Girls on Tour: Summer 2022 🕶️🏖️

[Czech Slavia]

"This definitely can't be healthy, I thought you said she fixed her sleeping schedule." pointed out Čikarová to Saková on their way to the Prague Castle. The President for Life has summoned them for 5 AM to get their opinion on the collection of clothes she was planning to take with herself on her second vacation with the Inquistan Archbishop.

"Well, you can tell about the unhealthiness of her habits to the President herself." Saková smirked. Despite the fact that Čikarová would no longer be able to endanger her ambitions to become the Speaker of the National Assembly, both women still felt rivalry between each other.

"I am not the Minister of Health." Čikarová responded, not looking at Saková.

Soon, they reached Prague Castle and the room in which they were supposed to meet, here they encountered Karel Šín with three cups of coffee before him. Unlike the formal attire of his two colleagues Šín was sitting in his seat in his fishing outfit with a cap portraying a carp on his head. When he spotted them he looked at his clock and raised his eyebrows. They were 10 minutes late.

"Has Albína been here yet?" asked Čikarová.

"She was, we started a bit earlier. Just one evening dress remaining, then she!s off to the airport." He raised his eyes to look at the two women, who were clearly put into distress by the fact they were late. "I told her you were inspecting a hospital." Šín smiled and relaxed in his chair. Relieved, the two sit so that Šín was between them. Neither of them hold the Minister of Culture in particularly high regard, but he was preferable to both of them then the other woman.

"She will be really tired today, I am not sure why she had to fly so early.... and force us to be here so early, I mean, we all have a lot of work to do after that. Getting a bit of sleep would be nice. I would also like to know why she needs us to look at her clothes, can't she just give that task to her staff?" complained Saková.

"Oh that's nothing." responded Šín. He followed these words with sipping his coffee before continuing: "Comrade Mejzlík was here since 3:45, to do their daily yoga exercise. The guy barely got any sleep. You know, I think comrade President might be trying to kill us. While you will be working in your office until the night on the few hours of sleep you got, she will be treating herself to sun, beaches, drinks and massages" then a wide smile appeared on his face, "But I shouldn't complain you know. You two have a lot of work to do, I am going fishing!" with that he relaxed in his seat and despite the high amount of caffeine he supplied to his body since waking up, he had to struggle to stay awake.

However his time for relaxation was short as Reiserová, in a beige-pink dress, emerged from the other room, in which she was changing her clothes. "You know I can hear you in the other room, right?" she asked with her eyes wide open causing Šín to sit straight once again. "This trip and my presentation is important for our relations with Inquista and nobody in my staff, nor Lubomír, nor any other minister ever complained about their duties."

"Because they are afraid of you." just as these words left Šín's mouth he regretted them.

"Um.. Excuse me?" asked shocked Reiserová, before raising her hand and pointing towards the door, "Out. If you don't like your duties you can leave."

"Pardon me, I spoke before I thought... I propose leaving my salary for this month to the state." Šín knew too well that if he really left he would become enemy of the people. He looked at the President for Life but her finger was still directed towards the door. "And I will stay in my office today in case there is an emergency.", he added, his vision of calmness at the lake disappearing from his mind. But at last the President slowly retracted her hand.

"You know, I have sacrificed everything for the motherland. It was me who negotiated a friendship treaty with Inquista, it was me who managed to get Inimicus to relax their measures against the Democratic Republic, it was me who convinced the Spanish Head of Government to extradite our putschist. And now when I am going on the tour I am not going there to enjoy the sun and beaches, I am going to, you know, promote the motherland. The Archbishop is a gorgeous woman who dresses extremely well for any occasion, it is a core interest of the Democratic Republic that I look good standing next to her. In the evening I have an important business meeting with her cousin and it is again a core interest of the Democratic Republic that I am dressed appropriately. And you are unable to sacrifice little of your comfort for the good of the motherland? Instead you go and criticize me, who sacrificed everything, behind my back?" Resierová started criticizing the three as her eyes have reddened and tears started slowly flowing from them. In her mind the repeat of a chess game with Silas Kligenberg was promoted to an important business meeting. "Cowards." she finished.

"I didn't even say anything." protested Čikarová, her voice shivering, she was clearly holding back her own tears and so was Saková. Unlike the President for Life they however couldn't allow themselves to start crying and risking to be accused of self-pity by the President.

"Exactly! You are supposed to represent the Democratic Republic in the Council, are you planning to not be saying anything in there too when the honour of the Democratic Republic will be at stake?" replied Reiserová. Šín meanwhile tried to comfort both Čikarová and Saková.

This was followed by few moments of silence which were interrupted again by the shivering voice of Čikarová "You look really elegant in that dress."

"It really fits you." agreed Saková.

"The choice is ingenious, even less trained eye than mine could tell you have Adonis DNA!" proclaimed Šín and he handed a tissue to the revolutionary leader.

"Thank you..." responded Reiserová, "Alright I will just get ready for the flight." with that she disappeared into the other room. After few minutes she was back, having changed clothes and washed her face. The other three officials accompanying her to her car which would take her to the airport.

"Maybe I will have to kill myself first before she kill me." remarked Šín when the car left.

---

Onboard the plane Reiserová was able to purge the bad morning experience from her mind. She was now preoccupied with imagining the Inquistan capital and most of all the residence of the Archbishop. Even Kligenberg's plane alone nearly matched the Inimican Imperial palace in luxury so she couldn't wait to see the splendor of her residence. Her mind then shifted to the potantial destination that Kligenberg could have picked for them this time. Finally however she realized she has to concentrate. With that she started reading about more chess strategies, to finally try to achieve her first victory in the game later today, on a yacht, which size was according to its owner, Silas Kligenberg, just enormous.

[Inquista]

"Don't worry, this strategy is simply unwinnable," a chess instructor advised Silas Kligenberg. "According to the rules of the game, and all the empirical data that I managed to collect, by positioning your pieces as such, your opponent will have no choice but to take them, and your king will be completely undefended. Even a toddler would beat you."

Silas observed the chess board with studious eyes. "This strategy is absolute garbage. Thank you! Just what I needed!"

Silas studied the board further and wrote some notes in a sketchbook.

"I have to be honest, I've never had a client ask me to coach them on how to lose a match", the chess instructor further added, scratching his head.

"You gotta lose some in order to win some," Silas replied, looking up from the board. "I need to test this strategy out first, though. Only practice will make perfect."

Just then, Archbishop Mikaela Kligenberg walked into the room.

"What's happening here? Ooooh, checkers!" the Archbishop commented sweetly.

"No, no, this is chess," Silas explained.

"Chess? I've always wanted to play, but it seems like a much more confusing and less cool version of Champions of Strength and Sorcery," Mikaela remarked, relating it to her favourite RTS game. "Just look at the pieces. They don't have any cute characters like unicorns, fairies or mermaids like in CSS."

Mikaela picked up the chess pieces and looked at them with a disappointed expression.

"No, chess involves way more strategy. Here, I'll teach you how to play," Silas encouraged. The Bishop Secretary waved the chess instructor away and dismissed him from the room, before then inviting the Archbishop to join him. Silas proceeded to teach Mikaela the basic rules and principles of chess.

"So, there's two bishops?" Mikaela asked, with worry in her voice.

"Yes."

"Why? Has there been a schism?"

"No, it's just because that's how it works. You start with two bishops."

"And why are the bishops less important than the king and queen?"

"Well, because in most feudal systems, monarchs are more important than the clergy."

"Well that doesn't make sense in Inquista. If we play chess in Inquista, then the bishops should be more important, right?"

