A stiff breeze ruffled Thorson's uniform as he looked at them, trying to project a strong front against four of his most powerful ships. His defenses were bolstered by the fact that the mood seemed to have changed entirely from breakfast. Arizona was looking at her feet more than at him, and the Fusou class sisters both seemed very interested in their surroundings. Only Pennsylvania held steady, meeting his eyes.
"Then let's talk," Thorson eventually said. "Ideally not at a distance of several yards?"
The girls chuckled awkwardly but nevertheless took a couple paces his way before Penny, clearly the leader of the band, spoke. "We wanted to apologise to you, Commander."
"That...is not what I was expecting," Thorson replied with a cocked brow and cautious optimism. "I was preparing to be given a nightly schedule."
"Tono-sama, don't say such things! You'll embarrass Yamashiro!" The short haired shrine maiden exclaimed, bringing her hands to her face and rocking back and forth with a blush. He removed his cap and ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry, Yamashiro. Bad joke, I know. Just...I really don't know what to do here. I've been trying to-"
"Just hold on, Commander," Penny requested, walking forward and resting a hand on his shoulder. Even in that situation she was captivating beyond words. Her bust and midriff on proud display contrasted with the hesitant look on her usually confident face. "Let us go first. I...we...damn, suddenly this is difficult. I had it all planned out on the way up. Fusou, can you help me out here?" She implored the Sakura, a woman she was strangely but surely coming to like as a friend.
"Hmm I can try, Pennsylvania," the elder maiden replied as the other three finally drew closer to Thorson as well, making the group a rather intimate setting. "Quite simply, tono-sama, we were wrong to lay claim to you as we did. This is something Tennessee pointed out to us clearly. For that we are sorry."
"Thank you," Thorson said kindly, feeling some amount of relief uncoil in his chest. "But I get the sense that isn't the end of it?"
"No, not really," Arizona admitted. "We've all had plenty of time to talk while you're busy in your office or before bed over the last few days. Downes told us about when she caught you with Laffey."
"The pants stayed on!" Thorson shouted in dismay, eliciting a chorus of giggles from his ships.
"We believe you, Commander. She would be demanding you in the mess hall if you'd taken that step," Arizona agreed. "But Downes said something very interesting to us. She said that you made her aware that she was not just a living warship, but a woman as well."
Thorson frowned in recollection as Pennsylvania took up where her sister left off. "We all figured it out at some point, I guess. Most of us long before we met you. Chicago and her sisters just seemed to get it right off the bat. If you haven't heard the rumors about them, you will eventually. Tennessee...well, let's just say she put an officer in the infirmary."
"Not sure that's your story to share," Thorson remarked levelly, knowing Tennessee might actually punch someone for sharing a tale like that. Penny sighed and accepted the point.
"Fair enough, Commander. But the point is that Downes' behavior changed from that moment on. Those of us in the Union who knew her for a while saw it clear as day. She's still the same hyper, explosion oriented girl, but there's a new motivation now. For most of us I think we already knew but were just trying to deny it. It wasn't what our commanding officers wanted from us, and frankly the leering attentions of thirsty sailors weren't what we wanted either. It has always been a mess, and I question to this day why the cubes made us women in the first place."
Thorson nodded and kept his mouth shut, wanting to listen now that Pennsylvania had gotten past her original nerves. The moment didn't last long, however, as the proud battleship looked away from him and out to sea. "Then you came along...you came along and made us excited to be women. You're our Commander, of course. But you're also a man, and not a bad looking one either."
When Penny seemed unwilling to continue, Fusou carried on for her. "Tono-sama, while I cannot speak for the Union we faced similar troubles in the Sakura before we chose the path of independence and then the sirens. Many a sailor lusted for our bodies, but they did so because we were weapons. Weapons don't need to be courted and wooed, and they are disposable."
"But I'm not courting or wooing anyone!" Thorson insisted.
"That's why Yamashiro loves you, tono-sama!" She declared, earning an empathetic smile from Arizona.
"Yamashiro is right, Commander. I know I haven't been here for everything but I linked with Penny back on my ship, and I have a pretty good idea of-"
"Wait wait, go back a moment!" Thorson stalled her with a raised hand. "You and Pennsylvania linked minds? Like what I can do in battle?"
"Yeah it was pretty easy, actually. We just tried it on a whim," Penny added.
"No nausea, no pain, no feeling like your head is going to explode?" Thorson pressed.
"Uh no? Is that supposed to happen?" Arizona asked. The Commander shook his head.
