the scourge of the southern seas - a nation whose pirates were indistinguishable from the imperial navy and whose brutality was known and feared far and wide. Most European ships who sighted Te Waka Taua, with its terrifying painted Taniwha face and gruesome carvings of sharp teeth, knew that it was a sign of near-certain death. Worse yet it also signified a high likelihood of death by cannibalism, for Rehuan pirates traditionally boarded other ships seeking not gold or treasure, but flesh. Legend had it that the ship was originally painted red using the blood of those who its crew would take aboard for slaughter.

Modern Tangatarehua was, thankfully, far removed from being such a presence in the oceans and today the ship that once engendered so much fear was merely a floating museum that harkened back to a day when the nation was respected entirely through being feared.

The historical significance of the ship unfortunately provided no cure for Moana Roimata's boredom. When she had envisioned taking a cruise on the family yacht to the faraway nation of Ridderli, she had imagined fun, sun and parties. She hadn't quite prepared for several weeks at sea with no internet.

"I can't even Instagram this!" She moaned. "And even if I could... it's just water. How many photos of water can you take? This is so boring!"

"We're not far away now," Said her mother, Whina. "Now have you been practicing your English? This isn't a school field trip, if you can't speak English with the locals you're going to have a dull time ahead of you."

"It's fine, I do speak English! I spend enough time on the internet... everyone speaks English on the internet."

"I appreciate your boredom and I know it's nearly your birthday, but you will be an adult in a few days," Kahurangi said, finally looking up from the thick tome he had brought with him for entertainment. "And I have to say your attitude is rather unbecoming of someone of your status let alone your age."

"What? I'm just saying I'm -"

"Need I remind you that we are a family of Toa. And not only that we are, if not officially, representing the nation and the Empress. Our conduct must be honourable and disciplined."

"Oh god..." Moana rolled her eyes.

"When I your age I'd already fought for two years in the war. We had no internet back then and certainly none of the privileges you enjoy today."

"Okay dad, I get it. Life was different in the old days," She glanced out the window at Te Waka Taua and giggled. "Hey dad, was that your boat during the war?"

Kahurangi's face, heavily decorated with Ta Moko, remained perfectly static.

"I'm just trying to explain to you that nobility is not a privilege, it's a responsibility. If you are a Toa, you are obligated to act accordingly. Your childish whining is not -"

"Holy shit!" Moana gasped, totally ignoring her father and jumping to the other side of the cabin. "There's land! We've arrived!"

Kahurangi arched an eyebrow and allowed his eyes to flicker momentarily out the window. "So we have. Welcome to Broodeheim. Best get your passports ready."

Unlike the scores of other travellers who were coming to escape the winter, the Roimati family were here to escape the summer. While their hometown of Kaiika boasted a similarly tropical climate, summer meant the rainy season - cyclones, monsoons and oppressive heat and humidity that they'd much rather be away from.

"Are the preparations complete for the Powhiri?" Whina asked her husband.

"Yes," He said. "Although we may have to adjust the ceremony to account for the COVID-19 outbreak. Ridderli still have it in the community so a hongi probably isn't going to be appropriate, even with masks."

"We're doing a powhiri? Won't that scare the locals?" Asked Moana.

"Yes of course we're doing a powhiri. We'll be doing it first thing tomorrow morning and I expect you to be there," Said Kahurangi. "And in the name of the Empress please dress appropriately! I'm not having the daughter of a Toa standing there in western clothing, thank you very much."

"Whatever," Said Moana. "But after the powhiri I'm gonna go and chill with the locals. I don't want you two killing my vibe while I'm here."

For the first time, Kahurangi cracked a smile. "We'll see about that. Your old man can be fun once the rum and whiskey starts flowing, just you wait..."

Nela Rood.
The harbour had received the Baron, his family and the two ships, the TIS Te Waka Taua and the Te Ikanui the evening before. Especially the former with its painted hull had drawn some impressed looks (less afraid, but such decorations were unusual around these parts). Of course, we had received word about the Waka's status as tapu, forbidden for the uninitiated, and had even posted a guard of the police at the pier overnight to underline how important that was for us.
Now, after the evening, which had seen me attend the great dinner aboard the Isbert the night before (I was not sure if the Baron and his family had been there, but I had not spotted them), and the night, it was morning – and that meant, that the status as tapu would be lifted in a ceremony, a powhiri.
I would attend, both as mayor of Broodeheim and as someone, who was a curious kitten. And I was not the only one, by the looks of things. The area for the ceremony was kept free, a few press photographers and a movie camera were set up, many people were here to watch.
I had, from a quick search on the net, found out, that we might not be able to do the whole thing, the traditional greeting of bringing the foreheads together would not be possible – COVID was a bitch. But I looked forward to watching the rest of the ceremony.
I even had a nice spot, right in the centre, flanked by the Head of the City Council, Alrich Raata, an older gentleman with greying hair, and Schiffsmeyster Alrich Hert, the Captain of the RRS Kurasch, a high ranking naval officer from the naval station a bit out of town. He wore, of course, blue dress.
I smiled as we were waiting for the ceremony to begin – the whole crowd was curious. I doubted, that they'd be afraid by the end of it.

by **Tangatarehua** » Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:51 pm

"I can't believe you're making me wear this..." Moana moaned as Whina helped her into her kahu hururhuru, traditional feather cloak. "Why can't I just, you know, dress normal?"