"These are the rules everywhere. It's just how it is."

"Yeah but sometimes the queen is more important than the king, too? Like look at Ani-"

"Mikaela, it's just a game. These are just the rules to the game."

Mikaela looked at Silas with skepticism. "Ok, I think I understand. I don't agree, but go on."

"Perfect," Silas smiled, before explaining a few more details, and then starting the chess game. Silas was eager to test his strategy out, and there was no better test subject than Mikaela herself, who had only just learned the game, and had the same sense of strategic decision-making as a Stathaean plan to earn redemption.

After only 8 moves, Mikaela looked up from the board after positioning one of her knights forward, entrapping Silas' king.

"Is this a check?" Mikaela wondered.

"It's not just a check, it's a checkmate!" Silas exclaimed in excitement. "You did it!" Silas was elated that his strategy seemed to be truly horrendous. "You won!"

Mikaela was similarly excited, and stood up from her seat in joy, before clapping. "I did it!"

Once Mikaela began celebrating her victory, Silas couldn't help but feel like he needed to humble her. Despite trying to lose purposely, Silas still hated to lose, and he especially hated to lose to Mikaela.

"Well, I was actually trying to lose on purpose. I'm testing out a new playstyle for when I play against President Reiserová," Silas defended himself, with a slight sense of bitterness in his voice.

"Sure, Si, if you say so. Gosh, if you play against Bina, I think you'll need more practice."

"No, you don't get it. I was trying to lose. I want to lose to her."

"Ah, of course... and that's why you paid someone to help you play earlier? Look, Si, don't worry, I can help you get better. I know you just taught me this game, but I think I'm a natural. I beat you in only a few moves, so I can give you advice."

"I don't need advice, my strategy worked."

"Really? I don't think it did. No shame in admitting that! I didn't even lose a single guy. Try copying what I-"

"No, I'm telling you, I need to lose to her," Silas interrupted. "I'm actually good at this game, but I want to lose to her."

"Good? I mean, sure, you're not bad," Mikaela said as she extended her hand onto his shoulder, as if she was consoling him. "Si, you can get better, just practice more. Look up some tutorials on YouTube and then we can re-match," Mikaela advised while looking at her watch. "Actually, you don't have much time, Bina will be arriving very soon. We'll meet up with you later at your yacht, ok?"

The Archbishop left Silas and made her way to the entrance of her palace. After waiting a short while, the Czech President for Life arrived at the doors of the palace. The Archbishop swung the doors open and greeted the President for Life with great enthusiasm.

"Bina, it's good to see you again!" the Archbishop greeted while giving the Czech President a tight hug. "You look great! I love your dress."

Mikaela then began what was now a familiar routine: a trip to her spa room where the two women would be pampered while they exchanged gossip.

Two reclined seats awaited the women as they entered the Archbishop's spa room, where a pair of Czech beauticians stood ready to give the leaders some manicures, pedicures and facials. Like many Czech immigrants to Inquista, the Czech beauticians harboured some resentment and ill will towards the Czech President and her party, and so it was a cruel predicament for them to now be taking care of her. The beauticians dared not speak a word, and neither of them looked the President in the eye.

The Archbishop and President made light chit-chat as they were being fussed over and beautified, talking about the President's flight, her health, the weather, and so on. The Archbishop apologised for not having the chance to properly catch-up during their most recent attendance of the Artabanos Canal opening party.

"I meant to have a real conversation with you, but this old guy was drinking like crazy on the yacht and I was kinda worried about him, and I also kinda curious to see how far he'd go... but Si made for good company I hope? You know, he's been practicing chess super hard all day today. He even got a professional chess master to come teach him, so I hope you brought your A-game when you play against him."

After some further small talk, the beauticians left the two ladies alone in private, with glasses of wine by each of their sides and warm face cloths draped over their faces. Now that they were by themselves, the Archbishop decided it was time to delve into the gossip.

"How is Minister Šín these days? Is he still trying to sell his very creative ideas to you? Well, at least you know he means well.

What about Čikarová? I'm sad that I missed the chance to have a proper conversation with her too. Silas told me that she was a bit cold at the party, and that she was rolling her eyes at you. You don't think she's jealous of you, Bina?

It's sooooo important to have good people close to you. I don't know what I'm gonna do with my boy Antoni leaving me to go work in the EU Commission in Europolis. Antoni has been so good at keeping peace between Si and Firoux. Those two will fight like cats and dogs without him. I already have kids to take care of at home, I can't take care of kids at work too!

I am super grateful that I have Tomás, though. He's been keeping me grounded, and I know I can lean on him. He's been so awesome whenever he has time off work and is able to come visit me here. I'd go crazy without him. I can't wait to get married soon."

Mikaela lifted the warm, damp cloth off her face and sipped some wine.

"You know, I met Rikkalek a while back - I hope you don't mind me adding him to our group chat - and it made me realise how lucky I am. T-B-H, I have never met anyone more sad and lonely than poor ol Rikky. When I saw him, I definitely thought he was more handsome than I expected, but he has these really sad eyes, and these heavy bags under them. When I hugged him, I felt like he hadn't been touched by another human in years. I don't think he has any friends, so we need to get close to him.

Apparently, he can't even really date anyone. I don't even know, he was explaining something very complicated to me, but I couldn't follow because he had this one eyebrow hair sticking out and it was very distracting, so I didn't follow anything he said. Anyway, I'm sure if he had some love in his life, he would be so much happier. Forget Briguilar, this is an emergency!

Si tells me that everyone in Istkalen are lesbians, so I don't even know what way Rikky swings, so we'll need to come up with men, women and others on our list. Do you have anyone eligible in mind that we can set him up with?

You know, I was thinking Artie at first, but being around Artie can be pretty dangerous, and I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to Rikky. Rikky also deserves to have someone by his side all the time, ready to take care of him. He needs like a guardian angel type person, don't you think? So I'm not so sure. I think we need to look around and keep our eyes peeled while we're on our tour. We can finish off in Istkalen, and set Rikky up on a date! I can then invite Rikky to my wedding, and he can see how beautiful love is, right? This is the perfect plan, don't you think?"

Mikaela realised how overly eager she sounded, and immediately composed herself by taking another sip of wine.

"Sorry, there hasn't been too much going on in Inquista, so I've been so focused on this idea of mine. Hopefully it's been more eventful in Czech Slavia? Anything else new or going on there? There must be some drama and tea that I should know about.”

[Czech Slavia]

"Mikaela! I missed you!" Reiserová responded sincerely while she was embraced in a hug. The Archbishop's enthusiasm made the Czech President emotional, while she was used to enthusiastic greetings wherever she went, the greetings she received from high ranking SRP officials always fell distant and impersonal. "Thank you! You are so kind, not like some people you know. And you are looking stunning yourself!"

The President's mood soon got even better, firstly because of the predictable visit to the spa and secondly when she realized that the woman taking care of her was Czech. The establishment of Czech Slavia has long displayed negative attitudes towards emigrants, most recently they were negatively portrayed in the Czech video game Imis. Reiserová took a deep breath. "Well this is poetic, don't you think? You go far away from the motherland, from your comrades, and look where that led you." She told the woman who was literally at her feet. "No matter where you go, the truth is inescapable." With these words Reiserová took her eyes off her with a smile.

"Yes, your cousin has been very pleasant, he seemed a bit saddened you know. I am not sure why some people speak ill about him, he always seems nice to me.... wait, he's got a professional to coach him? I didn't know my skills left such an impression on him!" The information shocked Reiserová, but they also assured her of her self-perceived abilities.

