A friend's visit is a joyous occasion, indeed (CLOSED)

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
As we got moving and smiled at Albin's observation after he had lit his pipe.
"Yeah, it's a lot slower then in other parts of the world.", I confirmed, "That doesn't mean, that we don't have hectic days either, though..."
"Especially when a certain someone is late for school?", Ceili asked and I blushed a bit sheepishly. She turned to the ones in the carriage. "Though, truth being told, we do travel a lot slower then others and we still reach our destinations in time. Carriage rides or riding are usually only short-distance trips, though."
"Yep!", I confirmed, "We have really fast trains for that! Almost a hundred kilometers per hour at times!"
I had no idea how fast trains in Lillorainen were, but I knew, that for me, trains were pretty fast. Slowly, the speed of the caravan reached our marching speed, a trot at around twelve kilometers per hour - as Cnockan House was around nine kilometers away, we would be on the road for three quarters of an hour.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I had been Marla's Rival for a long time now - it was an almost bitter rivalry and the two of us were most certainly not friends, not like Leonard and I or Leonard and Marla were, but I was still fine with her being in charge of the convoy. She had the experience and I was honoured to be one of the flagbearers.
Next to me, Fiona Banphrionsa of the Tribe of Cavan carried the Banner of Carman Fea, high and proud. Of course, we didn't carry it with the arm free in the air, the entire weight in one hand, but we had a small slot in one of the stirrups, which held the majority of the weight instead of the arm.
I looked over to Fiona, who looked back, and then we both turned further to see the riding guests. They looked good and the horses were performing as we expected.
"So...", I said with a small grin, "...it was Leverdal, wasn't it?"

As the carriage reached marching speed, which was a bit faster than walking speed, Estrup's assumptions got confirmed fast, even though this, as he had been aware of, was only half of the story - of course, trains were a thing in here as well, and they had established themselves as the usual means of transportation for long-distance travels a long time ago.
A hundred kilometers per hour seemed to pass as an extremely high speed to Donny - or probably to everyone who had never gone on bullet trains such as the Interregio trains in Lillorainen.
Ole Klingebiel nodded. "There are trains in Lillorainen with design speeds of well beyond two hundred, sometimes even three hundred kilometers per hour" - he said, "but these are rather the exception, limited to high-speed connections between the largest cities, like, say, Lysköping-Lollerup, or Pontrath-Preetz. For most other connections, like between smaller cities, towns, and villages, eighty to hundred kilometers per hour, in exceptional cases up to a hundred and twenty, are the usual speed as well. Even though the network is gradually being extended, and various attempts to use higher-speed trains outside the main routes have already been made and are being made. But this is something you should probably ask Lena about."
Lena hummed in agreement. After all, she was in charge of this.
"And as for individual traffic" - Estrup added, "we might go a tiny bit faster on average." Which was a blatant understatement, given how we were talking about Lillorainen, the country where people considered it their constitutional right to go on a highway with the speed of a cruise missile. "But we also have a way higher population density in many places. There are highway intersections frequented by a hundred thousand vehicles per day and more. Imagine so many vehicles on a crossroad in here ..."

As they moved on, there was a moment of silence - until the women carrying the banners caught up. Of course, they didn't carry it with their arms only, but with a small slot in their stirrups.
The lassie carrying the Federation's Tricolor approached Flemming, with the same inquiry as Ceyda had asked before.
Sure, the density of possible riding teachers in Lillorainen was nowhere near as high as in these parts, but it was not like there could possibly only one in the entire area ... of course, it must have seemed logical to everyone nonetheless, as having one of the best riders in Lillorainen living but twenty kilometers away from the Presidential Office would seem practical, but still ...
Flemming grinned. "Maybe?"

[The Selkie]

As the carriage reached marching speed, which was a bit faster than walking speed, Estrup's assumptions got confirmed fast, even though this, as he had been aware of, was only half of the story - of course, trains were a thing in here as well, and they had established themselves as the usual means of transportation for long-distance travels a long time ago.
A hundred kilometers per hour seemed to pass as an extremely high speed to Donny - or probably to everyone who had never gone on bullet trains such as the Interregio trains in Lillorainen.
Ole Klingebiel nodded. "There are trains in Lillorainen with design speeds of well beyond two hundred, sometimes even three hundred kilometers per hour" - he said, "but these are rather the exception, limited to high-speed connections between the largest cities, like, say, Lysköping-Lollerup, or Pontrath-Preetz. For most other connections, like between smaller cities, towns, and villages, eighty to hundred kilometers per hour, in exceptional cases up to a hundred and twenty, are the usual speed as well. Even though the network is gradually being extended, and various attempts to use higher-speed trains outside the main routes have already been made and are being made. But this is something you should probably ask Lena about."
Lena hummed in agreement. After all, she was in charge of this.
"And as for individual traffic" - Estrup added, "we might go a tiny bit faster on average." Which was a blatant understatement, given how we were talking about Lillorainen, the country where people considered it their constitutional right to go on a highway with the speed of a cruise missile. "But we also have a way higher population density in many places. There are highway intersections frequented by a hundred thousand vehicles per day and more. Imagine so many vehicles on a crossroad in here ..."

As they moved on, there was a moment of silence - until the women carrying the banners caught up. Of course, they didn't carry it with their arms only, but with a small slot in their stirrups.
The lassie carrying the Federation's Tricolor approached Flemming, with the same inquiry as Ceyda had asked before.
Sure, the density of possible riding teachers in Lillorainen was nowhere near as high as in these parts, but it was not like there could possibly only one in the entire area ... of course, it must have seemed logical to everyone nonetheless, as having one of the best riders in Lillorainen living but twenty kilometers away from the Presidential Office would seem practical, but still ...
Flemming grinned. "Maybe?"

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I will freely admit, that I had a few problems with wrapping my head around the new information for a moment. For me, there was standing, there was walking, running, trotting, galloping, full gallop and train speed, with different flavours of ship speed thrown into it.
I knew, that one could travel faster, I had, technically, twice, when I had taken a plane with Ceili and our Mams to the Archipelago last winter and back, and I knew, that one could travel a lot faster - there is, however, a conceptual difference between riding a plane at 270 kilometers per hour four kilometers above the ocean and doing the same on a train rushing through the landscape.
"Yeah, there are a lot more people in Lillorainen...", Ceili said with a thoughtful expression, "Big Sis Amy mentioned something like that when she talked about her trip to Lillorainen a few years ago. I doubt, that there are a hundred thousand motor vehicles in the entire Free Lands, though..."
"We do have busy crossroads, though.", I said and grinned, "Ask the City of Cuan!"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Fiona and I laughed at the reply.
"So yes, she did.", I said, still smiling, and nodded, "Got yourself a good teacher, have to give you that!"
Fi nodded. "Judging by how well you ride, Sir, indeed! Though, it might also be a bit of a hidden talent.", she said and shrugged, "We might know one day."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I will freely admit, that I had a few problems with wrapping my head around the new information for a moment. For me, there was standing, there was walking, running, trotting, galloping, full gallop and train speed, with different flavours of ship speed thrown into it.
I knew, that one could travel faster, I had, technically, twice, when I had taken a plane with Ceili and our Mams to the Archipelago last winter and back, and I knew, that one could travel a lot faster - there is, however, a conceptual difference between riding a plane at 270 kilometers per hour four kilometers above the ocean and doing the same on a train rushing through the landscape.
"Yeah, there are a lot more people in Lillorainen...", Ceili said with a thoughtful expression, "Big Sis Amy mentioned something like that when she talked about her trip to Lillorainen a few years ago. I doubt, that there are a hundred thousand motor vehicles in the entire Free Lands, though..."
"We do have busy crossroads, though.", I said and grinned, "Ask the City of Cuan!"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Fiona and I laughed at the reply.
"So yes, she did.", I said, still smiling, and nodded, "Got yourself a good teacher, have to give you that!"
Fi nodded. "Judging by how well you ride, Sir, indeed! Though, it might also be a bit of a hidden talent.", she said and shrugged, "We might know one day."

Lena had to grin upon Donny's last reference - indeed, Cuan was a fairly good example of a City in the Free Lands plagued by congestion, as she had figured out when reading about the city's structure a couple of years back. In her mind, she had already designed a possible proposal for bypass roads, maybe even a ringroad, making it possible for long-distances traffic to not have to go right through the city, in order to decongest the urban roads at least to a degree - certainly an expensive endeavor, considering, that such a 'Cuan Orbital' would require three bridges to be built, as Cuan was located at the meeting point of two rivers forming a third one (in Lillorainen, Cuan was commonly nicknamed "the Kerkenich of the Free Lands" for this reason), and ultimately, she had decided, that this would be an issue for local authorities to deal with, even though she would have to admit, that she had been itching to draft a proposal and suggesting it to the authorities in question ...
"Indeed" - Klingebiel tore her out of her thoughts, "albeit I would assume, that the total number of motorized vehicles, horse-drawn carriages, individual riders, and pedestrians should be well beyond a hundred thousand!" He had to grin.
"Though" - Lena spoke up, "to be fair - barely anthing beats Utica ..."

"Thank you!" - Flemming said, not confirming or denying, whether his ominous teacher ultimately had been Hilda Leverdal or not. "I should probably have started way sooner - but as the saying goes, afterwards one is always wiser!"
It must have been a little culture shock for quite many Selkie to learn, that in many other places, it was well possible to never have been in physical contact with an equine for more than forty years ...
"And yeah, we might know one day" - Ceyda said. "In any case, quite a few people back home will be surprised about that!"

[The Selkie]

Lena had to grin upon Donny's last reference - indeed, Cuan was a fairly good example of a City in the Free Lands plagued by congestion, as she had figured out when reading about the city's structure a couple of years back. In her mind, she had already designed a possible proposal for bypass roads, maybe even a ringroad, making it possible for long-distances traffic to not have to go right through the city, in order to decongest the urban roads at least to a degree - certainly an expensive endeavor, considering, that such a 'Cuan Orbital' would require three bridges to be built, as Cuan was located at the meeting point of two rivers forming a third one (in Lillorainen, Cuan was commonly nicknamed "the Kerkenich of the Free Lands" for this reason), and ultimately, she had decided, that this would be an issue for local authorities to deal with, even though she would have to admit, that she had been itching to draft a proposal and suggesting it to the authorities in question ...
"Indeed" - Klingebiel tore her out of her thoughts, "albeit I would assume, that the total number of motorized vehicles, horse-drawn carriages, individual riders, and pedestrians should be well beyond a hundred thousand!" He had to grin.
"Though" - Lena spoke up, "to be fair - barely anthing beats Utica ..."

"Thank you!" - Flemming said, not confirming or denying, whether his ominous teacher ultimately had been Hilda Leverdal or not. "I should probably have started way sooner - but as the saying goes, afterwards one is always wiser!"
It must have been a little culture shock for quite many Selkie to learn, that in many other places, it was well possible to never have been in physical contact with an equine for more than forty years ...
"And yeah, we might know one day" - Ceyda said. "In any case, quite a few people back home will be surprised about that!"

