Chapter Seven

"Do we have a final count on survivors?"

"Two hundred and thirteen," Akagi reported back. "I have them all settled in the crew quarters and infirmary on the lower decks."

We were both in the galley preparing breakfast the morning after the encounter at sea. With a couple hundred extra mouths to feed, it meant a lot more food was needed, and my colleague appeared to be a little possessive about who she let wander into her galley. Seeing as the ship was an extension of her own being, it was understandable that she wouldn't want strangers wandering around too much and poking their noses into every nook and cranny. As all of our guests were westerners, we tried our best to tailor breakfast to their palette. According to Akagi, they liked things sweeter, so Mutsu made a lot of toast with jam, and we refrained from any pickled vegetables or natto. I personally stood watch over a half-dozen pots filled with rice porridge, while Choshu and Akagi handled preparing some fish to round out the meal.

"It was fortunate that their medical officer was among the survivors. I doubt we could've treated so many wounded without his guidance," I remarked. After pausing to stir the contents for a moment, I took a small spoonful to sample. It was still a bit bland. "It's only a few more days until we arrive at the Azur Lane port, so we should be okay to drop them off there, then they can arrange for transportation back to the mainland. Once we're closer, we can send a message ahead to let them know that they'll need to set aside extra accommodations."

"Why do we have to wait?" Mutsu asked, curious as always.

"Because we don't believe this was any ordinary attack," Akagi answered in my stead. "Otherwise, we would've been fishing out pieces rather than whole people."

"In other words, we have to assume another attack is possible," Choshu added for further clarification. "I'm beginning to think shipping out without a proper escort might have been a mistake."

I thought the same thing, too, but it wasn't as if there was anything we do about it at this stage. "We have Akagi's planes conducting round-the-clock air patrols," I reminded them. "Short of an appearance of a mirror sea, we'll have ample warning of any incoming threats. And if a mirror sea does appear, I'd rather we were together so we don't get separated in the fog." I was promptly reminded of my brief encounter with Observer only a few days prior, where even turning my back to Kawakaze for a second was enough for her to vanish into the mist. "We'll be safer if we stick together, and until we're in range of Azur Lane's air defenses, it's best if we don't advertise our location by sending off any messages."

There was no easy solution going forward. We could still form a picket line using our battleships, but a convoy could only move as fast as its slowest elements, and the Nagato-class weren't built for speed, and our size meant that we were far more likely to be spotted first. I found myself grateful that Akagi had foisted herself upon our missions, for her planes were now our best line of defense. All the same, with the situation as it was, we were still dangerously exposed.

"Speaking of the attack," I carried on, addressing my carrier colleague, "have you had a chance to speak with any of the survivors about what they were doing out here when it occurred?"

Normally we wouldn't have put off a debriefing for so long, but the rescue operations had taken so long that by the time we even had a moment to rest, we were all exhausted to the point that everything aside from sleep became a secondary concern. Mutsu, in particular, fell asleep in one of the cots we set up to serve as overflow for the ship infirmary, where she had remained the entire night because nobody had the heart to move her, even when the cot could've been used for one of the survivors. Despite previous warnings, my interactions with the sailors last night had been notably cordial without any untoward advances or rude remarks, although that likely had a lot to do with the situation.

"The doctor was rather tight-lipped about it when I asked him, as were all of the other higher-ranking sailors," Akagi answered, juggling both conversation and plating servings of fish. While the answer was disappointing, it was not surprising. We may have been in an alliance with Azur Lane and their respective militaries, but that did not mean they had to tell us every detail simply because we rescued them. "He said that we would have to discuss it with their commanding officer once he regained consciousness. Hopefully a nice breakfast will make him more cooperative."

"I say we just tell their captain that he can either share the information, or they can find their own way back to port," Choshu suggested.

I would've chastised her callousness, but the mention of the senior officer I rescued the day before prompted a flash of embarrassing memories for me. Between almost drowning the man and giving him mouth-to-mouth, my face turn about as red as a pickled plum. Why couldn't I have just kept my composure when it mattered? Plus, I kissed him. Sort of. I mean, I did put my lips over his, but it was only known colloquially as the 'kiss of life', so it wasn't as though it were an actual 'kissing' kiss. It was a necessary act in order to save his life, nothing more. And it wasn't like I enjoyed it either. Or thought anything of it! In fact, if Akagi hadn't even mentioned the senior officer then I wouldn't have been chastising myself, and I most certainly did not spend part of last night lying in bed stressing over it.

