A Harvest Festival in the City of Iron (IC, OPEN)

by **The Selkie** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 1:35 am

Cernaga Nacathach - City Hall Square, Old Town of Ironcastle, Free Lands of the Selkie. 22nd of September 2020.
Ayden Petrial of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Opening a Harvest Festival was always something special for a Mayor - this year was no exception, especially after this year. The world held its breath after the COVID-19 Pandemic began, tourism and foreign travel were struggling... trade was struggling, too.
This year was strange.
Every brochure for the "Official Announcements concerning COVID-19" and... it would be a different Festival.
But first, we had to open it.
Notabilities from his City, led by Duncan Iarnród of the Tribe of Louth, the CEO of Ironcastle Ironworks, a dozen or so people, were with me on the stage erected in front of the large City Hall, in front of him hundreds and thousands of people from all over the world. With us was a large brazier, filled with coal.
I saw, from my vantage point, a lot of people in Geansai in all colours of the rainbow and then some, the armors of Marcach, the red-white banners of the Swordmaidens and the blue-white banners of the Arrowmaidens, people packed in thick clothing as it was Mid-September - the sun shone, but I would be surprised, if we had ten degrees Celsius by Midday. Right now, I would guess, that we were at seven or eight.
In any case, here, in front of the City Hall in the Old Town of Ironcastle, the cobbled stones leading past massive buildings of stone and brick, we would thank the Gods not for a rich harvest from our fields, but for a rich harvest in iron to be made into steel, for good business and for merry people to work alongside of.
The clock in the clocktower of the City Hall struck nine o'clock - my job began, as soon as a young man from the Younger Militia, of course dressed in his chainmail and coat of arms proudly displaying the red, green and black of Ironcastle, finished playing his trumpet signal.
It was a general call to attention, nothing too fancy or ambitious.
He was finished, took the trumpet off of his lips and stepped back. I nodded to him, then stepped forward.
Dressed in Red and White, the old High Priest of Carman Fea, Glynn Uisinn of the Tribe of Westmeath, smiled at the crowd as he stepped forward, raised his hands to the sky. He intoned in Selkie: "Carman Fea, Lady of War and Peace, Lodan Lir and Ladra, Lords of the Seas, Rivers and all who live on them, o Abhcan, the Black Vixen, hear our humble prayers of gratitude!" He let a beat pass, especially as the people in the Crowd murmured their own little prayers of gratitude. "They year has been good to us, we are healthy and we are safe - so please accept this offering of us, a part of our feast in Your Honour!"
As an offering, four beautiful young women, one each a Servant or Priestess to one of the mentioned Gods, stepped forward, their heads lowered as they carried the Last Fruits: A large beef steak, several smaller mutton cutlets, fish cuts, bread, fruits. A can of milk and a bottle of really good whiskey were along as well.
I stepped forward, torch in hand, and lit the brazier on fire.
The notabilities stepped forward, Duncan taking the large steak - and he threw it into the fire.
"The People of Ironcastle...", I continued, "... offer these in their gratitude, Gods. We wish a good appetite!"
The present people repeated that and watched as quite a few nice things were sacrificed to the Gods via the flames, the notabilities doing their job splendidly - a short flash shot up as someone sacrificed the whiskey bottle, an amused bit of laughter running through the crowd.
It was harmless under open sky, but for all eventualities, there was a large fire engine by the Ironcastle City Fire Fighters just a dozen or so meters away.
"With this, the Day of Taranis' Feast may begin!", Glynn finished - the cheers made him smile as the Harvest Festival began.

by **New Visayan Islands** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 6:27 am

Engr. Peter A. Turrija
City Hall Square, Ironcastle, Free Lands
September 22nd, AD 2020

As Peter saw the proceedings, his mind wandered into the events of the previous week. It felt like the flight from Lapu-Lapu to Traverse was only yesterday, even accounting for the time spent in isolation. Fortunately, the Confederation had been free of COVID-19 since the last few patients were discharged months ago; it didn't take the Visayans long to disembark from the VisayanAir jet and clear immigration. That he and eight others were from Victoria Shipyards-Selkie Branch made things easier; they returned from a CBRND exercise sponsored by the Visayan Directorate for Disease Control with the certification to match.
Pity Gerald's missing out on this, the industrial engineer thought. After Gerald Vicente was promoted to Director of Global Operations for Victoria Associated Industries and held back to complete what at this point was the last week of the Director's Leadership Course, Peter was selected by Samuel Cui to serve as acting Branch Manager. The weeks between now and when that Boholano returned would be all on him, and with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the Free Lands, he was torn between keeping a skeleton crew onsite with the rest working from home and having the entire staff staying onsite altogether in anticipation of a lockdown.
There was also the matter of a few things that need to be sent: a pair of tarsier plushies were sent ahead of Gerald for a local named Amy, as well as some sundry souvenirs. In addition, five boxes of Peanut Kisses intended for the Embassy of the Reichsrath to the Free Lands were taken from the plane; Peter wondered what that was for.

by **AHSCA** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 10:21 am

City Hall Square, Ironcastle, Free Lands
September 20

A pretty brisk morning for two girls from the tropical lands of the UIS, Hikage and Ichigo But here they were up with the sun in the chilly morning in the heart of the town square on this a festival. Having just come from their nation's own festival it was very appropriate they came for another one. But this year was special for these two. Over the course of the festival back home the two finally tied the not. Most were a bit surprised because they were rather different in personalities. Hikage was very brash, outgoing, loud and just very boisterous. Ichigo on the other hand was more shy, polite, mannered and a little more quiet. But what can you say, the heart wants what the heart wants. Who was the one to finally push the marriage in the eyes of their Goddess, why it was Ichigo.

And now you know the rest of the story. But here they were fresh off the boat so to speak, they had gotten in a few days ago, had time to settle, grab a place to stay and learn the layout of the area and town they were in and pick a few sights. With luck when this was all said and done they'd be onto their next destination. They were hoping to wait out the rainy season back home by touring some places in the world, namely nations already friendly with the UIS and thus might be less opposed to a couple of fox girls roaming about. The girls listened to a pretty speech by. Their ears perked at it, it was very well similar, for lack of better words to the kind of speech they'd hear back home before their big festival.

It seemed the Freelands and the UIS had more in common than they realized. And given the Gensai the people wore, well it was similar indeed. I mean both were certainly more dressed than their rather revealing passport photo showed1 Both grabbed themselves something warm to wear their first day here but they weren't complaining, they rather acclimated and it wasn't THAT cold.

"That was a right pretty speech, wouldn't you think, Ichigo?" Hikage asked.

"It sure was."

"Well they said feast, think there'll be food?"

"Hikage, always thinking with your stomach....I think the feast is spiritual in a sense."

"Ooooh I get it."

Ichigo poured over a travel guide that gave some information about the place "The Freelands are largely polytheistic. Even today they have folks who are Spiorad Ainmhithe."

"Oooh yeah I remember hearin' bout those folks. They're immortal or something."

"Not quite sure about immortal, I think they still can die but they just live very long times. Pretty sure we have one or two living in the islands...Wait I think the boss is one?" The boss being Sakura Shin their new employer at a little tavern in Tsubaki of their home island of Animalpolis. A tough as nails no nonsense woman indeed.

"Woah really?"

"Well she does have nine tails, she lived through The War and still looks to be young."

"Well they do say we don't age because of our lifestyles."

"True but she also has nine tails. That's super rare even among us normal kitsune women. But it doesn't say if Spiorad are more inclined to have more than one tail but many do take on animal appearances."

"This place really is somethin' special! didn't I tell you this would be a good place to come?"

"Well I figured it would be a great place but I think we pushed it by leaving right after our wedding. Honestly amazing we made it in time."

"Well who'd a thunk the Black Goddess would be sleeping on the job!" Hikage chortled

"Shhh, don't tempt Her we still have more voyages ahead!"

"Aww come on, it'll be okay you know I'll protect you when it gets scary." Hikage pulled her beloved Ichigo "Mmmmmm" Ichigo's muffled calls went unanswered "You and me held up in our little cabin against the roar of the seas down on us. Or maybe in the hold with the others if we run out of money before then."

"mmmmm" ichigo again muffled back but it was no use Hikage was rambling on and on as she does, nothing to do but let her run her course and wait for her to let go.

by **Astares Amauricanum** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 2:10 pm

Orem Bergensen and Mareva Bergensen-Aldenur
City Hall Square, Ironcastle, Free Lands of the Selkie.
22nd September, 2020.

Among the many people watching the proceedings of the Festival's opening, there were two tha at first sight, could easily pass for mercenaries. Wearing an ensemble of black cargo pants, a black vest, calf-high combat boots, and a beanie, those two people, a man and a woman, were wearing what some might consider as a sterile uniform, and the feeling of the being mecenaries could only be reinforced by the fact that strapped to their backs, between the vest and the bagpacks they were carrying, they were each carrying a sword (corresponding to a Oakeshott Type XIIa) and a large dagger.

The man, looking as in the middle of his thirties (but a few years older actually), 1.95m, bkue eyes, black hair with an undercut on the sides and rear, was also bearing a large scar on his face, going form the bottom of his left eye to his upper lip. The woman accompanying him, 1.90m, grey eyes and auburn hair kept back by a ponytail, was also bearing two large scars on her face, extending from her lips on her cheeks, effectively giving her a Glasgow smile of sorts.
One thing for sure, this couple was as cold as the weather suroounding them, if not more. And after all, for anyone who knew their actual profession (the actual mention on their Visa stating they were members of the Special Forces of the Astarian Keiserlig Custos was technically true, but not reflecting the whole truth about their job.), it would not be surprising.

