The Yacht and the King (Meillur Only)

[Rhine-East Berlin]

Estelle laughed, covering her mouth. She imaged Mark trying to knock a flock of drones buzzing outside a office port window out of the air and the mental picture was hilarious. She leaned against the railing and nodded. “I am fine with going back inside. It’s a bit chilling and it’s getting dark.”

The princess pushed herself off the railing, her arm accidentally knocking her glass off of the railing, sending it falling into the waves. She whipped to try and catch it, but was too late. “Oh dear. I’m so sorry.”

[Greater Monera]

He shook his Grand and said “No, it is fine, it was just an accident” he then removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders, and said “I cal always just get another glass, and it won’t poison anything”

He then said “Besides, I would rather that a glass fall in the water than a princess, one is quite replaceable, but the other is irreplaceable”

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Charlotte found herself shaking her head as she learned of the injustice not only Axel and his family faced, but also faced by royal women in that country. It was so unfair to give something to a boy just because they had a penis. To her, if it wasn't going to be about first come first served - seniority - then it should at least be about merit. In this case, though she knew little of the political situation in his country, it seemed Axel's mother had been wronged on both of those factors.

""It infuriates me that not even the most privileged members of society get to share equality between the sexes in some countries." she huffed. "And all those bullshit rules so they can hand it to a woman anyway, yet one who isn't even a part of the proper family." Charlotte finished her drink quickly, aided by her petty frustrations. If royal women weren't going to be treated fairly in places, then what hope did the commoners have? She looked up for the nearest new drink, and spotted the Enrieta that she hadn't threatened earlier. She was in half a mind to see some more of her, yet did not immediately go and seek her out, not at least in the middle of a conversation, not without finding a reasonable point to finish her contributions to it.

Emily too sensed his bitterness, and felt it was justified having just had to put up with the experience of Auriane a few minutes prior. In her teenage years she might have felt bad about the way she had interacted with someone in charge of a country, but she was going to be twenty five this summer. Instead it was the kind of thing that she found the humour in, it wasn't like she regretted giving Auriane a little taste of her bitchy flavoured medicine in return.

"I'm sorry to hear about your cousin." she said softly. "And not sorry in the slightest that I don't think me and her got on." Emily said that last bit with a little smile.

[Catorana]

Marie-Sofie and Lucia drifted across the ballroom, the princess not even catching sight of the arrival of her cousin Oskar, the heir presumptive of the throne of Naterasse, Marie-Sofie was first cousins with half of the heirs to thrones on Natera, and that wasn't even an exaggeration. She and Lucia did spot Axel Peltier, another, albeit much more distant, cousin of hers, but he looked like he was gossiping with two other women, so Marie-Sofie decided not to interrupt. She was trying to pick together who was who. Outside of the Continent, she was absolutely loss as to who these people were.

Lucia, a bit less interested in the who's who of guests, meanwhile followed a tray of yet another food group that she couldn't have imagined in Catorana, and while it might as well have been from an alien world, it was scrumptious, though less so than the tentacle. When she caught up to the tray she found herself bumping into a another woman.

"Oh, sorry. My bad, are you okay?"

Whilst the girls were on their quest for food, Mikael was trapped on his strange journey across the ballroom by his handsome captor. His face was burning pink at the man's comment, which was truly uncalled for. He and Mikael were truly out matched when it came to things like that, and Mikael had to admit that the handsome man, who he now observed from behind as he limply followed him was like a statue come to life, like one of Osterrson's angels in crop top. He was terribly mean and rude, but yet there was a playfulness to his tone that prevented Mikael from getting mad.

Mikael struggled to get his words out once again, which felt infinitely more difficult. "I'm not gay." He said tentatively. His heart pounded in his chest. At least he hadn't been before tonight.

