Chapter 15
"M-Mutsu!" The current flagship of the Sakura Empire yelled out towards her younger sister running ahead of her with a smaller pink haired Destroyer in tow.
"C'mon Kisaragi-chan!" the boisterous Battleship points towards the direction of the docks, "let's go say hi to Brooklyn!"
"O-o-okay," the tiny destroyer stammers back, practically flapping in the Battleship's wake like a flag in the wind.
Getting ready to give chase, a quiet silver haired fox girl was held back by a quick hand at her chest.
"Nagato-sama…" Kawakaze relaxes, bowing her head as she acquiesces.
"Let her be…" the small Flagship commanded, "Kisaragi was looking forward to this."
Nagato watches as her younger sister dashed ahead towards the small gathering at the end of the dock. Her ears perked more than usual as she looked closely at the Eagle Union's delegate.
"Nagato-sama…" Kawakaze says once more, observing her charge's antsy demeanor, "did… you want to greet her as well?"
"I-if I must," the shorter fox girl says in a semi-dignified huff, her legs already moving in the direction of the docks.
Val's mouth hung open too stunned to speak. Standing in front of her, was a tiny pink haired girl staring up at her holding onto Brooklyn's hands tightly. She was aware they existed but the furry little cat ears that popped out from beneath her little yellow hat as it fell to the floor, was probably the cutest thing she had ever laid her eyes on. The girl's little tail swayed tentatively from beneath her skirt, her adorable ears twitching from the oncoming breeze, Val's heart twitching in a similar fashion.
"Say hi, Kisaragi," Brooklyn brought the tiny destroyer closer, "this is my close friend Val."
"H-hello…" the pink haired girl greets quietly, quickly retreating behind Brooklyn's leg.
With her legs practically giving way, Val knelt down to the girl's eye level, covering her quickly reddening cheeks. Picking up the destroyer's little hat, Val reaches to return it.
"What do you say~?" Brooklyn nudges the little cat girl forward.
"T-thank you!" Kisaragi beams as she holds her hat to her chest.
"No problem!" Val's hand finds its way atop the girl's head petting between her ears gently. Like all the worries in the world melted away as her fingers brushed against the soft fur of Kisaragi's ears.
"Me too! Me too!" Mutsu bounces, waving her hand in the air excitedly. Quickly kneeling next to the little destroyer, Mutsu presents her own head towards Val.
Spoiled for choice, Val's hands were in animal girl heaven as they occupied themselves in the soft fur of their ears.
"Mutsu," Brooklyn called, smiling at the look of pure bliss on Val's face, "if you're here, does that mean your sister-"
"Onee-chan!" The little fox girl runs out from Val's hand over to where her sister had just arrived.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop running off?"
Looking up at the new voice, Val's heart pangs yet again at the sight of another small fox-eared Shipgirl, this time with beautiful long straight hair framing an absolutely elegant and adorable face.
"S-s-so cute!" Val shoots up to her feet, startling the long-haired fox girl.
*ahem* Nagato clears her throat at the sudden complement, "thank you-" but before she could finish, Val's hand had already found itself atop her head, petting and scratching at the base of her ears.
"How can anyone be this adorable!" Val squealed as her fingers made their way to the tips of her ears .
Brooklyn looked on in stunned horror as her fiance continued to ignorantly assault the head of the Sacred Flagship. To her surprise though, Nagato looked as if she was suppressing a reaction, but her reddening cheeks was a telling sign of her quickening failure.
A light swirl of wind began to engulf the pair, something Val was completely oblivious to. Nagato's raiment fluttered upward in the breeze as tail after tail began to unfurl itself seemingly out of thin air. In one small gust, her nine tails fan out suddenly in a brazen display, swaying side to side gently.
"Umm… Val…" Brooklyn grabs hold of her fiance's shoulder, snapping her out of her reverie, "t-this is Nagato-sama, of the Sakura Empire…"
Like everything she's learned in school and in the news, that name was known to her, "N-Nagato… f-f-flagship of the S-Sakura Empire, Val's hand twitched slowly lifting from the sacred Flagship's head as everything hit her all at once.
"That is I!" Nagato's voice boomed as she flared out her tails yet again, though her still reddened cheeks betrayed her commanding appearance.
"S-s-sorry!" Val's head was pushed downward into a bow as Brooklyn bows next to her.
"She did not mean any offense, your eminence." Brooklyn states on Val's behalf still with her head down.
"Raise your heads," Nagato commanded with slight exasperation, "there's no need for that."
A chill runs down Val's spine as she catches sight of Kawakaze's glare, if looks could kill, she would probably be scattered all over the dock and probably on the side of Brooklyn's ship.
"So, what brings you down here with us, Nagato-sama?" Brooklyn asks with a nervous smile, trying to redeem the dignity of the situation.
"..." Nagato clears her throat again, the red in her cheeks returning as she avoids Brooklyn's gaze, "I wanted to say my thanks once more for bringing Kisaragi back home to us that one time…"
"Oh, it was no problem at all, really!" Brooklyn scratched at the back of her head trying to downplay her involvement.
