Well, look at his reactions. He knew what would possibly happen to those kids in the system. And then Fubuki gave him an out. One that no one could really argue against if he brings it up.
I can't help but wonder if we'll have a John Wick situation develop, if Mr Fake's daddy is aware of the actual power that an angry Oyabun can bring to the table. And if he's as stupid and short-sighted as his son... nothing of value will have been lost.
Looks like Fubuki does in fact have a Fubuki to take to Fubuki. Something tells me Fubuki will also adopt Fubuki, and the modern Fubuki will have a big sister Fubuki. Just make sure to visit Fubuki outside of a Fubuki.
Pausing to take a sip from her tea, Nagato looked up from the kotatsu. Sitting beside her, little Hoppou-Chan was hard at work (in her own special, adorable way) on her youngest daughters' reconfigurations, scribbling on some grid paper with different-colored crayons. "Who could that be, I wonder…"
The battleship rose from her seat and stepped over to the door. Opening it up, she was surprised to find herself craning her neck upward to meet an Abyssal Princess's face. "Tanith…?"
The daughter of Hoppou nodded, her expression solemn. "Hello, Grandmother." She brought a claw up and removed her hat, lowering her head. "Is Mother available? I need to... speak with her."
"Ah…" Nagato blinked a couple times, before returning the nod. "Yes, she's inside… we were just relaxing in the kotatsu." She stepped aside, opening the door wider. "Why don't you come in, sit down for a minute?"
"Thank you. I would appreciate that."
Tanith ducked under the door frame and followed Nagato into the domicile. "Hoppou-chan! One of your girls came for a visit!" The shipgirl announced.
Almost immediately, the pitter-patter of little feet could be heard approaching. Sure enough, Hoppou raced into the foyer, arms held out to either side. "Hi, Tanith!" She greeted her daughter brightly. "Hoppou felt her IFF on base, but didn't think Tanith was coming to visit!"
Tanith chuckled. "Well, I felt that it wasn't fair for you to always make the trip to our home instead of the other way around." Together, the three girls moved back to the kotatsu, with Hoppou huddling herself back under the covers. "So, regarding why I came here… my daughter and I happened across some items we felt should be brought to Mother.
"Oh?" Nagato hummed, tilting her head. "What kind of items?"
"You recall the incident a little while back, when two of Mother's children who were left behind on Unalaska as eggs, hitched a ride on a military transport to get to her?" Nagato nodded. "Well, that transport had been bringing over a collection of various items belonging to the Fleet of Laughter, that the Unalaskans recovered after the Great Scattering. My daughter and I went through the items yesterday, and we discovered something we felt should be passed on to Mother."
"I see…" Nagato smiled softly. "Thank you, Tanith. It was very thoughtful of you to go out of your way to bring back some of Hoppou-chan's belongings. So, what would those be?"
Tanith reached into her coat and pulled out a small plaque. "To start… this isn't the main reason I'm here, to be quite honest. But I thought you might appreciate this, Grandmother."
Nagato accepted the plaque quietly, taking a few moments to examine it, before her eyebrows rose. Her little girl won a chess tourney? Oh, this was absolutely going up on the wall! Trying not to let too much of her giddiness show outwardly, Nagato gave Tanith a nod and a smile. "My, this is a welcome surprise. Hoppou-chan is the chess club at school, of course, but I wasn't aware she had prior experience…"
"If you can call two days learning the rules and practicing 'prior experience'." The dreadnought chuckled. "That was all she needed to excel in the local tournament. There was also a bowling trophy for one of our late sisters among the recovered possessions, but we were not certain if you would want that too."
Nagato glanced to Hoppou, who shook her head. "No, I think you can hold onto that." She set the plaque aside. "But you said that that wasn't the primary item you had come here to deliver?"
Tanith's expression fell. "Yes. Among the items sent to us… there was a set of pictures. These pictures were extremely special… so I felt it critical that they were brought to her."
Quietly, Tanith produced a picture frame from her hold and offered it to her mother.
Hoppou's face went pale as she stared at the picture frame, depicting Hoppou herself posing with a group of Ta-classes. Slowly, a shaky mitten rose up to grab the frame. "Th-this…" she whispered. "You mean…?"
