Chapter 14: Foreign Emotion Part 2
Enterprise laid spread out on a bed, while Vestal had her focused attention on her right arm.
Belfast remained silent in the corner to avoid herself from getting in her way.
The medical ship would occasionally make a sound here and there when she looked up and down the bandaged arm of the Eagle Union. Aside from that, neither Enterprise nor Belfast could conclude if she looked happy or serious.
So far, Enterprise had undergone one surgery session that had restored a portion of her function in her arm. The most noticeable victory was that she was now able to move her fingertips slightly and move her arm around without the fear of tearing open healing wounds within her bandaged arm. The pain was still a factor in her recovery, but it was pain that would rear its head during unscheduled times rather than it being a perpetual pain. Luckily for her, sleeping aids were still granted to her to help her sleep during the night.
"Enterprise, your arm isn't getting any worse, so there's that to be grateful about," she said stoically and with eyes full of concern.
"Why does that sound like a bad thing?" Blinked the Eagle Union with confusion.
"I'm sorry, it's not a bad thing. I'm just too caught up in my own world, that's all. What I would really like to do now is begin our next session to restore more healthy tissue and nerves in this arm-"
"I'm sensing a but here," rudely spoke the carrier with lowered brows.
Belfast glared at Enterprise and that was enough for the carrier to understand how rude she sounded.
The Eagle Union sighed weakly and donned an apologetic look.
Vestal subsided the carrier's sadness with a smile. "I understand your feelings, Enterprise. However, it's too early to undergo another session. Your arm needs to naturally heal itself too, in conjunction with the treatment. If we don't allow that and purely try to heal it artificially, then you'll lose all feeling in that arm even though it would look fully recovered on the outside."
"Hmm… so much for modern medicine, huh?" She spoke bitterly.
Vestal looked saddened by that response and walked toward her metal table that had her tools. "Miracles and medicine are often defined as two distinct things. However, with time, that line can blur depending on a person's perspective. An injury such as yours in the past would have been irreversible… much like your sister's legs…" she whispered to herself with a self-deprecating tone to her voice. "… medicine has come a long way from then that has allowed this option to be a thing. Of course, the goal post to what could be defined as a miracle is pushed further away. Maybe that's a good thing…"
"Huh?" Both Belfast and Enterprise looked stunned by what they heard and could not have made a response to whatever philosophical ramble the medical ship had spewed.
Vestal cracked a smile at their clueless faces and placed a hand on the carrier's shoulder. "Pay no mind to my words and understand that time is the greatest healer of all. If anything, I'll say about five days from now would be an adequate amount of natural time for your nerves and tissue to rebuild a healthy amount of itself before my treatment can work off that."
"F-five days?" Sadly spoke Enterprise.
"Yes, I'm afraid. Do make sure to eat plenty of protein-rich foods, fruits, and vegetables rich in vitamin C, and Omega-3 fatty acids, too. I'll compile a list of foods, so you won't forget," said Vestal with a warm smile.
Shortly after that, both shipgirls exited out of Vestal's exam room.
Enterprise struggled to put back the new coat that had been gifted to her by the others in Azur lane. This new black and red coat with gold detailing had been a wonderful gift to her when she left her room that morning.
"Here, allow me, Enterprise," softly spoke the maid.
The Eagle Union felt somewhat frustrated that she couldn't put her coat back on but chose to ignore that harsh voice in her head. "Thanks, Bel." The black coat could have been worn like earlier where her right arm was merely covered over the coat instead of sliding into the armhole, but Belfast could read the mind of the woman she loved and admired. For her, she wanted to wear it right.
With a few grunts of discomfort, they managed to successfully fit her bandaged arm into the armhole of the coat.
"I hope you don't mind that I also wrapped the coat around your shoulders, now. While you and only you can pull off that exquisite look, I think you should refrain from the coat sliding further down, especially when fixing it would be another trial."
That earned her a kind laugh from the Eagle Union. "Yeah, you got a point there, shame."
The defeated expression on the carrier's face was not lost on the maid, who would have given anything to see her truly smile. Belfast walked with a timid and playful motion to her body language that made Enterprise stop her moody expression. The maid turned around to observe the stunned Eagle Union that didn't miss a beat at Belfast's actions. "You know, with your hat and your coat on, you look the same as you've always been. I think you looking like this will be a nice mood booster for all the others."