"...and for lending your support in our reconstruction efforts." Nagato bows her own head graciously followed by Kawakaze and Mutsu.
"Of course!" Brooklyn beams, "we're allies now, and the Eagle Union, well… at least the Commander will always be willing to lend a hand."
"You know as well as I, the Commander is as adept at the bureaucracy as myself," Nagato chuckles regretfully, "that's why we're so grateful to have someone like yourself and Yamato at our sides."
Val always had an inkling for the importance of Brooklyn's job as a diplomat, but watching the leader of the Sakura Empire bow her own head at her fiance, really put it into perspective of the true scope of her influence.
Val's eyes stayed fixed on Nagato's tails, as the Sakura Empire girls made their way back up the dock. They swayed one last time before fading away from sight in a swirl of pink petals. Ships appearing out of thin air, sailing through an alternate dimension, and the very idea of Shipgirls seemed mundane to Val at this point, but there was something magical about the Sakura Empire girls that Val couldn't quite shake.
"Hey!" The energetic blonde from earlier steps in front of Val, arm outstretched flashing a bright toothy smile, "the name's Cleveland! Nice to meetcha!"
"V-Val!" She squeaks her name as she takes the blonde's hand, "it's nice to meet you too!"
"These lovely young ladies are my sisters!" Cleveland gestures to the girls standing next to her. One by one they pose around their name ship.
"Colombia!" The more casual looking one of the bunch introduces herself enthusiastically, leaning forward with a bit of a sparkle in her eye. Val takes note of the large expensive looking camera dangling from her neck.
"Montpelier…" the silver haired standoffish one introduces quietly, kneeling in front of Cleveland in a way that accentuated her cape.
"I'm~ Denver!" The pig tailed sister introduces standing on one leg flashing a victory sign with her fingers.
"Birmingham!" The last of the sisters introduces with a stoic posture taking it rather seriously.
"Oh… uh…" Helena fumbles with something in the background before holding it above her head, pulling on a string and flinching away.
*pop*
A small explosion of confetti and smoke showered over the still posing sisters before Cleveland pointed towards the sky declaring proudly, "and we're the Knights of the Sea!"
Val watched in stunned silence before clapping at the sisters' display. The Knights of the Sea moniker explained the capes, Val thought.
A loud snicker from behind made Val turn around.
"Sis!" Biloxi calls trying to hide her amusement, "you're still trying to make that a thing?"
"What?! It's been a while since we got to use it!" Cleveland looked a little annoyed, "and we're definitely getting you to join us one of these days!"
"Good luck with that sis…" the taller bluenette stepped in front of her shorter sister with Bataan's Hellcat on her arms, ruffling Cleveland's hair around with her free hand, "once was more than enough for me."
"What's with the little one?" Cleveland shakes away her sister's hand before pointing at the familiar plane in her arms. "Did you go through a conversion without telling us?!"
"Yeah, I'm an Independence now," the bluenette says with a sarcastic huff.
"No!" She answers truthfully, lifting the squirming Hellcat slightly, "Bataan bailed us out at the end knowing she wouldn't be able to get them back, so~ I've got to find someone who could look after them till we could return them."
"Huh…" Cleveland rubbed at her chin, closing her eyes in thought, "that might be tough… Bataan's kinda… unique?"
"Even amongst other carriers, I dunno how many have fighters that can operate this…" Helena paused trying to find a word to describe the little sentient airplane, "independently…"
"Oo!" St. Louis snapped her fingers, "Illustrious has those little Swordfish that follow her around all the time!"
"But have you ever seen them alone?" Colombia raises a fairly compelling point.
"..." the group goes silent as they try to recall anytime they saw those biplanes by themselves outside of combat, but their continued silence casted doubt on whether or not the top heavy Carrier's torpedo planes were sentient or not.
"Even if she could take care of them," Birmingham broke the silence, "it feels kinda wrong to ask someone like her to take care of someone else's… pet."
"Yeah…" Denver's shoulders deflate as she scratches at the back of her head, "she is Royalty after all."
"I dunno sis…" Cleveland turns to Biloxi, "its lookin' like you'll be taking care of them for a while."
"..." Biloxi narrows her eyes at the little Hellcat as she holds it up at eye level. The little fighter had long since stopped its squirming, a faint rumble could be felt from its nose, sounding like a pur from a cat. Its wings flop limply at its sides, looking perfectly content with the situation.
"Aww~" St. Louis coos, hanging off her fellow bluenette's shoulders, "I think he's taking a liking to you~" she giggles softly, resting her chin on the younger Cleveland's shoulder.
"Y-y-yeah…" Biloxi's heart raced with the sound of the older Cruiser's little laugh so close to her ear, "I s-suppose I could look after him for a bit."
Val scooted over to Brooklyn's side amidst the commotion and chatter around them, watching as Wichita hooks Cleveland's and Helena's necks in her arms cackling loudly over something the sight she found amusing.
Nudging her fiance discreetly, Val whispers into her ear, "it's nice here… isn't it?"
"Yeah…" Brooklyn says back softly, "yeah, it is."
