Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Confused, Regalia furrowed her eyebrows as she looked between the two Ta-Classes. "Um, what sort of things? If you don't mind me asking?"

His eyebrow raised, Harry gave her a small look. "Regalia, that could be personal."

Unsure, the Re-Class glanced at Regina who was nodding before turning back to Tanya. "Um, sorry?"

All Tanya did though was wave her off. "It is fine." With a small blink, the Abyssal flushed and looked down at her hands. "I have been with Norihara... for many years. She took care of me even when I... could not do the same. Even though I killed humans, she... still cared for me and helped me before Hoppou... fixed me."

Eyes widening, Regalia looked at her. "Grandma fixed you? How were you hurt?"

Reaching up, the Battleship moved her silver hair to reveal the scar on the back of her neck, right at where one could see the knobs of her spine under her skin. "There was a battle in Yokosuka many years ago, I was there on land... A Destroyer shot me through my mouth and broke my keel there." Unseen by her, Regalia's eyes widened. "I was badly hurt and was unable to move."
Still shocked, Regalia stared at her. "What happened next? I mean, an injury like that..."

The Re-Class trailed off as Tanya gained an odd look on her face, one of remembrance and something else. "I was captured by the humans and they brought... Norihara. She helped me and said that... I was not a monster, just a patient. After, she took care of me. Helped feed me, bathe me, she also took me places so that I would not be bored. Always caring..." Looking down, she let out a breath. "We watched movies and such together... went out for ramen. One day, Hoppou stated that she could help me and did. Now I can do things for myself but..."

Leaning down, Regalia had a curious look on her face. "But what?"

Much to her confusion, the Ta-Class gained an odd look on her face. "I always wanted to be closer... to Norihara. She was kind and warm. But I was a patient. Soon, I will not be a patient and so I wanted to know more... about how to be closer."

Even though she was still confused, Regalia only nodded. "Okay?" Then she blinked. "Do you mean like some of the Wardens are with the Canadians? Like that?" When Tanya nodded, she frowned as she still did not really understand that and neither had Nero. "Huh..."

Clearing his throat, Harry looked at Tanya. "So you're here just chatting while Norihara is onboard the Regina then?"

While Harry ignored Regina herself now whispering with Shinano, Tanya gave a small nod. "Yes. As I am still having... trouble walking, Norihara thought that it would be... best if I was not trying to... move around a ship." Gesturing at her legs, she continued. "Norihara does not want me to... hurt myself by tripping or collapsing."

Just nodding, Harry considered that before giving her a knowing look. "But you wish that you were there with her, right? I mean, you're watching the ship."

Blushing, Tanya gave a longing look. "Yes, I wish that I was there with... Norihara. Spending time with her and protecting her." Head tilted to the side, she sighed. "I sometimes worry about Norihara, she is too... kind. But now I can protect her."

A glance at a nodding Regina and Shinano made Harry smile a bit. "Well, Norihara is pretty safe right now and you're here, right? So she doesn't need to worry as you'd kick the stern of anyone who would threaten her." Surprised, Tanya blinked before smiling back and nodding with Harry returning it. "So just relax and trust her."

Now Tanya just gave Harry a look. "I do."

If anything though, that made him grin wider. "Good to know." Then shaking his head, he gave a small wave. "Anyways, we'll just leave you to your conversation."

With some goodbyes on their part, the group of four moved off and began walking along the beach. As they did so, Regina had a thoughtful look on her face. 'So Tanya wants to be closer to Doctor Norihara?' Glancing at Harry, she felt her lips curl up into a small smile. 'I can understand why.' Then the Re-Class glanced at the Canadian warship and her thoughtful look deepened. 'Though since we can have children even if we're not a Princess or a Demon...'

She got some looks from the others as she blushed and slapped her hands over her face.

Eventually shaking her head, Shinano turned to Harry and gave a bright smile. "Um, Harry? Do you think..."

Chuckling, Harry turned his attention to the Carrier. "That Norihara and Tanya might get together?" When Shinano nodded, the black haired boy looked up at the sky which had a few puffy clouds in it. "Maybe, who knows? I mean, it's obvious that Norihara and Tanya are really close. And that the doctor cares for her just as much as Tanya cares. But..."

Head tilted to the side, Shinano frowned. "But?"

For a few moments, Harry then shrugged. "She'll have to accept it, Norihara, I mean. Hopefully she does when Tanya is no longer her patient. Those two would probably be pretty happy together."

Shinano smiled and gave a nod. "I think so too."

As they walked, they noticed a group of Abyssals sitting around a radio. When they got close, Harry raised an eyebrow as he heard what was being broadcast on the news program. "{And in other news... the first train has completed the trip from Panama to Mexico via the new FERISTSA railway in Central America. The railway, which runs the length of Central America is considered one of the cornerstones of the Trans-American Transport and Infrastructure Plan. Officials have stated that with it, cargo will be brought from ports in Panama to Mexico and from there, to the United States and Canada without exposing them to the dangers of sea travel. It will also be used in the opposite direction as well. Already, many Central American countries have reported growth in their economies due to the railway as a number of national railways have been connected to the FERISTSA railway. Passenger service is expected to begin in the next three months...}"

Putting his hands behind his head, Harry smiled a bit. "So they finally completed it, huh?"

One of the Wo-Class, Harry believed her name was Wonderous, turned to him. "You know about it, Uncle Harry?"

With a shake of his head, Harry smirked some. "Kind of hard not to with Rose." At the confused looks, he made a gesture with his hand. "Rose is a tea set tsukumogami. The spirit of a tea set. Anyways, when she was first made she traveled on the trains and such. That's made her something of a fan of trains and anything related, so she has been following that."

Slowly nodding, Wonderous frowned in thought. "I see..." Glancing at the radio, she tilted her head. 'Sounds important from what they are saying.' Then she turned to Harry with a small smile. "Have you ever ridden on a train, Uncle Harry?"

Unable to help himself, Harry gave a laugh. "Actually, I've ridden on a lot of trains. In fact, I take one to get to my school in Scotland and it's great. A bit boring because of how long the ride is, but still pretty neat and gives me plenty of time to catch up with people. There's a lot of trains here in Japan as well and some of them are cool with how fast they go."

Her eyes widening, Wonderous blinked. "Fast? Really fast?" When Harry gave a nod, she frowned in thought. 'Sounds interesting...'

Meanwhile, Harry's thoughts turned towards one of the members of his family who was currently on her honeymoon with her new wife due to the news he had just heard. 'I wonder how Rose is reacting?' Then his lips twitched a bit. 'Probably excited and gave a squeal.'

Arms crossed, Shinano gave a small nod. "Hearing that, I wonder when they're going to start the railway tunnel between Hokkaido and Sakhalin? That's supposed to be connected to the Trans-Siberian Railway, right?"

Humming, Harry gave a small nod. "Well, once they complete the tunnel between the mainland and Sakhalin. But yeah, they're still planning it out though from what I remember they're going to start work on it soon. Ooyodo-Oba is pretty excited over it since it would help out a lot with resources just in case. And the politicians here in Hokkaido are pretty excited about it as well." Head tilting to the side, the wizard shook his head. "Kind of like the tunnel being talked about back in England between Ireland and Britain. They've already surveyed the route for that one so that can transport food and cargo."

Somewhat lost, the Abyssals gave each other looks and shrugs before turning back to the radio as it started to play music.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Sitting just above where the waves reached, Harry was going over a checklist while outfitted in his scuba gear. Around him, various Abyssal Submarines sat and watched him or chatted among themselves. More then one of the male personnel who were helping out had tripped upon seeing them for the first time. Mainly because all of them wore bikini bottoms and what was a very small tube top. Needless to say, they got a lot of attention.

However, Harry didn't really notice that much as he was too busy performing his checks. Part of him did note when Nero walked over with Regalia and crouched down to look him over. Eventually, the Abyssal spoke up. "So this is scuba gear, Uncle Harry?"

With a glance at her and Regalia, and noting that several other Abyssals outside the Submarines were listening, Harry gave a nod. "That's right, I'm wearing my scuba gear right now." Looking back at his checklist, he continued. "If you want to ask anything, I don't mind. Not going to head out for a few minutes yet."

Only nodding, Nero considered her questions, but it was Regalia who spoke up with one of her. "What's that you're wearing, Uncle Harry? I've never seen anything like it."

Tapping his arm, Harry smiled at her. "You mean my wetsuit?"

Confused, the Re-Class gave a nod. "Wetsuit? Is that what it's called?"

Harry gave her a chuckle. "Yup! That's what its called alright. As for what it is..." For a moment, he hummed a bit. "We're in Hokkaido right now and the water's not really all that warm even though it is late July. And deeper in, it gets pretty cold as well. So what this wetsuit does is help protect me from the cold down here."

Interested, Nero was looking it over and noted how it clung tightly to her uncle's body. Then she remembered something that was told to her on the way to Hokkaido. "That's right, humans don't really take cold water all that well. Hypo something?"

Nodding, the black haired teen smiled. "Hypothermia?" When she gave a small nod, he ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's a danger for us in really cold water, or cold weather if we're not dressed for it. Not so much these temperatures unless I was doing something like skin diving. Basically, we can get so cold that our bodies sort of... shut down." At the wide eyed looks, Harry made a gesture with his hand. "Imagine getting so cold that your boilers no longer give enough heat and stop working."

More then one Abyssal shivered at that thought. The idea was... frightening. It also gave them a better idea of just how fragile humans were compared to them. Regalia chewed her lip some, a bit worried for her uncle. "S-so this wetsuit will help protect you? And is it called that because it's in the water?"

Just shaking his head, Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "It'll protect me, but it's not called a wetsuit because it's in the water." Placing one gloved finger onto his arm, he tapped it. "What a wetsuit does is allow a little bit of water in, not much. But it gets warmed by my body heat and helps insulate me from the water outside."

Utterly confused by what she was hearing, Regalia blinked. "And that... works? Really?"

Lips twitching, Harry gave a nod. "It does. I've been on about forty dives outside of my lessons so far and it works." Reaching back, he held up the hood attached to the back. "Its also why I have this hood for this dive. Back home in Yokosuka during the warmer months I'm not too worried and so don't bother with a hood. But up here where the water is colder? The less skin exposed the better." Suddenly frowning, the wizard shook his head. "If we were more north, I might try for a drysuit, though I don't have one of these yet... maybe look into getting one?"

Head tilted to the side, Nero furrowed her eyebrows. "Drysuit? Is... that something that keeps you dry?"

Smiling, Harry hummed a bit. "That's right. Instead of water, it keeps a layer of air next to the skin. It's used in really cold waters though, but I might get one to go diving around yours and Tanith's island, Regalia. Because swimming next to giant sea cows just sounds so cool!"

With a soft giggle, though she was unsure herself, Regalia shook her head. "Well, I don't think that mother would mind? Though it is nice to just watch them... it's relaxing."

Eyes twinkling, Harry gave a small nod as he checked his air. "I know, it really does and I would love to get some footage of them." Feeling eyes from Wonderous on him, he followed her gaze to where his diving knife sat in a holster on his thigh. "Hmm? Interested in my knife?"

Frowning, the Wo-Class tilted her head slightly. "I was wondering about it. Do you use it in fights underwater?"

Part of Harry noted that those of Sunny's group who were there all began to pay close attention, even the Submarines. Shrugging, he shook his head. "Well, I could use it for a fight underwater. Like against a shark or something. But it's more used for things like cutting rope or netting if I become entangled underwater. So I don't drown. Though I can also use it to pry shellfish and the like from the seafloor. Pretty useful when all is said and done."

Yolanda looked at the knife herself and slowly nodded. 'That's... pretty interesting.'

Just nodding, Harry gave a sigh and, standing up, he shifted his air tank a bit and nodded. "Well... I'm done my checks." Holding up the board, the nearly thirteen year old gave a embarrassed chuckle. "Could someone hold onto this for me?"

Reaching over, Sokie took the checklist before placing it into her hair, the board disappearing between the strands and placed into her hull. "There you go, Uncle Harry." Simply watching as he pulled the hood over his neck and adjusted the two flashlights on either shoulder. Harry had told them that it was so that he could better see underwater. "Why did you need to perform so many checklists, Uncle Harry?"

With a glance at her, Harry made a final few adjustments. "I never perform a dive without doing the checklists three times right before doing it. That way I can be sure that I don't miss something important since Scuba diving should be treated seriously. Don't want to mess up and suddenly find myself in danger after all." After thinking it over, the various Submarines gave a small nod at that. It did make a lot of sense after all. Meanwhile, Harry gave a wave to the others as he began to wade into the surf with a pause only to rinse his mask and , after a shake, put it on. "I'll see you guys later!"

As the various Abyssals waved him goodbye, Harry walked further into the surf. While he did so, the Submarines were around him not even bothered in the least by the cold water touching their skins. Once it was chest height, Harry watched as the Abyssals around him summoned their rigging, one or two already with their heads underwater. And when the waves began to reach his neck, the black haired boy dove under, vanishing from the Abyssals watching. For several minutes, the ones on shore scanned the waves looking for any sign but there was none.

Granted, they were not really all that worried as Harry not only had Elite Submarines around him, but also the Submarine Princess as well.

Under the water, Harry took a deep breath and swimming forward. He knew that the gopro on his head was capturing the sights that he saw as he swam further and further out until the water was about ten feet deep. And then he turned to look around and blinked. Mainly due to the sight of the various Abyssal Submarines swimming around him, not unlike a group of seals or dolphins. All of those with their faces having bright smiles as they did so. Part of Harry wondered what the reactions to the video would be when he uploaded it later. Not just because of how they were acting, but also how they appeared and disappeared into the gloom around him, the only first signs of them being their glowing eyes appearing from nowhere.

Chuckling at the thought, Harry shook his head. "Well, you bunch seem happy."

Out of the corner of his eye, the wizard could see the Submarine Princess' beast appear beside him moments before he felt her arms around him in a hug. Turning, he was greeted by her face with a large smile on it. "Why wouldn't we be happy, Uncle Harry? You're down here with us and spending time to see as we do."

Happily closing his eyes, Harry gave a nod. "That's true enough, I suppose." Lightly chuckling, he shook his head. "But I enjoy this sort of thing."

Just nodding, Submarine Princess gave him another hug, careful not to be too hard. "I think that we'll enjoy it as well, Uncle Harry. And we got so much to show you!"

Patting her head, the corners of Harry's eyes crinkled showing that he was smiling. "Can't wait. But remember that I can only go down to forty meters and stay down here for so long. Have to do this carefully after all."

Around him there were nods from the group of Abyssals, they didn't want to put their Uncle into danger! Yolanda then moved until she was just in front of him and below. Hanging out a bit more from her beastal rigging, she gave Harry a motion with her hands. "Grab a hold, Uncle Harry. I'll get you around."

Laughing, Harry reached out and grasped the sides of the rigging's "Mouth" and moving his body until he was flat against it. Then he looked around to Yolanda's face with a smile. "Is this good? I'm not hurting you or anything, am I?"

However, Yolanda shook her head with a smile. "No, Uncle Harry. That's fine."

With a nod, the wizard chuckled. "Okay then. Don't go too fast, okay?" All he got was a shake of the head from the Yo-Class and soon they were moving out on their undersea adventure.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts/Kiyone4ever Crosspost 4

Anyways, have a Kiyone4ever crosspost from SV:
__________________________________________________________________________

Like the title says, one possible direction for our daring ship actresses...

Testing The Waters

"Nagato and Amagi will be in Yokosuka tomorrow morning. Hornet, Arizona, and Oklahoma should arrive by tomorrow night."

"Good. Have things been arranged at Kure?"

"Yes, sir. Captain Hara has also spoken with the head of Toei Studios. He's asking for some photo shoots at a more convenient time but nothing more."

"Good. Maybe this will wake up the execs over at Toho. They can get on the bus or watch it pass them by."

"I'm still not entirely sure what we're hoping to accomplish here though."

The older man chuckled. "Right now? We're testing an idea. Nothing more. If it works out, then we can move to planning an actual operation. We need to know how well they will work with each other and how well they'll connect with actual shipgirls."

"I'm afraid I'm still not quite following, sir."

"Second World War, Operation Fortitude: In order to convince the Germans that the Western Allies were preparing a massive landing at the Pas de Calais and that the actual Normandy landings were a feint at best, they created the First United States Army Group, a force of some twelve divisions under General Patton. But FUSAG was a fake army, brought to life by Hollywood magic. Fake aircraft, dummy tanks, fake landing craft, phony radio transmissions and logistics reports and requisitions all combined to convince the enemy that a massive invasion force was gearing up in the South of England.

"What we want to know is if we can successfully prosecute a similar campaign in this war. We know that the Abyssals have been known to tap our communications. What we need to know is if we can feed them the picture we want them to see and how or even if they will react. And before we can do that, we have to create a force worthy of their attention. The Brits have already recalled a force of dummy Capital ships. If you subtract the stand-ins for the battlecruisers Invincible and Indomitable and battleships St. Vincent, Collingwood, and Vanguard, that still leaves us with a dummy force of two battlecruisers and nine battleships carrying guns at least a size of 13.5" or higher. That's a significant surface action or bombardment force but we all know a fleet like that is nothing without strong air cover. The British have a ringer for HMS Hermes but that's not enough.

"But combine that force with a strong carrier force with a heavy escort and it just might get their attention."

"And you are hoping our actresses can fill that role."

"Exactly: Hornet, Amagi, and assuming we can get Hiryu and Akagi from Toho will give us four top of the line carriers. Nagato leads a strong escort and we'll switch 'Oklahoma' and 'Arizona' for our ersatz battlecruisers Queen Mary and Tiger. If they can play the part convincingly and If the Abyssals react at all, just maybe we can gain an edge at a target of our choosing. But we have to take small steps first..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts/Kiyone4ever Crosspost 5

And the next Kiyone4ever crosspost:
___________________________________________________________________

Queen of the Loony North

Tirpitz looked over her quarters carefully. Here lurked danger. She didn't know where the enemy was but they were here. The empty tray of kippers in the livingroom attested to this. It was only fair to let them have their snack before starting the game.

Behind the sofa would be too easy. Check it anyway. That's how we play the game. Naturally, no X-craft lurked there. On to the kitchen then. Tirpitz doing a quick check, opening and slamming the oven door quickly just in case but all was clear so Tirpitz set four cups on the table and pulled down a bottle from her liquor cabinet and filled the cups, then returning the bottle to the cabinet She then reached for a tin of biscuits and took one out and walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

Turning on the light to her bedroom, she smiled and walked over to her nightstand, withdrawing a rat trap from the drawer and loaded a biscuit on it and slid it under her bed. Tirpitz didn't have long before the *SNAP!*
"Oy! That stings!" X-3 cried out indignantly from under the bed.

"You know I heated the spring in that thing. It won't do any real damage. Now come out. I caught you fair."

X-3 slid out from under the bed muttering. "That wasn't cricket you know."

"You'll get over it. Now the sooner I find your sisters, the sooner you can have some more biscuits."

"This time without the rat trap!"

"Of course! Now... Where are your sisters hiding?"

"Search me." X-3 shrugged.

"Well, It may come to that but first..." Tirpitz checked the bath. "At least try...." Tirpitz sighed seeing her tub filled with bubble bath and a bendy straw lurking among the bubbles. Tirpitz placed her hand on the straw, covering the hole. Frantically, X-2 leaped out of the water.

"Nutter!"

"You weren't even trying," Tirpitz answered in non-apology. "Come on, I just need to find X-1. It looks like we're finally getting orders!"

"Well! Why didn't ye say so?" X-1 exclaimed sticking her head out from the air vent.

"Come on out of there then," Miss Tirpitz von Windsor smiled. "I have schnapps poured for us!"

A/N Tirpitz and her band of stalkers are from "Above Us The Waves" produced at Pinewood studios in 1955. Poor Tirpitz is a very confused English girl who thinks she's German.

 

[darthcourt10]

Savato93

Old and New

XXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry…" The little girl whimpered.

Tanith shook her head. "It's not your fault, Silver. If anyone is to… blame, it's me, your flagship, for not… warning you of this." 'This' referring to the tangled wad of umbilical cords sitting at her feet, which connected Silver's avatar not just to her hull, but to several of her sisters, as well. Shaking her head, she looked to the other destroyers. "Just hold still, girls. The tighter this knot gets, the harder it becomes… to unravel. I'll go get help."

The tangled-up destroyers nodded. Satisfied, Tanith set off to find their mother. Although she now knew how to perform the modifications on the destroyers, she was wary of messing with them. If the avatars had to be disconnected to undo the knot, she didn't want to risk a mistake by doing it herself. She could only hope that, with time and practice, that would change.

"Mom?"

Tanith was pulled from her thoughts by her daughter's voice. She glanced over to see Regalia walking up to her, fiddling with her tail. "Is something wrong, Regalia?"

"No, not really," the Re-class said softly. "I just wanted to, uh, ask you about something."

Tanith paused, uncertain. "I'm sorry, Regalia, but… is it something that can… wait?" She gestured towards the destroyers. "I need Mother's help with a… mishap, of sorts."

Glancing over, Regalia winced at the sight of Silver and her kin's tethers wound up in a knot. "Oh… oh, yeah. I can absolutely wait. You go ahead and take care of that."

"Thank you. I will try… and get back to you… later, okay?" Regalia nodded. "Alright."

With that, Tanith walked away, leaving Regalia with her thoughts.

Speaking with Tanya and Tandy had left Regalia with… questions. The way Tanya spoke of Miss Norihara, how fondly she saw her, left her curious about the relationship between the two strangers. And Tandy… and her husband, Commander Ferguson, and their two children… they were a family, no doubt about it. But how did they become a family? She'd never known what it was like to not be part of something bigger than herself… which left her ignorant of just what needed to happen for that to be possible in the first place. But with Uncle Harry's warning, she was wary of asking anyone directly; she didn't want to be rude to anyone. Thus, she hoped to see if her mother had the answers she sought…

"Hey." Blinking, Regalia looked up to see Rivet standing in front of her, curious. "You alright? You have this odd look on your face."

"Er…" the Re-class paused to shake her head vigorously, clearing her thoughts. "I'm fine. Just thinking about something…" she focused on the cruiser. "Anyway, how have you been doing so far, Aunt Rivet? I mean, so much stuff has happened so fast. I'm honestly struggling a little to keep up with it all."

Rivet brought her arms up behind her head, humming softly. "All things considered? I'm doing great. And who wouldn't be, really? We've got our mother back, gained an awesome uncle and grandma… and we don't have to hide from the world anymore." She paused to stretch, adding, "Having all sorts of new people I can meet—and spar with—is just icing on the cake!"

Regalia couldn't help but blankly stare at the cruiser. "…Really?"

"What? It's not that strange," Rivet noted defensively. "There are humans that do that sort of stuff for a living."

"Wouldn't they be pretty far out of your league?"

"Hey, you don't see me challenging any of the humans, do you?" Rivet shook her head. "I know who can handle my strength and who can't."

Regalia rolled her eyes, but didn't argue any further. She decided to change the topic. "I was gonna ask my mom something, but she's busy right now. I guess I'll just grab something to drink while I wait. Would you like to join me?"

Rivet shrugged. "Sure. I could go for a cold one."

The pair made for the mess hall tent.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tanith stepped up to the unofficial workshop tent. Just yesterday, she and her sisters had been hard at work in this tent, developing their first destroyer avatars. Their mother had been watching them at all times, always ready to hop in and correct their mistakes as they tried their hardest to replicate her work. They'd settled on making only a few conversions for now; one or two destroyers each, just enough for them to get a hang of the process. The rest could wait for later, once things with the humans settled down.

Mother, however, seemed to still be at work, judging from her IFF pointing to this tent. It kinda reminded Tanith of the old days—no sooner had Mother finished one task, she began work on another. But what was she working on now? Only one way to find out.

Brushing aside the canvas, Tanith entered the tent. The first thing she noticed was a significant reduction of clutter—most of the tables and equipment used for the destroyer conversions had been taken out or set aside, to make room for other projects. The schematics for the avatars and control mechanisms were gone, having served their purpose, replaced by other designs. In the middle of it all stood Hoppou.

Tanith stepped forward. "Mother?"

The small princess perked up at her daughter's voice. Looking back, she greeted Tanith with a small wave. "Hello, Tanith. Do you need something from Hoppou?"

"Yes, there's been a… bit of an incident, with the… avatars…" Tanith's voice trailed off as she took in the various sketches and blueprints laid out on the table in front of Hoppou. Individually, they meant little to her—flight deck catapults, elevators, autoloading systems, midget submarine deployment systems, torpedo bulge layouts. But together, they painted a very distinct—and familiar—image. "These are…"

"Re-class designs," Hoppou said simply. "Hoppou hasn't worked on Re-class in a very long time. Need to study, to practice."

Tanith understood instantly. "For Regalia."

Hoppou nodded. "Regalia is deeply flawed. She needs more than repair or remodel… Regalia needs rebuild. And Re-class is very complicated. Hoppou needs to know blueprints inside and out if she wants to help Regalia heal."

The dreadnought was quiet as she pored over her mother's material. "…You truly think you can… do it?"

"Hoppou doesn't think, Hoppou knows. But…" Looking up, Hoppou stared off into space. "This is a big job. Hoppou doesn't want to take any chances by doing it alone."

"…I see." Tanith thought to the few others she knew would be capable of helping. "Wanko? The shipgirls?"

"Yep, but not just them. Miss Norihara knows a lot about Abyssals' bodies thanks to Tanya. And Supprin can provide whatever stuff Hoppou needs to carry out procedure. Hoppou wants to cover all the bases she can."

Tanith was briefly awed by her mother's drive. She was determined to do the best she could to heal Regalia, and wasn't hesitating to call in as much help as possible to that end.

But what if all that effort ended up being unnecessary?

"Mother…" Tanith began. "Regalia is… undecided… as to whether she wants the repair. Are you certain you want… to ask for all these people to… devote their time to something… that might not happen?"

Hoppou looked to her, confused. "Regalia doesn't want help?"

"It's not that she doesn't… want help. But…" Tanith shook her head. "When I told Regalia you were alive… that you could help her… she was… hesitant. She's spent her whole life… living with her warped keel. She's okay with it. She doesn't want everything to change… just because you're here now."

Her mother stared at her for several seconds… then nodded, expression soft. "Hoppou understands."

Tanith blinked. "You do?"

"Regalia is not a soldier like us. Regalia is a peaceful girl. And change can be scary. Surgery, too. Regalia would be very brave, to accept Hoppou's help without thinking about it… but not very smart." Hoppou turned back to her blueprints. "Hoppou will be sad if Regalia says no, though Hoppou loves her no matter what. But Hoppou will make the effort either way. Better to have everything ready and not need it… than to need it and not have it."

"…I understand." Tanith dipped her head lightly. "Thank you, mother."

Hoppou shook her head. "Hoppou is just doing what a Princess should do for her fleet." Clapping her hands, she hopped down from the stool she was standing on and turned to Tanith. "Now, Hoppou thinks it's time for a break from studying. So what was it Tanith needed Hoppou's help with?"

"What…" Tanith paused, trying to remember just why she'd come out here. "…Oh, right! The destroyers! They got their cords tangled!"

Hoppou stood there for several seconds, just staring at her daughter. Then she brought a mitten to her face, groaning. "Hoppou knew there was something she'd forgotten to tell you all…"

XXXXXXXXXX

"So this is fruit punch…?" Regalia asked, taking a sip of the red drink in her hands. It tasted a little like orange juice, only sweeter, and lacking much of the tanginess. "It's nice. I like it."

Opposite her, Rivet propped her chin up with an elbow on the table and idly swirled the cup in her hand, watching the liquid slosh around within. "Man, it's been a while. I honestly can't remember the last time I had punch… I kinda just got so used to living on water, coffee and Tang for the past several years."

Regalia looked up from her drink. "You've had fruit punch before?"

Rivet bobbed her head. "Not just fruit punch, but a whole bunch of other drinks, too. We actually had variety in our diet, way back before we got scattered by the other Abyssals. The harbor our fleet operated in, it was definitely no paradise… but at the same time, we could get our hands on a lot of interesting stuff to eat, and drink, and fool around with. Unlike back home…" the cruiser stopped herself, chuckling weakly. "I don't believe it. I just called that old, boring, derelict island 'home', unironically. Seriously, that is not the sort of place a fleet should be working out of. It's just a bunch of ruins."

"Well, do we really have a choice? I mean, I doubt the humans would exactly welcome us moving to Japan, just because Grandma's there…"

A sigh. "That's true." Rivet looked over to the Re-class. "Besides… that island's really the only home you've ever known, isn't it?"

After a moment, Regalia nodded. "Yeah. I suppose it is." And even if it wasn't, she couldn't just abandon her farm!

For a while, the pair simply enjoyed their drinks, observing the goings-on around them. It was a rare moment of peace and quiet for the Fleet of Laughter, the various Abyssals forgoing idle chatter and simply deriving enjoyment in each other's presence as they ate, or read, or listened to radio.

Eventually, Rivet spoke up. "She ever tell you about our old home?"

Regalia paused, her cup halfway to her lips. "Huh?"

"Tanith, your mom," Rivet clarified. "Did she ever tell you about what it was like for all of us, before we came to the island? When we still ruled the North Pacific?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Regalia shook her head. "No, I don't believe she did. All I really have to go by is Aunt Rudy's tales, and she had a bit of a… flair for the dramatic."

"Hm." Rivet grunted. "That makes sense, I guess. Ruadri was looking at everything through rose-tinted glasses, prettying it up to keep our little sisters happy. And your mom… she probably didn't want to bum you out by bringing up bittersweet memories."

"…I see…" Regalia looked to the cruiser. "What about you? How do you feel about it?"

