Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

Lord K Omake: Abyssal Shrine Maidens Meet/Why the Yakuza do not bother Jin

Harry Leferts said:
It is going to be pretty damn interesting to be honest. And now I cannot help but imagine one group setting up in Hidaka going on about the "Fiery One, whose flames of vengeance cannot be quenched!"​

The two Abyssals in Shrine Maiden outfits stare each other down.

"Vengeance that burns all in her path!"

"Merciless rage that rots unending!"

"Cleansing fire of the spurned heart!"

"Corruption of the undying which transcends death!"

"She who's scales alight with the flames which consumes all!"

"She who's flesh writhes with the grudge of a fallen!"

"The Burning Serpent of the Hidaka!"

"The Darkness Darker than the Deepest Abyss!"

"Praise the Fiery One!"

"Behold the Dark O-"

*Sound of a window being thrown open, followed by a torch being shone down into the park.*

*To the crowd of Abyssals though, it almost looks like a beam of light shining down from the darkened heavens upon one of the Abyssal mikos.

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP! IT'S THREE IN THE FUCKING MORNING AND PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! DON'T MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE IF YOU CAUSE A NOISE COMPLAINT! NOW EITHER MAKE FRIENDS AND FUCK OFF, OR HAVE YOUR STUPID SCHISM TOMORROW!"

*Light disappears, followed by sound of a window closing*

*The Abyssal miko who was in the beam of the light from above, trembles not with fear, but tearfully rapturous joy*

"Th-The Dark One! She spoke to me! The Dark One gifted us with her words!"

"Behold the Dark One!" echos the crowd with fanatical fervor and excitement.

"Joyous day, for the Dark One has made her will known, and shown compassion by not smiting us for transgressing against her rest and inclination to other scriptures!"

*Looks towards the Miko of the Fiery One*

"Come! Let us make friends with the with those of the Fiery One! For tonight we put aside our difference, just as the the Dark One commands!"

*Flicking her fingers, a Ne-Class in the crowd hoists a boombox over her head, while the miko pulls out a rose from and places it in her teeth*


*Miko of the Dark One waggles her eyebrows*

"And maybe more if you so wish?"

*awkward pause*

*Miko of the Fiery One quietly begins to leave*

"What-? Wait- no! Come back! Please! .....Fine then! MY LOVE IS ONLY FOR THE DARK ONE ANYWAY!"

*Window opens somewhere in the darkness above*

"NOW IF ONLY THERE WAS SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO LOVED YOU. SO KINDLY FUCK OFF!"

*Miko of the Dark One sniffles*

*The rest of the group stares. A Re-Class in a too small shirt points at how the Miko of the Dark One's eyes begin to water*

"Truly her cruelty is without mercy or end! Behold the Dark One!"

"BEHOLD THE DARK ONE!"

*Frustrated scream from above, followed by sound of a window shutting yet again*

Harry Leferts said:
She just cannot win...

Wait, does the money donated to shrines count as pay?​

The real question is whether they count as income or religious donations on her tax returns

Zebrin said:
It would be funny if Jin gets promoted due to having worshippers, so she decides that "Well, whatever, might as well go whole hog on this." And sets up a legit priesthood, sending one of her cultists to college and everything.​

Maybe once she's got more than a few dozen worshipers she actually wants to be associated with or can get some worthwhile amounts of faith from

U.N.Spacy000 said:
"No! The Dark One is Wrath and Vengeance! She is clearly best represented by Khorne!" one Abyssal declared as she held up a codex decorated with skulls on the cover.

"Bah, The Dark One clearly moves in ways that you simpletons don't understand and has deep, meaningful schemes - she is best represented by Tzeentch," a different Abyssal argued.

"Nonsense - The Dark One has a delicious flat chest and - " the fourth Abyssal began before she was interrupted by angry dragon noises in the distance. "The Dark One favors me! She is obviously best represented by Slaanesh!"

"Heresy! The Dark One is a corpse goddess upon her throne that protects the undeserving that worship her and curses hard enough to make a sailor blush! The God Emperor of Mankind is the best fit!" a fifth Abyssal claimed as she brandished all the Imperial codexes at her fellow Abyssals.

*Religious squabbling and decisions via 40K battles ensue*
Harry Leferts said:
Let's face it, the Blood Ravens are made for the Potters here.
U.N.Spacy000 said:
I dunno, Jin. That sounds exactly like the point.

Maybe this is why so many kami demand tributes to be appeased. You should convince your followers to give you things of actual value, Jin.​

"Wait. Tributes? You mean the rest of your are skimming off the top for this?"

U.N.Spacy000 said:
I am now imagining Disney Princess Jin. As soon as the Statute falls and she isn't wanted by MACUSA, I see her going to Disney World, getting prettied up at the Princess Boutique, and then riding all the rides in full Princess getup.

Somehow, images are leaked to her neighborhood watch. It is, of course, Mary's fault.​

Let's face it. There's one Disney Character above all the rest that Jin will want to cosplay first

Harry Leferts said:
For some odd reason, that makes far too much sense... Though come to think of it, what does Jin do for money...?
Harry Leferts said:
*Snorts* Actually, wait... isn't she the land lady for the apartment building on top of her spring?​

Yep, rent money from those living in her apartment building is her main income. She owns the structure (and owes Kiba for helping her amass the cash to get it in the first place).

Kiba actually handles most of her money really. What she doesn't spend on outfitting the Watch, and supporting those who end up in her building until they can get new IDs/jobs/get back on their feet, she mostly just flogs off to him to invest for her until she needs it.

rdmcmains said:
Her bike gang being called "Adachi Neighborhood Watch" is not ironic. Jin runs the only 'protection racket' in post-Blood Week Japan that actually offers protection.
Harry Leferts said:
Huh... so she would technically operate as a security company then...​

They don't really run a racket, but they do take donations from those who want to help support the group.

Weaver said:
Given some of what she's been shown to get up to I'm inclined to suspect that she's doing the same sort of thing as a real life, moderately famous local hard man nicknamed the Taxman, ie rough up anyone engaged in unacceptable criminal activities on her patch, take their money, and tell them to piss off and not come back.
Harry Leferts said:
That does sound like Jin to be honest.
Lambert Kipling said:
Also known as the "Walking Away" tax, or the fee you pay for the privilege of walking away because she didn't break your legs with a cricket bat.
Harry Leferts said:
Well, not even that in some cases...​

The AWN/Jin sort of used to do that to a degree, but it was a slow build up to it, and doesn't really happen anymore due to her current 'control' over her corner of Adachi Ward.

Way back in the 50s/60s, before the AWN first became a thing, a small number of magicals and yokai living in the area (a carry over from the time there used to be a magical neighborhood, even if it no longer existed post-war), meant that muggle policing was a complicated and difficult issue thanks to all the repelling wards on magical side streets and properties. Meanwhile, Aurors didn't really go to the place all that often, because 'who cares about a yokai neighborhood?'. This create a self-fulfilling cycle, where law enforcement on both sides was thin, so crime went up, so the area decreased in status, which only made it less of a priority to police.

By the early 70s, this issue had taken the incarnation of a number of large bosozoku and street gangs, all vying for control of the area around what was once the old magical neighborhood, and messing up the ward even further. Seeing as the police weren't much help against the bosozoku, and the Aurors didn't give a damn about a 'muggle problem', after repeatedly seeing gangs get kicked out by the police or rivals, only for new ones to move in or take over when older groups fell apart, Jin decided to take matters into her own hands. Long lived and durable as yokai and kami are, she decided to form her own 'muggle biker gang' and then take over the area herself, thus hopefully breaking the cycle of 'succession crises'.

At first this was all fine and dandy, but eventually they then ran into a 'problem'. Some of the less upstanding sorts in the magical gangs also started to see the ANW as a rival magical gang to be put down, even though the ANW's focus was on cleaning up the muggle streets. Not that they posed much of a problem, as it's a bit hard to win any kind of street brawl or magical duel with somebody who can T-1000 their way through a fight. But this then started attracting the attention of the authorities.

To keep the gains they had, and maintain the surprising amount of territory she had unintentionally carved out for herself by this point, Jin then entered the ANW into a devil's deal compromise. Knowing how corrupt the Magical Diet could be, she then made an alliance with some of Tokyo's magical Yakuza, who were more than happy to lean on the ties they had, if it meant they had an in with the uniter of a territory that had previously always been a mess of unreliable and transient street-level factions. The problem was that in forging a deal with her, they never read the fine print about many of the things she was adamant about not allowing and the fact that it was an 'alliance of equals'. After a few 'incidents' where Jin resoundingly proved impossible to dislodge or topple from her leadership, the obyan running the whole shindig decided that pursuit of more control and profits wasn't worth risking killing the golden goose which brought some semblance of order over the area, or who had the greater 'nuclear option' should things descend into a gang war or draw the ire of the authorities before she could be conceivably brought down.

Things remained at a relative true then, right up until the early 80s. New leadership and those unfamiliar with the tense background to the original deal, increasingly chafed at how little control or influence they actually had over the ANW, the lack of respect and deference the ANW gave them, how 'comparatively unprofitable' the ANW turf was under their administration, and their lack of usefulness or involvement in many activities the magical Yakuza branches ran. Even more gallingly, the ANW and it's leader seemingly had now desire to even expand or make something of themselves. Eventually as a compromise though, the ANW ended up more closely working with the muggle branches of their Yakuza allies.

Unfortunately, this further distanced them from those who understood and respected the powers and politics at play between the ANW and their original allies. Especially as a new generation started to not only come up and enter the ranks, but the leadership also began to change during the late 80s. This culminated in a number of incidents and crimes committed young lieutenants, recent initiates, and thugs pretending to be Yakuza, who thought that either their association or the name would protect them, or that the ANW could be cowed into line by intimidation or force. This already pretty badly frayed the alliance, which Jin had never really been fond of an only seen as a short term action of necessity with some minor long term benefits as a potential 'rainy day' card. After one particularly notable and horrific incident that was potentially tied to her territory, Jin decided to level her ultimatum.

The muggle Yakuza had to go. And thus, she promptly kicked them out of her turf, even if they continued to operate in the rest of Adachi Ward. In the process though, they did inadvertently take a little bit more territory too.

Though she initially offered to let the magical branches remain under some conditions, she purposely turned the offer into a poisoned chalice. Accepting her harsher demands and letting her dictate what they could or could not do, would be bowing to a bunch of yokai and political suicide within the group, even if they were led by a fallen kami. On the other hand, they couldn't conceivably win a gang war against a fallen kami and her bunch of highly motivated and now veteran yokai lieutenants.

Unfortunately, when they decided to try and outsmart her and take a third option by sicking the authorities on her, Jin had already prepared for it. Pointing out just how many of them had criminal activities going on in both the muggle and magical sides, and the fact that her memory was a long one which no amount of human spellcraft could easily silence or kill without causing an incident, in the end, an uneasy truce was made between her and the organized crime syndicates on the magical side of things. The fact that the ANW had no aspirations for expansion or growth, was basically the saving grace that meant allowing them to exist was palatable.

Since then, the AWN has faced a few attempts to muscle in on their turf, mainly from muggle gangs and groups that don't understand why the ANW has managed to resolutely linger on for so long. Otherwise though, the group and it's turf has remained unchanged since it's brief minor expansion in territory while kicking out the yakuza and associated minor gangs through the '89-'90 period. Gradually, especially since the the start of the Abyssal War, this uneasy truce has turned into an outright zero-tolerance policy toward criminals and gangs that are not considered allies of Jin or the ANW, or 'authorised' in their activities. There are some groups they do work with though, namely Kurosawa Mika's smuggling ring, and black marketers associated with or operating in the same circles as Mizukashii Suigetsu.

While Jin's apartment building, with it's interior magically enlarged to fit a surprisingly sizable community inside, is their primary base in lower Adachi Ward, it also isn't their only one. The group's long held defacto status as the neighborhood's 'actual' law enforcement in it's magical community, mean that they either own or rent through certain members or family, a number of mechanics shops, garages and apartment that they also base out of and patrol from.

Harry Leferts said:
-Ushi-ona Experimentation
Guardsman_Sparky said:
...You know, those idiots in Group 731 should have seen that coming. After all, there is a precedence in the Minotaur.

Disgusting fucks.
Harry Leferts said:
Yes, but they were obsessed with winning the war and thus wanted a bunch of Kudan to use to warn them of coming military disasters. We're talking a Yokai who's whole existence lasts mere days normally, it spouts off a prophecy just before it happens, and then dies with its work done. They wanted more of them to get a leg up partially because they were desperate.

But yes, they were disgusting fucks, though that has reflected on the Ushi-Onna.​

You know, considering the Hokubu's history with messing around with cattle and magic, I can't help but feel like this would be the kind of ruthlessly horrific and disgusting thing Royomaru have either had a hand in, or been happy to 'lend' people with expertise to contribute to as the project progressed...

You also gotta wonder how they were even extending the lives of those Kudan in the first place, or stopping them from giving their prophecies

jmcdavid said:
You know, after Aso's encounter with those Unit 731 remnants, I'm honestly kind of surprised something wasn't organized to track down and eliminate any remaining cells that might have survived to the present day.
TempestK said:
They're still trying, but part of the problem is that the magical Diet wanted to sweep it all under the rug, and gave them a ton of time and room to run and hide.
Harry Leferts said:
Actually, so did MACUSA and others who wanted information they gathered as a sort of "Fuck you" in case of World War Three, with their freedom being what they were given in exchange.​

Jiromaru secretly going around hunting down everyone dumb enough to stick their heads up, or get themselves removed from the Diet and MACUSA's protection by ending up on the 'kill or disappear' lists for various alphabet soup agencies, may have also unintentionally made things harder in that regard.

While it meant there weren't (as) many horrific mad-science/magitech incidents (as there could have been), it also probably clued those smart enough to reign themselves in or keep a low profile, that someone out there was not afraid to off them if they created a stir or were cut loose for convenience/politics, and seemed to have a pretty good idea who everyone was and what to watch for if they were up to something.

Yellowhammer said:
A further problem at the time was that a lot of the worst atrocities that Unit 731 performed were in Manchuria and China so that a lot of the US forces in Japan were somewhat unaware of the specifics. Both because they had very poor penetration of those areas with their intelligence and data of what was going on was muddled to put it mildly. IE when you have a bubonic plague outbreak in a Nationalist Chinese town with loads of refugees is it natural to the area, caused by the overcrowding and breakdown of hygiene durign wartime, or caused by Unit-731 dropping some plague bombs filled with infected fleas?

Unfortunately, realizing that a massive disease outbreak is not natural can be difficult in poor, war-torn countries, which China most definitely was.​

It didn't help that China was also still dealing with the ongoing Civil War, which never really ended even during the Second Sino-Japanese War and then WWII.

The fear of Japan splintering, or communism gaining a foothold as happened in Korea and Vietnam if the occupation was too harsh, also was partly responsible for a policy of not rocking the boat as much as they can on certain issues. Eventually due to a complicated series of politicking and backroom deals to secure the close relationship they had with the Japanese government, a lot of the remaining War Criminals were simply let go around the early to mid 50s (IIRC, I could be off on that time period for the releases). Even many of those serving extended sentences for Class A crimes were eventually let out by late 50s.

 

[darthcourt10]

Weaver

Friday, 27th September 2013

Five days after her commissioning found Patricia on leave and en route to finally visiting a certain lifeboat for the first time, her son at her side.

They'd almost got to where her hull was kept when a young woman who looked like she might be one of the museum's staff came around the corner and recognised Dan.

"Hello. If you're here to see Zetland she's sat outside the cafe having a cuppa."

"Oh. Thanks."

The woman nodded and continued on her way to the museum while they walked around the side of the building to the garden behind it.

Sure enough, sat at one the picnic tables outside the cafe with a pot of tea in front of her was a woman who looked no more than ten years older than Dan at the very most, wearing a greyish sou'wester, blue gansey and heavy duty white trousers, who was also a boat; thirty feet long, double-ended and curved hulled. She looked up at their approach.

"Hello."

Dan returned the greeting.

"Hi Zetland."

She nodded in acknowledgment before looking directly at Patricia.

"You must be Dan's mum. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Zetland."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Patricia. I've heard a lot about you too "

The corner of Zetland's mouth quirked upwards in a wry smile.

"Seems like that that can be said of most people around here."

She gestured at the other side of the table.

"Take a seat."

After they sat down, Patrica noticed the lifeboat opposite giving her an odd look.

"Is anything wrong?"

"No. I'm just fairly sure I've seen you before."

"When I was a hull?"

"Nah. I mean, I think I recognise the name HMS Patrol since even I heard about what the bloody Germans did a century ago even though I was still in my hull at the time, although not until a while after it happened. I'm sure you sailed past my bathhouse plenty of times but you would have probably have been too far out for me to get a good look at you. No, I think I saw you when you were a little girl. I noticed something odd about you at the time which is why I remember, although I didn't know what I was looking at back then and I was still in my hull."

Patricia shrugged.

"I did visit the lifeboat museum a few times when I was a kid."

"That's probably it then. As I recall, there was actually two like you a couple of times, you and another girl."

Patricia felt a sudden hitch in her engines.

"Are you sure?"

Zetland looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded.

"Fairly sure, although I admit that I'm not completely certain. It was a long time ago after all, a lot of people have visited me over the years and I was in my hull and half asleep a lot of the time."

She continued on, completely unaware of the impact what she'd said had had on Patricia.

"Of course, looking back it wasn't the first time I've seen people like that. There was the daughter of one of my crew, sometime before they got around to naming me. There was also a girl who came to see me a few times between the two big wars that happened before this one. I only saw her during the summer bank holidays so I assume that her and her family were day trippers from somewhere. I remember that they were a bit mystified about why she wanted to see me every year and that the first time I remember them visiting me, she'd have only have been five or so at the time, she kept hanging onto my hull for some reason."

The lifeboat shrugged.

"Don't know who she was. I might've heard her name at some point but I can't remember. Anyway, enough about the past, how's everything going for you?"

Pushing what the lifeboat had said and the thoughts it had inspired to the back of her mind, Patricia thought briefly before replying.

"Pretty good to be honest. I definitely don't have any regrets about any of it. I'm still getting used to being a ship though. To be honest I think that that is going to take a while."

Zetland grinned.

"I know the feeling. I'm still getting used to all of this."

She gestured at her seemingly human body.

"Over two hundred years as a boat and now I'm a person as well, with arms and legs and everything."

Dan spoke up.

"That reminds me, have you decided on a surname yet?"

The smile fell off the lifeboat's face.

"No. I haven't."

The conversation moved on to more inconsequential topics after that and continued on for over an hour until Patricia noted the time on her internal clock.

"It's been lovely talking to you but we should probably be going. We want to pick some of the plums from the trees across the road before we go home; the Flower-class corvettes love anything involving fruit so I thought I'd make them a pie or crumble, but we need to get a move on.

"Need any help?

"Not really, but an extra pair of hands is always appreciated."

* * * * * * * * *

If anyone who passed by noticed the world's oldest lifeboat picking tiny yellow plums with a teenage boy and an unusually mature shipgirl, none of them commented on it.

 

[darthcourt10]

U.N.Spacy000

Wherein Juuchi Jude the Slytherin is found by Luna Lovegood.

*****

A Blade in the Grass


Juuchi Yosamu was an ambitious blade.

She had ambitions far beyond the simple competition her creator had made her to win. She had ambitions of being part of a functional family surrounded by people who would not succumb to her bloodlust and instead be able to direct her wrath with the maximum destructive power as well as appreciate her for her wit and smugness. Juuchi Yosamu had found that, and it was good. Then, Kyoshu had a bitch fit, and Juuchi Yosamu had to start over. Again and again, but her ambitions drove her to new and greater heights despite the wounds her dearest older sister inflicted upon her. And then she found the Potters, and she attached herself to them with indecent haste. They took her to England, and Kyoshu, the stuck up bitch that she was, would never deign to travel to a foreign, barbaric land, so Juuchi's family was safe. Her ambition had been satisfied for centuries, and then suddenly, there was only one member of the family left.

Thus, Juuchi had a new ambition. An ambition that was more or less the opposite of her intended purpose, which made it even greater than her initial ambition. She wanted to protect someone. Specifically, she wanted to protect Harry Potter until he had spawned at least a dozen or more children to repopulate the family. With the number of women in his life that had decided to share him, Juuchi figured her goal would be achieved almost immediately after Harry reached adulthood and all the weddings were sorted out. She figured everything would be sorted out somewhere between five to ten years depending on engagement lengths, how they handled weddings, Harry's impending naval career, and assorted other details. That great, big, long-term ambition led to her current short-term ambition – infiltrating the premier (and maybe only) wizarding school in the United Kingdom that happened to be under the care and protection of the greatest wizard of the current generation or maybe era depending on who was asked to describe the headmaster.

Juuchi Yosamu had plenty of ambition.

Juuchi Yosamu had cunning in spades as well. She had learned a lot from Carnwennan – things like how trickery and old age will trump youth and enthusiasm, how to be a sneaky git, how to say one thing while meaning a second but implying a third, how to set up and look for attacks from unusual angles both literally and metaphorically, and how to be snarky. More importantly, she had the cunning to actually fulfill her ambition of infiltrating Hogwarts. Or at least infiltrate it well enough and having only one person call her out on it.

Seriously, her sister was a cheating cheat and should not even be here. They would never find the body if Juuchi's cover was blown by her.

Juuchi Yosamu had ambition and cunning.

So, Juuchi felt it was entirely appropriate to wear the colors of Slytherin House while a gaggle of second year Hufflepuffs wandered past her. This was part of how she had lasted so long undetected. All the second year students were fairly certain that she was just someone in a different House they had never noticed before, and all the other students either thought she was in another House or just not in their year and of minor note. It was an easy mistake to make – especially when a person is too busy trying to re-orient his or her own life or was otherwise tunnel visioning on things that were more important than a little second year – since everyone knew a person could not change the colors of their robes. It was just too bad that Juuchi was doing exactly that depending on which group of students she was hurrying past as she explored the castle and proactively defended Harry from dementors, and it was not as though anyone had noticed.

"You're wearing different robes, today," an airy voice said in a mildly curious tone that was usually reserved for wondering what sort of weather would occur in a region that was consistently overcast, damp, and cold. "Or maybe not."

Except someone had finally noticed.

Juuchi blinked, turned around, discovered Luna Lovegood, and decided to state the obvious to establish she had yet to meet Luna and attempt to sate her curiosity at the same time as she asked, "Why are you wearing two eyepatches?"

"Ah, I am learning to be the piratiest pirate that ever pirated in my free time," Luna said somewhat distantly as though she was only half paying attention. "Since pirates have an eye patch, having two makes me twice the pirate others are – or it would if I was not compensating for the lack of a peg leg or hook."

"Such an impediment would be rather severe if you were only being a pirate in your free time," Juuchi said seriously before she stuck her hand out. "I am Jude."

"Indeed?" Luna asked before accepting Juuchi's hand and kissing the back of it. "I am Luna Lovegood. Are you perhaps related to June and Kagome?"

"Unfortunately," Juuchi said as she flashed back to her meeting Kagotsuruhe in the Great Hall and her eyes slightly glazed over.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked as her voice became more focused.

"Kagome is a walking traumatic experience," Juuchi said as she regained control of herself. "I will be fine with time and distance."

"If you say so," Luna said as her voice went back to being airy and slightly disengaged yet curious. "I couldn't help but notice that June seemed… less than fond for Kagome."

"Well, there's a lot of reasons, little reasons, reasons like her calling us all June instead of our actual names," Juuchi said as she grasped for ideas. Kagotsuruhe probably would keep calling her June even if she was wearing the colors of a house other than the badger's, so it was best to cover that now.

"All of you?" Luna asked.

"I suppose you haven't met July yet since you didn't ask if I was related to her," Juuchi said suddenly as inspiration struck. "She's in Gryffindor."

"Hm, no, I have not," Luna said distantly as though she was thinking on something that was just out of her reach. "I had thought I met all the second year students in Gryffindor."

"It took you how long to speak with June and me?" Juuchi asked with a raised eyebrow while she internally panicked.

"True," Luna said.

"June mentioned that you knew about some fascinating magical creatures," Juuchi said as she desperately tried to change the subject.

"Oh? Yes, I do," Luna said in mild pleasant surprise. "It is nice to be taken seriously on the subject."

"Why wouldn't you be?" Juuchi asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Most people believe that they are made up at worst or extinct at best," Luna said with a hint of sorrow. "Since they are not in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It is the definitive work on magical creatures."

"Isn't that on its fifty-second or so edition? That sort of implies Mister Scamamnder continues to discover new magical beasts and where to find them," Juuchi said as she rolled her eyes. "And that isn't taking into account how one man never has all the answers no matter how learned he is."

"Hm, you might not want to let anyone hear you say that – especially in the case of Professor Dumbledore," Luna said as her lips quirked into a smile as she held her hands out. "I'm not saying people would call it heresy, but they'd say it's heresy."

"A rose by any other name?" Juuchi asked after letting out a snort.

"Indeed," Luna said before she tilted her head. "And you have no sister in Ravenclaw?"

Juuchi gave Luna a look and then slowly said, "I get the feeling you would have found her already if I had a sister in Ravenclaw."

Juuchi had run around in Ravenclaw colors, but she got the feeling she would need to stop that just to be sure Luna did not sneak up on her while wearing the colors of the blue and bronze house.

"Perhaps," Luna said before her attention swiveled back to Juuchi. "You seem like a sneaky sort."

"I like to think I am," Juuchi said.

"Have you and your sisters ever spent the night in a House that isn't your own?" Luna asked with an innocent smile.

"I might have gotten into the Gryffindor dorms," Juuchi said cautiously.

"Do tell," Luna said as she sidled up to Juuchi and invaded the sword's personal space.

"I might have a list of passwords," Juuchi said as she sort of leaned away from Luna. She indeed did have a list of passwords. She had copied Neville's list when he was sleeping and had taken to carrying it around with her so she would not be trapped outside of Gryffindor Tower at night when Harry slept some of the time.

Juuchi knew he had a schedule, she knew Harry's schedule was the same every day, but the Muramasa could swear he had a tendency to be in more than one place at almost any given time. It made it exceptionally difficult to make sure she could protect him in case the worst were to occur.

"Tell you what, I'll tell you all about nargles if you give me a copy of the password list," Luna said as she maintained her innocent smile.

"I suppose something could be arranged, but I would like to know about them at least a little before I trade something as valuable as the list of passwords to get into another House's dorm," Juuchi said as she gave Luna a thoughtful look.

And so the two began to walk and talk about the fae creatures known as nargles, and Juuchi wondered what sort of activities she could get away with by blaming the little mischievous thieves.

 

[darthcourt10]

Savato93

The Abyssals stood over the scarred Re-class, their hearts aching for their broken sister. Finally, Renita's torment was over… but now, came the long, slow road to recovery.

Drifting silently in the void of Limbo, the Re-class didn't seem to particularly care about her surroundings—her focus, if it could be called that, was simply on resting. They didn't fault her for it; finally absolved of her guilt, soothed and comforted by her family's reaffirmed love for her, Renita had a chance—for the first time in living memory—to truly sleep in peace.

And with all she'd been through, she was very much entitled to that peace.

Slowly, quietly, a Ne-class came forward and took Renita's hand in her own. "What happened to me, wasn't your fault," Nelia whispered. "But even so… I'm grateful for you laying my body to rest. Thank you, sister."

As Nelia pulled away, another sister stepped forward, a He-class. "You probably weren't in the state of mind to realize it at the time… but you saved me from a Battleship Princess, so long ago in Unalaska. Came at her from behind when she had me cornered and at her mercy—ripped open her armor with your bare hands, launched a loaded bomber directly into her substructure—and left me peacefully as she died. Yes, I still sank in the end, at the hands of some other Abyssal… but seeing you come to my aid gave me just a little bit of relief. Because you were still alive, and you still cared about us." She sniffled. "I hope you can finally find peace, now."

On it went, each sister coming to Renita's side to say their piece to her. It was okay that she wasn't awake to hear their words—in a place like this, emotions and intent had significantly more weight. Even if she didn't remember their words, deep down, she would understand their message:

she was forgiven.

No more fear, no more pain, no more despair… Renita dreamed only of a quiet beach, gently rolling waves…

And the starry night sky overhead.

XXXXXXXXXX

Fluffy watched the orb in her hands quietly, her odd little rigging creature standing at attention.

She was still having a hard time processing it all. This… this little ball… was the heart of her flagship. This couldn't be real… and yet, she could feel emotions, glimpse memories that she knew didn't belong to her. Cautiously examining it, carefully running her fingers over the cracks in its surface, she could feel… pain. Regret. Fear. Loneliness. Even though she had found her family, even though she would be healed… even though she was still loved… her flagship would probably never be able to completely let those feelings go. The damage was just too deep.

From now on, at least, she would have her family to help her handle them.

"Fluffy is doing okay?" blinking, the young princess looked up to… well, who she could only assume was now her de facto leader. "A lot has happened very fast, for you."

"I… I guess, yeah…" she mumbled. "All these years, she's pined for her family, always talking about what great people you were… but I had no idea she was part of the Northern Ocean fleet." She shook her head. "Not to be insensitive, but I thought they were all dead!"

Fluffy didn't remember much of the crap her original flagship spewed out of her mouth, but one of the few times she hadn't been throwing insults or death threats, she'd warned them of the Northern Ocean Princess. She declared her the anathema to all things Abyssal for her pacifism, her kindness towards humans. She said that, because the Princess did not kill, she was weak… and therefore, she had to die.

And to be frank, Fluffy thought she did—what few stragglers managed to get away from the invasion said it was a total massacre, for BOTH sides.

"Hoppou can understand the disbelief," the princess said with a shrug. "Hoppou was picked up by Mommy and other shipgirls shortly after fighting stopped, so none of the mean Abyssals found out she survived. The rest of Hoppou's daughters that lived, ended up going into hiding on nearby islands, including this one." She sighed softly. "We lost a lot… our home, our friends, and yes, many of Hoppou's daughters… but we all persevered. Just like Renita."

For a time, the pair was silent once more. Fluffy simply watched as her Flagship's body was taken apart little by little—tiny workers cutting into her hull with steel-cutting saws and blowtorches, cranes carrying the pieces up to Hoppou for examination. The princess went over them diligently, examining the steel, the degree of corrosion present, or the amount of battle-damage sustained. From there, the pieces were either set aside to be broken down and recycled, or disposed of by imps as total scrap.

Quite pointedly, the 'salvageable' pile contained less than a dozen parts.

Eventually, Fluffy spoke up. "How… how did you do it?" she asked. "What you… did, to my flagship… to turn her into this." She held up the orb.

Hoppou paused. Slowly, her gaze rose to the ceiling. "Hoppou is… not sure how to put it. It's a bit like… Renita's body is an icebox, and her soul, everything that makes her what she is, is the frost built up all over the inside of it. Hoppou just sort of… opens the icebox, and scrapes up all the frost. Packs it into a little snowball, and pulls it out."

"That… that's a good enough analogy, I guess…" Fluffy shook her head. "But still… HOW did you do it? It just… doesn't seem like something that should be physically possible."

After a moment, Hoppou tilted her head slightly. "Hoppou… doesn't know. It's just been something Hoppou was always able to do."

Fluffy was quiet as she processed that information. "And… you're not confused about why you can? And others can't?" she continued.

"Not particularly… Everybody's unique. But Hoppou knows this power can… scare other Abyssals. It's why Hoppou hides it most of the time, only ever uses it in times like this." Fluffy could understand that—she was already terrified by the fact her flagship's matriarch could yank her out of her own body, if she so desired. "Maybe there are other Princesses who can handle souls like Hoppou, and they just keep it a secret. So long as those Princesses don't do anything mean to Hoppou's friends or family, Hoppou isn't too concerned about it. Does that make sense for Fluffy?"

Fluffy opened her mouth, trying to think of something more to say, but nothing came to mind. She let her head fall with a sigh. "…I guess. It just… it all feels so unreal."

Suddenly, the sound of Hoppou's work began to slowly peter out.

When Fluffy looked up in confusion, she saw Hoppou turned to look at her with a concerned expression. "Fluffy seems… upset. Is Fluffy not happy that Renita will finally be okay? That she can be part of Renita's family?"

Fluffy shook her head. "…n-no, it's not like I'm tired of taking care of her. Seeing my Flagship in pain for so long, with next to nothing I could do for it… I couldn't be happier, knowing that her suffering is finally over." The young princess's gaze fell once more. "But after everything that's happened… for the first time in… I can't even remember how long. I've been able to just sit here and think… about myself. What's happened to me. What the two of us have been through. And I've realized that… ever since I met her, my entire life has revolved around her. I barely thought for myself… I only ever worried about keeping her fed, making sure she got enough rest, keeping us away from anyone that might hurt her. I don't think I ever once thought of what I would do with myself when—or if—we actually managed to find you all.

"I've been running pretty much my whole life. First from my old fleet… then from other Abyssals… shipgirls, humans… to keep my flagship safe, we ran from everything. We… I have never stayed in any one place more than a few days. Never had anyone to keep me company, but my flagship." Fluffy gestured to everything around her. "But suddenly, I'm being offered an open port… a home. A place where I can finally stop running. Stop worrying about the next meal, about what potential threat might be waiting over the horizon, about whether my Flagship will make it through the night without a panic attack… and just live."

Hoppou cocked her head. "And Fluffy doesn't think that's good?"

"No. In fact, the opposite—I think it's wonderful. It's just that… it feels too good to be true." Fluffy shrunk in on herself… curling around the frail mote of life she'd dedicated her life to. "After so long, living life on the edge… can I ever really let that lifestyle go, learn to just relax? Or will I always be just this… skittish, paranoid little Princess? What if… what if something happens that makes me act out? And I hurt someone? What will they do to me…?"

For a moment, there was no response. Then, Hoppou spoke.

"Hoppou understands." Fluffy flinched slightly as the little princess suddenly leaned into her lap, looking up to her with big eyes. "Fluffy is scared. Scared that everything in her life is changing so much. Scared that she can't adapt quickly enough, that she won't fit in with rest of Hoppou's girls." She rested a hand on the orb in Fluffy's grasp. "Scared that she'll lose person she cares about."

"…yes," the young princess eventually whispered.

Hoppou smiled softly. "Fluffy may be big girl now… but she's still a puppy on the inside. Thinks with her heart, more than her head." She hugged Fluffy gently, careful not to endanger Renita's spirit. "But Hoppou doesn't think that's a bad thing. It makes it easy for Hoppou to see that Fluffy is a good girl, who doesn't want to hurt anyone—just like her own daughters."

Fluffy looked up at the Princess, expression just the slightest bit hopeful. "…you… you really mean that?"

Hoppou nodded. "Just the fact Fluffy is scared of not fitting in, proves that she already fits in just fine." Falling back, she threw her arms wide open. "And even if she has trouble getting used to everything, Fluffy isn't alone anymore. Hoppou and her daughters will gladly help. After everything Fluffy has done for Renita… she deserves no less."

"…I…"

"Hey, Hoppou-chan…" Fluffy leaned slightly away from the approaching voice as the purple-haired shipgirl carefully stepped close. "Once you all have everything situated, we'll probably need to talk about getting these two to sign the treaty…"

"No, we don't," the little Princess cut her off. "Renita is part of Hoppou's fleet to begin with. Since Renita took in Fluffy as a stray puppy, she is also officially part of fleet, even as a Princess." Her voice was stern, her tone clearly stating the subject was not up for debate.

