M:   Mandoria was guarding Prudoria with Rowen when everyone else came in, the parents were tense and were expecting BE to come in. They relaxed when Saxon told them he wasn't coming, but when he relayed the empire's message to Mandoria he didn't receive an answer, the kingdom just huffed stubbornly and turned away, not wanting anything to do with BE anymore.

While Mandoria was giving Saxon the cold shoulder, Esha was clinging fearfully to Celtica, not wanting any human to come near her. Reliving such a traumatic moment in her life stole away her trust in humans again, now she expected them to hurt her, even when Rowen came over to ask what happened caused her to cower behind Celtica

N:   Celtica gently patted Esha's back to calm her down as she explained the situation to Rowen. "For now," she concluded, "since Anglo triggered her trauma, she shouldn't be around humans for a while, just so that she can feel safe. I'm sorry, Rowen."

M:   Although confused, Rowen obliged and headed back to Prudoria's bed, now focusing on calming down his husband. A few minutes later and the Eternals arrived, as Celtica sent someone to go get them, Askad was instinctively the first one at Esha's side and doing his best to comfort her, while Uskaine and Neflen tried to explain what was going on.

"This kind of thing is rare for an Eternal to experience," the centaur stated, "no one really knows why it happens, but it's usually after something really traumatic happens. It's kind of like a second stage of shattered eyes, since whenever it has happened the eternal's eyes always shatter."

"It's not permanent though, she'll return to normal once she's calmed down," Neflen added, "her magic isn't going to be as powerful as it usually is, it's like she's in a powered-down mode, we just need to give her time to let the scars mend again, she'll be fine otherwise."

N:   "Thank you, the both of you," Celtica nodded, "but right now, she doesn't have to be all powered up and we'll be here to look after her." After a moment to think, she asked, "Is there a chance where we can take her to a place she finds familiar, like her cave?"

M:   "We could, but I don't know how we're going to get down there," Neflen said, "the lake is completely frozen and anyone would get hypothermia within seconds."

"I have a better idea, how about we take her to see Sleipnir," Askad suggested, "those two have been together since well before the fall of the empire, he knows Esha better than anyone. How about it Eshie, do you want to go see Sleipnir?"

Surprisingly, Esha shook her head no, she wiped her eyes and leaned onto Celtica.

"I'm tired," she murmured, her voice sounding younger too, "I want to go to bed."

N:   "And you will," Celtica softly smiled as she stood up and walked towards a quieter area of the infirmary, away from the chatter of the others. Once she had found the right place, she tried to lay Esha down on a bed, but the Eternal was clinging to her, so she decided to just huddle in with her.

"No one is going to hurt you, little one," she muttered as she placed a small kiss on her forehead, "not while I'm here."

Saxon was only vaguely aware of what was happening, since he had to deal with Mandoria, but he couldn't help but smile a bit. "I guess she finally got herself a daughter," he said quietly.

M:   Mandoria looked to where Saxon was looking when he said that, smiling softly at the two huddled on the bed, "I guess so, I wonder how Scotland is gonna feel about that, it would be quite interesting to see his reaction to a little Òrail."

It took Esha a little while to calm down, but she eventually became comfortable enough to slowly fall asleep, holding onto Celtica like she was her mother, the smile on her face told how much she wanted that, to feel a mother's embrace for the first time in her life.

N:   After a couple of hours, some of the countries had left the infirmary, going about their day. Meanwhile, Scotland was roaming around the halls, trying to find anyone who could tell him where Anglo and Celtica were, and when one of the servants directed the Scot to the infirmary, worrying that his mother may be hurt, rushed over there.

"Has anyone seen Ma," he asked as he walked in; although, he was quickly asked to be quiet and was directed to where his mother was, and was surprised to see her hugging a young Esha.

It took him a couple of seconds to fully comprehend what he was seeing, then finally he smiled and walked over to the Celt's side, shaking her gently, "Ma, did you just have another child?"

"At least this one stays quiet when she sleeps, you, on the other hand, do not shut up," Celtica softly smiled as her sleepy eyes opened up a smidge, but when she saw her son's concerned face, she slowly turned, trying to not disturb Esha too much, and patted her son's shoulder. "You don't have to worry about her," she reassured him, "she'll be fine."

