BINA & MIKAELA: GIRLS ON TOUR ✈️
-
BINA & MIKAELA: GIRLS ON TOUR ✈️
"This is like, our first trip together! Aaaaah, I'm so excited!" Archbishop Mikaela Kligenberg cheered enthusiastically. "We're going to have so much fun! I'm really looking forward to this, and I really can't think of having anyone for better company than you, Bina! Thank you for suggesting a holiday."
Mikaela reclined in her large sofa seat of the recently refurbished Girls on Tour Jet™. The Girls on Tour Jet was one of the Archbishop's bright pink jets, and it was special in that it was outfitted with everything that the Archbishop and her closest girlfriends ever wanted for long and extended journeys. The jet was recently retrofitted to meet all of President Albína Reiserová's wants and needs, and it now included all of the amenities and forms of entertainment that the Czech President wanted. Importantly, the jet's refurbishments also included a custom-made sofa seat that was perfectly moulded to the body and behind of the Czech President, and it was also heated to her most desired temperature for optimal comfort.
A bar inside the Girls on Tour Jet contained a wide variety of the Archbishop and President's favourite alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The Archbishop and the President sat with their drinks of choice in-hand while they watched one of Reiserová's films, A Comrade Wedding, which was playing on a massive built-in TV screen with surround sound blaring from all sides.
The Archbishop was fighting to hold back tears, as she felt so sorry for Reiserová's character, who was going through so many troubles as she taking care of sick and injured horses. "Aww, your character is so sweet and selfless, just like like you, Bina! She also needs a holiday, I think. It's what she deserves. I also love the accent you're doing by the way. It sounds so cute! What region is that accent from? Moravia?" Mikaela guessed, selecting one of the two regions of Czech Slavia she actually knew about.
After watching the film, the two leaders got up from their seats and engaged in some vigorous and intense sessions of Dance Dance Revolution. "My second favourite revolution, after the one in Czech Slavia, of course," Mikaela announced before they started dancing. The ladies danced to an array of different songs, although, naturally, they also danced to a large sum of Mikaela's own discography. Reiserová's was quite the natural pro at DDR, which impressed Mikaela immensely, as it was one of her favourite games. The Archbishop was especially pleased to see the President dance well to the choreography of Fight For This Love.
Soon enough, the Girls on Tour Jet arrived at its first destination: Pamplona, Navarre, Spain.
"It's not as lovely as it normally is during the summertime, but it still beats the cold winter going up North," Mikaela remarked as she peered out of a window, out towards the brisk sunshine outside. "Ibiza is usually my go-to destination in Spain, but not during this time of year. If you can't sun tan in 30 degree weather, then you're just not going to get your dream tan. The secret to a long-lasting tan is having so much of the sun's radiation hit your skin, that you basically need ENAA approval, which, luckily, I also happen to be part of," Mikaela explained with honest relief in her voice. "Although, UV rays create the w-word, so don't worry, we'll be avoiding that. Luckily, there's so much to do in Spain!"
The Archbishop and the President were helped off the jet by the pilot, Jimin. Jimin thanked President Reiserová for the recognition that the Ministry of Culture of Czech Slavia bestowed upon him for his song Butter, which he wrote for the Pan-European Festival of Czech Culture, although he was still slightly bitter about losing the contest to a 17-year-old girl.
After departing their jet, the ladies were whisked into an armoured limousine and were taken to a luxurious hotel located in the city centre of Pamplona. There, the Archbishop and the President shared a penthouse suite together, which consisted of the top floor of the entire building. After a change of clothes and some freshening up, the two headed to the hotel restaurant, which was completely cleared for the two heads of state. They were also given a personal attendant, a handsome young Spaniard named Ricardo. Before seating the women at their table, Ricardo took them to the cellar to inspect the hotel's wine selection.
The hotel carried various wines from across Navarre and the Basque Country; many of them old, rare or made in traditionally intensive ways. To demonstrate how some of the wines were made, a station was set up in which two wide and stocky barrels of grapes were prepared to be stomped on. The women were instructed to take off their shoes, wash their feet in a bucket of water, and then to tread on the grapes in order to crush them.
"Oooh, this actually feels... kinda nice, doesn't it?" Mikaela asked Reiserová as she treaded on the grapes with her bare feet. "We've definitely had our feet in stickier situations than this."
After their wine making tutorial, the women washed their feet again, put on their shoes, and they each selected a wine from the gallery. They were then taken back up to the restaurant, where they ordered from a selection of Spanish foods. Mikaela ordered some albondigas, which are tapas meatballs, that came covered in a mixture of tomato and almond sauce and were served with some spaghetti.
While Mikaela and Reiserová waited for their food to come, the women were treated to an intimate live performance by Rosalía, who performed on the restaurant stage for them. Rosalía performed a few of her songs, such as Malamente and Pienso En Tu Mirá.
Once their late-lunch was served, a flamenco dancer came out on the stage and danced to some soft flamenco music while the two ladies dined and chatted. Mikaela decided that now was the best time to delve into some deeper discussion with President Reiserová.
"So, Bina, tell me everything that's new with you, besides being President for Life. How are things, really? Also, how are your two children doing these days?" Mikaela asked, remembering the pictures of the children she saw in the President's office while she was last there. Despite having two children, Mikaela didn't remember if the President was still or ever married, and in fact, doesn't recall him ever being mentioned or heard of. Perhaps he was just very lowkey? Nonetheless, Mikaela was always very interested in discussing partners, and being newly-engaged herself, she was more interested in discussing boys than ever before.
"You've never mentioned it, so please excuse me for asking, but are you married or seeing anyone? You've never told me. Since I'm now seeing Tomás, who is such a lovely guy, I need some advice on potentially being married to a Czech guy. What's the key to a Czech boy's heart? Tomás is really into drinking beer and watching ice hockey, but I don't know too much about those things. What are some things I could do to impress him? I don't want him leaving me at the aisle!
Speaking of which, I'm also hoping to have my wedding sometime this summer. I'd love not only for you to attend, but for you to also be a bridesmaid? It would mean so much to me. You might even have to help me plan it, if possible, because I was going to ask Ani to plan it for me, but I think she's in a dark space following her marriage annulment with that Reitzmic prince. I don't think it would be good of me to ask her to plan my wedding after those events. That whole disaster also has me so worried, by the way. What if that happens to me? True love is so hard to find these days.
I'm hoping what Tomás and I have is like the true love that Prime Minister Bridges and President Aguilar have. I saw both of them recently, and I think they are more in love than ever. Although, I've heard that others have finally picked up on these feelings that you, Mira and I have long known. Apparently other people are now trying to match-make them and are taking our credit! I guess we are trend setters. It's a shame that those boys are still in such denial about it."
-
From the moment that she laid her eyes on the Archbishop's plane, Reiserová was in total awe. "You have a plane just for tours with friends?" She imagined Mikaela Kligenberg would be living extremely luxuriously, but she didn't except her to have a plane dedicated solely to touring with guests.
Her amazement continued while inside the plane. Not even her own residence had such a sofa that the Girls on Tour Jet had. But as she sat on it, she could start feeling her exhaustion getting to her, and so as Kligenberg was enjoying Reiserová's movie, Reiserová herself succumbed to her tiredness and fell asleep. Her rest was however cut short by the Archbishops comments over the film. But she was not annoyed as Mikaela's words touched her heart "Thank you... that really means a lot to me. And you are right about the accent! It's from eastern Moravia."
In the hotel restaurant
"Mikeala, I love all of you picks so far! I mean, the city looks great, it is still relatively warm, which is a nice escape from the weather in my country. The hotel is.. I don't even know how to say it, don't get me wrong I've been to nice hotels, but this apartment is just..." Reiserová was interrupted by a waiter.
As Reiserová was still in amazement from the start of the trip, she didn't focus much on the menu, and didn't notice there is an English version apart from Spanish and Basque, languages she didn't understand, so she just pointed at some text in Basque so she could return to conversing with Kligenberg.
"As I was saying, the apartment is gargantuan! And stepping on wine was quite the experience." she leaned closer to Mikaela so she could speak a bit more silently "But was it just me or did Ricardo really stare at our feet?" The President for Life wanted to continue and talk about Spaniards, but then she remembered that a Spaniard cheated on the Archibishop recently and so she decided against it. Instead she just leaned back and shrug her shoulders. "And we got ourselves some wine!" she as before kissing the glass of her favorite drink.
When Reiserová's plate was placed before her, her eyes widened in shock. She has selected an octopus by mistake. "Is it dead?" she asked after the waiter hes left, observing her food. "Well I'm not eating THAT." she laughed slightly "You come to a foreign country, they lure you in with their nature, people, culture and sights and then they try to make you eat something gross." said the woman who forced Kligenberg to eat beef tripes.
