Thorson stood quickly as his intuition proved correct, stabilizing Yamashiro as the busty shrine maiden stumbled a bit when she stepped into the room, laden with a large tray of tea and cups. A small amount of amber liquid escaped the spout of the teapot, but the floor remained spotless.
"Thank you tono-sama!" Yamashiro exclaimed, her ears wiggling happily as she indulged in the Commander's strong arm around her waist. "I'm very sorry, but I wanted to ensure there was enough for everyone. It would be rude to serve some and not others."
Thorson gave her a warm smile and a nod of appreciation. "I see you found some black tea as well? Much appreciated, Yamashiro. Warspite, can I offer you and your compatriots a beverage?"
"We would happily accept, Commander," the slim battleship agreed, running a comb through the long bundles of silky blonde hair that hung from each side of her head. They almost looked like a second scarf. Thorson placed his hand on the small of Yamashiro's back.
"Do you need help?"
"No, tono-sama. Allow me, please!" Yamashiro insisted, carefully pouring six cups and setting one before Warspite before moving on to the other royals and finally Thorson. "I'm sorry, tono-sama, but you said-"
"Ladies first, yes. Thank you, Yamashiro. Would you please go to the labs with Fusou after this? Speak with Arizona and Pennsylvania. The two of you should…"
"Yes, tono-sama?" Yamashiro asked as Thorson looked to the ceiling in consideration. The neko battleship tilted her head in question as her short hair bobbed around.
"Didn't you say you were going to be retrofitted for scout aircraft? Or that was the cover story, at least?" He recalled, upset at bringing up her time in the Sanctuary.
"Yes, tono-sama. We were given blueprints and the necessary cubes but…"
"Let's leave the alien mind control out of it this time. Probably for the best, I'd say. Do you think you could rebuild the Yamashiro in that form?" Thorson requested. Yamashiro's tail and ears perked up as her change in posture lightly jingled the bells that hung from the sash of her kimono.
"Yes, yes tono-sama! But...uh…" Yamashiro suddenly looked very worried, swaying back and forth on her stockinged feet. "We are very unlucky ships, tono-sama. Accidents and explosions, mutinies and executions, our flight from the sanctuary...surely you don't want such ill omens in your fleet? See?" She asked sadly, pointing to her tail. "We are even black cats."
Thorson took a sip of tea before placing his cup on the kotatsu and standing. He extended a hand and softly ran a finger along the shell of Yamashiro's ear before giving into temptation and touching the downy fur of her inner ear. The half of his thumb in contact with that fluff had transcended the mortal plane to something approximating heaven, or wherever the gods of the Sakura resided. She cooed shyly at him.
"T-tono-sama!"
"Those unlucky hulls are at the bottom of the ocean. Time to start over, Yamashiro. You and your sister placed your trust in me. I will trust you in turn." The shrine maiden beamed at him as she tilted her head into his palm, seeking further stimulation.
"Hmm hmmm! Tono-sama is so kind! I will tell Fusou nee-san! Thank you, tono-sama!" Her spirits brightened, Yamashiro practically skipped out of the room, leaving Warspite to question Thorson.
"I hope you don't expect us to be your servants, Commander." He threw a playful smirk her way.
"No, none of you seem to be wearing maid outfits. Is that real, by the way? Belfast and her retinue?" He asked.
"It's every bit as real as you are," Ark confirmed. "Hmm, that's not bad. Guess tea is easier to get out here. Don't be mistaken though, Commander. Belfast is a warrior of the utmost caliber. You ever seen an entire convoy set ablaze by a single light cruiser? I have." Ark's account had the human raising his brows toward his cap.
"Duly noted. For the record, Warspite, Yamashiro...serves me," Thorson began, feeling a tad dirty describing Yamashiro in those terms. "On her sister's insistence, might I add. The two of them arrived here in dire circumstances. I believe this is their way of integrating into life on the base. The sisters, to my understanding, are servants of the Sakura gods. So their ultimate master is technically a higher authority than the Empire itself or the first carrier group, Akagi and Kaga. Those two now worship something they call the Creator."
