It was midday, so the gym was pretty empty. Most of the other shipgirls were either on duty or grabbing lunch, which only left the dedicated fitness enthusiasts like Eagle and Marblehead. They were casting curious glances my way as I waited by the entrance to the women's locker room, and I couldn't say I blamed them for being so inquisitive. I never showed up here in the middle of the day, and now here I was, with two sets of sparring gear and hanging around the wrong locker room to boot.
Fortunately, I wasn't waiting long before Scharnhorst showed up, wearing her exercise outfit. With black skin-tight leggings that hugged her hips and thighs and a black sports bra that managed to show off her impressive bust nearly as well as her uniform did, I was awestruck by just how damn good she looked in it.
My shocked gaze didn't escape Scharnhorst's attention, who nervously shifted from one foot to the other. "What?" She asked in a tone that tried, but failed, to sound indignant, "I get my ponytail caught up in my eyepatch strap or something?"
Slightly embarrassed to be caught staring at her, I awkwardly shook my head, hoping she wouldn't notice the blush creeping across my cheeks. "No, no, nothing like that. Just hadn't seen you in anything outside of a hospital gown or your uniform."
"Oh." Scharnhorst quietly responded as she fidgeted with the straps on her eyepatch. "It's just the standard-issue gym uniform. All my stuff's half a world away…"
Her words, lightly spoken, hit me with the force of a truck. Here she was, ordered here with no warning, no time to prepare, and she didn't even have the slightest keepsake from home. "You know, I could always make some inquiries if there's anything you need to be shipped over from the Iron Blood. Can't guarantee anything, but...no harm in trying."
She peered at me again, her single eye boring into me as she tried to figure me out once again. After giving it some thought, she shrugged and shook her head. "Nothing I can't find over here, but...thanks for the offer."
She smiled softly, a beautiful gesture that anyone rarely saw, and I couldn't help but smile back. We stood there for a moment longer before Scharnhorst broke the silence and gestured to the sparring gear in my hands. "So, who you gonna have me fight?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I asked, eyebrow raised as I tossed her a set of padded equipment. "Me."
Her harsh, barking laughter startled everyone in the gym as she easily caught the sparring gear. "You?" she repeated as she slipped the gloves on, flexing each hand in turn. "I thought you said I had to earn my win."
Prideful resentment welled up in me, and I quickly tugged my gloves on. "Gonna be like that, huh?" I snarkily answered. "I was gonna take it easy on you, but if that's how you want it..."
"Never soft-soap me," she warned me as we strolled to the sparring ring. "Ever. You want me, you better come at me with everything you've got because I'm never going to hold anything back."
As she stopped at her end of the ring, I continued to the opposite end, grinning back at her and wagging a finger in her direction. "I'll hold you to that."
"Alright," she laughed as she shook her head. "So what's your style?"
"Thinking we could keep things freestyle," I said as I limbered up, taking up a CQC stance. "Just steer clear of the face and groin, pin it to win it."
Scharnhorst nodded before she cracked her knuckles, then her neck, and assumed a wrestler's stance. "Ready when you are," she grinned.
"Alright…" I took a deep breath, let it out, and counted down. "Three...two...one...go!"
Immediately, Scharnhorst darted forward, expecting to catch me as I charged at her, but I stayed at my starting position, waiting to see what she did. She grinned and beckoned me over, but I simply grinned back and began moving around the ring, bouncing lightly on the balls of my feet. When she charged again, I darted out of the way and swept with my leg, trying to catch her. She was too quick for that, easily hopping over the leg and spinning around to face me again. "Gotta do better than that!" she taunted.
"I'll make you eat those words," I teased as I finally darted in with a one-two jab that she easily deflected. As she reached out to grab my arm, I quickly danced back and to the side, keeping out of her reach. "You know, I didn't expect you to be a wrestler. I imagined you to be more of a boxer."
She shrugged as best she could in her stance, slowly sidestepping around the ring. "Learned wrestling as part of my fencing lessons."
"Surprised to hear you fence. Figured you would've found it too dainty." I darted back in, only for her to deftly dodge out of the way. Her leg sweep, however, managed to connect and I went tumbling down. Fortunately, I was able to use that momentum to tuck into a roll and escape her grasp.