[Rhine-East Berlin]

Estelle looked up at King Mark with wide eyes, a blush rising on her pale cheeks at his actions, which were so commonly seen as a romantic gesture. Her blush only grew at his words on what was replaceable and what was not. She had never been told that she was irreplaceable, being one of over twenty children she had never felt irreplaceable. Estelle looked away from King Mark, brushing her fingers through her hair as she looked down at the ground.

"Your words are too much Your Majesty."

[Greater Monera]

Mark noticed the blush that had appeared on the princess’ face and smiled before saying “Perhaps” he then said “But it does not make my words any less true, the glass was at best made by hand in a workshop, and more likely made in a factory. While possibly pricey for a glass, it has price on it in the first place, and another like it could easily be bought. However it is not possible to create another person, while cloning may be a thing, cloning a body is not the same as creating a copy of a person, you cannot, as far as I am aware, clone someone’s soul” he then said “as such, if something were to happen to you there would be no way to replace you”

He looked her in the eyes the best he could and said “And your loss would leave another shadow that this world does not need”

[Garianlles]

Queen Clothilde of Garianlles looked as if she had stepped off a Vanessa run-way and into the party in Monera. As Queen of Garianlles, she only wore Garianallese designers, so today she wore Miralles couture off the shoulder pink dress with silk flowers embroidered with rubies taken from the Queen Beatrice Ruby Tiara that Clothilde had had dismantled andrecycled into the jewels for this dress, and her matching ruby bracelets and earrings. A golden belt went around her waist and gold heels graced her feet. Queen Clothilde, 27, was an attractive young woman, with a long neck and oval shaped face, her eyes a mahogany brown and her skin a light olive color, small lips and with shoulder length hair that she always wore in a simple bun.

Behind Clothilde came the middle age Joacim XII, Duke of Molander, first cousin-once-removed from the Queen and head of the House of Molander, which had its origins as a branch from the Garianlles Royal Family in the early 18th Century and had become the ruling House through a cadet branch in Mausstyne in the late 20th Century. Joacim was officially there as Queen Clothilde’s escort, tasked with making sure she was happy and safe by her husband the King, who ever cared for parties. The Duke was dressed casually in linen pants, shirt and a sportscoat, taking a glass of champagne as he walked in.

Behind the Duke of Molander came Lady Alizia Astiz, of the Cadet Branch of the Astiz-Westrik of the Garianallese Royal Family. Lady Alizia was not only a woman of royal blood, but a celebrity in Garianlles for her role as Violeta on the hit telenovela ‘Kingpin en Tacones’. She was petite, with tan olive skin and dark brown eyes, and a small perfect nose that her father bought for her on her 16th birthday, and had large breasts, that she had bought for herself last Christmas. She wore a tightly fitting emerald green Santa Anna y Discromanda dress with shiny gold buttons going down the front of it, her long black hair with an ombré falling well pass her shoulders and with large multicolor stone hoop earrings and matching cavalry necklace, with laced black sandal heels showing off her well manicure toes, each nail a different color on the rainbow.

[Mausstyne]

Axel smiled, seeing clearly that he had swayed the two women to agree in seeing his own victimization in what he saw as the injustice down on him by his cousin and the laws of Mausstyne. There was no law that said that a woman couldn't rule, there had in fact been an entire century and decade where succession sovereign princesses had ruled after one another, but those had been only children or eldest among sisters. But still boys took precedent. Axel didn't like this, perhaps not because he felt it was unfair to the sexes, but because it disadvantage him. After, he wasn't a Molander, though he at least was the son of one.

"You shouldn't be." Axel said to Emily in her statement of being not sorry for getting along with Auriane. "I don't believe anyone in the family likes her." He didn't mention the fact that 'the family' only comprised, of those who were of any importance, were only his branch and Auriane's children. He couldn't even speak for his mother Paulette, who while disapproved of some of Auriane's actions, had resigned to her fate to never sit on the throne as long as her brother's line lived. "It is a horribly unfair practice, and to think that in 2086 most of the Continent still promotes male primogeniture."

"Alas. The world is unfair and rewards the unjust."

