Summary: Off to the city of Sin, both Belfast and Enterprise take the blistering road through the desert. As unfortunate events happened, the two are forced to take shelter at a motel on the outskirts of the city of sin. Not only that, but Belfast's sister is bringing her mysterious girlfriend that the head maid desperately wants to meet.
[Soldier Girl]
In an unknown space, two shadow figures that obscured themselves via the cover of gray fog around them watched a distortion in space that housed a crystal-clear picture. Within this picture, the image of a burning hot desert was their interest, and a lonely hot road with a singular car became their sole fixation.
The observers of this desert road watched intently with ghostly yellow eyes being their sole distinct feature.
"Our prototype seeker drone deployed for land reconnaissance has brought some most fruitful information," said one within the fog. The sound of something slithering and metallic almost like slimy cords filled the unknown fog area they were in.
The shadow of a long and thick cord came up to this observer's face and they proceeded to rub it across their face, one imagining they were most pleased.
The other, their companion, who appeared to be floating judging by their yellow eyes elevated higher than the one associated with the slimy cords began to speak. "What is your conclusion? They are out of the bounds of the sea and their threat is nominal."
The slimy cord owner hummed pensively. "Yes, we have bigger fish to fry than dealing with these beached whales that these Kansen are. However, one of those happens to be Enterprise. An opportunity to dispose of a thorn while she's foolishly away from the water and the rest of her allies is still a golden opportunity."
The floating shadow figure hovered alluringly closer, enjoying the words she was hearing. "Then..." She eagerly stated, but her companion held a shadowy hand up.
A sinister giggle filled the void space of fog. "I think this is indeed a double golden opportunity to unleash the prototype: Desert Orbiter upon them."
"Yes yes! But… is that wise? We haven't revealed that yet in battle hence battle data is... unpredictable." The floating figure was conflicted. She wanted nothing more than to unleash their playthings, but if they were to be destroyed in this future battle encounter, then it would be a loss to them nonetheless.
This view was not shared by the sinister cord user that had now revealed to have more than one thick cord as two cords, acting like tentacles, touched the side of the other figure's face. "Worry not about the negatives, only the potential gains. Besides, it's not something we'll be able to fully utilize in naval combat and its application here is nothing short of her birthright."
The floating figure bowed and activated something from within the fog.
A rush of wind swept all around them, and small dark particles began to visibly form above them. These particles moved in unison, creating a shadowy outline of two legs and two arms, along with a set of two yellow eyes.
"Now, my doll. Show us the sandstorm that brews deep within," said the cord user with a vindictive laugh.
The newly summoned third figure bowed and crumbled like dry mud in a ferocious wind. What was left of this third figure, which was once again the various particles in the air, plummeted into the observational distortion they had been seeing. It was then revealed that this distortion was no mere window but a gateway.
Within this gateway, the lonely road with the lone car became the focus. Unbeknownst to the scheming foes that were alien and mechanical in nature, two Kansen were in their own world.
The scorching heat of the desert that was the backdrop for this day burned everything in sight. In the distance and coming into focus beyond the waves of heat from the sun, a white four-door car raced defiantly through the godforsaken wasteland that was one of the Eagle Union's most unforgiving home region locations.
Alas, there was a goal for those challenging the blistering heat. That goal was the city of sin— the home of casinos and world-class entertainment. Within the car, the one driving tensely cocked her head, letting out various pops from her muscles. Her significant other glanced up from the map she inspected dutifully.
The shipgirl on the passenger seat was Belfast who leaned to her side to get a better look at her girlfriend.
Her girlfriend, Enterprise, gripped the wheel of the car more tightly, showing a confused and reserved look. "What is it, Bel? Do I have something on my face?"
Belfast leaned back into her seat. "You look awfully fatigued, Ent-Ent."
The carrier smiled slightly, always feeling her heart swell up when she heard her endearing nickname on her girlfriend's lips. "Is that it? Please don't worry about that. It's all the driving we've been doing for the past few days now. I just want to get to LV city so we can start enjoying our off time."
Belfast cutely leaned her head to the shoulder of her significant other and rubbed her hair snuggly against the soft skin of Enterprise.
"Sweetie, I'm trying to drive here," playfully stated the silver-haired woman, wrapping her right arm around her girlfriend as she always had a hard time saying no to her.
"Enterprise, the city of sin isn't going anywhere, and my sister Edinburgh is about half a day back there." She pointed behind them to the desert road that they came from.
Enterprise let out an exhausted breath from looking at all the progress they had made and refocused her attention back on what was ahead of them. She reluctantly folded, knowing that she was overdoing it for seemingly no reason. They had all the time they could ask for with a nice and needed break from the sea. Belfast's older sister wasn't even in LV city either, so it's not like they were trying to play catch up. "Fine, point taken. Hey, on the topic of your sister... do you know who her girlfriend is yet?" She gave an excited smile as the significant other of Edinburgh still eluded her as to who it could be. At this point, it had reached astronomical levels of curiosity.
Belfast removed herself from Enterprise and looked out the window with a somber and pondering gaze in her blue eyes. "No. It's still a mystery that she covets like precious gold ingots."
"Hmmm, you sound bitter." Inquired Enterprise casually.
Belfast tore her gaze from the window and gave her girlfriend a coy smile. "Bitter? Me? Why would you think that?"
"You're the younger sister but you've always been the one to keep her safe, acting like the older sister, and always knowing everything about her and who she dates. When you first told me that she was the oldest, I thought you were pulling my leg."
"You're not the first to think like that. It's always been complicated with us. I don't try to outshine her with how radiant, elegant, and graceful I am—"
Enterprise darted her violet eyes and leaned quickly toward her. "—Bel, you're bragging again."
Belfast blushed after catching herself going off-topic. "T-Thank you. It's just hard. She's always been clumsy and underwhelming in terms of elegance that Javelin's lackadaisical aura shines brighter than her."
"Ouch—to both your sister and Javelin. Is this about that time Javelin made instant tea when you were trying to teach the new Royal girls the proper way of tea brewing?"
Belfast smiled innocently and turned away to the window once again, trying to salvage whatever pride she had. "That's neither here nor there. I know I can sound harsh toward my older sister, but I do it because I want her to be better."
"Bel... not to stroke your adorable pride but having royal shipgirls compare themselves to you is like comparing a mole hill to a mountain." She was grateful that they were far away from any other Royal Navy shipgirl as the intense heat of a hundred cannons was too much for this already sweltering heat.
Belfast turned toward her and smiled softly with a held-back giggle. "Oh my... your words not mine, dear. But... thank you."
"Uh-huh," smiled Enterprise playfully, feeling that she just earned some points in the Belfast bank.
"Look, I'm not trying to compare her to me. She already gets enough of that from the others. I worry about her."
"Meaning that you want to interview this mysterious shipgirl and give her the Belfast seal of approval?" She mimicked a hand motion that was pressing an ink stamp against the steering wheel, causing the horn to activate and startle them both.
Belfast relaxed after the energetic display that made her feel like her girlfriend was genuinely paying attention to her woes. "Hehe, something like that. I just want to know if she's a good influence on Edin. I was utterly devastated when I found out that she and Sheffield had broken up. I mean, she was good for her—Sheffield challenged her and helped her refine herself, but then my sister out of nowhere breaks up with her?"
"Bel, maybe it wasn't meant to be. Don't go too hard on her because of that. As you said, you and she have a complicated relationship and she probably compares herself to you. When you and I got together she was one of the first to stand behind us for support. She has always wished for what you and I have, and I think after her first attempt, she might finally have found what she didn't have with Sheffield. Don't try to scare off her girlfriend and make your sisterly relationship turn from complicated to dislike."
Belfast sighed acceptingly. "Yes, you're right. Thank you for your honesty and insight." She kissed her on the cheek and upon her lips touching the cheek of her girlfriend, they both heard the harrowing sound of tires imploding that made both widen their eyes in fright.
The car began to swerve, and the silver-haired Eagle Union changed from relaxed to serious as she challenged the manic motions of the car.
The car finally stopped its rebellious actions, and both were able to take a breather along with the heated engine that had faithfully taken them this far.
"Our tires just popped," said Enterprise flatly, even flatter than the flat tires they now had to deal with.
Belfast tensed and leaned back into her chair. "That's indeed not good." They both stepped out of the car and the rays of the sun showered them with its heat.
Enterprise undid her outer layer and red checkered long sleeve shirt. She then tied it around her waist. Her black and thin top began to cling to her skin as a testament to how hot the weather was. Her palms grew sweaty, and she dried them on her white jean shorts. Walking slowly, she inspected the back right tires that now appeared flat.
Enterprise wiped the sweat from her forehead before squatting down to assess the damage. "Great what are we going to do now?"
Belfast joined her from behind, taking off her jacket that she had on due to the luxury AC they had in the car. She was now in a sleeveless white top and a black skirt with little eagles painted on them. Not wasting another second, she undid the map and scanned it for a minute. "Ent-Ent, if we are in this point, then there is a place called the Haven's Outpost just a few miles down this route," hopefully spoke the maid.
The carrier's violet eyes traced one of the damaged tires with her fingers. What she was seeing had unsettled her as the tire in front of her was slightly melted. Was it really that hot out here? She asked herself that question. It didn't make sense, none of it made sense. She couldn't shake the feeling that some force was watching them but aside from the rocky mountains in the vast distance, there was nothing for one to hide themselves. Only cacti and large rocks were the only sources of cover, and they weren't big enough to hide a body.
Enterprise stood up hesitantly and the only glimmer of hope was what her girlfriend had said. "Good grief. A few miles? Well, better than nothing. What kind of place is it? Do they have an auto shop or something?"
"Well, looks like it's a jack of all trades," said Belfast with a hand on her chin.
Enterprise was intrigued but for now, they needed to get the ball moving before they baked out in the sun. Whatever ominous force she had felt had vanished and she wondered if it had all been in her head.
A few miles away. If they were going to the city of sin for the human experience, then this unfortunate accident was more like a blessing in disguise. That's what Enterprise thought in a very sarcastic kind of way. Once they began to push the car under their own weight, they were unanimously in agreement that this part of their trip could have been left out.
Through the scorching heat that easily rose greater than 38°C or over 100°F, they were in the middle of the desert without a single cloud to give them any bastion of cover.
Enterprise pushed the back part of the car while Belfast manned the driver seat and pulled her weight. The reflective metal of the car kept blinding the carrier now and then, and her gaze ended up wondering to any place but the back part of the trunk. Through sweaty eyes, she saw her girlfriend huffing it away between each step she took against the hot pavement.
