A Nascent Kaleidoscope.-Chapter 601:

They named the Cactus.

The Cactus was now Hubert.

Orihime just told her as if it were a matter of fact that the Cactus should have a name, and Jeanne believed her.

I shook my head and watched as the others came over.

"Schweinorg-kun~" Urahara greeted me, his fan out, waving happily.

"Urahara." My lips thinned, not because I dislike him, but because I felt like I would want to hit the hat off his head any moment.

But before he could say another word, Tessai put a hand on top of his head and smooshed his face right into the ground. "Scheinworg-dono." He greeted me politely, despite holding the struggling Urahara against the dirt.

"Hello, Tessai." I smiled back. "How have you been?"

"I've been well." He returned with the same polite tone. "It is too early for a check-up on my patient, have you returned for a different matter?"

"Speaking of his patient –" Urahara tried to speak, but Tessai just smashed his face into the ground, his expression never changing.

"I came for something else. I needed to borrow Orihime, actually. Someone lost an arm, and I owe them a bit of a debt." Normally, I would ask Artoria and use Avalon, but she's still busy.

Tessai nodded in understanding.

"Hey yo, bastard, you can't just waltz in and grab Orihime when it's convenient for you!" Ichigo came stomping over, hearing my conversation.

It's not like I was keeping it a secret or being discreet. However, I just completely ignored him. "Chad, Uryu." I greeted his two other friends. "You both have gotten stronger." I could sense their Reiatsu; it's quite a bit higher than before.

"It's thanks to my training." Yoruichi hopped onto Ichigo's head just as the kid was going to throw a 'tantrum.'. He didn't actually seem upset or angry; it's more like his default response when being protective.

He fumed a little, arms crossed with his normal scowl.

I patted Chad's shoulder. "I bet you can throw one hell of a punch now."

Chad smiled and blinked as if remembering something. "I forgot to return this." He handed me the ring I gave him awhile ago.

I looked at it nostalgically; it had really been a while ago; a lot of things happened since then. Honestly, it wasn't that impressive of a Mystic Code I picked up in Skyrim. Sure, it was quite good, but it's not something I couldn't make myself.

It essentially just increased your speed to a certain extent.

Unfortunately, it's not a game where it would be like you move 50% faster regardless of any other parameters. Mystic codes of this variety have an upper limit on what they can do unless they break through certain levels of crafting.

"Has it stopped being effective?" I asked him curiously.

Chad nodded. "I don't feel it anymore."

"Have you been speed training?"

"The basics." Yoruichi chimed in. "I've been trying to teach him Shunpo, but it's not easy."

"Fascinating." I rubbed my chin. "So in likelihood your Reiatsu acclimatized to your physical abilities amplified by the Ring. Like a balloon that was stretched out, the air—your Reiatsu – filled it naturally."

"Ara ara, Schweinorg-kun, you have a good mind." Urahara slapped his fan against his palm. "I had the same thought."

"It's because he's a living body compared to a spirit, isn't it?" I said thoughtfully.

"Exactly~" He smiled happily. "A living person's body limits their soul. But if you pull on the container in certain ways, their spiritual aspect has to accommodate it. Of course, this only works when you have a human with such high Reiatsu like Chad here."

"That sounds a lot like Kaido in how it works." They heal the soul, and they even can heal physical beings because the soul and body are so interconnected. I glanced at Ichigo. "You look like you have something you want to say, Strawberry. Is it about Orihime?"

"No, well, yes." He blew out of his nostrils. "But it's something different. How come Chad can't learn Shunpo?"

"Come again?"

"Yoruichi said that he can't learn it."

Yoruichi smacked his head. "No, you idiot, I said that he can't adapt to it."

"What's the difference?" Ichigo huffed. "He learned it, didn't he? He's a living person, I think." Ichigo gestured to me.

"I cheated." I said it outright. "Don't use me as a measuring stick. For him, it's a difficult ladder to climb. For me, it was a lateral step that I only needed to work out." I glanced at Chad, who looked stoic, but there was a flicker of something, like he wanted answers too. "I think I may understand the problem."

"What, you think you can teach better than me?" Yoruichi hopped onto my shoulder. "Don't forget who taught you." She swatted at my head playfully.

"I think you're used to teaching people who can pick it up without issue, at least eventually. I had plenty of problems on my end that I had to work out myself too; don't' forget that. At the end of the day, Shunpo is a movement technique designed for Shinigami by Shinigami."

"Sonido or Hirenkyaku?" Urahara casually asked.