Rivet rocked her head side to side. "Well… before this—before we found Mother and made peace with the humans—I probably would have been in the same boat as Tanith, not wanting to remember the old times because it hurt me to do so. It's not like those times were bad; really, it was great for the most part. But because of that, every time I thought back to those days… when our fleet was whole, unbroken, happy. I was reminded of just how much we'd lost."

Saddened, Regalia's gaze fell to the table. "…It must have really hurt to think about, back then."

"Hey, cheer up!" Rivet told the Re-class, smiling brightly. "Yeah, we've been through a lot of suffering these past few years. But now we can rebuild. We're all here now, together, and we have our Princess back—and more. We're one big, happy family again." She pointed at Regalia. "And you're a part of it."

Regalia eventually looked back up to Rivet, returning the smile. "Yeah. I am, aren't I?"

Rivet nodded. "And don't you forget it. Now, that's enough moping for today!" she waved Regalia away. "Go ahead and refresh your punch, then come back and make yourself comfortable.

"I'll tell you what it was like to live in the Northern Ocean Fleet."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Sitting on a rock, Regalia was looking out to see in deep thought as the Sun sank down to the horizon. Before she could get too much into thought though, someone sat down next to her and she turned only to blink at who it was. "Uncle Harry? What are you doing here?"

Only shrugging as he sat down next to her, Harry gave her a small smile. "Well, just wondering what you were doing here by yourself. The others are further down the beach and yet here you are."

Eyebrow raised, Regalia looked down the beach to see her family gathering up a pile. Some of them hauled down hunks of wood that they broke into pieces. Others meanwhile stuffed grass, twigs, and seaweed between the wood. All to prepare for the night's bonfire. "Not really all that good due to... you know." just nodding, Harry waited. "As for why... I'm just thinking."

Wisely nodding, Harry gave a smile. "Yes, those thoughts can be pretty tricky. So which thoughts in particular are they that are bothering you?" And when she glanced at him, the black haired teen chuckled. "I've been told that I'm a pretty good listener."

Regalia bit her lip for a few moments as she considered the offer. "It's about Grandma." Just getting a nod, she took a deep breath. "Mom says that Grandma can fix me."

With a glance at her hump, Harry frowned before leaning against a hand. "Well, personally? I don't think that I would call it fixing."

That made Regalia blink and she turned to him, confusion apparent on her face. "You wouldn't? But then... what would you call it?"

Finger tapping his chin, Harry considered his next words. "Not sure, but 'Fix' doesn't feel right. Maybe help? Yeah, let's go with that maybe."

Somewhat bemused, the Re-Class shook her head. "You know about my keel..." When he just nodded, she continued. "Ever since I've been born, Mom's been there you know? I mean, due to, you know, I've never been like the others. You saw how Regina reacted?" Once more, Harry gave a nod. "It created a distance I guess between myself and the others. I was different. But I did my best not to let it keep me down."

Very slowly, Harry gave a nod at that. "As well as you should. One shouldn't look at you and see your disability, but rather your ability. Heck, look at what you managed all on your own! You not only created a farm without knowing how, but one that worked. That's impressive no matter what one might think of insignificant matters like your keel. In the end, it's what you do that matters, not whether your keel is straight or not. And instead of laying down, you said screw you to life and rose above it, not letting it hold you back."

Honestly needing to pause at that, Regalia looked over at him. "I... never thought of it like that." Several thoughtful moments went by as the Abyssal rolled that around in her head. Then, she turned back to Harry. "There were times though when it got me down. When I just wanted to curl up... every time though, Mom was right there. She always told me that I should ignore my disability, not let it be all I was. But..."

Already having guessed where this was going, Harry frowned. "When she found out that Hoppou was alive, she said something, right? About how now you could be helped by her, keel get straightened out. And suddenly it seemed like everything had been a lie?"

More then a little surprised, Regalia gave him a nod. "Yes, how did you..."

On Harry's face was a sad smile. "I could guess where it was going. Not really all that hard to be honest." Leaning forward, he clasped his hands under his chin. "And I'm going to go out on a limb here for a moment and say that this makes you wonder if she was lying to you this whole time? If anything that she told you was true?"

Eyes wide, Regalia nodded. "Yes! That is exactly it." Then sighing, she slumped a bit. "What do you think, Uncle Harry."

Not giving an answer right away, Harry thought it over. "That is a tough question. But... I think that Tanith loves you and wasn't lying. She truly believes what she told you then. At the same time though, as a mother? She loves you and wants what she believes to be best for you. In this case, having your keel straightened and the rest helped. So that gap between you and the others disappear." Musing, he shook his head. "It is sort of like the parent of a blind child suddenly seeing that they can be helped and to do what they could not before."

Having never heard that term before, Regalia tilted her head. "Blind?"

With a glance towards her; Harry shook his head. "It's a word for when someone can't see. But they can live their lives almost as well as someone who can see, most don't let it bother them. However, imagine for a moment that you're a mother to one and you were just told that even it does not bother them, you could have them see."

If anything, Regalia became more thoughtful at that before slowly nodding. "I think that I understand." Sighing, she furrowed her eyebrows before turning to Harry. "What do you think that I should do though, Uncle Harry?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Harry sighed. "I don't think that is an answer that I could give you to be honest. Only you can decide on that." Then he turned and gave her a small pat on the shoulder as he saw her slumped. "But whatever it is that you decide, I'll back you up."

Surprised, Regalia turned to him with her eyebrows raising. "Really, Uncle Harry? Even if I decide not to?"

Giving her a snort, the wizard shook his head. "If you decide that, then I would talk with Hoppou myself. She'd listen to me."

Tears gathering in her eyes, Regalia gave him a hug. "Thank you." Moments later though, she became puzzled as Harry chuckled sadly. "Uncle Harry?" Just shaking his head, he had an odd look on his face. 'Sad? No, not sad but... melancholy? Yes, melancholy.'

With a small sigh, Harry glanced at her. "It's sort of funny and yet sad. But... I'm sort of jealous and envious of you."

Out of anything that Regalia could have expected for her uncle to say, that was not on the list. "I... jealous? Envious?" Lost, she pointed at herself. "Of me?"
Lips twitching, Harry gave a nod. "Yeah, I am. Pretty strange, isn't it?"

More than a little lost, Regalia frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?" Not getting an answer, she turned to the boy next to her who had a thoughtful and saddened look to it. One that made her want to hug him. "Uncle Harry?"

Still chuckling, Harry glanced at her. "Confused, aren't you?" When she nodded, he let out a breath. "What am I, Regalia?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, the Re-Class considered that. "My Uncle?"

Moments later, Harry shook his head. "No, what else am I?"

Deep in thought, Regalia tilted her head to the side like a cat. "Um, a boy? A human?"

Harry gave a nod at that. "That's right, I'm a human." Turning back to the sea, he let out a sigh. "I'm not a shipgirl or an Abyssal, Regalia. My biological Mum was one even if she was never awoken and so is my adoptive Mum. Almost all my sisters and aunts are shipgirls, and so are most of my closest friends. My little sister is an Abyssal and so is my Big Sister and Nieces. But... I'm human. I'll never be able to join them in the same way as you can. I'm not as strong or tough as an Abyssal or shipgirl." Tilting his head back to look at the slowly darkening sky, he still had a smile. "I'll never feel the joy of boilers pumping, turbines spinning, my props biting into the water and propelling me forward... because I don't have those. Nor will I feel my bow slicing through the waves, the sea washing along my hull with the wind in my superstructure. Because for me, those don't exist. I'll never know what it is like to use radar or anything else that you, or any shipgirl and Abyssal might. All because that's not what I am."

Eyes wide, Regalia stared at him. 'Uncle Harry...'

Meanwhile, Harry continued. "So much denied to me. I mean, sure, I can sort of get an idea of what it is like. But it will only ever be a pale shadow." Turning, he gave her a smile. "But you have that chance, Regalia. Even if you say no now, there is nothing to stop you from having it done later on. In my case, that's not possible."

Feeling a bit of wetness on her eyes, Regalia blinked. "Why don't you hate us? Why?"

Still smiling, Harry only shook his head. "Why would I? There would be no point to doing so. I might wish for it, but it would never happen and I'm okay with that. I'm okay with being me, being just human."

Both of them sat there in silence before Nero's voice called out. "HEY! UNCLE HARRY! CAN YOU COME OVER AND GIVE A HAND?!"

Just getting up, Harry brushed himself off. "Well, it seems that Nero needs me." Patting Regalia on the shoulder, he gave her a smile. "Hopefully that talk helped."

A frown on her face, Regalia gave a nod. "It did..."

Giving her another pat, Harry's smile widened as he nodded. "I'm glad then. Well... see you later, I suppose."

With a wave and a quiet goodbye, Regalia continued to think as she looked out over the waves.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Softly smiling as the breeze whipped past, Hermione let out a small sigh. A glance around them told her that nothing was too close, not that she expected much on the Irish Sea. But the sigh was also because now that she was nearly fourteen, the Royal Navy was going to start using her more in the North Sea. After all, one could make the argument for safety regarding a twelve year old Natural Born, less so for a fourteen year old. Another sigh made her chuckle and look over at one of her escorts. "Don't tell me that you're still annoyed, Amphy."

The Scout Cruiser, Amphion, just pouted. "Yes, I am." Rubbing the side of her face, she groaned. "You're the best flagship that we've had and you' Be leaving us here in the Irish Sea soon. So, yes, I am still bloody well annoyed."

From behind her, a chirpy voice spoke up. "Ah, but what about us, Amphy?"

Looking over her shoulder at the Empire F-Type, Fairhaven, Amphion rolled her eyes. "What about you? Beside the fact that means I get stuck with the bunch of the rest of you with no one to talk to."

Giggling along with the other F-Types in the small convoy heading for Northern Ireland, Fairhaven was a small, black haired girl with a large backpack. Like the other F-Types that had shown up, she mostly did convoy work between Ireland and the UK as well as cross Channel trips. Grinning, she gave a wink to the other girl. "And here I thought that you cared."

Facepalming, Amphion gave Hermione a pleading look as the others chimed in. "Help? Please?"

All Hermione did was smirk at her. "How about no? Consider it payback for what you showed to Vanguard."

Wincing, the Scout Cruiser rubbed the back of her neck. "Come on, Hermione! It wasn't that bad! And how could I have known that she would react that way?"

Eyes narrowing, Hermione gave her a glare. "You showed her Watership Down. Do you have any idea how much that affected her seeing as she likes bunnies?!"

Grimacing, Amphion grumbled a bit. "She's a Battleship! That sort of thing should not bother her so much..." When Hermione's glare approached that of a annoyed Victory, the Scout Cruiser winced. "Okay, okay, I'll buy her a bunny key chain or something. Bloody hell, can you possible momboat her more?"

That caused Hermione to blush before she looked away. "I am not a momboat."

Sharing looks, the F-Types all spoke as one. "You are totally a momboat."

A frown on her face, Amphion jerked her thumb at the group behind them. "They're right, you know. Heck, Vanguard even calls you 'Mum'. Kind of odd though..." Her frown turning thoughtful, she scratched at her nose. "I mean, she calls Dreadnought 'Mother' like the other Battleships. But she's a lot closer to you."

Snickers made them turn to Croome, one of the Escort Destroyers. "Oh, that's easy." Jerking her thumb at Hermione, she continued. "See, Vanguard was sort of lost when she came back. I mean, she never saw any action, not even Korea. So she was basically like that one Japanese Carrier, Shinano I think that she's called. Anyways... thing is that even back then, Dreadnought was... strict, a battleaxe if you catch my drift and one day after a training session headed by Dreadnought, Hermione here found Vanguard crying on a bench."

There were various mutters at that which made Hermione sigh. "Despite what the rumours stated, Dreadnought was not harsh with her and told her to stop wasting their time or any of that tosh. All that happened was that Vanguard was having big issues due to her lack of experience and Dreadnought was a bit hard on her. What Dreadnought told her was that she should be working much harder to be better for the good of Britain and as a representative of the Royal Navy. Then she told her that if she does not get better, then someone could be hurt when they needed her most along with how she expected her to be much better when she returned in a month."

Arms crossed, Croome's sister Middleton frowned. "That's still pretty harsh."

Just shrugging, Hermione shook her head. "Dreadnought is... old school when it came to training. She forgot that Vanguard had no experience unlike the others."

Croome nodded at that and then looked back. "Anyways, Hermione here stumbles across her. She herself having been awoken for a couple of months and out doing patrols here in the Irish Sea. Back then she was a bit bossy and decided that she was going to take care of Vanguard and help her... which she did. Unlike Dreadnought who only gave a nod of approval or a word of acknowledgment when she did well, Hermione here gave her rewards. Like taking her to a candy shop or that booklet of stickers she loves. Heck, even a trip to a bookstore to pick up books she liked!"

Blushing at the snickers, Hermione huffed. "She liked reading, just like me. Even if the books she prefers are for... younger readers."

Only turning to her, Croome snorted. "Yes, like Peter Rabbit. Or those Redwall books." As the Light Cruiser grumbled, the Escort Destroyer shook her head. "Well, a month went by and Dreadnought returned. Much to the old Battleship's approval, Vanguard was doing a lot better."

With a sigh, Hermione rubbed the back of her neck as she remembered. "Vanguard was happy about it, though all she did was nod and tell her that soon enough if she kept it up she would be a fine Battleship for the Royal Navy."

Lips twitching into a smirk, Croome gave her a look. "Meanwhile you once you heard about it gave her a hug while declaring how happy you were. Then you dragged her off to the local ice cream store to give her a treat there for doing so well." Jerking her thumb at the blushing Hermione, she lost her battle and smirked. "And after another such time, she got her those bunny pajamas she loves. But her expression when Vanguard told her that she was her Mum was something to see." An expression of mock thoughtfulness, the shipgirl turned to Hermione. "Though I think that your own Mother was happy about it, though confused."

Face in her hands, Hermione shook her head. "Mum was... and then grilled me about her new 'Granddaughter' for the next few hours." With a sigh, she checked to see if there was anything to distract them before-never mind, the bunch of them were cooing. "Just shut up." Then the witch paused and perked up while looking to the Southwest. "Hmm? The Irish Naval Service is heading this way."

Now interested in something other than the usual teasing Hermione for being a Momboat, Middleton blinked. "Huh, so they are. Any reason for them to be around here?"

Eyebrows furrowing, Hermione checked her memories and logs before relaxing. "Ah! I can't believe that I forgot that. They're sea trials of the LE Scathach, their new flagship."

Amphion gave a grimace at that. "You mean that weird ship of theirs? That looks like a flight deck snuck up on a Type 45 and is now holding onto it's arse like one of those tentacle monsters that the Japanese are into?" When everyone turned to her and gave her a look, she blinked. "What? It's true!"

Pinching her nose as she tried to get that image out of her head, Hermione sighed. "Must you be crude?"

In response, Amphion gave her a look. "Considering Olympic's response when she was last here in Britain and saw a picture? I'm being downright bloody polite about it. Granted, she was drunk at the time, but still."

The memory of that made Hermione grimace a bit. Shaking that off, she gave Amphion a frown. "Be that as it may, the Scathach is not a... bad idea, being as it is based on the UXV Combatant. The drones she carries are good for covering wide areas as the Irish don't have the population we do. And she is powerful enough for them as a flagship."

Rolling her eyes, Amphion snorted. "Still looks fugly like the Yanks always say."

It said something that Hermione didn't say anything in regards to that. Roughly an half hour later, they came into sight of the ship with the few Irish shipgirls around it. Seeing the V-shaped flight decks, Hermione internally grimaced as she was reminded of the "Aviation Battleship" conversion for the Iowas considered back in the 1980s. At least part of the grimace was also for said Battleships' likely reaction for whoever saw it. Seeing the approaching shipgirl though, she gained a smile. "Good morning, Miurchu, how are you?"

A grin on her face, the small shipgirl gave a light laugh. "Well enough, I suppose Hermione. And yourself?"

Simply shrugging, Hermione's smile grew a bit. "Not bad really, nothing to complain about." Then she gained a predatory grin. "But I have to ask, how are things with Seamus? Anything on that end?"

Moments later, a similar grin grew on Miurchu. "Ah, now there is a tale that I should tell you. Wearing him down a little bit at a time, I am." Noticing the bushy haired shipgirl glance at the ship, she looked as well. From where they were, they could see one of the drones being launched into the air. "Bit O' a sight, she is, the Scathach?"

Only nodding, Hermione watched as one of the helicopters landed on it. "I remember reading about it two years back? Drones for reconnaissance right and a hundred crew?"

Miurchu shook her head however. "More like almost two hundred. Some of them being trained on her. But some of her drones are armed with bombs or missiles."

Her lip twitching, Hermione chuckled. "Trainees and a distance way of killing? I think that Scathach would be happy with her namesake." With another shake of her head, she turned back to Miurchu. "So, what exactly has been happening with Seamus? We'll probably be heading in the same direction for a bit..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Placing her mug of coffee down, Supprin gave a small nod to both Goto and Ooyodo. "Thank you both for seeing me, I understand if you are rather busy with all that is going on." With a shake of her head, she looked to the north. "I don't believe that any of us expected this many survivors."

Simply leaning back, Goto hummed himself as he looked out at the darkened base as it was getting late into the night. "No, I don't think that any of us did. Though I am rather happy for Hoppou despite the problems that this might cause." After a few moments, he turned back to Supprin and gave her a small smile. "That said, you don't need to thank me all that much for seeing you. We are allies."

Hand running along her mug, the Abyssal became thoughtful. "And isn't that a surprise considering everything?" Then Supprin shook her head and gave both Ooyodo and Goto an unsure look. "Lady Wanko, as I am sure that you know, gives me a rather large amount of leeway. It is not just because I was not a threat to her when she had me join her either. But also because she understands that it is because of what I am."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Goto frowned. "May I ask what you mean by that?"

Just gathering her thoughts, Supprin tapped a finger against her chin. "As I am sure that you noticed, us Abyssals come in different types? Same with the Demons?"

Ooyodo frowned at that before nodding. "We have, there seems to be a split." With one hand, she gestured as she continued. "There are what are Installation types and Ship types. Such as the Battleship Water Demon currently up north compared to the Airfield Princess."

Slowly, Supprin gave a hum. "You are, of course, right. But there are other divisions among us Abyssal Leaders. We can be divided into Offensive Units such as Battleship Demons and Princesses, Defensive Units or Fortification Units such as Wanko and Hoppou. And then there are ones such as myself." She tapped her chest. "Logistics Units, those of us who gather and hold supplies for other Abyssals. We're generally considered the lowest of the low as we're... not the best at fighting and usually only have a collection of Destroyers or Light Cruisers, maybe a Heavy Cruiser."

More then a little interested, Goto put his mug to the side and then tented his hands in front of his face. "We had suspected that Abyssals had logistical lines, but outside of yourself and maybe two other Supply Depot types as well as the... Wa class, we have not found any."

Grimacing, Supprin shook her head. "As I said, we're considered the lowest among the Abyssal leaders, I suppose that one could say. I mentioned before that generally speaking, the various Demons and Princesses treated myself rather badly, though Wanko had never bothered too much with me until that day. Even then, she at least treated myself and others well enough. Outside of Wanko, that is rather common treatment for myself and other supply types. We're not powerful ourselves nor do we have powerful fleets with us. At best we attach ourselves to a Demon or Princess and serve them as a central hub for protection."

A frown on her face, Ooyodo considered what she knew as well as knowledge of what happened during the Second World War. "They're the first victims of the internecine warfare among the Abyssals, aren't they?" Turning to Supprin, her eyes widened. "That's why we don't see them too often, they're often attacked by the others."

Eyes closing, Supprin gave a small nod. "Unfortunately, yes. This is especially true when pressed by shipgirls as we have stockpiles that other Abyssals would want. Thus, other Princesses and Demons would attack us hoping to gain control over our supplies to build more Abyssals to defend themselves. And more then a few would take and take and once there is nothing left..."

It did not need to be spelled out to either of the other two there. With her own eyes closed, Ooyodo hummed. "Which is why you're happy with Wanko. Not only does she not force you to give up supplies and goes through the proper channels, you don't need to worry about her killing you for said supplies."

Opening her eyes, she saw Supprin gave a nod. "Yes, Wanko does understand the various issues that could pop up. She has also allowed me to, under her protection, develop the Oku class. Something that I would never have had the chance to under other circumstances. Not just because they serve a purpose in our fleets, but also..."

Goto gave a slow nod with a look of distaste. "But also because it gives an out for any Wa class that we might capture. They might never be able to live normally, but you could convert them into Oku class to free them after a manner."

Just nodding, Supprin sighed. "Correct. At least part of the Oku class is to allow for myself, Wanko, or other Allied Demons and Princesses who might capture a Wa Class to convert it to an Oku. It is the best that we can do for the moment though I am hopeful about learning how to convert them to other Abyssal types. But that sort of thing is the domain of the Elder Princesses as one needs to... remove their soul and keep it in a sort of stasis while using the original body for materials to create a new one. Such Abyssals are killed and reincarnated as either a new one of their type or a more powerful one. It is an extremely intensive process, both in energy and materials, hence why it was only used for the very best of subordinates if they were too damaged to continue to live."

Voice soft, Ooyodo looked at her. "Is that the best that can be done for them?"

Expression saddened, Supprin gave a small nod. "It is unfortunate, though that does not carry just how horrible it is, but that is the best that we could do. They would never be human again, but we could give them a life of sorts as it were and..." Chewing her lip, she continued. "Not to give too much hope, but such a process may also allow for those who are lost to insanity to become sane once more. While it is similar to how I might convert a Wa class to an Oku, or a Light Cruiser into a Chi Class, it is far more difficult and complicated. Not unlike evolving an Abyssal into a Demon or Princess. But in order to do so... we would need to test and..."

Rubbing the side of his head, Goto groaned. "And isn't that going to be a shitstorm to consider. Thankfully, that is above my paygrade."

Lips twitching despite the seriousness of the subject, Ooyodo turned back to her friend. "How are the Oku class going? From our last talk on them you stated that they've completed their sea trials, correct?"

Now happier, Supprin gave a nod. "As a matter of fact, they are doing extremely well. And have also been received well by our fleets and the humans. We've already started using them to transport cargo to both Australia and Indonesia, including reparations for what we've done." At the looks, she shrugged. "Besides the various ores we can gather from the ocean floor, I've been having my fleet harvest methane hydrate. It's something that I figured out how to do years ago, after which it just needs some refining to make into liquid methane which we've started to ship to both Australia and Indonesia. With Hoppou's children? I might hand the process over to them to do so as well so that they have something to give to both Japan and the United States. Not sure if we could figure out a manner for humans to do it though."

Both Goto and Ooyodo had wide eyes at that, the two sharing the same thought. 'The government would enjoy that...'

However, Goto then turned thoughtful as his fingers tapped together. "As interesting as this is, I am assuming though that this is a build up to something?"

Supprin gave a nod at that before taking a deep breath and letting it out. "While we are at peace, our two groups anyways, there is just one small issue. We are still separate and to be honest, we need to learn how to work together. Which is why I wish to ask if you would be interested in a combined operation of both shipgirls and Abyssals." Reaching into her clothes, she pulled out a folder and handed it to Goto. As he opened and read, she continued. "The Australians have already agreed to the basics as long as it is not just them involved.

While he read it, Goto frowned as did Ooyodo. Eventually though, he leaned back. "According to this, the operation is to capture an Abyssal Demon? One that you know personally?"

Nodding, the Supprin frowned. "Capture might not be the right word, but neither is cause her to surrender. The Demon in question is a Food Supply Demon, somewhat like the shipgirl Mamiya. Like myself, she is a Logistics type, but only for food. Personality wise, she is like myself in that she doesn't want much to do with war and would like peace. Unlike myself though, she does not really have a patron to protect her except for, well..." Coughing, she grimaced. "A Southern Ocean War Princess, formally a Demon. The two are best friends, but the Southern Ocean War Princess doesn't have a real fleet with her and the two are always on the move, which is why this might work."

Just leaning forward, Goto frowned in thought. "You think that they might surrender, peacefully?"

For several moments, Supprin was quiet before speaking. "The big thing for the two of them, from what I understand, is safety. If we put together a combined fleet, and it was big and powerful enough? The two would surrender as they would know that they would be safe from any other hostile Abyssals and that is what is important, especially in regards to Food Supply Demon. The Southern Ocean War Princess would follow her friend. It would also convince them that we could protect them against any reprisals, even from Subcontinental Princess."

That name made both Goto and Ooyodo frown before the Admiral spoke up. "Subcontinental Princess? But she is dead, it's confirmed that she was at Diego Garcia when it was hit by several nuclear strikes. And she has not been seen since."

Only giving them a look, Supprin grimaced. "I can only hope that she perished in that. But unless I see her body in front of me, I won't let down my guard and I know that Wanko is much the same way. A hundred years could pass and we would still be looking over our shoulder. Subcontinental was the absolute worst and if there is anyone mean enough and filled with enough bloodlust to survive such an event? It would be her..." Her expression then turned dark. "A number of the skulls she wore weren't human, but Abyssal after all."

Sharing a look at that, the human Admiral and the shipgirl frowned before turning back. If they were going to do this, then they needed more information after all.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

A smile on his face, Harry looked over at Nero who was cracking eggs over a bowl. While he watched, she cracked the last one and picked up an egg beater to rapidly mix them together. Internally shaking his head, he considered what he knew about the Abyssal next to him. From what he had been told from her and others, she had been looking for something outside of fighting and the like. At some point though, Nero had taken up cooking and found it to be her calling.

It was something that he was happy about as it gave the two of them at least one thing in common.

Hearing a hum, he glanced over at her to find her looking into the bowl with a frown. "You okay, Nero?"

With a blink, the Ne class looked over at him before shaking her head. "No, I'm fine Uncle Harry. Just wondering about these eggs. There's a lot that can be done with them."

Only chuckling, Harry gave a small nod. "True enough, eggs are one of the most diverse foods when it comes to cooking. You can boil them, cook them as is, scramble them when just using them. Or you can add vegetables or meat to make an omelet. Heck, that's not counting the other things that you can do by adding them to other things like breakfast sandwiches or with toast and syrup to make French toast."

Considering what she just heard, Nero frowned in thought before giving him a smile. "I suppose that is true enough. Though these taste better then seabird eggs."

Just chuckling, Harry shot her a grin. "I suppose so, from what Hoppou tells me said eggs have a slight fishy taste to them." Checking the batter in his bowl, he tilted his head. "I've had quail eggs though and those are pretty tasty."

Somewhat surprised, Nero looked over at him. "Quail eggs, Uncle Harry? Really"

Giving a small nod, the black haired boy added a small pinch of something to the batter before going back to mixing it. "Yeah, we got some quail back at Yokosuka that we raise for eggs. Same with some chickens."

There was a considering look on Nero's face for several seconds. After frowning, she turned towards Harry and tilted her head to the side. "Would it be possible to get some chickens, Uncle Harry?" At his confusion, she gestured at the eggs she had cracked. "So that we can have some eggs."

Much to her surprise, Harry shook his head. "Honestly? It wouldn't be that hard for you to get some chickens. And you can use them for more the just eggs since you can use them for meat as well."

Nodding to that, Nero began to add the eggs to a pan while making sure that none splattered. As the smell reached her nose, the Abyssal gave a small smile at it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Harry pour the batter into an odd device. "What is that you're making, Uncle Harry?"

With a grin on his face, Harry gave her a wink. "Waffles, cinnamon waffles to be exact." Turning back to the waffle maker, he chuckled. "They're actually one of Hoppou's favorite foods."

Curious as she cooked, Nero looked over at Harry. "Wait, Grandma likes cinnamon waffles? Really?" When her uncle nodded, she frowned. "Huh."

Slowly nodding, Harry hummed. "Yeah, she really loves it when I make cinnamon waffles. Though she also likes Belgium waffles with powdered sugar on them or such."

At the sound of chuckles, they turned to find Sunny leaning against the serving counter with a glass of orange juice in one hand and a smile on her face. "So Mom likes cinnamon waffles or ones with powdered sugar? I have to admit, that makes sense as Mom always has liked sweet things." Glancing at the waffle that Harry put onto a plate, she raised an eyebrow. "Though maybe I might try some if Mom lets me."

Rising up from beside her, Patty licked her lips. "I'm just hoping for more pancakes. Now those are really great for breakfast."

Lightly laughing, Harry shook his head. "Sure thing, any in particular? I can make up some cinnamon pancakes and I know that there's some blueberries here." Tapping his chin, he frowned. "Though I might be able to swing some strawberries or other berries instead."

Eyes lighting up, the Airfield Princess rapidly nodded. "Okay, any of those would be great, Uncle Harry. Also?" Raising her hand, she gave him a thumbs up. "You are now my favorite uncle."

It was then that Ritou walked into view and rolled her eyes. "He's our only Uncle, Patty."

With one eyebrow raised, Patty gave a snort. "So? This just cements it."

Lips twitching at the byplay, Nero looked towards the Isolated Island Princess and smiled. "Hi, Mom. Just give us a bit and we'll have breakfast cooked up for everyone."

Smiling back at her daughter, Ritou only shook her head. "Sounds good, Nero. And can't wait." Glancing at one of the other cooks, she stretched. "I think that we've been eating the best we have for the past several days."

Unnoticed by them, there was a small frown on Harry's face at hearing that as it dredged up old memories. Ones that he would rather leave in the past which had to deal with before he was adopted. Then, shaking them off, the black haired boy looked over at Patty. "Well, if you like pancakes like this, I'll have to treat you to crepes when you come by Yokosuka."

Confused, Patty furrowed her eyebrows. "Crepes?"

Now amused, the wizard chuckled. "It's a type of pancake, really thin. But they're rolled up with syrup, cream, fruit, or some sort of thing like that inside. They're really good."

Mouth dropping, Patty stared at him for several moments. It was only after Harry snickered and she felt something that she realized that she was drooling. Wiping it away, she gave a small blush. "Um, sounds good?"

