A new day was upon them, a beautiful one with few clouds and a light breeze sweeping through. The sun was rising from its rest and bringing life to the planet below it. As the night retreated, a moving silhouette pushed through the waves at surprising speeds. It headed towards the port in a linear fashion and received no resistance at first. Simply because it had already radioed ahead its approach to nearby patrols.
As for Gabriel, he awoke relatively early to get a head start on the paperwork. A cup of coffee in one hand and his keys to the office in the other. A flick of the wrist and the lock was released. Paperwork should be relatively minor due to the special occasion for the base. In most cases, it would be relatively calm but considering everything going on, this time would be much more chaotic.
"The sooner I get this done, the better. One of the submarine groups just reported Cooper coming in to dock," Gabriel said to himself. He quickly followed up with another sip of his coffee and squinted at how strong it was. At least it woke him up when he needed it.
Considering how early it was, Gabriel wouldn't be expecting his secretary to be here for another couple of hours. The stack on his desk was small but considering how everything needed to be looked at, it would get bigger in most cases. Best to get to it before that time came. So, he got to work.
The past days were a bit of a turmoil. Not only had Vestal learned the Admiral was using his arm ahead of schedule, but she also had a field day making repairs to Ash and Ember. Because of all the Siren tech inside of their ships, the fallen kansen's equipment took much longer to repair. After that was done, Gabriel was chewed out for disobeying Vestal's orders during his final examination. Although he was officially cleared to be fully recovered, he really didn't like the lecturing.
"Reminds me of my mother," Gabriel grumbled with a bit of humor hidden behind. He really wished to see her soon and that would come after his trip to Germany but a nagging issue presented itself.
How was he going to explain his whole multinational marriage plan to another human being that wasn't part of Azur Lane? The more he thought about, the more it seemed like it would be a terrible idea. Then again, it was an agreement between the factions without his consent; which they argued as a form of peace. Yet, Gabriel hardly stopped the idea and simply rolled with it without too much thought.
Midway through one of his signatures, Gabriel stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm so fucked."
To his relief, the office door opening broke him out of his thought process. Chapayev came in, yawning as if she had just woken up. In fact, a quick glance of the clock spoke of the kansen arriving almost as early as him. There was no way this was a coincidence. "Utro, Admiral."
"Good morning."
The Russian light cruiser took a seat to Gabriel with a warming smile, "Have you eaten yet?"
"If you can call coffee as a meal, then no." Gabriel admitted to the fact he was running off of caffeine instead of some necessary nutrients. There was a reason for this madness, "Days like this, I prefer to get my work done and then eat. What brings you this early in the morning? I thought I set the secretary work schedules to be at least a couple hours later."
Chapayev answered, "I'm just an early bird, as you say. Rossiya might be more strict on herself if she were here, but I'm not like that at all. Pamiat has a tendency to oversleep but that's because of her older design."
"Old design or not, she needs to take care of herself. I can't have her hurting her back when she has to carry stacks of paper around," Gabriel stated. It was only one time but he feared that the older cruiser would hurt herself again. That, and it would be very awkward for his subordinates walking in on him giving a necessary massage. Intrepid and Reno already got a full view of that and no one knew how Roon or Akagi would react.
Chapayev giggled, covering her mouth with her hands as if she might laugh. "Oh her, she does that all the time. It's more of a way for her tease men like you. There was a handsome officer assigned to her that fell for it every time. At least, before he got into trouble disobeying a direct order."
"What happened to him?" Gabriel questioned with thoughts already filled with the horror stories he heard about the Northern Parliament's treatment of prisoners and criminals. Such things as being banished to a frozen wasteland or being brutally tortured.
A glint flared in Chapyev's eye, "A little discipline was in order. His commanding officer wanted him beaten but nobody wanted to do it. Pamiat's captain was a hard headed man, both literally and metaphorically. So when the officer tried to perform the punishment himself, let's just say one of them ended with a concussion."
"And the other?"
"Faced exile if he wasn't loved by the people. Soyuz absolved him of his crimes but he had to transfer to a different command. Azur Lane was the only one to take him in."
