Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Piece of pocky in, currently, her mouth, Inari blinked at one of her Myōbu that had come up, "Hmm?"

The fox spirit bowed some to the Kami, "Inari-Sama, you have visitors waiting."

Nodding as they finished chewing their pocky, Inari raised an eyebrow, "Visitors?" At the nod, they smiled, "Well, send them in."

With another bow, the Myōbu walked off and soon the doors to the room opened to reveal Amaterasu there with Uzume. A slight smile on her face, Amaterasu had to hold back the giggles that threatened to escape her at the sight that met her. Mainly, that of Inari sitting at a low table with a game system on it while a large screen showed their character making its way through a level, "Good evening, Inari-San."

A grin on their face, Inari gave a small laugh and bowed, "And a good evening to you as well, Amaterasu-Sama, Uzume-Chan. Come and have a seat."

Simply giving a small wave, Uzume smiled back as the two female Kami made their way to sit down, "I think that I will, Inari-Han." Once she was down, she cocked an eyebrow as she noticed that the game system had a fox tail, "I take it that is one of your followers?"

Humming, the fox Kami nodded some before gesturing at the screen, "And so is that." Both Amaterasu and Uzume could see the fox ears and the swishing fox tail, "Sort of hard to play my games normally after all here due to lack of electricity. So I make do and they don't really mind all that much."

Then she reached for a piece of fried tofu and flicked it towards the screen, a fox's head appearing from the top of it and snapping it up before disappearing back into it. Meanwhile, Amaterasu flicked open her fan and hummed a bit, "That is true enough. And if there is one thing that you love, it is games."

Just nodding, Inari completed the level with a small cheer before giving a grin to their fellow Kami, "What can I say? Games are pretty damn fun after all..." Then they pouted, "Except for when the Gatcha goes against you. Rate up is a fucking damn dirty lie."

Mock sighing, Amaterasu gave her a look, "Oh, but a Kami such as your august self acting in such a manner..." All three held in for a couple of minutes before they broke into laughter. Shaking her head, the Solar Kami smiled and wagged a finger, "But you are right that rate up is a lie. Trust me, I know that for a fact."

With a chuckle, Inari smiled a bit, "It is indeed."

Leaning forward with a sparkle in her eye, the third Kami there grinned, "I wonder what people would think if they knew that you were a hardcore gamer, Inari-Han. Or that you spend most of your time playing them."

Rather than be insulted though, Inari smiled and shrugged, "Probably not that all that odd after all. Besides which, I got to fill my time somehow and I've made enough investments and the like that I will never need to worry about running out of funds for what I love. One of these days you two really need to come over to see my gaming rig, it is literally divine, and I am not kidding about that. And yes, I can run Crysis on it before you even ask."

Needless to say, that got snickers from the other two. Hearing the sound of footsteps, Amaterasu looked over her shoulder, "Ah, and that should be the others."

Seconds later, the door opened to reveal Tsukuyomi who took in what was going on and sighed with a twitch of his eyebrow, "Must you?"

Grinning, Inari gave him a victory sign, "Yes, yes I do." They then raised their finger, "This was a triumph, I am making a note here, huge success. It is hard to overstate my satisfaction. Inari Enterprise, we do what we must because we can."

As they continued to sing, both Amaterasu and Uzume laughed themselves and fell over as Tsukuyomi's eyebrow twitched. Behind him, Susanoo was giving a thumb's up and mouthing "Good job" to the Kitsune Kami. Moments later, his brother, without looking, reached back and smacked him upside the head before entering and sitting down as dignified as he could. Glancing around, he ignored the still snickering form of his brother as well as a grinning Hachiman. Turning, he gave a look to Ryuujin, "Are you not going to say something?"

There was an expression of thought on the dragon's face before he nodded, "As a matter of fact, I am." On Tsukuyomi's face was an expression of smugness that got wiped away by Ryuujin's next words as he turned to Inari, "Any luck on getting them to release Half-Life 3?'

Dramatically sighing, Inari shook their head sadly before shrugging which did... interesting things to their chest, "Unfortunately not. I think that there are some things even us Kami cannot do."

Ignoring the smug looks and smirks around him, Tsukuyomi took a deep breath before turning to his sister who was now sitting up, breathless, "Was there a reason that you called us all here?"

With a glance at the screen, Fujin hummed before turning to his brother, "Are we having another game night? Because-"

Inari shot him a look at that, "We are not playing Mario Party or Mario Kart. Especially after what happened in '09. By our Names, that was horrific."

Arms crossed, Hachiman grunted, "I swear, all of you are assholes. Every damn one of you kept shooting me with damn Blue Shells. Fuckers..."

Giving him a small glare, the dragon Kami growled some, "Well, if someone did not keep stealing all the damn stars..."

Face held in his hands, Tsukuyomi sighed to himself, 'And Chichi-ue wonders why I sometimes wonder aloud about them... Or how they can even make it out of the bedroom in the morning.' Pulling his hands away from his face as the various Kami began to argue about who did what years ago, he cleared his throat to catch their attention... and not because he did not want a repeat.

Or of that time with Monopoly when Susanno had suggested it for "Family Bonding"... the clean up from that took some time.

Now that they were turned to him, he raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Inari perked up, "Oh! Foods here!" Turning to the door, Tsukuyomi felt his blood pressure rise some as pizzas were brought in and laid before them along with beer, "Ah, now who wants what?"

Looking it over, Amaterasu rubbed her hands, "Do you have any Meat Lovers? And how did you even get these here?"

In reply, Inari waggled their fingers, "Mysterious Kami powers." At the looks though, they shrugged, "Actually, I've had my cooks learn how to make them. Some of those gaming marathons really take it out of you after all."

That got her nods from both Amaterasu and Uzume who were grinning. Meanwhile, Ryuujin raised a clawed finger, "You don't happen to have any pineapple, do you? Because I could use some."

Moments later, a box was tossed at him and he opened it while Hachiman gave him a disgusted look, "How can you eat that...?"

About to reply with a piece halfway in his mouth, Ryuujin was cut off by the Moon Kami, "Is there a reason why we're all here. Because I do have duties."

Sharing looks, they all turned to Amaterasu who finished off her slice with a slight smirk. One of her favorite things to do was get under her Ex's skin at times after all. Swallowing the bite though, she hummed, "We here to discuss what happened earlier today."

With a hum, Ryuujin frowned as he washed down the pizza he ate with some beer, "What's to discuss? Shiromizu-San managed to win when most of us did not expect her to. More than that, she also raised her profile." Raising an eyebrow he gave Amaterasu a knowing look, "Which, I assume, is what you planned to happen at some point."

Hands in front of her face as she leaned forward, said Kami hummed, "I will admit that I did have plans that were somewhat similar to this. Not the way that it happened there would be how it was brought about, but I was always going to have her show off a bit."

Taking a swig of beer, Hachiman frowned some, "That she did. More then a few of the lesser Kami are wondering what tricks she has up under those sleeves of hers." With a glance at Ryuujin, he raised an eyebrow, "After all, everyone could tell she did not show off everything."

Softly snorting, Fujin glanced at his brother and shook his head, "You don't know the half of it. Most of the Oni under both of us-" He made a gesture at the thunder Kami beside him, "Are wondering about that. Especially as she did not transform into her full dragon form. And for most Mizuchi, human and near human forms are their weakest ones."

Once everyone turned towards him, Ryuujin frowned and gave a shrug, "I can't help there as I have not seen her form fully as she has not shown it off. But it is impressive as it is a massive serpent and she is definitely coming into her heritage with each passing month. I don't think that she realizes the difference in power between the two states."

Blinking, Inari took a sip of beer as they continued to play their game, "Perhaps make a note to Jin-San that maybe she should explain that to her." Head tilted to the side, they gave an inquiring look to Fujin, "Speaking of the fight, what happened in the infirmary afterwards?"

The others turned to the wind Kami who hummed in thought, "The two of them had a small talk while healing and he stated that if she ever wants another real fight, look him up." At the looks, he gave a toothy grin and shrugged, "Oni, what can you do? A good fight in front of them is more then enough to catch their attention and she proved herself as being worthy of respect." His expression then changed to a frown, "I am still not happy with him in the end..."

When he glanced at Ryuujin, the other Kami waved him off, "Don't worry about it, in the end nothing more is still hurt expect perhaps some pride. I am just thankful that it did not blow up further as more then a few in my Court were... quite displeased with some of the insults that they heard he had used."

Grumbling, Hachiman clenched his fists tight enough that all there could hear the tendons in his hands creak, "Meanwhile, I have been dealing with the instigators of the whole thing. I have left them in the care of Tōgō-San and Nogi-San to deal with their... re-education. And neither are too pleased with how they acted."

More then one of them winced a bit at imagining what was likely happening to the group in question before shrugging it off. Raijin then spoke up with a frown directed towards Amaterasu, "If I may be so bold... why are you so interested in Shiromizu-San? Yes, she is a new Kami, but still."

Not speaking right away, Amaterasu set down her beer bottle, which was soon replaced, "I have a number of reasons in regards to Shiromizu-San."

Eyebrow raised, Tsukuyomi frowned, "Does it have to do with Potter-San? She has claimed him as her Otouto, though I do not think that either quite realize what that means in the end."

Airily waving a hand in the air, Susanoo chuckled from where he was now seated next to Inari playing a two player version, "I am looking forward to when they do clue in with regards to that. Not for a couple of decades though, I think at least." He then gave his sister a look, "Though I still wonder how you managed to pull that off."

Bemused, the Sun Goddess gave him a look, "Pull what off?"

From where she was seated beside her long-time friend, Uzume smiled a bit, "I think he means poaching him from the Celts. That was rather impressive after all and I would have thought that they would try to hold his destiny more to themselves."

Lightly laughing, Amaterasu gave them a smile that was all teeth, "What makes you think that they had the choice." Seeing the widening eyes, her smile widened into a predatory grin, "Unlike Zeus and the others, I saved the many, many IOUs from Lugh in regards to what Morrigan has done in lieu of us killing her. And I still have a number left."

Whistling softly, Hachiman shook his head at that, "What I would not have given to be there when you brought that up. Lugh could not have been happy."

Eyes glowing softly, the highest ranked Kami there chuckled, "Oh, he was certainly not. But the very Geas that he placed on himself to repay reparations for what Morrigan has done as long as the payment does not harm either him or his did not let him deny me. It is why at the last meeting he was so... annoyed and quite frustrated in my direction." Waving a hand in the air with some wisps of solar fire coming from her finger tips, she hummed, "And now, Japan will benefit from where before it would have been Britain. With all it taking was a strike of hunger pain at exactly the right time to have him whimper when Nagato-San was within hearing range."

His own eyes narrowing, Hachiman stared at something higher Kami could see and grunted, "Though at least we're giving him the chance to get more support then he would have." A grin then crossed his face, "Especially with the ripples which are bringing a lot of good."

Taking a long drink of beer, Raijin pulled it away and laughed some, "It is going to be interesting when he joins us, that is for sure. Sure, that might be centuries away depending on how he lives his life, but..." He snapped his finger which caused a crackle of electricity, "With everything? Kid is going to go far."

Voice rumbling like the clash of armies, Hachiman gave a nod, "I got a bottle of sake waiting for that day to be shared."

Leaning forward, the Moon Kami was deep in thought. With a hum, Tsukuyomi raised an eyebrow, "Though with him being adopted by a Mizuchi, I do wonder what form he will be able to take when the time comes. Perhaps a Mizuchi himself..."

Softly chuckling, Inari spoke up, "Or a fox, it is not like we're limited by such and while I can become a fox, I can also become a serpent."

Amused, Amaterasu wagged a finger in the air, "As much fun as this is, we're drifting off course which has to do with what happened earlier. Now, as to the question of why the interest? There are several reasons... I am sure that you have noticed the reactions that various attendants have been having towards her? Polite and humble, while also being very respectful of them. Something that they have noted, as have others..."

Chest rumbling, Ryuujin grinned a bit, "Indeed, a number of my own Mizuchi and the like have started to think in regards to such. She may not have noticed that she has been getting much better service then usual. But a number of those in my Court has also realized that fact and begun to consider the reasons why."

There was a grin on Hachiman's face as he made a motion with his hand, "Yes, and so have a number of my Court as well. I suspect that it is much the same elsewhere." Various nods have met him and his grin became a smile, "And I have hope that it will stick with a number."

With a nod, Amaterasu ticked off on another finger, "As well, while neither she nor Jin-San may know, both of them are among our more powerful agents in the Material Realm. The Accords may limit the rest, but those two, among others, are flesh and blood and so can slip by with being able to do whatever they really want in the end without repercussions. We just have not needed to ask of them anything because what they are doing works perfectly well just by being them in the end. It helps that neither are actively looking for worship unlike some possible candidates, so one cannot argue that they are trying to gather faith." A third finger joined the other two, "However, there is also her village."

Stealing one of her slices of pizza, Susanoo dodged around the swat before biting into it, "Okay? What about her village? It is rather nice I suppose, but..." At the looks, he raised an eyebrow, "What? I dropped by incognito to check the place out. They're building it up, but still."

Much to his confusion, Uzume grinned and leaned forward, "That is exactly why it is a reason for interest from us." Seeing how they were still lost, she chuckled, "It is a majority Yokai community with some humans living among them. When the Statute comes down in a few years, it will be almost immediately open to the wider non-magical portion of Japan. Her village is not like the dirt poor communities of the Reserves which will be having problems for years and perhaps decades. Nor will it be like the hidden communities around Japan built to hide among the humans. No, it will be a community built, designed, and inhabited by friendly Yokai with tourists from all over Japan visiting. Imagine... you're someone unsure of how Yokai are and you visit. But instead of monsters, you find yourself in a town that mixes fantasy and the past with modern times filled with friendly people. A place with magic all its own in the end, with adventures exploring and the like. Somewhere that will have Yokai and human living together in harmony... In such a case, are you going to head home still worried about Yokai, or are you going to think of said place and think of most of them as just being people with odd features and powers?"

With a slow blink, Susanoo's eyes widened, "Holy shit..." He turned to his sister and her friend with shock, "That is what you're planning, to have the place be something of a showcase of how Yokai and human can work, live, and play together without the baggage of being a town where until recently they were hidden..."

Pausing their game, Inari stared at them before giving a laugh, "That's brilliant! No, seriously, it is! How many places like that are there in Japan? Especially ones built specifically around that fact? Not too many, I can tell you that." Grinning widely, they shook their head, "It is sort of like... a real life Gensokyo."

Amaterasu blinked at that and tilted her head as everyone could see she was thinking, "You know... in an odd way you're right." Raising a finger, she hummed, "This bears some thinking..."

His arms crossed, Tsukuyomi frowned, "Well, the place would be missing Danmaku." Noticing the looks, he flushed before grumbling, "Corrupting..."

Lips twitching, his sister made a motion with her finger and they all watched as a screen appeared. On it was shown Harry, Natsumi, and Asuka the Tengu all in a "Spellcard Duel". After it reached the end, Amaterasu raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps not... Still, all is going according to Keikaku."

From where they were seated, Inari held up a sign: 'Kami Translator's Note, Keikaku means plan'.

The only thing that Tsukuyomi did was sigh and pinch his nose.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K

Jin starred across at the celestial bureaucrat she had been dealing with, grinding her teeth with angry, baffled frustration.

"What the hell do you mean I owe back tribute?!?"

All she'd wanted to do was kill two birds with one stone, and check in on some of her 'taxes' while withdrawing a small amount of her wealth in the immaterium, simply to shout her kohai a drink for her victory or maybe buy her a gift. And now there was this bullshit! She had everything set up to be automatic years ago, specifically so she wouldn't need to worry about it on the odd occasions she couldn't be bothered to show up for. How the hell could she owe anyone anything?!

The bureaucratic clears his throat the nervously.

"Yes well, we see that you last authorized for a yearly transfer of automatic tribute to the court of Ryuujin-sama, back in...." Taking a moment, he flips through his documents. "Back in 1998."

"So?" asks the mizuchi, her irritability born from uncertainty. "That was set up to cover what I owe, from what little income I make."

"At the time," emphasizes the bureaucrat delicately.

"Bullshit," counters Jin. "I have no demesne, no court, no retinue, and no one has ever seriously worshiped me. All I have is the respect of those that actually know me, and a single person listed under my guardianship."

"Are you sure about that?" asks the celestial, as he then unfurls a scroll with a graph on it, and turns the paper around to show her. "Because from about late 2005, we have a slow, but undeniably gradual increase in not only the faith you are receiving, but also supplicant's who seek your patronage and protection." The bureaucrat gives her a look."When was the last time you actually checked your balances and debts?"

If Jin had been drinking anything at that moment, she would have given a spittake. "THOSE NUTTY ABYSSALS ACTUALLY COUNT?!?!?"

"Apparently so," answers the bureaucrat, before looking at the sheet and startling slightly. "Well I'll be. They are Abyssals. How'd you manage that?"

"Um....." Jin pauses thoughtfully. "I killed a bunch of them?"

The Celestial blinks, before double checking his papers. "Okay..... So then why do they...? Let's see.... They have you down as a dark god of vengeance, guardian of the week and helpless, and also a patron-protector of nomads and traders."

The mizuchi blinks as her confusion grows. "Wait, what's that last one?"

"Patron-protector of nomads and traders?"

"Why traders?" asks the baffled mizuchi. "I knew the nutcases were talking to some of the flagship-less and homeless fleets about me, but when did traders enter the picture?!?"

The celestial shuffles his notes, before locating the pertinent information. "Apparently it seems that a couple of wandering Wa-class traders recently noticed that nomads who wore banners and symbols of the Cult of the Dark One, were occasionally less likely to be attacked by Abyssal raiders or become victims of inter-fleet violence. Occasionally mind you, but if it could make a difference, they weren't going to miss out on the chance for protection."

"How many of these idiots are there now?!" asks Jin with disbelief. "I thought there were only a dozen of these nutters at most!?"

Humming thoughtfully, the bureaucrat flicks back to one of the first scrolls her brought out. Running a finger down a list of names on one of the pages (occasionally marked with a role or position beside them), he nods. "Two. A rather respectable number for a minor kami with such a recently dedicated following."

Jin's eye twitches. "I have two dozen of these fools wandering around praising me, and shouting my title like it's Sunday in a southern church?"

The bureaucrat shakes his head. "Oh no, my apologies. We're used to listing numbers in the hundreds here. You have two hundred followers, not two dozen. Broken down into groups, that's one miko, one seer, almost a dozen shrine caretakers or regular supplicants, about twenty Abyssals that pray to you regularly, thirty that do so occasionally, forty that sporadically give prayer and offerings out of fear of you more than anything else, and the rest are technically members of your cult but mostly only pay lip service, if they give anything at all, and are really just there for the protection by association or the free booze your miko was giving away at one of her recruitment drives."

Jin stares, mouth agape. "When the actual fuck did I get a seer?"

-----------

Soma sneezes loudly, causing the knuckle bones she was shaking in her hands to scatter across the turtle shell in her lap.

"Gesundheit," comments Tsubasa with a grimace as she looks at the splatter on the newspaper she was just reading.

"Sorry," mutters Soma distractedly as she blindly feels about for where her bones have fallen. "I think someone's talking about me."

"Really?" asks Tsubasa curiously, even as she makes a face and tosses the pages she was just looking at in the hotel room bin.

"Yeah," says the Submarine Princess with a grimace. "Someone important." pausing for a moment, Soma then tilts her blindfolded head in confusion. "By the way, am I.... missing a bone?"

"Oh, yeah, you are. It must have missed the shell." Picking up the wayward knuckle bone, the Light Cruiser Demon then freezes when she sees the article in the newspaper it had landed upon.

An article regarding how in recent months, more and more Abyssals were either making deals, signing treaties and declaring themselves neutral, or even allies of humanity.....

-----------

"Seer, clergy and followers aside," says the bureaucrat as her pulls out yet more scrolls and pieces of paper, "I can't help but also question the inaccuracies of some of these other pieces of paperwork you have filed. Maybe they were not inaccurate when you first filed them, or whoever signed them off was feeling lenient, but..."

"But?" grinds out Jin frustratedly.

Unfurling a scroll, the celestial runs down a list of names. "You say you lack for a, demesne and retinue. But I can't help but see that you have a minor shrine on a property which you already outright own, even through recognized non-magical legal means. On this property, you manage and care for both the structures and the populace who are largely indebted to you and pay tribute to be there-"

"It's called rent!"

"- with the aid of a group who I believe are called 'the Adachi Neighborhood Watch' according to these documents? A rather sizable and veteran force of both fighters and guards, as well as community leaders and loyal advisers, who you entrust to help manage your assets and the surrounding lands during your absence, correct?"

The mizuchi stares awkwardly. "Um... well...."

"And as for your lack of court," says the bureaucrat, "Do you not regularly keep the company of, advise and debate with, curry and lend influence with, and help lead an organisation as a highly respected and co-founding member, alongside the current clan head of the most august and venerable Hokubu Okami line, one of the richest yokai in Japan, a war hero and last of the Saburo, as well as the scion of the Noble and Most Ancient Oshiro clan?"

Jin's gaze narrows into an angry glare as she realizes there's two allusions missing from the man's descriptions. "Hey! Just because Tsukino and Suigetsu aren't rich or descended from nobility, doesn't mean they don't count! They're both as much leaders of the JNHRO, who helped influence and make it what it is, as the rest of us!"

The bureaucrat grins.

Jin pauses, reflecting on her words.

"FUCK!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

Well, I came up with a blast from the past idea. regarding the Butterknife Bastards.

Omake-A Fox, a Dove, and a Hound.

Swamp bordering the Ohio River, 1927

Captain Jacklyn Fox(-Muramasa) was not having a good day.

She was potentially running late with her 'meeting' with Tony Russo to deliver this boatload of illegal bourbon to his operations in St. Louis. While Jacklyn had confidence in her ability to talk her way out of trouble, she was worried about her recently discovered older half-sister's ability (uggh, blech, never think again about hitting on her even if she was a cutie) to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and set the Russo Boys off. As much fun as a good brawl or a good chase was, Jacklyn would like to get paid first. And paid she would be, once she managed to fix the damage to the barge's engines from their shootout with the Ku Klux Klan yesterday. Sadly Reparo spells only went so far, and Colombe was clueless when it came to marine engineering.

Lady High and Snooty didn't know what she was missing by being a passenger on board a ship as opposed to standing on deck with the wind in your hair and the wheel in your hands as you ran the Roaring Forties 'down easterly' around the Cape of Good Hope. Jacklyn would just have to educate her poor deprived half-sister as to what she was missing.
Spoiler

"Maybe another round the world trip with Colombe and Jeza and Del? Heh, I can't wait for Del to meet her other big sister."

With a reminiscent sigh of memory about days gone by and a smug grin at the expected expression her baby half-sister would have once she arrived after the message that she sent, Jacklyn returned to trying to get the diesel to run.

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

MACUSA Auror Captain Delilah de Breuil(-Muramasa) was not having a good day.

After being pulled off vacation by an all-call alert, she had been living on Invigoration Draught chased down with coffee since then as her team and the others tried to deal with this Statute breach after being first on the scene. She hated the taste of Invigoration Draught, but needs must.

Waving her wand (English oak, Thunderbird tail feather, nine inches, gnarled but supple), she grinned tiredly as the granite statue dedicated "To Our Honored Southern Dead" finally lowered its hand back to the hilt of the carved saber rather than give an obscene gesture toward the courthouse across the park in Louisville, Kentucky.

She turned to her section leader and gave a thumbs-up in response to his unspoken query, idly tucking some of her chestnut-colored hair from her face as they walked to the nearby hotel. "What's next, sir?"

"We have the wanted posters now. Here's one so you know the culprit, although she's not been seen for the last two days." With that he handed over a poster and Delilah scanned the face of the smugly smirking blonde girl. "Team Five managed to put down that transfigured cat on the docks, and Three says that they managed to stun the last of those wasps that she upsized. Watch out for them if you see one, Broadmoor got stung and he's with the mediwizards now. It looks like all that's left is the Obliviations, and you have done enough, Captain de Breuil. Get some sleep, especially since you got called in off vacation for this."

"And the Nomajs?"

"Most of them will recover. Three are dead, and one was a suspected Scourer so nothing of value was lost there. Cover story is going to be a bootlegging gang war got a bit out of hand."

Delilah gave a smug grin. "At least something good came out of this close call. I'll go back to on call status then?"

With that, she glanced around and Disapparated to head back home...where an owl from Jacklyn was unexpectedly waiting for her.

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

Colombe D'Aubigny(-Muramasa) née du Chasteler was not having a good day.

It had been quite a while since she had been this hungover and her stomach was still doing backflips (ugh, blech, stupid brain, stop thinking about flirting with your literal fox of a half-sister last night). Still, she mused as she sat on top of the cabin and scanned the stinking, miserable swamp that they had took refuge in, it could be worse. After all, as bad as being on the run from the law-again-and having a pack of murderous bigots who thought slavery was a great idea out for her blood-again-was, this was not nearly as bad as the Great War. Nothing could be as bad as the Great War.

She was no closer to coming up with a way to permanently deal with the prospective Dark artifact that she had come to Louisville to get answers about, though. Automatically her hand reached to the small of her back to touch the African axe firmly in place in the loop in her karkadann-hide swordbelt that she had had commissioned in 1776 back in India. One of her first adventures looking back on it...was it already a hundred and fifty years since she had quested for Shambhala in the 'Land of Snow'? Her distant look did not see the swamp so much as a far-distant valley in the Himalayas where a monastery clung to the rock cliff like a gecko as snow came down from the roof of the world.
Spoiler

She should take Jacklyn along if she ever went back to India. Colombe would just have to educate her poor, deprived half-sister as to what she was missing.

With a reminiscently smug grin, Colombe returned to her watch when a sudden crack of Apparition sounded from the deck below her. Eyes narrowing at the sudden appearance of a chestnut-haired woman with a rifle slung across her back, she silently swore. I'll not kill her, she's family. Beat her black and blue before making an exit, that's the ticket. First the Auror though.

With that promise she drew her blade and leapt down behind the Auror. Focusing her magic through her blade she cast a full-body-bind curse as she landed.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Smugly smirking, she nodded in satisfaction before tracing a sigil to reinforce her hex on the Auror. Suddenly a shout interrupted her musings, causing her to whirl in shock.

"Don't hurt her, she's our sister too!"

SISTER?!?!?!

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

Delilah sighed mentally at the sight of the three bloodstained bodies in white robes on the deck of the barge that she had Apparated to. Jackie, Jackie, Jackie, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time? I'll not kill her, she's family. Beat her black and blue before fixing her mess, that's the ticket. First find Jackie and learn how bad it is this time.

Delilah's musings about her scapegrace elder half-sister were rudely interrupted by the thump of boots on the deck behind her. Shit shit shit! It's bigger trouble than I thought!!

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Delilah felt her avatar freeze up and fall to the deck. Her leaf-green eyes widened in shock as she saw the witch enter her field of view. It was the blonde-haired lady from the wanted poster! Blue eyes narrowed at her predicament and the witch smiled smugly before giving a satisfied nod. Holding a rapier in one hand with unconscious grace, she traced a sigil over her body with the point, then whirled at Jacklyn's shout from behind her.

"Don't hurt her, she's our sister too!"

SISTER?!?!?!

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

Jacklyn grinned with satisfaction as the diesel engine coughed twice and began to idle. Taking a swig from the jar of 80 proof 'throat lubricant' on top of it, she wiped her hands with a rag before poking her head out the hatch to the engine room.

Delilah popped in as she watched, then Jacklyn's brown eyes widened in horror as Colombe leapt down behind her, drawing her sword.

Shit shit shit! I forgot to tell Colombe about sending that owl off to get Del here!!

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Jacklyn burst out of the hold, shouting at the top of her lungs to ward off the impending garbage fire.

"Don't hurt her, she's our sister too!"

Jacklyn felt her heart resume beating as Colombe stared at her in shock before whirling to look down at Delilah, then back to Jacklyn. The rapier's point slowly dropped as the other sword-spirit stared back and forth, then Colombe made a slashing gesture with her sword over Delilah to dispel her spell. As the youngest of the three sisters picked herself up off the deck, Colombe began to laugh helplessly, tears running down her cheeks before suddenly heading to the rail to yet again water the fish.

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

One short set of explanations later found the three of them in the cabin staring at the small arsenal on the table, all of which were glowing the exact same light pink color thanks to the magical lineage spell Delilah had cast. Jackie was finally the first to stir, picking her boarding cutlass up and sheathing it, before looking at the other two.

"You shouldnae have doubted the word of Cap'n Jacklyn, the Red Fox of the Sargasso Sea! Now this calls for a dram of grog to celebrate this reunion! Splice the mainbrace, for the sun is o'er the yardarm!"

As the pirate turned to go collect some hooch from the cargo, Colombe shook her head slowly. "Bon sang! I could stand a stiff drink. Um..." The elder sword blushed and then extended her hand to the younger revolver. "No hard feelings about the curse?"

Delilah took the offered hand and clasped it, her leaf-green eyes meeting her aristocratic sister's crystal blue. "No hard feelings. Mind you, did you have to cause all that trouble getting out of town? What possessed you to pick a fight with the Klan and the Scourers?!?"

Colombe gave a sheepish shrug as she sheathed her rapier. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, Delilah."

"You must be related to Jackie. At least I got Mom's brains. Generally." Delilah absently replied as she automatically checked her cartridges before holstering her true form.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Walking along the length of the classroom, Wilhelm nodded at the class who were taking notes while sparing glances to his wife. Said woman was sitting on the desk and leaning back with a slight smile on her face as she also spared glances for her husband. Much to their amusement, the two of them had become rather popular among the students.

Part of that, of course, was due to their no-nonsense attitude when performing lab work. It also helped that they tried to intersperse written work and lectures with actual examples of alchemy at work. Another part though was due to their looks as Wilhlem was seemingly a young, handsome man while Gwen herself got no less attention from the male half of the school. Over the last two months, they had built up a reputation, as while they did lecture on various subjects such as the history of alchemy, they did not allow for it to become boring.

Needless to say, they were rather popular.

Turning back to the class, the male of the two cleared his throat, "Now then, I am to understand that you have all been learning about the witch hunts that led up to the implementation of the Statute of Secrecy, ja?"

A confused expression on her face, Tracy gave a nod, "Yes? But what does that have to do with Alchemy, Professor?"

Instead of Wilhelm answering though, it was his wife, "Quite a bit." Hopping off from the desk, Gwen placed her hands behind her back as she spoke, "Alchemy, or the legal circumstances around it, was also a factor with the implementation of the Statute of Secrecy. In particular, around the creation of Philosopher's Stones."

More than one of the students frowned at that and there were whispers before one of the Ravenclaws spoke up, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Lips curling, Gwen nodded some and made a gesture with one hand, "There were several attempts to limit alchemy. In particular, King Henry IV outlawed 'Multiplication' with the Act Against Multiplication. While some history courses will tell you that this was due to magic being able to multiply objects, that was not the full story. For you see the act was rather to ban the creation, or multiplication, of silver and gold via alchemy."

Every student was listening as Wilhelm took over the explanation, "It was around this time that Nicolas Flamel revealed that he had succeeded with creating a true Philosopher's Stone, and several immature versions were also created. One needs to understand the worry that the King of England had at the time to better understand. Money in the form of gold and silver was under the control of government and it was now proven that one could transmute lead into gold and iron into silver. Someone with either type of Stone could, in fact, flood the market as it were with the precious metals in question. Now, what would happen in such a case... Mister Potter?"

Lowering his hand, Harry stood up, "With so much gold and silver, the value of it would plummet, Sir."

Once he sat down, both teachers nodded. Gwen then gestured at the board where a map of Europe was shown with various different colors. Any historian would recognize that it was a map of Renaissance Europe, "Indeed, the value would plummet with so much gold or silver on the market. This in turn would make money being issued by the Kings and Queens also worthless. And it was not a fear that had no backing either." Gazing at each student, she leaned back against the desk, "Such a thing happened in real life with the Spanish when they conquered the New World. They brought back so much gold and silver that they were flush with it... and soon found themselves having money issues due to their money having no real value. At the same time, prices dramatically rose in Europe due to the loss in value. All of which caused economic issues."

With a small nod, her husband took over, "This had an effect on us alchemists and magicals as a whole. The Philosopher's Stone was one of the greatest goals for an Alchemist, even a imperfect, or immature stone meant that one would have great funds for further work and be able to live much, much longer. Suddenly, it was against the law in England, and other places also put into effect similar ones. In order to continue work, one had to do it in secrecy or else face... punishment, for it."

Gwen turned her head to take in the room, "Of course, this was not the only thing at the time. Some alchemists were also attempting to create homunculi, servants that were humanoid and sapient, yet would obey the every command of their creators. In other words, the perfect slaves... It goes without saying that performing such is treading into the Realm of God, Himself. Nor was it something that was looked on upon well. Such things caused suspicion to fall upon alchemists. This had effects to a lesser extent upon other magicals, especially potioneers as some were unable, or unwilling, to differentiate between the two." Silent for a few moments, she gave a thin smile, "The Law Against Multiplication though was struck down in 1689, just a few years before the implementation of the Statute of Secrecy. King William and Queen Mary only did so because it would allow for them to gain, but by that point it was too little, too late."

Noticing a hand, Wilhelm nodded and pointed, "Yes, Herr Johnson, what is it?"

The young man rose and had a confused look on his face, "You mentioned homunculi... did anyone ever actually manage to create one?"

Neither of their teachers answered right away. But then Wilhelm shook his head, "That is unknown, though there were a number who did get quite close. Due to the secrecy that many alchemists had, we might never know the truth of such matters though some did claim to have cracked it in modern times. As a matter of fact, Grindlewald performed experiments to create his own, though once more if he succeeded, no one knows."

Both of them continued to answer questions before Gwen clapped her hands with a smile, "Well now, we do have some time left in class and I know that many of you are excited for Hogsmeade Weekend. Before we do though, if you would like to stay back for some time we have prepared a demonstration with an alchemy experiment. One that you can all observe."

