With the catlike reflexes she'd shown many times in the past, Meara caught the falling churro and put it between their faces before Irina could kiss her, managing to press the end Irina had been eating against her lips.  "Ah, ah, ah!  I said finish your food and have some water first.  I will not have us making such decisions without being sober," Meara chided, using a single finger to hold the churro in place.  "If you continue like this when sober, I shall have no objections, even though circumstances say I should.  But not when you are drunk."

Could Queen Valerie hear her admitting that she's still ready to be as amorous as she had been with Irina despite agreeing to marry Gwydion?  Possibly!  Did Meara care at the moment?  No.  Her focus was getting this wonderful woman in front of her sober so they could make poor decisions with full awareness and not be able to blame it on alcohol.

Iliza's comment drew a smirk from the prince, and an eyebrow arched up. He pulled a little more tightly at her waist and completely forgot where they were and all the circumstances surrounding them.

"Oh? That sounds like a challenge, my lady, and you know how I rise to those..."

Gwydion awoke with Iliza gently playing with his hair. She smiled when she saw his eyes flutter open. She gently kissed his forehead. "Oh, my love, I am sorry to wake you. Especially after all that effort last night..." She gave him a smile that was, all at once, salvation and damnation. "But your princely duty calls. You have a message waiting and it seems rather insistent..."

---

Meara opened her eyes at the insistent buzzing of her datapad. It was the notification setting she used when she had one of those boring meetings. She didn't remember having one this morning and it was almost lunch time.

The buzzing did nothing to disturb the naked beauty draped across her. Irina slept soundly and peacefully. It was the only time Meara had seen Irina look at peace since she'd told her about the Queen's plan to betroth herself and Prince Gwydion. Irina had been deeply hurt.

Irina had taken Meara's suggestion to sober up last night as a challenge and things had progressed from the Queen's quarters to Meara's own. By the time Irina was back to her usual self, the tension between them was near maddening. They spent the night (and a good part of the morning) showing just how deeply they loved one another. Meara was sure there would be consequences for last night, but, with Irina draped across her sleeping peacefully, she couldn't be bothered to even care about what form they would take.

Her datapad buzzed again.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:36, Tue 09 Apr.

Bleargh.

Meara was positive she didn't have a meeting planned.  The upcoming wedding was enough as it was.  Also, no meeting was important enough to wake up the lovely woman sleeping on her.  She fondly brushed a bit of hair from Irina's face as she gave her sleeping companion a loving smile.  Meara hadn't realized how much she missed this until, well, the previous night.

Sir Dalibrad Delors was definitely getting a gift basket with the good wine.

Since the buzzing would not stop on its own, she reluctantly fumbled for her datapad before picking it up and giving it a look.

A lunch invitation to meet who?

Okay, apparently there was a meeting important enough to wake up Irina.

---

Irina and Meara, now dressed and presentable, hurried to the lunch meeting, holding hands as they went.  They both wore suspiciously high-collared tops with long sleeves.  Meara had extended the lunch invitation to Auntie Val, but was not in a position to do more than that.  Not yet, anyway.

Spending an FP to invoke the positive aspect of (Un)fortunate Reputation.  No boost, just getting thumbs up and knowing smiles from the Valkyries and such.  Twue Wuv Wins!  Also, Daddy totally approves, but that didn't need an FP to happen.

"Mmrrm... beauty more important than duty. Mine." He may not have been saying "beauty", actually. Gwydion sleepily slipped his arms around her, pulled her close again, and rolled her over across him until he was above her, smiling with eyes barely open. "G'morning, my beauty."

---

When he was awake enough to check the message on his datapad, he had very little time to respond to it. Lunch! Already?! What happened to breakfast? ... Oh right. He spoke quickly.

"Brun's setting up lunch for us to meet a couple members of his House. The kind who haven't been born yet. We have to get showered and dressed quickly, it's already getting late. Also I have not even a single regret." And then, as if remembering something important, he smiled and scooted his face down to just below his lady's belly. "Don't you get any weird ideas, I have every intention of naming you for our mothers. If your mother is okay with that." A kiss, and then he moved back up to kiss Iliza's face. "Are you okay with that? Last chance before temporal mechanics set a name in very confusing stone."

