M:   "It's been rough," she admitted, "it's like everything I see or hear is a reminder of him and our time together ... well, I wouldn't really say we were ever together in the first place, I know he felt strongly of me, but not how strong. Other than that it's been fine, I've been helping out in the stables, keeps me occupied and such, nothing really exciting during the normal days."

She downed her second shot and sighed, "I don't really know what to do with myself either, my whole life has been survival, and now that I don't have to live like that anymore I don't know what to make of myself, or if I even want to stick around or travel the world, I just feel like I'm a stranger to myself."

N:   "I feel you," Heinrich grumbled as he eyed Esha's last shot before glancing at his near-empty cup of coffee. "Hey, Maisie," he spoke, "could you ask Callum to bring something similarly strong drink as Esha's?"

The Scot raised a brow but shrugged as she walked towards the bar; although, Johann became concerned for them.

"Just because we have a new life ahead of us, it doesn't mean that we have to change ourselves," the Mandorian spoke, "we can repurpose the things we love to do and adapt them to our new environment. Don't give up hope."

M:   "I know, this isn't my first rodeo," Esha chuckled, "but it is the first one I haven't done alone, so it's just new to me, that's all."

She downed her last shot and shivered a bit, "I wonder if England is still stuck on his back with the cubs, he sure is great with young kids but terrible with his older children, has Mandoria and Rowen ever had that problem with you and your brothers, Johann?"

N:   "There has been the occasional 'you took this a bit too far moment' but most of the time we are fine," Johann smiled, "Hezyka probably had the benefit of a decently good child instead of taking care of me since I was born, so that probably helped."

"Whoever said that you were 'decently good'," Heinrich chuckled, "when you were twelve, you had enough energy to last you a couple of lifetimes."

"And I still do," the Mandorian smirked, "anyway, when we were young, Derogan and I would go and mess around: I just wanted to have fun while he would do his best to skip his lessons. Mandara would try his best to stop us, but eventually, we would all go around and pull pranks as the Feathered Assassins and their prized accomplice."

His eyes grew slightly distant as he began to remember his time back home. "We made sure to not take stuff too far, but sometimes we would and that's when we get into trouble, but afterward we would get along well with Hezyka and Father. Even when we grew up, I cannot speak for Mandara and Derogan, but I kept my younger personality and mixed it with different responsibilities, and it was the most chaotic combination ever, and I'm surprised how Hezyka even puts up with that."

"I guess what helps is that not only do you treat Mandoria and Rowen as your parents but also as friends," the Saxon pointed out, "so that you can maintain that relationship the older you get. That is how I am with my own Mutter."

Maisie came with a tray of three shots, and when the Saxon downed one, he could immediately feel the burning sensation of the whiskey, making him pull a face. Johann sighed in response, shaking his head but smiling at the same time.

M:   Esha snorted at the face Heinz made but didn't comment on it, "That all sounds nice, I hate to pull the sad orphan card again but I didn't get to have that kind of childhood, it sounds really nice to have a family who is also your best friends. Well, at least I have that now, so better late than never, eh."

They chatted for a bit more until the door opened and Rowen and Neflen walked, Esha was surprised to see them but happy as well, waving them down so they could come sit with them.

"Hey, funny seeing you guys here," Rowen chuckled, ruffling his son's hair, "Neflen and I were going for a ride around town and spotted the horses outside, so we thought we'd pop in and say hi."

"Yeah, so what are you knuckleheads up to," Neflen joked, "having a drinking contest, just guessing by the shot glasses."

N:   "If I tried to have a drinking contest with Esha, I'll probably die from alcohol poisoning," Heinrich replied, "versing an Eternal isn't fair at all."

"But would you," Johann smirked while he tidied up his hair.

"Ask Wolfy to do it," the Saxon rolled his eyes, "he's probably idiotic enough to do it, although Erna might actually have a chance." When he saw Johann's confusion, he explained, "She needed some way to get some reputation among the guys in the army. Women aren't exactly treated the best there, but she got their respect."

