Bo had finished her call with Willa and Landon in Kenzi's private chambers and then walked to the window to take in the light breeze and the beautiful evening sky. After a while Bo glanced at the time. Right about now she would be enjoying dinner with Lauren and their children. Tonight she was alone, and she did not want to be alone. Suddenly, the Seneschal appeared.
"Oh, hey!" Bo said.
"Dinner, Your Royal Highness?" The Seneschal asked.
"Yeah. Eating alone tonight."
"Very good."
"Wait! Is anyone else around?" Bo asked. The Seneschal paused for several moments in thought as they processed, which mattered not to Bo as she loved this ability of the Seneschal more than she would ever admit.
"Her Serene Highness Rimma and Her Serene Highness Emilia may be available." The Seneschal finally spoke.
"Oh, great! Call Rimma!" The air shimmered and Rimma shimmered into view. The call found Rimma still at her offices.
"Your Royal Highness, what can I do for you?" Rimma asked.
"Looking for a dinner partner. Are you free tonight?" Bo asked.
"I would love to but I have just been notified my Delegation would like to discuss some changes to the Convocation Agenda."
"That's funny. I just got off a call with Willa and Landon over some agenda changes between the Brinari and the Aonghus Delegations."
"Typical posturing. As the Convocation gets closer delegations get antsy."
"Well, the Seneschal thought you and Emilia might be available."
"What's Emilia doing?" Rimma asked the Seneschal.
"In her labs, Your Serene Highness." The Seneschal replied. Rimma let out an exasperated sigh and a slight roll of her eyes.
"Emilia is free, Your Royal Highness." Rimma declared.
"But they just said she was in her labs." Bo replied.
"Trust me, she's free." Rimma replied then her Dyak entered the room.
"Yes, Chenda?" Rimma prompted.
"The Luxorthani Delegation has arrived." Chenda informed.
"I need to go, Your Royal Highness, but yes, Emilia is free." Rimma said emphatically. Bo chuckled.
"I will head to the labs then. Have a good evening, Rimma."
"You as well Your Royal Highness." Rimma replied and the call ended.
"Dr. Prescotti?" Bo asked when she walked into the Presidium Labs to scores of bows and curtsies.
"She's currently in the middle of a test, Your Royal Highness, but you can observe in the Observation Lounge, if you'd like." One of the lab assistants answered.
"Thank you. Where's that?" Bo asked.
"This way, Your Royal Highness." The assistant directed.
When Bo entered the darkened Observation Lounge she saw Emilia and her staff through the window overlook were circled around a very large rotating sphere with vector rings that spun around it. It made Bo dizzy just looking at it. The contraption reminded Bo of the giant, spinning ship in the movie "Contact." Emilia and her staff were monitoring its output on floating monitor screens. Bo took a seat and watched as Emilia and her staff worked through a list of checkpoints. After an hour Emilia and her staff had reached the last set of checkpoints.
"Gravitational acceleration?" Emilia asked.
"No increase, Doctor." One lab assistant replied.
"Friction loss?" Emilia asked.
"Within expected parameters, Doctor." A second lab assistant reported.
"Let's put up the field." Emilia directed. A third lab assistant pressed a few buttons on the floating monitors and an electromagnetic field enveloped the rotating sphere. The space became brighter.
"What's the variation at the curvature?" Emilia asked.
"Four point five by ten to negative two power, Doctor." A fourth lab assistant replied.
"We need to cancel the ambient field, Doctor." Said another doctor.
"Current needed?" Emilia asked.
"One point eight four by 10 to positive eleventh power." Said the same doctor.
"Do it." Emilia directed. The other doctor made the adjustments.
"Polarization?" Emilia asked.
"Within acceptable parameters, Doctor." One of the lab assistants replied.
"Amount of charged particles?" Emilia asked.
"Also within acceptable levels, Doctor." The same lab assistant replied. Emilia took a deep breath and exhaled.
"Let's bring it down then." Emilia said. The other doctor and all the labs assistants complied. When the experiment was fully shut down, and the light came on inside the room everyone broke out into applause around Emilia.
"A milestone achieved, Doctor!" said the other doctor in the room.
"Thank you to everyone! This was a team effort, but we still have much work to do on it." Emilia replied.
"Still Doctor, congratulations!" Another round of applause ensued. Bo then stood up and walked out of the Observation Lounge and met Emilia outside of her lab to another round of bows and curtsies. Bo acknowledged them all with a bow of her head.
"Your Royal Highness!" Emilia said surprised.
"I see congratulations are in order." Bo replied.
