Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N.-I realized that I should probably explain how Norimune got to take part in Verdun. So without further ado, I bring you a tale of two legends of the Spanish Main.

A calloused hand rubbed her thumb across a torn out notebook page with two phone numbers written in a precise hand by a quill. The thumb paused as it touched the 011-32 prefix over the first one. A deep sigh and a shake of a head was the response from the thumb's owner. Lips curved and muttered. "Fuckit. Delilah's right, damn her." With that it touched the 415 area code number as the other hand grabbed her replacement iPhone from the charger in her bedroom.

A Tale of Three Tails (I)

SS Horizon Bringer

Pier 18 San Fransisco

15 April 2014
Spoiler: California Fox

The quarter moon and the neon lights of the Bay City shone through the porthole on a tangle of feminine arms, legs, and fuzzy tails sharing a bunk. The taller of the two naked young women was snoring loudly while the shorter was mumbling something slurred and obscene in her sleep.

The ringing of a telephone faintly intruded into their cabin.

The taller woman's dog tail flicked against the bare hip of her shorter companion.

As the ringing continued, a fox ear on the head of the shorter woman perked up and swiveled.

Gummy honey-brown eyes blinked open and focused on the ringing iPhone on the charger on her desk.

"ugh, me poor head..." Jacklyn Fox moaned as she began to untangle herself from the embrace of her lover. A whispered spell caused the phone to float across the cabin to her waiting hand. A second spell and a gentle pass across the face of Aomi Sato caused her inugami bed companion to sink into a deeper sleep.

"Wat is it?" Jackie said quietly as she held the phone to her ear.

Silence greeted her for long moments, then a vaguely-familiar voice replied. "Jacklyn, um, hello."

Muramasa-no-Norimune's voice was almost tentative.

Jackie blinked her eyes, holding the phone away from her head so she could see the Japanese number. "Dad, this is a surprise. How have you been?" She spoke in a gentle voice to her father with no trace of her normal lower-class pirate accent.

A hollow chuckle answered her. "Trying to come to terms that I just became a grandmother. Fuck. Talk about a boot to the balls."

Jackie blinked and swung out of the bunk. "Which one was it? Ying, Ehren, or Claire?"

Shocked silence answered her question then Norimune responded slowly. "Ying. There's more?!"

Jackie grinned madly but schooled her voice to calm. "Yes, Colombe has three. If it helps, she herself did not know about Ying until a week or so ago. Claire and Ehren live with her at Moulbaix."

With that she headed to the head to empty the bladder to make room for more rum. As she stepped out of it after doing her business, Norimune finally responded. "No shit!?"

"No shit, Dad. Ying even arrested her father on the first meeting." Jackie grinned and waited for the outburst.

It didn't come. "Yes, Delilah and Ying explained that." Jackie pouted briefly at the missed point scoring, then opened a cabinet and frowned at all the empty space outnumbering the few bottles of Pusser's Rum on hand.

"Aye, Del's like that. Little sneaky goody two shoes that she can be." Jackie's eyes gleamed as an idea hit her "Listen, Dad, you planning anything for the next week or two?" Time to see if the fish are biting.

"Nooo...." Norimune's voice was a bit wary. "What are you thinking about Jacklyn?" Aha, a nibble!

Jackie leaned back against the side of the bunk and began to gently caress the sleeping Aomi with her free hand as her voice acquired a roguish lilt. "Oh, I am a dram low on me favorite rum. So was goin' to sail up the coast to lay in a fresh supply o' the good stuff. Was thinkin' that ye could join me on me expedition to the Antilles." Reel in the line nice and slow-like to keep the fish from breaking it.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "Why the fuck not?" Norimune finally said. "How do I link up with you?"

Jackie grinned happily. Got you, Dad! "I'll mail a Portkey to Aunt Chisuheri's address in Tokyo marked for you. The password for activation is 'Sinbad'. Just hold it and bring a week or so's worth of clothes and a swimsuit."

Another pause. "I can do that. I should see it in a day or two?"

Jackie smirked. "Yeah, I'll shell for express delivery rates. Anything else you have for me, Dad, before I start laying in provisions for my booze run?"

Across the Pacific Norimune shook her head and breathed a sigh of released tension. "Not that I can think of."

"Give me a call when you get it, Ok?" Jackie said, as Aomi began to stir under the caresses.

"Will do, Jacklyn. Sayonara." Norimune agreed before hanging up.

Aomi blinked as Jackie tossed the phone toward the desk and used a flick of her wrist to cast a spell to guide it back to the charger. "Who was that, Jackie-chan?"

Jackie grinned smugly and kissed the Inugami girl's floppy ear before whispering into it. "It's a surprise. In the mood for a sea trip to get some surf and sun?"

Aomi blushed and squealed. "Oooooo! You rogue! No I don't mind a sea cruise; I like the ocean a lot. But I don't have a swimsuit."

Jackie's hand moved and squeezed, producing another squeal. "I'll get you one tomorrow when we provision up the Horizon Bringer for the trip. Besides, it would be a damn shame to have to hide these beauties in a bikini top." Another squeeze punctuated the statement.

Aomi giggled. "Hush you! If you are going to do that, get into the bunk and keep me company!"

Jackie eagerly complied with the unstated invitation.

Meanwhile across the Pacific, Norimune looked at her iPhone as if it had the answer to a particularly challenging question. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

Remembering the sunny smile, honey-gold eyes, and brown hair of a fox eared and tailed young woman standing under a torii gate in Kamakura.

Remembering her middle daughter, Jacklyn Fox, as they met for the first time.

Her lips opened and she shook her head in disbelief as tears trickled from her closed eyes. A bare whisper sounded in the bedroom that she normally crashed in at Chisuheri's apartment. "She called me Dad. No hatred, no wariness, just acceptance. Am I really Dad to her?"

Unseen by her in her thoughts and questions, the moonlight sparkled on the menuki on her hilt. The dove symbols of Hachiman, the Protector of Warriors, shone silver in the moonlight and shimmered with promise of a path to find the answers to her questions and fears.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord Khuzdul

Hızır finally brought the tray with tea glasses and the teapot, and took his seat at the head of the table. "Well, everyone's here, so we can begin. Let's start from furthest afield and make our way back here. Hod, what are the news from your mistress?"

The bird fluttered her wings briefly to land on the table. "So far so good. Persia is, if anything, holding. There is some Daeva activity, but if they are preparing something big, there is not much indication. Alexander's Wall is a going concern – we have some more cracks, but last I heard, it is holding. One thing of note – I heard some rumors about Yeseviyye. I think Ahmed Yesevi finally decided to get out of the hole he stuck himself in. Which means Horasan Erenleri will be becoming fully active once again. On the other hand, they tend to be a bit of a bull in a china shop. So the political landscape in the region is set to become interesting in near future."

Hızır facepalmed. "Hearing that Ahmed is back is a relief, I'll admit, but well, Sayyid Ata Sheiks were always as political as they are mystical, and warrior monks are going to warrior monk, what can you expect? At least it will mean there will be fewer ex-KGB strongmen sitting pretty in the area. Any news of Afghanistan?"

Hod hopped forward at that, fastidiously avoiding the edge of the table with the snake. "Mistress is keeping an eye on the area. Thankfully, Taliban managed to piss off both the Djinn in the region, and powers further East, so they are getting comprehensibly trounced. There is one thing of note, though. There are lights at Alamut again."

Hızır rubbed his forehead. "But of course, no mess would be complete without him. Well, at least it is possible to reason with him, unlike his… less worthy successors. Utnapishtim, anything interesting with your area?"

The ancient Sumerian stroked his beard. "The gates of Kur remain closed. Ereshkigal is definitely not letting those two out. However, she is reporting a lot of rumbling in the underworld. Lamashtu might be stirring, and Enlil is worried about that. You know how much of a pain she can be. Accords muzzle a lot of the gods, but Lamashtu is the kind to not care about that sort of thing, and nobody wants to get Pazuzu to drag her back down, especially since he is a whole other can of worms by himself. Still, that front can be considered contained, for now. If Lamashtu gets into her head the notion that it is time for her to go out again, that can change, but we can at least trust the rest to sit on her as long as possible."

Hızır shrugged. "Well, that's as much as we can hope for on that front. Sinbad? Shehrazade? Anything from your areas?"

Sinbad glanced at Shehrazade, and the tale-teller shook her head. "The usual rumblings. There are rumors of some activity in the sands of Rub' al Khali, but I don't think the City of Pillars is a major concern at this point. The efreet in the region, as far as we can tell, are alert and keeping their vigil. If anything changes, we can expect the Sultans to move first. But the seal there seems to be holding. Other major seals in the region are safe, so far so good. However, things can change rapidly, and that worries me. The radicals in the area seem to be trading with Shaitan Imams. If there is a push to crack a seal from both sides of the divide, or if they take over a minor seal and crack it, we can have a mess on our hands rather quickly. I am especially worried about a few areas in your region, Korkut. There are at least two cults in the Eastern mountains that we think are infiltrated, and they are sniffing too close to Tendurek for our comfort."

Lokman leaned forward at that. "Well, when I swung by Adana to pick up Ayla here, Shahmaran mentioned that she would be moving in that direction. I'd expect the Threes, Sevens and Forties to pay close attention in that region as well. Shaitan Imams were surprisingly active during the last couple of decades, and I think we shouldn't be surprised that they are wielding the radicals like clubs nowadays."

Hızır shook his head. "'Bana derler ki şeyatin / Senin yolun azdırır / Ben bu zerrak softalardan / Başka şeytan bilmezem'*. Well, Alaattin always had a way with words, in that regard. We lucked out with Kemal, but they got out of their holes quickly after him. So, Korkut, you are saying that Babaerenler are active again? That's a bit of a good news at least."

Korkut Ata straightened. "Well, they are. But they have the same problem as the Ministries. Too many problems, too few people. And the problems are not limited to just the usual Shayatin or Ghouls, either. We have a big issue coming up, and I think we will need to do something drastic at that. Halifax and Verdun did jar a few things loose over here as well. One of those things might prove to be a bit of a major mess. What do you remember of Sarıkamış?"

Hızır sat back and stroked his beard. "Big battle in 1914, Russians versus Ottomans, Enver made a big mess, things turned horrible? Please don't tell me…"

Korkut sighed. "Yes. Over 90 thousand restless dead, and the close call at Verdun poked a stick into the hornet's nest. The whole Allahuekber Mountains are buzzing with it. Not to mention what it led to, thanks to that idiot, Enver. The system of wards and protections in the area has always been quite piecemeal and hodgepodge, and I cannot say they were maintained adequately. If you don't want a whole army of dead to start walking towards Russia, we really need to do something."

"Well, any suggestions?"

Sinbad leaned over the table. "Well, aren't they soldiers? Maybe if someone they would consider an authority was to order them to stand down?"

Hızır bowed his head thoughtfully. "Might work, but who would that be? I don't think we have any of the generals involved in the operation at hand."

Sinbad shrugged. "How about the shipgirls? Maybe Yavuz."

Lokman shook his head. "Wouldn't work. She was quite new when those people died. We would need someone with a legend that was already prominent at that time."

Korkut smirked. "Well, I did do some groundwork in that regard. But I would say we need to reactivate one organization that would be of immense help there."

Hızır laughed. "Bacıyan-ı Rûm? Wouldn't that light a fire under the asses of the current crop of what passes for leaders in this country?"

Korkut's smirk grew to a grin. "Well, if the seeds I have sown bear fruit, that might not be a concern for much longer. You know as well as I do that Yavuz's patience had been fraying fast. I might have pulled some strings to give her a few… opportunities in that regard." He grew serious. "However, we do have only one option. Hamidiye. She was already a legend with what she did during the Balkan Wars. If they would listen to anybody, they would listen to her. Which is fortunate, because considering her obsolete status with regards to the current war, I am thinking she would be a very good candidate to actually lead the Baciyan. You said we would need a champion. Well, there you have it. If you can convince her. I am not touching that with a barge pole."

Hızır just lowered his head onto the table in despair.

---

* "They tell me that Shayatin would lead me astray. I know of no shaithan, other than these duplicitious fanatics." verse from 14th century Turkish Sufi dervish and poet, Kaygusuz Abdal, also named Alaattin Gaybi.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A Storyteller's Tale

Tangier, Morocco

March 29th, 1905
Spoiler: An Arabian Tale

To the locals, it was known as the Sooq of Tangier. For centuries, ever since there had been a Tangier when the Phoenecians first came ashore on the south side of the Pillars of Hercules, it had been. Here, wares traveled in the holds of the ships of the sea crossing the Middle Ocean and the Atlantic and on the back of the ships of the desert to be examined, bought, sold, bartered for, stolen, lost, and found.

Knowledge came here too, for was that not a ware of as much value as gold, ivory, salt, slaves, silver, or gems?

No matter if the traveler called it Sooq, Marketplace, Bazaar, Mercatus, Agora, or Mercado, it was the beating heart of Tangier.

In the shade of the crumbling stone arch leading to the Sooq from the bustling docks, an old man sat on a tattered and dusty carpet. His face was wrinkled and lined by time and worry, and his clothes were dusty and worn. A plain chipped and battered wooden begging bowl sat in front of him next to his cane.

Something flickered deep inside his dark eyes at the flash of gold hair as a pair of travelers from distant lands climbed the street to the Sooq from where their ship had docked with the morning tide.

The young man leading the pair heading to the Marktplatz was bull-necked and bull-chested in a white cotton suit that strained at containing his strength and vitality. A florid face with a fashionably waxed golden mustache and goatee was crowned with a mane of messy golden hair. The overall impression was that of a lion, ruler of all he surveyed with the unconscious arrogance of a man who viewed the world as a challenge to be overcome in the pursuit of his interests.

Beside him, his companion en-route to the Marché was equally gold haired and blue eyed. But the similarities ended there between the cousins. Whipcord lean and lithe in her light shirt and khaki pants, she seemed less to move but to glide with unconscious precise grace. Her gaze flickered constantly in her weathered face from crystal-blue eyes that had seen much of good and evil. The faint crow's feet around them showed that she had smiled much, just as the faint wrinkles between her brows spoke of frowns. One hand absently caressed the golden hilt of a long rapier as she surveyed the crowd like a tigress would look upon unfamiliar sounds and noises.

She was older than he remembered her from the past. She was no longer the young blade full of fire chasing a thief who had 'stolen his purse' as she took the first step on the path that would lead to a failed assassination plot against the Caliph of Damascus and a battle in the ruins of Palmyra before a door that must remain closed until the end of days. Older and more powerful, yes, and marked with the blazing heraldry of a fellow warrior of the Light for those such as he with eyes to see. New-minted, her status was and it as of yet sat uneasily on her shoulders.

Behind his short white beard, the old man smiled with a flash of white teeth. The board was set and it was time to begin his gambit. Time to see if his need for heroes would be answered.

With that his forefinger crooked in his lap. A white film covered his eyes in apparent blindness.

The man suddenly grabbed for his purse as he felt a tug on it, turning to try to locate the apparent pickpocket. The woman with him tensed in turn, her hand gripping the hilt of her rapier.

"{Alms, alms for a poor hajji!}"

The call reached the ears of Karl Potter as he relaxed. His eyes saw the elderly man dressed in dusty and worn clothing that he had almost passed and he glanced at his guide. "That poor fellow looks to be skinny as a rail, Cousin. Let me at least give him a coin to get a hot meal in that hollow stomach of his."

Beside him, Colombe du Chasteler nodded, relaxing slightly. For a moment as her eyes lingered on the elderly man in the dusty green rezza headdress a faint note of memory sounded. Had she seen someone like that before in her travels?

She shook it off and followed Karl to the beggar, watching as he pulled out a gold ten-mark coin with the face of Kaiser Wilhelm II. She spoke in Arabic as the coin clattered into the bowl, the followed with her own Belgian franc coin. Gold rang on gold as she spoke. "{Greetings and peace upon you, Grandfather, and may you get a good meal cooked by a wife who bears you many strong sons.}"

"{Ja, Old man.}" Karl added in his inexpert Arabic, causing her to mentally wince at the accent that her lessons were helping him with.

The beggar smiled and spoke in accented French. "Travelers from across the seas? I would wish to repay your kindness with a story, if I may."

Colombe nodded and took position to watch her cousin's back as Johann du Chasteler's great-grandson spoke. "Please. I am here on Wanderjahr wishing to learn more of the world outside my homeland."

The elderly blind beggar cocked his head at Karl's words and spoke in a surprisingly deep and commanding voice. "A noble pursuit young lord. Hear and be enlightened! In the days of my grandfather's grandfather's grandfather, across the Sea of Sand, a great kingdom existed. The ruler was wise and learned, renowned through the four corners of the earth for his wisdom, wealth, and power. In his realm, gold was so common that even the meanest laborer had a purse full of gold coin for his daily wages and his wife would cook his dinner in a skillet of silver.

"One day the king resolved to accomplish the one thing he lacked doing, for he was a good Muslim. He resolved to make Hajj to the Ka'bah and the tomb of the Prophet. But the path from his kingdom to Mecca was long and perilous and through trackless wastes where fierce beasts and fiercer bandits roamed. With that in mind, he gathered together his chieftains, heroes of great valor both of men and jinn and asked for one of them to scout the route so that he could fulfill his obligations.

"Among them was a young lord of the jinn named Rayhan who knelt before the king. Before man and jinn he swore that he would travel the route and return to his liege. Pleased with his oath, the king gave him an enchanted purse of gold, a fine horse, and commended his travels to God. Rayhan left his liege and armed himself. His aged mother, who was a seeress amongst the jinn came to him and gave him a pair of emerald earrings, with instruction to wear them at all times, for they would protect him from the schemes of evil men. With that sage advice and the blessings of his mother, Rayhan traveled for six turnings of the moon. Many obstacles did he face and many perils did he endure for his oath and for love of his king. Presently he came to the land of Syria at last and found his way to the home of a sultan amongst the jinn."

Colombe's eyes narrowed and she glanced over at the enthralled Karl Potter as the storyteller continued. "The Jinn had five daughters, each more beautiful than her sister, and they danced before Rayhan to make him forget the weariness of the road. Presently the oldest of them caught his eye, for her lips were those of rubies, her hair of purest ebony, her eyes of emerald, and her breasts were twin moons in the sky shining silver. Rayhan desired her greatly as she desired him with her flaming glances and asked her father what her dowry would be. The Sultan looked down on him, and scowled at his dusty clothing, and dark skin, for he was one of the Ifrit who dwell in the desolate places of the Earth. He thundered with a great oath upon the Seal of Solomon that if Rayhan did not have guest-right he would slay him where he stood, for not less than a thousand-weight of gold would purchase the hand of his beloved Periezade."

"Rayhan stood up then and bowed, telling them that he would return with her dowry alongside his liege. Seeing the envy of the courtiers and their lust for Periezade, as he made ready to depart, he took off the earrings that his mother had given him, presenting them to her trusted servant with the promise that he would return to reclaim them."

The storyteller paused for a drink of water. "Rayhan returned for her hand, with ten elephants, each carrying a hundredweight of gold. The Sultan scowled thunderously, but he had given his word on the Seal of King Solomon, whom God put on the Earth to master the children of smokeless fire. At the wedding feast, a wandering old hermit was invited, and he spoke a prophecy. Many strong sons would Periezade have, but only two daughters. The firstborn daughter would be destined to be wed to a hero of legend of the tribe of Adam with hair of gold, just as her mother's dowry was a thousand-weight of gold. While the lastborn of her children would in turn also marry a hero, with her dowry being an emerald crown to pair with the emerald earrings her mother wears to this day as she sits in court alongside Emir Rayhan."

With that he coughed and was silent.

Karl glanced at Colombe as he thought about how this story rang true to his ears. Colombe in turn spoke thoughtfully as she saw the gleam in Karl's eyes. "{My thanks for your story grandfather. May you always find water and shade in your life. Alas, we must depart, for time waits for no man.}"

As they headed into the Sook of Tangier, Hizir's lips curled in a knowing smile as he made the coins vanish from the begging bowl.

Indeed time does not. All things happen in the fullness of time according to the will of God. All they take is a mere nudge to start the first pebble moving in the avalanche.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

In the cavern that contained the Vanishing Cabinet back to Yokosuka, Regina paced back and forth in. Every once in a while, she would glance towards the magical form of transportation as if it would open for a few moments. And when it did not, she would go back to pacing back and forth.

From where she was sitting behind her desk reading a book, Ruka gave the Re-Class amused glances. Lips twitching, all the Ru could do was shake her head at the nervous Abyssal in amusement. Unlike what most would think, Ruka did not mind being where she was too much, after all she was obsolete compared to newer Ru-Class. Where they had fourteen, fifteen, or even sixteen inch guns, hers were a mere twelve inch. Her days of being on the front lines were over.

Yet, she was still given the important task of guarding the Vanishing Cabinets. A job that some would think was boring, but actually was not. Especially with how Lady Wanko, Lady Supprin, and others went back and forth. It also gave her time to catch up on reading, which was something that she enjoyed. Granted, currently she was reading a British horror book from the 1980s which was... wierd.

But then, she had found most horror books from that area of the world and from the same time were odd.

Eventually though, she sighed and gave Regina a look, "Regina? Relax for a moment, Lady Wanko's little brother will come. He promised you, did he not?"

Lightly blushing, Regina poked her fingers together and nodded, "Um, yes, he did promise..."

Now leaning against one hand, Ruka smirked a bit already knowing the response that she would get, "And from what I have been told, he always keeps his promises, does he not?"

Eyes widening, the Re-class straightened and glared, "Of course he does! He won't lie to me and if he promises something, he will try his best to do it!"

Waving off the glare, Ruka gave a small shrug and went back to the book, "Relax then, because he will come, it is still a half hour before he would be late for arrival."

That made Regina chew her lip some, but she gave a small nod. Glancing at the book, she blinked a little at the image of three claws ripping into something with the tag line of prehistoric terror before shrugging. The Ru-Class had an odd taste in books after all, and some of them were strange. Shaking her head though, she glanced at her fellow Abyssal, "Um... good book?"

Slowly, the Ru-Class nodded, "Yeah, pretty good. Just got to a part with a sexually frustrated Megalosaurus."

Right then, Regina decided that she really did not either need, or want, to know more about the book and moved away slowly. Something that Ruka rolled her eyes at and went back to reading. Instead, she moved towards the Vanishing Cabinet and waited while asking that Harry come by soon.

Hence, she was relieved when there was a click and Harry stepped out into view. Smiling, he grinned up at her, "Regina!"

Quickly making her way over, the Abyssal hugged him with the wizard returning it, "Harry, you actually came..."

Instead of being insulted, Harry raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "I did promise after all to come. And I always..."

Regina finished for him with a smile, "And you always keep your promises." Getting a smile back, she tightened the hug a bit before kissing him on the cheek, "But, um... still, thank you."

With a small smile on his face, the thirteen year old tightened the hug slightly before pulling away. Harry's eyes widened a touch as he remembered something, "Oh yeah! I also brought steel for your rebuild."

Needless to say, that brought a blush to Regina's face and she poked her fingers together, "Y-you did?" At his nod, her blush deepened, before she leaned down and gave him a short kiss on the lips. Pulling back, she brightly smiled, "Um, th-thank you, Harry."

Once they were gone, the smiling Ruka shook her head and chuckled a bit, "Those two are cute together. And I'm glad that she found someone like him as well..."

And, with that, she turned back to her book and sipped some coffee that she had.

Meanwhile, both Harry and Regina were walking through the tunnels in the rock with the Re-Class smiling, "Thank you, Harry." Seeing his look of confusion, she lightly blushed, "For coming here, I, um, appreciate it."

Frowning, Harry just gave her a look, "Of course I came, Regina. You asked me to come, so I did. Why wouldn't I come?"

Unable to look at him, the Abyssal chewed her lip a little, "W-well, er... you are busy at school. And it really isn't that important, I guess-"

She was cut off though as Harry slammed his palm into the tunnel wall beside her, which made her jump before he followed up with his other palm doing the same, trapping her between them. That action, as well as his following tone, sent a shiver down her keel and not the bad sort, "Regina! Don't you dare think that!" Two narrowed, green eyes stared up into her gold flecked ones, though he noted that she was flushed and breathing hard, "This is very important, Regina. And no matter how busy I am? I will make time for things like this, because you asked. So do not think otherwise..." His tone lightened a little and he smiled, "Okay? You're important, trust me."

With a swallow, Regina nodded even as she felt like her boilers were about to explode, "U-understood, Harry."

Pulling away, the teenage wizard took her hand in his, "Good." He then pulled her down and kissed her cheek before nodding, "Now, let's go to Big Sister..."

Not willing to trust her own voice, Regina simply nodded and the two walked along.

Eventually though, she managed to get herself under control, though every time she glanced at Harry she could feel herself blush slightly. But soon enough, they reached the room in question and Regina turned towards Harry, "Um, we're a bit early for even the preparations. I-I think that it will be about an hour... and twenty minutes before Lady Wanko shows up."

Getting an understanding nod, Regina opened the door only for Harry and her to blink at the sight that met them. Mainly, Tsuzi, the Tsu-Class under Supprin, was dancing in place singing. But what caught the thirteen year old off guard was what she was singing as she danced, "Two and Four and Eleven~!"

It was then that Harry realized two things besides it being one of Naka's best known songs. One was that the Tsu-Class in front of him was singing it perfectly. Even to his ear, she was hitting each note exactly as Naka would. The other was that her dance moves were not just the same, but identical to Naka's when singing that song. As the Tsu-Class continued, not knowing that she was being watched, Harry began to bob his head to the beat, 'Huh... this was pretty nice...'

Once she was done her little routine, the Tsu-Class was breathing heavily but there was a smile in her voice, "One day, Tsuzie... you'll be just like Naka!" Clencing her massive fists, she gave a sharp nod and turned... only to freeze as she noted that both Regina and the human she knew was Harry were there, "U-uh-um..."

That was when Harry began to clap his hands and smile though, which made her stare a little bit. Something that continued as Regina joined him and the wizard spoke up, "That was awesome, Tsuzie! Heck, I know that Naka-Nee would be impressed!"

Her blush coming down her neck, Tsuzie poked her fingers together, "I-I... um, really? You think so?"

Softly snorting, the thirteen year old crossed his arms, "Think so? I know so. Trust me on that."

Just nodding slightly, Tsuzie glanced around before clearing her throat, "R-right. Do you now when Lady Wanko will be by? Because I have the material for the rebuild and need for her to sign for them."

With a hum, Regina tilted her head to the side some, "Um... I think that she should be here in fifteen minutes. Or about that."

Upon hearing that, the other Abyssal gave a small nod.

As they waited, the two chatted before Harry brought up something that he had heard, "From what I hear, Supprin is going to make you into a Light Cruiser Demon, right?"

Perking up, Tsuzie gave a small nod at that, "That's right! Lady Supprin has stated that she is very satisfied with all my work and how I have been escorting our convoys back and forth. I mean, Neptune is more powerful but, um..."

Regina giggled a little at that, "Neptune is Neptune." She then cocked her head to the side, "I heard that Lady Supprin was yelling at her again?"

Shoulders slumping, the Tsu-Class gave a nod, "Lady Supprin sent her to get something for her from Darwin, but she noticed an arcade and hung out doing games. Until closing time and it turned out that the item had been waiting for hours and she nearly missed it for her video games. Lady Supprin was... not impressed."

Both Harry and Regina facepalmed at that before the wizard decided to ignore that, "Um, right, so you're going to become a Demon soon?"

At the change of subject, Tsuzie gave a small nod, "Well, I am still not sure why she wants me to become a Demon, not that I mind. I mean, I am not one that was constructed by her and, well..."

It was right then that a voice spoke up, "Well, I chose you because I do trust you despite that. And not once have you ever given me a reason not to, Tsuzie." All three turned to find Wanko there with Supprin, the Supply Depot Princess smiling as she crossed her arms, "Besides which... you have done a lot of work for me over the years. You deserve this reward, trust me on that."

Just bowing, Tsuzie swallowed, "T-thank you, My Lady."

Unknown to her, Supprin was internally chuckling, 'Of course, once you do become a Demon? Well... we will need someone to be a face as it were...' Externally though, she simply smiled and placed another crate down before nodding at Wanko, "Here we are, Lady Wanko. All you should need to rebuild Regina."

Wanko gave a nod to that, only to blink as Harry stepped forward, "Is something... wrong... Little Brother?"

However, Harry shook his head with a sheepish smile, "No, nothing is wrong, Big Sister. Just two things, first..." Reaching her, he hugged her, "You deserve a hug."

The giant woman smiled and hugged him back gently. Massive clawed gauntlets which could, and had, ripped apart Battleship steel enclosed him with a gentleness that would never harm, "Thank you... Little Brother, I... do enjoy your hugs."

Pulling away, Harry nodded before walking to his backpack and pulling out several bars of metal that he placed onto the floor. Once done, he turned and rubbed the back of his neck, "And, well... I made some bars of metal for Regina to be used in her rebuild, if that is okay, Big Sister. Hoppou told me that it should be fine, but..."

Intrigued, especially after hearing of said material, Wanko walked over and took one of the bars and examined it. To the naked eye, it looked like a normal steel bar, about fifteen pounds worth. But to her, with her senses? She could feel the tingle of magic that permeated the metal itself. One claw softly brushed against it and she nodded as she understood what the magic was meant to do.

Which was make the rebuild as successful, and Regina as strong, as possible.

Slowly nodding, Wanko turned back to Harry and gave him a smile even as her Imps gathered the metal in question, "It is fine... Little Brother. In fact... this metal will... be of great... help, I can... tell. And yes... I will be able... to use it for... Regina's Rebuild."

Relaxing, the teen nodded, "I'm glad then."

Lips twitching, Wanko gestured at a nearby hollow in the floor, which had a blanket beside it along with what looked like a thin mattress, "If you both would come... here... we shall begin."

At that, both Harry and Regina gave a nod and the Re-Class slipped into the hollow before laying back. Though she held out one hand which Harry took in his. Giving him a smile, Regina turned to Wanko who brought out her rigging, "I'm ready."

In reply, Wanko gave a nod and her imps jumped onto Regina's stomach and vanished. As she felt them go through her corridors, the Re-Class took a deep breath as she calmed herself, though the gentle squeeze of her hand by Harry made her smile some. The boy in question just smiled at her, "I'm going to stay right here, Regina. And I won't let go."

Feeling a sharp sensation as one boiler went out, Regina nodded, "I know, Harry..." Another boiler then went out, "I know..."

One by one, her remaining boilers went out until there was just one left. With a split second decision, Harry leaned over and gently kissed the near asleep Abyssal, "I'll see you when you wake."

Her lips curling into a smile, Regina sighed as her last boiler went out, "See you then, Harry..."

With that, the Abyssal laid there as Wanko gave a nod and fed the metal that Harry had given her to her rigging, "Let us begin..."

In reply, Harry nodded even as he gave Regina's hand a squeeze.

_________________________________________________________________

Blinking her eyes, Regina sat up from where she had been laying down and looked around in interest. She sat upon a stone platform that stretched out a distance into a harbour, while around the water, large, industrial buildings rose upwards. As she got to her hooves, she continued to look around with blue, ghostly flames in streetlights providing illumination. For some odd reason, it reminded her of a city from one of those old comics that some of the American shipgirls read. Like the ones with that detective in a yellow suit and hat.

It was obvious from looking around that she was somewhere along a waterfront. And, walking forward, she looked at the water which was dark and obviously deep while also still as glass. Stars twinkled and shone in it's depths darkly and, tilting her head back, Regina held back a gasp at seeing the night sky above. Despite the illumination from the street lamps and buildings, it did nothing to block out the stars above which moved and shifted. Vast nebula moved through the cosmos as galaxies twirled and spun.

Even as she watched, Regina could see a comet come into view as it shot across the sky, a bright tail of dust and a fainter blue one of gas visible before a giant star rose upwards. Along its surface, one could see plasma rising and falling in arches within the corona. Yet, as always, the light did not blot out the rest of the cosmos. The darkened, nearly impressionist looking city behind her, the deep and dark waters of the ocean before her, and the cosmos above. All of it should have been unable to fit together...