I grunted. "Right, you would understand."

"Ara, Yoruichi won't let me meddle even though I already had thoughts about this." He hummed playfully.

"I don't understand." Ichigo frowned.

"I'll dumb it down. Chad is probably just not suited for Shunpo; he should try either Sonido or Hirenkyaku." I shrugged. "Though, I don't think he's suited for Hirenkyaku either; he might have more difficulty with it to be honest. The three movement techniques, from what I was told and understand, Hirenkyaku is the slowest—"

"Is that a challenge?" Uryu interrupted, pushing his glasses up.

"Oh, don't start, Mr. Quincy Pride." I rolled my eyes. "Let me rephrase. If everything were equal, Hirenkyaku would be the slowest. However, it's the most versatile. Think, turning and changing directions. It has the other two thoroughly beat in those departments. If it assuages your pride, I'll call it the most elegant of the three."

Uryu let out an hmph, but he didn't interrupt me again.

"Right, and for Shunpo, it's the most practical. It's neither the fastest nor as versatile. It's made for a military force. Are you following along so far?" I looked at Ichigo as I was given this impromptu lesson with all of them listening.

Jesus, I wasn't even supposed to be an expert here. But maybe because of that, I could explain it better than literal geniuses in the field.

"I got it. What about Sonido? It's what the Hollows use, right?"

"Yeah, Sonido. Sonido is the most…." I tapped my chin. "Aggressive of the three, but also the most simple. Think of it this way: if Hirenkyaku were a person, they would be the sophisticated and elegant sort, fanciful but with depth, the nobleman. Shunpo would be the military person, obviously. Very practical and direct in its uses without any superfluous nonsense. Sonido would be the thug. The kind of person that would break your legs for not repaying a debt. It's aggressive and much more overbearing than Shunpo. Out of the three, when moving from point A to point B, it's the fastest. However, it also has the least amount of versatility."

Ichigo turned to Yoruichi. "Why have you never explained it that easily?"

"Because I didn't think you were that much of an idiot, but I guess that's my fault." Yoruichi sighed in exasperation.

"But keep in mind, that's in a vacuum. Yoruichi here isn't going to lose out against a Hollow in pure speed despite what I said." I gestured to her.

"Damn right." Yoruichi nodded enthusiastically.

"So I should learn Sonido?" Chad asked,.

"I don't think it would hurt, but also…" I scratched my head. "Does anyone here actually know how to use it?"

Ichigo slowly raised his hand. "My Hollow said he knows it."

"That sounds kind of ominous. Don't worry, the soul-eating monster inside my soul knows it."

"Shut up." He huffed. "Now, tell me what you want Orihime for; you're not allowed to just use her because she'll agree with anything."

Ah, there's that protective side.

I pat him on the head, much to his chagrin. "Don't worry yourself, Strawberry, unlike certain people—" I glared at the Shinigami who were silently waiting at the side while we were talking. "I'm not going to take advantage of her. I will, of course, be compensating her for her time and effort. And I'm not going to twist her arm either, I do have a backup, but they're just busy at the moment so I came here."

He scowled, but it was a different scowl. He was a person who had different scowls for different emotions.

I think he relented. "Thanks for taking care of her; she's been talking nonstop about her visit to Kyoto. She's never gotten to do something like that before." He grunted it out.

"Tell that to Izzy; she's the one who adores Orihime." Not that I don't either. But Izzy has been doting on her quite a bit.

It was funny to watch them collectively stiffen at the mention of Izzy.

"By the way, where's your girlfriend?"

"Rukia isn't my girlfriend!"

"Hmm, odd that you immediately assumed I was speaking about Rukia."

"Wait, tell him what happened!" Yoruichi jumped onto Ichigo's head.

"Shut up!" Ichigo grabbed her and threw her across the canyon with some impressive strength, only for her to reappear a moment later.

"It's hilarious, so picture this. Someone spread rumors that Rukia is pregnant, and guess who the father is."

".....no."

Yoruichi started laughing. "It wasn't even me! Someone else did it. And now little Byakuya won't leave her alone, and I heard he's been threatening to force Ichigo to marry her now that his precious sister is 'ruined' by him."

Ichigo turned bright red, huffing indignantly.

It took a lot of effort to keep my face straight. But I put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Do you want advice on being a father?"

"Raaah!" Ichigo finally flipped out and started throwing rather large rocks at both of us.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Uryu push his glasses up with a smirk.

Cheeky little bastard.

