Childrens Festival - ATTN: The Selkie&Ezhara [CLOSED]

[Alegeharia]

This story is reserved to postings from Alegeharia, The Selkie, and Ezhara.

The Kingdom Alegeharia
Nestled inside a mountain chain that formed natural walls around the town, a gate was built to close off the natural circle. Landlocked, the town relied on and flight and vehicle for import and export, the nearby towns Dogwood Valley, and Celestial Ridge helped with naval exports to some degree, Celestial Ridge being the main naval port for Alegeharia. The royal town itself was separated into two, Ichla’eon the upper valley, where the castle lay, and the royal/richer lived and Arcole, the lower valley where the commoners and business took place, but the kingdom was not separated by class, nor it did see worry in riches.
Currency: Arkali
Leader: Malik Donovan Velkari
Politics: Monarchy with Social Democracy.
Climate: Cool, Temperatures ranging from (In Fahrenheit) 50-70 avg during the day and 10-30 avg at night.
Notable Characters: Aither, Vincent, Zenith, Valen, Thorik, Robert Siegel, Ichar'ien, Tarlo, Sabine, lyonas

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Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
The Elementary school sat outside the Castle walls within the royal town of Ichla’eon. This school is one of 3 available elementary schools split between Ichla’eon and Arcole. This one is also the smallest of the schools, due to sitting on the upper plateau of the mountainous region.

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Malik was slumped over on his desk kicking his little legs to and fro, he was waiting for the bell to ring and huffed. Surely as king, he had better things to do than just sit here and waste away in boredom. Today in Alegeharia was Children’s Week, where the kingdom celebrates the new and hopefully smarter generation. While Malik was considered part of the new generation, has said, and heard the same speech numerous times and was almost clockwork to him. This year was deemed a little different by his brother Aither, he was convinced to be part of the play but only if he got his friend Eiko to come do an opening act. Malik still felt duped with how quickly things got put together and how he was now the lead in a play he knew nothing about. Worst of all the practice sessions weren’t secret and as such the other kids and cubs in the school were dealing with extra stage freight due to various news vans looking to snape a picture of Malik in costume.

Malik was busy at practice when his gauntlet rang, he pressed a button and inserted an earpiece to hear the voice, it was one of his royal guards informing of a foreign dignitary coming to visit. “Of all weeks…” Malik thought in his head as he told Zenith to head to the appropriate receiving are with Lyonas and Sabine. He figured Sabine could use the extra training being one of the newest entries into the academy. He returned to the practice of the play, dreading it some but also excited. They were doing a musical call “Phantom of the Opera” and he got to play the phantom. It would be the first time he got to do some singing on a stage.

Royal Naval Fleet Docks, Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia
A few miles away from the mountainous region of Ichla’eon was a small country village named Celestial Ridge, it was more humid down here than in the royal city as this was one of the few towns that had access to an open river wide enough to break into a sizeable lake for ships and naval traffic.

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Aither was getting preparations done at the docks with Valen helping get one of the ships in their fleet back in order. “This ship is about as old as you are my feathered friend!” He teased at the owl, a playful chirp from Valen satisfied the red panda as they rappelled down the side of the ship, there were various holes, whether it came from the recent maritime fight helping Phaenix out, or from rocks it still needed a good patching, a new ship would probably help bolster the fleet Aither thought as he turned to see Zenith in tow with two others, he clicked on his communicator again and flashed some from fire from his paw to get their attention. “Someone entering form the docks?”

Zenith looked up as he saw something glint and side, “that was rather pointless…” he thought as he chirped the communicator in response. “Yes, you might know them, Macha is coming to visit. We are getting the docks ready now.” With that all non-essential personal were escorted away to secure the site for the incoming visitors.

[The Selkie]

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, approaching Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
I was nervous - I would turn 13 Springs in but a few weeks, but a few weeks ago, my teacher arrived at my home. She invited me to accompany her and Milady Elin on a trip to a place called Alegeharia. COVID had kept me at home and I had been dying of boredom. She had also promised me to teach me more about us Spiorad and while she had delivered (after all, the Marcharnnau's crew was entirely composed of our people), I had been dying of sea sickness for the first week.
Milady Macha had been very kind, for a little conundrum like me: I was of the Spiorad, the cat ears on my head and my tail were proof of that, but neither of my parents were related to any known Spiorad. A genetic test had also revealed, that my Dad was definately my Dad... I was a mystery. And Milady Macha had taken it upon herself to teach me the ways of the Spiorad. She had facilitated, that my Dad got a job with Bicíní Industries in Launceston so that we could move there, and had joined us there a few years ago. She taught me Tafod, the language of the Spiorad, the songs and poems and everything, once I had been old enough.
Milady Elin had been like a cousin to me, the student of history much like her sister and her girlfriend - both of which were not on this trip.
No, it was just me, Milady Macha and Milady Elin - on a trip to a land unknown to either of them, to meet a lad, who Macha was quite fond of. I guess, it was an object lesson in there never being a time, when a Spiorad, beings so ancient, that they called themselves 'old as the mountains' with some justification, knew everything. One day, much, much in the future, I would be one of them.
Before us was the harbour of Celestial Ridge - it was a bit of a fishing village, nestled at the river, which we were traversing for a while now. We had entered it from the ocean with little difficulty. The Marcharnnau was a Capall na dTonn, a Selkie-Wavehorse, built of wood and timber. Her Captain had ordered us to proceed under sails, a pilot helped us.
As the village came into view, I noticed, that it was humid - and back behind it, mountains rose in the distance. There were ships already at the dock, and dockworkers making one of them ready again - with a crack, one of the salute guns of the Marcharnnau went off, a second crack soon followed. It was costum for ships to unload their guns in this way to show their peaceful intentions.
In any case, I stood at the bow, a raised bow as it was typical for this kind of vessel, and could not help but smile slightly - adventure awaited, it smelled like it with the breeze, which was playing with my light blue hair. I wore school uniform, the uniform of the Síol Middle School of Launceston, which meant a white shirt under a black cardigan with a blue pleated skirt and black thighhighs. A blue ribbon and a pair of brown leather boots completed the look.
Milady Macha, her blonde hair bound back into a braid, joined my side and put a hand onto my shoulder. She wore a jacket, under which she had a beige sleeveless turtleneck, a black skirt and a pantyhose, black boots completing the look. She smiled at me.
"Nervous?", she asked. I nodded. "Don't be. Alegeharia seems like a nice place. And I know both Aither and Malik, the two are nice. You're going to like Malik, too!" I was not really sure, I was a few years his senior from what I had gathered. "Docking is in a few minutes. Do you have everything ready?"
"Yes, athroeth.", I said and nodded. Macha smiled, athroeth meant wise teacher. "Everything is packed up and ready to go."
"Very good.", Macha said and smiled. "Let's get to it!"

[Alegeharia]

Royal Naval Fleet Docks, Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia
Aither and Valen look over to the gun letting off a round and tighten their grip on the rope as the ship they were working on returns a round. “Geeze, why our ship eh?” Aither said as he looked over to Valen. The two rappelled down to the dock and join up with Zenith, Tarlo and Sabine. The party of 5 head over to the entry port where a ship named the Marcharnnau, would be docking. Aither turned to the crew and held up a clipboard. “Looks like bay-

“Slip, these are not star ships Aither.” Valen said correcting. “We must be cautious with what we let people know after all, for all intents and purposes we look, and the people act as if we live in a medieval society.”

“Right...” Aither said as he yawned. Working the dock was tiring, especially after a long night of patrolling, he didn’t think much on Valen’s words as their ships were metal. “Our metal ships don’t exactly yell medieval.” With that he saw Valen fish a remote out of his robes and pressed a button, activating a holographer turning the mighty vessel into a small looking fishing boat. “Cheeky…” Aither muttered as he turned back towards the docks. “So, SLIP… number 5, is where the visitors will be coming from.” He looks to Zenith and points towards the stand. “Since you usually greet the new people Zen take up the welcome desk posting. Tarlo and Sabine take either side of the dock entry, Valen and I will meet our guests since Malik is busy in the school.” He chuckled at that list bit and started to clear the dock of trash.

Sabine and Tarlo looked at each, this was their first assignment? To stare towards the land. They did not think they would be guard guards, but it is better than having to run the grueling tower again at the academy. Tarlo was interested in beating Aither’s record, but it will have to wait another day. Sabine was idling by sharpening her blade.

“Do you ever stop to think that might too menacing?” Tarlo asked. Tarlo was wearing the Alegeharian uniform. The uniform looked, if a person knew what it was, belonged on a spaceship, if one came from different era it could be an overly fancy leather outfit. The lining within the suit glowed a sky blue, the weave being made with conductive material to give the uniform some electrical power, despite being a softshell interweave, the chest and abs plating of each uniform housed the power supply and technology that made the uniform “work”. The shoulders and neck were a beige color, with the chest and arms being a dark red, the side of the torso and inner arms were white. The belt was black and covered with different pouches and holsters for devices and weaponry, the pants followed the red, with the inner legs being white. Coming back to the chest on left side of anyone’s uniform was their last name, his being Veritol, above his name was an academy insignia to defer him form a guard like Zenith. On the right chest, if had any, would be a ribbon rack. Personally, he wore leather gauntlets and boots that were fitted for his animal legs, also wore a leather strap that held a large pouch to his side, around his waist was an orange sash. The sash almost matched his fur coloring, but he had more cream mixed in.

“Sorry smokey, but not everyone can have magical powers, some of us are just simple bladers.” Sabine returned as she moved to sharpen the other blade. On top of her uniform was battered leather armor that had been with her since the beginning of her mercenary days. The blades also came from her beginning days, the proper care helped keep most of the nicks at bay but there were still some here and there, soon it would be time for new blades, but she was not ready to give them up just yet.

Of the upper level of guard, it was permitted to wear clothes that fit the area, to help blend in. Zenith loved the uniform however, and wore it with pride, Aither and Valen however wore what they wanted too, Aither in his just about signature olive outfit and patrol cap that was given the same interwoven tech, and Valen with his century’s old robes from a secretive group, he refused however to wear any technology, according to him it made people lazy. Zen could see that, but he still preferred to have all the advantages. He took his place in the “welcome” booth and connected to the computer within the desk pulling a cord from his suit to the data link. From there his Heads Up Display updated and information on the shup scrolled along with a roster of who is coming, seeing the ship near, he disconnected and switched to quill and paper.

[The Selkie]

Royal Naval Fleet Docks, Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia
Aither and Valen look over to the gun letting off a round and tighten their grip on the rope as the ship they were working on returns a round. “Geeze, why our ship eh?” Aither said as he looked over to Valen. The two rappelled down to the dock and join up with Zenith, Tarlo and Sabine. The party of 5 head over to the entry port where a ship named the Marcharnnau, would be docking. Aither turned to the crew and held up a clipboard. “Looks like bay-

“Slip, these are not star ships Aither.” Valen said correcting. “We must be cautious with what we let people know after all, for all intents and purposes we look, and the people act as if we live in a medieval society.”

“Right...” Aither said as he yawned. Working the dock was tiring, especially after a long night of patrolling, he didn’t think much on Valen’s words as their ships were metal. “Our metal ships don’t exactly yell medieval.” With that he saw Valen fish a remote out of his robes and pressed a button, activating a holographer turning the mighty vessel into a small looking fishing boat. “Cheeky…” Aither muttered as he turned back towards the docks. “So, SLIP… number 5, is where the visitors will be coming from.” He looks to Zenith and points towards the stand. “Since you usually greet the new people Zen take up the welcome desk posting. Tarlo and Sabine take either side of the dock entry, Valen and I will meet our guests since Malik is busy in the school.” He chuckled at that list bit and started to clear the dock of trash.

Sabine and Tarlo looked at each, this was their first assignment? To stare towards the land. They did not think they would be guard guards, but it is better than having to run the grueling tower again at the academy. Tarlo was interested in beating Aither’s record, but it will have to wait another day. Sabine was idling by sharpening her blade.

“Do you ever stop to think that might too menacing?” Tarlo asked. Tarlo was wearing the Alegeharian uniform. The uniform looked, if a person knew what it was, belonged on a spaceship, if one came from different era it could be an overly fancy leather outfit. The lining within the suit glowed a sky blue, the weave being made with conductive material to give the uniform some electrical power, despite being a softshell interweave, the chest and abs plating of each uniform housed the power supply and technology that made the uniform “work”. The shoulders and neck were a beige color, with the chest and arms being a dark red, the side of the torso and inner arms were white. The belt was black and covered with different pouches and holsters for devices and weaponry, the pants followed the red, with the inner legs being white. Coming back to the chest on left side of anyone’s uniform was their last name, his being Veritol, above his name was an academy insignia to defer him form a guard like Zenith. On the right chest, if had any, would be a ribbon rack. Personally, he wore leather gauntlets and boots that were fitted for his animal legs, also wore a leather strap that held a large pouch to his side, around his waist was an orange sash. The sash almost matched his fur coloring, but he had more cream mixed in.

“Sorry smokey, but not everyone can have magical powers, some of us are just simple bladers.” Sabine returned as she moved to sharpen the other blade. On top of her uniform was battered leather armor that had been with her since the beginning of her mercenary days. The blades also came from her beginning days, the proper care helped keep most of the nicks at bay but there were still some here and there, soon it would be time for new blades, but she was not ready to give them up just yet.