"I think the kisu is all ready," Choshu called out.

"I didn't kiss him!" I suddenly blurted out.

Everyone and everything in the kitchen came to a screeching halt thanks to my outburst. For a few fleeting moments, I stood petrified while contemplating whether it was possible to commit seppuku with a ladle. Thankfully, only Akagi knew enough to find amusement in my terror, while the other two just stared in absolute puzzlement.

"I was… uh, talking about the fish," Choshu eventually corrected herself, if only as a small mercy to my obvious discomfort.

"R-right, of course. That kisu," I stammered in response. "T-the rice is ready, too. Someone bring over the bowls so we can start dishing out portions."

Serving breakfast proved to be a sufficient distraction, as Choshu and Mutsu turned their attention to helping me with the rice porridge, and soon all mention of kisu and closely-related words were forgotten. As many of the survivors were injured to one degree or another, we had decided to bring the meals to them, while Akagi would remain in the galley to serve those that were able to walk the distance. We loaded as much food as we could carry onto some trays, and the three of us proceeded on our way to the infirmary.

"Did you make sure to bring plenty of spoons? They might not be accustomed to eating with chopsticks," Akagi asked before we departed.

"Heh, savages," Choshu chuckled under her breath.

"Be polite to our guests," I warned her. "And yes, Akagi, we have brought plenty of spoons."

Mutsu took the lead through the corridors, although it was less a conscious decision and more due to her impatience and enthusiasm. After all, we had a whole bunch of new, completely unfamiliar people on board, which she brimmed with questions for at the very sight. She was like a child with a new toy, and I for one was not about to dampen her curiosity, for there were few things more important in life than learning. Plus, a little exposure to western culture and mannerism before we arrived at the Azur Lane base would do all of us some good.

With little concern for caution or decorum, Mutsu barged into the infirmary with a vibrant grin and an even livelier shout of, "Good morning! Rise and shine, everyone. We got a yummy breakfast for you all!"

Alas, few people were as energized in the early morning as my sister, so the response from the infirmary full of wounded sailors paled in comparison, consisting mostly of murmurs and groggy 'g'days.' The only man who came close to matching Mutsu's zeal was the medical officer, Donaldson, who had been sleeping at his desk, as it was the only place left in the room to sit down with every other flat surface large enough to fit a person already in use. He was an older gentleman with thinning grey hair and a large moustache that reminded me of a terrier. Our interactions thus far had been limited to us helping him the night prior with triaging and treating all of the injured, but he struck me as a seasoned and professional officer.

"Ah, good morning, girls," he greeted before he plucked his glasses from the nearby desk to perch upon his nose.

"Good morning, doctor," I greeted in a far more formal manner.

Mutsu, on the other hand, just waltzed on over to him. "Here you go! Be sure to eat up while it's still hot."

"Well, ain't you just a peach," Donaldson said with a kindly chuckle. He picked up one of the bowls and patted my sister on the head with a free hand. "You remind me of my niece, you know?"

I must admit, I bristled a little at the sight of the doctor treating my sister with such familiarity, even going so far as to pat her head so brazenly. Perhaps this was some of that boldness that Akagi had cautioned me about. I calmed down once I reminded myself that this was likely just a result of cultural differences, like the time I was told how the girls from Iris Libre greeted each other with kisses.

"Any news to report?" I spoke up, both in an effort to distract the doctor as well as my own wandering thoughts.

"Nothing to write home about," the doctor reported. While Mutsu moved on to pass out breakfast to others in the room, he went about eating some of the rice porridge. "A few bandages changed, a couple complaints of headaches, but that's about it."

"Anything or anyone we need to be concerned about?"

"Well, I wouldn't suggest we take them on a tour of the Pacific, but barring any surprises, they should all be okay until you drop us off at a friendly port."

The news came as a small relief. We hadn't yet informed them that our destination was the Azur Lane main base, but there would be time for such discussions once I had an opportunity to speak to their captain and, hopefully, ascertain the nature of their mission. It was still puzzling as to why they had a convoy out so far on its own without any kansen escorts. It was rare for anyone to risk a voyage as distant as a Pacific crossing, and yet here they were.

"Once I have spoken to your captain, we'll see what we can arrange," I reassured the doctor. "May I ask, have you been managing okay in our infirmary? Last night I was worried that the lack of English on all the labels could lead to some confusion."

