Apocrypha let out a sigh and leaned herself backwards, using her arms to stop herself from falling over on her back. Doing so would upset the balance of her cross-legged sitting position, on which Nagato had long since fallen asleep, her fox ears twitching happily in some unknown but happy dream.

Hanazuki had been back in a jiffy with an expertly balanced tray of three servings of food, and for a light meal it had gone down fairly slowly due to the resultant conversation. But Nagato hadn't lasted fifteen minutes after happily eating and chatting, the combination of her past-bedtime fatigue combining with the blood flow imbalance of a food coma. But then again, they had spent over forty-five minutes talking over a meal that had been designed for staff who only had a brief relapse between work to grab a bite to eat. None of them had had the opportunity to eat any quicker based on the intensity of the conversation.

"She really wasn't lying when she said this was beyond her normal bedtime…" Apocrypha muttered as she almost involuntarily caressed the sleeping Nagato's hair like she somewhat wished she could do with Hanazuki's tail, which had been slowly swishing this whole time from excitement.

"But I'm sure she's enjoyed every second she was able to stay awake while she was with us. Especially you, Commander," Hanazuki said. "I can say that I, at the very least, definitely have. You're a wonderful person to be with and I feel comforted that Azur Lane is under the command of someone as personable as you."

"I'm just doing what I've been entrusted with," Apocrypha said as she scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "Azur Lane has given me a lot more than I've yet to be able to give it back, and if that meant clearing the air with people where I've started on the wrong foot, I'd gladly do my best."

"Well, if that is how you intend to be going forward, I see bright days ahead for our fight against the Sirens," Hanazuki replied as she stood up. "May I take Lady Nagato back to her room before I return to my own shift so you can turn in for the night? You seem about ready to collapse onto the futon even if I hadn't already set it up."

Apocrypha let out a laugh. "Sure, thanks. I was wondering when you had to go back to work. If you can take Nagato back to her room seeing as I don't know how to get there, I'd appreciate it."

"That will not be necessary," came a voice from the door. A voice that made Apocrypha almost jump as an ingrained involuntary reflex, almost bouncing Nagato into the air.

Kawakaze stood at the opening of the sliding door. Her arms were crossed and her swords gone, at least gone from her external person. "I shall take Nagato-sama to her room, Hanazuki. You may return to your work at your earliest convenience."

Glancing over to see the tension in Apocrypha's jaw despite herself, Hanazuki frowned in concern. "I apologize for my rudeness, Lady Kawakaze, but had Lady Nagato not required that you remove yourself from the area for her meeting with the Commander?"

Kawakaze made no reaction, but reached into her ears and extracted two rounded conical objects, the foam it was made up of squishing in her firm grip. "'For my ears and the Commander's,'" Kawakaze specified. "I heard nothing of your conversations, and only discerned that you were wrapping up from your physical behavior."

"I don't believe Lady Nagato would be very happy to hear of this when she wakes up," Hanazuki countered. "Did she not desire a private audience with the Commander?"

"She can be angry at me later. It was for her safety, and I found nothing to object to. What I saw happen tonight will not be said nor written anywhere else."

Hanazuki pursued her lips, but didn't argue, carefully picking up the sleeping Nagato from Apocrypha's lap and carrying her over to Kawakaze, who took the sleeping girl on her back without a word, disappearing into the hallway.

"I suppose you could consider that progress with Lady Kawakaze, Commander," she said to Apocrypha, who was yet to move an inch from the position from where Nagato had been lifted off of her lap and onto Kawakaze's back. "If nothing else, her worry and loyalty to Lady Nagato would seem to supersede any personal dislike she has of you, and as long as Lady Nagato remains on good terms with you, she as her bodyguard wouldn't dare raise a finger."

"Um… yeah…" came the only response.

It wasn't much, but it would do.


Hours later, Apocrypha sat on the edge of the futon, looking out the glass of the door leading onto the balcony and observing the treetops of the garden below in the occasional flicker of lightning that illuminated them. Her body felt leaden, begging for the soft comfort of the futon's embrace and sleep, but her mind refused to cooperate. Every time she relaxed and thought she'd be able to lay down to sleep, her mind dragged her back to the conversation on Vercingetorix's ship and the hurt in her eyes when she'd admitted to being afraid of the shipgirls.

She knew she needed to face her at some point and apologize. She racked her brain to come up with anything the knight might enjoy to prove that her attempt to make right was genuine, all to no avail. Apocrypha had only ever seen her while on-duty as bodyguard to Richelieu or Duquesne and it was difficult to decipher anything beyond the cold mask of formality she showed the world. She feared that whatever she tried to do, she'd make the situation worse by offering or doing something it would turn out Vercingetorix disliked. The last thing she needed was to be adding to the damaged trust between them further.

Her ears picked up the sound of a gentle knock and then the hall door opening, and she looked over in time to see Hanazuki entering the room, a small tray with a steaming porcelain pot and small porcelain cup on a wooden coaster balanced on one hand while in the other she carried an ornately decorated porcelain vase with flowers in varying shades of pink. The fox offered a gentle smile when she noticed Apocrypha's gaze, pausing just outside of the sliding door to the main room. "Please forgive me for the late visit. I noticed that your light was still on. I thought some flowers and sake may help you relax if you're having trouble sleeping, if you would like them."

