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How To Deliver Justice (with KiraMusani

Calla frowned. "If they had proof it was that fox." She looked worried towards Grovershire who shrugged and made a motion for her to finish.

"I think the Scottish do a lot of things different than us. I... I don't know." She shrugged as the rest of her ending. Aaaand Athena would facepalm loud enough all of Olympus would hear her. The princess was not being discerning. Calla knew full well the answer, she took the coward's way out, as if she didn't know Princeton's country's laws.

"Really, Avenger? That's your answer?" Grovershire groaned with a sigh. Even she knew Scotland's rules and laws concerning livestock. And chickens were livestock. Poultry, but still livestock. The guilty fox could be used in a foxhunt game.

Princess Ruby was next, and looked over towards Clair. She frowned and looked next between Cassandra, and Avenger. She made a face. As much as it pained her not to pick Clair.... "Princess Cassandra of Amazona."

Aurora was told to pick a partner, and she balked, explaining her patient came first. Darling was just as adamant. "Young lady. I don't care you're the court physician. EVERYONE is participating. Pick a partner." After talking quietly with Princess Sapphire, Aurora shrugged her shoulders, righted herself, looked him and the king right in the eye and said, "Princess Sapphire of House Amethyst, Jewel Kingdom, Greece."

Gregor raised an eyebrow. "Your patient?"

Sapphire stepped forward. "I'm well enough, but not where I shouldn't be in Dr Service's care. If she is being forced to play, I should be allowed to be her partner in whatever the game is."

Gregor sighed, nodded, had the scribe include the Grecian princess and nodded to Clair. "Lady Handler. Please pick a partner. You're next in line of those available."
 
Diana smiled as she listened to the others, shaking her head a little.

Clair smiled and waved to Ruby, even after she picked, giving her a friendly thumbs-up-like gesture. As her turn came she nodded.
"Lady Millicent Umberto" She proclaimed.
 
Millie was ecstatic. Clair would have major diplomatic points with Monterisso, and although Millicent wasn't her daughter, she was one of Amalas' top young agents, so keeping the promise, especially when even the Avenger was left to pick from, would carry serious weight with the Spy Queen.

Speaking of, Avenger cast a wary eye towards Ariel Mendes. The Iberian shook her head. "I'm not going to pick la niña for my partner. "Buen Señor, you embarrassed yourself with your answer, Avenger." She said quietly for Calla's ears only. Out loud, she proclaimed, "I'll have the Dunwynian, Cinnamon Baker, por favor."

Crimson Avenger stood there silently. It shouldn't have come to her choosing a partner. Did her closest friends snub her because of her lack of discernment? Only one way to right this ship now: "Laird Clara Princeton of Scotland."

Gregor nodded. "And by default, that makes Lady Butcher and Duchess Beaumont, partners. Everyone has the rest of the day to enjoy the grounds, but stay with your partner. If you picked, you are the senior partner, so all plans go through you first. It may seem a trifle much, but even a day of fun requires leadership."

Darling addressed the ladies next. "Dinner will be precisely at high tea. Instead of finger foods and tea, we will have a five course dinner and tea. Alcoholic beverage for those old enough, which should be all of us, will be in the parlour exactly two hours later for conversation and/or parlour games. Bedtime two hours after that. Breakfast will be precisely at five, with you and your partner dispersing to the vineyards at sunrise, to gather grapes. You ladies will be making your own wines, and your points will rest on your abilities to gather, crush, press, add flavourings if so desired, placing in casks to be aged, and taste in one week. Hopefully, by then, my daughter and her friends will be back, and everyone will be tasting everyone else's wine."

Millicent looked horrified. "Clair. I'm a special agent. I drink the stuff. I don't know how to make it!"

In fact, the only ones that did, would be Diana, Cassandra and Beatrice Beaumont of the regulars and Sapphire of the lady come lately.

The Amazons would need to reassure their panicked partners. Grovershire was currently staring at Diana with wide "deer in the torchlight" eyes, muttering, "Gods, I'm a dead woman."
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In Neverland, aboard the Rumble Rose, Wendy and Clara MacGoughal made easy work of the sail repairs... Once she got finished cleaning the crows nest.

"Lass ye best pirate up. Buckle down, or ye'll alway be a wee bairn. Ye git the crows nest ship shape, sooner yer down th' mast. Stah concernin' yerself wi' fallin' lass. Ye waste more time bein' overly careful than ye need. Hook won't want anythin' t' do wi' ye if yer alway afraid o' fallin' off somethin' or somewheres!"

Hook would hear her head shipmate berating, yet telling Wendy the facts.