Of the upper level of guard, it was permitted to wear clothes that fit the area, to help blend in. Zenith loved the uniform however, and wore it with pride, Aither and Valen however wore what they wanted too, Aither in his just about signature olive outfit and patrol cap that was given the same interwoven tech, and Valen with his century’s old robes from a secretive group, he refused however to wear any technology, according to him it made people lazy. Zen could see that, but he still preferred to have all the advantages. He took his place in the “welcome” booth and connected to the computer within the desk pulling a cord from his suit to the data link. From there his Heads Up Display updated and information on the shup scrolled along with a roster of who is coming, seeing the ship near, he disconnected and switched to quill and paper.

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, approaching Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
"Appearances can be quite deceiving.", Milady Macha told me with a small smile, "Case in point, the Free Lands... how often did tourists mistake you for a tourist?"
"Often enough.", I replied with a small smile. We had no idea, how advanced Alegeharia was, but we presumed them to be around our level - after all, I knew, what a car was and how a computer worked, despite horseriding literally being part of my curriculum. "So, when they look old-timey, expect them to have headphones in their ears."
"Exactly.", Milady Macha replied.
We were unpertubed by the woman on the dock sharpening her sword, though the guy in the leather outfit looked like he was some sort of official. I hoped, for a moment, that we didn't commit an act of scandalization with the salute, because his uniform looked a bit like police...
In any case, the vessel came alongside Slip 5, lines being thrown to shore, the vessel fastened to the structure. The sail was pulled up as well, the crew hard at work at securing the vessel.
Milady Elin came to our side to not stand in the way. She was a black-haired woman, the wolf ears on her head raised high in alert. It was more of an alert of curiosity, however, as she watched the crew at work. Her golden eyes shone and her clothes did little to hide the fact, that she had muscles and curves where either belonged (and latter of the plenty).
It took a few minutes, but finally, a gangway, more of a plank really, was brought out and connected the ship to the slip without the need to jump.
The Captain, Milady Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent, stood at the side, smiling. She wore an eyepatch, which she didn't really need, but it gave her a piratey look, so it was part of her self-image.
We approached her, Milady Macha speaking for us: "Siona, it was nice sailing with you and the others. Thank you.", she said and bowed her head lightly. "Permission to disembark, Captain?"
"Permission granted, Macha. Cybaghi..." The Captain addressed us with a smile, calling us puppies. "...have fun. And keep an eye on Macha." Elin bowed her head with a bemused glint in her eyes, I was slightly confused. Well, I'd do my best... "Off ya go now, ya little land-lubbers!"
The crew laughed, we laughed and grinned as we disembarked. Two sailors would haul our lugguage onto the slip as well, but that was not important.
Milady Macha approached the man in olive clothes with a military cap on his head, smiled: "Hello, Aither. Long time no see."
Ah... so that was him...

[Alegeharia]

Royal Naval Fleet Docks, Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia
Aither fished in his jacket for a cigar tin, he popped it open and pulled out a bamboo shoot, “Hello again Macha, it is nice to see you, I take it you’re taking my offer to visit? You came at splendid time! We get to playfully tease Malik who has been roped into a play.” He said rather teasingly. “Ah yes, and Vin will be in as well Erik, so it should be very interesting.”

Valen was overjoyed seeing the vessel and walked up a bit closer but keeping standard distance. “What a fine vessel! Tis a beauty and was gliding the water like I never seen.” Valen’s pirate days were starting to show but he kept himself composed. “This ship surpasses my standards; it is wonderfully crafted.”

Zen waved from the welcome desk. “Hello there, if you have passports or papers for travel, I need to see them please.” He smiled but he was a profoundly serious husky, he was passively scanning their forms and their ship as he waited, his suit scrolling information into his HUD and the other guards. “Its simply formality, I know where you’re coming from, I believe we actually talked on the phone?” He smiled again. If one were good at small details, perhaps they could see the strange glint in the canids eye hinting to the tech contact.

Aither twiddled the shoot between his clawed fingers and smiled at everyone, “I do not believe we have met.” He did quick head bow and smiled. “My name is Aither Xipil Velkari, please do not be alarmed by our forms, Alegeharia is home to many anthropomorphic’s and humans alike, we do seem to be the majority type.” He turned slightly and pointed towards the town. “This town here is called Celestial Ridge, it is built on top of hills and mountains and currently our best seaport, we also have another inland town named Dogwood Valley, which you see on our way to the Royal city and castle.” He pointed to the self-powered carriage. “Have you been informed of our tech level? If not, I will let it be a surprise, form what I gather we are more advanced then most places I have personally visited.” He started walking towards where the cart was making Tarlo and Sabine Straighten up. “These two here shall be your personal escorts. I vouch for them with my life as I have personally trained them, do let me know how they treat you.” Aither turned and kept walking to the carriage holding on to the handle, he turned slightly to wait for Zen to finish the formalities as he pushed down on the handle prepping to open it.

[The Selkie]

Royal Naval Fleet Docks, Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia
Aither fished in his jacket for a cigar tin, he popped it open and pulled out a bamboo shoot, “Hello again Macha, it is nice to see you, I take it you’re taking my offer to visit? You came at splendid time! We get to playfully tease Malik who has been roped into a play.” He said rather teasingly. “Ah yes, and Vin will be in as well Erik, so it should be very interesting.”

Valen was overjoyed seeing the vessel and walked up a bit closer but keeping standard distance. “What a fine vessel! Tis a beauty and was gliding the water like I never seen.” Valen’s pirate days were starting to show but he kept himself composed. “This ship surpasses my standards; it is wonderfully crafted.”

Zen waved from the welcome desk. “Hello there, if you have passports or papers for travel, I need to see them please.” He smiled but he was a profoundly serious husky, he was passively scanning their forms and their ship as he waited, his suit scrolling information into his HUD and the other guards. “Its simply formality, I know where you’re coming from, I believe we actually talked on the phone?” He smiled again. If one were good at small details, perhaps they could see the strange glint in the canids eye hinting to the tech contact.

Aither twiddled the shoot between his clawed fingers and smiled at everyone, “I do not believe we have met.” He did quick head bow and smiled. “My name is Aither Xipil Velkari, please do not be alarmed by our forms, Alegeharia is home to many anthropomorphic’s and humans alike, we do seem to be the majority type.” He turned slightly and pointed towards the town. “This town here is called Celestial Ridge, it is built on top of hills and mountains and currently our best seaport, we also have another inland town named Dogwood Valley, which you see on our way to the Royal city and castle.” He pointed to the self-powered carriage. “Have you been informed of our tech level? If not, I will let it be a surprise, form what I gather we are more advanced then most places I have personally visited.” He started walking towards where the cart was making Tarlo and Sabine Straighten up. “These two here shall be your personal escorts. I vouch for them with my life as I have personally trained them, do let me know how they treat you.” Aither turned and kept walking to the carriage holding on to the handle, he turned slightly to wait for Zen to finish the formalities as he pushed down on the handle prepping to open it.

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Harbour of Celestial Ridge.
Macha smiled at the reception of Aither, expressing her looking forward to seeing Malik in costume and on stage (something which sounded fun), but she had no idea who the others were.
"Yep, that sounds like a lot of fun.", she said.
When we were directed towards Zen, we showed our passports. I noticed the glint in his eyes, but I had no idea about what it was.
Macha nodded. "We talked on the phone, yes." She let a beat pass. "If anyone of the ship wants shore leave, you'll have to talk with them, but here are our documents."
It was with a little bit of pride, that I put the small, leather-bound booklet that was my passport, of course in accordance with World Assembly Resolution #76, the Standardised Passport Act, onto his desk, together with my most recent COVID-Test (three weeks ago, before I boarded the Marcharnnau, of course it was negative) and the Visa-Documents.
As soon as we had passed him, Aither decided to introduce himself and his companions: He himself was Aither Xipil Velkari and he assured us, that we should not be afraid of their forms, then told us about the surrounding areas - Celestial Ridge, where we were, Dogwood Valley, which we would pass through with the vehicle, and the Royal City with the Palace, our destination. I could not help myself but wish, that we had taken a larger ship and horses with us, but I was good on foot as well.
He also vouched for our two... escorts? Minders? Surveillance personell? I had no idea, but they seemed to be very professional.
Macha bowed her head to both of them, Elin and myself following suit.
"It is a pleasure to meet two young warriors trained by such a skillful master.", she spoke and rose from her little bow, "I am Macha Taise, of Cork Descent, the black haired puppy is Miss Elin Blaidd, of Tralee Descent..."
"Hey, there!", Elin greeted with a smile and a wave, much less formal then Macha had been.
"...and this little kitten here..." Macha motioned to me. "...is Miss Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent."
"It is a great honour to be here, Sirs, Ma'am.", I spoke nervously. "And Mister Aither, Sir?" I was quite sure, that I had just committed a faux-pas, but I pressed on. "Please don't worry about us being afraid. I am actually quite curious."
I felt Milady Macha's hand landing on my head, between my cat ears.
"As should the nature of young kittens be.", she said with some pride.

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
The owl-man person complimented my boat. I saw in his eyes, that he was a fellow, nautically inclined person, which of course led me to smile proudly.
"Yes, the shipyard in Dumhach really outdid themselves.", I said with even more pride, "I have commanded ships for a long, long time now, but this one is among the best - and with one of the best crews I have ever commanded. Her name is Marcharnnau, a quite fitting name, as it means 'ship' in Tafod." I grinned. "I am Captain Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent. Who do I have the pleasure with?"

[Alegeharia]

Royal Naval Fleet Docks, Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia
Aither grinned at Nia. “Oh please, call me Aither, when we get to Malik feel free to call him as suh, he prefers names over titles.” Aither chuckles and puts the bamboo shoot into his maw. “now have you ever been in a horseless carriage? I think you shall be for quite the treat!” Aither had a hint of excitement in his voice in a dismal attempt to seem softer for the child, he didn’t mean to come off so stoic or serious, but it was just in his nature. He opened the door to the carriage, the air felt cooled, like air-conditioning, upon a second look, it indeed was, the inside was completely retrofitted with modern and possibly futuristic technology. “I don’t have to remind anyone here that all this inside stuff is need to know yes?” Aither chuckled more as he started pressing buttons on the screen facing the road which showed a view of where horses should be.

Tarlo was the last to load in letting Sabine get in first, he closed the carriage and nodded to Aither. Aither turned to Nia? Would you prefer if the front had horses? Or think we will be fine with the steam powered look?” He chuckled as he typed in the address and watched as a blue line started pathing a route. A disembodied voice chirped on albeit begrudgingly so.

“Confirm path bamboo head? Also, greetings everyone, I am Zeta, Maliks personal A.I who has interlinked with this car; if you can call it that, I suppose I shall be your driver, though anyone of these techies would be more than capable…” The voice disappears and the carriages lurches forwards quickly rocking those standing, albeit gently, just enough to grab attention. “Seatbelts please.”

Aither chuckles then sighs. “Apologies about him, A.I’s are unique personalities that do have a free mind, Zeta has been an important partner for Malik and he knows the kingdom very well, he is after all connected to everything. We should be at the heart of the kingdom soon. If there is something you would like to hear we do have music on board, and even tv shows.” Aither sat down and seat belted less he get taken out by mr. grumpy. Tarlo and Sabine were unsure if they should be silent and stoic or be casual, they looked around at the different people, hoping for someone to talk to them in hopes of getting “saved”.

Zenith scrolled through the information he recorded form the passports as he clambered onto the top of the carriage sharing the information he found with Zeta and Malik. His communicator chirped with excited Tescorosso noises as Malik saw the Machas name in the list. Zen figured that Malik must know that one and nodded to himself as he relaxed on the back of the carriage.

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
Malik was excited to see macha. It had been some time since the beach fest, and he had made several friends there and even saw some at a recent masquerade. He churred thinking about Macha and Eiko coming to visit, it was almost like a big playdate! But he also remembered because of everyone’s title “talks” could easily break down and war come again. But he knew his friends, it didn’t seem like it would ever get that way.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
Valen looked up and gave a beaky smile. “I be-“ He clears his throat. “I am Valen Maicroft, captain of a fin vessel myself its uh...” He looked at the cloaked ship nearby then back at the captain. “Away on mission at the moment.” He straightens up and looks the captain up and down. “The eye patch seems a bit much no? I have seen many pirates in my time but you with the glowing eyes… I don’t think that you have issues seeing in the dark, is it just for looks? It is mesh so you can see, or have you gotten used to seeing with one eye?” Valen chuckles softly. “Excuse all my questions, it is very rare meet another seasoned sea dawg.”

[The Selkie]

Royal Naval Fleet Docks, Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia
Aither grinned at Nia. “Oh please, call me Aither, when we get to Malik feel free to call him as suh, he prefers names over titles.” Aither chuckles and puts the bamboo shoot into his maw. “now have you ever been in a horseless carriage? I think you shall be for quite the treat!” Aither had a hint of excitement in his voice in a dismal attempt to seem softer for the child, he didn’t mean to come off so stoic or serious, but it was just in his nature. He opened the door to the carriage, the air felt cooled, like air-conditioning, upon a second look, it indeed was, the inside was completely retrofitted with modern and possibly futuristic technology. “I don’t have to remind anyone here that all this inside stuff is need to know yes?” Aither chuckled more as he started pressing buttons on the screen facing the road which showed a view of where horses should be.