Tanith nodded solemnly. "Yes. They are all here." She produced almost a dozen more picture frames, stacking them on the kotatsu. "And they are all the original copies."
Nagato peered over what her adopted daughter held in her hands, as she hurriedly flipped it over and undid the clasps on the back. When Hoppou pulled the photo out of the frame, she froze at what was on the back of the photo—the names of each of the girls in the photo, in her own handwriting.
Nagato quickly understood—these were all photos of Hoppou's children. Every ship that had made up her Unalaskan fleet, alive and dead… all gathered together, frozen in a moment in time. A record, of all those loved and lost.
Already, Hoppou's eyes were glistening with tears. She sniffled as she ran a hand over the names. "Hoppou... never thought she'd get to see her girls like this again… thought the bad Abyssals destroyed it all…"
"Lord knows they tried," Tanith replied, shaking her head. "But they failed, miserably. Because our family gave their all, and more, to protect it."
Getting up from the kotatsu, Hoppou stepped around and hugged her daughter. "Thank you, Tanith," she said, fighting to keep her voice steady through the the pain, the joy and melancholy she felt. "With these… Hoppou can remember her girls as they were: alive, together, happy." She looked over to Nagato. "Does Mommy know when Big Brother gets home from training?"
"He should be back soon," Nagato answered. "Maybe an hour or so. Why?"
"Hoppou needs to ask Big Brother for a favor; want to ask wizard people a question." She wiped the tears from her eyes, a determined look setting into her face. "Hoppou will honor her girls… will honor their memory. The lives they lived, the lives they gave for Unalaska… the joy and love they felt… Hoppou wants to make sure they are never forgotten. With something much better than just pictures."
Looks like Fubuki does in fact have a Fubuki to take to Fubuki. Something tells me Fubuki will also adopt Fubuki, and the modern Fubuki will have a big sister Fubuki. Just make sure to visit Fubuki outside of a Fubuki.
Hoppou's face went pale as she stared at the picture frame, depicting Hoppou herself posing with a group of Ta-classes. Slowly, a shaky mitten rose up to grab the frame. "Th-this…" she whispered. "You mean…?"
While I rarely copy directly from my posts in SB...
-=-
If the choice is between pissing off the Mafia/Yakuza/Triads to the point they take a very personal interest in dealing with you....and sticking your arm up to the elbow in a turned-on wood chipper with the safety removed...
Choose the wood chipper. ALWAYS CHOOSE THE WOOD CHIPPER.
While I rarely copy directly from my posts in SB...
-=-
If the choice is between pissing off the Mafia/Yakuza/Triads to the point they take a very personal interest in dealing with you....and sticking your arm up to the elbow in a turned-on wood chipper with the safety removed...
Choose the wood chipper. ALWAYS CHOOSE THE WOOD CHIPPER.
Well, seems like Protective DD Mama Buki is Protective Nee-chan Buki amplified by an order of magnitude or three... Kinda suprised the baka wizard doesn't have hypothermia and severe frostbite.
Actually, with both the pictures and access to a Pensieve, Harry would likely be able to create crystal/metal statuettes of each of the fallen. It would probably take quite a while to get one made for everyone, but I can't see Harry daunted by that if he does get the idea to do so. I honestly had forgotten about the whole moving pictures deal, and thought that's what Hoppou was going to ask for in the first place, just as a mail order from an arts/sculptures type shop in Diagon Alley or something, instead of asking Harry to do it directly...
Avrora is going to be a hotspot for Marine Biologists,Ornithologists,Arboriculturists and Botanists postwar.
Do you think Steve Irwin Would be interested in taking a look at the last population of Steller's sea cows?
He has an in after all Tanith's Aunt likes his show.
Guarantee someone will comment that no Poacher in their right mind would have a go at them.
Looks on Seacows Basking in the lagoon with Abyssal destroyers nearby doing the same.
Well, seems like Protective DD Mama Buki is Protective Nee-chan Buki amplified by an order of magnitude or three... Kinda suprised the baka wizard doesn't have hypothermia and severe frostbite.