"Remind me not to verse her," the Mandorian spoke, "or any of you. Although my tolerance is alright, Hezyka would basically restrict me from drinking except on occasions or if we're going out."

"That's smart because when you go with friends, it's way crazier and there is no guarantee you're getting home. Trust me, I know, and besides it's good practice to drink occasionally if you're going to be part of the cavalry. Don't want to be drunk and fall off your horse."

M:   "That's true, and because of my sons, many people in my army learned that from experience," Rowen sighed with a smile. He and Neflen pulled up some chairs and the former captain told the two eternals about the alcoholic coffee prank, which earned quite a lot of laughter.

"Good lord, you and those two were a menace, weren't you," Neflen said to Johann, "I can't believe your servants and knights didn't demand raises for having to deal with you."

"They did actually, on multiple occasions," Rowen corrected him, "I think one of the worst ones was when the troublemakers managed to let the royal livestock loose inside the castle, a lot of people quit after that, and the place smelled like a barnyard for weeks."

N:   "Which lies under the 'you took it a bit too far' category, so I got into trouble," Johann added, "but it was one hell of a prank."

"I think 'a bit too far' is an understatement, Jo," Heinrich laughed before downing another shot, "at least you had something interesting happening, back in Prussia it was just work all the time, no matter if it was under the blazing sun or the moon. But Wolfe would have some interesting times, since he rose up the ranks to actually take care of his own division, and to help their nerves he allows them to spend time with the local stray cat."

"Wait," Johann interrupted him, "Wolfgang was an actual officer?"

"Second Lieutenant of the Prussian Light Infantry," the Saxon corrected him, looking down at his empty shot glass as he definitely began to feel the effects of the whiskey, "pretty impressive for someone relatively young. That's why we always joke about him committing treason against Prussia since he had the highest position compared to Erna and I."

"So do you think he would have been involved when Prussia invaded Mandoria?"

The Saxon paused for a moment, a blank expression on his face, until he answered, "Prussia usually doesn't trust any of the officers when it comes to leading, but his men trust Wolfe, so I don't know."

M:   "And this is the part where I step in and say we should not head down that rabbit hole again," Rowen interjected, "let's not say anything we're going to regret, there is no need for friends to start turning on each other, ok."

"I've got a better topic to talk about," Neflen piped up, "we told you that we were out for a ride around the town, what do you say about joining us, it's gotten warmer outside and we still haven't been to the western side of town."

"I don't see why not," Esha shrugged, "though maybe Heinz should stay back and let the tipsy settle down, if you drink that last whiskey you're going to pass out, you lightweight."

N:   "I'm no lightweight," Heinrich grumbled as he grabbed his last shot, staring at it as if he were reconsidering his life choices before downing it, and placing the shot glass loudly on the table.

"Let's go," the Saxon announced loudly, quickly standing up his seat but began to wobble a bit, so Johann got up and carefully sat him down.

"There's no way you're going anywhere, Heinz," the Mandorian shook his head, "you're not stable."

"I'm stablll enuf," Heinrich replied, his words slurred, "Imma bit tipsy. Need couple morrre shooots toby drunk."

"Ja, sure," Johann smiled uneasily before turning to Maisie, "is there a place where Heinrich could stay until this passes."

"There are some rooms in the back," she replied, pointing at a door just past the bar, "travelers would stay there for the night sometimes but Ricky can stay there."

The Mandorian nodded in thanks before walking Heinrich over there, asking Callum to give his friend a room and explaining the situation, to which everyone could see that the Scot chuckled before leading them in.

After a couple of minutes, Johann walked back out with Callum, thanking him and returning to the table. "Heinz is lying down on a sofa in one of the tavern rooms, and Callum said that he would be checked on to see if he's fine. Oh yeah and," he turned to Esha, "he's still insisting that he isn't a lightweight."

M:   Esha chuckled, "Yeah, well have Callum tell him that he has yet to convince me otherwise."

At the mention of Callum's name, she thought about his injury and how hard it must be for him to work, especially now that Odrus can't help them. She called the boy over and asked him to sit down for a moment and show her his leg.

