ic Rhyddid para Todos! Victory and Guile for all!

[Ari]

Liberty Park, Sunset Lake lakeside path, Freedom City,

July 4th, Wednesday 11.45 AM

 

"So, seein' as we're pro'lly goin' back to 'Rico on the 21st, this is their last big chance to meet ya!" Subito explained cheerily to Cerys, comfortably walking down the shady yet heated path with an arm around her waist and his hand on her hip. The teen paragon positively glowed with health and excitement, wearing his usual white t-shirt and shorts, both emblazoned with the American and Puerto Rican flags, a baseball cap overtop his curly hair with the same colors completing the patriotic ensemble. Pausing for a moment, he looked fully at her and smiled fondly, kissing her on the cheek "Thanks Blodeu. For sayin' yes, I mean. I was gonna ask you to come over to meet my family, but...well..." he shrugged helplessly and looked away, the memory of the brief but harrowing capture and imprisonment bubbling up.

 

With a jolt he shook off the gloom, grinned at Cerys and resumed their brisk walk. By now the lake was visible through the mouth of the trees, like a rippling field of jewels dotted by rowboats and sailing boats, even a few professional rowers practicing on the dancing water. On the grass a large group of Hispanics was busy setting up a picnic spread. Subito took a breath to shout a greeting, only for one of them, an especially tall and very strongly-built young woman who bore a striking resemblance to Subito, caught sight of the pair leaving the trees and bellowed out happily "HEY THERE, 'BITO! GET OVER HERE AND HELP!"

 

Closing his mouth with a *click*, the young man blushed crimson and muttered "They called me that when I was a kid. A lot. They didn't do it any more until last year, when Serge and Vic came over to visit. Now they do it all the time." He rolled his eyes, then caught hers and the irritation vanished. "We're gonna have a picnic, go to Hero's Knoll, we're gonna see everything! it'll be AWESOME!"

 

 

[Tiffany Korta]

After a rather chaotic start of the year things had settled down rather nicely. In truth it had helped her become a lot more comfortable about exactly who Cerys was right now.

“Don’t forget I was the one who suggested we’d all meet up, it’s just a shame it took so long.â€

She’d really made an effort to look presentable for Subito family she was wearing a brightly coloured summer dress her, now long, hair was worn down and she was even wearing a little make-up. She was playing the perfect girlfriend, maybe a little too much.

 

“Well I think it sound’s rather cute. Just how much have you told them about me? You’re not still telling people I’m like a female Welsh James Bond are you?â€

[Ari]

"Yeah it is cute, but people callin' me by my cute baby nickname isn't something I want right now on a date with a pretty, kickass girl" Subito grumbled, though he smiled shyly in thanks all the same. It meant a lot to him when Cerys lightened up.

 

That and she knew how much he loved to talk about people he liked. And underselling them was never an issue! Sauntering closer to the people getting the meal ready by the lake he said innocently "What am I s'posed to do, Blodeu? Tell my Mom and Dad you're not  a female Welsh James Bond? Hey Jose, hey Frank!" Drawing up to the large blanket near the lake bank, he cheerfully hollered a greeting to some young men, apparently cousins of his, who were carrying a cooler that seemed to weigh several tons. They took a moment to remove a hand from the cooler to wave at the pair, especially Cerys.

 

Laughing as they nearly dropped the load Subito then added to her, looking just a little more serious "I've told 'em you're from Wales, that you're with a family of monster-hunters, and you can fight crazy-good. Galanta was especially curious how good you could fight, and whether or not we had slept together." He blushed and glanced away "She's got, uh...concerns-yrk!" Subito suddenly found himself clasped in a bear hug by his imposingly-built sister, who beamed pleasantly at Cerys from under an identical American flag baseball cap that let her waist-length ponytail wave freely, her simple white t-shirt emblazoned with the words "LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL" in red and blue. "Hola there!" she said with a flash of teeth, offering a powerful hand to the young agent of the Order "I'm Galanta Sondo, 'Bito's sister. You must be his girlfriend Cerys, it's great to meet you! He's told us you're a really good fighter, seems most of his pals at that school are."