M:   "Esha had a rough morning," Neflen said, as he was the only one who stayed there with her, "it's been a rough morning for a lot of people really, and it's all King French bitch's fault, he couldn't keep his mouth shut even without his voice. Long story short, he said something about his father and Anglo's parents, it pissed off Anglo into ripping him to shreds and then hanging him by his shirt on a flagpole, then he stabbed a knife through his hands above the pole so he was hanging from them too."

Neflen very gently unwrapped the bandage around Esha's left hands on her arm and wing, to show the Scot the freshly opened wounds.

"Sometimes when an Eternal experiences dramatic PTSD, the scars from that moment will reopen," he said, "and along with that they enter this powered down form, no one knows why."

N:   "Huh," Scotland muttered in surprise, processing the information as he saw Esha's reopened wounds, then glanced over to KoF, "So that's why he looks like he's been mummified."

Celtica watched as the Scot was confused about how to feel, so she ordered, "Spill. What's on your mind?"

He took a moment before he could answer, "KoF wasn't responsible for how he was hurt, aye he was provoking Anglo, but the cause that what happened was because of Anglo, not because of KoF. Yet again, I can't blame Anglo; his 'the son bears the sins of the father' rage blinded him, and if I was in the same position I'll do the same." Leaning back in the chair he was sitting, he sighed, "there isn't someone who is to blame."

"And why is that important?"

"Because I would rather pin it on someone; someone I can physically punch for what they did to Òrail," the Scot admitted, "and it is not fair if it's by chance that caused her to suffer."

Celtica hummed in interest, "It's funny, knowing what the Frenchman did, you still tolerate him."

M:   "Scot, Esha's not someone you gotta punch someone for, she's more than capable of doing so herself," Neflen stated, wrapping her hands back up, "besides, from what Saxon told me, she gave Anglo a pretty good scratch earlier, he said it was like the scratch she gave England but big enough to cover his face."

Esha whimpered in her sleep right then, gripping onto Celtica and burying her face in her dress. She then woke up and looked up at Scotland, her large grey eyes seemed to hold distrust, which was further proven by her hiding into the Celt's side again.

N:   Scotland's shoulders slumped at the sight, but he couldn't help but chuckle, "Well how the tables have turned; I didn't exactly trust her either when we first met all those centuries ago."

"You were a child, just as she is now," Celtica reasoned, "it will take some time for her to trust again, or just to go back to her normal self, so don't beat yourself up."

Scotland wanted to argue back, on how Esha was close to his mother, just as she was when the Eternal was first rescued, but the draconic eternal didn't trust him. Partially blaming himself for not being there at her lowest point that day, he brushed the issue aside.

"Nah, don't worry about it," the Scot said, but a hint of pain could be heard in his voice, "I'll just go and check on how KoF is doing then try to find Anglo."

"BE's doing just that," the Celt spoke as her son got up to leave.

"Then I'll go and help him, who knows what he's going through," and with that, he walked away.

M:   "Mandoria and Saxon went with him too," Neflen told him, "they aren't sure but they think he might have gone someplace that was significant to his parents, they didn't clarify on it though."

N:   Scotland hummed, thinking that he might have an idea of where Anglo was, so he waved goodbye to everyone before grabbing his coat. Marching out, the stablehands saw him approaching the stables, so they prepared his horse.

"Get ready for the walk ahead, Clover," he muttered to his horse as he mounted, "it's going to be a long one."

For the next couple of hours, the steed galloped with the occasional rest, making their way towards the coast until they could see the Channel, to which they slowed down to a simple trot, making their way up a cliff in the noon sun.

From the distance, he could see three figures, and immediately pointed Mandoria out with his grand wings, but was confused as to why Anglo wasn't with them.

"So where is he," the Scot asked as he dismounted and walked towards them, and watched as Saxon simply pointed at the cliff edge in the distance, and sitting down was the Englishman, his wings splayed out in the snow as he overlooked the waters.

"And the burial mound is just there," BE added, pointing over at a hill that seemed to jut out of the scenery, as if it wasn't supposed to be there.

