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Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

Reader mode
Only My Buttervioline 6[2036]
  • Threadmarks
    • Yellowhammer

    A.N. -- Well, it is time to show what kind of metal Therese du Chasteler-Potter and Antigone Koustris have in her.

    Only My Buttervioline (VI)

    Panathinaïkó Stádio, Athens, Greece

    27 May 2036 (First Day of the Knockout Round)

    "So explain the rules of this tournament to me, Athena?" Aphrodite nibbled on some popcorn.

    The Goddess of Wisdom pointed to the two young women below. "Each of them will alternate shooting three arrows with a twenty-second timer once they are cleared to take a shot. They are scored on what part of the target they hit, and the cumulative scores are measured against each other. Two points are scored by the winner of a set, and one by each for a tie, with the first person to score six points advancing. If they are tied after five sets, they go to a single arrow shoot-off where they are judged after each arrow landed to break the tie."

    Aphrodite nodded along with the explanation. She then looked at Apollo (wearing newly purchased Team Belgium merchandise) and Artemis (in a Hellenic Navy 'Silent But Deadly" T-shirt showing a bow-hunter) and smirked at the eager expressions on the twins' faces. The smirk widened as the twins began to banter back and forth about the skills of their beloved Chosen.

    Aphrodite took another bite of popcorn before turning to Athena. She raised one perfect blonde eyebrow and asked in her throaty voice, "So, when will Antigone Koustris and Therese du Chasteler meet in their match?"

    Athena glanced at her tablet and thought as she ran the possibilities on the screen. "They got seeded twenty-first and twenty-third respectively in the sixty-four archer field. du Chasteler's qualifying round scored more tens and Xs -- the very inmost ring used during single-arrow shootouts -- so she is seeded twenty-first in Section Two. If she advances, she will have to go through the twelfth, fifth, and fourth seed to reach the four contenders for the medal. The winner of Two will face the winner of Section One with the top seed Choi Mi-Sun from Korea there. As for Koustris...."

    Athena scrolled down and breathed a sigh of relief. "Section Four. So Tenth seed in the round of thirty two after her initial match, seventh seed in the round of sixteen, and second seed Chang Hye-jin who won gold last Olympics in the round of eight. Then the winner of Section Three with the third seed Ki Bo-bae there. Hm, the top three seeds are Koreans. No wonder they won the team gold medal in overwhelming style yesterday."

    Athena gave Aphrodite a smug grin. "So the only way they can compete directly is with gold on the line going through the best archers in the world in their first Olympics. Sorry Cytherean, it almost certainly won't happen, especially with the anti-tampering measures put in place to prevent unfair magical meddling with the Games. That also stops Us from assisting our Champions directly, which would be a violation of the Accords in any event. So this won't become a rehash of the events that happened on the plain of Illium. Thankfully."

    Aphrodite gave Athena a flat stare and spoke with a pout. "Don't think that I have forgotten you encouraging Diomedes to run wild and wound Me when I went to save my son Aeneas, Pallas." She unconsciously rubbed one creamy wrist. "That really hurt, you know."

    Athena visibly bit back her initial cutting retort involving bribing a certain royal-born shepherd with sexual favors to claim a golden apple that had started that whole ugly mess before it could cross her lips. "Would it help any if I said that I'm sorry in going overboard back then, Cytherean?" She finally said int he most neutral tone that she could muster.

    "Not really, Pallas." Aphrodite admitted before smiling as down below a young woman with spruce-colored hair, dark eyes full of passion and life, and dressed in a Belgian Archery shirt placed a violin case down. Therese took a deep breath as she walked to the right-side target at the judge's instructions. "Besides, the show is about to start anyway.

    "Leidys Brito, Venezuela! Therese du Chasteler, Belgium!" The announcer said to announce the start of the knockout round.
    ------------------------

    Spoiler: Therese's Moment

    Therese swallowed nervously as she walked to the line, feeling every eye in the stadium resting upon her, judging her.

    Her heartstrings thudded in the staccato percussive beats of the kumi-daiko drum music that Yoko and Grandmother Toku loved.

    Her nervous breath rasped in her throat like an agonized woodwind chorus.

    Her bow was as heavy as Mother's piano body in her sweating hand.

    Then suddenly, as if the sun had broke through the clouds around her, she felt an impulse to glance to her right.

    She caught His eyes as her mystery man.... Apollo, her friend had named him stared into her heart with a message in His warm blue eyes and his brilliant sunny smile that resonated in her heartstrings and caused her soul to catch fire.

    I know that you can do it.

    I believe in you.

    I love you.

    In the next instant, a crow flew out of the early morning sun to circle around her head and then landed on the top of the Belgian flagpole where it began to chatter back and forth with Utsuho-chan who was roosting on top of the Japanese flagpole nearby.

    Therese felt that strength, that fire, that passion in her soul fill her with a flame that would not be denied.

    All her doubts, her shyness, her fears, her worries, burned to ash in an instant and were blown away on the roaring liberating flaming inferno that had been lit within her breast.

    She raised her bow with a smugly confident cocky smile just like Aunt Ehren, Grandmother Colombe, Great-Grandma Norimune and the rest of her family would in this instant as she prepared to put on her magnum opus performance on the biggest stage of all.

    "Shoot!"

    Ten.

    Nine.

    Nine.

    "Set to du Chasteler Twenty-eight to Twenty-seven! Match to Du Chasteler Six-Four!"
    ------------------------

    Antigone Koustris nodded respectfully to Artemis as she finished stretching. Her small smile widened as a goose flew over her head to land on pole of a Greek flag nearby.

    She spoke quietly into the stadium and bowed her head. "Thank you for the sign of your favor, my beloved Queen of the Beasts, Lady of Ephesus."

    With that she focused on the target, waiting for the perfect moment to loose her arrows to strike.

    "Ika Yuliana Rochmawati, Indonesia! Antigone Koustris, Greece! Shoot!"

    Ten.

    Eight.

    Ten.

    "Set to Koustris Twenty-Eight to Twenty-seven!"
    ------------------------

    "Therese du Chasteler, Belgium! Gabriela Bayardo, Mexico!"

    Eight.

    Ten.

    Ten.

    "Set to du Chasteler Twenty-Eight to Twenty-Seven! Match to Du Chasteler Six-Four!"
    ------------------------

    "Antigone Koustris, Greece! Kaori Kawanaka, Japan!"

    Eight.

    Nine.

    Ten.

    "Set to Koustris Twenty-Seven to Twenty-six! Match to Koustris Seven to Three!"

    Uzume handed a smirking Aphrodite an IOU as the archers below shook hands while waiting to be called again.
    ------------------------

    "Therese du Chasteler, Belgium! Tuyana Norpolovna Dashidorzhieva, Russia!"

    Athena commented idly as she glanced at her tablet. "This should be interesting. The Russians took team silver in women's archery yesterday. The competition is definitely stiffening. Dashidorzhieva is thirteenth in the world, apparently, and seeded fifth in the tournament."

    Aphrodite nodded and looked at the rapt Apollo. "Yes. Apollo did send a crow as an omen to show who He favors in the competition. As if there would be any doubt! But, Therese still has to perform. He can only inspire and hearten, not do this for her."

    Down below Therese gave her Buryat Mongol competitor a smug smile and respectful nod. She hummed Go The Distance as she plucked her first arrow from her quiver in the fifth and final deciding set.

    Ten.

    Ten.

    Ten.

    "Tie Set Thirty to Thirty! Match to Du Chasteler Six to Four!"

    Therese stepped back and smiled at her thee arrows clustered in the golden center of the target. She then walked over and patted the visibly stunned Russian woman on the shoulder and spoke quietly in French. "Good match. It was an honor to face you today." Idly she hummed Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia as the other woman gave her a grateful smile and spoke to her in Mongolian. "Minii önöödriin toglolt bish!" before shaking her hand.

    The the crowd roared as the last match of the day was announced.

    "Antigone Koustris, Greece! Lucilla Boari, Italy!"

    Therese looked over with a happy and proud smile as her friend faced a member of the fourth-place women's team in these Olympics who had also won the gold in last year's Mediterranean games.
    ------------------------

    Spoiler: Antigone Takes Aim

    Antigone stood on the line as she waited for the command to shoot.

    She breathed in and out slowly as the command was given to open the fifth and final set of their hotly contested match. She had edged Boari in the second set by one scant point, only to have the Italian return the favor in the fourth to deny her outright victory.

    As she watched, the Italian's first arrow struck gold in the nine ring.

    Antigone drew and took aim, waiting for the winds to die down. Then as she fired, a gust blew, sliding her arrow slightly off target to thud into the line between the crimson seven and eight rings.

    A groan sounded through the stadium as the scoreboard flashed 9-8.

    The groan redoubled as Boari's next arrow found the heart of the target for a ten.

    Antigone felt the bowstring tickle her cheek as she waited.

    Now!

    Her arrow thudded into the gold ten ring, producing a cheer.

    19-18.

    Boari frowned to herself while she drew to put the hometown favorite away.

    The arrow flew.

    The wind gusted once more, deflecting it slightly.

    The arrow hit gold, landing a scant centimeter from penetrating the black circle surrounding the ten ring.

    Antigone paid no attention to the gathering stir as the scoreboard updated 28-18.

    The door had been left open a crack for her.

    She nocked.

    She focused on the target as her mother had focused on Abyssal battleships, Demons, and Princesses while commanding her steel hull in the war to save humanity from destruction.

    She drew.

    Her brain ran the calculations just as she would prepare to launch a spread of torpedoes.

    Her aim point shifted slightly as she sensed the winds begin to change.

    "FIRE THREE!" sounded through her soul.

    She fired.

    The arrow slammed into the ten ring.

    "Tie Set! A single arrow shoot-off is required!"

    Antigone stood at the line calmly and took the single arrow as her competitor sweated.

    She stood there as calmly and placidly as a moonlit lake with deer drinking from it as the judge blew his whistle.

    "Koustris! Shoot!"

    She loaded her bow and drew.

    She paused with the calm confidence instilled by a mother who had wounded the monstrous and deadly Calydonian Boar as it unstoppably charged her in the Age of Heroes.

    She took aim with the unshakable confidence of a submarine that had brought her crew back in triumph again and again from the deadliest hunts of all in the underwater hell of the Abyssal War.

    Her lips twitched and she whispered as her love, her family, and her friends looked enthralled upon her.

    "FIRE FOUR!"

    Her arrow slammed into the X in the dead center of the target's inmost ring.

    She stepped back and watched Boari's desperate hope to answer her perfect shot go slightly wide.

    "Koustris wins the shootout X Ring to Ten Ring! Match to Koustris Six to Five!" The announcer's voice cracked in his excitement.

    She bowed her head to Artemis in homage as the Goddess of the Hunt sprang to her feet alongside the roaring crowd to celebrate her advancement to the final eight archers of the Olympics.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [jingo] Blood Legacy
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    Okay. How about some story while things settle down? I promised to post both the Setgirl and Princess Jingo material here. I've already started reposting the Nagato chan stuff. So now I'll start putting up the saga of the Last surviving daughter of Subcontinental Princess.

    Again, this is some time before the current story timeline.

    Blood Legacy

    Amsterdam Island, Southern Indian Ocean

    There were few places more remote and isolated as this, East Indian War Princess mused. Still, it suited her needs. The island was subtropical in climate with a yearly mean temperature of 14.2 degrees centigrade, (57.6 degrees Fahrenheit). It rained as often as not but while hardly a paradise, the active volcanic island was neither frozen waste nor sunbaked hell.

    It also isn't a burnt radioactive cinder, the Princess thought wryly as she gazed north towards where Diego Garcia had been set ablaze in nuclear fire. Like every other being on earth, East Indian War Princess fervently hoped her mother had died a most complete and agonizing death. While humans might have grimly congratulated themselves and comforted themselves with the thought of Subcontinental Princess's demise, her daughter was not so optimistic. Indian War Princess had not been the strongest, nor the weakest of her sisters. Both of these sins had been reason enough for her mother to kill one of her sisters. Subcontinental Princess having the weakest of her daughters impaled, a lesson in the brutal calculus that tolerated no weakness. EIWP had personally thought it unnecessary and wasteful but it was grimly accepted that strength was vital to survival.

    What had happened to her older sister had been far more shocking. Her sister had been quick to demonstrate her battle prowess and had earned the admiration of their kind. Perhaps too much, for their mother had commanded all her subjects to attend what she called 'An Honor' of her daughter. Before the eyes of all she commanded her eldest to kneel before her and when her loyal, loving daughter knelt in obedience, their mother had smiled upon her and then proceeded to crush her daughter's skull with her bare hands. EIWP still remembered the look of shock and pain on her sister's face before their mother tossed her daughter's dying body down the steps leading to her throne. None, not even she dared go to her sister's aid, lest they should draw their ruler's wrath.

    All joy in their ranks had died that day. There was fear and obedience but no loyalty and so it was when the human world finally beheld the ghastly queen, beheld her terrible throne and the monster that sat upon it, drinking wine from a vessel crafted from a skull, that not one Abyssal remained with their hated mother as the nukes came in.

    Many had heard her maniacal laughter as the first warhead detonated, a chilling sound that haunted their nightmares. Everyone prayed to whatever powers existed in the universe that she had died hard but few believed it.

    And so East Indian War Princess and her remaining sisters had agreed to divide their mother's territory and go their separate ways. Her territory consisted mainly of the Eastern Indian Ocean as far North as the Nicobar Islands. At least in theory, it did. There were always rogues trying to carve out independent territories and competing Princesses incurring into each other's territory. Newcomers were directly confronted but unless the territory they claimed was particularly valuable, allowed to remain as long as they agreed to obey her summons to war when called upon and in return, she promised them assistance if they were attacked. Those that refused to accept these simple conditions were ruthlessly destroyed.

    In regards to humans in her territory, East Indian War Princess took a pragmatic approach unlike her mother, who had relished in the slaughter of entire populations and other Abyssals who saw humanity as a blight to be expunged from the earth. She saw humans as a resource and more as the foundation of her Empire. They provided food and labor and as long as they obeyed, she was content to be a benevolent overlord. In truth, she found humans tolerable in general and some even delightful but as a species,she thought they were utterly mad and preprogrammed to self-destruction, as insane as her mother had been. The nuclear attack on Diego Garcia had been a testimony to their shared madness. Humanity needed to be humbled and guided with a firm but fair hand. She would not hesitate to destroy a village in disobedience if she thought necessary but she forbade indiscriminate slaughter. She was well aware that her approach made her a puzzle to the humans and their shipgirl allies to solve rather than a threat so horrible they would seize upon the weapons of their collective terror in an attempt to kill her. This was useful. It gave her time to build and plan while they dealt with more immediate threats.

    Turning West, she looked to where her sister had total suzerainty over the entire Arabian Sea. The Persian Gulf was her playground. The wealthiest Princes trembled at her glory all the while she raided their riches. Another sister ruled the waters from Pakistan to Myanmar, never pushing the humans as hard as she might because she was continually watching over her shoulder, believing that Subcontinental Princess might return at any time.

    Turning back to her waiting escort, EIWP left her contemplation behind. She had appointments to keep, today a new school for some of her human subjects to be dedicated in her honor.

    War is a thing of the mind as much as the body. I will not lose.

    Her reflection was interrupted by her escort.


    "I still don't understand why you bother with them," the Ru class battleship told her liege lady as the Abyssal Task Group approached land.


    "That is because you have no sense of posterity or legacy, Ruiner," East Indian War Princess replied calmly, hiding the dismay she felt. Can you not even try to broaden your horizons?


    "As far as I've seen, there is no such thing as posterity. The only things I know of are things that you can consume, things you can kill, and things that can kill you," Ruiner replied. Ruiner was, of course, loyal to her princess. Her Princess led them well in battle, made certain that they were repaired properly when needed and they all were fully supplied. She also was much more even-tempered than her unlamented mother. So, yes, the fleet was loyal. Most of them were still convinced their Princess was in her own way, quite insane.


    "I have a greater vision, my dear Ruiner," the Princess replied. "I see horizons stretching across the heavens one day! Whole worlds prospering!" They call me an enemy of mankind. One day their children will understand. I want to save them!


    Ruiner suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. The Princess was thinking about her 'mission' again.


    Presently, Princess smiled as she began to come ashore. Ahead, waiting for her, were two Re-class Battleships: Renown and Redemption. They, along with their sisters Resolute and Reliable, were the first children created by EIWP herself. At least her children understood they existed for a greater purpose. Waiting with the two Re class were two of her other children: cruiser Honor and carrier Wonderous. She warmly greeted them.


    "It is good to see you, my children!"


    "We are so happy that you are here, our Princess!" Redemption replied.


    "As am I. I trust all is well?"


    Renown frowned. "The school is ready but we have a bigger problem."


    Princess cocked her head and gestured for her daughter to continue.


    "There is a shortage of critical supplies for the hospitals in the area. Vaccines and antibiotics." Renown could feel her mother's ire start to rise.


    "Did we not arrange for fresh supplies?"


    "Yes, Princess, but the medicines we received were expired and completely useless!"


    Princess growled. "Filthy pirates! We paid them in gold! Redemption?" From her tone, it was clear she was not speaking as her mother.


    "Yes, my liege?"


    "I want these pirates found! I want them alive! You will convene a court."


    "As you will." It was possible that the court would find some of them not guilty. For the rest, justice would be harsh. Briefly, Redemption pitied them.


    "Renown, do whatever you have to to get new medicine: Gold, trade, threats if you have to."


    "Yes, my Princess."


    Princess nodded. The moment passed and she returned to the more pleasant matter at hand. Offshore, Ruiner would wait with the rest of her escort group while Princess was given a tour of the new school.


    Above the entrance hung a banner:


    WELCOME PRINCESS JINGO!
    Spoiler

    Flag of Princess Jingo

    The Union Jack
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [jingo] Empress of Delusion
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    Continuing the Jingo Arc

    Jingo's fantasy was never going to last...

    Empress of Delusion

    "Is she one of ours?" Jingo asked as Renown drew back the tarp covering the body. Honor turned her head away feeling quite nauseous from seeing the mangled corpse.

    Renown shook her head. "There's still enough left to tell she was a Ne class. As soon as I saw that, I had every one of our girls check-in. All are accounted for.

    Jingo looked closer. The eyes of the dead cruiser stared out unseeingly. What remained of her face contorted in agony. Jingo looked over the body carefully, finally scrutinizing what was left of the tail. "There's something. What is the overall length of the body?"

    Renown checked. "Six hundred and twenty-three feet. Of course, the tail has been ripped off so that would be another forty feet or so."

    Jingo nodded. "This is Nemesis, of my sister's fleet, operating near Ceylon as I recall. You can see that her bow is about seven feet longer than normal. She took a torpedo in the bows about a year and a half ago. She gained a little extra length in the repair.." The would-be Empress winced as she realized most of the damage had been inflicted several days before the cruiser's last boiler finally gave out. "Who found her?"

    "A local fishing boat found her drifting about ten miles offshore," Renown reported. "The crew admitted they were afraid to report the finding. They were afraid we would somehow blame or punish them."

    Jingo sighed internally. The people still feared her. This was not what she wanted. But while this particular thought pained her, it was far less disturbing than what had happened to Nemesis. Further examination showed that all but two of her boilers had been ripped from her chest. One of her propeller shafts had been snapped clean, and her hull gashed in a number of places, none fatal but all would have been painful. Inspections showed her radios had been smashed. Further, not a single member of her crew was found on board. Jingo saw that Nemesis had been tortured and set loose to die.

    Jingo knew of only one being that powerful and depraved. "She's still alive," Jingo murmured. In that moment of recognition, she cast off her comforting delusions.

    Renown's eyes widened as she realized what her mother was saying. "Subcontinental Princess? But she's dead! Not even she could have survived all those nukes!"

    "I wish I could agree with you but the evidence before us suggests otherwise. If that is so, we need to act. Send Tantrum and Talos to find my sisters. They will report what happened and they are to request my sisters meet me here." She then turned to Honor. "You are to go Perth under flag of truce. I know she has sided with the humans. Perhaps the wiser of her. But you will inform her of what has happened and also tell them I ask for sanctuary of my people. " She turned back to Renown. "Starting from the North and Westernmost territories, gather every human and every ship that can sail. I don't even care if it has an engine. If they can't steam, they can rig sails! You tow them if necessary! You sail them for Australia. You will be safe there."

    "Mother?" Renown did not like where this was going.

    "If my mother lives, she will murder everything she can find. I can't let that happen to you or your sisters so I charge you with looking after my human subjects. Swear that you will obey me on this Renown!"

    Renown took a step back, startled by the forcefulness of her mother's command. "I swear!"

    Her mother's expression softened at this. "This is the one thing I have yet done that will mean anything in the end. It is everything now."

    "What will you do, mother?"

    "My Empire has been a farce but I have claimed myself an 'Empress'. A ruler is obligated to those she would rule. If the Mother of Despair wishes to take these waters back, I will be waiting for her."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [canada] Jacquet island 3
  • Threadmarks
    • mikelima777

    March 22, 2014

    10:00 AM Halifax Time

    CFB Shearwater

    "Pathfinder One-One-Zero, you are cleared for takeoff."

    "Cleared for takeoff, One-One-Zero."

    The four turboprop engines of the Lockheed CP-140M Aurora roared as the patrol aircraft raced down the runway. After reaching the correct speed, the pilot pulled back on the yoke, the plane pitching up as it climbed. Lined up on the runway, other patrol aircraft well as search and rescue planes were preparing to take off. There had been a surprise earlier in the day, as a brand new plane landed at CFB Shearwater. It was a heavily modified CS300 airliner, bearing Bombardier markings and some hastily painted roundels. Dubbed the Argus II, it was part of Bombardier's bid to replace the old CP-140 Auroras, competing with Boeing which was offering a Canadianized P-8 Poseidon aircraft, itself derived from the ubiquitous Boeing 737.

    In the mouth of Halifax harbour, a rather sizable task force was being formed as part of what was now being called Operation ASCLEPIUS. Ships from the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard, along with a number of shipgirls were being assigned to search the waters off Canada's Maritime Coast. This formation was centred on HMCS Vimy Ridge, a modified Mistral-class amphibious assault ship, which in recent years served an additional role as a mothership for shipgirls on long-ranged deployments. On the flight deck, CH-149 Cormorants along with Bell 429s and Bell 412s from the Canadian Coast Gaurd were being checked by the deck crews and tied down.

    With the Vimy Ridge were a pair of Province-class guided-missile destroyers, a trio of frigates, as well as Canadian Coast Guard vessels CCGS Cygnus, CCGS Edward Cornwallis, and CCGS Leonard J. Cowley, their crews experts in Search and Rescue. There were also a number of shipgirls participating in the operation, led by Niobe and Laurentia, including two Americans.

    To many people's surprise, the battleships Kentucky and Illinois offered to help in the search. The two Iowa-class shipgirls had informed the Pentagon that they were willing to serve the United States, except for any service run by the Department of the Navy. Immediately, the US Coast Guard provided offers to Illinois and Kentucky. Almost immediately, arguments between the US Navy and the Coast Guard erupted, the former offering various things to the two shipgirls to compensate for what happened in the past, the latter offering to train them as "high endurance cutters". As a result, their current status was in limbo, so Ottawa had allowed the two battleships to stick around until the brass in the Pentagon finally reached some resolution. They were willing to act as civilian contractors for now, flying the American and Canadian flags from their mast, but not the US Naval Jack. They felt that they owed a debt to Canada, as the summoning of Halifax had also brought them from the beyond and have a chance at life that was denied to them the first time. Helping the Canadians find one of their missing ships was the least they could do.

    *****

    Approaching HMCS Shannon, Off the Coast of Nova Scotia, Canada


    Tsuki looked out the window as the CH-149 Helicopter descended onto the flight deck of the carrier. She had adopted her human disguise, not out of fear, but practicality as the military only had headsets designed for human ears. Next to her, Muriel was rubbing one of her sister's back as said sister was making use of an air sickness bag. The three selkies were not as used to flying, let alone inside a vibrating helicopter that was buffeting in the Atlantic winds. Mercifully, they felt the wheels touch down, and the rotors slowing down. An airman told them they could start removing their seat harnesses, and they complied, grateful as the harnesses were heavy and stiff.

    The cabin door opened, as a man dressed in olivedrab and yellow looked inside. After they freed themselves from the harnesses, he helped them step off the helicopter, as two others came and led them to the island superstructure. They then went through corridors and stairways until they reached an officer's lounge. Two crewmembers offered warm drinks as the guests sat a little uneasily, feeling as the carrier slowly rocked back and forth. Finally, a man donning the rank insignia of Captain stepped inside, and everyone snapped to attention, with one close to the door saluting.

    "At ease." The gentleman said.

    He reached out and shook hands with Tsuki.

    "Ladies, Welcome to Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Shannon."

    ***

    Inside the lounge, the visiting demi-humans chatted with the Captain, as he spoke with pride about his service and current posting. After more small talk, things turned towards business as they were slowly led by the Captain down more corridors towards a briefing room.

    "So, far, we have tried to contact what we hope is HMCS Halifax, but it seems that barrier is preventing outside radio calls from coming in. One of the drones from Shearwater might have detected a patch of something with its infrared camera, but on its TV camera, nothing."

    Tsuki nodded, "Many illusion charms and ward that I know of focus on the visible light spectrum, and may not be as effective in dealing with infrared radiation."

    The Captain quirked an eyebrow at the Kyuubi.

    "I do read up on Scientific knowledge, Captain."

    "In any case, once the rest of the task force is on the way, we hope to narrow down the search area, and prepare for anything. Our activity will undoubted unwanted attention, and there is still a chance the radio calls might be bait, though hopefully this isn't one."

    ******

    HMCS Severn, near US-Canada water border

    The veteran Cold War-era was on high alert, as her airborne reconaissance teams went on patrol. A pair of animagi transformed into Orcas and dove into the water to watch for threats from below. The Captain of HMCS Severn could see vintage destroyer HMCS Merlin heading to the horizon. His staff was professional and vigilant, ready to fight if necessary.

    "Wards are holding, sir. No signs of any possible threats so far. Hopefully it stays that way."

    The Captain sighed.

    "Hopefully, but our colleagues have just started. Assuming they find the island and try to break the barrier, it's going to attract unwanted attention like moths to a flame."

    The Canadian Ministry of Magic had ordered a squadron of ships to watch the edge of Canada's offshore border with the United States. Their overall orders were simple: provide protection to the nonmagical Canadian Forces searching for the lost frigate against any malevolent interference. They crews understood the thinly veiled meaning: they were engage any Abyssals heading from the South, but many knew the other reason was to intercept any overzealous wizards from MACUSA.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [jingo] Fear Itself
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    And now the next part of the Jingo Arc


    Fear Itself

    "Have I told you I think you've gone crazy?" Ruiner asked mildly.

    "Frequently," Jingo answered with some true humor. "Although not usually in so blunt terms."

    "That's because most of the time, I can call it 'eccentricity'. This time, this is the most completely flipping crazy thing you've ever done."

    Jingo raised an eyebrow. Normally, she would have put some admonition into that glance to Ruiner for forgetting her place and protocol. But today, there was only amusement. It wasn't like protocol was going to change the outcome of things and Jingo did not want to go into her last fight holding petty grievances about foolish things. "You don't have to be here, you know. In fact, I'm pretty sure I told you to go with the last convoy."

    "You did but with Talos and Tantrum back and the strays they picked up, the last convoy has a heavy enough escort. So here I am," Ruiner replied nonchalantly. "I still don't see why you didn't call in the vassal fleets."

    "Yes you do," Jingo corrected. "If they even came, most of them would side with Mother. Some out of fear and others because they are unhappy with my rules. And some because they simply want to be on the winning side." The Once and Former 'Empress' chuckled. "We'll probably end up seeing some of them anyway." The news from Talos and Tantrum had been bad. Bengal Princess was dead. Arabian Princess had gone into hiding. A small number of their fleets had joined up and followed Jingo's emissaries back but Jingo was sure that her mother would have most of them under her control in short order.

    "I suppose so. Alright. Then why?"

    "Why stay?"

    Ruiner nodded.

    "Because I have to." She saw Ruiner's skeptical expression. "I'm not talking about noblesse oblige. I mean that first, I want to keep her attention focused on me and not My Fleet and My People. Second of all, I may not be able to kill her but I can hurt her. Enough to make her go back and lick her wounds a bit longer." She smiled.

    "You know it's possible she won't come. It may not even be her."

    "You don't really believe that. Not with Bengal Princess dead. But let's pretend we both didn't know better. If this was all just a huge misunderstanding and maybe Bengal Princess was killed by someone else. Maybe Arabian Princess is just panicking... Like we are. I would be a fool who forfeited her throne for nothing. Given all the odds and outcomes. I could live with that. But we both know she'll come. And we know what she'd do if we were all sitting around like everything was normal. I couldn't bear that."

    After a while, the wind shifted, bringing with it a charnel stench. Jingo stood up from her throne. "Well, that settles that. An oil tanker's worth of perfume and she'd still reek. But it's time you left, Ruiner. She needs me to be afraid and what she could do to you is the last thing left that could cause me to dread. Hurry on your way now."

    "I was just leaving," Ruiner agreed. "I'm not the suicidal heroic type you know."

    "Just between the two of us, I never pictured myself that way either. I would have preferred writing the history instead of becoming it but there's nothing to be done for it. Now hurry on!"

    Ruiner nodded and with a last salute, got underway. Jingo smiled. She was alone but now she was free as she waited.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [jingo] Fools Gambit
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    And another part of the Jingo Arc:


    Fools Gambit

    "The eye looks a little better today boss," Ruiner commented mildly to Jingo as the two of them slowly made their way east. Jingo brushed some seagrass from her face and raised an eyebrow then held up the remains of her left arm.

    "And the arm?"

    "Still gone chief," Ruiner shrugged.

    "And I think she broke at least three of my ribs," Jingo noted.

    "On the other hand, she didn't expect you to go on the offensive. It was lucky you hit her in the throat. Made my job easier."

    "And just what did you think you were doing, Ruiner? I told you to go."

    "Well, I did... Then I got to thinking how scared and paranoid everyone who's gone back to following your mother has to be. Always riding the fine line between finding out the Abyssals that just showed up are traitors or that they'll be accused of treason. You saw how they reacted when I announced 'our trap' none of them dared make a move. And then one shot and they all went nuts!

    "Besides, I think a lot of them were genuinely impressed and scared by what you were able to do to her. Seriously, I think she just expected you to run or beg like everyone else."

    Jingo nodded, imagining how it had probably gone for Bengal Princess. "I knew even if I begged her that she'd kill me. Might as well go out fighting."

    "But fighting dirty and smart," The Ru class noted. "None of this 'fair fight' shit."

    "Fair fights are for two honorable opponents who respect each other," Jingo winced in pain again. "I just wanted to do as much damage as I could before she killed me."

    "Did you see her eyes? You obviously hurt her, I've seen spite and malice but never that kind of hate in her eyes. "

    Jingo had seen that look in her mother's eyes, no, Ruiner was wrong. It was not hate but blind rage and then her mother lashing out like a wounded animal, Jingo's left arm, the one she had thrust into Sub-Continental's throat, ripping out her transmitter, had been torn off in seconds. A fist driven into her ribs with the force of an atomic bomb and then shouts of 'Assassins!" as Ruiner arrived to sow chaos among Sub-Continental's minions. Jingo lashed out, throwing all of her weight, kicking out at one of her mother's prop shafts as a primal need to survive took hold. Somehow escaping amid chaos as her mother's minions fired at each other, none certain of anyone else's loyalties.

    It was only fortune that Ruiner hadn't gotten herself killed in the process. And now the two of them slowly slipped across the water, camouflaging themselves with mud and bits of vegetation, cosplaying as small islands to avoid detection.

    "So boss? What are we going to do?"

    "We'll head northeast, through the Malay Barrier."

    "Why not just head for Australia?"

    "Scatter her forces and draw them off. Give our fleet and our people a better chance to escape."

    "Alright, but then what?"

    "I assume you mean, when we make landfall?"

    "Yeah?"

    "I go on trial, dear Ruiner."

    "Trial? They should thank you for what you've done!"

    "Perhaps, but I still participated in a war of aggression. My motives I may have considered noble but I am no longer so certain. What I am certain is that My Empire was to be a rule of law. I will now serve law by standing trial for my deeds."

    "Well, damn it boss! If I knew you were just planning on switching the hangman, why'd I even bother?"

    "Because as much as you are a foul mouthed, insubordinate battleship with delusions of grandeur, you are also hopelessly brave and loyal and also, It is not certain that humanity will demand my head. In any case, it will be quite the show!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [14 birthday] Sneaking off with the Submarines
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Gently drifting along the shore of Sarushima, Harry gave a soft, happy sigh. Closing his eyes, the teen simply enjoyed the moment he was having with the two Submarines with him. His arms were around Imuya's waist, with the red haired Subgirl having placed hers around his neck while her own legs were around his waist. And, behind him RO, like Imuya, had her arms over his shoulders and legs around his waist.