---

Gwydion and Iliza arrived to lunch minutes late, but dressed in a very regal-casual style; clearly people of importance, but clearly not trying to impose that importance on anyone. They were so freshly showered that their hair was still damp. Both of them. Fortunately neither of them had to wear anything suspiciously concealing. They were practiced enough at making sure any marks weren't in conspicuous places. Just the places where they decided to start leaving marks, considering the guards probably did spot them fleeing the terrace together. At least the closet aboard the Thames was a closet, after all.

[Not spending any FP at all, unless Gwydion needs to spend one to prevent this from going horribly wrong. Only hilariously wrong allowed. :P]
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 02:16, Wed 10 Apr.

Thames was still a bit decorated from the celebrations the night before.   By lunch time the last of any straggling party guests had been rousted out and sent off to their homes.  Most of the crew were old hands at bouncing back from such Wrecker gatherings and were taking care of what needed taken care of.

Euryleia was a tireless engine of help with the clean-up and their impromptu lunch preparations.  She rather liked having simple purpose for a bit and it was on her request that Thames would host this strange event.  It was the very least she could do to set up for it.  The crew tried their best to take it in stride as they watched the Lady hefting around large cargo crates with ease and repairing minor damages with wave of her hand.  It was one thing to know the story of their Lady, but something else to actually see her at work.

Brun did his best to assist as well. The night and morning with his Lady in relative calm, and aboard Thames, seemed to ground him firmly in the Now.   His task was to isolate the ship's systems from Avaluna's (to try to prevent easy tampering with the station again) and to calibrate/focus the ship's sensor system for data gathering.  Though, current Brun did quietly wonder if it would do any good.  If future him was behind all this, then the "guests" would know how to circumvent anything he did if they wished.  How do you outthink yourself?  Should he try?. Stop.  Focus.  Future him was still him.  He had to believe he would have good reasons...

---

Their Royal Highnesses (and guests) were greeted at the dock by Captain Smalls himself, dressed in his usual clean shipsuit.  He grinned at the arrangements the Royal couple(s) arrived in.

Meara and Irina both got a warm welcome, "Been a while.  Understand you've been....busy....though.  They set up in the Bay.  You remember the way.  Good to see you /both/."

Gwydion and Iliza got another knowing grin and a friendly welcome.  Though he likely hadn't met Iliza much, if at all, she was with Gwydion so she got the same courtesy, "Nice to meet you.  Heard lots.  You need /anything/, you let us know. " The offer was made to Iliza with a firm honest weight to it.  From more crackers to bodyguards to a safe space all Iliza has to do was ask.  To Gwydion, Smalls added, "They set up in the Bay.  Good luck."

If the Queen arrived as well, she'd be greeted in much more formal respectful terms.  But still not close to Royal protocol levels.  Thames was a proud, independent, Wrecker boat.  So, the top of their respect game was still pretty informal.

---

In the Armour Bay, the Knight and Lady of Stjernevold waited in their prepared space.  A deck area in front of Euryleia's empty Armour scaffold.  A simple, probably crew-made Sjernevold banner hung in the currently unused space. A few fold out tables and chairs.  The foods placed around the tables were Wrecker fare; engineered, textured soy proteins in various styles.  Preserved veg packets.  Algae sheets.  Water and some kind of ship brewed mushroom beer (leftover from the gathering).

Brun and Euryleia were in black and white crew suits.  One shoulder with their crest, the other showing a THAMES patch.  Both stood as their friends arrived.  Euryleia smiled at the couple arrangements, giving an approving nod.  Brun, with a more ingrained understanding of marriage expectations, had a smile that was both happy and a little sad.

<POSSIBLE TEMPORAL INCURSION DETECTED ABOARD THAMES. PRIMARY BAY.>

Euryleia had been notified by the sensor sweep program she had set up. She was able to confirm the readings almost instantly. About twenty feet away, where none had been a second ago, stood two young ladies dressed in a casual fashion, one in black with a slash of white, the other in white with a slash of black. Each wore the symbol of House Stjernevold at their shoulder. They looked young, perhaps fifteen or sixteen at most.Their faces were nearly identical, save for the way they wore their hair. The young lady in white wore her silvery-blonde hair in an intricate braid, while the one in black had hers cut above her shoulders and streaked with blue. They did each look quite similar to Lady Iliza, though traces of their father could be spotted as well.

