Hello, and welcome to the beginning of a wonderful project that will be added along the way. I ended up making this story after getting a Belfast plush that complemented the Enterprise plush that I had for months. Seeing them together on the shelf adds a level of comfort and happiness that is all so amazing. It motivated me in making this story, which is a bit wacky I'll admit.
Coffee Leaf as the title says will be the house that will contain all my Belfast and Enterprise one-shots. This type of format has always appealed to me when I would see other authors do it. The thought of having all one-shots under one story title for easy access is something I want to give a try and I have been meaning to do more one-shots. It's mostly the freedom and flexibility to write random and zany romantic stories without having to worry about if it's conflicting with the tone like my twin seas story that has a heavy story tone.
Coffee Leaf will be an anthology of Belprise or Enterfast stories that will be added for the foreseeable future. I will have in-depth summaries at the beginning of each chapter along with its title. I'm aware that there might be some drawback in having a format like this or it might be confusing. For that, I would love to hear what you all think, and I'll try to make it clean and easy to navigate.
Summary: A festival created from unity and teamwork descends on Azur Lane. Under warm and happy days, two ships will soon come to realize what the other ultimately feels through the intervention of an unlikely medium. Will the softness and cuteness of that said medium be enough to connect the bridge of hidden feelings that they both harbor?
[Bloom Through Plushies]
Festive music and energetic yells filled the base of Azur Lane. Today, was a very special occasion that resulted from an unprecedented of emergencies.
A naval exercise had been in effect the other day, and it was enacted to help synch faction shipgirls with the battle style of shipgirls from other factions.
The drills that they all underwent covered a vast array of tactics, and no one disagreed with the reason for the exercise. Even more so now when the devastating Siren attack had hit them hard like a wave. None were prepared fully as the mirror sea that was the calling card of the Sirens imposed itself over the sky and ocean, altering the weather with their malicious perversions.
Through the combined efforts of all the various shipgirls in different factions such as Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Sakura Empire, and Iron Blood. They pushed back against the threat that nearly got one over them.
The festival that now existed in this post wonderous conclusion was called the Unity Festival. An appropriate name considering that all the girls from various factions had put aside their differences and came together. If any were interviewed about the beginning of the Siren attack, they would sheepishly or stubbornly decline depending on their personality. The main point of that was that many had stupidly and carelessly got knocked down from trying to take matters into their own hands.
While various eventful stories of fun, excitement, and love played out for countless that partook in the Unity Festival, a curious eagle focused their sharp eyes on a certain royal navy light cruiser.
The head maid of the Royal Navy, Belfast, walked through the district where the Unity Festival was well underway.
Despite the happy reason for the celebration, she couldn't help but think that Azur Lane's resources could have been spent on better uses. It might be a provocative statement to say but Belfast thought that the base had a habit of celebrating practically anything. Perhaps it was the nature of the Eagle Union to party and celebrate until the sun came up.
However, she held her thoughts from materializing when she witnessed the younger shipgirls having a whirlwind of fun. "I suppose if anything is worth celebrating, it would be repelling the Sirens from our base," she told herself.
She sighed contently and kept a leisurely pace, enjoying the tranquil pastime of taking in everyone's happiness. "There are so many games to pick from. No doubt the merchants are having a field day turning their products into prizes for everyone else to try their hand on winning."
She had no desire to partake in any games, that was until she came across a stand with a set of wacky floating ducks that was hard to ignore. Aside from that, there was another that snuck up on her that made the wacky ducks a thing of the past.
Her eyes grew wide, and her breath grew uneven. Whatever she saw, both excited and uneased her all at the same time.
She refocused on the game attraction that had a relation with the other thing that caught her off balance. "This stand looks a little... simple." She wanted to say 'low rent' a more negative form of what she thought but held herself back.
Upon reaching the stand, pink hair shot out from behind the table counter, causing her to take a step back.
"Oh! A customer is in sight! Huh? Belfast, what an odd yet pleasant surprise." The girl before the head maid was a pink-haired Eagle Union carrier that wielded a command deck-like staff.
"Good afternoon... Miss Saratoga, is that right?" She asked politely after hiding her overall surprise.
Saratoga beamed at her and pridefully gave her a few head nods than needed. "Yep, it's me—Lexington's little sister in all her absolute splendor!"
"I see. Why are you running a game stand? I would imagine you to be more of the gamer type running around and collecting prizes."
The Eagle Union carrier blushed goofily and leaned closer to the maid. "It's a secret but... let's just say that a little more coin never hurts to have. So, are you interested in playing?"
Belfast placed a hand on her chin while her eyes scanned the scenery around her. "Hmm, what type of game even is this? I'll be honest, it seems rather simple of an attraction compared to your neighbors on each side."
They both glanced left and right. On the left, a temporary building constructed for the festival housed arcade games with a gripping attention grabber of flashy lights and even a mechanical robot dragon that unleashed fire from its mouth.
Saratoga fumed; her pout clear as day. "Yeah, well... that's clearly run by some Iron Blood group, so I won't be picking that hill to die on. Those wackos have all the cool stuff regardless." She then glanced to the right which had a colorful ferris wheel ride.
As if seeing it for the first time, the Eagle Union carrier had stars in her eyes while reaching a hand toward it. The reality of it was that she suppressed the existence of the ferris wheel as it only distracted her from her current task. She was able to break away from her hypnotic trance and bring her attention back in front of the maid. "Look, Miss Belfast. You came to me, so something pulled you toward me. Whether it was something worthwhile or something to pity. So, the real question that matters is if you're up for a game!"
Despite the shift from Saratoga's relaxed demeanor into a rude one from being reminded of her competition, the maid remained calm and hardly offended. She smiled and shook her head. "Heavens, no. Forgive me if I seemed to have touched a sensitive spot. The thing is..." Her confidence faltered and her wandering eyes glanced at what she had been seeing earlier. It was a prize from Saratoga's stand that was displayed behind the Eagle Union carrier. She then spotted the carrier looking at her intently and Belfast made sure to look away from what she was seeing before the pink-haired girl turned around.
"Huh? What were you looking at?"
The thought of moving away and ending the conversation felt enticing yet she couldn't. Her maid self would say it would be impolite to detach away from a conversation, but the reality was that the item held a power over her that chained her feet firmly.
She pleased the item or rather… she pleased herself when she granted another glance at it. Her mental strength grew steadfast, and she threw caution to the wind. "The prizes you have on display… that doll on the far-right top corner. Where on earth did you get that?"
Saratoga turned around again and spotted the doll she had mentioned. "Oh... I see. Well, wouldn't you like to know?"
