German Driving; Amber backstory
darthcourt10
Well worn.
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Harry Leferts
Having seen the stone building the other day during the tour, Eugen's fingers itched as she grasped the door handle and looked over her shoulder. "So this is the garage, you say? And that Harry's family had a car?"
Johann gave a small smile as he stood there beside her. "Ja, that is right. About 1929 it was built as the then current Herr had visited the Potters in England and wanted someting similar to their cars. Which meant getting one himself and enchanting it."
If anything, Eugen's fingers itched even more as she opened the door fully and walked in. Along one wall, she could see a bench filled with various tools. Much to her happiness, each tool was in a labeled place rather then scattered everywhere. However, it was the object that was covered by a dust cloth that caught her attention. Walking over, Eugen grasped the cloth and pulled it off to reveal the old German car, the black paint on it shined to where she could just about see her reflection in it. "Mein Gott..."
Standing where he was, Johann had a small smile as he watched the Heavy Cruiser slowly examine the vehicle. "You approve Fräulein Eugen, I take it?"
Only nodding as she continued her examination, Eugen hummed. "Ja! Ja! I approve! I approve greatly of this!" Turning to Johann, she chewed her lip a bit. "Does it still run?"
All Johann did was nod before walking over to the driver's side and getting in. Moments later, the engine came to life and Eugen stared in awe as Johann smirked a bit. "Hmm... Yes, I think that it still runs."
Clapping her hands together, Eugen shook her head as she reached the passenger side and then looked at Johann. At his nod, she opened the door and slipped inside before looking around as she sat down. Closing the door, Eugen only stared in awe as she looked around. Then she turned towards Johann. "How?"
With a somewhat sad chuckle, Johann pulled out his pipe and chomped at the end. "The Herr at the time made sure that I would know how to repair the car and to keep it maintained. Since then, I have made sure that it has been kept in good shape."
Eugen leaned back with a small smile as she looked at Johann. "Ja, you have done a very good job there. I can tell, she runs perfectly still."
More then a little pleased at the compliment, Johann nodded some. "That I am glad to hear, Fräulein Eugen." Patting it, he smiled a bit more. "I remember going on drives with the Herr to some of the magical villages."
Head tilting to the side, Eugen considered that before suddenly blinking as a thought occurred to her. Shifting in her seat, Eugen frowned a bit as she watched Johann pat the steering wheel. "How did you go for drives? The pathway here is at best for carriages and not for automobiles."
A twinkle in his eye, Johann nodded at that. "And you would be right. The pathway here was last modified in the day of carriages, one of which we still have." Twisting, he pointed behind them and Eugen looked. There, in the shadows, there was another covered item which she recognized as being a carriage. "But that did not matter much for one reason."
Considering that, the answer came within seconds to Eugen. "Magic."
That only got her a nod from Johann as his smile widened a bit. "Ja, magic."
Eyebrows furrowing, Eugen looked around the dashboard and notcied that there was some extra bits that her crews memories told her cars of the time did not have. "Is it one of these switches then? Something that activates the spells?"
Johann smiled a bit and pointed at one of them. "This one here allows for flight. It lets us get the car out of the Spessart without worrying about the roads inside." Not noticing Eugen's wide eyes, he pointed to another switch. "And this is the disillusionment charm. Much easier then invisibility and practical for the flight."
Now thoughtful, Eugen glanced at Johann and hummed. "Flight and invisibility? To keep from being noticed then?" At his nod, she turned back to the dashboard. "But what about the speed in flight? Or the steering?"
Lightly laughing, Johann shook his head. "Oh, Fräulein, that is not an issue. The auto moves through the air just as fast as it does on the roads. And it moves like it as well."
For several moments, Eugen was silent as her eyes began to twinkle at the thought. Shaking that off for the time being, she pointed at another switch. "And this one? What does this one do?"
Glancing at it, Johann hummed a bit. "That one? It works by allowing the auto to move between obstacles. Such as other autos or even items such as the trees. They simply leap out of the way. It works along with the anti-collision spells that are normally placed on such vehicles. And yes, it works in the air as well."
Her eyebrows raising, Eugen became very interested. "Anti-collision spells? Such things exist then?"
Lips twitching, Johann chuckled. "Ja, they exist. There are others as well placed on the vehicle. The windows have a spell to deflect water from them, and there is an anti-slip charm on the wheels. It also has a cushioning charm on various parts to prevent it from giving a bumpy ride." Leaning towards the Heavy Cruiser, he continued. "They also cast a heating charm for the seats for when it was cold."
