Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And a little more of a look in on the life and times of Ehren. Finally ready to respond to Ehren's meeting of Doujigiri.

A Conversation, Correspondence, and Compassion

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium
Spoiler: A Morning Conversation

Ehren's eyes fluttered open as she woke up.

As she squirmed free from her Aunt Del's embrace, her fingers curled and rubbed across the smooth skin of her right palm.

Somehow, she expected to feel a ridge of scar tissue from where she had cut her hand open in her dream.

But she didn't.

Putting that odd dream aside for now as ramblings of her subconscious mind, she was about to shift back to her adult form.

Then Ehren paused and gave a mischief filled smile full of child-like glee to her aunt. "Tante Del?"

The elder Muramasa looked at her niece. "What is it, Ehren?" She sighed at the maternal feelings swelling inside her as she saw the blond haired, blue-eyed and twin tailed girl on the cusp of her teenage years.

Ehren hugged her aunt around the waist. "Thank you for the talk last night." Her voice lowered as she buried her face in her aunt's stomach. "It helped... some."

The waist of Del's blouse grew suspiciously damp as she hugged Ehren around the shoulders. The revolver whispered to the dagger. "Thank you, Ehren. I... needed to talk about that too." A faint smug smile flickered around her lips as the first tears fell from her eyes and her voice broke with emotion. "Burdens shared are lessened and you're one of the few people who I can share with... one of the few who understand me."

A jerky nod answered her and Ehren's hug tightened. "Ja, das ist die Wahrheit.(Yes, that is the truth.)" Ehren whispered back.

Finally, the two Muramasas released their embrace. Ehren blew her nose after wiping tear tracks from her cheeks with several tissues that Delilah and she had summoned. Her steel blue eyes found her aunt's leaf-green. "So, I must ask, Aunt Del, when shall you be a mother?" A small smile flickered around Ehren's lips. "Purely so I can prepare for my duties as a babysitter of course."

Delilah gave her own small smile. "March or April is the current best guess for Zamarad and me since I'm about a month along." One hand cupped her abdomen. "I'll know more today when I go in for my first prenatal visit and get the tests for Down syndrome, diseases, and the like."

Ehren;'s eyebrows raised as she noticed how Del was talking faster, and sensed the well hidden worries in her aunt's voice. With that, her heart went out to her aunt, and her new cousin. Her heels clicked as she placed her small right hand over her Aunt's hand, pressing gently against that almost imperceptible swelling containing such future potential and life.

"I have no doubt that she and her sister growing within Tante Zamarad will be wonderful and beautiful babies with no diseases or other defects, Tante Del. After all, I know you and her are the best possible mothers that they can have." Ehren said, her eyes finding her aunt's to relay her cool confidence and support.

Then her lips flickered as her gaze lowered to the small hard bump under her hand. "Guten Morgen, Mein voraussichtlich Cousin! Ich heisse Ehren du Chasteler, dein älterer großer Cousin.(Good morning, my prospective cousin! My name is Ehren du Chasteler, your older big cousin.)" Ehren spoke with exquisite precise Prussian formality as if she were introducing herself at a formal banquet, albeit with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

Delilah laughed. "Practicing for when she is born, then?"

"Natürlich! Übung macht den Meister!"(Naturally! Practice makes perfect!) Ehren responded gravely with a sharp nod and a suspiciously controlled face.
-------------------

Ehren hugged Tante Zamarad and Tante Del farewell for now with words of parting.

After they headed through the Vanishing Cabinet on their first leg of the trip back to America, Ehren sharply about-faced and marched down the hall to her room. Her still-youthful pigtails swished around her young head. After all, she needed to get used to this avatar that she would use at Hogwarts as well as keeping multiple avatars out to keep Claire and the others company.

With that she nodded as she sensed the other adult Ehren manifest from her hilt pin one floor below currently helping tutor Chi-chan and Misaki in mathematics.

While she did want to spend time with Claire now that the dishes from breakfast had been washed and the kitchen cleaned up, that was pleasure and she had her responsibilities that must be tended to while Mutti was absent on business in Brussels at an appointment.

Such as the stack of mail on her desk that greeted her. Ehren gave an imperceptible sigh as she surveyed the accumulation of correspondence that she was behind on. She then cracked her knuckles as she focused her efforts on the backlog.

Ehren sat down and a moment later took down her trench knife trophy from where it hung below her trio of Dürer five-century old framed Meisterstiche prints (Melencolia I in the center flanked by Ritter, Tod, und Teufel on the left and Der heilige Hieronymus im Gehäus on the right). She leaned back in her desk chair and slit the first envelope addressed to the castle with a precise flick of her wrist.

Bill.

With that the letter from the papermaker was placed in its own neat stack to the right to be paid from household funds.

Another flick of the wrist.

Advertising circular.

The advertising circular went into her antique brown wicker wastepaper basket with a toss like it was a basketball.

Unseen by the dagger as she continued her initial sorting of the backlog, the door behind her slowly and stealthily cracked open.

Two mahogany eyes gleamed with mischief at the sight of Ehren's stiff back as she idly kicked a leg after tossing yet another piece of junk mail into the garbage.
Spoiler: An Apology

Ehren reached the halfway point and pulled out a bulging package wrapped in red paper.

She blinked at the hand written address with some kind of ink brush. "To Miss Ehren du Chasteler?" She murmured to herself before the trench knife slit it open.

A pair of origami sculptures were revealed sitting atop a small wooden box with an ofuda attached. Next to it was a bottle of Japanese Green Tea.

Ehren blinked at the folded paper.

One was the sculpture of a double-headed eagle with a pair of Japanese characters on the wings.

The other was a very familiar dagger.

Her true body done in masterfully folded paper and with the familiar inscription on her hilt. Meine Ehre heißt Treue.

As she touched it, the ink flowed and the paper unfolded itself like a flower blossoming.

Dear Ehren du Chasteler,

Please forgive my words in this letter, this is but a rough translation of my feelings written in the second letter folded into the Eagle which Tokunotakai-san mentioned has such meaning to your family. They are in Japanese, so you shall have to make arrangements to read for yourself with Tokunotakai's help.

Nonetheless, I shall try to say here what I expressed with ink and brush in the second letter written from the heart.

I am truly sorry for the words that I said to you about your heritage. I spoke out of ignorance, not malice, but that does not excuse the pain that I inflicted upon you unknowingly. A sword swung by accident cuts as deeply as one swung by purpose after all. I have done so and it shames me.

After you departed with your family, I researched your origin and I was horrified by what I found. I thought that my nation's crimes and dishonorable deeds in the Pacific War were unique. It breaks my heart to realize that your nation's own honor was stained equally in those dark days.

Truly, you, like I, have had to bear the unbearable and endure the unendurable as a result. I can only say that the path of honor is hard and difficult, yet rewarding and not impossible to tread.

I am humbled by your unflagging devotion to true honor, true courage, and true faithfulness under such adverse circumstances as I have percieved both from my own observation and the tales of Tokunotakai-san. I have known many, many samurai since my life with Minamoto-no-Raikō, and of all of those whom I have known, only a bare handful would have walked upon the path that you have placed your feet upon to make amends for those faults that you participated in unwillingly before your awakening.

Know that you have earned my respect in your struggle to carry out your honor and if I can be of help in the future, ask and I shall be there for you.

Truly difficulties make you a jewel.

I enclose a small gift of hand-made treats for you as a sign of my respect, from samurai to samurai. May you find enjoyment in them. To refold the paper to the dagger or release it to the letter form, recite the following poem aloud.

tade karu fune no suguru narikeri
asa madaki kararo no oto no kikoyuru wa

Dōjigiri Yasutsuna

Ehren blinked and reread the letter twice. Tears prickled her eyes at the heartfelt words from the elder sword spirit. She sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped, then she frowned while she struggled internally with what she would write to respond to Doujigiri's apology.

Finally she whispered the spell and watched as the dagger reemerged.

A soft footstep behind her interrupted her concentration.

She instantly whirled in her chair, and her eyes widened at the figure who was sneaking up behind her.

"Claire?!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Claire truly is Best Big Cinnamon Roll Piano Sister....

She Butterknifed Me Home, Can I Keep Her?

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium

Ehren's room's hardwood floor directly behind her desk in line with the door emitted a familiar small creak caused by Claire's greater weight.

Ehren, wise in the ways of her Big Piano Sister's Mischief, instantly whirled out of her desk chair like a blond-haired cat (or mongoose as it would turn out).

Steel-blue eyes bulged as they stared into love-filled mahogany-brown eyes as the sisters exchanged a look of wordless communion.

Pale lips opened in a chalk-white face and Ehren's young avatar blurted out in shock, "Claire!?"

Then the piano's flying tackle of her Best Little Dagger Sister (Chibi Version) drove all thoughts of Ehren's unsettled mood, of her past, even of the events last week involving her Vati from her mind.
Spoiler: Best Big Piano Sister Strikes! (Watch This!!)

After all, she was more concerned with trying to breathe between the giggles.

Those mahogany eyes sparkled in love and joy and trollish unholy glee as Claire proceeded to show how much she loved Ehren.

By licking her avatar's face within an inch of her life.
Spoiler: Wolfie Claire Loves Ehren!

A massive cave wolf with fur the black of her ebony keys and ivory white in a pattern reminiscent of a piano's keyboard had Ehren pinned flat on her back.

A dishrag-sized pink tongue was energetically 'bathing' the pinned dagger's face, who was giggling hysterically -- Ehren, after all, was ticklish -- as Ehren's head rocked from side to side to either avoid the assault or give Claire fresh areas to attack to cause her to devolve into further giggles.

Ehren was pushing at Claire's chest in half-hearted token attempts to shift the wolf off her to make a break for it. Of course, Ehren would have about as much luck trying to shift Claire's true grand piano body in this instant. The piano had her expertly pinned while her massive white bushy tail wagged wildly like a metronome set to prestissimo tempo in a sign of lupine love and affection for her sister.

By no coincidence, Claire's true body was playing the Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Johann Strauss in showers of playful, love filled notes to fill the castle with song.

"C--c-can't b-b-b-reath-h-h-hee!" Ehren gasped out and then redoubled her giggles and squirming as Claire promptly 'cleaned out' her left ear mercilessly.

Finally satisfied with the now disheveled state of Ehren's hair and pink and glowing face, Claire relented, padding back and sitting to survey Ehren as the dagger tried to regain the tattered shreds of her composure. Albeit, with very limited success at absolute best.

Ehren giggled and then looked into the familiar eyes of the wolf facing her. The image of the Claire-wolf from her dream last night surfaced from her memories and then across her expression. "Claire, that's you, isn't it?"

The wolf nodded and gave a remarkably smug lupine grin. Ehren sighed at the clear point-scoring done by her Big Piano Sister and then nodded to admit that Claire was now ahead of her again in their long-running friendly sisterly trolling competition.

Ehren visibly thought, then walked to the opened door and closed it for privacy before sitting on the floor opposite her Big Wolfie Sister. "How are you doing that?" Ehren asked curiously as she returned her avatar to her actual adult age.

The wolf shimmered and then reformed into Claire, dressed in her normal blouse and skirt. "It's a gift. Wolf-Mother gave me a boon since I agreed to minister to all of her children, both the two and four legged ones."

Ehren blinked in puzzlement. "Wolf-Mother?" The dagger raised a hand. "Wait, let me guess, Claire."

The piano nodded and settled herself with a smug smile as they sat side by side on Ehren's bed. "If that's the way you want to try to score the next point, Ehren."

Ehren nodded and spoke slowly. "It is the way I'd like to puzzle through this. Last night, I dreamed of you... a you in wolf furs observing me as I... performed a ritual at my family's estate...." Ehren trailed off to take a deep breath while Claire hugged her reassuringly. "Vati's estate in Prussia. You were standing alongside another woman who looked like how Aunt Del described White Buffalo Woman who she serves. The blonde one there, I'm not sure about and would have to research, although I do suspect something Germanic or Norse." Ehren looked at Claire. "That wasn't just a dream, was it?"

Claire shook her head. "Not really, no. I was asked in my dreams as a Shamaness of Wolf-Mother to help you go through an initiation of sorts. So I did it for you; I'd do anything for you." She sniffled a little. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you... last week."

Then the air was crushed from Claire's lungs by Ehren's hug. "I forgive you, Claire. Better that I... endured... than you had to suffer." Ehren whispered hoarsely with raw emotion in her tear-filled words. "Thinking of you, remembering you, helped me do what I had to without losing myself to the darkness or breaking."

Claire returned the hug. "I... pushed myself as hard as I could to try to be there for you, Ehren. I realized that I needed you so badly that it hurt, but you needed me more."

Ehren gently took Claire's hand in hers and ran her gentle fingers over the musician's calluses, now with fresh scarring from her attempt to reach Ehren. "You hurt yourself trying, didn't you?"

Claire nodded sheepishly.

Ehren teared up and hugged Claire again, speaking in a voice full of love for her sister. "Oh Claire!! I'm the one who takes all the hurt on me so you don't have to suffer. Mutti and I, we're strong like that. As long as I endure for you, for our family so you can remain unhurt, I can protect you." Ehren gave a gentle smile. "You just make happy music and be happy while I guard you, Claire."

The piano nodded and then gave a small teasingly smug smile after the embrace broke. "And about Wolf-Mother?"

Ehren frowned in thought. "She's clearly the reason why all the dogs love you, and you can turn into a wolf. She called you to be a champion like White Buffalo Woman for Aunt Del and Hachiman for Mutti and Stiefmutti Toku and Oma Norimune." Ehren blinked and spoke in sudden realization. "That's why Hachiman said you were sworn to another, you were marked then just like Mutti and Del and Toku are."

Claire nodded. "Very good, point to you Ehren. What I can do now is... I'm kind of like a werewolf but a werewolf as they should be." She had an adorably angry face at her next determined words. "What happened to them is wrong and I'm going to help them get fixed like I am!"

Ehren nodded and spoke in an equally determined voice. "We are, big sister, we are. You won't be doing it without me helping."
------------------------

Spoiler: A Dagger And Her Wolfie

Finally the sisters' time together was interrupted by Kasuyu's knock on the door.

"Miss Ehren?" The axe rumbled.

"Ja, Komm herein!!" Ehren responded, then resumed giving a certain large wolf belly rubs as Claire's tongue lolled out and one leg kicked automatically. Some things were more important than the mail backlog after all.

The axe's eyebrows shot up his forehead at the sight of the younger avatar of the dagger lying on her rug petting a very large canine splayed out on her back next to Ehren. Both the girl and the wolf were illuminated by warm sunbeams through her window in a scene of domestic bliss. He stared, his eyes bulging, then realized that the insufferably pleased wolf was actually the Mistress' middle daughter in her Totem Animal's form and relaxed as the franc dropped.

"A large box just arrived addressed for you and the Mistress." He intoned with admirable aplomb. "From Istanbul, according to the return address."

Ehren rubbed her chin and kicked her feet in thought while Claire's ears perked up.

"Put it on the floor beside us, Kasuyu." Ehren finally said pointing with the hand that was not scratching Claire's itchy spots to generate a lupine whine of bliss. "Incidentally, don't tell Mutti about our new pet just yet, I... we... want to surprise her."

"Very good." Kasuyu responded as he placed the large box next to the girls. "Lunch shall be ready in an hour and a half." He paused briefly and then spoke in a dry tone. "If such is required, the town of Ath has a first rate veterinarian and pet supplies store for your 'new dog', Miss Ehren. I suggest a flea collar."

"Vielen Dank(many thanks), Kasuyu, please close the door." Ehren said as she giggled while the wolf shot Kasuyu a dirty look.

After the door closed the sisters looked at each other.

Claire shifted back to human form and stretched while Ehren looked at the label.

"To Ms Colombe du Chasteler and Miss Ehren du Chasteler -- for services rendered?" Ehren read curiously from a tag written in green ink.

"What's in it?" Claire prodded her sister. "Go on, open it up!"

Ehren poked Claire back before popping the latches on the old-fashioned steamer trunk with holes drilled in the sides and subtle enchantments to cushion and protect the contents while it had been shipped on the Orient Express.

The lid creaked open.

Steel Blue and Mahogany-brown eyes widened in shocked delight at the treasures that had just been revealed.

The du Chasteler daughters squealed in delighted chorus, "Kätzchen!!"(Kittens!!)

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Having dropped by the apartment for a quick shower, as he did not want to smell of sweat, Harry made his way over to Natsumi's house. Upon his arrival, he slung his backpack over his shoulders and walked up to the door before knocking. When the door opened, the fourteen year old smiled at the face that met him and bowed slightly, "Good morning, Haru-San."

Lips curled into a small smile of her own, the Kitsune chuckled, "Good morning to you as well, Harry-Chan. It is good to see you." Moving aside a little, she let him get inside, "Here to see Natsumi-Chan before we leave?"

With a hum as he walked in, Harry nodded as he removed his shoes, "Hai, I thought that I would drop by for a little bit..." Pausing for a moment, he looked over at the amused Haru, "Um... if that is fine with you?"

Unable to help herself, Haru chuckled, "That's fine, Harry-Chan. And it will make Natsumi-Chan's day as well." Suddenly, her nose twitched and it was now Harry's turn to be amused, "Peanut butter?"

Grin on his face, the wizard chuckled a little bit but nodded, "I made some peanut butter pancakes just this morning as a matter of fact! You can have some later... if you want."

That got him a snort from Haru as she gave him an amused look, "You already know the answer to that, Harry-Chan." Chuckles and a grin answered her from the teenage boy before she hugged him, "And this is for the gift that you have given Natsumi-Chan. My family knows what sort of danger it puts you in, and so we are indebted."

As she pulled away, Harry gave her a slight nod to acknowledge what she said before he smiled slightly, "Haru-San? As far as I am concerned, it helps protect Natsumi-Chan. For that? Any danger is worth it."

For a moment, the Kitsune looked him in the eyes before smiling a little, "Understood." Less than a minute later, she watched as Natsumi greeted him and pulled him to her bedroom. Internally, however, Haru shook her head a little bit with a bemused chuckle, "Those two..."

Meanwhile, reaching her room, Natsumi opened the door before letting Harry in. Once he was inside, however, she closed the door and walked over to hug him with her tails swishing behind her, "Good morning, Harry-Chan."