Tenryuu arched an eyebrow. After a moment, she nodded. "…alright, then. I'll just make a note of it in my report." With a small salute, she walked away.

Fluffy looked back to Hoppou, at a loss for words. It had been one thing to hear it from Sunny… but from the Northern Ocean Princess herself? "Y-you… what you just said…?"

The little princess smiled. "Hoppou means it. We're not like that meanie that made you, none of us. You're family to Renita—that makes you family to us, too. Fluffy doesn't need to run, anymore… because family takes care of each other."

"H-hey, Grandma… hey, Fluffy." Fluffy turned back to see the other Re-class—Regalia, she recalled—standing in front of them, twiddling her thumbs. "How's everything going?"

Hoppou looked back to Regalia. "Things are alright." Her eyebrows narrowed slightly. "Are you feeling better? Has your injury been looked at?"

Regalia's gaze fell. "O-oh. Er, yeah. Aunt Ritou gave me a checkup." She unzipped her parka, exposing the hole she'd punched into her own abdomen. Since Fluffy had last seen her, the bandages had been removed, replaced by an off-color patch of… what looked like a miniature tarp stitched over the wound. "She said that as long as I take it easy, the damage won't spread or get any worse."

Hoppou rose to her feet and stepped up to the Re-class, inspecting the damage. After several seconds, she huffed, satisfied. "…looks good enough." She returned to her spot at the edge of the drydock and sat down. "Hoppou almost finished with dismantling hull. Regalia is here to watch Hoppou work?" The Re-class nodded. "Okay. Regalia can sit here, next to Hoppou. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, okay? It's important for training."

"Yeah, I know."

As Fluffy watched Regalia take her spot beside her grandmother, idly picking up her own boiler to inspect it, she felt herself overcome by a peculiar feeling. Something she hadn't felt for a long time, if ever… actual calm.

Maybe… maybe this new life wouldn't be so bad.

Savato93 Omake: Why Fluffy might not sign the Accords

Not to mention a certain... embarrassing revelation:

"You can't read!?"

"y-yeah..."

"But Fluffy seems so smart, especially for a former puppy!"

"Even so, I'm still technically feral. My old flagship never taught us much of anything; a lot of what I DO know, I had to figure out by myself."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

"Mate?! You in here?!"

At the doorway to the "Junk Room", Ron frowned some as he looked around. Even after the sorting of various items, there was still massive piles of discarded items in the room. So much so that he was reasonably certain that said room would never really get cleaned out. However, a shout made him snap out of his thoughts. "YEAH! I'M OVER HERE!"

For several moments, the red haired wizard blinked before sighing and pinching his nose. "WHERE!? I CAN'T EXACTLY SEE WHERE YOU ARE!"

Suddenly, a beam of light shot up towards the arched ceiling of the room from behind some piles. "OVER HERE!"

Making his way around the various piles, and careful to make sure that none of them were going to drop on his head, Ron eventually reached Harry who was looking over a sofa in thought. Raising an eyebrow, the Weasley blinked. "Wait, those colors... are those from Ravenclaw?"

With a glance over at him, Harry nodded. "Pretty sure that they are to be honest." Waving his wand over it, the black haired wizard nodded to himself. "It is even in great condition."

Eyebrows furrowing, Ron came to stand beside him and scratched his head. "Wait, its in good condition?" At the nod, he frowned some. "If it is in great condition, then why is it here? That makes no sense!"

In reply, his friend pointed at a stain. "I think that it is because of that."

For several moments, Ron stared first at him, and then the stain, and back. "You mean to tell me, they threw out a perfectly good couch... because of a stain? Seriously?"

All Harry did was nod at that. "It would seem to be so." Rubbing his neck, he frowned some. "I mean, it seems resistant to magical cleaning to be honest, which is no doubt the reasoning." Seeing Ron turn to him, the thirteen year old shrugged before reaching for the stain and revealing a small cut before peeling it back. "I already identified it as velvet and the stain is literally skin deep. So I'm going to send a picture to Ooyodo-Oba and see if she can't find me a similar fabric color."

Head tilted to the side, the red haired teen frowned. "Huh, well it makes sense to at least use it. And though you're going to have issues hiding the patch..."

Rather amused, Harry raised one eyebrow at him. "Are you or are you not a wizard?" Then he shrugged and let the fabric fall back. "I'm just going to use transfiguration to merge the new fabric at the edges with the old and it should look fine. A few charms to make it fully match and you would not even know that it was not part of the original furniture in the first place."

Still with his arms crossed, Ron gave his friend a look. "Wait, are you even allowed to take this? I mean..."

Chuckling, the last Potter gave him a grin. "Actually, I am. Remember last year? Professor Dumbledore wants as much of this gone as possible. Not sure what I'll do with it... maybe send it to be with the Fleet of Laughter as they could use furniture."

With a glance at it, Ron frowned some. "That is true enough, though you should ask Percy as well... and I might be interested in furniture myself."

Just scratching his chin, Harry thought about that for a few moments before snapping his fingers. "Oh yeah! You, Warspite, and Duke bought a house, didn't you?" When he nodded, Harry gave a small grin. "I think that I have something for you that could work with Summer."

More then a little confused, the Weasley followed Harry though he gave a look at a large number of bookcases that they passed. "Uh, Mate? What are those doing there? Some of them look like they're from the library!"

Glancing at them, he nodded. "That's because some are and others are from the Ravenclaw dorms." At the look of surprise, Harry shrugged. "Apparently a rather frequent gift from Ravenclaw Alumni are new bookshelves for either their dorms or the library. Usually, there's enough that the Elves just use them to replace the oldest ones and put those in here. Needless to say, there's a lot of them."

Jaw dropping, Ron turned back to the shelves. The idea of what he was being told offended him, especially due to how he was raised. "B-but that's a waste! What the Bloody Hell!?" Then he looked at one closer and boggled. "The hell!? I am pretty sure that this one is freaking mahogany!"

Also blinking, Harry looked closer and then nodded some. "Huh, I think that you're right. Pretty sure that there's some oak ones as well in here among others." Then he shrugged with a shake of the head. "Then again, I would not expect Ravenclaws to have anything but the best woods for bookcases." Head tilted to the side, the wizard nodded to himself. 'Chiana will likely be happy with them for the library that she wants to build.'

Facepalming, the red head took a deep breath. "I swear, Mate, I want to hit someone! Just one of these would cost more then my Da makes in an entire year! Gah!"

There was a grin on Harry's face as he gestured for Ron to follow. "Oh, you seen nothing yet..." Soon after, he turned to a frozen Ron and spread his arms wide. "Pan-paka-pan!"

Before them were groups of bedframes, and not just the size of ones that they were familiar with. More then a few were massive ones compared to what they were used to which looked big enough to fit Hagrid in them. Walking up to one, Ron ran his hands along the grain with a look of thought before hitting it with a spell. 'Walnut...' Looking at the headboard, he smiled a bit as it had an idyllic scene of a woodland. More then that, the carved figures of animals looked nearly alive. Turning back to the bedframe, Ron knocked a fist on it. "Where the heck did these come from?"

Walking up beside him, Harry gave a small shrug. "Had to do some looking myself and asked Professor Dumbledore about them." He glanced to where various Smols were going over the bedframes, checking them. "We asked the portraits in his office and they stated that Hagrid was not the only giant magical to live in these walls. Apparently they used to be more common before, um... giants died out in Britain about six hundred years ago."
Eyebrows raising, Ron turned to him. "Wait, are you saying that..."

Harry shrugged some at that. "That people with giant blood were more common? Yeah, it seems like they were at some point, same with troll blood. Granted, they were usually a lot bigger and heavier then normal students so they had to make custom furniture for them. When they left, they just shoved the bedframes in here and forgot about them, simply thinking that it was cheaper to make new beds as the need came up."

Once more, his friend facepalmed. "I am now officially disgusted and annoyed to no end."

Chuckling, Harry scratched his cheek. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Ooyodo-Oba is going to be freaking livid when she finds out and sees some of these. Not to mention the chairs and the like built for said people as well, all of which are in really good condition as well. Though this bed..." A small smile on his face, he pointed at the bed that Ron was examining. "This one belonged to a teacher about four hundred years ago. She was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and apparently part giant. She used this one right up until she became the Headmistress... when she had that one over there made."

Now turning, the other teen pinched his nose. "Mate, please... please do not tell me that bedframe is made from goddamn bloody ebony and ivory... Please..."

All Harry did was shrug. "Sure, then I won't tell you." Ignoring how Ron looked like he wanted to punch something badly, he hummed. "Apparently she made a lot of money back in the day."

Looking at him, Ron lifted one eyebrow and his tone was utterly dry. "No, really? A lot of money you say..."

However, that just made Harry grin. "Yup!" Then frowning in thought, he raised an eyebrow. "What do you think? Give to Percy?"

Needless to say, that made Ron do a double take. "Wait, what? Why give that to Percy?"

With a hum, the black haired wizard smirked. "For several reasons actually." He then began to tick them off on his fingers. "For one thing, Amisi, being from Ancient Egypt would love what it is made out of and the carvings on them. Second, it would drive Ooyodo-Oba up the wall. Third, it would do much the same with Supprin. Fourth, it would hold all of them... Fifth... I want to see their expressions when they're given them. Maybe for a wedding present or something."

For several moments, Ron stared at him and then back at the bed before shrugging. "Okay, those are pretty good reasons, I guess." The young wizard then pointed at the walnut one. "However, that one I want for Summer, she'll love it. Especially the animals on it. Though..." Now looking at the Headmistress one, he grimaced. "No one died in these... did they?"

Just shaking his head, Harry frowned. "No, no one died in them. Those are usually taken and burned because of how most wizards and witches see them." Standing there, he shook his head some. "I mean, some of these have been shoved here not because they were busted or broken, but because the school got new ones or what have you... Or could not find a use." Walking over to a carved table, Harry rapped his knuckles on it. "This was from the library, until one of the Headmasters replaced all the tables because he liked another style."

Ron only nodded at that before sighing. "Still a bloody waste, if you ask me. But I guess we should be happy since that means that we can just take them, even if there is a small fee to the school."

Simply shrugging, the black haired wizard nodded to that. "Pretty much. I mean, putting aside everything else? This is a lot less expensive then finding brand new furniture. The cost of them is either dusting them off or shining them. With the bedframes, well, they need new mattresses, but that's easy."

Just softly snorting, Ron smiled a bit. "Yeah, there's a shop in Diagon that sells mattresses and other bed things. You just give them the dimensions of the bed, the type of mattress that you want, and away you go." His smirk then became a smile as he pointed at one giant bedframe. "Now that one, you might want, Mate."

Confused, Harry looked at it and frowned some. "Um, why? Its a wide one for sure, but..."

If anything, his friend's smirk grew at that. "Oh, just for some reasons is all."

Eyebrow raised, the last of the Potters gave him a look before shrugging it off and turning to Minagato who was on a table. "So how goes the inspection so far? Anything wrong with them?"

Rubbing her chin, Minagato thought it over before shaking her head. "Gato, gato gato gato. Gato gato gato gato."

The sound of feet nearby made Harry turn as some of the Smols brought things that they found, Smolgina carrying a vase. "Gina! Gina gina gina gina!"

Gently taking it, the thirteen year old wizard hummed some. "This is a rather nice vase. I mean, it would look pretty good on a table."

Kutie then spoke up and waved a hand. "Ku ku ku ku! Ku!"

Blinking, Harry set down the vase and looked at Ron in curiosity. "Want to see what Kutie found? I am sort of curious what has her so excited after all." Several moments later, they reached the spot where a recent fall of junk uncovered something, with the black haired boy scratching his head. "What the heck? Is that an actual Bar counter?"

Only sighing, Ron scratched his head. "Looks like it? Not sure what one is doing here though..." Looking over the dark wood with the carvings on it as well as the stone top, he frowned. "It is a rather nice bar though."

All Harry could do was shrug as the two boys continued their exploration of the area.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Humming, Myrtle felt her lips curl as she floated through the door in her older form into the Gryffindor Third Year Boy's Dorm. At a squawk from Seamus who fell off his bed, a giggle escaped from her mouth. "Is there something wrong, Seamus?"

The Irish teen poked his head above his bed and scowled at the ghost. "What the bloody hell are you doing in here!? This is the boy's dorm!"

Extremely amused, Myrtle crossed her arms under her chest which made Dean and Seamus both blush. "And? It is nothing that I have not seen before, I will have you know. Besides..." Her eyes twinkling, she smirked. "All us ghosts can turn invisible and you have no idea what we girls might talk about~"

Ignoring the slack jawed look from Seamus, she moved past before looking at the floor. Eyebrow raising, she hummed a bit before the thirteen year old Irish wizard grabbed the magazine there and shoved it under his bed. Lips twitching, she then continued until she was at the foot of Harry's bed, with the black haired boy grinning at her. "Hey, Aunt Myrtle."

Simply chuckling, Myrtle's head moved up and down as she watched her "Nephew" and observed what he was doing. "Good morning, Harry. Having fun there?"

A grin still on his face as his arms continued to pump up and down, the young wizard in training nodded. "Yeah, a lot." Shaking his head, he let out a huff. "This immovable rod is great for chin ups."

Nodding, the ghost shook her head. "Well, I would hope so." Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the grumbling Seamus walked out followed by Dean. "Somehow though, I do not think that someone else is having as good a morning as you are."

With the best shrug that he could do as he continued to pull his body up and down on the rod suspended in thin air, Harry shook his head. "Don't see what the big deal he has, myself. Besides which, you haven't come in when we're not decent anyways."

Head tilted to the side, Myrtle gave a small nod at that while Neville gave his friend a look. "Um, Mate? Can I ask you something?"

Resting with a huff, Harry's feet touched the ground as he nodded with sweat beading from his brow. "Sure, Nev. What's up?"

An amused look on her face, Myrtle pointed at the bar. "Well, besides that."

Snickers escaped from the green eyed wizard while the other rolled his eyes at that. Unable to help himself though, Neville did have a small smile for a few moments before it became a frown again. "Well, it sort of has to do with exercising. I... sort of looked it up when I was doing some research this summer, you know? Because, um, what happened..." Instead of saying anything, Harry only nodded at that. "Anyways, one of the things that I came across was about running. And that doing it every day is not a good thing because, well... it sort of wears out your joints or something?"

That caused Myrtle to look at Harry with a serious expression on her face. "Is that true, Harry?"

Only shrugging, the teen in question dropped off the bar before scratching his head. "Well, sort of? It does cause some wear and tear on the knees and stuff. But, I'm sort of in the safe area for that to be perfectly honest."

Lost, Neville furrowed his eyebrows some at that. "Wait, what? How?"

Chuckling, Harry stretched his arms above his head before grabbing the towel on the bed and wiping his forehead. "Well, its sort of a gift from my biological Mum. You know how she is a shipgirl, right?" When the other wizard nodded, Harry continued. "Because of that, Repair Fluid works out pretty well for when I get hurt. It doesn't heal everything, just sort of causes it to heal faster. Except for small things, bruises and the like can vanish pretty quickly, including..."

Eyes widening, Myrtle was the first of the two to figure it out. "Like the normal wear and tear on joints!" Then frowning, she placed a finger against her chin in thought. "Does it take away all of it, or just some though?"

At that, the black haired wizard shrugged. "No one is really sure to be honest. But it does seem like it lowers the amount of damage my joints take, so I get a lot of the benefits without most of the drawbacks." Once more shrugging, he grinned a bit. "Think of it as being an engine being tuned."

Slowly shaking his head, Neville gave a small laugh. "Lucky you."

Noticing that the other wizard was now looking at the immovable rod, Harry raised an eyebrow. "You want to try it?"

With a blink, Neville looked back and forth before coughing. "Um, not right now? Maybe later though... I mean, lifting yourself up and down looks, well, not easy, but also not super hard?"

All Harry did was nod at that. "True..." Grabbing the rod, he lifted himself up before flipped a bit and hooked his knees over it as Neville stared with wide eyes. Now hanging upside down, a snicker escaped him as he pulled his upper body upwards. "But other aspects are harder then you would think."

Mouth working for a few moments, the Longbottom Scion finally just shook his head. "Um, sure?"

Her arms crossed meanwhile, Myrtle frowned a little bit at what she was seeing. "You're doing a lot more then you did last year, Harry. May I ask why?"

Grunting, Harry's lips pressed thinly together for a few moments. "Well, I nearly died against the Basilisk. And then there was the stuff that happened over the summer as well as what happened in First Year with Voldemort. That sort of has lit a fire under me to be as ready as possible." With a sigh, he pulled himself up again. "And besides... this is just preparing me for when I do join the military as a cadet."

Still frowning, Myrtle shook her head before wagging a finger at him. "Just be careful not to push yourself too far or overdo it, Harry. I don't want you hurting yourself either."

That got her a nod from the young wizard while Neville blinked. "Wow." At their looks, he sheepishly smiled some. "Um, it is just that you really did sound like an Aunt right there."

Blinking, a small blush sprang up on the ghost's face while she smiled bashfully. "Thank you for that, Neville."

A half hour later, they left the dorms with Harry's hair slightly wet from a shower. Reaching the Common Room, the black haired wizard raised an eyebrow as he looked at one of the chairs. "Well now, aren't we comfy?"

Just raising her head from her book, Hermione frowned some. "Of course I am, Harry. I have a good book and a nice chair. What else could I need?"

While Myrtle was giggling madly, Harry lifted one eyebrow as his lips quirked a bit. "Hermione? I'm not talking about you." Pointing, he continued. "I am mainly talking about Crookshanks."

That made Hermione blink before she looked up some. "Crookshanks is just resting and enjoying himself." Reaching up, she smiled as the cat purred from being scratched under the chin. "Also, he's warm."

Unable to help himself, Harry looked at the cat which was laying on top of his bushy haired friend's head. "I suppose that he is, Hermione. Especially as he's a head pet."

Hermione only smiled as she continued to scratch her pet's chin. "He is a very good boy..."

Moments later though, Ron scoffed a bit as he went and slumped down on the sofa across from her. "Yeah, sure, he's good... until he's chasing Scabbers around and trying to eat him." Grimacing, he shook his head. "I had to chase him out of the dorms last night when he snuck in. Honestly, he's a bit if a menace, Hermione."

Frowning, the disguised shipgirl paused in her scratching of her pet. "I don't know about that, Ron. And you can't really blame Crookshanks, cats do chase mice." She then pointed at Harry. "Hedwig doesn't seem to like Scabbers and neither does Shiromizu."

With a shrug, Harry shook his head. "I don't know about Hedwig, but Shiromizu? According to her, there's something about Scabbers that she really does not like. She doesn't know what it is, but she just does not like that rat for whatever reason, she said that he smells of cowardice or some such."

Eyebrows furrowing, Ron scratched his head. "Um, okay? That's a bit odd, though he's never been the bravest pet, I guess?" Deciding to shove that until later, the red head turned to his friend who was looking over the day's schedule. "By the way, Mate... how goes the practice on your Patronus?"

Looking up, the green eyed wizard grimaced some. "Not that well to be honest... I mean, I can get a wisp of mist from my wand, which I guess is pretty good? But not much more then that at the moment, though Professor Lupin says that is a big deal in and of itself." Sighing, he shook his head. "Though it is somewhat frustrating, especially as there's no real books about the spell, maybe a paragraph or two and that's about it."

Unnoticed by him, Myrtle was chewing her lip and thinking hard about something and her next words caught their attention. "I... may be able to help with that." Seeing the confusion, she leaned in towards him. "After classes, come to the library, in particular the right hand row before the Restricted Section. Right at the back there's an alcove there...

After classes, the four Third Years all gathered at the alcove in question and looked around. Hermione did blink a bit though and point one thing out in particular. "Is that a raven statue there?"

Turning, Harry tilted his head some and gave a small nod as he looked at it. "Huh, so it is. But what's it doing here?" A frown on his face, he moved a bit closer. "Looks like its made of jet?"

Chuckles caught their attention and they all turned to find Myrtle there with a slight smile on her face. "As a matter of fact, that is exactly what it is made of. And it is a very old part of the library. The oldest part as a matter of fact. But this is something known to few, mainly Ravenclaws. Now, watch..." She then drifted up some and cleared her throat despite being dead. "Caw caw! Caw caw!"

Harry was about to say something when the raven tilted its head and cawed back and the book it was standing on opened up. The air then began to be sucked forward and the group all spun into the book before it slammed shut, with nothing there to show that any of them had been there...

Meanwhile, all four Third Years was yelping as they shot down a tunnel with Myrtle following. They passed a number of blurs before being flung out onto something and sliding along. Groaning, they all got to their feet and then stopped as they looked around with their jaws dropped. A smile as she floated beside them, Myrtle cleared her throat. "Welcome, my friends..."

"To Rowena's Library of Secrets."

 

[darthcourt10]

Weaver

Sunday, 29th September 2013

In her room after the museum had closed for the day, Zetland was sat at the desk, an expression of concentration on her face. Her ability to use a computer had improved since Dan had explained e-mail to her but anyone watching her would still be reminded of someone's elderly grandmother who'd only recently discovered the internet.

However she persevered, even if anything she wrote was typed with agonising, hunt-and-peck slowness and she had to occasionally consult notes provided by Dan and helpful museum staff. It was more than worth the effort. In addition to her correspondence with Rose the tea set (which had led to the rather embarrassing discovery that everyone had been overlooking the obvious with regards to her rot problem and that repair fluid would work on her, necessitating a rethinking of plans) and occasionally Awa Maru, she'd managed to get in contact with Tyne. Well, sort of. Her sort-of niece up in South Shields shared her inability to go far from her hull and unfortunately there wasn't a working internet connection within her range, so a member of the Tynemouth RNLI was currently acting as a go-between. Not that they really had much to write to each other about. Perhaps it was because they were lifeboats, who were meant to work alone, maybe it was because they were stationed so far apart, or maybe it was simply because they didn't know each other but so far neither of them really knew what to say to the other.

Right at that moment though she was done with her emails and was currently awkwardly navigating the National Register of Historic Ships. She'd been informed of the criteria for a tsukumogami being able to manifest a humanoid avatar by Rose Potter and if any other lifeboats were likely to do so in the near future she wanted to know about it.

As she went through the lifeboats on the register and picked out the ones over a hundred, a frown started to form and her jaw started to tighten. Some of the lifeboats she was looking at were well cared for museum pieces like her and Tyne, or were in private use and being looked after. Others however weren't so lucky, including the oldest after herself and Tyne, the Samuel Fletcher of Manchester, who had lain neglected outside for years with the inevitable consequences to her hull. According to the website she was awaiting restoration but that didn't mean much. The same sort of thing also applied to other lifeboats on the list.

Leaning back in her seat, Zetland looked over at the pictures of her lost successors that she had hanging on the wall, all those who had had pictures taken of them anyway: Burton-On-Trent, Emma, Brothers, Fifi and Charles, Louisa Polden, City of Leeds and Aguila Wren. Letting out a sigh, she drummed her fingers thoughtfully for a moment before reaching a decision. She'd been lavished with love and care over the years and so had Tyne, albeit without the people getting poetic, but younger boats had been badly neglected. Getting damaged or even wrecked in the line of duty was an occupational hazard and being scrapped was alas the usual fate of old boats, but being left to rot? That wasn't right. So, first she'd find out exactly what Samuel Fletcher's current state was and go from there. Then when that was sorted she'd move on to the next boat in a sorry state. She was the oldest and while she wasn't entirely sure what that meant in terms of responsibilities she knew she had them and wasn't about to shirk them.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A/N: See below for why Zetland is annoyed;
Spoiler: Pictures of a Very Unhealthy Looking Boat
Samuel Fletcher (Built 1885)

There's also the Frances Forbes Barton (built 1896) who in 2013 IRL was pretty much left to rot in a farmer's field. Fortunately she has since been rescued.

Also I'm still dithering as to whether or not Zetland is shipgirl enough to have fairies. Thoughts?

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Staring ahead, Hermione blinked away some tears as she clasped her hands in front of her. "It... it is so beautiful..."

Myrtle just crossed her arms as she looked around herself. "That it is, Hermione. That it is."

Bemused at how the two were acting, the Japanese raised wizard looked around. It was rather obvious that wherever they were currently, it was deep under the school. Head tilted to the side, he frowned before pulling out a compass and looking at it before blinking. "That's... odd."

Now looking away from where Hermione was standing with literal stars in her eyes, Ron raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

In reply, Harry held up the compass, which was spinning madly. "The compass, its not giving me any sort of directions at all. All it does is spin in all directions."

Giggling, the ghost leading them wagged a finger at him. "Of course it is!" With a wink, she continued. "If it was known exactly where it was, then it would not be a secret!"

Just giving her an odd look, Neville looked away before noticing something. "Um, Hermione?" Poking said Light Cruiser when she did not respond, Neville continued. "Hermione?"

Snapping out of her daze, Hermione looked at him with a frown. "What is it, Neville?" In reply, he pointed at his mouth and it took a few moments for her to realize what he meant. Hurriedly, she wiped the drool that was there with an embarrassed look on her face. "Um, right..."

Extremely amused, the Longbottom looked away before turning back to the library that was below them. There were loads of bookcases everywhere that he looked in the chamber that had to be as big as the library above. "Wow... This place is amazing."

A soft snort escaped Myrtle as she drifted up beside him. "And this is just the entrance library." Seeing the surprised looks, she pointed at a tunnel. "That tunnel continued downwards to the deeper levels. Though one must be careful down there as the... ecology... can get a bit odd at times. And dangerous." There was a thoughtful look on the ghost's face as she looked around. "I wonder if the Library Dungeon Exploration Club is still around... I know that Professor Flitwick was part of it in his earlier days."

For several moments, Hermione just stared at her. "Did... you say ecology... Myrtle?" When said spirit nodded, the shipgirl blinked. "As in, an ecosystem?"

That only made the ghost more amused as she nodded. "I did as a matter of fact." Motioning with a hand, she continued. "This library has been down here for a thousand years and filled with any number of magical books. Which has had an effect on the life that was down here. Right! Please follow me."

With a shared look of confusion, the group followed her until they reached one of the first shelves and Myrtle floated up until she grabbed two books and floated them down with Ron tilting his head. "Um, what are these?"

Even though Neville was giving her a questioning look at how she was holding them, Myrtle held up one. "This is 'Fantastic Library Beasts and Where to Find Them' and the first edition was written when Newt Scamander was a student here. There's been other editions coming out as more species has been discovered and the library's deeper regions probed. The second is 'So you want to explore the Library of Secrets' by Jerome Potter, I think that he might have been your great-great-great-great-great-great Grandfather, Harry... He was one of those Potters who went into Ravenclaw anyways if I remember my history."

Gently taking the heavy book, Harry let out an awed sound. "This is so cool..."

Lost, Hermione looked up at the floating ghost. "Is this really necessary? I mean... we're talking a library here."

Softly snorting, Myrtle rolled her eyes. "Very much so! And we are talking about a magical library here." Then she shrugged some. "Thankfully we won't need to head to the deeper portions of the library where there are traps and such. And we shouldn't meet any Bookwyrms either."

Looking faintly insulted, the shipgirl looked up at her. "Bookworms! Myrtle, that is-"

However, she was silenced as Myrtle waved a hand. "No, no. Not bookworms... Bookwyrms. Completely different." One finger raised, she leaned in. "One is mostly harmless in the form of people who really love books. The second are a species of draconic-like creatures that live in the depths of the library and hoard books. Imagine a reptilian creature about fifteen feet long, with most of that being a serpentine body as thick around as a human's, two arms in front, a head like that of a dragon's... with glasses perched on the snout."

It was Neville who spoke up for the group at that. "Wat."

All Myrtle did though was shrug. "I don't know myself, I only saw one from a distance once when I was alive. It was sorting the books three levels down from here."

Unsure of she was having them on, Harry flipped through the book and paused at one of the pages which included an illustration of what she described. "Huh... says here that they also write books? Repairing old tomes and the like with their society based around who has the oldest and rarest books in their territories."

Facepalming, Hermione groaned. 'I have no idea if this is some sort of joke or not...' With a sigh, she looked at Myrtle who seemed awfully amused. "Is that the only danger..."

Just shaking her head, the ghost chuckled. "Not by far to be honest. Bookwyrms are apparently pretty nice as long as you don't try to damage or destroy any books down here. Giant dust mites, spiders, booksharks-" That got her odd looks. "That swim in some of the pools down here, animated books which I am pretty sure have been breeding with each other somehow, statues that roam around, Literary Wights-"

That made Harry pinch his nose some and take a deep breath. "Literary Wights? Should I ask what those are...?"

On Myrtle's face was a serious expression as she leaned down. "A very dangerous species of undead. They're what happens when extremely serious bibliophiles stay down here so long that they starve to death if not found in time. The library's re-animates them as guardians. They roam down on levels eleven and below between the rows of shelves. Always hunting for new knowledge and literature."

His face pale, Neville gulped. "People have actually died down here?!"

With a small shrug, the ghost nodded some. "In a few cases, sure. Usually though it is not more then maybe once a century now since the Assistant Librarians got started. They can usually be found around somewhere looking for people who have gotten lost and the like. From what I heard, they get hardcore training to deal with the library's lower depths. Though the Bookwyrms also help."

Unsure how much of what they were hearing was true or not, the group shared a look before shaking it off. Looking around, Harry cleared his throat some. "So... where would the material on Patronuses be?"

Tapping her chin, Myrtle hummed some as she gave it a bit of thought. "Honestly? I think it might be down on level four, but..." Spotting something, she quickly walked over and opened the card index before giving it a twirl. After several revolutions, and sparks, she nodded. "Here we go! I was right, it is down on the fourth level. Better get going if we want to make it."

Only humming, Myrtle guided them to the tunnel and soon onto a stone circle. She gestured to the number four button which they pressed and there was a grinding sound as the entire disk lowered downwards, another sliding into place above. Looking around, Harry blinked. "Is this some sort of open air elevator?"

An easy smile on her face, Myrtle gave a small smile. "As a matter of fact, it is. It is also a transportation device able to get us anywhere inside the Library itself. Pretty useful as otherwise you might be spending hours or even a day or two for the lower levels of the area."

Rubbing the side of her head, Hermione frowned some. "Just... how big is this library?"

Somewhat amused, the ghost gave her an upturn of the lips. "I am sure that you know how big the British Library is?" When Hermione nodded, Myrtle continued. "In many ways, Hogwarts Library acts much the same way. There are documents in the lower levels dating back to the Founding of the school in the depths of the Secret Library. As well, there are ones from all over the world as well. Stuff added by wizards and witches over the centuries." Pointing upwards, she shook her head. "Most of the normal Library above us comes from the past three or so centuries. There is an entire shelf for example dedicated to 'Hogwarts: A History' volumes. A new one comes out once a year after all. Beyond that, we have volumes of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' that come out yearly as well not to mention various other publications."

Harry frowned some at that but nodded as he noticed them come to the next level and fly out, flying slowly above the various bookcases. "Okay, that does make a lot of sense. I mean, most wizards and witches are not going to really be looking at stuff from before the Statute of Secrecy came down."

With a nod, Myrtle smiled. "Exactly! So older volumes and books that would not interest most people are slowly moved down here starting at the First Level we just saw until they reach lower levels. As well, there are spells in the Secret Library that prevent volumes from being damaged or destroyed because people want secrets lost, hence its name. The school can somehow sense when a book is going to be destroyed and moves it down here for safe keeping as Rowena did not want knowledge lost. Granted, some of those books can get... nasty. There's supposedly one down on the thirteenth level written on human skin that causes people to start babbling in tongues or some such if they read it. But then, those volumes get moved down deep and have traps and such to prevent the unwary from reaching them."

Doing a double take, Neville pointed at something. "Um, what is that over there?"

Everyone turned to find what looked like a whirlwind composed of books, and at least one student gripping onto one flying across their path. Myrtle then shrugged and shook her head. "Book-nado, they happen often enough and resort all the books as they go along. You get strange things down here..."

Another level down, they saw one of the strange things in question. About to say something, Harry paused as they shot out onto one of the lower floors and his eyebrows shot up as they circled around it on a track on the wall itself. Mainly due to some fight going on that was on top of some bookshelves there. One of them was obviously a Second Year Ravenclaw that they had seen more then once wearing a uniform that had been modified to be pirate-ty. She was also wearing two eyepatches as well as she fought beside two other students, one who looked like a second year Hufflepuff and a young woman who had an empty look in her eyes, all of them using swords though one was sheathed with another one that looked familiar somehow. However, due to the distance he could not tell why. But what they were fighting was what caught his attention... "Is that a giant dust mite?"

Slowly blinking, Ron nodded. "Yeah... And what's that floating above its head?"

Hermione did a doubletake as she looked herself. "Is that... a health bar?! And a mana bar?!"

Glancing over herself, Myrtle nodded. "It would seem so, from what I know, it was something that Lily Evans added back in the 1990s when she was bored for a few of them. Not sure why, but she found it hilarious to do so. Somehow it bred true." Not noticing the looks being given Harry, she frowned. "Usually though, those ones don't come up past the Sixth Level... huh. Might have been chasing someone up here."

It went without saying that the teens were wondering what the heck was with this place.

 

[darthcourt10]

Savato93

"Hey, Grandma?"

Hoppou glanced up from her work to the Re-class beside her. "Is something wrong, Regalia?"

"I know this teaching is going to be my punishment for hurting myself…" Regalia said quietly, unconsciously resting a hand over her stomach. "I accept that… I won't fight it. But, still… is it really possible for me to learn to do everything you can?" She waved a hand. "I mean, I guess I could carry a lot of tools in my hold, if I wanted to… but I can't just carry around a drydock, or enough spare parts to help anyone I might come across, you know?"

Hoppou blinked, before looking back to the drydock, where her imps were progressing smoothly with Renita's rebuild. Fluffy was currently sitting against the wall, Renita's soul securely gripped in her hands while she took a nap. "Hoppou has… actually been thinking about that, as well."

Regalia tilted her head, intrigued. "You have?"

Hoppou nodded. "Hoppou admits… she acted a bit rashly. The stress of seeing Renita in such a bad state… and seeing what Regalia had done to herself to save her… Hoppou was upset, to say the least. Just wanted Regalia to be know there were better ways to help others than hurting herself."

Regalia hung her head in shame. "I know… I already said I was sorry…"

"And Hoppou apologizes for continuing to bring it up." Hoppou reached over and picked up Regalia's boiler, briefly looking it over. "But now that Hoppou has had time to calm down, to think… she realizes she is asking too much from Regalia. Although Hoppou feels Regalia is capable of a lot, she's not an installation—building ships and heavy repairs are simply things a regular Abyssal can't do, even if they were a repair ship. Also, Hoppou realized that Regalia's current responsibilities are really important, not just to her, but everyone. And spending so much time learning to fix things like installations do—when letting actual installations do it would be safer—would get in the way of that.

"So… Hoppou will reduce scope of training. Regalia will still learn from Hoppou, but only things Hoppou knows Regalia can handle, and which will be best suited for a non-installation. This means maintenance, light repairs, triage." The princess held up the boiler. "Maybe you can't save people all by yourself… but you can learn how to buy time for someone who can. Like you did for Renita."

That… that actually didn't seem so bad, Regalia thought. Certainly far less daunting of a prospect than being effectively converted to an oversized, overgunned repair ship. Just like that, she felt like much of the weight on her shoulders had been lifted. "I… wow. Thanks…"

Hoppou cut her off with a soft tut, wiggling a finger. "Don't thank Hoppou just yet. Hoppou expects Regalia to take this work just as seriously as if it were true medical training. Maintenance and emergency repairs aren't just limited to installations like Hoppou, but they're just as important when it comes to saving people. Understand?"