"Thank you, but it truly was a team effort." Emilia replied.
"She is being too modest Your Royal Highness." This came from the other doctor in the room.
"I'm sure she is." Bo replied.
"Have you met Dr. Riko?" Emilia asked.
"No I haven't." Bo replied.
"This is Dr. Alfred Riko. He works with me in the labs." Emilia introduced.
"Nice to meet you Doctor." Bo said.
"You as well Your Royal Highness." Dr. Riko replied.
"So what brings you to the labs, Your Royal Highness?" Emilia asked.
"Dinner." Bo replied.
"Dinner?"
"Yeah, Kenzi's on her date with Antony, Trick is off with Eva, and with Lauren and the children gone I'm feeling somewhat listless." Bo explained.
"You must be lonely with Lauren and the children gone." Emilia asked.
"Our chambers are very large and very empty without them." Bo replied.
"Did you get a chance to speak with them this evening?" Emilia asked.
"Lauren's having dinner with the gang tonight at Dal. One of her old friends is coming to visit her. The children are at my mother's and Lauren and I conferenced to say goodnight to them. They're learning dough-rolling and gardening." Bo replied.
"The Princess Mother must be enjoying herself with the children." Emilia replied.
"I'm not sure we'll get them back." Bo replied. Emilia smiled.
"So are you free?" Bo asked.
"Well, I still have some clean-up work to do, and…" Emilia started.
"I was told to be persistent." Bo said.
"Oh, by whom?" Emilia asked.
"Rimma." Bo answered. Now it was Emilia's turn to let out an exasperated sigh and do a slight roll her eyes.
"Sisters." Emilia said.
"Who firmly believe you need to eat." Bo replied.
"Very well then, Your Royal Highness. What do you have in mind?" Emilia asked.
"I was thinking Sharpers Dock, the seafood place?" Bo replied.
"Let me go and put away my things then." Emilia replied.
"Great! Meet you outside then." Bo said then Emilia turned and headed for her offices as everyone watched her go.
"Nice to meet you all." Bo said as she turned and walked out to bows and curtsies from the staff.
Emilia emerged from the Presidium Labs with her Bas, Bas Yeager and stopped mid-stride at the sight in front of her. There was Bo, with her Bas, Bas Kadine standing behind her, and her famous yellow car, the Beast, parked with its roof down in front of her.
"Your Royal Highness?" Emilia queried.
"Thought we could take it out for a spin. Lauren always gripes whenever I do here." Bo replied.
"So does Maxima." Emilia said.
"Well, I want to get in a drive before the Convocation started, and this seemed like a great night to take him out for a drive. Jump in!" Bo said as she opened the driver's side door and sat in the driver's seat. Emilia slowly walked up as Bas Kadine opened the door for her, she sat in the passenger seat, and then he shut the door behind her and stepped back.
"You're not getting in?" Emilia asked Bas Kadine.
"We will meet you there, Your Serene Highness." Bas Kadine replied as a confused Bas Yeager looked on.
"See you there!" Bo said to the Bases then put the Beast in gear and peeled off.
"Bas Kadine is not a fan of my driving." Bo informed Emilia as she revved the Beast down the street to gaping Fae milling throughout the streets.
"Aren't we going a bit fast, Your Royal Highness?" Emilia asked.
"Not fast enough! And remember our deal, when it's just us call me Bo." Bo replied as she put the peddle to the meddle causing the car to lunge forward and she and Emilia to jerk backwards. Emilia hung onto the dash.
"Doesn't this...automobile have a security field?" Emilia asked.
"You mean a seatbelt?"
"If that's what you call them."
"Right next you." Bo replied. Emilia found it quickly and strapped in. Bo laughed.
"I thought Lauren said this automobile would be put into storage or a museum."
"She wishes." Bo said and they turned a sharp right causing Emilia to hang on for dear life.
When they finally arrived at Sharpers Dock they pulled up to more gaping Fae, and as expected Bas Kadine and Bas Yeager were there already.
Sharpers Dock was a discovery Bo and Kenzi had made shortly after Bo had arrived at the Presidium. The City of Nahala not only had a river, but a small sea and Sharpers Dock sat on its edge, and like all things at the Presidium Sharpers Dock was enormous for their indoor, deck, and beach seating that stretched for a mile, and the scenery was amazing. What Bo and Kenzi liked about the place is it was one of those rare eateries that didn't look much different than some of the dockside restaurants back home. What really impressed Bo and Kenzi was the freshness of the food. Back on the human plane when restaurants said fresh seafood they meant it was a day old. At Sharpers Dock it came straight out of the water, onto the grates, and then onto the table. Bo and Kenzi declared it was the best seafood followed by the best beer they had ever tasted in their lives. This time when Bo walked into Sharpers Dock with Emilia they saw a 25-foot long, giant fish hoisted in the air on grappling claws as the cook cut portions of the meat off, slapped it on the grates to char the meat as the smoke spewed upward.
