A Certain Lady Part 8
By Old Iron
USS Albacore was debating just how much worse fleeing the scene would make the situation.
The feasibility of escape was not an issue. Neither battleship would be able to hunt her down in any capacity and she was more than adept as surviving on her own. It kind of went hand in hand with being both part of the neglected branch of the Navy and the solo operations that went with submarine doctrine.
"You might have broken into the Admiral's home." Hiei parroted Albacore's admission of hypothetical criminal activity with no small amount of hardness to her voice. Was is just her, or were these Americans beginning to affect her more and more lately? She'd had to bring out the serious far more often than not as of late.
Albacore swallowed audibly.
"I'm waiting for an answer, sailor." Hiei's voice was beginning to dip into frosty. Even to the point where Arizona was giving her a sidelong glance. It was alright. She didn't really understand yet. But the admission meant the submarine hadn't been completely on the level with them. If at all.
"I-I needed supplies. I was completely dry." She set her jaw and made the decision to face the music. She had already completely blown whatever story might have been in the works to cover herself. One slip of the tongue had put her down the sights of two battleships. "There was a girl there... Ah, her name was Jane-"
Albacore very nearly froze when Hiei's guns twitched. Not just one either. Every single piece of weaponry attached to the fast battleship seemed to react to the name. From whatever peashooters that her crew might have held to the deadly naval rifles that gleamed in the wintry moonlight. The once dimmed spotlights were now focused solely on her once again with a blazing glare.
Even Arizona seemed to regard her with a judging eye.
"J-Jane. She caught me raiding the fridge and asked if I was looking for a snack. Then she offered to... bake a cake..." Only now, when she was actually recounting the incident to someone did Albacore realize just how absurd it sounded. "She even recognized me by my hull number and the fairies. I thought it would be alright until I found out she was close to some Jap cruisers. I-I almost panicked. So I asked if she had a head and made a break for it. I... might have also taken a pair of the Admiral's pants as well."
"You mean to tell me that you were scared off by a little girl because she was talking about some Japanese cruisers while baking you a cake in the middle of the night?" Hiei somehow managed to keep a perfectly straight face as she spoke. It became all the more difficult when Albacore looked like she was about to start shaking with a combination of fear and outrage.
"It's true! I woke up in a pool and there was this Sendai there and I didn't know where I was and there were all these moon-runes everywhere and I was starving-and-and-!" She wouldn't crack. She absolutely wouldn't. She was a Gato-Class submarine. One of the most lethal submarines armed with the most potent set of submarine tactics ever put to sea. She was used to being made fun of and working with even less than the bare minimum. This... This Japanese battleship wouldn't get to her. And especially not in front of USS Arizona!
"Lieutenant. I don't think now is the time for your brand of... amusement." Arizona cut in softly, but not so weary as she had sounded earlier. Despite the fact she was still trailing a slick of blood and oil from her back.
"Hmm... Probably too soon. Yeah. Definitely too soon." Hiei's frigid demeanor vanished almost as soon as it had appeared. She cracked a grin of genuine amusement at the thunderstruck look etched on the illuminated Albacore.
"W-What?" Albacore's voice held together despite her current mood.
"Lets get moving. I really don't want Ari bleeding out before I have a chance to let her have it for being reckless. Brave, but reckless." Hiei dimmed her lights as she began putting on speed. "And Albacore?"
"Yes, ma'am?" She began following alongside the two battleships, her mind awhirl with even more unknowns than before. First it looked like she was in trouble, then it looked like she was going to be shot on the spot, and then the Jap was cracking a grin at the prodding of an American martyr. And now they were going to head back to base without a care? What was going on?!
"Jane happens to be the Admiral's one and only child. If she was trying to make you feel at home and even bake you a cake, then you're alright. She's a good kid. If she really thought you were trouble, then she'd have told Jintsuu." And if Jintsuu had gotten involved, then Albacore might have found herself pinned to a wall until sunup. Possibly with some of that stern shaved off. Which also might have meant Arizona wouldn't have received her life-saving torpedo support. So it all worked out in the end. Hiei's expression turned to a pout as she realized something. "...I didn't get a cake when I showed up. Aaah... I'm really envious now!"
