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You were surprise to know that your next lesson and child will be found outside by the lakeside. You trek through the dirt path and find the Orphanage's great Lake acting as a sort of larger pool, and play area for the aquatic monster children who need it. The lake was a pristine blue, calm and still like a mirror reflecting the blue sky. You glance over to find Katy surrounded in a white circle with numerous symbols and lines dancing around the circle.

“Katy what's going-” you begin.

“Shh! little one, I'm channeling my energy for an especially powerful teleportation spell” Katy scolded.

You notice her phone was on and currently on speaker with Rin.

“We are ready here, she's ready to be delivered” Rin said.

“The children have been evacuated here as well Rin, let's cast our spell” Katy assured.

You saw Katy basking in a glow of blue light tracing along the lines and symbols of the circle and then a second circle appeared in the center of the lake, one much bigger than you could accurately measure on the spot. The glow of the circle rose up toward the sky and through the light a yacht appeared. A little rough around the edges, the white now dulled and looked to be a decade old in terms of it's age, you notice at the bow of the ship was the figurehead of young teenage girl with thick, voluminous hair that reached her waist, her bangs covering her right eye, and dressed in a sleeveless dress, stockings, slippers, and you notice her arms up to her shoulders were decorated with swirls resembling vines with budding flowers peppering along it's length.

The figurehead was kept relatively cleaned and even polished compared to the rest of the ship, exuding an air of elegance, charm and beauty that can't be easily captured nor replicated...

The girl coming out of her ship and leaning against the railing beside the figurehead matched the appearance perfectly, and yet carried none of the three traits as she looked to be on the verge of puking.

“T-this is why you don't-*ugh~*-teleport ships-oh~” the girl groaned loudly.

She had more color than her marble figurehead, hair a glistening blonde with eyes of soft violet, pale skin, and her dress colored pure white with matching slippers with white stockings.

“It was a success Rin, you can come back now! Oh! Can you thank the mayor for letting us borrow a helicopter? Tell him I owe him one” Katy replied sweetly.

You can barely hear Rin through the speaker, but she was clear enough.

“You owe him several times over Kaitlyn” Rin reminded.

“I know, but his misses keeps getting in the way! Anyways talk to you later!” Katy replied before hanging up. “Now then! Oh little one! Can you park yourself over here please!?” Katy called out.

The girl struggles to stand upright as the ships jerks a bit and you see it it turn towards you and sail at a decent pace until she parks herself safely on the shore.

“Easy there don't get yourself marooned again, we just rescued you” Katy said.

“W-whatever! How was I suppose to know low-tide came early there!” She barked back.

Hm...guess she's at that rebellious stage.

“How about we come aboard little one? We have a curious mind who wishes to learn about you first hand” Katy said.

“Huh? Well~ I don't just let anyone aboard...but I guess you middle class are good enough. Hop aboard” she replied with an air of sophistication and snottiness.

“Oh~ this is so exciting! Anon did you know that she can feel our presence on her ship? Watch!” Katy grew excited as her tail lifted upwards and planted itself down with a loud smack on her swimming platform.

The Phantom Ship gave a loud yelp, and gripped her butt looking angrily at Katy.

“E-ehehe~ s-sorry little one” Katy sheepishly replied.

Once aboard you marvel at the Yacht, you don't sail too often, but you can still admire the craftsmanship. The wood floor while a little dull was still in great condition, the ship was rather large and wide with white railings along the edges. The teenager looked on with pride and superiority while the main event was at the center of the deck where a large, round hot tub was spotted. The water long dried out, and the tub itself was a tad dirty.

“So! Let's begin, her kind have only been found in the great seas of Praxis, and in particular a little spot called the 'The Ship's Graveyard'...a sort of Bermuda Triangle of sorts...except with less alien intervention” Katy began.

“I want to believe” you reply.

“We all do, now then; a few have been sighted in our world, but there are far and in between, but once a Phantom Ship gets a smell of adventure it would be hard for them not to sail away to seas unknown” Katy complimented.

“Adventures? That's for the common folk to deal with, I'd rather just sail to the nearest beautiful coast, put on my bikini and just relax...until I get bored and sail to the next harbor” she scoffed.