"That little sister of yours helped a lot with translations. Quite the curious one, she is; asked me about pretty much every drug we looked at."

"My apologies if she was a distraction." Knowing my sister, she really did ask about every single drug that crossed her nose.

The doctor just laughed and shrugged it off. "It was a pleasant distraction. The other sailors really liked her, too," he explained. I just hoped they liked her while keeping their hands to themselves. "Honestly, this place has been great. It's much bigger than what I'm used to. If anything, it's just a little… odd, to be working inside a kansen. When Miss Akagi unsummons all of this, it won't make all of the supplies we've used vanish with it, will it?"

Although his ignorance of the matter was understandable, I nonetheless found it amusing considering the apparent age discrepancy between us, and how plain the fact felt to me. "Supplies loaded on beforehand can be carried with us, but are still separate from our rigging. The details are… convoluted, but suffice to say that you have nothing to worry about. Rest assured, nothing will disappear on you."

It would've taken a mind far greater than my own to explain the intricacies of a kansen's rigging. Even our own training, provided by the greatest experts in the Sakura Empire, had ultimately proven to be a very long-winded means of saying 'don't think too much about it.' With so many other things to worry about, not least of which combating hostile Sirens, there was little motivation to fuss over such minutiae.

"An entire infirmary in your back pocket—truly remarkable," Donaldson commented.

"We can manifest a ten thousand tonne juggernaut of war at will, and you are in awe over gauze and tinctures," Choshu dryly remarked. "Such limited imagination…"

It took every ounce of strength just to keep from rolling my eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that my counterpart took issue with more than just the kansen of Azur Lane. Not wanting a repeat of yesterday's debacle, especially the 'getting thrown overboard' part, I knew I had to handle this with a bit more diplomacy and tact.

"Forgive my colleague. She can be quite cranky without her breakfast," I answered. "And I do not think she was given enough affection as a child." That was close enough.

Suddenly, there came a yelp of 'ow!' from the other side of the room. It came from a middle-aged man, one of the many survivors in the infirmary. He cradled an injured hand and had a rather shocked look on his thin, ragged face. For some reason, he did not quite have the same look as most of the sailors—a tired, worn-out expression, but not born from hard service or combat. Like a stone carved out by the flowing water rather than a hammer and chisel. And to absolutely no surprise, the source of the injury was none other than Choshu, who still glared daggers at the man even as she wiped the blood from her lips.

"What did you do?" I asked her.

"She bit me," the man answered instead.

"He tried to touch my ears!" Choshu snapped back. "I am not some common household animal to be petted."

"Sorry! I just… wanted to see if they were real," the man tried to explain, albeit to little success. "I've never had a chance to see a Sakura Empire kansen up close."

"I would ask you to not treat us as curiosities," I said before I turned to Choshu. "However, your response was equally inappropriate. Now apologize to mister… uh…?"

"DeWolf," he answered. "Dr. Joseph DeWolf."

I gave Choshu an expectant stare and gestured for her to speak, but all she offered up was a deep and bitter growl, baring her fangs at him. Having not learned her lesson about playing well with others, this juvenile act earned my counterpart an immediate and very sharp pinch of her ear from her designated 'big sister.' While my words would probably fall on deaf ears, Mutsu just had to give a pinch and a glare to correct the shameful behaviour.

"Owowow! Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Choshu yelped.

"Say it like you mean it," Mutsu instructed, releasing the kit from her grasp.

Letting out a growling, defeated sigh, the proud battleship regained her composure and offered a deep bow. "My apologies, Doctor DeWolf, for my… hasty reaction," she said. Then she took a second plating of fish and handed it over to him. "Also, you should eat more protein. Your blood tastes weak."

Judging from DeWolf's confused expression, that was probably the first time he had ever been given that kind of suggestion. "Um, thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind," he replied.

Desperate to veer the conversation away from my counterpart's bestial habits, I turned to our new guest. "So you said you are a doctor as well?"

"The scientific research kind, not medical," he answered.

The revelation raised an eyebrow from me. Why had a scientist been traveling with the convoy? I had always figured them to be the type to stay on land in their labs, not braving the sea lanes. I also couldn't shake the feeling that I had heard the name before somewhere. "What sort of research do you do?"

