Paperwork upon Paperwork.

What a time it was. Akagi seemed to be working swiftly. Swiftly and precisely, she went through paperwork quite fast. It was a neat indicator that she had experience with managing paperwork, which simply meant that it would not be a pain for Gregory in the future.

Kaga seemed to be quite slower. It was quite clear that she did not have that much experience, not as much as her sister at least. But she made do and went through it all with her usual calm and collected yet also somewhat wild demeanor. It was pleasant.

Or it would be, but Akagi kept pressing against him whenever she got the chance to do so. Why did she do that exactly? She didnt even know him much, as much as he concerned, they were strangers to each other. It was just his first day which made it even stranger. Alas, it was not the time to question it.

Then, as Akagi seemed to pretty much be finished, and laying on Gregory's back, a bell rang, a neat indication that lunch time was upon them. Thus, Gregory stood up rather quickly, as he failed to notice a pout on Akagi's face. Kaga seemed passive as always, as she simply nodded.

"Would you like for us to show you to the cafeteria, Shikikan-sama~?"

Akagi whispered into his ear, with a very soft tone. It sent shivers down his spine, due to how that sounded. Alas, he had no choice as he was quite new to the place after all..

"I would not mind being accompanied by you and Kaga there."

He said neutrally. In reality, he was pleasantly surprised they were willing to show him the way, but he refrained from showing such emotion. The brown haired man simply accepted the fact that they were their own people. That much was obvious by the way they carried themselves, but he did not let his guard down just yet.

"If Nee-sama says so, so be it. We will show you to the cafeteria."

Kaga spoke with her colder tone, as it couldn't be helped. She stood up from her desk and joined them, as Akagi basically had been holding his hand all the time, while they were in the hallway.

It was silent, but it was not a bad type of silence. They eventually made their way into the Cafeteria, which was packed to the brim with Ship Girls. Surprising. Very much so. He knew the base had many of them but THIS many? Oh well, paperwork should have been a neat indicator from earlier.

"We will be sitting with a few friends from the Sakura, Shikikan-sama..If you desire, you may come with."

Akagi offered, and Kaga merely nodded at the suggestion. But the commander had other plans.

"Thank you very much for the offer but I would have to decline. I'd like to figure where I'll sit by myself. Thank you, you two, for showing me around and I am looking forward to working more with you in the future."

The man said with a white toothed smile, as Kaga simply accepted his reasoning. Akagi was..

"Tch..I do not want the others to put their hands on Shikikan-sama but it can't be helped if that's his choice..Fufufufu..You're free for today Shikikan-sama but Akagi wont give up so easily~!"

The Fox practically whispered to herself, as she had clenched one fist, when the Commander had left them.

He had gone to get food, a simple meal consisting of steak, some french fries and some simple Cola. Nothing more, nothing less. He found his way to a lone table, it had a bit of space for others to sit at, and decided to take a seat.

He had no complaints about this place yet. It was good, the girls were nice and very beautiful to the eye, it was a pleasant location and everyone seemed to abide with protocol and the like. At least the human personnel. Ship girls were a different case, but that was fine as long as it did not interfere with the base's doings..

"..Would you mind if I took a seat here?"

Someone interrupted him from his musing. As he looked up, he was very..surprised. She was beautiful, perhaps she was someone he couldnt help but admire. She held herself with confidence and pride. She wore a red uniform, quite close to what a uniform of a Royal Navy officer would be. Short blond hair that reached somewhat to her shoulders. Red eyes, a neutral expression on her features which almost became a smile..

"You must be..Prince of Wales, correct? Go ahead, take a seat. I wouldn't mind a bit of company."

The man had said with a slight smile, somewhat pleased to see her. He had heard of her, naturally, as the last base he was serving in was of the Royal Navy. It was pleasant to see someone from those parts. And she was quite known as well. He never saw her in person but he had heard of how she looked and how she behaved.

"Very well, since her Majesty and the others are busy at this very moment, I will be eating with you today, Commander Gregory. A pleasure to meet you, and I am pleasantly surprised that you know who I am."

The ship girl took the seat on the opposite of his, setting down her tray of food. She had gotten practically almost the same meal he did, minus the cola and fewer french fries. She had a neutral expression on her features, but she seemed to be pleased. That was appreciated.

"How could I not know who Prince of Wales is? I've heard all about you and your achievements. I am very pleased and honored to meet you. I do hope we can get along, and work well together."

The man said, quite eagerly. Surprising, as he was so composed earlier, but he did not know the girls from earlier by name. This case was special and different. As such, he'd take as long as he could to appreciate it and make friends. He did want to get along with the foxes too, but it would all come in good time..

"...I am quite surprised you feel that way, Commander. But I will oblige. I would not mind at all. Let us enjoy this dinner then. And do tell me about yourself while at it. Im sure you know all about me."

Wales spoke with a slight smile. In reality, she was here because her Majesty wanted to get a feel of the new commander, but now, she was personally interested. He seemed pretty genuine, that was for sure. Perhaps this would be the start of something good, a friendship of sorts.

"Very well, if you say so, I will oblige. It all began when I graduated from London's naval academy. I had a fascination with the sea, you see. And it was only natural I'd choose a profession related to it. Few can resist that calling, after all and it is something I will never regret. My first post was in the London grand naval base, where I simply served as an ensign. Not much can be said of that time, but my commander saw something in me."

He said, stopping for a moment so Wales could take that in. She was curious, so she motioned for him to keep going.

"Apparently, I had talent when it came to this profession or so he said. I did not care much at the time, I was simply content with what I had. Alas, fate had other plans. One day, they brought in what is now called a Wisdom cube. Just by being next to it, it seemed to glow. I was quickly surprised when I was told I have quite the potential, as only few can make them react that way without machinery.."

The young man said with a slight smile, it was a painful kind of smile, as it seemed to be connected to what came next..

"But talent comes at a price. That wisdom cube blew up, and quite a few people in its blast were killed. We still do not know the reason behind that. My old commander had perished, the new one told me to not blame myself over that incident, for it was not really my fault. I believe otherwise but that's something for another time. Anyway, I was then posted here after a few months of extra training. They believe I have potential and I cannot go against orders, thus here I am.."

'She must have thought that I am pathetic..'

The man thought to himself, keeping up his sad smile. Alas, he was proven wrong when the blonde spoke up.

"What happens, happens for a reason. I do not think it was mere coincidence for you to be here, nor was it your fault for what happened. You must simply move forward, and not regret your past for it will come to haunt you, Commander Gregory. Plus, I do not think anyone would react negatively over that here. Most of us would not at least. Rest assured, we are your ship girls and you are our commander. So do not beat yourself up over the past."

Wales spoke her mind on that one. And Gregory smiled slightly. It was refreshing to see someone try to comfort him. It was not a smile of sadness this time but something more genuine, a pleasant smile. He appreciated that much. The other ship girls were either eating or looking their way, but they did not seem to have heard. Thankfully, that was alright with him.

"I have to go now, Wales. Thank you for listening and I look forward to speaking with you again. It was a pleasure."

The man picked up his plates, gave a nod, and proceeded to leave the cafeteria after returning the plates.

"Until next time then, Commander. I look forward to that myself.."

Wales smiled quite a bit as he left. She had a lot to tell to her majesty but she herself also wanted to speak with Gregory again. Quite soon, hopefully..

AN: And that's that. There is not really much to say at this very moment. Thank you for your reviews, it is appreciated, and I hope to see you all on the next chapter!