"So you're saying there is a rift within the Sakura? How interesting," Warspite mused.
"Within the Sakura Navy," Thorson clarified. "I don't know what the relationship is between the Empire proper and its shipgirls, but I do know that not all of them are happy about the alliance with the sirens."
A tense silence seemed to fall over the shipgirls in the room as Thorson returned to his seat. "Uh...did I say something amiss?"
"That's not good, Lady Warspite," Javelin started. "But we should have suspected as much. The Sakura attacking the Union out of nowhere like that?"
"Do you have any hard evidence to back up this assertion?" Warspite asked diplomatically. Thorson nodded.
"It's anecdotal, but I survived Pearl Harbor and can confirm that siren attack craft targeted our shipgirl research facilities and killed Arizona. Hours before you arrived here we were attacked by a large detachment of siren aircraft. They began using standard Sakura tactics, but once we took out enough of them they began moving...well, I guess the best way to describe it is like aliens. Aircraft that can move in three dimensions and change direction and elevation at will."
"That doesn't fit the profile of our engagements to date," Leander commented. "But I don't think the Commander is lying."
"No, nor do I. I just had to be sure," Warspite agreed, taking a sip of tea with closed eyes. Thorson found himself feeling as though he were in the presence of royalty, given her dignified air. Perhaps he was. The battleship spoke in a prim and proper voice. "Commander, the greatest fear of our Queen is that the sirens are active in more than one theater of war. Europe is crowded, many eyes watching the Channel and the Baltic and the Mediterranean. But the Pacific is large and open. There are many islands, many places to hide. To hear of such brazen attacks…"
"If I may?" Thorson interrupted her. "How is what I described different from the European theater?" Leander and Javelin shuddered.
"Death in the night," the cruiser recalled. "Submarines that can spoof our sonar, cruiser packs and solitary ships raiding shipping lanes without mercy. And then of course there are Bismarck and Tirpitz. You tell him, Ark. You were there."
"Not sure what there is to tell," Ark said dismissively. "That ship wasn't made by humans. The amount of punishment she took, piercing Hood's shields in a single shot? Everywhere we fight the Kriegsmarine we feel the sirens, always lurking just out of sight. The will of the Royal Navy is strong, but when you need multiple shells for every one of theirs…" the carrier said bitterly, palming the grip of her pistol.
"So they're behaving differently depending on the theater of war," Thorson summarized. "This is going to be a stretch, but do you have any idea what they're after?"
"Ha! We were hoping you would have an answer for us," Warspite responded. "But that doesn't change the reality that we are here to assist you. So now is when, unlike that shrine cat, I intend to disappoint you, Commander Thorson."
"Alright? I'm listening," he replied with a furrowed brow as he sat back from the table. Warspite cleared her throat.
"We do not intend to serve under you as part of your fleet. We will fight alongside you but I will give the final orders to all Royal Navy ships," Warspite insisted. Thorson crossed his arms over his chest.
"Is your firepower alone meant to compensate for that suboptimal arrangement?" He asked neutrally.
"No, Commander. We have information for you. Given what you've said about the sirens and their seemingly overt alliance with the Sakura, we believe this will be of use to you."
"The command arrangement is non-negotiable?" Thorson asked.
"That is correct," Warspite said, meeting his gaze firmly.
"Well then I guess I'll hear what you have to tell me," he agreed, not sure what else he could do. Vampire seemed disgruntled about the situation, but he allowed events to play out over soothing cups of tea.
"Thank you, Commander. The first thing you should know is that we were approached by a siren envoy in 1939. She referred to herself only as 'the Princess', and she sought an audience with Elizabeth and me."
"And what did she wish to discuss?" Thorson demanded.
"She claimed to be in service to someone she referred to only as 'the Empress'."
"So they have a hierarchy," Thorson deduced.
"It would seem so," Warspite agreed. "This siren offered us shared dominion over the western hemisphere along with the Ironbloods."
"And in exchange?" Thorson pressed, leaning forward.