"You'll feel a quick pain but it will immediately go away," she warned him. The eternal took out her trusty healing paste and rubbed a little bit over the area where the fracture was, then drew a few runes in the paste, and finally cupped her hands over it and closed her eyes. There was a quiet crack sound of the bone snapping back into its proper place, then when she removed her hands the large bruise that was there was gone.

N:   "OWW WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?! FUCKING SHIT!" Callum shouted when his leg snapped back into place, tightening his grip on his crutch in response to the pain, but the moment it subsided, he tilted his head in confusion.

Wanting to try his leg out, he stood up on his two feet, amazed that he could finally balance his body weight on both legs, and he hopped, smiling at the fact that his leg is healed. However, the Scot frowned, so he grabbed his crutch and whacked it against his newly healed leg.

"Callum, are you crazy," Maisie yelped, "do you want to break it again?"

"Just trying it out," the older brother shrugged before turning to the draconic Eternal, "tapadh leat (thank you), Esha. I'm beyond grateful."

"But I'm not," Wyatt hissed as he grabbed his brother's ear and dragged him down. His brother's silent attack scared the crap out of Callum, and yelped when Wyatt pinched him harder. "While I'm thankful that you are healed, brother," he growled, "what did I say about swearing in front of Maisie, huh?"

"We're in a tavern, goddamn it," Callum snapped, "it's impossible for her not to hear someone swear."

"I don't care about them," the other continued, whispering into his head, "but she is your sister and it's your responsibility that she stays innocent for her young age, is that clear?"

Callum nodded, so Wyatt let him go and crossed his arms.

"But," Johann interjected, "didn't she hear you swear when you were talking about your Father-"

"We don't talk about my Father," the Scot spoke, cutting Johann off, "he's not with us anymore and he deserves every single miserable second in his life, wherever he is right now." Callum gave him a look, so he sighed, "Alright I'm a hypocrite, but you're mouth is so dirty you need to go to a nunnery to wash it out."

Callum rolled his eyes so Wyatt continued, "So it seems that you guys are going to go, so enjoy yourselves and don't forget to pick up Ricky when you return. Callum, you're back to serving since your leg is better," which got a noticeable grumble from the brother, "and Maisie, you're working too on serving."

The young girl pouted so the older brother sighed, "If you do then we can buy you something with any extra money we have," which got the young girl to smile again. "Ok, so say goodbye to your friends now."

Maisie stood up and waved to everyone, but she turned to Esha, and after a moment of staring at her, she ran over to her and gave her a quick hug before chasing after her brother to the kitchen.

M:   Esha flinched when Maisie hugged her and stood there awkwardly until she left, then said, "I don't think I'll ever get used to being hugged by strangers."

"Sure you will, Eshie," Neflen reassured her, "you just need to let loose and not be so tense all the time. Come on, let's go ride around, that'll relax you, won't it."

Esha nodded in agreement and followed after them, but quickly doubled back because she almost forgot the jawbone to her mask. She eventually mounted Sleipnir and caught up with the boys.

"So are we going anywhere specific or just moseying around," she asked.

"A bit of both," Rowen said, "BE said that one of the guests for the ball had come early and was wandering around the town, since we were planning on doing the same thing we offered to go look for them, he didn't say who came though."

N:   "Well that isn't mysterious at all," Johann muttered as he followed the group, "and seeing how the ball is going to be busy, it can literally be anyone."

They rode for a bit more, and eventually they reached the western side of the town, which seemed to be bustling with activity, people buying from the stalls now that it was warmer, so Johann scanned the crowd trying to find the guest. After a couple of minutes, he started to lose hope, not believing that the could find one person in the area, when he heard the bell of a door opening, and he turned to find a country walking out with a parcel underneath.

The country had a white flag with a coat of arms on his forehead, as well as what resembled chains also on his face, running down from the outer corners of his eyes down to his jaw. The Mandorian determined that the country had to be associated with the military as he wore a uniform, but then he was confused when another country came out of the same shop, this one having a red flag with a golden castle on his face.