Once the beauticians were done with their work and left the two stateswomen alone, Reiserová complimented Kligenberg for her smart decision to have Czech immigrants care for them, not realizing that it might not have been the Archbishop's plan at all.

"Ah Šín... you know, I don't want to talk about him right now... Silas told you he saw Čikarová rolling her eyes at me? I will certainly have to talk with him about that then. You know Mikaela, you are so lucky to be surrounded with supportive people that respect you, as you say. Some people can be so ungrateful, you give them everything and they go and talk bad about you behind your back. Unbelievable." The President for Life took few moments before she continued, "But anyways, I told Sofie that she will be our candidate for the position of the European Councillor, replacing comrade Kohout. Now I heard they will likely repeal the Elected and Accountable Act, so you know, we might just appoint her."

"That is what we mothers have to do." Reiserová shrugged her shoulders at the Archbishop's comments about caring for people, "I am sure you can do just as well in work as you do home! Now please, tell me the details of your wedding! Have you planned a date already? Who are you planning to invite? Where will it be?" excitedly asked the President for Life.

"See? I told you Rikkalek is like that! When me and Silas were playing chess, which I almost won, he just looked at us in total silence. He is kind of cute you are right, but it was kind of unnerving you know? Even I must admit it unnerved me enough to make few mistakes while playing with your cousin... so if he told you anything about how I played you know the reason!... didn't even do a little self-criticism and apology for it...." despite not being asked about anything Reiserová quickly started shifting any blame from herself, with an explanation of how some of her mistakes were possible provided by Čikarová shortly after the match.

"Yes, as you said, he does seem constantly sad and worried." the Czechoslavonic President awkwardly smiled. Her face however soon changed into perplexed when Silas's theory homosexuality in women of Istkalen was mentioned. "Silas told you that... are you sure? That doesn't sound very smart. In fact it sounds like something Šin would tell me after reading it on the internet... are you sure you understood Silas correctly?" Reiserová didn't want to believe that a man that left such good impression on her could say something like that.

"I completely agree, Artabanos wouldn't be an ideal fit for Rikkalek, too gory. You know, I met a Consul while in Inimicus, I think his name was Strathclyde, and apparently he is totally obsessed with his job, just like Rikkalek! But I think he likes women... or, you know, one woman in particular." Reiserová looked at the Archbishop's body from toes to head, "What about your drinking companion from the yacht? Perhaps he could be who we are looking for? Alternatively, Mouri-Kudo looks like she could be intrigued by Rikkalek's silent and mysterious behaviour?" she pondered.

Reiserová pretended she didn't hear Mikaela asking about happenings in her own country. All that could come to her mind now was the argument from the morning and she didn't want to share any more about that than she already shared, at least not yet. Instead she got off her seat and stretched her joints, "Hey Mikaela, could we go to the city? I want to meet with the people and greet them! After that I have some private business in the evening, but after that I promise I am all yours for the tour!" The President for Life told her counterpart, unaware of the fact that the Inquistan Archbishop plans to join her and Silas on the yacht.

[Inquista]

“Yes, let’s go!” the Archbishop happily agreed. Mikaela helped Reiserová get up from her seat and the two finished freshening up.

The Archbishop took the President on a brief tour through the palace before returning to the front doors. Mikaela was surprisingly well versed in the history of Inquistan doges who occupied the palace before the Serene Republic was succeeded by the current Inquistan state, and the Archbishop also seemed well acquainted with the other prominent personalities and political power players that occupied the palace. The Archbishop found all of the rumours, gossip and legends that surrounded these historical figures to be extremely fascinating, and she naturally spilled all of their hottest tea to the President.

As the duo made their way down the grand hallway towards the doors, the Archbishop also pointed at all of the artifacts and treasures that lined the walls, which essentially functioned as a gallery, and explained their significance. Most of the artifacts were either Renaissance-era art pieces or relics plundered from the Holy Land during the Crusades. Notably, however, were various awards and prizes that Mikaela had achieved during her music and pop star career, which were interspersed and on display between all of the other relics as if they were national treasures of similar importance. Mikaela enthusiastically explained the dates and occasions of the awards that she won.

“I’ve actually watched quite a lot of your movies now, Bina. Most of your films, really. They’re all super good! I’m sure you’ve won plenty of awards too, right?” the Archbishop wondered.

Before leaving the palace, however, Mikaela thought it was best that she and the President slip into attire that would disguise themselves from the public. The Archbishop opened a door near the entrance, which revealed a massive walk-in closet that was more akin to a massive vault. Inside were various hats and sunglasses. The Archbishop picked out a large pink cowboy hat for herself and pair of dark shades, and she allowed the President to pick out a similar subtle disguise.

With their disguises on, Mikaela then led Reiserová out of the palace and back to Saint Dominico’s Square. The first stop in the ladies’ exploration of the city would only be some meters away, to Saint Dominico’s Basilica. The Archbishop was excited to show the President her “workplace”. Saint Dominico’s Basilica is easily the most iconic basilica of Inquista, and it functions as the seat of the Archbishop of Inquista. The basilica, however, mostly functions as a historical site open to the public, and is only ever used by the Archbishop for special occasions or for particular holy days. Nonetheless, the Archbishop thought it was something that the President should see.

The interior of Saint Dominico's Basilica

While the President may not be particularly religious, the architecture, the stunning frescos and beautiful interior of the Basilica could leave a worthwhile impression. The Archbishop led the President through the basilica, and gestured towards the frescos that lined the walls and ceilings, as well as the Inquistan stained-glass windows that punctuated the sides of the walls. Upon reaching the alter, the Archbishop lit some incense and knelt down. The Archbishop quietly prayed to herself, before then standing and quietly explaining that she prayed for the safety of the President and herself for their upcoming trip. The Archbishop led the President back to the basilica doors, where some candles stood on a golden shelf. The Archbishop took our two candles, and handed one to the President. Mikaela then revealed some matches, and lit her own candle, before handing Reiserová a match to light her own as well. Once the ladies lit their candles, they placed them back on the shelf. Mikaela wrapped her arm around Reiserová’s, and then exited the basilica.

The pair then strolled across Saint Dominico Square and towards the nearby waterfront. The square faced the Mediterranean Sea, but was flanked by two canals on both sides. They crossed a small, baroque-style bridge that connected the square from one side of the canal to another square on the other side. There, Mikaela decided to take Reiserová to one of her favourite Inquistan-style espresso cafés that had a nice view of the waterfront and the nearby canal. Mikalea thought that Reiserová looked rather tired, and she had apparently woken up very early, and so she decided it was imperative to have something to keep them energized for the rest of the day, which would be coffee. Besides, one could not visit Inquista without having Inquistan espresso, which is considered the country’s primary drink of choice. The Archbishop ordered two small espressos and a tiramisu to share between them, which they enjoyed on the patio of the café.

After getting re-energised for the day, Mikaela led Reiserová for another stroll, crisscrossing over several more canals as they walked near the waterfront. Eventually, the ladies reached a larger canal, which required crossing an ancient and ornate bridge, which had many mechanical and bicycle locks attached to its railing. Mikaela explained the significance of the locks, describing how lovers or friends would get locks with their naves engraved therein, and lock them on the bridge to signify the importance of their love or friendship. Apparently, as long as the lock endures on the bridge, so would the love or friendship also endure. The Archbishop then brought up the idea of finding a lock for themselves to attach to a bridge later.