"To be honest, not much new has happened. Sometimes it feels like I am in a cycle, every now and then a new Karel Šín tries to propose some "genius comedy show" directly to me, in which the main character "subdues women by having sex with them" and every time I have to strike his ideas down and tell him that its disgusting, insensitive, outdated and not funny. And I know that in like a month I can expect almost the same request for a show by him. Are the men around you also like this finding this type of "humour" hilarious?
My kids are doing fine, thank you for asking! But I really lack the time to spend with them due to my responsibilities. This is the worst part of the job, not having enough time to spend with my own children." Reiserová started feeling very emotion when speaking about her kids "And what about your daughter? How did she react when she learned that you are getting engaged?"
Reiserová raised her eyebrows slightly when Kligenberg said that she never mentioned her marital status. "Are you sure I never told you if I am married? I am almost certain I told you that I am divorced at some point. But I am not seeing anybody at the current moment either. You know, my potential partner would have to be good with kids and willing to take care of them. Plus being a President really limits my time AND there would now be certain expectations of him as a boyfriend or a husband of the Mother of the Nation...." Reiserová took a sip of wine while thinking. "... Daddy of a Nation, that sounds like a name of a reality show doesn't it? Couple of men competing for a hear of a Head of a fictional country, perhaps on some exotic island... Well regardless it would be banned in Czech Slavia.
Oh yes, yes! Tell me everything about Tomáš! How did you two contact each other after you left Prague? Did you invite him to Inquista? How did it go? And of course he likes beer and ice hockey! But what would you want to know about beer anyways? And regarding hockey, we can watch some when we are in our apartment in the night, or we could even try to play a bit when we go into some colder climate! But if there is one thing that would surely impress him then it surely is cooking. If you cook good you have nothing to worry about. And I think you were quite a good chef when you visited me in Prague!"
Reiserová went silent for few seconds before continuing in a serious tone "But don't ever change just for a man. Stay true to yourself and always value your inner self. You have a wonderful, kind personality and your partner must value that and love you for who you are. Do just the things that are comfortable to you." she said, touching her heart.
"Are you serious? You want me to be your bridesmaid? YES! Obviously, I'd love to! OK, let's go to planning, what have you planned so far? Have you picked a dress? What about location, guests, decoration and cake? Oh and if an accident happens then you can always call me, I am a President of the country he is from after all, we can deal with it together.
Aguilar and Bridges are so, so shy in my opinion! I get that their feelings may be controversial, but their shyness really limits them. They truly need outside help, or their love will never flourish. And the fact that others have picked up on it just now really tells you just how much ahead you are of them."
During this entire time Reiserová has not touched her octopus, but she ate a yogurt while she was in the apartment, so she didn't feel particularly hungry yet, on the other hand, her glass of wine was almost finished. "You know what I would really like to do with you? Film an episode of Reiserová's Moments! And since you liked A Comrade Wedding maybe we could go to a sanctuary to help some animals? After taking a walk through the city of course. Just tell me if you'd like to be in Reiserová's Moments and I will tell you what to do, or we can always do it later in a different location, or we could do a couple of them." after finishing the sentence, Reiserová finished her glass of wine as well.
-
The Archbishop hadn't thought too much about it, but now that President Reiserová mentioned it, Ricardo definitely did pay unusually long stares at the ladies' feet. "Oh, he's one of those guys," Mikaela sighed. "It's so embarrassing, but if you search up my name on YouTube, the entire front page has these compilations videos of feet! Can you believe it? It's so humiliating. I hope you don't have the same problem!"
Mikaela leaned back in her seat for a second, before then having a brilliant idea. "Maybe we should have our feet recognised as European Heritage Sites? That way, we could protect them, and have legal rights to take those types of terrible videos down."
Mikaela nodded along as President Reiserová updated Mikaela on her life, family, and the latest ideas that Minister Šín was pitching.
"Unfortunately, I have to listen to that sort of 'humour' all the time from my cousin Silas, except it's not even just jokes, it's his actual real life!" the Archbishop remarked, thinking her cousin's life was the strange and peculiar one. "Sometimes I don't even know what to do or say to him. He is family though, after all, you know? So I still feel like I gotta look after him. But he always gets me in so much trouble!"
While the President only seemed to be joking about Daddy of the Nation, Mikaela quite liked the idea of it... quite a lot, actually. "I would, like, totally watch Daddy of the Nation. It's such a shame that it would be banned, because I think it would go so viral! Everyone would be watching. You definitely deserve a great guy, and the world would love to see your romance bloom! No matter, though, because you have me! Not to like, brag or anything, but I'm totally such a great match-maker. I could set you up with a bunch of good men. I'll also keep my eyes peeled," MIkaela pledged, eyeing Ricardo. "Ok, maybe not him, but other people."
"You'll really like Tomáš when you meet him. Do you remember when I tripped and fell as we were visiting the mine? Well, my phone fell out of my pocket and onto the ground, and Tomáš picked it up. Tomáš then managed to send it back to my office, but it came back with his phone number on it! Firoux totally freaked out and called it a breach of national security, but I just thought it was a really cute gesture. I had to call him right away and invite him to Saint Dominico!
It took a while to meet him again at first, since he's still working fulltime in the mines, but he eventually managed to find some time to come see me. We hit it off right away. He's so charming, manly, and hard-working. I still can't forget that moment when he caught me as I fell, he seemed like a real life superhero! He's told me that when we get married, he still wants to keep working in the mines. I don't know how I feel about long-distance, but I really respect his work ethic.
I've visited his house and met his family. When I visited his place, I noticed that he keeps a massive portrait of you in his living room next to a picture of this bearded guy called Karl. I think Tomáš has this portrait because he knows how much you mean to me, and because he values our friendship, right? He's so supportive!
I haven't begun any of the wedding planning yet, apart from the fact that I know I want it sometime in June or July, which doesn't leave too much time left. You will need to help me pick a dress, a cake, decorations - everything!
I would love to film an episode of Reiserová's Moments! I watch every episode. I DMed the Inquistan Broadcasting Corporation on Instagram and requested that they begin broadcasting it in Inquista, just because I found it was too hard to find online. At first IBC aired it with English dubs, but the voice actress, while she still sounded so nice and so sweet, she just couldn't do you any justice. You are one-of-a-kind! So I DMed IBC again and asked them to air it in Czech with your voice and with subtitles instead. I love it! I am more than happy to film as many episodes with you as you'd like."
After the two ladies finished chatting and drinking their wine, the Archbishop signalled for Ricardo to bring the bill. Mikaela paid for the entire meal, but felt guilty that Reiserová didn't even touch her food. Did she not like Spanish cuisine? Or perhaps Reiserová was on one of those all-yogurt diets Mikaela had seen all over Twitter? President Reiserová was in great shape, so Mikaela immediately began to wonder if she should pursue an all-yogurt diet as well.
Ricardo escorted the ladies back to their penthouse. There, they freshened up again and Mikaela began to search for a nearby animal sanctuary on her phone. Turns out, there was a sanctuary not too far away within the core of Pamplona.
"It's not too far, we could actually walk there. Here, let me call for a film crew, and then we can walk and meet them there to film an episode of Reiserová's Moments."
After making the filming arrangements, the Archbishop changed her outfit and made her makeup camera ready, and then gave President Reiserová a brief tutorial on how to do a smokey-eye look. Soon after, the two leaders departed from the penthouse and made their way to the animal sanctuary on foot. The Archbishop was quite glad with her decision, as there was so much to see on the streets. The city centre was quite old, and the streets were narrow, but they were beautiful.
However, the Archbishop couldn't help but notice how empty the streets were. It was strange that they would be so deserted during this time of afternoon. It was a shame that all of shops seemed to be closed as well. No matter, the Archbishop supposed, maybe they were all having their siestas? In any case, it now meant that Mikaela and Reiserová could enjoy a relaxing stroll by themselves. After taking a few turns and going down some cobblestone alleyways, the two leaders eventually landed on a street that was much busier and hectic.
Several men bolted past the ladies, running at full speed and yelling very loudly. After a few seconds, a few more men came running past them at full speed. The Archbishop noticed a brochure on a nearby building, and inspected it as they walked by. "Oh, that's cool. They've rescheduled for something to happen today. Look, it has today's date. Hmmm. Maybe we should check out whatever this is? 'Encierro'? Doesn't that sound cool?"
Suddenly, the sound of a large, raging bull could be heard from not too far behind the women. To make matters worse, as the ladies turned around, there were actually several large bulls behind them, all running directly towards the Archbishop and the President.