Gabriel couldn't recall anyone from the Northern Parliament having transferred in because of that. At least, Martin hadn't told him about Pamiat's former officer having been removed. It must have happened years ago in the middle of the war. "Hm, I might see him during the conference."
"You might. Right now, we have paperwork to do. It wouldn't be good for us to waste time and work on empty stomachs," Chapayev reminded him. As much as Gabriel would like to learn more about this man Pamiat used to know, the light cruiser was right.
After all, he had to welcome Cooper to the base once she docked. The Admiral was just not aware that it wouldn't be just her he had to welcome.
Hours passed by and the whole base was brought to life. Many kansen were walking around with much chatter erupting about Valentine's day. Most celebrated it in different ways such as Richilieu giving a sermon about the saint. At the heart of it, getting chocolates from close friends and loved ones was more than enough. Well, it should be that simple but that wasn't quite the case.
Especially for the kansen currently after the Admiral's heart. One of them being Takao, who was currently staring at a simple recipe to make chocolates. The kitchen in the Sakura dorm had been taken over by many of the other members leaving her to come to the mess hall with Shoukaku. "Shoukaku, is this really necessary?"
"Of course it is. From what I learned from the other factions, chocolates are essential for today." Shoukaku replied "There's so many ways you can surprise someone with them. I've heard some people try to get a kiss by placing a chocolate in their mouth.
Takao rolled her eyes, not letting the carrier's words unnerve her like before. Although, she imagined having a piece of chocolate between her lips in an offering manner. The Admiral seeing her present and going in to not only accept the chocolate but to kiss her. Of course, the Sakura woman blushed heavily, "Very well. If it's for him, then I will give it my best."
"Good, now let's get to mixing our ingredients so we can make our chocolate." Shoukaku began, leading the heavy cruiser to the pantry.
Sitting at one of the tables within the mess hall, Cesare was enjoying a simple breakfast. Unlike some of the other girls, she didn't wait to have her chocolates ready. In fact, she had worked on them the night prior after the rest of her faction went to sleep. In actuality, she also wanted to be sure Littorio didn't beat her and to keep a closer eye on the Northern Parliament. She had spotted Chapayev with the Admiral earlier, the thought only making her blood begin to boil.
"She's probably seducing him right now while he's trying to do his work." Cesare grumbled, magenta eyes burning with fiery anger. She couldn't get over those memories from her ship despite the decades that had passed.
On the bright side, she was confident that Gabriel could not let himself be tempted while working on papers. If there was one thing that he was good at, it was staying on task until the day was done. Then again, it was also like him to sneak a glance or two if something really caught his eye. Considering Chapayev, she was no stranger to displaying herself shamelessly which only angered the dreadnought more.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cesare thought she saw movement. She took a quick look to see Gabriel walking towards the docks with Chapayev. The window allowed the Italian to see them walking but she couldn't hear them speak. Her eyes trailed them while she slowly sipped her hot coffee, watching the cruiser's every move to see if there was something she was hiding. Only when they got out of her view did she relax.
"Puttana," Cesare said with venom, "I'm going to make sure you don't get anywhere close to him so long as I'm around."
At a similar time, Gabriel had walked down to the port with Chapayev in tow. With her help, the paperwork was dealt with in a quick manner. As they approached, a full sized destroyer was anchored and the loading ramp secured. A smaller figure ran down the ramp with something floating after her, presumably Cooper based off of how most destroyer kansen were smaller. There were a few exceptions, but most were on the shorter end.
"Hey Admiral! USS Cooper reporting for duty," the destroyer smiled, the small object floating in beside her. "Oh don't mind that. He helps me see in the dark."
Gabriel watched the triangular object float up to him with amusement. "Your spotlight floats on its own huh? You girls always surprise me with something. Does he have a name?"
"Commander Adams called him a bona fide tracker when he spotted a Siren Fleet trying to attack us undetected. I just call him BT, much easier to say." Cooper perked up as a series of whistles and whines came from BT. "Oh? What was that? Our passenger? Oh!"
"Passenger?" Chapayev murmured, "None of the reports told us about a passenger."
