^^Gale Elena Maori (Polisavich)^^

--- Wren's POV ---

She turned her head, and her golden eyes found mine. Then she smiled, and turned fully. She opened her arms, and chuckled. "Brother. Come here, don't be a stranger!"

I darted towards her, making her flinch when she lost sight of me, and hugged her, picking her up and twirling her around. "Little Gale! I'm so glad to see you!!" I laughed, and set her down. "How've you been? How was Arielle? Was the lady father placed you with kind to you? How was the food? Are you an artist now? Why are you here? How are you here? Is there a boy in your life? A girl? Several of each? Are you okay-"

She gripped my mouth, laughing heartily, and Mei and Tojo walked in, closing the door. "I'm well, big brother. Arielle was amazing, but from what I've seen of Gong-Hui and The Council, I think I'd prefer Gong-Hui. I like the peace there... and the trees. Mama Moira was wonderful, and strict. She taught me everything there is to know about War and Aristocracy. The food was amazing, and you've got to try Fondue, if you haven't already."

"God... fondue." I grinned.

"*giggle*. Indeed. I am indeed an artist, though lacking in restraint, according to the Masters Moira had me trained by. I'm here because I got bored, and decided to see where you've been the past few years. I said hello to Rebecca privately, and made sure everyone who saw me believed I was a prostitute she had bought, and then came on your ship." She said precisely.

"My ship? Ah, the Bastard. Go on." I nodded.

"Captain Günter was the perfect gentleman, and allowed me to sit with him at the Bridge. There were several boys and girls in my life, but they were not serious. Now it's your turn." She answered all my questions precisely, and grinned.

I smiled. "Okay... well, uh... I'm a Golden Squire, of the Uruk Order, in the Tinker Clans. I'm being adopted into the Tinker Nobility, officially, and I just slew a dragon not eight hours ago." I grinned.

She blinked, and then laughed. "You did not-"

"He did. I was there." Arthur said, making me shriek like a bird, surprised.

"I thought the door was locked!" I hissed at Mei.

She shrugged, laughing at my shriek. "What could I do? She's the Paladin."

I groaned, and clutched my head as Gale Elena curtsied to Paladin Arthur. "Well hello, Paladin. I am Gale Elena Maori. I am very pleased to meet you." She smiled, openly checking the paladin out.

"She's 42, has two kids, and is my teacher." I said dryly, enticing her to shrug as if that knowledge meant nothing. "Anyway. Uhm... paladin Arthur. We have some things to discuss, I think..."

"Not at all. You're allowed to keep things from me, I'm not your mother. A secret sister is by far the least worrisome thing about my situation at the moment. The Dragon you killed? He was lord Ira's Pet. That's why it was out and about. He apparently 'forgot' to lock the Dome of his personal Island, and the Dragon 'Got Loose'." She snapped.

I snorted. "Right. Well... nothing bad came of it-"(at her glare, I amended my statement,)"- okay no one died, and so I think we should wait for him to tip his hand. He believes me an ally at the moment... I'll think on strategies. And Paladin... exactly seven people on this planet know of Elena's relationship to me, including you. I'd really hate that to come out." I said simply.

She nodded. "Again, none of my business. Your training starts the moment you return. Be ready." She grinned, and walked out.

I locked the door, and sighed. "Alright... since I don't have to go to Arielle to retrieve you... we'll go to Gong-Hui in the morning. You can take a bath in my bathhouse, and then sleep in here." I opened my screen, and showed her my room.

She nodded. "Alright. The bathhouse is where?"

I moved the heavy curtain, and showed her the bathhouse. She gasped. "Ooh-la-la! My brother, you're... full of surprises." She giggled, and stepped forward. Then she paused. "Wait. You didn't finish."

"Ah! Yes... I think the only one of my questions that fits me is relationships. this is Shinzo Mei-Fan and Tojo, my fiancé and his sister." I grinned. She gasped and tackled Tojo and Mei, giggling.

"I'm so happy! Welcome to my family!!!" She started kissing their cheeks and hugging them over and over, playing with their hair, and I laughed, pulling her back.

"Alright, alright. You're making Mei bleed." I said. Mei was indeed bleeding from her nose, and blushing from having the beautiful woman on top of her. Tojo was too busy laughing at his sister to be embarrassed.

She nodded. "Indeed... well, I'll be in the bath, then." She skipped in, leaving her high heels outside the curtain.

I was about to lay down when she called out. "Aren't you joining me? I don't know how this works!"

I shrugged and walked in, pulling Mei and Tojo, and stripped, wrapping a towel around my waist. I sat down at the washing seats, and showed her each bottle, explaining their uses, and then bathed myself, then washed Tojo's back, ignoring his blush.