    Despite what some might think, he found it rather comfortable sandwiched as he was between the two. And, if the relaxed and happy hums that seemed almost like purrs told him anything? It was that the two Submarines also found it enjoyable and comfortable.

    Opening his eyes as he felt RO remove her arms from his shoulders and putting them around his stomach, Harry turned his head to where said German had her chin on his shoulder, "Hmm? RO-Chan? Is something wrong?"

    Blue eyes sparkling, RO shook her head slightly, "Nein, nothing's wrong, Harry-Chan. Just getting more comfortable is all." Shifting her head, she kissed him on the cheek as she tightened her hold, "This is better after all."

    Rather amused, Harry returned the affection with his own kiss to the cheek, which made the Uboat hum, "True."

    Almost as soon as he turned back to face her, Imuya gave his lips a peck, "Very nice." Holding him close, she sighed, "Just floating through the sea, you cuddling us, us cuddling you... So nice."

    Part of Harry was rather amused at that though he would never tell them that. In his personal experience, Submarines loved cuddling even more than Destroyers did. They craved it like any other form of affection they could get. Sometimes, when thinking of it, he could not help but wonder if it had to do with their jobs. As Submarines, they often spent long, lonely patrols in the dark, cold sea. Rising only at night to recharge their batteries. Thus, being cuddled up to someone who was warm would be nice.

    So it was not exactly hard for him to imagine that was part of the reason that they loved cuddles so much.

    Harry could remember when he first started staying overnights with them sometimes. Even when he had gone to bed in his own futon, alone, by the time he woke, the various Subgirls would be cuddled up to him. Now, granted, he didn't mind it then and still didn't despite the... issues... with his hormones. Rather, he enjoyed it as much as they did as he loved cuddling.

    Thus, all the teenage wizard did was tighten his hold on Imuya and give her a kiss, "Very nice." Just a few seconds later, he glanced toward the island and smiled, "I think that we're nearly to where the others are."

    Nodding, RO smiled a little, "Ja, they're just around that bend there."

    Curious, Harry examined the shoreline that they were beside. He knew that originally, the shore of the island ended under a cliff on this end of the island with the odd stone sticking out of the water. But during the Second Battle of Tokyo Bay, a shell from an Abyssal Monitor, which had an eighteen inch gun, had hit about two hundred feet from the northeast corner of the island. While it had not damaged anything on the island, it had flung debris up and into the shallows and added to the rocks that where there. Some of them were more slabs of stone that due to the shallow angle of the shell had been flipped up and over.

    Right then, as they came around the tip of the island, they could see the other Submarines laying on one of the angled slabs of rock. Most of them were laying on said stones with their feet in the water and the waves washing up their calves. Some, like Iku, were on their backs while others, like Shioi, were laying on their front. For a brief moment, Harry's lips twitched as he was reminded of his earlier image of seals lounging about on some ocean rock.

    But, seeing them at this moment? He was more reminded of pictures and paintings of mermaids instead. Which seemed far more fitting to him.

    Meanwhile, on said rocks, Iku softly sighed as she laid back on them with her eyes closed and arms behind her head, "Ah... this is nice. Warm stone and cool water."

    From where she was beside her, Hachi gave a happy hum, "Ja... Hacchan agrees that this is nice." Turning over, she placed her chin on her arms as the water lapped at her calves, "It is a nice contrast. And the Sun is nice as well."

    Maruyu smiled a little from where she was sunning herself like the others, "Very nice... though you know what would make it better?" Getting sounds of curiosity, she grinned, "Having Harry-Chan with us."

    The blonde haired Subgirl gave a nod to that, "That would be nice as well."

    Out of the corner of her eye, Shioi blinked as caught sight of a flash of red among the waves, 'Imuya-Chan?' Propping herself up a little, she grinned, "Well, we might be getting our wish."

    Each of the other girls perked up at that and turned to her before looking in the same direction that she was as Harry fully came into view. Brightly smiling, Iku waved at him, "Harry-Chan! Over here!"

    Giggling a little, Maruyu had an amused expression on her face, "I think that Harry-Chan can see us, Iku-Chan."

    In reply, the blue haired Subgirl stuck her tongue out at the smaller Submarine that got snickers and giggles from the others. Just a few minutes later, Harry arrived at where they were with RO and Imuya letting go of him, though not without a small, playful pout on their faces. The Submarines on the rock did giggle, however, as Harry gave the two kisses which mysteriously caused the pouts to disappear and smiles to replace them.

    When he reached the rock, Shioi held out a hand, "Here you go, Harry-Chan. I'll help you up since the rock there is a bit slippery."

    Just nodding, Harry grasped the offered hand and was hauled out of the water dripping. Carefully making his way up, he sat down and stretched a little as Imuya and RO clambered onto the rock. Sitting down between Shioi and Iku, he gave them a grin, "So this was where you were. I was wondering..."

    Shrugging a little, Iku grinned back, "We just wanted to spend a little time soaking in the warm sunlight, Harry-Chan. And the beach has people running back and forth on it. Besides... there's nothing like laying on a warm, sunlit rock with cool waves washing over your legs."

    Thoughtful, the teenage wizard nodded a little, "That's true enough, Iku-Chan."

    Maruyu then gestured at the rock that they were on, "And this is our sunbathing rock, because it's pretty nice to lay on. We even make sure that it is kept clean of barnacles and stuff, Mogu mogu."

    Glancing at the rock, Harry titled his head to the side, "Huh, there isn't any."

    Laying back, Hachi happily hummed, "Hai, we like to come out here to sunbathe. So we usually clean up any barnacles or what have you to make it comfortable to lay on."

    Even though he suspected there was more to the story, the wizard didn't say anything. And, as it turned out, he was right, there was more to it. Due to how the island was, the side of the rock that they were on was not visible from shore and also gave them a great view of the surrounding area. Despite their nickname of "Lewdmarines", none of them actually liked it when people oogled them. Hence, them having a rock where they could just haul themselves up and sunbathe on when they wanted to. Even better was the fact that Sarushima barely had any visitors and, also, the way that the rocks were they couldn't be seen from the lookouts on the island.

    It was a nice, quiet, and private place for them to relax.

    Harry sat there with a smile as he looked out over the harbour before he felt a softer hand grasp his. Turning to the side, he blinked a bit at seeing Iku there, "Hmm?"

    The blue haired Subgirl gave his hand a squeeze as she smiled, "I just wanted to say happy birthday, Harry-Chan."

    Expression softening, Harry squeezed her hand back before leaning forward. Bringing up his free hand, he used it to cup her cheek before kissing her. Iku's eyes widened for a second before closing as he deepened the kiss some. Then, pulling back, the fourteen year old boy smiled as her lips were still in the same position they had been in the kiss, "Thank you, Iku-Chan."

    Cheeks red and flustered, Iku only nodded as steam leaked from her ears. Something that seemed to amuse Harry, though she was able to get herself under control soon enough, "Y-you're welcome, Harry-Chan." This time, it was her that leaned in to initiate a kiss as she placed her arms around his neck and pulled him close, while at the same time he placed his hands on her hips, 'Very welcome...'

    From where she sat, Hachi watched with a happy smile as the two kissed before looking at a stunned Shioi and Maruyu, giving them both a nod. Said Subgirls glanced at Imuya and RO, who flushed a little, but also had smiles on their faces before their expressions lit up as well. This, what they were seeing, was confirmation of what they had been told by their blonde haired fellow Subgirl. And it went without saying that they were really happy about that.

    Meanwhile, pulling back from the kiss, Iku opened her eyes and the sakura petal shaped pupils in them practically glowed in happiness. Part of her wondered if this was Harry's birthday... or hers, with what had just happened. It was just like some dreams that she had before, so much so that, briefly, she had the thought that it was another. But Iku knew that it wasn't a dream, it was real.

    And that made it all the better.

    Leaning forward, Shioi had a grin on her face, "So... you're giving out birthday kisses, Harry-Chan?"

    On Harry's face was a smirk before he reached over, "Hmm... I wonder..."

    With that, he captured her lips and the Submarine Aircraft Carrier blinked before leaning into it. And when one of Harry's hands laid upon her thigh, she placed hers on top, "Mmm..." Pulling back, she had a bit of a dazed look and a goofy smile, "I think that answers my question."

    Unable to help himself Harry chuckled at that before twisting around to where Maruyu was waiting and then kissing her. And unlike the others, having expected it, the former IJA Submarine threw her arms around the teenage boy as he placed a hand on her hip. When they pulled apart, she smiled with a happy look in her eyes and a flush to her cheeks, "Looks like we're the ones getting the birthday presents."

    Not to be left out, Hachi slipped into the water and made her way around before clambering back onto the rock. When Harry turned to her, she gave him a shy smile, "Um... is Hacchan going to be getting one?"

    Her answer was for the wizard to grin before he leaned in and kissed her, the blonde Subgirl pressed into him as she put her arms around his neck with a happy hum even as his hands went to her waist. Pulling back, she had a bit of a silly look on her face which Harry chuckled at, "Well, what do you think?"

    Pressing her face into his neck and nuzzling him, Hachi hummed, "I think that this is a very good day." After a moment, she gave him a peck to the lips and smiled, "And a very happy birthday for you, Harry-Chan."

    As she laid her head on his chest, Harry reached over and ran his fingers through her damp hair, "Thank you, Hachi-Chan."

    Iku had a happy smile on her face before she shifted and pressed into his side before she kissed him again, "Harry-Chan? Could you stay here with us for a little bit?"

    Giving her a kiss, he only nodded with a happy smile, "For a little bit..."

    Moments later, he found his head lifted up to be set onto Maruyu's lap before the small Submarine stole a kiss. That was followed by Shioi snuggling into him on the opposite side from Iku and doing the same thing. Despite being slightly flustered, Harry smiled back just as happy as they were. A smile that grew a touch as the group continued to share kisses back and forth.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [setgirls] Prologue
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    Writing didn't help.

    Here. Have some Nagato chan:

    Prologue

    Enterprise looked at the club door nervously. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

    Nerka nodded. "That's what Redfish said. And I am family of a sort. So I promise that if Redfish says this is the place, this is the place!"

    "I just don't want to blow this," the starship answered. "I promised everybody I could pull this off. If I screw it up, it'll be worse than when Laugh-in dropped me into the Friday night 'death slot' for the third season!"

    "Don't worry! It'll be fine!" Nerka waved her off and reached for the door.

    "Hey! hey hey hey... Hey." One of Enterprise's faeries appeared giving her reassurance.

    "Thanks, De. I hope so."

    The faery nodded and went back in and Enterprise followed Nerka inside the club. Nerka spotted someone she recognized and walked over to her table.

    "Redfish! So shall I call you sis or mom?"

    "Call me Red." Redfish grinned and hugged Nerka tight.

    "Thanks... Just let me make sure I've still got my wallet!"

    Redfish tossed it back. "Good girl!" She looked over Enterprise. "I expected you to be taller, somehow. Oh, well! Have a seat, both of you!"

    As they sat, Redfish gestured to the girl seated next to her. "This is Iku, also known as I-19, AKA 'The sniper of the seas'. She's almost as dangerous as I am!"

    Iku stuck her tongue out and then looked at Enterprise. "Is this her?"

    "That's her, NCC-1701... No bloody A, B, C... OR D..." Redfish answered.

    Iku's expression softened a little. She stood up and waved to a girl wearing what could only be described as an orange traffic cone. "Naka! Over here!"

    "What's up, Iku-chan?"

    "Miss Enterprise, meet Idol of the fleet, the Cruiser Naka. Naka! Meet Enterprise, the finest ship in Starfleet..."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [setgirls] Overture
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    Overture

    After her conversation with Enterprise, Naka was more than willing to help. Of course, the fact that Enterprise had offered her a role had helped. Not that Naka would not have been more than willing to help anyway but being seen with the iconic starship could only do good things for her public profile. Enterprise said that she needed a high turn out from the girls at Yokosuka and one name in particular at their upcoming show. In order to do that. they agreed that all ticket sales would be donated to charity. In this case, Two charities: One was 'Orphans of the Storm' providing assistance to qualified children's homes. The other would be a charity in the magical community: 'Helping Neighbors' a charity intended to help support the preserves and their residents. For this alone, Naka would do her best to make sure every seat in the auditorium would be filled.

    Of course, she would have to report her involvement in any such endeavors to the admiral, which she did, informing Admiral Goto that a representative of the production team would be available at his discretion to answer any questions he had about the show and what Naka's intended role was to be. Of course, part of her wondered if she should not simply just tell Nagato about the whole thing but Enterprise insisted otherwise. Their Nagato had a deep need to show herself worthy of The Mighty Nagato. Anything that might suggest a meeting due to sympathy or pity might severely damage her confidence. Enterprise, Illinois, and Susan Nakamura all wanted for Nagato to have the chance to show her stuff before the being in the universe whose opinion of her would matter the most.

    Naka could understand this. Most shipgirls were very proud individuals and if the Actress Nagato had anything in common with the one Naka knew, she would also be a very proud spirit. So Naka would play along.

    The admiral had given his blessing to the scheme and then, pretending as if he and Kongou had not heard a version of the story already, called Nagato into his office for Naka to explain about the show and then telling that the show staff would be sending representatives to the base tomorrow and Nagato would make sure this was something that Kanmusu Base Yokosuka ought to be having anything to do with.

    Of course, Enterprise did not know the details of the Nagato family and if Naka had promised not to directly tell Nagato herself about what was really going on, that promise did not necessarily extend to Naka's favorite on-air sidekick, Harry.

    Still, Naka did have tentative approval from the admiral, so starting tonight, Naka would start helping to promote the show on her StreamCast. To help set the mood among the shipgirls, she would do a reading of Destroyer Johnston's fanfic: American Made! The Great Lakes Battleship x Captain America.

    Naka began the story:

    "So?" The Red Skull gestured to the map as he regarded his guest. He regarded no man as his equal but his guest was no mere human, no more than HE was. "With Hydra's forces at your disposal and the assistance of Doctor Zola, we have a pact! You and I! Hydra will rule the land and you will rule the oceans, my dear."

    Central Island Hime smiled. "The Legendary Hydra was a beast born of the waters. It seems appropriate, don't you agree?"

    "Indeed. And all those who oppose us, whether Captain America or The Great Lakes Battleship, will be swept aside for a new order! Hail Hydra!"

    Hime stood, raising a glass in a toast. "Hail Hydra..."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [14 birthday] Sumire at the beach
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Humming softly close to where the waves lapped against the sand, Rose smiled gently as she enjoyed the warm Sun above. The sound of giggles made her turn and her smile grew as she watched Harry walking out of the water with Maruyu on his back and various other Subgirls chatting with him with bright smiles. Seeing them kiss him before running off towards the barbecue area, she shook her head, 'Ah, young Master... I can only continue to hope for many happy times like today for you.'

    It was then that she noticed that Harry was walking towards her and he gave her a smile and a wave, "Hello, Aunt Rose."

    A slight chuckle came from said Tsukumogami as she nodded, "Hello, Master. I would ask if you have been enjoying your birthday..." She gave a knowing glance towards the Submarines, "But I do believe that I know the answer to that already."

    Rubbing the back of his neck, Harry gave an embarrassed chuckle, "I guess." Hearing a sound, he looked down and grinned. Crouching, he laughed some, "Hello, Sumire, having a good day as well, I see?"

    Just blinking behind her large sunglasses and large sunhat, Sumire squealed happily as she hit the sand with a small play shovel. Unable to help herself, Rose laughed a little, "Oh my yes, Sumire is most definitely enjoying her day at the beach."

    When the little teaset reached for him, the teenage wizard reached down and gently picked her up, "I can imagine!" Giving her nose a nuzzle and getting a squeak, he laughed himself, "After all, it seems like she is having a true adventure!"

    Once more, Rose gave a laugh at that, "Yes, she most certainly is as a matter of fact. And she does seem quite interested in the sea, though considering her mother that is to be expected." Watching as Harry held Sumire and played with her, she hummed, 'Master will make for a good father.'

    Unknown to her, a number of other shipgirls and one Kitsune were also watching and thinking the same thing with small flushes on their cheeks.

    Not knowing of this, Harry gave Rose a smile, "I suppose so." Then he furrowed his eyebrows, "Though where is Haruna-Oba?"

    Lips curled into a soft smile, Rose gestured, "She's over there in the water with her sisters as a matter of fact. I'm watching over Sumire so that she could do so." Rolling her eyes a little in fond exasparation, she shook her head, "I do love her so, but Sumire is not quite ready to be brought into the ocean for a swim."

    Bemused, the teen looked in the direction that Rose had gestured in and shook his head. Sure enough, there was Haruna alongside her fellow Kongous laughing as they played some in the water. A moment later, she spotted him and waved... right before getting knocked down by an overly excited Hiei, who was then tackled by Kirishima into the water. Even from where he was, Harry could hear the "Hieeee!' from the second oldest of the sisters.

    Around them, various people laughed or chuckled at the sight. Sharing a grin with Rose, Harry sat down with Sumire still in his arms babbling excitedly as she waved her little hands around. Which got her a smile from the wizard as he nodded and replied to whatever she said, though he couldn't really understand it.

    Not far away, Jin was watching with a look of amusement on her face, especially when she caught sight of how a number of girls were now looking at Harry. Shaking her head, she barely held back a snicker, 'Yeah, sure, Kiddo. Just keep digging that hole you're in even deeper...' Feeling a tap, the undead Mizuchi turned, "Hmm?"

    Carnwennan gave her a raised eyebrow as he walked up to her with two beers floating in the air beside him as he carried two plates with hamburgers on them. Though one also had a number of sasauges as well, "Figured that you might want something."

    Grin on her face, the Mizuchi took the plate with the hamburger and sasauges on it as well as one of the beers, "Thanks, and you would be right about that." Biting into the hamburger, she hummed some, "Shit... this is good."

    That got her a laugh from Carnwennan as he shook his head, "I will admit, Miss Musashi is quite good at her burgers, though Miss Enterprise is not bad either."

    With a glance to the barbecue area, Jin confirmed that, yes, it was the tanned Yamato manning the grill for the burgers, "Huh, go figure." Taking another bite, she chewed for a few moments before swallowing, "Got all the stuff right for my burger."

    Sipping his beer, the dagger shrugged, "Not that hard after all the drinks we've had together at the bars. One would be hard to not notice what you like."

    Only nodding at that, Jin raised her beer in salute before finishing off her burger. As she did so, she did check out Carnwennan from the corner of her eye. The avatar for the blade looked to be around twenty at the very most. But one thing that she noted was that there was barely any fat on him. His avatar, to her eyes, had a very lean physique, one that hid the power and speed behind it. Part of the Mizuchi noted with amusement that, if she had met him before her transformation due to her idiotic older self, it was exactly the type of body type that she liked.

    But then, she shrugged it off and continued to scarf down her food.

    For his part, Carnwennan was somewhat amused at his current eating and drinking companion. One might think that her manners when eating might put him off, but then those people didn't know how people ate for most of history. Being as he could still remember the meals at Camelot where most would grab food and eat it? Carnwennan wasn't bothered in the slightest as her manners were still better than "Knights" as well as "Kings" that he had known.

    And as he bit into his own hamburger, the dagger spirit internally chuckled a little, 'Besides, I can't blame her much. And she does make for someone who understands the issues with herding cats.' Feeling a nudge, he raised an eyebrow at Jin, "What is it?"

    Jin had a slight smirk on her face as she gestured at the food, "Ever wonder what Arthur would think of modern food like burgers and such?"

    Now saying anything right away, Carnwennan hummed in thought before giving a slow nod, "I would think that he would be both interested in them as well as liking them quite a bit. Though things such as burgers would be strange, it was not... as odd as one might think." At the look of interest, he shrugged, "In Camelot, we would have food placed on round pieces of stale bread. Once the food was done, you would then eat said bread. We did, however, have sasauge at the time."

    Considering that, the Mizuchi took a sip of beer before nodding, "Huh, that's neat."

    With a nod of his own, the two continued their chat, not knowing of some of the others watching. Rubbing her chin, Dracul hummed a bit before glancing towards Sheff who was sitting in Saki's lap as the two Tsukumogami shared some ice cream, "Hmm... what do you think?"

    Eyebrow raised, the knife set looked towards where Jin and Carnwennan were standing and chatting, "I think... that what ever it is, it is their business, Dracul. None of ours."

    Pout on her face, Dracul crossed her arms and huffed a little, "Well, that's not fair at all. Besides..." She made a gesture with her hand, "Carny needs a little light in his life~"

    Blinking, Saki looked at her after taking a lick of the ice cream she was sharing with Sheff, "And? It's their business, I agree with Sheff in regards to that." She then gave a small shrug along with a frown, "Though... isn't Juuchi attempting to set him up with some of her sisters?"

    From where he was laying back with his hat on his face, Bill snorted, "Little lady, them girls are thirstier for him than cactus cat is for cactus juice after being without for a few days. And they would be a yowling as much as them in glee if they got some." That got him snickers from the others within earshot before he continued with a motion of his hand, "Besides, Carn will do as he pleases. Though when he finally blows off that there head of steam he has built up, them there girl will need some skelegrow for her hips."

    That got a number of laughs from the others, though Saki did blush a little at what was said as well.

    _____________________________________________________________________

    Walking around with a paper plate that had food on it, Shiromizu spotted a table and sat down at it before rubbing her hands with some glee, 'Barbecue pulled pork sandwich... yum!' As she picked it up, she heard a chuckle and turned to find Ryouma there with his wife, "Hmm? Ryouma-San? Oryou-San?"

    Sheepish look on his face, Ryouma scratched at the stubble on his chin before gesturing at the table, "Uh, mind if we have a seat? The shade means that Oryou-Chan doesn't need to worry about the Sun as much."

    Only glancing at the pale skinned woman, the young Mizuchi gestured at the chairs on the other side of the table from her, "That's fine, there's plenty of room here after all."

    A soft smile on her face, Oryou gave her a nod, "Thank you, we appreciate it."

    Lightly laughing, Ryouma grinned a bit as he placed their plates down before pulling the chair out for his wife who sat down, "Really, we do appreciate it. Oryou-Chan does burn somewhat easily after all."

    Eyebrow lifted in amusement, Shiromizu glanced at said woman who looked away with a blush staining her cheeks. Chuckling some, she gave a small nod, "Understandable." Pausing for a moment, the Mizuchi continued, "Though if you worry about that, you could ask my Otouto for some of his magical sunblock. It works wonders."

    Considering that, the man across from her nodded, "Huh, you know what? I might do that." He made a motion with his hand as he looked at his wife, "After all, I don't want to see her hurt, and it would allow me some more time to see her in a bathing suit."

    The blush that stained Oryou's cheeks only increased at that and she huffed a little, "Saying such things as that about me in public..."

    However, when the woman glanced at her husband, Shiromizu could see the pure love in her eyes for him which made her smile, 'I can only wish that I could find someone like that whom I can look at in that way...' Shaking her head, the young Mizuchi watched with a small smile as Oryou leaned against her husband as he fed her a little, 'Adorable...'

    Meanwhile, at the edges of her senses, there was an odd feeling whenever she looked at Oryou. Something that her her curious, but the young Mizuchi didn't give voice to it since it would be rude. Taking a bite of a hot dog, Ryouma looked at her in some amusement before smirking, "You want to ask about Oryou-Chan, don't you?"

    Now, it was Shiromizu's turn to blush as she hung her head a little in embarrassment, "Um, is it that obvious?"

    Lightly snorting, Ryouma's smirk became a grin, "Not to everyone, but then myself? You don't manage to get two domains who absolutely despised one another to work together against the Shogunate without knowing tells." He then gave a small shrug, "Besides, you're not being rude or anything."

    Beside her husband, Oryou shook her head before flicking his ear, "Behave."

    That, however, only got a laugh from him. Amused at the byplay, Shiromizu glanced at him, "So... you really are the reincarnation of Sakamoto Ryouma? The Samurai who helped laid the foundations for modern Japan?"

    At that, he blushed a little in embarrassment, Ryouma scratched his cheek and the stubble there, "Well... I wouldn't go quite that far. A lot of people were working and I can't take much credit for that. But... hai, that was whom I was in my previous life." He ate the last of his hot dog and them took a drink of sake before grinning, "Though I find it hilarious as all hell that Okita is now my Imouto. The universe, it seems, has a sense of humour with regards to Karma."

    In the lineup for the barbecue, Okita sneezed a little and frowned, "Is someone talking about me?" Then, she blushed a little as she realized that she had sneezed over Nobu, who slowly blinked, "Hehehe... oops?"

    Grimace on her face, Nobu pointed at her, "For that! I should prevent you from having anymore sweets as punishment!" Moments later, she yelped as Okita's hand came down on her head, "GAH!"

    Eyes shadowed, the former Shinsengumi growled, "Take away my treats...?"

    Back at Shiromizu's table, all three of them glanced towards the scream from Nobu before shrugging it off as none of their business. The young Mizuchi, meanwhile, had a thoughtful look on her face as she tapped her chin in thought before turning to Oryou, "And you're his wife from then?"

    With a small nod, Oryou smiled at her before leaning into her husband, "Hai, I was, and always have been."

    Softly smiling as she watched the couple kiss, Shiromizu nodded a little and waited until they had separated before frowning, "Did he know that you were a MIzuchi then? I mean, Okita-San mentioned that he knows that you are now..."

    Much to her surprise, the older woman shook her head, "He... did not know. Because I was not a Mizuchi."

    At the surprised look, Ryouma shrugged and shook his head, "Hai, she was one hundred percent human, my Oryou-Chan.'

    Now confused, Shiromizu looked between them with a frown though she remembered what Ryuujin had asked her to do, "Does that mean that you were reincarnated as a Mizuchi, Oryou-San? Because you do feel like Senpai a little."

    Once more, to her surprise, Oryou shook her head, "No, I... was not." She glanced at her husband before looking at Shiromizu, "I lived as a human, though with my husband's death, it felt as if I had a wound that would never heal. And even though I remarried, he was not him." Voice softening, she had a sad look in her eye, "My life... was not pleasant without him. Every day, I cursed those whom killed him and those that ordered it. As well, I cursed myself for not being there in time to save his life."

    Eyes widening, the young Mizuchi realized what that meant, "... You died in poverty, hating them. And you came back as an Onryou, filled with a grudge." At the nod, she frowned, 'An Onryou with a powerful grudge. Yet now a Mizuchi like Senpai...' Remembering a conversation nearly a year ago as well as what Jin had said earlier, she boggled as it all fit together in her mind, '... I... never expected that. That, that is what happened to them.' Quietly, Shiromizu looked around, "So you found...?"

    Lips curling a little, Onryou nodded, "I did, during my wanderings of what was Edo, and now Tokyo after the war."

    While it answered many questions for Shiromizu, it raised just as many more. But, she decided that she had enough and so looked at the two, "So, how did the two of you meet in this life?" That got her a laugh from Ryouma as Oryou looked extremely flustered, "Um... did I say something wrong?"

    Just waving her off, the stubble chined man grinned a little, "Actually it is sort of funny. See, I had just, uh, become aware of whom I was and was about... twelve years old. Somehow, Oryou-Chan could sense me at that moment and came looking for me." Grin widening as his wife looked all the more embarrassed, he snickered, "Was a bit of a shock one morning when I woke up to find her in my bed, under the covers, right beside me. Especially as she was looking at me with those eyes of hers... but the real surprise was under the covers."

    It took a few moments, but Shiromizu came to a realization that made her choke, "Wait, you mean..."

    Grin widening, Ryouma waggled his eyebrows at his wife, "I certainly got an eyeful that morning, that was for sure. And I was a very happy teen."

    Face utterly red, Oryou hid it behind her hands, "I waited until you were eighteen after... your Okaa-San had a talk with me."

    Winking at an amused Shiromizu, her husband snickered, "True... though that did not stop you from sleeping in my bed, following me around, and even taking baths once I was fifteen. Ah, you made my second set of teen years great."

    An odd sound came from Oryou at that before she punched his arm, getting laughter from him as the younger Mizuchi shook her head a little at the antics.

    Nearby, Harry heard the laughter and turned to see Oryou whack her husband again and again with some amusement even as he continued to laugh, attempting to shield himself from his flustered wife's hits. Only shaking his head, the teenage wizard grinned some, 'I wonder what that was about?"

    Still amused, he turned his attention to the small building that served at times as a café and small eatery. Walking inside, Harry found Mamiya there cooking up things like fried onions as well as mushrooms for people to put onto their hamburgers. But what caught his attention was Taigei and Ryuuhou. Said sisters were chatting with one another as Taigei made a waffle bowl into which Ryuuhou placed some ice cream into for Takao. The Heavy Cruiser in question gave him a nod as she walked past him, "Happy birthday, Harry-Chan."

    Just smiling back, Harry chuckled, "Thank you, Takao-Oba."

    Ruffling his hair and giving him a quick one armed hug, Takao grinned, "You're very welcome."

    With that, the Heavy Cruiser made her way to the door and outside where she would be eating her ice cream. Part of Harry noted that the bear yokai that Fubuki had adopted was there and staring with a blush on his face as he watched Takao walk past, 'Hmm... I wonder...' After a few moments, he shook that off and walked up to where Taigei and Ryuuhou were, "Hello, Taigei-Chan, Ryuuhou-Chan."

    Both shipgirls smiled at him as they set things down and made their way around the counter. Once they did so, the two hugged him with Taigei kissing him on the cheek, "Hello, Harry-Chan. And a happy birthday."

    Also kissing him on the cheek, Ryuuhou smiled happily, "And a very happy fourteenth birthday from myself as well."

    Hugging them back, Harry returned the kisses to the cheek in question, "Thanks, I've been having a blast today. Especially with everyone having fun too."

    Only pulling back a little, Taigei hummed a little, "Would you like a wafflebowl, Harry-Chan? We've been making them into small parfaits if you want one."

    Expression brightening, the teenage wizard nodded and watched as the Submarine Tender walked around the counter and began to make one. Just as she passed it to him, Mamiya spoke up some, "You know, Taigei-Chan? Ryuuhou-Chan? How about the two of you take five?" At their looks of surprise, the Food Ship gestured at the trays that she was filling, "I'm pretty much done with these so all I need to do is take them outside to the barbecue. Then I can take over for the ice cream."

    Sharing a look, the "Twins" blinked before blushing lightly as they turned back, Ryuuhou speaking up for the both of them, "Are you sure that you don't mind, Mamiya-San? We could continue to man the ice cream counter..."

    In reply, Mamiya snorted and placed her hands on her hips, "And you've been working it all day so far. So go ahead and take a break... heck, make yourselves parfaits and eat them as a treat, I don't mind."

    Both girls looked at each other and softly smiled before they did exactly that.

    Most people who had come in did so only to get the ice cream, and thus went back outside. Which meant that there was plenty of places for them to sit down, thus they chose a booth. Harry waited until Ryuuhou sat down and shuffled to the side before he did the same, with Taigei taking up the other end. Upon hearing the sigh of relief, however, he frowned in concern, "Are you alright, Taigei-Chan?"

    Giving him a quick hug, Taigei nodded, "Hai, I am, Harry-Chan. Just a lot of people coming in for ice cream is all." She then pumped her fist a little, "But we made sure to have plenty, especially with help from Ryuuhou-Nee and Shinano-Chan having their planes make ice cream."

    Unable to help himself, Harry chuckled and gave a nod, "Then the ice cream must be wonderful."

    Lightly blushing, Ryuuhou looked away from him though she had a smile on her face, "Thank you, Harry-Chan." Picking up her spoon, she took a bite of ice cream and hummed, "It does taste good though..."

    As the Submarine Tender tried hers, Harry glanced between them and blushed a little. Like pretty much all the other shipgirls, they were wearing swimsuits. In their case it was bikinis that were nearly identicle. But he could still tell the difference because they chose different color schemes with Taigei's having a dark, navy blue for the strings and the upper part of the top of the bikini. Ryuuhou, meanwhile, had hers fuschia color in the same places.

    Having spotted him looking between them with a small blush, the Light Carrier blinked and leaned over some, "Harry-Chan? Is something wrong?"

    Cheeks flushed, Harry looked away some, but that only brought his view to Taigei who was also leaning over, "Um..." With a deep breath, he let it out even as he mentally clubbed his hormones over the head, "Just that the two of you look really good in your swimsuits, that's all."

    It took a moment, but the two blushed some, though with smiles on their faces. Leaning over, Taigei nodded, "Thank you, Harry-Chan."

    Lips twitching, Harry smiled and nodded back to them before pausing. Then, remembering what Hachi had told him, reached over and cupped Taigei's cheek before pressing his lips to hers. The Submarine Tender hummed a bit as he deepened the kiss a little bit more than usual before pulling back, "Um, you're very welcome, Taigei-Chan."

    Turning, he did the same with Ryuuhou, though when he pulled back, the Light Carrier had a large smile on her face, "We should say thank you more often then."

    Unable to help himself, Harry laughed a little. A moment later, he blinked as Taigei took her spoon and filled it with some of the ice cream from his parfait and held it out, "Here you go, Harry-Chan, have some."

