Tirpitz, Bismarck and Wilhelm all soon found themselves on the flight deck of the Illustrious, before them sat a comically British dining set, complete with a tent, chairs, table and tea sandwich holder that was set on the neatly arranged table. A piping hot pot of tea had been prepared and several pastries and sandwiches sat in the center of the table as the three of them found Illustrious waiting for them.
"Quite the over-the-top set-up you have here, Lusty." Tirpitz said with a small chuckle.
Illustrious smiled and removed her hat.
"Please, sit. I would like to meet the man that my… partner has married. Rest assured, I am not upset, I just wish to know more about you." Illustrious said as she eyed Wilhelm curiously.
Tirpitz sighed and pulled out Wilhelm's chair before allowing herself and Bismarck to sit on either side of him.
With a sip of her tea, Illustrious spoke.
"So, airman…do you have a name?" Illustrious asked.
"Jager." Wilhelm spoke shortly.
Tirpitz looked at him before turning to Illustrious.
"Forgive him, Lusty. He doesn't expose his identity to those he does not trust implicitly." Tirpitz said.
"It is of no concern. After all, we used to be enemies. I've seen his aircraft specifically back during the war. I remember my gunners trying to shoot him down, but every time he came into their sights, the guns would jam, and he would escape. Quite curious." Illustrious said as Wilhelm chuckled.
"Looks like my luck is known even by my old enemy. I guess I could tell you my name at least. If you are seeing Tirpy, then you should be trustworthy enough." Wilhelm said, earning him a punch to the arm from Tirpitz.
"You too?!" Tirpitz hissed.
"I told you, it's my nickname for you now." Wilhelm said as Illustrious tittered quietly while enjoying a small sandwich.
Tirpitz sank into her seat as Bismarck smiled.
"It's good to see you opening up emotionally, Sister." Bismarck said as Tirpitz glared daggers.
"My name is Wilhelm, Illustrious. It is a pleasure to meet you." Wilhelm reintroduced himself.
"Wilhelm. The man who would not be felled. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Illustrious said as she turned to Bismarck.
"And may I also say it is an honor to meet my nation's greatest adversary face to face." Illustrious said with a smile.
Bismarck blushed a bit but was unable to find words to answer the carrier.
"T- thanks." Bismarck said sheepishly.
Tirpitz was seen taking a sandwich from the tower in the center of the table.
"Wilhelm, are you hungry? I have all of these sandwiches prepared by myself and Belfast. It would be a shame for it to go to waste." Illustrious said as she sipped her tea.
"He doesn't remove his mask too often, Lusty." Tirpitz said as, much to her and Bismarck's shock, Wilhelm removed his mask, allowing Illustrious to see his face.
"The mystery deepens." Illustrious said with a small smile as Wilhelm took a pair of sandwiches and began eating them in earnest.
"Are you okay? I've never seen you eat like this, Wilhelm…" Bismarck seen.
"Taking a swim in the Pacific is quite draining. I've been hungry ever since Richthofen pulled me from the water." Wilhelm explained.
"Are they adequate? Those particular sandwiches are my own recipe." Illustrious said as Wilhelm nodded.
"They taste good, much better than out of date rations." Wilhelm said as he finished his sandwiches and washed it down with the tea Illustrious had provided.
Illustrious blushed a bit but quickly hid her face and subsequent blush.
"I see. Well, thank you for the compliment." Illustrious said as she brought her hand up to her ear.
"It seems that the Admiral is calling for me, I shall see you three later." Illustrious lied as she excused herself from the table and made her way down the flight deck towards the island.
"That was odd." Wilhelm said curiously as he replaced his mask.
"It is. She was the one to invite us for tea, why would she leave so suddenly?" Bismarck asked.
"I'll find her and ask. I know her well enough to know that she lied to give her a reason to excuse herself. She's probably embarrassed by the amount of praise given to her by Wilhelm. After all, his face combined with his words is enough to get any woman hot and bothered." Tirpitz said.