Enterprise didn't mean to downplay or speak ill of her girlfriend, but she internally concluded her girlfriend was overdoing it and her stamina was quickly draining. Now, the royal was incredibly fit as she took pride in her figure along with Enterprise always silently nodding in agreement. However, she lacked the endurance to combat this heat and her stamina was draining rapidly. The heat especially stifled her concentration.
While Enterprise was evidently sweating up a rainstorm due to her sweat that shined across her face, she kept pushing the car and wasn't stopping to regain her breath or straightening her posture like her girlfriend would do now and then.
"Bel, you doing okay?" She asked with sincerity and worry.
Belfast's hair became undone, and she tied it up into a messy ponytail, fit for the grueling heat. Her tired blue eyes acknowledged her girlfriend who was pulling the heart of the work. The calm breathing and concentrated form from Enterprise were not lost on her, and the light cruiser couldn't help but admire her girlfriend looking like one of those intense workout fanatics using the heat of the sun to undergo endurance training.
"Yeah, just a bit winded, but still committed, Darling. But... we can stop if you're feeling the effects of the heat," suggested the head maid.
Enterprise paused, understanding her girlfriend's true feelings, and without saying it, she was practically begging to rest. "Yeah, let's rest a bit," she then walked toward the maid, seeing the joy in her eyes that quickly evened out once she noticed the carrier next to her.
Enterprise had reached behind the driver's seat to produce a towel and lovingly wiped the sweat from the woman that ruled her heart.
"Ent..." Belfast exuded the same protesting energy as that of a little kid having her face wiped after indulging in messy spaghetti.
"Sit down," she encouraged, and the tired royal surrendered to the comfy seat that called to her. The silver-haired woman then wiped the sweat on her girlfriend's neck that dared to disturb her grace and beauty.
Belfast's smiled weakly and thanked her before insisting to do it herself.
"Bel, just rest and let me push the rest of the way," she said with a painfully selfless smile. Under a different kind of circumstance, the head maid would disagree but they both needed to reach the comfort of the next convenient stop which was the Haven's Outpost.
The blue-eyed maid sighed regrettably and silently nodded, earning her a kiss from the carrier.
Her girlfriend, in all sense of the word, was built differently compared to most shipgirls. She always knew that critical info that made her out to be the Eagle Union's strongest. Enterprise never shed light upon it and if prompted, would only recite military accomplishments like metals and honors. Surface-level stuff without directly talking about her strength. She was humble in that regard.
Within two minutes, Enterprise was huffing by herself while she pushed the car and its melted wheels with a consistent pace to her efforts.
Belfast was enthralled and a bit somber by seeing her girlfriend push the car by herself. She was spent and she had to be honest with herself that she wouldn't be back to full charge until they reached Haven's Outpost. Wanting to do something, she decided on making small talk with her girlfriend to entertain her. "Hmm, darling. You really are a soldier girl with all that stamina you got."
Her comment had reminded her of the day they first met when Enterprise had gone up against Zuikaku who their enemy at the time had been. The crane had given it her all, but as the battle stretched on, Enterprise began to wear her down without her even showing signs of fatigue. She hadn't been there early enough to see it all, but Enterprise's sister wasn't shy in letting out the details.
Enterprise stopped and suddenly felt self-conscious with an inner heat from her face that perfectly masked itself during this heat. "Soldier girl...?" She smiled amusingly at the nickname briefly then she composed herself. "It's all the Eagle Union training that we undergo, Bel." She said without a hint of arrogance or pride.
The royal could see how humble she was being, and while it was true that she owed her prowess to her training, that was only half of the reason. Enterprise was a prodigy and a natural-born fighter, more so than others who were all made for that same reason. Her ability to keep breaking her limits and continuing to get stronger was the other half that made her the Eagle Union's strongest.
"Eagle Union training, huh?" She said amusingly skeptical.
Within the next hour, Enterprise and Belfast finally reached the key location called the Haven's Outpost unmistakable by the large billboard sign to their right that greeted them.
It was the only landmark for miles until they reached the city of Sin, and it was nothing short of the Holy Trinity for car-stranded tourists. It was many things rolled into one like some Swiss army knife. The facilities within the outpost contained a gas station with an included auto shop to the east, a diner to the west, and a motel to the north.
The motel looked both borderline dilapidated and fully functioning, somewhere in that weird middle. It had two floors and was mostly made from general brick. The color was a garish combination of teal and orange, making Belfast slightly frown upon initial sight.
There were many things to frown about as they both pushed the car off the main road and into a dirt path that led to the designated auto shop on the right. Enterprise ended up talking with a nice young mechanic girl that was more than happy to assist them.
"Good Lordy! What did you run over?!" The girl reminded her of her sister Hornet, with blonde hair and all, but with a green jumpsuit.
Enterprise crossed her arms and frankly did not have a valid answer. "I'm not sure..."
The mechanic girl poked at the melted rubber of the tire that had hardened and taken on a new shape. "Well, it wasn't no porcupine, that's for sure. The tire rubber is all melted like it was hit by some intense heat and both rims are completely warped. And you pushed this all by yourself?"
Belfast held back a laugh, not denying the suspicion of the blonde.
Enterprise shifted in place and rubbed her sweaty neck. "Well, it was a combined effort." That in turn made Belfast give her girlfriend an amusing stare.
"Still mighty impressive. Are you two Shipgirls or something!?"
The casual claim had caused both to tense up and give off undecided glances to how to approach the situation.
The blonde teen gasped excitedly from the looks that betrayed their identity. "Holy smokes! I always wanted to meet living breathing heroes like you."
Enterprise was the one to blush and for the life of her, she didn't know how to reciprocate those feelings. "That's… very kind of you."
Luckily for her, Belfast jumped to the rescue. "You're very kind and you honor us greatly. Could we ask that you keep that critical piece of info under the radar? We're on vacation and are nothing more than tourists.
"Yeah, don't worry. I get it and I won't say anything as we got a lot of truckers and creeps here. Just watch out for those dudes, but I guess I should be saying they need to watch out for you," she laughed heartedly.
"Can this be fixed?!" Asked Enterprise, desiring to get back to the main topic at hand.
It was all back to business and the blonde was more than happy to agree. "Yeah, it can be fixed alright, but it won't be able to be fixed until tomorrow. I'm low on tires and the nearest supply place is the city of sin itself. I got a buddy that can bring me a few first thing in the morning, and I should be able to get this beauty running around noon."
"Then we'll have to stay here?!" Blurted Enterprise.
"I reckon that's your best bet unless you want to sleep outside with the scorpions."
"It's all right it's only for a night then will be back on the road," said Belfast.
"That's some sound thinking. Listen to your friend there. Just head on over to the motel office and talk with Amy, she can set you up with a room while I work on scraping off these melted tires."
They did just that. They popped the trunk open and took out their luggage composed of two travel bags, and four duffel bags that they equally shared. As a side note, Enterprise had wanted to carry them all, but Belfast wouldn't have it.
As they walked against the gravel ground within the Haven's Outpost, Belfast could see that her girlfriend looked troubled. "Penny for your thought, dear?"
Enterprise perked up and impulsively adjusted the two straps that she had slung across her chest. "It's just… our accident was so odd and even she confirmed it. I know that it's hot as an oven out here, but the sun itself shouldn't have been able to do that to the tires."
"Then sabotage...?" Concluded the head maid.
She didn't want to use that word. To use that word meant that she acknowledged a threat that wished to pull them out of their vacation. "Most likely and I have a bad feeling about this."
Belfast nodded somberly. "Be that as it may, there's nothing we can do except get our car repaired and secure room for the night."
"Should I get in touch with Commander Brea?" Asked Enterprise.
They both stopped a few feet away from the motel office that was conveniently close to the gas station and auto shop. "Hmm, that might be jumping the gun there. I don't think she'll be able to do anything for us out here and naval HQ probably wouldn't even glance our way unless we had full concrete proof it was Siren related."
That reality had hit the carrier hard, and her shoulders slumped. "Pfft, they'll probably laugh at us saying that Sirens can't be doing things on land. How would they know? We're shipgirls in a desert, so why couldn't they be able to do the same thing?"
As the heavy topic continued to burden them with worry, the shouts from a group of teens caught their attention. While the Haven's Outpost had tourists, truckers, and bikers, these teens were some of the few that were loudly standing out.
At the south end part of the outpost, just past the diner and gas station that sat west and east respectively, they were on top of a large red SUV and taking turns shooting from a compact bow at a nearby cactus. A few lizards also crawled along the ground which also became part of their target practice, but none could hit them.
"Oh my. Perhaps you should show them how it's done?" Said Belfast warmly.
Enterprise snorted lightly and placed a hand on her hip. "I'm on vacation, dear." Her worries soon felt like a thing of the past and she could see that Belfast had tried to deviate from the heavy topic. The carrier then made her way to the office door.
A shift in mood happened and Belfast smiled proudly. "Yes, we're on vacation." If danger reared its head out then they would act upon it, but for now… they were simply tourists. She grabbed her luggage and ran to catch up with her girlfriend.
(Sometime later)
It took a few hard jostles from Belfast to get the door unstuck. As it uncooperatively forced open, the room greeted them with a misty combination of dust and old air.
"Ugh... when was the last time they cleaned this room?" Demanded Belfast with a discerning eye toward all the places that appeared dusty.
Amy, the office lady who was a big walking personality of a woman had mentioned that they never had a full motel like they did this year. She had been smacking on dry fruit when she stated the summer vacation periods in the past would never equate to a larger booking. Most ended up using the diner and gas station before making the last miles to the city of sin.
That meant that some of the rooms never got used as they would always use a handful of ten or so. But this year, tourism was high, and many sought to take a breather before venturing into the city of sin.
Enterprise relaxed her girlfriend with an impromptu shoulder rub, trying to quell her storm of frustrations.
"Not what I had in mind when I said romantic getaway," she tiredly stated.
Enterprise changed up her tactics to a tender hug from behind and kissed her on her neck, making the maid's legs feel like jelly and her whole body growing warmer. "For me, any place is perfect as long as I have you."
The maid huffed and blushed crazily. "Darling, no… I'm all sweaty," she moaned into the kiss despite her protests.
"Nonsense, Bel. All I can smell is your soft scent of vanilla," she kissed her harder on the neck, and the royal detached herself to pivot sharply around.
"Oh, you make me feel so many things, Enterprise." She traced her girlfriend's lips with her fingers and then pulled back playfully much to the dismay of the archer. "I guess I can't be picky as long as they have a shower. I am absolutely dying for one."
