The morning after President Nisa's epic surprise birthday party and the super-impromptu decision for a month-long vacation, the atmosphere in the Palace's private pavilion felt like... well, like four international rock stars had just crash-landed from Dublin and weren't entirely sure where they were.
The Corrs, who had technically "never really left Indonesia" since that surprise concert (because Nisa immediately "secured" them with the excuse of "acclimatization before the Archipelago Tour"), woke up with a potent mix of lingering jetlag, a slight headache from laughing too much the night before, and a sheer disbelief that they were really going to spend a whole month in this tropical country with a President.
Andrea was the first to appear in the pavilion's dining room. Her hair was still endearingly messy, she was wearing silk pajamas that probably cost more than the annual budget of a small district, and reading glasses perched on her nose. Her eyes squinted at Nisa, who was already neatly dressed in a casual suit with a cup of jasmine tea in hand.
"Morning, Andrea! Or... good afternoon Dublin time?" Nisa greeted warmly.
Andrea yawned wide. "Oh, Madam President... Nisa... morning. I think my brain is still stuck on the plane. This is real, right? We're not dreaming about being invited on a tour around Indonesia by a President?"
Nisa laughed. "Very real, Andrea. And just call me Nisa. Think of me as your most VVIP tour guide, who is also perhaps the... well, the busiest."
One by one, the other members of The Corrs appeared in similar states. Sharon, trying to maintain elegance despite her puffy, sleep-deprived eyes, immediately sought out coffee. Caroline, with her typical energy, was already prepped with her vlog camera, documenting every corner of the pavilion. Jim? As usual, he was the last to emerge, carrying a book on philosophy (again!) and immediately asked the newly-arrived Reza, "Mr. Reza, do you believe the concept of jetlag is essentially the soul's protest against the relativity of space and time?"