Matou Shinji and the Price of Victory (HP/FSN CYOA)

[Dracueri]

[X]Touko underarmor
[X]The Yew and Phoenix Feather wand
[X]Potions satchel
[X]Parchment + Ink
[X]Hidden Blade

[skulkidcachi90]

[X] Touko underarmor
[X] The Yew and Phoenix Feather wand
[X] Potions satchel
[X] Parchment + Ink
[X] Hidden Blade

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 63:
[X] Touko underarmor
[X] The Yew and Phoenix Feather wand
[X] Potions satchel
[X] Parchment + Ink
[X] Hidden Blade

---

Choice 64: With the headache of investigating his squad members and preparing his loadout for the mission, Matou Shinji, in his disguise as Nines, headed to Vertic Alley for further instructions, given that the boy realized that he did not have a secure way to communicate with the First Citizen (short of borrowing Tohsaka's Owl, which he felt a bit reluctant to do after the fiasco that had occurred before his dinner with the Fujous).

'I'll want to obtain some way to do so before I head off, as it would be...unhelpful if my messages were intercepted somehow.'

Well, more than unhelpful, but he wasn't in a mood for overstating things either, not after the trouble his squadmate had already caused him

'And here I thought this year was supposed to be restful,' he thought to himself. It could hardly have been otherwise, given the year he'd had, and yet...it seemed things were to prove otherwise.

This time, as he headed in, he didn't employ the services of Jeeves, as he didn't feel like drawing attention to himself. Well, beyond whatever attention his disguise already drew, though given how busy Magical London seemed today, with a great many foreigners on the streets - some in clothes similar to his, some in odd hooded robes that reminded him of the Stone Cutters' garb, goblins in armor and other esoteric outfits, some leprechauns in green, some families in rather tattered outfits, and some witches wearing rather revealing garb as they mentioned something about a good time, it wasn't as if he stood out much.

'Busier than I expected, really. I wonder if something is about to happen...' he thought to himself. At least a number of the buildings seem to have been rebuilt, and what shops were operating again were doing a brisk business. That, and the visitors seemed friendly enough, with people and creatures giving each other small, but respectful nods. 'In the old Britain, people would have been suspicious of a stranger. Right now though...?They don't seem to mind foreigners much.'

Had Lockhart chosen to hire mercenaries for defense, or to invite displaced wizards to Britain to replace the portion of the population which had been defeated?

'Huh. I guess the covers I came up with for Tohsaka and myself will work then,' he mused as he walked into the government building, to find that it too was bustling today, with several well-armored goblins guarding the doors, as well a checkpoint that led further into the building. To his mind, they looked nothing so much as Knights - if knights carried wands, anyway.

"Wand, please," one said to him as he came to the checkpoint, with Shinji handing over his kodama wood and chimera scale wand. The wand was placed on a specialized scale, with the goblins stiffening slightly as the results were returned.

"Ah. You. You wear a different form," the head goblin on duty observed quietly.

"As does Hilde, all the time, I'm sure," the boy replied tersely. "May I go in?"

"Your business?"

"Homeguard. Here about orders."

"Ah. Yes. You will be wanting to see the Wizard-Marshal," the goblin noted. "Down the hall, second set of stairs to your right."

"Th--did you say Wizard Marshal?" the boy echoed incredulously.

"Yes. I believe you are acquainted with Lord Peverell?"

Shinji's mouth fell open, closed with a click, opened, closed, and opened again.

"...yes," he said eventually. "Second stairs to my right, you said. And then straight on, after?"

"Yes. That will take you where you need to go."

"To the office?"

"To his secretary," the goblin replied, before waving him on.

'Secretary?' Shinji wondered as he followed the goblin's instruction, eventually coming to a rather spacious second floor, an atrium of a sort, with a ring of offices around it, each guarded by a number of goblins.

'I wonder if the offices match their seats on the Round Table,' he thought, only to almost run into a stunning young woman with blue flowers woven into her white-blonde hair, wearing an exquisite ensemble of white and gold and blue that made her look most regal indeed.



Apparently, she had been walking in his direction.

"Hullo," she said, in a rather delicate voice. "You are here to see the Wizard Marshal, yes?"