"Bina... run!"
-
"Yup, same situation here!... But wouldn't getting our feet recognized as a Heritage Site just draw more attention to them? I don't know about that Mikaela."
Reiserová nodded in agreement at Kligenberg's comments about her cousin "Oh, you are so right. You always have to take care of your family, even if it costs you some trouble.
Well if you like the idea of Daddy of the Nation feel free to encourage someone to make it, without me starring in it." After Mikaela has mentioned Ricardo, Reiserová tried to inconspicuously look his direction too "But he is pretty good looking! Even though he definitely wished he was one of the grapes."
Reiserová listened with interest to the Archbishop words about her fiance "That's so sweet! I am so happy for you tow! And I am also happy to hear that he still wants to work in mining, although the fact that the relationship will be long distance sucks.... Hey, you know what? If you'd want I can appoint you into the directing body of our Smelting Works of Czech Slavia after your last term of being an Archbishop so that you could move with him!"
The President for Life was visibly overjoyed that Mikaela agreed to film Reiserová's Moments with her and thanked the Inquistan Archbishop for complimenting her voice and also later paying the bill, although she felt bad that Mikaela had to pay for something she refused to eat.
The walk seemed very pleasant to Reiserová, she got to see the city and it was healthier than just driving at the place. So far, she was extremely satisfied with the place that Mikaela selected for them. However her happy mood was quickly changed by the running bulls, she quickly obliged with her friend's command to run. But she was definitely not prepared for this situation and thus her outfit was very inappropriate for running and her shoes quickly made her feet hurt. She didn't know about Mikaela, but after a short while she knew she couldn't continue running much further and has to move out of their way to avoid being run over by them.
She has grabbed Mikaela and pushed her against garage door at the side of the street. She covered Mikaela's body with her own body to protect the Archbishop, but she did bury her own face into Mikaela's shoulder and closed her eyes, hoping the bulls would just run past them. After few seconds she finally opened her eyes and raised her head. After looking around for a while she finally let off the pressure on the Archbishop's body and sat on the street coughing and trying to catch her breath. After she managed to finally catch her breath again she started to laugh, she was quite thrilled and happy that they got out of the situation without a major injury, before turning her attention to Mikaela.
"I am so sorry I pushed you against the door. I was really afraid we wouldn't make it otherwise! Let me look at your back..." the back of the Kligenberg's outfit was heavily dirtied by the garage door which made the President for Life feel quite guilty. "Urgh, who even let's bulls round around their streets anyways!" exclaimed Reiserová while se tried to clean Kligenberg's dress at least a little bit with her hand "Oh, does it hurt? I hope I didn't scratch your back on those stupid doors. I am so so sorry." Reiserová herself got only tiny scratches on her palms.
"And otherwise, do you feel good? Running after eating so recently can't be too healthy... tell you what, when we get back to our apartment we can eat one of the bulls' brethren, get a warm bath, do some yoga and just relax, maybe go on just a tiny walk. We can pick you a location of the wedding and watch some TV!" Reiserová reached into her bag to drink from a bottle of water. After she drank half of the bottle, she offered it to Kligenberg.
When the two resumed their walk towards the animal sanctuary Reiserová remembered to ask Mikaela about her Christmas in Inquista and how does she celebrate them as the Archbishop. After they finally reached their destination Reiserová urged Mikaela to change into farming clothes "There is no need to dirty your normal clothes any more. Plus the farming outfit will look really good on you in the video!"
In the sanctuary one little calf in particular caught the President's attention, despite her newly tainted relations with cattle . "Awwww, look into it's eyes Mikaela, isn't it so sweet? Ok, can you hold the little baby? I will go and fill its bottle with milk. Than I'll film us, I'll hand you the bottle so you can feed it, just say something nice and inspiring about caring for animals, I am sure you'll do great!"
Reiserová took her phone back form the Archbishop while telling the filming crew that she appreciates them, but that she will film the moment herself. She did however ask the crew to take pictures of them. After few minutes Reiserová returned with full bottle and started recording.
-
As Mikaela sprinted in her high heel shoes, she desperately wished that she wore something more practical - as they were planning to visit an animal sanctuary after all anyway. However, as Mikaela put it, her high heels always brought her a few more centimetres closer to God, and perhaps in this instance, Mikaela needed to be closer to God than ever.
Just as Mikaela thought she was about to be bulldozed down, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with President Reiserová, her guardian angel, who held her against a garage door as the bulls came storming by. Thank God for the President, Mikaela thought. When things got settled down again, the ladies returned on their way to the sanctuary.
Once the two women reached the sanctuary, the Archbishop was less than impressed with the outfits they had to change into. It wasn't so much the fact that the Archbishop and President looked like two farm labourers from Istkalen as much as it was about the uncoordinated colours of the outfits that Mikaaela disliked.
The Archbishop was impressed that President Reiserová was filming the entire episode of Reiserová's Moments all by herself without a camera crew. Mikaela was convinced that the 360p quality, shaky camera work, and cut-off angles were the art of some well trained and equipped professionals. Just when the Archbishop thought that she couldn't think any more highly of the President, Reiserová always managed to find a way.
The Archbishop enjoyed feeding the animals, holding their babies, and tending to some of their needs. The time eventually came, however, when the Archbishop and the President had to take care of the animal manure, which they had to shovel themselves - yuck! The Archbishop wondered why the animals didn't just wear animal diapers, they'd look cute while also saving so much work for the sanctuary staff.
The sanctuary mostly had various farm animals, such as cows, sheep, horses and pigs, but it also had a few exotic animals that had been abandoned or mistreated, including a chimpanzee named Manuel. Reiserova and Mikaela each had a turn to hold and feed Manuel. When Mikaela held Manuel, he decided to act up and grab the Archbishop's hair, before then yanking out her hair extensions from her head. Mikaela blushed a deep red in embarrassment as Manuel shrieked in glee, pulling apart the Archbishop's hair extensions with his hands. Reiserová, meanwhile, filmed the entire thing.
Soon enough, it was already late into the evening. The two ladies finished filming the episode of Reiserova's Moments before then returning to their hotel on foot, without having to run this time. The leaders made good on their promise to have steak for dinner. The Archbishop carefully studied the President like a hawk, watching if she would eat her food this time or stick to her yogurt diet. Nonetheless, Mikaela found the Spanish steak to be delicious, and took some gratification in eating the same type of animal that was ferociously chasing them earlier (but also what they tended to in the sanctuary)!
After their meal, Ricardo returned the women to their penthouse, where Mikaela treated the President to a face mask and a pedicure. The Archbishop used this time to gossip about some of the staff at the sanctuary.
"That guy who looked after the sheep was quite handsome wasn't he? I mean, he was better looking than Manuel, at least. He also handled those cute little calves so well and delicately... maybe he'd good with children?" Mikaela pondered out loud, gaging the President's interest in him.
Once the gossip session was complete, the Archbishop performed an intricate 17-step nighttime skincare routine on the President. Afterwards, it was time for bed, and the two ladies changed into silk robes before then retiring for the night in two queen sized beds that stood right next to each other.
The next day, the adventure immediately resumed. The President and the Archbishop had a brief breakfast at the hotel restaurant before setting off again, this time to a completely new country: Inimicus. The process of reaching Inimicus wouldn't be simple, though, as the Archbishop decided that they would not be taking the Girls on Tour Jet there. The jet would fly to Telum and wait for them there, and instead, the two leaders would sail to an Inimican port, by going through the Spanish Straits and the various seas inbetween.
The Archbishop and the President took their armoured limousine to a nearby port village, where a yacht was waiting for them. The yacht was quite spacious and came with many amenities, but it certainly was no match for the Girls on Tour Jet. Thankfully, the yacht did come with a captain and navigator, Santiago, who would help escort the two leaders. Santiago was tall, dark and handsome, and the Archbishop instantaneously began trying to set Reiserová up with him.
At first, things were smooth sailing. Santiago demonstrated to the ladies how to navigate and steer the yacht as they began their journey towards Inimicus. Things, however, got interesting as they went through the Strait of Adventuranza. The Archbishop had heard so much about the Strait, both from President Aguilar himself, and from the news, and so she thought it would be an amazing experience to see it up and close and personal. Surely there was no better time to sail through the Strait as it once again became a flashpoint for acrimonious diplomatic discourse, as Spain had now renewed various strait restrictions.
