As the car made its way down the winding road toward the docks, August continued to peer searchingly at me. No, peer wasn't the right word. Her eyes bored into me as if she was trying to scry my very soul. After a few minutes of her silent staring, I broached the subject. "Something I can help you with?"

"Just pondering," she smiled coyly. "Wondering what sort of tricks you have up your sleeve for 'tonight'."

"Well, I'll let you get back to pondering then," I smiled politely and went back to looking out the window. I tried to keep the smug smile from my face, lest she caught sight of it in the window's reflection. Likewise, I tried not to look back to see her own reaction. If she wanted resistance, she was going to get it. Besides, I wanted it to be a surprise for her.

As it turned out, I wouldn't have to turn around to gauge her response. She chuckled softly and I heard her robes rustle as she shifted in her seat. "Beginning to finally fight back, are we?" she purred. "Good. Struggle, knowing it is all for naught." She leaned over, draping herself over me as she whispered softly into my ear. "In the end, we both know the same thing: You. Are. Mine."

I tried to suppress the shudder that ran down my spine as her soft, sultry voice had its desired effect. Unfortunately, with August pressed so close against me, there was no hiding from her. She giggled softly into my ear before she withdrew. "The crack continues to widen," she grinned.

"Yeah, well, one of these days I'm going to find out what makes you melt and then you'll be in real trouble," I harumphed, much to her amusement.

"I eagerly await the day when you challenge me," she declared as she leaned back in her seat. "I only hope it's soon…"

The car rolled to a stop and we both looked out of our respective windows. "We're here," August announced as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Come, my familiar, let me show you the power of the Iron Blood up close."

"Not your familiar," I grumbled, but I nevertheless unbuckled and followed her out of the car. Once I was out, I found myself looking up at a sizeable aircraft carrier, almost as big, if not bigger than any of the Essex-class back home. Aside from her size, there was one thing that struck me as unusual: her island. It seemed almost like it was unfinished, it had a long base that was two decks high with her tall, thin funnel and what looked like two crow's nests jutting out of it. "Interesting island design," I commented. "Any reason why the island isn't built up higher like most other navies?"

"Saves weight," she smiled. "Less weight on the island, more features we can put in to launch and recover aircraft faster."

"Such as?"

"If I went over them, we would be here all day and all night, and I believe you have more pressing things you'd like to take a look at today," she deftly deferred.

While I was genuinely curious, she was right, I was here to see the 110 and 109 and I had plans for us that evening. After all the work I put into it, I certainly had no intention of abandoning it. Besides, there would be time later, certainly. "Good point," I conceded. "Lead on, then."

As we stepped out onto the flight deck, the first thing I noticed was the row after row of BF-110s crammed together on the flight deck. While not as packed as, say, Hornet's B-25s, it certainly didn't leave much space between the individual aircraft. The 110s had to be offset, and even then, the wingtips of one nearly touched the fuselage of another. "Damn, not a lot of space," I quietly commented as I began to walk around the nearest 110, one of the black and red ones. I noticed a torpedo slung underneath and glanced back at August. "I take it the black and grey ones are your bombers?"

"Very astute," she praised me as she watched me examine the aircraft. "The torpedo bombers are the C model, and the dive bombers are the G model."

I glanced at the spinners on the 110 I was inspecting and saw they were the type used on the early models of the plane. "Why the difference? Why not use the G for both?"

"No real performance difference," she shrugged. "Once the torpedo bombers have dropped their payload, they simply head for home. At that low altitude, they are ill-equipped for dogfighting or shooting down enemy attack aircraft, who would be attacking from higher altitudes anyway."

I raised an eyebrow at the implication. "And your dive bombers can?"

"Dogfight?" She smiled ruefully and shook her head. "Not really. But they can take on enemy attack craft that they may encounter on the way back."

Again, I'd read reports of using the 110 as a heavy fighter to savage large, multi-engine bombers, but I was still skeptical of its overall effectiveness as such. "What about taking on attack craft with a full payload?"

August emphatically shook her head. "I would not attempt such a foolhardy assault. While it still handles well, the payload makes it hard to quickly maneuver."

"Duly noted," I nodded. "The G also has more cannons, right?"

"Correct," she confirmed with a smile. "The machine guns are replaced with twenty-millimeter cannons, giving the G more forward firepower." Doubtless, she saw the look on my face and knew the answer when she asked the inevitable question. "Which one would you like to begin training on, Commander?"

"The G," I answered, and her smile grew.

