Prologue
Three long hours of sailing through the night passed before the RMS Teutonic finally encountered another vessel on the high seas - a small aviso gunboat of the French navy. The aviso noticed the spotlight of the Teutonic cutting through the midnight darkness and answered with its own spotlight.
Ina, who had been manning the spotlight for most of that time, heaved a sigh of relief and proceeded to blink her lights methodically. She switched it on and off intermittently and sent a message in Morse Code.
S. O. S.
With that message of light, the aviso promptly came to the aid of the Teutonic. It sailed alongside the crippled ocean liner and laid down gangplanks between them. The aviso captain and a handful of his English-speaking crew then crossed the plank to assess the situation, distribute emergency supplies and meet the people in charge.
Ophelia Lowry and Amelia Watson.
Lowry and Watson accompanied the crew of the aviso and joined their inspection of the vessel. It didn't take long for the aviso captain to make his assessment, however.
It was a miracle that the RMS Teutonic survived.
The Teutonic was in terrible shape by all accounts, after all. Her boiler engines were struggling to maintain the slow ahead. Her lights and electrical systems were compromised and failed from time to time. Her hull bore visible, structural damage that threatened to flood the ship if she struck as much as a rock. Her defenders had no cannons or machine guns to speak of. Her bridge was helmed by a pair of talented, albeit inexperienced amateurs too.
And yet, the Teutonic will live to see the sunrise. Neither the sea nor the serpent claimed a soul either.
Naturally, the French captain was curious to know how.
When the Frenchman broached the topic, Lowry was inclined to tell all. Despite her aristocratic pride, she knew all too well that she was alive because of the valiant efforts of the brave Amelia, the steadfast light of Ina'nis and the incredible strength of Gura. Just as she was about to reveal this, however, Watson suddenly interrupted her.
In the presence of the French captain and his crew, the detective began spinning a wild, tall tale. According to her, it was Ophelia who organized the desperate defense, slew the serpent and saved the RMS Teutonic. Watson then proceeded to shower her with praise.
The aristocrat was dumbstruck by the detective's blatant, albeit passionate and believable lies, so she stayed quiet and played along with the act. It was only when the aviso captain and his crew disembarked the Teutonic that Lowry confronted her rival.
Lowry pulled Ame aside and brought her to the bow of the Teutonic. There, she lashed at the detective.
"What in the world are you thinking, Watson!? I know you and that shark-girl saved our hides out there. Why go so far to tell that tall tale to the French!?
Watson leisurely leaned against the rails of the Teutonic's deck and casually explained herself.
"Don't you want that, Lowry? Your name will make headline news all over the world!"
"For something that you did with the Oriental and the Atlantean!" Lowry countered.
"I know that, Lowry. I know." Watson admitted now. Her tone became serious, "But what really happened tonight has to stay between us and our teams. This whole 'Atlantis' and 'dark influence' business sounds like trouble. Plus Miss Chadwick and Captain Morrison are still out there doing who knows what. The less media attention we get, the better."
Lowry grumbled for a moment, but she slammed her fist against the rails.
"You're not just doing this to get ahead of me in the Phoenix expedition, are you?" Lowry tested, "You're foregoing a lot of money you could earn for your war chest. This is a net loss for you."
"Not exactly." The detective shook her head, "When I first started this journey, my one goal was to defend Ina's honor from the hostile school board. Now, I'm going to do what I can to protect Gura too."
She then closed her eyes and felt the sea breeze blow through her hair.
"I'm going to make the both of them happy. If that means proving your father wrong by cataloguing the Phoenix, then so be it." Watson admitted wholeheartedly, "That's more important to me than money."
"I'm going to pretend that you didn't insult my father just now." Lowry grumbled, "But you don't have to worry about the Atlantean's secret. My guards already like her more than they like me. My two friends don't exactly hate her either."
"Gura does have a way of getting people to like her." Watson laughed in agreement.
"That said, I'm not a fan of one-sided deals." Lowry interjected, "It's bad business."
She then took off the Krag-Jorgensen/M1892 Springfield rifle that she wore and handed it to the detective.
"You were a crack shot last night, Watson." She admitted, "The shark-girl slew the serpent, yes, but she couldn't have done it without you."