Tarlo was the last to load in letting Sabine get in first, he closed the carriage and nodded to Aither. Aither turned to Nia? Would you prefer if the front had horses? Or think we will be fine with the steam powered look?” He chuckled as he typed in the address and watched as a blue line started pathing a route. A disembodied voice chirped on albeit begrudgingly so.

“Confirm path bamboo head? Also, greetings everyone, I am Zeta, Maliks personal A.I who has interlinked with this car; if you can call it that, I suppose I shall be your driver, though anyone of these techies would be more than capable…” The voice disappears and the carriages lurches forwards quickly rocking those standing, albeit gently, just enough to grab attention. “Seatbelts please.”

Aither chuckles then sighs. “Apologies about him, A.I’s are unique personalities that do have a free mind, Zeta has been an important partner for Malik and he knows the kingdom very well, he is after all connected to everything. We should be at the heart of the kingdom soon. If there is something you would like to hear we do have music on board, and even tv shows.” Aither sat down and seat belted less he get taken out by mr. grumpy. Tarlo and Sabine were unsure if they should be silent and stoic or be casual, they looked around at the different people, hoping for someone to talk to them in hopes of getting “saved”.

Zenith scrolled through the information he recorded form the passports as he clambered onto the top of the carriage sharing the information he found with Zeta and Malik. His communicator chirped with excited Tescorosso noises as Malik saw the Machas name in the list. Zen figured that Malik must know that one and nodded to himself as he relaxed on the back of the carriage.

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
Malik was excited to see macha. It had been some time since the beach fest, and he had made several friends there and even saw some at a recent masquerade. He churred thinking about Macha and Eiko coming to visit, it was almost like a big playdate! But he also remembered because of everyone’s title “talks” could easily break down and war come again. But he knew his friends, it didn’t seem like it would ever get that way.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
Valen looked up and gave a beaky smile. “I be-“ He clears his throat. “I am Valen Maicroft, captain of a fin vessel myself its uh...” He looked at the cloaked ship nearby then back at the captain. “Away on mission at the moment.” He straightens up and looks the captain up and down. “The eye patch seems a bit much no? I have seen many pirates in my time but you with the glowing eyes… I don’t think that you have issues seeing in the dark, is it just for looks? It is mesh so you can see, or have you gotten used to seeing with one eye?” Valen chuckles softly. “Excuse all my questions, it is very rare meet another seasoned sea dawg.”

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Harbour of Celestial Ridge.
Aither offering me to call him by his name and his words about Malik made me giggle. Even chewing on a bamboo shoot and being gruff made him look... well, adorable or cute were the wrong terms, but honestly, he was intimidating, yes, but he seemed also nice. I wondered how it would feel to hug him...
In any case, a horseless carriage - a.k.a. a car - was something well known to me, my Dad drove a Mionsamhail and I personally wanted to make my license as soon as possible and dreamed of a G 20, a motorcycle. Ribin looked so cool on one.
As for the need to know, I looked to Milady Macha, who agreed. I'd have to ask her what Aither meant later.
The AI and the HUD were a bit of a surprise to me.
"No need to apologize for... Zeta, was it?", Elin said with a chuckle, as we fixed ourselves with the seatbelts. "I am surprised, to be honest, how interactive he is... or should I say, you are?" She let a beat pass. "My sister Branwen has good contacts over to the Faculty of Engineering at the UoF and their AIs are... quite less interactive... or vocal, for that matter. Granted, they mostly focus on game-AIs, so for entertainment, not for self-driving cars."
"Excuse me, Miss.", Milady Macha said to Sabine, "I saw, that you were sharpening your blade earlier... do you practice swordfighting?"
I, sitting on the side with the window, decided to look out a bit - let's see, what this place had to offer.

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
I noticed how he looked over to another vessel, something I'd call a fisherman - I had no idea, that there was a cloaking device at work. There was no need to be shy.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Maicroft.", I said and bowed my head lightly, smiling, "It is no problem - we are, if you will, colleagues. The eyepatch is mostly for the looks, but there is also a more serious background: We light the inside of the vessel with lamps and when they go out because somebody..." I looked to one of my sailors, who hurried to get his current job done. "...forgot to refill, it is better to have an eye ready to see in the dark. The eyepatch helps."

[Alegeharia]

Celestial Ridge Pass to Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.

---

Aither turned to the group, “we should be nearing the front gate and getting checked out before we head to the elementary school to pick up the lil king.” He chuckled softly and stood up as they got closer to the gate, he hopped off shortly to hand a gate pass and took it back hopping back on the “car”. “Okay we are about 10 minutes away from the school. Not much else to do but sit back and wait.”

Sabine looked up at Macha. “OH! Uhh.. y-yes, yes!” She awkwardly chuckled. “I study the dual wielding forms like Malik does, but I practice under Aither, he somehow manages to dance with my blades despite only having one… I still can’t seem to best him; we end up tying most of the time.” Sabine wondered where the stamina came from and suddenly Aither looked, just a little worse for wear, as if many wars suddenly just flashed in his thoughts before clearing just as quickly. “Are you one with the blades as well? Do you wish for the metal to sing?” She was starting to relax and even get a tad excited.

Zeta appeared in a hard light form next to Elin. “Excuse me? I am not a gps nor chauffeur young lady, I am a complicated digital brain that is currently being enslaved to this menial task, I should be working on the next datagram brought in by one of the many data retrievers yet here I get pulled because of ‘special guests’ who need to be shown the ‘fancy’ side of our kingdom.” He said with air quotes now and then.

While Nia was looking out the window, she could see the shore become distant the hustle and bustle of the town quiet and shrink only to be replaced with the larger city Dogwood Valley, it just at the base of the mountain where Ichla’eon was built, the town had a mix of homes and huts, a tented marketplace as it was shared space between Alegeharia and native wolf tribes. These tribes were more friendly than the ones on the outskirts of the influence of the kingdom. They lived peacefully and were in sync with Alegeharia, the rogue tribes were on peace terms for now, the kingdom had no interest in uprooting native people and would rather just be at peace.

Upon arriving at the gate one could truly see the how the mountain came together. The erected walls and gate closed off into a complete circle with only one publicly known entrance. This giant gate that could fit a cart twice their size, perhaps for trebuchets? One could only wander what came through here. Upon passing the gate it was as if there was a whole new world. Looking back at the gate one could catch a glint throughout the sky as if they were incased in a giant bubble, perhaps though it was just child’s wild imagination. Within these walls was the lower valley, Arcole; where commoners and rich mixed.

Arcole was a mix of Alegeharian’s, whether it be humans, anthros, or even natives from the tribes, every nook and corner was bustling with life, people going every which way on foot or paw to head to their destinations. Some were in tow with others heading to local taverns, others were heading back to school from lunch, it was indeed a busy place, and the center of the kingdom. At elast one would think that till they got to upper valley.

It was like whole new word yet again crossing another gate, here things seemed advanced, modern even, yet something to it felt magical, or even beyond its time. The streetlamps were a blue flame, the sidewalks shone a soft blue light to help see the paths. People here were dressed modernly here.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.

---

Valen put a hand under his beak. “Ahh yes, though personally I have always admired how Edward used smoke to up his persona… Would you like to see my ship? It should be pulling into harbor soon.” Valen redirected her attention as he pressed a button on the rear of his belt hidden withing the robes. The battle cruiser soon decloaked and Valen Smiled. “Ah yes, there it is now!”

[The Selkie]

Celestial Ridge Pass to Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.

---

Aither turned to the group, “we should be nearing the front gate and getting checked out before we head to the elementary school to pick up the lil king.” He chuckled softly and stood up as they got closer to the gate, he hopped off shortly to hand a gate pass and took it back hopping back on the “car”. “Okay we are about 10 minutes away from the school. Not much else to do but sit back and wait.”

Sabine looked up at Macha. “OH! Uhh.. y-yes, yes!” She awkwardly chuckled. “I study the dual wielding forms like Malik does, but I practice under Aither, he somehow manages to dance with my blades despite only having one… I still can’t seem to best him; we end up tying most of the time.” Sabine wondered where the stamina came from and suddenly Aither looked, just a little worse for wear, as if many wars suddenly just flashed in his thoughts before clearing just as quickly. “Are you one with the blades as well? Do you wish for the metal to sing?” She was starting to relax and even get a tad excited.

Zeta appeared in a hard light form next to Elin. “Excuse me? I am not a gps nor chauffeur young lady, I am a complicated digital brain that is currently being enslaved to this menial task, I should be working on the next datagram brought in by one of the many data retrievers yet here I get pulled because of ‘special guests’ who need to be shown the ‘fancy’ side of our kingdom.” He said with air quotes now and then.

While Nia was looking out the window, she could see the shore become distant the hustle and bustle of the town quiet and shrink only to be replaced with the larger city Dogwood Valley, it just at the base of the mountain where Ichla’eon was built, the town had a mix of homes and huts, a tented marketplace as it was shared space between Alegeharia and native wolf tribes. These tribes were more friendly than the ones on the outskirts of the influence of the kingdom. They lived peacefully and were in sync with Alegeharia, the rogue tribes were on peace terms for now, the kingdom had no interest in uprooting native people and would rather just be at peace.

Upon arriving at the gate one could truly see the how the mountain came together. The erected walls and gate closed off into a complete circle with only one publicly known entrance. This giant gate that could fit a cart twice their size, perhaps for trebuchets? One could only wander what came through here. Upon passing the gate it was as if there was a whole new world. Looking back at the gate one could catch a glint throughout the sky as if they were incased in a giant bubble, perhaps though it was just child’s wild imagination. Within these walls was the lower valley, Arcole; where commoners and rich mixed.

Arcole was a mix of Alegeharian’s, whether it be humans, anthros, or even natives from the tribes, every nook and corner was bustling with life, people going every which way on foot or paw to head to their destinations. Some were in tow with others heading to local taverns, others were heading back to school from lunch, it was indeed a busy place, and the center of the kingdom. At elast one would think that till they got to upper valley.

It was like whole new word yet again crossing another gate, here things seemed advanced, modern even, yet something to it felt magical, or even beyond its time. The streetlamps were a blue flame, the sidewalks shone a soft blue light to help see the paths. People here were dressed modernly here.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.

---

Valen put a hand under his beak. “Ahh yes, though personally I have always admired how Edward used smoke to up his persona… Would you like to see my ship? It should be pulling into harbor soon.” Valen redirected her attention as he pressed a button on the rear of his belt hidden withing the robes. The battle cruiser soon decloaked and Valen Smiled. “Ah yes, there it is now!”

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Harbour of Celestial Ridge.
While I watched the landscape pass, I listened in on the conversations - it was quite a panorama, from the little harbourtown, which reminded me a bit of Bodmin or Theilgadún or similar small towns, into the Dogwood Valley. Homes of more solid materials and huts of less solid material were here, together with a larger marketplace, which I'd love to explore over the course of the visit.
What surprised me were the Wolf Tribes - I wondered, if they liked to be scratched behind the ears... I knew, that I liked it. And Elin, too. And Milady Macha.
The gate was huge, as we rumbled through, I figured, that the road had a few more lanes as were currently in use, or maybe a pedestrian lane, but those musings were replaced by us passing through and me noting a bit of a glint in the sky, as if we were in a snow globe - or maybe it was just my imagination.
Arcole reminded me more of Launceston then Tipa now, a bustling city, people moving to and fro, a center of a country - though not the center, much like Launceston wasn't the center of the Free Lands (that honour belonged to Fortham). Past the next gate, blue street lamps shone, which gave it a bit of a magical atmosphere... I was quite sure, that Milady Branwen would love it here.
In any case, while the panorama passed, Milady Macha replied to Sabine: "Yes, if we have the time.", she spoke, "Though a word of warning, I am more of a huntress then a swordswoman, but I have centuries upon centuries of experience in either." She let a beat pass. I knew, that she had used swords both in tournaments and in wars, but I also knew, that she appreciated the modern development of swordfighting being a form of entertainment. "Maybe tomorrow?"
Elin, meanwhile, smiled at the hardlight form or hologram or whatever appeared next to her. "And it is very much appreciated, you have my gratitude.", she spoke, "I imagine, that you can do a lot more then data analysis and driving?"

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
I let out a low whistle, while one of my men did a double-take at the large, very modern vessel suddenly appearing as if out of thin air.
"Not bad. If I may ask, what's her name?", I asked my fellow Captain.

[Alegeharia]

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
“Oh yes very much so, but that is for you to discover at some point.” Zen said politely, almost teasingly. Despite how synthetic his voice was it was almost organic. It could fool most people who were not inclined to such things. “We have finally arrived at the school; I shall see you all again when you get to Malik.” Zeta blipped off and the carriage stopped with the screen view shutting down.
“Of course, and if you wish I can give a tour of our academy.” Sabine responded, noticing the ride had finally stopped she sat up. Aither hopped off along with Tarlo and Sabine. Zen was standing next to the doorway of the school. The school entrance had floating stones and different ruins along with various holographic plaques and memorials. The building matched the rest of Ichla’eons décor, a futuristic, yet magical aesthetic that gave a clean yet humbling experience. The Alegeharian’s were proud architects having learned how to build on and within mountains. Aither guided the guests in as he chewed on the bamboo chute walking through the halls. While he took point Tarlo and Sabine took the with Zen returning to the guard house having to get ready to teach a class at the academy.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
Valen smiles and looks at the ship then back at at the captain. “Yar, she be known as The Winged Marauder. Bit of a play on my olden days.” He chuckles. “But enough reminiscing, we have all had our pirate days, tell me, what the best ship you raided? I think mine was a warship, that was coming off a recent trade channel…” He thought deeply of past conquests and looked to Siona for a story. “Ladies first however.” Ever the polite bird.