Once the brazier has been lit and the different offerings threw inside, Orem turns to his wife.
"So, what do you think? Better than sacrifying horses eh?" he asks with a small smirk.
-Indeed, and more related to what we do back at home." replies Mareva as she looks at the flames, the image reflecting in the grey of her eyes. "Anyway, it's really nice to get away from home after all what happened this year." says the female Bodark. "Even though we still have to apply the same procedures here as back home, the atmosphere this city carries helps me forget about all of it." she finishes as she looks around the Square
-Yeah, it does it for me too." continues Orem as he looks around himself too. "Anyway, now we just have to wait before the SDF Stationary Presentation begins, so what do you say we go grab a chocolate?" he asks with a seductive smile to his wife.
"How could I refuse sch a proposal?" replies Mareva as she quickly pecks her husband on the lips. "It's been such a long time since we drank one just the two of us. Lead the way honey." she adds as she grabs his combat-gloved hand in her own.

And with that said, the two Astarians walk towards the edge of the square, where they find a small bar opened, with some free tables outside. As they spot a table with two seats, they take off their bagpacks, before putting them at their feet and sitting, waiting for a waiter/waitress to come take their order.

by **Greater Orcadia** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 2:51 pm

Melanie Harrison and Hannah Berri, two very close friends from Greater Orcadia were standing in the square, now knowing that their nose ring, ear rings and a chain between the two would not go down too well in the Free lands, Melanie and Hannah had removed the jewellery, instead putting small, descrete retainers in place, furthermore Melanie was wearing a fairly long sleeved T-shirt to hide the tattoo on her arm however her bald head was something that could not easily be hidden.

Slung over her back is a backpack, on the straps of which are 2 D-rings, hanging through one of them is a pair of sunglasses.

"So we have the opening at nine, but whats this Mel at ten, air mobilility command thingie?" asks Hannah

"dunno, might be best ask one of the officials, however I think its like a swoop in drop off something and fly off, or might be a paradrop display" replies Melanie

Hannah checks the program before adjusting her jacket to unzip it as Melanie cracks open a drink

"I think over there is also some food too" comments Melanie

by **Kuronami** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 3:04 pm

The Yamanouchi Sisters
22nd September 2020

What a fun and unusual way to celebrate a birthday. Aoi was turning 16! Well she was now 16 but either way this was a big gift to her by her parents, an all expenses paid trip to anywhere she wanted. I mean her parents already had plans for their wedding anniversary back home, (yup she was born the same day!) and well 15 birthday prior of parties, family gatherings, at home celebrations and lovely dinners, they left it to her choice this time, another lovely time at home or letting her pick, and pick she did she wanted to travel somewhere. She considered a number of places, within Kuronami, Caloris always a popular destination, Sonomi if she wanted to stay a bit close to home, it was only a few hours by train from their port city in Southern Amaterasu. Hang Gang more to the north, very pretty in the winter as it was always covered in snow this time of year. Taunbaurn for a lovely city in the heartland of Kuronami. A tropical get away to Mazomba was always in the cards or if they were really adventurous they could go to AHSCA for their festival. Bocchi, the youngest of the sisters was actually born there so she didn't require a passport, only an ID card that could be issue on the spot.

Well it was a close contender but something else did catch Aoi's eye and that was The Freelands. She'd been following news on PiffleNet a while about their upcoming festival and given it was a bit easier to access compared to AHSCA well she decided it would be their choice. Oh well there's always other times to visit the UIS for sure. Well one plane ride and a few days stay at a cozy little inn and here they were in the heart of everything. Oh and the including of her two little sisters on this trip, admittedly a bit of a request of her parents because this would give them a chance to have an anniversary getaway for themselves (they chose Sonomi) and well given they were already willing to pay for the trip well it was the least she could do. Aoi didn't mind, she loved her sisters obviously and was always happy to spend time with them. Plus, what a perfect time to show her parents she was maturing, becoming responsible, in turn the perfect bargaining chip to let her get a part time job in the summer and earn money (or failing that at least ask for a raise in allowance).

The three girls standing against a building to stay out of the way, pouring over a map together, no doubt stuck out. Three kimono clad girls looking over a map, if that didn't scream tourist, nothing else would. Really it was a deciding where to go next? They hadn't seen a lot of the sights, getting over jet lag and keeping tabs on their health. COVID was an issue in parts of the world right now, not Kuronami but elsewhere so they had to be mindful. Well scary virus pandemics aside, they would have fun here.

"Well...?" Yasuko wondered aloud trying to prod the indecisive Aoi along. She peered at her phone with a cute little cow key chain hanging from it. Standing next to her, Bocchi their little sister keeping firm grip on Yasuko's freehand. "Hang tight, Yasuko, I'm still looking and trying to plot a course."

"We aint sailin' the high seas, Aoi, sheesh let's walk around and see what's around...." Yasuko noted had a pretty distinct "accent" the accent of Southern Amaterasu in the Heisei Prefecture they called home and it was sort of hit and miss in the family. Their mother had a light lady like accent, their father really didn't have one, neither did Yasuko. Bocchi had a small one, some would say she had her Hoshino dialect but unlikely given how young she was adopted. Maybe the family was putting on heirs, their mother worked for Piffle Co as a store manager for one of the retail outlets there, and father was respected salaryman in his own right.

"How about we go shopping?" Bocchi suggested "I mean we should take a few things home with us. Even if we don't buy something today we at least get an idea of what to come back for later."

"How are you so wise at 10?" Aoi questioned. "Shopping I guess is all right but I'd still like to see something here that's all about this place. After all we can shop anywhere."

"Must be some good sights to see. A museum or somethin'." Yasuko thought, really anything was fine with her so long as they didn't have to stand here all day and could get moving. Aoi rolled up the map. "All right, Yasuko, you're right. Let's walk about and see what's around. Time to be spontaneous."

by **Polish Prussian Commonwealth** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 7:58 pm

Irene von Wittelsbach-Town Square

Ah, the Free Lands.
The last time I returned, I was a still the Princess von Wittelsbach, Marie was a nun, and I had a...uh, rather intresting conversation with her then-boyfriend of sorts.
Now I was a gunner, and Marie did...something. I wasn't sure, but it was pretty obvious that it involved wetwork. She had an awfully suspicious amount of free time for a young lady aged only 20. I could tell specops from a mile away; all of them adamantly refused to talk about what they did, and generally said that they were technical advisors to the Reichswehr.

I was curious as to what she knew, but every time I had been rebuffed. It stung a little, but I got the message after awhile. I didn't need to know, and Marie...something about her had changed. The awkward nun had disappeared, for better or worse.

We arrived at the airport without incident. I was dressed in the grey fatigues of the Reichswehr, Marie in a shirt, a long skirt, and shoes. Both of us were carrying blades; I had a backsword, while Marie carried an old sword-bayonet.

We both probably made an odd sight, swords aside. The Selkie feared guns, but more than made up for it with their love for cold steel.

As we walked along the street, I nudged Marie. She seemed like she needed to talk anyway; she clearly was troubled by something, and talking at all might help a little.

"Oi, Marie. You 'ight?"
"Huh?" She raised her head slightly and straightened up a little.
"Yeah. It's just..."
"Yven?"
After a long pause, Marie nodded. "...yeah. He might be here. Probably not, but..."
I didn't believe her. Not entirely, at least. There was something else on her mind, but this wasn't the time to pry. "Yeah, I get it. Awkward, even if you're still friends."
"Yeah."
"Well." I put an arm around Marie. "If you need to bitch, Auntie Irene's here, aye?"

The offer had the desired effect. Marie gave me a droll smile and pushed me away. "Oh, feck off, Corporal. But thanks."

by **Brettenwald** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 8:33 pm

Henrik Kaellenya zipped up his well-loved bomber jacket, adjusted his grey newsboy cap and took a deep breath. "Smells like my home town. Industry, seas of humanity, and the cold." Still a big man at 41, he had faintly graying black hair and a slightly twisted nose that had never healed quite right after being broken in a fight long ago. "Oh, yeah. Danyiva, the Empire's industrial armpit," his son Mauris teased. He'd inherited his father's unruly hair (reluctantly combed and pomaded into submission on pain of death from his mother) and impressive height, though he had a more greyhound-like build. "Don't knock it until you've been there, Mau. It's not that bad."
"We have, remember? It sucked. This is a million times nicer."
"Touché, can't argue with you there. Where's your mother?"
"Right here."
Petra suddenly appeared with her daughter in tow. She had long brown hair, green eyes, and a more serious demeanor than her extroverted husband and son. Zena had a more developed figure and slightly darker hair but was otherwise the spitting image of her mother. "Don't tell me we've missed the opening," Zena said, warming her hands on a disposable cup of hot tea she'd brought from the inn.
"I think it's just starting now." Henrik checked his watch. "0900. Right on schedule." The family took in the sacrifice and ceremony with the requisite amount of respect and started negotiating an itinerary as the crowd slowly started to thin out. "How about this? We stay here for the Mobile Forces Command presentation, go over to Clais Castle for the show fights, and then split up to go do whatever?" Petra suggested, after a fruitless discussion. "Sounds good to me. What do you think, Mau? Zena?" With the kids' agreement, the family dispersed to various areas of the square to take pictures and take in Ironcastle's sights & sounds.