"Betray our country. Allow the Ironblood to blockade the United Kingdom and shell London."
"Which would then be followed by a tripartite offensive against the Eagle Union," Thorson concluded before throwing a grin at Warspite. "I guess you said no? Thanks by the way." Warspite's return smile was ferocious.
"Her highness draped herself in the Union Jack before throwing her tea in that bitch's cloaked face. She said that every last one of us would die before allowing the island to fall. The Princess assured us that this future would indeed come to pass. Repulse, Hood, Wales...they're all dead already." A silence fell over the room as they remembered the dead for a long moment.
"I can understand your Queen's desire to forge alliances," Thorson eventually concluded. "If your enemy is the sirens then you will find friends here, from all of the major factions. Is there anything else?"
"Just this," Warspite said shortly, procuring a folded photograph from her uniform and passing it along the table. "What do you make of this?"
"Is that...the Tirpitz?" Thorson whispered in awe, seeing a massive battleship encased in ice that bore the shape of some sort of jagged crown, an unnatural spiral of thunderclouds circling overhead.
"Yes," Ark confirmed. "There's some sort of invisible field surrounding her. Any of my planes that got too close were destroyed instantly."
"I've never seen anything like this before, but this screams siren," Thorson concluded. "I will be frank with you, Warspite. I am firmly against a split command structure. But if I do not have a choice, then so be it. We have every reason to fight together."
"Just leave it," Ark insisted, resting a hand on Warspite's wrist as the young looking battleship looked ready to protest. "He agreed. He doesn't have to like it."
"Very well," Warspite nodded. "Thank you for the tea, and the alliance." She and Thorson stood and shook hands.
"Shall we find you a place to stay? If you're not partial to this architecture there's some old block style dorms but-"
"Here sounds good! Where does Laffey stay? Sleepovers!" Javelin declared. Thorson couldn't help but chuckle.
"I'm sure she'd like that too. Let's see if we can find a couple spare rooms for the rest of you, eh?"
"That would be appreciated, Commander. We thank you for your hospitality. Lead on," Warspite encouraged.
"So, you're really going to be joining us next time," Pennsylvania said hesitantly, walking aboard the new USS Arizona with her sister. She saw bulins scampering about a full complement of secondary and AA guns, checking for anything out of place.
"You always said there would be a time to show our strength, sister. If not now, then when?" Arizona asked, turning towards her new bridge, feeling the wonderful sensation of the deck beneath her feet after so long.
"Ari, that was then. This is now. I stood strong in Hawaii, survived it all along with Tennessee. But I lost you, and we lost so many others. Now you're back. Now I...we have Commander Thorson too. There's so much to lose," Penny lamented as the two of them found privacy on the bridge. Arizona activated her rigging and ship, startling some of the bulins as she vacated the dry dock. The feeling of water against her hull was heavenly.
"You really like him, don't you?" She asked kindly.
"I...respect him greatly as a Commander. He treated me and Tennessee fairly," Pennsylvania tried as Arizona giggled and drew closer.
"It's ok, you know. He's a fine man it seems!"
"How can...no. I can't compete with you, Ari. I saw how he looked at you when you came back to us. I should protect you," Pennsylvania insisted.
"And I will protect you!" The younger sister shot right back.
"I just want what's best for you, Arizona. I don't want you on the front lines taking torpedoes and bombs and shells. Is that so wrong?"
"Only if you refuse to acknowledge that I want the same," Arizona spoke caringly. "How do you think Commander Thorson and I would feel if you died and we hadn't done everything in our power to save you?"
"You would still have each other," Pennsylvania muttered.
"Penny, please! I may be younger but I'm not an idiot. Your feelings for him go far beyond respect. You love him, don't you? Maybe more than I do. December must have been trying for both of you. For me it's like we just met."
Pennsylvania just stared at her sister as she tried to refuse the truth of her words. She shook her head, her long, black, hair flowing over her shoulders. "He doesn't know the real me. If he did he wouldn't-"
"He knows the real you and that's why he loves you too," Arizona insisted. "You shared the memory of that kiss with me, Penny. Even in that shattered state I thought my heart would explode. He was tender and caring to you. I think he knows who you really are."