Apocrypha nodded without hesitation. "Thank you, Hanazuki. I think I'm going to step outside for a moment."

Hanazuki bowed her head in acknowledgement. "I will bring the sake out to you shortly, then," she promised, letting Apocrypha go outside before entering the room and placing the vase of flowers on a small table beneath a scroll painted with the scenery of rugged, snow-capped mountains.

Once the flowers were arranged to sit on the table as she wanted, she brought the tray of sake out to Apocrypha on the balcony, setting the tray on the table. Only a short while later, she offered the filled cup to Apocrypha, who took it gladly.

When the fox bowed, it only took a moment of hesitation before Apocrypha found the nerve to reach out and gently pat her head, making the destroyer blush and giggle like a young girl being praised. "Thank you, Hanazuki, for your attentiveness," she said as the girl straightened up. "I will make sure you're appropriately rewarded for going above and beyond to make sure I'm comfortable here."

Hanazuki smiled brightly, ears erect and tail swishing rapidly in joy at the praise. "I'm happy to hear that my service pleases you. Breakfast is served from six to seven in the morning. Would you like a serving brought here, or would you prefer to eat in the public dining hall?"

Apocrypha thought it over for a moment. "I'll join everyone in the dining hall, I think."

"I'll tell them to expect you, then. Have a good night, Commander."

Apocrypha raised the cup of sake to her lips, taking a slow sip of the warmed liquid as she watched the destroyer dismiss herself. Once the hall door had closed behind Hanazuki, she moved to the rail of the balcony, looking out over the sprawling garden below. She could make out the soft glow of lanterns along what she guessed was a pathway in places where the tree cover was thinner.

She emptied the ochoko, placing it back onto the coaster so she could bring the tray inside, finding somewhere to set it before retrieving the sandals from the rack Zuihou had pointed out earlier. She carried them out onto the balcony before slipping them on and making her way down the wood stairs winding down the hillside into the garden below.

As she stepped down from the final step, she was relieved to find that the Japanese maple trees that lined the pathway also offered protection from the falling rain, although she still kicked herself mentally for not thinking to see if there may have been an umbrella in the room. She'd only explore for a short while and then head back up, she decided. Hopefully without ending up too soaked to the bone.

The path was easy enough to follow, slabs of stone with moss winding through the gaps making it seem as if the pathway had been in place for centuries and she'd stepped back in time. As she walked, she took notice of the occasional small pond, deer scarer bamboo features, or areas of combed sand with statues and rock arrangements, while small pagoda lanterns hanging from the branches of trees or set on stone pillars softly illuminated the various pathways that branched and spread throughout the garden, inviting visitors to stop and take solace in any spaces that caught their fancy and offered peace for their mind.

She wasn't sure how long she'd walked, staying on paths picked at random that kept her under the cover of the trees, until she came to a stop at a clearing surrounded by the Japanese maples with sakura trees intermixed, the blossoms having closed for the night but still studding the trees with beads of pinks and white. A large rock pond sat in the center of the clearing, the water gently burbling into it from a small creek. Within, she could see the occasional flash of color from the koi swimming in the pond, one sometimes breaking the surface of the water in hopes that it would find the visitor had brought them food.

Apocrypha made her way to the covered bench nearby and sat herself on it, glad to find there was a food dispenser and tossing a handful of the food out into the pond. The quiet was broken by the splashes of the fish hurrying to devour the tiny pellets while she watched them, until she sensed eyes on her. She lifted her eyes from the water, slowly scanning her surroundings.

It didn't take long to find the source of the watchful gaze fixed on her. Across the pond sat a pale-haired woman on a bench similar to her own but lacking the cover, allowing the rain to fall freely on her, although it seemed the woman didn't mind that the rain had soaked her. Deep blue horns resembling branches of coral sprouted from her head, a few strands of her fine blue-silver hair caught draping on them, and a quick scan revealed that a similarly dark blue tail rested on the ground curled around the side of the bench. Unlike her yukata, the kimono worn by this woman was short, a pattern of dragon scaling decorating the pale purple of the fabric. As if to make up for the short length of the kimono, black stockings stretched to her mid-thigh, making the white geta on her feet stand out starkly.

"It is rude to stare at someone without so much as a hello," the woman said.

Apocrypha blinked, quickly turning her gaze back to the pond and the koi. "S-sorry. I was surprised to see someone else here, and I haven't seen someone like you before. I mean, you know, the horns and tail. They're different."

The dragon snorted, the tip of her tail flicking like a cat's and Apocrypha could see now that the flash of white on the end of the tail was actually a tuft of long fur rather than a fin like the sail that ran along the tail's spine. "How am I supposed to take that? A compliment? A sign that you have already figured out what and who I am?"

"Er…" Apocrypha bit her lip, a feeling that she needed to tread carefully now settling in her gut. "It was only an observation. Most of the ones I've seen are foxes, so a dragon is just… different. You're a shipgirl, right?"

The dragon nodded, seeming more relaxed after Apocrypha's earlier answer. "Yes, I am a shipgirl. And you are not from the Sakura Empire, else I doubt you would be sitting here having a conversation as we are."