“Well in any case Phantom Ships come in a large varieties from battle-ships, cargo ships, schooners, typically anything that can sail the oceans and carry a figurehead have the capability of becoming Phantom Ships given the right circumstances. As you can see she is of the Yacht variety, and clearly modern which tells us that more and more ships are being born to this day” Katy said.

“Excuse me? Yacht variety? I'm more than just a yacht you know! Hot tub in the bow, a bedroom big enough to walk around in. I even got a kitchen, shower/bath, and even a glass window below deck to watch the sea! My top speed is over fifty knots, and I can bump it up to sixty for a while too! My sleek design helps with that you know, and-” she continued.

“You are a very talented young woman little one, but we can go over your schematics some other time. We should focus on how to raise you properly don't you think?” Katy said.

The Phantom Ship gave a loud *humph*, turned her nose up, and looked away feeling insulted, her bouncy hair swaying along the gentle wind as she fixed her bangs covering her eye, only for it to cover it once more.

“Eh~ w-well see Phantom Ships are...well different, and with you being the first, and so far only Phantom Ship at our Orphanage this whole feeling is new to us as well. For starters, Phantom Ships are born yes, but not through the usual process of 'when mommy, and daddy love each other a whole lot' kind of thing. At least we haven't found any Phantom Ships giving birth on their own...we live in a weird world of magic, portals, mamonme, and the like, but a boat giving birth to baby boats is...a little much” Katy said.

“So what brings them to life?” You ask.

“A myriad of events still not entirely certain to this day. What we do know is that a kind, and powerful daughter of the Demon Lord of Praxis had decided to bring to life these once abandoned, and destroyed ships. For whatever reason we aren't sure, but seeing you here little one, I'm glad she did” Katy complimented.

“Y-you really think so...n-not that I care!” She declared.

“Well because of this, they're not accustom to parents, that being said, we've put up an advert asking for anyone skilled in dealing with the ocean to help her get accustom to our seas. A tutor if you will to help bring out the sea-farer in her” Katy said.

“Like I need any help! I can turn, and go fast on my own you know!” She remained defiant.

“Little one, our oceans are new, and strange, we don't want you to explore on your own and get hurt” Katy assured. “Several Phantom Ships are born, but not all of them have a distinct idea of what to do, and where to go...consciousness is a fickle thing you know. Little one, what is your first memory when you came to life?” Katy asked.

At this the Phantom Ship lost her pride, and confidence, shrinking back a bit as she stumbled for the answer.

“Hm~ I remember a soft voice in the darkness...she was so sweet, and assuring, but all she told me was to 'enjoy my life'...I think she said to help others too, but I was...I was...I don't know, I can't even begin to describe how all of this felt all at once” she stumbled.

“It's okay little one, you've explained enough, don't give yourself a head-ache over something so...well in any case! When taking care of your little ship it's always important to take note of their damages, and to work with them appropriately. Unfortunately as much as I would love to give you to the first person that walks in, I'm afraid you, and Phantom Ships in general need the attention of someone truly born for the sea, and able to help you...we promise little one we'll do our very best!” Katy assured her.

“U-uh, thanks...Um~ I'm sorry for calling you...middle class” she murmured.

“All is forgiven, anyways their diet is also rather unique, they can sustain their energy via spiritus only, with this they can charge their equipment such as radios, engines...hot tub” Katy eyed the tub. “At the same time if you feed her things like sail cloth, wood, metal, and some repair glue, or something of the sort then what will happen is the ship itself will gradually repair. This increases the number of possible...eh~ 'captains' as all they really need to do is present the material, or spiritus, and the Phantom Ships will do the rest” Katy explained.

“So~ how does that look like?” You ask.

“We'll cover that some other time, for now let's discuss some more important issues” Katy pushed that idea away. “So! Obviously unless you plan on living inside her, you're better off living somewhere along the coast, or a lake-house with an impressively large lake, these girls do need the exercise after all” Katy said.

“And with that the number of suitors drop” you realize.

Perhaps you might have hit too close too home as the Phantom Ship now slumped down, and looking rather upset.

“I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that! T-there's still hope, and plenty of people interested in you!” You quickly assure her.

