Mjölby, Prydania
Captain Jaki Klósen pulled up to his house. He had a lot on his mind, which made coming home something of a daunting prospect. Usually it was a relief. He'd see his wife and boy, and he'd unwind, but now... he had things to discuss. He sighed and grabbed his briefcase and his KPFH* officer's jacket as he got out of the car.
"Captain," his neighbour Olief said with a smile as he tended to some yard work. Jaki smiled back and waved. Thankfully Olief wasn't in a chatty mood this afternoon.
"Love, I'm..." he didn't even get to fully announce himself as he stepped in the front door.
"PABBI!" his two year old son Styrkollr proclaimed, running up to hug him.
"Hey, buddy!" he said happily as he knelt down, hugging him.
"How are you?"
The two year old laughed.
"Good! Ulfrik and I played pirates!"
"Oh pirates! You two up to no good?"
"Já!" his son chuckled.
"Styrkollr Emmanuel," his mother said, with a smile.
"Give your pabbi room to breath."
"Go on, listen to mama," Jaki said, as he stood.
"Hey love."
"Hey honey," Rosalie Iris Klósen replied, smiling as she leaned into her husband, kissing him softly.
"You... look like you have some news."
"Am I that obvious?"
"You are, flyboy," Rosalie joked.
"God, your Santonian accent is so..." he was gonna say "sexy," but he saw his son standing there, and just shifted.
"...cute."
"Don't change the subject," she smirked.
"Styr, finish your Spilvel tower. Mama and pabbi need to talk."
Jaki and Rosaline followed their son from the front door to the living room. Styr began to play with his Spilvel blocks again, happily, and Jaki took a seat at the table in the kitchen where he could still see his boy, setting his briefcase down on the floor and draping his jacket over his chair.
"Dinner smells good."
"It’s from Ms. Sayfansinn," Rosaline joked, referring to the grocery store chain Sayfansinn, known for their ready to go pre-made meals.
"Well it still smells good," Jaki replied as his wife sat down across from him.
"Are you still trying to change the subject? What's up?"
Jaki could sense some apprehension in his wife's voice, hidden under her upbeat demeanour. He remembered that her father back in Saintonge was a carrier officer in the navy. So she knew how these sorts of conversations could go. He shook his head insistently to reassure her.
"It’s a good problem, trust me."
"A good problem?"
"They want me to teach air combat at the new airforce academy they're building next to the base. I’d get a promotion."
"Oh my God that's wonderful!" Rosaline remarked, taking her husband's hand before she raised an eyebrow.
"Wait… it's wonderful. So why is this a problem."
"Well… I said it was a good problem."
"It's not a problem at all, Jaki."
Jaki sighed.
"I don't know how to teach."
Rosaline wrinkled her nose and whacked his arm.
"Owe!"
"You’re married to a teacher!"
"Ok but… no offense… you teach high schoolers. I’d be teaching fighter pilots."
"So my job would be harder. Got it," his wife remarked dryly, and Jaki chuckled.
"I mean… I don't know how to teach, and so I’m unsure."
"You teach fighter pilots already."
"That's just a few drills here and there. This is a full time academy. I’d be in the classroom more than I’d be in a plane."
Rosaline sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Saintonge, Prydania, it doesn't matter. Military men are all the same."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaki asked, shifting a bit uncomfortably in his chair at the kitchen table.
"You saw combat so at least you should have it out of your system. We have a son. Come on Jaki. A promotion? More money? A safer posting? What part of this is bad? You want to chase that rush you get flying into your 50s when you could get a nice post where you'd provide for your family? Come on!" she insisted, some of her own frustrations from earlier in her life shining through.
It was Jaki’s turn to sigh, because he had an answer for her, and it was why he was hesitant about all of this.
"You lucked out because you married the one fighter jock with more brains than balls," he said softly so his kid didn't hear him.
"This isn't about me being terrified of a desk. But I don't know how to teach, not like I'd need to for this promotion. So if I accept… they're going to send me somewhere so I can learn how to be a military instructor."
"Somewhere?" Rosaline asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Where?"
