[Academy RP] The School Trip

[Portamia]

Another chilly day captivates the air in Tiskin, exactly the way the populace likes it. A small grey bus adorned with a bright yellow stripe on its horizontal axis trundles along the quaint capital's outer roads targetting the Royal Pratam Museum. Sounds of laughter emanate from the bus' chassis occasionally topped off with a loud "QUIET!" to keep the volume in check. Upon arrival, a group of fourteen 9 to 10 year old children walk out in an orderly line led by Mrs. Saari, a teacher from Young Tiskinite Academy.

"Now now, everyone. Orderly line, orderly line." she says in a rather soft tone, attempting to herd the kids to the entrance.
They all climb the short flight of stairs that lead up to the entrance and pass the two wooden pillars that once supported a Portamian home jutting out of the ground, standing there as parallel reminders of the past. A large, merry guard of the lower rankings of the Rotiski stands in front of a set of lockers and smiles at the group, wishing them a wonderful visit as they all go to reception and wait for their arranged guide. In the meantime, Mrs. Saari turns to speak to the class.
"Does anyone know why we're here today?" she asks, anticipating a bright young mind to raise their hand in the air and answer. She gets her wish and points at the first hand that rises from the crowd.
"Tomorrow is Tiskitat!" the young girl says.
"Well done, Lilli!" Mrs. Saari responds with. "Tiskitat is a very special day for us Portamians, Pulticians and Borrics. It's the celebration of the story of Puurayaana, Samil-Ked and Arkizry."

Young Tiskinite, like most schools across Portamia, is very much a Karspii-practicing place. Schools within the capital city of Tiskin tend to cover a larger breadth of the world's religions, though Karspii is always a central part of any Portamian school's curriculum due to its constant presence in daily Portamian life.

A short, thin man discretely enters the hallways through a door to the right of Mrs. Saari.
"Hello there boys and girls. My name is Zal, and I am here to welcome and guide you through the Royal Pratam Museum, funded by the Pratam royal family of Portamia. Through this door you will find a collection of various historical artifacts and stories from throughout our history. Let's get going." he says, pointing to a rather large door.
The class follows him as he talks about some interesting tidbits of Portamian history that they pass by, like the recreations of some primitive fishing rods from the tribe of Porata before centralisation and establishment of Portamia, a selection of artifacts supposedly belonging to Yrl Kaspia, the first ruler of Portamia and some assorted Pultik silverware. There was even time to squeeze in a small matching game about the various key words and terms in Portamian history like Riilamuk, Loud Kick and Hardov, each to be a lesson when the students were older. Finally, the main exhibit graced the eyes of the students. A wide variety of small birch statuettes.
"This is a small collection of trout statues. Every year, many Karspiin from all around the world migrate back to their homeland in order to participate in the festivals of Tiskitat. People gather and carve these trout ornaments out of birch wood, which is believed to increase the population of trout. Birch saplings are then planted in open plots of land that is reserved for these festivities. This is to preserve the supply of birch wood for the carving of trout ornaments for future generations, and throughout Portamia there are "open lands" owned by each province's respective government reserved for these festivities. We've been doing this for centuries and nowadays even people that don't follow Karspii can join in on the festivities. Any questions?"
Young Lilli raises her hand once more. "Yes, young lady?"
"How come my pappo always comes home really late and drunk after Tiskitat? Do people drink alcohol a lot on Tiskitat too?" she asks.
A worried expression washes over the face of Zal, unsure how exactly to answer. He glances at Mrs. Saari to see an unshifting face.
"U-Umm yes, that happens sometimes. Adults and their alcohol haha." he sheepishly says back to her, a slight air of awkwardness gripping the room.

Tiskitat has indeed become more of a secular affair as Portamia has slowly embraced a more open, tolerant attitude towards outsiders. Older versions of Tiskitat usually involved encasing small animals in a ceremonious, water-tight box and drowning them with water from the River Tiski as a form of purifying their corpses before consumption, but nowadays it is extremely rare to see a Tiski blessing as violent as this in Portamia outside of the occasional baptisms that can be observed in Pultik.

As the trip comes to an end and the sky begins to darken, the students nod their little heads and thank the staff , which is polite for a Portamian school to do. Zal then hands each class member a portion of bread as a sign of goodwill and a thank you for listening to him, a tradition stemming from Karspii's rules. Mrs. Saari and her pupils board the bus and head home.