Chapter 29 The Privateer and The Cardinal
Two shipgirls shuddered in their sleep as a cool early morning breeze blew over their naked forms. The younger Cruiser stirred as the other's limbs tangled into her own.
Crap… Biloxi rested her free arm on her head as her vision slowly focused on the ceiling. She didn't plan on spending the night, but the Shipgirl coiled tightly around her arm tended to be a bit needy whenever her heart was overwhelmed. Which wasn't often, but with all the recent changes and events happening with everyone all at once, even the unflappable Lucky Lou would be a little mentally fatigued.
A smile crept on Biloxi's face as she brushed away the hair from St. Louis' face. She looked so cute, lying there peacefully as she murmured in her sleep. She could lay here watching all day if she could, but she knew, she should've been out of this room many hours ago.
With a light kiss atop her head, Biloxi made her move. Carefully, she pried Lou's arms from her own before deftly sliding a pillow in its place, like she'd done many times before. The young Brooklyn shuddered at the lack of warmth as Biloxi quietly slid off the bed. She planted one more kiss before pulling the covers over her.
"Slept well?"
The voice made Biloxi jump as she closed the door behind her. From the kitchenette, Helena yawned as she fiddled with a can of coffee beans.
"I-I… uhh…" Biloxi stuttered. She closed her legs tighter, hoping to hide her still-undone shorts. She knew Helena would sniff out any excuse she could offer, so she just nodded at her immediate question. "Y-yeah…"
"..." Helena hummed in acknowledgment as she scanned the younger Cruiser head to toe.
"Want some coffee?" she said after a pause, lowering her headphones from her ears.
"N-no thanks…" she shot down politely before making her way for the door, doing up the zipper on her shorts, "I-I should get going… Bataan's Hellcats are probably driving Birm crazy right now…"
"You're gonna make her sad again…" Helena said before Biloxi stepped into the hallway.
"..." she sighed before flashing an apologetic smile. "Say sorry for me, will you?"
It was still dark as Biloxi pushed past the Dormitory doors. The cold, air-conditioned air blew past her from behind before disappearing into the humidity outside. Sweat immediately formed along her skin before she could peel off her hoodie.
The grounds were quiet, except for the early birds chirping among the native volcanic trees. Peaceful was the word that came into her head as she strolled through the ordinarily bustling courtyard. Biloxi let her voice out loudly with a satisfying stretch just as she saw something stir from the base of a nearby tree.
A figure got up quietly as it noticed the Cruiser's presence; her golden bronze ponytail flicked outward as the shipgirl turned to leave.
"Jean?" Biloxi said aloud, wondering why the former Vichy Flagship was squatting by a tree outside the Eagle Union Dormitory.
Tch… The Battleship clicked her tongue at her discovery as she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Bonjour," Biloxi greeted with a bow despite being out of Jean's vision.
"B-bonjour…"
As the Battleship turned to greet her, Biloxi quickly noticed Jean had tried to hide something behind her arm with a bend of the wrist.
o7
Inside the Eagle Union Dormitory
Val crept down the hallway, wiping Brooklyn's residual drool from her shoulder. Brooklyn's fatigue from having pushed so hard yesterday wore into her. At first, Val couldn't tell when her fiance pushed her so fervently down on their bed. All that adrenaline still pumping through her normally calm veins seemed to drive her a bit mad, not that Val minded. She welcomed it, in fact. But before she had a chance to reciprocate in full, Brooklyn was already snoring, still sandwiched between her thighs.
The halls were still empty, just as the sky was before dawn. She was used to waking before everyone else, given her job serving people at the start of their morning rush. But there was no job for her to rush to at the moment. Val could finally just relax and enjoy the stillness such an early hour offered.
A door cracked at the end of the hall, followed by a loud yawn.
"Massachusetts?" Val called out quietly to the drowsy Battleship, "You're up early."
"Y-yeah…" She rubbed at the corner of her eye before flashing Val a tired smile. In her arm, she held a milk crate with various bits and bobs stuck out the top.
"Cat toys?" Val said upon closer inspection.
"Jean said to bring them…" the Battleship said with a shrug as she shored up the crate in her arms.
"Odd…" Val pondered out loud but chose to keep some thoughts to herself. I guess she's into that kinda thing… she thought alongside a mental image of Massachusetts in faux cat ears swatting at a cat toy.
"She looked so cute the other day, when she was playing with it," Massachusetts giggled with rosy cheeks.
"Oh…" Val second-guessed as her mental image flipped around to the former Vichy Flagship doing the swatting.
o7
Back outside
"Quiet morning, huh?" Biloxi approached the Battleship casually.
"Qui…" Jean took a tentative step back.
"What brings you 'round these parts?" She continued to close the distance.
"..." Jean retreated another step, backing herself up against the tree.
