N:   "But you see," Johann pointed out, "a prankster never reveals his secrets."

"He was going to make a map where he hid people's belongings, so they had to find them," Heinrich answered instead, "they will find it but they would also be greeted by the animal they fear."

"Heinzzzz," the Mandorian whined, arms crossed in annoyance, much to the amusement of Wolfgang. The Mandorian looked around the room, repeated the same gesture Mandoria did towards Wolfgang, but then smiled, "Saxon is not here, so we can do it on him. I was going to do it on Father but I think he would turn back into an angry bird if he did."

Johann walked up to Askad and asked, "Could you, since Saxon doesn't know the plan, turn into a snake since he's scared of snakes."

M:   Askad raised a brow but also had a mischievous smirk, his tail rattling slightly in intrigue. Without saying a word, he shifted into his snake form, though he was still the size of an alligator.

"Askad, what did we talk about with you and Saxon," Uskaine said sternly, "you can't go near him looking like that."

"He's right," Esha agreed, but then smiled, "You should be smaller, Saxon will know it's you when you're that big and won't get scared."

Askad nodded and shrunk down to a normal, though slightly larger, rattlesnake size, much to the dismay of his mate.

"Sssso, what do you wissssh me to do," Askad asked, slithering up to Johann to be picked up, "and are you ssssure that I will not be sssstepped on."

N:   "If everything goes smoothly, you won't," Johann reassured Askad, gently picking him up and scratching right under his chin, "but you're a cute snake, aren't you?"

"The last thing you would do is call an Eternal 'cute'," Wolfgang spoke, "especially one who turns into a huge reptile." After a moment he added, "Jo, what did you take from Saxon."

"Mmh, oh, just his lyre," the Mandorian replied while he was half-busy petting Askad. The rest of the Saxons just looked at the Mandorian as if he was crazy and it took a while for Alaric to speak up.

"You're telling me," Alaric said, "that you took the entity's prized possession for this petty prank of yours."

"First of all, it's not petty," Johann frowned, "and second, that's the whole point. If he doesn't care about it, he won't find it," then he turned to Askad, "All you have to do is sneak from above on a beam or off to the side and jump scare him. His lyre is hidden in the library so let's gooo." With that, Johann sprinted off to the library.

M:   "Oh boy, this sounds like it will be interesting," Neflen announced, "why don't we have ourselves a front-row seat."

He motioned for everyone to gather near him as he cast a spell, a magic-made viewing screen appeared in front of them and played Askad's perspective.

"After the fall of the colony, we took it upon ourselves to become spiritually connected," Odrus explained, "that way if one of us is in trouble then the others will know about it and come to help, it also gives us the perk of tapping into each other's point of view and watching what they are seeing."

"Hang on a second, I'm going to go get the others," Esha declared, "I know England and Celtica for sure will want to see this." And she ran off to bring the other countryhumans.

N:   The rest of the countryhumans, minus Wren, were at the main entrance, where some were trying to convince Ireland to stay but others were not exactly helping.

"- it would make no difference if he left or not," BE spoke, "he can go back to his 'home'," before getting wing slapped by Wales.

"He's our brother, Albion," the draconic country said firmly, "and we shouldn't push him away."

"The prodigal son can go as he wishes," England said as he narrowed his eyes at the Irishman, "since it seems like he really wants to."

"And you can shut your fucking mouth before I'll do it for you," Scotland snapped. The four of them, but not much Wales, kept on arguing among themselves, so Celtica ushered Ireland away so she could talk to him without them.

"If you want to go, nothing is stopping you," she said softly, but then smiled, "but don't forget to keep in touch with your Grandma, wee Ire."

"If you keep on calling me that, then I'll definitely leave," Ireland half joked and he nodded, "I won't forget, and I'll come over for Yule." The Celt nodded and was about to send off Ireland when she saw Esha running towards them.

———

Arriving at the library, Johann showed where the lyre was hidden, sandwiched right in between two large books. Above them was a beam that connected the two bookshelves, so the Mandorian stretched so that Askad could climb onto it.