All of a sudden, there were giggles and Hoppou began bouncing. "Hoppou smells cinnamon waffles! Big Brother making Hoppou cinnamon waffles!?"

Harry chuckled at that before nodding with a grin. "Yes, Hoppou, I'm making cinnamon waffles for you. Just make sure not to have all of them so that the others can also have some." As Hoppou rapidly nodded, the black haired boy smiled. "Good to hear."

Just as he turned back around, Hoppou spoke up. "Oh! Big Brother also has a visitor from home with message!"

Pausing and somewhat confused, Harry turned to ask her who that was when he saw Tanith walking up and blinked. Then his lips twitched and he began to snicker. "Um... I can see that."

The others were now giving each other confused looks before Nero turned to look at Tanith and blinked. At seeing her stare, Ritou raised an eyebrow and also looked over her shoulder only to do a double take. She was not the only one as both Sunny and Patty did much the same. Coughing some as her orange juice went down the wrong tube, the Battleship Water Demon rapidly blinked. "Um, Tanith? What's that on your head?"

Utterly confused, Tanith frowned as she looked from her uncle, to her mother, and then to her sisters. "My hat...?"

Giggling, Hoppou had her hands in front of her face while her eyes twinkled. Meanwhile, Ritou coughed a bit and looked away. "Yeah, there's your hat. But, um..."

It was then that Regalia walked in and blinked as she took in the sight in front of her. "Mom? Why... do you have an owl on your head?" At the blink from her mother, she pointed. "Up there..."

With a frown, Tanith took her hat off her head and brought it down so that she could look at the top. And there was a snowy owl perched on the top of it, which opened an eye and gave her a look before closing the eye. Head tilted to the side, the Northern Water Princess furrowed her eyebrow and frowned. "What are... you doing... there?"

Once more opening an eye, the owl gave her a look. "Prek."

Raising his hand, Harry chuckled. "Actually? That's Hedwig, she's my owl." Then he pointed at her leg. "And it looks like she has a envelope there for me."

A smile on her face, Hoppou turned to one of the workers and motioned for him to come over and then whispered. Somewhat confused, he walked over to his station and returned with a plate that he held out to Hoppou. When the others looked, Hoppou smiled. "Hedwig really likes bacon!"

Eyebrows furrowed, Regalia walked over and took a piece of bacon. "She does?" Moments later, she felt something on her tail and turned to find Hedwig now perched there. The owl looked from her to the piece of bacon and back before giving a bark. Slowly, Regalia held out the piece of bacon and watched as Hedwig leaned forward and began to take pieces from it. "Wow..." With a glance at Harry, she chewed her lip. "Um, Uncle Harry? Can I..."

Giving a small nod, Harry chuckled. "Go ahead and pat her, just be very gentle with her and do it along the feathers rather then against them. That way you don't hurt her."

Her eyes wide, Regalia reached over and paused when Hedwig gave her hand a glance. But when the owl didn't do anything, she continued and slowly stroked the feathered head. "Wow..."

Sunny took one of the pieces of bacon and walked over to offer it to Hedwig with the owl taking it. Then, grinning, she began to stroke Hedwig's head. "Okay, this is just awesome. Hey there, Hedwig."

With a small smile on his face, Harry shook his head. 'You're going to get spoiled, Hedwig.' Then he turned to Hoppou who was watching as Patty and Ritou joined in. "Hoppou? Could you get the letter and see who it is from?"

Nodding, Hoppou smiled up at him. "Okay, Big Brother!" Walking over, she gently took the letter from Hedwig and then made her way over to where Harry was taking out a waffle. Opening it, she held it up. "Here you go, Big Brother."

Just humming, Harry leaned towards the letter and read it before chuckling. "Huh, seems that Natsumi-Chan is thinking about having a beach party to celebrate the summer vacation. And she's wondering if I'll go to it."

Thoughtful, Hoppou gave a small nod. "Big Brother? Hoppou going with Sunny and Tanith to Yokosuka in a few days to meet with Admiral Goto. Is that when it is happening?" With a glance at the letter, Harry nodded which made Hoppou smile. "Then Big Brother should come with us and go to party. Though we should also be ready for Big Brother's birthday."

Upon hearing that, Regalia turned to look at them. "Birthday, Grandma? Uncle Harry?"

Both of them turned to her with Hoppou nodding. "Big Brother's birthday is in a few days."

Giving a small nod, Harry smiled and chuckled. "It's a celebration of when I was born. Like when you were launched in other words."

That got him a thoughtful nod from Regalia, neither noticing that the various Princesses and Demons stopped their pampering of Hedwig to give each other looks.

 

[darthcourt10]

WickedestCard

So...here is the result of a 2 am post about Challenger Deep that has been stuck in my head all day.
-------

Abssyal Files: Challenger Deep Princess.

Challenger Deep Princess

Location: Challenger Deep

Abyssal Forces: None (rumored to know of/communicate with/control massive unknown underwater creatures.)

Nicknames: Princess/Lady of the Abyss/Deep, She who lives at the bottom of the World, the Loneliest Princess.


A Princess type Abyssal that has only been spoken in rumors and whispers of Abyssal submarines, no living being has ever been confirmed to have seen this elusive Princess. During the lull in hostilities of the Abyssal conflict some Navies, Particularly the USN and the JMSDF, restarted deep sea research to better understand and perhaps locate Abyssal nodes and strongholds. During one such research expedition near Challenger Deep after the vessels had set up audio gathering equipment and done sonar surveys a strange audio return was recorded that chilled the shipgirl escort and wrecked havoc among the equipment. Even equipment set up thousands of miles away picked up the same return which was soon nicknamed as a 'song'. The shipgirls assigned to the expedition helped contribute to this as when they were questioned they described it as a very, very slow downed humming melody of three 'notes' in a three beat pattern which was an exact match to what the print outs showed.


Originally it was thought to similar to previously recorded sounds such as 'the Bloop' and 'Slow Down' but when shipgirls stated that the melody carried an incredibly strong 'current' of loneliness and longing it was decided to consult the allied Abyssal forces. Most of them, even the few Princess classes stated that they didn't know anything about this 'song' until a Princess Class submarine came forward and told the scientists of an ill fated voyage she had once been part of back when she was a Demon.


At one point a small fleet of other abyssal submarine types decided to make a dive down towards the Marianas Trench in look for rare materials. As the fleet dived and the pressure increased many of the lower submarines would lose their lives as even their eldritch hulls succumbed to the massive water pressure but an Elite and the leading Princess type continued to press on. As they neared four and a half miles under the surface something strange started to occur. Someone or something started to 'sing'. The Princess stated that at this point she had been unconscious and was slowly floating up to a safer depth when even she heard the song. Dark, slow, melodious and gripping her boilers in a loneliness that nearly paralyzed her, the Princess stated that she was urged to do nothing but continue back down to meet up with source of the song but her body could not do so. For several minutes the song continued until it slowed down further and finally it quieted down and it's hold on her gone. The other two were never resurfaced.


The submarine stated that when she became a Princess she slowly started to realize that the song could only have been created by another Abyssal Princess as she could now also produce a similar, if lesser, melody. One night she sang her underwater song and when she fell asleep she had a dream. In it she was back in the total blackness of the Trench but soon a small light appeared in front of her and she started to hear the original song once more. Enthralled she said she followed the glow further and further down, until she came across the one part of the ocean no Abyssal had ever reached, The Bottom of the World, The Darkest Abyss, Challenger Deep. Now deeply afraid she could no longer move her ethereal body but she had no need to. Slowly the light grew pale until it barely stood out from the pitch black and shifted until it became vaguely humanoid. Tall with long, almost gangly limbs and fragile looking fingers, long raven black hair and skin so pale it was almost transparent with a black dress held to her body with the characteristic Abyssal metal. However what pierced her was her face, smooth and so pale it made marble dark, her lips were open singing her song but her eyelids were closed. As the unknown Abyssal neared her with a quiet grace unnatural even to Abyssals, the Princess still could not move even as gentle fingers touched her face and the unknown opened her eyes. Pale white with what seemed like a milky film over them, blindness as no natural light could ever reach her.


Since then periodically the Princess stated she could hear the song, quiet and far gone until the day the research expedition captured the audio. That day the song was louder than ever before, and she stated that somehow...a small amount of joy was interwoven with the normal solemn notes. Possibly related but still unconfirmed, on that day it's said that the US Navy bathysphere Trieste moved and some of her internal instruments moved and recorded data with her lights turning on for a split second in the National Museum of the US Navy.
-------

Side note, I may favorite part from this was coming up with nicknames for CDP and Challenger Deep itself. If anyone has any ideas for more nicknames go ahead. And perhaps a name for the Submarine Princess.

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

Living Between Stories

-----

"I don't remember ever meeting you," Mamiya said, glaring slightly at the girl who was relaxing on the couch. Tonbo raised an eyebrow but refused to turn away from the carton of ice cream that had been hidden somewhere in the back of the freezer when no one was looking.

"Is that so?" she mused, briefly sucking on the spoon. "Pity. I remember you quite well. Puked on my shoes."

Mamiya grimaced at her flippant response. "You say that, but I still can't believe you were ever—"

"Twice," Tonbo cut her off.

"I—don't you ever stop joking?" Mamiya complained. Tonbo snorted.

"Where's the fun in that?" she asked. Mamiya groaned.

"Just… Just where were you, anyways?" Tonbo leaned back, examining her ice cream carton. Deciding it would keep, she tucked it into the nook of her arm.

"South, mostly," she said. "After you turned three, I spent some time up north chasing reports of a coven of vampires that were using storms to move around out of sight. I came back for a while when Tatsuya was born, to see if he inherited the family job—didn't look like it at first, so I went on down to Okinawa." She spooned a massive heap of frozen dessert into her mouth and spoke around it. "Took a while to hear 'bout him later in life—word can travel slow if the right people aren't paying attention."

"A-and what was that about being a vigilante serial killer?" Tonbo jabbed her spoon back into the ice cream.

"Some people lose their way. Some people have other peoples' ways and have them lost for them. I'm one of the later. I tried to create my own way, made a bit of a mess of it. Your ancestor found me, gave me his."

"I see," Mamiya said quietly. They sat in silence a few seconds before she continued. "And he'll be safe? With you at his side?"

"I've sworn myself to your family," Tonbo said. "Safety is relative in our business, but I'll do my best to make sure he doesn't die."
-----

Reiko sat at the top of the shrine steps, looking out over the city. Letting her chin drop into her hands, she heaved a sigh.

"You know," she looked up to see Chiaki looking down at her, slightly annoyed, "Normally I wouldn't mind having people being up here, but seeing as you've just been sitting and doing nothing, don't you think that there's somewhere else you could brood?"

Reiko sighed. "Sure," she said sarcastically, "and me screwing around up here pranking people has nothing to do with it." Chiaki stuck her lip out and groaned.

"All I'm saying is that if you're pining over a crush, there are better places to be doing it than at a shrine," she said defensively. "And even if I did have something to say about—hey, what?" Reiko turned, curious about what she was complaining at, and got a face full of broom.

"I know you're cranky that your dream guy wasn't a knight in shining armor or whatever it is kids these days like," the woman who some people called Airu said casually, taking a long drag of whatever it was in her drinking gourd, "but this is getting ridiculous. You wanna pout? Fine. But pout while doing something productive."

Reiko stared down at the tool in her hands while Chiaki gaped at the totally-not-a-kami.

"What are you even saying?" she demanded, stomping up to quite possibly the town's most powerful resident. "Is this supposed to be another joke, because—"

"Nope," Airu said, popping the "p." "Completely serious."

Reiko tuned out the argument, turning the broom over in her hands. Well. She couldn't think of any reason why she shouldn't, except for the sneaking feeling that whatever duties she was given probably wouldn't end there. Airu was infamously unpredictable, but there was no way that things wouldn't turn out like that. On the other hand…

Reiko gripped the broom, stood, and walked back into the courtyard.

… On the other hand, she needed to be of help to him somehow. Why not like this?
-----

"Hey, neesan?"

Himeyuki looked up from the tableware she was drying to glance at Akebono. The destroyer sat on the floor, Mai slumped over sleeping in her lap. Her face was unusually serious. The housewife sighed, putting the plate down. Her sister-in-law had been like this intermittently lately. Things had turned out well, but perhaps the fear of losing her admiral had affected her more than she was willing to admit?

"What seems to be your worry?" she asked, walking into the room and sitting down beside her.

"Nothing, it's just…" Akebono pursed her lips. "Why don't you like your magic? Nagato's kid seems to think he's got a pretty sweet deal, and it looks pretty… useful in a pinch, like if someone does something stupid—"

"Careful, Akebono," Himeyuki said quickly, keeping her voice light, "your caring is showing." As Akebono stopped, mouth opening and closing, she brought a hand up to grasp her hair.

"Maybe magic is a good thing to have," she said quietly, pensively. "Goodness knows it's probably not got anything to do with my troubles. But… But my life before Ichiro… I couldn't call it anything other than a waking death."

"That's a—"

"An exaggeration?" Himeyuki smiled ruefully. "Perhaps. All I know is that the man I was born to showered me with gifts and pretty words, but didn't stop to hear any of mine, and his son treated people like so many pieces on a shogi board. I was barred from befriending the children who smiled and laughed, and instead sent to play with the children whose games were power plays on their parents' behalf. And as long as I did well in school and received good marks, no one cared if I so much as existed." She held out a hand and within seconds, her wand had landed in it, it's familiar weight comfortable but not at the same time. "When I look at this, I see that man smiling and telling me how proud he is of me that I completed a task that wasn't even that. And what I remember? Is how I died inside a little bit more that day." She shook her head mournfully. "And then all I feel is the need to excise this, that waking death and every last part of it, from my life entirely."

"Sounds painful," Akebono admitted, hunching over Mai like a mother pigeon.

"I suppose it was, in its own way. We all have our pains and woes," Himeyuki said. "But enough woes, I've got work to do. Thanks for looking after her while I went shopping."

"H-Hey," Akebono stammered, "I was in the area, and I figured you might need it! You're kind of helpless like that." Himeyuki laughed and stood, patting her on the head.

"Welcome back," she said cheerfully, and left for the kitchen.

"What? What do you mean by that! Really, I'm just obligated to help out because you married my lug of a brother! That's it, seriously!" Mai came awake, yawning, and grabbed at the first thing that came to hand. "OW! Not again!"
-----

Well what do you think, sirs?

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Walking out of the light rain outside, Tanith took a moment to shake off the droplets clinging to her. Hoppou had been pleased with how well her ascended daughters were taking care of their fleets as she gave checkups to everyone. But just the same, she had all those daughters who had become Demons and Princesses in her workshop for them to observe as she performed checkups on the others with them helping. Part of which, Tanith supposed, was to find out how far along they were. Another was to show them the various small tricks and such that their mother knew to help further build the base that they had.

More surprising to them was to see the doctor, Norihara there. That was, until she joined their mother in giving them checkups, after which they all found themselves impressed with the human healer. No wonder Hoppou had suggested that if any of them were injured around Japan and neither she nor Wanko was available to help, they should contact Norihara.

Granted, Tanith was amused by the Ta-Class, Tanya, who was hanging around the doctor and how she was acting.

As she walked into the tent though, she could hear music from a nearby tent and could see Haida watching the children with a smile on her face. More then one of the Canadian sailors also had a smile, though it seemed more like one of remembrance then anything else. Tilting her head to the side, Tanith listened to the song and blinked.

"Every stop I make, I'll make a new friend
Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

Down this road, that never seems to end,
Where new adventure, lies just around the bend.

So if you want to join me for a while
Just grab your hat, come travel light – that's hobo style."

Shaking her head, the Abyssal just walked into the tent fully. Whatever they were watching, the children seemed to be enjoying it anyways. Now looking around, she noted various Abyssals doing things though she raised an eyebrow at Rivet playing a human game. From her memories she remembered that it was called chess. On the opposite side, Nagato sat with her hands clasped in front of her face before she called out a move.

And then, much to Tanith's surprise, and Rivet's dismay, one of Nagato's pieces moved forwards. Reaching the opposing piece, it drew back a sword before decapitating Rivet's piece with a swing. It was then that Yoko smiled and called out chess.

Considering what she had just seen, Tanith frowned slightly. It suddenly made sense why Rivet would be playing if it was that violent. But where... "That's Harry's set." Turning, the Northern Water Princess blinked as Regina seemed to appear from nowhere. "Um, Harry owns that chess set, though his mother often is the one to use it. Same with Lady Hoppou..."

Eyebrows furrowing, Tanith considered that even as Rivet challenged a smiling Nagato to another game. "I see... so it belongs... to Uncle Harry? But Mother uses it... as does... grandmother?" When Regina nodded, Tanith frowned thoughtfully as she added another piece to the puzzle that was her uncle. 'Interesting...' Glancing at the Re-Class, she hummed. "You seem to really... care for Uncle Harry."

Much to her amusement, Regina blushed some at that before she pulled her scarf up a bit. "Um, I do. I mean, I do care a lot for Harry. He's my flagship and..." Looking at Harry, her blush deepened a bit as she spoke just above a whisper. "We're really close though..."

Only nodding with a small smile, Tanith chuckled. "I see..." Her gaze then fell upon the bracelet of black, Abyssal metal on his arm. Her mother giving him the rank of "Demon" was not too surprising. It was just the sort of thing that she would do without a care, though considering what she had heard? If even half of what she was told he had done was true, and Tanith knew that at least that was fact and that her mother was hardly one to lie about such things, then her new Uncle deserved the rank.

She knew that Sunny at least was impressed and really wanted to see the Basilisk tooth he had claimed for a trophy.

However, Wanko having done the same was a surprise. While, like Tanith herself, her aunt spoke slowly, no one would accuse her of being stupid. Thus the fact that she had given the rank of Demon to a human child, her "Little Brother" or not, said a number of things without saying them. At the very least it meant that she had seen something in him, something that even at his young age made him worthy of such. And glancing at the Re-Class next to her, one of her aunt's personal guards who was also made her uncle's when needed, Tanith became thoughtful. "And how has Uncle... done so far?"

Regina gave her a look that she could not quite understand before giving a small nod. "Harry has done very well as such. Lady Wanko... I mean, Mother has agreed. Even before he became my flagship he did well." Seeing the curious look on the Northern Water Princess, the Re-Class smiled in remembrance. "When Mother was due to sign the treaty with the humans, I was her guard. Harry took me aside before and gave me a dress so that I would look well. It fit and was just right for me, even worked for my tail." Then she sighed happily which made Tanith blink. "He also gave me an hair ornament as well as one for my tail... Then Harry made sure that my hooves were polished to a shine as well as my turrets and other parts."

Needless to say, Tanith's eyes widened at that. She knew just how much work was involved in such an action after all. "Did he do... it all himself?"

Shaking off her distraction, Regina smiled. "Yes, Harry did. Mother was pleased and impressed at how much work he had done or helped out with to make me presentable. He takes care of me as a flagship should, but also understands when I am needed to fight and will give the order. Once, we were fighting against a monster known as Grendel, it was real fun as the two of us were hitting each other and it was able to survive."

Intrigued, the Northern Water Princess leaned in. "It was... able to match you? Even if you... were holding back?"

Just nodding, Regina hummed. "Yes, though I did get hurt a little. It used this fire that gave me small burns. Nothing that would really bother me, but Harry? He took me aside and used some special salve that healed them. When she heard that, Mother smiled and even Harbor Demon gave a small nod."

That got Tanith to glance at Harry and nod. Yes, she knew that such things would be considered odd for Abyssals. But to those of Little Laughter's Fleet as well as Wanko's? She knew that healing even minor wounds would prove to them that it was right to give him such a rank. A thought then occurred to her and she gave Regina a searching look. "Regalia told me about something you said... that confused her due to you looking at Harry..."

Expression becoming serious, Regina blinked. "Harry is the only one other then Mother, Lady Wanko, who can control my inner demon. It listens and obeys him." Pausing for a moment, Regina looked slightly ashamed. "As you saw when I was about to attack..."

Despite the memory wanting to make her scowl a bit, Tanith instead frowned in thought. At the time, she was surprised at the fact that just words from her uncle had made Regina stand down. But hearing what she had just now? It began to make sense. Watching as Harry turned a page in his book before he made some notes, she frowned slightly. "Curious, but has... any more of... Aunt Wanko's fleet volunteered?"

It did not need to be said what she meant for Regina and the Re-Class tapped her chin. "There are a few who wish to volunteer. Not just Destroyers but some others. Mother is unsure about which ones could be sent, though if Harry gets in danger she might send a few along with myself. Rotate them through there."

Her eyes narrowing at the thought of her uncle being in danger, Tanith gave a nod of her own while rolling some thoughts around. 'Perhaps...' Putting them into the back of her mind for later, she just smiled. "Thank you, Regina... for telling me more... about Uncle Harry. It sounds like Aunt Wanko and Mother made a good choice... for his rank."

Just nodding, Regina frowned. "They did."

The simple truth in that statement made Tanith smile even more with her just giving Regina a nod. "Understood. I think... that I will go... over and talk... with Uncle Harry... some. Thank, you."

Getting another nod from Regina, the Northern Water Princess turned and began to walk over to where her uncle was sitting. Not having spent as much time with him as the others had, she was curious...

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Doing some work on his Curta and consulting some notes, Harry suddenly paused with a blink as he felt a presence behind him. When he turned though, he smiled at who was there. "Hello, Tanith."

Just looking down at him, the giant Abyssal just nodded. "Hello, Uncle Harry. May I... sit down, please?"

When she gestured beside him, he just nodded and gave it a pat. "Sure, I don't mind."

A small smile on her face, Tanith did so. Once she was seated, she turned her head and looked down at her uncle. "Thank you, Uncle Harry. I have been meaning... to talk with you... for some time." Spotting him wince though, she furrowed her eyebrows. 'Was it something... that I said?'

Moments later, she got her answer as Harry looked down. "Sorry about that, Tanith. I've been busy and... Yeah, I should have talked with you like I have the others..."

Eyes widening, Tanith internally boggled before reaching down and placing her hand on his shoulder. "There is nothing... to be sorry for... Uncle Harry. You have been... trying to... spend time with all... of us. And we all... appreciate... it..."

Still grimacing, Harry shook his head. "Still though..."

Tanith shook her head and gave a small smile. "Nothing to be sorry... for. We have all been... spending time with... you." She then pointed and Harry blinked at the sight of Regalia looking through the gardening catalogue. "My daughter is... especially happy with... the attention. You accepted her... just as she is. Something that... I am most... thankful for, Uncle Harry."

Relaxing a bit, Harry gave a small chuckle. "I guess so. But then, she is very easy to get along with and a nice girl. She seemed surprised at some of the items though." At the curious look from the Northern Water Princess, Harry gave a small shrug. "Besides the rain barrels, as soon as she spotted the composters there she started to groan and slapped her forehead."

Confused, Tanith furrowed her eyebrows. "Composter...?"

With a small chuckle, the black haired boy looked up at her. "It's something that you throw in food waste and yard waste. Like weeds and such, or vegetable peels. You leave them there, turning them over every once in a while as they decay, or compost hence the name. Eventually, you get rich earth that you can then use in your garden or farm. You can also add manure and such."

Not having expected that, Tanith considered it before closing her eyes and pinching her nose. "That sounds like... it would be very... useful for those... of us living on... the island. I wish that... I had known of... this before. Especially for... Regalia's sake.

Just shrugging, Harry shook his head. "Well, she seems interested in it anyways. And like I told her, I don't mind helping her get a hold of what she needs for her farm. Heck, it helps out all of you."

Expression softening, Tanith nodded. "For which I... must thank you... Uncle Harry." Glancing at the papers though she frowned a bit. "What is this... that you are working on... Uncle Harry?"

Blinking, the wizard glanced at them and then smiled. "Oh yeah! Well... I've been working on a little something. Mainly for your island and I was going to present it once I was done, but..." With a small shrug, he shook his head. "Guess that I can run what I have past you?"

More then a little surprised, Tanith leaned down for a better look. "You were working on something for my island?"

The nearly thirteen year old rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, yes? I wanted to make sure that it was possible to be done first though before presenting it to you for your approval."

Head tilted to the side, the Abyssal gave him a slow blink. 'At least he was... going to ask first... once he knew.... his idea could work.' Then she gave him a small nod. "I am very interested... in what you... might have come up... with, Uncle Harry." Gesturing at the papers, Tanith smiled. "May I?"

As he nodded, Harry watched her take the sheets of paper and read over them. "Would you like something to drink? I mean, I can go and grab something?"

With a glance, Tanith smiled some. "Thank you, Uncle Harry."

By the time he returned with a bottle of fruit juice, Harry could see that Tanith seemed highly confused about what she was reading. Placing the bottle down, he pushed it towards her. "Here you go."

Glancing at the bottle, Tanith popped off the metal cap before tossing it into her mouth and chewing it. Once she swallowed, she took her first sip of her drink and cleared her throat. "Uncle Harry? What is this...?"

Only putting down his own drink, the young wizard rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... it was just an idea that I had after hearing some things about the island."

That made Tanith blink. "Things?"

His expression becoming serious, Harry nodded. "Yeah, about your island." Thinking, he continued. "From what I was told about it, most of the island is in ruins? With very little shelter except for the palace."

A small grimace on her face, Tanith gave a nod. "That is correct... Uncle Harry. We've managed to... cobble together some shelters... on the island. But they are more... lean-to, I think... that they are called. Supported... by old walls." Finger tapping the table, she sighed. "Even the palace has... sections that are... damaged."

Frowning, Harry considered that. "Hmm... I wonder if I can make a trip there at some point before winter." At the confused look, he shrugged some. "I can use magic to repair places. Worse comes to worse, I can repair sections well enough that you will only need to work some. Like putting up shutters on windows and such."

Needless to say, Tanith's eyebrows rose at that in surprise. Both that he could do so and that he was offering. Briefly, she looked Harry in the eyes only to see earnestness there. There was nothing but the want to help, no ulterior motives but that. It was something that warmed her boilers. "Thank you, Uncle Harry. That would be very... wonderful. Perhaps talk with... Grandmother about it?"

Harry gave a nod to that. "Yeah, I talk with Mum about that though it might be a bit before we can do that. Not that it would be very hard to do to be honest I think, especially as I can get out of school for a day or two on the weekends if it's family business." Grinning, he shook his head. "And I don't think that anyone will be able to argue that."

Somewhat bemused at it, the Abyssal just nodded before turning back to the papers in front of her. Being reminded of them, she frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "I am still confused... in regards to this... Uncle Harry. Or what... this has to do... with the... village?"

Moving the sheets a bit, the black aired boy pointed at one bit. "Okay, once I heard about the situation I started thinking about shelters and stuff. I mean, you guys really should have more then just lean-tos for shelter. So I started looking at what could be done and I found some items that could help. One is wizarding tents."

Just tilting her head to the side, Tanith hummed. "Wizarding tents? Are they... very much different... then normal tents? They could... get blown away."

However, Harry shook his head. "Wizarding tents are a lot bigger on the inside then what they should be. A cub tent for example, one of those small ones for two people at most?" He waited for her to nod and then shrugged. "That sort of thing can hold up to six or eight people in what looks like a two bedroom apartment. It even has a kitchen and a bathroom with bathtub and shower along with hot and cold running water. As for weather, there's spells on them that keep them anchored unless you're talking something like a hurricane."

For several seconds, Tanith stared at him before blinking. "I see, that... is very... impressive."

Only nodding, he chuckled some. "They're pretty useful to be honest and I've bought a number already. But that is just one of the things, there's these as well." Harry then pointed at another spot. "These are kind of instant cabins, I think? Just a spell and they build themselves. All they are really is just a two floor log cabin. First floor is basically living room and kitchen along with a bathroom though it has a fireplace for warmth. Second floor is split into two bedrooms and if I'm right..." Then he pointed at another spot. "With some bunk beds you can have four or even six if you use triples per room. So twelve people could live in one."

Mouth dropped open a bit, the Northern Water Princess just stared at her Uncle for several moments before shaking it off. "That sounds even... more impressive..." Now looking at the paper with something approaching awe, she blinked. "How did they... come up with such... a thing?"

Shrugging, Harry shook his head. "It's actually pretty old to be honest, going back to Medieval times. Back then, entire villages and such might be devastated by war or what have you. So they used spells and such to quickly build a home. Wales had this too with what they called 'One night homes' where if you built your home in a single night, you could squat on some land and have it yours. Or to build quick fortifications. But the Americans, Australians, and Canadians also used it when they were expanding into the wilderness."

Eyebrows furrowing, Tanith glanced from him to the paper. "Are such things... common with magic...?"

With a frown, Harry shook his head. "Not really? I mean, this sort of stuff fell out of favor until the last few years." It went without saying that Harry did not need to say why that was. "Mainly because no one nowadays really wanted to live in places like that. About the only place that they've seen any real use is in the dragon reserves. Because sometimes the dragons will burn places down and so they need to quickly rebuilt as a tent would not do good there. There are even ones that could raise barns, which... might work for Destroyers now that I think about it."

Also thinking, Tanith gave a small nod. "Yes, that would work. There would... be plenty of room... for them inside." Remembering something she was told, she looked at Harry. "Wouldn't this cost... money, though?"

Glancing at her, Harry gave her a smile. "Don't worry about that, I've made some money recently so I can easily afford it. Besides, this is family and that makes it worth it."

Tanith returned the smile. "Yes, family is... important." Looking back at the papers, her expression softened. "Very important..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

"Hey, Asuka!"

Blinking, the young Tengu turned to find Natsumi heading towards her. "Eh? Natsumi-San?"

Moments later, the Kitsune slowed down beside her. "Sorry about that, been meaning to talk with you all day. You're not doing a whole lot over Summer break, are you?"