"Ahem."

We stopped our shenanigans as one of the shinigami very blatantly cleared his throat.

"Captain Hitsugaya, right?" I think he was on the tenth squad?

He gave a curt nod. "You mentioned…is she coming?"

"No need to get the brown pants; Izzy isn't coming for the moment." I informed him, and it seemed like they collectively relaxed again. "Why, is there anything important I should pass on?"

He shook his head. "Just…cautious."

"Well, I have a question if you don't mind."

"Ask." He said bluntly.

"Why are you all stronger?"

"Pardon?" He seemed confused.

"Maybe I could have asked that better; let me rephrase. You all are…old, not in a rude way. Shinigami are beings that live a long time, and to reach your positions, it takes time. Why is it that in the span of however long it's been since I've last been around here, you are all noticeably stronger?" It's rather easy to gauge someone's strength just by the feel of their Reiatsu.

I can't say it's 100% certain, but I could get a rough feel for it.

"I'd throw in Strawberry too, but he seems more an outlier." I gestured to Ichigo. "I have a feeling he's going to be on an upward climb for a long time."

Because he was also noticeably stronger than last time. That kid is going to be a monster by the time he tops out.

"Yeah, that's right, and just wait until I can kick your ass." He preened happily. "And don't call me strawberry."

The Shinigami awkwardly looked at each other.

"What an interesting question, Schweinorg-kun." Urahara spoke up as the others looked a bit too embarrassed to answer. "It's as you say; as long-lived beings, some things are looked at from a different perspective. Many of the Shinigami that hold seated positions never experienced a conflict more than the occasional Menos running around."

"Stagnant water rots, huh?" I could understand now. It's just that they've been in a peaceful state for so long and never had the 'need' to push themselves before. There's training, and then there's training for survival. "Oh well, it's not really my place to say anything. Besides that, since I'm here, why not fill me in on what's been happening real quick?"

"Don't plan on staying long?" Yoruichi asked, catching my meaning that this was just a quick pitstop.

"I'm busy with some things; I just came over for Orihime." I didn't hide it.

"We've been ordered to assist in any way we can." Captain Hitsugaya let out a small sigh. "If it's just reports you want, that's simple enough."

"I don't need a full-on report, but the thought is appreciated. Just a quick summary." I do like to be kept in the loop.

"Not much has happened since you left, honestly." Yoruichi ignored him and started going on herself. "A few little fights here or there, but no one has committed yet."

Captain Hitsugaya breathed out in irritation. "There have been twelve hollow attacks of Adjucha or Arrancar. And there have also been three instances of fights involving Quincys."

"It seems like everyone's just slightly poking each other, waiting for someone else to start something." Yoruichi chimed in again.

The side that starts is probably going to be at a disadvantage. But the longer things take, the better spot Soul Society will be in. However, I have no idea if the other sides are also growing at the same rate.

So, who knows what's going on?

"Oh, and there's the thing with the Captain Commander." Yoruichi excitedly slapped Ichigo's head from where she was standing, much to his annoyance. "Apparently Shunsui gave him something, and there are rumors that he lost a bunch of wrinkles and even had a few strands of black hair in his beard."

…I did give him a bottle of my wine, didn't I? And I did tell him to share it with the Old Man. Didn't think it would have that much of an effect, but who knows with Shinigami physiology?

Huh.

"Wil~" Jeanne ambushed me. "Orihime said she'll help." She grabbed onto my arm with a big smile on her face.

"Kurosaki-kun, I'm going to go visit America!" Orihime did the same thing to Ichigo.

Well, it looks like Jeanne convinced her. Though I imagine the entire 'convincing' equated to just asking her, and she agreed.

And I'm not going to be a hypocrite or a liar; I would happily pay her for her help.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

"If there's nothing else important, I'll have her back by dinner at the latest." I offered.

"There is one thing." Urahara spoke up. "If I could just get some of the young lady's blood—"

Ichigo kicked him right in the face. "That's fine. Have fun, Orihime." He put on a smile, despite stomping on Urahara.

"Just a little bit of blood; her Reiatsu is so strange; I want to study it~"

"Bye, Urahara." I waved to him as Jeanne just looked at him strangely.

"Alright, don't be a stranger." Yoruichi waved her little paw from atop Ichigo's head; no one was concerned about Urahara being beaten.

I gave my last goodbyes before taking both Orihime and Jeanne away.

@****@

"They seemed nice." Jeanne beamed.

