Freedom was standing on the deck of the Cleveland, leaning over the railing of the bow. Around him were the vessels of the other Kansen; each one of them was sailing on their own hull, except for Helena, who was resting in one of her friend's cabins. In the middle of the formation was the ship of Captain Decken, with the jamming device safely secured on its deck.
Lost in thought, his gaze wandered to the hulls of the girls. The closest was the Shimakaze; the lapin destroyer was also standing on her bow, and when she saw him looking at her, she waved a hand to him with a big smile on her face. He returned the gesture and went back to his musings.
Unlike them, he couldn't summon his old hull anymore; it was one of the prices he and his brothers had to pay for learning Wisdom Crafting. It wasn't a major loss in his opinion. The fact that the damage taken by the hull was reflected on the body of the Kansen was inconvenient and disadvantageous; besides, they could still deploy their rigging, and pairing them with their Wisdom Crafting was usually the best way to go. He had to admit, though, that in the situation he found himself in earlier, he could have used his old hull, at least for the comfort it provided out to sea.
After the battle, and after Decken's men finished disassembling the device, they all took to the sea to head back to Azur Lane. He was able to rest for a few hours inside one of the Cleveland's cabins, and by the time he woke up, the cruiser's wound had already healed on its own, and he was ready to talk with Ryan.
Since they had plenty of time, he tried to explain the concept of alternate reality to him, or at least he relayed what he was told in the past, word for word; on his part, the Commander brought him up to speed about the political situation of the place, the foundation of Azur Lane, and most importantly, the Sirens.
His hand instinctively went to his pocket, where he kept Purifier's cube. He had plucked it from her body after he killed her. In this world, not only the Kansen, but also the Sirens were different, and they were a lot more human-like than the ones he was familiar with. And he didn't like that.
The Sirens of his world were basically parasites that consumed and destroyed everything they came across; they didn't talk, and the only way to communicate with them was by resonating with the Cube of a defeated Elite, even though it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience for the Kansen who went through it. The method was taught to them by the Beacons, the alternate versions of some of their comrades hailing from the different timelines of his own world. Maybe he could do the same with Purifier's Cube? Even though her body was dead, her subconscious should still be intact inside it.
He decided to give it a try later when they reached the base, and he had a moment to himself.
"Ladies, this is Emperor; he is a Kansen from another world, and he'll be coming with us to Devonport. I'm sure you've already heard about him from the sailors, but he is the one who saved the convoy," Queen Elizabeth announced to the rest of the Kansen present.
They were all standing on the deck of the Warspite, sailing towards Devonport, and providing escort to the surviving ships of the convoy, and the queen was doing the honors of introducing the shipboy to the rest of the fleet.
Of course, such a statement announced without warning was bound to leave them speechless. Sure, while they were conducting salvage operations, the sailors were all too eager to share the story of what had transpired before their arrival; thanks to that, they had prepared themselves to meet the male Kansen, but never in their wildest dreams could they have anticipated what their queen had just said.
"Greetings, ladies," Emperor said, taking off his tricorn hat and curtsying to them. "I'm the HMS Emperor, of the Ruler-class of escort carriers. It's an honor and a pleasure to meet so many beauties all at once. Truly, your mere presence is enough to brighten my day."
Warspite let out a frustrated sigh at his words. She already knew he would be a pain in the arse to deal with in the future, but she didn't expect him to start with his antics so soon.
"I would appreciate it if you would refrain from shamelessly flirting with the members of my fleet in my presence, servant," Elizabeth intervened. "Being surrounded by men all the time in your world is not an excuse to make a move on every Kansen you meet from now on."
"Bold of you to assume I don't swing both ways, Elizabeth," Emperor retorted with a grin. "By the way, you better cut it out with the whole 'servant' stuff if you don't want me to start calling you 'shrimp' in front of everyone."