"Just like I said, find a way to jump-scare him," Johann said, and he was so excited he couldn't keep still, "let me call him."  Johann sprinted out, not before being told to be quiet by one of the servants, in search of the entity.

M:   Thanks to Esha's draconic hearing, she could hear the Brits arguing, and was not happy about that at all, so when she approached them she was actually stomping angrily.

"Oh no you don't," she spat, "I heard what was just said and I will not have any of it, no one is leaving while this kind of hostility is brewing," she coiled her tail around Ireland's waist and picked him up so he couldn't leave, "and that is not a suggestion either, that is very much an order, and none of you want to know what happens to those who disobey my orders."

She calmed her breathing and stored her anger for later, "However, that is not why I'm here, there is a development going on in the dining room, I do not want to spoil it, I will only say that it involves Saxon, Johann, and Askad in his snake form, now follow."

She then turned and headed back inside, still holding Ireland in her tail so he couldn't leave.

N:   "Hey," Ireland yelled as he tried to free himself, "let me go," but his cries fell on deaf ears as he was lifted away.

"Saxon and snakes," England said with interest as he began to follow, "I would very much want to see what will unfold."

"And you don't care that Esha has our son," Scotland growled as he marched up beside him.

"I see this as a win-win," the Englishman shrugged. The Scotsman was about to lunge at his husband before Celtica barged through between them, slapping them both upside the head.

"The both of you are not to utter a word," she ordered calmly, continuing to walk off, "you're giving everyone a headache." The pair turned to see Wales fly above them before landing beside the Celt and walking beside her.

From afar, Wren heard bits and pieces of what was happening, but usually when it came to the British family's drama, she learned to zone them out. However, what Esha said piqued her interest, so she left the pile of broken dummies and headed to the dining hall.

———

On their walk towards the library, Johann was trying to keep up a conversation with Saxon, and the more they, or specifically the human, spoke, the more he became suspicious.

"So," Johann said, "I was interested in our history and I wanted to know more about the Saxon lyre, so I went over to this section when I found yours."

The entity raised a brow, "And how exactly did it end up there," but the Mandorian shrugged as he sped walk towards the trap, and as they passed the dining hall door, he noticed that people were huddling around something, but he ignored it for the time being and followed after the Mandorian.

M:   Askad waited patiently for Johann to bring Saxon, he was well aware that his friends were watching through his eyes, he wouldn't expect any less of them, so he formulated how he would scare the head of insurgents while giving everyone the best view possible.

When Johann and Saxon finally came in he stayed as still as a corpse, waiting for the absolute perfect opportunity to get the loudest scream out of his victim. Finally, when the entity came forward and grabbed his lyre with one hand, Askad jumped and landed on his arm, opening his mouth wide with a loud hiss and baring his fangs, rattling his tail for added measure.

N:   To say Saxon's scream could be heard throughout the compound would have been an understatement, to the point where Johann wondered how a man like Saxon could have the largest lungs and utter a noise so high-pitched.

The entity immediately dropped his lyre, and luckily Johann was able to catch it, and shook off Askad, and as quick as physically possible, was clinging upside down from the beam, shaking vigorously from fear. His eyes darted from one corner to another, worried that any more snakes would pop out of existence when he felt the beam creak. Realizing too late that the beam couldn't support his weight, the wooden plank gave way and he fell a meter or two to the ground with a solid thud.

"Was zum Teufel war das, Johann (what the fuck was that Johann)," he shouted although his voice was shaky, and he turned to see the Mandorian only for the young man to be on his hands and knees dying of laughter. Only then did he notice a loud roar of laughter coming from down the corridor.

M:   Askad was laughing his scaly ass off too, rolling around and trying to keep from peeing himself. He eventually calmed down enough to shift back into his normal form and pick Saxon up in his coils.

"You, my friend, have made my entire century," he laughed, resting his head on the terrified entity's shoulder since he was still recovering himself, "and I think you made everyone else's century too."