The head maid frowned at the uncooperative response. "Yes, very much," she firmly stated.
"If I told you then you would just buy it from the source without even giving me the time of day. So, why don't you try your luck at my game and see if you got the luck of the gods." She pointed to the floating ducks while extending her hand out for the money to grant the maid a chance to fight for what she wanted.
Belfast hesitantly looked at the game before her, growing second thoughts about how much she desired the item. "On second thought, I really shouldn't. It's unbecoming of a lady to regress toward things that Unicorn would prefer more than me." Her statement, while a bit harsh, was also designed to deter her, yet the thought of Unicorn owning it did not sit well with her. Bitterly upset with her inner pettiness, she urgently made haste, moving fast for her own sake.
Saratoga nearly tripped over her stand as she vaulted over it and dashed to block the maid's escape. "Whoa, hold on, Miss Belfast. First of all, there's nothing wrong about wanting something especially when it's adorable to the last strand of fabric on its cute self. Hehe, why don't we just keep that comment between the both of us?"
The maid faltered and could find no strength to object to what she said. It was undeniable that the item she yearned for was indeed adorable, and there was nobody she would want to know that about her. Unless it was the one that ruled over her mind. She paused; fright showed on her face. That thought slithered across her mind like an inviting temptation toward a future she only dreamed about.
She scoffed and brought herself back to reality from such fanciful thoughts that could just as easily turn into nightmares.
Saratoga was the only witness to see the maid endure a one-hundred-year war in her mind that ended in only a few blinks. "Why don't you give it a better look? Walk with me," she commanded as she walked past the maid and repositioned herself back behind the stand. With eyes, that said she had her customer in her hands, she picked up the plush and placed it on the table between them. "See It's fine detail. Its stylish appearance, the cuteness that could sink countless Siren plushies! As if anyone would want something like that!" Laughed the pink-haired girl.
Her hand gestures moved around the small body of a certain shipgirl that the item was based on.
Belfast's eyes expressed a shattered resolve as she hopelessly gazed at the happy smile that the plush expressed. In a trance, she moved closer, seeing the detail with her own eyes. From this distance, it was much better, and she concluded that the plush looked exactly like the shipgirl she had in her mind.
What stood before her, was a plush doll of none other than Enterprise. Towering about a foot high, the plush doll captured everything that made Enterprise the person that she was. From her captain's hat to her black boots. The tie the plush wore was the final nail in the resolve that had been decimated from within the head maid.
Now, a new resolve arose from the ashes of the older one. A resolve that made her want to own this plush version of...
She paused. Unsure how to address the Eagle Union carrier that moved through her heart.
Saratoga smirked cheekily, seeing how smitten the maid was at the idea of owning this plush. "Come on, Belfast. You might be able to win her under... five tries."
The blue-eyed maid turned guarded and took a step back. "So, this is your plan? To bleed me dry until I have no money. How do I even know that this game isn't rigged?" Her focused eyes inspected any hints of mischievous intent in the eyes of the carrier who was known to pull pranks.
The Eagle Union made a face and casually rested her head on the palm of her hand while expressing a bored frown. "Considering this is a game of chance and percentages, I can't cheat at all unless depriving you of no hope from the start. I'll explain the rules to you. There are twenty floating ducks in this plastic tub. Only one of the twenty has a colored red dot underneath it. The others have either green or blue which is tiers lower than the red tier."
"Okay, then what color do I need for..." She looked away, fighting against herself to either say it or not say it. "… the Enterprise plush?" She turned red, which if someone had taken a photo, the picture would be worth so much.
"Red—like your cheeks, Miss Belfast."
She stabilized herself and frowned at the carrier's teasing nature. "Figures."
"What?! It's an Enterprise plush for crying out loud!"
"So, my chances of getting what I want is only five percent. Sounds like the odds are in your favor."
"Hehehe, that's why I said that maybe on the fifth try, but that's being generous. Your luck will have to be higher than the average normie to get it below five tries. On the opposite spectrum if you go to ten tries and you still can't get it… then… I don't know what to say. For continuous tries, I do remove one random duck along with the one you selected in that round. I do not remove the red duck in this process. Keep in mind that ten of them have the gray dot, which means you get nothing."
"You remove them randomly? So, ten are duds and ten hold colorful rewards signifying red, green, and blue. That means you'll remove potential rewards equally when removing mulligan ducks."
"Yeah, now you got it. And don't ask me how I can tell which one has the red dot. I know these ducky ducks well, and the small detail that only I know helps me from removing it from play."
"I see." She looked hesitant, yet there was no doubt. She wanted to stay, and she wasn't leaving until she held that plush in her hands. A sad memory flashed across her eyes. It was the memory of yesterday in how she was close to asking Enterprise to the Unity festival yet something inside her had severed all confidence she normally had and rendered her like a scared child. It was rejection. To be rejected by Enterprise festered that fear that kept her from asking.
It sounded preposterous now as she knew Enterprise would accept. The archer was kind and honest, and they had become best friends in the time they knew each other. However, would it hurt more if they simply went to the festival as friends?
"Hello. Belfast, are you in there?!"
The shout from the carrier in front of her brought her back and she quickly nodded to the agreement of participating in the game. She opened her purse and a defeated face formed. "Hmm, my purse strings are rather tight at the moment... I might be able to do one," she said with truthfulness. She had enough for one game and that didn't invoke confidence in the slightest.
"That's a bummer to hear. Then you'll have to summon all the luck you have."
"Or not play." She didn't know why she said that. Maybe in some final desperate attempt to apply pressure to the carrier in front of her?
It wouldn't work as Saratoga knew how much the maid wanted the plush. "Is that really an option?"
Belfast sighed, frustrated at herself and the carrier before her. "Fine, I'll have a go at this."
"Awesome! For full transparency, this is the duck with the red dot. So, you know that it does exist." True to her earlier words, without pause, she had reached into the sea of ducks and pulled out the one that had a red dot at the base of it.
The maid smiled and was somewhat impressed considering to her, they all looked identical. Nearly identical would be accurate as the carrier had a secret method for distinguishing them like a mother would with her twin children. "I see. Then none of your usual pranks will interfere with the odds?"
"Hey, I'm trying to make money here, Miss Belfast," she said in the humblest way possible.
"Then let's begin," she said as she handed her the money for her one and only try. Belfast had a good feeling about her chances. Her eyes never strayed away from the golden duck before her eyes that the carrier had revealed. As long as she tracked it, she would be able to see where the target would be.
