A/N: Oh my lord. I saw it earlier but I didn't make a comment on it for whatever reason.

100K! You guys are the best!

—/—/—/—/

"Remind me why we decided to let your fairies  take the camera?" Reno asked as she walked alongside the Japanese heavy cruiser. Aoba shrugged at that a moment as they neared their target.

"That can be discussed later, can't it?" She asked. "We don't have a whole lot of time here." She told her. Reno arched a brow, a hand going to her hip as she looked around the two of them.

"Not a lot of time?" She asked for confirmation. "Breakfast practically just started. We've got more than you think." Reno offered. Aoba rolled her eyes at that.

"Mhm. And what's the normal observer gonna think if they see a heavy Japanese cruiser strolling on Into the American HQ when the American command portion of the base is at breakfast?" She asked, looking to the cruiser. Reno twisted her lips at the question as they grew closer to their query before shrugging.

"Okay, okay. You have a point. Still, why'd you let your fairies decide where to put the camera?" She asked. Aoba rolled her eyes, in turn looking to Reno.

"Hey, make no mistake here. Your fairies were the ringleaders here." Aoba said. "They're the ones that put the idea in my fairy's heads." The Japanese cruiser told her. Reno waved a hand at that, as if dismissing her concern.

"No, can't be. My fairies are absolute angels." Reno said in an exaggerated tone, though the small laugh Aoba offered at the idea, it was clear neither of them really believed that. Stepping up to the American HQ. Just taking a moment to glance around, Reno pushed the door open as she and Aoba stepped inside.

"Hmmm, don't think I've ever been in this building." Aoba said as she looked around. Reno shrugged at hearing this, giving a dismissive hand.

"Ehhh, You're not missing much." She said. "Largely the reason any of us aside from like four people usually just come in here to talk with the Admiral and Captain." Reno said. "Reasoning aside, where'd your fairies put the camera? Their office?" The cruiser asked as she began to make way for the double doors. Aoba went to nod at that, going to follow the cruiser before one of her fairies suddenly appeared to her, one on each shoulder. Pausing, Aoba took the time to stand them on a hand. Watching Reno a moment, she looked back to her fairies. And arched a brow in response.

"Hey, Reno, hold up." Aoba said, prompting Reno to pause as she looked back to the cruiser. Aoba in turn pointed to her fairies, who were shaking their heads to the two. "Apparently, they didn't put the camera in the office." She said, her gaze meeting Reno's. The American cruiser arched a brow at that a moment before frowning, her hands going to her hips before looking down to the two fairies.

"Hey!" One of the two said while the other pointed at the stairs with a tiny arm. Reno and Aoba followed the gesture with their eyes, gazing up at the second level for a brief second in time before Reno arched a brow at Aoba.

"You're not telling me there's a chance that your fairies may have stuck a camera in one of the commander's personal quarters, right?" She asked for confirmation. Aoba seemed to look between the two fairies on her hand a moment before looking back to the second floor. When she'd mulled over the thought for a short, brief while, she eventually looked to Reno.

"I have no idea if I'm being honest with you." The cruiser admitted. Reno's head simply lolled back slowly at that, making a croaking sound, much to Aoba's amusement and confusion. "What? You asked me a question!" She insisted. "One that i don't have the answer to!" She said, putting her hands on her hips. Reno paused at that, rubbing her forehead a moment before nodding in acceptance.

"Okay, okay, I get it." She said. "Point is! Camera needs to be found before the Admiral or the Captains suddenly walk through that door. Because I for one don't envy the idea of having to explain what this is to them only for them to find the camera on their own time. That happens and the two of us will be looking for vacancy with Davy Jones." She said. Aoba nodded at that as she and Reno began to make their way up the stairs towards the second floor. "So do we know where they decided to hide the camera?" Reno asked.

Aoba looked up from behind Reno, soon glancing down to her fairies, trying to get the information from them. But after an exasperated sigh a few short moments later, Reno stopping midway up the stairs as she glanced back at Aoba.

"Oba?" Reno asked.

Aoba paused.

"They forgot...?" The Heavy cruiser offered. The light cruiser seemed to only watch the woman a moment, her gaze meeting Aoba's for a time before she slowly began to turn her body to fully face the Japanese ship girl, Aoba flinching somewhat for a moment under the woman's gaze.

"They forgot." Reno chirped.

Aoba only shrugged at that, prompting Reno to offer a sigh.

"Okay then." She said. "We'll go for the HVT room first." She said. "Admiral Johnson's personal quarters." Reno suggested. Aoba looked hesitant.

"Is a Japanese Heavy Cruiser rooting around in an American Admiral's personal quarters even allowed?" She questioned. Reno shrugged at that as she approached the door that she'd never been behind before today, glancing back at the cruiser, placing her hand on the handle.

"Either take solace in the fact that it's Admiral Johnson's room or the fact that this room also belongs to the only ship girl to physically assault other ship girls thus far." She answered. Aoba briefly froze at the idea, the thought of Maryland and the battleship finding the heavy cruiser sniffing around in her private room entered her mind. A chill went up the woman's spine at the idea.

"Fair point." She said.

"And if any of the Gleaves see us too, we're as good as done." Reno warned her. Aoba blinked at that, a finger going to her chin.

"The Gleaves?" The woman asked.

"Are all but certifiably Admiral Johnson's kids at this point." She said. "I say that because it's been normal occurrence for Bristol and one of her sisters to sleep with Admiral and Maryland recently. Meaning that if they spot us, Admiral Johnson would know within the hour." She said. "So let's not get seen." She reasoned as she twisted the handle open, pushing the door open gently. Quietly, Reno turned on the room light as she ushered Aoba in before closing the door.

After she had, the two looked around the room for a moment before Aoba shook her head.

"Yeah, really not liking this feeling." Reno said as she looked around. Aoba silently nodded her agreement at that statement as she took her own look around the room. This was the Admiral's personal quarters, and on any other day, it was forbidden territory. But neither of the two relished the idea of being hunted by one particular Colorado class Battleship because she found a camera where there wasn't supposed to be a camera. They kept their ears open for any sound cue telling them that someone was approaching as they began to ruffle through the room, trying to search for the misplaced camera.

Their fairies landed on the ground too, rappelling down the two with rope as they began to search the premises alongside their ships, quickly sorting themselves into search parties before spreading across the room. Reno focused her search on the right side of the room as Aoba turned her attention to the left. Ever so often, either one of them would turn their attention to the door to make sure they were still in the clear.

Because in all honesty, there wasn't a way that they were explaining this satisfactorily to anyone looking too much into it.

"Hey, maybe they hid it in her dresser." Aoba suggested. Reno offered a deadpanned expression as she looked to the cruiser.