Actually, with both the pictures and access to a Pensieve, Harry would likely be able to create crystal/metal statuettes of each of the fallen. It would probably take quite a while to get one made for everyone, but I can't see Harry daunted by that if he does get the idea to do so. I honestly had forgotten about the whole moving pictures deal, and thought that's what Hoppou was going to ask for in the first place, just as a mail order from an arts/sculptures type shop in Diagon Alley or something, instead of asking Harry to do it directly...
Avrora is going to be a hotspot for Marine Biologists,Ornithologists,Arboriculturists and Botanists postwar.
Do you think Steve Irwin Would be interested in taking a look at the last population of Steller's sea cows?
He has an in after all Tanith's Aunt likes his show.
Guarantee someone will comment that no Poacher in their right mind would have a go at them.
Looks on Seacows Basking in the lagoon with Abyssal destroyers nearby doing the same.
Lightning slashed across the rain-filled night sky and the wind howled as Colombe hurried up the stairs of her ancestral castle. Even with a magical spell to ward off the downpour added to her umbrella she was still soaked to the bone by the time she reached the carved oak and threw the doors wide.
Another stroke of lightning backlit her in the entrance as she staggered inside, heralded by the crash of thunder as she dripped on the marble tiles of her entrance hall, lit only by the flash of lightning through the windows.
The rapier frowned at the sight as she slammed the doors shut and then gestured with the hand not holding the umbrella. "Lumos!" A sphere of blue witchlight formed above her hand.
"Guten Abend, Mutter." A soft voice spoke from the darkness above her and she turned to see the spectral face of Ehren illuminated by the candlelight of the candelabra that her youngest daughter held as she leaned over the second-floor balcony.
Colombe watched as the dagger's spirit, clad in a black dress with silver embroidery at her wrists, neck, and knee-length hemline, walked to Papa's portrait. The rapier gave a brief, fond smile as Ehren reached one of the wall sconces flanking the painting, placed unlit candles in the sockets from a box that she was carrying, and lit them with her candelabra. "Hello Ehren. The storm knocked out the power?"
"Ja. A quarter hour ago in fact. I am lighting candles while Kasuyu tries to get the backup generator running." Another thunderstroke rattling the windows punctuated the cool statement of fact as she lit the sconce on the far side. "How was your trip to Japan and do you need help bringing the luggage in from the car?"
Colombe sighed as she closed her umbrella up and hung it on a hook by the door. "Japan was...eventful. I found Norimune, finally, and also aunts I did not know existed. My luggage did not survive the trip."
Ehren gave her a cool stare. "Really?" The dagger's voice was quite flat as candlelight flashed on the silver of her true body at her waist.
"Yes, it was not my fault! Some maniacs after Delilah blew up the hotel room I had purchased! We had to borrow Aunt Akutoku's car to escape them when they started shooting at us ." Colombe looked up at the considering sets of eyes, painted and alive both judging her.
A wheat-blonde eyebrow elevated a millimeter above a measuring steel-blue eye. "Really?"
"All I did was provide the ramp that launched them off the road! Jackie was the one who crashed the car into the canal on Delilah's orders!! Not my fault!" Colombe gave her daughter and the portrait of her adopted father a pleading look.
"Really?" The eyebrow crept up another millimeter.
"The only thing that I was responsible for was destroying the courtyard when Tokunotakai challenged me!! Well also the fight with Norimune that I had but that was a totally justifiable matter of family honor!!"
Ehren walked to the head of the stairs, candlelight gleaming from her pale skin and paler hair. The candlelight made it appear for an instant - surely a trick of the light - that her lips turned up in a smile before returning to their thin, disapproving line as she spoke in a cool tone. "Tokunotakai? And I... we expected you back sooner. Claire has been quite worried."
Colombe sighed. "Dealing with the family took longer than I had planned. Both in terms of meeting people and healing my injuries afterward. Delilah is still there in Japan along with Jacklyn in fact. Tokunotakai is," The rapier's cheeks flushed slightly, "A Masamune katana's spirit that I met while over there. She was instrumental in helping us locate Norimune."