"Impressive. Kenzi and I didn't see that the last time we were here." Bo said.
The clientele in the restaurant quickly recognized them, went quiet as they all rose and extended their courtesies. Bo acknowledged the courtesies with a bow, and everyone recovered and applauded. As always Bo blushed slightly whenever this happened and glanced at Emilia. The applause stopped and the crowd remained standing and quiet. Bo was not sure what was happening then Emilia rested her left hand on Bo's arm and addressed the crowd.
"On behalf of the Presidium, The Princess Royal acknowledges the warmth of your affection, and may peace and joy grace you all!" Emilia's words were met by another round of loud applause and then the crowds resumed their activities.
"Thank you for the save. Not sure what was happening there. Usually, I just bow and everyone continues with what they were doing." Bo said.
"No worries. I may be at fault for being with you. The crowd expected a few words." Emilia assured.
"Got it. Will have to note that one down." Bo replied. Then the proprietor came up and bowed.
"Blessings, Your Royal Highness, Your Serene Highness! Lovely to see you both again. Your continued patronage honors us!"
"Hello Pasi! Nice to see you again!" Bo said.
"Thank you Pasi!" Emilia replied.
"I have not seen Their Majesties here for quite some time. Margareta wonders all the time." Pasi reminded.
"I will tell them to rectify that as soon as possible before the chaos of the Convocation falls upon us." Emilia replied.
"Margareta and I would enjoy that immensely, Your Serene Highness." Pasi replied. Unlike most Fae who were humanoid in their appearance Pasi was not one of them. Pasi came from the Baqi plane of existence, a largely rainforest-based plane where the Fae there were non-humanoid. Pasi had a beaver-like backside, and a possum-like face in the front. Pasi and his wife Margareta had settled on the Presidium plane of existence after the War of Five Monarchs, opened Sharpers Dock and have been in business for close to 1400 years.
"Can we grab any open table?" Bo asked.
"As you wish." Pasi replied.
"I see a table over there." Emilia pointed towards a table on the patio near the fence wall over-looking the beach and the sea.
"Looks great." Bo replied.
"Allow me." Pasi said as he led them to their table, held out their chairs for them while Bas Kadine and Bas Yeager took observational positions nearby. Pasi then handed them menus then they heard cheers go up. The Juggerbol pre-game show shimmered over the beach front and the nearby Fae started shouting and cheering.
"I'm sure you're very happy your team is in the championship series." Pasi said.
"Very!" Emilia replied.
"What would you like drink?" Pasi asked.
"May I?" Emilia asked Bo.
"Sure!" Bo replied.
"Are you in a real drinking mood?" Emilia queried.
"I'm game!" Bo replied.
"Very well then. Pasi, we would like to have your famous Bastards Cask." Emilia replied. Pasi smiled broadly.
"Bastards Cask it is!" Pasi replied and then stepped away.
"Bastards Cask? What's that?" Bo asked.
"You'll see. So Lauren is off with her friends tonight?" Emilia asked.
"Yes, which I'm glad to hear. Like, you, Lauren has a habit of working herself into the ground too." Bo replied. Emilia smiled.
"Lauren had once gone on a trip to decide whether she wanted to spend her life with me. When she returned she looked so well-rested and happy. She doesn't know this but that's the reason why I insist she takes time for herself. None of us had anyone really until we found one another. And since the creation of the JFM and our move here she has developed more friendships, and if there is anything I'm most thankful for is that she has made so many friendships, including with you." Bo said.
"And I with her." Emilia replied. Then two wait staff appeared with a three-foot long, oval-shaped, bubbling cask on a stand. The nearby patrons watched as the cask was set at the table and two tankards placed before them. The wait staff bowed and stepped away.
"What is this?" Bo asked as she chuckled at the sight.
"I know you like beer and Bastards Cask has no equal in all of Nahala." Emilia replied.
"Kenzi and I didn't see this on the menu when we were here." Bo commented.
"It's an off-menu item. Pasi keeps a select off-menu for long-standing patrons."
"Who the heck orders these?" Bo asked.
"Actually, my entire family loves them. You do not want to see Mummy here with her old warrior friends." Emilia replied.
"The Queen cuts loose?" Bo asked incredulous.