Enterprise controlled her hormones that spiked from that kiss. She had to be painfully veracious with herself that she always did get a stir between her legs when she and Belfast passionately expressed their love to each other. Still, she wanted to do this right and this room was not the right one. A bit more composed, she began to speak. "You and me both. Still, not much we can do. At least they had housekeeping tidy up the last time it was used."
The maid on vacation slid a finger across the television screen that landed in her sight and attracted some dust. "The last time it was used," she said mockingly. "I would surely like to have a chat with housekeeping and know where their pride is in neglecting upkeep in a room, even if it hasn't been used. It's the golden rule that a room must be maintained even if it hasn't been used yet."
Belfast rotated around to take in the detail in the room, which wasn't much. Belfast saw a bed with red sheets, a small table with two comfy sofa chairs on each side, curtains on the same wall the table was at, a mini fridge, a microwave on top of the mini fridge that was also next to the television, and a door that most likely led to the bathroom.
Enterprise moved to the curtains and parted them, getting hit with old dust that she refused to cough or else it would only fuel Belfast more. "Ahem… gr… it's only for… tonight. Let's keep the door open for a bit. Get some of this stale air out. At least the bed looks tidy."
That was something the head maid could agree with. She tiredly walked to the bed and dropped her weight on it. Immediately, the sound of water sloshing greeted her ears, and she felt like she was being swallowed up by this monstrous bed. Screaming in fright, she struggled like someone in quicksand. "Oh my goodness! Enterprise, help me up!"
The carrier latched onto her frantic arm and pulled her back into a seating position. "Oh, I forgot to mention that it's a waterbed, hehe," nervously stated the carrier.
Belfast blew a piece of hair away from her face and stared hard at her girlfriend. "What? A waterbed?!" She then horrifyingly glanced up to see a giant mirror above them that only a creative and perverted mind would find such an application for having a mirror above them.
Enterprise terribly fidgeted with her fingers, her head slightly down when she spoke. "This... might or might not be a love room for newlyweds. Honestly, the love rooms were all they had since truckers and tourists have already packed the place. I'm sorry I kept that in the hush when talking to Amy." Enterprise did look incredibly despondent as this was not her ideal room for them to start getting the chemistry swirling.
Belfast lifted a hand to gently force her girlfriend to look at her. "I'm not mad, Ent-Ent, but a heads up would have been nice." She didn't truly mind the theme of the room. They were a couple and this level of intimacy was expected of them soon, but she wished to have a better setting than the sleazy love theme that this room invoked. By looking at Enterprise she could see it held true to her too.
Enterprise inspected the room while Belfast pulled her phone out and tried once again to get a hold of her sister. No bars graced her phone and she slammed it down on her lap.
"Hey, the shower is very spacious!" Yelled Enterprise from the bathroom doorway with her back turned from the maid.
Belfast liked the sound of that and silently stood up to close the front door. What followed was Enterprise hearing a damp shirt fall to the floor with a thud.
The silver-haired turned around and was welcomed with a sultry look from her girlfriend.
The aura that the maid resonated with invoked a reserved and coy demeanor as she hooked her fingers into her skirt while her white bra was the only thing she wore on her upper body. The cool AC did wonders to cool down her body yet her internal desires were firing on all pistons. "Spacious, you say? Reminds me of the Royal baths on base." She bit her lip alluringly and her gaze hungrily looked at the carrier that was prey to her eyes.
Enterprise tilted her head carefully, her smile still lingering as she didn't know how to read the mixed signals. She wasn't blind to see that her girlfriend was seductively working her up and hinting at sharing the bath. However, she was under the impression that Belfast wanted a better romantic setting than this and while she was all too eager if Belfast was willing, she wanted to make sure they were on the same page. "I'm sure there's less steam in there than the royal baths on base, meaning we'll be able to see each other better but... Bel, are you sure?"
The maid responded genuinely, which still invoked her naughty demeanor. "We're Just taking a shower together, nothing more, darling. I think that works perfectly in not having to wait for the other to finish showering. Unless... you don't want to." She now looked unsure and self-conscious If maybe she overextended her feminine charm.
Enterprise canceled all her concerns when she lovingly gazed at her with kind eyes. "Bel, you know very much how I want this with you. You're the only one who I ever see myself intimately being like this with, especially an intimate shower that's worlds apart from anything in the royal baths on base. I have only eyes for you and if you understand that, then all I have to say is... you're not too tired?" Her hungry violet eyes challenged her girlfriend's own, and she softly exhaled in preparation.
The royal found words to be cheap. She swiftly sprinted and gracefully pounced on her girlfriend who lifted her up effortlessly. The momentum caused the carrier to hit the side of the doorframe, causing it to crack slightly.
They both disconnected from their kiss and gazed at the damage with widened eyes.
Enterprise mimicked a cough to get her girlfriend's attention. "Oh, it doesn't look that bad. This place is a bit old so will Just say that the foundation was weak there," she shyly stated.
Belfast could have said sorry, but if she did then they would go back and forth in trying to take accountability for her being the one to cause the damage, and she desperately wanted to get into the shower. She'll kick herself raw if she passed on this moment.
An hour went by and they were as clean as one could get, yet they had continued to stay within the spacious shower. Contrary to the steamy shower, their actions didn't get overly steamy as they had spent the majority of time washing each other, holding each other, kissing each other, and pushing on the borders of intimacy that didn't venture beyond the threshold that sex was involved. They were fine with it as they said, it was a shower to ultimately clean them from the grueling hours they had pushing the car.
About ten minutes later once they stepped out of the shower, Belfast walked from the bathroom to the bed with a towel and a motel phone in her hands. She sat on the bed, forgetting that it was a waterbed and controlling her balance while she had been waiting for the other end of the line to respond.
The line finally picked up and she heard her older sister. "Hey, Edinburgh, it's me. Good evening, sister. I've been trying to get a hold of you for some time now, but the reception here is awful. Luckily, I'm calling you through a landline. I just wanted to tell you that Enterprise and I ran into some car trouble and we're going to be one day delayed."
On the other end, her sister spoke. "Really?! Are you guys stranded somewhere in the heat of the desert?!"
Belfast smiled, finding relief within her older sister's always frantic nature. The maid peered to her side where the open door to the bathroom stood, and she could see her girlfriend brushing her hair in nothing but a towel as well while she looked into the mirror.
Belfast stared up and down at her girlfriend, finding out that the time they spent in the shower had not satiated any of her urges. Of course, why would it? She couldn't wait to get to LV city where the lavish rooms awaited them. Chatter from her sister on the other end pulled her out of her naughty thoughts and she closed her legs nervously and in a self-conscious kind of way. "W-What! N-No, we are actually in a motel just a few miles from where our car failed us. We're in a room right now and thankfully, away from the sun. Unfortunately, our car is under repair and won't be available until tomorrow at noon most likely."
"Ah, that's too bad. Darling, my sister, and her girlfriend are staying at a motel for the night..."
Belfast widened her eyes and held the phone closer to her ear. Edinburgh was talking to her mysterious girlfriend, and the younger maid desperately tried to get a sample of the woman's voice to see if maybe she knew who it was. A painful minute lingered until her sister brought the phone back to her ear.
"Bel, what's the name of the motel you are in?"
"Edin, this place isn't worth stopping. You're better off heading to LV city and checking into a more immaculate room in my opinion..." She then paused when she heard the buzzing line from the phone. "Are you serious?!"
"What happened?" Asked Enterprise, leaving the bathroom still in her towel.
"The line died. I swear this place's phone line is horrible all around."
"At least you told them what happened to us, so they won't be worried when they get there before us." Again, they were only half a day ahead of them so most likely Edinburgh and her mysterious girlfriend were somewhere near the desert road that they had been on a few hours ago.
Belfast sighed and unzipped one of her duffle bags to grab some fresh clothes. "I guess..." Once grabbing her clothes, she made one final desperate attempt to call her back, but the call kept going to voicemail.
"You sound unsure," said Enterprise as she picked up her duffle bag and unzipped it.
Belfast huffed and looked at her girlfriend with said eyes. "She sounded like she wanted to stay with us here for the night, but I told her to just keep going."
"Okay." She waited, seeing that the true reason for her girlfriend being sad remained buried.
Like a book itching to be read, the royal actively stood up and readily took a nervous breath. "I... hope she listens to my reasoning."
The carrier had no words to offer to quell the concern the light cruiser had. Edinburgh was always unpredictable and while she did take her younger sister's words to heart, it wasn't absolute certainty.
Both of their stomachs angrily growled, and Belfast blushed slightly. "Oh, dear. We did skip lunch earlier today." She turned around and Enterprise did the same out of respect. Both dropped their towels and began to change into their non-damp clothing.
"Us pulling the car a few miles didn't help that either," said Enterprise as she hooked her bra, and slipped her undergarments on.
"Well, our only option is the diner to our right, but we should prepare ourselves for it being noisy and busy." Declared Belfast, slipping on her knickers and moving her hair out of the way to fit her bra on.
Enterprise held up beige shorts and began to slip them on slowly. "Hmmm, what other options do we have?"
"Unless we wish to have dinner through the vending machine that we passed on the motel wall when we briefly glanced at it," said Belfast, fitting some blue and white striped shorts on her elegant form. Feeling mischievous, she shifted her eyes toward her girlfriend. Their embarrassment flared when they both had the same idea and quickly darted back in their original direction.
Enterprise softly smiled at their unionized action that made her feel bolder with a light smirk forming. "A vending machine dinner sounds exciting."
Objection rang out from the maid in the form of an incredulous laugh. "Darling... I'm ravenous with hunger. We'll take our chances if we must." She pulled her head through her black shirt that Enterprise had bought her the last time they were on shore leave. The image on her black shirt was an adorable picture of an eagle with the wording above it that said, just a girl who loves eagles.
"Aye, Miss Belfast. Let's head out then." She turned around and in pleasant surprise, she smiled in silent approval at the shirt she picked out.
Belfast blushed at Enterprise giving her that approving look and she glanced at the white shirt the carrier wore that spelled out in black lettering, just a girl who likes tea… kinda.
"Nice shirt," she said trying to suppress her laugh.
Belfast raised a playful eyebrow and hooked her arms around Enterprise's neck. "Like your shirt, too." They kissed and stepped out of the motel room arms linked.
(At the diner)
As they were about to enter the diner, a group of tourists wearing bright colors reminiscent of those heading to a beach, poured out of the establishment.
Enterprise scoffed lightly, finding it humorous that there wasn't a beach nearby as this was a desert, which worked out for her.
They stepped in and the refreshing cold AC air brought their body temperature to a pleasant degree. Of course, that was all that pleasantly greeted them.
"Bel, you weren't kidding about how packed it was going to be. There are not even any tables available and everyone is getting their orders at the front counter." They were forced to move aside when a bear of a man along with his skinny wife and three young kids passed them by toward the entrance.