"You're probably thinking of that frilly Iris Libre frou-frou fencing with those skewers they pretend are swords. I'm talking about real fencing. Blossfechten. Y'know, fencing with longswords."
"Fencing with what?" Distracted by what she just said, I paused, and in doing so, made a fatal mistake. With all the speed of a striking cobra, she grabbed me, and my world became a blur as she flipped me over onto my back. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, and before I could even get a handle on what was going on, my vision was dominated by Scharnhorst as she pinned me to the mat, a triumphant grin on her face.
"Longswords," she repeated as she patted me on the chest. "And I do believe that is a pin, Herr Kommandant."
Although it was clear to everyone that she'd just beaten me, I still coolly surveyed the situation before I nodded once in agreement. "So it is. Well played, Scharnhorst."
Her grin grew broader as she stood up and held her hand out to me. "Wanna go again?"
"Absolutely."
While the second match lasted a little bit longer, I still found myself staring at the ceiling, with Scharnhorst atop me. After congratulating her on another hard-won victory, it was, unfortunately, time for us to hit the showers and grab a quick bite to eat. Sitting at a table in the quiet corner, I already noticed Scharnhorst's mood was vastly improved. Smiling, happy, with a spring in her step I hadn't seen until today. It seemed the sparring had been just the thing.
As we were eating, something was bothering me, and I just had to know. "So," I began, setting down my fork. "The whole 'fencing with longswords' thing, you were just pulling my leg, right? Trying to distract me so you could get the drop on me?"
Scharnhorst laughed and shook her head. "No, it's real. You've never heard of it?"
"No!" I emphatically denied it with a shake of my head. "I swear. The only fencing I'm familiar with is the one with rapiers."
She leaned back in her chair with a sigh and a shrug. "A shame. Really is the best way to fence..." she mused as she looked out the window, her single eye gazing wistfully at the open sea.
Suddenly, I realized that today's lunchtime exercise didn't have to be a one-time thing. "Teach me, then."
Her head snapped back to me, her cheeks flushed as she sputtered, "W-what?"
"Teach me," I repeated. "Look, I think today was really good for you, and if I'm being honest, me too. So we could make this a regular thing. We can alternate or just teach me how to fence with a longsword and spar or whatever. But either way, we come down here on our lunch break, work out our frustrations, grab lunch, and get back to the office. What do you say?"
For a moment, she fidgeted uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze as her cheeks continued to flush red. Then her expression changed, became harder, angrier, and her eye bored into mine as she turned back to face me. "I don't need your damn pity," she spat.
Unaware of what I'd done to upset her, I stared at her in shock, trying to find the right words to say. "It's...it's not pity," I slowly objected.
"Then why are you doing this?" she shot back. "Would you do this for another shipgirl?"
As much as I wanted to tell her otherwise, I decided to be honest with her. "...no," I begrudgingly admitted.
Her follow-up questions were no less demanding or hostile. "So how isn't this pity? Or are you just trying to get into my pants? Why are you doing this for me?"
"I don't know!" I snapped. And while the answer itself was spontaneous, it was far from the truth. At least, to some extent. Deep down, I knew why I was doing this, even if I couldn't admit it to myself. That moment...no matter how many times I told myself it was nothing, I couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't something more. "I just…" I sighed heavily and shook my head. "I just know how..lonely it can feel to be uprooted from your life and dropped somewhere strange and I want to do whatever I can to help you feel at ease. Gneisenau seems to enjoy the paperwork, Taihou is...very at home here, apparently, which leaves...you. And if that means I spend most of my lunch hour dodging punches and grapples, then so be it. Because I'd rather see you happy than miserable."
In the wake of my sudden, unexpected monologue, we both stared at each other in silence, wondering what the other would do next. I peered into her eye, seeing the manufactured rage and stubborn fighting spirit within, but beyond that, behind those walls she'd built up, there was something else back there, something I couldn't quite see…
"Tch," Scharnhorst scoffed as she closed her eye and turned her head to the side, barring me from seeing further into her. "You wanna help me out, no skin off my nose. Just promise me one thing."