Confused, Asuka glanced around at the others who were had also grouped together around her. "Um, not really? I don't think so anyways... why?"

A smirk on her face, Natsumi chuckled some. "Well, we might get together over the Summer break. Besides which, I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the beach party I'm having. Its in a few days."

Eyes widening, Asuka played a bit with her necklaces. "Beach party?"

Humming, Ayaka crossed her arms. "Natsumi-San is holding one to celebrate break. From what she said, the party will be out on Sarushima and besides us, there's going to be Harry-San as well as others. Such as shipgirls."

With a nod, Natsumi grinned. "Pretty much, the beach is pretty good over there and we'll have good privacy. We could even let go a little, if you catch my drift. Especially as Hoshi-San is going to be there watching over us."

That made Usagi whip her head around. "Wait, Hoshi-San will be there?"

Now frowning at her friend, the thirteen year old girl narrowed her eyes some. "Yes... why? That won't be a problem, will it?"

From long association, the Inaba hare knew that Natsumi was somewhat angered. Not that it really surprised her much. "No, not a problem at all, Natsumi-Chan. And you know that my family has little issue with either her or her Nee-San. Just surprised that she is going to be around openly like that." Shrugging, she continued. "Though her being there with her illusions would help out a lot. Especially with the distance between the island and the shore. But..."

Calming down some, Natsumi gave a small shrug. "Some of the girls will be having their planes out and such to keep an eye out on people approaching the island. Both Kaga-San and Akagi-San will be there after all, though I think I have an idea why. Not that there should be much of an issue with someone showing up. Most people head towards one of the lakes or rivers or towards the Inland Sea for beach days."

As the others nodded at that, Asuka raised a hand. "Um... Hoshi-San? Who is Hoshi-San?"

The others shared a look before Kaku coughed into his fist. "Hoshi-San is a Kyuubi who has been very close allies along with her sister with the Ono clan. Since the Sengoku Jidai as a matter of fact. A long story short, if one was to threaten the Ono clan, those two would involve themselves no matter what and they are very powerful. But despite who their Okaa-San was, they are also good people though a number of Yokai don't bother to see it."

Head tilted to the side, Asuka furrowed her eyebrows in thought before frowning. "Is it like how Kogamaru-San is treated due to his Ojii-San? Or how Ai is treated because of her family sometimes?"

Yet again, looks were shared which made the Daitengu frown internally in utter confusion. Rika then shook her head. "Um, worse then that actually. As bad as Royomaru-Teme was, he was nowhere near as horrible as their Okaa-San."

While she was somewhat curious, Asuka decided to drop it. 'Maybe Kiba or one of the others can explain it. I mean, how bad could their mother be?' A small shiver went down her back at that before she shook it off. "So, um... a beach party on Sarushima?"

Now grinning again, Natsumi nodded. "Yeah, they're usually a lot of fun out there. And, well... we won't be bothered. Louisiana will be there and so will Iowa, so we'll have both grilling and southern barbecue there. You'll love that, trust me. And a lot of drinks as well, such as Yamato ramune."

Furrowing her eyebrows, the tengu played with her necklaces. "Yamato ramune?"

Hands behind her head as they walked out the doors of the school, the thirteen year old fox Yokai nodded. "Hai, it's the ramune that Yamato-San makes inside her hull. Trust me, it is amazing. Shinano-Chan also makes her own and we'll probably have ice cream from her as well as Iowa and Louisiana as well as any of the other American capital ships."

Eyes wide, Asuka boggled at her. "Oh..."

Natsumi then gave her a smile. "So, want to come and hang out with us at it? It'd be great for you to come."

Internally, Asuka was panicking a little. 'Oh no, no, no! A beach party? I've never been to a beach party like that or been invited to one! With lots of shipgirls there and a Kyuubi!? What do I do!? What do I do!? I don't know how to act at one! I'll have to say no.' Still smiling, she nodded some as she caught Ayaka smiling at her as well as Kaku and Rika. "Sure, I'll come." The tengu internally screamed at herself. 'GAH!? WHAT THE HELL!? THAT WAS NOT WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY!'

Only nodding, Natsumi gave her a smile. "Great to hear actually!"

Chuckling weakly, Asuka rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm looking forward to it." With a look around, she frowned a bit. 'Kiba's not here yet?' Shaking that off, the Daitengu raised a finger. "I just need to make a call right quick."

After she moved a distance away, Usagi gave a smile to Natsumi before punching her in the arm. Wincing, the Kitsune rubbed it. "Itai, what was that for?"

Just scowling, Usagi gave her a glare. "For what you just pulled." Tilting her head in the direction of Asuka, she continued. "You know that she's uncomfortable. So why the heck are you doing that?"

In reply, Natsumi raised an eyebrow at her. "A few reasons actually." Holding out a hand, she began to tick off on her fingers. "Firstly, I'm a kitsune and it amuses me." That got Natsumi an eye roll. "Two, she needs friends her own age. I know what it is like to be surrounded by adults all the time and so do the rest of us."

Rika gave a small nod at that as she looked at Usagi. "She has a point there."

Continuing to tick off her fingers, Natsumi hummed. "Thirdly, considering the clan she is now heir to unless I am mistaken by her necklace? She's going to need friends who can back her up and we both know that some other Yokai clans are going to cause issues later on. Partially due to her own heritage on top of being adopted and partially due to what Ai-San's Chichi-ue did. Her being seen with us will cause most of them to back off rather then annoy our clans. We can also help ease her into the whole situation alongside Kogamaru-San and Ai-San. Fourth, she needs to get used to being outside her comfort zone, especially if she gets involved in the J.N.H.R.O in some manner. Not to mention what will happen when the Statute falls. And fifth... because I am a kitsune and it amuses me."

Simply giving her a look, Usagi crossed her arms. "You said that twice."

All Natsumi did though was give a toothy grin. "Because it's twice as important as the rest." Then her grin fell away some. "Not that the rest isn't true."

Frowning, the Inaba finally sighed. "I suppose that is true enough." It was then that she spotted that Asuka was walking back to them with a frown. "Something wrong, Asuka-San?"

With a blink, she shrugged and sighed. "Um, not really. I have to take the transit back as Kiba is busy and so are the others."

Much to her confusion, Natsumi perked up some. "Actually, I can give you a ride there. Oba-Chan isn't expecting me at the Shrine today anyways and we can talk some." At the looks, she leaned in towards Usagi and whispered. "Think of it as an apology of sorts."

Considering it, the rabbit Yokai gave her a smile. "That would work."

Not sure what was going on, Asuka looked between them. "Um, sure? I guess..."

As she nodded slightly, the Kitsune smiled. "Cool, we should get going then." After saying their goodbyes to the others, Natsumi was walking beside Asuka. "Sorry about putting you on the spot there. I just thought that you might to hang out some since we're friends and, well..." Shrugging, she shook her head. "You seem a bit shy at times."

Frowning as she turned to Natsumi, Asuka sighed a bit. "Well... maybe." Thinking it over, she rolled the idea around in her head. "Though it could be fun, I guess?"

Lightly laughing, Natsumi nodded. "That's the spirit." Then reaching into a pocket, she pulled out a key. "Anyways, if you want to stop somewhere on the way for a drink or something, I'm willing to buy. Just as an apology."

Surprised a bit at that, Asuka smiled slightly. "I think that I might like that." A few moments later though, she was staring at what was in front of her. "Uh... what?"

Rather amused at the reaction, Natsumi snickered at her. "What? You don't like my electric bike?"

Just looking from Natsumi to the vehicle in front of her, Asuka raised a finger. "That is a bike? Seriously? I... that looks like a car!"

Only nodding as she beeped the alarm, Natsumi lifted the roof up. "I know, right? But it's pretty cool just the same. I thought about going with the Mazda Komadori, but then this caught my eye." Motioning Asuka into the other side, she slipped into the seat. "As soon as I saw the 2013 Twike 4, I had to have it."

Glancing around, Asuka could only shake her head. "It is pretty nice." Then she heard a sound and watched as Natsumi lowered the windows and pushed back the fabric which made her eyes widen. "It's a convertible!?"

A grin on her face, the Kitsune chuckled. "That was one of the reasons that I decided to go with it. I mean, I can keep it closed and run the AC, but there's nothing like the wind in your hair. Though there's some other models that are the same." Placing the phone in the cradle, Natsumi activated the map app on it. "Now, you live in Zuchi, right?"

Now paying attention rather then looking around, Asuka gave a nod as she put on the seatbelt. "That's right..." Rattling off the address, she watched as Natsumi put it in and their route became highlighted. Then the Tengu pointed at one spot. "That's a good donut shop by the way, can we stop there? So that I can pick some up?"

With a look at the place, Natsumi marked it down. "Sure, I don't mind and I've never been there so might as well try. Any radio station that you want to listen to?"

Once the radio was on, Asuka leaned back in her seat and watched as Natsumi unlocked the parking break and began to pedal out from the small parking space. Frowning a little, she shook her head. "You are so lucky. I'm still trying to convince both Kiba and Ai to get me an E-bike."

Chuckling some, the Kitsune shook her head. "Let me guess, they don't see the big deal?" Getting a nod, she shook her head. "Oba-Chan wasn't that hard to convince, but then she saw the ones that the Akatsuki's own. From what she said, it would help me get around, even in bad weather though I use my old bike to get around the base."

Expression curious, Asuka tilted her head to the side as they went down the road. "Is it fun living on the base? I mean, you got access and such, but..."

Slowly nodding, Natsumi hummed. "Its fun enough anyways, especially with the shenanigans that happen from time to time. The base itself is a lot bigger then you would think though, I mean... it's practically a town in and of itself. Besides what's outside, there's all sorts of things down in the old tunnels like game dens and the like. If I wanted to, I probably could spend all my time there and never get bored."

Her eyes wide, Asuka blinked. "I knew that the base was big, but... not that big.."

Nodding as she checked the mirror, the other girl smiled. "Well, I was plenty shocked myself to be honest. Even I did not know how big the base was until I was actually living there. But I've had plenty of time to explore the places that I'm allowed at." It was then that she gave Asuka a serious expression. "There's areas that you do not go into on the base. Not if you don't want... problems."

As she shuddered a bit, Asuka remembered one of the things that Natsumi had told her. "Um, yeah, I can imagine. Secret military stuff, right?"

That got her a snort. "Not really any secret stuff. Mostly things like where weapons and the like are kept. Or the server building on the base, that sort of thing. You know, the type of thing that you don't want people to mess around with."

While she was still curious, Asuka gave a small nod as she thought back to both some of what Ai and the rest of the Abyss Divers had told her as well as what she overheard from those in the military. "Huh... that makes sense."

Shooting her a grin, Natsumi then shook her head. "Anyways, going back to your issues with getting an E-Bike? Maybe seeing one in person might help? Like it did with Oba-Chan as well as my Haha-ue and Chichi-ue."

Finger tapping on the side of the armrest, Asuka just shrugged. "I kind of doubt that, but who knows?" Shifting a bit, she looked down at her seat. "By the way, did you have cushioning charms put in?"

Natsumi gave a nod at that. "As a matter of fact, yes. Can't put in every charm that I want, but I've managed a few..." Both of them continued to talk with Asuka relaxing as they made their way to her home. Well, except for a stop at the donut shop with them both buying some.

The Tengu did enjoy the looks that they got from Jin and her group when they reached the beach house though.

 

[darthcourt10]

Savato93

Whew, this was a doozy. Longest chapter to date at 7,000 words, give or take a couple. Is crying when I write a sign that I'm doing something right?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Safe Harbor

XXXXXXXXXX

Inside the barracks of Fort Mears, in a time long past, a Ri-class cruiser twisted and turned in her sleep.

It felt like there were alarms going off in her head—scratch that, those WERE alarms. On some metaphysical plane, an irate, half-asleep Rivet manifested on her bridge. "Can someone PLEASE shut that off?" She moaned.

"Is 0700, ma'am," Her captain grunted. "Getting-up time, dat is."

"I was up till 0200 last night doing inventory checks. Is nobody thinking to account for that?"

"We don' be da ones tha' sets teh alarms, Ma'am, we jes follows 'em."

With a sigh of irritation, the cruiser slumped over to the control panel and slapped a button (this bridge technically didn't exist, it didn't matter which button she hit), cutting off the alarm. "Consider yourselves at ease for the next twenty minutes."

"Yes'm."

In the real world, Rivet grumbled softly and rolled over in her cot, relaxing once more.

Right up until the doors to the barracks slammed open. "MORNING TIME!"

Ah, right. She forgot the second alarm—Mother.

With a defeated groan, Rivet sat up in her cot. All around her, her sisters were in varying states of wakefulness as the childlike Princess went from bed to bed greeting them all. Rivet couldn't help but admire her mother's ability to tell her hundreds of children apart from each other. Without hesitation, without fail, she'd be able to point Rivet out from a line up of her dozens of identical Ri-class sisters.

"Good morning Rivet!" Speaking of which…

Rivet did her best to put up a smile for her Princess. "Morning, Mom…"

Standing at the foot of the bed, the Princess cocked her head at the Ri-class. "Is Rivet okay? Still look sleepy."

Rivet gave a halfhearted wave. "I was just up past my bedtime doing inventory. I'll be alright."

Mother shook her head. "It's not good to lose rest." Glancing to either side, she leaned in and whispered. "Hoppou will let Rivet sleep another hour, as thank-you for working late. Don't tell sisters Hoppou allowed this, okay?"

And like that, Mother was moving on to greet the next daughter. With a relieved smile, Rivet fell back onto her pillow. "You're the best, Mom."

XXXXXXXXXX

Stifling a yawn, Rivet tugged open the barracks door.

As was the norm, the harbor was in chaos. Not the BAD chaos, mind you; more of the "all the things happening at once" kind. At any one time, there were always Abyssals setting out or returning from resource-gathering trips, doing combat drills with their sisters, running equipment maintenance, taking stock of inventory, or just goofing around. With their conflicts limited for the most part to enforcing their borders or reminding cargo planes they'd overstayed their welcome, tension was never particularly high, which meant plenty of time to relax. Although…

Well, there were pros and cons to being part of a fleet of hundreds, Rivet figured. On one hand, there was never a dull moment. On the other… one was hard-pressed to find some peace and quiet during the day.

Stepping out of the barracks, Rivet made her way towards the showers. Along the way, she exchanged morning greetings with her various sisters as they walked past, already going about their daily routines. She briefly stopped at the sight of Mother guiding what looked to be a newborn Abyssal by the hand, showing her around her new home. Even from a distance, Rivet could see the girl's bright, curious eyes taking in everything around her in awe.

Welcome to the fleet, little one… she thought, continuing to head towards her destination. I'm sure you're gonna love it here.

After another minute or so of walking, she'd reached the building which housed the showers. "Hey, Nelly!" Rivet waved down one of her fellow heavy cruisers as she stepped into the locker room. "How's it going?"

The Ne-class looked over to her with a smile, as she went over her forked tail with a scrub brush. "Not too bad. You?"

"Same." Rivet stepped up to a repurposed medicinal cabinet and cracked it open. Sitting within was a pair of imps belonging to Mother, seeming right at home in a scaled-down domicile made just for them. Reaching out a hand, she let the imps climb into her hull; there, they would spend a little bit going over her various internal systems while she cleaned herself, making sure she was working at her peak.

As she walked over to a shower stall and started to hose herself down, she glanced back to the Ne-class. "Did Mother work out what caused that grinding and those scorch marks in your rear turret?"

Nelly snorted. "Yeah, get this: one of my crew dropped a gunpowder bag into the turret traverse mechanism."

Rivet tilted her head at the Ne-class, jaw agape. "What the f… how did they manage that!? Your guns don't even USE powder bags!"

"Remember when some of our field rations got mixed up during scouting missions a week ago?" Rivet nodded. "Apparently I got some rations intended for the battleships, and my crew had no idea what to do with it." Nelly paused and looked at her tail; both heads now had a smooth, matte-black sheen, freed from any grime or brine they may have accumulated while out at sea. Satisfied with her work, she set the brush aside. "Anyway, Mom just popped out the whole gun, replaced my turret ring, cleaned out the contact points on my hull, and slotted in a new turret. Just a quick tune-up to align it with rest of my main battery, and I should be good as new."

"Sounds great…" Rivet grimaced as she grabbed a bar of soap and started to rub herself down with it. "Now I'm starting to get just why she was so upset with the logistics girls over that mistake."

An entire week limited to daily meals and plain water was considered a big punishment by their Princess—and one that made sense. For such a massive fleet as theirs, logistics were critical. Taking away the snacks everyone else was able to enjoy because of the work they did would serve as incentive for them to do better, to make up for their mistake. While a seemingly minor demerit, this was more than enough to discipline them.

After all, Mother would never punish her girls in a way that hurt them, physically or emotionally.

Feeling something prodding at the back of her mind, Rivet turned inward, to her bridge. Mother's imps had already completed their evaluation:

Boilers working at more or less optimal capacity;
Propulsion normal;
Debris buildup in filtration systems starting to hamper ventilation;
Fire control systems slightly misaligned, performance down seven percent;
Minimal wear on barrels, no action necessary;
All electronic systems fully functional.
Verdict: Report to arsenal for maintenance (LOW PRIORITY).


Well, that explained why she'd been finding herself out of breath more easily the past day or so. At any rate, she could have it taken care of after breakfast. Right now, though, she had something else to take care of.

She held out a hand to the Ne-class. "Hey Nelly, can you pass me that brush?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Rivet could hear Patty squealing in joy well before she entered the mess hall. That could only mean one thing: pancakes.

Rivet tried to tune out the Wo-class as her excitement threatened to surpass the human auditory range. Stepping up to the kitchen line, she nodded towards the human chef on the other side. "Morning, Davis. Didn't realize it was already Friday."

The chef chuckled. "Yup. Let me guess, the days have been sorta blurring together for you recently?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Rivet leaned in slightly, trying to get a look at the plate being put together for her. "A little extra syrup, if you don't mind?"

"No problem." Another quick dab of syrup, and Davis handed the plate over to Rivet. "There you go. Try and ask Patty to take it easy on us, could you? Some of our kids are expecting pancakes for dinner."

"Heh. Can do."

Walking away, breakfast in hand, Rivet scanned the hall for a place to sit. Luckily for her, there was an open table occupied by other cruisers.

As she took a seat, Rivet cocked an eyebrow at the Chi-class across from her prodding her pancakes with her fork in one hand, holding a book to her face with the other. "Reading at mealtime again, Chiana? That's bad manners, you know."

"Hm?" The Chi-class blinked and looked up. "Oh, hey Rivet. Sorry, I picked this up from one of the stores nearby, and I've been really fascinated by it. It talks about all sorts of civilian ships and cruise liners that sank in the 20th century."

Rivet snorted. "You realize we're ships too, right? You're pretty much reading about cruel and unusual deaths."

Chiana shrugged. "Perhaps. It's a matter of perspective, really."

Rivet rolled her eyes. "Whatever. But I suggest you put it down and finish your pancakes before they get soggy."

Turning to her own plate, Rivet speared one of the fluffy saucers with her fork and stuffed it whole in her mouth, taking a moment to just enjoy the food. Her daughters had been skeptic of her decision at first, but Mother bringing in humans to help cook for them all was one of the best things that could have happened to the fleet. After all… without them, nobody would be able to enjoy such delicious food as this.

"Hey! Give it back!"

Swallowing her food, Rivet looked back to see a Wo-class weaving between tables, a cup of orange juice held over her head and a rather agitated Ru-class chasing after her. "That's MY juice!"

"Wo wokyuu!"

"That was an accident! I said I was sorry!" Sunny whined. "You didn't mark the pudding as yours, I had no way to know…"

"Wo!" Wokyuu turned around long enough to stick her tongue out at the Ru-class—and wisely started gunning for the exit as Sunny let out a roar of frustration and doubled-down on her pursuit. Onlookers couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.

Really… never a dull moment in this place.

XXXXXXXXXX

Breakfast settling in her tanks, Rivet made her way to the arsenal for her tune-up.

The warehouse in which they based their armory was more or less maintained for its specific purpose—storage of materials. The only real difference was the machinery being operated within. All manner of industrial tools lay about, ready to be used in whatever odd project Mother came up with between the long stretches of ensuring her fleet was at their best. If only there wasn't so much stuff… she could have gotten to bed significantly earlier the previous night.

Stepping through the doorway to the general maintenance facilities, Rivet was immediately met with a familiar voice. "That you, Rivet? I got your report from Mom's crew. Gimme a sec, and I'll be right with you."

Looking towards the voice, Rivet spotted one of her sisters poring over a set of blueprints. "Ritou!" As the Ri-class turned to face her, Rivet was surprised to notice her sister's formerly-teal eyes were now glowing a soft red. "Hey, Mother finally carried out your refit?"

The now-elite Ri-class grinned. "Yeah. One step closer to flagship-grade. Maybe now I can move from just running tune-ups to something a bit bigger, like minor repairs or even equipment modernization."

As far as her children were concerned, the Northern Ocean Princess's skill in construction, maintenance and repair was unparalleled… but at the end of the day, she was just one Princess, looking after the needs of hundreds. To that end, some of their more technical-minded sisters, across all classes, were hand-picked by Mother herself to take up her craft; to aid her in keeping their grand fleet running optimally. Rivet's sister Ritou was one such disciple. She wasn't too much older than Rivet herself, but from the moment of her birth she was captivated by her own inner workings, constantly pondering on how to eke out just a little bit more horsepower from her engines, boost her signal range a little further, get her shell dispersion a little tighter. This, in Mother's eyes, made her a superb candidate for training in general cruiser maintenance. Make no mistake, she could put up a fight—but her job lay in helping her sisters do it better.

Ritou glanced over a slip of paper on the table beside her—a copy of Rivet's diagnostic from that morning. "So, filter-cleaning and gun calibration? I can do that. If you could take a seat over here and get comfy, I'll start with the filters."

Rivet laid down on the exam room table as her sister transferred some of her own crew over, fighting the urge to shudder; with the exception of Mother's crew, she could never quite get used to the feeling of another Abyssal's imps moving around in her hull. Nevertheless, she did her best to relax and let them do their job. Over the next couple minutes, she felt a tightness in her chest she hadn't even noticed was there gradually fade away, allowing her breathing to come a little easier than before. "Man, filter issues can really sneak up on you, can't they?" She mused, taking a deep breath.

Ritou chuckled. "If only because filter changes come just infrequently enough that you consistently forget about them." As the Ri-class gathered her imps back up, the door to the arsenal swung open, admitting a new Abyssal. Ritou looked up to the newcomer, curious—and grimaced. "Damn it. She's done it again."

Rivet glanced over. "Huh?"

Ritou sighed. "It's Tampa. She cannibalized another Abyssal to make field repairs."

Ritou nodded towards the Ta-class battleship taking a seat nearby. To Rivet's shock, her left leg was gone… replaced with that of a Ne-class cruiser. To rational-minded Abyssals—hell, to ANY rational being—it was a horrific sight. Torn, savaged flesh and warped, broken steel was gouged out, and completely mismatched parts crammed in its place; secured to her hull only by hastily-welded armor plates, and the complex machinery brute-forced into running on far greater horsepower ratings, in a much more massive frame than it was ever designed for.

Rivet didn't bother to suppress the shudder running through her frame. "W-why would she do that to herself willingly!?"

"Survival."

The two cruisers jumped as the battleship's gaze flickered towards them. "I lost my propulsion and steering to a torpedo while fighting feral convoy raiders. We intercepted them too late to avoid detection by their target, and shipgirls were already on their way to clean up what they probably perceived as two rogue fleets fighting over prey. The only options my fleet saw to proceed were to either tow me back, and risk having the shipgirls catch up and kill all of us… or leave me behind, and escape to safety at flank speed. I refused to accept either outcome." She gestured to the grafted-on leg. "I replaced what was broken. Sailed back home under my own power."

"Sister, scavenging from wreckages is one thing…" Ritou shook her head. "But what you did… it's just—"

"I don't care." Tampa cut her off. "I would rather be shunned for mutilating myself, than force you all to mourn my passing."

Rivet was unable to find her voice, stunned into silence by how readily the battleship would throw away her own integrity. Ritou, however, simply scowled. "It's not up to you to decide that, Tampa. Mother will be coming to have a word with you later about this."

The Ta-class looked away with a scoff, but said no more.

Grumbling, Ritou turned back to her sister. "I swear, some day she's going to take her little habit too far, and Mother will pull her off the frontlines permanently. Gun, please?" With a thought, Rivet manifested her rigging. Nodding, Ritou took hold of the hefty arm-mounted cannon and began to carefully detach it from her sister's forearm. "Thank you."

Rivet blocked out the unpleasant sensation of a fundamental part of her body being pulled out. At any rate, it was still connected to her via cable. "You sure we could handle a flagship being retired like that?"

"She's one of dozens of battleships in this fleet. Harsh as it is to say, she can be replaced."

"…I guess." Rivet spared another glance at Tampa as a thought arose in her head. "Though why is she coming in here instead of going to the repair facilities?"

"Likely because she's thrown off every fine adjustment in her hull with that stunt." Ritou took a minute to inspect the detached gun, looking over the couplings and briefly cracking open the casemate to let her imps do some manual tuning. Satisfied, she gripped Rivet's elbow and worked the gun back onto her arm. "Alright, that should do it. Try not to be bashing anything with your rigging, that'll throw the optics out of alignment faster."

"…Yeah. Yeah, I got it." Rivet pointed her cannon at the far wall and held steady, waiting as her crew worked out the exact distance, elevation, and predicted time to target just a little bit faster than they could the previous day. "Looks to be in order. Thanks."

"Just doing my job for the fleet." Ritou waved her off. "Now, you should probably bail out of here before Miss DIY over there decides to take something from you."

There was an annoyed growl from Tampa at that remark. Shaking her head in exasperation, Rivet nonetheless followed her sister's advice and departed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rivet thought to herself as she wandered the grounds aimlessly. With the morning stuff taken care of, what was on the agenda for the day?

Turning inward, she looked to her personal schedule. Her next sortie, which was providing escort for a fishing group out to deeper waters, was set for Sunday. Her weekly combat exercises were scheduled for shortly after returning from that sortie. Other than that, though, she had nothing concrete scheduled for the next two days.

So, she was more or less floating. Time to consult the Wall, she supposed.

The Wall, true to its name, was a cinderblock wall situated at the center of the harbor. What made it stand out, however, was the fact that almost the entirety of its surface area was taken up by billboards, themselves regularly littered with pinned notes detailing various different tasks that needed to be done around the harbor. It was more or less a combination To-Do List and bounty board, used by the entire fleet to keep the more minor aspects of life on the base running smoothly. One of the Abyssals needed something done that they themselves lacked the time or expertise for? Put it up on the Wall; eventually one of their sisters would pick up the chore.

Stepping up to one of the billboards, Rivet looked over the posted tasks. Gathering materials for the next catered meal…? That usually required going into town, and things could get uncomfortable, as not everybody was used to Abyssals in their midst. So that was a no. Check their food stores… yeah, no. She had enough of that last night. Plumbing… didn't they have humans on call for that particular job?

As she looked over the Wall, checking for a task where she wouldn't be bored out of her mind, could do some good for her sisters, and still have some downtime before her scheduled sortie… she noticed a submarine stepping up to the Wall in the corner of her vision. She glanced over just in time to see the So-class pin a sheet of paper on the billboard marked "High Priority" and walk away. Curious, she stepped over and examined the posting.

Unknown Ru-class sighted prowling border near known fishing routes. IFF does not match known Princesses, assume rogue. Assembling task force to turn away, repel or sink potential threat to our supply chain. Volunteers enter your names in the fleet lineup below and report to Flagship Tanith at the docks. Time-sensitive.

That sounded interesting. A little bit of gunboat diplomacy was just what she needed after last night's slog. Pulling out a stencil made for her (and similar ones for all her sisters) by Mother, she stepped forward and stamped her name onto the page.

XXXXXXXXXX

A couple hours later, Rivet glanced behind herself, back to the harbor steadily receding from her sight. It had been a while since she was scheduled to sail this far away from the mainland; most of the times she sortied, it was to warn fishing vessels encroaching on their borders to turn back, or to rendezvous with Aunt Wanko's messengers (and on rare occasions Aunt Wanko herself). Heading this far out to intercept an approaching Abyssal fleet was an unusual occurrence, to say the least.

Also… "I'm a little confused as to why we need all this for one battleship."

Besides Tanith and Rivet herself, the fleet was comprised of a Ne-class, two Chi-classes, a Nu-class, and two destroyers. Were it a Re-class they were confronting, that sort of firepower would be perfectly warranted—a single Re was practically a fleet unto herself. But this was a Ru-class; while certainly threatening, they could feasibly be handled by a torpedo squadron, or carrier strikes, or even Tanith alone. This was overkill.

"It's meant to be a show of force," Tanith noted curtly. "Which, sometimes, seems like the only thing other Abyssals pay any attention to. However aggressive this battleship might be, she'd be stupid to try something with a proper fleet bearing down on her."

That was fair enough, Rivet supposed.

For hours, they continued their journey across the sea, heading for the interception point deduced by their scouts. Along the way, they were fortunate enough to spot a pod of Orcas going about their lives, tending to their young as they searched for food. They could only spend a minute or two marveling at the whales, however, before they were forced to resume their trek.

Eventually, after half a day of travel, Tanith gestured for the fleet to halt. The Abyssals glanced around as they came to a stop; nothing but blue sea before them, the nearest landmass just an off-color strip on the horizon behind them. "This is the place. Does anyone see anything?"

Taking up a defensive formation, the fleet began to scan the area around them in earnest, searching for their target. They'd prefer not to sink anyone if they could, but they needed to be ready for anything. Several minutes of observation later, one of the destroyers piped up. "I see something! Over there!"