On the other side, the ladies approached a large dock area, which stood between them and the Grand Canal – one of Inquista’s largest and most prominent canals, along with the Twin Canals. The Grand Canal cut right through Saint Dominico into the city centre. The docking area was busy with activity, with various water taxis and gondolas pestering nearby residents and tourists alike for a ride. Water taxis were quick and efficient vehicles for navigating Inquista’s canal systems, but they lacked the romance and intimate ambiance of the gondolas that were popular among the tourists. Since Mikaela was playing tourist with Reiserová for the day, she hailed one of the gondolas.

The gondola had two gondoliers, one who stood at the back with an oar, while another sat in the front with a violin. It was quite common for Inquistan gondolas to have two gondoliers, one for steering and the other for some sort of entertainment (who was usually an operatic singer or violinist). The two gondoliers looked very young, neither of them over 20 years of age, and seemed very typically Inquistan, with tanned olive skin and thick black curly hair. The young men looked the Archbishop and President up and down, unsure if they recognised them or not, before speaking.

“Is violin fine?” the violinist queried.

“Yes, absolutely!” Mikaela responded with a smile, while also trying to put on a new voice. “We’d love to go to the City Pavillion Markets, please.”

The two gondoliers glanced at Mikaela suspiciously before then helping her and Reiserová onto their gondola. A few moments later, they were off and were going down the Grand Canal towards City Pavillion.

“What’s the occasion today, aunties?” the gondolier with the oar quizzed.

“Just taking my dear friend out today! She’s visiting from overseas,” Mikaela politely explained while gesturing to Reiserová.

“Oh, well, welcome to Saint Dominico!”

The oarsman then went on to give a brief historical description of Inquista, and commented on some of the various buildings and landmarks that surrounded them as they navigated the Grand Canal. Meanwhile, the violinist played various songs in a soft and gentle manner, playing several classical compositions as well as covers of modern songs, before then performing Mystery of Love, Inquista’s last entry in the EuroVoice contest where the country tied with Icholasen for 2nd place. Apparently there was still a EuroVoice competition going on, but no one was really sure.

After finishing the song, the violinist spoke up about the city’s history and inclination towards music. Saint Dominico emerged as a cultural hotspot for classical music when it pioneered and became the epicentre of baroque music following the Inquistan Renaissance. The city became well known for its violin concertos – which continue to this day – and served as the birthplace and home of Antonio Vivaldi, who penned both the Inquistan national anthem and the anthem of the Inquistan military.

“Antonio Vivaldi is the pride of Inquistan music. We consider him our country’s greatest musician,” the violinist explained.

“Well, and our Archbishop of course. She is the greatest pop singer of the 2000’s and 2010’s,” the oarsman added, seemingly serious. Mikaela simply blushed in her seat and remained quiet.

Soon enough, the gondola traversed a large area of the Grand Canal and arrived at a small pier that was connected to a very busy public square. The square was dominated by an outdoor market, with street stalls and vendors spread out across the entire vicinity, with numerous landmarks, statues and pillars occasionally separating them. The ladies were helped out of the gondola by the gondoliers, and Mikaela was sure to pay and tip them well. Mikaela took out a Ꮠ100 bill and slipped it into the pocket of the oarsman that unknowingly praised her.

The Archbishop grabbed the President by the hand and then led her through the hectic market, which was crowded and buzzing with tourist activity.

City Pavillion Market

“This is the City Pavillion Market. Stay close to me Bina, we don’t want to lose each other. In Saint Dominico, you just gotta get used to having people in your space, so don’t let yourself get pushed around.”

The duo scoured the market looking at the different things for sale, which was mostly hand-crafted goods and artisanal items. The most popular thing for sale was hand-crafted jewelry, the most famous of which was Inquistan glass jewelry. The city was renowned for its glass work and for its stained glass (simply known as Inquistan glass), and glass-making was a staple of the country’s strong artisanal sector. Handmade and custom watches were also another popular item, particularly among the men visiting the market.

“Pick something for yourself! It’s on me, as a gift,” the Archbishop advised the President.

Once Reiserová picked out something for herself, Mikaela followed suit by also picking something for Reiserová of her own volition. The Archbishop then paid for both items and handed them to the President. The pair then continued to look around the market, before Mikaela found a stall that was selling beautiful and ornate locks, mostly for the explicit purpose of having them locked on bridges. Mikaela managed to find one with the initials of ‘M+A’ on it, and bought it.

“Ok, let’s go find a nice home for this!” Mikaela cheered.

The pair pushed their way through the market until they reached the perimeters, and made their way over a few small canals until they reached a larger one with a bigger and more appealing bridge. The bridge was very old and decorative, with an intricately designed handrail that also had imagery etched into its side. Mikaela took Reiserová’s hand, and the two attached the lock to the handrail together.

Mikaela glanced at Reiserová and then looked up at the cloudless sky. It was a hot summer’s day, and the sun stood squarely in the sky, looking larger and brighter than usual.

“If I'm allowed to dare, I'll promise you the sun,” Mikaela sweetly stated with an assured smile.

The two then crossed the canal to the other side. After walking a distance, they came across another canal, where a familiar face seemed to be walking on the other side. Mikaela squinted her eyes and made sure her sight was not deceiving her.

“Si! Over here!” Mikaela yelled from one side of the canal over to the other.

Silas looked confused and spun around. He was dressed in a fresh suit, as if he was about to attend a very formal event or some sort of special dinner. Silas waved at Mikaela and then made a peculiar gesture, as if he was throwing a paper plane. Mikaela laughed and then looked at Reiserová.

“Si and I have done this thing ever since we were very little…” the Archbishop explained vaguely.

The Archbishop scoured her purse until she found a small notebook, and pulled out a page. The Archbishop then took out a pen and wrote on the page, and then folded it into a paper airplane. Mikaela carefully stood at the edge of the one side of the canal, while Silas stood ready at the other side, apparently preparing himself to catch it. Mikaela steadied herself and threw the paper airplane forward, flying from one side to other. Silas caught the paper airplane with ease and read it.

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be getting things ready for our trip out with the yacht?”

Silas laughed, and then felt his suit jacket up and down, combing for a pen. Silas managed to find one in his inner jacket pocket, and then wrote a reply, until he then folded the paper pack into a paper airplane and threw it across the canal again. Mikaela made a particular effort to catch the paper plane so that it didn’t land in the canal beneath her. Mikaela opened up the paper plane and studied its contents.

“Everything’s good to go. I just have to meet a client at the Grand Ludovico who’s being a pain. It’s important that I see him. Afterwards, it’ll be a good time to head to the yacht. Wanna join me now?”

“Oh gosh,” Mikaela said aloud to Reiserová and herself. “Bina, Silas has to go meet someone at this casino and he’s inviting us to go with him before we head back to the palace. I guess we can go, but we aren’t really dressed right.”

Mikaela led Reiserová across the bridge to the other side of the canal where they met up with Silas. Silas flashed a big smile and gave Reiserová a kiss on both her cheeks, greeting her in the typical Inquistan tradition.

“It’s good to see you, President Reiserová!” the Bishop Secretary beamed.

“Now, Si, I’m not sure about this. We’re not dressed right to get in,” Mikaela interjected, pointing at her and Reiserová’s more casual outfits.

“That’s ok, you’ll get in as long as you come with me. We won’t be long. I don’t gamble myself, and since I own a few casinos, I’ll be the first to tell you that they’re money holes, only there to take what you have,” Silas explained to Reiserová.

“Yeah I don’t like gambling either,” Mikaela added.

“Mikaela, you basically gamble all the time. I’ve seen you spend like 500 Inquistos at a time buying loot boxes and crown chests for your Elven Swords Online characters,” Silas scolded. “I swear, I think you maxed out one of your credit cards buying them.”