"They're really nice!" Orihime agreed as we stepped out of the portal. "Yoruichi even lets me rub her belly."

"Aww, it looked so soft." Jeanne cooed.

Well, no one really bothered with Jeanne. They all seemed to notice something strange with her, if their looks were something to go by. But after the whole Izzy thing, I think they were being…politely distant.

Well, it hasn't even been that long since they discovered that they had a goddess walking among them, so I couldn't blame them for their attitudes.

It's good to know that nothing bad has happened yet. I suspected as much considering that Yoruichi hadn't called me, but it's good to double check.

"What happened here?" Orihime looked around. "Did something bad happen?"

"Ah…there was a bit of fighting, and the town got a little bit destroyed." Jeanne said sadly. "But it's okay; I don't think anyone was too badly hurt!" Jeanne perked up.

Yeah, Jeanne would have been much less upbeat if things had gone badly. I'm fairly sure there weren't any deaths based on my own spellcasting?

But as soon as we arrived, there were plenty of eyes on us. Perhaps they were warned of our sudden arrival because the people who looked like government agents didn't come out immediately to harass us.

"Mr. Coulson!" Jeanne was the first to spot them. "And Sif."

They were talking between themselves, perhaps something political based on the expressions they had.

But it was obvious that Thor hadn't returned yet, so they were probably just trying to keep everything going smoothly without causing any more incidents.

"Princess." Sif greeted her back. "I was not aware you were departing so quickly; I was concerned at your abrupt departure."

"Oh…right, I'm sorry, I should have said goodbye first; I was rude." Jeanne responded quickly.

Sif, though, softened a little. "You need not worry; you are a Midgardian, this is Midgard; it is not my place to tell you where you can and cannot go."

"Miss Jeanne." Coulson politely greeted her.

"This is my friend Orihime." Jeanne gestured to her. "She's really good at healing, and she said she'll help heal your arm, Mr. Coulson."

"A friend of the princess is welcomed." Sif stated,. "Well met, mortal."

"Hello, I'm Orihime Inoue." She returned the polite greeting with a slight bow of her head. "Are you a goddess too?"

"Too?" Sif quirked an eyebrow, looking at Jeanne then back to Orihime. "Have you met a goddess before?"

"Yes!" Orihime smiled brightly, matching Jeanne's own. "Miss Izzy is very nice to me and helps me a lot."

Sif turned to me questioningly.

"What, do you think you Asgardians are the only gods around?" I rolled my eyes. It's like she never even considered the possibility.

Sif seemingly didn't know what to say to that.

"That's a statement I wouldn't mind some context for, but I believe I am utterly lost." Coulson spoke up. "I'm afraid I don't speak Japanese beyond a couple of phrases."

I blinked in realization. "I completely forgot about that."

Sif pursed her lips. "I often forget that mortals cannot communicate as easily."

"Oh, should I speak English? I'm not very good at it." Orihime asked,. "Hallo, I this Orihime." She spoke in broken English.

Though, no one made fun of her. "Hello, I am Coulson." He replied to her in equally broken Japanese. I don't think he even knew the word for 'agent,' so he just went with his last name.

Orihime, though, smiled brightly despite it.

"Let me help you." I hummed, looking through my ring, and I found a brush and some washable ink. "Don't worry, this won't leave a mark." I lightly dipped the brush and then slowly drew a few Runes on her forehead after moving her bangs out of the way. It was a simple Runic sequence to pass on knowledge—if only temporary.

"Your knowledge of Runes is surprising." Sif gave me another scrutinizing gaze.

"That tickles." Orihime giggled.

Coulson perked up. "Well, I believe the problem has been corrected. Nice to meet you again. I am Agent Phil Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D." Coulson properly introduced himself this time.

Orihime clapped her hands. "Oh, I can understand you now! I'm Orihime Inoue! If it's alright, I'll heal your arm, Mr. Coulson!"

"Healing limbs is no easy feat." Sif spoke up. "Are you sure you are up to the task?"

"She can do it; she's very good at healing." Jeanne nodded her head in place of Orihime.

"Well, it's not like I have much to lose. I don't believe I can lose this arm again if something goes wrong." Coulson chuckled. "And I thank you regardless of what happens, young lady. How would you like me to proceed? Do you need medical equipment?"

"Oh no, just right there is fine." Orihime didn't even blink, holding her hand up towards his missing arm. "Sōten Kisshun—I reject." Her hairpiece glowed, and two figures shot off it, forming a shield-like construct around Coulson's arm.