Val followed the group down the docks towards the base, trailing a bit further behind to distance herself from Brooklyn a bit. No need to make anyone suspicious just yet, she thought, and maybe give her some time to catch up with her friends.
Looking around, Brooklyn seemed a little worried before turning her head behind to catch Val at the tail end of the group. Smiling back, Val waved dismissively, attempting to signal to her fiance to not worry about her.
Brooklyn's shoulders relax as she returns a smile of her own, turning back to continue her conversation with Wichita and Cleveland.
"So~"
A voice at Val's side startles her.
"How long have you known her~?" St. Louis leans in, a small, almost teasing smile on her face.
"Huh? Oh… Brooklyn?" Val started to sweat a little, being put on the spot so suddenly, "around~ four years now…"
"Uh huh," the Bluenette nodded, the smile on her face not fading in the slightest, "you look pretty young for a financial adviser…"
"Oh~ y'know," Val chuckles nervously, "folks my age are getting up to bigger and better things nowadays."
"So you've worked with Brooklyn for those four years?"
"Well… I guess I've known her for a year," Val's tone sounded almost questioning, "but I've really only started working… with her for the last 3…"
"Four years is a pretty long time to know someone," St. Louis pulls back slightly, away from Val's personal space, "would you say you two are fairly close?"
"C-c-close?!" Val squeaked, "I-I mean… I-I guess…"
St. Louis couldn't help but laugh teasingly, but it was soon replaced with a seemingly sad smile, "How was she?" Her tone low, almost sullen, "in those four years I mean."
"She was pretty intimidating at first…" Val admits with a chuckle, "so cool and collected, like she had everything figured out. She just had an air of… of togetherness, I dunno how else to describe it, and she's just so incredibly beautiful too…" Val gushes with a pair of rosy cheeks.
St. Louis hummed as she nodded to the accurate description of her sister.
"...but getting to know her…" Val's eyes drift to the back of Brooklyn, the warm smile on her face transforming into one of playful exasperation, "she's quite the handful honestly."
"Oh~?" St. Louis let out an amused look.
"Her perfectionism is one of her strengths, always going for that ideal outcome, but if she can't…" Val's voice trails off for a second, "then it eats away at her as she wonders what she could've done differently."
St. Louis's eyes go wide with Val's words, not expecting a more genuine description of her sister.
"She's always sticking her nose in your business, but God forbid you try to stick your nose in hers!"
St. Louis couldn't help but snicker to herself hearing such a scathing remark about Brooklyn.
"It took a little while… but I feel she's finally letting me in…" Val's eyes trailed down to the ground in front of her, "though the further I go, the more I seem to hurt her…"
"Hmm~?" The bluenette hummed once more. Val knew more than what she was letting on. In all the years St. Louis had known her eldest sister, vulnerability was something she rarely let show, even to her, but that's really a trait most of her sisters share, herself especially.
"But! She seems to be doing well!" Val let out quickly, seeing the bluenette lost in thought, "I-I was worried how she was going to handle seeing Helena again-"
"So you know?" St. Louis looked a little surprised, "about Helena?"
"Y-yeah…" Val nodded slowly, "at least from what little Brooklyn told me."
A silence filled the air between the two as neither really knew what to say to the other, but the sound of a cute giggle caught their ears. Looking back up, Helena was giggling away next to Cleveland as they watched Wichita reenact the scene of them catching Bataan's Hellcats back in the Mirror Sea.
"It's a miracle huh?" Val smiled warmly at the sight, "someone precious who was lost, able to come back…"
St. Louis opened her mouth to say something as a gust of wind blew Val's hair up and away from her back, revealing the scars normally hidden by her long hair. St. Louis held her tongue, to a human with their short and single lives, that sense of loss could never be filled completely, and Helena, along with every Shipgirl lost during the war, their revivals are truly miracles.
"...yes-," St. Louis said after a long pause, "-it truly is…"
Val didn't know when it started, but an uneasy feeling came over her, like a pair of eyes have been burrowing themselves into the back of her skull. She didn't feel like turning around at first but after her conversation with St. Louis ended, Val took a peek behind herself. The crimson twin tailed Cruiser behind her looked surprised as their eyes met.
Flashing a smile, Val waves at Honolulu, attempting to smooth over their rough start, but the Cruiser's twin-tails swung out as she quickly averted her gaze with an audible huff.
Val shirks back, a little hurt, wondering what she did to make Honolulu dislike her so much.
"Oh~ don't worry about Lulu~" St. Louis whispers, "that's just how she is sometimes."
'So she's probably just a little shy,' Val mused in her head.
The end of the dock drew near when Cleveland at the head of the pack turned to the rest of the girls, "where's Big Mamie?"
"Massachusetts? Last I saw her, Vestal was talking to her," Brooklyn pointed across the water to the adjacent dock, "over there…"
Cleveland broke out in a snicker. Over on the other dock, Massachusetts and Enterprise were kneeling with their heads lowered as Vestal could be heard faintly going off on the two for their recklessness.
"Poor Enty!" Columbia disparaged, also trying to hide a snicker. Lifting her camera to her eye, the blonde adjusted her lens till the trio were in focus, "she just can't escape Vestal's wrath."