“It’s not gambling, it’s the only way that I could unlock the right pixie cut for my Wood Elf! You have no idea how many chests it took to get it. It’s not fair that’s how the system works,” Mikaela reacted defensively. “I wasn’t doing it for fun. If I could, I’d rather just buy it from the store!”

“Sure. Alright, let’s get going,” Silas prompted.

The trio made their way around the corner and then through a pretty rose garden and public park, before arriving at an opulent street were luxury sports cars and limousines were making their way up and down the premises. Valets were also seen running up and down the street, collecting the cars and taking them to parking areas while well-dressed men and women hopped out of their vehicles. High-end restaurants lined the side of the street, while the Grand Ludovico Casino stood at the top.

The Grand Ludovico Casino

“The Grand Ludovico is one of the greatest casinos of Inquista,” Silas explained. “It was built by Doge Ludovico II, who was the longest-reigning and second last doge of the Serene Republic, ruling from 1862 to 1927. People call him Ludovico the Magnificent. He ruled over a very prosperous time for Inquista, known as the Gilded Age, and he spent a great deal of money building some of Inquista’s most famous buildings, like this casino, and also the Grand Opera House, which is just a block away. He actually almost bankrupted the city by building so many things, but we’re better for it. Our biggest international airport, which is where you probably landed today, is named after him,” Silas explained.

Silas guided the two women past all the cars and then skipped the line waiting at the casino doors. Silas interjected himself at the front of the line, meeting one of the bouncers, who immediately recognised him.

“Mr. Kligenberg, it is great to see you. Are these ladies bothering you?” the bouncer asked, looking at Mikaela and Reiserová with a scornful glare.

“No, they’re with me. I know they’re not dressed appropriately, but you know, its 2022,” Silas replied sarcastically.

The bouncer laughed and then stepped to the side, and let the trio inside. Once in the casino, Silas briefly parted from the women before returning with a black satin pouch, which contained some casino chips in them. “Take these and keep yourselves busy. I’ll meet you at the bar in like 45 minutes.”

The ladies took the pouch of chips while Silas then scurried off to meet with his associate at a VIP table in the back of the casino. Mikaela and Reiserová roamed the floor for some time before giving a go at the roulette wheel, where they both selected a few numbers and colours and got each of them wrong. After losing a fair bit of their chips, Mikaela felt defeated.

“Let’s just go all-in on some poker and then head to the bar, Bina,” Mikaela sighed.

Mikaela and Reiserová seated themselves at a nearby poker table. The three other guests at the table stared the pair down, eyeing their clothing. At the very least, the large sunglasses that the Archbishop and President were wearing allowed them to fit in a small bit, as most of the other guests at the casino opted for dark eyewear in order to conceal their poker faces.

Without looking at their cards, Mikaela immediately went all-in when the next round of play started. The guests at the table all looked shocked at first, but after studying their own cards, all of them decided to call Mikaela’s bluff. They all went all in as well.

Mikaela nodded and allowed Reiserová to show their cards when the dealer called them. It was a pair of aces, and there was already a pair of aces in hand on the table. The women had a four-of-a-kind aces. The three other guests were in awe, and were now left without poker chips. Mikaela herself was also quite shocked, and was in disbelief of their win.

“Bina, we did it!” Mikaela clapped.

The dealer got up from the table and returned with a black suitcase, and scooped all of the chips into the suitcase, and handed it to Mikaela. Mikaela accepted the suitcase, and then led Reiserová to another poker table, which was a high-roller table.

Mikaela opened up the suitcase and placed the chips on the table. Once the next round began, Mikaela once again went all in without looking at the cards. One of the high rollers remained skeptical, and after looking at his cards, bowed out. The other two high-rollers, however, decided to match the ladies going all in. Mikaela once again gestured for Reiserová to show their cards when the dealer called on them, and they had a queen and a 10, with a king, ace and jack in hand on the table, meaning they had a royal flush.

“A royal flush,” Mikaela gasped. The two losing high rollers were in shock, with their jaws practically cracking.

Mikaela scooped all of the chips into the suitcase, where they barely all fit in. The Archbishop grabbed the President by the hand and they beelined to the exchange desk at the casino, where they cashed in their chips. The attendant at the exchange desk left with the suitcase and returned a few minutes later, with two suitcases full of cash. The exchange attendant opened the suitcases, displaying the money inside each of them, stated their cash amount, before closing them and handing a suitcase to each of the women. The exchange attendant then also summoned a security guard, who was then tasked with staying with the women. Those who won high amounts of money at the casino were given personal security for as long as they remained within the near vicinity, in order to make sure that their money didn’t go anywhere.

The two leaders crisscrossed the casino to the lounge and bar area, where Mikaela then ordered a round of drinks for the President and herself. “I think this is the first right step for getting that sun I promised you!” Mikaela remarked.

With a martini in her hand, Mikaela then eyed the security guard up and down. The Archbishop then said hello and asked him questions, which he ignored. The Archbishop then asked if he was not allowed to speak to guests, which he also then ignored. Mikaela anxiously gulped, looked around the room, and then quickly took off her hat and sunglasses. The security guard recognised the Archbishop right away, and immediately apologised.

“Your Holiness! I did not realise. I hope you forgive me. We are instructed not to speak to any guests under any circumstances. We are here just to protect those who’ve won a lot of money,” the guard insisted.

Mikaela promptly put her sunglasses and hat back on, and then gave Reiserová a knowing look. “A guard who is very protective and committed to his duty? Check, check and check. We need to get his details and add him to the Rikky Roster.”

The Archbishop then collected some introductory information from the security guard and assured him that he was doing great at his job. After some further chitchat and another martini, Silas finally arrived. Silas looked very surprised to see the two women sitting at the bar with suitcases of winnings on their laps and a security guard hovering by their side.

“Well, looks like we’ve both won big today. Everything’s good with my client. We can go now,” Silas instructed.

The ladies followed Silas out of the casino, with the security guard marching on their tails. They went down the street, through the park and rose garden, and around the corner again, and down the waterfront until they came across a private water taxi, which Silas kept waiting for him. The three got on and bid adieu to the security guard, who then turned his heels to march back to the casino.

The water taxi moved quickly to return to a small private dock not too far away from Saint Dominico’s Square. Once there, the trio walked back to the Archbishop’s Palace. Mikaela helped Reiserová freshen up for the evening, and they put their shopping gifts and hard-earned money away. The Archbishop also decided that she and Reiserová should get changed for the evening, and so she decided to take Reiserová to one of her change rooms. The particular change room was a massive labyrinth, with a seemingly endless assortments of clothes hanging from racks that created a maze within the room. The Archbishop prompted the President to find something for herself, and in the meantime, she would change as well.

Once the women got into their evening attire, Silas stood waiting for them by the door. Silas was still dressed in his suit, but had applied some new cologne on and had reshaped his hair. “I was originally planning that we would have our meeting completely alone, but we go crashed,” Silas explained to Reiserová. “Mikaela will be joining us on my yacht tonight.”

“You’ll have your space, don’t worry,” Mikaela assured. Mikaela then led the trio to her garage, and asked them to join her in her pink convertible. Mikaela hopped in the driver’s seat, while Silas opened the passenger seat for Reiserová, before then getting into the back seat for himself.