As they made their way through the Strait, a small ship was spotted nearby, and drew close to the yacht. As the yacht and ship approached one another, it became apparent that the ship was not flying a signal or a flag, which was very suspicious. Perhaps the ship was attempting to evade the Strait taxes? Or perhaps it was supposed to be banned from entering the waters entirely? Santiago, an apparent Spanish waters nationalist, at least seemed to think so. Santiago decided to take matters in his own hands, and attempted to contact the ship, which then ignored him. Angered by this, Santiago steered the yacht directly towards the ship, and it seemed, at least for a brief moment, that the two vessels would collide.
The two vessels managed to not crash into each other, but in their close proximity, Santiago threw a type of anchor onto the ship, and then pulled the yacht up beside it. Santiago requested that the two women cross onto the ship and investigate the situation.
-
"And done! You did great, a true role model." Reiserová complimented Kligenberg after she finished filming her episode and returned her phone to Mikaela to keep her from work. All of Reiserová's Moments scenes showing Reiserová have been filmed on a phone camera by the President for Life herself, in fact up until this point she never even thought of using a camera crew and now she has refused it, she considered filming it on a phone camera as portraying her as a woman from the people more and as providing an inspiration for others to film their own uplifting videos.
On the yacht
Albína Reiserová has been feeling rather well, she really enjoyed the dinner last night and she has already learned so many new procedures for her skin from Mikaela. Part of her wanted to stay in the beautiful hotel a bit longer and spend more time in the presence of Ricardo, but she believed that the hotel in Inimicus will be just as grandiose, if not even more. Furthermore she was instantly charmed by Santiago. Before a ship has caught his attention she stood besides him, regardless of if he was steering the vessel himself or if Kligenberg has taken over, sharing a fruit salad with him and listening to his naval-related stories with great interest.
This has however changed completely when Santiago set his goal on intercepting the other vessel. When he requested that the two ladies cross onto the ship to investigate Reiserová couldn't believe her ears. "Um." she simply responded while looking at the other vessel, than she turned her head back to Santiago while raising her eyebrow and crossing her hands. "No, we are on holidays, I am not going to cross onto some unknown ship because of your strait issues. If you have some problem with the ship go solve it yourself." she shook her head, turned around and put her sunglasses on, indicating she is on a holiday. In the end Santiago was forced to cross onto the ship by himself.
For first few minutes Reiserová remained silent but when Santiago wasn't returning she turned to Mikaela: "What a nerve he has! He almost gets us killed and then asks us to go cross onto that ship for him. The Spanish really need you to solve all their strait issues, don't they? They should really learn to settle stuff by themselves instead of looking for a baby sitter." she exhaled "Although it is weird he isn't returning... can you pass me my phone for a moment I need to make a phone call."
Reiserová walked a fair bit of distance from the Archbishop while making her phone call. She was calling her Minister of Culture Karel Šín, she described the situation they were in and then listened to Šín's response. During the call she took few steps towards the other vessel and eventually crossed onto it. "Yup, that's what I thought too. Well thanks and no, I don't have time to listen to your new comedy show idea right now, I will review it once I get back, bye." she hang up the phone and roll her eyes, after that she took the anchor and brought it back to the yacht. "Time for revolutionary praxis!" she said to Kligenberg, returning her phone to her, while she walked to the steering wheel and proceeded to use the skills she learned moments ago from Santiago to leave her teacher abandoned on the other ship. Navigating the yacht was now up to the two women alone.
"You know I did him a service, he needs to learn how to handle things by himself. I mean, can you imagine him taking care of children right now?" she said to Kligenberg, trying to further justify her actions "And he almost wrecked the yacht, you always have to get rid of the wreckers." she nodded to her own words then stop for a moment to think.
"Oh, I meant to ask you about Bishop Karinn Lallana. What is she like? She nominated me for an Order of Merit, do you know about that? I thought that was really sweet of her and showed how great her understanding is. But then she didn't come to our celebration, and didn't even send me a letter or anything. So I just wanted to know what you think of her, or what she thinks of you."
For another few minutes she continued steering the yacht herself before asking Kligenberg to take her place so that she could return to her fruit salad.
-
"Oh, Karinn? I like her a lot, but I am not sure if she likes me! She did choose me to become Archbishop over Firoux, but she never has nice things to say about my family, especially Si! I always invite her to my dinner parties anyway, since she is good friends with Bishop Johnson, who is such a dear auntie to me, and so I'd love to be get close with Karinn, but she usually doesn't come. That's why I'm not too surprised that she didn't come to you celebration. She once refused a party invite of mine by telling me that she hated 'decadent displays of capitalistic consumption' - whatever that means! Maybe parties just aren't her thing?
I probably scared her off, because she did come to one of mine once where I, uhh, got sick everywhere," the Archbishop painfully admitted. "It wasn't my fault though, because someone actually spiked my drink! Not a great impression."
"She does seem to like you though, which makes sense, since you have so many qualities to like! She's also very into that praxis thing you mentioned before, so I think you have lots in common. You also definitely deserved that medal, by the way! Now that I think of it, I would love to award you with the Order of Inquista when we get back home, you deserve such an honour! It's a very pretty medallion, too."
The Archbishop took over steering the yacht as the President had her salad. Mikaela felt awfully guilty for leaving poor Santiago behind; she felt as though they had ditched him in his time of need, but she understood President Reiserová's reasoning, since this situation was his problem to uncover, not theirs.
With that sorted, the two women sailed to Inimicus. The yacht was very fast, yet the journey was still long. The two women would have to spend the night at sea, and thankfully the yacht was more than equipped with supplies to last for a matter of weeks. The Archbishop insisted that she would stay up all night to monitor their journey and steer the yacht while President Reiserová slept. The Archbishop was used to getting very little anyway, ever since her touring days as a pop star when she was only a teenager. Mikaela insisted upon her sacrifice and ushered the President to bed.
By noon, they reached the coast of Inimicus. "Oh no, we left Santiago before he explained how we can dock this thing," Mikaela panicked as the pair began pulling up near an Inimican dockyard.
The Archbishop attempted to slow the yacht down as much possible by pulling back the yacht's throttle, but she was dismayed to find out the yacht didn't have any breaks. The yacht did manage to slow down quite a bit by the time they reached the docking area of the nearby pier, but Mikaela had no idea how to delicately maneuver the ship, and instead opted to simply crash into the pier while trying to do as little damage as possible.
The yacht crashed into the pier, albeit only at a moderately slow speed, and so it was a rather bearable affair with all things considered. Some Inimican porters scrambled and fussed to get the yacht, which had only been slightly damaged, docked properly. The Archbishop apologised profusely to President Reiserová, as well as to the porters. "This is what I get for only playing Flight Simulator and never Ship Simulator," Mikaela cursed at herself, also being sure not to mention the fact she had 437 hours on Garbage Truck Simulator.
A limousine was waiting for the women at the port, which then drove them to Telum. Telum was the bustling imperial capital of Inimicus, and so there was much to see. The Archbishop gazed out of her window, and pointed at various landmarks, which she described to President Reiserová. The Archbishop had visited Telum countless times, but this seemed to be the first time for the Czech President.
Mikaela and Reiserová were dropped off at a grand and extravagant hotel that was in earshot distance of the Inimican Imperial Palace. Once again, the Archbishop had booked a top floor penthouse suite for the President and herself. The Archbishop and the President showered and changed in their penthouse before heading down to the hotel spa, which they really needed to visit after their seafaring adventure. The ladies were treated to a facial and a massage. The Inimican spa technicians used various cleansers - not soaps, the Archbishop made sure to the warn the President not to use the s-word - to wash the faces of the two women.
Once the ladies were done being treated at the spa, they decided to visit the restaurant that was neighbouring the hotel. Mikaela was starving, and the two women hadn't had a proper meal for a while now. The restaurant was a fusion Inimican-Diessenar establishment. The Archbishop ordered different types of platters of Dissenar dishes, inclduing kebabs, soups, different steamed vegetables, and baklava. The Archbishop avoided ordering anything Inimican, as much of the options were deep fried.
While the two ate their food, the Archbishop explained that her GBF, Emperor Artabanos himself, had personally helped secure a great place for the ladies to walk around and visit. Mikaela described the place as a sort of gallery. It was a sort of museum of great importance that housed many authentic pieces of Inimican craftsmanship, which included valuable and delicate pieces of handiwork. The gallery was also very VIP, and thus only very few could enter it, but Artie was kind enough to give Mikaela permission to visit it with the President, along with their own tour guide.
Once the ladies were done with their food, the Archbishop paid the full bill and hailed their limousine, which took them to the gallery. The gallery appeared to be some sort of secretive military complex outside of Telum. Inside, the women were changed into lab coats, and were given gloves and protective eyewear. It soon became apparent that they were visiting a facility that contained a portion of Inimicus' nuclear arsenal.