With a flick of his hand, he pulled up his own viewing screen to connect to Neflen's, where it showed everyone in the dining room, either on the floor or slumped against each other. He pulled Saxon in like he was taking a selfie and waved at everyone, "Say hello to everyone, and goodbye to your dignity, dear Saxon."

N:   Saxon was too stunned to speak, watching in horror as everyone was laughing at him. Feeling downright humiliated and shamed, he roughly pushed off Askad and stood up, brushing out any creases in his clothes. Wordlessly, he grabbed his lyre and marched out of the door, still shaken by the experience.

"Nein, Saxon wait," Johann cried out through tears but he still struggled to breathe as he continue to laugh.

The entity ignored them, ignored every single person who chuckled at the sight of him, and headed straight to the Royal Mews. Reaching his horse, he got the stallion ready and rode off to the nearby town, wanting to separate himself from the place.

Meanwhile, Wren just missed what happened, as she opened the dining hall doors she saw everyone laughing. Saxon's scream caused her to get a slight headache, and the laughter didn't help with it, so she just left instead. Seeing the entity ride off to the town, she narrowed her eyes in confusion as she leaped and took off after him.

M:   Everyone was too busy laughing to care about where Saxon stormed off to, except for one, the only other person who didn't see what happened. Odrus had a keen sense of feeling other people's emotions, another thing that helps him "see" the world around him, so all he felt was the sorrow and humiliation that Saxon felt, it didn't sit right with him.

When no one was looking, Odrus snuck over to the broken window from before and shifted into a magpie, taking off into the sky to follow the hurt entity.

N:   The nearby town was full of taverns and inns, suitable for any weary traveler coming though, and since it was nearing midday, Wren struggled to land where it wasn't crowded. She lost sight of Saxon and only his horse was in view, and the number of people made her slightly claustrophobic as she couldn't stretch out her wings.

Heading to a quieter spot, she closed her eyes and tried to focus, to zone into anything that could lead to Saxon. After a moment, she was going to give up from the amount of noise from the crowd when she picked up something and immediately followed it.

It eventually lead her to a tavern called The Rose and slowly opened the door. Right against the side was the entity sitting at a table, his lyre in hand as he absentmindedly plucked at the strings, gradually emitting a somber tune that quietened the already half-empty room.

Not wanting to disturb, she just sat down afar off and watched the performance.

M:   Odrus had an easier time finding Saxon, his spirit was very easy to spot for many reasons, it was getting to him that was the problem. He knew he couldn't get into the tavern as a bird, and he'd be damned if he tried to go in as his normal form, so he was going to try something he'd never done before.

He landed on a lampost near the tavern and simply observed, watching and studying the human spirits below, though it was hard to ignore the countless deceased spirits wandering the streets too.

Once he was sure he had enough information, especially after he spotted a fellow blind person, he flew into an alleyway to change. He shifted into a red-headed gentleman with a small mustache, he wore his ordinary clothes but also sported a long cloak and had bandages covering his eyes, both to hide his gray eyes and to also make people more careful around him so he didn't have to interact too much.

Using a cane he really didn't need, he walked across the street and entered the tavern, and just as he suspected, the humans would step out of his way without a word, allowing him to sit at a table near Wren, though didn't acknowledge her so not to draw attention to himself.

N:   Wren was focused on Saxon so she didn't register Odrus beside her except folding in her wings to give him some space. Once the entity was finished, there was a small applause from the small group around him but soon they were back to whatever they were doing and the entity came and sat beside the hybrid.

"I heard your shout back in the compound," Wren began after a pause, and she raised her hand for the waiter to serve them drinks, "seems like you got yourself into a pickle."

"When a damn Eternal changes into a snake and scares you," Saxon muttered quietly so someone doesn't accidentally overhear him, "it is not exactly what you expect on a fine morning." When the hybrid hummed in agreement he asked, "Why would you care?"

"Not all of us hybrids are Roman Empire," she stated, "secondary alters are not all emotionless, methodical beings, we just find it hard to express our emotions unless it's extreme." She paused a bit as the waiter served her whiskey and the entity beer. "You've met my mother, and you saw how she wanted me to do better, but all humans come to an end and she did her best. When she gave Will and I to your and Anglo's care, she told us to look out for you two the same way you did for us."