    Amused, but not saying no, the wizard leaned forward and took the offered bite before pulling back with a hum of enjoyment, "Heh, just as delicious as I thought it would be." Taking his spoon, he took some of her parfait and held it out to her to eat, "Here."

    Once she had taken the offered food, he felt a tap and turned to find Ryuuhou there with a smile as she brought up a spoonful for him. Not needing to be told, Harry took the bite and smiled as she giggled. And so it went with the three feeding each other, or rather Taigei and Ryuuhou taking turns feeding Harry as he did the same to them.

    In any case, it did not take long before they were done with what was in the waffle bowls, and the bowls themselves were eaten.

    With that done, Ryuuhou and Taigei cuddled into his side with happy sighs as he placed his arms around them. Sharing a look with her sister, the Submarine Tender leaned in and gently kissed him for a few seconds before pulling back, Ryuuhou taking her place. Both giggling at the stunned look on Harry's face before doing so again as they simply enjoyed themselves and their break.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [setgirls] Harry's 14 Birthday
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    A bit of fluff for the thread. This setgirl snip is new, made just for Harry's Birthday,

    You can take a subthief out of the water...

    July 28, 2014

    "Understand that we only get one shot at this. Failure is not an option, ladies." HMS Sea Tiger said looking over the group.

    "Ladies? Where?" X-2 looked around, only to be swatted by X-5.

    "She means us, boulder brains!"

    Nerka snickered as she polished her torpedo launcher.

    "We're 'ladies', alright! Just so prim and proper and innocent! Arr!" Stingray laughed, bandana tied around her head.

    "Pipe down!" Copperfin barked. "We got a job to do and by Lockwood's Piano! We're gonna do it!"

    "Perhaps we should go over the plan again?" USS Sea Tiger suggested.

    "Ja!" U-47 agreed.

    "Is that necessary?" Scire asked with a lazy smile. "I am knowing exactly what I am to do."

    "By the numbers!" HMS Sea Tiger barked.

    Everyone groaned.

    "Come on, you screwups!" Copperfin said. "One..."

    "Raiders arrive!"

    "Two..."

    "Pink Lady and Scire are out for a drive."

    "Three..."

    "X-Craft eye the road."

    "Four..."

    "Nerka fires her load."

    "Five..."

    "Sweet ladies offer aid."

    "Six..." Copperfin called.

    "Wolfpack strikes down the lane!"

    "Seven..."

    "Stingray and Nerka, the Cargo unload."

    "Eight..."

    "Shore patrol clears the road."

    "Nine..."



    ***

    July 30, 2014

    "As promised, Admiral!" Redfin grinned proudly, " Five hundred gallons of premium ice cream for Harry's Birthday party. And a good thing too! I hear it's going to get over 90 degrees tomorrow!"

    "I'm impressed," Admiral Richardson noted. "Dare I ask where it came from?"

    "I wouldn't sir. Not unless you really want to know."

    "Fair enough, Redfin. You can keep your customary 15% cut, you and whomever else I don't want to know about being involved."

    "I'm shocked you'd say such a thing sir!! This was in the line of duty! Ten percent will do plenty!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [14 birthday] Caldera Ships on the Beach
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Walking out from the resturant area, Harry gave a wave to Taigei and Ryuuhou, who waved back as they went back to handling the ice cream. Both shipgirls had told him that they would be manning it for a few hours more, but not that long. After that, they had given him a kiss and so now he was heading out into the sunlight.

    As he walked out, he caught sight of something nearby and blinked before heading over in the direction. Eyebrows raised, he found Denryuu standing there leaning against the wall in the shade of an overhang with her eyes closed. In one hand, the Carrier had a bottle of ramune. Somewhat concerned, Harry walked more into view and cleared his throat, which made her jump a bit, "Denryuu-Chan?"

    Eyes wide, she looked in his direction before calming down a little, "O-oh, it's you, Harry-Chan."

    Sheepish smile on his face, Harry walked towards her a little, "Sorry about scaring you." His smile then faded into a small frown, "Are you okay?"

    Opening her mouth to answer, Denryuu paused before sighing, "Well... kind of."

    Just nodding, the fourteen year old walked over until he was beside her and also leaning against the wall, "Kind of? What's wrong?"

    Lightly blushing, Denryuu looked at him before shuffling her feet, "I'm... sorry, Harry-Chan. It is just, well, I'm still getting used to large crowds of people is all."

    Understanding bloomed on Harry's face as he nodded, "Which is why you're over here and not on the beach. It's pretty private here and no one would bother you."

    The Carrier nodded a little as she shuffled her feet, "Hai. I mean..." Looking away, she took a deep breath before she continued, "Back in the Caldera, there were the ghosts for a while. But they never really had a kind word to say for us that were wrecked there. I don't really blame them much... The Americans were forced to work on us as slaves, and the Japanese they..." Chewing her lip, she couldn't look Harry in the eye, "They told us that we were failures because we were not ready in time. That Japan fell partially because we took so long to build."

    Moments later, Denryuu found fingers under her chin and those same fingers slowly turning her head to face Harry. Upon seeing his eyes, she found herself breathless at what was in them. There was sympathy and care for her, but also a hardness. Not directed at her, not really. Yet it felt like his slight glare was targeting the dark feelings in her heart before he spoke, "Denryuu-Chan, understand when I say that is a load of bloody shite. You were not at fault, not at all. It was those who started the war that were responsible, ultimately, for what happened, not you. Nor were Miitake-Chan, Mihara-Chan, Ishikari-Chan, Ume-Chan, or Sakura-Chan at fault. All of it lies on the men who gave the orders, not on any of them, not on you."

    Despite things, she could feel them strike at something deep in her. It was not just that look, which made her boilers flutter in strange, but good ways. His tone, as well, was part of it. There was a iron hard certainty that was there, a certainty that stated he believed every single word of it.

    Blush staining her cheeks, Denryuu ducked her head a little, though she had a small smile on her face, "Thank you, Harry-Chan."

    With a small nod, Harry smiled back at her, "You are very welcome, Denryuu-Chan. Though..." Reaching over, he took her hand in his, "None of the others would say anything if you want to go and swim a bit."

    Lips curling a bit more as her smile grew, the Carrier hummed, "Maybe..." Her smile then fell a little. Turning towards him, she chewed her lip, "Um, also... I'm kind of embarrassed since I'm wearing a swimsuit."

    Confused, Harry blinked at that, "Hmm?" Looking her over, he found that she was in a black one piece with the areas where the legholes were being white with a red stripe between the black and white portions, "Well, I think that it looks really good on you."

    Her eyes widening as her blush deepened a bit, Denryuu looked at him, "You... you do?"

    At that, the teenage wizard gave her an small smile, "Hai, I do. In fact, I would go as far to say it looks extremely good on you."

    If anything, that flustered Denryuu even more, "Thanks..."

    Understanding suddenly came to Harry and he nodded a little bit, "Hmm... I'm going to guess you thought that you did not look good because of your wreck? And what was said." Her hanging head made him shake his, "Denryuu-Chan? Believe me when I say that you are not ugly, not in the slightest. You're beautiful."

    Breath catching in her throat, she turned to him, 'H-he just...'

    With a slight shake of his head, Harry grinned a little, "I would say that rather than your hull representing what you believe that you look like, it should be the opposite. You should believe that your current self represents what you really are, what you were supposed to be. A beautiful ship, gorgeous even! One that I would proud to be the Admiral of one day."

    Flustered, Denryuu looked down, but she had a smile on her face, "I see, you truly do believe that?" At his nod, she hummed a little with a curious look, "What about Shinano-San? Hachi-San? Ishikari-Chan and Miitake-Chan?"

    That made the teenage wizard blink for a moment before he gave a shrug, "They're all gorgeous ships as well. And one day, I'll be theirs... and your Admiral as well! Then, we'll win this war... together."

    Denryuu blinked at him for a few moments before she began to giggle and then laugh as she held her stomach. Once they died down, she wiped at her eyes some, "Thank you, Harry-Chan. What you just said... it is all that I could ask for."

    While he was confused about her reaction, he just nodded, "You're welcome?"

    More giggles escaped her at that before she sighed. Opening her mouth, Denryuu paused a little before shuffling some to the side so that her arm touched his and her head leaned against his, "B-but could we stay like this? Just for a little while?"

    Once more taking her hand in his, Harry nodded, "Sure, I don't mind." For a moment or two, he thought things over before nodding, "And, if you want, if things get too much for you? We could go exploring the island a little. I'm pretty sure that you haven't done that before."

    Stunned, the shipgirl stared at him for a few moments before shaking her head, "Um, no, I-I haven't."

    Bumping his hip against her leg, he winked, "Well then, that sounds good to me as well."

    Even though she was blushing, Denryuu giggled and bumped her hip back against his, "Hai, to me as well."

    The two of them shared a smile at that before Harry perked up a bit as he could hear music being played on the beach. Music that was also being played through the speakers of the resturant/cafe. Glancing at Denryuu, he stepped in front of her and held out his hand, "May I have this dance, milady?"

    If her blush had almost disappeared, it now came back fully as she stared at him. Chewing her lip, Denryuu looked him in the eyes, "Um, I've never danced before..."

    With a small shrug, Harry chuckled a little with his eyes glowing in amusement, "Well then, I guess that I'll just have to give you a little lesson, hmm?" Kicking off his sandles, he gestured for her to do the same, "This way, even if we step on each others toes? It won't hurt?"

    Unsure still, Denryuu nodded and kicked off her own sandles before placing her drink to the side. With a deep breath, she stepped forward, "Um... what's first?"

    Gently taking her hand, the fourteen year old placed it on his waist before placing her other hand on his shoulder. Then, Harry placed his own hands on the opposite places on her body, "Well, first let's start out with something simple, hmm?"

    Cheeks red as they began to sway, Denryuu nodded as she paid attention at first. But then, slowly, they got closer together and swayed to the music down on the beach with the Carrier closing her eyes and placing her head on his as he held her close. A small, happy smile on her face.

    Unnoticed by them, just out of sight, Shinano had been listening in and had a happy smile on her face as she held her hands to her chest. Mainly, because she was reminded of another Carrier, long ago, who was also shy and unsure of things. One helped out by a certain boy, who was now helping another.

    Happy, she looked over at Regina, who also looked very happy. Then the two smiled and barely held back giggles as they left the area. Listening in and such was so naughty!

    And besides, Louisiana also had her barbecue all done and ready, which they were looking forward to trying.

    Roughly an hour later, Harry gave Denryuu a wave goodbye after giving her a final hug as he walked off. When he saw her just a few minutes after heading down to the beach with a smile on her face and a spring in her step, he smiled. After all, it was good to see that she would be enjoying herself. Especially when she got pulled into a splash fight between her and the Twins.

    Speaking of enjoying themselves, Harry's smile a grew a touch as he spotted two people in particular. Walking over, he chuckled a little as he spotted Andraste and Sabah sitting in a beach chair with an umbrella over them. The Arabian blade sitting in the lap of the shield reading, with said spirit whose lap was being used having her arms around the midsection of the other. Part of him took note how Andraste had a simple white and fuschia swimming dress on, while Sabah had on a black two piece.

    The smile on his face growing a little, he raised an eyebrow at the two, "You two seem to be enjoying yourselves."

    Both girls looked up at him and smiled a little, with Andraste nodding, "We are, Master. After all, it is a lovely day to go to the beach." Giving the midsection of the girl sitting in her lap a squeeze, she continued, "Especially with good company."

    Giving her friend and longtime companion a smile, Sabah nodded herself, "Indeed, it is quite nice out and the sea breeze is refreshing as is the scent of salt in the air." Taking a deep breath, she snuggled back into Andraste, giving a happy hum, "And there is nothing like a good philosophy book to read."

    Intrigued, Harry raised an eyebrow, "Oh? So it's a good book then?"

    Lips quirking a bit, the dusky skinned tsukumogami nodded, "Indeed, it is a very good book. I was suggested by Chisuheri to read it and it is called 'Hagakure'." She had a thoughtful look on her face as she hummed, "It is an interesting read for one such as myself and the others. The author, in it, is a Samurai grappling about the problem of maintaining a warrior class in a society that no longer needs it. As I am a sword in a world of mostly guns and the like, it is somewhat fitting."

    Considering what he had just heard, Harry remembered that he had seen the book once in Wisconsin's hands as she read it, "Huh... I'll have to read it myself one of these days then." He then quirked his lips some in amusement, "Though I will admit that you do look rather comfy together right now~'

    That got him a grin and a laugh from Sabah as Andraste flushed a little. Still grinning, the Arabic blade winked at him, "Well, Andraste is very comfy, Master. Extremely so as a matter of fact."

    As if to prove the point, Sabah leaned back a bit more, which flushed the shield yet further, "S-Sabah!"

    Utterly unrepentant, her the sword looked back with a smug smile, "Yes, Andraste?"

    Only facepalming and covering her face, Andraste's next words, delivered in a low whine, got a laugh from both Sabah and Harry, "Stoooop..."

    Shoulders shaking at their antics, Harry shook his head, "As long as you're enjoying yourselves. Have you been in the water yet?"

    Both weapon spirits shook their heads at that, with the shield pulling her hands away from her face, "No, Master, we haven't. Though we are planning to." She shared a small smile at Sabah before reaching over and grabbing a glass filled with a reddish liquid, small pieces of fruit in it which she held out for her dusky skinned companion. Seeing the interested look, she shook her head, "Non-alcoholic sangria, Master. No alcohol, but still very good."

    Taking a sip, Sabah wiggled a little, "Very good indeed."

    Just grinning, Harry nodded and said goodbye as he headed off to get his own drink as well as he was feeling a bit thirsty and it did sound good... and was good.

    _______________________________________________________________________

    Arms above his head, Harry stretched some after having come out to put more sunblock on. Hearing squeals nearby, he turned and smiled at the sight of Aeroprin dancing through the shallows with a happily laughing Hoppou on her shoulders. Chasing them were Aeroprin's Destroyers with Rei, Asuka, and Kenshō. All of them laughing gailly as they shot at Hoppou and Aeroprin with waterguns.

    That was until, when dodging, the Abyssal Princess carrying his sister lost her footing and went tumbling into the surf. Moments later, however, they burst from the water and blinked as the others stared. Then, all of them began to laugh at what happened which made Harry smile as well, 'This... is turning out to be a great birthday.'

    Hearing a sound, he was about to turn when he found himself a victim of an attack... a rather nice one as two arms wrapped around him, "BIRTHDAY HUGGLES!"

    Just stumbling a bit, Harry blinked and looked up to find that he was currently being hugged/cuddled by a certain "Battlecruiser". Lightly chuckling, he grinned up at her, "Good afternoon, Miitake-Chan, I take it that you're enjoying the party?"

    Grin on her face, Miitake laughed a bit, "Hai, but know what would make it all the better?"

    Eyebrow raised, the teenage wizard hummed for a moment, "Huggles?'

    Another laugh burst from Miitake as she nodded, "Huggles!"

    The sound of someone sighing made Harry turn towards Ishikari who facepalmed, "Miitake-Chan... just stop." In reply, said sister of hers stuck her tongue out which made her groan, "Oh for..."

    Lightly laughing, Harry shook his head a little, "It's fine, Ishikari-Chan. I don't mind it."

    Sighing again, the nameship for their class gave him a suffering look, "Must you encourage her? Because if you do, she won't stop."

    Only shrugging, Harry didn't say anything, though that was partially because he was enjoying it. Mainly because, right then due to the embrace, he could feel Miitake pressed up against himself. He did check out Ishikari, however, and despite his best efforts did have a bit of redness to his cheeks. After all, she was wearing a swimsuit very similar to Yamato's old one which seemed to be a two piece, but with strips of fabric stretching between the top and bottom portions.

    Hers, however, had the red replaced by a light blue as a difference.

    Meanwhile, Miitake was giving her sister a grin, "Oh, I know what is wrong here~"

    Cheeks becoming flushed, Ishikari gave her a look, "W-what? What is with that tone!?"

    Giggling, her genki sister pointed at her, "You want to birthday huggle the Harry as well! Admit it!"

    Now sputtering, Ishikari glared at her, "I-I-I do not! I mean, I don't want to huggle him like you are!" Looking away with her face flushed, she closed her eyes, "I-it is that I respect him greatly for what he has done a-and see him as a friend! And friends wish each other happy birthday!"

    Expression one like that of a cat who just found a large bowl of cream, Miitake grinned, "Oh my. My, my, you certainly are tsundere, Nee-Chan~"

    Shaking a little, the other Battlecruiser pressed her lips together, "I am not tsundere! Not at all! I-it is that I have more respect for personal space than you do! N-not like I want to get huggled and stuff by him either!"

    From where he was, Harry blinked, 'Uh... that does sound tsundere...'

    Miitake giggled more at that before pulling a fan from somewhere and snapping it open before her face, "Oh-ho-ho! So very tsundere!"

    By this point, steam was coming from Ishikari's ears as her flustered levels reached breaking point levels, "N-not a tsundere!"

    Grin nearly impossibly wide, her sister looked away and pulled Harry, somehow, even closer, "Well, it seems that I will be the one to get all the huggles then!" Seeing the expression on her sister's face, her eyes narrowed before she pushed Harry towards Ishikari, "Or maybe not!"

    Under most circumstances, someone colliding with a shipgirl would not have much, if any effect. Usually, they would bounce off them, unhurt, but not effecting them. Sometimes, the shipgirl didn't even notice until they heard a sound of the person giving a grunt or such.

    This... was not one of those cases.

    When Harry hit her, Ishikari was so surprised and flustered, that she gave a squawk as she tumbled backwards into the sand. Her arms still went around his waist automatically as they fell over, with his own hands going around her own waist. Thankfully for him, his head was cushioned from the fall, though he was flustered by where it had hit. Hearing a whimper, he blinked and pushed himself up, only to find that he was straddling Ishikari, her arms around his waist while his own hands were on either side of her head.

    Much to his bemusement, there was an odd keening sound coming from the Battlecruiser as her face practically glowed from the heat. Something that made him blink, "Er... are you alright, Ishikari-Chan?"

    Slowly, the shipgirl nodded, "U-um, h-hai..."

    With a slow nod of his own, Harry coughed some, "R-right." Getting up, he stretched out his hand to her, "Here, let me help you get back to your feet."

    Not trusting her voice, Ishikari took the offered hand and found herself pulled to her feet. For some odd reason, however, she stumbled forward into Harry, with his hands once more going around her waist as he found himself in marshmallow hell. Needless to say, he blinked some as she simply held him there. And, when his eyes met hers, Ishikari looked away with a blush, "I-I just am having issues with my balance on this blasted sand, that's all. Nothing more." More quietly, she continued to mumble, "It's not like this is really nice or anything..."

    Internally, the teenage wizard shrugged, 'Yeah, tsundere. And you do like it.' Closing his eyes a bit, Harry simply leaned into the embrace with a small sigh, 'This is kind of nice...'

    After a few moments, however, he found himself in a sandwich as Miitake glomped him again from behind. With yet another squawk, Ishikari found herself tumbling backwards with Harry trapped between her and her sister's bodies. Miitake, for her part, just giggled loudly, "Birthday huggle sandwich!"

    Choking a bit, her sister glared at her, "W-what are you doing?!"

    Grin on her face, Miitake snickered, "Weeelll~ You looked so comfy, that I had to join in!"

    Yet again, that got her sputters as Harry, who was stuck between them, flushed deeply, '... I cannot tell if this is heaven or hell...' It was then that the two shipgirls began to wiggle on the sand as Ishikari tried to get out from under her sister and Miitake wouldn't let her, 'Hell it is... DAMN YOU HORMONES!'

    Needless to say, once more, he was chasing said hormones through his head with a spiked club.

    It was a few minutes before the three got to their feet, with both Harry and Ishikari flustered to no end by the situation that they were in. Miitake, meanwhile, was utterly unrepentant and showed it by bopping herself on the head with her tongue sticking out from between her lips a little, "So-orry~"

    Taking a deep breath, the teenage wizard nodded, "That's fine, Miitake-Chan..." He walked up to her as she blinked, "After all, I know how to deal with it."

    Confused, Miitake furrowed her eyebrows, "With huggles?"

    Smiling up at her, Harry shook his head, "Nope!"

    Before she could say anything, his foot lashed out and she began to fall as her legs were swept up from under her... right before landing in Harry's arms. One arm went under the back of her knees while the other supported her shoulder. Needless to say, said Battlecruiser went as red as her swimsuit, which was similar to her sister's except in that color, "W-w-what..."

    Right then, she noted Harry leaning in, his voice a soft growl, "I know exactly what to do with someone like you..."

    Utterly stunned, Miitake froze in the position that she was in. Part of it was because it was something that she had dreams about, and now it was real! Another part was her wondering how, exactly, Harry was carrying her bridal style when she was at least a foot taller than he was, and much heavier. It was the first one, however, that caused her mind to short circuit a little as she never expected this situation, "A-babababa..."

    Of course, unknown to her and her now extremely flustered sister, Harry was cheating a little. One of the few tricks he had learned how to pull off wandless was the levitation charm. Sure, he was unable to actually lift her with said charm wandlessly. But lighten her enough to easily carry her?

    Easy.

    Behind him, Ishikari was following as she poked her fingers together, 'I... I wonder if he could do that to me... not that I really want him to or anything! Stupid, lucky Imouto... Not lucky! Not lucky at all!'

    Meanwhile, the teenage wizard continued to walk for a minute or two, before he stopped, his feet on wood. Beatifically smiling, he looked down at the still stunned and flustered Miitake, "And here we are... right where I wanted you."

    Slowly, he lifted her up and her face came closer to hers with Miitake becoming more and more flustered. From her ears, leaked steam... Right before realzing that she was moving away from him as he gave her a gentle toss, "Wai-!"

    Before she could finish, however, she hit the water with a splash and Harry laughed a bit, "Maybe you should cool off!"

    Rapidly blinking as she watched her sister splash in the shallow water, Ishikari stared for a moment before she began to laugh. Something that got her a pout from her sister as Miitake glared at her with clenched fists. Before the currently waterborne Battlecruiser could say anything, Harry leaned down and kissed her cheek, which caused her to freeze. Then, he walked away... though not before giving Ishikari a kiss on the cheek as well, stretching up to do so.

    Whistling as he walked off, Harry hummed a little, 'Hmm... maybe I should get something to eat?'

    Unknown to him, the two Battlecruisers had frozen in disbelief for almost a minute. That was until a sound snapped Ishikari from her shock and she noted bubbles coming from her sister and she dove in to rescue her, "MIitake-Chan!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [14 birthday] DesDiv6 Shenanigans & Stuffing Duckies
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Standing in line for the barbecue, Harry smiled a little as he could see Louisiana there with a smile of her own as she cooked masterfully. As the music shifted to a new song, she swayed to the beat, which caused him to swallow a little with a blush as she wore jean shorts and a bikini top. Just shaking it off, he walked up to her and grinned a little, "Louisiana, enjoying yourself?"

    A small smile on her face, she nodded a little, "Oui, mon Chéri, I am. A very good day as a matter of fact." Louisiana's eyes twinkled a little, "Though, I cannot wait to go for a swim. Especially with you and ma Chérie."

    Only nodding, Harry had a slight frown on his face, "Sorry about that, you've been standing here most of the day while the rest of us..."

    However, Louisiana waved him off with a smile, "Non, you have nothing to be sorry about, mon Chéri. It is your birthday and I am glad to do this for you."

    Glancing around, the teenage wizard motioned her to lean down, which she did. Harry then kissed her as he cupped her cheek. Briefly, there was an expression of surprise on Louisiana's face before her eyes drifted close and she leaned in. As they separated, Harry found his lips twitching as her face was flushed, "Thank you."

    Opening her eyes, he was caught in their gaze and found himself comparing them to sapphires. Softly smiling, Louisiana kissed him again for a few seconds before pulling back with a warm, rich chuckle, "You are welcome, mon Chéri. You are always welcome..."

    Now it was Harry's turn to be a bit embarrassed and he scratched his neck, "Um, right..."

    Just nodding, Louisiana gestured to the smoker, "So, what would you like to eat, mon Chéri? As I believe that you may be hungry, hmm?"

    With a small nod, the fourteen year old smiled, "I am as a matter of fact. Hmm..." Harry then had a small smile on his face, "Could I have a rib sandwich alongside some pulled pork and brisket?"

    Lightly laughing, Louisiana smiled and kissed his cheek, "Of course, mon Chéri! It is after all your birthday."

    That got a happy grin from him as she gathered the food he asked for. Nearby, he could see Minagato about to eat a sandwich twice the size that she was alongside Smolgina. The other Smols were eating their own barbecue meals as well, which were all larger than they were.

    Of course, that was when his eye caught something and he blinked for a moment.

    And then his eyes narrowed and he turned towards Louisiana, "Um, Louisiana? Can I ask you something?" When she glanced at him and nodded, Harry had a frown on his face, "Are the Duckies eating what I think?"

    In her eyes, Louisiana had amusement as she nodded, "Oui. And before you ask, that is all that they have had."

    Moments later, the twinkle grew as Harry narrowed his eyes still further, "I see... Louisiana? I think that I need to expand my order a little."

    Unable to help herself, the Battleship chuckled as she nodded, "Of course, mon Chéri... of course."

    Just a few minutes later, Akizuki, Hatsuzuki, and Teruzuki looked up as Harry arrived, "Mind if I sit down?"

    Each of the Duckies blinked before shaking their heads, Akizuki gesturing at the table, "Of course not, Harry-Chan. Please, sit down."

    When he did so with a nod, the three Destroyers noted that he had several plates of barbecue. Their stomaches growled a little at the smell, even as they tried to silence them. But there was a glint in Harry's eyes as he looked at them, "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

    Sharing a look with her sisters, Teruzuki shook her head, "U-um, no, Harry-Chan. T-though, well... w-why do you have so much food?"

    The smile that appeared on Harry's face made her shiver a little. And it returned as he leaned over and glanced at their plates with his next words causing them to freeze, "Well, because I saw three little Duckies here looking so hungry. And all they seemed to have is two sliders..."

    Face blanching as she realized what was going to happen, Hatsuzuki shook her head. Unfortunately, her eldest sister poked her fingers together, "Well, um..." Akizuki was unable to look him in the eye as she continued, "We didn't want to take too much, so that others could have some too..." Slouching some in her seat, she gave him a sheepish grin, "Um... that's okay, right?"

    Eyebrow slowly rising, Harry gave her a look, "No, it is not." Placing three of the plates in front of them, he stabbed some brisket with a fork and held it up to Teruzuki with a mad grin on his face, "Let the Duck Stuffing... commence!'

    All the Duckies could do was watch in fear and awe... as well as awe and fear, as Harry proceeded with Operation: Beach Stuffing.

    Off to the side, Suzutsuki could only grin and giggle as she watched her sisters get fed by the young man. The sight did make her rather happy though, as it proved, once more, that Harry was more than willing to do what was needed for them. Watching as Akizuki ate some pulled pork on a fork that Harry was offering her, the four at the table all smiles, the silver haired Destroyer felt her own widen a little as she sipped the glass of pumpkin juice she held, 'Hai... my Nee-Sans are all being taken care of by their Admiral.'

    Just a few minutes later, the teenage wizard was grinning as he bit into his barbecue sandwich while watching Hatsuzuki eat her own. Said grin widened as the happy Destroyer's hair tufts wiggled in pure happiness, 'Heh... stuffing Duckies is always a good thing.'

    Unable to help himself, he did look over the three shipgirls he was sitting with. A light blush sprang up on his face as Akizuki was wearing a white two piece with transparent white fabric that hung from the top. Teruzuki, meanwhile, was wearing a white bikini top with boy shorts as the bottom of her swimsuit, and Hatsuzuki wore a black and white one piece.

    Thankfully, none of the three Destroyers noticed as they ate happily. After a few moments, as she swallowed some brisket, Teruzuki sighed before turning to Harry with a curious look on her face, "So, how have you been enjoying your birthday, Harry-Chan?"

    Swallowing the last bite of her sandwich, Hatsuzuki nodded towards him, "Hai, after all, you don't turn fourteen often."

    Harry considered the question as he closed his eyes and stretched, not knowing that the Akizuki sisters paused in eating to watch for a moment with slight blushes before going back to their food as he opened his eyes. With a sigh, the teenage wizard shrugged a little, "Well, everyone has been enjoying themselves and having fun." He then gestured at the plates, "There's good food and drinks... so, hai, I have been enjoying it." Getting up, Harry kissed Hatsuzuki on the cheek, right on the corner of her lips which made them both blush, "Thank you."

    Now shifting her chair until she was beside him, Teruzuki gave him a hug, which he gladly returned, "We're glad that you're enjoying your birthday." She glanced to the side at a particular pile, "Though, you didn't mention the gifts."

    Bemused, the teenage wizard looked at said gifts, guarded by various fairies though some were eating and the like, "Want to know the truth?" At their nods, Harry continued, "As far as I am concerned? I would be happy just to have my friends like you guys here, just enjoying the day. Though the presents are nice."

    Tightening the hug, Teruzuki nuzzled him a little, "Thank you."

    At that, their eyes met and they shared a smile before Harry kissed her cheek at the corner of her lips. Something that he repeated with Akizuki, which made all three Duckies blush a little, but also smile before returning the gesture. Something that caused the teenage boy to gain a flush of his own. For the next half hour, the four simply sat there eating slowly until filled.

    Giving each other hugs and kisses on the cheek between him and the three Destroyers, they headed off to where Suzutsuki was waiting off to one side to chat with her. Harry's will failed him as he followed their movements until he was able to tear his eyes away and whacked himself in the back of the head, "Damn hormones..."

    Upon hearing a laugh, he jumped some before turning around to find Verniy there with a smile on her face, "Da, they can be a bit troublesome at times, Harry-Chan."

    Embarrassed, Harry scratched his cheek some as it felt like his face was on fire, "Um... right." At seeing her amusement, he sighed, but still gave her a smile, "Well, it has been a good day..." Out of the corner of his eye, the wizard caught something and blinked, "Uh... what is with Akatsuki-Chan?'

    Blinking at the change in subject, the white haired Destroyer turned and stared for a moment as she watched her sister heading towards the karaoke stand. There was something about her stride, which was different. One filled with confidence and such...

    Which was when she caught sight of the empty mug at Akatsuki's side and paled at the nearly black drop of liquid that came from it, "Bozhe moy..."

    Just blinking himself, Harry looked at Akatsuki and the mug, before slowly tracking her path back and paling himself, "Uh... Hibiki-Chan? She... she came from that table, didn't she?"

    Slowly, a look of horror on her face, Verniy nodded, "Da, she did."

    That made the birthday boy swallow some, "The table which has coffee for the adults... including Ooyodo's special stash she brought." Once more, the Destroyer beside him nodded, "Oh... great clapping ring tailed tanuki... why wasn't anyone watching her!?"

    Much to their horror, Akatsuki pulled out a second mug and downed the black gold in one long drag before hopping up onto the stage. She then gave Harry a grin and waggled her eyebrows before clearing her throat even as a Tenryuu started running to stop her...

    Less than an hour later found Harry walking alongside Verniy through the woods with a thousand yard stare on his face, one mirrored on said shipgirl. Slowly, the teenage wizard blinked, "I cannot believe that she did that..."

    Verniy looked at him with an odd look on her face, "The happy birthday song?"

    However, the wizard shook his head, "Um, well, yes, but also no... I meant how she... uh... how she started with that one Vocaloid song, Pet Me.... that was..." Pausing, Harry's face became red, "Um... and the happy birthday song was, er... w-well, something else?"

    Eyebrow twitching, Verniy grit her teeth tightly as she remembered what happened. Including Akatsuki giving the boy next to her a hooded gaze before cupping his chin and running one finger down his chest as she sang happy birthday to him with a grin on her face, "Da... that is one way to put it."

    Neither said anything for a few seconds before sharing a look.

    Glancing back, Harry cleared his throat some, "So, um... think that your Kaa-San caught her yet, or..."

    Face flushed with embarrrassment, the Destroyer tipped her hat, "Hopefully..."

    After another moment of silence, Harry looked at her, "Atlanta's face though, was something else when Akatsuki-Chan turned on her though. I... don't think that amount of steam coming from her or having that much blood in her face is good for someone. Also, where did she even learn how to sing like that?! Or that song?! A billion blistering blue barnacles on a wharf..."

    Tone dry, Verniy just gave him a look, "It is best not to ask. Because the answer is one that we may need to drink away. And we are too young for that."

    Grimacing a bit, Harry nodded, "True..." His mouth continued as he remembered something, "Though if you got some vodka that wouldn't be too bad... uh..." Seeing the raised eyebrow, the wizard chuckled, "Um... oops?"

    Lips quirking a bit, she chuckled some before turning and putting her arms around his neck, "Da? You did not mean it, Harry-Chan?" Pressing herself up against him, she smirked even as his own hands went to her hips, "Though I am Verniy right now..."

    Cheeks flushed, Harry looked down into her blue eyes before swallowing though his lips twitched, "Very Khorosho..."