"If you think there's a chance in hell of me sifting through my Admiral's clothes, you're absolutely insane." Reno said in simplicity. Aoba only grinned in return before she looked back to her own searching.

It was another eight minutes careful and methodical rummaging before it was found, Aoba carefully picking the item up from it's spot. It didn't fully register to the heavy cruiser, but it had been pointed in the direction of the bed. "Found it." She called, prompting Reno to turn and look to her.

"Is it working?" Reno asked as she looked to the cruiser.

"It's working." Aoba confirmed. "It's just dead. Needs the other battery." She told her. Reno nodded as she began to go around collecting fairies, both her's and Aoba's.

"Good. Then let's gather our crews and get out. We can worry about the battery when that thing is safely within my room." Reno said. Aoba nodded, putting the neck strap of the camera around her person as she collected her side's fairies, seemingly none the wiser to the camera.

And what exactly it held.

—/—\—

The door to the summoning chambers swung closed behind the four, Anya taking a moment to make sure that it latched all the way before turning to the three Heavy Cruisers and their sudden arrival. Baltimore and Salem seemed to be looking around a moment as Portland crossed her arms, glancing around in a unsatisfied fashion before turning her gaze on Anya.

"So where are we?" The Heavy cruiser inquired. "I'm not sure I recognize this place." She said, watching the blonde under a watchful gaze. Anya nodded in response, meeting Portland's gaze head on.

"I think it fruitful that you three be provided with the date for today. January 31st, 2023. The Second World War, or the Pacific war that most here focus on, ending in 1945." Anya told her. Portland narrowed her eyes at that, the cruiser seeming to bristle somewhat at the mention of the war. Salem and Baltimore casted their own glances back towards the two of them.

"Sounds like you're trying to set us up for something." Portland reasoned, her eyes narrowed and still watching the woman like a hawk. Anya sighed before looking to the cruiser in return.

"Currently, we are located in Yokosuka, Japan." Anya told her. Immediately, it looked as if Portland was going to act on some unspoken promise or something of the similar nature before all of the sudden, Salem stepped in between Anya and the cruiser. The Admiral hadn't even noticed the woman approach the two of them from her spot next to Baltimore, but as she watched Salem's gaze meet Portland's, the Des Moines class seemed to immediately cull the Heavy cruiser's anger.

"Portland, while your anger and agitation is far more than understandable, pointing that towards the Admiral here isn't well advised, as it is doubtful that she's had full control of the circumstances." Salem offered in a friendly manner. "And if she has, I'm sure her reasons are sound. Perhaps hear her out before we go making decisions you'll regret. Wouldn't want to find ourselves flattened, would we?" She asked as she turned ever so slightly, her gaze now resting on Anya.

Anya briefly met glances with Salem at that, her comment prompting the woman to pause. Oddly right on the money, Anya frowned. She couldn't have known about anything in that regard. She was freshly summoned and she hadn't even met Maryland. But deciding that was a concern for another time, she turned her attention back to Portland, offering a nod in agreement. "Salem has a point." She told the cruiser. "We're in Japan but it's not because we want to make you all miserable. The Gateway that lets us summon you has clearly picked its position and it's not budging anytime soon. And you are far from the only one that has issues with this whole thing." Anya told her as Salem continued to stand between the Admiral and her fellow cruiser.

"Far from the only one." Baltimore repeated. "I'm taking that to mean that we aren't the first ones to be called over." She said. Anya nodded at that as even Salem at that point turned her attention to the Admiral.

"The three of you now bring the number of US summons to 115. But the Grand Fleet as a whole is at 277. We have the largest fleet make up so far, but we're one out of eight nationalities doing so." She said. "Having a problem with the current situation is completely understandable." Anya said. Portland huffed in response to that as Baltimore adjusted her glasses as she approached the three.

"So then I take it that the Breakfast we are presumably heading towards will hold far more than our own navy's ships." She reasoned. Anya nodded at that.

"For the time being, we're still able to somehow House the entire fleet for one breakfast." She said. "Though we aren't sure how long that's going to last." She explained before scratching her head. When Portland didn't say anything in any which way, it was Salem who looked to the Admiral for an explanation.

"So why don't we get the reason for apparent Navies of the past being called back like we are." She asked. Anya nodded at that as she opened her mouth.

"The Abyssals, no?" Salem asked as she glanced to the woman. When Anya glanced at the cruiser in confusion, Salem offered a nod. "Museum ship, remember?" She asked. Anya nodded at that, recalling that simple fact.

"Salem got it in one." Anya confirmed. "The Abyssals, a race of what we assume to be Deep Sea life has waged war on humanity as a whole." She explained. "They don't care about losses, they don't care about problems that they cause, the only things that matter to them are causing destruction and mayhem. Pairing that with grief and loss they've caused in this war, and this war's been the most damaging war to Humanity we've ever seen." She said. "The US received the first attacks, but the Abyssals Have been hunting everyone since then." She said. "So to answer your question, navies of the past are being called back simply because you're our best bet of fighting back the Abyssals."

"So it's Humanity Versus the Sea." Salem summed up.

"That's a hell of a fight if I've ever heard one." Portland grumbled. "Okay, so off that topic for a moment. Do I or Baltimore have any sisters?" She asked.

"Our only heavy cruiser classes to receive more than one member at this point are the Northampton class and the Des Moines class. And the Alaska's if you wanna get really technical about it. That aside, The Baltimore, Portland, and New Orleans classes are currently each one member strong." She told them. Salem and Portland nodded as Baltimore looked to Anya.

"Which of the New Orleans?" She asked.

"San Francisco." She said. "Speaking of one class ships, it should be noted that our Navy has called back the USS Nagato." She said. Portland arched her brows at that.

"Nagato?" She questioned. "She was a Jap battleship, no?" She asked. "What's she doing flying our flag?"

"Crossroads." Anya explained. "A war prize. Though not in official capacity, we still had control of her. Apparently, that was more than enough for the Gateway to warrant the move. So that being said, don't be rude to her please." She asked. Portland only huffed at that before nodding, Salem coming in with the next question.

"So if our heavy cruiser numbers are so low, where are we getting the majority of our CA's? I'm assuming it's going to fall on the Japanese the way you're putting everything." She said. Anya nodded at that.

"The majority of our CA numbers at the moment extend from our own Navy actually. But if You're not counting the Alaska class, it's a ten to nine difference." She said. "Until today, they've had the lead." She said. Portland nodded at that, apparently taking it as a victory as Baltimore looked to Anya again.

"So if I may be so bold, what numbers do we lead in? Carriers is a must, surely, what with how many flattops we sported during the war."