He gently returned the favor, exploring my back muscles slowly. I smiled and allowed him to do so while Mei helped Elena wash. Then I slowly stepped into the hot bath, humming when I realized it was no longer hot to me, barely lukewarm. I shrugged and left it alone, and Tojo stepped in as well, sitting beside me.

Elena slowly stepped in, and gasped. "Wonderful!" She giggled, and sat down opposite me, pulling Mei with her, and hugging the blushing girl.

I smiled. "You'll like our aunt, Alba Marie Polintavich... she's... affectionate." I said slowly.

She grinned. "I like her already!"

"Mm." I nodded, and leaned back, relaxing.

The door slammed open, and someone rushed in. "Wren!!! Something terrible has happened!!!" Alba screeched.

"Speak of the devil." I muttered. "We're bathing, Aunt Alba. What's wrong?" I called out.

She brushed the curtain aside. "The Captain-Commander lost a Duel!" She said, huffing for breath.

I blinked. "And..."

"He was killed! Now the Captain-Commander is Shinsui!!! We'll never defeat him! His sigil makes him a God!" She complained.

I chuckled. "I'm sure it seems like it. He's a paladin, after all... hmm. Ah! Meet Your Niece, Gale Elena Maori/Polisavich." I gestured at Elena.

She stood, disregarding her nakedness, and hugged Aunt Alba, kissed her cheeks, and smiled. "Wonderful to meet you, Aunt Alba." She then calmly stepped back into the water, and sat down, still smiling.

I chuckled. "Alba, Speechless. Now there's a sight to behold."

She smiled. "It's wonderful to meet you as well, little one... and what's this talk I hear of you slaying a dragon? I saw the organs being preserved at the docks!"

I shrugged. "He attacked the Gala, I crawled down his throat, cut a hole in his esophagus, and then crawled until I found his heart, and ripped it open and bathed in his blood. I absorbed it, like Siegfried." I smirked.

She laughed. "Interesting. Too bad your Rank is determined solely by attacking power, or you'd be a paladin by now, if my looking at your runes doesn't betray me." She grinned.

"Indeed. Now either join us or leave, wearing clothes in a bathhouse is bad luck." I said simply.

She nodded simply, and stripped, making Mei pass out. Elena pulled her out of the water, and laid a towel over her to preserve her dignity, but we laughed. "It's normal, Gale Elena, don't be surprised." I said.

"I do prefer just Elena, Niklaus." She smiled.

I nodded. "Of course. And I prefer Wren, little one."

"Little? I'm taller than you!"

"By one inch, and only in your five-inch heels." I corrected her, and saw her calculate the difference. "Exactly. And you're definitely my little sister. You look exactly like mother, but with fathers eyes. It's amazing... I never thought I'd see her again." I smiled gently.

She grinned. "Well, either way, what's this about training? Your last letter said something like that??"

"Yes. You must train to be a Knight. I hate to put you in harms way, but Masa is the best trainer on the planet, you've got nothing to worry about." I nodded.

"What... Masa? Like... 'The Thunder God'? That Masa?" She asked dreamily.

"Yeah. My mom." Tojo shrugged. "She'll train you. After all, you're family, now."

Elena blinked slowly, as Alba stepped into the water, skin red from washing. "Yes indeed. She'll make a warrior out of you."

"Mm. Now tell me more about this Coup." I asked Alba.

"Captain of the 8th Squad Challenged Old Man Yamamoto to a Duel, and he accepted. They fought on an abandoned island, and Shinsui killed Old Man Yamamoto, but lost an eye in the process. Now he's the Captain-Commander, and I'm screwed! I can't beat him!" She huffed.

"Why not? What's his sigil, that you're so worried about it?" I asked.

"His sigil creates a bounded field, of about 500meters, and within it, he recreates a Child's Game, but with deadly purpose. The game is different each time, and the time it takes you to figure out the rules is usually your death. The one with Old Man Yamamoto was a Colors game. If he said a color, then the person with more of that color on was cut open by an invisible sword. Eventually the Old Man Died..." She nibbled her thumbnail.

"I see... an interesting Sigil. But Oh well. Now we just have to fight him instead, right? Wasn't the Old Man scary as hell too?" I asked.

She paled. "Yes... his was just... sick. His sigil calls every single person he ever killed to fight for him as a weird, inky flaming skeleton with the strength of a Copper Knight... it was insane. There was a veritable army of them." She shivered.

"Oho? Did he have any children?" I asked, thinking about adding his sigil to my clan.

She cut her eyes at me. "Only one, and he's not a Knight. I was always told that his sigil disgusted him, and now I know why."

"Good. He won't mind having it removed, then..." I smiled.