Gabriel was about to speak until someone beat him to it, "That's because it was a special request. Martin sure loves to keep you out of the loop."
Gabriel practically froze in place as his eyes went towards the source of the voice. Standing at the top of the ramp was another woman, this one taller but clearly having aged a bit. She wore a long, blue hawaiian sundress with a matching hat and her aging black hair was more than a dead giveaway. It was like cement kept his feet down as Gabriel could not do anything but watch her walk down the ramp towards him.
"You know, I'm not a fan of having to sleep on a ship if it wasn't for the fact I get to see you again." the older woman grumbled before she smiled widely, "Hello, my son."
"Mom? What the hell are you doing here?!" Gabriel felt his heart soar to his throat and had he not controlled himself, he might've let a few tears fall from his eyes. The two embraced each other as if they hadn't seen each other in forever as the son was reunited with mother.
After several moments, his mother broke away. "I was vacationing in Hawaii until Martin gave me a chance to see you. I was expecting to meet you later in the year but I couldn't pass this opportunity. Cooper, that sweet girl, transported me here."
"That's odd, we don't ever allow civilians to come into port unless there's a good reason. But, if Martin approved of it, there's no one to argue against it." Gabriel then turned and gestured to Chapayev, "Mom, this is Chapayev, one of my subordinates."
"And your wife." Mrs. Harper followed up, causing everyone to look at her in surprise. Gabriel felt his face flush and his mind scrambling over the mistake.
Chapayev, thankfully, waved it off. "Oh no, I am not. I'm just his secretary for the day."
Mrs. Harper gasped and shook her head in shame. "Oh dear me, I am so sorry. I just remember my son mentioning he was married and I honestly forgot the rest of the conversation."
"Never change, Mom. Never change," Gabriel sighed in relief. At the same time, he better find Eugen and/or Hipper to begin the process. He didn't honestly know how she'll react to the truth, but if he could simply ease her into it, it just might work out. He just hoped none of the other girls, especially those he gave promise rings to, got in the way. "Anyway, I should show you around but since we are on the topic, I'll let you meet the lucky girl."
"I can't wait to meet her," Mrs. Harper beamed brightly until she suddenly grabbed her son by the ear. "Now why haven't I gotten a message from you about this? You couldn't send your mother an invitation to your wedding at the very least? More importantly, you didn't bother to at least let me meet her before you two got engaged?"
"OW! Mom! This is a military installation, you know I can't just let you waltz in." Gabriel complained, tearing himself away from such a painful hold. In many ways, his mother still treated him like a little boy. "By the time it happened, there was a war going out and communications were encrypted. I can't just send a letter to you without it first being looked over by intelligence agents. We can't risk the Sirens finding out where you are or where I am."
"No excuses, young man! I am your mother!"
As the two had their little feud, Chapayev giggled. "I believe these have some catching up to do. Why don't we leave them be, my destroyer friend?"
Cooper nodded, "Yeah, I don't think they'll be done anytime soon."
After what felt like a half hour of arguing, both mother and son had let the case be dropped. Like Gabriel said, he escorted his mother towards his home. On the way, he pointed out different facilities that happened to be in sight. So far, they had avoided mostly everyone so the rumor didn't spread like wildfire. If that were to happen, the whole base would be like a powder keg ready to explode.
"To think that you are already married, your father would be so proud. Then again, he asked me to marry him when we both turned eighteen." Mrs. Harper mentioned, nostalgia hitting like a freight train. "How long have you two been married for?"
Opening the door, Gabriel answered back, "Almost two years now. It was very informal since we were at war but everyone recognizes it. The whole legal status about it is up in the air since no one expects a regular human being to marry a Kansen."
"I don't see why not, they are practically human from my own experience. They sometimes showed footage of your battles and it's clearly evident they bleed and act human." Mrs. Harper muttered, "I guess not everyone sees it that way."
Gabriel was somewhat mentally relieved to hear that from his own mother, although he expected her to be more than happy about it. It was understandable that some might find the whole concept odd as Kansen weren't born from a womb. At the same time, they were responsible in every military operation that succeeded against the Sirens. Even so, thinking on the politics wasn't going to change the fact Gabriel was walking on eggshells.