My heart rose into my throat, concerned about what she was going to demand of me. "What's that?"
She leaned forward and turned to face me, her eye boring into me once more. "Don't take it easy on me. Don't throw a match or let me win one because you feel bad for me. Bring everything you've got and challenge me. Or get the hell outta the ring."
"Absolutely," I solemnly agreed. "I'll never...what was the phrase you used earlier…'soft-soap' you. I'll give you my best every time, or I won't get in the ring."
"Deal." Scharnhorst grinned triumphantly again and held out her hand. I grinned back and gripped it tightly, giving her a firm shake.
"Deal."
As the following days went on, we settled into our new routine. We'd all get to the office, do our morning paperwork, and on lunch, Scharnhorst and I would either spar or she would teach me the finer points of longsword dueling. Afterward, we'd get cleaned up and head to the mess hall for lunch. One day, we were eating lunch while Scharnhorst apologized for the third time about injuring me during the day's fencing lessons. Sort of.
"Again, I'm really sorry about this, Commander, but...why didn't you duck?"
I chuckled and shrugged, reaching up to gingerly prod at the bruise that was rapidly growing on my forehead, along with a sizeable bump. Wearing my cap over the next few days was going to prove to be an...interesting experience. "Thought I could block it," I sheepishly admitted. "Didn't realize how strong you were and how weak my grip was. I won't make that mistake twice."
"See that you don't," Scharnhorst sighed. "Good thing we use training swords, otherwise you would've gotten the top of your head taken clean off. I'm just glad you didn't get hit in the eye…" She trailed off, looking away as her hand idly reached up to adjust her eyepatch.
"True. Even if I did, I don't think I could pull off an eyepatch as well as you can," I smirked playfully.
She snorted and turned to fix me with a wry grin. "Jerkass."
I grinned back as I took a bite of what passed for chicken parmesan and made a mental note to try and upgrade our food stores. "In all seriousness, though, I do think the eyepatch looks good on you. Makes you look dashing."
Scharnhorst paused for a moment, peering into me once again before her hand went back up to her eyepatch. "Dashing, huh? First time anyone's called it dashing. Or anything positive, for that matter…"
I gave her a sympathetic smile and a small shrug. "Understandable. People tend to shy away from uncomfortable subjects."
"So why didn't you?"
I shrugged again. "Told me not to soft-soap you."
"Tch," she huffed, "Wasn't what I meant when I said it."
I gave her a wry smile and shook my head. "Well, too bad. I'm not gonna pull any punches, but I won't hold back on praise if it's true or deserved."
She stared at me in disbelief before it gave way to a rakish grin and she shook her head. "You're impossible at times, you know that?"
"It's been brought to my attention on a number of occasions," I chuckled. "Did I have a reputation for being insufferable back in the Iron Blood?"
Scharnhorst seemed to carefully consider the question before answering. "Insufferable? No. You were seen as more of a worthy opponent more than anything else. Although you were a tad frustrating at times."
"That's fair," I nodded.
"And what about you? Did you ever hear about us?"
"We've got a pretty detailed file on you," I confirmed. "And your sister. Which isn't surprising given you and she were the most active Iron Blood capital ships, especially in the early part of the war."
"And?"
I kept my expression neutral, not wanting to give away my anxieties regarding her nickname. "And what?"
"What'd you think?"
"Honestly, you read as a determined fighter, and when you sailed with Gneisenau, you became a very hard pair to beat. That having been said, without Gneisenau to...rein you in at times, it seemed that you could overextend yourself and wind up in serious trouble."
"In Scharnhorst's dictionary, the word "retreat" simply doesn't exist," she proudly declared, puffing her chest out with pride. "I'll always fight until the last shell!"
"An admirable goal," I conceded, "but there are times when discretion is the better part of valor."
An expression of contempt crossed her face. "You sound like one of those stuffy Royal Navy crumpet munchers."
"Well, I was quoting Shakespeare, so…"
"Bah," she spat. "So what else is in my file, huh?"
Damn. Thought I was in the clear. "Oh, just service history, what we information we could glean about your armaments, that sort of thing."