"But you…"
"If the Commander shows me his affections I will be thrilled, Penny. But I will also be happy if he continues to show them to you. We all need something to fight for, right? If not the Union, then why not him and each other?"
"You big softy," Penny smiled ruefully, ruffling her hair. "That's not how it works with human women. They get jealous and spiteful. They compete and hunger. Who's to say we wouldn't do the same?"
"You would hate me for kissing him?" Arizona asked, feeling her cubes hum eagerly at the idea. "For rubbing my body against his? Here, Cleveland keeps talking about linking. Let's try it!" Arizona sent a deactivation pulse through her ship, took her sister's hand, and powered up again. The connection was instant and seamless. She showed Pennsylvania the memory of acquiring her rigging, how Thorson had held her like a lover in the midst of a dance.
"Ari! How did you...we can do that?" Penny hissed. Arizona tittered at her sister's flushed cheeks.
"I died once, Penny. I've been given another chance. I know what I...what you feel for him. I wouldn't dare keep secrets from you."
"Those little cats down on the docks probably feel the same," Pennsylvania said with steel in her voice. "Looks like they're waiting for us."
"Don't change the subject, sister. Ignore them. If there is space in Andrew's heart for them and for us then what is there to fight about?"
"How can you say that, Ari?" Pennsylvania grunted as her sister suddenly hugged her tightly. She returned it, allowing her affection for her sister to come to the surface. The war had suddenly become complicated.
"Because I'd rather you be happy than both of us be miserable," Arizona replied. "We will both fight in this war. It's what we were made for. Do you want Andrew Thorson, Penny?"
"Ari, don't force this-"
"Do you?!" She pouted, twisting her turrets around. "I can already feel the answer!"
Pennsylvania looked out the windows of the bridge to the sky above. She asked her cubes. They betrayed her. "Yeah, I think so."
"So do I, Penny. We will fight and kill and survive together. If it comes to it we will protect and love together too," Arizona insisted. "Our lives are probably not going to be very long. We might as well make the most of them."
"You always were a hopeless romantic," Penny conceded. "But I think the fates would look poorly on my arguing morality with someone who went to hell and came back. Ok, Ari. We'll talk again if this becomes...relevant. Let's go speak with the Sakura. The Commander may have requested this."
"Don't sound so grumpy, sis. They're part of this base too. And they're pretty cute don't you think?" Arizona asked, watching as Yamashiro hugged Fusou around the waist in a moment of sibling affection, their tails waving gently. Penny sighed, remembering that dark and stormy night where Fusou asked to be left to die if it meant saving Yamashiro.
"Yeah, I guess they are," she admitted.
"Hey there, big sister cat," Penny began conversation, addressing Fusou directly. The shrine maiden tweaked a small smile and nodded her head in a bow.
"Pennsylvania, let me formally introduce you to my younger sister, Yamashiro."
"Hello there! Thanks for helping to save my sister. And I'm sorry for not saying so before but congratulations on coming back to life! It's been so busy here lately!" Yamashiro smiled at Arizona. The Union ship returned it.
"I'm Arizona. And from the way Penny tells it we have you both to thank for the inspiration that led the Commander to attempt my resurrection. Thank you so much."
Pennsylvania hummed thoughtfully as Arizona and Yamashiro tentatively embraced one another before giggling and completing the hug. "Maybe this is what the Commander has been trying to achieve all along," she said quietly to Fusou, feeling comforted by the responsibility they both shared as elder sisters.
"Nee-san, the Union battleships are so firm and perky even though they have bigger hulls! It's no fair!" Yamashiro suddenly exclaimed, causing Arizona to blush fiercely as Fusou rested her forehead on her palm.
"Maybe not that, though," Pennsylvania admitted.
"Yamashiro, apologize to Arizona. It's rude to comment on other people like that," Fusou ordered.