She blinked slowly. "Excuse me?"

"I've been thinking... and I think I can find a way to remove Sigils, not just Runes. Very useful, I should think..." I nodded.

She smiled evilly. "Indeed... if you could remove Shinsui's Sigil..."

"I meant off of Prisoners that are being banished. I won't help you cheat. If you become Captain-Commander, you had best do it by your own strength. You'll need to be able to keep the position and defeat challengers, after all." I frowned.

She sighed. "Yes... I know. It was just a bit of hope."

"Well quash it. Hope is useless. Think, instead, of Strategies." I climbed out of the bath, and dried off, then dressed.

I slept on the Couch, that night, and was woken when Alba decided to lay on me. I ignored her, and went back to sleep.

---

"Oh m~y! Had a good dream, did we?" Alba giggled, waking me up. I kicked reflexively, and she caught my foot, the crack loud enough to wake the dead. "Oopsie!" She laughed.

I sat up, and located the point of her joke. "Natural thing. Has something to do with blood-pressure." I brushed her off, and stood, stretching.

Two swoons and a giggle made me open my eyes, and Mei and Tojo were holding bloody noses, while Elena was simply laughing at them. I shrugged again, and entered my room, brushing past Elena, and dressed quickly in my robes again, packing my battle dress and my wooden swords, then laced my sword and dagger onto my hips.

Elena held up my French book. "How'd you find this?"

"Some French boy. Stole it from him after I beat him up." I shrugged, and stretched.

"You stole my book from a kid?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Your book?"

"I drew it." She said simply.

I hummed. "Very interesting. And yes." I took the book out of her hands, and placed it on my shelf.

"And who built this place, anyway? I'm sure it's a lot nicer than the normal Dorms." She shrugged.

"Me. Mei helped... a bit." I smirked at Mei's indignant yelp.

She raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."

"Thank you. I'm thinking of changing my middle name to 'Impressive', because people say it so often..." I sighed faux-arrogantly, and laughed.

Then I made the bed, and nodded. "Let's go. I assume your belongings are on the ship, still?" I asked Elena.

"You are correct." She nodded.

"Хороший." I nodded. (Good.)

She grinned. "Это было так давно я говорил русский с кем-то!" (It's been so long since I spoke Russian with someone!)

I laughed, and nodded. "Feel free to speak to me in Russian anytime, малыш." (Little one.)

I ignored her pout, and walked out onto the roof. "Now... how've you learned your Sigil? Good? Not good?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I can only do a little."

I hummed and tapped her collarbone, looking at her reservoir. It was impressive, in the same way that Arthur's was, but nothing like mine. I opened my eyes. "Damn. I hoped you were like me..."

"Like you?" She asked, and copied me, looking for my Reservoir. She shrieked and jumped backwards, steaming, as she felt my magic envelop her easily. She then shivered. "Oh." Was all she said.

I grinned and nodded. "Then we'll get to the Docks my way." I stepped back, and slowly pulled my armor out of my skin, sighing in relief as the feeling of safety wrapped me tightly.

She gasped, and touched my metallic skin, before yanking her hands back, blowing on her burnt fingertips.

I grinned and gathered them all to me, only touching their clothes, and opened my wings fully. One powerful flap tossed us off the roof, and I simply soared towards the docks, ignoring their shrieks of fear or happiness. I stopped above my shop, and set everyone down, before deactivating my armor. "Stay here. I've got to check out the Shop." I said, and walked inside.

"Günter! Max?" I called out.

Max popped out of the back room. "What's up, boss?"

"Give me a quick rundown of the Shops business, and the Ship's business as well." I commanded.

He nodded. "Oh, 'course boss. The Shop is making about £300,000 in profit every quarter, which translates to €450,000 in Council Island Currency, as I'm sure you know... the Ship, however, makes close to triple that, at £850,000, and around €1,350,000."

"Good numbers. Banks?" I hummed.

"The Banks of the Arielle Clans hold the majority of our accounts, but we have a few emergency accounts in Gong-Hui and Council Island. We have to upgrade the ship soon, or her name will turn from 'Bastard' to 'Rust-Bucket'. She's also made of wood, which makes repairs... difficult. If we could only change just the bottom of the ship to metal-"

"I'll pay, don't worry, just make sure she's in perfect condition, and Wooden. She's prettier as she is, all natural, anyway. And Mei can fix the wooden parts, don't worry. The money isn't important. I'll pay your wages from my personal funds until the ship is in perfect shape. Make it happen, after getting us to Gong-Hui." I said simply.

He grinned. "Knew we could count on you, Boss! Sure thing, I'll tell Günter when he gets back."

"From?" I asked.

