Then again, someone going "M'okay!" after approximating a three-point landing with their face is hardly unheard of when there's sufficient alcohol involved.
And it would see the kids have gained four Kaa-sans, not just one.
Yudachi: Practice for the future, poi-mmff! Kisaragi: *Clamps hand over Yudachi's mouth* Shh! Don't give away our plans too soon! Fubuki: *Adorably confused* Eh? Mutsuki: *Giggles cutely*
Warspite stood next to Summer as the pair of them waited for the portkey to transport them to Hogwarts. A glance at the large Abyssal installation showed only two things on her face. One was worry, which had not left her countenance since Ron's letter of the attack on the train had come through. The other was wonder, as if the old boot held the secrets to the universe. It didn't, at least as far as Warspite could tell but it would transport them to Hogwarts shortly. In her mind she thought back on what had caused this in the first place.
Warspite looked up from where she was reviewing various applications for the additional positions that the manor needed staffed as Molly Weasley suddenly Apparated into the room with a "pop." Shaking herself, the redheaded matron looked around and seemed pleased when she saw Warspite there.
"Ah, good. I was hoping somebody would be here." She spoke in somewhat of a rush, looking around and then gesturing for Warspite to follow her.
"Molly what's going on?" Warspite stood and followed her as requested, with Mrs. Weasley hurrying up the stairs.
"The idiot of a Minister we have decided that Dementors were a good thing to let loose on a train full of children." Warspite had no idea what a Dementor was but it sounded bad enough simply from the name. "Ron is fine and so are all of his friends but knowing him he sent..."
There was a cry from the room Summer had been gently cajoled into taking and a thump. Warspite and Mrs. Weasley both hurried their steps and Mrs. Weasley opened the door immediately once she reached it, then froze.
Warspite came around the corner, hoping that something wasn't terribly wrong. Instead she saw Summer sprawled on the floor, a pile of paper on the ground near her and Summers head partially covered by the owl box Ron had recently gifted her with.
"He sent a letter to explain what happened and accidentally scared the poor dear." Mrs. Weasley finished."
It had taken an hour for Mrs. Weasley to calm Summer down enough that the abyssal hadn't been ready to immediately dash off to find Ron on her own and another hour to explain why they couldn't go visit him right away but in the end she'd been mollified. At least enough to wait till the end of the week to go see him.
Warspite's thoughts were interrupted as the world twisted violently and the pair were swung around until they landed near Hogwarts. Warspite stumbled but managed to remain on her feet. The one thing she missed her wheelchair for was the fact she couldn't fall over during such a trip. Steadying herself she looked up at Summer, who seemed to be perfectly fine. At least for the nausea, she was looking around half in panic.
"Summer, Warspite." A familiar voice called out, causing Warspite to look behind Summer. The familiar red head of hair and smile were standing there, clearly happy to see them.
At the sound of Ron's voice Summer whirled around and Warspite was treated to her first sight of just how fast Summer could move if she really wanted to. With legs that were twice as long as most others, Summer's ground eating sprint made her cover even more ground than Warspite thought possible.
At first it seemed like there was going to be a collision and Ron braced himself but Summer had no intentions of hurting him. Instead she swept him up into her arms and swung him about, his face safely encased in her fuel depots. Warspite shook her head and paced over, even as Summer held Ron closely.
"Summer. I think Ron's ok just like he said. So you should let him breathe." Warspite spoke firmly but not angrily at the abyssal, who looked up from her joy to find Ron attempting to tap her. Letting him go with a bit of a chagrined look, Summer set him down on the ground once more.
"S-sorry..." she said, looking at Warspite before back to Ron. "A-are you ok Yardmaster?"
Ron looked no more worse for wear than he any other time Summer had hugged him and after a quick shake of his head to clear his wits he smiled at her.
"I'm fine Summer, thank you." There was a pause as the young lad pondered something. "What did you call me? Yardmaster?"
When Ron spoke those words, Warspite got to watch Summer's quickest emotional transformation ever. In an instant she'd gone from worried to flushed and embarrassed, the large sun hat she wore placed firmly over her face immediately after the blush.
Warspite looked to Ron, who seemed just as confused as she was.
"Did I say something wrong?" He asked.
"I don't think so Ron." Warspite looked to Summer, who was muttering into her hat and had sunk down into a crouch. "At least I don't know what." A pause, as Summer still seemed to be in her own little world for the moment. "It's good to see you again, even if it's only been a week."
"It's good to see you too Warspite." Glancing at Summer Ron came over and gave Warspite first a hug and then when she bent down a kiss on the cheek, which she returned.
They'd had a few discussion's about discretion before he left and Warspite was glad to see they had stuck. Warspite smiled at Ron and then gestured back to Summer, who had stopped muttering.
"I think you need to deal with that." She said gently.
"Right."
Warspite watched as Ron went over to Summer and placed a hand on her shoulder. Though she didn't jerk, Summer didn't move either. At least not outside of the slightest turn of her head in his direction.
"Summer? Is everything alright?" Ron spoke softly, in a voice Warspite knew kept Summer at ease.
Instead of a proper verbal answer Summer swung her head back and forth in the negative.
"Why not?" Ron's confusion was clearly audible in his tone.
Summer pointed one large, quivering yet metal covered finger at Warspite.
Ron looked at Warspite again and Warspite shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what was going on any more than Ron did.
"Warspite doesn't know why you're upset either. Is something wrong?" Ron kept up the patient tone with her. Warspite felt flutters in her boiler spaces at thoughts she wouldn't allow herself to voice quite yet passed through her mind. A good admiral was many things, including a father to his men and women. That would translate nicely in time.
Finally Summer spoke again.
"S-s-she's… n-not angry?" Summer's voice was barely audible but the hat had started inching downwards.
"No Summer, I'm not angry." Warspite kept her voice calm, taking a few steps closer to Summer and crouching down herself. "Why would you think I'd be angry at you?"
Summer's hat managed to inch down past her eyes, the flaming blue orbs seeking out Warspite to confirm that she wasn't angry. When she was satisfied, Summer glanced at Ron once more and her whole face flushed again. Thankfully she finally put her hat back on her head and stood, though she was still slightly hunched over at the shoulder.
Warspite followed suite, standing as Ron's head tilted upwards.
"I-I-I t-thought y-you'd b-be mad s-since I-I w-want Ron to b-be m-my Yardmaster." Summer's eyes held a cast that made it seem like she thought that to be inevitable.
"Why would I be mad at that Summer? It sounds important to you." Warspite wasn't quite sure what a Yardmaster meant to Summer but it sounded important, important enough that her mind was racing to figure out what it did mean.
"I-i-it is i-important! T-the Yardmaster d-decides everything! W-who g-gets fixed! W-when the get fixed! The order they get fixed in! P-priority on supplies! If they get s-scrapped or not! E-even e-even..." Summer seemed to shrink in on herself even more, her metal clad hands tapping in front of her mouth as her face flushed. E-even i-i-if s-someone g-gets b-built a-a-and h-how m-many..." Summer's voice trailed off at the end, her head tilting down lower and lower until her hat was essentially hiding her again.
