It is a little bit awkward. Because, apparently, none of us know how to handle the vacation. Well, except for Cy, who after a brief pause breaks the silence with a cheerful demand for lunch. Which we all end up participating in, much to Bridgit's disgruntled grumbling.

"You do remember that you are also on vacation, dear?" - I tease her in response. And Bridgit promptly reddens and retreats back mumbling something about mistresses who are ridiculously prone to spoiling their maids. She does insist on setting the table at least, even if we all pitched in with the lunch in one way or another.

"So let us recap." - I begin - "The plan is as following... First we visit the Gillespie estate properly, give Cy a couple days to play with her uncles and grandparents, visit Grand Forge and generally look around the place where I grew up." I nod towards Moon Unit - "Then, we fly back south a little to visit Evergreens. Speaking of which, did you call Dweezil yet?"

She shrugs. "I did, but I am planning on making another call a few days before departure, at the very least." - Moon Unit responds sweetly - "Dweezil says that Conclave is very interested in meeting all of us and that admonishments had already been made to everyone not to do anything... foolhardy."

Nodding, I continue - "So we spend a couple days in Evergreens. Some elves can be a little, uh... intense, let's say, so if any of you are feeling pressured, staying on the airship is always an option. I'm honestly not sure how things are going to be."

"Ah, I am not that worried." - Moon Unit parries lightly - "If you were just a noble, then yes, some shenanigans might have had happened. But you're not, you're the Tool of Gods. No one would dare annoy you."

"Well, that hinges on them believing I am such." - I retort - "I'm not exactly planning on showing off any true forms as you call them, if it can be helped."

"Well, no one would blame you for, ahem... Instructing some of the hotheads on proper caution." - she grins back at me, and I'm yet again surprised just how much barely restrained malice suddenly surfaces behind that smile for a moment. I guess there were REASONS why Moon Unit prefers to spend her life outside the Evergreens. Note to self - ferret out which of the elves are so eager to irritate my elven waifu and put the fear of me into them.

"Well, that's our next week, then." - I continue - "Then we fly east, over Kraut, make a nightly stopover at Nornburg to look around on the market, then proceed further east over the Confederacy all the way to Kraina."

"Um... Mistress, what's in Nornburg?" - Bridgit asks after a moment's pause.

"Garlic?" - I respond with a shrug - "I just picked the town as a convenient stop-over point for us to stretch our legs on firm ground, otherwise we'd have to spend close to three days locked up on the airship. I figure we get some fresh food there, some Kraut delicacies, look around... I mean, I never was in Nornburg, how about you girls?"

A chorus of denial is returned, though Bridgit hums speculatively. "I think I was there with my father, but I was about three years old back then, so... I don't remember much." - she offers - "So it's just a stopover, not another scheme?"

"I swear, I did NOT plan anything of the sort. Just a stop to poke around and be tourists for the night." - I confirm.

Roxolane raises her hand then. "I need to know, how long are we going to stay in Kraina?" - she asks - "My father asked me to find out, so he could make some preparations."

I shrug. "Up to you, honestly." - I tell her - "It's your parents. We have until the first of Ventos to plan as we see fit. Speaking of which, all staying times are subject to amendment as the mood dictates. If any of you feel like spending more time at Gillespie estates, Grand Forge or Evergreens, feel free to mention. Or even suggest an additional waypoint you want to visit. So long as we have about three days before the end of Pluvos to get back to Parsee, world's our oyster."

"Sooo... if we want to tour the important cities of Confederacy?..." - Lily-Anne drawls.

"Then you draw me the itinerary on the map and we'll discuss how to make it happen, dear." - I tell her and she sighs.

"Alyssa, wasn't the point of vacation to let you relax?" - she chides.

"But... this is how I relax." - I object - "Ask dad or mom if you don't believe me, they'll tell you... Ask Bridgit, even, we basically grew up together. Bridgit, honey, how do I usually relax?"

"By doing more work, mistress." - she reports dutifully - "In spite of my best efforts to get you to settle down, I might add."

"So yes, I'm totally relaxing here, by letting you decide on things." - I agree happily, electing to overlook the rebuke she weaves into the answer. I'd love to just sit down as they want me to do, apparently, but I'd climb walls. Literally! I'll climb on the wall and caterwaul.

___

We're proceeding apace. And the things inside the airship settle down as well. I... did not truly comprehend just how tired everyone was from the finals. Even Cy had opted for an afterdinner nap. The only thing that I have to question right now is... Why is everyone napping on me? I mean, I did design my personal cabin with a huge bed, so it's not a problem, but... I just... I thought everyone would want to sequester themselves to personal cabins. That everyone needed a bit of break from me as well. Instead, all of my girls had elected to slip into my room, jump on my bed, find the most comfortable part of me to their liking, and snooze off with me as a pillow. This is nice. And comfy. And relaxing. And... And... aaand... Oh gods why. I'm feeling sappy about it.

Fine. Nevermind. It's awkward and embarrassing and weird and I'm just gonna revel in the experience for a while. For the whole, hm... Thirty minutes or so that remain before we touch down in the field next to the estate. I should probably build a proper mooring berth for my zeppelin there, I foresee visiting my folks via air a lot. Maybe build a personal zeppelin for dad, he might find it useful.

Actually, I should probably start on... No, that's getting ahead of myself. There's a thousand and one thing I need to put into production first before I can consider opening the zeppelin manufacturing facilities. Hm. Actually, come to think of it... Let me just...