"Well, haven't you tried to call him over," Scotland asked?

M:   "We didn't think it was the best option to," Mandoria said, "he knows we're here, I've been told that my large wings give out vibrations that one can feel from a mile away. We're giving him some time to calm down and be with his parents, after what KoF brought upon him, he just needs some alone time."

He then saw as Anglo seemed to wobble as he sat, "Then again, we should be concerned about blood loss from Esha's scratch marks. Saxon, how about you go check on him, your the only one here who truly knows what he's going through."

N:   "I only know, but I don't know, and I don't think I'll ever know how he feels," Saxon clarified, "losing a parent that hasn't liked you is different to ones who have loved you."

While the entity walked over to check on his husband, Anglo sensed that someone was approaching so he shielded his face with his wings. Saxon eventually crouched next to him, trying to see the other through his wings, and all he could think of was a younger Anglo the night he learned of the news about his parents.

Tears were running down his cheeks, and he would flinch in pain wherever a bitter tear entered a wound on his face. Mandoria was also correct, the country looked unstable and drained, clearly the loss of blood and the flight there has weakened him.

"Let's take you back, shall we," Saxon spoke softly, but Anglo just looked at him before watching the horizon. Slowly, he closed his eyes, lowering his wings a little, and leaned forward.

The entity's heart skipped a beat as he quickly pulled him away from the cliff, pulling him up to his feet as he stared right at him. "You're not shattering again, you hear me," he ordered, panic in his voice, "you're going to get yourself patched up and you'll be better."

"Mutter's wings were a gift for Yule," the Englishman randomly said, "I don't want to go anymore."

"Nein, you're coming," he replied firmly as he dragged Anglo, but the other soon began to collapse under his own weight, so when they had reached the group, the entity was practically carrying him.

"He's spiraling," he briefly said, "we need to get him back as soon as possible."

M:   "He won't make it on horseback, it took us hours to get here," Mandoria said, "I don't know if I can carry him that far either."

The country tried to think of something that could help them, he then remembered something in his old spell book from back home, he wasn't sure if it would work but he had to try.

"Do you all remember how I was always on time for meetings, how I could travel hundreds of miles and never seemed to get tired," he asked, "I guess I'll be revealing my secret today, I just hope it still works after my resurrection."

He faced away from the group and held his arms in front of him, closing his eyes in concentration. A small glowing ring appeared a few feet in front of him, it grew in size and showed the compound courtyard within it.

"Yes, it still works," he cheered, surprised that he was still able to conjure this spell, "alright, everyone through, it's perfectly safe."

N:   "Well that explains things," BE mumbled as he led his horse through the portal, reassuring it to gently walk through. Scotland followed in, then Saxon with Anglo, then finally Mandoria stepped through.

Without a moment to hesitate, the entity carried his partner to the infirmary, avoiding KoF at all costs as he rested the winged country down.

All Anglo did was roll over to his side, his eyes half closed as he tried to wipe his face, but whenever he touched his scratch marks, he whimpered a bit before giving up altogether.

"Help him now," the entity demanded as he grabbed a nearby doctor by the collar. The doctor vigorously nodded until he was freed, calling to other medics to help out while the entity tried to reach for the other's hand. Anglo felt his touch but quickly withdrew his hand, closing his eyes as the medics got to work.

M:   The current residents of the infirmary were eating dinner when Saxon came rushing in, well, Neflen was eating dinner on his own, Celtica was feeding Esha some soup. She didn't seem to mind being treated like a child, or maybe her mind was unwilling to tell itself that she was older than everyone in the room combined, including Neflen.

When she saw Anglo she completely freaked out, screaming at the top of her lungs and jumping out of the bed, onto Neflen's head, and onto a chandelier that was hanging nearby, white and ice blue feathers falling from her trembling wings.

"Esha, get down from there, you're going to hurt yourself," Neflen wheezed, nearly choking on his food.

N:   Celtica immediately jumped into action, the initial scream made her suddenly aware of what was happening around her before she calmed herself down from her alertness.

"Esha, come over here," the Celt called out while some nurses came over to help Neflen out, "he's not going to hurt you, look," she pointed over to the Englishman, "he's sleeping."