Simply holding her with his arms around her waist, Harry gave her a grin before kissing her nose, "Good morning to you as well, Natsumi-Chan."

One eyebrow raised, the teenage Kitsune gave him a look before moving in and kissing him as she wrapped her arms around his neck as his own hands went to her hips. Pulling back after a short while and breathless, she grinned some, "And it is a very good morning."

That got her a chuckle and a headshake from Harry but nothing more than that and a quick peck on the lips. Looking around, his eyes fell on her suitcases nearby, "So, ready for your trip to Rome?"

Humming as she leaned against him, ears twitching, Natsumi nodded, "Hai, I am. I mean, it is Rome after all..." Ignoring the scoff she heard in the depths of her mind, she shrugged, "And it is the best time to go. So much attention will be on the Quidditch World Cup that, well... they're going to be more concerned with that than anything else. Especially with what just happened."

Eyebrow raised, the wizard nodded, "The turtle?"

Natsumi snorted a little as she continued enjoying being held close, "The turtle, what is going on in China... you saw the video, right?"

Lips pressed thinly, Harry let out a sigh, "I did, and that was... frightening how powerful they are. It puts things into perspective, doesn't it?"

Quirking her own lips, she nodded, "Hai, it does, though you do need to remember something..." At his look, she tapped his nose, "Voldemort has, at most, seventy years of experience. Those in China? Hundreds or thousands of years of the same." Unknown to him, she thought back to something that Tamamo had told him, 'And it's possible that one day, you'll reach the same level... as will I.' Dismissing such thoughts, Natsumi lead him over to the chairs that were in her room and waited until he sat down to sit in his lap, "Though that's something that we shouldn't worry much about."

Bemused even as he wrapped his arms around her, Harry lightly laughed, "Especially as we're not involved."

Kissing him with a hum, Natsumi wrapped her tails around his arms as she pulled back, "Exactly." Her expression became somewhat concerned, "While I can be sure that I'll be safe in Rome, promise me that you'll do the same? I've heard stories of some of what happens at World Cup events. There's riots at them when a favored team loses after all, and people have gotten hurt."

Just briefly tightening his hold on her waist, the teenage wizard gave her a serious expression, "I'll do my best to avoid anything like that. But you know my luck..."

Grumbling to his amusement, Natsumi scowled, "Do I ever..." Then reaching up, she poked him in the chest, "Just promise that you'll do your best to get away from anything that happens. I can't get much more than that with you."

Lopsided grin on his face, Harry nodded, "Like I said, I will try my best in any case just the same."

That only got him a nod back and the two continued to cuddle with the Kitsune of the two very happy to do so. Reaching up, Natsumi cupped his cheek before leaning into him, "Harry-Chan... I love you."

As with the other times, that made Harry's eyes slightly more wet, but he smiled as he returned the kiss that the girl in his arms was giving him. When the two pulled apart, they still had smiles on their faces and Harry gently kissed Natsumi's ear, "Thank you."

Not needing any more than that, the Kitsune only nodded.

Eventually, however, the two separated and Harry walked over to his backpack before pulling out some books that he brought over to Natsumi. Intrigued, the Kitsune looked at them before glancing at him, "These are your First Year textbooks?"

With a hum, Harry tapped them, "Hai, I'm not really using them now at the moment, so... I thought that you could." When she smiled, he held one out to her, "This is probably the one that you need to read first."

Taking it, the Kitsune tilted her head a little as she read the title, "Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling?"

Simply nodding, Harry chuckled a little bit, "I know that you know a lot about magic both since you live and breath it, as well as... you know." He tapped the side of his head which got a nod from her, "But it never hurts to actually look at how it is seen elsewhere. And who knows? It might have something that you don't know about, or a new view. Best not to... waffle about it."

Hand over her face, Natsumi snorted at that, "Harry-Chan... please don't..."

Eyebrows waggling, the teenage wizard smirked, "You know that you liked it." When the Kitsune tried her best to smother a giggle, he snickered before opening the book. With practiced ease, he flipped to the first chapter and pointed at the top part, "Also, you might want to read this bit...'

Despite being a little amused, and somewhat wondering of what he was up to, Natsumi took the book and began to read where Harry's finger was, "'Tamper with the deepest mysteries-the source of life, the essence of self-only if prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind."

When she looked over at him with confusion, Harry grinned some, "What does that remind you of? Magic, a warning like that..."

It took a few seconds, but she realized what he meant and laughed, "T-they actually... no way! No way did they actually say that!" Reading again, she giggled madly and fell against him, "T-they actually did! To be a Magus is to walk with death!"

Unable to help himself, Harry began to laugh as well, "I know, right!? And I bet you that not many people realized that fact."

Both teens shared a look at that and broke down laughing. Needless to say, it took a while for them to stop. Especially as each time they looked at said book, they began laughing all over again.

Once the two of them calmed down enough to stop laughing, their previous hilarity reduced to snickers, Harry and Natsumi both laid back on the bed with large grins on their faces. Looking at the Kitsune beside him, the wizard reached over and took her hand in his, "I needed that."

Grin on her face even as she snickered, Natsumi nodded, "Same here, Harry-Chan." Her grin then became a soft smile as she glanced at the book and the others that he had given her, "I suppose that I have a lot of reading to get done. Though considering the reason..."

Even as the boy next to her nodded in agreement, Tamamo's voice piped up from the back of her mind, 'Yes, it is always best to have something in reserve that may well be very unexpected, which this counts as.' Pausing for a moment, she continued, 'And I will admit to being somewhat curious about what may be contained in the books. One can tell much about a type of magic from what is considered just the basics after all. And while I have seen wand magic, I never got the chance to use it before I went back to China.'

While she blinked at that last bit, the Kitsune shrugged and explained to a curious wizard. After which, Harry gave his own nod of agreement, "She does have a point." Frown on his face, he glanced at the books thoughtfully, "Though I guess that you reading them will need to wait until you get back." A snort though made the fourteen year old blink as he turned to his friend, "What? Did I forget something?"

Natsumi pointed at herself with an amused look, "Kitsune, a type of Yokai great at illusions. I'll bring the theory book onto the plane and start reading. It is going to be a long flight you know."

Considering that, Harry nodded a little, "I did forget the illusion part... and it will be a long flight." Grimace on his face, he glanced at her, "Up through Hokkaido, along the Russian coast to the Bering Strait, and down into Canada, right?"

Slowly, similar grimace on her face, the Kitsune sighed, "Hai. And from there, across Canada until it flies over Greenland, then Iceland, and finally to Scandinavia before turning towards Italy." Rubbing her the bridge of her nose, she shook her head, "All to avoid the mess in China."

Only shrugging, Harry gave her a sympathetic look, "I feel your pain."

That got him a snort and a shove as his friend rolled her eyes, "Of course you do. Ugh, being trapped in a metal can at forty thousand feet for over twelve hours is not going to be fun. Especially as Rei-Chan and Asuka-Chan will be getting bored soon enough..."

Yet again, Harry just gave her a sympathetic look. He could just imagine it or how he would be reacting if he was taking such a trip with Hoppou, 'Though I suppose that it would be one of the business jets that the JMSDF uses for transporting shipgirls from one area of the world to another... so it would be somewhat faster.'

Grimace still on her face, Natsumi shook her head, "I cannot wait for those new supersonic airliners to come into service. That can't happen soon enough." A chuckle made her look at Harry, "What's so funny?"

With a small shrug, the wizard had a slight smirk on his face, "You know HMS Eagle and how she's a Natural Born, right?" Getting a nod, he continued, "Apparently even before being Awoken, she was mad about aircraft. Always wanted to fly on the Concord, but since they were decommissioned before Blood Week, never got the chance." Grin widening, Harry snickered some, "Apparently she's been driving some of the other Carriers in the Royal Navy mad by going on about the 'Return to truly futuristic air travel' and how Britain is returning to supersonic comfort." Pausing for a moment, he then shrugged, "Granted, at least she isn't going on about piloting an SR-71 Blackbird anymore..."

For a brief moment, Natsumi had such a look of confusion on her face that Harry savored it. Then, she came to a realization and groaned, "Someone let her watch it read Hellsing, didn't they?"

At that, Harry snickered as he grinned widely, "Hai, they did. Apparently that's why she wears those yellow sunglasses of hers." Ignoring the muttering from Natsumi, he gave a small shrug, "Though I wouldn't expect much. I mean, the ones supposed to come out soon are basically business jets. And they're not really like the Concord since they fly at over sixty five thousand feet."

With a small shrug, the Kitsune sighed, "Which means that they're likely to get snatched up by the government and such first." She gave a look towards Harry, "Which means that you're more likely to get a chance on one than I am."

Her only answer was a number of snickers before Harry waved a hand at her before speaking in a posh accent, "Well, you cannot simply expect someone like myself to fly with plebeians, now could you."

The answer he got from his friend was to be given a shove and a playful growl before she leapt on him, "I'll show you plebeians, Harry-Chan!"

Moments later, all that could be heard was laughter as the two tickled one another.

Both teens stopped, however, when they heard giggling and found Taiyang there watching them with a highly amused look on her face. Head tilted to the side, the foxy Dao smiled, "My, my, Master, the two of you are acting much like Kits!"

Lightly blushing, Natsumi glanced at a similarly blushing Harry before shrugging and deciding to bite the bullet, "Well... we are still teens after all."

Upon hearing that, the sword slightly laughed a little, "I suppose so, Master. And it is good to see that the two of you can still enjoy simply being with one another in this way as well." Spotting the books, Taiyang gained an interested look and walked over to them, "And what do you have here now?"

With a small shrug, Natsumi leaned back some, "Harry-Chan brought over some of his old textbooks for me to look through since I'm learning wand magic. First Year stuff, but..."

Picking up one, Taiyang glanced at her and got a nod before she began to flip through it in interest, "Hmm... quite basic. But then, the basics are called that for the reason, for they are the foundation that one builds upon." Closing the book, she gave a small, proud nod towards Natsumi with a smile on her face, "I am quite pleased with you, Master! You're taking the time to actually build a foundation before learning more, Mikon!"

Just blinking at that, the Kitsune glanced at her friend who simply shrugged in reply. Then, Natsumi scratched the back of her head, "I mean... that's what you're supposed to do, right? Even though I got a kind of cheat with Kitsune-Tsuki, that doesn't mean that I should rely on just that and should make an effort to understand." Seeing the very proud look on her sword's face, she blinked, 'Wonder why that got that reaction from her...' With an internal shake of the head, Natsumi turned towards Harry, "So, what books would you suggest that I work on, Harry-Chan? After reading through the magical theory."

The two teens ignored Taiyang already having said book open and reading through it hungrily as Harry hummed, "Honestly? The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One is pretty much a go-to book for that. After that... either the Transfiguration textbook or the Charms one." Scratching his head, he frowned, "Or you could do 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' after..."

Only nodding as she considered what she heard, Natsumi frowned a little, "I really want to get started on that one book of yours, Curses and Counter-Curses... but I guess that I need to have the rest done first."

Lips quirking into a small smile, Harry nodded a little bit, "Probably for the best, I didn't really get started on what was in there until partway through Second Year. But they're pretty useful just the same." Glancing at Taiyang who was muttering to herself, he shrugged a little, "But... you can also look at my notes and stuff if that helps." The teenage wizard pointed at a binder, "They're in there."

Even as she gave him a smile back, the Kitsune noted Taiyang also open said binder and flip through it with a thoughtful look, "I'll look at it later, Harry-Chan. Considering your own notes? I bet that it has a lot of interesting stuff."

With a slight chuckle, Harry flushed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Well... I've also started copying down old spells and stuff that I found in the Room of Requirement. You would be amazed at what some students write in the margins. Never knew that there were so many variations of spells that people did."

Taiyang glanced at him with a small smile, "It is something to keep in mind, Harry-San, the more simple the spell, the easier it is to modify it. Even someone as young as you likely has a few variations of his own... And I look forward to seeing what you might write as well." Then, she licked her lips some, "Now then... what is this I hear about peanut butter pancakes?"

Seeing Natsumi turn to him, the fourteen year old boy chuckled nervously at the look in her eyes...

 

[darthcourt10]

Savato93

And I'm back! FINALLY!

I have to say, none of the snippets I've written up to this point have given me as much trouble as this one did. Hoping I can finally make progress, now that this is done.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I wanted to thank you again, Princess, for agreeing to do this bit of modeling. And also for letting me re-furnish my abode; normal beds and chairs and such just aren't suited for me."

"Of course, Miss Kaori. It's the least I could do after everything you've done to help the kids." Tanith glanced around the cabin the Jorogumo had claimed as her own. Most of the smaller pieces of furniture on the second floor had been taken out, leaving just a couch on one side, and a large, well-worn hammock strung up on the other. In the middle of the room there was some sort of circular platform, almost certainly for modeling purposes.

The Princess was admittedly still a bit uneasy about this whole process. It lacked the calm, polite, professional feel she got from the tailors in Hogsmeade, made her feel just a little bit like she was about to engage in some sketchy business in a home studio (which this technically was). That being said… her work with the human children had been nothing but positive. They weren't just happier with their custom-tailored clothes, they all seemed more confident, too, less prone to shying away when they noticed someone looking their way. Was Kaori's work really so effective as to raise their spirits like this?

Tanith heard the soft tik-tik-tik of Kaori's legs—all eight of them—on the wooden walls as she climbed up the stairwell behind her. "I'm sorry if things look a bit sparse. I've never owned much in the way of furniture," she explained, skittering past the Princess.

Tanith had expected the Jorogumo's full body to be big, and she wasn't wrong; Kaori took up almost as much space as an Oku-class. Her abdomen alone was over three feet wide and at least five feet long. The trunks of her legs were as thick as human thighs, and each one was at least as long as she was tall. What she hadn't been counting on, however, was her color—alternating stripes of bluish silver and yellow, with a bright red blotch on her bottom-rear. Even her eyes were different, changing from a soft brown to a sharp cobalt. Best as Kaori herself could tell, she belonged to one of the older subspecies of Jorogumo, the ones from which the Japanese orb-weaving spiders of the modern day got their name.

"Alright, let me just grab a couple of things, and we can get started." Kaori skittered over to the couch and rummaged out what looked like a roll of measuring tape and a notepad from the bag. "I can't wait to show you the design drafts I've been working on in my spare…" Her sentence trailed off as she turned around to see Tanith was already standing on the podium and working on getting her boots off, her gown neatly folded up on the floor beside her. "Has anyone ever told you how strangely calm you are when it comes to stripping down in front of other people?" She asked pointedly.

Tanith shrugged. "It's a quirk of Abyssals in general. But especially when your default attire consists of nothing but a C-string and a mantle, you get used to people seeing nearly everything."

"...compelling argument," the Jorogumo replied with a quiet chuckle. Holding up the measuring tape, Kaori came closer to the Princess. "Now, just hold still for a minute while I get your measurements, starting with the big three…"

The Princess was a bit nervous, but nevertheless did as told, letting Kaori gently wrap the tape around her midriff and over her breasts. "Okay," Kaori eventually said, as Tanith felt the tape fall away. "Hips are ninety-three centimeters, not bad. Waist is sixty-five centimeters—that's good, gives the hips a nice curve while, avoiding an excessively hourglass-y figure. And the bust..." Kaori's eight eyes widened. "Hot damn, one-oh-four! That's easily in H-cup territory!"

"I think that may be Renita's size, too..." Tanith mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Renita, one of my younger sisters. She…" Drifting off, Tanith shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's continue."

Kaori frowned for a moment, but quickly let the matter drop. "If you say so." She went on measuring Tanith's body, checking the circumference of her neck and upper arms. As she prepared to measure her skull, she paused. "Do you want me to make a hat to match your new outfit? I'm not the greatest at headwear, but I can guarantee you it'll look better than… that thing."

"No, thank you." The Princess tapped the diadem-like ornament woven into her hair. "This is enough for me."

"Good decision." Kaori made a disgusted sound. "I'm not gonna lie to you, that hat of yours is just absurd. It's like a fancy jar sitting on your head. Like, what is it supposed to be? A top hat? A chef's cap?"

Tanith gave an exasperated sigh. "I agree, it's over-the-top and I hate it. It makes me stand out even more in public, which means more people stop and baffle at me, probably remembering when I first appeared with my lack of attire. But I can't throw it away because it's part of my rigging—it's got several important sensors I need to fight. The moment I get my screws in the water, it's gonna vanish from wherever I stored it away and pop right back on my head." She hung her head with a sheepish look. "Still... Mother has fun with it. She would probably be disappointed if I told her I wanted to get rid of it."

"Hmph… Always considering others' feelings, as one would expect from a reasonable leader."

Tanith nodded. "I wouldn't be worthy of the title otherwise." Her expression turned thoughtful. "Hm… it's funny. I can't even remember the last time I was able to just air out my personal feelings to someone like this. It's relaxing."

"I'm sure it is." Kaori gave Tanith a sideways glance. "What with how you're all stiff and quiet a lot of the time, I figured you had some things bottled up, and I thought I'd lend an ear. Seems my hunch was right on the mark."

"...Your hunch?" Tanith looked at her with confusion. "What kind of hunch?"

The Jorogumo chewed her lip for a few seconds, considering her response, before nodding. "I've been observing you for a while now; it's part of my process for making clothes that suit my clients. And over time, I came to notice… you seem lonely. Not in the general sense; I think you miss having pals. People with whom you stand on even footing, people willing to debate, to compete, to just hang out and be informal with you." She waved a hand, gesturing to the nearby window. "Right now, everyone out there more or less looks up to you as a commander, a ruler, a mom… even those other Princesses defer to your authority. Of course, there's also the people who look up at you and see a scary Abyssal Princess that could kill them if she so chose—not saying you would, it's purely hypothetical. But nobody you interact with on a regular basis really treats you as Tanith, the woman instead of Tanith, the Princess." Kaori clasped her hands together. "Sorry if this feels like prying. I just wanted to check."

"You…" For a moment, Tanith was completely silent… and then she sagged in place a little, a solemn look in her eyes. "Are absolutely right."

Kaori leaned away a bit. "Oh. Did I touch on a sore subject? My bad."