Yet, oddly, they did.

Regina realized, somehow, that each location was a type of Abyss. The Abyss that Industrialization could bring in the form of the city where street lights flickered and windows looked like stars, the Abyss of the ocean where the only lights were like stars created by creatures that lived their lives in darkness, and the cosmos above... the greatest Abyss of them all that held the planet within it's grasp. Each one in harmony and, in a way, reflections of each other. It was... awe inspiring to the Re-Class.

For what felt like minutes, Regina just stared at her surroundings before a chuckle made her turn to find a young man with messy black hair and hazel eyes. Someone she recognized from both given descriptions and pictures, which made her eyes widen, "You're Harry's father..."

Lips curling into an amused smirk, James bowed slightly, "That is correct, my dear. I am James Potter and it is lovely to hear you." Seeing her confused look, he raised an eyebrow, "Is something wrong?"

Cocking her head to the side, the Re-Class blinked, "Um... why are you wearing that?"

With a chuckle, James looked himself over and grinned as he was dressed in what looked like clothing from the 1940s right out of a pulp magazine for a detective, "Because it fits, m'dear." Pulling out a cigarette, he lit it with a match and took a deep breath even as he waved the match around to put it out, "Because it fits..."

He then blew out a cloud of smoke with a smirk. What he did not expect though was for Regina to walk over and pluck the cigarette from his mouth and stomp on it. Grinding it under her hoof, she frowned, "Smoking is bad for you."

Rolling his eyes, James sighed some, "What are you? My mother?" At her frown, he gave a small shrug, "I'm dead, it is not like smoking will kill me." Suddenly, the wizard had another lit cigarette in his fingers and took a drag, "Besides which, it's fitting for the place we're at."

Once more, Regina plucked the cigarette and crushed it, "Stop that." She then narrowed her eyes at him, "You're not going to do anything perverted are you?"

Slowly, the wizard gave her a raised eyebrow, "Why...?" Internally, he groaned, 'Goddammit... Lily was right...'

Watching as he pulled out a flask and took a drink, Regina frowned, "Perverts are bad and um, I've been told that I should stop them. Like... throw them out a window."

For a few moments, James stared at her, "Who... told you that?"

Confused, the Abyssal blink, "Neptune."

Pinching his nose, James took a deep breath, "Right, because of course she would." Shaking his head, he looked towards the lost looking Re-Class, "Anyways, ask Wanko what you should do about perverts... and tell her what Neptune told you to do." As Regina nodded, he continued, "Right, well, I'm not really a pervert. All I'll say is that you likely already have such thoughts, despite being an adorable cinnamon roll."

Eyebrows furrowed, Regina frowned, "I don't know why people keep calling Shinano and I that... we're not cinnamon rolls."

Amused, he only shook his head, "Trust me, you certainly are... outside of battle." If anything, the fact that Regina was all the more confused made James more amused. But, he simply gestured, "I am assuming that you know what is going on, so... right over there."

Regina blinked some and turned to find her hull in a dry dock. Even as she watched, Imps were going over her form and working. Sparks cascaded downwards like a waterfall of fire, briefly lighting up the night. Scanning her hull, she looked around until she found what she was looking for. Working alongside some Imps, there was Harry, or rather, the representation of the wizard in question. He stood out among the Imps working as he helped.

Something that made her bring up her hands and hold them to her chest as she sighed.

Moments later, she felt a hand pat her shoulder and turned to find James there with a proud look on his face as he smiled up at her, "Harry really does care for you, Regina. And the others, of course, but... he still is damaged."

In reply, Regina slowly nodded at that, "We... um, we know that. But we'll help him."

Patting her shoulder, the wizard grinned some, "I know that you will, Regina." With a small nod of his head towards her chest, he smirked knowingly, "And so does Harry..."

Just blinking, looked at where he gestured to find that she was wearing a necklace. And resting upon the swell of her chest was a crystal pendant. Inside it was a bright, golden star. Even as she observed it, Regina could feel warmth eminating from it, which told her exactly what that star was...

The representation of her connection with Harry, her Flagship, her Admiral... and the boy she loved.

Gently, Regina reached up and grasped it with a soft smile on her face, "Harry..."

A slight smirk on his face, James nodded, "Got it in one, granted... I will admit that what is happening is impressive." Seeing the confused look on Regina's face, he chuckled, "You know what happens when Harry donates metal, correct?"

Slowly, Regina nodded, "Um, strange things happen? But always to the benefit of whom it is donated for?" At his bemused look, she blushed, "Shinano and I talked about it..."

With a soft snort, the wizard shook his head, "To an extent, yes. Though there is more to it than that. However, more importantly, it is a bit different with you being an Abyssal, but not in a bad way for you." His smirk grew with his next words, "What Harry gave you... and the magic he added? It will bring you to the brink of something rather... grand. But not quite there, not yet, but within reach."

Despite her confusion, James did not say anything else. Instead, he changed the talk to other matters entirely. But soon enough, the work was done and Regina could see the Imps working on her hull disappear one by one, until only Harry's form remained. Said form looked at her and smiled before dissapating into sparkles that flowed into the hull itself with them flowing along her hull, dents, welds, and the like smoothing out and merging until one could not tell where a weld began and the original armour plate ended. And Regina could swear, even as she began to wake up with each boiler coming online and she said goodbye to James, that she felt something crack and nearly give with it needing only a small push to break...

 

[darthcourt10]

M1Garand8

Harry Leferts said:
*Dat Kabedon and rebuild*​

Can't wait to see what happens when she wakes up.

Roelof_V said:
Somehow I think that she needs a battle to break through a shell to 'evolve'
maybe a new princess?
KBTKaiser said:
Not just any princess, probably ascension rights to take the place of an empty Elder Princess Throne...​

Possibly, but not that soon for an Elder Princess, I'd guess.

jmcdavid said:
You know, I have the mental image of Cyrus Greengrass thinking he has a ship that can beat Yuudachi players in WoWS. Then, when he goes after one, suddenly Nightmare Party starts playing over the speakers...yeah, the shipgirl Yuudachi is playing as WoWS Yuudachi, and she wrecks him, poi~.​

And then he switches over to War Thunder, hoping to get away from Poi:
*Omake*
F***ING POI


Cyrus Greengrass sighed as the loading screen blacked out, transitioning to a view flying over a wooded landscape, cumulating on a slick, dark gray hull of a destroyer.
Spoiler: "Destroyer"

Cyrus sighed, this time in happiness as he took in the sight of his Allen M. Sumner. She was such a sight to behold: the sharp raked bow, the solid Measure 21 camouflage, the details on the six 5"/38 Cal dual purpose guns in three twin turrets and myriad 40mm bofors and 20mm oerlikons…

For all the bad things other World of Warships players have said about War Thunder, Gaijin and their moneygrubbing policies, the developer did know how to make the ships look nice. For the next few minutes, Cyrus felt his spirit buoy, wiping out the memories of the disgusting defeat at the torpedoes of that damnable—

Cyrus took a deep breath, taking in again the Sumner's angelic visage and let the anger flow away. Really, Wargaming did not do justice to her sister-daughter, the Gearing. He breathed out, a happy smile on his face. Besides, that Demon Ship did not exist in here. He would be safe.

Without the moody thoughts to mar his happiness, Cyrus cued up an Arcade Battle. And then pulled out a book for some light reading while the matchmaking system did its job.
***

Cyrus smiled in satisfaction as the burning remains of the torpedo boat heeled around and sank into the water. Better yet was that the Capture Point turning blue just as the last bit of the hulk disappeared under the water. His PT-810 straightened out from the lazy circle it was tracing, pointing towards the final remaining uncaptured zone. Situated in a wide open area flanked by just a few tiny rocky islands, it was meant for destroyers, but with some clever maneuvering and smokescreen, he should be able to get it before the destroyers got into decent shelling range.

Before he got very far, however, he frowned as a red marked Pr. 206 popped out from behind an island. A few seconds later, he scowled as he stared at the spawn screen with his PT-810 burning merrily in the background.

"Damn those bullshit gatling guns…"

No matter. Cyrus selected his Sumner and set the spawn closest to the small boats. He had to protect the points he just captured, of course. Punishing those bullshit post-war East German Soviet torpedo boats was secondary.

"I'll show them not to mess with my Angel…"

… Maybe.

Bullshit gatling guns or not, they would evaporate under the high-explosives of six rapid fire five-inch guns. With an almost manic glee, he watched as his fully modded Angel heeled smoothly towards the boat spawns.

And then a geyser of water erupted on her port bow. Before he knew what happened, flames blew out of the forward magazine, popping the two turrets into the air like toys, followed by the rear magazine, likewise popping the aft turret out of the hull. The entire ship was already afire as the bow—with that part of its keel gone—snapped off, phasing through the rest of the burning hulk like a ghost.

Numbly, his eyes flicked down to the bottom right of his screen.

NightmarePartyPoi (Yuudachi)

Sunk
DaGreenestGrass (Sumner)

No… When he returned his attention to his ship, the slick dark gray hull of his Sumner had already slipped beneath the waves.

His beautiful Angel.

Gone.

He had not even gotten half a kilometer out of the spawn. How could this even happen?!

Chat:
NightmarePartyPoi: Poi~​

"F***ING POI!"

---

A/N: Guess nobody told him about Operation H.E.A.T. Oops.

(Operation H.E.A.T. was a War Thunder summer event whereby completing at least 3 certain daily tasks for 12 days [or pay Golden Eagles] will net you Yuudachi and the River-class frigate, amongst other things.)

(Also, 20 km range torps with map spawns 15 km apart, seriously Gaijin?!)

(And yes, this is actually rather common in the older maps and gamemodes once the Agano and the Type 93 torps were introduced in War Thunder, due to its crazy range.)

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Slowly, but surely, Wanko worked at the unconcious Re-Class before her as she first prepared her for her rebuild and then began to perform said construction. As she did so, she made various improvements to Regina's hull and machinery. Some of the improvements were ones that she had come up with on her own based on experience. Others had come from information that she had gotten from Hoppou over the years, though not necessarily for the Re-Class specifically, though sometimes the smaller Abyssal Princess had thought up ideas specifically for Re-Class, but had never put into action until she had worked first on Regalia and then on Renita. And Supprin too, helped them when it came to designs.

However, some of the improvements came from other sources.

Over the years, Wanko's Fleet had fought with other Abyssal fleets. Every time, the giant Princess had taken some effort to examine some of the dead and sunken Abyssals. In particular, ones that were slightly better at something than the average. Part of it was to glean intelligence from what her forces had recovered, other times it was to see if there was anything different that worked. Sometimes, she came across things that had worked out very well. Not just for Re-Class, but for other Abyssals, which she then shared with Hoppou, the two working on what was found out to improve their own forces. When she had examined Wandering's daughter, Retribution, it had given her quite a large amount of information regarding Re-Class evolution.

Granted, both her and Hoppou as well as Supprin had shared such information with the humans in regards to what they knew, which neither had minded. In return, the humans had given her information regarding autopsies and such that they had conducted on Abyssals around the world. Not just the Pacific and parts of the Indian Oceans where she operated, but the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, Antarctic, Arctic, and even a few from Abyssals that had dug into the Amazon. All points of research and date that increased the amount of information that her, Supprin, and Hoppou had to play with, which was reflected in their evolving designs.

And other bits of information only came to light in regards to when she had scavenged information from the humans. Books on naval construction for example were something that she treasured. As well, after becoming allied with humanity, she had gotten internet access. Oh, Wanko knew that the humans were likely looking in on what she looked up, she was not a fool. Especially as she would have done much the same thing in their position.

But within the massive storehouse of information that was the Internet, she found plenty. Various sites that spoke of WWII warships and some of the improvements made to them. Pictures and designs which she rapidly took down or printed before working on them. PDFs and reports that spoke of naval design.

It was a goldmine of information, even a photograph of a shell or a cutaway gave her a lot of information.

Which all helped her now that the time came to rebuild Regina into a full fledge Flagship Re-Class, one of the most powerful types of Abyssal for all their rarity. Removing her main 16" turret, Wanko replaced it with a newer model that she had come up with. Inside which were shell hoists designed for better handling with the turret itself being made much tougher and safer. As well, she added new shells, super heavy ones, that she had designed after seeing pictures of such used on the Iowa class. Also new powder bags that would decrease the wear and tear on the barrels themselves. Granted, she was also working on newer shells, ones that would have other effects including submunitions and sabots as well as ones with timed fuses.

That last one was important as Wanko had managed to come across information regarding the old timed fuse rounds as well as having gathered duds fired by shipgirls. All of which were going into be used for Regina's newer 5" mounts down to her 40mm guns. Though Wanko was looking forward to the 3" that her and Hoppou as well as Hoppou's evolved daughters had been working on which both of them believed would be finished within a year or two, increasing the AA of their daughters respectively. Still, the improvements that she already had would boost Regina much further where it came to fighting Abyssal aircraft.

Better radar, which Supprin had invented, replaced Regina's old radar alongside better fire control, sonar, and rangefinders that the same Princess had invented. Even Hoppou had been impressed by what the Supply Depot Princess had created. Though Supprin claimed that she had done so because it gave her better warning of when other Abyssals were going to come for her to get supplies. It was still a good improvement over what nearly every other Abyssal Fleet had. Especially after Supprin had worked in the data that Wanko had gathered over the years regarding other Abyssals.

Regina's torpedo systems were also vastly improved after years of observation of other Abyssal fleets, information she had gathered from watching shipgirls and gathering any materials left behind, and from the human Internet. Her torpedoes would now have longer range, hit harder, and now with acoustic homing. In a future, more than one shipgirl or member of the various navies would describe it as "The bastard child of a Type 97 Oxygen Torpedo and a Mark 24 FIDO Mine."

Said torpedo also having a version that could be launched from Regina's torpedo bombers would earn the nickname of "Submarine's Bane".

As well, speaking of her planes, there were improvements there. Wanko had often recovered Abyssal aircraft, just so that she could look at them and see where her own could be improved. Recently, she had gotten looks at Abyssal jets that were recovered, which gave her much information alongside Hoppou. Both of whom got to work and handed over all information that they gleaned from the wrecks to the humans, while also using it for themselves. Which meant that Regina would be the first among her fleet to fly jet aircraft. The torpedo bombers though were still prop driven, but had been changed as she had been inspired by human designs.

Working further and further, Wanko continued her improvements. New, more efficient boiler systems designed by Hoppou replaced Regina's older ones, granting even more horsepower to the Re-Class. From what she had been told, Hoppou had been inspired by not just the information that Wanko had given her, but information about boilers from such as the Iowa and Montana classes. It would allow for Regina to get a massive boost from emergency power when needed, and be able to go at such for a much longer time than other Re-Class had.

Along with her new, redesigned shafts and props as well as rudders, Wanko was certain that the Abyssal in question would be very, very happy as well as being much more deadly and dangerous to foes. They would also give her a slight boost in speed as needed, something that the Princess saw as extremely important. Not just for the fact that it made maneuvers easier, but also that it made it easier for her to quickly reinforce anywhere that she was needed. Though Wanko had heard Harry muttering once to himself that maybe portkeys could be used...

Yet, besides her own work, Wanko could tell that there was also something else at work. As she performed the rebuild, part of her mind noted that some other things were changing beyond her own plans. For example, the steel that made up Regina's structure began to change, to transmute to what seemed to be an Abyssal version of STS steel. Her armour, too, improved to what was likely an Abyssal equivalent to the best human Battleship armor, which was British CA. Her fuel tanks also expanded on the inside, doubling her range. All of which confused her...

That was, until part of her mind recognized the energy, magic, as being Harry's.

Needless to say, that surprised her. Slowly, she tracked the energy slowly helping making Regina stronger, with a small stream coming from Harry's hand, into Regina's hand and trickling throughout her hull. The metal that he had made, and which she had added to the new components, was providing the link in a way allowing for his own magic to seep throughout her hull. Few other beings, such as Hoppou, would have been able to sense it let alone track it. But she could, and rather than make her frown...

Instead, she smiled due to what it meant for their connection.

Rather than fight the changes happening, Wanko helped them along, guiding the energy. Wear and tear slowly disappeared, fading away as if they had never happened, all the while those parts grew stronger. One of Regina's ribs, which had been busted by a salvo from a Battleship Princess, before Wanko's senses, worked itself back into it's original form, the welds she had used merging with the original metal as both transmuted. And that was not the only part where that had happened.
While she worked as the work was almost complete, part of Wanko was paying attention to something else other than Regina and what was happening. And that something was the rest of her fleet who were hanging around outside the door to the room where she was working on Regina. Out of both the corner of her eye, as well as a few Imps, Wanko could see them peeking into the room every so often. As well, she could hear them mutter to one another as they watched and listened.

"It's been nearly ten hours, hasn't it? Since they started, I mean?"

"Yeah, thereabout."

"And that human, Lady Wanko's Little Brother-"

"Harry, his name is Harry. I think Potter is his last name... yeah, Harry Potter."

"Right, Harry. He's been there the whole time, right? With Regina?"

"More than just in there... he hasn't even let go of her hand since Lady Wanko has started. Not once."

"Whoa..."

"Crikey! Not even for a drink, to eat, or to go to the washroom?"

"No, not even for that unless the rest of you noticing something?"

Various mutters of no could just be heard by Wanko, which made her lips twitch before she glanced at Harry. It had to have been uncomfortable for him to say the least. At most, he took in some sips of water to hydrate himself with the odd candy as he laid back and held Regina's hand. And just as he promised, and the others had observed, he had not let go of it through the entire process.

It made the massive Abyssal smile.

"Wait, wait, wait... so he's been there for ten hours, holding her hand? Because she asked him to? Without complaint or moving from that spot and letting go?"

"I know, right? He even provided materials for Lady Wanko to use!"

"No wonder Lady Wanko gave him the rank of Demon... that... that is incredible."

"Yeah, the Sheila got a good bloke there."

Lips twitching, Wanko held back a small, gleeful smile as another part of her plan came into being. She recognized the voices and knew that by no later than an hour after the operation would be complete, both hers and Supprin's fleets would know as a whole about what happened. Likely with the story growing in the telling, but with the end result that she wanted... that they would fully accept Harry into their fleet. And, when the time came, there would be no grumbles when he became Regina's Admiral.

Or, rather, that Regina would get grumbles about how she was lucky that she had him for an Admiral.

Still, it fit well with her plans for the future that she had discussed with Goto and the others. After all, she had needed to prove that humans would stand beside them, and for that she needed examples such as the young man laying beside the Re-Class. Finally, the last bit of reconstruction was done and Wanko cleaned everything up and prepared to relight Regina's boilers. As she did so, there was a small pulse of energy that swept through Regina's hull. All the welds, repairs, and such fused into the rest of her structure as if they had always been part of them. Her armor became almost new starting from her bow and moving back to her stern. Repair patches from years of service merged seamlessly with the rest of her hull.

Yes, there was some signs that showed that she had fought and fought well over the years, the magic did not take those away. But they were all cosmetic at best, nothing more. However... more to Wanko's shock, something else happened.

A barrier that she well knew about just cracked.

That Barrier was one that separated normal Abyssals from higher ones such as Demons and Princesses. And that pulse just cracked it, almost shattered it. Like safety glass that was shattered, it did not fall away. But from what she could see, it only needed a push in time and Regina would reach a whole new level of power. More to her shock, Regina's Demon accepted the magic, which wrapped around it like a warm blanket. It was still there, deep within her, but it was... calmed, for lack of a better word. No more would it likely fight against her.

Unseen by Wanko, a grin crossed her face at that and deep within her, she chuckled madly at what just happened once she got over her shock even as Regina's eyes began to flutter open...

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

As she slowly came awake with her boilers now once more online, the first thing that Regina noticed, even before she fully became conscious, was a warmth in one hand. Gently, she gave a squeeze and recieved one back as well as indistinct mumbles that came as if from a distance. But slowly, yet surely, the Re-Class woke up fully and soon opened her eyes. For a few moments, her vision was blurry and out of focus. However, her it was not very long before her vision cleared and sharpened as her chest rose and fell with each breath.

Blinking, she continued to stare up at the ceiling above as several seconds passed before a familiar face entered her field of vision. Said face having green eyes, messy black hair, and a happy smile. Needless to say, Regina felt a smile of her own appear on her face, "Harry?"

Smile growing a touch, Harry chuckled and nodded, "That's right, Regina. Awake now?"

With a hum as she shifted her body some, getting used to it once more, Regina nodded before speaking in her soft voice, "I am." Rolling her shoulders and stretching her legs, she sat up before noticing that Harry was holding her hand, which made her blush hotly, "Did you...?"

The sound of chuckles made her look over at Wanko who accepted her fairies from Regina now that their work was complete. Lips curling into a smile, the massive Abyssal nodded, "He held your... hand the entire... time that... you were being... rebuilt."

Just blinking, the Re-Class checked her internal clocks quickly and her blush deepened as it spread down her neck and further down, 'H-he...' Swallowing, Regina glanced at Harry shyly, "B-but it has been nearly twelve hours..."

Eyebrow raised, Harry gave her a look, "So? What does that matter, Regina?" He gave her hand another squeeze, which she returned as she stared at him with wide eyes, "You asked for me to hold your hand, so I did. That is all that there is to it."

Cheeks flushed, Regina was almost unable to meet his eyes and swallowed a little bit nervously, "B-but what about drinking? And eating? Y-you didn't take a break during the whole time for that? Not even for, um... you know...?"

Softly snorting, the thirteen year old shook his head, "No, not even for that." He then scratched his cheek and chuckled a little as he looked away, "I just had small sips of water to keep hydrated and some hard candy. As for the rest..." Lightly blushing himself, Harry shifted a little, "I... can wait for that."

A tap on his shoulder though made him look to Wanko who pointed at the door, "It will take... Regina a few minutes... to reorientate... herself with her... body as it is now. So go and... perform your business... now." Glancing at where Regina was blushing, she gave a small nod, "I do not think... that Regina would... mind too... much if you... did so."

When he looked at her, Regina gave a small nod, "Um, she's right, Harry. Go..." Placing her other hand on top of his, she smiled, "Please."

Looking between them, he frowned slightly. But, finally, Harry gave a nod and let go of her hand, "Okay, Regina, I'll be right back."

Rather amused, Wanko chuckled to his confusion and gestured at the door, "One of the others... can take you... to the facilities."

Various yelps and such could be heard behind the door as Harry blinked. But then, he shrugged it off and got to his feet before quickly walking over to the entrance, "It won't be long, Regina." Opening the door, he stepped out and blinked as he found a large number of different Abyssals there watching him, "Um..."

It was then that a familiar voice spoke up and he found Ruby holding out a giant, clawed hand, "I'll take you to where you need to go, Harry."

All he did was nod and take her hand as she guided him to where he needed to go.

Meanwhile, inside the dock, Wanko gave a heavily blushing Regina a knowing smile as the Re-Class had her hands over her face to hide how red she was as steam came from her ears. Eventually, she was calm enough that she slowly worked out the various kinks and such as her crew got used to the various new parts of her body. Most of it was relatively simple and thus she barely had to move. Such as, for example, Wanko holding a claw up to her face and moving it while having Regina keep her eyes on it. Various stretches and such that could be done while sitting down were also performed to limber her up some.

Not long after though, Harry returned with a smile after thanking Ruby and walked over only to pause with a slight blush as Regina stretched her arms behind her head. Something that caused his attention to drift to some other things before he went and punched his hormones in the head, yet again, 'I bloody hate puberty...'

When he reached her, however, the Re-Class looked up and smiled, "Hello, Harry."

Feeling himself smile, Harry gave a chuckle and nodded, "Regina." Holding out his hand, he braced himself, "Need some help getting up?"

Even though she didn't actually need help, after all she could push off the floor of the hollow that she was in with her tail, Regina still took his hand in hers and allowed him to help her to her hooves. Granted, she still helped with the strength in her legs and such, but there was something that felt... right about letting him do so. As she stood up, part of her was happy to note that he had not let go of her hand as she straightened, "Thank you, Harry."

In return, he simply nodded and moved back some as she stepped out of the hollow and to her feet.

Rolling her shoulders some, and doing a few other stretches, Regina gave a nod as all the checks came back with an all clear. Softly smiling at him, she soon turned and looked around before turning towards the mirror that was on one side of the room. It was a wall mirror that was one of the first things that Wanko had bought when peace was made with the humans and had mounted on the wall as well as lights above to illuminate before it. Not letting go of Harry's hand, she walked over and came to a stop in front of it.

The first thing that Regina noticed, out of everything, was that her eyes were now a brilliant, molten gold color that glowed. When she pushed with her internal power, shifting to more ship than being, the foot thick armor type steel groaning under her hooves from her shifting mass, she noted that there was a faint gold color that washed across her skin like an aura. As an Elite, her eye and aura color was a rich crimson, which denoted what level of Abyssal she was. The gold color she could now see marked her as not being Elite, but a Flagship.

Letting go of Harry's hand, she reached up and took off her poncho so that she could better see herself. Seeing that, the teenage boy blushed as she only had on her usual Re-Class bikini. Once more, he punched various thoughts in his head while grumbling.

Not having known this though, Regina stood there and looked herself over for a few moments before reaching up towards her hair. It was always short and somewhat messy after all, though now instead of reaching just to her ears, instead the ends rustled against her shoulders. Not that she minded too much as even she would admit it looked rather nice and she could not wait to put the hairclip that Harry had given her back in the pride of place it always had when she was not on duty.

After all, she was not about to risk losing it in a battle!

Slowly though, Regina took in the various changes that she had undergone. Inside her chest, she could feel her new boilers chugging along. Each being more powerful than the ones she had before, giving more power to her screws and props. Holding out a hand, she clenched it into a fist hearing steel groan as tendons appeared under her skin. Continuing her observation, her eyes trailed along the rest of her arm and her body as a whole. As a Battlecarrier, her body was always well toned. Not bulging muscles, but a predatory litheness that was there. That tone was still there, but... it was slightly more apparent. Shifting, Regina could see the muscles move under her skin, the power apparent even from that.

Eyes continuing to examine herself in the mirror, she came to her legs, which was a part of herself that she had always been rather proud of. They were slightly longer, though not much. But she noted that like the rest of her body they had become yet more toned and it was more apparent there. The legs of a runner or swimmer was what one would describe them as being. Lifting up one leg, she stretched it out, observing it as the muscles moved and stretched. Part of her noted that the hooves at the ends shone, freshly polished.

Her attention and then shifted to her tail which came around. Seeing it, her eyes widened slightly as she took note that there was a different turret as it popped out. One that had a small bit of difference, but looked more powerful and menacing just the same. She could also see that the armor on it was different, much stronger and tougher than before. The same with her armored flight deck, and a new, better catapult for her fighters. Her tail was also a little bit longer as well, and more thickly muscled than before.

Which was something that she would likely make use of when killing other Abyssals, as she had more than once constricted her tail around even Battleships until their bones cracked and broke, snapping keels.

From beside her, Harry shook his head some, "Whoa..." Seeing her look at him, he grinned up at her, "Regina, you look even more awesome than before."

Despite her blush at the compliment, Regina brightly smiled at him, "Thank you, Harry." Taking back her poncho, she put it back on before gently taking his hand into hers before nodding, "Um, it is time for me to launch for the first time since my rebuild."

Understanding, the teenage wizard nodded with a smile on his face, "I'll be right there." As they walked out though, Harry noted two Abyssals waiting for them. One, he recognized as being a Destroyer Water Demon and the other was, much to his surprise, a Destroyer Princess. Bowing slightly, he smiled at them and was surprised when they did much the same back, "Hello."

With a glance to each other, they nodded back at him, "Hello, Harry."

It took a few moments, but Harry recognized them, "Wait, I remember you! Um, kind of... I mean, you looked different back then. You're Clover..." He pointed at the Destroyer Princess who nodded. For some odd reason, she reminded him of someone, though he could not tell who. But she wore a black sailor shirt that came down part way down her torso and exposed her stomach in much the same way as a Ta-Class' did. And below that was a black, school style skirt that went down to mid-thigh. The rest of her legs eventually ended in black, metal boots. Ignoring that she looked different than most Destroyer Princess' pictures in that she actually had legs, he turned to the Destroyer Water Demon, "And you're Rainy Spring!"

Brightly smiling, the Destroyer Water Demon nodded, "That's right, Harry. As you guessed, I am Rainy Spring and next to me is my sister, Clover."

Clover then took over, "Lady Wanko just finished our own upgrades a few days ago. So when you take Big Sis Regina to that Hogsmeade place, we can come and guard her... though, um..." She gained a small frown, " I'm not sure how that will turn out... I've never been in a human town before..."

Reaching over, Harry placed his hand on her shoulder, "I think that it will turn out great, Clover. Hogsmeade is great and everyone is friendly there."

Still unsure, the Destroyer Princess gave a small nod before they started to walk. Meanwhile, Regina giggled a bit and gave a smile of her own, "I'm happy to have you along, Clover, Rainy Spring. After all, both of you have been my escorts before and I know that you'll protect us."

That turned out to be the right thing to say as both Destroyers puffed out their chests and nodded as they spoke as one, "We will!"

As Harry nodded and agreed, the two Abyssals smiles grew as they could tell he was being truthful, much like Regina was. Yes, they knew that Shinano would have her own escorts, but they were finally able to escort their big sister everywhere, which made them extremely happy. And after meeting Harry for the first time and talking with him, after getting to know him through the stories that Regina had told them? They already approved of him even before Regina's rebuild.

In fact, they were the only ones among the rest of the fleet who were not surprised in the slightest besides Ruby that he stayed at her side the entire time.

Watching Harry and Regina interact, the two giggled softly at her reactions. But they were extremely happy that she was so happy with being around him. And unknown to Regina, they did imagine being "Big Sisters" themselves if she ever had children... though they were not quite sure how that worked with humans. Revina told them it could happen, and some of the others did as well. So the idea of escorting along little ones as Big Sisters appealed to them, and the fact that Harry was strong in his own right made them even happier.

Eventually though, they walked outside with the fleet following the group. Part of Harry was glad that the Sun had set over an hour before hand. There was still heat in the air, but not much of one and it had cooled off quite a bit. Above, the nearly Half-Moon hung, shining down and illuminating them. Reaching the shore, Harry stood there breathing in the warm, salt laden air before watching as both Rainy Spring and Clover walked out onto the water, their rigging manifesting as they did so. For Rainy Spring, that meant from her back two giant arms appeared with massive hands attached.

Meanwhile, for Clover, her legs seemed to sink down into her rigging that appeared until it reached her hips. Wiggling a bit, she gave a nod and a thumbs up, "Ready!"

Slowly, Harry blinked at that, 'Huh... so that is how it works.' Shaking it off though, he turned to Regina and smiled, "Thank you for this, Regina."

However, the Re-Class shook her head, "No, Harry... thank you. For being here and all you've done."

For a brief moment, an unsure expression crossed her face. But before Harry could ask, she leaned down and gave him a kiss which made his eyes widen. Revina wolf-whistled before Wanko brought her hand down on Regina's sister's head in a chop, "Stop that."

Grinning even as she rubbed her head, Revina nodded, "Sure thing, Boss Lady."

With giggles, she dodged another chop. Meanwhile, Regina pulled back from Harry with a heavy blush on her face, though she noted he was blushing just as much. With a nod, she took a step back and let go of his hand as the waves washed against her hooves. Then, she turned and stepped out onto the water, "Re-Class, Regina... launching!"

Briefly, everyone there could feel her power flash as she strode across the water for the first time since her rebuild. However, everyone watched and waited as, illuminated by the Moon and stars, Regina powered over the waves in the lagoon for the next half hour, stretching out her muscles some. Most of her tests though would need to wait for the open sea and take a few days.

This was enough for now.

After a half hour, she turned back to shore and came to a stop in front of Harry. Smiling, she brought her hand up and gave Harry a salute. One that he returned as the two smiled at each other, their eyes meeting as various Abyssals now began to cheer and clap...

