Chapter 11
"I have a question for you Zee."
"For the last time, it's Z23!"
"If this base isn't meant for tourists, why are there shops like this around?"
The group had arrived at the day's destination; the "Beach Shopping District" as the Iron Blood destroyer had called it.
According to his destroyer escorts, this was the largest span of recreational beachfront space on the island with bonfire pits and even a few volleyball courts set up in the sand. However, calling it a district would have been generous even by the most naïve individual. It was more like a row of small storefronts just up the road from the beach itself.
"These were just recently established." Ayanami explained up as she led the group. "As of late, we've been expanding the number of stores and locations around the base where we can shop and purchase supplies."
Kooper poked his head inside what looked like a book store, garnering the attention of a couple girls browsing the shelves. He gave a polite wave, making a show of giving the shelves a quick glance before moving on. Having a bookstore right by the beach seemed a bit out of place.
Didn't the girls simply bring their own reading material? Or was this where the shopkeepers had decided was the best real estate?
"I've been meaning to ask, why are there shops when you can just get deliveries to the port? And why are there food stands when you can just use the cafeterias?"
Z23 huffed and pinched his ear. "This coming from the guy who says he doesn't view us as machines of war."
"I don't!" Kooper protested, and reached out, grabbing her cheek in return. Z23 growled and pinched him harder. "I'm just saying, it feels like extra steps being added to a simple process."
"And maybe the want to be normal and go shopping is a simple idea, hm?"
Kooper bared his teeth at her, trying to ignore the burning in his ear.
"Okay, okay! Point taken!
"Good!" Z23 winced as she tried to put on a victorious smile, but Kooper tugged harder on her cheek. "Will you let go already?"
"I will when you will."
"Ladies first."
"Age before beauty, sister."
"What in the world are you two doing?" A familiar Royal Navy accent demanded. "You're causing a scene!"
Z23 and Kooper turned to see Javelin striding towards them, a cross expression on her face.
"I think it's a little late for that." Ayanami spoke up.
The pinching match halted leaving Kooper and Z23 to rub their ear and cheek, respectively.
"Honestly, what am I going to do with you two?" Javelin continued, thrusting her fists to her hips, and leaning towards them like a mother scolding her children.
"She started it." Kooper teased, pointing an accusatory finger at Z23.
"What? I did no such thing!"
"Nimi, calm down." Ayanami said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I think he's just joking."
"Or am I?" Kooper snickered, flashing her a wink.
Ayanami gave a small smile but kept her hand on Z23's shoulder, just in case.
Z23 continued to grumble as she glared at him.
Kooper could not restrain his grin.
Is this what having a younger sister is like?
He was still grinning when he looked back to Javelin who appeared less flustered now that Ayanami was siding with her.
"Glad you could make it Jav. What kept you?"
Javelin blinked before her eyes went wide and a silly grin spread across her lips. She let out an excited squeal as her hands shot to her face. "Aww! Kooper gave me a nickname! I love it!"
She continued to make excited noises while Z23 and Kooper exchanged confused looks.
"Is she okay?" He asked.
Z23 only sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I think you may have inadvertently put a spell on her with your… charms."
"Huh…" Kooper glanced between the two destroyers. "I wonder why it didn't work on you."
Z23 blushed and scowled. "Because not all of us are so easily swayed by pretty words!"
Kooper snickered. "So, my words are pretty to you?"
Z23 let out a screech and was about to lunge for him when Ayanami grabbed her in a strangle hold, preventing her from likely throttling him.
"Please stop egging her on. I know it's fun, but I'm the one who has to settle her down later."
"Alright, alright." Kooper sighed, raising his hands in defense. He leaned over until he was nearly eye to eye with Z23. The Iron Blood stopped thrashing and stared at him with suspicion.
"What are you doing now?"
"Thanks, Nimi."
"W-what?" Z23 squeaked and flinched when he raised a hand to her. She shut her eyes as he placed his hand on her head and began patting her gently. She blinked at him, too stunned for words and Kooper's smile spread.
"I do appreciate you taking the time to show me around today. Especially when you could be doing other fun things."
Z23 sputtered incoherently and seemed to go slightly limp in Ayanami's grip. The imperial destroyer released her and Z23 trembled in place as though it took all of her will to stand straight as Kooper continued giving her head pats.
"I-it's not that… I just… Your regular escort was unavailable and I felt it would be…" She ground her teeth and clenched her fists as she struggled to find the words.
"Still." Kooper said gently. "Thanks."
Z23 continued to blush but sighed after a moment and resigned herself to giving him a sharp nod.
"Hey, no fair!" Javelin whined. "I'm here too you know!"
Kooper smirked. "Why Javelin, I never ttook you for the jealous type."
He was having too much fun with this.
Javelin's face gave a cute scrunch. "I am not!" She protested.
"Oh really?" Kooper snickered. "Prove it!"
"I will! In fact, I'll start by answering your question." She shifted and thrust a hand behind her as if gesturing towards someone or something. "I have another friend who wanted to meet you."
But no one was there.
When Kooper's only response was an arched brow, Javelin blinked in confusion before turning around. "Wh-what? Where did…"
She frantically began to scan the road before her attention settled on one of the palm trees a few dozen yards away. A girl of similar stature was peeking out to watch them from behind the trunk. As soon as her lavender eyes landed on Kooper, she darted back into cover.
"Oh no…" Javelin shook her head and jogged over to the girl's hiding spot.
"Who's that?" Kooper whispered once he was sure Javelin was out of earshot.
"You'll see." Z23 replied.
It was a couple minutes before Javelin was able to coax the girl from her hiding spot, allowing Kooper to get a good look at her as they approached. She wore a simple white dress which fluttered gracefully with each hesitant step. Her lavender hair matched the eyes that stared at him with a mix of awe and fear. As she and Javelin drew closer, the new girl tightened her grip around a toy unicorn in her arms.
Awwww.
"Kooper, this is our friend Unicorn." Javelin announced.
Kooper cocked his head as he eyed Unicorn. "Another destroyer I'm guessing?"
Unicorn gave a soft whimper.
"Actually," Javelin corrected. "She's a light carrier."
"Oh," Kooper blinked and scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I didn't realize a carrier could be so adorable."
He was promptly smacked in the arm by Z23.
"Don't start! You're going to scare her off!"
"Was just trying to break the ice, mom!" Kooper rubbed at the sore spot with indignance, but held his hand out. "Nice to meet you, Unicorn."
Unicorn made another noise and buried her face into her plushie.
Kooper swallowed and looked to Javelin for help.
"D-don't take it personal." Javelin stammered. "She may have been excited to meet you, but Unicorn can be very shy around new people."
"I… I'm sorry." Unicorn practically whispered in a voice that threatened to make Kooper's heart explode. "I-it's nice to meet you."