"You think so? Because it does feel right to be wearing this again, even though it's a replica of my original one."
"Oh, come now. The one wearing it is the original, and that's all that matters," smiled Belfast.
It took a good silent minute before they both realized that Belfast had unintentionally held onto the carrier's bandaged hand with hers at one point.
Belfast blushed and quickly changed up her hold on the woman. Instead, she hooked her arm with her companion's left arm. "Ahem, shall we take a walk outside?"
"Yeah," agreed the carrier with a happier smile than before. If anyone else had tried to cheer her up the way Belfast had done, it probably wouldn't have worked. No, only Belfast had this charming method of hers down to a science.
Outside and near the beachside, Enterprise had meaning behind her pace. This was not lost on the maid, and she didn't have to think hard as to why she would be moving with so much purpose.
"Where do you think we should look for her?" Kindly said the maid which startled the carrier for a second.
"Am I that readable?" Spoke Enterprise with downcast eyes.
"Perhaps now you are, but only because you wear your heart on your sleeve, my dear," said the maid sweetly.
"You make it sound like a bad thing with that teasing expression on your face," lazily said the carrier, of course, there was some amused tone behind it.
"Hmph, I wouldn't want you to change at all, Enterprise. It's that kind of personality that can make Unicorn smile at you."
"I don't know what came over me when I saw that cold pizza. It wasn't even about the pizza that was the main issue, and I guess it sent me over the edge," said the carrier with shame.
"What were you feeling at that moment?"
"Despair, anger, weakness, and… humiliation."
Belfast stopped walking and turned her head slightly at the Eagle Union that had also halted her steps. She could tell that the injured woman looked like a whole new level of loss within her mind. "That's… awfully heavy to be feeling after waking up from a mild concussion."
"Well, to tell you the truth…" She spent the next few minutes talking about the strange nightmare she had before waking up.
Belfast listened respectfully to every detail from the sea turning fiendishly black, to the shadow warship appearing, and to the part where she had been hunted down in that ravine. Enterprise didn't even leave out the part where she saw herself as her counterpart. "Oh, my dear." She threw all sound logic into the air and embraced the distraught Eagle Union.
Enterprise widened her eyes when she felt the warm embrace from the maid. For the first time, Enterprise smelled the scent of vanilla that delightfully assaulted her nostrils. This next part might have sounded childish from the Eagle Union, but the warm embrace felt like a warm electric blanket during a cold night. All that put together, the Eagle Union found herself resting her head on the crook of the maid's neck.
If anyone had witnessed this moment, they would have fainted from the drunken level of passion in the air.
The maid was the first to jolt away from the tender moment that left Enterprise like she had been thrown off a bed and had her metaphorical blanket ripped away, too. "Forgive me, I stepped out of line just now," she said the first excuse that popped into her head.
"Huh? You… didn't step out of line, Bel. Your comfort was needed… and…" It was the carrier woman's turn to blush as she couldn't force the rest of her words out. She felt confused about what she felt, and she couldn't say that she didn't enjoy the contact beyond a friendship level.
"Be as that may… things are moving faster than they should," softly spoke the maid. She appeared to guard herself against her feelings. Perhaps what she said meant more to her than it did to the woman before her.
"Going too fast…?" The injured woman had always been clueless about these intense and intimate moments, but if fate had allowed her to process and absorb all the context that lay between her foreign feelings and the maid's blushing face, then it would have all clicked. However, fate had other things that were deemed important as, in the corner of the archer's eye, she spotted a head of purple hair that moved against a crowd. "She's over there!" She declared with a focused ambition to make amends with the purple-haired light carrier, that all other pressing matters dissolved away from her mind.
Belfast winced from the pain, mostly born from self-loathing because she had her chance to come clean about her feelings and failed to deliver. The only thing that stopped her was the fear of confessing it to her. The notion of stopping to process all that had happened would have to wait, as Unicorn took priority over anything else. And with a calmed breath, she steeled herself to tackle the issue that Enterprise needed help on.
(E-2)
It had been some time ago since Hornet, Atago, and Takao had brought a plate of bacon and eggs for her. And during that time, the plate remained untouched. The atmosphere had been dangerously silent that they all didn't stay around for long and considered their attempt to talk to the carrier to be a failure.
