The Slovitzscher Shores

Karolai felt a little insulted at first as Hilda laughed, forehead creasing and eyes narrowing. But as the burn wore off he could see the humour of the event himself and chuckled softly. "Oh yes, how could you tell? It was probably how I didn't hold the bottle properly." More gulps of the stuff followed, with the reasoning that one: it was getting easier and two: might as well get through the stuff now.

"Most parents sound alike to people our age, let's be frank." Karl said, sitting down with the chest to lean his back against. "I suppose that must be the case. I'm his last hope what with mother being now of age, and my brothers being... well, I'm not the eldest but I'm still the successor." He could only nod as Hilda considered the vampires, thinking back to his own similar considerations back on the Queen Marice. "It's why there's the Witch Hunters back home. Metaphorical monsters to hunt the literal ones."

Turning his head back to the chest, Karolai lifted the lid and looked inside. "Can tear the lining out, make a blanket of sorts I suppose. Not very thick, but soft and wide enough to stop the wind."

Karolai took a final sip of the rum, before closing it, perhaps a little too self-assuredly deciding it was enough for the two of them. He turned to the chest, and finally did as he suggested by tearing out the lining, and then doing his best to cover the duo with it. "Night, I suppose." he said, likely not giving much to response as almost immediately he fell asleep, snoring very softly.

Morning came, and Karolai was rather grateful that they were too far away for any roosters to wake him early. He sat upright when finally awake, clearing his eyes and then simply staying in his position for quite a while as he properly regained consciousness. "Morning." he would say to Hilda eventually as he stood and stretched. He looked at the sun and scratched his head. "If we find a good road, we can hitch a ride I suppose. I think Stara Ribnica is not too far from here, if I remember everything right. We'll get a horse there easily enough and stay the night, though we can also get one to Augustgrad even if that'll be a longer trip. Ribnica is best, I think." the young Egyszer went to take a few sips from the waterskin, leaving some for Hilda. "Should probably get you armed just so people don't think to take advantage of two helpless stragglers with a fat chest." to demonstrate, he handed her the sword he took from the Captain's cabin and gave it to Hilda before grabbing one of the chest's handles. "Ready to go?"

Peacefully sleeping Karl would not have any clue of the feats Hilda was performing unbeknownst to him. He slept soundly with strong but meaningless dreams such that he wouldn't notice the embrace he got, and later its disappearance. Perhaps it was best for Hilda that she left to catch fish for as sleep progressed the boy would prove to be somewhat of a greedy sleeper when so tired, tossing and turning and hogging most of the impromptu blanket.

But as day came, and he lifted the chest ready to spring into action, his look to the Rondi lass prompted him to first blink several times and then try to clear his eyes. No, his vision was not deceiving him, the girl had indeed managed to get a load of fish ready for the consumption. A thought going something like Holy shit. when translated to words went through Karl's mind. He was about to respond "no", but before he could utter something so silly his stomach hurried to make a noise so as to reveal his own lie for its own sake. He could only grunt as he dropped the chest and ran forth to gorge himself making sure to make appreciative noises while masticating. As the smell of fish ran through the Prince's nostrils he couldn't help but notice he smelled like shite mere moments later. It was strange how even though used to the smell of a horse's arse he couldn't deal with his own body's smells. Yet another thought reminding him of his high status, Karol supposed.

"Good day indeed." Karl replied, not knowing the words but knowing what they were without problem. "Better than on the diamond crusted bed back home." he replied sarcastically, making sure to lick his fingers clean so that not a single drop of fishy oils and juices would be wasted.

Karol paused about to take another bite when Hilda brought up how people were to see them. Realizing he didn't really care - especially when preoccuppied with other things - he only shrugged and continued. "Probably not, all things considered. Still, I suppose its best I'll go for a quick dip just so I'm not quite literally oozing 'stuff.'"

With that, a few thoughts hit Karolai. Hilda for one didn't smell quite nearly as bad as he did, something he was skeptical about attributing to womanly grace. Yet she had also somehow managed to by now get this bountiful breakfast. He was indecisive about if he should pursue these trains of thought, until eventually curiosity won. "Alright, how? Don't tell me something along the lines of 'it just washed up' with embellishment I'm not daft."

At last, the lad pinched the bridge of his nose with a loud inhalation. "I... I would really love to. But mother will get worried sick, and sweet Dorika too. Father of course will vent his frustration into bloodlust, neighbouring Lords will suddenly find Electoral Armies on their doorstep. I don't think your family is any different. They have to see us after they learn what happened, that we're not bloodsuckers ourselves now. Afterwards, maybe."