Kooper put on his warmest smile. "It's nice to meet you too."
Silence settled between them.
The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow as Unicorn seemed unable to look at him. Kooper bit his lip as he considered what to do or say next. Being one of the youngest of the relief organization team, he had been called upon a number of times to handle small children in disaster areas. All too often they were scared in more ways than one, and hesitant to interact with others. After several failed attempts, he had learned from a former school teacher that it was best to find common ground with the child. But it had taken him years to get good at that.
As he studied Unicorn he found himself relying on said skillset, and squat down to look up at her. It was a move that gave the other person a sense that he was not a threat and they were in control of the situation.
"Is that a friend of yours?" He asked gesturing towards the plushie.
Unicorn blinked before looking down at her companion and nodded.
Kooper smiled. "He looks very nice."
"She…"
"Say what?"
Unicorn clutched the toy tighter to her chest and averted her eyes. "U-chan is a girl."
Now it was Kooper's turn to blink. It took him a moment to recall some of the things he had learned about speaking to little kids during his time in the relief service.
"Let them be the smart ones. Sometimes they just know better."
"Sorry. She looks nice."
Unicorn gave a happy little hum and took half a step closer.
Glad to see he was making progress, Kooper continued. "Where did you get her?"
Unicorn glanced at Javelin who gave a reassuring nod. Unicorn smiled before returning her attention on him. "I was born with her."
"Really?" Kooper tried to balance his tone between talking to a shy little girl and curious disbelief. "I didn't know that was a thing. But that's really cool to hear."
Unicorn's cheeks flushed. "U-Chan was the first friend I had before I met Illustrious."
"Is that so?" He looked sheepishly to Javelin before turning back to Unicorn. "Is Illustrious… your sister?"
"Hm!" Unicorn nodded affirmatively. "I want to grow up big and strong like her one day."
Kooper felt his heart melt just a little bit. "I take it U-Chan goes everywhere with you, huh?"
Unicorn gave another nod but the smile from before diminished a little. "Well, except when she wants to run off. But Javelin and my other friends always help find her."
"True." Z23 sighed. "But it's no walk in the park."
Kooper gave a small chuckle. Perhaps "running off" was Unicorn talk for misplacing the stuffed animal. "Well, it's good to have lots of friends for when you really need them." He gave Unicorn a knowing grin. "Right?"
Unicorn giggled into her plushie and in that moment, Kooper felt as though he could die happy right then and there.
"You know, Unicorn," Javelin hooked her arm around his and gave it a firm, almost painful squeeze. "Despite what you've heard about him being a massive flirt, Kooper's actually a pretty nice guy."
"Hey!"
"He's already our first civilian friend." Ayanami added, unabashedly taking hold of his other arm. "He could be yours too if you want."
"Will you two get off of him?" Z23 snapped, her cheeks flushed with irritation.
"And don't force the poor girl." Kooper chastised. "You make it sound like I'm holding her at gunpoint."
Z23 huffed at that. "A lot of good that will do you." She leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Mine are bigger than yours."
Kooper was about to make a crude retort when Unicorn spoke up.
"U-um… I would like that…"
When Kooper looked back at her, she squeaked and shied away behind Javelin.
"I-if you're okay with being friends…"
Kooper felt something melt inside his chest as the urge to head-pat this precious creature became overwhelming.
"I'm sorry, but you have got to be the cutest carrier in the world."
Unicorn's face turned bright red and she buried her face into her plushie's mane and Kooper thought he detected steam rising from her ears.
"Th-thank you…" Came the muted response.
Kooper's smile only continued to grow. "You're welcome." He paused to scratch his cheek awkwardly. "I hope we can be friends in the time I'm here?"
It was admittedly a bit pathetic of him. Here he was, a legal adult and worrying about befriending a small shy girl who could likely obliterate him on the spot, despite knowing full well he would likely never see her again after…
His thoughts were interrupted when Unicorn lifted her eyes to meet his. The two held the stare for a moment, before she extended her hand to him, much in the same way Elizabeth had done on their first meeting.
Kooper extended his own, almost scared to touch the girl as though she were made of glass. Every instinct told him to protect her, like an older brother protects their little sister.
What the hell. I'll enjoy it while I can.
Just as his fingertips made contact with hers, he caught a shift of movement and paused. His eyes trained on the plush, still clutched to her chest.
She may have just shifted her posture, but he could have sworn he saw it move.
Kooper squinted at the thing.
It looked like any normal stuffed animal. Well… Normal if you considered that there were no visible stitches on the thing, and the fabric looked so lifelike.
And then the plush blinked.
Kooper had barely gotten a "What the" out of his mouth when the plushie began to thrash about in Unicorn's grip. Both she and Javelin yelped in surprise as the plushie leapt from Unicorn's grasp and straight for his face, horn brandished like a spear. He was pushed to the ground by Ayanami as the plush alicorn shot past them, landing several yards away before turning, head lowered and pawing at the ground.
"U-Chan!" Unicorn's cry of distress was like a blow to Kooper's heart, leaving a crushing ache in his chest.
U-Chan stopped pawing the ground as Unicorn ran towards her, side stepping when the girl reached down to pick her up.
"What's going on?" Javelin asked, concern laced in her voice. "What's wrong with U-Chan?"
"I don't know!" Unicorn protested, moving to step in front of the alicorn as it tried to get around her.
Kooper swallowed hard as the plushie's jewel-like eyes seemed to lock onto him like a target. "Is it 'cause I called her a he? If so, I'm sorry."
The sound of his voice only aggravated U-Chan as she lowered her head and prepared another charge.
"Unicorn!" Z23 snapped. "Call her off!"
"U-Chan, that's enough!" Unicorn shouted, stomping her foot and stopping the plush in its tracks. The alicorn halted and looked up at her as though noticing her for the first time. Either that, it was confused as to why she was stopping her.
"What has gotten into you?" Unicorn's voice cracked and Kooper felt a knife twist in his heart.
Had he done something wrong? He could not understand what was wrong with the manjuu, and now a little girl's stuffed animal.
A sentient stuffed animal.
U-Chan, calmed for the moment, strode up to Unicorn and bumped her leg with her head. But when Unicorn stooped to pick her up, the plush hopped back out of reach.
"U-chan?" Unicorn sounded on the verge of tears.
The stuffed companion flared its tiny wings. Had it been capable of facial expressions, Kooper imagined the look it directed toward him would have been enough to incinerate him on the spot. A chill ran down his spine as it stared at him for a heartbeat longer, before taking off at a mad gallop down the road.
"U-chan!" Unicorn cried out.
Javelin, who had released Kooper's arm at the outset of the confrontation, was immediately at Unicorn's side. "Unicorn, let's go after her."
Unicorn's shoulder's slumped as her friend took hold of her by the shoulders. "What's wrong with U-Chan? I don't understand. Why did she act that way?"
