The Eye of The Naturalist

Unlike The Realm of the Reals, there had never been limitation on the power of Kings of The Great Land of Opylus. They did have the shiny castles that glimps still even shinier the more our sights land upon them, with ponds of swans, unicorns, and even flying hippos. Sometimes, there could occur the more seldom fertilization between hippos and dragons, which produced an abundance of ridiculous offsprings according to His Kleine Herzog le Prinz du Brilliant Bedliszt, 58 years old the day this history written... and astonishingly still, such creature became one dear part of his core family.

The Commonwealth of The Great Land of Opylus consists of Five States in the West and South Ocean, The Fifth Obergorgonic Galaxy and Star Constellation, centered in The Island of The Great Lion aside the Continent of Sapphire-Lazarus in Oplisch (Opylus language). They have all the seven seasons possibly felt by humanoid sense: The Smiling Spring, The Cheerful Summer, The Sorrowful Autumn, The Dreadful Draught, The Deadliest Sandstorm, The Merciful Rainy Season, and The Blizzardy Winter.

Der Supreme Leader Koenig Beckruth Herzogamherst III was Bedl's father, from the family line of The Beckruth Clan in the monarch of Opylus. He currently held the highest authority of the entire Commonwealth, marked by his prerogative to hunt and savour the unicorns. His True Comrades, Her Royal Highness Queen Tsarina Vastabandj Janitschina, Second to Throne, had bore him four fair-skinned children: Ray, Mirroirs, Raffles, and Bedl. All purely Opylusian, all inherited Beckruth's ruthless gaze and appetites for power--- in their own ways.

The Supreme Leaders of Opylus owned seven seasonal palaces and castles in Opylus only. Therefore they never had more than five children; for The Grandest Castle would be totally represented and governed, and belonging to the King himself, one other castle totally abdicated to The Queen, and the rest would be managed on behalf of each remaining children. With a note that, the King would move to each of the palace each seven season.

Today was the second day of spring, year 100 A.C. (Apres Constitution). Prinz Bedliszt awaken on his couch before the fireplace in his bedroom, Chamber Dragomir Le Blanc. The mermaids living in The Pond of The Glass across his baroque-ish broad window that led to the Garden of Liliana The Fairy were already sunbathing beneath the crisp, clear blue and white ray of sun, he could see one of the auburn haired of them had her auburn haired baby on her lap. The Prinz always loved to had a roasted baby-mermaid for his supper, but it was Liliana, one of his mermaid best-friend buddy who had the baby, so he was kind of restraining his appetite. The rainbow arched towards the Horizon in the West, one of the tip a few inches below the steps after the window. Gazing the sights even further, one could see the beautiful greenish sparkling of The Sea of Meredith, and some drapherd (dragon's shepherd) herding the dragons above it.

The book the Prinz read up until he fell asleep the other night was half open beneath him, bearing the symbol of The Eye of The Naturalist--- one of the symbols in Opylusian currency.

As what has always been his trademark in starting each and every day, Prince Bedliszt almost lazily 

Wine Toasting at Gare de Lyon (2)

What are you doing here?

It was two am in Paris in mid December 1988. Two young men, both wearing long coats and two kinds of hat; the shorter one wore a navy blue beret and the other one tightened his medium semi-boy scout-ushanka. They strolled along the area of Paris Champs Elysses, somehow this freezing cold forced them to look for a temporary shelter so they could go home after the snow stopped storming.

The taller gestured so the shorter followed him enter a small restaurant at the end of the road. It was one of his favourite place to hang out. The shorter man was quite surprise to see that inside it was spacious. It reminded him of some trick he learned from Fitzwix the old Royal Architect back home, but he used magic anyway... these Human Race merely used some (he found out later) interior tricks; less pillars, high ceiling, and of course, stairs that lead underground instead of upstairs. They seated themselves in the ground floor near the broadest window.

A waitress sticked out a pen and a note, ready to scribble down their order.

What, you have not been eating anything before? the taller man asked, raising his eyebrows. Hmm, said the shorter. He was indeed, confused. Why don't you order me the same one as yours? he shrugged.

So that was how they ended up together each savouring a bowl of beouf bourguignon, a bowl of boullabaise, a couple of profiteroles, and a bottle of red wine.

I do have heard this concept, though, said the tall man, Davidovich James Brownsimov. He smiled understandingly at the young man before him, whose face reddened because of the wine's heat and mannered like a child having his first sweet candy. The concept of dual... each vector space has their own unique pair in dual space. He straight realized it the time they got face to face earlier in the cafe he went into apprentice. That glint of excitement and naughty shine of the boys' eyes just reminded him of his own.

Suddenly the reddened face become sane, and the boy grinned extremely naughty. This is my first time arrived here, I don't know why The Door led me here, he said with a yawn. Usually I got to the other side of the world where the people are brown-skinned and women kept on offering themselves.

David laughed. Yes,this is definitely his dual. Oh well, he hoped that this boy would turn no boring at all in the end.

So, tell me... what was it like in your world?

Why so hurry? What, so you could sabotage me rightaway? The other boy sneered.

Both of them laughed and toasted. From now on, each one of them should be really careful on each other's mischieves.