With a few clicks, Colombia looked satisfied with herself, blowing a bubble with the gum she was chewing.
"And she wasn't even part of the action," Wichita cackled.
"Vestal really is the only one who could bring down the Big E," Brooklyn joined in on the laughter.
"Vestal's pretty scary actually," Val joined in the conversation, "one time at the Cafe, someone was trying to rob me at the register, he had a gun and everything! Pointing at me and shouting, I-I was pretty scared, but in a room with several Shipgirl's inside, Vestal immediately shot up and whacked that criminal over the head with the crane on her riggings!"
"I remember that!" Brooklyn snapped her finger in recollection, "and when he tried getting up she whacked him again!"
"She went from attack mode to immediately applying first aid to that scumbag when she knocked him out cold." Val added.
"Yup," Denver said with a pop in her lips, "sounds like our Vestal…"
Most of the group shared a laugh at Massachusetts and Enterprise's expense as they made their way towards the center of the Joint Base.
St. Louis's brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of Val's story, 'someone was lying to her,' she thought as she started to cast doubt over Val's role as Brooklyn's financial advisor, 'but for what reason?'
"Man Brook!" Cleveland began to disparage the older Cruiser, "you really couldn't come at a worse time!"
"Sorry?" Brooklyn scratched at the tip of her brow.
"We were still getting everything ready!" the shorter blonde continues, "I know you're pretty punctual, but a whole two days early is a bit ridiculous!"
"Hey~ it was beyond our control," Brooklyn tries to defend.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Cleveland began to walk backwards, "but I wanted to see the look on your face when we surprised you!"
"What? You guys were planning another party?" Brooklyn narrowed her eyes at her successor, "is this what you guys do with the budget I send your way?"
"Yeah… well…" Cleveland scratched at the back of her head, "it's great for morale?"
"I get that," Brooklyn shrugs, "and besides, Phoenix and Boise aren't here yet, why don't we save it for them?"
"Yeah… that makes sense," The shorter blonde deflated a little, hoping for two whole separate parties, "well, we could make it one big Brooklyn family reunion party!"
"I dunno… sounds expensive…" Brooklyn's brow furrows.
"Awww man~" Cleveland deflates again, not wanting to push anything past Brooklyn's approval.
"C'mon Brook!" Val piped in with a little pout, "That sounds like it could be fun. We did come here early for a vacation…"
"I-I suppose…we could do that…" Brooklyn gives in, turning her gaze away from Val's face, lest her cheeks turn redder than they already were.
"Alright!" Cleveland and Helena high-five.
"So that gives us a couple of days to prepare!" Denver clenched her fists psyching herself up.
"With all the food Brooklyn brought over," Helena rubbed her chin in thought, "there's more than enough to throw a pretty big party."
"Oh yes! Use it all if you need to," Brooklyn added, "I did have something in mind for it, but I think this is a better use for all the supplies."
"How much did you bring over anyway?" Cleveland asks, glancing back at the Manjuu offloading crate after crate off Brooklyn's ship.
"Oh~ just a few tons."
Cleveland's jaw hung open as she tries to process the older Cruiser's words, "a few… tons?!"
"She even stole The Commander's personal chefs," Wichita adds with a snicker.
"And he let you!?" A shocked Colombia shot out.
"You really are his favorite, huh," Cleveland wiggles her brow at her predecessor, playfully elbowing at her sides.
"I-its not like that…" Brooklyn tries to wave off the insinuation, before quickly hiding the ring on her finger from view.
"Really~?" Cleveland keeps pushing for a reaction, "then why are you getting so defensive~?"
"I… I-I am not…" a flustered Brooklyn looked around for backup, but most if not all the girls around her had their ears out, curious for an answer as well.
"Cleve-bro!" Biloxi shouts, "catch!" With a quick toss, Bataan's Hellcat arcs through the air right above her sister's head.
"Wha-?" Cleveland was completely caught off guard at the sudden use of her nickname, but even more so by the one shouting it as Biloxi has never really called her that before. With no time to think Cleveland raises her arms catching the little airplane above her head. What followed after no one was expecting.
"Kyaa!" A girlish shriek flew up and away from Cleveland's lips along with the hem of her skirt and cape, with her arms held high, unable to protect her modesty. Everyone's face grew a little red from the display but no one more than Helena and Montpelier as their eyes stayed, unconsciously burning the stars and stripes into their memories.
"Wha-wha-wha-what was that for!?" Cleveland stammers out, tossing the plane back towards Biloxi. Her skirt succumbs to the effects of gravity settling back down to its proper place.
"Sorry sis…" Biloxi shrugs, shooting a look of 'you owe me' towards Brooklyn, "you were wide open…"
"Always the patriot!" Wichita jeers at the blonde Cruiser, giving a mock salute to the flag.
"..." Cleveland grumbles, her whole face glowing bright red from ear to ear before lunging towards the Heavy Cruiser.
With their hands locked, pushing against the other, Cleveland and Wichita bared their teeth at each other.
"Why're you getting mad at me?!" Wichita strains against the force from the Light Cruiser, "I wasn't the one flipping your skirt!"