    Before Verniy could do anything, he kissed her with it deepening slightly. Her eyes briefly widening, the shipgirl soon closed them as he pulled her close. When they pulled apart, she kept her eyes closed for a few moments before she opened them with a smile, "Da, very Khorosho."

    With that, she once more pulled him close and kissed him as the two stood there on the path.

    It was two breathless teens who pulled apart with flushed faces, though Verniy had a smirk on hers, "You have improved, Harry-Chan. To challenge one such as I."

    Lightly blushing, Harry didn't remove his hands from where they were on her hips, "Um, I think that I have a long way to go yet, Hibiki-Chan."

    Smirk growing slightly larger, and definitely more smug, she nodded, "Da, though I shall help you." Reaching down, she took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers together. Verniy then gave a hum, "Harry-Chan's hand is warm... No, that's, it is very handy in Russia."

    Blush deepening, Harry leaned in to kiss her again, which she returned gladly... until he heard something and looked around, "Um, Hibiki-Chan? Did you hear that?"

    Frown on her face at being interrupted, Verniy nodded, "I did and..." Pausing, she narrowed her eyes, "It sounds like Inazuma-Chan?"

    Only furrowing his eyebrows, Harry shared a look with her before walking with her a short distance where some of the tunnels were. Both of them glanced at each other before poking their heads around the corner and their eyes widened. Mainly because there was Inazuma and Toby in one of the tunnels...

    Making out, with the Destroyer pressing him into the brickwork even as smoke curled around them.

    Harry stared for a moment before mumbling out of the corner of his mouth, "I was wondering where she got to since she wasn't on the beach."

    Just nodding, Verniy didn't say anything and they just watched for a minute until the two other teens came up for air. Catching sight of movement, Inazuma looked away from her stunned boyfriend and froze as she caught sight of Harry and her sister there. Said white haired Destroyer having her cellphone out and recording it before giving her a thumbs up, "You have learned well."

    Also nodding, the teenage wizard took in the somewhat dazed look in the dragonboy, as well as the smoke curling from his nose. Then he gave her a thumbs up as well, "Khorosho."

    Then, the two quickly ran back the way they came as Inazuma closed her eyes and flapped her arms, "HAWAWAWA! HARRY-CHAN! HIBIKI-CHAN! GET BACK HERE, NANODESU!"

    Even as his girlfriend took off, Toby blinked some still in a gaze, "Wow..." Then, he snapped out of it when he realized what happened and what would happen if Tenryuu got a hold of that recording, "Oh crap! I-wait, did Hibiki just say she learnt well? How would she..." Cheeks flushed, he remembered one of the rumours he overhead and fire snorted from his nose along with smoke as he became dazed again, "Oh."

    Unfortunately, and sadly for Inazuma, she didn't manage to catch either her sister or Harry before they reached the beach. Though she despaired some at the smug smirk of her sister and the grin on Harry's face. Of course, her mother gave them a suspicious look, but shrugged it off.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [jingo] Ashes of Empire
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    Now, the next snip in the Jingo arc:


    Ashes of Empire

    The Java Strait

    Jingo shivered slightly as she and Ruiner entered the Java Strait. The moonless night was to their advantage as they made their way. But Jingo would almost have preferred a big, bright moon despite the fact that it would make it easier for someone to spot them. They may have cleared Sub-Continental's Territory but that did not make any other waters much safer for this pair. If anything, the list of potential enemies out here was even larger with everything from renegade Abyssals, small-time princesses with ambitions or maybe an ax to grind or possibly shipgirls or human crewed warships or aircraft.

    These last two were the most dangerous. The others, she and Ruiner could fight and probably defeat or at least bloody. If they were attacked by shipgirls or humans, Jingo had made it clear that they would attempt to surrender but if that failed... Fighting back and inflicting casualties upon those she sought to have provide sanctuary to her fleet was simply NOT an option.

    No, the ghosts were trouble enough. Cornwall, Dorsetshire, Hermes, Vampire, Hector, Repulse, Prince of Wales, and in these waters, Exeter, Perth, Jupiter, Electra, and Encounter all haunted her. They and their crews forever on her head, a sin burned into her by her very existence.

    "So?" Ruiner asked. "Where are we heading once we clear the strait?"

    "We'll go north. We only have so many options and a great many individuals who will want us dead. It will keep an impressive force to keep us alive long enough for me to stand trial and since I don't think we have any chance of making it all the way across the Pacific, that means we're heading for Japan."

    "Great. The only way to escape the fire is to leap into the frying pan. Just douse me in butter and point me at the Kaiser Rolls..."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • FoL Building Bodies
  • Threadmarks
    • Sidestory - Snippet 19: Savato93

    August 2014

    "How much have you got done on your end, Millie?"

    "All her fuel lines and ventilation shafts are in place. I just need to wire a few more compartments." Millie looked up from where her many tails were embedded in a gap in the Abyssal machine's armor plating. "You?"

    "Uhh…" Regalia leaned over the massive Abyssal machine in the dry dock in front of her, peering into the opening on the foredeck. "I think I have the elevator set in correctly. Only way I can really know for sure is to hook it up." She gestured for Tippy to lean close, then reached into her jaws and pulled out a length of copper. "Geez… I've sometimes imagined I might use this training to help a Princess… but I thought it would be something like patching up my mom, not building a new Princess from the keel-up." She glanced up to the girl lying on top of the throne-like rigging. "Is any of this hurting you, Aunt Wuffles?"

    The torso of an Aircraft Carrier Princess wiggles into view and peered down at the Re-class. "No… it's not too bad. More tingly, if anything." She held up a hand—one that lacked both skin and armor, leaving the musculature completely exposed. "But I won't lie… I'm getting a little anxious about having my hands finished."

    "I'm sorry that you're having to deal with being incomplete," Millie replied. "I don't think anyone could have predicted your replacement body rejecting you because you outgrew it… and with Grandma out of commission, we were kinda left to finish building a freaking Princess!"

    Of course, they weren't necessarily trying to rag on Grandma Hoppou for her absence. From the moment she received the news Tampa and Hatsumo were homeward-bound, the little Princess had been running on overdrive—she had five brand-new hulls prepared in as many days, and no sooner had Tampa touched down on Yokosuka, did her mother put her under and extract the cluster of Abyssal souls sealed inside her. Lord only knows how much time she spent puzzling over them, trying to figure out the safest way to decouple them… taking maybe an hour or two out of every twenty-four to rest.

    She eventually secluded herself to the cellar to unravel the mystery in peace. And after two weeks isolated from the rest of the world, a ragged Princess reemerged, physically, mentally, and spiritually drained... holding her children's freed hearts, ready to bring them back to life.

    But just when everyone thought the ordeal was over, the bullshit inherent to all ship spirits threw them another curveball…

    XXXXX

    "I c-can't… can't breathe…"

    "Wuffles!? What's happening?"

    "It hurts! Everything hurts! I feel like I'm on fire!"

    "Mom, her boilers are redlining! Her hull temperature is going through the roof!"

    "Wuffles needs to be put back under, NOW!"

    XXXXX

    As it turned out, Wuffles was no longer a Wo-class—she was a Princess. And her replacement body wasn't built to contain the energy her spirit gave off… causing her to effectively cook from the inside out.

    Hoppou immediately set to work on another hull, a Princess-class hull that could handle Wuffles… but her exhaustion finally caught up with her, and she collapsed, leaving a vessel that was just barely complete enough to be animated. Her last request, before her adoptive mother came and whisked her away, was to let Regalia and Millie contribute to what remained of the construction.

    Wuffles shrugged. "It's alright… I don't blame you girls for anything. Heck, I agreed to have my rebuild drawn out to provide a learning experience for you two. I'm just restless, is all. I'm ready to get outta here, finally start living life again, with all the other doggies."

    When that last word registered in their heads, Millie and Regalia glanced to one another, sharing a worried look. There was the other issue: all the psychological problems caused by the quintet's fusion wouldn't immediately go away with their separation. They all had bits and pieces of each other lingering in their heads, bubbling up when they least expected it. It could well be years before they fully assimilated the fragments into their being, or at least learned to cope with their effects.

    "A-Aunt Wuffles…" Regalia said carefully, "You're not a destroyer. You were a Wo-class, remember?"

    Wuffles blinked. "I… I was?" At her nieces' slow nods, she hung her head slightly. "Oh… right. Right. Not a doggy. That… must be a bit of Rocket thinking." There were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence before she continued. "Hey, isn't it close to lunchtime? I'm hungry."

    Millie sat back, flapping her hands a little bit. "Yeah. I guess I could stop and eat something. My hands, and tails, need a break."

    "Same." Regalia released the copper wire in her hands, letting Tippy slurp it back up like a noodle as she pulled out a pair of her mother's elbow-length gloves. "Here, let's get these on so you don't damage anything. Then once you come back, Aunt Ritou and Patty can pick up where we left off."

    "Sounds good." Wuffles happily held out her arms, letting the Re-class work the gloves onto her degloved limbs. Once her muscles and bone were nicely covered up, the Aircraft Carrier Princess hopped off her rigging and let it fade away before following her nieces out of the palace. "I hope Ma's doing alright on her break. Not too worried about us, and whatnot…"

    XXXXXXXXXX

    "Would you like something to drink, Hoppou-Chan?"

    "Mm… juice, please…"

    "I want apple!"

    Gazing at the little Abyssal splayed out on the tatami, laying almost completely still as her curious little sister poked and nudged her, Nagato simply chuckled. "Sure thing, girls."

    As she grabbed a couple of juice boxes from the fridge, Nagato glanced back to Hoppou. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she saw the little Princess so sedate. Ever since her children had returned to her life, it felt like she had been juggling her personal life in Japan and her matriarchal duties non-stop. Not that there was anything wrong with either of those things, she was still finding time to hang out with her friends and siblings between trips to check on her family, but it left her no time to just sit and do… well, nothing.

    Nagato didn't need to worry about Hoppou getting stuck in this state… her little brain was just too active to handle such a lifestyle… but she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't a little concerned about her children. "Do you think the girls in Avrora will be okay?" She asked. "You probably left them with quite a bit on their plate."

    Still laying on the floor, Hoppou hummed to herself for a moment, thinking. "Hoppou… does feel bad for making daughters finish her work," she admitted. "But… breaking magic bonds was hard for Hoppou. Had to sever them with brute force, without hurting daughters… really, really stressful work, as well as draining. Right now, Hoppou really needs to recover… she trusts the girls to get Wuffles operational, in the meantime."

    Nagato nodded gently. "Alright, Hoppou-chan. If that's your call, I won't try to dissuade you. Just take as much time as you need to feel better again." Checking her internal clock, she realized it was past noon. "Oh, should probably turn on the news," she said idly, picking up the tv remote and flipping it on.

    "...and today, shipgirls scouting the seas of northern Canada are claiming to have made an extraordinary discovery…" the news reporter on the screen was announcing. "They believe they have found the wreckage of the HMS Erebus, part of the infamous Franklin Expedition that disappeared in the mid-19th Century searching for the Northwest Passage. Normally inaccessible through most of the year, the Royal Navy submarines were able to dive beneath the ice and recover multiple artifacts from a well-preserved vessel sunk just south of…"

    "Interesting." Nagato tilted her head slightly. "You know, for a shipwreck to be sitting in such shallow waters, in such a desolate region, for a century and a half… I figure they would have been desecrated by the Abyssals by now. In fact, given their tragic legacy, I wouldn't be surprised if they manifested as Abyssals themselves." She glanced to Hoppou, who had sat up and was gazing at the TV quietly. "Wouldn't you think, Hoppou?"

    After a few quiet seconds, Hoppou shrugged her shoulders. "Hard to tell. They had history before accidents, right?"

    The shipgirl paused to pull out her phone. One quick google search later, she had her answer. "The Erebus and Terror were in service for 22 and 35 years, respectively."

    "So they had plenty of time to contribute to the world," Hoppou answered. "To give even more weight to names passed down for generations. They had a good run… getting trapped and crushed by ice wouldn't necessarily drive them to the Abyss. Mother Nature is just fickle like that."

    Nagato smiled softly. "That's quite a mature way of looking at it, Hoppou. Almost sounds like you heard it from the pair yourself."

    "Not quite." The Princess waved a hand. "By the time Hoppou was born, they had already been underwater for over twenty years."

    "...I see."

    …

    "Wait, what!?"


    *-*-*-*
    Darthcourt note
    I think Hoppo was born about 1864-1890 range so is around 150 years old by 2014
    Terror and Erebus were abandonded on 22 April 1848
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [jingo] Friends in Need/ Deliverance of Angels
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    And the next part of the Jingo Saga


    Friends in Need/ Deliverance of Angels


    After a careful progression around Borneo and through the South China Sea, Princess Jingo and Ruiner came to a virtual halt south of Taiwan. To Ruiner, this seemed an odd course of action, especially if their goal was Japan.

    "We're waiting for an opportunity," Jingo explained. "I have no intention of trying to sail into the most heavily defended waters on this side of the Pacific without an invitation and escort." She looked to the stump of her arm. "I may fancy myself brave but that is too much of a risk. So what we will do is wait."

    "For what?"

    "A signal. A distress call to be precise. After all, if we expose ourselves responding to humans or shipgirls in trouble, their friends are less likely to shoot at us on sight. So we keep a radio watch and wait. I do want you to fly your scouts south, just to be safe."

    "Right, Boss."

    For days they waited until finally, the signal came in. Unfortunately, it wasn't what Jingo had been hoping for.

    "Tell me I did NOT hear that," She groaned as the message repeated, the terror in the operator's voice clear even as the signal cut in and out.

    "...Th... Passenger F...Elano Five... Lati...Twenty De... Thirty-three... North... Gitude... One Twenty-One....forty-five... East... Under Atta... Repeat... Is...Ssenger Ferry... Belano..."

    "They're near Itbayat," Jingo noted. "That's insane!"

    "Boss?"

    "Itbayat is the Northernmost island in the Philippines. English traders tried to set up a presence there before the Spanish took over. It's a small speck closer to Formosa than to Luzon."

    "So what's the value of this place?" Ruiner asked.

    "None. It simply is. None of this makes sense, Ruiner."

    "Starting with the fact that even a couple of PTs could have killed that ferry and been done with it by now."

    "Live bait in a trap."

    "So, what are we going to do?" Ruiner knew her Princess's mind already but she would pretend for a moment that they weren't about to take a crazy risk to possibly save some humans who were obviously OUT OF THEIR MINDS!

    "You've seen 'Jaws', my dear."

    "Great... And they call me 'Bruce'."
    ***
    Near Itbayat

    "Remember, she wants them ALIVE! Especially the younger ones. You kill any of her test subjects and it'll be YOU on her table!" Reaper shouted at the abyssals in her group. She tried to sound imposing but the truth was that she was scared of their employer as much if not more than the rest of her group. Most of them couldn't think past their next meal. The concept of Something happening 'in the future' didn't really sink in with them. But Reaper understood all too well that disappointing the boss would be worse than a death sentence. No, if Reaper failed her mission, then her best option would be to push one of her turrets up against her head and fire. Sometimes the boss could seem to be in a forgiving mood, other times not. Sometimes those that failed could redeem themselves back into her pleasure. Other times, the offender would wake up to find themselves being opened up on her examining table. She called it research.

    And then the screams would begin...

    That was the problem with making a deal with the Devil, Reaper thought. One deal and the devil owned you forever. So for now, she did as she was told. Today that included riding herd on this group of morons. One of the destroyers apparently wasn't paying attention. a slavering tongue licking one of the human children. Reaper yanked the destroyer back and got its full attention, putting a loaded barrel into its face.

    "You dumb shit! I said NO!"

    "But they have the best meat!" It whined. "Tender and..."

    Reaper shoved the barrel into its mouth. "You do as I say or I'll feed you my guns! The boss says the young ones are easier to work on. So unless you want to die right now! You get your ass out with Terror and you check the perimeter and..." She glanced over where another one of her problem destroyers should have been patrolling only to see empty water.

    "Okay! I've HAD IT! Terror! You stupid waste of metal! I saw you just a minute ago! Where the hell are you?" Reaper glared at Tartarus. "Now you can get over there and tell me if you see any sign of your EQUALLY STUPID TWIN!"

    "Hey!" The cruiser Diabolic exclaimed. "Where's Somber?" The group's submarine normally stayed quiet for good reason but hadn't even been seen by anyone for several minutes.

    "What the hell? What is going on?" Reaper watched as Tartarus neared the point where Terror had been only for the destroyer to shrug and find nothing. Reaper growled, glaring at the humans onboard the ferry. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Looking up, she saw Tartarus was now missing.

    "If you dumbshits are pulling some kind of joke, you better come out right now and I won't shoot you myself!" She glared at the rest of her squadron. "Fan out and find those idiots! Find me something to shoot!"

    As the others scrambled to find some trace of their comrades, Reaper felt an uneasiness in her gut.

    "It isn't fun being afraid for your life, is it?" a voice spoke behind her almost conversationally.

    Reaper turned, a cold chill going down her keel. She turned to find an angry princess staring at her.

    "I'll give you one chance to live. Stand down now."

    Reaper panicked, desperately trying to bring her turrets upon the one-armed Abyssal Princess. Jingo sighed and decapitated Reaper with a single blow. Out in the night, Ruiner was happily dealing with the rest of Reaper's fleet. In the end, a quiet So class and a trembling cruiser chose to surrender, watched by a satisfied Ruiner. Jingo then turned to the still terrified humans.

    "One of you get on that radio of yours. Tell them that Princess Jingo and her escort are requesting to surrender."

    One of the children, the very one that Tartarus had nearly taken as a snack, looked at Jingo. His eyes moved from her ruined arm to her pale face. Surprisingly, he smiled. It was the first smile Jingo ever received from a human that she could be certain was completely genuine and not meant to simply please her.

    For reasons she did not understand, for the first time in her life, Princess Jingo cried.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [14 birthday] Gift Giving 1
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Glancing at the resigned expression on Inazuma, Tenryuu raised an eyebrow at Verniy and Harry. Both teens just gave her a smile, 'Hmm... yeah, I call bullshit. Something happened.'

    However, a few moments later said thoughts escaped her as Harry looked around in both curiosity and nervousness, "Uh... where is Akatsuki-Chan? Is she... back to normal?"

    That caused Inazuma to blink a bit in confusion, "Akatsuki-Chan? Did something happen?"

    Rubbing the side of her head, her mother sighed, "You could say that..."

    Expression of suffering along with some amusement, Ikazuchi looked at her twin sister, "Long story short? Akatsuki-Chan got into some of Ooyodo's special brew, somehow."

    Only blinking as said words entered her ears, Inazuma raised her finger, "Um.... you mean the stuff that she uses that is more powerful than Black Blood of the Earth?" At the nods, she winced as she remembered previous incidents, "Ah..."

    Meanwhile, Tenryuu turned to Harry and frowned as she scratched under her eyepatch, "As to where she is?" Grimacing, she looked around, "No idea, we thought that we had grabbed her. But... she vanished, somehow. Hopefully, she won't get up to too much..." Noticing the expressions on the teens' faces, the Light Cruiser winced, "Ah... I just made it worse."

    Mad giggles made them, and those around them including a slowly recovering Atlanta turn to see Akatsuki standing on a rock with a flask in her hands, "Or, made things better~"

    At the sight of the flask, Tatsuta had a shiver go down her keel, "What drink is that...?"

    Face paling rapidly, Ooyodo swallowed, "That... would be the coffee that I have been working on with Percy and Supprin... Dark Blood of the Mystic... I... brought some to try."

    Now, it as Harry's turn to pale as he remembered just how powerful Percy's coffee was. After all, he somehow got a deal with Charlie to get him dragon roast coffee, which he then cold brew along with potion ingredients. One Seventh Year was unable to sleep for a full week after one mug of the stuff. Add in what Ooyodo and Supprin might have added...

    Slowly, Harry took a step forward and held up his hands, "Akatsuki-Chan... listen, don't drink that. You do not want to try that coffee..."

    The purple haired Destroyer tilted her head a bit in thought, "Hmm... maybe you're right, Harry-Chan..." Then, Akatsuki grinned a bit, "Or maybe not! Time to become a true lady!"

    With that, she popped the flask and drained the entire thing in one gulp as everyone shouted, "NO!"

    Before anyone could do anything, steam gushed from her ears and nose, covering her entirely. After a few seconds, Inazuma took an unsure step towards the cloud, "Uh, Akatsuki-Chan...?"

    She froze, however, that the laugh that came from within the steam, "Ohohohoho! Oh yes~" As the steam dissipated, everyone's jaw dropped as "Akatsuki" was revealed... if she was twenty years old and wearing a dress and leather belts around her midsection that did not look out of place on a vampiric lady. Grinning, the transformed Destroyer hummed, "Oh yes, Akatsuki has become a true lady... Lady Red Moon!"

    Inazuma started flapping her arms madly, "Hwawawa! What happened to Akatsuki-Chan?! Did she just transform?!"

    Disbelief on her face, Tenryuu muttered to herself, "Since when were we in a magical girl show...?"

    Voice coming out in a purr, Akatsuki gave her sister a look, "Something... Wonderful..." Disappearing and reappearing by a stunned Atlanta, she trailed one finger down her cheek, "Don't worry, Atlanta-Chan~ Lady Red Moon will be with you momentarily... but first..." Once more disappearing, this time just dodging Tenryuu's attempt to catch her, she became visible behind Harry, "One cannot forget the birthday boy~" Grin on her face, Akatsuki hummed, "Now, time to sing-" Before she could do anything more, two hands clapped down on her shoulder, "Eh?"

    Looking at them, she blinked as while one was normal, the other was nearly bone white with black nails. Slowly, she turned her head to find Shinano and Regina there, eyes shadowed. Then, from behind the two slowly rose ghostly forms of two muscular women... except the one behind Shinano had a glazed cinnamon bun for a face and the one behind Regina had a frosted cinnamon bun for a face. Raising their eyes, the Abyssal and Re-Class gave her a glare, "We think not."

    Less than a minute later found Akatsuki back to normal, although unconscious and unharmed, laying on the beach. Close to her, Regina was bent backwards with her hands on her thighs to the point people wondered how she wasn't falling over. Meanwhile, Shinano had one hand on her own thigh, and the other pinching the brim of Akatsuki's hat, which had landed on her head as she leaned back a bit.

    For her part, Ikazuchi had an eyebrow twitch, "What... the fuck..."

    Nearby, Harder scratched her head and looked at Naka, "Uh... what just happened?"

    The Light Cruiser gave a small shrug, "Crossover event? Except with Sailor Moon with how Akatsuki-Chan looked along with some Jojo?" Frowning, she considered a few things, "Though... Older Akatsuki-Chan did rock that look. I wonder..." At the glare from Tenryuu, she held up her hands, "Just a thought!"

    Slowly, Harry blinked a little, 'Okay... Shinano-Chan and Regina looked awesome... but the rest...' Taking a deep breath, and ignoring Goto that it was going on the List, he turned to his stunned mother, "How about... we just move on to opening gifts? To try and put this behind us..."

    Just nodding, Nagato made a sound of agreement, even as she ignored Inazuma muttering about needing a drink.
    _____________________________________________________________________

    Everyone headed inside the restaurant area, including the now awake Akatsuki. Said Destroyer was confused about how people kept giving her looks. And no matter how many times she asked, none of them would say a thing about what happened, even though it was all fuzzy for her. Maybe next time she should drink the lady-like drink that was coffee slower?

    Still, she got her hat back from a flustered Shinano.

    Glancing at Akatsuki, Nagato coughed some before turning to Harry. She did smile, however, at the stunned look on his face at the pile of gifts. No matter how many birthdays he had where he got a number of gifts, there was always this look of amazement on his face. It was a little bittersweet in a way.

    Shaking that off, the Battleship cleared her throat, "So, Harry, which one first?"

    For a few moments, the teen looked at the gifts in thought. That was until he looked at the unknown phoenix which was chatting with Suzu-Chan. After all who could really blame him for being extremely curious over it? Thus, Harry cleared his throat and nodded towards the package, "Um, Mum? I think that I want to see what our mystery gift is..."

    Now looking at the gift herself, Nagato nodded some, "I suppose that does make sense."

    A glance told her that everyone else was curious as well. When she turned to Ryuujou, the Carrier shrugged a little, "Did a scan an' everythin', Nagato-San. Ain' anything malicious from what I can pick up. Hoshi-San as well as Haru-San, and Taiyang-San also looked at it." She then shook her head, "Not that the fact that it was a Phoenix that brought it didn't say enough."

    Each of the three mentioned foxes nodded in agreement so she picked up the package and brought it over to Harry, "Here you go, Honey."

    Brightly smiling up at her, Harry nodded, "Thanks, Mum." He turned the package over in his hand some before he then unwrapped the gift before realizing it as two gifts in one with an envelope. Looking at the envelope, he blinked as it had been sealed. Said seal being two snakes entwined with each other, one green and one black. Gently prying the seal off, he opened the envelope and blinked as there was a letter and an item within.

    Slowly, the wizard pulled out the item which was an amulet on a leather cord that looked like an old, Chinese coin made out of jade. Examining it closely, Hoshi's eyes widened, "My word... there's a lot of protections laid into this."

    Rubbing her chin, Taiyang hummed as she looked at it as well, "Indeed, and almost all of it is Taoist magic."

    That made more than one of them look at her in interest with Harry giving her a wide eyed stare, "Taoist? Really?"

    More than a little thoughtful, the Dao nodded, "As a matter of fact, yes. While there are a few major protections, most it seems are minor. Yet, they have been interwoven with one another expertly. Some give resistance to poisons, for example. It is not that you would be immune, but... the dosage needed to harm you would be that much more. Triple the amount as a matter of fact from what I am seeing. And not just for ingestive poisons either, as some are for stings, bites, and inhaled poisons as well. I believe that love potions are also included."

    Eyes wide herself, Ryuujou frowned some, "What other ones can you identify?"

    Not saying anything, Taiyang leaned forward to better examine the coin with a slight frown, "Hmm... there is one for good health that would make him resistant to disease. It is not that he could not catch them, but that it would be much harder for him to do so or get ill. Judging by the power? I would say that Harry-Kun might even have a chance at not catching that lycanthropy disease if bitten." Ignoring the boggled stares, she waved a hand, "There are others, of course. Mostly spells for good fortune and longevity which give better chances of such happening. Protections from hostile divining is another... as well as spells to make evil spirits that would do him harm wish to be... elsewhere. Think insect repellent for such. None truly powerful, but woven together..." Eyebrow raised, she had a smirk, "A very well done piece of work in my opinion. Of the sort that would have in ancient times been done for the Emperor of China alone. One would need to be a master of such magics, after all."

    It went without saying that everyone was now staring at the coin as it slowly turned in the air on the leather string.

    After a few moments, Harry blinked, "Wow, that's... wow!" He then turned and pulled out the letter that was in the envelope and read it to himself before furrowing his eyebrows, "Huh..."

    Raising an eyebrow, Natsumi frowned a bit, "Something wrong, Harry-Chan?"

    With a glance at her, he shook his head, "Not wrong, but... the letter is pretty simple and short. They're wishing me a happy fourteenth birthday with many more to come. But, also, they're stating that hopefully it makes up for missed ones as well."

    Nagato raised her eyebrow and looked at the amulet, "I think that they might just have..." Then, she furrowed her eyebrows a little, 'Though this raises the question of whom they are...'

    Lips twitching in amusement, Harry pulled out the other item which was a book. Opening it, his eyebrows rose some in surprise, "Huh..." Seeing the interested looks, he shook his head, "It's a guide about how to perform Daoist meditation and..." With a quick check, the teen nodded in interest, "As how it can help with some western magic."

    Arms crossed, Akimi hummed a little, "That... does give us an idea for them." At the looks, she shrugged and motioned with one hand, "I am far from an expert in Daoist magic. But, judging by what I do know about Onmyouji? One would need to be an expert in both branches in order to show how something from one would work well for the other." The Kitsune Battleship glanced at Harry, "I suspect that it is handwritten, correct?" When he gave her a surprised nod, she smiled, "Which means that someone went through quite a bit of trouble to write it for you."

    More than a little awed, the teenage wizard ran a hand along the cover, "Wow..." Turning to the phoenix that had delivered it, he nodded a little, "Would it be possible for you to stay around for a little while? That way I can write a thank you letter?"

    The phoenix seemed rather amused and bobbed her head with a warble.

    Next, it was Naka's turn to give him a gift from her and when he opened it, Harry's eyes widened, "Wait... is this really...?"

    Grin on her face, the Light Cruiser gave a laugh and nodded, "The new Sega Neptune? Hai." At the awed look, Naka shrugged, "Sega wanted me to promote it on my stream and I asked them for one of the first off the lines. They had no issue with that, though they would like some feedback on it as well."

    Brightly smiling, Harry hugged her and thanked her, though he laughed a little as Harder's gift was the new Megadimension Neptunia game as well."

    Just glancing at her fellow Light Cruiser, Tenryuu shook her head a little as she watched the teens look at the new game console in interest along with the games that came with it, "Hard to believe that Sega is still in the console business. I remember them stating that the Dreamcast was going to be the last one."

    Naka gave a small shrug at that while shaking her head, "Hai, it was supposed to be, but... Blood Week in this case helped them. Since that Chinese company that made the Dreamcast knockoff with a screen built in nearly went under, Sega bought them out. And when they added a battery pack so it didn't need power..."

    Crossing her arms, the eyepatch wearing shipgirl grunted, "Yeah, it became the perfect way to distract kids when in shelters. Or when going camping and the like when you add in portable solar panels." Scratching under her eye, she frowned, "I remember spending time in the nearby shelter and seeing kids playing on the Dreamcast II."

    Meanwhile, Harry took the next package, which was from Okita. Said reincarnated teen grinned widely, "Go ahead, Harry-Kun, open it up."

    Intrigued, the teenage wizard did so and blinked as he found two light novels in it. Frowning, he furrowed his eyebrows as he read the titles, "'I've been Reincarnated and now live with my ghost wife from my previous life'?"

    Eyebrow twitching, Ryouma turned to his sister and shot her a glare. Unfortunately, it bounced off Okita's smugness as she gave a shrug, "I've decided to write some light novels, and the publisher said that they're great. Hopefully, you enjoy them."

    Rather amused, both at the glare being given to his friend, as well as how Oryou had a blush on her face, Harry hummed, "I think that I just might."

    Grumbling a little under his breath, Ryouma glared even more, "Brat."

    Once more, Okita just shrugged, "I'm your little sister, Onii-Chan~"

    If anything, that amused the birthday boy even more as he turned to the other gifts. The one from Nobu was a hand written account of some of her battles when she was Nobunaga as well as various quips inside of it. Uesugi, meanwhile, gave him a guide to playing Shogi while stating that she looked forward to doing so. From there, it went to the various other shipgirls as well.

    Finally, it came to Taiyang, who smiled as she bounced over to him before handing him a gift, "Here you go, Harry-Kun, this is from me. I think that you'll find it very interesting~"

    Needless to say, Harry was extremely interested in what she got and opened the gift. Seeing another book, he opened it and his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, "Is this...?"

    Hands behind her back, the Dao leaned forward, "Onmyoudo spells? Indeed they are, Harry-Kun!" She gestured at them before smiling, "Within that book, in fact, the easier spells from the Hoki Naiden~ Mikon!"

    Various heads snapped around at that with Ryuujou's jaw dropping, "T-the Hoki Naiden!? When did you come across that book!? How did you come across that book!?"

    Extremely amused, Taiyang winked some, "That... is... a... secret!"

    Behind her, Akimi shared a stunned look with Miu, as did Ume and Sakura. Unlike their neice, however, the Twins were also madly grinning as they knew exactly what that meant, 'Oh yes... there will be very little argument about us creating a branch clan now!'

    Confused, Enterprise looked between those that know Onmyouji who were completely flabbergasted, "Uh... American here, what does that mean, exactly?"

    Utterly sober from shock, Junyou gave her a look, "You know how Abe no Seimei is considered the Japanese equivalent to Merlin, correct?" At the confused nod, she continued with Enterprise freezing, "The Hoki Naiden is his personal grimoire. One passed down from the greatest of wizards over the past four thousand years. Just a few spells from such, even the weakest, would be well sought after. Think of the level of the Patronus, and that would be one of the easier spells within."

    Feeling somewhat stunned, the American nodded, "Oh."

    Highly amused, Taiyang grinned a little, "I also added a small book about the learning of Daoist magic, though it is mainly a guide to get started~"

    Just looking at the book for a few moments, Harry placed it to the side and then hugged her, "Thank you."

    Much to Natsumi's amusement, the blade spirit seemed stunned before her expression softened and she hugged him back, "You are very welcome, Harry-Kun." Stepping back, she gave him a nod, "You are, after all, one of the most precious of people to my Master. Thus, you deserve the best," Closing one eye in a wink, Taiyang smiled, "Though it will take years to master even a small amount of those spells~'

    Lightly laughing, Harry nodded with a grin of his own, "Understood, but I look forward to them."

    Shortly after that, Iku looked at her fellow Submarines and stepped forward before taking an envelope from the pile and handing it to him, "Here, this is a group gift from myself and the others."