"I suspected as much," she said as she strode past me, guiding me through the maze of planes toward the 110Gs. "Besides, torpedo bombing is a very tricky, and dangerous, role. No sense in asking you to try something so complex before you've learned the basics first. And once you've mastered flying without my help, you could also try a solo flight in a 109."

Her offer intrigued me. While I hadn't expressed any interest in flying the 109, it was still a magnificent aircraft and I would have been delighted to fly it as a final test of my abilities. It also brought a question bubbling up to the surface of my mind as I looked around. "Where are the 109s?"

She chuckled softly and took me by the hand, leading me past more of the larger aircraft until we made our way through and we came face-to-face with one of the BF-109s. The first thing that struck me was the size difference between the two aircraft. Compared to the 110, the 109 was tiny. It was a small airframe, even stacked against other fighters like the F4F and F4U. But I had no illusions as to the maneuverability and lethality of this plane. "Is it standard practice to keep them all in the back like this?" I asked as I looked around.

August smiled and shook her head. "No, I usually have the fighters up first in the event they need to scramble. But since you expressed such admiration and interest in the 110, I had those moved up front. Would you like to take a closer look at the aircraft you'll be training on?"

"Absolutely," I beamed, much to her delight as she gestured to the 110 that was parked next to the 109 we were standing by.

"Climb aboard, then," she commanded as she pointed to the ladder just aft of the wing root.

"Aye aye," I grinned as I clambered up, carefully making my way up the wing until I was at the cockpit. For a second, I looked around for a way to slide it open before I remembered the 110 had a unique way of getting in and out. "Right," I muttered to myself as I unlatched the top panel and pulled it up before lowering one of the side panels. Once I was sure everything was secure, I carefully climbed into the cockpit and dropped myself into the seat.

"Seems a bit low," I called out to her as she gracefully slipped into the gunner's seat behind me.

"You're not wearing a parachute," she explained as she slid behind me, leaning against the radio to get as close to me as possible. "You'll be more comfortable once you're in full flight gear. Slightly more comfortable, at least."

"I see," I nodded slowly as I continued to look around at the gauges and dials. "I don't see anything for the engines here."

I could hear the smile in her voice as she replied. "Look at the engine."

I turned, looked over, and saw the gauges for the engine were actually on the engine itself. "That's an interesting design choice. Nice way to free up space in the cockpit, though. Also, looks like I'm going to have to learn a little German."

"A few words, and I'm sure you can guess at some of them," she reassured me. "I have faith in you."

As easy as it would have been to make a sarcastic quip, I could hear the genuine encouragement in her voice and I turned as best I could to give her a smile. "Thanks, that means a lot. Now, how do we start our first lesson…?"

With the setting sun suffusing everything with a golden light, the car made its way back up the mountain. Once again, August peered searchingly at me, the unspoken question hanging in the air.

"Not yet," I answered with a playful smile. "But soon."

"If the hour is almost upon us, then what harm is there in telling me?" she coyly asked.

"It'd ruin the surprise," I replied with a playful grin. "Besides, I need to check on a few things before tonight."

The car stopped in front of the castle, and I waited for August to exit before I leaned over and shut the door behind her. She spun around, genuine surprise in her eyes and I savored the feeling of finally getting the drop on her for a change. "Don't worry," I called out through the open window. "Like I said, I've got to check on a few things, but the car will be back when I'm ready for you."

Her surprise was swiftly replaced by a smile as she leaned through the window. Her gloved hand reached in and gently cupped my cheek. "Do not leave me waiting for too long, my familiar." Her hand withdrew and she stepped back from the car, allowing us to head down the mountain and toward the village. I tried to calm the butterflies in my stomach as I hoped that Z24 was correct and everything was prepared…

"And how does it fit?"

Rolf, the tailor, waited patiently for my response as I made sure the suit fit. "Absolutely perfect," I declared with a smile. "Did an outstanding job, sir."

"Danke schön," the elderly gentleman replied with a slight bow. "Will you be wanting to change back into your, ah…uniform?"

"No, thank you," I shook my head as I stepped away from the mirrors. "I'm headed to a date tonight, and I'd like to look a little more presentable than a flight suit and boots."

Rolf's eyes lit up at the mention of a date. "Oh, how wonderful!" he declared as he bundled the flight suit in with the other garments I'd ordered. "And who might this lucky lady be?"

"The Lady of the Castle, August von Parseval," I answered quietly and braced for his reaction.

His eyes flicked up from the bag to me, then his eyebrow slowly raised as he looked me up and down. "The unhulde?"

