A Courtship in Emerald 19 [1945]
darthcourt10
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Yellowhammer
A Courtship in Emerald (XIX)
De Breuil Estate, Upstate New York
4 July, 1945
Spoiler: A De Breuil Luncheon
"Good afternoon, Congressman Borah." Delilah smiled as she escorted the plump congressman from the Floo Portal to the parlor as her mother's designated hostess.
"Howdy there, Miz de Breuil." The Congressman drawled as Delilah escorted him inside and curtsied to Jezabel, who was sitting with a shawl in her lap. "You are lookin' mighty fine indeed."
In the chair beside Jézabel, a Zamarad whose avatar looked to be about seven years old petted a striped tabby kitten in her lap as she curiously watched a second kitten from the litter that Mouser had given birth to chase and pounce an animated piece of yarn. Delilah's lips flickered in a small smug smile as she realized the ploy at hand as she pulled out a bottle of Old Toby's Premium Firewhisky for her guest.
"Thank you kindly, Congressman. May I introduce Miss Emma Fakhoury from Algiers?" Actually not a total lie, since she apparently does have one branch of her clan in the area. "She is a war orphan, her parents were part of the French Resistance against Grindelwald until they got executed shortly before we pushed them out of Africa." The best lies have a leavening of truth as Mother taught me. "They saved my unit with their information, so I adopted their orphaned daughter and brought her home with us rather than leave her to beg on the streets. You already know my mother, of course."
"That's mighty kind of y'all, Miz de Breuil. Mighty kind indeed." Borah agreed as she handed him the shot glass of firewhisky.
Delilah smiled happily. "Thank you very much.I fear I must perform my rounds as Mother's able assistant as hostess, since we have another guest arriving."
With that she headed to the portal as a bell chimed to signal another imminent arrival. She curtsied to the tall and thin patrician features of Congressman Dominic Arnold, chairman of the MACUSA Finance and Oversight committee. The mane of gray-white hair and mutton-chops that had given him his name of 'Lion of the Congress' wagged as he nodded his head. "Major de Breuil. It is good to see you once more. Benedict mentioned you in his letter to me last month."
Delilah gave him her best smile as behind her warm welcoming expression and twinkling eyes, her brain moved at overdrive computing probabilities. "Oh? Nothing bad I hope, Congressman."
"Quite the reverse, really. He said that you did an admirable job crushing Grindelwald's fanatics and he wishes that you were in Germany working under him dealing with their remnants and the filthy Reds." Arnold said in his nasal Boston voice as she escorted him into the parlor.
"Thank you very much, Congressman." Delilah agreed pleasantly as she spared a glance for Zamarad while pouring firewhiskey for the other guest.
The disguised Ifrit picked up the indignant kitten and began to babble in French to it. "Qui est un bon petit garçon? Oui tu oui tu es..."(who is a good little boy yes you yes you are)
"Emma." A clearly unamused Jézabel gave the 'child' one of her basilisk stares. "I fear that you need to have an English Lesson to learn our language. If you must play with my cats, at least do so in a language everyone speaks. Delilah," Jézabel gave the braced to attention Delilah a commanding glare, "I expect you to correct that problem with her education before she is sent to boarding school to prepare for Ilvermorny. It would reflect poorly upon us should she be unable to express herself properly. Go and tend to that now."
Delilah nodded in obedience as she took Zamarad's hand. "You can play with the cats later, Emma. For now, let us head to the downstairs kitchen and I shall get some sandwiches to teach you outside in the apple orchard."
Jézabel watched her daughter go and shook her head. "She means well, but still has much to learn."
Borah laughed. "She's been an Auror since I was a boy and you still treat her like she was six and raiding the cookie jar, Jez. Still out with it, you didn't ask us over for lunch to show off your new project." Arnold nodded in agreement, his eyes intent.
Jézabel gave a thin smile. "We know that the War will end soon. The No-Maj have taken Okinawa and the next step is Japan itself. Germany has already fallen and Grindelwald is in custody, with Kamo to follow suit. I have recently received word that the Navy has confirmed Yamatai is on the bottom of the Pacific now, so revenge for our dead there. We need to look ahead now. That young child is indicative of a greater problem on our hands, gentlemen. "
Borah frowned as he thought about how this would impact the Foreign Affairs Committee that he chaired. "How so?"
Jézabel shook her head with a frown on her face. "The events of the last four years since we were attacked on December Seventh have proved that our oceans are no shield from other people's problems slopping over onto us. MIB was able to warn us in time to prepare for the war with Grindelwald, but Kamo blindsided us because we did not have enough eyes looking outward. Worse yet, the old empires are tottering. The British are a shell of what they were before the Great War, and France is regaining what they had before they fell. They can no longer keep a lid on matters in Europe, Asia, and the Colonies any more. Which leaves us and the Soviets."