Javelin didn't have an answer for her, and it was a minute before she was able to find her voice.
"We won't find out standing around here." She took Unicorn's hand. "Come on! We have to go after her!"
"R-right…" Unicorn sniffled and looked back at Kooper who was still staring dumbfoundedly up at her from his spot on the ground. "I'm really sorry." She choked back a sob and Javelin raised a hand to brush away the tears already forming.
"No, I'm sorry Uni." Kooper shook his head, trying to ignore the guilt rising in his chest. He must have offended the plush somehow. Sure, it was unintentional, but that didn't matter when someone didn't understand the situation. "Go get her and tell her I'm sorry." He coaxed, shooing the two Royal Navy girls. "The sooner we get this straightened out, the better off we'll all be." He put on his best award-winning smile for her, but it probably did not read as well as he hoped.
Unicorn looked ready to reply before an anxious tug from Javelin drew her attention away.
"Come on. Let's go before she gets too far ahead of us."
"R-right." Unicorn nodded, allowing the destroyer to pull her along as she took off at a run.
"Sorry about this Kooper!" Javelin called back. "We'll make it up to you, I promise!"
"Wait for us!" Ayanami called, getting off Kooper and following suit.
Kooper blinked and watched her go before looking to Z23 who looked more than a little troubled as she stared down at him. He was about to ask her what her deal was when she let out a sigh, effectively cutting his words off before they could leave his mouth.
"I think you should wait for until we get things situated. This could take some time for us to handle."
"You think so?" Kooper glanced from her to the rapidly retreating Ayanami, Javelin, and Unicorn.
"Ja, I know so." Z23 stated, taking a couple paces away from him. "If there's a genuine problem, then it would be best not to make it worse until we get to the bottom of this."
Kooper's heart sank a little. "I guess I can't…. Shouldn't argue with that."
Z23's expression softened. "I'm sure it's just something trivial. You're not a bad person Kooper. Even I can see that." He looked up at her and she gave him a mischievous grin. "You're sometimes a… I believe you say Butt in the Eagle Union?"
Kooper snorted and rolled his eyes. "Fair enough Zee." His nickname for her made her eye twitch but she held her stare until he waved her on. "Good luck."
Z23 gave one last nod before taking off after her friends, waving to him as she went.
Kooper sighed and crossed his legs as he watched them vanish around a bend in the road towards town.
What in the hell was that?
"Hey, are you okay?"
Kooper looked up to find…
He blinked several times as he stared at the girl looking down at him. It wasn't her mint-green hair, or yellow-gold eyes that seemed to be appraising him as though he were a new car on the market.
It was the pair of feline ears protruding from the top of her head that had his attention.
"Uhh…"
The girl blinked and her ears flicked; a cheshire grin spreading across her lips. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
"I… um…" He found himself unable to find the words as he swiveled around to stare at her. In that moment he wished Warspite was around. He knew she kept her hair styled to look like adorable dog ears, but this girl's were on a whole other level.
"Are those real?"
The words came out before he could even think to stop them.
The girl blinked curiously before her eyes lifted in the direction of his stare. "Of course. Why wouldn't they be? And why are you sitting on the ground?"
It was an effort for Kooper to pull his eyes away from her ears. "Didn't you hear the raucous a minute ago?"
The girl gave him a flat stare. "I did but I was in the middle of making a sale. What happened?"
Kooper looked back down the road to where his escort had vanished and shook his head. "I couldn't begin to tell you…" He paused and looked back at the girl. "I didn't catch your name."
She smirked. "I didn't give it. But I can appreciate a curious cat. I'm Akashi. I own this storefront and run most of the logistics here at Azur Lane."
'Akashi' gave an exaggerated sweep of her sleeves which were far too long for her tiny stature and gestured towards the storefront Kooper found himself in front of. It wasn't particularly flashy, not by his standards, but supposedly it was enough to excite the girl.
He must have been staring a bit too long because Akashi swat him with a sleeve. "You don't look convinced." She accused.
Kooper arched a brow. "Convinced of wh- Wait, what are you-"
"Oh, don't just stand there, come on in!" Akashi began pushing him hurriedly towards the storefront. "Look around! Be impressed with my wares. Maybe you can even buy yourself a souvenir… Or two."
"Okay, okay, stop pushing. I'll look." Kooper protested. She was surprisingly strong despite her tiny frame.
Akashi stopped and spun around in front of him. "Come on then, what do you need? Mugs? Models? Notebooks? Left-handed sketchbooks? You name it, Akashi will get it!"
"Uh, right." Kooper gave a nervous chuckle and tried to take an interest in the content around the shop. However, the little kansen continued circling him like a shark and eyeing him hungrily.
"Can I help you 'Kashi?" He finally asked.
Akashi made a noise reminiscent of a purr as she rubbed her chin. "You're a tall one."
Kooper arched a brow and took a step back from her. "Um…"
Akashi ignored the gesture. "You don't look particularly strong, but you could definitely reach high places. Hmmmm…"
"Are you going somewhere with this?"
Akashi's eyes met his again. "How are you with social interactions?"
"If I'm being honest, I'm starting to question myself."
His words fell on deaf feline ears.
"Look, I'll cut to the point. I want to offer you the opportunity to work in my shop."
Kooper recoiled. "Wait, what?"
Akashi nodded as though confirming with some inner voice. "Yup. I think it would be a great idea to have you work here for a little while."
Kooper arched a brow and gave a nervous glance around the empty shop. "What makes you think that's a good idea? No offense, but why would I want to work here?"
As if a switch had been flipped, Akashi's ears flattened and her eyes glossed over with tears. "Y-you don't want to?"
Kooper's jaw clenched as his heart leapt into his throat. "Uh… I… wasn't…"
Akashi's posture continued to wilt. "I just wanted to help. Get you out of your hospital room. Maybe give you a chance to meet more of the girls around port. Everyone's been wanting to meet you, so why not give them a central place to do it?" She sniffled and wiped her nose with a sleeve. "Is that so wrong?"
"Okay, okay, okay." Kooper conceded. "I'll help. Just, please don't cry."
The switch flipped again, and Akashi brightened. "Nya!" She squealed and threw her arms around his waist. "Thank you! You're going to attract so much busine- I mean, attention and it will be-"
"Akashi, what are you up to now?"
Akashi stiffened and her ears stood on end.
Kooper turned to see another girl, dressed in black oriental robes with crimson flames that matched her eyes. This one had bunny ears and for a moment, he was tempted to ask about them as well but saw that they appeared to be fabricated; like they were attached to a headband.
"Uh… nothing at all Shiranui." Akashi stammered. "I just happened to see this human sitting around outside and thought I'd invite him in to look around."