Mikaela drove her pink convertible at quite a speed, making quick distance across the city before arriving at Port Serenity. Port Serenity was a massive private port, which was filled to the brim with yachts and sailing boats, and was considered an iconic display of Inquista’s wealth. The Archbishop parked the car in a parking area, and allowed Silas to take the reins in guiding them to his yacht. While Silas was prone to exaggerating, he wasn’t lying about the size of his yacht. Silas’ yacht was indeed a gargantuan mega yacht, which looked more like a miniature cruise ship than anything else. His mega yacht even had a helipad on the top.

Port Serenity, perhaps Inquista's most famous port

The trio were greeted by a captain at the foot of the yacht, who looked strangely familiar to Mikaela and Reiserová. “Hola amigas,” the Captain welcomed.

The captain was Captain Santiago that the girls had abandoned in the middle of the Spanish Straits. Mikaela froze and looked at Reiserová with a worried expression.

“Oh don’t worry, he’s one of the greatest captains ever. Apparently he single-handedly took down an entire gang of pirates near Adventuranza after he was left on his own and forced to fend for his life. Amazing, right?” Silas grinned.

“Oh totally!” Mikaela responded, barely hiding her nerves.

Santiago didn’t seem to hold any ill will towards the Archbishop and President, and for the most part, seemed to not acknowledge his previous acquaintance with them. Mikaela and Reiserová followed Silas onto his yacht, which then pulled away from the port.

The sun began to set and a beautiful vista began to emerge across the sky. The strong orange sun began to dip into the Mediterranean Sea, whose waters glistened and reflected the sun’s bright light across the entire coast. The sky was a beautiful mixture of orange, yellow and pink, while the sun transitioned from an orange to a dark red. As the group enjoyed their view of a Mediterranean sunset while at sea, a helicopter then appeared from above and landed on the helipad.

Mikaela looked especially excited and hurried her way up to the helipad. Out of the helicopter stepped Tomáš, Mikaela’s fiancé. The Archbishop greeted her fiancé with a tight hug and then escorted him down to Silas and Reiserová. Tomáš had already met his President before when Mikaela originally came to visit Czech Slavia, where the three met a mine, but as fervent supporter of the President for Life and of Socialist Republicanism, Tomáš seemed very anxious to see her again.

“Comrade President,” Tomáš greeted very seriously, then bowing his head out of respect and admiration.

“Now on your knees,” Silas chimed in as he watched Tomáš. Silas laughed and then embraced Tomáš in a friendly side-hug. “Hey Tommo boy, how are the mines treating ya?”

Tomáš had spent another two weeks working at his mine, and now had a few days of rest to spend with his loved one. After parading her beloved before the others, Mikaela grabbed Tomáš by his hand and led him back on to the upper deck, where they would dine on some dinner that had been setup on an outside table. With them gone, Silas signaled for Reiserová to join him at his own dining table, which was prepared before them on their deck. Before sending for food, Silas decided it was time to finally put his long awaited plan to action: to lose to Reiserová in some chess.

After seating themselves at their table, which was lovingly lit by the sunset and the approach of a dark red dusk, Silas pulled a chess board from under the table and began preparing the pieces for Reiserová and himself. “Don’t go easy on me,” Silas declared with a grin. “I like it rough. I’ll let you begin.”

[Czech Slavia]

The Czech President thanked her counterpart for the day they've spent together, despite disagreeing with the Archbishop's decision to disguise themselves Reiserová enjoyed herself, seeing the glamorous splendor of the Saint Dominico's Basilica and experiencing the thrills of victories in the Grand Ludovico Casino. She had just wished they could spend more times with places with ordinary Inquistans and dressed normally. She was about to hug Mikaela goodbye when she heard that in fact Mikaela won't let her spend the evening alone with her cousin, but will go onto his yacht with them.

"Oh,... great,..." she said and awkwardly smiled at the Archbishop, before turning towards Silas, looking up to him, "You are full of surprises Bishop. You know, when our previous Speaker of the National Assembly, comrade Benešová presented me with the list of candidates for the legislative election a year ago without consulting them with me prior, that was also a surprise for me." the President for Life made a short pause and stopped her awkward smiling, "I removed comrade Benešová from the list of candidates." the nearly two years of people around Reiserová constantly agreeing with everything she had to say made her less aware to what she can say to who as she made her vague threat towards Silas Kligenberg. Soon enough however she gave him a genuine smile, when he opened the convertible's door for her.

On the way towards the yacht Reiserová enjoyed chatting with her hosts, but as soon as she spotted captain Santiago she quickly turned around to not let him see her in the face. She told the others that the city looks really nice from here and tried to, without success, get the Inquistan Archbishop to turn her face away from Santiago too.

At first President Reiserová was not too happy when she saw a helicopter landing on the yacht, this was supposed to be a private meeting afterall, but her heart soon started melting when she saw Tomáš embracing Mikaela. "No, don't do that.... no masters, remember?" she told the miner, after he bowed before her, in an embarrassed voice, she didn't want to be perceived as a figure before which other bowed.

At last Reiserová remained alone with Silas, this was the moment she had waited for. This was the reason why she wasn't feeling particularly tired even with her lack of sleep previous night. Opportunity to prove to herself that she posses great abilities in chess and that no other can best her. "I believed your yacht was bigger than Artabanos' when you told me that, you know, you didn't have to invite as many people as he did to prove it to me." she said playfully to Silas, while she took up a glass of red wine, finally being able to enjoy the beverage away from any risks of pictures of her being taken, before putting it down, deciding not to drink before the game to keep her mind sharp.

After she was invited to begin the game she took the right knight in her hand and started pondering. After few seconds she raised her eyes from the board and looked at Silas with suspicion, before putting the horse back down. She thought that since Silas has been this eager to let her start it must be a trick and thus she turned the board around. "You start, you are the host! I insist." Resierová smiled at the Bishop. She already felt like she was winning after uncovering this supposed conspiracy against her. The excitement of this early triumph made the President for Life forget about forbidding herself from drinking alcohol until the match is over and she sipped on her red wine. A feeling of disappointment soon came over her when she realized what she had done. The match has become even from her perspective.

It has been the longest game of chess Reiserová had yet played. The sun has long completely disappeared from the horizont over the course of the game and the stomachs of the two competitors started to hurt from hunger. But finally the President for Life has managed to get her first checkmate against an opponent ever since she lost to the Reitzmic Prime Minister. She let out a laud squeal of happiness, before covering up her wide smile by drinking wine. The world finally made sense again. "Don't be disappointed with yourself, you know, you played quite well! Honestly!" she reassured her opponent.

A very late dinner was finally given to the starving pair. Potato soup and a Caesar's salad as the main dish. The Czechoslavonic President especially appreciated the hot soup in the dark night. She looked at Silas Kligenberg, she couldn't understand how anybody could say mean things about him, to her he seemed gallant and considerate and his relationship with his cousin seemed genuine. Yet at the same time, she was wary of the things she heard his cousin say about him.

"Well, I believe a winner's prize is in order, wouldn't you say so? How about.... you tell me a secret! And nothing trivial!" she told him playfully after the dinner. After listening to his words she switched to a more serious tone, "You know, I wanted to ask you something, but you mustn't tell anyone! It's about your cousin and I don't want to hurt her... I absolutely adore her for adopting children, but, you know,... why doesn't she have any biological children... if she wants kids... I mean is she able to?..." while Reiserová started the question looking Silas in the eyes she didn't manage to maintain eye contact for the entire time and had to look at her glass, with which she started playing. "Please don't tell anybody I asked you that."