"We lead in Battleship and Carrier numbers by a fair margin." Anya explained. "Comparing the Industrial capacity is one thing, but the Gateway's largely just felt generous in those departments. Heavy Cruisers, as was said a moment ago, also rests in our favor. The Light cruiser and destroyer numbers however still rest in their favor. As for Submarine count, that instead we are tied with Germany for." She explained.

"Alright." Portland nodded. "I guess this isn't gonna be as bad as I thought." She said. "Still wouldn't mind having Indy here though." She said. Salem giggled somewhat at that as Baltimore looked to Anya.

"Speaking of Germany, you've not told us what the other nations present are." She said. "Germany and...?"

"Germany, Australia, Britain, Russia, France, and Italy. That being said, only the first two have leadership on base. British, Russian, French, and Italian forces are represented minorly until we can actually get leadership from those navies on base." She said. "They make up minor numbers of our fleet at the moment." She said. But as she did so, two figures rounded the corner from behind them, Anya's gaze snapping to them almost immediately. "Speaking of which." She said as the three heavy cruisers with her turned to face the two newcomers.

"Oh? And who might these two be?" Salem asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"This is Reno and Aoba." Anya said as she stepped towards the two of them. "Who, May I add, should be at breakfast." She stated. "Can I ask why they're currently not at breakfast?" She inquired. Reno offered a shrug.

"We had a few things to get done with at the dorms." She said. "We just finished. Can I ask who the three of these are?" She asked as she gestured to the mystery cruisers. Anya nodded at that as gestured to each one of them.

"Portland, CA-33. Baltimore, CA-68. Salem, CA-139."  She introduced each of them before gesturing to Reno and Aoba again. "And as said before, this is Reno, and Aoba." She said. Portland crossed her arms as she looked Aoba over a few times, taking a step towards the heavy cruiser.

"So you're a jap heavy cruiser." Portland said to no one in particular, looking at Aoba. Reno narrowed her eyes at that, almost taking a tentative step towards Portland. All before Salem spoke once again.

"Portland." She said in a simple tone.

Portland looked conflicted at the mention of her name, but in the end, she only stepped away, back to Baltimore's side. Nodding in satisfaction at that, it was Salem who approached Aoba in turn, simply offering the cruiser a giggle. "Sorry about my friend." She told her. Aoba hesitated somewhat at that, glancing back to Portland, who at the moment was trading words in quiet with Baltimore before looking back to Salem.

"Uhhh... thanks..? I think?" The Heavy cruiser said unsurely. Salem simply smiled as Baltimore looked to Anya, Portland still leaning on the younger cruiser somewhat.

"I think this would be an appropriate time to head for breakfast, would it not?" She asked, still keeping Portland close to her side. Anya nodded at that as she gestured in the direction of the mess hall.

"That's a good call." She said as she began to lead the way, the five cruisers soon following behind. Except for Aoba, as she rapidly proceeded to match paces with Anya, Reno doing the same. The light cruiser waywardly glanced back at Portland a moment, but not enough to cause any sort of problem. And certainly no problem when Anya nearly jumped out of her skin as Momi suddenly spoke up from behind her.

"So they found you, hm?" She asked as she walked on Anya's heels. The blonde made sure not to respond to the question verbally, only offering the smallest of nods at the question. Momi made a noise amusement as the group walked on, soon arriving at the mess hall. Pushing the door open, Aoba and Reno quickly made way inside, the other three Heavy cruisers making their way in afterwards, Salem leading the way with Baltimore and Portland flanking her on either side. The heads turning across the mess hall to look the heavy cruiser over did not fall by Anya unnoticed, but she chose to ignore them as she looked to the three cruisers, who seemed to be studying the mess hall as well.

"So if you would like." She said before turning. "Newport! Raise your hand!" She called. It took a moment, but the heavy cruiser in question glanced over to the Admiral in confusion before doing as she was asked. Nodding at that, Anya looked to Salem and the two. "Newport News. And it looks as if they have space at their table." She said. Salem offered the woman a grateful smile as the three cruisers made way for the table in question. Anya in turn went to make way for the officer's table, where the four residents of the table there were already looking to her expectantly.

"So? Who has graced us with their presence this time?" Ishigara asked as he looked to the woman. Anya took the moment to seat herself at the table, watching as Liz already made way for the three new summons, before looking to the man.

"CA-33, CA-68, and CA-139. Portland, Baltimore, and Salem."  She told them. Sofia briefly paused at that, her cup held at her lips as her eyes suddenly darted for the woman.

"You're kidding me." Sofia said. But when Anya shook her head in response, Sofia brought the cup down from her lips. "Which one is she?" She asked.

"The shortest of the three." She said. Sofia paused at that as she glanced across the mess hall a moment at the cruiser in question who seemed to already be in the middle of a conversation with Newport News as the other two heavy cruisers, sitting at Salem's side, were conversing with the other members of the table. Sofia watched a moment before looking back to Anya as she sipped at her drink.

"Did she get the robbed in the height department?" She asked. Anya shrugged at that.

"She definitely made up for it in the curves department." She replied as she finally began to work on stacking her plate, trying to push the fact that Momi was now circling their table to the corner of her mind. She watched as Liz left the cruiser's table, making way for their table. Anya watched as Liz approached Momi, but suddenly stopped just before the woman as she pulled her phone, checking something. After that, she slid it back into her pocket as she finished walking for the table, stopping just behind Ishigara.

"115." Liz said. "115 for the mighty United States of America. Five slots left. Wonder who's gonna get em." She said.

"I doubt anyone would be opposed to another Colorado Class." Saradia said.

"Except Maybe Admiral Johnson. Makes one wonder how Colorado would feel about her Admiral dating her younger sister." King said with a chuckle. Anya rolled her eyes at that.

"I wish one of you would find a ship girl to hang off your arm. So I'm not the only one going through all the teasing." She said. Saradia nodded at that.

"Maybe Kongou will finally get somewhere with Admiral Ishigara." She suggested, glancing at the man. Ishigara offered a soft smile at that, shaking his head somewhat.

"No, I don't believe that's likely. While I appreciate Kongou's admiration and affection, it is not something I intend to return." He said. "I believe myself far to past my time for such an endeavor as Kongou would likely be." He said, glancing across the mess hall at the battleship, who was currently trying to convince Pennsylvania of something as Arizona and her sisters watched.

"Oh you're not a day past 40." King said, waving a hand at the declaration. Ishigara chuckled somewhat at that as Sofia glanced at the man.

"I'm someone genuinely surprised that you never thought to make relations with one of your girls. Surely one of them had feelings given that you're the Admiral and all that." She said. Ishigara nodded at that somewhat.