Eyes glazing over, Eugen started imagining herself driving around. No need to worry about such things such as speed with it able to avoid other vehicles. Or obstacles as a whole. If needed, she could take to the air and fly it around as if it was on the road.
Part of her wondered if Harry would let her... them, take it for a drive. Just to test it and make sure that it was running as well as it sounded, you understand. No other reason...
___________________________________________________________________
Opening the seemingly small chest, Natsumi could only shake her head at the sight of what laid inside. Her hand reaching in, she pulled out a shiny, golden gemstone in one hand and gaped. "Oh wow... this is amazing..."
Softly chuckling as she watched Harry and Natsumi look at the pieces of amber, Marie only smiled a bit. "It is rather lovely to look at."
Just reaching in himself, Harry held a chunk almost the size of his hand in disbelief. "That is putting it mildly." Looking in, the black haired boy shook his head. "And there is a lot of it in here!"
That got him a snort from Natsumi who glanced at him. "I would say that it is a lot." Looking down at the amber in her hand, she tilted her head to the side. "Did you mean what you said, Harry-Chan? That amber is connected to the Sun?"
Blinking, Harry turned toward her and nodded. "Yeah, it was in a book that I read. A Roman once said that amber is a liquid produced by the rays of the Sun. And that it gathers like sweat on the ground before it's carried off by the tides and thrown up on the shore of Germany."
Marie smiled a bit and then shook her head. "That is not the only story about where it comes from. Another tale is that of the goddess Jūratė. According to legend, she lived at the bottom of the sea in a palace made of amber. There was a fisherman named Kastylis though who caught many fish. So Jūratė went to punish him for catching too much. But instead of doing so, she instead fell in love with him. They spent many a happy time in her palace under the sea."
Head tilting to the side, Natsumi frowned a bit. "What happened to them?"
Sighing, Marie shook her head. "One day, the thunder god Perkūnas found out that the immortal goddess had fallen in love with a mortal. Furious, he struck her palace and shattered it to pieces. Then he had Jūratė chained to the ruins of her castle for all of time. Never again would she see her beloved again. The amber that washes up on the shore are pieces of her castle. But other version say that her beloved, Kastylis was also killed by the thunder god and that the pieces of amber are in fact her tears that she sheds eternally for him."
Eyes softening, Natsumi looked down at the piece in her hands and rolled it between her fingers in thought. "No matter where you go, there are always stories about that. How the love between one who is long lived or immortal and one who is mortal ends badly..."
A scoff though made Natsumi look up to find Marie giving her a look. "Yes, because of fools." She then wagged a finger at the kitsune with a frown. "Do not listen to such things, Fräulein Natsumi. Love is love and that is all there is to it. Immortal, mortal, in the end it does not matter. In the case of Jūratė and Kastylis? That was not their fault, but the anger of another."
From where she sat, Hachi nodded some before she smiled. "Frau Marie is right, Natsumi-Chan. In the end, it really does not matter." She then looked at Marie with a thoughtful look on her face. "Out of curiosity about the story..."
Knowing what was being asked, Marie raised one amused eyebrow. "You wonder if there is any truth to it, Ja? If Jūratė and her lover as well as the thunder god were real?" At the nods, she frowned and hummed. "I do not know if there is any truth to the matter, I am afraid. Over my life, I have seen such things as to make me consider it perhaps being more true then some might think." After a few moments, the German maid shook her head. "There are some tales though, from those who speak with the Mermaids in the Baltic. Deep in the sea, there is a spot that the Mermaids will not go. Magic prevents people from examining it too closely, but those that have? They say that one could almost hear sobbing and sometimes the glint of amber."
Unnoticed by her, RO had an odd look on her face before she coughed. Her next words though caught their attention. "You would not happen to know where such a place as this would be?"
Marie blinked for a moment and then furrowed her eyebrows. "Hmm... I believe that there might be something in the library. Otto Potter's old maps and logs from when he gathered amber around the island of Abalus in the Baltic. The island is hidden though from non-magicals as it is rich in amber and has ruins upon it." She then frowned a bit. "He used to dive deep into the sea there from his ship, a Schooner. The mermaids in the Baltic were friends of his and he also gathered amber from the island itself, until one day his ship sank with him along with it... the family suspected foul play, but... nothing was ever proven."
Her eyes twinkling a bit, RO gave a smile and bowed her head a bit. "That would be very helpful, Frau Marie. Danke."