It was at that point when Warspite figured out just what that meant to Summer. It was a Captain writ large, on the scale of a whole dockyard. It didn't bring into consideration the other parts of the base that she knew Summer had with her but considering her aversion to violence in the first place…
She glanced at Ron, who seemed to have realized the extent of if not exactly what Summer was talking about.
"You thought I wouldn't like it if you wanted to be with Ron Summer?" Warspite kept her voice gentle, thoughts running quickly to make sure that Summer didn't take them the wrong way.
Summer nodded morosely, even as her head came up slightly.
"You know Duke and I both already share him Summer." Warspite changed her tone as if she was explaining something. "Why couldn't you?"
Summer's head popped up, wide eyed.
"B-but y-you're a b-b-battleship a-and t-they d-don't s-share w-with i-installations..." Summer seemed to trail off once more at the end, finally recognizing where Warspite was going.
"Abyssals might not share Summer. I have no qualms sharing with you and neither does Duke." Warspite smiled gently. "It's not me you need to ask though." Warspite turned her head towards Ron.
Summer's eyes followed and widened in a sudden burst of hope. Of course then it took her a minute to actually get up the courage to speak.
"Ron w-w-would y-you p-p-please b-be m-my Yardmaster? Summer's voice was a light, airy thing that barely seemed to hold together, ready to blow away at the least sign of resistance.
Ron smiled at Summer and nodded to her.
"Of course Summer. It'd be my honor."
Summer's eyes widened in surprise, somehow still not able to believe it. She then crashed to her knees and began sobbing, though there was no mistaking them for sadness. Ron moved in closer to Summer and wrapped his arms around her the best he could, the abyssal installation letting her arms drape over his shoulders.
Warspite couldn't help but smile herself, touched by the moment. Summer looked up then and Warspite smiled at her. Summer managed smile back and one of her hands reached out to Warspite. Warspite took it, giving it a soft squeeze as she realized that Summer had initiatedcontact with her for the first time.
She glanced down at Ron, who gave her a smile. "Good job." She said quietly, raising a hand to ruffle his hair. "Good job."
Ron nodded, letting Summer sob out her happiness against his shoulder.
Unseen by either of them, a small light in a dark soul grew. Swelling larger and larger, blazing light where there was nothing before. Hope, where none had ever rested.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
AN: Bit slower than last week but hey... Hopefully you all enjoy.
The hell , i was just recovering from the previous feels hit and now i suffer an attack from a installation grade weapon , really there is no need for medic this time just drop my ashes on the sea.
Warspite, dear, you didn't quite think that one all the way through to its fullest extent as you should have, before opening your mouth. You almost had it fully figured out, but didn't quite make the connection.
You mentioned sharing Ron, but not the full details of the hows and whys you are sharing him. And Summer is a, bless her, simple yet perceptive soul, so she's going to see all the things inherent to that 'sharing'.
Or to whit, Summer just proposed, and Ron just said yes. Only its that neither Ron, nor Warspite caught on. Yet. Warspite likely will in a few minutes, at which point she's going to facefault (this is beyond facepalming) at her 'whoops!' moment in not spotting the deeper meaning of Summer's descriptions or desire, and her not fully descriptive way of saying 'sharing'. As, tmk, she hasn't quite stated out loud what her and Duke's true plans for the future with Ron are. Implied? Sure, and obviously some have clued in, such as Molly (duh), Dreadnought (duh), 1st Sea Lord, Whitcomb, and a few others. But they haven't said anything out loud to anyone else. And not to Summer. Yet.
So this is going to be an, 'Summer took...oh...Oh! She took the sharing for what it really truly is between Duke, Ron, and myself, and not just the more publicly allowable & acceptable 'sharing' that we tell everyone else. Oh my, this will take some getting used to...' epiphany/revelation for Warspite.
Well, the next snip involving this bunch is definitely going to be titled either "Ron, Warspite, Duke, and Summer", or something like "Weasley's Warship Workshop"
Masamune-no-Tokunotakai, the Masamune of the Warrior's Virtues, Consecrated (and now blooded) Blade of Hachiman, and a shrine maiden for four centuries stared into the eyes of the Tsukumogami standing next to her. Very slowly an ahoge on her head stood upright and began to slowly rotate in a circle as a large drop of sweat rolled down her forehead.
Facing Toku, Colombe d'Aubigny-Muramasa du Chasteler, eldest daughter of Muramasa-no-Norimune, secret identity of the erotic literature heroine 'Lady Chastity Dovesworth', the ICW's #7 Most Wanted Criminal for serial violations of the Statute of Secrecy (NOT HER FAULT!), and all around Gentlewoman Adventuress across four continents tipped her head to the side, puffed out her lips, raised her eyebrows and gave a Gallic Shrug.
"Play somefing else, Claire-wairie! More Disney!" The younger of the two jorogumo said with an adorable lisp and the waving of all eight legs as her older sibling gave a drunken cheer.
They turned as one back to the open door to the study to see Kasuyu take another tray of espresso shots from the dumbwaiter (along with a Kaisermelange in a large mug with whipped creme and chocolate for Claire at the piano plus a bottle of cognac for the piano to flavor it to suit).
Ehren hugged the tanuki cub in her arms and began to scratch the Yokai behind her ears as she nodded to her mother after catching Colombe's eyes. Clearly the dagger either lacked self-preservation, or was insanely brave.
Claire rubbed her hands together with an ear-to-ear grin normally associated with Mad Science (or Muramasas) and launched into a chipper piano piece as the sky through the window lightened with the coming of dawn.
"In ev'ry job that must be done
There is an element of fun
You find the fun and snap!
The job's a game!"
Muramasa and Masamune turned to each other and nodded as one. Colombe reached out and gently closed the door partway as the singing began inside her study again. "So, do you wish to see the rest of the castle, To-chan?" Colombe asked faintly with a pleading look in her eyes.
"And ev'ry task you undertake
Becomes a piece of cake
A lark! A spree! It's very clear to see that..."
"Hai, Co-chan. I would like a tour. A very long tour." Toku was biting her lip to avoid laughing like a hyena.
"A Shot of Espresso helps the medicine go down!
The medicine go down-wown!
The medicine go down!
Just a Shot of Espresso helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way!"
Colombe made her way down the hall at a very brisk walk that Tokunotakai matched. An uncharitable observer might call it a retreat from deadly danger, but of course neither Muramasas nor Masamunes ran from anything. Certainly not a sing-along of Disney tunes with a drunken Jorogumo maiden at 5 AM.
"I would be relieved and honored to give you that tour as your hostess. The family castle dates to the 16th century when my family was granted our landholding here from the Duke of Lorraine, and then that was confirmed by Empress Maria Therese to my father in 1716 when he was awarded the title of Marquess of Chasteler." Colombe explained to the fascinated Masamune as they walked down the upstairs hallway, pointing out some of the artifacts that she and her family had collected over the last three centuries.
"This painting dates from the summer of 1719," Colombe hesitated as she paused in front of a group portrait of five children and two dogs. "I... am the girl on the far left."
Toku blushed slightly at the image of the young woman in a white dress looking at the artist with an unamused smug stare. "Who are the others, your siblings?"