He laughed. "Damn Fool went off pining after some yella-haired broad with a giant chest." He shrugged.

"That one?" I pointed out the window at Alba.

He blinked. "Damn, now that ye mention it! Ye stole Günter's woman? That's cold, Boss. Even for you." He shook his head sadly.

"She's my aunt, ye jackass, and a Knight." I sighed.

He blinked. "Oh... then he really is a fool. On several levels."

"Aye. Now get him here, so we can go. He can pine after her and sail, I hope." I sighed and walked out.

He raced past me, and darted off down the way. Soon I heard "GÜNTER! SHE'S NOT IN THERE YE FUCKIN' MORON, LET'S GO!"

Max dragged an obviously drunken, half-naked Günter towards us, and we boarded the ship, waiting for him.

He caught sight of Alba as he stepped aboard, and tripped, tumbling into the mast. He popped right up, and grinned. "Well well, ye couldn't stay away, could ye, lass!" He leaned against the mast, crossing his arms to emphasize his large muscles, and grinned in an admittedly successful attempt at... well, being sexy. He was very, very successful.

She laughed gently, and gripped his belt, pulling him towards her forcefully. "Of course not. I happen to like sailors... always so... rough." she winked.

I whacked his ear, and then hers, dragging him away from the laughing woman, then plopped him in front of the Wheel. "Can you sail?" I asked impatiently.

He shrugged. "Could sail blind, deaf, and Dumb, boss. Drunk? No problem. "BOYS! RIG UP ME FORESAILS! 'N STOP LAZIN' ABOUT, STARIN' AT THE PASSENGERS! LET'S GO!!" He roared.

"Mm... I love it when he yells..." Alba commented, grinning and staring at the captain.

"Okay. At least you're not deaf or blind." I sighed, ignoring the annoyingly hyper-sexual noblewoman and jumping into the rigging.

Mei and Tojo started making the ship ready for sailing, while Alba and Elena sat on either side of Captain Günter, making him the happiest man on the ship.

We dropped down to the water slowly, the runes changing the intensity of the Rails under the Keel and Bow to point us down at a 45* angle.

"So, explain to me again how this all works?" Elena asked Max.

"Easy as water, Milady! See, the ship is wooden, because cap'n Günter likes to sail on the Ocean. He's Ocean-Blessed, ye see, and so we sail under the Councils Radar, in Maritime Waters. That means we can speed as much as we want to. Last time, he was being respectful, and did'na scare ye... but looks like he's too drunk to do so right now. He's also probably going to try to impress that Knight lady of yours." Max sighed.

"No, no. I meant the ship! Is it an electrical motor, or what?" She grinned.

"Ah, that. Well, it's one of the Boss's personal designs. See, normal ships these days are all metal, so they can interact with the EMFields, that's Electro-Magnetic-Fields, to you, by pushing on the EMFields with Tiny Rail Fragments to give themselves thrust. The sails are usually just for decoration, on a normal ship, and to make it a more stable ride... but us? We do things Wren's way." Max grinned.

The ship reached the water, and I unfurled the mains, asking the wind for a push.

"See, in the Cargo Holds, there are two super-thick Rail Rings, packed with a battery each that absorb excess energy. Those control if we go up or down, by diverting more energy into one or the other, to lower one and raise the other." He continued as we sped up, and she gripped the wooden posts that served to keep men from flying overboard.

"Wait! If the ship is Wooden... then how does it float on the EMFields at all?" She asked.

"Because the entire hull is laced with Rail Fibers. This ship can withstand anything, because we have an Island-Level Rail System. Plus, about 400 smaller Rail Rings placed around the hull allow us to turn without the Wind, by pushing harder on certain parts of the EMFields under us. They also stabilize the EMField, so that our ride is the smoothest in the entire fleet. She's also the fastest Ship in our wonderful little planet." He grinned, just as Günter opened up the throttle, the Sea and Wind pushing us their hardest.

She shrieked and held on tighter, while Alba just laughed as we accelerated.

He yelled over the whistling wind. "Plus, seeing as we are the fastest, more people want our ship to take their priority packages across the Seas! Wren's Design is going to completely change the industry of shipping!" He laughed wildly, and let go of the railing, walking into the wind while leaning forward, and found the mast. Then he gripped a rope, tugged it around his waist, and tied a square knot, before climbing the mast.

I hopped over to him easily. "What's wrong, Max?" I asked.

"The foresail needs to be trimmed, fifteen degrees or so!" He barked.

I nodded and leapt across the empty space, landing lithely on the foremast. I trimmed the sail, and then jumped back into the crows nest.

I spotted Council Island, and Whistled. "COUNCIL ISLAND, SIGHTED!"