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd gave one her special smiles, the kind that meant that her opponent was a challenge and was probably in trouble right now. Before Subito could worry about what Blodeuwedd was about to do with his sister she just disappeared, only for a Galanta to hear Blodeuwedd’s voice in her ear.

“Oh I like to think I have a few more talents than just a just a good fighter.†the accent was almost pitch perfect for Galanta’s own.

She stepped back round and offered a more genuine friendly smile and offered a hug to Galanta.

 

“Though if you want I can show you a few fighting move’s later?â€

[Ari]

Blinking for a moment in surprise, Galanta quickly recovered and clapped her hands briskly at the trick. "Nice one!" she said grinning, accepting the hug magnanimously "And if that's not your best move, I accept." glancing over at some of the vans and cars in the nearby parking lot, from which a steady stream of people were coming and going with various picnic supplies, the muscular woman added brightly "I gotta go, still a lot t' do. You!" she pointed a commanding finger at Subito, her brother standing beside Cerys with an expression of perfect calm and patience. Pretending to notice her after a few seconds he raised an eyebrow at her and asked blandly "Yeah sis?"

 

"No funny stuff, mister!" Galanta told him sternly "You take Miss Dragonslayer straight to Mom and Dad, and apologize to them. They've been wondering when they'd meet Cerys for months. See ya Cer!" And with that, the tall girl dashed off like the wind to help an old woman carry a heavy basket covered neatly with red and white cloth.

 

Sighing heavily, Subito watched her go for a few seconds then turned to Blodeuwedd with a broad grin "Wait 'til she's got less than ten things to think about at once, she is just crazy about learnin' new ways to fight stuff, and-" he froze, realizing something Galanta had said "Blodeu I swear, I never said you'd killed any dragons! Not after that one time anyway when she thought an Afanc was a dra-...I-let's go, won't make it any easier just standing here!" he declared hurriedly, an anxious look starting to creep across his face as he gently took her small but steely hand in his, leading her through the press of laughing, joking and joyful Hispanics filling the air and beach with a press of tanned bodies and Spanish slang, the well-built boy exchanging shouted greetings and laughing heartily at jokes that he translated in whispers for Blodeuwedd's benefit, though most of them had a very 'you had to be there' quality.

 

Guided by the sounds of their voices, his superhuman hearing led the young paragon straight through the crowd to his mother and father. Broma his mother was as square and solid and brimming with energy as always, and his father Pavor lean and hard-muscled and lined with old cares as he had seen them. What he hadn't expected was to find them sitting on the beach, their arms around each other and talking softly to each other in Latin. After a moment's uncertainty he cleared his throat and announced softly "Madre Broma, Padre Pavor, this is Cerys Pfer. We..I'm her boyfriend, she's my girlfriend" he said awkwardly, suddenly feeling very foolish as his parents whirled around, faces reddening before their eyes lit up on seeing their son. Rising with considerable grace, Pavor walked over to the pair, and taking their hands he took them onto the sandy beach. Sitting them down beside himself and Broma he said kindly "It is good to meet you, young lady. He's told us a great deal about you, all of it wonderful. Though how much is true is more in doubt" he added with a wink at Subito, who rolled his eyes and lay down full-length on the sand, arms crossed under his tousled hair. "You bet it's all true Dad! She's awesome" "Makes me wonder why she'd choose you then." Broma commented, though the smile that edged her broad mouth suggested she wasn't quite so unbelieving. Inspecting her with hawklike eyes the older woman asked gravely "So, Cerys, why don't you tell us about yourself?"

 

Gesturing to the other celebrations going on around Liberty Park she added "And what does this day mean to you?"