Meanwhile, Harry had his own thoughts, especially at one bit he was just told...
Having seen the stone building the other day during the tour, Eugen's fingers itched as she grasped the door handle and looked over her shoulder. "So this is the garage, you say? And that Harry's family had a car?"
Johann gave a small smile as he stood there beside her. "Ja, that is right. About 1929 it was built as the then current Herr had visited the Potters in England and wanted someting similar to their cars. Which meant getting one himself and enchanting it."
If anything, Eugen's fingers itched even more as she opened the door fully and walked in. Along one wall, she could see a bench filled with various tools. Much to her happiness, each tool was in a labeled place rather then scattered everywhere. However, it was the object that was covered by a dust cloth that caught her attention. Walking over, Eugen grasped the cloth and pulled it off to reveal the old German car, the black paint on it shined to where she could just about see her reflection in it. "Mein Gott..."
Standing where he was, Johann had a small smile as he watched the Heavy Cruiser slowly examine the vehicle. "You approve Fräulein Eugen, I take it?"
Only nodding as she continued her examination, Eugen hummed. "Ja! Ja! I approve! I approve greatly of this!" Turning to Johann, she chewed her lip a bit. "Does it still run?"
All Johann did was nod before walking over to the driver's side and getting in. Moments later, the engine came to life and Eugen stared in awe as Johann smirked a bit. "Hmm... Yes, I think that it still runs."
Clapping her hands together, Eugen shook her head as she reached the passenger side and then looked at Johann. At his nod, she opened the door and slipped inside before looking around as she sat down. Closing the door, Eugen only stared in awe as she looked around. Then she turned towards Johann. "How?"
With a somewhat sad chuckle, Johann pulled out his pipe and chomped at the end. "The Herr at the time made sure that I would know how to repair the car and to keep it maintained. Since then, I have made sure that it has been kept in good shape."
Eugen leaned back with a small smile as she looked at Johann. "Ja, you have done a very good job there. I can tell, she runs perfectly still."
More then a little pleased at the compliment, Johann nodded some. "That I am glad to hear, Fräulein Eugen." Patting it, he smiled a bit more. "I remember going on drives with the Herr to some of the magical villages."
Head tilting to the side, Eugen considered that before suddenly blinking as a thought occurred to her. Shifting in her seat, Eugen frowned a bit as she watched Johann pat the steering wheel. "How did you go for drives? The pathway here is at best for carriages and not for automobiles."
A twinkle in his eye, Johann nodded at that. "And you would be right. The pathway here was last modified in the day of carriages, one of which we still have." Twisting, he pointed behind them and Eugen looked. There, in the shadows, there was another covered item which she recognized as being a carriage. "But that did not matter much for one reason."
Considering that, the answer came within seconds to Eugen. "Magic."
That only got her a nod from Johann as his smile widened a bit. "Ja, magic."
Eyebrows furrowing, Eugen looked around the dashboard and notcied that there was some extra bits that her crews memories told her cars of the time did not have. "Is it one of these switches then? Something that activates the spells?"
Johann smiled a bit and pointed at one of them. "This one here allows for flight. It lets us get the car out of the Spessart without worrying about the roads inside." Not noticing Eugen's wide eyes, he pointed to another switch. "And this is the disillusionment charm. Much easier then invisibility and practical for the flight."
Now thoughtful, Eugen glanced at Johann and hummed. "Flight and invisibility? To keep from being noticed then?" At his nod, she turned back to the dashboard. "But what about the speed in flight? Or the steering?"
Lightly laughing, Johann shook his head. "Oh, Fräulein, that is not an issue. The auto moves through the air just as fast as it does on the roads. And it moves like it as well."
For several moments, Eugen was silent as her eyes began to twinkle at the thought. Shaking that off for the time being, she pointed at another switch. "And this one? What does this one do?"
Glancing at it, Johann hummed a bit. "That one? It works by allowing the auto to move between obstacles. Such as other autos or even items such as the trees. They simply leap out of the way. It works along with the anti-collision spells that are normally placed on such vehicles. And yes, it works in the air as well."
Her eyebrows raising, Eugen became very interested. "Anti-collision spells? Such things exist then?"
Lips twitching, Johann chuckled. "Ja, they exist. There are others as well placed on the vehicle. The windows have a spell to deflect water from them, and there is an anti-slip charm on the wheels. It also has a cushioning charm on various parts to prevent it from giving a bumpy ride." Leaning towards the Heavy Cruiser, he continued. "They also cast a heating charm for the seats for when it was cold."