"Right. I'm Apocrypha. Azur Lane's Commander. I'm only visiting for a couple days before I return to the Eagle Union with my operation fleet."

The dragon laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Of everywhere you could have been from…" She trailed off, grinning despite the seriousness of her tone. "Allow me to offer you a bit of unsolicited advice. Do not, under any circumstances, mention our meeting here to anyone not of the Sakura Empire. For the sake of your safety and mine."

Before she could stop herself, the question of "Why?" had already slipped from Apocrypha's lips.

The dragon sighed, taking a moment to consider how to explain while also maintaining the required secrecy - a matter she found pointless, but was constantly insisted on nonetheless. "I am a being that many would say should not exist. You will find that those from here fear and worship the ground I walk on, but outsiders would see me as a monster to be slain. The Sakura Empire would go to any lengths necessary to prevent that from happening, and you would find yourself squarely in the middle of the battle to decide my fate."

Apocrypha was taken aback at the information, looking over the dragon's overall appearance again for some hint as to why that may be the case. There was nothing she could immediately see, but she couldn't gauge the woman's size very well, nor did she have her riggings that would allow Apocrypha at least the hope of guessing what type of ship she was. However, she realized that this could be the perfect opportunity to get some insight into what may allow her to make amends with Vercingetorix.

"Can I ask you something?"

The dragon tilted her head, amused curiosity in her eyes. "I have just warned you that speaking with me could be a death sentence for you, yet you wish to ask me for advice?" she asked, laughter bubbling in her voice. "If you insist, then feel free to ask the question. I will answer if I am able."

Apocrypha sighed in relief that the woman seemed more bemused by the request than offended. "There's someone I think I hurt by saying that she and some other shipgirls scare me. I was hoping that since you said everyone is afraid of you, you might have some idea of how I could fix things?"

"I believe you may already know what to do," the woman said, laughing at the confused expression that elicited on Apocrypha's face. "What I mean by that is that even if someone were afraid of me, I would like for them to still spend quality time with me regardless of that and treat me as a normal person. I believe that even if they were still afraid of me, I would not mind."

Apocrypha couldn't help the yawn as the dragon spoke, smiling sheepishly in apology. "Thanks, I think."

The dragon shrugged, rising gracefully to her feet, and now Apocrypha could see the real size of her. She had thought the battleships such as Wales, North Carolina, or Veneto, even Mackensen, were impressive, but this woman would have dwarfed any of them. There was no question of what she was now - a battleship of massive proportion, and Apocrypha had no doubts that the riggings she would carry would be no less impressive. It suddenly made sense as to why she would be so feared, even if Apocrypha had no clue as to her identity.

"It is late," the dragon said, herself letting out a long yawn. "You should return to your room to rest. Amends with your friend have waited this long, so I am sure they can wait until tomorrow. I wish you luck, Commander of Azur Lane."

Apocrypha watched her walk away until she disappeared into the darkness beyond before she finally got up herself, making her way back toward her room, repeating the dragon's words in her head. Perhaps she would find something while exploring the town tomorrow morning with Mackensen. If she only needed to treat Vercingetorix as a normal person, she figured a good start would be to offer some game they could try together.


A knock at her door woke Apocrypha the next morning, followed by Mackensen's voice calling for her to wake up. Apocrypha groaned, slowly dragging herself out of bed and trudging out to the door leading to the hallway, unlocking and opening it to give Mackensen a tired look. "Did you go around waking up everyone else, or is this some annoying special treatment you're giving me?" she grumbled, trying to pull her yukata back into some semblance of presentability.

"Well, good morning to you, too," Mackensen replied sarcastically, though her tone held no real bite to it. She stepped past once Apocrypha moved aside to let her in, this time actually able to get a good look at the grey-green yukata Mackensen wore decorated with a pattern of leaves and white flowers, a notable difference from her usual black and red.

Apparently, Mackensen had noticed her looking, smiling at her. "It looks good, right? It was a lucky find I made the last time I visited here. We can find you one to take home while we're out today, if you want."

Apocrypha nodded, making her way back into the room and motioning for Mackensen to follow. "Give me a minute to make myself presentable and we'll go to breakfast? Why did you come here, anyway? I would have met you in the dining hall."

Mackensen held up a small bag. "Nagato caught me on my morning walk and asked me to bring you this. If you bring me a comb, I can help pin your hair up."

Apocrypha nodded, making quick work of a short shower and dressing again before bringing the comb out for Mackensen, sitting on the end of the futon while the battlecruiser knelt behind her. She took the pin when Mackensen passed it to her to hold, admiring the delicately molded white glass flower petals, purple glass beads formed into other flower buds, while pearls held in place by polished gold were set within the white flowers, with more of the purple beads and white flower petals set to hang on golden chains. She didn't dare dwell on how expensive of a gift she'd been given, and by the leader of the Sakura Empire no less. She could occasionally feel the tip of the comb's teeth on her scalp as Mackensen worked out any tangles and began to style her hair.

"I didn't think you'd be the type who enjoys doing hair."