"She's one smart woman," Saxon chuckled to himself as he randomly plucked a string.

While they talked, Royal, since she wasn't in control, used her time to observe the place, and when she saw the person sitting next to them. She was curious about the person since she didn't recognize a person with bandages on their face would be pretty recognizable. Wondering for their safety, she began to tell Wren that there was an unrecognized person next to them.

After a few minutes of nagging, Wren growled in annoyance and sighed, "Fine, I'll ask." Turning to the human, she asked, "I'm sorry but who are you?"

M:   Oderus wondered how long it would take for the two to notice him, he was quite proud that his disguise even had them fooled, though he didn't think through how he was going to let them know who he was without drawing attention, or at least more attention that was already drawn to him from the way Wren spoke to him.

"Who am I," he repeated, "why, isn't that the question we all ask ourselves, who are we, are we people that wander the land aimlessly, are we animals who fight tooth and claw for their next meal, or are we gods who hold the world in the palm of our hands."

He started flicking a gold coin in his hand, "I think the true question isn't who we are, it's what we chose to become, because sometimes what we become, is not always who we are."

The poetic Eternal flicked the coin one last time and it flew over onto the countryhumans' table, and when it stopped spinning, Odrus' metal face was starting up at them.

"Do you mind if I join you," he then asked, "that was quite a tearful song, perhaps you would like to tell me what inspired it."

N:   "We don't mind," Wren answered as she picked up the coin and smirked, "that's some disguise you got? How do you even do that?"

"At this point, I've given up trying to find out why," Saxon dryly chuckled as he took a sip from his drink before answering Odrus' question.

"I guess, whenever I play my lyre, I think back to when I was younger," the entity began, "it brings me back to the days when I could just relax, not think about insurgents, people were just happy to exist and when I first met Anglo." He smiled to himself as old memories returned, "But it also reminds me of the sort of people who were there too. My Vater, Roman Empire, the insurgents my Vater was friends with picking on my sister and I. Especially the face Anglo gave me when he first saw me as an entity, I could never get rid of that image of him looking like he lost someone, and it was the same day I handed my lyre for him to keep."

"So how do you have it," Wren asked, as she reached for the instrument but the entity pulled out of her reach.

"It will always be mine," Saxon replied, "it is just the insurgent stuff that gets in the way so I cannot take proper care of it, so he does."

The hybrid hummed in interest before saying, "Well, all I remember from when I was young was that there was a group of humans trying to catch my brother and I when we were all alone. Those first couple of years were ... interesting."

M:   Odrus nodded along with what they said, trying to formulate what he would say to them to make Saxon feel better. He discreetly tapped his cane to a ruby clasp that held his cape together, it flickered blue for a moment then returned to red, he activated his own view screen to connect to Neflen's, he wanted the others to see what they did to the poor entity.

"I don't think that's the only inspiration," he then said, "Back at the castle I felt your emotions, the only other time I felt such sorrow and humiliation was after Esha came back from Celtica, how she was greeted by mockery and avoidance by the other eternals because of her scar."

He leaned forward and had a worried frown on his face, "I won't push you away like we did to Esha, you can talk to Wren and I about it, we just want to help."

N:   Saxon just stared down at the lyre, needing just a moment to think to himself, wondering if he should open up.

"Back in the Roman Empire days," the entity began, "I spent most of my younger years with my Vater in Rome since he was busy there, and every night he would come back and tell me a story, and it was always the same." He heavily exhaled before he continued, "It was about the Midgard Serpent, Jörmungandr, who encircled the entire world and spewed poison so dangerous it would kill anyone it touched. He always talked about Ragnarok, detailing the deaths and gore to me before I slept, and whenever I would wake up from a nightmare because of Jörmungandr, he would get angry and tell me to grow up. I was only six."