Edited July 12, 2013 by Arichamus

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd sat as gracefully as she could on the sand drawing not a tiny bit of enjoyment at Subito’s embarrassment. Despite what Subito though she could be embarrassed, it was just very, very difficult to do.

“Well there’s not much to say Mrs Sondo. I grew up in a small village in Wale’s and had a fairly happy childhood. It just my family has a rather unusual occupation. But I grew up with it all so it all seems... well normal.â€

Her second question took a little more thought, it was a mine field of a question some people over here were very fervent. It was a very different from the rather quiet patriotism of her homeland.

 

“A pleasant day getting to know her boyfriend’s parent’s.â€

[Ari]

Broma nodded "Very well, then I will not beat about the bush" Waving over at the others getting the picnic ready she went on "The rest of the family aren't likely to need us any time soon, especially since Galanta got involved" a rare smile flickered across her broad face "so I and my beloved will be happy to tell you about ourselves" Lying back on the coarse sand, the aging Hispanic woman folded her arms under her head and closed her eyes, Subito's father sat nearby, watching the water idly. Subito

 

"My full name is Broma Fuego-Sondo, my parents were government employees descended from a Taino and a Spanish pair of servants to a minor household, and always felt that the history of the island resonated deep in their hearts. It's possible being at hand for the making of our country's coat-of-arms did something to bolster the family pride, we've passed a centuries-old flag and flagstaff down the generations with the Lamb of Christ and the Book with Seven Seals emblazoned on it, Subito carries it now. They knew the land like few others, and were involved very early on with the struggle for independence. They were...called, as they said it." Broma shrugged "I felt no such call, when I grew up what I wanted was to be a US secret agent, work in the shadows for the good of the country and see far-off lands..."

 

"It was lucky I had a passing familiarity with James Bond when we started dating" Pavor said mildly, which got a sudden bark of laughter and a thump on the shoulder from Broma

 

"Yes, yes, very lucky. At any rate, I studied, got known and got into the Central Intelligence Agency when I was 25, but didn't get very far; it turns out working in the shadows for the good of your country has some strings attached I didn't like. I met Pavor while applying for a job with the Puerto Rican government, decided he had a good head on his shoulders and married him after a few months of careful interrogation. We moved to the Adjuntas municipailty-" she paused and glanced at Cerys, adding "-up in the mountains, got jobs at a steel mill and lived there for ten years." Her face darkened "Then Mas Severas attacked our street. He'd heard a local hero lived nearby and wanted to kill them, so he set all our block on fire. Nobody lost their life but we had lost a great deal else, so when we were offered a place in Freedom City by some relatives, we jumped at the chance. We've been here ever since." Broma poked her husband in the side with a powerful hand "Your turn, dear. Cerys knows all my secrets now so its only fair"

 

The lean man rolled his eyes and settled back "I don't have anything nearly as interesting to tell you young lady" he said, apparently to the lake at large as it reflected in his pale, kindly eyes "I'm a Sondo, so there's a little Taino blood in my veins, but dockhands don't spend much time reading up on genealogy so it never really mattered to me" taking up a rock he slung it out across the water with a casual air, though he smiled in satisfaction as it skipped and bounced out of sight "no, what mattered was making things better; I grew up around people who had little and weren't likely to get much more, who worked hard regardless of what they were given, and I decided that when I grew up I would be a hero of the working class!" he bent his head and ran a hand over his thin curls, chuckling "so silly I was. Instead what happened was that I got a job and took up labor reform almost as a hobby, I didn't really understand what it all meant back then, so it all seemed a lot more...ephemeral?" 