Visible to the naked eye, the pieces of Coulson's arm began to reappear.

Neither Coulson nor Sif could hide their astonishment. And especially Sif; she was looking at the scene in utter shock.

Honestly, even for me, it was something utterly absurd to witness. Mostly because I knew exactly how it worked, which just further made it absurd.

To be able to overturn cause and effect, to pick a piece and reject the causality distortion. Everything happened; all the sequences of events line up, yet she basically told the world that he didn't lose his arm, despite everything screaming to the contrary.

To be honest, it borders heavily on several concepts monopolized by True Magic.

I'm honestly thankful that Orihime is such a sweet and kind girl. The things she could do with her powers were frightening if she were malevolent.

It didn't take long for Coulson's arm to return.

Full flesh and blood, without any scar or indication it was ever gone in the first place.

"Do you still get to apply for worker's comp even if you got your arm healed?" I tried my best to break the awkward tension.

Coulson shook his head and fixed his expression back to normal. "I'm sure I'll be able to find out." He said jokingly. "Thank you very much, Miss Orihime. I won't have to retire now."

Orihime seemed completely oblivious to the tension in the air and still just looked so bright and happy. "It's no problem! If you ever need healing again, I don't mind helping."

"I'll…keep that in mind."

"You did well." Jeanne praised her excitedly. "Do you want to go meet the others too? Oh, and there are Frost Giants, they're not nice, but they're behaving now."

"How big are they?" Orihime seemed to zero in on the word 'giant'.

Jeanne silently stood up on her tiptoes and held her hand up as if to gesture their size.

Sif seemed to shake herself out of her stupor as well. "If you wish to approach the prisoners, I will stand at your guard. But I'm sure those three fools will appreciate the company while they watch over the prisoners."

The three of them happily walked towards where the Frost Giants were being kept on the other side of the block.

That left me with just Coulson.

"How's the arm feeling?"

"Like it's never been missing. I've been feeling phantom sensations the past few hours, but everything feels completely natural." Coulson replied evenly. "She is…very talented. I know a lot of people that would want to get their hands on her."

It was a warning, not a threat; I could understand that much.

"She's been all but adopted by someone that even Thor would have to be respectful to."

"Ominous." Coulson said blankly,. "I would like to discuss something, Mr. Schweinorg, if you have a moment."

"I'm not giving up my magic robot. Or the Casket." I crossed my arms.

"I wasn't going to ask that. But that is also a concern."

"....and?"

"It's fairly obvious that we cannot contain you with the abilities you displayed." He replied without a hint of emotion. "I prefer to keep a good relationship rather than grasp at something I can't have out of greed."

"It's hard to be haughty and lofty when you're being so accommodating."

"Well, I certainly apologize for doing my best to not make you my enemy."

"You're forgiven."

He smiled again, and it was different, a bit more friendly, less practiced, and more neutral. "There's an initiative, as my boss would say. An idea to bring together a group of extraordinary people to handle things that we can't."

I dropped my arms because I was taken aback by what he said. "Come again?" I was sorta confused. "Are you inviting me to a team of some sort?"

"Of some sort." He responded. "It's not a fixed thing; it's still a work in progress. Technically, more of an idea, as I said."

"You don't even know me." I pointed out.

"You willingly stepped in to protect a bunch of people you don't know." He answered in return. "That's the kind of person that would fit well with what we have in mind."

"I…." I shook my head. "Who even would be my supposed 'teammate'?"

"There are a few considerations. But they're classified, for now." He said simply.

I rubbed the temples of my head, and I had a realization; I recalled something I read before. "The Iron Man guy over in New York."

"Stark is also a consideration." Coulson didn't hide that despite his words a moment before.

I tilted my head. "They called him a 'superhero' in the newspaper." And things suddenly clicked. "Are you…putting together a superhero team?"

"If that's what you want to call it, it's not wrong." Coulson kept his face completely serious; he wasn't joking. "This isn't the first time the Earth has been threatened by something not from around here."

Jesus Christ, is this really happening? Is someone asking me to be a superhero?

"Do you even know if I'm human or not?"

"If you live here, does it matter? A home is a home." Coulson retorted.

I let out a sigh. "For the record, my mom was human, and I was born in Japan."

"I'll note that in your file."

I let out a groan and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Coulson, I'll be very blunt. I'm not a hero, much less a superhero."

"The many people that can go home to their families tonight may disagree."

I frowned, finding myself annoyed for some reason. "I'm selfish, greedy, prideful, and arrogant sometimes."