"Your face was making me irritated," Cleveland says with a toothy smirk, pushing hard against the Heavy Cruiser's grip.
"Oh~ you wanna fight?!" Wichita cackles loudly.
Helena weakly waves her arms in front of her attempting to put a stop to her friend's quarrel, "G-guys!" She stammers out, but the two butting heads are too stubborn to hear her.
"We were wondering what all the commotion was about?" A new voice with a slight southern Eagle Union accent yells out from the top of the hill just ahead of the group.
Turning around, Val spots a pair of Shipgirls. The one laughing had on an outfit, or lack thereof, almost similar to Massachusetts, with a small black bikini top and shorts, framed with a black and yellow duster-like cape that hung off her shoulders. The most distinct features about her though were her really long blonde twin-tails and a cowboy hat that rested between them.
"You guys are so freakin' loud!" The other shorter Shipgirl leaned forward shouting out with every ounce of her being. She wore a frilly black and white dress that resembled that of a Royal Navy maid uniform and the frilly headband nestled between two cat ears also lent credence to the same and Sakura Empire as well, but the star spangled ribbon she wore around her neck screamed Eagle Union, "some people are trying to get some work done over here!"
"Uh, oh…" Cleveland mutters under her breath, "we're in for it now…."
Cleveland and Wichita relinquished their grips letting their arms fall to their side.
"Hehe, relax Hammann," Wichita saunters over to the cat eared destroyer, "we were only playing around…" the redhead reaches over to pet the shorter girl's head before her hand is slapped away immediately."
"Don't touch me!" Hammann hissed, glaring upward at the Heavy Cruiser, "and you guys should be helping out! Brooklyn's almost… here…" her voice trails off as she catches sight of said Light Cruiser waving politely from the center of the group.
"B-Brooklyn!" The cat eared destroyer jumped in surprise pointing at the blonde Cruiser, "h-h-how come no one told us!"
"Hahaha!" Hornet laughs, roughly messing with Hammann's hair, "I guess we were too busy inside to notice."
The irate destroyer groans loudly in protest trying to dislodge the Blonde's hand from her head but that did not deter the cow girl's rough tousling.
"I heard you girls saw some action out there!" Hornet says after finally pacifying her companion, "it's been too quiet for too long over here! I was wondering when those stupid Sirens would make any moves!"
"W-we can't say for certain…" Brooklyn cuts in brushing her bangs behind her ear, "but it's too early to tell if this was a Sirens doing or not."
The air around the group became a little tense at the mention of their arch-enemies.
"If I had to say…" Brooklyn attempts to ease her friends' minds, "those surface ships seemed too disorganized for there to actually have been any direct Siren involvement."
"Still though, you should've seen the way Massachusetts and me tore right through them!" Wichita recants, making violent gestures with her hands.
"Massachusetts' here too!" Hornet scratches at her head slightly exasperated, "man! They really love keeping me outta the loop!"
"Yeah, that was kinda a last minute thing," Brooklyn lets out a guilty chuckle, gesturing back down the hill, "she's still at the docks getting an earful from Vestal with your sister if you wanna say hi."
"Heh…" Hornet released a sigh, not surprised in the slightest, "I was wondering where she went."
Patting the cat-eared destroyer on her head twice with a bit of force, Hornet beckons the younger girl to follow, "C'mon Hammann, let's go bail out Big Mammie and my sister."
"F-fine!" Hamman rubbed at the top of her head. Before running off after the blonde Carrier, she stops in front of Brooklyn, clutching at the hem of her skirt. She was hesitant to say what she held in the back of her throat as she looked up at the Cruiser stuttering her words in a small voice, "h-h-hows…"
"Hmm?" Brooklyn tilted her head in mock confusion. She already knew what the younger Simms wanted to ask, her more subdued demeanor was very telling
"Yorktown?" Brooklyn says with a soft smile, "you know she'd bonk you for worrying so much…"
Val watched as the white haired destroyer clutched at her dress even tighter with a slightly dejected look.
"But~ she's doing just fine~" Brooklyn says loud enough for Hornet to hear. The youngest Yorktown adjusts her hat pretending she wasn't listening, before continuing her descent down the hill.
Letting go of her skirt, Hammann's shoulders drop as a wave of relief hits her.
"Hurry on up now," Brooklyn rubbed at the smaller destroyer's back before giving her a slight nudge forward," or Hornet will leave you behind."
"Hmm!" Hammann flashes a bright smile behind herself before running off to catch up to the twin-tailed Fleet Carrier.
The group had dispersed somewhat by the time they reached the Eagle Union dorms. Cleveland, her sisters, and Helena made their way towards the mess hall to start the preparations for the reunion party they had planned for Brooklyn and her sisters. St. Louis was helping Biloxi carry around Bataan's Hellcats as they led the way forward inside the dorms.
Val clutched at the straps of her duffle bag, as the echoes of their heels clacked unabated through the empty dormitory hallways. Not a single word was spoken by Honolulu in their entire journey up the hill, with so many people around it was easy to not really notice, but now with essentially just the three of them, the silence was overwhelming.