"I am certain she will be willing to bake you one. She is a... kind child." Jane seemed to follow Arizona around like a puppy during the short times they had chance to be in contact with one another. But everything she had been able to gather during those limited moments led her to believe the child was indeed a gentle soul. A cake did not seem too high an order.
"It's the principle of the thing. Mutsu and Jintsuu got cakes when they were assigned to the Admiral." Hiei would have crossed her arms in a playfully irritated manner were she not supporting Arizona at the moment. "And I know just how good a kid she is. She's got a strong spirit. And plenty of it, too."
"Are... things always like this?" Albacore managed to interrupt before Arizona could reply. This was simply too bizarre.
"More than likely..." Arizona replied somewhat flatly. "At the very least the members of Admiral Richardson's fleet do not shirk their duties despite their apparent flippancy."
Hiei merely laughed.
"I am going to take this one step at a time. This is way too weird to take in all at once. Even ignoring the fact I have a human body and am sailing next to two battleships who happen to be Hiei and Arizona." She'd need a nice, long sit down to really sort all this madness out. "...How angry will the Admiral be?"
"About the intrusion into his home or the fact you stole from him?" There was a frown on Arizona's bloodied lips. She understood why, but she didn't quite approve of having to resort to larceny in order to get by. Then again, she was a battleship and had never experienced the hardships inflicted upon submarines.
"Both, ma'am."
"He'll be angry. But he's almost always angry. So keep that in mind. But I don't think he'll be really angry." Hiei readjusted her grip on Arizona as Albacore drifted a little closer to them. "But I think he'll let you off the hook given the circumstances." She didn't bring up the fact that he would have no idea about Albacore's existence unless Jane specifically told him about the encounter. But considering he was probably sleeping in the CIC, if he was sleeping at all, it was far more likely he was still in the dark.
...She probably ought to report in and give him a SITREP.
"Isn't that still angry?" Albacore was not exactly feeling reassured at the moment. But she was fairly certain that wasn't truly the intent behind Hiei's words.
"Yup!"
Arizona sighed as she watched Hiei try and fail to stabilize the submarine. If she was a woman with a more lighthearted demeanor, she might have found it funny. Hole in her torso aside.
"Albacore, the more you worry the worse it will be regardless of the Admiral's mood. And Lieutenant, maybe we should report in." Perhaps Admiral Richardson would be able to at least convince Hiei to be quiet. Yes, the Lieutenant meant well and had proven to be a genuinely... interesting individual. But she was truly beginning to wear on her nerves at the moment. A small part of her wished that it had been the Lieutenant Commander here instead. If only for her remaining sanity.
"I was just thinking the same thing!" Hiei began fishing around for her phone, which thankfully hadn't been damaged in the fight. But it was still hard to reach with one hand.
Albacore remained mostly silent, opting to do what she could to calm her frayed mind in the meantime. It wasn't exactly easy. But she could try her best. She always did.
Eventually the sound of the waves was broken by the ringing of Hiei's phone.
"Lieutenant Hiei, tell me exactly what the hell took you so long." Richardson's voice came out sounding not unlike a growl over the speakerphone.
"Sorry, sir! Had a few unexpected developments." Hiei's joking demeanor vanished despite the grin tugging away at her lips. Albacore looked even more baffled than before and not more than a little nervous again.
"Unless these developments are critical to yours or anyone else's current mission, stow them until after you tell me your current status and the results of the battle."
"Understood. Arizona took major damage, to include a destroyed turret and a penetration to her boiler room. Her damage control is taking care of it and she's out of danger. However I'm helping her back to base and I want her in the docks for a full repair as of yesterday." She winced at the sharp hiss from the other side of the phone. She could easily imagine the flurry of emotions flying across Admiral Richardson's face. "I suffered only superficial damage to my superstructure. All Abyssals sunk, sir."