Regalia deflated slightly, sheepish. "Y-yes, ma'am," she mumbled.

"Good girl." Satisfied, Hoppou reached out and patted Regalia's head before turning back to her task. "Now, Regalia needs to keep paying attention, take notes if necessary. One of the first, most important hulls for you to learn, is your own—"

Hoppou was interrupted by soft grumbling and purring. Confused, she and Regalia looked behind them to find the cause—Fluffy's rigging laying belly-up on the ground with its tongue hanging out, being poked and prodded by a curious tail as its legs wiggled in the air. Regalia instantly felt her face burning in embarrassment… because said tail was hers.

"Tippy, no! She's on guard duty!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"She's going to need a lot of help."

Ritou nodded solemnly. "Goes without saying. She went off the deep end… and against all odds, she returned." She shook her head. "Trapped in her own body, watching herself murder and mutilate everyone she happened across, longing so badly for her family but convincing herself she can never see us again… that's not something you can just come back from."

"Who's to say she did?" Sunny retorted. "Renita's mind is completely in shambles, Fluffy said as much. The only one of us she was able to recognize was Mother herself—everyone else, she couldn't even identify by IFF. For God's sake, she couldn't even remember her own NAME!"

"Which makes giving her our love and support all the more important," Tanith said. "She won't be able to fill those gaps on her own, especially the gaps in her own identity. She needs us to help her remember who she is: our sister." There were nods of quiet agreement between the sisters.

Left unsaid was the obvious truth on everyone's mind: the memory loss was just a symptom of something much worse. Piecing her fractured mind back together was all well and good, but without professional help—without someone to show her a healthy way to handle her trauma—the risk of that work being undone by a mental breakdown was not insignificant.

But that would have to wait for a later date.

"I wonder how she'll take the news of peace between us and the humans and shipgirls," Patty mused.

"And how she'll react to Uncle Harry," Sonata added.

Sunny hummed thoughtfully. "Hopefully, his kindness will help to soothe her spirits." After a pause, she continued. "That reminds me, didn't he talk about trying to get his hands on something for all of us, to improve living conditions on the island?"

"Actually… yes," Tanith replied with a nod. "He spoke to me about magical housing—portable, insulated, and with running water. Possibly even larger facilities for the destroyers' hulls. Likely not intended to be forever homes, but they would suffice until we're properly situated and can start developing our own housing."

"Sounds wonderful!" Sunny clapped her hands together, a bright smile on her face. "If this works out, we'll be one step closer to this place really being worthy of the label 'home'!"

Sonata held up a finger. "And one step back, unfortunately. In our absence, it seems nature was very quick to reclaim the farmland."

As the other sisters grimaced, Tanith nodded. "Yes, Regalia did warn me of that particular issue not too long ago. She has backup seeds ready to sow a new batch of crops, but there are other matters besides that we need to deal with… namely, purging the current infestation, and expanding production so everyone can be fed."

"Actually..." Sunny interrupted, "Nero came to check up on Regalia earlier. After Regalia told her about her farm being overrun by weeds and pests, she came to me offering to deal with the issue while Regalia waits to get her boiler replaced. She said she even had a plan for clearing the land around the farm at the same time, to kill two birds with one stone."

Suddenly, there was a choked cough. The girls looked to Ritou, who had suddenly gone still as a statue. "You… you didn't say 'yes' to her, did you?" She asked, her voice tight. "Did you!?"

Sunny held up her hands. "Hey, she was just trying to offer help; after all, we DO need to fix things up on the island, so it can accommodate all of us. I didn't really see a problem in letting her lend a hand."

"The problem is that Nero is a—"

It was at that moment that Ruadri chose to barge into the room. "Fire! The farm is on fire!" She cried.

Ritou covered her face with a groan of despair. "…closet pyromaniac."

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 81: Lord K

A.N./ Curse my slow timing and the interruptions of life.

Just assume this is a few days before the GIANT ENEMY DUST MITE - ATTACK IT'S WEAK POINT FOR MASSIVE DAMAGE
Spoiler


She's on the bridge when Juuchi finally finds her.

Not doubt, after the last few days of being left to stew in her embarrassment, and the company of the odd student of the bronze raven feet, Juuchi has finally formulated her plot to reclaim her honor against her sister.

There are a number of things that tell Kagotsurhe that her search has been long and particularly focused. A subtly flavored hints of satisfaction upon her sister's discovery of her, quelling the mild irritation that had previously been building. The lateness, towards the end of a class period, also suggests that Juuchi has probably been searching her out since the end of the last break. She has also apparently discarded her disguise of a child, if the length of her now heeled stride on the bridge's wooden boards, and the shifting of leather belts and heavier material than the normal school capes are any indication.

It also helps that she ran into Luna earlier, who just happened to mention in passing that June was looking for her.

And so, Kagotsuruhe had decided to have her little fun. No doubt it was doing Juuchi's head in to know end, wondering if her elder sister had somehow known she was looking for her and chosen this out of the way spot on purpose. Or alternately, if the Blade of Hopelessness was only gazing out over the grey, windswept scenery of the Scottish highlands in Autumn while wearing the shape of her 'usual form', simply because she could. Technically though, it was a bit of both.

"You've certainly been sparse today," observes Juuchi levelly. "You finally get tired of all the teen drama-fests and inter-house soap operas?"

Idly, Kagotsuruhe notes the knock of wood-on-wood behind her. Sensing no real hostility from her sister however, the Blade of Hopelessness, simply allows her back to remain turned. She is rewarded by the slight twinge of annoyance that colors Juuchi's emotions, undoubtedly in response to the older tsukimogami finding the scenery more interesting than her.

"I thought it prudent not to... 'overindulge', if you could could call it that." Still not deigning to turn around, Kagotsurhe shakes her head. "Rich and productive though this castle and it's residents may be, this is not the norm for my usual 'feeding habits'. It would not do to become overly used to such anomalously bountiful conditions."

"Sure,' replies Juuchi dryly.

"I take pride in the moderation of my vices."

"Like Chisuheri?" retorts the younger blade.

"Chisuheri," counters the Blade of Hopelessness with bland boredom, "Adheres to a belief in control of her nature. I practice moderation. There is a difference."

The is an odd pause, that Kagotsuruhe can only take to mean Juuchi pausing for a moment to try and process her sisters words.

"I see..." she then finally says, only to then pause. "Or maybe to be more accurate, I don't really. Care I mean. As well as understand."

If Kagotsuruhe were anyone other than Kagotsuruhe, she's pretty sure she ought to be annoyed at that. Unfortunately, few people can give so little a damn as Kagotsuruhe can when in her natural state.

Behind her, the Blade of Hopelessness hears the Ten Thousand Cold Nights give an irritated growl. "Okay, on to more important things-" Hearing the shift of fabric, no doubt Juuchi making some large movement, Kagotsuruhe finally glances over her shoulder-

- Just in time to then react with lightning quick reflexes, as she spots, identifies, and catches in one hand, what Juuchi has tossed to her.

With serene poise, Kagotsuruhe calmly examines the slightly curved stick her sister has thrown her. It is carved out of some kind of old heartwood. Rather recently too judging by the dust and unsmoothed notches at various points along the length of the blunt and blocky shape. It is a bokken, about the length of her true form at her hip. Idly, the blade of Hopelessness notes that Juuchi has a similar wooden aid mirroring her own blade as well.

"Training blades?" asks Kagotsuruhe with an unemotional, yet curious, lift of an eyebrow.

"Why not?" says Juuchi with a grin, twirling her own sparring aid in hand. "With my kohai in Japan, I need something to keep my skills up. And who better to help me, than my dear onee-chan."

The older sword spirit's expression remains unreadably impassive, even as she stares down her sister. "Sarcasm is unbecoming of you."

"Come on onee-chan, just a little one-to-one sparring. No magic, no powers or abilities, no enhanced feats. Just pure skill and humanly possible swordplay. Don't you think you owe me a little positive sisterly interaction?"

"Positive for you maybe," comments Kagotsuruhe, even as her grip subtly shifts on the bokken held casually and unguarded by her side. "Direct combat is not my forte to the same degree as the rest of you."

All the younger sister does in response, is give a brightly innocent smile that is at total opposites to the slyness and poorly restrained enthusiasm in her voice. "I know."

Slowly, Juuchi raises her bokken, adopting a classic jōdan-no-kamae stance; sword raised above her head with the tip pointed back and the blade facing up, in readiness to maneuver and strike.

In counterpoint, Kagotsuruhe adopts a modified stance more inline with what she is used to. A one-handed variant of gedan-no-kamae or a 'fool's guard', with the point of the her bokken lowered to the ground, appearing to "foolishly" expose the upper parts of her body and baiting an attack that could in fact be easily parried or countered. Seeing the Blade of Hopelessness raise her free hand while keeping it close to her breast, at first Juuchi merely brushes it off as habit learned. After all, her sister's wielders were known to have often mixed offuda and magic with their sword play from a distance, and Kagotsuruhe herself made it no secret that she was primarily most comfortable at range in an even fight or until she gained an advantage.

Then, unreadablely unemotive as ever, Kagotsuruhe calmly opens and closes her fingers. A universal challenge for 'bring it'.


Gritting her teeth, Juuchi glares.

Forget the fool's guard! She's the better fighter anyway!

"Fine then!" With the machine gun clatter of wood on wood, the battle is met.

Despite the surety of her defense, Kagotsuruhe is immediately on the back-foot. And yet in spite of the fact, the blade of Hopelessness shows not even a hint of concern for the fact.

With her empty gaze showing neither worry or tension for the ground she surrenders or the skill she faces, Kagotsuruhe weathers the storm of blows her sister rains down, often turning aside, parrying and side-stepping blows more than actually blocking them. To Juuchi's frustration, trying to put pressure on the Blade of Hopelessness is like trying to grasp oil in water. Though Juuchi dominates the fight, Kagotsuruhe controls it's pace and direction.

Even without her magic or aura, the blade fights with a disposition for subtly nudging their duel towards setting up for her rare counter attacks and tactics. Like a slippery eel, just when Juuchi think she has her sister cornered and up against the wall, the older sword spirit blocks an overhead strike from her sister, only to then use the motion to pin Juuchi's blade to the rafters above. A reflexive back-step to avoid a palm-thrust from the free hand of the Blade of Hopelessness, then inadvertently gives Kagotsuruhe the room to slip away, before letting Juuchi assail her yet again, now with the entire length of the bridge they already traversed, behind her to fall back across once more.

Where Juuchi is crushing power and overwhelming skill, Kagotsuruhe is equally reflective of her power in her 'mundane' fighting style. She is mercurial and unpredictable, constantly within reach and open, yet not. A style to fill one's opponents with growing doubt, fear and uncertainty of both their perception of her skill, and their faith in their own.

For Juuchi though, it mainly just pisses her off, as she rains down a flurry of blows that back her toward the end of the bridge.

"God! Damn! You! Stop! Running! And! Fight! Bac-GURK!"

Her irritation needled with pin-point precision, Kagotsuruhe now exploits the over-aggression of her sister with a punch to the gut while both their blades are locked. As Juuchi flinches and stumbles, instinctively she brings down her blade in another overhead attack to put some distance between herself and Kagotsuruhe, only for the Blade of Hopelessness to not just block, but then grab the hilt of the younger Muramasa's bokken with her free hand.

Growling furiously, Juuchi then locks eyes with Kagotsuruhe, only to freeze. Gaze empty except for remorseless, unfeeling hunger, the Blade of Hopelessness' frigid stare penetrates into her very soul. Fear blossoms in Juuchi gut, locking her in place.

Except.... the all consuming, nightmarish terror she expects to crash down upon her like an avalanche, never comes.

Instead, Kagotsuruhe unlocks their blades, and with a parting slash that juuchi easily blocks, even on reflex alone, the Blade of Hopelessness then slips around her-

-to once more place herself with the length of the bridge behind her, and available to slip, dodge and feint across while executing a fighting retreat yet again.

The actress had acted.

Furious, and more than a little embarrassed, Juuchi glares. Kagotsuruhe was still most definitely the inferior swordswoman when it came to pure kenjutsu when bound within human limits, but this was not the cathartic cake walk she had expected a sparring match/training session/opportunity to her rub her skills in her sister's face and regain her pride, to be.

As their bokken clash in another lightning fast staccato of wooden impacts, the greatest of the Muramasas grinds her teeth. With their full powers and capabilities at their disposal, this battle would have been over in seconds. Kagotsuruhe could not become invulnerable or intangible on command as Kyoshu could, and no matter what hardiness their creator had granted her, Juuchi was both newer and specifically enchanted to cut all that was in front of her, with only the most exceptional of human made blades of succumbing given sufficient time or strength of her blows.

Furthering her irritation as she ducks under an advancing counter-slash from her sister that instead turns out to be a feint into a sweeping low-kick at her knees, is also the undeniable knowledge that if a real fight between herself and Kagotsuruhe had actually drawn out this long, the Blade of Hopelessness would have won by now. Face to face was not her sister's style. Either there would have been somebody else running interference as Umitsubame had, or she would have only initiated the fight with a crippling ambush or a barrage of magic from range first. Hampering her foes and slowing them long enough for her devastating aura to find the chinks in their minds and do it's paralyzing work.

Instead though, at the limits of human capability they were restraining themselves to, they were both relatively evenly matched. Sure, Juuchi edged out ahead, but it mattered little when Kagotsuruhe kept on running away.

"I thought you were supposed to be an actress!" she grinds out.

Kagotsuruhe gives a dispassionate shrug, idly taking a moment to nonchalantly inspect some of the cracks that have been growing in both her and her sister's bokken. "I do all my own stunts and action scenes."

Juuchi glares, bearing down on her sister with a flurry that turns into yet another frustrating game of cat and mouse. At one point, she finally seems to have Kagotsuruhe dead to rights after a kick to the older blade's gut inadvertently goes low and catches her in the groin. Her opponent cringes, but not one to pass up on the opportunity, Juuchi thrusts forwards with a riposte, only for the hissing Blade of Hopelessness to narrowly avoid her wooden blade. Putting some distance between them, Kagotsuruhe then levels a dryly unimpressed look at her sister as she completes her recovery. "This isn't a bar fight. Have some class."

Before Juuchi can come up with a response though, a sound then makes both sisters pause. A pair of new voices - male and female, likely teens, and nearing the castle-ward side of the bridge quickly. Likely a couple, 7th years enjoying a shared study break together, judging by the laughter.

For the shortest of moments, the two sword spirits share a look.

Then in sync, they clamber over the railings of the bridge and disappear over the sides. Shimmying down the wooden beams and trusses of the bridge, eventually the two end up inside the cage-like cantilever's that run underneath the walkway. Looking upward, Juuchi strains her ears, listening quietly for any sound the two of them have been heard by the youths. Thankfully, as the laughter and footsteps not only grow nearer, but then pass above them and begin to fade in turn, there is not sign the couple even suspect that there could be anything or anyone in the awkward structural jungle-gym beneath their feet.

Which is good, because Juuchi swears loudly, as something then slaps her completely unaware. Looking to the side, Juuchi finds Kagotsuruhe, hanging upside down beside her, in the space to small from them to swing their bokken.

The Blade of Hopelessness shrugs apologetically. When one's normal sparring partners are Akutoku and Norimune, one becomes used to receiving cheap shots or giving them in return, whenever they can until training is over or someone specifically notes not to.

Juuchi however, grits her teeth and furiously slaps at Kagotsuruhe in return. The upside down Muramasa swings like a pendulum from the force of the impact, but merely quirks and eyebrow in response, even as her cheek reddens. For a moment, the two hesitate, checking that the teens producing the increasingly distant footsteps above haven't heard.

Then the brawl really begins in earnest. Not even with actual punching and kicking, but simply an out-and-out girl fight involving a prestigious amount of slapping and hair pulling between the upside down Muramasa and her sister. Finally, after one blow too many that leaves Kagotsuruhe leaning or swinging just beyond her reach, Juuchi let's out a roaring battlecry of frustration.

"ALL RIGHT! THAT'S IT!" Backing up on the beam she has been balanced upon, Juuchi then charges forwards and tackles the upside down Blade of Hopelessness. Unfortunately, the combination or weight and momentum were not what Kagotsuruhe was expecting, as with painfully abrupt realization, Juuchi realizes she has pulled both herself and her sister off the cantilever the elder Muramasa hooked her knees over. "W-Wait oh shit!"

"The events transpiring are not how I envisioned this day," comments Kagotsuruhe dryly, as they hurtle towards the bottom of the ravine.

No doubt Juuchi has a multitude of tricks for getting out of long falls, especially after living so long around western wizards with their love of broomsticks. Therefore, Kagotsuruhe decides to employ one of her own.

Darkness gathers about her form like gaseous cloth, flickering and flapping in the wind. Finally though, it solidifies into a tattered black cloak, which billows and slows her fall into an unnerving and unearthly descent. Ragged ribbons of material not quite between aether and unearthly fabric, coil and spread behind her like the ghastly shredded wings of something more alien than avian.

For the briefest of moments, Kagotsuruhe is an image of something out of the old testament, melded to a figure of the new. Equal parts terrifying and beautiful in it's unsettling glide, without need for either wing beat or motion in it's flight.

Then the Blade of Hopelessness reels and careens drunkenly, as something lands on her back and attempts to clamp a choke-hold around her neck, only to cover most of her face with it's elbow instead.

"Get. Off."

"You're not getting away that easily!"

"I am trying to fly here."

"Well you're doing a shit job of it!"

"I wonder why."

"Oh hell! The cliff!"

"Where if I may ask?"

"Turn!"

"Your arm is obstructing my-"

"Left!"

With little option, Kagotsuruhe sighs and wordlessly complies.

"OH CRAP TOO MUCH LEFT! TOOMUCHLEFT!!!"
-------------------------------


Bruised and scraped, but with their pride (or to be correct, the younger blade's pride) more injured than themselves, Kagotsuruhe and Juuchi bob together on their backs in the lake.

Idly, Kagotsuruhe notes a broken bokken floating by.

"For what it's worth..." offers the Blade of Hopelessness after a lengthy deliberation to consider what might be the most diplomatic response. "You probably would have won eventually. Without our powers, I only have so many tricks and bluffs before you start seeing through or calling them."

Quietly, Juuchi sighs. "Let's be real. Neither of us won that."

Kagotsuruhe makes a sound of agreement as they float and stare up at the sky. "Truce?"

Juuchi makes a sound, as if discovering the particularly unappealing lemon she had bitten into, were even more unappealing than first thought. "Truce," she finally agrees through gritted teeth. "For now. Until we get out of this lake. And maybe clean ourselves off and re-oil our true forms. So at least until dinner. Or after."

"How about until tomorrow?" offers Kagotsuruhe with casual indifference.

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." Juuchi trails off and grumbles to herself, staring at the grey Scottish sky.

It would be an almost picturesque view, if it wasn't for the dementors occasionally lurking about between the clouds beyond the grounds at the opposite end of the lake.

Finally, Juuchi breaks the silence. "What do you make of them?"

Turning her head, Kagotsuruhe looks over to find Juuchi gesturing at the distant wraiths and looking at her oddly. "The dementors?"

Juuchi lowers her hand with a limp slash and goes back to contemplating the distant group. Most probably with thoughts of if she can get away with murdering them, and if so, how most efficiently. "You came here to use the things as spare parts, but you don't seem in any hurry to actually help kill the things."

"Why do work I can count on others to do for me?" is Kagotsuruhe's smooth reply.

"I'm being serious," retorts Juuchi, before calming her temper. "Do you... what? Like the things? Have sympathy for them or something? I've seen you terrify them and look irritated by their presence, but we both know you don't actually feel anything. So what is it? Do you actually like them or something?"

"No," is Kagotsuruhe's flatly unemotive, but nevertheless firm reply. "I do not like them."

"Then how do you feel about them?" asks Juuchi sarcastically.

The Blade of Hopelessness is silent for a moment, actually taking a moment to consider the rhetorical question anyway. "I am... 'indifferent' toward them, I suppose is one word."

"You're indifferent to a lot of things," comments the younger Muramasa dryly.

"True," admits Kagotsuruhe, "though I suppose if I were entirely honest, if there were any emotion of similar context or description to what I think of them.... it is pity."

Blinking as if uncertain she misheard, Juuchi rolls over in the water and looks to her blank-faced sister in disbelief. "Pity?"

Kagotsuruhe shrugs, or at least as best she can while floating on her back. "As near as I can discern from what people tell me of the feeling, and my rare opportunities to sample it in others."

"Yeah, well unfortunately pity is one of those things people really ought to feel towards you more often." The Blade of Hopelessness does not rise to the barb, causing Juuchi to snort and roll back over in the water. "Okay. Against my better judgement, consider me curious. Why would you say you pity them?"

Kagotsuruhe makes another motion of casual indifference which Juuchi hears more than sees, thanks to the lapping waters of the lake around. "I suppose I pity them, for what they fail to be."

Juuchi snorts. "Why? Disappointed that the heartless soul-sucking monsters you're made from aren't as good as a you?"

The older Muramasa hums a noncommittal tone. "In a way? Yes."

With empty eyes, Kagotsuruhe stares up at the vast open sky above them. "We were born as weapons of war Juuchi. And yet in the centuries since our creation, we have each risen to be so much more than that, even as we both honed our arts in pursuit of ever improving our original purposes. I have been a blade of the Azi. A weapon and symbol of terror. A guardian. A Source of council and instruction. An unofficial family member. An Aunt and sister by blood shed in battle, rather than the water of the womb. I have been a wandering traveler, a shock trooper, and a professional thespian.- "

"Is this going anywhere?" asks Juuchi.

"- But I also know those same malevolent desires and that Sisyphean hunger which marks dementors and lethifolds alike. And yet in the almost half a millennium both myself and dementors have existed, I would be extremely skeptical if any have ever been born or personally evolved to surmount those instincts which chain them. Oh sure, they may learn. But at the end of the day, what motivates them to learn, is merely an intelligence chained to the whims of avarice and appetency. In a vacuum without any intervention, dementors could grow, feed, multiply, and die for over a millennium, and the world nary change. Tomorrow you could erase from the face of the planet every single dementor, and once again, the world would nary change."

"Except for the minor fact that 'prison guard' suddenly becomes a very high demand occupation," quips Juuchi. "Also the issue of you ever getting a spare hilt again."

"True," admits Kagotsuruhe. "But my point remains. These are not dumb animals or simple creatures. Yet they produce no great works. No art. No history or tales that they would preserve of their own choosing. There is naught built by a dementor's own hand or initiative, that shall ever truly say that they were there, nor anything other beings would willingly or in sound mind, mourn or find value in. At the end of the day, each dementor is no less distinguishable than any other, unless acted upon or influenced by an outside source in it's experiences."

Slowly, the Blade of Hopelessness raises a hand up, to emphasis her next point. "There could be a million copies of the two of us, each cloned and placed upon the earth in an instant. Enough of us to outnumber all the kyu guntos ever made. Meanwhile, you could erase every single dementor in the world except for one singular example. And yet, even in the briefest seconds after we are copied, each of us and our clones would already would be far more unique individuals than that singular dementor ever could be. Each of us would contain the potential to accomplish so much in a single human lifespan, while the dementor would surmount to nothing, even if it lived to the heat death of the universe."

With a quiet splash, Kagotsuruhe lowers her arm. "Even if I cannot fully grasp it on my own, I have come to at least understand and appreciate what it is to be more than and look beyond my desires and hunger. So to share so much in common with them, only to realize that without fear of them, merely just exist.... it is 'disappointing' to comprehend just how intrinsically worthless they actually are outside of the terror they inspire and allow themselves to be used for, along with the fact that they will never grow beyond such a base nature."

For once, Juuchi doesn't attempt to formulate a flippant reply right off the cuff, and at least takes a moment to consider her sister's words first. "Well.... that's one way to look at it I suppose."

Briefly, she then winces, remembering the train, even if she doesn't regret it. "To be honest, I wouldn't care if they all dropped dead."

"And having been inside their heads, I would not fault you," says Kagotsuruhe. "To borrow the parlance, if such were to happen, 'then nothing of value would be lost'."

Humming in agreement, Juuchi makes a face as the two lapse back into silence.

One which the younger blade eventually breaks after realizing Kagotsuruhe has said her piece and the discussion is basically over. "Okay.... well, I think we've floated around long enough. We should probably get back to shore. If we float around any longer, the Giant Squid might either confuse our true forms as litter and toss us onto a beach, or it'll think our avatars want to have some fun with it."

Too Juuchi's mild surprise, something about her words draws a reaction from her older sister. Glancing over at her, the Blade of Hopelessness raises an eyebrow. "Did you just say 'Giant Squid'?"

"Uh... yeah, why?"

Kagotsuruhe does her best to effect an uncanny-valley frown of concern. "As in a creature of unusually large size, likely with big fleshy tentacles of a cephalopodic nature?"

"Yes?" The younger Muramasa now turns her own intrigued gaze upon her sister. "Wait, are you afraid of squid or something?"

"I do not fear things, let alone some oversized Ika-sashimi to go." Her gaze unreadable and blank, the Blade of Hopelessness ripples with darkness as she shapeshifts back to her cloaked form with it's nightmarish ethereal wings."However, I do have a healthy respect for the great creatures of the deep after some of the tales Umitsubame has regaled me of her personal experiences traversing the open ocean in ages past."

Juuchi shrugs. "Well, you got nothing to worry about with this one. It's tame. It'll even play with people on occasion."

Briefly, a twinge of something almost like distaste then breaks her blank emotionless facade, as Kagotsuruhe rises aloft on her shapeshifted tendril-wings of shadow and cloth. "Unfortunately, Akutoku is our sister and as an actress, I am also unfortunately familiar with more than a few joking suggestions about some of her work under less family friendly pen-names. Therefore, I'd rather not take the risk of lingering longer than necessary."

"What?" Juuchi physically feels her brain momentarily flat-line, and then have to restart. "Are you... joking? Because it's kind of hard to tell if you're making an 'I've seen enough hen-"

"I shall see you back at the castle Juuchi."

Baffled, the younger Muramasa stares as her older sister floats away like some kind of horrific mix between a dementor, a lethifold, and an Old Testament Angel of the eldritch variety. Then she blinks.

"HEY! YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST GIVEN ME A LIFT YOU KNOW! ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE SO CONCERNED ABOUT THE SQUID!" With an irritated sigh, Juuchi slumps and goes back to bobbing in the water, before finally starting her swim back to shore.

Well, today worked out great. And Kagotsuruhe was supposedly one of the calmer and more sane members of their family these days. She couldn't imagine what kind of chaos it was like now that everyone back in Japan seemed to, in spite of all logic, get along with one another these days.

Even just a few weeks of being stuck with the Blade of Hopelessness made her ponder what kind of unearthly dumpsterfire life was like when you had even more Muramasas living in close proximity.
-------------------------------

Spoiler

At the biweekly Muramasa family meeting (this time at Chisuheri's house), the Waterwitch Blade sighs. Underneath the triumvirate gazes of Umitsubame, Suisei and Chisuheri, Akutoku and Norimune shift.

"Okay, run that by me again. You two got calls from Honjo Masamune"

Akutoku nods. "Yes."

"She wanted your help with some guy who was plotting to abduct magical swords with spirits. In particular, either Juuchi or Honjo herself."

"Yep."

"You two then roped Kagotsuruhe into this."

"It was a good idea," grumbles Norimune. "Crowd control, interrogation, and infiltration if needed, all in one."

"You then assaulted the building."

"Well....." mumbles the Unrepentant Blade, "technically there wasn't much in the way of assaulting since Honjo and her teen-Scoobies had already been through the place by the time we got there."

"You then found a Masamune in similar condition to Kyoshu."

Akutoku grimaces, for once not very flippant. "It was.... kinda worse than her actually. Kyo-chan can at least walk and talk."

To the side, Suisei's eyes become almost as sharp and cold as the steel that makes up her true form, even as she places a steaming hot rack of cookies on the table for everyone's consumption. "And you two let Kago cut loose on one of the men responsible for her state?"

Akutoku tries not to look like she enjoyed the fact and that it was a matter of seriousness. Largely though, she fails. "Well, he was our best source of information available for what happened to her, and who better to make him ~sing~ like a bird."

"Or shit in terror like one," mutters Norimune under her breath.

Taking off her reading glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment, Umitsubame continues. "And then, and then upon finding out the state of her situation and similarity to Kyoshu, you two volunteered us to look after her as well, should it prove difficult for Honjo make to make her own arrangements with the Tokugawa."

The Unrepentant blade shuffles in her seat. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Oh, and you ran into Tonbo. Who none of us have seen for well over a century since she stabbed Chisuheri."

"That about sums it up," quips Akutoku, who's fool-smile then momentarily fades. "Although, when we ran into her... she did seem kinda broken up and apologetic about how things kinda went down the last time we all crossed paths."

Starring at the two sisters who are supposed to be older than her, after a long moment, Umitsubame reaches into her pocket and pulls out a potion flask. Uncorking the vessel, the Waterwitch Blade then begins knocking it back.

Chisuheri grimaces quietly. "No harm came to me, nor any scar that lingers. I have long since forgiven her for that night, and only wished for confirmation of her safety. As for the rest of this incident, you are lucky the Aurors were not involved and that you at least covered your tracks."

Akutoku shrugs casually. "Meh, even if we hadn't, you'd have to be an idiot to mess with Kago. You know how she is on the rare occasions when something does get her blood up."

Norimune meanwhile, looks to Umitsubame and opens her mouth to say something, only to be stopped when her sister raises a finger in request for a pause while she continues to drink. Finally draining the glass flask, the Waterwitch Blade looks back at her sisters with a calm smile on her face. "Aside from the dubious legality of you two breaking into a house and then mentally torturing a nomaj for information on what is apparently either a survivor or emulator of Sub Unit-942's work on our poor sister that Jiromaru-san missed.-"

"In our defense," interrupts the Unrepentant Blade awkwardly, "This guy was looking for magical blades, was already working with a wizard, and was treating memory magics like they were punishments in the time out corner."

"Aside from all that," continues Umitsubame as if she wasn't interrupted. "I don't have any problems with looking after Honjo's sister if the need arises."
Spoiler

Suisei gives a determined nod of agreement. "The poor thing. My place isn't exactly wheelchair accessible, but until she learns to walk again, I'd still be more than willing to help out how I can, or during my breaks from work if Honjo or somebody else requested it."

Umitsubame however, now eye-smiles at Akutoku and Norimune.

"Now I have just one question. Please tell me someone told Honjo's sister about Kyoshu. Because even if she didn't have her memory of recent decades wiped, it sounds like she was in the middle of nowhere, and I really don't want to have to deal with her getting stabbed again for at least another year."

All eyes shift to the currently sleeping sister in question, curled up in the corner and mumbling to herself in her sleep.
Spoiler

Akutoku looks at Norimune.

Norimune looks at Akutoku.

The Sword of Corruption laughs awkwardly. "I'm er.... sure Honjo would have brought her up to speed."

Umitsubame facepalms.

"If I may point out," chips in Chisuheri with her own two cents. "The last person we attempted to bring up to speed regarding Kyoshu, thought that she had finally discovered the secret to brainwashing the rest of us."

"Oh come on, you guys worry too much," says Akutoku merrily. "Sure we've all stabbed her at some point, but this Masamune can't even walk. It'll be fine."

Umitsubame adds a second hand to her face, as Suisei pats her sister on the shoulder.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Following along behind Myrtle, Harry frowned as he glanced at the bookshelves around them. Various titles could be seen among them, including a few mentioned in textbooks as far older ones. Shaking that off, he turned to the ghost and cocked his head to the side. "Aunt Myrtle?"

As always when he called her that, Myrtle's smile was nearly blinding. "Yes, Harry? What is it?"
Unknown to Harry, Neville glanced down one of the ailes and blinked at what he saw. 'Was that one of those... what do you call it? Orangutans, I think?'

Meanwhile, the last of the Potters crossed his arms. "Well, it has to do with the library itself. I mean, 'Library of Secrets'? Why is it called that since so many seem to know about it?"

Humming, Myrtle looked up at the ceiling. "That is actually a very good question, Harry. And not that many people know about it as you need to be brought here by someone who knows about it. Keeps the number of people down as well as how not too many people actually would feel comfortable looking like a blooming idiot if caught cawing at a raven statue."

That brought a snort from Hermione. "I can imagine that to be honest. Can you imagine how many just turn away because they don't want to look stupid?'

Voice dry, the ghost leading them snorted some as well. "Far too many, believe that one or not. Even among us Ravenclaws, few are the number willing to risk it."

Considering that, Harry had to give her the point. After all, it would be rather hard to imagine a lot of people liking that. Unnoticed, there was movement behind him. "You know... I wonder if that was part of why Rowena did that."

Eyebrow raised, Myrtle looked over at him. "Did what?"

Not seeing her eyes widen slightly, the black haired wizard waved around them. "Well, make it where you had to look like an idiot to get in. The whole cawing bit at a statue. If you really wanted knowledge, then you would easily be able to swallow a small amount of embarrassment to do so."

Just as Ron was about to comment, a laugh made them all jump and turn to find an older teen in a Hogwarts uniform there. "Well, that was one of the reasons, yes."

Harry as well as Hermione recognized her as the young woman they had seen around Hogwarts before, with Ron and Neville being the second. Eyes narrowing some, Harry frowned. "Um, do we know you?"

A small grin on her face and a twinkle in her eye, she bowed a bit. "Higgy at your service, young Master Potter." Straightening, she noticed him about to say something and pointed at her forehead. "The scar. It sort of gives it away, you know." Closing his mouth, Harry gave a small nod at that. As she turned to them fully, none of them saw the slight wink given to Myrtle who somehow heard the woman's voice. 'Now, now, don't say a word and let me have some fun.'

For his part, Ron frowned a bit and looked around. "You said that was one of the reasons? What do you mean by that now?"

Placing her hands behind her back, 'Higgy' hummed a bit. "Well, there were a few reasons according to some of her private writings. One of which is that she did so because it greatly amused her to no end. I mean, can you imagine her watching her proud and highly intelligent students standing before the raven and cawing? Apparently, it was all that she could do in order not to cackle madly each time she saw it."

Slowly nodding, Neville scratched his head. "I guess that makes some sense?"

There was a frown on the Light Cruiser's face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But that still does not answer the full question of why it is called 'Library of Secrets' though. She apparently let a number of her students know."

Walking alongside them, Higgy gave a small tilt of the head. "You are right that does not fully explain why it is called such. Another reason, is the amount of knowledge here as well as what kind of knowledge. There are things in these books, written down, that various people would prefer to remain secret or lost. Some of these secrets are dark, others are skeletons in a rather large number of closets. And a few? A few would tear down some images that people or families have built up... Such as the Malfoys."

Now perking up, Ron leaned forward. "The Malfoys? Really?"

Rather amused, the young woman nodded as Myrtle continued to lead them. "Oh yes! In the case of the Malfoys, there are a number of tomes here that talk about how once upon a time they hobnobbed with Muggle high nobility with little issue. Don't get me wrong, they were always 'Blood Purists' of a sort and considered wizards and witches above non-magicals. But... they also enjoyed how their money and prestige brought them much in the upper levels of the nobility. One Malfoy even attempted to woo Queen Elizabeth the First herself, and failed. Granted, there were rumours of course that the reason she never married or had children was due to a curse, but that was never proven. Much like the rumours that she found a way around that and did have a child, but due to being a bastard and magical was unable to be her heir, thus they went into the magical world. If any of that is true, the records would be here. The Malfoys were also against the Statute because it would cut them off from the muggle upper crust. After though, they tried to wipe out any records that they were anything but extreme wizard supremists like a few other Pureblooded families. Records that still exist here."

