piratejournal | [written]

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[written]

[private to Howling Sabers]

Murderess: two points.

1. There is a lot of talk about this Navy ball in the Corsair Kingdom. I believe it would be a good opportunity to gather information, or at least listen to what is being said within the Navy. Who among you can handle subterfuge?

2. We are running low on everything except what we can catch or collect in buckets. We're nowhere close to Empieza and restocking yet. Be careful with what you take from the stores, or I'll start requiring shared meals crew-wide.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A ball? Really? They have those here? With dancing and all that? We had a ball at school last year over the winter hols!

[Sorry, you wanted to go for an actual serious reason?]

I assume that's what they're talking about on the journals. Are you familiar with this sort of tradition, then?

Yes, very. Though I imagine being something more official and for a military force like the Navy, this will be quite a bit more posh than some silly school dance.

What can you tell me about how they usually run? Even if it will be more formal, some preparation is better than none.

I've never run one, only attended. It's fairly simple on that end. You show up, you dance, you eat, you go home -- or back to your dormitory, as the case may be. There's usually a band, and often buffet tables with refreshments and smallish, easy things to eat. Unless there's a sit-down dinner beforehand, but that would draw the evening out.

I see. [That sounds easy enough to infiltrate, and will likely be in a room large enough that there will be multiple exit points.] This one is likely to end in trouble. You'll be staying on board?

[There's a beat, and then Draco answers like the mere thought is crazy.]

Are you mad? It's a bloody ball, I'm not missing that! You can't possibly expect me to pass up the chance of fancy clothes and first class food, mate.

[Is Draco serious -- no, he's always serious when it's inconvenient.]

And what are you going to do when fancy clothes become a hindrance when the fighting starts?

Why would they become a hindrance?

[It's not like Draco's fighting style (if it can even be called that) is very mobile.]

As long as I can reach my wand, I'll be fine.

[TOTALLY UNCONCERNED.]

... when you need to run for safety, I mean. [Deadpan and not even intended as an insult so much as a statement of fact. Sorry, Draco.]

Unless you're able to use some kind of teleportation magic.

No... Not yet. I'm working on it, but to be honest I'm a little wary about testing it around you lot because I doubt you've any idea what to do when somebody gets splinched.

But no matter! I can camouflage myself and in case you've somehow managed to forget since January, I'm not entirely useless.

[HMPH.]

... what is splinching? [The way Draco says it makes it sound like something of considerable concern.]

Are you capable of illusionary arts?

Ah... When you Apparate -- that is, disappear from one place and appear in another, I think I've told you about it before -- if you don't do it properly you can accidentally leave parts of your body behind. That's why you're supposed to pass an exam and get your license before you can Apparate without supervision.

I am! I showed your friend the other day, the one with the ghastly pink hair. [Sakura, he does know her name.] I just taught myself that spell recently.

[Leave pieces of your body behind -- Sasuke stares at the journal, then at his hand holding it, for a minute before responding.]

Your magic sounds like it could be more practical if you used it to learn our chakra techniques.

I wouldn't have any idea how to even begin going about learning to do that.

Anyway, it's easy once you master it. So I'm told. Not everything can be simple right from the get-go.

If you can learn to shape your magic without using the stick, it would be a start.

If it's that easy for you to master, though, you should get to mastering it.

I like the stick. It completes me.

I said it's easy once you master it. And I'm working on it! It's coming along...

I still don't see why you're not concerned someone might break it or something.

Is that what those books were for?

Because no one is going to get their hands on it and also it's got an anti-breaking spell attached to it.

[LIES BUT......that's actually brilliant, why doesn't that exist? There's an awkward kind of pause as Draco questions that for a moment, and then he's speaking again.]

The spellbooks? Yes, partly. So I could learn that and every other spell we were supposed to cover over the next few years.

[Sounds convenient and makes sense. Sasuke has no reason to question that.]

You got them a while ago. How's your progress?

It's coming along. I pick up new spells every day, it's the big things that need work. Like Apparition. Though, I might have to see if I can get some potions supplies from Miss Margie because there's a lot I could be making that would be useful.

We're not exactly rich right now. Unless you can create gold with magic, we'll have to scavenge ingredients if we can.

...Well. [Actually...] The goblins in my world would know it's counterfeit straight away, but I suppose here they wouldn't really be able to tell, would they? Not quickly.

[The ... goblins. Right, Sasuke isn't even going to touch that.]

You mean like an illusion?

Yes, exactly. Or I could just transform some rocks into something that looks like gold. Easier yet, I could duplicate the coins they use here.

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