"Oui, Papa's legitimate children. I am standing beside Marie-Claire Hélène du Chasteler, my younger half-sister by three years. She married Gustave Visart de Bury et de Bocarmé and they perished in the Terror in Metz in 1791. I... was closest to her and was unable to save her, but I rescued her young son Julien Visart de Bocarmé of whom I shall speak more anon," The rapier's voice was very controlled and a tear trickled down her face. "In the center is my elder brother François Gabriel Joseph du Chasteler de Courcelles, a half-year older than I am. He inherited from Papa in 1762 and then I fought against Napoleon alongside his eldest son Johann Gabriel Josef Albert du Chasteler de Courcelles, whose only daughter Marie-Josephe Julie Feliciane du Chasteler married into the German Potters to end that branch of the family, whereupon the title passed to Marie-Claire's branch. To the right are my two youngest siblings. Marie-Joseph Julie du Chasteler is five here and later became Countess de Baillencourt, but died in childbirth and her infant firstborn son did not survive her. Last but not least, the baby is my youngest brother François Antoine Marie Chrétien du Chasteler. He only had one child, Gérard-Arnoult-Frédéric-Gabriël du Chasteler, whose only daughter Ida-Hélène-Caroline du Chasteler married Julien Visart de Bocarmé, her cousin through Marie-Claire's family branch, to continue the family."
Colombe took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and bowed her head as she whispered. "Papa was what is called a Squib, a member of a magical family that has little magic and is outcast from magical society. In his case, his family of the French Malfoys helped place him among the nonmagical nobility so he became a du Chasteler. Some of his descendants had the Talent, I was one of course, and went to the wizarding academy of Beauxbatons in Southern France in 1718. Later Marie-Josephe became a full witch, but because of political difficulties between France and Austria at the time, instead trained at Hogwarts, where she met Hans Potter, whom she later wed. At most we thought that we had inherited the extended vigor of mages, and we knew of magic of course, but..."
Toku watched as the rapier trembled in the grip of some strong emotions as her tears fell and fists balled up then nodded decisively. "You deserve to know. Come with me, please, To-chan."
With that Colombe gestured sharply and marched down the corridor, pausing at a magically warded door. She disarmed the curses and hexes on the door, summoned a key to unlock it, then pushed it open with a groan of rust from the hinges. Inside the revealed room, office furnishings were covered with dustcloths and dusty cobwebs covered the surfaces, a far cry from the clean and well maintained other areas of the castle.
Colombe walked to the corner where a framed picture was placed facing the wall and covered by a dustcloth.
She grasped the dirty cloth with both hands after turning it around and her knuckles turned white as she trembled.
She bowed her head and whispered in a pained voice as Toku watched silently.
"We were all terribly wrong. On October 13th, 1830, my niece Ida-Hélène-Caroline du Chasteler gave birth to a son with the Talent. A son who nearly dishonored us, destroyed us with his plotting, kinslaying, treachery, lies, and Dark Magic...." With that she pulled the dustcloth off the framed photograph of a corpulent man, who smiled jovially.
"Hello Aunt Colombe. It has been far too long," said the magical image of Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé du Chasteler.
She pulled the dustcloth off the magical photograph of a corpulent man, who smiled jovially. "Hello Aunt Colombe. It has been far too long," said the image of Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé du Chasteler.
The hell i was just recovering from the previous feels hit and now i suffer an attack from a installation grade weapon , really there is no need for medic this time just drop my ashes on the sea.
Warspite, dear, you didn't quite think that one all the way through to its fullest extent as you should have, before opening your mouth. You almost had it fully figured out, but didn't quite make the connection.
You mentioned sharing Ron, but not the full details of the hows and whys you are sharing him. And Summer is a, bless her, simple yet perceptive soul, so she's going to see all the things inherent to that 'sharing'.
Or to whit, Summer just proposed, and Ron just said yes. Only its that neither Ron, nor Warspite caught on. Yet. Warspite likely will in a few minutes, at which point she's going to facefault (this is beyond facepalming) at her 'whoops!' moment in not spotting the deeper meaning of Summer's descriptions or desire, and her not fully descriptive way of saying 'sharing'. As, tmk, she hasn't quite stated out loud what her and Duke's true plans for the future with Ron are. Implied? Sure, and obviously some have clued in, such as Molly (duh), Dreadnought (duh), 1st Sea Lord, Whitcomb, and a few others. But they haven't said anything out loud to anyone else. And not to Summer. Yet.
So this is going to be an, 'Summer took...oh...Oh! She took the sharing for what it really truly is between Duke, Ron, and myself, and not just the more publicly allowable & acceptable 'sharing' that we tell everyone else. Oh my, this will take some getting used to...' epiphany/revelation for Warspite.
Warspite thought it through plenty well, the post of Yardmaster pretty much just equates to Captain aside from the fact that Summer has a few more jobs that need doing.
The thing you have to remember is that Summer is not like Louisiana or Porta or even Warspite and Duke. She's much more like an overgrown Shinano that's even less able to deal with social pressure.
Sharing right now is exactly that, simply sharing Ron's time. Summer wouldn't know a Euphemism if it smacked her in the face right now. She wants Ron's time and a little bit of his attention. Most abyssal's don't show physical affection or seem to understand how tab A might go into slot B in the first place and Summer certainly qualifies. When she grabs Ron she's simply protecting him and not actually trying to give him a face full of fuel tank. When she says building ships, she means building ships. As in, Ron tells her they could probably use a Re-class friend so Summer goes ahead and builds a Re-class with fuel and steel the normal abyssal way and not by using the more conventional human methods.
The embarrassment she's showing? It's because of what she hopes happens. A busy dockyard is a happy dockyard. A busy dockyard requires supplies, like the ones shes' been denied most of her existence. A dockyard given supplies, given orders for ships is one that is trusted. It means the Yardmaster thinks she can handle it. That he trusts her implicitly with the construction of the fleet. Her fleet yes but she's not Hoppou, Porta, Wanko or even Supprin. All of these are things Summer simply hasn't had and to think that Ron will eventually trust her with such when the time comes when before she's been treated as an overgrown repair depot... that's an installations dream.
Now, Warspite will almost certainly need to have a talk with Summer about everything involved in sharing Ron. That's essentially a given with how Summer doesn't quite get how things work everywhere. That's not currently an issue since they're at Hogwarts and there are people watching so when she takes Summer back they can have a nice talk about what may or may not happen with Ron yet. Even things that Summer hasn't thought of.
Well, the next snip involving this bunch is definitely going to be titled either "Ron, Warspite, Duke, and Summer", or something like "Weasley's Warship Workshop"
Well, Colombe has certainly learned through all of her adventures when it's time to simply go "Nope!", turn around and leave a situation you probably don't want to be involved in even if it is just embarrassing instead of actually dangerous. I also like the song lyrics, I'm usually pretty terrible at coming up with those even if it is just replacing words
The family tour is nice and Colombe shows again that she really does care about her adoptive family just as much as her real one even now. They did make her who she is but some people can still forget that. I'm sure Toku is impressed with the details.
That last bit though... yeah evil grandnephew probably gets quite a bit of the nasty side of Colombe's tongue when she needs to vent on something. Probably some nice "debates" have happened at times.