"Hehe. I know that look of yours all too well. If you think this is going to be a cakewalk, then you have another thing coming." She flicked a button on her staff and the wacky ducks came to life.
"They're powered ducks?" The maid stood gobsmacked as the yellow ducks, akin to windup toys, began swimming wildly. The maid was at a loss as the ducks aggressively swam around each other, mixing themselves before her vision. The one she had her eyes on was no longer recognizable among a sea of identical ducks and she wondered if her tracking had already failed her. A lingering sense of doubt now stood by her side.
"Now, Miss Belfast. Choose." The Eagle Union's words were ominous and grave, hardly helping the maid in her decision-making.
The odds were heavily stacked against her. As she gazed at the rapidly moving ducks in the plastic tub, she closed her eyes and stretched out her hand.
"Eh, doing it with eyes closed? You sure know how to make it interesting." Praised Saratoga while clutching onto her staff, eagerly awaiting the outcome.
"Please be quiet," sternly said the Royal maid. She could not explain the sudden hunch that appeared to her like a ship revealing itself once out of a fog. There was this unidentifiable pull similar to destiny, and it was calling out to her to choose the duck at the far right.
That was nowhere near where she thought the red dotted duck could have been, but this pull felt infallible to disobey. With her eyes opened, she grabbed the head of one of the whacky ducks and turned it over.
Both she and Saratoga held a breath as they gazed at the nail-biting conclusion.
"Ah, no! Are you kidding me?" Cried the pink-haired carrier in both defeat and surprise.
Belfast expressed a released breath and a small smile of elation. She had beat the odds and had acquired the duck with the red dot. "Does that mean I win?" She said with a bit of arrogance mixed with her polite tone.
Saratoga had been biting on a handkerchief as she grumbled, gripping her staff afterward like a sore loser trying to hide their displeasure. "Yeah... you win. Just to let you know, you have the option of getting that plush or anything else within the same shelf as it."
The maid giggled. "I need nothing else but her." Those words exploded out of her mouth without thought and she immediately realized what she said. She gripped her apron while she blushed an uncontrollable one.
The carrier took a step back and recovered with a smirk. "Belfast, I never took you to be like one of those types." Frankly, the maid before her had never shown an ounce of infatuation for anyone before. Her blushing could be ranked up there in terms of popular myths along with UFOs and bigfoot. If the head maid was ever going to get shot with cupid's arrow, then no one but their big cheese Enterprise herself would be up for the task.
"I have no idea what you're saying." She guarded herself mentally and put on a calm and unmoving face.
The carrier disappointedly shook her head playfully. "Forget it, I can see that this plush was meant to be with you. Here's your prize and try not to let a certain someone see it. Unless you want to have a conversation explaining it to them." As a show of support, she bagged the plush in a dark bag that would hide her deep secret.
"Noted." Shakily stated the maid.
As the plush, which was now wrapped in a protective plastic bag, was pushed across the table toward her, they both heard an excited bird cry from above.
Before either of them knew, their vision was blinded by brown feathers and large claws. It happened so fast, and before the head maid could respond, the wild bird flew off with her prize doll.
"Holy smokes! That was Enterprise's eagle! Maybe he thought it was his owner only miniaturized or something," she said with a lighthearted tone.
The maid gazed into empty space for a few seconds, unable to process the sudden turn of events. Like rushing water, it reached her, and she suddenly cried out a helpless over-the-top shout that was new for the maid.
"Oh, didn't think you could make a face like that," teased Saratoga.
"Come back here! You're supposed to be a noble bird, not a thief!" The maid ran, picking up dust behind her as she tried to keep sight of the bird.
"Hmm, I would say that Enterprise needs to put that winged fella in a cage but that's not the most Eagle Union thing to do." She nodded patriotically to herself and smiled. "Wow, great luck one second, then pitiful luck the next. Although perhaps this is leading up to something. Hmm, I just hope that Enterprise is ready for that."
(Enterprise)
With the Unity Festival in full swing, the Eagle Union carrier leaned underneath a tree. Just watching the younger shipgirls have fun while she ate a hotdog was enough for her. Yes, a lingering emptiness resided in her heart, stemming from the small desire to try out a few of the games. The main thing that halted her from it was that it wouldn't be as enjoyable by herself. With a silent chew, she looked up and dreamily gazed at a cloud that resembled the french braid hairstyle and maid headpiece of a certain Royal Navy ship.
Swallowing loudly, she rubbed her eyes and suddenly blush. "It hasn't gone away... I keep thinking about her that way." There was hopeless defeat in her eyes and her heart pounded restlessly at the wonderful thought of the woman that ruled over her mind.
It had been a few weeks since her eyes had gone through a shift in perception. The friendship she had with Belfast now felt too small for her. The source of it all, her heart, now saw the maid differently. She was smitten by her in all sense of the word. She would be her first thought in the morning and her last at night. "Hmm, where do I go from here? This isn't healthy to keep what I feel bottled up inside me... she taught me that herself, but I don't think she imagine I would fall for her." She paused, enjoying what she said with a small smile. Her smile only diminished when she remembered how she chickened out when she failed to ask the maid to the festival. She wondered if the maid had even attended the festivities at all.
What she felt for the maid, was more than friendship. And she knew she was in some deep waters with only trouble on the horizon.
"Perhaps a game might clear your mind?"
Her whole body tensed when she heard the voice of another communicating with her. Shakily, she turned her head to her left and spotted a woman with black hair that covered one of her eyes.
The woman was resting on the counter of a game attraction while her elbow supported her hand and head.
The game attraction looked to had been some kind of shack or storage unit before being repurposed into a fancy game stand. It had double window doors and a lock and key door to enter and leave at the drop of a hat while not worrying about potential break-ins.
The woman gave her a friendly smile that expressed more like a smirk. "I don't mean to eavesdrop, but did I overhear that the Eagle Union's strongest is having love problems?"
Enterprise removed herself leaning on the tree and faced the black-haired woman. "Ark Royal?! When did you... Y-You heard wrong!"
The Royal Navy carrier folded and put the subject to rest. "Oh, then pardon my assumptions. Word of advice, talking to yourself will land you in hot water."
Enterprise turned away with a pout and a notable stain of red on her cheeks. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Anyway, what are you doing?"
The Royal carrier pointed a finger at herself, dumbfoundedly. "Me? I just returned from a small break and I'm about to set up shop again."
"Shop...? Why are you a game host?"
A crazed laugh followed by an unsettling joyful smile forced the Eagle Union to stand her ground. She did not like the glint of dark light that shined. "For the destroyers that are running around having the time of their lives. It brings me unparalleled joy when I see their happy faces win prizes!"