The detective took the rifle and smirked.
"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Lowry." Watson teased as she wore her new gun, "How are you going to explain losing this gun to your beloved dad?"
"Fighting the sea serpent was a terrifying ordeal, Watson." Lowry shrugged casually in response, "I just happened to lose an old, worthless gun in the heat of battle. I can buy another one, or two or three."
"Already in character, I see." Watson scoffed.
"But of course!" The aristocrat boasted. She then put a hand on her hip and added, "Aside from that, I will also have daddy put Scotland Yard and their partners on the Continent on the case to find those cowards Chadwick and Morrison. Telegraph Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes to expect a summons from him soon too."
A small smile then formed on Watson's lips.
"You know, you're not half-bad when you're not trying to kill me, Lowry."
"Our goals just happened to align, Watson." Lowry avoided Watson's gaze, "That's all there is to it."
"Is that so?" Watson let go of the rails and then started walking back towards the midship, "Well then, I'll take my leave. See you around, Ophelia H. Lowry."
" Au revoir , Amelia H. Watson." Lowry answered with rare warmth, "And thank you."
And so, as the sun rose over the RMS Teutonic on the French coast, the detective and the aristocrat went their separate ways once more.
AlterMyth
Les Filles Que J'adore
Twenty-Eighth Scene - Excuse My French
Under the bright morning sun, Ame and Ina stood together with their new companion Gura at the starboard side of the Teutonic's deck. They had their luggage set at their feet and the gentle countryside breeze combed through their hair. From their spot on the deck, they watched as the Teutonic slowed down to a halt and then dropped anchor at the fabled Port de Lune of Bordeaux, France.
As soon as the gangplank was set, the girls saw a gaggle of French journalists falling upon themselves to get onboard the Teutonic. Even from afar, they heard those journalists searching for Ophelia Lowry.
Those journalists were scrambling to secure an interview with the supposed 'Serpent-Slayer'. It was almost as if those journalists were coming to meet the second coming of Joan D'Arc! Perhaps a newly canonized saint, or an angel, even! They were so preoccupied that none of them bothered to acknowledge the presence of the Watson Expedition and their new hire Gawr Gura as they passed them by.
Not one of them bothered to notice the small bulge of Gura's curled up tail beneath her traveling jacket, the spanking new Krag rifle that Ame had slung over her shoulder or the avant-garde paperback copy of the Jules Verne novel that Ina was thumbing through to pass the time.
That obscurity brought a small smile to Gura's lips and she held her fishbone-shaped pendant in her hands fondly. Her Atlantean secret was still safe, it seemed.
"Looks like the aviso telegraphed your story word-for-word ahead of us, Ame." Ina deduced calmly and closed her paperback book, "Half of the Bordeaux press pool climbed up here to meet Miss Lowry!"
"It's all part of the plan, Ina." Ame insisted with a chuckle. She then adjusted the strap of her 'new' Krag rifle, lifted up her two suitcases and suggested, "That's our cue to get going."
Ina and Gura nodded and followed suit. The three of them then walked down the gangplank without any fanfare, against the flow of the over enthusiastic journalists. However, their spirits were high and there was a proud spring in their step as they all set foot on France. After all, they were finally traveling together for the first time.
Ame led her expedition with confidence brimming in her chest. Her mind was filled with the many adventures that she and her friends would have on the European continent as they searched for the mythical Phoenix. She wondered how she would track down and confront the elusive Miss Chadwick and Captain Morrison along the way. Perhaps they could even uncover the mystery of the Cover Corporation letters while they were at it!
Her idealistic daydream and the confidence that she had built up on her way down from the Teutonic, however, slowly evaporated with every step that she took through the harbor.
All around her, on the Port de Lune , she saw dozens of French flags flying full-mast from the buildings of the seaport and from the myriad of ships that were anchored there. Instead of the usual crumpets, scones and English muffins that she was used to, she smelled freshly baked baguettes and brioche from the seaport's bakeries. Hell, they weren't even called bakeries, but ' boulangeries' . To top it all off, just about everybody around her was speaking in French!
"Well, I'm not in England anymore…" Ame thought out loud.
