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‘O – Oh!] She squeaks, fumbling into a salute – one that you notice, the other KanMusu drop into rather quickly. ‘I didn’t expect to see you here, sir!’ She gives a kind smile, setting a pipe down on the workbench.

The other KanMusu break off their salutes, eerily and wordlessly giving Samidare a glance before moving to their tasks in their respective corners, effectively ignoring you. Samidare’s smile is still there, a little more nervous than you’re used to, but assuring and calm. You open your mouth to say something, but feel a tug on your shirt; frowning, you turn around to see a purple-haired KanMusu, frowning at you in a manner most similar to Murakumo – in fact, a little too similar – and just as dirty as the rest of them are, if not more.

She’s shorter than the rest of them. Her hair the most striking thing about her… or more specifically, the pretty decoration, ornamented by a band that looked a lot more expensive than you would have pegged to be in the ownership of a KanMusu, an ornamented butterfly – or dragonfly, you couldn’t tell very well; she’s wiry and lanky despite her small frame, and looks up at you with narrowed eyes.

‘Could’ja move, sir?’ She says, wearing a heavy scowl. She definitely reminded you of Murakumo, if only with the glare. In her arms was a shut box, and she didn’t look all too pleased to have you in her way. ‘Sir?’ She tiredly repeats, her glare intensifying by the second.

You move, if only not to contribute anymore to the heavy atmosphere about the place. Even with Samidare around, there is a strange mood about the place. The red-haired KanMusu has a pile of what was either scrap metal or spare parts set before her, going through a checklist with her back to you. At her side is the silver-haired KanMusu, who mumbles as she reads over the shoulder of her compatriot.

‘Sir, was there something that you needed from me, sir?’ Samidare squeaks from behind you.

‘Oh?’ You turn around to see her rummaging through a few piles, a screwdriver now tucked on her ear as her features morph to one of curiosity, her eyes raised up at you. A pecking feeling arrives at the back of your head. ‘Yuubari sent me here, actually – well, not exactly, but – !’

You scratch the back of your head; you may not have heard much at the door, but it had been enough to keep you at least aware of just what the mood of the shed had turned into since. The rest of the denizens didn’t seem to bother with you, and were busy doing their work, as they had probably been before whatever had broken out. You don’t know how to proceed from that context, so you stick with what you have, repeating Yuubari’s message.

‘Yuubari said that she’ll be relieving you of your duties here from tomorrow onwards.’

To your surprise, Samidare breaks out into what you can only describe as a desperate, albeit pathetic, protest.

TBC

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‘E – Eh?’ Her eyes go as wide as saucers. That hadn’t been a reaction that you’d expected of her – in fact, you would go as far to say that it’s probably one of the most uncharacteristic things you’d hear from her. ‘N – No! Tell Yuubari-san that I can handle things here just as well, sir!’ She breaks out into a weird sort of jig, her hands waving from side-to-side and her mouth agape. ‘No, really – I’m okay with it!’

‘Yuubari didn’t seem to think you were up to it.’ You admit, you wouldn’t have envisioned that Samidare would willingly work in a place like this – she looked almost too… delicate for the job.

‘I am very much up to it!’ Samidare shrills, her shoulders hunched over as she looks up at you, her eyes glowing with a hint of annoyance. You blink in surprise; you definitely hadn’t expected that from your blue-haired Destroyer; she doesn’t look like she’s backing down either. ‘I put my name down for this, and… and…’ She trails off, her mouth forming a scowl – you realize this is the first time she’d managed one proper, ‘sir, I know I shouldn’t ask this of you, but I’m all right here. I can manage, and – !’

‘Just take the transfer.’ You turn to see the red-haired KanMusu, her back still turned to the both of you, still going through her checklist. A quick glance to Samidare has you see her anger bubble; the red-haired Destroyer continues, not missing a beat. ‘Do your scouting or whatever – the dirty work’s not your style.’

‘You – !’

‘You should do things that you can handle.’ She says simplistically, setting down her pad and looking – no, glaring at Samidare, who remains silent. There’s an accusatory tune to the address, and a tinge of arrogance to it that you’re not sure should be there in the first place. ‘You’re not exactly – !’

‘I’m here!’ Samidare calls out from next to you, taking a step past you and towards the red-haired KanMusu – there’s a quiver and an edge to her voice – she sounds like she’s pushing into an emotional wall. ‘I want to be here! I know I – !’

‘Samidare, this isn’t one of those sleepovers anymore, this is…’ She bites back something, looking to you for an instant, a strange emotion passing over her face; there is hesitance and a sort of reluctance, but there is also annoyance, anger bubbling right beneath and threatening to spill. ‘It’s useless, you know that? You can’t be that naive! Look, just do whatever it is you need to do, but you’re not gonna get far thinking like that!’

'YOU JERK!’

‘Samidare!’

‘Oi!’

You open your mouth to speak, but find Samidare had already run past you and out, leaving you with the other three.

The red-haired KanMusu crosses her arms, her expression neutral.

'What a kid.'