Ehren's voice chilled a fraction, "Really? Was that before or after she and you destroyed the courtyard?" She began to slowly descend the stairs, holding the candelabra high.
Colombe's blush deepened noticeably, "After, and she had valid reasons to do what she did. It was a matter of honor. I..."
The Rapier took a deep breath as Ehren placed the candelabra and box of candles down on the bottom step and began to glide across the floor. "I encountered her once before, during my first trip to Japan in 1864. I offered insult to her with my words and deeds and she sought closure of the matter. So she challenged me to a duel of honor when I returned to the temple where she is an instructor in swordplay."
Another deep breath as Ehren halted an arm's length away from Colombe. "Honor was satisfied and we came to an agreement. I shall be visiting periodically to test my steel against hers so we can learn from each other."
Ehren looked into her mother's eyes as yet another rattle of thunder shook the castle. The corner of her lip twitched minutely. "Really now?"
With those words, Ehren flash-stepped forward to tackle-hug Colombe. "Welcome home, Mother. Welcome home." The Dagger's voice was hoarse as her arms squeezed Colombe in an iron grip.
Colombe staggered slightly and then her arms embraced the dagger, holding her close to her sodden blouse. "It is good to see you too Ehren."
Several minutes later the two disengaged, Ehren wiping rainwater from her cheeks with the sleeve of her dress while Colombe gave a reminiscent smile at the candlelit stairs. "This reminds me of my girlhood, Ehren. We only got electricity in the 1950s after all."
The dagger nodded as she retrieved the candles and candelabra. "Claire is in the ballroom, of course." Ehren's lips curled up in a minute smile. "Composing, natürlich!"
Colombe laughed, "No doubt. Let's find your sister."
Thunder punctuated that statement, and neither spirit heard the creak of a wooden door opening in the distance.
Colombe smiled at the sight as she entered the ballroom ahead of Ehren. Claire was clad in a virginal white dress and was playing a brooding piano piece with the rattle of the rain and wind on the windows as her backing bass section. Illuminated by a trio of floating candalabras, Claire could have stepped out of the pages of Stoker, Brontë, Poe, or Shelley's Gothic fiction as the pristine maiden threatened by darkness.
Claire turned her head and suddenly leapt from the piano in mid-piece to run to Colombe. "MOTHER!"
Colombe braced herself for the crushing impact as Claire hugged her close, not noticing the rare unguarded smile that Ehren had at the family reunion. She just hugged her eldest daughter close and then ruffled her hair. "I missed you too, Claire."
The Piano nodded as she stood on tiptoe to kiss Colombe's cheek, her tears of joy flowing. "It has been so long mother..."
Colombe smiled back, her own tears flowing. "Indeed it has, Claire. What were you playing?"
Ehren coughed, "Claire asked me to unlock your computer so she could purchase and download the sheet music for some Broadway musicals."
Claire nodded and released Colombe, blushing in embarrassment, "Oh yes, I started with Gershwin and Gilbert and Sullivan, and then found Andrew Lloyd Webber..."
Colombe nodded as they walked back to the piano, "I see. Think you could play a few of their songs for me?" Colombe glanced at Ehren. "For us, the candles can wait."
Ehren nodded, "Acceptable. I would not mind hearing some music to commemorate the homecoming."
Unnoticed by all, a shadow crept down the stairs as a cold gust guttered out the candles at its head.
---------------------------------
Claire finished her most recent piece and then frowned, "It is just a transcription, of course. You need a full orchestra and singers to properly play Phantom of the Opera."
Colombe and Ehren applauded, "It was magnificent. Perhaps sometime we can go to Paris, London, or New York and see it on stage as a family."
Claire smiled and nodded, then spoke quietly. "Mother? The Phantom of the Opera is set in the Paris Opera House from when I was born. Did you... I mean is it real?"
Colombe opened her mouth and thought as Claire adjusted the sheets of music. "There were a lot of strange things that happened back in 1883 in the Opera House. Disappearances, deaths, hauntings, and I knew two people who when they bought the old furnishings in 1921 came to very bad ends. I would not be surprised if there was something magical going on."