For the first time since leaving London, she felt like she was finally on that adventure that she had been longing for. And yet, the poor detective's face went pale when she came face to face with an unfortunate truth.
Amelia Watson didn't speak a lick of French!
She was just about to panic when she remembered her new Atlantean companion - the mighty serpent-slayer. Ame figured that since Gura was an Atlantean, she probably interacted with French ships before or something. Moreover, Gura also told her that she was originally planning to start anew in France.
That surely meant that Gura knew some French.
Right?
When Ame turned to Gura, however, the disguised shark-girl was going around the harbor with pure, childlike fascination. Gura then grinned at Ame and laughed.
"Hey A-me! You hearin' this? What in tarnation are these fellers sayin'!?"
Ame pursed her lips and grumbled beneath her breath. Gura was a Yankee through and through! After thirty years on land, she was probably more of a rootin' tootin' cowgirl now than an Atlantean cadet. There wasn't a whole lot of French in West Virginia, after all.
Just as Ame was pondering about synthesizing a new Watson Concoction to help her and maybe Gura learn French quickly, Ina broke rank from their team. The aspiring librarian then calmly flagged down a horse carriage and spoke with the chauffeur in fluent French. Their entire conversation was en français and Ina didn't miss a beat.
Ina then smiled brightly at her companions.
"So then, Ame. Gura." Ina proudly ran a hand through her hair and asked, "Where are we headed?"
As expected of the daughter of the Far Eastern consul in Ottawa, Ame thought. She remembered that some of the books that Ina carried around were printed in English and in French. The detective shook herself free from her own imagination before she answered.
"Let's go to the Bordeaux Municipal Library, Ina." Ame proposed, "We might as well get a head start on the Lowry Expedition while we still can."
Ina nodded and spoke with the chauffeur. However, their conversation didn't seem to go as smoothly as before. The chauffeur then handed her a French morning newspaper and made apologetic gestures as he spoke. Once Ina skimmed through the paper, she returned it to the chauffeur and faced Ame with a frown.
"Looks like the library is closed today. They made an announcement on the morning paper about it." Ina translated for her friends, "They'll be open bright and early tomorrow, though!"
"A sudden closure, huh?" Ame groaned. Her eyes then turned to the small pile of luggage that she, Ina and Gura had with them and made a decision, "In that case, let's go to the hotel. The one with the fancy name that Uncle Watson recommended."
" L'hôtel Fleur de Lune. " Ina corrected kindly with a knowing smile, "Have you been slacking on your French lessons, Ame?"
Ame bashfully evaded Ina's prying eyes and fidgeted under her gaze. Gura, on the other hand, tapped Ame's shoulder and asked innocently.
"Hey, A-me. What's French?"
Ina batted her eyes expectantly and waited for Ame's response to the question, but the detective groaned.
"Let's just go, okay?" Ame hissed.
With that, Ina gave the chauffeur their new destination. The three of them took turns loading their luggage on the back of the carriage and they set out for the Fleur de Lune hotel. All the while, Ame couldn't help but feel like she and Gura were in for a long trip here in France - and that Ina quietly enjoyed watching the both of them squirm for once.
Twenty-Ninth Scene - Suite Deals
Ever since leaving the Port de Lune harbor, Ina was in incredibly high spirits. All throughout their carriage ride, she spent most of her time looking out the window and commenting on just about everything that she saw - from the distinctive crescent-moon shape of the Gironde River's bends that gave the Port de Lune its name to the sprawl of petite brick buildings with tiny chimneys around the harbor.
Ame and Gura couldn't help but smile as they watched and listened to the librarian's immersive commentary. All the while, the three of them helped themselves to leftover sandwiches that Gura had prepared in the Teutonic's galley before they left. Once they had finished their snack, the horse carriage started climbing up a small hill on its final approach to the hotel.
While the carriage climbed up the hill, the wrought iron fence, the well-manicured courtyard and the newly-painted stucco facade of the Fleur de Lune hotel came into view. It was a vast two-story mansion compound built in the old French colonial style with steep hipped roofs adorned with dormers. Ina dutifully pointed out those details and how they reminded her of her short vacations in Quebec City when she was younger.
"Wow, this place is fancy!" Gura commented with wide eyes, "I thought you guys had a small budget for this trip!"
