Into the Lion's Den (IC/OPEN/MT)

[The Selkie]

[...]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis.
"Hello, ma'am," the receptionist said as he looked at his computer. "Yes, they are reserved, I'll get the keys quickly". He briefly disappeared through a door that was behind the counter.
While waiting, the girls noticed a pair of birds sitting on a stalk a little above looking at the girls. They both had a bundled plumage, with a green back, red belly, and a purple stripe on their nape. From a small, reddish beak with black tip came a shrill croak. The receptionist came out the door and had two keys with him. When he saw the birds, he hollowed out grains behind the counter and put them in a kind of birdhouse. The two feathered animals flew immediately and picked up the grains. "So, here once room 402 and 403, these are on the fourth floor, right when you come out of the elevator," he gave the keys to Nolwenn, then looked shortly Deirdre and said: "Bear in mind that the very young guests are not allowed to be unattended in the hotel, there are animals in the house, which are free".

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling.
The driver's question was answered, however, the two customers deepened their conversation again. He did not understand the language. All at once the lady cuddled up against the scarred gentlemen. He started to smile, said something and she giggled. All of a sudden the driver's stomach pinched and he visibly became nervous. Oh no, he thought. Please, don't do it in the back seat, please don't do it!. He had experienced something like that when he had driven a young Finnerian couple. They forgot themselves in the heat and surrounded by naked bodies and then just started. No, that was not allowed to happen again. What would his superior think of him if he had to tell this story again? He had to distract them.
Well ... um ... I'm curious," he stammered. "Where did you come from?"

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis.
I nodded, biting back a comment, that we were Selkie - handling animals was a second nature to us. There was no need to antagonize the man, who only meant well.
"Thank you for the warning.", I said and took the keys, made a small bow, "We'll be off, then."
And that we were, the key to room 403 going to Iuna. We had wanted one four-bed-room, but Dad had convinced us to take two two-bed-rooms, so we now had the arrangement, that I would share a room with Deirdre, who was seething with rage at being treated like a child. She wanted to punch that man in the face, I could see it in her eyes as she had a dangerous smile on her face.
Iuna and Cao would share the other one.
One elevator ride later, we stood on the fourth floor, right out of the elevator.
"Crew Assembly.", I ordered to my three girls - we were a tank crew, after all, and then entered 402.

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling.
We were not about to get it on, as the saying went, not only because my boss was still on an anaphrodisiac agent, but also because the back of a rickshaw was not exactly the place I hoped to seduce him. Still, the man's slightly panicked-sounding expression was a good reminder, that we had an audience.
Having settled in, and with my boss smiling a nervous smile, I replied: "From Lutetii. A Confederation of City-States. Most likely never heard of it, we tend to keep a low profile!"
To be honest, I had been a bit surprised at the man at the passport control knowing what the Style of the Winged Lion was... but that was for thinking about another time.

[Port Ember]

Charlotte Huntley -- Port of Polis

When Charlotte accepted the offer of accommodation, Anastasia gave a warm smile.
"I'm glad to hear that," she said, after which she spoke to one of the guards in Greek. These went to a series of rickshaws, which were parked a little away. Drawn by bicycles, they were signposted as taxis. In fact, one could not see cars here, let alone roads where they could drive. A rickshaw stood out in taxis because it had a velvet red color and a coat of arms. The guards spoke with the driver and pointed to the two women. Immediately after that, it headed for the two. When the vehicle arrived at Charlotte and Anastasia, the Chancellor made an inviting gesture.
"I think we should first drop your things in the academy, then you know where your room is.", Anastasia said. ""You can pack the backpack for the ride into the chest at the back of the vehicle. Such a leather backpack can be quite uncomfortable on the bare skin. Not that it chafe. Should we take a tour through the city so you have already seen the most important places of Polis?".

Charlotte Huntley
Port of Polis

When Charlotte noticed the rigshaw's being utilised as taxi's, she was intrigued. She obviously conducted research about the nation before she visited, but reading about something and experiencing it in reality is a completely different matter. The fact that a nation of thinkers could be so..backwards, was a sobering fact that the entire world was not as perfect as home was. She shuddered at this realisation.

When the bicycle-drawn rickshaw stopped in front of the duo, Anastasia informes her that she may store her backpack in the chest found at the back of the contraption. She immediately took her up on this offer and stored the baggage in the chest. The leather bag was quite heavily packed, and caused much discomfort against her bare skin, leather clinging to her skin and slowly wearing down her delicate skin.

Once her bag was placed away safely, she felt much more comfortable and at ease, and continued to climb within the ancient styled but fashionable contraption. Anastasia then enquired whether she would enjoy a tour of the city, en route to the university, to which she replied, "That would be an enormous privelage! I do not have any plans made for the day, so I have legions of time to burn. I always enjoy the privalage to learn about the city which I am visiting."

[Freie Stadt Wiedheim]

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, Arrival Pier.

A very young woman, maybe 20, smiled at the two foreigners. She wondered for a moment where the two could come from, probably something remote from the tropics, that could be an interesting ride.
"I'll gladly bring you there," she said in pretty good English. "But put the money away, you do not pay for a basic need like transport."
She asked Sabrina and Hagen to get into the rickshaw. They had to be wealthy people when they checked into the Spiti ton Technón. The vehicle started as soon as everyone was sitting where they were supposed to sit.
"I'm curious where my clients come from, are you from one of the individualist countries?"

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, Arrival Pier.

The driver looked at the two ladies, whom he felt pretty handsome. One of them spoke first in Greek, but she continued in English, which he did not understand well. But that did not matter, he had heard the signal word: Spíti tis fýsis. The driver nodded with a smile and stammered in broken English: "Yes, yes! Sit down, sit down." He pedaled, since he had already brought four girls there, he knew exactly which way he could take to impress the guests.

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.
As soon as everyone would sit where they belonged, the young woman, who might have seen around twenty Summers, who happened to be their driver for now and seemed to be quite surprised about their destination, indeed everything else than a cheap place - and doing so for free, which was quite a surprise for Hagen and Sabrina alike -, she wanted to know where the two of them came from; and quite some places outside the Tropes were, obviously, quite 'individualist' from a Sophist perspective.
Hagen said, "Perhaps we are, depending on your definition for it. We are from the Free City of Wiedheim." A beat passed. Hagen was not sure, whether this rather small city-state so far away was known to her, so he added, "It's near Lillorainen, if you've heard of that." The Federation of Lillorainen, as one of the largest Nordic countries in the world, 77 million people on an area size of 450,000 square kilometers, German (or rather some funny variations of it - then again, Lillos said the same about Wiedheim) being the main language and Norse Paganism the main religion, was probably better known to her - especially due to Lefkagor, a Theban Greek outpost at the south tip, in the State of Terra Bianca.
"I'm not sure, if Wiedheim passes as individualist, either" - Sabrina added, "but given the role machines play in our society, it's certainly a side effect of the changes we've been undergoing in the past decades."

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.
The driver, whom one could tell from, that he did not exactly dislike Naran's and Miriam's looks as well, turned out to rather have a tiny bit of trouble speaking and understanding English - but the keyword, the hotel's name, was in his native tongue, so he knew what he was being asked to do.
Both ladies took place in the rickshaw.
"Efcharistó!" - Naran thanked him in Greek.
The driver seemed to know where he had to go - not only because a taxi driver, no matter what sort of vehicle he or she was moving, could be expected to know his or her hometown, but also because he seemed to know which way to take in order to show the most impressive facettes of Polis to his guests.
And it was! The streets were narrow, which seemed unusual for the two of them, who were used to Wiedheim's four-, in some sections even six-laned urban highway, not to mention the wide and open desert roads Naran knew from her original home country. Cars were not a thing here.
And everyone looked so ... healthy ...
"This already looks like a very beautiful place!" - Naran told the driver in Greek. "And it's impressive how healthy everyone looks. If I think how different this looks where I'm from ..."
Miriam, whose knowledge of the Greek language was pretty much limited to efcharistó (thank you), parakaló (you're welcome), kalí méra (good day!), and maláka (a term she would use describing her last ex-boyfriend), preferred to enjoy the view silently, leaving the conversation part to the language expert sitting next to her.

[Sophistan]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis.

I nodded, biting back a comment, that we were Selkie - handling animals was a second nature to us. There was no need to antagonize the man, who only meant well.
"Thank you for the warning.", I said and took the keys, made a small bow, "We'll be off, then."
And that we were, the key to room 403 going to Iuna. We had wanted one four-bed-room, but Dad had convinced us to take two two-bed-rooms, so we now had the arrangement, that I would share a room with Deirdre, who was seething with rage at being treated like a child. She wanted to punch that man in the face, I could see it in her eyes as she had a dangerous smile on her face.
Iuna and Cao would share the other one.
One elevator ride later, we stood on the fourth floor, right out of the elevator.
"Crew Assembly.", I ordered to my three girls - we were a tank crew, after all, and then entered 402.

The room 402 was a huge room. Everything was kept in the green of the plants, which were also numerous in the room. Opposite the entrance was a wide picture window overlooking a lake, which seemed to be part of the park the girls had seen before. Also visible was a garden, which belongs to the hotel complex. In front of the window was a couch, covered with a green velvet. The two beds, which were right of the couch and window, were a double bed, which could be pushed apart and pushed together. Opposite the beds was a flat screen TV and a mini bar was in the closet underneath.

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling

We were not about to get it on, as the saying went, not only because my boss was still on an anaphrodisiac agent, but also because the back of a rickshaw was not exactly the place I hoped to seduce him. Still, the man's slightly panicked-sounding expression was a good reminder, that we had an audience.
Having settled in, and with my boss smiling a nervous smile, I replied: "From Lutetii. A Confederation of City-States. Most likely never heard of it, we tend to keep a low profile!"
To be honest, I had been a bit surprised at the man at the passport control knowing what the Style of the Winged Lion was... but that was for thinking about another time.

The driver had increased the speed and the rickshaw raced through the narrow streets of Polis. After a short time, the area changed and the surroundings turned green. There were also larger ways on which the vehicle could drive. A relatively well paved path, which manifested in a palm alley. Although the path was larger than in the district before, people had to jump sideways as the rickshaw raced past them.
"Lutetii ...", the driver reflected. "No, it does not really mean anything to me, I did not have a guest from that, is there anything to be said about it?"

---

Charlotte Huntley -- Way through Polis

When Charlotte noticed the rigshaw's being utilised as taxi's, she was intrigued. She obviously conducted research about the nation before she visited, but reading about something and experiencing it in reality is a completely different matter. The fact that a nation of thinkers could be so..backwards, was a sobering fact that the entire world was not as perfect as home was. She shuddered at this realisation.

When the bicycle-drawn rickshaw stopped in front of the duo, Anastasia informes her that she may store her backpack in the chest found at the back of the contraption. She immediately took her up on this offer and stored the baggage in the chest. The leather bag was quite heavily packed, and caused much discomfort against her bare skin, leather clinging to her skin and slowly wearing down her delicate skin.

Once her bag was placed away safely, she felt much more comfortable and at ease, and continued to climb within the ancient styled but fashionable contraption. Anastasia then enquired whether she would enjoy a tour of the city, en route to the university, to which she replied, "That would be an enormous privelage! I do not have any plans made for the day, so I have legions of time to burn. I always enjoy the privalage to learn about the city which I am visiting."

Anastasia smiled and nodded. She addressed the driver of the vehicle and spoke in her native language: "Parakaló odigíste katá míkos tis plateías tis agorás!". The chauffeur pedaled and the rickshaw started to move.
"We will drive through the old town, there are some sights", said Anastasia. "There are seven districts in Polis, we are in the Water District right now. It is one of the new parts of the city built after the reformation. Especially members of the lowest caste live here. But also a few officials. The central university is located in the Air District, where only members of the caste of wisdom live."
The vehicle drove through the narrow streets of the water district. Partly, people have to dodge to avoid landing under the wheels of the bicycle. Some, when they saw the vehicle with coats of arms and their inmates, showed an onlooker's behavior or whispered with their companions. It is striking that all the people that were seen had a healthy physique. No overweight or underweight person was to be seen, also lacking in cripples. There were no old people, all had color in their hair and rarely wrinkles on their faces.

---

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.