[The Selkie]

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
“Oh yes very much so, but that is for you to discover at some point.” Zen said politely, almost teasingly. Despite how synthetic his voice was it was almost organic. It could fool most people who were not inclined to such things. “We have finally arrived at the school; I shall see you all again when you get to Malik.” Zeta blipped off and the carriage stopped with the screen view shutting down.
“Of course, and if you wish I can give a tour of our academy.” Sabine responded, noticing the ride had finally stopped she sat up. Aither hopped off along with Tarlo and Sabine. Zen was standing next to the doorway of the school. The school entrance had floating stones and different ruins along with various holographic plaques and memorials. The building matched the rest of Ichla’eons décor, a futuristic, yet magical aesthetic that gave a clean yet humbling experience. The Alegeharian’s were proud architects having learned how to build on and within mountains. Aither guided the guests in as he chewed on the bamboo chute walking through the halls. While he took point Tarlo and Sabine took the with Zen returning to the guard house having to get ready to teach a class at the academy.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
Valen smiles and looks at the ship then back at at the captain. “Yar, she be known as The Winged Marauder. Bit of a play on my olden days.” He chuckles. “But enough reminiscing, we have all had our pirate days, tell me, what the best ship you raided? I think mine was a warship, that was coming off a recent trade channel…” He thought deeply of past conquests and looked to Siona for a story. “Ladies first however.” Ever the polite bird.

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.
When we arrived at the school where we were supposed to pick up Malik, Aither led us into the building.
I was glad, that I wore my uniform - Middle School, but still. I hoped, that I would not stick out too much. It helped me cope a little bit, too, especially since the school looked a lot like an elementary school back home.
Well, aside from the floating stones and ruins, but replace the holographic notices with paper ones and you have a bulletin board.
Aither led us and Elin made up the rear.
I wondered if they had PE here, too - and what they did during it. Something nice and practical, like playing football or swimming, or apparatus gymnastics... I did not think, that they would have Younger Militia drills, though.
The building was nicely built, though, very much different from how Selkie built, even in mountainous areas like the Silver Mountains.
Before we knew it, we were deep inside of the school and I think, that classes were in session with how few students we saw.

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
Winged Marauder? Not a bad name for a pirate vessel.
Before I knew it, he asked me for my experiences with piracy and my best ship.
I did nothave to think for long: "The Saor, a merchant ship hired by the Kyrenaians to transport cargo from their colonies to their Mainlands, that was 1720.", I said, smiled, "I was part of the Raid on the Kyrenaian Treasure Fleet of 1720 and once the convoy had dispersed, we hunted down the big, fat, lumbering freighter quite easily. Taking her took all day, but by the end of it, we had her and her cargo and could make it back to Dídean Island." I grinned. "I also had the pleasure of acquainting myself with Enya Díol of the Tribe of Fingal, a cute redhead, who was a pirate often enough herself. She gave up her cargo for her ship and her crew and we operated together a few years later. She was a miracle worker with her blunderbuss... and her tongue, if you catch my meaning..."
I gave the old owl a wink, making it quite clear, that I didn't think, that Enya had been a good speaker.

[Alegeharia]

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia

The play was taking place within a theater where stage was already set with crafted props and furniture. Usually, a play by kids would have props matching the level of the cast, but these props were surprisingly well built, there were mistakes of course, a cut here and there uneven, some extra glue to fix a break, but the quality was that of a high school play. The students were buzzing around as they tended to various duties and callings on the stage taping cue marks and practicing moving the furniture. Malik was at the center trying to make sense of the script, “So its talking, but then some singing and talking again? This is bizarre… No, I haven’t been in a play before.” Despite being a king, he seemed to be rather alone on the stage, almost an outsider. He sighed then turned and waved seeing Aither then smiled seeing Macha. Adults! Something he could understand, and Macha! A person he met some time ago and was an absolute delight.

“Hello friends!” Malik shouted causing some feedback on the microphone. He eeped and clicked it off moving towards the edge of the stage. His gauntlet chirped, registering the return of Zeta. Aither and the rest ushered them forward to where Malik was. The pup was churring loudly and practically vibrating in place before jumping onto Macha in excitement. “Macha! It is so good to see you!” He licked her on the cheek and turned in her arms to see the new person. “Oh! Hello young new person, I am Malik Velkari, King of Alegeharia it is a pleasure to meet you.” He nuzzled into Macha and churred more his tail wagging too and fro. Malik was only 4 foot 3, and was 8 years old, the way he acted at times made him easily confused for a large puppy, other times he could be serious like Aither, but right now he was just enjoying himself and any potential ear scratches and head pets leaning in to give hints.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.

“Aye, and it has seen its fair share of battles, especially with that frigate, well I owe ya story now I suppose, don’t I?” The bird chuckled and walked some. It was back in my earlier days; the tides weren’t friendly, and neither were the ships around me, but we had this unspoken alliance hunting for the frigate. The ship had veered off course thanks to our quick thinking of replacing maps during a docking, we set em on a course to hit some high seas, but we weren’t expecting it ta be that bad of a storm…. Aye it took out some of the gun boats and badly damaged a few of the clippas but we had my brig that you see thar, of course it was lest metal at the time and mostly wood.” He chuckled some more. “The ship then had metal plating going 3/4ths up the sides and had a rammer. We also had 4 swivel mounted mini cannons, 24 cannons, powder kegs, 4 motors which were carefully hidden in the planks of walking decks, and several types of ammunition including heavy shots and chain shots. I suppose we didn’t have to worry if the other ships turned yellow on us, we could take em, probably were relying on us to take out the frigate and hope we would be too week to fight. But fate had other ideas.”

He sighed and looked out to the ocean and leaned on the deck railing. “When we finally found the ship it was in a panic, we lost two more gunboats are selves and the other ships were debating on turning around but the prize was right there! We pressed on taking point, ended up hitting some hard waves, it threw us from the water and we flew some time, we decided to use the swivel guns to start ripping holes into the sails!” He laughed, “the smoke from our guns looked like we had wings form death itself, twas a fine sight, and me men worked hard that day, we managed to stall the gargantuan, but the fight had only begun.” He trailed off again to ponder about the next part.

[The Selkie]

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia

The play was taking place within a theater where stage was already set with crafted props and furniture. Usually, a play by kids would have props matching the level of the cast, but these props were surprisingly well built, there were mistakes of course, a cut here and there uneven, some extra glue to fix a break, but the quality was that of a high school play. The students were buzzing around as they tended to various duties and callings on the stage taping cue marks and practicing moving the furniture. Malik was at the center trying to make sense of the script, “So its talking, but then some singing and talking again? This is bizarre… No, I haven’t been in a play before.” Despite being a king, he seemed to be rather alone on the stage, almost an outsider. He sighed then turned and waved seeing Aither then smiled seeing Macha. Adults! Something he could understand, and Macha! A person he met some time ago and was an absolute delight.

“Hello friends!” Malik shouted causing some feedback on the microphone. He eeped and clicked it off moving towards the edge of the stage. His gauntlet chirped, registering the return of Zeta. Aither and the rest ushered them forward to where Malik was. The pup was churring loudly and practically vibrating in place before jumping onto Macha in excitement. “Macha! It is so good to see you!” He licked her on the cheek and turned in her arms to see the new person. “Oh! Hello young new person, I am Malik Velkari, King of Alegeharia it is a pleasure to meet you.” He nuzzled into Macha and churred more his tail wagging too and fro. Malik was only 4 foot 3, and was 8 years old, the way he acted at times made him easily confused for a large puppy, other times he could be serious like Aither, but right now he was just enjoying himself and any potential ear scratches and head pets leaning in to give hints.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.

“Aye, and it has seen its fair share of battles, especially with that frigate, well I owe ya story now I suppose, don’t I?” The bird chuckled and walked some. It was back in my earlier days; the tides weren’t friendly, and neither were the ships around me, but we had this unspoken alliance hunting for the frigate. The ship had veered off course thanks to our quick thinking of replacing maps during a docking, we set em on a course to hit some high seas, but we weren’t expecting it ta be that bad of a storm…. Aye it took out some of the gun boats and badly damaged a few of the clippas but we had my brig that you see thar, of course it was lest metal at the time and mostly wood.” He chuckled some more. “The ship then had metal plating going 3/4ths up the sides and had a rammer. We also had 4 swivel mounted mini cannons, 24 cannons, powder kegs, 4 motors which were carefully hidden in the planks of walking decks, and several types of ammunition including heavy shots and chain shots. I suppose we didn’t have to worry if the other ships turned yellow on us, we could take em, probably were relying on us to take out the frigate and hope we would be too week to fight. But fate had other ideas.”

He sighed and looked out to the ocean and leaned on the deck railing. “When we finally found the ship it was in a panic, we lost two more gunboats are selves and the other ships were debating on turning around but the prize was right there! We pressed on taking point, ended up hitting some hard waves, it threw us from the water and we flew some time, we decided to use the swivel guns to start ripping holes into the sails!” He laughed, “the smoke from our guns looked like we had wings form death itself, twas a fine sight, and me men worked hard that day, we managed to stall the gargantuan, but the fight had only begun.” He trailed off again to ponder about the next part.

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.
Aither led us through the school to some sort of theatre, maybe the repurposed assembly hall, I did not know - the props were impressive, though. My grade could make some of the same quality and we were... five? Six? Either way, we were older. They were putting up a bit of a show and in the middle...
...stood a cute wolf boy.
Now, when a girl of my age used the world used the word cute, it could have three meanings: One was of someone behaving like someone far older, by which Prince Mahmut ibn-Idris, a Kyrenaian Prince with more manners then some adult kings, was cute, because he acted far above his age. In the example case, it played a bit into the second kind as well, the kind of physical attractiveness, by which Wicho Cochall of the Tribe of Fermanagh was cute. The third kind was the cute kind of pastries, babies, children and young animals, which made you want to pet them until the sun went down and maybe after that as well.
The lad fell immediately into the latter category, especially when he smiled upon seeing Milady Macha.
He quickly made his way over, we met him halfway and he quivered with delight especially at jumping into Milady Macha's waiting arms. The ancient woman hugged him back, supporting him with one arm so that he rested comfortably with his head on her shoulder, licking her cheek, which made her giggle and turn to me.
"Oh! Hello young new person, I am Malik Velkari, King of Alegeharia it is a pleasure to meet you.", he told me.
With how his tail wagged and how excited he looked, one could mistake him for a puppy.
He even gave hints as to him wanting petting.
I could not really believe him to be the King of a country, but I was used to Elders and, of course, Milady Branwen Chwilfrydig - he was... just a boy.
For a moment, I contemplated greeting him respectfully, like I would greet an Elder or Milady Branwen Chwilfrydig or the Sultana of Kyrenaia, but then I decided against it and for the more relaxed approach.
"Hello, Malik.", I greeted him, bowed my head lightly, hand over my heart (as it was custom when meeting a foreign head of state or an Elder) and rose again. "I am Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent - but please, call me Nia. I am Milady Macha's ward and... trainee, if you will."
Macha nodded, confirming my words, placing a hand on Malik's head, behind the right ear, softly scratching. "That she is... I hope you don't mind me bringing her along. I thought, it was time for her to see a bit of the world." She smiled. "By the way, Aither, where did Elin get off to?"

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
I listened to the story, nodded by the pause he made.
"Sounds like tough opponents... both the sea and the frigate.", I said, leaning onto the railing by my elbows, leaning back. "We usually stayed away from military vessels when we could avoid them... or tricked them. For a while, the Kyrenaians hunted us, actively, but we managed to escape time and time again. I was officially pardoned by the Sultana Herself a few years ago, though, so no bounty to collect on my head." I shrugged with a grin. "Well, none which I would be aware of, at least."

[Alegeharia]

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia

Malik churred and wagged even faster at the ear scritches then wiggled out of the arms to give the new person a hug and nuzzled the side of her cheek. "It is nice to meet you! I do hope you enjoy your stay here in my country." He smiled all the while wagging happily. “Nia, right? You are to be considered Macha’s trainee?” He thought about that and giggled some. “To think miss Macha you would gain a student! How exciting!” He churred once again and turned back to nia. “So Nia, what is that you do around your country?”

Aither turned to respond. "It seemed like she needed use the restroom, I pointed her in the right direction and Sabine said she would stay close by her if she needs any assistance. We are in a school and the heart of this town; she is safe here." He smiled and produced a fresh bamboo shoot to gnaw on.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.

Valen nodded, “Aye tis a terrible time, but it was fun, and legends were born that day. Getting a pardon is good, I know I had my fair share, I am sure we could earn a few more if we hop on our ships about now, or maybe even a bounty eh? But we ‘behave’ now yes? Gone from pirates to navy men! I control the nations navy, having all the stratagems from past experiences, it has aided in battles greatly, what do you do now? Still live the pirate life?”