Kooper glanced down at her. But she either didn't notice or her attention was so focused on this Shiranui girl that she had completely forgotten about him.
Shiranui tilted her head and peered at Kooper. "Huh… Never thought I'd see one of you at Azur Lane base."
Kooper cracked a smirk. "I've been getting that a lot lately."
Shiranui hummed and acknowledgment before turning back to Akashi who was shaking nervously.
"Y-you see… I heard that the human was out and about and that it was nearly impossible to get close to him unless you were his escort. So, I thought, NYA-!"
Akashi let out a cat-like shriek as Shiranui's hand shot out and grabbed her by one of her ears. "Let's have a word, shall we?"
"Ow ow ow! What for?" Akashi whimpered and flailed wildly as she was pulled towards a door at the back of the shop.
"About your methods of exploitation. I don't care whether it's the Sakura Empire or Azur Lane, coercing others into free labor is not good business practice." At the threshold to the back room, Shiranui paused and turned to look at Kooper who stared open-mouthed at them. "Feel free to look around. Just don't break anything. You don't look like you can afford to."
Kooper winced at her biting words but nodded obediently.
With one final yowl, Akashi was yanked into the back room and Kooper heard a door slam.
Guess that answers my question about them being real.
With a sigh, he turned and, taking Shiranui up on her suggestion, began perusing; carefully, of course.
Thinking back to his earlier chats with the girls, it still amused him to know that the mythical Azur Lane base had a gift shop, even though tourism was nonexistent on the seas. He lifted several of the mugs, finding the usual 'Made in the Dragon Emperory' stamp on many of them. But the more he looked around, the more he found that Akashi's shop had goods from all over the world.
Fur hats from the Northern Parliament. Exotic cooking oils from the Sardegna Empire. Assorted tea from the Sakura Empire.
"Wow." Kooper muttered aloud as he inspected a wheel of cheese from the Iris Libre. This place was really something else. The variety of the goods and their origins made him smile. Maybe when he reunited with his family, he could put in a request to do some traveling. Lord knew he had only ever traveled with them and that was around Union territory. But now, even as he set the cheese back down and glanced towards the back room where he could still hear the faint sound of scolding, it brought a smile to his face.
It would be pretty cool to travel and meet new people, like the ones he'd met here.
"Oh hey! Look who's out and about!"
Kooper jumped, whirling with eyes wide and hands up, ready to defend himself.
Standing in the doorway was a girl just a few inches shorter than him. Her long grey hair was done up in a pair of buns looking like devil horns. She strode right up to him with the widest grin on her lips and clapped him hard on the shoulder as though he were an old friend.
"You had us worried for a while there bud. You doin' alright?"
A smile tugged at the corner of Kooper's lips. There was something about her voice that reminded him of a place he hadn't been in over a decade.
Home.
"As well as could be expected I suppose." Kooper spread his arms in a "whatcha going to do" gesture.
The girl mimicked the gesture with a half shrug. "Can't ask for anything better, right?"
"I guess not." Kooper gave her a curious onceover, but his smile never wavered.
"I'm San Francisco." She introduced and held out a hand to him.
"No way." Kooper chuckled and took her hand firmly. "After so long I meet another Bay Arean. And at Azur Lane of all places."
San Francisco blinked in surprise for a moment. "You're from the Bay Area too?"
"Born and raised, baby." Kooper nodded and was unable to keep from laughing.
"No way!" San Francisco laughed along with him and yanked him into a quick brotherly hug before stepping back to look him up and down. "What are the odds?"
"Slim to none."
San Francisco beamed. "Well good thing yours are slim then. Otherwise, I'd have missed out on meetin' ya."
"Lucky us."
The two continued to share a good-natured laugh before San Francisco gave a look around the shop. "So, what brings you here all on your lonesome? Looking for a souvenir?"
Kooper shook his head. "Nah, just looking around. My escort seemed to have some sort of emergency earlier, and then I nearly got drafted into servitude." He jerked a thumb at the door beyond the counter.
San Francisco chuckled. "Damn, I've heard about Akashi being a price gouger but never took her for a potential slave driver."
Kooper huffed. "If she was, I can't say I'd have the right to be surprised." He thrust his chin towards the shop entrance. "Every day has been a surprise of some sort with you girls."
San Francisco gave a haughty smirk. "We try. Just not very hard."
Kooper snorted. "Heaven help the rest of us mortal folk if you do."
They shared another laugh before a look from San Francisco drifted towards the counter and Kooper shifted, allowing her to pass, but followed her.
"What brings you to this shop?" He asked cheekily. "Souvenirs?"
San Francisco snickered and shook her head. "Picking up a special order from Mint Kitty."
Kooper's brows lifted with interest. "Oh? Can I ask what?"
"Just some sticker decals."
"Decals?"
San Francisco rocked her head from side to side. "My ship was in drydock for a couple weeks getting upgraded. Now that she's all done up, time to add some glitz and glam."
Kooper arched a brow. "Glitz and glam? On a warship?"
"Of course!"
"Like what? Glitter and sequins?"
San Francisco made a horse-like sound and swat his arm. "I ain't that tacky."
Kooper stuck his tongue out. "I wouldn't know."
"Then I'll have you know I'm more interested in stickers and decals."
"Stickers and decals?"
"Yeah." San Francisco gave an excited wiggle of her hips. "Nothing too fancy, but it fits my charm."
"I bet." Kooper snickered.
San Francisco reached over the counter and smacked a bell with a loud PING.
"So," she started, and leaned on the counter to address him. "Ya got a name I can use?"
"Kooper." He replied with a knowing smirk.
San Francisco gave an interested hum.
"Interesting name." They said in unison.
San Francisco gave him a funny look. "What was that about?"
"You tell me." Kooper huffed. "Why is it literally everyone I've introduced myself to has had that same exact response?"
San Francisco gave a couple dumbfounded blinks before she burst out laughing.
"My god, you poor lil… No one had said anything to you this entire time?" She was doubled over, clutching at her sides as the guffaws continued. "I know we have pranksters around, but that is some admiralty-level trolling right there."
Kooper rolled his eyes, trying to keep the flush of indignance from showing on his face. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You going to let me in on the joke, or not?"
"What in the world is all this racket out here?" Shiranui's voice came from the back room.
A desperate feline yowl cut through the air and a heartbeat later, Akashi came streaking into the store.
"San Francisco! Thank goodness you're here!" The cat-girl practically dove over the counter and took cover behind the taller kansen. Kooper noticed that her cheeks were red as well as one of her ears showing a telltale sign of having been mercilessly pinched. His eyes drifted to Shiranui who emerged from the back rooms, looking as though nothing out of the ordinary were going on.
San Francisco was still giggling uncontrollably and had to wipe tears from her eyes before she could control herself.
"Did I miss something?" Shiranui asked, glancing between the three of them.