Eyebrow raised, Hermione glanced at the others before clearing her throat. "That was... oddly specific."

In return, Higgy gave them a closed eyed smile. "Perhaps, but I have had recent... issues with the Malfoys." Then she hummed and waved a hand in the air. "Besides which, it is the perfect example. Another might be Salazar."

Looking at her, Harry coughed. "Um, you're not going to say something weird, right? Like how Salazar didn't hate Muggleborn..."

He trailed off though as the young woman laughed uproariously before slapping her thigh. "No, no, nothing of the sort." Shrugging, Higgy shook her head. "Salazar outright despised most Muggleborn, though not for quite the same reason as so many people might think. He had his reasons, as racist as they were to be honest."

Intrigued, Myrtle drifted back some. "Wait, most Muggleborn? Do you mean that tale of how Merlin was in Slytherin? Because that never made much sense to me, I mean, the non-magical side of things have that time pretty well recorded and King Arthur would have happened four hundred years at least before Hogwarts was founded."

Completely lost, Harry stared at her. "Wait, what? People think that Merlin, the Merlin, actually went to Hogwarts? Are you kidding? I mean, that would only have been a thousand years ago."

With a shrug, the ghost shook her head. "Strange, but true. It was even on some frog cards when I was alive though I heard that was removed from later ones. The Normans invaded England right around then after all and about two hundred years later, you had Geoffrey of Monmouth writing his book. And he claimed that it was several centuries before, so the dates don't line up in the least."

Softly snorting, Higgy shook her head. "That was due to conflation of the two and how some called him the 'Second Coming of Merlin' at the time. Not helped was how his parents named him Merlin as well after he started showing magic. Most of the whole bit about him being Merlin came about after the Statute was emplaced as magicals needed their own heroes and a few Muggleborns placed Salazar's student up as the actual Merlin to give their side a hero in the chaos after the SoS was created. After all, it sounds great to have Merlin as someone like you, no?"

Frowning, Ron considered that. It was actually rather hard for him to acknowledge, especially the bit about not all Muggleborns being hated by Salazar. That was what he was raised on after all, but if there was one thing that he knew? It was that not everything was how it appeared. "You said most Muggleborn or for the reasons most might think. Why?"

There was a glimmer of something in the young woman's eyes as she nodded. "Caught that, did you?" At their nods, she turned forward. "Well... one thing to understand is that there have been a few different theories. The most popular was that Salazar hated Muggleborn because he knew that 'They stole magic' or that Purebloods naturally are both better and more powerful with magic. Which is a load of bullshite. There was also an attempt in the 1700s to whitewash his image. A group claimed that he hated Muggleborn because they were illiterate and could not read, thus holding back the other magicals." Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "What is worst though is that there is a grain of truth in that they were illiterate at the time. But... then, so too were a number of Purebloods and Halfbloods at the time Hogwarts was founded and for decades after. That theory, as you can guess, was hated by both sides of the divide. Blood Purists because it took away the idea that they were naturally superior and that Salazar saw this. Those against them, because Salazar was a good villain and it made him look like he had a very good reason... Which he didn't." Waving an arm, Higgy shook her head. "The last gasp for that line of thought was in the 1940s with some of Grindelwald's 'Greater Good' bullshite thrown in."

More then a little interested, Harry leaned forward. "So what was the true reason? You stated that it had to do with racism..."

Lips curling, Higgy nodded at that. "Which is why that reasoning is actually down here as a lot of Purebloods either don't believe it, or don't want it to be known. What one needs to understand is that Salazar was born in the Fens... to the last of the Iceni tribe, one of the few remaining 'Pureblooded' Briton tribes left after the invasion of the Saxons. The same tribe once led by Boudica herself against the Romans."

Eyes widening, Neville stared at her. "Wait, did Salazar ever claim descent from her? I mean, I have heard of worse things to be honest."

Becoming thoughtful, Higgy hummed. "Not that I know of, oh, he claimed he was part of her 'Tribe', but not that he was descended from her to my knowledge. Would not surprise me though if he had... But the point remains that he was a Briton."

Hermione's eyes furrowed some. "Wait, you mean when he claimed 'Purebloods', he meant those few remaining Britons? Not the Purebloods of today then? Not at all?"

Slowly, the young woman nodded. "Indeed, the 'Pureblood' families of the day were mostly of Briton descent after all, with a smattering of Anglo-Saxon of mixed heritage. But even then, they were dying out as a group. Now consider for a moment, most 'Muggleborn' at the time were from Anglo-Saxon people, not Briton like Salazar was. People that he saw as 'Invaders' of England. Oh, he respected his fellow Founders, though Godric got under his skin due to not being a 'Pureblooded Briton', but Salazar dismissed that as them being exceptions to the rule. It was when the Normans invaded that he left when Norman Muggleborn were accepted in Hogwarts. To him, that was the last straw and he left with warning that one day, he would cleanse the school of 'Tainted blood' using his monster in the Chamber of Secrets."

With a glance around them, Hermione frowned. "Which was when Rowena built the Library?"

Chuckling, Higgy shrugged. "Well, she did afterwards, yes. Partially to mock Salazar to be honest with her own 'Chamber of Secrets'. Something copied by the other Founders, Helga having a 'Tavern of Secrets' somewhere in the school. Don't know if he ever did find out, but he could not have been too impressed with it if he had. The Founders as a whole could be very... petty, at times, to say the least."

Noticing where they were, Myrtle suddenly smiled. "Ah! Here we are, Harry! This is where the other books on the Patronus are."

Lips twitching, the young woman nodded. "Well, that is a good idea to look up with the... rather nasty things supposedly guarding the school. I wish you luck."

And with that, she left and walked around a shelf. Neville looked around it a moment later only to blink and turn back. "Um, guys? She's gone."

Sharing a look, Harry and Hermione sighed with the same thought in their heads. 'Of course she is...'

Just shaking their heads, the group turned to the books and soon took the ones that they needed. Making their way back along the aisles, Ron paused though and blinked at an intersection as Percy went swinging past on what looked like a whip, Amisi holding tight. They were followed by what looked like a giant stone boulder that rolled past. Slowly blinking, Ron raised a finger. "What."

Myrtle just shrugged herself a bit. "One of the traps, I guess. There's a few of them around, though the ones on this level are easy to get past."

While the others just stared at her, Harry was frowning. 'Why did I hear a drum version of the song "Wipeout" as he swung past?'

Still shaking his head, the black haired wizard followed Myrtle to a small room and looked around. There were desks, couches, chairs, as well as crystals giving light. Ron poked his head into one room and raised an eyebrow. "Um, there's beds in here..."

Poking his head into another, Neville raised his hand. "There's a washroom here!" Moments later, Hermione called out there were cupboards with basic food in them and water as well as tea supplies. Scratching his head, the Longbottom Heir turned to Myrtle with a frown. "Um..."

All the ghost did was smile. "Well, there needs to be some place to rest up after all..."

It was a tired, though pleased group who left the Library of Secrets a few hours later. Harry especially was happy with the large amount of notes in his notebook. 'I wonder if Natsumi-Chan would like to look them over with me...' A small smile came to his tired face as he thought of the Kitsune laying against him as they went through his notes...

 

[darthcourt10]

mikelima777

Madness

****

Laboratory ██, ███ ██████, █████████, Florida
Nighttime

As humanity had struggled to defend itself against the invaders from the sea, many nations frantically set up research installations to investigate the threat and develop countermeasures. These ranged from existing research institutes to converted civilian offices and laboratories. The former included places such as Canada's DRDC, various DARPA facilities previously mothballed with the end of the Cold War, and Fort Halstead, which was returned to military use instead of being sold to private ownership. But it was the latter where a certain person was planning madness.

Most of the staff were done for the day, with security guards locking up the upper floors for the night. The elevators and stairs were locked down, various anti-intrusion measures were implemented. The people who worked there went their ways home to enjoy some dinner and rest. All except one. In the 4th-floor female washroom, a stall opened with a small feminine figure sneaking out supposedly like a ninja. To anyone watching, she appeared far too young to be working there. In fact, she was older than every person working at the building, even with her supposed demise in the 80s.

She bypassed the security measures, sneaking past the routine patrols by security guards. She entered her laboratory, normally used for more mundane research. In the dimly lit room, one could hear machinery and computers work hard, performing work that was intended to help humanity in the war against the abyssals. Developing new technology that could give humanity an upper hand. She opened her personal workstation, bypassing the lockouts, as she logged in. She accessed a folder that officially did not exist, as she continued work that her colleagues would have deemed appalling.

****

A pair of square-rimmed glasses glinted menacingly, reflecting a monitor displaying plans that should not exist. Behind the glasses, a terrifying smile as the young figure admired her newest masterpiece. A terrifying combination of technology from the opposite sides of the Pacific.

"They said it couldn't be done. That this is still unworkable! That this is beyond the limits of SCIENCE!!!" She raved, pointing up dramatically.

"But this, with this.... I'll show them! I'll show all of 'em with the majesty of my work! FOR SCIENCE!!!" Cackling, the lunatic continued her work.

On the monitor was what was still identifiable as a Takao class heavy cruiser of the Japanese navy, with its massive battleship-like superstructure. Keen observers would have spotted details that identified the hull as Maya in her AA-heavy configuration, the cruiser still recovering from what could have been her last battle as she and Sendai engaged a trio of abyssal battleships. But the armaments shown were definitely not standard.

The four twin main gun turrets no longer had their original Japanese 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns. Instead and against all reason and practicality, they now carried the 8"/55 calibre Mark 16 guns of the Des Moines, which hypothetically could be used for shooting down aircraft. The 6 dual 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 secondary mounts were replaced with American 5"/38 caliber Mark 12 DP mounts. The 25mm Type 96 AA Guns were replaced with 13 Quad and 14 Single 40 mm Bofors mounts, albeit the Japanese Type 5 copies, while the 13.2 mm Type 93 AA guns were replaced with over a dozen 20 mm Oerlikons.

Just as she prepared to change the stock quadruple torpedo tubes to quintuple American torpedo tubes, the mad scientist was blinded by light as the lab door was opened. "GAH!!!"

Standing there, looking unimpressed, was Cadmus, Amphion-class repair ship and her supervisor.

"Are you trying to Americanize another Japanese ship, Aide De Camp?"

Cadmus walked over and looked at the screen.

"Maya, huh? Wait, you want to put what on her? Do you know how top heavy this would make her?!? She already has stability issues! We don't need her to tip over every time a gentle breeze blows around. And it's freaking late."

Cadmus gently, then forcefully began to drag USS Aide De Camp out the lab.

"But my work!"

"To hell with your work! You need to go to sleep!!!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Shortly after the dawn broke, Juuchi with her usual avatar was striding along towards the mountains that surrounded the Black Lake. Around her feet, the early morning mist parted with each step she took. On her face though, was a small, annoyed expression before she looked over her shoulder. "Is there a particular reason that you are following me, Onee-San...?"

Not bothered in the slightest by the tone nor by the glare, Kagotsuruhe simply shrugged. Granted, she could feel the annoyance and frustration under Juuchi's exterior. "No, not particularly to be quite honest. I am wondering what you're doing out here this early in the morning, heading towards the forest."

Biting back a sarcastic reply, the younger Muramasa let out her annoyance with a sigh before glancing back at her sister. "If you must know, I am heading to the forest to gather some needed materials." At the blink from Kagotsuruhe, she let a bit of smugness out. "Unlike some, I do not wish to simply sit around on my scabbard; I wish for something a bit more productive while killing time."

That made Kagotsuruhe raise a single eyebrow. "I see, and what sort of materials are you gathering?"

Just walking along, Juuchi hummed. "Wood, as a matter of fact."

Her eyebrow raising still further, the elder of the two tilted her head some. "Wood? From a forest? I would never have guessed."

When Juuchi did not reply, Kagotsuruhe continued to walk along with both silent and lost in their own thoughts. Finally, the lead Muramasa sighed. "Now that I have told you what I am doing, are there any more reasons for you to follow me like some sort of puppy? Or a lost Dementor?"

If the comment affected her, Kagotsuruhe did not show it. "The puppy would be Kyoshu, if she were here, I would think. As to why? I suppose that the closest that I can... feel, is curious as well as bored with what has happened." Then her head tilted to the side. "And as well, perhaps it would be best if I follow you just in case something happens."

Rolling her eyes, Juuchi snorted some. "I am more then capable of handling anything in the forest. Even the Acromantula here would be little issue."

For the first time in their conversation, Kagotsuruhe showed something akin to surprise. "Acromantula?"

Juuchi raised an eyebrow at her as she noticed her reaction. "Yes? It would seem that Hagrid, the groundskeeper and current Care of Magical Creatures professor, had a pet Acromantula when he was a student here before he was apparently used as a fall guy for Voldemort and expelled. Aragog, which would seem to be his name, now lives in the Forbidden Forest with his many descendants."

Slowly, her older sister blinked. "Descendants? As in more then one?"

With a shrug, Juuchi hummed some. "Yes, it would appear so. Hagrid brought a mate for his... pet, and they have bred into a full-fledge colony. My Lord was barely able to escape them last year when Hagrid, before being arrested, hinted that the answer to what was attacking the students was in the forest. Turned out, that he was nearly eaten and only found out that the spiders were afraid of it. Said monster turned out to be a thousand year Basilisk." Musing, she gave a smug look at the other Muramasa. "Have any of your Masters, and I include our sisters in this, ever slain such a beast with a sword?"

Once more, Kagotsuruhe showed something akin to surprise as her eyebrow lifted a touch. "No, though I think that Umitsubame's various Masters and Mistresses has fought creatures not far off. Same with Norimune." Then she put a frown on her own face. "But what would have one worried is the idea that there is a colony of ravenous spider monsters, well known for slaughtering fully grown and trained magicals, right outside a school."

Humming, Juuchi scratched her chin. "Yes, I suppose that is a small issue, though not as big of one as you might think. Though, if needed, I will be more then willing to cull their numbers. Not that I assume such is needed for a few years as Hagrid brought my Lord's adoptive older sister here along with one of her guards. Who, it would seem, placed the fear of death into them quite well."

Eyebrows furrowing, Kagotsuruhe searched her memories from various conversations and then nodded. "Ah, the Abyssal Princess, I would assume? The older one."

That made the younger of the two nod. "Yes, though Hoppou is more dangerous by far. Far, far more dangerous."

Kagotsuruhe gave a small nod to that. "As you say." Roughly a half hour later found them near where a small landslide had occurred. There, in front of them lay a massive tree on its side, dead. "So it seems that you were telling the truth when you said that you wished for some wood."

Laying a hand on the trunk, Juuchi ran her palms along it. "Yes, mainly because I thought of something that should have occurred to me before." She then rapped her knuckles on it and smiled. "Good, it's as fresh as I thought. The heartwood of a Royal Oak."

Yet again, Kagotsuruhe found herself raising an eyebrow in askance. "Why would you be looking for the heartwood of a tree? Unless..." Thinking back, she hummed. "Unless you are considering making more bokken?"

Just drawing her sword, Juuchi gave a small nod. "Yes, though not for you or for myself." With a slash, she separated the trunk from the roots, Several more separated most of the branches from the trunk as well. "I realized that perhaps my Lord will need one in order to learn how to fully wield either myself or Tsukiakari. So I shall make him two, one based on myself and the other on my Kohai, with which he will be able to fully practice."

Head tilted to the side in a considering fashion, Kagotsuruhe considered the broken bokken that her sister had carved. Then she remembered a picture that strange Ravenclaw had shown her which she claimed "June" had made. "I will admit, I had not considered you to be one interested in the arts, such as carving."

Pausing for a moment, Juuchi narrowed her eyes some as she finished stripping off the bark from the cut hunk of trunk. 'Does she know... No, she wouldn't.' Her attention once more on her work, she hummed. "There is much that you don't know, Onee-San. I can do more than simply slaughter, as good as I am at that."

Briefly, there was something of a smile on Kagotsuruhe's face before it vanished. "How odd... And here I remember that you were highly focused on such when last we met. Yet now, you are interested in far more than painting the canvas of the Battlefield." Once more, her younger sister paused in her work, and the older Muramasa could sense the slight burst of worry and concern. While unable to feel such, Kagotsuruhe believed that she would have felt amusement if she could have. 'At least you do not focus on such things as Akutoku.'

Unsure now of how much the older blade knew, the younger of the two cleared her throat. "Yes, well, it came about due to one of my Lords while the Potters were taking a break from the various wars in the eighteenth Century. He asked me if I was happy just destroying, and not creating. The conversation was... thought provoking. Upon our return back to England, the Potters allowed me to learn various things that interested me. Wood working was just one example."

Not seen by Juuchi, there was an... almost wistful expression on her sister's face. But it was there and gone within moments. "I see."

Continuing as she cut out the heartwood, Juuchi gave a hum. "I also became quite good at sewing and knitting. And I have been considering creating one of those awful Christmas sweaters that I have heard about for Kyoshu, and perhaps Norimune."

That made Kagotsuruhe blink as she processed that with only one word coming to her lips. "Why?" Then she tilted her head some. "You despise Kyoshu."

Only nodding, Juuchi chuckled. "Indeed I do. But I shall enjoy it as it shall be quite ugly and thus something the current Kyoshu will like, and that the old version would absolutely despise wearing. Thus, I shall have a measure of revenge imagining her old reaction to such which will warm my cold, black heart."

Eyebrow raised, her older sister pointed at her. "We are swords, we do not have hearts as such."

Simply shrugging, Juuchi was unconcerned. "That may be true, but what I said is accurate. And as to Norimune, she would hate having to wear it, which I am sure that Umitsubame would force her to. Perhaps also a quilt for Kyoshu that has various cartoon figures... Yes, that would be hilarious."

Kagotsuruhe blinked at that and gave her sister a flat look. "Make one of those sweaters for me, and I will unsheathe myself fully at that time."

It said something that the younger of the two waved it off with a smug smile. Holding the chunk of heartwood in her hand, she placed it into a bag at her side, followed by the other pieces. At the blank look she received, she gave a small shrug. "Perhaps I will find some use for them. Or I may give them to my master as he too is interested in woodworking." Then she turned to the dead oak and bowed while clapping her hands. "Thank you for the wood, King of the Forest."

With that, she turned and began to walk away as Kagotsuruhe followed. "You thanked the tree?"

Nodding, Juuchi looked back. "Yes, because I am using the wood from it and it was an ancient oak. It is only good manners to thank such a being as it even though it is not an elder tree. The Elder Mothers can be quite... tricky, to deal with when angered after all."

Despite everything, Kagotsuruhe knew that was something that would make one curious. Especially as it seemed that Juuchi was in a talkative mood. "Elder mothers?"

As they walked along, the younger Muramasa nodded. "Yes, elder trees have their own spirits. These spirits are quite capable of using magic and can be nasty if one takes wood from their trees without proper permission. Somewhat similar to what I understand tsubaki back in Japan, there is a rhyme that one must state when gathering wood from one." At the motion to continue, Juuchi hummed. "The rhyme that one must chant goes like this... 'Old girl, give me some of thy wood and I will give thee some of mine when I grow into a tree.' If one does not do so, they can create nasty curses on those that anger them."

Thoughtful, Kagotsuruhe considered that though a part of her also thought about learning more. Such a thing sounded... interesting. When they came out of the woods, and further onto the grounds, Kagotsuruhe noticed a ruined stone building with a rather large tree. Looking closer, she could see gravestones scattered there with similar trees on some of the graves. "Interesting."

Glancing in the same direction, Juuchi shook her head. "That was once the Hogwarts Chapel, they used to hold services there until about 1906 when it was destroyed during a wedding argument." At the look, her tone became dry. "A wedding, I may add, I was not at though I heard about it after."

Simply nodding at that, Kagotsuruhe gestured at the trees. "And those?"

With a look, Juuchi raised an eyebrow. "That would be the Hogwarts Graveyard. While uncommon, a few students and faculty have lost their lives on the grounds and were buried there. The trees are yew, and the ones on the graves themselves sprang from yew wands buried with their masters, guarding over their remains. However, the big one was planted by the Founders themselves to guard over the graveyard. They symbolize transcendence over death or some such thing. Chisuheri would be more interested in that, I would think. As well, they were commonly planted as their wood made for very good bows."

Filing that away, her thoughts continued. "And the oak?"

Juuchi cocked her head to one side. "Oak is a strong tree and represents England, my Lord's birthplace. As well, it can also represent loyalty as a prince once hid in one during the English Civil War from those wishing him harm. More importantly though, oak is the wood that was commonly used to build warships from." Smugness came from her as she smiled. "Hence why such would be useful for him."

Smile plastered on her face, Kagotsuruhe gave her a thumbs up. "Ah! That is a good reason."

Frowning, Juuchi gave her a narrowed eyed gaze. "I cannot tell if you are being sarcastic or not."

All her sister did though was continue to smile that fake smile of hers though they both mused on how it was the longest conversation that they had yet.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K Omake: The Dumpster Fire comes to Hogwarts

Yellowhammer said:
Another good one for Chisuheri is [Don't Make Me Angry, You Won't Like Me When I'm Angry].​

"Chisuheri? Now might be a good time to get a little bloodthirsty."

"That's my secret Juuchi. I'm always bloodthirsty."

U.N.Spacy000 said:
... Oh Juuchi, you fool.​

I guess she really is a foolish little sister

U.N.Spacy000 said:
This is only going to end in tears.​

And hilarity.

But also undoubtedly a lot of pain.

U.N.Spacy000 said:
This has a flavor of filthy, filthy lies and deception being swallowed hook line and sinker by hubris. Kago's an theater actress - not a movie actress. There is a long tradition of swordplay in the theater that Juuchi should really know about.

There was a movie I saw once upon a time - I don't remember the title - that was basically Victorian era Sherlock Holmes but the 'Great Detective' character was actually a bumbling idiot actor who acted as a front man for the actual detective that opted to fill the Watson role. Plot and Drama happens where they split up and get sucked into a case and are reunited, and the villain decides he wants a sword duel with the 'Great Detective' which allows the real detective and the daughter of the kidnapped printer who is forced to counterfeit money to escape and do the real work of rescuing the father. During the hurried escape from the room, the young woman asks the detective if he's worried about his friend being murdered, and the detective responds with something along the lines of 'not at all.'

And that's because despite being an imbecile, a klutz, and a host of other things - he is a trained thespian and actor that knows his way around a sword and how to properly use one.

Kagotsuruhe might not be as good at this 'direct combat' thing as her sister were, but she has probably had more access to trainers than Juuchi has had in the last seventy years, and will probably be able to use Juuchi's underestimation of her abilities to the fullest.​

To be fair, she also mistook "Kagotsuruhe normally only fights from range" to be "Kago is a Glass Cannon" rather than "Kago prefers".

Also, Juuchi went into the fight with the assumption that Kago would at least 'fight' - fight. And instead, Kago not only didn't play her game, but even turned things around on Juuchi. What should have been a satisfying duel, instead turned into a frustrating game of cat-and-mouse.

U.N.Spacy000 said:
She clearly does not know Juuchi. Thankfully, she's opted to spend time reuniting and reconnecting with her younger sister.

Actually, I think the only Muramasa that isn't sarcastic is Kyoshu. Does Kago have unrealistically high expectations of her sisters?​

Technically, Kyoshu forgot how to sarcasm/became to innocent and forgetful for it to register :'P

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Here it is.
U.N.Spacy000 said:
I called it.​

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Oh, but she is, Juuchi.​

Clearing her throat, Kagotsuruhe steps forwards.

"I am the very model of a modern Muramasa-tachi,
I've fought in battles for Kikuchi, Ōmachi, and Hitachi,
I know the Emperors of Japan, and I quote the wars historical
From The Genpei to The Meiji, in order chronological;
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters combat magical,
I understand omyoudo, both the familiar and the radical,
About Legilimency theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
And many piercing facts that could have you swinging from a noose."

Juuchi stares. "What the fuck."

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Wait. Once again, the Muramasa comment from earlier comes to mind.

Why is she expecting Juuchi to have class? Was she hoping Honjo had managed to rub off on her younger sister or something?​

... Wasn't Kago just fussing about having class and that this wasn't a bar fight?[/QUOTE]
To be fair, it's not like Kago actually expects Juuchi to have such standards, and she's not afraid to toss them out the window herself. But she is saying them anyway, just to annoy and irk Juuchi.

Of course even without her Fear Aura or magic, the sword who gets into the brains of her enemies is still going to use everything at her disposal to get inside an opponent's head and play mind games with them. In this case, if only because she can, and for the amusement factor of denying her sister the easy win and cake-walk pride re-inflation she was looking for.

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Ah, they really are sisters. But I get the feeling Kago brought this on herself in a way. At least this way Juuchi won't be too surprised with how her other sisters rough house.​

"You should come to Norimune's sometime. Take the chance to cut loose in a large enough space protected from outside notice. I can ask when is the next time we have a sparring day organized, when someone else where will be looking after Kyoshu, if you wish."

"Wait, Kyoshu fights?"

"On the rare occasions she in fact remembers she 'knows kung fu', yes."

"How good is she?"

"Masterful. Variable. Bad enough we merely humor her. It depends."

"......I want to come on one of those days then. 'Variable' or 'bad' I mean."

"How about no."

U.N.Spacy000 said:
They're both lucky no one is around to tell Carnwennan or Honjo about this, because those two would never let them live this down.​

Haha! Even without her emotionlessness, Kago probably wouldn't give a damn compared to some of the other situations Norimune, Akutoku and Kyoshu have probably gotten her into over the years. I think a lack of reaction or care would only add to how embarrassed and pissed off Juuchi would be though.

U.N.Spacy000 said:
I laughed. Truly, Kagotsuruhe has mastered her ability of understatement to British levels, and she should join her sister in working for the Potters.​

Most people run out of fucks to give.

Kago had none to start with.

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Spoiler: Relevant

Very much so

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Oh what fresh hell is going to be happening in Japan?​

Hell is a commercial dumpster that is regularly on fire

Harry Leferts said:
So floofy...​

I really ought to have someone call her fuzz-butt as an insult at some point.

Harry Leferts said:
I loved it all, but this part made me cackle. Also, imagine the Muramasas visiting with Kago and Juuchi sharing a look before tossing Akutoku into the lake... with the giant squid appearing behind her.​

Omake

"I must say," observes Chisuheri as the self-sailing row-boat normally used by first years glides across the lake."You two must have pulled some strings to get them to roll out this sort of welcome mat for us."

To the side, Umitsubame nods in distracted agreement as she inspects the vessel ferrying them. "Hmm.... this is a nice boat."

Norimune snickers. "Heh... Nice Boa- KYOSHU!"

With thankfully quick reflexes, Norimune then grabs the absent-minded Sword of Faded Memories, as she stands up excitedly and leans so far out of the boat, she almost tips into the water when she points at something eagerly. "Look! Look! A kraken from Umi's stories!"

Immediately, the Waterwitch Blade is on alert, however Norimune merely gives a unconcerned wave of her hand not currently balded in her forgetful sister's cape. "Don't worry, I've heard about this thing from some old friends back in the day. It's just a really big squid. Friendly enough from what I've heard."

Umitsubame frowns and sinks back into her seat, only to be replaced at the edge of the boat by an eager Akutoku, a sketch pad and pencil held attentively at the ready. "Where?! Where is it?! I've never seen a tame giant creature with tentacles up close before! This could be an opportunity for some reference drawings and sketches based on something other than future dinner!"

As Akutoku's gaze scans the waters in the direction that Kyoshu continues to excitedly point in and jabber away towards excitedly, Juuchi and Kagotsuruhe share a look.

"I don't see it? Is it already gone?" So absorbed is she in scanning the waters, she almost joins Kyoshu in falling over the edge with how far she leans over the side of the boat. She also doesn't notice her two elder sisters approaching. "Is there a way to turn this thing around? I want to get as close a look as possible if I can!"

Juuchi grins. "Oh, I know how you can get a real good look at it!"

"What-?"

And then Juuchi and Kago jointly shove their boots into her butt, kicking her over the edge of the gunwales and into the water.

Norimune cackles, while Umitsubame facepalms and pinches her brow as she sighs. "Kago....."

Immediately, Kagotsuruhe points at Juuchi, face blank, eyes empty, and voice unreadably flat. "Her idea. Bribed. Wanted a few favors out of her. Already used them. Done now."

"You manipulative snitch!"

"Umitsubame! Umitsubame! Can I go swimming too?"

"No Kyoshu, you may not go swimming."

"If I might interrupt," interjects Chisuheri. "How do we turn this thing around. Because right now, we're leaving her behind."

Already a fair distance away, Akutoku surfaces with a panicked flailing in the middle of the magically propelled boat's quickly fading wake. "Help! Guys! Come back!"

All eyes turn to Juuchi and Kagotsuruhe.

Kagotsuruhe then looks at Juuchi.

"What" asks the younger Muramasa defensively.

Chisuheri facepalms.

"Wooooow," says Norimune. "We are bad at this communication business."

Ignoring the nodachi, Kagotsuruhe raises an eyebrow at Juuchi. "It was your plan. And you've been here regularly over the last four centuries. I thought you knew."

"Can't you just fly out and get her?" counters Juuchi without answering the question.

"So you don't know."

"I don't know why you don't just go fly."

"Guys! A little help!" Akutoku then yelps and searching the water around her fearfully. "What the fuck was that?!"

"It is too late for her," intones Kagotsuruhe flatly. "All we can do is save ourselves."

"Oh quit with the melodrama," sniffs Norimune. "It's friendly."

Kagotsuruhe sniffs and turns away. "How much so, is what I am a loath to find out."

"Umitsubame! Umitsubame! Can I go swimming too?"

The Waterwitch Blade can only give a long suffering sigh in return.

"Help! Something touched my leg!"

Chisuheri sighs. "Hold fast Akutoku! Someone will be along shortly!"

"WHAT?!"

"Have fun with the ~squid~" sing songs Norimune.

"YOU FUCKERS!"

"Norimune! Norimune! Can I have fun with the squid too? Maybe it wants to play?"

"Nah, I think we should let it play with Akutoku first."

"I can't believe you'd do this to me!"

The Blade of Corruption then shrieks and kicks at the water around her.

"No! I'm a sword, not an innocent Japanese maiden! I only wanted to draw the The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, not become a modern version!"

"Is it even near her?" asks Chisuheri with a frown as she scans the water. "It's sort of just hanging back."

Norimune shrugs. "I think it's confused to be honest."

Umitsubame meanwhile, sighs. "Kago, go pick her up. She's making a scene."

There is no response, other than further sounds of Akutoku's splashing and shouting. "Others get messed up by me! Not the other way around!"

Umitsubame blinks as she realizes there is no response. "Kago?"

"Er..... Umi" Awkwardly, Norimune then points in the direction of the castle.

Off in the distance, Kagotsuruhe silently glides over the waters on her alien ethereal wings of cloth and shadow. Hanging off one of her legs though, is also an unwanted passenger. One that the Blade of Hopelessness intermittently tries to shake, via brief descents in altitude that result in Juuchi being dunked into and dragged through the waters of the lake.

The Waterwitch Blade facepalms, to the soundtrack of Akutoku's continued shrieking.

"I was saving myself for someone special! It would never work out! I have trust and daddy issues!"

As Norimune stifles a laugh, Chisuheri pinches the bridge of her nose, seeing that no one else is going to be useful besides herself and her youngest sister present. "Do you want me to just dive in and drag her back? Or do you have anything applicable for man-over-board situations on hand, or workable off the top of your head?"

Before Umitsubame can answer, Kyoshu then chips in excitedly.

"Umitsubame! Umitsubame! Can I go swimming too?"

For the briefest of moments, something in the Waterwitch Blade's eyes is utterly dead, as she almost looks ready to pitch Kyoshu in herself. Taking a moment to inhale deeply and clam herself, Umitsubame then opens her eyes with a smile and now looks mildly less done with the world and dead inside.

"You could at least buy me dinner! This is too fast! I'm at least a second date kind of girl!"

Then Umitsubame boots the snickering Norimune into the water instead. "Umi- What fuc-" *splash*

As the Unrepentant Blade lands the water, Kyoshu cheers and leaps in after her sister. "Yay! Let's go swimming!"

Chisuheri merely quirks an eyebrow. "This does not help us."

A fact then highlighted when Kyoshu surfaces in a panicked ball of flailing limbs.

"H-Help! I can't swim!"

"Of course she forgets once she's actually in," mutters Umitsubame with resignation.

"You're the better swimmer," says Chisuheri stating the obvious. "You get Kyo, I rescue Aku from the squid, Nori swims back to shore on her own?"

"Sure I guess," grumbles the long-suffering Waterwitch Blade, before the two then jointly leap into the water, now leaving the boat entirely empty except for their luggage.

"This is not how I imagined ever doing it on a schools grounds!" shouts Akutoku. "I have standards for my 'under the bleachers' fantasies dammit!"

Harry Leferts said:
Okay, those pictures and what they are saying are just plain wicked. Also, fluffy tail is fluffy!​

Looking at the unofficial third inhabitant of her apartment, Chisuheri frowned.

"Norimune. Get up."

Curled up on the couch and hugging her tail, the pajama-clad nodachi mumbles something in her sleep along the lines of "murgle"

"Norimune. Honjo and her kohai shall be here soon. At the very least, leave so I can make the lounge presentable if you won't be."

The Unrepentant Blade's only response is to begin drooling and sleepily chewing on her own tail.

Sighing, Chisuheri then attempts to pry the nodachi's fifth appendage from her sleeping embrace, only to earn a childish mumble in return.

"....mrrr.... Julie.... stop hogging...."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Chisuheri sighs. "Akutoku?"

With an evil grin, the Sword of Corruption rises up from behind the couch with a bugle pressed to her lips.


Immediately the nodachi jerks upright, gaze slightly cross-eyed from barely-awake cognizance, as she shoulders her damp tail like a overly bushy firearm.

"-T' arms! - iza fuggin' English! - 'knew Bladensburg wouldn' 'old! - Wez' m' clothes! -"

Blinking blearily, Norimune looks around, tail held in her hands as if to bayonet the first person to cross her path. Finally though, the mental light bulb seems to come on.

"This isn't Washington?"

Chisuheri rolls her eyes. "Good morning Norimune. There's still some breakfast on the table if you want any."

"Er... sure." Starring as the daisho set walks away, the nodachi then rubs at her tongue uncertainly, while she absently lowers her tail and does her best to unfluff it. "Bleh.... why does my mouth feel fuzzy? And did somebody spill something on my tail?"

Harry Leferts said:
It has always been something that has been in my head to be honest ever since finding out that Salazar was born in the Fens, which according to some writings were the last home of the Iceni Tribe at least into the 8th Century. Said people would have raised him with the idea that the Anglo-Saxons were not "True British" people and should be driven from their lands. Except by the time Salazar came about, there were very few "Pureblood Britons". After the Normans invaded, he likely pulled a Voldemort and attempted to use Anglo-Saxons magical families to drive them out, which failed. But over the next thousand years, his prejudices got twisted to the point where people thought that he meant Pureblood as a whole, something that a number of said family will not hear anything different to.

When, in reality, if Salazar was still around he would be calling them all "Mudbloods" due to not being Britons.​

Bit late, but I just want to point out how much I love this theory.

This is exactly the kind of weird way old sentiments of national, cultural and racial identity sometimes got through weird changes and twists over time, often as different groups adopt and reinterpret them for their own ends, successively modifying each iteration from the last.