"No, you're fine. It's just… " She stepped over to the window and looked outside, to the children and Abyssals playing in the open field. "When we were all separated from Mother, my sisters and I understood that somebody would have to take her place, lead what was left of the fleet towards a new home… and being the oldest sister, I was the obvious choice. But when I accepted this responsibility—when I stopped holding myself back, and allowed myself to mature into a Princess—I didn't realize just how much it would change our group dynamics."

A slow, heavy sigh. "All of a sudden, I couldn't interact with my sisters as equals, anymore. They spoke to me as if their thoughts and ideas were inherently less valid than mine. I'd want to shoot the breeze with my siblings to try and alleviate boredom, ask for their input on various things when I doubted my own judgement, only for them to agree to nearly everything I said with hardly any argument. Becoming a Dreadnought with an older, slower hull and outdated guns made it all but impossible to gauge my performance in regards to the other battleships. And faced with the threat of possible combat, my sisters' greatest priority wasn't to look after each other and stay alive—it was to keep me alive." Tanith hung her head. "It was as if… becoming a Princess meant I had stopped being their sister altogether."

Kaori sat back, letting Tanith's words sink in. Eventually, she crawled up beside the Princess and gently patted her on the shoulder. "I can relate," she said softly. "After my mother was sent to a Reserve, I was left being the only Jorogumo in my community. I had nobody to show me how to properly weave my silk. No spiderling peers to bicker with, or compete over who had the most intricate webs. I was just some skittish little spider girl nobody really wanted to hang out with."

Tanith looked over her shoulder. "You must have been so lonely." She said. "How did you cope?"

"The tailor I sold most of my silk to was kind enough to let me work part-time in his shop. His daughter was really nice to me." Kaori cocked her head. "I'm honestly not sure if I'd still be alive today, if not for her. That one friend, willing to hear my thoughts, support me when I needed to vent. Of course, once I managed to perfect my human guise and got into a tailoring school, I became the social butterfly I am now… but when I figured you were going through the same sort of struggle, I felt like it was my duty to pay it forward, by trying to be a buddy for you. You're not too opposed to that, right?"

Tanith's eyes began to glisten a bit, before she blinked away the tears and smiled softly. "You're a good person, Kaori. Thank you." She took a deep breath to calm herself. Once she lifted her chin back up, her moment of melancholy had subsided. "Maybe it's time I started delegating a bit. Going out more often, try to make some new connections outside of my immediate family and diplomats…"

"Good on ya, Princess," Kaori said in agreement, patting Tanith on the back. "The more the merrier, they say. Frankly, though—and I'm fairly sure you agree with me on this—as long as you're dressed up like the alpha slut of an albino stripper joint out on her holiday, any friends you try to make will probably be kinky and weird."

Tanith stared at her, jaw agape.

"Too crass?"

Rather than acting insulted, the Princess let out a snort, bringing a hand to her face to mask her grin. "When you put it like that, my normal attire suddenly feels so... absurd. Yet it's so accurate..."

"It's a good thing I'm here to rectify the issue, then!" Setting aside the measuring tape, Kaori reached over and grabbed a notebook set off to the side. "I already had a few rough drafts sketched out to go over with you. If you like what you see, I can go ahead and start sewing the outfits, have them ready for you to try on in a couple weeks; otherwise, we can talk about making changes to the designs until you're satisfied." She pointed to Tanith's metal claws. "Now, I know those are removable, but do you have something else you can socket into their place? It's not easy to come up with an outfit that matches them."

The Princess held up her arms, inspecting them. "Well, I asked my mother about prosthetics for everyday use—latex coverings like my sister Ruadri's, or maybe a more compact set of gauntlets—but right now, she's taking time off fleet-based activities to live her own life. When she chooses to pick up my request is up to her."

"I see..." Kaori said with a nod. "Any idea how long that will be?"

"I don't know, but my sisters and I agreed not to push the issue. She's earned a break from madness for a little while."

XXXXX

"This is boring."

"It's necessary. Seiko needs to learn basic stuff if she wants to come with Hoppou to school. Does Seiko want to sit around home all day with nothing to do?"

"Rrgh... no. I guess."

"Come on, it's just a few problems. Then we can stop."

"Okay."

"Alright… um… oh, here's an easy one: what's six times three?"

XXXXX

"Well, at any rate…" Kaori continued. "I've got a few more measurements to take. We can talk things out, maybe look at the concepts while I finish up, and then see where we go from there. That sound good to you?"

"Sure thing." Tanith was quiet for a moment as she felt the tape loop around her calf. "So… what was it like for you? Having to conceal your identity almost every waking minute of the day?"

Kaori mulled the question over for a moment. "Honestly…? The worst part had to be feeling like I was crammed into a set of super-skinny jeans all the damn time. Did you know Jorogumo can actually develop symptoms similar to decompression sickness if they stay in a human form for too long? I didn't. Spent two weeks at a company retreat, never found an opening to drop my disguise and stretch my legs a bit. Sat on the floor half-paralyzed for hours once I finally got back to the privacy of my apartment."

Tanith cringed. "Ooh. That does sound unpleasant. I'm not even sure if Abyssals like me can even get decompression sickness… going deep enough underwater fast enough to make it happen, would likely crush our hulls like empty soda cans."

"And speaking of water: our lower halves don't take being submerged well. Trapping air bubbles around the abdomen for oxygen may work for spiders smaller than a one-yen coin, but it does NOT scale up well in the slightest…"

And so the pair went on with their idle chatter, as they continued the fitting and design process. And for the first time in what felt like years, Tanith truly felt at ease… able to drop her formality and just be herself, in the company of an understanding spirit.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Well, I was planning to show 'Colombe meets the kittens and Wolfie Claire', but she grabbed me and took me a different direction. As a side note, every time Colombe is in Brussels for a planned* trip, she visits Église Notre-Dame de Laeken. (*The only times she skipped this visit were in 1944 fighting her way into town alongside the Allies to liberate Belgium and in 2014 getting to the airport in a tearing hurry so that she could fly to the Congo to rescue Ehren.)

Noblesse Oblige

19 August 2014

Église Notre-Dame de Laeken, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Spoiler: A Rapier's Respects

A young-seeming blond-haired woman dressed in haute couture walked up the steps to enter the soaring Neo-Gothic church built by Leopold I of Belgium to eternally house and remember his wife Queen Louise-Marie of Belgium.

As always when she entered this hallowed space, she gently squeezed the bouquet of lilies, white roses, and forget-me-nots tied with a silk ribbon patterned as the black, yellow, and red of the Belgian flag that fluttered from the flagpole that she had walked past to enter. After all, whenever she knew that she would be in Brussels, one of her preparations always was to get a very special bouquet prepared for her by the florist for the most important part of her visit.

Moving with the steady, automatic, confident stride of someone who had visited this church every time that she had visited Brussels since 1936, she walked down the nave, her eyes raising to the crucifix on the altar and to the soaring ceiling and stained glass before turning to the right so she could walk down the stairs to the Royal Crypt.

Tears prickled Colombe's eyes as she stopped to contemplate the tiled floor in the crypt's antechamber inlaid with all the coats of arms of the noble families and landholdings of what had been the Spanish Netherlands in her youth, then the Austrian Netherlands as a young woman, and finally Belgium.

Antwerp, Brussels, Brabant, Hainault, Flanders....

Her eyes lingered, as always, upon one coat of arms among the hundreds that ornamented the floor.

The coat of arms that was engraved upon the golden enchanted signet ring she now was wearing as her brothers, nephews, grandnephew...and her Papa had worn before her.

The coat of arms that was engraved upon her heart and soul from her earliest memories.

The coat of arms of the family of the Marquess of Chasteler and Moulbaix.

Du Chasteler

As always, she turned from contemplating her family's coat of arms and all that it meant to her so that she could enter the Royal Crypt.

As always, she paused upon entering to reflect upon what this visit meant to her.

The marble tomb of Leopold I and Louise-Marie greeted her, illuminated by the midday sun through the windows of the crypt and surmounted by the sculpted model of the state crown of Belgium.

Bowing her head reverently to honor those who slept eternally here, she then walked around the tomb of Leopold I down the right side of the crypt.

As always, she paused at the tomb of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Congo Free State. She scowled, remembering his misrule and exploitation of the subjects -- really slaves -- in the Congo and his patronage of her treacherous great-grandnephew Hippolyte du Chasteler.

But, as always, she was not here to deal with the most hated monarch of Belgium in her admittedly biased opinion.

Instead, she walked to the next crypt where Leopold II's nephew rested.

As always, she snapped to precise military attention, remembering the first time that she had met Albert I, King of the Belgians.

Even now, almost a century later, she could remember the sucking knee-deep mud, the smell, and the misery of that battered trench along the Yser River defending the last sliver of a free Belgium during the Great War.

Just as she could remember the mud-spattered plain uniform of a thirty-nine year old officer sharing the hardships of his men -- his subjects -- just as a noble, just as a monarch, should.

A monarch whom she had rubbed shoulders with in a muddy, filthy, stinking dugout lit only by a single flickering candle as they wondered if the next moment would be their last.

A monarch whom she had unburdened herself to during that endless night under artillery fire over iron rations, rough pinard red wine, and a crude table made from scrounged wood as exhausted soldiers snored around them like inmates serving their time in Purgatory.

A monarch who would allow his young son, the future king Leopold III, to enlist in the army as a private and fight in the ranks while his wife served as a volunteer nurse close to the front in stark contrast to the autocratic Leopold II.

A monarch who had broken from tradition to take his royal accession oath not just in French but in Flemish too in 1909.

A monarch who cared deeply for his people. Even -- or perhaps especially -- those whom life had dealt a losing hand of cards to such as Colombe d'Aubigny du Chasteler.

A monarch who disregarded the 'advice' of the then-Minster of Magic and his threat of ICW disapproval to ennoble the last child of the Du Chastelers into her ancestral titles and landholdings in a private ceremony in 1919 with the statement. "She fought for Belgium, fought for me in the trenches too. I see no criminal here, but a loyal Belgian patriot deserving of her family's honors."

A monarch who had acted to reform and modernize Belgium until his death in a mountaineering accident in 1936.

A monarch who his people, Walloon and Flemish alike, had mourned in their millions when he was brought here to be laid to rest. As she had mourned as she watched him pass her one last time to be placed here among his ancestors and successors into this place of honor -- not honor born like some others resting around him, but honor earned.

With that meditation, Colombe knelt and placed the bouquet at the foot of the marble bier holding Albert I and his beloved wife Elisabeth.

As always, Colombe d'Aubigny du Chasteler, Marchioness of Chasteler and Moulbaix, bowed her head and whispered from the heart as her tears fell to water the stone at the foot of the greatest King of the Belgians. "As you kept true faith and honor with me, so I forever shall keep my true faith and honor with you and Belgium... My Sovereign and My King."

 

[darthcourt10]

Digital Historian

Hidden in Plain Sight

Hr. Ms. Van Galen was in a stormy mood as her military driver navigated the car through the outskirts of Breda. High command had denied, denied!, her request to be put in charge of the defences on the eastern border. Her, who knew like no other what a German sneak attack looked like! Instead, they got the venerable Eendracht to lead the joint magical/shipgirl force. That airy sail-brain knew nothing of modern land warfare, for crying out loud! At least the intelligence is being gathered by Crijnsen, and she knows what she's doing.

Meanwhile, she was being sent to one of the magical enclaves of the southern Netherlands: Heksenwiel. The intent was for her to report to her superiors in government how ready the magical enclave was to potentially re-joining the rest of the world. She was a bit surprised when the driver parked at what for all intents and purposes looked like a completely normal shopping centre, as one would expect in any Dutch Vinex neighbourhood. After a few lost glances around, she was approached by a woman in her late teens.

"Goedemiddag!(Good afternooon) Van Galen? I'm Collette Heckx, Royal Magical Marechaussee. I was asked to show you around."

Van Galen looked the witch over. She wore her brown hair in a military bun, light blue shirt, dark blue blazer, and white trousers. On her breast was an insignia of a blue shield with a silver, sparking wand, while her shoulders held a single white chevron.

"Goedenmiddag, Wachtmeester.(Watch master)" The Destroyer said, following the human towards the large, copper sundial in the centre of the semicircle. "I look forward to being introduced to this other side of the city. Though to be honest, I had not expected to find an enclave, well, here"

"Well, the truth is that until the late 1980s, this used to be a small collection of houses and shops in the woods, hidden along the old drive behind that church." She pointed towards the modern brick-and-copper building across the road. "However, when the city expanded outwards, we cleared that so we wouldn't have hidden buildings inside non-magical buildings, and instead moved here. Unlike our cousins in the US or Britain, we've always had a pragmatic view of the separation of the worlds: hiding something with magic alone is good, hiding something without is better. And working together is best of all. Hence only those that are unable to control their magic, or do work that is obviously magical in nature separate themselves. Now, if you'd stand on the sundial please?"

Van Galen watched with attention as the Witch tapped the numbers on the dial with her wand. 1-6-9-2. The air shimmered for a moment, like a mirage at sea, before clearing. To the Destroyer's left, where there had been a hairdressers, there now was a passage into another row of shops. Atop the semicircle of apartments around them, two more floors had appeared. The woman smiled at the ship. "Welcome to Heksenwiel, designated enclave for magic in West-Brabant. Home to two-hundred magical families and fifteen shops of all sorts. Shall we?"

Johannes Petrus de Ketel, chair of the magical assembly of the 12 provinces (and assorted overseas possessions) sat in his office and leafed through the latest messages sent by the ambassador to the German confederation. 'Good, at least someone seems to have their heads on right there, trying to get a soft landing out of that mess'. He winced 'Then again, with German politics being what I remember, its like trying to land a cinderblock'. A knock on the door heralded the arrival of his secretary.

"Sir, the councillors are here to see you."

The minister thanked his aide. 'And here comes the fun. I suppose we all fight the battles God chose for us'. Three men and one woman entered the room. Councillors of Finance, Secrets, State, and Law. Simultaneously his stalwart allies and worst enemies; the proportional voting system made sure that none of their seats were truly safe – but also that they needed each other to get anything done. One shot a quick glance at the Square and the House of Parliament beyond.

Dutch magical politics were just as complex as their non-magical counterpart. For starters, there was the division between the Orangists and the Republicans, a division that went back even before the separation of the magical world. Loyalty to the Orange family was taken seriously by some of the older families, some of whom traced their histories back to fighting alongside the rebels at the Heiligerlee or Den Briel, and many of these families had serving members in the armed forces, magical or regular. Additionally, most of those that had entered the country since the early 19th Century fell on this side of the spectrum. The Republicans were often descendants of the wizards who had built their capital during 17th Century, when Amsterdam was the centre of world trade.

"Welcome, colleagues." Johannes said once they had seated themselves. "Last time we met I asked you to provide reports on the impending fall of the statute and integration with the non-magical world, and how your departments are preparing." He noticed a flash of irritation covering the face of the councillor of Finance, a representative of the fraction that opposed official integration into the non-magical world. This fraction was known as the 'Stretchers', and composed of those who wished to stay true to at least the letter of the statute, while leaving individual citizens free to stretch its spirit to the limits. He pointed at the man. "Benjamin, would Finance like to go first?"

Though he was heavy set, Benjamin Bovenaarde had a squeaky voice, so his attempt at sounding imperious fell somewhat flat. "I still maintain that it is a bad idea to push for integration as quickly as we have. Our economy is just not ready for it, and after the first year or so of magical products being in vogue, our craftsman, highly skilled wizards and witches who count on us to safeguard their livelihoods, will be competed out of existence by mass-produced cauldrons and industrial-sized farms. The voters will not forget this."

"You've made your position more than clear, Ben." The silver-haired lady to his left said. "How are you going to deal with it?"

The Councillor for Finance sighed. "We're not. If we are going to integrate into the mundane economy, there's little we can do. The only option would be to play with the exchange rate when we switch from our silver guilders to euro's – that way we might put enough money in pockets so that businesses can survive." That got him several frowns. "We can learn from the financial fiasco that was the reunification in '90, but we can't avoid it, not completely."

"Right, we will have to take it on the chin when it happens than." The minister remarked. "So, who wants to be next to add to my workload?"
Escorted by the wachtmeester, the blonde destroyer ambled through the shopping area of Heksenwiel, drawing looks wherever she went. For the most part, the stores were what she'd expected of a 'magical village': magical bookshop, shop for magical potions ingredients, magical cloak-store. One, however, she hadn't seen coming.

"Flying Bicycles!?!?"


AN:
Better late than never, right? This one has sat as a skeleton in my drawer for a long time, since November-December last year when Shaithan was doing the Magical Germany storyline. It was 80% done and then I just lost all motivation and IRL stuff happened, so it languished incomplete. I wanted to get this out, even as imperfect and late as it is, to give some foundation to the reactions to the Turtle incident in the main story. That should be done within a few days or so.

I will admit that while I'm okay at writing scenes, I am pants at writing characters, and it really shows here. Both the meeting and the visit didn't feel done, but neither were they going anywhere in particular. I hope it at least entertained people.

 

[darthcourt10]

Mushapi

Uggh. This past week has been hard and this snippet harder. Not totally pleased with it but it is done. Let me know your thoughts.

Just remember everything is Hoshi's fault she demanded the credit.
*-*-*


It all started when over tea Haruka thought. Siusan sat at the dining table with Haruka and Hoshi-dono as the three foxes enjoed various snacks in the rather cool abode of Haruka's. A rather lively discussion was being made on the various holidays of their respective cultures and the similarities and differences they held. And with that conversation Obon was mentioned and the thinning of the veil to the afterlife.

Siusan paused. Haruka glanced over at her and saw both pain and curiosity warring in her features. She reached over and took hold of Siusan's hand.

"Is everything all right love?" Haruka's question seemed to break whatever conflict Siusan was undergoing as Siusan shook her head rapidly and blinked.

"I just... hmmm. I just wish there was some way. Some way for Harry child and you to meet them. Those children I watched for centuries. To give him an opportunity to meet his mother... and father and all his ancestors."

Hoshi-dono raised her eyebrow appraising Haruka's love.