"Eugen, I'm home," Gabriel called out, awaiting a response of some kind. When silence was the only answer, he remembered she normally went on night commissions so she must still be asleep. "Mom, wait here and I'll get her."
Gabriel went down one of the hallways and towards the far end to reach the shared master bedroom. Opening the door, his assumptions were on the money as he still found the heavy cruiser under the covers. He approached to wake her up, however it was all an elaborate ruse as two arms suddenly grabbed him. In another moment, his vision was filled with darkness like something was blocking out the sun. In reality, a mix of the blankets and Eugen on top of him was the real answer.
Of course, the position Gabriel found himself was face first in Eugen's cleavage. "Eugen, my mother is in the living room."
"I know, I heard you two talking. Can you find your gift?" Eugen mused, her signature wry grin only made Gabriel wonder what goes through her head. He mentally was cringing at what kind of games she was playing on him, but he would be lying if he didn't like them sometimes.
In the darkness, Gabriel felt around for what kind of 'gift' Eugen had gotten him. Since his face was basically stuck on her chest, it was safe to say that it wasn't there at all. His hands explored for something that wasn't another person but considering this was Eugen, she would be hiding it somewhere on her. So, he traced his fingers up her leg, feeling her flawless skin but not anything out of the ordinary. Sight was not needed to know where he was touching as Gabriel began to explore the feminine curves of the heavy cruiser.
When his hands touched Eugen's rear, Gabriel's mind figured the trick. "Does it happen to be you?"
"Maybe~," the heavy cruiser smirked in the darkness, letting her hands freely roam her husband's hair. "If you want it."
Dammit, that teasing voice of hers that beckoned him like the mythical sirens of old. Had his mother not come, Gabriel might have taken the offer here and now. Alas, there were more important matters to attend to, and a great deal of discipline to keep the body in check. A particular ally needed to stay down until tonight.
"As much as I would love to, my mother wants to meet you. Please get dressed so we can sit down and talk about the whole marriage arrangements," Gabriel let a sigh come out. Eugene's teasing on him was fine but he wasn't sure how his mother would react. Then again, she had no right to complain since he had been at war.
Eugen rose slightly, pushing the blankets off slightly so the sun could reach their eyes. It wasn't surprising to find her in just some lingerie on early mornings like this, in black no less. "Why can't I go out like this or maybe I should pretend to be pregnant since she seems the type to want grandchildren already?"
"Honey...please...just for today. I don't want to give my mother a heart attack from the get go," Gabriel pleaded with the Ironblood still dominating him. Surprisingly, he must have hit a citadel with that as Eugene's cheeks went rosy momentarily. He hadn't called her that in a long time.
Except, her brows furrowed with her smile becoming more saucy. "Alright, but your ass is mine tonight." Without missing a beat, the heavy cruiser got off and went to the restroom to freshen up.
"Congratulations Admiral, you just signed yourself a sore pelvis." Gabriel shook his head before he could let the lewd thoughts nestle inside. There wasn't time to let his hormones take control until the day was done and all the potential flak was avoided. Once that was done, then he could 'relieve his stress' in the offered form of sex. "Ugh, I better get back."
He left the bedroom so his wife could get some privacy to change. Back in the living room, Mrs. Harper was looking over all the furniture and taking a look at some photos that had been taken. Photos from the first days that Gabriel had been stationed to some more recent memories. No doubt his mother was curiously looking at all the girls that he had under his command.
"Are you the only man in this whole base? I would've thought Martin had other men assisting you with all your duties," Mrs. Harper asked with curiosity.
Gabriel stood up straight and proudly answered, "The girls have been taking much of the load off my shoulders. Most of the work has been piling up since the war and I hadn't had many chances to crack at it. In most other cases, the Manju do the work."
"Those little birds?"
"Yes mother, those little birds get a lot done."
Mrs. Harper nodded, "I see. So, considering you were the only man on base, I hope you've been keeping yourself restrained since I can tell there are a lot of beautiful women around."