 

Broma brushed her short hair out of her face "Less immediate, yes. Like how your thoughts are rarely less than twenty miles away"

 

He shrugged and squinted up at the sky. "I was just realizing how slow things could really move and just how tangled alliances could get when I met this lovely creature" he deftly kissed Broma's hand and swung an arm around her back as she darted up for a kiss on the mouth. After a few seconds he(very reluctantly) broke away and continued, nestled in his wife's arms "We got to talking about politics, discovered how widely we diverged, and fell madly in love. My family up in the mountains had plenty of kids, so Subito and Galanta always had lots of friends, even after those rum-" he suddenly fell silent, looking quietly at Subito who stared back in polite incomprehension. After an awkward silence the man cleared his throat and went on "even after Galanta started getting violent to protect him from people spreading rumors at school. We were sad to leave them, but look at the family we have here-! Oh, I'm sorry Broma" he waved an arm grandly to encompass the other park-goers, only to accidentally clip Subito's mother on temple, which got a smug smirk in response "Take more than that to hurt my feelings" she said to Pavor, who laughed aloud and turned to Cerys "Not to mention you, young lady! So tell me, where do you and Subito plan to go with your relationship?"

 

A sudden *ROURRRARGH* cracked through the air, and the two teenaged superheroes beheld a giant creature of stone and vines burst from the Tennyson Island! "At last!" it bellowed, stretching vaguely hoof-like feet at the sky "I am returned, and now that shaman's spell is ended along with his life! Time to conquer the earth!" it added with a huge grin on its elephantine face as it plodded slowly across the water towards the shore, a strange crystal glowing blackly on its back.

 

Subito's handsome face darkened as he stood, fists clenched and eyes burning "I thought I'd gotten that out of the way! I gotta fight stuff here too?!" he exclaimed angrily. He extended a hand to Blodeuwedd "I got a plan at least, see that crystal? I bet it's important, Dyrnwyn should break it easy too" he grinned "Oh yeah: hey Mom, Dad? May I and Cerys be excused to kick some monster butt?"

 

Broma and Pavor Sondo stared at the beast, the mother calmly saying "Alright you two, time to show us what they teach at-"

 

"Thank God I've found you!" exclaimed Jose, pale-faced and panting as the young man dashed up "We have to get out of here! C'mon, we'll take my van!" so saying he grabbed Subito's parents and started hustling them towards the parking lot, and soon the beach nearby the two Claremont students was bustling with Freedonians struggling to get away from the oncoming terror!

[Tiffany Korta]

Despite her best effort Blodeuwedd wasn’t really able to deal with family matters, she’d never really grown up in a real family after all. Dealing with supervillain threats were much more in her comfort zone.  

When she was sure no one was watching she deployed her cloak, she’d have to do without Dyrnwyn for now but she felt the need to work out a little frustration.

 

“You know I can’t answer all your mother’s questions. I’d rather not lie to her about my origins but she’s never can know the whole truth.â€

[Ari]

Ducking behind the welcome invisibility patch, Subito shrugged his broad shoulders, murmuring reassuringly "It's okay, Blodeu. I'll just let her know when she's gettin' nosy an' she'll stop. Mom's cool like that." A moment of concentration, and with a flash of gold that went largely unnoticed in the confusion Subito Sondo was replaced with the resplendent and dashing El Heraldo! Deftly sliding the arm not holding the fluttering Banner of Victory around his girlfriend's waist, Heraldo launched into the air, heading straight for the beast! Snuggling with Cerys in mid-air was something the young paragon would have loved to do, but time was of the essence. "That crystal thingy on its back could be a weak spot, I'll fly around and distract it with punches while you go to town!" he said eagerly, entirely confident in her ability to fight on a rampaging monster in the middle of the lake. Weaving over the monster's head too fast for it to follow, he dropped Blodeuwedd off on what looked like a tiny island with a quick kiss on the cheek and an enthusiastic "Let's do this!"

 

Flying back over the head in an aerial somersault, El Heraldo crossed his arms in front of the mighty beast, glaring impressively as he shouted "Hold it right there! You're intruding on a beautiful day to remember independence, a day when everyone wants to spend time with the people they love. Unforgiveable! You stop your attack and apologize right now, or we will kick your ass!" at the last he twirled the Banner and pointed it at the Tennyson Monster. 'By my faith, you just said that. In earnest Heck yeah! And I'll say it again, too!'