Maybe a bit of St. Louis rubbed off on Biloxi, but the sight of the customarily hardened Battleship scrambling backward like she had just been caught with her hands in the cookie jar lit something deep inside her.
"Were you waiting on someone?" Biloxi said with a sly smile as she slammed her palm against the tree.
"A-and what gives you that idea-" she glanced at the arm next to her head that trapped her in place.
"Shall I fetch her for you?" She said over the former Flagship with a wink.
"You will do no such thing!" Jean lashed out with a stomp of her heel.
Biloxi knew she had taken her teasing too far, but before she could voice her apologies, the distinct yowl of a cat drew her eye to a black streak of fur as it scurried up the side of the tree.
"W-wait!" Jean turned to catch the feline, but all she caught was air.
Both Shipgirls stared upward at the cat, perched high up on a branch directly overhead. It trembled as it stared right back down at them.
"..." Jean glared back at Biloxi with a frustrated growl as the Cruiser gave her a guilty chuckle.
Just then, the meows of multiple cats rounded the tree's base. A litter of little kittens surrounded Jean's feet as they made passes, rubbing themselves against the Battleship's boots. A couple clumsily stood on their hind legs as they tried to swipe at the cat toy Jean accidentally let dangle from her hands.
"H-hey… arrêt…" a flustered Jean made feeble attempts to shoo away the kittens, but all it did was make them want to play some more.
Biloxi desperately held back a smirk as she figured out what the former flagship was doing behind the tree when she caught her.
"Always had ya pegged as a dog person…" Biloxi let her thoughts slip as an image of Massachusetts happily wagging an imaginary tail while Jean scratched under her chin, played in her mind.
"I don't discriminate…" She conceded, crouching down, she pets the closest one to her. Even if she didn't show her face, the tips of her ears betrayed her hardened demeanor.
"We found them yesterday…" Jean said.
Biloxi could fill in the blank for who the other party in the "we" was.
"Their mother was apprehensive of me at first… though she took to Massachusetts almost immediately."
"And woke up early just to play with them…" Biloxi stifled back her snickering.
"And it seems I may have reset my progress…" Jean looked up with a sigh, ignoring the Cruiser behind her.
"So~ how're we gettin' her down?" Biloxi asked as she took up Jean's side.
"We?" The Battleship snapped, "this has nothing to do with you."
"It is partially my fault… so if there's any way I could be of use."
"Well… if you are so insistent." Jean pondered for a second, "I could hoist-"
"Absolutely not!" Biloxi interrupted as she got down on one knee, taking the Battleship's hand into her own. "I wouldn't dare trample on a lady such as yourself." She said as she placed a kiss atop her hand.
Jean glared down at Biloxi past her nose once the initial shock wore off. The Cruiser's sharp smile and gentle touch almost made her heart skip a beat if not for the fact she was already annoyed. It was different from when Littorio greeted her, none of that spine-tingling sleaziness that always hid an ulterior motive.
"..." Jean coughed into her free hand, "then how about you lift me?"
"Of course!" The Cruiser positioned herself at the tree's base, cupping her hands together to form a little platform for Jean to place her foot.
Not even the shorebirds perched atop her funnels could compare to the Battleship's lithe figure as Biloxi hoisted her high above her head with little effort. To think she held, quite literally, such an unbridled power in the palm of her hand made the Cruiser chuckle.
"Just… a little… more… left…" Jean strained on her tiptoes as Biloxi held her as far as she could.
Jean teetered on a single leg, the tips of her fingers oh so close to the trembling feline.
"Psspsspss," Jean beckoned, her eyes in lock with the creature's. She was almost within reach when the cat's ears perked up as it shifted its gaze suddenly past her. There were extra voices that just entered the courtyard.
"What are you looking at-" she went to ask, but a streak of black fur lunged at her head. Jean flailed her arms as its claws latched into her hair. She went weightless as she teetered too far backward.
She fell like a feather… Biloxi thought as she caught the Battleship within her arms like a newlywed bride.
"You good?" The Cruiser said with a laugh as the cat unfurled itself from Jean's head before leaping down to the ground below.
Jean silently stared ahead. Besides the red from the fresh claw marks, the tips of her ears glowed from embarrassment.
"What's got you all worked up~"
Jean's and Biloxi's ears perked up to Massachusetts' voice on the other side of the tree.
"Oh, so it was just an actual cat…" Val said with a hint of disappointment. "But I wonder what it was running away-" she said as she rounded the tree, "from…"
"What's wrong?" She scooped the cat up into her arms before she took up Val's side.
Besides the early hour, it wasn't that odd to see Biloxi standing there. They were in front of their dorms, after all, but Massachusetts had trouble making sense of what her friend had cradled in her arms. The cat swatted at her face before she realized she held onto its paw for too long, just like her blank stare ahead.