"Ah, well you see—" His eyes lit up for a moment as he spoke, but he stopped himself mid-sentence, followed by his expression becoming a bit more sullen. "Actually, I think I'm not to discuss that with others. You'll need to speak with James first. It's nothing personal, but… you know military types and their rules."

A pity, as Dr. DeWolf appeared very eager to talk. He must have had a passion for his pursuit, which made his reluctance all the more disappointing. "And I take 'James' is the captain? Where might he be?"

"I moved him to a private room so he could rest better," Donaldson chimed in. "Why don't you bring him some breakfast. He'll really appreciate it. Just be careful; he's a little banged up."

"I'll go do that now then," I acknowledged.

It sounded like the most prudent excuse to introduce myself to the man, even though I once again found myself thinking back to all of the embarrassment I had already endured in his presence. Every bit of mental fortitude was going to be needed if I were to make it through a conversation with him without losing my composure. After being given directions to where he was resting, I finished delivering all but one of the breakfasts on my tray, and then went to visit him. He had been moved to a cabin for the petty officers, which were at least a bit more spacious than those afforded to the seamen.

I knocked on the door at first, as I didn't want to barge in unannounced. Knowing my luck thus far, if I had done that I'd hit him with the door by accident. "Hello? Are you awake? May I come in?"

When there came no answer, I knocked again. Still nothing. I concluded that he must've still been asleep, so with great care I opened the door and stepped inside. The Captain was still in the bed, although rather than laying down, he had propped himself up against the wall. Now that he had been cleaned up a little and dried off, I had the chance to get a proper look at him. He was rather… plain-looking, if I had to be honest, and appeared rather young to be a ship's captain. His uniform and hair were still a mess thanks to all of the oil that couldn't yet be cleaned off, although upon closer inspection I realized his hair was naturally dark rather than stained by the oil.

"Excuse me, sir?" I called out. He didn't respond, again, so I reached out to give him a shake.

That was when he suddenly jolted awake; his eyes snapped open in a piercing, but distant stare, as though he were somewhere else altogether. After a few seconds, his gaze softened, and he realized what his surroundings were, and then he finally noticed my presence in the room.

"Good morning, Captain," I greeted, adding a small bow afterwards. "I pray that you are feeling better this day."

He stared in confused silence for a moment. "Cherry… pink," he murmured.

Now it was my turn to stare like a child when confronted by nuclear physics. Why would he think of such a colour upon first seeing me? My robes were mostly shades of red and white, and the walls were dull shades of grey and blues. In fact, the only thing remotely pink upon my person were my—

"Panties," I whispered without even thinking.

"What?"

"N-nothing!" I stammered. In a desperate attempt to distract from my flustering visage, I shoved the tray onto his lap. "Food! I brought food!"

"Oh, r-right, thank you."

He must've still been in a post-awakening daze, but the sight of breakfast focused his thoughts away from me at least, which was good because I was too rattled to think straight either. By the gods, only a few seconds in and I was already feeling embarrassed again. I knew, though, if I just focused on protocol and etiquette, I could keep in control. All I had to do was not think about our previous interactions.

"Hm, kisu…"

"There's been no kissing!" I blurted once more, proving that I had learned from my mistakes well enough to repeat them exactly.

"I meant the fish," he corrected.

"Right. Of course, because to think you were referring to anything else would be ridiculous," I hastily acknowledged, followed by a swift pivot to a new talking point. "You are the captain, correct?"

"Well, I'm a captain, although that doesn't matter as much without a ship," he answered. He glanced back to me, but only for a moment before his eyes trailed upwards to my ears. "And you… must be a kansen, right?"

I nodded and then offered a more formal bow. "I am Nagato, Nagato of the Sakura Empire." Inside, I breathed a huge sigh of relief as it appeared that he had no curiosity in my earlier mistake.

"Ah, then you are the one that I owe my rescue to," he said as he offered a grateful smile.

I froze for a split-second, worried that he knew the meaning behind his utterance of 'pink.' While I had plenty of reason to be worried about him remembering the colour of my undergarments, my immediate concern was of something else. "I am. Do you… remember anything of our encounter?" I asked with growing trepidation.

He paused and scratched his head for a moment, which ruffled his oil-stained ebony hair. "Sorry, not really. Just bits and pieces, but it's mostly all a blur. I only know because Doctor Donaldson told me after I woke up yesterday, and it wasn't a long conversation before he insisted I 'shut up and rest.'"