Meanwhile, Olivia would be holding down the boards Ethel would be pounding in place, strengthening the stairs they all used aboard the ship. "They're in Berkshire right now. We're probably having more fun than the ladies of court. While they harvest, IF they're harvesting today, we adventure. And yes, even fixing stairs is more of an adventure than harvesting. Rather this than twiddling my thumbs."
 
Clair looked to Millicent.
"Oh, I don't even drink the stuff, but we have time, we can research how wine is made, maybe we can look for your favorite kind? I don't know much about it to be honest but I am sure we can figure it out" She smiled.

Diana smirked and placed her hand on Grovershire's back.
"Do not fret, I have been making wine since I was knee tall, Amazonia is known for our wines, I can lead us through this to victory, the secret will be finding a grape and making it so it is at it's best after a week, whereas some may want to find higher tear grapes, but they reach their peak much later" She whispered.

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

Ethel chuckled.
"I am not sure about the scheduling, but harvesting is a valuable skill, yes even for a warrior. If you ever travel or need to hold up camp for long periods of time while being unnoticed, next to hunting harvesting can save your life, or if you are looking for medicinal herbs" She explained.
"Though I would agree on the enjoyable aspect, though there is a certain peace to harvesting"
"So red, what is your story? Besides being Amazonian, why did you join those festivities?" She asked as they continued to work on the boards.
 
Beatrice Beaumont overheard Diana and actually gave Diana help, showing the snobby noble wasn't all bad. "Then I suggest you go to the green grapes with Amanda and I. Our Beaumont white wines, and the champagnes all age quicker than the purple grapes, and red wines. You are precise, as even in the green grapes, you must be meticulous in your picking for premium early wines."

Millicent nodded to Clair. "The Duchess nailed it. My favourite wine is the white wine with a hint of mint. Just a hint, not overpowering like some flavours at all."

Only those six would be going into the green grapes, as even Cassandra thought searching in the purple ones for a delicious red wine, would be best. Even Princeton, who herself had a vineyard, thought red was the way to go, so Avenger Calla, who rarely drank wine (and like Clair, didn't develop a taste for it), agreed, and would join Clair and Millie in research; Millie leading the four to the library at the Darling estate.
---------------------------------------------

Olivia sat at an angle, where she could press down on the board, while looking at Ethel, one leg bent with foot flush on the floor, and leg pressed against her body. "Oh, I'm not Amazon. I'm Lythikan. We're a country of warriors, though you wouldn't know that by our current king.

I actually have my eye on the host of our previous games in Grovershire. Being an army brat, she and I just clicked. Same could be said for me and the Amazons, and I've known the Avenger since she was a preteen. I've been drawn to those who can handle themselves in a fight. Hell, I even like the spy and the plucky merchant, and consider them at least friends. There's a line through. If you act better than the rest of us... Like Versailles or Beaumont.... I don't care how good you are, I won't deal with a snob."
 
Diana and the others who didn't feel the need to research had gathered together.
"So, now that the ears are far from us what do you all think of the newest and absent member, Ethel? For those that actually got to meet her."

Clair with Millicent quickly started to collect books in a race with Avenger, would Avenger attempt a team up for shared knowledge or try and stay competitive?

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Ethel could not help but chuckle at her claim of friends and snobs.
"Haha, and where do I fall in there hmm? I can see others thinking I think I am better than them, am I one of these snobs?" She asked with a playful chuckle as they finished a board and moved on to the next one.

"But for the record, I don't think anyone is inherently better than others, but some are more competent at things than others, or more experienced." She added.
 
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Calla smirked. "Thanks, Diana, I know you're leading in points of those of us here, but I'll field the answers. I'm aware she's already made a good impression on the king, but how do the rest of you really feel about her?"

Princess Ruby spoke up first. "She's pretty decent, if not intimidating. She, like, towers over all of us. Even Cassandra and Diana. I like having the real competition, not that Olivia wasn't, or those of you ahead of me..." she raised an eyebrow and smile towards Diana.

Aurora cleared her throat. "I guess I'll go next. I really haven't had much of a chance to really get to know her, but I must say, even from a medical point of view, she's impressed me. As long as when she comes back she doesn't start giving me more work by hurting you girls, I'd actually like her to stay, and play out the rest of the season with us."

Ariel also hadn't gotten to really meet Ethel. "If she comes back and participates. I know next to nothing. I'll save judgement til I see more."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow as she found eyes on her. "What? She's a welcome change to the routine. Kicked all our asses there in Grovershire, and went off to war undefeated. True warrior. Worthy to be an Amazon if Mother hasn't done so already. You heard her. She can call anywhere home."