Rivet and her sisters looked in the direction the destroyer had been checking, trying to glimpse anything out of the ordinary… there, to the southwest. An Abyssal, a battleship, just barely visible in the distance. Rivet's weapons phased into existence around her arms, as her crew calculated a firing solution on the easily-recognized silhouette of a Ru-class.

As she raised her cannon to take aim, however, Tanith threw up a hand. "Stand down, sisters," she hissed.

Rivet blinked, as did several others. "Eh?"

"Something's wrong. Take a good look at her."

Though hesitant, Rivet obeyed her sister. Lowering her weapon, the cruiser used her telescope to zoom in for a closer look—and gasped in shock.

The Ru-class was a floating wreck.

Her superstructure was in ruins, what very little remained of it charred and warped by the attacks that had blown it all away. The armor belt was all but destroyed, ripped apart by sustained fire from shells just large enough to dig into the belt and detonate without breaching her vital sections. Her guns… her guns were simply gone, completely annihilated by whatever had done this to her. There was no sense of purpose to her movement; she just drifted slowly through the water, aiming in no particular direction.

As they took in the sight before them, something else caught their attention. They looked to the wrecked smokestack—the smoke rising from her hull was far too thin, too light. She was running on fumes… maybe less than a day, and she would be completely dead in the water.

{She doesn't seem to notice us…} Tanith radioed to her sisters. {Moving to investigate, follow closely.} Pressing forward, they tried to get a clearer picture of the battleship. As they closed in on the Abyssal, she inhaled sharply. {…she can't notice us. Her rangefinders and radar are gone; she's blind.} After a moment, she added, {I think her radio might be out, as well. She's showing no response to my hails.}

{Who the hell could have done this to her?} Rivet asked.

{I don't know. I don't think it was shipgirls; even if they took a casualty in the fight, they would have finished the job against such a helpless target.} Tanith threw up a hand, bringing the fleet to a halt a few hundred feet from the Ru-class. Now that they could see her physical body, it was even worse—both her arms were gone, ripped off above the elbow, and chunks of flesh were missing all over her torso. Her face… her face was painted red by the blood seeping from her mangled eye sockets. {It's likely not human work, either. Even if they COULD do it, I doubt any human would go through the effort of inflicting such injuries to a capital ship unless they had a personal vendetta against that specific Abyssal.}

{Infighting, then?} The Ne-class, Neema, hypothesized.

{…It very well might be.} Scowling, Tanith shook her head. {I wouldn't put it against them to leave their victims blind, defenseless, unable to call for help as they wander the seas aimlessly, slowly starving to death…}

"W-who… who's th-there…?"

The fleet paused and looked to the Ru-class. Her voice was hoarse, weak. Despite her loss of vision, she turned her head to and fro, trying to see… anything. "…I can h-hear… your turbines. F-feel… your screws moving… the w-water…"

Tanith's fleet turned to face each other. {What should we do?} The Nu-class asked.

The flagship closed her eyes, thinking. {I'm not sure. She's obviously still seaworthy… to a degree. She's in no danger of sinking from the damage she's sustained. But even if she was capable of navigating in her current state, she'd never be able to make it to the nearest landmass with what fuel she has left.}

{What if this is some sort of bait?} Rivet asked. {Something to make us drop our guard trying to figure out what happened, leave us open to a submarine attack from long range?}

{No. This damage is too severe, and in the wrong places.} Tanith pointed to the Ru-class's legs—while worn and beaten like the rest of her body, they were still intact. {If someone was setting a trap for us, they would have shot out her screws and rudder, or disabled her engines, maybe even cripple her ventilation. Leave her adrift, but still capable of luring prey with an SOS and backstabbing them once the trap was sprung. This Ru-class, however… there's little to be gained from using bait that is blind, wandering aimlessly, unable to send out a distress signal.}

{Who knows? Maybe the one setting the trap is sadistic enough to go through that effort…}

The group had spent the better part of a minute debating the likelihood of a trap when something caught their attention: a whimper.

"…p-please… don't leave me… like this."

As the fleet watched, the Ru-class collapsed to her knees. "If… i-if you're going t-to finish me… just… do it." She whispered. "Please… it hurts. It all hurts. I c-can't feel my arms… and I'm so… hungry. I can't… go on." Bloody tears began to streak from her ruined eyes, barely visible among all the blood already coating her face. "Please… kill me. Make the pain stop."

Tanith felt a sting of pain in her heart from the battleship's words, the tone of utter defeat in her voice. She was going to die out here, and she knew it; she just wanted someone, anyone, to end her now, make it so she didn't have to keep suffering all the way until her boilers gave out.

This couldn't stand.

Tanith turned to the fleet. {Everyone, pass me your provisions.}

{What?} Rivet looked to the flagship in shock. {We're going to help her?}

{Look at her.} Tanith swung an arm towards the foreign Abyssal. {Mauled within an inch of her life by her own kind, left to slowly wither away… lost, alone and in agony. Nobody deserves that.}

{But we have no idea what she's done, or what Princess she obeys. We might well end up leading a sleeper agent home!} Rivet held up her cannon. {It already sounds like she wants to die, why not just oblige her—}

{NO!} Tanith snapped, silencing her sister's dissent. {That is NOT our way, and you know it. Provisions, NOW!}

Rivet bit back any further protest, as did her brethren; despite their misgivings about this decision, they weren't about to disobey one of their Flagships. With a soft groan of defeat, she reached into her hold and brought out a handful of her nutrient-dense energy bars—their taste was the stuff of nightmares, but they provided plenty of energy for their volume. Stepping forward, she slapped them into Tanith's outstretched hand, followed shortly thereafter by her sisters.

Now holding a small pile of food in one arm, Tanith moved towards the maimed Ru-class. "We are here," She declared calmly. "Don't stress yourself any further."

The Ru-class flinched as Tanith gripped her shoulder, but otherwise did not move; she just didn't have the strength left to do anything else. "Who are you? What a-are you… going to do… to me?"

Kneeling down beside the battleship, Tanith held an energy bar to her lips. "Here."

The battleship paused, pulling away from the object being held in front of her. "What is… this?"

"Food. Not enough to refill your tanks, but it should keep your engines running long enough for us to get you back to base." Tanith turned back to her fleet. "Rivet, Neema, tow cables. Nugget, send a plane back to base, warn them we're coming back with an extra ship."

The Ru-class turned towards her voice, confused. "Y-you're… taking me with you?"

"Yes. Our base is not far from here. You will be cared for once we return."

The Ru-class was silent, her lips pursed tightly as the cruisers attached their tow cables to her hull. "You won't make it without some sort of resupply," Tanith insisted as she slung an arm under what remained of the battleship's upper limbs and slowly pulled her to her feet, still holding the bar out. "You need to eat something… unless you would rather we leave you here."

After several seconds, the Ru-class let out a shaky sigh. Resigned, she dipped her head forward and bit into the bar, chewing slowly.

"…this tastes awful," she groaned. "Leave the wrapper on."

XXXXXXXXXX

A small group of Abyssals had gathered at the pier, eager to greet their sisters' return, and curious to meet this rumored newcomer.

They were instead struck speechless as Tanith and her fleet came into view—towing an eyeless, armless Ru-class battleship with an armor belt with the consistency of Swiss cheese.

And then the questions began.

"Who is that!?"

"What the heck happened to that Ru-class!?"

"Did you girls do that to her? Why would you bring her home!?"

Any and all questions were silenced by Tanith's concise commands:

"Get Mother. Prepare for surgery."

The welcoming group scrambled into action—some going to find Mother and alert her of the goings-on, some running to the arsenal to pick up the raw materials they would need, and the rest racing ahead of Tanith and her guest as they made their way to the infirmary.

Next to Tanith, the Ru-class struggled to remain standing, the food Tanith's fleet had shared with her only barely enough to keep her conscious up to this point. "You would… fix me?" she asked, weary and disbelieving. "A stranger…? Why?"

"Just because we are monsters, does not mean we have to be evil. None of us would be able to live with ourselves if we had just left you out there like that." Shoving the infirmary door open with her shoulder, Tanith walked the Ru-class over to a nearby chair. Just in time—as the Ru-class was turned around to be seated, her legs out underneath her. The battleship only barely held back her scream, whimpering through gritted teeth, as the abrupt motion of landing in the chair sent a wave of pure agony through her weakened frame. "We will treat your wounds and feed you, whatever is needed for you to recover. It is up to Mother to decide what will happen to you after that. Do you understand?"

"…Yes."

"Good." Tanith held out another energy bar in front of the Ru-class. "Here. We can focus on getting you proper food once your repairs are complete, but until then we need to make sure your body has fuel to burn so it doesn't shut down."

The Ru-class obediently took the bar in her mouth, swallowing it unopened and whole to spare herself the taste. Tanith fed her another bar, washing it down with a bottle of water, before Rivet poked her head in the room. "We're still getting the equipment together, but we've got an operating room cleared out, and Mom's on her way. Think you can get her there?"

Tanith shook her head. "I don't think so. She's about had it. We'll need to wait for Mother so she can be carried the rest of the—"'

Abruptly, all sounds of activity in the building ceased. Everyone could feel it—the massive weight suddenly bearing down on them all. As one, they turned to the doorway.

Mother had arrived.

Her typical mirth and playfulness was gone, replaced with a small frown and a steely gaze. That gaze softened, however, as she took in the pitiful wreck before her. The Ru-class couldn't see the world around her, but she could feel the immense presence right in front of her, staring at her, judging her, and she was visibly terrified of her—something the small Abyssal hated seeing.

She spoke. "What happened to you?"

It was a simple question from the Princess, one that did not explicitly demand an answer. But to the Ru-class, it was nothing less than an order from on high. And so, she began to speak.

"…My fleet was… small. Inexperienced. Our Princess… was arrogant. Foolish. She thought… she could take supplies from… another fleet's domain, without them taking notice." Taking in a deep breath, the Ru-class continued. "We were attacked… by a Re-class."

She shuddered. "I… I was her first… victim. She destroyed my guns… tore off my arms. Left me incapable… of hurting her. But she… left me alive… so I could… watch… as she murdered my fleet… one by one. Tearing them apart… with her bare hands. She took her time… with my Princess. Relished her… screams of agony."

The Ru-class's voice grew shaky. "When she finally… got to me… she decided I wasn't… worth the ammo." She choked back a sob. "She… she cut out my eyes instead. Commanded me to run away. Said… I would be an… example, to all who dared cross her Princess."

All around the battleship, the Abyssals had gone even paler than normal. This battleship hadn't been caught up in some petty squabble… she was caught in a slaughter. Brutally maimed, forced to watch as she was made into an orphan, before finally being blinded and set adrift to prove a point to others. In context, Tanith thought, her earlier yearning for death now made sense; she was alone in the world, thanks to the cruel mercy of the monster that killed her fleet. With the truth revealed, she and her sisters could only look upon the Ru-class with pity.

Mother, though…

Reaching out, Mother gently rubbed the Ru-class's cheek. "You're safe now. That meanie who hurt you, who took away your family… Hoppou promise she won't hurt you ever again." She wiped some of the blood from her face, letting her glimpse at the ravaged sockets her eyes once sat in. "Hoppou will fix you. You will be okay."

"…I don't… understand," the Ru-class whispered. "Why are you all… helping me? Being so nice to me? Why…?"

"Because Hoppou can." Mother put a hand under the battleship's chin, lifting her head so she could 'see' eye-to-eye with the Princess. "That is only reason Hoppou needs to help you." She shook her head softly. "You don't deserve what happened to you. To lose family. Hoppou cannot bring back lost ones… but you still here. And Hoppou will do everything she can to help you heal."

The Ru-class focused on the presence before her for what seemed like an eternity, in complete awe of its sincerity. Humbled, she looked back to the ground, tears welling up in her ruined eyes. "…thank you. Thank you."

Mother, however, wasn't satisfied with that. She could see the battleship biting her lip, shuddering, trying to maintain a façade of resigned gratitude despite the fact she was being torn apart by her grief on the inside. Reaching out and looping her arms around the Ru-class's neck, Mother gently pulled her close. "Don't hold in pain, only makes it hurt worse. Nobody will judge you for being weak here. Let it out."

From where she was standing, Tanith watched the Ru-class as the trembling in her frame intensified, growing into abrupt spasms all over her body. Her labored breathing grew harder, shallower, more frantic. Wrapped in Mother's embrace, she was coming closer and closer to completely losing her composure…

Finally, the dam burst. The broken battleship let out a keening wail—full of anguish, and confusion, and fear—and broke down sobbing into Mother's chest. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" she cried. "WHY… WHY ME!? WHY DID SHE CHOOSE ME!?" With a rattling breath, she screamed. "WHY DIDN'T SHE LET ME DIE!?"

"…Hoppou doesn't know." Mother quietly patted the Ru-class's head, comforting her as she released her pain in the only way she physically could, ignoring the blood soaking into her dress in the process. In that moment, the Ru-class wasn't a grown woman, a warship personified—she was just a girl. Scared, confused, and deeply hurt, baring her soul to the kindest person she'd ever met. "But you are here. That is all that matters now."

"Is it?" the Ru-class struggled to draw breath between her grieving sobs, her ravaged body straining to hold itself together. "I had… little sisters. Destroyers, three of them. They were always… so cheerful. So sweet. No matter how bad… our day was… they would always try… to make us all smile." Her cries were briefly interrupted by a wet, heaving cough, spitting blood onto the floor in front of her. "B-but now…" she gasped, blood still trickling from her lips, "…my mother… my sisters… they're gone. All of them." She pressed herself against Mother. "I have nobody left… I'm alone."

"No." the Princess said sternly. "You are NOT alone."

She hugged the battleship tighter. "We are here, with you. We will always be here with you… if you let us be." She looked the battleship in her ruined eyes. "Will you?"

The Ru-class paused… and said nothing. She simply continued to cry, as she nuzzled against the Princess—her Princess.

Nobody dared interfere in that moment; for all that the battleship was a complete stranger to them all, they knew without a shadow of a doubt that she desperately needed this. And so, for the next several minutes, they simply watched and waited.

As the cries began to grow weaker, the Ru-class finally exhausting herself both physically and emotionally, Mother spoke again. "Hoppou will put you back together. Make you good as new." Producing a rag, she started wiping the rest of the blood from the Ru-class's face, careful not to agitate her wounds. "Hoppou and fleet will take care of you."

"…I… just don't u-understand…" The Ru-class croaked, her voice spent. "Why? W-why are you… so kind?"

Mother simply looked at her, thoughtful. "…Hoppou not like other Princesses," she warned. "Hoppou not interested in war. Killing humans. Hoppou only wants to be free, be happy. So humans are left to live their lives how they like. Some even work with Hoppou." The blind Abyssal in front of her likely would have stared at her in disbelief, if she still had eyes. "Hoppou doesn't know what your fleet did to humans before… and Hoppou doesn't care. If you want to stay… become part of Hoppou's fleet… Hoppou will not refuse you. But you have to give up hate. Can you do that?"

"I…" Sniffling, the Ru-class nodded. "Yes. I'll do… anything… for you. No matter… how much… it pains me."

Mother smiled. She leaned forward and gently kissed the Ru-class's forehead. "Don't worry. Hoppou will never make you do something you don't want to…

"Because Hoppou loves her family."

The Abyssals surrounding them relaxed at last. There was no further judgement, no test of worth necessary. Mother looked upon this ruined Abyssal, begging for death, and she saw a spark of light in her broken heart—a chance for salvation.

She would not ignore it.

Grabbing hold with both hands, the Princess carefully lifted the battleship off the floor, treating her as if she were as light—and frail—as a feather. "Hoppou will help you sleep, so she can make you feel better. But before that… Hoppou wants to know your name. Do you have one?"

The battleship was silent for several seconds. Then, she spoke.

"I… I am… Ruadri."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Leaning back against Sunny Honey's true body, Harry had his hoodie on as well as a light camping blanket. It may have been summer, but they were far enough north that the wind off the sea was chilly. Not helped, of course, by how the weather had been colder since Blood Week due to the soot high in the atmosphere. Just off to the side, a large bonfire crackled as Ruadri told stories and had just finished up one regarding how the spirits of those of Hoppou's fleet now sailed among the stars high above due to being good Abyssals.

A small smile on his face, Harry noticed Silver's avatar now looking at him and smiled. "Something wrong, Silver?"

For a few moments, Silver chewed her lip before giving Harry a shy look. "Um, Uncle Harry? About what Big Sister Ruadri told us... Do you think that she's right?"

Blinking, Harry noticed that every other Abyssal within earshot was now looking at him. Even Ruadri was giving him her attention, though she seemed nervous. "Right? About how the souls of your sisters are now sailing through the sky? And looking down on you all, watching over you?"

Just shifting a bit, Silver nodded. "Yes?"

Not answering right away, Harry considered his answer. Taking the thermos beside him, he poured some hot chocolate out and handed it to one of the other Destroyers, one of Ritou's, who took it happily. Once that was done, the black haired boy leaned forward in thought. "Well, I don't see any reason not to believe in it. And while we may not know what the afterlife is like, it does exist. I mean, you got ghosts and such that prove there is a life after death. And shipgirls do talk about how there is an endless, sunlit sea that they sail upon until they are summoned or born."

Head tilting to the side, Wona, one of the Wo-Class under Patty, tilted her head. "And us Abyssals? What about us?"

Only looking skyward, Harry hummed. Above them, the stars twinkled and sparkled with the majesty of the Milky Way able to be seen stretching across the heavens this far from the lights of the big city. Looking up, a stray thought crossed his mind. A memory, from long ago when he had lived with the Dursleys and there was a documentary on astronomy on the television before Dudley had burst in and turned it. Pointing up at the stars, Harry had a smile on his face. "Do you know what some humans call way up there where the stars burn brightly?"

Confused at the shift of subject, Regalia looked over from her own hot chocolate and shook her head. "No, Uncle Harry. What do some humans call way up there?"

If anything her confusion increased as Harry's smile grew along with the confusion of the others. But that was washed away with shock at his next words. "Some humans call it the 'Abyss of space' as a matter of fact." More then one eye widened at that. "Yes, like the Abyss of the deep ocean, there is also the Abyss of space. So why couldn't good Abyssals rise up to sail that abyss?"

Eyes wide, they all stared upwards with Ritou whispering softly. "The Abyss of space... Where there are so many lights."

With a soft chuckle, Harry nodded. "Yeah, sort of neat when you think about it. People have described it as an abyss and an ocean of stars. One without an end." Head tilted to the side, he considered it. "You know, sailing among the stars they would see wonders without end. Stars being born, the beauty of the nebula. Cruising through the corona of the stars, where star flame twists and coils in patterns that one can't imagine while the surface creates an never ending, changing pattern. Maybe even visiting far off worlds where there are beings who, like us, are looking up at the stars in wonder, asking themselves if there are others out there."

Chiana's gaze turned to him with a small frown. "If there are so many things up there to see, then would they even pay attention to us?"

In reply, Harry got up and folded his blanket before walking over. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he chuckled some. "Why wouldn't they? Just because you find something interesting, does that mean you totally ignore your family?" When she shook her head, he continued. "And there is your answer. I'm sure that their thoughts are always with you guys, no matter where they go or what they see. One day, hopefully far into the future after you've lived a good life, I'm sure that you'll meet them again and they will have so many tales and wonders to show you... after giving you all hugs and the like, of course."

Nodding, Ruadri grinned. "Of course they would, Uncle Harry's right about that."

Still musing, Harry's next words had their attention. "You know, come to think of it... Someone watching over you all makes sense considering what has happened."

Head tilting to the side, Chiana blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, Uncle Harry? How does it make sense?"

Blinking himself as he realized that he spoke out loud, Harry eventually shrugged. "Well, think about it for a second. Little Sister managed to survive even though you thought that she was dead. But she had the luck that Mum was the one who found her, who rescued her. People who could help her were the ones who found her, and helped her. And Big Sister found out about that and after confirming it, made peace with us humans and shipgirls. Blackie Smokie also happened to be in the right place, at the right time to catch my IFF, and eventually came across Regina's and Wokyuu's aircraft, leading her to Little Sister. All of you meanwhile, managed to find places where you could heal and grow, and none of you gave into the hate and anger. Eventually, you all found each other. And then..."

Interested, Nero leaned in. "And then, Uncle Harry?"

Just smiling over at her, the wizard shrugged. "And then Sokie here." He gestured at the Submarine in question who blinked. "Happens to come across the right supply depot at the right time to find a magazine. One which had an front page with Hoppou and Big Sister as well as Supprin on the cover. And one that talked about the treaty and how there was peace. Not to mention your journey here where everything that could have gone right, did. That's a lot of luck you know?" Once more, Harry shook his head. "Maybe... just maybe... your sisters were watching over you and Hoppou. Guardians of a sort and helped it all happen in just the right way so that the best could happen for you."

Awed, the Abyssals all looked skyward just in time for a shooting star to streak across the heavens. The idea that their sisters and aunts, while gone, were watching over them and maybe even helping when they could? It warmed their boilers. Not far off, Hoppou had been listening in and smiled. "Po."

Hands in his pockets, Harry shook his head and chuckled a bit. "I know that sometimes I like to think that my Mum, my biological one, as well as my dad are up there looking down at me. Watching over me even though I can't see them."

There was silence and the Abyssals there only gave him understanding expressions as Harry wiped at his eyes. Eventually, Wonderous spoke up. "What happened to your parents, Uncle Harry?" When Harry turned to her, she shifted a bit. "Mom said that they died for you, like our sisters did for Mom and for us, but..."

Looking around, Harry could see the question in all their eyes. The same one as a matter of fact, which made him smile sadly. "My parents?" At the nods, he sighed. "Back in Britain, before I was born, this very evil man appeared. His name is Voldemort. He preached nothing but hatred and fear. That those born with magic from those who did not have any were stealing magic. How they and those without magic or with only partial human blood were less then people who had magic in their families beyond their grandparents, with none without magic in said lines. How they were at best slaves and at worst vermin to be killed."

A grimace on her face, Ruadri scowled some. "Sounds like the Abyssals that tried to kill Mother."

With a hum, Harry gave a small nod. "I suppose so since from what I heard, the worst Abyssals see us humans as things to be killed. But anyways, Mum was one of the people that they hated, and proved that they were wrong about what they believed. Along with my Dad and other people, they fought them..." Continuing his story, the black haired boy didn't notice that even those Abyssals not in the immediate group were listening in. "... Voldemort targeted me, even though I was a baby. Not sure why though, but he did. One night, my parents were betrayed by a close friend, someone like a brother to them. And Voldemort arrived and attacked."

Leaning forward, Rivet narrowed her eyes as she guessed what happened. "Your parents, they fought him? And..."

Slowly, with a sigh, Harry closed his eyes. "My Dad, he stood his ground and told my Mum to take me and run, I think. Sometimes I have dreams of then even though I was too young to remember much. Mum... ran for my room as he tried to hold Voldemort off. I guess you can compare it to a Heavy Cruiser trying to hold off a Battleship. He tried his best, but... eventually lost, both the fight and his life. Then Voldemort came to my room and blasted in the door with my Mum standing between him and I. She... offered herself to save me, to die in my place. Voldemort just killed her and aimed his wand here, between my eyes." Pointing at his scar, he let out a breath and shook his head. "Then he cast the Killing Curse, something that no one had survived. But the love my mother and father, love that they sacrificed themselves for, shielded me and the curse bounced off and hit Voldemort, destroying his body. And a love that the last time Voldemort attacked me, possessing someone who was helping him, they could not touch me without it burning them. Love is powerful, more powerful then anything else. Especially the love that drives one to sacrifice themselves for another."

Eyes wide as it clicked, Silver gasped and looked at him. "Is that why you think..."

Only smiling slightly, Harry gave her a nod. "Why I think that they might have had something to do with everything that happened? Which lead to the best possible outcome for you all and to reunite with Hoppou?" When Silver nodded, he smiled a bit wider. "Sure, because if I know one thing, it's that love is powerful enough to overcome all things in the end. And they did love you all." Lips curling upwards, he met each of their eyes. "I might not have known you all for that long, but I do love you as you're family. And I would throw myself in the way of danger if it meant protecting you all."

Rivet shook her head a bit. "Hopefully you'll never need to, Uncle Harry." Grinning, she gave him a thumbs up. "But we would do the same for you."

Smiling softly, Harry only rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks." He could see nods from the others which only made him blush a bit. "Thank you."

All he got was smiles back and soon he settled back in against Silver's true body and pulled his blanket back as stories continued to flow soon after. Sometimes, he was asked to tell stories of his own, such as of Hogwarts. Just like he had on other nights for the past while. Of course, unknown to him Ruadri had taken internal notes on what he had told her and added the stories he told to her memory. Ones that she would tell in the future herself...

 

[darthcourt10]

mikelima777

Something to tug at heartstrings.

***************

(A few weeks after Harry's arrival in Yokosuka)

Iowa struggled not to coo as she saw the green-eyed boy in Nagato's arms. The messy-haired child was a bit shy and tried to hide his face, to the amusement of both battleships. However, Iowa inwardly frowned as Nagato explained how the boy came to be under her care. She scowled at the thought of those people who had treated the young boy so poorly. There was no place that such behaviour would be tolerated. Then, she thought of something that could help Nagato and young Harry out. Something that she enjoyed watching long before her awakening, and was also watched by some of her younger crew, those that served after her reactivation in the 80s. It would also help him have exposure to English vocabulary, as well as teach mother and child some valuable life lessons.

"Nagato, you know how I am a natural-born?" At the nod, Iowa sighed in fond reminiscing, "When I was a child, one of the shows I watched was 'Mister Rogers Neighborhood,' it's mostly unknown outside of the States and Canada, but it was a children's show that helped me a lot."

Nagato looked curious. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Iowa replied. "I know that Harry's a little old for children's shows, but Mister Rogers is suitable for all ages. But you have to be open to what he has to say, and teach."

Nagato was interested now. "What is an episodeof 'Mister Rogers Neighbourhood' like?"

"It can vary from episode to episode. Some episodes would show how things are made like orange juice and erasers, while others might show Mister Rogers visiting a bakery or a carpenter and they would make stuff. Usually, there is a part where we go to the Land of Make Believe..." Iowa continued to explain the show, including how Mister Rogers talked about expressing feelings and used the Land of Make Believe to teach and express his own emotions and thoughts.

Nagato asked if the show was still running. Iowa's shoulder slumped, as she sadly replied, "The show ended production in 2001, and M-Mister Rogers passed away two years after that, from cancer."

Nagato patted the taller battleship, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Iowa wiped her eyes. "PBS, which is public television back home, still shows reruns. But," Iowa raised her index finger, "people have posted some of the episodes online." She pulled out a laptop and opened up to an episode of Mister Rogers, with Nagato joining her as they watched. On the screen, a model town appeared, with a red trolley slowly moving up a street, as a piano tune played. It then cut to inside a house as a tune that Iowa knew by heart played. Then, the front door opened, as a middle-aged gentleman appeared singing:

"It's a beautiful day this the neighbourhood
A beautiful day for a neighbor
Could you be mine?
Would you be mine?

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood
A neighborly day for a beauty
Could you be mine?
Would you be mine?

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you

Let's make the most of this beautiful day
Since we're together, might as well say
Would you be my, could you be my
Won't you be my neighbor?"

About 30 minutes later, two quietly sobbing battleships were wiping their tears as the kindly man on the screen sang as the episode finished.

-----

Over the next few years, whenever Harry was done with helping around the base or finished his homework, Nagato would have him sit on her lap as they watched an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Thanks to many friends and others, Nagato began to receive more and more episodes to show her son. Whenever Mutsu and Jane came by, they too joined in watching Mister Rogers. Soon, other shipgirls at Yokosuka started to watch the show. While some of the older shipgirls would not admit it, they too watched the show, and often with their own crews joining along. For many of the Japanese fairies, watching the episodes helped them with their own troubled memories of the past, and also helped them handle working with their former opponents. There persist rumours that Admirals Halsey and Yamamoto once spent a whole night wiping tears as they watched some episodes alongside Enterprise and Yamato.

For many of the younger shipgirls at Yokosuka, Mister Roger would become a surrogate father of sorts, teaching them important lessons about life. How to deal with anger or sadness. How to build up relationships. The shipgirls also learned more about modern life, and how things were made or produced.

-----

(Harry, Age 9)

Natsumi quirked an eyebrow as Harry led her to the couch at the battleship dorm lounge. The lounge had a TV, which showed a paused frame with the words "Mister Rogers Neighborhood." Natsumi was confused as Harry quickly sat down with her and unpaused the TV. Before she could ask why she began to hear piano playing. Then a man in a suit appeared and began to sing...

The two kids were wholly engrossed in watching the episode, not noticing as Nagato peeked in. The battleship struggled to keep the Nagamon in, but couldn't resist making a photo of the two children watching Mister Rogers.

***************

Perhaps the one thing equal to the story's Unicorns in its purity and virtue.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Tying his shoelaces, Harry noticed a shadow out of the corner of his eye and looked over his shoulder to find Rivet there looking at him curiously. "Hmm?"

Still furrowing her eyebrows, she looked from Harry to his shoes and then at his outfit. "What are you doing, Uncle Harry? That's not your normal clothes..."

With a small chuckle, the black haired wizard shook his head. "Nope. As for what I am doing..." Finishing his shoe laces, he tested them out by bouncing a bit and nodding. "I'm going for my morning run. Normally I get it done before now, but been a bit busy."

Now really curious. Rivet raised an eyebrow. "A morning run? Is that like a quick patrol out on the harbor?"

Glancing at her, Harry smiled a bit. "Not really? Its a form of exercise that I've gotten into to be honest."

Just raising a finger, Rivet frowned. "That's what I mean though? If its an exercise then we do them all the time. Or is it different for humans?"

Lips twitching a bit, he hummed. "We do stuff like that, but... how to explain it." Taking a few moments, Harry nodded some. "This sort of exercise is how we humans can tune our bodies up a bit. Keep it at peak performance."