"Oh, I'm sorry Arizona. It's just that I was feeling a bit jealous!" Yamashiro explained with that typical happiness in her voice.
"I can assure you that you have nothing to be jealous about. The Commander looks at you two every chance he gets," Arizona replied thoughtfully, attempting to square that with the affection he'd shown her.
"Which pisses Tennessee off to no end!" Penny added jovially. "What did you do to her by the way?"
"Who, me?" Fusou asked with surprise.
"Yeah, you. That girl won't shut up about those 'Sakura cat tarts and their tits and tails'," Pennsylvania recounted, reaching out a hand of comfort as Fusou looked down shamefully. "Hey, don't listen to her, alright? A lot of bad things have happened to her, none of which have anything to do with you. You want my honest opinion? She's finally found a man that hasn't stabbed her in the back and she doesn't have any idea how to deal with the fact that he pays attention to his other ships too."
"Penny!" Arizona gasped.
"What, it's true," she shrugged, not caring in the least about sparing Tennessee. "Look, let's just get off the subject of our bodies, alright. The Commander would be too lucky by half to get with any of us...wait, why are all of you looking away from me like that. Oh for the love of...all of you?!"
"Tono-sama is warm, and smells nice, and saved my life! Of course I want to lay with him!" Yamashiro reasoned passionately. Pennsylvania ran a hand through her hair and took in the trees and clouds for a moment rather than look at the bashful faces of Arizona and Fusou. "Ok, let's just deal with this later. Did you two have something to discuss with us?"
"Yes, actually. Miss Arizona, the Commander requested that we seek you out for aid in rebuilding our own hulls with shards acquired from today's battle. He says you managed to do so," Fusou explained as gulls called far above them. Arizona nodded.
"I'd be happy to! Do you think there's anything we can salvage from your old ship?" She asked, pointing out at the pagoda of the Fusou as it jutted from the shallow water of the bay.
"I will see. Just give me a moment," Fusou requested. The shrine maiden activated her rigging, four massive turrets and a miniature command tower, and set out for the wreck. For a moment she floated above it, hesitating as memory after memory assailed her. "How much more must my sister and I suffer? Begone, cursed ship. You will mock me no longer. At tono-sama's command I will reforge you into an instrument of his will...of my will. Now serve me!"
At Fusou's order the wreck shimmered and vanished, returning to its prior state. She collected the two cubes and skated back to her sister and the Union ships. They nodded supportively.
"Come!" Arizona called kindly. "Let's walk while we converse."
A short time later they were in front of the matrix, still set in construction mode. "Now comes the hard part," Yamashiro said. "All we were given was glimpses of plans. We could just build our old ships again, but tono-sama really seems to want planes!"
"Wait, why can't you both do what Arizona suggested?" Penny asked. "Both of you get into the machine and imagine your ideal ship. She and I managed to link our minds together aboard her ship just now. There's no reason the two of you couldn't again in there. It would be just like when you helped Yamashiro that night," the Union shipgirl reasoned. The Fusou class sisters looked at her curiously.
"You linked with your sister?"
"Yeah Fusou, we did the same thing the Commander does with his flagship. Physical contact and an activation pulse. You can try it on your new ship. Now get in there. We've only got an hour before dinner and I'm sure the Commander wants as many hulls in the water as possible. There's no guarantee those royals will join us," Penny stated. They all nodded.
"We are in your debt, both of you. We will carry out tono-sama's orders now," Fusou replied, turning to open the matrix and step in.
"We're all on the same side here. Go ahead Yamashiro. We'll stay here to make sure you're alright," Arizona offered. The short haired cat battleship nodded and hugged her again.
"Tono-sama is truly a wise Commander to bring us all together like this. I'm happy to have new friends!" With that, Yamashiro stumbled into the matrix and Penny activated it, watching carefully to ensure nothing went wrong during the filling process.
"Yeah I guess you're right, Ari. The Sakura...the ones here at least aren't so bad," she admitted.
"Even though they're our rivals in love?" Arizona giggled as the matrix filled fully and the shrine sisters entered a peaceful state of suspended animation.