[Ezhara]

Suzurai, Ezhara
A temple, at spring dusk
The invitation was unexpected, to say the least. Eiko had only met the puppy-prince once or twice — only enough for the most tangential of interactions, even that masquerade night with Kasem. Still, Malik acted like a beam of sunlight, didn't he? The actor had to admire that, especially with the earnest, ancient aura that came off of him. It held neither ill will like the forgotten Kagutsuchi, nor the clear acting that came from The Ancient Prince. If Eiko had to guess, the prince was probably much older than he looked, although the fact that Eiko was invited to an elementary school made that guess at least a little suspect.
Distantly, the crickets were waking up. Eiko stared down at his matcha cup, at the letter in front of him. Should he go? He heard the whispers of the winds congregating in his head now, the paranoia waking up, surrounding him. One way or another, he'd just ruin Malik, or the kids, as always; just look what he did to Kasem that fateful night, and now, the architect was latched wholly to him.
No matter what Eiko did.

He snapped his head up as the door opened. "Eya, Eiko." It was Tohru, his flag-bearer co-actor from — Soris Datae — . A rattan staff was slung over his back, long enough that it barely fit in the door frame, and he was dressed in a loose shaolin monk's uniform.
Eiko blinked. "What are you doing here?"
Tohru shrugged. "I just came back from practice and thought I'd drop by, that was all." Eiko stared back at him as the other leered. Then, Tohru turned away, folding his arms. Was he angry? The haze of thoughts blocked Eiko's mind; no more words could fall out of his mouth, no matter how much half of his cacophony told him to say something to save face while the other silence for his indignance. Tohru had been one of the few actors, adult or youth, who had ever been able to keep up even a little with Eiko — how dare he forget that?
"Eiko, you there?"

"Yes... yes, I'm here, I'm just..."
Tohru stepped forward. "Are you okay? Like, not 'your' idea of okay. The Ezharan one. The one where..." He turned aside. His resting angry expression turned to shame.
A nod as Eiko straightened out his back, stared at his friend. "Of course I'm fine."
"Mori's fine? Kuh. I wouldn't be able to believe that. Besides, I know what's been up with you and your boyfr—"
Eiko shot up, teapot in his hand. "Don't you dare bring up Kasem."

"That's not my point, Eiko. I mean that... look, I've known you for, what, four years? Since we met under the same studio with Ame to Vira. I've put hours on hours keeping up with you, and not once — never — did you put any effort in looking my way for anything more than work." He shook his head, taking out his staff and holding it at his side. "And don't you dare threaten me with that pot."
"Why do you care so much, Tohru? It's not your job to worry about m—"
"I've seen you collapse on set, I've seen you 'clear your mind' with these tea ceremonies, I've seen you watching and teaching everyone else to try to get them to keep up, of course I'm worried for you, but each and every time I tried to reach out to you, you tossed me away. Like, good God man, you go through a whole cup of tea every hour while you're basically being a second director, all because you can't stand even a tiny imperfe—"

"Quiet!" Kagutsuchi's fiery rage whipped forth, and Tohru stepped back as the iron teapot swung towards him. "What's wrong with that? What's wrong with knowing that people can do better and helping them do better?" Inside, the torrential voices were yelling at him to stop, to stop and run, to run and hide, hide away his broken honor. Yet, the roaring flames of Kagutsuchi, the way his blazing blood spilled out of his injuries, silenced it all.
"Are you just going to ignore what got you and Kasem together in the first place?"
Eiko whipped his pot upward only for it to crash against his cheek, while Tohru sprinted towards him. The rattan pole thrust into the metal loop, and the swinging iron was set aside.

Eiko stared at Tohru. Kagutsuchi's inferno turned to a simmer, then a gentle heat, then...
Nothing. Against the menace of the voices in his head, the ones that knew him so intimately, even the Forgotten God who promised to incinerate the world faltered against their demands. Those voices, they knew Eiko was nothing more than lost, and they knew that Kagutsuchi's rage came out of that, an anger from a fear that he might be vanishing.
Tohru set his staff aside, trying to smile, and grabbed Eiko's shoulder. "Somehow... I don't feel any better," he said. "I guess..."
Eiko looked away. "Did you really think it was that easy? That you could just... come in and wipe away what I was feeling regardless of what I wa—"
"What you want is tearing you apart."

"No, it's not— it can't be... it's not— I'm fine, Tohru."
"Your idea of 'fine,'" he said, "or the Ezharan one?" Tohru glanced behind him, at the open temple door. "Look, I know... that I keep saying that, but I really mean it, Eiko. You're just... so used to falling apart that you don't even know that you are."
"I'm. Fine."
"Eiko, I've known you for four years. Four years, I've always had to wonder if... if you were all right, but for four years, all I've seen is you overworking yourself. That's not going to solve anythi—"

Eiko threw off his friend's hand, then stared down at the tea ceremony materials in front of him; memories of his first ceremonies, of bitter teas, of small green kimonos and green hair, came back to him in the now-silent warzone of his mind. His rage, the furor of the voices in his head, had swelled and fallen, leaving just him, bare and broken. Yet, why did he keep breaking even after? He was supposed to be better than this. Why now? Why in front of the people he was supposed to protect?
"Tohru, this is the only way I want to do it," Eiko said, sitting down and pouring tea for Tohru. "If my emotions can come out through acting... then, why not use it that way?"
The other shook his head. "That's not the problem. It's that you're bottling everything up for acting. Every joy, every tear you... really have put everything into your career, haven't you?" Only now did he sit down. "I'm a little jealous since, you know, it makes you an amazing actor, but... I don't think you can keep this up."

Eiko leaned back, looking back at Tohru with the honor of a soldier. "I could've," Eiko said, "but you and Kasem keep insisting otherwise. Do you know how hard it is to just keep everyone safe when some of you are trying to do this for me?"
"Safe from what?"
"From everything. From all these... things I've seen and been through. From how awful I am, from how... so unlike a Talent I am. I just want to know that someone else might be happy, even if it's far away from me." Now, the soldier's discipline became the arrogance of a god. "It's the same as I told Kasem. I'm no virtue. I know what people want of me, and I always do it, no matter the cost, but it always comes back to me with more than what we originally planned..." He paused, thinking of his mother's pink umbrella. "Kasem got too close. Now look what happened to him."
"He's in love with you, that I got. Something wrong with that?"

Arrogance turned to romantic artistry. "He had no duty to protect or heal or help me, but I broke in front of him, and he picked it all up, even if it hurt him, and even if I should've been doing that for him." Eiko paused, watching as Tohru finally sipped from his tea. "He doesn't deserve that pain."
"Nobody does. But we keep trying. We keep living. We keep helping. Eiko, the first and foremost reaction of people when they're babies is they cry for help, because they know they can't do it."
"I can do anything, Tohru. I can survive. Don't be ridiculous."
The other sat back, hands on the floor as he thought. "Look, my point is that you shouldn't push people away if you need help. I've tried to be here for the past four years. I've been there when you've collapsed on set from exhaustion, and I've heard of, you know, the beach feast, and I just think... couldn't I be doing better? Couldn't we, Eiko?"

The other stared down at his tea, at the reflection of his green eyes. "It's your choice," Tohru said. "But... I'll never call you weak, and I never expected nor wanted you to protect me. It's just my duty, not as anything except a person. I've seen what you've gone through, at least a little. You know my family. Everything..." He touched the jade necklace at his throat, eyes glazing over with an irretrievable memory. "Please, just trust me. I know you probably don't love me the way you love Kasem, but... let me have this as your fellow actor. Eiko, I don't want to see you... doing anything drastic, okay? I'm here for you."
Eiko looked up. He was too tired to cry — he cried enough with Kasem that night so long ago, anyway, and despite everything, he still wasn't willing to look weak towards Tohru. Not yet, at least. Still, Eiko set down his tea, stood up, and went around his table.

He fell next to Tohru, fell away into his co-actor's arms, fell into his warm embrace. "I'm here for you, Eiko. You're not weak. That you've endured so much all alone... I don't think you understand how amazing you really are."
For all the false-warmths Eiko had lived through, this was true enough. He didn't know if he could trust him like Kasem but... Tohru meant well. He always did. When Eiko was unrelenting in his teaching, Tohru was always there to keep the cast in good spirits, wasn't he? When it was Eiko's training that hurt someone, Tohru never judged him. He sighed at most.
Tohru must've known more than most during those four years he knew Eiko. Just how many times did he try to melt Eiko's heart, and how many times did he get close? Was it selfish to close himself off like this, to fortify himself against those too compassionate for their own good? Eiko couldn't understand why. Pity? Selfish altruism? Kasem tried to be there, and look how he corrupted him.

Would Tohru be the same? Would all those layers of blackmail and false warmth and manipulation from those past years build and build and build inside of Eiko, fester and poison their relationship with paranoia and distrust? Would someday, it burst? Would it then all be Eiko's fault that he ever allowed him to get so close?
As though feeling his fear, Tohru hugged him tighter. "Don't think too much, please," he said. "We'll make it."

En route to Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
Much to Eiko's surprise, his mother allowed Ayame to accompany him; he guessed it had something to do with how he'd have to manage her, but with Darius already around, he didn't figure it likely that anything bad would happen. It'd just be a normal play, with normal results, even if Kasem was there and would probably rant all about his catboy form to the actual animal people, disrespectful as that seemed.
On which note, he was a little too into the local architecture, his face pressed against the car window while the rest of Eiko's entourage were more casual about their interests. He sat in the front with Lady Murasaki, his agent since he was a baby. Behind them, Tohru was on his phone doing some sort of assignment on mobile, and in the last row, Darius was drawing something with Ayame. Somehow.

"How are you drawing in a car?" Eiko asked.
"Wot?" Darius looked up. "En, truth be told, am kinda not drawing all that well." He lifted up the sketchbook, and Eiko could see jumps and cuts in the linework, no doubt from the car's movements. "Really, am just doing it 'cuz Yammie thinks it's funny watching me struggle."
At that, Kasem turned around. "Eiko, does it ru—"
"Shut up." An awkward silence passed. Eiko was a dominant force, and Kagutsuchi's rage even more so, and yet, there was always a sense of a facade with it.
Not here, though.

Darius frowned and shuffled in his seat. "You know, Oiko, I dinnae think that you have to get all uppity each time Kasem says something you don't want him to say."
"I'm just... trying to keep him from saying anything stupi—"
"Most of us are kids, Oiko," Darius said. "Most us are gonna do something stupid. No need to lord over him."
Eiko waved his hand in the air. "It's... Darius, just trust me to know better for him."
"Eiko, I'm turning thirteen next month. Am barely a kid now." Darius paused, tilting his head. "You dinnae have to act like you're me ma 'n pa or anything — and I dinnae think you gotta act that way with your boyfrie—"

"Shut up!"
Kagutsuchi looked around, his face contorted into an enraged scowl; if magic or at least some more advanced, flamboyant tech existed, one would feel that he would have thrown fire at the rest of the car's passengers.
Kasem turned away, hand above his head. Tohru froze. Darius stared at his elder. Lady Murasaki stayed silent. Ayame looked above her seat.
"Big brother?" she asked.
He shook his head, turned it into his hands as the murmur rose.

Lady Murasaki looked towards him. She had remained silent throughout the conversation; had she nothing to say, or had she misplaced her faith in them? Whatever the case, her resting frown turned into an apologetic smile. She said something— his name?
Must've been. Eiko couldn't hear, couldn't hear anything over the roaring din of disappointment, of the voices murmuring away in his head, decreeing their judgment upon his wretched soul:
Why couldn't you keep it in? Can't you control yourself? Look at what you've done, everyone's afraid of you, now. Why do you keep doing this?
Darius was right. You're too overbearing— one of these days, Kasem will run off because you hurt him too much trying to keep him under your control, don't you know that? What kind of love is that? You're practically choking him to death.

Then came the derision of his father.
You're just like your mother, Eiko. Do you even love him? Or are you just trying to suffocate him to satisfy your own ego, to call yourself his protector? It's like you hardly even know love, but that's to be expected, isn't it? Your own mother held onto you despite everything, despite knowing that you would've been better off far, far away from her, and whatever love Tomoe gives to you...
Don't you remember what Moon told you? Don't you remember that night in your bedroom?

Murmurs now came from beyond a bedroom wall, from the kitchen, late at night.
"Wish I didn't have to take care of him." It was his adoptive mother, his real mother's sister, Tomoe. "He's just the worthless kid of some brat who ran away from home because we were 'putting too much pressure' on her and garbage like that, like she wasn't the one who didn't care at all. She was such a waste... at least he knows how to act..."
"Why does that matter?" Her husband, his adoptive father.
He could hear Tomoe set down a knife inside of the rack.
"He has a debt to work off."

"You must really hate your sister. Eiko's the last memory of her, and—"
"Of course I do. She just left home like that for something that disgusting and left us shattered and ashamed and wondering where it all went wrong and why... do you think Eiko's gonna be the same way? Think he's just gonna run away from home after all the pain and effort we go through to take care of him, all because he wanted someone or something else?"
A moment passed. Even back then, Eiko could tell that his adoptive father was hesitating, and yet...
"I'm sure we'll be fine."
"We better be. It's like... does he even know how lucky he is that I didn't just walk away and say we weren't related by blood? Or how he didn't have to get abandoned again? He should be thankful. Could've ended up bouncing in between foster care families or whatever. Not like I care."

She... she had to love him. That's what she always sai—
"Eiko."
He pulled his head up, slowly, slowly, turning. "Mom?"
Murasaki looked away, then looked back, shaking her head no. "No," she said. "Sorry, Eiko."
He turned back down, empty.