“You're only half correct Anon, there are some people out there only interested in the ship...rather than the personality attached to the ship. We here must be very careful to choose someone that accepts her, as a 'her', not as an 'it'” Katy warned. “Now then, as for how they act personality wise, they share a few similarities, like the yearning for adventure, a need for compassion, and perhaps they can be a little competitive in terms of other Phantom Ships finding their own captains. Besides these similar traits, they can carry a number of personalities depending on the ship itself, and their self entitled duties. The serious types can be found in military vessels while the free spirited types can be seen in several schooners, and even pirate ships” Katy said.

“So besides being an actual ship they're no different than your typical kid?” You ask.

“In a sense yes, some are born with a child-like sense of innocence, or others like herself are more rambunctious, and mature, again it's all about the figurehead, the ship, the experiences. Truly no Phantom Ship is similar to the other” Katy praised.

“This is all very interesting, but I have to ask, does a Phantom Ship yearn for more than just a captain...like a family?” You ask.

“A very good question, I suppose in a sense the captain acts as a sort of father figure, and mentor, while the crew acts as her version of a family, such as a mother figure, or siblings depending on how she feels about them. In truth though they do acquire a deep bond for whoever they choose to keep around them, and being torn from the even for a moment can be heart-wrenching like any family member so yes! In a sense they do yearn for a family” Katy said.

“Bond huh...t-that would be nice...” the Phantom Ship murmured.

“Hm? What was that little one?” Katy asked.

“N-nothing! Really it wasn't!” She stated loudly.

“...Well in any case, in terms of siblings; well in their case whoever they deem as the 'younger brother' of the crew would often be coddled, and tutored about the ways of the sea, and the ship herself. While an 'older brother' kind of shipmate would be used more for play, and skin-ship, or in this case ship-ship? Eh? Eh?” Katy beamed at you, and the Phantom Ship waiting for praise for her little play on words.

…

Nothing happened.

“...*Sigh~* well in any case, older brother types are often the only ones they trust besides their mother and fathers to help them clean up...wiping the railings, cleaning the poop deck all that and more" Katy went on

“D-don't call it a poop deck! I have no such feature!” The Phantom Ship blushed.

“Can these girls make friends by any chance?” You ask.

“Well certainly, granted they'll have to be attached to the sea as well, but-but! There may be some hope, while they can't have all the friends in the world, they do have at least a fan-base both from Mamonme, to humans so making friends is easy enough if they work with her limitations. Plus they're the best at sleep-overs! Who wouldn't want to spend a night on a boat in the middle of a beautiful clear blue ocean with all the stars in the cosmos to stare at” Katy dreamed.

“...R-really? I never thought about sharing my space with anyone else...” the Phantom Ship replied.

“Oh! I insist, the more the merrier, and you'll find plenty of company here!” Katy assured.

“So job listings...are they also attached to the type of ship they are?” You ask.

“But of course, while for most it's quite obvious, like Schooners, fishing boats, battle-ships, cargo ships, ferries, and even little tug-boats. Girls like Yachts, sailboats, steam-boats, and the sorts have to figure out some sort of plan. That is where they yearn for a captain the most. Someone to give them meaning, and guidance. You are more than just a fancy place to sunbathe on little one. Your calling is so much greater than you even know yourself” Katy assured.

“H-heh! Well what can I say? I was built to be amazing from the beginning!” She replied with confidence.

“She'll find her calling soon enough, all Phantom Ships do, and her time will come. Thank you for your time little one!” Katy thanked.

“Uh~ yeah sure! Now then, back to work, I have a lot to do to look presentable” she replied.

“We can help with that” Katy hinted.

Late into the night as the moon was at it's full basking the lake with a brilliant glow; Katy, Rin, Betsy, and their new Phantom Ship child lay resting on the now working hot-tub in their personal two piece swimsuits.

“Oh~ I never want to leave~” Katy sighed as she lowered herself into the bubbling water.

“The spiritus provided has improved your electronic systems, in no time you should be fully operational within a few days time” Rin concluded.

“So I'll be like my old self again? Thank you~ so much” the Phantom Ship cooed as she lost herself in the feeling of hot bubbly water.

“Is this what it's like to be like those rich folk in the cities? Wow~” Betsy commented as she bathed in the tub as well.