I nodded while at the same time offered my prayers and thanks to the heavens for wiping most of his memories of that fateful encounter. "And how are you feeling this morning, Captain…"

"James DeWolf. And I'm a little bruised and battered, but I've had worse."

"DeWolf?" I repeated. "There was a Dr. DeWolf back in the infirmary."

"Then you've met my brother," he said with a strange hint of reluctance. The reason why would not remain a mystery for long. "He… didn't try to touch your ears or anything, did he?"

Though I wanted to laugh at how accurate his guess had been, etiquette demanded I remained dignified. I was still the Head Miko of the Sakura Empire, after all. "Of one of my colleagues, yes. He got bit for his attempts."

"Heh, serves him right," Captain DeWolf said with a chuckle. He picked up a spoon and started eating. If there was anything in the breakfast that was unpalatable or unfamiliar to him, he did not show as he ate it as casually as any sailor in the Sakura Empire would. "Still, thank you for rescuing him as well. For everyone, really. I dread to think what might have happened if you and your colleagues had not interdicted."

"May I ask why you were out here without a proper escort?"

"A transfer of sorts," he answered without hesitation. It made me wonder why everyone else was hesitant over something that seemed so mundane. "I'm being assigned to the Azur Lane main port, as well as transporting an assortment of other personnel and equipment. It was made in haste, and we were told that Siren activity had been almost non-existent along our charted route. Next time, I'll know to insist that a proper escort be sent."

His answer did not come as a surprise, as the Azur Lane main port was the nearest military installation for them when traveling eastward, but that did not explain the scientist or the secrecy. "We are actually heading there ourselves. I was unaware that a human officer was being posted there. I had been given the impression that it was staffed entirely by kansens."

"Well, the recent alliance between the Crimson Axis and Azur Lane has… shaken up the Admiralty Board," he answered in an avoidant manner that I was all too familiar with. "As such, they want the option to be able to exercise a bit more oversight and discretion regarding the day-to-day operations."

"They don't trust us, do they?" I replied, blunt and to the point.

As his eyes locked with mine, he realized that I was too astute to dance around with words. A cold truth was far preferable to a sweetened lie. "Kansens are weapons. You weren't meant to enter into military alliances on your own discretion. Decisions like that are supposed to be left to politicians and leaders, so when kansens make those calls, it worries people," he explained, bluntly.

The viewpoint was not one unfamiliar to me. There were many among the admirals of the Sakura Empire who held a similar perspective. While I knew that my decision to forge an alliance had caused a ripple of discontent through the leadership of my faction, I had remained ignorant of how the other powers viewed it. In a way, it was almost comforting to know that our two sides were not so different after all.

"You must be a very capable and respected officer to have been selected for the position."

Captain DeWolf had to suppress a laugh before he choked on his food, which didn't stop a few flechettes from launching out. "Sorry, sorry… just… kind of amusing that you'd see it that way," he explained. "But I suppose a kansen wouldn't exactly understand military politics."

"You are right. I do not," I answered with a hint of offense at being left in the dark. "But to serve a position amongst the great warriors of both the Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis should be an honourable appointment, should it not?"

"Maybe where you're from, but for the rest of us, it's seeen as something of a dead-end posting. Kansens are not rank-and-file sailors. There's no mission directive, no strategic planning, no… recognition. The assignment is just to watch over the lot of you and report back what's happening. Glorified babysitting, no offense. It's the kind of assignment you give to people when you want them out of the way until they get old and retire, or because you just really hate their guts."

"So why have you been given such a… dishonour?"

"Because I asked for it. It made it easier than trying to find somebody expendable for it."

The more I tried to understand his reasoning, the less certain I became of my own perspective. When I thought about how things had been done in the Sakura Empire, I realized that the Admiralty had grown distant in recent dealings, which I always presumed had been directed solely at me. After all, my actions as the flagship had brought doubt upon the entire fleet, upon kansens as a whole. I embarrassed the Admiralty, but my departure and resignation may not have been enough to fix things. The human militaries had a bizarre way of framing things—it all sounded so needlessly convoluted.

Though I was curious as to why he 'asked for it', I knew better than to pry for details. The whole assignment sounded like a sore point for him, and I didn't want to agitate him further. "May I ask what exactly happened when your convoy was attacked? Further attacks are still possible until we reach friendly waters."