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I had no idea, that Lena had already such proposals in mind, or that there was something, which would surely find her interest coming in that regard, but I had even less of an idea, that the City Council of Cuan would appreciate such an offer.
Politics was a confusing thing...
"Yeah, Mam was there once...", Ceili said, then added: "She didn't like it. Not only because of the temperatures, but also because it was so loud and smelly and generally too large..."
"I honestly prefer Rua in that regard - half of the year, life is mostly underground and the other half, its above ground, but one has an overview.", I said, "Unless one is at the freight terminal."
Ceili nodded with a small smile. The Freight Terminal was a confusing place...

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
It was indeed hard for some Selkie to imagine living forty years without ever sitting on a horse, but for many Expats, that was the truth of living, for example in Kyrenaia.
Still...
"I can imagine.", I said with a nod, "To my knowledge, equestrianism is something rather expensive around your parts, right?"

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I had no idea, that Lena had already such proposals in mind, or that there was something, which would surely find her interest coming in that regard, but I had even less of an idea, that the City Council of Cuan would appreciate such an offer.
Politics was a confusing thing...
"Yeah, Mam was there once...", Ceili said, then added: "She didn't like it. Not only because of the temperatures, but also because it was so loud and smelly and generally too large..."
"I honestly prefer Rua in that regard - half of the year, life is mostly underground and the other half, its above ground, but one has an overview.", I said, "Unless one is at the freight terminal."
Ceili nodded with a small smile. The Freight Terminal was a confusing place...

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
It was indeed hard for some Selkie to imagine living forty years without ever sitting on a horse, but for many Expats, that was the truth of living, for example in Kyrenaia.
Still...
"I can imagine.", I said with a nod, "To my knowledge, equestrianism is something rather expensive around your parts, right?"

Indeed, it was hard to imagine, that the City Council would accept such an offer, which was why it, unlike other projects she had worked on abroad, like the JATRACO Railway Project, had remained a little thought experiment - after all, there was already enough of work to be done somewhere else.
Still, imagining how the City Council of a Selkie-City would start talking about a proposal coming from Lillorainen, and everyone being like, "Gods, what kind of shenanigans are these Lillos planning in our cities ...?!" was too funny.
Lena nodded. "I have yet to see Utica, but in general, I imagine it extremely crowded and confusing ... especially since it has more than four times the size of Adirnabul, the largest city I've been to so far."
"I was born and raised in rural Marrania" - Klingebiel said. "As a kid, Ladenburg was basically Utica for me ..."
Estrup took a drag of his pipe. "And for someone from Utica, almost everything will certainly feel like a village ..." - he said.

Of course, Expats were an exception, just like basically everyone belonging to the Shamsiyyan Community in Lillorainen only knew camels from pictures, or like the small community of Lillos in Carabistouille was unlikely to know how proper beer was made.
Still ...
"Hm ..." - Flemming thought for a moment, "... define expensive. Equestrianism quite considered more of a luxury in Lillorainen than it will be around here, even though I'm not sure as to how well this can compared."
"I don't know what it's like in here" - Lykke Nörvenich, a more experienced equestrian, interjected. "But around our parts, you don't just go around and buy a horse like you go around and buy some new furniture. There are different price ranges, the lowest one starting around five thousand Marks, which can be considered basic, and may go up into stratospheric amounts, depending on which breed you prefer. Equipment like saddles can be quite cheap, but it is generally recommended to invest into a bit more quality as well; the same goes for riding clothes, the prices for which are almost always well within the three-figure range. Now add the general obligation to set a purchasing contract up and to own certain documents like a horse passport, and you know why not all Lillos are born for the saddle." She shrugged.
"Couldn't have said it better" - Friederike Golkrath added. "This is why a lot of ambitioned riders, especially those on a low income, don't own a horse on their own, but are members of an equestrian club, where they borrow horses for riding them out, or opt for caring for a foster horse."

[The Selkie]

Indeed, it was hard to imagine, that the City Council would accept such an offer, which was why it, unlike other projects she had worked on abroad, like the JATRACO Railway Project, had remained a little thought experiment - after all, there was already enough of work to be done somewhere else.
Still, imagining how the City Council of a Selkie-City would start talking about a proposal coming from Lillorainen, and everyone being like, "Gods, what kind of shenanigans are these Lillos planning in our cities ...?!" was too funny.
Lena nodded. "I have yet to see Utica, but in general, I imagine it extremely crowded and confusing ... especially since it has more than four times the size of Adirnabul, the largest city I've been to so far."
"I was born and raised in rural Marrania" - Klingebiel said. "As a kid, Ladenburg was basically Utica for me ..."
Estrup took a drag of his pipe. "And for someone from Utica, almost everything will certainly feel like a village ..." - he said.

Of course, Expats were an exception, just like basically everyone belonging to the Shamsiyyan Community in Lillorainen only knew camels from pictures, or like the small community of Lillos in Carabistouille was unlikely to know how proper beer was made.
Still ...
"Hm ..." - Flemming thought for a moment, "... define expensive. Equestrianism quite considered more of a luxury in Lillorainen than it will be around here, even though I'm not sure as to how well this can compared."
"I don't know what it's like in here" - Lykke Nörvenich, a more experienced equestrian, interjected. "But around our parts, you don't just go around and buy a horse like you go around and buy some new furniture. There are different price ranges, the lowest one starting around five thousand Marks, which can be considered basic, and may go up into stratospheric amounts, depending on which breed you prefer. Equipment like saddles can be quite cheap, but it is generally recommended to invest into a bit more quality as well; the same goes for riding clothes, the prices for which are almost always well within the three-figure range. Now add the general obligation to set a purchasing contract up and to own certain documents like a horse passport, and you know why not all Lillos are born for the saddle." She shrugged.
"Couldn't have said it better" - Friederike Golkrath added. "This is why a lot of ambitioned riders, especially those on a low income, don't own a horse on their own, but are members of an equestrian club, where they borrow horses for riding them out, or opt for caring for a foster horse."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We passed the Airbase's Main Gate, the guard posts saluting us as we rode past. Ceili and I waved.
"I know, that I would feel that way.", I said in agreement, "I mean, Conall Curach is a metropolis for us, right, Ceili?"
Ceili nodded. "And Aonas always says, that Rua is like a village to him.", she said, then huffed, "He shouldn't be so uppity. Conall Curach is a swampy mess of a city with only twice the size of Rua - and our snow doesn't get muddy the moment it touches the ground!"
I nodded - and I was sure, that these city and town rivalries also existed in Lillorainen...

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded as we rode past the gate guards, which snapped to attention the moment the flags passed them.
"Getting a horse isn't cheap around here either.", I said with a small smile, "I would generally compare buying and owning a horse to buying and maintaining a car - not only for the obvious reasons. There are many price ranges, too, you can buy them used - the City Guards love to sell off horses, which passed their prime, for example - saddles and reins and everything else is like tires, they can go up as well, though I wouldn't recommend buying used ones and so on... the only things you need to do, when you buy a horse, is registering it and having a verification, that you have a spot in a stable for it, analogue to a garage." I shrugged. "Indeed, it depends on what we define as expensive... and, in the case of many city-dwellers, worth the expense."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We passed the Airbase's Main Gate, the guard posts saluting us as we rode past. Ceili and I waved.
"I know, that I would feel that way.", I said in agreement, "I mean, Conall Curach is a metropolis for us, right, Ceili?"
Ceili nodded. "And Aonas always says, that Rua is like a village to him.", she said, then huffed, "He shouldn't be so uppity. Conall Curach is a swampy mess of a city with only twice the size of Rua - and our snow doesn't get muddy the moment it touches the ground!"
I nodded - and I was sure, that these city and town rivalries also existed in Lillorainen...

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded as we rode past the gate guards, which snapped to attention the moment the flags passed them.
"Getting a horse isn't cheap around here either.", I said with a small smile, "I would generally compare buying and owning a horse to buying and maintaining a car - not only for the obvious reasons. There are many price ranges, too, you can buy them used - the City Guards love to sell off horses, which passed their prime, for example - saddles and reins and everything else is like tires, they can go up as well, though I wouldn't recommend buying used ones and so on... the only things you need to do, when you buy a horse, is registering it and having a verification, that you have a spot in a stable for it, analogue to a garage." I shrugged. "Indeed, it depends on what we define as expensive... and, in the case of many city-dwellers, worth the expense."

The guard posts at the Airbase's Main Gate received a round of waves from the carriage.
And indeed, such rivalries were quite a thing in Lillorainen as well ...
"That's probably much of a matter of perspective" - Lena said, nodding. "For everyone from a rural area or small town, a school trip to Lillamala is certainly an astonishing thing. For someone from Lysköping, it's usually just a huge complex of a capital city designed on a drawing board they put next to the old federal capital and merged it into the same state for some reasons. Some might even go as far as to say, Lillamala has become a thing in order to give some overzealous urban planners some job to do."
There we go ...
"Well, at least, they did give us a functioning government complex" - Estrup said. "And a guy named Kevin, who had the idea to open a kiosk up right on the other side of the Council Building. I can imagine worse places to run a country from!"
"Or even a state ..." - Klingebiel murmured.
"Yeah, I never really got why you guys over in Marrania insist on keeping your capital in Wettau" - Lena said. "I mean, it's basically Marrania's Conall Curach, only with the difference, that there are four bigger cities, one of them being metropolis of more than a million, in the state, three of them not even being too far from that."
Klingebiel laughed. "I'm Marranian, and I still don't get it either ..." - he admitted. "Around those parts, we commonly say, the most beautiful thing about Wettau is the highway to Ladenburg."

The gate guards would receive some greeting from the horseback as well.
Flemming nodded. "Indeed, it can somehow be compared to purchasing and maintaining a car" - he said, "even though I would argue, that for most people in Lillorainen, maintaining a car is a lot easier than maintaining a horse. Then again, with cars, price range can even be bigger - it's well possible to buy a used car for a price of well under a thousand Marks, but of course, these are the real old ones, which have visibly seen their best days and might either fail the next technical inspection, or collapse before the date the next inspection is scheduled on. Nothing I would recommend ..."
"And of course, the other extreme is possible as well" - Annika Seelscheid added. "You can also get yourself an upper-class sports car with like 300 hp, get it lowered, get a rear spoiler on it, even get a soda dispenser right behind the center console." She shook her head, laughing. "And don't forget about lifting the radiator grill up and have a heap of metal on the hood to present, if you're truly committed to spending a fortune on a vehicle!"