"Hezyka," Johann spoke as he pointed at the two, "I think I found them, but are you sure that BE only said one?"

M:   Rowen looked over to the countries, "Well, technically no, he said he heard a delivery person say they saw a country in town, so he just assumed there was only one."

He led the others to a nearby hitching post to tie up the horses, then went over to greet the newcomers, though Esha and Neflen hung back a way since this was the first time they met non-British countryhumans.

"Portuguese Empire, Castile, is that you," the Mandorian said when he recognized them, "I didn't know you two would be here, it's been so long, hasn't it?"

N:   PE and Castile spun around when they heard their names, and the former smiled when he saw Rowen. "Meu Deus (my god), Rowen. Long time no see; it has been years since I have seen you," he turned to Johann, "and the troublemaker is here too. I still remember what you and your brothers did when I visited."

"What can I say," Johann smirked, "we are the best." He then turned to Neflen and Esha and said, "We pranked him and Spanish Empire when they came around."

Turning his attention to the two Eternals, PE smiled, "I haven't seen you two before. Anyways, my name is Portuguese Empire, but you can call me PE, and this is my brother, Castile, although he is mostly known as Spanish Empire's father."

Castile rolled his eyes, "you don't have to say that whenever we meet new people, idiota." He also turned to the Eternals, although the Spaniard didn't possess the same friendly spirit as his brother's, "So I am assuming that you are also invited by BE, are you countries?"

M:   "Oh no, we are far from qualified to be running anything," Neflen joked, mostly out of nervousness, "except Askad since he's the chief," he reached out to shake their hands, "My name is Neflen, this is my friend, Esha, we're Eternals, it's a very long story but to keep it short and sweet, we're an endangered species of countryhumans that predates your known history."

"More or less," Esha muttered in agreement, subconsciously shifting her mask, "We've been in hiding trying to build up our numbers, but after a disaster left only 6 remaining people, BE took us in."

"Wow, for people who are nervous around strangers, you guys sure open up fast," Rowen commented, earning mere shrugs.

N:   "Well, it is good that BE took you in," PE spoke, "he's a good friend of mine, and although he has his bad days, he does give a helping hand when he can."

Johann nodded then pointed at the box under PE's arm, "What's that?"

"It's a gift," the empire answered, "for BE for helping me in my various wars."

"I swear," Castile grumbled, "if I hadn't known that BE was married to FE, I would have thought that you two were married."

The empire rolled his eyes, "Well, at least if I were to marry someone I wouldn't marry a monte de merda (piece of shit)."

"Don't say anything about Aragon-"

"Brother," PE interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder, still smiling but it had no warmth, "if dear Aragon can anger both Republic of Venice AND Ottoman Empire, she's a bitch. That's why you shouldn't marry for political reasons."

The Spaniard shrugged the other's hand off before sighing, "Don't point out the obvious."

Satisfied by his answer, the Portuguese turned to the rest, "Just so you understand, however bad you thought was BE and FE's relationship, Castile and Aragon's one is worse. Ignoring that, why are you guys here?"

Johann shrugged, "We were just going to wander around the town, and bring you guys over to the compound."

"There's a good antique shop not far from here," Castile spoke, "it has lots of random things, and even if you weren't going to buy something, it's nice to wander through."

M:   "I do enjoy a good antique shop," Rowen said, "I don't know why but the smell inside reminds me of a grandmother's home and is very comforting."

"That sounds interesting," Neflen admitted, "though I don't think you can get more antique than us."

"More like prehistoric," Esha muttered, "and that is in the literal sense too since we're both millions of years old. That's beside the point, let's just go see what this 'grandma's house' has in store, huh, then head back to the Unicorn to pick up our drunken lightweight."

N:   Johann chuckled at the comment before nodding along, going along with the group toward the antique shop. Once they had arrived, the Mandorian pushed open the door, for some reason afraid that it was too fragile like the rest of the shop. A gentle ring of a bell signify their entrance, so they all poured in.

Inside were rows and rows of items, some of them in glass cases and lined up on shelves. Looking around, Johann's eyes lit up in wonder, amazed at the collection and soon the group was approached by the shopkeeper.