Mackensen laughed, picking up another strand of hair to bring into the braid she was weaving to coax the hair to one side. "It's a bit harder to do on myself, and unfortunately for me, Tirpitz refuses to let her hair get long, so I don't often have the opportunity. Is it bothering you?"

"No."

Mackensen returned to her work, a few minutes later asking for the pin and carefully sliding it into Apocrypha's hair to hold the bun in place. "Look in the mirror and see what you think."

Apocrypha got up and went into the bathroom, examining the loose bun encircled by a braid, decorated with the pin. She reached up to gingerly touch it, smiling. "It's beautiful. Maybe I should have you do my hair every day," she joked as she came back out.

Mackensen got to her feet, laughing and shaking her head. "Perhaps not every day, but I don't mind helping during diplomatic visits or for events. Now then, I'm starving, so let's go for breakfast."

She led Apocrypha out to the dining hall, at some point her riggings joining them and placing themselves on either side of the pair. Mackensen absently rubbed the head of the one closest to her in greeting as they entered the hall, finding them an unoccupied table and motioning for Apocrypha to sit across from her while the metal beasts took protective positions on each side. Low grumbles occasionally emanated from them as other girls would pass by or look their way, ensuring they were left alone.

Halfway through breakfast, Apocrypha noticed that Mackensen had taken to watching someone approaching, turning to look over her shoulder to see a woman dressed in military uniform approaching, brown hair tied back into a low ponytail and white horns curling around her head. She glanced back at Mackensen, realizing that her sudden attention wasn't the same as her posturing against Kawakaze or others, but that she seemed annoyed that the bluff wasn't going to work.

"Who is that?" Apocrypha asked.

Mackensen sighed, turning her attention away from the woman in favor of taking another bite of food. "One of the oldest ships among any of us. There are four names you need to remember that all of us respect with no question, even if some are nuisances, because they've survived against odds even newer ships struggle with. You've met the Northern Parliament's Avrora. Over there, they also have a battleship known as Potemkin. Within Iron Blood's ranks, we have another battleship, Schleswig-Holstein. And lastly, there is the Sakura Empire battleship Mikasa, the 'Great Veteran', sitting beside you. The third-oldest ship in Azur Lane service only behind the two from the Northern Parliament."

Apocrypha glanced to her side and jumped, surprised to find that there was actually someone sitting there, even if she'd seen the woman heading their way. "Ah! Um, I mean, h-hello. I, uh…"

Mikasa chuckled. "Relax. Mackensen just likes to talk us up. I can promise you none of us from those days are so uptight or put too much stock in it. We don't expect any special treatment or formality. What I'm trying to say is, treat me like you would any other shipgirl."

Apocrypha relaxed, though the last words echoed in her head. That battleship she'd met last night had said something similar about wishing she would be treated like a normal shipgirl. For a moment, it crossed her mind to ask Mikasa who the dragon was, but she quickly remembered that she had said her existence shouldn't be discussed in the presence of shipgirls from other factions, making her hold her tongue. If she was lucky, she could ask Zuihou when she saw her later.

Mikasa seemed to not notice her brief lapse in attention, continuing on to introduce herself. "As Mackensen said, I'm Mikasa. I used to be the Sakura Empire's flagship, a long time ago. Of course, Nagato has done a fine job of leading since the torch was passed on to her."

"Would you get to whatever point you came over here for already?" Mackensen grumbled through a mouthful of food. "I thought setting my riggings as guards was a clear enough sign I'd rather be left alone, and given the Sakura Empire's shipgirls' propensity for threatening or attempting to kill Apocrypha here, my patience with you all has long since worn thin, even if you would be easily dealt with."

Oh. We're back to death threats already, Apocrypha groaned internally. It wasn't a surprise coming from Mackensen, but it had been nice to see the battlecruiser more relaxed for once.

Mikasa, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed at all. If anything, she seemed amused at the threat, and Apocrypha guessed this sort of little exchange had occurred a hundred times before. Mackensen had said she'd been here a few times before, and given Mikasa's status as former flagship and Mackensen's as one who should have been a future flagship, she could assume this little show was only a way to sate their egos in some way. As if Mackensen's wasn't big enough.

"I wanted to meet the new Commander," Mikasa explained simply, reaching to pet the beast near her but instead being growled at by the steel monster, quickly withdrawing her hand. "Those don't get any friendlier, do they? No matter how many times I see them, those semi-automatic -"

"Semi-autonomous," Mackensen corrected with a sigh.

"I don't understand those living riggings you and the Northern Parliament favor so much." Moving on from the topic, Mikasa looked to Apocrypha. "Eagle Union doesn't use such things, though. 'Apocrypha'... Are you some new type of ship? I'm no good with all the newfangled technology everyone's using these days, but I'd be honored if you would show me your ship so I could add a model of it to my collection."

Apocrypha blinked and then smiled sheepishly, shaking her head. "I, uh…"

"Apocrypha is a codename she uses," Mackensen cut in, coming to the rescue. "We wouldn't want anyone being able to blackmail der Kommandant because they know her identity, right?"