"Just wait until you meet Stark."

"I would gladly rip the still-beating heart out of someone's chest if they pissed me off enough." I said unwavering. "You want a hero? I don't even think I'm a good person. Jeanne is a good person. Orihime is a good person. I'm…I try to be decent at best."

Coulson took out a card from his pocket and handed it to me; specifically, it was his business card with his number on it and everything. He then took out a pair of sunglasses and put them on rather casually. "Maybe the world just needs more decent people?"

I sighed again, knowing I wasn't going to get the last word in here.

"Just consider it." He turned around to leave, giving a wave of his shoulder. "We'll be in touch."

I shook my head.

This was one of the strongest conversations I've ever had in my life.

A superhero?

Jesus Christ, what is wrong with this world when someone thinks I'm a good fit for that?

I relaxed slightly as a pair of arms wrapped around me from behind. "Wil, do you want to go with Orihime and me? We're going to see if we can get Orihime a Cactus too."

"I'd love to."

@***@

"Miss Jeanne, welcome back to Kamar-Taj." The Ancient One was there when we finally stepped back into the temple after dropping Orihime back home.

I basically followed Jeanne and her around for a bit as they wandered about. I wasn't going to interrupt their time hanging out like normal people their age.

"Welcome back, Wilhelm. Oh, thanks, I appreciate the consideration." I said to myself.

"I would say it's a pleasure to have you back as well, but I don't like to spread lies."

"Oh, you're funny." I snorted.

She smiled, chuckling lightly. "I am assuming that you have finished your little 'trip'?"

"It was interesting." Jeanne replied. "I do hope that the next time I visit that country, we don't have to fight anything again."

The Ancient One looked away from her gaze.

Why was I sensing some guilt from her?

Nope, for my sanity, I wasn't going to ask. Right now, I was mentally checked out.

It had been a long day.

Shit, and Ddraig hadn't even come back yet. His fake body hasn't yet collapsed; what the fuck is he doing over there?

Forget it; he's probably messing around or lazing around.

"Well, you certainly ruined any semblance of a probable future with your actions. I'm honestly impressed." The Ancient One looked at me.

I dropped two peace signs. "It's what I do."

"Oh, hush." She threw something at me, and I caught it out of instinct.

"My hat!" I exclaimed happily.

"I managed to fix it. With a surprising amount of effort, mind you."

"Thank you." I forwent any sarcasm or playfulness. I really did like the hat.

Though, I put it on Jeanne's head instead; seeing her puff up cutely was worth it.

"And you'll be happy to know that I finally finished my spell. You know, the one you hadn't even bothered to work on yourself that was entirely for your own benefit." She said dryly.

"Nice."

Jeanne slapped my shoulder. "We're thankful for your help."

"For real, thank you. I know you didn't have to do it, and I appreciate it." I wasn't going to ignore the effort she went through to help me.

"You're welcome." Her expression softened. "It was interesting, if nothing else. And if you find more than you need, well, I wouldn't be against adding some more Vibranium to our vaults."

Well, I'm not stingy to people who help me.

"What are the results?"

"About what you would expect. I did track down several significant amounts in various places in the world, based on the reaction of the spell and various rejections. Though, for the most part, I crossed them out. One of them is in a museum in England. One of them is up towards the North Pole, below an iceberg, which I prefer it to remain there for now. And a few bits and bobs in some private collections of people who don't know what they have. However, your best bet is the Gulf of Guinea, almost right at the equator, submerged in the water. I have it marked if you're interested."

"If they're things already forged, I have no interest regardless. And I'm especially not going to rob a museum; I appreciate and respect cultural history too much. If you say the Gulf of Guinea is the best bet, I'll take it at face value." And that's right off the coast of Nigeria, more or less.

A tiny bit of a hassle, but less of a hassle than trying to reforge an already forged piece of Vibranium, at least according to Gramps on the dossier he gave me regarding the metal.

He told me my best bet was finding the ore raw; it would save me a significant amount of time and effort.

"Well, Jeanne. This day has been hectic; how about we have a nice and peaceful boat ride?" I offered her my arm.

"It would be a nice way to relax after a trying day." Jeanne agreed, grabbing my arm. "And I do love seeing the ocean. I've never been on a boat like that before either."

Well, after all the nonsense before, I'm glad we can relax with something much more mundane.

A peaceful ride on my ship out into the waters, then a bit of deep-sea diving for treasure—what could possibly go wrong?

@***@

A/N

Happy Easter everyone!

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