M:   Esha shook her head vigorously, she didn't want to come down at all, even with the chandelier creaking and sounding like it couldn't hold her weight. Fortunately, Mandoria was just tall enough to grab ahold of her and press against her back above her wings, causing her to let go and go limp in his grasp. The Eternal didn't stay "off" for long and was trying to break away from Mandoria's hold.

"Shh, it's ok little one, no one is going to hurt anyone," he hushed her, gently petting her wings, "you're safe, we'll protect you, I promise."

His reassurance helped Esha calm down, and she enjoyed him petting her wings, she even emitted a low purring.

"The trick with a winged child is to distract them with their wings," he told Celtica as he passed Esha back to her care, "the wings are much more sensitive when they're young, and it's their natural instinct to enjoy having their wings pet and groomed, since it's a natural way of bonding between family members."

N:   "Thank you for the tip," Celtica nodded as she began to pet Esha's wings too, "clearly I didn't have any winged children, but I'll keep that in mind. The one person who might know-," she paused as she glanced at Anglo, "is currently not an option."

As she sat down with the Eternal on the bed, gently stroking her wings, the Celt chuckled to herself, "It would be interesting if Esha were to see me as a mother since she is much older than I am."

M:   "Esha never had parent figures," Neflen reminded them when he was able to talk properly, "the different breeds of dragon eternals were a bit ... racist, for a lack of a better word, dragon eternals are very proud creatures and live by honor. Esha was born to fire dragon parents, who were naturally disgusted by water dragons, so they did what was custom for that species; leave the infant in the woods and hope no one finds out they had a child of a different race."

"Hmm, what a familiar practice," Mandoria sighed sadly, "many races of humans used to do that as well."

Neflen shrugged at that, "The point is that Esha never experienced loving parents before, so I'm not surprised if she starts viewing Celtica as one, she's already said that Scotty is like a little brother to her, so the seeds of familyhood are already there."

N:   Celtica quietly nodded as she began to spoon-feed Esha again, and eventually she spoke. "I guess that makes sense," she muttered, "but she wasn't keen on seeing Scotty earlier."

With the mention of her son, she quickly looked around to find him, "and it seems like he hasn't returned since."

"Sirs England and Scotland are currently busy," one of the medics stated, "His Majesty decided that they should practice leading the Yule ball in the off chance that Sir Anglo doesn't recover and if Ms. Esha is still in your care."

"More like distracting himself," the Celt rolled her eyes before thanking the medics for the update.

M:   "I heard a little bit about Anglo's parents and their unfortunate demies," Mandoria said, sitting down next to Prudoria, "I never officially met them, I only saw his mother once or twice at my meetings, and I never saw his father, but from what I heard happened to them, I don't think he will be able to lead the yule."

"Why don't you do it, you're pretty good at leading things," Neflen suggested.

"It's not my place to, this is a British event, it would be inappropriate for a Mandorian to host it."

N:   "I would like if you could but I agree," Celtica spoke, "it wouldn't be appropriate, especially if BE is inviting everyone here, for the host to not be British."

She then turned to Neflen, "Besides, it's to look good for the people too; for them to be well represented. In the same way that Anglo and I are the ones who officiate Parliament discussions, we show a union, one stronger than BE's, of the Isles, meanwhile Albion only represents Great Britain, not Ireland. England and Scotland are the second best choice, since they represent where the majority of the population live and are the fathers of the remaining regions."

She sighed as she placed Esha's empty bowl down and leaned back, preening her wings as she continued. "I've got to be only of the lucky few who didn't have something bad happen to them in this festive season," she admitted, "and I can't imagine the strength Anglo had to muster for every year for a century to host Yule. Just expect some of us to sneak out to take a breather."

M:   The two men just nodded in agreement, not finding anything else to add to that, though Neflen tried to lighten up the mood, "I'm more worried about how we're going to get this little stinker into her dress for the ball," he rubbed Esha's head as he said that, "and I'm not just talking about her being so tiny, if babysitting Sofia has taught me one thing, it's that children hate getting dressed."