The entity stopped for a moment as he stared at his beer, and in a moment he downed the whole drink and tried his best not to slam it on the table. "And then the bastard Roman Empire kept on telling me that the god Jupiter would disguise himself as a snake to find people who he would judge, and you wouldn't know until the last second but by then you were dead." He looked up to Odrus and weakly smiled, "I haven't seen a snake before when they were telling me these, only descriptions, so how do you think I reacted when I first saw a snake centuries later, after I've done god knows what shit in other countries as the Head of Insurgents, I felt I was going to be judged right there and then. And to see my family laugh at my fear of a reptile made me feel like my Vater was right, that I was just a kid who needs to grow up and I'm not brave enough even for my own son."

Saxon leaned back as he held his lyre in his hand, and he began to play the same tune but slower when he muttered, "And it just so happened that it was my Vater who taught me how to play this."

M:   Odrus nodded, that was all very reasonable and it angered him how his own family would torment him so, but he kept himself calm when he reminded himself that they were now hearing the entity's story.

"When I was a boy, I used to be deathly afraid of serpents as well, for a similar reason. Back in the days of the empire, basilisks were a big problem, quite literally in fact, as they were as big as dragons and a standard one could easily wrap its whole body around this building multiple times. I heard so many stories and had one of my villages destroyed by one that I was even afraid of little harmless snakes. But, that all changed when this happened ..."

He made sure no one was looking then waved his hand, a small blue mist emitted from it and turned into a small transparent snake.

"Don't worry, he's invisible to everyone," Odrus whispered, "but yeah, my familiar was a snake, so over time I had to overcome my fears and learn to get along with him. Saxon, I'm not saying abandon your faith, but you need to realize that those were all just stories, fairytales that people told you to drag you down, and if you keep believing in them then you'll never be at peace."

N:   Saxon stopped playing as he eyed the serpent cautiously, meanwhile Wren reached out to the familiar to touch it. "I think after seeing what you Eternals can do," he said, "it wouldn't be too far-fetched that there is some truth to the stories, no? Besides, I've thought less about the Jupiter thing, since I'm pretty sure I'm going to hell either way, but that I'm supposed to be 'a man' when I see the snake, but I can't shake the feeling it's just a spawn of the Midgard Serpent."

"Aren't you fine with the grass snake Wales got," Wren asked.

"So far, I can just tolerate that snake," the entity replied, "and I've had it for a couple of years now. I can't exactly do that to every snake."

M:   "No offense Saxon, but you still know nothing of what I can do, or of the truths of this world," Odrus grumbled, "as someone who has lived millions of years, I can safely tell you that there is no such thing as a Midgard Serpent, nothing on this planet could have come even close to growing that large, the largest thing I can think of is Grand Lord Aklous, who is only the size of a large mountain. The Midgard Serpent was inspired by a basilisk coiled around the perimeter of a small island in the middle of a lake, just as Esha's Sigven was the inspiration for Sleipnir. The only thing snakes are the spawn of is other snakes."

Odrus's snake slithered towards Saxon and laid its head on his hand, it was surprisingly warm to the touch and not scaly like a normal snake, it licked his hand to tell him it was ok.

N:   Although he knew it was a snake, he was surprisingly calm when it laid its head, maybe because he knew it wasn't an actual snake. Saxon thought about what Ordus said, and slowly nodded in agreement, but it would take some time for him to get used to the creatures, especially with the ideas instilled in him.  After a moment, Wren stood up, "Well, that was a nice chat, but I would very much like to go back and see how everyone else is doing."

"Looks like you got your priorities straight," the entity grumbled sarcastically.

"Like always," the hybrid shrugged as they stood up and headed out of the tavern.

———

Back in the dining hall, England just stared at the screen, surprised by what his father said, and muttered, "Why didn't he tell us?"

"I don't know," Celtica replied, then she turned to Neflen, "Does he know that we can see him?"

N:   Neflen shook his head, "No, I don't think he would say any of that if he did, my guess is Odrus hid his viewer somewhere so he could show us what we've done."