"It does for me but...wow. I wonder if the two of you could maintain that link while on your own ships. Maybe I'm the one who wasn't supposed to be linking..."
"Hey, Earth to Commander, we're talking about how all four of us are in love with you," Pennsylvania snapped her fingers. "Geez, do you ever stop thinking about stuff like that?"
"You girls have been my life for the last two months. So yeah, it's pretty much all I think about when I'm not dealing with logistics and supplies and mmmfp!" Thorson's rambling was cut off by a fiery kiss from Pennsylvania, one that had Yamashiro pouting and Fusou gazing on hungrily as the battleship grabbed at the back of his neck and uniform in an unrelenting display of passion. Her heart just about exploded when his hands came to rest on her upper arms and didn't push her away. She nipped lightly at his lower lip before pulling back, her eyes lidded with desire.
"Do you understand what we all feel like when you say things that are so...frustrating, Commander?" She breathed. "Do you have any idea what it's like to have a commanding officer who doesn't see you as a weapon or a hot piece of ass, but a fellow warrior with a hot ass?"
"I...no," Thorson admitted, his face still a mix of pleasure, surprise, and confusion. "No, I don't have any idea what it's like to be...like you all are. I want to understand you; hell I have to. That's literally my order from Admiral Hawkins. But you're right. I'll never truly know what it's like to be a human and a weapon all at once."
"Commander, I'd very much like to kiss you now...for real this time," Arizona admitted. "When you say things like that I just...know I'm in the right fleet. Please consider our feelings when you decide to be so earnest!"
"The feeling is mutual, tono-sama," Yamashiro added. "Nee-san and I were scared at first but we know too! And if you have a kiss for Arizona you had better have one for me! We're friends now!"
"Somehow I feel like we're back at square one," Thorson muttered, gazing at Arizona's vibrant eyes. They were a shade bluer than her sister's and equally emotive. "But…"
Looking back, Thorson would probably understand that he was doomed the moment he'd held Arizona on the docks at Pearl Harbor, as death and fire rained down around them. He watched as her eyes closed slowly and her lips relaxed, beckoning to him. And he was only human. As Penny and Fusou glanced knowingly at one another, Thorson gave in and allowed Arizona her request. Her lips were softer and more hesitant than her sister's, but no less passionate. A light, feathery moan slipped from her lips and over his tongue, leaving his head bright and fuzzy.
"Mmmm, tono-sama, tono-sama! Yamashiro's turn!" A plump and incredibly soft body tripped forward and pressed into him the moment Arizona released his lips. Yamashiro's prodigious chest squished against his front as she stood on tiptoe to claim her chance, a satiated sigh that tasted of green tea passing over his lips as his arms encircled her waist. When they finished, he took a step back and breathed heavily.
"That is…exactly what I was afraid of," he said, watching as Yamashiro's expression transformed from elated to crushed in a moment. "No wait, wait not that! I didn't mean it that way," he quickly added, hugging Yamashiro to him and looking an apology over her head at the other three. They seemed to understand, but plenty of other emotions swirled in their eyes. "What I mean is that if this happens over a kiss, what happens...later."
"We understand that, tono-sama," Fusou agreed. "And we know this will be...difficult in some ways for all of us, including you."
"I can assure you that were it not for fleet dynamics, the idea of making love to four of the most beautiful women I've ever known would only be an issue when I pass on to the next life," Thorson assured them with another attempt at humor. His ships uniformly blushed.
"You are very kind, tono-sama, but as you said we are a fleet. And the four of us together know that we have a role to play, one that other ships look up to us for," Fusou agreed. "Together we decided that we would find it much more tolerable to all love you and...share, if you will, than deny what we all feel on account of one other. That course of action seemed likely to generate even more strife."
"You said it yourself, sir. We're women and weapons. Hopefully the jealousy isn't too bad," Pennsylvania added thoughtfully. "But really the reason we're all here is because we needed to talk to you about it and...as Tennessee said...you need to be alright with this if anything is ever going to work."
Thorson performed his nervous tic again, removing his cap and running a hand through his hair. "You're all sure this isn't just passing infatuation?" He tried without much hope of success. Penny threw an arm around his shoulder and whispered into his ear.