"And if you had a way would this be for them or yourself. Siusan-san you are still coming to terms with your past and I want you to think deeply. If this is to absolve your feelings of guilt than you will only set yourself back from the progress you have been making."

Haruka observed Hoshi-dono. What she saw on the other woman was concern. Haruka waited while Siusan found her answer.

"My guilt is my own while I admit that I would love the opportunity to speak to them again, to hold them, my opportunity is past. But for Harry who was robbed her parents and Haruka who was robbed everything I just want them to have that opportunity. "

Siusan stared into her teacup and sighed. Haruka chose that moment to speak.

"Siusan, my heart, not that I would not love the opportunity to speak with our children once more but this is not something you should torment yourself with. Just be here for Harry and I. He loves you and by being with us even if we can never meet them ourselves we meet them through you."

Siusan looked into her eyes with such warmth and smiled at her. Butterflies danced within her breast.

"Well I believe that I have seen what I wanted to see in regards to your resolve Siusan-san," Hoshi began. "While I cannot promise there is a way for Harry and Haruka to meet your descendant and Harry's parents may I recommend speaking to young Haru-chan. She may know a manner or two of communicating to the deceased that might apply."

Siusan beamed and in a moment of joy rose from her seat and hugged the larger fox woman.

"What a wonderful idea Hoshi, truly I appreciate it."

Haruka gave Hoshi-dono a smirk as the older kitsune responded with a bemused smile.

Siusan let go embarrassed at her own outburst. Straightening her dress she composed herself before apologizing.

"Sorry about that Hoshi, it just it has been plaguing me since I met Harry child and Nagato. She mentioned to me about speaking to Lily child during her, oh what's the word, refit! Yes during her refit and ever since then I had hoped to give Harry an opportunity to speak to her and James. And if that is possible it might be possible for Haruka to meet some of her decendents. Of course barring that I would be happy to give Harry some sort of journal that he could communicate with Lily child and James."

A vertible flood had been unleashed as Siusan began to plot out multiple ways to possibly allow Harry and Haruka to visit with their deceased loved ones. Hoshi-dono tilted her head towards Haruka before giving her a smug grin. Haruka gave an exasperated sigh and moved over to her love before her ridiculousness truly overcame her. She kissed Siusan to break up her ramblings before turning to Hoshi-dono.

"My apologies Hoshi-dono but it appear my love is a bit distracted at the moment, perhaps we can finish our tea at another time."

And with that she dragged Siusan into the bedroom.

Hoshi sat at the table and finished her tea. Seeing her friends so lively made her grin. Grabbing one more sandwich, she made her way out of the house and quietly closed the door behind her.

 

[darthcourt10]

RCNAnon

Weasley's Warship Workshop 19


The four 381mm shells all missed, passing by the enemy Re-class by mere feet to skip out into the Atlantic. This allowed it to finish bringing its guns to bear, the heavy 406mm guns taking aim at her from close range. With almost no room to maneuver the Re-class evil grin trained on her from close range even as her gunners desperately cycled the breeches.

The 406mm barrels finally finished their aiming and she could see the AP shell caps inside, just before fire spat and..."

Jean Bart woke with a start, her eyes blinking open as her boilers spiked higher than normal during her wake up cycle.

That wasn't what happened. That wasn't anything at all like what happened.

Sitting upright Jean Bart got out of bed and headed to her bathroom. Using the sink to splash her face with cold water she looked at herself in the mirror. With her hair down for sleeping she looked somewhat a mess, able to make a good imitation of Lady Godiva if she ever felt the need to act like her sister in public. Aside from that nothing was wrong so why…?

She'd been thinking about it, that was why.

Specifically because she was going to tell him. To tell Ron how she'd come back and the fight that had been her first and only true engagement. Even if calling it an engagement could possibly be a bit of a stretch. Still she wanted to tell him, had to tell him about it. Even if it gave her dreams like this.

Letting out a breath of air to push a rogue strand of hair out of her face, she stood and got her shower started. Today was going to be important for a number of reasons. Hopefully it would go as smoothly as she planned.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Passel House, Hampshire, England. January 4th, 2014.

Jean Bart pulled up to the drive of Passel House, finding the gate closed as it usually was. Thankfully it opened up rather promptly, saving her from thinking about anything for too long. She'd already contemplated why she kept driving there instead of inviting Ron to Toulon.

One of the reasons was simple convenience, she was not on duty much of the time and Ron had his school which was inconveniently placed for quick travel. So Passel House was as much a middle ground as they were likely to find. Secondly, she was the one asking things of him. That meant it only made sense for her to go to him, even if he would never claim such a thing. Lastly, Richelieu had recently mentioned wanting to meet Ron in person. She wasn't sure she was ready for that. She was absolutely sure that Ron wasn't ready for it and she didn't trust her sister not to drop in on them if it was convenient for her.

Reminiscing on her own reminiscing had gotten her to the front door, where she found Victoria waiting for her like normal.

"The Young Master is out back in his workshop." Victoria's voice was crisp as always, though Jean Bart was finally sure that it had eased slightly from when she'd first started coming to Passel House. "He is expecting you."

"Thank you Victoria. I'll just pull around then." Jean Bart nodded to the Head Maid.

"Shall I have any refreshments sent out?"

Jean Bart paused, her mind flitting to what she had to say to Ron. Normally she would instantly say no but…

"Tea perhaps? Green or Chamomile if you have it. I have some things to discuss with Ron today."

"I will have Lara bring some green tea for you and the Young Master. Perhaps some light pastries as well?"

Jean Bart nodded.

"Yes… Thank you again."

Victoria nodded incrementally in turn as Jean Bart turned her motorcycle back on and rather sedately cruised back around to the former garage now turned workshop for Ron and Summer.

Climbing off her bike she found the door closed, though unlocked. Knocking on it once, she waited a short while before opening it and heading inside. She'd been there a few times before, as Ron had taken her there to discuss work on her repairs and upgrades since she arrived.

This time she found him seated at what seemed to be "his" desk once more, the heavy wooden thing some indeterminate (to her at least) dark sort of wood that looked like it had been built around the time her namesake had been terrorizing Dutch sailors. It was well preserved though, despite many scars. Ron was deep into a book which seemed to contain several sketches of her power plants, along with a French-English dictionary and a notepad that was heavily marked in scribbles and scrawls which he seemed to have no issue deciphering.

He looked small behind it no doubt but she was already seeing what she was rather sure Warspite and Duke of York saw in him. It would not be small on him for long, not with the spirit he contained.

As Ron continued on, oblivious, Jean Bart decided that she wasn't going to wait on him to look up. It wasn't her to be so nervous… or admit if she was. So instead she cleared her throat and strode over to Ron, her leg nearly bumping the side of his desk before he managed to look up properly.

"Jean Bart! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you'd arrived." His voice contained a genuine happiness to see her, something which she appreciated more than ever after her latest talk with Richelieu and the gift he'd sent her.

"That's fine Ron, you are busy after all." She nodded down to the plans. "Things are still going well yes?"

"Oh yes, yes. Going very well. Summer and Angie are just about finished with the plans to build everything, though Summer is just a bit distracted at the moment. We managed to get her permission to build a few ships from the Admiralty for Christmas, she's been practically glowing ever since."

Jean Bart raised her eyebrow at that. Permission for an abyssal to build ships? It seemed strange to her to even consider it but given the general temperament she'd seen of Summer… it had some promise. The British were hardly ones to actively screw up the balance of naval power after all.

"Interesting. Though if you'll forgive the tardiness, I've got a Christmas gift for you as well." Jean Bart rested her aft lightly on the desk and pulled out a small package from her hold behind her back, before placing it in front of Ron.

"Oh! Thank you Jean Bart but you didn't have to do that." Ron took the small package with clear interest, examining it for a moment before opening up the packaging. Inside were two smallish items. One was a mobile phone, a relatively new though definitely more sturdy model, the other a small plastic card with Ron's face on it.

Ron looked at each for a moment, not quite getting what they were before his eyes went wide.

"A mobile phone? Jean Bart you really shouldn't have done this… I mean, aren't these pretty expensive nowadays?"

"Not really. At least not with all the discounts I can get from my position." It was slightly expensive, especially since she'd gotten it setup so it would definitely work in both Britain and France but it was worth it to her.

"Still… and this… this is a pass for Toulon right?" Ron peered at the card, which was written in French.

"Yes it is. It's not nearly the same as the one Warspite informed me you have for the Royal Navy but it will allow you passage inside at the very least, if you ever find yourself in need of such a thing."

Ron looked at the card for a moment more and then back to the phone for before looking back up at her.

"Jean Bart… I don't know what to say aside from thank you. I didn't even get you anything proper in return…"

Jean Bart shook her head.

"No Ron, you very much have." She pulled the folio he'd sent her out from her holds, setting it down on top of what he had been working on before then tapping it with one finger. "This folder, all of these sketches… the only thing you could have granted me even greater than this would have been to give me my rebuild. And we both know that you are already working as hard as you can on that."

Ron opened his mouth as if to dispute this, then closed it and nodded.

"I… well I'm glad you liked them so much." He smiled once more, then looked back to the phone. "I won't be able to take it to school with me though. No electricity up there unless you have an active generator."

"I remembered you mentioning something about magic not getting along with electricity very well. Even if you can't take it with you there, you can use it while you're here." Jean Bart paused, then continued as she fought down a wave of mild embarrassment. "I took the liberty of putting some numbers in there that I thought you might need or knew you'd used before. My personal number, my sisters and the one you used to contact Admiral Chirac's office to start. There's also internet access and some programs I though you might find useful. Translation things mostly."

Ron simply grinned then set the phone down and stood up.

"Thank you Jean Bart. I can tell you put a lot of thought into this." He started to lean in for what was clearly supposed to be a hug, then stopped. "I… uhm…"

"It is fine Ron. I don't mind." Jean Bart was by nature, not exactly a touchy person. Between Richelieu's… enthusiasm when it came to greetings and a few incidents which she did her best to forget about at the moment, she wasn't exactly frigid but it took the right sort of person for her to allow them close in that sort of manner. Ron was now in that group, one of a very select number. She even managed a small smile for him.

Ron grinned and leaned in again, this time wrapping his arms around her and tilting his head in an appropriate manner away from anything sensitive. Jean Bart put one of her arms around him in turn, feeling her boilers flutter at the touch.

Ron seemed to have a good feel for how comfortable she was and he pulled away shortly after, not lingering on the gesture and instead settling for one of his trademark grins.

"Thank you Jean Bart. Truly."

"You are welcome Ron." Jean Bart paused, settling slightly more on the desk. "Though if you don't mind, would you listen to a story I wish to tell you? I think it… important for you to hear."

Ron's face immediately got somewhat more serious, taking in her change of tone.

"Of course I will. Especially if it is important."

"Thank you Ron."

There was a knock at the door then, with Lara pushing in a tray with some warm green tea and pastries on it.

"Excuse the interruption Young Master, Ms. Bart. The Head Maid said you wanted this."

"Thank you Lara." Ron nodded to the woman, making room on his desk with a few efficient motions. Lara placed the items in the offered location, then quickly bustled out of the workshop.

"I guess you asked for this?" Ron looked up to Jean Bart.

"Yes. This might take a while so I thought refreshments best." Jean Bart looked at the items and then stood. "Let me get a chair and then I will start."

Ron nodded, leaving Jean Bart to grab the nearest chair along with a cup of warm tea before taking a breath.

"Like most of us it starts with my past life…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
AN: Another snip from me. It's a setup for something I've been wanting to write for a while, so while it's important I'm also not sure on its quality. It might just be that Jean Bart is somewhat uncharacteristically serious/more vulnerable than normal and that's throwing me off a bit. I'd appreciate any comments on what you think.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Colombe suddenly realizes that Hizir is a manipulative bastard and a half since she didn't want pets for her kids, buuut.... So Prepare Thine Pancreases (and click the links)!

Butterknives, For One, Welcome Their New Feline Overlords!

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium
Spoiler: The Naming of Kätzchen!

The du Chasteler daughters squealed in delighted chorus, "Kätzchen!!"

Ehren then looked at Claire, seeing her excited grin mirrored on her sister's face as a chorus of soft meows provided background noise.

The icing on the cake was when the piano playing in the distance shifted from Johann Strauss to Andrew Lloyd Webber's music from Cats.

Ehren's eyes twinkled as she hurried to the table where her phone was on its charger as she mentally touched her avatar downstairs to alert the Imps about the sudden bounty of treasure that had arrived in the mail.

Claire carefully reached inside the steamer trunk to pull out one of the half-dozen eight-week old kittens from the squirming and meowing mass of white fur and fluff filling the half of the slightly space-expanded trunk (complete with their own food and water dispensers and a small litter box) that did not have books and smaller boxes separated by a divider.

The young Turkish Angora kitten promptly blinked his blue eyes at the enthralled Muramasa piano and sunk his claws into her heart to take possession of Claire with a cute little meow and yawn that caused her to visibly blush and melt.

Ehren continued to get blackmail pictures and video while Claire cuddled the kitten. Then with a sly smile, she spoke as she filmed the two. "So, Claire, what's your new friend's name? Or do you want me or the others to name him?"
Spoiler: Kittens In Moulbaix!

Claire cooed to the kitten before placing a kiss on the top of his head between the ears as she cuddled him. "Oh, he's certainly Mozart!"

Ehren facepalmed mentally at the name from the music-mad piano then grinned. "You name the white ones and I name the ones with color?"

Claire put the now-named Mozart down to begin to explore the wonders of Ehren's room and reached inside to grab his sisters. "Deal, little sister."

While the Imps charged upstairs, the green-eyed Brahms and the odd-eyed Beethoven were being named, given suitable amounts of Piano Cuddles, and were joining Mozart in playing with the fringed tassels of the blanket on Ehren's bed where they hung just above kitten head level along with a ball formed from waste paper from the basket.

After, it should be noted, Brahms had to be evicted from an unauthorized exploration of Ehren's shoe rack.

Claire picked up the fourth and final Angora kitten. Gold and blue eyes blinked lazily at Claire who cuddled her and then exclaimed in delight. "Oh I know your name! You must be Chopin!" The now-named Chopin purred and stretched lazily under Claire's petting before being deposited on the floor, where she began to fastidiously groom herself.

As Chopin finished her toilette, the door was flung open to allow Misaki and Chihiro to see what was on display. A happy chorus of "Koneko!!" sounded from the Imps as Miho and Nongqawuse looked over their heads.

Claire peeked inside the steamer trunk once more as the Imps began to play with the four white Turkish Angora kittens. "The other three all have colors, Ehren. It's your turn to name them."

The Dagger's face split in a broad grin. Ehren rubbed her hands together after handing her phone over to Nongqawuse to film her naming the remaining kittens. "Zu Befehl, meine große Klavierschwester!"(By your command, my big piano sister!")

With that, Ehren picked up the first Turkish Van kitten and gave a happy shy smile as she petted and cuddled him. "Hmm... I think for you," Ehren murmured as she stared into loving brown-gold eyes as the about-to be named kitten meowed at her, "Ja, Sie heißen Siegfried!"(Your name is Siegfried!)

With that decision, she deposited the now-named Siegfried on the floor beside her. Siegfried promptly scampered over to pounce upon the ball of paper, batting it wildly across the floor while he meowed in excitement.

Ehren then turned to the last two kittens in the box. A set of blue eyes blinked while another odd-eyed cat greeted her with a meow. "Und Sie.... Sie heißen Brünnhilde und Sieglinde! Blaue Augen für Brünnhilde!"(Blue eyes for Brünnhilde!)

The now-named Brünnhilde blinked her blue eyes again as Ehren grabbed her and began to cuddle her eagerly while Misaki reached inside to liberate her sister Sieglinde. The jorogumo child then giggled as Sieglinde purred and yawned happily in the spider Yokai's arms.

----------------------


Lunch was slightly delayed by the need to provide a plate of finely minced chicken breast and large bowls of milk and water for the new feline house guests.

Who, it should be noted, were overjoyed at the hearty 'Welcome to Moulbaix' meal provided by their new house slaves on Colombe's fine antique china.

Shortly after hastily finishing her sausages for lunch, Ehren grabbed the keys to the Reparo-Wagen, her checkbook for the family's funds, and her dagger body to head to Ath for a set of unplanned emergency purchases ganz schnell.(real quick)

Eight hundred dollars and just under a hour and a half later, Hurricane Ehren returned with the car full of bags of dry kitten food, cans of wet kitten food, cat treats (chicken, beef, and fish), kitty litter and litter boxes, seven cat beds and carriers, an assortment of cat toys (Ehren, being Ehren, had started at one end of that aisle at the pet supplies store and grabbed one of everything marked for cats like she was on blitzkrieg as she cleaned the store out with ruthless efficiency), grooming supplies, four books on the care of cats for first time owners, seven colorful nylon collars complete with copper name tags inscribed with names and the castle's phone number along with small brass bells (much to the future disgust of Brahms, Siegfried, and Sieglinde who hated giving notification that they were on the prowl hunting the castle's mouse population), and a planned schedule of visits to the vet for initial checkups, chipping, identification, immunizations, and licensing of the kittens.

Let it not be said that Ehren du Chasteler was incapable of decisive action in an unexpected crisis.

After unloading the results of her plundering Ath of available cat-related resources, Ehren bee-lined to the sound of the piano. Ehren then found out that Claire had taken over Mutti's study to serenade the seven little furballs who were being played with by Claire, the Imps, Nongqawuse, and Miho as they explored their new home.

A fast consultation with Best Big Piano Sister later (and a good deal of evil giggling by the conspirators) resulted in a cunning plan being hatched on how to spring the news on Mother, whose arrival was expected momentarily.

The plan was refined further when the unwitting Tokunotakai arrived to talk to Colombe and promptly fell victim to the adorable ambush of the Koneko-chan who awaited her.

Clearly Masamune steel was insufficient to handle cuteness of this magnitude.

Which all set the scene for Colombe's arrival later that afternoon.....

----------------------


Spoiler: Colombe Arrives

Colombe pulled the Audi up and parked in her garage.

Getting out, she stretched and walked up the steps to her front door, humming idly. The drive back had been annoying with the traffic, but the trip had been a success with all the business she needed to get done accomplished, along with lunch at one of her favorite bistros.