"Oh ho, you have no idea, my friend," Mandoria laughed, "try fighting the battle of getting dressed with three opponents. Mandara and Derogan got a pass since I had to deal with them when they were infants, but Johann came to us when he was twelve, yet he always fought us when it was either bath time or getting dressed up for visitors, those were the good days."

N:   "Well, Scotty was a different experience," Celtica laughed, "he could be easily distracted, and especially when he was a chatterbox as a child, just give him a topic to talk about and he will go on and on about it, giving me plenty of time for his baths and getting him ready. The real challenge was to shut him up."

"And it seems like he used all his words when he was a child because now Dad can go a whole day without saying a word," Ireland spoke as he approached the group, "except when Father's around, somehow the pair can hold up a conversation without ending up in an argument."

When he was asked about how his fathers got him ready, the Irishman chuckled, "Both Albion and I would plan our escapes; he hated it as much as I did, some of the few things we agree on, and our missions were successful every time."

M:   "Oh my gods, it really is Mandara and Derogan all over again," Mandoria chuckled ruefully, "the plots and schemes those two would cook up could give Saxon a run for his money. I tried once to give them some chores to do around the castle, that way they could appreciate what the servants did for us, and while I will say that Mandara was a bit more reasonable about them, Derogan would always find a way to ditch them and go play in the forest."

"I will never understand your children," Neflen commented, "your two oldest ones were rebellious and troublemakers while little Mandara was the one trying to keep them in check."

"Yeah well, when you know what Derogan and Johann went through then you would understand," Mandoria sighed, "my wife died after Mandara was delivered, he was too young to understand that he lost a parent, Derogan was five but it still affected him, and poor Johann lost his parents when he was twelve. Losing a loved one is hard on a child, so it can cause them to act differently to express the pain they felt."

N:   The others felt that they couldn't add on so Ireland spoke up, "Anyway, I came over to see if Mandoria was free. He turned to the said country, "and since you are, BE said that he needed to discuss something with you."

"Is he not helping out with Scotty and England for the ball," Celtica asked, to which the other shook his head, "so where is he?"

"In his office," the Irishman shrugged, "was annoying him and he asked me to call Mandoria as an excuse for me to leave."

M:   Mandoria's face turned down a bit more, if this was a couple of years ago back when he was king he would have smiled and went no problem, but with the issue of Prudoria and Anglo, and everything else that has been happening, he was nervous about what the empire wanted.

"O-ok," he muttered, "could you stay with Prudoria while I'm gone, and if I don't return in about 20 minutes send a rescue team."

He then left without another word, and Neflen said, "I don't like how seriously he said that, he wasn't joking at all."

N:   BE sat patiently in his office, listening as the pendulum in the grandfather clock in his room slowly swung from side to side. However, the stress of hosting the ball, as well as the very potential ways that the day could go sideways was creeping up on him, so more often than not he had a pipe in his mouth.

When he heard Mandoria knock, he let him in as he set his pipe down. "Sit down," he muttered as he absentmindedly pointed at the seat in front of him.

Once the other has done so, he finally looked up at him, sighing as he got up and walked around, leaning on his desk in front of the Mandorian.

"I need you to tell me everything about Prussia," he ordered, his arms crossed, "the good, the bad, and the ugly. His strengths and weaknesses. What he likes and dislikes. And tell me everything you know about being the King Wing; tell me absolutely everything and hold nothing back."

The empire's shoulders fell a bit as he sighed, "I understand that Prussia is a sensitive topic for you so," he pointed at a box of tissues on his desk, "you may take as many as you want, but I need all the information I can get. So, spill."

M:   Mandoria's heart dropped right then and there, his feathers immediately started a low hum from fear.

"Well, can you tell me why you want this information first," he whimpered, "you already threaten my son's life, and let's not forget what you ordered your soldiers to do to me if I left the grounds, I saw them aiming at me when we left to find Anglo. Why should I trust you with any information of any kind, what are you going to use it for?"

N:   BE narrowed his eyes at the question, "Unless you have already forgotten, let me remind you. Prussia had threatened to challenge my Grandfather to an aerial duel, and as you have seen him today, he is neither physically nor mentally prepared to verse him."