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A Tale of Three Tails (II)

Tokyo, Japan

18 April 2014

Norimune's thumb rubbed across the Spanish 'piece of eight' silver dollar. She chuckled hollowly as she touched the twin hemispheres between the stylized Pillars of Hercules. "The Spanish always were arrogant little fuckers," she murmured to herself as she pocketed the coin that had come in the owl mail and headed inside Chisuheri's apartment from the mailboxes.

"Norimune, Norimune!" She grimaced as she saw Kyoshu waving and calling at her at her from the living room.

"Here's your comic book, Goldfish." With that she handed over the manga volume of Mizuchi Merodī Pichi Pichi Pitchi, mentally wincing at the bright primary colors of the young child-themed shoujou manga about a Mizuchi princess looking for a boyfriend.

"Na-chan! Na-chan! I found a Mizuchi!" Kyoshu promptly plopped down on the sofa beside the Masamune who was working on her drawing with a 'how to draw manga' book in front of her from Akutoku's library. Norimune shook her head at their antics, then perked up as Chisuheri entered.

"Yo, Chi-chan," Norimune greeted her sister. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to hang out with my daughter Jacklyn for a week or two. Go on a beer run, work on my tan. You know, that kind of shit." Her voice was very aggressively casual.

Inside her something twisted as Chisuheri stepped close and looked into her eyes intently. For long moments, the only sounds were those of a pencil on paper and faint happy Goldfish giggles. Finally Chisuheri smiled slightly. "Do what you need to, Nori-chan. I'll cover for you keeping an eye on Kyo-chan until you get back. Tell your daughter than I said hi. Ahh, and when you get into trouble, I won't bail you out."

Norimune headed to her room to pack with the sound of her damn goody-two-shoes sister's laughter in her ears.

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

Norimune shouldered the kyudo bow case containing her true form and then closed her battered hard-sided suitcase with stickers from several trips to Okinawa. Finally happy with the job on hand with her clothes, swimsuit, and maintenance kit packed away, she picked up the suitcase and then held the silver coin.

"Sinbad!"

SS Horizon Bringer

Off Morro Rock, California

18 April, 2014

With a bang of displaced air, Norimune suddenly appeared in a wooden-walled cabin. The rocking of the deck under her tennis shoes and the smell of salt air told her that she was on a ship under way. Her ears picked up and her tail fluffed out as an uncontrolled cocky grin spread across her faith.
Spoiler: Sailing to Panama

"Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain
For we've received orders for to sail for old England
And we may never see you fair ladies again!"

A soaring soprano voice sounded from the deck overhead in time with a soft guitar piece.

"We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors
We'll rant and we'll roar all on the salt seas
Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues!"

Norimune wedged her suitcase next to one of the ribs of the ship. She then cast a Sticking Spell to insure that it did not come loose if the ship heeled over. Satisfied with its security, she began to hum along at the next verse of the sea shanty from her Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century pirating days and looked for a ladder up to the deck.

"We hove our ship to, with the wind from sou'west, boys
We hove our ship to, deep soundings to take
'Tis forty-five fathoms with a white sandy bottom
So we squared our main yard and up Channel did steer!"

She smiled and nodded approvingly at the signs of a very well kept ship. The woodwork was well maintained, sturdy, and glimmering with layers of preservation and strengthening spells. The equipment was properly placed and secured for heavy weather.

Clearly Jacklyn was no fool, since the sea was always looking for an excuse to kill you.

Tears prickled her eyes as she reached the ladder and began to climb. She could remember doing an inspection like this aboard her beloved Impénitent and then Lex Talionis as she sailed in chase of those utter and complete Revolutionary French motherfuckers who had stolen Impénitent from her.

"Now let every man drink off his full bumper
And let every man drink off his full glass
We'll drink and be jolly and drown melancholy
And here's to the health of each true-hearted lass!"

She stepped onto the deck and her eyes bulged. The ship was empty save for two people on the quarterdeck.

Jacklyn was sitting in an oversized beanbag chair next to the wheel. One hand raised, and gestured, setting the mainsail as the ship tacked further away from the distant shore. Her other hand was gently playing with the ears and hair of an Inugami girl who was playing a twelve-string guitar as her daughter sang the sea chanty. An ice chest filled with bottles completed the picture.

Neither one was wearing a stitch of clothing and even from here she could see love bites on Jacklyn's neck.

Jacklyn broke off the song and waved lazily. "Hey Dad, good that you could make it! Weapons rack is along the port rail, so take a load off and grab some sun. Rum's in the ice chest. Oh yeah, meet my girlfriend Aomi Sato. Aomi meet my father Muramasa-no-Norimune."

Aomi waved shyly, which did interesting things to her chest. "Konnichi wa, Norimune-san."

Norimune automatically bowed to the naked women. "So, um... no tan lines then?" She cocked her ear as she placed her true body into the weapons rack.

Jackie grinned. "Nope. We will just cast an illusion of swimwear if the Coast Guard or navy buzz by us. Suntan lotion is in the bag next to the booze. She's got spells to make the nomaj ignore her anyway, after all."

Norimune nodded absently as she pulled out a beach towel from the bag and then a bottle. "Pusser's Rum?"

"Oh yes Dad. Nothing like it." Jacklyn agreed as the ship straightened out on the new tack just before the wind filled the sails.

Norimune got herself comfortable, and then squinted at the triangular pennant flag atop the mainmast. "What's that flag you have hoisted there, Jacklyn?" she frowned as she looked at the pattern of two red triangles at the base flanking an inverted white triangle with a red star and capped with a blue triangle with a white star.

Jackie squinted along the direction Norimune was pointing and her face lit up. "Oh, that's the flag of the San Francisco Yacht Club. Jez got me enrolled in it in 1869 as a charter member, right before I took Del around the world."

Norimune blinked and spoke slowly. "Wait, wait. You took Delilah around the world? She was fourteen years old!!"

Jacklyn grinned smugly and cheekily before taking a swig of rum. "Fifteen actually, Dad. I have known her all my life, and promised her that I would show her the world outside the upper crust artsy-fartsy inbred assholes of MACUSA. So she spent time on the Horizon Bringer here as I sailed her from port to port between her schooling at Ilvermorny and then Auror work. Took it nice and easy, let her experience the port city life. Made a proper woman out of her and taught her a few things that she never would have learned in books or at Ilvermorny."

Norimune nodded along slowly then turned from her middle daughter to look the aforementioned sailing yacht over with an eagle eye. "She's a beautiful boat, Jacklyn."

Jacklyn nodded happily. "Aye, my baby girl's a bonnie lass indeed. Sailed her around the Horn and the Cape single-handed, through squall and storm." With that she patted the steering wheel gently.

"I can see that." Norimune looked at the enchanted ropes and sails, and a shy, soft smile lit up her face as the slowly setting sun gilded the waves of the Pacific in sparkling golden light. "This reminds me of a day off the Lesser Antilles at the helm of Impénitent chasing a fat Spanish Galleon running toward Hispanola."

Jacklyn grinned, and nodded to Aomi, whispering in her ear. Then she gave a smug roguish smirk and spoke as she leaned back in her captain's chair. "Aye, I remember a sweet little brigantine off the Bahamas in 1846 tryin' to smuggle slaves. That was a fun chase from the Gold Coast to boardin' her off Rum Cay."

With that she grinned and began to thump time against the wheel as Aomi strummed the guitar.
Spoiler: A Butterknife Cruise

"O, I got a sister, she's nine feet tall
Weigh, me boys, to Cuba!
Sleeps in the kitchen with her feet in the hall
Running down to Cuba
Weigh, me boys, to Cuba!
Running down to Cuba!"

Norimune grinned happily and tossed her shirt aside before squeezing suntan lotion into her hand and joining the shanty.

"Give me a girl can dance Fandango
Weigh, me boys, to Cuba!
Round as a melon and sweet as a mango (Hey!)
Running down to Cuba
Weigh, me boys, to Cuba!
Running down to Cuba!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

High above the Belgian countryside, the Half Moon shone down. And, in particular home, a young woman with hair as dark as ebony and skin as light as the moonlight itself tossed and turned in her bed. Despite her best efforts though, sleep evaded her at all turns. And with good reason...

For in France, her sisters and mother, as well as she who could become a stepmother, were fighting for their lives... and hers.

And yet, here she was in her comfy bed safe and sound. The guilt and worry both ate at her making her unable to sleep. As well, whenever she dozed, nightmare images came to her mind from the depths of darkness, overwhelming her and forcing her awake. Seconds ticked into minutes and then into hours as the young woman laid thee staring at the canopy of her bed.

Tossing her sheets to the side, Claire groaned and got out of bed. She then made her way over to her true form and stood there for several minutes with her fingers on the lid of the piano. Her fingers just itched, to play and let her feelings that were bubbling within her chest out. It felt like she could explode and her eyes became blurry with tears yet again. But... she was unable to. After all, she was not the only one in the home. The youngsters were likely in bed as was the elder Jorogumo. Kasuyu, also, was likely asleep or at least resting. And she could not, would not, wake them.

However, there was one possibility...

Quickly, she made her way over to her wardrobe and threw on some clothes. A warm, woollen shawl over her the sweater she wore. Deer skin gloves, nearly skin tight but able to be flexible yet warm onto her slender hands. Warm clothing to ward off the early, really early, morning chill. With that done, Claire placed a hand onto her true self and there was the feeling of being squeezed before they were at her destination.

Cold, fresh air filled her lungs as she took a deep breath before letting it out in a cloud of fog. Above, the Moon shone down on the small, outside patio. Sitting down, Claire took another deep breath before letting it out. Then... she began to play.

Her sadness came out as did her worry for her loved ones. So too came the grief for she knew that her little sister, dear Ehren, would come back missing a part of herself. For her innocence would be the price that the Monster on the Meuse would take if nothing else. A fact that had caused more tears to fall from Claire's eyes. She knew that the sister who left would come back changed from the experience...

Which lead to two other feelings... anger and depression. Both were from the very same source. Due to being the spirit of a piano, there was nothing that Claire could do. She was not a fighter like her mother and sister, which lead to anger directed at herself for being useless... and those very same feelings of being useless were such that Claire felt depressed about. The Piano spirit wanted to do something, anything to take the burden from her mother and little sister. Yet...

Yet...

And yet there was nothing that she could do, and that hurt. But thinking about how useless she was also brought anger to the fore at herself for thinking such things. As if it was wrong to be doing so. Everything was all twisted and tangled within her hearts, and Claire was not quite sure what to do.

Thus, she turned to the one thing that she knew, which was music. And to her, that was the only thing that she could do. So under the light of the Half-Moon, Claire played. Her emotions came from her fingers and into her keys, with music drifting out and joining upon the night wind. As her fingers worked, Claire closed her eyes and her mind drifted.

So intent she was in playing her music, and pouring her heart into it, that she did not notice as everything around her became silent. The few birds chirping stopped. Neither did she hear the footsteps quietly making their way until they were mere feet away from her as she played. Of course, when she opened her eyes and they met two predatory amber ones, she blinked and her eyes widened.

In the morning, Kasuyu blinked as he went to wake up Claire for breakfast, only to blink in confusion as she was not there. Instead, her sheets were rumpled and her true self was gone. He went on to check in the various rooms where she commonly could be found playing, but yet again, there was no real sign of her. With a quick check with the Fuji sisters as well as Chihiro, he found out that they thought that Claire had gone outside earlier as Chihiro had heard piano music the night before from outside and fell asleep.

With a quick check of the veranda, Kasuyu made his way towards where he was certain that she was. For some odd reason, he could not hear any music and as he got closer, he felt an odd feeling. One that told him there was a predator around, a dangerous one. A feeling that was far worse than what he had felt once when him and a previous master had been stalked by a man eating Nundu... but there was something different, almost... motherly about the feeling.

Coming around some hedges carefully, he nearly breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Claire turn to him from where she was seated beside her true self and opened his mouth... only to promptly freeze at what he saw.

Mere feet away from where Claire sat was a what looked like a larger than normal woman crouched down and covered in furs. Briefly, the Axe Spirit was reminded of some tribeswomen that he had known in his existence. Said woman had lean, wry muscles that only one who had spent their lives in the wilderness could possible have. But what caught his gaze was her head, for it was not human in the slightest... it was a wolf's head on a human body. A wolf's head with two amber eyes that turned to him and gazed into his own as if judging his worth... before deciding he was not important and turning back to Claire who smiled back at him, "Good morning, Kasuyu."

Very slowly, Kasuyu gave a nod, "Good morning, Mistress Claire. And may I ask who your friend is...?"

Frowning, Claire blinked and looked at the wolf-woman with a thoughtful gaze, "I... don't know her name actually. Something makes me want to call her 'Wolf-Mother' for some reason." At his stare, she gave a small shrug and played a small song that conveyed her slight confusion and interest, "She showed up last night as I was playing and is just watching and listening. She seems to enjoy my music."

Throat dry, Kasuyu gave a slight nod, "I... see."

He had, of course heard the saying that 'Music soothed the savage beast', but he did not believe it to be literal! Now, the Axe had, over his long life, come across a god or two in his homeland. But each and every one of them was outright eclipsed by the being in front of him listening as Claire played. Judging by the chords as well as the situation, it had to be Werewolves of London of all things.

Eyebrow twitching a bit even as he felt a bit of sweat bead on his forehead as the wolf-woman seemed to enjoy the music. Taking a deep breath, Kasuyu gave a small nod, "Shall I bring some food for our guest?"

With a hum, Claire tilted her head to the side before giving a nod, "I think that would be very nice and that she would appreciate it." She glanced at the wolf-woman who blinked slowly before howling at part of the song. Neither of them knew that in the house, the Yokai jumped at the sound as it called to something primal deep inside of them. Brightly smiling, Claire gave a nod, "Yes, I think that she would like it. Mostly meat though."

Kasuyu's face might have been carved from stone for all the expression that it showed . With a slight bow, he placed Claire's breakfast on a table beside her as she began to play with one hand, "Very well, I shall do that."

Once he was far enough away, he shook his head in utter disbelief at what just happened.

Back with Claire, she just started to hum as she shifted the music to other songs, enjoying herself as her mind was taken off what had happened with her mother and sisters. Later in the afternoon though, she glanced at Wolf-Mother with a small sigh. Hearing an odd whine, and understanding it somehow, the Piano shook her head, "I am just worried about my Mother and my sisters, they..."

Throat constricted, the musician felt tears come to her eyes before feeling a finger come up and gently gather them. She did not know how or why, but... it all came spilling out. The whole time, the spirit beside her listened with a full ear, not making a sound. At the end though, she nuzzled Claire before throwing her head back with a full howl that seemed to vibrate through the very air itself.

Unknown to everyone, the various gods sat up and glanced to the side as Verdun's spirit shook slightly. It was not much, but it divided it's attention as it tried to pinpoint the source of what had just happened. If such a thing could feel fear, it did right then. However, that gave Colombe and the others a slight reprieve due to the division of attention.

Meanwhile, back with Claire, she relaxed a little as she felt like everything was... not going to turn out alright, no. But that her mother and sisters as well as the others would come back safe. Slightly bowing, she smiled at the odd being that had decided to come and listen to her music, "Thank you..."

A soft growl came from Wolf-Mother as she nuzzled Claire and went back to her previous spot to listen to more music.

Over the next few days, until she the very day that Colombe was supposed to arrive home, Claire could be found outside playing for the wolf-woman. On the second to last day though, the piano brought out her writing materials. After one song in the afternoon, she turned and gazed into the golden eyes of her audience and something... came over her. In those eyes, she could see events that happened thousands of years before with a female wolf who rescued a human child.

Primal music welled up in her soul and without bidding, she began to play. Fingers danced across the keys as new music came to the fore, her enchanted quill already writing the notes upon the paper. Manic energy welling, Claire nodded her head along to the music that came from her very hands. When she came back to herself, she found that night had fallen and there were pages of new music.

Gently, with shaking hands, Claire took the pages and looked them over. The music crossed over into various forms, but... there was something primal, natural, and yet comforting and familiar about them. Eyebrow raised, the piano smiled at the wolf woman who seemed to smile back and she tilted her head, "This is your song... isn't it?" Not getting an answer but for the stare, Claire gently laughed and bowed, "Thank you."

The primeval being placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a huff before licking her cheek. With that, she seemed to fade away into the pale moonlight and the night breezes, as if she had never been there. Softly smiling, Claire returned her true self to her room and laid down on her bed before falling asleep, the music sheets on her desk and ready for her to polish them so that they were properly there.

Music was an old art among humanity, going back tens of thousands of years before pianos were a faint twinkle in someone's mind who would create the first precursor. The first forms of music were basic rhythms and beats, as well as humanity's attempts to copy the sounds that nature created. Drums attempting to copy the rumble of thunder, whistles to replicate the songs of the birds, chanting, and even those who howled like the wolves to create a form of primal music.

And even as Claire rested, there was a small mark on her, one that was faint. It was not strong enough yet, not enough for Medea who would be by to see it. But it was there... and unlike those of her mother and others, it would not lead her to adventure. No, it placed a protection over her, but did not much more than tingle at the primal part of man who wished to create music and song. A part that Claire very much accepted as it was...

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

Been round the Horn, seen waves high as 3 houses stacked one atop the other, once seen 5 sailors washed overboard by one wave, You respect the Horn, a sunken ship grave yard. Many sailors never survived the Horn to tell of its untold dangers.
(Ishmail Paez, Bosun Mate 1934)

A Tale of Three Tails (III)

SS Horizon Bringer

Gulf of Panama

28 April 2014
Spoiler: A Sailor's Memories

"Wow..." Aomi Sato said as she watched a massive oil tanker pass them on their starboard side. She shifted instinctively as the boat rocked slightly with the arrival of the oceangoing behemoth's wake.

Norimune nodded absently, "You said it, Aomi. You said it." With that she looked at Jacklyn and frowned slightly.

She had read in the newspapers a century or so ago that the Americans had cut a canal through the Isthmus of Panama to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Those were words printed in the paper that she thought that she understood. After all, she had visited these very shores before, most recently in 1728.

But that had all changed since she had last been here

Before, the Impénitent was looking to capture a fat Spanish galleon or three trying to slip past the British blockade of Porto Bello. With exceptional luck, her prey might have even been part of the treasure fleet that took silver and emeralds dug from the mines of Peru and Columbia that had been carried by mule train to the Atlantic port for the final leg of their journey to the Spanish treasury.

Now, the waters were teeming with cargo shipping, and naval patrols. As Norimune watched, a coast guard speedboat escorted by a teenage destroyer shipgirl pulled alongside. "Heave to for inspection for Canal entry."

Jacklyn nodded, and pulled out her logbook and ships papers for the boarding party. "Pleasure cruise, Cap'n. My friends here have never seen the Canal, so I am taking them from California to the Caribbean and then back."

The officer nodded as he flipped through the paperwork. "Says here that the Horizon Bringer has been through the Canal before. So you know the drill."

Jacklyn grinned disarmingly. "Aye. We stay aboard ship at all times, have a licensed and bonded pilot hired to take us through, go when our slot comes up, and I have gone through my agent Luis Espinoza to handle the paperwork to make reservations, reserve a spot at the holding marina, and hire a licensed team of sailors to manage the lines." She then blinked at the member of the boarding party hauling aboard a dog. "What's with the pooch?"

"New regulations. Had a group of Abyssal Cultists try to blow the Gatun Locks two years ago with an explosive-packed freighter. So we are doing a sweep with explosive-detecting dogs for all civilian shipping," the officer answered as the search party headed below decks.

"Motherfuckers." Norimune muttered loudly.

Jackyn and Aomi both made sounds of agreement, along with several of the Coast Guardsmen. "You said it. Still it nearly shut down one transit lane. So we aren't taking any chances."

"A-fucking-men." Norimune agreed as the preparations for entering one of the Wonders of the Modern World continued.

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

Norimune looked at the departing speedboat with the Coat Guard. "Damn, all this is new to me. If I wanted to get to this side of Panama back when I was here before, I'd have to take a mule and walk across the mountains.

Jacklyn hummed thoughtfully as she steered the boat to the holding berth. "Normally, I'd take us down the coast of Chile to the Roaring Forties and really cut loose by rounding the Horn once we hit the Furious Fifties." Her face split in a broad grin at the memories of testing herself against the most storm-wracked and challenging of the Great Capes as Norimune nodded at memories of rounding the Cape of Good Hope in a Dutch East Indiaman beating along the Southern Route from Europe to Java.

Jacklyn then scowled. "But the Abyssals are thick in the South Pacific and South Atlantic so it is really risky now. Damn shame, especially since I promised Sis that I'd take her around the world as a family trip. One day."

Norimune's lips curled in a reminiscent grin. "No shit, Jacklyn. You haven't lived until you have tested yourself against the Great Capes. I only did Good Hope and that was one hell of a blow."
Spoiler: Cape Horn

Jackie nodded enthusiastically. "Truth, Dad. So much truth. Del was green and puking when she lost her virginity rounding the Horn in April of 1898. Had a storm blow up out of Antarctica giving us thirty foot waves, all green and white water and a howling gale as we sailed into the teeth of it." Jackie's eyes sparkled. "Let go the anchor!"

She then continued as the Horizon Bringer rocked to a stop. "Now that was a week of real sailing. We had to use every trick in the book to fight our way westward into the Pacific. Made me wish that my old sailing master was along for that blow. If I ever get to Fiddler's Green, I'm buying Sinbad enough beer to float that fluyt that he first taught me how to handle as a young sailor before the mast. The Leeuwerik was a cross-eyed little bitch and leaked with any kind of blow, but you never forget your first."

"No, no you don't," Norimune agreed, then paused and looked at Jacklyn. "Wait, bald as an egg on top, with a big-ass mustache? Brown skin?"

Jackie looked at her father. "Aye, that's him."

"No shit. He was my helmsman on the Impénitent in 1716. What he didn't know about sailing ships wasn't worth knowing. He could take a fat bottomed and fouled East Indiaman or a galleon and make it dance like a schooner. Always wondered what happened to him." Norimune scratched her head idly. "Maybe he was Sinbad the Sailor, wouldn't surprise me after all this time. Glad that you learned from him."

Jacklyn shrugged. "Even if he wasn't, he's one of the best sailors that I ever saw. Took me in and told me that I'd go far if I used me noggin. Can't say that he was wrong."

"True, true." Norimune fell silent and looked at the sea and the ships as she leaned on the rail. "Jacklyn?"

"Yes Dad?" Jacklyn's voice was curious as she hugged Aomi around the waist.

"Thanks for inviting me along for this. I... forgot how much I missed traveling and exploring." Norimune's voice was very quiet as she spoke without looking at Jacklyn. Faintly, the setting sun seemed to shimmer off tears on Norimune's cheeks as the wind from the sea ruffled their hair.

"My pleasure, Dad, my pleasure." Jacklyn's voice was equally hushed. "The Sea is a cold cruel bitch who will kill you if you turn your back on her for an instant, but she's also full of wonder and delight and joy. You never realize what you are truly made of until you stand before her; just you, your ship and the Sea in all her many moods. And life without that knowledge is not worth the living."

Aomi nodded silently in agreement and cuddled closer to Jacklyn.

"Mmm-hmm." Norimune agreed, still staring at the wind and wave. "See you tomorrow for the transit. Sleep well... daughter."
Spoiler: A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama!

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord Khuzdul

Yellowhammer said:
She then continued as the Horizon Bringer rocked to a stop. "Now that was a week of real sailing. We had to use every trick in the book to fight our way westward into the Pacific. Made me wish that my old sailing master was along for that blow. If I ever get to Fiddler's Green, I'm buying Sinbad enough beer to float that fluyt that he first taught me how to handle as a young sailor before the mast. The Leeuwerik was a cross-eyed little bitch and leaked with any kind of blow, but you never forget your first."

"No, no you don't," Norimune agreed, then paused and looked at Jacklyn. "Wait, bald as an egg on top, with a big-ass mustache? Brown skin?"

Jackie looked at her father. "Aye, that's him."

"No shit. He was my helmsman on the Impénitent in 1716. What he didn't know about sailing ships wasn't worth knowing. He could take a fat bottomed and fouled East Indiaman or a galleon and make it dance like a schooner. Always wondered what happened to him." Norimune scratched her head idly. "Maybe he was Sinbad the Sailor, wouldn't surprise me after all this time. Glad that you learned from him."

Jacklyn shrugged. "Even if he wasn't, he's one of the best sailors that I ever saw. Took me in and told me that I'd go far if I used me noggin. Can't say that he was wrong."​

*-*-*
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Med.

Sinbad wiggled his finger in his right ear. "Well, seems someone's praising me." He said to his passenger.

Schehrazade smiled. "Well, you have quite a list of those."

Sinbad's mustache twitched. "When you are this good... That reminds me, wonder what happened to little Jackie. That kid was like a sponge. Never had a better student, well, except that Cherokee kid in the US Navy in the 30s, even if I never had the chance to actually sail with him. Hmm... maybe I should find out what happened to Jackie. That girl had a destiny ahead of her."

"I can look her up, if you want?"

"You do that. I'd like to surprise her someday, maybe."

(You know the Japanese "sneezing, someone must be talking about me" thing? In Turkey we have a version of that. If your ear is ringing, someone is talking about you. If it is your right ear, you are being praised. If it is your left ear, you are being cursed.)

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

Lord Khuzdul said:
As I said, he spent most of his time on the civilian side aside from the occasional stint as a pirate or navy man. He was a sailor (not an officer) in a series of Ottoman ships during WW1, and spent early 1920s smuggling for the Turkish independence movement and dodging Greek and British ships. After the declaration of the Republic, he grew bored, so he skedaddled off to find himself a job in the merchant marine in the US. That's when he met Evans - Evans was a newly minted ensign, and Sinbad was the old merchant captain who took the kid from Oklahoma under his wing for a while, because he saw a spark in him. When the war broke out, Sinbad worked his way into the Naval Auxiliary and eventually to the captaincy of a series of Liberty ships (he did wreck a couple of them due to his luck. He still has a soft spot for Liberty ships, and bought off the last one he captained when she was sold after the war. He still has her stashed in a private, magically secured cove on the Aegean coast of Turkey, alongside a dozen or so other ships he sailed, including a galliot he captured off the Venetians during his Barbary Corsair phase, and a Spanish galleon. He takes her out occasionally, but disguises her appearence with some illusions, because Liberty ships are way too recognisable. It is a fond wish of his to finally have the SoS fall, so he can sail her proudly.) Since the war, he goes out mostly for pleasure rather than business - his investments paid off big as the oil industry in the Gulf increased, so he is not hurting for money. Nowadays, the main ship he is using is an Algerine-class minesweeper he got off the British in 1970 and refurbished, HMS Waterwitch. He also had an Onuk S37 yacht, but lost that one to the Abyssals when he got caught by the group that shelled Alexandria just south of Cyprus. He made it to Alexandria before them, but the yacht did not survive the shelling of the harbor. He is rather annoyed with that.​

Very nice, and this gave me an idea....

Meanwhile, in Beirut:

As Sinbad and Scheherazade sailed toward Turkey, the sun gilded the waters of the Middle Ocean as it gently washed the shores of Lebanon. A set of boats gently rocked in the Black Pearl Marina just south of the Old City on the seaside of a five star resort that included a walled housing compound for the owner of the properties.

Across the water came a set of seven shipgirls. Each had rigging with one smokestack, two small guns, and a multitude of cargo cranes and winches. In addition, they all shared the sameness despite their different races and names that marked them as the Liberty Ships that the Arsenal of Democracy had produced faster than the Axis could possibly sink them.

The leader of their small convoy rubbed her leg which had a bandanna embroidered with SS Albert Gallatin wrapped around it as a crude bandage from a torpedo hit in the Mediterranean. "Well, girls, this is the place," she spoke in the Boston Irish accent that matched her red hair and blue eyes.

A second redhead with the embroidered sailor cap reading SS Alice F. Palmer rubbed her bent nose, showing the impact of a reef off Mozambique hidden by an angry sea spirit and grinned. "Looking forward to it, Al." Like her compatriot, she showed the signs of her birth in Boston Yard.

SS Flora Macdonald spoke in her Mississippi drawl as her curled black hair bobbed around her shoulders. "Came a long way to here from where the Kraut bombers sank me on the Murmansk run. If I never see ice ever again, it will be too soon."

SS Frederick Douglass smiled, her white teeth showing in her coffee-colored face. "No storms either. That was what did me in, when those incompetent stevedores caused my ballast to shift as I took a load of oil from the Gulf to Egypt. Cap'n managed to hold it together long enough for me to beach myself and get his men off."

She turned to the next two in line behind her, who looked to be twins with milk-pale skin and blonde hair. "What got you, Jeremiahs?"

SS Jeremiah Van Rennslaer shook her head. "U boat in the Atlantic. Two torps on the port side. and I rolled turtle."

SS Jeremiah Wadsworth finished "I picked the Cap'n up out of the water. Then on the return trip back to Halifax U-boat got me in the bows and I foundered by the head."

The last one nodded, her copper colored skin and dark blue black hair speaking louder than words who she was named after. "Kamikaze in Leyte Gulf broke through the CAP and hit me in late '44." SS Sacajawea spoke tersely, ducking slightly at the sight of a passing plane.

With that they sailed into the Marina and stepped ashore. As they did, a matronly-looking Arab shipgirl, the spirit of a 13th century baggalah dhow, appeared at the door to the compound and bowed to them. "Come in! The Master is absent on business but I am certain that he shall be glad to see you once more! We have food and coffee and conversation with all your sisters! I am Saqr, and have served as his aide since I returned from where the Roc sank me on his Fifth Voyage."

Albert Gallatin blinked. "How many of us are there?"

Saqr smiled. "You make three hundred eighteen ship spirits who came back looking for Captain Sinbad after they were lost."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Brightly smiling, Shinano was all but skipping as she made her way down the corridors under Yokosuka. Around her, Hamakaze and the rest of her usual escorts walked along, easily keeping pace. Lightly chuckling, the white haired Destroyer gave her Flagship a soft smile, "It's good to see you so happy, Shinano-Sama. Though I suppose that we can blame what is about to happen on that now."

Lightly blushing, the Carrier softly smiled, "Hai, I am." Gently brushing her skirt, she gave a small hum, "After all, we're going to be spending the day in Hogsmeade with Harry-Chan as well as Regina-Chan. Which really makes me happy."

Reaching up, Yukikaze placed a hand on the Yamato's arm, "And it makes us happy to see it, Shinano-Sama. Harry-Chan is a good friend after all."

As Shinano nodded, Urakaze placed her hands behind her head and blinked, "I'm jus' happy to hear it. Though I will admit ta being a bit curious about Hogsmeade..."

Isokaze grinned at that before chuckling, "You'll like it, Urakaze-Chan. It is one of those small villages, you know? All sorts of small stores with all sorts of things." She held her hands out wide, "They got chocolate bars this big!"

Eyebrow raised, her older sister frowned and gave her a disbelieving glance. One that was ended as Shinano nodded seriously, "Hai, they have chocolate bars that big."

Swallowing, the blue haired Destroyer wiped a bit of drool away from her lips and looked away, "I see..."

Giggles came from Shinano at that before she turned towards the door for the room with the Vanishing Cabinets in it. Opening it, her expression brightened as she noticed who was there, "Regina-Chan!"

The Re-Class turned from where she was talking with the Destroyer Princess before her and brightly smiled as well, "Shinano!"

Quickly making her way over, she gave her friend a tight hug as the two giggled and bounched up and down as they did so. Shaking her head, Hamakaze turned to look at the Abyssal Destroyer Water Demon and Destroyer Princess. Part of her could not help but wonder for a few moments regarding them as they looked somewhat familiar to her, especially the Destroyer Princess, 'I wonder...'

Pulling away from Shinano, Regina turned to the two Abyssals following her who were watching the shipgirls curiously, "Shinano? Hamakaze, Isokaze, Urakaze, and Yukikaze? I would like to introduce my escorts to you... The Demon is Rainy Spring."

Rainy Spring then bowed towards the shipgirls, "Hello."