Belfast smiled when one of the three kids, a girl of around seven had kindly waved at her, probably getting a kick out of the maid's shirt. Belfast, logically, waved back.
Enterprise silently observed the interaction and couldn't help but somberly smile to herself. That light in her girlfriend's eyes for a second held a motherly gaze to them. A concept that was foreign to every shipgirl but that didn't mean they couldn't fall into a deep reverie from it.
"Holy light is what Miss Illustrious would say if she was here," stated Enterprise effectively bringing back her girlfriend from the mention of someone she knew.
Belfast then evaluated the situation and pensively tapped her forehead. "Hmm, okay. Why don't you order and I'll scan the room for any potential people that might be exiting out?"
"Bel... maybe we should just take our food to go, like some of the tourists are doing."
An upset demeanor flooded into the head maid. "And eat back at the love room that probably had..." She gagged slightly, now letting it set in of all the activities it could say if the room had a mouth. "...all sorts of sexual conquests. I don't feel comfortable eating when the thought of someone's junk could have been explicitly near me."
Enterprise stood quiet, feeling surprised and checkmated in any potential counter she could do without finding themselves arguing in the overly crowded diner.
Of course, this seemed to be a spur of the moment for the royal, and she found herself sighing regrettably at her selfish action. "I'm being difficult, aren't I?"
"No no, you're right as rain, Bel. I didn't see that when we got there. I'm sure that the cleaning crew did their job and it's truly clean." Although, it's a good thing they didn't bring a blue light with them, or else Belfast would be having a field day is what she thought to herself. Just then, the greatest idea of the century entered her mind. "I got it." She leaned close to her ear and whispered, and her girlfriend beamed brightly at the idea.
"Goodness, Ent-Ent now that's my girl who gets me."
Enterprise blushed while looking away, now noticing that the line to order had been moving.
"So, I'll look around for seating," she said definitively with her trademark smile to her side that always got the archer's heart pumping.
If she only knew how much of an effect it would have on her when she first saw it, she would tell her past self to brace for impact. Enterprise agreed and was told by her girlfriend to get her what she was getting which upon looking at the menu, bacon cheeseburger was her comfort lover outside of Belfast and strictly designated to food.
She then glanced over toward the crowded aisle that jammed packed with people to the side where the windows were, and that was when some unsightly trucker man that looked rather beastly had snickered as Belfast past them by. It was two of them. The trucker and his friend who no doubt was also a trucker, just not with the beastly attributes and rather lanky. Enterprise could tell they were making suggestive eyes toward her girlfriend with her sharp archer's eye that was, in no desire of her own, a stickler for detail.
The beast of a man's friend, that was across from him pretended to clumsily drop something. Belfast happened to stop in the middle between the beast of a man and his friend. In more detail, she was hovering right next to their table as there had been people moving about in front of her.
The head maid, being the absolute angel that she was, bent over to pick up the object for the beast of a man's friend. That was when the beast himself slapped her on her ass so hard that the occupants in the booth that sandwiched them glanced over with disgusted looks on their faces.
Unfortunately, the workers had not noticed the sexual assault due to the chatter and busy orders that loomed over the diner. Belfast shot straight up and turned rapidly around. The royal was nothing short of furious and disgust flashed across her face that had been composed and smiling not even a minute ago.
"Apologize." She demanded sternly with her eyes deathly serious.
Both men laughed like wild beasts. "Why would I apologize for slapping such a sweet and fine peach of an ass?" Said the beastly man.
Belfast narrowed her eyes at the trucker, yet she knew her own strength that took an even greater strength to hold herself back. "You're a vile and horrid little man to find some sick enjoyment in slapping a ladies derriere."
They both laughed in stereo and the trucker man that was the beast leaned into his seat without a care in the world. "Oh, I love it when a lady gets fired up. Come on, little lady. What are you going to do about it? Maybe you should come to my motel room, and we can tussle until we're both spent. Then maybe we can talk about eagles, I like eagles too." He then mockingly tapped his trucker hat to show an eagle holding an M4 under its talons.
Belfast remained steadfast and unaltered by the beast's insulting and sexual sleazy words. "I retract what I said..." She flashed him a smile that made him raise an eyebrow.
"Oh..." He leaned eagerly forward, curious to know if he had snagged a desperate woman that hid behind an air of self-imposed royalty but in the end, she was just a dog in heat.
Belfast engaged him with an easy smile. "You are not a vile and horrid little man. You're a maggot festering inside a disease beast, and I have no time for you or your sleazy nature."
Enterprise watched the interaction with a flabbergasted and white-hot rage. Like a raging fire that burned everything in sight, she advanced through the crowd, ignoring the worker that had told her that she was next in line.
She knew her girlfriend well. She was a protector of humanity and laying a hand on a human was not something she took lightly. Her elegance and grace were her code to rise above the sickening actions of those who acted lower than a human. He was indeed unworthy of her time, and that was her victory in itself if he refused to apologize. But that wasn't enough for the carrier.
Unlike her girlfriend, she had no such compunctions in delivering those who wish to act as vile as a Siren their just desserts. That was just the Eagle Union way.
"Apologize to her..." Enterprise stood behind the man who had stood up in rage at the petit woman's fighting words.
Belfast stood silently and uneasy at the eyes of her girlfriend which spelled animosity.
The beast that was the man turned to Enterprise and snarled at her, his breath stinking of garlic mixed with alcohol. "What did you say?"
"I said apologize. I don't think I stuttered when I said it but then again, your pea-sized brain probably had a tough time processing that."
The man expressed an offended face, but it quickly grew to a grin. "What's it to you if I apologize or not? I didn't grab your ass or did I grab your girlfriend's ass?" He said sarcastically.
"You did. Now. Apologize." Her declaration had stunned all three including Belfast as Enterprise had never openly stated the status of their relationship to a random person.
The beast of a man burst out laughing and his friend, while hesitant to laugh, still did but nervously. Looking at the angry and brooding woman had invoked some level of fear within the lanky trucker friend.
The beast of a man looked her up and down and Belfast tightened her hand subtly at his unashamed action.
"Your girlfriend, huh? Just imagining you both scissoring each other gets me so worked up. You also looked worked up too. Maybe you needed the experience of a real man to have kept you from going dyke." He made the greatest mistake of imposing a heavy hand on Enterprise's shoulder thinking he had true power over her with his size and strength.
Her eyes flared up in response and his world came crashing down when he found himself turned effortlessly around. His arm was pulled behind him as his face collided with his plate full of macaroni, fry chicken, and biscuits.
The other occupants that sat to the side of their booths quickly gasped softly as they have been silently observing the interaction.
"Agh, shit. What the hell?!" He struggled to overpower her, but he woefully found himself unable to move an inch.
Enterprise had a dangerous void in her eyes that Belfast had never seen. "Are you done talking?" She calmly stated. "The only words I want to hear from you are I'm sorry."
The lanky trucker shriveled up out of fear and glanced rapidly between the woman with an iron arm and his helpless companion. "Curtis, come on man—quit playing around. This girl has like about a hundred pounds on her."
"I'm not playing around. Grr... this bitch feels like a car on top of me," grunted the beast of a man, his face smearing against the macaroni. He did look like a beast now with all that food painting his face.
The lanky man grew a backbone and was about to spring out of his seat to tackle Enterprise, but Belfast readily moved in front of him. "I advise you to stay out of this or you'll find yourself in the same predicament as your friend."
Enterprise softened slightly in her heated gaze from hearing Belfast support her in her brash action. She was going against the philosophy of her girlfriend with how she would have handled the situation, but once it had rolled into action, the royal didn't hold it over her head and stood by her side. "Say sorry... or the next time you reach for something, you'll think of me," she threatened with a gritted expression.
"Sorry! I'm sorry I touched your ass!" He yelled and whimpered pathetically that satisfied Enterprise.
"Hey, what's going on over there?!" Shouted the one who seemed to be the owner of the diner. It was a redheaded woman who was stretching her neck out trying to get a better view.
Enterprise let go and the beast of a man then slumped down and quickly rolled away from his unearthly strong tormentor.
The owner looked ready to throw them all out of their already packed establishment but to their astonishment, a chorus of cheers and claps resounded from the other occupants.
Time had gone by; the two men had fled from the diner toward a trailer truck.
In the aftermath, Belfast's charismatic charm helped immensely as she explained to the owner what had happened and victoriously won them to her side. The only condition was to not stir up any more drama on this already busy day.
It was current time, and they now sat in silence in the same booth. A waitress brought them their food order which happened to be the bacon cheeseburgers and fries.
The wonderful sight of food didn't reach the eyes of the carrier as she had been woefully looking at her girlfriend. "Bel..." She sighed regrettably and looked away from the royal before speaking again. "I lost my temper back there and..."
Belfast noticeably furrowed her brows. "Yes, you did lose your temper. You assaulted the man and nearly got us kicked out."
She sounded agitated and annoyed which made the carrier grow defensive. "Would it have been better if I did nothing as I watched him slap your ass like you're some cheap woman? Bel, you're my woman and I don't even do that to you."
"Is that what this is about?" Blurted the light cruiser with an uncomfortable blush setting in. She wanted to forget that memory as that man had done something that no one had ever done to her.
"Yes! —I mean, no!" Enterprise was left in a whirlwind of confusion about how they reached this point and sighed. "I did what was right. What felt right. Cleveland, Hornet, and even Eugen would have done the same."
Belfast looked wounded and bitter. "What he did was lowly, and if the queen were here, she would have shouted, 'Off with their heads.'"
"Then why are you mad?" Begged the carrier for a clear response. She hated they were fighting but she wasn't going to be dishonest with herself.
Belfast pulled her hair behind her ear and her confidence had left her a long time ago. "I just... thought... never mind..."
"Say it..." Demanded Enterprise roughly, causing Belfast to retreat slightly against the softness of the booth.
Belfast saw the resolve in her girlfriend's eyes and knew she needed to get what was off her chest or else they would perpetuate this argument. "I thought I could expect better from you. As shipgirls, we must maintain our elegance and grace in any kind of battle, especially ones without weapons, fueled only by actions and words against those who we can easily overpower. Those seem to be the hardest, but we must set the example."
Enterprise faulted slightly yet her anger was too great. At this point, she was angry at herself on equal par with her anger toward her girlfriend. Her emotions swept her away and she was going to die on this proverbial hill if she must. Her breathy and spiteful laugh came out harsh. It had been a vain attempt to conceal her angry yell but she wasn't fooling anyone. "You know... I don't regret it. I'll do it again—maybe break his arm. I keep forgetting how easy it is, how easy humans are to break. They're like glass," she venomously stated.