Code: Select all

As soon as everyone would sit where they belonged, the young woman, who might have seen around twenty Summers, who happened to be their driver for now and seemed to be quite surprised about their destination, indeed everything else than a cheap place - and doing so for free, which was quite a surprise for Hagen and Sabrina alike -, she wanted to know where the two of them came from; and quite some places outside the Tropes were, obviously, quite 'individualist' from a Sophist perspective.
Hagen said, "Perhaps we are, depending on your definition for it. We are from the Free City of Wiedheim." A beat passed. Hagen was not sure, whether this rather small city-state so far away was known to her, so he added, "It's near Lillorainen, if you've heard of that." The Federation of Lillorainen, as one of the largest Nordic countries in the world, 77 million people on an area size of 450,000 square kilometers, German (or rather some funny variations of it - then again, Lillos said the same about Wiedheim) being the main language and Norse Paganism the main religion, was probably better known to her - especially due to Lefkagor, a Theban Greek outpost at the south tip, in the State of Terra Bianca.
"I'm not sure, if Wiedheim passes as individualist, either" - Sabrina added, "but given the role machines play in our society, it's certainly a side effect of the changes we've been undergoing in the past decades."

The driver seemed to think.
"No, I have not heard anything about the free city," she said. "I know Lillorainen from books and geography lessons, but I have never seen anyone from there. I know, I always wanted to learn German, but then I was stuck in the workers caste. We do not learn that, only our intellectual masters do that.".
The car now left the narrow streets and came to another area, which had larger streets and whose houses were not systematically arranged. As Sabrina mentioned the machines, the driver was listening.
"Oh, no, the mechanization that our politicians have been trying to stop. Watch out, we have always been told that individualism destroys people and makes them the slave of their urges ".

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.

The driver, whom one could tell from, that he did not exactly dislike Naran's and Miriam's looks as well, turned out to rather have a tiny bit of trouble speaking and understanding English - but the keyword, the hotel's name, was in his native tongue, so he knew what he was being asked to do.
Both ladies took place in the rickshaw.
"Efcharistó!" - Naran thanked him in Greek.
The driver seemed to know where he had to go - not only because a taxi driver, no matter what sort of vehicle he or she was moving, could be expected to know his or her hometown, but also because he seemed to know which way to take in order to show the most impressive facettes of Polis to his guests.
And it was! The streets were narrow, which seemed unusual for the two of them, who were used to Wiedheim's four-, in some sections even six-laned urban highway, not to mention the wide and open desert roads Naran knew from her original home country. Cars were not a thing here.
And everyone looked so ... healthy ...
"This already looks like a very beautiful place!" - Naran told the driver in Greek. "And it's impressive how healthy everyone looks. If I think how different this looks where I'm from ..."
Miriam, whose knowledge of the Greek language was pretty much limited to efcharistó (thank you), parakaló (you're welcome), kalí méra (good day!), and maláka (a term she would use describing her last ex-boyfriend), preferred to enjoy the view silently, leaving the conversation part to the language expert sitting next to her.

The driver's face smiled when he noticed that Naran spoke his mother tongue.
"Yes, the wise people make sure that we are healthy", said the driver. ""But that's not the case in other countries, I've heard and experienced it, I used to have a client who came from the Northern Borland, who was as fat as a whale". He laughed. "But you can not be so bad if there are such attractive ladies as you".
The rickshaw now apparently drove to a new district as the appearance of the area changed. It seemed that this part of the city was made up of a single garden. It sprouted in the meadows various plants in beautiful, exotic colors. Trees with bright red flowers or roots, which are connected to other trees on the surface. Partly the trees were unbelievably big and also on the roadsides the palm trees in avenues shot skyward.
"Ah this is the Earth district," the driver started again. "There is a beautiful park here, the largest on the island".

[The Selkie]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis.
The room 402 was a huge room. Everything was kept in the green of the plants, which were also numerous in the room. Opposite the entrance was a wide picture window overlooking a lake, which seemed to be part of the park the girls had seen before. Also visible was a garden, which belongs to the hotel complex. In front of the window was a couch, covered with a green velvet. The two beds, which were right of the couch and window, were a double bed, which could be pushed apart and pushed together. Opposite the beds was a flat screen TV and a mini bar was in the closet underneath.

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling
The driver had increased the speed and the rickshaw raced through the narrow streets of Polis. After a short time, the area changed and the surroundings turned green. There were also larger ways on which the vehicle could drive. A relatively well paved path, which manifested in a palm alley. Although the path was larger than in the district before, people had to jump sideways as the rickshaw raced past them.
"Lutetii ...", the driver reflected. "No, it does not really mean anything to me, I did not have a guest from that, is there anything to be said about it?"

[...]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis.
The room was... big.
There was no sense in assuming, that Room 403 was smaller (although I would laugh, if 403 was an over-glorified broom closet), but this one was certainly big. There was a huge window overlooking the park opposite of the door, this the lake-part of it, a green velvety couch in front of it, a double bed completing the image, at the moment pushed apart. A TV hung opposite to the bed, with a small minibar.
First order of business: Deirdre and I decided to push the bed together, while the others picked sodas from the minibar.
Sitting on the bed a few moments later, we took a breath and had a soda. This was a nice place, the people were nice and polite, the streets clean and cops on the beat. One could feel safe here.
And for a Selkie, the whole mandatory nudity thing was not too weird. I wondered how it would be for a Lutetiian...
"Alright, girls, plans for the day.", I began, "I would like to explore the park a little bit, especially the lake. Who's with me?"
Iuna and Deirdre raised their hands.
We looked at Cao.
"I would like to look for something to eat in the restaurant.", she said and we nodded.
"Alright, then, girls...", I said and Deirdre looked deep in thought. "Changed your mind?"
"Yep.", she said after a moment. "If you don't mind, Cao."
"Come along!", she said and grinned - and with that, it was settled.
We assembled outside of our rooms half an hour later, after a few, quick showers.

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling.
"A beautiful place.", I replied to our driver, "We grow wonderful grapes, make delicious food and generally value hospitality. We are also merchants at heart." I raised a hand. "No need to worry about us, we are on a vacation."
Not completely true, but close enough.
"We also are currently in a time of reforms.", I added, "Or at least its approaching. There'll be elections soon and it looks good for the PBR."
My boss nodded.

[Port Ember]

Charlotte Huntley -- Way through Polis

Anastasia smiled and nodded. She addressed the driver of the vehicle and spoke in her native language: "Parakaló odigíste katá míkos tis plateías tis agorás!". The chauffeur pedaled and the rickshaw started to move.
"We will drive through the old town, there are some sights", said Anastasia. "There are seven districts in Polis, we are in the Water District right now. It is one of the new parts of the city built after the reformation. Especially members of the lowest caste live here. But also a few officials. The central university is located in the Air District, where only members of the caste of wisdom live."
The vehicle drove through the narrow streets of the water district. Partly, people have to dodge to avoid landing under the wheels of the bicycle. Some, when they saw the vehicle with coats of arms and their inmates, showed an onlooker's behavior or whispered with their companions. It is striking that all the people that were seen had a healthy physique. No overweight or underweight person was to be seen, also lacking in cripples. There were no old people, all had color in their hair and rarely wrinkles on their faces.

Charlotte Huntley
Way through Polis

The bicycle driven rickshaw was chasing down the streets, with no regards to the walking populace - them having to rush and jump out of the way or risk being crushed by the ancient contraption. Charlotte tensed up at the thought of this and grabbed held of the side of the rickshaw, squeezing so tightly that her hand turned ghost-white.

Anastasia continued with the tour, informing Charlotte of the different districts found within the city, the current one being the Water District, a fairly newly build district. This district was inhabbited by the so called 'Lowest Caste' of society. Charlotte had read about the blatant social class system in Sophistan - a concept which she despised, but allready made peace with this evil, deciding that speaking against it here will not help anyone. She was also informed that the university where she will teach at, The Central University, is located in the Air District, home to the upper class citizens.

As the journey was underway she noticed that the populace looked on in interest and immediately practised gossip. Charlotte felt a strange sense of celebrity status over her, to which she felt conflicting emotions at the moment. She also noticed the particular good health amongst the populace - they all looked in the prime of their life, and all in top physical form. She could not spot a crippled or old person anywhere, all looking fit to end up in some sort of fashion magazine. After this fact settled into her mind she spoke to Anastasia, "I could not help to notice the amazing health of your citizens. You mentioned that these are from the lowest caste, yet they look very well off! Its fascinating to say the least."

[Freie Stadt Wiedheim]

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.

The driver seemed to think.
"No, I have not heard anything about the free city," she said. "I know Lillorainen from books and geography lessons, but I have never seen anyone from there. I know, I always wanted to learn German, but then I was stuck in the workers caste. We do not learn that, only our intellectual masters do that.".
The car now left the narrow streets and came to another area, which had larger streets and whose houses were not systematically arranged. As Sabrina mentioned the machines, the driver was listening.
"Oh, no, the mechanization that our politicians have been trying to stop. Watch out, we have always been told that individualism destroys people and makes them the slave of their urges ".

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.

The driver's face smiled when he noticed that Naran spoke his mother tongue.
"Yes, the wise people make sure that we are healthy", said the driver. ""But that's not the case in other countries, I've heard and experienced it, I used to have a client who came from the Northern Borland, who was as fat as a whale". He laughed. "But you can not be so bad if there are such attractive ladies as you".
The rickshaw now apparently drove to a new district as the appearance of the area changed. It seemed that this part of the city was made up of a single garden. It sprouted in the meadows various plants in beautiful, exotic colors. Trees with bright red flowers or roots, which are connected to other trees on the surface. Partly the trees were unbelievably big and also on the roadsides the palm trees in avenues shot skyward.
"Ah this is the Earth district," the driver started again. "There is a beautiful park here, the largest on the island".

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.
While the girl replied, they entered a larger street, with the houses, now rather huge buildings with columns and numerous variations of roofs, arranged somewhat randomly - at least it did seem so.
The driver mentioned, that she knew about Lillorainen from geography lessons, but learning German had not been possible for her, for this was apparently reserved to the intellectual class and not for the workers caste. Sabrina had to frown for a moment - while Wiedheim was everything else than a classless society, denying individuals their desired level education was not a thing they did in there.
Hagen nodded.
"There is surely a different between this country and our place regarding this point" - he said, "but this is certainly due to the geographic situation of the Free City. We depend on mechanized processes a lot, and while this is definitely a fairly recent development, it has come out of the need. You see, Wiedheim is a sovereign city-state, not only located on an island, but also entirely covering it. This hasn't been a problem a hundred years ago with barely a million people, but our population has almost quadrupled within a century, so our space is rather limited. We have embraced the mechanization because there is no way we could sustain without it. Our political system, our entire state philosophy, is based on the simple understanding, that technology is a powerful and useful instrument that can help a society working in a way beneficial for both individuals and the society as a whole."
"But you do have a point in here as well" - Sabrina added. "Mechanization, if not done the right way, does bear a risk of individuals ceasing to care about each others' needs; it is often said to lead to human alienation. And while we might not be as successful as Lillorainen when it comes to preventing this, especially due to geographical particularities, I dare say, that many other modern countries are way worse-off than us. It may be a cultural thing with us, but also a philosophical one. We believe, that humans are there to control technology, not the other way round."
And who should know better than me?! - the programmer and server maintenance manager added in thoughts.

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.
Naran had smiled and thanked him for the compliment; then she had to laugh, when the driver mentioned the client he described as 'fat as a whale' - although, given that obesity didn't seem to be an issue in these parts, the level of which was surely perceived differently in here. Maybe the client had just had a slight bit of overweight, and he had perceived it fat already, for he wasn't used to seeing people having overweight? Who knew.
The part of Polis they were entering now seemed like a huge garden; the surely not exactly modern, but all in all still very urbanized area they had just left, was nothing one could see anything about here. The driver explained, that this was the Earth District, hosting also the largest park in the entire island.
And it was beautiful!
Parks were a thing in Wiedheim as well, but neither in size, nor in beauty, they were in any way comparable to this.
Naran continued in Greek, "It's amazing, really! Not only the sheer size, but also the beauty, which you wouldn't be that likely to find back home in Wiedheim, where the climate is way colder than in here." She let a beat pass. "Granted, it's even more different in the place I'm originally from - a country full of deserts and steppes, which the vegetation rather limited, except for the more coastal areas. And this is also why I'm not used to seeing people looking this healthy - the main industry of that place was mining, which quite does have a huge impact on human health. We'd probably look for alternatives - if we had any." She shrugged. "Then again, I now live in Wiedheim - small and compact, with the opportunities not being much less limited."
... unless you know the right people ... - she added in thoughts.
"Then again, both our countries have a clear advantage" - she continued, "we simply know where the fat needs to go, so our figures don't make us remind of a whale's one." She laughed.

[Sophistan]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis.