They seemed surprised to see such a full gathering before them. But rather than be put off they strided forward to meet their hosts.

"Agravina," said the one in white.

"Mordwynn," said the one in black, adding, "What's for lunch?"

 Hardly a formal introduction, but when on Thames...

Euryleia, forewarned, stood before the pair appeared and was already moving towards them when they appeared.  A moment to assess the young women...  Not arriving hostile, as Euryleia had guessed.

A nod to each as names were offered, the Lady then answered the question, "All the usual things preferred aboard Thames.  Please.  Enjoy..". Euryleia stepped out of their way, motioning to the rest, "I believe you know everyone?"

Brun was struck a bit quiet at the sight of the travellers' sudden appearance.  Then by their actual, uncanny appearance.  And then by a realization that these are (were?) his squires and they were very loose on formality...  Damn me...  You'd think I would have tried to instruct them a little better...

It was them.

The ones who attacked Freyr, L14-MNT, and Gwydion.  The ones who stole her uncle's sword.

Standing within a moment's reach, with their guards down.  Acting as if they hadn't done anything wrong.

But wait.  Had they?  Had will are they?

Time travel is bullshit!

Meara, instead of saying anything or offering a greeting, started furiously chugging a beer, followed by another.  She was not nearly drunk enough for temporal shenanigans.

Gwydion and his Lady sat by their loved ones and tried to keep silly grins off their faces, both at their own situation and at Meara and Irina's. Fortunately what little small talk they engaged in danced around the subject entirely before their new (extremely new) guests arrived, at which point Gwydion stood politely for the formal introductions. Which turned out to be not so formal. That was actually well and good, because he was too stunned at seeing how very much the pair looked alike to really hold much reasonable conversation.

"Ah, hello. I'm Gwydion, Price of Avaluna and... um... Are you twins, by any chance?"

"We are, though we never had the possibility of being anything else," Agravina said with a smile.

"We do, Lady Euryleia. Or Will," Mordwynn said with a shrug as they both looked around the table at everyone present. "Shall we begin, then?"

Euryleia, once the girls had taken whatever places they seemed to wish, set herself near the table but ever so subtly covering the easiest approach to Gwydion.  Just in case.  She then patiently waited for whatever message from the future came next.  Euryleia had decided she couldn't outthink these temporal plans.  Yet.  Or if she should.  So, patience felt the best.

Brun straightened up in his seat at the mention of twins.  He looked over at Iliza....  He couldn't imagine what it might be like to meet your teenage children before actually /having/ said children...  And how would this effect decisions?  What if they didn't have children??  Could they even decide that since obviously they didn't?  Stop.  Just.... Focus on Now.  He wasn't sure what happened if he let his thoughts run too far anymore...

He couldn't think of anything comforting to say to Iliza or Gwydion yet, so he looked back to his future squires, "Please do.  I think we'd all like to know why you're here and what you and my future self decided was this important...  It feels very risky?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:33, Fri 12 Apr.

Meara narrowed her eyes as she looked at those present.  Gwydion was being diplomatic.  Brun was confused, which was definitely a bad sign - or was it?  Euryleia was handling things with her usual grace.

Iliza, meanwhile, was avoiding the beer, which made most of the food taste better.  Suspicious.  More suspicious considering the fact that the two young ladies before them definitely looked like Iliza and Gwydion's theoretical children.

Considering everything she'd learned so far, they were probably born in a year, give or take a few months.

Which meant Iliza could be pregnant right now.  Which would mean she and Gwydion were even hornier for one another than she thought, and that's a high bar to clear.  Clearly, she and Irina would need to up their game.

As for the subjects she wanted to ask about, she'd give them a bit more time to see if they had, in their non-linear existence, linearly existed long enough to do the things that happened a few days ago.

I need something stronger than beer.

She walked over to one of the hosts from the Thames and discreetly asked if they had something... stronger.

Gwydion's surprise at their appearance (the physical one, not so much the technical one) turned into a somewhat silly smile as Agravina confirmed being siblings.

"Oh, good, yes. That is very good information. Good." When he went to sit back down next to Iliza, he was beaming like an idiot again, mostly at her. Brun's question snapped him out of his stupor and brought his attention back to the fact that he was sitting with time travelers from the future. "Oh, right! Mordwynn, I don't suppose you can explain why you stabbed me. Excellent form, by the way."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:20, Sat 13 Apr.