Kooper only shrugged, but Akashi seemed insistent on keeping San Francisco between them. "Nothing I can't handle." Akashi muttered under her breath before Shiranui's eyes drifted to her and the green-haired shopkeeper squeaked in fright. "Wh-What I mean is, San Francisco put in a special order a few weeks ago and I had just informed her it was ready for pickup."
"Is that so?" Shiranui's expression did not change, but her tone suggested that she doubted the cat-girl.
Akashi wrapped an arm around Kooper's and pushed him closer to further shield herself. "Please don't let her scold me anymore. I'll give you anything in the shop."
"Akashi…" Shiranui warned.
Akashi let out a "Nya" before hiding behind Kooper.
"Are you done?" Kooper asked, turning his attention from the frightened cat to his new acquaintance.
"Y-yeah…" San Francisco gasped. "I just… oh boy… That was too funny."
Shiranui walked up to the counter and pulled a data tablet from her sleeve. "San Francisco… San… Francisco…" She muttered, dragging a finger across the screen. "Ah. You're the one who ordered those custom vinyl decal sets."
"Guilty." San Francisco chirped.
"Rush order, no less." Shiranui continued before giving Akashi a sideways look. "Go grab that order, would you Akashi?"
"Me?" She protested. "You're closer to-"
"You placed the order. Or need I remind you that it's your job…" Shiranui held up two fingers and made a pinching motion with them.
"Nya! I'm going, I'm going!" Akashi relented and moved towards the back again; never taking her eyes off her colleague.
"Do I need to worry about her?" Kooper asked them once she had gone.
"No. She needs regular reminding otherwise she'll go nuts if left unchecked." Shiranui explained as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.
Kooper frowned. He had seen abuse more than once over the years, and whilst subtle at times, the more obvious cases always got a rise out of him. "Prove it."
San Francisco and Shiranui shared a perplexed blink.
"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?" Shiranui stepped around the counter. Her posture was level as was her stare, challenging, but not aggressive.
"Prove to me that you're not mistreating Akashi, and are just dishing out some tough love."
"Uh, Kooper…" San Francisco started, but Shiranui silenced her with a raised hand.
"It's fine. He doesn't understand."
Make me then.
Shiranui patiently waited for Akashi to return with San Francisco's decals rolled neatly inside a packing tube. When she noticed the silence in the room, she paused, yellow eyes darting amongst the faces watching her.
"What's going on?"
"Just waiting for you." Shiranui stated plainly.
Akashi gave her a skeptical look before eyeing Kooper who looked to San Francisco. The girl's eyes were bright and her smile wide as she reached for her package.
"Oh yes." She was practically drooling as she rubbed her cheek against it. "Mama's been waiting so long for you."
Akashi gave a nervous laugh. "It's always a pleasure doing business. If you need more, come straight to me and I'll set you up right."
San Francisco stopped her fondling of the package and gave an awkward chuckle. "I will, once I get the funds, Kitty-Kitty."
Akashi hummed and shrugged. "I like to think I'm worth the price."
"Akashi…" Shiranui's voice snapped the smaller girl out of her boasting.
Akashi swallowed hard. "Y-yes?"
Shiranui slid a hand into her garment and pulled out a gold coin.
Immediately Akashi's eyes widened, and her ears shot up.
Shiranui cast a quick glance at Kooper and San Francisco, before slowly waving the coin left, then right.
All the while, Akashi's eyes tracked it, her entire body quivering with excitement. She even gave her rump a little wiggle when Shiranui lowered the coin to the floor but did not release it.
"Akashi."
Akashi sat straight up at Shiranui's commanding tone, eyes still fixed on her target.
"Sit."
Akashi sat.
"Roll over."
She did.
"Speak."
"Woof!"
"Who's a good kitty?"
"Me-yaaa."
"Catch."
Shiranui tossed the coin into the air and Akashi pounced like a tiger. She caught it in her mouth and landed gracefully between Kooper and San Francisco, rolling about and licking the coin as though it were a treat.
"Okay, this is weird, even for me." Kooper stated.
San Francisco chuckled and arched a brow at him. "You think this is the weirdest?"
Kooper's expression fell. "Oh god… do I-"
It was then Akashi snapped out of her currency-induced fit. She let out a mortified squeak as she sat up to a sitting position, looking from Kooper to San Francisco then to Shiranui.
"Shiranui? What did you make me do?" She cried.
Shiranui paid her no mind and looked to Kooper. "See my point?"
"Don't ignore me you meanie!"
"I guess…" Kooper replied, feeling wholly unsure of his earlier assessment.
"Then we'll leave it at that." Shiranui nodded to San Francisco. "Is there anything else we can do for you today?"
"Nah, I'm good, thanks." San Francisco shook her head and hefted her package over her shoulder. "I'll catch ya' next time 'Kashi. Let's go Koop."
Akashi was too busy flailing about Shiranui, proclaiming her to be a manipulator and a slave driver to have heard San Francisco's farewell.
"Every day…" Kooper sighed as he followed San Francisco down the road. "This place gets a bit more surreal."
San Francisco laughed. "Live here long enough and you'll get used to it."
"Lord have mercy on my sanity."
"It ain't that bad" San Francisco chuckled and bumped him with her hip. "Sure, we have some characters around here who are a bit rougher than others, but they ain't bad per say."
Kooper hummed thoughtfully as he glanced back at Akashi's storefront. "So, what's 'Kashi's deal?"
San Francisco let out an amused huff and waived dismissively. "My case in point. She's a recent resident from the Sakura Empire. She's a repair ship, meaning she's more pushy than she is powerful." She patted her cylindrical package with eager affection. "But she's a damned blessing when it comes to getting a hold of things that are in short demand."
"Huh…" Kooper mused as he eyed the package that was hefted like a baseball bat over her shoulder. "So, what kind of decals are in short demand?"
San Francisco smirked. "Oh, these aren't in short demand. More like… Custom cosmetic upgrades for my ship." When Kooper only gave her a perplexed stare, her smirk turned into a mischievous grin. "That curious huh? What if I had something scandalous in here? Would you still be as curious?"
"W-wha?" Kooper stammered as his heart leapt into his throat and a crimson blush adorned his cheeks. "N-no. That's not my…um… business…"
"You sure?" San Francisco teased in a sing-song voice, leaning towards him, and giving him a very upfront view down her top.
Kooper's jaw clenched as the blaze on his face grew out of control. "I…um…" It took every ounce of his willpower to look away from the alluring sight before him. His eyes and loins begged and pleaded for him to take another peek, slowly winning out over his urge to be courteous and gentlemanly.
Sure, Hornet was both pretty and sexy with a fun personality to boot. But Hornet was not this up front and furthermore she was spoken for.
Was San Francisco single?
Should he ask?