"Welcome all," a woman who looked like in her mid-fifties spoke to them, "my name is Adeyrn and if there is anything that interests you, just call me."

M:   The Mandorians and eternals politely greeted the woman and spread out to do their own searching. Rowen enjoyed looking at the old paintings and sculptures, Neflen was goofily trying on every piece of clothing and headwear he could find, and Esha was browsing the different hunting equipment and trophies.

At one point something caught her eye, it was a necklace made out of beads and wolf teeth, and there was a large green gem with a rose painted on it in the middle.

"Hey, it's my necklace," the eternal declared, pressing against the case it was in, "I lost this thing years ago when I was hunting, I can't believe it's been here this whole time."

She waved Adeyrn down, "How much to buy my necklace back, Celtica made it for me and I don't want to lose it again."

N:   Adeyrn walked over to Esha, and seeing how much she wanted to have the necklace, she smirked, "If you want to have the necklace, the price of it is 150 guineas."

"150 guineas," PE spoke, poking his head up from another aisle, "even I know that's a lot. There are people who don't even get more than a couple of shillings as their wage."

"If you want the necklace," the woman spoke firmly, "then that is the price. It is highly valuable and sought for so that is a reasonable price."

"Can't you at least lower the price," Johann asked, walking up to the shopkeeper, "she said that it's her's and it is only right that you return it to its original owner?"

"I cannot just give stuff for free," Adeyrn frowned, "and even if I discount it, this is how I make for a living. Besides, you do not have proof that you had previously owned this item, so it stays at its original price."

M:   Esha frowned a little but she understood where the woman was coming from, "it's alright guys, I really can't prove it's mine since the rose on my flag doesn't appear on my face, so it's only fair."

She dug around in her satchel a bit, taking out a few items and putting them back in until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a large diamond, almost the size of an orange, and handed it to the shopkeeper, "is that enough?"

"What the hell," Rowen said in shock, "how in the hell do you just happen to have a diamond that big?"

"I'm part dragon remember," Esha said nonchalantly, "I can smell precious metals and gems within the earth, it's natural for me to keep a few on me when I go out, I have plenty to spare."

N:   Johann blinked a couple of times, shocked by the size of the diamond while Adeyrn held the gem in the light. "This will be more than enough," the shopkeeper nodded, then she turned around, "Gwyn, could you bring the keys for case 52?"

"Coming, mother," a voice grumbled, and sure enough Gwyn walked out of the door behind the till, then stood in shock when she saw the group. "How," she muttered, "wait, when did you come in?"

"Gwyn," Johann's eyes widened in shock, "you work here? And this is your mother?"

"So you know my daughter," the woman questioned, and when she glanced between the two, she smiled, "Gwyn, so this is the young man you have been hiding from me? Well, you shouldn't have, he's quite a handsome lad; at least there is something you can do."

Gwyn said nothing as she walked past her mother, silently opening the case and carefully placing the necklace into a cushioned box. Taking the box and snatching the diamond from her mother's hand, she went back to the till to properly wrap the box before handing it to Esha. "Here is your necklace," she sighed, "and I will have the diamond converted to actual coins so you can get the change."

"Dear Gwyn," Adeyrn cooed, "that is a lot of effort, and we don't know how long it will take to -"

"We are not going to overcharge an item," the daughter interrupted, "especially for something that is not yours." She turned back to Esha and weakly smiled, "When I can get the change, I'll give it to you as soon as possible, so next time you don't have to give diamonds to buy stuff."

The mother huffed and walked away, disappearing behind the till, then the Welsh finally let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry about that," she apologized, "but next time, don't buy something from here."

"And I thought Aragon was bad," PE muttered.

M:   "Oh no, it's quite alright, you keep the change," Esha smiled, taking her necklace and putting it in her bag, "consider it a gift from me to you," she then leaned close and whispered, "maybe it can help you start fresh away from that woman someday, because you definitely deserve better than that."