What Hilda said didn't seem exactly plausible, in fact from the corner of his mind it seemed to Karolai to be a hastily thought up thing. Now the Egyszerorszag as it was affectionately called was landlocked, and Karolai's travel to the party had been perhaps his fourth time in a major body of water; the tutors didn't bring up nautical things much either. But he was damned if fish just swam to people. "Looks like you didn't return the feeling." he said.

The lad was about to vocalize his opinion she was bullshitting him until she noted the use of his messer. His brow creased in confusion and surprise: she had fed him after he had only eating scraps last night with a whole seafood feast and was now concerned if Karl didn't have some sensibilities hurt expecting some sort of reprimand? Maybe the rum was still in him, because the only reaction he could think of was just to burst out laughing. The Prince rested his chin on his fist for a moment, examining his counterpart. "You're a precious thing, Hilda." Karol noted as the laughter mostly left him, having forgotten all his doubts in her story.

Karl stood, loosening bits of his dress. "Yes, prudent. But five minutes can wait, since we already stopped for breakfast. Err, you mind going past the shrubbery with the chest?" Karl asked. Of course many people had seen him in the nuddy before, but they were servants or he a child at the time.

Karolai wasn't happy with the look he got and was about to say something in his defence, but decided not to knowing it'd only probably aggravate his partner more. "Not all of us were lucky to get a brisk swim in the morning." he muttered, stepping in the water and lamenting soon after that one, he didn't have any soaps with him and two, that it was really damn cold. The second thought latched onto his mind eager to make a connection with recent events, but the cold stopped him from concentrating properly. Well, stepping out at least his aroma wouldn't alert people past earshot to his presence.

It didn't take him very long to once more be ready, although perhaps his metric of "long" was rather different to that of Hilda. "Right then!" Karl called out, rushing over to once more pick up his side of the chest. "I'll be honest I have no clue where the nearest road is, but it shouldn't be too far. So, just straight on we go I suppose. Ready?" he said, checking himself to make sure naught was forgotten and handing his counterpart the spare blade if she hadn't by now taken it herself.

Having returned Karl noticed the fire being swept up in a few moments, and nodded approvingly. "Prudent." was all he could really say. The Egyszer despite being of an originally nomadic people would not have thought of doing that on his own accord.

"Yes, rather pleasant!" he said, deciding to ignore the obvious sarcasm and not let it sour his mood. When Hilda said they were going to die Karolai frowned somewhat. "That's awfully negative." the Prince commented, starting to simply walk on. "We were supposed to die back with the bloodsuckers, you know. We were also supposed to die yesterday on the boat, and again today at port. Of course, I don't quite believe in fate and all that stuff, nor in luck. But anything at any point may or may not happen. We might die, but we might not. 'We are so going to die' is true, but it always was." Realizing he was perhaps rambling now and that he wasn't even sure he believed what he was saying, he shrugged. "What I'm saying is smile, be happy... Besides, at this point if we die it'll probably be by virtue of a bolt in the skull; won't have time to feel the pain, won't even have time to be scared!"

"Really? I like to think its liberating." he said in response to the first statement, while not bothering to reply to the latter ones given once more they were of an insincerity he didn't very much care for.

But her following tirade finally got him to stop, and momentarily cracked the veneer of calm cheer. Hilda might notice or she might not but with a rise of blood pressure and a few twitches in the right eye for just a fraction of a second the Prince's hand grasped the grip of his messer. "You fucking what? Now let's not start tipping the scales this way or that of who did what for who because guess what, without me you'd have been left alone for those bloodsuckers to track down, and you'd be left back on that boat because you were too scared to go off the ship; they'd be deciding which wealthy bastard you'd be entertaining in some dungeon. I got the money and food from the ship, I'm telling you to lighten up because this is awfully nerve wracking and I'd rather not snap but too late for that. You think you're hot shit? You think you'll get back to mum and dad alone? Have fun, seems like you're all set." he said, or rather he imagined himself doing so. A little venting exercise.

It wouldn't be very royal to go out screaming as such on a lady, so instead he only smiled sweetly and without warning let go of his side of the chest. He wasn't going to say all that, but he was going to get the idea to her. "Oh, I'm sorry — old thick headed me didn't realize what a drain I was! I don't want to hold you back, oh no. In fact, wouldn't want to lower your chances just by my presence. Good luck, though I'm sure with your all-encompassing wisdom you do not need it. Adios!" he said, parting with one of the few Rondi words he knew. Chances are he'd come to later very much regret these words, but at the same time he didn't want to stay on and risk a blood vessel burst or even worse: staying on, having an exchange with Hilda in which the frustrations of the two would coalesce into something far, far worse. The lad didn't know where he was going, but for now he could afford to not care because as he said, the nearest road was probably quite close.