For a few seconds, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the waves crashing on the Warspite. Everyone was too stunned to say a word; even the ever-unfazed Sheffield had her eyes wide open.
"Now, listen well, you rascal! I won't have a bloke like you disrespect me in front of my subjects!" Elizabeth was fuming. She turned to him, pointing her finger at his chest, only to realize once more that with her height she could barely reach his shoulders. "I'm the queen, you are the foreigner. You are supposed to obey my every order, and that makes you my servant by default."
"Oh, really? I don't remember signing any contract stating I'm to be relegated to the rank of servitude. Are you sure you are not misunderstanding something, shrimp?"
"HOW DARE YOU! No one has ever addressed me in such a manner in my entire life! I'll have you hang by your toes for this!"
"I'd like to see you try, Your Highness."
The exchange kept going for a while, much to the dismay of the shipgirls.
"M-my, what an interesting fellow," Illustrious said, not knowing what to make of the situation.
"Indeed, I have never seen Her Majesty have so much fun arguing with someone," Hermione commented, looking at her queen's expression.
"I'm cheering for him," Sheffield declared.
"Maybe we should leave them alone?" Asked Javelin, not knowing what to do.
"You can go if you want, Jav. I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world." Perseus didn't even try to hide her amusement.
Chaser was the only one who didn't react. Her eyes went to the Acting Commander, who had been massaging her temple with her hand the entire time. When Wales noticed her gaze, she smiled and nodded to her, inviting her to step forward.
Wales coughed into her hand, trying to get the attention of the two bickering Kansen. "Your Majesty, I think we are forgetting something."
Elizabeth turned around to reply, "Wales, now is not the time-" Then she noticed Chaser standing next to her. The carrier had a forlorn expression on her face and was rubbing one arm with the other, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
Emperor raised an eyebrow at the interruption, and before he could ask what the matter was, Elizabeth addressed him again.
"Servant, unclog your ears and heed my words," she began. "This is Chaser, escort carrier of the Royal Navy, and an upstanding member of my court."
His eyes widened in shock, not expecting the sudden reveal.
"Wait, you mean… Chaser of the Attacker-class?"
Chaser could only nod her head, unable to utter a word, her mind running a hundred miles a minute. The queen had said that he was from another world, so maybe it was just a coincidence, but she had to verify it.
She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "Yes, I am Chaser, a former Bogue-class carrier. I was wondering if you also shared the same origin as me, although... you do hail from another world."
She didn't want to get her hopes up over nothing, but she couldn't help but wish for it to be true. The Bogue was one of the most numerous classes of warships ever built, and it had always bothered her that the only other member brought to life by the Cubes was Bogue herself. Not that she hated the namesake of her class, quite the opposite, but her being still with the Eagle Union meant that the two never had a chance to properly interact as siblings. She had always tried not to show it, but she missed having one of her sister ships by her side in the Royal Navy. The other Kansen always tried to make her feel welcome among them, and she appreciated that, but at the same time, it wasn't enough to fill the void she had in her heart. The lack of a true family was something that wasn't easy to deal with, and most of the Kansen didn't realize it since they were lucky enough to have all their sisters alive and by their side.
And now, this stranger came out of nowhere, claiming to be the Emperor. Not only that, but he also claimed to be from another world. She didn't know exactly what that could entail, but she was ready to backpedal at a moment's notice if she realized that it was just a case of homonymy, so that, at the very least, she could spare herself the disappointment.
Then, without notice, she found herself in the arms of the shipboy. Before she could even react, he started talking.
"In my world, we were among the first to be brought to life." He told her; his voice was cracking, but he was able to keep it together. "Now, there's only a handful of us brothers left, and Chaser... he died a long time ago, protecting a fleet of civilian ships very much like this one."
He let her go of the hug and put his hands on her shoulder.
"It's nice to meet you, sister; I hope we can get along," Emperor said with the most genuine smile he could make.
