Fixed, thanks happerry.
.o0o.
"I didn't mean for that to happen. What are you making Shosa out of, these days?"
"Little girls." Ami ushered her grandmother into the Witches' briefing room. Other than the nature of the posters on the walls it could hardly be told from the classrooms that made up most of the building. "She'll have to do. She's the only experienced tanker I could get my hands on."
"You couldn't pull one from another school. Or even a regular."
"The other schools are tightening up their panzers too. And a Regular wouldn't do it. The girls need to see that one of them can tank or they'll never have any confidence."
"Hmm." Mio stalked down the aisle of the room, eyes flickering restlessly. "I don't like being out of the loop, Ami. What's this all about."
"It's classified."
"I think still know where enough skeletons are buried."
"I know, I just wanted to make sure you knew not to spread this around. It'll hit the press sooner or later but.." She looked around to make sure they were alone. "The Nadeau was hit by the Neuroi."
Mio nodded gravely. "How bad?"
"Well they they didn't manage to sink her. It was close though." Ami rubbed her face. "They were in the North Atlantic. Seven of their witches went into the water. You know what that means."
That got a grim nod.
"Their panzer squadron was good. They managed to take out the Neuroi before it got into the engineering spaces. Not before they reach some of the shelters."
Ami's grandmother looked at something far away. "We've never lost a schoolship."
"It's only the second time they've got through Witches to reach a schoolship. Needless to say the administrators who let the panzer squadron here wither won't be coming back."
"I should say not. It's not the worst thing I've heard but..."
"I remember the stories, grandmother." Ami looked down the room and out the window toward where the panzer squadron's buildings still loomed. "I've only found one tank so far."
"And you're dropping that on Nishizumi-san. Well, I can't say I've not done worse. How about your girls? Are they ready?"
"The investigators think so or I wouldn't still be here." Ami hopped up on the table at the front of the room, legs swinging beneath her. "I'm not so sure."
Mio remained silent. She'd learned from Minna that sometimes people would speak just to fill a silence.
"It's more like three little squads - my three, Gremory's coterie and the three on the Student Council. The chain of command's a mess. And you know how hard it is to discipline a witch."
"And you haven't taken them in hand because...?"
"Because they're too damn good. Gremory's cocky as all hell. Powerful and she knows it. Sitri's almost as strong and almost as arrogant - perhaps more responsible."
"So why give Gremory the night command?"
"We're an interception wing," Ami explained unhappily. "Sona's a chess player - she always wants to be plotting out ahead of time, whittle away at a target... We don't have that luxury on interception and at least Rias will smash a target flat as her first instinct."
"A pair of prima donnas. That's not exactly new, Ami. You need to keep them in line."
"I know my limits, grandma. I'm not the next Minna Wilcke any more than I'm the next you or the next Oma Erica. I'm good... but I can't match up against these two."
"I hear a but, and it's not the one on the desk."
"My three are good - not so much individually as much as a team. If I can't overawe Gremory and Sitri alone, I think having the four of us out match their little squads might have much the same effect."
"If they can't beat you, they'll join you?" Mio nodded. "That could work. You want me to help?"
"You've got it. You trained Lynette Bishop and I think Kadotani has just as much potential for precision shooting. And besides that..." She grinned slyly.
Her grandmother turned to the window to hide her face. "You look just like Erica right now."
Ami paused and swallowed. "Thank you. Anyway. I have a secret weapon: Gunso Kawashima Momo."
"And what does she do? Breathe fire?"
"You might think, sometimes." The dark-haired Chusa smiled. "She has the Magan."
"...maybe my hearing's beginning to go." Mio's hand went to he left eye. "Did you say - the Magan?"
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
.o0o.
"I didn't mean for that to happen. What are you making Shosa out of, these days?"
"Little girls." Ami ushered her grandmother into the Witches' briefing room. Other than the nature of the posters on the walls it could hardly be told from the classrooms that made up most of the building. "She'll have to do. She's the only experienced tanker I could get my hands on."
"You couldn't pull one from another school. Or even a regular."
"The other schools are tightening up their panzers too. And a Regular wouldn't do it. The girls need to see that one of them can tank or they'll never have any confidence."
"Hmm." Mio stalked down the aisle of the room, eyes flickering restlessly. "I don't like being out of the loop, Ami. What's this all about."
"It's classified."
"I think still know where enough skeletons are buried."
"I know, I just wanted to make sure you knew not to spread this around. It'll hit the press sooner or later but.." She looked around to make sure they were alone. "The Nadeau was hit by the Neuroi."
Mio nodded gravely. "How bad?"
"Well they they didn't manage to sink her. It was close though." Ami rubbed her face. "They were in the North Atlantic. Seven of their witches went into the water. You know what that means."
That got a grim nod.
"Their panzer squadron was good. They managed to take out the Neuroi before it got into the engineering spaces. Not before they reach some of the shelters."
Ami's grandmother looked at something far away. "We've never lost a schoolship."
"It's only the second time they've got through Witches to reach a schoolship. Needless to say the administrators who let the panzer squadron here wither won't be coming back."
"I should say not. It's not the worst thing I've heard but..."
"I remember the stories, grandmother." Ami looked down the room and out the window toward where the panzer squadron's buildings still loomed. "I've only found one tank so far."
"And you're dropping that on Nishizumi-san. Well, I can't say I've not done worse. How about your girls? Are they ready?"
"The investigators think so or I wouldn't still be here." Ami hopped up on the table at the front of the room, legs swinging beneath her. "I'm not so sure."
Mio remained silent. She'd learned from Minna that sometimes people would speak just to fill a silence.
"It's more like three little squads - my three, Gremory's coterie and the three on the Student Council. The chain of command's a mess. And you know how hard it is to discipline a witch."
"And you haven't taken them in hand because...?"
"Because they're too damn good. Gremory's cocky as all hell. Powerful and she knows it. Sitri's almost as strong and almost as arrogant - perhaps more responsible."
"So why give Gremory the night command?"
"We're an interception wing," Ami explained unhappily. "Sona's a chess player - she always wants to be plotting out ahead of time, whittle away at a target... We don't have that luxury on interception and at least Rias will smash a target flat as her first instinct."
"A pair of prima donnas. That's not exactly new, Ami. You need to keep them in line."
"I know my limits, grandma. I'm not the next Minna Wilcke any more than I'm the next you or the next Oma Erica. I'm good... but I can't match up against these two."
"I hear a but, and it's not the one on the desk."
"My three are good - not so much individually as much as a team. If I can't overawe Gremory and Sitri alone, I think having the four of us out match their little squads might have much the same effect."
"If they can't beat you, they'll join you?" Mio nodded. "That could work. You want me to help?"
"You've got it. You trained Lynette Bishop and I think Kadotani has just as much potential for precision shooting. And besides that..." She grinned slyly.
Her grandmother turned to the window to hide her face. "You look just like Erica right now."
Ami paused and swallowed. "Thank you. Anyway. I have a secret weapon: Gunso Kawashima Momo."
"And what does she do? Breathe fire?"
"You might think, sometimes." The dark-haired Chusa smiled. "She has the Magan."
"...maybe my hearing's beginning to go." Mio's hand went to he left eye. "Did you say - the Magan?"
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.