by **Lillorainen** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:57 am

City Hall Square, Old Town of Ironcastle, Free Lands of the Selkie.
22nd of September 2020.
2020. A year that would most certainly be dedicated its own chapter in history books many years later. It wasn't only about the countless wars and conflicts, this was, sadly, nothing inherently special for this year, but much rather about Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19 for short, or for some even shorter, 'The Coof' - a small virus which, so far, had killed almost a million people worldwide, and, especially during the first wave, brought international travel and trade back to a level most people alive today couldn't remember.
Lillorainen had its own memories of it, from three months back, when a group of vacation returnees from the Gössning, a part of the Thulian Lands, had brought it into their home without knowing. As a result, the entire State of Thulia hadn't only seen a lockdown, but also border controls, which to pass had required a special permit. The latter part hadn't only resulted in a few youngsters organizing an 'Escape Thulia Challenge' and a series of WhoTube videos documenting their attempts, but also in criticism in public from other people who considered this heavy militarization of a state border over the top. Still, the sales of face masks had skyrocketed ever since.
Despite the jokesters who had said, "What does a face mask do against Corona? I can still drink it through the mask! Granted, it tastes like fabric softener afterwards, but still ..."
C'mon, there are worse ones ...
Still, there were people who weren't afraid of traveling abroad, especially thanks to the precautions back home and in the countries of destination, in this case, the Free Lands of the Selkie, where on this morning of Autumn Equinox, lots of people had gathered on the City Hall Square of Ironcastle to watch the sacrifice.
Among them, Lena Mesenich, 24 years old, blonde and green eyed, Student of Linguistics and Media Sciences in Nienhagen, and, according to the Foreign Office, the textbook example of an average Lillorainian citizen, judging by the demographic metrics. While she had changed her last name from Pütz into her mother's more unique maiden name, Hetalia fan arts presenting Lillorainen still looked a lot like her.
Saran Kiyat was 29 years old and the daughter of Sharulsi businesspeople who had been permanently residing in Lillorainen for 28 years now. Known as the 'Mongol Blitz', she was one of Lillorainen's best professional horse racers, and she also made quite a few Salmons from her other job, as a Management Consultant.
Both had a good view on the sacrifice, and that the Selkie were very serious about leaving only the best they had to their Gods, this could be seen from the bottle of really expensive whiskey.
Lena wore a dark grey fabric jacket, a light grey shirt underneath, a pair of black jeans, and white sneakers. Saran had opted for a beige coat and a dark blue shirt underneath, black leggings and black boots.
They had VIP-cards for the Competition for the Gealanacoinlín Cup. As the first Show Fight would start at 11 o'clock, they had a bit of time to take a look onto the Car Showroom of Gabha Motorworks in Carreis House, which would open at 9:30. (Saran had informed the organizers about this plan, so they did think about sending the escort to Carreis House, right ...?)
On the other side of the square, but with a similarly good view, one would spot Natsumi Baishou, 25 years old, Shrinemaiden of the Shirakuni Temple in Yaoichi, Shikinami, who watched the ceremony with a great, perhaps also professional interest. Next to her, Hideo Ikehara, 34 years old and Natsumi's second-degree cousin. While Hideo had gone fully traditional and wore a dark-blue winter kimono reaching almost to the ground, which looked ancient compared to his fairly modern glasses with a black frame, Natsumi had opted for a somewhat shorter, light blue model, a pair of black tights and brown boots. If everyone calls you 'dangerously beautiful', why not show all aspects of it?
They didn't understand much Selkie beyond the names of the deities, but all of them laughed along when a short flash shot up, when the shiskey bottle was sacrificed, and when the beginning of the feast was announced, everyone cheered.

by **The Selkie** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 8:32 am

For the Opening at 9:00 o'clock, all the trams had stopped for five minutes, as it had been scheduled, but now, the schedule was running again - and, what was more important, Ironcastle Ironworks had sponsored all transportation with the City's tram network for today so that all, who wished to take a tram, could do so for free.
There were tramstations in many places, though from the Old Town's center at the City Hall, one would have to walk a fair bit to the nearest, which was at the Main Railway Station outside of the City Walls. From there, trams drove the circuit lines every ten minutes, the Grand Circle being the one, which went into all the outlying communities, the North Circle, the West Circle and the South Circle being smaller then that, while the Socair Slow Express delivered people to the communities down the Socair River, down to even Theilgadún at the Mouth of the Socair River - five hours of tram-driving away.
Clais Castle, Carreis House, the Grand Temple of Carman Fea and the Ionadhála Convention Center could be reached by foot, however, depending on how much of a walk one wanted to take.
The cobble stone was very patient.

Cernaga Nacathach - City Hall Square, Old Town.
Ayden Petrial of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
After the festivities had started, Glynn and I retreated a bit and people were going far and wide - some stayed to watch what was going to happen next, some stayed to hash out their plans for the day, some wanted to do something else entirely.
Glynn and I, and a few of the notabilities, were here still for something else: Around ten minutes after the opening, when the Cernaga Nacathach had cleared a bit, one of the side streets became the bottleneck through which first a couple of soldiers, then some trucks and then all sorts of different things with markings of the SDF-Army came.
The Static Display would be underway in a few minutes and they still needed to set up the displays themselves as well as the barriers.
As the 18th Maor-Regiment was in charge of it, the blonde woman, who came rushing up to the stage was the Commanding Officer of that regiment, Colonel Viola Arán of the Tribe of Fermanagh. She wore her long hair open as well as the Army's Blue Dress, the overcoat draped over her shoulders.
She bowed her heads to both of us, then turned to watch her soldiers set everything up: Some set up a covering of camo netting, underneath it a couple of beer benches with the Soldiers' Brides presented on it, the various weapons employed by the SDF's infantrymen (made unusable by removing the firing pin) and the full field kit, some set up a Field Gun, 155mm, Model 1975 from the Regimental Artillery, including a display where the Sergeant in charge of the gun would explain how they aimed the bloody thing, as well as a Flag Party, which presented the Regimental Flag.
But that was not all: Rumbling onto the City Hall Square were various vehicles. First was a Creachadoir Heavy Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicles, then a Sio-II-APC, a Cruinneachán-SPAAG following closely behind it. Pièce de résistance however was a Veilbhit-II Light Attack Aircraft in the markings of the 17th Air Combat Squadron, which was dragged onto the square by a halftrack-bike and had its wings folded up, one wing to be extended. Pilots, who had flown these planes during Operation Spartacus, and especially during Operation Sanguine, the Battle of Falernum, would be ready to reply to any question, within reason.
The Press Office of the SDF was here as well with recruitment material, several officers in the dark uniforms of the Navy could be spotted as well, photographers were already at the ready.
In half an hour, everything was supposed to be ready, but they would make it.
I was sure of it.

Nora Scriúire of the Tribe of Cavan.
The Question: What does an Ensign of the SDF-Navy do in Ironcastle, deep inland?
The Answer: I was born here. My Mam is a mechanic at the Ironcastle Army Airfield, by now quite high up in the positions, and while she had a lot of work to do, being part of a large display and everything, I had all the time in the world to experience the Festival with my Dad.
Leonard Scriúire of the Tribe of Cavan was a houseman through and through and while he had something else to prepare really quick (he said, that it was a surprise for me), he had asked me to go explore a bit of the city before he called me home around ten. So, with nothing better to do, I had watched the opening ceremony and now was on-call from my Dad and wandered around aimlessly...
...and bumped into that guy.
I had no idea, that he was from Victoria Shipyards or its new head, or that his name was Peter A. Turrija. He might recognize my school uniform, which I wore, as the Naval School's, to which I still technically belonged (even though I was an Ensign now, an officer trainee).
I smiled at him. "Sorry, Sir. You alright?", I asked.

Imogen Teithiwr, of Cefnffordd Descent.
The first thing I noticed about the two girls were the vulpine ears and tails.
The second was, how many people let them pass with a small berth - less out of aversion, but more out of respect and reverence.
They looked like Spiorad, but were they? The square was too noisy for me to make anything of their conversation out, but they seemed very close. Lovers?
Possible.
Then again, Immy was no investigator. I am a Roaming Spiorad, not bound to a place, but seeing the world for centuries now, writing about my experiences and working odd jobs. My feline ears opened me about as many doors as they closed, but at long last, I had returned to the Free Lands.
I wanted to meet a few fellows over the next couple of weeks, but that had time.
For now, I tried to make my way through the crowd, following the two and trying to catch up, which was more complicated then it sounds...

Macha Céilt of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Daorasach Inn, City Hall Square.
It did not happen too often as of late, that my children, my husband and I were in the same city, but today, it was one of those increasingly rare days - who could blame them? My husband was a Brigadier of the SDF-Army, soon to be Lieutenant General, my son was a soldier, too, my daughter studied and was a model, I was with my husband and a housewife.
Gastoch House would soon go to other owners and I would move to Fortham. We had a nice house there already, but it would take its time until I had lived in. Well... that was the lot I had signed up to when I married a soldier.
It would be wonderful, when we were all together again, though.
For now, while the boys were at work, my daughter Imogen and I were sitting in the Daorasach Inn at the City Hall Square, enjoying a cuppa while the Harvest Festival went underway. There were a few tables outside, where one could fetch a drink, even in these times, so some might identify the inn as a bar...
It was the most expensive bar in the entire city, though, but then again, one got something for it - in my daughter's case, that was a delicious hot chocolate.
We were both dressed in foreign-style clothing, as it had its advantages, when your daughter was a model for Bicini Industries. Imogen wore a grey-blue leather jacket above a white sleeveless turtleneck, with black shorts, her legs covered by silken stockings with interesting patterns (which emphasized how wonderfully shaped her legs were), until they vanished under calf-high high heel boots - the Gods alone knew, how she could walk in those things, but then again, I had done so when I had been a bit younger, too.
I was dressed less flashy, I simply had no need to anymore - after all, I was a mature woman, married, wife of two... I knew, that I could still give some far younger women a run for their money, though. I wore a skirt suit, with pencil skirt, jacket and everything, a yellow blouse underneath it. On my collarbone, a silver pendant rested, a gift from my husband for our first anniversary. My stockings were simpler models as well, ending with my feet in platform shoes with only a little heel.
A lot of people walked past, but some settled down at the tables, two people, who had the word 'tourist' almost written on their foreheads. Well, they would look stupidly once they saw the prices...
A waitress in full maid uniform, high collar and floor-length dress in black and white came, left a menu with them, and then moved on. A minute or so later, she was with us, asking if we needed anything. We politely declined for now.
The menu in English and Selkie listed hot chocolate on the first page, under 'Hot Beverages', for nine Umha (or nine NSD) per cuppa.