Everything became silent, silent, silent. He closed himself, closed his mind, closed his heart, so that he would not feel the others. Were they afraid? Disappointed? Angry? It didn't matter.
He could feel himself drifting, now, unreal, unfeeling.
Kasem turned to Tohru in hopes of mental health guidance, but the latter shook his head no. "Don't bother," Tohru said. "We'll just have to keep him alive till we're out of the car, then we can start."
"Start what?"
Tohru shrugged. "You're his boyfriend. I thought you might have a better chance at, you know, breaking through. I've been trying, but..."

"Guess I'm the lucky one, huh?" Kasem said, half-smiling. "I mean, I did, yeah, and I would've thought he'd be better, but I'm not sure anymore."
"Look, with you and me, I'm sure we'll be able to do something, but even then... it's a long journey that won't be easy, and I just hope we'll be there before anything happens." With that, Tohru backed off, arms crossed and scowling, but not out of anger.
"I hope he'll be okay..."
Tohru leaned to the side and looked at Eiko, who remained slumped over. Lady Murasaki remained silent; how she could do such a thing despite Eiko's condition was surprising, but it probably came from knowing him since he was a baby.

"Hope..." Tohru muttered. The precious little thing nestled in his heart that he kept holding onto, did it wilt in Eiko's?
Would that hope someday become just like the dead one within Tohru's father? If it did, could Tohru forgive himself?
Could he do it again?

Quetzalcoatl Elementary Theater, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
By the time the SUV arrived, Eiko seemed better; the deafening silence and disappointment had subsided, and his resolve had overtaken it. He was not dead, that was that. He would still be able to live and try again. No matter what, he had to be there for them, but there had to be some truth to what he heard. Maybe he was too smothering with his love. Maybe he and Kasem and Tohru and Ayame and Darius— maybe they all needed some distance from Eiko so then they'd see what they've been missing and then they'd start realizing just how much he was keeping them—
"We're here." Lady Murasaki's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked around with his hand underneath his chin, like some general surveying his land. Perhaps that was Mori's fate after — Soris Datae — ? Perhaps he became a ronin in command of many, a new hero leading the charge.

Tohru tapped on the window. "Eiko, we're here."
The other boy nodded and looked down at his empty cup. When did he drink all of it?
Whatever the case, he unscrewed one of the water bottles in the car and poured it into his cup, then set it down in the cup holder as he slipped a matcha packet out of his robes.
"Eh?" Darius was behind him. "You really cannae be serious, Oiko." Undeterred, the actor tore open his pack and poured in the matcha, while the other slipped out of the car, Ayame behind him.

There was a strange liberty, a strange exhilaration flying about in Eiko's head. It didn't feel right, deciding to leave the lot of them behind, but they had to see what good distance would do for them. Kasem, after all, was too attached for his own good, and Tohru kept trying to get into Eiko's life ever since Ame to Vira. It was tiring having to defend himself against them.
He paused, his battery-powered water heater a few inches above his cup. "Defending" was a strange way to put it. Defending himself against what? He was the one defending them against everything, against the tide of adulthood that he had been borne into because of his awful mother.
No, she had to love him. That's why...

"Big brother?" Ayame was looking back into the car. "Are you coming with us?"
"Just a moment, Ayame," he said as he opened the door. Soon enough, he had walked over to where the rest of them were, and he smiled.
"We were waiting for you." Lady Murasaki, dressed in her usual formal suit and her bun held together by a pair of silver chopsticks, led the way into the theater. A paper parasol, adorned with images of shimmering spring blossoms, shaded her from the sunlight.
"Sorry about that," he said. "I was just thinking." Instinctively, he glanced at Kasem and held his breath. The Talent-Architect seemed about ready to... something. He looked euphoric as he examined the extravagant architecture, ranting about its design to Darius; Eiko couldn't tell if the younger was a willing or unwilling audience, but he was at least paying attention, much to Ayame's annoyance.

"Darius, we have to go," she said, grabbing his hand.
"Och, yeah, yeah, just gimme a moment, Yammie." She pulled him; he pulled back instinctively. "Dinnae think Kasem is anywhere close to done."
"Let's go!" Now, she put her whole self into it, and down the two of them went. Kasem, of course, continued ranting. How he managed to store encyclopedic knowledge of architecture was always a surprise to Eiko, but it was adorable how his boyfriend's face always lit up at the sights and sounds of a well-designed building.
The liberty, the exhilaration, fell away. Distance was just another responsibility of his, wasn't it? Still, he would bear it as any other. It would be for the best.

In front of them, Tohru and Lady Murasaki had sped ahead of them, and the latter extended out a small bell into the palm of her bony hands. Just before she opened the door, Tohru grabbed her wrist.
"Yes, Tohru?"
"Does Eiko..." A pause. "Does he feel different to you? Like, not overall, but right now." He tried to watch her face as she looked towards him, but she remained as unreadable as ever. "Earlier, I think he dissociated or something, but now he seems happy, somehow." Lady Murasaki still said nothing. "I mean, you've known him since he started acting, maybe—"

"Quiet. He was always quiet," she said. "Too cooperative and diligent for his own good. What are you planning?"
"I mean... something. Anything. I just want him to talk and..." Tohru turned away. "I don't want to lose him. He has something on his mind but whenever I've tried to do something about it, he pushed me away, got angry, things like that. I did talk to him, and I thought that would be enough, but—"
"There is a war in his mind." Her voice became low, like a grieving mother's ghost, as Eiko approached. "One with no easy victory."
"And I'm ready to take that. Same with Kasem, I think. He did manage to get through, pretty sure, and Eiko at least looks happier, but... he's not talking with Kasem."

"What are you two talking about?" Eiko was now in front of them. "Shouldn't we be heading in?"
"You're always hopping to your next chance, Eiko," Tohru said. "No need to hurry. We're just here for—"
"So we should hurry," he said. Tohru paused. Whatever happened in the car, Eiko had immediately covered it up, as always, but it'd break out sooner or later. Maybe in a more private space, with Kasem around? On that note, why was he so far away from his boyfriend? Kasem always followed him around like a puppy, but now...

Lady Murasaki put a hand on Tohru's shoulder. "I suppose we should." She tossed the ball up, catching the loop of it inside her finger. Then, she shook her hand, and it resounded through the entrance; soon enough, the rest of the kids had piled up near her.
Tohru grabbed one end of his staff and looked up at her. "Wait for a moment," she said. With that, she opened the door with her non-bell hand, then rang it to indicate her arrival.
As she did so, Tohru surveyed the area in front of her, hand on his staff. All clear; he ran forward, planted his staff in the ground, and vaulted forward. As he came over the peak of it, he picked it off of the floor and tucked himself in. For a moment, he spun in the air.

And with a resounding, wooden boom, he landed on the floor, with his staff in front of him. For a few moments, he crouched there, catching his breath as Lady Murasaki came to his side, ringing her bell to restore anyone from their stupor. "Apologies if that was a shock," she said, "but where, if I may ask, is our host? I am Lady Murasaki, the agent of Eiko Michori, the guest of today, alongside the chaperone for him and his entourage."
Eiko bowed slightly as his name was called; meanwhile, Kasem and Darius seemed much more interested in the sights and scenes of the theater.

[The Selkie]

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia

Malik churred and wagged even faster at the ear scritches then wiggled out of the arms to give the new person a hug and nuzzled the side of her cheek. "It is nice to meet you! I do hope you enjoy your stay here in my country." He smiled all the while wagging happily. “Nia, right? You are to be considered Macha’s trainee?” He thought about that and giggled some. “To think miss Macha you would gain a student! How exciting!” He churred once again and turned back to nia. “So Nia, what is that you do around your country?”

Aither turned to respond. "It seemed like she needed use the restroom, I pointed her in the right direction and Sabine said she would stay close by her if she needs any assistance. We are in a school and the heart of this town; she is safe here." He smiled and produced a fresh bamboo shoot to gnaw on.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.

Valen nodded, “Aye tis a terrible time, but it was fun, and legends were born that day. Getting a pardon is good, I know I had my fair share, I am sure we could earn a few more if we hop on our ships about now, or maybe even a bounty eh? But we ‘behave’ now yes? Gone from pirates to navy men! I control the nations navy, having all the stratagems from past experiences, it has aided in battles greatly, what do you do now? Still live the pirate life?”

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.
The lad hugged and nuzzled the side of my face, which made me giggle - it was so adorable and sweet, that I now knew, why Milady Macha had made him a fast friend. A speck of innocent wonder.
His question about what I was doing was answered with a small smile: "I am a student, much like you - though I attend Middle School. The uniform..." I made a little twirl for him. "...is actually my school uniform." I smiled. "Aside from that, Milady Macha teaches me in what it means to be a Spiorad... and I love listening to music and playing."
Macha smiled and added: "And you can sing."
I blushed. I had little talent for it, but I did like it, so I practiced it - apparently with some success.
Just as I wanted to reply, however...

[...]
En route to Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
Much to Eiko's surprise, his mother allowed Ayame to accompany him; he guessed it had something to do with how he'd have to manage her, but with Darius already around, he didn't figure it likely that anything bad would happen. It'd just be a normal play, with normal results, even if Kasem was there and would probably rant all about his catboy form to the actual animal people, disrespectful as that seemed.
On which note, he was a little too into the local architecture, his face pressed against the car window while the rest of Eiko's entourage were more casual about their interests. He sat in the front with Lady Murasaki, his agent since he was a baby. Behind them, Tohru was on his phone doing some sort of assignment on mobile, and in the last row, Darius was drawing something with Ayame. Somehow.

"How are you drawing in a car?" Eiko asked.
"Wot?" Darius looked up. "En, truth be told, am kinda not drawing all that well." He lifted up the sketchbook, and Eiko could see jumps and cuts in the linework, no doubt from the car's movements. "Really, am just doing it 'cuz Yammie thinks it's funny watching me struggle."
At that, Kasem turned around. "Eiko, does it ru—"
"Shut up." An awkward silence passed. Eiko was a dominant force, and Kagutsuchi's rage even more so, and yet, there was always a sense of a facade with it.
Not here, though.

Darius frowned and shuffled in his seat. "You know, Oiko, I dinnae think that you have to get all uppity each time Kasem says something you don't want him to say."
"I'm just... trying to keep him from saying anything stupi—"
"Most of us are kids, Oiko," Darius said. "Most us are gonna do something stupid. No need to lord over him."
Eiko waved his hand in the air. "It's... Darius, just trust me to know better for him."
"Eiko, I'm turning thirteen next month. Am barely a kid now." Darius paused, tilting his head. "You dinnae have to act like you're me ma 'n pa or anything — and I dinnae think you gotta act that way with your boyfrie—"

"Shut up!"
Kagutsuchi looked around, his face contorted into an enraged scowl; if magic or at least some more advanced, flamboyant tech existed, one would feel that he would have thrown fire at the rest of the car's passengers.
Kasem turned away, hand above his head. Tohru froze. Darius stared at his elder. Lady Murasaki stayed silent. Ayame looked above her seat.
"Big brother?" she asked.
He shook his head, turned it into his hands as the murmur rose.

Lady Murasaki looked towards him. She had remained silent throughout the conversation; had she nothing to say, or had she misplaced her faith in them? Whatever the case, her resting frown turned into an apologetic smile. She said something— his name?
Must've been. Eiko couldn't hear, couldn't hear anything over the roaring din of disappointment, of the voices murmuring away in his head, decreeing their judgment upon his wretched soul:
Why couldn't you keep it in? Can't you control yourself? Look at what you've done, everyone's afraid of you, now. Why do you keep doing this?
Darius was right. You're too overbearing— one of these days, Kasem will run off because you hurt him too much trying to keep him under your control, don't you know that? What kind of love is that? You're practically choking him to death.

Then came the derision of his father.
You're just like your mother, Eiko. Do you even love him? Or are you just trying to suffocate him to satisfy your own ego, to call yourself his protector? It's like you hardly even know love, but that's to be expected, isn't it? Your own mother held onto you despite everything, despite knowing that you would've been better off far, far away from her, and whatever love Tomoe gives to you...
Don't you remember what Moon told you? Don't you remember that night in your bedroom?

Murmurs now came from beyond a bedroom wall, from the kitchen, late at night.
"Wish I didn't have to take care of him." It was his adoptive mother, his real mother's sister, Tomoe. "He's just the worthless kid of some brat who ran away from home because we were 'putting too much pressure' on her and garbage like that, like she wasn't the one who didn't care at all. She was such a waste... at least he knows how to act..."
"Why does that matter?" Her husband, his adoptive father.
He could hear Tomoe set down a knife inside of the rack.
"He has a debt to work off."

"You must really hate your sister. Eiko's the last memory of her, and—"
"Of course I do. She just left home like that for something that disgusting and left us shattered and ashamed and wondering where it all went wrong and why... do you think Eiko's gonna be the same way? Think he's just gonna run away from home after all the pain and effort we go through to take care of him, all because he wanted someone or something else?"
A moment passed. Even back then, Eiko could tell that his adoptive father was hesitating, and yet...
"I'm sure we'll be fine."
"We better be. It's like... does he even know how lucky he is that I didn't just walk away and say we weren't related by blood? Or how he didn't have to get abandoned again? He should be thankful. Could've ended up bouncing in between foster care families or whatever. Not like I care."

She... she had to love him. That's what she always sai—
"Eiko."
He pulled his head up, slowly, slowly, turning. "Mom?"
Murasaki looked away, then looked back, shaking her head no. "No," she said. "Sorry, Eiko."
He turned back down, empty.