She then blinked at the sight of Ehren in visible distress. "What's wrong, Ehren?"

Ehren sniffled, "M-m-m-mutti, you have to come and see! It's Claire!" In the distance upstairs a piano played a Chopin nocturne softly and sadly.

Colombe blanched and sprinted up the steps with Ehren on her heels. She missed the well-hidden smug grin that the dagger had as she watched the Belgian rapier fall into the awaiting trap.

Colombe hit the top of the stairs and dashed down the hall toward Claire's sitting 'music room' where the piano was playing.

"Don't worry, Claire! Mother's coming!" Colombe shouted as behind her Ehren filmed her mad dash to her daughter's side.

Colombe flung the door open, only for her shocked face and dropped jaw to get immortalized by the phones in a suspiciously serene-faced Toku, a grinning Kasuyu (holding Claire's phone), and the smirking Ehren's hands as she boggled at the sight inside.

Ehren finished the ambush with the rehearsed line as planned by her as Colombe stared at the scene in disbelief. "Claire had KITTENS, Mutti!!"

The piano promptly shifted from the somber Chopin nocturne into a tune arrangement that expressed louder than words that she had gotten Mother good while the wolf gave a lupine smug grin and the rest of the du Chasteler household laughed.
Spoiler: We Got Mother Good!

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Bemused as he watched Natsumi chomp into a peanut butter pancake happily, Harry's lips twitched as a chuckle escaped him, "I don't think that I need to ask if you like them."

Softly scoffing, the Kitsune took another bite of the rolled up pancake smeared with peanut butter before chewing and swallowing, "That would be rather silly of you, Harry-Chan." Glancing to the side, Natsumi smirked a little, "And I think that someone else agrees with me."

When he turned in that direction, Harry could see Taiyang attempt to shove an entire peanut butter pancake into her mouth. However, the Dao paused and only bit off what was there before chewing and swallowing, finally washing it down with some tea, "Master wounds me, Mikon! There should be no doubt of it."

Lips madly twitching, the wizard laughed lightly, "I suppose so." Head tilted to the side, he looked down at Natsumi, "So... what do you want to do today then since it'll probably be a week or two before we see each other?"

Considering that, Natsumi gave the matter some thought before tilting her head, "Actually... I want to see if we can hold the Kitsune-Tsuki all day. Just... to see."

Despite her not saying more, Harry understood what she meant and smiled some, "Understood, and I don't mind."

From where she sat, the Dao raised an eyebrow, "I find myself curious as to what you look like. Master did explain a little, but... as they now say, seeing is believing after all. And I am rather intrigued."

Suddenly, Harry spoke up with a thoughtful look, "If you want... we can test it out more."

Now curious, Natsumi looked up at him with a small blink, "What do you mean, Harry-Chan?"

With a hum, the fourteen year old boy shrugged his shoulders a little bit, "Well... we could test out if we can keep up Kitsune-Tsuki when asleep. That is, if you don't mind me staying the night and neither does your family."

Head cocked to the side, Natsumi considered the question for a few moments before lightly blushing, 'Being that close to Harry-Chan... even when we're asleep...'

Deep in her mind, Tamamo chuckled a little, 'And would that be such a bad thing, Child? To have Our Harry so close to us when both you and him are at your most vulnerable? I believe that I already know the answer though...'

Mentally chuckling herself, the teenage Kitsune gave a slight nod, 'I suppose that you do.' Outwardly, she smiled up at Harry, "I don't think that anyone would have much issue with it, Harry-Chan. But..." Eyebrows furrowing, Natsumi frowned a little bit, "Won't you need to contact Nagato-San and such to ask permission? Not to mention Hoppou-Chan as well as Seiko-Chan..."

Somewhat to her surprise, Harry shook his head, "That's not that big of an issue actually. Hoppou won't mind in this case because she'll understand, and Aeroprin would be there. Probably invite Wokyuu as well..." Pausing for a moment to consider, he shook it off, "As for Mum? She's away at the moment for the next day or two."

Eyebrows raised, Taiyang blinked and looked at him, "Oh? Nagato-San is away?"

Humming, the teenage wizard nodded a little bit, "Hai, she's away on JMSDF business for the next day or so. And she wouldn't mind much at all to be honest."

Due to knowing him for so long, Natsumi understood that there was likely something else there that he was not telling her. But it was also because she knew him so well and for so long that she also understood that it was not that he did not want to tell her, but couldn't. Something that told the Kitsune that whatever was happening, it was likely top secret for a very good reason.

Thus, the teenage Kitsune only smiled and nodded at that, "Sounds good to me, Harry-Chan." Getting off his lap, even though she really did not want to, Natsumi stood and stretched. Part of her was amused at how Harry watched as her shirt rode up slightly before giggling, "So... shall we get started, Harry-Chan?"

Amused, Harry also stood and nodded, "Hai..." Reaching out, he took her hands in his, "You just want to shock your parents, don't you?"

Needless to say, the grin he got made him laugh and was all the answer that he needed.

Moments later, Harry was able to feel the tingle in his palms as him and Natsumi concentrated on performing Kitsune-Tsuki. With his eyes open, he could see how the Kitsune seemed to grow transparent, almost like a ghost, even as small sparks of fox fire fell from her and entered him before she vanished entirely. Within his mind, and soul, he could feel Natsumi's as they clicked together.

Then, he could feel his form began to shift as the two of them opened to each other fully. What he did not notice was how Taiyang's eyes widened as she watched the process as Harry's hair grew longer, coming down to midway down her back, the color a dark auburn with highlights of ebony and lighter auburn. More than that, the Dao observed as his ears grew longer, pointed, and furred as they moved to the top of his head. All the while, his figure also changed with his legs becoming slightly more longer and his form going from masculine to androgynous even as two fox tails grew from his tailbone.

Once the transformation was done, Harry's now changed face turned to her and smiled before he spoke in a voice that was a distinct blend of his and Natsumi's, "Well? What do you think?"

Silent for a few seconds, Taiyang's bronze colored eyes met the slightly different eyes of Harry's, one golden with emerald green flecks that sparkled and the other being emerald green with golden flecks which shone. Finally, she gave him a smile as she hoped to her feet, "I believe that you have done an excellent job, Master, Harry-San! Very good!" Moments later, she leapt at them and glomped them, subjecting their body to marshmallow hell, "Mikon!"

It went without saying that the shared body of Harry's and Natsumi's began to blush heavily at what just happened. Meanwhile, inside of their shared mindscape, the Kitsune was even more embarrassed, '{That is... very troublesome, Harry-Chan...}'

With an internal sigh, and more than a little mortified as he knew what she meant, Harry grumbled back some, '{Tell me about it...}'

Eventually, to their combined thankfulness, Taiyang did let go which meant that they were able to make their way to the mirror. While they were able to get a very good look before, now in the room illuminated by the morning Sun, the two were able to see a lot more. For several moments, they turned in one direction and then another as they looked themselves over fully.

After a few moments, Natsumi nodded their shared body even as she communicated to them, '{Huh... we look pretty good, you know.}' When Harry had their body strike a pose, she giggled, '{What are you doing, Harry-Chan!?}'

Snickering back, Harry shook their head, '{Just wanted to see how it looked.}'

That got a snort from the Kitsune inhabiting his body before she went silent and thoughtful even as he adjusted their clothes. After a few moments, she gave a mental nod, '{Hmm... you know, if we need to, my clothes would likely fit this form. And probably look pretty good.}'

Briefly, she got an amused mental look from Harry, '{Do you mean that I don't look pretty good anyways?}'

Once more, Natsumi snorted, '{No, you do pull off looking like a girl pretty well, Harry-Chan. Just that we could probably pull it off even better.}' Getting a chuckle, she hummed a little, '{Just thinking more that right now? The two of us look like either a slightly boyish girl, or a really pretty boy. Though we are one hundred percent male, so there is that...}'

Nodding in agreement, the male of the two did various stretches and the like before shaking their head, '{Thankfully.}'

When he fell silent for a few seconds, Natsumi raised a mental eyebrow, '{Harry-Chan? What is it?}'

Just blinking, Harry gave a mental shrug, '{It's nothing, just thinking about something.}' Getting a nudge to continue, he did so, '{Well... I know that you want to practice more wizarding magic, but... I was wondering if we could practice some Kitsune arts. Kitsune-Bi, illusions, that sort of thing. So that I can get a feel for them.}'

Moments later, he blinked as he could feel the brilliant smile the Kitsune gave him in both his mind and soul, '{Harry-Chan, all you had to do was ask. And I would be honored to start teaching you.}'

That got a smile from Harry and he nodded, '{Thank you.}' With a final nod, he turned their body away from the mirror and began walking towards the door, "So... how about we go and break some brains, hmm?"

Giggles and a mental nod as well as a feeling of anticipation were what he got in return.

Needless to say, a few seconds later they entered the Kitsune and Haru turned from where she was talking with Sakuya, "Natsumi-Chan? Where's Harry..."

Seeing their combined form, she trailed off and stared alongside Sakuya as well as Kensuke as Harry and Natsumi walked in with one combined body. Waving their hand, Natsumi smiled as she spoke in a voice that leaned more to her end, "Hello, Oba-Chan, Haha-ue, Chichi-ue." Hearing a choking sound, she turned and grinned some at a gobsmacked Hoshi, "Hoshi-San! You're here as well."

Very slowly, the Kyuubi blinked before looking at her cup of tea. Looking back at the teens, she stared for a moment, "Natsumi-Chan... Harry-San... is that really you?"

The grin she got back was the perfect combination of Natsumi's foxy grin and Harry's lopsided one, "Hai, what do you think?"

Once more blinking, Hoshi looked them up and down, "... Right now? That I really should not be surprised when the two of you pull off something that should be impossible. Because you really should not have gotten the hang of this so quick." At the snickers from the teens, she pinched her nose, "I really shouldn't be surprised."

Getting out of her chair, Sakuya walked up to them and placed her hands on the teen's combined form before smiling, "Congratulations, the both of you." Head tilted to the side, she hummed, "How long can you keep it up?"

Yet again, when the teens spoke it was Natsumi as shown by how the voice leaned more towards hers, "We're actually going to try and hold it all day and into the night. Harry-Chan is going to contact Hoppou and let her know that he's staying over. We'll see if we can keep it up while sleeping."

Considering that, Haru finally snapped out of her surprise and gave them a nod, "That... would be a good idea. A very good one as a matter of fact." Sipping her own tea, she hummed, "Any other ideas?"

With a shrug, when the teen spoke it was Harry who did so as the voice now leaned towards his, "Well... we're going to practice some wand magic, and Natsumi is going to get me started on some Kitsune arts, so..."

Each of the Kitsune there simply nodded in agreement with Sakuya telling him that she would help with the second. Granted, they did wonder where exactly Nagato was, though like Natsumi they understood that it was likely secret for a reason...

____________________________________________________________________

Roughly forty miles from Izu Oshima there was a small group of islands, with the largest of which was no more than three kilometers long. They had been some of the islands hidden by magicals before the turn of the century. Once, after WWII, it had been used as a temporary camp by ICW Occupational Forces. But after the war, it had been abandoned for years until shortly before Harry's first year, a shipgirl patrol had found them.

Now, the largest island in the group had a small airstrip on it as well as some prefab buildings. The same wards that hid them now helped hide the island against any Abyssals that came too close, and so created the perfect spot for the JMSDF to test out weapons without being noticed. Which was helped by what was on the second largest island, which was mostly flat.

There, rising above the sandy, grassy ground, stood a hull that had been built into place. Roughly the size of a WWII era Heavy Cruiser, complete with fake guns, it stood. Arms crossed as he looked at the large screen showing said fake ship, Goto had a thoughtful look on his face, "Rather impressive."

Adjusting her glasses as she glanced at the clipboard she had, Ooyodo hummed, "Hai, if that was a ship, she would be roughly twelve thousand tons." Glancing at some of the other screens, which showed various points inside, the Light Cruiser hummed, "I will admit that I am more than slightly impressed that they built the insides like an actual ship."

Yonehara just snorted a little bit as he shrugged, "Of course they did, or else she would not be effective as a test." Sucking his teeth, he shook his head, "Don't get me wrong, the fact that the spirits of ships don't seem to mind SINKEXs is a weight off our shoulders, but we can't exactly sacrifice a warship for that. Not when we need every single one. Still... I do sort of feel bad for her."

From where she stood beside her husband, Ashigara blinked, "Oh?"

Grimace on his face, the Admiral glanced towards Goto and shrugged, "Her whole purpose is to just sit there and basically get blasted and blown up time and again. All so that we can test things that would be used against the Abyssals. Just... makes you feel bad for her."

Patting his shoulder gently, Ashigara gave him a kiss on the cheek before pulling away, "It will be fine, Yonehara-Kun. Besides, we have one or two magicals who can repair her."

Only nodding, Yonehara grunted a little.

Meanwhile, Goto hummed as he looked over his own clipboard before nodding, "According to this, she has Battleship armor?"

With a slight frown, Ooyodo nodded some, "Hai, while not the same as on warships, they used Chobham armor to get a similar thickness. It should give us a good idea as to the effects on an Abyssal Battleship at least." Glancing towards one of the technicians, Ooyodo got a nod, "Ah, it seems that all the weapons stores and such have been placed on her. The test should happen in the next half hour."

Even as the Admiral nodded, twenty miles away, the JDS Asuka plowed through the waves with various shipgirls escorting her. Among them, Nagato was leading the formation of escorts as her own floatplanes flew above the islands. Enterprise launched another group of planes into the air, which flew out and around, "So, what do you think of this, Nagato?"

Glancing over at her, the Battleship considered her thoughts for several moments before frowning, "I believe that it will be... interesting and informative in any case." Remembering some recent incidents, she grimaced, 'And if it helps prevent Nagato-Chan and the others from needing to fight..."

Back in the main building on the island, Goto looked over at the timer as it counted down the seconds towards the test before looking towards one of the cameras which showed a corridor on the Shinkirō, as she had been called. Said corrido had a number of ballistic dummies set up to take the place of crew. As the counter reached zero, the Admiral glanced at the other high ranked officers and nodded, "Begin the test."

With a sharp nod, a technician contacted the Asuka. Moments later, on one video monitor, they watched as a missile was launched and climbed high into the sky on a plume of smoke and fire before turning towards the target and coming close to the ocean's surface as programmed. As soon as it entered the wards ten miles out and could "See" the target, it sped up as it locked on.

Everyone watched as it impacted the hull just after the end of the superstructure on the stern before detonating in a flash of fire and violence. One powerful enough that it blew nearly the entire stern at that point off with red hot shards of metal flung high into the air and leaving most of the stern a smoking, twisted ruin. The explosion was so severe, that the hull itself tilted slightly from it.

On the screens, various internal cameras recorded a wave of fire and shrapnel shooting down corridors, ripping apart ballistic dummies and twisting the internal structure before some of said cameras were themselves destroyed.

For several moments, those who watched the carnage simple stared for a few moments before Enterprise took off her hat and stared into nothingness as she watched the plume of fire and smoke darken as it continued to rise, the sound of the explosion and secondary ones fading away, "Holy shit..."

In the Command center, Goto frowned as he looked from one screen to another with a slow nod, "I do believe that was a successful test. Ooyodo, your thoughts?"

The Light Cruiser chewed on said thoughts for several moments even as the flames continued to rage, "I think that we need to wait until the investigation teams are done, but... Hai, I believe that this is rather successful as well..."

Later that night, Goto and the others were all gathered in a conference room as video was played of the weapons test from various angles, inside and outside the test hull were played at a slow speed. That was followed by damage reports and photos, at the end of which, Tanaka shook his head, "Fucking hell... if this is right, then a Battleship Princess would likely be badly damaged by a single one of these hitting, am I right?"

Up at the front of the room, one of the Officers for Fleet Research and Development nodded, "Hai, that is the expectation for the new warheads. If they hit, they should do much more damage than the current ones being used."

Richardson frowned a little as he flipped through the pages in front of him, being there as the USN representative for the tests, "It was mentioned that the new warheads are using the new high explosive developed, correct? With help from... a certain thing?"

Only nodding, the FR&D Officer frowned, "Hai, that is true." Then, his frown became a slight smirk, "Thanks to the gift we received, we have been able to crack mass production for octanitrocubane with the high density crystal structure that works best. It is shock proof, while still being extremely... heh, explosive."

A female Officer also from the research section gave a small shrug with a chuckle, "Of course, we are now working on an explosive using octaazacubane alongside our allies in the US, Canada, and Australia among others, which we expect to bare fruit before the decade is out. Still, this test has shown that it is very effective. And we have already started testing the new mixture for torpedoes as well, which should boost them to the point to be a true threat to Abyssal Capital Ships."

Various nods met that pronouncement and various other questions were asked and answered. But, generally, more than one of the Officers there internally chuckled and smirked at the likely reactions from the Abyssals when they got hit with the new warheads. Something that brought warmth to all their hearts...

 

[darthcourt10]

Digital Historian

Hidden in Plain Sight II

Despite the dark mood that had gotten her assigned the task to check out the place, Van Galen had to admit she'd enjoyed her time shopping. She had picked up couple of bags of sweets for Crijnsen, a stealth-charmed bracelet for O19, a Lady Chastity bodice ripper for Hertog Hendrik, and a pallet of lumpur rolls for Java and Sumatra. She leaned over the balcony overlooking the sundial and sighted contently in the afternoon sun.

They were visiting the apartment of Marie Ravensveer, the elder sister of one of her magical crewmen. The otherwise dignified centenarian had had tears streaming down her face when she was reunited with her long-lost younger brother, who had died in the defence of Rotterdam in May 1940; both the Destroyer and her escort had stepped outside to give the pair some privacy.

"Miss Heckx, if I my ask, why is all this here?" Van Galen made a sweeping motion with her arm. "I'd have expected there to be a place like this in one of the larger cities, or at least to find it closer to the centre of town."