Chaser, unable to formulate a proper reply, could only look at him, dumbfounded, before realizing that her vision was getting blurry. All the emotions she had bottled up in the past few years were starting to overflow all at once.
She buried her face in his coat and started bawling on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her once more and held her tight.
Elizabeth, not expecting that kind of development, went to the other Kansen and shooed them away, intimating them to give space to the pair of siblings. They all retired inside the Warspite's bridge, except for the queen and her sister, who lingered a little longer.
"I suppose I can forgive you this time around," Elizabeth thought, looking at the man she had just finished bickering with. Then she walked to her sister's side and hugged her arm.
Warspite, not expecting the sudden physical contact, was taken by surprise. "Y-Your Majesty? Is something the matter?"
"Nothing at all, Warspite," She said as they followed the others inside.
Given the confidential nature of the location of the base, Ryan and the others had to escort Captain Decken and his men before heading back to Azure Lane; they left them at the closest civilian port, where they were supposed to disassemble the device and hand it over to those concerned. They quickly resupplied and took to the sea, eager to go back home.
It took a few more hours, but the Azur Lane main base was now clearly visible, and Freedom couldn't help but wonder at the sight in front of him. The orange of the sunset beautifully enveloped the green island. The base itself was nestled in an inlet that had a bottleneck entry; buildings of all kinds surrounded the bay, from dockyards and storehouses to more civilian-like structures, probably the dormitories of the shipgirls, and a lighthouse.
He also noticed that there were plenty of colors around, not just the dull gray of any other military base. It looked more like a village where cultures from all over the world had gathered. He recognized a Sakura bathhouse, an Iron Blood pub, a flower garden surrounding what looked like a small mansion, clearly belonging to the Royals, and was that a track and field course?
He let out a laugh. They treated their Kansen well in this world; he was almost jealous.
"What's so funny?" Cleveland's voice came from behind him; there was not a hint of accusation in her voice, just genuine curiosity.
"Nothing in particular; it's just that I was expecting the typically dull and boring military base, but this place looks more like a tourist resort."
"Hehe, just wait until you see the manjuus," said the cruiser with a grin on her face.
"The… what?" Asked the shipboy, genuinely confused.
"You'll see; I don't want to spoil the surprise."
When they arrived, everyone recalled their hulls. The Commander got off the Cleveland, carrying Helena in a piggyback ride; the cruiser had finally woken up and insisted on walking to the infirmary on her own feet, but Ryan didn't budge. Vestal was already waiting for them on the pier, with a stretcher by her side.
Freedom noticed that the repair ship was surrounded by several yellow balls of feathers. It took him a while to realize what they were. They resembled small, chunky chicks and were dressed like nurses, if the white hats and coats were any indication. When Ryan deposited the shipgirl on the stretcher, they started pushing it towards the infirmary-dry docks, releasing various "-ju, -ju" as they left.
Were those things the manjuus Cleveland was talking about? Of all the weird stuff he had seen, that topped it all.
"Commander, I'm going to tell St. Louis about Helena; I'll come to your office later to help you with the report," Cleveland said to Ryan.
"Take it easy tonight Cleveland. I'll have someone else help me with that."
"Roger that, Commander; see you later, guys," the cruiser said as she left for the Eagle Union dorms.
"Belfast, can you have someone take care of preparing a room for Freedom, please?" The Commander asked the maid.
"Of course, Master. I'll see to it personally," she answered with a slight bow.
"Miss Belfast, allow me to help too. I can't possibly trouble you like this without doing my part," the shipboy told the maid before she could go.
"That is quite all right, Lord Freedom. Besides, I believe you have something more important to do right now," she said, looking over his shoulder.
He turned around, following her gaze, and his eyes stopped on Massachusetts. The shipgirl had just arrived on the pier with the others, and he he tried to call her, but when their eyes met, her head snapped away from him and she started speed walking away.
Before she could get too far, Alabama blocked her path and put an arm over her shoulders, keeping her in place.