"And the port?"
"Almost a total loss sir. The decision was made to withdraw rather than remain on scene." Hiei glanced at Arizona, noting the grim expression on her face before continuing. "However it appears the Abyssals were attacking without any specific direction. So it could have been a lot worse."
"I'll give you that at least. Fuck..."
All three warships could clearly hear the exhaustion in his voice.
"Arizona, for nearly getting yourself killed, I'm tempted to tie you down and beat the stupid out of you." Albacore's eyes widened in horror while Arizona balked. "However because you didn't get yourself killed, I'm instead going to have Hiei lecture you at the docks about a little thing called self-preservation. You'll be there for a while, so she can take all the time she wants."
"I have a few choice words for her, sir." Hiei didn't need to look at the American battleship to see the glare on her face.
"Good."
"...Do you have any report from Yokosuka?"
"Yeah. Scratch a whole fuckton of Abyssal steel. We took a lot of damage, almost lost a destroyer, but we sent them off to the breakers with prejudice and change. Goto put together one hell of a strike force." There was a considerable note of relief in his voice. "And yes, Mutsu came out of it just fine. Couple scratches from what I've heard, but nothing more. Everyone's worried about Heermann though. But she's a Taffy. And if the Center Force couldn't sink her, then there's no way the Abyss will take her."
"That's some high praise from you." Hiei laughed as she recalled what she'd read of and been told about the Battle of Samar. "I'm glad Mutsu's safe. It'll be nice when she comes home. I'll make a big dinner. Enough for all seven of us!"
"...Seven?"
"Ah. Oops..."
Albacore blanched as Arizona reached out to take the phone from Hiei with a mostly functional arm.
"Admiral, this is Lieutenant Arizona. I have something to report." She took the silence and a prompt to continue. "I was almost sunk during the battle. However I was saved by the actions of USS Albacore, who engaged and ultimately sank an enemy battleship at immense risk to her own life."
"Arizona, are you telling me that USS Albacore is with you? SS-218? Gato-class and the one who fucking killed Taiho and Tenryuu? Am I interpreting that correctly, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, sir. I have no reason to doubt that, sir." She was not familiar with the exploits of the submarine looking at her with wide eyes. Not to any degree beyond the hazy mention of what might have been said by sailors near her grave. But at the same time, there was also no proof contrary to that point before her.
"Holy shit... We have another one..." There was a hint of something that almost sounded like happiness in his voice. Almost. It could have been a bit of static from a jumpy connection. But all three swore that the Admiral almost sounded happy at the news. "Can you put her on?"
"Yes, sir. She's right here."
Albacore stared at the device being held out so she could better speak into it for a moment before swallowing her nerves.
"Hello, Admiral. USS-Albacore, SS-218, reporting."
"Welcome to the fleet, Albacore. We're pleased to have you."
Albacore could have cried.
"Th-Thank you, sir."
—|—|—
"Ma'am, USS Arizona and USS Albacore, reporting as ordered." Arizona stood at attention before Admiral Richardson's desk, which was for once mostly free of debris and clutter. Next to her stood Albacore who was mirroring the stance quite well. Had they not been officially summoned, the battleship might have cracked a smile.
"At ease." Mutsu did not glance upward from her immediate task of writing in a large, thick book as both warships relaxed into a parade rest. The Admiral's XO idly ran a finger down a column with a hum as she mentally tallied the numbers she'd added in her tidy script to Richardson's scrawl. It wasn't often she had to take over for both the Admiral and for Jintsuu, but today was a rare case. It had been brought to the Admiral's attention that he'd been neglecting the light cruiser and had been commanded by all present to take the overworked Sendai-class out to a movie. Jane had been particularly vocal about righting this injustice.
A re-screening of the original Star Wars was playing, thus leading to the man having been bodily dragged from this very office by both Jintsuu and Jane. It had been quite funny to see and Hiei had still been laughing long after the duo had left. Adding to that the fact Richardson had nearly forgotten his wallet.