I reactivate my instance in the Grand Forge... And blink. Apparently, dwarves paid notice which shed I used to "retreat" into, because it's now decorated and... huh. I peek outside, and there is a guard at the door, too. Double huh. I tap him on the shoulder, and he whirls around with a yelp. Pretty young for a dwarf, probably about twenty or so. Teenager, by our cognizance.

"Lady Gillespie!" - he proffers reverently, bowing deeply - "How can Grand Forge be of assistance?"

"At ease, lad." - I tell him - "What's your public name?"

"Me, oh? I be John, milady." - he answers. His Albish is much clearer than the brogue Rory has. Probably brought up in Champagne, in mixed company. Nabad, nabad.

"Alright, John. Are you supposed to stand guard here? Actually, why are you people even guarding this particular shed? I just used the first building that was nearby." - I inquire.

"Well, milady, we do remember your admonishment not to look when you step over the world's boundary, so it seemed prudent to safeguard the place of egress..." - he proffers back - "Should we not?"

I scratch my head. "Well, I don't mind, but it's just a shed." - I admit - "We can make it my official teleport exit, if you people prefer, but frankly I just popped up here because I already used it once. If it's an inconvenience, I can easily use a different spot."

"Oh, no, no, it's no trouble it all, milady. In fact, this whole area was designated to be cleared out, now that we have more kin to do the labor. Foreman Rory said you have explained to him the necessity of parks and leisure places for the healthiness of folk, so.. " - he trails off and gestures around him. The area indeed looks in the process of being carefully dismantled.

"I really should talk to Rory about city planning." - I muse - "I have some plans on this, and you people look at the right point of the build-up to integrate those. Alright, so... John, are you required to keep watch on this place or I can commandeer you to show me around for a bit?"

"Oh, I'm here to be at milady's service, should milady visit." - he answers easily.

"Very well." - I tell him - "Take me to the forgehall, I want to check on something."

As we walk, he starts in deferential silence, but after a few minutes and several answers to my comments and questions, thaws out a bit and starts asking questions of his own.

"I have always wondered about the different steel shines." - he proffers - "Why is that different steel comes out depending on what color it was shining when cast?"

"Well, that one is pretty simple." - I muse - "First thing you need to understand is that steel is not, technically speaking, a metal. It's an alloy of iron and carbon."

"Beg your pardon, milady, but what is carbon?" - he pipes up.

"Carbon is the basis of coal, putting it simply. Coal, graphite, diamond - all of those are carbon in different forms." - I explain absentmindedly.

"...Wait, what? But... how? How can a coal be a diamond, milady?" - he asks.

"Well... get me a piece of coal, I'll show you." - I tell him. As we are almost next to the forge hall, there are several other dwarves listening in already, with great interest. I show them the "smash coal into diamond" trick once he fetches a lump, and all of them stare wide-eyed at the result.

"It's simply a matter of applying sufficient pressure and purging the impurities." - I explain - "You do not have the tools to do this yourselves properly, but eventually, you will. Diamond dust is the next major step in your toolmaking, once you get a handle of different steels, we will design a machine that will produce diamond dust to apply to the edges of drills and cutters, so that they can cut all sorts of rock and metal. This is a bit advanced right now, you'd need more machinery than just steam engines to properly use this technology, but I'm confident it will not be long until you can. But today, I'm here about a slightly different topic. I've been told you had found enough limestone for your building needs. Fetch me some examples of what you have in abundance, there is something I want to test."

It takes a little while of messing around with limestone and pumice ash to make a decent cement mix. There is a veritable crowd of dwarves around by now. Someone apparently went to fetch Rory, because I see him in the distance riding pell-mell in a cart directly towards the place I'm experimenting at.

"Mylady, me apologies fer not bein' there ta greet ya face ta face." - he shouts as soon as he's up close, jumping off the cart and bowing deeply.

"Rory, relax. I can hardly expect you to be there if I didn't call ahead, now can I?" - I object - "Anyway, check this out. This is called cement. It's a sort of mortar that is hard enough to cast building blocks out of it and to pour the foundations with."

He peers intently at the block of cement I flash-dried. It's small, obviously, and they can't get away with doing the same kind of flash-drying with bigger structures, but for a demonstration it's sufficient.

"I see. That oughta help the construction... but what is this fine powder you brought with?" - he inquires.

"Volcanic ash." - I tell him, and dwarves collectively jerk back, their faces darkening as they recall the fall of their original land.

"You see, I have been thinking on the topic of Ashenvale." - I continue - "It is a shame to just let the place die, don't you think? So, I started experimenting with the ash to see what can be done about it."

I pause and shrug at the expressions growing slack, as they begin to grasp the implications - "As it was agreed between the kings of Kraut and Champagne, the old tract through Ashenvale is to be rebuilt if at all possible. And it is. I am going to oversee the project. But I'm not content with just rebuilding the road there. It won't happen in a year or in a decade, probably, but eventually... Eventually, I will see you and your people retake the Ashenvale as your own."

The triumphant roar of dwarves shakes the walls.

___

While I'm stoking dwarven enthusiasm, the other instance of me lands the zeppelin and gently wakes up my family from their nap. "Wakey-wakey, everyone." - I tease them - "We're at the estate."

Much to my surprise, when I open the doors of the zeppelin, there is a whole family in front of me. All dressed in traveling clothes, with servants behind toting a number of chests and sacks.

"Hello there, Alyssa." - father quips gayly - "Thank you for coming to pick us up."

"Pick you up?" - I repeat dumbly.

He shakes his head at me - "We must all be present in Parsee for the Year's Unending, remember? I'm being officially pronounced as duke Gillespie?"

I... forgot about that entirely. FUUUUUCK.