Mikasa nodded in understanding, getting to her feet as she noticed the room starting to clear. "I see. That makes her easier to understand, then. Not another one of those nonsensical, overcomplicated blueprint ships." She held a hand out to help Apocrypha up, smiling. "And I heard the rumor that Akagi has been spreading. Try not to take it too harshly. Given time, the Sakura Empire will see that the accusations were false. I doubt anyone who had truly abducted Nagato would dare come out and spend time in public, even with Mackensen guarding them. In fact, I'd dare say that Mackensen would be the first to take action had you seemed to be a threat."

Mackensen snorted. "Iron Blood has not once raised a hand against any Commander candidate," she corrected, narrowing her eyes. "I would be cautious of implying us to be cold-blooded killers. The only problem we've had is the little twat we call our second-in-command tried to get der Kommandant drunk the first time they met."

Apocrypha took Mikasa's offered hand, rising to her feet while Mackensen stood as well, trying to quickly think of some way to break the growing tension. "Uh, you mentioned a model ship collection -"

"Oh, would you like to see it?" Mikasa offered without a second thought, grinning. "Follow me."

Apocrypha followed as she was pulled along by the battleship, catching Mackensen doing a poor job of using her hand over her mouth to hide her laughter as she followed behind. Mikasa eagerly talked away as they walked, detailing how many ships she had managed to make models of and ones she was currently or would soon be working on.

Finally, they reached a large building, Mikasa opening the door to reveal the large display room within. Against one wall sat a large worktable, a few ships in the process of being built or painted sitting on the surface, while the other walls were adorned with glass-fronted cabinets lined with shelves bearing various ships, each upon a stand bearing a brass plate with the ship's name, dates of launch, and fate. More ships were displayed on tables throughout the room, and Apocrypha approached one, a carrier, to carefully pick it up and examine it, glancing first at the brass plate that read:

IJN Zuihou

Launched June 19, 1936

Sunk October 25, 1944

She tilted the ship in her hands, carefully holding it while her fingers ran over the surface of the ship's hull. She had seen the real thing during the operation that had landed them in the Mirror Sea, but that had only been from a distance while she was on Vercingetorix's ship. With the model in her hands, she had the opportunity to look closer. The superstructure and décor seemed identical to what Apocrypha had seen, and planes fastened onto the flight deck showed that very close attention had been given to the smallest details.

The sound of the door opening and Zuihou's voice made Apocrypha look up from examining the ship.

"Why is it that I wake up just wanting breakfast and the first thing I hear is that you threatened Lady Kawakaze last night and Lady Mikasa just this morning, Mackensen? Seriously, what the hell?" the human manifestation of the carrier modeled in Apocrypha's hands demanded.

Mackensen shrugged, not seeming the least bit repentant. "Kawakaze threatened the Commander first and I intervened as necessary. And if I meant Mikasa harm, I wouldn't be here just looking around. I'm surprised to see you up so early, though, Zuihou. I was under the impression you were participating in night battle exercises last night."

Apocrypha furrowed her brow in confusion at Mackensen's claim. "Why would they be doing a night battle exercise just after the completion of an operation? Was it something urgent?"

Zuihou blushed, searching for a way to take the pressure off of herself and immediately latching on when she spotted the model of her ship in Apocrypha's hands. Hands that were still roaming the ship's surface in admiration. "Shikikan, while I would princess carry you anywhere if you asked, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't go about fondling me like that."

Apocrypha quickly set the model ship down, but glanced at the brass plate on the base one last time as she did. Sunk…

She knew many of them had been, others had been crippled, and still others had been lucky enough to survive and even go on to see further service. But seeing it engraved into the cold metal there somehow made it more real and seared into her mind that so many were relying on her not to land them at the bottom of the ocean once again. How did she have more right than anyone else to make those decisions with so many lives resting in the balance?

She reached for a larger aircraft carrier model and its twin on stands near Zuihou's model, but Zuihou crossed the room quickly, stopping Apocrypha from touching either of the ships. "I would ask that you please not be picking them up. Not these ones."

Apocrypha gave her a puzzled look but withdrew her hand, moving away to look at different ships until she came across a section with no faction label and bases only labeled with their names. Being only a handful of ships, it seemed like it was intentional that any further information was left off. "Hey, Mikasa?" she called, looking over toward the old battleship. "What's the story with all of these over here?"

Mikasa walked over, picking up one of the ships. "These are blueprint ships. Siren killers. They were never built in history, and some factions have pulled out old plans and specialized them not for warfare with each other, but against the Sirens. The ones you see here are Eagle Union's battleship Georgia, Iris Libre's Saint Louis-class heavy cruisers Saint Louis and Vercingetorix, and Iron Blood's battleship Friedrich der Große. The concept is still pretty new and since they don't usually match existing equipment, they're difficult to build, both the real ones and the models I have here."

Apocrypha nodded, reminded of the battleship she'd seen in the garden again, and this time unable to resist asking after a quick glance revealed that Mackensen had gone outside for a moment.

"It's probably nosy for me to ask," she whispered to Zuihou, "but does Sakura Empire have any blueprint ships they're working on? A battleship? There was a woman in the garden last night, with coral horns and a dragon tail -"

"Stop. Don't speak about her," Zuihou interrupted, exchanging an uneasy glance with Mikasa. "Shikikan, I am not going to deny her existence seeing as we're already past the point of plausible deniability, but please never speak of her again. Only a select few are allowed to know, so I can't tell you anything beyond the fact that yes, we do have a blueprint battleship of our own in the works. Don't breathe a word of it to anyone else, or the mess that occurred with your misunderstanding with Lady Nagato will be child's play in comparison."

