7729. Just because you can summon your ship hull does not mean you can use it for a side business. "Welcome, welcome one and all!" Akigumo announced to the gaggle of shipgirls assembled before her, a nigh-manic grin on her face. "I'd like to thank all of you for answering my invitation - hopefully none of you have decided to skip off duty for this, or the Admiral is going to chew you out!" she added with a cheeky wag of her fingers. "I'll chew you out for dragging me all this way, dess," Kongou grumbled under her breath, still a little moody from having her planning (things to surprise her Teitoku with) interrupted by a destroyer claiming - rather suspiciously - to have items concerning Goto that she might be rather interested in.

"Aaaanyway, I'm sure all of you are wondering what I called you here for, and the answer is..." With a dramatic sweep of her hand, she gestured to the sea, summoning her original hull into existence in the span of a few seconds, materializing in a manner resembling an extremely sped-up timelapse of construction. "Tada! I've decided to take you all for a little tour through this old shell for a little 'stroll down memory lane', as it's called on the other side of the Pacific? Yes, that sounds about right. Now, with my sisters still on duty who wants to have a look around the best Kagerou-class destroyer's insides? No takers? I'll let you fire my guns once we're far enough out to sea," she added with a teasing tone, earning a smack upside the head from Zuikaku before Shoukaku volunteered herself. "It wouldn't hurt to have a look around, surely?" Slowly, albeit grudgingly, the rest of the group followed after her in short order.

It turned out that the suspiciously generous offer was an excuse for Akigumo to show them around her original interiors like a grandstanding tour guide, dropping somewhat indiscreet hints about her tendencies towards self-aggrandizement as she chattered about who was berthed where and what they got up to, or what under-the-table shenanigans were conducted in what spaces. To be fair, some of the lucky shipgirls did get the chance to fire her hull's guns (Kongou in particular firing blanks in the general direction of Yokosuka as yet another declaration of her BURNING LOVE for Admiral Goto), though every time Akigumo made a flirtatious remark about it she'd end up getting smacked upside the head for her troubles.

But worst of all were the artworks strategically placed around the ship, giving the destroyer opportunities to go into great length about her journey as a budding artist in her off-duty hours. While some of these pieces were landscapes and such, there were quite a few portraits among them, colleagues and personnel and original works alike, and yes, several portraits of Goto in various stages of clothedness. "I'm not exactly sure I want to know how she makes such good art," Shoukaku muttered under her breath while Akigumo was busy. "Her technique hints at a skill level above the average," Kirishima mused, frowning a little as she studied a charcoal sketch of Wreck and Kentucky engaging in a showdown for the ages. "I'm not sure how much time she spends at the drawing table but my estimate is a few hours - daily."

"She... she drew pinups of Teitoku..." Kongou was, to put it mildly, displeased with this fact, even as she was already trying to hide one of the smaller portraits in her outfit to take it home with her. "How did she even- is Teitoku-" "That shitty admiral, cheat on you? Psh." Akebono was evidently unimpressed thus far, arms folded over her chest and a scowl evident on her face. "He's too far gone with you for the idea to ever cross his mind. More likely is 'Autumn Spider' here has pretty sharp memory, good for keeping details in her head." "That or she has a really vivid imagination," Zuikaku added, shuddering at the idea. Who knew what sorts of things an artist like her could be thinking of?

"And here! Here we have the piece that started it all." Akigumo's tone turned fond as she gestured towards the artwork just outside the engine room, seemingly oblivious or indifferent to the growing exasperation of her 'tour group'. "Back when I saw Hornet's sinking, one of my crew drew this depiction of her going to her tragic, watery demise! This was the piece that started me on my path, the path that led me to the artistic achievements you saw before, and here I am today! Who wants to have their portrait done for the gallery?" "Actually", Akebono interrupted, nearly glaring daggers at her fellow destroyer, "I think we're all done here right everyone? Thanks for... whatever this was supposed to be, but I think it's time we go."

All of a sudden there was the sound of the doors slamming shut as if trapping them inside, and all of them turned to Akigumo in alarm. "What the hell? What's the big idea, locking us all in like this?" Zuikaku demanded, nearly rounding on her in outrage. "I won't stand for it!" "Ah, I'm so sorry everyone," the destroyer began, the expression on her face anything but sorry. "But nobody disembarks until they've paid the entrance fee! It's only fair after all you see-" "I have to register my objections," Kirishima cut in, shooting a pointed glare at their not-so-gracious host. "Fares and fees should usually be paid before a tour, not after it, yes?" "Y-yes but, well you see," Akigumo began, "if I asked you to cough up before letting you on board you'd never get on! And I need the money dammit, I'm still paying out the nose for all those damned royalty fees, and commissions are going pretty slow at the moment, and-"

"You duped us, dess! We've been had!" Kongou howled, practically spitting mad that she'd been parted from her beloved Admiral Goto for this fiasco of all things. The fact that there had been portraits of the Admiral was definitely adding to her current state of ill temper. "Let us out right now and maybe I'll let you off with a broken nose for luring us into your shitty art gallery!" Akebono threatened, already cracking her knuckles in anticipation. "I mean you could've just not showed up right? Bet you were curious," Akigumo countered, slowly backing up all the while. "Besides you could at least be grateful I didn't show you the R-18 collection of my works. Maybe if you pay up I might just do you a favor when I begin my next work, hmmm?" Whatever the favor she was offering was, she never got to say, as several shipgirls (thinking she was blackmailing them) proceeded to fling themselves at her screaming bloody murder and numerous profanities.

Much violence ensued.

Even though in her own words she could 'do things that even battleships and heavy cruisers can't', being outnumbered meant that Akigumo was next seen some time later in the docks, grousing about the recent fiasco while repairs were underway. "Some people, honestly! No appreciation for talent, first it was those insultingly high royalty fees now it's refusing to pay for the privilege of seeing fine art? Artists don't work for free dammit, they don't understand the suffering I go through for my craft! Ohhhh, just they wait, wait til my next masterpiece comes out... I'll make sure they regret it, rrrrrgh..."