─•~:~•─
Hood was slower to wake up the next day than expected. And instead of her usual Edwardian hat, she was wearing Grozny's ushanka.
Having a rare opportunity to do so, Repulse teased her cousin, 'Alright, Hood? You seem a might slow this morning.'
Hood paused at sea, turned to face her cousin, and replied flatly, 'We shall not be speaking of it again, my beloved Cousin. Not to your sister, not to Rodney, and most certainly not to Her Majesty.'
'Speaking of what?' Repulse replied playfully.
'I. Was. Not. Drunk!' Hood shouted, sailing ahead in frustration.
The Squadron proceeded south-east, following the pacific Jetstream. The air became warmer, and the seas became more evident as they approached the Eagle Union port of Pearl Harbour on the isle of Hawaii.
'What sort of islands are these, Dauntless? These formations make absolutely no sense,' Repulse asked her maid.
Dauntless sailed beside the Battlecruiser and looked over the map. But she could offer no answer and shook her head.
Adelaide sailed beside them and asked, 'Have the two of ya's never seen a 'cano before? Ye are a buncha daft buggers in the Royal Islands! Hawaii is a chain of 'canos it is!'
'What the devil is a 'cano?' Repulse asked.
'There's one near Toba back home. Make's a right proper explosion it does. You could fire a thousand guns at it and never make half the crack she does!' Adelaide replied, waving her barrels in mockery.
Above the squadron, a flight of fighter monoplanes circled Hood, performing intricate dives and barrel rolls above the Battlecruiser.
'Look there,' Repulse pointed, 'Those are brand new Buffalos! I don't think we even have monoplanes yet!'
From the west, two Eagle Union Carriers sailed forth to greet the squadron.
Lexington was elegant and graceful, sailing with speed and agility no one expected of an aircraft carrier.
On the other hand, Saratoga was shorter and more energetic, and she raced towards the Squadron like she was bent for leather.
'Hey, guys!' Saratoga shouted, 'Welcome to Pearl! We're sooo excited to have you here!'
Lexington sailed up and held her sister lovingly against her leg, 'I hope you'll excuse my little sister's energy. But we are happy to see our friends from the Royal Navy.'
The planes circled the squadron again, flying ever closer toward Hood.
She bowed, removing her ushanka, and smiled back, 'You are most kind, Lady Lex and Sister Sara. You needn't have gone to all this trouble, though. We've only come for a brief stopover before we reach Vancouver.'
Saratoga gasped, 'Wait! You mean no one told you?! Sis, we should tell her!'
Lexington patted her sister on the head, 'Oh, alright. Have your planes move as we talked about Sara.'
The squadron of Buffalos circled and suddenly rejoined with a Mitchell Bomber dragging a long banner behind.
Repulse raised her HACS and could make out the lettering on the banner.
Happy Birthday, Hood! – Your friends in the Eagle Union love you!
'Now, just one bloody minute!' Repulse protested, 'Just why weren't you planning on telling me it was your birthday, Cousin?!'
Hood blushed and looked away, 'Well… I didn't want to make a fuss about it….'
Saratoga laughed, 'Oh, we didn't even know until Ms Queen told us! But we've got a really nice present for you!'
Suddenly, both carriers equipped microphones, and the bands of Manjuus on their flight decks struck an extraordinary jazz rendition of the Royal Navy Anthem.
'O lord, our God, Arise! Scatter thine enemies and make them fall, confound their politics, Frustrate their knavish tricks, On thee our hopes we fix; God save us all.'
Repulse and the maids cheered the outstanding performance, 'Brilliant! If only we saved some Vodka to make a proper toast!'
Saratoga suddenly looked annoyed, 'Ahem! Booze is illegal here, silly girl! Go to Canada if you want that ugly, Ruskie swish. And don't talk about them here again!'
─•~:~•─