It goes without saying that each of the students, Harry included, looked at each other and sat back down. Lightly laughing, the male of the two teachers shook his head, "Nein, nein, no need for that." Waving a wand, there was a duplicate of their desk with each teacher taking one, "Now, split up class and pick one of us. There is no need to worry as we shall be performing the same experiment, a somewhat complicated non-magical one, yes. But one that still demonstrates alchemy and how fascinating it is."

Sharing looks, the students split in two and gathered around the desks as the professors set up retorts. With a nod, Gwen gestured at the board and a drawing that looked like a woodcut appeared. It was... odd, to say the least to the students. There was a red dragon of some sort in the foreground while in the background was the sight of a fox eating a rooster... while a rooster was on its back eating the fox. With a nod, the witch smiled at the picture, "Here we have part of the equation for the experiment that we are about to perform."

Arms crossed, Harry tilted his head as he tried to figure it out. One of the things that had become very rapidly apparent was that while learning the experiments and processes were one thing, it was hard to figure out. Mainly because most alchemist books had them all written in code that was often metaphorical. What was written was not much easier as Harry's eyes ran along the words, 'The King must be conquered by water, utterly shattered and made invisible... but his visible form must this time appear again... and one cannot go forward unless the salty sea has swallowed the corpse, then entirely spat it out again.' Eyebrows furrowing, he frowned deeper as he continued, 'It repeats a few times and then... "then raise up [the king] in degree so that he far surpasses all the other stars of heaven in brightness…this is the rose of our masters, scarlet in color, and the red dragon's blood…Endow him with the flying power of a bird as much as he needs, thus the rooster will eat the fox, be drowned in water, be made living by fire, and be eaten in return by the fox, so that like and unlike are made alike."... Sometimes I really hate this.'

There was a glint of amusement in Gwen's eyes which was shared with Wilhelm's own. Giving their students some time to attempt to figure it out as they gathered the materials and set up safety spells, Wilhelm nodded, "Very well, who has answered the riddle?" Getting shakes of their heads, he just smiled wider. One thing that all his students learned was that he never got disappointed with them over not solving alchemical equations quickly.

In fact, he hammered time and again that attempting to do so would lead to failure and worse.

Clearing her throat, Gwen gestured at the table, "Now, the 'King' mentioned is the King of Metals, gold. The water is a powerful acid..." Putting the gold into the retort, she poured in the acid and everyone watched as the gold dissolved into it as Wilhelm did the same at his desk. She then waved her wand and gave a wink, "Now, watch..."

With a tap, the flame began its work and soon the solution boiled away revealing the gold again. Then she poured in more solution which dissolved the gold once more. Both she and Wilhelm repeated the process several times as the students all watched with shield charms preventing them from coming too close to the equipment. One of the students then pointed at the neck of the retort, "What's that!?"

All the students had dropped jaws as they could see red crystals forming in the necks of the retorts. Wilhelm gave a nod, "That, mein students, is what the No-maj refer to the chemical, gold chlorate." Gesturing at the retorts, he gave a slight grin, "We have dissolved the King in the Water, and then made reappear again. The 'Sea' has entirely swallowed the King's Corpse and Spat it out whole. But then we raised the King until he surpassed the stars in Heaven, a rose of our Master's blood, of dragon's blood." Eyebrow raised, the alchemist chuckled, "Or in far less poetic terms, we had gold go from a solid, to being dissolved into a liquid state... and then turned it into a vapor that recrystallized once the temperature dropped to a certain level. A magnificent example of alchemy at work."

His wife shared a small smile at the chatter of the students. Once it calmed down though, the female teacher spoke up, "Now then, you may all take some notes if you please. But we do have one bit of exciting news before you all leave. As we have actually gone further then either I or Wilhelm have thought we would, if we keep up the pace then in December we shall start you all on performing some alchemical exercises of your own with supervision. In particular, work on creating glowing Bologna stone. It is non-magical, but we shall work on it first and it is a decent enough place to start." Listening to the excited chatter, she leaned back and watched as they took notes on what had happened as they were taught. Once they left, she closed her eyes and sighed, "I missed this."

Moments later, her husband's hands moved around her waist and she leaned back into his arms, "Ja, as have I." A slight smile crossed her face as Wilhelm's lips ghosted across her neck sending a shiver down her back, "And as usual, you were wonderful... beautiful... amazing..."

Each word he punctuated with kiss against skin which made Gwen squirm even as she grinned. Rather then push him away though, she tilted her head to give him more access to her neck, something that he immediately took advantage of, "Mmm... go on."

Smiling against her skin, the male alchemist began to kiss her along her jaw line even as his hands moved upwards, "I could go on with such words forever, my love. And they would never equal the description within mein heart for you."

Gwen turned her head enough to capture his lips with hers with the kiss deepening. Pulling back as her chest heaved and her eyes practically glowed, she shuddered, "Wilhelm... lets put away the equipment first... and then..."

Lips curling upwards, Wilhelm gave her another deep kiss as they pressed their bodies together before pulling back, "Ja, we should put everything away and clean up. Perhaps we should discuss going down to Hogsmeade ourselves...?"

Pearly teeth showing, his wife chuckled, "Well, that is if we have any time for discussion before tomorrow morning..."

All Wilhelm did was grin back at her before kissing her once more.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K Omake: "By your powers combined!"/"BEHOLD THE DARK ONE!"

mikelima777 said:
I can imagine people secretly making the digging motion everytime Jin gets foot in mouth syndrome.​

Jin right now;
Spoiler

Yellowhammer said:
- Butterknife Bastards -​

Absolute kek.

Also, it occurs to me that you basically have the three traditional non-combat roles of an RPG party in the three.

Colombe - The Muscle
Jacklyn - The Face
Delilah - The Brains

"By our powers combined, we are a function adult!"

Alternately;

*Colombe looks between Jacklyn and Delilah*

Jacklyn: "What?"

Colombe: "If you're the brains of this operation, we're in serious trouble. I vote Delilah be put in charge of planning."

Delilah: "I vote for myself too."

Jacklyn: "Hey! That be against the rules! Ye can'e vote fer yerself!?"

Delilah: "Screw the rules, I have money."

Colombe: "Also, you plan would no doubt involve rolling up to the gate with alcohol in hand, and either seducing the guards or getting them inebriated. Probably both."

Jacklyn: "Hey! That's not..... entirely..... we could have gotten their keys and uniforms off of them as well...."

*Judging looks from Colombe and Delilah*

Jacklyn: "At least it would'a been a fun plan!"

Darth Thanatos said:
EDIT: This is a public service announcement: COPACETIC HAS UPDATED! I repeat, COPACETIC HAS UPDATED!

This is CLEARLY a sign of THE DARK ONE's benevolence! Rejoice!​

pffft lol.

gaea said:
So. Jin's seer is that one blind Abyssal that is utterly terrified of her. How does that make her Jin's?

Also nice to see that the Seer's caretaker noticed how many Abyssals are signing the treaty to live peacefully.​

Well..... considering the Abyssals see Jin in the same vein as the kind of Old Testament gods you worship as much to appease and keep them from getting angry at you, as much as you ask for favors and good fortune, and after what they went through....

That and it's a bit hard to be skeptical or not believe in something you saw horrifically hunt, stalk and kill all your friends, wear someone's hollowed out body like a meat-suit, blind you as the last thing you ever actually see, eat your friend's arm, survive getting it's head blown off, and require a heroic sacrifice from your other surviving fleet-mate just for you and your other friend to escape, only for it to still live anyway.

Seraphim500 said:
Heavenly shenanigans and plotting and the bladed offspring meet.

Well i got lucky just got Prinz Eugen in AL from construction​

If the experiences of others so far are a sign, remember to say three "Behold the Dark One"s and thank her for your good fortune (as well as your continued existence, and lack of terrifying, painful, cruel and unusual death at her hands)

wildredlifer said:
That was when the Celestial IRS said Gotcha to Jin much to her Poor poor Wrist and bank accounts suffering.​

"Well.... on the bright side, I already assumed I had fuck all available, so now after everything owing has been settled, I'm still in a slightly better position considering the amount of fuck all available."

Shinr said:
Did Soma somehow inherited some form of divination from Kassandra, or is it just fate/destiny nudging them?​

Fate/Destiny, and the fun irony of the most vocal disbeliever in Kassandra (who was literally a 'Cassandra' in that nobody ever believed her) and thought her slightly cracked, then eventually becomes a 'blind seer'.
Spoiler

U.N.Spacy000 said:
Jin's going to go home, get drunk, and complain to Kiba and the other JNHRO members. They'll have a laugh and decide to roll with it to annoy Jin, and JNHRO officially becomes her court which adds Equality, Humane Rights, and Social Justice to Jin's portfolio. Jin complains about it up to the point she realizes she can smack down certain annoying people as 'false prophets' trying to lead her worshipers astray.​

Jin has a feeling what's going to happen, as soon as she sees Tomokako's grinning face.

"Behold the Dark One!" shouts the kitsune as an exuberantly jubilant welcome back to Zuchi.

"Thanks," grunts Jin, giving the cackling possibly-maybe-is-or-isn't-a-tenko the evil eye as she prances away to join Chisuheri in the garage for something.

When she sees Kiba at the door however, a suspicion forms when she sees the smirk he's doing a very poor job of hiding.

"Behold the Dark One," he says, if it were casual greeting.

"Really?" asks Jin in exasperation, earning only a grin from the wolf as she head inside.

"Hey!" says Kogamaru excitedly, as he spots her from the kitchen. Unfortunately, when he leans around the doorway to double check it really is her, the mizuchi's hopes for a normal greeting are dashed.

"Behold the Dark One!"

"Get bent bratling!" the nascent Abyssal patron yells back, heading further into the house.

"Behold the Dark One!" shouts a voice from the other side of the room as she enters the main living area of the Zuchi house.

"Up yours!" retorts Jin angrily to the unidentifiable voice.

Unfortunately, this exchange only draws greater attention to the fact that she is now back and present. Realizing she is present, gradually, everyone in the room turns to look at her, grins and smirks on their faces as many either exaggeratedly raise their hands, mockingly bow, or affect the motions of faux-prayer.

"Behold the Dark One!"

"Fucking really?!"

"Behold the Dark One!"

"Are you all god damn five?"

"Behold the Dark One!"

"Go fuck yourselves!"

"Behold the Dark One!"

"Eat my ass!"

"Behold the Dark One!"

"You're all fucking bratlings!"

Finally the crowd parts, as a figure walks towards her. Poker faced and seemingly ignoring the joke/prank taking place around them, is Ai in some of her more traditional regalia. Quietly quirking an eyebrow, the kotengu then offers her a bottle of sake.

"Well, thank fuck somebody has their head still on straight. Thanks Ai, I could use this."

Accepting the bottle, the mizuchi takes a hit straight from the source, without even bothering to looks for the source. She pauses mid-drink however, when she at last sees the brief-flicker of the amused smirk that the kotengu pilot is restraining, shine through her mask. Slowly, Ai then raises a hand with ritualistic triumph and grace.

"The Dark One accepts our offering!" she declares with bold amusement and gravitas.

Jin spit takes as the room bursts out into yet another round of caricatured religious celebration.

"Behold the Dark One!"

"Behold the Dark One!"

"Behold the Dark One!"

"God damnit, fuck all of you!"

SkyeFire said:
Aaaaand this is the moment we remember that these three have the least dumpster-fire-iffic family relationship. Obviously, adding humans to the Muramasa bloodline results in decreased insanity.

The obvious conclusion is that the Muramasa bloodline is capable of being too much of a good thing.

Yellowhammer said:
It also helps that they never had sisters who they actively fought when owned, never had to deal with Bad Kyoshu, and especially never had the burden of expectations as a Muramasa masterwork versus 'be yourself'. Remember that Colombe and Jackie both never knew who their father was for a long, long time so by the time they realized that they are Muramasas, they had already constructed a personality not including that fact. In fact, Colombe does not yet know about her heritage from Norimune as the daughter of one of the legendary blades of Japan versus 'that bastard who abandoned Mom and me'.​

Arguably the biggest factor right here.

Compared to their 'father' and aunts, all of them actually had pretty okay childhoods and support networks growing up. Even Jacklyn, though mildly discriminated against for 'appearing' a halfbreed of some kind, had role models, companions, care, and comfort from (most of) the orphanage staff and magical sailors she hung out with.

Colombe and Delilah meanwhile, both grew up with actual families, who supported and looked after them, and could always be there to help or lean on as they grew up. Delilah probably is the most well adjusted of the three really, considering that she grew up with most of the questions that would have hung over the other two known be her mother and her older sister. Jezabel's money and the de Breuil's status would have protected her from the worst of the stigma of having an absent father or the awkward questions as to why she's always going everywhere with or concealing a veritable muggle hand-cannon. And she would have had Jacklyn there to provide something of both a role model in terms of her abilities, and a figure occupying a combination of 'older sister' and 'fun uncle' roles of the family.

Yellowhammer said:
Well, the problem is that, as you noted, Colombe is working on incorrect and incomplete data.

We the omniscient readers know that Colombe's (and Jackie's, and Delilah's) abandonment was primarily because Norimune didn't know about any of them and never found out.

Colombe does not know yet what Norimune knew. She knows that her 'father' didn't even show up at her mother's funeral, that Norimune did not intervene when Jacklyn's mother was imprisoned and pleading the belly, and then most damningly, that Norimune never responded to any of the "I'm pregnant" messages that Jezebel sent her after the 'betrayal' of Norimune by Jez. I'd note that this situation was compounded by Norimune's decisions not to return to Brussels for Julie D'Aubigny's funeral, and then to discard all Jezebel de Breuil's messages unopened. Norimune very much made her own bed here and is going to have to lie in it since it is not all that tough to envision her as a heartless cad who was loving and leaving women across the globe for a century and a half when you know what Colombe knows right now.

That said, what Norimune says and does when her daughters finally track her down will be critical for their relationship moving forward. By the time that it happens, Colombe would have heard from Jezebel that Norimune was horribly injured by her past and that Norimune loved Julie very deeply. So she is going to want to hear Norimune out, and probably even if Nori crit-succeeds on her fast talking check will still want to beat Norimune up a little over the shit that Colombe and her half-sisters got put through. But deep down Colombe really wants her father to accept her and be part of her life and would be shattered if Norimune was the cad that she sometimes thinks that Nori might be.

One of the primary reasons that Colombe currently has the search for Norimune back-burnered, is that she got the message that a reunion in the 1870s would hurt her father, after all.

EDIT-While Norimune is not my character, I also suspect that finding out that her oldest daughter never gave up on finding her despite all the shit that life threw at Colombe and still wants a family relationship will penetrate Norimune's shell of cynicism like very few things can. Also, a further thing is that while Norimune is not proud about what she did in WWII, Colombe can very much relate to being put in a hellish situation and doing what you can to survive day to day with the damage to your principles, since Colombe went through WWI in the trenches and experienced some of the worst of it.​

Colombe's vitriol toward her would also be quite the gut punch to Norimune, on top of the initial shock. Though she merrily slept around with uncountable men and women, Julie was probably something akin to her 'first great love', no matter how casual or open the two might have been.

SkyeFire said:
Yeah, but you're thinking rationally. Colombe has several centuries' worth of mad built up, and even such a reasonable excuse won't make that just vanish. My personal expectation is that she'll restrain herself, but keep sniping at Norimune, who keeps sniping back because she's emotionally badly off-balance and the default Muramasa reaction to feeling insecure is ATTACK, Delilah will be trying to be the voice of reason, and Jackie'll be swigging moonshine and kibitzing in whatever way stirs the pot the most (American Kitsune? I wonder if Coyote considers Jackie to be part of "his" baliwick?).

Eventually, Nori and Colombe get under each other's skin enough to decide things with a no-holds sparring session. And Colombe probably loses, although only after making a better fight of it than Tsukiakari did, partly b/c she's simply older and more experienced, and partly b/c Nori will not be bringing her A game -- half her brain will still be grappling with the concept "this is my kid," and dealing with "wait, normal people don't go all-out against their own kids, right?"

Besides, if there's anyone for whom the anime trope of "communicate through your fists" works for, it's probably sword-spirits, especially Muramasas. I imagine that, once they get into their groove, Nori and Colombe will "communicate" more over a half-hour of trying to beat each other senseless than they could with a week's worth of awkward attempts to verbal communication.

Heck, I'd give even odds that at some point later in the week, Nori offers to take on all three of them at once, in an honest but ham-handed attempt at filial bonding, and the girls take it the wrong way.

I imagine that once Nori manages to come to grips with the emotional bombshells (she's a parent, Jeza didn't betray her, she's a parent, her kids want to get to know her[1], she's a parent, oh gods how many others may there be out there?), her most likely approach to bridging the gap will be training (probably starting with "hey, if you used that during Big Fight N, you'd get turned into razor blades -- lemme show you how it's done."), because that's one of the few positive kinds of personal interaction that Nori's good with and confident about.

[1] Nori's almost certainly going to go through a phase where: "The kids were better off without me ever in their lives, probably still are, I mean look at how much better their lives were and are compared to my complete dumpster-fire clusterfuck of my entire life, I should be such a complete ass to them they give up on me forever and stay out of the splatter range, it's best for everyone."
This will probably require percussive cognitive realignment to break her out of the rut.
Yellowhammer said:
Yeah, Colombe will absolutely be verbally flaying Norimune if nothing else since she has had those three centuries to hone her wit and dream about what she is going to say to 'Dad' when she finally tracks the Mom-leaving, irresponsible, two-timing bastard to ground. She might ditch a few things out of deference to finding out from Jezabel about Nori's sucktastic life, but I expect her to give it to Norimune with both barrels and maximum venom, also referring to Jackie and Delilah's mothers. In fact, probably bringing Jezabel into the rant results in Norimune shooting back once that button is pressed and things going to a 'sparring session'.​

Things that Colombe could say in the heat of the moment, to earn herself a Norimune going Rage of Sparta Muramasa:

- Bringing up her not being there more for Julie after Marie Louise Thérèse de Senneterre's death, or accusing her as simply stopping by to have her way with her mother while she was emotionally vulnerable
- Suggesting that her lazy, drunkard and self-focused ways, caused Sally Grey to die waiting for her
- Accusing her of simply giving up and running back to France after the revolution, rather than continuing to strive for the peace and future she envisioned and believed in when the fighting was over
- Calling her out for being more obsessed with her own ship, than actually helping or showing any loyalty to the country and people Julie called her own and for whom Norimune had spent almost a century intermittently fighting for
- The debacle with Jezabel could have been avoided if she wasn't so childish or cowardly
- Calling her out as a war junkie who continued to fight, even after getting 'exiled' back to Japan
- Asking whether it was actually care for her students, or really just lust for battle that caused her to sign up for the Second-Sino Japanese War
- Mocking her for the sad, and bitter old wash up she's become.

*Cue Norimune who's been on the back foot and reeling from the armor piercing questions, abruptly digging in her heels and blocking with enough strength that it's Colombe who bounces off and is deflected.*

Yellowhammer said:
Colombe will put up a very good showing, but will probably lose the fight for several reasons. First, after the Big Fat Muramasa Park Renovation Project, Norimune probably realized how badly she went to pot after Honjo thumped her and has been getting back into shape. Second, as you noticed, Norimune has two centuries on her and there are very few tricks that she has that Nori has not seen before (maybe a few of the Congolese spells if that). Third, I suspect that about the only thing off her A game that Norimune will restrict herself from is the truly lethal stuff, which is also true for Colombe. After all Akutoku and Norimune 'spar' quite a bit and I headcanon some of that, especially in a safe area tends to involve some high-powered moves.

The reactions of the other Muramasas will be interesting, since I suspect that the throwdown happens on Nori's farm and probably as many butter knives as possible assemble to spectate.​

Something worth considering is that Norimune sandbagged heavily against Tsukiakari, and in the end beat her using slight of hand, more than overwhelming power or skill. And while Honjo outright curb-stomped her, that's more a mark of Honjo's strength, skill and ability to outclass, than any deficiency of Norimune's own.

Norimune going all out like Juuchi, against an opponent of similar weight class would certainly be a fireworks show to watch from a safe distance away.

It would also make for a fun, 'oh god, I fucked up moment' if Colombe were to finally clip one of Norimune's short fuses, causing her to briefly take the gloves off, and promptly begin no-selling or countering everything, even though they both have 'luck mode' running.

Yellowhammer said:
Probably will still end in tears, a dumpster fire, and four very battered blades when the smoke clears. Importantly, the daughters have only worked together as duos at most with Jacklyn/Colombe on the Mississippi, Jacklyn/Delilah on the round the world trip, and Delilah/Colombe in WWII.​

Meanwhile, consider Kago and Juuchi's sparring match, and the references to past friendly duels with her sisters.

The Muramasas fight dirty and gang up on one another all the time, so Norimune's probably far from rusty when it comes to engaging multiple opponents and getting dogpiled by people of similar or slightly lower skill, strength, power and exoticness of repertoire.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

OMAKE-Dove and Hound

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium 1946

Rain pattered on the windowpanes as the storm lashed the darkened grounds of the ancestral home of the du Chasteler family. The castle was darkened and brooding, with only one window lit the cheery red and yellow of firelight.

Inside the study, the firelight flashed gold letters from the leatherbound spines of books and caused the African masks and weapons that hung between the bookcases in displays to seem to move. The gods, spirits, and demons of the peoples of the Dark Continent danced in the firelight as the flickering flames caused the bold carvings to acquire a life of their own.
Spoiler: Tribal Mask


In the corner, an antique Bösendorfer grand piano played a soft, sad melody unattended by visible hands at the magical command of the castle's owner as the rain drummed the windowpanes in counterpoint.
Spoiler: Drunk Dove Music

The only occupant slumped in an overstuffed armchair before the fire, with a discarded newspaper at her feet next to several empty brandy bottles. One hand swirled a half-empty brandy snifter as she stared into the flames, while the other absently tapped out the notes of Clair de Lune on the hilt of the rapier leaning against her chair.

The flames flickered green, then back to warm gold as Delilah de Breuil Flooed into the castle. Delilah raised an eyebrow at the disheveled appearance and tear tracks of Colombe as her half-sister raised the snifter slightly before taking another drink. "God, Sis, you look like death warmed over. So you heard too?"

"Oui." Colombe replied in a hoarse voice, nudging the newspaper with her foot. The headline for the paper screamed about the sentencing of several prominent magical war criminals for atrocities committed during their service to Japan.

Delilah picked it up and rapidly scanned the article as she pulled a matching chair to sit across from Colombe. "I see. Want to talk about it, Sis?"

"Not particularly, no." Another swig of brandy. "But you didn't come here just to help me finish off the 1887 Baronne Jacques de Saint-Pastou bottles that I found while checking the castle cellars after the liberation. Hippolyte was a traitorous parricidal bastard, but he did know his brandies."

Delilah nodded, and gestured with her wand, floating a bottle of brandy and a second snifter to the table before hanging her shoulder harness containing her revolver on the chair back. "To answer the obvious question, Jackie doesn't know yet. She's shipping supplies to St. Brendan's purchased with her bounty money, so is someplace on the high seas. Mère knows and is... Mère. Something's up there, but I don't know what. She says that what reached the papers isn't the whole truth. Not by a long shot"

Colombe barked a bitter laugh and threw back the last of her brandy in the snifter. "You hardly need to tell me that, Del. Remember you are talking to your big sister who 'started the Great War', after all. If you listen to the ICW's description of that clusterfuck in Sarajevo. If the Daily Prophet said that the sun would rise tomorrow, I'd still check."

"Words to live by, yes." Delilah paused while pouring herself a quantity of brandy, and at Colombe's nod, refilling her sister's snifter. Delilah sipped then made a happy sound. "If any of this is left after tonight, I'll have to lean on you to take a bottle home to share with Mère and try to show Jackie that she doesn't need to drink that godawful rotgut all the time."

"Be my guest. You're family after all." A muffled sob as Colombe hunched a bit more deeply into her armchair and choked out a pained whisper. "...family..."

Delilah nodded and opened her mouth to speak then closed it as Colombe suddenly jerked upright and hurled the brandy snifter into the flames with a crash of shattering glass. Behind the sisters, the piano shifted into the Moonlight Sonata at a unvoiced command from its owner.
Spoiler: Angry Dove Music

"Family! And I should have been there for her! Damn Norimune for running off and leaving me...and damn me for not being there for her! Damn me for not being there for her...." Colombe snarled in rage as the flames burned blue from the spilled alcohol, then subsided as tears traced down her cheeks. "I could have been there for her if I was better. But no. If I had won that duel I could have stayed in Japan, and met her." Colombe choked out between sobs as she shuddered.

Delilah placed her snifter on the table and hurried over to cradle her sister. The elder sword clung to her and tears soaked the shoulder of her blouse. "You never told me about this. What happened?"

Colombe gave a pained laugh. "I was so close, so close! It was '64, Japan had just been opened to the West, and I didn't have her name yet, but I knew her description and that she was from Japan. I went there on one of Jardine's ships, and started making inquiries. Got a lead to a nearby temple that had information on swords."

Delilah nodded as her sister pulled away to look into her green eyes with red-rimmed blue. "Went there and the meekoh they call them. Instructor there, one of us, and the most arrogant prissy bitch I ever met told me to get out because us gaijin shouldn't defile the home of the Gods. Or something like that, my Japanese wasn't the greatest. Still isn't. Anyway, she told me to get screwed, I told Meekoh Punchable Face that she wasn't very hospitable and she needed to stop playing with herself and find a man or four, and one thing led to another. She finally told me to put up or shut up, and we drew."

Delilah mentally facepalmed, all too aware of Colombe's acid tongue as the older sword smirked. "Oh she was good. Very good. I was better on that day, it was one of my good days you see. Anyway, I pinned her blade Corps à corps and then kneed her in the groin. You should have seen her shocked face!"

Colombe gave a smug giggle. "That gave me the chance to load up a Bijalee Kee Mutthee and deck her. Wiped that smug right off her face when it landed and she dropped like a ton of bricks." Colombe disengaged from her sister's embrace, and flexed her left hand, surrounding it with a corona of crackling electricity. "Remind me to teach you this one, it can come in handy."

Delilah nodded. "Yeah. Looks like it, although I prefer to fight at range. If they are that close, they are too close. Fair fights are for morons after all."

"Tell me about it. Anyway, I was on top of the world. Then this old fellow came out and said that he would challenge me. If I won, he would guide me to Norimune, but if he won, I had to promise to leave Japan "until the Children of the Abyss join hands with the humans in peace". Whatever that shit meant. Means. Anyway, he took a training blade from one of the students and then we had at it."

Colombe looked very distant. "He was good. Very very good. Best I ever saw, really. I tried everything, even burned all the luck I had left...no joy. He knocked me down seven times...and I only got up six. Dammit. Yeah, I thought Grandpa would be a pushover until he moved and I mean moved." She shuddered and her hand came up to rub her left shoulder absently. "Anyway, when I hit the dirt the last time, I couldn't get up. Just had nothing at all left in the tank and I hurt places I never knew that I could hurt. Then he apologized to me. I think, my head was ringing after he broke my jaw with that last hit. Said that he was sorry, but this was too soon, and meeting Dad now would just lead to sorrow and death for us. And be patient and I'd be reunited with my true family one day. Guess he meant you although I didn't know about you, Del."

"Anyway, you know how I am about my oaths. Hardest thing I ever had to do was walk back to the docks and take the first ship out of there. Mon Dieu, compared to that walk, walking out of the Congo was easier. Easier on the spirit anyway. At least I had something to look forward to then even if it was a hot bath, fresh clothes, and confronting my bâtard of a nephew."

Delilah nibbled her lip absently, her mind whirring behind her leaf-green eyes. "Sis...that almost sounds like a prophecy. So if that's the case, you will meet Norimune again. And when that day comes, I'll be there alongside you, along with Jackie. I just hope Mère makes it to then."

Colombe nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah. If it was a prophecy, that kind of explains how the hell I survived the Congo and then the Great War. So many other people didn't. Too damn many."

Delilah headed over to the liquor cabinet and took a replacement tumbler out. "Too many indeed. Let's drink to absent friends, Sis, and to the family being reunited one day."

 

[darthcourt10]

K9Thefirst1

Many thanks to Harry Leferts for letting me play with his toys to see what could come of it, and approving. And also for beta-ing this for me. You helped me avoid an embarrassing continuity error.



Marital Negotiations

Ian Potter had closed his restaurant for the day (just in time to avoid a set of oni triplets looking for him), and after a pleasantly uneventful walk, was at last at the door that would welcome him into the apartments he shared with his attendants and the wives he picked to come with him. And welcome him they did.

"Welcome home Ian!"

"Welcome home husband."

"So, would you like dinner?"

"Or perhaps a warm bath?"

"Or do you just want us?"

Ian couldn't help but smile at the sight before him – Lyra, his legal (and utterly incorrigible) wife, with dark curly hair and slender of frame, and Koyomi, one of his Yuki-Onna Yokai wives (legally concubines, but he detested the term when applied to them), of pale complexion and mild in manners, and both clad in only a matching pair of frilly pink aprons.

"You practiced this."

"Guilty!" Lyra admitted with a shrug, "But really, what are you in the mood for first?"

Ian looked at the pair. And sighed, knowing he was about to disappoint them.

"I'm sorry you two, but I'm beat. Kamiazuki is once again nothing but one goddess or female yokai after another."

The two sighed in disappointment, but gave him a smile nonetheless.

"It cannot be helped I fear," Koyomi replied, "you have never been able to turn aside from a woman in need."

"Yeah, in need of a good-"

"Dinner, ladies. Dinner sounds good. After that I think I'll just go to bed."

The Yuki-Onna of the pair bowed.

"Very good, husband. We shall finish setting the table at once."

"And then I'll get us a nightcap. I'm thinking sherry."

With that the two turned and walked toward the kitchen… And Ian Potter smiled warmly at the view. Not for the first time, he reminisced on seeing Koyomi again.

As yokai, Ian had assumed his first loves would all outlive him. Then, in 1921, the Potter Estate received word that the magical residents of Hokkaido were suffering an epidemic of Dragon Pox. Barely recovering from the effects of the Spanish Flu just two years prior, the Dragon Pox proved to hit all the harder because of it among the wizards, witches and yokai of the communities on the island. Fortunately, biology spared the children from the worst of the epidemic, the immunities of their patriarch being passed down to them. Meanwhile, Ian's Yokai wives suffered the full brunt of the Europe originating plague, even with their decades of exposure to Ian, Lyra and Henry. This was especially true for the Yuki and Tsurara-Onna, the fever and flinty sneezes brought on by the disease being especially taxing for their ice-aligned bodies.

At once, Ian Potter and Lyra apparated to the compound as fast as possible, expanded trunks full to bursting with medicine and supplies in tow. Fortunately, they arrived early enough to shorten the disease and prevent most of the deaths that would surely have come… But only most.

Against the orders of local doctors, their Hone-Onna co-wives, and even Ian himself, Koyomi, dutiful, empathetic Koyomi, refused treatment so long as her friends and co-wives were suffering, even sneaking her dosages of health potions to the sicklier of their number. Soon enough the disease took its toll, and her case of the Dragon Pox escalated to include pneumonia. And from there, no matter what anyone could do, her case turned terminal, and just as 1922 grew old enough to move into Spring, their little clan had suffered their first loss. Not the mortal man Ian Potter, who had at the very least saved them from a life of selling their bodies and gave them their dignity back, but one of the long-lived of their number. Koyomi was mourned and enshrined in the hastily built family shrine, and they moved on. A little sadder, but alive, thanks to her quiet, dutiful, selfless nature.

And when his time came, who did he find waiting for him? Koyomi, still as lovely as she had ever been in life. And when he learned that he had ascended to Kami-dom and was required to come to the annual gathering of the gods? Without a moment's thought he chose Koyomi to be his first personal attendant. And when Lyra came a few years later, he did the same for her.

Their home away from home – as he and Lyra liked to think of their residences in the spirit world – was a lot quieter compared to what they knew while alive. Which Lyra quickly went to 'correcting.' And Ian was both excited for and dreading the day when all of his wives from life joined him in the afterlife. Between them and the score of 'attendants' Lyra had collected for him; Ian Potter was unsure if he could tend to his husbandly duties adequately.

Then again, Lyra was… Lyra, and had… an uncanny way with women that he didn't.

Thankfully, both of his wives present had changed into actual clothes by the time he sat at the table, and conversation flowed about the goings on of the day.

Koyomi saw to it that the affairs of the domicile were carried out as swiftly and efficiently as she had in life.

Lyra published yet another of her dirty books, and was already planning out things she wanted to include in the next one. And after hearing things that made even one of his experience blush, it was Ian Potter's turn at talking about his day.

"Shiromizu and her attendants came to my restaurant at lunch."

"Oooh! Three at once paired with Mistress and Servants? Sounds like you had fun!"

"I hope that Lady Shiromizu was not overly aggressive Husband. You may not care for such things, but she is new to the Kami and must consider her station among her elders."

"Shockingly," Ian replied sarcastically, "that's not what happened. Besides, it would've been weird considering that she's adopted Henry's Great-Grandson Harry as her little brother."

Koyomi chewed her nigiri thoughtfully, while Lyra frowned, remembering days gone by, and watching the events of one night in particular with horror and sorrow.

"A kami, adopting a mortal as kin? Has there been any talk of dissuading her from such? She is divinity after all, no matter how minor at present."

Ian smiled and shook his head at Koyomi.

"No, not so much as a whisper of it. I think everyone has learned their lesson from what happened with Princess Kaguya."

Koyomi nodded in approval and returned to her food, meanwhile Lyra refilled her mug of port.

"So, what do you think of the girl? Been a while since we've had a girl in the Potter Tree."

"She's a sensible girl. And she had a very level-headed upbringing even before she came across Harry. Her two attendants are an orphaned sunflower and spring spirit, and going by their conversation I suspect that she's looking to adopt one of the librarians."

Lyra nodded in approval.