"Er… Got it," Apocrypha mumbled.

Lots of secrets around, it seems, she thought.


At some point, she found herself alone in the display room, Mikasa saying she was going to make lunch, while Zuihou had been needed elsewhere and Mackensen was… Well, she didn't know where Mackensen had gone, just that she hadn't been bothered to come back since stepping out earlier. She assumed that meant she was safe enough with Mikasa.

Suddenly, a loud bang rattled the building, Apocrypha's feet leaping upwards in preparation to either run or hide. But a moment later, Mikasa pushed open the door leading into the house, smoke billowing out around her. "Plan B. We're going out for lunch," she coughed. "That dang electric range thing just won't work right no matter what I do. There's a great little ramen house nearby if that'll do. Kongou's always telling me to try it."

Apocrypha nodded, letting herself be led along by the old battleship. "Speaking of Kongou, I'm supposed to meet with her and her sisters this afternoon to watch their hanetsuki practice, so, uh…"

Mikasa smiled, nodding in understanding. "I don't mind. You'll probably see them at the ramen shop and can leave from there. I'm glad you've spent this much time with me already. Most would have brushed me off as an old relic past her prime playing with outdated toys only I care about."

Apocrypha quickly shook her head. "I liked having the different perspective. Honestly, I still don't know what I'm doing really. Or if I'm even doing things the way I should," she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "What I'm saying is that I'll take any bit of wisdom I can. It's all of you who have been holding down the fort this whole time, anyway, so you know what's been working and what hasn't. That aside, though, I'm glad you showed me your collection. Maybe someday you could help me work on a few models of my own."

Mikasa grinned, head bobbing enthusiastically at the proposal. "If you have any preferences for ships, just let me know. I'll keep an eye out so I have some to bring you whenever I finally get to visit the New York base."

Apocrypha hardly needed a second to think about it. "Midway?" she asked hopefully.

She would have asked for Mobile's, too, but when she considered the way the Sakura Empire girls and TF 58's members had bristled at each other, she decided it was better not to. That was one she could search for herself sometime down the road.

"She should be easy enough to find. Sure."

Apocrypha pointed out Kongou and a few other girls sitting at the counter, a couple seats left open nearby. Mikasa nodded, the two hurrying over to claim the seats, Apocrypha ending up between Kongou and Mikasa.

Kongou smiled when she noticed the pair, swallowing her ramen so she could speak to Apocrypha while Mikasa was ordering. "Mackensen warned me you'd probably be hanging out with Mikasa. You didn't have to come to track us down, so you know."

Apocrypha shook her head. "Mikasa's stove, uh… malfunctioned, and she said you'd recommended this place," she explained. "I didn't know you'd be here, too. And where is Mackensen? I haven't seen her since she went out."

"I think she said she wanted to see how repairs were going on her ship?" another of the girls said. "I know Akashi's been complaining about Mackensen hounding her to get one of the ships patched and I'm pretty sure the one in the drydock had four twin main turrets, not two quads."

Kongou nodded along, shoving another curtain of noodles into her mouth to slurp up. "It was Mackensen's ship. Looks like a torpedo caught her just below the waterline and she probably decided to just take it instead of getting out of the way. Sometimes I think she's still trying to prove something to Baden, but it's not a comparison at all. One is meant to hold ground in a straight fight, the other's meant to be fast and go in for ambushes."

Apocrypha shook her head, murmuring a thanks as her and Mikasa's bowls of ramen were brought out. She took a small sip of the liquid in the bowl before correcting Kongou. "The canals were too narrow to maneuver evasively. Even if she had, the torpedo would have hit someone else that may not have handled the damage as well."

Despite being their flagship for the operation, Apocrypha had seen Mackensen make similar moves against friendly mass-produced ships during the practice exercises leading up to the real thing. It wouldn't surprise her if Mackensen had done the same in the Mirror Sea and remained stoic about it. She doubted she would get any sort of straight answer from the Iron Blood battlecruiser if she brought it up, anyway.

Silence fell over the group while everyone focused their attention on their food, only occasionally broken by one person or another asking to try someone else's ramen or offer some of theirs. It didn't take long before the bowls had been emptied and placed up on the ledge to be collected, the group exchanging farewells with Mikasa before Kongou led the way toward the edge of the town, eventually reaching a clear area overlooking the ocean and town below.

Apocrypha shifted on her feet uneasily, looking between the four sisters and trying to get a grip on her unease. They had shown no hostility since meeting her, and Mackensen had never at any point raised any protest against her spending time with them. She knew that she needed to learn to make friends, or at least acquaintances, with more than just the select few that had inserted themselves as her helpers. "This isn't going to be another case of 'Get the Commander alone and threaten to kill her', right?" she asked, hoping that the half-joke would be clear in her tone.