With a nod, the Re-Class gestured at the Destroyer Princess, "And this is Clover." Turning back to Shinano and the others, Regina smiled, "Back home, the two of them were my usual escorts when out on patrol or fighting. I trust them."

Slowly nodding, Shinano simply smiled, "Sort of like Hamakaze-Chan, Isokaze-Chan, Yukikaze-Chan, and Urakaze-Chan are for me." Getting a nod, and not noticing the slightly pleased blushes on the Destroyers in question, she bowed to the two Abyssals, "I am very pleased to meet you."

Both Abyssal Destroyers blushed a bit and bowed back, "Thank you."

A smile on her face, Shinano took in the two Abyssals. This was the very first time that she ever saw a Destroyer Princess with legs, which made her wonder what happened to them with the others. Over her sailor shirt, she wore a hoodie and had on leggings that reached up to her skirt. Beside her, the Destroyer Water Demon didn't bother with the hoodie, but did wear a skirt unlike the other examples that the Carrier had seen and fought.

Granted, the Yamato suspected that was more because of how humans would react more than anything else to what she likely normally wore.

Just shaking off that thought, Shinano turned to Regina and smiled a bit at her friend, "You look very nice, Regina-Chan."

Shyly smiling, Regina lightly blushed a little, "You, um... really think so, Shinano?"

In reply, the Carrier gave her friend a look over as she smiled and nodded, "Hai, I do think so."

Only tilting her head to the side, Regina looked at herself as currently she was wearing a dark blue tank top with jeans that came up just to where her tail connected with her body and a black belt. And over that, she wore her usual poncho but fully open so it was more like a trench coat than anything else, "Um, if you say so..." She then turned to Shinano who was wearing a white blouse with a light green jacket thrown over it, and a darker green skirt that went down to her knees. Smiling herself, Regina gave her friend a nod and a smile, "You're looking very good as well, Shinano."

Swishing her skirt, Shinano nodded slightly, "I thought so to, and Kaa-San said that it looked good as did the others." With the smile still on her face, she turned to the others and gave a nod, "Is everyone ready?"

Getting confirmation, the Yamato turned to Kitakami-Maru and did up the paperwork before going through. Once it was stamped, Regina and Shinano entered the Vanishing Cabinet with Clover on Regina's side and Hamakaze at Shinano's. They were followed within a minute or two by Urakaze, Isokaze, Yukikaze, and Rainy Spring. It was then a short portkey to the usual area outside of Hogsmeade Village.

Upon seeing it, Urakaze's eyes widened at the sight of the idellic little settlement as puffy clouds moved overhead, "Wow..."

Her eyes wide as well, Clover also nodded, "It's so pretty..." Looking at Regina, she gestured at the town, "Is that really were we're going, Big Sister?"

With a smile on her face, Regina nodded, "It is." Chest expanding as she took a deep breath of the spring morning air, she let it out with a happy sigh, "The air is so fresh here..."

Also taking a deep breath, the smell of fresh growth and spring flowers tickling her nose, Rainy Spring smiled, "It is..."

Their attention was caught by a chuckle, however, and they turned to find Harry standing there with a smile on his face and giving a wave, "Hey there." Expressions lighting up, both Shinano and Regina rushed over and gave him a tight hug and a kiss on his cheeks, which he returned before taking their hands and looking at first Shinano and then Regina. Granted, he had a small blush on his cheeks, "Good morning, Regina, Shinano-Chan." Harry then turned to the others, "And a good morning to you as well, Hamakaze-Chan, Isokaze-Chan, Yukikaze-Chan, Urakaze-Chan, Rainy Spring, and Clover."

Each of them gave greetings back before Hamakaze moved up beside him, followed by the others and they began to walk, "Are we going to that small café, Harry-Chan?"

At his curious look, she gave a small shrug. But it was Isokaze who answered for her, "We heard about it from the others, like Niiyodo-San. Apparently the food there is very good and you've made it a tradition."

Blinking, Harry tilted his head some and glanced at the others though there was a slight amount of bemusement in his expression, "It's a tradition now, huh?" At their nods, he chuckled some and shook his head, "I honestly didn't think that it became one. Really, it is just a good place to get some food to start with."

Lips twitching, Yukikaze giggled and shook her head as she walked with her hands clasped behind her, "How did you think that a tradition starts, Harry-Chan? By doing something over and over. And you taking each of the girls there when they come and visit... it has become a tradition."

For a few moments, the thirteen year old considered that before nodding slightly, "I can see where you're coming from. Though... is it a good or bad one?"

Hamakaze shook her head before speaking in her usual, quiet voice, "I, personally, think that it is a very good one, Harry-Chan. After all, it is a nice way to start things with as you said." Lips curling into a small smile, she gave a slight nod, "Having something sweet before walking around and enjoying a nice day is always good in our books."

Giggling, Shinano nodded some and blushed at their looks before looking away and scratching her cheek, "Um... it is first thing in the morning, Harry-Chan. So having something sweet like a cake... it makes me feel like I am being so naughty!"

Light laughter came from Harry at that and he shook his head and winked at her, which only increased the blush on the taller shipgirl's face, "I suppose that it is a bit naughty, but it's our little secret."

More giggles escaped from the Yamato as she nodded alongside Regina.

Walking along, the teenage wizard entwined his fingers with the two holding his hands. They blushed a little, but not much more than that. Every once in a while, he noted some people glancing or watching them as they went by, but then going back to what they were doing. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he glanced at Urakaze, "Yes, Urakaze-Chan? What's wrong?"

Arms crossed, the Destroyer frowned a little, "I was wondering about something that came up." When he nodded, Urakaze continued, "From what I heard, you sent some letter to Ooyodo-San that nearly sent her into conniptions. I was jus' wonderin' what caused that?"

Interested, Shinano blinked and turned to him, "Um, I heard the same rumour, Harry-Chan. What was in the letter?"

Chuckling a little weakly, Harry sheepishly grinned, "Well... you know how I've been working in the Room of Requirement, Shinano-Chan? And I'm able to basically take what I find home?"

Slowly, the Carrier nodded, "Hai, I remember that... though I'm not sure why that is important unless you found something?"

With a slow nod, Harry cleared his throat, "You could say that... I found this large trunk and opened it to find a bunch of pristine cauldrons inside of it. There had to be about... six or seven tons of them minimum. All made out of a silvery metal, though not silver." Seeing the looks of interest, he continued, "Well, I went to Professor Dumbledore and he asked the previous Headmasters about it. It was one who was around back in the late 1500s who came up with the answer for it. And it also explained why the Weasleys are so poor."

More than a little lost, Isokaze frowned, "What does cauldrons have to do with the Weasleys being poor?"

Humming, the thirteen year old frowned a bit, "Well... it turns out that the Weasleys were, while not rich, still well off. One of them though had found out about a metal discovered in the New World by the Spainards from some Spanish wizards. Despite the problems between Spain and Britain, they was still trade." That got Harry a nod, so he shook his head, "The metal was strong, nearly as able to be shaped as gold or silver, like them was not corroded by things including potions, and could withstand high temperatures. More than that, the Spanish considered it utterly without value and so it was cheap. Well... James Weasley bought himself a ship and went to the New World to return with a cargo of this metal. He managed and found it made marvelous cauldrons thus got a number of investors. But..."

Now leaning in as she listened, Clover blinked, "But what? Did something happen?"

A grimace on his face, Harry gave a nod, "Yeah, something did." Waving a hand in the air, he sighed, "Even back then, there were... issues between the Weasleys and the Malfoys, and what happened next solidifed it. You see, after they had made dozens of the cauldrons, the Malfoys undercut them by flooding the market with gold and silver cauldrons with the idea that when the debts were called when the business failed, the Weasleys would be financially ruined."

Scowling, Shinano shook her head, "That's horrible!"

With a small shrug, the wizard sighed, "It is, but then not too unexpected. Anyways..." He waved a hand in the air, "No one wanted the cauldrons with the 'Vulcanium' as the Weasleys called it. After all, gold and silver had become cheap and everyone who could have afforded a Weasley cauldron could now afford one made of the precious metals that they knew. And everyone else stuck with pewter and cast iron. Thus, there was no room for them in the market and, as expected, they became financially ruined. One of their last ditch efforts was to donate a bunch of their stock to Hogwarts, partially to try and convince people to buy them... and partially to pay for future tuition rates. Which the Headmaster allowed at the time, though he just tossed the cauldrons into a trunk in case anyone ever needed or wanted them, which no one ever did. My family was one of their backers and also took about two or three dozen of them as payment, same with the Longbottoms. We also have a trunk somewhere with another ton of the metal in case we ever wanted to experiment with it."

Even as the others shook their head, Hamakaze had a small frown on her face as she furrowed her eyebrows, "Harry-Chan?" At his nod, and knowing look, she cleared her throat, "You haven't mentioned what the metal was... or why Ooyodo-San nearly had a seizure."

Lips curling into a smirk, Harry chuckled, "No, I did not. As for the metal?" Lowering his voice, he continued, "It was platinum."

Utter silence met him from all the shipgirls and Abyssals before their eyes widened. Wiggling a finger in her ear, Yukikaze stuttered a bit, "D-did you just say that you found several tons of platinum...?!"

Voice dry, Harry nodded, "I did as a matter of fact. According to the agreement, I get to keep half of the value, a quarter of which will go to Ooyodo-Oba's slush fund, and the rest to Hogwarts itself. And, apparently, I have a few tons laying around somewhere on my family property." He grinned a little, "I asked Ron and he got in contact with his father who checked some things. Apparently it was in the basement of the old manor which burned down in the 1800s just outside where the Burrow is now. From all accounts, there's millions still there."

Choking a bit, Urakaze shook her head, "T-that's..."

With a small shrug, the thirteen year smirked, "That was Ron's response. While I don't know what they're going to do, I suspect that they might decide to dig it up and see what might be there. Still... sort of ironic in that it will help their family now as the Statute is coming down..."

The others just boggled at him at that.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Walking through the village, Urakaze's head craned this way and that to take it all in. To a shipgirl who was far more used to Japan than anywhere else, a place like this was amazing. More than that, it was like a step backwards in time in many ways, to before Britain had become a powerhouse on the world stage. Many of the buildings looked like ones from the pages of books, Tudor style. To a Destroyer like her, it was magical in different ways than it actually was.

It did not take them very long to reach the tea house though and they all blinked at it. Turning away, Shinano looked back the way that they had came and frowned a little in thought, "Hmm... I guess it's out of the way, which is how we never knew it was here."

Simply shrugging, Harry shook his head, "Natsumi-Chan, Niiyodo-Chan, and I just happened to come across it. And it is a pretty good tea house as the tea and coffee is good, and so are the treats."

Her hand still in his, the Re-Class gave a small nod, "Well, that does sound pretty good." Regina than glanced at the others, "What do you think?"

Looking at each other, the two other Abyssals shrugged, with Clover speaking for them both, "Well, um, we've never been to a place like this before... so we don't know, Big Sister."

Yukikaze bounced a bit on the balls of her feet and a bright smile on her face, "Well, I've always found places like this somewhat out of the way to be very good! And I've been to a few before, both in Japan and in Taiwan."

At that, the other Destroyers nodded, as they trusted Harry. And, in turn, the thirteen year old smiled back at them before walking towards the door and opened it for them, "Let's go inside then..."

Upon the door being opened, the group craned their necks one way and the other. Homely was the word that came to many of them due to the dark, warm wood panelling and the green walls. Comfortable was yet another word that also came to mind. Almost as soon as they entered, the smell of various baked goods met their noses as well as the smells of different forms of tea and coffee.

Turning, Shinano gave Harry a happy smile, "This looks wonderful, Harry-Chan."

For his part, Harry chuckled a little bit and smiled back as he helped her take off her coat, "Well, it is a great place, Shinano-Chan. And everyone else has seemed to like it."

Lips curling into a smile as she watched him hang up her coat, the Carrier just nodded in agreement. She never did like some of the cafes that one could find. They always seemed too... loud, in some way. And the tea houses back in Japan could be too formal. But the one that they were in... it was quiet, but not of the sort of being done so out of politeness. It was a comfortable silence besides the crackle of fire in a nearby fireplace, the breeze in a nearby magical painting. And there was a warmth to it as well, one that she found herself liking very much.

Meanwhile, Regina had much the same thoughts as she looked around the small tea house. Like Shinano, she was not comfortable in places where it was often loud and busy. But a place like she was currently in... she enjoyed it. Feeling a tap though, she turned to find Harry there, "Harry? Is something wrong?"

Chuckling, he shook his head, "No, but I was just wondering if you want me to take your poncho for you and hang it up."

It took a few moments, but Regina blushed a little, "Um... that would be very nice, Harry. Thank you."

A small smile on his face, Harry helped her take off her poncho. Once he did though, he found himself blushing slightly due to the tank top that she was wearing and how it looked on her. Internally whacking his hormones over the head with a mace, he placed the poncho onto a hook and guided them over to a set of tables. Pausing for a moment, he raised his fingers, "Give me a few moments..."

They watched him walk over to the employee behind the countertop and speak to her for a few moments. Said young woman smiled and nodded before chuckling and walking over with him. Granted, she did give the Abyssals a slightly odd look, but whatever she thought of them she did not say.

Rather, she bowed slightly to them and smiled, "If you'll follow me, I'll guide you to where you'll be dining." Less than a minute later found them all standing in what they had taken to be a room. Under their feet was tile with a few tables there. One could be mistaken for thinking it was outside, but they figured out that it was not. Something that was confirmed by the employee mere moments later, "Welcome to one of our indoor patios."

Blinking, Isokaze turned to her and raised an eyebrow, "Inside patios?"

With a small nod, the employee chuckled a little, "Indeed, Miss." She gestured around them, "These are special rooms where one could sit and enjoy the outside without going outside. The walls and ceiling all have enchantments on them that make it look like the area that is outside the building. Other charms generate a small, cool breeze in the warmer months as well as carrying the scents outside, into the room. But there are benefits as no matter the weather outside, the weather in here is dry and generally warm. Also, it means that pests such as hornets and wasps do not have the chance to ruin one's experience. All the benefits of outside, brought inside." It was then that she gestured at a nearby table, "We can even have the record player here play music if that is what you wish."

Eyebrows raised, the others looked at each other before Harry nodded and soon soft music began to drift though the room.

Not long afterwards, they had their food and drink brought to them. Much to Harry's surprise, Regina got some coffee while, as expected, Shinano had steamed milk for her drink, strawberry steamed milk at that. Something that made the Carrier very happy to be able to have. The others all got their own drinks as well, with Harry getting tea. Soon, their food was also brought to the table and Harry chuckled a little as Shinano squealed at the giant strudel that was set in front of her.

Regina, meanwhile, got a giant plate of dabby-doughs, icing on them which made her lick her lips some. Taking one, she brought it up to her mouth and ate half of it in a single bite. For a few moments, she chewed before swallowing, "This is really good!"

Having taken a bite of her own pastry, Shinano nodded, "Hai, it is!" Sipping her steamed milk, she happily hummed and kicked her legs a little, "Yummy!" The Carrier then turned to her escorts and tilted her head a little, "How is your food?"

Quickly swallowing the bite of food in her mouth, Hamakaze nodded and smiled, "It is very good, Shinano-Sama." Turning to Harry, she bowed slightly, "Thank you, Harry-Chan. This was a very good place for us to begin our trip at."

With a happy hum, Isokaze sipped her coffee, "The coffee is good too." Brightly smiling, she nodded towards the teenage boy, "I agree with Nee-San though, Harry-Chan. This was a good place to bring us... so thank you."

Scratching his cheek a little as the others chimed in, Harry smiled a bit, "Thank you. I'm just glad that you all are enjoying it.

Just shrugging a little, Rainy Spring shot him a smile, "Well, I haven't had something like this before. And it is really, really good. So..." She waved around a hand, "So I'm enjoying the food as well."

Harry simply smiled back at them as he chuckled.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

An Egyptian Sunshipgirl Realizes That The Gods Have Blessed Her Pharaoh

Head Boy's Bathroom, Hogwarts

Amisi rose from the bathtub that she had filled with fresh donkey's milk as a delighted smile blossomed on her face. Truly the Gods had rewarded her millennia of faithful service. Her Pharaoh had been returned to her, and he had even been granted two additional Great Wives to serve alongside her. One of whom was even a Sea Demon that he had tamed with the force of his will and mind.

She smiled at the reflection in the wall mirror as she began to towel off and then gently cupped her toned belly. Her Pharaoh had even said that once he graduated from his studies at Hogwarts and was able to financially support her in proper style, then he would wish to have her bear his heir!

She shivered in keel-deep delight and anticipation as her sea-blue eyes hooded and her drummer picked up the tempo of his beat for her rowers. She could hardly wait for the day when the first urn of Nile water was poured over the newly laid keel of her firstborn.

Still, while she had to wait for that day, it was coming closer with each beat of her oars. She reached into herself and took her engagement ring from the captain's cabin to slip onto her finger with a proud smile.

Suddenly her lookout alerted her to choking sounds from the bedroom that she shared with her Pharaoh. She hurried to the door as fast as her oarsmen could move her while wrapping a towel around her and locked her vision on Percy Weasley. "My Pharaoh! What is wrong!?"

Percy's face was as red as his hair as he stared at a piece of paper in his shaking hands. Even the appearance of one of his girlfriends clad in considerably less than her already revealing thin linen did not register on his numbed mind. All he could do was croak out the words "V-vulcanium is worth HOW MUCH per ounce?!?!?!"

Amisi hurried over to where he was standing and hugged him from behind. "My Pharaoh?" She asked as she looked at the numbers on the shaking paper. On her bridge her captain turned to his chief scribe, who grasped papyrus, reed pen, and abacus firmly.

Percy swallowed and met her eyes with shock written large on his face. "Several centuries ago, James Weasley invested a large part of our family fortunes into a new metal from the Americas that had been just been discovered."

Amisi nodded along as she listened. "He called it Vulcanium, and the muggles were throwing it away. It was superb for cauldron use since it was near impossible to corrode and able to be easily worked. In fact, my hand-me-down school cauldron over there is made of Vulcanium." Percy cackled disturbingly before he continued, "however the Malfoys undercut our attempts to sell it with their gold and silver cauldrons, and James nearly went bankrupt."

Amisi scowled at the mention of such dishonorable dealings as Percy began to laugh again in a disturbing way. "So we couldn't sell these cauldrons. A few families like the Potters and Longbottoms recouped their investments in some of the finished cauldrons and metal ingots. Most of the rest we had to sit on and eat, and we had tons of the metal stored in the basement of the old family mansion when it burned down the last I heard of it.

Amisi then spoke. "So, what is causing you such excitement, my Pharoah?"

Percey began to laugh maniacally. "We just found out that the muggles call our Vulcanium platinum and value it much more than gold. This is how much a single ounce of the metal is worth." He thrust the letter in Amisi's face.

Amisi's eyes flickered from the numbers on the page to the silvery twenty-pound cauldron sitting on the workbench. Aboard her bridge, her scribe's fingers shook as he moved the abacus beads to compute the value of the cauldron, then drew the heh symbol of infinity to represent the number 'millions'.

Twice.

Before fainting.
Spoiler: Doki Doki Time!

Amisi staggered in shock as her bridge crew began to celebrate like madmen and her drummer began to play the beat for doki-doki speed. One thought cut through her whirling mind in the chaos. "Come with me, we must make sacrifices of incense and prayer to Renenutet to celebrate our good fortune."

"Ulp!" Percy suddenly squeaked as Amisi kissed him long and passionately in an attempt to suck out his tonsils before starting to march him to the door. One of her hands reached out and grabbed his cauldron to store in her hold as she headed out the door and then down the hall at ramming speed.

"But, but! Your clothes!!" Percy gasped out as he realized that his girlfriend was wearing only a very thin cotton towel around her hips and was dripping white donkey's milk behind her as she pulled him along despite his futile efforts to escape her grip.

"They can wait, this great fortune should be celebrated immediately by us, my Pharaoh! I shall be delighted to bear your firstborn!! I shall include a prayer to Hathor for fertility in the bedroom and ease of childbirth!" Amisi declared at the top of her lungs as she dragged him through a suddenly hushed Gryffindor common room en-route to the Room of Requirement.

Behind her, you could hear a pin drop as the Gryffindors tried to process the sight of a very rumpled Percy being bodily dragged along by a towel-clad and radiantly glowing sunshipgirl with an ear to ear beaming smile on her face.

"Gred, I didn't think Brother Percy had it in him, truly. Or I suppose in this case, had it in her." George finally spoke reverently into the shocked silence.

"Truer words were never spoken, Forge" George responded with a shake of his head. "Let us offer up a prayer for the pelvis of our elder brother, for I fear Miss Sunriver threatens his life and health now that he has unleashed her libido without restraint. Madame Pomfrey will have her work cut out to piece it back together once she has her way with him. His sanity, I fear, is a lost cause."

"Indeed, old chap, indeed. Did you see that uncontrollable smile on dour old Percy's face? At least he goes to the fate worse than the fate worse than death by snu-snu with joy in his heart." Suddenly a pair of Abyssal hands clapped them on the shoulders and the Twins gulped nervously.

"Don't forget, boys, it's only a few short years before you're up." piped Revina from her spot sitting between them. A spot that all of the observers would have sworn was empty a moment before, and barely had enough room for a skinny ferret then as well.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

MagisterAurelius said:
And just think of the moment of realization when it hits Ooyodo that her slush fund just became bigger than most banks.​

Well, you asked for it....

The Dragon Of Yokosuka Makes Bank (And Her Co-Conspiritors Too!)

Commander's Office Yokosuka Naval Base

The thunder of a shipgirl at flank's pounding footsteps echoed through the hallway. From her post as the Chief Logistics Officer, Ooyodo sighed minutely and hastily saved her work, bracing for the inevitable attempt to tackleglomp her from Teitoku's Tea-Drinking Dyslexic Fiend. She was not the only one as across from her Admiral Goto also braced himself for the normal result of Kongou returning from patrol.

Ooyodo mentally checked her chronometer as the footsteps neared and frowned to herself. Kongou was running quite early, she must have made good time... or perhaps decided to burn more supplies and put more wear on her engines by patrolling at battle speeds instead of the more economical cruising speed that she was designed for. Ooyodo finished her Kongou Stations preparations with magically transforming her engagement ring back from its alternate mode as her personal seal for official use to fit around her finger. She smiled to herself as her thumb caressed the green gold alloy of what now appeared to be a Green Lantern Power Ring.

With that the door flew open and Ooyodo froze in shock.

The shipgirl framed in it panting heavily with a wild-eyed expression on her face was not Kongou.

It was Yuubari.

The Experimental Cruiser locked her rangefinders onto Ooyodo and marched across the office to slam her palm down on Ooyodo's desk. "Ooyodo. You said that Harry wanted me to identify the material in a load of cauldrons he found, yes?"

Ooyodo checked her logbooks. Yes, Harry had asked her to do that, and had passed along a slug of the metal, which she had forwarded to Yuubari. With that confirmed, she nodded. "Yes. Is there a problem, Captain Yuubari?" She responded in her best professional voice to reestablish control of the situation.

Yuubari placed the slug of silvery metal on the desk. "You could say that. The composition of that metal is 97% platinum and 2.5% palladium with trace impurities. Your note said that Harry had several tons of it at a minimum."

Ooyodo blinked at the slug of metal.

One hand reached for the keyboard of her computer to open a new tab to run a search on current precious metal prices.

Across from her, Goto's tea mug froze halfway to his lips as the only sound in the office was the click of keys in the silence.

The typing stopped.

Ooyodo's eyes locked on the numbers displayed in the new tab on the screen as a trickle of steam slowly issued from her ears.

She visibly swallowed and raised her gaze to meet Goto's face with a desperate plea in her eyes.

Her Admiral read the unstated request and then nodded once. "Approved, Ooyodo."
Spoiler: My Supplies Budget!!

Suddenly her face split in a broad, lopsided grin and she began to laugh like a hyena dosed with laughing gas. Still cackling madly, she wrote down a series of numbers on a piece of paper and then staggered over to Goto's desk.

"The top one is the sustainable cash flow if we coordinate with Harry, Dumbledore, and the other owners of this platinum to control the release of bullion to minimize disruptions on the global precious metal markets. The bottom is if we need a one-time cash infusion and want to risk crashing the international bullion markets by dumping our share of this windfall at current prices. We can also use it as collateral for loans although I shall need to talk to the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan to make arrangements." Ooyodo reported through her uncontrollable smile as she restablished some form of professionalism in her voice with an effort of will.

Goto nodded, his mind whirling as he looked at the numbers.

"At any event, I strongly recommend that we send an escort team to Hogwarts to pick this up and transport it to a safe location. Shinano is going to Hogsmeade next with escorts so with your permission I shall task her to pick up our share and Harry's share of the recovered bullion for safekeeping in Japan."

Goto nodded. "Make it so, Ooyodo."

Normally the Star Trek quote would have generated an eyebrow twitch from her, but instead she nodded sharply. "At once, sir. With your permission, I shall write Percy Weasley, Arthur Weasley, and also Albus Dumbledore to secure their share of this before word leaks out."

"Approved, Ooyodo, and I agree that we need to keep this classified as long as possible." Goto nodded to her. "Get me an initial action plan that I can bring up to Tokyo by the 0700 meeting tomorrow."

Ooyodo saluted, and returned to her desk. She turned to Yuubari and spoke to her fellow shipgirl via blinker light. "Good work, Yuubari. Once we secure this, I'll arrange for that new mass spectrometer for your laboratory."

As Yuubari left with a ear to ear smile, Ooyodo felt her lips curl in a happy smile as she began to type rapidly. She drained her 72 ounce mug of her special coffee and looked an order to the ushabti-figurine on her desk. The small golem that she had gotten for Christmas animated herself and took the mug in her stubby hands as it began to head to the machine for a refill.

Timor Sea

Several Days Later

"Message for you, Princess!"

Supprin looked up from her ledgers at the Chi-class light cruiser entering her headquarters. "Acknowledged, Chivonne." She took the message in her massive gauntlets and made it vanish. Inside her, one of her servitor imps took the sealed folder with Ooyodo's personal chop in the sealing wax to her communication center.

Upon arrival, the seal was examined and then broken as receipt was logged. The message form was handed to a communications imp for decryption. The high encoding caused her to give a mental blink as her staff labored with codebook to make sense of the apparently random five block capital letter words:

FROM: OOYODO
TO: SUPPLY PRINCESS
SUBJ: UNEXPECTED CHANGE TO OPERATION REDHEAD PLANS

WE DIDNT START THE FIRE XX JUST NOTIFIED THAT WEASLEY FAMILY HAS IDENTIFIED THAT THEY CAME INTO POSSESSION OF LARGE RPT LARGE QUANTITY OF PLATINUM THAT ANCESTOR OF PERCY PURCHASED FROM SPANISH IN SIXTEENTH CENTURY FOR PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR PRD INITIAL ESTIMATES OF RECOVERABLE MATERIAL FOR FAMILY IS APPROXIMATELY TWO HUNDRED TONS OF BULLION PRD OUR BUDGETARY LIMITS FOR WEDDING JUST GOT SHITCANNED TIME TO GO NUTS SUPPRIN XPT XPT KEEP THIS UNDER WRAPS UNTIL WE DECIDE HOW TO MANAGE IT FOR MAXIMUM LONG TERM PROFIT FOR US AND PERCY WITHOUT TANKING THE MARKET PRD AMISI AND PERCY NOTIFIED AND PLANNING SESSION SCHEDULED FOR NEXT TRIP TO HOGSMEADE PRD I AM MAKING PURCHASES OF PEPPER UP AND SKELEGRO POTIONS FOR USE AT SAID SESSION PRD CAN YOU BRING COFFEE BEANS AND CHOCOLATE TREATS QST ENCODE ALL TRANSMISSIONS FOR MAXIMUM SECURITY PRD WE IN THE MONEY NOW SISTER MSG ENDS XX DUMPSTER FIRE NOT MY FAULT
Spoiler: Supprin's Reaction

The Supply Depot Princess read the message twice, then adjusted her glasses absently. The One (Engagement) Ring on her finger under her gloves burned with cold fire as her lips curled in a evilly smug smile of dark joy.

She then began to speak to herself in the Black Speech of Mordor. "{One Ring to Rule them all, One Ring to find Him, One Ring to Bring Him to the Altar and in the Shipyard Bind Him}"

With that her maniacal darkly delighted uncontrollable laughter echoed through the vast complex that supported the fleets of her liege lady Wanko.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Sipping her steamed milk, Shinano had to smile a little at everything around her. Even though this was just the beginning of their, and this word always made her blush, date, it was still wonderful. Turning towards Harry though, she giggled a little at seeing him eat. When he blinked at her, she lightly blushed, "Um, it is just that you seem to be enjoying your treacle tart, Harry-Chan."

With a small shrug, he smiled back at her, "Why wouldn't I, Shinano-Chan? It's a good treacle tart after all and those are my favourite." Harry then considered things for a few moments and looked down at one of his tarts before placing it on Shinano's plate, "Here, try it."

Eyes widening slightly, Shinano nodded before taking a slice of her strudel and putting it on Harry's plate... followed by doing the same with Regina, "Then both of you should try mine as well."

Regina gave a nod as well and placed one of her dabby-doughs on Harry's plate followed by Shinano's, "Um, here, try these." A few moments later found one of the small treacle tarts on her plate, "Thank you, Harry."

Each of them shared a smile with one another and agreed that the others' treats were good.

A few minutes later, both Shinano and Regina as well as the others rang the bell for the employee of the tea house to come. As she entered, she smiled a bit, "Hello all, is something wrong?"

Only shaking her head, Shinano smiled back at her, "Nothing is wrong, Miss. But, um... could we have some more to drink?"

Chuckling, the employee gave a small nod, "You certainly can." Waving her wand, a plate came up and she placed their cups onto it, even those of the Destroyers. Slightly bowing, she picked it up, "It will be just a few minutes and I'll be back."

Upon getting the sounds of agreement, she left back downstairs and began refilling the cups. As she did so, she considered the group upstairs who were chatting. Granted, the young woman could not hear them, there were charms on the door frames after all to prevent such, but she still thought about them and some things that she had noted.

Her family's tea house had been operating in Hogsmeade for nearly three hundred years at this point. It had seem many, many people come and go. Some having come for business meetings such as the meeting between Ralston Potter and several of his allies that lead to the Statute or Secrecy being put into place rather than all out war as some more militant magicals wanted. Others came for a more romantic setting, an example being how Neville's parents often went in double dates to said place. Some simply came to relax and think, such as Albus Dumbledore could be seen doing from time to time during the 1940s. Yes, it had seen many things in its long life.

Of course, the place did go through its ups and downs, every such place did. Since 2000, when Madam Puddifoot's little tea house had opened, they had seen a decline to almost nothing of students. Many teenage girls wanted to go somewhere cute after all and were not bothered by the crampedness and such as long as it was what they thought was "Romantic". Yes, she and the rest of her family rolled their eyes at that, but were not too bothered by it. Older couples preferred their tea house after all.

Hence, it was a surprise for her when she noted that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived walked in with two girls. And had been told that he had been with two different girls before. At the time, she had been curious to know what he was doing, but then found out about how they, the girls, had all known about it. Which had made her raise a mental eyebrow about it, though it did not bother her that much. They seemed to accept it and, really, wasn't that all that was needed?

Granted, it reminded her of stories that her great-grandmother told of one Potter, Ian, often times with an odd smile and blush on her face.

Still, she made note of it, if only to know what sort of things that they might like. A little talent that ran in her family and helped their business. Not to mention the fact that said boy was very polite to the girls he brought and often treated them with impeccable manners. Such as taking their coats for them, holding open the door, and pulling out chairs. Actions that made her inner romantic sigh as it reminded her of things that she had read in her romance novels. Made her almost wish to be younger, though she would not have been too interested in the multiple girlfriends... but if they made it work, as far as she was concerned, all the better for them.

That said, she was also happy that he seemed to bring them each time he was in Hogsmeade to her family's tea house. His guests always ate quite a bit, drank as much, and tipped very well indeed. Which was always appreciated. And from what she could tell, it seemed that he would continue to do so. If her family was lucky, chances are that his family's next generation would as well, if only due to being suggested to them. Well, one could only hope!