"Most would assume so, yes." He said. But before the table could question otherwise, Liz interjected with another comment.

Across the mess hall, Salem was stacking her plate as she looked to her younger sister.

"I trust you've not made too much trouble in my absence." Salem said. Newport News only rolled her eyes at that as she looked to her older sister.

"I've only been here a few days longer than you have." Newport said as she looked to Salem. "That's hardly enough time to get into any sort of real trouble and you know it." She said. Salem only rolled her eyes at that somewhat as she looked to her sister.

"We both know how much time you need to get into trouble. A few days is being generous all things considered." Salem said. Newport News shrugged somewhat at that, opening her mouth to say something before she was stopped as someone hugged Salem from behind. The crimson eyed cruiser paused for a moment before turning around somewhat as the mystery assailant released her. Turning, crimson eyes met those of Orange, Salem now meeting gazes with a destroyer that she didn't know the name of. "Oh? Hello?" Salem questioned. As she looked down at the destroyer in turn. But she didn't get an answer as the girl went in for another hug, catching Salem by surprise for a moment before she ran off. The only option left to her was to look to Newport News, who simply chuckled at her older sister's confusion.

"That was Bristol." She answered. "I haven't been here much longer than your own time, but one thing I have picked up on is that Bristol and her sisters of the Gleaves class have quickly gained a favor with Admiral Johnson. Calling one of them her daughter would not be so much of a stretch." She explained. "But that doesn't tell us why Bristol just hugged you like she'd known you."'she said. Salem only nodded at that somewhat, her gaze following the destroyer back to her table before looking back to Newport News.

"I suppose we won't know for a good while." She reasoned. Newport News shrugged as the two cruisers got down to eating.

—/—\—

THUD!

Italian Heavy Cruiser Pola paused somewhat at the sound of what sounded like someone running into a door before she pulled away from her desk, and her bookmarked website as she turned to look out into the Hallway of the German dorms. And there, out in the hallway was Ascari sitting on the ground, looking to be holding her head. Arching a brow, she pushed her chair away from her desk as she poked her head out into the hallway.

She found both Graf Zeppelin and Blücher approaching the downed destroyer as well as Alpino and Geniere. Trying to piece together what had happened, Pola eventually resorting for making way across the hall towards the downed destroyer.

"Can I ask what happened?" Pola questioned the surrounding four as she leaned down and helped Ascari back to her feet, the destroyer still rubbing her head somewhat. As she was picked up, the door before them opened somewhat, Pola immediately making eye contact with Artigliere. The heavy cruiser arched a brow at that as Blücher shrugged, stopping alongside Graf as she looked to Pola.

"From what we could tell, they were simply playing with one another. When Ascari tried to run into the room, she found the door in her face." Blücher explained, coming to a stop as she looked to the door in question, where Ascari's two other sisters were now emerging slowly but surely.

"For as much as we were able to witness." Graf Zeppelin spoke. "Blücher has summed it up quite effectively." The carrier said. Pola nodded at that somewhat as she took a moment to look over Ascari as Alpino and Geniere looked on in concern. And she evidently wasn't the only one that had heard the thud of Ascari's face making impact with the door either as footsteps to their left caught their attention, the assembled group looking up to find Saradia just coming around the corner.

"What was that noise I just heard?" The admiral asked.

"Ascari's face meeting her bedroom door, Admiral." Köln answered her as she and Königsberg approached as well, the two also apparently having seen the impact. Saradia only offered a small sigh before she approached the destroyer. Ascari seemed to try and hide herself away behind Pola, but the heavy cruiser held her firm, looking her in the eyes.

"A friend, remember?" She asked. Ascari seemed hesitant as she wearily eyed the German Admiral a moment before looking back to Pola. And after a moment, her shoulders slumped as she nodded at the question, her resistance all but dying away as Saradia lowered herself to the destroyer, immediately looking her over in a quick but careful fashion. Shaking her head, she seemed to find it somewhat amusing, prompting Ascari to frown. Pola however arched a brow. "Admiral?" The Heavy cruiser questioned.

"Sorry." Saradia said. "It's just that I'm still coming to terms with the fact that though you may look like us, you're far stronger. I've seen children run into doors like this before and they largely ended up on the ground crying their eyes out." She said as she looked over Ascari for a few more moments before pulling back. "But there's not even a mark on you." She said. Pola nodded at that as Ascari rubbed at her face as her four sisters enclosed on her, making sure she was ok as well. After a moment, the five destroyers slunk away, leaving the five ship girls and the Admiral alone. Pola chuckled somewhat as she watched them go, Saradia watching them with some more concern. "Perhaps we should've had one of the repair ships look her over." Saradia said.

"I think you may be worrying just a bit too much Admiral." Königsberg admitted. "Look, does everyone worry when the Fletcher class decides to do something stupid?" She asked. It both amused and worried Saradia that in her short time on base, Königsberg had already been on the uptake of the Fletcher's reputation. But she had to be honest, the cruiser had a point.

"Well, Ascari and her sisters aren't exactly Murderballs like the Fletchers are. They're destroyers, sure." Blücher supplied. "But comparing the two classes, I feel, is grabbing at straws." She said. "That's like saying the Gleaves are murderballs simply because they're destroyers. Or the Akatsuki's." She interjected. Königsberg hesitated at the point being made before nodding somewhat at the idea.

"Okay, you may have a point." The cruiser admitted. She tapped her chin a moment at that. "But at least we don't have to worry-"

THUD!

THUD!

The assembled group of Germans and Italian turned to find Z-25 and Z-26 sitting on the floor down the hallway, holding their heads.

As if they'd just run into a door with their faces.

Pola chuckled somewhat at that as the Germans gathered with her only sighed, Saradia already making way for the downed two destroyers.

—/—\—

She leaned back in her desk chair, closing her eyes a few moments. It'd been another day and finally everything had been properly sent to Hayfield. And with the sudden trio of summons earlier today, it gave her a moment to collect herself before she finally managed to slip into her bed for another night. She opened her eyes a few moments later just as Sofia walked in.

"Resting?" The captain inquired.

"Trying." Anya confirmed. Sofia nodded at that as she looked to the woman.

"Maybe before you end up falling sleep, you'd said you wanted to stop by the dorms, didn't you?" She asked. Anya paused at that piece of information, the woman apparently right on the mark. She sighed somewhat before she nodded at that, standing from her desk as she looked to the woman.

"How about we just make the rounds in general. It's not exactly like King can check in with his dorm all that easily." She said. Sofia paused at that, glancing at the window for a moment before shrugging somewhat, nodding at that in acceptance.

