The Waiting Stream
Killing my dream softly, she said, that's all she was doing.
Giving it the mercy of death.
I wished too much, wanted too deep.
My heart trips me up so bad.
My hurts scab only in time for her to rip them off again.
Flora was listening to some music and writing some reports. Sitting on a beach, Amarat had booked her a smallish inn, a citizen's home with an extra bed really, some nice folks, their contacts in the service vouched for them. Clove Potter and Loosie FehrUgh, this band was so syrupy, she ought to find better material. She told herself. Why did she like them, but she did... Ever since... Oh, that's how I discovered them, they were playing at Kannie's, oh, yeah, that's who introduced them to me, it's Tcha-chai. I wonder what she's up to today?
At Megamisama Drydock Complex Plaza #1, Nessun College appartments.
"Daddy!"
"My tchaflower!"
"You... They told me you were dead!"
"I thought I was, captured, taken on their ship... It was horrible. But I found a way, I had to come back, for my family... I didn't know you were the only one still alive, but I'm glad at least one of you made it..."
"I'm so glad, so what happened to the uniform? You used to be a border guard."
"Yes, then I retired... Two tours was enough."
"Then what happened?"
"Meihomei happened, said she was giving me a Merit, but there was no way she was letting the man who captured the first enemy ship retire and let his Box of Honour gather dust. I saw yours on the way, nice collection."
"Oh dad, I didn't earn any of that myself, it was all my squadrons, bronze and silver, no gold or platinum."
"Only one of mine is platinum, but I guess it's the one that counts the most, eh?"
"Wait, you have a platinum RETRIBUTION CLASS? The thing must have cost a fortune!"
"Meihomei didn't ask me, and it's platinum-plated, not solid, those merits of yours aren't free, either, nor the rank tabs. You made Nessun? My girl, made flag, and I missed it!"
"I made Nessun-honour, but it's not announced yet... What's your new rank? SFOF-10 Meihomei's Beacon."
"So... the same Rank? Cool! But really, I'm just a BGOR-03, not one of these fancy types..."
"Hush, dad, you got a merit now, even excessive modesty can get you a title 118."
"But..."
"Dad, you just came back, I'm not losing you to you insulting your own medal, and that's final!"
"What will you do?"
"If I have to, I'll go to jail with you, I mean, I'm already the only Nessun with a file..."
"What did you get booked for, Maelle?"
"I got drunk, got into a bar fight, I was lonely, my boyfriend wasn't in town, was feeling a little self-destructive..."
"Do I get to meet this worthy? I mean, he's been around you for some time, so I doubt I can intimidate him properly..."
"Oh, Elements above, but this will be awkward..."
"Honey..."
"Auntie!"
The very short, buxom blonde walked in, and immediate shocked Maelle by giving her dad a deep tongue-kiss, then a pair of sharp slaps to the cheeks! "How dare you! You didn't even write!"
"Captured interstellar prisoners of war don't get writing implements, trust me, Caith, I complained ceaselessly about it..."
Maelle almost fainted, she knew her family had some strange ideas, but this was more than she expected.
"I dated your dad before he married my sister, Maelle. And she didn't want to share him when they got married, so that was that..."
"Caith, is everything ok?" Hamburg walked in, unsuspecting of the domestic chaos about to engulf him...
"Yes, dear."
"You've not met Maelle's father..."
"No, I can't say I've had the pleasure, I was told he was dead..."
"He's here, this is Maelle's father, Vredefort Comma."
"Your brother-in-law?"
"Yes, and ex-grib."
"Hey, I missed you, where's my kiss?"
"Aren't you all grouchy!"
"Of course I am, I've been gribless and kissless for a week, in Waiting Stream."
"Waiting Stream? You were there?"
"What? It's the place I was assigned to, for holiday, is something the matter?"
"Someone wasn't as clever as they thought they were, that's a property of my late adoptive father... It's been in the Veneer family for generations, the place even has its own coat of arms, as a minor Feyd's castle."
"Let me guess, Feyd Loosiferans."
"No, at least, I don't know of a Feyd like that..."
"Feyd Domenico?"
"Yeah, that one exists, and it's in Zoohey, near that Stream."
"You really lived in a Feyd and forgot the name of it?"
"It belongs to mom, she traded it to dad with some other lands in Kagomei for his shares of the Duchy of Benevento."
"Your mom and Natalia mentioned that, it's a really big deal, right?"
"Benevento was a founding province of Eurani, that merged with Brescia, but it was very much a big deal."
"Wait, a founding, as in Signatory?"
"Yeah, they signed the pact, like most countries of more than 250k pop in Eurani at the time."
"They exceeded that even then I take it?"
"The province? Cool two million according to my history tutors."
"And now?"
"Mom's Dukedom of Benevento census result was 8 million people."
"Just how many people call your mother Aumhava anyways?"
"Over 30 million, for sure."
"Thirty..." She sat down, hard, on the floor, as if her legs couldn't carry her anymore."I'm ok, just so much..." He helped her back up.
"Just how much of that are you inheriting?"
"Depends on if she dies before Meihomei."
"If she dies first?"
"All of it."
"And second?"
"I get Kagomei, all 120 million of it, and then I get to dispatch all 30 million to nice folks depending on how much is compatible with me being Meihomei."
"You keep saying Meihomei like it is something that can happen to you, not something you'd enjoy..."
"It's way too much responsability for one person to enjoy."
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