Arnold nodded as he sipped his drink. "Us and the Reds."
"Indeed. Worse is that either we prop up someone in Germany and Japan or cede control to let the Soviets do that. If we cede control, than we leave ourselves vulnerable to another sneak attack once more. Director Johnston forwarded me a report that says that the No-Maj government plans on a permanent occupation of Japan just like Germany, at least until matters can be resolved there and we can root out the fascists." Jézabel's eyes glittered as she continued. "Which means we need to make the wartime expansion of MIB more regular and start to handle things that we cannot expect others in the ICW to handle for us. Also I have copies of Delilah's memories of the kind of devastation the No-maj armies inflicted upon communities in Europe and Africa, and to be blunt we need to insure they never point their guns at us."
Jézabel finished, looking at the other two congressmen. "In short, we need to rethink our position on isolation and start to take a more proactive approach to our threats, lest our enemies instead do such for us...."
Meanwhile outside in the apple orchard Delilah cuddled with the now-adult Zamarad and fed her wood chips as they listened to the supposedly private conversation through the flames that Zamarad was controlling in the parlor fireplace and outside in a campfire.
Delilah kissed the Ifrit as she watched the scene. "This is quite a useful ability of yours. I am also glad that you gave me the coded all-clear sign about Congressman Arnold so I won't have to arrange a fatal accident for him."
Magical Congress of the United States Headquarters, Woolworth Building, New York City
August 8th, 1945
The newly pinned silver oak leaves on Lieutenant Colonel of Aurors Delilah de Breuil's shoulders shook with the trembling in her frame. Slowly the newly minted deputy assistant head of the now-forming Near Eastern Department of the Magical Information Bureau rewound the memory of the newsreel that had just been seen by the No-Maj today. Showing what the No-Maj had managed to do.
Inside the ring that she wore, Zamarad had equal emotions of disbelief, shock, and awe at what she was witnessing. She remembered a phrase from the Hindu epic of the Bhagavad Gita that she had read in the Potter's library.
A phrase that, unknowing to her, had been spoken by J. Robert Oppenheimer at 5:29 AM on the morning of July 16th, 1945.
The Dawning of the Atomic Age.
Spoiler: I Am Become Death, The Destroyer Of Worlds
A Courtship in Emerald (XIX)
De Breuil Estate, Upstate New York
4 July, 1945
Spoiler: A De Breuil Luncheon
"Good afternoon, Congressman Borah." Delilah smiled as she escorted the plump congressman from the Floo Portal to the parlor as her mother's designated hostess.
"Howdy there, Miz de Breuil." The Congressman drawled as Delilah escorted him inside and curtsied to Jezabel, who was sitting with a shawl in her lap. "You are lookin' mighty fine indeed."
In the chair beside Jézabel, a Zamarad whose avatar looked to be about seven years old petted a striped tabby kitten in her lap as she curiously watched a second kitten from the litter that Mouser had given birth to chase and pounce an animated piece of yarn. Delilah's lips flickered in a small smug smile as she realized the ploy at hand as she pulled out a bottle of Old Toby's Premium Firewhisky for her guest.
"Thank you kindly, Congressman. May I introduce Miss Emma Fakhoury from Algiers?" Actually not a total lie, since she apparently does have one branch of her clan in the area. "She is a war orphan, her parents were part of the French Resistance against Grindelwald until they got executed shortly before we pushed them out of Africa." The best lies have a leavening of truth as Mother taught me. "They saved my unit with their information, so I adopted their orphaned daughter and brought her home with us rather than leave her to beg on the streets. You already know my mother, of course."
"That's mighty kind of y'all, Miz de Breuil. Mighty kind indeed." Borah agreed as she handed him the shot glass of firewhisky.
Delilah smiled happily. "Thank you very much.I fear I must perform my rounds as Mother's able assistant as hostess, since we have another guest arriving."
With that she headed to the portal as a bell chimed to signal another imminent arrival. She curtsied to the tall and thin patrician features of Congressman Dominic Arnold, chairman of the MACUSA Finance and Oversight committee. The mane of gray-white hair and mutton-chops that had given him his name of 'Lion of the Congress' wagged as he nodded his head. "Major de Breuil. It is good to see you once more. Benedict mentioned you in his letter to me last month."
Delilah gave him her best smile as behind her warm welcoming expression and twinkling eyes, her brain moved at overdrive computing probabilities. "Oh? Nothing bad I hope, Congressman."