Grovershire cleared her throat and asided to Diana. "Is your mom really sure Cass is ready to lead? Diplomatic, but really could use some tact pointers."

There were still three there, not heard from, and the four doing research. In research, the Scot land owner pulled Avenger from pulling books. "Those two will be plenty. I have a wealth of knowledge since I own a vineyard, lassie, or hae ye forgotten? We're going red. Leave those studyin' white wines. Focus on our work."
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Olivia smirked, resting one hand on the part of her hip just off the floor. "Debating yet, but we're talking, ain't we? You're obviously not a snob or you'd have nothing to do with me."

She nodded as they moved to the next step."Well, we agree on that. Our position may be greater, but a better person doesn't Lord it over the lower class. A duchess who treats her servants like shit has no right to bellyache when she's treated like shit. Only her position is higher. She sure the hell isn't." Another nod. Looks like this is the last one. We should check in with Hook. I'm thinking it's close to dinner."

She suddenly turned red as her hair. "Apologies. I think my stomach just seconded that."
 
Clair meanwhile focused on her studying, learning as much as she could about grapes and winemaking in the time they had.

Diana nodded at each response.
"Seems like she is genuinely well-received" She replied once all was done and she before she asided to Grovershire.
"I cannot say for certain, but it does seem so."

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

Ethel chuckled.
"Fair enough"

As they got up she dusted her hands off as she placed the tools away.
"Heh, no worries, we certainly worked an appetite up today"
 
Millicent saw her wine, and tapped her finger on the illustration. There! That's it. This is the one, we'll attempt to copy." She then read the page. "A Hint of Mint is a Chardonnay from the Ramsford Wineries of Western Europe. Situated in the country of Cordonia, The Duchy of Ramsford could almost be a country to itself." She hummed to herself as she continued skimming "Here we are, about the wine," she cleared her throat, "Uses only the plumpest and most solid of white grapes and the choicest and freshest peppermint leaves, this wine is best when aged in..." She looked over to Clair, wide eyed. "Uh-oh. We better get Mr Darling's help.' She pointed to the passage. "a shipbuilder's dream wood. Teak."

They also just found out Beatrice's deep dark secret. Her Duchy was part of Cordonia! It wasn't it's own country after all. Would they dare divulge this to King Gregor?
-------------------

As everyone was situated around the table in the galley for dinner, a strong feminine voice, seemingly right outside, in the water called out, "Ahoy Rumble Rose, ahoy! Jane Hook, ahoy!"

Wendy would dart to a porthole to look out in the fading twilight to see a gorgeous woman in the water with blue-green curly hair, Hook would be able to look out the porthole right next to Wendy, who was obviously liking how attractive she was, not knowing she was spying her first mermaid. Hook would recognize her as the mermaid leader Aqua.
 
Clair read along with her, though after they read the passage of wood to be stored in she kept looking, they also had to be sure the length of time was right as it could only sit for a week, and if needed longer, or was even shorter it could be a total flunk!

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

Ethel got up and checked as well.
"Ahoy there! what can we do yeah for?" She asked, knowing the Captain should not be first to approach any guests unless put through someone else on the crew first.
 
Millicent stopped her, "We'll be fine for a week, although good wines do sometimes need longer for a full bodied taste. We need to make sure we get a teak barrel, and have it reserved for us. Grab your stuff, and let's go, we should catch Mr Darling before dinner!" They had 15 minutes to go to his study, where he and the King were reclining in chairs.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Aqua frowned, "You damned humans and your protocol! Hook knows me! Aqua! I'm the leader of the mermaids!" Her tail hit the water with every emphasized (underlined) word, spraying both Wendy and Ethel with ocean water. After her temper tantrum, Aqua sighed and delivered the message. "Hook! I know you're in there and can hear me, your brother sent us a threatening note, saying the lagoon will run blue-green with our blood at midnight tonight! He's coming back as retaliation you gals did to him at sea, and the death of Pan! I certainly HOPE you guys disposed of Pan! He and the Lost Boys and Hook massacred the royal house, save for Innis, and she's wanted dead by that tyrant! Make haste! Jane knows where to meet us! We'll take as many as she can send!" After angrily splashing Wendy and Ethel with her tail again, she disappeared among leaps just like a dolphin.

Wendy looked at Ethel and quipped, "I look like a drowned rat, yet?"
 
Clair nodded and went with her, taking her word for it.
"Hello, umm, sorry, but umm, c-could we umm, get a teak barrel? please, f-for our wine that is..." She asked with a blush.