There was actually a lot of food. Aside from the half-dozen inns in this part of the city with their tables out on the sidewalk, there were a lot of bakeries, which offered their wares, oftentimes in cooperation with butchershops and other food industry - and the corner stores were open, too.
However, due to COVID, there were no street vendors and no street sale.
And, due to COVID, the shops had limited their numbers of people allowed inside, which, in turn led to lines on the sidewalk - and to families splitting up: One went for the breadrolls with sausages, the partner for the drinks, one of the children occupied a nice spot to sit, stand or lean and so on.
The City Guard was out and about, too, with a healthy bit of administrative assistance from the Younger Militia, and while they were ready to intervene with a lot of things, the most they expected were litterers.

If one looked for a museum in Ironcastle's Old Town, one only had to leave the City Hall Square and one had a lot to choose from: There was the Railway Museum, the Museum of Steel, the Iarnród Gallery of the Fine Arts, the Ionadhála Convention Center had a permanent exhibition and Carreis House also had a small museum attached to it, a museum of motor transport.
Clais Castle had a museum as well, as did the Principle Temple of Carman Fea on the Cernaga Sepal, the Temple Square, not too far away. The Abandoned Ironcastle Airworks Testing Field was outside of the city, by far, so it would be easier to take a tram there.
Shopping was also not too difficult, a lot of shops lined the streets, selling all manners of things, from food to clothes - there was even a Bicíní Industries Outlet Store not too far away. The Winter Collection had just arrived and a few of the lassies and lads of BI were there, presenting the goods.
And if one just wanted to explore? Well, Ironcastle's Old Town was exactly that: An old town with many small streets branching off, so full of nooks and crannies, that even locals were lost sometimes.

The Kaellenyas had a lot to make photographs of, even as the Static Display was being set up, with the soldiers either ignoring them, of grinning while working - this kind of being shot at was far nicer then the kind of being shot at with live ammunition.
It didn't take long for the most important displays to be prepared and for the first people crowding around the 8x8 armoured car and the APC, a rifleman section standing at the ready in the latter case to explain what they were doing and how they were doing it. The HARV, on the other hand, had its three woman crew around, one of them, a blonde with blue eyes and the rank insignia of a Lieutenant, posing for selfies with visitors (including lending her large, armoured helmet to a kid to try on).
In general, there was a calm and peaceful atmosphere, people chatting, people making photoes, people laughing and asking questions and listening to answers.
Meanwhile, a couple of officers were running around putting the finishing touches on everything...

Finnegan Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
One of said officers being me.
I was with the Navy, that is true, but I was also of the SDF Flight School and thus with the Ironcastle Army Air Field - which, in turn, meant, that they were responsible for air traffic coordination, which, in turn, meant, that they needed an idiot to take care of that.
Guess who that was...
Anyway, after 10:45, after the Skill Demonstration by I. Airmobile Squadron 'Capall Sciatháin' and 7th Air Transport Squadron, I was free. Until then, I stuck out like a sore thumb in my dark Navy Blue Dress in all the Army Blue Dresses and Green Uniforms.
And there was another thing... I had invited someone here, to Ironcastle, to this Festival. Natsumi Baishou, from Shikonjima.
She knew, that I was with the Navy, but she also knew me more with a blonde bundle of cuteness on my back, as that was my Piffle Profile Picture. Would she recognize me, when she saw me running around here, trying to stop the Army from taking up all the square so that the Airmobile Troops had a bit of space to show their skills?
The Gods would know. So far, however, I had nothing left but to glance around nervously, trying to spot her while doing my duty and fulfilling my orders...

The Mistress of Ceremonies had been informed about the plan of both Miss Mesenich and Miss Kiyat to visit Carreis House before they came to Clais Castle - Milady Nia had specifically told their guide that.
He was already waiting there, Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel was his name, dressed in the leather and fur ensemble that was the Geansai of his Tribe, standing like an anachronism between high-powered cars he would never be able to afford.
Regardless, getting to Carreis House was not complicated: Leave the City Hall Square and walk for about ten to fifteen minutes with the Socair at the back. It was all well signposted in English and Selkie.
And it was hard to miss as Carreis House, as the Headquarters of Gabha Motorworks was not exactly small... there were larger complexes in the general vicinity and in the world, that was true, but for Ironcastle Carreis House was massive and hard to miss.
Of course, people still managed to miss it.

by **New Visayan Islands** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 9:03 am

Peter Turrija
City Hall Square, Ironcastle

Peter was lost in quite a lot of thoughts when someone bumped into him. Somewhat shocked at the bump, he looked at the direction and saw a woman in the uniform of the Naval School apologizing to him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he saw her smile.
"I'm fine," he replied. "I take it something distracted you?" Peter couldn't imagine what sort of distractions would take the attention of a midshipman--in her case, a midshipwoman--away from their way, but it didn't matter after he checked to see if anything fell off from either of them. He envied her visible smile, as his face was covered by a mask given the COVID-19 pandemic.
Offering a small bottle of alcohol, he introduced himself. "I'm Peter Turrija, acting Branch Manager of the Selkie Branch of Victoria Shipyards. And you are...?"

by **AHSCA** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:02 am

Well eventually Ichigo did kind of push back against Hikage but they were pretty different in stature, Hikage tall and busty and Ichigo small and petite. Again these two couldn't be anymore opposite but something about each other they just found irresistible! "All right that's enough. I love you, Hikage but you get really rough at times."

"Ahaha sorry guess that comes with a family like mine. Our ma never treated us girls as dainty little things, we were all rough and tough!" She flexed her muscles a bit. "

"Yes I know." Ichigo replied.

"Hey look aint nothin' against yer ma and how she raise you. I mean you're still the cutest delicate flower I know. That's why you got me! We're like a flower, I'm the tough stem that supports us and you're the pretty pedals that all admire!"

Ichigo gave her shy smile, "Hikage....that was surprisingly profound for you."

"Haha I can be pretty smart some times I guess!"

"Well let's try not to run out of money but...if we do you promise you'll stay with me no matter how tight things get?" It wasn't unusual for passengers to double as ship crew to take fees of tickets for travel or get deep discounts but that usually meant having to brave the harsh elements on the seas.

"I promise ya, we'll ride with the cargo if we have to for me to stay by your side our whole adventure abroad." The two having stood and talked soon found themselves swallowed up by the crowd. "Woah it's crtainly lively and crowded here, Ichigo...Hey Ichigo where'd ya go?"

It seemed Ichigo got swept away with a few people like being swept by a wave out to sea. "Hikaaageeee....." She cried trying to keep her footing. Ichigo was pretty small for an adult, just barely topping at 1.61 meters tall. She fell down at the feet of the person who was heading after them.

by **Fuso-** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:47 am

City Hall Square, Ironcastle

Eiraku-no-miya Satoko Naishinnō, Imperial Princess of the Empire of Fusō found herself this week in the Free Lands, and by happy coincidence the bloody foreign ministry hasn't told her to go here on some diplomatic arse-kissing mission this time. No, her trip to Ironcastle this week, paid for out of her own account, was solely one of those vacation trips she hadn't really had since well... the whole flareup in Berlin two years ago.
With that particular goal in mind Satoko had left most, if not all the usual accoutrements of a travelling princess of the Empire was entitled to. There was no detachment from the Special Duty Section following her every move and the inn she had booked was a far-cry from the five star hotel-resort she knew the government would empty out for her. Travelling alone and abroad to a large scale event like this always involved some measure of risk-taking but at least, even without the Imperial Guard three steps behind her at all times Satoko had certain measures available to her in case anything happened. One of them was her outfit, a bland, grey business suit, in fact probably the blandest and most inconspicuous outfit she had in her wardrobes. Coupling that with a few behavioural changes - no excessive bowing (amongst others) - she would probably be the least attractive target for mischief-makers.

Satoko had made a pretty early start on the big day, waking up around seven to get herself cleaned up, fed, watered and fit for the outing. By the time of the opening ceremonials at 9 am her breakfast was already two hours gone and it was certainly time for that light meal before lunch. Hence why she was found in a window seat in one of the inns next to the square with a cup of hot tea in her possession and said light meal on order. So far, so good she thought as she slowly sipped on her tea while watching with curiosity the SDF outside getting things into gear for their demonstration.

by **Kuronami** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 12:02 pm

Well now the girls had decided spontaneity would be the name of the game here. They had two weeks to rally immerse themselves in the great country of The Freelands but for today it was best to have fun and wander a bit seeing what's to see. Keeping a slow steady pace to just take in their surroundings, no hurry to anything. Sometimes they snapped a few photos and selfies to send back home or post on PiffleNet. Lost and wandering about in the streets weaving down every little path that seemed interesting. "I guess this is what urban exploration is about?" Aoi mused

"I thought that was people who liked to explore abandoned places?" Bocchi commented on her sister's thought.

"Oh maybe. But this place is a bit confusing I admit. Good thing I have a map. See Yasuko that's why being prepared is paramount or we could be wandering here till dark."

"Yah yah yah, big mature sis."

"Hehehe" Bocchi giggled at Yasuko's ribbing.

A short while of wandering about lead them to a shop somewhere. "Well you wanted to shop so let's look around but let's try to not get carried away."

"All right."