More than that though, she noted an odd uptick in customers as well who were generally beautiful women who ate quite a bit and drank what seemed at times to be litres. Recently, there were two blonde women who came in, with her overhearing them mention to one another how happy they were that someone named Eugen was taking care of their daughters. The one with the German accent had seemed surprised at the coffee she was served and complimented her. And that was just two of them! Another woman had also come by with an older gentleman who carried himself like a noble or some sort. She had served them both as she had any other customer and had overheard her be called "Dreadnought", an odd name. In fact, she suspected that the man was a muggle, not that it made much difference to her. A customer was a customer and unlike some places, they did not care if one was a wizard, a witch, a non-magical, or anything else. They could be expected to all be treated the same.

Now, that couple had taken one of the private booths. But at the end, the female of the two had complimented her on the service as did the man. With him chuckling and mentioning that perhaps "Liz" might decide to show up, whoever she was. Though she had been bemused when his wife had whacked his shoulder. Just the same, they had been back a few times since and each time enjoyed the time spent there.

Which was not mentioning other beings such as Abyssals who dropped by. There was that Percy Weasley for example, who came by more than once with an Abyssal as well as two shipgirls (or she assumed). The tanned skinned one always ordering items with chocolate while blessing the establishment in the name of some Egyptian god or another. And the Abyssal always complimented the coffee they served as well as some of the treats.

Of course, there was that one time with Ron Weasley, Percy's brother. She had blinked at the sight of the giant Abyssal with him. Though she had to also smile as "Summer" held one of the larger tea cups daintily with her fingers. Never before had she thought that an Abyssal could be "Adorable". Other ones included Sirius Black and his wife, apparently as well as some of her "Fleet". But while Abyssals, they were customers and that was what mattered.

Finished now with the drinks, she placed them back onto the tray and walked back to where Harry and the others were. It did not take her long to reach them, and apologize for the wait, which they waved off. Making sure that they did not need anything else, she walked back to the counter. Though she did feel a bit jealous of the two girls and their figures. Not to mention the others, the white haired shipgirl making her grumble about lucky ones.

Later, when asked about them, she would do as she usually did. Which was mostly shrug and smile about what had happened. She never did give out much gossip, but she did do some. Mostly talk about how much of a gentleman Harry was with the girls he brought, without mentioning that they were different ones each time. A fact that seemed to improve his reputation beyond what it had been...
_______________________________________________________

Walking along the streets with his hands in Shinano's and Regina's, Harry glanced back at the others and smiled. The Destroyers were still walking alongside them in escort formation, but it seemed that they were enjoying their outing just as much. With a chuckle, he turned back to the current conversation that he was having with Shinano, "So you're going to pick up the... salvaged materials, Shinano-Chan?"

Slowly, the Carrier nodded, "Hai, it was in my orders, Harry-Chan. Ooyodo-San asked that I do so, though I didn't realize why and what it was that you had. And after I get back, I'm supposed to take it to one of the secure warehouses. Not quite sure what happens to it next."

Eyes closed for a moment, as he trusted the two at his sides to make sure that he would not trip, Harry hummed. Then he opened his eyes and shrugged a little, "Most likely? I would assume that some armoured trucks will come and transport the bars of material to the Japan Mint for testing and to have them separate it into bullion. Other than that? Not sure."

Interested, Urakaze scratched her chin some and looked towards the thirteen year old, "Mind if I ask you a question, Harry-Chan?" At his nod, she continued, "What are you going to do with the money?"

Head cocked to the side, the Wizard blinked some, "Honestly?" When she nodded, Harry gave a shrug, "I have a few ideas. One of them will be to ask Grandmother Siusan where her home, and my mother's ancestral home, was in Ireland. Then buy the land in question and maybe make a house. Also might buy someplace back in Japan... Other than that? Maybe donate to various charities and such as well as invest. Not like I really need it all that much."

Somewhat surprised, Clover boggled a little at him. Sure, she didn't know a lot about humans, but she knew that there was plenty of money and that many humans always wanted more, "Really?"

Glancing at her, Harry chuckled, "My family is, well... we're well off as it were. I mean, obviously I just made a lot of money, but... the amount us Potters have is enough that if I wanted to, I wouldn't need to work a day in my life. Same with my children and their children." Not noticed by him, Shinano and Regina blushed at that, "Also, that is not counting the Potter rainy day funds."

Yukikaze gave a small nod, "You mean the gold and silver your family stashed away just in case?" At the looks, she shrugged, "Harry-Chan mentioned it to me."

When the others looked at him, the thirteen year old chuckled, "My family never trusted the goblins, especially with the various rebellions. So... we apparently hid large amounts of gold and silver on the property to use when needed. Helped that some operated as Privateers and pirates over the centuries. I've asked Tsukiakari and the others if they can show me where, and they promised that they would do so."

The others just nodded and the conversation turned from that.

However, the peace was not to last as someone shouted at them and the group turned to find a young man with a scowl on his face walking over from the Three Broomsticks. Behind him was Tonks who looked annoyed, but not at Harry. Moments later, the male Auror reached him and scowled even deeper, "What are you doing away from Hogwarts?! You should be in school right at this moment!"

In reply, Harry reached into his coat and pulled out an envelope that he held towards the Auror, "I actually have permission."

Before the Auror could grab it, Tonks took it and began to read, "You have a pass to Hogsmeade for family business and to further relations with a foreign power?" Part of her expression was pure amusement at it and she chuckled, "Not a bad excuse... and the fact that you managed to get the Headmaster to sign off on it makes it better."

Simply ignoring the other Auror who did a double take, Harry shrugged, "Well... the thing is that there are rules that allow for it in the Hogwarts Charter, provided that I have proof. Which... I do."

That got him a laugh and Tonks grinned even as she handed it back to him, "Congrats then." With a nod towards the others, she walked away practically dragging the other Auror with her, "Enjoy the rest of your day then..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord Khuzdul

Inspiration struck, and decided to add one more character, from an area dear to my heart.

---

Ali scratched his chin as he looked at the row of shops. This was where the old man he met a few days ago said his coffee shop was. Since the day he met the man in Foça's small çarşı, he had a feeling of unease. He glanced at the young-looking destroyer next to him. "Well, this shop came highly recommended. And Yavuz is getting more and more particular about her coffee. Especially after her daily ripping apart newspapers ritual." He said.

Next to him, Demirhisar rolled her eyes. "Well, maybe she should have chosen a better day to break her last jar of coffee," she said. "This rain is miserable."

Ali smiled. "Well, last I looked, you were made of steel, not sugar. Chin up. A little rain never hurt anyone."

As he pushed the door to the small coffee house, his instincts screamed at him that he was walking into something very dangerous.

He took in the empty coffee house at one glance, and immediately zeroed in on the small group sitting at a table at the back. Even though the group of men, five of them old and one middle aged with a very impressive mustache, and one delicate looking young woman did not look particularly threatening, he felt like he was walking into the den of a lion...

Or rather, into a great big mess.

'Efem, give me your strength...' he thought.

Then, the man sitting at the head of the table, the old, bearded proprietor of the coffee house, smiled at the two at the door. "Come in, friends, and have a tea. We were expecting you for this bit. After all, who but the legacy of the Yörük Ali would know to stand against the Sultan?"

Ali wanted to facepalm. Over thirty years of hiding himself, up in smoke. Demirhisar next to him looked up at him in puzzlement.

"Hamidiye will have my firing pin as a toothpick." He swore under his breath.
Spoiler: Ali's Theme

 

[darthcourt10]

RCNAnon

Weasley's Warship Workshop 11

Abyssal Interlude

Shortly before Ron's arrival to Passel House after meeting Jean Bart

Brigid was no longer bored. At least not as much as she used to be, given she'd finally bent her neck a little bit more and asked (practically begged!) for something to occupy her time. The woman, Victoria as she'd finally bothered to remember her name, had sniffed at her disdainfully but said she'd find something. It hadn't been much originally, as there was apparently not all that much entertainment in the house she was staying at.

At first it was dribs and drabs of things, old newspapers and magazines that had been left by the various ship girls that visited to house to relax and apparently use the spa. They were never less than a month old, as it seemed Victoria wasn't going to allow her any up to date information that might help her if she attempted to escape. Not that there was much chance of that, given the fact she was still in a wheelchair.

Ever since her little incident, she'd found no way around two very important facts. Summer would not heal her properly unless the little human she called her Yardmaster told her to. The other was that if she in any way harmed said Yardmaster Summer would almost certainly kill her in a very slow, painful manner unbefitting of a Princess like herself. The fact that Summer also seemed to be coming more into her own power as a Princess each time she saw her certainly didn't help matters.

That left only one way to get herself healed and escape, one which she wasn't sure she could even stomach to do. She'd have to… play nice with the boy and get him to trust her enough that he told Summer to heal her. The mere thought of kowtowing to a human, a young human at that was almost enough to make her purge her bilges but there was no other way to do what she wanted. Which was why she continued to go through whatever scraps of information on humanity that Victoria would allow her.

Even this pile of dry, boring information that was contained in The Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 1, 2007 edition. Victoria had dropped it off several days before and despite having almost all of her time to herself, there was only so much Brigid could stomach of the wretched thing. Victoria had happily informed her that there were thirty volumes, the mere thought of which was again almost enough to make Brigid empty her bilges.

That being said, the interruption of the Installation Princess opening the door to her room with her eyes partially alight was enough to make Brigid's boredom no longer a concern. Instead she thought back to if she'd done anything to make said Installation mad… and she hadn't. They'd barely spoken to one another since the incident and she was largely fine keeping it that way. It seemed that was at an end.

"The Yardmaster is coming to see you." Summer's words were spoken with the inflection that doom might as well be upon Brigid and she mentally steeled herself for what was to come.

"Very well." Brigid nodded, closing her book after marking her place. She didn't want to have to read any of that garbage twice if she didn't have to.

Summer's eyes remained on her for at least thirty seconds more, Brigid making herself seem as small and nonthreatening as possible. She had no plans to hurt the young human, not now that her only alternative was to play nice. Not that Summer was going to believe her, not without an explanation that would give her entire plan away.

"If you hurt the Yardmaster I will break you." That was not a threat, it was a promise and Brigid had no doubts Summer was sincere.

"I won't hurt him." Brigid forced herself to keep her voice as neutral as she could, not quite staring Summer down but meeting her eyes. It was hard, very hard. She wasn't sure how she was going to keep it up over the long term but there was nothing else she could do. It would need to be one day at a time.

The Installation Princess stared her down for a few more seconds before her eyes dimmed down slightly, only the cores a bit brighter than normal. She then moved to grab the handles of Brigid's wheelchair and pushed her out the door. It was the dark haired one's turn today, though they'd recently added a few more. Still, the dark haired one was probably her least hated by now. She was at least quiet and Brigid had somehow found comfort in the fact she was prepared to put a broadside of torpedo's into her hull at any moment. It was something that still made sense at least.

Summer pushed her to the strange wooden cabinet that transported so many others to the house, something which still frustrated Brigid to no end. She knew where it led, to the ship girls base. What she didn't know was if it could go somewhere else, if there were more somewhere and how fast they really worked. There were so many things that she didn't know that she would need if she were to escape for any length of time.

One of the blonde battleships was there, the older one. Not that it made her any less dangerous, Brigid could sense the power she held even without her rig. She wasn't one to take lightly even if Brigid had been at fighting trim. The battleship gave her a brief look over and then turned back to the cabinet.

It wasn't more than a couple minutes until the aged wood opened and out stepped the young redhead. He still didn't look like much to Brigid, somewhat scrawny and still growing into whatever a human considered his full size. Everyone else seemed to see something she didn't, with the blonde battleship smiling and the big oaf behind her practically vibrating with excitement. If she was any more obsequious she'd be a destroyer rolling over on its belly for praise after finding a juicy tidbit.

She still didn't understand why and she wasn't sure she ever would but it was clear that he was somehow the center of this. He wrapped the blond battleship in his arms, with her doing the same. Then Summer waited her turn, crouching down so that her fuel farms were practically in his face while she did the same. He turned red, something to note and figure out why in case it was useful. It wasn't until he spoke of her that she finally paid attention to his exact words.

"How's our guest doing?" he asked Summer.

"She is… functional..." replied Summer, glancing back at her, "The brace is… ready for inspection."

"Good, good. Thank you for having everything ready Summer." The young human smiled at her, causing the installation to nearly preen, clearly happy to receive those small words of praise.

Brigid couldn't quite believe that something so simple would cause an Abyssal Princess to follow a human so readily… but then again she was an installation and they were hardly proper Abyssals in most cases.

"If everything is ready then lets head to the workshop." He then turned to the blond battleship. "I'll be back soon Warspite."

"I know Ron, no need to rush." There was unmistakable fondness in her voice, meaning the boy had at least two battleships that were fond of him along with Summer and Brigid still couldn't understand why.

Thankfully the little scene ended, with Summer, the young boy and the dark haired one all escorting her out back. A small part of her was briefly tempted to grab him but the presence of Summer was more than enough to dissuade her. It had been mostly an idle fancy of days when she could have done such a thing.

Instead of the normal baths that they went to, Brigid was instead pushed to the other large building behind the main house. The right side was mostly made up of shelving. The left had a number of workbenches, drawing tables and a giant pile of pillows in one of the corners for some reason. Doing her best to take it all in.

"Here Yardmaster." Summer spoke first, indicating a workbench with the strange brace that Brigid had been fitted with. She still wasn't convinced it was entirely benign but it at least hadn't actively tortured her when Summer had measured her.

"Thank you Summer." Again the boy smiled and again the installation looked pleased. "If you could get her on the table we should be able to get started."

Summer nodded, looking down to Brigid as the boy turned to do something. There was still hate in those eyes but Brigid made no move of resistance when she was hoisted carefully onto the table. Thankfully the boys presence prevented Summer from manhandling her and she let out a sigh as was laid down and pressure came off of her keel.

"Alright, so this should go on underneath her clothes but first I need to know where the damage is." The boy held up the brace, turning it this way and that until he found the correct orientation based on where Brigid was laying.

"Between frames 15 and 16," said Summer immediately, clearly ready to help with any sort of issue she saw pertinent to her "Yardmaster".

The boy nodded, taking out and making some notes on a pad he pulled from his pocket.

"Good to know… but where exactly is that on her back Summer?" he looked up at her with a gentle smile, "I'm not actually going inside her hull."

Summer seemed confused for a second, causing Brigid to grin internally, before she shook herself. "Uhm..."

"Why don't you roll her on her side and show me."

Summer nodded and reached down to Brigid, rolling her onto her side. Thankfully she was gentle, yet Brigid still let out a hiss of pain. She wasn't hurt… but the pressure was something she still didn't enjoy.

"Here..." Summer pointed to part of Brigid's back with her massive hands, as Brigid craned her head around, trying to keep track of what was going on.

"Here?" the boy reached out and actually touched Brigid's back. She expected there to be pain but there wasn't, his hands were incredibly light. It also gave her an opportunity.

"Lower." she said to the boy, clearly surprising both him and Summer. Summer seemed concerned, which was bad but she needed the boys good graces, not the other abyssals. He merely seemed surprised she had spoken, which to be fair it was the first time she had in his presence.

"Lower?" He asked her directly, letting his fingers slide down an inch.

She forced herself not to twitch as he ran his fingers down her back. Despite the covering of her dress they were strangely warm against her and she nodded.

"The main damage starts there. Goes up and down a little bit." She read off her own damage reports to him, somehow less demeaning than she thought it would be as he seemed to take no pleasure in it.

He glanced at Summer, who nodded in return, though her eyes kept moving between Brigid and the boys.

"Alright, let me get started." He nodded as he pulled the brace up against her back and then he pulled something from his pocket. A moment later he muttered some words and there was a flash, surprising Brigid. She tensed, then hissed in pain from the motion as her keel cried out.

"Sorry. Are you alright?" The boy looked up from whatever he was doing and asked her directly.

"I am… fine," she said through clenched teeth, not wanting to give any sort of satisfaction to him no matter how well he might hide it.

"Just a little bit more and I'll be able to work somewhere else." His voice was strangely calm even as he worked, several more flashes happening behind her back before he pulled away and held up the brace.

"Does that look good Summer?" he asked as he showed the brace to the installation.

"...Yes." she said after a moment of contemplation, the hand holding Brigid on her side letting go and allowing her to settle once more comfortably on her back.

"Good. I'll get the rest of the runes set. It shouldn't take too long. Grab a snack or something if you want."

Summer looked to the dark haired destroyer in some kind of silent communication and the destroyer nodded, heading towards the door as the boy moved to one of the other workbenches and became engrossed in his work. The flashes continued, something Brigid would have been eager to see had it not been for the installation silently watching her, never leaving her side.

Instead of giving her the satisfaction of a staring contest, Brigid closed her eyes and let her engineering team go over her keel again. They thankfully hadn't stressed it with the movements they'd done but it still wasn't properly fixed. She wasn't sure it would ever be properly fixed given what had happened but Summer and the boy seemed interested in it for some reason.

A few minutes later the destroyer came back with the other human woman with long red hair, pushing a cart with a number of cups and some of the strange circles that the destroyer loved consuming. Brigid's nose could smell them from here and they were tempting, despite the fact she'd tried to refrain from getting closer to her captors in any way.

"Here's a cuppa for you Master Weasley," said the red head, placing a cup along with a plate of the circles. He mumbled something back while he worked, his spare hand waving in the air as flashing continued. The red haired one didn't seem to mind, instead setting out a plate for the destroyer and the installation. There of course was not one for Brigid, she'd never asked and they'd never offered.

Time passed, at least an hour by her chronometer. Summer had gone over to watch the boy, with the dark hared destroyer taking over the task of watching her. The destroyer's eyes rarely blinked, instead focused solely on her even as she consumed the circles at a steady pace. The boy didn't, focused entirely on his work until there was a final flash and he let out a sigh.

"That should do it," he said, finally seeming to notice the cup of liquid and the circles. He reached for both at the same time, his stick disappearing back into his pocket. Sipping his cup and taking a bite of the circle, he handed the brace to Summer. "Can you put it on her?" he said, "Since… you know..." he waved his hand.

Summer took a moment to process that, looking at the boy and then to Brigid. Her eyes finally widened and she nodded. "Yes. I will make sure that… doesn't happen."

Brigid raised her eyebrow momentarily in confusion as Summer came over, wondering what the boy didn't want to happen with the brace. Perhaps it was dangerous in some manner?

"Acasta… help please," Summer spoke to the destroyer, who stood and nodded.

Brigid waited to see what would happen and then the two lifted her up into a seated position and Summer pulled at her dress.

"Arms up." Summer spoke levelly, though Brigid could tell that she would still respond instantly if she tried anything. Instead she complied, raising her arms up as Summer and Acasta removed her dress. Though the temperature had not changed, Brigid shivered a bit as her covering was symbolically removed.

Summer and Acasta then began to put the back brace on Brigid, which had only happened once before. That time she hadn't been paying much attention, as she'd still been shocked into silence by Summer. This time she half paid attention to the various straps they fastened around her. The other half was on the boy, who for some reason was very much looking anywhere but her. It was strange… until she finally glanced back down at herself and put a few things together. That could be very useful if only…

Her train of thoughts was interrupted as Summer pulled the last strap tight and fastened it. There was a sudden pressure on her keel which popped slightly… and then it didn't hurt, she only felt a bit of pressure on all sides. She let out a gasp, her eyes wide even as her dress was lowered back over her arms. Why didn't she hurt? The brace was the only explanation but that meant…

"It is… ok Yardmaster." the installation said, even as Brigid ran her hand down the front of her dress.

The boy turned around quickly, a clear sign he'd been waiting for the all clear. With his plate in hand, he walked right up to her and chewed on one of the circles.

"Did it work?" he asked her.

"I don't hurt," she said, her voice filled with wonder she couldn't quite suppress. Even her engineers were filled with wonder, those that weren't running around like headless chickens trying to figure out how her keel seemed to be perfectly fine.

"Good. That means it's working." He seemed rather pleased with himself, though in a rather low key way compared to what Brigid would expect.

She stared at him for a moment as he finished off one of the circles. He misinterpreted the look and offered one to her.

"Cookie?" he said.

Brigid took it without a word, the circle still vaguely warm in her hand.

"Why?" she asked him.

"Why what? The cookie?" he seemed unsure as to what she was asking.

"Why did you do this?" she said, tapping her side, "Why did you heal me?"

"You're not healed yet," the boy said after taking a bite of his circle… his cookie, "If we take the brace off your back will be just as bad. As for why… well leaving you in that chair means we have to wheel you around and with this you'll be capable of walking by yourself. It also gave me a way to practice my runes."

That made sense to Brigid. Leaving her like she had been was a drain on their resources when she didn't have to be and trying something on an enemy you didn't actually care about was better than doing it to an ally.

"I also couldn't just leave you in that wheelchair. Not when Warspite was that way for years." His voice turned more solemn when he spoke those words, seemingly carrying more of a weight.

That… did not make sense to Brigid. He… felt a need to help her based on somebody else?

"I see." She didn't, not really. At least not the part he seemed to feel the most important.

He smiled at her, not like he did at the installation but he was mildly pleased by her statement for some reason.

"That's good. Are you going to eat that?" he nodded to the cir… cookie in her hand.

She hadn't really wanted one but he seemed to think it important for some reason and she was trying to get on his good side. She took a bite, only to have flavor that she'd never experienced burst into her mouth, a warm, gooey taste of rich sweet sensation. She couldn't believe what she was tasting, so she took another bit and then another, until she suddenly realized that the cookie was gone.

Staring down at her hand in mild disappointment, she then looked up to the young human to find him smiling again. Humor this time.

"Tasted good?" he asked.

"...Yes." There was no point in denying it, especially if they might give her another one.

"Well lets go see if Victoria has any more." He offered his hand to her, clearly meaning for her to take it.

Brigid glanced out the corner of her eye to Summer, who bristled slightly but didn't make any threatening moves. So she took the boys hand and he tugged her off the bench.

Inside her hull engines started for the first time in months, boilers already lit feeding them power now that she wouldn't break in half. A small bit of power, not even a quarter ahead as her feet carefully stepped across the concrete beneath them.

It was an amazing sensation, the first step she'd taken under her own power since her back had been broken. She shuddered slightly as she wiggled her toes, engineers feeding her slightly more power. It was something she'd never expected… and it was thanks to the human. She looked down to him, he seemed much smaller now that she was on her feet. Yet there was something about him…

"You are called… Ron?" she had to purposefully think back to the various things she'd heard him called. It would be a bad way to continue ingratiating herself to call him the wrong name.

"Yup, I'm Ron. Do you have a name?" He'd let go of her hand once she stood, now standing slightly in front of her.

"I am…. Battleship Princess." Her name was her own, only shared with those she cared about. She did not care about the human, generous though he might be. They were still enemies in the long run, even if she might instead capture him instead of kill him when that time came.

Still, that caused him to smile again, the small one.

"Well Battleship Princess, it's about time for dinner so we should go back inside."

"Very well." Brigid waited for a moment as Ron stepped aside and took steps towards the door. The sound of feet behind her indicated the destroyer was still following her. They were generous, not stupid after all.

Upon realizing that Ron was not following, she stopped and turned, only to see him whispering something to the installation, which nodded back to him and looked at her with a strange eagerness that she did not like.

Ron pulled back and smiled once more, the bigger kind and turned towards her and the destroyer, only to turn back.

"Oh and one for you as well Summer. A full report please."

Summer froze for at least ten seconds, her face somehow managing to turn a light red.

"F-f-f-for m-me?" she finally managed to squeak out.

"Yes for you. It's only fair, since I'm your Yardmaster after all."

The installation nodded, the look on her face one of elation and not anger.

Brigid frowned as Ron walked towards her once more, wondering what he could have told Summer that would also involve her.

"What did you ask her for?" she asked, unable to restrain her curiosity.

Ron merely smiled at her as he opened the door, this time a mischievous one she did not think she liked.

"You'll find out soon," he said as he stepped through the door. Brigid almost reached out to stop him, only to realize that Summer was right behind her. She forced herself not to, instead following Ron out the door.

She would find out soon enough, no matter what it was. She couldn't do anything else, just take things one step at a time.

Something that was much easier now that she could actually move under her own power of course.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
AN: This one fought me quite a bit at first... then it ran away from me. Hope you all enjoyed. Next Abyssal Interlude will probably be about Summer.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A Tale of Three Tails (IV)

SS Horizon Bringer

Kingston Harbor, Caribbean Sea

1 May 2014
Spoiler: (Retired) Pirates Of The Caribbean Return

"Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego,
baby why don't we go,
Jamaica"

Norimune sang along with the Beach Boys as 'Kokomo' played through the ship as Jacklyn expertly tacked the Horizon Bringer into harbor. As the anchor rattled into the sand bottom and she threw the first lines to the handlers at the marina, she stretched with her arms over her head.

A smug smile flickered around her lips as she noticed the line handlers giving a look at her now toned and tanned avatar in her favorite Rising Sun bikini. She then turned to see Jacklyn join her in her black and white pirate themed swimsuit. "It's been a long while. This place has really grown up."

Jacklyn nodded in agreement. "Aye, it has. You were here when Port Royal was the main city, right Dad?" The cutlass pointed across the bay to the spit of land with the colonial fort that was all that was now left of the infamous free port.

Norimune laughed. "Oh yes. Pity you never made port fall there before the earthquake in 1692 sunk three quarters of it in the bay and then the fire hit in 1703 when we were rebuilding followed by that hurricane in 1722. 'Wine and women drained our wealth to such a degree that some of us became reduced to beggary. Some of my buccaneer friends have been known to spend 2 or 3,000 pieces of eight in one night; and one gave a strumpet 500 to see her naked, yes, and many other impeities'."

Jacklyn grinned smugly, "Aye, I heard the tales when I started assembling my crew in the 1730s. Sadly those days were long gone, although I have had a good carouse in taverns from Calcutta to Copenhagen in me day."

The smug grin widened as Aomi Sato appeared above decks. The Inugami was dressed in a aquamarine two piece swimsuit with white polka dots. "Be a dear, Love and put me phone on the charger and grab me hat?" Jacklyn set the phone to vibrate, and handed it to Aomi, who headed below decks with a sultry sway of her hips.

Norimune leaned in and spoke quietly. "She looks to be a good one, Jacklyn. I have had shit luck with romance, but if you find a good one, don't let them go for anything. Unlike me."

Jacklyn whispered equally quietly, "Aye, Dad. Saved her from the Yakuza in Tokyo who were trying to break her into an obedient sex slave. Hate that with a real passion." The cutlass had uncharacteristic venom in her voice.

Norimune blinked in surprise and spoke slowly. "Sounds like there is a story there, Jacklyn."

Jacklyn nodded in agreement as Aomi joined them with a floppy pirate hat in her hands. "Bit of one, Dad. After the Revolution, I got into preying on the slave trade, acting as a supplemental privateer to the West African Patrol. First time I took one of those hell ships making the Middle Passage and throwing the dead and sick overboard for the sharks trailing them; it is something that makes you make a choice. Know what I mean?"

Norimune grimaced, remembering a few incidents in her own past fights against slave owners in the American Civil War. "Yeah, you either avert your eyes and pocket the gold from selling misery or do something about it. I did something, not that it mattered in the end."

"Mattered more than you may expect, Dad." Jacklyn said with a distant look on her face. "Anyway, by oh, 1850 or so, I was pretty much doing that full time and got linked in pretty hard with the abolitionist movement out in New England. I mean it was good money with bounties on rescuing slaves and smuggling them up North from the South, but considering the looks on their faces when I got those poor black bastards to safety, I'd have done it for free. In part because by that point I'd realized that I could have ended up as one of them, since in the eyes of MACUSA I ain't human. Some of the powerful magical families back then would have sold me South to a brothel crib or a bedroom."

Norimune scowled, "Yeah, I betcha I can put names on the fuckers."

Jacklyn nodded and leaned on the rail as Aomi hugged her around the waist. "Anyway, that was where I met Jez. Turned out that she had gotten into the abolitionist movement big-time for her own reasons after her father dropped dead. She heard rumors about me description, thought that I was you and invited me to a meeting in New York City after I finished dropping off a load of rescuees."

Norimune stared in shock at her middle daughter as Jacklyn laughed and shook her head with an ear to ear grin. "Of course I had no clue who she was, apart from one hot MILF with a one-year-old in her arms and loads of money, so I tried to charm her. Didn't get into her knickers, but did find out that the baby was me half-sister Del. After that I stayed in touch with her and Del. Turned out well for us all; she invested me monies legal-like and shot me some good paying jobs every now and again. I wound up being little Del's favorite aunt and taught her about life outside the blue blood old money hoity toity set."

"No shit, Jacklyn?" Norimune's voice was sharp.

"No shit, Dad." Jacklyn turned to look Norimune in the eyes. "Still not sure why she called her little private spy network the Winters Network, but they paid good and kept me on me toes through the Civil War and then for the next century plus. Course Jez got old and Del is more or less running them these days."

"WAIT!" Norimune barked out as her voice broke. "Jezabel de Breuil was Anne Winters?"

"Sure was, Dad. I know for a fact that she busted her balls to get you off the hook with MACUSA back then. Said that she owed you big for whatever happened between you and her in the past." Jacklyn spoke with complete seriousness as her father began to weep. She then stepped over and hugged Norimune as the elder sword clung to her.

Jacklyn leaned in and whispered in Norimune's ear. "When you left America, she got drunk off her ass when she heard the news. She told me that she didn't deserve the love of a hero like you since she was too cowardly to stand up to her father back then and because she hurt you so badly by accident. She asked me to promise to help her raise Del right to be worthy to be called your child. Think Del turned out pretty well in the end."

Norimune buried her face in her middle daughter's shoulder and sobbed her heart out. Jacklyn looked at Aomi, and the Inugami moved away to give father and daughter some privacy.

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

Kingston

May 3rd, 2014 (5th week of Bacchanale)
Spoiler: Carnival in Jamaica

Norimune danced drunkenly with the other locals and a few tourists celebrating the Carnival season. Reggae music blasted through the streets as the parade wound past them to celebrate another year of inhabitation. Despite hurricanes, despite earthquakes, despite the Abyssals, Jamaica still stood and lived and defied the odds, and that was worth celebrating.

"Ball it out yuh new man put yuh back pon shelf
Tell yuh first man nuh put him foot thru yuh gate
Yuh look sweet, you can enter Miss World
From yuh buck di new man, you a glisten like pearl
Change yuh lock, gyal an hide di door key
Mek him tink she, it's still under di tree
Fling out di scandal, an bun di old clothes
Him did a kill yuh wid bun, gyal unda yuh nose."

Norimune locked eyes with Jacklyn and Aomi and grinned smugly before slamming back a bottle of Jamaica Stout Beer. She was pleasantly surprised that the brewery had survived the centuries somehow and the taste brought back memories of carouses in the past as Captain Longblade's crew painted the town red.

As the next float approached, Norimune's smile grew and she pulled her top up to flash the float. She shouted. "Bet I get more beads thrown to me than you do Jacklyn!"

"So gyal
Model pon yuh one time man cause him can't tek back weh him done did give yuh, eh eh, eh eh
Pose pon yuh one time man, yuh find a betta man an yuh know him a tek care a yuh
All a di girls
Jamaican girls dem pose pon di man
American girls dem pose pon di man
Canadian girls dem pose pon di man
English girls dem pose pon di man
Japanese girls dem pose pon di man
Model pon dem, yuh inna good condition!"

Jackie pulled her bikini top off with the hand not holding a bottle of Pusser's Rum and shouted back. "YOU'RE ON DAD!"

Aomi grinned and showed her breasts to the float too as the first beads were tossed to the girls in the street party.

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

SS Horizon Bringer

Approaching The Serranilla Bank In The Caribbean Sea

May 6th, 2014
Spoiler: A Nodachi's Call

Norimune drained a bottle of Jamaica Stout Beer and then tossed it into the weighted canvas sack that was being used to hold the garbage. The rising sun painted the approaching clouds red and she squinted to the east, muttering to herself "Red Sun At Morning, Sailor Take Warning."