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Hook sat back, needing to take extra precautions in wartime but nodded, and signaled to her navigator to change heading to make their way there, she needed to stop her brother once and for all.

Ethel looked at Wendy with a smirk.
"Heh, you say that like it's a bad thing. What of me? do I look better wet or dry?" She asked jokingly.
 
Darling looked up from his pipe, after puffing it once more, "Teak wine barrel is a pretty specific order. Usually, certain Chardonnays are put in teak barrels for aging purposes. Alright. I'll have it ready for you by the time you're finished harvesting your green grapes, for your white wine. There will be a CH on the lid, and it'll be at your designated station for the crushing and pressing. Good luck.
now go get cleaned up for dinner."
---------------------------------------------------------

Wendy smirked and shrugged. "Wet dog looks good on you." She flipped some of Ethel's bangs. "I hope wet bilgerat looks just as good on me." She stuck her tongue just out, barely visible through her teeth, playfully.

The regular meeting place was a good quarter mile from the cove, in a lagoon that was so clear, Wendy could not only see her reflection, but the fish swimming among the coral reef, and the mermaids playing some sort of tag game underneath the waves. "Pristine." She managed. She could definitely see how mermaids could tempt sailors and lead them to their deaths, she figured by drowning, because wow did she want to go into the lagoon and play with all those pretty girls!
 
Clair gave a light bow.
"Thank you very much, we will" She turned to her partner and smiled.

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Ethel smirked and walked with her.
"heh, just don't jump in it's not a fun death if they do choose to feast on your flesh," She told her.
 
(dinner at Berkshire)
-----------------------------------

Wendy looked over at Ethel, losing her smirk. "I thought that when sailors talked about some of their women being seduced and eaten by mermaids, they meant, y'know , eaten... Not that they were lunch literally!" She bit her lower lip. "I mean, seduction usually leads to sex, right? Not being dinner!"

She'd have to ask a mermaid that, if Hook could introduce her to Aqua AFTER the upcoming battle with Hook's brother. Aqua did want a meeting with Hook and a few hand selected swordswomen. Wendy had definitely proved herself on that, seeing Hook's brother wanted Wendy's head already, and as much as said so... At least... She hoped she had proven herself to Jane Hook in battle already.
 
Ethel chuckled.
"Well maybe you will get both, first one and then the other, honestly probably not worth it" She teased.

Once they met up with Hook she explained.
"Okay, we move to intercept my brother, take him out, then Wendy, Ethel, and I will meet with the mermaids." She explained.
"Follow rank while I am off the ship, that means you all know who is in charge in my stead" She explained to the crew.
"Let's all come back from this in one piece yeah?"
 
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As the Jolly Roger loomed larger to them, less than quarter of a mile away and then closing in, Wendy was polishing the blade of her basket-hilted sword. As she looked it over and resheathed it, she said with regret, "I really wish I had time to make you two similar hand protection as I have." She stuck her sword wielding hand in the weaved protection of the basket. "If we all get out of this... No. When we all get out of this... I'll ask my father to reach out to his friend so you all get basket hilts. It's the least we can do."

Soon it was time to invade the Jolly Roger and bring down James Hook once and for all. Hook would immediately separate the three, swearing he'd have Wendy's "insolent little" head mounted on his wall before throwing her lifeless and headless body overboard, into the ocean.

By going after her brother first, instead of the mermaids, and Aqua, they would be at the disadvantage of not knowing Hook and his crew had daggers dipped in a lethal concoction made with blowfish. One scratch by the dagger would mean instant death, or the mermaids cure for the poisoning, the privateers now wouldn't be coated in. They would literally be on their own.

Wendy could tell the male Hook was toying with her. She finally kicked him away when he and she got their swords locked together. "Just shut your bragging the hell up, and fight, asshat!"

She just coined a new profanity in the middle of a hell of a life and death swordfight, and Hook missed his one chance to end her life with his poisoned dagger. For three solid hours,they fought to a draw, with neither getting close enough to finish the other off.

It would be up to Ethel or Hook to slit his throat and rescue Wendy (preferably, Hook).
 
Ethel nodded.
"If by chance I go down, bring my things to the closest shore, deal?" She asked as she placed on her metal gauntlets.

Hook did not want to risk getting attacked as they met the mermaids, being caught off guard could have been deadly, she thought it best to reach him as soon as they could, so have the best chance of a surprise attack in their favor.

Hook and Thel both fought through the crew with relative ease, making their way to his ship before seeing Wendy in her exhausted state, they looked at each other and then moved in.