The wachtmeester drained her cup of coffee, had a think for a moment, and spoke. "There has been some magical settlement around here in one way or the other for the better part of a thousand years. That's how the place got its name in both worlds. Heksenwiel literally means 'the witches' wheel', a wheel of course being a deep colc formed by a breaking dyke. Given that the old dyke over which the road now runs dates to the tenth century, it has been here for at least that long. Because it was a bit of a depression in the landscape, it was unsuitable for farming and a copse grew around the water, which made it an ideal ritual site for magicals of old. After a while, they started living in the vicinity to minimise the risk of being seen when coming or going. We became part of the local folklore, to the point that the local primary school has a witch on a broomstick as its logo"

"So the wheel, is that the water that we can see just behind those trees over there?" Van Galen asked.

"No, but that is a common mistake. You see, this whole area was artificially raised when they redeveloped it in the eighties and nineties, and the old wheel was lost. No non-magical today knows where it used to be."

The shipgirl looked at the mischievously grinning face of her minder. "Of course, us magicals have a longer memory. It used to be right here, underneath the sundial. The amount of interwoven wards and spells made it hard to move, so we just used them as the foundation for the modern spells hiding this place from notice. They were quite powerful, even for their age."

They spent a few minutes in silence looking at the bustling crowd below them. A woman with a pram yelled at an older man in a mobility scooter that he had to watch where he drove. Two teenage boys were doing wheelies on their bikes, and a smaller boy with glasses was leaned against the sundial, reading a book.

"So, miss Heckx, what kind of stories were there about this place? You mentioned it being part of the local folklore?"

"Mostly it was just small things, warnings for children not to go near the water or into the woods alone. The kind of general 'spooky place' that let parents frighten their children into behaving. But one that stands out is the story of the witch and the gold." The wachtmeester slipped into storytelling mode.

"So back in the fourteenth century there lived a witch here who was very wealthy and very stingy. She worked very hard and it seemed her sole goal in life was to become as rich as possible. But when her husband, who she loved very much, fell ill, she found that all the gold she had carefully hoarded was useless in curing him. So when he succumbed to his illness, she first threw all her money into the wheel, and put a curse on it. Shortly afterwards, she died as well, according to the story of a broken heart."

Down below them, the crowd still moved. The two kids on bikes had ridden up to the sundial and were now hassling the reading boy and pushing him around. Shopping carts rattled on the pavement as a pair of trolley-pushers manhandled their silvery snaking cargo around.

"But the curse on the gold was the interesting part. Every month at full moon, the wheel would be accessible to young men, magical and muggle alike, and if they so desired they could dive the murky depths to find her treasure. However, they would only survive the attempt if they desired the gold to pay the bridewealth for the woman they truly loved. If their hearts were untrue or they desired money for moneys sake, she would cause them to drown."

There was a muffled shout from below, as a girl in a yellow sundress charged through the crowd to stand up for her friend. The two other boys raced off on their bikes, but not before snatching the book their victim had been reading. Up above, Van Galen had her attention focussed on the witch next to her.

"Whether the story is true or not, I don't know. There was too much magic layered over the area to tell individual spells apart from each other. But even if its isn't it offers a good moral, right? 'Live in the present, and let those you love know, before it is too late'." A faint 'Hoi' behind them alerted them to the return of Van Galen's crewman. They were shown out by Marie, who told the destroyer she was welcome any time.

Neither to the two observers noticed an older lady seemingly appear out of nowhere, nor see her hand the girl in the sundress a banknote to buy her friend a new book. And no one, especially not the girl who excitedly dragged her friend off to the bookstore, noticed the lady turn translucent and fade away, a sad smile on her face.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I know I promised turtles, but this one came to me last night, and it just wouldn't let me go until I had written it down. As some of you may have guessed, the shopping centre Van Galen visits exists in real life, and I know it quite well - I grew up in the neighbourhood and my parents still live a block or two away.
The myth about the witch and the gold is, near as I can tell, 'real', and was told to me by an older lady I had to interview for a school project back in the day.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

1. N. -- Well since Ehren's outed as joining the Draco Fleet, I can post this one safely. Links are important BTW.
   
   A Matter Of ButterDagger Subtlety
   
   Yokohama, Japan, June 3rd, 2019
   
   "That was a really fun gig to play, Ehren." Johnston grinned as she walked down the street of the port city. "Thanks again for setting it up." She stretched, showing off her STAHLHEXE 2019 ASIAN TOURT-shirt to her band-mates Niobe, Ehren, and Cleopatra.
   
   Sadly, Nimue was working as temporary manager in Draco's absence to handle the paperwork while Tony had Piano-napped their keyboardist to use the tickets he had purchased for the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra doing 'The Music of Miyazaki'. So it was just the four of them wandering the streets after playing to a packed house of shipgirls, sailors, and Yokai fans at a club just off Yokosuka Naval Base.
   
   Ehren smiled back at her compatriot (and, she mentally added, future co-wife in marriage to each other and to Draco Malfoy). "It was my pleasure Johnston. I just wish that Draco was free to watch us play that gig for the shipgirls and sailors. That was an electric gig to sing for."
   
   Cleopatra smirked and joined in. "Oh, we can just give him a very special concert when we get home to make up for him getting stuck on business for Malfoy Apothecaries." The four girls giggled naughtily and blushed at the thought of what the very special concertwould entail.
   
   Ehren's smug smile widened fractionally as she remembered the private request that her Bärli had made of her to ferret out the preferred metal and gemstones for the other girls' wedding rings so Draco could surprise them upon their return to England from Stahlhexe's Asian Tour. She had, of course, given him her preferences for metal (white gold), gemstones (natural pearls), and style (Art Deco) and had few doubts that he would come up with something suitable when he knelt before her and opened the ring box.
   
   Niobe giggled throatily. "Indeed, Liebchen will not know what he is missing until we make it up to him by making love to him. But you look quite smugly satisfied, Ehren, more so than the normal. What is going on?"
   
   Ehren's smile grew smugger as she deployed her first decoy to keep her co-wives unaware of the planned surprise. "I recieved word that the third floor and attic renovation for my Prussian estate is proceeding ahead of schedule. By the time we finish our tour, the estate will be fully ready to serve as our private retreat and home away from home. Including the gaslight lamps and artwork I commissioned that you wished for your sitting room, Niobe. I found a source for Victorian furnishings and Mutti has signed off on the withdrawal of my funds to make our fantasy estate perfect for us and Draco." As have the Malfoys, she secretly added to herself with an internal smirk, after all what happens in privacy stays in privacy and Aunt Narcissa did tell me that she wished to have grandbabies at the earliest possible moment.
   
   Niobe hugged her. "That's wonderful news, Ehren!" Cleo and Johnston agreed, then Cleo's eyes got very big as they rounded the corner en-route to the restaurant that Great-Aunt Chisuheri had recommended to her.
   
   "Oh wow! Look at those displays!" Cleo gushed over the luxury jewelry store. "I wish Darling was here so we could seriously shop."
   
   "No reason we can't browse and come back later with him," Johnston said thoughtfully, her eyes gleaming at the gems on display. "There's vanishing cabinets between England and Japan that we can use with him...."
   
   "I'm not all that hungry yet," Niobe added, "and shopping does work up an appetite." The silver-haired shipgirl's eyes gleamed at the sight of the diamonds displayed. "They certainly have a selection of jewels fit for review."
   
   As she walked inside with them, Ehren smugly smirked to herself as she mentally added her own commentary.
   
   Just as planned by me to insure they were tempted to look and I can take notes as to what they want for their rings.

------------------------------

Spoiler: A Dagger's Subtle Plan

It was difficult not to coo too much over their selection of pearls which were a definite weakness of hers, Ehren admitted to herself, but business before cultured pearl necklaces. She then walked over to where Niobe was admiring a selection of diamonds through a viewing scope.

"Wow, look at this, Ehren." Niobe whispered as she stepped back and gestured to her fellow German.

Ehren put her eyes to the scope and gave an impressed whistle at a brilliant light-blue diamond blazing with the inner fires of its birth at the molten heart of the earth.

"Magnificent, Niobe, simply magnificent!" Ehren exclaimed in honest admiration for her fellow German's eye for quality. She then continued in a musing tone. "It would make a superb centerpiece for a ring or necklace, but what metal...?"

Niobe touched her silver-platinum hair. "Something like this, perhaps? You cannot go wrong with platinum and diamonds."

Ehren nodded. "Ja, something light to not overpower the luster of the stone."

Mentally she added. Niobe, blue and white diamonds in a platinum metal ring, check.
------------------------------

"So, find anything worthwhile to admire, Cleo?" Ehren asked as she walked beside the enthralled shipgirl.

"Oh yes. You know that Emeralds were a royal monopoly in Ancient Egypt?" Cleopatra responded as she turned from a display of emerald and gold earrings.

"Nein, I did not," Ehren admitted.

"Well, they were."Cleo responded as she turned back to the display. "There are some very fine ones here, not a lot of inclusions in the stone and well cut to bring out the hues."

Ehren nodded along with Cleo's flowing words, then decided to go for double or nothing. "Correct me if I am wrong, Cleopatra, but was not gold sacred to the Ancient Egyptians too?"

"Oh my, yes, Ehren!" Cleopatra's golden curls bobbed as she nodded vigorously in agreement. "It was called the Tears of Ra because of the similarity to the sun. Although most ancient gold was alloyed with copper impurities in the smelting process which produces the more pink and red golds than the pure golden metal we have now."

"Fascinating, Cleo." Ehren spoke as she rubbed her chin. "So most ancient gold was pink or red rather than actually gold?"

"Oh yes! That alloy then got called Russian Gold in the nineteenth century since it was popular there. My gunnery officer gave his sweetheart a Russian gold engagement ring that had been passed down through his family. His grandfather was a naval attache to St. Petersburg under Queen Victoria, you see, and met a countess there." Cleopatra spoke with a sunny smile on her beaming face as she talked about the jewelry that she loved.

"Fascinating, truly fascinating," Ehren agreed. "Thank you for the lesson that you are sharing with me." You have no idea how informative it was...

"Friends should hang together, and I really do like ancient history, especially about Egypt," Cleo said as she resumed browsing, "probably because my service was in the Med and I was home-ported at Alexandria a lot."

Ehren walked away, humming tunelessly under her breath as she thought to herself, and I will have to lean on Draco to have me as a witness when you get the Russian Gold Emerald wedding ring you clearly would desire.
------------------------------

"Anything good, Johnston?" Ehren asked as she headed to where the destroyer's spirit was almost visibly drooling at a gem on display.

"Look at that ruby necklace, Ehren! Isn't it amazing?" Johnston whispered in awe as she pointed at a necklace set with several reddish-purple pigeon blood rubies in pure gold.

Ehren swallowed at the sight. "Ja, it is."

Johnston giggled conspiratorially. "I'll have to make it worth Muffin's while to come back here with me and buy it as a girlfriend present. It even makes me an all-American girl, you know. I already have my blue aquamarines and white diamonds in my platinum anchor earrings that he got for me, and those sure bring the red for the Red, White, And Blue."

Ehren nodded jerkily. "Ja. Ja. They certainly do."

Johnston then leaned in and whispered. "Hey, you will help me give Muffin a good time so he comes with me here and buys this for me? Right, Ehren? I know you're into him as much as I am." The girls both blushed as they remembered spending time with each other and Draco.

Ehren grinned smugly as her cheeks darkened with her blush. "Oh, I'll certainly help you get your ruby fix on, Johnston. After all, what are girlfriends and lovers for?" A really nice 24 karat gold and ruby ring for Johnston, check. Also help her give Draco a good time once he gives her that ring, a promise is a promise.

"Aces!" Johnston hugged the smirking dagger spirit. "Now let's round up the others and grab some chow at that restaurant that you picked out for us! I'm starving with all this window shopping!"

Ehren grinned in triumph. "Yes, let's grab that bite to eat. I can't wait."

Oh I can't wait to see your faces when he puts those rings on us all....

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

1. N. -- Well and here's the last of the backlog that I have for Ehren.
   
   A Binding Of Steel
   
   Hogwarts Alchemy Lab
   
   June 21st, 2019 (Summer Solstice)

Spoiler: An Enduring Legacy

USS Johnston entered the room where three other women and one young man were waiting. Ehren du Chasteler gave her a small warm smile as HMS Cleopatra grinned and waved. Then SMS Niobe spoke in her German accented voice. "You have it then for our big day tomorrow?"

Light sparkled from Johnston's feather clip as she grinned happily. "I do. I owe Trieste big-time for retrieving this from," Her voice broke, her face turned pale, and she swallowed as the memories of what the steel in her hand represented slammed into her like the armor-piercing shells from Yamato off Samar, "my wreck."

She placed a small fragment of steel the size of her thumb on the awaiting workbench standing in the center of the room next to Draco's golden cauldron.

Stained and rusted from the decades at the bottom of the Philippine Trench twenty thousand feet below the surface of the Pacific, that small piece of steel sat as mute witness to everything it represented.

The legacy of a 'tin can' mass produced destroyer.

A ship whose three-quarter Native American skipper said upon commissioning her in his speech to her and her crew. "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now."

Brave words that would be put to the test three hundred and sixty two short days of life later on the morning of the 25th of October, 1944.

For as the largest naval battle in history raged across thousands of square miles of waters, a combination of American blunders and Japanese planning and good luck, liberally seasoned with the fog of war, created one of the most colossal mismatches in naval history.

For bearing down on the six escort carriers - converted merchant ships intended to do antisubmarine patrol and convoy escort - three destroyers and four destroyer escorts of Task Force 77.4.3 (Taffy Three) was the Japanese Center Force.

Four Japanese battleships, any one of which grossly outclassed all its opponents piled together including the mighty Yamato and the pride of the IJN, Nagato. Six heavy cruisers with the speed and firepower to savage the American ships at will. Two light cruisers and a full eleven destroyers to screen and support the mailed fist about to slam unstoppably through the light task forces in their way to then hit the defenseless transports filled with tens of thousands of men.

But on board USS Johnston, the closest ship to the oncoming Japanese tsunami, Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans redeemed the bold promise that he had given his crew and his fighting ship when she was commissioned as he dashed to the bridge.

All hands to General Quarters!
Prepare to attack major portion of Japanese Fleet!
All engines ahead flank!
Commence making smoke and stand by for a torpedo attack!
Left full rudder!

Acting without the orders that would not come for critical minutes, he turned Johnston to make a doomed gallant lone charge across the six miles of water that she would have to cover under the fire of every enemy ship's heavy guns to get into range for her light guns and torpedoes.

Buying time for the carriers to make steam and run for it as she drew fire from them to herself as she went into harm's way toward a battle she could never hope to win -- or survive.

Buying time for the desperate radio messages for help to reach anyone that perhaps could help slow down the inevitable.

Buying time for their warnings to be heeded as the first heavy shells screamed in to throw tons of saltwater across her decks as she chased splashes from guns that could -- and would -- turn her into a floating and flaming coffin when her luck and skill ran out.

Buying time with his life, the lives of his men, and the life of his fighting ship sacrificed willingly so that others could live.

Later, much later, her few survivors who had been plucked from the water would be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. They, remembering the shipmates and Chief who had died to make this day possible, would bear witness to the monument honoring her and the other ships of Taffy Three who had managed to do the impossible and fight the Japanese to a standstill that caused them to retreat in one of the most shocking battle results in history.

Later, Commander Evans' sister would christen the new destroyers that would bear his name and the name of his 'fighting ship'. His Congressional Medal of Honor that had been presented to his grieving family gleamed in the sunlight on those days as it silently bore witness to the ultimate sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty that he, his men, and his 'fighting ship' had paid with their blood and this steel as they sailed to their deaths... and to immortal glory.

A legacy of valor.
---------------------------------------

HMS Cleopatra stepped forward next and placed her own small billet of steel beside Johnston's offering. Unlike her friend and companion, this came from the spiritual hull that she had summoned, since she had gone to the breakers in 1958.

Born of the Admiralty's desperate need for screening cruisers as the Second World War approached, she had kissed the waves for the first time in 1940 and been commissioned in 1941.

She too had fought a battleship, as off Sirte she led two of her Dido-class sisters and two other light cruisers along with seventeen destroyers to screen her Malta Convoy from the Regia Marina's battleship Littorio and the heavy cruisers Goriza and Trento. With her skillful use of smoke screens and the threat of torpedo attacks from the destroyers, she managed to hold off the Italian attempt to destroy her convoy.

Despite shells, bombs and torpedoes hitting her and even a mishap in dry-dock that could have snapped her keel when the braces gave way, she soldiered on with elegance and flair throughout the war.

She would mourn the loss of her sisters, most notably HMS Hermione in front of her shocked eyes in the dark days of 1942 but nonetheless did all that she could do faithfully for King and Country.

Then after the war, she had a brief but thrilling second career in the movies as she starred in the film Sailor of the King in 1953 before finally being decommissioned and given her final rest at the breakers.

Her baby blue eyes glimmered with her salt tears when she laid down the billet of steel that had come from the spirit of a shipgirl who had lived up to the Royal Navy's proud legacy of victory at sea with verve, daring, and a flair for the dramatic no matter what her service threw at her in her short but memorable life.

A legacy of perseverance.
---------------------------------------

As Cleo stepped back, the platinum-haired elegant form of SMS Niobe stepped forward with her own offering. The protected cruiser placed her own billet of Krupp steel, the pinnacle of 1898 German industry and manufacturing alongside the other two pieces.

Nickel steel that had been formed in the legendary Krupp blast furnaces of Essen for one of the first modern protected cruisers that the German Empire would build. A cruiser named for a proud Greek princess of mythology who one day would weep for her children killed by her hubris.

Steel that had been seen by her Kaiser as she escorted his royal yacht to meetings with fellow kings and Emperors as a symbol of German pride and German technology.

Steel that had then served on the Chinese and Far Eastern squadron protecting German commercial interests in Asia.

Steel that had served during the First World War as a coast defense ship, too worn out from her colonial service to serve without the refit that the Second Reich was unable to do for her during the Great War.

Steel that had then been sold to Yugoslavia in 1925 to get desperately needed hard currency for Weimar Germany. She bid her beloved homeland farewell, knowing in her soul that she would never return, and yet with solemn pride that she could give one last dutiful service for God and Kaiser.

Steel that had been captured by the Italians in 1941, and refitted into a coastal defense and gunnery training ship.

Steel that had then been captured and recommissioned by Nazi Germany in 1943, returning her to her original name, although she wept to witness what her homeland had become.