The archer searched the royal's eyes again and only saw warmth and truthfulness to her motivation. Perhaps she had been seeing things or maybe this woman was far more complex than she gave her credit. "Is that so? I hope that's all you feel..." Let's just say that Ark Royal had a very long and complicated history involving destroyer girls. There were even a few times that Enterprise had to step in when Ark Royal's hobbies would end up disturbing the peace.
The Royal carrier looked offended and hurt. "Hmph, I don't like the way you phrased that, but I'll be willing to let it go if you play a round of my games." She motioned for Enterprise to come closer, which the archer did.
Inside the odd pseudo-storage turned game stand, the walls to the left and right had all kinds of candy, dolls, and other trinkets. At the wall behind Ark Royal, colorful balloons stood attached to the wall.
Enterprise let out an amused breath. "Balloon darts? Classic and simple." She said with an approving tone.
Ark Royal grinned at her. "Yes, or would you prefer the destroyer game more?" She pointed to a large wooden box on the counter between her and Enterprise. It was worth noting that a table counter was built behind the window doors that one could easily vault over it.
Back to the wooden box, a bed of straw hay rested inside it, making Enterprise more curious. Just as she was about to inquire further on the second game, three Sakura Empire destroyers suddenly appeared next to her.
"Ah! Miss Ark Royal is finally back from lunch break!"
"Yay! I want to try my hand at another round of lollipop pull!" Said another destroyer from the group.
They all wore matching yellow hats and smiled eagerly at the inviting hay.
Ark Royal turned around, her nose conspicuously bleeding which only Enterprise was aware of. The Royal carrier casually wiped her nose with a handkerchief and composed herself. "Okay! Since you two have already played and had unfortunate bad luck, this round is on me!"
"Thank you so much, Lady Ark Royal!"
The black-haired woman struggled to not joyfully cry out in happiness from the melodious and divine sounds that graced her ears. "Ohoh...! Could I ask that you say that one more time?"
"Lady Ark Royal! Lady Ark Royal!" Cheered the Sakura girls.
Ark Royal acted as if the praise was getting her drunk, and maybe on some level it was. "Yes! Now let's begin!"
Enterprise silently crossed her arms, curious to see how the game was played. One of the girls, whose name was Uzuki, pulled back her pink arm sleeve and shoved her hand into the hay. It was an endearing sight to watch as she tiptoed to be able to get her arm fully deep into the hay. "I'm feeling super lucky with this one," she energetically said. She then pulled out a lollipop with a colored tip at the end. Her gaze remained in awe, her lips matching her surprised gaze. "Look, I got one!"
The Royal carrier smiled and nodded. "Very nice. Ah... I see. You managed to get yellow which earns you candy." The girls knew that, yet Ark Royal had said it again to inform the silently watchful Eagle Union.
Uzuki was saddened, which caught Enterprise off guard. "Ah, again... I wanted one of the plushies," she groaned sadly.
Ark Royal recoiled heavily back as if being shot. The pain from the girl, hurt her more than any foe could ever do. "So... cute... yet bitterly unfair." She cleared her throat and turned around once again to clean her nose before chatting with them again. "I'll make a special exception on top of the already special exception and will turn that yellow tip lollipop into a red-tipped lollipop. How's that?"
"Really!? Thank you so much."
Ark Royal flipped a switch from under the counter. From a lack of awareness earlier on, Enterprise now noticed that the wall that contained the balloons had a foot or so deep indention compared to the rest of the wall behind Ark Royal.
When the switch had been activated, a secret wall lifted from the floor, covering the balloon game and imposing the third wall of higher value prizes that assaulted the observant Enterprise and the three Sakura destroyers.
Uzuki cutely inspected the plushies on display and there was one that even caught the Eagle Union carrier's eyes. "I'll take the panda with the bucket hat! When I saw it earlier, I just knew I wanted that one!"
"Yes, yes, a fine choice indeed," replied the Royal ship.
Enterprise watched the same incident happen two more times, with Kisaragi and Nagatsuki also receiving rotten luck only to end up swaying the Royal carrier after a few sad tears. She continued to gaze hypnotically at the plush among the others that was personally reaching out to her.
"Yay! Lady Ark Royal—you're the best around!" They left content with cute animal plushies.
"Don't... mention it." The Royal woman looked pale, probably from the excessive blood loss that profusely came out of her nose after enduring each encounter.
Enterprise placed a hand on her hip. "How did you ever take their money in the beginning before you went on break?" She asked the black-haired woman with genuine curiosity.
The Royal carrier shakily moved her head to acknowledge the archer that was still here. "Huh? Well... I guess I had more of a mental grip on myself when I was fresher-faced earlier. I need to sit down." She slumped on a chair while comically giggling to herself.
"At least you have a seemingly endless supply of handkerchiefs to spare," dryly teased Enterprise.
The blue-eyed woman sensed the mocking humor from the carrier, and she slowly focused her attention on her again. "Keep what you need close to you as the saying goes. Which makes me wonder, what do you need close to you?" She appeared more composed, and the color returned to her face.
"What was that again?" Asked the archer, a bit guarded and hesitant to carry on this topic.
"Oh, don't think too hard on it. It's just... I noticed you staring intently at one of the plushies in my stock.
A long silence held with Enterprise before she spoke without looking at her. "Can you blame me? They all look unique, and the craftsmanship is top quality. Unfortunately, it was just curiosity. I don't have enough free time in my schedule to play with dolls."
"Bah! That's a way to put it. I'll have you know that any can enjoy a good doll, weather if it's for play or display."
The cynical nature from the archer showed while doubt clouded her eyes. "Well, you are running a business, so I'd expect you to say that if you wanted my money."
Ark Royal tiredly shook her head. "Jeez, you are difficult as they say. You're thinking too hard on this." The archer was being uncooperative, so she used her deductive skills and the direction she had caught the archer looking. Going over some other details from earlier, she smiled to herself when she suspected which one it could have been. "Miss Enterprise, why don't you take a closer look at these."
The Eagle Union carrier had her back against her ready to set off when the royal's words had caught her attention. Looking back on impulse, Enterprise swallowed hard, and she unknowingly moved closer when the chance for a better view was granted. She knew she shouldn't, but it was already a foregone conclusion.
In front of her, three plushies stood in a line of each other. "I guess I can't ask where you procured these dolls?"
"They are plushies, Miss Enterprise. And I will not give away my business partner's name out of fear that she might come after me once people start directly asking her to commission plushies. As much as she believes her talents to be amateurish, I will say that she's a Royal Navy ship."