 

The monster blinked at the glowing figure floating in front of the twenty-foot tall face. Suddenly it roared with laughter, then opened another mouth that started glowing red. Heraldo realized his danger just in time to hurl himself to the side, a column of flame roaring mere inches from his sleeve. "You had better have more than words on your side!"

 

Growing from the Tennyson Monster's back the black crystal pulsated with power. A slow rhythm like a heartbeat.

[Tiffany Korta]

Whilst keeping in constant motion Blodeuwedd spent a few moment examining the situation, dealing with monsters with something that was more under her control.

“I’m guessing you don’t have any plans for the day rather than ruining other peoples day. I hope you don’t mind if we keep this brief, we do have plans.â€

She caught Subito eye and gave him a little smile before with a couple of small gesture showing him what she planned to do. With him keeping the creature busy she made her way rapidly up the back of the creature until she was level with the gem. Once she was sure that she had a solid onto the creature thanks to her grapple gun she tapped the gem with Dyrnwyn.

 

“I suggest you surrender now before I do something you’ll regret.â€

[Ari]

Recovering from the fiery attack, El Heraldo answered the agent's smile with a grin of his own and swooped back into the monster's field of view, adding his voice to Blodeuwedd's. "We don't want this to get ugly, how about you go back to the island and we'll get you somebody in charge you can talk to?"

 

For an instant the giant moose-elephant-like creature stared at Heraldo in irritated confusion before growling "I will make no bargains with you! Neither of you could possibly break my heartstone, so waste not your breath!" And then the water exploded under it as one hoof burst out and swung straight for the glowing hero!

 

It slammed into Heraldo with a noise like a thunderclap, swaying for a few seconds before falling back into the water and revealing the Claremonter crouching in a boxing stance, shaking his arms with a grimace as the patriotic paragon called "Urgh, that hurt! What's your deal, giant guy?" he shouted indignantly, pointing at the Tennyson Monster's now very startled face "This how you celebrate the freedom of this country? Tryin' to kill everyone celebrating their rights?"

 

With a roar the grassy beast backed away, shaking Blodeuwedd like a leaf in a storm as he bellowed "I am as much the land as any, and whatever pretensions these latest invaders have matter not to me!"

 

Heraldo's eyes flashed, and the teenaged hero shot forward over the lake, darting past the Tennyson monster's face as he punched it in the trunk with titantic force, his arm backed by a nation and sending the beast stumbling to the right. Flickering back to his original position he yelled "This day records when a new world dawned! Your conquering it ain't gonna happen today or ever! "

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd hold on the creature was tested with it moving around trying to harm Subito, she would be worried if she didn’t know that he could take care of himself. And whilst the creature was focused on Subito it wasn’t focused on her. Actually she was surprised that it hadn’t tried to dislodge her from his back. He obviously didn’t consider her any kind of serious threat at this moment.

 

Well it time to change all that she got a solid grip on the creature and Dyrnwyn and when she was sure she was could she took a solid blow towards his so called invulnerable crystal.

[Ari]

With a peal like thunder the crystal broke, spilling a black liquid onto the creature's back that hissed and smoked. Roaring in pain the Tennyson Monster staggered and reared anew, and with a horrible twist of its neck swung it to bring its face in view of Blodeuwedd, eyes taller than her like depthless pools staring in pain and shock at the sword in her hand. "The-the Burning Fang? But I came across the sea, how could it reach me here?" it whimpered, only to then catch sight of the liquid pouring out, and the eyes grew even bigger "No! If all of that goes from the crystal, I die! Please, O mighty warriors of the new age" it cried, falling onto its knees with a ponderous shudder, its head twisting back into place "Let me live, and I shall return to my home on the island, and never rise to threaten the land again! I swear it by the Hill of Happanuk" it declared with an elephantine trumpeting, head ducking into the water with a massive splash that drew a gasp and applause from the Freedonians watching from the shore