As Wendy and the male Hook separated both took a moment to catch their breath, Hook charged him, and he pulled out his dagger, ready to block with his sword as his dagger would go for the kill. Hook stopped by Wendy before reaching him causing him to flinch as from behind him Ethel Grabbed his sword hand, his Dagger happened to move back, stabbing her in the hip between armor pieces, the negative of lighter more mobile armor. But as she held his Sword hand hooked moved in and stabbed him in the gut, twisting the sword.
"Sorry brother, shes mine, and your time is at an end"
 
Wendy glared up at Ethel. "You're not going down. Don't talk like that." She sighed. She glanced to the nearby shore of Neverland. "But fine. I promise." She patted her shoulder. "Get my sword back to my dad. If you can get it from the bad pirates. It belongs in the Darling family."

Hours later, before Hook could come in for the kill of the exhausted Wendy, she looked over to her Hook. The female privateer she was crushing on, and watched the final events unfold.

"Ethel!" Wendy gasped as Ethel collapsed, blowfish poison rushing through her system. At the same time, she couldn't help but grin at the triumphant Hook, standing over her now dead brother. "You.... you saved me! I... Wait. I'm YOURS? Really? Yes! A million times yes!" She gasped really showing her crush at full blast, shaking, blushing, one could almost see the hearts in her eyes, and the ones floating up and popping over her head. She then righted herself, brought her sword up as a salute and said, still smiling wide. "My captain. My sword is yours to command. Well, the rest of me, too, but, you know what I mean."

This is when they notice Ethel not moving. Wendy looked for the wound, finally finding it in the hip. "Ethel wake up! Its in the hip! Ethel!"

"She made me promise to take her stuff to the nearest shore..." she said sadly as she pointed to Neverland's shore. "I-I guess... We're not all coming back after all." She then cried on her Captain Hook's shoulder.
 
Hook almost seemed to glare at Wendy from her reaction.
"Keep it in your pants woman, someone is dying here!" She said as she moved to Ethel on the ground.

"Don't forget..." Ethel managed to say, as she looked to Wendy before stopping. as she succumbed to the poison.

Hook looked to Wendy and nodded.
"That is probably what she was referring to, well as far as battles go, it looks like we at least only had a single victim, Ethel would have known those are damn good numbers considering what we had been through, you are of course in charge of honoring her wish. Perhaps she wanted to be buried?" She stated as she stood up.
 
Windy sighed and looked at her feet. "I wouldn't let her talk like that. I shut her up. I'm to take her things to the shore," she looked sadly at Hook. "I wouldn't let her discuss funeral arrangements. I only asked her that if the roles were reversed, to make sure my sword got back to my dad."

She rubbed her face. "Burial sounds respectful. I'm going to need some help, but I can handle being in charge of the service itself, I guess. All part of life at sea, right?"
 
"We usually give the bodies back to the ocean, lots of the people in this line of work don't have anyone off the ship, part of life at sea is it's not on land, with loved ones." Hook explained with a nod.
"Well, we can't know now so we need to guess, since she was asked to be brought back to land, probably wants a burial. The best we can do is guess with what we know" She admitted before instructing her navigator to take them to the nearest shore.

As they made their way to shore Hook took Wendy and brought her to her cabin, where Ethel's body had also been moved for the time being.
"So, how exactly should we do this, how well did you know Ethel?" She asked.
 
Wendy sighed. "Just that she said it didn't matter what nationality you thought of her, she could be home anywhere. She kicked all our collective butts in tracking and scouting in the noble games at Grovershire. We'd never met her before then. Olivia went with her to bring down Igthorne. Maybe she'd know more?"

Unfortunately, Olivia only knew Ethel for about as long, but did more with her. She wouldn't know much more than Wendy.
 
"Okay, well you will leave the funeral once we hit land, it should be quick as we must also go visit the mermaids soon, perhaps it may have been better to do that first, but I did not want to risk my brother catching us off guard." Hook explained.

"After you figure that out, if we have not arrived on shore yet, we can discuss our relationship," She told her in a calm tone.
 
Wendy nodded her understanding, but inside, she was a mess of emotions. Did Hook really imply a relationship with her? That's all she ever wanted from the moment she saw Jane Hook. To be her lover.

Admiration for the privateer captain had grown, and Wendy had already sworn allegiance to her, and meant it. This could be the talk she wanted from the beginning! She saluted, and then doubled down on dumb. "Yes ma'am, my Captain" she grinned.

Wendy took a few people with her as she scouted the area on land for a suitable gravesite. She marked it, and the trail to it out, so even Captain Hook could find her way to it, dug it (with help from those with her) and returned to the ship for the funeral itself. After that, would be the trip to see the mermaids, then the talk.
 
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