"Easy Wind, Scalvia."
Rosaline blinked twice.
"Where's that?"
"Some place called 'Gichigan,' apparently. I don't know geography."
"Wait," Rosaline replied, standing up and heading over to the other end of the kitchen, next to the phone and a stack of papers, and pulled out a magazine. It had Hermaðurmaki* written across it in red letters, a magazine that catered to Royal Prydanian Armed Forces personnel’s wives. Rosaline thumbed through the pages.
"It says here that Prydania signed an agreement to send some officers to Saintonge for training. You could go there. My family would love to help you."
"I did bring that up to the brass when they ran this by me," Jaki replied with a shrug.
"They say they have agreements like this with Saintonge, Goyanes, Andrenne, Norsia, and Scalvia. They want to 'foster a comprehensive understanding of different outlooks.' I pulled the Scalvian card."
"So… how long?"
Jaki looked over at his son.
"A year. More or less. And… that's what's holding me up. It's not Scalvia. You know I love your folks, but Saintonge would be hard too. I don't know if I want to leave you two."
Rosaline signed and set the magazine down before going back over to her husband to massage his shoulders.
"I knew what I was getting into marrying a military man," she said softly as Jaki reached back to his shoulder to gently stroke her hand.
"You’ll miss us… but he's two. Best to miss a year now, then when he’ll actually remember it."
"So you want me to go…"
"I want you to do what's best for your family, and yourself. You saw combat. You can teach the cadets who will come through the new academy so much," she said as she kissed his cheek.
He nodded.
"I'll go if you promise to chat with me every night. And make sure the little guy is there."
"Of course."
"You say that but," Jaki chuckled, "you're going to get so tired of me."
"You said that when I agreed to marry you. It hasn't happened yet," Rosaline said, giving her husband another kiss on the cheek.
"Are you going to accept the offer?"
"First thing tomorrow."
"Then I’ll check out an atlas from the school library. And you and I and Styr will learn all about Gichigan."
*KPFH- Royal Prydanian Air Force
*Hermaðurmaki- Soldier’s Spouse
Captain Jaki Klósen pulled up to his house. He had a lot on his mind, which made coming home something of a daunting prospect. Usually it was a relief. He'd see his wife and boy, and he'd unwind, but now... he had things to discuss. He sighed and grabbed his briefcase and his KPFH* officer's jacket as he got out of the car.
"Captain," his neighbour Olief said with a smile as he tended to some yard work. Jaki smiled back and waved. Thankfully Olief wasn't in a chatty mood this afternoon.
"Love, I'm..." he didn't even get to fully announce himself as he stepped in the front door.
"PABBI!" his two year old son Styrkollr proclaimed, running up to hug him.
"Hey, buddy!" he said happily as he knelt down, hugging him.
"How are you?"
The two year old laughed.
"Good! Ulfrik and I played pirates!"
"Oh pirates! You two up to no good?"
"Já!" his son chuckled.
"Styrkollr Emmanuel," his mother said, with a smile.
"Give your pabbi room to breath."
"Go on, listen to mama," Jaki said, as he stood.
"Hey love."
"Hey honey," Rosalie Iris Klósen replied, smiling as she leaned into her husband, kissing him softly.
"You... look like you have some news."
"Am I that obvious?"
"You are, flyboy," Rosalie joked.
"God, your Santonian accent is so..." he was gonna say "sexy," but he saw his son standing there, and just shifted.
"...cute."
"Don't change the subject," she smirked.
"Styr, finish your Spilvel tower. Mama and pabbi need to talk."
Jaki and Rosaline followed their son from the front door to the living room. Styr began to play with his Spilvel blocks again, happily, and Jaki took a seat at the table in the kitchen where he could still see his boy, setting his briefcase down on the floor and draping his jacket over his chair.
"Dinner smells good."
"It’s from Ms. Sayfansinn," Rosaline joked, referring to the grocery store chain Sayfansinn, known for their ready to go pre-made meals.
"Well it still smells good," Jaki replied as his wife sat down across from him.
"Are you still trying to change the subject? What's up?"