The room was... big.
There was no sense in assuming, that Room 403 was smaller (although I would laugh, if 403 was an over-glorified broom closet), but this one was certainly big. There was a huge window overlooking the park opposite of the door, this the lake-part of it, a green velvety couch in front of it, a double bed completing the image, at the moment pushed apart. A TV hung opposite to the bed, with a small minibar.
First order of business: Deirdre and I decided to push the bed together, while the others picked sodas from the minibar.
Sitting on the bed a few moments later, we took a breath and had a soda. This was a nice place, the people were nice and polite, the streets clean and cops on the beat. One could feel safe here.
And for a Selkie, the whole mandatory nudity thing was not too weird. I wondered how it would be for a Lutetiian...
"Alright, girls, plans for the day.", I began, "I would like to explore the park a little bit, especially the lake. Who's with me?"
Iuna and Deirdre raised their hands.
We looked at Cao.
"I would like to look for something to eat in the restaurant.", she said and we nodded.
"Alright, then, girls...", I said and Deirdre looked deep in thought. "Changed your mind?"
"Yep.", she said after a moment. "If you don't mind, Cao."
"Come along!", she said and grinned - and with that, it was settled.
We assembled outside of our rooms half an hour later, after a few, quick showers.

At the door of the minibar was a note attached: "Please note that all soft drinks are drunk inside the room. Sugary and caffeinated drinks intended for tourists only."
The bathroom of the hotel room was as chic as the room itself. It was separate from the toilet rooms and had both a bath, in which all the girls would fit loose, and a shower. Towels and accessories were all included. The shower water dries quickly in the sophist heat.
In the lobby of the hotel there were some tourist plans. Among other things, a list of restaurants, most of which were in the old town, so there was a restaurant in the park. It was a locality, which was probably popular with tourists.

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling.

"A beautiful place.", I replied to our driver, "We grow wonderful grapes, make delicious food and generally value hospitality. We are also merchants at heart." I raised a hand. "No need to worry about us, we are on a vacation."
Not completely true, but close enough.
"We also are currently in a time of reforms.", I added, "Or at least its approaching. There'll be elections soon and it looks good for the PBR."
My boss nodded.

"Ah, and during these reforms, you thought you were on vacation, is not it important to be there," said the driver. "I am glad that we Sophists already have the Reformation behind us, in the Republic it should have been terrible".
The rickshaw passed the Park of the Earth District and the Lutetiians could also see the harmonious scenery of the people.
"But what is a PBR?" He asked. "Is your nation an individualistic one, as there are elections?".

---

Charlotte Huntley -- Way through Polis

The bicycle driven rickshaw was chasing down the streets, with no regards to the walking populace - them having to rush and jump out of the way or risk being crushed by the ancient contraption. Charlotte tensed up at the thought of this and grabbed held of the side of the rickshaw, squeezing so tightly that her hand turned ghost-white.

Anastasia continued with the tour, informing Charlotte of the different districts found within the city, the current one being the Water District, a fairly newly build district. This district was inhabbited by the so called 'Lowest Caste' of society. Charlotte had read about the blatant social class system in Sophistan - a concept which she despised, but allready made peace with this evil, deciding that speaking against it here will not help anyone. She was also informed that the university where she will teach at, The Central University, is located in the Air District, home to the upper class citizens.

As the journey was underway she noticed that the populace looked on in interest and immediately practised gossip. Charlotte felt a strange sense of celebrity status over her, to which she felt conflicting emotions at the moment. She also noticed the particular good health amongst the populace - they all looked in the prime of their life, and all in top physical form. She could not spot a crippled or old person anywhere, all looking fit to end up in some sort of fashion magazine. After this fact settled into her mind she spoke to Anastasia, "I could not help to notice the amazing health of your citizens. You mentioned that these are from the lowest caste, yet they look very well off! Its fascinating to say the least."

"Oh yes, we care deeply about the health of all our citizens and keep them from consuming harmful substances and foods", Anastasia started. "We get that through regular health checks and regulation of food production.
Even the members of the lowest caste are an important and worthy part of our society, we take care of them as well as ourselves".
At a fork, which led to left and straight long, the vehicle stopped briefly.
"If we continued this way, we would come to the Earth District", Anastasia pointed to the left path. "This district is a bit greener and there is a large park, the largest of the Confederation.
There is also the Technical University of Natural Sciences. "
She let a beat pass.
"Unfortunately we have to continue our journey, but we can visit the park after we arrive at the Central University".
The rickshaw drove on and left the narrow streets behind. A new [ur=https://t3.ftcdn.net/jpg/02/01/51/48/500_F_201514834_Y9jSAKIEOlg0ZzO3nP1uM5jCWMKj8dXW.jpg]area[/url] seemed to be building ahead of them, with larger streets (but all paved) and a non-symmetrical city structure. There were also different architectural styles now.
"Welcome to the old town of Polis," said Anastasia with a smile. "This part of the city has existed since late antiquity, but most of the buildings here are from the Latin-Greek Republic, that is from the 19th and early 20th centuries".

---

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.

While the girl replied, they entered a larger street, with the houses, now rather huge buildings with columns and numerous variations of roofs, arranged somewhat randomly - at least it did seem so.
The driver mentioned, that she knew about Lillorainen from geography lessons, but learning German had not been possible for her, for this was apparently reserved to the intellectual class and not for the workers caste. Sabrina had to frown for a moment - while Wiedheim was everything else than a classless society, denying individuals their desired level education was not a thing they did in there.
Hagen nodded.
"There is surely a different between this country and our place regarding this point" - he said, "but this is certainly due to the geographic situation of the Free City. We depend on mechanized processes a lot, and while this is definitely a fairly recent development, it has come out of the need. You see, Wiedheim is a sovereign city-state, not only located on an island, but also entirely covering it. This hasn't been a problem a hundred years ago with barely a million people, but our population has almost quadrupled within a century, so our space is rather limited. We have embraced the mechanization because there is no way we could sustain without it. Our political system, our entire state philosophy, is based on the simple understanding, that technology is a powerful and useful instrument that can help a society working in a way beneficial for both individuals and the society as a whole."
"But you do have a point in here as well" - Sabrina added. "Mechanization, if not done the right way, does bear a risk of individuals ceasing to care about each others' needs; it is often said to lead to human alienation. And while we might not be as successful as Lillorainen when it comes to preventing this, especially due to geographical particularities, I dare say, that many other modern countries are way worse-off than us. It may be a cultural thing with us, but also a philosophical one. We believe, that humans are there to control technology, not the other way round."
And who should know better than me?! - the programmer and server maintenance manager added in thoughts.

The young driver was visibly astonished when Sabrina gave her speech. Her eyes and her voice were suddenly filled with respect: "You speak like the Bright, are you philosophers?"
She let a beat pass.
"Unfortunately, I do not know about such strong topics, but in the air district the right people live for them".

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.

Naran had smiled and thanked him for the compliment; then she had to laugh, when the driver mentioned the client he described as 'fat as a whale' - although, given that obesity didn't seem to be an issue in these parts, the level of which was surely perceived differently in here. Maybe the client had just had a slight bit of overweight, and he had perceived it fat already, for he wasn't used to seeing people having overweight? Who knew.
The part of Polis they were entering now seemed like a huge garden; the surely not exactly modern, but all in all still very urbanized area they had just left, was nothing one could see anything about here. The driver explained, that this was the Earth District, hosting also the largest park in the entire island.
And it was beautiful!
Parks were a thing in Wiedheim as well, but neither in size, nor in beauty, they were in any way comparable to this.
Naran continued in Greek, "It's amazing, really! Not only the sheer size, but also the beauty, which you wouldn't be that likely to find back home in Wiedheim, where the climate is way colder than in here." She let a beat pass. "Granted, it's even more different in the place I'm originally from - a country full of deserts and steppes, which the vegetation rather limited, except for the more coastal areas. And this is also why I'm not used to seeing people looking this healthy - the main industry of that place was mining, which quite does have a huge impact on human health. We'd probably look for alternatives - if we had any." She shrugged. "Then again, I now live in Wiedheim - small and compact, with the opportunities not being much less limited."
... unless you know the right people ... - she added in thoughts.
"Then again, both our countries have a clear advantage" - she continued, "we simply know where the fat needs to go, so our figures don't make us remind of a whale's one." She laughed.

The park was filled with people who seemed to enjoy their time: There are some who basked on the picnic blankets. Children romped across the meadows and through the bushes, many played ball games, such as football or volleyball. Many apparent couples lay dreamily in each other arms, exchanged affection or gave untouched their passions.
The driver also laughed at Naran's comment. "I'm glad you like the area," he said. "I can not imagine living in a colder climate, especially the very fact of wearing clothes is foreign to me."
He thought, "It must be heavy and scratchy, no, I'm glad I've been naked since my thirteenth birthday."

[Freie Stadt Wiedheim]

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.

The young driver was visibly astonished when Sabrina gave her speech. Her eyes and her voice were suddenly filled with respect: "You speak like the Bright, are you philosophers?"
She let a beat pass.
"Unfortunately, I do not know about such strong topics, but in the air district the right people live for them".

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.

The park was filled with people who seemed to enjoy their time: There are some who basked on the picnic blankets. Children romped across the meadows and through the bushes, many played ball games, such as football or volleyball. Many apparent couples lay dreamily in each other arms, exchanged affection or gave untouched their passions.
The driver also laughed at Naran's comment. "I'm glad you like the area," he said. "I can not imagine living in a colder climate, especially the very fact of wearing clothes is foreign to me."
He thought, "It must be heavy and scratchy, no, I'm glad I've been naked since my thirteenth birthday."

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.
Both Hagen and Sabrina had to grin at the driver's question. Since she was from the workers caste, thus already didn't seem to be able to learn any other foreign language than English - which, however, she did speak remarkably well -, her education was apparently rather unlikely to cover such topics as a whole as well. Then again, even though these 'strong topics', as she call them, were beyond her understanding, she did seem to understand at least the mere gist of it - basically just like a working-class Wiedheimer.
"Well, sort of ..." - Sabrina responded, with a light touch of insecurity, "... or maybe not - depends on your definition. I myself actually am a programmer - my responsibility is to maintain the servers of the Bank of Wiedheim, that's our national bank." She thought for a moment. For the case, that the monetary system worked differently in here, she added, "It's the institution in charge of emitting money in Wiedheim and deciding, how much money may be in circulation. And since we don't have cash anymore, my job is even more of national importance. Even though it's not a high political position, like the one Hagen holds."
Hagen nodded. "I am a Member of the Magistrat, that's the council of our city - so of course, I do have a basic understanding of philosophy, or at the very least, the one our council follows. While I myself originally come from the financial sector as well, many other Members of the Magistrat are also technicians and engineers, and our Supreme Mayor Milena Prescher has, indeed, stupied Philosophy, next to her work in the Urban Planning Office. And it's important to us to have skilled and wise people around, be they old or young, all having the knowledge, the mindset, and the skill to bring our small state on. After all, being in charge of running a country is a privilege - or should be, if you ask me."
Sabrina had to grin. "From what we've got so far, your country is way less different from ours than one might think - or, than even we would have thought!"

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.
The people in the park did nothing else than what people in parks usually do - relaxing, with or loved ones, playing football or volleyball or other ball games - simply enjoying their leisure time. Nothing unusual about it.
While Miriam continued enjoying the view, Naran smiled at the driver's remark.
"Indeed" - she said, "being naked all the time works perfectly well in these degrees of latitude. While it was unusual for me when arriving here, I think I'm getting used to it. Then again, it's the difference it climate - while this could work in Wiedheim as well, when it's summer, temperature will drop down to ten degrees Celsius or below as soon as autumn becomes a thing, and even around zero in winters. That would be unbearable without clothing."
She let a beat pass.
"And I haven't even talked about the generally cold climate back in the Sharulsi Khanate" - she continued. "Two months of summer, the rest more or less winter - and even in the hot deserts, nights can get extremely cold, too. So, there are lots of things to do I would recommend when going there - but going there without clothes is not one of these things. But it a climate like the one in here, I could easily get used to it!"

[The Selkie]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis.
At the door of the minibar was a note attached: "Please note that all soft drinks are drunk inside the room. Sugary and caffeinated drinks intended for tourists only."
The bathroom of the hotel room was as chic as the room itself. It was separate from the toilet rooms and had both a bath, in which all the girls would fit loose, and a shower. Towels and accessories were all included. The shower water dries quickly in the sophist heat.
In the lobby of the hotel there were some tourist plans. Among other things, a list of restaurants, most of which were in the old town, so there was a restaurant in the park. It was a locality, which was probably popular with tourists.

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling.
"Ah, and during these reforms, you thought you were on vacation, is not it important to be there," said the driver. "I am glad that we Sophists already have the Reformation behind us, in the Republic it should have been terrible".
The rickshaw passed the Park of the Earth District and the Lutetiians could also see the harmonious scenery of the people.
"But what is a PBR?" He asked. "Is your nation an individualistic one, as there are elections?".