"Indeed!"
The doors to the ballroom slammed shut and locked themselves with a boom. The candlelight dimmed to faint circles of illumination as the air turned ice cold.
Colombe whirled, her hand flying to her hilt, then froze as her eyes widened in shock. Illuminated by the flashes of lightning from the storm outside, a short and rotund man dressed in 1890s haute couture stood. One hand stroked his dagger beard as the other caressed the gold and steel of a very familiar rapier hilt. Her hilt.
"Hello, Aunt Colombe." Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé du Chasteler said jovially from a century in her past. "It has been too long." His happy smile never reached his cold eyes.
Beside Colombe, Ehren spun in turn and then froze in dread. A figure from her past confronted her in turn and turned the blood in her veins to ice as he rested his hand on the hilt of his SS-Ehrendolch. Silver siegrunen, Adler, und Hakenkreuz glittered in the candlelight as black wool soaked it up in endless night.
"Guten Tag, Tochter, wie geht's in letzer Zeit?" Obersturmführer Helmer Wolff snapped out, his steel-gray eyes mercilessly measuring the spirit of his Honor Dagger as she trembled before him.
Claire's eyes widened at the sight of a man in tuxedo, tails, and a flowing red and black cape hefting a mostly sheathed katana in one hand. A smooth white porcelain mask covered half his face and dark eyes glittered at her as her fingers found her keys and she began to play in response to his unvoiced demand.
"My Angel of Music..." intoned the Phantom of the Opera.
"Beneath the opera house
I know he's there.
He's with me on the stage,
He's everywhere.
And when my song begins,
I always find
The Phantom of the Opera is there
Inside my mind."
Claire sang as her body swayed to the music she was pouring out and the candles began gutter and die one by one.
"Sing once again with me
Our strange duet.
My power over you
Grows stronger yet.
You'll give your love to me
For love is blind.
The Phantom of the Opera is now
Your mastermind."
The Phantom intoned as he glided closer toward the enchanted trio.
"Those who have seen your face
Draw back in fear;
I am the mask you wear,"
Claire's song soared, her mahogany eyes opening wide and losing focus as the Phantom picked up the next line.
"It's me they hear..."
The Piano and the Phantom sang together in a duet, her passionate soprano voice and his cold contralto combining as the thunder and rain provided the pounding percussion beat.
"Your/My spirit and my/your voice
In one combined
The Phantom of the Opera is there
Inside my/your mind"
The Phantom halted just outside the circle of candlelight shed by the lone remaining candle, and commanded darkly.
"Sing, my Angel of Music!"
"He's there... The Phantom of the Opera..."
Claire began to wail a wordless soprano accompaniment to the frantic pounding of her fingers upon her keys.
As the terrifying musical piece reached its climax, a thunderous bolt of lightning shook the castle and the room was plunged into darkness.
"Claire!!"
---------------------
"Claire!" Colombe shouted as the paralysis broke and the electric lights came back on as Kasuyu started the generator. Her blade flashed from the scabbard as the click of metal on metal echoed through the ballroom.
Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of a woman's face she had last seen in Japan. Inhumanly pale skin, dark hair, and cold blue eyes that had an endless abyss in their depths looked at her back at her with a neutral expression from her position just out of sword range.
"Hello Niece." Kagotsuruhe intoned.
Colombe's free hand flashed out and caught Ehren's wrist as the rapier's point lowered slightly. "Aunt Kago. I did not expect you. So Hippolyte...?"
Beside Colombe, Ehren slowly relaxed and swallowed twice, trying to regain her composure.
The elder Muramasa nodded. "Was me. I volunteered to notify you that Delilah had a Vanishing Cabinet installed between Norimune's farm and her residence. She had ordered one before her departure for Japan and I was testing it."
Colombe slowly sheathed herself. "Ehren, Claire, this is my aunt Muramasa-no-Kagotsuruhe, the Sword of Hopelessness. Aunt Kago, may I introduce my daughters. Claire du Chasteler is the eldest and is the spirit of her piano, while Ehren du Chasteler is my youngest and is the spirit of her SS-Ehrendolch dagger."
