One strong leap over the railings and I landed lightly onto the wooden deck. Almost immediately after I was swarmed by grateful sailors. Only her rigging kept them from fully reaching her, though, and after the first round of cheers, thank-you's and congratulations, some questions came next.

"Nice of you to save our asses miss." Said a gruff, older looking sailor wearing worn overalls under a set of leather armor. He also had wolf ears atop his head, and he nodded at me as he spoke. I, of course, nodded back at him with a reply. "It was no problem at all." He's probably a senior sailor amongst the others around me.

"You were awesome out there girl!" Said another sailor, banging her fist lightly on my B turret. "And you've got yourself one hell of a weapons system. Reminds me of an old battleship actually, but with a whole lot more gun." To which I crossed my arms beneath my chest and bashfully smiled. "Thank you, really!" I replied, her complimenting me and saying I'm superior to a battleship she'd seen before feeding my ego.

"Hey miss, did you miniaturize those cannons of yours actually? Cause the firepower you've blasted at the grimm is way bigger than what your guns looked like they could shoot." Said another sailor behind her. Looking over my shoulder I saw a young bespectacled man focusing on one of my minimized Phalanxes. "Um, yes! Yes, they are miniaturized. Can't really bring them along with me at full size, right?" Well, I wasn't lying there, but I don't think I'm anywhere ready to reveal my true nature as a shipgirl.

"Miss huntress!" A pair of kids, a girl and a boy somehow squeezed past all the sailors around and stopped in front of me. Both were red haired and wore a matching set of shorts and t-shirts. Must be twins. "Will you-" "Take a picture-" "With us and-" "Sign it?!" The girl held out a polaroid up at me, both kids' blue eyes gleaming bright like gems.

"Oh, why not." I agreed, for what's the harm in that? So after politely asking another crewman to snap the photo, I kneeled down with my arms around the kids on either side of me. Looking at some of the sailors standing somewhat awkwardly around us three, I smiled and decided to let them in on it too. "Anyone who wants to join in are welcome. But if it's okay to... what are your names please? I'm Iowa by the way."

"Rufina Leroux." "Russel Leroux!"

"Right, if its okay with Rufi and Russ here," The pair looked pleased with my nicknames for them judging by their smiles. "then only two photos will be taken. One for these two and one for you sailors included. Is that alright?"

I got nods and words of agreement from them all, with the kids only looking more excited. "Alright! Cameraman, please start the countdown."

We ended up taking more photos than two. At one point Rufi and Russ' parents showed up quickly, the pair having been driven into a panic looking for them. I had a quick chat with them to reassure them both, and the twins eagerly showing off the printed pictures to them had resulted in them quickly calming down and even joining in for a photo. At some point though, the excitement has waned and the crowd thinned until it was just me and the Leroux family, who were also about to leave.

"It was nice meeting you miss Iowa." Mr. Leroux told me as we shook hands. "And once again, thank you for saving the lives of everyone on board."

"And once again, your thanks are appreciated. Saving others is... a happy sort of burden." We exchanged smiles and ended the shake. I watched as the Leroux family began to walking back into the ship. But then Rufi ran back to me with a photo held in one hand.

"Miss Iowa! I forgot yours, here." She said and at the end she stopped next to me and held out the photo. A gave her a smile and a nod, one she similarly gave me before she ran back to her family and walked back into the ship. So there I was, alone again on the deck. But not fully, because there are some sailors up and about doing their duties, and looked to be in the middle of patching up the damages they could fix. And every now and then one would send my way a grateful look or a nod. I returned the former with a smile and the latter ones with equal nods of course. Now as for the photo Rufi gave me...

On it was a zoomed in shot of me zipping over the waves moments before I opened fire to take out the mass of grimm on the starboard side. My guns were pointed in the same direction as my hand, towards and below the vantage of the photographer. Man, those kids are talented with a camera. This one I'll frame and put on my bedside shelf, if I find a frame that is. Now then, what do I do?

"Huntress Iowa!" I looked up from the photo towards the voice from the radio, and there walking towards me with a smile was Captain Bernie himself. He's a tall man, taller than me by a head at least and I was already at a height with some of the taller men I've seen around. Cpt. Bernie was also an older man, around his sixties I reckon and wore a smart captain's uniform of dark green coat, black boots with the rest of his clothes that were his pants, gloves and peaked cap beng white. All with a minor amount of gold trim. "I see you've made yourself a home aboard Highwind already."