No, you idiot! You just met her! Plus, you already have a girl…
A slap to his back broke him out of his traitorous thoughts.
"I'm kidding with ya Koop." San Francisco chortled. "Here, lemme show ya!" She popped the top of the container, fiddled around inside for a moment before sliding out a rolled-up sheet of vinyl. She unfolded it before him, revealing a smiling cartoonish mouth, a pink tongue hanging out with "HAHA!" making up the teeth.
"Pretty neat huh." San Francisco beamed as she looked down at the decoration. "Designed it myself."
Kooper only hummed absentmindedly as he leaned in to inspect the material. A memory tugged at the back of his thoughts, and he bit his lip as he struggled to push it to the forefront of his mind. He could feel San Francisco's eyes watching him, probably expecting him to gush about her work. He wanted to, and he would. But first…
"What kind of material is this?" He finally asked, rolling a finger, and pointing.
San Francisco's smile faltered slightly as she looked from the decal to him. "Premium boat vinyl. Good for salt and freshwater vessels alike and removable if needed."
Kooper clicked his tongue in thought and San Francisco's smile fell.
"What?"
Kooper was silent for another heartbeat before answering. "You're sure this will work on your ship?"
San Francisco tilted her head in confusion. "Why wouldn't it?"
Kooper stood up and crossed his arms. "Well, the thing is, this particular type of decal, from my understanding is mainly… WAS mainly used on smaller, private boats or old cruise ships."
San Francisco's brow furrowed. "So?"
"So those ships were built to have this type of décor on them. You're a warship… erm… you have a warship that's made of a completely different material." He rolled his eyes and gave a sheepish smile. "At least I assume so."
San Francisco glanced back at her decal; a bit crestfallen. "You don't think this will do well on my hull?"
Kooper, realizing what he had said a second too late cupped an elbow and tapped his cheek in contemplation. "It's not so much that…" He said slowly. "More like…" His lips twisted as he ran his teeth over them. "I think you'll need some extra materials to make sure they stick."
"Why wouldn't they?"
"Have you ever been on a yacht before?"
"I've seen a few, yes."
"Then you've seen how their hulls are different compared to yours, right? Very smooth. Very streamlined."
San Francisco's brows lifted and her mouth opened in an "Oh" of understanding. "Compared to ours that are built for tough."
"Exactly." Kooper nodded. "You're basically going to have to find a way to make it so that all those minute imperfections don't get in the way of decal placement."
San Francisco rubbed her chin. "I see you. Like little dings that make bumps, or air pockets to keep it from being a flush fit." Her smile returned. "How did you figure that out?"
Kooper shrugged. "Overheard someone mention it during a relief trip to Corpus Christi Air Station. The base had been cut off from supply and communication due to inclement weather, and the personnel at the base had tried using vinyl used on commercial aircraft to write messages on the buildings using a self-made adhesive for it to stick to so the weather wouldn't rip it away. They were hoping for satellites or aircraft that happened to break through to notice them and send help, which apparently worked… somehow."
San Francisco arched a brow. "Break through?"
Kooper shook his head. "It was the weirdest thing. "It was like a nonstop storm from the moment we arrived to even after we left. Half the time we spent there was wandering around disoriented until someone had the bright idea to connect a billion extension cords from the main relief vehicles, all the way into the base so no one got lost." He gave a nervous chuckle. "Even that wasn't fool proof."
San Francisco's eyes narrowed a fraction. "How far from the storm were you for communications to work?"
"I dunno." Kooper shrugged. "Was thirteen at the time. Plus, it wasn't really my area of expertise, so…"
San Francisco's eyes lowered and a dark look fell across her face. A shiver rippled over Kooper's body and the hair on his arms stood on end.
"Is… something wrong?" He asked hesitantly.
San Francisco blinked as though waking up from a dream and shook her head. "Sorry!" She immediately apologized and seemed to force the smile from earlier. "Was just thinking about something. Nothing you need to concern your pretty little head over."
Kooper opened his mouth to inquire further, but San Francisco went about rolling up her decal and inserting it back into its container.
"Either way, thanks for the insight. I may pick your brain a bit for more before I apply these babies."
Kooper hesitated for a breath, not sure if he should press the previous topic or not. But the eager smile from San Francisco convinced him to let it go. It was probably more than he should know anyways.
"If I'm still around then I'll be happy to help." He gave her a friendly wink. "If you trust me not to break anything that is."
San Francisco's mischievous smile returned. "Awww, aren't you sweet." Her eyes twinkled upon seeing the blush return to his face. "I think I'll start callin' you Puddin'."
Kooper gave a sharp hiccup and clutched at his chest. "P-Puddin? What?"
San Francisco laughed. "Cause you're sweet like puddin'" She reached out and grabbed his cheek in a playful pinch. "Don't tell me you don't like it."
Kooper growled. "Fine. Can you let go now?"
San Francisco snickered and gave his cheek a warm pat. "Thank you Puddin."
"Bite me." Kooper grumbled and tried to fight the smile forming on his lips.
San Francisco leaned in with a devilish twinkle in her eyes, and he leaned away as her warm breath tickled him just under his chin. "Careful Puddin. I just might if you-"
She stopped and blinked several times. Before Kooper could inquire, she turned away, hand up to her ear as though straining to listen through a headset.
"Yeah, I'm here… Uh huh… yeah, I…"
Kooper, now thoroughly confused as to what was going on, put a couple paces between them.
San Francisco let out an exasperated sigh. "God damnit! I'm going to kill her!"
Kooper stiffened as he watched San Francisco tug on her jacket zipper, biting her lip. She shot a glance towards Kooper then out towards the ocean. "I got you Vestal. Just leave it to me… Uh huh… got it."
San Francisco let out an exasperated sigh as the apparent call had ended.
"What was that?" Kooper asked, equal parts curious and worried. "Is Vestal asking where I wandered off to?"
"No." San Francisco sighed and massaged her forehead with her fingertips. "But I do have to go hunt one of my teammates down."
"Uh oh."
San Francisco shook her head and started up the hill towards town, motioning Kooper to follow her. "It's fine. It wasn't entirely unexpected. But Essex is going to owe me that pizza and six-pack after all."
Kooper's brows lifted. "Oh, you're friends with Essex?"
San Francisco flashed him a wink. "You might say that."
Kooper blinked. "So, you're an item?"
"No, just close buds." She flashed a gremlin grin. "Why? You interested?"
"Oh shush!"
"Aww you don't like the melodious sound of my voice, Puddin?" San Francisco cooed and booped his nose, making him go cross-eyed.
"Son of a…"
The two shared a laugh as they continued through the plaza center. Kooper greeted the few ship girls he had met previously, and waved politely to others who were unfamiliar faces to him. Well-wishes and thanks were exchanged as he followed San Francisco through the restaurant district with posters and banners of all sorts hanging between the shops, advertising goods from bakeries, to delis, to pizzerias and barbecue joints.