Harry Leferts said:
-snip-​

Isn't it lovely when everyone gets along.

 

[darthcourt10]

U.N.Spacy000

Harry Leferts said:
Her eyebrow raising still further, the elder of the two tilted her head some. "Wood? From a forest? I would never have guessed."​

Clearly since you had to ask, Kago.

Harry Leferts said:
Continuing as she cut out the heartwood, Juuchi gave a hum. "I also became quite good at sewing and knitting. And I have been considering creating one of those awful Christmas sweaters that I have heard about for Kyoshu, and perhaps Norimune."

That made Kagotsuruhe blink as she processed that with only one word coming to her lips. "Why?" Then she tilted her head some. "You despise Kyoshu."

Only nodding, Juuchi chuckled. "Indeed I do. But I shall enjoy it as it shall be quite ugly and thus something the current Kyoshu will like, and that the old version would absolutely despise wearing. Thus, I shall have a measure of revenge imagining her old reaction to such which will warm my cold, black heart."​

Yes... This is amusing. She should also make one for Carnwennan and Honjo, and then make good sweaters for Harry, Tsukiakari, and Natsumi just to show she can actually make good things and chose to make ugly sweaters for the others.

Harry Leferts said:
Simply shrugging, Juuchi was unconcerned. "That may be true, but what I said is accurate. And as to Norimune, she would hate having to wear it, which I am sure that Umitsubame would force her to. Perhaps also a quilt for Kyoshu that has various cartoon figures... Yes, that would be hilarious."​

Comic characters include but are not limited to the MC from Everyday Life of a Yandere and the Muramasa's from Nyroo~n Kyoshu-chan.

Harry Leferts said:
Kagotsuruhe blinked at that and gave her sister a flat look. "Make one of those sweaters for me, and I will unsheathe myself fully at that time."​

What's this? Kago cares about something involving her appearance and/or reputation? I thought she had no fucks to begin with, but apparently the threat of ugly christmas sweaters transcends all and is a threat to be taken seriously.

Harry Leferts said:
It said something that the younger of the two waved it off with a smug smile.​

But apparently Juuchi has some other plan for her dear older sister.

Harry Leferts said:
Frowning, Juuchi gave her a narrowed eyed gaze. "I cannot tell if you are being sarcastic or not."​

I'm sure you'll learn fast enough with all the time your spending with your sister, Juuchi.

Lord K said:
Clearing her throat, Kagotsuruhe steps forwards.

"I am the very model of a modern Muramasa-tachi,
I've fought in battles for Kikuchi, Ōmachi, and Hitachi,
I know the Emperors of Japan, and I quote the wars historical
From The Genpei to The Meiji, in order chronological;
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters combat magical,
I understand omyoudo, both the familiar and the radical,
About Legilimency theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
And many piercing facts that could have you swinging from a noose."

Juuchi stares. "What the fuck."​

My sides. I'm just trying to figure out why I'm imagining Kago slapping Juuchi in the face with a fish at the end.

Lord K said:
To be fair, it's not like Kago actually expects Juuchi to have such standards, and she's not afraid to toss them out the window herself. But she is saying them anyway, just to annoy and irk Juuchi.

Of course even without her Fear Aura or magic, the sword who gets into the brains of her enemies is still going to use everything at her disposal to get inside an opponent's head and play mind games with them. In this case, if only because she can, and for the amusement factor of denying her sister the easy win and cake-walk pride re-inflation she was looking for.

Indeed, and I'm sure that after some time to calm down and think about things, Juuchi will call Kago out on her hypocrisy the next time it occurs.

Lord K said:
Technically, Kyoshu forgot how to sarcasm/became to innocent and forgetful for it to register :'P​

Well, yes, and it's really the only reason since she can no longer into sarcasm.

Lord K said:
Immediately, Kagotsuruhe points at Juuchi, face blank, eyes empty, and voice unreadably flat. "Her idea. Bribed. Wanted a few favors out of her. Already used them. Done now."

"You manipulative snitch!"​

Oh? And here I thought it was Kago's idea since she has more of a bone to pick with Akutoku, but Kago deflecting blame onto Juuchi and roping her into a forced family fun time activity certainly would fit the Muramasa M.O.

I get the feeling Juuchi is going to be blindsided by her sisters a lot until she actually makes time to get to know them again.

Lord K said:
"No! I'm a sword, not an innocent Japanese maiden! I only wanted to draw the The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, not become a modern version!"
Lord K said:
"Others get messed up by me! Not the other way around!"
Lord K said:
"I was saving myself for someone special! It would never work out! I have trust and daddy issues!"
Lord K said:
"You could at least buy me dinner! This is too fast! I'm at least a second date kind of girl!"
Lord K said:
"This is not how I imagined ever doing it on a schools grounds!" shouts Akutoku. "I have standards for my 'under the bleachers' fantasies dammit!"​

My sides. Just, my sides.

Lord K said:
Off in the distance, Kagotsuruhe silently glides over the waters on her alien ethereal wings of cloth and shadow. Hanging off one of her legs though, is also an unwanted passenger. One that the Blade of Hopelessness intermittently tries to shake, via brief descents in altitude that result in Juuchi being dunked into and dragged through the waters of the lake.​

Pffft.

Lord K said:
Isn't it lovely when everyone gets along.​

*Possibly Christmas in Japan with some Ugly Sweaters and some Good Ones*

"You're my favorite older sister," Juuchi slurred as she drunkenly cuddled into Kagotsuruhe's side.

"You don't say," Kagotsuruhe said flatly.

"Well, it's not much of a competition, to be honest," Juuchi said as she used the hand holding her fire whisky to indicate their other sisters. "I mean, Kyoshu is more or less the bane of my existence."

"The what of what?" Kyoshu asked as she looked up from her anime/comic/manga quilt.

"Norimune's an unrepentant, belligerent, antagonistic bitch that obfuscates in stupidity and takes refuge in audacity just to be a contrarian," Juuchi said as she snuggled closer while Kagotsuruhe attempted to gain some distance.

"Hey! I may not know what most of those words are, but I recognized stupidity! Those are fighting words!" Norimune said before her advance upon Juuchi has halted by tripping over Kyoshu.

"Norimune!" Kyoshu happily squealed before she latched onto her older sister's tail and their combined ugly sweaters created a spot in the room no one wanted to look at.

"Akutoku's... well... she's Akutoku," Juuchi said dismissively with a shrug.

"Hey! What's wrong with being me!?" Akutoku said from Carnwennan's lap where she had been failing to seduce the Arthurian blade.

"Everything," Umitsabame said from where she sat next to Carnwennan.

"Well, maybe not everything, but definitely a lot of things," Suisei said from Carnwennan's other side.

"And Chisuheri refuses to spar," Juuchi lamented while the bloodlust blade ignored her younger sister.

"While this might be the case, my favorite younger sister is Umitsubame," Kagotsuruhe said and caused the Su Yari to tense up in Carnwennan's arm as she wondered if she would be forced to fight Juuchi for the spot of favorite younger sister or something silly like that.

However, juuchi just shrugged and said, "She's my favorite younger sister, too, so I can't fault you on that."

"Wait, do you actually have any other younger sister than Umitsubame?" Norimune asked from the floor where everyone was ignoring her.

"Uh, I think Suisei is also younger than me?" Juuchi asked more than said. "Maybe? And while her baking is good, she won't share any recipes, so she loses points there."

"It was a family recipes, Juuchi," Suisei said in exasperation.

"But I'm family," Juuchi said with a pout.

"My Master's family," Suisei clarified.

"I could get together with the Potter cook books and find something to trade," Juuchi said.

"Maybe," Suisei said as she considered.

"I can not wait for you to go back to England," Kagotsuruhe said as she attempted to dislodge Juuchi from her side.

"But I already did that, and you followed me!" Juuchi said gleefully.

"I only wanted clean dementor bones," Kagotsuruhe said.

"Right," Juuchi said as she drew out the word. "Which is why you went through all the trouble of finding me when I had disguised myself as a child even though you knew I wasn't the specific dementor murderer you were looking for, and why you kept engaging and interacting with me with our long walks, talks, spars, and other sisterly bonding experiences after you introduced yourself to me at Hogwarts."

"Did you braid each other's hair?" Norimune asked from the floor as she attempted to escape Kyoshu.

"No," Kagotsuruhe said.

"Totally, and we had a pillow fight before talking about boys," Juuchi said.

"Talking about former masters when they were young," Kagotsuruhe corrected.

"Boys doing silly boy things," Juuchi said flippantly.

"Context is important," Kagotsuruhe rebuffed.

"It doesn't change the fact that you followed me to England, got to know me, and are the greatest Kyoshu deterrent to exist," Juuchi said.

"Ah, the truth comes out, I see," Kagotsuruhe said dryly.

"Bah, you care for me - you were the first to really catch up with me in four hundred years," Juuchi said before cuddling the hopeless blade of hopelessness.

"Interacting with my sibling while mostly alone in a foreign country is the socially acceptable thing to do," Kagotsuruhe said while she attempted to subtly reclaim her personal space.

"That sounds like an excuse so you don't have to say you love me out loud," Juuchi said as she buried her face into the crook of her older sister's neck. "But don't worry, I love you, sis."

"What's going on here?" Honjo asked as she walked into the room carrying her sister.

"Shh," Carnwennan said from where he had his arms full of Muramasas and indicated where a blushing Tsukiakari was recording Juuchi's confession of sisterly love on his phone.

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

I have... returned! Danana! Actually, I think this is my first snip of 2019.
Onward, Just A Little More

-----

"So, what's going on here?" Airu asked, leaning over and resting her chin on top of Reiko's head. The jorogumo made no attempt to push her away, simply doing her best to refocus her attention on the test slip that she was writing on.

"Tatsuya had a bad guy portkey away," she explained. "Asked me to see if I could find some way to block teleport spells."

Airu was silent as she considered this. "What kind of bad guy?" she asked finally.

"He thinks that they might have had something to do with Unit 731—"

Reiko glanced up to find that Airu had vanished.
-----

Tatsuya knocked twice on the door. He glanced at the girls flanking him—Honjo on his right, pushing a wheelchair that her silent sister sat in. The Masamune was pouting, wiggling her legs as best she was able. She had also figured out how to make a sort of groaning noise after resting her hand on people's throats as they talked and replicating what she felt, but actually speaking would probably be a long time coming. On his right, oh come on this was getting ridiculous.

He reached out, snagging Tonbo by her sleeve. The Muramasa cringed, looking for all the world like a stray cat cornered in the back of a grocery store.

"This is getting ridiculous," he hissed. "Remember what I told you about not wanting you to regret anything?"

"Tatsuya, I hurt her," Tonbo insisted. "I can't go back after that!"

"Oh yes you can, because just letting a matter sit won't make anything better," Tatsuya replied. "You need to do this now."

"I need to go," she shot back, "because I don't have the—"

The door opened, and a woman looked out at them. Tonbo froze like a deer in the headlights. The woman stepped forward and scanned them, eyes coming to rest on the wheelchair-bound girl.

"This is her?" she asked. Honjo nodded. "Please give me a moment, I'll be right with you." She turned, and faced Tonbo who seemed to drag herself free of her frozen state.

The Muramasa took a step back. "H-hey, Chisuheri," she stammered, trying to shuffle backwards. "Look, about that day, I… I'm s—I-I should go—"

Before she could finish, the woman strode forward and pulled her into a hug. Tonbo went still again, but it wasn't the same. Instead of fear, now she looked like she was frozen in confusion, trying to make sense of what was happening to her.

"That's not fair," she whispered, tears beginning to run down her cheeks.
-----

The bar's two patrons glanced across the counter at each other. Both were half-glaring, half-waiting for something to happen, though it wasn't quite certain what yet. Finally, the woman stood, pushed in her seat, and walked over to another that was closer—but still fairly separate—from the man with the wild beard.

"If you're done judging me," she said, dropping her shot glass on the counter with a dull thud, "you might as well say whatever it is you've been thinking."

The man grunted and gave her a slightly fierier glare. "What are you doing here, Morrigan?" he demanded.

The goddess shrugged, signaling the barkeeper. "I found this place a little while back. I liked the drinks, so I've been hanging around lately. You, Susanoo?"

The Japanese god of storms took a long pull from his tankard. "Good booze is good booze," he admitted, "though I still prefer sake." He gave Morrigan another look. "So what have you been doing hanging around here lately?"

"My Select in the area died childless," she grumbled, throwing back a shot. "I've been looking for a replacement for a while now." Susanoo bristled. "What? Going to admonish me for my poor moral character? I don't like being turned into some kind of cartoon supervillain, you know."

"What you're doing flies in the face of the accords," Susanoo rumbled.

"Oh, like you're one to talk about rules," Morrigan snapped. "Actually, who hasn't bent that rule? Who hasn't conned some guy onto just the right bus, or made sure there was a veteran soldier where there needed to be one?"

"This and that are two entirely different things."

"How?" she demanded. "How is it any different? You're making sure a few people stay safe every so often? My system does that consistently on a far larger scale, and has worked for centuries now. That's all it's supposed to do, keep people safe."

"You're forcing a duty on mortals and leaving them adrift," Susanoo growled.

"Due to the accords, I'm not allowed to get too involved, they still seem to do okay anyways," Morrigan replied sarcastically. "I've been debating this for a while, I'm pretty sure that I can counter any argument that you come up with.

For a moment, Susanoo was silent. "You're forcing children to fight wars."

"Once, those children would have been considered adults in their own right," Morrigan replied.

"You don't give them any choice in the matter."

"You'd be surprised how little choice tends to matter in the grand scheme of things."

"You've never tried anything different."

"Because it works… Can we be done with this now?" Morrigan demanded. "Look, I'll freely admit, what I do isn't pretty. But the age of heroes has long passed and the wizards went to ground like cowards and abandoned the rest of humanity to the things that go "bump" in the night because they just aren't special enough to care about. There was a gap where there was supposed to be a defender, and I filled that gap. You don't like it, nobody likes it, but that doesn't change the fact that it has to be done."

Susanoo looked at her silently before shaking his head, draining the last of his beer, slapping a bill down on the counter, and walking away. As he reached the door, he paused and looked over his shoulder. "You should try harder to understand people," he said finally. "Maybe then you'd know what our problem with you is."

"I understand perfectly," Morrigan insisted, "I—wait, get back here! You paid in Yen, these people use American Dollars!"
-----

Several minutes later, Airu stormed back into the room, carrying a large book covered in dust which she slammed down on the table, filling the air and sending Reiko into a fit of coughing.

"Right," Airu said, throwing the book open, "If you want to block teleportation, you'll want one of these, farther towards the back… Let me see one of your blanks, I'll walk you through it." She glanced back at Reiko, who was staring at her as if she had grown scales and a tail and had declared her intent to lay siege to Tokyo. "Pay attention."

"Right!" Reiko exclaimed, shoving a slip into her waiting hand.
-----

Well what do you think, sirs?

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K Omake: Kago wants Kiba...

jmcdavid said:
This literally reminded me of this:​

About right enough

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Oh? And here I thought it was Kago's idea since she has more of a bone to pick with Akutoku, but Kago deflecting blame onto Juuchi and roping her into a forced family fun time activity certainly would fit the Muramasa M.O.

I get the feeling Juuchi is going to be blindsided by her sisters a lot until she actually makes time to get to know them again.​

Four hundred years Juuchi. Four hundred years.

Even just the interactions/dynamics of the group are probably enough to occasionally double check she's not imagining things every once and awhile. Chisuheri being a voice of reason. Umitsubame being the nominal leader/cat-herder, despite Juuchi barely even knowing her. Hell, she never even knew Suisei at all. And Norimune is almost even more well traveled than her in some ways

U.N.Spacy000 said:
*Possibly Christmas in Japan with some Ugly Sweaters and some Good Ones*​

Haha, that reminds me. I really ought to do a snippet involving the Muramasa sisters actually getting drunk together.

Harry Leferts said:
I am the Very Model of a Modern Muramasa?​

Instead of the The Pirates of Penzance, they are the Maidens of Muramasa.

Some less maidenly than others.

Harry Leferts said:
Probably pretty common, though one must wonder why she takes the appearance of a Kitsune...

One of her longer users was one, perhaps?​

Hmm.....

I originally just kinda started using that art, because it's one of the few things I could find with anything approaching the size of nodachi/nagamki she is.

But I think that's a potentially interesting idea to add to the future snippets hat.

Harry Leferts said:
Can't you just feel the sisterly love?​

Yep. All tingly and burny.

Like a tire fire.

Harry Leferts said:
You really want the whole bit where her and Julie had a child without Norimune knowing, don't you?

Maybe

Although I'm not sure what the offspring of a human and a spirit of two meters worth of madness infused steel dedicated to a tutelary god of warriors, would even be.

At the very least though, the idea of her having a trail of halcyon, romantic-interest-per-adventure paramours and lovers across the centuries/her different wars/historical events amuses me.

Of course, the question then becomes, who could be the others if Julie wasn't the only fling.

Harry Leferts said:
Well, she did show distaste for Akutoku's car that one time she had to ride in it...
U.N.Spacy000 said:
True... but I go the feeling Akutoku's car is deeply shamed by existing.​

Imagine the most weeb car wrap you can possibly imagine. Picture something so awkward to look at, you feel shame just being seen in the same parking lot as it. A vehicular crime against humanity, that even the cringiest otaku would cross the street to avoid the shame of being associated with, if they saw it parked on the sidewalk up ahead.

Now dress it up some garish pastels. Like a truck from the crayola factory had an accident with a trailer carrying glow sticks for a rave, and this car was their flamboyantly gay, hipster-haircut automotive lovechild.

U.N.Spacy000 said:
But of course, and some of Kyoshu's favorite characters after asking Umitsubama, and maybe some other characters her other sisters hate.
U.N.Spacy000 said:
Umitsubama​

Please stand for the President of the United States of Dumpsterfires Muramasa

Also, it reminds me of the fact that my keyboard's dying M key means I end up typing 'Umitsubae' on occasion.

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Drunks either make very good arguments or very bad arguments much like little children.​

Alternately, that other well known phrase about inhebriation;

"Drunk words are somber thoughts"

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Carnwennan and Umitsubame will probably get along and trade "So I had to herd these cats" stories but ultimately not want to deal with the nonsense the other has to put up with, so that relationship will probably just become friendship.
Harry Leferts said:
That... honestly fits how they would get along actually. Especially the bit between Umitsubame and him as there are likely a lot of tales the two could exchange. Some of the Potter weapons are..: odd, to say the least.​

"If we keep this up, we're gonna end up with drinking problems."

"My drinking problem is that I'm not drunk yet."

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Suisei and Carnwennan do well on the "Shanking people who threaten my people" bit and would probably get along with each other well enough, but they have families to look after, and that would complicate things with distances involved.​

Truly a shared joy of the finer things in life

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Meanwhile, Akutoku, the sword of corruption, wants to corrupt the pretty boy bishonen and maybe use him as a model, but I'm pretty sure Carnwennan sees through her and is having none of that. She also acts childish and immature more often than not, and I doubt Carnwennan would go for that. But even after he's shut her down hard, I imagine Akutoku will persist if for no other reason than the fact he has a fine ass that her stubborn pride as a Muramasa is on the line if she fails to corrupt one young looking man when she invests her full attention on him.​

Harry Leferts said:
Wait, this reminds me that Juuchi can likely drive Potter cars... I am now imagining her showing up with some old, expensive car just because to get under her sisters' collective skins. And because they belong to her family and not to her, they would not touch them.​

Pfft, that would be a hard one for them to one up if Juuchi were to turn up with something rare.

Kago and Akutoku are probably the richest of the lot, but they aren't that rich as to be spending on cars in a place like Japan.

Although, that does bring something silly to mind.

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

Approaching the table where Ai, kiba and Jin were discussing some JNHRO matters over lunch, the trio then looked up to find Cisuheri and someone who Jin recolected as being one of her sisters from the park the other month.

The okuri-inu meanwhile, gives a friendly nod. "Hey Chisuheri, what's up?"

Making a face, Chisuheri glances to the sister beside her. "Nothing important. Just something minor that Kagotsuruhe wished to ask of you in particular."

Kiba gives a cheerfully open smile as he looks to the impassively blank-faced Muramasa. "Ask away?"

For a brief moment, Kagotsuruhe looks him up and down. "You are Kiba of Takamachi, correct?"

"That's one of my names, yeah?"

The Muramasa nods casually. "I need you."

Jin inhales her sandwich and looks unable to decide between laughing or coughing, while Kiba chokes, Chisuheri goes wide-eyed before facepalming, and Ai's face runs a confusing gauntlet of expressions.

"Phrasing," mumbles Chisuheri awkwardly through her fingers.

"Ah," says Kagotsuruhe. "I suppose to be more accurate, I have need of your automotive collection. And likely your familiarity driving said vehicles as well."

The canine yokai blinks. "You need my what for why?"

"A rather competitive sister of ours is coming to dinner this weekend, and will need a lift from Yokosuka to Tokyo," states the Blade of Hopelessnes, immune to the awkward confusion of those around her. "If you wished to impress someone who has been away from Japan and in close proximity to a number of classic English automobiles for the last few years, what would you recommend driving to impress them."

For a moment, Kiba actually looks intrigued.

Then a glint comes to his eyes.

One that is quickly snuffed out by Ai cuffing the back of his head.

"Death defying togue-runs do not count as 'impressing'."

Harry Leferts said:
Point, though for some odd reason I want to see Tsukiakari pull that on one of Juuchi's sisters...

Which also makes me wonder what sort of relationship she likely has with her sempai's sibling blades...​

Hmm.... that is an interesting thing to consider.

At the very least, Umitsubame probably left a very positive impression, since she tried to talk Juuchi down (even if it failed), briefly held her own against Juuchi (even if she didn't win on her own), and also tried to heal everyone when all was said and done (including Tsukiakari herself, neutralizing the concoctions Norimune used).

Chisuheri has also probably left pretty good impressions ever time they have met. Her level of dedication to her form/ideal of pacifism and self-restraint of her nature might seem a bit.... extreme. But other than that, she is level headed, diplomatic, is a founding member of the JNHRO, and was willing to repeatedly put herself in a fight she could not win, to defend the innocent New!Kyoshu from Juuchi in the depths of her panicked histeria/paranoia driven berserker rage.

Norimune..... might be like that one really annoying teacher or senior you don't entirely get along with, or sort of like but they're kinda prickly/irritating, but at the same time, they/their experiences/their stories, and the lessons that can be gleamed from them, would be interesting as fuck. At the very least, she probably will want to figure out how Norimune knew all her moves, and even some she didn't.

Kagotsuruhe? Again, probably positive, since she tried to help Umi. Although also likely tempered by the wary respect of getting hit with her Aura, even just from the reduced proximity/collateral, and the fact that everyone knows Kago can be inifinitely worse if one is the actual focus.

Akutoku probably fascinates, disgusts, and makes her facepalm in equal measure.

Kyoshu probably seems like such a sweet and innocent airhead, I can see Tsukiakari almost treating her like a kid and guiltily feeling and confusing, niggling doubt as to how Juuchi's stories could possibly mesh with the childish ditz with memory issues she has seen so far. At least until Honjo or the others finally enlighten her with/confirm some of the brief examples Juuchi might have originally given Tsukiakari before the Fleet Festival, in her panic as to why Kyoshu was a blight upon the earth and needed to be murdered on sight before she found Harry.

Suisei. Makes cookies. There can be nothing wrong with somebody who makes cookies. Even if she does briefly tone-shift out of nowhere, to the kind of personality that would stab someone 37 times in the chest in defense as she 'clarifies' things to Juuchi, before abruptly going back to 'bubbly baker'. Now how about those quadruple chocolate chip cookies?

NotHimAgain said:
-Sister Reunion Feels-​

Poor Tonbo

You had a chance to escape, only to fall back into the madness.

More seriously though, it's nice to see the first steps to that wound getting repaired.

mikelima777 said:
Lord K, besides Dementor bones, what were the other materials used in Kago again?​

Here we go;

Lord K said:
Her hilt is said to have been made of the bones of a dementor, and that in the place of stingray skin, the shroud of a lethifold has been used, while the silk wrap is actually the transformed and woven hair of a ushirogami. The shakudo and gold used in her fittings is rumored to have been torn from the cart of a oboroguruma, and that for her blade, a boggart was encased in a box of steel, filled with the spirit of a buruburu, the breath of a kukonki, a stone from the river Sanzu, a pebble from the immediate vicinity of the Sessho-seki, and forty-four red spider lily flowers. All of this was then forged in a fire stolen from one of the hells, with the final heat treating of the sword involving the sludge left in the wake of a Gashadokuro in the place of clay, and the blood of a yuki-onna in place of water.

The end result was arguable one of the most disturbing and truly demonic of the blades Muramasa would ever produce, to the degree that it's saya actually functions more like a giant seal and a containing unit, rather than a scabbard. From all these creatures and regents used in her creation, Kagotsuruhe was born with all the properties of a true weapon of death and terror.
Darth Thanatos said:
In the meantime, have Juuchi's fav car:

A 58 Plymouth with a radio that only plays 50s music. And it already has a spirit itching to come out.​

Hehe, IGetThatReference.gif

I commend you taste.

RBomber said:
-Fight Club-​

More seriously though, Kyoshu has all the makings of a lethal-joke character in her current state. In most situations, she's more likely to run away from a fight, or even forget she's currently in one during lulls. But while her attention span is so shot she can't use her mind-whammy/memory stealing powers anymore, she can still call upon her invulnerability and intangibility (when she remembers she has them).

So in a full on magical fight/spar, she periodically swings between 'runs around screaming' and 'is confused', with occasional bouts of 'skilled enough to fight Juuchi' and 'conditional powers that could let her do it'. And then on really rare occasions, the stars align and you basically get 'CC Sephiroth with Invincibility Frames and Super Armor on demand' for limited bursts.

kinglugia said:
Somehow I have the inkling that the old wizard would Kyoshu himself instead of letting the Masamunes get ahold of him, probably just to spite everyone.​

Now that would be ironic.

RBomber said:
Yeah, but there are ways. Voldemort can basically pricked memories from a lady Obliviated so bad, her memorizing capability is a fritz (Bertha Jorkins). Sure, she was dead afterwards, but it's not like anyone want this memories had to be gentle with him.​

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste," murmurs Kagotsuruhe.

Juuchi nods, only to then notice her sister scrunching her nose as if something disagreeable had crossed her palette. "- And sometimes even more terrible to taste."

"What the fuck Kago?"

 

[darthcourt10]

Omida Omake: The Truth comes out regarding Norimune and Ian

Lord K said:
At the very least though, the idea of her having a trail of halcyon, romantic-interest-per-adventure paramours and lovers across the centuries/her different wars/historical events amuses me.

Of course, the question then becomes, who could be the others if Julie wasn't the only fling.​

There is always the obvious one. Set sometime in the future when Juuichi and Tsukiakari visit Muramasa family gathering:

"Say, Norimune-san, I have been wondering about something when it comes to your appearance."

"It's the tail, isn't it? People always wonder about that."

"What? No! It's just... Well, you resemble someone I knew."

"Oh? I was under impression you were not in Japan since Ian Potter left the country with you."

"We didn't, senpai. Norimune-san reminds me of Noriko-chan."

"Ugh..."

"Hey, you okay Mune? Someone you knew?"

"Shut up and go back to drawing Akutoku."

"Another one?! How many women did that boy sleep with?!"

"You don't want to know, senpai. Anyway, he met Noriko-chan during Tonkin war. He was part of French contingent of Légion étrangère de magie, she was Japanese mercenary for Chinese, they got stranded by their duel away from the main fighting. I think they accidentally crashed a raid by some upstart dark lord on the coast. After that, they decided that since they could not best each other in contest of magic and blade, they would use... ah, alternate means of physical combat."

"W-wait, wait! You say you are the sword of that crazy Western wizard that fucked with a blade under his pillow?! What the hell? I always wondered about that!"

"Ah, yes. Master Ian made many, many people angry. Fathers, brothers, sons..."

"I get it."

"... cousins, uncles, nephews..."

"What kind of manwhore's clutches did you fall into Norimune?!"

"I... I have no idea."

"But it gives me sooo many ideas. Ehehehe... Please, keep talking."

"Grandfathers, grandsons and other assortment of male relatives. Also got in trouble with law when it came to, ah, "deviancy laws".

"Deviancy laws?"

"Oh, I remember those! British ministry tried banning personal relations with non-humans to keep wizarding blood semi pure. It kinda failed when Minister was caught in veela's sex dungeon. Willing."

"Thank you, senpai. The lack of bastards kinda threw me off, but since you confirmed, Norimune-san, I would like to ask about some of the spells you used in your duel"



Because of course this thread's easiest instant Potter relatives in strangest places around the world device would become involved .

Lord K said:
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste," murmurs Kagotsuruhe.

Juuchi nods, only to then notice her sister scrunching her nose as if something disagreeable had crossed her palette. "- And sometimes even more terrible to taste."

"What the fuck Kago?"​

Ah yes, the actual difference between Kago and dementor.

Taste.

 

[darthcourt10]

Maes Omake: Kyoshu reveals she can fix things

K9Thefirst1 said:
Though the rabbit would look more like this:​

Somehow, trying to imagine something whose rage is inversely proportional to its size just brought up the imagery of a puchi Doomslayer.

Barricade said:
Nobody, nowhere, on the planet, alive or dead, knows her name anymore.​

Jin might, what with the double immunity to Kyoshu's special brand of bullshit that was mentioned earlier in-story, but that's if she knows her blades.


as a slightly cracky alternative...


The sword of goldfish-brain waves at a computer screen.

"Umi! Umi! What's this funny curly arrow thing do?"

"That's the 'undo' button, Kyoshu. Undoes the last thing done."

"Oh... so like when I bop someone on the head with my kashira?"

*sigh* "No, not like... wait what?"

"What?"

"Kyoshu, what did you say?"

"Mou... what did I say?"

"Something about bopping people on the head with your kashira?"

"Why would I do that? It hurts!"


(Because unit-731 had to learn the 'undo' spell from somewhere and it kinda makes sense Kyoshu would have that feature... if she could remember it.)

edit: (None of the other Muramasas would know about it either, since 'old' Kyoshu would never have had a reason to use it.)

 

[darthcourt10]

Weaver

Monday, 7th October 2013

Zetland wasn't a very happy lifeboat. She'd known that people were going to make a big deal of her birthday and she'd witnessed previous celebrations while still in her hull so she'd had a good idea of what to expect even if she thought it was a bit excessive.

What she hadn't taken into account though was that there would be a difference between an event that was going on around her hull while she was inside it and one where she was expected to be an active participant. Especially when there was a couple of hundred guests, most of whom she didn't actually know. Oh she knew the various RNLI volunteers and the volunteers who'd looked after her. They weren't a problem. Neither was the most important person present at the party, the current Marquess of Zetland whose ancestors had done a great deal for her. She'd met him before shortly after she'd officially revealed herself to the world and while it was still a little awkward for her to talk to someone important enough to have a title (she was a working-class boat at heart after all and one from an era when the class system was at its height) she could handle it. It helped that his Lordship had been interested in her still half-formed plans to help those lifeboats younger than her who had been neglected when she'd mentioned them and offered his support if needed.

Getting presents from people had also been a bit awkward since there honestly wasn't much she wanted or needed but she'd accepted them politely and done her best to be grateful even when she was given something she had no use for.

No, the main problem apart from the number of people and being the centre of their attention was some of the various local politicians and other members of the council who as far as she could tell had practically invited themselves and their significant others. Especially the two who'd managed to corner her by her hull and had been talking at her for the last ten minutes. Zetland wasn't even entirely sure what they were going on about, having lost track after the first few minutes. Currently she was mainly focused on remaining polite no matter how annoying they got while waiting for an opportunity to escape.

Rescue came in the form of a World War One era shipgirl in uniform tapping the female half of the duo who would not shut up lightly on the arm. HMS Patrol smiled politely.

"Sorry to interrupt but there's something I need to discuss with Zetland."

With that she took hold of the lifeboat's wrist and gently pulled her across the room towards the handful of other guests affiliated with the Hartlepool shipgirl base who were staying in close proximity to the buffet table.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Nothing in particular. You just looked like you needed rescuing."

Zetland smiled slightly.

"I thought that I was the lifesaving boat around here."

The naturalborn smiled back.

"Even warships come to the aid of vessels in distress. You looked like you were starting to lose the will to live. What were they going on about anyway?"

"I have no idea. It was almost like they were speaking another language."

The scout cruiser patted her arm sympathetically.

"I know the type. Don't worry, I doubt that they or anyone else will bother you while you're talking to a shipgirl. Do you want anything to drink?"

Zetland shook her head.

"No thank you. How's naval life treating you?"

"Very well so far. I've completed my sea trials and have been cleared for active duty, although given that I'm a First World War ship I'll probably be mostly doing coastal defence and secretary ship duty. Especially the latter since I've done admin work before so I know my way around an office."

"Have you been in the baths yet?"

"A couple of times. It's an interesting experience. That reminds me, I heard that you might be able to fix the problem with your airboxes the same way."

Zetland nodded.

"That's what I've been told, although I don't have a bathtub which is a bit of a problem. As far as I know the plan is to open up my hull as soon as possible so that we can see just what we're dealing with and then go from there."

The older looking but much younger woman looked concerned.

"Does it hurt?"

The world's oldest lifeboat rubbed her chest.

"Not really. Just sort of uncomfortable. To be honest I've got used to ignoring it."

"Well, you shouldn't have to put up with it for much longer."

"Hope not. What I'm really keen to sort out though is being stuck near to my hull all the time. I know of a way to get around it but I need a piece of my hull that I can carry around with me. Hopefully when they open me up there'll be something that's come loose otherwise I'm stuck."

"Well, lets hope that everything works out. Oh, and happy delivery day."

"Thank you."

 

[darthcourt10]

Savato93

"…Fluffy?" The young princess let out a small grunt, her closed eyelids fluttering lightly. She felt a distant nudge. "Fluffy, wake up."

"Mm…" Slowly but surely, Fluffy was roused from her slumber. Groggily lifting herself upright, she let out a small yawn—dully contemplating how strange yawning felt, to a girl that once breathed out of a blowhole—and opened her eyes. Glancing around, Fluffy saw that the throne room was oddly packed, with easily several dozen Abyssals milling about. Hoppou and Regalia in particular were seated in front of her, their expressions seeming almost… anxious.

"What… what is it…?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

Hoppou shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. Hoppou just thought Fluffy would want to be awake for final step."

"Final step…?" As the words clicked in Fluffy's head, her drowsiness vanished. "You mean…!?" Carefully crawling on her knees towards the drydock, orb held close to her chest for safety, Fluffy peered over the edge to the occupant within.

The girl laying in the dry dock before Fluffy seemed so unfamiliar… yet familiar, as well. Her broken and rusted steel was gone, pristine Abyssal metal in its place. Skin that was once ashen-white and riddled with innumerable scars, pulled taut over a slim and starving frame, was now smooth and healthy and filled-out. Even her clothes had been replaced. But her face… looking past the no-longer-gaunt cheeks, past hair that had regained its volume and silvery lustre… Fluffy knew this was her Re-class.

"This… is my Flagship…" Fluffy asked quietly, awed.

Hoppou nodded. "Renita… just as she should be."

Regalia held up a hand, a sheepish look on her face. "Can I ask a question…? There's just something that's really been bugging me about this."

Hoppou tilted her head. "Hoppou doesn't see why not."