Askad nodded in agreement, then looked over to where Mandoria and Rowen, who came in when they heard the screaming, were scolding Johann. "If I knew Saxon's reasons for being scared I never would have agreed to this, I doubt he will be able to interact with me for a while."

"I feel horrible too," Esha sighed, "I'm the one who dragged everyone over to watch, if I knew this then I wouldn't have."

M:   "None of us knew," Celtica reassured them, then she began to wonder, "What if Anglo knew?"

"Even if he did," England answered, "Faeder would probably ask him not to tell anyone."

Meanwhile, Johann was trying to defend himself in front of his fathers. "Father, Hezyka," he said, "I swear I didn't know. I'm sorry ok?"

N:   "That doesn't excuse the fact that you still pranked him," Rowen scolded, "you are a grown man, and we have told you time and time again to not prank people like that, we have been lenient to the harmless ones like putting salt in peoples' drinks, but you know we have strictly forbidden you from scaring people."

"You don't like it when Erna scares you with her chicken, so why do you think it's ok to do that to anyone else," Mandoria added, "you know better than this Johann, we're so disappointed in you."

"And because of your actions, you're now grounded for two weeks," Rowen declared, "that means no riding Comet, and you will be helping take care of the royal chickens, just like back home, do we make ourselves clear?"

M:   "Wat?" Johann exclaimed, "Ich habe Spaß für eine Sekunde und ich bekomme Ärger (I have fun for one second and I get into trouble). Of course, I do because that's just me, isn't it?"

"It's just two weeks," Heinrich tried to point out.

"I haven't seen Comet for three years," the Mandorian snapped, catching the Saxon off guard, "für drei Jahre (for three fucking years), Heinz. I haven't been myself for three years and now I finally can. Now, I have to deal with the goddamn animals I hate."

"Now you're being dramatic, Jo," Erna said, "I can show you how to handle them, besides Rowen said you did this back in the Kingdom of Mand-"

"THE KINGDOM DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE! MY HOME IS GONE," Johann lashed out, but instantly regretted it as he turned to Mandoria. Suddenly filled with guilt, he muttered a small apology before rushing out of the room, and Heinrich closely followed to make sure he didn't get lost.

N:   Rowen and Mandoria both flinched when Johann screamed, both hurt and guilty about his words. Rowen was surprisingly more affected by that, Mandoria was fortunate to not have to watch as the Prussians invaded, while the human witnessed the purge along with his son. As the memories came back he started hyperventilating and having a panic attack, falling to his knees as the fear turned his legs to jelly.

While Mandoria and a few of the eternals were at Rowen's side, Edel ran after Johann to bring him back, just like with Esha and the British, he wasn't going to let anyone leave until they sort things out.

M:   Heinrich ran after Johann but the Mandorian kept on going, running further away from what just happened and wanting to be away from it. Eventually, he ended up where he would usually hide from everyone: the Royal Mews. Although there were some servants, the Mandorian was able to find a hidden spot and sat down, hugging his legs to himself as he tried to process what just happened.

Heinrich eventually found him and sighed, joining the Mandorian and sitting beside him in the hay. "You have to go back," he said after a moment, "you need to apologize properly to your fathers."

"I can't go back," Johann muttered as he buried his face and shook his head, "Ich komme nicht (I can't go)."

"Ja können Sie (yes you can)," the Saxon replied, putting an arm around his friend, who slightly flinched at the touch, "I'll be with you, ok?"

The Mandorian just hummed as he remained where he was.

N:   Edel eventually tracked the two down, but when he saw them, instead of dragging Johann back to the dining room, he sat down next to him and comforted him until he would be ready to go.

A few minutes later, Saxon, Wren, and Odrus came back, with the eternal riding on Saxon's horse behind him. The first thing Odrus noticed was Johann's emotions, so when he dismounted and unshifted, he walked over to them.

"Is everything ok," he asked, "why are you three hiding here?"

M:   Heinrich briefly explained what happened when they were away, and then he turned to Johann, "Are you still gonna stay here?"

"For a bit longer," the Mandorian replied quietly, "I just- I can't go."