"Fair." She said. "I haven't paid a visit to the dorms in a few weeks so this works." She said. "We going foreign first?" She asked. Anya nodded at that.

"Let's make sure the peace is staying with our allies before we venture into our own dorms." She reasoned. Sofia nodded as the two began to make way for the door of the American HQ building, the two stepping out into the cool night. The time was creeping up on nine o'clock so it gave them about an hour to check in with their sides of the fleet. Already, the two began to make their way around the American HQ building. And already ran into their first encounter, the sight of King standing himself between the three V class destroyers of his own nation and the other present five. He was attempting to keep both groups at an arm's length, but they could see that the three Australian destroyers were trying to push past the man. And from their spot where they were, it looked as if Vampire was trying to get at the-

She had Sherman.

A lot of things made sense.

"Well this is quite the spectacle." Anya offered as she approached. King, registering the fact that the two American commanders were approaching, only offered a shake of the head as he turned to the three Australian destroyers.

"Vampire! Settle down!" He insisted. Vampire however only pushed the currently docile spider towards her foreign sisters, Vanessa screaming because of it. When the five British destroyers recognized the women approaching, the five immediately relocated behind the two. At that point, Vampire tried to rush past the man, King in turn snapping the girl from the ground as he picked her up.

"Hands full, Huh King?" Sofia laughed. King rolled his eyes at that as he put Vampire down behind him again. "So what? It all reached a boiling point?" The captain asked. King shrugged at the question with a heavy sigh thrown in, keeping his destroyers at bay. Sofia and Anya took a moment to glance back at the five British destroyers behind them, Vega and Vittoria glancing around the blonde at their Australian sisters. "What happened?" Sofia asked as she glanced back down at Violent. Violent wearily glanced at Vampire a moment before looking to Sofia.

"Vivien said something about Sherman that Vampire apparently disagreed with. Before we knew it, Vampire was chasing us around with Sherman." The destroyer told her. Anya arched a brow at that somewhat before glancing to the three Australian destroyers that King was still trying to wrangle, the spider in question now atop Vampire's head. The destroyer in question was glaring at her sisters as Voyager and Vendetta stood at her sides. Sofia nodded somewhat at that as Anya  glanced at the three Australian destroyers before looking back or Vivien and Vittoria, both of who were peaking out from behind her. After a second, her gaze found it's way back to Vampire.

"Vampire." Anya said. "We understand Sherman is important to you. But maybe chasing your sisters around with him isn't the best call." Anya told her. "For instance, you all are ship girls. If any sort of mistake happens or someone does something everyone else isn't ready for, Sherman could end up hurt or worse." She said. "Let me ask, why did you start chasing them around? Because they wouldn't like Sherman?" She asked, focusing in on the destroyer a moment. Vampire seemed to pause for a few before nodding somewhat. Anya only chuckled somewhat at that before she sighed. "Vampire, look. You're probably gonna meet a lot of people as you go through life. It's inevitable that there's going to be those that don't agree with you or simply don't like something you do just because they can. Now I'm not saying your sisters are doing it simply because they can, but if you want them to like Sherman, chasing them around with him probably isn't the best way to achieve that ending." He told her. Vampire seemed to freeze at the revelation.

Vampire seemed to relent in her pushing against King, Voyager and Vendetta soon following their example. After a few seconds, Vampire seemed to retreat back to their dorm building, the three Australian destroyers vanishing within. This in turn allowed the five British destroyers to relax somewhat. Or so they thought all the way until Anya turned for them, the woman glancing down at them.

"Admiral?" Vega questioned as she glanced up at the woman.

"Cooperation is a two way street, you know." Anya told her. Vega opened her mouth to reply for a moment only to apparently think better of it, doing nothing as Vanessa spoke up.

"It's a Spider, Admiral!" She said. Anya nodded.

"And it's Vampire's spider." She said. "Who mind you, is your sister. You don't have to like Sherman like she does, but being outright hostile to the idea isn't doing you any favors either." She said. Vanessa tried to speak up at that, but her attempt faltered as she soon found herself simply staring down at the ground. When none of the other four attempted to interject, Anya pushed her line. "I'm not saying you have to just completely suddenly like Spiders, but maybe keep an open mind about the subject. You might find yourselves surprised somewhat." She said. It was quiet within the group a few moments before Violent looked up to Anya.

"Do you like spiders?" She asked.

"No." Anya admitted. "But it's not my sister that just walked inside defeated." She told them. The five seemed to finally take recognition of that before immediately dashing for the dorm building, the three commanders watching as they made their way inside. When the door closed, King offered a brief chuckle at that, joining his with Sofia's as Anya sighed.

"Lucky the two of you decided to show up when you did." King said. "Be honest with me here, does having maternal instincts make this job easier?" He inquired. Sofia snorted at that.

"Maternal instincts." She laughed. "Mine are shot to hell, thank you very much." She said. Anya rolled her eyes at that as she looked to the man.

"As far as maternal instincts may get us in this particular scenario, paternal instincts are just as important. I would dare say more so given that at current moment, it's four to two in terms of authority figures with the girls." She admitted. King furrowed his brow at that before looking to Anya.

"Liz?" He asked. Anya nodded. "Fair enough. And yeah, you could have a point." He said. "So what are the two of you coming out here anyways for?" He asked. Sofia widely gestured to the dorms.

"We're checking in with the girls. And seeing as you can't really go inside the dorms, we figured we'd hit all three buildings in one go." She explained. King looked surprised at that.

"That's a lot of ground to cover." He said. The two American officers nodded at the statement, finding nothing wrong with his logic.

"It is, it really is." Sofia confirmed. "But considering what we just walked into, maybe it isn't the worst idea at current moment in time." She said. King nodded at that as he-

"PEST!" A voice all but thundered from their right, the three finding Benson and Laffey all but scramming out the door of the first American HQ. And a moment later, the shapely form of Battleship Louisiana appeared in the night, dressed in what looked to be her pajamas. Spotting them almost immediately, the two destroyers ran for the three, Louisiana hot on their heels. The three commanders were caught somewhat off guard, the three of them having never heard the Montana class raise her voice to such a degree, but Sofia was the first to shake it off as she approached the battleship, Louisiana slowing down somewhat at the sight of the Captain as the two destroyers now sought solace behind their Admiral.

"Louisiana." Sofia greeted. The battleship only grimaced somewhat as she watched the two destroyers over the Captain before looking to Sofia.

"Captain." The battleship returned.

"Can I ask why you came screaming out of the dorms?" The woman inquired. Immediately, Louisiana jutted a finger at the two destroyers behind Anya, who only giggled at the sight. Anya arched a brow at that, glancing down to the two before looking back to the battleship.