After a few more lines, she shut the book with a satisfied nod. Everything was in order.
"Sorry about that. You two got here a bit faster than I was expecting." She cast an appraising gaze upon the pair of Americans, neither of whom even blinked. "First off. I want to congratulate you on your performance so far. You've both done a fine job and I speak for the Admiral and the rest of the fleet when I say I expect you to continue. I don't think I need to tell you not to get cocky though. You're smart girls."
Arizona and Albacore both nodded and stood a little straighter than before.
"Secondly. I have to warn both of you that unless you take some time off to get some R&R, I will be forced to take... drastic measures." Mutsu's teasing smile threatened to break past the stern exterior she was projecting. Richardson had given her carte blanche to do what needed to be done, so she may as well have a little fun while doing so.
"Drastic measures, ma'am...?" Albacore seemed more than a little nervous at the ominous words. When a superior used those terms, it rarely turned out well. At least she just needed to take a little break to avoid it. Nothing big. And if taking a break to her was running some patrols on her own time or some maintenance, that was her own time wasn't it?
"Mhm~" Mutsu stood from her seat, revealing more of the well pressed and form fitting uniform she had adorned herself in. Arizona might have praised the Japanese dreadnought for wearing something decent for once had said dreadnought not apparently stolen it out of Admiral Richardson's laundry. The name plate pinned over the left breast clearly read Richardson and it was also plainly obvious that the shirt had not been tailored for someone so top-heavy. At least one button looked as though it would pop off and go flying across the room as if it were fired from a cannon. "And in accordance with General Orders as set by Admiral Richardson..."
Mutsu walked around the desk with her hands folded behind her back, giving off an air of easy calm as she came to stand directly in front of Albacore. She had to exert a massive amount of willpower to not hug the submarine who very nearly flinched as they locked eyes.
"Lieutenant Junior Grade Albacore, failure to obtain proper rest and relaxation within the next 24 hours will result in the absolute restriction of consumption of any baked goods prepared by Ensign Jane Richardson."
You could hear a pin drop as the color drained from Albacore's face.
"M-Ma'am... Is that. I-Yes, Lieutenant Comma-"
"Ma'am, I believe those measures are far too drastic." Arizona's voice was just short of a menacing growl, like that of an angry bear who wasn't quite ready to maul you for poking your nose into her den. "Albacore has been an invaluable asset and such a punishment is both cruel and unusual for this kind of preposterous offense!"
"Lieutenant?" Albacore appeared openly stunned at Arizona's blatant defense of her.
However before tensions could rise any further, Mutsu finally cracked and loosed a very unladylike snort of laughter. She was forced to turn and support herself on Richardson's desk else she fall to the ground with peals of laughter.
"This is no laughing matter!" Arizona's grey eyes flared in anger as she broke stance and stormed towards Mutsu.
"D-Do-" The Nagato-Class had to take a moment to recover herself, drawing in deep breaths and wiping her mirthful green eyes before continuing. Somehow not bursting the shirt she wore as she did so. She smiled mischievously. "Do you honestly think I would do that to her? Or go through with what I had planned for you?"
Arizona merely growled as the fury began to loosen its hold.
"It was a joke?" Albacore piped up cautiously. She hadn't been part of the fleet much longer than Arizona, but she wasn't so used to being included in all the ongoings. Despite everyone's efforts. Mutsu and Hiei's sense of humor was something she was still trying to adjust to.
"Of course~" Mutsu covered her smile with a gloved hand and leaned closer to Albacore. "My my... I didn't think I was so feared."
"No, ma'am. I'm still not used to your idea of a joke." She frowned before her vision was filled with paper. A single sheet of white printer paper, but paper nonetheless. Her frown remained as she grasped the sheet and read it.
"Oh, you'll learn in time." She stood fully upright as Albacore's expression turned to one of amazement and joy.
"A day pass?" Such a treat was being given to her? Given!