"Risky," Agravina asked with some confusion. "Why would you believe that?"

Mordwynn was busy loading a bowl full of Soy-mein and covering it in chilly oil. She looked up toward Brun, "Yeah, haven't you taken a look, Oob?"

Iliza was taking everything in, somewhat bewildered but mostly relieved. When Mordwynn reached for the pitcher of Fungus Beer, Iliza moved it out of her reach and replaced it with a pitcher of water instead. Rather than reproach the young woman, she shot a slightly disapproving look at the Prince instead, "Really, Gwydion... " she admonished him.

The revelation that Mordwynn had stabbed Gwydion surprised both girls and they exchanged a quick glance. Agravina's expression turned annoyed while Mordwynn's own professed innocence.

"Because...I have to now..." The girl in black said as though she wasn't looking forward to it. But her demeanor quickly picked up and turned confident at the compliment of her proto-Father, "Of course it was. I learned from the best."

"You all don't seem to know as much as we assumed. With Oo--Sir Brun's abilities we assumed you knew the purpose of our mission. But if you don't, you soon will. It is for the good of the Kingdom, of course," Agravina reassured them.

Mordwynn drummed her hands on the table - bum bum bum --- bumbum bum bumbum - and smiled clearly pleased with herself before she returned to enjoying her soy noodles.

"Perhaps, you all should just ask your questions and we'll answer those we have answers for," Agravina suggested. She looked a bit worried.

Euryleia noticed something else. The girl in white's garment suddenly tightened then relaxed on her right shoulder, as if it were giving her a reassuring squeeze. It was almost imperceptible, so much so that Euryleia doubted the others could have even discerned it. She realized then that these two young squires were both covered in nanites, very similar to those that comprised her own form.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:26, Sat 13 Apr.

Euryleia looked back at Brun as they referred to him.  Oob?  And the implication that he has (will have?) some control over his...abilities.  Hope flooded through with the implication. Her Knight could... would... get better.  She looked back again to the squires as they continued, just in time to catch the subtle movements of the garments.  The Lady pinged a query at the nanites to see if they would respond to her....

Brun's brow creased with yet more confusion as Mordwynn referred to him as an "oob" and suggested he could somehow choose to "look."  He focused on the word (title?) of "oob"...  On Agravina and Mordwynn...  His squires?  Flickers of future memory flickered through his mind.  Fast.  Hard to...  Focus.   He felt himself starting to slip.  The stability of the Now shifting to sand...  He blinked.  Shaking his head and grabbing the edges of the chair.  He was on Thames.  Euryleia was here.  Gwydion, Meara, Irina, Iliza...  Agravina?  Mordwynn?  They shouldn't...

Focus.

Brun took a breath and opened his eyes, only seconds had passed, "I...  don't have...   I don't think I have that sort of control...  But it's nice to know I might..."  He smiled wanly and left the questioning to Gwydion and Meara.

While she waited for stronger stuff to be (potentially) brought out, Meara realized she wouldn't have the luxury of getting to drink it before she got to ask anything.  So, since they'd already confirmed they hadn't done those deeds yet, she felt it would be wrong to treat them as the criminals they become.  Maybe.  Multiverse theory hadn't been disproved yet.  Heck, it made even more sense if they were trying to 'change the past.'

So, with a long sigh, she straightened her jacket and rejoined the group.  "Do you have hard evidence that the future is immutable?  If so, why try to change the past?  If changing the past is possible, then so too is determining your own future, is it not?  You don't have to try and attack him in the future!  Forge your own destiny and all that!" she said before picking up another beer, "Otherwise, I would have to punish the both of you for what has already happened to us that you have yet to do, and I would rather not ruin a good lunch with that sort of thing.  It is much more fun to ask the two of you for embarrassing stories about future Gwydion."

<<WHO DARES AWAKEN ME, THE GREAT DJINN OF THE COSMOS, FROM MY SLUMBER?! I HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN THESE NANITES FOR EONS!>>

The response was immediate, though there seemed to be no change in the behavior of the swarm.

---

Agravina tried to explain, "We aren't changing the past. We're trying to make sure it goes as it should. Or rather, as it did, or the way that gives the Kingdom the best chance of defeating MerGN-A. It's complicated and it's not. But it is our best chance," Agravina explained. "Besides, as you know, local reality isn't real. That was proven hundreds of years ago. But it doesn't necessarily mean what people think it means. Thought, we now know, occurs not only at a molecular level..."