[...]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Park.
As the note said, we had drunken our soft drinks in our rooms, had taken our showers, although we didn't go for an air drying, but rather toweled each other off.
The bathtub... well, it looked large enough for all four of us and so I had a plan for one of our nights here. Communal bathing was not unspoken of between the tank crews and the maintenance crews, to much excitement of our male fans, but I planned to take the cake.
And to eat it, too.
But that could wait.
We had taken the lift together, Cao and Deirdre had said their "See Ya Later!"s, a few hugs, and now Iuna and I were at the edge of the park. It was just as pretty in being present as it had been in passing.
Now, what sort of little adventure would await us here...?

Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Lobby.
We two, after the goodbye hugs, had a different problem: There were quite a few choices, but most of them were in the Old Town, but one of those, which were not, was in the park.
That one was right out.
Still, the Old Town... the effectiveness of an armoured attack rested on a variety of factors, reconnaissance elements and their achievements being just as important as the coherence of the own attack as it was brought forward and hammered onto the enemy being two... so, what were we, Ronm-Dó? Reconnaissance element, a job the Coileáin usually left to the Dobhareach-ATVs of Arracht-Squadron, or were we, the crew of an Crogall-AAV, one of the only 'real' tanks we had, the attack brought forward?
Reconnaissance would speak for splitting up like this, attack element for staying in close proximity of each other... in the end, Cao looking at the pamphlet for one particular restaurant in the Old Town made that point moot.
We were not going to bring forward an armoured attack and we were rather unlikely to dodge shells or hear the thunderous roars of our team's two Toirneachs today - it would be an awesome sound, no question asked, but we would not hear it. Unless we played that video again...
Anyway, that reminded me of why we were here: To have fun.
"This one looks fun.", I told Cao, placed my head on her shoulder as I peered at it, "In the Old Town?" Cao nodded. "Then let's go there!"
It had a flowery theme to it, if what the pamphlet said was correct.

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling.
I smiled. Ah, that old question...
"These reforms, if the PBR is going to push them through, are not going to come overnight. There are procedures to be followed.", my boss said and I nodded, "Granted, long and winding procedures, but procedures nonetheless."
"Also, what do you mean by individualistic? That people prefer to do things their way instead of following established rules and procedures and that society as a whole encourages such behaviour?", I asked for clarification, then shook my head, "Then no, Lutetii is not individualistic... mostly, at least. The arts are another question, but as Siore Esecutore said, politics especially follow their own rules and traditions and procedures and disobeying these will lead to failure and shunning." I let a beat pass. "There were Doges thrown out of office because they messed up the sequence in which they greeted the members of the Maggior Consiglio."

[Port Ember]

Charlotte Huntley -- Way through Polis

"Oh yes, we care deeply about the health of all our citizens and keep them from consuming harmful substances and foods", Anastasia started. "We get that through regular health checks and regulation of food production.
Even the members of the lowest caste are an important and worthy part of our society, we take care of them as well as ourselves".
At a fork, which led to left and straight long, the vehicle stopped briefly.
"If we continued this way, we would come to the Earth District", Anastasia pointed to the left path. "This district is a bit greener and there is a large park, the largest of the Confederation.
There is also the Technical University of Natural Sciences. "
She let a beat pass.
"Unfortunately we have to continue our journey, but we can visit the park after we arrive at the Central University".
The rickshaw drove on and left the narrow streets behind. A new [ur=https://t3.ftcdn.net/jpg/02/01/51/48/500_F_201514834_Y9jSAKIEOlg0ZzO3nP1uM5jCWMKj8dXW.jpg]area[/url] seemed to be building ahead of them, with larger streets (but all paved) and a non-symmetrical city structure. There were also different architectural styles now.
"Welcome to the old town of Polis," said Anastasia with a smile. "This part of the city has existed since late antiquity, but most of the buildings here are from the Latin-Greek Republic, that is from the 19th and early 20th centuries".

Charlotte Huntley -- Way through Polis

As Anastasia told Charlotte about how the government of Sophistan ensured the health and well being of their citizens, she felt a bit sickened. Their... methods clearly worked - the very good looking evidence was walking around naked in front of her every eyes! Yet, they hadni choice. And ahe believed that life was all about choices - personal liberty being the most sacred of values of modern life. But again she forced herself to bite her tounge and not share her real thoughts of a nation whom she considered the embodiment of evil.

When Anastasia informed her of the great park found within the Earth District, her smile returned. "Oh yes most definitely we should go there sometime. My soul belongs to nature after all.". There was a glitter in her eyes as fond memories flashed through her mind regarding open and untamed nature.

Once they arrived at the place known as the Old Town of Polis, Charlotte was impressed with the architectural marvel in view. The buildings were indeed build in the ancient greek style, and it gave off a vibe of peace and serenity.

Charlotte did not respond verbally to Anastasia, instead trying to capture with her mind's eye all the sights on display, taking in the atmosphere of the ancient town.

[Sophistan]

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.

Both Hagen and Sabrina had to grin at the driver's question. Since she was from the workers caste, thus already didn't seem to be able to learn any other foreign language than English - which, however, she did speak remarkably well -, her education was apparently rather unlikely to cover such topics as a whole as well. Then again, even though these 'strong topics', as she call them, were beyond her understanding, she did seem to understand at least the mere gist of it - basically just like a working-class Wiedheimer.
"Well, sort of ..." - Sabrina responded, with a light touch of insecurity, "... or maybe not - depends on your definition. I myself actually am a programmer - my responsibility is to maintain the servers of the Bank of Wiedheim, that's our national bank." She thought for a moment. For the case, that the monetary system worked differently in here, she added, "It's the institution in charge of emitting money in Wiedheim and deciding, how much money may be in circulation. And since we don't have cash anymore, my job is even more of national importance. Even though it's not a high political position, like the one Hagen holds."
Hagen nodded. "I am a Member of the Magistrat, that's the council of our city - so of course, I do have a basic understanding of philosophy, or at the very least, the one our council follows. While I myself originally come from the financial sector as well, many other Members of the Magistrat are also technicians and engineers, and our Supreme Mayor Milena Prescher has, indeed, stupied Philosophy, next to her work in the Urban Planning Office. And it's important to us to have skilled and wise people around, be they old or young, all having the knowledge, the mindset, and the skill to bring our small state on. After all, being in charge of running a country is a privilege - or should be, if you ask me."
Sabrina had to grin. "From what we've got so far, your country is way less different from ours than one might think - or, than even we would have thought!"

"Oh, we have such an institution too," she said. "And that almost sounds like an epistocracy - are you choosing your rulers through the mob?"
The vehicle drove on through the streets and it looked like the area was going to change again.
"We are going to the air district now," she said with the same respect. "Here live the members of the highest caste".

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.

The people in the park did nothing else than what people in parks usually do - relaxing, with or loved ones, playing football or volleyball or other ball games - simply enjoying their leisure time. Nothing unusual about it.
While Miriam continued enjoying the view, Naran smiled at the driver's remark.
"Indeed" - she said, "being naked all the time works perfectly well in these degrees of latitude. While it was unusual for me when arriving here, I think I'm getting used to it. Then again, it's the difference it climate - while this could work in Wiedheim as well, when it's summer, temparature will drop down to ten degrees Celsius or below as soon as autumn becomes a thing, and even around zero in winters. That would be unbearable without clothing."
She let a beat pass.
"And I haven't even talked about the generally cold climate back in the Sharulsi Khanate" - she continued. "Two months of summer, the rest more or less winter - and even in the hot deserts, nights can get extremely cold, too. So, there are lots of things to do I would recommend when going there - but going there without clothes is not one of these things. But it a climate like the one in here, I could easily get used to it!"

The vehicle now seemed to take its final spurt. In the distance, the building of the hotel was already recognizable.
"I'm sorry, but that sounds awful!" The driver said laughing. "I mean, zero degrees Celsius, there's no need for a fridge anymore". He shook his head.
"The coldest thing I've ever experienced was 20 degrees and that was an exception. Well, it's not too hot for you, I'll never travel abroad anyway, that's forbidden to the Sophists."

---

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Place of Earth (Park).

As the note said, we had drunken our soft drinks in our rooms, had taken our showers, although we didn't go for an air drying, but rather toweled each other off.
The bathtub... well, it looked large enough for all four of us and so I had a plan for one of our nights here. Communal bathing was not unspoken of between the tank crews and the maintenance crews, to much excitement of our male fans, but I planned to take the cake.
And to eat it, too.
But that could wait.
We had taken the lift together, Cao and Deirdre had said their "See Ya Later!"s, a few hugs, and now Iuna and I were at the edge of the park. It was just as pretty in being present as it had been in passing.
Now, what sort of little adventure would await us here...?

The green area was gigantic. The entrance was a sprawling black steel archway showing a tendril pattern. In this pattern was a lettering, which is "Τόπος της Γης", but probably illegible for the girls. At the entrance stood two guards who greeted the girls with a friendly nod. From the entrance, several paths turned into the system. But a large part of the park made up meadows. There was a blackboard on which a map was listed. This was actually written in English and carried the insignia "Welcome to the Place of Earth".
The park was busy, everywhere there were small groups of people. A little bit away was a football game on the run. There was also a kind of yoga course. On the right, just beyond the board, were strange stone pillars, all of which seemed to carry bowls. In front of it stood a group of people, all of whom had screens in front of them. In their right hand they wore brushes and in their left hand a color pallet. Some of them even had a few splashes of paint on their skin. Between them walked a more mature man (perhaps around 40), looking at the works of these painters. Noteworthy were their sandals, which appeared in bright colors and were partially decorated with gold or studded with gemstones.

Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, underway.

We two, after the goodbye hugs, had a different problem: There were quite a few choices, but most of them were in the Old Town, but one of those, which were not, was in the park.
That one was right out.
Still, the Old Town... the effectiveness of an armoured attack rested on a variety of factors, reconnaissance elements and their achievements being just as important as the coherence of the own attack as it was brought forward and hammered onto the enemy being two... so, what were we, Ronm-Dó? Reconnaissance element, a job the Coileáin usually left to the Dobhareach-ATVs of Arracht-Squadron, or were we, the crew of an Crogall-AAV, one of the only 'real' tanks we had, the attack brought forward?
Reconnaissance would speak for splitting up like this, attack element for staying in close proximity of each other... in the end, Cao looking at the pamphlet for one particular restaurant in the Old Town made that point moot.
We were not going to bring forward an armoured attack and we were rather unlikely to dodge shells or hear the thunderous roars of our team's two Toirneachs today - it would be an awesome sound, no question asked, but we would not hear it. Unless we played that video again...
Anyway, that reminded me of why we were here: To have fun.
"This one looks fun.", I told Cao, placed my head on her shoulder as I peered at it, "In the Old Town?" Cao nodded. "Then let's go there!"
It had a flowery theme to it, if what the pamphlet said was correct.

The restaurant that the girls chose was called "Odysseus" and it was on the edge of the old town. It was described as high priced and tourist friendly. It was a small but fine march to the old town of Polis. However, the natural charm of this district, which turned out to be the "earth district", made this walk enjoyable.
The old town was completely different than the two districts, which the girls are likely to have first seen. The paths were larger and uneven, the houses showed more variance and were not arranged so symmetrically. The restaurant itself was a large, pentagonal building with a pointed roof, in front of the entrance stood a statue of Ulysses, a hero of ancient legends. As the girls walked in, they could see that there were two ways: one labeled "Foreingers" and the other "Citizens". In between stood a young lad with blond, curly hair. Of course he also did not wear anything but a pair of sandals. He smiled at the girls

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling.

I smiled. Ah, that old question...
"These reforms, if the PBR is going to push them through, are not going to come overnight. There are procedures to be followed.", my boss said and I nodded, "Granted, long and winding procedures, but procedures nonetheless."
"Also, what do you mean by individualistic? That people prefer to do things their way instead of following established rules and procedures and that society as a whole encourages such behaviour?", I asked for clarification, then shook my head, "Then no, Lutetii is not individualistic... mostly, at least. The arts are another question, but as Siore Esecutore said, politics especially follow their own rules and traditions and procedures and disobeying these will lead to failure and shunning." I let a beat pass. "There were Doges thrown out of office because they messed up the sequence in which they greeted the members of the Maggior Consiglio."

"Hm, then you are difficult to classify," said the driver. "That sounds like Sophistan on the one hand, on the other you can vote and the art is free".
He thought for a moment.
"You are not a bad nation, we have been told that the opponents of our society can be divided into three categories. The individualistic nations are the worst. The fascist-materialist nations still exist and the theistic nations. You are not one of them, so you are not enemies of society. "
The rickshaw reached the hotel and parked in front of it.
Perfect, he thought. I distracted her them doing anything.