"Really?" Wilhelm asked curiously.
"Yes. Put simply, if you weren't wearing your mask, you probably would have more than just my sister and I warming your bed." Tirpitz said as Bismarck blushed.
"Hey… I'm more than some trophy wife…" Bismarck said with a slight pout.
"I know you are, Biscuit. Don't worry." Wilhelm said as Bismarck blushed again.
"B-Biscuit?!" Bismarck cried.
"Well, I can't tease Tirpitz all by herself. If she has an embarrassing nickname, you have to have one too." Wilhelm said as Tirpitz chuckled.
"Mine's just a shortened version of my name… but you've been reduced to a french pastry, dear sister." Tirpitz said as Bismarck glared at her.
"I'll have you pay for that, Tirpitz." Bismarck warned.
"And just like that, I'm going to go check on my partner." Tirpitz said as she quickly ran from the tent to avoid being swatted on the head by Bismarck.
A few minutes after Stefan and Taihou had entered the Akashi to restore Taihou's vessel, the massive, armored carrier willed itself into existence right behind the brand new Ironblood cruiser that made up Roon's vessel.
Stefan and Taihou could be seen working their way over to the carrier and disappearing below deck.
Stefan and Taihou were walking down the metallic hallways of the new vessel. Taihou had just finished the process of restoring her hull, which in turn, has also brought back her physical form. The Phoenix was now truly reborn. Despite that, she still carried an uneasy look on her face. Something that Stefan noticed.
"Hey, are you ok?" He asked. "If you feel unwell, let's go to the med bay and get you checked." Stefan asked, slightly concerned with the look on her face.
Taihou shook her head.
"No need, I'm fine." Taihou answered as she kept pace with the Filipino.
"Are you sure? because I can tell that something is bothering you." Stefan deduced, pushing the issue further.
"It's really nothing, just some old memories resurfacing." Taihou said as she turned her gaze to the ceiling of the hallway, using her fresh eyes to look upon all the pipes and cables that ran throughout her hull.
"If you're willing, I am always here to lend an ear." Stefan said softly.
"Thanks, but... those memories belong to the past. They only serve as a reminder of my mistakes. Things I shouldn't repeat. Besides, there are things I now look forward to." Taihou said as she locked arms with Stefan and brought him closer to her. Stefan blushed in reply.
"If I may ask, what made you decide to approach me?" Taihou asked as her breathing became dangerously apparent to Stefan's ears. For a man whose life recently consisted of listening for lies and deceit in the words of his own countrymen, he could tell now that Taihou was hiding something behind her words, but couldn't figure out for the life of him what it was.
"Because you seemed to have been struggling with something. I figured a simple greeting would probably help distract your thoughts." Stefan explained as his mind raced.
"Are you sure it wasn't because of my charm~?" She leaned in a lot closer, making sure Stefan would feel her assets. Stefan was now truly ensnared in Taihou's trap, and for a man who was not fluent in the language of love, he was none the wiser that Taihou had sprung her trap for him.
His blush darkened.
"I- uh... M-maybe..."
"I can't hear you~" Taihou asked softly, her lips so close to his ear that he could feel the slight staggering of her breath.
"I think so..."
Taihou smiled, satisfied by his answer.
"That's good to hear. Enough about me. You haven't talked much about yourself aside from being a post office clerk and your exploits and struggles as a guerilla fighter." As if a switch had flipped, Taihou's breathing normalized and she was back to being the cute and innocent carrier that Stefan had come to know.
"Well, I lived on a farm before moving on to the city. Thanks to my Father's efforts, I was able to get a decent education, which is why I was able to find work there." Stefan explained as he tried to further wrap his head around the enigmatic Phoenix that had attached herself to his arm.
"The education, I can understand, but that doesn't explain your fluency with the Union's language." Taihou deduced.
"The owner of that post was from the Union. He was also very talkative, so I can see why you think that way." Stefan retorted.