Their tour guide was an extremely handsome and well-built man named Dr. Klassen, who was some sort of nuclear physicist. Dr. Klassen walked the women around the facility, explaining how the facility, as well as the nuclear weapons, worked. Mikaela couldn't really understand much of his vocabulary, since he used quite a lot of scientific terms in his explanation, but she nodded along to what he said nonetheless. The Archbishop nudged President Reiserová, trying to prompt her to make conversation with him. "Bina, he's totally got the 4 B's," Mikaela whispered to the President, "Brains, brawn, beauty, and well, uhh..." Mikaela felt too embarrassed to say 4th B out loud, "... checkout his arsenal, that's all I will say."
The tour eventually led to what appeared to the biggest nuclear bomb in the arsenal. "Oh, look at the size of this one," Mikaela commented. "This is the one men wish they had, isn't that right?"
Mikaela then suddenly had a thought. "Bina, don't you think Czech Slavia could use some of these? I feel like nobody would mess with you if you did! Good thing I'm on the ENAA, I could totally help you out!" Mikaela offered, blissfully unaware that her kind gesture was one of corruption.
The Archbishop took our her phone, and then began filming and taking pictures of the inside of the facility, which, understandably, freaked out Dr. Klassen, considering the facility was home to some of Inimicus' top defence secrets and contained weapons of mass destructions. The Archbishop simply brushed Dr. Klassen away and reassured him she knew what she was doing. Mikaela posed in front of the big bomb, took a selfie, and promptly uploaded it onto Instagram.
-
"Oh it's sad that she might not fully appreciate you as a person, but it is good that she supported you politically, I hope that she will continue supporting you in the future and won't let any personal ambitions get involved. And an Award would be such an honor for me!" said Reiserová, moved by Kligenberg's proposition.
The President was very happy when she heard Kligenberg offering to stay awake to steer the vessel while she would sleep. She verbally protested for a short while to not appear rude, but was relieved when her counterpart insisted and accepted the offer after a short while and fell asleep almost immediately after lying in bed.
"Um, no, we didn't leave him, he left us remember? He decided to block the other vessel, and cross onto it. We didn't insist on blocking that ship or boarding it, he...." while Reiserová heard that Mikaela doesn't know how to park the yacht, she was more concerned with defending herself and her decisions while refusing any responsibility. She continued talking to the Archbishop, while she was preoccupied with trying to park the yacht, until the yacht has crashed into the pier which knocked the out of focus President to the ground. "No need to apologize!" she responded to Kligenberg after she apologized and helped her back on her feet.
This was the first time for President Reiserová to visit not only the city of Telum but the country of Inimicus itself. She intended to visit an official state celebration last year, but cancelled her attendance after the Inimican military intervention in North Diessen. She enjoyed the sights of the Inimican capital and appreciated that the Archbishop acted as her guide.
The President very much enjoyed her massage, for which she was looking forward ever since asking Kligenberg to go on a holiday with her, and food, this time she resorted to ordering the same thing her friend was having, to avoid ordering anything she wouldn't eat by a mistake again. And she didn't regret this decision as she loved the steamed vegetables.
When the two ladies entered the gallery outside of the capital Reiserová noticed a picture of the current head of state Emperor Artabanos. "Some people, right?" commented the Leader of the Progressive Mankind disapprovingly on Emperor Artabanos' cult of personality in a whisper to Mikaela. She shook her head slightly. "That is also the thing with Karinn, you know, some of the comments she makes toward Sofie. Towards Sofie Čikarová I mean. They sound like a hero worship. Sofie herself called me many times to tell me that she disagrees with Karinn's comments and that she is a loyal pupil. Which is good, humility is so important." continued the Teacher of Nations.
Right next to the picture of the current Inimican head of state was a picutre of a previous Emperor William to which Reiserová turned her attention now. "Oh I saw that some of the Inimican heads of state used to wear a fez! Maybe we could look for a wedding dress here? Perhaps we will find something exotic and elegant for you!" she offered to the Archbishop. Finally, before continuing further in the facility Reiserová complimented Kligenberg on looking really smart in the lab coat.
Dr. Klassen has indeed caught the attention of the President, out of the men that Mikaela was encouraging her to flirt with, he was the closest to her own age, which could potentially mean he would want to be a father. Yet it was clear that the President isn't able to discuss nuclear physics with him. She approached him asking him for his hobbies outside of work and told him, that she likes to take her sons on hiking trips before asking him if he has any children of his own. Reiserová at this point wasn't even sure Dr. Klassen isn't married as the gloves prevented her from seeing if he has a wedding ring. Before she could learn if he has kids and a partner she was distracted by the Archbishop comments on the nuclear weapons.
"You actually may have a point! Protection of peace is important and nuclear deterrence would allow Czech Slavia to protect peace. I think I'll talk with my minister of defense and apply for them, if you promise to back us." said the President and after her friend started recording she urged her to send all the videos. She innocently smiled at Dr. Klassen before rushing to Kligenberg to be in some of her photos with her.
"Well, I didn't really understand any of it!... Do you think Dr. Klassen is a father? I think he might be." Reiserová commented on both the exhibition and their guide after they have left the facility. "Hey, since we are out of the city maybe we could record another Reiserová Moment's episode? I think we should make one about engaging in politics, going out to vote, or campaign for something, such an important topic, right? Follow me!" she said and started leading the Archbishop towards an open field.
"Oh by the way, I also wanted to ask about your Chief Bishop. Why did you decide to provide him with more responsibilities? You advised me not to trust men and keep them in check when you visited Prague about a year ago, so why did you put so much trust in one man? I thought you are doing a great job." the President for Life asked before stopping in the field and asking Kligenberg for her phone. "Alright, so I'll just stand next to you and record us standing here. Just say something passionate, profound and inspirational, I'll just introduce you and say we have an important message. After that we can go look for your wedding dress if you'd like." Reiserová instructed Kligenberg before she started recording.
-
The Archbishop eagerly agreed to film another episode of Reiserová's Moments, but didn't fully understand why they were standing in the middle of a field.
The Czech President asked a simple yet complicated question. "Bina, you know how it can be as President, you have to sit through so many meetings and committees on things like tax policy, road regulations, and quality standards for meat and vegetables. It can be so boring, and these are even the more interesting topics! I want to focus on big picture stuff, and not on things that will make me fall asleep or give me a breakout. So I figured I would leave that stuff up to someone else, 'cause I'm a very busy woman.
Firoux was the best choice! I love him. He's not like the other guys. Guys are definitely not to be trusted, but Firoux is not sneaky like them! He's very open and honest, and he's the type that will stab from the front, and not from the back. He's so knowledgeable about everything, and he's the one that always gives me the best advice when it comes to being in charge. He's also the type of guy who reads these boring policy papers for fun, and he has so much experience with legislating things. T-B-H, I often look at him and think he would make a great Archbishop, and I know that most of my own bishops lowkey think that too. I don't blame them at all! Besides, he's been so important in keeping my father's legacy alive, so I really trust him. He's been real good to me.
My girls Anja and Bishop Johnson really weren't all that interested. The only other option was Si, and like I said, he sometimes causes trouble! Si was so mad when I chose Firoux, because those two really used to not get along at all. They are much better these days, though.
Antoni has helped bridge the gap between them. Have you met my boy Antoni? He's such a gentleman, and he gets how misunderstood Si really is, because Si does have good intentions, I swear! Antoni is also very close to Firoux, and I think he's helped open his eyes to Si's good side."
The Archbishop then did as she was instructed with a smile, and gave an inspiring speech, describing how being civically and politically engaged allows you to set the trend for your own country, and that setting trends is important and makes you very fashionable. The Archbishop truly believes that there is nothing more important than being a trend setter and being in fashion, which begins with voting early, and voting often, so others do the same.
Once the ladies finished filming in the field, they were picked up in their limousine, and they elected to go bridal gown shopping in a boutique fashion district in Telum. There, they managed to find a bridal gown shop. The Archbishop enthusiastically tried on several gowns and showed them to the President.
"Which one of these four do you like most? Please also suggest some of your own! There's tons here to choose from. I could also decide to go for something different, and not white, maybe?"
-
"You are so lucky you have people you can rely on! I know how boring these things can be, but there is nobody I can rely on, so I have to supervise all decisions, who knows what could have happened if I didn't! I mean last time they almost drove the country to a coup and I was almost killed in an explosion because of that. I won't let that happen, it is my duty now. And no one else could take on such a duty." Reiserová paused for few seconds, thinking, before derailing the conversation "Please remind me to ban fireworks in the proximity of my residences when we are back at the hotel."