Regalia pointed to herself. "You built me to the same specifications as my cousins Regina and Revina, right? And we all more or less look alike?"

"Yes."

"And you rebuilt Aunt Renita to those same standards?"

"Yes."

Regalia gestured to her aunt's body. "Then why is she so… so short? And why are her boobs so big?"

Confused, Fluffy did a quick check. Now that she mentioned it, the young Re-class was right—she was personally a prime example of her class, standing tall and proud as a capital ship should, despite being less endowed than either battleships OR carriers. Her flagship, though? She looked to be over a full head shorter, only barely fitting the height criteria for a heavy cruiser, let alone a battlecarrier… yet she seemed to have developed breasts rivaling—if not surpassing—her sister Sunny in size. It looked like her parka couldn't even be fully zipped, they were so large.

She couldn't help but agree with Regalia: the difference was rather jarring.

Hoppou let out a small sigh, thinking the question over. "Well… put simply, all Abyssals are unique. Even among the same class, there are small differences in body that make individuals distinguishable from one another. Like Rivet and Ridgeline, for example. Both are Ri-class, but Rivet is little more stout, more muscular than Ridgeline, while Ridgeline is leaner, more flexible than Rivet. There's all sorts of physical traits to make Abyssals unique: shape of the face, length of legs or arms, thickness or shade of hair… the list goes on."

"And that includes height and bust size?"

Hoppou nodded. "Yep. Renita hit two different extremes—probably shortest Re-class ever, but also has possibly the biggest…" She coughed lightly. "Anyway, there's no major difference between her hull and yours… it's just how she was made."

She held out a hand to Fluffy. "But that said… she needs one more part, to be complete."

Fluffy looked down to the cracked orb in her hands. When Hoppou had first handed her this immeasurable responsibility, the spirit within was… unstable. Wispy shapes danced haphazardly across the surface with no sense of purpose, the soft light they gave off flickering and pulsing erratically. The whole thing looked like a thunderhead encapsulated in a glass ball—a soul in turmoil, who desperately needed help.

Now? It was like the storm within had passed… or at the very least lessened. There was still no direction or rhythm to the orb's light… but it was moving noticeably slower, the flickering of its glow far less frequent. Released from the torture chamber that was her own mangled body, it seemed her flagship had finally been relieved of at least some of her distress.

"Thank you… for saving her," Fluffy said quietly as she held out the orb. "Both of you."

Regalia simply nodded.

"Hoppou failed to help Renita before. She refuses to fail again." The Princess's expression softened as she accepted her daughter's soul. "But none of this would be possible, if not for Fluffy. You kept her going for so much longer than she ever could by herself… and for that, Hoppou is indebted to you."

Orb in hand, Hoppou turned around and hopped into the drydock. For close to a minute she remained kneeled beside Renita's prone body, wordlessly tracing the cracks on the surface of the orb with a finger. She was unable to find words good enough for the moment—what could she say, that would make up for everything her daughter had been through? Instead she simply sighed, shaking her head. She leaned over the Re-class's chest with the orb in her bare hand. Taking one last deep breath, Hoppou gently pressed the orb into her chest.

It was hard for Fluffy to describe. Before that moment, she'd recognized the body in the drydock as belonging to her flagship, but that was really all it was to her: a body. If asked, she'd be unable to refer to the Re-class as someone, rather than something, with a straight face. But as the light of the orb was released, spreading out, filling an empty shell, Fluffy could feel her perception of the Re-class changing.

Now, there was a soul… there was, however faint, a trace of life to her. This really was her flagship—whole and healthy, in body, if not in mind and spirit.

Mystified by the sensation, Fluffy almost failed to notice when the glow had finally faded. Exhaustion was visible in Hoppou's face as she worked her mitten back on, but she remained steadfast. Slowly, the Princess's imps began to filter out of Renita, their work done. It was only a matter of time before her boilers ignited.

As the last of the imps disappeared, everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath at the same time, sitting completely still, waiting for something to happen.

And then, finally, someone moved.

Renita's chest rose and fell, ever so slightly, as she began to draw breath.

The other Abyssals relaxed, just a little, at seeing the Re-class was visibly alive. Already, they could see other signs of activity—little muscle twitches here and there, fingers moving, a soft clacking as her tail worked its replacement jaw.

Eventually, there was an overt motion—slowly, weakly, a hand was lifted, up onto Renita's midriff. The fingers moved and flexed at random, almost seeming to be… searching for something. Something which, based on the sudden confusion in her sleeping expression, wasn't there. She made a small sound of distress, as she lifted her second hand and began running it over her abdomen. Several seconds of searching only confirmed her suspicion: something was missing.

Finally, Renita opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Hoppou, sitting beside her. Immediately, her disoriented mind latched onto that sight, straining to focus on her mother with blurry eyes. "…mo… Mommy…?" she whispered.

"It's okay," Hoppou said softly, reaching out and taking Renita's hand in her own. "Mommy is here. You're alright."

Renita briefly relaxed at the touch, her mother's presence and reassurance. But as her free hand continued to roam her torso, confusion and fear began to creep into her expression, and her breathing quickened. "M-mommy… something's wrong, mommy…" she whined. "Why… why does nothing h-hurt?"

Hoppou let out a heavy sigh as she shook her head. "No, baby… nothing is wrong. Mommy fixed you… made you all better." She gently lifted their held hands into Renita's line of sight. "See?"

It took the Re-class a moment to register the movement, but then her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the pale, unburned hand. Realized, watching the fingers wiggle and the wrist swivel at her will, that it belonged to her. Pulling her other hand away from her body to inspect it, she was shocked to find it healthy, as well. "This… th-this can't be real… can it?" Renita asked herself weakly, her hands beginning to tremble. "Am I… dead?"

"No. You're not dead. You're alive. Alive and safe." Hoppou took both her daughter's shaking hands, looking her in the eyes. "No more pain. No more fear. You never need to suffer alone again… because your family is here for you." Renita was silent as she looked at her mother, tears building in her eyes. Hoppou noted the Re-class begin to tug on her arms with a pleading expression; understanding what she wanted, the Princess gently pulled her up off her back.

Renita used the motion to fling herself against the little Princess, hanging on with what little strength she had. "I'm s-sorry, Mommy… I failed you… I failed all m-my sisters…" she sobbed into Hoppou's chest, ignorant of her tears beginning to stain her dress. "I never… I-I never wanted to… hurt anyone. B-but… there was so m-much evil… so much hate in m-me… I couldn't make it stop. I had to g-get away…" she shook her head. "I've… I've killed, Mommy. Tortured. Murdered. I've d-done… horrible things… to so many people… I d-didn't deserve to come back. But after… b-being alone, hurting for so long… I couldn't take the… pain in m-my heart anymore."

Renita let out a sniffle, letting go of Hoppou and sliding back down to her knees. "I promise… I won't run away again. I'll behave. I'll do a-anything… so please… please f-forgive me…" No matter how much they wanted to go to Renita's side, tell her none of what she'd done in the past mattered, that they loved her no matter what… the Abyssals held their tongues. It was not their place to decide this.

And then Hoppou spoke.

"…No, my child." Gripping Renita's shoulders and pulling her up, holding her at arms' length, Hoppou looked her in the eyes. "You have done nothing bad that needs forgiving. All those awful things… you weren't in control of them. I know you would never choose to be cruel, not even to someone you hated. It's simply not who you are. And even if you did, the ones you did it to were just as bad, if not worse, than you could ever become." Despite the tears building in her own eyes, Hoppou's voice was resolute. "You are not a monster, not a coward, not a failure."

Renita trembled in her mother's grasp, bloody tears streaking down her face. "Then… what am I, Mommy… what am I?" She whimpered softly. "I can't… I can't remember, anymore…"

"…You are Renita. My daughter. My sweet, brave, wonderful daughter. A hero." Hoppou pulled Renita back towards her, wrapping her into a proper hug. "You were willing to sacrifice yourself to protect us… even if it meant you may never see us again. And all of us, all these years… we never stopped thinking about you. Worrying about you. Never stopped loving you.

"You've been so strong, Renita. To persevere in spite of all your pain… all your grief and guilt… for so very long. All to be with us again. I'm so proud of you." Hoppou hugged Renita tighter, feeling her daughter's arms hesitantly wrapping around her in turn. "But it's over, now. It's finally over. You don't have to suffer through it alone, anymore. We're all here for you. And we'll help you to finally overcome those awful feelings… together."

The other Abyssals continued to observe, waiting for the dam to inevitably burst, for Renita to accept her mother's invitation, finally let out the pain that had built up in her after all these years… but to their surprise, she didn't.

There was no explosive breakdown, no anguished screams; Renita simply didn't have the strength of heart for such an outburst, anymore. She could only sob quietly, clinging to her mother like her life depended on it—in a sense, it did. "It was s-so awful, Mommy…" she cried. "It never stopped h-hurting… inside a-and out… even when I was a-asleep… it hurt so b-bad…"

Hoppou gently shushed her daughter, stroking her hair as she wept, even as she herself began to cry. "It's okay, baby. Hoppou fixed you up, good as new—and you won't ever have to fight like that again."

"…b-but it still… it still hurts… my heart…" Renita whimpered. "Why… why won't it g-go away…?"

"I don't know. But I promise you, we'll find a way to make it stop hurting. Together. Okay?"

Still crying, Renita nevertheless nodded. "O-okay, Mommy."

They sat like that for several minutes, simply holding each other, letting the tears flow freely. The other Abyssals left them to their peace, knowing deep down that both of them desperately needed this. Eventually, Renita's crying began to grow softer and weaker, before coming to a stop altogether. Hoppou didn't need to check to see why—her daughter had gone slack in her embrace, her distressed and erratic breathing finally slowing to a calm and steady rhythm—but she looked over her shoulder anyway, just so she could see her Renita sleeping peacefully... for the first time, in so many years.

With a shaky sigh, Hoppou gently lifted Renita up and carried her out of the drydock. "A blanket for Renita, please?" She asked one of her daughters quietly. Looking to Renita's sleeping face, she added, "…and one for Hoppou, too."

After everything Renita had been through… a chance to go to sleep with her mother was the least she deserved.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Opening up the Daily Prophet, Harry began to read as he slowly worked his way through breakfast. The Japanese raised wizard was not the only one either as various other people did much the same. Over at Hufflepuff, if one looked, they could see a wireless set up to allow for people to catch up on the morning news. Here and there, owls swooped down with letters and the like, or flew away with letters.

As he made his way through the newspaper, Harry gave a small snort that caused looks from Ron as well as Hermione who were reading their own newspapers. "Just reading what they were writing in regards to the Dementors and such. A lot of people are still unhappy with them being around."

That got him a snort from Ron. "Gee, I wonder why." Raising an eyebrow, he gave Harry a look. "By the way... why are you reading the Prophet? I mean, you stated it was like the Daily Fail, right?"

Choking a bit, Hermione pounded her chest. "Ron!"

Utterly unrepentant, the red head shrugged. "What? That was what Duke called it and I agree with her." Frowning, he furrowed his eyebrows. "Not that there are a whole lot of choices to be honest. I mean, there is the Quibbler, but..."

With a chuckle, Harry grinned a bit. "Well, outside some of the articles it is not too bad to be honest. Sometimes reminds me of the Ayaayamaru Shinbun, which is always fun to read." Flipping a page, he hummed some. "Though the Shikigami Messenger is also pretty good, better the Prophet, but if I want to know what is going on here in Britain..."

Shovelling some porridge into his mouth, Ron nodded while Neville frowned some. "What about the magazines though?"

A frown on her face, Hermione pointed at one. "Yes, and? They come out about once a month. Daily newspapers are... not that great."

Just flipping another page, Harry continued to scan the words. "True, though I heard that the Ogyruan Times is not bad either... Can't figure out how to get a subscription for it though since its still small."

Considering that, Ron furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait, isn't that the magical Welsh newsletter? From what I heard most of it is written in, well, Welsh."

Simply shaking his head, the green eyed wizard turned to the next page, which was just before the International section. "Yeah, though they apparently have started to release an English newsletter. Hence me trying to get subscribed to it." Finally reaching the international section, he took a drink until he reached one bit that made him choke some. "What the bloody hell...?!"

Eyebrow raised, Neville frowned at him. "Something wrong, Mate?"

Glancing at him, Harry cleared his throat. "Um... International Section, down near the bottom of the second page of it. Please tell me that I am seeing things about Egypt..."

More then a little confused, the other teen opened to that section and began looking. It took him only moments to find the spot and he stared for a few seconds in utter disbelief even as the other two began to look themselves. "Um, Harry? I don't think that you are seeing things at all...'

Hermione groaned and massaged the side of her head as she finished reading. "Oh God... what the ever loving hell were the ICW even thinking?! This is not going to go down well."

Also reading, Ron's eyes slowly got wider and wider. "Um, yeah, that is putting it mildly. They literally just gave Magical Egypt the go ahead in order to annex Magical Libya. All because the civil war going on there has lead to a bunch of breaches and they're willing to allow for it if they can put a lid on it. That... that is not good."

Still rubbing her brow, the bushy haired shipgirl shook her head. "No, it is not, Ron. And it is worse then you think." At the looks, she waved a hand at the non-magical newspaper her sisters sent her. "There's been word on the non-magical side of the civil war there that the Egyptian aligned militias and factions have been gaining ground steadily. Something that no one else can quite figure out how they have been pulling it off. And which means that in a few years, Egypt on the non-magical side might annex the failed state that Libya has become."

For several moments, they all digested that and glanced at the same section before Harry put their thoughts into words. "You don't think that the magical side of Egypt is working with the non-magical side, do you? I mean..."

There was silence before Ron gave a scoff. "It would not surprise me at all. The Magical Ministry of Egypt really hates the ICW for all the crap that they have been put through. Especially with how they have been pressuring the Egyptians to do something about the Sunshipgirls there due to the Goblins being pissed as hell. Mainly because the ICW does not want to have a goblin rebellion on top of everything else, like they're being threatened with. But one of the reasons that the Egyptians have been giving is the problem of Libya next door. And if they offered to fully put a lid on it and calm down things until they could then sort out the other issues..."

Now it was Neville's turn to groan. "The ICW would likely jump on that. Bloody dammit..."

Rubbing his face, Harry took a deep breath. "Great... so in other words things are going to become interesting in the Chinese sense of the word... Especially after the Statute falls apart. Just... great."

Before the four could feel further annoyance at what counted as international politics in the Abyssal War, a flash of white caught their attention and Harry turned in time for a weight to land on his shoulder. Hedwig fixed him with a look before puffing up some and holding out one leg that had a letter on it. "Prek."

A small smile on his face, Harry gave her a small nod. "Thanks, Hedwig."

Holding up a rasher of bacon, his smile grew as she took it before he opened the letter. To all of them, a tenseness that they had not noticed before went out of his shoulders with Ron raising an eyebrow. "Something good happen, Mate?"

Still smiling, Harry looked up. "Yeah, remember how I told you about Renita? And how she was in a bad state?" The others nodded as they could remember him telling them about her, the black haired wizard gave a laugh of relief. "Hoppou's done her rebuild and she's going to be fine." Then a small grimace appeared on his face. "Physically, anyways. The rest will hopefully come in time."

On Hermione's face was a relieved look as she reached across the table and patted his hand. "That's good to hear, Harry. I'm glad that everything has worked out there."

Harry simply nodded to that in reply. Once breakfast was over though and they headed to their classes, the Japanese raised magical lowered his voice as they walked through the noisy corridors to class. Mainly so that Neville wouldn't hear from where he was in front of them over the other conversations and such. "Um, considering that the weekend is coming up soon... do you think that maybe..."

The shipgirl and red head shared a look before smiling and clapping Harry on the shoulders, with Ron speaking for the both of them. "That you could borrow our time turners for the weekend? Not a problem, Mate. You know that."

Much to their surprise, their friend shook his head. "No, just for Friday. I'll use it on Friday evening and turn back until it's Thursday noon or some such and give them to Dumbledore to hand over to you once the times sync back up. Then I'll head on over to Tanith's island with my own for three days, then borrow them again on Sunday evening, maybe when I get back, or maybe Monday morning. Just to give me the time I need."

Both the other two nodded at that with Hermione answering. "That's not a big deal, Harry. Neither I nor Ron mind helping."

Ron gave him a small grin at that. "Family is important, and this is really important anyways."

Lightly laughing, Harry hugged them both. "Thanks."

Unknown to them, his owl went back to Yokosuka and returned with a package. One that she delivered to a smug sword that was on the astronomy tower. Opening it, Juuchi grinned. "Blood oranges! Yes." She then took one out and unpeeled it before putting a piece into her mouth. Granted, when Juuchi looked up, she nearly choked at the sight that met her, mainly that of Kagotsuruhe sitting there expressionless while Hedwig sat on the older Muramasa's head.

Then Juuchi started to laugh as the owl closed its eyes and went to sleep while her sister just blinked with her face still expressionless.
_______________________________________________________________

Shifting the backpack he had, Harry glanced over at Akebono who was standing in front of the Vanishing Cabinet. "So this leads to Tanith's Island, Akebono-Nee?"

Just looking up from her paperwork, the Destroyer gave a small nod. "Hai, that it does, Harry-Chan. Are you ready for this though?"

A small smile on his face, Harry gave a nod. "I am... Anyways, see you in a day or two."

Nodding back, Akebono smiled as well. "See you then, Harry-Chan. Safe winds."

With a deep breath, the black haired boy stepped into the cabinet and closed the doors. Waiting a few moments, he then stepped out and looked around with a slight smile on his face as he was met with a grinning Battleship Water Demon. "Sunny!"

Lightly laughing, Sunny reached down and hugged him. "Hey, Uncle Harry. Its good to see you!" Pulling away, she continued to grin. "Welcome to our island."

Pulling back from the hug as well, Harry looked around the small room that they were in. The walls were stone, and there was a small desk, but generally put the whole place looked rather clean. "Thanks! And also, wow... sort of looks cool."

Hands on her hips. Sunny smiled. "It sort of is to be honest. And Tanith is proud of it." Placing her hand on his shoulder, she began to guide him out. "Speaking of Tanith, I should probably bring you to her and the others including Mom."

As they walked along the halls, Harry glanced around. Here and there he could see damage, mostly from the fact that it had been abandoned so long. But it also spoke of the craftsmanship that went into building the palace that it was still in good shape after so long. Due to so many windows being busted though, Harry had to wrap his cloak a bit closer to him due to the slight chill and damp. 'Yeah, those need to be fixed.'

Noticing, the Abyssal stepped a bit closer with a small frown. "You okay, Uncle Harry? Cold?"

While he considered saying he wasn't, Harry shrugged off that thought. Better not to lie after all, so he shook his head. "Somewhat. Pretty drafty after all."

Sunny now looked at the windows herself and frowned some. "Yeah, it is a bit cold here since we're on the Bering Sea. And we're not in winter yet, though the cold doesn't bother us as much as normal humans anyways. Though if we do get visitors, that has to change, I guess."

Glancing at her, Harry blinked and then smiled a bit as he waved his wand and one of the windows repaired itself. With a look at the surprised Abyssal, he chuckled. "I think that I can do something about that."

A thoughtful look on her face, Sunny gave a small nod. 'I guess so.'

It did not take them long to reach the main meeting room where Tanith was seated on her throne speaking with Patty. At seeing Harry though, she got up and smiled before walking over and giving Harry a hug. "Uncle Harry... welcome to our Home."

Hugging her back, Harry gave a small chuckle. "Thanks, and its good to be here."

Within moments, he found himself being hugged by the other Demons and Princesses. After they pulled back though, Ritou tilted her head at his backpack with a small frown. "Is this it, Uncle Harry? I mean, it is pretty small, you know?"

That got her a nod as Harry set the backpack down and then reached inside before pulling out something the size of a Rubix cube with log designs on it. Rolling it between his hands, he smiled a bit. "This is actually one of those instant cabins I told you all about. All I got to do is put it down somewhere that has been prepared and cast a small spell, and it will unfold into a basic two floor log cabin with some rough furniture in it. The upper levels have a couple of bunk beds, with a small table, couch, and chairs for the lower floor along with a wood stove and a fireplace. Also has a small washroom as well."

Gently taking it, Nuri rolled it around in her hands. "This little thing has all that? Really?" When Harry nodded, she shook her head in amazement. "That is so cool. Magic is really neat, isn't it, Mom?"

For her part, Hoppou came over and peered at the item in question. "Hoppou agrees, Big Brother did good job with this! Hoppou's daughters will be very happy with them!"

Nods met that pronouncement before the biggest of the Princesses turned to Harry. Head tilted to the side, Tanith frowned a little. "Uncle Harry? You mentioned that you would get another building for the Destroyers?"

A small smile on his face, Harry reached in and pulled out something similar to the other box, but this one was nearly his size. "Yeah, this one becomes a barn about twice the size of a regular one, but also has an expanded inside. They were designed for the larger, magical horse breeds that fly. So about half a dozen Destroyers at the least should be able to fit in it. It also has a small wood stove, which like the others are charmed to prevent them from tipping over and causing fires. Stone floor like the cabins as well, so they're not laying on the dirt with it coming with self-cleaning hay, though... that's about it."

Seeing the blush on his face, Tanith placed one hand on his shoulder and smiled. "I think... that they will love it just the same. Thank you." Upon noticing that he was looking around, she tilted her head some. "Is something wrong, Uncle Harry? Are you looking for someone?"

There was a small frown on the wizard's face as he looked up into his niece's. "Ah, sorry about that. I was just wondering where Renita is? I brought a bed for her and Fluffy and were sort of hoping to meet them."

Her arms crossed, Sunny pouted a bit. "Aw, and here I was hoping that you would have a bed for me." At his look though, she laughed and waved him away. "It's okay, Uncle Harry. I got something of a makeshift one anyways." Seeing his grin and the twinkle though, the Abyssal blinked. "Wait, you don't actually mean that you got me a bed, do you?"

It was now Harry's turn to laugh at her. "As a matter of fact, I do. Didn't know if the rest of you need some, but I still brought a bunch of bedframes that I fixed up and they should be big enough for you." Several minutes later found Harry looking around Sunny's room. There was not a whole lot to it, just some savaged furniture and a chunk of a tree trunk to make a stool of sorts. Looking at her "Bed", which was just some logs strapped together in a makeshift frame that looked ready to fall apart at any time, Harry gently lifted it away and set down what looked like a tiny bed in its place. One that he tapped and with a whispered word, it enlarged until it became one of the larger beds that they ever saw, mattress included. Seeing it, Sunny grinned and bounced on it with a small sigh as Harry chuckled. "I don't think that I need to ask if you like it?"

Laying back with her arms outstretched, Sunny snickered some. "Nope! Quite the opposite as this is almost as good as Tanith's! Now this, I could learn to like."

Amused, Hoppou wagged a mittened hand at her. "Hoppou wants to remind Sunny not to jump on bed and break it. Big Brother can fix, but Hoppou does not want him to come that often to do so!"

Rapidly nodding, Sunny propped herself up on her elbows. "I don't either, Mom." Getting off the bed, she walked over and gave her uncle a hug. "Thanks, Uncle Harry. I love it."

Smirking, Harry pulled out a dresser. "Well, I have other items as well..." It took a few moments to set everything up, but in the end they were looking at everything. "Well?"

Not saying anything right away, Sunny looked at the bronze edged mirror at her reflection and then ran her hand along the top of a dresser. Slowly, her smile grew before she turned and it became a grin. "I love it!"

With a smile on his face, the teenaged wizard turned to the others. "I brought others if anyone wants them. I don't have enough yet for everyone, but with how the cabins and such come with their own furniture..."

Just shaking her head, Ritou glanced at the others and waved him off. "I don't think that any of us will really have all that much issue to be honest."

Around her, the others gave their own nods of agreement. Before Harry could say anything though, Hoppou walked up and gently grasped his hand. "Big Brother? Can we work on Renita's room? Get it all ready for her and Fluffy?"

Expression softening, Harry gave a small bob of the head in agreement. "Sure, I don't mind much. I also ordered some blankets and such for you as all as well." It took only minutes for him to be lead to a small room off to the side. In one wall, a broken window allowed some light through it, which was fixed with a spell from Harry. Rubbing his hands, he looked down at Hoppou with a smile. "Okay, let's get started then, okay?"

Brightly smiling, Hoppou gave him a nod back.

Roughly an hour later, Fluffy was walking alongside her Flagship as well as Regalia in confusion. When they had gotten up that morning, one thing that she had noticed was how excited everyone had been. Even Regalia had been bouncing around a bit which only made her more confused.

However, right now after having asked Regalia why, her confusion was now well past what she had ever thought possible.

Meanwhile, Renita furrowed her eyebrows some and glanced at Fluffy before turning back to Regalia. "I... have an uncle? And he's human?"

Nodding, Regalia had a bright smile on her face. "Yeah, Uncle Harry as a matter of fact." At seeing that her aunt was still confused, she made a motion with a hand. "See, when Grandma was found by the shipgirls and humans, they took her to Japan. And she was adopted by Great-Grandma Nagato... who had already adopted a human boy named Harry. He was really nice to Grandma and helped her, with her making him her Big Brother. Even Aunt Wanko likes him and calls him Little Brother."

Still unsure, Renita chewed her lip some. "What... what is he like?"

With a hum, the other, younger, Re-Class considered her answer. "Uncle Harry is... nice. He's really kind and pretty easy going, funny too at times. But he also really cares for us, just like Grandma. Even though he just met us, he already saw us as family and everything." Briefly, Regalia considered telling her aunt about what she knew of their uncle's childhood, but decided not to. Instead, she decided on something else. "Oh! And he's got really great hugs! They're sort of like being in a warm bath, you can feel how much he loves you with them."

Head tilted to the side, Fluffy blinked some. 'Warm hugs?' Out loud, she repeated the question. "Warm hugs? What do you mean?"

Tilting her head back Regalia frowned some in thought. "It's sort of hard to explain unless you've experienced them? I mean, they're really warm, but nice. The warmth just seems to soak into you." Upon noticing that Fluffy looked worried, she frowned some. "What's wrong?"

That made the new Princess drop her head some. "W-well, um, I've never met a human before and..."

Regalia thought that over and rolled it around in her head before nodding. "Well, most humans are rather nice, I think. Sometimes they stare and stuff, and there's a few that are, well, mean. But they're mostly okay. And I think that Uncle Harry is a bit different from a normal human anyways. He's got magic and stuff."

Blinking, Fluffy looked at her Flagship who also looked unsure. Unknown to them, the same thoughts were going through both their heads. 'Magic?'

Just before they could ask though, the three of them reached their destination, one of the rooms close to Regalia's. Almost as soon as they reached them though, Fluffy froze a bit as there was a new IFF there, that of a Demon Flagship. Then, before her eyes, the door opened to one of the rooms and Sunny poked her head out with a smile before waving at something. Closer, and closer the new IFF got until... what looked like a young human male (humans had males, right?), or what she assumed to be stepped out. His hair was short and messy, while also being black. But what caught her gaze were the green eyes that looked out from the face.

Mainly because as soon as they landed on her and her Flagship, they seemed to light up in happiness and something else.

Walking forward, the boy slowed though when Renita backed up a touch with an unsure look on her face. Voice soft, the human spoke as if not to spook her. "Renita?" When the Re-Class nodded, his smile softened a touch. "I'm Harry."

Eyebrows furrowing, Renita blinked a bit. "You're... my uncle? Mommy's Big Brother?"

Gaze gentle, Harry gave a small nod. "That's right, Hoppou is my little sister so I would be your uncle. I'm glad to see that you're well." Turning, he also gave a small smile to Fluffy. "And you must be Fluffy? Thank you, for taking such good care of her."

Unsure, the young Princess turned to her Flagship and nodded slightly. "She's my Flagship and it was what was right..." Her eyes meanwhile jumped from place to place and when Harry asked her what was wrong, she chewed her lip. "There's a Demon Flagship around and... I'm just trying to figure out where..."

Lips twitching, Harry chuckled some as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Actually... that would be me." He then lifted his arm and the sleeves he had fell away to reveal the bands of Abyssal metal around it. "Hoppou, Big Sis, Tanith, and the others all put me down as a Demon and Flagship for their fleets. This just sends out that as an IFF."

Her eyes widening, Fluffy gave a small nod as her mouth became an "O" shape in realization. "Oh." The sound of snuffling and grunting made her blink before she noticed the teen look down. Doing the same, she felt her face light up at seeing her Rigging moving around Harry's legs and sniffing him. "Ah! Stop that!"

Simply lightly laughing, Harry reached down and held out one hand. The Abyssal's rigging sniffed it and nuzzled the knuckles a bit before it got a scratch on its head that made it go onto its back. Giving the Rigging a quick belly rub, Harry stood up and noticed something in Renita's eyes before he stepped forward. "Renita? What's wrong?"

The Re-Class flinched a bit and looked down. "I... I don't want to hurt you."

Only nodding, and his tone still gentle and soft, Harry gave her a small smile. "And would you want to? Hurt me, I mean?"

Quickly, Renita shook her head with her eyes wide. "No!" Then with another flinch, she shrunk into herself. "I don't want to hurt you, b-but I'm afraid..."

For several moments, Harry stood there before taking another step. "Then you won't, it is just that simple." Gently, he opened his arms and wrapped them around the taller Abyssal's waist. Briefly, Renita froze only to then relax with Harry smiling up at her. "See? You're not hurting me."

Slowly, the Abyssal reached up and then hugged him with gentleness. Almost as if she was afraid that he was glass and she might break him. "Mm-hm."

To the side, Fluffy just stared as her flagship relaxed, tension draining away as the two just stood there hugging with Harry rubbing Renita's back. After a few minutes, he pulled away from her and then nodded before turning to Fluffy who looked unsure. Then he swept her up into a hug with the Destroyer stiffening briefly. "Welcome to the family, Fluffy."

Eyes wide, Fluffy stood there unsure what to do exactly. Everything was happening so fast, but then she felt it. A... warmth, slowly seeping into her body from the young human hugging her. Still unsure, she brought her arms up in a copy of the reaction her Flagship had and returned the hug. It was... something that she could not describe. Her old Flagship had always told her that humans were weak, cowardly, but also hateful towards Abyssals.

But looking at Harry, who was hugging her, she realized that was yet another lie from her former leader.

Just the same though, she was unable to describe exactly what she felt. It was a type of warmth that she did not often feel, but amplified somehow. The warmth seeped into her skin, and right into her hull. Regalia had described it as a warm bath, but... Fluffy had never had such a thing. And so she was still somewhat lost as Harry pulled away, though she knew one thing at least: She wanted to experience it more.

A laugh made them turn to find Sunny there with a grin and her arms crossed. Not to mention Ritou, Tanith, and some of the others poking their heads out of the doorway. Still grinning, Sunny jerked her thumb towards the room. "Want to come and see what Uncle Harry did for your room?"

Light blush on his cheeks, Harry gave her a look. "Hey, you all helped."

Tone dry, Ritou rolled her eyes some. "All we did was help you pick spots and such. Everything else, you did, Uncle Harry'"

Before he could retort though, she pulled back in. Huffing a bit, Harry shook his head some and slowly took Renita's and Fluffy's hands in his. Gently, he pulled them along before stopping at the door. "Okay, close and cover your eyes." Unsure, the two did so with the young wizard guiding them in. Once they were inside, he called out. "You can look now." As they uncovered their eyes, the first thing that they saw was Harry spreading his arms. "PAN-PAKA-PAN!"

It was then that they saw their room and their jaws dropped at what they saw. Not far from the window, there was a bed done in a light cream color as were the two dressers, an bedside table as well as a small bookcase, and a rocking chair that had cushions on it. On the bed were sheets that were also a light blue except for the quilt that was one top, which was light green. The walls themselves were also a soft teal. Over the windows, were teal curtains as well with a green carpet mat that was on the floor. In one of the corners, an odd, copper item stood that looked like a lantern covered in holes, though from said holes heat issued and warmed the room.

Walking further into it, Renita felt tears come from her eyes before her gaze fell onto Harry. "Uncle Harry...? You did this, for me?"

Just scratching his cheek, Harry gave a small nod. "I did, I mean you need a nice place to recover." Gesturing over at the rocking chair, he smiled some. "There's a charm on it so that you don't need to worry about rocking onto your tail. Oh!" Walking over, he gestured at the small stereo beside a lamp that had both hooked up to a solar panel. "This is so that you can also listen to some music."

Gobsmacked, the Re-Class looked around before slowly walking across the room to take it all in. On one wall, there were pegs for her parka. Then, almost as if she was afraid she would break it, Renita sat down on the bed and marveled at how soft it was. Laying down, she smiled some as she curled up before patting beside her. "Fluffy! Come and lay down!"

Unsure, Fluffy made her way over and also laid down before her eyes widened and then relaxed. It... was the softest, most comfortable bed that she had ever laid in next to Regalia's own. And it was hers and her Flagship's. Hearing her rigging, she looked over the other side and blinked at the basket there. For several moments, her rigging sniffed around it before hopping onto the cushions and turning several times and laying down while giving grunts of enjoyment.

The bed then shifted as Renita got up and quickly made her way to Harry and hugged him. "Thank you, Uncle Harry."

Patting her back, Harry just smiled back. "You are very welcome, Renita. Welcome home."

Moments later, she was joined by Fluffy, and then her mother and sisters as well as Regalia also hugging.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

As they walked along the road coming from the castle, Harry looked one way and then another. Part of him was impressed as the "Road" actually was a pretty well maintained dirt one. Having noticed his gaze, Tanith gave a small nod. "When we lived in Unalaska, Mother sometimes had us perform work on the infrastructure. Most of us know the basics to maintaining roads and the like."

She than gave a nod towards a place a little ahead and Harry had to blink. Because right there was a stream that had a bridge across it in the form of a number of basalt columns that had been roped together to form a bridge. Head tilted to the side, Ritou gave a small shrug. "There's a lot of rock like that at the north end of the island. And they make for a good bridge."

Just nodding as he stepped onto it, Harry gave a small hum as he looked at the bubbling stream. "Huh, so they do." Here and there, he could see flashes of something in the stream and looked a bit closer. "Is that salmon down there?"

With a glance, Hoppou nodded as she jumped off the bridge. "Big Brother is right! There are salmon in streams here and other fishies too!"

That made Harry become thoughtful as he looked at the flash of the fish as it passed. 'Must be the end of the season for them.' With a final nod, he stepped off the bridge and Hoppou grabbed his hand. Lightly laughing, the wizard watched as she skipped alongside him before he turned to Tanith. "Um, how much is prepared for what needs to be done?"

Finger against her chin, the giant Princess frowned in thought before she gave a small nod. "I have had a number of the fleet prepare places while awaiting news for Renita. Both so it would be ready and because it would keep their minds off the worry." Bringing up one hand, she pointed. "We are coming up to one of the first for the cabins."

Harry blinked at the sight of the large, levelled piece of earth in front of them. The ground was also raked as well to make sure that it was as even as possible. What really caught his attention though was the large number of Abyssals milling around. Ruadri caught sight of him first and waved. "Uncle Harry!"

What ensued was many hugs, headpats, and the like as the various Abyssals greeted their uncle. Eventually though, Hoppou spoke up with a voice of authority. "Hoppou thinks that there will be time enough for that later! Now, let Big Brother do his work."

All of the Abyssals backed away some and Harry gave a small nod. "Thanks, Hoppou." Getting a nod, he took a deep breath and motioned them back. "Could everyone move back a bit? There needs to be room for the building."