This was perfect actually, both Bocchi and Yasuko wanted to buy something for their sister's birthday but also make it a surprise so it'd be fun to look around.

by **Astares Amauricanum** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 1:26 pm

Macha Céilt of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Daorasach Inn, City Hall Square.
It did not happen too often as of late, that my children, my husband and I were in the same city, but today, it was one of those increasingly rare days - who could blame them? My husband was a Brigadier of the SDF-Army, soon to be Lieutenant General, my son was a soldier, too, my daughter studied and was a model, I was with my husband and a housewife.
Gastoch House would soon go to other owners and I would move to Fortham. We had a nice house there already, but it would take its time until I had lived in. Well... that was the lot I had signed up to when I married a soldier.
It would be wonderful, when we were all together again, though.
For now, while the boys were at work, my daughter Imogen and I were sitting in the Daorasach Inn at the City Hall Square, enjoying a cuppa while the Harvest Festival went underway. There were a few tables outside, where one could fetch a drink, even in these times, so some might identify the inn as a bar...
It was the most expensive bar in the entire city, though, but then again, one got something for it - in my daughter's case, that was a delicious hot chocolate.
We were both dressed in foreign-style clothing, as it had its advantages, when your daughter was a model for Bicini Industries. Imogen wore a grey-blue leather jacket above a white sleeveless turtleneck, with black shorts, her legs covered by silken stockings with interesting patterns (which emphasized how wonderfully shaped her legs were), until they vanished under calf-high high heel boots - the Gods alone knew, how she could walk in those things, but then again, I had done so when I had been a bit younger, too.
I was dressed less flashy, I simply had no need to anymore - after all, I was a mature woman, married, wife of two... I knew, that I could still give some far younger women a run for their money, though. I wore a skirt suit, with pencil skirt, jacket and everything, a yellow blouse underneath it. On my collarbone, a silver pendant rested, a gift from my husband for our first anniversary. My stockings were simpler models as well, ending with my feet in platform shoes with only a little heel.
A lot of people walked past, but some settled down at the tables, two people, who had the word 'tourist' almost written on their foreheads. Well, they would look stupidly once they saw the prices...
A waitress in full maid uniform, high collar and floor-length dress in black and white came, left a menu with them, and then moved on. A minute or so later, she was with us, asking if we needed anything. We politely declined for now.
The menu in English and Selkie listed hot chocolate on the first page, under 'Hot Beverages', for nine Umha (or nine NSD) per cuppa.

As the waitress in main uniform brings the two menus, Orem and Mareva open it, and browse it to find the price of the hot chocolate.
"Well, if I believe the prices practiced here, seems like this place is quite expensive." says Orem on a neutral tone in Astarian.
"Yeah, next time, we check on the net." replies Mareva as she continues looking through her menu, before looking back to her husband with a smile. "But hey, with how much we earn each month, this is not a problem for us, so let's enjoy our stay here without worrying about money."
"You're right." replies Orem as he looks back to his menu.

When the waitress would come back later, the two Astarians would take two hot chocolates, as well as some Pudding.

by **Greater Orcadia** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 12:28 am

Well C19 was also in Greater Orcadia, but as key workers, particularly Melanie who drives for a living they are used to precautions, as such Melanie had a face covering in blue and Hannah was wearing a long turtle neck, meaning it can be pulled up over her face to cover her nose.

Food however was on their mindsite but the lack of vendors compared to last year meant queueing up but keeping a respectful distance from others roughly the length of a cattle prod. It was Hannah who chose the stall, attracted by the smell of cooking beef and pork.

"Any chance of a pork and beef baguette with some rind on the side, twice please?" She asked before struggling with the program to bring a map up a never ending struggle since someone decided to use plastic explosives and ball bearings to end their life, and sadly the lives of 15 others in a crowded tube station. They couldn't identify much of the guy who blew himself up in the name of some twisted ideology, however Hannah feels more sympathy to the innocent 15 who were caught up that day.

"Second left in think it is Han, to get to the display fields" replied Melanie

by **Lillorainen** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:56 am

The Selkie wrote:For the Opening at 9:00 o'clock, all the trams had stopped for five minutes, as it had been scheduled, but now, the schedule was running again - and, what was more important, Ironcastle Ironworks had sponsored all transportation with the City's tram network for today so that all, who wished to take a tram, could do so for free.
There were tramstations in many places, though from the Old Town's center at the City Hall, one would have to walk a fair bit to the nearest, which was at the Main Railway Station outside of the City Walls. From there, trams drove the circuit lines every ten minutes, the Grand Circle being the one, which went into all the outlying communities, the North Circle, the West Circle and the South Circle being smaller then that, while the Socair Slow Express delivered people to the communities down the Socair River, down to even Theilgadún at the Mouth of the Socair River - five hours of tram-driving away.
Clais Castle, Carreis House, the Grand Temple of Carman Fea and the Ionadhála Convention Center could be reached by foot, however, depending on how much of a walk one wanted to take.
The cobble stone was very patient.

[...]

Finnegan Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
One of said officers being me.
I was with the Navy, that is true, but I was also of the SDF Flight School and thus with the Ironcastle Army Air Field - which, in turn, meant, that they were responsible for air traffic coordination, which, in turn, meant, that they needed an idiot to take care of that.
Guess who that was...
Anyway, after 10:45, after the Skill Demonstration by I. Airmobile Squadron 'Capall Sciatháin' and 7th Air Transport Squadron, I was free. Until then, I stuck out like a sore thumb in my dark Navy Blue Dress in all the Army Blue Dresses and Green Uniforms.
And there was another thing... I had invited someone here, to Ironcastle, to this Festival. Natsumi Baishou, from Shikonjima.
She knew, that I was with the Navy, but she also knew me more with a blonde bundle of cuteness on my back, as that was my Piffle Profile Picture. Would she recognize me, when she saw me running around here, trying to stop the Army from taking up all the square so that the Airmobile Troops had a bit of space to show their skills?
The Gods would know. So far, however, I had nothing left but to glance around nervously, trying to spot her while doing my duty and fulfilling my orders...

The Mistress of Ceremonies had been informed about the plan of both Miss Mesenich and Miss Kiyat to visit Carreis House before they came to Clais Castle - Milady Nia had specifically told their guide that.
He was already waiting there, Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel was his name, dressed in the leather and fur ensemble that was the Geansai of his Tribe, standing like an anachronism between high-powered cars he would never be able to afford.
Regardless, getting to Carreis House was not complicated: Leave the City Hall Square and walk for about ten to fifteen minutes with the Socair at the back. It was all well signposted in English and Selkie.
And it was hard to miss as Carreis House, as the Headquarters of Gabha Motorworks was not exactly small... there were larger complexes in the general vicinity and in the world, that was true, but for Ironcastle Carreis House was massive and hard to miss.
Of course, people still managed to miss it.

It couldn't be that hard to find a man in a Navy Blue Dress, in a city so far off from any coast ...
Indeed, Natsumi knew Finnegan Urgharda only from his profile picture on Piffle, where he appeared with a blonde fluffball on his back, but it still couldn't be impossible, even in this crowd.
Hideo raised his eyebrows when he looked into a certain direction.
"You've seen him?" - Natsumi asked.
"Huh? Oh, no, I haven't."
Natsumi followed his glance, towards a blonde, green-eyed lass, maybe from Lillorainen, and another lass, who was most likely Sharulsi and looked somewhat familiar to them, who were about following a sign reading 'Carreis House'. She snorted. "Why am I not surprised to see your attention focussed on something else?" - she said.
Hideo shrugged. "I've been a race driver for too long, perhaps" - he said.
Natsumi grinned and shook his head. Yeah, like it's the sign distracting you! - she thought.
Should anyone planning some 'funny business' with Natsumi worry about Hideo's presence and assume, that he was chaperoning her, he (or she?) would most likely not need a long time to realize, that he wasn't really much of an obstacle. Fast cars, charming ladies, or either combined - that would always work in such a case. One could ask a certain Princess from Akebono about that.
"Ah, there he is!" - she finally announced, having seen Finnegan glancing around nervously while running around and trying to keep any possible mayhem at a minimum. He seemed a bit busy, but he would have a second for saying hello.
Hideo threw a last glance towards the sign, which the ladies, whose names, unbeknownst to him, were Lena Mesenich and Saran Kiyat, had already passed, going down the street. Then, he followed Natsumi.

by **Mervay** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:49 am

City Hall Square; Old Town Ironcastle
Athena Freezis
It has been a long time since she traveled to The Free Lands, the nation being also mildly affected by the virus to an low degree; as such, for the festival they required a certain list of conditions to have it go foward and one of them included the face masks no matter what and to which the businesswoman complied entirely alongside the rest of basic meassures that were to be taken, which she gladly agreed to and would follow; which included social distancing -but there were exceptions to it- and if needed self-quarantine.

In other words this celebration was almost the same thing she saw back in april at Port De Devienne, but without the military preparing a massive quarantine perimeter around the city for a worst case scenario.

She had her reasons to be here, business as there was always the opportunity for it when it arised and of course; leisure. But she didn't talked about having fun here by her own; she was hoping to meet new people and see someone which got her eye and possibly, her heart, last year. Hopefully he's better of his injury and is able to see him. There were lot's of things that the woman wanted to do with that person which she fell in love with here today.

This year was... Strange to say at least; the good thing was that at least they had recovered from their damage control and were back on green with their numbers while on green, were below what was expected in certain areas at the beginning of the year, however the digital commerce was given a big push that everyone back at home took advantage of, with Athena and her family's group also joining in as well. So this travel was a nice way of having a small break after her travel to that ball to Kuronami where she was very quiet. But let's focus more on the offerings.

Like all harvest festivals, this was a tradition of all years to bring prosperity to the harvest season. It was fascinating now that she was able to witness one in person. Albeit to be sure the fact they offered whiskey made her laugh a bit too, thank god nothing happened considering that was alcohol.