"Yep. Potter all right. She's already collecting."

"Tut-tut Lyra," Koyomi chided, "do not say such things. She is a kami. It is only natural that she selects those she finds worthy of serving her court."

"Uh-huh. And how fast does that normally take? She doesn't even have more than a decade under her belt. And under a week into her first Kamiazuki and here she has two, likely three? And they are lost souls with nothing spectacular to their name, nor any good prospects, such that no other kami would have thought twice about ignoring them?"

"…Diligence and Compassion are admirable traits in a sovereign and a kami. It does not mean that she is 'collecting' anything. Besides, one does not 'collect' people. Nor is 'collecting' a familial trait."

Lyra stared deadpan to her co-wife. Then pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Right. I'll give you something of a pass because you never visited the family estate in England, but Keiko did in 1952 to collect Ian's ashes, and if that Hone-Onna were here she'd explain – in detail – exactly how wrong you are. HOWEVER! I can prove that Potters collect people when they can't collect things! First of all, what was little Harry's Waifu Count Ian?"

"I think you need to cut back on your anime if you're going to use words like that Lyra."

Lyra acted as if he actually answered.

"Exactly, a Fuck Ton! And then there's the unmistakable proof that is our life story. And afterlife story! Have you seen the number of wives and fuck-buddies Ian here collects?"

Koyomi raised a finger as if to make a point… And after a pregnant pause lowered it, saying nothing. Lyra took this as a victory and proceeded to smile smugly.
------

Juuchi jerked to the side, looking for someone. For she felt as though someone was encroaching on her territory.
------

"I'll admit." Ian mused, "ever since I came to Japan all those years ago, I became some sort of paragon of the Young Male's Fantasy. First it was you and your friends Koyomi, then there was that Jorogumo, then after I got engaged to Lyra-"

"Pray, husband," Koyomi interjected, raising a hand to catch his attention, "a moment. Did you say that you bedded a Jorogumo in life? And lived."

Ian paused mid-chew, exhibiting an unhealthy lack of damns to give for the claim he had just made.

"…Yes?"

"…I believe the term in the West is 'Bullshit.' The legends make it very clear that one does not simply fuck a Jorogumo."
------

Japan, 1881

"Mmm… Ah…. AHhh! AHHH Sweet mystery of life at last I've found you! / AAAAAAT LAAST I know the Secret of it AA~AAALLL!"
------

"But… I did."

Lyra was visibly deep in the proverbial rabbit hole, mouthing things to the effect of 'spider sex' before smiling lewdly and grabbing her notebook. Meanwhile, Koyomi stared at her husband. And then considered who she was talking to. And sighed in resignation.

"…Indeed. Considering that the legends also say that Yuki-Onna universally lead men to die in the snow, I suppose that even the more dangerous of yokai have more nuance to their existence. And given how they are like my race in that they consist solely of women, it is only natural that there are men out there – no matter how few – that do not mind the excess chitinous limbs in their lovers."

Ian nodded in agreement, and then paused mid-bite.

"You know… I think she may have come by our farm once, a few months later."

Koyomi looked to her husband startled, hand to her mouth in much belated concern, while Lyra looked up from where she was no doubt writing something obscene.

"How could you know Ian? More importantly, how could you not tell us that there was a Jorogumo so close to the children!"

The human spirit scratched the back of his head, thinking back to an event over a hundred and thirty years in the past.

"Well, I left her with a bag of provisions, she said that she was hungry when she caught me so I left her with my supplies, then telling her about the farm. I mean, I could see ribs in her side so she needed it a lot more than I did. Anyway, Chiho, Sora and me were in the woods to avoid the children when we were interrupted by a crash, and I figured it was a bear so I went to investigate. There were some knocked over trees, and I found my supply bag. I figure that she might have come to return it, though I don't know why she ran off rather than call out. I mean, it's not like we would've been mistaken for someone dangerous."

Ian looked at his wives… And was surprised to see their unimpressed expressions.

"What?"

"Lyra, would you explain this, or shall I?"

"I'll do it – Ian? After you screwed the spider-lady, and selflessly left her all the food you had in your possession, she wanted more of your Good Touch. So she follows your trail and what does she find? You screwing two women in the middle of the woods. Likely after concocting a mental image of you that didn't involve two other women. Or more. And thus, broken hearted, she ran off. End scene."

Ian looked between his wives, and sighed with regret.

"I suppose that's understandable. No matter how hungry she might have been, I'm well aware that it's extremely rare to find a woman willing to share a man." He said without the slightest bit of irony in his tone, "Still, I wish she could have met with me. We could have found a place for her with us. And with the war and the yokai reserves… I doubt she's even alive now…"
------

Shinjuku, At that Moment.

A busty woman, apparently in her late twenties, looked in the storage unit, one like it's millions of siblings across the world. The size of the ubiquitous U-Haul van, it had enough room to hold a college graduate's worldly belongings to their first crummy apartment. But despite all of that volume, it was filled to capacity with various statues, paintings, and other artistic works she and her late mother collected at the younger woman's behest over the better part of a century. Some of which she was preeetty sure was Nazis loot, considering how jittery the German guy was when she bought some of the items in 1947. With a sigh, she closed the shutter door and locked it. Rent was due. And while she could afford it (barely), her unit was getting cramped, and she had no intent to sell any of it.

The woman went home to her loft apartment. Locking the door and closing the blinds, she took off her pants to allow her lower body the liberty to change into its natural shape of a spider the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. After taking a few stretches, she walked over to her desk. According to what she had read, the town of Yamainutaira was a Yokai boom town, where Yokai could mingle with humans with nigh-impunity (or so the rumor mill said). Maybe they'd be interested in an art museum? Although… From what she read, it was a pretty blue-collar sort of place. But then again, the brochure she picked up at the rail station had a few local sites that seemed touristy. Niche touristy to be honest…

Then again, the sorts interested in local rural history were usually interested in anything that was old! It wasn't like she needed a full-sized museum, a tiny gallery space would free up a lot of space for her. The town would get something to appeal to city-slickers and folks passing through, plus have something to enrich the local culture, maybe even educate the local kids without having to pay for a long-ass field trip! And she'd get her collection out of the storage unit (and ideally close the lease on it), and she'd also get some income to support her passion – her Spider Silk Thread Sculptures. Hell, if she played her cards right, the Aristocrats still holding the land just might decide to become her patrons!

"…Okay, that would be a stretch goal. A 'nice to have' and nothing more. Come on Suzuno, focus on the likely!

"So… Do I send a letter to the Hokubu, since they're the big shot family there? Or do I send it to the town council?" she blew a lock of her utterly unmanageable hair out of her eye, "Maybe both…?"
------

Ian Potter shook his head, leaving regrets in the past where they belonged. "Now then… There is… one thing of more immediate importance to the family. – Lady Kuraokami was at the restaurant today-."

"Mmm!" Lyra sighed hungrily, "Now there's a treat I'd love for you to bring home Ian. Those tits! That ass!"

"Well, that could very well happen. During the act she asked for me to father her child."

Things got quiet, Koyomi stroked her chin in thought… While Lyra smiled in a way that teetered between lewd and affectionate, her thoughts likely see-sawing between the act of making the child and the child itself.

"I at first thought it was just an affect of the afterglow, that she was saying things she wouldn't otherwise say. But… No. She has wanted to be a mother for some time, and she wants the father to be me."

"This is unexpected." The Yuki-Onna pondered aloud, "She is one of the direct relatives of Amaterasu, Granddaughter of Izanagi and Izanami themselves. Do not misunderstand Husband, you are both a marvelous companion and an affectionate lover, any woman would do well to seek you out. And you are a part of Lady Kuraokami's court besides, but why should she choose you of all spirits and kami to sire her offspring, when she has prospects that would be much closer to her station?"

Lyra nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I've seen her in the baths. Not the trimmed down form she uses while holding court to keep guys from drooling, I mean the form she uses as her chosen default figure. If she's been wanting kids there is no reason why she shouldn't have a miniature nursery of children by now."

Ian sighed.

"Well, the answer to that question stems from… From her birth."

Lyra's eyes narrowed in confusion, while Koyomi's widened in realization before she hung her head in sorrowful understanding. Lyra looked between her husband and her co-wife before speaking up.

"Okay, for the ignorant foreigner in the room, could someone give me the basics?"

Koyomi looked to Lyra, then Ian, then back down to her half-finished plate of food.

"Lady Kuraokami… The patroness, creator and protector of my race… Her birth, was not something that was celebrated.

"It is said that Lady Izanami was pregnant once again, and all of Heaven was joyful. However, the kami in her womb was the kami of fire, Kago-Tsuchi. So great were his flames, that the very act of birthing him was enough to kill Izanami. Enraged with grief, Izanagi, the boy's father, drew his sword and slew the infant. And from the blood that dripped off his sword and struck the ground sprang Watasumi Sanjin of the Sea, now called Ryujin and his sister, Kuraokami, Kami of Cold, Darkness, and Rain."

"She said as much," Ian nodded in agreement, "'I was born from the spilled blood of my murdered infant father, unjustly slain by grandfather for the accidental death of my grandmother, an act my father could not control.' Apparently, every time she decided to bring up children with her boyfriend du jur, the circumstances of her birth apparently always came to mind and… Well, the relationship soon died after that. They just couldn't get over how she was born of the murder of a murderer. They likely assumed that any children of hers would be similarly cursed."

Lyra scoffed in surrogate offense.

"Bollocks! Bleeding bollocks is what that is! If she was cursed, I'm pretty sure it would have been obvious by now."

"Agreed," Koyomi said with a nod, "The intervening centuries have put paid to such notions of any curse other than the tragic timing of Fate."

"Besides, why is it the sister that's being made a pariah? Didn't you say that her brother is Ryujin? How much pussy has he gotten to have all those kids? I certainly don't see any signs of curses in that bloodline."

"How long has Lady Kuraokami desired motherhood Ian?"

Ian stirred his dinner with his chopsticks as his brought up the details of the conversation in his mind, pondering how much of what was told in confidence and intimacy he was at liberty to say. But… These were his wives. They could be trusted to keep discrete.

"Kura mentioned that the first real urge to have a child of her own was… Was seeing Amaterasu when she was pregnant with her first child. That 'maternal glow' you could say."

Koyomi stared wide-eyed for a moment before bowing her head in empathy.

"Ten-thousand years of longing. At the least."

The table grew quiet as the dead spirits of mortals contemplated the aching sorrow of the Eternal. Suddenly, Lyra's face drew up in a cheeky smile and planted her fist into her open palm.

"Right then! Ian, when is Lady Kuraokami coming over for the baby-making booty call? Tomorrow? Next week? Or will it be after Kamiazuki? I'll need time to get things ready. There're the scented candles, the rose petals, the mood lighting, then I need to decide on the soundtrack – Marvin Gaye? Luthor Vandross? Barry White? Oh! and of course, there's the chocolate fondant to acquire, and the ropes if we get to feeling kinky. OOH! And I'm going to need a whole new notebook! This sort of thing is exactly what I have been wanting to try in one of my books! 'A proud noblewoman, longing for a child and heir, turns to one of the lower-ranked members of her court – and his lovely wives of course – and they all work to help the noblewoman become with child in a night of a passionate five participant-!'"

"Actually Lyra," Ian somberly, but not maliciously, "it very well could be that she decides not to conceive by me after all. I told her to think long and hard on it before she committed."

"Well why not Ian?" she asked, looking much put upon, "We've already established that she wants children by you. And you love being a father! So if the both of you are shagging with the intent of conceiving it should be in the bag, as it were."

"Well… As I told her, if she wants me to be the father of her child, or children, then she and I cannot continue on as we have. Things would have to become… Serious. You know very well that I can't knowingly father a child and just ignore it."

Koyomi smiled warmly, holding a hand to her cheek as she visited to a long-ago time.

"Indeed Husband. It is one of your most noble traits."

"Right. So while I won't force her to marry me unless that's genuinely what she wants, the point is that we will be in effect. Now, what do you think that means? What was our homelife like during our stays in Japan Lyra?"

His human wife just nodded in understanding in lieu of an answer.

"So. I won't deny you or Koyomi or any of the others when their time comes if any of you want to join us. But at the same time, I don't want a woman whom I love and who is the mother of one of my children to feel forced into things she genuinely isn't comfortable with. For one thing, it isn't fair to her, and for another, it would be the height of hypocrisy on my part given that the only things I ever did deny you women, which you accepted without an argument, was involving a second man, or the off-label use of… Ahem, 'alternative conceptual aids' while with me.

"Those are the ground rules I gave her – If we do this, I'll be present as the child's father all his or her life. But at the same time, she and I cannot be fuck-buddies and nothing more anymore. With all that will imply. And I told her to take as much time as she needed to come to a decision over the matter."

His wives looked at him, then at each other, then back to their husband. In time Koyomi nodded in ascent, and Lyra crossed her arms over her flat chest bashfully.

"It is a fair and forthright set of terms, as is your way. Very well, it shall be as you wish Husband."

"Come on Ian, you make me out to be some sort of deviant."

"That is because you are," was the reply in stereo.

"…A fair cop. But it's not like I would've forced myself! If it bothers her so much, I wouldn't even be in the room."

"For the first night."

"…"

"After that you'd want to watch. And after that it's only a matter of time before you get handsy."

"Fine, Ian, I get the idea…"

"When will we hear from Lady Kuraokami regarding her decision Husband?"

Ian sighed, and took advantage of the last of his sushi to buy him time to consider the question before answering.

"It's an open offer Koyomi. We could hear from her as early as tomorrow morning, or any time after that."


------

Also, Lord K I hope this doesn't bungle any plans of yours should I go forward with Suzuno.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Walking down the hallway, Natsumi shifted the backpack she wore a little. After coming around a corner though, she smiled at the sight of two shipgirls there, "Niiyodo-San! Ooyodo-San!"

Both shipgirls turned and gave her a smile with Ooyodo nodding slightly, "A good day to you, Natsumi-San, ready to head to Hogsmeade for today?"

Still smiling, Natsumi gave a small nod, "Hai, I am. Especially as I'll have two days in a row."

That made the reddish haired of the two sisters in front of her blink before nodding. Finger against her chin, Niiyodo hummed, "That's right... Hogsmeade Weekend is two days, not one. And the students can go down both days. Hachi-San and the other Submarines seemed pretty excited about when they found that out and headed off to discuss some sort of plan..."

Eyebrow raised, her sister frowned, "Yes, though most only go down for one day and stay at the school for the others." Then she furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, "As for the Submarines, I have no clue what they are on about. Hopefully not too much trouble for us though."

Natsumi and Niiyodo shared a look before shrugging, the Kitsune scratching her head. "I don't expect that much trouble from them... They're probably going to plan their own trips to Hogsmeade."

If anything thought, that made the Secretary Ship frown. Something... was ticking her in the back of her mind, "That's right, they're also planning on accompanying Harry-Chan on his Hogsmeade Weekends."

That got her a nod as her sister adjusted her glasses, "Hai, Onee-Sama. Well, then as well as Shinano-San, Louisiana-San, and I think Regina-San, though I am not too sure about that last one. You did leave it to me to organize."

Something still tickling in the back of her mind, Ooyodo hummed, "True, and you have been doing a good job."

A smile on her face, Niiyodo began to tick off on her fingers, "I looked it up, there seems to be about four Hogsmeade Weekends a year. One in late October, one around mid-late December but before the holidays, one in early February, and the final one in late April. There are no further ones besides that as one starts heading into exam time and by the time they are done, only a week or two is left for school."

Finger tapping her arm, Ooyodo furrowed her eyebrows in thought, "That would mean that, if this one happens like the others, then... there would be four shipgirls who might want that weekend off for such a trip. Two for one day and two for the next. And from what I am seeing..."

With a small nod, her younger sister smiled, "That is correct and with some input, it was decided that to be fair no one would go for more then once unless asked by a fellow." At the look, she shrugged, "Taigei-San suggested it."

Blinking, Ooyodo shook off that odd tingle in the back of her mind, "Very well, that does make sense, I suppose. It also gives everyone a fair chance." Suddenly, she paused and gave her sister a questioning look, one that the other Light Cruiser seemingly ignored, "Yes, everyone gets a fair chance..."

Despite the small blush on her face, Niiyodo's tone was non-commentative, "Hai, everyone should get a chance. It would also make Harry-Chan happy to be able to spend time with us while he was at school."

Her eyes narrowing ever so slightly, Ooyodo frowned, "I see..."

Meanwhile, Natsumi was just plain lost as to what was going on but shrugged it off as unimportant in the end.

Shaking off what thoughts she had, Ooyodo adjusted her clothes a little bit and nodded, "Well, leaving aside such things, we should be leaving soon if we wish to make it in time." Head tilted to the side, she gave her sister a raised eyebrow, "After all, tomorrow it shall be Louisiana-San's turn to go to Hogsmeade though with Natsumi-San."

Now it was Natsumi's turn to blush a little and cough, "Louisiana-Chan is looking forward to that. Hopefully she will enjoy it." Ignoring the amused looks on the two shipgirl's faces, she walked forwards and entered the "Teleportation Room" as some had started to call it, "Good day, Kitakami-Maru-San..."

The small shipgirl in question bowed a little at them with a smile on her face, "Good day, Natsumi-San." She then gave a nod to the two Light Cruisers, "And a good day to you as well, Ooyodo-San, Niiyodo-San. I assume that it is time?"

With a small curl of her lips upwards, Ooyodo stepped forward and took the clipboard before filling it out, "Hai, we are ready to head to Britain." Humming, she continued the small talk, "You seem excited."

Grinning with a shrug, Kitakami-Maru shook her head, "Why wouldn't I be? Kaa-San and Okaa-San are going to be arriving back from their patrols. And Kaa-San is going to be making dinner!"

All three of the ones heading to Britain paused at that and blinked in confusion. Cocking an eyebrow, it was Natsumi who asked the question that was needed to be asked, "Okaa-San? Kaa-San?"

In reply, Kitakami-Maru stuck her tongue out a little and blushed, "Hai, Okaa-San is Kitakami and Kaa-San is Ooi. After all, they've practically adopted me and..." Her blush deepened a touch as she kicked out her legs under her desk, "I do look like their daughter..."

Considering that, Ooyodo gave a hum and a nod, "I see, that does explain why you are always with them when they're on base holding onto both their hands." As she continued her paperwork, she continued with an interested tone to her voice, "Does Kitakami-San's parents know?"

Each of them ignored that the Light Cruiser did not mention Ooi's parents, with the eight year old seeming shipgirl nodded with a hum, "They do, Okaa-San brought me to meet them and they were excited. Though..." Frowning cutely, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "I still don't get why they stated that they had not expected her and Kaa-San to give them grandchildren so soon..."

Utter silence fell there before Niiyodo coughed, "Ah, it is good to hear that they have no problems with you then."

Once her sister gave back the paperwork, they said their goodbyes and stepped into the Vanishing Cabinet that was their destination and a few minutes later stepped out into Britain. After climbing the stairs, Ooyodo gave a nod as she observed the house, "Percy has done a good job."

Nodding in agreement, Niiyodo gave her sister a look over. For once, Ooyodo was not wearing her usual uniform. Rather, she was wearing a nice skirt that went down to mid shin with a brown, knitted sweater. And around her neck was red, plaid scarf. Smiling, Niiyodo had a twinkle in her eye as she nodded, "Hai, Percy-San has."

Eyebrow raised, all the Secretary Ship got was a smile and giggles from her younger sister. Said sister wearing jeans with a green sweater and a black scarf. A sigh though made them turn to Natsumi who just sighed and shook her head as the Kitsune adjusted the warm coat over her own black sweater, "You two are lucky." At their looks, she rolled her eyes, "All you need is a scarf and you're covered for the Scottish Highlands. Lucky."

That got her shrugs from the two shipgirls and they reached the small room that had a Portkey in it. Soon after, they landed in Hogsmeade with all of them nearly falling over with Niiyodo adjusting her glasses. Checking her internal clock, she gave a small nod, "Harry-Chan should be by soon enough."

Pulling on her gloves, Natsumi could only nod, "I hope so, I want to go exploring with Harry-Chan after all." Not long after though, she perked up as she heard hoofbeats and turned to where a number of carriages were heading towards them, "That must be them."

It was not long after when they came to a stop and from inside, Harry hopped out. As soon as he saw them, the wizard made his way over and gave them hugs, "Natsumi-Chan, Niiyodo-Chan! Its great to see you!"

Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the hug, the Light Cruiser nodded, "Hai, and it is great to see you as well." Pulling back though, she tilted her head some in confusion, 'Did Harry-Chan really grow that much while he's been gone?'

Not knowing what was going on in Niiyodo's head, Harry nodded towards Ooyodo, "Its great to see you as well, Ooyodo-Oba."

Lips twitching, the shipgirl patted him on the head, "Thank you, Harry-Chan." Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of red and smiled a bit more, "I am sorry for leaving so soon, but I can see Percy as well as Amisi."

With a final bow, she then walked over to where the Head Boy was and began chatting with him. Shaking his head, Harry smiled slightly before taking both Natsumi's and Niiyodo's hands in his, "So? Shall we be off on our adventure?"

Giggling, Niiyodo hummed and gave a nod before squeezing his hand slightly as the two began to walk, "That sounds good, Harry-Chan. Now where to first..."

Unnoticed by the two, Natsumi blinked and glanced around as she had a twinge of something. But all her eyes caught was the sight of what looked like an older sister with her Third Year younger female sibling in Hufflepuff colors. When the older one looked at her, for some reason Natsumi had a shiver go down her back. There was something... in that empty gaze. A hunger, yet no emotion.

Quickly, Natsumi turned away from it and forgot about it soon after as she got dragged into the conversation between Harry and Niiyodo as they entered the picturesque magical village...

 

[darthcourt10]

Weaver

Meant to post this yesterday but it was late, my tablet's battery was running low and I was tired. Thank you to Harry Leferts for looking it over for me.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Friday, 25th October 2013

As dinner time came to an end, a sandy haired twelve year old was standing outside the great hall, quietly psyching himself up as he waited. When the person he'd been waiting for finally emerged he stepped forwards before he could lose his nerve.

"Excuse me."

The black haired boy he'd addressed stopped walking and looked at him.

"Yes?"

Taking a deep breath the younger boy ploughed onwards.

"Hi. Uh. My name's Matthew Walker. I know that you don't know me and I'm sorry if I'm being rude but I was hoping that I could ask you a favour."

"Ask away."

Matthew looked around them and noted the groups of pupils walking past.

"Uh. It might be better if we talked somewhere where there's less people around. It involves shipgirl stuff."

One quick relocation to a quiet side corridor later, Matt started to explain.

"Okay, during the summer holidays me, my brother and some of his friends summoned a shipgirl. She's not a warship or anything like that though, she's an old Japanese cargo vessel that one of my brother's friends has family history with called Awa Maru. Anyway, she's gone back to Japan but my brother's friend, the one who has family history with her, has been keeping in touch and she's got her completion day coming up and he wants to get her a gift but airmail costs a lot because of the war and he's kind of skint at the minute so he's been stressing about it."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with me?"

"Well, I heard about your owl box and told my brother about it so he wanted me to ask you if you would let his friend use it to send Awa Maru a present so that he'll stop being in a mood about it."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"This friend of your brother's, I'm guessing he's a Muggle?"

"Er, not exactly. His mum's a WWI cruiser so he doesn't really count as one."

Suddenly Harry looked a lot more interested.

"Oh? Which cruiser?"

"HMS Patrol. Not a particularly famous ship but I don't think that my brother's friend could be any prouder of her if she was."

"Hmm. I haven't heard of her I'm afraid. Well, I don't have any problem with helping him out. Does he know about the magical world?"

Matt grimaced slightly.

"Not yet. I wanted to ask you first since there's no point in my brother having that conversation if you said no. Well, that and I wanted to check that we're right about him not counting as a Muggle."

"If his mum's a shipgirl then there shouldn't be any problem. Let your brother know that I said yes and let me know when you want to use the owl box."

Matthew smiled brightly.

"Thank you so much. You're a legend."

With that he hurried off to his dormitory. He had a letter to write.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

A hum escaping him as he carried two large paper bags in his hands while three steaming cups bobbed along in his wake, held in the air with magic, Harry smiled. Reaching his destination, the black haired wizard's smile grew somewhat as he watched Natsumi and Niiyodo talk. Whatever they were talking about though stopped as they caught sight of him with both of them standing up and walking over, Natsumi scowling a bit, "Harry-Chan! What are you doing?!'

With a small shrug, Harry chuckled, "Getting something warm for all of us to eat and drink?"

Lips curling upwards, Niiyodo took one of the drinks from where it floated with a sigh and then glanced at one of the bags, "That sounds like you, Harry-Chan. Though I wish that you would have told us."

Chuckling, the wizard shook his head and smiled some, "Sorry, I didn't want to be a bother." Once he handed her the bag, he grasped the only drink left floating, "Besides, magic helps out a lot with carrying things."

Natsumi sniffed the drink in her hands and tilted her head, "I suppose so... apple juice?"

Just nodding, Harry made his way over to the park bench and sat down, "Mulled apple juice actually. Its pretty good to be honest, perfect for a chill, autumn day."

Considering that for a few moments, the disguised Kitsune gave a small nod as Niiyodo looked into the bag. Moments later, her expression lit up and she reached into pull out what looked like a wrinkly, yellow ball, "Roast chestnuts!" Popping it into her mouth, she hummed in happiness, "These are good."

Once they reached the bench and sat down, Natsumi took one of the chestnuts from the bag that Harry was holding and examined it. Placing it into her mouth, she chewed it and gave a small nod, "These are pretty good. A bit different in taste from the ones back in Japan, but still good."

Slowly nodding as she chewed another one, Niiyodo smiled a bit, "Well, they are different species." Glancing around, she noted that no one was really that close in the small park that they were in. What few were had gone elsewhere such as crowding around a group of standing stones not far away, or one of the various food carts out and about. Internally humming, Niiyodo shifted closer to Harry until there was little room between them. Leaning the best that she could due to their differing heights, though that too was changing, Niiyodo gave him a smile as he glanced at her, "This is nice."

At Harry's other side, Natsumi tilted her head some and then smiled. Then she, too, shifted until she was against his side and leaned her head onto his shoulder, "Hai, it really is."

Glancing between them, Harry tilted his head this way and that. Finally though, he just shrugged some as it really didn't matter and it was rather nice. At a tap on the shoulder, he blinked and found Niiyodo holding one of the chestnuts and a small flush to her cheeks, "Here."

There was a slight smile on Harry's face as he took said chestnut and then chewed it with a sound of approval, "He really did do a great job on them."

With a nod, Natsumi sipped her drink, steaming in the chill air, "He really did and they do hit the spot." Smacking her lips, she tilted her head some and then nodded before holding it out, "And this mulled apple juice is also good. Go ahead and try some."

Lightly laughing, he gave her a look, "You know that I have some of my own, right?"

All Natsumi did though was shrug, "And? What stops you from trying some?"

In reply, Harry shrugged and took a sip with a slight nod, "Hmm, yeah, they did do a good job with that."

Taking another sip herself, Natsumi tossed back another chestnut with a thoughtful look on her face, "Maybe something that we could sell at a stand when we next have a winter festival." Getting nods from the other two, she placed her head on Harry's shoulder, "So, what should we do?"

For several moments, the thirteen year old wizard was silent as he considered the question. Then he looked over at Niiyodo and hummed, "Well... we could spend most of the day just exploring. I mean there's got to be quite a bit here being the only fully magical community in all of Britain. And then there's several shops, like Gladrags."

Rather amused, Niiyodo adjusted her glasses some, "Taking some girls to a clothing shop, Harry-Chan? Isn't that living dangerously?"

Eyebrow raised, Harry gave her an amused look, "Not the first time."

To that, both Natsumi and Niiyodo raised their cups in acknowledgement. One thing that neither they or a number of others, could deny was that Harry had no issue going into clothing stores with them.

An hour and a half later found the three leaving said store with Niiyodo placing their bags into her hold. While doing so, the Light Cruiser gave a small nod, "I suspect that if information gets out about this store, they might well find themselves with a large number of shipgirls shopping there."

Head tilted to the side, the only male of the three had to blink at that, "Why?" After a moment of thought though, he had an idea as to the reason, "Is it because all the clothes are self-sizing?"

With a small shrug, Natsumi shook her head, "Hai, that alone is a good reason though they would either need you to cast the spell, or to have the clerk." Thinking, she tapped her chin, "I can see Louisiana-Chan wanting to come here often enough. I mean, its hard for her to get clothes that fit properly back in Japan."

Considering that, Niiyodo gave a small nod, "That is true enough, and even in America it can be... difficult. What with the combination of both height and displacement."

Long used to the ways that shipgirls used for measurements, the other two simply agreed. Due to how cold it was, Natsumi simply hooked her arm through Harry's as Niiyodo did much the same. As she looked around though at the village, the Kitsune tilted her head to the side, "I have to admit, Harry-Chan, this place is... rather nice." Turning to him, she tucked a lock of hair behind one human ear, "What can you tell me about it?"

Harry was silent for almost a minute as he sorted out his thoughts before nodding, "Well, as you know it is the only purely magical community in the British Isles, but was founded about a thousand years ago by a wizard named Hengist of Woodcroft who had been in Hufflepuff. From what I read, he was driven from Woodcroft by his non-magical neighbours and settled here, and with some help from Helga Hufflepuff actually founded the village." Pointing towards what looked like an Inn, the black haired wizard gave a small nod, "From lore, he lived in what is now the Three Broomsticks Inn."

Blinking, the Kitsune turned towards said inn and raised an eyebrow, "So that place is nearly a thousand years old, Harry-Chan? Really?"

Just nodding, Harry chuckled a bit, "I know, seems a bit unbelievable, but there you have it. From what I read, originally the inn was serving parents and such as well as servants from the richer families that came and went to Hogwarts. Then other places opened up around it to serve students and the like, with it becoming Hogsmeade. Besides that, the Inn has a bit of military history as well."

That made Niiyodo perk up a little bit in interest, "Military history? Really?"

With a smile, the wizard hummed, "Yeah, whenever there's been various battles in and around Hogwarts, Hogsmeade has always been involved in some manner. The most famous was the Goblin Rebellion of 1612, which lasted three years. It got kicked off because the goblins didn't get any representation in the Wizangamot, so they decided to go to war over it."

Eyebrow raising, Natsumi gave him a frown, "They didn't have representation in the government so they went to war? I... don't think that I can really blame them."

In return, Harry waggled his hand, "Reality is a bit more complicated, though most of what I am getting is from the wizard side. But if even half of it is true..." Shaking his head, he frowned as they continued to walk, "Despite the racism that was there between wizards and goblins, the Wizangamot was willing to allow it... as long as the goblins allowed for humans to sit in their government. Something which they turned down, so the wizards stated that they were unable to join the Wizangamot. Besides that... there were other things as most of the battles happened in and around Hogsmeade during it with the Inn serving as the headquarters for the defenders. Guess why the goblins chose to attack Hogsmeade?"

Both girls were deep in thought as they considered the question. While Natsumi shook her head as she could not figure out, Niiyodo turned in one direction and her eyes widened, "Because it was the easiest way to get at Hogwarts..."

Slowly, Harry gave a nod, "Hai, the goblins were planning on attacking Hogwarts and either taking the students there hostage or just killing them. Not that their first attack was any better as the rebellion is why there were no non-magicals. The goblins attacked one late November night and specifically targeted the homes of the non-magicals that lived here. Those that survived were captured and dragged to the goblin encampment that is now where the Shrieking Shack is. Two weeks later, a force of wizards and witches managed to break their defences and rushed into the makeshift fort, with the goblins killing all the hostages and gutting them to deny the magicals the satisfaction of rescuing them as well as demoralize them... it had the opposite effect. In retaliation, the wizards and witches, well... performed draw and quartering on the surviving goblins."

Grimacing, Niiyodo took a deep breath and let it out, "I see... "

Just sighing, the wizard frowned some, "Yeah, the battles continued for months as the goblins continually launched raids and the like." Pointing at one mountain, he frowned, "The goblins set up there after the fall of the fortification where the Shrieking Shack now stands. There's a whole bunch of goblin tunnels there and elsewhere here in Hogsmeade. Supposedly, the Goblin Rebellion of 1645 happened because a bunch of wizards digging around managed to salvage a number of goblin blades left behind, which they would not return to the goblins making them go to war again. Once more, mainly in this area."

Now looking at the Shrieking Shack, Natsumi frowned some, "I wonder..." At their looks, she continued, "I wonder if that is why said place is said to be so haunted? I mean, a massacre like that would leave something behind on the land if it was not purified. And any building built on top of such a site would suffer for it."

Head tilted to the side, Harry considered that for several moments and gave a slight nod, "That... could make some sense."

Also looking at the place in question, Niiyodo then turned her attention to the area around them. Though she paused at seeing a massive, black dog in an alleyway watching them. Seeing her though watching it with narrowed eyes, it ran off and made her sigh, 'I wonder if that was Black-San...'

Meanwhile, neither Natsumi nor Harry noticed. Instead though, the two were more interested in the sweet shop that they were approaching with Natsumi licking her lips, "Honeydukes."

Grinning, Harry looked at her, "Honeydukes!"

Then Niiyodo made a motion with her hand, "It's only a model."

All three shared a look and started to laugh and soon entered the sweet shop.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Entering the sweet shop, Harry looked around the place in interest. In many ways, it was a mirror of the one in Diagon Alley with barrels filled with candy, display cases with boxes full of chocolate, and stacks of cauldron cakes and the like. Pausing for a moment, Harry looked into what looked like an aquarium which was filled with what looked like slugs made from gelatin, all of them crawling around their little home.

Another aquarium also had what looked like toads made from some greenish material hopping around with a sign that declared them 'Peppermint Toads' and how they would hop around in your stomach.

Simply raising an eyebrow, Harry turned to Natsumi with a slight curl to his lips, "You know, I do have to wonder why so many wizard candies are animated. I mean, it is sort of neat? But still..."