Val's eyes bounced between the backs of the two sister's heads, anxiously waiting to see who would break the silence first. But it would be neither as St. Louis ahead of them turned around abruptly.
"So~" the busty bluenette begins, stopping in front of a door with a crooked sign, "about the room you were supposed to be staying in…"
Swinging open the door, the girls shield their eyes to the late afternoon sun. Biloxi, Brooklyn, and Val's mouth hung open, in awe of the gaping hole where part of the ceiling and most of the far wall used to be.
"There was a slight accident…" St. Louis strains a smile through her teeth.
"W-when did this happen?!" Biloxi shot out incredulously.
"Right after you left actually…" the shorter haired bluenette chuckles nervously, "there was a little~ incident involving some unsecured bombs…" St. Louis withholds the identity of the parties responsible for the damage, discreetly smiling in Honolulu's direction.
Brooklyn pinched at the bridge of her nose, shaking her head she side eyes Val standing next to her still staring at the rubble hanging precariously from the ceiling. She promised Mama Hermosa that she would protect her daughter from Sirens, but it's looking more like she'll need protection against Shipgirl's instead.
"Is the building safe to be in…?" Val clutched at the straps to her duffel bag tightly once more.
"Don't worry about it~" St. Louis waves off Val's worries with a confident smile, "we built this place pretty tough, so a tiny hole like that shouldn't pose a problem."
As if on cue, a slab of concrete came crashing down from the ceiling. It shatters upon impact as a slight tremor reverberates through the whole building.
"See~ hardly a dent…" the busty bluenette gestures before gently shutting the door, "Honolulu's got a free room in her suite she's been saving for this occasion. "
"I-I guess it can't be helped…" Honolulu breaks her silence, shooting an angry glare at St. Louis. Still looking a bit perturbed she bites at her lips slightly, still having trouble making eye contact with Brooklyn, "y-you can stay with me… s-since there's really nowhere else."
"That'll work," Brooklyn agrees readily, as she turns to start heading down the hall once more.
"How 'bout her?" Honolulu asks with a bit of harshness in her voice.
"Val? She can stay with me." Brooklyn answers back.
"Gah…" the redhead looked a little taken aback, "I-in the same room?"
"Yeah," Brooklyn nods, "that shouldn't be a problem."
"B-b-but there's only o-one b-bed?!"
"Oh~ don't worry about it~" Val jumps in trying to clarify, "we sleep together all the time~!"
"F-for business trips!" Brooklyn adds swiftly as the color nearly drains from her face, "I find it more frugal to stay in the small rooms at hotels!"
"Y-yeah! T-that's what I meant!" Val chuckles nervously.
"F-fine!" Honolulu storms ahead, "if Brook's alright with it…" she mutters under her breath.
The walk down the rest of the hall was wordless yet again as Honolulu led the way to her room. The twin-tailed Cruiser pushes her door open, a loud thud making Val jump from the inner handle impacting the wall with a bit of force.
"You can set your bag down over there." Honolulu tries her best to sound accommodating but just comes off as reluctant.
Like a turtle, Val tries to sink her head between her shoulders as she scoots past the busty redhead to venture deeper into the room.
Taking quick glances around the fairly large room, Val takes note of all the plushies and cute decor that lined the walls and shelves. Red seemed to be the dominant color choice here, with the carpets and various trimming swathed in a muted crimson. Much unlike her older sister, Honolulu looked like she was a fair bit more organized with hardly anything looking out of place or haphazardly strewn about. Val's eyes stop at a familiar reindeer plushie sitting next to a framed photo on the little kitchenette counter.
Going in for a closer look at the photo, Val noticed it had a similar make up as the one Brooklyn kept on her countertop, a "family" photo of Brooklyn's and Cleveland's sisters alongside what looked like Baltimore and Bremerton who she had met back home in New York.
"Don't touch anything!" Honolulu warned sharply after noticing Val getting too close to her stuffed reindeer.
"S-sorry!" Val squeaked out.
"Lulu…" St. Louis reprimands in a soft tone.
"S-sorry," Val apologizes again, "but I just noticed it's the same Reindeer that's in Brooklyn's room."
"They're not the same!" Honolulu shot out quickly. Picking up the stuffed animal, she holds it close to her chest, resting her chin atop its head.
"They're sisters…" the redhead averted her gaze from those in the room, fiddling with the plushies limbs, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Setting aside the fact that reindeer with antlers were males making them brothers, Val takes a look back through her memories, remembering a red scarf adorning the neck of the reindeer sitting on top of Brooklyn's bookshelf, while a vibrant blue scarf wrapped around the one Honolulu was holding. Blue seemed a bit odd considering the stark contrast with all the red in her room.
"See," Val turns to Brooklyn shuffling her luggage into the room they'd be using, "I told you, you should've brought yours over."
"If I was sailing by myself, maybe," Brooklyn adds, kneeling to pick up another luggage case, "but I had you with me so I didn't need it."
"D-didn't need it…" Honolulu's voice barely above a whisper as she clenches the reindeer's leg tightly before throwing it to the ground. With a shaky breath, the redheaded Cruiser dashes towards her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
"..." those left in the room were stunned from the sudden outburst.