"...how did you know, Miss...?" Shinji asked, rather taken aback. Of all the offices here, how would she know which one he was to be visiting?

"Miss Suoirtsulli, secretary to the First Citizen," she replied, with an elegant curtsey. "I heard it from the goblin at the checkpoint."

"Ah," Shinji uttered. That made sense - he supposed they would have some system of communication. Though... "But why is the First Citizen's secretary coming to meet me, and not the Wizard-Marshal's?"

"Because the poor man doesn't have a secretary yet," the young woman said with a dainty laugh, which Shinji found quite alluring indeed. "Come, this way."

She guided him to the office, nodding to the goblins, who stepped aside. Before she could knock, the door swung open, with none other than Tomas Peverell emerging from it, dressed in rather severe black clothes.

"Good. You're here," the man said. "Thank you for fetching him, Miss Suoirtsulli."

"It was no trouble," she replied, before nodding and heading off.

Tomas watched her go for a moment, before stepping back into the room, gesturing for Shinji to follow.

"Before we begin, let's have a round of introductions, shall we?" the automaton asked. "You know me, of course, but this is Mudbutton, former King of the Goblins, and a Spectre - a Regional Commander - in Albion's Liberation Force."

"Matou Shinji," the boy replied, inclining his head. "Albion Home Guard."

"Ah...the Hero of the Ministry," Mudbutton noted, nodding slightly. "I have heard of you."

"Only good things, I'm sure," Shinji answered, to which the goblin frowned.

"For the purpose of the upcoming operation, Mister Matou here will be operating under an alias. Makar Shinra, I believe it was?"

"...no. Nines," Shinji supplied, correcting the puppet.

Tomas grunted.

"Well, its at least a better alias than Makar Shinra."

"Hey, what's wrong with 'Makar Shinra?'"

Tomas just let out a long suffering sigh.

"The fact that you are descended from Makar Zolgen?"

"...oh. Right."

"Yes, oh. In any case, as you are both aware, while 'Nines' and his squad will officially be attached to your forces, Mudbutton, they have a separate objective involving the protection and extraction of Miss Granger, a valuable propaganda asset for us. You have done an admirable job dealing with the remnants of the shattered army, and any ferals, our concern is that the Ministry, seeing the progress we have been making towards diplomatic recognition, may send forces to the south to embarrass us."

"They will not capture WADA on my watch," the goblin said grimly. "And you have already briefed me on this possibility."

"Indeed, but I have not briefed 'Nines'," Tomas answered. "In any case, the First Citizen and I are not as concerned with the Ministry making a push for territory, or an outright assault as much as...a quiet extraction op of their own."

"...you think they want Hermione?" Shinji asked. "But why?"

"In case you are unaware, Miss Granger is one of the rising stars of this generation, and almost a household name as far as actresses go for her depiction of Sokaris in the Cornerstone production. Yes - the one you are familiar with. Having her working for us would be quite a boon, as we can help shape the message of our noble endeavor for public consumption."

Mudbutton smiled, his expression full of teeth.

"It will have to be good if wizards will be comfortable around Goblins," he said, none too pleasantly. "Or vice-versa, as we have mostly known wizards to be untrustworthy beings, who in turns fear us and covet the things we make."

"It will take work, certainly," Tomas acknowledged, "But if you didn't believe it was possible, you wouldn't have abdicated, would you?"

"...fair point."

"In any case, 'Nines', your plan?"

Shinji goes through what he has in mind for the operation involving Miss Granger. For the duration of the mission, he and Rin would pose as mercenaries hired to protect a number of orphans who would be hosted at WADA, with Hilde presumably already hidden among the orphans. Hermione, as a muggleborn, would be assigned to help watch the children (many of them being muggleborns) while their fate is being determined, with Shinji and Rin using the children as an excuse to be near Miss Granger, so to provide a ready source of protection at all times.

"A decent plan, though I have one question."

"Yes?"

"You mentioned you wanted to be ready to protect her at all times. How do you plan on arranging your shifts to accommodate that, seeing that in this plan, Hilde is operating on her own, leaving you with yourself and Miss Tohsaka? Or do you expect Spectre Mudbotton to provide you with assistance?"

"Could I have a dossier on Miss Granger first? I find that information is power."