But now with the festival open; it was time to have fun.

by **Port Ember** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 5:52 am

City Hall Square; Old Town; Iron Castle.
Jolene Gudfrey

Jolene observed the opening ceremony of the Harvest Festival with intrique and wonder, enjoying the soaking up of the local culture in all its glory. Jolene was madly in love with the quaint culture and habits of the Selkie folk, despite finding the culture a little.. backwards at times. Whilst watching the ceremonial sacrifices for example, her mind raced back to the memories of her first visit to the Free Lands, where a live horse were sacrificed in honor of the gods. Despite this revolting gesture, Jolene was absolutely gripped with the beautifull nation which was the Free Lands and its people. And atleast, this years sacrifice of beef and whiskey was a lot less disturbing.

This journey to the strange and fantastic Free Lands was her third visit here, making it a point to try to attend all their large international festivals. This time, she had visited the country for quite a number of reasons, all of which would bring her much joy. As a billionaire who could purchase anything imaginable, her ideas of pleasure were a tad different when compared to the rest of society.

The reason for this specific visit would be the hopeful advancement of her business, as she had been trying to establish a trading post for her Gudfrey Trading Company for quite the period now without success, but remaining determined not to give up on those prospects. Secondly, she came to visit her good friends - Marla Cróimiam of the Tribe of Cork, and Áed Gadhair of the Tribe of Fermanagh. Thirdly, she plans on getting more involved in her new favourite sport - Marcach, which was introduced to her by her friend Marla.

As the opening ceremony concluded, Jolene moved towards the side of the Square, to avoid being trampled by the crowd in attendance, her long blonde hair being played with by the gentle breeze sweeping the land whilst walking. Jolene's timid body was shivering underneath her fur coat, her body desperately longing home to the hot and hunid tropical island which she calls home.

Arriving at a spot where she was certain that she would not be accidentally pushed and shoved by strangers, she removed her smart phone from her leather purse, she send a quick text before placing the electronic device back securely in her purse.

Recepient of Text: Marla
Text:
Hey Hunny! I am positively close to death! Only some warm company and coctails could save me now! Busy?

xoxo
Jolene

Jolene scanned the area whilst waiting for a reply, soaking up her surroundings, looking at all the folk around and their activities.
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by **Skyhooked** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 10:15 am

City Hall Square; Old Town; Iron Castle.
Jacob Graham
22 September.

After a not-so-comfortable flight with lots of screaming babies, that by Jacob's estimate took something between long and forever, he was glad to get off that damn airplane. During the flight, he entertained himself with memorizing some jokes in his drunken head. One of them was about demons coming out of children, when airplane is close enough to God.

Either way, when he finally exited the airport, and went straight to the City Hall Square with the festival, he was extremely happy. A full, but not long beard couldn't hide his shining smile of exctitement, as he walked down the streets of Ironcastle. A rather tough looking guy, wearing sunglasses, an old short sleeve band t-shirt, he stole on a drunken dare long ago, urban camo pants, he wore to battles in his past life and sandals. After all, what is a little chill for a hardy dude from Skyhooked anyway? Got few spare shirts, but coat takes too much place, not enough place for beer, cigars and other thingies. He also had a blue cowboy style bandana, he would use as face mask whenever it's required.

On his belt, he carried an engraved axe - one of the most versatile melee weapons for raids, useful for breaking down obstacles during the favorite part of battle - looting. With it and his skills in using improvised weapons, he was someone not to mess with. His gut feeling however, said, that this would be a peaceful, so he just walked and drank his favorite beer right from the bottle.

As Jacob arrived to the City Hall Square, just in time to see the opening and various demonstrations. With slight euphoria, Jacob wondered, how and when he could have some adventure. Perhaps there are events, he could participate in? Or maybe just get drunk on local booze? Possibilities are endless. Maybe he could even meet someone new? Either way, Graham was at a loss.

by **The Selkie** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:29 pm

Lynn Scaird of the Tribe of Louth.
Abandoned Ironcastle Airworks Testing Field.
If one looked at the Abandoned Ironcastle Airworks Testing Field, one quickly grey to realize: Yes, since 1953, no one used this place anymore - from 1916 to 1949, Ironcastle Airworks had been a thing, a manufacturer for planes, which no one wanted. The factories were long since torn down and other things built there, but here, in this crook six kilometers away from Ironcastle, between the Village of Balchroch and Ironcastle itself, no one had been interested in this Airfield.
Not even the SDF. Since 1953, when the Ironcastle Regional Airport had received new facilities, it was abandoned.
So, nowadays, the two concrete runways were cracked and weeds grew out of them, the tower was mostly intact but unusable, the hangar's roof was leaking and the office building right next to the hangar was a youth hangout.
I knew this place well.
Since I had been of thirteen Springs, I spent much time here, hanging out with friends, listening to music, getting into smaller mischief and... here it was, where I discovered my artistic side.
Some people might not know me as Lynn Scaird of the Tribe of Louth, but as Spoirad, the Ghost. I was a sprayer, an artist, who used spray cans to decorate buildings with the cold, grey concrete as my medium - some appreciated it, some did not, some even wanted to remove this art form, but the mayor, Ayden Petrial of the Tribe of Fermanagh, left the decision up to the owners of the buildings.
As the Abandoned Ironcastle Airworks Testing Field was owned by the Little Boss Lady, it was her decision. The result was a gigantic display of street art, spraying art and other such forms of expression.
Today, starting a quarter of an hour after the Opening of the Festival, we would open. Entrance was for free, but there were two donation boxes set up: One was for the Cabhair Group, which collected money for the education of children in war zones and refugee camps, the other was for the Foundation for the Securing of Street Art in Endangered Environments, which aimed at securing displays of street art against vandalism and removal (some of my works were on the list as well).
The fun part was, that Cormac Crua, Westmeath's Elder, had announced his intent to visit our exhibit. He wanted to see for himself what this was about and...
A hand landed on my upper leg, stopping its trembling.
"Stop that.", another lass who waited with me for the crowds to rush in on the tower's observation platform, snarled. We were half a dozen or so lasses and lads, the gate in perfect view.
What people would think about our art form?

Yven, or with full name Yven Barriall of the Tribe of Monaghan, was not in Ironcastle that day. He was in his home city of Launceston, celebrating another successful year with his family. And it had been a successful year, too.
What Marie might not want to know either was, that he now had a girlfriend. Both were unsure as to where it would end, but that was part of the fun of their relationship. Regardless, he was not in Ironcastle.
Who was in Ironcastle, though, was the SDF-Army's Mobile Forces Command, more specifically 18 Maor, the lighter of its two regiments. They were setting up their static display and presentation, soldiers busy at work running to and from and setting things up, which might remind the two visitors from the PPC of home.
Then again, they might find it funny or disgusting to see heavy military equipment in such an almost light-hearted and cheerful display, especially when considering, that no one here made any bones about being combat-experienced.
Almost sticking out like an anachronism were a couple of lads and lassies around their age, dressed in Geansai in red and white, some having added coats due to them being cold. Marie, as someone experienced in visiting the Free Lands, might recognize the colour scheme, red and white were the Colours of the Cult of Carman Fea, the Goddess of War and Science and a few other things in the Selkie-Pantheon.
They watched the proceedings, one of them spotting the two friends fooling around, smiled himself, then turned to watch the preparations.

Nora Scriúire of the Tribe of Cavan.
Well, he certainly not only fine, but someone high up.
And, as the Branch Managed of the local branch of Victoria Shipyards, he was right down my alleyway. I smiled and politely refused the bottle with a small hand signal.
"Ensign Nora Scriúire of the Tribe of Cavan, Naval School, Second Year.", I introduced myself and balled my fist, tapping my chest twice where my heart was - that was, how we saluted. I added: "But please, Nora is fine. And truth being told, yes, I was distracted. I am studying to become a Sea-Officer and Machinist. You can guess the rest, Sir."
I smiled at that.

Imogen Teithiwr, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Well, apparently I had missed something or only imagined the slight berth people here gave Spiorad and anyone looking like them, for the crowd swept the two of them apart, one of the two crying out for her friend before she landed at my feet.
I knelt down next to her, still a visible enough obstacle for people to notice me as I spoke, in English: "Hey, there lass - ya alright?"
I took out a tissue and offered it to her, should there be a scrape or something, so that she could take care of that, my own, feline ears standing in alarm.
She looked like a kid, though.

Felicia Corlochcadh of the Tribe of Westmeath.
Daorasach Inn, City Hall Square, Inside.
I had watched the Opening Ceremony from the window of my room, then put on the last finishing touches and off I went - out of my room, into the hallway, down the stairs into the entrance hall. The Daorasach Inn not only had high prices for food, but also high prices for rooms and I still had been lucky to catch one in this inn.
With a grin, I walked from the Entrance Hall into the Restaurant-slash-Taproom, where maids flittered around with plates of food and drink, the large room filled far below capacity - COVID. One customer per ten square meters, they would fetch the customer at the entrance.
I waited for but a moment until a maid led me to a table not too far away from that pretty lass in this non-descriptive, bland business suit. We even walked past her as she watched the SDF outside set their things up. If she would look over to where the maid and I passed, I would throw her a wink.
If not... well, as I sat at my own table not too far away, waiting for my own breakfast, I took out my small sketch book and began to sketch her - she was pretty.
Not long after I had sat down, a maid came with a light breakfast for her, which meant bread, butter, cheese, two eggs roasted from both sides and a small can of fresh tea, all included into the menu (and the tea was of course the one she was already enjoying).