"H-hey guys~" Biloxi coughed as she gently let the Former Vichy Flagship back down on her feet.
o7
Biloxi tried to act nonchalantly as she always had, but the glaring presence at her side was becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
"W-what?!" She turned to Val in exasperation.
"Nothing," she huffed, "Wichita was right…"
"About what?" Biloxi grumbled, knowing full well what she meant. She spied Massachusetts crouched motionless by the tree, the cats using her as a makeshift jungle gym. She hadn't moved since Jean took her leave nearly half an hour ago.
"Homewrecker…" Val said, half joking.
For as long as Biloxi had known Massachusetts, she'd never seen her look so dejected. She never took her as the type to partake in relationships, let alone the drama surrounding such matters.
"H-hey, I didn't mean-"
"I know," Val scoffed, "but she doesn't."
Biloxi scratched at her head in annoyance, "I-I should probably go…" she said as she got up from the bench. "Y'know… to clear up any misunderstandings."
"Massa's still innocent when it comes to love…" Val said before walking her statement back a tad, "at least where her feelings are concerned…" because there was hardly anything innocent about what the two Battleships were doing behind closed doors.
"Love, huh…" Biloxi let out a sigh as a layer of unease clouded heart. "D-don't tell Lou about any of this…"
"There's nothing to tell," Val shrugged, "like you said, it's all just a misunderstanding…"
"Thanks…"
"Unless you were feeling guilty about something~" Val teased before she left down the hill.
o7
Biloxi almost mistook Massachusetts for an oversized garden gnome as she stared off into space, unresponsive to several attempts at her attention. The kittens clambering atop her head and shoulders didn't seem to mind their newly found self-heating cat tower.
The Cruiser couldn't recall when she'd seen the Battleship this out of it, apart from the time Long Island's "special" brownies got mixed in with the rest of the dorms' snacks many years ago. The look on Brooklyn's face was priceless when she stumbled upon the Commander and a dozen of his Shipgirls, all absurdly enraptured with the texture of the room's curtains.
"Hello~" Biloxi waved in front of her face, but again, her voice hardly carried weight.
She hated resorting to extremes, but she must, to move past this predicament of her own making. With a finger notched, ready, and aimed, she quietly whispered a preemptive apology.
Signs of life returned to Massachusetts' eyes as Biloxi's flick connected squarely on her forehead. The Battleship rubbed at the soreness as tears welled up in her eyes.
o7
Jean threw her covers over herself, shielding her eyes from the midday sun, which shone through the gap between the curtains. She reached for the warmth that laid next to her, but all she caught was the empty side of her canopy bed.
A groan escaped Jean's lips as she hugged the pillow Massachusetts had used throughout the week. A faint whiff of her scent still lingered on the fabric as she cursed at her pathetic heart.
Was it anger she saw on Massachusetts' face? Jean couldn't tell as the Eagle Union Battleship wouldn't match her gaze. If she didn't want to engage with her, Jean saw no point in continuing the farce. And with a huff, Jean left back to her room.
"Maybe if she used that single brain cell of hers…" she grumbled to herself, then maybe she could see how stupidly stubborn she's being. She mulled on her thoughts, poking her head out from her fluffy prison. Her eyes settled on her bedside table and the pristine green feather atop it.
"You want one?" Massachusetts asked curiously as she held Jean on her lap. "You keep staring at them."
She parted with it so quickly, likely forgetting she'd already done so in the past. Jean slipped the feather into her coat back then, a replacement for the one she lost. Only God knew where that old one had flown off to.
"Maybe I'm the stubborn one…" Jean laughed quietly to herself as she started back under her covers.
"You're only now realizing this~"
Jean's blood ran cold at the all-too-familiar voice. Her mattress shifted as they sat on the foot of the bed.
"Sœur?!" She yelped, shooting upright, holding her covers to her chest in a defensive posture.
"Oh, my sweet Jean, why must you look at me like that?" Richelieu teased with a pout.
"It's what I give anyone barging into my room unannounced!" Jean's glare sharpened.
"You left your room unlocked~" the Cardinal sang before putting on a mighty pout, "and it was you who missed our prior engagement! I thought you were going to show me those kittens you found!"
Jean grumbled to herself as she averted her eyes. She had forgotten, but it's not like she could now anyway.
"And when I went looking for you, all I found was a depressed Massachusetts." Richillue shifted closer to her sister. "so, what did you do?"
"What did I do?!" Jean threw a pillow, "that damned, empty-headed-"
In an instant, Jean's vision darkened, her face resting on something soft and warm. Gentle hands stroke at her hair.
"And let me guess," Richillue said softly into the top of Jean's head, "you didn't talk it out…"
"W-why should I?! I've got nothing to say to that simpleton-" Jean's outburst was cut short as Richillue's grip on her head tightened worryingly.