---

Charlotte Huntley -- Way through Polis

As Anastasia told Charlotte about how the government of Sophistan ensured the health and well being of their citizens, she felt a bit sickened. Their... methods clearly worked - the very good looking evidence was walking around naked in front of her every eyes! Yet, they hadni choice. And ahe believed that life was all about choices - personal liberty being the most sacred of values of modern life. But again she forced herself to bite her tounge and not share her real thoughts of a nation whom she considered the embodiment of evil.

When Anastasia informed her of the great park found within the Earth District, her smile returned. "Oh yes most definitely we should go there sometime. My soul belongs to nature after all.". There was a glitter in her eyes as fond memories flashed through her mind regarding open and untamed nature.

Once they arrived at the place known as the Old Town of Polis, Charlotte was impressed with the architectural marvel in view. The buildings were indeed build in the ancient greek style, and it gave off a vibe of peace and serenity.

Charlotte did not respond verbally to Anastasia, instead trying to capture with her mind's eye all the sights on display, taking in the atmosphere of the ancient town.

The rickshaw headed for a large square, which Anastasia presented as a marketplace or forum. It stopped here. On this place stood all kinds of stalls and carts, which were filled with goods and used by people. There were smaller marble statues of older men scattered across the square, which turned out to be ancient Greek philosophers. In the middle of the square stood a large statue of about 20 meters, which also showed a man sitting on a chair overlooking the market.
"This is the philosopher Plato," said Anastasia, pointing on the statue. "He is the origin of our whole political-social system, I suppose you have read the Politea and recognize the overlaps."
She turned and pointed to a building that was right next to them. It was less spectacular and antique than the others, but seemed to be restored. Out of them came many of the armed men in uniform.
"This is the headquarters of our police," she explained, pointing then to a hanging board. "There are missing persons marked on this board, that is an important point for the Sophists, as often people get lost in the jungle of the island or the like. The sweetheart of one of my students has been missing for months. It is tragic. This student will attend your lectures at the university ".
Last, Anastasia pointed to a building on the other side of the square. It was much more elegant and bigger than the others and in a different style.
"This is the seat of the Magistrate of Polis", she said. "In Sophistan, the city magistrate always consists of the chancellors of the local universities. So I myself am a member of the Municipal Council of Polis and even chairman. In this city there are five academies and universities, so five members of the magistrate".
The rickshaw continued on the instructions of the young woman.

[Freie Stadt Wiedheim]

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.
"Oh, we have such an institution too," she said. "And that almost sounds like an epistocracy - are you choosing your rulers through the mob?"
The vehicle drove on through the streets and it looked like the area was going to change again.
"We are going to the air district now," she said with the same respect. "Here live the members of the highest caste".

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.
The vehicle now seemed to take its final spurt. In the distance, the building of the hotel was already recognizable.
"I'm sorry, but that sounds awful!" The driver said laughing. "I mean, zero degrees Celsius, there's no need for a fridge anymore". He shook his head.
"The coldest thing I've ever experienced was 20 degrees and that was an exception. Well, it's not too hot for you, I'll never travel abroad anyway, that's forbidden to the Sophists."

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.
As they entered the air district, the residence of the highest caste, both Hagen and Sabrina gave the huge buildings an admiring look - this was the district that seemed to outright scream, 'This is where the high-ups live!' The Ringburg District of Wiedheim was a joke compared to this.
The driver had asked them the question of all questions, the answer to which usually brought loads of international condemnation letters into Supreme Mayor Prescher's post box - though, logically, not from neighboring or closely allied countries, and surely not from Sophistan. The way she asked made her view on democracy quite clear, and this didn't surprise a lot in a Platonist State, given Plato's own view of the (Attic) democracy (or 'mob's rule', as one would obviously put it in these parts), especially from the background of Socrates' execution.
"It has something epistocratic in a very light sense of the term" - Hagen replied, "but there are quite many differences in both theory and practice, which may be caused by our cultures and histories being vastly different. It's rather a technocracy, you see" - while Hagen could not know, whether or not she had ever heard the term, it had Greek roots, so she would understand it, "and while the term is often associated with a negative connotation, or even used in a deliberately pejorative way, in many parts of the world, it has turned out, that this system determining the state's rulers has been a better way out of our previous crises than any other system could ever have. It solved most of our problems. Granted, possibilities for the ... 'mob', as you put it, to bring their agenda onto the table do exist, like the Civil Forum, and since we don't have a caste system, no one is excluded from becoming powerful based on his or her origin, but the message is clear - having a maximum amount of expertise in one's area, preferredly in scientific and technical, but also in other areas like cultural, linguistic, ethical and other matters, is the be-all and end-all to have a say in Wiedheim."
He remembered a quote by a former Supreme Mayor, who had stated, If you're too dumb to pee a hole into the snow, you probably shouldn't run a country - but Hagen kept this for himself.
Sabrina added, "So there are surely a few similarities - not only with the principle of epistocracy as practiced in here; take the Philosopher King's rule practiced in monarchies like Kyrenaia and Shikonjima and having done so for many centuries, take the Technocratic Movement and countries built up on their ideals, like ours, or take Siegfried Heiderich, who developed the concept of the Federative National Meritocracy for the Federation of Lillorainen - they are all forms of governance whose philosophical foundations can be more or less directly traced back to Plato."

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.
Naran nodded.
Barring all people from emigration, or even just leaving the country, was a practice entirely unknown to and somewhat beyond her - after all, she was a migrant herself -, but she was aware, that this was a quite common practice particularly in countries with central-planned economies. After all, making and trying to fulfill plans for an entire economy and each and every aspect thereof was pretty futile, if people kept leaving the country.
Indeed, these parts were not too hot for her - she was used to both, extremely high and extremely low temperatures.
"Funny you mention fridges" - she told the driver, "in my old hometown, when I was about your age, one could see entire living complexes with plastic bags hanging out of the windows during nights and cold days, usually fixed at the window handles or other contraptions fitting. It was common amongst people who wanted, or needed to, save the energy needed to run a refridgerator - it was before Atakheer Khan decided to re-nationalize the entire energy supply, for the privatization of which had turned out to be a pretty dumb idea. Nowadays, it looks different, of course. And in my new home, Wiedheim, I can't remember to ever have seen this at all."
She let a beat pass.
"It may sound pretty awful for you, yes, and there are a lot of complains from tourists coming from the United Confederacy, which pretty much has the same climate as Sophistan. But it always depends on what you're used to. Someone from polar or sub-polar areas won't have much of issues jumping into the water when it's like fifteen degrees - but will have a hard time to bear tropical climate. I'm used to both extremes, so there isn't much you can shock me with." She had to grin.

[The Selkie]

[...]
Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Place of Earth (Park).
The green area was gigantic. The entrance was a sprawling black steel archway showing a tendril pattern. In this pattern was a lettering, which is "Τόπος της Γης", but probably illegible for the girls. At the entrance stood two guards who greeted the girls with a friendly nod. From the entrance, several paths turned into the system. But a large part of the park made up meadows. There was a blackboard on which a map was listed. This was actually written in English and carried the insignia "Welcome to the Place of Earth".
The park was busy, everywhere there were small groups of people. A little bit away was a football game on the run. There was also a kind of yoga course. On the right, just beyond the board, were strange stone pillars, all of which seemed to carry bowls. In front of it stood a group of people, all of whom had screens in front of them. In their right hand they wore brushes and in their left hand a color pallet. Some of them even had a few splashes of paint on their skin. Between them walked a more mature man (perhaps around 40), looking at the works of these painters. Noteworthy were her sandals, which appeared in bright colors and were partially decorated with gold or studded with gemstones.

Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, underway.
The restaurant that the girls chose was called "Odysseus" and it was on the edge of the old town. It was described as high priced and tourist friendly. It was a small but fine march to the old town of Polis. However, the natural charm of this district, which turned out to be the "earth district", made this walk enjoyable.
The old town was completely different than the two districts, which the girls are likely to have first seen. The paths were larger and uneven, the houses showed more variance and were not arranged so symmetrically. The restaurant itself was a large, pentagonal building with a pointed roof, in front of the entrance stood a statue of Ulysses, a hero of ancient legends. As the girls walked in, they could see that there were two ways: one labeled "Foreingers" and the other "Citizens". In between stood a young lad with blond, curly hair. Of course he also did not wear anything but a pair of sandals. He smiled at the girls

Aurora Alce. Port of Polis, Traveling.
"Hm, then you are difficult to classify," said the driver. "That sounds like Sophistan on the one hand, on the other you can vote and the art is free".
He thought for a moment.
"You are not a bad nation, we have been told that the opponents of our society can be divided into three categories. The individualistic nations are the worst. The fascist-materialist nations still exist and the theistic nations. You are not one of them, so you are not enemies of society. "
The rickshaw reached the hotel and parked in front of it.
Perfect, he thought. I distracted her them doing anything.

[...]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Place of Earth (Park).
With the entrance archway and its inscription behind us, we beheld the sprawling park before us and Iuna put it best: "Gods, a nice little match around here would be awesome!"
Indeed, the area was well-suited for armoured warfare and would offer a good opportunity for the merry old game mode of Let's go and fuck shit up! Of course, we would have to take care to not hit something important, like the hotel, but it would be awesome! The Puisíni's Captain might find it awesome, too...
Anyway, a map was close by the entrance, giving a nice little overview, but that only caught our attention for a short while: The artists and their instructor (and her quite swanky sandals), most likely an art class, held little interest as well, much more fun was the football game.
We watched for a little but until Iuna said: "Do you think, that they would let us join?"
"Hm...", I made, "Maybe for the next round. Let's watch the artists?"
Iuna nodded and we went over, watching the group complete their works. The woman with the golden sandals indeed seemed a bit odd, but that did not distract me for long as I saw art being made.

Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, Odysseus.
It had been a short and nice walk to the edge of the old town, through the Earth District with its natural charm. It was pretty around here! I knew, that Cao thought the same, she was grinning like the little madwoman she was.
The air was fresh, too, but had a different smell then the air back home... does that make sense?
I hope so.
The Old Town itself was large, with wide streets and had an open feeling to it, with houses as varied as the people living in them and then, we were already at the Odysseus, named for some hero or the other, as the pamphlet had said - I was not familiar with his myths.
We paid our respects to his statue anyways, bowing our heads as we walked under his gaze. Behind it was a large building, which was the restaurant and the welcoming committee was already expecting us, a young man not much older then us with blonde, curly hair.
Cao blushed lightly, returning his smile a bit shy and I let her take the lead, while I noted the paths going from the entrance hall for foreigners and citizens. Well, to each their own, I guess...
"Hi.", Cao greeted the young man as we had arrived by his desk, "Uhm... a table for two foreigners, please?" I saw her gather her bravery, then add with a cock of her head: "Or three, if you are free, soon?"

Aurora Alce. Arriving at the Hotel.
"Thank you!", I said with a smile. It was always good to hear, that the own homeland was not in someone's bad books or would be seen as a bad nation. "I agree, though, the individualistic places are the worst... no respect for traditions, neither their own nor those of others." I shook my head. "Let's not dwell on that topic, though, the day is too beautiful!"
And then, we were already at our hotel.
As we had stopped, my boss was the first to disembark, not out of impoliteness, but to help me down - I needed it, as it turned out, I tripped on something or the other and, instead of kissing the ground, found myself in the arms of my boss, who had wrapped them around me tightly, saving me from falling.
I blushed.
"You alright?", he asked with concern.
I nodded against his chest.
Beats passed while I got my blush under control.
"I think, that you can let go of me now...", I said and he almost jumped back. I giggled, especially as he cleared his throat as if nothing happened and began to unload our bags.
I turned to our driver and smiled, still blushing lightly.
"Thank you for the nice ride and the good conversation.", I said and bowed my head lightly, then made a step forwards and pecked him onto the cheek with a smile: "And many good customers over the remaining day!"

[Port Ember]

Charlotte Huntley -- Way through Polis

The rickshaw headed for a large square, which Anastasia presented as a marketplace or forum. It stopped here. On this place stood all kinds of stalls and carts, which were filled with goods and used by people. There were smaller marble statues of older men scattered across the square, which turned out to be ancient Greek philosophers. In the middle of the square stood a large statue of about 20 meters, which also showed a man sitting on a chair overlooking the market.
"This is the philosopher Plato," said Anastasia, pointing on the statue. "He is the origin of our whole political-social system, I suppose you have read the Politea and recognize the overlaps."
She turned and pointed to a building that was right next to them. It was less spectacular and antique than the others, but seemed to be restored. Out of them came many of the armed men in uniform.
"This is the headquarters of our police," she explained, pointing then to a hanging board. "There are missing persons marked on this board, that is an important point for the Sophists, as often people get lost in the jungle of the island or the like. The sweetheart of one of my students has been missing for months. It is tragic. This student will attend your lectures at the university ".
Last, Anastasia pointed to a building on the other side of the square. It was much more elegant and bigger than the others and in a different style.
"This is the seat of the Magistrate of Polis", she said. "In Sophistan, the city magistrate always consists of the chancellors of the local universities. So I myself am a member of the Municipal Council of Polis and even chairman. In this city there are five academies and universities, so five members of the magistrate".
The rickshaw continued on the instructions of the young woman.