[The Selkie]

The guard posts at the Airbase's Main Gate received a round of waves from the carriage.
And indeed, such rivalries were quite a thing in Lillorainen as well ...
"That's probably much of a matter of perspective" - Lena said, nodding. "For everyone from a rural area or small town, a school trip to Lillamala is certainly an astonishing thing. For someone from Lysköping, it's usually just a huge complex of a capital city designed on a drawing board they put next to the old federal capital and merged it into the same state for some reasons. Some might even go as far as to say, Lillamala has become a thing in order to give some overzealous urban planners some job to do."
There we go ...
"Well, at least, they did give us a functioning government complex" - Estrup said. "And a guy named Kevin, who had the idea to open a kiosk up right on the other side of the Council Building. I can imagine worse places to run a country from!"
"Or even a state ..." - Klingebiel murmured.
"Yeah, I never really got why you guys over in Marrania insist on keeping your capital in Wettau" - Lena said. "I mean, it's basically Marrania's Conall Curach, only with the difference, that there are four bigger cities, one of them being metropolis of more than a million, in the state, three of them not even being too far from that."
Klingebiel laughed. "I'm Marranian, and I still don't get it either ..." - he admitted. "Around those parts, we commonly say, the most beautiful thing about Wettau is the highway to Ladenburg."

The gate guards would receive some greeting from the horseback as well.
Flemming nodded. "Indeed, it can somehow be compared to purchasing and maintaining a car" - he said, "even though I would argue, that for most people in Lillorainen, maintaining a car is a lot easier than maintaining a horse. Then again, with cars, price range can even be bigger - it's well possible to buy a used car for a price of well under a thousand Marks, but of course, these are the real old ones, which have visibly seen their best days and might either fail the next technical inspection, or collapse before the date the next inspection is scheduled on. Nothing I would recommend ..."
"And of course, the other extreme is possible as well" - Annika Seelscheid added. "You can also get yourself an upper-class sports car with like 300 hp, get it lowered, get a rear spoiler on it, even get a soda dispenser right behind the center console." She shook her head, laughing. "And don't forget about lifting the radiator grill up and have a heap of metal on the hood to present, if you're truly committed to spending a fortune on a vehicle!"

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We grinned with them, not quite getting all of it, but the general gist.
"Fortham, for us, is the capital less out of planning or construction, but by tradition.", Ceili said, "Well, it's not the capital. It's... the place, where the Big Politics happen, as Mam says. And that is because the Elders are there. Ever since 450, since Ribín Gorm, beheaded the Last High King and put Fort Stone to the torch, it was the politically most important place in the Free Lands." She shrugged. "Certainly, other cities are larger and more important, but Fortham is, where the Elders are, and that's the end of that."
"...I think, that's pretty important.", I voiced my thought.
Ceili smiled. "It is. But the Elders are a group of people, not something immobile, like... an ore deposit, so they could convene anywhere - even in your bedroom.", she said and I gasped. My bedroom was far too small and I didn't have enough chairs in it! Besides, Mam didn't have a teapot large enough! Ceili looked at me in the deadpan, that suggested, that she knew, that I had a thought, which she thought was inane, so I kept my cake hole shut. "So, why do they meet in Fortham?"
"Because they always did?", I hedged.
"You really need to read up on history classes...", she said and nodded, "...but yes, because they 'always' did. Tradition. The same reason as to why we are here."
I nodded, then looked at the guests. "So... when Lillorainen was founded, there was no place, which could serve as a traditional place for your parliament to convene, so you built a new one from scratch?"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded.
"You can do the same with a horse. Ever wondered, what a horse looks like, when it smells like lavender?", I asked with a grin, "Exactly: Like a horse, that does not smell like lavender. Though it usually is a lot calmer. Like... really, really calm. The smell of lavender calms a horse, so, when you wash it with a lavender wash, it carries the calm with it."
Fi nodded. "And those things are expensive, too...", she said, then added: "Though, modifying the bodywork of a horse is complicated. What's more common is modifying saddles, reins and so on, to show, that you have little self-esteem, but a thick wallet. And, of course, your own riding clothes and tournament armors." She let a beat pass. "I know, that this is a weird comment from someone in Ceremonial Armor, thank you..."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We grinned with them, not quite getting all of it, but the general gist.
"Fortham, for us, is the capital less out of planning or construction, but by tradition.", Ceili said, "Well, it's not the capital. It's... the place, where the Big Politics happen, as Mam says. And that is because the Elders are there. Ever since 450, since Ribín Gorm, beheaded the Last High King and put Fort Stone to the torch, it was the politically most important place in the Free Lands." She shrugged. "Certainly, other cities are larger and more important, but Fortham is, where the Elders are, and that's the end of that."
"...I think, that's pretty important.", I voiced my thought.
Ceili smiled. "It is. But the Elders are a group of people, not something immobile, like... an ore deposit, so they could convene anywhere - even in your bedroom.", she said and I gasped. My bedroom was far too small and I didn't have enough chairs in it! Besides, Mam didn't have a teapot large enough! Ceili looked at me in the deadpan, that suggested, that she knew, that I had a thought, which she thought was inane, so I kept my cake hole shut. "So, why do they meet in Fortham?"
"Because they always did?", I hedged.
"You really need to read up on history classes...", she said and nodded, "...but yes, because they 'always' did. Tradition. The same reason as to why we are here."
I nodded, then looked at the guests. "So... when Lillorainen was founded, there was no place, which could serve as a traditional place for your parliament to convene, so you built a new one from scratch?"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded.
"You can do the same with a horse. Ever wondered, what a horse looks like, when it smells like lavender?", I asked with a grin, "Exactly: Like a horse, that does not smell like lavender. Though it usually is a lot calmer. Like... really, really calm. The smell of lavender calms a horse, so, when you wash it with a lavender wash, it carries the calm with it."
Fi nodded. "And those things are expensive, too...", she said, then added: "Though, modifying the bodywork of a horse is complicated. What's more common is modifying saddles, reins and so on, to show, that you have little self-esteem, but a thick wallet. And, of course, your own riding clothes and tournament armors." She let a beat pass. "I know, that this is a weird comment from someone in Ceremonial Armor, thank you..."

Donny and Ceili grinned with them, even though they might not have gotten the entire joke behind this little rivalry.
One could visibly see how Donny imagined the Elders deciding to meet in his bedroom ...!
It took the Lillorainian passengers a bit to realize, that they were fairly unlikely to know about the complicated historical developments behind what was known as the Hauptstadtfrage prior to, during, and right after the Founding of the Federation - after all, Lillorainian history certainly didn't take up much of the school curriculum in the Free Lands, for logical reasons. A twelve-year-old Selkie had more important things to know about ...
"It was pretty much like that" - Friedhelm Marquardt now spoke up. "You see, Lillorainen has had a long history of not being unified as a country, and while one could argue, that the Lands of the Selkie haven't really had any remote approximation of a unified country until the beginning of the last century beyond meetings of the Elders, either, the Lillorainian Lands have always lacked a traditional place for high officials to meet in. You might have heard about the Storöer-League of Cities, a confederation of city-states and other forms of small communities organized as some kind of state, which managed to prevail for several centuries. The closest thing to some kind of national government we've had back then were the Congresses of the League, which, however, never took place in a particular city. Various cities hosted the Congresses over the time."
He let a beat pass.
"Even with more consistent states forming, there was never that one designated place to meet up in for the different officials from the various places the Lillorainian Lands consisted of" - he continued, "so they, kind of, kept the Storöer-League's tradition up. As a result of this history, all important conferences held and treaties signed forming our country, from the Viking Age to the modern Federation, come from vastly different places scattered all over the country. Hence why we didn't have a traditional place to call our capital."
"And as for why we put a new one up from scratch, this does have a history as well" - Lena continued. "In 1948, the Lillorainian Federal Republic was founded, already covering the entire Eastern half of modern-day Lillorainen, plus Terra Bianca as well as some smaller parts belonging to the States of Rigesöer, Fyleria, and Thulia today. The capital was Lysköping. In the 1970s, the LFR wanted to use military force in order to annex and incorporate the remaining territories in West Lillorainen - which resulted in civil uprisings on both sides of the frontier, and ultimately in what we know as the Lillorainian Civil War. After that, there were numerous approaches as to how to peacefully unify Lillorainen and create a new Lillorainian state with conditions people managed to agree to."
She let a beat pass.
"And one of these questions to deal with was, which capital to choose" - she continued. "As Friedhelm said, there was no traditional capital to pick, and Lysköping was much associated with the very recent events by many, so there was the attempt of making some kind of contest, where cities could apply for becoming a national capital. Think of it like a casting. Several cities applied, mostly those with a longer tradition of having a political meaning in their region, but it somewhat didn't make it easier. Ultimately, the newly formed Constituent National Assembly decided to keep the capital in Lysköping, until a new solution could be found. And after the actual process of the Founding of the Federation in 1981, it was decided, that a new capital be built, with no historical associations or references to regional-specific architecture whatsover. Ultimately, the new capital was supposed to be set up close to Lysköping, in the Lillamala Plains, which were mostly uninhabited since some wars in former centuries."
Estrup took another drag from his pipe, then said, "As it was finished, there was the issue of the political status, though. There were proposals to make it a Federal Territory, akin to the Distrito Federal in Carlotina, or the Columbia District in Astares Amauricanum - but this would have required a constitutional change, as the Lillorainian constitution didn't - and doesn't - allow the existence of Lillorainian territories not belonging to any state. Another proposal was to just make it its own state and call it a day. Ultimately, the residents of the city were asked in a referendum, whether they preferred statehood or being incorporated into a neighboring state, so either Lysköping, or Sigurdsland. The majority voted for Lillamala to become part of Lysköping, as this was considered more economically sustainable than statehood, and many residents didn't feel attached to Sigurdsland, as by that time, many government employees came from the West - which is why we now have a city-state consisting of two cities. Some argue, that we could have left it in Lysköping in the first place, or merged the new government complex into the city's territory, but this is the status quo so far. Maybe, as we have two new generations who don't associate Lysköping with the meaning it had before and during the Civil War anymore, such a merger could become a thing in the future."
That the idea of putting a new city up had also been pushed by followers of the Lillorainian Technocratic Movement, according to whose plans satellite cities had been put up in some other places in Lillorainen as well, this was something they all decided not to mention, as this would certainly be too complicated to explain to twelve-year-olds.

The last reference made by the lassie carrying the Federation's Flag caused a round of laughter.
Flemming said, "No worries! You certainly won't be judged on how expensive your Ceremonial Armor is!"
Friederike Golkrath nodded. "Indeed" - she said. "Now, the different means of pimping one's equipment up aren't exactly known among equestrians in our parts, either, especially not those ones who don't have to turn each penny twice." She had to think about Hilda Leverdal again, who was one of the best riders in Lillorainen, but did not wear extraordinarily expensive riding clothes or use expensively modified saddles - most certainly because she came from an average working-class family. "Now that I think about it, the differences between horses around these parts and cars around ours might be smaller than I've believed so far. I think, it's much more of a cultural difference and less of an economic one."
Annika Seelscheid nodded. "I think so, too" - she said. "And what else might occur, is that in Lillorainen, a certain gender gap among riders exists as well, as females generally outnumber males by an overwhelming margin when it comes to passion for equestrianism, for reasons beyond me ..."