She rocked her gently in her arms with a quiet shushing, despite her crushing hold, "And that's why you're brooding all alone in your room right now…"
Richillue braced for some form of a rebuttal, maybe a squirm or two, but Jean just nestled deeper into her chest with a defeated groan. While she wished only the best for her sister and her relationships, to have Jean in her arms, not putting out a fight, did grant a level of satisfaction despite the selfishness of it all.
"Do you even have time to waste sulking?" Richillue held her sister at arm's length, "if I recall, don't you still have a little showdown to attend~"
With grit teeth, Jean's eyes flashed into a scowl. Her melancholy transforming into a bubbling rage.
"I want you to go out there and show those Eagle Union girls what the Iris… no, You are made of."
Was it right for her to stoke the flames? Maybe not, but the fire was lit in Jean's eyes. A look she had not seen for so long. Ever since Jean had returned to the greater Iris Orthodoxy, Richillue could tell her sister was holding back, for her sake.
"It's not just victory I want from you," Richillue met her sister's gaze with fire of her own, "but complete domination."
It was amusing, to say the least, watching as her sister's face morphed in astonishment.
"For too long have they stayed stagnant, thinking no one as their equals, but that all ends. Because I know how far you've come, evolving, adapting. They will know your might; she will know your might!"
Jean's jaw just about hit the floor, unable to believe her ears.
"And if you want her to be yours! You have to take her by force! Show her she belongs to you!" Richillue shook her sister by her shoulders before looking closely into her eyes. And with a soft voice, she finished, "and tell her you belong to her…"
Jean's face tinged red as her shock turned into embarrassment.
"S-s-sœur! A-are you out of your mind?!"
"Just a little!" She replied with a serious face.
Jean could only let out a sigh as she scratched at her head. "What's gotten into you?" She said under her breath. "Where did you learn to speak like that?"
"Oh~" Richillue offered a curt smile, "just something I picked up from a troublesome sister of mine~"
o7
The booming of Shipgirls' main guns shook the air from where St. Louis stood. Even the branches of the nearby trees swayed despite being decently far removed from where said Shipgirls let loose with abandon. With Helena and Colombia at the helm for the combat drills, there was no real reason for the busty Cruiser to participate. Too many cooks… or so the saying goes. Just the close eye she kept on their progress was more than enough to show her support.
A phantom itch gnawed at the base of her back as she watched Brooklyn and Honolulu rehearse for their part in the operation. A slight pout showed as she remembered Brooklyn's words from this morning.
"It'd be too unfair to have you along…" Brooklyn said with a nervous smile, "Sorry, Lou~"
Maybe she had been too eager to volunteer. Honolulu was a better match to take their absent sister's place. As opposed to herself, since some don't even consider her to be a Brooklyn in the first place. There was a certain allure that came with being a "Name Ship," but St. Louis didn't care much for that pride and would do her best to correct anyone who thought otherwise. She was content in at least filling that role for Helena's sake, but the girl has gone and become a fine woman on her own. And these days, were starting to feel a little lonely, just like this morning.
"Why the long face?" A pair of hands wrapped themselves around her waist from behind.
St. Louis jolted in surprise, "Gee~ I wonder why~" she hummed teasingly once she realized who it was.
"If you keep pouting like that, you'll get wrinkles," Biloxi teased back, despite the accusatory tone hidden in her fellow bluenette's voice.
Their fingers intertwined as St. Louis leaned backward into Biloxi's embrace.
"-and… sorry," Biloxi whispered into her neck as she squeezed a little tighter.
"Ohh~" St. Louis wanted to tease the abnormally subdued Cruiser, to hear exactly what she was sorry for, but she held her tongue. "Well… all is forgiven." She said with a quiet chuckle.
o7
"Alright, ladies!" Colombia teetered off the edge of her ship as she shouted into a loudspeaker. "give me another dozen laps!"
"A-a-and k-k-keep your arms up…" Helena attempted to channel the same energy.
"Louder!" Colombia said as she put aside the loudspeaker, "you gotta get their blood pumping!"
With a silent nod to herself, Helena took in a deep breath, "I want to see you hittin' each and every bullseye!"
With a satisfied smirk, Colombia took up her loudspeaker again, "you heard the girl! And YOU!" She pointed down at Ranger, "don't let your speed drop! If those Vichy girls sense any weakness-"
"-They'll rip you to shreds!" Helena finished with gusto.
"I-I'm trying!" The Carrier strained out as she struggled to lift her flight deck past her bust. "I thought it was supposed to be a friendly!" She whined as a flight of Wildcats launched off her flight deck.
"Miss your little cozy classroom yet?" Northampton teased as she pushed Ranger along from behind.
"Very much so!" The Carrier regained her footing as she signaled her dive-bombers to commence their attack.
"It'll be one day to really let loose," Brooklyn too, supported Ranger's shoulders.