Brooklyn eyes those in the room desperately, but the expressions she was getting in return made her heart sink into her stomach. Biloxi shook her head disapprovingly by the entrance to the suite, Val rubbed at the bridge of her nose releasing an exasperated sigh, and St. Louis stared back with a strained smile, all telling her that she had in fact, royally fucked up.
"I-I should-" Brooklyn stumbles as she gets back to her feet, already looking in the direction of Honolulu's bedroom. Before her feet could move, a hand at her shoulder stopped her from doing so.
St. Louis shook her head slowly, "how about giving her some space?"
"But-" Brooklyn tries to argue but stops before any more words leave her lips. She figured she's given her sister more than enough space with the time they've been apart.
The poor plushie lay on the cold wooden floor, its lifeless plastic eyes reflecting the white concrete ceiling and the silhouette of a still Cruiser in front of it.
She really couldn't be more stupid if she tried, Brooklyn thought about herself, as knelt down beside the stuffed animal. She knew how much they meant to her sister and what they represented, but after years of burying herself in her work and running away from her anxiety, she had forgotten. Picking the reindeer off the floor, Brooklyn held it in front of herself, remembering the time they first came into her possession.
It was a cold winter's night at a festival in the Sakura Empire. The war against the Sirens was still raging on as Brooklyn and her sisters were stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base to bolster the forces there as the Sirens had begun to increase their attacks. One island to the south was hit pretty hard, suddenly and mercilessly. Brooklyn and Honolulu were sent there the following day to assist in the recovery efforts. The carnage left behind by the Sirens was even more brutal than usual Brooklyn thought as they combed through the wreckage of the once peaceful village that stood there. Honolulu was always the sensitive one so when she discovered the remains of a family buried in the rubble, all huddling together in their last moments, she broke down hard that day.
Even though the little island nation was so heavily affected by the Sirens attacks, its people were as strong as ever, refusing to stop living their lives as their attackers would have hoped. Festivals and celebrations were carried out like normal with thousands of people filling the streets, lining food stalls, dancing, and enjoying fireworks. It was one such festival that Brooklyn had happened upon the two reindeer "siblings'', sitting atop a game vendor's shelf. Brooklyn had managed to coerce Honolulu out of her room that night after holding herself inside for a week dragging her out to cheer her up and enjoy the celebrations. Passing by the countless stalls that lined the still ruined streets the two Cruisers had stopped after Honolulu had eyed the pair of reindeers sitting together on the top shelf of one of those "shoot it to knock it off and it's yours" type of games. Seeing how her sister's eyes wouldn't leave the two stuffed animals, Brooklyn pushed Honolulu forward, goading her to play the game. Taking the little plastic rifle in hand Honolulu stuffs the cork inside the barrel before shakily lifting it to her face. *pop* The cork went flying, hitting true to its mark, teetering the plushie but not quite knocking it down. With renewed determination, Honolulu grit her teeth as she aimed her last shot, landing square on the reindeers' head, sending it crashing to the floor. A great big smile lined her face as the vendor handed her the little reindeer. Thinking Honolulu had her fill, Brooklyn started to walk before being tugged back by a hand at her sleeve. Turning around, Brooklyn saw yet another sad look on her sister's face as she eyes the vendor's top shelf yet again.
In a small voice she said, burying her face into her plushie, "she looks so lonely now… I've taken her sister away from her…"
With a soft sigh, Brooklyn ruffles her sister's hair before slamming down a few yen on the vendor's counter. With one precise shot, the last reindeer came falling down.
Brooklyn thought she wouldn't ever forget the look of joy on Honolulu's face when she held both "sisters" in her arms saying, "hehe, they look like us!" But it only took until this moment of her failure as a sister to be reminded of that memory.
Honolulu had brought those plushies everywhere with her at the time, traveling from base to base, never keeping the two apart. So when she offered to let Brooklyn keep one after she had been reassigned to the Joint Base, it came as a surprise.
"So you won't feel so lonely…" she said back then as she handed the reindeer to Brooklyn before departing later that day.
Brooklyn started to feel crummy for letting it sit neglected on top of her bookshelf for so long collecting dust back home. Maybe if she had given it a squeeze every now and again, she wouldn't have been in this predicament. Maybe she would've had a better relationship with her sisters by now and wouldn't have felt the need to run from them all this time.
Holding the reindeer close to her chest, Brooklyn hugs it tightly, Lulu's scent wafts off its fur, filling her with a sense of warmth. If only she had hugged hers like this sooner.
"Brooklyn…"
The light Cruiser jumps slightly at a touch on her shoulder. Val had already begun rubbing circles on her back as she leans into the blonde's side.
"One step at a time…" Val says just loud enough for Brooklyn to hear, "...remember?"
Brooklyn recalled something, why she had mustered the strength to be at the Joint Base at this very moment, and the smile on Val's face served as that reminder. The same smile Brooklyn had fell in love with just a few years ago and one she hopes to see for many more years to come.
"Yeah," Brooklyn smiles back, "I remember."