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Charlotte nodded. No one in their right mind could dispute that sometimes the way of the world was to fuck you over no matter what, and that people rarely got what they deserved.

"Rulers talk about promoting a more inclusive and just society, yet even so many of them would not be willing to make that small sacrifice to make things fair just at the highest level."

It wasn't even that changing the rules would particularly disadvantage them - their descendants would still get whatever all the same - and in fact, would do more to prevent their House from losing their grip on power, as they wouldn't be all out of luck trying to pin their hopes on a boy. She leaned in closer to him as she practically lowered her voice to a whisper.

"If she were to have an accident, that wouldn't put you all in a better place, would it?"

Emily shook her head, giving her sister a disapproving look. She was good at hearing quiet sounds when she properly listened, it was quite a key component of being a musician at times.

"Oh come on Emily." Charlotte continued, her voice picking up again in volume. "It's just a bit of hypothetical fun."

[Cinyras]

Enríkos let out another laugh at Mikael. He looked at him with a bemused glance as he stirred them over to where Kitti and another women were getting their drinks. Enríkos hadn’t considered what Mikael’s sexuality was, and hadn’t really cared. “That’s fine. I’m not gay either.”

Enríkos said, trying to sound reassuringly, though he couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“And just so you know, being straight isn’t an excuse for sucking. If it was, it would be such a tragic world to live in.” Enríkos finished his sentence as she reached Kitti. He would very much like to do much more than give a heart beat kiss like he’d give Mikael and Estelle with her. He, with his free hand, took hers and kissed it gently.

“My little kitten, aren’t you looking refreshed.”

Meanwhile, Enrieta turned around to find that the person who had bumped into her. She let her eyes examine the woman, recognizing her from a poster that the King has in his car wing, where he kept his various different collectors sports cars. She smiled, trying to recall her name.

“Ah, you look familiar.”

[Mausstyne]

Axel’s eyes widen in shock at Charlotte’s words, a bit taken a back. He shifted nervously, he didn’t like Auriane but he had never before consider such a dark... hypothetical before. He relaxed a bit which Emily shot her sister that look and Charlotte reassured them that it was a joke, his smile a bit weaken, but remaining. Though in the back of his mind, deep down to where he perhaps didn’t even realize it quite yet, Charlotte’s words had planted a small seed.

“Ha. Yes. A bit of hypothetical fun. Though, you know, some mind exercises should perhaps be best left alone in the mind. Especially when thrones are involved.”

Axel said cautiously, though he laughed as if he had told a joke.

Meanwhile, Auriane was stalking her prey like a lioness on the savanna. She had spotted the King of Cinyras speaking with some other woman and man over by the drinks and was trying to casually make her way over to her celebrity crush. She didn’t want go directly over and seem like she wanted to speak with him, which she totally did, but make it seem cool and casual. This, the Dowager Princess inched her way closer and closer over to the group.

[Catorana]

Lucia raised a slight hand in order to show that was sorry about her bumping into her. Marie-Sofía meanwhile stood quietly watching from the sidelines, still munching on a tentacle as properly as a princess could eat such a brightly colored piece of exotic and non-Catorish type of food under the circumstances. Lucia briefly looked over the woman who claimed to find her familiar, searching herself in the smaller woman’s features for a similar sign of familiarity but could not find it. She found that she meet a lot of people and saw a lot of people. It would be completely illogical for her to remember everyone she came in contact with, but she wanted to try her best as not to seem rude. Lucia spoke softly, trying to come off apologetically as she decided to introduce herself.

“Forgive me. I didn’t see you there. I am Lucia. Lucia Jacobsson.” Lucia said, shaking the other woman’s hand. “I am afraid that I do not remember if we have meet.”

As Lucia was introducing herself to she chuckled. “You know, most people barely notice me which I’m not a blur.”