"...spoken like a Ravenclaw," Tomas noted. "Not an unexpected request, however," he added, sliding a folder over to the boy. "Here you go - a dossier containing her general schedule, photos, preferences, and more."

"I do know what she looks like."

"You'd be surprised what a little makeup and a change in hairstyle can do to one's assumptions, wouldn't you, Nines?"

"...point taken."

---

Hermione Granger
Human Witch, Age 15
Gilderoy Lockhart Scholar, Wizarding Academy of the Dramatic Arts

Summary: With the exception of individuals such as the Boy-Who-Lived or the First Citizen of Albion, Miss Granger is one of the most well-known figures in all of Magical Britain, having been catapulted to fame for her role as Sialim Sokaris in the critically acclaimed Cornerstones. Since leaving Hogwarts and enrolling in the Wizarding Academy of the Dramatic Arts as the first Muggleborn Gilderoy Lockhart Scholar (and indeed, the first Muggleborn to attend WADA in the history of the institution), she has taken the theatrical world of Magical Britain by storm, with her talent and passion for sharing the stories she loves with the magical world bringing her a remarkable degree of success.

In a more peaceful time, it is possible that Miss Granger's career might have stalled, going the way of most WADA students in a society that isn't truly large enough for an organic performing arts scene (with its graduates often finding themselves unemployed, as they lack both the connections of those who attended Hogwarts, or a credential from an ICW-certified school that allows them to work abroad). In the wake of the Quidditch World Cup, however, things changed significantly, with WADA receiving official patronage from the Ministry for the first time in its existence, with the Ministry not only commissioning plays, but paying for renovation and expansion of the campus, giving WADA airtime on the few remaining radio stations, and more. In short, WADA was made a critical part of the Office of Information's propaganda machine.

In this new environment, where theatre was state-sponsored , Miss Granger came into her own, with her connections to Hogwarts and the various people portrayed in Cornerstones helping her to secure the role that would propel her to national fame. Today, it would not be an exaggeration to call her a household name, having a level of influence usually only wielded by well-known Muggle celebrities. Her endorsement of Albion and its message would mean much for our cause, and given her relationship with the First Citizen, that she will do so is not unlikely. However, the Ministry is no doubt aware of this, and has likely made the retrieval (or elimination) of Miss Granger and any other WADA students they can manage, as losing them - or having them endorse our enemies - would be a significant blow to the cause of Albion.

Other Threats: Aside from any personal threat to Miss Granger's safety, one should not disregard the possibility of a Ministry-sanctioned strike against WADA and its facilities, particularly by deniable forces (See: Death Eaters; Status of Azkaban should be ascertained ASAP), as Albion failing to protect an asset in London (if not in Wizarding London) after condemning the Ministry for being unable to do the same could be catastrophic. Force under Spectre Mudbutton has been deployed to protect WADA, students and facilities, pending relief by Homeguard units.

Current abilities:

Wand - Acceptable: Though Miss Granger left Hogwarts, she has continued to keep up with certain parts of her magical education thanks to tutors that were made available to some of the more promising students. She has achieved an OWLs in History of Magic and Charms.

Acting: Miss Granger is one of the few WADA students who has been trained for the stage as well as for radio, thanks to the Ministry's intensive development of the arts in Britain.

Playwriting: Currently she is working on this, with a focus on converting Muggle stories for Magical consumption.

Connections:

Current Role Models: Gilderoy Lockhart

Current Affiliations: Order of Merlin (3rd Class), Gilderoy Lockhart Scholar

Possessions: Wand (Vine + dragon heartstring), Clothing (assorted), Books (Various - Shakespeare, Epic of Makar Zolgen, etc), Gringotts account ($$$)

Schedule (based on observations, subject to change - especially once assigned as guide to orphans):

5 am - Wake Up
5 am - 6 am - Morning Walk
6 am - 8 am - Breakfast and Free Time
8 am - 11 am - Classes (Movement, Voice, Acting)
11 am - 12 pm - Lunch (sometimes meetings)
12 pm - 5 pm - Free time / Production meetings
5 pm - 6 pm - Dinner
6 pm - 10 pm - Rehearsals / Private tutoring / Playwriting
10 pm - 11 pm - Free Time
11 pm - 5 am - Sleep

Schedule is subject to change once children arrive at WADA.