"My uncle Watson pulled some strings for us to get us on the guestbook here." Ame explained with a small smile, "This place is actually pretty affordable compared to the other places in Bordeaux since most of the rooms are pretty small. Still, it gets filled up pretty quick!"
"Hoh… is that so?" Gura mused.
Ina then wiped her lips with a napkin before she chimed in.
"There is a little problem with our arrangement now, though. Dr. Watson arranged for a small room with two beds." Her eyes then stole a glance of Gura then added, "We weren't exactly expecting a third member in this expedition."
Gura pouted at the quick jab. She then brought out her purse overstuffed with British threepence coins.
"I can pay for an extra bed or something." Gura offered.
Ina then shook her head and her expression suddenly brightened again.
"Don't worry about it, Gura." Ina beamed confidently, "I've got an idea. I'll get the concierge to prepare a bigger room for us.
"Well, if you think it's worth a shot." Ame agreed and rubbed her chin. She then turned to Ina and asked, "So what do you need me and Gura to do?"
Ina looked up to the ceiling of the carriage and hummed.
"Well, first and foremost, we will need Gura to stay in the lobby for a while and watch our luggage. Oh! And I'll need Ame to come with me to the concierge! Humu humu ."
Ame and Gura turned to each other and wondered what the multilingual Ina was thinking. However, with practically zero French between them, neither of them really had a choice in the matter and they agreed to Ina's terms.
Before long, they reached the front of the hotel and disembarked from the carriage. Ina helped Ame pay the chauffeur with a traveler's check and then helped Gura negotiate with the porters to bring their luggage into the hotel lobby. Once those things were settled, Ame and Ina went over to negotiate their lodgings.
At the concierge, Ina took control of the conversation once again. Ame saw how impressed the concierge staff were with Ina's French and the librarian took it in stride. Ina seemed to glow as she talked and smiled and worked out a deal with the hotel. The detective didn't understand most of it, but she couldn't help but smile.
Ina was finally breaking out of her shell, after all. The librarian had gone a long way from the timid, guarded bookworm that she met in the foyer of Dr. Watson's medical practice. Ina was blossoming before her very eyes and Ame liked what she saw.
That was when Ame heard something suspicious escape from the librarian's lips.
" Ah! Humu humu. C'est mon nouveau mari! Amelia Watson! Elle est très magnifique! "
Ame did slack off on her French classes, yes, but some of Ina's words troubled her a little bit - especially the ones that were relatively close to English. More than that, she knew Ina tended to say ' humu humu ' whenever she got excited or pleased or sneaky about something.
It put Ame on edge.
The concierge staff then turned to Ame as if waiting for a response to Ina's comment. So, she nodded stiffly. She didn't know what else to say - or which language to say it in. When Ame halfheartedly confirmed whatever the heck Ina was saying, however, the concierge staff smiled and looked like they were going to cry tears of joy.
Ina then gestured to Gura in the lobby and added en français once more.
" Nous avons une fille aussi! Gawr Gura . Très mignon, oui? "
When Ina said this, Ame could swear that the staff started gushing over Gura and calling her cute. Probably.
At this point, Ame's curiosity boiled over.
"Hey Ina." The detective leaned over and whispered, "What the heck is going on!?"
"I got us a huge discount and an upgrade to boot, Ame. I made us a… suite deal!" Ina placed her hands together and smiled proudly. Her cheeks then flushed red before she revealed, "We're going to a bigger honeymoon suite!"
"A honeymoon suite!?" Ame gasped, blushing beet red as well.
"Humu humu. A honeymoon suite. We'll get access to all the amenities of the hotel too! All according to plan!" Ina happily confirmed. She then bravely took Ame's hands in hers and explained, "I told them that we're a newlywed couple and that Gura is our daughter. Adopted, but still our daughter~!"
Ame's cheeks felt warmer and she gasped, "The staff bought that story!?"
While Ame was speaking, one of the concierge staff - a pretty blond with bob-cut hair and kindly ash green eyes - picked up a handful of bonbons from the concierge counter display bowls and proceeded to offer them to Gura. The Atlantean-in-disguise looked offended at first that she was offered candies like some sort of child - but she eventually pouted and politely asked for two pieces.