 

Pausing uncertainly above the beast, Heraldo looked from the bowing Monster to Blodeuwedd, slowly sheathing the Bandera on his back. "I want to trust you, but we have to be sure, we can't just give you your freedom, you know?" Dropping through the air into the lake he gently lifted the beast's head so he could look into its eyes. "Blodeu, if we take his life won't we be takin' away his freedom and any chance he's got for peace? I think we oughta let him go."

 

Desperate hope flared to life in the Tennyson Monster's face, which would have been subtle if it was half its size.

[Tiffany Korta]

“If you don’t let the monster go then how do the other’s know not to do such a thing. It’s something we’ve been doing for a very long time.â€

Her voice had an edge to it suggesting a faint menace behind it, she lowered her head so the hood cast a shadow over her face and she spoke in a matter of fact way.

“Be assured that if you attempt anything like this again we will show you no mercy. THis is you first and last warning, there will be no others I will be swift and precise and you will never see me coming.â€

 

To illustrate she turned away from him, sure that Subito would make sure he left, and began to walk away from them fading from sight as she did so. She stopped a short distance away to watch the creature leave just in case it tried something stupid.

[Ari]

The Tennyson Monster blinked, awe and gratitude stamped as big as a cliffside "Oh th...thank you, thank you both! I will not forget this kindness young masters!" So saying it turned at once and stood still while Heraldo flew up to the cracked crystal, raising the Bandera high and letting the healing power flow from the fluttering ensign into the strange wound. Slowly and majestically the blue-gold waves filled the crystal, halting the bubbling stream and sealing shut the gash Dyrnwyn had carved into it.

 

Flexing its back with a noise like a piano being tuned with flung boulders, the Monster gave a trumpet from its bushy mouth, bowed again and all but leaped back against the island it had torn free of, settling back into its crouched place with a rustle of limbs and leaves. The trees flourished from its knees to reflect the water on their leaves, the cool poplars stood up straighter and the broad oaks had a ruddy sheen in the morning Sun. The parties scattered around Liberty Lake gave a rousing applause at the impromptu patriotic display.

 

Dropping down(gently, so as not to splash) next to Blodeuwedd, Heraldo put the banner back in its holster while admiring the island view. "Pretty good work, Blodeu!" he loud enough to be clear but not enough for his words to go far, nodding at the Tennyson Island's holiday decor "And...thanks for stickin' with me on that. Letting him go, I mean. It means a lot." He smiled warmly where he could hear the invisible girl. Appearing to stretch his arms, which had the fortunate side-effect of underlining how well his jacket fit, he added casually "Want another lift back to the party? We could probably change in the woods and sneak into the crowd pretty easy."

[Tiffany Korta]

“Well like I said there a certain amount of pragmatism involved, if you kill all your enemies who going to tell the next lot the trouble you can cause them? But then again I’ve never been a killer and I don’t plan to start any time soon.†her face suggested that she was sincere in her intent.

 

“You know most family would assume something totally different if there teenage son snuck out of the wood’s with his girlfriend..†she didn’t smile but raised an eyebrow to indicate her amusement at that idea.

[Ari]

"Aw, Blodeu, you big softy, you just felt sorry for him" Subito teased, gently putting an arm around her waist and soaring up into the air in a flashing arc, aiming for the woods. "Really though. I know what you mean, it's probably why so many super-criminals are nervous about fighting the bigger teams. They know what's gonna happen when they try." He didn't respond to her second comment just then, though he seemed remarkably unphased by it.