The wild-haired carrier took up doing some sit-ups and one arm push-ups that consumed the beginning part of her day. Sit-ups were a hit or miss with her because of the limiter rig that was wrapped around her torso. Regardless, a deadly and serious focus ruled over her, and she would ever so glance at the double metal doors.
The events with the Siren were still fresh in her mind, like the unknown coordinates that were burned into her mind. Even when she would rest her eyes, she would see those numbers floating in empty space, taunting her to go there.
She began to struggle with the one-arm push-ups that she had no interest in counting, even more so that the rig added a noticeable amount of weight that kept her mind occupied. If her general memory served her right, she had done about twenty to thirty before she dropped onto the cold concrete floor, that was covered in her sweat.
"That's a mighty impressive number you accumulated."
A voice shocked her out of her thoughts, and she stood up quickly to engage the unknown intruder. Annoyance replaced her expression when she looked to see that the other voice was Takao. "You, how did you get in here? I didn't even hear the doors open," she sounded winded due to her workout, and that was another thing that annoyed her since she didn't want to show this side to anyone.
"Ah, my bad for interfering in your privacy. I know I shouldn't say this but there's a back door behind those broken pallets- it's locked with a security code if you're also wondering," she said nicely as she tried not to sound smug.
E-2 exhaled and shook her head. "Really? Then I take it you had a reason for taking the stealthy approach this time? Do you perhaps believe that I have some scheme hidden away?"
"You never know," she said plainly and charmingly. "Actually, I was aimlessly curious, if that makes sense."
"It doesn't. So, did you find what you were expecting?" Sternly declared E-2 with her glare enhanced toward the Sakura ship.
"You didn't touch your food?" Replied Takao when she noticed the plate, she worked on was still on the metal tray near the small slide-in door.
"Don't answer me with another question. I hate when people are evasive," said the injured carrier.
"Hmm… fair enough. Then yes. I did find what I was expecting," she said with a bright smile.
The injured carrier tore herself away from looking at the black-haired woman. "Tsss… whatever. Figures that I shouldn't expect an honest answer from anyone here. In the end, my hatred for you hasn't changed, Sakura."
"I'm sorry…" she said tiredly as if she had been trying to find the right moment to spew those words.
"About what?" Demanded E-2.
"I don't think that there's been anyone that has said sorry to you after you underwent Akashi and Akagi's device. While we are focused on learning how to unlink you with Enterprise, it would seem that we caused you unimaginable torment in the process."
"Hmph, well… you all did keep your word about treating me like an animal with all that poking and prodding you all were so ready for," she said mockingly yet had a sense of distaste.
"Yeah, I only wish there were another way. We have to do what we have to do, just figured you deserved an apology at the least."
"Still hate you. But please, keep wasting your breath," she said angrily.
A reluctant sigh showed on the black-haired cruiser. "I'll take hatred. Better to have that than indifference. At least you have a passion for me that could have a chance of being friendship one day. They do say that the opposite of love is indifference after all," she said proudly.
"Jeez, with that speech of yours, I can't tell which one is crazier- you or your sister."
Takao felt sour by that response. "I don't find it crazy to hold out hope that someone can change. Just like I don't find it crazy that you had claimed to see things nobody saw. Still, even after looking at the video feed outside the warehouse and docks, I couldn't find anything unusual, but even with that, it's not my place to say that you didn't see anything."
"Forget about that… it was all a hallucination," she said flatly, making the other woman raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Hmm, we can put a pin on it instead. As I said, there's just something about you that I can understand and sympathize with," she said softly.
Her words earned her a mocking laugh from E-2. "Wait… please don't delude yourself into thinking we're… what… kindred spirits? And that's when I completely shut any more words from your sorry mouth out of my ears." The carrier turned her back on the black-haired woman with her usual coldness apparent.
Takao bit her lip, knowing deep in her heart, that what she felt shouldn't be stomped on. "Before you do that! Now that you mentioned it… kindred spirits sounds about right." Her eyes gave off a defenseless look to them, that now had a revelation that added more to her reasons for wanting to form a bond with the glaring woman.
"What do you and I possibly have in common? Answer me!"
Takao took a deep breath and responded with the words she had in her heart. "We are both ruled by warfare. I'm not talking about in the general sense that we partake in it against our wishes as all the others do. It's a ship's duty to stand against the forces that would seek to crush us. No… I'm talking about how we revel in the heat of combat that makes us feel alive. You and I are similar in the sense that we search for battle after battle to help us grow."