Observing "Ice Mouse" squeaking, Natsumi shrugged, "Don't ask me, I don't have the foggiest. But I do know that they're really popular among some people back home."

Harry understood what was unsaid by the look that she gave him meant Yokai. And after a moment of thought, he had to nod as it did make an odd amount of sense. Head tilted to the side, the young teen frowned some, "See anything that you like?"

With a hum as she looked around, Natsumi tapped her chin, "There's so much here that I don't know, Harry-Chan..." Trailing off, she blinked and pointed as she realized why things were so quiet, "Harry-Chan? Is that..."

Turning, Harry stared for a moment and then tilted his head upwards some as he saw Ron pointing at some candies. But it was not his red haired friend that gave him pause though, it was who was with him. Warspite being there was enough, even as the Battleship kept an eye on a nearby Destroyer examining some of the candies there. However, it was the largest member of their group that must have caused so many people to be silent.
Mainly because beside Ron and bending over was an Abyssal Princess the size of his adoptive older sister, Wanko.

It was then that Ron caught sight of him and gave a wave with a grin, "Hey, Mate." Once Harry reached them, the red head turned to the Princess who was attempting to hide behind him, "Harry? This is Summer, Summer? This is one of my best friends Harry Potter with his friends Natsumi Ono and the shipgirl Niiyodo."

The Princess gave them all a shy smile as she waved, "Hello, Ron's friends. I'm Summer."

Having heard from Ron how skittish she was, Harry gave a small bow before holding out his hand, "Hello, Summer, like Ron said, I'm Harry and he's one of my friends too. And I would like to be yours as well."

Summer glanced at Harry's outstretched hand and then Ron, who gave a small nod. With a swallow, she took his hand in her much more massive one and shook it, "More friends would be... nice."

Only nodding at that, the black haired boy ignored some of the whispers as he turned to Ron and Warspite, the male of the two gently patting Summer's arm as she shuffled behind him again, "So enjoying yourself, Ron?"

Grinning, Ron rubbed the back of his neck with a glance at Summer, but nodded, "We are, there's a lot to see here to be honest and, well, I thought that Warspite, Summer, and Ardent might want to stock up on sweets."

Unsure, Warspite had a pensive look on her face though she tried to hide it, "I will admit, I did not quite believe Duke when she stated there was a lot of variety here. Perhaps..." Eyes falling on the tank of peppermint toads, she grimaced, "A bit too much."

A giggle escaped from Ardent as she hopped past, "Hey! I don't think so, this is awesome!"

Simply sighing, Warspite shook her head with a look as if to say 'Destroyers, what can you do?' on her face. An expression that made Niiyodo smile herself about it. Shaking her head, the Light Cruiser turned to Summer with a soft expression on her face, "What were you looking at, Summer?"

In reply, the still shy Abyssal pointed at what looked like some sort of birdcage except it was not birds that were inside. Rather, different color balls were bobbing in the air inside of them with a symbol of a bee on them, "Ron was talking about these and called them fizzing whizzbees... He said that they were good though having some means you float a bit."

Hands in his pocket, Ron gave a grin at that, "Yeah, they're a really awesome sweet."

With a glance at said sweets, Harry snickered, "I brought some back and Yuudachi-Nee ate a bunch. Apparently, she sort of literally buzzed past New Jersey who was twitching afterwards."

Ron raised an eyebrow and pointed at some bottles, "Buy some of those fizzing lifting drinks. They don't do much, but drinking them means that you float about a foot above the ground."

Now giving said drinks a look, Warspite then turned to Ardent and frowned, "No." The Destroyer pouted and grumbled until the older shipgirl turned, then grabbed some of the drinks. Winking at a smirking Ron and Harry, she made a beeline for the counter. Meanwhile, Warspite was looking over a large tin of liquor chocolates in thought, "I think that some of the more normal ones might be nice."

Having spotted something, Summer walked over to one of the display cases and picked up a chocolate bar. One which made Warspite's eyes widen as it was about five pounds in size, yet in the Abyssal's hands looked rather normal. Walking over, Summer leaned down some, "Ron? May I buy this?"

Just chuckling, the red head wizard gave her a look, "Sure thing, Summer. Though if you want..." He then pointed, "There's bigger ones over there."

If before Warspite was shocked, now she was gobsmacked at the sight of a twenty pound chocolate bar. Eyes widening, Summer quickly walked over and grabbed one before looking at Ron. Said wizard just gave her a nod and she grabbed a second with a happy look on her face. Warspite meanwhile was shaking her head in disbelief before looking down at her own purchase. "My word... no wonder Duke liked it here."

With a snicker, Ron gave a small nod, "I can imagine." Then he turned back to Harry who was watching Natsumi grab a massive peanut butter cup in amusement, "So you're here to buy treats as well?"

Nodding, the thirteen year old glanced at Niiyodo who gave a small nod, "Among other things anyways. I know that Niiyodo-Chan is checking up on the orders that she managed to get with Honeydukes to ship some sweets that are obviously non-magical back to Japan to help out with things."

Eyebrows nearly meeting her hairline, Warspite turned to the other shipgirl in surprise, "You have a contract with Honeydukes? Truly?"

Simply nodding, Niiyodo adjusted her glasses with a bright smile before answering, "Hai, I managed to work it out the last time that I was here. Onee-Sama was really happy with me over it as it means one less thing for her, especially with Destroyers wanting candy and the like. And its cheaper as well."

Glancing at one of the massive chocolate bars, the Battleship did some quick work in her head before giving a slight nod, "Yes, I suppose that it would be a lot cheaper then it would normally be back in Japan though... don't you have magical sweet shops in Japan?"

That caused Niiyodo to grimace before looking around, "We do, but with the Magical Diet, they won't take large orders from us just in case. This is besides the fact that they are undergoing rationing as well to some extent."

Warspite considered that before sighing and giving a small nod, "Yes, I can understand the issue now." Frowning, she looked around some, "I do wonder though if they would be willing to also contract with the Royal Navy? Some of our Destroyers, Frigates, and Corvettes would also like some of these I would think." Eyes falling on a box of 'Toothflossing Stringmints", she raised an eyebrow, "Among others."

Just snickering, Ron shook his head, "Though I wonder how they would take no-melt ice cream."

With a blink, Warspite looked in the same direction as Ron and sighed as Ardent was looking at containers of said confection in something approaching holy rapture. Sighing, she glanced at Summer who was looking over some of the other treats in interest before smiling and looking at them, "After this though, we are heading over to the Three Broomsticks for a meal, I don't suppose that you will also be going there?"

Niiyodo had a thoughtful look before turning to Harry who nodded, "I do not see an issue with that, Warspite-San. It might be a little while as we need to make our own purchases."

At that, Harry nodded with an expression of consideration on his face, "I might ask about some bulk purchases." Seeing the looks, he shrugged some, "What? Tanith and my other nieces deserve some sweets. And I can't think of anything that they might like more then giant chocolate bars and the like." A grin then crossed his face as the wizard pointed at one, "Also, I can use those for a literal joke."

Turning in the same direction, Ron started laughing even as he took in Warspite's look of utter disbelief at the literal marshmallow pillows that were there.
_______________________________________________________________________

Harry walked out of Honeydukes to find Natsumi there with a thoughtful look on her face as she looked down the street. Looking in the same direction, the black haired wizard couldn't see anything out of place and frowned some, "Natsumi-Chan? What's wrong?"

Blinking, the Kitsune turned and gave him an unsure smile, "Not sure myself, Harry-Chan." She spotted the worry though and waved him off, "I'll tell you later, Harry-Chan. Right now it is not too important to be honest." Now looking him over, Natsumi raised an eyebrow, "So, did you get everything that you wanted?"

In reply, Harry lifted the large bag at his side with a smile, "Hai, I got a bunch of treats to send home."

From where she stood behind him, the Light Cruiser of the group nodded and smiled while putting away her own purchases, "Same here, Natsumi-San. I think that Onee-Sama will be very happy with the order that I got."

Remembering said order, Natsumi could only shake her head, 'I can't see her being unhappy with the amount that you managed to buy.' Shaking that off though, she gave him a slight smile, "So where to now, Harry-Chan?"

Quickly checking his watch, he frowned some, "Well, we sort of told Ron and Warspite that we would meet them over at the Three Broomsticks. Besides which, it is sort of lunch time..."

Moments after he said that, a rumble made both him and Natsumi blink before they turned to find a very flushed Niiyodo there. Looking away, she chuckled weakly, "Sorry..."

All Harry did though was wave her off with a smile, "Not a big deal, Niiyodo-Chan. Anyways, we should be going..."

Walking along, Natsumi glanced at him with a small smile as once more, the two girls each took an arm. There were some odd looks, but most just shrugged it off and went about their business, especially those students from Hogwarts. As they made their way towards the inn, Natsumi frowned some, "You have to head back... what? Seventeen-thirty?"

Simply sighing, the young wizard nodded, "Hai, that is when the carriages head back because it will soon be sunset. Besides which, after a certain time there's a curfew here due to the Dementors since the Ministry will have them patrol the streets."

That brought grimaces to all three faces before they shook off their thoughts and continued to chat. Entering the Three Broomsticks, it did not take them long to spot where Ron was sitting.

Mainly because Summer towered over everyone and everything.

However, somewhat to their surprise, no one was too concerned about the giant Abyssal. In fact, they could see who could only be Madame Rosmerta walk over and take orders from Ron's group and then write it down before leaving as if they were normal customers. Of course, that was when Harry remembered that Wanko had, in her own way, gushed about Hagrid bringing her to the same place that they were currently at. Smile on their faces, they headed towards one of the tables next to Ron's group to chat as they had lunch.

It was a few hours later when they were at the departure point for Niiyodo. The Light Cruiser was looking at Natsumi with a small frown on her face, "You're going to be alright, won't you, Natsumi-San?"

Shaking her head, Natsumi gave Harry a wink, "I'll be okay, I have somewhere to stay overnight at Hogwarts."

Niiyodo relaxed at that and her frown became a small smile, "That's good to know then, less worry for myself." With a look at her internal clock, she gave a small nod before taking a step forward and hugging Harry, "Thank you for having me here, Harry-Chan, I really enjoyed it."

All Harry did was hug her back just as tightly and nod, "You're welcome, Niiyodo-Chan. I liked having you here."

With a hum, the shipgirl glanced at her sister who was pulling away with a small blush from where she had given Percy a kiss, the red head also flushed. Turning back to Harry, Niiyodo leaned down and gently kissed him for a few seconds before pulling back with steam coming out of her ears, "I'm glad."

Despite his own blush, Harry gave her a quick peck back and nodded, "Same."

Pulling back, the black haired wizard waved as both Niiyodo and Ooyodo were whisked away back to where they would take the Vanishing Cabinets to Yokosuka. A tug made Harry turn only for Natsumi to do the same as Niiyodo and give him a kiss. Then she began to pull him along, "Anyways, Harry-Chan... we should be heading to the carriages before we miss them."

Finally snapping out of his shock, Harry shook it off, "Of course! Right..."

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

This is one of those things that feels a little off of center, that you want to get out there so that you can figure out the problem. I guess.

Here Comes The X

-----

Gritting her teeth, Yae did her best to suppress another wince. Ushio was giving her one of those worried looks, she just knew it. But she couldn't let her worry—no, scratch that, she couldn't let her notice. At least until they were a few kilometers away from the other destroyers, because those little buggers were faster on foot than they had any right to be, and better hearing than any human.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ushio demanded, leaning forward. "You're not even eating! I keep telling you to take it easy…"

"Yeah, you do that," Yae agreed absently. "You and everyonnnngh! Everyone else."

This did nothing to assuage Ushio's worries.

"Excuse me," Houshou said, and Yae looked up to see her standing at their table, leaning down. "Your ride is here," the carrier continued in a low voice. "If you'll just come with me—"

Ushio sat bolt upright, pointing at Yae. "Hey!" she exclaimed, "there is something going on with you!"

"Dammit, Ushio—" Yae shot back, leaning away herself as she tried to stand and…

Uh.

Oh.

"Crap."

"Ashida?" Ushio hopped around to Yae's other side. "What's going… on…" Her eyes widened as she took in the sodden state of Yae's seat.

Just as her mouth began to open, Houshou pressed a finger to the destroyer's lips, shaking her head emphatically. Ushio clamped her mouth closed, and a strangled squeaking noise like a shredded dog toy escaped her.

None of the destroyers turned to look at them, thankfully.
-----

The tall man glared at her. At his side, his companion tried to lift himself up on hands and knees but collapsed again, crying and trying futilely to pull the nail from his arm.

"Remove it," the man commanded. "Or there will be consequences." She looked down at her hand, the remaining nails that she was carrying, and shook her head.

"Call me crazy," she said, "but I don't think so. Especially when I'm holding these." She raised her weapons in a fist, allowing the pointed tips to stick out the bottom. The tall man snarled, but said nothing.

"My turn," she said. "I'll remove the nail, but I have conditions."

"You have what?"

"A-pa-pa, my turn to talk," she admonished them, trying to quell the discomfort rolling in her stomach. "See, this is how it's going to work. I will remove the nail, but first you need to promise that you will leave this place, and take no action against us. You won't come back later and try to kill us, you won't convince your friends, or your enemies, or anyone to do it for you. You will free her, you will depart this place immediately afterward, you will never return, and you will take no action that will have negative repercussions for me or for her, either immediate or in the long run." She gestured to the woman who sat between the two parties.

The man glowered. "Very well," he said. "I promise that I will take no action to harm you—"

"Bzzzt!" she hissed. No showing fear here. She wasn't sure what would happen if she did, but she had the feeling that it would end up killing her. "You got it wrong. I want to hear you promise what I just lined out. Word for freaking word." She paused, then nodded down at the other. "And you know what? Both of you swear it. And if you've got any friends hiding around here, they swear it too."

The man's face twisted in rage. "Impudent little—"

"I don't hear promising!"

The man's glare twisted farther, but he spoke. "I promise that I will free the woman there, I will depart this place immediately afterward, I will never return, and I will take no action that will have negative repercussions for you or for her, either immediate or in the long run."

"Good." She pointed at the other. "Now him."

The process took longer, but the oath was extracted.

"Now anyone else who's out there."

"There's no one."

"Care to test that theory?" she asked, raising the hand with the nails in it.

After a moment's waiting, two individuals, a man and a woman, stalked out into the open to grudgingly promise.

"Now anyone else who's out there."

"What are you talking about, human?" the woman snapped. "As if we would be hiding the rest of our number—"

"I don't trust you to not to," she replied, "and quite frankly I'm willing to drag this out all year if I have to."

Soon, five more had made the promise.

"Now anyone else who's out there."

"That is the last of us," another woman said. She smiled as she turned to her.

"Swear it by whatever it is that's holier to you than anything or anyone else."

The woman opened her mouth.

"And you have to name it, out loud, and it has to be that there are no more of your kind or any of your allies in the area who have not sworn."

The woman froze.
…

As the last of the people vanished into the night, she let her knees, weak since she walked into that clearing, finally give out. She gave the woman, who was sitting against a tree and massaging her wrists, a shaky smile.

"Thought that'd never end," she said. "Now come on, we've got to get out of here before any kind of traps go off."

"… Clever. Very much so."

"I'm sorry?" she asked, turning to look at the woman who was now rising to her feet.

"For what it's worth… I would rather wait until you were a few years older. It's just, with the company you're keeping, I couldn't afford to wait any longer. I'm sorry for this."

"Sorry for what—"

Then the hand was covering her face and she was screaming into the mask of pain.

"From this day forward, magic and magical creatures shall seek you out, and you shall seek them out. You shall find around you those monsters which threaten the peace of those around you, and you shall battle and destroy them. On your shoulders you shall bear the weight that no one else is able to. This shall be your duty, and your daughter's duty, and her daughter's duty. Now and forever more, you and your descendants are Select."
…

Jane peered through the window at her father, who was speaking quietly to Franky. The other girl still looked shell-shocked, but not quite so much as when she had been found.

"Hiei!" Hiei complained, pulling her away from the window, "you shouldn't be listening in!"

"I'm worried about her, okay?" Jane complained. "Whatever happened to her sounds bad!"

Hiei paused, looking away thoughtfully.

"You just turned away dramatically."

"Huh?"

"When I alluded to bad possibilities, you looked away with this kind of dramatic look on your face. That basically means that I'm right, doesn't it?"

"… It's not my place to say," Hiei finally replied.

"Hey!"

"I'm serious." Hiei pushed Jane away gently. "I'm going to be honest, we've only been finding out about this stuff relatively recently, and we haven't seen enough cases to put together any kind of official protocol. Maybe Franky will even let you in to the fold herself. Right now, though, we need to know everything that happened, and we need to come up with a course of action. When that's done…"

The door opened, and Admiral Richardson walked out.

"Well?" Hiei asked.

Richardon sighed. "We learned everything that she's in any shape to tell us," he admitted.

"So what now?"

He paused, looking his daughter in the eye. "Right now?" he asked. "I'd say that right now, she needs a friend more than anything. Do you think you can—"

Jane was already through the door. The Admiral smiled, then turned to Hiei. "So," he said, a wry note in his voice, "who are we supposed to talk to for this?"
-----

"You know," Tatsuya said, sitting on the floor and rubbing the back of his neck, "this is going to be the perfect opportunity to test your anti-Portkey spell." Reiko, sprawled on the ground next to him, mumbled something unintelligible.

"That girl was definitely a Kejoro," Benio called from the doorway. "And I think that those two in the corner were Nekomatas. Still not sure what goat-girl was, though."

"Thank you for your status report," Tatsuya grumbled, standing and offering Reiko a hand. The Jorogumo accepted it, and he pulled her upright. "Any idea what they were trying to summon with a fresher setup?"

"I'd imagine something powerful," she replied, looking the room over. "Other than that, we landed on the circle when we came in through the window and smudged it all up, so that makes it a little harder to say."

"Figures. Can you get those ofuda prepped? We're probably going to need to move fast."
-----

Well what do you think, sirs?

 

[darthcourt10]

Weaver

Saturday, 26th October 2013

Sitting in her room after the museum had closed for the day, Zetland stared at the paperwork on the desk in front of her with the expression of someone facing a long time foe. All of it was filled out except for one part; the box marked "Chosen Surname".

Not for the first time she wondered if her inability to decide on a name was at least partly due to the fact that it had taken her crew over thirty years to name her something other than "Lifeboat". After all, she'd heard that shipgirls got their skills from their crew and tsukumogami got a lot of theirs from the humans who'd they'd belonged to, and as much as she loved her crew it was fairly clear that coming up with names wasn't their forte.

Tyne hadn't had this problem; according to the emails she'd received the younger boat had opted for the surname "Shields" before she even got hold of the paperwork.

Sighing, she rested her arm on the desk. A moment later three tiny humanoid figures emerged from her sleeve. One of them looked at the paperwork and then up at her.

"Oi. Oi, oi, oi."

"Yes, I know George. I've delayed more than long enough. But it's not an easy decision to make."

"Oi. Oi."

"Alright, that's a fair point."

She looked at the other two, one of whom was wearing a much smarter version of what the others were that was recognisable as his Sunday best under his oilskins.

"What do you two think? It's a decision that involves you more than the others after all."

The one in work clothes shrugged.

"Oi."

"You sure that you don't mind Tom? Your family has contributed a lot over the years after all."

"Oi. Oi."

"Hmm. I suppose that's true."

The one in Sunday best looked at her proudly.

"Oi."

"Thank you. Well, I guess that settles it then."

Before she could start dithering again, Zetland grabbed a black fountain pen, uncapped it and carefully printed a name in the previously blank space. That done she started to give the forms one last looking over before she put them in an already addressed envelope.

Name of Vessel: Zetland

Hull Number: N/A

Chosen Surname: Guy

Date of Launch: 07/10/1802

Date of Commission: N/A

Place of Construction: South Shields​

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

The first sight that reached Harry when he awoke was that of Natsumi softly sleeping as she laid on top of him. Currently, she was in her "Demi-Human" form, which meant that every so often one of her ears would twitch or her tails would swish under the covers. Not that Harry minded all too much if he was to be perfectly honest with himself. There was something... relaxing, about just watching her as she slept on top of him.

Eventually, after some time, Natsumi awoke and opened her mouth wide in a yawn which showed Harry her enlarged canine teeth, nearly fangs. Closing her mouth, she gave him a sleepy smile, "Good morning, Harry-Chan."

Just smiling back, Harry gave her a small nod, "Morning, Natsumi-Chan."

Smacking her lips some, she glanced around, "What time is it? Besides early..."

With a hum, Harry opened the curtains into the still dark dorms and looked at the clock that was there before closing them, "Its about six in the morning, Natsumi-Chan. So we got plenty of time before the others wake." At her raised eyebrow, he gave a shrug, "Today's Sunday, most of them are going to sleep in until at least eight, eight thirty. Maybe more as most of them won't go for the second day at Hogsmeade."

Just nodding at that, Natsumi sat up and stretched some with pops coming from her joints as well as a soft sight from the Kitsune herself. Internally, she was smiling a bit at how Harry watched her with a blush on his face. With that done, the thirteen year old Yokai gave a small nod, "Do you mind if I go and have a shower first, Harry-Chan? That way its out of the way?"

All Harry did though was shake his head even as he tried to get the image of what just happened out of his head. Like the many other times such had happened though, he failed, "Uh, no, I don't mind." Taking a deep breath, he waited until she was off him and then opened the curtains, "I'll stand right outside."

Glancing at him, Natsumi had a small smile on her face, "Thanks, Harry-Chan."

Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek before grabbing her items and heading towards the door with Harry following. Pulling up a chair beside the door though, Harry tilted his head some, "Not going to ask me not to peek?"

Eyebrow raising, Natsumi gave him an amused look, "No, because I trust you not to, Harry-Chan. Besides which, both of us have been to co-ed hot springs such as at Bath, so there's really nothing that I need to hide."

And then, with a final wink, she walked into the bathroom with a blushing Harry behind who had various thoughts in his head. Well, that and him cursing out puberty in every language that he knew, which were quite a few since while he did not use crude language out loud due to his mother, he knew a lot of said words in other languages. Including, thanks to a few times of overhearing Professor McGonagall and Flitwick when they were pissed, Gaelic and what he believed to be gobbligook, the language of goblins.

Which, needless to say, meant that he had a lot of curse words in his vocabulary.

Once Natsumi came out though, he was more relaxed and smiled at her as she dried her hair and grabbed a towel. Pointing at her tails, he smiled some, "Want a hand?"

Softly smiling, Natsumi only gave a small nod, "That would be appreciated, Harry-Chan, thank you. And afterwards, could you brush my hair and tails as well?"

Just nodding, the young wizard smiled back at her, "Sure thing, Natsumi-Chan, I don't mind at all." Afterwards, when she shifted to her human disguise, Harry was frowning, "I sort of wish that you didn't have to do that..."

Looking over her shoulder, Natsumi gave a small shrug as she understood what he meant, "It is what it is, Harry-Chan. But in a few years that sort of thing won't matter anymore to be honest, which we should be both happy for. Until then? Well, I can deal with it." Pulling her backpack out from where Harry had stored it, she opened and began to sort through it, "Still, thanks."

Despite her words, there was a frown on Harry's face. Of course, seconds later, his friend pulled something from the backpack that he recognized and blinked at, "Natsumi-Chan? Is that my old Quidditch jersey?"

Simply glancing at him, Natsumi gave him a grin as she pulled it on, "Well, yes? I mean you did give it to me."

For some odd reason that the thirteen year old boy could not quite figure out, the sight of his female best friend in his jersey made his cheeks heat up and heart beat a little bit quicker, 'Why...?' Shaking that off quickly, Harry stood up and hugged her from behind, "That's true, I guess. And at least you're using it."

A slight smile on her face, Natsumi tilted her head back so that her honey colored eyes met his emerald, "Hai, I find that it is really nice to wear when I got to bed on colder nights. Keeps me nice and warm." Twisting, she gave him a light kiss that lasted a second or two and pulled back, "Anyways, we should go and get some breakfast."

With a nod of agreement, Harry gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose before grinning, "Sounds good to me. After all, we're going to be meeting Louisiana there and I figure that we might grab something to eat once we do."

Head tilted to the side as the two walked out, Natsumi gave a small nod, "Sure, what about that small bakery that we spotted?"

Lips twitching a bit, the black haired wizard hummed, "What? Not Madam Puddifoot's tea shop?"

Snickers escaped him at the look of complete and utter disgust that crossed over Natsumi's face at the mention, "No! Ugh..." Rubbing her arms, she shook her head, "Harry-Chan, I know that tea rooms are different in Britain and stuff, but that place? Ergh... Too pink, too frilly, and way too cramped. Give me a place like that one coffeeshop we visited in London last year."

Even though he was still amused at her reaction, Harry nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it is a bit much..." Then a thought struck him, "You know, I heard that on Valentine's Day, there are little animated cherubs that fly around and drop confetti on couples there."

Horrified was one of the better descriptions of the Kitsune's expression at that time, "They drop confetti on people drinking tea?! B-but that's disgusting!" Motioning with her hands, Natsumi continued as her friend got more amused, "You would get it in your tea, your food and... ugh! We are never going there!"

Placing his arm around her shoulder, Harry gave a shrug, "Yeah, not really my kind of place."

Still shuddering, Natsumi grumbled a bit and made Harry lightly laugh, "What kind of person comes up with a place like that..."

Lips still twitching in amusement, the wizard beside her chuckled, "Someone who is really into lovey dovy stuff?" Giving him a look, Natsumi then punched him in the arm, "Ouch!"

Rolling her eyes, Natsumi grunted, "And obviously trying too much. Nothing like Rose-San and her little tea room. Sure, its the British version of one, but it is still good..."

All Harry did was nod at that in agreement.

Three hours found both of them looking out of one of the carriage windows as they entered Hogsmeade. Unlike the day before, there were fewer students as most had gone the day before and only wanted to be there for the first day of the weekend. Which meant, of course, that Harry and Natsumi had the whole carriage to themselves currently which allowed for them to chat to their heart's content. It also meant that the two could sit next to each other and lean there with Natsumi placing Carnwennan's blade on the opposite side to Harry.

Eventually though, they reached the point where they were to dismount and enter the village proper and waited there. Not that they had long to wait as Louisiana appeared within less then two minutes and looked around while keeping Hoel Ni stable. Upon seeing them, the Battleship walked over and hugged the two, "A good morning to you both, mon chéri, ma chérie. It is good to see you."

Both teens hugged Louisiana back just as hard as she was hugging them with Harry answering for them both, "And it is good to see you as well, Louisiana." Pulling back, he took her hand with a small grin, "So, want to head to Hogsmeade?" When she nodded, the wizard looked towards Hoel Ni, "And what about you?"

Simply shrugging, the Destroyer smiled, "Actually? I sort of what to check the place out as well."

With a nod, Natsumi took Louisiana's other hand and began to walk, the slightly surprised Battleship between her and Harry, "There's quite a bit to see here, though first we're going to grab something to eat. We found this nice bakery and coffeeshop combination. I think that you'll like it."

Entering the place, they soon took their seats in one of the corners though to Hoel Ni's great amusement, both Natsumi and Louisiana took up positions beside Harry in the booth. The Destroyer was pretty happy though that the place was mostly empty as it seemed Sundays were the quieter day of Hogsmeade Weekends. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted what looked like a Third Year Ravenclaw enter along with an older woman who resembled her before dismissing it.

At said table, Juuchi in the form of a Third Year Ravenclaw, being as no other Ravenclaw students were around, hummed as she sat down with Kagotsuruhe across from her. Part of the reason that she chose the table in question was that it gave her a good view of where Harry and the others were sitting. The other soon became apparent as the waitress came up to them with a small smile, "What can I get for you dearies today?"

Juuchi smiled as she looked over the menu and then glanced at Kagotsuruhe who simply shrugged. Obviously, she was leaving it up to Juuchi to choose what they could have, "Two cups of English breakfast tea, and... some bannock bread with heather honey, if you would to start off with."

The waitress nodded and took down their orders before walking off. It was only five minutes later when she returned with their orders, she placed them down in front of the two swords, "Will there be anything else?"

Only smiling, Juuchi shook her head, "No, this is fine for now." After the waitress had left, the disguised Muramasa gave a smirk at her sister, "Is something wrong, Onee-Chan?"

Eyebrow raised, Kagotsuruhe shook her head as she examined the food in front of her, "No, nothing is wrong, June. Though I do wonder why you chose what you did."

For several moments, the other sword was quiet as she stirred in milk and sugar. Then she gave a small answer as she took a sip of her tea and nodded, "Memories." Getting a raised eyebrow, Juuchi gestured at the food in front of them, "English breakfast tea is something that I am quite used to. It is a mixture of black teas that help one wake in the morning, though you can drink it all day. As for the bread... Bannock bread was one of those things my wielders made while on the march. It could be made with a minimum of preparation and within a short period of time."

Considering that, Kagotsuruhe only nodded, "I see." She then picked up the jar of honey, noticing Juuchi smirking when she did so, and went to pour it onto her piece of bread... only for nothing to happen. A frown on her face, the Muramasa tilted it further until it was completely upside down.

Yet, the honey still would not flow, not even when she gently tapped the bottom.

Kogotsuruhe finally placed it down and gave her younger sister a look, "..."

Lips curling upwards smugly, Juuchi took the jar and a small stick given and began to stir. After a minute or so, she then tipped it out onto her bread and watched as it flowed out, "Heather honey is rather thick and needs to be stirred first before it can act as a syrup. It also has an... interesting taste, a bit different from what you might well be used to."

While she was unable to feel such things as annoyance, Kagotsuruhe still internally sighed before taking the jar of honey and pouring it onto her own bannock.

 

[darthcourt10]

looneytunes91

Drahcir said:
Or a Canada Geese version of Swan maidens.
yukicrewger2 said:
AW HEYLL NAW!
Barricade said:
Decent people don't think about that.​

Well while I haven't seen any Canadian Geese I know well of their Reputation. On a cold day approximately 10 years and 20 days ago a US Airways Airbus A320 was taking off from New York's La Guardia airport. Little did the passengers or pilot know of the terrorist attack that was about to occur.

For across the border in the Temple of Doom country of Canada a plot most vile had been concocted. A group of Canadian Geese had become angry at America for some perceived slight. (Perhaps the Canucks had lost to an American team 1 too many times. But that is supposedly only a rumor.) Anyways their plan was to cause mass destruction to the city of New York by making a suicide pact and bringing down a plane inside NYC.

And on January 15th 2009 they enacted their diabolical plan by flying themselves into the engines of US Airways Flight 1549. Little did they suspect that their diabolical scheme would set up an inadvertent summoning of a US Navy Carrier and what would become known as the Miracles on the Hudson.

So other than the above crack (lol) for the most part I'm going to try and make this snip canon. I can't promise that this will be continued or if it'll flop horribly. I'm not good at getting my ideas out in an order that I consider good but I'm really wanting to try this.

January 15th, 2009
New York, New York

As the general public toured the deck of the USS Intrepid they were witness to the spectacle of the aircraft of multiple generations from WWII prop planes to the Space Shuttle USS Enterprise. What the people who toured the deck of the "Fighting I" didn't see was a woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. As she walks among those who tour her decks she remembers the years of her service.

She remembered joining Task Force 58 for her first major operation in the Island hopping campaign. She remembered the end of the war and the elation of her crew as the Germans and Japanese surrendered. She remembered the post war era, and all that had happened to her up to this point.

But now she just sits here idle. There was talk of bringing her back up to combat ready status a few months after Blood Week but by that time shipgirls had been discovered and the summoning of shipgirls to combat the abyss had started to become standard.

So now she sits and listens to either the tourists that crowd her deck or her one link to the skies. Her radio, the one thing that let's her connect to the skies that her pilots once flew.

"jetlink 2760 climb maintain one zero thousand"

Listening to the choreographed orchestra of passenger airliners relaxed her nowadays. It meant that life kept going on no matter what the Abyssals tried.


"Cactus 1549 turn left heading 270"

"uh this is uh Cactus fifteen thirty nine hit birds, we've lost thrust in both engines we're turning back towards La Guardia."

"Okay yeah you need to return to La Guardia turn left heading of uh two two zero"

"Two two zero"

Intrepid's eyes widen upon hearing this. A loss of thrust in both engines? Only a few minutes after takeoff? He's low. Real low. He HAS to get a relight or the pilot, crew and passengers aren't gonna make it. As she turns to look in the general direction of the falling aircraft, unnoticed to all but a few of the tourists, Intrepid's Radar begins to turn.

"Cactus 1529 if we can get it to you do you want to try to land runway one three?"

" We're unable we may end up in the Hudson"

Ice shoots down Intrepid's keel. The Hudson right now is just barely above freezing. If the pilot gets the landing wrong then the passengers who do survive the landing might not survive the freezing cold waters! She has to do something! She has to HELP!

She blacks out.

Unknown location
A few seconds later

Intrepid opens her eyes to see a void of white. Standing up she wonders where she is. She can still feel her hull and the people touring her and-

"Alright Cactus 1549 it's going to be left traffic to runway three one"

"Unable."

"Ok, what do you need to land?"

That's right she still has to help the plane!

"You can't come back yet you know."

"Cactus 1549 runway four is available if you want to make left traffic to runway four."

Spinning around Intrepid comes face to face with a man. His face constantly changing, it appears as if he is a kaleidoscope of faces.

Immediately defensive, Intrepid recoils. "Who are you and why can't I?"

"I am Davy Jones and it is not your time."
Spoiler: Angry Intrepid

lord geryon said:

"I'm not sure we can make any runway. uh what's over to our right anything in New Jersey maybe Teterboro?"

"Ok yeah off to your right side is Teterboro airport."

"Do you want to try to go to Teterboro?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean it is not my time? When will it be my time? You say you are Davy Jones? Well then who are you to control my fate?! I am going to go and help that plane and I'll be damned if I let you stop me. Now. Let. Me. Go."

"I'm afraid I cant do that. You are too advanced."