Oh geez, how was Gabriel going to ease her into that? He already failed that portion a few times, not even thinking of the promises he gave. "R-Right. It's quite hard, but I keep myself in check."
"So tell me about some of the girls in these photos?" Mrs. Harper requested, pointing at a page full of photos that contained various Kansen.
Many of whom were the women he promised himself towards, "Oh boy...where do I start?"
Back at the tech lab, Reno was marveling at all the different blueprints that had yet to be realized. A few new main battery models were in process but needed some changes before being fully implemented. However, that wasn't what got Reno so happy for the day, and it also wasn't chocolates either. Laying in pieces on an unused workbench was the armor Gabriel had tried operating before conceding that it was fruitless. This time, Reno was going to tinker with it without anyone stopping her.
"So the Admiral got to wear this? Man! I wished I was here to see him put it on the first time." Reno moaned dejectedly, "Why does all the cool hero stuff happen before I show up?"
As the cruiser mumbled about not being able to see her hero in action, her mind began to storm up an idea. Any negative emotions were suddenly replaced with rapid enthusiasm when Reno focused on one thought. "Hipper said it wasn't like him to use it, but he got shot during his trip in England. What if he got shot again? I know just the thing!"
"Don't do it without me!" cried a new voice, one that Reno remembered fondly. "Superheroes gotta stick together."
"Cooper!" Reno exclaimed, turning to the destroyer in question. It wasn't just her as Intrepid was also at the doorway giving the cruiser a questioning gaze. "Did you just get here?"
Cooper nodded, "Yup, I stayed a bit longer than usual and then I had to carry the Admiral's mother over here. You know, small but important stuff."
"Alright Reno, what has your hero mind gotten you into?" Intrepid questioned, looking at the broken down armor. "Wait a second, you aren't thi-"
Reno was too far gone in her excitement, an excitement that was both adorable and annoying at times. "You know how the Admiral was on medical leave because he got shot in the shoulder? Well, what if he could have had that armor at a moment's notice?"
Cooper, also caught up in the infectious hype, added, "You mean like a power up or a morpher?"
"You two aren't talking about actually making something from a show? You know all that stuff is fake anyway," Intrepid reminded them, trying to speak to reason. As much as Reno was looking out for Gabriel, Intrepid was not confused it was entirely selfless.
Reno was not dissuaded so easily. "Come on, Intrepid, we shouldn't even exist either. Next thing you know, Wisdom Cubes allow for humanity to create us in order to fight the Sirens and other dangers out there."
"We even got a Wisdom Cube right here." Cooper pointed to the smaller but very bright Pure Cube on another desk.
"You guys…" Intrepid shook her head. Just because they were stationed at another base, she should have known they were just going to let their passion go too far. At the same time, nobody was using the armor so maybe it could be useful for the Admiral as a backup. He was a nice guy to all of them, and it would be a bad thing to lose him. "We got nothing better to do, so I guess. But, I'm going to make sure you two don't go overboard. This is an emergency backup, not something the Admiral should fight in all the time. He's an officer, not a soldier."
"Let's get to work!" Reno declared, more than pleased that Intrepid gave in but as a leash to hold them back. No matter how bad her luck was, Intrepid was always reliable when she needed to be.
Back at the house, Gabriel went over every detail of his years of service. Since his mother wanted to know about the women around the base, he obliged by talking about them. At the same time, he had to watch what he said to avoid giving any red flags. If he talked too much about them, it might clue in that there was something deeper than a professional relationship. Although, in the cases of Hornet, that would be a bit more difficult. All the while sitting comfortably on the couch.
"So many of them...I didn't imagine that every ship from the Second World War materialized like this. I can't imagine how hard it must be to manage so many of them," Mrs. Harper commented in awe.
Gabriel rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I can't manage all of them at once. There are leaders among the factions who do the micromanaging, unless there is something they can't resolve. I'm required to focus on the bigger picture but that doesn't mean I can't help my subordinates personally."
Mrs. Harper turned the page to look at the various photos once more. So many faces, so many different Kansen that were basically human besides being created through technology. As she got closer to the end, she noted that the Kansen were replaced with old family photos from the past. A past where they were a family of five, reduced down to two because of the war. A bittersweet smile rose from the depths but Mrs. Harper had made her peace long ago, closing the book before it could taunt her of what life was.