It went without saying that intrigued Rivet and those Abyssals nearby. Sure, when they lived on Unalaska they were used to humans. But they never really considered much in regards to them. Now that they had an uncle who was a human though? It became somewhat important information. "Peak performance, huh?"

With a slow nod, Harry began to do his stretches. "Yeah, there's all sorts of health benefits and such."

"Health benefits, Uncle Harry?"

Blinking, Harry looked over to find that Nuri, the Radioactive Airfield Demon, had joined them. There were some similarities between her and her sister, Patty though she had ascended from a Nu-Class and Patty had rose up from a Wo class. But like there were differences between Wanko and Harbor Demon, so too was there differences between Nuri and Patty. For one thing, her horns were shorter and black without a stripe. For another, she was missing the high collar that Patty had and with a v-shaped window for her cleavage.

Oh, and her eyes glowed a radioactive green instead of Patty's crimson.

Just smiling, Harry ignored that and chuckled. "Yeah, it's... hmm... how to explain..."

Head tilted to the side, Nuri came to a stop by him and simply watched. Meanwhile, Rivet pointed at him. "Maybe start with what you're doing now?"

That caused Harry to nod. "Okay then, right now I'm doing some warm ups and stretches. So that I don't hurt myself or get cramps when I start my run." At the confusion, he shook his head. "Think of it this way, its like warming up your boilers and such before you reach your top speed. Would you go from almost still to that without slowly increasing the power?"

Eyes widening, Nuri considered that before giving him a frown. "No, not unless it was needed right then. Doing otherwise could cause damage and more wear and tear."

A light laugh escaped from Harry. "It is sort of like that for humans as well. If we don't build up to it, when we come to a stop we can get cramps and such. Think about machinery for your screws or turrets suddenly seizing up a little and it might be similar." There were winces from the various Abyssals. "Hence a warm up and cool down before exercising."

Crouching down, Rivet watched as Harry leaned forward to touch his toes. Then, she got down and tried to do much the same as she saw her uncle doing to his slight amusement. And, much to the Ri-Class' amazement, it was actually harder then it looked and she grinned as she felt muscles work that hadn't before. "This is fun!"

Lightly laughing, the black haired boy grinned back at her. "I know, right? But exercising can also be fun as well."

Nuri then got down and joined in with a hum, trying to touch her toes. Looking over at Harry, she tilted her head to the side. "Uncle Harry? You still haven't explained what health benefits humans get from this?"

Glancing at her, he blinked. "Huh, guess I haven't, have I?" After getting two shakes of the head, he switched stretches with the other two following his lead. "Well, stretches alone help. I mean, it helps me be flexible for example. As for actual exercise?" Closing his eyes, Harry tilted his head before nodding. "If I was to put it into ship terms, a person who does no exercise is like a ship tied up to a dock. Sure, good maintenance means that it would be okay, but it can always slip, and if it does..."

With a small frown, Nuri gave a nod. "If maintenance slips just a little, problems can arise. Such as with the machinery and such. And it might not be caught because of the slip."

As he gave her a tilt of the head, Harry smiled. "Exactly! While no exercise might not cause health problems, exercise can help prevent them. Like taking a ship and running the equipment on a routine basis means that you can catch, and fix, problems. With us humans, our bodies can do that on their own. Hmm... one example I guess is that people can get a shortness of breath after performing activity that they're not used to. Like having ventilation problems. Or there can be a build up of a type of fat in our veins and arteries, think our fuel lines or hydraulic systems."

Both Abyssals had their eyes widen at that before sharing a frown. Chewing her lip, Rivet furrowed her eyebrows as she translated what he was describing into what would happen to an Abyssal. "That would lead to possible ruptures due to pressure building up, or loss of pressure elsewhere."

Frowning, Harry shook his head. "Yeah, it kind of like that for us humans. At the worst, it causes what is known as a heart attack. Think major fuel lines to your boilers stop working while they're going at normal work and causing large damage to them. I don't know how that would affect you, but for us humans it... can kill us." At seeing the stricken looks, he waved his hands. "Not that I'm in any real danger for that! I'm pretty healthy and can look forward to being so for a long while yet."

The two relaxed a little bit at what he just said, but they were also having their crew take notes. After all, this was information that was rather important! And that they would need to share with their sisters as well. Part of Rivet did wonder if Chiana had any idea due to the books she often was reading though. No way were they going to let their uncle get hurt like that! Tilting her head, Rivet shook that thought off for later and turned to Harry. "Are there other benefits?"

Now grinning, Harry gave a nod. "Sure! People who exercise regularly are stronger, faster, and have more endurance then someone who might not do so. Sometimes by quite a bit."

Internally translating that, Nuri hummed. "Like the difference between a baseline Abyssal and an Elite at least?"

With a small smile, Harry gave her a glance. "Yeah, probably not that far from that actually. Good comparison." Nuri gave him a smile at that, proud that she had figured that out. "Like I've said before, I want to go into the military. And with Voldemort after me, I need any little edge that I can take! So it can only help... and it feels really good as well."

More then a little intrigued, Rivet turned to him. "Oh? How so?"

Still stretching, Harry frowned a bit in thought. "I don't know if there is an Abyssal equivalent. But when us humans exercise hard, our bodies release chemicals into our bloodstreams. Stuff like endorphins which make us feel really, really good. It's called a 'Runner's High' as we feel almost light headed. Sure, we might feel a few aches and such, but that goes away fast enough, especially with what our bodies dump into our bloodstream."

Eyebrows furrowing, Nuri hummed. "Hmm... Maybe it is like the rush we get for battle? After the fighting is done?"

Considering that, the wizard eventually nodded some. "That makes sense, it is actually similar to that for humans as well."

A gleam then entered Rivet's eyes and she watched as he stood up and followed as did Nuri. Seeing the surprise, she shrugged some. "I like talking with you, Uncle Harry. So mind if we..." Glancing at Nuri and getting a nod, she continued. "Mind if we join you?"

Only chuckling even as he shook his head, Harry smiled. "Not at all. Might be a bit boring and when I finish, I'll have to do cool down stretches and such so that I won't cramp up and such. Kind of like how after running near the top of your speed, you lower it slowly instead of going full stop."

That got him nods and he shared a grin with them before he started to run. Both Abyssals were easily keeping up with him, after all it was a rather slow cruise speed for them. But they could see that their uncle was actually working for it, even as a sheen of sweat appeared on him and his breathing became heavier. But he was smiling and that was good enough for them.

And then, Rivet got an idea.

She had been talking with Nagato and the topic of sparring with humans had come up. Much to the Abyssal's surprise, shipgirls did so regularly with normal humans without hurting them. And according to her "Grandmother", it was simple how they did so. Mainly, they focused on the "Girl" part of them and less on the ship. This, of course brought up the thought of what would happen if she did the same. Sending a quick message to Nuri, Rivet took a deep breath and tried her best to do what Nagato had described to her.

Much to her surprise, it worked almost immediately. Her breathing became slightly harder and she felt more and more strain on herself. But at the same time, the Ri-Class could also feel something else. A rush, one that she had felt usually while sparring and pushing herself to her limits. It was much smaller, but it was there. Focusing more, she could feel it increase and a burst of laughter came from her mouth which made Harry look at her only for Rivet to shake her head. "This is great!"

Chuckling, Harry felt his lips curl up into a smile as he continued his run. On either side, Nuri and a somewhat heavily breathing, though madly grinning, Rivet keeping up. It felt... nice.

Unnoticed by him, or the two Abyssals, more then a few heads were turned as the three passed by various JSDF members. Especially male members whose eyes trailed the Abyssals in question with slight flushes...

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Coming out from the shower tent after his run, and due to the morning still being cool, Harry threw on his hoodie. With a small sigh, he ran a hand through his slightly damp hair before blinking as he felt his hood move. Looking over his shoulder, it only took a few moments for Harry to realize what was causing it and blinking. "Huh..."

Several minutes later, Harry entered the mess tent and walked over to where the treats were. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Nagato, the various Princesses and Demons as well as Hoppou, Shinano, and Regina at one of the tables. As he watched, Regalia and Nero walked over and joined them with Nagato smiling at them. When he walked over with a cookie, Shinano looked over and smiled at him. "Harry-Chan!"

Nagato also turned in his direction and smiled before noticing the cookie. "Harry, you know better. You'll spoil your appetite for lunch."

However, Harry just grinned a bit and set the cookie down onto a napkin. "Its not for me though, Dess!" At their confusion, his eyes glowed in amusement and he reached into his hood. "I have someone for you all to meet."

Utterly lost, Sunny glanced at her sisters before turning back to her uncle. "Someone for us to meet? Who?"

Bringing out his closed hands, cupped against one another, Harry set them down on the table. "I want you all to meet..." He then pulled them apart. "Smolgina!"

Everyone froze at the sight of the chibi Re-Class that was there. And the Smol froze at the sight of them before blushing and hiding behind Harry's hand. "Gina!"

Just chuckling, Harry shook his head. "They're fine, Smolgina. You have nothing to worry about, they're all friendly."

Slowly, she peeked out from behind his hand. "Gina? Gina. gina gina?" At Harry's nod, she walked out a bit more and looked up at the stunned faces before shyly waving. "Gina..."

Rubbing her chest, Nagato shook her head some. "Cute..."

Only glancing at his mother, Harry smiled at Smolgina before reaching for the cookie. Much to his amusement, the Smol's eyes sparkled with joy. Taking it, she opened her mouth wide before taking a bite, while her tail did so on another part of the giant, to her, cookie. "GINA!"

Hoppou frowned and huffed a bit which made Harry look at her. "Something wrong, Little Sister?" When she nodded, he raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Still pouting, Hoppou looked over at him. "Hoppou was hoping that she would win bet. And that first Abyssal Smol would be a Smol Hoppou, Hoppou even wanted to call her Smolppo."

Lightly laughing, Harry reached over and ruffled her hair. "Well, if and when she shows up? At least we got a name for her." With a glance down at Smolgina, he put down a carton of milk and placed a straw into it. "There you go."

Brightly smiling, even though she was still blushing some, Smolgina gave a nod. "Gina. Gina gina gina gina. Gina!"

A smile on his face, Harry watched as she pulled down the straw and took a sip. "You're very welcome, Smolgina. And just wait until you meet the others."

While the Smol blinked at him, Regalia raised a finger and pointed at her. "Um, Uncle Harry? What is that? And what did you mean by 'Others'?"

Humming, the black haired boy looked at her. "Hmm? It should be she, Regalia and as to what she is? She's what's known as a Smol." His attention now on the Smol, he shrugged. "Not quite sure what they are to be honest. But they look like fairy sized shipgirls, and Abyssals now, I suppose. Both Jane and myself have had them just show up around us."

Ritou brought her head down until her chin touched the table and examined the Smol as Tanith tilted her head. "How many of... these, um, Smols... are there... Uncle Harry?"

There was a frown on Harry's face as he considered the question. "A few, I guess. Jane has Minimu, Smolzona, Snowflake who is a Smol Alaska, Smallbacore, Smolstuu... and a few others. I got Minagato, Hibitki, ShiNano, and now Smolgina." Frowning some more, he crossed his arms. "I think that there might be some more hiding around, but..."

Banging noises made him turn and blink as Nagato had her head on the table. "Too much..."

Confused as to why their grandmother was acting like that, the Demons and Princesses as well as Nero and Regalia turned to Hoppou. Said Abyssal shrugged and shook her head. "Hoppou not know where they come from either. But they stick with Big Brother, so Hoppou does not mind."

Only shaking his head, Harry chuckled some. "Yeah, who knows from where the Smols flow, only that they come. And it's only a... smol problem, anyways."

Sighing, Shinano facepalmed though she was smiling. "Oh, Harry-Chan. Um, must you make puns like that?"

All Harry did though was shrug and smile. "Of course, I must." It was then that he realized that one person had not spoken up and turned. "So, what do you think... Regina...?"

Not sure why he had trailed off, everyone turned to find a red faced Regina with her hands over her face. Her eyes could be seen just peeking out from between her fingers though. More then that, there was steam hissing out from her ears and from her tail's nose. Heck, even said tail was tinted red. Utterly lost, Nero looked from Harry, to the smol, and then to Regina, before going back to Harry. Repeating this several times, she frowned. 'What is going on here?'

Regalia meanwhile tapped Regina on the shoulder. "Regina?" When the other Re-Class jumped, she drew back a little. "Is, um, something wrong?"

Very quickly, Regina shook her head while stuttering. "U-um, uh... n-no, n-n-nothing is wrong. I'm, um, okay..."

Head tilted to the side, the Smol got up from where she had been picking at the last few crumbs and walked over. Gently, she grasped Regina's hand and patted it. "Gina! Gina gina, gina. Gina gina gina gina."

Blushing some more, Regina withdrew partially into her hood. "Um, thank you?"

Unnoticed by her, Harry had gotten up and walked over until he was beside her. Then he patted her hand which made her flush deepen just a touch. "Hey, look on the bright side! With a smol version of you, I'll always have you around."

Moments later, he blinked though in confusion as the steam coming out of Regina's ears increased to a low whistle. It was not helped by how Hoppou was giggling in glee and kicking her feet into the air. However, Harry was distracted as Regina hugged him. "I guess that is true."

Grinning at her, Harry nodded some before holding out his hand. The Smol then hopped into it and climbed up until she sat on his shoulder. Looking around in awe, the Smol smiled. "Gina/"

With a nod, Harry turned to Regina and smiled. "Want to come with me while I show Smolgina around?" Rapidly nodding, the Re-Class got to her hooves and then walked out of the mess tent while holding Harry's hand. Behind her, there was a smiling Shinano. "So first, I was thinking..."

Once they were out of earshot. Yoko had a confused expression on her face and frowned. "Huh... that was odd."

All she got was nods from her sisters and niece while Hoppou grinned.

 

[darthcourt10]

dan-heron

Another bit in the Day of a Totally Ordinary Abyssal, this part was originally inspired way back when Hermione gave Re Sparkle the tour to the wax museum over England

Previous parts
Harry And The Shipgirls: Prisoner of Shipping (A HP/KanColle Snippet Collection) | Page 109
Harry And The Shipgirls: Prisoner of Shipping (A HP/KanColle Snippet Collection) | Page 123
Harry And The Shipgirls: Prisoner of Shipping (A HP/KanColle Snippet Collection) | Page 182

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"I'm home!" Suiren groaned, kicking off her boots, sighing in relief after having to put up with Rio and Sur… sure, it was just a matter of minutes but it was the spirit of things! Those two were exhausting no matter the exposure. She took a deep breath and she almost started to droll, it smelled fucking delicious!

"Hey, can you believe this?" came the annoying reply from the sitting room.

"Yes, I'm very welcomed," Suiren muttered, slipping on some sandals.

"Welcome back~!" came the not so annoying reply from the kitchen.

"Thanks! And you, what can I believe now?" the bespectacled abyssal groaned, still carrying her shopping bags.

"Remember that museum with the wax figures of shipgirls on England? Guess who took a tour there recently?" the white haired girl asked, twisting around to toss an arm over the couch, annoyingly cheerful green eyes looking up at the Supply Depot Princess.

She didn't miss a beat. "Reivana," she couldn't help letting some smug superiority drip into her voice.

The other girl sputtered in reply. "Wha- ho-how did you know Chubby's puppy got to take a walk there?"

She couldn't help an insufferable smirk from creeping on her face. "I have my methods," Suiren said as she crossed her arms over her chest. No way she would admit Hime found about it before the shipgirls actually took the Re-class to enjoy the sights. Because of course Hime would find out about it.

"I told her!" Dammit Hime!

The other white haired girl raised an amused eyebrow at the blush heating up Suiren's face. "How did you find about it? They haven't made a public statement about it, though considering how excitable Reivana can get…"

"Yeah, I was expecting somebody to post a video of her lost in her own world on the streets," the other girl shrugged and plopped back down on the couch, waving a careless hand towards the laptops sitting on a little coffee table in front of the couch. "Jervis told me."

Suiren looked at one of the windows, a string of e-mail replies that started with Jervis:

------
Tatsumaki Darling~ Lucky Jervis here! How are you doing? I'm doing fantastic, of course! Did you hear about…
------

On and on these two went about saying so little with so many words. "Ugh, I just remembered that time she was on Naka-sama's show, I was feeling tired just by watching all their combined energy."

Her friend snickered, tossing a potato chip into her mouth. "She's a good kid."

"And Ancient Gateway is not chubby, she's overly stacked."

The other girl shrugged shamelessly, putting an innocent look on her face. "How would I know? There's always something blocking the view every time I look at her. I just know there's a lot of fat there."

"Whatever. Here," Suiren handed a bag, getting an excited coo in return, but the Supply princess was busy looking at another window on the desktop.

It seemed "Unrivaled Tatsumaki's Dream Empire of the Waist Cloth-less Wonderful Cosplayer" website was getting a new theme, a dazzling array of lines of code filled most of the window courtesy of her friend's usual coding skills, but what got her attention was another tab with the title Jervis' Luck. Another laptop was showing the finished product, images of her friend in cosplay lacking a key element of the attire.

"What's up with that?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm giving Jervis a hand for our collaboration," Tatsumaki replied, pressing her face against the fabric Suiren had just delivered. Suiren looked at the Ta-clas. "Hey, don't give me that look, she isn't doing anything weird."

"Uh-huh. Skirtless cosplayer," like hell she was going to say waist cloth.

"That's my gimmick, not gonna let her jump on the bandwagon," Tatsumaki replied, wagging a finger at Suiren. "I'm supposed to visit Jervis, then she remembers what I'm wearing so she tries to stop me before I attract too much attention, but since she isn't in her place I go looking for her instead, there are many shenanigans and-."

"Then you get arrested," Suiren smoothly intersected.

"Then I get arrested!" Tatsumaki burst out laughing. "You gotta follow both sites to get the full story. Since we can't get together to take photos we are getting creative with solo shots."

Suiren gave her a flat stare. "Sounds exhausting," Suiren muttered, "have fun."

Tatsumaki gave her a radiant smile along with a Victory sign for added effect. "WIll do!"

The bespectacled Abyssal started to make her way to deliver the groceries to the kitchen when Tatsumaki suddenly started bouncing on the couch.

Crazy flailing of arms ensued. "Oh! Oh!"

Suiren very slowly raised an eyebrow in return. "What?"

The beautiful abyssal raised the new fabric over her face before presenting the fabric to Suiren. "Can you give me a hand?" Tatsumaki said with a look that tried to be coy and innocent. Failed, both of them, such tactics were useless on Suiren.

She was of half a mind to just give her the finger and a blunt no. "Sure."

"Thank you!"

"No problem," Suiren shrugged, already halfway towards the kitchen.

A wall of exquisite aromas suddenly slammed her on the face, staggering her for a moment before she moved again. Mouthwatering indeed.

She was greeted by the sight of far more pots that should be possible to safely use at the same time, bubbling and hissing most tantalizing, Hime was busy doing something on the side, long black hair pulled in a bun, and almost a fleet's worth of Imp-sized Abyssals scampering around like a demented horde of miniature chefs.

"Groceries," Suiren raised the shopping bags and an Imp-sized Ne dashed forward in front of the abyssal, flexing her oversized miniature arms. The princess promptly dropped the bags on top of the Ne and soon the bags were wobbling towards the fridge.

"Thank you again," Hime said with a brilliant smile and Suiren simply waved her off.

"No worries," the Supply Depot replied and tried to look around. "Uh, got something… already done?" What the hell was Hime cooking? It smelled so good already but she couldn't make heads or tails from the chaos filling almost the entire kitchen.

"Not just yet!" the black haired beauty said with a smile. "I can send it to your room once it's done, or I can make you a sandwich right now," the taller woman said, even as she removed her stained apron.

"Hmm, something for later would be good… why so much?" the shorter girl pointed at the everything in the kitchen and Hime simply giggled.

"In case somebody may be a bit peckish."

"Somebody?" this was a damn banquet! "Is Summer going to crash with us or something? It's just the three of us today."

"Well, if we don't finish it, I can put it on the back for later! You never know when you need a little snack at the moment~."

Suiren looked at Hime for a long moment. Damn it, something was going to happen, wasn't it?

"Fine, whatever," she sighed in defeat, maybe whatever would simply pass her by and only Hime would know. "As long as it's tasty," she grumbled and made her way towards her room.

"It will be delicious~!"

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Tatsumaki, the Ta-class cosplayer. Because Abyssals are great at names. Inspired in part by a short comic where a Ta shows a Ru her new "waist cloth" and the Ru can't recognize her until Ta removes her skirt, Ru trying to apologize for not recognizing her and finishing with a Re saying "Call it skirt!".
posts #2561017 #2561019

As you may imagine, she's a cosplayer who simply pass on putting skirts, pants, etc., while keeping everything else on point and in character, keeping it sfw enough to get the big sponsors and junk, so boy shorts and stuff. She's also pretty good with computers and the intrawebs things; very good in fact, but she knows that it's better to stay clean to avoid attracting the wrong type of attention. Better be the internet person around the corner than the sued and jailed one

As you can imagine by the mention of Reivana's visit to the museum, this idea popped up waaaay back then, actually before the Sur/Southern War's and Rio/Ri's snippets came to be, it just couldn't get properly shaped into letters and words.

Mostly trying to break through a creative block, I may finish Suiren's totally normal saga soon

The Summer that got mentioned is a Seaport Summer Princess, because Abyssals are again great at names. She is meant to be a farmer, a la Harvest Moon/Stardew Valley style, who is given a lot of sidequests weird requests on the side while also making sure she produces insane amounts plenty of food. She was inspired by this pic of Nonco

nonco331:

 

[darthcourt10]

MagisterAurelius

After a bit of a hiatus:

Ship of Fools Part the Eighth



Malfoy Manor


Narcissa Malfoy, with her exposure to ship-girls thanks to Draco and Johnston's budding relationship, had by now experienced most of emotions possible to a human being. For the first time in her life though, Narcissa was completely envious. After watching the latest guest to the Malfoy table dine she couldn't help but feel it, which meant that Draco was not exaggerating in the cautionary tales he brought back from school after all.

By Merlin it wasn't fair for anyone to enjoy a figure most witches spent most of their magic in illusions to pretend to have! But to then eat enough in one meal to spark worry that the house elves might not be able to keep up? That was almost infuriating unless one reminded oneself that one was dining with a magical being of mass destruction.

"Miss Washington?" As Lucius opened his mouth, Narcissa dearly wished to hex it shut before he went and offended the ship-girl. "Malfoy Manor is always open to a friend of Draco's. I admit to being curious as to why...."

Before he could finish the Standard battleship raised a burgundy wine-colored eyebrow and completed Lucious's question. "I am here, instead of acclimatizing to my new life among my fellow ship-girls? I have some very good reasons, but the only important one at this moment, is that your son is the one who summoned me. And I thank you for your hospitality. The feeling of having a full combat loading of fuel and stores is one that was denied me as a ship."

"I'm fairly certain that you put the House Elves to quite the test," Narcissa smiled but let it fade as she continued, "I do have some concerns however. Mainly will Draco's summoning of you cause issues with his relationship with Johnston? You ship-girls are known for being powerful in personality and combat. I will not tolerate any danger to Draco."

The battleship's grey eyes widened in shock. "Oh no you misunderstand. I am grateful to Draco for giving me the chance to actually live and am indebted to him. But I am not in love with him. Nor would I hurt Johnston in that way." Her face became level and determined. "Draco has expressed certain ambitions that I will help him achieve. When he no longer is in need of my counsel and assistance, then I will... be able to do that which is most important to me." A very small mischievous smirk appeared on her pale rose lips. "But in the meantime, watching those two be an adorable couple will be a treat don't you agree, Lady Narcissa?"

"Just call me Narcissa. There is no formal ennoblement among the 28 families. And how are we to address you Miss Washington?"

"Washington is fine, after all the one who succeeded to my name," under her breath she muttered 'that Usurper', "is often referred to as just Wash."

-0-

Later after sunset, Draco found Washington standing by a follie in one of the manor's maze gardens. As he approached the battleship, he grew pensive as he remembered their conversations just after the summoning and on the flight home. When he finally stood next to her he inclined his head upwards to watch the stars as Washington was seemingly doing.

"So Mother seems to be pleased enough with things. Are you alright with going with me to Hogwart's? It seems like it would be rather boring tedium to just be relegated to bodyguard duties."

She turned to glance at him, though her peek-a-bang hairdo covered her right eye, and she smiled slightly. "Oh Draco, a consigliere is much more than a mere bodyguard. As I told your mother, I will advise and counsel you on how to achieve your ambitions. After all, the best way to protect you and your loved ones from a dark lord is become a scarier dark lord."

Draco's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Out-evil Voldemort?"

Washington's tone became glacial in her reply. "Whether anything is determined to be good or evil depends on the perspective. Those are mere descriptive terms Draco, power is the important part. The ability to make others bend to your will and to accept your terms without having to exercise your power is to become truly frightening." Draco watched her expression harden as she stared off into the dark, and then he caught her continued whisper, "And I am the proof of that aren't I?"

"Voldemort can frighten a lot of individual people, but on the larger stage? He is small. He acts like a petty cult leader when his followers do not act like mindless puppets. This is treating ones minions like cannon fodder. Appreciated and valued minions are the ones who make sure you have the time to make a getaway."

Draco was speechless for a moment. Then he frowned. "You make it sound like being a dark lord has a manual or something." Looking back at the battleship, he noticed a slightly sheepish expression cross her face as she shrugged.

"Alright I admit it, but that Internet thing is amazing. One quick search and anyone can access the Evil Overlord's Instruction Manual!"

"Wat?"


-0-


A few days later at Hogwarts' in the Slytherin dorms


Tracey Davis was perplexed and commented so to her friend, "Daphne, I understand it in Potter's case, but Draco Malfoy? Why would a ship-girl attach herself to him?"

"What about Johnston?"

"Didn't somebody say that destroyers don't really think about consequences? That would explain Johnston. But she's a battleship! Aren't they supposed to be more, you know, mature?"

"I'm not certain. Maybe we should ask..."

"Ask Draco?!"

"No, despite being much less obnoxious since last year, associating with Draco is still a bad idea. We will ask her."

The two Slytherin girls found Washington in the common room. "Miss Washington? My name is Daphne Greengrass and this is my friend Tracey Davis. We were wondering if you were finding life in the Slytherin dorms comfortable enough." The statuesque battleship looked up from her reading and nodded at the two girls.

"I have learned that ship-girl battleships are rather direct and tend to lack subtlety. So perhaps asking your questions directly will get you direct answers." The slightest of smirks touched the corner of Washington's lips as she played with one hand the thick braid hanging over her shoulder where it lay accenting her ample bosom.

Looking at Daphne and shrugging, Tracey asked the burning question to their minds, "Why Draco? Aren't ship-girls on the side of good and light and that sort of thing? Also, are you really content just hanging out here and not fighting against the Abyssals?"

Washington continued to play with her braid and leaned her head back in thought. "Let's just say that I have some anger issues and leave it at that. And as to why I am helping Draco? No one ever asked for me to come back. Draco did, even though it was not by name. That is why I will advise him until he has achieved his goals."

After the girls had left, Draco entered the room. He cast a privacy charm. "I know you have pledged yourself my consigliere until I become a dark lord Washington. Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand how my summoning you is worth such a pledge. Shouldn't I be helping you with your goals and stuff?"

For the first time since he had summoned her, a small wistful smile actually graced her lips. "Draco, you opened the door for me to finally live. For that I will be eternally grateful. But you can't help me. I have sworn an oath, and when you are a dark lord and can do as you wish, then I will be free to fulfill it and go back to the darkness." She held a finger to Draco's lips to forestall his objection.

"I was thrown away like trash thanks to that damn treaty. And because I wouldn't sink after all they did, they had Aunt Texas and New York finish me off. Then I spent almost 80 years rusting away off the Virginia Capes forgotten. Then the Abyssals attacked, and no one called for me." Her voice lowered as her expression hardened. "Osty was the only voice calming me down, convincing me to not listen to the the dark voices. But even she got called back and I was alone. Finally I was ready. If no one wanted me to come, then I was going to join the Abyssals the next time they came around. I am that angry, Draco."

Then like a freshening breeze she softened and closed her eyes. "But then you called and gave me the chance to live. I get to live and live how I choose. The only way I can repay you is to help you achieve what you want."

Draco took a deep breath. He wasn't sure of how to really handle things, but before he realized it he was vocalizing the small voice in his head. "Okay. I'm not going to ask what you have to do. But my offer to help you stands. But don't be surprised if I take my time before I consider myself a true dark lord then."

"Fair enough."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Ever so slowly, the summer morning sunlight moved across the floor of the inn from the window as the brilliant orb rose higher and higher into the sky. As it did so, it also illuminated the two bodies in the futon. The sunlight did not take long to reach the male of the two and he grumbled a bit and scrunched his eyebrows. Not bothered in the slightest, the sunlight beamed onto his face. Even when he tried to hide from it, he failed.

After some time of fruitlessly doing battle, the young man sighed and opened his eyes. "Fine, I'm up. Happy?" Briefly, he could have sworn that the sunlight brightened ever so slightly. Something that made him narrow his eyes before he looked down at the female of the pair who was still sleeping. A soft smile came to his face as he watched his American wife of three years breath in and out gently.

Then one of his two floppy ears fell over his eyes and a sigh escaped from his lips. 'Sometimes, its just not worth it.' Feeling his wife move though, he then smiled. 'Other times, it is.' Slowly and gently, so as to not wake her, the Inaba slipped out from under the covers. Though he did pause for a moment as shifting caused the blankets covering his human wife's form to reveal more of her to the morning light. Something that made him pause for several moments. Especially as it was a reminder of their... activities... the night before.

Yes, they may have been married for three years now, but he was still a hare Yokai though his wife had never complained about that.