"You're so gung-ho about it now," the Carrier side-eyed the Light Cruiser.
"What can I say," Brooklyn waved at Val, watching from the shore as they started another lap around the course, "I guess I finally found my motivation…"
"God…" Northampton let out as herself and Ranger failed miserably to suppress their smiles, "when did you get so cute?"
"Right?" Ranger teased, "she's so smitten, it's adorable~"
A fierce blush engulfed Brooklyn's face before she tried to jet away, but Northampton quickly pulled her into a headlock.
"Hey! You three!" Colombia blared out on her loudspeaker, "this is a combat drill! Not a damned conga line! So stop fooling around and pick up the pace!"
With guilty chuckles, the three Shipgirls fell back into formation.
o7
"Do we really need to go this crazy?" Wichita blitzed through a tight leg of the course, perfectly in sync with Cleveland at her side, nailing every target as they danced across each other's wake. "It's only gonna be two of them we're fightin' ain't it?" The heavy Cruiser said between her shots.
"They accepted anyway," Cleveland grunted as she swung her rigging out in front of herself, letting loose on the targets ahead in a swath of gunfire.
"And that little white one…"
"La Malin?" Cleveland finished for the Heavy Cruiser.
"Yup," Wichita sent more rounds down range shortly after, "that's her name-"
"What about her?"
Both Cruisers spied the former Vichy Destroyer on the shore nearby. Propped up at the base of a palm tree, she rested her head on Laffy's beside her. How they were both able to sleep in all this ruckus was beyond them.
"I dunno…" Wichita let her arms fall in thought, "just something off about her…"
"What?!" Cleveland elbowed the heavy Cruiser's side playfully, "don't tell me you're scared of a wittle destroyer?"
"Of course not!" She elbowed back before switching back to a more serious tone, "She kinda reminds me of Laffey is all… and not in a good way."
"That they can't keep their eyes open for more than two minutes?"
"Look… all I'm sayin' is, I know you wouldn't want to be locked in a room alone with a pissed-off Laffey."
"I wouldn't want to imagine that…" a chill ran through Cleveland's veins as she shuddered.
"I know Hiei didn't have to imagine!" Wichita cackled as both Cruisers renewed their stride along the training course, swiftly passing up Massachusetts, who appeared to be a bit more sluggish than usual.
They stayed ahead, playing the part of a protective screen, but their charge kept falling further behind them. The two slowed their pace to match hers as they continued to fire on the various targets laid out for them. A giant splash landed next to a target well within optimal range as Wichita looked over her shoulder.
"Did Mammie just miss?" She said to Cleveland in disbelief.
Cleveland too, looked back worryingly before putting on the brakes and reversing her course with Wichita behind her.
The battleship hardly acknowledged their presence on either side of her, as if she were traveling and shooting on autopilot.
Cleveland shrugged confusingly at Wichita as she failed to rouse Massachusetts' attention.
A smirk crossed the Heavy Cruiser's lips as she raised her arm behind the Battleship, riding crop in hand, poised to strike at her rather large stern.
Cleveland shook her head in fervent disapproval, but Wichita swung down anyway with a resounding crack.
A pained yelp flew from Massachusetts' throat as she jolted, followed very shortly after by the boom of her forward guns.
"Oh shit…" The two Cruisers cringed as they watched the miniaturized 16" shell sail towards the shore.
o7
Javelin's tea set rattled on their hastily rigged table as the mighty booms of Massachusetts' guns went off at the far end of the training course.
"I'm still amazed those two can sleep through this," Hood said as she raised her cup from the table so it didn't spill.
"I'm just as amazed there's someone else like Laffy," Z23 sighed as La Malin twitched in her sleep.
"I admit, when I loose my own guns, I sometimes frighten myself," Hood hid her giggle behind her gloved hand.
"You frighten all of us when you have to resort to force," Wales said as she approached the group from behind.
While Eugen was in no way a surprise to see following closely behind the Base Commander, the same couldn't be said for the other they had in tow.
Hood's eyes widened at their surprise guest as she subtly adjusted her posture, brushing at her hair so it sat perfectly along her face.
"Bismarck?" The old Battlecruiser fought back a smile from overtaking her whole face. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Her enthusiasm proved too much for the Iron Blood Commander as she redirected her gaze to the girls on the training course. "Business…" she mumbled out.
"We were just discussing that matter," Wales said with a level smile, hoping to hide her intentions to the uninvolved parties at the tea party. But she had forgotten who was at the table.
Ayanami chose to stay silent. She knew from working with Akagi and Sakura upper management, it was better to keep her nose clean of their many backroom dealings. But someone else at the table lit up at Wale's implication.
"OoOo~ pray tell Commander!" Javelin's radar for gossip set her off, "come sit! We have cookies!"
"You want to bribe state secrets with… cookies?" Wales chuckled at her brazenness.