"Besides, I can just raid BE's vault and swap some of my gems with his coins," she then shrugged, "his security is not very tight for someone like me."

"You are such a hazard Eshie," Neflen popped his head out of a coat rack, "if you weren't BE's friend you could single-handedly bring down the entire British Empire in a month."

"You underestimate my abilities, dear Neflen," Esha chuckled.

N:   "As his military ally, I would ask that you don't do that," PE spoke up as he raised his hand, "but that would be interesting to see."

"As if his grandfather isn't doing that already," Castile rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Johann looked at Gwyn, worried about her relationship with her mother. "Gwyn," he asked, "do you want to talk about it?"

The Welsh slowly nodded, so they both walked out of the shop, the Mandorian promising to meet back at the hitching post before leaving with Gwyn.

After a moment, Castile spoke up, "So, what are we going to do now that they're gone?"

M:   "Walk around I guess," Rowen shrugged, "see what the marketplace has to offer, I wouldn't mind a coffee right about now too."

"You and your coffee, dear," someone said as they walked in the door, "one of these days you're going to turn into one."

"Mandoria," Neflen said in shock, "what are you doing here, and how did you find us."

"Sleipnir is kind of a hard horse to miss," the country chuckled, "besides, I got bored of listening to Askad and Ireland arguing about the importance of snakes and left for some peace and quiet."

When he saw PE and Castile he was shocked at first, but smiled and bowed, "My dear friends, it's good to see you after so long, I must say that you haven't changed at all."

N:   Both PE and Castile stared in shock at Mandoria, and after a while the former broke the silence. "When BE first wrote to me about your survival, I got to admit I was skeptical," he spoke as he walked up to the Mandorian, "but now, seeing you with my own two eyes, I'm just- welcome back Mandoria."

The empire smiled and gently nudged him, as if to see if he was real, "Well, this Yule will be a celebration to remember."

"You act so much like Abuelo (grandfather)," Castile grumbled as he rubbed his face.

"And you're not like him at all," the brother jabbed back before turning back to Mandoria, his expression serious, "were you able to get news about your sons? I'm sorry I wasn't to help you much."

M:   "It's quite alright, I understand how hard King Prussia has made it for winged and wingless alike," Mandoria sighed, "we were able to find them at last, and we believe they will be coming in time for the ball, I can't express how happy I am of this."

"Everyone is so excited," Rowen agreed, "it indeed will be an event to remember."

"Well, how about we make today a good one as well," Esha declared, taking off her mask now that she was more comfortable, "surely there is something fun to do in this town, let's go explore."

N:   "Let's go," PE spoke as he pushed the door open, although he did shiver from the winter breeze, "I swear, this goddamn English weather is the worst."

"Stop complaining," Castile retorted, "you sail all around the world; surely you must experience weather worse than this."

"There is variety when I sail," the empire grumbled, "this country is just depressing."

Once they all left the shop, the Spaniard looked around at the markets, "what exactly can these English markets have to offer?"

"I don't know, buy something for your beloved Aragon," the Portuguese suggested, "get something for her so she isn't too mad when she finds out that you practically ran away from her."

"Sometimes I need a break from that woman. Long and decently distanced breaks."

M:   "I sometimes forget that some people have unfortunate relationships," Mandoria commented, "I've always had a good experience with romance."

"Married twice in three hundred years isn't much of a sample size," Rowen joked, "though I suppose it does speak for itself."

"Uh guys, perhaps we could keep the relationship ship talk to a minimum please," Neflen whispered, nodding pointedly to Esha, "someone's still a bit sensitive about it."

The Mandorians nodded in understanding, then Rowen whispered to the brothers, "Esha had someone she liked murdered before she could confess to him, she took it very hard and is still coping with it."

N:   The brothers nodded in unison, then PE decided to change the subject, "Anyway, we got to talk about how huge that diamond you used to pay for that necklace," the empire chuckled, "I used to have a tailor who could do just that; the man can summon gems as easily as anyone could breathe."

"You're still going on about that man," Castile sighed, "we have already said this before, he didn't do such a thing."

"So why did that drought happen in your kingdom and an earthquake destroyed mine?"