Kongou smiled, shaking her head. "No. I thought you'd be more comfortable if you had a chance to explain your side of the story without everyone and her sister trying to eavesdrop. Oh! Speaking of sisters, these are mine - Hiei, Haruna, and Kirishima," she introduced, gesturing to each in turn. "None of our loyalties lie with Akagi, so I promise it's safe to talk among us."

Apocrypha let out a sharp exhale in relief. "I didn't know who Nagato was when I met her at the base. Just so we're clear, I didn't kidnap her, and someone would have to be insane to try kidnapping someone on a base where anyone could be a shipgirl who would turn them into a bloodstain on the ground," she clarified, managing a weak smile at Kongou's laugh at the descriptor.

"I don't know. Maybe I would have mistaken her for a destroyer if I'd known more at that point. I just saw what I thought was a kid that had gotten lost. I thought that a little kid would feel better having lunch with a group while I figured out who to call to get them home. Until TF 58 and Akagi's group freaked out, I swear I had no idea. There wasn't any indication they thought I was lying after I explained and had tea with them."

Apocrypha let out a gulp before continuing her previous statement, the resolve and slight desperation creeping into her voice.

"I can't go back home. I just can't. Why the hell would I screw up my chance to get away from there by kidnapping someone I didn't have the first clue of who they were?"

One of the girls, the one Kongou had called Haruna, immediately held a hand out with a grin. "I'll take 'Akagi making mountains of molehills' for 1000 yen, girls."

Kongou grumbled, digging out a bill and handing it over as Hiei and Kirishima did the same. "Dammit. I really thought it was going to be Akagi and Zuihou fighting that made a mess of things."

Haruna giggled, tagging the bills from each of her sisters. "Zuihou has more subtlety than Zuikaku and Shoukaku, so I was relying on my assumption that she'd be more cool-headed by herself. Seems that paid off."

Apocrypha gave the four sisters an odd look, her anxiety melting away at the confusion. "You took bets on who was going to cause some sort of diplomatic disaster?"

Kongou shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure. Kaga and Akagi are fine together, but it seemed strange to send Zuihou and Katori, too. Zuihou and Akagi rarely see eye to eye and neither is shy about speaking up, so I thought I had it in the bag that they would pick a fight with each other. Zuihou usually won't start it, but if you piss her off she'll put an end to it better than almost everyone else."

While Kongou got out some wooden paddle-like objects and what looked something like a badminton shuttlecock, Apocrypha thought back on her first meeting with Zuihou. She had been much more willing to stand down than Akagi, but she certainly hadn't given the impression of someone unlikely to start an argument. However, it had been blatantly obvious that there was a deep divide between their views and only the shared allegiance to the Sakura Empire kept them from each other's throats.

"Commander, do you know how to play hanetsuki?" Kongou asked, holding one of the paddles out toward Apocrypha.

Apocrypha shook her head, accepting the equipment piece from Kongou and studying it. "I can't say I've ever tried it," she admitted, shrugging. "I'm guessing it's something like tennis or badminton based on the gear, though?"

Kongou wasted no time launching into an explanation on how to play and the arbitrary rules they added when practicing - usually small monetary bets, the person who missed the hane most buying lunch for the rest, marking each other's faces with ink. With the rules explained, she tossed the hane to Hiei to start the game.

Apocrypha watched the sisters play for a while until she felt confident she understood enough to join in herself. It only took a short time to realize that even for practice, Kongou took the game overly-seriously, more than once launching the hane past someone and initiating playful arguments about if it should count against her or whoever she was hitting it to, and never ending up with the same verdict.

When the hane failed to make it to Haruna after another hit by Kongou after they'd been playing for a few hours, everyone looked in expectation of seeing it land and bounce on the ground. Instead, they saw a hand close around the small object, swallowing it in fiery red and yellow.

"Pardon the interruption, but dinner will soon be served," Zuihou informed the group, letting the hane drop to the sand. "Shikikan, please come with me. Lady Nagato has asked specifically that the fleets from the operation join her for a banquet to celebrate our success. Kongou, that means that you are to come, as well. Please do not keep everyone waiting."

Kongou laughed, nodding in agreement, but unable to resist an opportunity to tease Zuihou. "You may want to brush your hair, Zuihou. Looks like those cranes aren't the best at styling it for you."

Zuihou rolled her eyes, already walking away. "Oh, shut up."

Apocrypha followed quickly, curiosity piqued at Kongou's mention of cranes. "You have pet cranes, Zuihou?" she asked.

"I guess you could say that."

They lapsed into silence while they walked, allowing Apocrypha to simply observe Zuihou. She seemed more formal, but at the same time it seemed like she was more at ease. For a moment, Apocrypha wondered if that was what having a home was - having a place where one could simply be with no expectations. But would Apocrypha herself ever be able to experience such a thing?

That was quite the dampener on the thought.

They reached the bottom of a set of stairs leading high up to what appeared to be a shrine, and Zuihou stopped. "Continue up the stairs and you'll be there," she explained. "I will join everyone shortly after I've had a chance to make myself presentable."

With a bow, Zuihou left Apocrypha at the foot of the staircase. Apocrypha shrugged, beginning the long ascent toward the shrine. She found she didn't mind the walk. The higher she climbed, the closer together the sakura trees stretched over the path, and for a moment she stopped to turn back, admiring the scenery below through the breaks in the branches and flowers of the trees. It was hard not to feel at peace in a place like this, and she was glad she'd been able to convince Augusta to allow them the brief respite here.