"If we tell you~" Eugen sang into the Destroyer's ear as she coiled her arms around her shoulders from behind. She traced the outline of her neck before stopping at her lips. "I'd have to… take care of you~"
Javelin's shoulders turned a shade of pink as she quivered at her predatory touch. If she hadn't already been seated, she'd probably have collapsed.
"No need for any of that~" Hood waved her hand in dismissal, "it's only a simple pickup sortie."
"You would tell them?" Bismarck broke her silence in a swift and harsh tone.
Hood didn't have to turn around to notice the daggers glaring at the back of her head.
"I don't see what the fuss is all about," she said before taking a dainty sip of her tea.
"You don't see-!?" Bismarck nearly lashed out but held her tongue. She knew bait when she heard it, but that didn't make it any less infuriating. "Surely, the matter of our very survival is worth making a fuss over," she said more calmly.
"There you go with the dramatics again~"
Z23 looked mortified when she saw the scowl on her Komandant's face. She saw the bait, but took it anyway.
"What?" Hood looked more than satisfied as she turned to see Bismarck with a reddened face. Whether it was embarrassment or anger, she didn't seem to care one way or another. "No rebuttal? I expected more from-"
Before Hood could get her words out, Ayanami suddenly leaped off her chair, pointing panicked to the horizon.
"H-heads up! Des!"
Before Hood knew what was going on, Bismarck tackled her to the ground; the flash and roar of her semi-sentient riggings took over her senses. A ground-shattering explosion shook her to her core as she clung tightly to Bismarck's chest.
The ordeal was over instantly as sunlight shone through the smoke and dust as debris fell all around them.
With a cough, Wales unfolded her riggings from on top of herself as Eugen and Javelin emerged, shaking the sand from their hair.
"Sound off!" Wales yelled as her riggings dissipated.
Wheezing and coughing could be heard within the dust cloud as the other ship girls recovered.
"Ayanami?!" Z23 sat up from atop the horned Destroyer, jostling her shoulders.
"H-here… Des…" she replied with a cough before the Iron Blood hugged her tightly.
"Shizen…" Eugen said with a tentative chuckle.
"I-I'm alright…" Javelin said as Wales helped her to her feet. "Laffey?" The Royal Navy destroyer whipped her head to the palm tree she slept under, but neither she nor the tree was to be found.
Once more, she called out her friend's name in a panic, but one more scan of the beach revealed the Eagle Union Destroyer still blissfully snoring a dozen feet from where they were, with Le Malin sprawled out in the same manner right next to her.
"Phew…" Javelin wiped the sweat off her brow, "I think we're all good here~"
Hood's ears still rang as she clutched tightly at the front of Bismarck's shirt.
A metallic appendage nudged gently at her cheek as it let out a low growl.
"Oh~ Anton…" Hood cooed as she returned the gentle touch to the top of Bismarck's turret.
"Are you injured?" Bismarck said as level as she could, but she hoped Hood's awful eyesight could hide the red she knew to be settled on her face.
"D-Dora too?!" Hood let out a surprise giggle as the other half of Bismarck's riggings tickled at her side.
The tinge on her cheek only grew as she failed to will her Riggings to cease, "They will not leave you alone until you answer..."
"Hmm~ I didn't realize you were worried about little ol' me?" Hood tried to tease, but Bismarck would not match her gaze, "but yes. I am fine, thank you kindly~"
"Gut."
Without warning, Bismarck's riggings dissipated. With nothing left to lean on, Hood went weightless before faceplanting onto the sand with a plumph.
"My~ Bismarck, is that a smile I spy on your face?" Richillue giggled as she approached the group.
"You see no such thing," The Iron Blood adjusted her hat as she silently greeted the Cardinal and her sister.
As everyone dusted themselves off, Cleveland and Wichita flew to the shore with Massachusetts in tow. They looked panicked at first but were relieved to see everyone okay.
"W-we're sorry!" Cleveland bowed her head as she tried to force Wichita to do the same, but the Heavy Cruiser was stuck in a glaring match with Jean Bart.
"No harm done that can't be fixed," Wales said as she straightened the collar of her blouse.
Jean grew increasingly annoyed with what she saw as Massachusetts continued to fidget behind the two Cruisers. She looked unfocused, distracted, weak.
"Pathetic…" she said to herself, but everyone heard it.
It hurt to hear for Cleveland, but she didn't have time to dwell on her wounded pride. Without looking, she already knew the hot head next to her wouldn't take that lying down. It was almost instinctual at this point as she wrestled with the armatures of Wichita's riggings. They strained to get guns on target as the Heavy Cruiser flung expletives into the air.
Jean stepped past the two as she brushed against Massachusetts' shoulder. "Don't disappoint me," she whispered to her self-proclaimed rival before turning to Richillue.