"A pleasure." Kagotsuruhe flickered through her library of faces before settling on a pleasant welcoming expression. "I trust you did not mind my introduction? It was too perfect not to pass up and I have a fondness for the theater."
Claire ran over to Kagotsuruhe and hugged the Muramasa. "It was great! We have to do that again sometime!"
The rest of the family, Colombe thought, would never believe that she had actually seen the most terrifying and demonic of their sisterhood actually be this visibly surprised.
And the fact that Claire's innocent enough for Kago to have had practically zero effect on her will make her a top priority for the Blade of Hopelessness to protect in the future, I suspect. After all, sincere hugs for her are very few and far between.
She would fall for the Original Bad Boy of Literature. Thankfully she was exposed to Erik when she reached that age before Edward. The Phantom may have been just a guy with a corpse of a butterface with a few Batman Quality tricks, but the man had style, which trumps 'Sparkly Vampire Wangst' every day of the week.
...Now I wonder which version of the story she prefers? Lloyd Weber's phenomenon is a given, but there's also the more accurate Lon Chaney film (it's silent, meaning that she'd be free to make her own score to it), and two other musical adaptations that she might find just as good.
She would fall for the Original Bad Boy of Literature. Thankfully she was exposed to Erik when she reached that age before Edward. The Phantom may have been just a guy with a corpse of a butterface with a few Batman Quality tricks, but the man had style, which trumps 'Sparkly Vampire Wangst' every day of the week.
...Now I wonder which version of the story she prefers? Lloyd Weber's phenomenon is a given, but there's also the more accurate Lon Chaney film (it's silent, meaning that she'd be free to make her own score to it), and two other musical adaptations that she might find just as good.
Oh yes, she likes the Phantom of the Opera a lot. For some strange reason, Precious Piano Roll Claire thinks that she would make a great Christine Daaé.
Pretty much she got introduced to Andrew Lloyd Weber first as the entry drug, then one raid on Colombe's library later acquired a third edition (1920) copy of Gaston Leroux's Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, and then Auntie Kago got her a copy of the Lon Chaney film for Christmas.
So pretty much ALW's adaptation, then the book and the film. Claire is scoring the film for solo piano....
And the fact that Claire's innocent enough for Kago to have had practically zero effect on her will make her a top priority for the Blade of Hopelessness to protect in the future, I suspect. After all, sincere hugs for her are very few and far between.
Well yes. Messing with Claire in Kago's presence would be an exceptionally bad idea. Not that Colombe or Ehren would be much better since Colombe is in Kago's good books after allowing Kago to get lots and lots of blackmail on Akutoku and Norimune. Kago could tell that there are no cowards amongst this branch of her family.
Now Kago could have broken Claire with more effort, but that was not the point (trolling her niece's family was because Kago is a Drama Queen). So Kago unsheathed herself about an inch and made a Dramatic Butterknife Entrance (TM) that Claire ran with (Claire was channeling that thrill of terror/fear Kago was hitting her with into her music and Kago hammed it up to play along with).
And yes, sincere hugs for Auntie Kago are few and far between.
Incidentally, after things settle down a little Claire will introduce Kago to some spooky French Piano Music.
The Re-class blinked. She looked up to see Wonderous gazing down at her with a concerned expression. "H-huh?"
"I just noticed you'd been sitting here for quite a while, with a sort of vacant look on your face. Is something wrong?"
Renita looked around herself, taking in her surroundings. She was in the cabin area, sitting on a bench off to the side. Nearby, she could see some of the hybrid children playing with a ball. "I…" She began, quietly. "N-no. I just… zoned out, is all."
The Wo-class sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Just so you know… you don't need to hide your problems from us. We're your family, after all. If something's upsetting you, just tell us."
Looking her older sister in the eyes, Renita let out a small sigh of resignation. "...Do you think… I'll ever be able to live a normal life, again... after everything that's happened to me?" She asked.
Wonderous frowned. "Of course you will, sis. You have all of us here to help you; give you a shoulder to cry on, to make you smile and laugh, and enjoy yourself... to help you remember the good times, making sure the bad times can't haunt you anymore." She tilted her head. "Why are you asking such a question? What's got you so down?"