Jaki could sense some apprehension in his wife's voice, hidden under her upbeat demeanour. He remembered that her father back in Saintonge was a carrier officer in the navy. So she knew how these sorts of conversations could go. He shook his head insistently to reassure her.
"It’s a good problem, trust me."
"A good problem?"
"They want me to teach air combat at the new airforce academy they're building next to the base. I’d get a promotion."
"Oh my God that's wonderful!" Rosaline remarked, taking her husband's hand before she raised an eyebrow.
"Wait… it's wonderful. So why is this a problem."
"Well… I said it was a good problem."
"It's not a problem at all, Jaki."
Jaki sighed.
"I don't know how to teach."
Rosaline wrinkled her nose and whacked his arm.
"Owe!"
"You’re married to a teacher!"
"Ok but… no offense… you teach high schoolers. I’d be teaching fighter pilots."
"So my job would be harder. Got it," his wife remarked dryly, and Jaki chuckled.
"I mean… I don't know how to teach, and so I’m unsure."
"You teach fighter pilots already."
"That's just a few drills here and there. This is a full time academy. I’d be in the classroom more than I’d be in a plane."
Rosaline sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Saintonge, Prydania, it doesn't matter. Military men are all the same."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaki asked, shifting a bit uncomfortably in his chair at the kitchen table.
"You saw combat so at least you should have it out of your system. We have a son. Come on Jaki. A promotion? More money? A safer posting? What part of this is bad? You want to chase that rush you get flying into your 50s when you could get a nice post where you'd provide for your family? Come on!" she insisted, some of her own frustrations from earlier in her life shining through.
It was Jaki’s turn to sigh, because he had an answer for her, and it was why he was hesitant about all of this.
"You lucked out because you married the one fighter jock with more brains than balls," he said softly so his kid didn't hear him.
"This isn't about me being terrified of a desk. But I don't know how to teach, not like I'd need to for this promotion. So if I accept… they're going to send me somewhere so I can learn how to be a military instructor."
"Somewhere?" Rosaline asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Where?"
"Easy Wind, Scalvia."
Rosaline blinked twice.
"Where's that?"
"Some place called 'Gichigan,' apparently. I don't know geography."
"Wait," Rosaline replied, standing up and heading over to the other end of the kitchen, next to the phone and a stack of papers, and pulled out a magazine. It had Hermaðurmaki* written across it in red letters, a magazine that catered to Royal Prydanian Armed Forces personnel’s wives. Rosaline thumbed through the pages.
"It says here that Prydania signed an agreement to send some officers to Saintonge for training. You could go there. My family would love to help you."
"I did bring that up to the brass when they ran this by me," Jaki replied with a shrug.
"They say they have agreements like this with Saintonge, Goyanes, Andrenne, Norsia, and Scalvia. They want to 'foster a comprehensive understanding of different outlooks.' I pulled the Scalvian card."
"So… how long?"
Jaki looked over at his son.
"A year. More or less. And… that's what's holding me up. It's not Scalvia. You know I love your folks, but Saintonge would be hard too. I don't know if I want to leave you two."
Rosaline signed and set the magazine down before going back over to her husband to massage his shoulders.
"I knew what I was getting into marrying a military man," she said softly as Jaki reached back to his shoulder to gently stroke her hand.
"You’ll miss us… but he's two. Best to miss a year now, then when he’ll actually remember it."
"So you want me to go…"
"I want you to do what's best for your family, and yourself. You saw combat. You can teach the cadets who will come through the new academy so much," she said as she kissed his cheek.
He nodded.
"I'll go if you promise to chat with me every night. And make sure the little guy is there."
"Of course."
"You say that but," Jaki chuckled, "you're going to get so tired of me."
"You said that when I agreed to marry you. It hasn't happened yet," Rosaline said, giving her husband another kiss on the cheek.
"Are you going to accept the offer?"
"First thing tomorrow."
"Then I’ll check out an atlas from the school library. And you and I and Styr will learn all about Gichigan."
*KPFH- Royal Prydanian Air Force
*Hermaðurmaki- Soldier’s Spouse