It was then that they heard the sound of heels against the floor approaching from the hallway. Out of it, Eugen stepped out, "Guten tag."
"Oh hello, you are Eugen I presume?" Mrs. Harper smiled, "Thank you for taking care of my only son. Please, call me Cassandra."
Gabriel felt embarrassed that his mother had to view it that way. He could take care of himself just fine, just not the part where he got shot in England. That was a vain attempt to stop someone from the future. As if Eugen felt his embarrassment, she only made it worse by sitting on his lap. "He has a fondness for getting himself in trouble even if he didn't intend to."
"How did you two meet? If I recall, the Ironbloods were once our enemy," Cassandra noted
Gabriel was more than willing to answer the question until Eugen beat him to the punch, adding her usual teasing to the mix by trailing her index finger up his chin. "It was more of a cat and mouse type of meeting. Azur Lane kept him in the shadows while the Ironblood wanted to find out who he was. One thing led to another and we were forced to surrender on acceptable terms. You should have seen what our interrogation sessions were like."
"Ah geez, don't remind me." Gabriel chuckled at the memory, "Despite you being a prisoner, you still tried to get any info out of me as much as I was doing the same."
Cassandra seemed content with that, but her questions only increased. "So, what brought you two to get married? Did you two have anything special when you proposed or was it very simple? Give me details!"
Eugen answered, "I simply volunteered to be his secretary once Ironblood rejoined Azur Lane. I teased him enough times until he took me out on dates."
"You were very effective in that." Gabriel admitted. "I remember you tried getting me drunk enough so you could seduce me. It was a good thing I didn't let that happen because of the regulations enacted on me."
Cassandra raised a brow. She knew of rules within the military branches but she never heard of them as regulations. "What sort of regulations? What would the navy impose on you that kept you in check?"
Once again, Eugen had an answer. "Even though we got married, Azur Lane was not going to risk Kansen like me from getting pregnant. So, we are barred from engaging in sex until the war was over. Isn't that right, liebe?" The heavy cruiser looked at the man in question with a side glance that only made the situation more uncomfortable.
"It was only recently that they let the restriction go." Gabriel finished, watching his words carefully. "As far as we know, we can't have any children."
In an instant, the atmosphere in the living room had changed dramatically. Any warm feelings of love vanished in an instant from the older woman. Her eyes almost lost all forms of life and peered into the Admiral's like a snake. It was like a demon had possessed her."Gabriel Harper, you spent two years married to this woman and you can't even guarantee me grandchildren. I spent most of my youthful years raising you and your brothers while your father had it easy. The least you could have done to repay that was to have children of your own."
"Oh God, Mom why are you like this?" Gabriel flinched as his mother began to voice her displeasure. He had already told her that it wasn't a good time to have kids and here she was getting upset over it. She was like this with his older brother when he got engaged before going into the service. No wonder he wanted to get out of the house when he could.
Knock Knock Knock
...
Who was at the door?
Minutes before Gabriel began to explain what had been happening the past several years to his mother, Hood just so happened to be taking a trip to meet him. She was unaware that his mother was around and to top it off, she had brought Unicorn as well. Thanks to the Queen's efforts, the Royal Navy could rest easy without needing to hear it from Parliament. At the same time, Queen Elizabeth was very insistent that Hood finish tying the knot since their prior plans were ruined. What got the little royal all riled up to officialize this marriage so quickly?
"Big Sister Hood," Unicorn began, hugging U-chan closely, "I-Is it true that you were going to marry Papa in England?"
The battlecruiser warmly smiled, "It is true. Until the events that got Mr. Harper injured, there was going to be a wedding planned. It was going to be a few days after our little date but fate had other plans it seems."
"So what happens now? Will you two be getting married before he leaves again?" the support carrier further questioned.
Hood shook her head, "I am not sure. The Queen is confident it can be done but I wouldn't want to pressure Mr. Harper. He is taking this as slow as he can with how events have transpired. I wouldn't worry too much, he's a man that keeps his promises."