Steel that finally was sunk in the Adriatic by British Motor Torpedo Boats forty-four years later as she escorted a convoy. One last duty performed elegantly and unhesitatingly for her homeland as her first life ended.

Steel from the spiritual hull of a shipgirl who had come back to protect Germany dutifully.

A shipgirl who would eventually find love in the arms of a man who believed in her and had given her the chance to save her friend and lover whom she viewed as a stubborn (and sometimes pigheadedly stupid) Prussian sister. A chance she had taken with both hands and never let go since the moment he ordered her into the fire to save Ehren -- and had claimed her heart and soul with that faith in her to accomplish the duty that he set for her no matter her obsolescence and past.

A legacy of duty
---------------------------------------

The final girl placed her own steel hilt pin next to the other offerings. Unlike the other three, hers was oddly patterned, with some shining like the Krupp steel of her fellow German Niobe, while other parts were the wood-grain of Muramasa's jewel steel used to make legendary weapons.

Steel that had been poured in 1937 in the legendary Krupp blast furnaces of Essen as the design studies that would become Cleopatra and Johnston were ordered and as Niobe trained Yugoslav sailors on naval gunnery and ship-handling as the clouds of war gathered.

Steel sent to Solingen in Germany where the renowned sword and knifesmiths of Germany had dwelt for centuries. There, her unfinished and unformed steel would be hand-crafted into the shape of a SS-Ehrendolch, a symbol of the Third Reich's pride and power in steel and nickel, ebony and platinum.

A dagger which had been specially handmade to be awarded to the best and brightest graduate of the officer training school for the SS at Bad Tölz in Bavaria as a symbol of the best and brightest of Germany's revival after the defeats of the Great War.

A dagger who was personally buckled to the waist of SS officer Helmar von und zu Wolff, son of a Prussian Junker family who could trace their family's history of honorable service back to the Teutonic Knights as loyal guardians of Schloss Waldhain, by Adolf Hitler during the graduation ceremonies where he was celebrated as being the best and brightest of German youth.

A dagger who had served her First Master with faithful devotion and honor as he fought in the Waffen SS, recovered from his wounds in battle to defeat France, and then worked as a secret policeman. Patterning her yet unformed spirit on his example for good and for ill.

A dagger who had been used by the enraged Wolff upon his ex-lover Colombe du Chasteler as the SS officer and Belgian noblewoman fought over the treasures of the sorceress Morgana in a hidden place of power within the Sahara as the Second World War hung in the balance.

A dagger who had been claimed as a prize of war by the sorrowful Colombe, shaken and shattered at seeing how far into darkness and evil the man that she loved had fallen as they fought on opposite sides of the Second World War.

A dagger who had served her new Mutti loyally as backup weapon and magical testbed, then acted as a hidden bodyguard for her newly manifested sister Claire when the Piano's spirit formed. Further refining and honing her spirit in the pathway of honor trod by her Vati and Mutti as she matured into their loving daughter that never was in flesh but was in spirit, light and darkness joined and intertwined in her.

A dagger who had manifested only to find out the terrible soul-shattering truth of what the Nazis had intended for humanity. Shattered in faith and wounded in body, she rededicated herself to honor and faithfulness while swearing to oppose that evil that she saw in them -- and herself -- with every fiber of her being. Death, after all, was easy, but redemption and penance were hard.

A dagger who had been adopted and accepted as Ehren du Chasteler, sister of Claire du Chasteler and the youngest of the daughters of the legendary Muramasa rapier Colombe du Chasteler.

A dagger who struggled mightily with the siren call of her darker -- Nazi -- side, with the lies and evil that she had been forged to embody, yet never revealed her inner torments and battles hidden under her cool manner and icy politeness to save but a few intimates such as the people standing with her today.

A dagger who had marched alongside her mother into the hellish genius loci of the awakening spirit of the Battle of Verdun to protect her family as honor and service demanded despite knowing that the chance of her return to her loved ones was slim.

A dagger who resisted the temptation that her Vati Helmar von und zu Wolff and his nascent Fourth Reich had represented to her when she was at her lowest and darkest point -- alone, wounded, and afraid. After all, she would know if she gave in to him and what he represented in her seemingly hopeless struggle, and her Honor was Faithfulness.

A dagger who then had to help put an end to the monster that her Vati had become in an act of sacrifical love to redeem his honor -- and hers -- despite the scar upon her wounded heart that she would forever carry as the cost of that honor and devotion to her ideals and beliefs.

A dagger who had managed to redeem the slogan engraved on her blade, her heart and her soul. Meine Ehre heißt Treue. My Honor is Faithfulness.

A dagger who put others ahead of herself endlessly until at last Draco Malfoy elected to court and win her to become the emotional support, confidante, lover, and soulmate that she desperately desired but refused to seek out for fear of compromising what he had with the other three with her darkness.

A dagger who finally learned, just as her mother had learned during her own dark night of the soul, that sometimes you needed another person entering your life to love you and care for you.

A person who could teach you to love yourself when you were unable thanks to your brokenness of spirit.

A person who Ehren du Chasteler would bind herself to forever in honorable and faithful marriage with this steel and all it represented to her.

A legacy of honor
---------------------------------------

With the fourth billet placed, the girls joined hands in a circle around the table where the cauldron stood. Draco took his place in the center of their circle as he gently placed each offering of the steel that represented their essence, their beings, their legacy into the alchemical mixture that he had prepared for this day. He waved his hawthorn wand with unicorn tail core to stir it as the power inside the ritual chamber built.

Then with a flash it happened. Five throats gasped as one as the energies crested, linking them as a bright flash of light emitted from the cauldron to arc around the circle in a timeless moment linking shipgirl to wizard to dagger to shipgirl

As the light faded, the only thing remaining in the cauldron was a glowing steel ring at the bottom.

The ring was formed from four seamless strips of steel mixed and woven together perfectly in a spiral patterned braided ribbon that was impossible to tell where one girl's steel ended and the next began. Inside the magical ring was engraved "My Heart, My Love Beats Forever True." while as the circle continued endlessly, it was repeated in Fraktur script "Mein Herz, meine Liebe schlägt für immer wahr."

Draco's hand trembled as he reached inside and took it in his hand as the girls crowded around him, hugging him gently.

Slowly, he slid it onto the ring finger of his left hand, the finger that was believed to have a vein that ran directly to his heart.

Binding him to them, as they had bound themselves to him.

Eternally.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Shiromizu had her eyes closed as she stood close to the hole that had been drilled into the earth as she sensed the heated water deep below her. After a few seconds, the Mizuchi gave a small nod with a smile as she looked at those around her, "It's ready... just one last bit needed."

Bowing, Himawari nodded with a smile, "Hai..." As her safety helmet slipped a bit, she adjusted it, "Shall I inform the workers for the final preparations?"

When her lady nodded, the Sunflower spirit walked off to the workers who were with a crane. Behind her, Shiromizu bit back a laugh at the somewhat ridiculous sight of Himawari with a bright yellow safety helmet and safety vest over her more traditional yukata. After a few moments, however, the Mizuchi shook her head and turned her attention to the well that had been dug. Said well stuck out a bit above the ground and was made of copper with concrete on the outside.

Humming a little, Shiromizu nodded towards the water spirit next to her, "What are your thoughts on the matter, Suihou-Chan?"

The water spirit in question blinked before smiling a little, hard as it was to be seen with her face composed of clear water, "Hmm... it looks as if it shall be a very nice spring, Lady Shiromizu. Though..." A frown crossed her face as she became thoughtful, "The well is rather deep..."

With a sigh, Shiromizu gave a small nod, "It is a bit deeper than I wanted, Suihou-Chan. But that is because the heated water lies under a sill beneath our feet about seven hundred feet down. I'll have to break the sill and keep the water from flowing through the cracks until we can hook in the soul." A slight grimace crossed her face, "Which might be a bit harder due to the water pressure in the fracture that contains the water."

Only nodding, Suihou glanced at the Mizuchi next to her and smiled with a slight bow. Under normal circumstances, the next words from her mouth would have never left them due to how Mizuchi could be. However, she trusted the one beside her and had grown to understand her as well, "Would you wish for assistance, Lady Shiromizu?"

Smile on her face, the serpentine woman gave a relieved sigh, "That would be very much appreciated, Suihou-Chan. I'll have enough problems doing everything that I need to do correctly as it is. Besides which, if anything goes wrong, the two of us are safe unlike what others would be."

Making a sound of agreement, Suihou watched as Himawari nodded and called over that they were ready. A few minutes later the cap to the well was removed revealing a pipe that was big enough for a person's leg to slip into, but not much else. Leaning over and looking into the darkness, Suihou blinked, "It is rather deep."

Lightly chuckling, Shiromizu gave a slight nod, "It is at that." She then nodded towards Suihou, "Please... bring me the soul, Suihou-Chan."

Bowing deeply, the water spirit quickly made her way over to where an ornate box sat that was decorated with mother of pearl as well as gold with dragons all over it. Taking it from her, Shiromizu opened the box to reveal a pearl the size of a person's fist. Every time it was moved, the colors and pearlescent sheen changed and shifted as it seemed to glow from within.

In awe, Suihou leaned in to look at it closer, "Is that... is that a dragon pearl? And it contains a human soul?"

With a slow nod, Shiromizu hummed, "Hai, and it is something to see." For a few moments, she looked at the pearl itself before nodding, "Suihou-Chan? Are you ready?" At the nod, the Mizuchi gestured at a container, "Then please, open the first container containing my water."

Not saying anything, the water spirit did so and watched as the water flowed out at a gesture from Shiromizu and then entered the well. When the Mizuchi held out a hand in offer, Suihou took it and suddenly, she could "See" where the water now was, at the bottom of the well. Down there, she could also see sand and gravel that had been dumped into the well at Shiromizu's direction. The water, brought there from Shiromizu's spring, began to swirl faster and faster in place as it picked up the gravel and sand as it began to wear away the rock.

At the same time, due to them sharing power, Suihou could also feel the difference in power between the two. Her spring, while a good size, was still at most a brook. Compared to Shiromizu's own torrent of a river, it was nothing. Yet, at the same time, the water spirit felt nothing but protectiveness and so followed Shiromizu's guiding as the rock at the bottom continued to be worn away bit by bit. First, a foot, then two which soon became four as the Sun continued it's track across the sky.

Until, finally, Shiromizu, brought her waters to a stop with little remaining rock. With a deep breath, the Mizuchi's chest heaved some before she nodded, "Release the rest of my water."

Letting go of her lady's hand, Suihou quickly opened the other clay containers, and Shiromizu gathered the water in front of her. Slowly, she inserted the pearl, which began to glow and seemed to start to disperse before the water, carrying said jewel, flowed into the well. At a glance, Suihou took Shiromizu's hand once more and closed her metaphorical eyes as she watched the pearl, still dissolving, flow down to the bottom, only to stop a few feet above the surface of the rest of the water.

Then, the water began swirling even faster than before and the rock wore away quickly before it fractured and then shattered entirely as Shiromizu's water met the buried hot water.

Far above, the Mizuchi grunted as she focused her will on holding back the water even as she drilled even deeper, the rock fracturing around it as she continued down a few more feet before stopping. At that point, Suihou's own mind joined hers in holding back the water, which was much more of a strain on the lesser water spirit. Something shown as her features became less distinct. Teeth gritting, Shiromizu brought the pearl fully down into the hole at that point and settled it on the bottom.

With that, finally, done, she began to connect the soul spiritually to the spring. Something that was far easier said than done. Cord by spiritual cord, she rooted it into the water around it. Slowly, but surely, forging the connections even as sweat beaded on her skin. At the same time, those watching could only stare as the red markings on her body glowed brighter, and brighter, followed by her own body. Until it was hard to see the actual body besides the markings.

It took over an hour, but, finally, Shiromizu gasped as the final connections were emplaced and she staggered back a bit with Suihou. Breathing deeply, the Mizuchi smiled some, "It... is done..." However, she blinked and frowned as she tilted her head, "Do you hear something-"

Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a rumble before hot, boiling hot water shot into the air above them to a height of fifteen feet.

Just blinking as she was unaffected, Shiromizu looked around even as Suihou, recovered a little, turned to her as steaming hot water fell on them both, "Lady Shiromizu... was this not a hot spring?"

The Mizuchi scratched her head a little, "I... suppose that the water was under more pressure than I thought." Watching as the hot water filled the depression around them fairly quickly, she hummed as she tapped her chin, "On the bright side, a geyser will bring in more tourism, I suppose."

Considering that, Suihou gave a small nod, "That is very much true, Lady Shiromizu. From what I have heard, such things are popular for sightseeing " Then, she shrugged some as she looked around, "When will the newest member of your court manifest?"

Head tilted to the side, Shiromizu blinked some, "Not long, I believe. Their new physical and spiritual form is already coming into being from what I can feel. Probably not more than an hour, I would think."

Even as the water spirit nodded, the water pattering down began to fill the rocky hollow where the new hot spring was spraying water out. It did not take long to fill the hollow and begin to flow outwards and down the mountainside while the water continued to spout upwards fifteen feet into the air in a steaming spray. Finally, however, the water around the spring began to bubble. Several times, it burbled into something resembling a pillar, one that more and more took on the appearance of a human made of water.

Then, after several minutes of this, it finally splashed upwards in the form of a young man who coughed and hacked as water dripped from his hair. From the waist down, however, like Shiromizu his form was that of a serpent. Unlike hers, however, the color was more of a rusty gold. Blinking, he looked around in amazement, "I... what..."

Slithering forward, Shiromizu bowed a little to him, "Welcome back to the world of the living. I am Ginzan no Shiromizu." Her expression softened a little, "Do you know... what happened?"

A shudder ran through the young man as he nodded, "H-hai, I do." Swallowing, he took a moment before continuing, "I remember... my death a couple of years ago, I think. I headed back into town when a storm broke and next thing I knew these... things... appeared and there were explosions everywhere. There was a lot of pain and..."

When he held himself, Shiromizu made her way over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's fine... that is in the past."

Only nodding, the man looked around before blinking, "Er... right... I... I remember being before the Yama Kings, and they claimed that Ryuujin-Dono asked for my soul. And then just waiting in the pearl before he told me that... that you were going to bring me back." Bowing, he took another deep breath, "I am... Etsumi, Shiromizu-Sama. And I thank you for the gift that you have bestowed upon me."

Lightly smiling, Shiromizu chuckled a little, "You don't need to thank me, I don't mind helping such when possible after all." Suddenly, she smirked and snapped a paper fan in front of her, "Though once you are fully settled and learned some things to do with being a Mizuchi, I already have a position for you..."

Curious, Etsumi glanced at the water spirit before nodding, "Of course... but what is it that I am to do?" A slight blush on his face, he rubbed the back of his neck, "After all, when I was, er, human... I was mostly a park worker who did some freshwater fishing."

Right then, a gleam entered the white scaled Mizuchi's eyes, "Why... I believe that you shall do good as a sort of go between my court and one other's. Unfortunately, as I am still young, and they're quite distant, that means that you won't have many duties. But I am certain that you might well enjoy it greatly..."

Blinking, Etsumi was about to say something when he paused as pieces snapped into place and hope filled his expression, "You mean..."

Just snapping her fan closed, Shiromizu winked at him, "Yodogawa is rather friendly with myself, and I wish to deepen the friendship with one of the Senpais who I get along with. I do hope that you do not mind spending quite a bit of time with her..."

Grin on his face, the newly reincarnated Mizuchi laughed, "No, I don't think that I will, Shiromizu-Sama..."

Meanwhile, in Osaka, Yodogawa was eating some ice cream with her daughter when she paused at an odd feeling. Frown on her face, she looked around before her gaze fell on the direction of where Ginzan was, "Mou... that is odd."

Pausing, Kinryuu frowned and looked up at her mother, "What is, Haha-ue?"

For several moments, the Mizuchi was silent before smiling, "I do not know, but I was suddenly reminded of Etsumi-Kun when we went to some hot springs... but I didn't feel sad."

In reply, Kinryuu leaned against her mother, who gently wrapped an arm around her.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Just a few hours later found Etsumi inside the dining room of Shiromizu's residence. Looking around, while it was a very fine dining room, it was not to the level of splendour that some Mizuchi had. In fact, it was rather... simple and understated. Yet, it was also warm and inviting at the same time.

His lips twitched some as he was reminded of how a natural hot spring out in the woods was much the same.

Finishing swallowing some pork ramen, very good ramen as it turned out, Etsumi looked over at Shiromizu who was enjoying her own bowl and chuckled. Some noodles hanging from her mouth, said Mizuchi blinked before sucking them in and swallowing, "Is something funny?"

Lightly blushing some, the newly incarnated Mizuchi rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry about that, Lady Shiromizu. Just..." He gestured around them, "In my experience, a bowl of ramen is not exactly what most Mizuchi would have as a meal. Nor would the surroundings be..."

As he tried to find a word, Shiromizu chuckled some herself, "Simple? Non-ostentatious?" At the unsure nod, she simply shrugged, "I'm not like other Mizuchi, I guess. They're themselves and I'm just... well, me, Ginzan no Shiromizu."

Somewhat amused, Etsumi smiled some, "I think that I am coming to that realization." Taking another bite of noodles, he chewed before swallowing, "In some ways that reminds me of Yodo-Chan."

Rather than be insulted, the Mizuchi across from him seemed pleased, "Really?"

Eyebrow raised at the reaction, Etsumi, "You're not insulted? Considering my wife..."

In reply, Shiromizu shrugged a little, "Yodogawa-Senpai is nice and the like, I don't see an issue with being compared to her. And there is nothing wrong with liking the simple things after all." Grin appearing on her face, she gestured at her bowl, "I would rather a large bowl of filling ramen compared to tiny little bite sizes of food."

Giggles made both Mizuchi turn towards her two female attendants. Himawari had a smile on her face, "Something that we realized fairly quickly, Lady Shiromizu."

Pout on her face, the Mizuchi in question had a playful look in her eye, "So mean, Himawari-Chan..."

That only got more giggles and snickers, even as Etsumi smirked some, 'Yes, definitely not like most Mizuchi.' After a few more bites of food, and listening as well as watching the playful banter, he finally decided to satiate one of the questions he had, "Lady Shiromizu, may I ask you a question?"