"Are you gonna run away forever, sister?" Asked the battleship, trying to hold her struggling sister.
"Alabama, please let me go," begged Massachusetts.
King George V, having witnessed the exchange, decided to intervene.
"I do believe our guest could use a tour of the base before the sun goes completely down. Is there anyone who volunteers to escort him?" She said out loud, addressing everyone and no one in particular.
Prinz Eugen was about to raise her hand, but her sister slapped it back down before she could reply.
"We are helping the Kommandant with the report, so we'll have to pass," Admiral Hipper declared, dragging her sister away from the group and toward the Commander.
"Yeah, we also have an important appointment with… the onsen, of course! Right girls?" Ise looked at her fellow Sakura Kansen, who nodded vehemently.
"Did I miss something?" Ryan asked Eugen, trying to figure out what was happening in front of him.
"Don't worry, Kommandant, I'll bring you up to speed later," the heavy cruiser replied, attaching herself to his arm and dragging him away towards the office.
Massachusetts looked around for help. The destroyers and the subs had already disappeared, probably gone to tell the others about the news, while everyone else was either walking away or feigning ignorance.
Freedom, sensing that he had to do something to help the mortified battleship, approached her. The shipgirl froze at seeing him get so close and her sister let go of her.
"Hey, Massachusetts." He tried to smile. "Would you mind showing me around the place?"
Her heart was beating so fast she thought she was about to have a heart attack. "Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up."
"N-no… I mean, yes… I mean… let's go." She turned around and marched away, almost hoping he didn't follow her.
But alas, he went after her, walking a few feet behind her.
South Dakota, who had been silently watching the events unfold, massaged her head. "I hope they don't drag this on for ages."
Upon their arrival at Devonport, Emperor bid farewell to Captain Walker. He and his men thanked him once more for saving their lives and saluted him all at once, all under the eyes of many confused dockworkers.
Said dockworkers were even more confused when they saw him cross the gate of the area they knew to be off limits for humans, escorted by the shipgirls themselves. He figured their confusion wouldn't last long since Walker and his men seemed to be pretty eager to share their experience with every soul in the port.
The Kansen-only complex they were heading toward looked more like a manor than an actual dorm, and it was separated from the harbor by a gigantic garden. A path of marble tiles stretched from the entrance to the building, crossing it in its entirety. The green of the grass and the colors of the flowers were interrupted by the occasional fountain or gazebo scattered around the place.
The walk throughout the garden was punctuated with the greetings that the shipgirls on duty sent to Elizabeth and her retinue, followed by the usual look of confusion when their gaze fell on him.
Those looks of confusion became even more pronounced when they noticed that Chaser was clinging to his arm like a limpet on a rock, displaying a huge smile on her face. Rumors were bound to start spreading, but it wasn't something that bothered him.
Chaser was truly a sweetheart. After their meeting on the Warspite, Elizabeth and the others had left them alone for a while, giving them time to catch up, and he was grateful for that.
They talked about many things; she told him about her experience in the Royal Navy, how she and Bogue were the only ones in their class to be brought to life, how she had never truly interacted with her, and how she desperately craved any sort of family bond. On his part, he told her stories about all his brothers, how he got to meet them, how many of them had died during the first years of the war, how he had found comfort in his adoptive brothers, and how desperate he was to find them.
Since that moment, she had never left his side, clinging to him like a possessive little sister, which was weird to say since he was supposed to be the younger brother, considering that the Attacker-class came before the Ruler-class, even though their height difference made believe otherwise. Maybe her desire to be pampered was simply stronger than her pride as an elder sister, but who was he to deny her that? He had finally found someone he could dote on without them getting offended at his display of affection, and he wasn't about to pass up the chance.
His thoughts went to his brothers for a moment, and to Lenin in particular. If Sparviero was the least experienced because he was one of the latest to be born, Lenin was literally the youngest ship of them all, and therefore the most immature of the group; his nuclear-powered engine didn't help in soothing his hot-tempered personality either. He loved him very much nonetheless; in fact, it was the main reason why he liked to tease him so much all the time, much to Lenin's chagrin.
