To court a prince (closed)

[Warhaven]

Pondera touched Carol, and she'd get the feeling she had been forcibly moved, several parsecs to the right.

They were suddenly on the roof, the very top of the palace. Inside the pillar it was easy to see it was simply a normal castle surrounded by an energy field. However, they couldn't see it from inside the energy field.

Music played all around them, they were in their own private ballroom with a gorgeous ceiling. Pondera took her hand, and without any interruptions, anyone to meet, any distractions of any kind, danced with her.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Didn't say a thing, She remained Silent in Amazement as she Dance with Pondera.
She Gazed into His Eyes. She could see why, What she assumed Most was, Most women Here Had Hoped He would choose them.

[Warhaven]

"I don't want it to end, but sooner or later it must. I propose a spell. I cast it, we keep dancing. At some point we suddenly wake up. After a few minutes, we'll remember stopping, going to our rooms, and going to bed. Meanwhile, all we really do is simply keep on dancing." Pondera said.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Sounds Like a plan" Carol said "And a Good one to Boot, Cast away"

[Warhaven]

Pondera cast the spell.

The night wore on, and suddenly with plenty of warning, everything faded to black a few hours later, and Carol woke up.

The wall terminal was blinking, she had messages.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Climbed out of Bed And Stretched All of her Limbs Whilst Yawning, She then Did that Weird Post Yawn Chew That People Do.
She Crossed the room to the wall Terminal To View The Messages
"I Wonder who These are from?" She Wondered Aloud

[Warhaven]

The first was from the system itself.

"Reminder: You have a nine o'clock appointment with King Howard, The Leader."

The second was from The Galactic Mall.

"Your orders are on their way."

The Third was from Emperor Tajen:

"Good news Carol, I hunted down your lost belongings. Their in this message as an attachment. Just accept it, and The Network will automatically convert them back to physical matter from their current energy state. See you at breakfast tomorrow morning."

The fourth was from Pondera:

"Don't forget, we're going flying this afternoon."

The fifth was a live message, which connected directly to the cook.

"Ahh good morning Mademoiselle, and what would ze lady like for her breakfast this morning?"

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Thought For A second
"Got any Space Kippers?" She asked

[Warhaven]

"I'm afraid I haven't heard of those." the cook said with a genuine look of disappointment on his face.

"But we have fresh Space Mambo, caught just last night." the cook said, his expression brightening.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Rubbed her Hands Enthusiastically "Excellent, Space Mambo for Me then"

[Warhaven]

"Excellent, now how would you like it prepared?"

[The Floor Kippers]

"Poached, If you Would Be as Kind to Indulge me" Carol Requested

[Warhaven]

"Very well then, it shall be ready shortly in the family dining room."

The cook disconnected, but there was still Tajen's attachment waiting to be accepted and opened.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Accepted and Opened the Attachment and Her Two Suitcases and A Traveling Trunk Materialised.
She Opened the trunk and Pulled out her Favorite White Dress
"I Knew I Was saving this for A Time When I would Be eating with royalty" She Giggled as she got dressed,.
The Dress Stopped at her Ankles and was Very Victorian in its Styling Up to a Point, Where it Showed More Cleavage than A Victorian Dress would, But was still decent to ware in public
"Now to find the dining room" Carol said to herself as she left the room

[Warhaven]

There were doors and halls. No sign of Lara or anyone else.

There were however, smells. The scent of bacon wafted down the hallway from an open door.

This top floor was more like a personal residence, not a seat of government.

If Carol followed her nose, she would find Cara, Tajen, and Pondera seated around a table, dressed remarkably casually.

Cara was dressed in a simple frock with a floral pattern. Tajen was dressed in a plaid shirt and tan slacks.

Pondera went with a T-shirt and jeans.

"Morning!" All three said unanimously.

Coffee, juice, milk, and a bowl of fruit sat on the table.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Good Morning all" Carol smiled "Am I overdressed for Breakfast?"
She sat At the table and Poured herself some tea

[Warhaven]

"We normally don't get dressed for official business until after our morning breakfast and shower. Unless breakfast is a formal function, then of course we'll put a reminder in the system for you." Cara said.

It was pondera who had bacon, eggs, and sausage for breakfast, next to some hashbrowns, and all smothered in cheese.

