CH112 Dinner and Scheming
After the initial awkwardness of Alex accidentally flashing Cassius while climbing a tree, the magical girl and the noble successfully transformed the cut oak branch into a beam, destined to serve as a keel for their doll ship. Alex, silently chanting a mantra that this was merely a toy boat, operated the equipment while Cassius steadied the bulky lumber for a precise cut. Once the beam was roughly squared, save for its intended bend, they retrieved neglected plywood pieces. Along these, they screwed other wooden pieces, aligning them with the planned shape of the flying cloud's keel. Alex then utilized available clamps to bend the board, ensuring it fit snugly against the pegs. While a wider variety of clamps would have been beneficial, the option to order online or visit a hardware store was unavailable.
Later, the pair collected Bur Oak acorns, filling a bag in hopes that Kaide or another nymph might appreciate them. Although the forest contained oak trees, Alex was unsure if this specific breed was present. They had a particular fondness for the apple tree, even taking a cutting to graft onto another apple tree elsewhere. Having lost her taste for apples, Alex was indifferent to its new location.
“That is enough for today.” Alex dusted herself off with the feather duster, then did the same to Cassius. “Let's go find everyone and get dinner going.”
The pair headed back, noticing Fufi lounging on top of the roof, keeping an eye out on the property.
“Hi Alex, Cassius.” The flamingo greeted them from her high perch.
“Are you hungry?” Alex looked up at the bird.
“A bit, I’ve not been doing much more than flying around.” Fufi regarded them. “What about you?”
“I was thinking we could get everyone together and see if we could cook something up and eat together.” Alex proposed.
“Seraphina and Yvne are inside.” Fufi kept track of everyone, apparently. “I’ve seen Funi flying back and forth from the crater lake and the castle build site. So I’m guessing Merumeru, Ariel and Aqua are swimming. I haven’t seen Professor Copperpot leave his tent.”
“I’ll be back if you and your family want to set the table.” Alex regarded Cassius but gave it a second thought. “Not that we have a big enough table for everyone. I think we can work something out though.”
“I’ll get things started m’lady.” The young man bowed slightly.
Parting ways, Alex headed out. Fufi led the way, flying to where the other flamingo was last spotted.
“Hey cousin.” One flamingo addressed the other one. “Interested in heading back to the cabin for dinner?”
“Of course!” The other flamingo chirped enthusiastically.
Alex thought they might be acting confusing on purpose. “I’m guessing the missing parties are exploring something underwater?”
“Yup!” Funi exclaimed with a bob of her long neck. “Merumeru and Aqua set up some underwater accommodations over the past week. Also, they are exploring the pathways from the crater lake and the castle. You should be able to get from the cabin all the way to the portal pipe without ever leaving the water.”
“Merumeru is squishy so she can go through narrow pipes. Maybe Aqua and Ariel need bigger passages.” Alex scrunched up her face. “Can those three come up out of the water? At at least wrap things up. We are going to start cooking.”
“Okay.” The other flamingo agreed. “We’ll be there. Ariel does this from time to time where she stays underwater for hours. She takes things at a slower pace than most humans. But that’s fine.”
After Funi and Fufi did some more chatting, they parted ways and headed back to the cabin to do some cooking, leaving the sea elf’s familiar behind to corral the other aquatic people.
“I’m home!” Alex opened the door and stepped in.
“Welcome home.” Yvne and Seraphina curtseyed and Cassius gave a curt bow.
“What have you been doing for food while I was gone?” Alex headed to the kitchen to inspect things.
“Nobody has a cooking skill so we’ve just been winging it.” Yvne waved a hand. “There is some stuff in the cabinets and there were some things in the cold box but they didn’t last more than a week. After that it was mostly to find something that we think we can cook in a sauce pan and see how that goes.”
Alex began cooking by gathering ingredients from the pantry, opening cans of tomato sauce, and a box of spaghetti. With only four burners, cooking enough for everyone at once was impossible. One pot held boiling water for the noodles, while another simmered the sauce. The magical girl added a couple of cans of Vienna sausages to the tomato sauce.
As the second batch started and serving dishes were arranged, Merumeru, Aqua, and Ariel arrived.
“Glad you could make it.” Alex smiled at the newcomers. “Here, have some pasta.”
The three each took a plate and found a spot along the common area to take a seat.