"You sound just like a Siren," she said bitterly.
"Your words truly hurt; however, I can understand that logic. I guess… my purpose in life is to constantly perfect myself into the weapon that I believe I can become. That is why I train and undergo commissions to fight the enemy whenever I get the chance. Are you not the same? I've sensed it when we first met, that battle-hardened look, that cold personality, and even by that fact that your hair continues to smell of unwashable ocean smell. It's as if you never touched dried land before being attended over there in Azur Lane. I've also seen it firsthand when we peered into your memories. That sharpness forged in hellish warfare meant only for destruction is the boat we both share."
E-2 could not try and look uninterested from what she heard. She would be lying to herself if that was the case. "So, what… you wish to die in a glorious battle to the end with the enemy? That your life has no meaning other than to fight?" Her words had their own bite to them, and she wasn't tone-deaf. She could hear the hypocrisy in her own words that were by one whose only life goal was to end the woman she hated the most in a battle that would claim both.
A sad expression appeared on Takao's face. "It seems that this conversation has grown into a therapeutic one. Yes, that's what my heart tells me- my very nature that I mask from the others encourages that, but my brain tells me that way of living is foolish."
"It is." What was she saying? The cold and ruthless phantom of the Eagle Union's strongest had a chip in her heart that had her thinking things she wouldn't have. A sympathetic urge in her heart that was foreign to her yet felt right at that moment.
Takao felt defenseless for she had laid out deep-seated fears and flaws within her that she never even told her energetic sister about. "Yeah, I agree. That is why there is meaning in wanting to help you out. For someone that is just like me, if I'm able to help them, then there's hope for me. Being friends is the first step, and I see that there is more behind this than just a fight. If I can help someone like you to turn their life around, then that means there's hope for my own salvation." Takao regained some of her joy from her conclusion that she ironed out through all her thoughts.
"So, I'm a side project for you?"
"Stop your cynical view of things! I feel pity for you because we are kindred spirits. A path like yours where the fighting never stops is one that I wish to avoid, even if it goes against my nature."
"Ugh, I don't really get all this philosophical talk you brought on. There is one thing you're wrong about, though. You're a champion."
"What?"
A sour expression descended upon her, as she remembered the words the Siren had told her. Her memory was still hazy from her past, but she could feel that those words carried truth. "You fight harder and more frequently than you should, and that makes you a champion. I… fought for survival. Fighting was all that granted me life in the past." Again, she had trouble verifying those facts with the only things she had going for her were those transient memories, and she was mostly mimicking the words from the Siren that spoke with her.
"What a baseless idea," came the furious grunts of the heavy cruiser.
"Huh?"
"Champion and survivor are one and the same. Or what? Are you quantifying both sides in terms of luxury? To be a champion, you must outlive all the other opponents before you. And the last time I checked; it was the Sirens that started this whole war in the first place. For them, this war is a luxury for their own perversions of the future they have in store for all of us. Anyone who doesn't pull their weight in this war is doing a disservice to their homeland. We are not given the choice to not fight."
E-2 took it all in. A sense of inspired amazement filled her to the brim that she had to respect the uplifting words from the black-haired woman. Of course, she denied herself from emoting it to the woman. Instead, she slid down toward the glass, and her body faced the other way from the white ribbon user.
She glanced at the plate that was a few feet from her and grabbed a piece of bacon. "It's cold," she said flatly after she began to chew.
Takao released her glare and scoffed playfully. She then mimicked the same position as the carrier and they were now faced away from each with their backs pressed upon the glass. "That's because you waited all this time."
"What's… your name again?" She said with a small cough of embarrassment or maybe the cough was from the bacon.
Takao swallowed a small gasp and softly smiled to herself. "I-It's Takao, the first ship of the Takao-class heavy cruisers- but feel free to just use Takao."
"Takao… this bacon tastes like it was cooked with actual oil, and is it supposed to be all black?"
Takao comedically felt disrupted from the moment they were having by that untrue comment. "H-hey, isn't that taking it a little too far? Besides, you don't have to keep eating it," she said with a twitched eyebrow.
"Hmm…" responded E-2 before taking another quiet bite from the bacon.