[The Selkie]

Donny and Ceili grinned with them, even though they might not have gotten the entire joke behind this little rivalry.
One could visibly see how Donny imagined the Elders deciding to meet in his bedroom ...!
It took the Lillorainian passengers a bit to realize, that they were fairly unlikely to know about the complicated historical developments behind what was known as the Hauptstadtfrage prior to, during, and right after the Founding of the Federation - after all, Lillorainian history certainly didn't take up much of the school curriculum in the Free Lands, for logical reasons. A twelve-year-old Selkie had more important things to know about ...
"It was pretty much like that" - Friedhelm Marquardt now spoke up. "You see, Lillorainen has had a long history of not being unified as a country, and while one could argue, that the Lands of the Selkie haven't really had any remote approximation of a unified country until the beginning of the last century beyond meetings of the Elders, either, the Lillorainian Lands have always lacked a traditional place for high officials to meet in. You might have heard about the Storöer-League of Cities, a confederation of city-states and other forms of small communities organized as some kind of state, which managed to prevail for several centuries. The closest thing to some kind of national government we've had back then were the Congresses of the League, which, however, never took place in a particular city. Various cities hosted the Congresses over the time."
He let a beat pass.
"Even with more consistent states forming, there was never that one designated place to meet up in for the different officials from the various places the Lillorainian Lands consisted of" - he continued, "so they, kind of, kept the Storöer-League's tradition up. As a result of this history, all important conferences held and treaties signed forming our country, from the Viking Age to the modern Federation, come from vastly different places scattered all over the country. Hence why we didn't have a traditional place to call our capital."
"And as for why we put a new one up from scratch, this does have a history as well" - Lena continued. "In 1948, the Lillorainian Federal Republic was founded, already covering the entire Eastern half of modern-day Lillorainen, plus Terra Bianca as well as some smaller parts belonging to the States of Rigesöer, Fyleria, and Thulia today. The capital was Lysköping. In the 1970s, the LFR wanted to use military force in order to annex and incorporate the remaining territories in West Lillorainen - which resulted in civil uprisings on both sides of the frontier, and ultimately in what we know as the Lillorainian Civil War. After that, there were numerous approaches as to how to peacefully unify Lillorainen and create a new Lillorainian state with conditions people managed to agree to."
She let a beat pass.
"And one of these questions to deal with was, which capital to choose" - she continued. "As Friedhelm said, there was no traditional capital to pick, and Lysköping was much associated with the very recent events by many, so there was the attempt of making some kind of contest, where cities could apply for becoming a national capital. Think of it like a casting. Several cities applied, mostly those with a longer tradition of having a political meaning in their region, but it somewhat didn't make it easier. Ultimately, the newly formed Constituent National Assembly decided to keep the capital in Lysköping, until a new solution could be found. And after the actual process of the Founding of the Federation in 1981, it was decided, that a new capital be built, with no historical associations or references to regional-specific architecture whatsover. Ultimately, the new capital was supposed to be set up close to Lysköping, in the Lillamala Plains, which were mostly uninhabited since some wars in former centuries."
Estrup took another drag from his pipe, then said, "As it was finished, there was the issue of the political status, though. There were proposals to make it a Federal Territory, akin to the Distrito Federal in Carlotina, or the Columbia District in Astares Amauricanum - but this would have required a constitutional change, as the Lillorainian constitution didn't - and doesn't - allow the existence of Lillorainian territories not belonging to any state. Another proposal was to just make it its own state and call it a day. Ultimately, the residents of the city were asked in a referendum, whether they preferred statehood or being incorporated into a neighboring state, so either Lysköping, or Sigurdsland. The majority voted for Lillamala to become part of Lysköping, as this was considered more economically sustainable than statehood, and many residents didn't feel attached to Sigurdsland, as by that time, many government employees came from the West - which is why we now have a city-state consisting of two cities. Some argue, that we could have left it in Lysköping in the first place, or merged the new government complex into the city's territory, but this is the status quo so far. Maybe, as we have two new generations who don't associate Lysköping with the meaning it had before and during the Civil War anymore, such a merger could become a thing in the future."
That the idea of putting a new city up had also been pushed by followers of the Lillorainian Technocratic Movement, according to whose plans satellite cities had been put up in some other places in Lillorainen as well, this was something they all decided not to mention, as this would certainly be too complicated to explain to twelve-year-olds.

The last reference made by the lassie carrying the Federation's Flag caused a round of laughter.
Flemming said, "No worries! You certainly won't be judged on how expensive your Ceremonial Armor is!"
Friederike Golkrath nodded. "Indeed" - she said. "Now, the different means of pimping one's equipment up aren't exactly known among equestrians in our parts, either, especially not those ones who don't have to turn each penny twice." She had to think about Hilda Leverdal again, who was one of the best riders in Lillorainen, but did not wear extraordinarily expensive riding clothes or use expensively modified saddles - most certainly because she came from an average working-class family. "Now that I think about it, the differences between horses around these parts and cars around ours might be smaller than I've believed so far. I think, it's much more of a cultural difference and less of an economic one."
Annika Seelscheid nodded. "I think so, too" - she said. "And what else might occur, is that in Lillorainen, a certain gender gap among riders exists as well, as females generally outnumber males by an overwhelming margin when it comes to passion for equestrianism, for reasons beyond me ..."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I knew now, that this was a crashcourse in a much bigger problem. I will, however, say to defend my honour, that even Ceili looked like she didn't quite catch anything!
She looked to me. "You okay there?", she asked, possibly seeing the smoke coming from my eyes as I thought.
I turned my head to her and spoke, with a voice trying to sound robotic: "Processing... processing... processing..."
Ceili burst out laughing, the sound of a thousand little silver bells ringing through the air. She smiled as she called me: "Dork." Turning back to the carriage, she added: "Though, I think, I get now better, what you mean. You tried to postpone the questions as to where the capital would be until 'later' and when 'later' came, you tried to find one, but didn't find any suitable candidate everyone agreed with. So you built one." She made a small pause. "We didn't have the Geography of Lillorainen yet in class, so this might sound a bit stupid, but where is Lillamala anyway?"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I shrugged. "Horses are cute, practical, give girls the height advantage for once and unless the theory, that horses talk among each other, is wrong, they only share it with their own kin, if one tells them a secret.", I said as an explanation, or as the proposal of one, "That'd be my idea."
"Maybe there the nurturing-aspect at play as well.", Fi added her own theory, "A horse needs to be taken care of, after all."
"Possible.", I conceded. "Though maybe we think too much like Selkie on that one... we don't really have this gender gap."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I knew now, that this was a crashcourse in a much bigger problem. I will, however, say to defend my honour, that even Ceili looked like she didn't quite catch anything!
She looked to me. "You okay there?", she asked, possibly seeing the smoke coming from my eyes as I thought.
I turned my head to her and spoke, with a voice trying to sound robotic: "Processing... processing... processing..."
Ceili burst out laughing, the sound of a thousand little silver bells ringing through the air. She smiled as she called me: "Dork." Turning back to the carriage, she added: "Though, I think, I get now better, what you mean. You tried to postpone the questions as to where the capital would be until 'later' and when 'later' came, you tried to find one, but didn't find any suitable candidate everyone agreed with. So you built one." She made a small pause. "We didn't have the Geography of Lillorainen yet in class, so this might sound a bit stupid, but where is Lillamala anyway?"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I shrugged. "Horses are cute, practical, give girls the height advantage for once and unless the theory, that horses talk among each other, is wrong, they only share it with their own kin, if one tells them a secret.", I said as an explanation, or as the proposal of one, "That'd be my idea."
"Maybe there the nurturing-aspect at play as well.", Fi added her own theory, "A horse needs to be taken care of, after all."
"Possible.", I conceded. "Though maybe we think too much like Selkie on that one... we don't really have this gender gap."

Donny's way of processing the information loudly caused a round of laughter.
Gladly, the Lillorainian guests had restrained from trying to explain the other, more historical, political, and ideological aspects of how Lillamala had become a thing more in detail; this would be something they would learn in a couple of years - and if not, since it wasn't as relevant for most people in here, they wouldn't really miss a lot, either.
"Lillamala is located in the East" - Estrup replied to Ceili's inquiry, "close to Lysköping, our second-largest city following Pontrath, which is more in the West. The island it's located on is called Sigurdsholm, which is the second-biggest island of the Lillöer-Archipelago."
"Following Elverholm in the West, and followed by Visholm in the North" - Lena added, nodding. "Oh, and changing capitals isn't as uncommon as you might think, on a global scale - quite a few countries have changed their capital over the time, or even built up a new one, for various reasons. For instance, the capital of Carlotina is Miranueva nowadays, but before the Revolution in the 1990s, it was Las Venturas. The Empire of Astares Amauricanum built its own capital up, Columbia District - and made it a Federal District, to prevent conflicts between the States of Virginia and Maryland, which it is sandwiched between. The Empire of Kuronami changes its capital everytime a new monarch gains power, as the Emperor's or Empress' city of residence, currently Caloris, is made the capital by default. The Sharulsi Khanate has made its Khan's place of residence its capital centuries ago as well, Shinekhot, meaning 'new city', close to its largest city, Ulaanels. In fact, I think, the Free Lands are one of the outstanding examples of having the same, traditional government seat for as long as one and a half millennia. Even countries with long-lasting monarchies like Shikonjima, or the Shamsiyyan Sultanate before its downfall more than eighty years ago, have switched capitals at some point in their history."

Flemming, Golkrath, Seelscheid, and Nörvenich thought about these possible explanations for a moment.
"This might explain that phenomenon quite well" - Golkrath said, "and also why the similar phenomenon occurs in other places, such as Wiedheim, Lundøya, and Brandau - also in Shamsiyya and Shikonjima, albeit a bit less extreme than in our parts. Since horses are still a common means of transportation in here, it doesn't surprise me, that such a gender gap isn't really a thing in here."
"Men seem to opt for different toys where we're from" - Nörvenich added. "Although I've heard about some areas where the passion for things like cars, football, guns, or IT contraptions is all but exclusive to men. Which I can't say for Lillorainen, or most other places I claim to know the most basic cultural particularities of."

[The Selkie]

Donny's way of processing the information loudly caused a round of laughter.
Gladly, the Lillorainian guests had restrained from trying to explain the other, more historical, political, and ideological aspects of how Lillamala had become a thing more in detail; this would be something they would learn in a couple of years - and if not, since it wasn't as relevant for most people in here, they wouldn't really miss a lot, either.
"Lillamala is located in the East" - Estrup replied to Ceili's inquiry, "close to Lysköping, our second-largest city following Pontrath, which is more in the West. The island it's located on is called Sigurdsholm, which is the second-biggest island of the Lillöer-Archipelago."
"Following Elverholm in the West, and followed by Visholm in the North" - Lena added, nodding. "Oh, and changing capitals isn't as uncommon as you might think, on a global scale - quite a few countries have changed their capital over the time, or even built up a new one, for various reasons. For instance, the capital of Carlotina is Miranueva nowadays, but before the Revolution in the 1990s, it was Las Venturas. The Empire of Astares Amauricanum built its own capital up, Columbia District - and made it a Federal District, to prevent conflicts between the States of Virginia and Maryland, which it is sandwiched between. The Empire of Kuronami changes its capital everytime a new monarch gains power, as the Emperor's or Empress' city of residence, currently Caloris, is made the capital by default. The Sharulsi Khanate has made its Khan's place of residence its capital centuries ago as well, Shinekhot, meaning 'new city', close to its largest city, Ulaanels. In fact, I think, the Free Lands are one of the outstanding examples of having the same, traditional government seat for as long as one and a half millennia. Even countries with long-lasting monarchies like Shikonjima, or the Shamsiyyan Sultanate before its downfall more than eighty years ago, have switched capitals at some point in their history."