She chuckled to herself as she shifted course slightly to take advantage of the freshening breeze propelling the ship back to Panama. Chances were by the time that squall line got close enough to matter, Jacklyn and Aomi would have gotten done 'testing the mattress in their bunk' and joined her on deck.

She could hardly blame her daughter for her appetites.

Norimune admitted to herself that Aomi was the kind of girl that she would not have kicked out of the Captain's cabin aboard the Impenitent back in the day

Just like Sally Gray.

Just like Jezabel de Breuil.

Just like... Julie d'Aubigny.

She scowled as she fished for another beer, mentally deciding that the ice chest with the bottles would last until Jacklyn got to deck and allowed her to head below and refill it.

Julie d'Aubigny.

Colombe d'Aubigny du Chasteler.

She had two daughters who accepted her in their own ways and even cared for her.

Delilah and Jacklyn turned out all right, and two of three was pretty good, right?

Words hissed in a rage and pain filled voice from a tear streaked face echoed in her memory.

"You abandoned my mother! You abandoned ME! Why, Father?! Was I not good enough for you?!?"

Norimune sighed and squinted at the rising sun. She whispered to herself as her tears glimmered. "No, I was the one who was not good enough for you, Colombe. How can I tell you that?"

She shook her head as a rather bleary eyed and naked Jacklyn climbed out of the hatch. "Mornin' Dad. What's up?"

Norimune turned to her daughter as she realized that she was almost out of beer. "Storm coming from the east, be here in two hours give or take. Wind's freshening and came around three points off the bow." She paused, and fished the last bottle of beer out of the ice chest.

"Just thinking, Jacklyn. Just thinking about the past, about my mistakes. About family and wondering what I would do differently if I had the chance to go back." She spoke absently, feeling nervous for some reason.

Jacklyn nodded and took the wheel. "My watch, Dad. Do me a favor and head below to grab a refill on booze? Feeling today will be a bit choppy."

Norimune nodded. "I'm on it, Jacklyn. And thanks. For everything."

"Anytime, Dad, anytime."

Belowdecks, a phone vibrated with an incoming call from Belgium as Norimune reached the hatch.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N.-This immediately follows and builds upon - A Storm At Malfoy House

Insight After A Storm

Malfoy Manor

28 June, 2014
Spoiler: Conversations In The Library

Ehren du Chasteler finished wiping tear streaks from her face and handed the handkerchief back to Niobe. The German protected cruiser shipgirl placed the used cloth back in her hold to be cleaned by her crew and then cuddled up to Draco as he blew his nose with his own handkerchief.

Ehren took a deep breath and reached down to the floor where the book now rested where she dropped it when the storm outside had triggered her flashback of Verdun. "Thank you both for responding to the sounds of my distress."

Niobe smiled and leaned in to hug Ehren, "Thank Draco. He heard you and wished to investigate. I... had my own flashback to deal with."

Ehren turned to the fourteen year old wizard and bowed her head in gratitude. "My thanks, Cousin Draco. I shall have to research mechanisms to cope with the damage that Verdun inflicted on my soul and sanity now. One more thing to do." She sighed as her brow furrowed.

Draco nodded. "I know a recipe for calming potions that Professor Snape said worked well on people who had been through traumatic events such as a Dementor attack. We are looking to take steps to produce them for the muggles once the Statute of Secrecy comes down, since they were developed in part to deal with shell shock cases in the 1920s. Some wizards fought in the Great War after all, such as your mother and my ancestors."

Ehren smiled gratefully and began to gather her hair into a ponytail. "That would be appreciated. Thank you once again."

Draco nodded and cast about for a subject change. "So, what were you reading?"

Ehren smiled slightly. "Research, in a word. Since we know little about you, I decided to read a few old diaries to get a better feel for the family traditions and history." She gestured at the wood-paneled library where they sat. "So I asked the house-elf where the family historical papers were kept, and managed to deal with the warding on the shelves."

Draco blinked and looked over at the faintly glowing shelves in question. "Don't try that with the spell books."

"I do not plan to test those wards. But the diaries and so forth use the same alarm and warding spell that Mutti uses for her private papers and," Ehren blushed slightly, "some of her adult books back home."

Draco gave a crooked smile. "Oh really?" Beside him, Niobe gave a fond sigh.

"Ja." Ehren elaborated. "I spent decades on Mutti's desk, so saw her put the wards into place after Claire manifested. So I of course noticed how she took them down when she wished to read one of her Lyra Potter novels."

Draco leaned forward. "Wait. Your mother said that you have not been manifested two years."

Ehren nodded. "That is correct, but awakening is a gradual process. I am led to believe that it is the same for shipgirls insofar as they remember what happened when they were a ship before they manifest their spirit."

Niobe nodded. "Ja. That is correct. I can remember the declaration of war against the Entente in 1914."

"Ach, so." Ehren paused, and then took a deep breath, speaking in a flatly controlled voice. "For me, my first coherent memory is being presented to Vati upon his graduation from SS-Junkerschule on November 9th, 1937." Ehren's voice filled with icy hatred and her eyes were as hard as diamonds as she continued. "By Adolf Hitler personally for being first in his class."

Niobe winced, and then moved around to hug the rigid form of Ehren. "I count myself fortunate that I was sold to Yugoslavia before that man took power in Germany, Ehren."

"Danke." Ehren responded and closed her eyes. "I was part of a special commission for twelve hand-crafted daggers to be annually awarded to the top three graduates at Bad Tölz. I can only hope that my sisters and brothers find the truth of the lies that they were fed as I have."

Draco took a deep breath. "I am sure that you will be there for them when they manifest Ehren." Niobe made a sound of agreement as she gave Ehren a squeeze and then returned to Draco's side.

"Thank you for your kind words, Cousin." Ehren opened her eyes. "But one way for items to manifest their spirits is to be touched or used by a person of significance in history. Claire manifested a century to the very day after Claude Debussy played her. I.... You now know. Regardless, while I was unable to manifest myself, I was somewhat aware of my surroundings. Since I shared the study with Mutti and Claire ever since I arrived at Moulbaix, I spent decades observing them and thinking."

Draco nodded and leaned into Niobe's side as they sat together on the sofa. "That makes sense. So you learned Colombe's spell work from that observation."

"Exactly. So I deduced that the ward spells on the shelves were not beyond Mutti's spell that she uses to unlock access to her private papers. So I did that and then grabbed this diary."

"May I see it, Cousin?" Draco asked with clear concern in his voice as Niobe looked in with clear interest.

"Of course." Ehren handed it over.

"Hmm, this is Great-grandfather Cassius Malfoy." Draco examined the heraldry stamped into the black leather, then waved his wand and breathed a sign of relief.

"What is wrong, Cousin?" Ehren asked.

Draco took a deep breath, then held the diary in his lap. "It is just, a year ago, there was a diary at Hogwarts that contained a soul fragment of...."

He paused as his face turned ashen. He then swallowed and continued, "The student who would grow up to be He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. His diary possessed a girl there and used her to control the basilisk that nearly killed me. I... don't want to go through that again."

Ehren leaned in to join Niobe in hugging Draco as the Malfoy boy shook slightly. "I can understand your concern, Cousin. I was unaware such things exist."

"Few are." Draco responded tightly. "According to Father, it was an Dark Object called a Horcrux that is formed by an act of cold-blooded betrayal and murder, among other things. Tom Riddle killed a girl while at Hogwarts to empower it during World War Two. But the part of him in there nearly killed me and others before Harry Potter destroyed it."

Ehren nodded sharply. "With your permission, I shall notify Mutti about this since she may know more. I know little of her experiences, save that she has gotten into more trouble than any one person should believe is possible."

Draco idly flipped through the diary as he nodded in response. "Please ask her to share any insights with Father."

Ehren puckered her lips thoughtfully. "I shall." She glanced over at Draco curiously. "Anything of interest there?"

Draco's jaw dropped. "I don't believe it. Listen. 'March 5th, 1899. Received word from the Continent that Cousin du Chasteler was assaulted by parties unknown. I warned the fool that trying to be that overt about power and influence among the muggle nobility would backfire badly. Now where am I supposed to get my mokele-mbembe blood for potion-crafting since it slays with the terror of its multi-eyed gaze?' That isn't your mother, is it, Ehren?"

Ehren frowned. "Nein. Mutti had come home from her first African trip then when she explored the Congo and was gearing up to do her second expedition where she met Kasuyu."

The dagger paused and then her eyes narrowed. "Wait. I remember a family tree. She had a great grandnephew, Hippolyte, who died in 1899 at the age of sixty-eight. He was the last legitimate blood heir of Grandpapa and with his death the title and lands passed to Mutti."

Draco flipped ahead in the book as Ehren and Niobe peeked over his shoulders. "It must be this Hippolyte du Chasteler. Here we are. 'May 15th, 1899. Colombe du Chasteler reported at a dinner party at Passel House. She took offense to Corvus Lestrange and nearly gutted him in a duel. Foolish of him to challenge an immortal sorceress with her ICW rap sheet no matter how good looking or rich she is, but Corvus was always a bullock in breeding season. She may be looking to track down and murder the people who profited from Hippolyte's use of slaves to harvest reagents from the Congo. I do not plan to have her find me. Juliette has been heavily hinting that she wishes to see her family in Provence again, and we leave to take the waters in the south of France tomorrow. I have already dispatched an owl to the Ministry to start the manhunt for that damned woman. She has been nothing but trouble for our business enterprises ever since the first time that Hippolyte tried to have her killed after she returned from the Orient.' Wow. Just...wow."

Ehren blinked and reread the handwritten lines. She frowned in thought, idly rubbing her collar tab with her thumb before finally speaking. "I won't tell Mutti if you don't, Draco. Let's keep it our little secret. I would prefer not to have you and I on opposite sides, especially since this is a century and more past. Let us let bygones be bygones."

Draco nodded in agreement and handed the diary to Niobe. "Please keep that safe?"

Niobe nodded and placed it in a safe in her hull. "Of course, Liebchen."

He then turned to Ehren and extended his hand. "Considering what little I have read, I cannot say that your mother was wrong to kill her grandnephew. If he was trying to have her killed... well sometimes the family needs a little purging to keep a member from destroying us, according to Father. He gets a bit vague when talking about Grandfather."

Ehren nodded slowly in agreement as she shook the offered hand. "Ja. My own family is known to have disputes over the proper course of events. According to Grandmother Norimune, it is quite common among us Muramasas." She grinned smugly. "After all, my oldest sister Ying fought Grandmother Norimune in 1941 when their countries went to war. According to Grandmother, Ying nearly punched her ticket too, but now they get along reasonably well."

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord Khuzdul

Hızır raised his head from his despair and smiled serenely. "Well, since the fun is over, let's come back to politics. Okay, we did not contact the shipgirls directly yet, but I believe all of us here are aware of Yavuz getting unhappy by the minute. Korkut?"

"As well as expected. The current government is so contrary to her principles, I am surprised she did not do something before. Trying to turn the fate of Reşadiye and Sultan Osman into a political pissing match when it was clearly obvious they just wanted to come home? I thought Yavuz was going to march into the Assembly and twist his head off like a bottlecap, the way she looked during that interview."

"What about her backing?" Sinbad leaned forward.

Schehrazade smiled. "Her pointman in that regard is Hamidiye. Her being natural born is very helpful - she knows people who know people, apparently. And since she is obsolete to hell and beyond, she has a lot of time to do trafficking. A few people she picked up apparently even have contacts on the magical side. That businessman from Ödemiş, who set up the gun factory in Kemalpaşa, Mehmet Çakır, I think is the name? That's one well-connected fellow on both sides of the divide. That's another mystery by itself. A lot of the people I am discovering, especially the ones from the Aegean, are quite strange indeed. They seem to have no history beyond somewhere around the 70s-80s, but rise to prominence quickly after that. Actually, the oldest among them is a bit further back. Mehmet Atçalı seems to be around since at least the mid-20s, but you know how records were back then. I have no idea who these people are. Hamidiye seems to have a knack for finding and connecting with these people though. The man she arranged to take over the catering of the base is one of them as well, Ali Yörük. It drives me crazy."

Korkut started laughing at that. "And it should, my dear. Because you are right in one regard. These people were not really around before the dates you say they have emerged, at least not as they are. I have been looking into it myself." He leaned forward. "Bit of an obscure Turkish history trivia, they are. But think about the names. Mehmet Çakır. Ali Yörük. Hüseyin Gökçen. Mehmet Demirci. İbrahim Akıncı. Even though last one is a bit of an outlier, do they ring a bell?"

Schehrazade leaned back and scratched her chin as she thought. Others could see the gears of her prodigious mind turning as she connected the dots and then slapped her forehead. "How did I missed that one? They weren't even hiding that deeply! But how? I thought those men were entirely human, mundane even?"

Korkut sat back. "I was wondering the same until I met Hüseyin Gökçen a few months ago. Hearing about that tea set in Japan made it click for me. They are not the Efes themselves. They are the weapons of the Efes."

Hızır got a smile at that. "They are, aren't they. Not surprised. 'A touch of history', and those men are exactly that. And don't think there was no touch of magic itself in their lives. Nobody who travels the mountains of the Aegean avoids it. And apparently Hamidiye has a knack for collecting them. And now they are acting as her proxies, and through her Yavuz's, around the country to prepare for something."

Schehrazade scratched her chin again. "Actually, I have some concerns about her as well. She is a natural born, we know that, but her job history is weird. Former MIT agent? You know that organization was riddled with moles and nationalist nutcases, right? Her history before somewhere around mid-90s sounds fake. What was she doing before that? I swear, if I did not know better, I would have said she was a tsukumogami as well. But tsukumogami cannot be shipgirls, as far as we know."

Hızır shook his head. "Her background is a concern indeed. But she is obviously as pissed at the government as Yavuz is, and willing to support her at that. And we need that government go down before SoS does, because I don't think Erdoğan's natural instincts regarding politics would really serve us well to integrate the ongoing crisis situation that is the Turkish Ministry of Magic."

Korkut sat back. "Well, I arranged a couple of involved parties to join us here today about that. They should arrive... well, just about now." He grinned as he looked at Hızır. "I might have pulled a you to arrange that." Hızır sighed.

At that moment, the bell of the door jangled as it was opened, and a stout, balding, middle aged man with an English style mustache walked in with a wary look in his eyes, followed by a teenage-looking, black haired girl bouncing behind him.

Hızır looked up at their entrance, and smiled serenely. "Come in, friends, and have a tea. We were expecting you for this bit..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Regina looked at the odd thing in her hands for a few moments as her, Shinano, and Harry sat at a table in the Three Broomsticks where they had gone for lunch. It looked like one of those turnovers that some of the American shipgirls made. She remembered White Plains making one that was really good. But there was two small holes in the top and it was larger than the normal ones she was used to as well.

Glancing at Shinano who had taken one from Harry's plate as offered, the Abyssal opened her mouth and bit down. Briefly, her teeth dug into the flaky crust with a crunch before reaching the core with the meaty taste exploding across her tongue. Cooked steak, some sort of sauce, and onions, part of her mind told her.

The rest though was too busy thinking about how good it tasted.

From where he sat, Harry gave a small chuckle after swallowing a bite, "Don't think that I need to ask if you like the bridie, Regina." Glancing to the side, he snickered some more, "Or you, Shinano-Chan."

Lightly blushing, the Carrier swallowed the mouthful before sheepishly smiling, "Um, no, it's pretty good, Harry-Chan." Licking her finger some, she took another, "Is it hard to make?"

Head cocked to the side, Harry gave a small shrug, "Depends actually." Finishing off the last bit of his, he continued, "They're a flaky crust with minced steak, beef suet, and onions for some." Pointing at one, which had a single hole, the teen nodded, "You can tell which ones which by the holes. One hole means that it is just steak and suet. Two means onions have been added."

Blinking, the Carrier considered that before nodding, "That makes sense, Harry-Chan. A lot of sense."

Only humming, Harry picked up another pastry. But instead of eating it himself, he held it up to Regina's tail which sniffed it, "Here you go. Figured that you might want some."

Unnoticed by him, various others outside their group just stared. Meanwhile, Regina's tail considered the food in front of it before opening its mouth. Then, with a gentleness, took the treat from Harry's hand and closed it's mouth over it. From said mouth crunching sounds could be heard as it chewed, before it swallowed and gave a chuckling Harry a nuzzle while purring.

Said sight made Regina blush a little, but also smile happily. Especially when her tail laid itself in Harry's lap, still purring, "Um, I think that she liked that, Harry."

More amused than anything else, Harry chuckled as he gently scratched the tail's head, "Seems like it." Taking another pastry, this time for himself, he looked around at the others, "Are you enjoying your lunch as well?"

Hamakaze swallowed the bite of food in her mouth and gave him one of her small smiles, "Hai, Harry-Chan. The food is quite good as a matter of fact."

Beside her, Urakaze nodded as she set down a mug and wiped her lips, "Ah... and this Butterbeer is also good." Cocking her head to the side, she frowned, "Shinano-Sama mentioned that you knew how to make it?"

With a small shrug, Harry nodded, "Hai, I do as a matter of fact. Not that hard when one gets down to it."

Finishing off Cornish Pasty, Rainy Spring smacked her lips, "These are really, really good, Big Sister." Getting a nod from Regina who was eating another bridie, she tapped her finger, "I wonder if anyone back home could make these?"

The Re-Class considered that for a few moments before she gave a shrug, "Um, I don't know? But they might be able to."

Both Rainy Spring and Clover glanced at each other before shrugging and going back to eating.

It was not long afterwards, they left the tavern behind and began walking along the streets again. None of them were really in a huge rush to get anywhere in particular, and it was a nice day after all. The sort of spring day that people enjoyed when it happened, where the Sun was warm, but not to warm, and there was a nice, refreshing breeze as puffy white clouds made their way across the sky overhead. Various people around them hawked their wares from stands on the side of the streets as they walked past.

Eventually, Harry glanced up at the two young women who held his hands and gave theirs a small squeeze, "Shinano-Chan? Regina? Is there anywhere that you two would like to go?"

Somewhat to his amusement, the two of them blinked before considering the question and looking at each other in thought. Finally, Shinano chewed her lip a little, "Um... Louisiana-Chan mentioned some place here for clothes that fit...?"

With a blink, Harry gave a nod and chuckled, "Gladrags it is." At Regina's curious look, he shrugged a little, "There's a clothing shop in the village named Gladrags and it has all sorts of clothing. And because they can use magic to shrink or expand them, it can fit any size." The thirteen year old motioned with one hand, "Regalia actually got some clothes as well there."

At that, Regina's eyes widened a bit before she glanced at herself and Shinano, "It is a bit hard to get clothes..." Perking up, she turned to her two escorts, "And we can get some for you as well, Rainy Spring, Clover!"

Just blinking, the two Abyssals looked utterly lost at that and glanced at each other. Finally, Rainy Spring spoke up and looked at herself, "Clothes?"

More than able to tell that it was an honest question by her tone, Harry gave the two a once over before frowning, "Aren't those yours?"

Only shaking her head, Rainy Spring frowned, "No? I borrowed mine from one of the Tsu-Class, Tsuzanna." Confused, she scratched her head, "Is... is that a bad thing? We have our uniforms after all."

However, Regina shook her head and wagged a finger, "Both of you should have your own clothes and not need to borrow. That way you can look nice at times when you want to relax out of your usual uniforms after all." Pausing, she blushed a little and scuffed her hoof on the ground, "Oh, um... that's what I think anyways."

Still confused, the two Abyssal Destroyers looked at each other. Back when they were just normal Destroyers, they didn't really worry all too much about clothes after all. Sure, some of them had figured out how to get false flowers and ribbons with magnets onto their hulls to look 'Cute', but that was a bit different than clothes. And while Wanko had gifted them with humanoid avatars a while back before ascending them, that was something different as they had uniforms as well. Were clothes really that big of a deal...?

Of course, that was when the two remembered one visit to the port of Darwin with Regina. They had been at the waterfront as normal Abyssal Destroyers when they had overheard some human females talking about shopping for more clothes. So maybe it was important?

For some reason anyways...

After a few moments, Clover gave a small nod and a smile, "Okay, Big Sister. If you think that we should get new clothes, then we will."

Relaxing as Rainy Spring agreed, Regina smiled back, "Thank you, I think that you'll feel good looking nice."

Due to turning, she missed the two Abyssal Destroyers giving each other a confused shrug. It did not take them long to reach the store in question and they walked in to find lots of clothes on display. Eyes widening, Isokaze stared a little, "When you said that it was a good clothing store... I didn't imagine this."

Beside her, Hamakaze nodded a little, "Agreed..."

Placing his hands into his pockets, Harry chuckled some and gave them both a lop sided smile, "Well, if you want it, go ahead, I'll pay." The two Destroyers stared at him and he shrugged, "What? Not like I don't have the money, and you're friends. And, um... I know how hard it can be for you back in Japan." The two Destroyers blinked for a moment before softly smiling and glancing at Shinano. Softly smiling, the Carrier nodded and the two kissed Harry on the cheek, which made him blink, "Um..."

Lips twitching, Regina giggled behind her hand and shook her head, 'Harry...'

However, her giggles stopped as the thirteen year old looked at her and smiled, "And that includes you as well, Regina. Also Rainy Spring and Clover as well if they find something."

For several seconds, Regina stared at him before she leaned in and kissed his cheek, "Thank you, Harry."

It was then that Harry spotted a witch heading towards them and smiled some, "Abagail!"

With a light laugh, Abagail grinned at him, "Back again, are we?" Glancing at the others, she nodded, "And with some new customers, I hope?"

Just chuckling, Harry placed his hands behind his head, "Got it in one, Abagail. Back home it can be a little hard for them, you know?"

Bemused, she nodded in reply as she looked over Regina and Shinano, "I can imagine." As Abagail's gaze came to Hamakaze, Isokaze, and Urakaze though, she blinked, 'Yeah... what are they feeding girls nowadays? And why wasn't it around when I was younger... or is this a shipgirl thing?' Shaking her head, the witch smiled and clapped her hands, "Well then, shall we get started?"

Still lost, about why it was a big deal, Clover cleared her throat and looked at Abagail, "Is it really important?"

Understanding the question, the employee smiled some and shook her head, "It is, as a matter of fact. If one looks good, then they can feel good about themselves. Also, it helps to show off that you are a good looking woman to someone. And depending on the fashion, honey? It can really attract someone's attention..."

Currently, in Japan, it was closing in on nearly ten at night and Norihara stretched a bit as she felt some of her joints pop. The clinic was now closed after all, and there was no real emergencies for her to deal with. Which meant that the rest of the night was hers and Tanya... and didn't that name cause some thoughts to bubble up. Especially now that Tanya was fully able to move around and had worked hard at being capable of doing so over the previous months.

Which meant that Tanya was no longer her patient, something that the Ta-Class pointed out to her.

Norihara was not quite sure what to think about that, and considering some thoughts that rose up in her mind, she didn't really want to. Despite being able to move around, Tanya still slept in the same bed as her, often with the doctor waking to find that sometime during the night, the Abyssal had come to spoon her. It didn't bother her... or, rather, some of it did, such as how safe she felt when she woke to find said arms around her.

Quickly, Norihara shook her head free of that and glanced around with a small frown. Tanya had gone out earlier with one of the shipgirls escorting her and had returned just an hour before. For one of the few times, the Ta-Class had shot her an odd look that made her blush for some reason, though there was nervousness in that gaze as well. Now? Norihara cleared her throat, "Tanya? Where are you?"

Moments later, her friend's voice came drifting from their room, "Ah, Norihara just... wait a few moments. I have something... to show you."

Leaning against the wall, Norihara smiled and did so. When the door opened, she pushed off of it, "Well? Did you get some new... clothes..."

For once, Norihara was stunned as she watched Tanya come out from the room wearing a business outfit. The Battleship's hair was done up in a bun and there was a pair of cute glasses perched on her nose. As well, under the jacket, her white blouse strained a bit at the... fuel tanks... that were underneath it. She also wore a black, pencil skirt and from said skirt came Tanya's legs. While Norihara had known her friend was attractive, the pantyhose, done up perfectly, made sure that one could see, and had their attention drawn to the fact that she had long, toned legs after getting them back up to snuff. Said feet ended in black, platform shoes that shone in the light.

It took a few seconds, or maybe a minute, but the doctor managed to bring her gaze up to meet Tanya's, "I... it looks good, Tanya."

Brightly smiling, Tanya looked a little bit bashful, "Ah, I'm glad... I was told that these are the clothes that one wears as a receptionist..."

Fingers twitching, Norihara swallowed and smiled, "Right, they look very good on you."

The Abyssal blinked and tilted her head a little bit.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A Courtship in Emerald (I)

June 2nd, 1944

Potter Manor
Spoiler: Departing For A Crusade In Europe

The guttering jade-green flames slowly subsiding in the fireplace illuminated tear tracks on the pair of women looking at the fireplace. A wordless sigh filled the room as they returned to the normal red-orange of non-magical fire.

The older of the two, her hair completely white and her face lined with age, leaned on her cane heavily. One wrinkled hand caressed the hilt of the kyu gunto at her side gently as she turned to the young woman next to her.

Zamarad wiped the flashing fiery droplets of her tears from her cheeks with one hand as she stared at the fireplace where Colombe du Chasteler and Delilah de Breuil had just Flooed away to participate in the opening of the Second Front. Her other hand clenched the gold and ruby ring binding her where it rested on a chain around her neck. Her emerald eyes shadowed as she remembered Delilah's actions early that morning.
Spoiler: Ifrit and Revolver

The Muramasa revolver's avatar gently found her hand as they cuddled together in bed spooned against each other. The delightfully cool fingers squeezed hers, sending a flash of heat through her body as she pressed herself further into the reassuring, steadying, solid coolness of her lover.

She felt the American's cool lips find her ear and shivered with anticipation. But instead of a questing tongue, she heard a pained sigh. "Zamarad. I wish with all my heart that I did not have to say this...." Delilah's voice was heartbroken under the control filling her voice, and Zamarad closed her eyes in turn, nodding slightly.

"The meeting yesterday..." The Ifrit spoke quietly. "It is time then?"

Delilah shifted, pressing herself closer. "It is. I cannot tell you where or when, but the Second Front will be opened soon. And as part of that, I will be leaving to a forward base alongside Sis. After that... I don't know when, or even if I shall return. I have faith in our ultimate victory, and the righteousness of the cause of Freedom...."

Zamarad rolled onto her back, keeping hold of Delilah's hand so that she could look into the tear-filled leaf-green eyes. "I understand. You would not be what you are if you did not hold your principles above yourself, Shaelat ruwhi. And I could not have developed these feelings that warm me beyond even the greatest fire that I have ever known if you were not what you are. You must go forth to fight for the Freedom which you hold so dear, even at the risk of departing from my embrace forever."

Delilah nodded sharply as her first tears fell to vanish with a hiss of steam as they fell onto the Ifrit's bare skin. "You know me better than I know myself, Zamarad. I have already written Mother to make the needed arrangements in case I am called upon to give the last full measure of devotion. Only one thing remains to be done for you."

With that Delilah pulled the golden necklace holding the controlling ring that enslaved the Ifrit from her neck and placed it in Zamarad's hand, closing the Ifrit's fist around it. "If I do not come back, I want you to find a way to free yourself from that damned ring the Nazis enslaved you to. Mother is aware of it and has promised to assist you as a last request from me, and you know Colombe and Lyra. Jackie will be little help, almost all the magic she knows is with ships and the Sea."

Zamarad stared into the eyes of Delilah as they once again filled with the warming, liberating fire of her belief in the Declaration of Independence and swallowed as she nodded. "I promise Delilah. But I also promise that unless you die, I shall hold this ring in trust for you to return and free me from so I can give you a true answer to our feelings for each other. Return to my arms, Shaelat ruwhi."

Delilah nodded and spoke solemnly, "I promise to do my utmost to return to you when the war is won, or before then if possible, Zamarad aibnatu Alnaar."

With that she leaned in and kissed Zamarad hard and passionately. Zamarad's eyes opened in brief surprise, then half-hooded as her tongue of flame began to fence with the cool steel of the invader in her eagerly waiting mouth....
Spoiler: Breakfast Tea For Three

The door to the Floo room opening interrupted the blushing Ifrit's trip through the memories of that last desperate, passionate, needy joining of her spirit to that of another. She turned to see an apparent House-Elf enter with a tray with two steaming pots and biscuits. "Missus Pervert, Missus Flamey, Stabby is here with breakfasts."

Lyra wiped tears from her cheeks and wagged a finger at the elf. "Sabah, Colombe and Delilah have left to go to battle. Henry is already gone. There is no need to play the elf."

With that the house elf blurred and shifted into the form of a dusky-skinned young-seeming woman dressed in the shalwar kumeez baggy tunic and loose trousers of a Persian girl. Dark eyes glittered in a face that seemed to almost be that of a hawk with the intense stare and sharp motions of the owner. "Tea then, Mistress Lyra?"

Lyra nodded. "Tea, yes. Zamarad?"

The Ifrit sat beside Lyra. "Coffee please, Sabah. Coffee and poetry for me, since my heart is elsewhere."

Lyra sighed deeply. "Our hearts, Zamarad, our hearts. Sabah, where are the others?"

Sabah bowed bonelessly as she placed the tea and biscuits for Lyra. "Catherine is praying of course. Afterward she plans to spend time with Miss du Chasteler's dagger."

Lyra paused in spooning honey into her tea. "Oh?"

Sabah poured a small cup of strong Turkish coffee for herself and Zamarad. "She feels that the spirit of that dagger will manifest in due course, just like Tsukiakari. And...she wishes to try to wean her away from the hateful ideology that she was crafted to serve."

Lyra sipped her tea. "I see. And why has she not spoken to Colombe about it?"

Sabah shrugged and sipped her coffee. "Two reasons. First, Catherine says that she received instructions while praying to keep her manifestation quiet while serving as a hidden backup for me. Second," the scimitar shook her head, "Miss du Chasteler is French and would react excessively to who Catherine is and who she embodies. Catherine would be terribly embarrassed by someone who she thinks of just as much a warrior for France as herself kissing her feet. Once France is liberated... then perhaps, although she really does not want to get involved in the politics of the Free French government. And Miss du Chasteler is tied in with some of the resistance groups. Plus MACUSA in the presence of her sister Miss de Breuil. While de Breuil seems to be reasonable, other elements in MACUSA have been throwing their weight around."

Lyra nodded. "Hence you and Catherine asking myself and Zamarad to be sworn to secrecy regarding your activities. And Zamarad only came into the secret when she saw through your disguise that afternoon when she went to visit me in the library as I talked to you while Delilah and Colombe were recuperating after rescuing her."

Sabah smiled thinly and sipped her coffee. "I did not expect a jinn to be present so was unprepared for her to manifest from the fireplace."

Zamarad smiled and popped a wood chip into her mouth to burn. "No harm done. My thanks for directing me to the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám. It is certainly thought provoking, like all good poetry should be."

With that the Ifrit grinned and quoted from the first edition printing of the translation of the Persian poet.

"Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse—and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness—
And Wilderness is Paradise enow."

Sabah's eyes glittered happily in fond memory, "it was quite the gift for young Master Ian to find for me to enjoy shortly before he left for the Orient."

Zamarad nodded in agreement and took another chip of wood. "Indeed, since poetry is thoughts that breathe and words that burn in our souls. And now we wait and watch for our loved ones to return from the battlefield." Lyra sighed and nodded sadly as she watched the Nizari Shi'a scimitar and the Maliki Sunni Ifrit renew their talks over coffee, juice, and food.

Sabah cocked her head. "You speak of de Breuil then?"

Zamarad nodded enthusiastically. "I do. Once the war is over, she intends to free me from the ring that binds me. When that happens and she is not constrained by any form of coercion over me," the Ifrit blushed a fiery rose in her cheeks and continued, "I shall see about my father setting a proper dowry for our relationship."