"We are learning about that," the Spaniard said firmly, "we realize there are just things that we can't control."

"If he hadn't wiped your minds then you would've known," the empire muttered quietly before rubbing his forehead, "and his sister is a pain in the backside too."

After taking a moment to recover, the Portuguese looked around and saw a stall selling jewelry, "Esha, if you can smell precious metals, could you tell which one of those are fake?"

M:   Esha made a surprise squeak when PE mentioned a tailor, she was shocked that he not only knew Prometheus, but didn't get his memories wiped.

"You and I might have to have a talk about that tailor," she said, "because I think I know who he is."

When he then mentioned the jewelry stall she sniffed a bit and hummed, "None of them are real, it's probably just some conman trying to get easy money."

"I have a charm made of real gold," Rowen declared, "BE's old tailor gave it to me when I told him that Prussia took away my family charm, I didn't really think it was real gold until Esha said she could smell it."

Esha nodded, "Yep, I can tell that Castile is wearing something precious as well, something with gold and rubies, am I correct?"

N:   Castile nodded as he removed a ring from his finger, holding it in his hand. The main part of the ring was gold and a decently sized ruby was placed on it, rounding off with the gold to form a smooth surface, and on it was an engraving of a castle. "Gold and rubies," he hummed before putting the ring back on, "you're spot on."

"Don't go anywhere near Spanish Empire," PE joked, "he will find some way for you to help him loot the entirety of the New World just for its gold and gems."

"He thinks big like his mother," Castile pointed out, "I for one only care that our home isn't invaded and want to kick the Brits out of Gibraltar."

"Well it's a sad thing you lost it," the Portuguese jeered, "and good luck trying to get it back, along with the control of the Mediterranean."

The Spaniard grumbled a bit before saying, "You know what, Esha's asking to talk to you so why don't you two have a chat while the rest of us actually explore," before walking off.

"The truth hurts doesn't it," the empire called after him, "and be careful brother, don't get lost or Aragon will mock you for eternity." The other waved him off and continued on his path.

M:   Esha rolled her eyes at that, "Good thing I never had siblings, I would have strangled them if we were like you two."

"Then you might not want to meet my sons," Mandoria chuckled, "they will be the death of you."

"If it's anything like babysitting Neflen and the others then I don't think they'll be a problem," Esha shrugged, earning a 'hey' from Neflen.

The group eventually parted ways to wander around while Esha and PE hung back, though she did put her mask back on since he was still a stranger.

"I know Prometheus," she said, "he was BE's tailor for a while, but a lot of stuff happened that caused him to have to leave and wipe everyone's memories, only me and a human named Heinrich were allowed to keep our memories as long as we kept his true self a secret."

N:   PE stared at her for a moment before sighing in relief, "Thank goodness someone else knows. For years my family thought I was crazy, and for a while, I was beginning to think the same."

The empire rubbed his forehead as he continued, "Prometheus was excellent at his job; the best tailor I could ever have, but then a huge chunk of my navy was killed going around Africa. Long story short, he had somehow made an oath with his sister to kill every human who passed the Cape of Good Hope, and because of how it was affecting my trade, I went there myself. We found a loophole where Prometheus couldn't destroy a ship if I was in it, since there is no certainty that I would survive, and we were able to do that for decades before Vivian called off the promise. In exchange for helping him break the oath, I can keep my memories but everyone else's was wiped clean."

He paused for a bit before continuing, "he was in Spain for a bit, but I guess his 'boss', whoever that was, got angry and scorched the place, and I got an earthquake from a fight that happened between Prometheus and some fiery guy. I feel bad for him, and I would have liked it if he stayed, but I guess it was the wrong place at the wrong time."

M:   Esha nodded along as PE talked, noting the similarities and differences between their friendships with Prometheus.

"Our encounters with Prometheus were a little different," Esha concluded, stopping at a pastry stall to get a snack, "in fact, I think Prometheus shared more with us than with you."

After she got her pastries and paid with a small emerald, she led the empire to a bench to share the spoils with him.

