<div class="floatright">(http://pix.com.ua/db/art/painting/masters_5/b-564017.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 16pt;"><strong>Month of Juno<br/>Day the 6th<br/>Woden's day<br/>493rd Year of the Empire<br/>City of Dover</strong></span><br/><hr/><br/>Celes handed the reigns of her horse over to the stable master and dismounted in the courtyard of her family home in Dover.  It was a cool day morning this early in the summer, but Celes thought it would warm up nicely once the sun had time to bake off the cool morning fog.  She'd decided to wear a large cloak around her shoulders as she rode through town from the docks, not for the warmth which she didn't need, but for some small measure of anonymity.  Sea captain Tion had told her that her father wanted her arrival to be quiet.  It wasn't a secret that she was home from Germania, but her father didn't want it being a matter of public discussion.   Again his reasons were vague, but Celes knew to trust him.<br/><br/>As she dismounted the cloak flared out and away from her body, exposing her fair skin and the mail armor she wore along with the family sword she wore at her hip.  She left all of her other possessions packed away in her saddle bags, as she doubted there would be any need for them here, in her family home.  The groomsman recognized her and bade her a good morning before taking the reigns and leading her horse away to be fed and curried.  The cloak settled around her shoulders again, covering her body for the most part as she looked around at the courtyard of the home she'd grown up in.  It was the first time she was back in almost six months.  She'd been out leading Vynar's fist on several tasks for her family on the mainland and it was good to finally be back on Britannia soil.<br/><br/>She walked into her family manse and made her way to her father's private study, where the groom had told her that her father was waiting.  House Vynar was an old noble house, but they were not the most prosperous any longer.  Their fortunes had fallen over the last few decades and now there was only a handful of servants that lived in the manse.  But the few that were about all bowed deeply and wished her a good morning.  When she came into her father's study she had to immediately shed her cloak.  It was quite warm in the small study.<br/><br/>Her father was sitting by the fire reading yesterday's journals.  He had a fire in the hearth next to him and his old terrier resting at his feet.  He turned as she entered and cried,<strong> "Poppet, you came so quickly!"</strong>He started to stand, but his joints were obviously bothering him, hence the heat in the study, and he was shaky as he stood.   Celes rushed to him and embraced her father, inhaling the scent of the herbs he used on his joints mixed with the well worn leathers he was wearing.  Their hug was loving and comforting and somehow made her feel like a child for a moment even though she now stood an inch or two taller than her father.<br/><br/><strong>"Sit down, sit down my poppet,"</strong>he said gesturing to a comfortable chair on the other side of the fireplace.  She knew her father wouldn't care about her style of dress, and had been a fan of the naturist movement for decades.  Growing up in the Vynar household men and women alike often went around half naked or nude, especially when the weather was nice.  It was only in the last few years as his joints began to swell and ache that he had become more and more heavily dressed.  Then it was for warmth too, to keep his joints warm and free of pain.  While the heat of the room didn't bother Celes, it was quite warm and she considered stripping down before sitting.  Her father was settling back into his chair and he saw her indecision,<strong>"Make yourself comfortable my dear, we need to have a long talk.   But first tell me about the campaign in Germania"</strong>