Once they entered the manor, Elizabeth turned to address them all.
"Ladies, you are all dismissed for the night. I'll see you all again at breakfast." They had already had dinner on the Warspite, courtesy of Sheffield and Hermione, so there was no reason to extend this day any further.
Then she regarded the two carriers with an annoyed look. "Chaser, let go of him; he isn't going anywhere, and it's improper for a lady to be so openly touchy-feely."
Chaser complied, letting go of his arm but remaining at arm's length from him.
"Good. Hermione, from now on, you are going to be his personal maid. Have the others adjust your schedule based on your new employment."
"As you wish, Your Majesty." Hermione bowed to her queen.
"What's this? Do I get to have a personal maid? Have I been promoted from 'servant' to 'emperor' all of a sudden?" He joked with a sly smile.
Elizabeth's eyebrow twitched. "Unfortunately, being related to a member of the Royal Court automatically makes you part of it too. But don't get too cocky; it's not something I decided. It's just part of the protocol."
"Truly, your generosity far exceeds your shortcomings, Your Majesty," said the shipboy, immediately taking advantage of his new position.
"You better cut it out before I make you prune the hedges barehanded. Hermione, show him his room and remove him from my presence."
"I guess that's my cue to leave." He turned to face his sister and the others. "Good night, ladies, and sweet dreams to you, Chaser; we'll talk more tomorrow over breakfast," he told her, patting her head.
Smiling even more at the attention, Chaser replied, "Good night, brother; sweet dreams to you."
He followed the maid throughout the hall and the hallways of the palace, taking in the sight of the place around him. Once they reached their destination, Hermione opened the luxurious door for him and stepped aside.
"This is your room, Master," the maid announced, bowing lightly to him.
The room was worthy of a member of the Royal Court. Maybe a bit too lavish for his taste, but he wasn't going to complain about it. It certainly did justice to the opulence of the place.
"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call me; I will take care of everything you need."
"Everything I need, you say?" He raised his brow and gave her a telling look.
Hermione blushed at the innuendo and cleared her throat.
"Everything that falls between my duty as a Royal Maid, Master," she replied with a slight smile on her lips. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She lifted the hem of her skirt in a curtsy and left the room so he could make himself comfortable.
Shaking his head and laughing to himself, Emperor took a moment to assess the situation.
He was in friendly territory, surrounded by new allies. He had found a new sister and was ready to give his life to protect her. He also had secured a position close to an influential person, which came with the backing of an entire organization of shipgirls, and Elizabeth had promised to use her contacts with the other faction leaders to try and locate his brothers.
He was lucky; it could have been a lot worse.
He took off his hat, changed into the sleepwear he found on the bed, and let himself fall on the sheets. The exhaustion and the emotion of the day fell over him all at once, and he fell asleep a few seconds after his head hit the pillow.
"Massachusetts, please slow down." Freedom tried to call out to the battleship, who was getting further away from him with every step.
The walk was, to put it mildly, awkward. Massachusetts kept walking without slowing down the pace the entire time, barely stopping to let him take in the sights and speaking only to give him the name and purpose of the various buildings around them, leaving an uncomfortable silence between a stop and the next.
"And this is the mess hall," she said as she came to a halt in front of the last building of the tour.
Now that she had finally stopped, it was time to address the elephant in the room.
"Listen, I understand you are upset, but I think we should talk about what happened…" he started.
Massachusetts froze in her tracks. The moment she had been dreading for the entire journey back had finally arrived. She took a deep breath and turned around to face him.
"You are right," she started with a serious expression on her face. "I'm sorry about earlier. The euphoria of the battle and the near-death experience must have clouded my judgment. I did something improper because I got carried away and misunderstood the words of a friend, but I realized it too late, making things awkward and making you uncomfortable. It was entirely my fault, and you have every reason to be mad; you have my deepest apologies for that."