That last bit though... yeah evil grandnephew probably gets quite a bit of the nasty side of Colombe's tongue when she needs to vent on something. Probably some nice "debates" have happened at times.
Well the major reason that she has his magical photograph around (albeit locked up and with the face turned to the wall) is that for all his many sins and crimes he is family. And Colombe has a real fixation on family.
"Hello Aunt Colombe. It has been far too long," said the magical image of Hippolyte Visart de Bocarmé du Chasteler from inside the dusty photograph frame glimmering with charmwork.
As Tokunotakai stared in shock, the photograph leaned back and stroked his beard thoughtfully as he smiled the happy smile of a child at Christmas who had just found a long-awaited present under a tree.
"How long has it been this time? No, no Aunt Colombe, let me guess! Hmmm... I'll say fifteen years this time." He stared into his grand-aunt's eyes as he spoke in that warm friendly voice.
Colombe shook her head and responded automatically as if she was in a trance. "Twenty-three years, Nephew."
"You are getting better, Aunt Colombe. That is actually a new record." Hippolyte laughed happily as the Muramasa in front of him snarled and then slammed her fist into the picture frame. Charmwork flashed and vanished as Hippolyte looked at a gold watch. "Fifty-three seconds this time. Tsk tsk tsk. I expected better of you. Pity."
Colombe teared up and Tokunotakai gasped as the expression of agony on her face.
"Why hello, we have an audience! This is a first!" Hippolyte cocked his head curiously. "Please come where I can see you. I don't bite, not anymore."
Tokunotakai moved alongside the frozen Colombe.
The photo rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he studied her. "Hm, you don't look Austrian, much less like a piano. So you cannot be Cousin Claire, non?"
"No, I am Masamune-no-Tokunotakai."
Toku shook her head, feeling the cold eyes bore into her condescendingly as he shrugged. "Pity, Colombe told me so much about her little girl. That was the subject of our last conversation, you know."
Colombe twitched.
"I think she thought to throw the fact that she had a child that she was so proud of in my face. Tell me that she had finally won, finally wiped out what I represent to her. What I represent to her family."
Blood dripped from Colombe's fists where her nails cut through her skin as she breathed harshly.
"Fortunately for her, I set her straight. It is what I do now. You see, she's such a poor liar, she lies to herself constantly. She even believes her own lies if you can imagine that. But I'm enchanted to always tell her the truth that she doesn't want to hear but knows that she needs. That little drip, drip, drip of acid on the steel of her soul to scour it clean of all the shit she rubs on it."
Tokunotakai narrowed her eyes slightly. "I find that hard to believe. She has described you to me. Traitor. Kinslayer. Murderer. Slaver." The Masamune's voice was calm.
Hippolyte laughed conspiratorially. "Well, she's not that different than me, deep down. I was her liege lord, head of the Du Chasteler family and a Councilor of King Leopold II of the Belgians when she ran me through, right over there. She's never cleaned up the bloodstain on the hardwood either, I wonder what our Papa would say to that? That's why she has been scared to have that painting of him that she worships enchanted like I am. Because then she would have to listen to him correct his disobedient bastard daughter."
Colombe gasped and tears trickled down her face as she shook her head in half-hearted denial.
"So that's treason against her family and her King right there as an act of kinslaying with the bonus of making a mess in here like the unruly bastard child that she is. Murder too, and I'd recommend asking her how many other people she has killed for her own 'reasons' over the past... three centuries now! New milestone for you, Aunt Colombe!"
Colombe winced and then gave Hippolyte a hate-filled furious stare.
"Let's see that leaves slavery. Oh, yes, after she killed me, she headed straight to the Congo and claimed Kasuyu. He's bound by an Unbreakable Oath to serve the chieftain who holds that axe of his after claiming it in ritual combat. Sounds like slavery to me and he's even a nice strapping black buck."
Hippolyte grinned at Toku and raised a finger triumphantly. "Aha, I have it! Asian girl, swordswoman's posture... You wouldn't be the legendary Miko Punchable Face, would you? She told me all about defeating you in the 1880s, you would think that Aunt Colombe was a lovestruck maiden at times! Although she's not been a 'maiden' since her Fourth Year at Beauxbatons when she gave up mooning over her Charms instructor and decided to seduce her roommate as second best."
Colombe snarled despairingly, "Leave To-chan out of this! SHUT! UP!"
"To-chan? To-chan is it? That's a sign of affection, you know. Oh well, I suppose since love and hatred are almost the same thing, just a little nudge to turn one to the other, I'd watch my step around her. Aunt Colombe can be so very dangerous, like a rabid mongrel dog when she loses control. Unlike me, who always was in control." Hippolyte smirked smugly.
Tokunotakai narrowed her eyes at the photograph. "You know far far more than you should about her. I wonder why she keeps an onryō bound in here, especially you." Her voice was calmly conversational and coolly polite.
"Well to the first, I was a prodigy at Legilimency. The greatest practitioner that Beauxbatons ever turned out they said. Then, I studied Aunt Colombe for decades, even before she returned home from her failure to find her father. After all, she was such a good pawn in my plans and still is."
Colombe punched the frame again. "You lie! I am not your pawn!!" She sobbed and hugged herself as her head lowered. "I'm NOT!"
Hippolyte laughed cruelly, "She is so easy to move around at my whim. Then as to the second, well I had planned to entrap her spirit in here, and had spent decades making this container immune to her steel and her powers. So as I bled out over there I... transferred my soul to here. Just as planned."
Tokunotakai nodded slowly. "Quite clever, and of course, someone like her could not destroy you when you taunted her then, and she gave up the attempt after one failure too many." The corner of her mouth quirked.
"Why thank you, Miss Tokunotakai. And yes, amazing that a brutish fool weapon like her attracted someone of superior class and breeding and brains like you. I suppose that opposites attract."
Toku nodded and went down on one knee in front of the photograph. "I must kneel to the superior intellect and understanding. I shall ask, though. Why does she come back here when it hurts her so?"
Hippolyte grinned in smug triumph. "Why because I'm family. All the family that she has left in the world. And if she abandoned me, abandoned her fool attempts to redeem me, to defeat me, she would have to admit to herself that she broke and dishonored the Du Chasteler family utterly with her actions by killing my body over there."
Toku's hand gripped her sheath and her thumb rested on her tsuba, as the dove on it began to glow a gentle white. "Go on~"
"So you see, if I stay here and keep beating my brainless brute of an aunt in our conversations, I win. If she breaks her honor code by abandoning family, I win. I can't be defeated!" Hippolyte gloated as he spoke triumphantly. "Sooner or later, she will break, and I have all the time in the world to keep driving wedges into her soul."
Tokunotakai's thumb twitched, exposing a quarter-inch of her steel. "Flawless logic. Except for one minor factor you overlooked~." Her voice throughout was calm, polite, and conversational.
"What?" The ghost's face was puzzled.
The Masamune's eyes filled with resolute fire as she blurred into an iaido strike, her blade glowing incandescent blood-red as the kanji for Honor shone on it brilliantly. "Me.Jyourei Youshouha!"
Hippolyte screamed in agony as the Masamune cut through his spellwork and the transfigured clear topaz of the 'glass' as if it was cheap cloth to slam into his spirit.