"Let's go," Jean said, extending her hand to her Flagship as she helped her step onto the water.
"W-Wait!" Le Malin stumbled in the wet sand as she caught up to Jean, "did you need me to-"
"No," Jean said flatly before gently brushing the sand from the Destroyer's hair. "Save your strength; go back and rest."
"Oui!" Le Malin beamed, "don't have to tell me twice!"
Massachusetts drew her arms closer to herself as Jean set out to the training course with Richillue in hand. The Eagle Union girls came to a halt as the pair cut across them to a more open section of water.
"Are you sure about this?" Jean grasped her sister's hand tightly.
"What? You're saying I can't indulge myself too? It's not fair you're the only one letting loose~" Richillue said back with a pout.
Jean let out an incredulous laugh as she came to a stop at her desired point. "Should a Holy woman be saying such things?"
"I'm sure He'll forgive me," She said with a pious smile. "So, make sure not to hold back~"
"If course not, sœur," Jean let go of her sister's before she took her position.
o7
"The nerve of those two! Barging through like that!" Colombia spat out as she stomped at her deck, still in her drill instructor mode, "I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!"
"C-Colombia, d-don't!" Helena squeaked out, holding her friend back from steaming full ahead at the two Battleships. The hairs at the back of her neck stood on end as her SG Radar return went crazy, clouding her head with a blanket of white noise. Like the air itself was being charged to a critical point in which it could no longer contain the energy flowing through it.
The sea by Jean's feet swirled into a frenzy as a whip of lighting shattered atop her head, permeating the water below. From the mist, her riggings slowly emerged, her barrels articulating from between their opulent black carapace.
At the same time, a book appeared in Richillue's hand as she raised her other towards the sky. The clouds parted overhead, and Holy light bathed the Battleship through its aperture. Ornate bulwarks of brilliant white and shimmering gold materialized from the blinding light as the turbulent waves stilled at her feet. Fluttering beside her in the still air, the majestic standard of the holy Iris Orthodoxy flew proudly from her aura alone.
Few people have had the chance to witness either sister fight in the past, let alone the Cardinal of the Iris Orthodoxy. Brooklyn and Massachusetts were two such people during the final battles between Azur Lane and the last of the known Siren aggressors. But they couldn't even recall this overwhelming feeling emanating from the Benevolent Flagship.
"Oho~" Prinz Eugen cooed, amused at her superior's reactions. With Bismarck so intently focused on the sight before them, she'd forgotten how to blink. And Wales, with a furrowed brow, prayed silently for the safety of her Naval Base.
Jean hunkered low, ready to strike at any moment. Despite her sister's impressive display of power, Jean knew Richillue to be passive. It'd be easy to push the offensive.
"En guarde!"
Jean's eyes flew open wide as her sister was no longer where she was, replaced by the glint of a golden speartip mere meters from her face. Her riggings flew up with a clang as Richillue's Flagpole glanced off its hardened surface. The waves behind them were cleaved in two by the time Jean had fully processed the attack.
Jean dashed backward to make space as she braced for another strike.
"I thought I told you not to hold back!" Richillue twirled her flagpole like a spear before she stood at the ready once again.
"I never!" Jean replied with a full salvo of her main guns.
"Yet you still!" Richillue charged ahead with her Rigging angled.
Several splashes and an explosion marked a hit, but Jean knew it was far from over. From the smoke, that same golden glint from earlier charged even harder than before.
The clamshell of Jean's riggings slammed shut as she was forced back with overwhelming might. That thin blade had to give way sooner or later, she thought as she shored up her footing and pushed back, but the tip did not break. Like a dagger was being slowly pressed against her skin, the tip of Richillue's spear dug deeper into hardened steel. The Holy white blade pierced right through, striking true as it stabbed deep into Jean's main turret.
It had been a long time since panic filled the Privateer's heart. She quickly purged the front half of her Riggings before it erupted into a massive fireball. Out of the smoke, Jean lept backward into the air. At that range, an explosion that significant wouldn't let anyone escape unscathed, but the tattered and singed dress was the only thing Richillue had to show for it.
"Where is your flag?" the Iris Cardinal yelled as she readied her next strike. "Show me the Standard you once proudly flew!"
Her sister's words cut deep. What right did she have to wield that flag? Forgone when she rejoined under the Orthodoxy. Jean was no longer a leader, she had given that up when everything she fought for exploded all around her. But with half her firepower and all of her protection gone, she had little choice left. With the surface fast approaching and her sister poised for another thrust, Jean let a curse out from under her breath.
Massachusetts was one of the many Shipgirls frozen in place at the spectacle. She had never seen Jean on the back foot nor this level of ferocity from Richillue. She tried to analyze every strike, every tiny little detail on how the two sisters moved, but as Massachusetts stood there, jaw slacked, as Richillue's Standard flung helplessly through the air before sinking into the waves below, she realized she couldn't see anything at all.