"And she's a tough ship with an equally tough crew Cpt. Bernie." I turned to him and stood a little straighter. A person who could keep his crew alive and the ship afloat for hours against something like that grimm swarm is someone worth respecting. I walked over to him until we met and shook hands. While doing so I also took note of the trio following behind him. "You've quite the company with you."

"Ah yes." He said as he stepped back and to the side a bit. He then motioned his hand towards them as he introduced us. "The two who's efforts contributeed a lot to keep us all alive, me and those in the bridge foremost. Huntsman Indigo Jones and his apprentice Nandor Drake."

"And I've already told you Bernie, I'm retired." Spoke the huntsman with a tired sigh. He looked to be the same age as the captain, grey haired and his wrinkles being more prominent. He also wore an outfit similar to what I've seen Indiana Jones wore in his temple delving like that classic hat, if more armored with leather and steel in parts. Almost the same name too, how strange. He also has a pistol and a shiny whip hanging off his belt.

"Hey there, miss Iowa. Great shooting earlier." Nandor Drake was next, looked to be the same age as me of eighteen. He had a head of brown hair swept backwards with similarly brown cat ears showing is faunus race, a lean build and wore an almost similar outfit as Indigo, but without the hat and only leather for armor in some parts. He also has a pistol strapped on his side and a shortsword on hanging diagonally on his lower back.

"Please, I'm not old enough for to be a miss." I told him raided eyebrow and a hand on my hip, though with a smirk to let him know there's no heat to it. Oh, is that a little blush I see? Nice to know I now got it.

"I'm actually only eighteen years old."

"Oh! Uh. Right, sorry heh. No hard feelings?" He replied, though to his credit he didn't avert his eyes from mine as he reached out a hand towards me.

"Of course." I took his hand and we shook, giving each other a smile. I think his blush got a bit bigger during that, his ears twitching with his emotions.

"For someone so young, you sure killed that grimm swarm at record time." Indigo told me, making it my turn to blush at the compliment.

"Now young Iowa, come along with us to the mess! Did you know, these two are repeat passengers of mine, always taking my ship whenever they travelled between the continents..." Once we separated Cpt. Bernie continued talking on, leaving me a tad confused when he failed to mention the last of their group while leading the way in.

A young brunette girl looking slightly younger than me wearing the same uniform as the captain, except for the knee length white skirt and black stockings in place of the white pants, though she's looking far from immaculate with her bloodied right shoulder and legs. Her uniform was also tattered and torn in places. She also has a short, damaged cape going down her shoulders and she's staring at me with a mix of confusion, awe and some envy?

"Umm." I made to call attention towards her, but seeing as Cpt. Bernie was preoccupied with patting Nandor rather strongly on his back while regaling tales of the pair's adventures that must be exaggerated by the shaking of Indigo's head. So I just decided to speak to her directly.

"Hey, name's Iowa. What's... yours?" She got more shocked as I spoke, which worried me and prompted me to stop. She then pointed at me and spoke, nervous but also unmistakably hopeful.

"Y-you can see me?"

"Of course I can." I answered quickly, not seeing the issue then. "Why wouldn't I?"

She was stunned for a second before she started tearing up. I uh, kinda panicked then and stepped forwards to hug or something, to comfort her. I felt like a heel then, making her cry.

"No, no! Uh, come here. Whatever I did I'm sorry." I told her, in a voice I often used when talking to my lil' sis when she was sad. I wrapped my arms around her, the still unnamed girl stiffening for a moment before she reciprocated and started bawling.

At that moment I didn't know what to do, only standing there hugging the girl tighter. The sight of the others rushing back over was a bit of a relief.

It was in sectioned off room of the infirmary that we ended up in.

"There, I've done all I could. You shouldn't have been even walking at all, young lady." Said Dr. Lisana, head doctor of the ship as she finished bandaging Highwind's legs. She was a middle aged blonde woman wearing a labcoat over a t-shirt and shorts.

Earlier on I've been led to the infirmary, carrying the wounded girl in my arms because no way was I letting her walk any further with her wounds. Or damages actually. Genius I may not be, but her question of me seeing her, the others not noticing her at all until I held and her tattered state eerily mirroring that of the damages the ship took mad? I put them all together on the way here and realised I just met an actual ship spirit, Highwind herself! Someone like my current self, except she's still bound to her hull.