The Mandorian then patted Edel on the head, not really saying anything for a while until he gradually laid down and hugged the dragon, tears welling up in his eyes.

N:   Odrus frowned, why did this family have to be so unstable, "look, your parents didn't mean anything bad when they grounded you, they simply wanted you to think about how your actions affect others. From what I understand, they didn't ban you from being with your horse, just riding on him, there are plenty of ways you to can play together without you riding him."

He paused for a second when something flickered in the corner of his eyes, he turned and saw three spirits, two women and a man, then they suddenly faded away.

"Did- Mandoria and Rowen aren't your first family, are they?" He asked, then thought that this wasn't the place to talk about that so reiterated, "Never mind, there's something more important to take care of."

He picked up Johann and set him on Edel's back, motioning for the dragon to follow before saying, "Nothing is going to sort itself out if we wait here, come on."

M:   Heinrich jumped up from where he was and followed while Johann just swayed from side to side as he rode Edel. At this point he didn't care if he got punished or not, he didn't want to see the consequence of what he said, and the guilt just made him lie down on the dragon's back.

"You have to face your actions," the Saxon spoke as if he read his thoughts, "you cannot leave things undone."

When Odrus mentioned about Johann's family, the Mandorian and Saxon momentarily made eye contact before looking away, and the entity eventually sped walked ahead of the group. Seeing this, Heinz walked up to the Eternal and whispered, "Word of advice, try not to mention Jo's first family when both he and Saxon are around."

N:   Odrus raised a brow at this but nodded, simply walking in silence until they found Mandoria and Rowen in the library. The two rushed over to Johann and hugged him tightly, apologizing through tears.

"You're right Johann, we had no right to do that to you," Rowen said, "we were being unfair after everything that happened to you, to all of us."

"We're so sorry Finzenda, we never wanted to upset you like that," Mandoria added, "you're just trying to be yourself after all the suffering we went through, you shouldn't be punished for that, we're sorry."

M:   "Nein, I should be," Johann replied, hugging himself while he stared at the ground, not having the strength to see them in the eyes, "even if I was being myself, I took it too far and," he paused, "I'm really sorry about what I said before. I shouldn't have lashed out like that, it's just I- tut mir Leid."

N:   "We've all got something to apologize about," Rowen sighed, cupping his hands on Johann's cheeks to make him look at them, "with everything that has happened, these things are inevitable, what's most important is we know what to do when they happen and how to sort them out."

"And as you said before, you never would have known Saxon's past," Mandoria said, "I don't think his own family knew, now we all know what not to do now."

The former king looked around and then whispered, "You couldn't have waited 'til Rowen and I were back though, I'm so jealous that I missed it, I would have loved to see Saxon's face when Askad jumped on him."

M:   Mandoria's comment brought a small smile to Johann's face but he said nothing.

"Now that you had your nice family moment," Heinrich smiled as he patted his friend's back, "let's head back to the dining room to see if anyone else is still there."

Saxon wasn't in the room but actually walking to the didn't hall, and he was still oblivious to the fact that everyone watched him get jump scared by Askad or that they know about his story, so when he opened the door, he was met with concerned faces, especially from Celtica and England.

The entity took one look at Askad, and although he was beginning to believe Odrus' reasoning, he felt he had enough snakes for the day. "Nope," he said as he turned around, "not today. I'm going to bed."

"But it's not even the afternoon," his son pointed out.

"Well I'm lucky that I barely slept last night," the entity replied as he walked down the corridor, "good day to you all."

M:   Askad hung his head in shame, muttering a quiet, "understandable," before slithering off to find where Neflen took Uskaine since he said that he would help show him around.

Now that one problem was taken care of, there was another that Esha was determined to fix, she finally let go of Ireland from having her tail wrapped around him the whole time, then grabbed BE and England by the scruffs of their shirts and set them down in front of their relative.

"Alright, now for problem number two," she growled, crossing her arms over her furry chest, "what are we going to do with you three, even an idiot could tell that you three hate each other, and that is not going to do. So, how are we going to fix this, huh?"