"Look Commander, my cubes know what they want. And while vengeance is still top of the list, you beneath me, naked, is definitely up there. Honestly, on top would be fine too. No one has cared for me like you have before, and I can't help the fact that I feel this way. We know what we want Commander, and we're going to take full advantage of the fact that we were given the forms of beautiful women to get it. That being said," she concluded as she stepped back to join her fellows. "If you don't want us or make the decision that such relationships would endanger the fleet, we will understand. Right, girls?"
The other three nodded solemnly and gave verbal affirmation, essentially leaving the decision in Thorson's hands. He stated it plainly. "So you're saying that I can have any of you whenever I want?"
"Oh my, I think the Commander is a bit pent up!" Arizona giggled.
"Hey, it's not like I've had much opportunity to-" Thorson sought to defend himself.
"You don't need to do that anymore, tono-sama! Yamashiro wants to touch you too!" She declared eagerly.
"Keep it in your kimono for now," Penny laughed as Fusou took her sister by the hand.
"So long as you try to not play favorites, tono-sama, I think we will all be well. You have proven adept at treating each of your charges according to what she needs. I do not believe you will suddenly become inept when the bedroom is involved. Please consider our offer, tono-sama. If we are to confess our feelings to you as we have just done, we would appreciate you giving them earnest consideration."
Thorson couldn't help but be swayed by the elder shrine maiden's tact, watching as her tail twined itself with her sister's. Adorable was too dull a word. He let a smile play over his face. "You're sure I'm not dead? Gone to heaven somewhere with a tropical island and beautiful, willing women?"
"No I'm pretty sure you're alive, you jerk," Pennsylvania replied, punching him in the arm for emphasis. "What's wrong, Commander? I didn't like your tone there."
"Honestly? It feels dirty," he replied with a shrug, turning away from them for a moment. "I'm not some saint or a perfect human being, but the idea of lusting after women in such a way, of indulging in more than one woman? It seems wrong to me. And then there's the fact that I'm your Commander. I could order you to-" Thorson paused as an incredible wave of danger passed over him and made his spine tingle. He turned slowly to find 40 gun barrels and four beautiful smiles pointed his way. Arizona spoke to him tenderly.
"Commander, we know as well as you do that such a thing would never happen. If you were to order us to do something against our will, well, I think you know how that would end. If you're uncomfortable with all this then that will be the end of it but if you're holding back for us, or because you think this is not what we want, please reconsider. We didn't come up here to have this conversation with you lightly. We know how this looks and how this could change the fleet. But I can't change what we...what I feel. Thank you, Commander." With all the necessary words spoken, Arizona blew him a shy kiss and turned for the hill, followed closely by her sister. The two of them were already chatting about something new. Thorson figured it might be him. He looked between Fusou and Yamashiro.
"What about you two?"
"We will give our shrine some thought since we are already up here, tono-sama," Fusou replied serenely.
"You sure you don't want a kiss too?" Thorson asked with a self effacing laugh. Yamashiro gave him another hug.
"So waaaarm~!"
"You seem to be occupied, tono-sama," Fusou tittered. "As for my kiss, I believe I will reserve myself from you for now, a bit of friendly strategy against my friends and sister. If you do decide that becoming one with me is something that you desire," she began with a blush, her voice becoming shakier and softer with every word as she played with her butterfly hairpin. "Then I will allow you to indulge in every part of me. Nothing will be held back, tono-sama."
Fusou's simultaneously shy and brazen proclamation hit Thorson like a 12" shell, leaving him to dumbly pat Yamashiro's head as she snuggled him for all she was worth, cooing about how her tono-sama was so gentle. Divine intervention arrived, however, in the sound of explosions coming from the beach. It was hard to make out, but the disturbance seemed to center around Z23's hull, where it remained stranded in the shallows.
"Sorry Yamashiro, I've been here too long. I'll think about this, I promise," he said sternly, back in 'Commander mode' as he double checked the horizon and assured himself there were no enemies on approach. The short haired neko battleship attached to his waist looked up at him, giving him a fine view of her gentle face and her motherly bosom that spilled from the sides of her kimono.
"Tono-sama is too stressed, Yamashiro can feel it," she worried as Fusou looked on. Thorson gave her a sad smile.
"It's part of being at war, Yamashiro. I'm sorry."
"Tono-sama, I love you. See you later!" Yamashiro called as she buried her head in the crook of his neck and took in his scent. He found that he didn't have the will or the emotions to deny her.
"You're a wonderful ship, Yamashiro. I think I feel the same. You and your sister keep working up here. Having a Sakura shrine on a Union base will be a powerful statement to allies and enemies alike." With that proclamation, Thorson separated himself from Yamashiro and made haste for the docks, hoping nothing too explosive occurred before he could arrive. Fusou watched after him.