"Since when is it 'we'?"
"Since about an hour ago?" Arizona shrugged.
"You realize how bad this could all go, right? We can't be selfish, Ari. The Commander is a good man running a damn fine base in the middle of a goddamn ring of fire. If we start fighting each other…"
"I know, Penny. And you're right, like always," Arizona replied soothingly.
"I wasn't right about him," she admitted.
"But that's in the past. I know I might be a hopeless romantic, Penny, but what if we all keep this bottled up inside, stopping ourselves only because of each other. Would you resent them any less than if they took Andrew to bed one night?"
Pennsylvania huffed as she contemplated her sister's question. "I don't know, Arizona. But you're not wrong either."
"I think they would treat him well."
"I'd rather not think about it."
"What do you think they're talking about?" Arizona asked, watching the faces of the shrine maidens shift subtly. They seemed at peace.
"Hopefully something more pleasant than the night they came here."
"Teehee, hi Fusou nee-san!"
"Hello, dear sister. Shall we begin?"
"Ok, I was thinking of putting the catapult on the starboard side and...Fusou-nee, why are you imagining giving tono-sama a massage?"
"I-it's nothing! Just a figment that tanned cruiser from the Union put in my head. That calm and collected one with the impressive rigging."
"It doesn't look like nothing! Let Yamashiro join in! Oh tono-sama! Your broad hands feel so good! You can be lovey dovey with Yamashiro all you like!"
"Yamashiro!"
"Ok ok, the catapult goes here! Nee-san, do you think we should increase our defenses? You saw the new Arizona, right? She had so many guns and her torpedo bulges were quite robust. I've always wanted a big hull."
"That Tennessee woman has a body and ship to be desired as well. We have the energy and tono-sama gave you orders, right?"
"Build the best Yamashiro I can!"
"Then why don't we start with more secure ammunition storage and better shell elevators."
"Oh...yeah that's a good point, Fusou-nee. That incident was no fun at all."
"Yamashiro, may I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything, nee-san! I'm going to get rid of the galley and crew bunks and add some extra torpedo defenses here and here!"
"Do you believe we did the right thing? When we fight with these new ships...we will almost certainly be shooting at our fellow sisters of the Sakura. The gods have been...silent of late."
"We just need to build a shrine here! The gods will answer your calls, like they always do. How much do we have left, 55%? Ok, I think I want to make a nice helm just in case tono-sama chooses me as a flagship!"
"Oh Yamashiro, I envy your unflagging spirit."
"Fusou-nee, tono-sama spared us. Don't you think he will spare the others too? Aren't we still fighting for the gods and our homes?"
"...yes, dear sister. Yes we are. What a wonderful new ship this will be."
"And we'll do it again right after! I know these hulls will be lucky, just like tono-sama said."
"Penny, look!" Arizona cried as Yamashiro's kimono began to change subtly. Two white, fluffy balls of cotton hung from her neck and a broad band of interwoven red and white fabric circled her waist. The two Pennsylvania class sisters watched as the younger maiden's body changed as well.
"Did she...did her tits and ass just get larger?" Pennsylvania asked in disbelief.
"I think she's a bit larger everywhere," Arizona agreed. What do you think is going on?"
"The sarcastic answer is she feels the need to compete with us Pennsylvania class boats since we're all what, firm and perky?" She scoffed.
"Is she wrong? There's a reason you don't button anything higher than your navel," Arizona countered.
"Fine, whatever. Flaunt it if you got it, I say. And she's got plenty of side boob to flaunt now. But you want my honest answer, the one the Commander would likely conclude from all this?"
"What's that, sis?"
"They succeeded. Her ship is fundamentally different now...and so her body is changing to reflect that. Let's hope she's as good in combat as she looks in a kimono."
"Didn't take you for a critic of the female form, Penny."
"Oh shush, you. Did you get a sense of humor while you were gone too? Even I...even I can watch Thorson's eyes."
"They're on you quite a bit."
"I know, Ari. But let's help them now. We need to clear the docks and get the older sister going."