"Thank yourself lucky I don't make you wear your piupiu," Snapped Kahurangi who had himself swapped his tailored dark suit and top hat for his ceremonial korowai. "Of course in the west it's considered taboo for women to expose their breasts so out of respect for our hosts..."

"I'm not even part of the ceremony though!"

"You are the daughter of a Toa and never forget it," Said Kahurangi. "The fact you even own a kahu huruhuru should be a source of great pride and honour... they don't make these for commoners you know."

"I'm not surprised," Said Moana, looking herself over in the mirror as she placed a flower in her hair. "No commoner would buy one! They're so itchy..."

"It's just a short ceremony. Once it's over you're free to do whatever you want." Said Whina, who was by now dressed almost identically to her daughter.

"We'd probably best check on the others," Said Kahurangi, making his way down the gangway of the Ikanui and heading toward the Waka Taua, outside of which was a police guard and a growing crowd of curious onlookers. "A police guard? That is exceptionally kind of them. I must thank the mayor in person."

"Come on!" Said Whina to Moana.

"Everyone's gonna stare at me..." Said Moana. "I feel like a freak. We're just a curiosity to these people."

Moana stood with her mother aboard the Waka Taua on a deck at the back, well behind the action while her father made last minute preparations, co-ordinating the crew and the warriors for the Powhiri ceremony.

Once it reached 9am, and upon spotting the Mayor and her cohorts front and centre of the gathering crowd her gave the nod to Nanaia, the kaikaranga (female caller) to begin the Powhiri before joining his family on the deck at the back.

One of the crew members, now dressed in a piupiu (flax skirt) raised his pukaea (war trumpet) to his lips and began to blow, emanating a long, loud horn sound that echoed and reverberated around the harbour.

After several long, loud blows at a volume that almost rivalled some of the modern ship horns and guaranteeing the attention of anyone nearby, Nanaia began to slowly walk down the gang way toward the gathered dignitaries, loudly crying and singing the words "Haere Mai" meaning "Welcome", again wailing at such an operatic volume that her voice seemed to echo off nearby buildings and ships.

"Nanaia sure has a good pair of lungs on her, doesn't she..." Moana murmured to her mother.

"She's the best, that's why we brought her along." Said Whina.

Nanaia stepped onto the wharf and veered slightly to the left leaving the three warriors to stand directly in front of the Mayor, separated only by a few metres.

The warriors, clutching their taiaha (spears) threateningly began to perform a haka (war dance) featuring deep, loud guttural noises that drowned out the sound of Nanaia's wailing.

At the back Kahurangi watched with wry amusement the confused and occasionally frightened looks of a handful of onlookers, who no doubt were totally unfamiliar with this experience and at the back of their mind may have been wondering if they were about to be eaten.

Finally, the lead warrior knelt in front of Nela, placing a small carving wrapped in a leaf on the ground before and then stepping backward to see whether or not she would take it.

As the tradition went, taking the rautapu meant accepting an offering of peace and proving that the guests were not afraid and were thus worthy of entering the war ship.

Once the ceremony was over, Kahurangi made a beeline for Nela, eschewing the traditional hongi instead for a handshake and inviting her aboard the vessel along with the other guests of honour.

"I am deeply honoured to receive you," He said in perfect, if slightly clipped, English. "And thank you very much for your hospitality and understanding. If you'll allow, I'd like to give you the grand tour before we open up to the general public."

by **New Visayan Islands** » Thu Dec 02, 2021 7:06 am

Gerald Vicente
Eternal Will

So there was something on her mind, Gerald thought, keeping a knowing look on his face. It was, for want of a better word, cute to see Amy wipe her cheek; a little drool wasn't something he was unfamiliar with when dozing off. The breakfast helped, and her idea of the two of them sharing an apartment in Traverse was something that surprised a small part of him. Sure, the devout Baptist in him had at least several reasons to object, but there was no denying that Gerald Vicente loved her that much, and if Amy Ramallae of the Tribe of Monaghan was the godsend to his life--no, she was indeed that, he corrected himself--He would certainly understand.
Gerald already had an apartment in Traverse, and standing down from the shelter-in-place order did mean he took as much effort in cleaning house as he could; it would be no issue for him to offer it...but then again, an apartment that was theirs was something else entirely. It would take some time for them to move, but it was worth it.
"It would be a wonderful idea," he replied. "So...what do you have in mind?" he then asked.

Meredith Aguirre
Speicherstadt

"Not that I blame you," Meredith said with a laugh. "There's nothing quite like a ship with sails that evokes a certain je ne sais quoi," she added. Fishing out her company card, she handed it to one of the crewmembers as the trio presented the bill.
"Make sure to keep the receipt. The Bossmen will expect them," she said to the crewmember.

A Harbour for Weary Souls (IC, Open)

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