Enterprise inspected the three plushies before her. On the left, one that greatly resembled Hood gazed at her brightly. In the middle, one that resembled Unicorn gazed at her with a happy smile. Lastly, the one on the right that was also the object of her fascination, was the head maid of the Royal Navy: Belfast.
She gazed softly at the plush counterpart of the woman that had been plaguing her mind. The plush itself was about six inches, rather small compared to the animal plushies and the other Royal Navy-related plushies measuring about 12 inches that stood next to the one she liked.
Ark Royal waved at her to get her attention. "So, which will it be? It can't be Unicorn... Although, if it is... Then we might quickly become friends as we think the same."
Enterprise defensively retorted. "It's not!"
"Got it, so that's a no for her."
She lagged after the response from the Royal carrier, and it finally caught up with her that Unicorn was a carrier just like them and not a destroyer, which the Royal had her fascinations with. "You... tricked me?"
Ark Royal smiled without replying to that and placed a hand on the hood plush. "What about Miss Hood? Of course, something tells me that I'm getting cold with that assumption. Also, I hear she likes blondes more, so you might have an uphill battle with that."
Enterprise gulped and felt like running away. However, she couldn't turn away from the plush that called to her. "Enough with the psychological mind games. I'll play one of your other games and win the one I want."
The royal carrier commended the archer for having the fortitude to confess that there was indeed a plush worth her attention. "Fair enough. I won't go easy on you. So, what will it be?" Challenged the Royal Carrier.
Enterprise stiffened and pointed a finger at the wall beyond the secret prize wall. "Darts. I have a pretty good eye when it comes to throwing things."
The game was set up and she was given five darts.
"The rules are simple, get one—that's a yellow rank prize. Get two—that's a purple rank prize. Get three—that's a red rank prize, and you get to choose which plush you would like."
Enterprise nodded and Ark Royal smiled to herself. It didn't take an expert to see that the Eagle Union was fighting for something more than a trivial item. Those eyes of hers burned with a passion that desperately needed something to help channel the true feelings she harbored. If one told her if she expected to win this outcome, she would merely say that she won in an unofficial way. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the successive pops of balloons haunted her ears. Moving slowly behind her, five balloons were ruptured from the darts that flew by like fighter planes.
Enterprise silently closed her eyes after it was all said and done. "There... what do I get if I pop all five?" She asked without a hint of arrogance.
Ark Royal melted from the frozen trance she had been in when she saw the results and softly smiled. She was right, she had indeed won in an unofficial way, knowing that she had been the harbinger to help the archer with her feelings. "Hmph, this Belfast plush, your secret safely guarded, and my sincerest apologies."
Enterprise took a step back, not knowing how to feel from having those words come at her like the darts she threw. "I never told you which one I wanted..."
"It's obvious, Miss Enterprise." She discreetly pulled out a black bag and placed the Belfast plush inside before handing it to its new owner. "Mum's the word," she added while doing a gesture of herself zipping her lips.
"T-Thank you." There was a relieved smile of adoration as the archer held onto the bag with firm hands. She was so caught up in her headspace of fawning over the plush that she failed to notice the roaring sounds of a vehicle engine.
Ark Royal was the first to notice and immediately grabbed onto the back coat of the Eagle Union when she had rotated away from her.
Enterprise felt her balance shift while the roaring sounds of a motorcycle-like rigging nearly cost her to have a heart attack.
At super high speed, a white-haired Royal Navy shipgirl zoomed past Enterprise while a heated pursuit of Manjuu on motorcycles suddenly halted before Ark Royal and Enterprise.
The scene before them was like a climactic standoff found in a gripping action movie.
The shipgirl that they had been chasing found herself cornered. "Step aside, Manjuus! Today, this port becomes a battlefield of LOVE! Unless you're up for a duel to see who's resolve is stronger."
Ark Royal's energy plummeted, and her face expressed defeat. "Ah, jeez. It's Hermes again with her card games."
The archer stood motionless and enraptured by the machine underneath the shipgirl. "What kind of rigging is that? It looks like a carrier deck."
"You're half right. I swear, Her Majesty thought that getting her a retrofit would help her grow up, but I think it made the drive in her even more chaotic."
Hermes smiled, knowing that she was cornered as the tree where Enterprise had been at was a dead end. "My turn!" She drew something that resembled a card. Her eyes did not even glance at it as if her victory was already assured without it. "Trap card open, Final bombardment!" She activated something in her rigging/motorcycle and the area around them suddenly exploded when mini fighter planes took off into the air.
The chaos disoriented both Ark Royal and Enterprise and completely knocked out the Manjuu riders, causing them all to comedically fly across the floor and bounce a few times.
Hermes used this moment to drive off in victory.
When the smoke cleared, Enterprise finally realized that the bag in her hands was gone. "Huh...?!" A flash of memory hit her like lightning and the final moments before Ark Royal had saved her, she had thrown the bag forward and it had landed behind the dueling fanatic where her seat was. "She has my plush—I mean item!" She hectically looked left and right, seeing other people a ways away down the road, so no one heard her.
"There goes the head maid," said Ark Royal with an apologetic frown referring to the plush as a living thing.
Enterprise pouted, her face turning red and half on the verge of crying. "Hermes, get back here, now!" Shouted Enterprise at the top of her lungs.
Once Enterprise was gone, a nosebleed started to appear from Ark Royal. "Oh my, I shouldn't be thinking like that, but I guess they do make a lovely couple. If they ever did tell each other how they felt." She smiled dreamily while cleaning her nose.
It had been an hour that went by and both Belfast and Enterprise tirelessly searched for the ones that had taken their prized plush from them.
It seemed that they were the only ones that were tensed and restless while everyone else was happy and blissfully enjoying the day.
Enterprise walked through the lively streets with purpose, telling herself that she needed to find the plush. She won it and it was hers.
Belfast emulated the same thoughts as she moved through the lively streets.
"Come one, come all. See if you have what it takes to sink two Iron Blood ships." The voice that had shouted those provocative words was Prinz Eugen who stood on top of a bench with a megaphone.
Everyone, including Belfast and Enterprise, who have yet to notice each other, had moved toward the sudden attraction.
Eugen was promoting an attraction beside her that was a large above-ground circular pool with a diving-like board above the clear water.
Despite the curious setting, everyone that gazed at the attraction was more interested in the two Iron Blood Ships that were resting on the diving board above the water.
"I like to see any with a good aim try and hit the pressure plate!" Boastfully stated Admiral Hipper with a challenging grin.
Her partner, Z23, grumbled while fidgeting with her hat, afraid that it might get wet.