Even though they didn't converse beyond that, this silence was one between two people that had gained a mutual respect for each other.
(Enterprise)
Back to Azur Lane's base, Enterprise had cut into an alleyway in the marketplace when she figured where the purple-haired royal navy was heading too.
Belfast was right behind her during this whole ordeal. "Enterprise, you shouldn't be exerting yourself like this."
"I don't care! Making things right with Unicorn is all that matters right now." She pushed her way out into the street that connected from the alleyway she came out from. Her frantic eyes searched every direction for a sign of the purple-haired girl. Her luck paid off when she spotted Unicorn turning the corner next to a building.
Enterprise pushed herself again, completely ignoring the random shipgirls that worriedly gave her looks. They were under the impression and were concerned that she was undergoing a morning jog that she shouldn't be doing. More evident to their concerns was that she was holding her bandaged arm while she ran.
"Oh… everyone is looking my way." The maid felt flustered at the fact that she was being seen in a state of un-ladylike proportions. In fact, as shallow as it sounded, she asked herself why she entertained the notion to be seen in public running across the streets without any manners. She shut off that thought as it was obvious, that it was all for Enterprise.
She turned the corner shortly after the Eagle Union had done the same. Her immediate action after that was to hit the brakes on her feet before she ran into Enterprise. "Enterprise?"
The Eagle Union carrier stood motionless with the sound of her exhausted breath being the only sound that the maid could hear.
Belfast pulled out a handkerchief from a hidden pocket somewhere on her white apron. She then cleaned her sweaty face with it and stood beside the Eagle Union carrier. That was when she spotted what Enterprise had been so fixated on.
Off in the distance, the four friends that always seemed to be together were there with Unicorn at an ice cream shop. They were all standing together, conversing away without the notice that they were being watched.
Belfast hooked her arm with Enterprise when she noticed the carrier had mindlessly moved forward.
"No, no, no. First, wait for a second," demanded the maid that pulled her back.
"What are you doing? I told you that I need to talk to her," said the carrier with a pained face.
"Yes, I understand. Your guilt-ridden face is all the proof of that. But first, you must clean up yourself." The handkerchief was then folded a few times before it ran across the cheek, forehead, and chin of the carrier.
"B-Belfast…?" The white-haired carrier was lost for words. A humiliated feeling washed over her for being treated like a child in public. However, her heart started to race at the tender motions the maid used to clean her face. She then felt shame when her eyes lingered at the maid's lips, then eyes, and finally her breasts. Enterprise shut her eyes aggressively, knowing that her gaze was inappropriate. That didn't help in the end, and she tried to interrogate herself mentally as to why she lingered there.
Whatever conclusion her mind would have given her was dissolved when Belfast held the carrier's head with her gloved hands.
They both stared at each other with a held silence until the maid started to speak. "You look a lot better now, Miss Enterprise. It's not proper for one to be so bedraggled when apologizing to another. Look at you, your hair is all over your eyes, too. If you wanted to be even more dramatic and spontaneous with your apology then rain would have been that extra notch," she said with a teasing smile that rendered Enterprise speechless.
It took a good swallow from the carrier to settle whatever emotions she had inside before Belfast's teasing comment. In fact, that comment had pretty much forced her to lose the meaning behind her emotions as if they were placed in a blender and set to mince. "Very funny. Rain isn't on the forecast today but you think a hose might be a good substitution?" Said the carrier with a mock tone to her voice.
Belfast donned a sour face and laughed. "Come now, try to relax, so that you can apologize properly. That's all you need in the end. There; more dignified and less crazed."
"Hmm, guess you have a good point. Unicorn gets rather spooked and shy easily. Ok… relaxed," she said with a frown.
"It's okay. Speak from the heart, and I'll be here for support," tenderly said the maid.
Enterprise friendly beamed at the maid. "Thanks- Oh, can I have my face back?" Their whole interaction had unfolded with Belfast's gloved hands never releasing their hold on the lovely face in front of her; even when she had stopped cleaning her face.
The light cruiser had red on her face, much like Enterprise, who looked not all that there.
The reason for Enterprise's blank state was that her mind had lost any mental capacity to process these interactions for the time being. It was as if her mind had fried itself or maybe it chose not to study these nice, yet confusing feelings for now. Perhaps, decided on spending her cognitive thoughts on the definitive matter at hand rather than a foreign ambiguity.