Only nodding, Shiromizu blinked but had a smile on his face, "Of course, ask away."

Not saying anything, the newly incarnated Mizuchi frowned in thought for a moment, "Not that I am not thankful for being alive, because I am..." Pausing, he shook his head, "Really thankful. But..."

Understanding, Shiromizu leaned forward with her hands folded in front of her face, "But... you're wondering why me."

It was not a question, but Etsumi nodded with a confused frown on his face, "Hai, Lady Shiromizu. I don't mean any insult, but I just want to know why you."

For a few moments, the other Mizuchi had her eyes closed. Then, finally, she opened them and sighed some, "The answer comes down to something rather simple, but that I would rather have not need to deal with." Grimacing, Shiromizu shook her head, "Politics."

Etsumi blinked at that before frowning, "Politics?"

Humming, Shiromizu nodded as she took another bite of ramen, slowly chewing it before she answered, "Politics, or rather... divine politics." After another bite, she continued, "How much do you know about Mizuchi politics?"

Needless to say, that, if anything, made him frown and he glanced at Shiromizu's other attendants, "I was a normal human in my... previous life, Lady Shiromizu. But my wife's attendants did teach my just enough to understand some things. For example, despite being not as long as some, such as Fujigawa, she's still one of the more powerful Mizuchi as she counts Lake Biwa as her territory as well since hers is the only river that empties it. Not to mention the spiritual significance of the major river for Kyoto."

Slowly, Shiromizu nodded with a slight smile, "Hai, because she counts Lake Biwa as hers, she is very powerful if she wanted to throw her weight around." Her smile then turned into a frown, "Apparently that is part of the issue right there as well. If she was given the chance, she could have brought you back as a Mizuchi, which I have no doubt that she would have. However, that could have caused issues as well considering things. For one thing, some might have seen it as Ryuujin-Sama favoring your wife, which is stupid. Some might have also seen it as her throwing around her weight as it were."

Frown on his face, Etsumi considered some of what he knew about Mizuchi from his own meetings and grimaced, "Okay... I hate it, but that makes some sense." Scratching his own head, and feeling some horns behind his ear, he shook his head and turned to her, "But why you? I mean, no offense, but there's plenty of Mizuchi who could do it as well."

Lips twitching, the female Mizuchi across from him chuckled, "Hai, and probably easier as well." Her expression then became serious, "Except, that was apparently problematic as well. How many Mizuchi would do it out of the goodness of their heart and not to use you as a way to either get power over your wife, or to trade you for some sort of benefit to them? Fujigawa, for example is still a good sort despite her attitude according to Senpai... but would she be able to not use the situation to place some pressure on your wife?"

Grimace on his face, Etsumi sighed, "No... I suppose not."

Continuing, Shiromizu sighed and rubbed her face, "And in regards to Yodogawa-Senpai's friends and allies? It could have seen accusations and behind the scenes bullshite happen. Because, obviously, they would have done it for her."

Now furrowing his eyebrows, the former human frowned as he glanced to his new Lady, "And you? What makes you different?"

Slight smile on her face, Shiromizu shrugged, "Because of what I am and my river." At the confused look she got, she shook her head, "My river doesn't lead anywhere right now. Sure, it flows into a lake that's being filled, but nowhere else... yet. Hence, I'm..." Pausing, the Mizuchi searched for a word before frowning, "I guess unaligned right now is the best word. If and when my river flows into a larger one, than I would be part of their court. But right now, I am only part of my Court and Ryuujin-Sama's, no one else's. Apparently, it gives me cover as obviously Ryuujin-Sama asked me to do so, a young Mizuchi. Yet, because the only other Court that I am part of is my own? No other Mizuchi can give me an order regarding you."

Eyebrow raised, Etsumi blinked at her, "Not yet... but what about later?"

At that, she shrugged, "That I don't know. But looking at maps and such? The most likely rivers that mine might join would be either the Tenryuu, or perhaps the Ooi. Both of whom..."

Briefly, Etsumi's eyes widened a touch before he became thoughtful, "Both of whom are friends of Yodo-Chan!"

Her lips curled into a slight smirk, Shiromizu nodded, "Exactly."

It was then that Suihou spoke up for the first time, "Lady Shiromizu, while not having outright stated, is rather aligned with Shinanogawa-Sama's faction which includes Yodogawa-Sama. This would only make such official. Jin-Sama is also to an extent as well, so it does not bother Lady Shiromizu to make such a move."

Only nodding, the male Mizuchi frowned a little before turning towards Shiromizu, "Are you going to ask something of Yodo-Chan? For..."

Lightly chuckling, Shiromizu held up three fingers, "I will only ask her for two things." With that, she began to tick off on her fingers, "The first is friendship between us and our Courts, which I don't think that she will mind much." At the nod from Etsumi, the Mizuchi continued, "The second is a cuddle."

Confused, Etsumi wiggled a finger in his ear with a frown on his face, "I... had to have heard wrong. You want... a cuddle from my wife?"

With a shrug and a grin, the female Mizuchi laughed, "Hai, because I am a cuddle connoisseur and she looks extremely cuddly. Hence, I wish to test it at least once."

Scratching his head, Etsumi frowned some, "Um, she wouldn't mind I don't think. And she's very cuddly..."

A laugh escaped from Shiromizu as she snapped her fan over over her face, "Fufufufufu, I am certain that you would be an expert in such a thing, Etsumi-Kun."

Now flushed at what she said, the incarnated former human coughed, "Um... hai, I sort of am, I suppose..." Shaking his head, he decided to change the subject and remembered something, "Lady Shiromizu... you held up three fingers."

Putting the fan away, Shiromizu nodded with a slight smile, "And you are correct. I want one more thing if, and only if it is possible from you."

Eyes narrowed slightly, Etsumi frowned some in suspicion, 'It better not hurt Yodo-Chan...' Clearing his throat, he spoke aloud, "And what might that be, Lady Shiromizu."

Moments later, he blinked as the other Mizuchi's face took on a more gentle expression, "Well... I'm something of a romantic, so I want to know how the two of you got together. If, that is, you do not mind."

Blinking, Etsumi stared at her in befuddlement, "You... want to know how Yodo-Chan and I got together? Really?" At the nod, he became even more confused, "Seriously? Just that?"

With an amused shrug, Shiromizu giggled some, "Like I said, I'm a bit of a romantic. And so I wanted to know about it and..." She gave another shrug, "At the same time, it tells me quite a bit about you as well."

Still befuddled, the former human shook his head, "Well, I suppose that's not a big deal?" Humming, he gained a far off look, "I suppose that it began when I was a young child living in Osaka..."

_________________________________________________________________________

Huffing and puffing, the eight year old Etsumi was pushing along an old shopping cart filled with garbage, most of which was waterlogged. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an old tire in the river and scowled, "Who threw that there! Bakas!" Walking over to it, he grabbed the edge and attempted to pull it out of the muck. Eventually, however, his hands slipped and he fell back with a grunt, "Itai..."

After shaking it off, he went back to trying to pull it out when a voice caused him to jump, "Mou... what are you doing?"

Turning, the boy blinked at the Kimono wearing woman who was looking at him interest. Part of him was stunned by her beauty before he shook it off, "A-ah, I'm trying to get this tire out of here, Nee-San."

Head tilted to the side, the older woman blinked, "The tire?" When she looked at it, she frowned a little, "Why did someone throw that there?"

Scowl on his face, Etsumi went back to trying to yank out the tire, "Because they're bakas who don't care about the river! But I do!" Pausing for a moment, he pointed at the garbage in his cart, "That's why I've been cleaning up the river!"

Blinking at that, the woman smiled a little, "Mou... I see!" Then she turned back to him and, with one hand and easily, yanked the tire out of the water, "But that is a big job for someone so little."

Cheeks puffing out, Etsumi crossed his arms, "I'm not little..." Then, he scuffed his feet on the dirt, "But... I want to do it because if I don't, who will? And besides..." The eight year old looked at the river, "It's a really pretty river and the garbage makes it look bad."

Much to his confusion, he found the pretty lady blushed at that, but then she smiled as she patted his head, "I think that the river is happy that you're doing so and that you think that it is pretty."

Only smiling brightly at that, Etsumi chuckeld as he rubbed the back of his neck, heedless of the dirt there, "You really think so, Nee-San?" Getting a nod, he hopped a little, "Yosh! Then I'll do my best to make sure that it always feels pretty!"

That only got him a smile and a giggle...

A few days later found Etsumi searching for stones along the river bank when a hum made him turn and found the mysterious Onee-San there, "Gah! Where did you come from, Onee-San!?"

Bemused look on her face, the Onee-San gestured around them, "Mou, from where? Why here!"

Confused, the child looked around in confusion, "Wait, you live around here?" For some odd reason, that seemed to amuse her greatly, but she still nodded. Remembering what she had asked, he suddenly smiled, "Since I got all the garbage done, I thought that I could have some fun! Like skipping rocks!"

Leaning towards him, the woman smiled childishly, "Skipping rocks?"

Nodding with his smile growing, Etsumi laughed, "Hai! Because it's fun!" Suddenly, he blinked before frowning, "Do you know how to skip rocks, Onee-San?"

Just blinking at that, the Onee-San frowned, "Mou... skip rocks?" At the nod, she tapped her chin some, "Mmm, no... why? Are you going to teach me?"

Eyes widening, Etsumi grinned, "Sure will! Come on, Onee-San! First, you need to find a good rock to skip...

Oddly, the woman seemed even more amused and went along with it. He saw her numerous times over the summer, of course. The two skipped stones to great fun and laughter, caught frogs, and the like. And often, the Onee-San taught him something about the river which he often took notes of, to her great amusement. Eventually, however, the summer ended and he went back to school.

Yet, he never forgot the lessons, or the fun, that the Onee-San taught him...

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

A now much older Etsumi, aged eighteen, was working along the banks of the river clearing trash like he often did in the summers. Wiping his forehead clean of sweat, the teen grinned down at the now cleared area, "There we go, much prettier..."

Moments later, just like so many years before, he jumped at a voice, "Oh! You're still cleaning up the river, Etsumi-Chan?"

Twisting around, he came face to face with the same woman from all those years before, "Onee-San...?"

When he was a child, he always thought of that mysterious "Onee-San" he met that one summer to be pretty. But now as a teen seeing her again? He flushed as, despite himself, his eyes roamed over her. Even though she wore a Kimono, he could tell that she was full figured in a way that few women were.

Or, as some of the guys he knew from school might crudely put it, she was "Thicc".

Quickly shaking it off, he flushed as the Onee-San smiled at him before hugging him, "You remember! Mou... even though you were a child, you remember!"

Confused at that bit, Etsumi shook his head, "Um, of course I remember, Onee-San. I mean, how could I not?" He then gave her a smile, "Besides, you inspired me for what I want to be."

Seemingly surprised at that, the woman blinked, "Mou... I did? Inspired you to be what?"

Arms spread wide, Etsumi grinned at her, "I'm actually going to go to university and get a degree in enviromental sciences, and ecology of rivers! That way, I can help out a lot of rivers and do a lot of good! Maybe make other people fall in love with them and see how important they are. All because of what you taught me, Onee-San!"

Eyes wide, the Onee-San stared at him before her eyes watered and she looked towards the river, "I... inspired you?"

Blinking at that, Etsumi placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hai, you did. Well..." He glanced at the river and smiled, "You and the Yodagawa, don't tell the other rivers, but she's my favorite."

Oddly, that got him giggles and a small blush.

For the rest of the day, the two talked and caught up with each other. Etsumi even brought her to a nearby ice cream shop and bought her ice cream. Though he was confused about how she mumbled that it was a good offering or how she acted like she had never had any before. Among other things they talked about, he mentioned how he was trying to save up money for university.

Just a few days later, however, as he was walking along the banks of the Yodogawa, a glint caught his eye. Leaning out over the water, he noticed something gold in the river and reached down, pulling out an old, gold coin. One which, when he sold to a collector, more than paid his tuition. Something that he excitedly told Uji-San, as she had told him her family name was.

Uji-San... which over a few weeks, became "Uji-Chan" as he asked her out and she accepted.

Their relationship continued, even when he went to study at Kyoto University so that he could be close to his beloved Yodogawa. Part of him, at the time, had been concerned that she had moved just for him, but she only smiled and kissed his cheek. Then, she had giggled and mentioned that her family name was Uji, after all for a reason. At the time, Etsumi assumed that meant her family was from Kyoto.

Meanwhile, the more time that the two of them spent together, the more that they fell in love with each other. Unlike some women, she did not seem to mind that he loved the Yodogawa as much as her. Quite the opposite really, and had cheered him on when he went for, and got, a job as a park ranger for the national park along the river's bank. They also grew closer in other ways as well.

One of Etsumi's fondest memories was when, upon finding out that she did not own one, he had taken her swimsuit shopping so that the two could enjoy a day swimming in the river. Having never seen her out of either an expensive looking Yukata or Kimono, he had been stunned at seeing her in a one piece. One that showed all her curves, though her bashful look had also driven him somewhat mad as well.

Yet, he still did not know her secret... until one night.

It was late summer and Etsumi had just graduated with a Master's and was aiming for a doctorate. His chosen field of study being river ecology, of course. The two were walking along the banks of the Yodogawa when a man stepped out from some bushes. Seeing Yodogawa, he grinned at her and asked if she wanted a good time with a 'Real man'.

Etsumi, being who he was, had been angered at that and told him that she was with someone. For her part, Uji had narrowed her eyes at the man and, in a voice that sent shivers down both mens' backs, stated that she agreed. However, shaking off that anger, the man shoved Etsumi to the side and grabbed Uji, stating that he was going to show her one way or the other. More than a little furious, her boyfriend placed a hand on the other man's shoulder and told him to back off...

And, moments later, felt pain from the knife that got buried in his gut before a shove sent him falling off the bank and into the chilly river's depths. For some odd reason, however, he didn't panic as he swore the water was swirling around him and was trying to keep his blood inside his body as well as him safe. The last thing he remembered before falling unconscious was what sounded like a loud roar of rage and a scream of terror before it was cut off...

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

Softly groaning, Etsumi slowly came away and blinked as he stared at the ceiling above. One that did not look out of place in a traditional home, though far more fanciful. As his eyesight cleared, the young man looked around in confusion.

One of the first things he realized was that the futon he was in had silk sheets of the sort that would have costed thousands. And also was one of the most comfortable as well. Looking around, it was like he had been transported back to feudal Japan, what with how everything looked. Wall screens that each looked like they would have costed a fortune as well as furnishings that had gold and silver among other things as part of them. Outside, the Sun shone down through the open Shoji doors, revealing a traditional garden, an expansive one.

Taking all that in, as well as how his last memory was of slipping beneath the surface of the water, Etsumi blinked, "I... where am I?" As he attempted to sit up, he winced expecting pain, only to blink as there was none. Lifting the covers, he looked down at his stomach to find that there was not even a scar where he had been stabbed, "What the..."

Right then, before he could do anything else, the Shoji doors at one end of the room opened and a woman with horns on her head came in. Upon seeing him, her eyes widened and she gasped, "You're awake... You're awake!" Quickly, she ran off, "LADY YODOGAWA! LADY YODOGAWA! HE IS AWAKE!"

Lost, Etsumi blinked at that, "What... wait, Yodogawa... horns... b-but that..."

Before he could get any further, the Shoji doors opened to reveal Uji there... except from the waist down was a serpent's body and large antlers were upon her head. Seeing him awake, she gasped and began to cry before diving at him, "E-Etsumi-Kun!"

Utterly confused, the young man did the only thing he could...

And that was to check over his girlfriend for any wounds, "Uji-Chan? Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Uji looked up at him with a blink despite her teary eyes, "No, he didn't." Her expression then took on a far more reptilian look, "And no one else shall ever be hurt by him either."

Coming to a realization, Etsumi looked her over, "So, um... Yodogawa, huh? I... guess that you are a Mizuchi then?"

Head hanging, the now revealed Mizuchi nodded, "Mou... I am." Pausing for a moment, she chewed her lip, "Does that frighten you?"

In return, Etsumi just shook his head, "Not really? I mean, you're Uji-Chan and I love you."

Needless to say, that caused a blush on Yodogawa's face, "Mou, you mean it?" At his nod,s he brightly smiled before it faded as she looked around as she buried herself in his arms, "Though now I... I don't know what to do. I was so scared seeing you hurt, that I... brought you here to be healed. And this is my bedroom... Some of the others might think that... because I am a Mizuchi and you are a human..."

Just holding her close as he parsed what she had told him, Etsumi looked around again and found his backpack nearby, "Um, Yodogawa-Chan? Could you bring me my backpack? I want to check something..."

More than a little confused, Yodogawa still smiled at the "Chan" before gesturing at the bag and it floated over, "Of course, Etsumi-Kun. But what are you checking?"

Glancing at her, he smiled which made her blush, "Oh, just a little something. But... I think that it will settle any thoughts about one thing." He then pulled out a box, "I was planning on doing this on the river bank, but... Yodogawa-Chan? The two of us have known each other for years. So would you do me the honour... of being my wife?"

For several moments, the Mizuchi stared down at the ring in his hands.

Said ring was made of gold, of course, but the centerpiece was a freshwater pearl with two blue diamonds. It would not have been considered much, not in the slightest. Yet, looking at it, all the dragon could think of was that it was one of the more beautiful things that she had ever seen. One shaking finger tipped by a claw was brought up as she nodded, "H-hai..."

His own hand shaking, Etsumi picked the ring up and then slipped onto said finger before, with a burst of courage, kissing it, "Thank you-"

Moments later, he found himself on his back looking up at Yodogawa who gave him an innocent look with a gleam in her eyes, "Mou... remember how I said this was my room? And how dragons are possessive?"

Confused, Etsumi swallowed as he nodded, "Hai?"

Leaning down, she nuzzled his neck with a growl, "This is now our room... and you are mine..."

Then, Etsumi forgot much else as she kissed him and deeply, followed soon by clothes being tossed aside while blushing attendants closed the shoji doors...

 

[darthcourt10]

Links to Disclaimer on NSFW Thread