Rule 78. Stop telling stories about other shipgirls like they were horror stories in order to make the destroyers go to bed. The majority of the Japanese Carriers are unable to rest after hearing the Gray Ghost story.
Nicolosa da Recco, a destroyer shipgirl of the Italian Navy, was at her wit's end. She and her sisters of the Navigatori class had been assigned to lead destroyers, a practice borrowed from the Japanese when it was found out just how useful having an authority figure for the destroyers was. As a result, she had been assigned to a squadron consisting of the four Freccia-class destroyers: Freccia, Dardo, Saetta, and Strale. And, like most kids, they stubbornly refused to go to bed on time!
"Alright!" she finally snapped after all prior attempts had failed. "If I tell you guys a story, will you go to sleep?"
The four destroyers glanced at each other, coming to a consensus. "Sure!" Freccia answered for them. "But it better be a good story!"
'Oh thank God.' "Great! But first, I need you to change into your PJs and brush your teeth, okay?"
The destroyers immediately scrambled to do so, showing an enthusiasm previously unseen. Within ten minutes all four were sitting upright in bed, eagerly awaiting the story Nicolosa had. The older destroyer, for her part, was only marginally less eager.
"Alright, this is the story of the Grand Old Lady, who fought two wars and gobbled up many naughty destroyers..."
~o~
The next morning, heavy cruisers Zara and Fiume were eating breakfast when they noticed the Freccia sisters walking up to them.
"Hey, girls!" Zara called out to them. "What's up?"
The destroyers glanced at each other, before Freccia stepped forward. "Hey, Zara, Fiume. Is it true you fought the Grand Old Lady?"
Whatever reaction the destroyers were expecting, it was not for both ships to shriek at the top of their lungs and dive under the table.
"What the heck?!" Dardo exclaimed, bewildered.
"Are they... saying something?" Saetta added.
"Hey, they are!" Freccia realized. "What are they saying?"
The destroyer leaned towards the table - and frowned as she heard it. "Can see in the dark... can't see through metal... can see in the dark... can't see through metal..."
"Wow," Freccia said as she stepped back. "Nicolosa was telling the truth! The Grand Old Lady really does exist!" Her face paled as she came to a realization. "Heheh, we should probably go to bed when she says, otherwise the Grand Old Lady might visit us."
Her sisters nodded eagerly at that decision.
Across the room, Vittorio Veneto groaned and rested her head in her hands. "Aw, geez, Warspite's gonna flip when she hears this."
AN: Sorry, no Grey Ghost. Someone in the Greatest Generation threads did it far better than I could. Have some Warspite instead!