The light cruiser watched her companion walk forward toward the five girls that were off in the distance. During this respite between events, she reflected with downcast eyes on the day that was still unfolding. She has had many tender moments with the woman of her affection, and yet she constantly swayed back and forth between friends and lovers.
Anyone could plainly tell that the tension that they emitted was one of silent love or that of foolish kids that didn't know how to express their feelings.
"Hey… that's close enough."
Belfast was pulled out of her thoughts of indecisiveness, and she spotted Laffey standing in front of Enterprise with her hands held high like a fighting stance.
A nervous sweatdrop appeared on the carrier's face in response.
Z23 joined Laffey, with her arms crossed, in her proclaimed defense to protect Unicorn from Enterprise. The other two destroyers, Ayanami and Javelin, merely stood back with Unicorn with a hesitant expression by the overall situation.
"What's all this about? Miss Laffey, is there a reason for you to be shouting so loudly and rudely take a stance against an ally?"
Laffey moved her tired or bored eyes toward the maid; her hands refused to move from their stance. "Right, being loud and rude isn't for an ally. But… shouting mean things to one also isn't for an ally." Her expression was stoic and definitive as she aimed those last words at the Eagle Union in front of her.
Shame painted the face of Enterprise and her eyes looked beyond the two destroyers in front of her. "Unicorn, I'm here to say that I'm sorry for my rude words."
Unicorn could see the genuine hurt in the carrier's eyes and forced herself away from the protective embrace of Javelin. "Miss Enterprise… there's no need for you to apologize. It was rude of me to hand you something old and cold as that." Her words were filled with inclined punishment onto herself that made everyone else narrow their eyes as such a complacent statement.
"Quatsch! Don't think for a second that you are the one at fault here, Unicorn," angrily said Z23.
"Unicorn… came to us in tears. While she sounded understanding of you… her hurtful story of what you said… didn't make us understand at all," declared an unmovable Laffey.
Enterprise lowered her head until her eyes were covered by her hat. "You have good friends with you, Unicorn. They understand the ugly nature in which I responded to you. Even if you had a pizza that was cold and as hard as a block of ice, it shouldn't have been a reason to coldly reject you that way. Your intentions were warm and friendly after all."
The purple-haired light carrier moved forward until she was next to Z23 and Laffey. "Miss Laffey, Miss Z23, may I please talk to her?"
Both the Eagle Union and Iron Blood destroyer looked hesitant to allow themselves to move but they did anyway since it was Unicorn's desire.
Unicorn nervously moved closer to the Eagle Union carrier, with one hand holding her other arm shyly.
Enterprise grew curious to see Unicorn's hands so empty when usually she would be holding onto her U-Chan, as she would describe her stuffed yet animated unicorn pet.
"Y-you look very tired, Miss Enterprise," said the light carrier in an attempt to make small talk.
"Do I? I guess I've had some rough days recently. When you found me on the ground in my room, well… that was just another rough day for me. I had a nightmare that's best to not talk about, and It left me… diminished. Please understand that my spontaneous anger wasn't because of you or that pizza but from my nightmare."
"Oh… Miss Enterprise. Are you sure that you don't want to talk about it? Sometimes when I'm scared, I hold onto U-Chan tightly, and all the scary things go away."
"Maybe I should find myself a 'U-Chan' of my own," said the carrier with a guarded smile.
"Anything can be a U-Chan, as long as it keeps the scary things away. You'll know you found your U-Chan when its hugs and warmth make you feel like nothing can hurt you."
"Warmth?" Curiously asked Enterprise.
As a side remark from the back, Ayanami leaned over to Javelin. "See? Even she finds that weird," she said to the purple-haired destroyer that could only agree.
Unicorn grew shy to that question as she never fully detailed the nature of her U-Chan aside from her stating it's a plushie. "Of course, U-Chan is soft and squishy after all," she said cryptically.
"Soft, warm, and squishy…" Taking all those attributes into account, her mind shifted to not a mere toy but to the image of one Royal Navy maid that fit all those things.
"Miss Enterprise! I think you should sit down right away! Your face is burning up!" Yelled Unicorn.
About half an hour had elapsed since then and Enterprise, along with Belfast, was sitting at a table, as they waited for the others to come back from inside the shop.