Charlotte Huntley - Way through Polis

Charlotte was still traveling in the 'fancified' Rickshaw alongside Anastasia, the Chancellor of the university where she is to work as as a guest lecturer for the time being, receiving a loose and informal tour of her new surroundings at the city of Polis.

They arrived at a large square, being utilised as a large market, or in the native terms a forum - being true to their greek / latin heritage certainly. Charlotte smiled when she observed the large and bustling market, as it reminded her of the Grand Bazaar back home. The Grand Bazaar was much larger and busier than the one in front of her, but the atmosphere remained the same. Even though a foreign language hang in the air and everyone around was butt naked, and located in a completely different nation, the sounds, smells and atmosphere was the same as back home. She found that no matter where in the world you find a open air market, they all share the same energy and joy. Blessings from Waukeen Herself it seemed...

She also noticed a large number of small statues, and a large one of Plato. She recognised all the immortalised philosophers in view offcourse - she did hold a Doctorate im Philsophy after all! She did get a small attack of 'the chills' as Anastasia mentioned that Plato's teachings were the basis of the Sophistan model. She always admired Plato's work, and never considered it possible to use his wisdom to enslave and oppress an entire nation..

She looked at the police station, and admired the architecture of the building, as well as the hard work amd effort put in to find missing persons. She still felt somehow that although meaning well, the police were just another tool in the overall oppressive system.

She also admired the Magistrate's architecture and found the sysyem of governance by chancellors to be a strange yet interesting concept. She made a mental note to delve into the governance model of Sophistan for academic reasons at a later stage.

Although she held all these negative feelings towards her new host nation, she made a point of it not to make it noticably vissible, instead choosing to highlight the admiration for the natural beauty surrounding them.

[Sophistan]

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.

As they entered the air district, the residence of the highest caste, both Hagen and Sabrina gave the huge buildings an admiring look - this was the district that seemed to outright scream, 'This is where the high-ups live!' The Ringburg District of Wiedheim was a joke compared to this.
The driver had asked them the question of all questions, the answer to which usually brought loads of international condemnation letters into Supreme Mayor Prescher's post box - though, logically, not from neighboring or closely allied countries, and surely not from Sophistan. The way she asked made her view on democracy quite clear, and this didn't surprise a lot in a Platonist State, given Plato's own view of the (Attic) democracy (or 'mob's rule', as one would obviously put it in these parts), especially from the background of Socrates' execution.
"It has something epistocratic in a very light sense of the term" - Hagen replied, "but there are quite many differences in both theory and practice, which may be caused by our cultures and histories being vastly different. It's rather a technocracy, you see" - while Hagen could not know, whether or not she had ever heard the term, it had Greek roots, so she would understand it, "and while the term is often associated with a negative connotation, or even used in a deliberately pejorative way, in many parts of the world, it has turned out, that this system determining the state's rulers has been a better way out of our previous crises than any other system could ever have. It solved most of our problems. Granted, possibilities for the ... 'mob', as you put it, to bring their agenda onto the table do exist, like the Civil Forum, and since we don't have a caste system, no one is excluded from becoming powerful based on his or her origin, but the message is clear - having a maximum amount of expertise in one's area, preferredly in scientific and technical, but also in other areas like cultural, linguistic, ethical and other matters, is the be-all and end-all to have a say in Wiedheim."
He remembered a quote by a former Supreme Mayor, who had stated, If you're too dumb to pee a hole into the snow, you probably shouldn't run a country - but Hagen kept this for himself.
Sabrina added, "So there are surely a few similarities - not only with the principle of epistocracy as practiced in here; take the Philosopher King's rule practiced in monarchies like Kyrenaia and Shikonjima and having done so for many centuries, take the Technocratic Movement and countries built up on their ideals, like ours, or take Siegfried Heiderich, who developed the concept of the Federative National Meritocracy for the Federation of Lillorainen - they are all forms of governance whose philosophical foundations can be more or less directly traced back to Plato."

In fact, this part of Polis was different from the others. The houses were mostly built in the historicist style, some could even identify as Wilhelminian. They shone in bright and eye-catching colors and sculptures and ornaments adorned their façade. The driver rode the rickshaw now carefully and calmly. In this quarter there were two elevated buildings, which could only be reached by huge stairs. One was like a Greek temple whose white mamor reflected the light of the sun. The other was more like a castle, alternately of red marble and bricks.
"That can not be, I was told that Sophistan is the only country that follows the teachings of Plato," she said as she thought for a moment. "Sometimes I feel that what we have been taught is wrong, or at least exaggerated".

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.

Naran nodded.
Barring all people from emigration, or even just leaving the country, was a practice entirely unknown to and somewhat beyond her - after all, she was a migrant herself -, but she was aware, that this was a quite common practice particularly in countries with central-planned economies. After all, making and trying to fulfill plans for an entire economy and each and every aspect thereof was pretty futile, if people kept leaving the country.
Indeed, these parts were not too hot for her - she was used to both, extremely high and extremely low temperatures.
"Funny you mention fridges" - she told the driver, "in my old hometown, when I was about your age, one could see entire living complexes with plastic bags hanging out of the windows during nights and cold days, usually fixed at the window handles or other contraptions fitting. It was common amongst people who wanted, or needed to, save the energy needed to run a refridgerator - it was before Atakheer Khan decided to re-nationalize the entire energy supply, for the privatization of which had turned out to be a pretty dumb idea. Nowadays, it looks different, of course. And in my new home, Wiedheim, I can't remember to ever have seen this at all."
She let a beat pass.
"It may sound pretty awful for you, yes, and there are a lot of complains from tourists coming from the United Confederacy, which pretty much has the same climate as Sophistan. But it always depends on what you're used to. Someone from polar or sub-polar areas won't have much of issues jumping into the water when it's like fifteen degrees - but will have a hard time to bear tropical climate. I'm used to both extremes, so there isn't much you can shock me with." She had to grin.

"I think you have to be used to a lot for not being shocked in Sophistan," the driver laughed. "At least as a foreigner".
In front of the travelers lay the building of the hotel, which had a walled yard in front of it. In this courtyard stood a lot of people, in all sorts of shapes and colors. The rickshaw slowed and stopped right outside the entrance to the yard.
"I regret to have to say this, but we have arrived," said the driver. "I had a lot of fun on the way".

---

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Place of Earth (Park).
The artist group drew the stone formations that lay in front of them. On the screens all paintings were designed in different styles. The gentleman who led the group looked at the pictures gradually, when he realized that they were all done, he clapped his hands and said something in Greek. The students put the brushes and paint aside and all went to a nearby shower to wash off the blobs of color from the bodies.
The players of the football game seemed to have paused their actions now. They stood by their pockets and refreshed themselves with water, which they partially tilted over her face.

With the entrance archway and its inscription behind us, we beheld the sprawling park before us and Iuna put it best: "Gods, a nice little match around here would be awesome!"
Indeed, the area was well-suited for armoured warfare and would offer a good opportunity for the merry old game mode of Let's go and fuck shit up! Of course, we would have to take care to not hit something important, like the hotel, but it would be awesome! The Puisíni's Captain might find it awesome, too...
Anyway, a map was close by the entrance, giving a nice little overview, but that only caught our attention for a short while: The artists and their instructor (and her quite swanky sandals), most likely an art class, held little interest as well, much more fun was the football game.
We watched for a little but until Iuna said: "Do you think, that they would let us join?"
"Hm...", I made, "Maybe for the next round. Let's watch the artists?"
Iuna nodded and we went over, watching the group complete their works. The woman with the golden sandals indeed seemed a bit odd, but that did not distract me for long as I saw art being made.

Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, Odysseus.

It had been a short and nice walk to the edge of the old town, through the Earth District with its natural charm. It was pretty around here! I knew, that Cao thought the same, she was grinning like the little madwoman she was.
The air was fresh, too, but had a different smell then the air back home... does that make sense?
I hope so.
The Old Town itself was large, with wide streets and had an open feeling to it, with houses as varied as the people living in them and then, we were already at the Odysseus, named for some hero or the other, as the pamphlet had said - I was not familiar with his myths.
We paid our respects to his statue anyways, bowing our heads as we walked under his gaze. Behind it was a large building, which was the restaurant and the welcoming committee was already expecting us, a young man not much older then us with blonde, curly hair.
Cao blushed lightly, returning his smile a bit shy and I let her take the lead, while I noted the paths going from the entrance hall for foreigners and citizens. Well, to each their own, I guess...
"Hi.", Cao greeted the young man as we had arrived by his desk, "Uhm... a table for two foreigners, please?" I saw her gather her bravery, then add with a cock of her head: "Or three, if you are free, soon?"

The boy at the counter smiled when he heard Cao's offer. In fact, it was a lovely girl standing in front of him and the flush on her face was exceedingly sweet. Besides, she was foreigner, from one who knows how foreign land. This exoticism made her amazingly interesting. Yes, he definitely wanted to sit down with her at the table.
He looked at his computer and said: "A table for three is available, if the ladies sit down and order, I'll take a break and then join you.", he winked at Cao. "The middle table by the window".
The restaurant seemed pretty fancy. The tables were made of solid real wood and the equally solid wooden chairs had a velvet cushion as a seat. Over the walls were paintings in the Renaissance style, which represent the individual legends of Ulysses. The table for the girls stood directly in front of a window, which pointed to a small garden with fountains and a playground.
For a short while, as the girls sat down, a waitress came with two menus.
Light classical music played in the background.

Aurora Alce. Spíti tis fýsis.

"Thank you!", I said with a smile. It was always good to hear, that the own homeland was not in someone's bad books or would be seen as a bad nation. "I agree, though, the individualistic places are the worst... no respect for traditions, neither their own nor those of others." I shook my head. "Let's not dwell on that topic, though, the day is too beautiful!"
And then, we were already at our hotel.
As we had stopped, my boss was the first to disembark, not out of impoliteness, but to help me down - I needed it, as it turned out, I tripped on something or the other and, instead of kissing the ground, found myself in the arms of my boss, who had wrapped them around me tightly, saving me from falling.
I blushed.
"You alright?", he asked with concern.
I nodded against his chest.
Beats passed while I got my blush under control.
"I think, that you can let go of me now...", I said and he almost jumped back. I giggled, especially as he cleared his throat as if nothing happened and began to unload our bags.
I turned to our driver and smiled, still blushing lightly.

The driver saw Aurora jump into her boss's arms and rolled his eyes. If it starts now, I'll go on, he thought. But the two separated again and Aurora said goodbye to him. With a kiss on the cheek. He blushed as well as the reason for the blush.
"Thanks ... I hope you have a nice stay," he said and then drove his way again.
The two travelers arrived in the courtyard of the hotel. They also saw the many different people who seemed to be just tourists. They saw the hotel's lush, natural, yet luxurious lobby, and noticed birds flying in colorful plumage from time to time flew across the room. Even small crab monkeys swung from the trees that grew or sat in the building on the tables and benches. Behind a bar stood a narrow, tall, young man, of course in his Adam costume. He gave a friendly smile when he saw the two guests and looked at her expectantly.

---

Charlotte Huntley - Way through Polis.

Charlotte was still traveling in the 'fancified' Rickshaw alongside Anastasia, the Chancellor of the university where she is to work as as a guest lecturer for the time being, receiving a loose and informal tour of her new surroundings at the city of Polis.

They arrived at a large square, being utilised as a large market, or in the native terms a forum - being true to their greek / latin heritage certainly. Charlotte smiled when she observed the large and bustling market, as it reminded her of the Grand Bazaar back home. The Grand Bazaar was much larger and busier than the one in front of her, but the atmosphere remained the same. Even though a foreign language hang in the air and everyone around was butt naked, and located in a completely different nation, the sounds, smells and atmosphere was the same as back home. She found that no matter where in the world you find a open air market, they all share the same energy and joy. Blessings from Waukeen Herself it seemed...

She also noticed a large number of small statues, and a large one of Plato. She recognised all the immortalised philosophers in view offcourse - she did hold a Doctorate im Philsophy after all! She did get a small attack of 'the chills' as Anastasia mentioned that Plato's teachings were the basis of the Sophistan model. She always admired Plato's work, and never considered it possible to use his wisdom to enslave and oppress an entire nation..

She looked at the police station, and admired the architecture of the building, as well as the hard work amd effort put in to find missing persons. She still felt somehow that although meaning well, the police were just another tool in the overall oppressive system.