Kooper let out a sigh of longing as the smells filled him with a lust for food he had never experienced before.
"God this place smells amazing." He had to check himself, ensuring that he wasn't drooling.
San Francisco chuckled. "Remind you of home?"
"Not really." He replied. "I haven't lived in the Bay Area since I was eight."
San Francisco frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that." She slowed her pace and spun to face him, gesturing at a small pizzeria. "I'll have to take you here sometime. North Beach has some damned good stuff, and they're open late for those of us coming back from late-night sorties."
Kooper stopped in front of the open doorway, letting the scents of sauces, dough, cheese and oils fill his nostrils. He let out a longing breath. "I'm kind of jealous of your girls, not going to lie."
San Francisco chuckled. "Well, we do have to balance work and play, ya know. Don't want anyone going crazy from overworking now, right?"
Kooper rocked his head from side to side. "This would definitely stave off my rampancy."
"That's the spirit!" San Francisco barked excitedly and slapped him on the back, causing him to stumble into the doorway, catching sight of a trio of destroyers at a table. It wasn't his usual escort, sadly.
Maybe they were still looking for U-Chan?
"Come on, let's keep moving." San Francisco called, continuing on. "We're almost there."
Kooper straightened himself, waving apologetically to the girls before casting a glance at the counter. It was empty, and he spotted several of the little manjuu pressed against a large freezer door at the back of the room, trembling as though they had seen something terrifying. None of the girls seemed to notice them, their attention fixated on him.
Jeez, I'm just a guy. Relax.
"So, where are we headed?" He asked upon catching up to his guide.
"The tennis courts behind the Eagle Union dorms."
"Tennis courts?"
"Yeah. Vestal's upset my teammate isn't in her room resting, so there's really only one place for her to be."
Kooper smirked. "She's that predictable?"
"No. This is just a circumstantial exception. She's generally pretty spastic unless she's set her mind to something specific."
"And I'm guessing that's tennis."
"Tournament to be specific."
"Ah-h. Well at least she's dedicated?"
"More like obsessed."
Kooper cringed. "Yeesh."
San Francisco rolled her head in a 'I just work here' manner. "She'll likely talk your ear off about it once I introduce you two." She flashed him a wink. "You might get a kick out of her."
Kooper raised a suspiscious brow. "You trying to hook me up with one of your teammates?"
He was given a sultry shrug. "I could… Though I figured you might be more into heavy cruisers." She gave her hips a teasing wiggle. "Never took you for a Destroyer Daddy."
Again, Kooper's face glowed hot enough to melt steel. "Hornet has already given me that warning, thank you."
"I'm only joshin' ya Puddin." San Francisco gave him a teasing shove. "You can hook up with whomever you want to, so long as you don't make yourself into an Ark Royal pain in the ass."
Kooper frowned. "I don't even know what that means."
San Francisco prodded his cheek with a finger. "It means, stay sweet like puddin'."
Kooper grumbled and rolled his eyes. But then an idea popped into his head. He could embarrass her with his signature charm. "You're lucky you're cute."
"Correction, I am sexy as all hell." San Francisco smirked and patted her butt for emphasis. "Ass you can see."
"Not looking!" Kooper said through clenched teeth and averted his gaze.
Damnit! She had turned the tables without any effort.
San Francisco continued to amuse herself with teasing him while Kooper did his best to ignore the worst of it, only responding half-heartedly to comments and averting his gaze from the physical taunts.
This is just a test. He told himself. This is just the universe testing your will. If I can resist this, I'll be rewarded through karma.
It was a stupid notion, but one he found himself settling into, if only to partially relieve himself of the embarrassment and temptation.
God forbid his found family meet San Francisco and get the idea to share some of his more embarrassing stories with her. He would never hear the end of it.
"Here we are." San Francisco announced as they strode up the path to the large white building with a sign out front reading Main Dormitory.
Kooper could only gape at it, his eyes sweeping across the finely trimmed bushes surrounding a pristine-cut lawn. White rose gardens sat just below the ground floor windowsills and the Eagle Union flag waved proudly atop the roof.
"It really is just like the Presidio back home."
He hadn't realized he had spoken aloud until San Francisco gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I thought you might like to see this first." She said, a kind smile on her lips. "A little piece of home away from home."
Kooper felt his heart clench just a little and for a heartbeat, he thought of his parents.
God he wished they could be here to see this place.
What would they have thought seeing this? Or any of it for that matter? Would they be swept up in waves of nostalgia? What memories would be dredged up from the days before the evacuation order?
He looked to San Francisco and had to draw in a deep breath to settle his racing heart. "Thanks San Fran."
She smiled softly and bobbed her head, staring back up at the multistory dormitory, eyes scanning the windows as though searching for someone.
Kooper spent several more long, silent minutes taking in the view, eventually daring to brush the lawn with his fingers. It was so finely cut and pristine; he almost thought it was fake. He even stepped onto the stoop leading to the main door and looked back out over the base down the hill. A breeze rustled through the trees, carrying the smell of the ocean and the surrounding hills mixed with the faint scents of the town below.
He drew in a deep breath and let out a long sigh, his eyes locking onto San Francisco. These girls, for all their eccentricities, for whatever challenges they faced in a war that at many times felt so far away from him, deserved a nice place like this. Hell, it was the very least they deserved. And for the first time, he wondered what would happen to Azur Lane once the war ended.
"You alright there Puddin?" San Francisco leaned over into view, eyeing him curiously. "You look pretty deep in thought there."
"Y-yeah. I'm good." He stammered, making a show of looking around with far more interest than he should have. "We can move on."
San Francisco paused, seemingly unsure if he was being honest. But after a beat, she shrugged and led him around the side of the dorms towards a partially hidden path leading through the trees further up the hill.
A short while later, Kooper picked up the aggressive pok pok pok of tennis balls being hit.
San Francisco raised a finger to her lips, and motioned for him to get low. The two of them crouched, moving along the path, keeping the bushes between them and the direction of the noise. A couple minutes later and Kooper spotted the chain-link fence up ahead. He and San Francisco made their way to the end of the path where they were clearly visible; or would have been had the girl on the court not been so focused on smacking balls being fired at her from the tennis ball machine opposite the net.
"Wait here 'til I say so." San Francisco whispered.
He nodded and she crept forward, sneaking along the fence.
All the while, Kooper watched the girl inside scurry back and forth, swinging her racket for all she was worth. Ball after ball shot towards her only to be sent sailing back over the net with each agile spring of her feet.
As San Francisco crept closer, there was a lull from the machine and the girl bent forward to rest her hands on her knees, gasping heavily. She had only taken a few breaths when she looked up at the launcher and let out a groan. It was still half full and appeared to have a jam in it. The girl stormed over, wiping the sweat from her brow, and began tossing the remaining tennis balls in the basket about in a rather frantic fashion as though the machine had committed a great atrocity against her by jamming.