"You look a lot better now, my dear. I shouldn't be surprised after you exerted yourself with all that running," said Belfast.
The heated exhaustion that all the other girls had seen, vanished once she was sat down underneath an umbrella table connected to the ice cream shop.
Enterprise felt confused about the emotions swirling inside her, but she knew enough that her heated face wasn't a result of running hard out in the sun. She glanced at the smiling maid and somehow, Unicorn's U-Chan example had shifted her perception of the maid, perhaps irreversibly. Not for the worse, one might add but a whole new light indeed. All she needed now was to make sense of this heart-thumping emotion that could drown her if she didn't control it.
A light pain began to surge in her bandaged arm, pulling her away from her thoughts.
A waffle cone then appeared before her with the one holding it to be Unicorn. "Here, this should help, Miss Enterprise," said the light carrier. She held in her hands a delicious waffle cone with cookie dough as its topping, such as her own that she held in the other.
Laffey, Javelin, Z23, and Ayanami joined them underneath the umbrella stand. They respectively had their own flavors with Laffey having cookies N' cream, Javelin having mint chocolate, Z23 having chocolate, and Ayanami having strawberry.
"Here you go, Belfast," said Javelin, who handed the maid a cherry-flavored waffle cone. "Oh my… if you insist. So thoughtful of you, Miss Javelin," politely said the maid.
Enterprise looked at the cone and accepted it without any thought in her mind. "Thank you."
"I hope that you like it, Miss Enterprise," said Unicorn with a nervous blush.
The carrier had her first lick and her eyes widened. "Hmm… it's quite good. Now that I think about it, I don't think I have a favorite flavor usually. Maybe chocolate but I'm sure I'm speaking from popular vote."
"Pfft, I can agree that chocolate is the superior flavor, only if it's chocolate from the Iron Blood like this one in my hand," said Z23 with a boastful smirk on her face.
Laffey silently nodded at the provocative claim. "I agree. It's nice that Iron Blood… brought their chocolate into the base after… rejoining."
"Precisely," happily said Z23.
"Hmm, strange, they never bothered to provide quality goods like this in the past," stated Enterprise.
"Yeah… I can agree that that is pretty scummy. But this shows how serious we are this time around," said Z23.
"This time around? I hope you all don't have ideas about going back on our reunion if things get messy with the Sirens," said Belfast.
Z23 remained silent for a second with her only interest being her ice cream. Her violet-colored eyes stared back at Belfast with clarity. "I can't speak for everyone under the flag of the Iron Blood, but Prinz Eugen and I are committed to making this work. And that goes for others that I work with, Miss Belfast."
"Hey, come on, that's enough. Let's not create issues where there aren't any. Iron Blood has always been one to hide their hand in the past, but this is now. We are all in the same line of understanding after the events with the Orochi," stated the carrier.
"Indeed, Enterprise. I'm happy that you can understand us and forgive our past actions. Times have indeed changed, and while hiding our hand has been a bad habit of ours, we are making changes," said Z23 with a sincere frown on her face.
"Right… one card at a time," calmly said Enterprise with a positive gesture with her waffle cone to the Iron Blood destroyer.
Z23 was shocked for a second, and then she smiled back at the carrier when she sensed no sly or malicious tone behind her comment.
After that, everyone spent the next minute enjoying their ice cream. Laughter filled the air and the ones who looked more overjoyed were Enterprise and Unicorn.
Enterprise then silently signaled Unicorn to hold her waffle cone. When her hand had been freed, she patted the head of the light carrier that made the small royal blush. "Your pizza was actually good," said the injured carrier.
"Huh? So, you did enjoy it?" Happily stated the light carrier.
"Yep. Funny enough, did you know that if you fully committed to getting it cold by putting it in the fridge, it tastes arguably better than hot pizza?"
"It does?!" Cried Unicorn with wonder in her eyes.
Enterprise laughed at the child-like expression on the light carrier. "Absolutely. It's just like fried chicken in that regard. A few that I know prefer both cold."
"Yikes! Cold fried chicken and pizza? That wouldn't work with shrimp tempura since the texture would feel like wet tissue paper," said Ayanami with a frown at the image.
"Chips or fries, like how the Eagle Union would put it would be rather cardboard-like in texture if they were to get cold. Very unsatisfying," said Belfast.