"Impossible!" Hippolyte's eyes locked on Tokunotakai's as he exerted his will to try to break the Masamune to his whims like he had broken a young Muramasa once.
But Masamune steel does not break to one such as him.
Colombe's head snapped up and she stared in disbelief at the sight of her Nemesis in his death struggle.
Toku's serene smile never wavered as she twisted the sword impaling the ghost, channeling her fighting spirit into her blazing blade. Her true body tore into Hippolyte's ghost while his will faltered and the beginnings of the fear of defeat appeared in his eyes. His confidence faltered as their battle of will and spirit turned against him with the understanding that Toku was someone he could never control nor sway.
"Incorrect, Hippolyte-san. I was forged and consecrated to do just this. Co-chan is inexperienced in the matters of the spirit where you tormented her until today.But I am not. Opposites attract, yes, and we are two sides of the same coin, two parts of a greater whole." Her voice was calm, polite, and utterly merciless.
Hippolyte looked desperately at Colombe as ghastly wounds formed on his image. "M-mercy! You must stop her, A-aun-n-nt C-c-c-olo-o-omb-b-b-e! W-w-w--e-e-e-e are f-f-f-fam---i---l-l-l----y"
Colombe looked back and forth between Toku and Hippolyte and shook her head. "Non. Not any more. Not since you betrayed what it is to be du Chasteler." Her voice was pain-filled but as unyielding as her steel.
Toku's steel flashed too bright to see, illuminating the room with a blood-red light that cast no shadows.
The photograph frame shattered with the sound of a despairing scream suddenly cut off and the light then faded.
Masamune-no-Tokunotakai automatically cleaned her blade off before resheathing it, then chanted in Japanese. She moved her fingers in a mandala as a wheel of four floating ghost lights rotated around her, flashing forest green, red-orange, aquamarine blue, and and eerie white. She slowly turned in a circle, and then nodded in serene satisfaction, dismissing the onibi lights with a wave of her hand.
Colombe swallowed twice and whispered, "is it over?"
Toku nodded. "It is. He was a powerful onryō indeed. But he no longer has power over you or in here."
Colombe began to cry as Toku gathered her in a hug.
Hmm... While I like this resolution, it's the kind of thing that needed more foreshadowing to really be all that satisfying. We've gone from Painting!Hippolyte to Possessed!Painting!Hippolyte to Dead!Hippolyte (for realsies this time)... All in the space of a single chapter.
Maybe if you'd had some of their previous talks planned out and written into the storyline before this scene. Would have required a lot more planning ahead though... Not much you can do about it now.
Ah well, good scene, just a little rushed due to circumstance.
Hmm... While I like this resolution, it's the kind of thing that needed more foreshadowing to really be all that satisfying. We've gone from Painting!Hippolyte to Possessed!Painting!Hippolyte to Dead!Hippolyte (for realsies this time)... All in the space of a single chapter.
Maybe if you'd had some of their previous talks planned out and written into the storyline before this scene. Would have required a lot more planning ahead though... Not much you can do about it now.
Ah well, good scene, just a little rushed due to circumstance.
Very good point, and yes, I could have done better with this. This is a case where making it up as I go along bit me on the butt (I literally had no idea that there was a photo of Hippolyte in the castle before yesterday when I wrote chapter 7 and paused there because i had no clue as to what to do with it next until I slept on it and came up with the conversation/fight).
Very good point, and yes, I could have done better with this. This is a case where making it up as I go along bit me on the butt (I literally had no idea that there was a photo of Hippolyte in the castle before yesterday when I wrote chapter 7 and paused there because i had no clue as to what to do with it next until I slept on it and came up with the conversation/fight).
Yep, to be fair it would be a really cool thread to have followed from the beginning if you'd planned it before so I can't blame you for just taking it and running with it. Even if we only got to see the finale of this particular storyline we can easily imagine everything that led up to it.
Colombe stared at the place where the magical photograph of Hippolyte had rested for over a century in numb shock.
Tears trickled down her face slowly as Tokunotakai gently hugged her.
Toku guided her to a cloth-covered couch and cradled her as they took a seat.
Dust puffed up from the couch as Colombe buried her face in the Masamune's chest and whispered.
"I... I---"
Colombe swallowed as the dam inside her started to crack.
Walls of stoic duty, of honor, of nobility, built over centuries of life to protect a wounded spirit from the judgement of her peers trembled and began to spring leaks.
"I c-can't believe---"
Tears stained Toku's shirt as Colombe suddenly grabbed her as hard as she could.
The Masamune quietly endured the hug, gently embracing the Muramasa around the waist.
"H-h-he was so friendly... so charming."
Colombe's voice cracked and broke as the jagged-edged fragments of sentences tumbled forth from the breaches in her defenses.
"I was such a f-f-f-failure--- lost the duel.... lost my father then...."
Decades of regrets.
"...relied on him, he was so confident...strong where I was w-w-w-weak."
Decades of nights where a tormented soul could could not sleep.
"Never suspected that he had murdered poor Ida-Hélène and Julien to gain power. Blinded myself to the little hints. Was not there for them, didn't stop him, didn't see what he was like...."
Decades of failures eating away at her spirit.
"...sent me to fight and die in the Franco-Prussian War...then in Paris he hit me with a Dark Curse that nearly killed me... Barely dragged myself into a gutter as the Kaiser marched in triumphantly...."
Decades of defeat after defeat.
"...he was so c-c-c--caring, said he would nurse me back to health. He would handle the family while I recovered...."
Decades of evil disguised as caring.
"...trusted him! Never suspected where the money I signed over to him was going...."
Decades of trust betrayed by close family.
"...what the ingredients he shipped from the Congo were for...never suspected why his new maid 'left unexpectedly' that day and I never saw her again...."
Decades of blindness, looking the other way rather than face the uneasy suspicions that something was wrong.
"...sent me to the Congo at last in 1895. Told me that he needed someone that he could trust to handle an audit of the business that we---that I relied on to support the family..."
Decades of being moved around as a pawn with a sentence here, a soft word there, a falsely compassionate smile, a gentle hand on the shoulder.
"....didn't have a choice, his hit wizards had me pinned down so I had to ignite the granary. Explosion killed dozens as fires spread and I ran for the river..."
Words only gasped into a tear-soaked pillow in a pitch-black unlit room in an empty castle haunted by the ghosts of her past before now.
"...cut off the hands to show that they had used the ammunition to kill natives. One bullet for one right hand....
Words now gasped into the tear soaked shirt of a Masamune blade as matching tears trickled from blue-green eyes full of compassion and love.
"...he had taught his manager how to use the Imperius Curse to have his way with the young girls of the district...dead eyes, no life in them any more even as they waited on us hand and foot at the banquet when I arrived at the trading station...."
Words falling faster and faster in razor shards of agony piled upon agony.
"...I thought the worst was over, that Hippolyte would get me out of the horrors here...no one cared, not the King, not the nobility, not the Governor-General, it was just a place to make money with rubber and ivory....HE KNEW!"
Falling in a stream of pain and regret.
"HE BETRAYED US! HE BETRAYED PAPA AND I HELPED HIM DO IT!"