Reiserová took a deep breath before continuing, "You know, your cousin is such an inspiration and such a sweetheart, she always tries to find a partner for me... and a father for my kids... but you know, me and my boys already are a full family, plus they do already have their own father and we both take care of them. But Mikaela just doesn't seem to accept that, she has her own vision of a complete family and she keeps finding me potential partners that would like to marry me, but that is just not what I am looking for. You understand right?" she paused for few seconds again, "You know she even forgot to tell me her picks for an ideal match for Head of State Rikkalek today."

Reiserová was also supposed to further try and convince Silas to propagate investments into Czech Slavia and find a social media firm that would sell data about it's users to the Czech government, since Czech Slavia lowered the secret police's budget. But her mind was at a different place, so she just told him she will send him an email in the morning, before getting up her seat. "One more thing," she told Silas while putting her hand on his shoulder, "you may not wish for it now, but with you I'll always be gentle. You will thank me." she walked a few steps before turning back and asking Silas to direct her to the bathroom. Before going in to take a bath, she gave Silas her towel and told him to hand it to her once she is finished.

While showering a realization came upon her, that Mikaela will be spending the night with her fiancé. When she finished showering and drying herself with the towel Silas handed her, she dressed herself and got off from the bathroom, "Me and Mikaela will leave Inquista tomorrow, so maybe before I go sleep we could get some tea and look at the city from the deck?"

Reiserová loved the view of the city in night, but by this point the lack of sleep has finally caught up to her and in few minutes she peacefully fell asleep, sitting next to Silas in her chair on the deck.

[Inquista]

Silas just about jumped from his seat in celebration as Reiserová claimed victory in chess. The Bishop Secretary’s hard worked had paid off. Silas politely clapped and smiled with genuine joy when he was defeated.

“Ah, well done! Surely you’re some sort of chess master?” Silas rhetorically asked, further complimenting the Czech President. Silas believed he had the President exactly where he wanted her to be, where she might think she had Silas in the palm of her hands, maneuvering himself in the greater 4D game of chess he was playing.

Reiserová’s requested prize of a divulged secret peaked Silas’ interest. Now that was a very good request, in his mind. “I know many, many secrets, and you can trust me that many of them are far from… trivial. I know a lot about a great deal of people. Stuff you probably don’t even want to know. Hmmm… maybe take some time to think of a specific question about someone, and the next time we meet, you can ask me and I’ll answer that for you. Deal?”

Silas tried to maintain eye contact with Reiserová as she then asked about Mikaela’s ability to have children, but he struggled to keep up with her eyes darting around every direction. “Oh. Don’t apologise, I won’t tell a soul. Mikaela doesn’t have any biological kids because she isn’t married yet, and she’s never been married before. She’s waiting for marriage first. The College of Bishops had to amend the Inquistan constitution so that she was allowed to adopt children in the first place, since the Archbishop previously wasn’t allowed to have any type of kids at all without being married.”

The Bishop Secretary paused for a second and leaned back in his chair more comfortably. “Mikaela is very free-spirited and open-minded, but she also has a stubborn side that never compromises on her own values. I think some people have a very warped perception of who she is, because of her image. I mean, she doesn’t make it easy for herself, with some of her antics. However, she’s a very religious and deeply spiritual person, which is what I guess you’d expect of someone who is the Archbishop of the Inquistan Orthodox Church. Her side of our family, especially her father, always took their faith and the Church quite seriously. Compared to me, Mikaela is basically a nun, or maybe even a saint,” Silas explained with a knowing smile. “She isn’t very imposing about her beliefs, so I think some people might not realise that.”

“Yeah, my cousin used to try and set me up with people all the time. She’s only recently stopped and has finally given up on me. It only took about 15 years of determination and persistence from me to avoid going on most of the dates she tried to set me up with. Maybe in 14 years’ time you will also be that lucky, who knows? She has good intentions, and she just wants people to be happy, but I don’t think she realizes how meddlesome it is. Though, sometimes, the dates she’s put me on were pretty fun, so I can’t always complain.”

After their discussion and dinner, Silas got ready for bed, but joined Reiserová out on the deck to watch the city lights and enjoy the night’s sky. At some point Silas noticed that that Reiserová was breathing more heavily than usual, and he noticed that she had fallen asleep. Silas slid back inside the yacht to fetch her a blanket, covered her, and then returned to his chair beside her. Silas steadily exhaled and fixed his gaze on the lit-up shoreline of Saint Dominico, and soon fell asleep.

Silas was startled awake when Mikaela appeared standing above both him and Reiserová, looking down at them while they laid on their deck chairs. Mikaela was holding two acai bowls and was smiling from ear to ear.

“Good morning, sunshines! Rise and shine! I have your breakfast for you here. We’re heading back to Saint Dominico now, so eat up real quick. Captain Jimin is waiting for Bina and me, pronto!” Mikaela instructed.

Mikaela turned around and disappeared into the yacht. Silas asked Reiserová how well she managed to sleep last night, and made some basic conversation with her as he slowly ate his breakfast while watching the yacht draw itself closer and closer to Saint Dominico. Silas was feeling quite groggy and could barely hold his eyes open. According to his watch, it was barely 6:45am.

The yacht eventually pulled up to the port, where Silas and Tomás bid the ladies adieu as Mikaela and Reiserová got into a separate pink limousine. Silas made sure to pass on his email address and contact details to Reiserová so that they could keep in touch to discuss business opportunities in the future. The captain of the ship, Santiago, walked the ladies to the limousine and opened the door to their vehicle for them. After getting inside, Santiago gave them a rather ominous goodbye.

“See how safe the waters were because of me? That won’t always be the case,” he stated rather grimly, before then shutting the door. Santiago waved goodbye as the limousine pulled away. Mikaela exchanged looks with Reiserová and quickly initiated some small talk, to get their minds off of what he said.

The limousine eventually reached the airport where the Girls on Tour Jet and Captain Jimin were waiting for them. Captain Jimin bowed to the ladies and helped them onboard, and they quickly jetted off to Los Angeles, California.

Upon landing in LA, the girls hurriedly deboarded the Girls on Tour Jet and were taken on a private tour bus with an open-air second level where they could sit and look out at their surrounding around them. The tour bus drove past all of the tourist hot spots in LA, where they caught glimpses of all the iconic landmarks of the City of Angels. When the famous Hollywood sign appeared in the distance, Mikaela made sure to stand up and had Reiserová pose with her with the sign in the background.

Eventually, the tour bus made its stop at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “We need to find our names on the Walk of Fame! I’m sure we have our names somewhere, right?” Mikaela enthusiastically wondered. The pair walked up and down the entire boulevard, snapping pictures and selfies with the names of entertainers and stars they admired. In the end, however, it became apparent that the Archbishop and the President did not have their own stars on the Walk of Fame. “How do they not have the biggest pop star from Inquista and the best actress from Czech Slavia on the walk of fame? This doesn’t make sense!”

Mikaela did not allow this transgression to dampen their spirits. “You know what, we’re gonna make it so big they’ll have no choice but to include us! I have an idea,” Mikaela declared, taking out her phone and ringing up one of her besties who was big in Hollywood, Ludacris. Ludacris earned himself a Hollywood star after his critically-acclaimed supporting role in the hit film Copalyse Now (2020).

“Hey, Luda, it’s your girl Mikaela. I know this is short notice, but I’m in Hollywood right now with my girl Bina and we need to earn ourselves a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Do you know if you can land us any gigs, just for today?”

It seemed like an impossible order, but Ludacris assured her that he would look into it, since ‘nothing is stronger than family’ – something that Ludacris’ co-star Vin Diesel always assured him. After a few minutes, Ludacris called Mikaela back with some good news.