"But don't even suggest somebody could be a better Archbishop! I'll tell you something, back when Sofie won the Premier Commissioner election for her first term she came to me and thanked me for it, she said a victory was only possible because of me. It sounds so strange right? At first I didn't understand it at all, I had almost nothing to do with her campaign or anything. But then some of the wise members of the SRP explained it to me, the ideas, words and actions of people around me are inspired by me, they are influenced by me and my words and will. And it was this inspiration by me that allowed Sofie to win. That is why she thanked me and said it wouldn't be possible without me. No good idea, no victory is possible without me. See? It makes so much sense now doesn't it? And I think it is the same in your case. When somebody wrote a song for you, they were inspired by you and likewise when Bishop Firoux advises you on something, that advise comes from you in the first place. If not for you, Bishop Firoux would lack this inspiration and would not come up with such advice. Sadly people around you may not realize that they have good ideas only because of your influence, or they might not want to admit it to themselves or to you. But you should think about it." Reiserová said looking at Kligenberg with an honest expression and a smile. "And I didn't have the pleasure of meeting Antoni yet, maybe you could introduce us one day."
After Reiserová has finished turning another episode of Reiserová's Moments she turned to the Archbishop again "Of course, link it to fashion, how didn't I think of that! People can relate to those words. You know it is a crime that you do not have a platform on which you could share your wisdom with the people more often." she said while returning her phone to Mikaela for keeping.
When the two Heads of States reached a bridal gown shop Reiserová excitedly followed her friend to see everything she sees and her reactions to the dresses. "Well you obviously you look gorgeous in all of them, but I think the third one and the fourth one suited you the best, so I would decide between those two, but I will bring you my picks in a second, promise it won't take long, just wait here!" she said as she rushed to collect the gowns that caught her attention while walking around the shop.
Wedding Gowns selected by Reiserova
"Try on these ones and tell me what you think! I think you should keep to traditional and go with a white dress honestly." she nodded
After the two ladies left the gown shop Reiserová requested to go to centre of the Telum before returning to their hotel room. On they way she also ordered an elderflower ice cream. "Mikaela do you have any tips for meeting with Emperor Artabanos? What to do, what to avoid stuff like that." was the only couple of words relating to politics in any way during the short walk, most of it was filled with taking pictures of the historically significant buildings and monuments and taking pictures of themselves standing next to these buildings and monuments.
The sun began to set soon after so the two leaders have returned to their hotel room after a quick dinner in the hotel restaurant. "So what do we have in plan for tomorrow?" Reiserová asked while awaiting Kligenberg to treat her to another face mask.
-
"These dresses looks so lovely, you definitely have such a good eye for style, Bina," Mikaela remarked as she tried on the first gown. The Archbishop quite liked the lace design of the first gown. The second gown, however, seemed to fit the Archbishop like a glove, and she loved how it accentuated and complimented the shape of her body. The third gown was also stunning. The Archbishop decided to say yes to the second gown that the President had picked out for her. With the gown selected, the two headed out of the shop.
Archbishop Kligenberg spilled the tea on Emperor Artabanos as she walked with President Reiserová, chatting as the two enjoyed the sights and took pictures of their surroundings.
"I love Artie! We go way back. He's my GBF, so he's you know..." Mikaela explained while imitating a limp wrist. "Don't ask about his private or love life, though. He used to have a gentleman in his life, but after his lover betrayed him, Artie ended up having to get rid of him, literally. It was all so very sad. I hope he can find someone soon! You know what? We should like, totally keep our eyes peeled for him too. We could totally set him up. He deserves true love, since he's been through so much.
You wouldn't be able to tell since his plastic surgery was, like, just soooooo good, but Artie survived a really terrible plane explosion not too long ago. I was so worried! Luckily, he's all good. Unless your plane crashes at the airport the next time you visit Inimicus, probably don't complain about your flight to him. He's been through it all and seen everything, so he doesn't care about hearing about small little inconveniences.
Otherwise, Artie is super fun to chat to, and very funny. He cracks me up! He's always willing to have a drink, and he's always been a great host to me, so you probably don't have to worry about a repeat of what happened in Yosai. I have been to many events and celebrations with Artie, and he totally knows how to turn it out.
He's straight forward and very... what's the word? Pr- pr - practical? Yes, practical! Even if you guys have differences, he'll be able to put them aside and make an agreement as long as it makes sense. You have nothing to worry about, since you make amazing sense all the time, like that great advice you gave me about other people's advice. I am sure if you ever met with him, you'd eventually see eye to eye no matter what."
After dining and returning to their hotel room, the Archbishop treated the President to another face mask, as well as to a pedicure.
"In the morning, we can visit the spa again, and then go for a bit of a walk outside, around some of the areas we haven't been to yet. We'll then have a tour at another special place, which we will visit before we catch our flight to our next destination!"
As the Archbishop gave the President a pedicure, she suddenly had a thought, and then a question. "Bina, am I going to be dubbed or subbed when I appear on Reiserová's Moments? You know, I could try to do the dubbing myself, it could be such a fun way to learn some Czech, which would totally impress Tomás. Is there any similarity between Czech and Croatian? I know some Croatian from Si, who knows quite a bit, since his mom is from there."
The two women continued to wind down and relax for the evening, and after another long and intricate skincare routine, the two leaders fell asleep and retired for the evening. The next day, the Archbishop decided to make good on her plans. Once breakfast was finished at the hotel, and another visit to the spa was had, the ladies wondered around the nearby district, visiting the places they hadn't had a chance to see yet, while sipping on some hot coffee and taking pictures with their cameras.
Later, they walked to the Imperial Palace, which was in the area. The Archbishop had been promised a tour of the apartments of the Imperial Palace, which was supposed to be given by Emperor Artabanos himself, but unfortunately, something came up and he couldn't meet up with them. The Archbishop was fairly disappointed, as she was eager to introduce President Reiserová to the Inimican Emperor, but she understood that the Emperor had a lot on his plate right now, like having to come up with exit strategies for when the new Inimican base in Istkalen was to inevitably be burdened down or blown up by the locals.
Nevertheless, the ladies were taken on a tour of the Imperial Palace apartments, guided by a tall gingery historian who gave long-winded and unnecessarily complex explanations of the Imperial drapes and carpets. "I just hope his carpets match the drapes," Mikaela commented under her breath to President Reiserová.
Once the tour was completed, the two ladies were picked up by their limousine and driven to the airport. They were escorted to the Girls on Tour Jet, where they were met by Captain Jimin, who was very happy to greet them. The Archbishop and President got settled in the jet, and were off before they knew it. In the spirit of their successful bridal gown shopping experience, Mikaela decided that the two should watch Reiserová's film, the Wedding Veil Unveiled, while on their flight.
While flying to their next destination, Captain Jimin brought the Girls on Tour Jet to a low altitude as they flew over the Artabanos Canal, which was still being constructed in North Diessen. Captain Jimin thought it would be important for the two leaders to see the project's progress, particularly considering that the project was being built using a loan approved by the European Development Agency, headed by Premier Čikarová.
Soon enough, the Girls on Tour Jet began its descent towards Caspian City, Reitzmag. The airport there had just recently opened up in a ceremony that the Archbishop herself attended. Once their jet landed, and they were escorted into the airport, Mikaela made sure to lead the charge of navigating the building. The Archbishop warned the President of the Dangerous Pillar, which was to be avoided at all costs. Upon seeing the Dangerous Pillar, the Archbishop was in dismay that it was still there and not yet removed. "Do you think we can get a loan from the European Development Agency to get rid of it?" the Archbishop wondered.
A limousine picked the ladies up from the airport and took them to the city's most notable landmark, the still standing Statue of Copala's Freedom. Mikaela took a selfie of herself with the President in front of the statue and smiled.
"Bina, if they ever made a statue out of you, it would definitely be considered one of the greatest wonders of the world!"
-
President Reiserová was greatly enjoying her walk around the streets of Telum and listening to Kligenberg up to the moment she heard that Emperor Artabanos got rid of his partner, but as soon as she heard that her smile disappeared from her face. "Mikaela that is terrible. How could we look for a new partner for Artabanos? What if he'd get rid of him too? We can't do that." Reiserová felt a wide range of negative emotions but she pushed negative thoughts out of her head during dinner, at least for a time, and allowed her to enjoy her evening and get exited about Kligenberg's plan for the following day.