"What about my nickname? The one the Royal Navy gave us?" When I hesitated, she sternly reminded me, "No soft-soap."
"Dammit," I sighed under my breath. "Yeah, it's in there. The Ugly Sisters."
Scharnhorst leaned back in her chair, her lips pursed as she gazed out the window. "'The Ugly Sisters'? Hmph, it's not a bad name…" she mused. "Sounds like a good name for this war, too…"
Something in her tone caught my attention. "Wait...you didn't know?"
She gave me a sad little smile and shook her head. "Oh, I'd heard they had some unflattering nickname for me and my sister, but we didn't know what exactly it was." She fixed me with a steely gaze. "You ever use it?"
"No," I emphatically shook my head. "Never. I thought it was a terrible nickname, to begin with."
One of her lavender eyebrows raised slightly. "Oh?"
"Neither of you are ugly, nor are your ships, so...makes no sense. The Terrible Sisters would've been more apt. Maybe the Nightmare Duo?" I shrugged. "I'm terrible with nicknames."
Scharnhorst looked like she was going to reply, but her eye caught the clock on the far wall and the grin on her face faded away. "As much as I'd love to stay here and workshop terrible nicknames for Gneisenau and me, it looks like it's time for us to get back to work."
I glanced over my shoulder, then looked down at my watch to confirm that it was indeed time to get back to the office. "So it is," I agreed as I gathered my food onto the tray and Scharnhorst did the same. Neither of us noticed Taihou sitting a few tables across from us, her blood-red eyes angrily boring into the Iron Blood battlecruiser...
As we were making our way back out of the mess, we bumped into Shangri-La. Almost literally, as neither she nor I were paying attention, both lost in thought on a collision course. Only Scharnhorst realized what was about to happen and roughly grabbed me, yanking me back just in the nick of time. The sudden jerk, along with my impromptu wordless sounds of protest, got Shangri-La's attention and she skidded to a stop as well.
"Oh! K-Kurt-I mean, Commander…" Shangri-La stammered as she adjusted her glasses. "I didn't see you there!"
"I-it's fine," I nervously smiled back as I brushed off Scharnhorst's hand and smoothed out where she'd roughly grabbed it. "Apparently I didn't either. Scharnhorst was the one who stopped us from colliding."
"Well, then thank you, Scharnhorst," she said with a smile at the one-eyed kansen.
"Don't mention it," she brusquely replied. For a moment, we all stood there, the awkward silence hanging in the air.
"So...how's the paleontology research coming along?" I asked in an attempt to break the awkwardness.
"Good, good," she shyly answered. "I ordered a few more books on the Late Cretaceous period and I hope to be able to visit a few dig sites when I'm next on leave."
"That's great! Happy to hear that. You know, because...dinosaurs."
Shangri-La smiled awkwardly and nodded, and I was afraid we would lapse back into that horrible silence when Scharnhorst came to the rescue. "Sir, we really do need to get back to the office," she insisted in her best "official business" voice.
I quickly grabbed onto the lifeline she had tossed me. "Right! Yes! The office. Lots of reports that need to be filed, all that stuff." I smiled over at Shangri-La and gave her a little nod. "If you'll excuse me, Shan, duty calls. I'll see you around, I'm sure."
She smiled politely and nodded in return as she began to walk past. "Of course. Have a good day, Commander."
As we fled the scene of the crime, Scharnhorst at least had the decency to wait until Shangri-La was well out of earshot before dispensing with her critique. "...wow. Just...wow."
"Oh, buzz off," I defensively snapped, feeling my cheeks starting to burn. "It wasn't that bad."
"You literally said 'because dinosaurs'," she countered, quoting my words in a mocking tone.
"Look, it's really hard talking with someone after you've broken up with them!" I practically wailed, much to her amusement.
"No wonder you wanted Gneisenau in her place so quickly, that was painful to watch...:"
"I swear, if you don't knock it off, I'll have you in the Royal Maids by the end of the day…"
"As long as I don't have to be a part of that conversation ever again…"
Yeah, I think things had finally started to turn around…
A/N-Oof. Well, that was painfully awkward. But things are looking up! For now… Until next time, fair winds and following seas!