Even Gura accepted her fate!
Still dumbfounded, Ame scratched the back of her head and commented.
"You can be pretty scary sometimes, Ina." Ame then smirked and added, "Not in a bad way though, wifey ."
Ina's smile then grew warmer. She then joyfully replied.
"I'll take that as a compliment, mon ami ~!"
Thirtieth Scene - The Watson Grand Prix
Later that afternoon, on the lawn tennis courts of the Fleur de Lune hotel, Gura's jaw dropped from disbelief.
"You told them WHAT!?" Gura burst out all of the sudden. Her voice echoed throughout the courts. A tennis ball likewise slipped from the disguised Atlantean's left hand, but she caught it before it bounced twice. She then pointed a tennis racket at Ina, wore a sour expression and accused, "Oy, you're not still mad about me and Ame on the Portsmouth train are ya?"
"Whatsoever are you talking about, my dearest 'daughter' Gura?" Ina answered mischievously. The librarian hoisted herself up onto the umpire's chair and shugged, feigning innocence, "I just did what I had to do to secure our lodgings. Unless you want to sleep in the swimming pool or something? That can be arranged too!"
"I would have done just fine in a smaller room!" Gura pouted, stomping her poorly-tied rental tennis shoes on the trimmed grass of the court, "I don't mind sleeping on the sofa! Or better yet, I could share a bed with Ame!"
"Hah! As if I'd ever let you do that!" Ina scoffed. She then whispered beneath her breath, "Plus… I also want Ame to hug me too…"
Before Gura could retort once again, Ame appeared on the other side of the court wearing a breezy tennis shirt with matching shorts and shoes. She skillfully whirled a tennis racket of her own in her right hand and made her way to the net at the center. Ame then rested her racket on her shoulder.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Ame apologized. She then tugged on the collar of her tennis shirt and explained, "I had to find a shirt that wasn't tight around the chest, you see!"
At this point, Gura and Ina looked at their own tennis shirts and grumbled. The Atlantean and the librarian quietly made a truce and glared at Ame. Their glares made Ame snicker devilishly.
The detective relished her companions' frustration before she apologized a second time.
"Just kidding, you two! Just kidding." She then swung the tennis racket through the air and asked, "So what are we playing for today?"
Gura and Ina then went deadly serious and answered at the same time.
"Winner gets to share the big bed with you tonight, Ame!"
"Huh…!?" Ame gasped, "Seriously!?"
Ina then hopped off of the tall umpire's chair, nearly stumbling while doing so, and then extended her hand towards Ame.
"Give me your racket, please. You can be the umpire, Ame."
"Hurry up, Ame! I want to settle this!" Gura prodded too, "Let's goooooo!"
Neither the shark-girl nor the librarian seemed to be willing to take 'no' for an answer.
"When did the two of you get so close?" Ame sighed.
"We're not close!" Ina and Gura answered in absolutely perfect sync.
"Right…" Ame's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Regardless, the detective handed Ina her racket and climbed up to the umpire's seat. She presided over the impromptu tennis match between Ina and Gura. They tossed a threepence coin and decided that Ina would serve first.
The librarian wielded her racket with surprisingly good form while Gura hopped gamely to the left and right in anticipation. Then, when Ina served towards Gura's right, the overeager Atlantean went to her left!
"What the…!?" Gura gasped, realizing her mistake.
"Fifteen-love!" Ame announced.
Ina snickered mischievously and twirled her racket confidently. She then looked Gura's way with a smug smirk. Gura puffed her cheeks, retrieved the ball and threw it back towards Ina with a frown.
When Ina set up her next service, Gura made sure that she was ready. She mustered up all her concentration and watched the ball closely. Then, when Ina served, Gura guessed correctly and smashed the ball back over the net with her superhuman strength!
The tennis ball whizzed past Ina and barely missed her, but the librarian just calmly enjoyed the gust of wind blowing through her hair.
Gura cheered loudly and danced on the court before she turned towards Ame expectantly, hoping for some praise. Her jaw then dropped when Ame read out the cards.
"Thirty-love..." Ame reported apologetically, "Try to keep it within bounds, Gura."