Much to his amusement, the group of Abyssals moved back and he walked to the rough center of the plot. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a small trowel and one of the small blocks. As he dug a small hole, Fluffy looked around in confusion before turning to Tanith. "Um, how will this get a cabin? That is a very small thing..."

Curious herself, Tanith shook her head some. "I do not know myself. But Uncle Harry says that it will work and I believe him." Just as those words left her mouth, Harry placed the block into the hole and then pulled out his wand. "But I think that we're about to see..."

Wand in his hand, Harry made a circular motion with it before tapping each exposed side of the block and then holding his wand above and performing a flick. "Aedifico." Then quickly he backed up to where the others were watching. "And there we go."

Not even seconds later, they all noticed that the block was shaking in its hole. Then, with a clunking noise, the sides fell away from the box as it unfolded. Than it continued to unfold before their widening eyes. Within moments, there was a square of material in the formerly empty lot. More clunking noises ensued as, with jerking motions, log walls rose upwards, with holes for windows. Once they were done, the roof unfolded from the inside of the cabin and they could hear something going on within it. Finally, a porch seemed to expand out from the front and the door appeared and a chimney practically jumped from the ground.

Then all was silent as they boggled for several moments as, where not even two minutes earlier was just empty ground, now there was a two floor log cabin.

Simply nodding, Harry walked up and motioned for them to follow him which the Princesses and Demons did, with Hoppou right behind him. Opening the door, they walked in to find a well done first floor. Along one wall, there was a kitchen on a stone floor with rough, though well done countertops. There was even a sink with a wood stove not far off and what they assumed was a magical icebox. Beyond the kitchen, the floors became wood with a dining room table right in front of it with chairs around it for eight people. The rest of the first floor that opened to the front door seemed to be mostly a large sitting room complete with a basic sofa and chairs near a fireplace. As well, there were two doors, one of which went into a hallway which had a side door leading to what might have been a pantry, and a backdoor. There was also another door that lead to, what they guessed, was a bathroom.
Reaching down, Sunny rapped her knuckes against the wood floor with a disbelieving look on her face. "Okay, this is a little bit more then you let on, Uncle Harry."

Hands on her hips, Ritou could only shake her head. "That is putting it rather mildly, Sunny." Walking over to the sink, she turned the taps and water came through it. Eyebrows raised, she grabbed a glass to the side and took a sip before humming. "This... is pretty good water."

Patty meanwhile, went for the ice box and opened it. "Okay, this is rather neat! There's even a freezer in here!"

Needing to only duck slightly, Tanith squeezed in and gave a small nod as various Abyssals poked their heads into the windows and the door behind her. Striding across it, the Northern Water Princess could only shake her head even when she looked into the bathroom and spotted one of those footed tubs, complete with a shower head. The floors themselves were done in tile and there was two more doors. 'Impressive.'

Meanwhile, Regalia noticed something and walked to an area of the Kitchen off to the side. ""What's this now?" Reaching down, she grasped the iron ring for a trap door and opened it to reveal a cellar. "Mom! Come look at this!"

With a blink, Tanith brought herself out of the bathroom and they all looked down into the cellar with Nuri heading down. Moments later, she poked her head out with a blink. "Its a full cellar! With stone walls and floors too, and a laundry room to boot! I mean, it looks like they're magical washing machines, but still."

That got murmurs of surprise from them all until Sonata poked her head down from where she had gone upstairs. "You guys need to come and see the upstairs! I... this is just so great!"

Less then a minute later, they were all upstairs except for Tanith who was too big and only poked her head up. But even she had an expression of surprise on her face as she took it in. Yes, it was not hugely impressive by most standards. The entire upper floor was mostly open outside an area set aside for a closet. There was even an trapdoor in the roof that obviously lead to a loft. For furniture, it was all rough and cheap, though functional such as a number of dressers. Laying back in one of the bottom bunk beds, Yoko gave a wave. "This is a lot better then the cots we had back in Unalaska."

Sunny grasped the railing and quickly climbed up to the top one and laid down with her arms behind her head. "Yeah, this is definitely better..." Glancing at Hoppou, she smiled a bit sheepishly. "No offense, Mom."

Merely shaking her head, Hoppou smiled as she laid back on one of the beds herself.

A small smile appearing on her face, Tanith gave a nod at that. Eyes roaming over the beds, she counted them. 'Six bunk beds, which means there is enough for twelve Abyssals. Ten cabins such as this would give us... enough beds for a hundred and twenty?' That made her blink before she went over it in her head. Which meant, of course, it gave their fleet some growth potential, which made her nod as her smile grew a touch. "Yes, this is perfect for us for now." Once they were done their inspection, she came down and walked over to where Harry was waiting and swept him up in a hug. "Thank you, Uncle Harry."

Grinning, the thirteen year old wizard patted her on the shoulder. "So it meets with your approval then?" When he nodded, his grin widened. "Good to know."

Finger against her chin, Sonata looked around the cabin with a small frown. "Uncle Harry? Can I ask you a question?" When he made a nod and motion for her to continue, she did. "You said that this was designed as temporary, right?"

That made Harry shrug some and shake his head. "I know, I was surprised myself at how much there is in here and how good it looks. But the upper floor is open, no privacy at all and it smaller than most want for a home. From what they told me, most people simply buy a new home and either leave it, or demolish it. But... taken good care of, they figure that it should last at least a hundred years if not more. There's even charms on it to prevent fire, though it only works with non-magical ones anyways. And with insulation spells and the like... well, one doesn't need to worry too much."

Slowly looking around, Sunny made a hum as she crossed her arms under her bust. "Well, they're fools than, because this place is just plain awesome. And thinking about it, it would not be that hard to make them all different from each other either. Some paintings and stuff inside, or swings and the like on the porches. They'd look pretty nice to be honest. As for taking care of them? I don't think that there would be much issue with that."

Around her, the other Princesses and Demons, as well as those listening in, nodded in agreement.

On Tanith's face was a relieved look as it meant less issue with getting things done. Then she turned to Harry and tilted her head. "How many of these cabins do you have, Uncle Harry?"

Blinking, Harry thought about it for a few moments before shrugging. "Um, about twenty? I bought out what they had in stock, though I could order some more if needed."

Utter silence met him as each one of the Flagships turned Princesses and Demons looked at each other. Not only did they only need half of those, but all of them put together? That meant that their fleet had more then enough room to grow. Unnoticed by them, Hoppou was grinning and snickering behind her mittens. 'Hoppou knew it was good idea to make Big Brother a Flagship Demon.'

Still more than a little gobsmacked, Tanith blinked before she took a deep breath and gave him a smile. "Thank you, Uncle Harry." Looking at the whispering faces looking in, she gave a small nod. "Then we should move on to the next one. And let the others come in to see what they will have as well."

There were nods of agreement at that and they left before continuing on, while others of their fleets entered the new cabin to have a look around. Soon enough, they reached one of the areas that were put aside for the Destroyers. Harry went through the same process for the cabins, but using a "Box" the size of a longer package. Despite the looks, it went through the same process of unfolding and building as the cabins. But when it was finished, all the Abyssals craned their necks back to find a large, log barn.

Entering it, they all looked around in some awe. From the sides, windows allowed for light to stream through with them walking along the stone floor. Padding along, Silver Belly looked around before breaking into a trot as she made her way along the length and then stopping. Twisting around, she turned her head this way and that. "This is so great, Uncle Harry! It's so big!"

Grinning, Harry was unable to help himself. "That is what she said."

Confused, Ritou turned to him and frowned. "Uncle Harry? That is what she said though."

A grin still on his face, he gave a nod. "Huh, so you're right."

When they glanced at their mother, they found that Hoppou had her face in her hands as she shook her head. Figuring that they missed something, they decided to dismiss it for now. Tanith gave a small nod as she glanced at the inside of the barn. "It seems a bit bigger then what one would think, Uncle Harry."

Just nodding, Harry smiled at her. "There's a small expansion charm. Doesn't do much, just doubles the size inside."

Leaning against one of the "Stalls" as she looked in, Ruadri gave a small nod. The area was more then big enough for one of the Destroyers to lay down if they wanted to. Seeing a latch, she grabbed it and lifted, the "Wall" separating the stall from the one beside it also lifting upwards to make the area bigger. "Wow..."

Hands in his pockets, Harry gave a small nod. "These were made for magical livestock, and those can, um... get pretty big. I could have gotten one for dragons, but those barns are pretty damn bare if you catch my drift, so I went with the flying horse one." Knocking a bit of hay, he nodded at it. "There's charms to keep the hay fresh, clean, and dry as well." Jerking his thumb towards the back, Harry nodded. "There's a separate room in the back where you can wash them down. It uses a line of shower heads to do it and can be warm water instead of cold."

The sound of flippers hitting the stone floor made him turn to find a number of the Abyssal Destroyers giving cheers and the like. Blushing, Harry did not notice Rivet head up some stairs and then open a trap door there. Until, that was, she called out to him. "Uncle Harry? What's up here?"

Blinking, Harry turned and tilted his head back. "That would be the loft actually. Usually, they would put bags of feed, tools, that sort of thing up there. Pretty empty right now."

Unnoticed by him, Ruadri got a thoughtful look on her face at that.

Meanwhile, Silver Belly just went into one of the stalls and nestled down into the soft, warm straw. A sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes and hummed. 'This is nice...'

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Walking out of the last barn, Harry stretched some and gave a small sigh before pulling his winter cloak closer around him. After all, the Sun had reached the horizon and the temperature was dropping fast. Even though it was still late September, they were further north then Hokkaido, which meant that winter was coming on fast. However, despite that, Harry was happy and let out a soft sigh into the slowly gathering darkness.

After all, now the Fleet of Laughter... his family through his sister, would now have warmth and shelter. Not even the tiredness he felt kept the smile off his face as he looked around the small village. Part of him did note a few ruins here and there though that could be fixed up easily enough with Reparo. The sound of footsteps behind him though made him turn to find Ritou there. "You okay, Uncle Harry?"

Lightly chuckling, Harry gave a small nod. "I am, Ritou. Just... happy, you know? Now you all got shelter, warmth, and the like."

There was a small smile on the Isolated Island Princess as she scratched one cheek. "I suppose that is true enough, Uncle Harry. With the cabins and barns, we got plenty of shelter and room to grow to be honest." Glancing back to the barn, she could see the others through the open door and her smile grew a touch. All of them were happy with what had been given to them. Shaking her head, Ritou placed her hand on her uncle's shoulder. "Thank you, Uncle Harry."

Now it was Harry's turn to bashfully smile. "You're welcome, Ritou."

Both of them stood there for several minutes as the stars began to slowly come out one by one. Then they were joined by the others, with Tanith shaking her head in disbelief before she hugged her much smaller, human Uncle. "Thank you, Uncle Harry. This... thank you."

Jerking her thumb at her sister, Sunny gave a nod. "What she said." Arms crossed against her chest, the Battleship Water Demon could only chuckle. "You got no idea what sort of weight this takes off our chest, Uncle Harry. Seriously, we were all worried about being able to shelter everyone, and along you come with the perfect thing."

If anything, that made Harry blush some more. "Well, I just want to help, you know."

One arm over his shoulders, Patty rolled her eyes. "There's helping, and then there's this, you know? Just that one barn is going to be a great for the Oku-Class that we're going to build."

Practically bouncing around him, Hoppou gave a serious nod. "Hoppou agrees with them, Big Brother! You did really good!" Leaning forward, she smiled some. "Hoppou wishes that she could have had these when on Unalaska."

Rubbing the back of his neck, the wizard felt his cheeks burning as the others also chimed in with their thanks as did some of the other Abyssals around them. It wasn't that big of a deal to him. As a matter of fact, Harry felt like it was the least that he could do to thank them for accepting him into their family like they had. There was a small part of him that mused that for so-called "Beings of Darkness", the Abyssals that were part of his family or friends treated him far better then the Dursleys ever had.

Not that he stated such, and shoved those thoughts down.

After a breeze blew past, Harry blew into his hands and rubbed them to warm up. "Thanks, guys. But you really don't need to thank me for this, I didn't mind it at all."

Unseen by him, Fluffy had her head tilted and her eyebrows were furrowed a bit as she tried to puzzle out the strange, to her human. 'Then again... how many humans have I met? Are they all like this?'

Meanwhile, Nuri noticed that Harry shivered a bit and frowned in concern. "Uncle Harry? Are you okay?" Then she realized what was wrong and winced. "Oops, sorry, forgot that it gets cold up here for normal humans."

Waving a hand, the thirteen year old shook his head. "Its fine, really." Moments later though, he found himself lifted up in one of Tanith's hands and brought close to her chest. "Tanith?"

The giant Princess just smiled down at him before using her other hand to draw her fur cloak close with him between it and her body. Granted, neither of them realized that he would have been the envy of many men with where he was. "Here, let me keep you warm, Uncle Harry. And we should be heading back to the castle."

Finger against her chin, Sunny gave a nod. "Yeah, don't want you to catch a cold or anything."

Grinning a bit, Harry moved around under the fur coat he was covered in, and pulled out a vial. "Nah, I'm good. Got some Pepper up potions and stuff that can help out." Once he uncorked it, he swallowed it and all the Abyssals boggled a bit as steam whistled from his ears and out his nose with him giving a shake of his head. "Ah, much better."

Still blinking, Sonata waved one hand through the steam in confusion. "What just happened? And where did that steam come from?"

Just shrugging, the teenaged wizard shook his head. "Pepper up is a sort of potion that helps out a lot with colds, sniffles, and the like. Also keeps you nice and toasty when cold out as well, which helps. Don't get the steam bit myself, but that shows that it works."

All of the Abyssals just shared a look of pure befuddlement before they began to make their way back to the castle. While they did so, Harry could see the group get joined by the other Abyssals as well. Noticing his look, Tanith smiled down at him. "While you are here, we thought that we would have family dinners."

Harry just scratched his cheek while smiling. "Thanks, I don't mind at all." Underneath the fur cloak, he found that most of the wind was gone and it was rather toasty. Glancing at the castle as they got closer, he hummed. "Going to have work on that tomorrow." At the looks, the wizard shrugged. "Going to use repair spells to make it as safe as possible."

Eyes widening, Sunny snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! You mentioned that this morning, too! Huh..."

More then a little surprised, Tanith looked down at Harry. "Are you going to be able to do that, Uncle Harry? We've looked at it, but it is a lot of work even for us."

Only shaking his head, the black haired boy shot her a small smile. "Yeah, I can do it. To be honest, it is not that much work for me and magic makes stuff like that easier. I should have a lot of it done by tomorrow night, along with some of the other buildings here if you want. With that out of the way, I can get some fun in with all of you."

Walking alongside them, Hoppou wagged a hand at him. "Hoppou thinks that Big Brother should be careful and not tire himself all out!" Then her eyes narrowed a bit. "Unless Big Brother is using... special time turner Mommy told Hoppou he had?"

Lips twitching a bit, Harry shook his head. "Not really, Hoppou. For one thing, the time turner I have would not be able to use until late tomorrow afternoon, at the least. I mean, if I use it, I can't use it again until I reach the same point in time that I used it to go back."

Confused, Ruadri held her hands in a "T" shape. "Time turner? Go back? What are you talking about?"

For several moments, their adoptive uncle was quiet. Then sighing, he glanced around and turned to them. "A time turner is... a special device. It allows for a limited form of time travel."

Their jaws all dropped at that piece of information and Sunny nearly tripped, only catching herself at the last moment. Nuri stared and was the first one able to say anything. "Time travel, Uncle Harry? Does that mean you could..."

Expression falling, Harry shook his head. "I can't change what has already happened, Nuri. Either the universe will prevent me from doing so or... just simply erase me from existence, at least the version trying to change things. If I could go back in time and somehow help save some of those lost, I would. Believe me... but I can't."

Her face pale, Ritou frowned a bit. "Y-you have a device that could erase you from existence if you handle it wrong, Uncle Harry?! W-why?!"

Needless to say, the next comment from him made them stare all the more. "Well... I got a lot of school work." At their stares, he chuckled some. "Yeah, I don't know why they gave it to me to be honest. Besides, I am only going to have it for one year even if I find it pretty useful, it is still way too dangerous." Shaking his head, Harry sighed. "Wizards... don't have much common sense."

Softly snorting, Sunny rolled her eyes. "That much is obvious." A frown then came over her face as she realized something. "Should you and Mom even be telling us this?"

With a hum, Harry scratched his chin. "Technically? No, I shouldn't. But one, I trust you all with that information because I know that you're all trustworthy. I mean, you're not going to tell anyone that you shouldn't, right?" Getting shakes of their heads, he continued. "Also, Britain is halfway around the world, so no one at my school except those allowed will know. There's also a requirement that family can be informed and the like. Besides, I already told Mum as well as a few other people because it is safe to do so."

That made them all nod at that, before Patty decided to change the subject. "So before you go back, we're going to have some fun, Uncle Harry? Really?" When he nodded, she cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "What sort of fun?"

Now grinning, the thirteen year old had a twinkle in his eye. "Well... I brought my broom with me. So I can go ahead and take you all flying..." Glancing at some of them, he gave a shrug. "I got a second broom that allows for people of above average size to do so as well. Figured that you all might enjoy it."

Excited whispering met him at that.

Upon reaching the Castle though, Harry grinned at the group that met them there. "Hibiki-Chan! Akatsuki-Chan! Inazuma-Chan! Ikazuchi-Chan! Tenryuu-Oba and Tatsuta-Oba!"

DesDiv6 just grinned at him while Tenryuu leaned against the wall with a metal toothpick between her teeth and a grin on her lips. "Hey there, Kiddo. Good to see you." With a glance towards the village, she shook her head. "Seems that you got a lot of work done while we were away for a bit."

Rubbing the back of his head as he was set down, the wizard chuckled some. "Hai." Then tilting her head to the side, he raised an eyebrow. "So what were you all doing then?"

Hands behind her head, Ikazuchi grinned right back at him. "We were off exploring the island as per the agreement and taking note of some things here."

Beside her, Inazuma waved her hands in the air. "Hwawawawa! You should see the sea cows here, Harry-Chan! They're so amazing to see, all rolly-polly, Nanodesu! Also, there's some cormorants that were huge down at the seashore! Kaa-San sent a picture and there was this scientist freaking out at seeing it!"

More then a little confused, Regalia scratched her head. "Why would they make a big deal out of a bird? We see them down at the seashore all the time and they nest on some of the rocks further out. Especially the small islet near the north end."

Still chewing her toothpick, Tenryuu gave a shrug. "Same reason those sea cows of yours are considered a big deal. Mainly that the biologist is almost certain that its a spectacled cormorant. Some sort of extinct sea bird that died out a century or two ago on nearby islands. Same with the sea cows." Looking at Tanith, she gave a small nod. "If nothing else, you're likely to get some biologists wanting to come to the island to study them or see if they can't reintroduce them to other places in the Aleutians. That alone is pretty big."

Even though she was still didn't quite understand why the humans would be so interested in the animals, Tanith simply nodded. 'Maybe Mother can explain that.' Shaking it off, she began to guide them into the castle. "We should go and have dinner..."

That got her nods of agreement and soon the group entered the castle.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Inside a darkened room there was the sound of soft breathing before a soft ringing noise could be heard. Slowly, from inside a sleeping bag, a hand reached out before patting around, eventually hitting the alarm clock which had an image of Sakuya on it, silencing it. Pulling the sleeping bag away from his face, Harry smacked his lips some as he looked at the time and blinked.

However, it was then that he felt a weight and looked down to where a head of snow white hair rested before smiling as the previous night came back.

Both him and Verniy had spent an hour or two talking with each other as it had been a few weeks. Eventually though, Harry had been falling asleep and unrolled his sleeping bag. This was followed by Verniy leaving and then returning after she had changed into her own pajamas, crawling into the sleeping bag as well. When he had asked her, she had shrugged and stated that she wanted to spend more time with him since it had been a while since they had seen each other.

Now that it was early morning, Harry let out a small yawn before stretching. Looking down at Verniy, he shook her gently. "Time to wake up, Hibiki-Chan." Getting a grumble, he shook her again. "Hibiki-Chan..."

All she did in response was grab him closer and snuggle more into his body. "Nyet, want to lie here longer, Harry-Chan."

Unable to help himself, Harry chuckled some and grinned at the one blue eye that was watching him. "Sorry, Hibiki-Chan, but we do have a lot to do today, well..." Pausing, he scratched his cheek. "I suppose that I do, I'm not sure what any of you have to do."

Head against his chest, Verniy gave a shrug as she continued to listen to his heartbeat. It, alone, was almost enough to lull her back into the embrace of sleep. "I'll be following you around, Harry-Chan." Closing her eyes, she held him much like she would a teddy bear. "This is too nice."

Lips twitching, the black haired wizard gave a hum as one hand reached up and rubbed her back. "Yeah, this is pretty nice."

Once more opening her eye, Verniy gave him a look that he couldn't quite understand. "Would this be the sort of thing that you would not mind experiencing more often, Harry-Chan?"

Even though he did not quite understand, Harry gave a thought about it. In his mind, various images went by and, slowly, he gave a nod. "I... would not be against it. This is pretty nice after all."

Several moments passed before Verniy smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Spasibo."

Not quite sure why, the thirteen year old blushed some. A few minutes though, after Verniy had left and Harry unzippered the sleeping bag to allow for it to air out, he finished getting changed. With a few motions of his wand at himself, he nodded. 'Okay, I'm good.'

Walking to the door, he opened it only to blink at the sight of Tenryuu and the rest of DesDiv6 there. A grin on her face, the Light Cruiser chuckled. "All ready for the day ahead, Kiddo?" Then she blinked and leaned down. "Wait a sec... Did you take a bath or something?"

A grin on his face, Harry chirped back. "Nope!"

Puzzled, Inazuma walked around him while examining the grinning boy from various angles. Leaning in, she took a sniff and frowned still more. "But... You don't look like you slept last night in a sleeping bag."

Softly snickering, he shook his head. "Freshening charms." At their looks, Harry gave a small shrug. "I decided to learn them because, well... an Admiral needs to be able to leap out of bed any time. And being able to cast magic that makes it look like I didn't and looks good..."

Lips curling upwards into a small smile, Tatsuya gave a hum. "Ara, ara, a very good idea, Harry-Chan."

Akatsuki tilted her head some with a frown on hers as she thought it over. "Harry-Chan? What happens if you cast it on us?"

In reply, said teen raised an eyebrow before waving his wand. Almost immediately, all the hairs that were still somewhat out of place from sleep, straightened as did their clothing. Looking herself over, Tenryuu made a sound of surprise. "Huh, color me impressed. Now this is some useful magic."

Suddenly, a voice spoke up. "That it is." When they turned, there was Ritou with her arms crossed, nodding. "Useful, that is."

Tilting his head to the side, Harry smiled a bit. "Yeah, it sort of is... Um, do you want me to cast some magic on you?" Even though she blinked her eyes in surprise, the teen waved his wand with a couple of mutters and she blinked. "There we go."

More then a little surprised, she patted herself down and gave a soft sigh of relief. "Finally! I can breath in this getup! About time!" Then she dragged the snickering boy into a hug. "Uncle Harry? You are officially my favorite uncle."

Simply blinking, Ikazuchi raised a finger. "He's your only uncle though."

Just giving a shrug, Ritou gave her a raised eyebrow. "So? Doesn't make it any less true." She then jerked her thumb towards where the dining roon was. "Anyways, Mom wanted me to come and get you since breakfast is nearly done."

Within a few minutes, they were all seated and having a small meal of eggs with what looked like ham. Part of Harry remembered that the night before some of the Abyssals had dragged in a dead pig and taken it to Nero. With a shrug, he listened to the various conversations going on until the Ne-Class he had been thinking about sat down next to him with a smile as put down her own plate of breakfast. "What do you think, Uncle Harry? Any good?"

Finishing chewing, Harry swallowed and nodded. "You did a great job on breakfast, Nero." He then bit down on the piece of toast in his mouth that had jam on it. Once the teen had swallowed, he smiled some. "And it seems that the jam's a hit."

Across from him, his adoptive little sister gave him a look. "Big Brother is being very silly, again." Glancing at Fluffy who was moaning a bit as she ate a piece of lightly toasted bread with jam on it, Hoppou shook her head with a small smile. "But Hoppou is happy." Turning to Renita, she made a motion with one mittened hand, expression serious. "Hoppou wants to see Renita eat all her breakfast! She needs her strength!"

Only nodding, Renita turned back to her breakfast. "Yes, Mommy.

Ignoring how Hoppou now gave a frown to Fluffy for the way that she was eating, Harry turned to where Silver Belly's avatar was at the sound of a throat being cleared. "Um, Uncle Harry? Can I ask a question?"

Harry just gave her a nod with a soft smile on his face. "Of course, what is it?"

Still frowning, the Abyssal Destroyer furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, Big Sister Sunny said that you were going to fix parts of the castle. How? I mean, there's a lot gone and we couldn't fix it."


Chuckling, Harry's lips twitched some. "Magic~" At the looks, he grinned a bit. "Not good enough explanation, huh?"

That got him shakes of their heads as Nuri was now frowning. "No, Uncle Harry. I mean, we know magic is involved, but..." Frowning, she tapped a finger against the table that they were using. "Is it like how you fixed that table?"

Now brightly smiling, Harry gestured at her with his fork. "Got it in one, for the most part." Shaking his head, he continued. "Reparo is one of the most useful spells out there, with it you can fix about anything as long as you understand how it fits together at the basic level. Stuff like buildings? Easy to fix up with it. As for the windows... I brought along some sand just in case."

On Sunny's face was a look of confusion. "Sand? What does that have to do with anything?"

Sipping his juice, he considered his answer for a few moments. "Well, it depends on how much there is to work with in regards to the windows. With the castle itself, all the big pieces are still here, which makes it easy. But broken glass might have gotten tossed away or what have you. In that case, the sand will act as a base for me to transfigure some new glass into the windows. Rather easy to do really, since sand is used for glass and that is enough for magic."

Eyebrow raising, Tenryuu put down her mug of coffee. "You didn't mention that before, Kiddo. When did you learn that?"

With a small shrug, Harry shook his head. "Well, I sort of could pull it off this summer. But I've been practicing and learned a lot of stuff from Professor McGonagall. She was pretty impressed with what I've done and been giving me some extra lessons on the side." Becoming thoughtful, he hummed. "Mostly, its going over previous years and mastering offshoots of the spells that we learned then. Though... she's been hinting that if I do well, she might teach me something else."

Interested, Akatsuki perked up. "Really? Like what?"

Glancing around and noticing everyone looking at her, Harry grinned. "I think that she might teach me to be an animagus, a magical who can transform into an animal. Maybe, but that is what we've been learning about this year and she has been focusing on some things regarding that in our extra lessons."

Jaws dropping, the Destroyers stared at him in surprise at that, as did a number of the Abyssals. In their heads, they were imagining different animals.

Within Inazuma's mind, she imagined a black furred puppy while Ikazuchi had the image of a cat. Verniy had the picture of a big bear that she was snuggling into while Akatsuki had the image of a green eyed elephant.
Hoppou, meanwhile, imagined a small fox.

Fork in his mouth, Harry blinked a bit at the expressions on the various faces. And especially at the blush on Verniy's. 'Wonder what is with them?'
_____________________________________________________________________

Maneuvering his broom, Harry frowned at what he found as he circled one of the towers of the castle. It was topped by one of the onion-shaped domes he saw often enough in pictures. And it was not the only one either, as most of the towers also had such shapes on them.

Like the others though, it was damaged from decades of neglect and it was mainly from magic cast that it was still mostly intact.

It was only mostly because a large chunk had broken and fallen inwards. From what he was told, the rubble was blocking the stairwell and the reason it had not been cleared was that Tanith had been worried about the rest collapsing. And from the cracks he could see, Harry was certain that she was right to be concerned with that. Looking over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow at Verniy who was holding him close. "What do you think, Hibiki-Chan?"

Frowning, Verniy slowly shook her head with a grimace. "It is in very bad shape, Harry-Chan. Da, under normal circumstances, I don't think that it would be able to be repaired without being torn down first."

With a nod, the wizard frowned some as he cupped his chin, completely unconcerned with how high up they were. "Hmm, yeah. Thankfully, we've got magic on our side."

A small smile on her face, Verniy gave a nod to that. "Da, we are very lucky."

Down below, Regalia had one hand covering her eyes as she tilted her head back to watch. All morning, they had been taking Harry through the halls of the castle with him fixing damage as they went along. Her mother had been shocked when Harry took one collapsed room and fixed it with some spells. Said room, Chiana then claimed as being where she was going to put the new library for the Fleet of Laughter much to Ritou's resignation and Tanith's confusion. Last that they left her, Chiana was planning out how the library would go. The rest of the floors soon followed and then they continued outside.

Currently though, the Re-Class frowned some as she watched her uncle high above with a blink. "Mom? How is Uncle Harry even flying? I mean... I can't understand how a broom is able to fly."

Frowning herself, Tanith shook her head. "I am unsure how myself. But Mother said it was magic and that Uncle Harry is good at it."

Also watching, Patty gave a small nod at that. "Uncle Harry is very good at it, I can see that. Look, he's not even holding on at all." High above, Harry was not holding his broom as he shone a light from his wand into the ruined tower. "That's very impressive."

Ruadri though was frowning in thought. "I wonder why Miss Verniy went up with Uncle Harry though? And she's hugging him pretty tightly."

Blank expression on her face, Hoppou merely shrugged. "That is because Verniy-Chan really likes Big Brother. Wants to one day become your Aunt by being with Big Brother."

Surprised, the others all turned to their mother. Ikazuchi then snorted some from where she was beside her friend. "Hoppou-Chan is right, Hibiki-Chan wants to be with Harry-Chan. I mean, he's got a bunch of other girls after him so..." Frowning, the Destroyer shook her head. "Not really sure how I feel about that, I mean... Sure, Harry-Chan's nice? But I don't want to have Hibiki-Chan get her heart broken either."

Lost, Regalia frowned at her. "Why would her heart break? Uncle Harry doesn't seem like someone who would hurt her..."

Her answer was not from the Destroyer though, but rather her grandmother. "Hoppou thinks that Ikazuchi is still thinking too much like a human. Verniy-Chan will be happy with Big Brother, even if Big Brother has many for a Fleet. Hoppou just wants Big Brother to be happiest, so Hoppou does not see problem as long as Big Brother is happy and so are they."

Each of the Abyssals looked confused at that before shrugging it off and turned back to watching Harry, even as Ikazuchi frowned. Up in the sky, Harry gave a small nod as he held out his wand. "Okay, we've checked it and now to fix it. Reparo!" Inside the tower, there was the sound of grinding stone and the like until the parts of the onion dome shot up and went back into place. They then fused where they were until it looked like it had before, though bare of any color it might have once had. "Colorvaria!"

Before their eyes, the color changed until it was a matte black which stood out against the white stone of the rest of the castle. Verniy nodded some as they did another close circle. "Looks good, Harry-Chan."

Chin cupped in one hand, Harry tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, it sort of does. Shame that we don't know what color this one was, but black is an okay color, I guess." Grabbing his broom, he flew towards the next one. "Let's do the next one, I think that it was blue at one time..."

Arms around his waist, Verniy only smiled slightly as she held him close. "Da, I think so too..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Standing around, Sunny had a thoughtful look at the crowd of Abyssals that milled around. Most of them quietly chatting with each other about various things, though what was going to happen was the main topic of conversation. Hearing footsteps, the Battleship Water Demon turned and smiled some as Regalia walked up. "Hey, Regalia. You excited about what's going to happen? I mean, actual flight?"

The Re-Class blushed some but then nodded a bit. "Sort of? I mean, actually flying?" Tilting her head back, she looked towards the sky. "It sounds neat to be honest, being able to do that. But..."

A slight smile on her face, Sunny placed her arm around the smaller Abyssal's shoulders. "But also kind of scary, right? We're Abyssals and if we were meant to fly, we would have wings or some such thing."

With a blink, Regalia nodded. "Yeah, it sounds fun but also scary. At the same time though, Grandma and Uncle Harry stated that it is perfectly safe. How though, I am not too sure, I mean... a broom?"

Just shrugging, Sunny shook her head. "I know, right? A flying broom? That sounds like something from those old stories about witches and stuff that we heard about during Hallowe'en back in Unalaska. Finding out that's true is, well, something else."

Considering that, that got her a small hum from her niece. "That's true, I guess? And Uncle Harry wouldn't exactly lie about that, though I am still unsure about that magic stuff. Seems odd..."

That got her a snort from the Battleship Water Demon. "Odd is putting it mildly, Kiddo. All of us are still coming to grips with that sort of thing actually being real. But..." First gesturing at the castle and then the village, she shook her head. "You can't really argue with the results."

Regalia blinked at that and first examined the now repaired castle and then turning her head to the small village. It was not far away from where she was, but she could easily see the forms of the cabins now being used by the Fleet of Laughter as well as the large barns for the Destroyers. More then that, stone structures that their uncle had rebuilt with a word and a wave of his wand also stood in full relief, though no one was quite sure what they were going to be used for yet. Some were going to be used as storehouses at least for now, and possibly other uses as well once the missing roofs, long since rotted away and not able to be recreated even with magic, were replaced.

One of the stone buildings near her farm was going to be used to store tools and the like for it as well.

Frowning, Regalia slowly nodded as she turned back to Sunny. "Yeah, I guess that you can't. It is sort of neat though, I mean... in all the time that Mom's been here we've never managed this much work, mostly just keeping things from falling apart entirely. And then Uncle Harry came by and fixed it all up for us."

Eyebrow raised, Sunny gave her a look. "Not angry or anything about it, are you?"

However, the younger girl shook her head and made a motion with her hands. "No! I mean, I am sort of annoyed I guess in that it took that... but I am really happy too?" Grimacing, she scratched her head. "Its sort of confusing..."

Much to her confusion though, that got her a bark of laughter from her aunt who nodded. "I think that I can understand where you're coming from, Regalia." Letting out one last laugh, Sunny gave her a smile. "I would be surprised if you didn't feel some annoyance at it all. Uncle Harry just did a whole bunch of work that none of us has managed to do. But... we all got our specialities and Uncle Harry's is magic."

Still frowning, Regalia looked down at the ground and scuffed a hoof. "Is it bad that I am sort of jealous of Uncle Harry and the stuff he can do?"

About to answer, Sunny jumped a bit alongside Regalia as Hoppou spoke up. "Hoppou does not see it as being bad. In fact, Hoppou sees it as being normal, Regalia as sometimes Hoppou wishes that she could do things that Big Brother does."

Hand against her chest, Sunny huffed a bit. "Mom! How do you sneak up on us all the time like that!?"

In Hoppou's eyes was a small twinkle as she answered. "Quietly."

A short distance away, Ritou glanced at her mother as well as the pouting Sunny and confused Regalia before shaking her head. Turning towards Tanith, she raised an eyebrow. "What do you think of this?"

Tilting her head to the side, the taller Princess considered her words for a few moments. "I have not minded the work that Uncle Harry has put in. If anything, it has proven that Mother was right to make him Flagship Demon." Now looking at Ritou, Tanith gave her a slight smile. "Also, Uncle Harry has proven that he lives by the same ideals as Mother has taught us."

Ritou crossed her arms as she thought it over before nodding. "That is true enough." Her eyes then caught sight of something and smiled a bit. "And here comes Uncle Harry now."