>Go after Samidare
>Talk to the red-haired KanMusu
>Write-In

>>409421
>Talk to the red-haired KanMusu

>>409461
Also!
Wii! more shipgirls and identifiable commander.! yeah!

>>409421
>Go after Samidare
HERE WE GO

>>409461
>>409509

Starting a write-up in t-minus 5 minutes. In the event of a tie, I will be flipping the coin as always.

>>409509
We should get to know the issue from the sassy lady before we talk to samidare.

>>409599
yeah might be right, dont wanna have sami depresed or something, shes a good DD in and out battle

>>409421
>Talk to the red-haired KanMusu

>>409421
>>Talk to the red-haired KanMusu

File: Uuuuu Uuuuu.jpg (193 KB, 700x935)

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You find your mood rapidly worsening as a sense of confusion leaves you – replaced by one of annoyance – and, to your surprisingly dark delight, that their expressions of indifference were now replaced too, with ones of apprehension and realization. The red-haired KanMusu, however, seems to have a better control of her expression than the other two; save for perhaps the purple-haired one, who immediately shifts to a stoic one.

Apparently none of them had taken into consideration that you would have stood for the fallout.

You count backwards mentally from ten, keeping yourself steady and your breath calm. There was no use for you to start yelling or to point fingers left and right at the drop of the hat. To your side, the door swings and squeaks; Samidare had run out not moments ago, not even throwing a single glance back, the picture of an upset young woman. You had never seen her like that before – the most she’d even gone to that sort of effect had been when she’d thrown that small fit when you’d almost refused her offer to give you a good whacking with the oak branch in the shower from way back when.

In a twisted way, you supposed that you should be thankful that the red-haired KanMusu had done enough to show a side of Samidare you had never thought she had.

You keep holding your tongue, making your way over to the red-haired KanMusu, your dark mood now taking over the previously-stiff atmosphere of the shed. Outside, the clatter and yelling of men and women at work seemed to be a distant and a time behind, your large form imposing upon the three of them like a predator cornering baby piglets for the feast. The pale KanMusu squeaks as you make your way towards the now-huddling group – you find a tinge of satisfaction at the effect your lumbering self apparently had upon the three girls, who now realize that they had probably set off things in a direction that they probably had not anticipated.

You weren’t that far gone, though, but it amused you somewhat that someone who had been that smug and upfront with one of your Division members suddenly look like they wanted to be anywhere but here; her expression showed some defiance, a denial of the situation as she goes back to her checklist, her eyes nervously glossing over the pad as you finally close the distance with her, crossing your arms as you lean on the bench, coolly regarding her.

‘Y – Yes, sir?’ She squeaks – it almost makes you laugh as you’re reminded of Samidare herself, looking up from her notepad – and regards you, gripping the board tightly. ‘I – Is there something…’

You raise an eyebrow at this, keeping your silence and letting out a low growl.

She squeaks, lifting the notepad, much to your surprise.

She may have looked like it, but she was just as skittish as Samidare.

>Soften your approach
>Keep going
>Write-In

>>409673
>Soften your approach

so much for a delinquent girl

>>409673
>Keep going
You do not mess with the daughteru

>>409673
>Soften your approach
No reason to burn bridges without knowing the situation.

>>409673
Soften it to the point where it's the opposite - honeysmooth, she know's she's i dangerous.

>>409792
*she knows she's in danger.

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You want to be angry at something, at someone, but find that you really just find it rather unfair of you to take it all out on just one person like that… as guilty as she is. You almost curse a storm under your muttering breath, but hold yourself back. The girl looks a little more terrified of you than you would have estimated, so you rein it in; she may have upset Samidare, but… you were the Commander here.

That meant putting your emotions aside as best you can, as fluidly as you could – and not charge in head first into that particular drop. You ease yourself onto the work bench, casually crossing your arms and regarding her; you muse to yourself that you must look like a disapproving teacher of sorts right now, and the red-haired girl’s stuttering jaw quickly extinguishes any malicious intent you would have had for her at the back of your throat. You let out a breath as you throw a glance at the other two KanMusu, whose reactions contrast one another like fire and water.

‘I’m not going to bite.’ They’re the first words you let out from your lips – at that, the red-haired KanMusu visibly relaxes, but you find that she hasn’t dropped her guard down one bit either. She’s not intimidated by you; not at all, but she is very much, you realize, conscious of herself. ‘But I do expect for you to give me a rundown on the behavior you just exhibited, soldier.’

You try not to let go of the reins too much; that last word emphasizes yourself without saying more than you have to. To your amusement, all three of the KanMusu give quick nods, the silver-haired KanMusu dropping a few of the nuts and bolts in her hand in replying to you; the purple-haired KanMusu runs to help her pick the things up. You notice her giving a small glare at you as she does so, blaming you for the change in the mood.

‘K – Kawakaze, sir!’ She introduces herself with a salute, before bowing deeply. ‘I apologize for that unbecoming display.’ She sounds more like she’s begging rather than apologizing – you frown; it reminded you too much of a caught bully than a misbehaving student. ‘I – we – there were some words exchanged and I did not see it prudent on my behalf to rein my conduct in, sir!’