The worst part, which she didn't voice out loud, was that she enjoyed it. Being held in his arms twice, the gentle smile he regarded her with, and the kiss itself were all things that made her feel butterflies in her stomach.
The fact that she enjoyed so much something she shouldn't have done in the first place was the reason why she was freaking out so much. In her mind, it felt like the correct thing to do at that moment; she partly blamed Howe for unintentionally gaslighting her, but she also knew that her friend had nothing to do with her slip-up. The poor blonde had even repeatedly apologized to her over the radio back on their hulls, but Massachusetts made sure she understood that it wasn't her fault.
Freedom scratched his head, trying to put order in his own thoughts. So, she wasn't upset with him, but with herself. She thought she had done him wrong, and she had been feeling guilty about it the entire time.
He didn't want that. It was indeed unexpected, but that kiss was such a pleasant experience for him that he'd feel kind of bad if she was the only one to feel upset about it. And since it was partly his fault for not stopping her, he felt compelled to reassure her.
"I see now." He breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a reassuring smile; then, he called her by her name with a firm voice, which made her heart skip a beat. "Massachusetts, I don't want you to apologize, because you have nothing to feel sorry about. I'm not upset at what you did, I promise. How could I be when you only had the best of intentions in mind? Please, I don't want to see you like this; it's disheartening, to say the least."
The shipgirl perked up at his statement. "Really? You are not saying all this just to make me feel better?"
"I'm serious. Besides, I feel like I'm also to blame. I got a bit too much into that kiss, and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it." He said in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Both relief and embarrassment washed over Massachusetts at hearing his words, but now a new thought was creeping into her mind. She sighed and hung her head in frustration. She couldn't help but openly berate herself for her lack of awareness. "I'm so dumb. I've never been good at reading the room, and I always make things unnecessarily awkward; I feel even more stupid now."
Then, remembering what he just said, she added, "Although, if I have to say it… I also enjoyed that."
Freedom, not wanting her to keep admonishing herself and unable to resist after hearing her words, decided to act. He closed the distance between them and delicately lifted her chin with his hand, locking eyes with her before planting a kiss on her lips. It was just a quick peck, but it was enough to set her neurons on fire.
"There. Now we are even. Don't beat yourself up too much over it," he gave her another smile.
Before Massachusetts could react, a loud whistle was heard, coming from within the mess hall.
The windows of the ground floor overlooking the front of the building opened one after the other, revealing the amused faces of the Kansen of Azur Lane.
"Shit. That's why there was no one around the place. They were all having dinner inside," Freedom screamed internally.
Some of them started clapping, others started cheering.
"Get a room, you two!"
"Way to go, Mamie!"
"Hey, why did you stop? This was just getting interesting."
"Is that the male Kansen? Damn, he's hot!"
Among them, they could recognize the faces of Shimakaze and the other destroyers that were with them during the sortie. They must have run to the mess hall first thing, knowing they would find their friends there, and told them everything.
"Hey, Hornet. How long have you been there?" Massachusetts asked one of the shipgirls leaning over the window.
"Since the beginning, Mamie. Did you forget that the glass is see-through?" A girl with a cowboy hat and long blonde pigtails answered with a shit-eating grin on her face.
Massachusetts shrank into herself with a mortified expression on her face, and Freedom let out a frustrated sigh, hoping this wasn't going to be a recurring thing.
Ignoring the cries and calls of their audience, he addressed the shipgirl once more. "I think Belfast should be done with my room by now; would you mind showing me the way?"
"Yes Mamie, show him his bedroom! Very thoroughly!"
Too fed up with their antics, Massachusetts grabbed his arm and dragged him away from there, towards the Eagle Union dorms, leaving behind the cheering and whistling of her comrades.