"Enterprise, you don't mean that..." She held herself together from crying at the cruel things her girlfriend had said. Her form of speech had reverted to when they first met with how cynical she had seen humanity.
Enterprise was in-between anger and sadness. Her face was barely holding on to showing the depth of the turmoil that she felt. "Do I? I lost my appetite." She stood up and dropped the money for the food along with a standard tip.
The maid watched in dejection as her girlfriend pushed the door open and entered the heat that they had sought refuge from.
Enterprise paused once she was outside, and she stubbornly shut her eyes in frustration and regret before walking again.
For Belfast, there was no way she was going to enjoy her meal. She was starving, further emphasized by her protesting stomach but it didn't feel right anymore. The door swung open with her exiting out of the diner about ten minutes later, carrying a bag that held two to-go boxes with their food in it.
Once she got to her motel room, her heart dropped when she was greeted by a vacant room. The tremble in her hand betrayed her stoic face and she dejectedly softened her eyes.
Her sorrow only lasted for a minute when the footsteps and gravel from beyond the doorway caught her awareness. Pivoting sharply, she came face to face with a stunned Enterprise, carrying a convenience store bag in one hand, and a protein bar in the other.
Belfast sighed happily and meekly stood before the carrier.
Enterprise found it hard to look at her and not because of anger. No, that had left her during her short walk that helped clear her head. Her reluctance to gaze upon her was brought on by her shame. "Bel... you're here," she said with a monotone voice.
Belfast nodded with tears in her eyes. "Yes, I don't want to eat without you." She then focused on the items in the bag and saw cleaning supplies and tools. Things like disinfectant spray, wipes, a duster, sponges, bleach, and more small things filled the bag. "You bought them for me?"
Enterprise blushed and fiddled with her ear, getting some of the chocolate from the protein bar on her ear by accident. "Y-Yeah. I did suggest it, and... I want you to sleep soundly tonight after you do your Belfast seal of approval on this room."
Indeed. That was what Enterprise had whispered to her at the diner. To stop by the convenience store that was part of the gas station to pick up supplies to give their room a personal clean. A bit odd and some might say unnecessary, but she wanted these items.
Just by looking at the carrier's reddened face, she could tell that this was her saying sorry without using those words.
Belfast moved forward and brushed a hand through her girlfriend's silver hair. Out of impulse, she removed the chocolate stain on her ear with her finger and then leaned in for a kiss.
Enterprise accepted the kiss and she hungrily responded, her using this action to also say sorry without saying sorry.
Still, without any words, the royal pulled on the carrier's hand and brought her to the small table that resided next to their window.
Enterprise sat across from Belfast, and she silently pulled out disinfectant wipes, handing them to her girlfriend. Belfast then wiped the table clean and placed the food on it. "Eat." She woefully begged as she opened the white box and presented the still warm and fresh food to Enterprise.
The Eagle Union nodded somberly, discarding the protein bar, and rightfully taking her burger in her hands. Belfast let out a joyful sound upon seeing Enterprise eating, granting her the guilt-free right to enjoy her own food.
A few silent minutes went by when Enterprise began to speak. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry for what I said. But the truth is, I love you more than humanity. You are the reason for my affinity for humanity, Bel. I love you so much and I was only doing what felt right in my heart."
Belfast stood up, making Enterprise feel fearful in thinking that she had said something selfish. The maid forced Enterprise to place her burger on the table and straddled her lover. "Don't apologize. Please don't apologize." She kissed her but this time with more force and Enterprise was more than glad to accept the passion even if she was a bit confused.
The maid parted her lips from her lover and traced loving patterns on the carrier's lips. "Please... let's not fight. We do so much of that out at sea. I accept this angry and territorial side of you that's also human. You are my knight, Ent-Ent, and I'm sorry for offending you when I said I expected more from you."
"But you do. I failed you. I failed my nature that intrinsically yearns to protect humanity. But even then, the reason I held myself back from doing it was that if I did break his arm, the authorities would be brought in, and then Naval HQ... and the commander would know of my violation. I doubt that I'll be allowed to be granted shore leave for a while unless I were to stay on base for that leave."
Belfast hugged her lovingly. "Regardless of that, I stand by what you did. Through good and bad, I'll be there to support you. I need to remember that my adorable eagle has vicious claws to protect me."
"Still, I'm sorry. I do love humanity, Bel. But... I must be honest and say that you're more important to me than them... but just by a little bit."
Belfast laughed and smiled sensually. "The way you worded that... I can't help but feel both jealous and happy."
"I promise to be better for you," she softly whispered.
"You've already become better once you learned to smile and free yourself from your grim outlook on duty."
They showered themselves with more kisses that repaired their strained love and in the process, their love endured and became stronger.
After their meal, Belfast quickly set to work in implementing her Belfast seal of approval that Enterprise had mentioned. To their delightful surprise, they found a vacuum in the closet and while Enterprise did a sweep through the carpeting of the love motel room, Belfast disinfected the bathroom and front doors, along with parts of the walls. She then armed herself with a duster and got the corners of the window and furniture throughout the room.
Their cleaning culminated in one final task that required both of them. "Bel, this might be a poor move on our end," nervously said Enterprise. An hour had gone by when they started their assigned tasks and were now focused on the singular task that stood above them, literally.
The carrier stood feet planted on the waterbed while she lifted her girlfriend into the air. Belfast sprayed glass cleaner on the horridly placed mirror above them with the purest of concentration. Anyone walking in on them would pause and immediately walk backward. It was safe to say that what they were doing was a lot harder to explain than the streamlined answer that one would expect when they heard love motel room.
"I have absolute confidence in your strength, Darling, or if you want, I can lift you up instead," she said, her eyes never averting away from the glass.
Enterprise pouted a bit. "That's not what I meant. I fear that I might end up popping the bed with all the weight we are digging into it in one focal point."
The maid paused and stared into space with comedic hesitation. "Oh, it should be fine dear, I'm almost done with this devilish mirror," she adamantly stated.
Enterprise found it amusing that she was cleaning the mirror when who knows what had graced the surface of that mirror. Maybe she shouldn't say anything for the sake of her girlfriend's sanity.
"What's so funny," asked Belfast, a bit out of breath and gazing downward at Enterprise.
The archer blushed and quickly thought of another less indecent thing to say. "N-Nothing, just imagining you lifting me up—that's all."
Belfast cocked her head playfully along with a half-grin. "Are you saying you're heavy? If I remember correctly, I dragged you by your tie once, did I not?
Enterprise defeatedly puffed her breath, yet that memory warmed her heart regardless. It was from a time before they got together, and she was simply her dedicated maid. "Aye, I remember I was angry that day, but mostly at myself. You dragged me with an iron resolve that I couldn't find the rage to force you away from me, even with all the cruel stuff I said."
"You were hurting, and you needed tough love, Enterprise. I assessed the situation and took a confident chance. My respect for you grew, even more, when you refused to let fists fly that day."
Enterprise frowned. "I wouldn't dream of hurting you… not even that day. That wouldn't be me... just like breaking that trucker's arm isn't me," she truthfully said with a sigh. In the end, all she could say was that love was both wonderful and dangerous. Love had opened her world to a greater one full of brighter colors, yet love could also undo it all if she let it destructively control her. By that, she meant that she didn't know the limits of her love and it scared her what she might be capable of to keep the woman she loved safe.
By that logic, her greatest ally and her greatest enemy was love.
Belfast pulled her out of her endless thoughts with a head pat on the carrier's head, signaling that she was done. The archer smiled brightly at her and let her go just before catching her again in a split second. They gracefully landed on top of the bed, while the sloshes of the waterbed simulated the waves.
Belfast giggled and rolled playfully with Enterprise. Fatigue set in from their romantic/childlike antics and they lovingly gazed at each other with a gaze that held a calm aura.
"Enterprise, slap me..."
All the thoughts in the carrier's mind like how beautiful her girlfriend was and how lucky of an Eagle Union girl she was to have a wonderful royal to share this bed suddenly vanished like vapor. "Huh?!"
Belfast giggled and traced kisses all over the neck of her lover. "I mean here. Right here, darling." She held the carrier's hand hostage and slowly brought it down to her backside, making Enterprise tense.
The silver-haired woman began to breathe anxiously and she started to blink rapidly. "Bel, I don't feel comfortable doing...!"
This was a crossroads of sorts for the head maid. On one road, she could respect the wishes of her lover and reserve themselves from ever venturing through this path, ultimately growing stagnant. However, on the other road, she could bet high, and both could learn something new about themselves. She confidently took a chance, wishing to erase the mistake that befell her. With Enterprise's hand as her hostage, she brought it down upon her ass and the smack resounded throughout the motel room.
Belfast moaned heavily and grinned with a blush. "That was infinitely better."
Enterprise was speechless and wide-eyed. Hidden in her wide eyes was a void of lust and little did the maid know, she had flipped a switch inside her girlfriend.
The reason she was speechless and shocked was that she found the feel of the smack exciting. It felt controlled and safe because her girlfriend had been the one to desire it, and the light cruiser's confidence and taking control hotly bothered the carrier. Was this what Eugen had mentioned being called foreplay? The act of being naughty and rough only if they were both in agreement.
She needed to verify this, and she raised her hand off her girlfriend's rear, being rewarded with a coy smile from the maid. She smiled nervously, still feeling a bit sleazy, but ultimately bringing down her hand across Belfast's backside.
The royal moaned, her smile sensually plastered across her face like cement. She then tenderly rubbed a hand to the side of Enterprise's cheek. "Thank you… for allowing this chance, Ent-Ent."
"I hope you're ready to take responsibility for whatever path I go down," she joked morbidly.
Belfast raised an eyebrow and grinned playfully, tracing circles around her girlfriend's chest. "I will. To the future where we're both retired and married, and you're watching the telly while drinking beer, and I happened to walk by, encouraging you to smack my bum like a scoundrel that you are."
Enterprise laughed the hardest she ever had and kissed Belfast as a show to defy that morbid future she painted. "My darling, that right you have given me will only be used when you say so. I want it to intimately mean something for the both of us rather than fulfilling my own hungry desires." She grinned infectiously, causing Belfast to do the same.
Internally, Belfast felt liberated that her girlfriend had been so open-minded about trying something naughty. It was a nice evolution to their intimacy, and it also helped erase what that beast of a man did to her. Having her girlfriend lovingly claim that right brought joy to her. Only her darling Eagle Union lover was allowed that right and no one else.