Seraphina handled pouring everyone tea. “Here you go.”
“Do sea elves eat meat?” Alex worried that they might be vegetarian like Nymphs.
“My people traditionally eat fish.” Ariel accepted the plate and smelled it. “This looks tasty.”
“My compliments to the cook.” Aqua added.
“Meru!” Merumeru added her opinion to the others.
Everyone chatted amongst themselves a bit while eating. Eventually, the subject shifted to more serious topics.
Alex handed Ariel the notes on the pieces of the flying cloud model that were upscaled from the downscaled model kit. Something that could sit on a shelf, would be twenty feet long. “What do you think?”
The peg-legged sea elf looked at the ship then the drawings with dimensions. “It is a very aggressive design.”
“Do you think it can be built to scale?” Alex pressed. “What would we need to get?”
“I’m going to be honest with you.” Ariel looked serious for a moment. “I thought you were joking when you said that making a 200 foot ship sounded like a possibility. I’ve only captained ships less than 100 feet.”
“Are you not interested in making a ship this size happen?” Alex deflated. “I thought that is what we needed the shipwright for.”
“Don’t get me wrong.” The sea elf continued. “Laying eyes on something so magnificent would be a dream. It is just that there are a lot of obstacles to overcome. For example, where would we dry dock it?”
Alex glanced toward where the lake was but then shook her head. A 200 foot ship would need to be built in a deep port otherwise how would it get into the water? “I don’t know of any drydock locations, sorry.”
“Also, have you considered the cost?” Ariel’s words truck like a truck. “This lovely ship would come with a price tag equivalent to a king’s ransom.”
“No one I know has any money to speak of.” Alex sank further back.
“And where would the materials be sourced? We’ll need brass, iron, rope cloth for sails.” The sea elf relentlessly continued. “Lumber costs are at an all time high.”
“We might be able to help with lumber. Ki could help.” Alex didn’t sound confident. “Some of the people with a woodworker class can help create timbers. As for rope and cloth, I can help with that, also Charlotte is really good at weaving if she can make sails.”
“Maybe, but that creates another problem.” Ariel considered. “The capital city of Jass is where the closest shipyard is. And that is a demon occupied city.”
“Is there not another drydock in a free city?” The black-haired girl looked up, hoping some answer would come down from the heavens.
“There is not one that welcomes humans anywhere that I’ve traveled in my sailing career.” The sea elf said.
Aqua raised her hand. “Maybe your problem is also your solution.”
“Huh?” Alex snapped her gaze to the Nereid.
“You need a king's ransom in gold.” Nereid started to form a plan. “Wouldn’t getting a king to pay for it be the answer.”
“Why would he do that?” Ariel furrowed her brows. “King Jass is stupid but he’s got succubi pulling his threads like a puppet. They wouldn’t let him fail bad enough to cost the real rulers anything.”
“You are absolutely right.” Aqua also nodded. “Say King Jass orders this boat built. It might really put the crown’s finances in jeopardy. But the fake lovers would never tell him no. They have to keep flattering him, it is how they control him. Instead they would just enthrall whoever to get out of having to pay anything when the bill is due. That way they could keep the ship and also not have to pay for it. Then king Jass would be happy and think he’s extra smart.”
“But then whoever dealt with them would be turned into another pet of a succubus.” Alex didn’t see how this would work.
“I know of a certain magical girl with an amazing skill that has the perfect ability to prevent that.” Aqua pointed at Alex.
“Me?” Alex blinked.
Aqua nodded. “An automaton can’t be afflicted with mind-impairing status debuffs. If a doll deals with the negotiations then they would be forced to deal honestly.”
“They’ll still try to be deceptive.” Ariel protested. “All demons are deceivers. They might just throw the doll in prison on some made up charge.”
“I think I get it.” Alex sat up straight. “If they capture the doll I can just end the possession. It would be a great way to get out of any trap.”
“You could double deal too.” Aqua cackled. “The king wants timbers, and a mysterious doll merchant shows up with timbers to sell.”
“But he’d still get the ship if his subjects built it.” Alex wouldn’t know what to do with a bunch of money. It is not like anyone in the town had things she was looking to buy.
“It would be a shame if someone pirated his brand new ship.” Ariel finally sounded on board with the plan.
“Still though,” Alex thought of the plan but had one reservation. “I don’t like idea idea of demons getting hold of one of my dolls.”