Fionn Gurléit of the Tribe of Louth.
My Dad was a tinkerer and toymaker through and through and of course, he had given this fascination of his to his children. My older brother Finnegan was making an apprenticeship in Cuan, my little sister Ava was still in school - well, technically, school had already finished for this year and she was helping out in the shop.
And so was I, who I would start my apprenticeship as a toymaker in Riverwood next year, after having graduated during the summer.
That left little time for either of us to enjoy the early part of the Festival, but we would close at midday and then we would be free to enjoy it in all of its glory.
Our little shop was in a side street by the virtue of being a corner shop, the door in a side street and our display windows to the main street, which tourists might walk alongside of.
We had many things, too, all handcrafted: From sets for Kyrenaian Chess in various colours and backgrounds of styles (they also worked well as figurines and displays) to building blocks, wooden trains and cars, wooden houses for dolls, wooden dolls in frilly dresses made by my Mam, actual figurines... and, over the counter, a small gallery of images, one of them showing us five with Prince Damir and Princess Aurelia, the Prince proudly displaying a figure for his collection, a lass of the Younger Militia, sword at her side, crossbow over her back, horse next to her by the reins.
To my knowledge, that had been Dad's work and was in a safe display case aboard his favourite yacht, the Aurelia.
In any case, not much to do right now, I was browsing something or the other on my smartphone, but when the little bell over the door tingled, I looked over to the entrance - to see three girls walk in, the apparently oldest around Ava's age, I'd guess. I smiled.
"Welcome to the Gurléit Toy Shop, lassies.", I said in English, "Take yer time looking around. If ya need something, do not hesitate to ask!"

Macha Céilt of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Daorasach Inn, City Hall Square.
Their waitress returned, took their orders and went off again, only to return a few minutes later with a tablet and the requested foodstuffs - the pudding was also quite expensive.
It was a Bómarseog, a Cow's Pudding, a sweet and creamy mass thickened with eggs served in small glass bowls, and, as this was a fancy place, decorated with sprinkled walnuts and two halves of a strawberry each. In total, it tasted a lot different from what their Head of State had aboard the Aurelia seven months prior (I had neither any idea about the menu at that dinner not about what happened there).
Though, I want to be honest with you all: I did not watch them. They were some random tourists in a restaurant, which may or may not be far out of their financial league, which was not my problem. ~~I am just describing you this because the guy on the keyboard typing this down is a lazy sod and doesn't want to establish another waitress.~~
Ahem.
In any case, a minute after they had ordered, I spotted someone, who took up my full attention - and I was keenly aware, that she had spotted me, too, mainly because she was dragging her own daughter towards us.
"Hello, Corrin!", I greeted Major Corrin Paisúile of the Tribe of Monaghan, who would soon be Lieutenant Colonel and in charge of the 11th Dragan-Regiment, the silver-haired woman being in civilian clothes as she hugged me. She looked good in her dark coat, heavy leather boots complimenting her legs. As I did not see any pant legs, I was led to believe, that she was wearing a skirt underneath it, but no stockings. And she was not alone, a girl of thirteen Springs was with her, looking a lot like a younger version of her mother, but in brighter colours. "And hello to you, too, Nora!"
"Hello, Auntie Macha.", the girl greeted me back, a bit shyly. She knew, that I was the wife of someone far higher up in the food chain then her Mam and she was unsure as to how to treat me. I gave her a solid pointer by hugging her tightly. "Eeep!"
Imogen hugged Corrin as well, though not as tight - the two knew each other quite well. When Corrin had been a young Lieutenant and my husband a Lieutenant Colonel, Imogen had been a lass of nine Springs. After school had been out, Imogen had often accompanied me to give her father his packed lunch and Corrin had been the one to greet us by the gates more often then once, to the point, that I made one for her as well after a time. What I did not know, was, that Imogen had also approached the older woman for advice when she had her first crush... and rumours said, that Corrin had been Ayden's first crush, back in 2005 or 2006, but he never said anything.
Still, we hugged and were merry.
Of course, we spoke Selkie~~, as indicated by the italics~~.
AHEM.
"So, Nora, I see, that yer eye is better!", Imogen said as she greeted the girl, who nodded. "Awesome!"
A minute later, we sat all down again, two more teas on order.
"I heard from Raidri, that you'll fall up the ladder, Corrin.", I said with a wide smile, "Congratulations. You must be proud."
"I am. I have been quite a few places with the 11th and Sadera...", she began and swallowed. "It left an aftertaste." Silent for a moment, she grinned into the direction of her daughter. "I am also proud of someone else, though. Guess who not only was best of her year, but who will also command a tank come next season!"
Nora blushed as we congratulated her.
"Tank Driving's going good, eh?", Imogen asked her.
Nora nodded. "Yes, Sensha-Do is becoming more and more of a trend sport. That leads to some being quite confused as to what and why we are, but we manage to sift through quite quickly.", she said, "I'll be in charge of Sionnach-Ceathair. We are raising a III. Squadron again."
We nodded, quite impressed. "Which tank?"
"We'll be getting Mealltach Reconnaissance Tanks.", she explained, "Apparently, an alumni found some at a scrapyard somewhere, had them restored and gifted to us. I've already seen them, they look good."
"I've seen them, too... organized the transport's escort.", Corrin explained, "Seeing Cealgs and Mealltachs next to each other was a bit of a sight... like a mother and her daughter."
Nora frowned slightly in though. "Who in that metaphor is the mother and who the daughter?"
We laughed.

The employee behind the counter shook his head.
"Sorry, Ma'am, we don't have that.", he said politely, then indicated to the display case between the two them, where, in breadrolls, there were sausages of different descriptions, with cheese and onions or without depending on the taste. There were also slices of what the Selkie called Aecáis in other breadrolls, a type of sausage, where the meat inside was ground finely and then baked as a sort of loaf (comparisons to Leberkäse came especially from Teressien and the similarities were no coincidence). Bacon was in other breadrolls, while others were vegetarian. The shop also offered a lot of other baked goods, including pretzel sticks (including a variation baked over with cheese) and other such things.
"So...", the employee said and let his tongs click twice. "...what can I get you?"

Finnegan Urgharda of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
Cernaga Nacathach - City Hall Square.
When Natsumi approached, I looked into her direction by coincidence. The guy following her was a bit too far behind to register as I beheld her... she looked a lot like on her profile picture. Of course, someone had worked a bit on that image, but in natura... she was just as beautiful.
I nodded to a Lieutenant in SDF-Army Blue, who returned the nod. He would take over for a moment.
I smiled and met her.
"Good morning. Wonderful to finally meet you in person.", I said, all I brought out - realizing that quickly, I extended my hand. Should she take it, she would receive a kiss on the back of her hand.
I was an officer, after all.

Donnchadh Saineolaí of the Tribe of Clonmel.
Cernaga Carreis - Carreis Square.
Ceili was stinking rich. Okay, her Mam was.
Still, her Mam had a few household employees at their house near Rua, my own Mam among them, who worked there as a maid. There were also two butlers, Finnegan and Ayden, who were, quite frankly, older then me and on the other side of puberty.
Finnegan was... shall we say, blessed with a salacious mind, as my Mam put it. She did not like it, when I hung out with him, but I did so anyway.
He would love it here.
I stood by where the showroom would open soon officially - of course, the cars, some of them so expensive, that even Ceili's bloody rich Mam would be unable to afford them, were already there and so were spectators, as well as promotional models.
I had offered my coat to one of the scantly clad women, because they had to be cold. She laughed, kissed me on the head and told me, that I was too precious. So now I stood here, dressed in Clonmel's Colours, the leathers and furs, leaning against the first car in the showroom, a massive Gabha Motorworks G 22 Sealsaill Mark IV 6x6 Utility Vehicle (that was, what the plaque read), 450,000 NSD (or 30,000 Gil, also the plaque) a piece, close by the front axle.
Sitting on the hood, the promotional model sat a bit like on a throne, glancing over to me every now and again. Her name was Alaina and she, too, found me unbelievably cute, while I found her nice.
I was sure, that Finnegan would find other terms for the well-endowed blonde.
I had a mission, though: Waiting for Lena Mesenich and Saran Kiyat and introduce me as their guide. I would, when the time came, lead them to Clais Castle and generally act as their translator, mainly because I wasn't an Ironcastle Native, so I couldn't offer guided tours.
And so, I waited, envied by some as Alaina ruffled my hair not too long ago, giving me more time of her day without request then any of them and their corny pickup-lines.
And the worst part was... I was not that much interested in cars...

Mervay wrote:City Hall Square; Old Town Ironcastle
Athena Freezis
It has been a long time since she traveled to The Free Lands, the nation being also mildly affected by the virus to an low degree; as such, for the festival they required a certain list of conditions to have it go foward and one of them included the face masks no matter what and to which the businesswoman complied entirely alongside the rest of basic meassures that were to be taken, which she gladly agreed to and would follow; which included social distancing -but there were exceptions to it- and if needed self-quarantine.

In other words this celebration was almost the same thing she saw back in april at Port De Devienne, but without the military preparing a massive quarantine perimeter around the city for a worst case scenario.

She had her reasons to be here, business as there was always the opportunity for it when it arised and of course; leisure. But she didn't talked about having fun here by her own; she was hoping to meet new people and see someone which got her eye and possibly, her heart, last year. Hopefully he's better of his injury and is able to see him. There were lot's of things that the woman wanted to do with that person which she fell in love with here today.

This year was... Strange to say at least; the good thing was that at least they had recovered from their damage control and were back on green with their numbers while on green, were below what was expected in certain areas at the beginning of the year, however the digital commerce was given a big push that everyone back at home took advantage of, with Athena and her family's group also joining in as well. So this travel was a nice way of having a small break after her travel to that ball to Kuronami where she was very quiet. But let's focus more on the offerings.

Like all harvest festivals, this was a tradition of all years to bring prosperity to the harvest season. It was fascinating now that she was able to witness one in person. Albeit to be sure the fact they offered whiskey made her laugh a bit too, thank god nothing happened considering that was alcohol.

But now with the festival open; it was time to have fun.