Some time had gone by and the sun had already set. With the room being up to code for the head maid, it left them to spend the quiet night on top of the bed with a blanket from their belongings spread underneath them. Why had they had one? Turns out that Belfast had enough foresight to pack bed covers and sheets if the ones in the hotel were not up to her seal of approval.
They watched a movie from the service library of films that the motel had. Horror was their combined pick as the threat aspect did its work to get them into a state of hugging and general intimacy to help combat the chills. One would think that they had enough horror when combating the Sirens but there was a noticeable distinction between fantasy horror and the horrors of real life.
Belfast nestled deeper to her girlfriend's side, smelling the strawberry scent that they had used in the shower in Enterprise's hair. An ear-piercing scream came from the television they were watching from their position on the bed, and they tensed in unison.
Enterprise giggled lightly and protectively kissed Belfast on the forehead. "This is nice. Despite our car troubles today this felt like a nice preview before our official break."
Belfast giggled and agreed wholeheartedly. "Indeed. The only thing that could make this even better would be popcorn."
"Hey, now that you mention it, that vending machine we have on the west side of the motel had popcorn bags, and there's a microwave on that mini fridge by the television."
Belfast looked at it as if it registered for her for the first time and she excitedly glanced at Enterprise. However, she still looked hesitant to let her go out while it was dark. This was reinforced when the carrier found herself anchored to the bed by her girlfriend's arm.
Enterprise lightly cocked her head. "Also, I think I saw some kind of cherry chocolate bar among the selection," she said in fake pensiveness, knowing that particular candy bar was in there when she passed the machine after her fight with Belfast at the diner. She briefly glanced at it before heading to the convenience store.
Belfast immediately shot up just as the slasher killer in the movie revealed themselves to the helpless final girl. "Enterprise! It's dark out there, why don't we both go together?"
Enterprise shook her head in disagreement. "It might be dark out but it's still hot as hell. Let me go and get us the snacks."
Belfast hated to sound worried, but she had lingering fears. "Be careful. That man from the diner is probably still staying here, so do try to not cause any more trouble for the sake of the motel."
Enterprise snorted with her arms crossed. "He's old news, Bel. I doubt he'll wish to face me again after humiliating him."
The maid still looked worried. "Wounded pride makes those throw caution to the wind, dear."
"Then I'll quickly get us our snacks," said Enterprise with a kiss on her wise girlfriend's forehead. She stepped out of the room and into the hot and humid summertime weather of the desert. Cicadas filled the night with their stealthy chorus of sizzling sounds. Like, the whistle of a whiffle ball or the clink of ice in a glass of lemonade. The windless night made the heat heavy, and she could feel a bead of sweat start to trickle down her forehead.
The only light sources that night was from the gas station lights that illuminated the area, the neon sign above the motel that spelled vacancy for new visitors, the motel lights that hung next to each door, and the light from the motel front office for nighttime admissions.
Moving from the cars that were parked close to the motel rooms, she glanced to her right to see the vile trucker's trailer truck parked on the corner angle of the motel—the same corner she needed to take to get to the vending machine.
She let out a disgruntled breath and headed that same way, merely glancing at it when she finally passed the corner. The light from the vending machine then greeted her and she smiled to herself.
In this section of the overall establishment of Haven's Outpost, she felt relatively exposed to the harsh elements of the desert as the diner, motel, and gas station were no longer around her.
Being an archer, she grew paranoid about the expansive scenery of far-off mountain rock, dirt, and scattered green vegetation. This setting reminded her of a horror movie that she watched with Hornet involving a family stranded in the desert with a group of mutated mountain folk that knew the desert like their backyard. One of the main sources of fright was how prevalent their surveillance was to the family before they began to pick them off.
Shaking her paranoia, she rummaged through her shorts for spare change. The humming of the vending machine light was her only source of light on this corner of the motel wall. It had indeed been her lucky day as within the vending machine, she spotted one cherry chocolate bar left, along with the popcorn.
Inserting the coins into the machine she picked three things, the popcorn bag, the cherry chocolate bar, and a box of sour candy for herself. Light footsteps soon filled her ears and she darted to her right to see a woman who had turned the corner where the big trailer truck was.
They exchanged an awkward glance as neither had thought to see anyone outside their motel room during this nightly hour.
"Good evening," she said to break any potential hostility that two silent people in a lonely desert could possibly invoke. Seeing a stranger at night anywhere would have the same effect.
Enterprise gazed at the human, noticing that she had on blue jeans, a white tank top, and an open checkered button-up shirt. If she didn't stare at the feminine features like her soft cheeks, and nearly shoulder-length pink hair she would have thought she was a man. Adding onto the details of this woman, she had a set of soft blue eyes like the ocean. "Evening..." she said cautiously while she waited for the machine to dispense what she desired.
The pink-haired woman stood respectfully a good few feet away and had her hands to her front to show that they had nothing. Frankly, they were aware if they casually hid their hands behind their back then the implication that they might have something could stir unease.
Enterprise pulled out her items from the machine and that's when the pink-haired woman noticed a particular item.
"Cherry chocolate... my, that must be very popular indeed," she said with a small smile.
Enterprise remained emotionless, but she was aware of where this conversation was heading so she went straight for it. "Yeah, sorry if you were going for this one, but this is the last one they had."
Upon hearing that, the pink-haired woman's blue eyes widened, and she distressingly glanced at the bar in Enterprise's hand. "Then I beg of you, let me buy it off you. I'll give you triple the amount that you paid for it. That bar is for milady!"
Milady? That word amusingly rang throughout her mind, and she stood her ground, wishing that she didn't have to get rough with this woman if she came at her. "Sorry, can't do that. This isn't for me either."
They both were left without words and the woman was left with a deep pondering about what she should do next.
That was when the flickering of the light from the vending machine caught their attention. Followed by a horrifyingly confused expression on their faces when the hot air they let out became visible through the air in the form of tiny droplets.
"Why did it get cold all of a sudden?" Asked the pink-haired woman.
Enterprise looked up and her body went into a full numbing sensation while feeling cold at the same time. Above them, the sky turned malicious and a reflective-esque surface that transparently imposed itself in the sky appeared. "A mirror sea?!"
Impossible. Was she witnessing the first mirror desert then? A whooshing sound encroached around them. From above, a sandstorm that looked like a black swarm of locus descended before them in the distance, forming a humanoid figure that was clouded in darkness.
This figure stood alone and just outside the bounds of the Haven's Outpost. Their only distinct features were their radiant ghostly yellow eyes and an uncanny white porcelain face.
"A Siren!" Proclaimed Enterprise with unrivaled fear. That was a new one for Enterprise as she had never seen a Siren like this before, but then again, she had never seen one outside the territory of the ocean. It then shockingly occurred to her that her foreboding sense had told her that something odd had been lingering in the air—starting from when her car received that unfortunate and unexplained accident. She had no doubts in her mind that this creature related to the Sirens had been behind it.
The world seemed to pick back up and time pushed onward when Enterprise heard the woman beside her speak.
"A Siren?!" Tensed the pink-haired woman.
The dark figure outstretched her hand and upon this action, her hand immediately extended outward and grew into a torrent of mass.
Enterprise fatally froze, a rookie move no doubt, and brought upon the startling sight of seeing a Siren outside of the ocean. The hand ensnared her and smashed her against the vending machine, causing the numerous salty and sugary junk food to tumble downward. The protective glass even cracked upon the unyielding force of the Siren's monstrous hand that pinned her in place. "Go... run!" Yelled Enterprise to the pink-haired woman that also had looked equally stunned.
Another hand shot out like a tentacle and collided against the woman's abdomen, sending her flying across the air.
"No!" Struggled Enterprise, pain, and sorrow on her face for failing to save the human. She watched in despair as she flew toward the big trailer truck and smashed against the windshield.
Enterprise closed her eyes, hurting emotionally and just imagining the poor girl's back shattering into bones of powder from the impact.
All her anger flared up and she stared down at the monstrous Siren that stood on two shadowy legs and stared at her with the gaze of a lighthouse light with those radiant eyes. Its uncanny white porcelain face looked stoic and severely creeping out the carrier.
She stared daggers at the Siren as her body slowly felt the hand of the Siren expand like mud and start to wrap itself around her. The enemy's other hand lifted, and a sharp projectile shot out toward the carrier.
Enterprise strained her neck, just barely saving her life as the sharp detachment impaled into the vending machine's plastic-like glass. Her retaliation came in the form of a yellow light that emanated from the sealed body of the carrier.
The porcelain-faced Siren grew alerted as the light from the carrier broke through their mud-like arm of hers in a shower of fragments shooting out.
It was unknown if this monster that mocked humanity with a porcelain doll face was feeling the burning heat, but Enterprise was hell-bent on making this Siren feel something before she was done with her. The source of that unknown light that shattered the arm of the Siren had been one of Enterprise's arrows that left the Siren with a horrendous-looking stump.
The Siren doll staggered, and as Enterprise regained her footing a sword flew through the porcelain face of the Siren, causing Enterprise to widen her eyes.
The force from the flying sword picked up the shadowy Siren and flung her into the back of the billboard sign of the Haven's Outpost. It struggled like a fish on a hook and its yellow eyes darted to its new attacker.
Enterprise also darted her eyes and was awestruck to see the pink-haired woman with her arm stretched out and deeply angered. She was crouching on top of the hood of the trailer truck and immediately dropped down, shards of broken window glass seemingly falling off her person like tiny rocks.
"You're...!?" That was all Enterprise had said when the pink-haired woman grabbed the door frame of the truck, yanked it with force, and drove her foot into one of the hinges of the frame to pull it away from the main body of the truck.
The pink-haired woman's anger was undiminished, and she yelled viciously as she flung the doorframe at the Siren who was a good number of meters away from her. Metal smashed against the Siren's body and temporarily stunned her. The unknown woman then sprinted toward the stunned enemy, closing the distance rapidly as she jumped and retrieved her discarded sword from her porcelain face.
With it now in hand, she twirled for momentum and severed its body from down to up, splitting the sign in the process like so much butter.
The Siren made an alien shriek and disintegrated back into its sand-like appearance. To the untrained eye, it looked like it had been defeated but it had merely taken its defensive form. The spike that had nearly hit Enterprise then exploded into more sand and acted as a smokescreen. The culmination of all the sand then began to surround the two like their own personal sandstorm.
The mysterious woman regrouped with Enterprise and the two stood back-to-back, making sure they wouldn't get blindsided.
"You're a Kansen?!" Shouted Enterprise. She could interchange the woman's existence with that of a polar bear and still emulate the same surprising effect.
The woman acknowledged her with her blue eyes and nodded. "I was going to ask you the same thing."