She also admired the Magistrate's architecture and found the sysyem of governance by chancellors to be a strange yet interesting concept. She made a mental note to delve into the governance model of Sophistan for academic reasons at a later stage.

Although she held all these negative feelings towards her new host nation, she made a point of it not to make it noticably vissible, instead choosing to highlight the admiration for the natural beauty surrounding them.

The rickshaw made its way through the old town as the sight of the surroundings seemed to change. All houses now assumed a more planned and symmetrical arrangement, but their countenance was rather unique. Most of the buildings were built in historicist style or in the Art Nouveau style, with facades that shone in colorful and bright colors. Ornaments and sculptures decorated the buildings in a complex and artistic way.
"This is the Air District, one of the four new districts, as is the Water District and the Earth District.", Anastasia began. "Here lives, as already said, the caste of wisdom and here are also important cultural and political assets".
The elevated position was barely visible to humans, as they too were all naked. Still, they had a fanciness in their posture and gait, and spoke softer and quieter than people from the other districts. The sandals of the people, if they wore them, were a little more artificial than those of the other caste. Although these were not as decorated and expensive as Anastasia's, but still on an increased scale. In addition, they were not so excited when the rickshaw drove past them.
The vehicle stopped in front of a building surrounded by a small garden that can be reached through a gate. This building had a red façade, which lay behind gray-and-white stone pillars, which carried an equally gray marble frame. It was raised a bit, so a staircase led to the entrance.
"This is the National Library of Sophistan," said Anastasia. "Here you will find all the scientific and philosophical writings that ever existed, always in Greek and Latin, only occasionally in their original version. Here only members of the caste of the wise have access. You as a lecturer and philosopher may of course also enter this hoard of knowledge to read into centuries-old writings, some of them thousands of years old."
The rickshaw continued on instruction.
"I'm sorry, through the many lectures, you learn the lumbering down of text," the Chancellor began again. "Of course you can ask if you have any questions, what about Port Ember, compare with Sophistan," she let a beat pass. "My father came from the Principality of Draycora, which is also an individualistic state, like Port Ember, and I would like to know if you tell similar stories as he told."

[Port Ember]

Charlotte Huntley - Way through Polis.

The rickshaw made its way through the old town as the sight of the surroundings seemed to change. All houses now assumed a more planned and symmetrical arrangement, but their countenance was rather unique. Most of the buildings were built in historicist style or in the Art Nouveau style, with facades that shone in colorful and bright colors. Ornaments and sculptures decorated the buildings in a complex and artistic way.
"This is the Air District, one of the four new districts, as is the Water District and the Earth District.", Anastasia began. "Here lives, as already said, the caste of wisdom and here are also important cultural and political assets".
The elevated position was barely visible to humans, as they too were all naked. Still, they had a fanciness in their posture and gait, and spoke softer and quieter than people from the other districts. The sandals of the people, if they wore them, were a little more artificial than those of the other caste. Although these were not as decorated and expensive as Anastasia's, but still on an increased scale. In addition, they were not so excited when the rickshaw drove past them.
The vehicle stopped in front of a building surrounded by a small garden that can be reached through a gate. This building had a red façade, which lay behind gray-and-white stone pillars, which carried an equally gray marble frame. It was raised a bit, so a staircase led to the entrance.
"This is the National Library of Sophistan," said Anastasia. "Here you will find all the scientific and philosophical writings that ever existed, always in Greek and Latin, only occasionally in their original version. Here only members of the caste of the wise have access. You as a lecturer and philosopher may of course also enter this hoard of knowledge to read into centuries-old writings, some of them thousands of years old."
The rickshaw continued on instruction.
"I'm sorry, through the many lectures, you learn the lumbering down of text," the Chancellor began again. "Of course you can ask if you have any questions, what about Port Ember, compare with Sophistan," she let a beat pass. "My father came from the Principality of Draycora, which is also an individualistic state, like Port Ember, and I would like to know if you tell similar stories as he told."

The tour and trip continued as they arrived at the Air District, the district for the so called upper class citizens, and despite the general feeling of opression that Charlotte felt, she did allow herself to be seduced by the charm of her surroundings. The architecture was breathtaking, and combined with its tropical surroundings, was responsible for creating a sort of nostalgic and romantic atmosphere. For a few seconds she forgot about the entire oppressive regime's philosophies as she found her staring at a few perfectly sculpted naked human builds - both men and women-, including the stunning stature of her host, if only for a few fleeting seconds - and she became slightly.. aroused. She managed to hide her new embarresing feelings and were snapped back to reality as she stared at the library.

Charlotte replied to Anastasia, "I have read and learned much about your library, and it has intrigued me endlessly. I am honoured to be allowed entrance and cannot wait for that day to arrive. Luckily I have studied enough of latin and greek litrature to be able to translate the majority of texts.."

Anastasia changed the subject to the fact that her father hails from Draycora - which Charlotte knew much about. Draycora held much the same values and liberties as Port Ember and were a likewise warrior for freedom and liberty. She found it strange that a man from there would imigrate to Sophistan. She inhaled deeply before replying "Well my stories and those of your father would be similar. Like Draycora, Port Ember is a highly indivisualistic state, whom places much importance on personal freedom and liberty. Port Ember is just a little more fierce in this regard.. We are a nation whom was founded on the backs of a free pirate republic, thus personal liberty is the highest form of value's any citizen can hold. I could go as far as to compare our commitment to liberty to that of a major religion.."

[The Selkie]

[...]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Place of Earth (Park).
The artist group drew the stone formations that lay in front of them. On the screens all paintings were designed in different styles. The gentleman who led the group looked at the pictures gradually, when he realized that they were all done, he clapped his hands and said something in Greek. The students put the brushes and paint aside and all went to a nearby shower to wash off the blobs of color from the bodies.
The players of the football game seemed to have paused their actions now. They stood by their pockets and refreshed themselves with water, which they partially tilted over her face.

Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, Odysseus.
The boy at the counter smiled when he heard Cao's offer. In fact, it was a lovely girl standing in front of him and the flush on her face was exceedingly sweet. Besides, she was foreigner, from one who knows how foreign land. This exoticism made her amazingly interesting. Yes, he definitely wanted to sit down with her at the table.
He looked at his computer and said: "A table for three is available, if the ladies sit down and order, I'll take a break and then join you.", he winked at Cao. "The middle table by the window".
The restaurant seemed pretty fancy. The tables were made of solid real wood and the equally solid wooden chairs had a velvet cushion as a seat. Over the walls were paintings in the Renaissance style, which represent the individual legends of Ulysses. The table for the girls stood directly in front of a window, which pointed to a small garden with fountains and a playground.
For a short while, as the girls sat down, a waitress came with two menus.
Light classical music played in the background.

Aurora Alce. Spíti tis fýsis.
The driver saw Aurora jump into her boss's arms and rolled his eyes. If it starts now, I'll go on, he thought. But the two separated again and Aurora said goodbye to him. With a kiss on the cheek. He blushed as well as the reason for the blush.
"Thanks ... I hope you have a nice stay," he said and then drove his way again.
The two travelers arrived in the courtyard of the hotel. They also saw the many different people who seemed to be just tourists. They saw the hotel's lush, natural, yet luxurious lobby, and noticed birds flying in colorful plumage from time to time flew across the room. Even small crab monkeys swung from the trees that grew or sat in the building on the tables and benches. Behind a bar stood a narrow, tall, young man, of course in his Adam costume. He gave a friendly smile when he saw the two guests and looked at her expectantly.

[...]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Place of Earth (Park).
They had finished playing football for the moment and the painters were finished, too.
I looked to Iuna, who nodded.
It was now or never - the footballers could be asked next time they paused, too.
I took the lead as I approached the man with the fancy sandals with a smile.
"Hi.", I greeted in English, "Good morning. If I may ask, are you the instructor for that class?"

Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, Odysseus.
Woah, way to go, Cao!
I smiled, happy for my friend, that she got over her nervousness and basically did what amounted to asking a boy out!
We got to our table and I saw the small grin on her face. She was happy, glad for her success and that was a step for her. Hopefully, the lad wouldn't blow it...
The restaurant was fancy, very much so... that was, what it must feel like, when Nolly went out with her Dad to some fancy business dinner in some fancy restaurant. The cushions were nice and comfortable, the paintings depicted some legends - presumably of the guy this place was named after - the furniture was massive and well-crafted. The window overlooked a small garden with a playground.
The waitress brought a menu, the music made for a nice ambiente, and we scrolled through. And when we were ready, we ordered: For me, Rotisserie Gyros, for Cao, Pork Souvlaki. For a salad, we both took Greek Salad.
Now, only waiting for the man of the hour was left for us to do...

Aurora Alce. Hotel.
The hotel's inside was gorgeous!
It seemed all so natural, so free and in tune with nature - a bit like when my boss and I were in the Free Lands, yet not so... it was hard to describe. The birds were gorgeous, too.
The receptionist smiled, a tall young man, who did not wear a scrap of clothing, of course. His eyes stayed upwards as I approached him. My boss was not good with talking and I was something like his apprentice and secretary anyway, so it was alright.
"Good morning.", I said with a nod, "There should be a reservation for two rooms, on the name of Alce." I took out my passport to confirm my identity. "That'd be me."
We had made reservations in advance for two single rooms, asking to have them next to each other, if possible.

[Sophistan]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Place of Earth (Park).

They had finished playing football for the moment and the painters were finished, too.
I looked to Iuna, who nodded.
It was now or never - the footballers could be asked next time they paused, too.
I took the lead as I approached the man with the fancy sandals with a smile.
"Hi.", I greeted in English, "Good morning. If I may ask, are you the instructor for that class?"

This elderly gentleman, who despite his mature radiance, had a certain grace, also showered. He was still pretty wet when Nolwenn spoke to him. The girl spoke in English, and he knew immediately that it was a foreigner.
"That's me," he said. "I am Athanasios Tsipras, local chairman of the art society, this is my study group."
His voice was slightly higher and his speech was surprisingly pure and without accent.
"How can I help you?"


Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, Odysseus.

Woah, way to go, Cao!
I smiled, happy for my friend, that she got over her nervousness and basically did what amounted to asking a boy out!
We got to our table and I saw the small grin on her face. She was happy, glad for her success and that was a step for her. Hopefully, the lad wouldn't blow it...
The restaurant was fancy, very much so... that was, what it must feel like, when Nolly went out with her Dad to some fancy business dinner in some fancy restaurant. The cushions were nice and comfortable, the paintings depicted some legends - presumably of the guy this place was named after - the furniture was massive and well-crafted. The window overlooked a small garden with a playground.
The waitress brought a menu, the music made for a nice ambiente, and we scrolled through. And when we were ready, we ordered: For me, Rotisserie Gyros, for Cao, Pork Souvlaki. For a salad, we both took Greek Salad.
Now, only waiting for the man of the hour was left for us to do...

The waitress nodded when she took the order, took a menu and left the other one there. In the dining room were still a few tables occupied, by and large, the restaurant was pretty empty. All the more striking was a man of mature age, he seemed to be almost 50 years old. He had black, puffed-up hair, which connected with his beard to a frame around his face. His eyes showed pure nervousness and he seemed to panic from time to time. His eyes often turned to the girls.
When the waitress disappeared from the Selkie's table, the man looked back and forth, then stood up to approach the girls' table.
"Hey, you are not from here, are you?" He asked, whispering nervously in a heavy accent. "Yes, yes, you are foreigners, that's why you eat in this compartment".
He looked around and then came closer with his face to whisper better.
"In your country, are there old people, do you have grandmas and grandpas?"

Aurora Alce. Hotel.

The hotel's inside was gorgeous!
It seemed all so natural, so free and in tune with nature - a bit like when my boss and I were in the Free Lands, yet not so... it was hard to describe. The birds were gorgeous, too.
The receptionist smiled, a tall young man, who did not wear a scrap of clothing, of course. His eyes stayed upwards as I approached him. My boss was not good with talking and I was something like his apprentice and secretary anyway, so it was alright.
"Good morning.", I said with a nod, "There should be a reservation for two rooms, on the name of Alce." I took out my passport to confirm my identity. "That'd be me."
We had made reservations in advance for two single rooms, asking to have them next to each other, if possible.

The receptionist looked in his computer and saw the ID.
"Right there are two rooms reserved, I'll go get the keys quickly", when he said this, he disappeared briefly in a small back door. It was only a few minutes before he reappeared with two keys in his hand. "These would be rooms 407 and 408. If you take this elevator to the fourth floor and then on the left side the seventh and eighth room, they are right next to each other."
He handed the keys to Aurora.
The room that belonged to her was pretty big. It was completely in green, opposite the front door was a fur sofa in front of a window. This points to the park and a lake that was not seen during the ride. On the right side of the entrance, was a single bed. It faced a TV and a minibar, but there were no alcoholic drinks.