Renita raised a hand, pointing to the kids playing ball. "The children. I've… watched them, since they arrived here. They're so young, and they've been through so much… they lost their homes, their families. They were tortured, experimented on. They're going to be like this for the rest of their lives…" Renita hung her head, her expression pained… or was that jealousy? "And yet… they can move on. After all they've suffered… they can still find it in themselves to enjoy life, to be happy. They're not broken on the inside... like me."
"And you don't think you can do the same?"
The Re-class shook her head. "I don't know. There are parts of me… that can never be fixed." She brought a hand to her chest. "Mama told me… my heart is damaged. Something even she can't repair. You really believe I can overcome that?"
Wonderous sighed, pulling her sister closer. "Nobody said that your recovery would be easy, Renita… but if you convince yourself you'll never heal, then you won't. You can't let yourself lose confidence and faith, just because these kids are having an easier time overcoming their trauma. They're kids—they still have years to grow and mature ahead of them, to come to terms with their new bodies and lives.
"So maybe you ARE messed up inside. So what? You still have your family here to support you no matter what; we'll find a way to make things work out. I can't tell you just how long it will take—months, years—and I can't tell you what hardships you may endure along the way… but I swear to you, Renita, the day will come when you will be able to smile and laugh again, like you used to so long ago. Understand?"
Wonderous couldn't help but feel a sting of pain in her heart, seeing her sister so torn. She hated being forceful like this, when Renita was so obviously sensitive… but it seemed like she NEEDED someone to kick her out of her funk every now and again, to ensure she couldn't backslide into full depression once more. Finally, though, Renita responded, her voice small and meek. "...Okay." She nuzzled against the Wo-class slightly. "Thank you."
Renita suddenly flinched as she felt something bump against her leg. Looking down, she saw the children's' ball had landed nearby, coming to a stop at their feet. A boy with a Re-class tail trotted up to the pair and grabbed the ball, looking apologetic. "Sorry about that. We're not… bugging you, are we…?" He asked.
The boy cocked his head. "You looked like you were sitting around just watching for a while," he said. "Do you… want to play with us, or something?"
"I…" Renita looked to Wonderous for a moment who simply gave her a supporting nod, before taking a deep breath and turning back to the kids.
"Sure. I think that would be nice."
XXXXXXXXXX
Having lived with Renita for so long, watching her deteriorate to the point that death would be a release from her suffering, Fluffy was convinced she had seen the lowest someone could fall.
Seeing those mutilated children hadn't changed her mind... but it was giving her some perspective on the matter. Limbs hacked off and replaced with mismatched Abyssal parts, bits of rigging pointlessly grafted onto human bodies, chunks of their innards ripped out and replaced to accommodate Abyssal symbiotes… it was utterly horrific to see. She knew Abyssals were capable of a lot of evil… but what had been done to those children was beyond heinous.
Whatever soulless, depraved Princess had done it, Fluffy hoped they met a grisly end.
"So, right around here, right?" A whisper.
Fluffy looked over to the Re-class beside her… not Renita, but Regalia. She couldn't help but think about how different the two battlecarriers were—one was petite but shapely, quiet and melancholy; the other tall and slender, full of energy. "Yeah… yeah, I'm pretty sure I marked one of these trees…"
Fluffy looked around her, taking in the appearance of the trees. Eventually she pointed to a splotch of dried mud splattered against the nearest redwood, high off the ground. "There. I slapped some mud on that tree the other day. I figured that putting it up way higher than any animals could manage would help it to stand out."
Regali hummed thoughtfully. "Good idea, actually. Even better than using paint to mark the tree, because we can just hose it off if we don't need to remember this spot later."
"Hm." Feeling something wiggling around on her thigh, Fluffy looked down and finger-flicked the sentient life ring she'd clipped to her belt to calm it down. "So what do we do, now?"