Screams of guilt and self-loathing as Toku's arms tightened around Colombe while she shook like a tree in a hurricane.
"---I helped him do it. I should have known better---and I helped him do it---"
Sobs of shame and guilt at innocence betrayed and lost, at honor stained by blind trust given to one unworthy of it.
"...Couldn't let him get away with it. Burned the station and started walking back here..."
Gasped out words revealing that death would have been too good for her failure.
"....hadn't drunk for four days, not even rainwater....didn't care that the hot spring was yellow with sulfur and boiling. Drank it like a dog because I was too weak to stand...crawled the next day across the rock of the lava flow until a storm rained on me. Somehow made it to a stream and drank until I was sick...."
Words revealing that living was hard. Living was penance for her sins.
"...I must have looked like a skeleton to those railway workers when I collapsed at their feet. One of them fed me pieces of hardtack as I got carried back on an empty car for a fresh load of timber for the bridge that they were building. Never knew his name...."
Words showing that pain was all she felt that she deserved for what she did. What she allowed to be done.
"....Wasn't going to let him get away with it. Rode straight here from Marseille as soon as my ship docked. Didn't sleep, didn't eat. All I could feel was hatred...."
Words now falling in a raging torrent faster and faster carrying two swords along a river of pain as dams shattered and walls collapsed forever.
"...Imperiused me...most wonderful feeling I have ever known. Nothing mattered, it was like watching myself in a dream as he ordered me to place my blade at my neck...."
Tokunotakai's arms tightening as she realized where a near-invisible scar on Colombe's neck came from.
"....so tired...wanted to just let it end when my blade parted my skin. He wanted to make it slow because I was such a nuisance to him. Wanted to gloat as he sat back down behind the desk..."
Words now falling slower as the raging torrent finally began to subside.
"...don't know how I broke free then as I cut deeper. Maybe it was him slipping, I couldn't have fought him any more. Just wanted to die...it was no more than I deserved..."
Words falling slower and slower as a Muramasa released all the tears that she had hidden over a century behind her walls.
"...lunged then, pinning him to his chair with my blade through his throat. Stared into his eyes as the light started to fade as he choked on his own blood helplessly, wanted him to feel the pain he gave me, wanted him to suffer like I had...."
Words falling one by one now as Colombe trembled helplessly as she recounted a victory turned to ashes in her mouth.
"...he smiled triumphantly at me...then I heard his voice from behind me, from the photograph....Congratulating me for furthering his plans. Telling me that he was now immortal and thanks to his blood mingled with mine on my true body, one day he would claim me, as was his right as head of the family..."
A death grip on the Masamune of the Warrior's Virtues relaxing step by step as a final trickle of words were whispered.
"...locked him away, but I couldn't stop going back to try to confront him....told me that I was no more than a foolish sword, only good to be a tool of her betters. Sometimes---sometimes I believed him. Damn me, I believed him."
Silence, then a gentle hand on a chin raised tear-stained and red-rimmed vulnerable crystal blue eyes to meet equally tear-stained and vulnerable blue-green. A serene, loving smile and a gentle kiss on the lips, then one final set of words echoed in a room haunted too long by the ghosts of the past.
"Anata o hontōni aishiteimasu, Co-chan."
Words declaring love and acceptance that become the balm on a bleeding soul now that the festering wound has been lanced and the poison accumulated has been drained. That no longer must Colombe d'Aubigny-Muramasa du Chasteler suffer alone.
A.N.-A big shout-out to Spectral Waltz here for the inspiration for this. Thank you very much!
How many seconds until everyone who isn't a tanuki or a Jorogumo comes busting through the doors/walls like Kool-Aid Man, to see what just happened with Columbe & Toku? Because that death scream had to have been heard across the entire manor.
Warspite thought it through plenty well, the post of Yardmaster pretty much just equates to Captain aside from the fact that Summer has a few more jobs that need doing.
The thing you have to remember is that Summer is not like Louisiana or Porta or even Warspite and Duke. She's much more like an overgrown Shinano that's even less able to deal with social pressure.
Sharing right now is exactly that, simply sharing Ron's time. Summer wouldn't know a Euphemism if it smacked her in the face right now. She wants Ron's time and a little bit of his attention. Most abyssal's don't show physical affection or seem to understand how tab A might go into slot B in the first place and Summer certainly qualifies. When she grabs Ron she's simply protecting him and not actually trying to give him a face full of fuel tank. When she says building ships, she means building ships. As in, Ron tells her they could probably use a Re-class friend so Summer goes ahead and builds a Re-class with fuel and steel the normal abyssal way and not by using the more conventional human methods.
I agree. This is a more probable interpretation of Summer's words. Now, they could be misunderstood by others.
Now, Warspite will almost certainly need to have a talk with Summer about everything involved in sharing Ron. That's essentially a given with how Summer doesn't quite get how things work everywhere. That's not currently an issue since they're at Hogwarts and there are people watching so when she takes Summer back they can have a nice talk about what may or may not happen with Ron yet. Even things that Summer hasn't thought of.
Hmm... While I like this resolution, it's the kind of thing that needed more foreshadowing to really be all that satisfying. We've gone from Painting!Hippolyte to Possessed!Painting!Hippolyte to Dead!Hippolyte (for realsies this time)... All in the space of a single chapter.
Maybe if you'd had some of their previous talks planned out and written into the storyline before this scene. Would have required a lot more planning ahead though... Not much you can do about it now.
The unexpected revelation that she has a live picture of Hippolyte is more effective--has more emotional punch--than if we already knew that it exists and that he exerts such a baleful influence over her.
Then again, someone going "M'okay!" after approximating a three-point landing with their face is hardly unheard of when there's sufficient alcohol involved.
Yudachi: Practice for the future, poi-mmff! Kisaragi: *Clamps hand over Yudachi's mouth* Shh! Don't give away our plans too soon! Fubuki: *Adorably confused* Eh? Mutsuki: *Giggles cutely*
There was a cry from the room Summer had been gently cajoled into taking and a thump. Warspite and Mrs. Weasley both hurried their steps and Mrs. Weasley opened the door immediately once she reached it, then froze.
Warspite came around the corner, hoping that something wasn't terribly wrong. Instead she saw Summer sprawled on the floor, a pile of paper on the ground near her and Summers head partially covered by the owl box Ron had recently gifted her with.
"He sent a letter to explain what happened and accidentally scared the poor dear." Mrs. Weasley finished."
She glanced down at Ron, who gave her a smile. "Good job." She said quietly, raising a hand to ruffle his hair. "Good job."
Ron nodded, letting Summer sob out her happiness against his shoulder.
Unseen by either of them, a small light in a dark soul grew. Swelling larger and larger, blazing light where there was nothing before. Hope, where none had ever rested.
The hell , i was just recovering from the previous feels hit and now i suffer an attack from a installation grade weapon , really there is no need for medic this time just drop my ashes on the sea.
Warspite, dear, you didn't quite think that one all the way through to its fullest extent as you should have, before opening your mouth. You almost had it fully figured out, but didn't quite make the connection.
You mentioned sharing Ron, but not the full details of the hows and whys you are sharing him. And Summer is a, bless her, simple yet perceptive soul, so she's going to see all the things inherent to that 'sharing'.