"Signed and approved by Admiral Richardson himself. Good for a full 24 hours and repealed only in the event of an emergency." With a flick of her wrist, Mutsu procured a second sheet seemingly out of thin air and offered it to Arizona. "Of course, one for you as well. Unless you'd rather suffer the penalty game~"
"Do I even want to fathom what you had planned for me?" Arizona took the offered gift with a gloved hand of her own and read it over thoroughly.
"Fufu..." Mutsu raised a finger and spoke in a mocking imitation of their Admiral's rough, irate baritone. "Arizona, failure in an equal timeframe will result in the confiscation of 'Mo' and all escort vessels of similar displacement. These restrictions will remain in effect until the situation has been remedied."
"Wh-You!" Arizona had turned a shade of red nearly matching that of her hair. It was no secret that barring intervention by Jane, she was unable to sleep without the aid of myriad stuffed escort vessels. The flagship of which being a plush USS Missouri she had been gifted at Christmas. While she loathed sleep, such things made it far more palatable. It certainly helped that the stuffed battleship was adorable and very squishy. She narrowed flinty eyes. "You shall not take them from me. And you are beginning to take on the worse traits of Admiral Richardson if I may speak frankly."
Mutsu merely laughed merrily.
"Lieutenant, maybe we should just go? Some time off shouldn't hurt and there's still a lot we haven't seen of the modern world." Albacore tugged lightly on Arizona's sleeve to draw her away from Mutsu. "Besides, it's not like we won't be able to sortie at the drop of a hat now." Deploying as a shipgirl was faster than deploying as a ship by orders of magnitude. Combat-wise, it was probably one of the things she liked most about her new form.
That and her hips. She was damn proud of her hips. Both in and out of battle. And not a soul would be able to convince her otherwise.
"Oh, go have fun you two. Paint the town red." Mutsu began ushering the two out the door-more Arizona than Albacore-with a sense of humored urgency. "There's plenty to see off base. And I recommend taking the bus. You'll see a lot more~"
Which was certainly true. But Mutsu far preferred the possibility of driving out to pick up a pair of warships who had gotten on the wrong bus than that of either American trying their hand behind the wheel and causing an accident. Neither had gotten the lay of the land or proper time driving. So she felt her suggestion both justifiable and a better experience overall.
"I-oh very well." Unable to withstand the insistence from two fronts, Arizona gave in and began making towards the door under her own power. It wasn't like she was completely against the idea of some time off. Duty demanded she remain vigilant. But one could only maintain such a stance for so long before weariness became a critical weakness.
"Fufu. If you hurry, the next bus is stopping by the civilian entrance in half an hour." Mutsu was glad Arizona had given in as easily as she had. Part of her was worried she'd have to strong arm the battleship into taking time off.
"Then let's get going." Albacore turned her focus to Arizona and nodded. "I'll go get ready and meet you there, Lieutenant." Without another word, she all but vanished from view. So she was a little excited. Who wouldn't be?
"My my~ Someone's in a hurry."
Arizona simply pinched the bridge of her nose.
—|—|—
"This is... quite pleasant." Arizona swept her gaze over the multitudes of people going about their business from her seat outside a coffee shop, idly noting a few people taking their own glances back in her direction. She took a long draw of her not-quite-military-grade coffee as she allowed herself to relax.
"Mhm. Good weather. Good food. Good company." Albacore stretched, feeling a few lengths of her keel snap back into place with a satisfying series of pops. She rested her chin on the palms of her hands and glanced at the redhead seated across from her. "I was a bit surprised you had something like that though, Lieutenant."
"This?" The battleship blinked as she turned her attention back to Albacore. She looked down at her attire with momentary confusion. It was of simple design. A relatively plain haze grey turtleneck with a calf-length, navy blue skirt. The trim of the skirt bore the only real embellishment of her attire with a running trail of pale grey geometric patterns. Of course she still wore her red and gold handkerchief. Only this time opting to use it as a means of tying up her shoulder-length copper hair. A pair of tan gloves, white flats, and tasteful stockings completed the ensemble.