The storm around them roared and kicked up viciously. None could see past the storm that now encircled them with a claustrophobic and oppressive radius.
"Milady, there's no time for an introduction," she hastily stated.
Enterprise was more than happy to agree. "We find ourselves in a peculiar situation with an equally peculiar foe. I ask you, lend me your strength." They were shipgirls. They were not meant to fight on land, especially under a desert backdrop such as this. Not only that but this Siren weapon that looked like a doll and a sandstorm combined was like nothing she had ever seen before.
The pink-haired woman raised her head high, invoking that she was feeling honored to respond to the call of duty. "My sword is at your side, Milady."
Enterprise eagerly needed to know who this Kansen was and the mystique of it was driving her crazy.
From above them, a fire sparked to life. The swirling sandstorm showed its true nature as every tiny piece of rock that swirled around them could ignite fire. One might say that they were akin to nanomachines with how versatile this foe had been thus far. In unison, a massive fire from above was about to rain down on them while their exit was obstructed by the swirling sand around them.
"Cover your eyes!" Roared Enterprise, producing a radiating thin arrow and throwing it upward. The blast hazardously expanded and canceled the Siren's firestorm, along with the sandstorm that had obstructed their exit strategy.
The angered shouts from the enemy pierced their ears and she retreated to the rooftop of the motel, now in her humanoid doll form. From her shadowy body, spikes shot out toward the two Kansen just like they did with Enterprise before.
The two Kansen sidestepped and began to run up the wrecked truck, trying to gain distance. The spikes that followed missed them and embedded themselves on the trailer top.
Once on the wide space that had the motel to the north, the diner to the west, and the gas station to the east, the pink-haired woman uneasily looked around. "What's going on? Why isn't there anyone else here?" With all the chaos and noise they were making she was expecting the panic masses of people to come pouring out of their rooms.
"We're inside some mirror sea but at this point, it's more like a mirror desert. All of this is a creation of our current surroundings, and the others are unaware that this is even happening." She took whatever small comfort she could, knowing that Belfast was safe and blissfully unaware of the danger that was happening. Belfast might dislike it, but the carrier wouldn't have it any other way if it meant her girlfriend was safe.
"So, she teleported us into a fake world? The other Kansen appeared troubled by this and stared at her enemy that was on the roof with a sharp look.
The Siren unleashed a volley of five energy-based flares from its back that burned bright red.
"Incoming!" Yelled the pink-haired shipgirl. The red flares flew high and began to plummet like payload bombs.
Enterprise unleashed another arrow and staved off the payload that headed toward the gas station. Her arrow met it in the sky and the expected explosion went off in the sky. She sighed in relief as If it did hit, it would have exploded half of the Haven's Outpost.
"What are you doing?! You should focus your firepower on the enemy." The Kansen jumped backward and nearly escaped a flare that imploded upon impact. Evading was the way to go and then finding a clear striking chance.
"Keeping this place from exploding!"
Confusion set in for the pink-haired shipgirl. "But you said that this is a singularity! This shouldn't affect anything in the real world!"
"I just can't take that chance. The last mirror sea I was in... recreated an archipelago space. The battle was brutal and difficult, and in the end, when the mirror sea dissipated, the real archipelago quickly conformed to the condition that we left the fake one in as if it updated."
Horror and disgust flashed in the pink-haired sword wielder, showing that she wasn't that versed in singularities, unlike her ally. She was ultimately grateful that the silver-haired woman was here to assist her with this monster. More flares came toward them and luckily for them, the Siren seemed to be more focused on them rather than environmental damage.
"Then we shouldn't drag this fight out or they might hit the office or motel itself," she gritted her teeth, now wanting to make this Siren scream before they ended her.
Enterprise nodded in agreement. She cursed herself under her breath that she didn't bring her bow along with her, but who could have foreseen a Siren attack in the desert? If she, had it, then her arrows could make quick work of this enemy. A eureka moment then hit her like lightning. "Hey, I have a plan, but could you keep her busy?"
"Very well, Milady. I shall fight until this sword that is me shatters! Ah!" She charged at the Siren, drawing in the machine's ire and fire toward her way.
Whoever this woman was, she was clearly not Eagle Union. Her fancy mannerisms were more old fashion and could see her being Sakura Empire since she had a sword. Enterprise discarded her deductions, for the time being, heading to the cars that were parked around the motel building. She took a right from the direction she was moving toward the motel door of hers, and the explosions and fighting from the pink-haired Kansen filled her ears.
The car she was looking for wasn't on the side that they were on, so she searched on the other corner of the motel parking lot. Her hope reignited when she discovered the red SUV from earlier that day with those teens trying to shoot from the rooftop. Murmuring under her breath for it to be there, she hit the jackpot when the compact bow rested in the backseat.
"Sorry about this, dudes." She punched the glass—a better alternative than ripping the car door away and began to unlock the door from inside.
Over to where the other shipgirl was fighting tooth and nail, she had jumped off from the roof after engaging the Siren doll in close-quarters combat. She retreated further south, away from the diner, motel, and gas station that respectively stood west, north, and east. Her previous antagonizing tactics had aggroed the Siren into chasing after her.
She missed a stray flare that flew behind her and exploded a cactus. Then another flare headed her way, but the shipgirl defensively held her sword and the energy blast absorbed into the blade. The sword glowed bright red and the shipgirl thrust it forward, turning the flare blast toward the Siren doll, hitting her in the shoulder.
The Siren doll screamed inhumanly and launched spikes at her this time.
The pink-haired shipgirl quickly deflected them too with the side of her sword, granting her the momentum to charge at the Siren. From the reflective sky, another flare plummeted. It had been launched when she had been too distracted with the spikes. Since she was already in motion, the explosion from that one caused her to fly forward, and the tentacle arm of the Siren doll connected with her and smashed her to the ground. She was pinned now, and her sword had flown out of her hand.
"Do your worst, you Siren doll thing!"
The killing strike loomed over the Kansen. In a sadistic turn of events, the Siren had stretched her other arm and retrieved the sword of the Kansen to use against the now pinned shipgirl.
The pink-haired woman already knew that this doll had no honor, but this was irrefutable proof. A shimmer of light ignited behind the Siren, and the pinned shipgirl gazed at it in awe just a second earlier before the Siren was aware of that same light.
That light was an arrow and tore through the sky, incinerating the Siren in a show of fire. Their enemy remained standing but now looked like a melting version of her former self.
The pink-haired shipgirl, sensing the opportunity, ripped herself away from the now weak hold from her enemy who lay burning. Her blue eyes urgently darted to her ally who dropped what remained of a compact bow.
Enterprise looked in pain from the aftermath of launching an arrow from a bow vastly inferior to the quality of her true bow. Small lacerations and burns marred her fingertips, and she staggered, dropping to the gravel ground next to the motel.
The other Kansen held her hand close to her face to shield her face from the flames coming out of the Siren like a bonfire.
The Siren struggled to turn back into floaty sand, but her body had hardened from the abuse of heat that turned it like dark glass.
"Looks like you're having a tough time turning into that sandstorm again." The shipgirl raised her sword and drove it into the hardened porcelain face of the Siren once again. The thrust cracked her face, and the rest of the body followed suit, creating more cracks like a domino effect. Bits of the Siren began falling until a bright red light shined from within its crumbling chest to reveal its floating Siren core. The red light that shimmered like a ruby jewel began to emanate a sizzling sound, signaling that it was on verge of self-destructing.
The pink-haired woman immediately retreated behind a boulder, the glowing red core exploding chaotically around her, and thanks to the boulder, only dust flew to her sides like water being split by the rock.
A giant crater about the same size as a car remained and the sky above changed back to a starry night's sky. The cold that came via the mirror desert was long gone and the Kansen thought she would never feel the joy to be reunited with this sticky hot climate.
She spotted Enterprise slowly helping herself up with the help of a parked car, and she sprinted over to the silver-haired woman. "Milady! Your hands!" She stood horrified to see the cuts and superficial burns on the fingertips of the carrier.
"It's all right. A necessary risk to eliminate that thing, and I'll be fine." She would be fine, but she would be lying if she said that it didn't hurt like hell.
As they basked in their glory and victory, the world around them vibrated like an earthquake, and distortions in the air like digital particles flashed briefly. The shaking of the world lasted a few seconds, enough to wake up anyone. Everything from the trailer truck's damage, the crater in the ground, and the other hints of environmental damage suddenly reappeared like a crudely cut edit in a movie where one second everything looked immaculate then the next, debris and chaos surrounded them.
As if everyone had been in a singular hive mind, the motel guests funneled out of their motel rooms to lay witness to the destruction outside.
Belfast was among the tourists, truckers, and bikers that poured out of their motel room and the look of fear and confusion was unrivaled. "Enterprise!" She yelled woefully.
Enterprise let out a sigh of relief and pure happiness. She couldn't ask for anything more than being able to see her girlfriend once again.
Belfast hugged her while still expressing the fear she had. It was a lot to take in from the earthquake that shook the waterbed she was on and from seeing Enterprise as if she had just been through a battle. Among the chaos of frantic people witnessing the destruction and not paying attention that two women were partly involved, Belfast buried her face in the crook of Enterprise's neck to hide her tears of relief.
"A battle happened, didn't it?" She said filled with sorrow and agitation that she wasn't there to help her lover.
The archer nodded, confirming her theory while rubbing gentle motions on the maid's back with her palm.
The other residents in the Haven's Outpost had no idea what had transpired, and most did the logical response to run to their cars to check if it sustained any damage. It was then that the door of the office opened and out came the motel front desk worker and another woman wearing glasses. This woman wore blue shorts and a yellow sleeveless top with a flowery hat resting on top of her head. Her singular focus was the pink-haired woman.
"Seydlitz!"
Belfast froze and turned rapidly upon hearing the overly panicked voice that was synonymous with her. "Edinburgh!?" She bewilderingly shot her eyebrows up at her older sister that had come from the motel office.
Enterprise had a eureka moment as her ally Kansen and her girlfriend's sister being here was no coincidence for the two Kansen crossing paths. The name Seydlitz rang throughout her mind and her violet eyes moved to the pink-haired woman who had past them and hugged the glasses-wearing royal.
"Milady..." She said with soft and loving tones, completely enamored by the royal she was hugging. It was worlds different than the way she had referred to Enterprise as that one sounded more formal and filled with general respect.
A flabbergasted expression was all that remained on Belfast who darted her head between them. "Edinburgh! Why are you here?! Who is she!? Enterprise, please explain in full detail!" She grabbed the hands of her girlfriend and could see that her fingers had been moderately singed.