"Not often, but when she does it is with her old comrade in arms, and it's an all-night affair. It is one of the few outings Mother does not attend with Mummy." Emilia replied. Bo laughed. Emilia then picked up one of her tankards and carefully dunked it into the bubbling brew. Bo followed suit then stopped midway.
"This is hot. Hot beer?" Bo noted.
"Try it." Bo dunked her tankard again into the cask and then pulled it out. It bubbled briefly then stopped. She looked at Emilia who had already taken a drink and followed suit. When she tasted it was stone cold. Bo looked at the tankard and then at Emilia.
"How is that possible?" Bo asked.
"Chemistry. Want me to explain?" Emilia offered.
"Ah, no." Bo quickly replied. Emilia chuckled then raised her tankard.
"Thank you, Bo for pulling me out of the labs tonight." Emilia said.
"Thank you for coming out with me." Bo replied as they clanked tankards and drank together. Then they put down their tankards and looked at the menu.
"This menu is impressive." Bo commented.
"Quite the variety that for sure." Emilia replied. Suddenly, they heard another round of cheers and applause go up as they saw the Juggerbol teams come out onto the field to warm up.
"Looks like they are warming up." Emilia said.
"Kenzi is there right now." Bo replied.
"Wait, my brother took her to a Juggerbol game on their first date?" Emilia queried.
"Oooh yes. Kenzi was quite surprised." Bo replied.
"When you said she was going out on a date with him tonight I figured it would be after the game."
"She didn't even know he had a game today." Bo replied. Emilia shook her head.
"Well she'll be even more surprised with Mother, Atia and Maxima there."
"What?"
"Oh, yes! Mother, Atia and Maxima love the game. Mummy use to play herself." Emilia replied.
"Kenzi is going to die!" Bo said as they laughed together.
"So, you don't play?" Bo asked.
"No! That is one of those sports I gladly leave to my siblings. But I too am an enormous fan."
"Why aren't you at the game then?"
"As you may have observed time escapes me when I'm focused on my work. Besides this is not the first time they have been in the Championship series."
"As talented as your brothers and sisters are I have no doubt. So, anything looking good to you?"
"Sharpers Dock always has expansive non-meat options." Emilia replied. Bo looked at her a surprised.
"You're a vegetarian?"
"Even stricter."
"A vegan?"
"Yes."
"Honestly, I never noticed in the chaos of all the functions we attend."
"They can be quite chaotic."
"How do you balance that? I mean, you're a Saber Tooth, which is freakin amazing by the way." Bo asked. Emilia smiled broadly.
"There's a conflict for sure, but it balances out. At least you know where I get my protein." Emilia replied. Bo chuckled. Then the wait staff came up, took their order and then stepped away.
"So what about your private time? How do you relax?" Emilia asked.
"Actually, I recharge whenever I go off on a run, which I haven't needed to do since I've been here because I'm getting my butt kicked everywhere else." Bo replied. Emilia smiled. "But I take personal time here and there."
"Do you and Lauren ever take time away from the children just to be alone?"
"Whenever we can steal time away together. But with the children and now with all this our schedule is pretty tight. The one thing we do try to make time for is my mother. Mama insists on yearly visits to see us all."
"When do you visit?"
"Most times during the Cherry Festival. I was reminded when I first reconciled with my mother how much I missed it. We are trying to build in other holidays, but Lauren and I were talking about whether we should extend them to every two years, but we know Mama will have a stroke if we try that."
"Lauren told me your relationship with your mother was contentious at times?"
"Our relationship was not the best. I ran away from home when I was 18, a long story by the way, and hadn't seen her for almost 12 years until my Dawning forced the issue. By that time, she was on a plateful of medications to deal with her dementia. We reconciled well enough that when the children were born I wanted her to be part of their lives. Their Fae lives. It was hard at first with Mama on all those drugs, but then Lauren and the JFM were able to come up with a regime to stop its progression, and now with the grandchildren, and Lauren, she really has taken to Lauren, all the acrimony between us has fallen by the wayside."
"I bet the humans were happy that Lauren and the JFM were able to develop that blocker."
"Yes, they were. After test trials, Liam Kavanaugh, our broker on Wall Street, secured investors to put it to market. It only added to JFM's accomplishments, and to its coffers. JFM is currently in final trials which is one of the reasons why Lauren is back at the County. If successful, they will have wiped out an affliction that impairs so many." Bo said as she smiled.
"Quite the accomplishment." Emilia replied.
"One of the things that irritates me though is the constant soothing of investor nerves. I can barely stand the process of soliciting investors, but if we want both the DRM and JFM to continue to be successful we need to build on those successes and play the game. It would be so nice if our plane no longer dealt with money like here at the Presidium." Bo said.