"Those two pests thought it would be funny to throw ice water on Nagato." She said. "While she was in the shower." She told the woman. Sofia arched a brow at that as she and Anya casted their looks to the two in question.

Benson's reply was to giggle even more.

Laffey grinned at the accusation.

"Didn't even try to deny it." Anya muttered as she glanced back at the two for a moment. Sofia nodded at that as she looked back to Louisiana.

"Is she okay?" She asked.

"She fell from the shock and there's a potential she hit her head. Akashi's looking her over at the moment." The battleship said before letting her eyes find the two once again. Sofia nodded at that as she put a hand to her forehead.

"We'll talk to them, we promise. And in a little bit, we'll come check in on Nagato." She said. "For right now, go back and keep an eye on her and we'll make sure these two aren't about to go for an encore performance." The Captain offered. The Montana class battleship before them eyed the two destroyers, who were still peaking out from behind Anya wearily, before eventually relenting with a nod and turned on her heel, making way back towards the first dorm building. When the door to the dorm building closed, Sofia turned to look at the two as Anya turned her gaze to the two were now just stepping out from behind the woman.

"So I guess the first question is why?" Anya asked, glancing at the two of Them. But before she could have another word put in, the two destroyers bolted, running for the dorm building. Anya only huffed as King laughed.

"We'll catch em later." Sofia offered.

"You probably won't, but it's good to have high spirits." Momi said as she walked up behind the Captain, crossing her arms. Anya briefly glanced at the woman before nodding to Sofia.

"Probably." She said. "But let's go check in with the Royals before we delve into our own territory." Anya suggested. Sofia nodded at that, liking the idea as the two looked to King.

"I'll hold things down in the office." He answered. The two nodded as they made way for the third dorm building, Anya opening the door for the two of them.

"Sydney!" Someone shouted from the other end. The two Americans were greeted with the sight of a shorts and tank topped Sydney flaunting a towel down the hall as she ran from the baths of the building. Immediately after that, the two Americans focused in on the sight of an irate Australia, wrapped in a towel as she heavily pursued the light cruiser. Sydney only cackled at that as she vanished into the first room on their left, finishing it off with a door slam. But that didn't stop the battlecruiser from pounding her fist against the door. "SYDNEY! GIVE THE TOWEL BACK!" The Battlecruiser yelled.

"Sydney's about to become a city-state." Sofia offered quietly. Anya chuckled somewhat at that as they watched the Battlecruiser continue to pound away at the door a moment. From two doors down, they watched as Melbourne carefully poked her head out of the doorway to her and Australia's room, glancing in a worried fashion at the woman. And then her gaze landed on the two American commanders a second later, the light carrier stepped fully out of the room to greet the two, wearily eyeing the Battlecruiser a moment before nodding to the two.

"Admiral Johnson. Captain Algerona." Melbourne greeted. The names suddenly spoken prompted Australia to sigh, her shoulders slumping somewhat before turning to face the two women that she'd apparently turned a blind eye to in her rage. The two American officers looked between the two of them before Anya pointed to Sydney's door.

"Should we ask?" The blonde questioned.

"No! You shouldn't!" Sydney called from behind the door as the sound of Shropshire and Canberra laughing from within mixed together. Anya arched a brow at that, noting another heavy sigh from the towel clad Battlecruiser.

"My I ask why the two of you are here?" Australia asked, trying her best to keep a straight face. But the circumstances were clearly not in the woman's favor, much to her obvious chagrin.

"Given that the good Captain King is not a woman and therefore not really ideally supposed to be within dorms filled with women, we figured we'd make a check in his place." Sofia said. "Plus we need to make sure the French girls are doing ok anyways so we're gonna do a full check up."

"We all know the only reason King isn't allowed in here is because he's too charming!" Sydney yelled before laughing. Australia only glared at the door before Melbourne glanced worriedly at the door as well before looking back to the two.

"Then we shouldn't keep you." She tried. The two American officers looked to Melbourne before Anya nodded at that, the two of them moving past the two capital ships.

"Which rooms do the destroyers have?" Sofia asked.

"Last one on the left is Vampire and her sisters. Those around that belong to the other classes. The rest of the V class is a floor above." Australia answered her before pounding at the door once again. The two nodded at that, making way for the end of the hall. And as they approached, the door on the right end of the hall opened, Arunta poking her way into the hallway, potentially to scream at Australia to shut up. But when her gaze locked onto the two American commanders, her mouth left hanging a moment, she shook her head as she stepped out into the hallway, scratching her head.

"Admiral? Captain?" The destroyer question. "Did we do something...?" She asked slowly. The two of them shook their heads as Anya looked at Arunta.

"No." She said. "At least nothing we're aware of. We're simply checking up on the girls staying in the building given that King himself can't." She explained. "You and your sisters settling in well enough?" She inquired. The destroyer before them shrugged as she gestured to the room, Sofia taking that chance to step forwards for a peak inside.

There she found the other two Tribal class destroyers looking to be watching a video together on their tablet, Warramunga seated at the desk as Bataan sat on the bed behind her, the girl watching over her sister's shoulder. The two of them seemed to take note of Sofia's presence at that, the two turning to look to her.

As the Captain checked in with them, Anya kept her attention on Arunta. "Which of these rooms belongs to who?" She asked. Immediately, Arunta was already pointing to the other side of the hallway.

"The two next to Vampire and her sisters belong to the Q class. Next to us is the N class." She explained. "Though unless I'm wrong, they're already in bed and asleep at this point so you'll have to wait. I do know everyone upstairs is still awake though." She said. Anya huffed somewhat before rubbing her head.

"To be fair, maybe springing a check like this on the fleet wasn't the best idea to do an hour before bed if I was looking for answers." She admitted. Arunta nodded at that as she watched Sofia step out of their room before the Australian destroyer focused back on Anya.

"As far as I can tell, neither the Q or N classes are having much trouble settling in." She said. "There are a few facing certain key problems more with the way things work now, but they've  largely had their sisters to lean on for support if they so require it." She said. Anya nodded at that, seeing the logic in the explanation she'd been provided.

"And you?" The Admiral question. Arunta shrugged somewhat at that.

"Well enough." She said. "Trying to practice out on the water with the American destroyers can be a little testing. Other than that, it's kind of been smooth sailing." She said. Anya offered an accepting nod at that reasoning. "But If you don't mind Admiral, Captain, we're fixing to go to bed." She told them. The two officers nodded at that as they offered waves in parting to the destroyer, girl in question soon vanishing behind the door which closed moments later. Sofia and Anya took that as their cue to retreat, turning back to face the still present Australia now simply chatting with Melbourne in the hallway in front of their door. Based on the towel that Australia was now wrapping her hair in, it was safe to say she'd gotten her prize.