"Perhaps that young cruiser was not too far from the mark. Yamashiro, let us finish here and then see to Akashi's preparations. I believe she already found an appropriate source of water."
"Oooh Yamashiro cannot wait! Tono-sama will be so happy!"
Thorson was pleasantly surprised to find Cleveland waiting for him near the command office, her rigging active and eyes occasionally fluttering. The rest of the Union fleet, Penny and Arizona included, were working on the dormitory in the distance.
"I see they didn't eat you alive, Commander. Glad you're still with us!" She teased as he paused to catch his breath. "Oh come on, it was a little funny. Anyway, you should make your way down to the beach. Sounds like something happened with Zed and now Laffey's taking it out on that creepy Ironblood boat."
"Thanks Cleveland, you're a lifesaver," Thorson replied earnestly, earning him a broad smile from the caped cruiser. "This is what I get for taking my eyes off her…"
"We could send a message to them now. Wanna try?" Cleveland asked, extending a hand to him. "I had a little chat with Leander this morning about how she keeps in touch with her ship. I figure maybe that link thing works the same way?"
Thorson took pause for a moment. "I never actually considered testing that. Let's give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen off your ship?"
The Commander soon learned the answer to that question as Cleveland took his hand and established the mental link with ease, likely due to their previous sorties together. He didn't have the time to erect any sort of defenses.
"Oh wow...ok that can come later," Cleveland said with ill-concealed interest as she reviewed three particularly expressive kisses. "But for now you can send a message to them."
"I should have just used the radio," Thorson moaned before co-opting Cleveland's rigging to assure Laffey and Javelin that he was on his way. He gave the cruiser a thankful look before departing. "Thanks for keeping tabs on things while I was...well, you saw."
"Hm hm hmmm, you have more than one battle to fight Commander. Get going!"
"Do you think we could speak later, Cleveland?" Thorson suddenly asked. "Just, you know, to talk?"
"Wha- what?" She stammered before shaking her head back and forth. "I mean yeah, sure that would be alright with me. Maybe tonight if there aren't any air raids?" She suggested with a smile.
"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks Cleveland. I can always count on you." As Thorson left her and began taking the stairs two at a time down to the docks and the beach beyond, Cleveland couldn't help the fluttering in her chest. She rested a hand over her brooch and breathed a heavy sigh.
"Oh no...it's just like with Helena. How could I even compete with ships like Penny?"
"What happened here?" Thorson demanded as his boots hit the sand, finding Ark Royal in a kneeling position and Zed resting in her lap. Javelin stood by with a worried expression while Laffey continued to bombard the hull of the Ironblood destroyer with shells from her rigging. It might have been cathartic, but she was barely scratching the paint. The war weathered carrier glanced up at him.
"With a look like that, Knight Commander, I was afraid you might court martial me," she said softly, patting Zed gently on her short, blonde hair. "We were all going to show her around the civilian area. It was Laffey's idea, bless her. But something happened, that ship maybe. She took off running and we gave chase. Didn't last long. She tried to activate her rigging and passed out. Poor thing, she looks so peaceful now. I can't believe she was at Narvik…"
Thorson knelt beside Ark and nodded to Javelin, placing the back of his palm on Zed's forehead. She didn't feel flushed. "I'm glad you'll be staying here, both of you."
"Me too, Knight Commander. It's an honor," Javelin replied. "What should we do about Zed though? Seeing her like this is..."
Thorson remained silent for a moment, watching as Laffey's tiny body exerted itself in a display of wanton anger. Her silver hair was disheveled and her hoodie long discarded in the sand. "I think Laffey has the right idea," he said before raising his voice. "Laffey! Get over here!"
He watched as she stopped firing and placed her hands on her knees before turning and walking tiredly over to them. "Laffey was hungry, and then Laffey was happy. Then Zed was in pain again and Laffey was angry! Laffey is still angry!" She described as though she were capable of only one emotion at once. "Laffey hates that evil ship. Let Laffey kill it, Commander!"
"Just let us get to a safe distance. Go to your ship and destroy that hull," Thorson ordered. Laffey nodded and kissed his lips silently before leaving, making great haste to her ship. Thorson, Ark, and Javelin had barely made it back to the docks before she unloaded, sending five torpedoes towards the Ironblood hull before opening up with her main guns. With Union destroyer's built much more in the gunboat archetype than their Sakura counterparts, the defenseless vessel was soon consumed in fire and rocked by detonations. All that was left in Laffey's wake was a single cube that glowed deep red with siren corruption, shimmering in the wreckage. Thorson was about to breathe easy when he noticed Laffey had left her ship and was headed to shore again. Unlike the shards he'd extracted from Zed and the Sakura, the cube was not dissolving.
