"Many systems of governance had been tried during the time I've existed. From ones which tried to accommodate the voices everybody had, and considered them all as equals, to utterly authoritarian ones where one man or woman's word is law, I have seen it all.

I would not say that any of them were better than others, to be honest, as that really depended a lot on the people they governed as well. Some are just… more fitting for some people compared to others, that's all." - Nec Aarin, the Bone Lord, to an envoy from the Hassid Caliphate, Circa 3 VA.

"Well… that was rather… humbling," said Grigori as they walked back towards the mansion after their little "exercise" just now. Artair and Zoya followed behind them still with wide grins on their faces, though Marek hadn't joined as he looked after the kids inside. "And here I thought I was one of the best fighters around the region."

"Well, you definitely got the physique and skills for that," admitted Aideen as they talked more relaxedly. Maybe the saying was true, that some people make friends more easily after trading blows with one another. "Just that I got like decades of training and experience under my belt, is all."

"You know… unless you actually mention it I think most anyone wouldn't remember that you're older than my own father," replied Grigori with a nod. While therians tend to be somewhat face-blind when it came to other races, they tend to keenly notice aging, as according to them it had a scent to it. "I know Arty said in his letter that you're… eighty? by now, but my nose keeps saying you're far younger than that."

"Eighty one this year, yeah. To be honest, I might as well stop counting, as the clock pretty much stopped the day I died," replied Aideen relaxedly. Back when she was younger the topic might have bothered her quite a bit, especially when the incident was recent, but by now, she had accepted what she had become, and no longer shied away from it. "Also, something that I was wondering about. It's like… what? A week from here to the nearest city?"

"Five days if rushed, but normally around a week to a week and a half by carriage, yes," answered Grigori off the top of his head. He had not needed to even think to arrive at the answer, since it was just something he knew by heart.

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"How do your family rule the region then? No offense, but the mansion is kind of in the middle of nowhere here."

"Oh, simple enough, to be honest. Just a lot of delegating the job as needed," said Grigori with a smile that displayed his sharp teeth. "Each of the three large cities have a governor who is in charge of the city and the region around it, and those governors answer to dad. Each village has their own village head who answers to the governor of the region."

"So a simple command structure with direct hierarchy? I can see it working in less frantic times yeah," replied Aideen as she pondered and nodded to Grigori's explanation. "I take it the governors aren't old families from the region but are trusted retainers then."

"Exactly. The current governors are dad's trusted retainers. They would serve until they die, in which case dad would choose their replacements, or until dad is no longer the ruler here," explained Grigori openly. "When it's my turn at the helm, I'm thinking of having my siblings take over the job, though I guess Arty wouldn't be up for it now. Good thing dad went and got little Maria around, ain't it?"

By the time their talk wound down, they had reached the large living/dining room of the mansion, where they seated themselves on the benches around. Servants plied them with small snacks and beverages kept cold in enchanted ice boxes as they rested there.

They had just rested for maybe five minutes before Grigori's young daughter walked into the room, her eyes still bleary with sleepiness. She yawned widely, then sniffed the air a couple of times, before she walked towards the divan where her father had laid down.

Then she climbed on top of his stomach, curled like a cat, and went to sleep again, even as Grigori gave a happy sigh at the sight. As they had not wanted to disturb the sleeping girl, Aideen, Zoya, and Artair quietly got up, mouthed a "see you" to Grigori, and left without making a sound.

"If you're interested, I'd be heading out to Rostem in the west in… three days for an inspection. Want to come along?" Zoya asked once they were out of earshot. Rostem was the west-most city in the region, which was shaped like an arrowhead pointed towards the western isles, with the fort city as its tip.

"Why, sure, as long as it's not too much trouble," replied Aideen. Grandpa Aarin did tell her to see how the current empire's people lived for herself, so she saw no reason to decline. Artair nodded along with her, as he seemed to recall some old memories.

"Oh, none at all, as long as you don't mind my kids, since they'd be coming along too," said the therian woman with a smile. "It'd be around eight days by carriage, so they might get a bit fussy. You know how it is with kids that young."

"No problem," said Aideen as she nodded with a hint of melancholy to her expression. "I've had to deal with my own nieces… and grand-nephew and nieces before. So it wouldn't be the first time I had to deal with a young child."

"That's good to hear," Zoya replied with a smirk. "They could be a handful at times, especially on long trips. Those kids would have just preferred to run along the carriages if they could, I swear. We'll be departing first thing in the morning in three days then."

"We'll be there, and thanks for the invitation."

"You're welcome."