The two officers made way for the stairs to the second floor. And already they could hear the chattering and conversing of the members of the two flags taking residence up here. Their first spot was Royalist, the light cruiser chatting with her sister, Bellona leaning against the door to their room. It was Bellona who spied the two of them coming up the stairs, her conversation with Royalist dying off somewhat, prompting Royalist to turn.

"Hello there." Bellona greeted with a small wave. Anya and Sofia returned the wave as they stepped fully onto the second floor.

"Hello." Anya greeted in return as she fully stepped up, getting a look down the hallway. Unlike the Australian ships, what looked to be all of the French and British forces on base aside from Dreadnought looked to be awake, given that Dreadnought Anya knew roomed with Constitution and Enterprise. "Figured we'd stop in and see what's what. Everyone settling in alright?" She asked as Guépard took note of Anya's presence, running over to give her a hug. Anya accepted it readily as the two British CL's nodded.

"For the most part, yeah." Royalist answered her. "The only real issue that I can think of is Lamotte's proximity to Massachusetts and how we believe she'd prefer that to be a larger number." She said. Anya nodded at that.

"So everything's good here? No bad omens with what we have of the French and British fleets living across the hall from one another?" Sofia asked as she glanced down the hall, watching as Ark Royal and Argus appeared to be talking to some of the destroyers. She then looked back to the two light cruisers.

"It's probably a helpful thing that none of our battleships are staying on the same floor." Royalist admitted. "And if you couple that with the fact that Saratoga pops in every once and again." She said. Anya arched a brow at that as she and Sofia looked to the cruiser.

"Saratoga?" Anya asked.

"She's made a show of checking up on our, the French, and the Italian destroyers." She said. "But in general, she's really helped as a peacekeeper with the fleets that don't have command staff of their own on base." She said. The two paused at that for a moment, Anya opening her mouth to say something before the sound of someone coming up the stairs behind them. And sure enough, if you speak of the devil, she will appear. They watched as Saratoga slowly made her way up the stairs. But she paused at the top step when she registered the two officers standing there.

"Oh? It's a full on party here then." Saratoga said as she approached the four of them. The two light cruisers offered nods of greeting to the carrier as Anya met looks with Sara.

"I admit, I'm somewhat surprised to find you conversing with other fleets. I figured-"

"You figured wrong. Let's set a few things straight." She said. "I don't hate the Japanese. Just their carriers. And even then, it's the Cranes." She said. "I get along perfectly well with the rest of the fleets when I have the time. Like Rolo down there." She said, gesturing to Ark Royal, who's shoulder's slumped somewhat. "Or Belly or Roro here." She said as she gestured to the two cruisers next to them. "I just don't always have the time to converse with them as much as it seems. You know I'm dating a German heavy cruiser right?" She asked.

The two nodded at that.

"So the reason for your visit here?" Sofia asked. Saratoga pointed down the hallway at the various destroyers.

"Make sure the rugrats get to bed." She answered. "Already made sure the Italian destroyers did." She said. "Now I just have the British and French. And no, I will not be extending this gift to the American destroyers. That's a kind of hell I refuse to bring on myself." She said.

"Fair enough." Anya admitted.

"Can I ask what the two of you are doing here?" Saratoga asked in response. The two shrugged.

"King's a guy so he's not really allowed in a dorm like this. We're checking up on the girls here before we head to the two American buildings." Anya said. Sofia nodded at that.

"But either they're asleep or apparently someone else in general has the job covered." She said, nodding to the carrier. Saratoga shrugged at that as she turned and made her way down the hallway, where she was immediately tackled by Valmy, Saratoga holding the destroyer with ease as she walked towards the rest. The two officers watched her go a moment as Bellona chuckled.

"You've had your job wrestled from your grasp." The cruiser laughed. The two shrugged.

"Probably for the best." Anya admitted. "We've got 45 minutes left with two buildings still to go." She said. "But that being said, I know you're not French, but for the time being if you notice Lamotte getting any more jumpy around the idea of American ship girls, would you let us know? Or give Sara a heads up?" She asked. Bellona paused at that before nodding at that.

Taking that as their cue, the two of them began to make their way out. Leaving the building soon after, the two began to make their way across the courtyard towards the American dorm buildings. As they did so, Anya looked to Sofia. "Divide and conquer?" She asked.

"So you can go off and give me the almost full  building?" Sofia asked. Anya grinned in response before she immediately made way for the second building, Sofia only rolling her eyes before resigning herself to the first, walking away from the woman.

Anya stepped into the second building and was already presented with the sight of a new thing. Familiarity to be sure as on her left was Arizona and Pennsylvania's room. Across from that was Oklahoma and Nevada's.

Next to the Dreadnought's looked to be rooms belonging to the four light carriers present, Saipan and Wright on the left and The independence class on the right.

Past that looked to be rooms belong to the now present Cleveland class and who Anya was pretty sure was Lexington. And upon that thought, the woman turned, enduring that it was Lexington. Who was the first to spot to the woman.

"Hiya Admiral." Lexington greeted. Anya waved back as the attention began to fall upon her from the various girls present. Notably as Newport News emerged from Lex's room, offering the admiral a smile as Shangri-La now stood in the doorway next to Lexington. This of course brought the attention of the other various ship girls from in and out of their rooms to case a glance to the admiral. "What might you be doing here?" She asked.

Anya shrugged. "Simply checking in with the new building." She said as her attention focused in on Newport News a moment. "Are you in this building? Or are you apart of the first building?" She asked. Newport News only smiled at that.

"This building." She said. Anya nodded at that  as the door on the left of Cleveland's opened it's door, admitting a towel clad Wisconsin into the hallway. She blinked somewhat at the appearance of the Admiral before offering the woman a smile.

"So what might you be doing here, Admiral?" The battleship asked.

"Checking in with everyone here. The captain's checking in with the first building so I've got the second." She said. She stepped to the side as Newport News walked past her, but Anya didn't watch her go as Wisconsin nodded.

"Well for the most part." She said. "You've seen the rooms and the people who now call this building their own." She said. "Most of the smaller girls were kept retained to the first building." She told her as Iowa stepped out of the room behind her. Anya arched a brow at that.

"Retained to the first building?" She asked. "May I ask why?" She inquired. Wisconsin shrugged at the question.

"Your guess is as good as ours." She said. "All we know is that it was Newport News asked it. And given that we didn't really decide to look into it too much, we just kind of shrugged it off." She said. Anya slowly nodded at that.

"Does she have a room in this building?" She asked. Lexington nodded.

