Rhea...honestly didn't know how to react to the fear/shock from the goblins. On the plus side, they wouldn't get on her nerves anymore.
One inheritance test later, and she had a much better idea of her new abilities. It seemed the transformation had unlocked a lot of things that had been deliberately sealed by someone (she had a pretty good idea who, the bastard).
For starters, she was now a full metamorphamagus, though the goblins told her that the proper title for her particular ability was "Shapeshifter".
She could assume the form of anyone or any animal she wished, much like Loki from Norse mythology. However her current form was now her new 'default' state, green hair included.
Another perk was that her magical core had undergone a massive change...it had transcended that of a powerful witch and gone to straight to the level of Mage, which was the highest 'magical ranking' one could go with as a witch or wizard. The last known mage had died centuries ago, and Merlin was reported to be one which was why he was still 'worshiped' by the enclaves as a demi-god.
Ironic, considering Enkidu cheerfully told her that Merlin was actually the half-son of an incubus and as far from 'divine' as one could get.
The new ability to speak to animals wasn't limited to those she was close to. Apparently it extended to any animal, which was surprising but she was rather pleased with it.
The part that confused her the most was the list of "Noble Phantasms" available to her. She had absolutely no clue what that was about, though she realized the chains she used to take out Bane must be one.
With her business concluded, Rhea debated on what to do next.
When she saw Lucius Malfoy walking into the bank as if he owned the place, sneering at her because her hair color was so strange, she realized exactly what she wanted.
She left Diagon Alley...and decided to do something she had always wanted to do, but couldn't because of her age.
She went exploring. She felt free for the first time in her life, and since she wasn't human anymore she happily abandoned the paltry 'excuses' that had kept her chained for so long.
She wanted to live her life the way she wanted, and damn the consequences. She wouldn't let the magical morons hold her back ever again.
Three years later...
Rhea was yawning. She had spent several hours gaming and boredly going through random chat boards, so she was mildly tired. Nearby Hedwig napped on the sofa, her head tucked under her wing. She had shown nothing but approval at her chick's abandonment of the magical society that had been leading her to an early grave.
She was currently in Germany, and after a minor disagreement with the German Ministry because some Death Eaters had managed to find her completely by accident, she planned to leave on the next flight out.
She idly took out the small pocket globe from her bag, set it on the table and smacked it so that it would spin wildly. Thanks to the stabilization charms, it never fell over whenever she did this.
She forced it to an abrupt stop by poking her finger on the surface.
Under her finger was a country in the far east. It was a tiny island nation and she was already excited about going because she really wanted to update her game and manga collection.
Japan it was then.
With a flick of her wrist, what limited things she had out were neatly packed into the small suitcase she had picked up. After a run in with the infamous Newt Scamander, she now had a small sanctuary and mansion inside. He had been beyond delighted meeting her, especially when she was more than happy to translate what his beloved creatures really thought.
She had made his day when he found out that they adored him for saving them and treating their wounds. Best of all, Rhea had been able to lighten the load of the poor mythozooligist by taking several of the excess creatures in his case. They were the ones too abused or used to captivity to survive naturally in the wild, much to his dismay. His case was the safest option for them.
He was one of the only people she bothered to owl anymore, and it was always a blast running into him at random because they would spend hours with the creatures.
It was almost a pity that she hated magical England so much, because she might have taken Newt up on his joking offer of marrying his grandson Rolf.
(Fortunately for Rolf, he was spared the embarrassment of having his grandfather set him up with a nice witch. Even if he did get along with Rhea.)
"Hedwig, do you want to deliver my letter to Newt, or do you want to sleep in the case while I go through customs?" asked Rhea.
'I will deliver your letter. Didn't you get a two-way diary for just that reason?'
"Yeah, but two-way diaries don't come with pictures. And I wanted Newt to see the creatures I came across."
Hedwig nipped affectionately at her fingers, before calmly taking the letter and photos. Thanks to the familiar bond, she could find Rhea anywhere, so there was no worry of her getting lost.
Rhea checked out of the small hotel she had been staying in, had a massive breakfast, and went to the air port. She idly noticed an odd noble woman with very eye-catching maids and a rather cute bodyguard behind her, but dismissed it.
"Hello miss! Where are you traveling to today?" asked the attendant.
Rhea briefly glanced at the board, before picking the first available flight to Japan.
"Fuyuki, Japan, please. First class if it's available."
"One moment... there is one seat left in first class, near the aisle. Is that acceptable."
"Anything is fine, really."
Rhea handed over her card, which was really the goblins response to the concept of a 'debit' card.
After she introduced them to the idea, it hadn't taken much for them to realize the potential profits involved since most pure bloods wouldn't know the first thing about the conversion rate of a galleon to a pound.
Quite a few of the older Aurors had already racked up some massive fees and fines because of it, to the amusement of the goblins. It allowed them to 'convert' a galleon to whatever currency was required for a small monthly fee. However if the cost exceeded what was available in the account, a fine would be placed against the vault in question on top of the original charge. The most devious part of the system was that the wizard or witch would have absolutely no clue they had spent too much until they went to access their magical gold only to find the vault restricted until the 'debt' was repaid. And if it exceeded a certain amount, then the card would read as 'declined' to the muggle computers.
Rhea never had that issue, because of her insane luck. A little bit of gambling and suddenly she had more than enough normal currency to pay for whatever she wanted without having to dip into her accounts too much. She only really used it for travel expenses, because handing over that amount of money would look somewhat suspicious and draw the attention of thieves to her.
Rhea went through the line, before sitting down to await her flight.
"This is so exciting! I've never been on a plane before!" said the noble woman from earlier. They had mostly gone to collect their plane tickets, as someone had paid for them in advance.