    Interested, the teenage wizard opened the envelope and pulled out a picture that was inside before furrowing his eyebrows, "A picture of a small, yellow Submarine?"

    From where she stood, RO grinned a little, "It's a K-250 Submarine... and it's yours, Harry-Chan."

    That caused heads to snap around and look at the Submarines with Nagato staring, "You bought him a Submarine?!"

    Humming, Hachi adjusted her glasses, "Hai, one of the American Subgirls had a Captain who produced them in the 1970s. So we went looking and found one for sale which we fixed up and made a few modifications to. New batteries, seals, paint. We even had it enchanted with anti-corrosion spells."

    Beside her, Imuya gave a shrug of her own as she motioned with one hand, "And before you ask, we had our fairies test it out fully to the limits to make sure that it was safe. It is very safe as a matter of fact." She then turned to Harry with a happy smile, "It can only go down to two hundred and fifty feet, but... that's as far as any of us can go really as well. So that means that we can go diving with Harry-Chan and he wouldn't be alone as we would be right there."

    Somewhat mollified, Nagato gave her a nod as she knew that none of the Subgirls would do anything to endanger Harry at all. She then looked over his shoulder and blushed a little, "It is rather cute..."

    Needless to say, that got her some amused looks from the others as well as shaking their heads in amusement. The others were also rather interesting, with Shinano giving him a new broom as well, one that would be more comfortable for herself and others to ride with him. Something that got her a look from her sisters, which caused her to look away and poke her fingers together. Regina, meanwhile, got him a shark proof diving suit made from links of Abyssal metal. Those looking at it also glanced at her, which she flushed a little while stating it was also from Wanko.

    It goes without saying that it was a very, very happy birthday.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [jingo] Honors of War
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    Before going back to Nagato chan and her friends (Who should beware the BoBs), one more update on Lady Jingo...

    Honors of War

    It was a rather impressive force that showed up to escort the passengers and crew of the ferry Belano Five, Jingo thought. First to arrive were undoubtedly a number of submarine shipgirls, soon joined by flights of faery piloted A6Ms and Hellcats and even some Corsairs and Reppus. Following them were TBFs, B5Ns, TBUs, B6Ns, D3As, D4Ys, SBDs, and SB2Cs. A virtual carpet of airpower ready to descend on anyone stupid enough to tempt them. Then the cruisers: Minneapolis, Northampton, Atlanta, Juneau, Chicago, and Houston, among others. Joined by Atago and Takao, Mogami and Mikuma, and Nagara and possibly a score of Destroyers. Then came the Battlewagons: Nagato personally leading Yamato and Musashi and Kongo and Haruna, joining New Jersey and Iowa and West Virginia and California. Enterprise and Hornet and Akagi and Kaga were soon joined by Unryu and Katsuragi, Saratoga and Shinano, Princeton and Shoho. And the USS Bon Homme Richard finally arriving, only once the area had been thoroughly scoured and secured.


    It was an impressive force and the message was clear to Jingo: If she or Ruiner or now their own 'captives' Somber or Diabolic so much as twitched in a way the shipgirls deemed hostile, There was more than enough firepower to end them all.


    Hopefully, there was enough firepower to protect them if the insane monster who bore her came looking this way. Jingo stood calmly waiting as Nagato, California, and West Virginia closed. West Virginia eyed Ruiner with a cold smile, her guns radar locked.


    "I assume I address Nagato, of the Big Seven?" Jingo inquired politely.


    "You do indeed. You are Jingo?"


    Jingo nodded. She was no longer Empress Jingo or Princess Jingo but merely Jingo, soon to be Prisoner Jingo. "I am. With me are Ruiner, Diabolic, and Somber. Do you accept our surrender?"


    "Do you understand that your surrender will be unconditional?"


    "I do." Jingo knew it could be no other way.


    "Then we accept your surrender," Nagato replied calmly.


    Jingo nodded, now just a little scared of the future. "Please? Can you tell me? My people... My Fleet... Did they all get out? Did they reach Australia?"


    "Yes," Nagato confirmed. "Yes, they did."


    "Then, perhaps it wasn't all for nothing after all. "


    Nagato glanced at the people lining up on the ferry, waiting to be taken aboard the Bon Homme Richard. "No, not for nothing. Not at all."

    She looked at Jingo with an appraising eye. Naval Intelligence had never really decided what to make of the East Indian War Princess. Perhaps Jingo, herself, had no answer to exactly who she was. But whatever she was, she had proven the metal of her character.

    "The Honors of War Apply, Lady Jingo."

    "Thank you, Lady Nagato." She looked at Nagato quizzically. "Tell me, please? It is said that you adopted THE Northern Princess?" Jingo remembered reading magazine articles brought in by some of the smuggler contacts she had used.

    "Yes. We call her Hoppou-chan."

    "I admit to being envious of you both. She has in her humility what I failed to achieve in my pride."

    "And what was that?" Nagato asked.

    "To be loved and admired!" Jingo mocked herself. "The myth of the enlightened despot! In my mother, I witnessed the cruelest, most depraved monster in history. She murdered at least three of her daughters. For what? When we thought she was dead, I thought I could be something different. But the greatest structure will collapse if built on a flawed foundation. Joke of the universe! She who would be Queen!"

    "But you saved your people and your fleet... And you saved these people today." Nagato reminded her.

    "How could I do otherwise? I watched mother take life as if it were nothing to her. It made me sick. When we found the body of Nemesis and I knew mother was still alive, all I could think of was mother laughing and killing all of them, humans and abyssals alike. But if one would wear a crown then one is responsible for every choice And to do nothing is a choice that we can make but to do nothing when one has the power to act... To allow evil free pass is to support evil. I can't live like that." She looked at Nagato and sighed. "I'll admit the future frightens me. I assume there will be a trial."

    "Undoubtedly. Though I think any court might be inclined to leniency." Nagato left it unsaid that as the first Abyssal Princess to voluntarily surrender, there might be an inclination to show mercy to Jingo so as to convince other Abyssals to surrender as well. That was a political consideration and for others to discuss.

    "Nagato-san.." Jingo said quietly. "We know the brightest angels born in Heaven can fall. Can a devil born in Hell ever rise above the Abyss?"

    "If she chooses, I believe, yes," Nagato replied. "Now... I think it is time we got underway. The future will take care of itself but it won't wait for us while we sit out here."

    In the meantime, just because she was an honorably surrendered prisoner of war, didn't mean Ruiner was going to change a whit! She looked at West Virginia with a smirk. "Easy there Dead-eye! I'm not gonna try anything. I'm nuts, not stupid!" She looked around at the fleet centering around Bon Homme Richard and on Jingo and herself. Ruiner grinned over at New Jersey and Musashi. She just had to say it as her boilers began to build up steam...

    "Head 'em up and Move 'em out!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [14 birthday] Gift Giving 2
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Grin on his face, Harry folded the cloak that he had pulled out of the box with a laugh, "Oh man... Jane gets the best cosplay stuff!"

    Somewhat amused, Natsumi shook her head a little, "I cannot believe that she actually, somehow, got an actual replica of the uniform that Organization XIII wears..." Pausing for a moment, she blinked, "Actually, come to think of it... we are talking about Jane."

    Lightly blushing, Regina poked her fingers together, "Um... I think that it would look very nice on you, Harry." Inside her head, she imagined Harry wearing it beside her, which caused her blush to deepen, 'Very nice...'

    A snicker made everyone turn towards Ryuujou, who grinned widely, "You know, you could wear that in magical areas, right?" At their surprised looks, she shrugged, "It would fit rather well, to be honest."

    Both Haru and Hoshi shared a look before the Kyuubi frowned and gave a shrug, "Hai, it would fit and no one would give a second glance at you wearing it."

    When the other magicals there nodded, Nagato sighed and pinched her nose, 'Somehow, I am not surprised at all...' Glancing at Harry, she could see a thoughtful look on his face, 'Which means that, at some point, he is going to wear it.'

    Not long after, Akigumo handed the birthday boy an envelope, which he opened, "This is from me, Harry-Chan." She then gave him a wink as he pulled out a slip of paper, "One doujin, anything that you might like, written and drawn by me! Autumn Cloud!"

    About to open his mouth, the teenage wizard paused before becoming thoughtful. Suddenly, he smirked a little bit, "Well... how about a fic where, after getting hit with a truck, Ise-Oba ends up in a fantasy world? Just make sure that she's got her Kai rebuild in it when wandering around."

    Confused, Akigumo gave a shrug, "Sure? I mean, that sort of thing is popular, though that is pretty specific for an..." Trailing off, she sighed and pinched her nose though she had an highly amused look on her face, "Really, Harry-Chan? A pun?"

    Hands in the air, Harry snickered, "Would I be me if I didn't try and make one?"

    Eyebrows furrowing, Okita frowned and looked at the others, "Uh... a pun? What pun?"

    Unable to help herself, Natsumi had her shoulders shaking as she tried to keep from laughing, "Um, Okita-Chan? Whom did he say he wanted to star and how?"

    Blinking, the former Shinsengumi frowned, "Um, the shipgirl Ise? In her Kai form?"

    Tone dry, the Kitsune gave her a look, "And what is that sort of genre called?"

    Okita frowned even more, "It's called an Isekai... Oh for, seriously, Harry-Kun!?"

    Unable to help herself, Natsumi started cackling while Nobu had a massive grin on her face before giving him a thumbs up, "Nice one!"

    Moments later, the pale haired swordswoman smacked the former warlord upside the head as various people either sighed, groaned, or laughed at what Harry did.

    It was not very long after when the last gift was unwrapped and Harry put it away carefully as he always had for his gifts. That was one of the things everyone noticed, he treated any gift he recieved as if it was precious, even if said gift was something that most would consider cheap. However, what made it all the better was the happy smile that was on Harry's face, which told them all that they needed to know.

    With the last of the gifts put away, Harry was pulled to his feet by the Submarines. Before he could do anything, Shioi placed her hands over his eyes, which made him rather amused as they walked him through the small restaurant. That was, until they came to a stop and he could hear various mutters and the like from people suddenly stop for a few seconds before they came back with more force. After a few moments, Shioi pulled her hands away as her and the other Subgirls shouted as one, "SURPIRSE, HARRY-CHAN!"

    His jaw dropped some as there, in front of him, was a massive, square birthday cake. Said cake was covered in white cream with the silhouette of a Nagato class on it. There were chocolate "Puffs" where the guns were, while strawberries marked the explosions of distant targets. As well, there were fourteen candles around it, flames flickering in the summer air.

    Utterly shocked, Harry looked at the cake before turning to the Submarines, who all smiled. Hachi looked at the others and nodded a little, "We hope that you enjoy the birthday cake that myself, Iku-Chan, Imuya-Chan, Shioi-Chan, Maruyu-Chan, and RO-Chan baked for you." She then nodded towards it, "Go ahead and make a wish."

    For a few moments, he was silent. But then, Harry nodded and took a deep breath before blowing out the candles, 'I wish for my friends and family to have many more happy days like this, so that I can continue to share said times with them.'

    Less than a minute later found him with a plate that had a piece of cake on it. As he took a bite of the double layered, chocolate cake, jam oozing out between the layers, Iku chewed her lips a little, "Um, how is it? Did we do good?"

    In reply, Harry swallowed his bite before smiling and giving her a kiss. Pulling back, he proceeded to do the same with the other Submarines before chuckling, "Delicious."

    Granted, he was a bit confused at how all the Subgirls went completely red in the face with wisps of steam escaping from their ears.

    But then, Harry shrugged it off as he continued to eat the cake. After all, just like he said, it was pretty delicious.

    ________________________________________________________________

    Grin on her face as she looked over her shoulders, Natsumi gave a laugh, "Come on, Harry-Chan! Louisiana-Chan! We're nearly there!"

    With that, she made her way down some wooden stairs on the otherside of the island from the beach. Sharing an amused look with Harry, the Battleship shook her head, "Well then, I suppose that we should follow ma Chérie, then."

    Nodding alongside her, Harry took her hand in his as the two walked down the steps with them creaking under each foot. Reaching the bottom, they found Natsumi sitting back on the concrete platform that jutted out a bit over the ocean. Breeze whipping her hair along, she smiled at them and patted the stone under her hand, "Well? Aren't you going to be taking a seat?"

    Lips twitching some, Harry chuckled as he sat beside Natsumi, Louisiana taking a place on the other side of him from the Kitsune, "Well, here we are."

    Happily smiling as her ears twitched, Natsumi had one of her tails wrap around him, "Hai, here we are." Looking out over the harbour towards the city, she gave a small sigh before leaning her head onto his shoulder, "Here we are..."

    Gently, he brought up one arm and placed it around her waist, which she snuggled into, "Hmm."

    Softly smiling, Harry looked at her, though he was unable to help but also give her at least a once over. Part of that was due to the fact that over the past year, Natsumi had definitely grown. And even now, with her being fourteen, he could well tell that she would become a beautiful woman. Another part, at the same time was that due to her wearing a two piece, Harry could also see that all the effort that she had put into her training was definitely working out for her. In fact, he could see that she had become rather toned as well but in a good way. Any pudge that a normal girl her age might have had was gone, but it was not to an extreme like with a body builder either.

    It was a leanness that fit her "Foxy" looks and also enhanced them, which he rather liked.

    Eyes glowing in happiness, Natsumi's gaze met his and they both smiled before he leaned down. His lips touching hers, Harry sighed a bit before he deepened the kiss some as her own hand came up and fingers ran through his hair. When he pulled back, both of them were flushed and somewhat breathless, but she had a wide smile on her face, "Wow..."

    Needless to say, those words brought a deepening of Harry's own flush. Hearing a warm chuckle, he turned to find Louisiana there smiling down at them as she leaned against his side. Meeting her eyes, the fourteen year old wizard didn't see any jealousy or annoyance. Just... happiness at what the two had just shared as well as love.

    Thus, he reached up and cupped her cheek before gently pulling her down to kiss her as well, which the Battleship happily returned. When Louisiana separated, she was slightly breathless, and with her face utterly red. Yet, at the same time, she had a wide smile on her face as she gently ran a hand along his cheek, "Thank you, mon Chéri..." Leaning down, she only paused for a moment, "Thank you..."

    Watching it, Natsumi smiled a little before Tamamo chuckled in the back of her mind, 'Oh? Not jealous are we?'

    Internally humming, the Kitsune shook her head a bit, 'Oddly? I'm not.' Considering that, she became a bit thoughtful, 'I mean, you would think that I would be jealous of her. I mean, I do care deeply for Harry-Chan. But... I also feel almost the same for Louisiana-Chan as well. So seeing them like this...' Her tails swish a bit, 'It kind of makes me happy, though I suppose that I am a bit jealous as well come to think of it.'

    At that, Tamamo made a thoughtful sound, 'Oh? How so?'

    For a few moments, Natsumi was silent as she watched the shipgirl and teenage boy separate, 'I suppose... it is because I'm not involved.' A light blush appeared on her cheeks, 'And I don't mean just kissing Harry-Chan either...'

    From the back of her mind, she could hear a knowing chuckle, 'Indeed? Well, that does make sense.'

    With that, Tamamo disappeared, though Natsumi still believed that she was watching and observing. However, the teenage Kitsune ignored that and shifted some so that her legs straddled one of Harry's. Then, she leaned forward and kissed him, happily humming as his hand rested on her back as her own arms went over his shoulders, 'Oh yes... this is nice...'

    Moments later, a purr-like sound escaped her as she felt one of his fingers gently scratching where her ear met her scalp.

    Eventually, the three got up and began to walk up the stairs as they wanted to get back to the beach party that was happening. As she walked, Natsumi had a thoughtful look on her face before nodding as they reached the top, "Louisiana-Chan?"

    Blinking, the Battleship tilted her head a bit with a smile on her face, "Oui, ma Chérie? What is it?"

    Natsumi gestured for her to bend over some, which Louisiana did with a curious look on her face. Though she did smile as she fully expected a kiss on the cheek. After all, that was what Natsumi often did.

    However, what she did not expect was for the Kitsune to kiss her fully on the lips before placing her arms over the Battleships shoulders.

    Eyes wide briefly, Lousiana soon closed them in enjoyment even as she felt like her face was on fire. Off to one side, Harry blinked before flushing. He did, however, have a smile on his face just the same. After all, he didn't have a problem with it at all, and it made him feel warm inside.

    Eventually, after nearly a minute, Natsumi pulled away with her own face covered in a deep blush, "Um... w-was that good, Louisiana-Chan?"

    For a few moments, the shipgirl looked at her before getting down on her knees, not caring about the gravel on the ground. Then, she wrapped her arms around Natsumi's neck and pulled her close, even as the Kitsune placed her hands on the Battleship's waist, "What do you think, ma Chérie?"

    Then, she leaned in and her lips met Natsumi's again and both girls hummed as they enjoyed it. When they pulled apart, Natsumi was somewhat breathless and opened her eyes to show that they were somewhat glazed. Licking her lips, she smiled a bit, "Well... I think that it was very good."

    On Louisiana's face was a large smile as she warmly chuckled, the sound of which reminded the fourteen year old girl of warm honey somehow. Another chuckle made her turn to where Harry was watching them with his own smile. But rather than say anything, he just grinned and gave her a wink, which caused her blush to deepen, even as she smiled wider at the acceptence, and love, she saw in his gaze for the both of them.

    Helping the American to her feet, the Kitsune held her hand as she walked over to Harry before holding his. Then, the three headed back into the woods as they made their way back to the beach, smiles on all their faces.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [14 birthday] Ooi worries about time, while Ayase has a very good one
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Thoughtful expression on her face, Ooi looked out onto the harbour as she leaned up against one of the pillars for the wharf. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted as Kitakami appeared and bumped her hip a little, "Something on your mind, Yuuko-Chan?"

    Blinking, the Torpedo Cruiser looked over at her friend and was about to say something when she paused. After a few moments, Ooi gave a sigh and looked back out onto the harbour, "Just... thinking about some things, Rika-Chan. That's all."

    Eyebrow raised, Kitakami walked over to one of the wharf's pillars and leaned against it, "Oh? What sort of things?" Not getting a response, she reached over and poked Ooi in the cheek, "Come on, Yuuko-Chan, you can tell me. I know that something has been bothering you a little all day after all."

    With a glance at her, Ooi sighed a little, "It's... Harry-Chan's birthday."

    Frown on her face, the other Natural Born frowned a little, "Hai? His fourteenth..." Trailing off, Kitakami shot her longtime friend a look before her expression saddened, "Oh, right."

    Slowly, Ooi nodded and wiped at her eyes, "Sorry, I know that it should be happy and everything, but..." A sniffle escaped her as she looked at Kitakami, "Harry-Chan is a year older, you know? I've known Otouto for... fuck, nearly seven years? And I've seen him grow from a shy, adorable child to, well, the teen he is now."

    Right at that moment, said wizard walked out from the woods with Louisiana and Natsumi laughing. Both Light Cruisers watched him as he laughed before waving goodbye to the two girls as he headed back down the beach towards the water. Neither said anything for a few moments as they watched him having fun. However, for a brief moment, both of them could see him as that young boy who they came to care for as a younger brother once more, a shy, but happy smile on his face.

    And then... the moment was gone and he was a teen once more.

    Taking a deep breath, Kitakami let it out, "He's grown up, but the two of us have barely aged at all..."

    Voice soft, Ooi spoke up a bit, "Do you remember that teacher of his? The female alchemy one?" At her friend's nod, she continued, "A few days back, I made a comment about her to Juuchi-San and Carnwennan-San... and both of them recognized her. They stated that she was a shipgirl and had awoken sometime in the late 1600s, and is still alive. I... we've barely aged and we're not the only ones. And look at Akimi-San and Miu-San as well."

    Eyebrow raised, the other Torpedo Cruiser turned her gaze to the two. Both older women were currently hitting on some of the male members of the Abyss Divers. It honestly would have been hilarious, especially with the unsure looks on the two males' faces. Kitakami didn't laugh though, as she examined the two closely and frowned as she remembered what they looked like before they were awoken.

    Upon that thought, she felt a lump in her throat, "They look younger now..."

    Slowly, Ooi nodded as she clenched her fist hard enough that Kitakami could hear steel strain, "Hai... much younger. They looked to be in their early thirties, and now? Now they look to be in their early twenties." Looking at her hand, the Light Cruiser's shoulders slumped as she felt tears come to her eyes, "We look to be eighteen, Rika-Chan, both of us. And we're in our late twenties... Tenryuu has been a shipgirl nearly as long and she hasn't aged. T-that means that... that while Harry-Chan grows older... as Otouto grows older..."

    There was understanding on Kitakami's face as she reached over and placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder, "While we won't grow old and one day..."

    Her eyes squeezed tightly shut, the other Natural Born clenched her jaw some, "One day, Harry-Chan will be gone from this world. A-and... and I'll still be here, without my Otouto."

    Gently, Kitakami closed her own eyes as she felt like a fist was squeezing her boilers at the thought. Then, reaching over, she pulled Ooi into a hug, "Our Otouto will be gone..." For several moments, she held the other girl as she shook with nearly silent sobs and she stroked Ooi's hair, "He'll be gone and we'll be here, the years not showing on us."

    Choking a bit, Ooi shook her head, "I... I love him, Rika-Chan. All my life I have wanted an Otouto, one just like him. B-but... but one day, he'll be gone. And him having birthdays where we mark him as a year older just... just hammers it home."

    Tears in her own eyes, her friend nodded, "Hai, that is true." With a sigh, she closed her eyes and nuzzled the other girl before remembering another conversation, "Do you know... Yuuko-Chan, I asked Natsumi-Chan once about that? She's a Kitsune, and thus will also outlive Harry-Chan. How could she possibly care as deeply as she does for him when it will hurt her so badly when he goes? I remember her answer..."

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

    Natsumi looked up at the clouds passing above with a slow blink, "How can I care so much for Harry-Chan, even though I'll live far longer... huh?"

    Slowly, Kitakami nodded some as she stood beside the Kitsune, "Hai, I have been wondering that. I mean..." She looked away a little, "Kitsune live such long lives after all. A December to May romance, I think that they call it."

    For a few moments, said Kitsune didn't say anything before nodding, "You are right, Kitakami-San. One day, I will need to confront the fact that... he'll leave. And you are right, that day will come and I will hurt. Hurt so badly that... that I will want to die and join him. And I accepted that."

    Noticing some tears in Natsumi's eyes, Kitakami felt regret for giving into her curiosity, "Natsumi-San..."

    However, Natsumi shook her head and gave the shipgirl a smile tinged with sadness, "I accepted that with my heart. Because each day I get to spend with him is a gift, you see." She brought up one hand and placed it onto her chest, "I don't want to call such feelings, when they come, regret. Because the only regret would be that he would not be here any longer, that I did not have more time to spend with him. But... even then, you know what?"

    The shipgirl shook her head, "No, what?"

    Looking away, Natsumi smiled some, a smile filled with an ache, "Even then, if that is the price for the wonderful memories that I will have? Of the times that I share? I will willingly take on that regret. Because it will make the times that I did have all the more precious and wonderful. And, in a way? Harry-Chan will still be alive, in my heart. Because I will have those memories and will treasure them always. And in that way, he will continue to live." Turning, Kitakami could see the smile on the Kitsune was beautiful in a way that few things were, "Because I will hold him close, and what better form of immortality is there... then to be loved by one such as us and remembered with that love?"

    A lump in her throat, Kitakami only nodded even as she felt her own cheeks become wet, "Hai... that is true."

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

    Ooi just looked out onto the water in thought at that, eyes still wet, "She said that, huh...?"

    Beside her, her fellow Light Cruiser nodded, "Hai, she did. And, in a way, it made sense you know. When Harry-Chan, when our Otouto passes... we'll hurt, we'll feel regret. But... I don't think that either of us can ever regret actually caring for him like that, no matter how much it hurts. It is the same for my parents, you know? One day... they will pass as well." A small smile came to Kitakami's face as she chuckled a little sadly, "But you know? I think that the two of us forgot something. And something important."

    Turning to her, Ooi blinked, "Oh?"

    With a slight nod, Kitakami smiled at her, "Hai." Closing her eyes, her smile grew a touch, "Shipgirls are made of memories of their crew and builders, it is what gives us our souls, written into us like DNA." The shipgirl opened her eyes and looked at Harry, playing in the surf, "And, in an odd way, that makes moments and times like this with him all the more precious. Because they become part of us permanently, and through that... he will continue on, through us."

    Lips curling some, her friend leaned against her, "I like that... I like that a lot."

    When she turned, Kitakami could see a smile on her face and nodded, "So do I, Yuuko-Chan." Reaching over, she took her friend's hands in hers, fingers entwining, "How about we go then and make more memories. So that our Otouto will continue to live on... forever."

    Only nodding, Ooi gave a small laugh, "Hai." As they walked back down the wharf, she shook her head some, "Though I'm not too sure about having you on the beach. After all, that means everyone will see you in your swimsuit."

    Eyebrow raised, the other Natural Born gave her a look over and snorted, "Like you're much better." She then shook her head a little, "After all, you fill that bikini better than I could!"

    Laughing, and rubbing the back of her head, Ooi shrugged, "I've told you that all the food I eat goes to the best places after all."

    And, with that, the two laughed and hurried up, they had memories to make after all...

    ___________________________________________________________________

    Laughing as the Sun slowly sank towards the horizon, Harry slowly swam in the warm water. From where he was, he could see Nobu up on stage with her guitar as she played, massive grin on her face. His lips twitching, the fourteen year old gave the former warlord a thumbs up, which she nodded at as she launched into a new song. Swimming along though, he slowed as he came up to the wharf that lead to where the ferries and boats would tie up.

    It jutted out into the water, with a concrete foundation along part of it, cutting a small part of the beach off from the rest. Because of that, no one really paid it much attention unless they were walking along the walkway on top of the wharf. And, from what he could see, that made it a nice, quiet place with privacy compared to the rest of the beach,

    Which, he supposed, was why he could see Regina and Shinano laying there just enjoying the late afternoon Sun.

    Making his way through the piers the wharf sat on, Harry swam up to the beach and smiled as he walked out of the waves. Both girls noticed him and lit up upon seeing him, with Shinano waving at him, "Harry-Chan!"

    A light chuckle escaped him as he walked up to her with a grin on his face, giving her his own wave, "Shinano-Chan! Regina!" Coming to a stop before them, Harry placed his hands on his hips, "So this is where you've been hiding, hmm?"

    On both girls' cheeks were a light blush, and Shinano shook her head, "Nooo, we haven't been hiding."

    Poking her fingers together, Regina gave him a shy smile, "Um, we just wanted a little peace and quiet, Harry. So we decided that we should take a small break here." Looking around, her smile softened as she shared a look with Shinano, "D-do you want to come and sit with us?"

    Just nodding, Harry walked over and sat between them, "Sure."

    Moments later, a small blink escaped him as Regina's tail shifted until it was touching his back, almost like a small backing for him to lean up against. And, from the blush on the Re-Class' face, it was only partially the tail that had decided to do so. Both girls gave a happy hum as they looked out onto the waves and leaned against him a little bit. Something that got a smile from Harry.

    It was then that Harry examined Regina and Shinano and lightly blushed some. Regina had forgone her usual poncho and simply decided to wear the usual Re-Class bikini. Needless to say, the top was strained slightly by her fuel tanks, while the rest showed off the toned form of a Battleship or Carrier. Especially when she stretched out her legs a little.

    Turning to the other side, Harry could see a happy Shinano there in her silver one piece. One thing that he did notice was that while it flattened her chest a little and made her seem a bit smaller, it also hugged her figure. And, like Regina, her legs were stretched out showing the toned muscles that were there, and the same with her arms.

    Gaze going back and forth, the teenage wizard smiled some before shaking it off, "So, um... have you been enjoying the party?"

    Expression brightening, Shinano nodded happily, "Hai, it has been a lot of fun, Harry-Chan." Shyly smiling, she gave a hum, "Especially since you're here."

    On the other side of him from Shinano, Regina also nodded, "Shinano is right, Harry. It has been a great day." Poking her fingers together, she had a similar shy smile to her friend, "Thank you for inviting me..."

    For several seconds, Harry looked her in the eye before smiling as he shifted. Then, taking her chin in his, he tilted her face down and then kissed her. The Abyssal flushed deeply, especially as he deepened the kiss, but then closed her eyes until it was done. As he pulled back, Harry had a smile on his face, "You're one of my precious people, Regina, I would always invite you."

    When he turned, the Yamato beside him had a stunned, but happy look on her face. One that stated she was happy that he had kissed Regina... Moments later, she got her reward as Harry kissed her as well, with much the same reaction as Regina had to being kissed. As he pulled away, her eyes were closed and her expression was one of pure bliss. Something reinforced as she opened her eyes and they glowed in happiness, "Harry-Chan..."

    Scratching the back of his neck, Harry gave a chuckle, "Um... hopefully you liked that..."

    Briefly looking at Regina, Shinano leaned in and kissed him before she pressed up against him. This time, she pulled away with a brilliant smile on her face, "Hai... I really did."

    His turn to be stunned, the teenage wizard blinked a little, "I, um... see. Huh..."

    Moments later, Regina leaned in and kissed him as well, her tail wrapping around his back and Shinano's waist as it brought all three close together. Pulling away, the Abyssal giggled a little with a flush to her cheeks before speaking in a whisper, "Mmm, this feels really naughty."

    It took only a few seconds, but Shinano also giggled and nodded as she held Harry close, "H-hai! We're here all alone, and no one is watching. And..." She bit her lip and looked around, "And we're kissing like this... you're right, Regina-Chan. It does feel really naughty, like we shouldn't be doing this."

    Shy grins on their faces, both girls giggled a little with blushes on their cheeks before turning to Harry. Said boy gave them a small shrug even as he placed his hands on their hips, "Well, I guess it does feel a bit naughty." Cocking his head to the side, he gave them a lopsided grin, "Does that mean that you want to stop?"

    Once more, the two girls shared a look and giggle before shaking their heads. Leaning in, Shinano paused before her lips could touch his, smile on her lips, "No, because I kind of like being naughty like this."

    With that said, she kissed him still smiling, which he returned. To the side, Regina had a happy smile on her face seeing it. One that was mirrored on Shinano's face when, after she pulled back, the Abyssal leaned in to kiss him. Both girls smiled happily when they saw the slightly goofy look on Harry's face.

    At one point, as he was kissing her, Regina balance failed her and she fell back on the sand. Thankfully, the soft grains meant that it didn't hurt her where her tail connected with the rest of her body. But, it meant that now, Harry was straddling her waist on top of her with his hands on either side of her head.

    Needless to say, she flushed deeply at that.

    Eyes brightening, however, Shinano helped Regina up enough for her tail to shift to the other side, so that she could lay on the sand at an angle. Then, the Carrier pressed up against the two as much as she could as she kissed Harry, and then gave Regina one on the cheek. Yet again, both girls blushed and had shy smiles on their faces as they muttered about feeling even more naughty. Something that only got a shake of the head from the fourteen year old boy, though he didn't mind it in the slightest.

    Unfortunately, a few hours later, the Sun sank beneath the horizon and it was nearly time to go. Everyone had enjoyed the day at the beach and were now sitting on the sand chatting happily as the skies above darkened from reds and oranges to purples and deep blues. The first stars of evening coming out and twinkling down at them as they sat with small campfires on the sand.

    Stretching some, Ayase sat on the sand with a happy look on her face as she watched various shipgirls set up some fireworks near the waterline. A final bit of celebration for the very special day it was. Upon feeling the sand shift some, she blinked and turned before her eyes widened at who was there, "Harry-San? What are you doing here?"

    In reply, said boy chuckled and sat down beside her, "I noticed that you didn't get any s'mores that were being made, so I brought you some over."

    Lightly blushing at his close proximity, Ayase looked at the plate and smiled as there were several of the gooey treats there. Taking it, she gave him a happy hum, "Thank you, Harry-San."

    His lips curling into a smile of his own, Harry lightly laughed, "You're welcome, Ayase-Chan. Besides..." He shrugged a little and made a motion of his hand, "If I'm going to be an Admiral, then I got to make sure that the people I care about are taken good care of. And that means making sure that they're properly fed."

    That got a light laugh from the Sendai as she nodded, "I suppose so." For a moment, she looked into his eyes before turning back to the sea, "Um, Harry-San... could I ask you something?"

    Eyebrow raised, Harry just turned to her though part of his mind did note that the dark orange two piece, with the boyshort's style bottom and "Wrap" for a top really looked good on her, "Hai? What is it?"

    Chewing her lip, Ayase took a breath before looking back at him, "In the future... do... do you think that I could be one of your ships? That you would want to be my Admiral?"

    Not answering right away, the teenage wizard looked her in the eye before nodding some, "You know? I think that I would like to be your Admiral, Ayase-Chan. And you would be awesome in that case." Seeing the happy smile that got him, he knew that he had said the right thing. The two of them spent a few minutes just chatting before he got up. But as he turned, Harry heard Ayase say his name and looked back at her, "Hmm? Ayase-Chan?"

    She opened her mouth for a moment and paused before closing it. Trying again, Ayase took a deep breath, "Harry-San, could I... could I call you something else?"