"Laffey wait!" He called, cursing the slowing sands under his feet as the small destroyer easily beat him to it by skating over the water, plucking it from the wreckage.
"Knight Commander!" The royals yelled as he left then, Zed finally stirring after all the commotion.
"You will never hurt Laffey's friends again! Laffey will destroy you like the Commander destroys the sirens!" The young woman's pledge proved easier than the task, however, as the cube seemed to willingly accept her challenge. Laffey's eyes blazed with evil light as Thorson finally got to her and wrenched her from the water.
"LAFFEY!" Thorson screamed as she struggled in his hold, grunting as she punched and kicked at him with surprising strength.
"Murder...kill...stronger," something that wasn't Laffey whispered using the girl's mouth.
"Oh no you don't! Laffey, if you're in there link with me now! Do it, that's an order! Send a pulse!" He commanded, feeling her still for just a moment before his mind was sucked into hers, a tortured perversion of the Baltic sea, the horizon stained red with the flames of war and burning ships. He could see Laffey, sinking slowly beneath the still surface. He ran forward and gathered her up, snatching her away from ghostly hands from the depths. He didn't even bother considering how he was able to stride across the waves. Voices taunted him.
"What hope could you possibly have?"
"One man cannot defeat us!"
"Your love will make you weak."
"Fuck off!" He cursed in reply. "You want to fight me? Fine. But you keep your bloody siren hands off of my pawns, my ships. They belong to me more than they'll ever belong to you!"
Thorson figured the knighthood might be getting to him, but siren fever dreams were hardly the place for modesty. A different voice broke the silence, this one not mocking, but dripping with condescension and power. "Then gather your pieces to you, little knight. Perhaps one day you can entertain the Princess."
With a gasp Thorson found himself back under the sun on the beach, with Laffey in his arms. "What in the world?" Thorson muttered, looking down at her. "Holy hell!"
The unexpected weight in his arms was no accident. Laffey was taller. Her face, still contorted with discomfort, looked more mature. She was glowing. Her ship was glowing. "Oh what in the fucking hell is going on?!" He demanded, trying to reach for Laffey's mind again. The connection was weak but he saw plans, her ship. He felt her preparing for war, to crush everyone who would threaten him or Zed. She stirred and opened her eyes; looked up at him. She spoke.
"Laffey is ready for war, Commander. Annihilation mode activated." True to her new, slightly more mature voice, that foreboding phrase played out just across the water. The USS Laffey warped and shifted, taking on a sleek and deadly profile. Thorson watched in awe as she seemingly adapted the siren technology into her vessel, with larger cannons and red accents. To cap it all off, the commander's mouth dropped open as the forwards batteries shimmered and merged, forming a large gun that powered up and fired a literal barrage of charged particles that left hissing trails of boiled ocean as the plasma was launched out to sea before finally dissipating.
"By all that's holy," Thorson whispered, only looking back at the girl in his arms when her outfit began to shine. Gone was the cute tank top and red skirt. In its place was a tiny white bikini top and short skirt, accentuated by a long sleeveless vest. Her arms were covered in large leather bracers, which he soon realized were rigging mounts as she activated her retrofit. A torpedo mount, 127mm gun and spotlight attached to each of her arms, making her look like a bunny gunslinger as her ears lengthened and adopted a black and red motif. Even her footwear had changed to wide rimmed boots with rabbit ears and leather straps. She looked strong and powerful.
"Laffey is very hungry, Commander. Also a kiss would be nice. Beating sirens and stealing their power means Laffey deserves a reward, yes yes."
Thorson allowed a combination of utter relief and the discussion with his battleships to make the decision for him, standing them both upright before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her hard. She responded immediately, able to much more easily reach his lips now that she was just around Zed and Javelin's height. Her tongue was equally eager and more experienced, entwining with his as she moaned and dug her fingers into his shoulders. When they finally broke apart Laffey looked ravenous. "Zed is safe now and Commander knows Laffey is a woman. It's time for food."
With her various desires satisfied, Laffey took his hand and led him back to Ark and the others. Zed and Javelin were looking at her in awe.