Flemming, Golkrath, Seelscheid, and Nörvenich thought about these possible explanations for a moment.
"This might explain that phenomenon quite well" - Golkrath said, "and also why the similar phenomenon occurs in other places, such as Wiedheim, Lundøya, and Brandau - also in Shamsiyya and Shikonjima, albeit a bit less extreme than in our parts. Since horses are still a common means of transportation in here, it doesn't surprise me, that such a gender gap isn't really a thing in here."
"Men seem to opt for different toys where we're from" - Nörvenich added. "Although I've heard about some areas where the passion for things like cars, football, guns, or IT contraptions is all but exclusive to men. Which I can't say for Lillorainen, or most other places I claim to know the most basic cultural particularities of."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I nodded. "Kyrenaia does something similar to Kuronami.", I said with a firm nod and a grin, "Every time the Sultan dies, the capitol moves to the Ilkhanate of the new Sultan."
Ceili nodded. "Yeah. Must be an awful lot of box-packing...", she added for consideration.
We had no idea, that there was a difference between 'capitol' and 'seat of government' - the latter was the one, that moved. The former was the Qalat-al-Jabal, the Citadel on the Mountain.
"Lutetii changed it's capitol at least once.", I remembered, "The old one was burned down by unpaid Selkie-Mercenaries, so there was a bit of a reason..."

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I shrugged.
"Might be, yeah. I know a few girls, who can do wonders on the computer, but quite a few more lads, who can.", I said with a nod, "And Gabha mostly employs male engineers, right, Fi?"
"Yep.", she said, then raised a hand, "Though not by conscious policy, but by strict necessity. There simply aren't many girls, who study engineering."
"There's Tankery, though.", I remembered. "After all, it's a quite popular sport mostly aimed at young women. And mostly young women practice it." Sure, there were a few lads, who did, too, but mostly, it was a girls' party. "Can't say guns are popular around these parts, though, but I guess, those were mostly examples, right?"
For loud and smelly, 'manly' things, which men liked and where lassies were simply to soft for, eh? Okay, that thought was a bit unfair, bad Lilly.

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I nodded. "Kyrenaia does something similar to Kuronami.", I said with a firm nod and a grin, "Every time the Sultan dies, the capitol moves to the Ilkhanate of the new Sultan."
Ceili nodded. "Yeah. Must be an awful lot of box-packing...", she added for consideration.
We had no idea, that there was a difference between 'capitol' and 'seat of government' - the latter was the one, that moved. The former was the Qalat-al-Jabal, the Citadel on the Mountain.
"Lutetii changed it's capitol at least once.", I remembered, "The old one was burned down by unpaid Selkie-Mercenaries, so there was a bit of a reason..."

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I shrugged.
"Might be, yeah. I know a few girls, who can do wonders on the computer, but quite a few more lads, who can.", I said with a nod, "And Gabha mostly employs male engineers, right, Fi?"
"Yep.", she said, then raised a hand, "Though not by conscious policy, but by strict necessity. There simply aren't many girls, who study engineering."
"There's Tankery, though.", I remembered. "After all, it's a quite popular sport mostly aimed at young women. And mostly young women practice it." Sure, there were a few lads, who did, too, but mostly, it was a girls' party. "Can't say guns are popular around these parts, though, but I guess, those were mostly examples, right?"
For loud and smelly, 'manly' things, which men liked and where lassies were simply to soft for, eh? Okay, that thought was a bit unfair, bad Lilly.

Indeed, there was a tiny bit of a difference between 'capital' and 'seat of government' - which could be the same, but also were separated in many countries for varying reasons. There were even countries with a seat of government, but no official capital altogether. The Union of Brandau was also sometimes said to have three 'capitals', with the executive government operating from Lychenow, the parliament residing in Kehla, and the Supreme Court residing in Thonroda. But these were nuances they would certainly learn in school in a few years.
And an 'awful lot of box-packing' ... well, it seemed fairly unlikely to still meet a lot of government officials who had needed to make use of moving companies for this particular reason nowadays, considering that last time Kyrenaia had moved its seat of government, from Ruspina, Ilkhanate of Fenchu, to Utica, had been in 1972, quite a couple of Summers ago.
"Having one's capital set on fire is certainly a good reason to move its seat" - Lena said, nodding. "For a similar reason, Dahujing was set up as a planned capital of the Yue Khanate."
"Only that this was in the Middle Ages, the troops mostly being regular soldiers, those who returned having been paid, and the Yue just being one of the hundreds of examples for how formations of steppe riders can turn an entire continent's order upside down" - Estrup said.
"You get the idea, though" - Lena said. "The reasons for changing a capital don't always have to come from within."

Indeed, notably fewer women than men studied Engineering, which resulted in male predominance among engineers of Gabha - similar like in Gabha's Lillorainian counterparts. Tankery was a thing in Lillorainen as well, and also a quite popular one.
That guns weren't a popular thing in here, this was known, but indeed, it was an example.
"Examples for noisy and smelly things boys are commonly said to be more into than girls, indeed" - Nörvenich spoke out what the lassie carrying the Tricolor thought, only trying to be a bit more fair. "And while one could certainly write several doctoral theses on the cultural aspects behind guns in Lillorainen, there is but one thing that occurs in the demographic of gun owners - while the male-female ratio among owners is around fifty-fifty, the average number of arms per capita is notably higher among men."
"So men and women in Lillorainen are about equally likely to have some handgun or rifle around, but men are more likely to stockpile arms" - Annika Seelscheid concluded. "That's surely interesting. It's probably because way fewer women tend to consider living in some shack in the mountains and preparing one of their twenty assault rifles waiting for anyone crossing their ground an ideal way of life in the future ..."
Nörvenich nodded, grinning.

[The Selkie]

Indeed, there was a tiny bit of a difference between 'capital' and 'seat of government' - which could be the same, but also were separated in many countries for varying reasons. There were even countries with a seat of government, but no official capital altogether. The Union of Brandau was also sometimes said to have three 'capitals', with the executive government operating from Lychenow, the parliament residing in Kehla, and the Supreme Court residing in Thonroda. But these were nuances they would certainly learn in school in a few years.
And an 'awful lot of box-packing' ... well, it seemed fairly unlikely to still meet a lot of government officials who had needed to make use of moving companies for this particular reason nowadays, considering that last time Kyrenaia had moved its seat of government, from Ruspina, Ilkhanate of Fenchu, to Utica, had been in 1972, quite a couple of Summers ago.
"Having one's capital set on fire is certainly a good reason to move its seat" - Lena said, nodding. "For a similar reason, Dahujing was set up as a planned capital of the Yue Khanate."
"Only that this was in the Middle Ages, the troops mostly being regular soldiers, those who returned having been paid, and the Yue just being one of the hundreds of examples for how formations of steppe riders can turn an entire continent's order upside down" - Estrup said.
"You get the idea, though" - Lena said. "The reasons for changing a capital don't always have to come from within."

Indeed, notably fewer women than men studied Engineering, which resulted in male predominance among engineers of Gabha - similar like in Gabha's Lillorainian counterparts. Tankery was a thing in Lillorainen as well, and also a quite popular one.
That guns weren't a popular thing in here, this was known, but indeed, it was an example.
"Examples for noisy and smelly things boys are commonly said to be more into than girls, indeed" - Nörvenich spoke out what the lassie carrying the Tricolor thought, only trying to be a bit more fair. "And while one could certainly write several doctoral theses on the cultural aspects behind guns in Lillorainen, there is but one thing that occurs in the demographic of gun owners - while the male-female ratio among owners is around fifty-fifty, the average number of arms per capita is notably higher among men."
"So men and women in Lillorainen are about equally likely to have some handgun or rifle around, but men are more likely to stockpile arms" - Annika Seelscheid concluded. "That's surely interesting. It's probably because way fewer women tend to consider living in some shack in the mountains and preparing one of their twenty assault rifles waiting for anyone crossing their ground an ideal way of life in the future ..."
Nörvenich nodded, grinning.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Yes.", I said with a grin, "Sometimes it's just someone being really angry and taking it out on the nearest city, conquering, looting, burning, pillaging and robbing his way through it."
Ceili nodded. "And sometimes it's a shift in the general political landscape.", she added.
"And sometimes, it's just because someone was bored of the old capital and decided to build a new one.", I added, "That's how Hochheyde came into being!"
Ceili nodded again. "Choosing a capitol is hard work and not easy.", she said.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"I can relate.", I said with a nod, Fi looking at me with an expression, which said You just stole the words right out of my mouth. "Though, to be fair, while we aren't too much into guns, we are into bows, arrows, swords, lances, spears, crossbows and what have you... I am sure, if were to make a census about how many daggers are in the households in the Free Lands, we would come to similar quotas as guns in Lillorainen... and the interesting part is, that the reasons are... similar, yet different."
Fi nodded. "You know, that every Selkie-Lass carries at least two daggers on her at nearly all times?", she asked rhetorically. Of course they knew. "Many men do, too. Reason being simply, that they are good tools, good for self-defense, especially against frisky tourists, and also a good metaphor." She smiled. "Don't be alarmed, when a Selkie you are in diplomatic or business conversations draws his or her daggers and puts them on the table. It means, that they are now speaking openly and with, so to speak, their cards on the table."
"What Fi and I mean is, that like guns in Lillorainen, personal defense is a part of why one has them. In Lillorainen, by the Militia-System, defense of the country is a part of it, too, while that aspect has mostly vanished out of the thinking of the Younger Militias since Anfa.", I added to what Fi was saying. She nodded. "As said, similar, yet different."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Yes.", I said with a grin, "Sometimes it's just someone being really angry and taking it out on the nearest city, conquering, looting, burning, pillaging and robbing his way through it."
Ceili nodded. "And sometimes it's a shift in the general political landscape.", she added.
"And sometimes, it's just because someone was bored of the old capital and decided to build a new one.", I added, "That's how Hochheyde came into being!"
Ceili nodded again. "Choosing a capitol is hard work and not easy.", she said.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"I can relate.", I said with a nod, Fi looking at me with an expression, which said You just stole the words right out of my mouth. "Though, to be fair, while we aren't too much into guns, we are into bows, arrows, swords, lances, spears, crossbows and what have you... I am sure, if were to make a census about how many daggers are in the households in the Free Lands, we would come to similar quotas as guns in Lillorainen... and the interesting part is, that the reasons are... similar, yet different."
Fi nodded. "You know, that every Selkie-Lass carries at least two daggers on her at nearly all times?", she asked rhetorically. Of course they knew. "Many men do, too. Reason being simply, that they are good tools, good for self-defense, especially against frisky tourists, and also a good metaphor." She smiled. "Don't be alarmed, when a Selkie you are in diplomatic or business conversations draws his or her daggers and puts them on the table. It means, that they are now speaking openly and with, so to speak, their cards on the table."
"What Fi and I mean is, that like guns in Lillorainen, personal defense is a part of why one has them. In Lillorainen, by the Militia-System, defense of the country is a part of it, too, while that aspect has mostly vanished out of the thinking of the Younger Militias since Anfa.", I added to what Fi was saying. She nodded. "As said, similar, yet different."