"Don't take it the wrong way, but I thought you would have had nothing but, well... uniforms to wear." She figured she was entering dangerous territory, but she thought it would be a shame if someone like Arizona didn't show off a little. Practical only went so far. At least in her eyes it did. At the very least it seemed that the old-fashioned battleship had good taste in clothing, if a bit too reserved and... dull for her tastes.
"Hmph. I did at one point." Arizona set down her drink and crossed her arms under her generous bosom. "I had planned on purchasing some casual wear. But I kept putting it off. It reached a point where the Lieutenant Commander pointed out that if I were to wear nothing but my uniform, I would make people uneasy. This is a recent acquisition."
Albacore giggled and Arizona frowned.
"You do have some feminine charm then." Albacore pointed at Arizona in an almost teasing manner. Almost. She wasn't Mutsu, but she was very good at finding and exploiting cracks and chinks in armor. It came with having to make the most out of nothing or worse than nothing in bad situations.
"I have plenty of charm, thank you." Arizona's defensive retort came with an indignant huff. "Simply little to none suited for this... era." She nearly sent a withering glare at the garments Albacore had chosen, but decided against it. They were having a fun enough time as it was. And the light pink blouse with denim vest Albacore had chosen was rather cute. But those pants were just too indecent for her sensibilities. Those low-riding, hip-hugging pants which had originated from Admiral Richardson's stock of standard issue NWU's... The submarine rarely seemed to wear any sort of legging that wasn't in some way pilfered from the Admiral's dresser and then worn in a manner not originally intended. Either by outright modification or the near constant rolling down of the waistline.
If only she could convince the girl to wear proper undergarments and not her swimsuit instead, she might be able to make a measure of progress...
"Oh, I don't think so." Maybe if she could convince Arizona that there were options available, they could spend some time shopping and not just milling about. Maybe a movie even! That'd be fun. Though it'd be really embarrassing to run into the Admiral with Jintsuu and Jane on their time off. "Maybe you just haven't run into the right people? We haven't been around for very long after all."
"I suppose... But it still find it highly affronting when I see so many people baring so much skin and flaunting what ought to be reserved. I believe people should carry themselves with the dignity of their station." Arizona nodded before taking another sip of her still piping hot drink. "Particularly those of rank."
"I see..." Albacore would have winced at the jab, unintentional or not, but she was slowly getting used to the more eccentric sides of her fellow ship spirits. Arizona's just so happened to be a bit more noticeable than the others' from what she'd seen. And it wouldn't do her much good to point it out. The battleship was, in some ways, like an old battle-axe set in her ways. An attractive battle-axe. But still very much a battle-axe.
"The Lieutenant Commander in particular I wish would do something about her state of dress. That skirt is utterly scandalous." Arizona would even hesitate to call it a skirt. She had seen intimates on display at some of the stores they had passed which were more decent.
"It's not too bad. And she really knows how to dress nicely when she wants to. I mean, it could be a lot worse." Albacore gestured to a young woman across the street. "She could dress like that if she wanted."
The young woman in question was dressed in a way even Albacore thought was too much. She was practically spilling out of her clothes, which seemed to be intentionally arrange in such a way to draw in the eye and tease just enough without bursting and revealing everything. It was almost embarrassing. What's more, she could tell that was exactly the intention of the wearer. Draw in as much attention as possible without actually revealing too much of anything. The flirtatious and positively lewd demeanor only added to the effect.
It was one thing to dress in a provocative manner. Even she might try for something rather risque if she found a good reason for it. But that was... yeah.
"That's-! Has she no self-respect?" Arizona's reply was more akin to a snarl as her grey eyes all but popped from their sockets in outraged shock. The prudish rage boiling in her voice nearly hit critical mass when she noted how the 'fabric' covering the hull was one wrong twitch away from a criminal offense.
One moment.
Back up just a second.
Hull.
"...Lieutenant. Is that?" Albacore had to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But she was pretty sure that at the same time she was seeing a scantily dressed and ludicrously stacked young woman with long blue hair, she was also seeing an utterly massive Japanese submarine with a very distinct number painted on it.