Or to whit, Summer just proposed, and Ron just said yes. Only its that neither Ron, nor Warspite caught on. Yet. Warspite likely will in a few minutes, at which point she's going to facefault (this is beyond facepalming) at her 'whoops!' moment in not spotting the deeper meaning of Summer's descriptions or desire, and her not fully descriptive way of saying 'sharing'. As, tmk, she hasn't quite stated out loud what her and Duke's true plans for the future with Ron are. Implied? Sure, and obviously some have clued in, such as Molly (duh), Dreadnought (duh), 1st Sea Lord, Whitcomb, and a few others. But they haven't said anything out loud to anyone else. And not to Summer. Yet.
So this is going to be an, 'Summer took...oh...Oh! She took the sharing for what it really truly is between Duke, Ron, and myself, and not just the more publicly allowable & acceptable 'sharing' that we tell everyone else. Oh my, this will take some getting used to...' epiphany/revelation for Warspite.
Warspite thought it through plenty well, the post of Yardmaster pretty much just equates to Captain aside from the fact that Summer has a few more jobs that need doing.
The thing you have to remember is that Summer is not like Louisiana or Porta or even Warspite and Duke. She's much more like an overgrown Shinano that's even less able to deal with social pressure.
Sharing right now is exactly that, simply sharing Ron's time. Summer wouldn't know a Euphemism if it smacked her in the face right now. She wants Ron's time and a little bit of his attention. Most abyssal's don't show physical affection or seem to understand how tab A might go into slot B in the first place and Summer certainly qualifies. When she grabs Ron she's simply protecting him and not actually trying to give him a face full of fuel tank. When she says building ships, she means building ships. As in, Ron tells her they could probably use a Re-class friend so Summer goes ahead and builds a Re-class with fuel and steel the normal abyssal way and not by using the more conventional human methods.
The embarrassment she's showing? It's because of what she hopes happens. A busy dockyard is a happy dockyard. A busy dockyard requires supplies, like the ones shes' been denied most of her existence. A dockyard given supplies, given orders for ships is one that is trusted. It means the Yardmaster thinks she can handle it. That he trusts her implicitly with the construction of the fleet. Her fleet yes but she's not Hoppou, Porta, Wanko or even Supprin. All of these are things Summer simply hasn't had and to think that Ron will eventually trust her with such when the time comes when before she's been treated as an overgrown repair depot... that's an installations dream.
Now, Warspite will almost certainly need to have a talk with Summer about everything involved in sharing Ron. That's essentially a given with how Summer doesn't quite get how things work everywhere. That's not currently an issue since they're at Hogwarts and there are people watching so when she takes Summer back they can have a nice talk about what may or may not happen with Ron yet. Even things that Summer hasn't thought of.
How many seconds until everyone who isn't a tanuki or a Jorogumo comes busting through the doors/walls like Kool-Aid Man, to see what just happened with Columbe & Toku? Because that death scream had to have been heard across the entire manor.
Grumbling a little, the Re-Class' tail huffed, "No." At the frown, Stab made a motion as it to roll his non-existent eyes, "What? It's just some game."
For several moments, Reivana held her face in her hands before giving her tail a look, "Stab, it is not just a game! This is a major sport for this community! And our Princess wants for me to see such an event and report back to her about it personally!"
A sigh made her turn to where the pregnant Isley sat. The Princess in question giving the Re-Class a raised eyebrow, "And do you know why Aunt Porta wanted for you to come and see it?" Not getting an answer, she smiled slightly, "As she would put it, one can learn much about another culture by observing their favourite pastimes and games. Through your observances, she can get a better idea of the Wizarding World, or at least Wizarding Britain at least."
Slowly, Reivana gave a nod, "That makes sense, I guess?" She then perked up some, "But that still leaves the fact that she chose me to come!"
Only shaking her head, Isley smiled slightly at the other Abyssal. Of course, that was when Stab "Looked" at her, "So why are you coming to this then?"
Ignoring the motions from the Re-Class for him to shut up, the Princess shook her head, "Myself? It is for a more personal reason, I am afraid." Seeing the undisguised interest, she nodded, "One of those playing today will be my dear Sirius' godson, Harry Potter. And I hope to support him since my husband to be cannot."
Head tilting to the side, Stab nodded a bit, "Okay, I suppose that is a good enough reason."
Reivana just gave a small shrug and shook her head, "I am excited to be able to see Hermione again. She said that we might be able to go and look at the Hogwarts library." Clapping her hands, she sighed some, "It supposedly has the most magical knowledge in all of Britain going back a thousand years! Just thinking about all those books, just waiting to be read..."
A shudder went through the Abyssal which amused Isley before the other Abyssal shook her head. For his part, Stab looked at his partner and snorted, "Just remember, Hermione is supposed to be undercover or something here. Don't know why..."
Huffing, Reivana frowned a bit, "I know, Stab! And I am more than able to keep quiet." At the look she for, she scowled, I am! And I remember that I am supposed to state that I met her one day at a library near a base. Our Princess did pick me for a reason!"
That, however, only got a noncommittal grunt from her tail. Looking out the window of the carriage that they were in, Isley perked up some, "And that must be Hogwarts. It is just like Sirius said it was like."
Now looking out herself, Reivana felt her eyes widen a touch and her eyebrows raise, "That's Hogwarts? Huh..." Pulling out a camera, she began to take picture after picture. At the look she got, she shrugged, "Rigar might like to know how the castle is designed."
Frowning, the Abyssal Princess places a hand over her stomach, "From what Sirius told to me, the castle's insides often rearrange themselves. So I suppose that the outside is the one constant."
Utterly confused by that, Stab shared a look with Reivana before turning towards Isley, "Why the heck would they do that? Wouldn't they get all confused in regards to it?"
Isley simply shrugged, "From what I know? They do it simply because they can. Or that seems to be the usual for wizards. Even Sirius did not know how or why they would do such a thing."
Needless to say, that got her a very odd look from Reivana, "Because... they can?" She threw her hands up into the air due to the amused nod from Isley, "But that makes no sense! The waste of resources and the like is... is... boggling! Why would you have a castle where it rearranges itself?!"
Leaning back in her chair, the Abyssal Princess just chuckled, "I don't know, Reivana. But it could be just to amuse themselves as the armour also moves and the paintings do as well."
Just giving her a look, Reivana grumbled a bit before noticing that Stab had paused and was looking at the castle in confusion, interesting, and some wariness, "Stab? What's wrong?"
Glancing at his other half, literally, Stab looked back at the castle, "Check your IFFs, Reivana. There's... something there."
Confused, the Re-Class did so. Moments later, she paled even more than one could think was possible, "There's an Abyssal War Demon operating as a Flagship there?! And one that is serving multiple fleets?!"
Instead of panicking, Isley only looked intrigued and nodded to herself, "I believe that would be my Sirius' godson, Harry." At the confusion, she gave a small shrug, "From what he knows, Hoppou and Wanko have both accepted him into their fleets and given him the honorary position of 'War Demon Flagship' with an IFF somehow. Not sure how..." Frowning, the Abyssal hummed, "Something to look into for my dear Sirius, I suppose..."