"You managed to lead us to the pigs' nest, so your part of the job is complete. For now, you can just sit back and watch the fireworks." Regalia unslung her knapsack and handed it off to the Princess, followed by her scarf and parka. Now clad only in her bikini, the Re-class turned back to the small group of Abyssals that had followed them here to assist in securing the nest. "You guys try to spread out a bit. I'm going to wrap around and drop in on the nest from the opposite side, scare them all towards you for roundup."
With that, Regalia was off. She dropped to all-fours and slunk off into a nearby bush, somehow barely making a sound. Not ten seconds later, Fluffy's eyes widened as she saw the Re-class scurry up the side of a tree further away, then hop to a neighboring trunk in almost complete silence. "How is she doing that…?" She couldn't help but ask in disbelief.
Next to her, Rivet huffed in amusement. "Three-plus years being stuck on this island, unable to leave, meant Regalia has had a lot of time to get good at moving around on land… and protecting her crops from wild pigs, chasing them off, has taught her to get creative with her mobility. She's a sweet, gentle girl, but make no mistake—she has a predator's instincts."
Fluffy could only stare after the nimble Re-class, awestruck, until she vanished from sight. A minute or so passed, with little to no activity; aside from having to take cover from a wandering hog so it didn't alert the rest of the nest, all was still.
Then came the resounding boom of something heavy hitting the earth… followed up by a sound that shook the Princess to her very core.
"Oh hell yeah, IT'S GO TIME!!" Rivet cried out, immediately breaking into a sprint. The other Abyssals split off and spread out, but otherwise more or less followed after the Ri-class. As the echo of the roar (and the ringing in her ears) faded, Fluffy immediately became aware of a number of animals screaming bloody murder… and coming in their general direction.
"Got one!" Rivet quickly called out.
"Gotcha, bitch!" Another shouted.
"Hey, I got some piglets here!" A third relayed.
All around Fluffy, the Abyssals were scrambling, quickly snatching up as many of the fleeing pigs as they could. From the callouts, the Princess supposed there had to be one, maybe two dozen of the critters; they probably weren't going to catch all of them, but with luck, they'd get enough to ensure this nest would no longer pose a significant threat to Regalia's crops.
That aside… Fluffy had to admit, it was kinda fun watching the girls leaping around, divebombing all over the forest to get their hands on the swine and grapple them into submission.
After only a couple minutes, it seemed like the raid had concluded—she could no longer hear any pigs running around screaming. Rivet stumbled into view, looking rather ragged. "Okay, I think that's the end of it. Everyone rally up!" Soon enough, the other disheveled Abyssals returned to the group; counting up their catches, the girls had reined in at least twenty hogs for all sizes. Not bad, given this was their first time hunting pigs in a coordinated group.
Making their way to the nest to check on Regalia, the girls found her sitting cross-legged on the ground, covered in mud—mud that did little to hide the fact her breasts were now completely bare. "Can someone give me a hand...?" she groaned. "The big mama bullrushed me, and I lost my top in the chaos." Though some of the girls snickered, they nonetheless joined the Re-class in scouring the dirt and mud for her missing article of clothing.
As they did that, Fluffy walked around the region of the nest, examining it. She wasn't able to get a really close look at the pigs' habitat when she first scouted it out, so she wanted to take the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity. It was more complex than she had initially thought—there were burrows dug partially into the ground, shrouded with hay and twigs in one spot, and in another spot was a puddle of mud… which for some reason felt off to her. Anyway, that must have been Regalia's landing spot, judging from how mud been thrown around everywhere. On a whim, she stepped over to the mud pit and examined it, looking for Regalia's top.
But then, she realized… she could feel the ground beneath her rumbling.
"Hey, Regalia?" Fluffy asked hesitantly.
"Yeah?"
"How heavy were you when you hit the ground?"
Regalia tilted her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe… ten, fifteen percent of my mass? It was just to make a really hard landing, to scare any pigs that were too close from charging me… not that that worked." She sighed. "Why do you ask?"
Fluffy slowly turned to the Re-class, feeling the rumble growing rapidly under her feet.
"I think this mud came from underground… and you just cracked open the source of it."
No sooner had the words left Fluffy's lips, the ground beneath her exploded… enveloping her in a spout of water that rose dozens of feet into the air.