---

Addendum from Hilde: Successfully embedded among orphans, under the alias Perdita, a 10 year old with a love of theatre and a fascination with Shakespeare. Will serve as point person for contact and interaction with VIP (with Hermione serving as Perdita's peer mentor - Perdita shadowing during afternoon free time / evening rehearsals), as well as providing protection for orphans before noon and at night. Request that other squadmates protect children / VIP to prevent gaps in coverage.

Orphan Schedule:

8 am - Breakfast
8 am - 11 am - Orientation and Classes (Wizarding 101, Theatre 101)
11 am - 12 pm - Lunch (sometimes meetings)
12 pm - 4 pm - Group Activities / Time with Peer Mentors
4 pm - 5 pm - Improv Class
5 pm - 6 pm - Dinner
6 pm - 7 pm - After Dinner Walk
7 pm - 10 pm - Rehearsal viewing / Free time
10 pm - 11 pm - Return to Dorm
11 pm - 7 am - Sleep

---

Based on this information, how will Shinji arrange shifts? (By default, shifts are divided into 6 hours apiece, with either Shinji, Rin, Both, or None assigned to a shift. )

[ ] Morning
[ ] Afternoon
[ ] Evening
[ ] Night

or

[ ] (write-in Shift structure and schedule)

[Skull Leader]

[X] Morning - Shinji
[X] Afternoon - None
[X] Evening - Rin
[X] Night - Both

Edit: Ok after having the schedule and thinking about the doability of the goblins covering a shift, it is clear to me that I can't let the afternoon shift have no one. The goblins need to just focus on the overall security of WADA, and let Rin and Shinji deal with guard duty. So it is much harder to do overlap without the goblins. But I will leave this here for people.

My reasoning

1) Rin not a morning person. So best not place her there.

2) The most risky time of extraction of VIP would be at night. Or early morning when Hermione is likely awake but not many people would be. Since she a early riser. Hence why Shinji is talking the night and morning shifts. He is the best person to detect a stealth op. Rin at Night as well cause of this vulnerability at night. Thought maybe Rin's shift would be cut an hour short so that she can go to sleep and be ready for class in the afternoon.

3) It is important when people are more free in their days to see a presence of the bodyguards. IE the Morning and Evening. It allows Rin and Shinji to interact with people.

4) The afternoon has none so that they can go to class/train. The goblins will talk care of that shift while most people are in class.

5) Hilde while not on duty is also likely to be more around the VIP during the day so the afternoon is a good time to let the goblins takeover. Plus this lets the goblins integrate themselves with Wizards so that the two get use to each other. In the afternoon people are going to be busy, unlike say the evenings so less risk of someone starting something with the goblins during this slot.

[skulkidcachi90]

[X] Morning - Shinji
[X] Afternoon - None
[X] Evening - Rin
[X] Night - Both

[Skull Leader]

[X] Plan SL

Shinji:

• 12 AM Midnight - Wake Up (Free Time, Make Ofuda)
• 2:30 AM: Night Debriefing/Talk with Rin
• 3 AM - Guard Duty Starts
• 5 AM - VIP wakes up, now with her
• 8 AM - Breakfast then he will guard the various classes
• 11 AM- Lunch Followed by Time with Orphans
• 4 PM - Improv Class with Orphan and Team
• 5 PM - Off Duty(Rin takes over); Dinner; Afterwards Training/Meditation
• 8 PM – Sleep

Notes: 4 hrs of sleep required. 14 hours on duty. 6 hours of free time. Only 2 hours of GD where VIP is asleep.

Thank god for Belt. He is up for the more vulnerable time window, the middle of the night even if he is not always on duty. It allows for him to monitor Rin if he has to. Also he is the visual guard for most of the day. Quite a bit of interaction with Hermione this way, as he has the morning walk with her as well as the maybe free periods she has in the afternoon with her.

Rin:

• 10 AM – WakeUp (maybe 11 am if she wants to push it)
• 11 AM – Eat “Breakfast”
• 12 PM - Mudbutton Training and/or self improvement time
• 4 PM - Improv Class with Group
• 5 PM – Guard Duty Starts; Dinner
• 6 PM - Evening activities with Orphans and VIP
• 11 PM - Night Patrol
• 2:30 AM - Night Debriefing/Talk with Shinji
• 3 AM – Guard Duty Ends; Goes to sleep

Notes: 6 hours minimum sleep needed; Gets 7-8 hrs of sleep, 6-7 hrs Free/training, Guard duty 10 hrs. 4 hours of GD while the VIP is asleep.