Lena had to grin, as it her head, there was an imagine manifesting, where a commander was turning to a crowd of angry men and women in full armor, standing in front of the gates of a Lutetiian city, yelling, "We're gonna ruin this city's entire career!"
Then, she nodded. "Indeed" - she said, "some consider the Hauptstadtfrage of the slowly evolving Federation of Lillorainen an example for an extraordinarily complicated process of choosing a capital city - but of course, we are well aware, that it hasn't been a much easier process in various other places across the world. Shamsiyya changed its capital many times in its long history, for various reasons. Junaira was built up in the Early Middle Ages out of a similar motivation - the early Sultans somewhat associated former capitals like Adirnabul, Diran, and Ilinabul leftovers from the Age of the Pharaohs, which were too old-fashioned and somewhat smelly in their eyes, so they built up a new one. It still changed several times after that - in some eras in history, Adirnabul and Junaira even served at the same time. This fact, and the fact that Adirnabul is still the country's largest city, often make foreigners mistakenly think, that it's the capital."
"Well, the false assumption, that Silverport were the capital of the Free Lands, made me almost fail a geography test back in grade 5 ..." - Ole Klingebiel remembered.
Lena, Estrup, and Marquardt grinned.

The mounted Lillos nodded.
That Selkie were more into classical, non-gunpowder arms, this was a commonly known information, and of course, Fi's question as to whether they knew about the custom of having to daggers around was purely rhetorical; In other news, water is wet! - would otherwise have been the reaction most likely to follow.
"That certain makes sense!" - Flemming said. "One can easily describe our motivation to have guns around, or at least some basic weapon like a knife or a dagger when in a country banning or strongly limiting private firearm ownership, as some kind of hybrid reasoning between personal and ground defense, for a variety of historical and cultural reasons. While the ground defense aspect might have grown out of fashion around these parts since Anfa, it's somewhat more alive back home."
"Much like in Shamsiyya" - Ceyda now said. "You might be familiar with the Qaranisa militias, whose military drill is still a part of school education in Shamsiyya. And a part of the reason for the high gun ownership rate is the centuries-old tradition of allowing everyone who formerly served in the Qaranisa and-slash-or national military to keep their service weapons. This started with sabres in the Middle Ages, went on with handcannons in later centuries, and ends now with assault rifles. Another case of a 'similar, yet different' cultural aspect."
"Mhm" - Flemming hummed. "There is a reason why we commonly say, If you want to know a Shamsiyyan's age, either look into their passports, or into their gun closets."

[The Selkie]

Lena had to grin, as it her head, there was an imagine manifesting, where a commander was turning to a crowd of angry men and women in full armor, standing in front of the gates of a Lutetiian city, yelling, "We're gonna ruin this city's entire career!"
Then, she nodded. "Indeed" - she said, "some consider the Hauptstadtfrage of the slowly evolving Federation of Lillorainen an example for an extraordinarily complicated process of choosing a capital city - but of course, we are well aware, that it hasn't been a much easier process in various other places across the world. Shamsiyya changed its capital many times in its long history, for various reasons. Junaira was built up in the Early Middle Ages out of a similar motivation - the early Sultans somewhat associated former capitals like Adirnabul, Diran, and Ilinabul leftovers from the Age of the Pharaohs, which were too old-fashioned and somewhat smelly in their eyes, so they built up a new one. It still changed several times after that - in some eras in history, Adirnabul and Junaira even served at the same time. This fact, and the fact that Adirnabul is still the country's largest city, often make foreigners mistakenly think, that it's the capital."
"Well, the false assumption, that Silverport were the capital of the Free Lands, made me almost fail a geography test back in grade 5 ..." - Ole Klingebiel remembered.
Lena, Estrup, and Marquardt grinned.

The mounted Lillos nodded.
That Selkie were more into classical, non-gunpowder arms, this was a commonly known information, and of course, Fi's question as to whether they knew about the custom of having to daggers around was purely rhetorical; In other news, water is wet! - would otherwise have been the reaction most likely to follow.
"That certain makes sense!" - Flemming said. "One can easily describe our motivation to have guns around, or at least some basic weapon like a knife or a dagger when in a country banning or strongly limiting private firearm ownership, as some kind of hybrid reasoning between personal and ground defense, for a variety of historical and cultural reasons. While the ground defense aspect might have grown out of fashion around these parts since Anfa, it's somewhat more alive back home."
"Much like in Shamsiyya" - Ceyda now said. "You might be familiar with the Qaranisa militias, whose military drill is still a part of school education in Shamsiyya. And a part of the reason for the high gun ownership rate is the centuries-old tradition of allowing everyone who formerly served in the Qaranisa and-slash-or national military to keep their service weapons. This started with sabres in the Middle Ages, went on with handcannons in later centuries, and ends now with assault rifles. Another case of a 'similar, yet different' cultural aspect."
"Mhm" - Flemming hummed. "There is a reason why we commonly say, If you want to know a Shamsiyyan's age, either look into their passports, or into their gun closets."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We grinned and wanted to counter with how we nearly failed tests in embarrassing ways as well, but then, we became acutely aware, that we had not only left the Fortham Army Air Field, but by now also its security perimeter.
While no fence or guard post made that known to anyone, there was a simple way of telling: The road suddenly led through a field of wheat, which was growing along the right side, peacefully wafting in the evening breeze. To the left was grass, longer then before and with some sheep grazing on it under the careful eyes of a young shepherd and her dog, both sitting under a large apple tree by the wayside.
If she was scared or impressed by the caravan rumbling past was hard to tell, but she did keep her hand on the Grey Wolf's collar, her crook shouldered as she sat under the tree.
While she was a pretty girl, I was, admittedly, more interested in something else: On the tree's branches, a bit over the street, big, red, fresh summer apples hung.
One or two of the older horsemen made a grab for it, picking one and snacking onto them and I... well, I was hungry.
So, when we rode underneath it, I stood up in my saddle and, with one hand, made a grab for two close together, admittedly small ones, managed to grab them, and got one off - the other jumped up and down, still attached by the stem.
I blushed as I heard Ceili giggling, Kean behind us without a doubt grinning as well, and blushed, hanging my head lightly.
My appetite was gone.
Trying to make the best of the situation, I let Teocht make a small leap forward, bringing me right up to the carriage's side and the occupants, using my gloved hand with the apple, riding, by the way, with hands off the reins, to offer it to the guests and in particular Lena.
"Hungry?", I asked. It was a smaller one, but a big, red and ripe summer apple.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
A bit in front of them, with the flags, we noticed the change, too, and knew, that the wheat grown next to us was not only milled to produce flour, but also used to produce whiskey in Fortham and some of the smaller villages surrounding it.
The shepherd girl watched us with a smile, held her Grey Wolf, who seemed to be quite happy with staying by her side, and bowed her head as we passed.
While the apples were alluring, I was on the wrong side and Fi's hands were occupied. Besides, a little snack now would ruin the appetite for later.
"I can imagine, that one can make a guess at the apparent age of the gun model.", I continued the conversation, "Speaking of, we left the Perimeter behind us. We are now officially outside of the SDF's jurisdiction - quite soon, you might get your first glimpses of Lake Mór, of the towns and villages around it and, soon, of our destination."
"We are actually going to pass through a village, Stad Treophointe.", Fi added, "Don't expect a welcome like it's Fortham, but it's a nice place. Though, among us, the village inn has good ale, sure, but it is a house of... well... not good repute."
"Translation: It's an inn and a brothel in one.", I phrased it bluntly, "Ale's good there, though."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
We grinned and wanted to counter with how we nearly failed tests in embarrassing ways as well, but then, we became acutely aware, that we had not only left the Fortham Army Air Field, but by now also its security perimeter.
While no fence or guard post made that known to anyone, there was a simple way of telling: The road suddenly led through a field of wheat, which was growing along the right side, peacefully wafting in the evening breeze. To the left was grass, longer then before and with some sheep grazing on it under the careful eyes of a young shepherd and her dog, both sitting under a large apple tree by the wayside.
If she was scared or impressed by the caravan rumbling past was hard to tell, but she did keep her hand on the Grey Wolf's collar, her crook shouldered as she sat under the tree.
While she was a pretty girl, I was, admittedly, more interested in something else: On the tree's branches, a bit over the street, big, red, fresh summer apples hung.
One or two of the older horsemen made a grab for it, picking one and snacking onto them and I... well, I was hungry.
So, when we rode underneath it, I stood up in my saddle and, with one hand, made a grab for two close together, admittedly small ones, managed to grab them, and got one off - the other jumped up and down, still attached by the stem.
I blushed as I heard Ceili giggling, Kean behind us without a doubt grinning as well, and blushed, hanging my head lightly.
My appetite was gone.
Trying to make the best of the situation, I let Teocht make a small leap forward, bringing me right up to the carriage's side and the occupants, using my gloved hand with the apple, riding, by the way, with hands off the reins, to offer it to the guests and in particular Lena.
"Hungry?", I asked. It was a smaller one, but a big, red and ripe summer apple.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
A bit in front of them, with the flags, we noticed the change, too, and knew, that the wheat grown next to us was not only milled to produce flour, but also used to produce whiskey in Fortham and some of the smaller villages surrounding it.
The shepherd girl watched us with a smile, held her Grey Wolf, who seemed to be quite happy with staying by her side, and bowed her head as we passed.
While the apples were alluring, I was on the wrong side and Fi's hands were occupied. Besides, a little snack now would ruin the appetite for later.
"I can imagine, that one can make a guess at the apparent age of the gun model.", I continued the conversation, "Speaking of, we left the Perimeter behind us. We are now officially outside of the SDF's jurisdiction - quite soon, you might get your first glimpses of Lake Mór, of the towns and villages around it and, soon, of our destination."
"We are actually going to pass through a village, Stad Treophointe.", Fi added, "Don't expect a welcome like it's Fortham, but it's a nice place. Though, among us, the village inn has good ale, sure, but it is a house of... well... not good repute."
"Translation: It's an inn and a brothel in one.", I phrased it bluntly, "Ale's good there, though."