With a blink, Tanith turned to the entrance to the castle as Harry walked out with a larger broom than he had the day before. More then that, it was what he was wearing that caused more then one Abyssal to stare a little bit. Over his thick sweater, he had on his aviator's jacket Houshou had given him with similarly thick gloves on his hands. However, on his head was an aviator's cap as well as a pair of goggles. Lips twitching, Patty giggled some. "Uncle Harry? What are you wearing?"

Giving her a lop sided smile, Harry chuckled some. "Just my usual flight gear for when its a bit chilly out. It can get pretty cold once you're in the wind up there after all." Various Abyssals nodded at that only to stop at his next words. "So, who wants to go up first?" When no one stepped forward, he raised an eyebrow though there was some amusement there. "No one? Really?"

All of them were glancing at each other with some of them coughing, something that amused Harry still further. Much to his surprise though, Sunny stepped forward with a smile, though he could see some nervousness there. "Guess I'll take the plunge then."

Harry gave her a small nod at that before holding out his broom and then letting go, the large object hovering perpendicular to the ground. "Great to hear."

Now next to the broom, the Abyssal examined it more closely as she was going entrust her safety to it after all. Frown on her face, she turned to her uncle. "Mind me asking a question?" When he nodded, Sunny continued. "Why is this a different one then you were using yesterday? I mean, its bigger, sure, but..."

Lightly chuckling, Harry shook his head. "The broom that I was using yesterday was my Nimbus 2000. And that's a racing broom, which meant that I could move around quickly as well, though its less comfortable for more then one person and, well..." Glancing at Tanith and a few others including Sunny, he coughed. "Its less comfortable for two people depending on their sizes..."

interested, Patty examined the broom in his hands as did Nuri, but it was the former Nu-Class who spoke up. "So then what is this one?"

Gently patting the broomstick, a smile was on the wizard's face. "This is an Oakshaft 2010, called that for the year it was made in. Not so good for sports like Quidditch, but Oakshafts are really good for comfort and control for more then one rider, and also for long distance travels. An much earlier model, the Oakshaft 79 was used in the first ever successful Transatlantic Broom Crossing in 1935. So they're really decent brooms."

Unable to help herself, Sunny shook her head and chuckled. "You seem to know a lot about broomsticks, Uncle Harry."

Just smiling, Harry gave a small shrug. "Well, I fly at Hogwarts all the time. And if there is one thing that Houshou-Oba, Akagi-Oba, Kaga-Oba, and Shinano-Chan have hammered into my head? Its knowing everything you can about what you are flying and your choices." That got him nods and then the thirteen year old got onto the broom and patted behind him. "Okay, Sunny, come on aboard."

Her nervousness returning some, the Abyssal looked over the broom before meeting his eyes. "Sure, just one thing? How am I supposed to sit on this as it looks uncomfortable."

Smiling, the wizard twisted around some. "Well, you can choose to either sit like I am, or to sit sideways, like this." Harry then turned until he had his legs over one side. "Some women like to sit that way, but I prefer the other way as it gives me more control. As for how comfortable? It has a cushion charm on it that makes it more comfortable then one might think."

For several moments, Sunny looked from him to the broom and back before taking a deep breath and getting on. Rather then go side saddle though, she placed one leg on either side of the broom and sat down with her arms around her uncle's middle. Looking at the broom, she swallowed a bit. "Well, its less uncomfortable then I would have thought."

With a smile as he looked over his shoulder, Harry held back a chuckle. "That's what most find out. Anyways, I'm going to slowly bring us up, okay? Just don't suddenly shift how much you weigh on me."

Quickly, the Abyssal Battleship Demon shook her head. "You don't need to worry about that, Uncle Harry." As Harry had promised, he slowly raised the broom upwards and Sunny could feel herself lifted with it until her feet left the ground. For several moments, her feet swung under the broom completely in the air and her jaw dropped. "Holy Snickles! We're actually flying!"

Unable to help himself, Harry gave a laugh. "To some extent, yeah. You just tell me if we go too high or fast and I'll lower us either height or speed wise, okay?" Getting a nod from the still awed Battleship Water Demon, he flew the broom higher. Eventually though, Harry felt her squeeze him from behind and he looked over his shoulder. "You okay, Sunny?"

Nodding, Sunny was looking around with some nervousness. "Y-yeah, Uncle Harry. Just... we're a bit too high."

Simply smiling, the thirteen year old Uncle lowered them down some. "Hey, Sunny?" When she turned to him, his smile became softer. "Don't worry too much, I won't let any of you fall."

The Abyssal looked him in the eyes through his goggles and then relaxed a bit. "Yeah, that's true." Shifting a bit, Sunny pressed up against him. Unknown to either of them, Harry was now in a position that many males would have killed to be in. Leaning down a bit, she smiled. "So... this is what flying is like?"

All Harry did was nod at that.

Several minutes later, Ritou was sighing as she could hear the cheers from Sunny as Harry blasted past a hundred feet up, rolling the broom as he did so and then going into a loop-de-loop with his niece holding him close as he did so. 'I knew that this was likely going to happen...' Despite the tone of her thoughts though, her lips curled upwards. '... Though that does look fun.'

Once they set down, Sunny hopped off and grinned widely as she hugged Harry. "That was so much fun! Thanks, Uncle Harry!"

With a grin about as wide, Harry patted her on the back. "You're welcome, Sunny. I had fun as well."

Turning, the Abyssal walked over to Tanith and grabbed her hand before dragging her towards Harry. "You have got to try it, Tanith! Trust me, you're going to love it!"

Slowly, Tanith blinked as she looked at the broom, and then herself. Then she looked back at the broom which seemed too small for her. '...'

It did turn out though that the Northern Water Princess did enjoy the broom ride as did various others who went up with Harry. Patty, especially, was screaming with joy and excitement while begging Harry to pull more and more stunts much to her sister's exasperation. When it came to Renita's turn though, once the broom was ten feet up, she shook her head. "U-uncle Harry? I think that this is high enough."

Rather then be annoyed though, Harry simply nodded. "Not a problem, Renita. Want me to go slow around the castle and village?" At her unsure nod, he smiled. "Okay, just hang on but not too tight..." However, when it came time to take up Regalia, the black haired wizard blinked. "Sorry, what was that, Regalia?"

Chewing her lip, the Re-Class glanced at her mother who was already small due to being on the ground. "I was wondering how high we could go so... so that I could see the island."

For several seconds, Harry looked at her and nodded as he increased the altitude. "Pretty high, just give me some time to get there." Beneath them, the ground receded away as they flew higher and higher. Finally, Harry let out a breath. "I think this is as high as we can go, Regalia. Too much higher and the oxygen will get too thin for us and its pretty freezing up here as well."

Just holding him close, Regalia shook her head. "No, this is fine, Uncle Harry." For the first time, she could see the island she was born on, and which had, until fairly recently, been her entire world spread out beneath her with her own two eyes instead of her aircraft's. The two of them were actually above the volcano that was the central peak of the mountain, lightly smoking as it always had. When she looked down, she could see the castle and village where she lived with her family, so very small below. Only speaking loud enough, she glanced at her uncle. "Can we do a flight around the island?"

With a small nod, Harry gave her a smile. "Sure thing, Regalia."

No further words were spoken between the two as they performed a circuit around the island. When they landed though, Regalia had a large smile on her face and hugged him. "Thank you, Uncle Harry. For everything..."

Harry simply hugged her back in return.

Shortly after, it was time for a final dinner with the Fleet of Laughter and then goodbyes before he left to return to Hogwarts. Goodbyes that took a while as all his nieces wanted to give him hugs and the like, or get headpats in return. It was a brightly smiling Harry who entered the room with the Vanishing Cabinet that would take him back to Kushiro. Turning, the wizard gave a bright smile to Tanith and the others. "Thanks for having me."

A smile of her own on her face, Tanith shook her head and gave him a hug. "No, thank you, Uncle Harry. We enjoyed having you here and you are welcome to come back whenever you want."

Once she pulled back, Ritou walked forward and gave him a hug of her own. "What Tanith said, Uncle Harry. You take care of yourself."

Just agreeing with that, Harry hugged her back. One by one, the others gave their own hugs and goodbyes to him, when DesDiv6 started their own with Inazuma glomping him. "Hwawawa! Have a good trip back, Harry-Chan! Nanodesu!"

Giving him a thumbs up after her own hug. Ikazuchi grinned. "You can rely on us to take care of things."

Tenryuu gave his hair a ruffle and told him to take care of himself with Tatsuta nodding in agreement. After which, Akatsuki gave him a hug and a promise to write once they get back to Yokosuka themselves. Verniy though stepped forward and tightly embraced him. "It was good to see you again, Harry-Chan."

Bringing his arms up, Harry gave her as tight of a hug. "And it was good to see you as well, Hibiki-Chan. And hopefully, I'll get to see you soon."

Simply nodding, Verniy smiled at him before gently kissing him on the lips. Pulling back with a blush, she bowed slightly. "See you then, Harry-Chan."

On Harry's face, there was also a blush, but he grinned back. Giving a final wave, he stepped into the cabinet and closed the door before being transported back to Kushiro and then to Yokosuka before going back to Britain...

 

[darthcourt10]

Maes Omake: Wanko's girls meet Hagrid

Barricade said:
(you have to wonder just how much Hagrid got 'aggressively screened' by her girls, during his time there...no matter what punishments were handed out for being 'rude', nor how embarrassed Wanko probably got over it).​

One Hagrid, suddenly standing on the shore after portkeying in, finds himself surrounded by a small horde of Abyssals glaring at him suspiciously. Wanko is further away, face in palm.

"Ah... ah brought rock cakes?" He lifts a a sizeable, heavily laden bag.

The glares evaporate into nods and cheers. One of the previously suspicious Abyssals turns to Wanko and gives a thumbs up.

"He's okay, boss-lady!"


A second hand joins the first as Wanko sighs.

~~

Because... humans, shipgirls, Abyssals, others and beasties furry, slimy or scaly? The quickest way to one's heart is through the stomach.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Curtains around his bed drawn shut, Harry smiled some as the clock continued to tick towards midnight. Gently though, he was stroking Shiromizu's head and along her back. Currently in her snake form, she just sighed as she enjoyed it. "{This is nice...}"

With a chuckle, the wizard nodded at that. "It is." Part of him was bemused though as he could feel small bumps above and behind her eyes. There was other bumps as well down the ridge of her back, making said ridge stand out a bit against the rest of her body. 'Huh... I wonder if this means that she is growing more into her power or something?'

His lips twitched a bit as she closed her eyes and gave a snort, wisps of steam coming from her nostrils as she did so. Opening them, her crimson orbs glowed softly in the darkness. "{Thanks for this."

Lightly laughing, he shook his head. "{You don't need to thank me for anything, Shiromizu. If anything, I should thank you.}" At her confusion, he gave a small shrug. "{You took time out of your day and preparations in order to come and see me before heading off.}"

Raising her head, Shiromizu stared into his eyes for several moments while searching for something before nodding.

And then bringing her tail down on his forehead with a snake version of a scowl. "{Baka.}" Ignoring how he blinked she transformed into her usual form and then poked him in the forehead. "I was always planning to take some time and visit you one last time. After all, neither of us are going to see the other until November."

Slowly nodding, Harry gave her a small smile. "I suppose so, Shiromizu." Then he spotted something in her expression that he had missed and frowned. "Are you nervous?"

Unable to help herself, the Mizuchi sighed. "That obvious?" When he nodded, Shiromizu grimaced a bit. "Can you really blame me, Otouto? Until this summer I thought that I was just a snake Yokai. Then I find out that I am a Mizuchi, a Kami of my very spring! And then, just three or so months after, I am heading to Kannazuki in Izumo Shrine! To meet the other Kami and... and..." Placing her hands over her face, she took a deep, shuddering breath. "To be presented before the Court of Ryuujin-Dono as the newest, and youngest, Mizuchi. Sure, Sempai says that everything will be okay, but-"

Harry grabbed her hands and before pulling them away from her face and holding them. "Shiromizu, look at me." When she didn't, he spoke again, and this time her eyes snapped to his. "Onee-Chan, look at me."

Mouth working, Shiromizu boggled a bit. "I... you just called me..."

Chuckling, Harry gave a small shrug at that. "Well, you keep calling me 'Otouto' after all. So might as well return the favor and call you Onee-Chan sometimes."

That brought a small blush to the snake's face and when she spoke, it was with a voice thick with emotion. "Thank you."

All the wizard did though was shrug at that. "No need to thank me. But I do have something to say." Knowing that she was listening, he continued. "And that something is that I know that you'll do just fine there."

Looking down, she frowned some. "You can't be sure of that, Harry."

Softly scoffing, Harry shook his head. "Actually, I can be sure of that. We're talking you after all. And I know for a fact, from knowing you for so long that I can say with perfect certainty that you will be just fine at Kannazuki. Heck, you'll probably knock their socks off at that."

Cheeks pink, Shiromizu bit her lip. "Thanks, though..."

However, he just wagged a finger at her. "I know that for a fact. Though..." Cupping his chin in thought, he hummed for a moment before he moved to the side of the bed. "Give me just a moment."

Utterly confused, the Mizuchi nodded and waited. Her confusion only grew as she could hear him open his trunk and shift around some items in it quietly. 'Wonder what he's doing..'

Less then a minute later, Harry pushed aside the curtain and then slipped back in before holding out a box with a ribbon on it. "Here, I just finished these and thought that you would like them."

Tilting her head to the side, Shiromizu opened the box and stared at what inside in the form of light blue and green ribbons. Reaching down, she smiled some and was about to comment when she touched one. Freezing, the young Mizuchi sucked in a breath before looking up at Harry. "Is this...?"

Weakly chuckling, Harry nodded as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Colored ribbons made from unicorn hair? Yeah... I asked for my Alchemy teacher for any dyes that could work with unicorn hair and he gave me some. I mean, sure it is not exactly traditional, but..."

Rapidly blinking away some tears, the Mizuchi ran one finger along them. Yes, they were not perfect, but she could feel the love and care that was put into them. How the ribbons had Harry's magic infusing the hairs, all to make her look as good as possible. Looking up, Shiromizu enveloped him in a hug before wrapping her lower, snake like body around him. Sniffling, she smiled brightly. "Thank you, Otouto. Thank you..."

Patting her back as he hugged her back, Harry smiled some. "Not a problem, Onee-Chan." When he pulled back some, he gave her a nod. "Now you enjoy your time at Kami-Con, okay?"

Unable to help herself, sniggers escaped from Shiromizu at that. "Hai, I will." Looking down at the ribbons, her smile grew slightly. "Hai, I will..."
_______________________________________________________________________

Pulling up to the Zuchi house, Natsumi brought her bike to a stop and looked over her seat to the passenger seat. "You ready for this, Shiromizu?"

With a deep gulp, Shiromizu nodded as she played with her hair some, the length done up in light blue ribbon. "No, not really but... But I will do my best."

Once the bike was opened and her friend got out, the Mizuchi also did before looking around at the group who were all there. Jin was easy to pick out as she was in her normal clothes giving some final orders to the Adachi Neighbourhood Watch. As she made her way over, Shiromizu caught the last bits of it. "... And for fucks sake, Porkchop, do not let me come back to a shitshow like that time in '91."

The Pig Yokai just scowled at that. "And I keep telling you, Boss. That was nothing to do with me at all! None of us can even figure out how everything spiraled out of control like that shit!"

Just pinching her nose, Jin let out a suffering sigh. "Yeah, I come back to a near war, and what is not on fire is somehow frozen or covered in acid. God, that was something that I did not need."

One of the other Bikers gave a shrug. "Better then in '08 at least?" At that, he got a glare which made him back behind some of the others. "What? Its true!"

Already regretting going, the undead Mizuchi took a deep breath. "I still do not know how the hell you bunch caused a fucking maid to go Terminator on the Yakuza who were starting shit just outside our territory! And no, I do not want to know, I still had to clean that fucking crap up." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a befuddled looking Shiromizu and gave a small grin. "Hey, Shiro. Ready to head out?"

Shaking off her confusion, and also deciding not to ask, Shiromizu nodded before gesturing at her backpack. "Hai, Sempai. I've got everything that I need in my bags."

Just nodding, Jin gave her a once over before raising an eyebrow at the ribbons. Frowning, she leaned in to better examine them. "What the hell is that made from? Its not silk and feels too damn pure to be most types of fabric."

Brightly smiling, the younger of the two Mizuchi straightened her back with a proud look in her eyes. "They're hair ribbons made with unicorn hair and dyed. Harry made them for me just for this so that it would help me look presentable."

Unknown to her, several heads snapped around at that. Eyes widened a bit, Kogamaru also leaned in to better examine them. "Wait, you have hair ribbons made from unicorn hair?"

As she nodded now unsure, Natsumi pointed at her own, gold hair ribbon. "Harry-Chan made some for me as well and gave them to me for Christmas. I've worn them all the time."

Looking back and forth, Jin crossed her arms with a thoughtful look on her face. "Huh, yeah, that's going to get some reactions and positive attention, I guess."

Concerned at the reaction, Shiromizu coughed some. "Um, Sempai?" Getting a nod, she gave her an unsure look. "Is... is something wrong? I mean, this isn't going to cause any problems, is it?"

Suddenly realizing that the younger Mizuchi was now becoming nervous, the older one waved her off with a chuckle. "Nah, nothing wrong with it at all. In fact..." Expression brightening, Jin snapped her fingers. "Its a good thing as its going to give the other Kami positive first impressions of you. Something pure, exotic, and rare, but also not totally in your face like some have pulled over the centuries. Seriously, there's been some who have gone so far out as to be in your face in an attempt to dress to impress. Keeping it low, and toned down will go a lot further then what most think."

Her pupils shrinking, Shiromizu gave a small squeak. "Introductions... to the other Kami?"

Blinking, Jin gave her an odd look. "Yeeessss? You do need to be fully introduced and shit to the others. What with being one of the newest, I think. Or at least the most recently revealed anyways." With a frown, she scratched her chin. "So yeah, everyone is going to want to at least see you, I think and maybe talk to you."

Mouth moving, an odd keening noise came from the younger serpent. "Introductions..."

Now frowning, Jin furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

A slightly panicked look came over Shiromizu's face. "Introductions... to the over eight million Kami of Japan!?" For a few moments there was silence and then then Jin nearly fell over laughing with the other Mizuchi screeching at her. "SEMPAI! THIS IS SERIOUS!"

Waving her off, however, said undead being shook her head. "Not that serious, Shiro. They're going to want to meet you as you're basically the first new Mizuchi in some time. But they're not going to swarm you or anything like that. Hell, Ryuujin-Sama would kick all their asses if they pull that sort of shit since as a Mizuchi, you fall under him. Though, uh..." Looking around, she leaned in. "If his daughters try to pull you aside for 'Girl talk'? Try to make an excuse, trust me on that."

Slowly blinking, Shiromizu's confusion won out against her panic. "Er... girl talk?'

Lips pressed thinly, the older Kami nodded. "That's what they call it anyways, but being as you're so young and stuff? They might try to play dress up or something with you. Oh!" Snapping her fingers, Jin continued. "Also? If Genbu tries to tell you stories about the 'Good old days', make an excuse as soon as possible to escape, politely mind you. That old tortoise will talk your ear literally off if given half a chance. Trust me on that."

Off to the side, Kero blinked at that as he looked away from where Gyaru paused in her interrogation of Ai over unicorns existing. "Wat."

Just shrugging as she looked at him, Jin shook her head. "What do you expect of an old timer like him? Seriously, he's fucking ancient."

Under his breath, Kiba snorted. "Kettle, meet Pot."

With a quick glare at him, and getting a grin, Jin frowned some and turned to Shiromizu. "Speaking of... who's taking us there anyways?"

Gyaru blinked at that and gave her an odd look as the rest of the Abyss Divers looked on. "Wait, you don't know who is taking you there? Seriously?"

Frowning at her, the Biker shook her head. "Not a clue." She then jerked her thumb at Shiromizu. "Shiro here knows though."

Now with everyone looking at her, the Mizuchi nervously chuckled some. "Um, well... I was sort of given orders not to reveal who? Though I don't really know myself though, well... a crow delivered it?"

Even as everyone looked on, Kogamaru's eyebrows furrowed as he mouthed that word. Then his eyes widened, but before he could say anything, loud music could be heard from down the street and a convertible pulled up. The top then pulled back and everyone blinked at the sight of the large wolfdog at the steering wheel. Said dog had sunglasses on and was panting with a large grin as music blasted from the radio. "Who let the gods out! Who! Who, who who!" Said convertible began to bounce a bit on the wheels and the like.

Then their attention was grabbed by the beautiful woman who hopped out from the passenger seat and walked over to Jin with a grin. "Jin-Han! So good to see you!"

Wincing, Jin gave a weak chuckle and wave of her hand. "Uh, hey there Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto-Sama..."

All of them blinked as said goddess literally walked up and pinched the Mizuchi's cheeks. "Aw, it is almost like you don't want to see me, Jin-Han!" Looking down, she grinned at a stunned Shiromizu before glomping her, with said Kami becoming in threat of suffocation. "And here is the newest of our group!"

Shiromizu just replied best that she could and gasped as Uzume pulled away. 'Oh Kami... I thought that I was going to die...'

Just winking at the youngster, Uzume adjusted her own sunglasses with a grin before taking a slurp of her drink. Noticing it, Kudzu pointed at it. "Uh, Caf-Pow? Is that... from that NCIS show?"

Grinning, and showing off white teeth, the Kami nodded. "Well, technically, it does not exist. However, I found this one mortal who makes some! A little bit of that Black Blood of the Earth, some Kyo Kyo Daha..." Everyone paled at that second part. "And to finish it up some energy potions and whooo! Gets me going in the morning, especially after busy nights!" Uzume then grabbed Kudzu and pulled his face into her chest before spinning him around. Putting him down, she pulled back and let him gasp and then choke as she kissed his cheek. "You mortals are so wonderful to come up with something like this!"

Eye twitching, Natsumi had a Vietnam style flashback to the one time Akatsuki drank Black Blood of the Earth... and then thought of her drinking this concoction and paled. 'She must never, ever get a hold of it.'

Meanwhile, the Party Goddess hummed some at a bark from Sunny. "Right! We should get going if we're going to pick up Osamu-Han as well, Ammy-Han!"

Right as Jin was about to say something, Shiromizu spoke up. "Wait, Osamu-San? You mean the young guy working on the base in the Archives? Kurosawa-San's boyfriend?" Almost as if they had used radar, the other three Kami brought their full attention onto the youngest of their group, who backed up. "Um..."

Before her eyes, all three older Kami gained large, toothy grins. Jin in particular chuckled darkly. "You mean to tell me, that little Osamu has a girlfriend, Shiro?"

Hand against her cheek, Uzume giggled as her eyes lit up. "My, oh my~ Please, go on..."

Looking from one to the other, the young Mizuchi scratched her head. "What's to tell? He's dating the Head Archivist back on the base, Kurosawa-San. She sort of looks like that character from Read or Die, I think."

Then she backed away some as Jin rubbed her hands together. "Oh! This is too damn good! I remember when he hatched just two hundred years ago, and I know for a fact that little shit has not let anyone know he's dating. Especially not his sisters! And after that one stunt he pulled on me back in the 1970s..."

Cackles escaped her as, in Adachi, a Re-Class in a modified Miko outfit shouted out with glee that the Dark One, who's darkness was deeper then the very Abyss, was about to wreak unholy vengeance upon some poor soul!

Now looking between them, Shiromizu was utterly lost. "Sisters? Wait, who is Osamu-San?"

When she got the answer, she was not the only one who boggled as Sunny held up a sign. "{He's Ryuujin-Kun's youngest son.}"

Feeling faint, the youngest of the Kami there only blinked. "Oh."

Unknown to her, Osamu pulled away from giving his girlfriend a goodbye kiss as he was about to leave her apartment after spending the night. Mainly because of the shiver that just went down his spine. Uzume though, placed an arm around Shiromizu's shoulders and started to guide her to the convertible. "I think that this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship..."

The dog in the front seat just barked and grinned widely.

 

[darthcourt10]

Weaver

A/N: Time for a foray into epistolary fiction.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Hey Matt,

Thought I'd write to you since that owl of yours is currently perched in the living room giving everyone hackies. How's everything going at school? Turned anyone into a frog yet?

Everything is pretty much the same as usual here, well, apart from stuff to do with Dan. We knew when we summoned Awa Maru that we'd get mixed up in shipgirl stuff but I don't think anyone expected to get mixed up in it to the extent he has. Then again his mum turned out to be a cruiser so it was probably inevitable in his case.

Not that he seems to mind. He's been visiting Zetland a lot, he's gone over to Hartlepool a few times and seems to be getting pretty friendly with the shipgirls there. Plus I'm pretty sure that he's been emailing Awa Maru every day. Have to wonder what's going on there.

Speaking of which, the anniversary of Awa Maru's completion day is on the fourteenth of November and he's been complaining about how he can't get her anything for it because she's in Japan and sending packages by air costs a mint.

Not much happening with me. College and cadets are still going okay but nothing interesting has happened since my last letter. Pretty boring really.

Hope everything is okay on your end.

Later,

Adam
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hey Adam,

School's been fine. Still hate using quills though, writing essays with them has been a pain in the neck. No, I haven't turned anyone into a frog but we have been turning mice into water goblets.

I'm not all that surprised to hear about Dan and the shipgirls. There's a guy in the year above me whose mum's a shipgirl (pretty sure I've told you about him) and he's had loads of them visiting him. I think it comes with the territory. As far as I know they all live in Japan too but from what I hear he's got a magic box that connects with one in Japan so unlike Dan he doesn't have to pay for shipping if he wants to send them something. Perks of being a wizard.

Later,

Matt
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hey Matt,

You really need to teach your owl some manners, he tried to peck me when I went to get your letter.

I think I remember you telling me about that guy in the year above you. Harry, right? His mum's Nagato? I could say something about MILFs but I won't because I'm a gentleman.

That box of his sounds useful. I don't suppose he'd be willing to let someone else use it? I wouldn't even suggest it normally but the air freight issue has been bothering Dan more than it should. I think he's got it bad and hasn't realised yet.

Later,

Adam
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hey Adam,

There's nothing wrong with Sage's manners. If he tried to peck you he must've had a reason.

Yes, the guy I told you about is named Harry and yes, his mum's Nagato. I've seen her in person and everything.

I don't know if he'd let someone else use his box to Japan and I'm not going to ask. For one thing he's in another house and I've never even spoke to him so it'd be awkward and kind of rude. For another, what would you tell Dan? We're not supposed to tell muggle non-family members about magic remember.

Later,

Matt
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hey Matt,

Yes, I remember what we were told but Dan's mum's a cruiser and I'm pretty sure that disqualifies him from being a muggle. And, yes, I know it's awkward and probably kind of rude to ask someone you barely know for a favour but it's been almost a week and the present thing is still bothering him so if you do I'll give you a fiver.

Also, I don't care what you say, your owl has an attitude.

Later,

Adam
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hey Adam,

Stop dissing my owl.

As for Dan, I admit that you've got a point regarding his mum. Make it a tenner and I'll ask, but don't say anything to Dan until after I do. Harry might say no and there's no point in having a weird conversation if you don't have to.

Later,

Matt
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hey Matt,

You've got yourself a deal. And don't worry, I wasn't planning on saying anything to Dan until you got an answer anyway. As you said, no point in having an unnecessary weird conversation.

Also, your owl is a dick.

Later,

Adam

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

"... So here we were, Tsukuyomi had just stepped out from his vacation palace on the Moon, or the spiritual equivalent anyways, when he spotted us. Both Ammy-Chan and I had eggs and toilet paper rolls in our hands. He just stared at us for several moments, and then at his home which we had already covered, and then back at us. Tsukuyomi began to get so red in his face before he let out a shout as we were already running for the car."

Facepalming, Jin let out groan as Shiromizu just stared silently. "You egged and TP'd Tsukuyomi's home... Are you fucking shitting me?"

A bright grin on her face, Uzume took a slurp of her drink. "Nope!"

Osamu blinked and gave her a look. "I remember hearing about it, especially after Chichi-ue heard." At their looks, his tone became dry. "Mainly because he would not stop laughing for weeks. Not helping was that Susanoo sent pictures to everyone and every time he saw them, Chichi-ue would collapse and start laughing again."

Placing a finger against her chin, Uzume hummed. "I never have figured out how he got those pictures. Though I believe that Ammy-Chan has at least one copy framed back home... Or at least one of when right before he blew up at us." Turning, she gave the large dog in the driver's seat a frown. "Did you ever figure out how he managed that?"

The being considered that for several moments before shrugging. "Wan."

With a shrug of her own, the Party Goddess gave a nod. "Yeah, not that important in the end."

Still facepalming, Jin began to massage the bridge of her nose. "What gave you even the slightest hints that was a good idea to do? Sure, Tsukuyomi is, well... something of a prick, no offense of course." Ammy let her tongue hang out and barked. " Right, but still."

Becoming thoughtful, Uzume went back over her memories and gave a hum. "Well, Jin-Han... We were drunk...." Then she nodded. "And maybe a little bit stoned, but we figured it was hilarious."

Utter silence met that for several moments. Finally, it was Osamu who spoke up with the question that was on all of their minds. "What."

Completely unrepentant, Uzume shot him a grin. "We were drunk and stoned at the time." At the looks, her grin widened some. "It was the 1980s after all."

Holding her face in her hands, Shiromizu just closed her eyes. '... And thus, all my images of the Kami are even more shattered.'

Not noticing, or pretending not to, the young Mizuchi's reaction, the Kami telling the story frowned. "Now where was I... Oh yeah! So here we were running for the car giggling the whole way. Behind us, Tsukuyomi was chasing us and shouting... things. Pretty sure that our bodies could not do what he was threatening us with, of course. But we jumped in our Corvette and drove it off his property and into outer space before re-entering the atmosphere. Now, Ammy-Chan is pretty good at the fire thing..."

Eyebrows furrowing, Shiromizu narrowed her eyes in thought before pulling her hands away from her face. Giving the goddess a look, she frowned. "Was it a... Soft landing?"

There was a gleam in the eyes of the two Kami in the front seats that told Shiromizu everything she needed. Just the same, Uzume nodded with a chuckle. "As a matter of fact, very soft, Shiromizu-Han. We did land right on top of Royomaru-Teme's ghost after it escaped from its rock for a short time. Ah... the looks on his sons' and grandsons' faces at seeing us before we drove off..."

Jin blinked for a moment as she somehow knew that she missed something in the first part of the conversation. Instead, she focused on the second. "Wait, I think that I remember seeing Tsumemaru, Jiroumaru, and Kogamaru at the Tanuki's Balls back in the early 80s. Never did find out what happened, just that the three of them got roaring drunk for some reason..." Bringing up her finger, she pointed at Uzume. "You mean to tell me, that you two falling out of the sky in a corvette and landing on the ghost of Royomaru was the reason."

Doggy smirk on her face, the driver nodded. "Wan."

With a grin of her own, Uzume jerked her thumb at her long time friend. "What she said. Also..." Reaching into her shirt, she snapped her hand out with several photos. "We got pictures~'

Taking one, the undead Mizuchi of the group looked down at the picture that showed Tsumemaru's expression as well as his brother's, son, and nephew's. In the background, there were several other members of the clan also with their own expressions. Slowly, she handed back the picture before collapsing in laughter.

Laughter that only increased as Uzume held out a picture showing the ghostly Royomaru's face moments from impact as he noticed what was about to hit him.

Once she was calm enough, Jin sat up. "How much do you want for copies of those pictures? Because I really want them."

Humming, Uzume had a thoughtful expression that turned predatory. "Take a picture of Ko-Chan's face as well as Ryou-Chan's face when you show them you have pictures. That will be enough."

All Jin did was grin at that while Shiromizu sunk more into her seat. "Sempai..."
_______________________________________________________

The car having slowed and pulled into the parking lot of a small burger place, Jin raised an eyebrow. "So... why are we here? We're only an hour or two from Izumo."

Glancing at her as Ammy pulled the car into a parking spot, Uzume gave a hum before getting out of the car. "We're here because the burgers here are great, Jin-Han." At the blink, she grinned. "This is our last chance to stuff ourselves with fast food before we go through the whole month at Kannazuki. You have no idea how hard it is to get delivery there."

Just about to leave the car, Shiromizu paused and then slowly turned towards Uzume. "... Delivery?"

Only nodding, the female Kami ignored Ammy performing a backflip over the backseat and out of the car. "Yeah, we tried to get KFC there one year. Didn't work well, sadly enough and Izanagi-Sama was not too happy for some odd reason. Guess he doesn't like KFC."

Jin paused for a moment and then facepalmed.

Hard.

Meanwhile, Osamu only shook his head well used to the antics of the two goddesses in front of him. Adjusting his glasses, he glanced at the befuddled Shiromizu and smirked. 'Well, I suppose that is the normal reaction to Amaterasu-Sama nowadays when she's going around. She's a lot more relaxed since the 60s at least.' Tilting his head, he then grimaced and shivered. 'Well, as long as no one pisses her off, at least. Then she shows why we all listen to her.'

Finally pulling her hand away from the lover's embrace it had with her face, Jin turned to first Amaterasu and then at Uzume. "So... why this spot?"

Grinning over her shoulder the party loving Kami giggled some before tilting her sunglasses down some. "They got some great Sasebo style burgers here, some of the best that you have ever had. There's a male Kawa Tengu who married a Japanese-American who immigrated back from the states in the Nineties, Ammy-Chan and I came across them a couple years back and they have two areas to their little stop. Part of it is charmed for those of... less then human extent. But her husband and son, also a Tengu, use their tengu-bi to cook their burgers and it is something to taste."

Already drooling a bit, the older of the two female Mizuchi grinned. "Sounds great, and I can't wait." Several minutes later found them all sitting at tables with Jin rubbing her hands as she looked at the burger. "Hah, this looks great!"

Within moments, Shiromizu looked away from her Sempai and attempted to ignore the sight of a wolf attempting to eat a burger bigger then her head. Trying to ignore her own Sempai gorging herself on the food, Shiromizu turned to the fourth member of their group and shrunk a bit. "Um, Osamu-San... Sama?"

Glancing at her, the Mizuchi grimaced and waved a hand. "Please, just San. I sort of wanted to get away from all that after all."

Just looking down, Shiromizu shuffled a bit. "Right, um... I'm sorry." Feeling the unasked question, she flinched. "About letting out your secret with Kurosawa-San... I didn't realize at the time-"

Osamu though raised his hand before bringing it down and ruffling her hair some. "Don't worry about it, I am not mad at all. Maybe annoyed, but that is directed at those two over there." When he jerked his thumb at Uzume and Ammy, Shiromizu did a double take as most of said Kami's food were gone with the wolf patting its lip with a napkin. "They're not going to let up on the teasing over it. Besides... I'm surprised that it lasted this long as a secret to be honest."

That made the smaller Mizuchi blink. "You are?"

Sighing, Osamu nodded before shaking his head. "You... have not met my Onee-Sans. To put it into words, I am the youngest of all Chichi-ue's children. So I have a bunch of, well, 'Onee-Samas' to put it. To say that they can be a bit suffocating is being mild."

Uzume giggled at that and gestured with a fry. "Yes, mild." Gesturing for another burger to be brought for the wolf beside her, she continued to giggle. "That is one way of putting it."

A grimace on his face, Osamu groaned and put his head down on the table. "I am not looking forward to matters. Chichi-ue knows that I was interested in Kuro-Chan, but not more then that. And now I am going to deal with my Onee-Samas wanting to know more about her or even dropping in."

Not seen by him, were knowing smirks on Uzume's and Ammy's faces before the wolf turned to the burger that was delivered.