Eugen held up the megaphone once again. "We will be starting soon. Anyone interested in playing pays upfront. Also, make sure to stay clear of the splash zone if you're not the one throwing the ball.
Behind the pool set up, there was the curbside of the street since most of the attractions during the Unity Festival were set up on the road itself.
Enterprise grew stunned for a second when she spotted Hermes resting on her motorcycle rigging a few feet away from the pool attraction. She looked to be contemplating something on her phone while a blush grew on her face.
The archer quickly made her way toward the zany Royal Navy carrier. "Hermes!" Her shout had caught the checkered ribbon dualist off guard but relaxed when it wasn't the Manjuu that she had expected. "Huh? Oh, Hey, Miss E. How's things been?" She said casually without a hint of guilt or awareness.
A twitching eye crazily moved by itself while Enterprise collected her thoughts. "How's it going? Don't you remember that you almost ran me over with this... thing?"
Hermes grew defensive for a second. "Its name is D-Wheel—short for Deck Wheel. Umm, my memory is a bit foggy on what you said. When did I hit you? I'm sure I took the other empty streets to avoid the girls."
"You must have turned the corner at the end. I was at the end of the street playing a game from Ark Royal's stand when you zoomed past me being chased by security Manjuu, does that ring a bell?"
"Oh! Ah! Hehe, my bad on that one." She embarrassingly placed a hand behind her head while she grinned sheepishly at the other carrier. "I must have been one with the wind and your image blurred away from my vision."
Enterprise looked unconvinced and her eyes held a vacant stare. "Really?"
"Yes, really. If you ever rode a bike before, you'll feel like you're in tune with the speed, with the excitement, with the duel!" She cleared her throat, bringing herself back to reality.
"Listen, I won't hound you any longer. I won't even ask or report as to the reason the security Manjuu were chasing you. I just want my item that's wedged between yourself and your seat!"
"Eh?!" Hermes looked behind her and grabbed a black bag that she just realized was there. "No wonder my seat felt just a bit more comfy than usual.
Enterprise tensed and her eye twitched, imagining her head maid being squished.
"So, this is yours?" Asked the Royal D-Wheel duelist.
"Yes, and I'll like it back."
Her semi-stunned expression morphed into a grin. "Hehe, sure but how about we make it interesting. Care for a duel?"
Enterprise treaded carefully from that question. "That's a tall order, Hermes. I don't know the rules to that game you play, and I don't even have the necessary things to play you with."
Hermes sighed. "I guess you have a point." A cheeky smile grew on her face. She threw the bag toward the archer who grabbed it. "I've decided. You're going to be my disciple and I'll show you how to duel next week when I have more downtime."
Enterprise firmly held the bag, desiring to hug it, yet not wanting to look weird or suspicious in front of the girl. "Hermes..."
"Nope, can't back away from this one. I'll whip you into a dueling pro so we can have ourselves a good graduation duel. And who knows beyond that? Maybe you and I can enter the Heartseas Carnival Next year?"
Enterprise cocked her head, a question mark forming above her head. "I have no idea what that is."
"Hehe, you got a lot to learn rookie."
The cry of a bird from above drew their gazes. At that crucial moment when the eagle that had made that cry found his owner, he dropped the bag he had been gripping like a payload toward the Eagle Union carrier.
Before Enterprise could respond, a head of long white hair rushed toward her and jumped into the air, catching the bag before the others had the chance.
"Belfast!?" Cried the archer and the motorcycle duelist.
The maid elegantly retrieved her item while mid-air, yet her landing suffered when her ears perked up to the sound of the last person she wanted to encounter at this moment. She then landed roughly because of that on the D-Wheel.
"Are you okay?!" Worriedly asked the archer without much thought to the reason she had been so reckless.
The maid slowly moved her head to her eagle union friend. "Miss Enterprise... Yes, I'm alright…" Her words were soft and a bit shy.
That response felt like cold water to the carrier. It was seldom that the maid ever acted less than confident and unwavering and the woman before her felt like a stranger.
"Hey, Miss Belfast! Watch it with my rigging," said Hermes hectically while rubbing the spot that the light cruiser had technically rammed into.
"Apologies, Miss Hermes." She paid her no mind as her already hectic mind was going a million miles an hour from seeing the woman of her obsession.
Enterprise was not aware of the confused turmoil inside the maid yet subconsciously hid the bag behind herself.
"Anyway... I'm going to rev on out of here. See you later, Miss E!"
While the two shy ships continued to silently try to think of what to say, the commotion where the Iron Blood attraction was ramping up.
Laffey, Javelin, Ayanami, and Unicorn had tried their luck hitting the plate to down the two Iron Bloods. Much to their frustrations, they couldn't land the hit.
"Is that all you got? Eugen with a broken arm and a massive hangover can throw better than you!" Mocked Hipper to Laffey.
Eugen made a face at her older sister. "I don't know how to take that..."
The sleepy destroyer girl made a pout and mumbled under her breath about wanting to nap instead.
"Miss Ayanami, we have faith in you!" Happily cheered Unicorn and Javelin when it was the Sakura Destroyer's turn.
Z23 tensed and started to blush when she spotted the Sakura destroyer approaching the line where she would throw the ball. Giving it some thought, she wouldn't be opposed to the destroyer being the one that ended up winning. A fantasy of Ayanami handing her a towel invaded her mind along with all the romantic details that she dreamt up, like Ayanami gazing at her lovingly while stating sweet nothings to her.
The Sakura destroyer launched the balls toward the pressure target, yet the force of each one felt vastly subpar.
The Iron Blood destroyer grew confused, having a warped sense of thoughts that Ayanami wasn't interested in her. Just from the sheer fact that she wasn't playing seriously. "Ayanami, where's your burning demon spirit? This level of effort is hardly you!" Shouted Z23.
She failed to notice the true reason why Ayanami didn't look motivated. In fact, she had been internally against submerging the destroyer and her feelings toward the Iron Blood destroyer held her back.
Hipper shot a displeased look toward her companion. "Hey, stop antagonizing your girlfriend. That's supposed to be my job after we make sure that was their last ball. Who knows if she does end up hitting the center of that plate?"
Z23 had a mental breakdown from Hipper spewing that claim rather casually. "Shut up! She's not my girlfriend!" Her mouth closed just as rapidly as she said that. She didn't even give it thought and the words spewed out of her like vomit.
Ayanami looked hurt and felt crushed, feeling the reality and truth to those words. A fierce gaze grew. Gripping the ball tightly, she propelled it toward the center of the target.