The officer let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head slowly in dismay. "It started out pretty much exactly like how every other documented Siren attack began. We were sailing along in the early morning with no sign of any dangers, and then all of a sudden the radar stations picked up a contact. We barely had time to get crews to action stations before four more contacts popped up and soon the Siren ships were bearing down upon us. The first salvos crippled our weapons, but when they didn't finish us off, I realized they must've been after something we had on board. I ordered the transports to scuttle, and then…"

His words stopped abruptly as he just stared off into the distance. I could see the swirling clouds of emotions in his eyes; a torrent of fear and anger and panic, all coalesced into a singular form that lasted for just a moment before it flickered away in the literal blink of an eye.

"Sorry, I don't… quite remember much else after that. I took control of the ship's helm to try and draw the Sirens away from the others, and then… next thing I know I'm steering right towards them."

"Well, your crew spoke highly of your bravery, and I think any man willing to risk his life against the Sirens is worthy of praise," I reassured him. "If you are being assigned to the Azur Lane main port, then I will be honoured to serve alongside you."

"Thanks, but save your praise for the people who deserve it. My crew were the brave ones," he insisted, although I wasn't certain if it was from modesty or something deeper. He gave me a soft, sullen look, and sighed. "I just did what I thought was best."

We now had a good idea of what happened, as well as a second opinion that agreed with the assessment that the Sirens had clearly refrained from total annihilation in order to raid something from the convoy. I decided to try and pivot the conversation away from what was clearly a dour subject. "So, your brother mentioned that he was a research scientist. Might I ask what his specialty is? He seemed hesitant to speak of it."

"Kansens."

"I see. That would explain the need for secrecy."

While one could fill entire castles with all of the people who called themselves 'kansen researchers', only a handful could be considered true experts and innovators in the field. I knew I had heard the name 'DeWolf' before. Any nation who wished to field a kansen fleet would need at least one such expert in their employ, and so such people were valuable, both to protect… and eliminate. Dr. DeWolf was privy to a great many secrets of the Azur Lane's research into kansens and wisdom cubes, as well as Siren technology. It could also explain why the convoy was targeted, although the precise reason I doubt I could pry from the Captain.

Why the Sirens would be interested in a researcher was anybody's guess.

"He was quite the odd fellow," I commented idly. "I don't believe I've ever seen somebody so casually reach for a kansen's ears as he did. He is not… dangerous, is he?"

DeWolf gave a dry chuckle. "He's pretty harmless, trust me," he answered. "I would've thought he had learned his lesson the last time. He once startled a kansen so bad that she called the military police on him. If he gets handsy again, though, don't hesitate to let me know."

With the number of conversation topics dwindling, I saw no reason to occupy the officer's time any further. "Anyways, since we are both heading to the same destination, then there will be no need to negotiate a mutually suitable arrangement for transportation," I announced as I got up. As I had accomplished my goal of making it through the conversation without bringing further shame upon myself, I was eager to be on my way. Though DeWolf had proven to be agreeable, my thoughts still lingered on Akagi's warnings from time to time. Before I left, though, I noticed that his breakfast was still mostly uneaten. Aside from the rice porridge, he hadn't touched anything else. "You should finish eating before your meal gets cold."

"Ah, yes… sorry, but I'm not feeling all that hungry," he excused himself. "In fact, I think I should get some fresh air." He moved to get up, but when he tried to get to his feet, he paused and let out a pained groan.

"You should rest if you are still injured."

"No, no. I'm fine. It's just a few bruises," he insisted before he made a second attempt. It only resulted in an even louder groan, and I could see his face turning red from exertion. "And… maybe a cracked rib." He did manage to get to his feet in the end, although from all the noise one could have mistook it for passing a kidney stone. "But as you can see, I'm good to go. Now if you'll excuse me…"

At this rate, he was just going to embarrass himself, which at the very least I felt obligated to prevent. I moved closer to try and offer him a bit of support, but at the same time he tried to take a step forward too. He had clearly overestimated his strength because his leg just crumbled underneath him. He fell too quick for me to help, but his arms flailed in a last ditch effort to catch his fall. The only thing he caught, however, was the front of my robe, which was no more equipped to support his weight than it was to deflect artillery rounds. If his body hitting the ground hadn't garnered enough attention, the sound of my ear-splitting shrieks drew Choshu and Mutsu to the room in a heartbeat. They kicked open the door to find me petrified on the spot with the Captain and my robes down by my ankles.