Utterly lost, Reivana slumped back in her seat and furrowed her eyebrows, "Oh..."
It was not too long after when they reached the castle and stepped out of the carriages. Walking up to the front of them, Isley giggled a bit as she pat the Thestral that was there. In return, said horse-like being nuzzled her hand and gave a snort, "So adorable!"
Glancing at it, Reivana nodded some, "I suppose so..." Briefly, she had the image of a splendid carriage pulled by a number of thestrals, her Princess inside of it, 'I wonder if her Majesty would like such...'
Her thoughts were interrupted by a chuckle though, "Aye, they're adorable little beasties." Turning, Reivana's eyes widened at the sight of the biggest human that she had ever seen in her life. He stood taller than even Ocean Liner Demon. He was also wider as well, which made her boggle. The man turned to her with two black eyes that twinkled in amusement and held out one massive hand, "'Ello, Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper o' Keys and the Grounds here at Hogwarts as well as Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Pleased ta meet yeh."
Quickly, Reivana shook it off and grasped his hand, "Um, Reivana, Emissary of Her Majesty Porta..."
As she continued, Hagrid only nodded along until she was done before turning to Isley and looking down at her midsection. Chuckling, he gave her a smile before holding out his hand to her, "And here we got th' one woman ever to snare Sirius Black. He is making yeh an honest woman, is he not? Or else I mighta have ta talk wit him..."
Lips twitching, the Abyssal Princess shook her head in amusement, "No need for that, Mister Hagrid. Sirius is going to marry me once he is a free man and... I cannot wait."
That got a laugh from the giant and he nodded, "Aye, tha's good ta hear." Turning, he motioned for them to follow, "Anyways, Headmaster Dumbledore, great man he is, asked fer me ta bring the three of yeh inside."
Blinking, Stab muttered to himself, "Huh... at least he noticed me... That's something."
Upon entering the Great Hall, both Abyssals paused a bit as they noticed another Abyssal Princess walk up to Hagrid and give him a hug who they felt appear a few moments before somehow. From what they could overhear, this was 'Wanko', the Harbour Princess from the Timor Sea. But... there was something else.
It was obvious that she was a Princess of course, that went without saying. But there was also something... else. A faint echo in her, as if something had been torn from her. The echo reminded them uncomfortably of Porta for some reason, though why... and why the echo filled them with a sense of wrongness as if it should not have been an echo, but something else, they did not know...
Dumbledore looked up from the paper in his hands. Setting it down, the Headmaster stood up from his desk and stepped around to the front. "You may enter," he announced.
The door to his office creaked open slowly, and a head of white hair and small horns peeked out from the side. "Hello…" the small Abyssal said quietly.
Dumbledore smiles softly. "Ah, Princess Hoppou. Mister Potter warned me you might come by." He made a beckoning gesture. "Please, come in. Have a seat." Hoppou nodded, closing the door behind her, before following the wizard back over to his desk. Dumbledore returned to his seat as the Princess clambered up into a chair in front of him, reaching into a drawer and producing a small candy to offer to her. "Care for a lemon drop?"
Hoppou mulled it over for a moment before shrugging and accepting the candy. "Thank you," she said, pocketing the lemon drop for later.
"Now then…" Dumbledore said, clasping his hands on the desk in front of him. "I was told you have some questions you wish to ask?"
Hoppou nodded. "Yes." She reached into her hold, pulling out a simple picture frame. Leaning the frame against the edge of the desk, she waited for the Headmaster's nod of approval before setting it flat on the surface. "Big Brother said wizards can take normal pictures, and make them move around. Is that right?"
Dumbledore hummed thoughtfully. "Yes, that is true. For paintings and portraits, of course, it requires the application of magic as the work is painted. But in the case of photographs, the process is relatively simple: one just needs to apply a particular potion to a photo in order to animate it. May I?" When Hoppou nodded, he reached out and gently pulled the frame closer to get a better look. In the picture, Hoppou stood on an asphalt surface with well over a dozen Ru-class battleships beside and behind her; based on what he knew of the small Princess, he presumed these were some of the offspring she lost when the rest of her kind turned on her. "Are you seeking to animate this image, and possibly others, to serve as memorials for the fallen?" He asked, returning the picture.
At this, Hoppou shook her head. "Not exactly." She then produced a small stone sculpture, which seemed to depict an Abyssal destroyer, turning it over in her mittened hands. "If you can make drawings and pictures move… can the same be done with statues? Or carvings in a wall?"
The wizard brought a hand to his chin. "Hm… easier said than done. The most common way a physical work would be animated is through a certain charm…" pulling out his wand, he pointed it at the tiny sculpture. "Piertotum Locomotor."
There was a small green glow from the little destroyer carving. A couple of seconds later it began to move, trotting around a wide-eyed Hoppou's open palms and exploring its surroundings. "There are issues with this, however. For one, the animated object would not be moving in a static loop, like portraits or pictures. It would be obeying the caster's directions. Backflip!" At Dumbledore's command, the little destroyer hopped in Hoppou's hands, rotating backwards 360 degrees before landing on its stubby feet again, making the Princess giggle. "The second such issue would be that the charm is not permanent," Dumbledore continued.
Once he released the spell, the destroyer relaxed in Hoppou's palm, becoming inert once more. "Now, I do not immediately recall a procedure for animating physical works in the same manner as pictures…" Dumbledore said as he pocketed his wand. As the Princess started to frown in disappointment, he held up a finger. "However, if you allowed me time to conduct some research on the subject, I may be able to locate someone who possesses the knowledge you are seeking. I should warn you though, creating a magical memorial for all your departed children would be no small task. It's likely that the price to commission such a project would be quite high. Perhaps even higher, given just who—and what—you are.""
The Princess shrugged. "Okay. Hoppou can be patient. And expensive work is not too scary—if some meanie tries being stingy just because Hoppou is Hoppou, she has friends and family to help set them straight!"
Dumbledore chuckled. "Indeed." Bringing out some parchment and grabbing his quill, the wizard quickly put down some notes as a reminder to look into animating sculptures for the Princess. "Very well, then… If I locate something of note, I will notify Mister Potter, and he can pass the information onto you." He looked back up to Hoppou. "Do you have any other questions you would like answered?"
Hoppou thought about the question for a moment before answering. "Yes, actually. Hoppou wanted to ask about… Well, Big Brother told Hoppou that wizards…" She twirled her hand in circles next to her temple. "They can pull... stuff, out of their head. Memories. Make it so other people can look at them, too."
Dumbledore nodded. "That would be pensieves, that you're speaking of. They are a potent magic, capable of recreating one's thoughts with near-perfect clarity. It is not something to be taken likely…"
"Hoppou can understand that. Memories can be very special, or important." The Princess's gaze fell back to the little destroyer sculpture. "But warning aside, if Hoppou could pull memories out of her head… could it be possible to…" she tapped the side of her head, then tapped the sculpture. "...put them INTO something? Make it so person can see memories by touching that object?"
For a few seconds, Dumbledore was silent. Eventually, he arched an eyebrow slightly. "It sounds as if you have… quite a lofty goal in mind. Would you care to enlighten an old man on just what you seek to create?"
Hoppou nodded, smiling slightly. "Hoppou can do that…"