"Laffey what happened? You were so bold! And your ship?!" Javelin exclaimed.
"You may be a Knight Commander, but you're still a horny Yank it would seem," Ark added. Thorson shrugged.
"She was the first ship to ever trust me and I almost lost her to the sirens in that cube. Won't apologize for that one. Zed...I'm very sorry for leaving you. But it's over now," Thorson assured her.
"Don't worry, Zed. Laffey and Commander killed the bad voices. Laffey steals their powers. If Zed can have it, so can Laffey. Do you want lunch? Laffey would like lunch."
Thorson looked at the Ironblood sympathetically, as if to say she didn't have to go along, but she smiled, looking at the beach where her old ship used to be. "I would like that. Will you come as well, Kommandant? I would feel better with you at my side."
"Sure. Let's go grab a bite."
Thorson was more than relieved for Laffey's surprise retrofit by the time dinner rolled around. With the rift between him and Warspite mended, it was Laffey, not he, who was the center of attention from a combined Union and Royal table. Zed seemed stable with the destruction of her ship, and most of the fleet retired to the Sakura dorms to relax after a long day of work on the various construction projects on the base. It was in this period of relative calm that Cleveland knocked on Thorson's door.
"Come on in," he called, pleased to see it was her as she entered and shut the door behind her. He was seated on a cushion, reading.
"In that pose I'd half expect you in a kimono yourself," Cleveland joked, pulling up a spare cushion that Akashi had left with him when he'd first moved in.
"I figured it's a decent opportunity to experience a bit of what life is like in Japan. Chances are I'll never see it, you know?" He replied introspectively, finding that he felt most at ease in Cleveland's presence. She opted to lay her head on her cushion, sprawling out on the tatami floor and kicking her sock-clad feet around comfortably.
"Yeah, I understand that. Never know when they'll come for us. So what's on your mind, Commander? Want to link up?" She got right to the point. He shook his head as he set his reading material aside.
"Would it be alright to just talk? I know we've got this link thing down pat, but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate some normal conversation. Moving at the speed of sound and not the speed of thought is probably more comforting for humans."
"Huh, that's a good point," Cleveland agreed, cocking her head and looking over at him. "So they all ambushed you at once, eh?"
"Ambush sounds about right. I just...part of me wants to give in, badly. I mean, they're gorgeous, all of them. It just violates everything, you know? Basic morality, military hierarchy, common decency. I mean, what if I start this whole thing and then can't finish it? What if they want something I can't give? What if this fleet tears itself apart over something stupid like this?" He rambled, only stopping when Cleveland took his hand into hers in a gesture of comfort. She felt warm and soft.
"Commander, you're right about all of that except for it being stupid. Can I ask you something in return?" She requested, looking up at him from her position on the floor.
"Yeah, of course."
"Why talk to me about all this?"
Thorson smiled at her. "Because you're an excellent soldier, a crack shot, and a good friend. I feel like we understand one another pretty well and...what is it?" Thorson trailed off, unable to miss how Cleveland had turned away from him.
"I'm a good friend?" She repeated in a whisper.
"Yeah, of course. And you're reliable to boot."
"And what about Arizona or Pennsylvania, Commander? Are they friends...or?"
Thorson finally realized what Cleveland was getting at, shaking his head and looking up at the ceiling so as not to have to face her. "I just keep screwing things up, don't I?"
"I don't mind you being honest with me, Commander. Just...if you don't really mean that then please don't say it!" She begged. "We can't all be as brave as Penny."
"Cleveland…"
"Commander," she turned back to him with watery and hopeful eyes. "Am I pretty like they are?"
"You're nothing like they are," he answered honestly, looking over her lithe, athletic body and charming face. "But you're very pretty."
A genuine smile lit Cleveland's visage as she dared to tread where only battleships, and technically Laffy, had. "Commander, would it be wrong if we...got together too?"
"Cleveland?" He asked with a shock as she rolled over and sat up on her knees to face him. The look in her eyes was piercing. "Not you too…"
"I think I want to make love to you, Commander. And this is really, really embarrassing. So if your answer to any of them is gonna be yes...don't forget me?" Her plea cut deep, and unlike earlier that day he was alone, alone with one of his ships and only one. That made it easier, more tempting under the dim, candle-like light of the lantern. Cleveland reached up and undid her cape, allowing it to pool around her shapely legs and show off her toned arms. Her hands rested on the zipper to her shirt, as if waiting for his approval. "I'm a woman too, you know?"