The girl hadn't noticed San Francisco sneaking up on her until the heavy cruiser barked a greeting, grabbing the girl by her sides. The girl shrieked, leaping into the air and flailing before landing hard on her butt.
"Well well well, what have we here." San Francisco said, her voice anything but jovial.
The girl, who was whimpering and clutching at her bottom, looked up with wide magenta eyes and mouth agape as San Francisco loomed over her. "H-hey Fran." She stammered, trying to force as much innocence into her voice as possible. "What's up?"
San Francisco arched a brow and clicked her tongue. "I can give you three guesses to that answer. What do you think you're doing?"
The girl gave a nervous laugh, glancing about at the scattered balls. "Just a little exercise and fresh air?" She looked to San Francisco, hope glinting in her eyes.
San Francisco straightened and cocked her head, looking distinctly unimpressed. "Ya don't say. You look pretty damp for someone out for just a leisurely stroll. Or you're coming down with a fever." She leaned in, pressing their foreheads together.
The girl's cheeks flushed as she recoiled, trying to get San Francisco out of her personal space. "D-do you mind?"
"No." Sand Francisco countered and prodded the girl in the forehead. "Because you clearly don't mind that you're disobeying orders and not resting and staying where Vestal can monitor you."
Kooper winced at the thought of someone blatantly disobeying the nurse nun's orders.
Better her than me I suppose."
The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fran, you know how boring it is around the medical wing all day when I have better things to do."
"And you know what will happen when I tell Allen."
The girl's mouth snapped shut and she averted her gaze. "Y-you wouldn't."
"I'm seriously considering it." San Francisco said pointedly.
The girl looked back to her, eyes wide and glistening as her lip trembled.
It took Kooper a moment to realize that she was attempting to puppy-stare San Francisco, and he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing.
San Francisco did not look amused. "If you don't want me to snitch, then I strongly suggest you start taking Essex and Vestal's orders more seriously." She flicked the girl in the head who yelped, clutching at the spot.
"I do take them seriously… It's just…"
"I get it, I get it." San Francisco reached down, grabbing her hand, and hoisting her onto her feet. She leaned in close and whispered something Kooper was unable to hear, but he could have sworn the girl had paled slightly."
"But for now…" San Francisco continued unabashed. "I have someone I want to introduce you to."
The girl cocked a brow, looking around before her eyes fell upon him.
Taking that as his cue, Kooper emerged from the path and strode towards the court, watching the new girl's expression as it morphed from confusion to curiosity, to understanding as her eyes went wide.
"Allow me to introduce you two." San Francisco announced, gesturing between the two of them. "Cooper, meet Kooper. And Kooper, this is my fleet buddy, Cooper."
'Cooper' glanced at San Francisco, a look playing across her face as though expecting a big punchline to be delivered at any second.
Kooper, for his part could only roll his eyes.
So, this was why literally everyone had had the same reaction to his name.
He couldn't help but let out a huff of amusement at the joke.
"So… Cooper huh?" He smiled and held his hand out.
"Cooper, indeed." She replied, her own smirk of amusement crossing her lips as she took his hand in a strong handshake. She shot a look at San Francisco who was practically grinning from ear to ear. "This isn't a joke, right?"
"I hope not." Kooper said, staring at San Francisco as well, half expecting her to come out and reveal that it was an on-going prank.
"Only the part where we kept this chucklehead's identity hidden from you." San Francisco snickered and threw an arm around Cooper in a headlock. The smaller girl yowled and began swatting at San Francisco, trying to squirm free.
Kooper could not hide his smirk. "Cheeky. Every last one of you."
San Francisco stuck her tongue out before releasing Cooper. "Look on the bright side, Puddin… At least we told you."
"Puddin?" Cooper gave San Francisco an off stare.
"Yup! He's my sweet lil Puddin." San Francisco reached up and mussed Kooper's long scraggly hair, misaligning Houston's hair clip in the process.
"And I said, bite me!" Kooper grunted as he tried to push San Francisco off.
"If you so insist… Puddin." San Francisco teased and looked ready to lean forward before she and Cooper both straightened. Like before, San Francisco brought a hand up to her ear as if listening through a headset along with Cooper.
"Yo, Big-E. What's up?" San Francisco asked. "Yeah, we both read you." She gave Cooper a look and the smaller girl nodded in affirmation. "Uh huh… Yeah…" San Francisco's brows furrowed. "Are you sure?"
Both girls glanced in his direction and Kooper felt as though his heart had stopped beating and the breath had frozen in his lungs. Had they found something? Someone from his family?
His foot began to tap eagerly as he waited for whatever call they were on to end.
After a moment, San Francisco blinked and looked away, letting out a breath that seemed as though she were trying to hide. "You're sure about that…" Her eyes darted to Cooper who looked as though she were holding her breath. "Alrighty. We'll begin prepping right away…Right… Over and out."
No sooner had she straightened than Cooper let out a triumphant holler, jumping and pumping her fist into the air.
"Yes! Finally!" She cheered and began bouncing around San Francisco, jabbing at her with her fingers. "See, I told you!" She chanted. "I'm good to go-o."
San Francisco endured the teasing for all of three seconds before a hand shot out faster than Kooper could track and grabbed Cooper by the head, yanking her in until they were nearly nose to nose.
"Just because Enterprise says you can come with, doesn't mean Vestal has cleared you for active duty, Coop."
Cooper wilted as though the wind had been sucked out of her sails. "Aw, come on! I've been holed up in that stuffy hospital since… well…" She gestured towards Kooper. "It wasn't even my fault!"
"You are still under my watch, missy." San Francisco warned. "Step out of line again, and I'll sit your butt in drydock for a month!"
Cooper pouted adorably but said nothing further.
"What did Enterprise say?" Kooper asked, taking the moment to insert himself into the conversation.
San Francisco gave him a look, not of hope, or joy, or eager anticipation. Instead, it looked as though she were worried about something. Even Cooper had settled slightly and was eyeing her friend as sweat still dripped down her cheeks.
"Enterprise," San Francisco started but then paused to reconsider. "I should say, Essex has formally asked for your assistance."
Kooper's brows jumped. "Oh? Is she on a call?"
San Francisco's expression was sympathetic, as if he was nothing more than a naïve toddler. "She wants your help, on site."
Kooper's mouth fell open as he stared at her.
On site? Then that must mean…
"Did they find something?"
San Francisco shook her head. "I don't know. Enterprise was just forwarding the request. But I don't imagine Essex would ask for such a thing unless she genuinely thought it was necessary."
Kooper shuddered as his entire body suddenly felt electrified.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" He demanded. "Let's go!"