Taking a few steps toward the thing that calls itself Davy Jones Intrepid clenches her fists as she approaches.

"Cactus 1529 turn right 280 you can land runway 1 at Teterboro."

"We can't do it."

"Ok which runway would you like at Teterboro?"

"We're gonna be in the Hudson."

"You don't get to make that decision. My name is USS Intrepid. Third ship of the Essex class aircraft carriers. We were the reinforcements when USS Enterprise was holding the line against Japan! I was selected to bring multiple NASA Astronauts home after their trips to outer space and subsequent splashdowns! My crew even helped save another crewman who went overboard at night in an aircraft towing tractor! So don't you dare tell me that I'm not allowed to save these civilians because for 31 years I sailed the seas to protect them! Now. Let. Me. Go."

"No. You are not needed. Let someone else deal with this."

"cactus uh... Cactus 1549 Radar contact is lost you also got Newark airport off your two o'clock in seven miles."

"Strike three." Stepping forward Intrepid lets out a battle cry as she slams her fist with all the force her 150 thousand shaft horsepower into the face of Davy Jones. As he falls Intrepid follows him to the ground raining hammer blow after hammer blow into him, each hit comes faster as in the back of her mind she knows that every second counts-

The white void around her seems to become unbearably bright until-

January 15th, 2009
New York, New York
Aft Portside of USS Intrepid

Unknown to USS Intrepid while she was fighting to summon herself the people of New York were becoming aware of the plane that was falling out of the sky. As more and more people saw what was happening and began to pray and hope for someone or something to happen and save these people and as the passengers and crew of flight 1549 pray for everything to turn out all right... a pair of Miracles happen.
Spoiler: Appropriate music

Intrepid suddenly stumbles as she instead goes from punching something on the floor to throwing a punch at thin air while standing. Looking up she internally despairs as she catches sight of what can only be a passenger airliner slamming into the Hudson river at close to stall speed.


As the tourists on her deck see and hear the plane crash into the river Intrepid forces herself into action. Across the ship the PA turns on and begins to broadcast.

"This is not a drill, This is not a drill! Man overboard Man overboard Portside Aft!"

Intrepid herself immediately jumps over the rail, lands on the water and begins running to the plane. Along the way she begins broadcasting over the guard frequency.

"This is USS Intrepid to anyone on this frequency! There is a plane down in the Hudson river abeam of myself. I am making a rescue and am calling for assistance from any ship in range."

Not even halfway to the stricken plane her hopes soar as the doors over the front and wing of the plane open and passengers begin pouring out.

As she approaches the portside of the plane the passengers already high on being alive and recognizing that a shipgirl has come to their rescue begin cheering.

"It's going to be all right everyone! Just stay calm and I'll get you all to safety! Where's the pilot?"

"I'm the pilot."

A voice calls out from the front of the plane. looking over Intrepid sees a white haired man with blue eyes staring back at her from the doorway to the cabin.

"Sir, I am USS Intrepid. Are all passengers and crew out of the aircraft? Are there any injuries? If so then if you put them on the rafts then I'll tow them over to the pier first and then come back for more."

"Thank you very much ma'am. We do need a knife to cut the rafts loose from the plane. There's water coming in from the back of the plane and we need to get everyone off of it ASAP."

Moving to the point where the life raft connects to the plane Intrepid shows her strength by, instead of using a knife, grabbing the rope and the side of the plane and ripping the rope in half.

Grabbing the end of the rope still connected to the raft she very carefully begins to pull it away from the plane before turning towards the dock where her hull is moored and starts towing the raft full of passengers.

As she begins to approach the pier she sees that first responders have already arrived. As she pulls up to the pier she tells the passengers on the raft to go ahead and disembark so she can take the raft and get more.

Turning around Intrepid starts back towards the plane and sees a ferry pulling up to the plane.
Spoiler: Ending music

For the next hour and a half Intrepid stays on scene rescuing survivors and crew and taking them to the pier and as the sun slowly sets on January the 15th of 2009 and the story of the Miracles on the Hudson became known to a nation still reeling from Blood Week a spark rose from this event. Hope.

Thus it went down in history that flight 1549 had a dual engine loss followed by an immediate water landing where all passengers and crew survived thanks to the experience and skill of former Air Force pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger.

And for USS Intrepid. The fighting I. The dry I. It became known that her first duty after commissioning as a steel hull was to go to war. But as a shipgirl, her first act was to rescue civilians.

Thus to the passengers and crew of flight 1549 USS Intrepid gained a new nickname.

The Intrepid savior.
Spoiler: Radio communication with flight 1549

And as a final note before anyone tries and correct me about having 1529 and 1539 in the controllers quotes if you listen to the radio communication in the above spoiler you can hear the controller say the wrong numbers. This took me so long and I hope this is a success. As I said initially I'm not great at getting my ideas into words but this took hold of me and didn't want to let go.

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

A Quick Update

-----
It wasn't long after classes ended for the day that the phone began to ring. As the students looked up from packing away shinai for the source of the noise, Mamiya sighed and silently prayed that someone would pick it up quickly. Fortunately, after a few rings, it did.

Unfortunately, Mother (who had excused herself as not feeling well and dumped the evening classes on her assistant instructor) entered the room minutes later, carrying the house phone.

"Mamiya?" she said, holding the hand set out. "It's for you."

Mamiya sighed, and accepted it from her.

"This is Haneda Mamiya."

"Haneda-san?" Nagawa—or Ushio, she still wasn't sure what she should call her former classmate—barked into the phone. "I-I'm sorry f-for calling your house ph-phone, but I tried y-your cell, and—"

"I was teaching a class," Mamiya replied, hurriedly. Her thoughts were beginning to race—it was about the right time, and she'd asked to be notified, so could it possibly—

"Right, sorry! Ashida-san's baby is coming!"

A terrified thrill ran down Mamiya's back and she almost dropped the phone. It… It really was happening. This was it. Anyone else probably would have detailed their emotions in flowery poetry, speaking about the joy, the fear, the relief that they would be feeling. Mamiya couldn't muster any of the words. They had vanished from her mind at the news.

So had Ushio, apparently. The destroyer girl's voice filtered back in through the tangle of emotions. "… and I promise that we didn't steal the helicopter, we asked permission and we got it!"

"Wait, what?" Mamiya asked, admittedly a little lost for context. "Could you repeat that last bit?"

"Lieutenant McAmis is driving Ashida-san to the hospital, but she asked for you to be there!" Ushio complied. "We're going to try to fly you in, and we asked if we could use a helicopter and—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Mamiya stammered, making a stopping motion—wait, Ushio couldn't see that, could she. "How fast is that trip by helicopter? How is Yae doing?"

"Uh, fine I think? I don't know very much about this stuff, but I've read that it can take a really long time—"

A roaring wind began to pick up outside the house. For a moment, Mamiya was frozen, trying to process everything that was happening.

The next, she was running, dropping the house phone as she did.

"Mamiya!" her mother shouted, and she turned to catch her cellphone as it flew towards her, shoving it down the top of her hakama in lieu of actual pockets.

The next she was out the door, charging straight into the wind as the helicopter touched down.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Placing the last of the cream onto the last scone, Louisiana smiled down at both Harry and Natsumi who were chatting as she finished her small snack. Granted, said snack would be considered a meal by any other group. But then, she was a Battleship after all, such things as it being a small snack for her were true and she had eaten some before coming thankfully.

Internally, she was smiling widely as she finished topping up her fuel tanks. Mainly because what the three of them were doing was, technically, a date. And that made the shipgirl extremely happy to be there with them. Oh, she knew that more then one person found it odd that she loved the two in front of her. None of them had to deal with months sealed in a casket, and then being saved. It wasn't any navy that came to rescue her, but the two teens in front of her.

And that, to Louisiana, made all the difference.

Leaning forward, she took a sip of her coffee and hummed at the taste of it. While Navy coffee was good to get one to wake up and stay that way, the taste left... much to be desired. The cup she was drinking, and its fellows that she had already imbibed, on the other hand, tasted wonderful to her. Lips curling up some, she chuckled as the two teens turned to her, "So where are we to go first?"

Natsumi leaned against her own clasped hands as she thought about it and then looked towards Harry, "What do you think? Gladrags?"

For a moment, Harry frowned in thought but then gave a small nod, "Yeah, that might be good. Then we can break for lunch afterwards."

Eyebrow raised, the Battleship gave them a thoughtful frown as she searched her logs, "Gladrags, ma chérie? As in the clothing store?"

Simply nodding, Natsumi gave her a smile, "Hai, we had a look there yesterday and we thought that you might like to go there." Giving the shipgirl a look over, even though part of blushed at how the sweater that Louisiana wore didn't hide at all just how busty the Battleship was, the Kitsune smiled, "They have a number of clothes there that would look nice on you and could fit."

That made Louisiana perk up some as finding clothing that actually fit her was always a chore. Not that she complained too much as there was always online, but it were few times that she actually did get to go out and shop, while having a decent chance of finding something that fit. And not just in Japan either as some of the few times she had accompanied a convoy to the US, there was not a whole lot for a woman whose height hit just over six and a half feet while built like an Amazon outside of some speciality stores.

Ironically, once various Battleships and such had found out about clothing stores in hidden parts of Japan that served Oni, said places found a very loyal customer base among those shipgirls of above average height and body types.

Currently though, the full lips of the shipgirl curled up as she stood up and took her coat in one hand, "That does sound good, ma chérie."

Giving her a thumbs up, Harry smiled at her, "Cool, just give me a moment to pay and we'll be on our way." When Louisiana opened her mouth though, he gave her a look that silenced her and made her flush a bit, "I'm going to pay, Louisiana. And that is final."

While she was not quite like Regina, who she had become friends with like Shinano, that commanding tone did odd things to Louisiana's boilers in a way that she rather liked. Especially when combined with the look that he gave her. In a way, it rather reminded her of some dreams involving am adult Harry and/or Natsumi on her hull which had left hot and bothered each time when she woke up...

Shaking those thoughts off, Louisiana simply nodded, "Of course, mon chéri. We shall wait here for your return." As Harry walked off, she turned to the Destroyer acting as an escort, "You do not mind, do you Hoel?"

Now it was Hoel Ni's turn to shake her head and give a smile, "I don't mind at all, Louisiana. Besides, I might manage to find something there myself! I mean, magic places usually have something there that is worth buying."

Twinkle in her eye, Louisiana simply hummed, "But do not spend all your money there as we shall be visiting the candy store. And from what Niiyodo told us, it is a Destroyer's paradise."

Placing her arms behind her head, the Destroyer nodded even as she drooled a little. From what she heard, the Honeydukes here was even more spectacular then the one in Diagon. Something that her and other Destroyers had a hard time believing... until Niiyodo showed them one of the twenty pound chocolate bars she had bought there as well as no-melt ice cream.

After which, there was only awe.

It was only a few minutes later that the group left the small bakery/coffeehouse behind and walked along. As they did so, Harry looked up at Louisiana in her turtleneck with a small hum, "Louisiana? Did you buy that sweater recently?"

Glancing at it herself, Natsumi blinked and tilted her head to the side, "Huh, you're right, Harry-Chan. That is a new sweater."

Her chuckles warm and thick, Louisiana looked at the two and smiled, "Oui, it is new. You know Miz Sachiko?" At their nods, she continued, "She is not just good at sewing, non? She is also very good at knitting and has made a number of us commissions." Fingering the hem, the shipgirl nodded, "And they are worth every bit that we pay."

Just shaking her head as she examined the sweater, the Kitsune gave a nod, "They certainly look that way." Realizing that she was looking a bit too closely, Natsumi flushed and looked away, "Definitely worth it."

Unnoticed by her, Louisiana only smiled with an amused twinkle in her eye. Minutes later, they entered Gladrags and Louisiana looked around in interest at the various clothes that were on display. Some of them actually looked downright normal! The sound of someone walking up though made them turn and found a woman there who paused at the sight of the tall, muscular woman. Quickly shaking it off, she smiled some, "Hello, welcome to Gladrags, how may I be of assistance?"

Harry smiled at her and then gestured at Louisiana and Hoel Ni, "Well, we're looking for some things for our friends here."

Looking up at Louisiana, the witch frowned some in thought, "Yes, well... I think that I can understand why." She then clapped her hands, "No worries though! We'll get you all sorted out right away, now what are you looking for in particular?"

A frown on her face, Louisiana became thoughtful, "I do not know, Miz Abigail. But perhaps some blouses? And winter wear as well, I suppose..." Gaze falling on one display, she blinked, "Though I will admit that I did not think that some styles would be here."

Now blinking, Abigail looked in the same direction which showed a long coat of some sort which made her nod, "Ah, that would be one of our chesterfield coats. It is just one of the overcoats we have to buy here at Gladrags and go wonderfully over robes and the like, or you can just wear more muggle styles under them with little issue." Humming, Louisiana gave a small tilt of the head before dismissing it. Understanding that she was not too interested, the witch gave a small nod, "Please, follow me and I'll guide you to where the more casual wear is."

Walking behind her, Natsumi tilted her head, "When we visited yesterday, Harry-Chan and myself were told that there were a number of choices, right? Like self-ironing and stain resistant?"

Just nodding, the witch gave a chuckle though she did her best not to give a stare at Harry, "Oh yes! Those are just some of what we offer here and they are rather popular. Especially the self-ironing for shirts, that one saves so much time it is not funny in the slightest!" Pausing, she gestured at a nearby stand, "You mentioned winter wear, well, here are our gloves. Besides the normal mittens we have others such as deer hide, rabbit hide, and the like. All charmed to be completely waterproof, self cleaning, and with warming charms to keep one's hands nice and toasty if you'd like. All with size changing as one size fits all!"

Interested, Louisiana took a moment to look over said gloves before selecting a pair that she felt looked rather nice on her. An hour later found the shipgirl opening the door to the changing booth and smiling at Harry and Natsumi who were sitting there as she showed off a navy blue, buttoned blouse with a slightly darker blue shrug over it with the blouse having decorative stitching on it, "Well?"

Head tilted to the side, Harry frowned in thought before turning to Natsumi, "I think that it looks pretty good on her."

Lips twitching, the Battleship gave him an amused look, "You think that each piece of clothing that I have tried on has looked good, mon chéri. Though thank you for the compliment."

Natsumi though gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Harry-Chan is right though, that does look good on you." Part of her noted that the blouse did strain a little at the bustline even with the sizing charms, but decided to ignore that, "Really good."

Well, partially ignore that anyways.

Brightly smiling, and flashing pearly white teeth, Louisiana gave a slight bow, "Thank you, ma chérie." Glancing at the pile of clothes at one side, which besides tank tops and blouses included shawls and the like, the Battleship nodded. This turned out to be a pretty good shopping trip and, more then that, she enjoyed the expressions and looks that Harry and Natsumi had given her when they had watched her with each piece of clothing. Ducking back into the change booth after twirling around to show them the full view, Louisiana's eyes fell on another pile of clothing...

However, being as these were undergarments, they were not ones that she was going to show off to either of the teens outside. At least, not for a few years yet anyways. Picking up one of the bras, she could only shake her head. They had, before she put them on, looked far too small to contain her chest. And yet, within moments had resized themselves so that they fit comfortably. More then that, the support charms and cushioning ones on every part, including the straps, made it so that they were extremely comfortable and, even when she jumped a bit, they barely moved. Placing it to the side, she shook her head, "I am definitely buying these... and suggesting that Shinano comes here as well as Hamakaze among others."

For a moment, Louisiana had an image of how an older Harry and Natsumi would react to some of the ones she bought and giggled with a slight blush. Then she shook it off and put on her next choice of clothing, feeling the cloth shift as it made itself fit her taller and broader then normal upper body. And then shifting again as she buttoned it up over her breasts. The whole time, happily smiling and humming snitches of song.
____________________________________________________________________

Finishing off the last bit of baked potato, though they were known in Britain as 'Jacket potatoes', Louisiana smiled before rolling the foil into a ball and munching on it as she used a napkin on her hands. A slight grin on his face, Harry looked up at her, "You seemed to really enjoy it."

With a small shrug, Louisiana gave a chuckle, "Indeed I did, mon chéri. It was very good after all, especially after having those bacon butties for lunch."

Softly snickering, Natsumi gave a shake of her head, "Madam Rosmerta seemed surprised at how many of them you were eating." Then she licked her lips some at the memory of the taste, "Though they were really good with that brown sauce."

That got her nods from the others as they left most of Hogsmeade behind and walked up a hill. Here and there, what seemed like the remains of stone walls or earthen works remained. Finally though, they reached their destination which was an old, two story house surrounded by a cast iron fence. Looking up at the boarded windows, Hoel Ni blinked and frowned, "This is it?"

Harry nodded as he placed his hands into his pockets, "Yeah, this is the infamous Shrieking Shack. Supposedly the most haunted home in all of magical Britain."

Frowning, Natsumi looked around and furrowed her eyebrows, "That's... odd." At the looks, she shook her head, "I don't feel any actual ghosts here. Sure, there's a lot of a lingering grudge in the ground from what you told me about regarding the rebellion... but I can't sense an actual intelligence to it like there would be if there was an actual ghost."

More then a little thoughtful at that, Louisiana turned to Harry, "Do you know who lived here, mon chéri? Perhaps there is some information there?"

Just opening his mouth, Harry paused and then furrowed his eyebrows in thought as he closed his mouth. After a few moments, his expression became confused, "You know, in all the stories that I have heard not once has there been a mention of who owned it. I mean, the best that I have heard was that this place was built in one year and within months boarded up with shrieks, yells, screams, and howls coming from it soon after. But nothing about someone actually living here."

Eyes narrowing, the Kitsune of the group walked up to the gate and went to open it before stopping. She slid her hand over the gate, wrapping it around the fenceposts, "Harry-Chan? Come here for a moment."

Walking up, Harry raised an eyebrow, "What is it, Natsumi-Chan?"

Simply glancing at him, Natsumi made a nod to the fence, "Put your hand on it and feel for a moment."

Curious, the wizard did so and blinked, "Wait... what in the world? The fence is enchanted?" Looking closer, he frowned deeper, "I can't tell what spells besides ones to strengthen it and... prevent climbing or jumping over the fence? What in the world..."

Both of them shared a look and opened the gate which loudly squeaked. Ignoring that, and followed behind by Louisiana and Hoel Ni, the two walked up to the house and did the same as at the gate. After a few moments, Natsumi let out a low whistle and shook her head, "There are a lot of spells woven into the wood, Harry-Chan. And warning spells in case it gets broken into, and reinforcement. I'm not an expert but... despite how it looks, I would not be too surprised if this place would be able to handle some of the stronger typhoons easily. That's... impressive."

Reaching up, Louisiana rapped her knuckles onto the wood hard enough to shake the place. When she pulled it away though, there was no damage to the building at all and she raised an eyebrow, "Very impressive."

As they walked around the building, they examined it closely until Natsumi pointed at one spot, "See that window? There's a gap there... could you boost me, Louisiana-Chan?"

With a nod, the Battleship did exactly that and Natsumi looked into the house. It was, not to her surprise, in ruins. Besides the dust the walls had damage and furniture here and there looked ripped apart. However, her eye caught sight of something on the window she was examining and she leaned forward to look at both the board at the bottom of the gap and just inside with her eyes widening in surprise. Something that Harry caught, "Natsumi-Chan? What's wrong?"

Shaking her head, said thirteen year old Yokai shook her head, "Guys? There's teeth marks on the wood boarding it up and claw marks on the inside. At some point there was something inside here. And whatever it was, it was not happy to be there."

Now looking over the house, Hoel Ni grimaced, "So the magic on it was all to keep something... inside it? Like a prison?" At the nod from Natsumi, she started to look around, "If so... then is it still inside?"

Eyebrows furrowing, Natsumi chewed her lip as she pulled back some, "I don't think so. Or at least I can't hear anything inside besides the normal sounds, though with that hole I could slip in and-"

Before she could finish, Louisiana pulled her away from the window, "Non!" Looking at the surprised Natsumi, her expression was stern, "You are not going inside without one of us, ma chérie. Especially if there may be something dangerous inside."

Frowning thoughtfully, Harry looked around the area taking it all in. They were on top of a hill that afforded a very good view of the village below. But, more then that... he realized that there was a similarly abandoned house at the bottom of the hill. One that would be able to observe the entirety of the hill above. Almost immediately after that, it clicked that anyone in said house could see the one above. Eyes widening, Harry looked to the back of the house, "Is there a back door?"

That got him an odd look, but the group made their way all the way around the house, trying to find another way in or out. Something that turned out to be impossible as there was only one door. A frown on her face, Hoel Ni scratched her head, "Weird, there's just that one door." Turning to Harry, she kept her frown on her face, "How did you know?"

In reply, Harry pointed towards the village. "Look, right there, there's a house at the bottom that looks up here. And the gate would be locked... the whole place was made to keep something in, right?" At their nods, he continued, "My dad mentioned in his journals that Professor Dumbledore kept Uncle Moony somewhere safe when he was transformed, though not where. You would not keep a werewolf inside a school, that would be stupid. But... we're pretty far from the school and the village as well. And if someone was in the house down below, they would be able to both see and hear a werewolf escaping while being able to stop it. Besides which, everyone down below lock their doors and the like, so chances of a werewolf attacking someone are low."

Her own eyes widening, Natsumi stared for a moment and then nodded, "And from what I remember... a werewolf can make a lot of noise. Yowls and the like, which would be frightening to someone. It could be mistaken for an angry ghost as well, and if you don't want someone to investigate, well... it makes sense to make the rumour spread." There was an almost awed look on her face, "That's... that's brilliant. The sort of thing that a Kitsune would applaud."

Much to their amusement, she then clapped her hands.

The group then headed down to the other abandoned house and looked inside to one of the main rooms and there was a massive rocking chair there. Slowly, Harry nodded at the sight of it, "Hagrid, that actually makes sense. I mean, I don't think he would have much issue with a werewolf."

Remembering the giant man in question, Natsumi shook her head, "No, Hagrid-San would have little issue with a werewolf." A frown on her face, she looked back up the hill, "But how do you think that they got him there. Sure, most people would not be bothered by Hagrid coming here, probably thinking that he was playing cards or whatever. A teen though?"

It was then that Hoel Ni spoke up, "Tunnels." At their looks, he pointed down, "My sonar up on the hill picked up what looked to be a tunnel beneath the ground. Judging by the side of the house it was on, it looked like it was heading to Hogwarts."

Frowning, Harry looked in that direction and gave a low whistle, "That is still a pretty far distance. However, tunnels do make sense, especially if you can secure them from the outside. Question is where it ends." A grin then appeared on his face, "Which means looking for it!"

With a short laugh, the Battleship clapped Harry on the shoulder before looking at both him and Natsumi, "And so it seems that we have solved the mystery, non?"

Grin on his face, Harry gave a shrug, "Seems so, I guess. Though I'll check to make sure. Still..." Placing his hands behind his head, he gave a nod, "Feels pretty good to solve it."

Beside him, Natsumi gave a small nod, "Hai, it does feel pretty good." Sharing smiles, the group re-entered the village proper when Harry said something that made Natsumi blink, "Hmm? What, Harry-Chan?"

Chuckling, Harry gave her a small smile, "Remember how you told me that you like mountain climbing, Natsumi-Chan?"

A look of confusion on her face, the teenaged Kitsune slowly nodded, "Hai? What about it, Harry-Chan? I like mountain climbing after all."

In reply, Harry pointed, "The weather today is a bit clearer then it was yesterday, Natsumi-Chan. So you can just barely see it from here, but right over there is Braeriach, the third highest mountain in the United Kingdom. And over there, though you can't see it, is Ben Macdui, the second highest. There's a few other mountains around here as well."

Turning thoughtful, Natsumi considered what she was just told and glanced at the village. Then she gave a small nod, "You know, Harry-Chan, that means that Hogsmeade would make a nice place to start out at for mountain climbing in the area..."

Head tilted to the side, Harry smirked a bit, "What do you think, Natsumi-Chan? Might want to try them one of these days?"

It was not to his surprise that the Kitsune nodded with her eyes sparkling, "I would not mind at all, Harry-Chan! Maybe bring along Hanna-San as she stated she would be stationed here in Scotland. And if you get some maps and such, we could start planning even if it is a few years from now that we actually attempt it."

Only taking Louisiana's hands in his, to the Battleship's quiet enjoyment, Harry gave a small nod of agreement, "I'd like that."

All too soon, though it was a few hours later, it was time for Natsumi, Louisiana, and Hoel Ni to leave for Yokosuka. Standing not too far from where she had arrived the previous day, Natsumi was smiling while tilting her head some, "Thank you for everything, Harry-Chan. I really enjoyed myself."

Blushing lightly, Harry simply nodded with a smile of his own, "You're not the only one, Natsumi-Chan. I liked having you, Niiyodo-Chan, and Louisiana here as well."

Pleased expression on her face, Louisiana bowed her head some, "Oui, and I enjoyed being here as well, mon chéri. It has been a pleasent time spent in your company."

Harry gave a glance around and hugged Natsumi close before giving her a soft kiss, something that left her grinning at. Then, letting go, the wizard then turned and hugged Louisiana before giving her a kiss as well that left the Battleship rather flustered, but also inordinately pleased. Once both shipgirls and the Kitsune said their goodbyes to Harry, getting one last hug in, Harry waved them goodbye as they vanished with the Portkey.

Arriving back at the house that Percy had bought and contained the vanishing cabinets, Natsumi stretched with a sigh, "Mmm, I can't wait to get back home."

Softly smiling, Louisiana shook her head some and chuckled warmly, "Non, I suppose not..." Her expression then became somewhat concerned, "But are you going to be fine tomorrow, ma chérie? You are not going to get much sleep tonight."

That got her a shrug from the Kitsune who shook her head, "I'll be fine. A little bit of lost sleep never really hurts."

Noticing that Natsumi was not looking at her, Louisiana blinked, "Ma chérie?"

With a hum though, the thirteen year old didn't answer her right away and turned to Hoel before clearing her throat, "Um, Hoel-San? Is it okay if I have a chat with Louisiana-Chan?"

Just glancing between them, the Destroyer gave a shrug and jerked her thumb at the house, "Sure, I'll just wait inside for you."

Both Natsumi and Louisiana stood there as the other shipgirl walked up the stairs and entered the home, closing the door behind her. Then the Battleship turned to Natsumi with a confused, though curious expression on her face, "Ma chérie?"

Taking the taller female's hand in hers, Natsumi lead her to a stone bench and sat down, Louisiana beside her. For several moments, the Kitsune was quiet before she took a deep breath, "Louisiana-Chan? I... you know about the nightmare I had, right?"

Slowly, a gentle look on her face, the Battleship nodded, "Oui, I do ma chérie. Why?"

Rather then say anything, Natsumi took a deep breath and let it out, "I... I've been doing a lot of thinking since then. On several subjects to be honest and... and..." Suddenly, she grabbed her hair and messed it up, "Ugh! I hate this!"

Louisiana gently placed one hand on the teen's shoulder, "It is okay, ma chérie. We can take some time here."

Huffing, she groaned, "I know, I know." Turning to her, Natsumi frowned, "Okay, I know how you feel about me as well as Harry-Chan... Not that you ever really hid that." Not saying anything, Louisiana nodded, "And that dream of mine, it made me thinking about that... and..."

Before she could say anything though, a finger pressed itself against her lips. Following it to the arm that it was attached to and then further, Natsumi's golden eyes met Louisiana's sapphire eyes. Slowly, the shipgirl shook her head, "Non, ma chérie. Like I have said, I am willing to wait a few years yet before anything is ready to be decided. And that is what should happen."

To her surprise, Natsumi grabbed her hand and pulled it away, "I know that, Louisiana-Chan. But I realized that I haven't really been fair to you." Seeing her about to speak, the Kitsune shook her head, "Just... Let me finish."

Mouth closing, the shipgirl only nodded.

With another deep breath, Natsumi pressed her lips thinly for a few moments before nodding, "That dream really shook me up and made me think. And then there's the past few days and what has happened there which also made me think. And I'm not a stupid kid, not really." Not looking at Louisiana, she leaned forward, chin on her propped up hands, "Like I said, I have not been really all that fair in regards to you. But... I think that I know how to solve things." Turning, the thirteen year old looked up at the shipgirl, "I've been thinking maybe... we should spend time together? I mean, sort of like we did and all that."

Her boilers pounding in her chest, Louisiana swallowed, "Like we have for mon chéri? Today?"

Slowly, the Yokai gave a nod, "Like today, yeah. I mean, they're not really dates or anything. But just spending time together and going on outings... basically spending time together." Cheeks flushed, Natsumi looked away, "Just... spending some time together, you know? So that in a few years time, you know... I can make a decision, because there would be that base to make it off of."

Voice soft, Louisiana leaned down to better look at Natsumi, who kept glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, "Like today."

Motioning with her hand, Natsumi nodded, "Hai, like today. I mean, maybe come spring break you can join Hoshi-San and I when we go climbing since I can't go alone. Sometimes we camp for a day or two and she's suggested that I bring someone along as well. Like this spring, we're planning on climbing Mount Dainichi for example. And Harry-Chan did tell me that you liked hiking..." Not trusting her voice, Louisiana simply nodded which made the teen smile. Reaching over, she grasped the shipgirl's hand and gave it a squeeze, "Well, I guess that's basically it then."

Louisiana took a deep breath and let it out as her eyes sparkled, "Oui."

To her surprise though, the Kitsune moved a bit and gave her a kiss on the cheek right near the corner of her lips. And when Natsumi pulled away, both were blushing and she hopped off the bench, "Anyways, we should be going before Hoel-San wonders where we might be."

Slipping her hand into Natsumi's, Louisiana smiled, "Oui, let's go home."

 

[darthcourt10]

SoulessScotsman

A/N: Late, but at least I finally managed to post this.
----------------------------------------------------
US Army Captain William Crowe Anderson stared warily at the Torii Gates that lead to the Inugami Shrine.

For the first time in...well, longer than he could remember, Crowe was nervous. Clad only in his Dress Blues and bereft of all his weapons save his sidearm and sword. Hell, he'd even shaved!

He rubbed his jaw, feeling the significantly shorter and well-groomed beard.

Well. He'd trimmed it, at least. Damn Connie for making him wear full Dress Blues.

He felt a tug at his sleeve. Looking down at his side he saw Corvina, somehow looking even more nervous than he felt.

She looked up at him with those big blue eyes, worry mixed with apprehension, "Dad? Will they...Will they like me?"

Crowe felt his heart break a little.

He knelt down and pulled his daughter into a hug, trying his best not to ruffle her blue dress and the little black coat she wore over it, "Sweetie, they'll love you, or at least not let their problems with me influence how they treat you. Tsume's displeasure at anyone mistreating children is deterrent enough. I'm more worried about me."

So said, he rose to his full height and took his daughter's hand in his, using the other to adjust the still uncomfortable officer's cap on his head, "Agonizing over it isn't going to make it any easier, kiddo. C'mon."

Walking up the steps used to be a calming experience, when he'd lived here for his Junior and Senior years of High School. Now? Now he only felt dread.

As he crossed the threshold of the final gate before the entrance proper, a feeling of intense unease fell over him.

"You are not welcome here, gaijin."

William sighed, turning to look at the severe woman, ignoring Corvina's yip of 'Where did she come from?!', "I'm so glad to see your sparkling personality and sweet charm has only improved since I was last here, Haruna," he replied in Japanese, tone dripping with scornful sarcasm.

The woman's face twisted, "You do not get to use his voice, creature. You insult his memory enough by taking his face. Leave the girl and begone, and my mistress might yet show you mercy."

"What the Hell...?" Crowe muttered, utterly bewildered, "Haruna, you can't seriously think I'm some sort of yūrei or something!"

"Anderson-san is dead. You are either his ghost, or some creature wearing his face," she said, tone level as she glared at him, "If it is the former, then we shall help you pass on. If it is the latter..." the Miko's face twisted into a snarl, fangs glinting in the light and eyes turned to those of a beast, "I shall enjoy tearing you to bloody shreds for your transgressions."

Crowe grasped the hilt of his sword and took a step forward, pushing Corvina behind him, "Stay behind me, hon. Sakurai Haruna, Miko of the Inugami Shrine, I demand to speak with Inugami Tsume, Matriarch of the Inugami Clan!"

The Miko stopped utterly, stunned shock writ across her face. Then it all melted away to rage.

"You DARE!" she howled, "By what right?!"

"By my right as kin!" he thundered back, "By my right as Brother to Raven and Uncle to her daughters! I will not be treated as some base creature!"

That seemed to be the last straw, as the instant he finished she lunged at him, more beast than woman. Reacting quickly, Crowe grabbed Corvina by the scruff of her jacket and tossed her to the grass, well out of the way of the charging Ōkami Yōkai.

With little time to react, and less still to draw either of his weapons, the Army Trooper simply used the only weapon left to him. Rearing back his right fist, Crowe met the charging yōkai with a solid right to the nose.

Blood spurted onto his white glove as his fist met snout. Haruna's head jerked back and she staggered. Taking advantage of her state, Crowe stepped forward and slammed his fist into her head, knocking the wolf cold.

Breath heaving, he took a step back, wincing as he felt all the dislocated bones in his hand, "I'm so glad that knocked her out, because I think that hurt me more than it hurt her."

"Dad!" Corvina yelled, "Oh, no! Your hand! Doc, I need you to look at Dad's hand!"

The little sub rushed to her kneeling father, medical fairy held in her cupped hands. The little fairy primly examined his hand, thinly veiled disapproval in her every action. She turned to Crowe, that same disapproval now clear on her tiny cherubic face.

"Watch it, Smurf," he warned, "My other hand still works."

The doctor rolled her eyes and turned to her sub. With a series of rapid fire "Heys" and "Ayes" she relayed her diagnosis.

"She says that you should go to a hospital," Corvina started, "But knowing you, Ensign Lowell will be up here in a second to cast a resetting charm. Doc says to man up and deal with the pain until then."

Crowe grunted, "Can they get the blood out?"

