The hour is late as I drag my weary feet towards home. Smoke tendrils float upwards from the shrine, the incense all but burnt out now. Yet still, the smell is a welcome one. I feel as if my ancestors look down upon me, nodding their approval of how things transpired in Tokuno.
Pandora had bid me return to my homeland to locate my brother. An illness was laying claim to many citizens, and it filled me with gladness to see her honest feelings for the safety of my mortal family. I could not serve a better household.
Ahhh the mother land… and the splendor that became St. Petersburg, founded by Peter the Great. Leaving Boryspil International Airport in Kiev we arrived Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg in roughly 2 hours. As a private planed marked with the Royal standards of Italia, for our nationality is of Venice, our plane was deposited into the private area of the airport reserved for dignitaries and visiting heads of state. The red carpets were placed under our feet as we deplaned which still had a somewhat alarming effect on my new bride. It would take some getting used to. A limousine awaited us as handlers and valets packed our belongings into its trunk and then graciously introduced the driver to us, who opened the door to usher us into the vehicle. Evgeny, our driver, then drove us through the 20 or so miles it takes to get from the airport to our hotel passing through the many canals and rivers that surround St. Petersburg. “It’s so similar to Venice in a way, except for the machines everywhere.” Merida commented to me. “Ah but my love, St. Petersburg is perhaps 4 or 5 times the size of Venice thus it allows for the roads that sustain the transit of automobiles and the like.” I retorted.