“Ok, my agent tells me they have an opening slot for you and your friend for a short role. The job requires you guys to do some voice acting work for Minions 3: Gru’s Drift. Your characters will have a 1 minute and 47 second cameo, but they’re also willing to have you record an original song for the movie sound track,” Ludacris explained.

“1 minute and 47 seconds? Can they give us at least 2 minutes? I’d love to sing a song for the soundtrack! Let them know that Bina can sing the Czech cover version,” Mikaela requested, without consulting Reiserová.

Ludacris hung up and then once again called back a few moments later. “Ok, they said they can give you guys a 1 minute and 59 second cameo, take it or leave it. They’d love a Czech version of the song too. They’re expecting you in the studio immediately. I’ll text you the studio location.”

“Woo! Thank you so much, Luda. Love you! Talk to you later,” Mikaela cheered with glee. The Archbishop swung her arms around the Czech President and gave her a tight hug. “We’re gonna take Hollywood by storm!”

The Archbishop had the tour bus take the President and herself to a large motion-picture studio facility. The pair were escorted inside where they were greeted by the film’s director.

“Welcome to Global Studios! We’re so excited to have you both on board with us for Minions 3: Gru’s Drift! We’re hoping to show a new side of the Minions Universe that audiences have never seen before, and we truly feel that a singer and actress of your kind of calibers will add new dimensions to the cinematic experience that we aim to achieve,” the director explained as he led them to the voice recording studio.

Inside the studio, the director then presented them with their characters, who had just been drawn up and animated. “This is what you’ll look like in the film!”

“O-M-G! Minkaela looks gorgeous. So stunning! You have captured me so well, it’s like a mirror!” Mikaela uttered in awe, marveling her character. The Archbishop then gasped as she looked at the President’s character. “Aww, she looks so cute! Bina, they captured your beauty perfectly. Artie will think you look really radiant here as well!”

The director then provided the pair with their script, which barely involved any lines in their short near 2 minute cameo, most of which consisted of gibberish, since minions speak a gibberish language known as Minionese.

“Have you ever voice acted before?” the director asked.

“No, no voice acting, but I’ve spent so many days in the studio singing. It’s basically the same, right?” Mikaela wondered. The Archbishop then turned to the President. “Have you ever done any voice acting?”

The director then went over the core principles of voice acting, and laid out how the recording session would work. Mikaela was really impressed by the director’s attention to detail and his experience in the field.

“Are you single by chance?” Mikaela suddenly asked.

“Oh, yes, currently,” the director answered, somewhat taken aback by the sudden question.

“Are you into people who are a bit shy, awkward, and quiet?” Mikaela pushed on.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Have you ever dated anyone with crippling depression and anxiety?”

“Not that I recall, but I don’t think that would be an issue for me.”

“Have you ever felt like you wanted to get close to someone that you wanted to ‘save’ or ‘change’ for the better? Like feeling drawn to someone who is a walking cry for help?”

“I’d like to think I help change people for the better?”

Mikaela gave Reiserová an approving look. “Ok, we’re adding him to the Rikkalek list,” she whispered quietly.

The Archbishop and President then proceeded to lend their voices to the characters and spoke out their lines into the recording microphone. Once their lines were read to the satisfaction of the director and sound engineers, it was time to record Mikaela’s song for the soundtrack, as well as Reiserová’s cover for the Czech version of the film.

“This song is amazing, Reiserová and I wrote it in the drive over here,” Mikaela assured the director.

After giving a minimally satisfactory vocal performance, Mikaela turned it over to Reiserová. “Ok, Bina, you got this! Sing your heart out!”

[Czech Slavia]

"I slept quite well actually! It was definitely refreshing, just as this breakfast." Reiserová responded to Silas Kligenberg, before pausing from eating for a moment, putting her spoon into the bowl. "Hey, I completely forgot to ask you,.. but, you know, right now the Democratic Republic requires some money. Well, a lot of money actually and so our Minister of Finance recommended to me to make the following offer to you:" Reiserová kept her eyes pointed at her bowl, avoiding Silas' eyes until this point in her speech. But after finishing this part, she paused again took a deep breath and looked Silas in the eyes again.

"Perhaps you and Mikaela could force an economic assistance... and not a small one, from the budget of the Most Blessed State to the Democratic Republic through the College of Bishops. Then the Democratic Republic would allocate portion of the money we get through the assistance directly to the Kligenberg Industries, and possibly to some other Bishops if necessary, you would have to, you know, inform me about that. Officialy we would allocate the money to the Kligenberg Industries to help you develop your assets in the Democratic Republic. Now of course we would be.... and I would be happy if you really used part of this money to develop your assets in the Democratic Republic.... but there would be no conditions. You could use all of it as you see appropriate..... For our part I can ensure you that we would use our portion only for the most noble of goals."

Reiserová hated that she had to offer Silas a bribe and she said the last sentence mostly to reassure herself that she is doing the correct thing, rather than to convince Silas. "You should think about that. Call me in the evening to tell me if you agreed. As for the size of the portion allocated to you, I am willing to accept your demands.... and who knows, maybe then you'll be able to buy a yacht for guests so next time we don't have to share one with your cousin." the President for Life smiled slightly at Silas before finishing her breakfast and heading over to dress herself appropriately and then to Mikaela to continue their adventures.

---

The President for Life was enthusiastic about the Archbishop's proposal to make it big in Hollywood and was also impressed by her quick thinking and problem solving. Although it would be seen as problematic by the leadership of the Socialist Republican Party and the Democratic Republic of Czech Slavia, she was the party leader and the President, not them, and so she decided that it is time for her to make a guest appearance in a film. Her enthusiasm however dropped when she saw to what character she is supposed to voice. She smiled at Mikaela to placate her excitement with the characters and turned towards the director of the film, "Umm, excuse me? I am supposed to voice that little yellow minion? You think the President of the Democratic Republic of Czech Slavia is a minion who serves some villain? Unbelivable! And do you know what they are called in Czech? Mimoni, which means Airheads. Are you suggesting that the Czech people elected an airhead as their President? I will contact Chancellor Albanese about this diplomatic insult if I do not voice some good character who is not a minion."

After letting the director know about her issues with the film, the President for Life once again turned to Mikaela, "You know if I wasn't a Head of State I wouldn't mind, but now I have to be cautious about who I play or voice. Plus, we can't show the villains winning in the end in Czech Slavia, what message would that send to our kids, so we will have to alter the ending. But at the same time, we also can't show the President for Life loosing, you know? So, I can't be a minion!" she shook her head. Finally after causing a scene in the studio, after which she was offered a role of a flight attendant, and finally a role of a pilot, after she complained and threatened informing Chancellor Albanese yet again. Satisfied with the symbolism of a pilot flying the entire plane to its destination safely, she accepted this role.

While not a singer, Reiserová wasn't completely inexperienced with singing, having sung in some of her earlier movies, so providing a Czech cover to a song of a foreign artist, a standart process in creating Czech pop music, wasn't something she was worried about and indeed she happily sang her version of the song.

Satisfied with her performance she invited the Archbishop for a swim in the sea a short distance from Los Angeles, utilizing the hotter weather in California than in her homeland. After the two women were transported to the beach and laid down their towels Reiserová sat down and looked at the sea. "You know, it will be really hard finding somebody for Rikkalek since we don't know anything about him. We really have to invite him somewhere and let him pick the program of the day, so we can observe and utilize that knowledge later."

After enjoying some time relaxing on the beach and swimming in the sea Reiserová suggested that they make fire and grill some food there and encouraged the Inquistan Archbishop to start assembling sticks for the fire.