The Ensign in question popped her head up over Corvina's shoulder, looked at the hand and glove in question and shrugged, "Hey."

"They'll try?" she offered.

"Good enough."

The little fairy hopped down, standing next to the medical fairy and carrying on a quiet conversation as they worked. The Ensign pulled out what may as well have been a toothpick and waved it at his hand with an emphatic "Hey-HEY!" Crowe felt the bones snap into place as he suppressed a pained scream into a quiet "Hnng!" With another wave and another cry the blood disappeared.

He flexed the hand in question, testing the range of motion, "Nice work, Ensign. Can you do the same for Haruna's nose? I'd like her to wake up without that, if at all possible."

The fairy hopped down and trotted over to the wolf, even as he stood up. Leaning down, he kissed his daughter's hair, "Thank you, sweetie. Keep Doc and Lowell near the hatch, just in case, please?"

"Hey!" cried Lowell, signifying that their task was completed.

"Outstanding," Crowe grunted as he moved to pick up the now reverted Miko, "Now, I'll take Haruna and we'll sort this mess out. Stay close, and have a small shore party on stand-by."

"Dad?" Corvina asked.

He shifted Haruna on his shoulder as he started walking to the Shrine's gates, "Better to have and not need, rather than need and not have."

When he reached the open gates he walked on through, "Hello! Anyone here? Or was the Guard Dog out front the only one?"

"Your sense of humor remains as rotten as ever, I see."

Crowe turned to look at the woman walking towards the gate, tenseness settling into his shoulders. She was clad in traditional Miko garb, black hair tastefully pinned to the back of her head. Her eyes were a steely grey, watching with a reserved wariness.

"Well, when Haruna decided to wolf-out and attack me, rather than listen, I thought it was appropriate," he replied, "I know she never really liked me, but come on."

The woman snorted, "I doubt she could smell you, beneath the blood, steel and gunpowder. And that thing on your hip doesn't help. It may not be evil, but it's aura is not doing it any favors."

He shrugged, "It's useful."

"I can imagine," the Miko replied. She was quiet for a long moment, before sweeping over to him and placing her hands on his cheeks, "My wayward son. To see that you are alive and well, despite all that has been set against you does my heart more good than you can imagine."

Anderson met her eyes and saw the unshed tears, "I'm sorry, Okaa-san. I let my sorrow drive me, and then my own cowardice keep me away. I may have been ordered not to contact anyone shortly after my deployment, but that was no excuse when I was released from that restriction."

She hugged him tightly, like he would disappear if she let go, "You are alive," Tsume asserted, "I can finally take your picture down from the family shrine, have your name stricken from the monument! Now is not the time for self-recrimination! My lost pup is returned!"

Corvina piped up, "The wolf lady's waking up!"

Tsume clicked her tongue, "Headstrong girl. Never looks before she leaps. Saya-chan, Hana-chan!" she called, causing two more Miko to poke their heads out from the attached house, one with cat ears and the other with canid ears, "Bring Haruna-chan to her room. And if you see Raven and my Granddaughters, send them to the Shrine's office. I have good news for all of us, for once."

As the two helped Haruna to her room they cast a few furtive looks at Crowe. He merely cocked a brow, causing both young women to blush and hurry on their way.

"They're new," he commented.

"I'm training them. They show promise as Miko, and with Raven helping Kenta with the self defense classes he's been teaching, the girls going to school and learning to fight as well, I've needed the help. Hopefully they'll be able to find shrines of their own, someday, but I'll take their help while I can. But enough of that. Who is this, hmm?"

Corvina "eep"ed as Tsume's steely gaze locked onto her. The Miko leaned down and took a few tentative sniffs, gazing curiously at the little subgirl. When her eyes shot wide open and she took a longer and, in his opinion, exaggerated sniff as if to confirm something, his daughter "eep"ed again.

The high-pitched squeal Tsume let out as she swept Corvina up into a hug nearly shattered his eardrums.

"She's adorable! Why didn't you lead with the fact you have a daughter?! Ooh, now I have a new grandbaby to spoil!"

Will rolled his eyes, "You're smothering her, Kaa-san."

Tsume turned away from him, taking Corvina with her, "I'm making up for almost a decade in lost time, I'll smother her all I like, thank you."

He didn't resist the urge to roll his eyes again when she turned up her nose at him, "I'm sure. But I'll thank you to put her down. She's a bit nervous around new people."

The Miko looked down at the little sub, blinking in surprise. Corvina's face was red and there were tears in her eyes. Tsume set her down and gave put a comforting hand on her head.

"I'm sorry, little one. I just never thought my wastrel son would ever settle enough to have children. I'm just so happy to meet you."

"'Wastrel'? Jesus, Kaa-san."

"'m 'dopted," Corvina mumbled, looking away.

That seemed to bring Tsume up short, but Crowe took two long strides and pulled his daughter up into a hug, "Now what made you think that ever mattered to me? Adopted or otherwise, you're my daughter. And I wouldn't trade you for the world. And if that even begins to be worth a damn to anyone else," here he cast a hard gaze at Tsume, "Well. It wouldn't be pretty."

"Oh, calm down," Tsume replied, "I adopted you into the clan as my children, didn't I? Why on earth would I judge you for the same? Besides, you didn't adopt her."

Crowe practically snarled, "Kaa-san, I love you, but you'd better start explaining before I do something we'll all regret."

"She smells like you, William. There's something trying to prevent anyone from making the connection, I think, but scents don't lie. She smells like your daughter. The only question is why someone would hide that from you. It would have to be someone powerful, given your frankly ludicrous resistance to mind magic. The list of people that can do that is vanishingly and laughably small. Hmm."

For the second time in as many days, Captain William Crowe Anderson was rendered speechless.

"Okay, what in the ever-loving fuck?!"

"Language!"

Well. Almost speechless.

 

[darthcourt10]

mikelima777

The North Atlantic was known for its rough seas and harsh conditions. Despite this, a massive warship powered forwards, its bow breaking through the choppy waters. Like similar ships of her type, she had minimal weapons built-in to her hull. Her true military power came from the aircraft that would call her home. From the ship's superstructure, the ensign of the Royal Canadian Navy flew in the gusty wind.

"Lion One, this is Shamrock departure. The test flight is confirmed. You are cleared to catapult one."

"Cleared to catapult one, Lion One."

The Commander hummed as the bubble canopy lowered down. In front of him, the multi-function displays showed that he was carrying the correct payload of two dummy AIM-9 Sidewinders and other munitions for today's flight. He carefully moved his aircraft forward to the catapult, where the nose landing gear was quickly secured to the shuttle. After communicating with the "deck apes" by hand signals, he gave a quick salute and braced himself for launch. He rolled his eyes as he heard the "launch chime" one of the technicians had programmed out of boredom.
Spoiler: countdown

Then, the Commander felt as he was pressed to his seat, his plane accelerating from 0 to just enough speed to fly. The jet rocketed away, dipping down before rising up as lift and thrust helped overcome gravity.

"This is Lion One, catapult launch successful, climbing."

"Received, Lion One. You are cleared for 5000 feet"

"Cleared for 5000 feet, Lion One."

With that, the Commander was the first Canadian to take off via catapult from an RCN carrier since the 60s. Few, however, knew that the veteran pilot had a secret, which had to do with his extended family back in Britain. His family of wizards and witches.

Growing up, he had hoped to follow the family tradition of entering Hogwarts, though it became clear that his hopes were for nought. Learning that he was a squib was hard, though it was fortunate his family, unlike many purebloods, did not cast away those lacking magic. While it precluded his enrollment to Hogwarts, he was able to continue his education in the non-magical world but to avoid trouble from certain pure-blooded families, his parents persuaded him to enter post-secondary education outside of Britain, which led him to study in Canada. For a few years, he was supported by one of his cousins, who moved to Canada after graduating Hogwarts.

It was during his time in post-secondary education that he found his two loves. The first was a compassionate and understanding young woman, Leslie, who would eventually become his wife. Much to his surprise, she turned out to be descended from refugees fleeing MACUSA when Rappaport's Law was instituted. The second was a passion for flying, after watching the Snowbirds perform at the Canadian International Air Show. He once had dreams of being able to fly on a broom after watching the Quidditch World Cup, and flying a plane was the closest thing to that.

Out of a need to pay for his education, he applied to the Canadian Forces, and ultimately became a CF-18 Pilot after years of hard work, training, and struggles. For a few years, he was based out of CFB Bagotville, he and his then-fiancée settled down, with hopes of eventually leaving the military for civilian work. During his service, he discovered was that despite the lack of magic, he had excellent eyesight and a knack for combat flying. It was perhaps due to these talents that he survived Blood Week.

The Canadian military paid a severe cost as they held the line against the seaborne attacks, with the Navy and some army regiments bearing the brunt of the attacks. The Air Force also suffered losses, though thankfully CFB Cold Lake and CFB Bagtotville were virtually untouched by Abyssal aircraft. In the aftermath, the Canadian Forces went into rebuilding mode with a heavy focus on the navy, even as the shipgirls appeared, along with those discovered after driving off the Abyssals. Recruitment rates climbed up, while all available shipyards were contracted to help replace war losses and improve Canada's ability to fight back against the sea-based threats. Part of the rebuilding included the conversion of two container ships into escort helicopter carriers, as well as the four Prince-class light aircraft carriers. Ultimately, the rebuilding and expansion of the RCN culminated in the development of the Shannon-class aircraft carriers.

Based on a proposed BAe design for the Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth-class, the Shannon-class was built to be versatile, providing air support to shipgirl operations as well as project power and fulfil Canada's international obligations. Efforts were made to reduce the costs of building and operating the ships, such as improved automation of various systems and computerization of engineering controls. To regain expertise in CATOBAR operations within the Royal Canadian Navy, volunteer pilots and personnel were sent to the United States to train and serve aboard the aircraft carriers that had survived Blood Week.

The Commander, having traded in his Air Force uniform for the Navy's, trained aboard USS Forrestal, earning his carrier qualifications as well as a healthy respect for working at sea. He was eventually posted to the newly reformed VF 870 Squadron, based in the full reactivated CFB Shearwater, which was once again home to naval aviation in the Maritimes. And with his squadron to be assigned to HMCS Shannon, he was one of the selected test pilots for her sea trials. Today's flight had the objective of making sure the catapults and arrestor wires were working properly.

After spending half an hour performing various manoeuvres, his plane lined up for landing. Despite his experience, the Commander could still feel his neck hairs rise up as the plane descended. Landing on a carrier was a difficult task, and the seas were already reaching the limits for American pilots. Despite the waves rocking the carrier, however, the Commander carefully brought his plane down and hooked the third wire. Even with the engine noise, he could hear the cheers from the deck crew as they notched their first successful landing.

"Landing was picture perfect. Well done Lion One. Mission complete."

****

The crew held a small celebration of the flight, which was a critical milestone before her official commissioning. While some of the crew downed beer, the Commander drank ginger ale. Pilots had to stay sober, after all. Meanwhile, he was enjoying some fried chicken when he spotted someone coming. He nodded as the ship's CO approached, patting him on the back.

"Bravo, Commander Greengrass! Excellent job out there, hope the seas weren't too rough." Commander Greengrass shrugged.

"It wasn't that bad; though I'm sure my instructors on Forrestal would have called me insane for flying today."

"True, true."

The Captain then whispered in his ear, "By the way, our spook friend has another package to pass on to your folks."

Commander Greengrass quirked an eyebrow at his boss. The Captain was one of the few people aboard cleared to know about magic and his status as a Squib. Over the years, he had been helping the Canadian Forces Intelligence branch as well as the Canadian Ministry of Magic with gathering Intel passed from his family. The Canadian government, both non-magical and magical, had wanted information on the British Ministry and the ICW. He had told them what he knew about it, as well as information passed on from his family across the pond. In return, Commander Greengrass could continue to give general information about the non-magical world to his family, and with the Statute of Secrecy predicted to fall within the decade, a contingency to get the extended family out of Britain if another wizarding war broke out.

"What is it this time?" he asked.

The Captain shrugged.

****

Commander Greengrass looked perplexed as he examined the package that he discovered on his bed. There were lists of various wizarding companies, a copy of Jane's All The World's Summoning Pools, a stone etched with runes, a dossier on the Kyoto and Edo magical governments, as well as what appeared to be a sealed letter addressed to the Greengrass family patriarch from the Canadian Ministry of Magic. What really intrigued the Commander was a second letter from the DRDC Valcartier. It was addressed to one of his nieces, Cyrus' eldest daughter in fact.

He was curious; I wonder what that letter is about?

 

[darthcourt10]

MagisterAurelius

As promised, but things look like I need to split this into a couple of parts so....

Ship of Fools Part the Ninth
3rd year the February Hogsmeade weekend:

-0-

Draco's breath misted in the air as he stood beside a smirking Johnston near a rural Scottish road. It was barely a five minute walk from the carriage road to Hogsmeade but Draco was still a bit confused.

"I thought we were going to spend the day in Hogsmeade Johnston, why are we out here?"

The ship-girl shot him a victory sign. "Okay it is a little last minute, buuuuttt, this was too good an opportunity to pass up when Cleo told me she got two extra tickets."

"Okay, so we're going somewhere else then? How are we going to get there?" Draco paused in thought at the realization that he was technically sneaking off school grounds without his parent's permission, but then he noticed Johnston bouncing in place. He hadn't even realized he had stopped thinking until Johnston snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Draco? Draco? DRACO?!"

"Bwuh? What? What! I..." Draco broke off as Johnston put her hand in front of her mouth and giggled.

"Our ride is here silly."

A grey rental minivan had pulled up and Washington just looked at the two of them from the open side door with a raised eyebrow. "Are you two coming or not?"

Draco barely had time to get in the van when Johnston nearly pushed him into the center of the back benchseat. As Johnston plopped down next to him and put her arm through his, he had time to orient himself. Sharing the backseat with Johnston and himself was Washington wearing just a ghost of a smile on her face as she pushed the van door shut. In the seat just in front of them was a girl who appeared in her older teens and a silver haired girl that looked a little younger than Johnston was in the passenger seat. Their driver seemed to be a man in his forties with a severe haircut but a magnificent old fashioned black handlebar mustache.

"So where are we going again Johnston?"

"We're going to Glasgow to see a badass band sing about badasses to further your education in badassness!"

"So who is this Band of Ultimate Badass?"

Draco smiled a bit as his girlfriend began to vibrate in her seat with excitement and she broke into a chant.
"SabatonSabatonSabatonSabaton..." Draco looked around the van.

"Is everyone here going too?"

Johnston put a finger to her chin. "Umm, I know you, me and Cleo are. Hey Niobe! Are you going to the Sabaton concert too?" The silver haired girl in the passenger seat turned around.

"Nein Johnston. I'm here to escort a couple of our capital ships while one of them goes to a football match in Glasgow. And since Ostfriesland has been wanting to meet Frau Washington since she heard of her return, I get some time to relax before the inevitable riot breaks out after the football game."
Draco looked over at Washington after he heard her sharp intake of breath when the name Ostfriesland was dropped and could only stare. For the perhaps the second time he could think of, the hidden tension and carefully maintained facade of calm control had dropped and Washington looked genuinely pleased.

With a soft smile she spoke, "It will be good to talk to mütti again."

Draco voiced something that had troubled him when Niobe had mentioned it. "You mentioned an inevitable riot? That sounds dangerous..."

"It really isn't most of the time, human hooligans of FC Wolfsberg are pretty harmless. It's when Derfflinger joins in that things get interesting in the Chinese usage of the term. But it is only a friendly match, no league points on the line, so hopefully Ostfriesland and I can get Derfflinger out of the country before she starts another international incident." Niobe glanced skyward, fingers crossed, with a nearly prayerful expression. One prompted stomped on by the next thing out of the girl Cleo's mouth.

"Yay for friendlies! And it's so nice that FC Celtic is celebrating the Clydebank shipgirls too! HMS Superb, Inflexible, Fiji and Bermuda all got special midfield seats! And Inflexible brought both of her sisters along from what I heard."

"Schiesse." Draco and Johnston's collective gaze turned from the happy if somewhat ditzy expression of Cleo to the bitter beer face gracing Niobe. "So that's what made Derfflinger mention 'Jutland Two:Electric Boogaloo' and finishing it properly this time. Frau Washington will you help Ostfriesland and I stop her from brawling?"

"Certainly Niobe," Washington looked at Draco and continued, "I am not about to allow Draco's date with Johnston run into such trouble. And you, Johnston, had better not drag him into the riot to give him a badass lesson."

"Don't look at me like that! Draco is my super special squishy wizard and I'm not about to get him hurt." As Draco turned to her Johnston put a finger to his lips, stopping his exclamation. "Relax sweetie, everyone in the van knows about magic already."

Exhaling his relief, Draco enjoyed the rest of the ride to concert venue. Johnston, Cleo and himself got out of the van. He turned to the anxious expression of Washington in the van as she called to him.

"Be careful Draco, I'll try to be here when the concert gets out but stay here and wait for me if not."

Draco smiled reassuringly. "We'll be fine. You go enjoy your time with your mother. The football stadium is probably miles away. It's not like I'm going to get crushed under a flying shipgirl or some other ludicrous thing."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Her lower, snake-like half coiled beneath her, Shiromizu sipped her tea as she looked around her. Night had fallen on Izumo and things in the park took a different turn, though no less magical, then they had in the day. From where she was, the Mizuchi could see softly lit orbs drifting among the trees, glowing, wispy tails flowing behind them. Various flowers, too, were in bloom with small, golden motes of light drifting up from within their petals as moths made of various colors of light fluttered from one blossom to another.

One finger stretched out, Shiromizu smiled as one of the moths landed on it, the wings nothing more then lines of purple light as was its body, almost like a child's drawing made physical.

Then it flew off into the night as she watched with a small smile on her face. Nearby, the Mizuchi could hear the sounds of a Kabuki play somewhere else in the park. Various Kami and spirits walked along the pathways while fountains burbled. The whole thing brought forth a truly mystical vision.

Lips twitching, Shiromizu let out a small chuckle as she took another sip of tea, "Mmm... this is lovely. Both the park and the tea."

From where she was, Himewari bowed to her with a smile of her own, "I am glad that you think so, Lady Shiromizu." Looking around herself, the Sunflower spirit sighed, "The park is rather beautiful at night."

A hum being given from Suihou was the only warning she had before said spirit spoke up, "Indeed, especially when you have Ryo-San with you." Pretending not to see her friend blush heavily, she stage whispered to the amused Mizuchi beside her, "The two of them like taking long, moonlit walks on the paths here."

Snapping open a fan, Shiromizu held it in front of her face, "Does she now? Fufufufufufu, that sounds rather... romantic to me."

Just placing her face in her hands, the Sunflower spirit softly groaned, "Please, Lady Shiromizu..."

Expression turning gentle, Shiromizu gave a small nod, "Very well, though it is rather romantic." Turning, her tone because somewhat teasing as she looked at the flustered male spirit, "Who ever would have thought that you would have it in you, Ryo-San?"

With a swallow, he took a deep breath and frowned before clasping Himewari's hand in his own, "Himewari-Chan."

Blinking, the Mizuchi chuckled and gave a nod, "It would appear so." She then looked at Himewari, "I'm sorry, Himewari-San, the opportunity and temptation was far too good. And normally I tease the girls after my Otouto in much the same way."

That made Himewari relax some, though her cheeks were still flushed due to the comparison. Mainly because it said quite a bit about how much regard the Mizuchi she was the attendant of had in her, "Your apology is accepted, Lady Shiromizu, though also unneeded."

All Shiromizu did was nod at that before taking another sip of her tea, "Perhaps, but I felt that it was." Placing the now empty cup to the side, she sighed some as she looked around, "Just two more nights and this year's Kannazuki will be over."

Pouring some more tea, Himewari nodded, "Indeed, Lady Shiromizu. It ends upon the dawn of the first day of the eleventh month."

Simply nodding, the serpent woman waited as she had a look of deep thought, "I will admit, for my first time here, it has been... rather successful. Even with the meetings and the introductions that Senpai has been giving me, it's gone easier then I thought."

Ryo took off his glasses and cleaned them with a hum, "Well, after your... demonstration, a few days back I very much doubt that many would give you a hard time, Lady Shiromizu."

Chuckling in amusement, Shiromizu gave him a nod, "I suppose so, Ryo-San. Still, this has been rather successful. And depending on some issues, might well be more successful."

Both of her two attendants gave each other a confused look before they looked at Ryo. Said Library spirit gave his own look of confusion before shrugging. All, as if to say, 'I don't know either'.

Instead of continuing though, Shiromizu took another sip of tea before sighing and looked at the three spirits, "You would not mind if I was to ask you all a rather personal question, would you? And you do not need to answer if you do not want to."

That, if anything, only confused the three spirits all the more. But it was Suihou who spoke for the three of them, "Of course not, Lady Shiromizu."

Softly smiling, Shiromizu turned her attention fully to the spirits there, "Have you ever missed the Material World?"

Utterly lost, they glanced at each other with Suihou shaking her head, "I've... sometimes wondered, Lady Shiromizu. But when my spring flowed it was so small and the time it did so was so short that I have never really been bothered much. Himewari-Chan was the one that told me most of the Material World when she arrived and that was almost thirty years ago."

When she turned to Ryo, the male spirit shook his head, "I will admit to be curious at times, Lady Shiromizu. Mainly at what changes might have happened since I died so long ago. That said..." Reaching over, he took Himewari's hand in his, both spirits blushing, "It is just a thought, one which does not bother me much with Himewari-Chan at my side."

Cooing, Suihou held her transparent hands together, "Kawaii."

One hand in front of her face, the Mizuchi coughed to hide her smile. Then she turned her attention onto the Sunflower Spirit, "And you, Himewari-San? Have you ever wished to return?"

Hands in her lap, Himewari was silent for a few moments before nodding, "I would be lying, Lady Shiromizu, if I said that I did not. I was the spirit of a field of sunflowers for decades until I lost my home to development. And while I bear the humans no ill will, for they did need homes, I do miss my field. If I could, I would go back, but not without Ryo-Kun or even Suihou-Chan, for they are my friends." Suddenly, something clicked in her mind and her head snapped up to see an slight smile on Shiromizu's face, "Lady Shiromizu?"

Placing her own hands in her lap, Shiromizu looked out on the park though she kept watch on them from the corner of her eyes, "Ryuujin-Sama has given me domain over all the waters upon my mountain. That... comes with a number of responsibilities that I must take on. One is to keep a Court as the highest ranked Kami on the mountain. In order to hold a Court, I must have attendants..."

Slowly nodding, Ryo didn't notice his girlfriend's jaw drop in pure shock, "Of course, that does make sense."

A frown on her face, Suihou furrowed her eyebrows, the water that made up her face in an expression of deep thought and concentration, "Hmm, there are a few that I can point you towards, Lady Shiromizu. Many would be happy to be part of a Mizuchi's Court..." Hearing a choking sound, she blinked and turned to Himewari who seemed to be hyperventilating a bit and her face caught between the white of shock and red, "Himewari-Chan?"

Mouth working for several moments, the Sunflower spirit let out a small keening sound before stopping. Then, taking a deep breath, Himewari looked at Shiromizu with disbelief, shock, and a small amount of hope on her face, "Lady Shiromizu... are you suggesting that..."

Lips curling upwards slightly, Shiromizu attempted to hide her amusement at what had just happened, "If you are asking if I am suggesting that you three become permanent attendants of mine, then no." Ignoring the crestfallen look on Himewari, she continued with her next words bringing back the emotions from before, "I am asking if you wish to become part of my Court as permanent attendants of mine."

For several moments there was utter silence until Ryo swallowed nervously, "I-I am sorry, Lady Shiromizu, but you are offering us said positions?"

With a small nod, the Mizuchi chuckled, "I am, as a matter of fact." Placing her hands into her lap, she continued, "Over the past few weeks I have gotten to know each of you. Mainly Himewari-San and Suihou-San, but while I have not known or interacted with you for as long, I trust both of their judgment of you. And they hold you in high regard as well..." Spreading her hands, Shiromizu smiled, "But I am asking because I want you to decide of your own free will, and not have the decision made for you as you are my friends, nothing less. And you deserve nothing else as well than to be given the choice."

Unable to look at her, Suihou looked down, "Lady Shiromizu, we... we are spirits without a home besides the bathhouse for myself, the hotel for Himewari-Chan, and the library for Ryo-San. We are the lowest ranked spirits and... we do not have the rank..."

Eyes narrowed a bit, Shiromizu's next words made her look up, "I do not care about that and I never have." With their attention focused on her, they could hear her words, "My Otouto is but a mortal wizard. Someone that many a Mizuchi or Kami would dismiss as inconsequential and not worthy of attention or respect. Yet I see him, as I said, as my Otouto and when he dies I shall have him enshrined alongside me. My Onee-Sama is a Unagi Hime, considered the weakest and lowest of water guardians, yet to me she is family and one whom I look up to. My Senpai is an undead Mizuchi who some would consider uncouth and perhaps someone to avoid due to her state, yet there are none more loyal and I am proud to call her my Senpai and learn under her. One of my best friends just so happens to be a Kitsune, who because of said friendship helped me put down one who wanted to devour me. Rank? Power? Such things do not matter to me and never have, and if I can help it, never will."

Voice nearly a whisper, Himewari looked at her in awe, "Then what does matter, Lady Shiromizu? What is important to you?"

Fixing her with the two ruby coloured orbs that were her eyes, Shiromizu spoke nearly as soft, "What does matter to me? What matters to me, Himewari-San is what is inside a person. One could be the lowest and weakest spirits, with nothing to their name, but as long as they had kindness and warmth in their hearts, I would consider them far more worthy then a Kami who could be among the powerful and greatest if they had coldness and selfishness in their hearts. Even in the short time of my life, if there is but one lesson that I have learned through my experiences? It is that the worth of a person is not in their rank, it is not in their power, nor is it in the amount of riches to their name. No, what matters is their heart, Himewari-San." Eyes softening, she fixed each of the three spirits there with a gentle expression on her face, "Understand me then, when I say that I more then find you worthy of being in my Court as my permanent attendants and beyond honoured if I could call you friends and members of my Court."

Much to their shock and surprise, the Mizuchi bowed deeply to them. Stunned, Suihou shook a bit, "Lady Shiromizu, we are but low spirits and-"

Then straightening, Shiromizu gave them a small nod, "Yes, and?" She made a gesture with her hand, "For the past month, all three of you have been a great help. Each of you have given me a great amount of help and advice. When I asked questions, you answered them and helped guide me."

Chewing his lip, Ryo looked at Himewari who had a spark of hope in her eyes. He understood what this meant for not just her, but also Suihou and himself as being part of a Mizuchi, even one as young as Shiromizu, was a big leap upwards. Taking a deep breath, he let it out, "But Lady Shiromizu, we... do not have a place, we are with out homes."

If anything, the Mizuchi in front of them looked amused, "Oh? Is that all?" Lightly laughing, there was a small grin on Shiromizu's face, "You gave me the information to solve that problem, Ryo-San."

Lost, he blinked in confusion, "I... did?"

With a hum, Shiromizu nodded, "You did, some weeks back when I visited the library and you helped me at the end." Seeing his eyes widen as he did, indeed, remember, "From the material you retrieved for me, it is a simple thing to do comparatively. For Himewari-San, all I need to do is have a field of sunflowers planted and connect her to it. And for Suihou-San, there are places on the mountain where the ground water is close to the surface, places easily turned into springs and which do not have a spirit. Such a spring I can connect her to."

Finally, Himewari spoke up, "And Ryo-Kun?"

There was warmth in Shiromizu's eyes as she understood the unasked question, "For him, all that is needed is a library. And either the town library could do with a spirit, or when a residence is built for myself, I will have a library added and which he can connect to." She then smiled a bit and shook her head, "And before you ask what made me decide on you, I have interacted with you. You each have helped me and stood by me, even when you did not have to. From our time together, I would like to think that I have a good deal of knowledge in regards to what sort of people you each are. But there was one thing that each of you did that made me sure that this was the right idea."

Eyebrows furrowing, Suihou glanced at the others and frowned, "One thing, Lady Shiromizu? And what was that?"

Chuckling, the Mizuchi shook her head, "Have you all forgotten? Each of you asked that I would take the others into my services. But none of you asked for you, yourselves to be given such an opportunity. You, Himewari-San asked that I take Suihou-San to give her a new home for example, while Ryo-San asked that I take you and Suihou-San into my service even though it meant that he might never see you again for a long time. Despite the love he has for you."

Said spirit blushed as Himewari looked at him with emotions warring on her face, "I... want the best for you, Himewari-Chan. And that was why I asked."

Tears in her eyes, the Sunflower spirit shook her head, "You baka... I wouldn't be happy unless you were there with me!"

With a small nod, Shiromizu gestured at Suihou, "Something that Suihou-San here understood... and asked that I take both you and Ryo-San into my service. Yet, again, she did not ask that I do so for herself. That, from each of you, shows a strength beyond what is physical. It shows powerful strength of the spirit, of the soul, of the heart. Which is part of why I wish for you three to be permanent attendants of myself. That each of you were willing to give up so much if it meant that the others would benefit... that is true strength. And I can tell from just that, that you are the sort that I would want to associate with. So..." Bowing, she closed her eyes, "Would you do This One the great Honour of being part of my Court? To be my attendants, my advisors, my helpers... but most importantly, my friends?"

None of the three said anything right away, just looking at each other. Then, as one, they bowed deeply to the Kami in front of them, "No, it would be our Honour, Lady Shiromizu."

On Shiromizu's face was a happy smile as she straightened, "Thank you." Clearing her throat, she then looked a bit embarrassed, "Now, it might be some time until I have a residence, mind you for you to be at, and to set everything up properly. But... well, is there anything that I can do to help you until that time?"

Lightly blushing, Himewari shook her head some, "There is no need, Lady Shiromizu. As your attendants, we would receive a small stipend of funds from what you make." When Shiromizu opened her mouth, she waved her hands, "It would be far more then enough for just one of us to rent a small apartment here in town. We would also have time to best prepare ourselves to be your attendants. Even with our years of experience, we would want to make sure that we were ready to properly serve you."

Bemused, the Mizuchi only nodded, "Of course. Hopefully it would not be long though before I have a residence, though my Shrine is supposed to be completed sometime next year from what I have heard."

Rapidly blinking, Suihou gave a nod, "Ah! That solves the issue then." At the confusion on Shiromizu's face, she continued, "As soon as your shrine is built, there would be a residence on the spiritual plane in the same location where we could stay. Though even if you have a residence on the material, I could not be there."

Eyebrow raised, Shiromizu frowned, "Why?"

Scratching her cheek, the water spirit chuckled some, "Ah, well... I do not have a human form like Himewari-Chan or Ryo-San. If I was to materialize on the Material even after gaining a spring, my form would be much the same as it is right now..."

That made Shiromizu blink and look her over with a somewhat amused look. Mainly because Suihou looked like a woman composed entirely of crystal clear water and when she moved, the water that made her up rippled slightly, though her clothes were as dry as they would be on a flesh and blood person. Chuckling, the Mizuchi shook her head, "That won't be an issue in a few years as the Statute will come down. Somehow, I don't see it as being a problem at all..." Her tone then became teasing as she looked at both Himewari and Ryo, "Though I think that certain things about the Material may catch your attention~"

Neither spirit were quite sure why she seemed so amused, or how it was that they could not help but think that it would be embarrassing when they found out.

Granted, Himewari was also bemused by Shiromizu muttering about getting her a red plaid dress and waistcoat with a parasol for certain occasions while having a small smile on her face...

 

[darthcourt10]

Nameless_Flame

You know what this thread needs?

More Shinano.
________________

It was as well-known fact that shipgirls had the ability to ignore most weather-related issues, with even the most chilling seas and biting winds staved off with a simple scarf. This didn't mean that they didn't notice the cold at all, and they were still people who enjoyed their simple comforts when appropriate. So it was nothing new for a lone shipgirl or, more commonly, a cuddlepile to prefer to snuggle up in the colder mornings to enjoy a few more minutes of warmth before their internal clocks and fairy crew badgered them to full wakefulness. Shinano, currently pleasantly buried beneath Yukikaze, Hamakaze and Isokaze, was no exception, but she had something of a new addition to her leave days.

Shinano's stirring immediately started a familiar chain reaction, with Hamakaze beginning to disentangle herself from the pile, which wakes up Isokaze, who rolls away from Yukikaze (who tended to stay close to the group when they were all available), who reluctantly released her hold on the large carrier. After one last little nuzzle into her flank, of course. White Plains had somehow manage to burrow her way free of the cuddlepile at some earlier time to start breakfast. An impressive feat given how the small carrier had been right next to Shinano and largely under Isokaze for most of the night. While everyone struggled for time in the bathroom and got ready for their days, Shinano paused to pick up and examine one of her most prized possessions: the crystal amulet Harry had made for her, the gryphon feather inside it perfectly preserved and the crystal clear enough to reveal every last detail.

She wondered how Harry was doing so far. The last two years had been rather harrowing to her future Admiral, and it frustrated her immensely how little she could do for him. She hoped this year would prove more peaceful, especially with the stories she was already hearing about those Dementor things skulking around. It didn't help that she hadn't had a chance to spend nearly as much time with him as she wanted over the summer. Aside from the holidays, she would need to wait her turn for a Hogsmeade weekend. It was quite the struggle to sort out who would go when, and dates were hotly contested.

Gently clasping the necklace to her chest for a moment, Shinano wished Harry good luck as she had every morning since his departure before tying the string around her neck and heading down for breakfast. After another warm, enormous meal courtesy of her momboat, Shinano made her way to the archery range, carrying a wrapped box containing a small snack... by shipgirl standards. This meant that Shinano was carrying a bag packed enough to feed a small family. As had become something of an expected norm, she could hear the sounds of arrows being fired and fairy planes buzzing through their attack runs; an early morning practice session for a single shipgirl. Dive bombers from the sound of it. With a gentle smile. Shinano stepped onto the range and settled back to let the shipgirl using the range finish.