Reaching over to the other side of his desk, he grabbed a single piece of paper and glanced over it. "Like I said when you first arrived here, if he were to enter my land, it will be seen as a declaration of war, and I will very much love to bring a war to him, because if he dare to lay a finger on Anglo, he's a dead man. This," he held up the piece of paper, "is my formal declaration of war on the Kingdom of Prussia, and I'm just biding my time."

Placing the paper back down, he turned back to Mandoria with a frown. "Is that a good enough answer for you, your highness, or should I have to further explain myself? I don't fucking care about the situation with you and your son, right now I need information about Prussia. Immediately!"

M:   Mandoria shrank at every word, his fear was growing and he actually looked like he was about to cry. "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to m-make you mad, I was scared. I'm n-not Your Highness, I never was, you a-are the king, a-and I'm s-sorry I upset you."

The Mandorian did his best to explain everything BE wanted to know, his frightened and submissive behavior never faltering, it was like he was talking to Prussia again, which was strengthened by what he said after he was finished.

"I-I have told you all th-that I know, m-master," he whimpered, his head hanging in submission, "I-I h-hope you are pleased with m-my services, h-have I b-been a good pet, m-master?"

N:   "Don't you dare call me your fucking master ever again," BE snapped, putting his paper and quill down from jotting down what Mandoria said.

Being called master like that made the Brit sick to the stomach, bringing him back to a memory he would rather keep buried, so he reflexively grabbed for his pipe and held it in his mouth. Taking his tissue box, he held it out to Mandoria.

"Take some and go," the empire spoke, his voice quieter and softer, "Leave my sight and pull yourself together. You're embarrassing yourself and you better not be like this in the ball."

M:   Mandoria jumped and fell out of his chair in fear, then immediately fell to his hands and knees and actually began to cry.

"I'm sorry, my lord, I'm sorry I displeased you, I'm so sorry," he sobbed, "please forgive me, I will do better, my only purpose is to serve you. Please don't punish me, I'll do anything for you, Lord Prussia, I'm your faithful slave, I promise to please you however you wish."

N:   BE deeply exhaled, Mandoria slowly wearing his patience thin, but he realized that being harsh wasn't the way to go.

"I am not Prussia, nor are you his slave or anyone's," the empire spoke softly, resting his hand on the other's shoulder, "you are to serve no one, you hear me? Now, if you are so willing to listen to me, I ask you to leave my office and go to a bathroom and clean yourself up."

The Brit gave the Mandorian a quick pat and walked over to the door, opening it for the other, "You have a family to look after, so go, and never, ever, call me Prussia. I refuse to be compared to a B-grade empire like himself."

M:   BE's soft tone helped bring Mandoria back from his PTSD attack, allowing him to sit up and wipe away his tears.

"I'm sorry BE, I don't know what came over me," he muttered as he stood up, "you aren't like Prussia, you're much better than him, and you're willing to put up with my nonsense, I thank you for that."

He walked up to the door but stopped to hug the empire, still needing the extra comfort as he asked, "What have I become, Albion, what emotional train wreck have I turned into, and will it ever stop, will I ever stop being so pathetic?

N:   BE awkwardly stood there, not sure how to comfort the Mandorian but he patted his back. After the argument they had, and how Mandoria was just moments ago, the empire was slightly surprised that the other still referred to him by his birth name.

"I'm probably the worst person now to answer such questions," he replied, "but know that this is none of your fault but the doing of Prussia, and don't force yourself to heal. It will take time."

M:   "Thank you," Mandoria murmured, "and I'm sorry for how I've been acting these past few weeks, It's been so stressful, we all just haven't been ourselves. And, for what it's worth, I'd like to be your friend again, I can't reestablish the alliance, I have no kingdom for you to ally with, but I think that now more than ever we all need each other."

He finally let go and bid the empire goodnight, deciding to go to bed early so he could wake up in a better mind space, though he made sure to tell a servant to inform the others that he went to bed, so they didn't have to send reinforcements.

N:   The rest of the day went smoothly, and with the few hiccups at the infirmary, the night soon came along.

M:   In the morning, Esha woke up in Celtica's room cuddled up to her, apparently the adult moved her there when she was asleep, she didn't mind, she needed the comfort and attention. The young Eternal lay there with her for a few more minutes to enjoy her warmth, then got up to get ready for the day, it seemed that her normal mindset had returned a bit, though it would still take a while to fully heal.

