This wasn't the first time she'd pulled Whynot out of the bushes. It wouldn't be the last.

"Leave me alone, Marks, I can find my own way..." The former Commodore, Wyatt Alcott, was definitely not representing the municipal position that he used to hold. At least he wasn't wearing his former Council uniform, although he claimed it was still official.

"Wyatt, I'm the Club Manager, I can't leave you randomly on the dock! I'll walk you back to you boat, and then you owe me a drink, alright? That way you're doing me a favour."

Alcott staggered to something approximating a salute, realized his hat was still in the bushes, and dramatically retrieved it as he took Jen's outheld arm for support while walking down the dock.

"Marks, you always look after me. You know I don't need it, and you know you won't get a good reputation for helping me."

"I have a great reputation, otherwise I wouldn't be the Manager. You know it's an elected position now."

"Sure, it's elected, but by who..." Alcott paused, then seemed to make a decision. He grasped her left hand in an arm-wrestlers grip, and put his other hand on her shoulder. Jen staggered under this grasp, and ended up looking the former Commodore straight in the eyes.

"Jennifer Markspeer, do you swear to protect the children that are under the care of Helen and her Descendants? Do you swear to ensure the people of the Ravine's Mouth will survive and thrive in whatever the cosmos provides them? Do you swear to remember and protect the history of those that were here before us?" Alcott's request seemed desperate. 

She hesitated. This was completely outside her upbringing in the Parcadia Educational System. She had learned about the Founder of Helenskep from the yearly ice-breaking festivals when she moved here, but there was nothing in the PES that said there was anything 'evolved' before Helenskep. In fact, Helenskep was the most recent City Center to Unify with Parcadia, with it's 100 year anniversary within days. Accorging to the PES, there was no cultural significance in an area before it Unified.

She took a deep breath. She thought about her parents and older brothers. They had never understood why she enjoyed her classes at the RYC. They scoffed when she taught classes for older students, saying it "wasn't profitable".