This is a far more normal schedule than my first one. I think is doable for Rin. It is basically what I would call night owl teenager life. She is getting basically evening Shift duty that runs into the night. Sure Rin has to interact with Hermione a bit in this plan, but her guard duty happens well after Rin has woken up and during her peak hours. However her hell training course might not happen when she is at her best. A pity...Mwhahaha.

Another advantange I can see with this plan is that at no point is Shinji or Rin crawing into their bed right after someone was in it. There are breaks between their sleep times this way.

Alternative Idea: Do a 8-4-8-4 shift rotation, or 7-5-7-5 one. With Shinji taking the longer periods, and Rin having the smaller ones. But in that case they is no way to not have someone go to bed right as someone just came out of it. Rin would enjoy that too much.

[skulkidcachi90]

[X] Plan SL

[Dracueri]

Plan SL

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 64: [X] Plan SL

---

Choice 65: After perusing the dossier, Shinji takes a moment to lay out his thoughts as to the shift schedules for himself and Tohsaka.

"What do you think?" he asks the two superior officers in the room, one of whom had once been the Goblin King (though how that worked Shinji had no idea). "Does it sound...workable?"

"I see no fundamental objections," Mudbutton noted, though there was a moment of hesitation that made Shinji uncomfortable. "So long as you believe you and Miss Tohsaka have the skill and experience to handle this assignment. You come...highly recommended for your work providing...close personal protection to the Delacour girl." The elegantly dressed goblin peered at him closely. "Is your...partner as...ah, experienced?"

"Ah...no," the boy admitted uneasily, as the eyes of the former Goblin King bore into him. "It's...ah, her first time."

"I...see."

"...look, we all start somewhere," he said defensively. "And Hilde, at least is very experienced." He paused. "At her role, I mean."

"That is good and well, Matou," Tomas interjected. "But Hilde's experience is not what is in question. At the end of the day, our concern is that as talented as Miss Tohsaka may be, a lack of experience tends to lead to...mistakes. And a mistake, should the worst come to pass, could well cost Miss Granger her life. Do you understand this?"

"I...yes," the boy replied firmly. "I do."

"Hm. You are...confident, at least, though time will tell if it is justified," Mudbutton noted. "Will you be requiring any support from my forces for your mission?"

"Not directly," Shinji answered, finding himself on more solid footing. "Though I would ask you...ah, to give Tohsaka a solid grounding on the basics of combat in...this world."

"What." Mudbutton, for all his experience, could not hide a look of shock from his face. "What do you mean a grounding...you said you were confident in a girl child who has no inkling of what combat means? Do I understand you correctly, Mister Matou?"

"No...she knows how to fight, and can be very dangerous, but...she isn't as familiar with the threats we are to face. She trained elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?"

"In Japan."

Mudbutton grunted.

"I see. So not a complete newbie, just inexperienced at this type of work, in this environment."

"Yes."

"I suppose we can provide her some training. Is there anything else we can provide to assist with your mission?"

Is there?

[ ] Yes, (write-in)
[ ] No

[Daiki]

[x] No

[Skull Leader]

Edit: Ok realized that it would be better as the 2nd best Potioneer in his age group (allegally), to ask for ingreditents to make first aid potions, then it is to ask for kits. Shinji has a reputation to uphold to.

[X] Yes, potion ingrediens so that he can brew healing potions and other useful potions. And a couple of Earpiece Communication devices.

Not asking for a lot here. Just stuff that every bodyguard needs. A way to heal their charge and a way to communicate with each other and Goblin defenses.

[Dracueri]

Yes, Basic First aid kits/potions and a couple of Earpiece Communication devices

[skulkidcachi90]

[X] Yes, potion ingrediens so that he can brew healing potions and other useful potions. And a couple of Earpiece Communication devices.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 65: [X] Yes, potion ingredients so that he can brew healing potions and other useful potions. And a couple of Earpiece Communication devices.