At least I think so. Hope she doesn't get an impulse to be more girl than ship and unsummon her hull.

Anyway I sat there now next to her on an infirmary bed, Highwind sniffling and holding my left hand tight. I've unsummoned my rigging before we got into the ship, no way could I have walked the somewhat tight hallways if I hadn't, so there'd be no other issues. I might have recieved an intrigued look from the others for that lightshow, but I couldn't care less.

"Really? Are you- you've checked twice she's not on either list?" Near us was Cpt. Bernie, talking to someone through his scroll. "I see... Alright, thank you Merry."

"So she wasn't on the passenger or crew list Bernie?" Indigo spoke to him as he dropped the call, getting a sigh and a shake of his head from the captain.

"She's not on the lists Indigo. Unless she gave a false ID, but then we'd have already known and not let her onboard. I run a tight ship."

"How about her name?" Nandor spoke from his spot leaning on the wall next to our bed, Highwind beside me perking up somewhat and turned to meet his gaze at her. "Can't be calling you 'miss' for the entire trip."

Both the captain and the huntsman looked at her then, Bernie with an kindly look and Indigo a raised eyebrow. I squeezed her hand, letting her know I'm with her on this.

"I'm-" She paused, breathing in deeply. Se then straightened her poise and spoke.

"I am Highwind. Eight of the Voyager-class of reinforced transport ships."

The room was silenced by her proclamation. Dr. Lisana was looking at Highwind with concern, the master and apprentice pair both looked at each other with confusion, but the most interesting reaction was by Cpt. Bernie who looked confused as well, at first. But his confused look morphed into a thoughtful frown before looking her seriously, with me able to see the glimmer of some hope in his eyes.

"Highwind... what did I say the first time I stepped onto the bridge?"

My fellow shipgirl looked excited at his question, and she quickly answered when he finished. "You told me you'll make sure I'll be well cared for and that in turn you wished for me to do the same. That was eight years ago, captain!"

My she's a lucky one, to have a captain who cares for her so. And judging by the now happy smile adorning the captain's face nothing much has changed. Cpt. Bernie chuckled aloud then, before he went down to kneel before Highwind and offered her an open hand.

"I believe you. It is an honor to finally meet you properly, Highwind." Awww, how sweet! I must have been grinning widely at the scene before me, seeing my fellow shipgirl smile with such happiness as she grasped the offered hand.

"M-me too, captain. I feel the same!" She then pushed herself off the bed towards him, and the good captain laughingly caught her in a hug. "You're the best captain I've ever had!"

"I'm the only captain you've ever had."

I stood up from the bed and made my way over to the wall next to Nandor, to give the two some more space to properly get together. When I made it there the aspiring huntsman leaned over to whisper to me. "Uhhh, are you believing all of this?"

I smirked down at him, I being half a head taller needing me to do that. "The whole ships having spirits thing? Way I see it Remnant is already filled with crazy, impossible stuff. What's one more?"

He didn't have anything to say about that.

"Captain Bernie, I'm so happy my boilers feel like they're about to burst!"

"Please don't Highwind, won't that aggravate your wounds? Or are they called damages?"

"Some time in the drydocks will fix them."

A.N. - I feel like something is missing. Or lacking. Hope I wrote this well.

BTW I decided that, due to magical ASB isekai magic, Iowa now runs on Dust fuel. What kind? Fire and Water Dust. How much? Several tonnes.

Now how will she replenish fuel she uses up, much less the ammunition types that do not exist in Remnant? I'm more inclined to give her the ability to replenish her stores the kanmusu way: eating five large families worth of food or more. Of course, she could resupply the old fashioned way by grabbing the crates but that'll make her depended on Dust supplies (Sneaky Schnees).

What are your thoughts on that?

A.N. 2 - Highwind's look: https/sun6-22./impf/c849424/v849424807/18da30/KJrCadgOnt0.jpg?size=754x1080quality=96sign=4fba1c5ce1e4c09974e53b7661295aaac_uniq_tag=PfWbkpxxYDBCql9YFiRPdKef_Le9tKEXwF-QKHgZbQItype=album