It was easy to notice, that they had left the security perimeter of the Fortham Army Air Field - open fields were to see now, namely, a weat field to the right and grass with sheep on them to the left. A young girl, most certainly a shepherd, was sitting under an apple tree with her dog, a domesticated Grey Wolf, as Lena believed to recognize.
As a branch of the three was hanging above the street, Donny got to the idea of standing up and grabbing two of the apples - and he got one. The other one kept bouncing along with the branch.
This caused a round of giggles.
Donny sat down again, riding hands-free, catching up to the carriage. "Hungry?" - he asked.
Lena smiled again. "Thank you!" - she said, taking the apple. Then, she quickly took an Army knife out from somewhere and cut the apple into smaller pieces within but seconds, which she offered to her compatriots. "We'll need to be hungry at dinner, of course, but I think, a small snack cannot harm" - she said.

That the wheat growing on the field next to the road wasn't only used for meal, but also for whiskey, this was something Flemming and his compatriots were unlikely to know, but certain to make a guess about.
They were also unaware of how Lena Ammerup had a different opinion about how much an apple would ruin, but even if they knew about Donny's attempt to get two of them, no one would overdo it before dinner.
With this, they had crossed the point where the SDF didn't have formal authority over anymore. Lilly had gotten the sense of the saying right and switched the topic for now - where they were and what one could see here. The local inn of Stad Treophointe obviously served more purposes than being an inn, and while the ale they served had a good repute, something else did not.
Annika Seelscheid nodded. "Yeah, we have some of these kind back home as well" - she said, "especially in rural areas, but also some cities are well-known for having houses with this combination of services around." She shrugged. It was the oldest business in the world, after all, and as long as everything was legal and approriate standards were met, Seelscheid could care less. "They might not necessarily have the best ale, though."

[The Selkie]

It was easy to notice, that they had left the security perimeter of the Fortham Army Air Field - open fields were to see now, namely, a weat field to the right and grass with sheep on them to the left. A young girl, most certainly a shepherd, was sitting under an apple tree with her dog, a domesticated Grey Wolf, as Lena believed to recognize.
As a branch of the three was hanging above the street, Donny got to the idea of standing up and grabbing two of the apples - and he got one. The other one kept bouncing along with the branch.
This caused a round of giggles.
Donny sat down again, riding hands-free, catching up to the carriage. "Hungry?" - he asked.
Lena smiled again. "Thank you!" - she said, taking the apple. Then, she quickly took an Army knife out from somewhere and cut the apple into smaller pieces within but seconds, which she offered to her compatriots. "We'll need to be hungry at dinner, of course, but I think, a small snack cannot harm" - she said.

That the wheat growing on the field next to the road wasn't only used for meal, but also for whiskey, this was something Flemming and his compatriots were unlikely to know, but certain to make a guess about.
They were also unaware of how Lena Ammerup had a different opinion about how much an apple would ruin, but even if they knew about Donny's attempt to get two of them, no one would overdo it before dinner.
With this, they had crossed the point where the SDF didn't have formal authority over anymore. Lilly had gotten the sense of the saying right and switched the topic for now - where they were and what one could see here. The local inn of Stad Treophointe obviously served more purposes than being an inn, and while the ale they served had a good repute, something else did not.
Annika Seelscheid nodded. "Yeah, we have some of these kind back home as well" - she said, "especially in rural areas, but also some cities are well-known for having houses with this combination of services around." She shrugged. It was the oldest business in the world, after all, and as long as everything was legal and approriate standards were met, Seelscheid could care less. "They might not necessarily have the best ale, though."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I had a satisfied grin on my lips as I let myself fall back again a bit, until I was on equal height with Ceili, who looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged.
"Good appetite.", Ceili said and then added: "You'll have quite a dinner you can look forward to - Quinny is not a bad cook."
"Better then the two of us anyway!", I admitted with a grin, which made Ceili shudder.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"It's a bit wider spread around here.", I said and shrugged, "But yeah, they do exist and especially tourists frequent the more famous ones - and then, there are those, which cater to small and tightly knit communities of customers, where you barely can get into, like the Cluanaire Inn in Cuan. It is famously hard to find, if you don't know, what you need to look for."
"A bit of a legend of whether or not it even exists in the first place.", Fi added with a nod, then leaned over, "I heard, that the Cluanaire is the assembly point of a secret cabal of Abhcan-Followers, who plan to conquer the world using the cuteness of foxes." She shrugged. "There are certainly worse plans for world conquest."
I looked at her a bit confusedly.

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
I had a satisfied grin on my lips as I let myself fall back again a bit, until I was on equal height with Ceili, who looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged.
"Good appetite.", Ceili said and then added: "You'll have quite a dinner you can look forward to - Quinny is not a bad cook."
"Better then the two of us anyway!", I admitted with a grin, which made Ceili shudder.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
"It's a bit wider spread around here.", I said and shrugged, "But yeah, they do exist and especially tourists frequent the more famous ones - and then, there are those, which cater to small and tightly knit communities of customers, where you barely can get into, like the Cluanaire Inn in Cuan. It is famously hard to find, if you don't know, what you need to look for."
"A bit of a legend of whether or not it even exists in the first place.", Fi added with a nod, then leaned over, "I heard, that the Cluanaire is the assembly point of a secret cabal of Abhcan-Followers, who plan to conquer the world using the cuteness of foxes." She shrugged. "There are certainly worse plans for world conquest."
I looked at her a bit confusedly.

The Lillorainian guests on the carriage greeted with their flat hands put to their temples vertically and pulling them away, grinned, and took their apple pieces to eat them.
"Thank you!" - Ole Klingebiel said. "And we're surely looking forward to the dinner!" He took a bit of his apple piece, chewed for a moment, swallowed it down, and continued, "And I'm sure, that we will have a skilled cook around, at least more skilled than I am!"
"... what do your skills look like?" - Lena asked Klingebiel.
He shrugged. "I'm essentially limited to being able to dial numbers of delivery services ..." - he said.

Seelscheid nodded again. The Selkie seemed to think a bit more practical in that regard, maybe along the lines of, Why use two different buildings for something one can easily let one building do as well?! People in rural areas of Lillorainen seemed to have a similar mindset. Of course, it could vary throughout Lillorainen, as laws, regulations, and to a degree, also taxation, of these businesses varied from state to state.
Upon the rumors about a conspirative meeting in the Cluanaire Inn in Cuan including the plan to use the cuteness of foxes in order to conquer the world, the Lillos raised their eyebrows.
"Such cabals are a thing in here?" - Ceyda inquired, amused and bemused at the same time. "Don't get me wrong, I'm the last one to question the cuteness of foxes - but I muss confess, that I do have trouble imagining how this alone might be supposed to help in world conquest. I mean, some say, Shikonjimanese Anime was designed for a similar purpose ... but then again, there are also people who say, ketchup is a vegetable, so I'm unsure as to what's behind all that."

[The Selkie]

The Lillorainian guests on the carriage greeted with their flat hands put to theit temples vertically and pulling them away, grinned, and took their apple pieces to eat them.
"Thank you!" - Ole Klingebiel said. "And we're surely looking forward to the dinner!" He took a bit of his apple piece, chewed for a moment, swallowed it down, and continued, "And I'm sure, that we will have a skilled cook around, at least more skilled than I am!"
"... what do your skills look like?" - Lena asked Klingebiel.
He shrugged. "I'm essentially limited to being able to dial numbers of delivery services ..." - he said.

Seelscheid nodded again. The Selkie seemed to think a bit more practical in that regard, maybe along the lines of, Why use two different buildings for something one can easily let one building do as well?! People in rural areas of Lillorainen seemed to have a similar mindset. Of course, it could vary throughout Lillorainen, as laws, regulations, and to a degree, also taxation, of these businesses varied from state to state.
Upon the rumors about a conspirative meeting in the Cluanaire Inn in Cuan including the plan to use the cuteness of foxes in order to conquer the world, the Lillos raised their eyebrows.
"Such cabals are a thing in here?" - Ceyda inquired, amused and bemused at the same time. "Don't get me wrong, I'm the last one to question the cuteness of foxes - but I muss confess, that I do have trouble imagining how this alone might be supposed to help in world conquest. I mean, some say, Shikonjimanese Anime was designed for a similar purpose ... but then again, there are also people who say, ketchup is a vegetable, so I'm unsure as to what's behind all that."

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Well, we are not that bad, both of us do manage decent Buan...", Ceili defended us, not mentioning, that Buan was basically instant soup, "...but Donny's Mam is definately the better cook."
I nodded with enthusiasm. "Mam cooks best!"
I believe, that this is universal: No matter where you are, who you talk to, what you eat usually and get served, but Mam cooks best. End of story and discussion.
Except for Ciaran's Mam, she makes bioweapons.
"And Quinny's Grandma makes awesome Stobhach.", Ceili added, then her shoulders sagged slightly, "Too bad she is in the hospital."
I nodded.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Both Fi and I shrugged.
"No one has any idea about how that is supposed to work, although many people believe, that this cabal exists. Most likely a conspiracy theory.", I explained, "An amusing one, but most likely just that."
"It would be possible, though, to use the cuteness of a fox in less... involved democracies.", Fi reasoned, "I mean those, where the elections are basically a popularity contest. Get a cute fox, make a few nice images, print the posters, campaign, bam, elections won. Might take a while to 'conquer' that way, though."
"And that is why it would not work in democracies like Lillorainen.", I said, "Or here. We think about who we want for office and elect them by merit, skill and, sometimes, opinion."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
"Well, we are not that bad, both of us do manage decent Buan...", Ceili defended us, not mentioning, that Buan was basically instant soup, "...but Donny's Mam is definately the better cook."
I nodded with enthusiasm. "Mam cooks best!"
I believe, that this is universal: No matter where you are, who you talk to, what you eat usually and get served, but Mam cooks best. End of story and discussion.
Except for Ciaran's Mam, she makes bioweapons.
"And Quinny's Grandma makes awesome Stobhach.", Ceili added, then her shoulders sagged slightly, "Too bad she is in the hospital."
I nodded.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Both Fi and I shrugged.
"No one has any idea about how that is supposed to work, although many people believe, that this cabal exists. Most likely a conspiracy theory.", I explained, "An amusing one, but most likely just that."
"It would be possible, though, to use the cuteness of a fox in less... involved democracies.", Fi reasoned, "I mean those, where the elections are basically a popularity contest. Get a cute fox, make a few nice images, print the posters, campaign, bam, elections won. Might take a while to 'conquer' that way, though."
"And that is why it would not work in democracies like Lillorainen.", I said, "Or here. We think about who we want for office and elect them by merit, skill and, sometimes, opinion."

Klingebiel, who might not be aware aware of what Buan was, but certainly could brag about being able to order food no matter which country he was in, raised an eyebrow. "I hope, she isn't in hospital because of her Stobhach ...?"
"Don't be silly, Ole!" - Lena said, laughing. "It won't be related to her cooking, unless her cooking is way too spicy. Like accidentally using the wrong sauce." She shrugged. "Happened to a friend."
"Whoever this ominous friend might be" - Klingebiel replied, "he or she should be aware, that you aren't a true expert on spicy food until you're on an errand in Carlotina and forced to eat their enchiladas."
His tone sounded like a truly painful experience ...