"That. Is a submarine. No, you are not seeing things." The battleship drained the remainder of her drink and set the cup down on the table with some force. Enough to rattle everything else sitting upon it.
"Um, Lieutenant?" She had heard of Arizona's infamous 'prude rage', but had never been subject or witness to it. Usually by some miracle of timing and said battleship giving her a little more leeway than the rest of the fleet. It probably had to do with her rank. Probably. But considering the towering fury exuding from the woman, it looked as though she would finally have her chance.
Arizona stormed across the street, somehow avoiding any and all traffic along the way, and all but shoved the leering men and women out of her way.
Japanese Type-B1 submarine I-19, known more commonly by the name Iku, had been having a grand time. Her first day off from a long and lonely reconnaissance mission and she was positively swimming in the attention of the crowds. Men and woman, young and old, simply couldn't help but catch an eyeful or try to snap a discreet picture with their phones. Sure, they weren't those drop-dead sexy cruisers or battleships, but right now she was just happy to have some attention.
Then her fun came to an end.
"Wha-!" A squeak of surprise and terror escaped her painted lips as she found herself hoisted up by the collar of what passed for a shirt by very, very legal definitions.
"I-19... Just what do you think you are wearing?"
Iku all but froze in place as she was forced to look into a pair of furious gold flecked grey eyes. But still she managed something of a flirtatious smile in the face of the angry super-dreadnought.
"Ufu... Just some hunting wear~?" Had she not been suspended in midair, she might have rolled a shoulder seductively. When it came to teasing, battleships were her favorite prey. Not quite as difficult as a cruiser but the reactions were so much more entertaining. Especially the more straight-laced ones. "Interested~? Your friend can join in too. It's not a fleet if it's just the two of us~"
Albacore felt a chill go down her spine as finally joined Arizona.
"Hunting wear." Arizona's cheeks flushed ever so slightly at the implication, but retained her angry visage. She raised her free hand until it was horizontally level with the top of her head. "I have had it up to here. Between the Lieutenant Commander parading about in the Admiral's clothes and the fetish-wear I see most of you wearing. No. Absolutely not. No more."
"Ah... What?" Iku's expression had taken on one of genuine befuddlement. That wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. And she'd seen plenty of reactions to her seductive play. She cast her confused gaze to Albacore, who only shrugged in equal bafflement.
"Come hell or high water I will see you wear something decent by the day's end. I refuse to allow a proud member of the Japanese Navy to sit around like a trollop to be ogled!" She brought the increasingly nervous and confused submarine close enough that there were mere inches separating their face. "I am taking you shopping."
"Bu-!" Iku wasn't exactly enthused about being abducted under the pretense of obtaining a new, and theoretically more decent, wardrobe. But from the sound of it, she wasn't going to be given a choice. She didn't want new clothes! She wanted to wear these. They made sure people paid attention to her!
"Lieutenant Junior Grade Albacore, your presence would be most appreciated." Arizona did not wait for a confirmation before tossing the Japanese submarine over her shoulder and storming off.
Iku simply looked at Albacore helplessly as she made a rather good impression of a sack of potatoes. Albeit a very attractive sack of potatoes, but potatoes nonetheless.
"She's... very old-fashioned?" Albacore offered a rather lame explanation to Iku as she fell in behind Arizona. It wasn't much of an explanation, she realized. Hiei had been laid down earlier than Arizona had and was far more in touch with the modern world than the American battlewagon. But Hiei was also a Kongou-Class. And all of them were...eccentric.
"I'm being abducted. Stolen away. Sub-napped!" So much for her day off. And there had been a deliciously large number of attractive officers today! "Old-fashioned isn't an excuse! Put me down!"
Albacore waved helplessly to the gawking onlookers as they walked off. However there was a part of her that noted Iku didn't really seem to be putting up much of a fight despite her vocal protesting. Maybe she was actually enjoying this? Having fun even?
"Heeeelp~!"
...She was definitely having fun.