"So to keep it relatively short, Prometheus was mostly a tailor, but in a few instances he helped heal some of our friends, including Mandoria," she explained, "it's a long story but basically his wings were severely injured and he was at risk of losing them, but Prometheus and Vivian healed him and now he can fly again. But the 'fiery guy' named Helios, was angry at him for doing that and tried to attack him, I defended Prometheus as best as I could until he could be defeated. I was nearly killed because of that and I still have the scar of a flaming whiplash on my back, but in the end, Prometheus saved my life, then he had to leave so Helios wouldn't come back. And that's the long and short of it."

N:   PE hummed for a bit as he ripped off a bit of a pastry and took a bite. "It makes sense that he would share more with you all; it's just me in my kingdom, doing my own stuff and sometimes I go and visit my grandfather, but most of my family lives in the Kingdom of Spain then he doesn't have the chance to talk to a lot of people compared to here. I used to have a brother who would stay with me, Iberia, but he ..."

The empire fell silent as he looked at the pastries in front of him, tapping his fingers on the bench just to let his mind process.

"Could you do me a favor," the empire asked, turning to Esha, "seeing how close you are to BE, even to go as far as to joke about stealing from him, could you make sure that his family stays together? I know it's a huge ask, but if his family falls apart to go as far as to completely split, you can say your farewells to dear Albion. I don't want the same thing that happened to my brother to happen to him."

M:   Esha's demeanor dropped at that, "It's impossible, PE, I already tried it and failed, heck, I ended up driving England away when I confronted him about it."

She took a moment to sip the coffee she also bought before adding, "Well, I can at least promise that I will prevent them from permanently disowning each other, but I've come to learn and accept that the only thing keeping this family together is the distance between them."

N:   PE slowly nodded, "Thank you, even if it is for the smallest thing." A small smile appeared on his face, "and speaking of family, if you were to even see me attack my sister-in-law, Aragon, at any point of our stay, trust me, she deserved it."

M:   Esha laughed at that, "Oh I understand that, I may not have any biological siblings, but there are plenty of times when Neflen and the other boys need a good thrashing to knock some sense into them."

Just then, a rogue snowball came out of nowhere and smacked Esha right in the eye socket of her mask, earning a pained and surprised shout. The group of kids that were playing nearby ran away when they saw they hit someone.

"Ow, what was that," the eternal whined, taking off her mask and wiping away the snow, "what hit me?"

N:   PE chuckled a bit before answering, "It was just a snowball. I guess the children's aim in this country is as bad as its weather."

After checking if Esha was alright, he asked, "Is there a reason why you wear a mask? It seems that you sometimes where it but in others you don't. Don't get me wrong, it is a wonderful mask, but I don't understand what there is to hide."

M:   Esha pursed her lips, both uncomfortably and with a hint of confusion, how did this guy sitting feet away from her not notice her scar?

"Um ... it's for a few reasons," she admitted, "for one, I'm a bit socially awkward and I don't trust strangers very easily, that's what living in the wild for millions of years does to someone."

She paused, the topic making her more uncomfortable by the minute, but she continued, "The other is my face, more specifically the scar on it. A scar to the face is the most humiliating thing an eternal can endure in our culture, as it taints your flag, not to mention having such a large one."

Esha slowly brought her mask back up to her face, "It was given to me by humans, they thought I was a demon from their religion, it's just one of many I have from that night."

N:   The Portuguese slowly felt bad for asking the question, only silently nodding along while Esha spoke. After a couple of minutes, he sat back and sighed.

"I am sorry for what you have gone through. If I had known, I would have never brought it up, and I understand that you may not trust someone you just met. I'm also sorry for my insensitivity; my grandfather, Galicia, would always boast about the scars he got as a gladiator, and it's got to a point where I don't see them as anything more than just a mark. He's a good friend of Celtica's back in the empire days, and trust me, the scar on his face, it's impossible to miss."

"Why are you talking about Abuelo," Castile asked as he approached them.

"None of your business," the empire shrugged, "you didn't spend that much time in town, did you get bored?"