"Well you can decide that! I intended on having you subbed, but if you want to be dubbed and even dub yourself we can do that I am sure Tomáš would love that! It is quite similar to Croatian, so depending oh how well Silas can speak Croatian, he might recognize some words. But I had no idea he is part Croatian! You know Karel told me he has a theory that Silas is in a way different from the rest of high ranking Inquistans, so I guess he was kind of right in that aspect. You know, if you look past the fact that his theories are completely idiotic. He thinks most of high ranking people around Europe are of Ruthenish descent, but they left the Ruthund because of its weather. But not to derail further, just write me any lines you want translated to Czech and we can start learning." Reiserová handed a notebook and a pen to Kligenberg.
For the first time, the President for Life set her foot on Reitzmic soil. She was well rested as she took another nap while on the plane but not the other hand she was feeling a little bit hungry.
"Hmmm, I think Reitzmag would have to submit a request for a loan to get rid of this pillar. But aren't you close to Prime Minister Bridges? Maybe you could ask him to submit such a request... and if he won't listen to you he might listen to your friend Jesus! The real on..." Reiserová stopped talking as she realized that what she was about the say might be insulting to an Archbishop, "I mean the Spanish one, not the one on the cross... you know...." the last two words were almost whispered.
While on their way to the Statue of Copala's Freedom Reiserová couldn't help but be impressed with how well the Caspian City looked. After all that it went through in the last few years, Reiserová imagined the city to be in a much worse state "The Reitzmic must be really hard working." she remarked.
"Wow, they still haven't taken down the statue? With how quickly they were able to do other work around the city I'd expect the statue would be down already." the President for Life stopped to think "Maybe they won't demolish it at all, perhaps they instead intend on Asianizing Marshall Copala! And if they do Asianize her we must visit it again to take another picture, like before and after challenge!"
Reiserová was flattered by the Archbishop's words about a statue of her "Aww, thank you! But now that you mention it, The Mining Vocational Secondary School of Mikaela Kligenberg in Rudolfov will be finished soon, do you have any wishes for its decoration?"
Soon after the two ladies explored the nearest surroundings of the Statue of Copala's Freedom Reiserová requested to visit a restaurant for a small, warm meal and had the limousine take them to a restaurant in the centre of the city. Reiserová took great care reading the menu and ordered a seaweed soup, since it sounded healthy and exotic. But while she quite enjoyed her soup she noticed one of the waiters carrying sliced up parts of an octopus that were however still moving, which made her let out a squeal. "Is it still alive?!" she yelled before excusing herself to the toilet, the moving tentacles made her feel sick and she had to wash her face with cold water. After she has returned to her seat she decided to pay for the meals for the first time since their tour started, despite not finishing the remaining part of her soup after she has witnessed the moving octopus dish.
The two leaders then took time walking around the centre of the city before going to their luxurious hotel. As they were getting read to sleep, the negative thoughts on Reiserová's mind resurfaced.
"Mikaela, I miss spending time with my kids, and I miss visiting my parents... a lot. I don't want to do this job, but I have to. I have to protect my people and ensure their well-being and happiness, they depend on me. But I feel so isolated. When it was my mission to spread joy as an actress I really enjoyed that, but spreading joy as the Head of State... it's different. And hearing about these terrible things happening all the time...." the Presidents voice started to shiver and Kligenberg could even hear her start sobbing. "I am just happy you went on a tour with me, I need these moments of relaxation, I just wish I could spend them with my family too. That is what I admire about you, you seem like you managed to find the ideal work to life balance."
The President for Life wiped off the tears with her hands and smiled "Sorry, I didn't mean to complain.... you know I was thinking since the believers in Inquistan Orthodoxy are numerous in the city, if I am not mistaken, maybe you could hold a sermon tomorrow and I could attend it? I am sure the people would love to hear your preaching and it could be a positive image for both of us."
-
"The students at the school deserve some sort of decoration that will inspire them! What about a statue of a miner? I heard that a lot of the students there want to become miners when they grow up. It's good to keep their dreams alive! You know what? We could have Tomáš pose, looking all cool with a pickaxe in his hand, and model a statue after him. It will look so lovely in front of the school! We can call it 'Hero of the Stone' or something."
Later at the restaurant, the Archbishop expertly ate her food with chopsticks. Mikaela wasn't as disgusted with the tentacled dishes as President Reiserová was, but Mikaela opted for some spicy ramen noodles instead, which seemed like a safe choice. Admittedly, this type of cuisine wasn't the Archbishop's favourite, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.
Mikaela clasped President Reiserová's hands as the President shared her struggles with her, and nodded along empathetically as she spoke.
"Bina, there is so much I admire about you too! You are willing to put the weight of the world on your shoulders, and still be so dutiful to all your responsibilities! It's hard as a single mother, I've deffo been there! Us ladies in charge have it tough. You not only have your responsibilities as President for Life, as the Mother of the Nation, but you also still have to come home every night and look after and take care of your immediate family as well. That's a lot to deal with, and yet you hashtag persist.
Please just promise to me that you will take care of yourself, and find some time to spend with your kids and parents. I lost my dad 10 years ago and I still think of him every single day. I was so lucky to have him as my father. He was just the greatest! Even though I was turning 30, the day he died, I remember turning into a young, helpless little girl again. My hero and knight in shining armour was taken from me, and taken from me so unexpectedly. I never got to give him a proper goodbye. I don't even think I spoke to him that week, since we were both so busy. No one was expecting it... I mean, how could we? I would do anything to give him a hug one last time. After his death, I promised I would always make time for my family. I would never make the excuse that I was too busy.
And yet, three years later, life goes on, and so do we. I got wrapped up in my life, and in my career again. My cousin Nicholas, Si's younger brother, was always the closest to me in the family. We were totally thick as thieves, and complete bezzies. He was living his best life when he then recently got married to Ani, and I was busy with a music tour. Nicholas was so young, so healthy, and very full of life. I could never imagine life without him.
One day, I got home, and Si was just standing there, quietly, in front of the stairs. It felt like forever before any words came out of his mouth. I don't really remember when they did come out, because it quickly became a blur. I just couldn't believe it. Nicholas was in an accident? Accidents don't happen to us, they happen to other people. I thought. How could he be dead? He was so unstoppable. Si and I were so depressed. I was also just so angry at myself, how could I once again just let life get in the way? I never got to properly say goodbye to him either, even after that promise I made to myself.
I don't want you to have such regrets. Anything could happen at any time, to you, your parents, or your children, so please make time for them."
The Archbishop raised her hand and extended her pinky finger towards the President. "Through everything, you will always have me. I will be your side, fighting alongside you to the end. Let's promise to give everything our best, and to fight to the end, together - pinky promise?"
After their heart-to-heart conversation, the Archbishop and President went to bed, following their nightly skincare regimen, of course.
Mikaela tossed and turned all night, thinking of her father, her cousin Nicholas, and of President Reiserová's worries. The Archbishop managed to find some peace of mind by putting her hands together and silently praying for President Reiserová and her family, praying for their happiness. Mikaela fell asleep soon after.
The next day, the Archbishop and President attended an Inquistan Orthodox mass at the recently built Inquistan basilica in Caspian City. Near the end of the mass, the Archbishop followed the President's suggestion, and decided to give a brief sermon to close out the proceedings.
"Hey you guys, and the Big Guy up there. Thank you for today's beautiful mass. Who would have thought that after everything that Moreland went through, and everything that this city has gone through, that we would be able to come together like this again, in this beautiful basilica, to celebrate our faith? Well, besides the Lord, obvi. He knew, duh. But for the rest of us? How cool!"
From the stand, the Archbishop acknowledged the President's presence in the pews by giving a slight wave and smile. "It's 'cause we never lost faith. We never stopped thinking peace was possible, and we never gave up on the dream of being safe in our homeland again, 'cause we never doubted that the Lord would protect us, and that He had a plan for us.
From the ashes, this city has risen, just like how Jesus rose from the dead. Hallelujah, guys! This beautiful city and its people persevered, never gave up, and rose up stronger than ever before. Reminds me of my comeback tour in 2015. I thought I was done with my singing career, but nope! The Lord had a different plan for me, which also included record-breaking sales, three chart-topping number one singles and two Teen Choice awards. He never gave up on me, and he will never give up on you, so never give up on yourself. You got this.
Now let us bow our heads and recite a passage of lyrics from 'Stronger' by Britney Spears.
Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My loneliness ain't killing me no more
I, I'm strongerThen I ever thought that I could be, baby
I used to go with the flow
Didn't really care 'bout me
You might think that I can't take it, but you're wrong
'Cause now I'mStronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My loneliness ain't killing me no more
I, I'm strongerAmen."
After the service, the Archbishop and President roamed around the nearby square, exploring the streets and sights of the city, while Mikaela quizzed President Reiserová of what she thought of the service, her sermon, and the basilica.