"Quite the reverse, really. He said that you did an admirable job crushing Grindelwald's fanatics and he wishes that you were in Germany working under him dealing with their remnants and the filthy Reds." Arnold said in his nasal Boston voice as she escorted him into the parlor.
"Thank you very much, Congressman." Delilah agreed pleasantly as she spared a glance for Zamarad while pouring firewhiskey for the other guest.
The disguised Ifrit picked up the indignant kitten and began to babble in French to it. "Qui est un bon petit garçon? Oui tu oui tu es..."(who is a good little boy yes you yes you are)
"Emma." A clearly unamused Jézabel gave the 'child' one of her basilisk stares. "I fear that you need to have an English Lesson to learn our language. If you must play with my cats, at least do so in a language everyone speaks. Delilah," Jézabel gave the braced to attention Delilah a commanding glare, "I expect you to correct that problem with her education before she is sent to boarding school to prepare for Ilvermorny. It would reflect poorly upon us should she be unable to express herself properly. Go and tend to that now."
Delilah nodded in obedience as she took Zamarad's hand. "You can play with the cats later, Emma. For now, let us head to the downstairs kitchen and I shall get some sandwiches to teach you outside in the apple orchard."
Jézabel watched her daughter go and shook her head. "She means well, but still has much to learn."
Borah laughed. "She's been an Auror since I was a boy and you still treat her like she was six and raiding the cookie jar, Jez. Still out with it, you didn't ask us over for lunch to show off your new project." Arnold nodded in agreement, his eyes intent.
Jézabel gave a thin smile. "We know that the War will end soon. The No-Maj have taken Okinawa and the next step is Japan itself. Germany has already fallen and Grindelwald is in custody, with Kamo to follow suit. I have recently received word that the Navy has confirmed Yamatai is on the bottom of the Pacific now, so revenge for our dead there. We need to look ahead now. That young child is indicative of a greater problem on our hands, gentlemen. "
Borah frowned as he thought about how this would impact the Foreign Affairs Committee that he chaired. "How so?"
Jézabel shook her head with a frown on her face. "The events of the last four years since we were attacked on December Seventh have proved that our oceans are no shield from other people's problems slopping over onto us. MIB was able to warn us in time to prepare for the war with Grindelwald, but Kamo blindsided us because we did not have enough eyes looking outward. Worse yet, the old empires are tottering. The British are a shell of what they were before the Great War, and France is regaining what they had before they fell. They can no longer keep a lid on matters in Europe, Asia, and the Colonies any more. Which leaves us and the Soviets."
Arnold nodded as he sipped his drink. "Us and the Reds."
"Indeed. Worse is that either we prop up someone in Germany and Japan or cede control to let the Soviets do that. If we cede control, than we leave ourselves vulnerable to another sneak attack once more. Director Johnston forwarded me a report that says that the No-Maj government plans on a permanent occupation of Japan just like Germany, at least until matters can be resolved there and we can root out the fascists." Jézabel's eyes glittered as she continued. "Which means we need to make the wartime expansion of MIB more regular and start to handle things that we cannot expect others in the ICW to handle for us. Also I have copies of Delilah's memories of the kind of devastation the No-maj armies inflicted upon communities in Europe and Africa, and to be blunt we need to insure they never point their guns at us."
Jézabel finished, looking at the other two congressmen. "In short, we need to rethink our position on isolation and start to take a more proactive approach to our threats, lest our enemies instead do such for us...."
Meanwhile outside in the apple orchard Delilah cuddled with the now-adult Zamarad and fed her wood chips as they listened to the supposedly private conversation through the flames that Zamarad was controlling in the parlor fireplace and outside in a campfire.
Delilah kissed the Ifrit as she watched the scene. "This is quite a useful ability of yours. I am also glad that you gave me the coded all-clear sign about Congressman Arnold so I won't have to arrange a fatal accident for him."
Magical Congress of the United States Headquarters, Woolworth Building, New York City
August 8th, 1945
The newly pinned silver oak leaves on Lieutenant Colonel of Aurors Delilah de Breuil's shoulders shook with the trembling in her frame. Slowly the newly minted deputy assistant head of the now-forming Near Eastern Department of the Magical Information Bureau rewound the memory of the newsreel that had just been seen by the No-Maj today. Showing what the No-Maj had managed to do.
Inside the ring that she wore, Zamarad had equal emotions of disbelief, shock, and awe at what she was witnessing. She remembered a phrase from the Hindu epic of the Bhagavad Gita that she had read in the Potter's library.
A phrase that, unknowing to her, had been spoken by J. Robert Oppenheimer at 5:29 AM on the morning of July 16th, 1945.
The Dawning of the Atomic Age.
Spoiler: I Am Become Death, The Destroyer Of Worlds