"I am sure it would be an interesting experience," said her bodyguard.
Rhea smiled at the woman's enthusiasm.
"Actually once you get over the excitement of taking off and landing, it's dead boring. Especially international flights like this."
Seeing the childish curiosity of the woman, she held out her hand.
"Rhea Black."
"Irisviel Emiya, and this is Saber," she said cheerfully. "So you've flown before?"
"I prefer to do my own flying, but when it comes to traveling between countries it's easier to let someone else do the work. What seat do you guys have? Being able to talk to someone would make the trip far more fun," said Rhea.
Her luck was on her side once again...the woman had the seat next to her while Saber had the window.
Rhea had the feeling Saber was one of those strict, no-nonsense types.
"I hope we don't end up with a chatty flight attendant."
"I'm sure they will be professional and courteous," said Saber, relaxing slightly.
Rhea was nothing but pleasant and all too happy to explain some rather odd concepts to Irisviel with gentle indulgence.
"Considering they're in the customer service industry, it's an unspoken requirement to make small talk and be pleasant to the customers...especially since we're essentially going to be trapped in a flying box for several hours with no escape," said Rhea dryly. "Spending a few moments with the passengers is a must since it inspires customer loyalty."
Saber nodded...she could understand that.
"Though since we're going to be stuck on a plan for several hours, it's a toss-up if the in-flight entertainment will be interesting enough to keep everyone's interest. Which is why I always come prepared with some books and movies."
Irisviel lit up at the idea of movies.
"What kind of books?" asked Saber.
"Mythology mostly. I like picking out the inconsistencies and trying to figure out which legend has any basis in reality and which was made up by story tellers to make the gods more interesting. I think the current book I'm reading is about debunking myths about King Arthur, with specific references to the things history claims Merlin was capable of," said Rhea.
Saber twitched, though Rhea had no idea why.
"To be honest, humanity can justify any unusual occurrence so long as they are given a 'reasonable' explanation for what is going on and learn to accept it, if not outright ignore what is happening right in front of them. If it can be scientifically explained, then they can turn a blind eye to damn near anything," admitted Rhea.
"So you're interested in mythology?" said Irisviel.
"I find it's more entertaining than trying to figure out the lies in modern history," admitted Rhea. "Looks like we're up first."
Irisviel pouted, but perked up when Rhea sat down next to her once she had put her case under the seat.
Rhea pulled out the book she had been reading, with the mark on the chapter regarding Merlin.
"So Saber, I take it from the twitch you gave earlier you know something of Arthurian Mythology?"
"I'm something of an expert on it," said Saber dryly, with open amusement.
"Ah, a proper debate at last!" said Rhea grinning. "Irisviel, if you like I have some movies you can watch once the plane is high enough. I know I have some new headphones."
Irisviel perked up at that, and once they were high enough in the air Rhea handed her the laptop and put on one of the comedies she had stored on it.
(She would laugh her ass off later at the unexpected headaches she caused Saber and Irisviel's husband for introducing Iris to the wonders of Monty Python...specifically Monty Python and the Holy Grail.)
Rhea rather enjoyed the trip to Japan, as Saber was a wonderful conversationalist and was able to keep up the debate on Arthurian legends with ease. She had a rather unique insight that Rhea appreciated greatly, though she found it odd that Rhea seemed to be annoyed by Merlin for some reason.
"Are you saying there's an entire society that reveres Merlin as some sort of odd deity and only thinks of the Round as an afterthought?" said Saber absolutely baffled by the idea.
"I can guarantee you I've been among those idiots, and I have heard them use Merlin in place of god's name. Things like 'sweet merciful Merlin', or 'by Merlin!'," confirmed Rhea. "I mean it's great they can name every single Knight from the Round table as well as Nimue and Morgana, but the one they focus on with almost religious fervor is Merlin for some baffling reason."
Saber...was absolutely confused by that. Merlin had been a necessary, if annoying headache she always had to deal with. So the concept of him being worshiped by a small subculture was rather difficult to accept.
(She would have a massive headache of her own after commenting on that particular oddity to Kiritsugu...only for her Master to make the oddest face and confirming that particular oddity was in fact very much true. Particularly in England. The question of why anyone would revere that pest would confuse her until the end of time.)
Rhea was exploring the town for several hours...mostly to find a decent hotel to stay at until boredom him...when she found herself at the seashore with a smile on her face. She had a rather unusual knack for finding water and thriving areas full of wonderful plants...it made camping out so much easier because she could simply let her feet guide her to the nearest above-ground stream.
So you could imagine her confusion hearing the sound of battle... real battle at that, nearby.
She followed the sound to where the docks were, full of cargo ready to be transported...and stared.
That was Saber and Irisviel, though where on earth did Saber get period accurate armor like that, let alone the ability to fight much like a knight of old would? There should be a reasonable limit to admiration for a historical figure!
For that matter who was the man with the twin lances fighting her?! He looked like he was trying to cosplay as Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, complete with twin spears!
Was Saber part of some weird cosplay re-enactment group? She didn't seem the type, especially since it was pretty obvious she was 'on the job' as Irisviel's bodyguard.
Her head really started to hurt when a man flying an actual chariot of all things, complete with massive bulls, showed up with a rather girly looking teenager and proclaimed himself to be Iskander, the King of Conquerors himself.
The teen really didn't like the way he just announced himself, or something, because he beat upon his friend in a rather futile manner considering the kid was a twig... especially when compared to the big guy.
Rhea stood by and watched all of this play out in front of her absolutely confused and with a migraine.
And then...he showed up.
Her life would never be the same after that.