Ceyda nodded. It was probably just a funny conspiracy theory.
Fi's possible explanation certainly made sense. Even though Lillorainen didn't score well in international comparison, it was hard to deny, that popularity contests were not the common way of gaining power in the Federation.
"Sounds about right" - she said. "Whereas outside Lillorainen, some might argue, that Lillorainen is less of a democracy and more of a 'rebranded technocracy with a surprisingly transparent elite selection', as I've heard somewhere, it's also out of question, that in many Western-style democracies, people are prone to such methods used in order to shift public attention away from the matters that should actually be given time to during the campaigning. Though, I'd view this less as a conspiracy and more of a desperate attempt to stop voter apathy from growing further. This may fall flat in countries like the Free Lands, Lillorainen, Shamsiyya, or other places where merit and skill are valued higher than popularity."
Friederike Golkrath had to smile. And you're wondering why we drag you along! - she thought.

[The Selkie]

Klingebiel, who might not be aware aware of what Buan was, but certainly could brag about being able to order food no matter which country he was in, raised an eyebrow. "I hope, she isn't in hospital because of her Stobhach ...?"
"Don't be silly, Ole!" - Lena said, laughing. "It won't be related to her cooking, unless her cooking is way too spicy. Like accidentally using the wrong sauce." She shrugged. "Happened to a friend."
"Whoever this ominous friend might be" - Klingebiel replied, "he or she should be aware, that you aren't a true expert on spicy food until you're on an errand in Carlotina and forced to eat their enchiladas."
His tone sounded like a truly painful experience ...

Ceyda nodded. It was probably just a funny conspiracy theory.
Fi's possible explanation certainly made sense. Even though Lillorainen didn't score well in international comparison, it was hard to deny, that popularity contests were not the common way of gaining power in the Federation.
"Sounds about right" - she said. "Whereas outside Lillorainen, some might argue, that Lillorainen is less of a democracy and more of a 'rebranded technocracy with a surprisingly transparent elite selection', as I've heard somewhere, it's also out of question, that in many Western-style democracies, people are prone to such methods used in order to shift public attention away from the matters that should actually be given time to during the campaigning. Though, I'd view this less as a conspiracy and more of a desperate attempt to stop voter apathy from growing further. This may fall flat in countries like the Free Lands, Lillorainen, Shamsiyya, or other places where merit and skill are valued higher than popularity."
Friederike Golkrath had to smile. And you're wondering why we drag you along! - she thought.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
It truly seemed to be some painful memory, like the time we tried Kyrenaian Cuisine...
"Nah, Madame Tarra is in the hospital because she had rheumatoid arthritis and now gets a new hip joint.", Ceili explained what was written in the newspapers, "Nothing too dangerous, they say, and the operation is set for in two days."
I nodded. "She's a lively old Lady.", I said with conviction.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Oh, this lass was good. She could represent Lillorainen quite well.
"Or like Kyrenaia. You don't get a position there because of your good looks... except as the guy who reads the press releases.", Fi said with a shrug, "Granted, they aren't a democracy, but a surprisingly high number of positions are elected by someone - starting with the Sultan him or herself, whatever the case may be."
"Indeed, although I would not call Kyrenaia a rebranded absolute monarchy - it is one, plain and simple.", I agreed with Fi, "And political apathy is certainly not a problem there."

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
It truly seemed to be some painful memory, like the time we tried Kyrenaian Cuisine...
"Nah, Madame Tarra is in the hospital because she had rheumatoid arthritis and now gets a new hip joint.", Ceili explained what was written in the newspapers, "Nothing too dangerous, they say, and the operation is set for in two days."
I nodded. "She's a lively old Lady.", I said with conviction.

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Oh, this lass was good. She could represent Lillorainen quite well.
"Or like Kyrenaia. You don't get a position there because of your good looks... except as the guy who reads the press releases.", Fi said with a shrug, "Granted, they aren't a democracy, but a surprisingly high number of positions are elected by someone - starting with the Sultan him or herself, whatever the case may be."
"Indeed, although I would not call Kyrenaia a rebranded absolute monarchy - it is one, plain and simple.", I agreed with Fi, "And political apathy is certainly not a problem there."

"So it's nothing dramatical - that's good to hear!" - Lena said. "And such an operation isn't really a hard thing, so it will certainly go well. Unlike certain culinary journeys, obviously ..."
"Indeed" - Klingebiel said. "Food which is this spicy can be tasty, but hard to deal with for a Nordic metabolism - even for my own, which, at this point, had already been accustomed to dealing with Ahjadan cuisine ..."
"Although I do see differences between spicy food from Carlotina and spicy food from more Eastern countries" - Friedhelm Marquardt said. "It's probably because they use different kinds of spice."

"Indeed" - Flemming now said, "Kyrenaia is an absolute monarchy, even one with many elected offices - but the same can be said about Shikonjima, which is certainly not a democracy, either."
"Though, all these systems, no matter how different they are, are approaches to ensure maximum benefit for all their people" - Ceyda continued, "with the Free Lands combining democracy and meritocracy in their own style, Lillorainen doing the same, but more considering democracy as a control instrument supposed to reflect the people's will, Shamsiyya having elected officials and experts' councils assisting them, and even Torrejón's post-revolutionary council system in the ELFC can be considered such an approach. The Lillorainian desire to have a society focussed on improving prosperity and progress is even mentioned in the Preamble of the Federal Constitution - and even though Lillorainen is a republic, the spirit thereof is inspired by Kyrenaia and Shikonjima in various aspects."
"Which should seem logical, given how Siggi Heiderich studied the Kyrenaian and Shikonjimanese systems quite intensively" - Golkrath added.

[The Selkie]

"So it's nothing dramatical - that's good to hear!" - Lena said. "And such an operation isn't really a hard thing, so it will certainly go well. Unlike certain culinary journeys, obviously ..."
"Indeed" - Klingebiel said. "Food which is this spicy can be tasty, but hard to deal with for a Nordic metabolism - even for my own, which, at this point, had already been accustomed to dealing with Ahjadan cuisine ..."
"Although I do see differences between spicy food from Carlotina and spicy food from more Eastern countries" - Friedhelm Marquardt said. "It's probably because they use different kinds of spice."

"Indeed" - Flemming now said, "Kyrenaia is an absolute monarchy, even one with many elected offices - but the same can be said about Shikonjima, which is certainly not a democracy, either."
"Though, all these systems, no matter how different they are, are approaches to ensure maximum benefit for all their people" - Ceyda continued, "with the Free Lands combining democracy and meritocracy in their own style, Lillorainen doing the same, but more considering democracy as a control instrument supposed to reflect the people's will, Shamsiyya having elected officials and experts' councils assisting them, and even Torrejón's post-revolutionary council system in the ELFC can be considered such an approach. The Lillorainian desire to have a society focussed on improving prosperity and progress is even mentioned in the Preamble of the Federal Constitution - and even though Lillorainen is a republic, the spirit thereof is inspired by Kyrenaia and Shikonjima in various aspects."
"Which should seem logical, given how Siggi Heiderich studied the Kyrenaian and Shikonjimanese systems quite intensively" - Golkrath added.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
Both Ceili and I knew, that it was nothing too dramatic, mainly from all the newspapers saying so. Madame Tarra was almost more beloved by the Selkie then her husband, the Elder, not because she had voiced Stuama in the original Marla and still stepped into the recording booth from time to time, but also because she often appeared on radio, in educational programs, in which she explained the world to kids. Her sickness had moved the masses around here and we of course all wanted to know, how it would go with her, including an influx of get-well-soon-cards, which almost overwhelmed the Fortham General Post Office.
"We, too, spice, but it does not leave you want to spit fire.", I said with a small shrug, "Well, to each their own, I guess..."
"Yeah.", Ceili agreed with a nod, "Though I never had enquillatas... or what was it again, Mister Klingenbiel?"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded.
"I suppose he did.", I said without committing to it, "I know, that when we came together, we, too, took some aspects from the countries around us. The strong position of the cities, for example, was inspired by Lutetii's internal political structure of the then-newly formed Lutetiian Republic." I shrugged. "We soon found out, though, that this system had its own kinks to work out and we reformed a few things, while the Lutetiians had other problems and no one swapped notes, so a lot got lost in translation, so..."
"The Early Free Lands, up until, say, around 1930, was a weird time, if Grandmother Liliane is to be believed.", Fi added.

[Lillorainen]

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
Both Ceili and I knew, that it was nothing too dramatic, mainly from all the newspapers saying so. Madame Tarra was almost more beloved by the Selkie then her husband, the Elder, not because she had voiced Stuama in the original Marla and still stepped into the recording booth from time to time, but also because she often appeared on radio, in educational programs, in which she explained the world to kids. Her sickness had moved the masses around here and we of course all wanted to know, how it would go with her, including an influx of get-well-soon-cards, which almost overwhelmed the Fortham General Post Office.
"We, too, spice, but it does not leave you want to spit fire.", I said with a small shrug, "Well, to each their own, I guess..."
"Yeah.", Ceili agreed with a nod, "Though I never had enquillatas... or what was it again, Mister Klingenbiel?"

Liliane Lile of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
I nodded.
"I suppose he did.", I said without committing to it, "I know, that when we came together, we, too, took some aspects from the countries around us. The strong position of the cities, for example, was inspired by Lutetii's internal political structure of the then-newly formed Lutetiian Republic." I shrugged. "We soon found out, though, that this system had its own kinks to work out and we reformed a few things, while the Lutetiians had other problems and no one swapped notes, so a lot got lost in translation, so..."
"The Early Free Lands, up until, say, around 1930, was a weird time, if Grandmother Liliane is to be believed.", Fi added.

The Lillorainians on the carriage had somewhat missed the information, that the Quinnie in question was nobody lesser than the Granddaughter of Sullivan Tarra of the Tribe of Antrim, whom they were literally traveling to - his wife, Felicia, indeed being well-known around these parts for various reasons, including, but not limited to her cineastic contributions in here.
"We use spices in our parts as well, but barely anthing that exceeds the most common Lillorainian or Shamsiyyan ones" - Klingebiel said. "Now, as for enchiladas" - he stressed the word, pronouncing it slowly, "these are a staple food in Carlotina with a lot of regional variations. In Miranueva and its immediate surroundings, it is mostly chicken meat or veggies wrapped into corn bread, with chili sauce put over them. Depending on where you are, they tend to be extremely spicy - still tasty, though, but something I wasn't used to. Other variations from different parts of Carlotina tend to use cocoa sauce or cheese, which would be likely to fit my taste a bit more, especially the latter ..."

Flemming nodded.
"Now" - he began, "the 1930s were quite a bit of a strange era for us as well, and so were the years of the Early Federation, up until around, say, the late 1990s. An era we commonly refer to as the 'Age of Childhood Diseases' nowadays, as this was the time when people, no matter the class or position, were in a need to grow used to new conditions, which wasn't easy for everyone."
"And I'm sure, that pretty much any country that has to adopt a new system goes through such a phase" - Ceyda added. "Although it does occur to me, that in Shamsiyya, this is a result of short, radical changes, some of which are called 'Intifada', whereas in Lillorainen, it was more of a gradual process lasting the entire last century. It's hard to describe, though ..."