Tajen was having some yogurt mixed with granola and fruit.

Cara was having oatmeal, with maple and brown sugar. On the side was a small portion of cottage cheese.

"I have the oddest question." Pondera said suddenly.

"Shoot." Tajen said.

"If it's true you are what you eat, and I happen to have some beef, would that then mean I'm full of bull?" Pondera asked.

Tajen and Cara chuckled.

"I suppose so. You should ask Xos, that'll occupy him for a few days." Tajen said.

"Think of it this way. If you eat a donkey, would that then mean that you're an ass?" Cara asked.

"Maybe. I'd have to make burgers out of them though. Just imagine the business slogan if I sold them though.

'Assburgers, this burger tastes like ass!'." Pondera said.

Cara rolled her eyes.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol Found it Hard to keep a straight face, So She sipped some tea so she could laugh into the cup without spraying tea over everyone
"Oh Thanks for Tracking down my Stuff Emperor, I am Extremely Grateful, Where did you find them?"

[Warhaven]

"Please, just Tajen. For now.

As for where I found them, it's a long and complicated story I don't really have the time for, but appearently they had somehow got transferred to a galaxy far far away, sitting in a depot smack-dab in the middle of the most wretched hive of scum and villainy in the universe.

I'm going there for a vacation next tuesday." Tajen said.

"Like hell you are!" Cara exclaimed.

"Can I go then?" Pondera asked.

"Are you trying to put me in an early grave?" Cara asked.

About that time, a member of staff wheeled in a cart with a large silver platter. The woman picked it up, and set it infront of Carol, lifting the lid off.

Underneath was a steak one foot long, by one foot wide, three inches thick, perfectly poached.

"Ahh, the poached Space Mambo. Good choice." Pondera said instead of answering his mother.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Tajen, Sorry, Not used to being on first Name terms with Emperors and Empresses Yet"
Carol grinned As the Space Mambo was placed in front of her
"Oh Fantastic, I Haven't Had this I Ages"
She began to eat
"Oh By the way, is there somewhere safe where I can do a bit of flying with these?" She Asked Stretching her wings

[Warhaven]

"Well, I don't know how they do things back home, but 'round here, most folks usually use the sky for flying." Tajen said with an air of sarcasm.

"Don't forget, we're going to go flying later, but if you want som practice after your appointment, just step outside. You have a fliers license, vehicles are restricted to tubes.

Aerial speed limits don't exist outside of tubes." Pondera said.

"Just don't crash or have a mid-air collision. If you do, you'll be grounded for a month, bureaucratic law. Does not matter if it's your fault or not." Cara said.

[The Floor Kippers]

Carol was tempted to reply Sarcastically "You Know, I Never thought of Using the Sky to fly" But Decided against it
"Thank you, I Just wanted to be sure I wasn't going to end up breaking a Law inadvertently"

[Warhaven]

"You won't have to worry about that after your appointment. The test download is going to be the entirety of the current code of law presently in force within Bureaucratic territory. Afterwards, you'll always be able to recall the law, when appropriate, though most just leave it a subconcious action." Pondera said.

"Are you always so stiff and formal?" Tajen asked, an eyebrow raised.

"The formality laws were repealed fifteen years ago, when a certain five-year-old someone had a very gassey morning and no one could keep a straight face." Cara said, smiling.

"It was the beans from the previous night, I swear. Coincidentally, that was the last time I ever blindly trusted the masters Ray and Chris." Pondera said.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Not Usually, When I get to know you better and spend more time with you I won't be this formal" Carol said, She Then Laughed at the Comments about the repeal of the Law

[Warhaven]

"So, what's on the agendas this morning?" Tajen asked.

"No paperwork, thankfully, but I do have some personel reviews in the military, and a defense of my championship in The Citadel to attend to." Pondera said.

"I have three hearings, four disputes, and two trials." Tajen said.

"I have to see Kalia about something, everything else has been cleared." Cara said.

"You feeling alright?" Tajen asked with concern.

"Perfectly fine." Cara said.

"Dr. Kalia Xilanthese, she's the Master of Spirit. The ancient healers got their magic from this domain. Kalia is the best physician in the bureaucracy. She tends to everyone, but has permanent appointment to The Imperial family. This includes you Carol. She's also Xos's wife." Pondera said.