Feeling a weight lifted from her shoulders, she continued to the top, following the sounds of lively chatter until she came to an open room set on the ledge of the cliff, the windows on three sides offering views that stretched far off into the horizon. She scanned the room, disappointed to see that Vercingetorix and Biloxi were both nowhere to be found, but unable to linger on it when she saw Mackensen waving her over to one of the tables.

She carefully made her way over, at first moving to sit beside Mackensen until Zuikaku reached to pat the cushion between her and Shoukaku. "Sit here, please. We haven't gotten to talk much."

Apocrypha glanced at Mackensen, who nodded in encouragement. "Zuihou can sit by me. Go ahead."

Apocrypha smiled, carefully lowering herself onto the cushion between the two carriers. Before long, she saw Kongou take a place at another table, and by then Kasagi had joined Apocrypha's table. The last to arrive was Zuihou despite her earlier warning to Kongou, taking the last seat beside Mackensen. "Sorry. Did I miss anything?"

"You missed arriving on time," Kasagi mumbled, ignoring the varied annoyed looks from the other three carriers in favor of looking toward a table set on a platform above the rest where Nagato, Kawakaze, Mikasa, and a girl Apocrypha could only guess to be Nagato's sister sat. She had the same fox ears, hair, and eyes, with an identical miko motif in her outfit to Nagato.

Nagato stood, and it only took a moment before the room fell silent to allow her to speak. "It is with the greatest honor that I have called you here. Thanks to your fleets, Operation Crossfire was a resounding success. It is the bravery displayed by your fleets that has rekindled the hope that one day humanity will no longer be subjected to the Sirens' reign of terror upon the seas," she stated, her voice carrying clearly throughout the room. "For all the shipgirls that fought with valor, and the leaders who directed the effort, please enjoy this banquet as an offering of my utmost gratitude to the efforts by all of you."

A round of applause and cheers broke out as Nagato sat again and the food was brought out, the room once again filling with the sounds of excited chatter. Apocrypha's table was hardly any quieter, Zuihou asking Kasagi questions about her first taste of combat operations and the group sidetracking to telling stories of various exploits of their own or teasing one another about events from previous operations.

In a brief break in the conversation, Mackensen took the chance to speak up, inspecting a piece of sushi held between her chopsticks disinterestedly. "Where were you all day, Zuihou?" she asked, taking the bite and picking up another piece to give the carrier a moment to consider the question. "I do understand that you had that night battle exercise last night, but I had thought you would have been eager to show der Kommandant around the base here today."

"While I fully intended to, Mackensen, things do come up that require me to prioritize them," Zuihou explained, her words carefully measured after a brief pause of contemplation. "As it stands, you both saw me this morning, and Shikikan can attest to the fact that I have been about all day as I was the one who fetched her and Kongou for dinner."

Apocrypha nodded when Mackensen glanced her way. "Zuihou did come find us," she confirmed. "We should probably have kept better track of time, though. She seemed pretty exhausted. I didn't realize she had such a heavy workload here."

Mackensen nearly choked on her bite of food, waving a hand dismissively when asked if she was okay. "Ah, yes. Those two very important things that always require your attention when in the Sakura Empire, Zuihou. Remind me what that is again?"

Zuihou cleared her throat, stuffing another bite of food into her mouth. "It's none of your business. I just have some important tasks and at times they make it difficult to have any time out on the town during the day. Can we please change the topic?"

"Shiranui's theater is showing a new horror film," Kasagi spoke up, breaking the impending awkward silence. "The reviews say it's a must-watch for any fan of the genre."

Apocrypha quietly sighed in relief at the disappearance of the tension that had arisen, content to enjoy the food and listen to the girls chat.

But thoughts also turned in her head. Apocrypha had already been trying to identify something to bring to Verci as a means of making up for her earlier comments. But what did that make the other person missing from the banquet? What did that make Biloxi?

Surely Apocrypha couldn't leave her twiddling her thumbs in her room during the entire visit, trying not to get noticed until she could slip out of port to return to San Diego. Perhaps she could ask Shiranui for a rental of the film so she could watch it with Biloxi? That would likely involve having to rent a laptop or the like to play it, but that was doable…


As dishes were cleared away and the meal came to a close, Zuihou was quick to be on her feet, but Mackensen spoke again to stop her.

"Tirpitz has asked me to call and make a report tonight regarding the operation," she said. "I'm sorry to keep you from your very important work, Zuihou, but perhaps you could spare some time to show Apocrypha a few shops to browse before they close for the night?"

Zuihou risked a glance at Shoukaku and Zuikaku, something about Shoukaku's look making her rush to answer before she gave anything away. "As long as it's brief, it should be no problem," she agreed. "I have no plans for the rest of the evening."

Mackensen smirked, getting to her feet and stretching. "Then it's settled. I'm so glad you could find some time away from such a tiringly busy schedule."

Zuihou forced an overly-sweet smile, motioning for Apocrypha to follow her out. "Come, Shikikan. Let's do some shopping and let Mackensen get to her report."