"Aye aye, sis!" Arizona agreed, striding forward to help a confused but happy Yamashiro who had a new center of gravity to adjust to as she stepped unsteadily from the matrix. The younger sisters immediately fell into conversation about Thorson and his sensibilities.
"You don't think tono-sama will find me fat?" Yamashiro asked with worry.
"I'll bet you dessert tonight that he can't take his eyes off you" Arizona reassured her.
"You're so nice, Arizona-san! And you're warm just like the Commander!"
"Arizona is fine, Yamashiro."
By the time the dinner bell rang out across the base, three new hulls sat in dock next to the Warspite. The Arizona, Yamashiro, and Fusou were all seaworthy, the latter two retrofitted with thicker armor, plane catapults, more small caliber guns, and upgraded systems, much as Arizona had attempted with her own hull.
To Penny's enjoyment and mirth, Fusou had also 'suffered' a change in physiology to match the changes to her ship. A billowing kimono, almost like a flowing river, encircled her buxom form as two large orbs of translucent jade adorned the corners of the lower back portion of the fabric. While previously Fusou was easily the more svelte of the two sisters, she could now give Yamashiro a run for her money. She moaned into Pennsylvania's shoulder as the older Union sister helped her along.
"What will tono-sama think of me like this?! It will take days to get used to this posterior!"
"Only good things, I'm sure," Penny added with a roll of her eyes directed at Arizona.
"Oh sister, be nice!" Arizona encouraged as she caught Yamashiro by the arm. The younger maiden had stumbled again. "Ready to make your debut?"
"I think so. Thank you for all your help today, Arizona!" Yamashiro replied. "Are you busy after dinner?"
"Not unless the Commander has orders for us," Arizona replied.
"Would you like me to brush your hair then?" Yamashiro asked. Arizona seemed taken off guard. Fusou stepped in to clarify.
"Yamashiro wishes to speak with you more and deepen your friendship. Besides, you have such long, beautiful hair it would be a waste not to care for it. Maybe we have some extra hairpins lying around?"
"I...that would be nice. Thank you," Arizona replied after getting a non-committal look from her sister. "See you two after dinner then."
Commander Thorson had just been about to go looking for the quartet of battleships when the doors to the mess opened. He was sitting with the Union and Royal forces. Tennessee placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled an expert catcall. "Don't know what happened to those two feline tarts, but you destroyers are in over your heads," Tennessee stated in a tone very much meant to cause trouble.
"Laffey is Commander's first ship and always will be. Laffey will always have kisses from Commander," she claimed defiantly, standing up and waddling sleepily up to Thorson. He heaved a sigh but relented, placing a kiss on Laffey's lips that had her cooing with delight and Tennessee making gagging noises. Downes laughed heartily as Javelin joined her friend.
"Uh Commander, this may seem a bit forward of me but do you like my skirt?" She requested. Thorson turned to her and cocked a brow as he swallowed a forkful of shepherd's pie. He took what was admittedly a risk and looked down, finding her body to be much more similar to Cleveland's than Laffey's. That put him at ease as he studied her blue and purple plaid skirt.
"It suits you, matches your hair and goes well with your top," he tried, wanting to be polite. He and Warspite were still at odds regarding the command structure of the nascent alliance and he didn't want to do anything to offend. Javelin beamed at him.
"Laffey?" She asked eagerly as Yamashiro and Fusou sat at the Sakura table, earning a great deal of attention from their compatriots.
"Javelin will enjoy it very much, Laffey is sure."
"Say no more!" Javelin exclaimed, taking Thorson's by the cheeks and planting her lips square on his. Tennessee shoveled the rest of her food into her mouth, chugged her water and stood before storming off.
"I'll be in the gym," she called darkly. Thorson was forced to let her go as Pennsylvania and Arizona couldn't help but laugh.
"What's a few more rivals, eh Penny?" Arizona chuckled. "Oh, thank you Shiratsuyu. This looks delightful!"
"Of course. And here's a plate for you, Pennsylvania. We broke open a new barrel of crude today," the canine destroyer informed them. Penny took a whiff of the food.