"Oh, come on!" Gura complained, but Ame remained firm. She swung her racket wildly and hissed, "Hrgh, fine!"
Spurred by the challenge, Gura got back to her side of the court and prepared herself once more. Third time turned out to be the charm for her as she managed to answer Ina's serve and keep it within bounds. They had their first back-and-forth rally and it was quite a sight to behold!
Ina's graceful, albeit calculated movements were perfect foils of Gura's wild yet steadfast strength. Every rally they had was ferocious and sometimes lasted for minutes at a time. The Atlantean and the librarian traded the lead so many times along the way. Ame, who was engrossed in the match, barely managed to keep track of the score.
At the end of it all, Gura won one set and Ina won two. The librarian somehow managed to outlast the Atlantean and win the match, but the two of them were never more than a swing away from victory.
Despite conserving her energy with her tactics and strategies, the burst of exercise knocked the wind out of Ina's sails. The librarian dropped her racket and laid down spread eagle on the trimmed grass of the tennis court. She was panting heavily, exhausted by the do-or-die match with the headstrong and stubborn Gura.
However, there was a smile etched on her lips as she caught her breath. That was the first time she had this much fun playing tennis. It was almost as much fun as the time she taught Ame how to play chess in London.
Ina rested her now sore racket arm over her sweat-drenched forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. Then, the petite figure of Gura appeared and towered over her. The Atlantean looked rather sad that she lost, but she wasn't as salty as she was on her first loss.
"Well played, Ina." Gura said politely. She offered a hand to the victor, "You're much tougher than you look. A little sneaky - but pretty damn tough."
"Heh, thanks." The librarian took a deep breath and answered back, "You're a pretty fast... learner yourself, Gura. I'm impressed. Really."
With that, she took Gura's hand and let the Atlantean help her back up onto her feet. Ina then looked into Gura's eyes and spoke between her heavy breaths.
"Say, Gura…" Ina proposed between gasps, "The honeymoon suite bed… is pretty big. The three of us… can probably share it."
"You know… I was just thinking the same thing." Gura concurred with a smile, "Deal!"
Moments later, Ame arrived on the scene as well and asked.
"H-hey, don't I get a say in the matter?"
Ina and Gura then each latched onto one of Ame's arms and answered in perfect sync.
"Nope~!"
Ame scoffed and repeated the question that had been on her mind all that time.
When did these two get so close?
Whatever it was, Ame was glad. In that moment, the smiles of these two girls were all that mattered to her.
Epilogue
Evening came to Bordeaux and draped the opulent yet rustic space of the Fleur de Lune hotel in the darkness of the night. The hotel's many electrical lights turned on section by section - from the lamps on the outer gates and gardens to the sconces on the countryside mansion's facade to the grand chandelier of the al fresco , open-air dining hall. That was the signal for dinner service to finally begin.
Amelia Watson, flanked by her 'wife' Ina'nis Ninomae and her overly affectionate 'daughter' Gawr Gura, sat at the dining hall and had trouble eating her own food - especially when Ina and Gura took turns feeding the detective. The three of them were wearing fresh changes of clothes, but Ame was constantly afraid that she might get some of Gura's juicy steak or some of Ina's saucy roasted eggplants on her blouse.
On the sidelines of the hotel dining hall, one of the concierge staff watched the girls of the Watson Expedition goof off together. It was the same blond lady with bob-cut hair and ash green eyes that gave Gura the bonbons in the lobby earlier. She leaned against the columns of the dining hall and smiled as she watched the antics of the three girls from afar.
While she was watching the girls, however, another concierge staff mosied over to the lady and handed her a strip of paper.
"Télégraphe pour vous, directeur!" The staff member said.
" Ah, merci ." The lady answered back, sending the staffer back to his post.
She then took the strip of paper and read it under the light of the chandelier.
It was in Morse Code.
"K-K-R-K"
A frown formed on the lady's lips. She then excused herself from the dining hall and walked out into the well-lit courtyard of the hotel. Once she was far away from the crowds of guests and staff, she looked up to the starry night sky and the half-moon floating above her, incomplete.
The lady then whispered to no one in particular.
"What would you do in this situation, senpai ?"
To Be Continued