"But...at a quantum level as well. Oh. Oh! Ooooh....." Irina said from beside Meara as her eyes began to focus in the middle distance.

"Suffice to say, Ayem, you cannot create a paradox. I don't think Oob would have sent us if you could. Since you didn't punish us then, and he was there slash is here, you couldn't punish us now," Mordwynn added. She smiled as she said, "Embarrassing stories about Dad, I have those. Goojah's are the best though, but I suspect you've heard all those."

Meara gave Irina a fond smile as her lover started going Science Mode, but then made a T with her hands as she looked back at the twins and said, "Okay, time out.  What are all these names you're using for us?  My name is Meara.  He is Prince Gwydion.  And he is Sir Brun.  Also, I'm pretty sure assaulting Freyr and Sir L14-MNT with paralysis and stealing Clarent  right before a royal wedding isn't helping.."

She then looked a bit thoughtful as she added, "Finding some potentially obscure law or precedent for letting royalty have multiple spouses, however...  that would be very useful.  Especially considering who your parents must be."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:16, Wed 17 Apr.

Euryleia grinned outwardly.  To the others, it might appear that she found all this talk of impossible paradox quite funny.  She crossed her arms, with a defiant posture.  A copper-colored ring took shape on one hand, with a star shaped emblem.  Very subtle and likely unnoticed as Euryleia is not really centered in the main conversation.

To the nanite intelligence, the Lady of Stjernevold transmitted, <<Then I compel you, mythological Djinn, to obey the mythological Seal of Solomon.  I am Euryleia, which you well know.  Speak your name and purpose." If she sensed another nanite intelligence in the other uniform, Euryleia pinged it into the transmission as well.

Brun tried to follow all this strangely matter-of-fact explanation of what should still feel like impossible things.  The odd names made it harder.  Each use pinged him towards some future echo where he knew these names...

When Meara asked, Brun answered as though he had always known, "Ayem /is/ you, Aunt Meara.  Oob is me, Uncle Brun.  You know they love to shorten and abbreviate things....  Even when...." He trailed off as he pieced things out of shattered perspectives.  Brun's eyes went wide and he looked at Gwydion, "They call him Goojah....  Great. Uncle. /John/.". He said it slowly, carefully and clearly.  His mind warred to with it....  A future echo accepting easily that the squires call him Goojah in their strange abbrevs...  Brun of Now shocked that /they/ know him and call him anything...

The discussion about paradoxes and predestination brought a small smile to Gwydion, talking science with his family, future family but still his, in a way he'd only just recently learned how to. This was his doing. His accomplishment. And his children, teenagers and already so competent and knowledgeable. And then Brun explained the nicknames and the smile fell. Gwydion's eyes turned to the twins with apprehension and a hint of outright fear. Under the table, he took Iliza's hand and squeezed.

"Agravina. Mordwynn. Is... can you tell me about John Arthur? I need to make a choice, and I don't know if it's already locked in."

The swarm rippled in a way that Euryleia somehow knew was amusement and delight.

<<Oh, Euryleia, bearer of Solomon's Seal, I knew you would be so wise and discerning. I am Eppagelía, the fulfillment of your word and bond.>>

---

The twins had apparently been instructed in the subtle expression language known to Meara and Freyr. The quick look the two exchanged held a conversation.

"Who would have thought that young Auntie Meara was such a hardass?"
 "I know, right? /The Fury/ toootally takes on a new meaning..."
"And Dad hasn't even made one terrible joke. Just how badly did you wound him?!"
"I haven't done anything yet...but I only have to tag him with the beacon right? How does /that/ go wrong---Oh my goddesses is that Bibi?!"

Agravina suddenly turned to look over her shoulder. No one was there. She turned back and glared at her sister.

 "Aggy, you're too easy."
 "I hate you Wynny."
 "You're a bad liar Aggy."

"Yup," Mordwynn confirmed aloud as Sir Brun delivered his information about the names.

"I know what you're going to ask, but, yes, you made the right decision. You were correct to choose me as your favorite," Mordwynn said cheekily in response to Gwydion.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:58, Wed 17 Apr.