While Lucia was joking with one of the party guests, Mikael was trying to figure out the newest addition to an audience to the strange spectacle that he had unwittingly found himself having had fallen into. He wanted to shoot back that he hadn’t meant to give an excuse for his skills with his mouth, and to ask why exactly had this man kissed him the if he wasn’t gay. And why did he still hold his had. Ugh. The thought alone made Mikael feel like a child. He was a grown man! He should be this tongue tied, even if he wasn’t an social butterfly. But Mikael’s protests remained unspoken, and he quietly decided that he wouldn’t be the one to pull away fro the man.

Mikael did let his eyes look towards the “little kitten” that the man, what exactly was his name, had starting talking to. She was quite beautiful, hr thought mutely.

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Charlotte flashed Axel a quick wink as he repeated that it was a bit of hypothetical fun. Like sure, it was hypothetical... but also entirely possible.

"Charlotte has always been one to take full advantage of her right to say whatever she pleases." Emily explained, with a smile that radiated resignation, that she had long had to accept and tolerate that Charlotte was not your usual polite princess, though of course Emily did actually love that about her deep down. She looked across at Charlotte, who always gave her a funny look whenever she talked about her directly in front of her, and Emily's smile grew.

"Some mind exercises are best left purely in the mind, but some ideas are best when they're actually executed in the real world." Charlotte reasoned, very deliberately choosing that particular verb. "I feel there's never a certain way to tell, and besides, murder can be a great bonding experience." she chuckled, making her sister roll her eyes, something that she made her do a lot.

[Polonge]

Kitti smiled at Enríkos as the handsome monarch kissed her hand, downing the last of her cold drink even as a fresh wave of warmth came over her. She had to force herself to take calm and deep breathes as the familiar flowery smell of Enríkos once again assaulted her nose. Part of her though that maybe if she could stick her nose in her glass then perhaps she could keep the smell out and keep herself in check. The rest of her brain wanted her to toss the glass and grab the King of Cinyras and commandeer the nearest room on this massive yacht for the rest of the night. In the battle between these two parts, one was very near to winning out.

“You return to me so soon Your Majesty. I’d be careful. Some of the other ladies might get jealous of me. And you know how vicious we girls can be over a man.”

Kitti looked to the man that Enríkos had in tow and mistook him for the Kaiser of Rhine-East Berlin for a moment. No, this boy was younger and there was a pinkness to his face that she couldn’t ever be imagined in the face of one of the Prussian Emperors.

“Who is your friend?”

[Cinyras]

Enríkos chuckled at Kitti’s warning. It had taken him years to realize that such a thing could happen, women fighting one another over someone. So many people heard of and thought of men as the competing brutes, which Enríkos had to agree they totally were. However woman could be just as brutish or more. They often did it in a different manner than men. But sure they realized that there would always be enough Enríkos to go around. He did try to make that abundantly clear, and yet still.

Enríkos however was a bit surprised by Kitti’s question of whatever the man’s name was.,Enríkos had briefly forgotten that he was even there. He had stopped whining and questioning him, and with that the king had stopped caring. He looked back at the taller man and was surprised to see the man standing ever so obediently and silent holding on to him despite his earlier flustered declaration. Had Enríkos caused that much questioning into him.

Enríkos suddenly realized he stood between the two, one hand holding onto the other and had to smother another evil smirk. He looked back at Kitti, playful and light hearted as he spoke to the noble princess.

“It seems that I’ve brought my little kitten a little puppy playmate.” He paused momentarily as he spotted over Kitti’s shoulder a woman creeping towards them, but for the moment ignored it. Instead he pulled the two together and let them go to allow for them to introduce themselves. “I do hope you two get along. For my sake.”

[Polonge]

Kitti looked curiously at Enríkos before turning to smirk at Mikael. She was still trying to get used to the animal loving monarch’s nickname for her. She took the Catorish man’s hand and gave a small curtsy, playful and sweet rather than formal.

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Kitti.” She winked “ Do not worry, I won’t bite unless you want me to.”