---

Charlotte Huntley - Way through Polis.

The tour and trip continued as they arrived at the Air District, the district for the so called upper class citizens, and despite the general feeling of opression that Charlotte felt, she did allow herself to be seduced by the charm of her surroundings. The architecture was breathtaking, and combined with its tropical surroundings, was responsible for creating a sort of nostalgic and romantic atmosphere. For a few seconds she forgot about the entire oppressive regime's philosophies as she found her staring at a few perfectly sculpted naked human builds - both men and women-, including the stunning stature of her host, if only for a few fleeting seconds - and she became slightly.. aroused. She managed to hide her new embarresing feelings and were snapped back to reality as she stared at the library.

Charlotte replied to Anastasia, "I have read and learned much about your library, and it has intrigued me endlessly. I am honoured to be allowed entrance and cannot wait for that day to arrive. Luckily I have studied enough of latin and greek litrature to be able to translate the majority of texts.."

Anastasia changed the subject to the fact that her father hails from Draycora - which Charlotte knew much about. Draycora held much the same values and liberties as Port Ember and were a likewise warrior for freedom and liberty. She found it strange that a man from there would imigrate to Sophistan. She inhaled deeply before replying "Well my stories and those of your father would be similar. Like Draycora, Port Ember is a highly indivisualistic state, whom places much importance on personal freedom and liberty. Port Ember is just a little more fierce in this regard.. We are a nation whom was founded on the backs of a free pirate republic, thus personal liberty is the highest form of value's any citizen can hold. I could go as far as to compare our commitment to liberty to that of a major religion.."

Anastasia seemed lost in thought as Charlotte talked about Port Ember.
"Yes, my father talked similarly about his homeland," she said. "He even used almost the same words, only his tone was more pejorative".
She thought for a moment.
"Once upon a time there was a similar state in this country," she began again. "Market Economy, Democracy and Freedom Rights - all this was in this state, when the country was the Latin-Greek Republic. Unfortunately, this experiment went disastrously wrong. The parliament was able to make decisions, but politicians and officials were for sale and the country went to the dogs. Blinded by their misery and their emotions, they sought salvation in the extremists of the land. Fascists and Communists were the strongest parliamentary groups in the two 1918 elections."
She let a beat pass.
"Both forces were on the verge of overthrowing the system, but luckily the epistocrats were able to take the helm and convince the voters. In 1920, they succeeded in abolishing the Latin-Greek Republic and establishing the Epistocratic Confederation of Sophistan. We call this moment the Reformation and celebrate each year in remembrance of it ".
The rickshaw drove to a small mountain, which was located in the middle of the city. A staircase led to a building on its top, which was modeled after a classical Greek temple. It was of considerable size.
"Speaking of politics," Anastasia began again. "This is the official residence of the Council of Scholars, the highest political body of Sophistan. This council consists of seventeen persons, each assigned to a field of philosophy. It has an executive and legislative power.
We elect the Council of Scholars every ten yearsat the Great Evening Party, an event in which all members of the highest caste are present".
The rickshaw went on.

[The Selkie]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Place of Earth (Park).
This elderly gentleman, who despite his mature radiance, had a certain grace, also showered. He was still pretty wet when Nolwenn spoke to him. The girl spoke in English, and he knew immediately that it was a foreigner.
"That's me," he said. "I am Athanasios Tsipras, local chairman of the art society, this is my study group."
His voice was slightly higher and his speech was surprisingly pure and without accent.
"How can I help you?"


Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, Odysseus.
The waitress nodded when she took the order, took a menu and left the other one there. In the dining room were still a few tables occupied, by and large, the restaurant was pretty empty. All the more striking was a man of mature age, he seemed to be almost 50 years old. He had black, puffed-up hair, which connected with his beard to a frame around his face. His eyes showed pure nervousness and he seemed to panic from time to time. His eyes often turned to the girls.
When the waitress disappeared from the Selkie's table, the man looked back and forth, then stood up to approach the girls' table.
"Hey, you are not from here, are you?" He asked, whispering nervously in a heavy accent. "Yes, yes, you are foreigners, that's why you eat in this compartment".
He looked around and then came closer with his face to whisper better.
"In your country, are there old people, do you have grandmas and grandpas?"

Aurora Alce. Hotel.
The receptionist looked in his computer and saw the ID.
"Right there are two rooms reserved, I'll go get the keys quickly", when he said this, he disappeared briefly in a small back door. It was only a few minutes before he reappeared with two keys in his hand. "These would be rooms 407 and 408. If you take this elevator to the fourth floor and then on the left side the seventh and eighth room, they are right next to each other."
He handed the keys to Aurora.
The room that belonged to her was pretty big. It was completely in green, opposite the front door was a fur sofa in front of a window. This points to the park and a lake that was not seen during the ride. On the right side of the entrance, was a single bed. It faced a TV and a minibar, but there were no alcoholic drinks.

[...]

Nolwenn Drochnós of the Tribe of Cavan. Polis, Spíti tis Fýsis, Place of Earth (Park).
Mister Tsipras, as his name turned out, spoke a surprisingly clean English.
Iuna and I had the typical Selkie-Accent, the dropped vowels and the Rolling R, as well as the musical cadence.
Anyway, I nodded.
"Indeed you can, Sir.", I said politely, he was a Chairman of his Society, after all, "My friend and I were asking ourselves, if we could participate in your art course. We are students from the Free Lands of the Selkie and if our education emphasizes one thing, then it is curiosity."
No need to mention, that we were technically here on vacation, but tanning in the sun was boring anyway!

Deirdre Stiúradh of the Tribe of Fermanagh, Polis, Odysseus.
I would lie if I said, that the nervous man caught my attention before, but as he approached our table, I nudged Cao's foot under the table - our hands went to where we would hide our daggers, if we would be wearing Geansai.
As we didn't wear anything, not even our daggers, we were boned.
"Hey, you are not from here, are you?", he asked, his whispers full of nervousness and he himself rather mousy. His accent was heavy. "Yes, yes, you are foreigners, that's why you eat in this compartment." It dawned upon me, that he wasn't he here because he wanted to flirt with us, something, that Cao also got. Her hand wandered to the menu, to use its edge as a club, if necessary. Cao was strong, she was our loader and as such heaved 155 millimetre rounds around, so it would smart. He came closer to whisper better. "In your country, are there old people, do you have grandmas and grandpas?"
We exchanged short glances.
Now that he mentioned it, there was a surprising absence of old people.
"Yes, we do.", I said cautiously, whispering as well, "Why?"

Aurora Alce. Hotel.
I smiled at the receptionist.
"Thank you!", I said and took the keys, then my boss followed me to the lift.
Indeed, the ride was short and smooth and on the fourth floor, we found Rooms 407 and 408. And 407, my room, was awesome! Green, the fur sofa, the window looking over the lake, single bed with TV and Minibar!
My boss followed me into my room, placing down a few of the bags while I tested out the sofa. I heard my boss' smile. It was fluffy, felt awesome on the skin!
"Well, I'll leave you to getting acclimatised, then.", he said and moved to the door.
"Maestro, could you please join me?", I asked, sitting up and looking over the back of the sofa with a smile.
He stopped. "I... don't think, that it would be a good idea..."
I cocked my head, then it dawned on me. "The anaphrodisiac wore off, eh?", I asked. I heard the heavy gulp. Got it in one. He was quite troubled. "It's in the green bag."
"Thank you.", he said and left.
I fell back onto the sofa - Aurora... what are you going to do...?
Getting acclimatised, for now, it seems. First step: Getting a shower.
A cold one.

[Freie Stadt Wiedheim]

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.
In fact, this part of Polis was different from the others. The houses were mostly built in the historicist style, some could even identify as Wilhelminian. They shone in bright and eye-catching colors and sculptures and ornaments adorned their façade. The driver rode the rickshaw now carefully and calmly. In this quarter there were two elevated buildings, which could only be reached by huge stairs. One was like a Greek temple whose white mamor reflected the light of the sun. The other was more like a castle, alternately of red marble and bricks.
"That can not be, I was told that Sophistan is the only country that follows the teachings of Plato," she said as she thought for a moment. "Sometimes I feel that what we have been taught is wrong, or at least exaggerated".

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Port of Polis, underway.
"I think you have to be used to a lot for not being shocked in Sophistan," the driver laughed. "At least as a foreigner".
In front of the travelers lay the building of the hotel, which had a walled yard in front of it. In this courtyard stood a lot of people, in all sorts of shapes and colors. The rickshaw slowed and stopped right outside the entrance to the yard.
"I regret to have to say this, but we have arrived," said the driver. "I had a lot of fun on the way".

Hagen Betz & Sabrina Fetscher. Port of Polis, underway.
The driver slowed down, handling her vehicle carefully between the historicist buildings, some of which were pretty close to variants of the style of architecture they knew from back home - just more overwhelming and amazing. Hagen motioned to the sculptures and ornaments, and whispered to Sabrina, "Isch dengge, da hammer schumma was, was mer von her iwwenämme kenne, gell?" ('I think, we've already found something we can adopt from here, eh?')
Sabrina nodded. Indeed, the love they had put into details was something that needed to be copied in Wiedheim. Then, she turned back to the driver, continuing in English, replying to her objection. "Yes, Sophistan is the only country I've ever heard of which follows the teachings of Plato by word, and I would be surprised, if there was a second one. Yet, Plato has had a notable degree of influence on quite different systems that have evolved ever since his lifetime. Many systems are based on his ideas - some of which more closely, whereas with others, one would need to go into detail in order to find his traces, but the influence is still there."
She let a beat pass.
"So, what you have been taught is not wrong in itself" - she continued, "but perhaps only a part of the truth. Which cannot be hold against your teachers, for it is impossible to know every little detail about every country in the world, considering how many there are."

Naran Amarin & Miriam Kardebender. Spíti tis Fýsis.
Naran just could laugh and respond, "Yeah, there might be many things that can shock me in here, but at least, the climate is not one of them!" - then, they arrived at the Spíti tis Fýsis, their destination, a hotel with the walled yard full of different people in front of it.
As they stopped, Naran nodded. "Indeed, it was fun!"
Both ladies got off the rickshaw.
"Efcharistó polí!" - Naran thanked him. Miriam repeated the phrase. They remembered, that transport was for free in here right before they were going to pay, by intuition, for this was what they were used to.
They told him goodbye and would make it towards the hotel, in order to check in.

[Port Ember]

Charlotte Huntley - Way through Polis.

Anastasia seemed lost in thought as Charlotte talked about Port Ember.
"Yes, my father talked similarly about his homeland," she said. "He even used almost the same words, only his tone was more pejorative".
She thought for a moment.
"Once upon a time there was a similar state in this country," she began again. "Market Economy, Democracy and Freedom Rights - all this was in this state, when the country was the Latin-Greek Republic. Unfortunately, this experiment went disastrously wrong. The parliament was able to make decisions, but politicians and officials were for sale and the country went to the dogs. Blinded by their misery and their emotions, they sought salvation in the extremists of the land. Fascists and Communists were the strongest parliamentary groups in the two 1918 elections."
She let a beat pass.
"Both forces were on the verge of overthrowing the system, but luckily the epistocrats were able to take the helm and convince the voters. In 1920, they succeeded in abolishing the Latin-Greek Republic and establishing the Epistocratic Confederation of Sophistan. We call this moment the Reformation and celebrate each year in remembrance of it ".
The rickshaw drove to a small mountain, which was located in the middle of the city. A staircase led to a building on its top, which was modeled after a classical Greek temple. It was of considerable size.
"Speaking of politics," Anastasia began again. "This is the official residence of the Council of Scholars, the highest political body of Sophistan. This council consists of seventeen persons, each assigned to a field of philosophy. It has an executive and legislative power.
We elect the Council of Scholars every ten yearsat the Great Evening Party, an event in which all members of the highest caste are present".
The rickshaw went on.

Charlotte Huntley - Way through Polis.

Charlotte listened to Anastasia's explanation of her nations troubled history. It made sense why the nation shy'd away from democracy due to extreme corruption and led to the rise of communism and fascism.

Charlotte frowned, deep in thought before replying, "I believe the secret to making a democracy a success is simple - the populace must never surrender their power to the government. The government must fear and serve its people - not the other way around. Failing that, corruption and power abuse will seep in amd corrupt the roots of the nation. This philosophy is what guides Port Ember into the thriving paradise it is today. We have a long history of taking up arms against our government if they grow corrupt or power hungry.." Charlotte smiled, knowing that she might have opened a proverbial can of worms.

She continued to observe the magnificent building known as the Council of Scholars. It was a true masterpiece of architecture. She listened to how their top structure of governence worked, and her frown reapeared, "That surely is a... unique approach to government. How long has your nation followed this current model?"