Sabah rubbed her chin before sipping her coffee. "A marriage then? You think of her that highly?"

Zamarad's blush deepened. "I do. Also, I wish this to go no further, but when my mother married my father, a prophecy was given. I was told as a girl that I was fated to wed a hero of legend, but a hero from the Children of Earth. Which is partly why I have been trained as a warrior as well as a poetess and wife. For I shall fight alongside that hero in their battles against the forces of Iblis."

Lyra grinned and pulled out her notebook. "That sounds like a perfect setup for Lady Chastity to have another adventure. Minus the marriage of course, and I will change the details that we are sworn never to reveal to make it a better story. Hmm, Lady Chastity and the Sultana of the Sands?"

Sabah hastily stood and drained her coffee cup. The scimitar's avatar was blushing deeply. "I shall check on matters and see how Catherine is doing, Missus Pervert."

Lyra grinned crookedly. "Don't be afraid to enlist Andraste to help you check on matters, Sabah."

As the scarlet-faced Ḥashashiyan fled what she could tell was about to come, Lyra giggled throatily. "Now, Zamarad, the normal deal. You tell me the details of what you and Deilah did, and I'll help by giving you tips and instructions to make next time even more pleasurable for when she returns. Plus the normal signed first edition like I give Colombe."

The Ifrit nodded eagerly. "Agreed, Lyra."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Pale fingers worked at the set of buttons and, with a final click of the last button, gently brushed across the black leather that made it up. With a blink, Regina took a deep breath and turned to face the full length mirror before her. Unlike most in change rooms, it actually was long enough that it caught her whole body in it. Granted, the Re-Class did jump a little as the mirror spoke, "You like positively lovely, deary. Dark colors really do go with that pale skin and hair of yours."

Lightly blushing, Regina smiled a little, "Er, thank you?"

A soft, throaty chuckle came from the mirror, "Think nothing of it, my dear. Just seeing someone find clothes that they like and look good on them is enough. And that outfit is positively you." The mirror's voice then lowered a touch, "Now you go out there and strut your stuff, girlfriend!"

Blushing a little more, the Re-Class hummed a bit before turning and opening the door. As she did so, her eyes met those of Shinano as well as Harry's and she took a few steps out, "Um, what do you think?"

The two, Harry and Shinano, examined Regina who stood there. She wore a cotton shirt with the sleeves coming partway down her bicep. And covering that was a bodice style vest with a row of shiny silver buttons that secured it close. Humming, Shinano got up and walked over to her friend and looked her over from different angles. One thing that she noted was that the bodice made her seem a bit... smaller in the chest department than normal.

Head tilting to the side, the Carrier frowned, "Is it too tight?"

Considering the question, Regina twisted first one way and then another before shaking her head, "Not really? It is actually sort of comfortable."

Several chuckles made them turn to find that Abigail was walking towards them with a nod, "And so they should be." Reaching Regina, she tested out various parts of the fit before being sure of the fit, "Despite what some might think due to their appearence to a corset, a bodice is generally comfortable. After all, they don't have whalebone providing stiffness in places. Especially as they're worn outside clothes."

Eyebrows furrowing, the Abyssal frowned, "Whalebone?"

Glancing at her, Abigail shook her head, "Not actual bone, but rather the beleen. We at Gladrags actually have harvested it from dead whales that wash up on the shore that we know the Muggles will get rid of. Makes it a lot easier... anyways, that's corsets, not bodices like these." Finger on her chin, she gave the Re-Class a once over, "My dear, those colors are really good on you."

A soft smile on her face, Regina nodded, "That's what the mirror said."

With a chuckle, Harry shook his head and smiled before giving a thumbs up, "Well, the mirror is right, Regina. That really does look great on you."

Blushing, though with a happy smile on her face, she nodded, "Thank you, Harry." Regina turned to the small amount of clothes with a thoughtful look, "Maybe one of the dark blues...? What do you think, Harry?"

While Harry and Regina chatted, Shinano leaned towards Abigail, "Um... I noticed that it made Regina-Chan's fuel tanks seem, er..." The Carrier gestured at her own chest, "Smaller?"

Lips twitching, though she felt a small burst of jealousy at the Yamato in front of her as well as the Re-Class, Abigail nodded, "Perfectly normal with that style of bodice actually. Depending on the style of the one that you buy, it can make one seem smaller... or empathisize the chest area and make one seem larger. We do add cushioning charms and the like though so that it is comfortable, especially for those with larger than normal chests."

Eyes widening, Shinano chewed her lip some, "I-it can?" At her nod, though part of her noted that the sales representative seemed to be becoming confused, she leaned in, "Could... could you help me pick out some like Regina-Chan's? So that I can, um... look more like a proper Carrier?"

Slowly, the witch blinked a little, 'More like a Carrier...? I... what?' Abigail could remember what she had seen when she looked up shipgirls, in particular Carriers. But the question was worded as if... it was not quite what she was thinking of. Clearing her throat, she leaned in and lowered her voice, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Flushing, Shinano shifted from one foot to the other, "I-I mean... make me, you know... flatter?"

That made Abigail blink as her mind came to a halt. After all, she was used to having women, especially the younger ones, want to make what they had seem bigger. Having someone ask her to help make it look smaller was... different. However, the witch shook it off and smiled, "I will see what I can do, Miss Shinano. Now, what sort of colors are you looking for?"

With a glance at Harry, the Yamato turned back to the sales representative, "M-maybe a nice green? Or another light color?"

Having followed the shipgirl's gaze, Abigail had to hold back a chuckle. Not only would it not be professional, but it would also very likely embarrass the young woman before her. That said, later, she would likely coo about it in her bedroom when remembering. Gently placing an hand on Shinano's shoulder, she smiled, "Let's go and have a look, okay?"

It was then, as she was nodding, that Shinano realized something, "Um, what about Hamakaze-Chan and the others?"

Lips twitching, Abigail chuckled that time, "They're in the more... private... area of the store where young Mister Potter does not belong."

Eyebrows furrowing, and about to ask more, Shinano suddenly knew where she meant and blushed, "R-right..."

Meanwhile, in said part of the store, Isokaze watched the silver haired form of her sister do various movements with her body. As Hamakaze finished doing jumping jacks, she cocked an eyebrow, "Well?"

Brushing her shirt down, Hamakaze considered things and then softly smiled before nodding, "These are... very comfortable." She brought her hands to her chest and her smile widened, "Barely any movement, they're not too tight, but not too loose, just... there. Well cushioned too considering things..."

A frown on her face, Urakaze leaned in, "Really?"

Just bouncing on the balls of her feet for a few seconds, the silver haired Destroyer came to a stop and gestured, "See? And they don't seem to cut in like some of the others I've tried."

Chewing her lip, Isokaze glanced at the nearby stands, "That... is a bit of an issue back in Japan. And even in America when we went on the convoys."

From inside one of the booths, Yukikaze's voice came out, "I like how they really are one size fits all with the charms!" Moments later, she joined her sisters, "But I think that I will buy the Auror Shorts."

Each of the other Destroyers shared a look and turned to Yukikaze as they spoke as one, "Auror shorts?"

Said Destroyer gave a small shrug, "They're sort of like those spandex shorts? But made to be worn under skirts and such as well as being very damage resistant. I could really use those..."

For a few moments, Hamakaze considered that before giving a small nod, "Hai, I can see it." She then gave a happy smile, "I'm getting the underskirt protection though."

Nodding, Isokaze scowled, "Same here! I've seen how some of the perverts look at me and a spell woven in that makes it so that if my skirt is on, it blurs under it? I'll take it!"

Various nods met her at that as well as identicle scowls at the reminder of something they all despised.

After a few moments, however, they shook it off and after changing and placing some items in a bag, Hamakaze gestured at another part of the store, "I saw some nice blouses over there, including silk ones."

Eyes widening, the other Destroyers followed her towards said part of the store with grins. Destroyers were, after all, known for striking in packs. And right now? They had some targets in mind.

In another part of the store, though not far from where Shinano and Regina were, a curtain to a change booth was pushed aside and Rainy Spring came out, "What do you think, Clover?"

The Destroyer Princess blinked some in thought as she looked at the dark purple, sleeveless shirt and black jean skirt, "Hmm..." Eventually though, she gave a small nod, "I think it looks good... though we should ask Big Sister first. But does it feel good?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Rainy Spring considered things before giving a nod, "It does feel rather nice. Different from what I usually wear, but not in a bad way."

Just nodding, Clover smiled a bit, "That sounds good." She then gestured to where they could just see Regina, "Let's go and ask Big Sister though first. She would know more about this sort of thing than I do."

With a nod, the Destroyer Water Demon picked up her usual clothes and followed her sister and friend towards the Re-Class.

It was about three hours after entering Gladrags that they were done and brought their purchases up to the main cashier. One by one, Abigail rung in the clothes into the old fashioned cash register with quick movements. The various shipgirls were somewhat nostalgic at seeing it as it reminded them of when they were steel hulled ships. When they saw the cost of their buying spree though, all of their eyes widened.

But all Harry did was give a small nod and smile as Abigail brought out an odd piece of paper that she slid across to him. Leaning over his shoulder, Shinano could see that there was some legalese on it about payment as well as blank spots where one would put the amount needed to be paid and the signature for the person paying. Taking a dark colored quil, Harry wrote down the amount onto the blank spots for the amount before he printed his name on one of the two blank spots for his name and signed the other. Finally, he took an offered pin and pricked his thumb, pressing it down onto a square.

Moments later, the square glowed and the woman behind the counter smiled as she took the paper and handed it to the house elf that appeared beside her. While dressed in a smock like many, it was one made of silk and very clean, "Biddy? If you would not mind taking this to Gringotts in London to pay?"

The house elf smiled some and bowed, "Biddy will do so."

And, taking the offered paper, they vanished with a pop and Abigail turned to them, "Well, that's about that. All we need is for Biddy to come back and state that the drawn note was accepted."

Eyebrows furrowing, Shinano frowned at that before blinking, "Um, drawn note? And you have house elves here?"

Rather bemused at the question, the witch chuckled and nodded, "Drawn notes are basically a small piece of paper that one writes on and we can send to Gringotts to get an amount drawn for it. And before you ask, the small bit of blood acts as a register for the person to confirm to the goblins that, yes, they are the right person for it. The blood basically becomes utterly useless for anything afterwards as no one wants to have their blood able to be used against them. As for house elves... we treat ours very well indeed and they keep the store neat and tidy. They also act as security as no one can be sure that they are being watched or not by the elves, and they will make sure that one can't steal anything."

Slowly, Harry and the others nodded at that and, soon, left once it was confirmed that the payment went through with the shipgirls and Abyssals placing their purchases in their holds.

When they got outside though, Hamakaze looked at Harry, "Harry-Chan? That was quite the amount that you needed to spend."

Giving a small shrug, the teenage boy smiled, "And? Like I said, Hamakaze-Chan, I don't mind and it is not like I don't have enough money. Besides..." His smile softened a bit, "It helped you all out and you seemed to enjoy it."

Bemused, Hamakaze looked at Shinano before leaning in and giving him a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you, Harry-Chan. I truly appreciate this and what you just did."

She was followed by Isokaze, Urakaze, and Yukikaze as well, though the two Abyssal Destroyers simply hugged him. Of course, both Shinano and Regina gave him a brief kiss on the lips before giggling at the utterly stunned look on Harry's face. After he shook it off though, he took their hands and the group continued their tour of Hogsmeade.
_____________________________________________________

Waking up as the early morning Sun warmed her face, Shinano's eyes fluttered open and she smiled down at the sight that met her. On one side, curled up to her body was Regina, the Re-Class peacefully sleeping. And on the Carrier's otherside, Hamakaze could be seen also sleeping with her head pillowed on Shinano's arm. But what truly caught the Yamato's attention was the sleeping form of Harry who laid on top of her, his head on top of her chest. Such times were one of the few times that she was glad that she was not flatter as she felt like a proper Carrier should be.

Though she knew that was not true and a large number of Carriers were, in fact, busty, it never stopped her from feeling that way about her own body.

Still, she was not unhappy with that fact at the moment as it looked like Harry was very comfortable. Then again, so was she due to the fact that she was laying there with some of those she cared most about. Her Escorts, Regina, and Harry. Each one of them having a place within her heart and which warmed her. Softly smiling, she closed her eyes and laid back, simply enjoying the moment, for she would need to go back to Yokosuka once her mission here was fully completed... though no one said that she had to be quick about it.

Unable to help herself, Shinano giggled at that thought. She just couldn't help herself, it was so naughty! Yet, she wanted it and it was not very likely that she would get in much trouble, if any, for it. So why not?

Not long afterwards though, she felt a stirring beside her and opened her eyes to see Regina looking at her with her golden eyes still slightly foggy with sleep. The Re-Class smiled at her upon seeing that Shinano was up and awake, "Good morning, Shinano."

Just as quietly, Shinano nodded, "Good morning, Regina-Chan." Both of them glanced down at Harry and smiled, "Harry-Chan is still asleep."

Happily humming, the Re-Class smiled back even more, "That's good to know, Shinano." A giggle escaped from Shinano as Regina kissed her cheek before placing her head on her friend's shoulder, "Yesterday was great, wasn't it?"

Brightly smiling, Shinano nodded, "Hai, it was. I really enjoyed our date with Harry-Chan yesterday. And I hope that we get another one soon."

Regina nodded in pure agreement, "Same here, Shinano."

A few minutes later, Shinano felt stirring beside her and smiled. Turning, she watched as Hamakaze yawned a little and then smiled at Shinano, "Good morning, Shinano-Sama."

Seeing her friend, and beloved escort, awake and happy as well as relaxed caused Shinano to smile back, "Good morning, Hamakaze-Chan."

It did not take long before the other Destroyers were awake and the Carrier sent them off in twos to get a shower. Beside her, Regina did the same with her own Destroyers, who went and did exactly that. As Hamakaze as well as Isokaze had their shower, Harry woke up with a yawn before happily smiling at Shinano and getting it returned, "Morning, Shinano-Chan, morning Regina."

Lips curling into a smile, Shinano giggled, "Good morning, Harry-Chan." Giving him a quick peck, she flushed a little, "Have a good sleep?"

All Harry did was chuckle at that and nod, "Of course, how couldn't I?" Getting nods from both the Carrier and Re-Class in agreement, he stretched and sighed, 'This is a good start to the day.'

Of course, shortly after Shinano and Regina left to get their own showers, with Harry getting one once they were finished. When he returned, he found Shinano combing her hair and happily humming while Regina did the same. Spotting him, she held out her comb, "Want to do it, Harry-Chan?"

Chuckling, he walked over and smiled, "Sure, I love combing your hair after all... and maybe comb Regina's?"

Both girls shared a look and smiled as they agreed. Thus, for the next half hour, Harry combed both the shipgirl's and the Abyssal's hair as their respective Escorts looked on in amusement and happiness. And then it was off to breakfast, followed by the trip to the Room of Requirement.

Seeing that though, Shinano frowned a little, "Is that safe for the... metal, Harry-Chan?"

With a glance at her, Harry gave a small nod, "Well, it is not like many would figure out what I am doing. And I've hidden them as well, so there is that as well." To that, the Carrier nodded and followed him within the Room of Requirement with only Hamakaze staying behind as Regina and the others stayed outside. As they walked, Harry tilted his head a little, "So... how have things been going on back in Yokosuka, Shinano-Chan? I heard that there's been an A-150 found?"

Eyes scanning their surroundings, the Yamato nodded as she lowered her voice, "Hai, her name is Sora and she's a Kitsune. Right now, Ume-San and Sakura-San are working alongside Akashi-San to finish her construction fully. Though, um... there are some parts that are giving Akashi-San some fits."

Interested, Harry frowned, "Wait, giving her fits? Why?"

Not saying anything right away, Shinano scratched her cheek, "Um... you know about the armament of the A-150s?"

Furrowing his eyebrows, the wizard thought about it for a few moments, "Armaments? I know that they were supposed to have six to eight, twenty inch guns in duel mounts and a number of the same ten centimeter guns as the Duckies have... why? Was there more?"

Slowly, Shinano nodded, "Hai, remember how my Nee-Sans have 15.5 centimeter 3rd Year Type among their secondary's?" As he nodded, she continued, "And, um, how the Navy used to have it where each successive ship would be more powerful than the last and better?"

Confused, Harry once more gave a slight nod, "Hai? But what does that have to do with..." Realizing what she meant, he facepalmed, "They didn't... please do not tell me that they had replaced the Mogami guns on the original Yamato design with the eight inch guns... They could not have been that stupid..."

Weakly chuckling, the Carrier nodded while Hamakaze had a slight smile on her face, "Hai, they were." Seeing the look he gave her, she shrugged, "Apparently, they felt that they needed a gun that could deal with Cruisers. And since magic could help with stability..."

Pinching his nose, Harry attempted to ward off his headache that threatened to come up on him. Right then and there, he could understand why Akashi was so damn pissed off, because even he wanted to hit his head on something. Instead, he decided to get more information about the survivors, especially with how he heard that they were Ellen's children for the most part.

By the time they reached his hiding spot, the teenage wizard no longer wanted to punch a ghost. Instead, he pulled out the hidden trunk from where it was, "Here we go, Shinano-Chan... give me a couple of minutes."

Just nodding, Shinano watched as he slowly levitated the various bricks of metal out of the trunk and placed them on the floor. Slowly, yet surely, the amount grew and both Shinano as well as Hamakaze just boggled at the amount that was there. Jaw dropping, the white haired Destroyer watched as Harry laid the last bricks there before speaking, "I-is that all of them?"

Clapping his hands together, Harry placed them on his hips, "Hai, all of it coming from the cauldrons melted down. Though, um... I'm not sure how much there is?"

Very slowly, the Carrier blinked, "Er... I have a scale?"

At their nods, she began to pick up the bricks one by one and slip them into her pocket, her crew taking them to a spot in her hanger where they would be under armed guard. Each brick they placed onto a pallet several deep before they would use one of the forklifts Shinano got from her Rebuild and drive it to the industrial scale that was in the hanger that was to be weighed. Once that was done, said pallet would be driven deep into her secondary hanger, which was protected by her armored hull on three sides with several of her crew standing in front of the pallets with their guns in hand to guard them.

Yes, it was not exactly needed considering things, but that was what proceedure said for them to do, and so that was what they would do.

Once done, it was a very wide eyed fairy who came out staggering, almost drunk, with a sheet of paper in his hands. He first looked at Harry before giving him a salute, and then handing the paper to Shinano, who took it, "Desu desu desu, Desu desu."

Taking it, Shinano looked at the paper as both Harry and Hamakaze leaned in. For serveral moments, her eyebrows furrowed before she took her glasses and cleaned them, taking another look, "... Is... is this right?"

Now grinning, the fairy giggled much to Harry's surprise, though there was something hystrical to it, "Desu!"

With a deep breath, her eyes wide, Shinano passed the paper to the wizard who choked a bit, "That was twenty tons?!"

Unable to help herself, Shinano giggled, "H-hai! I got twenty tons of platinum inside my hull!"

Noticing that she was now turned towards him, Harry blinked, "Shinano-Chan? What's the pro-mmph!?"

Eyebrow raised as the Carrier kissed the thirteen year old, Hamakaze shook her head and turning away with a slight smirk, 'At least now I can be sure that he will be able to take good care of Shinano-Sama.'

Once she pulled away from Harry, Shinano took a big breath and grinned, 'Everyone not on guard duty? You may now have a celebratory drink.' She could feel the cheers from inside her hull and turned back to an owlishly blinking Harry and blushed deeply, "Um..."

Snapping out of it, the teenage wizard adjusted his glasses, "Quite my thought... and it seems that I counted wrong with regards to the amount of platinum though..." Frowning, he did some mental calculations, "I suppose that there is a difference in weight between a cauldron that weighs fifty kilos and the same amount in bars..."

Just humming, and not able to talk out of both glee at what she was now carrying, and embarrassment from what she just did, Shinano only nodded.

Needless to say, it was a very happy Yamato class who went home after giving Harry a goodbye kiss alongside Regina. Which was followed by an extremely happy Ooyodo when she was able to fully examine and confirm what Shinano knew... And that was followed by a gentleman from the Mint who promptly asked for the best sake that they had there.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A Courtship in Emerald (II)

June 3rd, 1944, 0700

Camp Pendragon, East Anglia
Spoiler: Mission Briefing

"Right, here is your target." The nattily dressed wizard tapped an aerial photograph with his pointer. "This site is intended to act as a ritual location to summon storms in the Channel upon the first indication of a landing to invade France. I need not tell you how damaging that would be for our soldiers coming ashore. So your job is to parachute in and take it out ahead of the invasion. Once you do, our boys coming ashore with the muggles will link up with you on D plus six hours, so hold until relieved until then."

Delilah nodded absently along, her mind whirling as she computed fire lanes, approach points, jumping off locations. Unbidden a thin smug smile blossomed on her face as the briefer finished. "Any questions?"

Next to her, her sister Colombe raised her hand. "So we are going to be a 'misdrop' of paratroopers as part of the invasion then?"

"That is correct, Captain du Chasteler. The enchantments on you and your gear will make you appear to be normal Yankee muggle paratroopers. You will be dropping with the first wave from the 101st Airborne."

Colombe subsided, and nodded sharply. The shoulder heraldry of a white bald eagle head on a black shield trembled as she lowered her hand. "Right then. Once you get the go order, load up and Godspeed to you all."

Every eye in the building turned to the pair of C-47 transport aircraft waiting outside with the black and white identification stripes.

4th June, 1944, 0230

"Invasion has been postponed, get inside and stand to once SHAEF gives us the go order."

A chorus of groans answered the message as the witches and wizards began to file out of the plane.

5th June, 1944, 2037

"Invasion's on. Gear up and load up."

Sergeant Bearclaw muttered "This better not be another fuckin' postponement" to a chorus of approval.

Delilah didn't have the heart to pull rank and order him to be quiet as she began to pull on her gear and apply war paint to her face.

Once she and her team had their equipment on, they shuffled to the waiting transport aircraft. Delilah was first in line and stood by the door in the fuselage to count and check the strike team boarding her plane.

"MacGonnagal!"

"Aye!" The gangly Scottish teenage witch barked out as she boarded and hooked the static line for her parachute up.

"Longbottom!"

"Ready, Major." The brunette aristocratic witch joined her 'new meat' partner in crime as she linked up.

"Lebeox!"

"Paré, Major!" The Louisiana Cajun drawl of the MACUSA wizard who had first gone ashore with her in Sicily sounded.

"Sprout!"

"H-here." The tubby witch who like Longbottom and MacGonnagal had just graduated training to replace those lost in the fight against Hitler and Grindlewald stepped aboard and fumbled with her static line.

"Let me." Delilah hooked her new recruit up and took the chance to speak in an undertone. "Just like training, Sprout. Follow your orders and do what you are told and we all survive this."

The young woman's relieved smile cut Delilah like a knife, for she knew quite well that war spared no one.

"Bearclaw!"

The native American shaman grinned through the war paint that Delilah had applied to him. He might be a damn Cheyenne and she was adopted Lakota, but the fight against a greater evil had buried the hatchet of the long running grudge between the contenders for the title of the ruler of the Great Plains before the pale-faces came.

"{Ready to fight, Kills Many.}"

Delilah blinked tears away at the sound of her Lakota name that she had gotten at her adoption, and then raised her voice as the next figure stepped to her.

"Young!"
Spoiler: First In

Finally the last one stepped aboard, and she turned to the commander and gave a salute, mirrored by her sister standing by the other plane. "Sir, Number Thirteen Commando is present and ready."

"Godspeed and good hunting." The British wizard saluted her.

With that she climbed on board and linked up her static line as she stood in the door. As she watched the engine on the wing on her side of the plane coughed and began to turn the propeller.

Delilah closed her eyes, sparing a thought for those who she was going to war to protect and honor as the plane accelerated down the runway into the air.

Uncle David.

Aunt Jackie.

Colombe.

Father.

Mother.

Zamarad.

With that, she opened her eyes and looked toward the rear of the plane as they flew toward France. A whispered Lakota spell to let the warrior see in the dark like an owl sharpened her vision. In the starlight she could see the silver glints that were the hundreds of airplanes forming up behind her to deliver the contents of the Arsenal of Democracy from the New World to the Old World. Below her, she could see the wakes of the armada of thousands of ships forming up in the Channel to deliver the sledgehammer death blow assembled over years of preparation.
Spoiler: D-Day

She turned her head to look forward toward the coast of France, and a feral smug smirk filled her face.

All that and she, her sister, and her men and women would be the point of the spear.

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on."

She would never be sure who began the singing, but first one and then another voice sounded from the airplane behind her.

"Gloria! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Gloria! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Gloria! Gloria! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Gloria! His truth is marching on!"

Singing words first written in letters of fire when she was a young girl growing up in a great war between freedom and slavery.

"I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
(Truth is marching, truth is marching, truth is marching)
They have builded Him an alter in the evening dews and damps;
(Truth is marching, truth is marching, truth is marching)
I can read His righteous sentence in the dim and flaring lamps,
(Truth is marching, truth is marching, truth is marching)
His day is marching on!
(Truth is marching, truth is marching, truth is marching)"

Words that her Uncle David had sung marching to his willing sacrifice upon the bloody field of Gettysburg to give freedom to the slaves and the death stroke to the Confederacy.

"Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on."

Words that the MACUSA volunteers had taught their British, Free French, and Commonwealth allies in the fight against the tyranny of Hitler, Tojo, Mussolini, Grindlewald, and Kamo.

"In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, Let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on!"

Words that caused tears to fill her eyes as she lifted her mezzosoprano in joyful song as England faded behind her and she crossed over the French coast.

"Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on!
Amen! Amen!"

June 6th, 1944 (D-Day) 0002 Hours.

Over The Cherbourg Peninsula Of Occupied Normandy

The red light turned green and MACUSA Major Delilah de Breuil leapt into space seven hundred feet above France at the head of her men.

Potter Manor, England

In a bedroom lit only by flickering candles, emerald eyes shadowed in care and concern. An Ifrit rubbed a string of amber worry beads through her fingers as she silently prayed for a Muramasa revolver to return to her.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord Khuzdul

The rifle and the destroyer walked to the table. While Ali was apprehensive, Demirhisar's eyes were firmly on the mustachioed Arab at one end of the table. "I… remember you."

"Hmm?" Sinbad answered, rubbing his mustache. "Ah… November 1924, on the Varna run. You were the one who found us at Rumelifeneri. That one was certainly bracing."

Demirhisar nodded. "My captain and I really wanted to know how you managed it."

At the curious gazes of others at the table, Sinbad smiled and explained. "Well, I was captaining a small coastal steamer back then, the Hekimoğlu. A tiny thing of 500 tons or so. We had just loaded up in Varna. I think the load was wheat. We got into one of Black Sea regulars just off Burgaz, but I thought we could handle it. And we could. But then my luck reared its head a couple hours later – we were off Kırkkilise somewhere, when we hit something explosive. An old mine Russians laid off the north end of Bosphorus, that came loose, I think. Thankfully, it seemed that the mine was defective or degraded somehow, because instead of turning my little boat into so much kindling, it only opened the bows up like a flower. Had to travel the rest of the way ass first, pumping like hell, trying to shore up the ship. We were almost done for when Demirhisar here found us. Hekimoğlu gave up the ghost the moment she came alongside, but she picked us up safe."

Demirhisar scoffed. "What he is not telling is that 'opening the bows like a flower' means it disintegrated the first third of the ship, and it also shattered the keel. I have no idea how he kept the ship in one piece and still steaming. My captain cannot make heads or tails of it, and when he asked, this guy just said 'luck, sweat of our brows, and seamanship, kumandan bey!' like that explained everything!"

Korkut started laughing. "Well, he was probably telling the truth. He omitted one element though. Magic. You are looking at Sinbad the Sailor himself, after all."

Sinbad covered his face with his hand as stars appeared in the destroyer's eyes. "Really?"

He motioned to his side. "Sit down kid. We can talk after our business is done here.

~~~

Hamidiye watched the coffee shop from across the street, shading her face under her umbrella. She had her suspicions regarding the old man that bumped into Ali yesterday, so she decided to follow them. When she saw Ali press his palm to his face in resignation, she smiled. Her smile grew as she noted the face of the man sitting at the head of the table. She took out her phone, and hit a quick dial number. When the answer came from the other end, she grinned. "We finally have contact."

~~~

"Hassiktir. Hassiktir. Hassiktir."

Murat shivered as the air cut right to the bone, with the unseasonably cold north wind coming down from the Allahuekber mountains belying the normally pleasant May. He was running, along with his companion, down a dried stream – a stream that should have been bubbling this time of the year, with the snowmelt, but for this unnatural freeze covering the mountains. Behind him, he heard the moans, but he did not dare to look back. Because if he did, he knew all he would see would be the lines of frozen blue faces, with a baleful light in their eyes. 'Give me a bunch of good old ghouls over this, God, please' he thought as he tried to keep his footing on the smooth stones. He grabbed his wand tightly as he climbed over the crumbling bank, and off the valley. As he did, bullets skipped from the rocks around him. "Just our luck, undead who knew how to use guns."

As he pulled himself over the lip, he noticed a circular building some ways down the slope. "There," he yelled. "Let's take shelter in that old türbe. We can probably barricade the entrance."

His companion, a younger auror named Hikmet, laughed bitterly. "Maybe we can appeal to the evliya to help us." He shrugged. "If God had not seen fit to abandon these mountains long ago."

Murat shook his head. "Still, from your mouth to the ears of Hızır Aleyhisselam. Because at this point, it is either divine intervention or we are proper fucked."

They made it to the entrance of the old Seljuk tomb and with a wave of his wand, Murat shut and locked the somehow still surviving ancient oak door. He then glanced at Hikmet, who was pale as a ghost. "What?"

Hikmet just pointed.
Spoiler: Baba Erenler

Murat slowly turned around. The interior of the old türbe was not the bare earth and a stone tomb the way he expected. It was covered with carpets. On the other side of the room, at a slight rise, there sat a group of bearded men, with green robes and green and white turbans.

Hikmet almost raised his wand, but Murat put his left hand on his shoulder. Then, sparked by a long forgotten memory of his grandfather teaching him the etiquette of old times, he put his right hand over his heart. "Hu diyelim Baba Erenler."

There was a rumble of "Hu" from the men. The oldest among them in the middle, a broad shouldered man with a snow white beard to his lap, returned his greeting with a hand over his chest. "A cold day to be out and about, evlatlar. Is that the howling of wolves we hear outside of our gates? Come, sit down. Tell us of what brings you to these parts."

Murat and Hikmet made their way to the group, sitting down across from the old man. The door behind them rattled with an impact. Murat looked back for a moment, then lost his composure a bit. "Wish it was so, pîrim. It is… it is the dead of the old war. They are walking again. We have been sent to stem their advance, but might have had as much chance to be asked to stop the tides with our bare hands. If they are not stopped… the speed they are going, in a day they would be in Sarıkamış. We have already lost five men. Five men we can ill-afford to lose." He rallied. "Medet pîrim. Medet. I don't know what to do."
Spoiler: Medet Ya Ali!

The old pîr closed his eyes. "Peace, my son. Peace. Our heart is not stone. We hear you."

He raised his head, and looked at his companions. "Well, erenler, time is the time to do our duty. Come. God willing, the tide might hesitate."

The men rose, and put their hands under their robes, and out came scimitars and maces, with prayers shining on them. The old man then turned to the two. "Rest, and eat. We will hold the tide, as much as we are able."
As men, far more than they thought were in the room, streamed towards the door, Hikmet looked at Murat in puzzlement. Murat sighed. "We just might survive this, Hikmet. God willing." His voice rose as the men started chanting. "Medet ya Muhammed! Medet ya Ali! Gazanız mübarek olsun erenler!"

The door opened. Wind howled for a moment, but the chanting of the dervish seemed to push its fury back. A rifle barked, and then the robed men streamed out of the door, into the sea of dead flowing down the slopes.