The Cardinal was down on a knee as a blade pressed firmly at the side of her neck.
"It's over…" Jean said, her cold eyes stared down at her sister as the Vichy Flag fluttered from the end of her spear.
Richillue pouted as she clutched at her own broken spear, "you just had to break it~"
Jean let out an exasperated sigh as she angrily gestured to the missing half of her Riggings. "Were you trying to get us both killed!?"
"I knew you'd be able to deal with it?" the Cardinal nervously laughed.
"You two are the same…" she sighed again as she went at ease, shouldering her spear at her side. "Get up," Jean offered her hand, "before they start to think less of you."
"I don't care if they do," Richillue said as she took her sister's hand, "as long as you don't."
"I never have, Richillue. Because at the end of the day, we're sisters."
"N-now, I find that hard to believe!" The Cardinal said, flustered at how effortlessly charming she was being.
"Where has your faith gone, Holy Woman?" Jean said with a cool smile.
o7
Very few things frightened the two Iris Battleships, but a fuming Vestal was near the top of that list. As they limped back to shore, they struggled to maintain eye contact with the little nun as she chewed them out for their recklessness.
"It was all my idea," Richillue pleaded, "so please, don't be too hard on Jean."
"I am responsible for my own actions," Jean huffed.
"I'm not terribly hurt," the Cardinal said, "but you must take care of Jean."
"Oh, I intend to," Vestal tapped her foot in frustration. "I won't hear the end of it from Massachusetts if I don't." She added under her breath. Pointing at several Manjuu, Vestal barked a few orders. "Go get me Akashi! We've got a lot of fabricating to do!" Was one of them. "Looks like I'm working overtime tonight…" she said to herself with a sigh.
"S-sorry for the trouble…" Richillue squeaked out, "the Iris will cover the repairs, and then some~"
"Good," Vestal nodded before grabbing hold of Jean's wrist, "Dry dock, now."
Jean was surprised, but let herself get pulled along. She couldn't argue as she was in desperate need of a repair. As they reached the start of the dock, Massachusetts was there alongside Brooklyn and the other Eagle Union girls.
"Do you want to say a few words?" Vestal said as she noticed Jean staring.
"..."
"Go, I'll give you two a moment to talk."
And just like that, the little nun dropped Jean off right in front of Massachusetts. The other girls all looked like they had something to say after the Iris sister's whole display of power, but Vestal ushered them aside, taking extra effort for Wichita as she dragged the Heavy Cruiser away.
The two Battleships stood there awkwardly before both initiated at the same time, accidentally talking over the other.
"Y-you first." Jean took a step back.
"I-" Massachusetts fiddled with her fingers, "-y-you looked really cool out there."
"Naturally…" Jean looked coughed into her fist, as she tried to avoid the Battleship's nervous gaze. she could tell though, Massachusetts wanted to say more, but before she could corral it out of her, she spoke.
"I- I uh…" Massachusetts started as she fidgeted in place. "about this morning… I'm sorry-"
"-Don't," Jean barked before switching to a meek tone, "The blame partly lies with me, so… I'm-"
"So, you're sorry too?" Massachusetts looked weirdly happy cutting in as she encroached into Jean's personal space.
"I-I was getting to it!" she slammed her head angrily into Massachusetts' but neither girl flinched as their foreheads fought against the other.
It was calming to hear Massachusetts' laughter once more, but it still irked Jean to no end. Her frustration only led to fuel the Eagle Union Battleship's amusement, but before she could do anything, Vestal came between the both of them.
"Alright, that's enough." The pink-haired nun said with a sigh, "I don't need you two giving me more work to do right now, save it for after the match at least."
As Vestal pulled her along once more, she turned to Massachusetts one last time, "I'll defeat you." She declared, her finger pointed right between her eyes.
Massachusetts face lit up in excitement, "You can try."
o7
Sorry for the huge delay~~
Between a new position at work, major life changes, the Holidays, and spraining my freaking wrist, it's been really hard to find the time during my lunch breaks (when I even take one these days) to work on this chapter.
Just went in for an X-RAY the other day and the doc said no broken bones. So that's good a least, I get to keep membership of the "never broke a bone club"
Though have no idea if tearing a ligament or tendon counts? I'm due for an MRI in a couple of days to really see whats wrong. Fingers crossed that surgery isn't necessary, but at this point I'd do anything to be able to use my wrist properly again.
My next update shouldn't take too long (maybe) hopefully. And I'm kinda up in the air with the next chapter. Should I go straight for the Jean vs Massachusetts showdown, or take a break with that and focus on something else, a new pairing or one I haven't touched on in a while?
And to anyone still reading my fic after all this time, thank you. It's now been nearly 4yrs since I started and I loved every second of it. The only thing that kept me sane during my long work hours.