She was about average height for a Japanese woman and slender, with long brown hair that almost went to her calves, her bangs trimmed just above her eyes, with two tails of it framing her face. The tail on her right was trimmed at her chin, while the other dangled to her waist, a cute pink bow holding it together. Her outfit was light, only the right sleeve of her kosode worn while the other side was left free in the traditional kyuudo manner, leaving her flight deck-patterned bandeau exposed, and a simple black scarf staved off the morning chill. Her legs were clad in matching leggings that stopped short of her skirt. The girl worried her lip as her plane circled back and landed at her feet. The girl retrieved her plane and turned, only to visibly start at seeing the carrier in the corner.

"G-Good morning, Shinano-senpai!" Bowing deeply and quickly, the girl was one of the Light Carriers recently summoned to Yokusuka during one of their smaller scale attempts: Light Carrier Shouhou. Barely coming up to Shinano's shoulders, the carrier girl was typically a bundle of energy, always eager to help anyone with anything, dutiful and earnest; eager to prove herself as useful in any way she could.

It made sense: Shouhou never really had much of a chance to fight after she was completed, not even lasting a year before she was sunk during her first combat operation.

"Good morning, Shouhou-san. Did I interrupt you?"

"Not at all, senpai! I was just about to-" her quartermaster interrupted the smaller girl with a growl from her stomach. "-head to the mess hall for some... breakfast" she trailed off, her face blushing deeper with each word.

Giggling, Shinano lifted her bag. "Well, why don't you start with this? It's not much, but it's good to try new things. The sense of taste is a wonderful gift."

"Are-are you sure Shinano-senpai? I don't want to impose on you..."

"It's not imposing: White Plains made plenty. I don't think any of us would even mind if you joined us for breakfast outright."

Shouhou paused, her eyes shining with simple surprise before she beamed up at the amazonian shipgirl. "Then you both have my thanks."

The two carriers spent some time silently enjoying the morning while Shouhou ate, going through the rice, fish, and side dishes at a rate that was slow by shipgirl standards as she savored it, but still jarringly swift for a human. Shinano couldn't help but giggle as Shouhou's expression shifted between a myriad of wonders and joys at the flavors she was experiencing. At this point, the ability to taste was something Shouhou had yet to grow tired of or inured to.

"How is your training going, Shouhou-san? Your form looks great."

The light carrier swallowed another bite before rubbing the back of her head bashfully. "It's going... well. Shinano-senpai. I have the form down out here, but..."

"It's tougher in the water, isn't it?" Shinano put a supportive hand on her kohai's shoulder.

"Hai," Shouhou sighed before bouncing back, a light in her eyes that twinkled like stars as she turned fully towards the much larger carrier, fists squeezed under her chin. "I can't let this chance to help everyone go to waste! I want to one day be as good as you, Senpai! I still have a long way to go, but I'll do my best!"

Now it was Shinano's turn to blush, feeling a little blinded by the earnest light carrier's words before the full context slammed into her brain. 'She... wants to catch up to me? She looks up to me that much?'' It left her a little off balance. 'I think I might finally understand how Fubuki felt when she was called senpai for the first time...'

Seeming not to notice, Shouhou turned back towards the range, seeming to peer beyond it and out to sea, just shy of glaring at the water. "Still, I keep messing up the landings on my deck once I get out to sea. I mean, I know we have the resources for me to deploy my rigging to get it right, but it all adds up when I do all these practice sessions all by myself over and over trying to get it."

"Hmm..." Shinano knew all too well how wind and wave could throw off a carrier's aim if they didn't get used to that line between ship and girl. For her, who had so little experience as a ship, mastering the intricacies very nearly broke her spirit before Harry found her crying alone that one day. It felt almost like another lifetime ago, now that she was surrounded by friends and loved ones, her sisters smiling with pride whenever they crossed paths, and a promise to her future admiral. A little light went off in her mind, and she smiled. "Shouhou-san, could you show me your flight deck?"

"Eh?"

If it worked for her, it might work for Shouhou. All she needed was some string to measure, a tire or two, plywood, and some paint.

________________

Opted to use Shouhou due to her having similar worries as Shinano, and having seen nothing on her so far. Also I think she's a cute. Sue me. Ugh. Need to shake off the rust and get some motivation.

 

[darthcourt10]

Weaver

Sunday, 27th October 2013

"Hey Dan. Have you sorted anything out regarding Awa Maru's gift yet?"

Dan looked over at the friend whose house he was at and shook his head.

"Nope. Either I don't have enough left after buying something for postage or I do but the gift doesn't seem worth sending."

Adam nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright. I may have a solution to your problem but it's going to need some explaining and you can't tell anyone. Well, apart from your mum and that anyway."

Dan raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, now I'm curious."

Adam took a deep breath.

"Right. Hang on a sec."

Getting up from where he'd been sat cross-legged on the bed, he opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a sheet of what didn't look like normal paper.

"You know how Matt got that scholarship to a boarding school?"

"Yeah."

Honestly Dan had wondered about that. Matt was a nice enough lad but he wasn't the type who you expected to get a scholarship anywhere.

"Well, it's not exactly a normal school. This is the letter he got last year."

He handed it over. Dan read it, then read it again.

"This isn't a wind up is it?"

"Nope. It's all one hundred percent true, I swear on my PlayStation."

"Huh. Okay then."

"What? That's it? I thought you'd take more convincing."

"I'm friends with a two hundred and eleven year old lifeboat, my mum is a reincarnated scout cruiser and I spent almost an hour yesterday discussing my career plans with a dead guy who's a couple of inches tall and speaks in "Oi". At this point my mind is pretty much permanently wedged open."

"Fair point."

"So, what does this have to do with my problem?"

"A guy at Matt's school is from Japan and has a magic post box that sends things to and from home pretty much instantly. I asked Matt to ask him if you could use it and he said yes."

"That's pretty generous of him."

Adam shrugged.

"His adoptive mum is a shipgirl and Matt told him about your mum so there might be some sort of sons of shipgirls solidarity thing going on or something."

"Hmm, maybe. Hang on, how am I getting whatever I get Awa Maru to where that school is? I'm guessing that the Royal Mail doesn't deliver there."

Adam grinned.

"Correct. As for how to send stuff there, you're going to love this. Matt has a post owl. Like a carrier pigeon but an owl."

Dan gave him a flat look.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

 

[darthcourt10]

SkyeFire Omake: Never expected this...

So, this has been stewing for a while. Another completely unauthorized Sisterhood of the Amnesiac Blades omake. Completely non-canon, unless the "owners" decide they like the idea....

Umitsubame was feeling, more and more, as if her life was edging into the Twilight Zone. And it wasn't just because Akutoku had changed the ringtone on her phone as a prank, again.

Leaving her hands on automatic, she leaned sideways enough to get line of sight on the current tableau in the living room. Kyoshu was seated on edge of the sofa, with Nameless lightly braced upright between her knees. The mute Masamune was idly watching an evening news program, while the Blade of Faded Memories, tongue protruding from one corner of her mouth, was brushing the other sword's hair with a level of concentration one might usually expect to see reserved for bottling nitroglycerin, or brain surgery.

That was odd enough. What made the entire scene truly surreal, however, was the fact that Kyoshu had been working the brush for nearly half an hour now, continuously, without any sign of getting distracted. Or getting lost – Nameless had a fair wealth of Yamato Nadeshiko hair going on, and Kyoshu was working her way through every centimeter of it in a methodical, organized pattern that should have been beyond her current abilities.

Not that it hadn't taken some time to get to this point – Nameless, over the past few months, had suffered through more than one impromptu hairstyling session where Kyoshu had had a fit of enthusiasm, before becoming distracted partway through. The scalp-level cornrows would actually have looked quite nice, if Kyoshu had done both sides. And the French Braid and Chinese Buns would have been fine… if Kyoshu hadn't lost the plot and switched styles between them halfway through.

At least they'd gotten the scissors, dye, and glitter hidden before Kyoshu's infatuation with My Little Pony mane-styling had reached irretreivable levels. It had been a damn near thing in the end, though.

And about the time Akutoku had let Kyoshu get hold of that Lady Godiva manga (non-hentai version, thank the kami), the less said the better. Though Nameless had been such a good sport about the whole thing, Umitsubame found herself wondering if the Masamune had a hidden exhibitionist streak.

On the half-hour, she heard the television show transition just as Kyoshu finished her hairbrushing grid pattern, and, zen-tranced, moved back to the beginning to start again, before Nameless reached up and gently captured her hands.

The Goldfish blade blinked several times and seemed to return from wherever her mind had been. "Oh! Nameless-chan! Do you want me to brush your hair? I have the brush already, I wonder why that happened…."

Nameless gently tugged the brush free, and made pantomime gestures that (apparently) made sense to her and Kyoshu (but not really anyone else).

"Oh! My turn? Okay~!" With nearly professional efficiency, Kyoshu switched places with her mute counterpart, taking a moment to brace the Masamune upright with pillows before settling onto the floor, floofing her own abundant hair into Nameless's lap, and –Umitsubame's eyebrows shot up-- pulling the silent sword's legs over her own shoulders and hugging Nameless's feet in her lap. And Nameless, with a small, contented smile, gathered up the first long locks of Kyoshu's hair and began working the brush through it, slowly and smoothly.

Umitsubame blinked, and returned her attention to her work with an effort.

Some twenty minutes later, she finished cleanup and snagged the teapot off the stove. A quick check confirmed enough water for three cups, and she assembled a tray with tea fixings and some crisps to carry out into the living room.

And stopped cold, still mostly concealed in the dim lighting of the kitchen.

Kyoshu was rocking slightly in place, eyes closed and ignoring the television, wearing perhaps the most… quietly content expression the Waterwitch Blade could recall seeing on her face in recent years. Unusually, she was ignoring the television, and… purring.

The Sword of Faded Memories, arguably once the most terrifying of the legendary Muramasa Swords… was purring like a sleepy kitten.

But what hit Umitsubame even harder was Nameless. The Masamune wore a similar expression, and aside from having her eyes open and her hands slowly but constantly working, seemed very nearly as entranced as Kyoshu. Umitsubame was fairly certain the other sword had no idea she was being observed. And she found her eyes drawn to the mute sword's hands.

Hands that weren't just brushing Kyoshu's hair, or arranging it… they were stroking it. Luxuriating in it. Lingering between the silken strands as if they would be happy to keep doing so indefinitely.

Part of Umitsubame's mind couldn't help but recall how long it had taken to re-teach Kyoshu how to maintain her hair on her own, after the night she'd appeared out of a stormy night with almost every memory erased and bearing scars that indicated mere amnesia might have been a mercy. But the rest of her mind couldn't get past the… intimacy… she was seeing on display.

When… when had these mutual hairbrushing sessions changed from giggly-girls-sleepover to… to… this? She actually felt embarrassed to be watching, as if she were intruding on a private moment.

Then, as she watched, Nameless pulled Kyoshu's hair back into a thick pony tail, affixed a scrunchy, then with quick, deliberate motions pulled a few deliberately-artless locks forward to frame Kyoshu's face enticingly, gently stroking each strand into place and lingering against Kyoshu's cheeks longer than necessary….

Umitsubame felt the world tilt slowly under her feet, in tune with her perceptions.

This… this wasn't a childish quickie-do, or the kind of simple low-maintenance hairstyle that she and Kyoshu's other sisters had habitually put Kyoshu into over the past few decades. This… this was sexy. Not blatantly, certainly not raunchily, but… it stated, without arrogance or false humility, "I'm a beautiful woman, look at me."

This was how Nameless saw Kyoshu.

The Waterwitch Blade blinked slowly, and tried to force herself to see her older sister through a stranger's eyes – not as the brain-damaged woman-child she'd become accustomed to since the '40s, but as she might look, in this hairstyle, in a flattering outfit, seen for the first time across a crowded room at some social mixer…

Oh crap.

Then one of Kyoshu's hands sleepily wandered up and captured Nameless's, fingers gently intertwining in a way that seemed completely unconscious for both of them. Kyoshu smiled and leaned her face against Nameless's knee without opening her eyes. Nameless squeezed Kyoshu's fingers gently and settled back against the sofa, quietly smiling at nothing and everything, as if she were home and all was right with the world.

Oh crap.

FROM: WitchyWater
TO: EcchiBlade, BloodKnight, WeightedDice, BattleBaker, NightmareOfStageAndScreen, CutsaLotta, BlindFury
SUBJ: Shovel Speech Problem
Hey, sisters? Remember how we agreed, waaay back when, how to handle things if/when someone decided to take advantage of Kyoshu's child brain to get access to her very adult body? We didn't consider the possibility of Kyoshu actually getting a Significant Other, for real….

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

An amused tilt to her lips, Shiromizu barely held back a giggle at the sight of Himawari practically floating from happiness. Not helping was how Suihou beside her literally bubbled with much the same emotions, though Ryo tried his best not to show his own emotions. Granted, he failed at that as he kept grinning.

But it was the thought that counted anyways.

Head cocked to the side, the Mizuchi chuckled a bit, "Well, you all seem excited this morning~"

Despite the blush on her face, Himawari only gave a small nod, "Hai, and for very good reason, Lady Shiromizu. Thank you so much for taking us as your permanent attendants. This... you have no idea what that means to us."

Still softly smiling, Shiromizu shook her head some before bringing out her fan and snapping it open, "Actually, I think that I do." Her expression then shifted to one of concern, "How did things go with your previous employers?"

Just shrugging, Suihou shook her head, "I cannot speak for either Himawari-Chan or Ryo-San, but the head of the Bathhouse did not have much of an issue in regards to my new position. Well..." Pausing, she took a breath and let it out, "Well, besides asking if there is a possibility of you taking on more water spirits for your Court."

Blinking, the young Kami frowned some, "Not at the moment, I do not think. Perhaps in the future though depending on how big my stream becomes." Eyebrows furrowing, Shiromizu frowned more, "Something that even I am not sure of to be honest..."

That made Himawari frown as well in thought, "I... will admit, I do not quite know how big such a Court could be. You... could well have a number of attendants. Jin-San is just one such example from what I have heard."

Lost, Shiromizu looked at the Sunflower spirit in confusion, "Senpai? But Senpai does not have a Court..."

Ryo cleared his throat and looked unsure as they turned to him, "I am not quite so sure of that, Lady Shiromizu. While it is unconventional... I have heard from some others that some sort of Neighbourhood Watch she heads as well as something called the 'JNHRO' have been considered her Court by a number of others."

For almost a minute, Shiromizu stared at him in disbelief before giving a dignified response, "Wat."

With a shrug, the library spirit flushed some, "As I said, it was something that I overheard. But it was from one of the bureaucrats who was looking up information in the library." Shaking that off, he frowned in thought, "So you could, conceivably, have a Court as large as such."

Slowly, Shiromizu blinked before letting out a breath, "I... think that I have enough for right now. Though I may add my Otouto and Onee-Sama to my Court."

Eyebrows furrowing, Himawari made a thoughtful sound, "Your Otouto? That is rather strange though... not necessarily without precedent as noted by Jin-San. It could have a benefit for him though..."

Intrigued, the Mizuchi turned to her, "A benefit? What sort of benefit?"

Looking around, Himawari made sure that no one was within hearing distance before leaning in, "Remember how we stated that once your Shrine has been built, there would be a residence for you upon the spiritual plane where your mountain is? A version of said mountain?"

That made Shiromizu nod, "Hai, I remember. And also how I can enter and exit such a place through my Shrine as a matter of fact. But what does this have to do with my Otouto?"

Once more glancing around, Himawari shook her head, "Quite a bit." Seeing the confusion on the serpent woman's face, she continued, "Normally, a mortal, even an Onmyouji, would not be able to enter or live on the Spiritual Plane. Being as your Otouto would be part of your Court, he could access your residence through your Shrine and stay there as long as you let him. Granted, you would need to open the way there and back out, much the way that Amaterasu-Sama did for the Kami here in Izumo, but it is something under your purview."

Sucking in a breath, Shiromizu's eyes took on a distant look, "To allow him access... He would be safe there if needed from anything on the Material Plane, would he not?" When Himawari nodded, her lips curled into a relieved smile, "That takes quite a bit of worry off my mind."

A frown on her face, Suihou tilted her head, "Why, Lady Shiromizu? Is he in some sort of danger?"

For a few moments, they only got silence for an answer. Then, Shiromizu gave a soft sigh and shook her head, "My Otouto has a powerful, but very evil wizard, after him. Said wizard has done things to become as hard to kill as possible which I will not speak of here. There is very little that he would not do in order to meet his goals as he has proven before, so the idea that I can give my Otouto some place to hide, where that creature would be unable to find him is one that I quite like."

Due to not looking at them, the Mizuchi missed her attendants sharing a look. Whatever this wizard was, their patron spoke of said being in a tone of complete disgust. A tone of such loathing that they did not expect to ever hear from her mouth. However, at the same time, that she held a mortal in such high regards as her Otouto…

Softly smiling, Suihou gave a small bow, "Then we look forward to meeting him, Lady Shiromizu."

With a nod, Shiromizu chuckled, "I, too, look forward to that day. And I believe that you will like him quite a bit." Suddenly frowning, she furrowed her eyebrows in thought, "Speaking of him, I think that I will need to speak to Senpai for some advice as... I may ask for some assistance in a matter regarding my Otouto from Ryuujin-Sama or one of the higher ranked Kami. But only if I can make sure that my Otouto would not be harmed for something was done to him when he was but a infant."

Even though they were confused, her attendants simply nodded at that.

Just sighing though, she shook her head and made a motion as if to dismiss such thoughts with her hand, "Anyways, such matters are for later." Clapping her hand, she turned to her attendants, "I'm just happy that I can share something with him, I suppose. And I can't wait to show him what little of the Spirit World that I can."

Giggling, Himawari smiled, "I would suppose so, Lady Shiromizu. Mortals that come here are few and far between after all. Their reactions are always something to see."

Rather amused himself at the thought, Ryo grinned a bit, "True enough, I may have been a spirit when I arrived here, but I was human myself. And it took some time for me to get used to everything as well."

Twinkle in her eye, the Mizuchi shook her head, "Perhaps, though I think that it may well take some time for you to get used to the Material Plane once more, Ryo-San. After all, it has been some time since you were last there, yes?"

Lightly blushing, the library spirit bowed some, "It has, as you said, been some time. Decades, as a matter of fact and I will admit that I have trouble believing at times some of the things that I have overheard. Such as how now metal carriages called automobiles have replaced horses. As well as harnessing lightning."

Lips twitching, Shiromizu chuckled and nodded, "Among other things, more recently they have managed to make artificial stars of a sort as a source of power." Ignoring the shocked looks on the faces of the three attendants, she hummed, "Though in regards to cars... I suppose that you may well need to get used to them as either you or Himawari-San would be driving one."

That made said spirits blink before Himawari frowned in confusion, "We would, Lady Shiromizu? But... why?"

Unable to help herself, Shiromizu sighed and shrugged, "Well... both you and Ryo-San look the proper ages to be able to drive and... I do not. It will be a few years before I am able to after all, and I may require transport. Suihou-San will be unable to drive until after the Statute falls at least. Besides which..." Her tone becoming teasing, she gave a look at Himawari, her next words making the Sunflower spirit flush, "Perhaps you and Ryo-San may wish to go on a trip together somewhere, so it would be best that you have some form of transportation."

Himawari and Ryo glanced at each other and blushed much to the amusement of both Shiromizu and Suihou.

 

[darthcourt10]

Shinr

Back when it was revealed that Kyoshu's mind-powers did not work on the Divine and the Undead, I made a small joke about her discovering this weakness by stabbing Persona4!Izanami. Here is an expanded version of that, non-canon obviously:

----

"What, exactly, am I looking at?" Asked a bewildered Umitsubame.

"Your guess is as good as mine." An equally confused Norimune answered, who was also handling Nameless' wheelchair.

The three were at a Gas Station, staring at Kyoshu who wore an attendant uniform as she flawlessly filled the cars with fuel and smoothly conversed with their owners, all without 'resetting' as if she never had memory problems in the first place.

"Then how this came to be?" The Waterwitch blade asked.

"Well, as I was, er, chaperoning these two from a distance, they stopped by here to buy drinks from the vending machines." Norimune started "Then Kyoshu tripped and spilled their drinks over an attendant, who herself tripped from surprise and sprained her ankle.

I was about to go and smooth things over when Kyoshu started to bow and apologize over and over again, without interrupting herself! Then she grabbed the attendant like a bride- " At this Nameless pouted "-and went inside. By the time I arrived she somehow convinced the manager to let her substitute the attendant for free for today as compensation."

"And you did not put a stop to this, why?"

"I tried! Kind of hard to convince someone that she is a retard if she doesn't act like one." Norimune stated "So I called you to take Nameless here home while I stay here and make sure she doesn't make a mess of things."

Miraculously, Kyoshu's shift went without a hitch, and soon Norimune took her home.

That night, the Sword of Faded Memories dreamed.

----

Sometime in the interwar years

It was midnight, and besides the guards everybody in the Hokubu mansion slept.

Silently, Kyoshu sneaked through the near silent halls, using her powers to manipulate the guards and lead her to her target.

Eventually, she entered one room, where Jiroumaru slept. As she sat beside him, she considered what led her here.

----

Kyoshu was miserable.

She was traveling along a new concrete road in the middle of nowhere, and she would've been grateful if someone gave her a ride, along with their belongings and, if she needed amusement, their lives. But no, all the trucks that occasionally came by ignored and drove past her.

"Seriously, why is nobody offering a seat to a distraught, beautiful woman who was obviously tired from all the walking!?" She complained to herself.

And then it started pouring, soaking her to the bone.

She wished that Juuchi did not run away, playing with her was such a stress reliever.

Oh, another one was approaching, maybe this one will take pity and once she gets to her destination will show her gratitude to the gracious driver by letting out all of her frustration on him.

Just as she put on her best fake smile and started to wave him, he drove past, splashing her with dirty rainwater in the process. Now even more wet and frozen mid-wave, her outstretched hand slowly clenched, while her plastered smile transformed into genuine one promising death. She turned towards the way the truck was going and with a roar started chasing it.

She arrived at one of those new enterprises, some kind of facility to make these vehicles run, just in time to see that truck drive away. Too tired and angry to run a marathon again, but too worked up not to ruin someone, she spotted a lithe, white-haired attendant waving good-bye to the driver. Un-sheathing her true form, she quickly walked over to the attendant, and just as he started to turn around she stabbed his skull in order to play with his mind.

Except her powers did not work, and the attendant, who up this close was actually a woman, gave a her look that froze her more than the cold rain could. Then the white-haired woman looked crosseyed at the blade sticking out of her forehead, then looked down at her uniform that was quickly getting stained with her blood before looking back at Kyoshu.

And then she started moving forward, and the shocked Kyoshu backed away until her back was against a dispenser, but the attendant did not stop until the blade was practically hilted in her cranium and the pommel touched Kyoshu's forehead.

"These uniforms are not cheap, you know?" The white haired woman said, and to Kyoshu's ever increasing horror the very nature of these words and how they were spoken instinctively identified the speaker for her:

Izanami, The Fallen Mother Goddess of Creation and Death.

"You will work here with no pay for a month as compensation." Continued the Almighty Deity "Wait here."

And with that the Kami turned around and entered the station.

As soon as she was gone, Kyoshu collapsed and started hyperventilating, many question flowing through her mind, one of which why in the name of all the hells the Death Goddess was moonlighting as a gas station attendant in the middle of the nowhere.

Then someone started screaming, and a little while later an embarrassed Izanami walked out, with the Muramasa in hand instead of in her head.

"Could you make the manager forget that I had my head perforated?" The Kami requested in a more normal voice "And that the blood is actually a tomato juice you spilled?"

And thus she worked there for a month. One, long, apparently eternal month when it seemed like the whole of Japan re-routed the entirely of its traffic to move specifically through this one station, where she worked day and night filling the tanks up, conversing with the drivers, maintaining the stations and other labors.

And Izanami-Senpai (the Kami insisted she call her like that) allowed no half-assery on her watch, so she was drilled in the ways of absolute efficiency in her duties as an attendant, and ruthlessly trained in the ways of customer relations. So much was imparted into her very soul, the Muramasa suspected that if she mind-wiped herself (and this month made the prospect very tempting) the body would continue on with the job perfectly.

But finally, the month ended.

"You worked very hard." The Kami stated "So I though that before you leave, you might want a little bonus".

"This lowly blade is satisfied with just the required work done, Izanami-Senpai" And it was true, as not even the prospect of more rewards deter from her wish to get out of here, pronto.

"Nonsense, I was honestly surprised that you got through the month without complaint-"

'I could have complained!?' Kyoshu though.

"And for that I will reward you." the Kami stated "Do you know that the Dreams sometimes reveal the future?"

"I heard of some diviners claiming to see the future through dreams" Kyoshu answered "Personally, I think they simply try to make use of their daydreaming to scam impressionable fools."

"True, but a few of them are true to their word" the Kami said "But with your powers you would not require their services."

Kyoshu was confused, and Izanami continued.

"In the far away North, the spare heir of the Hokubo clan seeks approval of his father. In the crucial part of both your destinies, your paths will briefly intersect." The Kami begun "During the Full Moon in the final week of Kannazuki, he will dream of that moment, and with your powers you will be able to view it."

----

And so she was here, about to mind-read the young boy on the brink of adulthood for an apparent glimpse of her future.

She carefully placed the tip of her true from on his forehead, where instead of drawing blood it seemed like the flesh acted like disturbed water.

And she saw... banal things, really: Jealously towards his older brother, desperation for his father's approval, nothing really special.

She was about to write this off as some kind of prank on the Death Kami's part, when the clouds parted and the full moon shone through the windows on them both.

And then through his older eyes she saw herself, mutilated, humiliated, violated, disgraced, put through every possible shame and indignity.

A small, pitiful, pathetic thing, who in her helplessness could only scream in silence.

She instantly pulled away from the wolf, the sudden motion slowly waking him up. When the drowsy wolf looked around the room, there was nobody there but himself.

Somewhere on the outskirts of Hokubu territory, a panting Muramasa stopped to collect her thoughts.

"That was my future?" She asked the heavens "Me, Kyoshu, the Greatest of all Muramasa blades, reduced to that!?"

Instead of an answer, it started to rain.

She started to laugh. A mirthless, mocking laugh.

"Bullshit! Useless gibberish! There is no way that would happen to me!" She screamed "And even if that future was true, I can now avert it simply by knowing about it!"

The heavens did not react, not that she cared.

"I am Kyoshu, the Sword of Faded Memories, the Greatest of His works! Now and Forever!" She swore "And anyone and anything that dares to stand in the way of my desired future, will be cut down and forgotten about like the useless filth they are!"

And with that, she left, as far away from Hokkaido as possible.

----

Sometime in the 1940s

Kyoshu pleaded with her eyes, looking between the Wolf youkai and his gun. It seemed he got the meaning, and she felt a tiniest sliver of hope as his hand came closer to the holster.

But then just like in the dream, the Wolf lost his nerve and left, and she silently screamed.

----

In the middle of the night, Kyoshu abruptly, but silently woke up.

She forgot why, but nevertheless she quickly picked up her pillow and got up to her feet, moving towards Nameless' room, where she snuggled with the sleeping Masamune.

 

[darthcourt10]

Savato93

...ah, to hell with it. I'll just post what I have now, and make this flashback into a multi-part thing.

XXXXXXXXXX

Hoppou had a thoughtful expression on her face as she walked through the storehouse, taking in the sight of the large black eggs before her.

It had been a little over a year since the war began. A little over a year, since she brought her children to this island, terrified the natives into submission with their numbers alone, and claimed the harbor with almost no bloodshed. The humans were still frightened of Hoppou and her girls—and to be honest, she didn't really hold it against them. One day it was business as normal… then all of a sudden, they had monstrous beings in human guises looming over them, watching their every move. Sure, they didn't attack them, left them to their own lives, sometimes even enlisting their aid… but they had made it quite clear that nobody would leave this island.

Hoppou dearly hoped the humans would come to realize her family weren't actually bad people. She was doing this to protect them… and her own children… from the more violent of their kin.

"Mother?" Hoppou glanced towards the exit to see a Ta-class battleship approach. "We haven't seen you this morning."

"Hoppou is alright, Tanith," the princess nodded to her. "Just looking over the ships that will be born soon." Hoppou rested a hand against the nearest egg, feeling for the subtle movements within. At the moment, she had four fledgling Abyssals incubating. Of those, two were Ri-classes, and one was an I-class—they were growing well, and would hopefully be ready to emerge within the next week.

The last one, however…

"Are you certain she will be a worthwhile investment of our time and resources?" Tanith asked, stepping up to the tallest egg present. "It would be one thing, if we were being hard-pressed to defend our territory from humans and rival fleets alike, like Aunt Wanko… but we more or less own the Aleutians. Such a complex, high-maintenance hybrid will not find much work out here."

Hoppou folded her arms, eyes shut, as the pondered Tanith's argument. "…even so, her class is very much unique. Hoppou thinks she will be worth it, if only for the ability to study her, gain experience in caring for her, experiment with upgrades to design." She trotted over to Tanith; laying a mitten on the surface of the egg, she waited for some response from the peculiar Abyssal within. "And even if she doesn't end up fighting very much, there's no reason she can't find some other way to apply herself, right?"

The Ta-class glanced between her mother and the egg, before eventually letting out a small sigh. "Okay, Mother. I trust your judgment." She joined the Princess in inspecting the egg by touch, running her fingers over the bumps and creases in the surface of the shell.

The egg rocking backwards in its cradle was the only warning the pair received for what was about to happen.

Hoppou and Tanith reeled back in shock as the surface of the egg violently bulged outward with a scream of metal, the impact so great as to throw the egg off its cradle entirely. In a matter of seconds, the eggshell had deformed even further under the rapid impacts from within as it jerked and tumbled over the floor, forcing the two Abyssals to rapidly retreat. Beneath the screeching of warped metal, the scraping of stone flooring as the egg traveled across the room, something else could be heard—a low, guttural roar. Inevitably, the eggshell gave out—the surface facing Hoppou and Tanith burst open with a gout of Abyssal yolk, giving the pair their first glimpse of the occupant.

Two rows of massive, jagged teeth, set in a pair of mighty jaws crafted from Abyssal steel. Twin-barreled turrets set in either cheek, and a three-gun turret mounted atop its skull. A rumbling growl rose from the monstrous serpent's throat as it twisted and turned, taking in its surroundings; this growl was met by a lighter, more ragged scream from within the egg. The eggshell shrieked in protest once more as a pair of small, pale hands punched through the steel, beginning to carve through it, pull it apart. Finally, the newborn inflicted enough damage to tear herself free, and reveal herself in full—a young-looking girl with hooves for feet, with smooth, pale skin and silver hair, garbed in a black parka and striped scarf.

A Re-class battleship.

Tanith reflexively stepped in front of her Princess, rigging deploying in preparation to defend her; Hoppou, however, brushed her aside. "No. Let Hoppou take care of her." The Princess stepped forward, ignoring the ichor underfoot. She watched the Re-class retch and heave, expelling the yolk from her lungs, as she slowly lifted herself from the ground. Her tail was quick to notice Hoppou's approach, letting out a warbling growl—which immediately became a whimper of submission as she shot it a warning look.

Hoppou felt a sting of pain in her heart as the Re-class glared up at her, growling at her like a trapped, wild animal—her frenzied eyes full of confusion and fear. Slowly, carefully, she inched forward. "Shh… Hoppou is here, little one…" she cooed quietly, softly. "You don't need to be afraid. Nobody here wants to hurt you."

The Re-class edged away slightly at Hoppou's approach, panting from her prior exertions, but made no attempts to lash out at her. Eventually Hoppou was close enough to reach out and touch her, resting a hand against her cheek, rubbing away some of the muck; the Re-class stiffened at her touch, but as seconds passed with nothing bad happening, she gradually relaxed. "See? It's okay. You're safe."

Previously sitting on her hands and knees, the Re-class slowly dropped to her haunches. The hazy, tense look in her eyes began to bleed away, leaving her bright amethyst eyes blinking repeatedly in growing clarity. "…ma…ma?" she whispered.

Hoppou nodded. "That's right. Mama is here to take care of you."

Finally, the last of the Re-class's manic energy seeped out of her. She let herself lean into her mother, nuzzling her gently. "Mama…" she repeated with a weary smile, bringing up her arms to wrap around the little Princess.

Glancing over her shoulder, Hoppou gave Tanith a reassuring look. The Ta-class, though skeptical of her mother's bold methods, wouldn't deny the results—she'd quickly and calmly pacified the frenzied newborn, without even raising her voice or summoning her rigging. With a sigh of exasperation and relief, Tanith dismissed her weaponry.

Hoppou smiled as she wiped some of the ichor from the Re-class's pretty hair. "Hoppou thinks… she will call you Renita."

XXXXX

*Thinking about it… the signs were there from the very beginning. To this day, Renita's remains the most jarring and violent of all Abyssal hatchings I have ever witnessed. For such a sweet and gentle girl like Renita to carry so much aggression in her from the moment of her birth… something inside her wasn't right.*


*Our only consolation was that she managed to have some semblance of a happy life, before her sickness took her away from us.*

XXXXX

Sunny's first impression of her new Re-class sister could be summed up as such:

She's like a puppy. With big titties.

The peculiar little battlecarrier waddled on shaky legs around the pier, obviously still trying to get the hang of bipedal movement, taking time to inspect every strange thing she could see. "She seems a bit… easily distracted," the Ru-class pointed out.

"Renita is just curious," Hoppou waved her off. "She was born yesterday, after all." She turned and gestured for Renita to come closer; the Re-class obediently put down the crab pot she'd been examining and shuffled to her mother's side, although her gaze continued to wander. "Hoppou trusts that Sunny will look after Renita, help her get used to Unalaska?"