---

Choice 66: Shinji makes his requests, with Mudbutton nodding, looking marginally less displeased as the boy mentioned the need for potions ingredients and communications.

"Aye, we can do that," the goblin replied. "Just one question?"

"Yes?"

"How did you survive the battle of the Ministry?"

How does Shinji respond?

[ ] Through luck
[ ] Through cunning and ruthlessness
[ ] Because his enemies were weak
[ ] He has some tricks of his own, but isn't prepared to share them at this time
[ ] (write-in)

Choice 67: With that settled, the last bit to be handled was housing. At present, Mudbutton has secured a room for Shinji and his squadmate at WADA, given that their mission is different from his. The room was formerly that of a professor, so it is decently spacious, with an attached bathroom, though of course, as a room meant for one person, there is but one bed.

"As you will staggering shifts, it is a moot point," the goblin noted. "I could have housed you in the communal dorm we appropriated for our platoon, but, since you are...humans with your own needs, it was thought you would like...some privacy, yes?"

[ ] Accept the arrangement - sharing a room with Tohsaka won't be an issue, and it gives him privacy to make ofuda
[ ] He would rather sleep in the dorm turned barracks
[ ]Have Tohsaka sleep in the dorm turned barracks, since she is being trained by the Goblins
[ ] (write-in)

[Skull Leader]

[X] Because he has become more than Human. (show dragon feature)
[X] Accept the arrangement - sharing a room with Tohsaka won't be an issue, and it gives him privacy to make ofuda

First answer we could tweak it a bit but really I feel like we should level with Mudbutton and showcase the dragon nature of Shinji. I can also think of several ways to be snarking, like saying maybe Shinji did not survive. But really Mudbutton seems to be the sort that wants a straight answer and not back talk or just vague answer.

The room, I think the advantage of the space for Brewing and Ofuda outweigh the negatives. Living with the goblin works for Shinji but I don't want to reward Rin with her own room. Nor do I think that Rin should be housed with Goblins. I suspect that she would say or do something that they would take offense to. Sharing the space is not great but it is still better than the other choices.

[skulkidcachi90]

[X] Because he has become more than Human. (show dragon feature)
[X] Accept the arrangement - sharing a room with Tohsaka won't be an issue, and it gives him privacy to make ofuda

[skulkidcachi90]

Sorry double post.

[Daiki]

[x] Through fire and flames - had to place it, sorry
[x] Because he has become more than Human. (show dragon feature)

That write-in is pretty good, in terms of establishing a relationship based on sincerity with Mudbutton especially (and probably extending to more goblins done the line). Wizards tend to be wary of sharing their secrets and so are goblins (or at least they felt forced to do so).

Showing a bit of your own tricks is a good way to start with the guy who will be our direct superior on the field for the next month or so.

[x] Thank them for the offer, but his squad should sleep in the barracks since they have to start somewhere with living up to the ideals of Albion. One army, many races.

As discussed.

Kind of solve the issue I had with Rin getting preferential treatment over the rest of the Albion members who are forced to bunk together.

Also helps her get familiarized with the goblins early, as well as promote equity between the Homeguard unit and the Liberation Force. Lockhart would most likely approve to cement unity across Albion.

We also get access to the goblins' workshop when we need to craft ourselves.

[Dracueri]

Because he has become more than human.

Thank them for the offer, but his squad should sleep in the barracks since they have to start somewhere with living up to the ideals of Albion. One army, many races.

[Skull Leader]

Choice 67- Changing my vote to the following
[X] Thank them for the offer, but his squad should sleep in the barracks since they have to start somewhere with living up to the ideals of Albion. One army, many races.

Ok after some thought and talk on Discord, I have removed my worries about issues being with the goblins as they do have an area for crafting that we can use for Potions and Ofuda. And the barracks/crafting area should be isolated from the WADA personal that we should not have issues with keep Shinji's true abilities/ID from Hermione and the rest of WADA.

If we are going to reasonable have Rin be with the Goblins so that she can learn to deal with them as a people and culture then Shinji needs to live up to that himself and be around the goblins to show unity. This way the two groups can learn from each other and get use to the others. This could help us in a latter mission when we will need good will from the Goblins or their help. This is just a continuation of our policy to be a Goblin Friend/Ally.