Eyes glazing over, Eugen started imagining herself driving around. No need to worry about such things such as speed with it able to avoid other vehicles. Or obstacles as a whole. If needed, she could take to the air and fly it around as if it was on the road.
Part of her wondered if Harry would let her... them, take it for a drive. Just to test it and make sure that it was running as well as it sounded, you understand. No other reason...
___________________________________________________________________
Opening the seemingly small chest, Natsumi could only shake her head at the sight of what laid inside. Her hand reaching in, she pulled out a shiny, golden gemstone in one hand and gaped. "Oh wow... this is amazing..."
Softly chuckling as she watched Harry and Natsumi look at the pieces of amber, Marie only smiled a bit. "It is rather lovely to look at."
Just reaching in himself, Harry held a chunk almost the size of his hand in disbelief. "That is putting it mildly." Looking in, the black haired boy shook his head. "And there is a lot of it in here!"
That got him a snort from Natsumi who glanced at him. "I would say that it is a lot." Looking down at the amber in her hand, she tilted her head to the side. "Did you mean what you said, Harry-Chan? That amber is connected to the Sun?"
Blinking, Harry turned toward her and nodded. "Yeah, it was in a book that I read. A Roman once said that amber is a liquid produced by the rays of the Sun. And that it gathers like sweat on the ground before it's carried off by the tides and thrown up on the shore of Germany."
Marie smiled a bit and then shook her head. "That is not the only story about where it comes from. Another tale is that of the goddess Jūratė. According to legend, she lived at the bottom of the sea in a palace made of amber. There was a fisherman named Kastylis though who caught many fish. So Jūratė went to punish him for catching too much. But instead of doing so, she instead fell in love with him. They spent many a happy time in her palace under the sea."
Head tilting to the side, Natsumi frowned a bit. "What happened to them?"
Sighing, Marie shook her head. "One day, the thunder god Perkūnas found out that the immortal goddess had fallen in love with a mortal. Furious, he struck her palace and shattered it to pieces. Then he had Jūratė chained to the ruins of her castle for all of time. Never again would she see her beloved again. The amber that washes up on the shore are pieces of her castle. But other version say that her beloved, Kastylis was also killed by the thunder god and that the pieces of amber are in fact her tears that she sheds eternally for him."
Eyes softening, Natsumi looked down at the piece in her hands and rolled it between her fingers in thought. "No matter where you go, there are always stories about that. How the love between one who is long lived or immortal and one who is mortal ends badly..."
A scoff though made Natsumi look up to find Marie giving her a look. "Yes, because of fools." She then wagged a finger at the kitsune with a frown. "Do not listen to such things, Fräulein Natsumi. Love is love and that is all there is to it. Immortal, mortal, in the end it does not matter. In the case of Jūratė and Kastylis? That was not their fault, but the anger of another."
From where she sat, Hachi nodded some before she smiled. "Frau Marie is right, Natsumi-Chan. In the end, it really does not matter." She then looked at Marie with a thoughtful look on her face. "Out of curiosity about the story..."
Knowing what was being asked, Marie raised one amused eyebrow. "You wonder if there is any truth to it, Ja? If Jūratė and her lover as well as the thunder god were real?" At the nods, she frowned and hummed. "I do not know if there is any truth to the matter, I am afraid. Over my life, I have seen such things as to make me consider it perhaps being more true then some might think." After a few moments, the German maid shook her head. "There are some tales though, from those who speak with the Mermaids in the Baltic. Deep in the sea, there is a spot that the Mermaids will not go. Magic prevents people from examining it too closely, but those that have? They say that one could almost hear sobbing and sometimes the glint of amber."
Unnoticed by her, RO had an odd look on her face before she coughed. Her next words though caught their attention. "You would not happen to know where such a place as this would be?"
Marie blinked for a moment and then furrowed her eyebrows. "Hmm... I believe that there might be something in the library. Otto Potter's old maps and logs from when he gathered amber around the island of Abalus in the Baltic. The island is hidden though from non-magicals as it is rich in amber and has ruins upon it." She then frowned a bit. "He used to dive deep into the sea there from his ship, a Schooner. The mermaids in the Baltic were friends of his and he also gathered amber from the island itself, until one day his ship sank with him along with it... the family suspected foul play, but... nothing was ever proven."
Her eyes twinkling a bit, RO gave a smile and bowed her head a bit. "That would be very helpful, Frau Marie. Danke."
Meanwhile, Harry had his own thoughts, especially at one bit he was just told...