    Blinking for a moment, Harry just smiled at her, "Sure, like what?"

    Lips curling into a soft smile, Ayase blushed a bit in the fading light, "Perhaps... Harry-Chan?"

    That made him chuckle a bit and he bent down to kiss her cheek, "Sure thing, Ayase-Chan." What he did not notice in the light was how her cheeks redness deepened, or the small wisps of steam from her ears. About to leave after he straightened, Harry paused before looking over his shoulder, "Oh, and Ayase-Chan?"

    It took a few seconds, but Ayase snapped out of her daze, "H-hai Harry-Do-Chan?"

    While somewhat puzzled over what honorific she nearly called him, Harry shrugged it off and gave her a smile, "I'm looking forward to you taking the trip with us to harvest fruits and such at my manor." A light chuckle escaped him as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Might even spar against you for something new since Okita-San, Nobu-San, and Uesugi-San kicking my arse all the time gets old."

    Just winking, the Sendai grinned some, "Don't worry, Harry-Chan, I'll make sure not to kick your arse that much." Laughing, Harry gave her a nod before leaving as she happily watched him go. Only once he was gone far enough, did she allow herself to squee a little, 'Eeee! Hai! I shall accompany you to your manor and spar with you! I cannot wait, Harry-Dono!'

    A short distance away, Harry paused and blinked at the odd feeling that crossed his mind, 'Huh... that was odd.' Shaking it off, he only took enough time to get another plate of s'mores before walking over to the stone wall of a jetty. Upon reaching it, he leaned back against the stone with a smile as he looked at Niiyodo, "This spot taken?"

    For her part, Niiyodo hummed a little as if in thought before smiling and shaking her head, "No, I don't think so." Shifting a bit so that their sides were pressed together, she gave him a happy smile, "Did you enjoy your birthday, Harry-Chan?"

    Grin on his face, the teenage boy cocked an eyebrow, "What do you think?" Then, his grin softened to a smile as he gave a nod, "Thanks for all the work that you did to make it as good as it was, Niiyodo-Chan. I really appreciate it."

    Blushing some, Niiyodo only gave him a small, happy nod, "I'm glad, and it wasn't that much of a problem."

    Placing the plate with the s'mores onto the stone beside him, Harry shifted some and then kissed her. Something that surprised the Light Cruiser before she leaned into it as he deepened the kiss some. When they pulled apart, Harry had a smile on his face, "Still, thank you."

    Just licking her lip, the Light Cruiser smiled back, "You're welcome..." Then, she leaned in and kissed him, the wizard kissing her back as he placed his hands on her hips. When they separated, she breathed deeply and grinned, "Very welcome."

    Only humming, Harry nodded some before giving her a short peck and then leaning back, "We should probably enjoy the s'mores some before they get too cold. Especially with the fireworks about to begin."

    Unknown to him, within Niiyodo's head she had another thought, 'I think that they already started...' Shaking off those thoughts, despite her blush, Niiyodo took the plate as well as one of the s'mores and bit into it happily as she leaned into Harry's side, one of his arms around her waist, 'Ah... this is nice...'

    Meanwhile, said teenager was giving her a once over and blushed some. Niiyodo wore a swimsuit very similar to her sister's, except where Ooyodo's was blue, Niiyodo's was a light green. With his recent relevation, there was a part of Harry that wondered about that, if it was saying something. And a part of him was hoping that it was.

    Still, he looked her over for a few moments and smiled, even as he gave her waist a squeeze, which seemed to make her happy if the way her smile grew said anything. After another kiss, which tasted of chocolate and marshmallow, the two leaned against each other as they shared the treats and watched as the fireworks went off, lighting up the night while finishing off the wonderful day that they had.

    One that, for each one of the girls who held a special place in their hearts for Harry, and Harry himself, would give them wonderful dreams that very night and many after.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [setgirls] Family Interest/Reaching Out
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    And now some more snips about Nagato chan! Do note that These are not quite caught up with current timeline.

    Family Interest/Reaching Out


    It was actually two days after Enterprise's meeting with Admiral Goto, that she returned, accompanied by Illinois, to answer questions from Nagato with Naka having another, very important engagement to attend first. The presence of Illinois was, of course, very deliberate as Naka had discussed with Enterprise that the 'Great Lakes Battleship' had a considerable fan following on the base. Naturally, her presence attracted more than a little attention, as was intended.

    Naka's participation with the charity show was quickly cleared by Nagato, who found the project both charitably worthwhile and she was of the opinion that the performances would reflect positively on the Kanmusu forces.

    Of course, Nagato had other reasons to approve as she had been following the appearances of her namesake ever since the incident in Northern Japan where survivors from Hoppou's Fleet of Laughter had nearly precipitated a panic before their identity and intentions were confirmed. Actress Nagato's choice to disobey instructions to evacuate the supposed 'threat area', instead, remaining with the children she and her partner Amagi had come to perform for had earned considerable respect and even a touch of pride in the battleship's eyes. Knowing that her lookalike was part of this project gave Nagato great interest in it and the possible opportunity to meet her in person as she, like her namesake, had been frustrated by the failure of several officially planned meetings to come off. This time, it seemed the red tape had been circumvented and Nagato planed to take advantage of the opportunity.

    Picking up one of the fliers left by Enterprise, advertising the event, Nagato returned to her quarters after her duty shift was over. She showed it to Harry and Hoppou.

    "If you're busy or would rather not go, I'll understand but I've been wanting to see these girls myself for a while now."

    Harry smiled, having been told about the whole thing by Naka. "Actually, it could be fun, mom." Harry considered for a moment. So, mom? If she's made in your image, she's kind of like a daughter, isn't she?" Hoppou quirked her head at that.

    "Po?"

    Nagato considered. "Hmm... I hadn't quite thought of it that way but I guess you're right, Harry."

    "Well, family supports family, right mom? So this is in what? a week? I'll call cousin Jane and we'll show sis just how much family she really has!"
    ***

    "So? I know mom would be glad to see Aunt Mutsu there."

    "I'll see what I can do. We'll need someone to watch the twins."

    "I know, just hoping."

    "Sure thing! How much are the tickets, anyway?"

    "Two to three thousand yen, depending on the seats."

    "Wow! That's pretty good! Well, like I said, I'll talk to dad first and see."

    "Thanks, Jane."

    After calling Jane, Harry talked to Natsumi and then Shinano, who admitted that she was interested to see her sister's twin as well.

    "So, you're saying that this other Nagato is like Nagato's daughter? Hmm... That would mean the other Yamato is like my niece!"

    "I suppose that's true," Harry agreed.

    "Do you think there will be enough seats? We have pretty big families after all."

    "Well, the auditorium has 14,000 seats, and somebody still has to look after the country in the meantime, so I think there will be enough."


    ***



    Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, one of the Professors was reading over the International section of the Daily Prophet. The last article was about the arrest of a 'cult' of American wizards who had been caught having stolen an artifact from the Muggle 'Smithsonian Museum', potentially endangering the Statute of Secrecy. The article noted that the artifact, 'A model flying machine from a Muggle entertainment show' was returned undamaged so the SoS was luckily preserved. Annoyed hands clenched the paper tightly.

    Bloody fools. He thought, meaning both the thieves and the fool who wrote the article for the Prophet. A 'model flying machine' indeed! If they HAD damaged her, they would be lucky if I never found them! I wonder what those fools thought they were doing...
     
  • Threadmarks
    • A Malfoy Family Moment[2020]
  • Threadmarks
    • Yellowhammer

    A.N. -- Well, having spent the time off, I'll be giving the SB thread one chance, so crossposting some of the things I did for SV in the hiatus. Please don't make me regret this decision. As always, thanks a ton, MagisterAurelius for letting me link Ehren into the Ship of Fools cast.

    As promised, Ehren does earn her happy ending, and here's a future peek at part of it.

    A Malfoy Family Moment

    Malfoy Manor

    Sometime in 2020
    Spoiler: A Malfoy Family Moment

    Draco opened the door to his father's sitting room for the pair of beautiful young women trailing him.

    Ehren returned his warm loving smile as she passed him with a tithe of her normal lethal precise grace. The reason for the change in her was obvious. She held a one month old baby in the crook of each arm, while she looked radiantly happy in her loose cream-colored house dress over soft slippers. The reason for the necessary changes in her normal preferred wardrobe was clearly visible in her swollen belly containing her unborn first child.

    Draco's smile widened as he remembered having been awakened early this morning when Ehren had grabbed his hand in an iron grip. She had pressed his hand to her bare stomach so he too could feel their baby's featherlight first motions. Tears of joy had filled her luminous steel-blue eyes as she whispered to him and Niobe in wonder. "She just kicked."

    Of course, that was the cue for Thutmose Anton to announce that it was now time for midnight breakfast and a diaper change by beginning to cry, joined by the others in stereo from the nursery next door. Ehren had promptly untangled herself to dutifully nurse him and his twin brother Markus Seti. Meanwhile, Niobe, cuddled on the other side of him, had in turn headed after Ehren to tend to her son Maximilian Narcissus and Max's hour older half sister Johnston Junior (known to her family as JJ).

    Just like clockwork, all four little darlings were ready for Mother and Mutti to provide milk for hungry stomachs to turn into future noise and something eldritch and foul in the diapers (that Draco was privately convinced was the fourth Unforgivable Curse). An opinion that the wives all agreed with while thanking higher powers that there were charms to ward off the unique aroma.

    Narcissa had been delighted to teach all her daughters-in-law an old Black Family charm to allow them to lactate to feed infants to help them with this experience of motherhood (along with the aforementioned odor-deadening spell). This had turned into a shared experience that all four girls had taken to with unalloyed joy at the chance to bond with their children.

    For they were all their children, no matter whose body had actually carried them to term. Draco had rapidly realized that few things in his life were better than sitting with his wives nursing their infant children while they all talked together as a family and grew closer to each other as so much more than the sum of their separate parts.

    A tender, loving kiss on the cheek broke him from his reverie to look at the other wife currently in residence today. Niobe was now back to her normal elegant look with her mass of long silver hair up in a Psyche knot allowing a few artfully arranged and styled curls to frame her face instead of the Medusa of last night's feedings. A gray silk blouse buttoned to the neck and a pencil skirt accentuating her slim and graceful lines completed the look of a prim and proper Victorian lady.

    Diamonds sparkled from a dangling earring that Max was reaching chubby hands to try to play with as Niobe cradled their firstborn son, accentuating glimmers of mischief in her violet eyes. "{Roll in the sheets tonight for your thoughts, Liebchen?}" Niobe whispered in German with a demure and innocent expression on her face while she rocked the drowsy Markus in the crook of her other arm. He smirked in knowledge of what hidden depths lurked under that expression of the perfect Wilhelmine Noblewoman that he had won and wed.

    He closed the door behind her and gently poked Max's stomach with a fingertip, causing Max to gurgle happily. "I was just thinking about earlier when Ehren woke us up because her baby kicked for the first time," he said quietly. He turned to the quartet of adults waiting for them and watched Ehren smile as she handed over Thutmose to the eager hands of her mother and stepmother -- now grandparents. He continued softly with a fond smile on his face. "Motherhood is so good for dear Ehren."

    Niobe nodded at the glowing dagger spirit, "Ja, it is. Thank you once again for winning her hand to prevent her little declaration of penitent suffering from becoming a complete disaster. She really is too nobly self-sacrificial for her own good more often than not. Understandable with her history, but she needs a firm hand on the wheel to steer her at times." The German shipgirl finished with a smouldering look at her husband.

    Draco's fond smile turned into a knowing smirk as he escorted Niobe toward where Narcissa, Lucius, Tokunotakai, and Colombe waited. "{Just like a certain protected cruiser needs her Flottenadmiral to handle her decisively when authority is required, ja?}" He spoke in German with mischief in his eyes.

    His smirk widened as Niobe's cheeks turned pink as the salvo landed home in her citadel. She redoubled her look -- promising him a truly wild night once the children were put to bed -- before hiding that promise behind her innocent and demure facade as they approached his parents.

    Narcissa approached Draco and Nimue regally. Meanwhile, Ehren spoke warmly with her mother Colombe and stepmother Tokunotakai while they admired Thutmose and JJ. "Draco, Niobe. Such a pleasure to see you out and about. Ehren said that her child kicked her this morning too." Narcissa said with a hug for her son and then a tickle for Max.

    Draco chuckled as Niobe carefully transferred Max to his grandmother's care while Markus yawned before resuming his nap. "Taube did. Ehren woke us up to feel her move and kick. I have rarely seen her happier, perhaps her wedding day. Perhaps."

    Narcissa wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as she sat back down on the sofa next to Lucius. Narcissa then nodded to her son and shipgirl daughter-in law as they cuddled together in a loveseat next to it. "Motherhood is like that. I can remember doing much the same with your father when you and Nimue began to stir."

    Lucius leaned over and kissed his wife before beginning to play peekaboo with Max. "And if we had known then how little sleep we would get after the birth tending to you, we would still have done the same. Take it from me, they learn to sleep through the night. Eventually." He gave Draco a knowing look.

    Both sets of parents shared a wry laugh at the memory of midnight feedings and diaper changes. The Malfoy patriarch continued. "I confess I was surprised and a little concerned that Ehren took so long to become pregnant. Ahh...no problems there, Son?"

    Draco shook his head and chuckled fondly. "No, no, Father. Ehren is ever-practical so she elected to delay motherhood so that I would have an assistant to tend to Niobe, Cleopatra, and Johnston when they... 'laid keels' is the saying among shipgirls I believe." Niobe blushed and nodded. "That way, I had her to help us with food cravings, feedings and the like. Once Niobe and the others were far enough along, Ehren then allowed her true body to be unsheathed to make her fertile and you see the results. She was quite eager to conceive then." He finished with a joy-filled smile at the memories of exactly how eager Ehren had showed herself to be.

    Narcissa smiled knowingly, "It's good to see." She then hastily prevented Max's attempt to gnaw on her dress sleeve.

    Meanwhile Lucius spoke thoughtfully with a small smile. "In hindsight making the decision to approach her that day in Jardine was one of the best that I have ever made; equal to wooing and wedding a certain eligible debutante from the Ancient and Noble House of Black and encouraging your interest in your little fleet of shipgirls." His eyes sharpened as he looked at his son and his voice gained a certain curious tone. "Have you deduced why I made the arrangements with Colombe to allow you to court then-Miss du Chasteler?" Lucius said as Ehren walked into earshot after leaving the du Chastelers to fuss over the babies behind her.

    Draco rubbed his chin in thought as Ehren approached and then absently expanded the loveseat into a small couch to give her room to sit beside him.

    "The obvious answer would be that my marriage to Ehren furthered our alliance with the du Chastelers and reunited our branches of the House of Malfoy." Draco said as Ehren sat down with a sigh of relief. Draco then continued, looking his father in the eye. "But since it is you making the decision, the obvious answer is not the only one."

    Ehren kissed her husband and cuddled into his side, placing his hand on her swelling belly. "The family alliance was a reason certainly, much to the mutual profit of our families. But I think the actual reason was less about what I represent and more about who I am."

    Ehren's voice grew as sharp and precise as the strikes of her true body as Niobe nodded along in agreement. "Consider this, my love. When your father made the decision to approach Mutti for permission, he was also in the process of making initial arrangements to withdraw from public life and the directly active pursuit of politics once you were old enough to inherit from him formally. That secured the Malfoy Family's future via a 'break from the mistakes of the past' that allowed certain old actions to be... overlooked." Draco nodded as he saw the chain of logic being laid out by Ehren. "This would be highlighted by your marriage ties through me to the du Chastelers who were seen by the muggles as heroes for Verdun, our ties to Aunt Delilah and the de Breuils, and so on. Plus the du Chasteler assets that I brought to the table in my dowry such as my five percent share holdings in ThyssenKrupp AG."

    Ehren raised a finger as her voice became cool and clinical. "That is the what I am, but as for the who.... This gambit necessarily would have placed you in charge of the House of Malfoy, love. Advised by your parents and guided insofar as you wished to listen to myself, Niobe, Wash, Cleo, or Johnston certainly, but as you know, this is a position of major responsibility with its associated perils and pitfalls."

    She locked eyes with the intent senior Malfoys and winked. "Which meant that he had to insure that you had someone available who has the moral character and courage to stand up to you with the honest advice you need to hear so as to prevent any avoidable political missteps thanks to unnecessary underhanded dealings pissing off the Muggles. Ideally that someone also has if needed a ruthlessly pragmatic streak when certain actions are unavoidably called for that handle problems discreetly with a minimum of the required actions splashing on us." Her lips quirked in a smug smirk. "Intelligence and a subtle mind to see threats coming and neutralize them would be a plus both defensively and offensively when action is needed to increase our holdings and secure our future."

    Then her wrist twitched, making her true body appear with charmwork glimmering to make the live steel safe to handle. Ehren gently handed herself to Draco and closed his hand on the hilt that had her du Chasteler arms impaled with his Malfoy heraldry. "In short, this someone is a honor dagger standing in readiness to protect our honor, provide moral guidance, and if needed do what daggers such as I are crafted to do. Protect our family by utilizing surprise, stealth, deception, and death from the shadows. Niobe, Johnston, and Cleo are wonderful dears, as is Wash, but none can do what I do for us Malfoy-du Chastelers just as I cannot perform their roles. As a family we are at our strongest when united under common cause as we look after each other."

    Lucius gave her a nod of respect as she finished her analysis.

    Meanwhile, Narcissa smiled happily at her youngest daughter-in-law while Ehren gave a smug grin of triumph . Markus then put his two cents into the family discussion with a cry as he woke up, quickly resolved by Niobe giving him milk for breakfast.

    Draco chuckled at the byplay. Then he sighed wearily as Max began to fuss and cry too, with the unmistakable warning signs of a soiled diaper. Again.

    "Accio Diaper!"

    Draco lightly tapped Ehren's pregnant belly with the flat of her dagger body just before handing her blade back to her and rolling up his sleeves to prepare to change his oldest son's diapers for the newly summoned replacement. "One day in the future you will provide that for our sons and daughters when they need you to be there for them, my beloved Ehrendolch." He spoke before taking his son back from his mother for the needed diaper change.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • A Dagger's Question[2016]
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    • Yellowhammer

    A.N. -- Harry's snip with Kitakami and Ooi talking about Harry sparked my muse. For reference this takes place in the future after Draco elects to pursue Ehren as the dagger struggles with her feelings for him and whether to accept his suit. Happy Memorial Day, Everyone (for two more hours)!

    A Dagger's Question

    Castle Moulbaix

    November 2016

    "Mutti? May I have a moment of your time?" The quiet and cool question cut across the cozy space of the firelit study in time with the gentle patter of rain on the windowpanes.

    Colombe looked up from the leather-bound copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel that she was reading to see the stiff and proud figure of her youngest daughter standing in the door to her study.

    "Always, Ehren. Come in." The French Rapier responded as she placed a ribbon bookmark to mark her place. She then watched as Ehren closed the door behind her before marching to her favorite chair by the roaring fire in the fireplace and sitting stiffly in it.

    Colombe sighed mentally at the stiff and erect posture of her daughter, reading the signs of subtle distress under the cool control thanks to long experience.

    The elder spirit then set her jaw as she braced herself mentally.

    Nothing for it but to take this Teutonic Bull by the horns when Ehren's in one of these moods.
    Spoiler: A Talk About Love

    "What's wrong, Ehren?" Colombe said as gently as she could as she walked to the matching chair by the fire. "Do you want a drink?"

    Ehren blinked and gave a minute shake of her head. "No drink, Mutti. I was just... thinking. About certain important matters." She responded in a slightly abstracted tone before looking into the roaring fire as she finished.

    Colombe sat down and surveyed the cool and controlled expression on her daughter's face. "I see. What are they? If you don't mind sharing, of course."

    Ehren sighed and then looked her mother in the eyes. "Is it worth it?" She frowned and leaned forward with a whisper of cotton from her starched blouse and rested her elbows on her skirt-covered knees, interlacing her fingers. "Romance I mean. With someone who I shall outlive for centuries barring mischance or ill-fortune."

    Automatically Colombe's eyes shot over the fireplace to a three-quarter profile portrait of a short, dark-haired young woman dressed in a scarlet Victorian ballgown and writing at a desk. As if summoned by her gaze, the portrait animated and gave them a slightly perverse smile. "Did someone call the Goddess of Erotic Romance's name?"

    Colombe sighed with bittersweet fondness, "Lyra...."

    Lyra smirked and raised a finger as she closed the diary that she had been writing in. "I'll be good, I promise. For once." The witch looked at the dagger and rapier and then leaned back in her chair.

    Colombe muttered with a small smile on her lips at some memory as she blushed. "That's what you said in 1921 too." She then focused back on the impassively waiting Ehren.

    "I suppose you came to me since I have had experience with friends, family, and loved ones passing away. Papa. Marie-Claire. Johann Gabriel. Gabriel Potter. Karl and Tamenokalt. Ian and Lyra. Helmar." Colombe said quietly.

    Ehren nodded silently.

    Colombe leaned forward in turn and looked deep into Ehren's eyes. "Draco?"

    The question hung in the air like a guillotine blade.

    Ehren nodded once again with her face very controlled.

    Colombe took a very deep breath and spoke quietly from the heart. "He is a fine young man, and is worthy of you, but you do not need me to sing his praises I suspect. You already know that I gave my permission to allow him to court you as he has been doing."

    The rapier took a deep breath. "As for the worth of a relationship with those whose ghosts stand endlessly by me, and forever shall? I cannot tell you the answer, for my answer might not be yours, Ehren. Save that I can say that walking away from their graves is the hardest thing that I have ever had to do in my long, long life. Do you know why?"

    Ehren bit her lip, visibly thought, then slowly shook her head. "Nein, Mutti."

    Colombe and Lyra responded as one. "Regret, Ehren."

    Ehren blinked in surprise as Colombe continued her explanation with tears in her eyes. "Not regret for the moments we shared together, never that. Regret for the moments that we could have shared but for whatever reasons we did not. The regret that we could have had more time together to make additional shared memories to keep in my heart. But we did not because of my other reasons at the time. Duties, failings, fears, damage to my psyche." Colombe shrugged expressively.

    Then the rapier pinned the dagger with her gaze as she finished. "But those memories of myself and Lyra, myself and Ian, myself and Gabriel, myself and Marie-Claire? Never regretted for a moment, when I remember them they are with me as alive now as they were in that instant." Colombe gave a fond smile.

    Ehren nibbled her lip and finally spoke. "Then my choice?"

    Colombe sighed, "I cannot make that choice for you. No one can. I can just advise and share my experience. But ask yourself this, my daughter. Would you give up your shared memories of yourself and Claire for anything?"

    "Nein, Mutti!" Ehren automatically snapped out from her heart.

    Colombe nodded. "I could ask the same of your other loved ones, of course. Even your poor mother." Her lips curled in a smile. "You also have one advantage in any relationship you could pursue with Draco that I lacked with Lyra and Ian." Her eyes flicked to the painting.

    "Oh?" Lyra leaned forward while her eyes glittered with curiosity as she surveyed her old lover.

    "Was ist das, Mutti?" Ehren asked.

    Colombe sighed deeply. "When I first met Lyra and Ian I was... damaged... quite severely. It took them both decades of their care and comfort to help heal me enough to get me to live for myself once more. For decades I was living for them, not myself because of what Hippolyte and my then-failure to confront Father had done to me. This was compounded by my experiences in the Great War and then the shock of Ian's death afterward due to health complications from some of his war wounds." The rapier's voice was very sad. "By the time I was healed enough from all that to contemplate the question privately, Lyra was beginning to show her advanced age in 1937."

    Colombe paused, looked lovingly at Lyra's painting, and then spoke quietly. "I thought about asking her to quicken a child that I would bear. But... I chose never to ask."

    Lyra's eyes shot wide open and her painted tears fell. "Oh Colombe...." she whispered as her hand covered her mouth.

    Ehren blinked. "Why not, Mutti?"

    Colombe lowered her head. "Because if I did ask her, the child, our daughter, your half-sister would grow up without one parent at a minimum since Lyra would have died before she reached adulthood. Perhaps both parents because by that time, I could see the storm-clouds of war gathering in Europe to threaten me and mine as you know full well." The voice was filled with pain and regret.

    Colombe then looked into Ehren's shocked eyes. "I went through childhood always wondering what my Mother would have been like, why Mother had died and left me alone, why my Papa looked at me oddly at times, knowing I was a bastard born out of wedlock and taken in by charity, then asking myself what I did wrong to cause my Father to abandon me when Papa told me the truth of my heritage. A foster father, even the best and greatest one such as my Papa, can fill many needs of his daughter, but never those. Never those. I would never allow for any child of mine to be abandoned, to have to go through what I endured growing up as the cuckoo's egg in the nest. The girl who was different, the outsider, the one who sometimes thought that she never belonged because she had been abandoned by her parents."

    Colombe barked a bitter laugh and shook her head. "Irony of ironies is that by that time, both Estelle and Ying were mine and both turned out more than well despite my unknowing neglect. But that held me back from giving you an older sister with Lyra. A regret that I have not for myself, but for Lyra, who loved her family of blood and choice both so deeply. I never gave her one of mine to love as her daughter. A regret that I hid carefully from her to not cause her undue pain in her final years. She knew as well as I the pains of a parentless child after helping me come to terms with that part of my heritage."

    Lyra whispered sadly, "Oh Colombe.... Oh Colombe!" She shook her head. "I never knew."

    Ehren stood, strode over and hugged her mother. Then she spoke. "Then my advantage with Draco?"

    Colombe returned the hug. "Is that should you choose to pursue the path alongside Draco that I never took with Lyra, your child, my grandchild shall have a father and mother both who love him as a child should be loved."

    Ehren squeaked as her cheeks pinked. "Me, a mother, Mutti!?"

    Colombe smirked and spoke in a proud voice. "Well I know that you will put in the hard work and study to do motherhood right, dear."

    Lyra got a perverse smile. "And I'll tutor you for the bridal training!" Her voice was filled with unholy delight.

    Ehren's cheeks flamed scarlet as Colombe shot the painting a dirty look marred by her uncontrollable fond smile and blush.

    "DAMMIT, LYRA!!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • A Kitsune, a Jorugumo and a one-armed man walk into a bar
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Walking into Mamiya's, Eric gave a smile as he noted who was there, "Hinata-Chan!"

    Said Jorogumo turned and her expression brightened as she noted who her visitors were, "Eric-Kun, Sora-Chan! Welcome to Mamiya's."

    Lightly chuckling, Sora smiled back at her before taking note how she wore a blouse and pair of jeans, "Thank you, Hinata-Chan." After a moment of looking around, she hummed a little, "No one here?"

    Hinata shook her head a little with a small smile on her face, "Not right now, no. Mamiya-Nee-San is currently out on Sarushima helping with a party for Nagato-San's adopted son, Harry-San..." She paused a moment at that before shaking her head, "And it's one of the quieter times of day for business as well."

    Only nodding, the Kyuubi considered that before humming as her tails swished behind her, "I see." Suddenly, she brightened with a smile as she considered things, "Well, then maybe you can come and sit with us? It has been a bit since we caught up with each other."

    Cheeks pinkening, Hinata looked away some, "Um, it looks like you're on a date. I couldn't get between you..."

    Much to her surprise, Sora waved her off, "Don't worry so much about it, Hinata-Chan. Both Eric-Kun and I wouldn't mind catching up with a friend so it wouldn't bother either of us."

    If anything, that caused the light blush on the Food Ship's cheeks to deepen as she looked away a little, "If you're sure...?"

    With a brief glance at his girlfriend, whom smiled back at him as they silently held a conversation, Eric turned to Hinata and gave a smile, "I don't mind at all. That is, if you don't mind sitting with a beautiful fox and a one armed cripple-"

    Almost like a switch had been flipped, Hinata went from embarrassment to anger, "Who called you that?! Because when I get my hands on them, I'll make sure that they will have arachnaphobia for a long time to come!"

    Eyes widening, the lone human held up his lone hand, "Whoa! No one called me that..." He silently continued in his head so that neither would hear, 'Or, at least, to my face.' Clearing his throat, Eric gave her a smile, "I was just making a joke at my own expense."

    Shoulders slumping a little, Hinata flushed again, "U-um, right. Sorry about that..." Taking a breath, she turned back to him before wagging a finger at him with a scowl, "But you shouldn't say things like that about yourself, Eric-Kun. You are many things, but in my eyes, a cripple is not one of them!"

    Once more, Eric nodded and held up his lone hand, "Understood, Hinata-Chan." A glance to his side showed him that Sora seemed more amused than anything else, which made him internally sigh a little, 'Because of course she is...'

    Granted, he was pretty amused himself at Hinata, though he didn't show it.

    Taking a deep breath, the Jorogumo nodded, "R-right, do you want a table or a booth?"

    For a few moments, Sora considered the question before smiling, "How about a booth? That way we can sit beside one another or across with some privacy?"

    Considering that, Hinata smiled a little before nodding, "I think that I know one that you might enjoy." They followed the spider Yokai to one of the booths, which she gestured at, "Here we go."

    Just humming thoughtfully, the Kitsune considered the booth, which was more a "U" shape than the normal one where you would have just seats on two sides of the table. With a small nod, Sora grinned a little as her tails swished in the air behind her, "This is perfect." Still grinning, she turned to Hinata before bowing a little, "Would it be okay to order?"

    Lightly chuckling, Hinata nodded at that, "Of course." From seemingly nowhere, she brought out a paper pad and a pen which she clicked, "What would you like?"

    Glancing at each other with an amused look, the couple shook their heads before Eric spoke up, "Two ginger ale floats, please."

    Beside him, Sora raised two fingers, "And two parfaits, one Yamato sized and the other what you might feel like, Hinata-Chan."

    Upon hearing that, the other shipgirl nearly dropped her items, "F-for me? But..."

    However, before she could finish, a fluffy tail pressed itself against her lips and Sora smiled at her, "You're a friend and I do have the money for it. So I'm going to treat you a little." Tilting her head as she pulled back the tail, she giggled a little, "And also get yourself something to drink as well."

    Clutching her notepad to herself, Hinata flushed some, but still smiled happily, "Hai, just give me a few minutes to make everything."

    With that, she turned around and walked away somewhat happily. Beside Eric, Sora noted where his eyes were and smirked a bit as she followed the gaze. Mainly because, from behind Hinata and the apron that covered her front, it was obvious that her jeans hugged her long legs and behind. Unlike most girls, who would have been angry or jealous, Sora instead was amused.

    After all, with everything that the two of them went through, she was comfortable with their relationship and knew that her boyfriend would never leave her for another woman.

    Smirk on her face, Sora hummed a little, 'Of course...' Leaning towards Eric, her smirk grew, "She's got an amazing pair of legs and one hell of an ass, doesn't she, Eric-Kun? I bet you, one could bounce a coin off that ass and get change back."

    Flushed at being caught, Eric turned to her and sighed at the fact that his girlfriend was more amused than anything else, especially with the teasing tone she took. Then, he smirked a little himself, "Like you weren't looking?"

    Eyes lighting up, the Kyuubi Battleship gave him a grin that showed off her fangs, "Of course! How else would I know what that ass looked like?" She then gave a shrug, though she snickered as his flush deepened, "Though I can't really blame you for looking, Jorogumo are like that~"

    Only sighing, Eric shook his head before turning and kissing Sora, the Kyuubi's tails slowing and stilling for a moment before swishing around rapidly as the kiss deepened. Pulling back, he smiled back at her, "I love you, Sora-Chan."

    Staring at him for a few moments, Sora gave a whine, "No fair, Eric-Kun. Pulling that on me here when there's no real privacy..."

    Moments later, she yelped a little while her boyfriend's smile became a grin, "All's fair when dealing with Kitsune, Sora-Chan~" Removing his hand from her ass, he walked over to the booth and began to slide his way around, grin still on his face at the flustered look on Sora's face, "You're adorable when you have that expression."

    Cheeks puffed out and deeply flushed with both embarrassment and anger, Sora gave him a glare. It was ruined, however, by the amused twinkle in his eye, "Just you wait until we get home."

    Now at the middle of the booth, Eric placed his elbow on the table and leaned his chin against his hand, "And that I'll be waiting for."

    That got him another huff from his girlfriend, but she then entered the booth and scooted along one side. Hinata, meanwhile, had to bite back a giggle as she watched the antics of the two where she worked to make their orders. While she was too far away to quite hear what they were talking about, the actions that they took was enough to amuse her. It was obvious to her eyes just how much the two loved each other, and it was a deep love to be sure.

    Granted, seeing it made her sigh a little as well. As a Jorogumo, she knew that there would be issues with finding a significant other. It didn't help that, after growing up with her parents' tale of how they had met, she was something of a romantic. She wanted someone who, like her father had done for her mother, would love her for whom she was. Someone who would not care that she was a Jorogumo, a creature considered a monster even among Yokai for what ones in the past had done.

    Inside her head, Hinata acknowledged that she wanted someone like Eric, who had been kind to her.