St. Louis stood, with her eyes wide at how easily Val was able to snap Brooklyn out of her melancholy. As much of a surprise it may have been, it was a pleasant one, as she held her cheek, unable to contain a smile of her own.
"Still though," Val says harshly, as she helps Brooklyn up to her feet before flicking the Cruiser between her eyes, "how inconsiderate can you be?!"
St. Louis was aghast watching Brooklyn rub at her forehead.
"Didn't need it!?" Val said incredulously, "I would've started crying if I was in her shoes!"
"..." Brooklyn wanted to shrink back down, but she knew all too well she deserved it.
"Now be a good big sister-" Val says, spinning the Light Cruiser around to face Honolulu's bedroom, "-and go in there and apologize!"
"But… I-" Brooklyn stammers.
"No butts!" Val gives her fiance a slight push, watching as Brooklyn fidgets in place before lifting her hand to knock on the door.
"Lulu…" Brooklyn knocks lightly on the door a few times, waiting for any kind of response. Looking back at Val after getting no reply, Brooklyn's anxiety started to return. Val nods her head as if to encourage her to try one more time.
"Lulu…" she knocks on the door again, a little harder this time.
"Go away!" The voice behind the door whines.
"You don't have to listen to me…" Brooklyn begins the conversation through the door, "but I… I-I just wanted to say… that I'm… that I'm sorry!"
Honolulu's response came delayed after a long pause, "I don't care! Go away!"
"Lulu…" Brooklyn sighs, gripping the knob to the door gently, "I'm coming in…"
"W-w-what are you…?!" Honolulu's voice stammers as the door swings open, "r-right now?! N-no! G-go away! B-b-but I'm not-!" Her voice trails as the door shuts behind Brooklyn.
Val and St. Louis found themselves holding their breaths, ready to hear a litany of obscenities and thrown objects but it was silence that came over the room once more.
Glancing over at the two bluenettes, Val lets out a small chuckle, "at least Brooklyn wasn't sent flying…"
"Ha!" Biloxi laughed from the entrance to the suite, "don't rule it out yet!"
"..." St. Louis's brow furrows, on one hand all seemed to be going well, for now, but on the other, it was sad to see things going down this path to begin with. Although some tension was anticipated, she had hoped it wouldn't have come to this.
"Maybe it's best we give them some space…" Val suggests as she starts heading back out of the suite.
"C'mon Lou," Biloxi calls her fellow bluenette, still staring at the bedroom door with a conflicted expression, "Val's right, we can check up on them later. If the room is still intact when we get back, then we'll know everything went well."
The older Cruiser nodded her head silently taking one last glance at the bedroom door before exiting the suite entirely.
Later that night.
After parting ways with Biloxi at the door to her room, St. Louis quietly makes her way down the hall, stopping in front of Honolulu's room. Carefully prying the door open, she was greeted with a dark room. To her relief, the room was almost exactly how they left it, with the exception of the mostly unpacked luggage stacked by the second bedroom. Peeking her head inside, St. Louis could just make out a single head sleeping on the bed, most likely Val from the looks of it, but she was alone. Where was Brooklyn? She thought as she made her way to Honolulu's bedroom. Silently opening the door, St. Louis steps inside. A teary smile came over her as her eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room, on the bed, still in their clothes from earlier, were her two sisters quietly sleeping in the embrace of the other.
Honolulu lay, peacefully sleeping within the arms of Brooklyn, resting her head against her oldest sister's bosom. Their chests rose and fell in a gentle serene rhythm, in contrast to the tense mood from earlier afternoon. Boy did she wish she had a camera right about now as she resisted the urge to call for Colombia to document such a memorable moment.
St. Louis tiptoes to the side of the bed, bending over to place a kiss on her sister's cheeks.
"Goodnight," she whispers softly, giggling to herself as Brooklyn stirs slightly from the contact.
Gathering the blanket from the foot of the bed, the bluenette carefully pulls it over the both of them, tucking them in nice and easy.
St. Louis stops at the doorway, looking back at her sisters, smiling to herself once more, before shutting the door behind her.
A similar scene played out as she entered her suite, dark and quiet with Helena already fast asleep in her bedroom. Changing into her nightwear, St. Louis pulls the curtains open slightly, letting in the moon's light. On top of her dresser was the old broken lockbox that was inside the crate of decorations that Helena had found. A glint from the box's metal latch catches the Light Cruiser's eye as she goes over to pick it up. Even with her hand on the lid she couldn't bring herself to open it and take a look inside. Placing it back down, the busty Cruiser crawls under the covers of her own bed, the call of sleep overtaking her tired eyes.
Sorry for such a late update! December has always been a hectic month for my family but this year, even more so.
Sorry if it got a bit confusing there in the beginning, a lot of characters were involved in this chapter, but I'm hoping to explore some of them in depth later!
Next chapter I'll be focusing on Massachusetts' side of the story with a bit of Le Malin sprinkled about.
And again I really want to say thank you to all the people who have taken the time to read my slow and mediocre excuse of a story. It really does mean a lot. I still can't believe I've been working on this fic for over a year now!
If you have any tips and feedback, please, feel free to let me know.