[Mausstyne]

Axel nodded in agreement, his shock kind of Charlotte's hypothetical instead becoming now a silent intense interest in a hypothetical blueprint. "I suppose it can be. Nothing keeps people together like a mutual enemy, and a group effort crime."

Axel looked over to Emily with a smile. "But in theory of course. But I think ever phone had thought on such theories at one point or another." He looked back at Charlotte and then bs k to Emily. "Some people are just bold enough to say. Bold indeed."

Axel paused for a moment and pondered. "In a, how you say? Mental excerise. How, just hypothetically would you kill a person? I wonder, as I have heard that some people have murder mystery parties like this, showing theories and showing how to solve it, and your statements make me wonder how interesting such an experience would be."

[Rhine-East Berlin]

Estelle looked into King Mark's eyes, surprised at the gentle and surprisingly kind statement on her behalf of the world that they both existed in that where there were so many shadows that existed. Estelle would not have thought that she left any shadow over the globe, too small and insignificant for any to take notice.

"Your Majesty..."

Estelle hesitated, her words trailing off as she looked away from the monarch, staring down into his chest.

"I do not know what to say to that. It is too poetic and it is not my mind to think of my place of light and dark in the tapestry of the world. I am perhaps not replaceable, but so many are not as well. No glass can be fixed, no person copied. Do not think to muse on my uniqueness, or you will arouse emotions out of me."

[Greater Monera]

Mark smiled and said “But that uniqueness is what makes you such a wonderful person.” He then said “Without uniqueness, what would be the point of having different names, there wouldn’t be, we would be little different from a school of fish” he then said “ The wind propels us all on our own paths, each one important in its own way”

He then said “You, Estelle, have a path of your own, and it is up to you, not anyone else, wether you follow it, or try to create a different route.” He then smiled and said “Everyone needs to take a detour sometimes”

[Rhine-East Berlin]

Estelle looked away from the King of Monera, holding his jacket closer to her. She felt slightly dizzy, though she decided to blame that on her vodka intake. Yet still she for a moment pondered that perhaps the warmth that burned through her veins was perhaps not alchol, but something else. "I warn you Your Majesty, you may not know what your words bring."

Suddenly Estelle whipped back around to look at King Mark. "The wind blows us, and yet we must make our own paths, though we may be blow off course. And what if my wind blew me south, my detour took me to Monera?" Estelle place a hand on the monarch's shoulder hesitant, looking away once more. "Would it be so terrible to be strand on such shores?"

[Greater Monera]

He smiled and said “I don’t know, but I am willing to discover the unknown”

He felt her hand on his shoulder, and placed his own hand on hers and said “Sometimes being stranded is a a chance to discover something that had previously been a mystery” he then said “Wether it be a good thing or a bad thing is often up to the one that is stranded” he then said lBut no one ever said you had to be stranded alone”

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Charlotte grew intrigued by Axel's seemingly growing interest in the idea she had brought up to him, and she was more than happy to continue talking about such a topic. It wasn't often that it was a conversational topic shared between peers and well, she felt it might be interesting to explore further.

"There's too many methods to list in one attempt." Charlotte countered him, her grin growing. "I could tell you all about some of them, but that would probably end up amounting to spending a few hours in a more secluded room. Which, coincidentally, is also a better place to commit murder as well as discussing it."

"Now those statements make me wonder how much of an interesting experience that would be." Emily said, raising an eyebrow at her younger sister before a little laugh.

[Rhine-East Berlin]

Estelle smiled. “I do not wish to be stranded alone. Though I think in this moment, I know who I would wish to be at my side on the wet sand of an undiscovered island.” The princess smirked, more to herself than to Mark. “Now, back inside we go, right?”

[Greater Monera]

Mark smiled and said “of course” he then offered her his arm and said “Would you like to join me? Perhaps we can discover some interesting things”

[Rhine-East Berlin]

Estelle wrapped her around around the King of Monera’s offered armed, allowing for him to support her as they walked inside.

“Of course Your Majesty. We shall discover them together.”