    Sighing a little, the Jorogumo blinked away a bit of wetness from her eyes before shaking her head. After all, she acknowledged that he was in love and together with Sora, and she would never interfere with that. They were her close and dear friends, and as a Jorogumo such people should be held precious as they accepted her for who she was. A fact that made her smile happily even now, despite the slight ache she felt.

    From deep inside her subconscious, a thought floated up that reminded her of something that she heard and seen regarding shipgirls. That sometimes, they gathered into "Fleets" or "Flotillas". And Hinata had seen such while working under her new sister. From that black haired boy named Harry coming in with various shipgirls, to Fubuki-San and her group. Or that one Kitsune, Taichi, who had Akagi and Kaga dating him.

    And it was not like such a relationship was odd for a Jorogumo. Their instincts simply didn't quite run the same way as with other females. From talks with her mother, Hinata knew that groups of Jorogumo sharing a mate was not exactly unknown, though in the past that still lead to said mate being devoured after serving their "Use". Unless, that was, said mate was either a Tsuchigumo or a very powerful Oni, and even then they walked a tightrope. So it was not like the idea bothered her too much when she thought about it, and Sora was very beautiful and becoming more so as she got healthier.

    Giving a sad sigh, Hinata shook her head free of such thoughts while on her face was a smile that was bittersweet.

    What were the chances of such happening? Very low, and besides, she didn't want to harm the friendships that she already had. Not when such things were rare and precious indeed after all. Finishing the parfaits and the drinks, Hinata hummed a little to herself as she brought them over to the table, "Okay, food is done and ready!"

    Sora looked over and her eyes lit up at seeing the massive parfaits before licking her lips, "And it looks delicious, Hinata-Chan."

    Just giggling a little, Hinata gave her a wink, "Why wouldn't it? I couldn't do any less for my friends after all." Taking a seat, she sighed a little as she shifted as it was rather comfortable. And she had left some of her fairies out to watch the door so that if someone came in, she could get up to meet them. But that meant that she could relax a little with her friends now, 'Ah... now this is nice.' Feeling a tap on the shoulder, Hinata looked up to find an amused Sora looking at her, "Hmm?"

    Lips twitching, the Kitsune gestured to a spot close to, but not touching, Eric, "You can move a bit closer, you know."

    Cheeks flushing a little, Hinata looked away, "I... couldn't. I mean, the two of you are on a date after all. And while I don't mind taking some time to chat..."

    Once more, Sora tapped her but this time on the forehead with the Kyuubi raising an eyebrow, "It's fine, Hinata-Chan." Shifting closer to Eric, she wrapped some of her tails around his midsection to the amusement of the other two, "I don't mind at all."

    Despite still being somewhat unsure, the Jorogumo shifted until she was in the spot indicated, something that made Sora smile at her, "Um..."

    Smile on her lips, the Kitsune looked at her, "Better?" At the slight nod, she hummed, "Good, must feel nice to relax after working all day."

    With a small sigh, Hinata slouched some, "Oh, you got no idea, trust me. Most of the day has been me walking around, standing as I cook or make something, or cleaning." At the frown she got from Eric, she shook her head, "It's fine, Eric-Kun. I'm used to it since both my Otou-San and Okaa-San do the same at our family restaurant. When I was younger, I used to help out some, but it doesn't bother me much."

    Humming, Eric gave her a small nod, "That does make sense. Mom is pretty much the same since she's a teacher, though she probably has more of a chance to sit down at times." When she nodded, he took a sip of his float and smiled, "Speaking of... how have you been settling in recently? With everything that has been going on?"

    More than a little interested herself, Sora nodded, "I've been wondering myself. We haven't talked about that after all."

    It seemed that was the right thing to ask as the Food Ship happily smiled and clasped her hands, "Actually? It's been going very well, Eric-Kun, Sora-Chan." A soft, pleased sigh escaped from her lips, "I mean, like I said, I'm used to working in a restaurant, so working under Mamiya-Onee-San is fine..." Trailing off, Hinata had a thoughtful look on her face before shaking her head, "And I am still getting used to that."

    Taking a bite of her parfait, and almost purring in satisfaction, Sora cocked her head to the side a little, "At having an Onee-San?"

    At that, Hinata's smile widened a touch, "Among other things, I mean... never did I imagine that I might have one." Her smile then softened a little, "Or that I would be an Onee-San myself. That... that was nice to come back home to."

    Just nodding, Eric grinned, "I can imagine, I mean... being an older sibling is pretty nice."

    Snorting a little, the Kitsune stage whispered to the Jorogumo with a grin on her face, "He says that with such a straight face. Especially when we know that he spoils the Midget Submarines rotton every chance he gets. Honestly, he can't say no to them."

    Eric flushed a little at that, even as Hinata giggled some in reply, before he snorted himself, "Can't help myself that I adore my Imoutos. Though..." He frowned a little before smiling, "I'll be an Onii-San again soon." At seeing the curiosity on Hinata's face, the young man shook his head, "Mom's pregnant again, she's about two months along."

    Her eyes widening, Hinata gasped happily, "Oh, congratulations! And please, pass that along to Ellen-San from me." Getting a nod, she considered things before shaking her head, 'Maybe I should make a onesie for them using silk...'

    Both Eric and Sora shared a look at that before reaching over and clasping Hinata's hands in hers, "We most certainly will, Hinata-Chan." Pulling back once she got a nod, she took another bite of parfait before she grinned, "Though I am pretty happy being an Onee-Chan myself. My Otouto is just plain adorable!"

    Wagging a finger playfully at her, the Jorogumo winked, "Not as much as my own, sadly."

    All three paused for a moment before laughing, Eric shaking his head, "Maybe we should agree to disagree then." Taking a spoonfull of parfait, he ate it before sighing some once he swallowed, "Man, you did great."

    Expression brightening, Hinata smiled at him as she took a spoonful of her own, "Thank you, Eric-Kun. I'm glad that you enjoy them."

    More than a little amused, Sora smiled at the two before sipping her drink. With a sigh, she leaned back a little and considered Hinata, "I noticed that you're not wearing your uniform today. You look pretty good in those clothes after all."

    Cheeks once more flushing, especially as Eric agreed, Hinata played a little with the hem of her shirt, "Thank you both." She then met their eyes with a smile on her face, "I decided to not wear my uniform because, well... I wore it for nearly a decade after all." Wrinkling her nose, the Jorogumo grimaced, "I sort of like taking a break from it."

    That got her a snort of agreement as the Kitsune held up her glass, "As Ellen-Oba would say, preach it sister. Do I ever love the fact that I don't need to wear my shipgirl uniform all the time."

    Unable to help herself, Hinata giggled as she clinked her glass against Sora's, "Agreed. That whole time, i couldn't really wear my crew's uniforms because, well..." She gestured at her chest, which was roughly the same size as Mamiya's and showed her "Oiler" heritage, "They didn't really fit if you catch my drift."

    Patting her own chest, Sora sighed and shook her head, "Trust me, I know your pain."

    Meanwhile, Eric just sat there looking at the ceiling with a slight flush to his cheeks as he tried not to pay too much attention to how his girlfriend and another friend, who was also a hot young woman, discussed how hard it was to find clothes that fit.

    Eventually, however, the Kyuubi shook her head a little with a smile, "Well, at least we can find ones that look good on us." Her smile then turned into a salicious grin as she looked at Eric as he took a drink, "Especially as Eric-Kun tells me regarding some articles of clothing~"

    Needless to say, those words and tone made Eric start coughing some, "Oh goddammit, Sora-Chan!"

    While she was unable to help herself from laughing, Hinata still pulled out a napkin and wiped at his mouth and shirt some, "Here, let me." She then gave Sora a grin, "That was mean."

    For her part, Sora shrugged with a grin still on her face, "Can't help myself sometimes, I am a Kitsune after all~" She then gave her boyfriend a knowing look, "And I don't think that Eric-Kun was minding our conversation too much."

    Right then, the Jorogumo paused and flushed as she realized the sort of conversation she had been having, "Um, sorry about that, Eric-Kun..."

    However, he just gave his girlfriend a look before reaching over and grasping her hand with his lone one, "It's fine, Hinata-Chan. We were just chatting, so there's no problem." Letting go of her hand, Eric smiled a bit, "Besides, it got started off with something that is true... you really do rock those jeans and blouse."

    Taking another bite of parfait, Sora hummed, "I've got to ask if those are being worn or if you painted them on."

    Lightly laughing, though with her cheeks still stained with a blush, Hinata shook her head, "I put them on, not painted. Honest." She then hummed happily, "I'm just glad that you seem to like them."

    At that, the couple grinned and laughed some as they told her that they really did.

    From there, their chat continued as the three caught up on various things that had happened, even as evening deepened outside. Eric sent a text to his mother to let her know what was happening and that he would be home later. Meanwhile, once the Café reached closing time, Hinata got up, walked to the door, and locked it as she switched the sign from open to closed. With that done, she returned to Eric and Sora for their talk, all three enjoying it.

    Unknown to her, Mamiya arrived a half hour later and stood outside the door listening. Inside, one of Mamiya's fairies returned to her and she smiled a bit with a happy nod, 'She's done a good job.' With that, she began to walk away, 'I'll let her have her fun as long as she cleans up, she's been working hard lately so she deserves some time with her friends.'

    Evening had become night before Hinata got up and did the final cleaning as the other two watched and continued their chat. Once that was done, the three walked out the door with the Jorogumo locking up before they began walking. Hinata continued on after they reached where the bus for the base stopped and waited there with them.

    Once the bus did arrive, the three exchanged hugs and she waved them off as the bus left before softly sighing as she made her way towards the dorm where she would stay the night. Quietly, she entered the apartment that Mamiya shared with her at times and walked into her room where there was some webbing that, after she transformed, she got up onto and wiggled into place.

    Despite the darkness of the room, the Yokai shipgirl could see things easily. But she ignored that as she stared off into distance. Within her hull, she sat in the Captain's room with a small, thoughtful smile on her face. After all, she had greatly enjoyed the evening with both Sora and Eric, and was happy about it. Even now, she felt... lighter, having spent the evening with two of those she cared for and whom accepted her, eight legs and all.

    Her smile became a thoughtful frown, however, as she considered things before nodding as she mused over an idea that she had.

    One of the things that she had learned was that shipgirls could summon their hulls. But, they needed to have either been afloat for some time or, from some accounts, have been a shipgirl for a long while. Something that counted in both cases for Hinata as she had been commissioned as a ship from 1925 to 1943, nearly twenty years. And had also been a shipgirl since the opening shots of the war, which added about another decade to that count. So, in her thoughts, she should be able to summon her hull.

    As well, she had talked with not just Mamiya, but other shipgirls about something that she had thought about. They confirmed to her that, yes, fairies could be exchanged among shipgirls. Shinano, for example, talking about how some of White Plains' own crew had joined hers to train them. Another example was how Kongou and her sisters had transferred over some of their older crew to their newest half-sister, Myōgi, to help her out and to be part of her own.

    Both facts she slowly turned over in her head as she thought about them. Then, slowly, she came to a decision. For a while now, she had decided that she would summon her own hull and have her parents and non-shipgirl siblings sign her crew manifest. That way, no matter what, they would be with her. But tonight, she came to another decision as well.

    Upon summoning her own hull, she would approach Sora. Then, she would offer to have Eric sign her crew manifest. That way if something, whoever might be listening forbid, happened to him before Sora could manifest her own hull? He would appear on Hinata as a fairy afterwards. Then, she would be able to transfer him over to Sora to be part of her crew...

    No matter how much the thought hurt.

    With a deep breath, Hinata nodded to herself with a small sad smile at that thought. But there was some happiness to, because that meant that her friends would continue to be together from now on. And she was happy and content with that fact. Coming back to reality from her inner hull, the Jorogumo pulled out a framed picture taken the day after being rescued from inside her hull. In it, was all of them. Herself, Sora, Eric, Samantha, the Midget Submarines, and Yumiko. All of them smiling in the picture with her just behind Eric and beside Sora, his sister in front. Each of them in their demi-human state. Softly smiling, she nodded at the picture and held it close, 'My friends... thank you.'

    Placing the picture onto the side table beside her hammock style web, Hinata blinked away some wetness before settling in and closing her eyes before going to sleep. After all, she had an early day tomorrow at the Café before she could head home. Drifting off to the world of dreams, her lips curled into more of a happy smile as she dreamed of sailing on the open, sunlet seas alongside Sora and the others, Eric sometimes on her hull and other times on Sora's as they cruised along.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [setgirl] Museum Musing (maybe canon, possible Time wobbly)
  • Threadmarks
    • KiMaSa

    Museum Musing

    Smithsonian Museum


    'Working on a personal project', that was sufficient for the rest of the faculty. It wasn't like anyone thought he might have any hobbies of his own, after all. But no one inquired beyond that. As he stood in front of the display case, he noticed a pair of individuals eyeing him carefully.

    "Shall we go talk in private?" He asked calmly.

    One of the men gestured to the magical wing of the museum. "After you."

    "Most kind." As they stepped into the flying carpet exhibit, they could now speak more freely.

    "You're not another one of those freaks, are you?"

    "Freaks?"

    "Trekkies."

    ... "My interest is merely scholastic. Just exactly who were they and what were they attempting to do?"

    "Not 'attempting'... 'did' The weirdos said something about 'Praising the Great Bird of the Galaxy' and they freaking summoned a ship that wasn't even real! Bad enough all those real shipgirls running around, flaunting the Statute but these nuts had to summon a fake one! Somehow!"

    "I suppose it has been safely locked away?" If so, I'll have to see what word I can drop in someone's ear.

    "Hardly!" One of them snorted in disdain at the decision from higher up. "They turned it over to the No-Maj Navy. Completely crazy!"

    "Indeed. One certainly wonders what they could possibly do with such a thing."

    "I have no idea."

    "I see. Thank you for your time then. "

    "Of course."

    Returning back into the main museum, he stopped once more in front of the model. She really does look magnificent. He smiled slightly at precious memories. He had some idea as to figure out the rest of the story, he thought as he strolled out to head back home.
    Spoiler

    SmithsonianChannel_StarshipEnterprise.jpg
     
  • Threadmarks
    • CarDiv1 strikes, wins Fluffy tail
  • Threadmarks
    • Harry Leferts

    Stars twinkling high above as they walked, Taichi stretched a little with a hum, "Ah... nothing like a day at the beach."

    Beside him, Kaga had a smug smile on her face as she nodded in full agreement, "Hai, that is true enough, Taichi-Kun. It was very enjoyable."

    Akagi, meanwhile, had a mischivious grin on her face, "Especially since we got to see you in swim trunks, Taichi-Kun~"

    Eyebrow raised, the other Carrier hummed, "Though, I suppose that one could argue that fact, Akagi-Chan." At the look she got from her long term companion, Kaga chuckled, "After all, he did see us in our bikinis."

    That made Akagi nod a little with a smile on her own face, "That is very true, Kaga-Chan." Turning, she raised an eyebrow at Taichi who had turned slightly red, "Well? What did you think of us in our bikinis, Taichi-Kun?"

    Clearing his throat, he gave her a look which made her flush a little herself, "Is that some sort of trick question, Akagi-Chan?"

    Highly amused at how it had been turned around onto her friend, Kaga nodded, "Perhaps in this case it really is."

    Moments later, the other Carrier poked her cheek with a grin on her face, "Don't be teasing me like that, Kaga-Chan." Getting her finger pushed away, she chuckled before turning to Taichi, her grin softening to a smile, "I'll admit that I really enjoyed today, Taichi-Kun."

    Raising a finger, Kaga smirked, "And not just because of the amount of free food either." Ducking under the half-hearted swipe at her head, she smugged a bit, "But it was rather nice."

    Just nodding, Taichi reached over and took their hands in his, "It really was."

    Both shipgirls smiled a little at that and entwined their fingers with his as they walked along on their stroll.

    While they walked, Taichi considered what they had said before nodding, "Maybe we should do it again? But just the three of us. I know a few isolated cold water springs up in the mountains that would be private. And we could always bring a grill with us."

    Licking her lips, and not just because of the idea of food, Akagi gave a hum, "I think that I would like that. What about you, Kaga-Chan? Sound good?"

    Only nodding, Kaga chuckled a little, "I agree, that does sound good, Akagi-Chan. Just the three of us enjoying some private time in the mountains."

    Slight grin on his face, the Kitsune didn't even bother to stop his tail as it swished from side to side, "Well, just let me know when you're available for a day or two and I'll see if I can set something up for us. Pretty sure that, if you want, I can get Haha-ue and Chichi-ue to give me a magical tent with multiple rooms."

    Leaning in, Kaga's warm breath brushed against one ear as she lowered her voice some, "Oh, trust me, Taichi-Kun, you won't need a tent with multiple rooms..."

    Needless to say, that made Taichi flush some at what she was hinting at. Well, that was before they actually reached the dorm where Akagi and Kaga lived with their sisters outside of Kana. Coming to a stop, the Kitsune sighed a bit before running a hand through his hair, "Well, I guess that I'll say good night now."

    As he leaned in, however, Akagi's finger against his lips stopped him. He blinked though as she glanced at Kaga and then chuckled, "What do you mean by that, Taichi-Kun?"

    Blinking a little, the lone male of the three frowned, "Um, because you're home? So now I'm supposed to head home myself?"

    Moments later, any confusion, or any other thought, fled from his head as he felt Kaga press her body up against his with Akagi doing the same on the other side. Smug smirk on her face, the blue clad Carrier chuckled, "Well, that is where you are wrong, Taichi-Kun. After all, Onee-Sama and the others are out for at least another day or two on patrol. Which means that Akagi-Chan and I have the apartment all to ourselves for that amount of time."

    On the opposite side, Akagi gave a giggle, "Won't you come in and give us some company?"

    For several seconds, Taichi was silent as what both girls said filtered through his mind. Much to their amusement, his tail stiffened and puffed out, while both ears shot straight up, "W-well, sure, if that is what you want."

    It without saying that both Carriers smugly smiled at that while hooking their arms with his.

    Several minutes past found them entering the apartment where Kaga and Akagi lived with their sisters. Opening the door, they were greeted with a warble and Kaga walked over to a pen that was in one corner of the room, "Hello, Zui. Have you had a good day?"

    The turkey inside said pen looked up at her owner and gave another warble which made the Carrier laugh a bit as she stroked the avian's head gently. Watching with a smile, Akagi nodded some and walked over to the nearby cupboard, "I'll go and get Zui some food, okay, Kaga-Chan?"

    Looking over her shoulder, Kaga smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Akagi-Chan, I appreciate it." A few moments later, her friend walked over with a bowl filled with turkey feed, which the Carrier placed in front of the turkey even as some fairies filled up a water bowl. Nearly immediately, Zui began to chow down a bit on said food, which made Kaga laugh, "Just like your namesake."

    At that moment, in Kure, Zuikaku woke up in bed and frowned at the ceiling with her eyes narrowed, "Why do I feel the need to punch the smug out of Kaga?"

    Back in Yokosuka, Taichi gently stroked Zui's head with the turkey warbling in happiness, which made him chuckle, "At least you don't seem to mind me, Zui-Chan. Something that I am thankful for."

    His eyes met those of the turkey and he swore there was far more intelligence that was there than should be. Ever since meeting Kaga's pet, part of him wondered if it was a Yokai of some sort. And only part because, despite everything, he had never heard of a turkey Yokai. Still... he had to wonder at times...

    Taichi was brought out of his thoughts, however, as Akagi called out his name and he looked away even as Zui nibbled on his fingers. The Converted Battlecruiser patted the couch between her and Kaga with a slight smile, "While Zui is a beautiful bird, there's two right here waiting for you..."

    Lightly chuckling, the Kitsune gave Zui one last pat on the head before walking over and sitting down, "Sorry about that, Akagi-Chan."

    Beside him, Kaga only gave him a shake of her head, "Don't be, the fact that Zui likes you says quite a bit." Once he sat down, she sided up until her body was pressed against his, "Of course, if you want to make it up..."

    Gulping a bit, Taichi looked from Kaga to Akagi, who was similarly pressed up against him, 'Why do I feel like I'm caught between two sharks...?'

    Shortly after, he wasn't thinking much as the two Carriers took turns kissing him. And the kissing soon turned into a full blown make out session with their hands up his shirt, nails lightly scratching at his chest. His own hands were not any less busy as they brushed against expanses of smooth skin under the clothes of the two shipgirls.

    Pulling away breathless from Kaga's lips, Taichi sucked in oxygen as he blinked, "Okay... whoa..."

    A very smug look on her face, Kaga kissed his neck some, "Mmm... very whoa, I believe."

    On the other side of him, Akagi chuckled a bit as she took the top of his ear between her teeth and gave it a nibble. Something that made him groan a bit to her amusement. Pulling back, she stood up and then easily hauled him to his feet as he swayed, "I think, Kaga-Chan, that we should continue this in the bedroom, hmm?"

    Lips curled into a smirk, the other Carrier chuckled some herself, "Indeed, that might be for the best." With a glance towards Zui, who had settled in for the night, Kaga helped Akagi guide their boyfriend to their bedroom. Once he was down on the futon and blinking, she lifted her shirt off and smirked even more as he gulped, "I know that you have already seen us in our bikinis..."

    Doing the same, Akagi placed her hands on her hips with a grin, "But would you like... more?" At his nod, she got onto all fours and crawled up to him alongside Kaga, "Now... is the time for CarDiv1 to strike, and to strike hard..."

    Suddenly, she let out a eep as she felt one of his hands grasp her and she blinked at his smirk, "Or perhaps, it is time for this Kitsune to show off some trickery? Hmm?" All that got him was the two members of CarDiv1 sharing a look before turning to him with hungry eyes, 'Maybe challenging them was not the best idea...'

    Moments later, the two Carriers grinned and pounced.

    ________________________________________________________________

    Outside, the birds sang the morning chorus and, slowly, Taichi's eyes fluttered open some. Blinking away the sleep in his eyes, he went to move a bit and got a grumble. Eyes widening, he looked to the side to see Kaga there softly slumbering as she held said arm to her bare chest. Stunned, Taichi looked to his other side and noticed that Akagi was also there, and in a similar state to Kaga.

    Laying back down onto the pillow, the Kitsune blinked a bit as he was completely stunned. After a few moments, however, he grinned a little, "Wow..." He thought over what happened last night and wondered, for a second or two, if it had been a dream. But the fact that he could feel an ache along with the tiredness in his body made sure that he knew that it had been real, 'That was... wow.'

    Just shaking his head, he looked at the two women beside him and smiled a bit as he felt his heart warm some at the sight of them calmly sleeping. Both Carriers had a small, soft smile on their faces, completely at peace. For what seemed like hours, but was really just minutes, Taichi looked back and forth with a small smile.

    Gently, the Kitsune removed his arms from their grasps before transforming into his fox form, which allowed for him to slip out of the covers without awakening them. With that done, he looked around before blinking as he spotted his swim trunks, 'How the fuck did they get onto the curtain rod?'

    Deciding it was best not to question that, or how Akagi's bikini top was right beside it, he grabbed it before throwing it on. However, he did pause in front of the full length mirror though. Mainly because all over his neck, shoulders, and chest there were red marks. And when he turned, he could only see a number of scratches as well, which made him grin some, 'Yeah, it happened. Fuck yes.'

    Then, quietly, he opened the door before heading into the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye, Taichi could see Zui watching him in interest. But before it could make a sound, he brought a finger to his lips sand gently shushed the turkey.

    When Zui tilted her head, he smiled a little before whispering, "I'm just going to be making some breakfast for Akagi-Chan and Kaga-Chan. Please don't wake them yet."

    Somehow, he was not surprised when the turkey bobbed it's head and went to lay down in her nest, falling back asleep.

    Bemused, he could only shake his head as he slowly pulled out ingredients for breakfast as he hummed a little. After all, despite the tiredness in his lower body and the small aches, he felt rather good. With a quick illusion to hide the smell of food from the two sleeping shipgirls, Taichi turned on the stove and began to cook as he softly sang one of the "Softer" songs that his band was known for.

    Another bit of magic kept the food that he was making nice and warm as he went about it. Piles of eggs alongside bacon and towers of toast were joined by small bowls of miso soup. Then, rubbing his hands together, Taichi cracked his knuckles before taking out jam and the like, "Now, for the next part."

    Not long after, Akagi's nose twitched as delicious smells met it, as did Kaga's. Muttering to herself, the converted Battlecruiser reached out and patted the futon, only for her hand to meet empty space. For several seconds, she patted around, and could feel Kaga doing the same before she opened her eyes to find Taichi gone from where he was, which made her frown, "Taichi-Kun?"

    Right then, a chuckle could be heard which made her and Kaga turn to find Taichi there with trays that had breakfast on them. The Kitsune's tail swished in the air behind him as he grinned some, "Good morning, Akagi-Chan, Kaga-Chan. I have breakfast for you."

    Sitting up, and already drooling a bit, Akagi didn't pay any attention as the blankets fell away and revealed her in all her glory, "Good morning, Angel..."

    Rather amused, the Kitsune cocked one eyebrow as he looked at her, though he did flush a little at seeing the peaks of Mount Akagi revealed, "Isn't that my line?"

    Her own eyebrow raised, Kaga smirked some as she also sat up, "Perhaps, but I think that it works for someone who gave us a good time last night and then brought us breakfast in bed." Stretching with her arms above her head, she hummed happily as she thrust out her chest and was rather pleased as her boyfriend's eyes followed. Then, she gave him a happy smile, "So, thank you, Taichi-Kun."

    Lightly chuckling as he scratched at his cheek, he gave her a small grin, "You're very welcome, Kaga-Chan. And the same with you, Akagi-Chan." He placed the trays in the laps of his two girlfriends, and was about to stand up when they grabbed him. Gently, as to both not hurt him or disturb their breakfast, they got him to sit between them as they leaned their bodies against his. Sighing a bit, he didn't complain, nor did they, as he placed his arms around their waists, "Guess that I am not getting away."

    A smug smirk on her face, Akagi shook her head, "No, because we're not about to let you." Kissing his cheek, she turned to her food and looked it over with a hungry eye... and sometimes the Kitsune beside her with a look just as hungry as she had for her food. About to take some eggs, she paused a little as she noticed something, "Dorayaki?"

    With a nod, Taichi gestured at it, "Not quite... but go ahead and try some."

    Intrigued, Kaga took one and then bit into it before her eyes widened a little in surprise, "Strawberry jam?"

    Now interested, the other shipgirl bit into one before happily humming, "Blackberry jam... Mmm..."

    When they looked at him, Taichi gave a small shrug, "Decided a while back to experiment with dorayaki using different fillings." Rubbing the back of his neck, he chuckled some, "Glad to hear that you like them."

    Moments later, both Carriers showed him that fact as they kissed him deeply before going back to their food.

    Taichi was more than a little amused at how both Carriers practically devoured their breakfasts with happy smiles on their faces. Of course, once they were done, they placed their trays aside and turned to him, "Hmm?"

    Eyes hooded, Kaga smirked a bit, "Now then, since you gave us breakfast... how about we thank you for it..."

    Beside her, Akagi grinned and nodded with a giggle as they pushed the Kitsune down onto the futon again, "Time to have fun with fluffy tail~"
     
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    • Tournament organizers get a visit from the Good Ideas Fairy
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    • Harry Leferts

    It was a tired and exhausted Dumbledore who walked through the halls of the school. Rubbing at his face, he softly groaned a little even as he leaned back and some bones popped in his back, "As wise men have stated... I am getting far too old for this shit."

    With another sigh, he rubbed along the bridge of his nose with a small frown as his fingertips traced where it had been broken. Even though the memory of how it was broken was painful, even now, it did bring a smile to his face. Mainly due to how his sister's fairy had reacted when she had found out how it happened. Upon seeing it, she had touched it with her tiny hands and frowned as she asked how it had happened. Which lead to a very sheepish Aberforth to admit to it.

    Even now, the image of the tiny form of his sister jumping and gesturing with one hand at his brother as she ranted at him, Aberforth cringing the whole time, still brought a smile to Albus' face.

    Shaking his head a little, Dumbledore looked around him as it was late into the evening at Hogwarts. Right then, he felt every bit of his long years he had been alive for. Yet again, after the hours he had just spent, he wondered why he was still Headmaster. But looking around the school, and remembering the children, he smiled slightly and nodded. For as long as they came, and he was able, he would do it for them.

    For them, and not the adult children that caused him issues. There were times he wanted to be old fashioned with that bunch and pull out an enchanted paddle! Some of them were the most frustrating people he had ever had the misfortune to come across. Honestly...

    Under his breath, Dumbledore muttered a little as he shook his head at the memory, "... Scum sucking, cattle fucking, bel-shangle..."

    However, thankfully, he reached his destination and opened the door to find Minerva sitting there at the table along with Hagrid (who, he noted, was looking rather tanned... Australia seemed to agree with him), Severus, Flitwick, Spout, and Pomfrey. Upon seeing the exhausted state of the Headmaster, McGonagall came over and gently guided him to a chair, "Come have a seat, Albus. You look utterly spent!"

    As soon as he sat down, the elderly wizard let out a sigh of relief, "Ah, thank you, Minerva. If it would not be too much trouble to have a hot toddy?" Moments later, a tea cup with said drink appeared before him and he took a sip, "Lovely... just what I needed."

    Frown on his face, Snape shared a look with the others before furrowing his eyebrows, "Did something happen, Headmaster?"

    Taking another sip of his drink, Albus looked over his spectacles and sighed as he shook his head, "Nothing unless you count the usual politics, Severus. It is, much as usual, bothersome."

    Eyebrows furrowing, Sprout frowned some, "Do you mean what is happening in Ireland, Albus? I've heard that there's been problems there, so I expect the Ministry to bother you over it."

    Grimace on his face, the Headmaster felt a small headache come on, "Fortunately, not at the moment. Though the closer we get to the World Cup, the worse I believe that it shall be. I do have hopes that Amelia will catch the troublemakers responsible for the recent attacks on Irish magical leaders. Them performing sit-ins within the Ministry lobby and protests outside is no reason to attack them and burn down homes. We are just lucky that no one had been killed as of yet, though I worry that is to come."

    Lips pressing thinly, Minerva shook her head, "Honestly, some people out there..." Pressing a finger to the side of her head, she rubbed it in circles, "The Irish are keeping it peaceful for God's sake! Why would someone stir them up with violence now!?"

    Only shaking his head, Dumbledore scowled, "Why indeed... Though I am thankful that Eoin Cleary is keeping them peaceful. Granted, the man is smarter than most and can already read the writing on the wall. Once the Statute falls, most of Magical Ireland will be free of British control. All he needs to do is keep the hotheads under control until then..." Frowning, he became thoughtful, "Though, from what conversations I've had with him, he may well already be setting up a Ministry of Magic in Ireland... but nothing concrete."

    Confused a little, Hagrid looked around some, "Well, 'Eadmaster... what seems to be th' problem?"

    Another sigh escaped from Albus as he shook his head, "As I said, politics, Hagrid. Though more of the international kind." Leaning back, he drained nearly the full cup of toddy and placed it aside while wide eyes watched, "In particular regarding the Tri-Wizard Tournament that will be held this year at Hogwarts."

    That made the school nurse shake her head some as she pressed her lips thinly in a scowl, "Honestly, Albus, I do not know what you and the others are thinking of bringing that... that... that disaster back!" She wagged a finger at him, "It was stopped for a very good reason after all! Too many died for that damn cup! Too many!"

    It being an old argument, Albus just rubbed the side of his head, "And frankly, Poppy, I agree with you on that point. I don't want it to return. But Cornelius has it in his mind ever since the disaster that was the Chamber opening, as well as last year's incidents regarding the Dementors as well as Sirius Black, that he needs something big to show off to the world. To show off Hogwarts as the best."

    His tone utterly dry, though filled with disgust, Snape sneered a bit, "So, of course, he chose the absolute worst possible event and then dug in his heels." Pausing for a moment, he shook his head, "I suspect Umbridge has a hand in this."

    Mutters erupted around the table at that as most there had the "Pleasure" of at some time or another meeting the Undersecretary and all of them could see her promoting it as a good idea.

    Sprout gave a small sniff at that, "I still say that the Quidditch Cup should be good enough, Albus! Or an Inter-School Dueling Competition or a Quidditch match between the schools! No need for all this... danger and such to our students just so that we could whip them out and measure!"

    Due to having been drinking some tea, Flitwick snorted it though his nose and started coughing. Holding up his hands to the apologies from the Head of Hufflepuff, he waved his wand a little and vanished it, including what was still in his nose, with a show of skill. Placing his cup to the side, he gave his fellow Head of House an amused look, "While I might not agree with the language my collague used, I do agree with the spirit, Albus. There are other ways of showing off our school compared to the others."

    Once more, Dumbledore nodded a little, "And as I said, I agree. But you all know Cornelius when he gets one of his... bright... ideas to make himself look good to the public. It does not help that the ICW is also pushing for it as both a number of countries whose heads are Drumstrang allumni and the ones who came from Beauxbatons wish for their former schools to show us up." Then he shook his head a little, "Unfortunately, most of what is being prepared has been decided. Hogwarts and Britain are in charge of the First Task, Drumstrang has chosen the Second, and the Third has been chosen by Beauxbatons."