"Has that boss of yours worked you to death?" Taihou asked, Stefan could clearly hear the equivalent of a blade hidden beneath her words, as if he answered in a way she deemed unsatisfactory, that she would find his old boss and make him suffer. Stefan chose his words carefully.
"What? No, he didn't. He was a kind man. Whenever I needed some extra cash, he would lend me some, only demanding that I keep up the good work." Stefan explained.
"I see. I bet your parents were proud that you managed to find a kind-hearted boss." Taihou said with a smile.
"Yeah... If only they were still here..." Stefan thought aloud, clearly unaware that he had spoke his thoughts.
"Oh... I'm sorry for-" Taihou started, prompting a reaction from Stefan.
"Oh. No need. It is as you have said: Those memories are of the past. Though their passing still pains me to this day, the only path I can tread is forward." Stefan said with a wave of his hand, brushing the memories aside for the moment.
"I've opened up to you about my past. If you're willing, I'm here to listen to yours, the regrets that still linger on your mind." Taihou offered. Stefan could sense no ulterior motive behind these words. She was being truly genuine in terms of these words.
He shook his head. "I've... I... I cannot. Not yet..."
Taihou stopped dead in her tracks. Stefan was puzzled and became thoroughly confused as he felt a warm comfort surround him.
While he was lost in thought, Taihou had embraced him and began to caress his hair like a mother comforting her child.
"It's ok. I understand. You don't have to open up now. Just know that I'll always be here, ready to listen," Taihou whispered in Stefan's ear. These words also held nothing but pure intention.
He sunk into the embrace, tears gathering in his eyes. The warm feeling he felt was something he thought to have long forgotten, a feeling that would forever remain in his memory. But here it was, at this moment, warm and comforting.
They held onto each other for a while before letting go.
Stefan quickly wiped off his tears. "T-Thanks..."
Taihou giggled. "I can hug you again if you want," She said, opening her arms and inviting him.
"I think I'm ok for now. We might be seen." Stefan tried.
"I see no problem with that." Taihou replied with a sincere smile.
"I'm not used to doing such displays in the open..." Stefan tried again.
"We can do it somewhere more private if you want~" Taihou offered. Stefan sensed an ulterior motive poking through her words, but the feeling of her warmth mere seconds ago was pushing him to ignore his instincts.
"Maybe later... I'll just escort you to your room so you can rest." Stefan offered.
"What are you going to do after?" Taihou asked.
"I think I'll go and ask Ben if there is still work to be done." Stefan answered truthfully.
"I wish you could accompany me, though." Taihou whined softly. In a shady move, she had loosened the belt of her kimoni slightly to allow the top to open just a tad bit more, revealing the very edge of her areolas, causing Stefan's will to crumble more.
"But they might need extra hands." Stefan tried, attempting to hold back the urge to give in to her advances.
"But I'll be lonely. You wouldn't want to leave a woman like that, would you?" Taihou spoke in a sultry tone. The impact from her words was the equivalent to being hit by the full firepower of Taihou's AA compliment all at once. Stefan's will to resist her collapsed entirely.
"F- Fine. I'll stay until you fall asleep." Stefan said in a slightly defeated tone.
"Hehehe~ You won't regret spending time with me~ It will be very much worth your while."
Stefan once again felt that there was some deeper meaning to her words, but he couldn't put his finger on what it could be. His lack of experience with women, even more so in relationships, was making it difficult for his logical mind to decipher.
"So, let's go?" Taihou offered her hand. Stefan's gaze fell to the creamy white skin of the woman he had spent the better part of a month talking to. The allure of protecting such a maiden proved too much for Stefan to resist any further.
Stefan accepted the offer.
"Of course."
In what seemed like a flash, Taihou lightly dragged Stefan through her vessel towards her quarters. Stefan was about to become very acquainted with Taihou's quarters, and the woman he had pulled from the depths of despair.