"To eliminate monetary driven concerns on the human plane? Now that would be quite an accomplishment." Emilia commented.
"Yes it would be." Bo said as she fell into thought as she took a sip of her beer. "Yes, it would be." She repeated.
"So will we finally get to meet The Princess Mother at your Installation?" Emilia asked.
"Still not sure about that. And thank you for being so understanding of that when you all were back at the County." Bo replied.
"We were all wondering why we didn't get the chance to meet her when we were there."
"I've been trying to keep my mother's exposure to the Fae world limited as much as possible because of the past and all the drugs she was on." Bo replied then fell into a nostalgic moment. "Dyson had come home with me one time when I picked up the children from her house, and they kept patting his face. It's a game they play with both him and I to get us to shift. Well, he and I knew they wanted him to shift his face, but he wouldn't do it in front of my mother. The children started to get agitated, and my mother didn't understand why they were so agitated so I shrugged my shoulders and Dyson shifted his face." Bo then laughed. "Dyson was the first Fae after myself my mother had ever seen. She was shocked at first, but what seemed to calm her down were the children's reaction, which was laughter, and pummeling poor Dyson's face."
"Has she seen Bas Gamba shift? Bas Dima?" Emilia asked.
"Yes, in case if anything ever happened to the children she needed to be prepared for that, and trust me that was quite the experience for her as well. So, yeah you all would be a lot to take in for her right now." Bo replied.
"I have to say it is refreshing to listen to stories like yours who find Fae so different. It is like rediscovering our world through your eyes." Emilia said.
"Back home the Fae are hidden so even for me meeting different types of Fae was always a new experience, but here there are nearly 200 billion Fae, and I find it exciting to meet each and every one of them. But I'm not sure about my mother."
"But your mother will have to come to know us sooner or later. She should come to know and understand the world you will one day rule over as the future Sovereign."
"I know. I just feel I need to...manage it."
"I understand, but be forewarned Mummy and Mother may not be so understanding as your Installation approaches. They want you and your family to not only feel welcome but also feel part of the Presidium. After all, this is your home now."
"I know and thank you." Bo replied as she raised her tankard prompting Emilia to raise hers. They clanked them together and then took a drink.
"So what were you working on back in the lab?" Bo asked.
"Something I've been working on for years. A dimensional construct to find a common resonance between different planes of existence." Emilia replied.
"That's quite the project." Bo said. Emilia smiled.
"I could explain it explain in greater detail if you'd like?" Emilia offered.
"Please. I would like to learn more. Helps me to understand more of what Lauren talks about." Bo replied. Then they heard more cheers and applause.
"The game is about to start." Bo said then a thought came to mind. "You know what?"
"What?"
"We are about to watch a game and something is missing."
"What's that?" Emilia asked as Bo quickly looked for a wait staff, saw one and waved them over.
"Do you have any popcorn?" Bo asked the wait staff.
"Pop corn, Your Royal Highness?" The wait staff repeated baffled.
"Ah." Emilia replied with a smile. "I will show you what she means." Then got up and went into the restaurant followed by the wait staff, and returned to the table ten minutes later.
"It should be out momentarily." Emilia said
"They don't know about popcorn?" Bo asked incredulous.
"It's the littlest things isn't it." Pasi himself emerged about five minutes later with a large bowl of popcorn. Everyone seated around them gawked at the sight of white popcorn in the very large bowl.
"I have an idea!" Bo said then turned to Pasi. "Can you pass bowls like this to each table with salt and melted butter?" Bo asked.
"As you wish." Pasi said and went back into the restaurant. A few minutes later a parade of wait staff came out of the restaurant with bowls of popcorn, salt and melted butter and served each and every table in Sharpers Dock and instructed the clientele on how to eat it while Pasi observed. Bo could see some Fae took to it right away, some made faces and put it down. But there were enough happy faces for Pasi to say he would add it to the menu. Bo recommended if he added cheese and caramel it would be a hit. Pasi took down the recommendation and then left. They heard more cheers and applause.
"They are lining up on the field." Emilia said excited. Bo looked over at Emilia, then stood up and pulled her chair around so she and Emilia sat side by side so they both faced the beach and the game being projected overhead. Bo pulled the popcorn bowl closer to them then put her feet up on an empty chair and Emilia slowly followed suit. Bo picked up her tankard and Emilia followed suit.
"To victory!" Bo said.
"To victory!" Emilia replied as they clanked tankards, drank and then settled in to watch the game.