"Ah hell!" Shouted Hipper as she and Z23 hit the water.
A loud chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd and Eugen merely smiled with acceptance to the situation.
The two sunken ships found the edge of the pool and rested after their plummet. Hipper spat water out of her mouth. "You could have fooled me, Z23. That throw was chock-full of energy from a disgruntled lover!"
Z23 blinked a few times and gazed at Ayanami who stood small and quiet. "Ayanami..." She wanted to know why the destroyer looked so guilty now.
"I didn't want your hat to get ruined." That was all she said, yet anyone could see that statement was a front to hide her deeper feelings. Her blush that she couldn't hide said that. She then walked over to her with a towel that Eugen threw at her.
The distraction was high from the people, and they all were not aware of another effect that resulted from the large splash that swept the street.
Seemingly forgetting that Enterprise and Belfast had been behind the attraction, the water had dowsed them from head to toe.
Enterprise felt cold and wet all over. Her hat was soaked, along with her coat. She didn't care though. What she did care was if her plush was safe and if Belfast had been spared. The plush was fine as it was still in its bag and thrown on the floor when she was hit by the water. For the maid, however...
Her purple eyes widened. Behind her, a soaked Belfast stood. Her beauty had not diminished. Quite the opposite as her hair looked messy and sexy which was a side of the head maid the archer had never seen, and the maid would probably not want others to see her in this state.
Going lower, the carrier locked her eyes to the maid's breasts which were soaked and shiny with some help from the sun.
Belfast let out an audible soft grunt. "Oh, dear..." She then spoke lightly as if not all that there. Most likely she was recovering from the sudden shell shock. She began to twist and squeeze her maid dress in a very unintentional yet seductive manner.
The face of the archer grew red and hot like torture. It was basically torturing to her as she desired nothing more than to take her away and show her how she made her feel.
Belfast pulled back a piece of wet hair behind her ear and gazed at Enterprise. "Miss Enterprise... I'll get you a towel."
There it was. That selfless and caring iron maid putting her first over her own self.
Enterprise grew alert and took a step forward. "Huh? What are you saying? Let me be the one to get us towels!" Retorted the archer.
Belfast smiled and nodded. That's when she finally noticed that her hands were empty. She worriedly moved her head around to find her prized item.
Enterprise remembered that the light cruiser had been with some bag before all this happened. "Huh? Is that bag yours?" She pointed to another black bag that was behind the maid on the floor.
Belfast looked behind her and spotted the bag that contained her embarrassing and prized plush. "Y-Yes it's mine. Please refrain from asking any more questions!" She shut her eyes, angry at herself for randomly lashing out at the woman before her.
Enterprise closed her mouth and tensed from the weirdness of her friend. While those words sounded harmless on paper, her tone had invoked a harshness found in someone talking to an annoying stranger. It was a complete one-eighty from the caring mood she had been not even a minute ago. "I... I won't. I'll get the towels." She turned around and picked up her black bag that contained her prized plush. With plenty of subtlety, she pretended to be inspecting her boot while stuffing the bag inside her black coat.
The towels had not been enough, and Enterprise suggested they return to her room to dry off.
With most of the people at the Unity Festival, the dorm hallways were empty. A perfect setting for a less than professionally dressed maid to deposit their wet clothes into the dryer in the washroom.
While she had been doing that, Enterprise was in her room. She dried her wet hair while she wore a loose nightshirt and some comfortable shorts. Hesitating what she wanted to do, she crouched down near her desk drawer and opened it. She gingerly placed the Belfast plush inside it. "I'll come to get you when she leaves," she said with a soft smile that sparkled in her eyes. She was losing it. All this secrecy and embarrassment was now making her talk to inanimate plush dolls.
She slapped her cheeks a few times and noticed that her bed looked rather messy. The fact that Belfast had been preoccupied with other issues at hand, made her unable to lecture her about proper bed upkeep. Deciding that she wished to avoid that future, she quickly got to fixing her bed. Her pillow got fluffed and she was about to straighten her bedsheets. That's when she noticed the mysterious bag on her bed. Whatever was inside it must be important to her friend, so she was about to pick it up to place it somewhere. That's when the door opened and the head maid quickly locked eyes with what the archer was doing.
"Please don't touch that!" Urgency and a critical tone fired from the royal's mouth.
Enterprise felt the sting of those words that came out harshly as if the maid was talking to a stranger once again.
Even though she was out of her maid outfit, the woman before her still invoked an air found in the ideal maid image that she strived to be. Another thing that hadn't changed, was how absolutely breathtaking, alluring, and sexy the light cruiser still looked.
In fact, there was something that switched internally for the carrier just by seeing the royal don a sleeping shirt that had some goofy Eagle Union saying despite her being Royal Navy.
One would wonder how she would react if others had the chance to see her in this type of shirt. Her shorts appeared rather small or perhaps the shirt was too long on her.
Enterprise swallowed, battling the mixed feelings swirling inside her. She felt both terrified and attracted all rolled into one. Regardless, the carrier acknowledged the wishes of the maid.
The noticeable scowl on her face dissolved when she heard herself. The eyes that looked stern and distant changed back to a softer pair. "My goodness, Enterprise, I'm sorry that I lashed out at you like that." She stepped forward and Enterprise held a hand to pause the maid.
"You don't need to apologize. It must be sensitive material and I should have respected your privacy more. I was only going to move it somewhere else so I could finish fixing my bed."
The maid felt as if a knife pierced her chest. "Miss Enterprise..." She gritted her teeth and started to release tears.
The Eagle Union panicked and went closer to console her friend. "Please don't cry. It wasn't a big deal."
Belfast felt unworthy of being allowed to be hugged by the woman she admired and desired. It was an awkward interaction as the maid used her hands and arms to maintain a feeble barrier between them even though Enterprise had a firm grip on her born out of concern.
All that the archer knew was that something was troubling the woman of her heart, and that was enough for her.
Belfast sucked in air, and her eyes continued to produce tears. "You don't understand. I never found a reason to be rude to you, even when we first met. You are a precious friend to me, and I treated you like I would treat a stranger touching my stuff."
"I see." Enterprise couldn't argue with her. However, she could forgive and move on as she knew that Belfast wasn't like that unless she felt very attacked.
The maid battled with herself, and something inside her won over the territorial and harsh mindset. "It's not even something that I have a right to hide from you."
Enterprise cocked her head. "Huh? You lost me there."
It took all her strength, but the maid broke the loving grip of her friend. Sensing her heart pounding rapidly, she retrieved the bag to open it.