When they arrived in the small home, the voices inside could be faintly heard. Two of them being Eugen and Gabriel obviously, but the third was a mystery to the two Kansen. "Big Sister Hood, who is talking?"
"I do not know." Hood answered, "I don't think I've heard that voice around this port. She sounds older, one of the Admirals possibly. Would you do me the favor in knocking?"
Unicorn nodded, knocking the door three times and awaited for someone to answer. "Big Sister Hood, when you get married to Papa, will you be moving into this house too?"
The battlecruiser was about to answer but stopped to give the question some more thought. On one hand, it is a custom that the wife should be living with the husband. On the other hand, as much as there was room for her, what about when Gabriel marries the other girls? This small home was going to get crowded quickly considering how the treaty went. "I believe it would be best to wait until that moment happens."
Upon finishing that statement, the door was opened with a nervous looking Gabriel appearing before them. "Hood? Unicorn? What brought you here?"
"It's Valentine's Day, Papa! Remember?" The support carrier pouted, a bit peeved that the Admiral could forget such a simple fact.
He mentally slapped himself for sounding stupid but Cassandra voice yelled behind him, "Who is that? Are those your subordinates? Let me in, Gabriel."
Naturally, Hood and Unicorn wanted an answer to who the voice belonged to. Gabriel sighed as he let them in, beginning to think of how to explain the whole situation to his mother without dropping it on top of her. So far, she seemed good with Eugen besides the whole children fiasco and now how was he supposed to explain this?
Unicorn went back to her old habit of using U-chan like a shield when she spotted the elderly woman, P-Papa, who is that lady?"
Now it was Cassandra's turn to be bewildered, "Papa? You just told me that you and Eugen couldn't have kids!"
"Yes, that is true, mother!" Gabriel replied, feeling his blood pressure rising. He needed to explain this quickly and hopefully no one else was going to knock on his door. "Unicorn just calls me that because I help everyone around the base. She used to call me her big brother when I first had her in this port but she sees me differently. She's a Kansen just like everyone else here."
Thankfully his mother visibly relaxed as her behavior softened and for a second, it almost entirely reversed itself. "Oh...Forgive me for shouting. I'm Gabriel's mother, but please call me Cassandra."
"It was no trouble, Mrs. Harper." Hood said, following up with a small curtsy. "I am Hood, glory of the Royal Navy."
Likewise, Unicorn curtseyed as well, albeit shyly. "I-I'm Unicorn."
Cassandra giggled at the display, no doubt Unicorn was the closest thing to filling her desire to have grandchildren. "Oh my, you ladies are making me feel ashamed for not behaving correctly. My age is beginning to catch up to me."
"You're barely going to be fifty years old," Gabriel retorted. Who knew Unicorn was going to be that saving grace he desperately needed right about now. Even so, there was still one large problem that he needed to give his mother a proper explanation. "Mother, before we get comfortable, there is something that I need to tell you."
"And what is that?"
Gabriel took a deep breath to calm himself. There was no way how his mother was going to take this but it had to be said now that Hood had entered. The ice had to be broken instead of being skated on top of. "Hood, Eugen, and many of the other girls can vouch for me on this. The reason why my restrictions were lifted was also due to a multi-national peace agreement."
Cassandra nodded, "Very good, it's swell to see h-"
She was stopped by Gabriel putting a finger to her lips. He continued, "This peace agreement between the factions comes at a cost...that High Command approved. In order to keep the peace, I have to be married to an equal number of girls to each faction."
"I don't see how that's a problem. You're married to Eugen so that means you just have to marry one w-" Cassandra was about to say before she let the information process. The familiar negative aura appeared and began to taint the entire household as mother looked down upon her son. "Son….What the hell have you done?"
At this point, Gabriel looked away so he wouldn't have to gaze into the abyss any longer. "I….may have...promised more than one girl in Eugen's faction."
Knock Knock Knock
There we have it. This is only part one of the Valentine's special, so there will be a part two. The cat is out of the bag and now the mother knows what is going on. How is it going to end with our poor Admiral being in the blast zone?
Stay tuned to find out