Sunny pursed her lips, thinking. Mother had made it something of a tradition for newborns to be guided, to be aided in acclimatizing to their surroundings, by the sibling that would eventually train them. It had been quite an effective system for them so far—it gave newborns someone to imprint on, someone they could strive to imitate, and the mentoring sisters could observe and evaluate them as their personalities, their identities were still developing, to determine how they could best serve the fleet. Renita, though… she was a special case, both battleship and carrier at once. How exactly were they going to train her to utilize her capabilities to their fullest? It couldn't be so simple as having two sisters train her at the same time… or could it?

"You called for me, Mother?"

…well, that answered that question.

A Wo-class sauntered up to the trio, a look of intrigue on her face as she took in the Re-class. "Oh, is this the hybrid class I've been hearing about? Fascinating."

Hoppou nodded. "Wonderous, this is Renita—your new baby sister." She looked over and tugged gently at the Re-class's parka. "Can you say hello to your sisters, Renita?"

Renita blinked, her wandering gaze snapping back to focus on the two Abyssals in front of her. "U-um… h-hi," she spoke up, her voice light and soft. "S-so, you two are… my sisters?"

"That's right," Sunny replied with a friendly smile. "No need to worry—we're all family, here. You'll be well taken care of." Stepping forward, the Ru-class ruffled Renita's hair, eliciting a small sound of happiness from the battlecarrier.

Satisfied that the newest addition to her fleet was in good hands, Hoppou continued. "As Renita is both battleship and carrier, she needs to be trained in two different types of combat. Hoppou will let Sunny and Wonderous train Renita together, give her as much experience as possible in both roles, so she can hopefully take what she learns and develop her own style. For now, though, Renita is free to see her new home."

Hoppou turned to her new daughter. "Hoppou has to go do other things now, but big sisters will take care of Renita. Okay?"

"…okay, Mama." And with one last hug, Mother was off… leaving the two elder sisters alone with a lost-looking young girl. Slowly, carefully, Renita shuffled over to Sunny and Wonderous. "So, um… what do we… do now?" she asked, looking a little more nervous in Hoppou's absence.

The pair glanced to each other, silently debating their next course of action, before eventually turning to the Re-class with soft smiles.

"Well…" Sunny answered, "How would you like something nice to eat?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Renita was absolutely taken by bacon.

Nibbling on the crunchy little strips of heaven, the young Re-class all but melted in bliss, letting out little sounds of contentment all the while. It was almost lunchtime, and the workers in the mess hall had pretty much shifted operations away from breakfast menus… but Sunny felt it was critical to introduce their fleet's newborns to bacon ASAP, so she'd had some whipped up just for the occasion.

Wonderous leaned over to Sunny. "She's nowhere near as aggressive with her food as I expected her to be. What with the… you know." She clicked her teeth

Sunny shrugged. "Hey, she may have shark teeth, but she's still got a human mouth. She probably can't just wolf it all down if she doesn't want to bite herself."

"Fair point."

As they talked, Renita finished the last strip. Now that she had been fed by her new sisters, she looked to be significantly less tense than before. "So, what do we do now?" she asked the two elder sisters.


"Honestly? I'd say that's up to you," Wonderous replied. "We can take you around the base, show you some of the facilities and let you meet some more of your sisters. We can go inland to the town, let you hang out around the humans, get used to being with them. Or if you'd like to jump straight to business, we can take you out on the water and let you work your engines."

Renita tilted her head slightly, confused. "Humans?" A nod. "What are they like?"

Leaning back in her own seat, Sunny folded her arms, eyes closed in thought. "…it's a little hard to describe. At first glance, humans might seem like bad people. They'll probably be defensive around you. Easily upset. Maybe even get angry at you just by being around them."

"M-me?" Just like that, the Re-class was distressed once more, becoming small and meek as she processed the Ru-class's words. "But… I've never done anything to them… I've never even met them." Renita shivered. "Why would they be mad at me?"

Sunny shook her head. "They're not really mad at you, Renita. They're not bad people… they're just scared. Scared of what we are, what we can do. This island was their home well before it was ours, and we've pretty much trapped them here against their will. Every time one of us comes by, they're reminded that they're powerless against us… that it's only because we show mercy to them, that they can try to live normal lives, without fear of harm."

Renita hung her head, shrinking further into herself. "Does… does that mean we're bad people?"

"Absolutely not!" Sunny snapped. "Are the humans right to be scared? Yes. COULD we hurt them, if we so chose? Yes. But we choose NOT to. These humans have their own lives… friends, families, responsibilities, dreams... just like we do. Just because they are weaker than us, does not mean their lives matter any less. Wouldn't you agree?"

Renita remained quiet for several seconds. Eventually, she nodded softly. "I don't want to be a bad person."

Wonderous smiled. "Well, that's good. Mother would be happy to hear that." She reached over and gave Renita a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Now then, what would you like to go do first?"

The Re-class took a breath to calm her nerves before looking up to her sisters. "…going into the town… sounds interesting."

XXXXXXXXXX

*Even at such a young age, Renita, you proved yourself a child of the Northern Princess. You were calm, patient, and thoughtful… always willing to offer others the benefit of the doubt. Of course, your heart and mind were still maturing—you weren't even a year old—but no matter what, you wanted nothing more than to be a good girl and make Mother proud.*

*…I knew… I was designed to… hurt people. To destroy. But Mommy… she showed me that I… didn't have to let that be all I am. That I could choose peace. I couldn't… I can't bear the thought of disappointing Mama, by not following her example.*

*And you held on to your kind heart, your desire to do good, even as everything else that made you who you are crumbled away. You put the safety of innocent lives over your own, in defiance of the bloodlust consuming you. Don't you dare think that Mother ever stopped being proud of you.*

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Leaning back, Jin frowned internally as she took a swing of sake. Sure, it was considered "Cheap crap" around the spiritual realms, but back in the Material? It would have been top tier if only due to being made by spirits who had decades to centuries of experience. So it was not the taste that made her frown...

It was Shiromizu... or, rather, how she was acting.

For one thing, Shiromizu has requested an audience with her somewhere alone. Without their attendants, who are currently outside the room. Granted, Jin had a little smile with how her Kouhai's attendants had sat in front of the door to prevent anyone from listening in. But the second big clue was the fact that the younger Mizuchi looked extremely nervous. And Jin could count on one hand without using most of her fingers the times that she had seen the other Kami this nervous. So, clearing her throat, she raised an eyebrow, "So... Shiro? What seems to be the issue?"

Taking a deep breath, Shiromizu looked down at the floor, "I need your advice, Senpai." When Jin did not speak, she continued, "About how to ask for advice or help from the higher Kami such as Ryuujin-Sama."

Upon hearing that, the undead Mizuchi raised an eyebrow, "Ask for advice or help from the higher Kami?" At Shiromizu's nod, she frowned in thought and rubbed her chin, "It's not that hard, Shiro. You could just petition the Court to hear your plea."

However, Jin's frown deepened as Shiromizu shook her head, "It's not that simple, Senpai. What I need help with is something that I don't want to get out... and I am also concerned about how one of the higher Kami might hurt Harry over something that he has no control over."

Now concerned, she gave her Kouhai a narrowed gaze, "Shiro, I doubt very much that any of the higher ups would harm the kid, no matter what and especially for something that he does not have control over. They're not really like most pantheons in that... as for helping? That is a bit harder, especially if it involves his destiny. Mainly because that could run the risk of breaking the Accords. Not so much an issue for you or for me, but for them? That could be problematic."

Shifting a bit, Shiromizu played with her fingers, "I... wish that I could be so sure, Senpai." At the inquiring look, she took a deep breath, "You know about Voldemort, right?"

With a snort, Jin gave a roll of her eyes, "Yeah, even here in Japan we heard of that fucker. Though I got to wonder what the hell he was on. Death Eaters? Lord 'Flee from Death' for a title? I've heard of better named dark lords from fucking anime." Taking another sip of her drink, she frowned, "What of him? He's dead after all."

Briefly, Shiromizu chewed her lip and shook her head, "Not... exactly."

Eyes narrowing, that was when the undead Mizuchi sat up straighter, "He's not dead? Even though they found his remains and shit?" Then her eyes became slits as she noticed something about Shiromizu, "... You've encountered him."

Wincing, Shiromizu nodded, "Hai, at the end of Harry's First Year at Hogwarts. Voldemort was possessing one of the teachers there, with said man allowing itself willingly in exchange for promises of power when said dark lord got his body back."

That made Jin furrow her eyebrows in confusion, "Say what now? Get his body back? Though I can't imagine it ended well for the teacher... though why the fuck they thought he could get a body in Hogwarts, unless they figured that they could use the kid's body or something."

A grimace crossed the younger Mizuchi's face, "Not really? Headmaster Dumbledore had hidden something in the third floor corridor with challenges that one had to pass to reach it. It was a gemstone made by Nicolas Flamel and-"

Facepalming, Jin groaned before pinching her nose, "Fuck. Are you telling me that the Headmaster hid the goddamn fucking Philosopher's Stone in a school for children? Are you fucking shitting me, Shiro? Seriously?" At the look from her Kouhai, she waved a hand, "Back when I was a kid, I remember overhearing Mom with one of her fellow operatives or some shit. Guy was drunk and bitching about how the fuck they wanted them to grab the Philosopher's Stone which Flamel hid or some such shit."

With a blink, Shiromizu shook her head some, "Um, right... anyways, it wasn't the real one. The whole thing was faked because the Headmaster wanted students to work together to reach the fake Stone, and get them interested in Alchemy and research that way."

Several moments passed as her Senpai stared at her before, finally, the undead Kami shrugged, "Not the worst thing that I have heard then. But seriously? Voldemort thought that it was real?"

Once more grimacing, Shiromizu nodded, "Hai, he had been trying to get at it all year. While he was possessing Quirrel, the teacher, he was also hunting unicorns and drinking their blood in the Forbidden Forest..."

Noticing the look of disgust on Jin's face, Shiromizu continued her tale as the older Mizuchi listened. By the end of it, Jin was frowning deeply, "That doesn't sound right. Even as a ghost, that sort of shit should be impossible... Unless you pull something like I did."

Just nodding, the younger Mizuchi nodded, "Hai, but... we found out how he survived this year. Um, did you hear about the Chamber of Secrets being opened?"

That made Jin cock an eyebrow, "Yeah? It was in the international news and I remember you mentioning that it was a basilisk which kiddo killed. Impressive, yeah. From what Mom said, it caused a stir back in MACUSA because the idea of a basilisk that old and powerful made some worry about if there were any more laying about. Can't really blame them though... sort of frightening to think what could happen if one got loose in a populated area."

Shiromizu shuddered at that as the image went through her mind, "Hai..." Quickly shaking it off, she looked down at her lap, "I... won't go into full details as to whom it happened to, Senpai, but there was a cursed book in the form of a diary slipped into someone's school supplies. One that drained the person who wrote in it and possessed them... Said diary belonged to Voldemort as a teen, when he was known as Tom Riddle."

Unnoticed by her, the older of the two filed that away, 'Tom Riddle, huh?' Then part of what Shiromizu said made her sit up, "Wait, the diary contained the teenaged Voldemort? And it was draining someone's life to regain a body? Hold up, that's not something that I have ever heard of happening before. How the fuck was it doing that now?"

With a deep sigh, Shiromizu looked away, "Senpai... you know what a horcrux is?"

Eyebrows furrowing in thought, Jin considered the question and took a sip of her drink, "Not particularly? I know that it is bad shit from a class back at Ilvermorny as one of the students mentioned coming across a reference in some old book. Never saw my Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher pale that much or freak out like he did before. Mom wasn't too happy either come to think of it when I told her about it... Something about that knowledge shouldn't be accessible even with just a reference to it or what the fuck ever. Though never really gave it much thought..."

Slowly, Shiromizu gave a nod, "Well... you know what happens when you commit a cold blooded murder, Senpai? How your soul gets a small... tear in it?"

Her eyes narrowing, the undead Mizuchi grunted, "Yeah? That's like Soul Knowledge 101 really. Leaves scars as well on one's soul, supposedly the Yama Kings can see them... Wait..." Head cocking to the side, she scowled, "Does that have to do with a Horcrux?"

Glancing at the door, Shiromizu turned back to Jin, "Hai. You see..."

To Jin's confusion, the younger dragon looked ill, "Shiro? How bad...?"

Just swallowing, she continued, "To create a horcrux, one must commit a cold blooded murder or a rape of a true innocent. Once that is done, they use a ritual which takes that tear in the soul... and proceeds to use it to rip the soul in half, with half staying with the person and the other half being emplaced in something to act as an anchor to prevent the soul from moving on."

For several moments, Jin stared at Shiromizu before holding out her bottle, "Here." At the look of confusion, she gave a nod to it, "Take some, you need it after describing that because seriously... what the fuck. Jesus fucking Christ in a shithole, who the fuck would do that?!" Rubbing one hand down her face, the Mizuchi shook her head, "That is some seriously fucked up bullshit, no... it is beyond fucked up. And I take it that is what that fucker did?" Pulling away the bottle of sake from her lips, Shiromizu silently nodded. Taking it back, Jin took another swig of the alcohol herself, "Jesus Christ. No wonder Mom was so fucking pissed or my DADA teacher reacted the way they did at that question. And this fucker went and did that? Fuck..."

Wiping her mouth, Shiromizu gave a small sigh, "That... is not the worst of it. Shortly after the diary was destroyed, we found a second one he had also made."

Utter silence met her as the other dragon stared at her, "... Shiro, are you telling me that he tore his soul in half more than once." At the nod, she took a deep breath and there was a look of complete and utter disgust on Jin's face, "I don't want to know, but I need to... how many fucking times." Shiromizu raised her hand and held up some fingers which made her Senpai snarl with her eyes narrowed in fury while scales bloomed on her face, "Fucking five times he did that? Mother... Jesus fuck, I am at a loss for fucking words now. Just... fuck! Here, take another fucking sip while I digest this... fuck."

Simply taking the offered bottle, Shiromizu took a drink and felt the burn of the alcohol down her throat. Then placing it to the side, she shook her head, "He... also made a Sixth Horcrux, accidentally."

That made Jin stare at her, "How the fuck do you make one accidentally." Seeing how uncomfortable Shiromizu was, her frown came back though there was a slowly budding suspicion in her, "Shiro? You can tell me. I won't judge."

Voice nearly a whisper, she spoke, "You could... if your soul was badly damaged and you already prepared it for the process... and then got hit by your own Killing Curse."

Absolutely no sound was made and the room was completely silent as Jin digested that. But it was not an uncomfortable silence. Oh no...

This was the silence that enveloped one before a storm broke.

Barely contained fury in her voice, Jin growled as her eyes flashed, "Where..."

Flinching back, Shiromizu grimaced, "In his scar... But he's okay, its not affecting him, and we already got a way to get rid of it." At her Senpai's look, she continued, "We're going to use the Taizan Fukun no Sai after collecting as many pieces of his soul as possible as an offering in exchange for removing it from my Otouto without harming him. And anything else that is needed as well."

Jin simply ran a hand down her face as she considered it, "Yeah... that would do it. The Yama Kings are going to be pissed about someone having done this, but not at the Kiddo and would be more than likely willing to remove it without harming him. Especially if they got enough of the rest of the soul to, uh, play with. And Shiro?" At the unsure nod, she gave her the best comforting smile she could, not that it was very comforting, "I won't do anything about the Kiddo. It is so far beyond fucked up that it can't be measured, but it is not his fault." Frowning, Jin shook her head, "Okay, I think that I know how to get you an audience without the Court. It needs us both working together and I need to know what your plan is first..."
_________________________________________________________________________

Head bowed low enough that it almost touched the ground, Shiromizu tried her best not to shudder in the oppressive silence after informing the Kami of the situation facing her little brother figure. Both her and Jin had gone through first Shinanogawa, who brought them to where Osamu was hiding from his sisters. Said male dragon had been confused, but got them into a meeting with his father... and had not told them that his father was not with his Court as he was with the other high ranked Kami. Despite that, Shiromizu, after some encouragement from Jin, had spoken to them.

But now... there was only silence that stretched on.

Glancing up, Shiromizu flinched a bit at the bright corona of flame that was around Amaterasu. For the very first time, she saw the Goddess of the Sun, ruler of the Shinto Pantheon, completely and utterly furious. It actually hurt one's eyes to look at her and the rock beneath her was bubbling and melting. About the only reason that none of them were being cooked was that Tsukuyomi was as furious as his sister, and a dark chill came from him as ice formed beneath where he was.

Not that the others were much better as Susanoo had a snarl on his face as raging storm clouds encircled him with bolts of lightning sparking outwards, Inari looked about ready to kill something, and Hachiman was shaking in pure rage. Tenjin, meanwhile, resembled something from a J-horror having shifted directly into Yuurei form. Even the twins had their respective elements whipping around them. As for Ryuujin…

The Dragon King's expression was completely, and utterly calm, as if made from stone... even as water rushed around his body like a tempest.

Shiromizu was completely and utterly terrified at the display of both power and rage in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that even Jin, her Senpai, was frozen in place. However, it was Uzume who spoke and calmed her down having realized what was likely going through the Mizuchi's thoughts, "Calm down, Shiromizu-San. We are not angry with you, nor will we harm your Otouto."

A scoff escaped from Inari as they made a motion with one hand, "Of course not! This child... no, this man, has been saddled with such a foul thing through no fault of his own. To punish him for the deeds of the one who created this... this abomination you have told us of would be obscene. No, dealing with such for all his life and not having it affect him speaks well of him! Both of how pure and strong his soul is."

Voice a nearly inaudible rumble, like the clashing of weapons, Hachiman shook his head as he muttered to the others, "If nothing else, that makes me glad that one day he might join us if he can put up this long with such a thing."

Now visibly calming herself, Amaterasu turned to the Mizuchi and shook her head, though fury was still in her eyes. It helped though that Shiromizu and Jin both now knew that it was directed at one who deserved it, "To create such an abomination... and to be so fearful of death that they would make more than one. There are no words to describe the depths of Our anger and disgust for such a creature as the one who created it. And have no doubt, it is a creature."

Frowning, Tsukuyomi let out a sigh which was like the wind at night, "Tell Us, Shiromizu-San, you stated that you had a plan to deal with such? yes?"

Slowly, Shiromizu nodded, "Hai, we will be performing the Taizan Fukun no Sai and asking the Yama Kings to remove the Horcrux from my Otouto once we have gathered as many of the others as possible to give as a price."

That made Fujin snort and shake his head, "Ha! Like they will ask much to deal with something so abominable as these... Horcruxes. The depths that some mortals sink to..."

Grimacing, Amaterasu sighed, "As much as I do not want to admit it, using the Taizan Fukun no Sai would indeed be for the best. While we could be, perhaps, invoked in certain ways to get around the Accords, us attempting to remove it would be like performing brain surgery with a shotgun. It could be done, but would far more likely be rather... messy."

His tone dry, the Kami of Storms looked at his sister, "My, what a positively lovely and descriptive image that is."

Only glancing at him, Amaterasu frowned, "And yet, that is how it would be." Waving a fan, she shook her head, "When it comes to the matters of the Soul, the Yama Kings are far more capable than all of us. As such, they are best suited with dealing with such a horrific and disgusting thing."

It was then that Ryuujin spoke, his voice like the seas during a hurricane, "We are thankful that you brought such to our attention, Shiromizu-San. But it seems that you have the matter under control and so I must ask why?"

Bowing once more, Shiromizu let out a breath that she did not realize that she was holding, "While it is true that the matter will be solved, I seek advice from you, my Lord as well as those willing to give it to One such as Myself. One worry that we have had is what should happen if the one known as Riddle somehow gains a body for himself through some manner. We know that one way could involve him using blood of an enemy forcibly taken, and that it could bind them still further. The wizard Headmaster at my Otouto's school, Dumbledore Albus-Shishou, was hoping for such."

Eyebrow raised, Tenjin frowned as it made him curious, "And why would he be hoping for such a thing?"

With a small bow to him, the young Mizuchi continued, "Until we came up with the Taizan Fukun no Sai, he knew of no way to remove the Horcrux from my Otouto except by killing him. Something that was not acceptable... However, he believed that if Riddle was to use the ritual I just stated, it would give my Otouto some flexibility in that Riddle would become an anchor. And if he was to cast the Killing Curse and hit my Otouto, it would remove the Horcrux while leaving him alive. It was, unfortunately, the only method Dumbledore-Shishou could devise to give him the best chance to survive."

That brought a grimace to the ghostly Kami's face, "Then let us be happy that it is no longer needed."

Nodding, Shiromizu turned back to Ryuujin, "But the worry is that by regaining a body, Riddle might well cause the Horcrux in my Otouto to become active. It already provides some sort of connection, and so it could be a way for Riddle to attack him either mentally or spiritually. And while I have no doubt of my Otouto's strength of both mind and soul, even a mountain could be worn down by water running down it given enough time."

Ryuujin hummed as he nodded and stroked his beard, "Yes, that is an, unfortunately, accurate worry. You state that is but part of it, yes?"

More relaxed, Shiromizu bowed deeply to Ryuujin, "Indeed. What I seek is a way to either protect him from such a possibility, or to weaken the hold it would have on him so that when the Taizan Fukun no Sai is performed, there are less chances of complication."

After a few moments, the Kami there began to murmur to each other as they discussed what they were just told. Finally, Ryuujin turned to her with a small nod, "While we are not able to do much, there is a way for you to help him, Shiromizu-San. But I must ask, what is he worth to you?"

Her eyes meeting his, Shiromizu was silent for nearly a minute, and that was only because she was merely steeling herself, before she answered, "To me, there is little, if anything, that my Otouto is not worth in my mind."

With a slow nod, Ryuujin hummed, "Indeed?" Getting a nod from Shiromizu, he gave a slight smile, "Very well then, what you must do is find a freshwater mussel and place it within your stream where it can live. After which, you place a grain of sand from your spring between the shells. Upon the passing of a year and a day after placing it into your stream, you shall remove it. The mussel will be quite large, and there will be a pearl inside. This pearl will contain some of your power... and once you have it, you will need to place it within your Otouto by pushing it where his heart lies. Now, it will not harm him, but enter him as if a ghost. But once it is within him, the power that it holds will wrap around his soul and heart, protecting him from the Abomination and pushing back against it. The Abomination will not be able to gain more of a foothold than it perhaps already has, and slowly will be pushed away. It will do nothing more, and nothing less but protect him as you wish and will not give him power. However, you, yourself, will be weakened for this time and so would be easier to kill. Are you willing to do this?"

Eyes still meeting his, Shiromizu nodded, "Hai, I am more than willing to give up my power if it is to protect him." She did blink as Ryuujin had a pleased look on his face as if she had passed some sort of secret test. A pleased look that was also shared by more than one of the other Kami such as Amaterasu, 'I wonder what that is about?'

Soon after, Shiromizu and Jin both left with the Kami rather silent until Inari spoke up with a bored tone, "You know... while you did state that it would not make young Harry-San more powerful, I noticed that you did not mention that it would leave a mark on him. One that could be seen by those able to see it or perhaps sensed by those of certain dispositions. A mark that would show who he is to her."

Blinking, Susanoo turned to Inari, "Mark? What do you mean?"

The Kitsune Kami had an amused glint in their eye, "Young Harry-San has, within his veins, the venom of a Basilisk, the European King of Serpents. More than that, he drew its lifeblood. There is no physical mark from this, but every snake can sense that he is worthy of respect and only certain ones might not give it. Now, if Shiromizu-San goes through with this, even if and when she withdraws her power, it will leave another mark on him. Any Ryuu and creature of the water would be able to recognize, even if only subconsciously, that he has been placed under the protection of a powerful Mizuchi and is very close."

A rumble came from Ryuujin and he grinned some, "I would not be surprised if he was able to swim in a lake full of highly aggressive Kappa or Suiko and be left alone as they would feel unsure about harming him to say the least. That said, I continue to be impressed by Shiromizu-San."

Fan snapping out in front of her face, Amaterasu hummed, "Indeed, as I stated that you would."

Uzume gave a chuckle at that and shook her head in mild, bemused disbelief, "A Ryuu willing to give up some power if it meant that someone they cared for could be better protected. Truly a rare thing to see."

Simply nodding, Tsukuyomi frowned slightly, "Yes, that is true enough. That the young one is more than willing to do so speaks extremely well of her. She will be one to watch in the centuries to come, I think."

Nods met him from the others before they turned to other matters.

 

[darthcourt10]

Weaver

Thursday, 31st October 2013

"You excited about your first actual summoning Mum?"

Looking towards her son as they walked to the summoning chamber, Patricia nodded.

"A little. I wonder who we'll get."

"Hoping for some of your destroyers?"

"Of course. I mean, I know that it's unlikely given this base's track record since none of them were built around here, but I still can't help but hope that they'll come back anyway."

"I'm sure that they'll come back sometime Mum. Even if they don't appear here there's plenty of other summoning chambers in the UK."

He grinned.

"If they do come back today though then at least I'll have a few days to get used to having some little sisters before I have to go back to school."

"True. Are you really okay with that though? Having sisters I mean."

Dan shrugged.

"Why wouldn't I be? I know that you and Dad never meant for me to be an only child. At least this way I get to avoid all the gross baby stuff and after spending most of half-term here I've probably built up a high tolerance for shipgirl stuff. Giving up my bedroom and moving into the spare room would kind of suck but I can live with it."

"How'd you know that they would get your bedroom?"

"Mum, I've seen your flotilla rosters. Of course they're going to be getting the bigger bedroom."

By now they'd reached the summoning chamber, right as most of the other people who'd be attending were going in. Entering they found it much the same as before and after waiting a couple more minutes for an apologetic Imogen to arrive the ceremony began. The speech was made, music was played, materials disappeared and the end result was five girls who looked about the same age as the corvettes, had what looked like winching gear and ramps on their rigging and were very obviously not destroyers.

As Dan gave his mum a look that translated as "there's always next time", the Commodore introduced himself and asked the newly summoned ship girls to do likewise.

"RFA Uplifter, sir."

"RFA Succour sir."

"RFA Lifeline, sir."

"RFA Help, sir."

"RFA Dispenser, name ship of the Dispenser-class reporting for duty sir. My sisters and I are all ready to get to work."

"Welcome back all of you. We weren't expecting salvage vessels but we're glad to have you."

Privately Dan couldn't help but note that the summoning before his mother's awakening had produced auxiliary vessels as well and wondered if it was becoming a theme.

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

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Rolling her shoulders a bit, Shiromizu had a small smile on her face, "Thanks, Senpai, I am feeling a lot better about things now."

Only slapping her on the shoulder, the older Mizuchi rolled her eyes, "Hey, I told you that it would, Shiro. Listen to your Senpai sometimes about these things, I've been around the block enough to know." Jerking her thumb at herself, she grinned, "So trust me about this stuff."

Before Shiromizu could say anything, a shout caught their attention, "Jin-San! Jin-San!"

The two turned and blinked as Yodogawa appeared and shifted to a human form before running towards them waving a hand. Slowly, Shiromizu blinked and frowned as she muttered, "Huh... you told me that she was thick." About to comment, the older of the two paused as the younger continued as she continued to look Yodogawa from her feet to her head and back, "But I thought it was only in the head."

Jin had her mouth frozen open as she blinked before giving Yodogawa a once over and facepalming, "Fuck you, Shiro."

Simply shrugging, the younger Kami ignored the cursing from her Senpai. Instead, she turned to Yodogawa who slowed down some, "Were you looking for us, Yodogawa-San?"

Head tilted to the side, the Mizuchi frowned in thought, "Was I? Mou..." Gasping, her eyes widened and she turned to Jin, "Ah! Jin-San, do you know where Shiromizu-San is?" Then she blinked and Yodogawa followed Jin's finger. "Oh! There you are, Shiromizu-San! Um... I had a message for you..."

Just smiling, Shiromizu hummed some as she pretended not to notice Jin grumbling about idiots, "You do?"

Nodding, Yodogawa smiled, "Hai! Um, what was it again... Mou..." Then she snapped her finger and bounced a bit, which attracted some attention as at least one spirit walked into a wall, "Right! Muramune and Masamasa... or was it Masamune and Muramasa? Hard to remember... but they were asking about you to Shina-San! So I came to get you."

That made Shiromizu blink before she simply nodded, "Ah, thank you, Yodogawa-San." Glancing at Jin, she allowed her lips to curl a bit, "You know, maybe you should one day meet a sword that Muramasa-San made named Kyoshu. And you could help her."

With a frown on her face, Yodogawa tilted her head as Jin stiffened and was turning, "Help her?"

Brightly smiling, the youngest of the three nodded, "Hai! You see, she keeps trying to find a Mizuchi."

Gasping Yodogawa held her hands in front of her face, "She's trying to find a Mizuchi? Really?"

Shiromizu then hummed, "She is, so that she can take it to her sister, Akutoku. I think that it is so that she can get a prize or something... I forget. But she has trouble finding one."

If anything, Yodogawa's eyes widened as she nodded seriously, "So help Kyoshu find a Mizuchi to bring to Akutoku so she can get a prize. Hmm..." Eyebrows furrowing, she turned to Jin and gasped, "Jin-san! You know about this sort of thing... do you know where one can find a Mizuchi?" Everyone watched as Jin created two water clones in front of her and had them facepalm had enough that the hand from the first went through the heads of the other two as well. Something that made Yodogawa frown, "Jin-San?"

Pulling her hand out of her heads, Jin dismissed the clones and gave Shiromizu an unamused look. All she got back was a innocent look that was so sweet, that ice cream likely would not melt.

Needless to say, she did not believe it for a second.

With a sigh, Jin turned back to a confused Yodogawa and let out a hiss, "Yodogawa-San... I am a Mizuchi-"

A gasp escaping her, Yodogawa pointed at her, "You're a Mizuchi! Really? Wait, am I a Mizuchi?"

Humming, Shiromizu gave a small nod, "I believe so."

Once more hopping, the higher ranked Mizuchi turned back to Jin, "Jin-San! Jin-San! I'm a Mizuchi as well!" Then she frowned and paused, "Mou... why doesn't anyone ever tell me these things..."

Slowly, very slowly, Jin blinked. Then she created five water clones and had the first one facepalm with said hand going through the other four. Smirking, Shiromizu considered the scene in front of her, 'I wonder if I could get her up to ten...'

Meanwhile, Yodogawa frowned before turning to Shiromizu, "Shiromizu-San? Why is Jin-San doing that?"

Just smiling, Shiromizu sighed and shook her head before looking around. Then, she leaned in towards the other Mizuchi as if to tell a big secret, "That is because Senpai's hand is in love with her face, but can be a bit rough at times."

Gasping, Yodogawa held her hands in front of her face as if in shock, "But that's forbidden love! Hands can't love faces!" Then she frowned, "Mou... I think?"

That time, the undead Mizuchi made seven clones.

Shortly after, another Mizuchi came up and bowed towards the still mumbling Yodogawa, "Lady Yodogawa."

Blinking, Yodogawa turned and then gasped before hugging said Mizuchi, "KIZU-SAN!"

With a sigh, Kizu patted the back of the more powerful dragon and smiled before pulling away. She then wagged a finger at her, "Lady Yodogawa, you must not run off like that without any of us. We are after all your attendants and court."

Yodogawa only nodded at that, "Hai..." Then she straightened a bit, "Oh! And I just found something out, Kizu-San! Something important!"

Head cocked to the side, her subordinate frowned, "Really, Lady Yodogawa? And what is that?"

Smiling brightly, Yodogawa nodded and raised a finger and frowned, "Um... what was it again...? Mou..." After a few moments of thought, she smiled again, "Now I remember! Write it down for me so I don't forget!" When her fellow river dragon nodded and pulled out some paper to write, Yodogawa nodded, "We need to find a sword named Kyoshu... to help her find the Mizuchi! That way, she can bring it to Akutoku and get a prize... I think."

For a moment, Kizu paused and frowned, 'Kyoshu? The Sword of Faded Memories who...' Remembering some of the rumours, she gave a shrug, 'Oh well, the two of them would get along fine now, I think...' Then another thought struck her. "Lady Yodogawa? Isn't Jin-San often around her? And Jin-San is a Mizuchi..."

Blinking, Yodogawa frowned, "Jin-San? But isn't she dead?"

All she got was a sigh from her attendant.

Meanwhile, as they began to head towards the place that Yodogawa told them to meet the smiths, Shiromizu gave a look and shrug to her senpai, "Sorry about that... but after what happened I needed to lighten my mood."

Grumbling, the undead Kami grumbled a bit, "I don't blame you, Shiro. Still, thankfully I don't need to deal with Yodogawa that much. Here is enough as I often have to deal with the Butter Knives as it is." Feeling a shudder go down her spine, she looked around, 'Wonder what that was and...' Head tilted to the side, she frowned and looked towards Ryuujin's palace in Izumo, "What is he laughing so much about?"

Shiromizu just shrugged some, "Who knows?" A hum then escaped her and she smiled, "But you know what? Is it just me or is Yodogawa-San very cuddly?" Seeing the look given her, the young Mizuchi blinked, "What?"

For several moments, Jin stared at her, "Cuddly..."

Waving her hand, her Kouhai nodded, "Hai? I mean, she looks really nice to cuddle with and such thanks to looking so soft."

The only answer she got was a small blush from Jin who looked away, "Uh, yeah... she sort of is." At the raised eyebrow, her blush deepened, "For the first few times I showed up after, ya know, Yodogawa would freak out that I was haunting them. Then, after being convinced that I was okay, she would hug me and stuff. So, yeah... cuddly is one word."

On Shiromizu's face was a thoughtful look before she turned to Himawari who was talking with Jin's own attendant for the month, "Himawari-San?" Seeing the Sunflower Spirit perk up, she continued, "Make a note that after our meeting with Muramasa and Masamune, we shall go and visit Yodogawa-San. I must test her cuddliness."

Serious expression on her face despite the order, Himawari made a note of it. Jin though, just gave Shiromizu a look, "... Test her cuddliness?"

There was a similarly serious expression on Shiromizu's face as she nodded, "I am something of a cuddle connoisseur due to many times in cuddlepiles. And she looks cuddly enough that I must test it."

Once more, Jin blinked with one word coming from her mouth, "Wat."