    Grimacing, the Transfiguration Mistress groaned some, "Let me guess... the First Task will be something completely and utterly dangerous."

    Eyebrows raising, Albus gave her a look, "Why, Minerva, I did not know that you could perform Legilimancy." If possible, the sheer amount of venom in her glare could have struck him dead. As it was, he swore that he could feel the ends of his hair smoking, "But yes, you would be quite right."

    Just taking a deep breath, Minerva let it out as she pinched her nose, "How bad...?" When she did not get an answer, she gave him a glare as he seemed to shift a bit like a schoolboy caught doing something bad, "... Albus Percival Brian Wulfric Dumbledore! WHAT DID THEY DECIDE TO DO!?"

    Wincing, Dumbledore wouldn't look at her, "You do realize that being older rather harms the effectiveness of using my full name, right?"

    As her glare intensified, he winced and muttered a bit. Most of the teachers were puzzled, but Minerva twitched while Flitwick looked at him as if he was insane. Wiggling a finger in his ear, the Ravenclaw Head frowned, "Albus... I must be hearing things. Did you just say... dragons?"

    That made Albus wince some as he tried to sink into his chair from the glares being directed at him from the females of the group, 'Deadliest members of the species indeed...' Coughing, he looked away, "Quite... nesting mothers, as a matter of fact from which the Champion shall have to get a golden egg from."

    For a beat, there was utter silence in the room as everyone took that bit of information in. Snape glanced at the female teachers who were standing up, and then at Albus, who seemed to be pleading with him. Then, slowly, the Potion Master got up out of his chair, and moved to one further away from the Headmaster. At the look of betrayal, Snape simply gestured to Minerva and the others as if to say 'I'm Slytherin, not a Gryffindor.'

    Needless to say, moments later the other males all winced as the female staff let Dumbledore have it.

    It took some time, but eventually, the witches ran out of steam. Sitting at one end of the table, Flitwick sipped his tea a little with a hum, "Twenty five minutes exactly, a new record."

    Hagrid, who was beside him, frowned as he stroked his beard a little, "Aye, tha' seems about right. Though I'm thankful that Wanko ain' been mad at me yet."

    Snape raised an eyebrow at him, "How is that going, Hagrid? She does seem smitten with you after all, and it is not easy to find women of your... size range."

    Blushing a bit, the half-giant shifted a little, "Don' know what yeh are talkin' about. Though, if I was ta be honest... things are goin' well enough!" Then he shook his head, "Still, ain' had to deal wit her like this!"

    The other two men nodded at that in agreement, while ignoring Albus glaring at them. Something that failed, at least partially due to the fact that his hair and beard looked rather windswept behind him. As if he had been sitting in a hurricane.

    With a sigh, the Headmaster turned back to the three women glaring at him before clearing his throat, "Yes, well... I do understand your concerns. Unfortunately, as much as I would rather wish otherwise, it has been decided." A somewhat sheepish look came over his face, "And... I will admit... I am partially to blame for dragons being chosen."

    Now, everyone was staring at him in complete and utter dismay and confusion. Glasses slipping down her nose, Minerva gave him a look before speaking in an utterly calm voice, "Albus... explain, right now before I decide to turn you into something even a flobberworm will pity."

    It went without saying that everyone winced at that and Dumbledore cleared his voice, "I was rather... annoyed at the meeting. And I replied to Cornelius' question of what we should do with a comment that perhaps we should do the opposite of the school motto and tickle a sleeping dragon. Because it would go as well as anything else... and then him and Crouch decided to run with it, not realizing I was being somewhat sarcastic. But then, they decided that tickling a sleeping dragon did not sound like much of a spectacle, thus..."

    He then waved his hand in the air and everyone followed the line of thought. Snape, for his part, banged his head on the table while Minerva lapsed into gaelic profanity. Some of which made even Albus raise his eyebrows due to not hearing such before. Of course, that was when Sprout turned to her old friend with a serious expression on her face, "Minnie, do you think that you could magic me up some ammunition? I feel the need to test out an old friend of mine right about now."

    Despite his instincts telling him to let it happen, Dumbledore coughed, "Now, let us not talk of murdering them." At their looks, he continued, "I would rather not deal with questions as to why said item has not been disarmed, after all, and it would cause issues with the Muggles now."

    Granted, he was not about to stick his head out that far for them, as he was rather annoyed.

    Sipping his drink, Flitwick hummed a little as he cocked an eyebrow, "So, that is one event. What are the others, Albus?"

    Just nodding, Albus placed his hands on top of each other as he took a deep breath, "The Second Task will happen in the lake, as decided by Drumstrang. As of now, they are talking about having someone rescued, though it should be safe as I shall speak with the Chieftain of the Mermen and will ask for some help to keep an eye on the Champions." Everyone nodded at that in understanding he meant Submarine girls, "The Third Task, from my understanding, shall be performed in a maze."

    Frown on his face as he thought it over, Snape nodded, "Interesting..." At the looks, he waved his hand in the air, "Drumstrang chose the lake, which in February will be extremely cold. However, there is a lake by their school from my understanding that students often swim in. Not to mention using saunas, they'll run into said lake. Thus, they would have the advantage. The maze, however, is very likely to be based on the one at Beaubaxtons, though a bit more dangerous. And thus, Beauxbatons will have the advantage there."

    Leaning back, the Headmaster nodded, "That is my thought on the matter, yes."

    A sound of rumbling made everyone blink before turning and realizing that it was Hagrid clearing his throat. Shifting around a little, the Care of Magical Creatures Professor grimaced a little, "Uh, Albus? I hate ta ask yeh, but... wha' sort of protections are yeh putting on th' Goblet? Because I don' wan' 'Arry ta be involved in this." At the looks, he flushed some, "I ain' stupid, I can see stuff. And while 'Arry don' want ta be involved, he always gets involved somehow. I just don't want it ta happen this time."

    Several seconds passed before Snape nodded and turned to Albus, "As much as I hate to admit it... Hagrid is right about how Mister Potter does get involved in such things whether he wants to or not. He is... not quite the attention seeker that I would have thought." More than one eyebrow rose at that in consideration. Then, nearly as one, they turned to Dumbledore who looked like he had bitten into an apple and found half a worm. With a sinking stomach, Snape and the others realized what that meant and groaned, the Potion Master hitting his head on the table, "Don't tell me..."

    In reply, Dumbledore looked at the tea cup and cleared his throat, "Another hot toddy, please." Moments later, it vanished and returned refilled with said drink, which he sipped, "As a matter of fact, I did bring up the fact that we should place protections to make sure only students of age could participate. Unfortunately, I could only convince them to allow an Age Line of all things. It is why I am currently drinking as I much need it after spending several hours attempting to put my head through a mountain."

    Glancing at Minerva, who seemed seconds away from going to murder someone if the cursing under her breath said anything, Sprout frowned a little, "Albus, surely you could have placed more protections onto the Goblet. You very likely know quite a few that would be suitable and harder to break than an Age Line."

    From where he sat, Flitwick nodded with a frown, "Indeed, I can count off at least seven or eight off the top of my head. An Age Line is a rather weak protection, and one that could be fooled."

    With a hum, the Headmaster pinched his nose, "How I ever wish that those children were as mature as you." Taking a deep breath, he let it out in an explosive sigh as he looked up, "It comes down, of course, to politics." More than one blinked at how venomous that last word was spoken before Dumbledore continued, "In particular, the fact that there are issues of trust regarding anything more."

    Utterly confused, Minerva looked up at that, "Trust, Albus? Whatever could you mean?"

    Expression flat, Dumbledore turned to her, "When I raised the matter of protections on the Goblet, Karkaroff brought up that he would not accept it. After all, who was to say that the protections that I might place on said Goblet would not be to the advantage of Hogwarts over the other schools? It goes without saying that Cornelius asking me right bloody there if they could do it helped." Groans and mutters of hanging certain politicians were heard, though eyebrows raised at Flitwick muttering something vile in Gobblygook, "Now, while Madam Maxime agreed with, and liked the idea of, more protections, her issue was over the problem of casting them. It could not be just myself, and any member of the British Ministry was just as problematic. Of course, that was when Karkaroff stated that if I was to cast magical protections, why, so should the other School Heads."

    Already knowing where this was going, Flitwick sighed and pinched his nose, "Which, of course, was shot down because no one would trust Karkaroff with it. Bloody bastard likely knew it too."

    Grimace on his face, Albus nodded, "Quite."

    Rubbing his face, Snape felt the urge to groan, but held it back... barely, "Honestly, Albus? I would not trust Karkaroff by turning my back if he had both arms cut off. That... Niffler... would absolutely do his best to cast protections to give his Champion every advantage possible." With a sigh, he gave the Headmaster a look already knowing the answer, "And I suppose that he also dismissed the idea of guards, such as the Hogwarts Security, because of some stupid reason as 'Intimidation' of the students from elsewhere."

    The nod was all the answer they needed which caused yet more cursing. Leaning back, Poppy had a scowl on her face, "This is going to become a disaster, mark my words, Albus. I don't need to be Trelawney to predict that much!"

    In a way, what made that worse was how no one could disagree with her on it...
     
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    • Only My Buttervioline 7[2036]
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    • Yellowhammer

    A.N. -- Ok, time to get back on this plotbunny and wrap it up. The Hopeless Belgian Dork and The Blushing Greek Subgirl compete for their loved one's bragging rights on the line.

    Only My Buttervioline (VII)

    Panathinaïkó Stádio, Athens, Greece

    28 May 2036 (Women's Archery Medal Round)

    Apollo smirked at his older twin sister. "Therese is the superior archer, Artemis. Give it up, she has the fire and passion needed to win the gold. After all, only a heart full of desire can prevail." He tapped the prescription glasses that he had tucked into the neck of his 'Belgian Archery' T-shirt to make the point.

    Artemis' eyes narrowed and flashed sparks. "Unlikely. Antigone has calmness and control, Brother. She won't fly too high or lose control," Artemis paused, then her voice gained a definite edge as she finished, "unlike Phaéthōn."

    Athena pinched her nose as she watched Apollo's face flush as the shot hit home in one of his sore spots. She shook her head and muttered, "This is a disaster. A complete fucking disaster. I just hope that Athens survives the inevitable."

    "This is glorious,"Aphrodite responded as she watched the squabbling siblings as they waited for the final eight archers to compete for the gold, "more popcorn?"

    "Wan!" A white doG's paw reached into the tub that the Goddess of Love had brought to snack on.

    Athena sighed and shook her head. "Not unless it cures headaches."
    -----------------------------

    Therese du Chasteler placed her violin case down next to her archery equipment and stretched. Her eyes found the stands and once more, she smiled at her mother, father, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins from the Potter, Du Chasteler, and Du Chasteler-Malfoy family branches. Then her eyes found Him standing behind the family.

    The bronzed, tanned, and blue eyed young man who she had fallen so hard for, and had dreamed of all last night. Playing duets with him -- even letting him play her true body like Mother and Father allowed each other in the deepest and purest act of love that a musical instrument tsukumogami could perform -- all night until she awoke crushing her pillows to her chest.

    A fire of passion, desire, and love built in her and her heartstrings sang in perfect joy-filled melodies as her cheeks flamed.

    Watch me today.

    See how much I love you.

    Feel me honor you with how I perform.

    He nodded and she nearly blew all her strings from delight.

    Then he glanced to the waiting targets and she nodded.

    Showtime.
    -----------------------------

    Therese du Chasteler-Potter tied her spruce-colored light brown hair back with a hachimaki headscarf. Her fingers touched the characters that Grandmother Toku had helped her write over a decade ago before her first archery lesson. The characters that showed what she wanted to gain from her grandmother's lessons in the Art of the Bow.

    情熱

    Jōnetsu

    Passion.

    She touched the rising sun disk in the center, and then spared a thought for the man she loved in the stands.

    The rising sun.

    The sun.

    Apollo.

    Overhead a crow flew and perched on the Belgian flag once more to mark His favor to the archers competing in a tradition that stretched back to antiquity. A tradition that was spoken of by Homer as part of the funeral games of Patroculus during the Trojan war.

    "Therese Lyra du Chasteler! Belgium!" Her family cheered for her along with the crowd for the underdog.

    "Tan Ya-ting! China!" The roar redoubled for the three time Olympian and #3 in the world Chinese Archer who was the best hope to break Korea's current hammerlock on women's archery.
    Spoiler: Medal Round

    "Shoot!"

    "Round to Ya-Ting 29-28! Match Score 0-2"

    "Shoot!"

    "Round to Du Chasteler 28-27! Match Score 2-2!"

    "Shoot!"

    "Round to Ya-Ting 28-27! Match Score 2-4!"

    "Shoot!"

    "Round to Du Chasteler 30-29! Match Score 4-4!"

    "Shoot!"

    "Tie Round 29-29! Match Tied 5-5!"

    "One-arrow shoot-off begins!"

    Therese stood impassively as the Chinese archer's arrow struck home in the nine ring. The gusting, unpredictable wind blew her ponytail and the ends of her headband around her shoulders as she drew.

    "Shoot!"

    She aimed and focused on the gold center of the target seventy meters distant.

    She reached full draw.

    Gold just like the skin of her love, just like the sun illuminating her.

    She became one with the target, the wind, the arrow, the bow.

    The release came as a surprise to her with its rightness as her arrow flew through the air.

    The roar of the crowd as she struck the gold ten ring to advance to the field of four archers hammered her in a perfect symphony of noise.

    "Match to du Chasteler 6-5! Du Chasteler Advances!"

    She was through to the round of four and would shoot for no worse than bronze next against the top archer in the world.
    -----------------------------

    Antigone Koustris gave her a friend a happy smile as the bracket updated. Choi Mi-sun had advanced 6-0, dispatching her Mexican opponent with ease.

    Therese had scored the upset to face the Korean medal contender.

    Then she sat patiently, quietly, silently.

    As silent and patient as a submarine on the prowl waiting for the right moment to strike her targets as the destroyers over her searched with hydrophones and sonar.

    Ki Bo-bae dispatched her Chinese opponent 6-2 to win the chance to defend her Gold Medal from the 2032 Olympics in New Delhi.

    Antigone waited patiently.

    "Chang Hye-jin! Korea!" A roar of the crowd for the woman who had already won gold in the team competition.

    Antigone waited silently.

    "Antigone Koustris! Greece!"

    The stadium shook for the cheers for the hometown favorite.

    Antigone stood with the fluid motion of a predator.

    Her eyes found those of Artemis.

    Wordless communication and communion flowed between one Huntress of the Woods and Wilderness and her disciple who Hunted the Abyssals of the deep ocean.

    A goose flew overhead once more to herald the favor of the Greek Deity whose lips curled in a knowing smile.

    The waiting was over.

    The time for action was at hand.

    Antigone gave a calm, respectful nod to her opponent.

    She assumed her firing position as the winds began to gust and swirl once more.

    The Hunt began.

    "Match to Koustris 7-1! Koustris advances!"
    -----------------------------

    Therese stepped back as her first arrow of the match found the red eight ring.

    The winds were picking up and swirling fiercer as the match progressed.

    She frowned and breathed in and out to refocus.

    Then it happened.

    Choi's first shot was caught by the wind and deflected badly off course.

    It didn't hit gold, or red or even blue but the BLACK of the four-ring.

    The scoreboard updated 8-4.

    The Korean archer paled as her confidence was badly shaken.

    Therese's lips curled in a smug, infuriating, confident, cocky, Muramasa smirk.

    The same smirk her mother would wear when she nailed a difficult solo piano piece perfectly for family or a concert hall to enjoy.

    The same smirk her aunt Ehren would wear when she conducted a high-stakes business deal successfully for her family to profit from.

    The same smirk that her grandmother Colombe had worn when she clashed with steel and spells against evils mundane and magical that she had destroyed.

    The same smirk that Great-Grandmother Norimune had worn through her legendary adventures as a hero, a villain, a lover, and a warrior.

    The same smirk that all the foes of the Demon Blades of the Mad Smith had seen in the moment that their defeat was assured. No matter if it was Juuchi Yosamu, Jacklyn Fox, Umitsubame, Delilah de Breuil, Wei Ying, or Kagotsuruhe, the message was the same.

    You have already lost for I have just triumphed.

    She drew once more and aimed at the gold.

    Her smirk never changed as her arrow hammered home in the center of the target to give her an insurmountable lead and shatter her opponent's already shaken self-confidence..

    One more nail hammering her opponent's coffin lid shut as Therese prepared to bury her.

    "Set to Du Chasteler 28-23! Du Chasteler Leads 2-0! Shoot!"
    -----------------------------

    "Du Chasteler Advances to Gold Medal Match in straight sets 6-0!"

    Therese gently patted the weeping and shellshocked Korean archer on the back after shaking her hand. "It just wasn't your day," she said compassionately.

    Then Antigone hugged her. "Well done, Terri, now it's my turn!"

    Therese nodded and hugged back. "Knock 'em dead, Antigone!"

    Antigone took her position and smiled serenely. "I intend to." She focused on her target and loaded her first shot. "Oh, I intend to."
    -----------------------------

    "Match to Koustris 7-3! Koustris advances to Gold Medal Match!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Only My Buttervioline 8[2036]
  • Threadmarks
    • Yellowhammer

    A.N. -- Well, here it is. Sibling rivalry at its finest with a generous helping of romance and a Greek Goddess in search of the Fountain of Aspirin.

    Only My Buttervioline (VIII)

    Panathinaïkó Stádio, Athens, Greece

    28 May 2036 (Women's Archery Gold Medal Match)

    Athena moaned in disbelief at the sight of the two archers who had just made it against all the odds to the final round to face each other with gold on the line. She couldn't believe it, her calculations had been flawless and the chance of this particular match-up was so minute....

    The smug, knowing smirk on Aphrodite's perfect lips wasn't helping her mood either as the Cytherean directed it at her. Athena was fighting back the impulse to punch it off her fellow Olympian's face, or bring back Diomedes to send him after Aphrodite once more.
    Spoiler: Shooting For The Gold

    Therese Lyra du Chasteler, the spirit of her Stradivarius violin, tucked some of her slightly messy light brown hair behind an ear and adjusted her glasses. She then gave her competitor a happy smile and thumbs-up. "Way to go Anti!"

    Antigone Koustris, the daughter of the legendary Greek admiral Lana Koustris (who was also the even more legendary huntress Atalanta) and the unawakened spirit of her submarine HN Meleager returned the smile and thumbs-up. "I knew you could do it, Terri!"

    In the stands, Apollo turned to his twin with a smugly radiant grin. "I knew that Therese had it in her! I just knew it! Double or nothing on our bet upon our loves and Champions?" He paused and then spoke quietly under his breath. "You Chose a superb Huntress in Koustris, Sister. She is worthy of your love."

    Artemis gave a matching confident smile as her voice rose. "Double wager agreed, Brother! Pay up when Antigone wins!" She paused and then spoke quietly in her terse and laconic voice. "du Chasteler likewise, Brother. Well Chosen."

    They shook hands to agree on the wager then settled in to watch the show as down below the targets were made ready.

    "Antigone Koustris! Greece!"

    The crowd roared at the local favorite who bowed her head and raised a hand in acknowledgement.

    "Therese Lyra du Chasteler! Belgium!"

    Therese gave a smile and wave as cheers sounded.

    "Shoot!"

    Therese nocked her first arrow and as the winds died down let it fly. Therese shot with all the supreme confidence of a Muramasa in her element. Her arrows soared with all the desire of a Potter looking to claim the love of her heart's desire burning through her heartwood.

    Ten.

    Beside her, Antigone drew, aimed, and fired in turn. She had the calm confidence of a submarine that had returned from every patrol with the laurel of victory upon her brow and the broom tied to her periscope showing that she 'swept the seas clean'. The unshakable courage that she had inherited from her legendary mother who had participated in the Hunt for the Calydonian Boar and sailed upon the Argo. The desire to impress the love of her life that her father had when he challenged Atalanta to a footrace with his life as the forfeit should he not claim her love and her hand.

    Ten.

    "Set to Koustris 30-29! Koustris leads 2-0!"

    Therese didn't care that she had dropped the first set. Her heart was soaring in crescendos of song as she drew and fired again. For the first time she understood what her father had spoken of when he talked about the moment he realized that her mother Claire was the one for him. That sensation that there were only two people in the world in that moment and you played for the other one in your life, becoming better and purer than you ever thought that you could be since you could do nothing less as a Potter.

    Ten.

    This was a bigger rush and thrill than playing to achieve the demanding standards of her family.

    Nine.

    It was even bigger than playing for an audience -- perhaps because it was for the most important audience of all.

    Ten.

    "Set to Du Chasteler 29-28. Match Tied 2-2!"

    Beside her friend and rival, Antigone drew her own arrow and nocked it. Her heart thudded in the same rhythm that was her diesels calling her forth to the sea where she would hunt once more.

    Nine.

    She loosed another arrow to slam into the target in time with the beating of her diesels, her heart, as she felt the cool gaze of the woman -- the goddess -- that she loved watching her with admiration in her dark eyes.

    Ten.

    Her heart thudded harder and her pale cheeks pinkened with her blush as she drew the final arrow from her quiver to fire in that moment of perfect calm and tranquility in the eye of the storm that she was sailing through.

    Ten.

    "Tie set 29-29! Match tied 3-3!"

    In the stands, the tension built as the archers fought neck and neck into the fourth set.

    Claire watched her oldest daughter put on the performance of her life with tears in her eyes and a song swelling in her heartstrings as she she crushed Ehren and Tony's hands in a white knuckled grip.

    Atalanta's keen eyes gleamed in love and pride as her daughter, the spirit of her beloved ship, showed what she was capable of to the world.

    Ten.

    Nine.

    Nine.

    Ten.

    Ten.

    Ten.

    "Tie set 29-29! Match tied 4-4!"

    Apollo and Artemis smiled happily as the match reached the fifth and final set. For as much as they wanted their Chosen, their Love to triumph, they just as much wanted to show to the audience mundane, magical, and divine the mettle of the young woman who had earned her place in their heart.

    Beside them, Aphrodite and Uzume were rapt with joy seeing the red threads binding these spirits to their divine love swell and strengthen with each arrow that flew to the golden heart of the target.

    Athena, despite her fears of what would happen when the deadlock was finally broken, was also enthralled at this perfect moment of competition.

    Down below, Therese and Antigone locked eyes and nodded in unison.

    It is time.

    Ten.

    Ten.

    Two hands grasped their arrows.

    Ten.

    Ten.

    Two bows raised for the final shots of the fifth set.

    Two arrows flew.

    Ten.

    Ten.

    The crowd roared at the spectacle of a perfect score by both archers as they competed for gold.

    The announcer's voice broke from excitement as he called out. "Tie set 30-30! Tie match 5-5! We go to a one-arrow shootoff!"

    Therese took aim and placed her arrow squarely into the X-ring.

    Antigone followed suit with her arrow.

    "Shootoff continues!"

    Antigone's second arrow hit the X-ring again.

    So did Therese's.

    Therese's third arrow flew into the circle between ten and X ring as the fatigue built in both archers as they fought for the gold medal.

    Antigone's third arrow struck the X ring to keep the sudden death competition going.

    Then Antigone's fourth arrow landed in the ten ring a centimeter from the inner circle.

    Therese took aim.

    Her heartstrings sang in an arpeggio of joy and rightness as she once more became one with everything around her.

    The breeze swirled.

    Apollo's smile widened as Therese loosed in the space between two heartbeats.

    The arrow flew.

    The crowd roared as it found the heart of the target.

    "Therese Lyra du Chasteler-Potter wins the shootout X Ring to Ten Ring!"
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [sofia] A Choice
  • Threadmarks
    • Kab2

    Next part incoming, I hope you like it.
    ----------------------------------------------
    A Choice
    Spoiler: Somber times


    Words heavier than lead poured from Jen's mouth into Sofia's ears, words of self-sacrifice to make Sofia's escape from her fleet members, at the only cost of a sword; each word turning Jen's plan clearer but they were turning Sofia's engines grim and somber as well; when she finished, Jen stood firm along with her resolve, and with the wind waving her golden hair, she turned towards the enemy and began to walk, each step heavier than the former to do what she considered the best solution.

    "Why? Why do you risk your life for someone like me who is a failure to their kind?" said Sofia as the dark emotions inside her heart grew, making her deprecating herself, a child never loved by her family with a strange origin that made her stand out, and with a set of mind very different from them, making her wish that she should never have born, and a justification for all the abuse she received during her stay with them.

    "Do I need a reason to help a friend?" said Jen, her face turning to show Sofia a beautiful smile that vanished all the darkness in her heart, leaving Sofia shocked. 'All this was happening only because she was her friend?' though Sofia, she haven't done anything for Jen to consider her a friend, but Sofia's heart rebelled against that thought, now clear of doubt thanks to Jen. Sofia brought back Jen to the surface, eat with her, laughed with her, shared their pasts; she even named her, it should be a normal thought for Jen to sacrifice all her being to pay back the debt she owns Sofia...

    Will you allow it? Will you live with it?

    Another friend left for you to happily continue living?

    All this thoughts swirled in her mind as she saw flashbacks to other situations from when she lived with her Princess, all the other members of the fleet bullying her only because she didn't hate humans, how they mocked her because of her red hair, how in despair she went to the hangar and found comfort in where she least expected it, from a Wa-class transport, an Abyssal who later discovered that was built around a human, how she shared her life with her and how she always listened and comforted her to keep living, to later left her fleet leaving the Wa alone, possibly dead or dismantled because her relationship with Sofia or worse, in the Princess' operation table in another of her 'experiments'.

    Will you abandon another friend?

    Her hand clenched her swimsuit at the left side of her front, as if something inside ached.

    Inside her head a representation of her Princess at one side, mocking Sofia for being a weakling while she experimented on a body with blond hair.

    At the other side Jen and the Wa encouraging her to choose the right decision.

    ...

    'Never again'

    Refusing to abandon her, Sofia focused in what she could do to help Jen, she listed her armament, 20 torpedoes and 30 TMA mines along with two 2 cm Flack 38, she never used them as her mission were more for exploration, but she had them and that is what mattered now.

    But will she be able to shoot them against them?

    She had to do it if she wanted Jen to go back with her, to be free of her past to fight for a brighter future with Jen.

    Summoning her rigging she stood in her fin shaped boots, her rigging resembling two halves of her bow's inner design at each side of her, a Flack in each hand for shooting and an overseas cap with an earphone and an antenna, in its side a three banded flag with an eagle, her swimsuit turning into a fully fledged black and grey uniform; finally looking towards Jen and her opponents.

    Just to see Jen shooting a dark beam to them.

    As the beam hit them and turned into a pillar of light, Sofia saw Jen falling to one knee, exhausted for almost depleting her magical energy, but she did it, she ---

    {Status report.} Sofia heard the radio transmitting the voice of the Demon.

    {Here Ruthless, I have moderate damage in the hull, engines offline and 25% of my crew dead}

    {Here Hollow, I am in the same condition as Ruthless}

    {I only suffered minimal crew losses, the plating the princess installed took the worse of that thing and it only has a few dents and some loose bolts, stay still and repair those engines, I will kill this human for trying to kill us}

    'DAMN!!' Sofia's anger built, if something that powerful didn't kill her how would she able to do anything to her? But she was determined to do whatever she can to escape the island with Jen... or not escaping at all, whatever Jen's fate would be Sofia will follow the same as she won't abandon another friend again.

    She readied to attack them to buy time for Jen to recover, but...

    "It will be pointless" captain Hüttenwerk said to her, his sad voice filling the command room "You won't be able to make a breach in that armor quick enough before she kill us"

    Visibly enraged, Sofia shouted inside the room, her voice despairing "I know! But what else I can do? See how she murder Jen with me doing nothing?"

    "Who said about doing nothing?" Hüttenwerk's tone implied that idea was out of the question "I know a way that we can use to kill that bitch, but you have to do everything exactly how I will tell you. Haben wir eine vereinbarung, Unterseeboot Sofia?"

    Sensing that his captain was telling the truth and the confidence in his voice, Sofia replied "Jawohl, mein Kapitän!"

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

    "Damn, that burdened me more than I thought" was the reply Jen said to the pillar of dark light that just formed; kneeling on one knee from the exhaustion, she pondered the situation.

    'Not bad for one skill that I haven't used before, it drained me more than it should but with training maybe I can reach to shoot two or even three and continue fighting' thought the sword spirit as the pillar weakened and disappeared only to show that the three Abyssals were still alive.

    'Dammit, it was too much to ask that they succumbed, the beam has to be weaker than I imagined too'

    Trying to get up but failing as she had almost depleted her magic, Jen saw how the Demon walked towards her.

    "I agree that you are a box of surprises; to think that you could do that much damage to my guard, but you didn't expect the new armor that my princess installed, so I suffered minimal damage instead, but to acknowledge your 'strength' I'll kill you slowly with the help of my rigging."

    In that instant the ground below her changed to something resembling the ocean surface if it were composed of black water; behind her the surface bubbled as something surfaced, first a giant grey hand, then the other hand, its wrists chained between them, then its heads came out, without nose or eyes but coated by abyssal steel, their only gap were big mouths filled with teeth, in their necks twin collars with two chains that their end finished in the Demon's back, in its shoulders twin turrets flanked by two AA cannons; as more and more of the rigging emerged it was clear that it was way larger than the demon itself, its spine ending in a lance tipped metal tail that swung left and right ready to impale its enemies.

    Patting its left head, that in four legs it was a bit over hers, the Demon smiled "Isn't it beautiful? Behold the mighty rigging of the Battleship Water Demon Tarasque!" and to emphasize her words, the rigging howled while flames erupted from its mouths.

    'And she kept all this time the monster under the carpet, nice' Jen thought, Tarasque sat between the two heads while Jen pondered what to say, not showing any emotion. Finally with nothing to lose, she opted for something reckless. "Impressive I will admit, beautiful I don't think so, I have seen crabs more beautiful than it" Jen replied showing a smug but tired smile.

    With a vein almost visible in her forehead, Tarasque angrily responded to Jen, her pointy teeth showing in a sinister smile "Heh, I won't kill you quickly, I assure you, you will beg for it but I will deny you of that mercy"

    Jen's smile grew at those words "Well, that means that you aren't good in your work, as all bitches have to give anything that was asked in return."

    At that last statement, something snapped inside Tarasque "What did you call me? I'll dismember you after break all your bones!" she began to run towards Jen, the ground trembling under the rigging steps.

    That was until the right face ate a torpedo fired by a fully armed submarine that made it stop in its tracks.

    Looking at her right, Tarasque said "You know? It seems that someone needs to be reminded not to meddle in my affairs, so stay here and don't move, okay?" and with a sinister laugh she turned and began to slowly walk towards Sofia.

    "NO!! Why didn't she escape? COME BACK MOTHERFUCKER!!!! LEAVE SOFIA ALONE!!!" grieving Jennifer tried to get up, but her body didn't move 'Dammit, not now! Move stupid body, move!' not getting any result, she turned to see Sofia to at least tell her to run.

    Only to see in her eyes the same determination Jen had earlier and a smile that told her everything she needed to know.

    'She has a plan and trusts me to follow it, whatever plan it is. Heh, no wonder we are Master and sword' thought Jen as she put all her trust in her Master and friend.

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

    Approaching Sofia, Tarasque began to speak "You know that you can't defeat me with that puny armament, right?"

    Smugly smiling, Sofia replied "I know that I can't defeat you, but if I fire all my torpedoes it may be possible."

    Laughing diabolically as she closed the distance, Tarasque replied "And you think that I will let you? Anyways, you always said that you won't use your armament against anyone, so you are breaking your promise?" with that said she leaned towards Sofia, trying to get some entertainment from her.

    But she was disappointed as Sofia's response wasn't what she expected. "Having something to protect makes the people grow, and if I want to protect something I need to use everything at my disposal, even my armament."

    "How boring, any last words before I make you limbless?" said Tarasque as she stood in front of Sofia, towering over her.

    Showing another smug smile, the Flak at her right hand disappeared inside her hull. "As a matter of fact, yes" said Sofia as she took the magical wand from inside her.

    Seeing something that she haven't seen before, and wary because of the stunt Jennifer did to them, she shielded herself with the rigging's hands while Sofia moved the wand as she recited something.

    "Magische Teilen!"

    Red sparks surged from Sofia's hand, travelling across the wand and finishing in the tip, after that it seemed that whatever Sofia did has failed.

    Visibly confused, Tarasque blinked as she asked Sofia "What was that?"

    Still with her smile, Sofia replied "It's called magic; I have practiced it since I arrived at this island."

    Hilariously laughing Tarasque said "And for what? It did me nothing so it is worthless!"

    "Oh, you weren't the target for that spell, Tarasque" replied Sofia still smiling to the Demon that was still laughing.

    But she got the answer to the implied question almost immediately, as Jen appeared and with a powerful slash she cut the rigging's tail.
    --------------------------------------------------------
    Thanks for reading, questions and comments are always welcomed.
     
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