 

[darthcourt10]

SkyeFire

So, I finally catch up after being offline for nearly 3 weeks as RL simply devoured all my waking hours....

drag0nsoldier said:
Lyra: I'm not a pervert. I'm a SUPER PERVERT!!!​

Lyra the Gallant?
Lyra: "I'll take that title!"

Lord Khuzdul said:
But then my luck reared its head a couple hours later – we were off Kırkkilise somewhere, when we hit something explosive.​

...you know, I have to wonder what the reactions are of ships who discover they're getting Sinbad as Captain. It seems like it would be an even split between "oh WOW!" and "Oh SHIT!" Because, legendary captain, yeah, but how many of his ships actually survive the experience?
OTOH, given how many of his former ships seems to be coming back to him as shipgirls, I guess there's little in the way of grudges held. Except maybe when they want to guilt-wheedle something out of Sinbad...
"You got my bows blown open! The least you can do is massage my tired, aching legs!"

Amused Bystander said:
As for Aomi,keep her as a regular inugami. After all nothing says you cant have her and Jackies future daughter be a natural born Foxfish.

I do like that idea.

I'm also glad to report that my pancreas survived the Maximum Cinnabun Hogsmeade Date with only minimal damage. I think it's evolving into an armored organ....

And now that I have a moment, I'm going to try indulging one of the plotbunnies that bit me during The Tale of Three Tails....
(Optionally canonical as always, 'hammer)
*-*-*-*

Norimune snapped awake, the scream in her throat throttled by old, hard-wired combat-zone reflexes. She forced herself to breath, deeply and quietly, listening for any hints that her nightmare might have woken one of the girls.

Aside from the soft slap of waves against Horizon Bringer's hull, and the other assorted "all's well" sounds of a sailing ship on the high seas during the mid-watch, all was quiet. Nori sighed in relief, rolled silently out of her bunk, and padded up to the deck for some badly-needed air.

It wasn't Aomi's fault. But the Inu's innocent query had been the first domino, when Nori, being a bit drunk (not to mention more at-ease than she had been in decades) had wistfully complained about how much she missed sailing, and wished she could afford her own vessel.

"But you had two, more than a hundred years ago, didn't you?" her middle daughter's girlfriend asked. "Given how shipgirls seem to be popping out of the woodwork everywhere these days --they even say ships that were never built, only designed, are coming back!-- couldn't you summon one of your old ships?"

And Nori's world had gone TILT like an old-school pinball machine.

Granted, Aomi had overlooked the practical issues of sailing a girl, rather than a ship, although Jackie had been quick to mine the idea for every possible ribald quip. But what left Nori's mental wheels spinning was the simple fact that she'd never thought of it. Not even once. Shipgirls had, yes, been "popping out of the woodwork" for over a decade now -- people were summoning them by accident, and some ships were self-summoning! So why had the idea never occurred to her?

Trying to answer that question had taken her to some very uncomfortable introspection. And then, while trying to fall asleep, the worse question had floated to the top of her storm-tossed mind: why didn't they come back already? It could have happened, after all -- Red Seal ships, Civil War ironclads, that school in Scotland that Kago was currently haunting had famous pirate-ship girls acting as security! So there was no reason her ships couldn't have come back--

...or had they, and they had avoided contacting her?

She'd felt the downward spiral start -- the little chorus of voices that kept saying that Impenitent and Lex Talionis in fact had returned, and were avoiding her. Because she was a failure. Because she was unworthy. Because--

For the first time in long time, she saw it happening. Saw it, and resisted. Because she wasn't a failure. A grade-A screwup, quite possibly. But just in the past few weeks, she'd made real progress on building a relationship with one daughter, make cordial connections with her grandchildren, make a strong first step on building bridges with her most-estranged daughter, and oh, yeah, helped keep a big chunk of Europe from being eaten by something that made a Gashadokuro look tame.

Well, waddaya know. All I needed was a continent-destroying threat to kick my head out of my ass... and the self-pity party I've been throwing for most of the past century.

Warmed by the certainty that she was, in fact, finally starting to move her life in a positive direction, she had fallen asleep--

--and into nightmare.

It had been the final engagement between her stolen Impenitent and her built-for-vengeance Lex Talionis. She remembered every cannonball hit, every crack of broken timbers, the groaning of collapsing hulls as both ships, grappled together and aflame, slowly sank beneath her... except this time, every hit sounded like musket-balls penetrating flesh. Every impact accompanied by a scream of pain. And on each ship, the bloodied form of a young woman calling her "Mother," begging for her to stop, asking why she was killing them--

Nori forced herself to take a deep, cleansing breath, and let it out slowly. She didn't have to be Freud to understand that nightmare. Impenitent had been a part of her, and in the end Nori had sunk her rather than let her be used by the thieves who had stolen her. And Lex... Lex she had treated as nothing more than a weapon, a tool to use for her vengeance and then discard.

If either ship had returned... just what reaction would she deserve from them? She knew that, to some degree, she was being overly harsh on herself -- scuttling one's own ship rather than letting it be taken was a long, deep naval tradition, and from what she'd seen, shipgirls understood that in their bones. And warshipgirls, with few exceptions, preferred to die fighting, as opposed to scrapping.

But she still couldn't shake the sense of betrayal in her ships' eyes... in her daughters'--

Oh. Ohhh. That's what this was.

Goddamn maternal-- paternal? Fuckit, parental instincts. Find out I have kids, and suddenly I'm seeing everything through that lens.

And yet...

She looked out over the swells, lit by the waning moon and reflecting the uncountable stars in the cloudless sky, and felt an ache in her chest that had been fairly constant since the day she'd met her daughters at Hachimangu.

"I'm sorry," Nori whispered to the wind and waves. "You deserved better from me. Both of you. I'm not... I'm not asking you to come back, I don't have the right, but... if you do come back, I'll... be glad to see you. Even if you're just coming back to kick my ass for fucking you over like I did." She gave a single self-deprecating bark of laughter. "I probably deserve it. I... deserve a lot of things. But..." She sniffled, glad no one was present to see her getting all weepy. "I'm getting things I don't deserve, instead. Kids, and grandkids, who don't hate me, even though I deserve that. A chance... a whole lot of second chances, with them. And maybe to start making a life again, instead of just hiding the way I have been for a hundred years."

A deep, shuddering breath. "I'm pretty crap at this whole 'parent' thing, you know. But... my kids seem to think I'm worth training up. Hell, in a hundred years, maybe I'll even be mediocre! Just in time to have great-grandkids, oh gods.... anyway! I'm just saying, if you're staying away because of me... don't. Even if you hate my guts, I'd still be happy to see you come back, see you live again, the way you deserve... they way you didn't get to, when you were mine. And if you're happy wherever you are now, well... be happy. That's... all I ask."

Dashing the tears from her eyes into the silent sea, Norimune-no-Muramasa, Captain Longblade, Agent of Hachiman, rose from the rail of her daughter's ship and went back to her cabin and her interrupted sleep.

Inside her seabag, on the blade of her true self, the engravings of paired doves glowed. And in the wake of the ship, where Norimune's tears had fallen, a patch of ocean glowed to match.

-------------
So, yeah... Nori's not being entirely rational, or fair to herself, here. The way I headcannon it is, after being beaten down by life so badly (Jes, then WWI, then WII), Nori's spent most of the past century in something close to clinical depression -- definitely suffering from severe self-image issues and free-floating guilt complex. Encountering her children could have driven her further down that hole, but she got lucky (heh) -- she was finally far enough past her past (er....) enough to try facing that situation, instead of just running from it. And she's moved forward enough to start recognizing just what she's been doing to herself for decades, and start pushing back against it.

Of course, this also means that other doors in her head that she's been keeping tightly closed are going to start opening -- Nori's got a lot of old baggage that needs sorting out, going back at least as far as Julie. Aomi just happened to trip one particular sea mine that Nori's been avoiding: "What would Impy and Lex say to me if they came back as shipgirls?"

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A Courtship in Emerald (III)

June 6th (D-Day), 1944, 0001

700 Feet Above Normandy, Occupied France
Spoiler: A Night Time Jump Into France

The red light by the open door in the fuselage illuminated Delilah de Breuil's face as the C-47 airplane carrying her and her team of witches and wizards shook and shuddered like a leaf in a strong wind.

She did not know if the Germans had divined their intentions, had just heard the airplane noises, or the Disillusionment Charms on their plane had failed. No matter the cause, the Germans below them were firing everything they had at their formation of transport planes. Flashes of light from the 88 millimeter heavy antiaircraft batteries firing exploding air burst shells at them lit up the night sky along with ribbons of tracers from smaller weapons.

She breathed deeply, fighting down the icy dread filling in her stomach by an act of will as she gave the rest of the airplane a cocky smug smile that she did not feel in the least.

The light flashed from red to green as the airplane hit the planned drop zone.

She hoped that it was their drop zone because it was Chaos and Old Night up here in this SNAFU.

"Follow me!" She screamed as she leapt out of the airplane and into the middle of the largest Fourth of July fireworks display that she could possibly imagine.

For a heart-stopping-second she plummeted uncontrollably toward the ground, and then gasped in relief as the static line deployed her parachute with a jerk on her shoulders and hips.

Slowly spinning under the parachute's umbrella as the ground grew nearer with every heartbeat, she narrowed her eyes at the sight of a small lake below her booted feet. She reached up and pulled on her left riser to try to slip away from it.

It didn't work.

She landed in the water with a splash and began to sink like a stone from the weight of her gear. Her eyes narrowed as her right hand flashed to her hip and drew her Bowie knife to slash away the harness that was helping to pull her under. Meanwhile her left hand twitched, releasing her wand into her hand from the spring-loaded sheath. As the water reached her neck she made a poking motion with it and snarled out "Bullatio!"

Instantly a silvery bubble covered her mouth and nose as she went under. Breathing a sigh of relief into her Bubble-head Charm, she looked at the 'watch' on her right wrist. A glowing arrow pointed to the left from its face, and she began to swim that direction to the rally point.

0015, June 6th (D-Day) 1944

Ten water-soaked minutes later, she staggered out onto merely ankle-deep mud next to a hedgerow. She spared a moment to snap off a brief but sincerely heart-felt Arabic curse involving the fleas and ticks of a thousand feral camels and the genitals of the person who had flooded this field.

She hated wet gunpowder the way Aunt Jackie hated the saloon-smashing temperance movement against 'Demon Rum'.

With that cheerful thought she cast a Drying Charm on herself to turn from waterlogged and dripping wet to merely damp and uncomfortable. After a moment's thought to compute the possible enemy obstacles in her path, she slid the Bowie knife back into the thigh sheath and drew her true self from her shoulder holster.

As always, the sense of rightness filled her whole avatar as she felt the familiar chestnut of her hand-grips filling her hand. Automatically she cocked her hammer and placed her finger on the trigger. A brief whispered command and the tap of her wand caused two enchantments to briefly flicker from her true form, one to muffle the sounds of firing, and the other to reduce the muzzle flash.

With a wave of her wand to open a hole in the hedgerow's thorn branches, she began to jog toward the rally point.

Unbidden, a smug smirk twisted her lips as she began her journey. She whispered to herself a quote from Jack London's The Call of the Wild as she began her trek, automatically cataloguing everything she saw, everything she heard, everything she sensed as a possible target to be terminated.

"He was a killer, a thing that preyed, living on the things that lived, unaided, alone, by virtue of his own strength and prowess, surviving triumphantly in a hostile environment where only the strong survive."

0038, June 6th (D-Day) 1944
Spoiler: A Birdcall In The Night

As she approached the junction of two farm lanes she slowed down her pace and paused. She sketched a glyph with her wand and a a single songbird began to call.

Whip-poor-will. Whip-poor-will.

As it finished, she tensed.

Suddenly an answering call sounded from ahead.

Whip-poor-will. Whip-poor-will.

She called in a low voice, "De Breuil, coming in," and then advanced to the woodlot next to the intersection.

A knot of tension released as she saw four wands and a rapier pointed at her from the darkened figures hidden in the trees.

"Colombe. How many do we have?" Delilah asked quietly as she joined the cluster of figures and took up a guard position next to her sister.

"You make eleven," her sister responded equally quietly, "me, Bearclaw, McGonnagal, Longbottom, Sprout, Young, Leroux, DeVries, Jenkins, FitzPatrick."

Delilah nodded and then glanced at her watch. "Seven more minutes, then we move out. We are on a tight deadline here."

0045, June 6th (D-Day) 1944

Hubrecht van den Broek had hobbled in on the arm of Gideon Cohen by the time that Delilah waved for attention. "Time's up. We need to get moving. The main airborne force is going to be here soon and come dawn all hell is going to break loose. We have to take down the ritual chamber before then. Van den Broek, stay here and if and when we get any stragglers send them to the objective in pairs."

The Dutch wizard grimaced and nodded "Alles ging naar de pleuris," he muttered as he leaned against a tree to take weight off his broken ankle. "I'm on it. Do me a favor and sock the moffen one from me."

Delilah grinned and clasped his forearm. "Rest assured, they won't know what hit them." She released the grip on his arm.

With that, she smirked, and pulled out a M1921AC Thompson sub-machine gun from its position in her weapon arsenal and slid a space-expanded 150 round circular drum magazine into position.

The smirk grew wider and much smugger as she cocked her 'Chicago Typewriter' to feed the first .45 caliber round into the chamber. Her thumb found the selector switch and set it to fully automatic.

"I have point. Bearclaw, back me up. Colombe, take the trail."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Walking up the pathway towards Hogwarts was something of an odd group, mainly that of the Potter Armory with some in civilian clothing. Taking a deep breath, Catherine let it out in a happy sigh, "I do love spring. The Lord gifts it to us after a long, hard winter."

Head tilted to the side, Andraste frowned a little, "Better this winter, I believe than previous ones for the past few years." She then grimaced slightly, "What they call the 'Little Ice Age' was enough for me just the once. And the Year Without Summer was worse."

From where he walked with Saki at his side, Sheff frowned, "It... was not fun those first two years after Blood Week." He shuddered a bit, "There were some frosts well into May and one or two into June. Heard on the tele that it was due to all the smoke and soot from fires kicked up in the atmosphere."

Each of the other weapons grimaced at that before Sabah spoke up, "Speaking of the Little Ice Age, I was watching a program about such things. They stated it was started due to volcanic eruptions among other things." A slight frown, she nodded towards Catherine, "And another in Iceland led to what happened in France."

Catherine sighed a little and shook her head, "Yes, I remember that. And while I can understand being angry with the King, Queen, and their court, that did not mean that they should have killed innocents such as some of the children I saw. In the end, it brought out the worst in humans and I know that the Lord wept alongside me." After a brief moment, she sighed and looked around, "It is much too lovely a day to speak of such things, however. Let us turn our gazes elsewhere."

The lone Muramasa of the group just peeled a blood orange and hummed, "Sure, let's do that, Cathy." Ignoring the slight frown on the blonde woman's face, Juuchi smirked, "Let us instead talk about how much you resemble Goldie."

Eyebrows furrowing, Catherine looked at Crocea Mors and frowned, "And I have told you, Juuchi, we do not look alike in the slightest. In fact, we look completely different."

For her part, Crocea Mors nodded, "Indeed! While Catherine is quite beautiful, and with perhaps Roman blood, she looks not like me in the slightest! We are quite different!" She narrowed her eyes slightly, "It is like you stating that we look like our neighbour, that Okita girl! Or your sister, Kyoshu!"

Smugly smiling, Juuchi took an orange slice and put it into her mouth and chewed for a few seconds, savouring the taste. Once she swallowed, she snorted, "That is because you do resemble them, and they you..." Frowning briefly, she shook her head, "Except for two of them being Japanese..." Then, the Muramasa shrugged, "Though that could explain the fact that I initially disliked you due to looking like my sister."

Once more, Catherine sighed the sort that one would understand was born of long suffering, "Yet, I cannot see it."

Before Juuchi could say anything, someone appeared at her side and jabbed her in the ribs. Ignoring her grunt, Carnwennan frowned, "Just drop it for now..." Getting a mumble, he shivered a little, 'Hopefully we never meet my sisters. Avalon, Caliburn, Excalibur, and Prydwen... Though I do hope that Ron also got through her edge phase as well... and the same with Clarent... or Seure, edge lord that she is... honestly, yes, Arthur had her as a Squire and when he gained Caliburn, he lent her out to Lancelot and the like. But bloody hell, sometimes I swore that I could get cut on her edge. Only Avalon, cinnamon bun she is... was... got any sort of friendliness from her.' The dagger frowned a little, 'Though why they all looked like each other, I don't know... or how someone knew that I was their brother from a glance when we don't look alike...'

After another moment of thought, he shook it off as it was not that important. Instead, he turned to the current conversation, which was currently being lead by Tsukiakari, "Um... do any of you know why Master asked for us to come to Hogwarts?"

For her part, Tsuchi shrugged a bit, but before she could say anything, Big Iron spoke up, "Cake! Master likely wants to share cake with us."

Amalie's eyebrow twitched before she jumped up and slugged her fellow firearm in the shoulder, "You Anvilhead! Master is likely calling us to Hogwarts for another reason!"

Only shaking her head, the sole Okinawan weapon turned towards Tsukiakari, "I suspect it has to do with some recent events myself... He was quite worried for you and the others at Verdun."

Lightly blushing, Tsukiakari gave a small nod, "Um... I'm sorry about that, but..."

A hand on her shoulder caused her to look at Bill who gave her a smile before tipping the brim of his hat, "Little Lady, you got nothin' to be sorry for. What you did was the right thing and he likely knows it."

Relaxing a bit, the Kyu Gunto smiled back at him, "Thank you, Bill-Kun."

All Bill did was smile some and nod before going back to walking silently as he appreciated their surroundings. Here and there a few students looked over in interest at their guests before shrugging it off. Considering things? These ones looked rather normal compared to some of the others.

Granted, some of the boys were staring at the females and the girls at the males of the group.

It did not take them long to reach the front doors and Juuchi guided them through the corridors up to a spot in the Seventh Floor. Sure enough, there was a door there and she glanced at the others before smugly smiling, "Well, we're here then."

As she opened the door and stepped inside, the others followed. Glancing around, Carnwennan nodded to himself, "I wish that I had known of this place before now. It would have been far more amusing."

Chuckles made them turn to where Harry stood with Rose, the thirteen year old putting a plate with roast chicken on it down, "I can imagine what some of my ancestors would have done, Carnwennan. Especially considering what I've read."

Tone dry, Sabah scoffed a bit, "Not to mention Lyra. I dread to think what she would have done if she known about this place."

It went without saying that got her snickers from the others. Smiling and shaking his head, Harry walked up to Tsukiakari and looked her over before hugging her. Something that caught the Kyu-Gunto by surprise, "Master? What's wrong?"

Rather than say anything, Harry gently squeezed her for a moment before pulling back, "I'm just glad to see that you're alright, Tsukiakari."

Expression softening, Tsukiakari hugged him back, "And I am glad to be back, Master."

Once she stepped back, the wizard walked over and hugged Andreste with the shield jumping a bit before she relaxed a little and hugged him back. That was followed by Sabah, who had a broad smile on her face, and Nightbane, though that last was more the one armed manly hug type. As he took a step back, Harry sighed and gave them all a bemused look, "Thank you for coming back in one piece. I really appreciate it, though I wish that you didn't go to Verdun."

Gently, Andraste smiled and gave him another hug from behind, "We went, Master, because we were needed there. We answered the call as we were supposed to."

Sabah then chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest, "Besides which, we went to protect you, Master." Her expression fell slightly and she walked over to give him a hug as well, "Verdun would have come for you as Master Ian had fought there and helped seal the Monster on the Meuse."

With a sigh, Harry relaxed a little, "Still, I don't want to lose any of my family if I can help it." Unknown by him, that caused all the Tsukumogami there to smile and feel a burst of warmth in their chests. Letting out another sigh, he looked at each one of those there, "Tell me that this time it should remain sealed."

A slightly smug smile on her face, Tsukiakari shook her head, "It should remain sealed. And according to the witch who helped seal it, Madam Aetos, it very likely will not escape its chains again. Especially as the Monster used up quite a bit of energy trying to escape and likely sped its demise forward a few centuries."

Slowly, the thirteen year old relaxed some, "That is good to know then." A frown then crossed Harry's face, "Though, Aetos? I wonder if she is related to the Greek Admiral in charge of the Hellenic Shipgirls...?"

Unseen by him, Tsukiakari's eyes widened a bit before she frowned with a look of suspicion. By the time Harry turner back to her, however, it was gone, "Perhaps, Master." She then smiled gently at him, "Hopefully that calms your worries."

With a chuckle, Harry rubbed the back of his neck, "A little, yeah." He then shrugged and gestured at the table, "Come and have a seat then, I've cooked up some food for you all after all and there's some other things to talk about." The teen then winked, "I even made some desserts and cake."

At that, Big Iron perked up, "I told you that Master wanted us here to get some cake!"

Beside her, Amalie held her face in her hands and groaned.

While he had wanted to serve them alone, Harry eventually gave in and let Sheff as well as Kansha help. Examining the carving knife he had in his hands, the Muramasa Kitchen knife raised an eyebrow, "Conjured?"

Just nodding as he brought over some more food, the teen smiled, "Yeah, I learned how after all." Setting what he had in his hands down, he paused and looked first towards Xing and Feng before bowing slightly to their confusion, "I'm sorry to the both of you in that I... don't really know any Chinese recipes." A blush rose in his cheeks, but still he continued, "Um, about the only ones that I do know are either fusions or ones like American style..."

The two Chinese blades blinked at that before smiling, Xing chuckling some, "Master? Look at me." When Harry did so, she got up and gave him a hug, "You have nothing to apologize for. And if you have some foods like those from our homelands? Even if not identical? We would be honoured to have it."

From where he sat, Feng nodded with his own smile, "As my sister has stated, Master. But thank you for the thought." Giving the matter some thought, he glanced towards Xing, who nodded, "If that is what you wish though, we could teach you cooking from our homeland."

Peeking up, Harry gave a nod before frowning and turning towards Sabah who gave a light laugh, "Master, trust me, I am fine with European cooking. But, much like them, I am willing to teach you how to cook from the lands that I have come from."

Some of the strain left the wizard and he smiled back at them. Ruffling his hair a little, Feng giggled and returned to her seat beside her brother. Not long afterwards, they were all seated and food was set in front of them. They did wait though as Catherine clasped her hands in front of her, lips moving as she whispered a prayer.

Once that was done though, they all began to eat. A surprised expression on her face, Amalie looked at Harry in interest, "This is quite well done."

Lounging back in her own chair, Crocea Mors nodded, "Indeed it is! Your food as is good as I have been lead to believe, Praetor! My first Master, Caeser, would compliment you!"

Needless to say, that plus other compliments caused Harry's cheeks to darken in a blush. Scratching his cheek, he chuckled sheepishly, "Thanks." After a few moments though, the wizard cleared his throat, "You're probably all wondering why I asked for you to come. Partially it is to welcome back those of us who went to Verdun and to congratulate them... Speaking of..." Raising the goblet, Harry nodded, "A toast to the returning heroes."

It was now Tsukiakari's, Sabah's, Andraste's, and Nightbane's turn to flush a bit as the other Potter weapons raised their goblets and grinned at them. Seeing that, Dracul grinned, "Perhaps I should make a song for you all in honour?"

Blank faces met her as well as the four in the question speaking in the same, flat voice with their answer, "No."

Somewhat amused, Harry shook his head some and chuckled before giving a sigh, "Besides that... first, you sent a letter about a Colombe du Chasteler wishing to see me?" At the nod from the Kyu-Gunto, he frowned a little, "I read some in Ian's and Lyra's journals about her, but looking her up? There's some other aspects..."

Rather than be insulted, Tsukiakari set down her utensils and wiped at her mouth, "You're wondering about the truth?" As he slowly nodded, she smiled, "Colombe-Chan is... special." Ian's personal sword then gave a sigh, "But when she had met Mistress Lyra and Master Ian, she was something of a broken bird due to various events. That said, I will vouch for her in that she is utterly loyal once a friend and will go through hell for one. And she also truly loved Mistress Lyra as well as Master Ian."

While Harry nodded, Sabah spoke up at that point, "I did meet her a few times even before the recent incident, including during World War Two when she did some work for the British. Not that she knew that until I told her a short time ago. I do concur with Tsukiakari though in regards to her character. You do not need to worry about when you meet her what may happen."

Furrowing his eyebrows, the thirteen year old glanced at the lone French blade, who also nodded, "I cannot speak as I have not directly met her, but I do agree that she is honourable, Master. She was... quite close to Mistress Lyra and Master Ian. Their deaths hit her quite hard, as did Master Henry's."

Eyes closed, Harry thought things over before frowning, "Do you think that is why she never contacted me? As well as not knowing where I was like with Grandmother Siusan?"

Considering that, Tsukiakari gave a small, slow, nod, "I... would not be surprised in that way, no. Another part could be that she had believed that you would have been safe with the... the things that called themselves your relatives." Briefly, there was a flash in her eyes at that, one which Harry noted was shared by the others. Though Catherine merely scowled at the reminder, which made him shift a little due to both how wrong, yet how frightening it looked. But then, Tsukiakari continued, "Colombe has a few beliefs about family, such as how family is sacrosanct. I believe that she also mentioned there was an incident in Rwanda at the time she was involved in..."

It was then that Nightbane interjected as he cracked open an eye, "Master? I feel that I should mention something that her sister, Delilah mentioned. Apparently, after hearing of your parents deaths she kicked up a small fuss on the continent. She was quite annoyed at the Death Eaters and made sure that they knew that they were more welcome beneath the soil on the Continent."

That got a snort from Harry before he shook his head, "I see." Scratching his chin as he thought, he tilted his head to the side. Finally, the wizard nodded, "I'll think about where to meet her then and with whom... though you would certainly be one of those, Tsukiakari."

Even as the Kyu-Gunto gave a smile and a nod, another one of them chuckled. When everyone had looked at her, Juuchi leaned back with smug look on her face, "I should note that Colombe is, in fact, my niece through my sister, Norimune. But I agree Master, you should meet her and renew ties of friendship between your families."

It must be said that Harry was not the only one somewhat suspicious of the Muramasa, but they accepted it. Only shaking his head, the teen cleared his throat, "There are a few more matters. But for one, I have good news." He smiled and gave a slight nod, "Thanks to the memories provided by Tsukiakari, the restoration of the Manor is coming along fine. Better, in fact as now they know what the inside looked like, the workers Victory has been using think that it will be complete by July."

At that all of them perked up with their expressions brightening. Clapping her hands, Catherine smiled, "That is wonderful news!"

Head tilting a bit, Crocea Mors smiled herself, "Indeed! Truly great news that the home our family has had will once more be repaired! Umu!"

Clearing his throat, the thirteen year old smiled some, "Though there will be one modification." At their looks, Harry gave a small shrug, "I've had for some modifications be done to my Great-Aunt Catherine's chamber." Seeing the concerned looks, he waved his hands, "It's fine, I asked Aunt Myrtle to talk with her and Great-Aunt Catherine agreed to be removed for the time in question and not cause any trouble as long as she remains in the house. Apparently, she is happy with the modifications that were suggested."

Still unsure, Andraste frowned, "What sort of modifications, Master?"

With a small shrug, Harry shook his head, "Not many, just cosmetic for the most part. New windowsills and windows for example, polished stone floors, and fitted, smooth stone blocks for the walls as well as a chandelier for light. Add in the table for flowers honouring her? She is apparently... quite pleased."

Much to his amusement, they relaxed at that. Catherine, the sword and not the skull, was relieved, "That is good to know, Master. As long as she does not stir up any trouble."

Only shrugging, the teenager hummed, "Anyways, that's not the only modification being done." Seeing the interest, he smiled a bit, "I'm having a small bathhouse added to it as well as a pool, though that will be done later than the main manor. But we also will have electricity, internet, and the like. That aside, once the manor is done, we'll have some work setting everything up."

Lips curling, Carnwennan chuckled, "Not to worry, all of us know where the furniture is..." Noticing Rose, Saki, Sheff, and Kansha frowning, he shook his head, "Well, most of us. We'll be able to set things up the way that they were."

Chewing his lip, Harry gave a nod to that before taking a deep breath, "Which... brings me to something else that I need to ask you all. I came across some information regarding something that my family has." Seeing their interested looks, he continued, "Do any of you know where the stores of Vulcanium is?"

Just blinking, the older members of the group thought it over before Andraste nodded though she looked confused, "I know where it is, Master. Though I don't know why you would want it unless you want to make something."

Now turning to her, the wizard ran a hand through his hair, "Well..." Then, he realized what she had said and blinked, "Wait, make something of it? Does that mean some of the Potters have?"

With a glance towards Sabah, Andraste nodded with a small shrug, "Yes? Juuchi could tell you about the table pieces they made from some. An entire set of dishes, forks, spoons, candlestands, even gravy boats as well as goblets and the like. They used to bring them out for large gatherings of family and friends since it looked nice and was different. Why-" She blinked at what happened, "Master? Why are you hitting your head on the table?"

Pulling his head back, Harry took a deep breath, "Just... okay, I'll get back to that. Just how much is left and in what forms?"

Still unsure, the shield blinked a bit, "Um..."

Juuchi then gave a shrug, "There's several tons of the stuff in ingots within a trunk. Also, you got about ten cauldrons of varying sizes for it." Scratching her chin, she frowned, "Not sure how much-"

It was then that Carnwennan spoke up, "There's about... thirty tons total that likely is still there. I was there when it was negotiated after all." Misintrepretating Harry boggling, he frowned, "Your family at the time thought that it could be used for various items to prevent corrision and the like. It was why they created the tableware after all after going to see a dwarf. Less issue with the goblins complaining about us having it and such. Granted... they didn't see it as a particularly useful metal unless using it to conduct and such."

Confused, Saki frowned a little and looked over at the dagger, "Why did they call it Vulcanium? A bit of an odd name..."

Simply shrugging, the dagger sighed some, "Because of how hard it was to work it with the No-Maj methods at the time. James Weasley had to use magic because otherwise it wouldn't do what he wanted, hence him declaring it a metal worthy of Vulcan's forge. He brought over quite a bit back to Britain... unfortunately, the Malfoys ruined him by flooding the market with gold and silver cauldrons. No one wanted the wonder metal he had after all." Carnwennan, "The Potter who leant him the money was a friend though and simply took the metal that he was given, as was the Longbottom. They both made it back soon enough pillaging Spanish Galleons." Noticing something, he blinked at seeing Harry holding his face in his hands, "Master? Is something wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, Harry slowly let it out, "Not wrong, but..." He pulled his hands away from his face and rubbed the side of his head, "The metal, Vulcanium? The Non-Magicals know of it by a different name." Seeing as he had their attention, the teen continued, "Platinum."

For several moments, no one did a thing before Tsukiakari wiggled a finger in her ear with a frown. Then, she turned back to him, "I'm sorry, Master, but did you just say that Vulcanium is-"

His tone of voice dry, the thirteen year old gave her a look, "Platinum? Yes. In fact, it is nearly pure platinum."

Eyes wide, Tsukiakari as well as those other Tsukumogami well versed in the modern day sort of stared off into space before the Kyu-Gunto spoke, "And we have..." At Harry's nod, she slowly blinked, "Oh."

Utterly lost, Catherine looked between them, "I'm afraid that I do not follow, is this platinum important and worth something?"

Laughter, nearly hystrical came from Saki, "Y-yes! Yes it is!"

Gripping his partner's hand, Sheff took a deep breath and turned to Catherine, "Platinum is now, in the modern day, worth a lot of money. In fact, far more than gold per weight."

When they turned to him, Harry spoke up, "To put into perspective... Platinum is currently about a thousand Pounds Stirling per ounce. And we have literal tons of the stuff."

Just nodding, Big Iron smiled, "Oh!" Then, she blinked and turned to Amalie, "Is that a lot?"

Pinching her nose, the Blunderbuss sighed, "Yes, that is a lot."

Somewhat bemused, Harry gave a shrug, "On the plus side, our family will never hurt for cash."

That got him snorts from the others and soon the conversation turned more to what they should do...