To say that the carrier was slack-jawed was too simple to describe. She moved closer and inspected a miniature version of herself. Her breath grew focused and quiet, feeling like a spotlight was shining down on her and her face was getting warm. "N-Neat doll. Umm... Why did you have so much guilt from trying to hide it from me?" She felt like a hypocrite for saying that. However, she self-deprecatingly thought that there was no possible way the maid before her could ever have the same feelings as her. This must have been some odd coincidence and perhaps the maid was holding it for someone else.
Her dark and gloomy resolve was pierced by a blinding light of hope when she gazed into the blue pools of the eyes of the maid. There was so much in there that swirled like a maelstrom, yearning, sadness, rejection, and hope.
"Because... because... It feels like a cheap substitution that I'm using to skirt what I feel for you."
Enterprise widened her eyes and took a step back. That was a wrong choice as the head maid held onto the plush tightly and similar to Unicorn.
Seeing the archer recoil in disgust forced her to drop onto the bed and pull her knees closer until she felt like a newborn in a womb.
Enterprise's eyes wavered. Her mouth grew dry, and her cheeks were bright red. Belfast loved her. She hadn't used those words, but the tone and feel were all there. She remained silent, seeing the maid in her leisurely sleeping clothes while she hugged the Enterprise doll. So defenseless, so cute, so amazing.
Belfast lowered her head, understanding how pathetic she was being. "I... see. Forgive me, Miss Enterprise. Your silence is enough for me. I will not bring up this matter again and I hope we may still be friends." She felt the sound of a drawer opened and when she gazed toward the carrier, a plush that was about half the size of the one she had stared back at her.
The dress, the color of its hair, the style of the hair, and the white lace-trimmed apron made it hard for her to not understand who she was seeing. It was a plush version of herself, and it was in the hands of the carrier.
Enterprise smiled at her lovingly. The look of disgust that the maid saw and thought, was nothing but a delusion. An ingrained prediction that she expected and powered it with her hopeless outlook. Deep down, she never entertained the thought that the carrier would feel the same.
Enterprise sat on the bed and kept a respectable distance from each other until Belfast was ready to break it. "I, too, feel the same."
Belfast stood up, her knees hunkering on the bed. "Enterprise..." She still gripped the plush tightly like a pillow and in that moment, she was channeling the inner child she never had the chance to be.
The carrier held her soft and loving gaze, expressing her feelings without the need for words. "You've been on my mind as more than just a friend."
The maid let out a breath, replaying those words over and over in her mind until she mentally grew strong to tell herself that she hadn't been imagining what she heard. With a held breath, she released all her emotions that had been piling up without release. "From the day I met you, I knew I found my knight."
The carrier widened her eyes, remembering the maid had mentioned something like that in the past. She never paid it mind as it had been too cheesy and whimsical for that past version of herself that had blocked that line of dialog. Now, those words were like honey that blissfully numbed her body all over.
The light cruiser held onto the carrier's shoulders, and the carrier emulated the same action. "If I'm your knight, may I ask for your lips?" She shyly talked in a polite manner that made the maid grow flustered and hotly bothered.
"Just my lips?" She grew bold and relaxed enough to chuckle. That worked to also ease the archer as the two softly gazed at each other with half-open mouths. It was like a blur, and if their future selves were made to remember who kissed first, they would say the other's name simultaneously.
The maid, like a wild animal, released her plush from her hands and held on to the real version of her burning desires.
The archer matched her in passion and released her plush from her hands as she held on to the real version of her desires.
Their kiss was sloppy and inexperienced, saying a lot about the lack of experience they had for this. Without saying it out loud, they were both overjoyed that they could learn together.
The light cruiser used her weight and dropped with the carrier onto the bed. They released from their lip lock and the maid gazed at the disheveled woman underneath her with triumph, happiness, and hope. It was a sight to see the strongest Eagle Union carrier with her hair spilling all around her, on the bed, and with yearning eyes that only looked toward the woman above her.
Enterprise caught her breath and smiled at the woman above her, enjoying her first kiss.
The royal maid held onto the arm of the carrier and brought it closer to her chest. She cheekily and softly moaned when she could feel her lover reflexively squeeze. It overjoyed her that the woman she loved was exploring her feelings rivaling that of an eager teen. It merely verified how much she wanted her. "Miss Enterprise—no, my darling Enterprise. We have all the time to take this new relationship slowly."
The archer broke out of her lustful spell and sheepishly cleared her throat, her hand still holding onto the maid's right breast. "I… yes, I would like that, Bel. Um… could I get my hand back?" She asked with a small smile, hoping that no one would walk in on them in this position.
"Not so fast. Please feel this." She moved her hand until it was at the center of her chest.
The carrier widened and gazed at the maid without words.
"That is my heart. Feel it's pounding and know that it's because of what you make me feel. I love you, Enterprise."
The carrier smiled a million-watt smile. "I love you, too."
The light cruiser relaxed from hearing the words. "To think that our true love for each other would manifest through plushies based on each other. You have to love how funny the world can be at times."
"Yeah, it might serve as a unique conversation starter in couple parties," dryly joked Enterprise.
The maid beamed at her with an elated expression. "You're thinking that far ahead?"
Enterprise united her other hand with her now new girlfriend. "We just told each other I love you. I'm over the moon with joy and I have no plans about stomping that level of love, trust, and responsibility."
"As expected of my knight," seductively whispered the maid as she held the woman's chin and kissed her with smoldering lips.
It was safe to say that they didn't leave the room until the Unity Festival had ended and everyone had gone back into their rooms when night descended on Azur Lane.
While they had been on the bed, the two plushies had ended up leaning against each other from all the movement, which true to their words, didn't advance into anything aside from aggressive making out… at least for that day. The future was a different story after all.
I started playing the Azur Lane mobile game again after getting a new phone with more memory. As a side note to that, Hermes has become my new favorite as her whole character is a combination of Jaden Yuki and Yusei Fudo from the Yugioh series. I was just so blown away by that especially when I retrofitted her.
Let me know if you enjoyed the story. There won't be a schedule for Coffee Leaf and stories will come out when I feel inspired and motivated as I'm still working on Twin Seas.
Speaking of which, you might notice that I haven't updated it in over a month. The thing is, I'm writing all the chapters that are left and once I finish the last one, they will be uploaded on a day-to-day basis or every other day—depending on my schedule.
I'm in the final act of the story and it saddens me that it's taken so long to finish this story when I first started it. I want to do it right and carry on the momentum of the expectations you all have for it without having to wait so long between chapters. My goal is to get them ready to go in a few months so that the story can finally be done.
I hope you all understand and thank you all for reading!