"Y-yes," I answered, suddenly caught off guard. "I didn't think anyone here referred to her by that title."

Rolf shook his head and waived his hand dismissively. "Oh, the kids here like to pretend they're all about science and logic, but when you get to my age, you realize that magic's still around if you know where to look. Still, you're a brave man. Which one of you made the first move?"

"She did."

"Ah, brave and lucky," he grinned. "If you want my advice, be yourself, be honest, and follow your heart. The first two are pretty easy, but you wouldn't believe the number of people who have problems with the last one. Always an excuse with them why they couldn't follow it. 'Oh, it's too hard. Oh, my job is too important.' Bah! But you're not here to listen to an old man ramble. Here." He forcefully shoved the bag into my hands and patted me on the shoulder. "Now get out there and go get her. Good luck!"

"Thanks, Rolf," I chuckled and nodded my thanks to him as I left the store. From there, it was only a short walk to the bistro where our table was waiting. I dropped off the bags with the owner before I was led upstairs to the private table they were holding for us. I took a seat and wondered how long I would be waiting for August to arrive. As it turned out, I wasn't going to have to wait for long.

Almost as soon as I'd taken my seat, the waitress led in August and my jaw hit the floor as soon as I saw her. She'd practically poured herself into a black velvet evening gown that hugged every curve of her as she moved. "I..you're…wow," I breathed as I numbly stood up from my chair. "How did you…?"

"I scried the future using my powers," she answered with a straight face, and when she saw the astonished look on my face, she giggled and shook her head. "I made a reasonable guess that you wanted to take me on a 'proper date'."

"Good guess," I said, finally finding my voice again as my less primitive brain functions re-engaged. "You look fantastic, by the way."

"Thank you," she smiled warmly as she took her seat. "And just so you know, this was an actual guess. I tried to get information out of Z24, but she proved uncharacteristically recalcitrant."

"Oh, I paid her off," I remarked as I sat down across from her. "One black forest cake up front, and another when the date's over, regardless of how it ends."

She laughed and shook her head. "An interesting solution," she conceded. "It would seem I'm not the only one who can find people's weak spots."

"It's the quiet ones you've got to watch out for," I shrugged as I leaned back in my chair.

August leaned forward, her eyes mischievously drinking me in. "So what you're saying is that I should surprise you from now on? No more warnings, just wait for you to crumble on your own?"

"And deprive ourselves of some fun banter?" I smirked. "Perish the thought."

"Ah, so you do enjoy it," she grinned, and I let out a groan as I realized she'd played me yet again. Managed to take charge for all of five minutes, go me.

"Yeah, well, don't let the word out," I grumbled.

"Oh, I think they'll know one way or another when you finally realize your place is at my side," she purred. "But until then, I'll keep them guessing."

"You know," I began, trying to play it cool, "You've never really explained what being your familiar entails, or what you plan to do with me once I've 'crumbled'. I'm curious, what does being your familiar entail?"

For a second, she hesitated, almost frozen. Just a half-second, but enough for me to realize that something was off. Was this all talk? Nothing more than a boastful brag to cow me into submission? Or was there something more to this?

"I told you," she replied, her voice low and sultry, "You'll find out in due time."

I raised an eyebrow and leaned in, keeping my voice quiet. "Even now, as I'm on the verge of being broken by you? Let's not kid ourselves here, you've got me right where you want me. So why not finish it?" As I stared into those beautiful eyes, it came to me. "...you want me to struggle, don't you? You love the resistance, the fight, the hunt itself rather than its end."

Her smile faded for a moment, and I could see my accusations struck home. But almost as soon as it left, it returned, proud and triumphant. "I do," she whispered. "If I break you now, what will be left? Just a quiet life, no struggle, no triumphs, no fear of failure. Perhaps one day, you and I will retire to some quiet place and simply enjoy our life together, but that is not today, that is not now. I hunger for you, but I want to savor every last bit of you. So yes, I will toy with you the way a cat toys with a mouse before she makes a meal of him."

Now it was my turn to grin triumphantly. "Of course, you do realize the risk in not defeating someone quickly, don't you?"

"Oh? And what's that?"

"You run the risk of having the tables turned on you."

She grinned wolfishly and leaned in. "I would love to see you try…"

"You're on."

A/N-Wheeeeee! In other news, the poll to see who will be next is now up, you can find the link on my Twitter page( admiral_fluffy). Contenders are Dido, Gangut, U-47, Musashi, and Yorktown II/Broken Wings vol 2! Currently, it's between Musashi and Yorktown, with 9 and 10 votes respectively. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!