"Third floor. End of the hall. Across from the new trio." She told her. Anya arched a brow at that information for a moment before nodding and turning, making way for the stairs. A few moments later found her standing on the entrance to the third floor. And at the end of the hall, she could see the two doors were open. She casually made her way down to them, intent on speaking with Newport News. But when she poked her head into the room on her right, she found it empty. Frowning somewhat, she figured that the cruiser had passed her to come up to her room. But maybe she'd could've left the building.

As far as she knew, the cruiser hadn't selected a roommate. So the three beds pushed together into one large one was a bit odd, but not unimaginable. The only sign that someone had ever been in the room was the music playing from a speaker on the desk, no doubt something Newport purchased in the first days of her being here.

It seemed to be playing AC/DC at the moment.

The very opening notes of Thunderstruck.

She glanced into the room a bit more, unsure of what she had been expecting. It was a typical room belonging to those of the American ship girls. She backed away from the door as she turned and found herself peering into the open doorway to the room that now apparently belonged to Salem, Portland, and Baltimore. The distance from the other girls alone was cause to look into, given that they hadn't really had anyone go for such a layout.

Immediately as she peered into the room, the first thing that caught her attention was the fact that two of the beds were pushed together. But the last of the three was left where it had been originally put, barely even budged from it's position. She peered inside, taking a tentative step inside just in case she was missing something.

"Admiral?" Someone asked from behind her. Immediately, Anya spun on her heels as she came face to face with a towel clad Portland, flanked by the same similarly dressed Baltimore. The two apparently had just come from the baths if the still somewhat damp hair was anything to go by. Much to Anya's benefit however, the towels the two adorned covered just about everything.

Everything up to the metal collars the two seemed to be adorning.

Anya blinked.

Collars?

Was there now American ship girls adorning similar effects-

She paused.

The only ship girls apart of the other nations that adorning matching collars of the like were sisters. Nagato and Mutsu. Yamato and Musashi. The two heavy cruisers standing before her were not sisters. Maybe in arms, sure. But not by class.

"May we inquire as to why you are poking about within our quarters?" Baltimore questioned as she made to push past the woman. Anya simply backed up instead, allowing the two access to their room as the blonde secured a seat at the foot of the two beds pushed together.

"It was brought to my attention that the four of you, you being the two of you and the Des Moines sisters decided that the correct move was to pick rooms a fair distance away from the rest of the fleet. I simply thought I might question as to why such a decision was deemed required." She said. Portland arched a brow at that as she moved for their dresser, Baltimore slowly closing the door, Anya thinking nothing of it at the moment.

"We simply decided that we wanted to follow in Newport's example. After all, she was the first of the four of us to return." Portland said. Anya nodded at that as she opened her mouth to respond before Baltimore suddenly dropped her towel as she began to dig through her dresser. Caught off guard, she was almost non registering to the movement of Portland, easing herself down onto the woman's lap, still wrapped in nothing but a towel.

Immediately, Anya's mind began to become all to alert as she met eyes with the heavy cruiser before her, Portland offering a enticing smile.

"Tell me, Admiral." Portland purred as she planted a finger on the woman's chin, somewhat turning her head towards the sight of Baltimore, the blonde's eyes taking one single glance over the woman before looking back to Portland the best she could. "Are Heavy cruisers not the cream of the crop?" Portland questioned. "Not to big, not to small. Absolutely perfect. In every single way?" The nameship questioned, her eyes meeting Anya's as she stayed firm on the woman's lap.

"Yeah, I'm really not sure how-"

"It's a pretty easy question to answer, Admiral." Baltimore interrupted her, glancing over her shoulder at the woman. Anya found her gaze on the cruiser a moment before she looked back to Portland, who's face was growing ever closer to hers. Slowly, but surely, Anya backed away from the cruiser.

All the way until someone yanked on Portland from behind, an exasperated sigh escaping their lips as the heavy cruiser was pulled off of Anya, much to the fussing of Portland.

"And just what were you doing?" Salem asked as she pushed Portland out of the way. The heavy cruiser only huffed somewhat at that, prompting a sigh from Salem. The Des Moines class looked between the two heavy cruisers before pulling Anya from the bed and pushing her out of the room, laughing somewhat.

Anya for her sake only glanced back at the room a moment, watching as Salem closed the door. Just as it latched, she made out the form of Baltimore pushing Portland onto the bed as she ripped her towel from her. Anya only blinked somewhat before having her attention brought away from that by Salem, the heavy cruiser who only giggled somewhat.

As she did so, the AC/DC coming from Newport's room ended, another song that Anya couldn't place now freely playing through the hallway as Salem's crimson gaze met Anya's emerald.

I might be a tad naive.

"Find yourself in a dangerous situation in there, Admiral?" Salem inquired with a small giggle, her eyes dazzling with amusement. The blonde woman paused a moment, her gaze hanging on the door before looking to the heavy cruiser.

"Is that a normal thing for Portland?" Anya asked as she watched Salem. The shorter of the two only laughed at the question, nodding somewhat.

But I learn quick.

"She simply likes playing around." Salem told her as she began to get Anya moving towards the stairs. "She's always been a little bit antsy most of time. You just happened to find her when she was fresh out of the baths." She said. Anya only hesitated somewhat at that before she reached the stairs, making her way down them as Salem followed after her.

"Can I ask you a question Salem?" Anya asked. Salem arched a brow at that as she followed behind the woman.

I will shatter your believe that I'm so innocent.

"Oh?" The heavy cruiser chirped. "And what might that be?" She asked.

"The collars the two are wearing." Anya explained. "Do you know where they came from?" She asked. Salem nodded at that without hesitation, even chuckling somewhat as the blonde Admiral stepped onto the ground floor, the heavy cruiser not long after her.

So savor your surprise.

"Oh certainly." She said. "They're mine." The heavy cruiser admitted. Anya briefly paused at that before turning her attention back to the woman, even going so far as to look back at her.

"The collars are yours?" Anya questioned. "I'm not sure I want to know why you-"

I could tip you like a vintage wine.

"No, Admiral." She said with a small giggle, her eyes narrowing in a dangerous way as she stepped onto the ground floor. "They're mine. They just get the collars to show that." She said. And at that moment, Newport News walked in, coming up behind the woman. Anya seemed to take a moment at that before nodding somewhat.

"Good... good to know." She said. "Well, I'll talk to the two of you tomorrow." Anya said, giving the two of them a nod before turning and leaving the hallway, opening the door into the night. Newport and Salem watched her go, crimson eyes narrowing as they did so.

"Quite a catch she would make." Newport commented. Salem only grinned as she licked her lips, her crimson eyes watching the blonde's every movement.

"Hands off Newsie." She warned. "She's mine."