Shaking those thoughts from his head, he quickly got up and threw on some shorts before making his way to the bathroom to perform his early morning routine. With a sigh, he washed his hands before turning the hot water in the sink off. After a few seconds, he splashed himself in the face a number of times before freezing as two warm arms wrapped around him and he could feel a woman's body press into his back. "Mornin', Arutemisu."

With a smile on his face, Arutemisu ignored the water running down his face as he looked over his shoulder. "And a good morning to you too, Kat-Chan. Have a pleasant sleep?"

Just humming as she looked at him with sleepy eyes, Katherine, or Kat to her friends, smiled. "Well of course I did." Stretching, her smile became a grin as she knew that he was looking her over. "After all, I had my snuggle bunny with me."

Only groaning, Arutemisu ignored the giggles from his boisterous wife. "Didn't we have a talk about this, Kat-Chan?"

Pretending to think about it, she tapped her chin before tilting her head. "Yes, and? I promised not to call you that in public. Nothing about when it is just the two of us." Then she pressed herself back into his back before nuzzling Arutemisu's neck and making him shiver. "Besides which, you are a bunny and very nice to snuggle with."

A bright blush on his face, the Inaba sighed. "And I suppose that is the best that I can hope for, isn't it?"

Her grin brightening, Kat leaned in and kissed him. "Yes, especially as we have had this very conversation many, many times. And we'll likely have it many more times." Leaning her head against his, she smiled. "As an aside, I had a very good sleep considering what we did last night."

While his blush had been going down, that and the thought brought it back full force. "Must you tease me?"

Softly kissing the base of one of his ears, Kat smirked at the shiver. "Yes. Because its fun, your adorable when your flustered, and you like it."

Looking away, he grumbled. "No, I don't."

Kat only chuckled at that. "Yes, you do. Though speaking of last night... Considering things perhaps call you the Energizer Bunny as well. I certainly enjoyed it as always."

The waggling eyebrows she gave him made his blush start to creep down his neck. "Do you have no shame, Kat-Chan!?"

Now laughing, she shook her head. "Shame? What's that? Is it tasty?" At his sputters, she caught his lips with hers before pulling back. "Besides, you like that about me."

With a sigh, Arutemisu hung his head though there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, woe is me." Turning, he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked up at his taller wife. "But I do like that. Especially as I'm shy and-"

Interrupting him, Kat chuckled. "Not in the bedroom once you get started."

Simply rolling his eyes, Arutemisu ignored that and continued. "I'm shy around people, and I need someone to help push me forward. And the way that you do it, never pushing too far, is what I need sometimes."

Only shaking her head, Kat smiled. "I don't think that you would ever need that and could do well enough. Still happy though to do so and see you flustered."

Leaning in, Arutemisu sighed as he nuzzled her chin. "What did I do to deserve someone like you in my life? And as my wife?"

All Kat did was look down at him with a serious expression on her face. "What did you do? You came across a very scared twelve year old girl who happened to be a Squib running from her parents. Parents that wanted to take away all her memories and dump her somewhere for the crime of being a 'No-Maj' in the United States. And instead of ignoring her, you instead brought her to safety and gave her a loving home in your family compound. You may have been twenty at the time, but I knew that I met the man for me back then."

Just chuckling, Arutemisu shook his head. "Not that I knew about your crush on me. At least not until you were seventeen and decided to let me know in no uncertain terms about your feelings regarding me." His tone then turned dry. "I still say that you bursting into my room the day after your birthday was a bit much."

Rather than being embarrassed, Kat only shrugged. "Hey, would you have realized otherwise?"

Frowning, Arutemisu was about to say something when he paused. Sighing, he shook his head. "No, I suppose not." With a glance at the rings on their fingers, he smiled. "And it lead to three years so far of happiness."

Just ruffling his hair, Kat grinned. "There's the spirit, Arutemisu! Anyways..." She leaned in some and hummed. "I feel like having a shower this morning..."

It was forty minutes later that the two exited the bathroom with a flushed Arutemisu glancing at Kat, who was grinning. 'Absolutely no shame at all...' Turning away, he began to smile. 'Though I would not have her any different.'

Working alongside him to prepare their breakfast, Kat hummed. "So, Arutemisu? What seems to be the plan for the day?"

Arutemisu hummed some in thought as he cracked some eggs. "Well, it might be a bit boring for you I think. Myself and Onee-Sama are going to get started purifying that island in the Inland Sea. The one with the tanks on it."

Eyebrow raised, Kat glanced at him. "Oh yeah, that's right. The one where they were using Inferi among other things, right?" At his nod, she frowned slightly and then shrugged. "Guess that I'll be bringing my shotgun then with some Dragons breath rounds. Just in case."

That got her a look from her husband. "Kat-Chan, you don't need to do that. Firstly because it is not going to be needed."

In reply to that, Kat raised one finger. "Not the first time that you thought that and things went to crap. This time, I'll be right there and I do have a license after all."

Rolling his eyes, though not commenting on that, Arutemisu sighed. "Besides which, the island has already been done over with a fine tooth comb at this point. Our job is simply to cleanse the island so that they might be able to summon those giant tanks on the island. And that, while boring and might take a few days, is easy."

With a hum, Kat took squeezed some orange juice. "That's what they always say." After a few moments, she tilted her head to the side. "By the way, any word from Usagi? She mentioned that she was talking to that Mizuchi for you to work at a shrine for her spring, right?"

Slowly nodding as he grabbed some plates, Arutemisu frowned some. "Well, Usagi-Chan did mention that she was talking with her. And that while this Shiromizu-Sama is not sure about having a shrine dedicated to her, she's not exactly against it. But would that be okay with you? The two of us living in a small town like that?"

Before he could do anything, Kat grabbed him and then planted a kiss on his lip. Pulling back, she gave him a smile. "I would not mind it at all, Arutemisu. We'd both be there after all and maybe I could get some work on the side." Taking his hand, she brought it to her stomach and her smile softened. "Besides which, once we settle down we can get started on having a family. One for the two of us."

Rubbing her stomach, Arutemisu had a far off look at what she was hinting at. Sure, they had decided on no children for a while. But if he did become the priest for a Shrine, their future would be secure. Suddenly, he gave her a shy smile. "Though we have been practicing."

Rapidly blinking, Kat boggled at him before he grinned and she snorted. "Dammit, Arutemisu, that's my line." At his shrug, she shook her head as her husband turned back to their meal. Eyes closed, the Squib gave a sigh while thinking back to all those years before.

After all, she had gotten her happy ending.

 

[darthcourt10]

S0ngD0g13

The submarine dipped the horn into the well. "Drink and you will gain the knowledge you seek, but at a price; a Demon you are and wish to remain, but to know what you seek to know you must not a Demon stay. If you refuse you will die at Gateway's hand, and if you drink you will live, but you will be a Princess."

............................................

Canut inhaled a hissing breath at Arval's words. Ascend or die? I'm not afraid of death... But I swore... I swore. Stronger than Honor is the Sworn Oath.

Canut took the offered horn. "I swore an oath; I'll not break it, though it hurt me sore." Canut felt the water of the well slide cool and pure down her throat, and her world went white...

...................................................

Canut knew not how long she'd drifted, but felt strong arms grip her shoulders as Skadi appeared from the blackness all around her. "Hello, Sister; I see you've been well."

"Skadi?" asked Canut, disbelieving.

"Aye. The One-Eyed granted me leave to come speak to you for a time; said he'd have a Norwegian Captain watch my plate for me..."

.......................................................

Canut stood, felt and knew what had changed of her, then met Arval's eyes. "Do you have a smithy?"

....................................................

The fleet of Ancient Atlantic Gateway Princess looked to the north; they had caught the IFF of the Mistress-at-Arms approaching...

Canut sailed past them in silence, her gaze fixed on the doors to the Throne-Room...

Canut knelt before Gateway. The Battleship Demon looked the same as she had, but the Elder Princess could tell that something had changed; Canut radiated with leashed power. "My Lady, I have returned from my quest. I have completed your signet-ring, though the cost of my gaining the knowledge to do so was steep..."

Canut lifted her gaze from the floor and Gateway saw the pained expression on her Mistress-at-Arms' face. Whatever price was demanded of her was steep indeed, to have the Demon pained so... "The Ring?"

Canut presented it. "One of your Imps, Cain I believe, sacrificed himself to make the steel, and I have worked seidhr into it; it is very-literally part of you, and should you will it so, the Ring will not remain on any finger, nor that finger on any hand."

"And the steep price paid for the knowledge of making it?"

Canut swallowed thickly and lowered her hood and removed her helm, revealing the stubs of growing horns around her brow. "I am becoming a Princess, the which is something I have never wished; that I have shunned, in fact. To gain the knowledge of the True Craft I drank from the Well at the Roots of the World, and such knowledge is never without price."

"In no more than five years, I'll be a Princess; for as long as you live, Your Majesty, I shall serve you, as loyally and as faithfully as ever I have before. But when the day finally comes, at I hope a far-distant time in the future, when you have passed beyond life, I will retake my mother's legacy and my birthright as the next Princess of the Northern Horde..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Slowing the truck to a stop, Kat looked to the side where Arutemisu was gently sleeping. For several moments, the American expat watched him with a small smile on her face. Every so often, his nose would twitch in a way she found rather adorable. Despite her teasing, it was moments like this that she had grown to treasure in her own way.

Yes, as a human Kat would grow old and die well before her husband. She had made her peace with that well before that night she had finally gotten him to realize that she was interested in him. While Kat would be lying if she did not admit that it bothered her on some level, at the same time it made times like this all the more special. A moment in time that would be gone all too soon.

Here and then gone with the ticking of the clock.

After a few minutes, and without waking him, Kat got out of the truck and made her way to a nearby coffee shop. Coming out, she returned to the truck and sipped hers as she looked into the cab to see Arutemisu still sleeping. Unable to help herself, her mind returned to a day long ago, just a few days before what became known as Blood Week...

Dirty, both skin wise and clothing, a nearly twelve year old girl was running through the woods. She had to get away, she just had to. Feeling branches whip at her and thorns try and grab a hold of her, Kat sniffled. It was not fair! It just wasn't! Why was she born without magic to a magical family? What had she done to deserve it!?

What had she done to deserve being hunted by her own family. A family who still considered Rapport's Law to be in the right, but not taken far enough? And how it should still be in effect even though she knew that MACUSA had long ago dropped it. But due to their beliefs, she was now on the run due to being a Squib.

Because if they caught her, they were going to wipe her memories away and leave her in some orphange. Her entire life, just gone and possibly not even knowing her own name! All due to not having magic...

Even as tears blurred her vision, tears that she had thought gone due to being cried out, Kat continued to run. Maybe it was because of those tears. Or it could have been due to her exhaustion as every time she had tried to rest, her family appeared to try and grab her. But Kat's eyes missed the root sticking out of the ground and she fell down a hill. At the bottom, she whacked her head, though the last thing that she knew before blackness overtook her was the sound of someone gasping in shock.

Awakening with a soft groan, Kat realized that hours had gone by and it was now well into the evening. Somewhere nearby, she could hear the crackling of a fire. The other thing that her mind noted as it became more aware was that she was in a sleeping bag and her head was bandaged. It was not just her head either as the other visible parts of her body had been cleaned and dressed. Part of her relaxed as she realized that her clothes were still on.

However, she also realized that her wounds hurt less then they should unless...

Gasping, Kat sat up only to wince as the world swirled around her. One hand against her head, she took a deep breath only to stop as a hand placed itself on her shoulder and an accented voice spoke. "Hey, um... just relax a bit. You took a rather big tumble after all..."

When she turned, the nearly twelve year old felt herself blushing at the sight of a rather handsome man. Internally, she noted that he was Asian with a rather lean build. Having gotten to the age where she became interested in the opposite sex after growing up inside her family's household as a sort of secret shame, Kat could only swallow. "Hi...?"

The man scratched his cheek a bit with a shy smile. "Er, hello? I'm Tsuk... I mean, Arutemisu Tsukino." Cheeks flushed, the twenty year old rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, still getting used to how names are said here in America."

Something about the shy way he was acting made Kat internally squee. Instead of taking away from his looks, it only made him cuter somehow. But then she realized that he was waiting and took a deep breath. "I'm Katherine..." Remembering why she was running, she glanced around. "Um, just Katherine."

Unnoticed by her, Arutemisu's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, but then they went back to normal. "Well, Katherine-San. I'm pleased to meet you." Bowing slightly to her confusion, he was about to continue when her stomach growled. "Um, are you h-hungry?"

Chewing her lip, Katherine looked down. "A little bit, I think..."

Only nodding, Arutemisu got up and walked over to a bag there before digging around. Pulling out a can along with a can opener and spoon, he quickly removed the lid and handed it over. "I'm sorry, but I don't really have much normal camping food on me. But here's some fruit salad."

Mouth already watering, Kat dug in quickly. Yes, it may have been fruit salad, but it tasted absolutely divine at that moment. 'Oh God, this is so good!'

Just watching as she devoured the food like a hungry wolf, Arutemisu could only look on with wide eyes. Then he frowned and tilted his head a bit as he considered things. 'I can't it, would be impolite. B-but... she seemed to be running and... she looks so hungry...' Coming to a decision, the Inaba took a deep breath. "U-um, Katherine-San? When was the last time you ate?"

Still eating, Katherine shrugged a bit with her mouth working before her brain caught up past the fact that she finally had some food. "Not for three, four days..." Realizing what she just said, she winced. "I..."

Gently, Arutemisu placed a hand on her shoulder. "Katherine-San? Are you in some sort of trouble? I, um... maybe we can get you some help? O-or something..."

About to answer, Katherine stiffened as there were pops and three men appeared. Catching sight of her, one of them groaned. "Dammit! She ran across a No-Maj!"

Drawing into herself, Kat whimpered. "Uncle..."

That just got her a scowl as the man whipped out his wand. "I ain't no uncle of yours, No-Maj! You got no magic!"

Pieces falling into place, Arutemisu stood a bit. "Um, may I ask what some wizards wish with Katherine-San? It sounds like you know each other."

One of the younger men gave him a once over. "Wait, you know about magic. The hell?"

Eyes going from one to the other, Arutemisu moved until he was between Katherine and the three. "Yes, I'm from Japan and came to the United States on a spiritual journey of sorts. My whole family is magical."

Frowning, Kat's uncle snorted. "Sorry, didn't see your wand there. You must be one of those wierd Japanese wizards who don't use them. As to her, she's a disappointment due to not being born with magic. And as she's a No-Maj, she needs to be obliviated."

If anything, Arutemisu's trembling ceased. "I'm afraid that I don't understand, there's no such law that I am aware of regarding those born to magical families without magic themselves."

Annoyed, the older man snorted. "Rappaport's Law! You know, any No-Maj must be obliviated and no relationships of any sort are allowed."

His eyes narrowing, Arutemisu frowned. "That law is no longer on the books."

The youngest of the three, who Kat recognized as her cousin who had just graduated from Illivermony, whipped out his wand. "It damned well should be! Now, stand aside, Oblivia-"

Before he could get much further, Arutemisu made a motion with his hands and the campfire flared high and bright into the night. All three wizards backed up in shock before with another motion, the fire died to nothing leaving everyone blinking spots.

Everyone, that is, except for Arutemisu.

Rapidly, he grabbed his backpack and then scooped up Kat still in his sleeping back before leaping nearly fifteen feet and then leaping again while spells were shot in various directions. By the time Kat managed to blink away the spots, Arutemisu was racing through the trees while there were shouts behind them. Chewing his lip as he dodged another spell, the Inaba looked down at the girl in his arms. At her frightened look, he gave her a weak smile. "Um, I don't think that they're... nice?"

Crying, Kat shook her head. "You think?" Then seeing him winced, she sniffled and buried her face in his neck. "Sorry..."

However, he just shook his head even as he felt his cheeks heat. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Katherine-San. Just..." Glancing behind him, he shook his head and then frowned as he noticed a ravine ahead. With a deep breath, Arutemisu shook his head. "Just hold on..."

With that, he sped up until he reached the edge of the ravine and then leapt across the nearly forty feet with ease. Hitting the ground, Arutemisu sped into the trees on the other side. Eventually, they did lose their pursuers and the Inaba reached his rental in a parking lot. Taking a breather, Arutemisu greedily sucked in air before looking her over. "So, um, they're after you?"

Finally having gotten out of the sleeping bag, Kat nodded. "Yes... I never got my letter for school which means that I have no magic. I'm a Squib and that means that I'm just another No-Maj and to my families..." Wiping away some tears furiously, she sniffled. "That means that I need to be Obliviated of all knowledge of magic."

Mouth working, no sound came from the Inaba's mouth for almost a minute. "Wait, but... You've lived all your life up to this point around magic. So wouldn't that mean..." When she nodded, he felt his shoulders slump. "Oh..."

Sobbing, Kat shook her head. "I don't want... I just want... why? Why me..."

It was not long until Arutemisu gathered her into a hug. "Um, l-look, do you have anywhere to..." Seeing her shake her head as she sobbed into his chest, he chewed his lip. The young girl in front of him was being hunted for what she was. For something that she had never done or had a choice in. Having heard all the stories from his parents, it hit rather close to home for Arutemisu.

But then he remembered something that his parents told him. "I... don't know what I can do. However... my parents might. I mean, we've taken in people in danger before and... it's just that they're in Japan."

Lost, Kat looked up at him. "J-Japan? They might not look for me there, but... but how would we get there? Don't I need one of those passport thingies?"

Arutemisu shook his head some. "Just leave that up to me." Part of him wondered what his parents would think. The shy, Inaba being so... decisive. Shaking his head, he looked her over. "But the big question is how do they keep finding you?" With a frown, he performed a quick scan and then winced. "Your clothes... they got tracking charms."

Horrified, Katherine looked at herself. "Oh no... what am I going to do now?! These are the only things that I got!"

Chewing his lip, the Yokai looked at his car. "I... got some clothes that you can wear for now? Until I find something. But maybe this could be a good thing if we work this right.."

One hour later found them heading down one interstate. Meanwhile, Kat's old clothes were bundled away in a tractor trailer heading eastward. Two days later, while stopped at a motel near to the Canadian border, they read about how her relatives had appeared in the middle of a busy truck stop and had been arrested by annoyed MACUSA Aurors for breaking the Statute.

Six hours later marked the beginning of Blood Week and it left MACUSA in chaos and her relatives unable to continue their hunt for her.

To Kat, that time spent with Arutemisu was the only thing that kept her going. Stuff like him grabbing a hotel room, only to sleep on the couch so that she could have the bed. Or him buying her new clothing so that she could relax. Her first shower was long and hot to get the dirt and grime from her escape off. Upon getting dressed, she walked out only to blink as Arutemisu was there with food waiting and a sheepish grin. "Um, I thought that you might want something..." Looking at the television screen which showed video of the disaster unfolding around the world, he grimaced before turning it off. 'Might be some time before we can get something like this again.

It was not for another month before he managed to return to Japan. Much to Kat's surprise, as soon as Arutemisu's mother had been told the whole story, she had pulled her into a hug. "You poor dear, no one should have to go through that, no one. You can stay here for as long as you want, we'll protect you." Smiling down at her, Arutemisu's mother stroked Kat's head. "You're safe now." Finally, the dam burst and Kat had wept in pure relief. She was safe, her memories and self were finally safe...

 

[darthcourt10]

KiMaSa

I put this up over on SV about a week ago and thought I would see how it played here. This is an Abyssal a little different from both the mad dog evil abyssals of stereotype and the intelligent ones that of course have decided that allying with humans or seeking peace with them was the way to go. Some enemies are intelligent but have a set of convictions which make peace a distant prospect at best.



Blood Legacy

Amsterdam Island, Southern Indian Ocean

There were few places more remote and isolated as this, East Indian War Princess mused. Still, it suited her needs. The island had a subtropical climate with a yearly mean temperature of 14.2 degrees centigrade, (57.6 degrees Fahrenheit). It rained as often as not but while hardly a paradise, the active volcanic island was neither frozen waste nor sunbaked hell.

It also isn't a burnt radioactive cinder, the Princess thought wryly as she gazed north towards where Diego Garcia had been set ablaze in nuclear fire. Like every other being on earth, East Indian War Princess fervently hoped her mother had died a most complete and agonizing death. While humans might have grimly congratulated themselves and comforted themselves with the thought of Subcontinental Princess's demise, her daughter was not so optimistic. Indian War Princess had not been the strongest, nor the weakest of her sisters. Both of these sins had been reason enough for her mother to kill one of her sisters. Subcontinental Princess having the weakest of her daughters impaled, a lesson in the brutal calculus that tolerated no weakness. EIWP had personally thought it unnecessary and wasteful but it was grimly accepted that strength was vital to survival.

What had happened to her older sister had been far more shocking. Her sister had been quick to demonstrate her battle prowess and had earned the admiration of their kind. Perhaps too much, for their mother had commanded all her subjects to attend what she called 'An Honor' of her daughter. Before the eyes of all she commanded her eldest to kneel before her and when her loyal, loving daughter knelt in obedience, their mother had smiled upon her and then proceeded to crush her daughter's skull with her bare hands. EIWP still remembered the look of shock and pain on her sister's face before their mother tossed her daughter's dying body down the steps leading to her throne. None, not even she dared go to her sister's aid, lest they should draw their ruler's wrath.

All joy in their ranks had died that day. There was fear and obedience but no loyalty and so it was when the human world finally beheld the ghastly queen, beheld her terrible throne and the monster that sat upon it, drinking wine from a vessel crafted from a skull, that not one Abyssal remained with their hated mother as the nukes came in.

Many had heard her maniacal laughter as the first warhead detonated, a chilling sound that haunted their nightmares. Everyone prayed to whatever powers existed in the universe that she had died hard but few believed it.

And so East Indian War Princess and her remaining sisters had agreed to divide their mother's territory and go their separate ways. Her territory consisted mainly of the Eastern Indian Ocean as far North as the Nicobar Islands. At least in theory, it did. There were always rogues trying to carve out independent territories and competing Princesses incurring into each other's territory. Newcomers were directly confronted but unless the territory they claimed was particularly valuable, allowed to remain as long as they agreed to obey her summons to war when called upon and in return, she promised them assistance if they were attacked. Those that refused to accept these simple conditions were ruthlessly destroyed.

In regards to humans in her territory, East Indian War Princess took a pragmatic approach unlike her mother, who had relished in the slaughter of entire populations and other Abyssals who saw humanity as a blight to be expunged from the earth. She saw humans as a resource. They provided food and labor and as long as they obeyed, she was content to be a benevolent overlord. In truth, she found humans tolerable in general and some even delightful but as a species, they were utterly mad and preprogrammed to self-destruction, as insane as her mother had been. The nuclear attack on Diego Garcia had been a testimony to their shared madness. Humanity needed to be humbled and guided with a firm but fair hand. She would not hesitate to destroy a village in disobedience if she thought necessary but she forbade indiscriminate slaughter. She was well aware that her approach made her a puzzle to the humans and their shipgirl allies to solve rather than a threat so horrible they would seize upon the weapons of their collective terror in an attempt to kill her. This was useful. It gave her time to build and plan while they dealt with more immediate threats.

Turning West, she looked to where her sister had total suzerainty over the entire Arabian Sea. The Persian Gulf was her playground. The wealthiest Princes trembled at her glory all the while she raided their riches. Another sister ruled the waters from Pakistan to Myanmar, never pushing the humans as hard as she might because she was continually watching over her shoulder, believing that Subcontinental Princess might return at any time.

Turning back to her waiting escort, EIWP left her contemplation behind. She had appointments to keep, today a new school for some of her human subjects to be dedicated in her honor.

War is a thing of the mind as much as the body. I will not lose.

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

I'm trying my hand at "Establishing Character Moments." I think, at least. Tatsuya, who does not need to be established, gets a moment of rather mundane horror instead.
-----

Jeffrey DuBois's house was not a mansion, but it was big enough that, when his elementary school friends came over to play, they never realized the difference. Growing up in such a house, one memorized the twists and turns, the rooms and where they lead. Once, he had asked if his ancestors had been slaves for whatever Louisiana white guy had owned the house before them. His mother laughed and said no, his great-grandparents had built it themselves.

It made sense, considering that the DuBois family was in the business of killing whatever mystical beast rose out of the bayous this week or that and got a little too uppity. Those who took up the family job needed a decent base of operations, after all.

It was definitely not the reason that the nineteen-year-old high school graduate was standing in front of a mirror and posing.

"Hmm, let's see," he said, tapping his finger to his chin. "How about… 'Well howdee-doo, everybody!'" He shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched in an approximation of what an old-west gunslinger ought to have looked like. "'Lookit all th' varmints in…'" He trailed off, trying to recapture his train of thought. "Varmints… no. That's stupid. The whole train of thought. Maybe I should go for some kind of Arsene Lupin—"

"Jeff!" The door slammed open and Samantha skidded into the room. "Jeff! Bad news! One of Mom's old business associates is coming over for dinner!"

"Are they bringing a daughter?" Jeffrey asked immediately.

"Yep! Mom was going on about how she's eighteen and oh-so-sweet! And Hispanic, but I'm not really sure what that had to do with anything," Samantha rattled off. Jeffrey nodded.

"That is bad--pretty girl, not the other stuff. Quick, help me with the window."
-----

Gillian "Gil" McKay stared into the covered bridge. She looked to her left, then to her right. Then she set her shoulders and walked forward.

Mother—what she remembered of her—had loved covered bridges. She couldn't quite recall why, though—something about the atmosphere? She probably wouldn't have liked this bridge much, though. Besides the rumors that she had chased down, the atmosphere in this one had a solemn, graveyard feeling to it. A bit more chilling that trolls. Gil resolved to do a bit more research into the background of the structure. For now, though, something unfriendly was breathing down the back of her neck.

"'Ello, poppet," a deep, low voice rumbled through the enclosure. Gil immediately spun, sword in hand, slashing at the air behind her.

"Poppet?" she shouted, "mah ancient enemy? Where?"

One minute, fifteen seconds later, the troll bridge was down one crucial troll and Gil was wiping the blood from her weapon. Not as easy as his larger, stupider cousins, but definitely easier than All-The-Lannisters-At-The-Same-Time. She wouldn't be making it to school today—a bit out of her way—but that would leave time for the Pooka case that she was trying to track down. There was work to do, and she needed to get to it.
-----

Two of Tatsuya's family of four were missing from the breakfast table, and yet it was more lively than usual. Despite Mr. Haneda being called away on a sudden business trip (a welcome step back into the real world) and Mamiya being off on Yae business, the table had one more place filled than usual. There was the usual guest, Benio. Next to her sat Reiko, the jorogumo regaling them with tales of how she had basically been abducted into becoming a Miko. Across from her sat Miyuki. The destroyer girl ate energetically, and at intervals of every minute or so would look around the house, as if daring any monsters to come out of hiding. And opposite Tatsuya was Tonbo, the wakizashi-spirit eating slowly and deliberately—and asking his mom for a fourth serving. At Tatsuya's questioning glance, she gave him a lazy smile that he had quickly come to learn that she was thinking something devious and returned her attention to her food.

Tatsuya returned to picking at his own food. It was a Sunday, and there wasn't any school, which meant that he had plenty of time to stress out about whoever the mysterious individual that had cursed his family was. He was doubtful that anyone Fae was involved—it didn't match up to the sorts of curses they laid on those who earned their ire.

"Tatsuya?" Benio asked, leaning over his shoulder. "Is everything alright? You aren't really eating." That set the girls aflutter anew. Benio and Reiko immediately leaned over themselves to see if it was true (through Reiko shrunk back slightly, guilt in her eyes a moment later). Tatsuya raised a hand to wave off their concerns—honestly, the dining room felt like a gag manga at the moment—and paused.

He pointed to Benio. His childhood friend and ally, the closest person in the world to his heart.

Reiko next. A former enemy, after her defeat she had devoted herself romantically whether or not he was interested in her.

He turned to Miyuki. A member of the army who had appointed herself a bodyguard/helper of sorts while vehemently denying any reason other than "I was worried" for it.

Finally, Tonbo. A family retainer, who took delight in messing with everyone's heads. If flirting could make him uncomfortable around her, he had little doubt that she'd try it.

"Wait a second."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

"Kat-Chan?"

Blinking, Kat snapped out of her thoughts of the past. "Hmm?" Spotting Arutemisu looking at her as he woke up, she chuckled. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

However, he only shook his head while yawning. "No, not at all." Looking at the iced coffee she held, Arutemisu raised an eyebrow. "Is that for me?"

Just opening the door, Kat smiled as she passed him the drink and got in with her. "Of course! I know better then to get myself one without getting one for you."

Lips twitching, the Inaba let out another yawn before nodding. "I suppose so." Taking it, he took a sip before sighing. "And thank you, for both the drink and letting me sleep on the drive."

Winking, Kat giggled as her next words brought a blush to her husband's cheeks. "Well, you did need some more rest after last night~"

Only facepalming, Arutemisu groaned. "Oh come on..." Then he smirked at her. "Besides, that was mostly you."

If he had expected to embarrass her, he did not get that as she smirked. "That is true enough."

Pinching his nose, Arutemisu could only shake his head. 'I really cannot win, can I?' But then he smiled as he watched his wife of three years drink. The Inaba's gaze took in it all from her somewhat tanned, though fair, skin and freckles that dotted her face and the rest of her body, the deep brown eyes, to the somewhat muscular and busty build. One that Arutemisu knew for a fact was at least a head taller then his own height. All of it, along with her personality, screamed "Foreigner" to anyone who met her. Even after just about ten years in Japan, she had yet to lose it.

And he loved her for it.

Musing silently in his head, Arutemisu could only hum. It was odd, but she completed him in many ways. Where he was shy, she was forward, where he was nervous, she was brash. Opposites enough that people wondered how they had stayed together. But to Arutemisu, he could not imagine himself having anyone but Kat as they balanced each other. Pulling his straw away from his mouth, he glanced at her. "So what were you thinking about so hard?"