Once she was finished and put on the shrunken clothes that she swiped from Celtica, she figured she would wait for her to wake up before going to get breakfast, she knew that the Celt would freak out if she disappeared.

N:   It took a while before Celtica woke up, and she did initially panic when she didn't see Esha in her arms, but when she saw her ready to leave she sighed.

"You frightened me for a second," she chuckled as she got out of bed, then she paused before asking, "I don't know how I should treat you. Do you want to be treated as an adult, or do you want the same treatment as yesterday? I do realize it may feel a bit patronizing, especially for your age."

M:   Esha simply shrugged, indicating that she didn't really care, she didn't mind being treated as a child, she didn't have much of a childhood so this was like a small taste of it for a few days, not to mention the stuff she could get away with now. She quietly waited for Celtica to be done with her morning routine, then held her hand as they walked to the dining room.

She didn't talk much, anything Celtica asked would earn a simple yes or no, she didn't sound that upset, just mentally exhausted from her powered-down form.

N:   When they had finally entered the dining hall, some of the Saxons were there, as well as a couple of countries too.

When Esha took her seat, Wolfgang unintentionally stared at her before Erna gave him a small slap to snap out of it. "Was," he grumbled, "it's just ... surprising to see her like this. At least we could be a bit more free when out hunting, or Heinrich can join."

"I prefer to go solo," Heinz replied nonchalantly, "because otherwise I'm third wheeling when the pair of you come along."

Glancing at the Eternal, without a second thought, Heinz patted her head, "I wonder that now you're young, will you play with Sofia?"

M:   Esha didn't respond, she just waved his hand away with her wing and went back to eating.

"Leave her be you guys, this wasn't a voluntary transformation," Uskaine scolded the group, "she's healing from severe pain right now, so show a little respect please."

"Relax honey, no need to get snippy," Askad said, "I know you haven't been getting much sleep lately but there's no need to lash out, ok."

Uskaine nodded in understanding, and Askad addressed French Empire, "So back to the conversation, everyone's heard the story of how Mr. America burnt Anglo's feathers, I gotta know, was BE the one watching him that day, Mandoria bet me it was so I want to settle it, if you don't mind."

N:   FE chuckled a bit before answering, "Well, it was before Canada was born, but America was still pretty young, so oui, BE was the one watching over America."

"But from the sound of it he wasn't doing a great job," Scotland smiled, "Anglo was pretty avoidant of the kid afterward."

"Ame is a handful," the Frenchwoman sighed, "And as a child, he always sought to find trouble."

M:   "Yeah, I think almost everyone has had that experience here," Askad muttered, slightly miffed that he lost the bet, "even if you think you have well-behaved children, they were troublemakers at some point, though I think the Mandorians had it worse than anyone, I wonder where they are actually."

"I passed by Rowen as he was heading to the infirmary," Neflen claimed, "he said that Mandoria wasn't in bed this morning so he figured that he was sitting with Prudoria, though I haven't seen Johann in a while, has anyone else?"

"I thought I saw him with Edel and the cubs yesterday," Uskaine said, "I don't know where he is now."

N:   "We haven't seen him," Erna spoke, to which Wolfgang also shrugged in agreement.

"I saw him on horseback heading towards town," Heinrich informed them, "he was with Gwyn and he said that they were bringing back more stuff so that she could stay here in the compound." He took a bite out of his sandwich and continued, "Although I don't know why he would have to go along, she seems like she is perfectly capable of going to town on her own."

M:   "I don't think it's a have to so much as a want to," Neflen chuckled, "I mean come on, you'd have to be blind to not see the chemistry between them, no offense to Odrus. I think Johann just wanted to tag along, either that or he's going to try to protect Gwyn from her mother."

As the group talked about the two lovebirds, Esha's demeanor got worse and worse, it stung a little when Johann and Gwyn were mentioned, not just because of her former crush on him, but because it also reminded her of her thing with Arther. Losing her appetite, she excused herself from the table to go to the stables, she wanted to see how Sleipnir was doing.