Once they were done exploring the area, the duo stopped to get some bobba at a bubble tea stand that stood on the street. Mikaela noticed a nearby Korean beauty shop, and decided to lure President Reiserová inside so they could examine the makeup products they had for sale. The Archbishop promised to buy the President some, and that they could do their makeup later.
With makeup shopping done, the two headed to an Asianization clinic. The Archbishop was curious to see an Asianization procedure up close, and managed to get a plastic surgeon called Dr. Oli Hampton to allow the President and herself to view a live Asianization surgery. Dr. Oli Hampton came highly recommended by Captain Jimin, who went through Asianization surgery under his knife.
The Archbishop and President stood behind a glass panel as Dr. Oli Hampton turned a John into a Jungkook. The Archbishop turned to the President and in all seriousness wondered aloud, "Is being transracial woke or no?"
-
The President for Life was enthusiastic about visit the Inquistan basilica, as she viewed it as an opportunity to signal her goodwill, not only towars the adherents of Inquistan Orthodoxy, but to religious people over all. For this reason she asked Mikaela if she could take a picture of her in the basilica. It was however the first time Reiserová attended of a mass and she wasn't sure what she should do, so she had to resort to copying people around her, with a little delay.
After the service Reiserová praised the Archbishop's sermon: "The people absolutely loved you and your positive message! I don't know how it is with your religion, but if it is possible you should definitely have somebody compile your positive messages and then you could spread them in a book, or just a blog, I would definitely buy such a book... maybe I could decorate my living with few of your quotes as well. Honestly nowadays you can barely even find a nice motivation, inspiring quotes. I want to search just few nice lines on the internet and all I get are these strange sigma male quotes, usually shared by some Duxburians." the Architect of Socialism rolled her eyes and shook her head at the current situation in the quote sharing community before smiling and praising the building of the basilica.
As the two ladies got their bubble tea, Reiserová remarked that it is a good thing they don't serve their drinks with plastic straws, otherwise they both could become victims of diplomatic sanctions issued by the government of Strathae.
While visiting the asianization clinic President than took a stance against trans-racialism, declaring that one should always be proud of themselves unless they are a bad person.
After heading out of the surgery, Reiserová turned to Kligenberg and smiled "Mikaela, I will go home after today. I thought about what you said yesterday and I want to spend the rest of my holiday with my parents and sons. I will take them on a little tour to the nature and I will wake them up with a cup of hot cocoa, you know, I can't remember the last time I made hot cocoa for my kids, which is a shame because they really like it." her eyes broke eye contact with Kligenberg while she was speaking but after finishing this sentence she once again locked eyes with her.
"I really enjoyed this tour with you, and I hope we can repeat it next year, or sooner, maybe in the summer! So don't take this the wrong way, we definitely need to be here for each other and uplift each other. I guess what I want to say, relating to what you told me tomorrow, is that you are correct, so... ciao." Reiserová lifted her hand slightly to wave before giving the Archbishop a hug.
-
The Archbishop was touched by President Reiserová's kind words, and she was very pleased that the President would spend more time with her family. The President's keenness to get home was quite abrupt, but Mikaela was just glad that the President seemed to take her words concerning her family seriously.
Mikaela handed President Reiserová the shopping bags containing the makeup, and then hugged her goodbye. "I will always adore you - it's the norm, you don't even need to look it up," Mikaela told her as they both bid each other farewell.
The Archbishop gazed at the President for Life with fondness as she walked off, but wondered where she was going, as their hotel was in the opposite direction. No matter, Mikaela thought, as the President told the Archbishop that her words from 'tomorrow' were correct - perhaps the the President was psychic - and so she figured the President knew what she doing.
In signing the Caspian City Treaty, the Archbishop and Reitzmic Prime Minister agreed to turn Caspian City into the K-Pop centre of Reitzmag, by incentivizing K-Pop companies to either relocate or be founded there. The Archbishop was eager to attend a K-Pop concert, and thus booked a front row ticket to a show being put on by Wonho.
The Archbishop was picked up by a limousine and was driven to a nearby concert venue where Wonho was performing. Mikaela made her way to the front row, with a drink in hand, as the concert began. Wonho gave a stellar performance, singing and dancing perfectly to all of his best songs, including Open Mind, Lose and, of course, his latest release, Eye on You, now available for streaming on all platforms (stream and stan Wonho for clear skin, that's what Mikaela has heard and knows to be true).
After the concert, Mikaela met up with Wonho backstage and invited him to an afterparty at the Kligenberg-owned club that Silas had opened up in the city.
One quick outfit change later, Mikaela and Wonho arrived at Club Kligenberg. This was Mikaela's first time visiting the club, and she was quite impressed with the venue, which was deserving of the Kligenberg name. The Archbishop requested that the club only be open to VIPs and invited guests this evening. Upon her arrival, the Archbishop made her rounds around the club, greeting everyone that she had invited.
"Dr. Klassen, so good to see you again," Mikaela greeted the Inimican nuclear scientist. Dr. Klassen's great physique was even better without being hidden behind his lab coat, and so the Archbishop tried her best not to ogle at his body too much.
"Oh, Santiago! You made it!" Mikaela cheered enthusiastically as she turned around and saw the Spanish seafarer. Santiago was joined by two mysterious looking men. "I wasn't sure you'd be able to come. Sorry about leaving you at the sea by the way. I think it was all a misunderstanding. We can put that behind us, right? Who are your friends here?"
"No worries at all," Santiago reassured. "These chicos? They're pirates. Once I got on their ship, I told them, 'I am am el capitán now,' and now they will work for me, to protect España and her waters."
"Awesome, I've always wanted to meet real life pirates. I've only seen them in movies. Anyway, see you guys around!" the Archbishop noted as she waved cheerfully.
Mikaela then greeted Ricardo, the young personal attendant from Pamplona. Ricardo was joined by the handsome animal keeper from the animal sanctuary, who came with Manuel the Chimpanzee in his arms. The Archbishop gently patted Manuel with skepticism, and then quickly dodged with great dexterity as Manuel made another go for her hair.
"I think Manuel is drunk already, please keep an eye on him," the Archbishop nervously warned as she beelined across the club to her pilot Jimin, who was surrounded by the other six members of BTS, as well as Wonho. The Archbishop gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
The Archbishop then greeted Dr. Oli Hampton, who just arrived from his shift at the clinic. Mikaela also went around to say hello to the other eclectic guests who had arrived, including her long-time bezzie Ludacris, country musician Bradley Suttons, Priscilla Presley (the widow of Elvis Presley), Ava Max, Nicki Minaj, and Nicki's cousin's friend from Nofoaga who had recently gotten married after undergoing a medical procedure on his noble parts.
The Archbishop visited the bar to order a martini, which she drank in one gulp before ordering another. The Archbishop resumed socialising with the various guests while intermittently ordering new drinks and making trips to the dance floor. After throwing it down to Family Affair, the Archbishop, in a sufficiently drunken state, decided to give President Reiserová's personal contact details to all of the eligible men at the club.
"She deserves to have a good man, she really does," Mikaela insisted while slurring her speech and inputting the President's phone number into Dr. Klassen's phone, before then also passing on the details to Ricardo, the animal keeper, Santiago, both of the pirates-turned-vigilantes, Dr. Oli Hampton, Wonho, and Ludacris.
Mikaela raised her drink for a toast. "To Bina, the Teacher of Nations, Architect of Socialism, and Defender of the Revolution!" Mikaela cheered as she raised her drink, before then downing it in one swig.
The rest of the evening was a blur. Somewhere along the way, the Archbishop blacked out after getting incredibly drunk. Despite this, she still turned it out on the dance floor.
The Archbishop woke up with a throbbing headache. It took a moment for Mikaela to gather her bearings and realise that she was in the co-pilot seat of the Girls on Tour Jet. It was dawn, and the jet seemed to be headed home towards Saint Dominico. The Archbishop turned to Jimin, who seemed really out of it as he piloted the jet. Th Archbishop had a splitting headache, and still felt a bit drunk.
"Jimin... are you... ok... to... fly?" the Archbishop slowly croaked, seemingly barely conscious.
Jimin hiccupped. The pilot was clearly still drunk and under the influence, but he attempted to reassure the Archbishop the best he could, despite his inability to speak comprehensibly. "Don't worry, I will [incompressible] . You [incompressible] . Smooth like [incompressible]."
Mikaela leaned back in her co-pilot seat. While her head hurt, the Archbishop's heart felt warm and full. She felt so grateful and happy to have spent an amazing and adventurous holiday with President Reiserová, whom she had now grown much closer to.