Leonard Rualacha of the Tribe of Wicklow.
City Hall Square.
We had kept in touch via letters - wholly inadequate, considering Athena had left such a big impact on me. She was... awesome.
And I was but a student, a lonely swordsman and a halfway capable swimmer, little more. And an injured person as well.
My right arm was in a sling due to a training accident earlier this year, broken in swimming training as I slipped on the edge of the pool and... well, you can imagine the rest. Luckily, it would heal.
As such, I could also not participate in the tournament today - not that I was nearly good enough to be even on the betting lists for participation, let alone winning, but... I would spectate today. A few friends from BI saw to it, that some of the higher ups in the Guild heard of my injury and they invited me and a Plus One with VIP-Tickets.
Scrín was now far to the south.
Lugh was somewhere in the city, too, visiting relatives, but he was not on my mind. Athena was, mainly because she was not too far away from me in the crowd.
I approached her from behind (and tried not to be distracted by her behind) and, when I was close enough, whispered into her ear: "Guess who."

Port Ember wrote:City Hall Square; Old Town; Iron Castle.
Jolene Gudfrey

Jolene observed the opening ceremony of the Harvest Festival with intrique and wonder, enjoying the soaking up of the local culture in all its glory. Jolene was madly in love with the quaint culture and habits of the Selkie folk, despite finding the culture a little.. backwards at times. Whilst watching the ceremonial sacrifices for example, her mind raced back to the memories of her first visit to the Free Lands, where a live horse were sacrificed in honor of the gods. Despite this revolting gesture, Jolene was absolutely gripped with the beautifull nation which was the Free Lands and its people. And atleast, this years sacrifice of beef and whiskey was a lot less disturbing.

This journey to the strange and fantastic Free Lands was her third visit here, making it a point to try to attend all their large international festivals. This time, she had visited the country for quite a number of reasons, all of which would bring her much joy. As a billionaire who could purchase anything imaginable, her ideas of pleasure were a tad different when compared to the rest of society.

The reason for this specific visit would be the hopeful advancement of her business, as she had been trying to establish a trading post for her Gudfrey Trading Company for quite the period now without success, but remaining determined not to give up on those prospects. Secondly, she came to visit her good friends - Marla Cróimiam of the Tribe of Cork, and Áed Gadhair of the Tribe of Fermanagh. Thirdly, she plans on getting more involved in her new favourite sport - Marcach, which was introduced to her by her friend Marla.

As the opening ceremony concluded, Jolene moved towards the side of the Square, to avoid being trampled by the crowd in attendance, her long blonde hair being played with by the gentle breeze sweeping the land whilst walking. Jolene's timid body was shivering underneath her fur coat, her body desperately longing home to the hot and hunid tropical island which she calls home.

Arriving at a spot where she was certain that she would not be accidentally pushed and shoved by strangers, she removed her smart phone from her leather purse, she send a quick text before placing the electronic device back securely in her purse.

Recepient of Text: Marla
Text:
Hey Hunny! I am positively close to death! Only some warm company and coctails could save me now! Busy?

xoxo
Jolene

Jolene scanned the area whilst waiting for a reply, soaking up her surroundings, looking at all the folk around and their activities.
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Áed Gadhair of the Tribe of Fermanagh.
City Hall Square.
Jolene was... an interesting person.
She certainly had a reputation and the MGoL had a few files on her, not only due to her successes with Gudfrey Trading, but also due to her attempts at establishing trading posts within the Free Lands.
Marla and I could not really help her, we were bound by oaths to be impartial, even if we had stretched the rules a bit by nudging a few people. No dice so far.
But she was back in the Free Lands, to see our strange ways and to enjoy herself - and I was quite sure, that if an opportunity to further her economic goals made itself known, she would grab it like a starving Grey Wolf would grab a wounded Fia.
I spotted her quite easily, too, her being one of the few blondes, who looked so much out of place it was almost uncanny, and considering, that she was more used to tropical climates, I was hardly surprised. I would have to invite her to the Archipelago... or during summer.
Anyway, she was typing on her smartphone, and I was sure, that Marla was too busy at Clais Castle to see her message, and as soon as she had finished, I popped out of the crowd closeby.
I was a tall man, after all, nearly two meters, which was almost gigantic by Selkie-Standards, blue hair and red eyes, dressed in a Geansai in Fermanagh's Red and Yellow. Jolene knew that outfit from me, it had been my clothes of choice back at Schloss Zyng, when we first met, though by now, a few pieces had been replaced.
A coat rested on my arm, a thick coat of wool.
"Hello, Jolene.", I greeted her like a friend. I did not expect to get out much more.

Leonard Seanbhoc of the Tribe of Wicklow.
City Hall Square.
I was positively ancient. One of the last ones of my kind, a Roaming Marcach - some lads and lasses these days fancied themselves as such, some made a round-the-world-trip to experience that, but none of them knew, what that truly meant.
Born in 1936, 86 Springs ago, I was one of the oldest still-active Marcach. I had fought Tyran Cróimiam of the Tribe of Cork when the lad was but a boy, taught Meave Madhraí of the Tribe of Fingal the value of being magnanimous in victory, I had crossed blades with Tariqa bint-Ilia, another fossil, but one, who had found a different place as Jida, the Grandmother of Kyrenaia... I had seen many young men and women pick up the sword for sports.
My father had gone to battle with a sword, in 1903, at Anfa Ridge.
How times could change... there was a reason, why all the young ones called me Grandpa Leo.
I watched the SDF take up the field for their static display, young men like I had once been, a long time ago, and I found myself standing next to another man, one with an axe with engravings on it on his belt.
I nodded to him, in acknowledgement of his presence, and stroked my long beard, which had long since left any measure of being controlled in the wind, my coat open. My hat obscured a lot of my features, but it was, as a young student once explained to me, a trademark of myself.
It was all old and tatty - if that was a trademark, too?

by **Kuronami** » Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:22 pm

"Thanks, we'll take a look!" Aoi agreed they began to fan out to explore the shop a bit when Yasuko nudged Bocchi to lean in "Hey maybe get a few good ideas for Aoi's present huh? I'll keep her busy."

"Good idea." Bocchi nodded and she went up to the counter while Yasuko kept Aoi occupied "Hey, Aoi, you're better with English than me, help me with some of the signs here."

"Uh pardon me sir?" Bocchi's English was actually pretty good for her age. "I'm looking for a good birthday present for my older sister there." She pointed at Aoi who had her back turned as she helped Yasuko. "Maybe you could suggest something nice for her? Maybe something that's really special from here. She did have the idea to come here after all so I think she'd like something cute."

by **New Visayan Islands** » Fri Sep 25, 2020 2:56 am

Peter Turrija
City Hall Square, Ironcastle

"Ah, I see," Peter replied, bowing his head out of courtesy as he put the bottle of alcohol back in his pocket. "I'm curious as to how festivals are like here, to be quite honest. Even in the midst of this pandemic, the spirit still burns." As Nora explained to him that she was aspiring to be a machinist on top of being an officer in the SDF Navy, he couldn't help but be intrigued.
"I take it your interest is in naval engineering, then," Peter said. "I'll be honest, I'm more of an industrial engineer myself."

by **Skyhooked** » Fri Sep 25, 2020 5:05 am

Graham just enjoyed the event, especially, the good looking swordmaidens parading. When it came to offering however, he tought, that it's just a waste of good ol' booze. After all, he'd rather offer it to his stomach. After this thought, he took another hearty gulp of his beer right from the bottle, when he noticed a rather old man with a beard, nodding and looking at his favorite axe.

Now this is a good reason to speak with someone! And judging from the look on old dude's face, he has lots of interesting things to say, maybe he's been in some interesting fights, just like Jacob.

After finishing with beer, Graham said-" Howdy! Like mah' axe, huh? Many folks do, partner! I had lots of free time, and made those engravings myself. Wish, I could show ya' mah' 44. Magnum gun! This beauty is one of a kind! Too bad, this country wouldn't let me bring one.

Either way, I am Jacob. Jacob Graham. Ya' look like you've been to many places and had a share of fights. And like someone, who needs a good drink!"-Graham pulls another bottle of beer and offers it to Leonard.-"Want some? Brewed back in good ol' Skyhooked!"

by **Port Ember** » Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:19 am

City Hall Square; Old Town; Iron Castle.
Jolene Gudfrey

Jolene did not spot Áed approaching her, despite his near gigantic size, as she was quite focused and in-thought with scanning her surroundings, until the moment a familiar voice rang out. Jolene snaped out of her mental zone and saw the man standing in front of hwr was none other than Áed Gadhair of the Tribe of Fermanagh, a man who she considered a good friend, and perhaps even held a small crush on. After all, what girl in the world could not help but like a handsome blue haired, red eyed, tall hunk? As the (ammended) saying goes: "Cant help but to like a Tall, Blue and handsome gent!".

Jolene's eyes lit up like a new years festival fireworks show when she looked at her friend, and a massive and warm smile formed on her softly pampered, bright red lips.

Without saying a word, Jolene closed the distance between them and grabbed Áed into a hug, forgoing the fact that Jolene knew the Selkie prefered to bow in greetings. She respected the local customs offcourse, yet her own people were a warm and openly affectionate people, and her primary nature always won the battle between what is right and what is now.As she held Áed in a tight hug, she could not help but wonder if he would be able to smell her perfume, a very expensive perfume which seeked to enhance onces femininity slightly with a touch of rose odor. Nothing too ocerwhelming, as subtelty is the key in femininity after all. Not only was this her favourite perfume, but also one which she had comissioned, and is sold at only the most exclusive outlets, normally to supermodels and the upper elite society. Its aptly named the Red Rose.

After letting go of the hug, Jolene finally spoke as she greeted the Selkie man,
"Áed! It is absolutely wonderful to see you again lad! It has been far too long, wouldn't you say?"
Jolene looked Áed up and down, nodding approvingly, before continuing,
"Darling might I add, that you look radiantly handsome! And warm.. You definitely look warm!"

A Harvest Festival in the City of Iron (IC, OPEN)

A Harvest Festival in the City of Iron (IC, OPEN)

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