Everything became silent, silent, silent. He closed himself, closed his mind, closed his heart, so that he would not feel the others. Were they afraid? Disappointed? Angry? It didn't matter.
He could feel himself drifting, now, unreal, unfeeling.
Kasem turned to Tohru in hopes of mental health guidance, but the latter shook his head no. "Don't bother," Tohru said. "We'll just have to keep him alive till we're out of the car, then we can start."
"Start what?"
Tohru shrugged. "You're his boyfriend. I thought you might have a better chance at, you know, breaking through. I've been trying, but..."

"Guess I'm the lucky one, huh?" Kasem said, half-smiling. "I mean, I did, yeah, and I would've thought he'd be better, but I'm not sure anymore."
"Look, with you and me, I'm sure we'll be able to do something, but even then... it's a long journey that won't be easy, and I just hope we'll be there before anything happens." With that, Tohru backed off, arms crossed and scowling, but not out of anger.
"I hope he'll be okay..."
Tohru leaned to the side and looked at Eiko, who remained slumped over. Lady Murasaki remained silent; how she could do such a thing despite Eiko's condition was surprising, but it probably came from knowing him since he was a baby.

"Hope..." Tohru muttered. The precious little thing nestled in his heart that he kept holding onto, did it wilt in Eiko's?
Would that hope someday become just like the dead one within Tohru's father? If it did, could Tohru forgive himself?
Could he do it again?

Quetzalcoatl Elementary Theater, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia
By the time the SUV arrived, Eiko seemed better; the deafening silence and disappointment had subsided, and his resolve had overtaken it. He was not dead, that was that. He would still be able to live and try again. No matter what, he had to be there for them, but there had to be some truth to what he heard. Maybe he was too smothering with his love. Maybe he and Kasem and Tohru and Ayame and Darius— maybe they all needed some distance from Eiko so then they'd see what they've been missing and then they'd start realizing just how much he was keeping them—
"We're here." Lady Murasaki's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked around with his hand underneath his chin, like some general surveying his land. Perhaps that was Mori's fate after — Soris Datae — ? Perhaps he became a ronin in command of many, a new hero leading the charge.

Tohru tapped on the window. "Eiko, we're here."
The other boy nodded and looked down at his empty cup. When did he drink all of it?
Whatever the case, he unscrewed one of the water bottles in the car and poured it into his cup, then set it down in the cup holder as he slipped a matcha packet out of his robes.
"Eh?" Darius was behind him. "You really cannae be serious, Oiko." Undeterred, the actor tore open his pack and poured in the matcha, while the other slipped out of the car, Ayame behind him.

There was a strange liberty, a strange exhilaration flying about in Eiko's head. It didn't feel right, deciding to leave the lot of them behind, but they had to see what good distance would do for them. Kasem, after all, was too attached for his own good, and Tohru kept trying to get into Eiko's life ever since Ame to Vira. It was tiring having to defend himself against them.
He paused, his battery-powered water heater a few inches above his cup. "Defending" was a strange way to put it. Defending himself against what? He was the one defending them against everything, against the tide of adulthood that he had been borne into because of his awful mother.
No, she had to love him. That's why...

"Big brother?" Ayame was looking back into the car. "Are you coming with us?"
"Just a moment, Ayame," he said as he opened the door. Soon enough, he had walked over to where the rest of them were, and he smiled.
"We were waiting for you." Lady Murasaki, dressed in her usual formal suit and her bun held together by a pair of silver chopsticks, led the way into the theater. A paper parasol, adorned with images of shimmering spring blossoms, shaded her from the sunlight.
"Sorry about that," he said. "I was just thinking." Instinctively, he glanced at Kasem and held his breath. The Talent-Architect seemed about ready to... something. He looked euphoric as he examined the extravagant architecture, ranting about its design to Darius; Eiko couldn't tell if the younger was a willing or unwilling audience, but he was at least paying attention, much to Ayame's annoyance.

"Darius, we have to go," she said, grabbing his hand.
"Och, yeah, yeah, just gimme a moment, Yammie." She pulled him; he pulled back instinctively. "Dinnae think Kasem is anywhere close to done."
"Let's go!" Now, she put her whole self into it, and down the two of them went. Kasem, of course, continued ranting. How he managed to store encyclopedic knowledge of architecture was always a surprise to Eiko, but it was adorable how his boyfriend's face always lit up at the sights and sounds of a well-designed building.
The liberty, the exhilaration, fell away. Distance was just another responsibility of his, wasn't it? Still, he would bear it as any other. It would be for the best.

In front of them, Tohru and Lady Murasaki had sped ahead of them, and the latter extended out a small bell into the palm of her bony hands. Just before she opened the door, Tohru grabbed her wrist.
"Yes, Tohru?"
"Does Eiko..." A pause. "Does he feel different to you? Like, not overall, but right now." He tried to watch her face as she looked towards him, but she remained as unreadable as ever. "Earlier, I think he dissociated or something, but now he seems happy, somehow." Lady Murasaki still said nothing. "I mean, you've known him since he started acting, maybe—"

"Quiet. He was always quiet," she said. "Too cooperative and diligent for his own good. What are you planning?"
"I mean... something. Anything. I just want him to talk and..." Tohru turned away. "I don't want to lose him. He has something on his mind but whenever I've tried to do something about it, he pushed me away, got angry, things like that. I did talk to him, and I thought that would be enough, but—"
"There is a war in his mind." Her voice became low, like a grieving mother's ghost, as Eiko approached. "One with no easy victory."
"And I'm ready to take that. Same with Kasem, I think. He did manage to get through, pretty sure, and Eiko at least looks happier, but... he's not talking with Kasem."

"What are you two talking about?" Eiko was now in front of them. "Shouldn't we be heading in?"
"You're always hopping to your next chance, Eiko," Tohru said. "No need to hurry. We're just here for—"
"So we should hurry," he said. Tohru paused. Whatever happened in the car, Eiko had immediately covered it up, as always, but it'd break out sooner or later. Maybe in a more private space, with Kasem around? On that note, why was he so far away from his boyfriend? Kasem always followed him around like a puppy, but now...

Lady Murasaki put a hand on Tohru's shoulder. "I suppose we should." She tossed the ball up, catching the loop of it inside her finger. Then, she shook her hand, and it resounded through the entrance; soon enough, the rest of the kids had piled up near her.
Tohru grabbed one end of his staff and looked up at her. "Wait for a moment," she said. With that, she opened the door with her non-bell hand, then rang it to indicate her arrival.
As she did so, Tohru surveyed the area in front of her, hand on his staff. All clear; he ran forward, planted his staff in the ground, and vaulted forward. As he came over the peak of it, he picked it off of the floor and tucked himself in. For a moment, he spun in the air.

And with a resounding, wooden boom, he landed on the floor, with his staff in front of him. For a few moments, he crouched there, catching his breath as Lady Murasaki came to his side, ringing her bell to restore anyone from their stupor. "Apologies if that was a shock," she said, "but where, if I may ask, is our host? I am Lady Murasaki, the agent of Eiko Michori, the guest of today, alongside the chaperone for him and his entourage."
Eiko bowed slightly as his name was called; meanwhile, Kasem and Darius seemed much more interested in the sights and scenes of the theater.

I was surprised, especially when the strict-looking woman stepped forward at the head of a gaggle of kids, some of them around my age, I would presume. She introduced herself and one of the lads, an Eiko Michori... the name rang a bell...
Milady Macha looked to Aither, as if to ask, what the protocol here was.

Elin Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.
I came out of the bathroom after my quick refresher and smiled at Sabine.
"Thank you for waiting.", I told her, then smiled: "Would you mind terribly, if we were to look around for a bit? I want to see, how much this place reminds me of my own Elementary School." Readjusting a strap of my dress so that it fell like I wanted to, I turned to the left, made a step, then turned back to Sabine: "And if it is allowed, of course..."

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
"In a way, yes.", I replied to my fellow pirate, "We are part of the Tearmann Island's tourist attractions - you can hire us to 'raid'..." I made airquotes. "...your cruise liner or yacht or whatever for fun and profit, which is quite an interesting experience. Aside from that, we sometimes provide the day tours to the surrounding islands and diving spots." I shrugged. "With COVID going on, though, we have but little choice but to keep ourselves entertained in different ways - Macha and her little cruise came just at the right time."

[Alegeharia]

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia

Aither, the nonchalant panda he was looked over and simply waved at the new group. “Oh, hey, you’re here, did you find your way all right?” To the normal person, this seemed too relaxed of a posture, but for Aither this was just a formality, Zen and Tarlo had backed into shadows and was already positioning for possible enemy while Lyonas kept with Macha and her group. “Lady Macha, this here is the hmmm… Entourage? Of Eiko, a good friend of Malik. We met them at a beach festival some time ago and later at a masquerade ball.” He still thought it seemed pointless for them to have worn a mask then but malik was insistent on playing all the parts. “That ball was rather interesting, though everything to do with visiting other places have been thus far.” He then resumed chewing on the bamboo shoot that had been bouncing on his lips as he spoke.

Malik excused himself from Nia then bounded towards Eiko on all 4s as any puppy would pouncing onto the child giving him a big lick across the face.” EIKOOOO!!!” He exclaimed rather loudly not caring too much of the people probably surrounding him with weaponry. He was wagging too and fro as he relented and helped Eiko onto his feet. “How have you been my very fine friend?” He lowered his voice and got a little closer. “You and kasem celebrating and anniversary soon? I know quite a few places round here that are perfect for such occasions.” He giggled and backed up some turning back to Nia beckoning her to come over.

Sabine smiled and nodded, “of course we take a little tour, I am here to protect you after all, if you wish to take a tour it would be my pleasure.” Sabine started to walk in a direction then paused and turned around. “Is there a direction you would prefer to go?” She smiled then tilted her head, “this school reminds you of your old one? Is it… magical?” She asked trying to keep the tech protocol in place.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
Valen nodded. “Ah yes, the infection, it has not hit here, I doubt it ever will because of our isolationist ways. Though, its been dissolving slowly which is good. Malik has kept this kingdom in hiding for some time, but it is nice to see it starting to branch out soon.” He smiled. “Have you tried drunken sword throwing? On the ship no less?” He chirped in delight. “Nary a bolder time than betting on wobbly throws.”

[The Selkie]

Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia

Aither, the nonchalant panda he was looked over and simply waved at the new group. “Oh, hey, you’re here, did you find your way all right?” To the normal person, this seemed too relaxed of a posture, but for Aither this was just a formality, Zen and Tarlo had backed into shadows and was already positioning for possible enemy while Lyonas kept with Macha and her group. “Lady Macha, this here is the hmmm… Entourage? Of Eiko, a good friend of Malik. We met them at a beach festival some time ago and later at a masquerade ball.” He still thought it seemed pointless for them to have worn a mask then but malik was insistent on playing all the parts. “That ball was rather interesting, though everything to do with visiting other places have been thus far.” He then resumed chewing on the bamboo shoot that had been bouncing on his lips as he spoke.

Malik excused himself from Nia then bounded towards Eiko on all 4s as any puppy would pouncing onto the child giving him a big lick across the face.” EIKOOOO!!!” He exclaimed rather loudly not caring too much of the people probably surrounding him with weaponry. He was wagging too and fro as he relented and helped Eiko onto his feet. “How have you been my very fine friend?” He lowered his voice and got a little closer. “You and kasem celebrating and anniversary soon? I know quite a few places round here that are perfect for such occasions.” He giggled and backed up some turning back to Nia beckoning her to come over.

Sabine smiled and nodded, “of course we take a little tour, I am here to protect you after all, if you wish to take a tour it would be my pleasure.” Sabine started to walk in a direction then paused and turned around. “Is there a direction you would prefer to go?” She smiled then tilted her head, “this school reminds you of your old one? Is it… magical?” She asked trying to keep the tech protocol in place.

Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
Valen nodded. “Ah yes, the infection, it has not hit here, I doubt it ever will because of our isolationist ways. Though, its been dissolving slowly which is good. Malik has kept this kingdom in hiding for some time, but it is nice to see it starting to branch out soon.” He smiled. “Have you tried drunken sword throwing? On the ship no less?” He chirped in delight. “Nary a bolder time than betting on wobbly throws.”

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.
Aither introduced Milady Macha to Eiko and his entourage, who seemed to be very happy to see Eiko, even going as far as to nuzzle him with reckless abandon. I had the feeling which Beach Festival he meant... I had been sick with the flu back then, but that didn't stop me now - or would stop me when the next one came around.
Be that as it may be, upon Malik's sign, we advanced, Milady Macha letting me lead.
I bowed lightly to Eiko and his entourage.
"Hello.", I greeted politely, my cat ears high on my head, "I am Nia, Milady Macha's ward."
Milady Macha smiled behind me, I knew that: "Hello, there!", she greeted, "I am Macha - and I think, you know one of my lassies... Nolwenn Gluaisrothar, or Nolly, if you will."

Elin Blaidd, of Tralee Descent.
Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.
I pointed to the left: "How about that way?" After a few steps, I added: "And no, my old elementary school was not 'magical' by any stretch of the imagination - though, admittedly, it wasn't exactly a technological marvel either, seeing that we didn't even have a computer lab." I shrugged. "For a foal of six Springs, however, with much to learn about the world, however, that looked a bit differently. Through the lens of childlike wonder, everything is magic."