Edinburgh detached herself from her girlfriend, noticing that she carried her sword with her. She angrily adjusted her glasses, silently grabbing Seydlitz's attention who meekly made it disappear—a smart move as that would draw attention. The maid then moved to address her younger sister. "Bel, we arrived not too long ago figuring this was the only stop for miles until reaching the city. As the older sister, I can't possibly enjoy our vacation while you're still tracking through this desert."
Belfast closed her mouth, stunned that her sister had responded so confidently without stumbling on her words. Her sisterly duty was also surprising to hear.
Edinburgh glanced at Seydlitz and began to freak out. "Darling! Your back is completely shredded up. Is this... glass?!" She despairingly stated while pulling a fragment of glass out of her clothing.
It was the pink-haired Kansen's turn to blush endearingly, an unexpected reaction from someone who acted seriously and had a no-nonsense mentality. "You should see the other girl that we fought," she smiled nervously to try and ease her girlfriend.
"My truck!" Yelled the beast of a man that had slapped Belfast. He stood on his knees in despair as he watched the front windshield completely shattered by something he could only imagine was a sledgehammer.
Enterprise closed her eyes in indifference while internally smirking. She wouldn't have any compunctions in smirking physically, but her ally had been the one to damage the truck with her body, and she couldn't find joy there. Their newfound respect for each other kept her from doing that.
Edinburgh, putting two and two together, made her girlfriend turn her back toward her so none but her could see the shredded clothing.
"We need to brace ourselves. The authorities will be coming soon after all this damage," distressingly said Belfast.
"It doesn't matter. The people here were protected by us, Naval HQ will compensate for the damages," factually stated Enterprise while trying to shake off the pain she was feeling in her fingers.
"Then we're going to tell the authorities what happened?" Said Seydlitz.
"Yes. That Siren doll was looking for Bel and me. She probably bided her time and thought she could split us up with a singularity for easy one-on-one fights, but she failed to notice that you were a Kansen too, just like me."
Belfast stared hard at the ground, both wanting to cry and get angry from the threat that had been waiting to strike this whole time.
"You make it sound rather artful, and deceptive, milady. The option to reveal my nature didn't seem relevant at all. I also didn't know you were a Kansen as well."
Enterprise flashed her a side smile. "Be as that may, Seydlitz. It wouldn't be right to leave this establishment fending on its own financially while we were the ones that brought this destruction to their doorsteps."
Belfast gazed at Enterprise with deep reverence. "Yes, I think that's the best course of action, too."
Within the hour, the LVPD had raced to the Haven's Outpost and began to question every single one of the guests. Their logical conclusion wasn't hard as Enterprise and Seydlitz were the only ones who had visible wounds meaning that they must have been closer to whatever disaster transpired.
They were both now sitting in the back end part of the back seat of a hospital truck with the doors opened. A female medic had given Enterprise some pain medicine while now in the process of bandaging Enterprise's fingers. A female detective next to the medic pulled out her notepad to begin her questioning.
"Okay, do both of you have any form of identification?" She said.
They both looked at each other hesitantly then both pulled out a leather wallet of sorts. Enterprise's was white while Seydlitz's was red.
The detective glanced at the wallets, already telling that they looked important by the way they appeared. Both had some type of government seal that she felt like she had seen before but for the life of her, couldn't jog her memory.
The white one had a shield with an eagle in front of it, and the other had a cross with a different style of eagle facing the opposite way of the first. Opening them up, her face dropped, and her eyes widened at the photo ID and name designation within the wallets. Even her posture stood straighter as if she was in the presence of her boss.
It had indeed come back to her, and she stared at the two with a look of respect and unease. "You're both shipgirls?!"
Enterprise nodded, wishing that didn't matter but at least she would be more inclined to believe their story. "Yeah, I hope you're a fast writer because we have a lot to say."
A few minutes later and the detective was done writing. "I see...a siren attack..." She didn't sound all too convinced or maybe she didn't want to believe it as the fear of the Sirens in the sea was already a burden on humanity.
"Yes, what we said is the truth, Detektivin," said the pink-haired shipgirl, causing Enterprise to give her a knowing look.
The detective closed her notepad with a worried face that she tried to hide. "That seems to be all the info we need. I'll make sure this goes up to the proper channels."
"Please see that this place gets aid from the disaster," urged Enterprise.
The medic also finished up her work on the archer's fingers and stepped away to receive a call from her radio at the front of the ambulance.
"We will... have a good night." The detective bid them farewell and she briskly made her way back to her officer buddies that were surveying the area where the flares did most of the damage.
Both were alone now, and Enterprise sighed while touching her bandaged fingertips together. She wanted to gauge how hard she could press them before they began to discomfort her but then realized that the pain medicine would nullify any info. She was not ready for tomorrow morning.
"I haven't gotten used to people's reactions," said Seydlitz in a stoic manner.
"Huh?" Questioned Enterprise once she stopped looking at her fingers.
"The look she had when she found out who we were, what we were. It visibly shook her, and she gave us that stare..."
"Stare?" Asked Enterprise again.
The pink-haired shipgirl nodded. "Like we're walking nukes, milady."
"Ah. Well, not all of them look at us like that. The commander doesn't and it does vary depending on the person. Trust me, you'll get used to it," she said with a friendly smile.
"I see," she said yet sounded unconvinced.
Enterprise laughed, seeing a lot of herself in the woman that she had the honor to fight with. "Seydlitz, am I saying that right? I never heard a shipgirl by that name. From what I know now I take it you're a new recruit?"
The pink-haired girl cracked a smile at what she heard to be a joke. "I'm no recruit. I was constructed by a wisdom cube like all the others."
"That's right. Of course, we try not to use the C word around here. Makes us feel like machines. My girlfriend Belfast drilled that into me," she joked casually.
The pink-haired woman laughed, showing a girly side to her as her smile widened. "Sisters think alike. Sorry, I have a habit of being critical about myself. Edinburgh has been trying to help me out on that front, even though it might be an uphill battle—shiza, I did it again." She blushed and took a deep breath to compose her frantic nature. She didn't mean to be critical, especially about her girlfriend's warm efforts to help her change mindsets.
Enterprise nodded all too knowingly as she could put herself in her shoes. She already had enough clues to pinpoint which faction she served under. "So... Iron Blood," stated Enterprise factually.
Seydlitz glanced at her and nodded respectfully. "What gave it away?"
"Your wallet ID, your name, and you swearing in your foreign tongue made it now obvious. Of course, I have a... buddy or I like to think she's a buddy, whose very sarcastic and says that swear word a lot, so I know that you're Iron Blood."
Seydlitz did not deny that claim. "I hope that doesn't change your opinion of me."
"Of course not. We fought together under our true enemy. I'm nervously concerned if you think of me any differently since I'm Eagle Union."
She smiled at the carrier. "None, milady. Or should I be saying, Enterprise?"
"Let's go with that one," Enterprise happily stressed.
It was at that moment that Edinburgh and Belfast had finally been released from their questioning by the police considering they were the significant others of the ones who were the person of interest.
"Sweetie, did they say if anything was broken?" Worriedly asked Edinburgh. She frantically inspected the damaged clothing, expecting to see bandages or wrapping around her torso.
Seydlitz blushed and held her firm with a loving smile. "No, milady—I mean Edin. Nothing that a good night's sleep won't fix."
From Enterprise's point of view, the Iron Blood had discarded the concerns for herself when the medic had briefly looked her over, and Seydlitz urged her to attend to Enterprise first. She best not share that with Belfast's sister, or it might feel as if she was throwing her new friend under the bus. She had already been thrown at a windshield that night.
Edinburgh adjusted her glasses and a smirk appeared on her face. "I'll make sure you get that much-needed sleep. Of course, we still need to talk about you bringing your sword after you promised that you wouldn't."
The pink-haired woman cowered upon the intense gaze from her girlfriend, and she expected this topic to resurface when they had briefly exchanged looks. "Deceptive wordplay, Edin. I said I wouldn't use my sword, which I now realize that I broke, but the dire situation called for it and... I don't regret it..." One stink-eyed look from the royal made her swallow. "... much." She finished, unsure of herself now.
Belfast also hugged her girlfriend, and her eyes grew strained upon seeing her fingers. "Would you be all right?"
"Yeah... the thing is. This happens when I fire my arrows with a bow that isn't my own. I'll be fine, Bel. Let's not end this trip before it even begins," pleaded Enterprise with a set of despondent eyes.
Belfast gazed into the pools of violet in her girlfriend's eyes, sighing in defeat, and smiling softly. "I can't say no to you either, Ent-Ent."
Edinburgh blushed, never imagining that her younger sister would be one to partake in a cutesy nickname such as that.
Knowing that the danger was over, Enterprise grabbed everyone's attention. "Edinburgh... I'm sure that this wasn't the way you wanted us to be introduced to Seydlitz, but would you tell us how you two got together?"
Belfast also couldn't resist the origin of their eventual relationship.
Seydlitz and Edinburgh connected their hands and the Iron Blood was the first to speak. "She was the one to open my eyes to a love that I thought nothing off. She found me when I was at my lowest and enraged with myself. I thought no one would ever care for me the way she did and in time, we grew closer. I am her soldier, and she is milady."
Belfast's sister blushed and comedically shook her violently for getting her all flustered and for still using that title on her.
They had more to discuss but they left that for the morning.
I had a bit of trouble trying to figure out when to end this story, so sorry if the ending is a bit hanging. Honestly, aside from personal shipping glasses that I donned for Edinburgh and Seydlitz, they are a couple that has no official chemistry within the game. They haven't even interacted together yet at the time of me making this.
When I played the event that had Seydlitz and the others introduced, two characters stood out for me— Little Eugen (Who is now over Lv. 100!) and Seydlitz. I tend to gravitate toward serious and badass characters like her. I like her personality that she sees herself as a soldier and is self-deprecating.
As a personal goal of mine, I wanted to pair her up with Edinburgh who is a nice contrast to her, and start laying the groundwork to have them interact with Belfast and Enterprise in future stories.
I've been meaning to do a double date of sorts with all four of them, and this story was going to be that, but the setting of them being in the desert strangely connected with me, along with Belfast and Enterprise being stranded in a motel. I had that idea way back when I made Perfect Chocolate for Two, and I'm happy I was able to get a story from that passing dialogue from Enterprise in that story.
As a final note, I'll be shifting more of my time to getting another story I'm working on done. I won't say that I won't be updating another chapter for Coffee Leaf for some time, but I will say that one-shots coming out after this one will probably be on the shorter side. I wish I could crank out these stories faster for all of you but my skill in typing, focus, general planning, and how much time I get to write come into play.
But that's just the woes of writing that I accept and haven't deterred me from continuing to write. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you in the next one!