 

Landing a short distance from the grassy field where the picnic party was calmly returning, evidently as steeled as most Freedonians were to sudden onslaughts of super-powered troublemakers, the muscular teen let Cerys go before his costume evaporated in a whisper of light. He then stopped to look over at her with an expression of wry humor mingled with world-weariness "Oh my God Cerys, you have no idea. It's like Mom and Dad and Galanta are convinced we engage in passionate love-making every day we're out of their sight and I'm just too shy to admit it." Taking a breath he added seriously, but with a warm smile brightening his handsome face "If that's something you want us to, you know, do sometime, I'll be there. And next time maybe somebody won't start barking in my head!"

 

Laughing quietly he slid a hand behind her head, fingers tangling among the dark hair, and gave her a much deeper kiss than was his wont, the other hand at her hip. Breaking away regretfully he murmured "We should...get back. The others will wonder about us vanishing and those two supers showing up, but Dad and Mom are good at keepin' rumors like those down."

 

Taking her hand in his he added gleefully "Anyway, today's about celebratin' freedom! We can kiss all we want on the beach after an awesome day of football, racing, fifteen different kinds of tacos, party games, and I'll bet you won't say no to a li'l swimming too!"

[Tiffany Korta]

Blodeuwedd never quite like to admit it but the fighting part of her job always seemed to put her in a good mode. It was a little more than just the adrenaline rush it was simply something she enjoyed. So she was already in a good frame of mind when Subito gushed about everything they could spend the day enjoying, it helped that she couldn’t help but be swept along with his almost boyish enthusiasm.

 

“It sound’s like quite an eventful day you’ve got planned out. Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.â€

[Ari]

Leading the way back onto the field, they were soon once again in the crush of the multi-family picnic. Much to Subito's relief, there was only one major disaster on the search for his parents.

 

"Hey 'Bito!" one of his burlier cousins shouted over the din, grinning slyly "Didn't see you or the girl at the parking lot, one last thing you wanted to do before you died?" he asked with undisguised glee, a general rumble of laughter following in its wake from the various friends and relations nearby.

 

Rolling his eyes, Subito called back "Nope, Franceso! We're actually superheroes, just returned from changing into our secret identities! I'm Geckoman, she's Daedalus" he added with a casual thumb over the shoulder to Cerys. Franceso and the rest roared with merriment at the idea, though Subito, thanks to his empowered hearing distinctly heard one of the older men say dourly <"Pfah, young kids, always so eager to find out how each others' bodies work, always so embarrassed they never admit it!">

 

At last they found Pavor and Broma, who had gone back to the beach and looked up at the duo's approach. Broma smiled "Nice work, I'd suggest you be less quick to forgive those things however, no telling what they might do."

 

"Yeah, I know. But at least this time it was being honest" her son replied as he sat down "So...what's up first?"

 

"The food" said Pavor, closing his eyes like one enjoying exquisite music.

 

Five minutes later

 

"Thish ish our national shpeshalty!" roared the man with the enormous mane of black hair, somehow yelling at the top of his lungs without disturbing the food in his mouth "Eat up, my boy!"

 

The young paragon stared at the laden table "Ten...times ten different kinds o' tacos?" he almost looked afraid at the sight of so much food.

 

"Quite sho!"

 

He looked very reflective "Oh-kay then. Didn't know we did tacos, actually. I thought that was kinda more Mexico's thing. Oh well, viva libertad!"

 

"Viva libertad!" came the answering shout from the rest of the excited diners.

 

There were few days like it, and it was just beginning.

[Tiffany Korta]

It has been said that Welsh cuisine was a bland uninspiring affair with none of the spices and thrills of the kind of food on offer here. Whether the general populace of Wales agreed with this, especially with many food from around the world on offer, Blodeuwedd didn’t know. But she tended to eat sensible to keep the required calorie intake for her activities.

But today was a special day and she was allowing herself a little treat or two happily tucking into a generously filled taco or two.

 

“You should feel lucky, our national dish is leeks, or a fancy Cheese on toast.â€