"Smells great, kid. Thanks a million. I'm starving. Oh and new girl, lay it on easy would you? We got here first and my guns are way larger than yours."
Leander snorted into her drink as Javelin withdrew from Thorson, the crown atop her head slightly askew. "I didn't mean any offense, I can assure you. I just don't think the Commander has any idea what to do with a girl like me being assigned to him! It really did look like loads of fun."
"Perhaps thine Commander hath lewd thoughts regarding destroyers?" Vampire added.
"On that we can agree," Pennsylvania replied. "My name's Pennsylvania, Union battleship. This is my sister, Arizona"
"Javelin, Royal destroyer at your service!" She replied, waving back to them as Thorson finally received a break.
"And we have not been assigned to him," Warspite cut in bitterly.
"Yo, what's got into your...you're not wearing pants. Bonnet then?" Penny demanded of the battleship.
"Pennsylvania, that's enough," Thorson finally cut in. "It was a condition of their remaining here and fighting with us. Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth."
"As you say Commander. Introductions?" Pennsylvania asked. Thorson nodded, introducing the royals to his fleet and explaining the circumstances and conditions of their stay at the facility. The Pennsylvania sisters in turn gave a full report on the status of the reconstruction of the Fusou and Yamashiro. The meal proceeded calmly thereafter, with conversation continuing long into the evening. After the chaos of that afternoon it was comforting to everyone to be able to sit, chat, and enjoy a meal without disruption. It was only when the sun was about to set that Warspite stood and bade them good evening, saying she needed to move her personal effects from her ship to the dormitory. Leander, Javelin, and Ark Royal followed to do the same, with Laffey departing to tag along with her friend.
The cruisers and Downes left next, with Cleveland explaining that they were rigging the Union dorms for demolition that night and that on the morrow they intended to start construction of a grand colonial building with white clapboard siding, a star spangled door, a candle in every window, communal spaces, a barn style annex with plenty of loft-style living space, individual rooms on the second and third floors, as well as a grand brick fireplace. When asked about a fireplace in the tropics, Portland informed him that the aesthetics of the structure we important and that the glory of the Union should not be compromised due to weather. He found it impossible to deny them.
That left only him, Vampire, and the Pennsylvania sisters. The petite Royal looked to him. "Commander, I would request thine presence and escort to the cemetery of this facility."
Arizona and Pennsylvania looked at one another in confusion as Thorson stood. "A sailor of the Royal Navy needs to be laid to rest tonight. The two of you are free this evening. Thank you for helping Yamashiro and Fusou. They, unlike the rest of the Sakura, will likely fight against their own kind...I had hoped-"
"Arizona! Shall we go brush your hair? Pennsylvania can come too!" Yamashiro called from the next table over. Fusou was corralling the young ones for bed.
"I'll give her a hand with the little flavored kittens. Can't be easy. I wonder how that Ark woman was so good at it," Pennsylvania murmured. They both noticed Thorson looking at them with an opaque expression.
"I'm damn proud of both of you. Thank you," he said quietly. They smiled and saluted before joining their counterparts from the Sakura and departing the mess.
"Perhaps thine thoughts are full of loving fantasies with battleships instead," Vampire asked teasingly.
"I'd be lying if I said no. They've all been through a lot and it's hard not to be attracted to women of strength," Thorson confessed as his Union girls and a pair of cat tails left the mess. "Tonight though let's focus on you and laying midshipman Tennyson to rest."
"Thou hast my eternal thanks, Commander Thorson. Please escort me to my ship."
Thorson had no frame of reference to understand why Vampire continued to hold the demeanor of a Victorian lady, despite looking like something out of an erotic Transylvanian fantasy. But he knew well that every ship had her own quirks. This one he was willing to humor. He offered her his arm. "My Lady of the night, may I deliver you to your ship?"
She batted her eyelashes at him and curtseyed in her already short skirt, displaying her sheer black leggings and alabaster thighs all the way to the line of her black panties. "Lead on, my Commander."