Siona Hawylio, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Aboard the Marcharnnau, docked in Celestial Ridge, Alegeharia.
I frowned.
"No, I have not tried drunken sword throwing - that would be irresponsible, especially at sea.", I replied sternly, folding my arms underneath my chest. "And I would have any of my sailors, who attempted this, flogged." I let those words handing for a moment, then added: "I have nothing against sober throwing of bladed things, though."
Someone from my crew giggled, I shrugged.

[Ezhara]

I was surprised...

Aither, the nonchalant panda he was looked over...

Tohru smiled as he watched Malik running towards them, while Eiko simply looked on — was he thinking of something else? Whatever the case, the dog bounding towards them was clearly exuberant to meet Eiko again, although the lack of action from his friend...
"I assume," Lady Murasaki began, "that you—"
Tohru turned as he watched Malik run past him. "Eiko, watch—"
"Wh—" The actor was cut off as Malik collided with him...
Tohru jumped back up as he watched the collision send Kasem, Darius, and Ayame backwards as well, with Murasaki catching the latter two in her arms, while Kasem caught a chair. "Och. Cannae be careful, doggy?" The redheaded artist looked down at Malik, one of his arms in front of Ayame. Cute.
"I mean, he is a dog," she said. "Maybe it's the catboy part of Eiko..."

"No." Murasaki stared ahead, taking in the sights and scenes, and Tohru followed her gaze. It was a lot like Ezhara, with so many kids trying to figure out their performances. Bit furrier, of course, but that hardly mattered; there was that same passionate energy.
"Seems to me," Murasaki, continued, "that he's just excited. As a friend."
Ayame looked ahead."I don't think I would ever bowl down big brother..."
"Eh, did have that one time you threatened tae, you know." Darius set his arm down and kicked forward. Ayame covered her smile; Tohru recalled that she had a bit of martial arts training, but her behavior when it came to using it wasn't nearly so... honorable.
"Let's not talk about that time, Dairy," she said as she looked towards the stage. "Oh, they have some sets. Think we could paint something for them?"
Tohru stepped towards Malik as he listened to Darius. "Eh, is prolly better than sitting around and doing nothing," he said. "Just gotta wait for the doggo to be done."

Tohru still had his staff in hand, but he held it pointing behind him: nothing threatening. He was simply observing the dog as he licked Eiko, half-expecting him to lie there in his adoration, or at least until Kasem's growing jealousy came to a head; Tohru could already see a hint of love-greed in the architect's eyes. Still, Malik helped Eiko up soon enough, at which point Tohru stepped back. The prince-puppy was simply radiating sunny energy, wasn't he? Whether that would be enough to unfreeze someone like Eiko was another matter, but perhaps this would be their chance.
Tohru heard the dog say something about an anniversary, but Eiko shook his head.
"No, no," the actor said. "It'll be a good few months before we celebrate anything."
"Why not celebrate just being here, Eiko?" Kasem said as he stepped back into the group. "You, me, a nice dinner, just the two of us without the others..." His voice was practically melting in infatuation. "Then—"
Eiko dismissively waved his hand. "We'll... we'll think about it later, okay? After the performance, and everything. Like how it usually is."

"No need to be such a workaholi—"
Eiko patted his boyfriend's head, ruffling his black curls. "We'll have time, Kasem. No need to worry."
Tohru glanced Eiko over. Something was building in the co-actor's heart. No need to worry? Plenty to worry whenever he said that, without fail. Always something to worry about, but in front of the kids... he'd have to confront Eiko about it later. Some break time, or back at the hotel, or—
He suddenly felt Darius staring at him; did he think there was something up? Tohru flashed a nervous smile back. The last thing he needed for this careful parlay was Darius's blunt attitude.

Aither introduced Milady Macha to Eiko and his entourage...

Eiko bowed back with the dignity of an ancient prince, although there was a flash of malaise at mention of the beach feast.
Behind him, Kasem perked up. "Cat... can you turn Eiko into a catboy?"
"Kasem!"
"Eh." Darius shrugged. "Is sound like it would be kinda cute."
Ayame reached into her bag, taking out the plushie of catboy Eiko and setting it on top of her head. Her brother pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have no idea why they'd think you could do that just because you have cat ears. But... more importantly, yes, I'm Eiko. Eiko Michori. Just an actor. The curly-haired idiot behind me is my friend—"
"Boyfrie—"

"Not near Ayame, Kasem." He paused. "The girl is my sister, Ayame, and the boy next to her is Darius Basho, both artists. Blondish guy with the staff is Tohru Huang, a co-actor friend of mine. He and I will be performing... eventually."
"Eiko," Tohru said, "what was that about the beach feast? And—"
The other adopted a soldier-like, firm dignity. "Nothing to be concerned about today."
"Are you sure?" Tohru stepped forward, staff in hand as he stared at Eiko, matching his friend's unwavering resolve.
"Oiya, Malik." Darius stepped between the two, and the boys turned away from each other visibly less tenser. "Think Yammy and I could help you folks paint a bit? Am more of a wotercolor fella, but I'll take what I can get." He took out his parasol-paintbrush. "If Oiko here's guest-starring, may as well get me involved, ah?"

[Alegeharia]

Malik Gave a quick nod and smiled. “Of course, my friend! Scottish right? By that accent id say somewhere in the northern highlands?” Malik was perhaps not the best assessor in voices but felt confident enough to attempt a guess. “Any help would be most appreciated; we are running close to the deadline and as you can see everyone has been very hard at work to get the stage ready.” He pointed back at the stage his tail wagging to and fro returning to see everyone else who had come.

Malik gives each person a quick hug and a handshake. “Welcome welcome! Another actor? Well call me lucky;” he looked to see Eiko stung just a tinge. “Ah yes the beach fest, its ok, honestly I think I got under that ‘man of the nights’ skin some, he seemed less real than you are at least.” He peered at eiko almost as if he could read his friends very soul. “Acting or not, you are more genuine than he could ever dream to be.” Malik nodded matter of factly, having adopted a more mature stance, his speech had slowed to show the dignity and grace of someone far older, which disappeared just as quick with a few giggles and a wagging tail. Just like everything else in this kingdom, there was more to the pup than what met the eye. There was a saying, that pain could recognize pain, but what could a happy go lucky puppy have so much pain from? Malik booped eiko gently. “Still with me?” He smiled chuckling lightly at Eiko’s distant gazes. “You kinda just zone out time to time too huh? Though mines from ADHD.” He giggled some more. At any rate, would anyone else like to help?” He smiled at the rest with big ol puppy eyes, tail wagging, ears twitching idly.

[The Selkie]

Malik Gave a quick nod and smiled. “Of course, my friend! Scottish right? By that accent id say somewhere in the northern highlands?” Malik was perhaps not the best assessor in voices but felt confident enough to attempt a guess. “Any help would be most appreciated; we are running close to the deadline and as you can see everyone has been very hard at work to get the stage ready.” He pointed back at the stage his tail wagging to and fro returning to see everyone else who had come.

Malik gives each person a quick hug and a handshake. “Welcome welcome! Another actor? Well call me lucky;” he looked to see Eiko stung just a tinge. “Ah yes the beach fest, its ok, honestly I think I got under that ‘man of the nights’ skin some, he seemed less real than you are at least.” He peered at eiko almost as if he could read his friends very soul. “Acting or not, you are more genuine than he could ever dream to be.” Malik nodded matter of factly, having adopted a more mature stance, his speech had slowed to show the dignity and grace of someone far older, which disappeared just as quick with a few giggles and a wagging tail. Just like everything else in this kingdom, there was more to the pup than what met the eye. There was a saying, that pain could recognize pain, but what could a happy go lucky puppy have so much pain from? Malik booped eiko gently. “Still with me?” He smiled chuckling lightly at Eiko’s distant gazes. “You kinda just zone out time to time too huh? Though mines from ADHD.” He giggled some more. At any rate, would anyone else like to help?” He smiled at the rest with big ol puppy eyes, tail wagging, ears twitching idly.

Nia Gwyalen, of Cefnffordd Descent.
Quetzalcoatl Elementary, Ichla’eon, Alegeharia.
Malik greeted the other guests quickly and with excitement, taking a special liking to Eiko - he did look cute, though, and a lot like a troubled soul. Milady Macha's smile dimmed for a moment as she regarded him.
That being said, when Malik asked, if anyone wanted to help, I nodded and stepped forward: "I would like to help, if there is anything I can do.", I offered with a small smile, knowing, that Milady Macha was thinking for a moment herself.
The older Spiorad then decided to let the Children's Festival be about the children and their achievements - and she was not a child anymore.
She would most likely join the chaperone of Eiko and his crew in watching (if said chaperone watched, too).

[Ezhara]

Malik Gave a quick nod and smiled. “Of course, my friend! Scottish right? By that accent id say somewhere in the northern highlands?” Malik was perhaps not the best assessor in voices but felt confident enough to attempt a guess. “Any help would be most appreciated; we are running close to the deadline and as you can see everyone has been very hard at work to get the stage ready.” He pointed back at the stage his tail wagging to and fro returning to see everyone else who had come.

Malik gives each person a quick hug and a handshake. “Welcome welcome! Another actor? Well call me lucky;” he looked to see Eiko stung just a tinge. “Ah yes the beach fest, its ok, honestly I think I got under that ‘man of the nights’ skin some, he seemed less real than you are at least.” He peered at eiko almost as if he could read his friends very soul. “Acting or not, you are more genuine than he could ever dream to be.” Malik nodded matter of factly, having adopted a more mature stance, his speech had slowed to show the dignity and grace of someone far older, which disappeared just as quick with a few giggles and a wagging tail. Just like everything else in this kingdom, there was more to the pup than what met the eye. There was a saying, that pain could recognize pain, but what could a happy go lucky puppy have so much pain from? Malik booped eiko gently. “Still with me?” He smiled chuckling lightly at Eiko’s distant gazes. “You kinda just zone out time to time too huh? Though mines from ADHD.” He giggled some more. At any rate, would anyone else like to help?” He smiled at the rest with big ol puppy eyes, tail wagging, ears twitching idly.

"Ah, am not a Scot," Darius said. "Er, not that I know who they are."
Ayame tilted her head, trying to recall something. "Must be someone from far away... dinnae remember." Her friend stared at her for her mockery, but she simply smiled. "But, um, did we bring art supplies?"
"Bah, we'll take from their stock, if that's no much of an issue, princey?" Darius turned to Malik, then nodded at his response and left with Ayame in tow, talking to her. "Well, Yammy, am no used to deadlines or anything not a watercolor, really, but think we can work quickly enough to make it work."
"Yeah, just check me colors."

Eiko, meanwhile, listened to what Malik was saying, about the beach feast, Kaz, the way the puppy-prince flitted freely between a child-like joy and eldritch knowledge, almost like himself and the dutiful solemnity of some of his characters and... was it strange not to have a character for happiness? There was his catboy form, but that was just an advertisement. Corporate nonsense, nothing meaningful behind it except to advertise a brand of luxury cat food in malls all across Ezhara. Hardly a character that could take his place among the others and understand his happiness through a happy background and happy mentality. It wasn't that he didn't know how to feel it — being with Kasem...
Eiko glanced back at him, at the furious envy within his barely-covered smile. A good expression to mimic in something, if it ever came up.
But, that description, of being genuine... Well, acting was always his genuine self, wasn't it? Every character represented a little piece of him. It was just a simple puzzle, at most, to reconstruct him from the bits that he threw around as his facades.

And if people couldn't quite piece it all together... well, he never called himself friendly. It seemed hard to have that level of energy that other teens his age had.
"I guess I do zone out sometimes, yeah..." Eiko said. "But I don't have any reason I can think of for it. I just do, I guess. Now, can you please let me get up?" Once Malik obliged, Eiko continued. "As for help, Tohru and I can help with everyone's acting. Kasem..." Eiko tilted his head at his boyfriend, who smiled and seemed about ready to run towards whatever order he'd be given. "I'm not sure where his architectural prowess—"
"If there's any buildings to design in the background or anything like that, just give me some time, and I can make it happen really easily, trust me, I'm a Talent-Architect," he said, beaming.
"Important to know," Eiko said, "Kasem is, um, bui—"
The boy dashed into Eiko and hugged him, glaring at Malik. "I'm not that into buildings!" His gaze softened to quiet adoration as he turned up. "Not as much as I'm into Ei—"

'But yeah." The actor gently shoved his hand into Kasem's head. "If you need help..." He shoved harder now, but his beloved pushed back. "For acting, Tohru and I can teach and guide them around. And Lady Murasaki..." He waved his free hand in a circle, trying to think of some sort of compliment or asset for her.
She blinked and nodded, folding her umbrella away and putting it to her side. "I'm only their chaperone," she said, her solemn gaze resting on Malik. "They will do just fine without my intervention." With that, she gave a slight smile.
"If it's fine with our host, I'll just wait here, among the seats. I do not " If allowed, she would slip into the nearest theater seat and stay there, surveying the theater, saying nothing, as the rest of her charges would join Malik, wherever he might point them.
Her middle-aged face as she watched and waited was not of displeasure, nor of happiness, not of work, nor of relaxation. It was an impartial look, one that revealed nothing except that she was there, that she was awake, that she was not uninterested at least.
But no matter — she was merely Eiko's agent. Important, no doubt, but not the focus.