Despite what just happened, the embarrassment and awkwardness from before had completely vanished. The two were now walking side by side; Massachusetts never let go of his arm, and at some point, they started holding hands. It came to them almost naturally, and the few moments of silence were not uncomfortable at all, making them wish for the walk to last longer.
Once they reached the Eagle Union dorm, which was probably the plainest building on the entire island alongside the Commander's office, they found Belfast exiting one of the rooms on the top floor; it was the only floor with no other occupants, and the maid specifically chose it for the male Kansen.
The cruiser raised an eyebrow at seeing them being so comfortable with each other but refrained from making any comments, limiting herself to smiling.
"Lord Freedom, this is the room I arranged for you; I hope you find it to your liking," she said to him with a light bow.
"Thank you, Belfast, I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it. It's an honor and a pleasure for a maid to serve. But now, if you'll excuse me, I have to make sure my Master isn't being bullied too much by our two Iron Blood comrades." She curtsied again and started leaving, but before she could take the stairs, she turned around and addressed the two of them again.
"Before I depart, I would like to remind you to use protection; after all, we are still at war, and it would be an issue if Miss Massachusetts ended up… indisposed because of your carelessness."
Freedom spluttered, unable to formulate a proper answer, and Massachusetts blushed.
"Belfast, you misunderstand; I'm just here to wish him good night-" She tried to explain, but the cruiser had already left.
She hadn't even thought about that; she just wanted to say goodbye to him but didn't notice the implications of following him up to his room.
She berated herself for making another blunder; maybe it would have been better for her to just stop at her own room instead of accompanying him all the way up.
Oh no, was he expecting her to spend the night with him? Did she inadvertently lead him to think that? Did she crush his expectations with what she just said? She didn't mean to get his hopes up; she was definitely not ready to do it so soon. Her head began spinning, and she was on the verge of a panic attack.
Seeing the troubled expression on her face, Freedom was able to compose himself. He was like that; always able to keep his cool when other people around him were losing theirs.
While inviting Massachusetts to spend the night with him did cross his mind, he decided to put it off for another time. He had something more important that required his attention.
"Hey, Mamie." He used her nickname this time. "Want to have breakfast with me tomorrow?"
His voice brought her back to reality. "Ah, yes, I would love that," she answered a bit too excitedly for her usual self.
"Then I'll see you in the morning down the hall." He kissed her again, this time on the cheek. "Good night."
"Good night," she replied as he went inside his room and closed the door behind him. She let out a long sigh of relief and headed down the stairs to her room. Too many emotions in a single day, she needed to sleep.
Freedom, for his part, didn't even lose time looking around the room. He took off his goggles from around his neck and put them on the cabinet; then he threw himself on his new bed and took a deep breath.
He took Purifier's Cube out of his pocket and put it on his chest, clutching it with both hands.
He closed his eyes, focused on his Cube, and initiated contact.
AN: During WWII, in 1941, the US commissioned twenty-two cargo ships to be converted into escort carriers. Eleven of them remained in the US navy and were named the Bogue class; the others were transferred to the UK as the Attacker class, of which the HMS Chaser was part.
In 1942, they built twenty-three more Bogue-class carriers. They were bigger and had greater aircraft capacity than their predecessors; one year later, all of them were transferred to the Royal Navy under the name of the Ruler class. The HMS Emperor was one of them.
Both the Emperor and the Chaser were transferred to the Royal Navy in 1943; the Chaser's previous names were, in this order: Mormacgulf, Mormacdove (while it was still a cargo ship, probably) and Breton (after the conversion to an aircraft carrier).
In both worlds, the events regarding them remain unchanged.
Some may argue that they are not exactly sister ships and that I should have picked another ship of the Attacker-class instead of Emperor. Well, I say fuck it, I'm a sucker for found-family stories and I couldn't pass up the chance to have an OC named in such a cool way so… who cares.
Next Chapter: Of Dreams and Nightmares