"Not pizza or fried chicken. Pizza can hold its own for hours without getting soggy, and all the flavors fuse to create something worth a try. Even fried chicken gets better with the skin binding itself with the meat and keeping it crisp while the inside gets enhanced in flavor. But please, I'm no food expert, so I probably didn't do their description justice," said Enterprise.
"How wonderful. Could I possibly try both?" Asked Unicorn.
"Um… well… I don't see why not," said Enterprise.
"I can't wait. What about you, Miss Belfast?"
"M-me? Well, I haven't personally tried cold pizza or cold fried chicken- it's more of an Eagle Union thing if I remember correctly," said the maid while she looked away.
"I'll give it a try," said Ayanami.
"Same here. Call me curious," said Z23.
"Me too," joyfully said Javelin.
"Sure…" said Laffey.
Enterprise found some joy in watching the maid struggle in talking herself out of this situation, however, watching Unicorn looking happy was enough to get the dignified maid to fold.
"Sigh, I find my arm being twisted here. Fine, but I'm a firm believer that the best foods are always served hot and fresh, as they should properly be," said the maid.
"There are exceptions to all rules," said Enterprise with a smile that warmed the maid from head to toe.
Belfast then proceeded in licking her ice cream to settle her blushing and annoyed face. "Unicorn and Javelin, let's keep this from the ears of the others- preferably, and including Illustrious and Wales."
A small chuckle came out of the Eagle Union carrier. "I can see the shame you paint the situation in. I guarantee one try will make you reevaluate your stance on such an odd idea."
When they were almost finished with their waffle cones, Unicorn's plushie animal jumped onto the table from out of nowhere.
"U-Chan! Where have you been?!"
The small Unicorn plushie looked lively and ran around the table before pointing its horn toward the injured Eagle Union.
"What's it doing?" Asked Enterprise with nervous tones in her voice.
Unicorn observed U-Chan's action with understanding like it was a language that she knew. "U-Chan wants to show you something- something very urgent?!"
The body language of the small plushie conveyed that truth. The Unicorn plushie then launched itself headfirst toward Enterprise. Its horn pierced itself between the slight gap between the carrier's hat and white hair.
"Ah! I'm so sorry about that!" Cried Unicorn as U-Chan thrust its horn upward and stole Enterprise's hat. Another hilarious thing to note was that it launched itself away from the carrier by using her face.
"Hat thief!" Shouted Laffey.
Enterprise quickly stood up after her hat had been snatched unexpectedly from her very head. "Hey, bring that back." She was the first one to run out from underneath the umbrella. The chase didn't last long as U-Chan had stopped in the middle of the street. It turned around to see a frantic Enterprise coming toward it.
"What's the idea of taking my hat?" She demanded.
U-Chan wiggled its horn with the hat still dangled firmly on the edge like a coat rack. Its body language visibly expressed for the white-haired carrier to observe where it was pointing.
Enterprise speechlessly followed the direction where it was pointing. Her eyes landed on a building off in the distance. At first, she didn't see anything stand out, but at the height of the peak of the building, there stood an antenna, and on that antenna, a dark winged beast loomed.
Everything melted away from Enterprise's perception until only she and that far-off speck resided. A heavy breath pushed down on her lungs, and a sinking feeling of despair washed over her. This feeling was like that of seeing a friend go down a dark path.
The winged beast appeared unfazed by the fact that it had been caught by the Eagle Union. Even though it was far off, the carrier could deduce that it could see her looking back at it.
"Enterprise!"
The carrier turned her head to see Belfast coming her way.
"Are you all right?" She asked.
Enterprise didn't respond right away and looked back in the direction where the dark winged beast had resided. There was no evidence that it had been there except for the witnesses that were the carrier and one animated plushie. "Y-yeah, everything's okay…" She crouched down to retrieve her hat from the horn of U-Chan, who looked saddened at the fact that the mysterious creature had vanished. "Thanks for snatching my hat," gently spoke the carrier to the plushie.
U-Chan happily nodded for at least that victory.
I'm shocked at how much I had originally planned to put in this chapter. I figured that it would be a decent size but when it runs away from you, then it starts to add on. To keep with the idea of what I had, there will be a part three to this one. I did consider making the next one into its own chapter but decided not to. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next one. Also, thanks for all the kind reviews that you all expressed about the story.