Expression falling some, Kat sighed as she looked off into the distance. "The past." Glancing at him, she frowned. "Back when we first met."

That also brought a frown to his face. "Oh."

Running a hand through her hair, she nodded. "Yeah, oh." With a shake of her head, she continued. "I was going back over that, how nice you were to me. A little lost girl trying to escape from her awful family, only to be saved by a knight in shining armor."

A small blush on his face, Arutemisu scratched his cheek. "Well, um... I don't know about that. Me? A knight in shining armor?"

Only chuckling, Kat leaned over and kissed him before pulling back. "Yes, you. And yes, a knight in shining armor." Waving a hand, she grinned. "A prince from a foreign land, who was in the area and rescued her. Whisking the poor girl away to safety where he lived, away from her wicked family." Expression softening, the Expat sighed. "Or that was how it felt like back then, and still does to some extent. Even then I knew how much you were risking by helping me get away. Especially when I found out that you were a Yokai, not a human."

In response to that, Arutemisu gave a small shrug. "It was the right thing to do. And I will always stand by that fact, no matter what some might think."

Lips twitching, Kat leaned against her fist. "I was also remembering when we arrived at your family compound. And I met your mother for the first time after she heard my story."

Softly snickering, her husband grinned some. "Yeah, that was... an unforgettable meeting."

Kat rolled her eyes some before her tone became dry. "Oh yes, unforgettable. Being pulled into a hug and my face shoved into those tits of hers was certainly that. Also rather hard to breath."

That got her a snort. "Well, that is Okaa-San in a nutshell as I think you might put it. When it comes to caring for others, she is very open."

Her finger on her other hand touching her wedding ring, Kat nodded. "She certainly is that. I still wonder to this day why? Why did she accept me so readily."

Reaching over, Arutemisu grasped her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Because you needed it. She was like me, seeing someone who did not deserve any of what she had gotten from her own flesh and blood. And so, opened her arms, her heart, and her home to the person."

Lightly laughing, though there was a bit of a sob there, Kat shook her head. "Yeah, Miyu is like that. And so are you, Arutemisu." Eyes closing, she hung her head and swallowed. "She's become more of a mother to me then my biological one ever was. Or at least that I could remember her being considering. As far as I am concerned, Miyu is my mother unlike the woman who carried me to term... and then decided with the rest to toss me away after destroying me." Opening her eyes, the American looked at her husband and he could see some tears there, unshed. "She took me in, Arutemisu. And your family did as well, without need except that they felt for me."

Giving her hand another squeeze, the Inaba shook his head. "Because it was the right thing to do, Kat-Chan. Though..." Arutemisu's eyes twinkled some as he tried to lift her spirits. "There was some adjustment there for you."

After a few moments, Kat laughed. "I suppose that is one way to put it. Heh, I remember your older sisters as well as Miyu grabbing me and pulling me off to the bath. That was mortifying at the time, but damn, did I need it. But they've still helped me..."

When she trailed off and laughed harder, Arutemisu tilted his head some. "What's so funny?"

Looking at him, Kat grinned. "I just remembered another time your mother helped me. You know that she knew that I had the biggest crush on you, right? For years, even?"

A flush on his cheeks, Arutemisu nodded. "Of course. She found it amusing I think that I kept convincing myself otherwise..." He then chewed his lip. "Though I could have done without her making a big deal of it when we got together. I did not need her to go 'So you finally see what was in front of you all these years, Arutemisu!' right in front of my Nee-Sans and Imouto."

Giggles escaping her, with her mood lifting, Kat's eyes sparkled. "She did as a matter of fact." Her giggles dying off into a sigh, the Squib tapped one finger on the steering wheel before picking up her drink and taking a sip. "I remember when I went to her to confess because I didn't know what to do. All she did was smile and take me aside to talk, and also she approved of me."

Theatrically sighing, Arutemisu shook his head. "Of course she did, she always did think that I was too shy. And also that I needed someone like you turned out to be in my life. Not that she was wrong, but..."

Unable to help herself, the American laughed again. "True enough, though not shy everywhere." Grinning, she continued. "Of course, she told me that I should drop hints until I was of age to fully pursue you. Though I think that even she was getting somewhat exasperated by how you ignored my flirts, though we both giggled whenever you blushed."

In the present, Arutemisu blushed at the reminder. "What was I supposed to think? I thought that you were being fun or taking cues from my Nee-sans. Besides..." He paused for a moment. "Considering how beautiful a woman you were growing into? I was sure that there was no chance of that."

Now it was Kat's turn to blush though she smiled. "There was every chance, you big silly old hare. But that just gave it time to grow from a crush into something... more." Softly smiling, she looked out. "However, that was not what I meant when I said that she helped me."

Confused, her husband tilted his head. "Okay...?"

Knowing what his response would be, she smirked. "Who do you think helped me get the lingerie that was the only thing that I was wearing when I kicked down your door after my birthday and I was finally of age? So that I could show you that I was a woman and to finally pound into your head that I was in love with you."

Eyes glazed a bit at the memory of his wife when she had kicked down the door back then, declaring that she had enough and she was going to finally show him she was a woman and her feelings, Arutemisu stared ahead. "Ah..." Then the rest filtered in and he snapped out of it. "Wait, Okaa-San helped you pick that out!?"

Eyebrow raised, Kat crossed her arms under her chest. "As a matter of fact, yes. Where do you think that we disappeared to after my party? The party at which I asked you to give me a kiss and you thought it was some odd American custom? At that point, I had enough, dammit. And she knew it."

Pinching his nose, Arutemisu groaned. "How many times must I say sorry for that? I mean, you came up and asked for me to give you a birthday kiss on the lips! And my Okaa-San and Nee-Sans were all watching with grins and giggles... and so was little Usagi-Chan! I actually thought that you might be showing me that, but I was so shy I convinced myself that it had to be some American thing!"

Voice dry with her face blank, the expat stared at him. "It was the first, not some American thing." Then Kat shrugged and snorted. "Then after I was complaining, she stated that she knew of one way to convince you. And so we went out to make damn sure that it would finally get through your head. You certainly got it through that head of yours the next day." Seeing his eyes glaze as he nodded, she snickered. "And it was memorable."

Once more shaking it off, Arutemisu took a deep breath. "It was that, that was for sure. As to Okaa-San helping you there..." Sighing, he placed his head on the dashboard. "I am not surprised in the slightest. That just like her."

All Kat did was shrug a bit. "Say what you will though, she has good taste. And it did get my point across..." Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, she smirked. "I think that I still have that pair actually and it was charmed to keep fitting..." When he once more took on a dazed expression, she giggled. "I swear, I half expect for you to get a nosebleed. Even after all this time."

With a small huff, Arutemisu gave her a playful look. "This isn't anime, Kat-Chan. Besides, you're a fine one to talk considering what happened on our wedding night when I took you to bed the first time." Now it was Kat's turn to become dazed and with a silly grin on her face. "And you still get like that."

Shrugging, Kat shook it off and grinned. "Yes, and? I am loving it each time." Her expression then softened. "After all, I am with my Prince of Hares now."

Both of them sharing a look, they finished off their iced coffees and continued on while chatting about things. After all, they had an appointment to keep.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Turning off the main road, Kat brought the truck onto one of the side roads. It did not take them long to reach their destination, which was a gatehouse with concrete walls an area behind it with barbed wire. Putting the truck into park, she waited as a JGSDF soldier walked up and nodded to them. "Good morning, may I ask your business?"

In the passenger seat, Arutemisu pulled some papers that he held out. "We're here on some official business actually."

With an eyebrow raised, the soldier looked at them both and then at the paperwork which was soon joined by their photo identification. Frowning, he gave a shake of his head. "Understood, but if you would both wait while we confirm?" When the couple nodded, he nodded. "Thank you, we won't be long."

Leaning back as she watched him head back to the gatehouse, Kat looked at their surroundings with a hum. "I have to admit, I'm sort of impressed. From what I read, these places were all built within a few weeks, right?"

Nose twitching a bit, Arutemisu also looked around. He could see a patrol not far off though which made him nervously twitch. "Yes, they built them up within a short time. Not that you would be able to tell."

Moments later, Kat reached over and grasped his hand. "Relax, Arutemisu. There's nothing to be afraid of here and I'm right beside you." Kissing him, she pulled back in time to hear a cough and turned to find the amused soldier. Ignoring the blush on her husband's face, she smirked. "So our paperwork checked out then?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the gate opening as the soldier smiled at her. "It did, Ma'am. You both can go right on through."

Giving a salute, he stepped back with Kat returning it the best that she could alongside Arutemisu. Then the two were heading through the gate and pulled into a parking lot which made the American sigh at seeing two familiar vehicles there. "Well, you better get ready, Arutemisu. We're the last ones here."

Also spotting the vehicles, he groaned. "Oh for..." With a sigh, he unbuckled his seatbelt and shook his head. "You're right, we might as well face the music."

Upon getting out, the two saw two Priestesses walking towards them. Said Priestesses had grins on their faces and a resemblance to Arutemisu. Enough so that one could easily tell that they were closely related. Once they got close enough, one of them twittered. "My, oh my~ And here I was expecting it to be a bit longer considering your habits."

While her husband blushed at the teasing, Kat smirked at her. "What? Jealous of your Otouto, Sereniti? Granted, considering things I don't blame you..." Mock thinking, she hummed. "When was your last boyfriend? I mean, Miyu has been wondering..."

As her sister's cheeks pinkened, the younger of the two Priestesses giggled. "Too long I think, or at least that is what Okaa-San thinks. Won't stop bothering her to follow Arutemisu-Kun's lead and settle down with someone." Then she shot her older sister a smirk. "Not that I have any issue there."

Grimacing, Sereniti ran a hand down her face. "Yes, as you spent the last hour telling me all about it. Honestly, I do not need to know what you do with your kitsune boyfriend. Especially not that, Runa."

Still smirking, the now identified Runa raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you do as you still have not settled down yet. Might give you some ideas..." Jerking her thumb at her brother, she continued. "Granted, those two certainly don't. Surprised that they're out of bed before noon."

Kat merely shrugged. "Trust me, we considered it. But... this was more important and we can catch up later on that to be honest."

Face in his hands, Arutemisu groaned. "Can we please move onto other matters?"

Tilting her head to the side, Kat smirked. "Other matters? Such as how odd it is that your older sister is a hare dating a kitsune? I mean, considering they normally eat hares, though in this case-"

Just reaching over, Arutemisu glanced at his blushing sisters while clapping a hand on his smirking wife's mouth. "Not that, Kat-Chan. Let's... move to something else."

Only nodding as she got her blush under control, Sereniti gave a hum. "Such as when you're both going to make Okaa-San an Obaa-San."

However, both were surprised when Arutemisu gave them a shy smile though he was still blushing. "Well, it might not be too much longer as we have an possible opening for a Shrine. Once we settle down there, if it happens, then we'll see."

When they glanced at Kat, the American grinned and placed one arm over Arutemisu's shoulders after pulling his hand off her mouth. "Yup! We might be able to finally start on a family if Usagi's idea works out."

Needless to say, both her sisters in law gave each other intrigued looks. Then Runa turns back to them and smiles. "Usagi-Chan came up with an idea for you? Well, I'm looking forward to seeing it." Her expression softened some as she walked over and hugged Kat. "After all, you're family and I know that you want to start your own."

Hugging her back, Kat nodded. "Thanks, you're the big sister that I had never had, you and Sereniti." After a few moments, she pulled back and looked around. "So... we're heading to that island, right? And our boat's here?"

Simply humming, Sereniti shrugged as she looked around. "One of these anyways. Not sure which one though..." Then she spotted a man nearby and recognized him before waving as she shouted. "Ah! Lieutenant Harada! There you are!"

Runa looked him over and gave her a small smirk. "My, my, rather familiar with him. Though I will admit that he is a rather nice looking man. Do you know him from somewhere?"

In return, Sereniti rolled her eyes and snarked back. "Yes, he's our contact for this." As he reached them, she bowed alongside her sister, brother, and Kat. "Lieutenant, it is good to see you."

Chuckling, he bowed back and nodded. "And it is good to see you as well, Tsukino-San. While I am still..." Briefly, he paused and shrugged. "While I am still not quite used to the idea that the old stories are true, I do hope that we can work together."

Lips twitching, Sereniti gave him a small nod herself. "As do I, Lieutenant." Her expression then became serious as she looked in the direction of the island. "Especially in a case like this considering the subject matter. Hopefully we can cleanse this place of the taint that covers it."

Expression also grave, Harada sighed. "Hopefully, from what little that I have seen there I am of the belief that perhaps we should just wipe the island from existence. Being on the island is... not something that I want to do very much, I'm afraid. One can almost feel the darkness on the very air around it like a miasma." Shaking it off, he took a deep breath and gave a thin smile. "But perhaps we should leave such matters for a little bit. For now, if you'll follow me..."

As they followed, Kat was looking around at the small naval station. It looked like a civilian marina for the most part. But instead of sailboats and yachts tied up, military boats were at the docks. Near a boat ramp, the American expat could see various RHIBs on trailers, some with machine guns. In the water were steel hulled high speed boats used for patrols. What caught her attention though was the steel hulled boat that they were coming up on. It was slightly bigger then the others, but it had a large, two turret gun on the bow which looked slightly odd. "What is that?"

Following her gaze, Harada gave a chuckle. "That would be the boat that we're taking. It's a coastal combat vessel that the JMSDF is testing." At the looks, the Lieutenant shook his head. "The guns you see on the bow are 120 mm mortars."

Her eyebrow raising, Runa looked at him. "Really? Why mortars though?"

Just looking at her, Harada grinned. "Well, because they fit. It's a Swedish design and both the JMSDF and the US Marines are looking at it." Gesturing with his head, he continued. "The war may have stalled for now, but one day we'll have to take back the various islands as shown by Iwo Jima and Chichijima. These could be used for naval gunfire support for troops being landed."

Sereniti frowned a little in thought. "But wouldn't that attract attention?"

If anything, Harada's grin widened some. "You would think so. But the cover story is that we're going to be testing her on the Inland Sea, which isn't a lie. And you can all be inside the hull and out of sight unlike with a smaller boat."

Rubbing her hands, Kat grinned at the thought of going fast across the waves. "Can't wait!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Feeling as the boat pulled away from the dock, the three Inaba all looked up from their conversation. Meanwhile, Kat stretched some with a sigh. "Finally! I was wondering when we were going to head out."

With a glance at her, one of the sailors frowned before turning to look at the three hare Yokai. Yokai who let out their features such as long ears and noses with pink ends that twitched. Granted, at least part of that was due to two of them being literal "Bunny Girls" in Miko outfits. Something that made some of the sailors shift uncomfortably.

And made the two female Inaba amused to no end.

The frowning sailor on the other end looked like he was trying to puzzle something out. One eye closed, Runa gave him a chuckle. "If you want to know something, you only need to ask. We don't mind answering questions."
Jumping a bit, the sailor flushed at being caught before shaking it off. "It's just..." With a deep breath, he continued. "Sereniti? Runa? Arutemisu? It's almost like..."

Only sighing, the only male among the Inaba shook his head. "Our father is a fan of Sailor Moon. Combined with how our family name we took is 'Tsukino'... Well, you can see what happened. And before you ask, we have an Imouto named 'Usagi' elsewhere."

More then one wince occurred at that as another sailor spoke up. "Otaku?" When the three nodded, he gave them a sympathetic look. "Our condolences."

If anything, that seemed to amuse the two female Inaba while Arutemisu scratched one cheek in embarrassment. The sailor who had been wondering only furrowed his eyebrows. "Just one question, but your human disguises? Is that how old you are...?"

Sereniti sighed at that and nodded. "Yes, I was born in 1977, Runa was born in 1979, and Arutemisu was born in 1984. We're still young as far as Yokai and Inaba go." Seeing the confusion, she laughed. "Go on, ask the next question on your minds. We already know it."

Coughing, the female sailor raised a hand. "Wait...how could he name you after Sailor Moon characters? Even Arutemisu-San was born six years at least before it came out." At the looks, the female sailor flushed. "It was my older sister's favourite, okay?"

When they turned their attention back to the Inaba, all three were quiet and serious. For her part, Kat was holding Arutemisu's hand before she turned to the sailors. "That is... not something that really gets talked about."

Voice soft, Runa spoke up. "Our Otou-San once had a close friend. Said friend was a human Onmyouji who was forced to join a certain group both because of her intelligence and her family during the war." At the breathe sucked in, she nodded. "Yes, it was Sub-Unit-942. Not that she was involved in the real nasty shit. Rather, she was part of what was known as Kudan."

Intrigued, Harada spoke up from where he had been sitting and listening. "Kudan? As in the Yokai who could tell the future?"

Arutemisu gave a small nod at that. "Hai, it was the portion attempting to divine the future or gather information from the future anyways in order to turn the war around. One method that they were using was based on something that Grindelwald was attempting using temporal magic. We managed to make it work from what Otou-San and Okaa-San stated. The idea was to pull items from the future into their present and use what could be learned to help the war effort. Issue was... it was random and never brought anything that really helped. Stuff came though like digital watches, CDs, once a Hilux according to her notes. Just before the war ended, they got a box full of odd film reels encased in black boxes in a cardboard box with writing stating it was at least from 2000."

With a frown, Runa took over. "Hina-San, our father's friend, ran with it at the end of the war when they destroyed the rest of what they brought through. She didn't think that such things should be destroyed to prevent the Americans from getting a hold of them. Her fellow researchers were also being killed for much the same reason since they didn't want the Americans being able to use it themselves. From what Otou-San said, she showed up on the doorstep with notes and the box which she left when she disappeared three days later with a note stating that she was sorry."

There was a grimace on Sereniti's face as she shook her head. "Otou-San never saw her again and is still not sure if she is dead at the hands of either the Americans or Japanese who wanted to keep that knowledge from being used by their enemies." Shrugging, she continued. "Anyways, go forward to the late 1970s and Otou-San was wandering around one of the shopping areas of Tokyo when he spotted a VCR and realized that the film reels were VHS tapes. So he bought a VCR and, after using some divination determined their order, before sitting down to watch them."

Facepalming, the female sailor groaned. "And let me guess... they were Sailor Moon tapes?" When she got nods, she shook her head. "Dammit."

Weakly chuckling, Runa rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, Otou-San fell in love with the series and that was how we got the names. It didn't help that the name we used was the same as one of the main characters. Most just think that he saw a Seer when choosing our names though." Her expression then turned pensive. "But considering where we're going, it's not something that we're going to hide."

Everyone lapsed into silence for several moments before one of the sailors coughed and looked towards Kat who had her arm over Arutemisu's shoulder. But his gaze was more to what was beside her. "So... you own a shotgun?"

Glancing at the gun in question, she nodded with a small grin. "Yeah, it's a modern day coach gun. The barrel is shorter which helps out a lot when in the woods or confined areas." A snort then escaped her. "It... was something that I came across when Arutemisu and I were in America during Blood Week, and saved our lives when I killed some Abyssal troops. Since then, it's gotten us out of some sticky messes hence why I'm bringing it."

His eyebrow raised, the sailor shook his head. "I can imagine." Before he could say much more, the boat began to speed up some. "Well, we're on our way then."

Kat looked towards where she could see the rooster tail form behind the boat and grinned. "Seems that way. And it is just as awesome as I imagined." That got her some laughs before they died off and she hummed. "How long until we reach the island?"

Leaning forward, Harada shook his head. "If we made a straight line? No more then fifteen minutes at full speed. But we're going to be making a number of turns and the like. That way, if anyone is watching, it will look like normal testing of watercraft. Especially if there's any magicals who are observing us."

Only shaking her head, Sereniti snorted. "Chances are that the Magical Diet has better things to do then watch a single boat. And officially our family is here as a repayment of a favor that does not exist." A grin then crossed her face. "Which makes me happy as this reminds me of all those spy movies."

That got her a snort from one of the sailors who shook his head. "That spook stuff is never as cool as it is in the movies. We're doing that right now and it is boring."

With her tone dry, the female sailor gave him a look. "Would you rather it be exciting with us all screaming? Because I know that I would take boring any day of the week."

Needless to say, that got her nods.

Fifty minutes later, they finally pulled up to the floating dock that had been emplaced on the island and Kat got off before her husband and his sisters. Looking around, she narrowed her eyes before turning at the hisses behind her. With a look over her shoulder, the American could see the narrowed eyes on Arutemisu's, Runa's, and Sereniti's faces. "That bad?"

Rubbing his arms, Arutemisu nodded. "You can feel the darkness in the air. It's seeped into the very stones and soil of the island, corrupting it." Gaze taking in more of the island, the Inaba frowned. "We should only be so thankful that the Abyssals did not land here as I am certain that they would have rapidly grown in power. As it is, this will be a lot tougher then we thought."

A frown on his face, Harada's expression became worried. "Are you going to be able to cleanse the island?"

That got him a grim smile from Sereniti. "We are of the line of the Hare of Inaba, who was companion to Amaterasu no Omikami herself. We will be able to cleanse this place of the taint and purify what is here. It won't be quick nor easy, but we'll be able to do so." Placing her hands into her sleeves, she gave a small nod. "But thank you just the same."

Harada only sighed. "I see, and you are very welcome. Now, if you'll follow me I'll take you to where we set up camp. None of us is staying in the actual complex for obvious reasons..."

With a nod, Kat and the others followed him towards where they could see a camp set up. All four knowing that this was going to take some time.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Head cocked to the side, Harry blinked as he looked down at the map in front of him before placing a finger on one spot. "Wait, right here? Seriously?"

Only nodding as he sipped his coffee, Tanaka hummed. "Yeah, that is exactly where it was. And it is also close enough to here that it works out perfectly for your idea." Tapping one finger against his arm, he frowned slightly. "Hmm, might be a bit of a walk though."

Much to his surprise though, the black haired boy shook his head. "Not that much of one actually. There's some ATVs around that I could borrow complete with some trailers. Those I'm able to drive after all."

Somewhat amused, Tanaka motioned with his mug. "That is true enough, I suppose."

Before he got much further though, Akebono and Kasumi walked into view with both looking around. Once they caught sight of Tanaka, they stomped over with the purple haired Destroyer growling. "There you are, you shitty Admiral! Do you know how long we've been looking for you!?"

Lips twitching, Tanaka looked skyward. "Maybe some time?" A smile on his lips, he raised an eyebrow. "So what seems to be the issue this time?"

Kasumi crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "You have paperwork to do and you're over here! Now, you might be busy, but that does not mean that you get to slack off! More the opposite!"

As both her and Akebono laid into the highly amused Captain, Harry took a moment to look them both over as it had been some time since he last saw either of the two. At the same time, he also compared them to his first memories. When he arrived in Yokosuka, newly adopted, he had met the two of them. While Akebono had looked like a fourteen year old, Kasumi looked closer to twelve.

Something that was no longer true.

Now, both the Ayanami Class Destroyer and the Asashio Class looked older. Granted, they aged slowly, but still aged with Akebono now looking like a girl sixteen, almost seventeen, years of age and blossoming into a young woman. Kasumi, meanwhile, looked closer to fifteen years old. Mentally, Harry compared it to the rates that he saw from Fubuki and the others. The "Mother of Destroyers" to quote one Fillipino Captain no longer looked the fourteen she did when first appeared. Rather, Fubuki looked right about to reach seventeen years of age. Same with Yuudachi and Mutsuki.

Filing those thoughts away, as well as what it meant that they were all aging so slowly, Harry tuned back into the lecture in time to see Akebono huff some before she glanced over. A small smile then bloomed on her face at seeing Harry. "Hey there, Harry-Chan, how are things on your end?"

Just shrugging, Harry smiled back at her and shook his head. "Not too bad, Akebono-Nee. Same old, same old, you know?" When she looked in the direction of the Abyssals, he snorted. "Like I said, this is my life now."

With a small sighing puff, Akebono rolled her eyes. "Of course it is."

Her lips twitching, Kasumi shook her head. "At least you're not bored." A shudder then went through her. "Or at least that is what I hope. You when bored is something to be frightened of."

Arms crossed, Harry gave her a look. "Ha. Ha. Very funny, Kasumi-Nee." Glancing at Tanaka, he hummed. "Hopefully you're being taken care of here."

Much to his surprise, both Destroyers smiled slightly and nodded with Akebono speaking up. "Tanaka-San might be a Shitty Admiral, but he's ours."

That, more then anything told the wizard their thoughts on the matter before a thought suddenly occurred to him. If Natsumi was there, she would have sworn that she saw a fox tail and pair of ears appear on Harry briefly. But then the moment passed and Harry looked at Akebono who felt a shiver go down her keel. "Oh! By the way, Akebono-Nee. I've been speaking with some people and I have some news for you."

Confused, and somewhat scared, Akebono frowned. "News? What sort of news?"

With a theatrical sigh, he shook his head. "Unfortunately, there is still no signs that you are going to be winning the betting pool. Hopefully it'll be within the range that you gave."

Jaw dropping, Akebono looked at Harry with a betrayed look. Meanwhile, Tanaka paused as he sensed a possible teasing opportunity. "A betting pool? What sort of betting pool?"

Harry then shrugged and shook his head. "The betting pool on whether or not, and when, Ushio-Nee might get together with Hoshikawa Umi-San. One of the bets is for Ushio-Nee to one day just snap and make out with her." Seeing Tanaka's eyebrows raise and choke a bit on his mug was worth the glare that Akebono was sending him. Even better was how the Captain was now giving Akebono a surprised look. 'Unfortunately, I never said which bet Akebono-Nee made. Oppsie~'

Sure, he had just made himself a target for Akebono at some later date. But it was worth it entirely, and then Kasumi slapped her fist into one hand. "Dammit! Hopefully my bet still goes through..." She then began twitching as she realized what she had seen in front of both Tanaka and Akebono. "Shit."

Internally, Harry was cackling at the chaos he had just unleashed.

Ten minutes later, and some dodging of a very annoyed tsundere, Harry stood in front of the various Abyssals. Clearing his throat, he grinned some. "Attention, please!" When they quietened down and focused on him, he continued. "I have need for some volunteers for a resource expedition!"

Rather amused, Sunny sipped her orange juice and raised one eyebrow. "An resource expedition, Uncle Harry? Where?"

Jerking his thumb, the nearly thirteen year old grinned. "Not far from here actually. I got an ATV with a trailer that we can use to get people there and back." Harry then looked at the form beside him. "I already asked Hoppou and she said sure."

Sure enough, Hoppou walked up beside him and gave a serious nod. "Big Brother told Hoppou all about his idea! And Hoppou thinks that it is a good idea!" Unknown to them, she continued it in her head. 'And Hoppou thinks that it would be a good idea to show Hoppou's children and grandchildren that Big Brother is a good leader.'

Each of the Abyssals looked at each other and soon raised their hands. In the end, Wona, Wonderous, Tsubasa, Sokie, Chiana, Yolanda, and Regalia (who was told that it was safe for her to come) among others joined him. Within five minutes, they were waving to the others as they set off with Harry driving the ATV. Just watching him from where she sat, Regalia tilted her head some. "You know how to drive, Uncle Harry?"

Keeping his eye on the road, Harry gave a small nod. "Yeah, I do. Miss Gale actually taught me how when I went with Mum to Washington State to visit once. According to her, she used to go off roading all the time before heading into the USN, so she taught me what she knew. Haven't had to use it too much."

A smile on her face as she leaned back in the small trailer the best that she could, Tsubasa shook her head. "So where are we going exactly, Uncle Harry? From the map you showed us, we'll be there soon enough."

Simply glancing out the side of his helmet at the other curious Abyssals such as Silver who had her avatar on her real body riding it, Harry hummed. "It's about five minutes away at the speed that we're moving at instead of the half hour. As for what we're doing? A bit of resource gathering... the fun kind."

Needless to say, the various Abyssals shared looks of confusion and befuddlement. But they did not need to wait long as Harry turned off the main road onto a smaller one. Coming to a stop, the black haired boy got off and placed his helmet on his seat before turning to Regalia who was getting out of the trailer. "Okay, Regalia? Could you hand out the baskets?"

Even though she was still not sure what was going on, Regalia reached into her holds and pulled out baskets which she handed out so that each Abyssal had one before giving Harry one. Part of her noted that Smolgina had hopped out of his pocket and ran into some nearby plants. "All done, Uncle Harry. What next?"

Before Harry got the chance to reply, Smolgina came running back with a red object nearly the same size as her. Holding it up, she blinked at the wizard. "Gina! Gina!"

With a chuckle, Harry grabbed a water bottle and took the berry. Rinsing it off, he handed it to the Smol. "Here you go, Smolgina. Hope that you enjoy."

Said Smol sat down before opening her mouth wide and taking a bite of the strawberry. Her eyes then widened with sparkles in them while berry juice was smeared around her lips. "GINA! GINA GINA GINA!"

As her tail also took a bite, Harry turned to the Abyssals who had wide eyes. "Anyways, this place used to be a berry farm. There's haskap and strawberries here growing, but the family who owned it left years ago, so anyone can come here to pick them. Hence why we're here because we can grab as much as we want. We can have some for dessert, but I can teach Nero how to make jams and preserves to take back with you."

Looking from the Smol, who was now patting her bulging stomach with the strawberry gone, Silver raised the hand of her avatar. "Um, Uncle Harry? Could we..."

Harry simply grinned and nodded. "You guys can eat some of what you pick. Just two things... one, wash them before you eat them. And second..." Looking around, he leaned towards them and stage whispered. "Don't tell Hoppou, okay?"

It went without saying that the Abyssals blinked and shared a look. Then their expression became one of glee and they soon walked into the berry patch, though Silver and the other Destroyers with avatars kept their real forms outside as to not squish the berries.