She bows deeply again – she makes you feel a little bad at making her do this, although it’s not by your hand. You had never been in this situation before…

But still, you feel the weight – and the responsibility as Division Commander, even if this girl was not one of your own.

‘Mind telling me what’s going on, then?’ You cross your arms, regarding her neutrally.

‘Eh?’ She turns red, stiffening in an upright stance.

‘What she means to say is, is that it’s personal.’

The purple-haired KanMusu crosses her own arms, mirroring you.

>‘I believe I’m talking to Miss Kawakaze here.’ (Refocus on Kawakaze)
>‘You have something to add?’ (Bring her into the conversation)
>Write-In

>>409945
>>‘You have something to add?’ (Bring her into the conversation)
Personal or not, we have a responsibility to our division members. When we see one of them on the verge of tears, we have to try to remedy the situation.

>>409945
>‘You have something to add?’ (Bring her into the conversation)

>>409945
>‘You have something to add?’ (Bring her into the conversation)

>>409945
>>‘You have something to add?’ (Bring her into the conversation)
>Obviously not personal to be done off duty...

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‘You have something to add?’ You turn your attentions to the purple-haired KanMusu, whose eyes slightly widen and form wilts visibly as you bring your one good eye on her. You give her credit for not breaking discipline, though – even though she does look insubordinate, she doesn’t break that line into pure rudeness. Again, you’re reminded of Murakumo, all the way down to that frown. ‘Something that I should know about?’ You question her coolly, easing the pressure off the red-haired KanMusu. ‘I don’t think I caught your name, Miss…?’

The purple-haired KanMusu blinks, grinning and throwing her hair back. You frown – you take back your initial perception of the young woman; she may mirror Murakumo to you, but she’s a little bit more on edge for your liking. More than you’re used to, in any case. Her grin isn’t predatory – she looks very much amused by… you, you suppose; or your words. You couldn’t tell at the moment.

‘Miss.’ She shoots you a grin, running a hand through her hair. ‘Akebono’s the name, sir.’ She salutes you; she’s a mite more cool than the other two, you find. While her stance said everything about her aggressive disposition, this girl’s attitude didn’t grate on you, you find. ‘I’m part of the Logistics and Supply Department when I’m not around here.’ You open your mouth to say something in return, but she cuts you off with a smirk, her nose upturned. ‘And you’re Samidare’s Commander, aint’cha?’

‘When I’m not doing anything else.’ You return the humor, finding a smile making its way onto your lips. ‘That is to say when I’m not bothering with anything that doesn’t require my immediate attention.’

The three of them let a few smiles slip. You’d cooled the situation down a bit.

‘But whatever it is.’ You emphasize, frowning at the red-haired KanMusu – she doesn’t whimper as Samidare probably would have, but she does visibly stiffen – and throwing a look of curiosity at the other KanMusu; you try to recite the rulebook back from your applicant days, feeling around for something that could give the situation a good, cool lead to build on without sounding too domineering. ‘Samidare is my responsibility – and as an Officer, I believe I have witnessed conduct and behavior unbecoming of the expectations of the members of this base.’

Akebono opens her mouth to say something, but quickly shuts it as you raise a hand. You give her a little credit – she does seem like, oddly enough, the coolest head among the three.

‘Well, sir, I – !’ Akebono cuts herself off, looking at Kawakaze with thinned lips.

‘I – It’s personal, sir.’ Kawakaze bows deeply. ‘I’m sorry, but…’

‘I – It’s none of your business!’ The silver-haired KanMusu squeaks.

The other two shoot her distressed looks.

>Pry (Roll a 1d6 each. DC:16+)
>Round on her
>Leave it alone
>Change the topic (Specify)
>Write-In

>>410066
>Pry

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>410066
>Pry

>>410080
Roll a d6 man

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>410066
>Pry
bet your ass its my business

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>410066
>>Pry

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>410066
>>Pry

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>410066
>Pry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54VJWHL2K3I

Rolled 28 (1d100)

>>410066

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>>410121
a d6, my friend

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>410080
meh didnt go through first time.

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>>410133
>Nat 6

Second time's a charm, comrade.

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You regard them with a relaxed gaze. There’s no point in you being aggressive here, nor is there anything to serve by you strong-arming them to give you what you want; they may have upset Samidare, but as a Commander, you… you find that you couldn’t just drop it and go into a weird tirade and get them to guilt them into a confession. However, you needed to be sure that whatever it is that you needed to do right now… it was first and foremost a decision and action you had to take not out of an emotional drawer, but one you made with deliberation and the best interests of all the parties involved.

As much as you had been upset by Samidare’s leaving and her own upset state, first and foremost, you tell yourself that you are a Division Commander and their superior. Secondly… you cared enough for Samidare’s well-being enough, but not enough to torch things alight out of a pure run of emotion.

That is the decision you make, and the conduct you tell yourself to undertake.

‘Kawakaze,’ you begin smoothly, letting out a breath as you put a hand on her shoulder. Akebono’s eyes widen at the contact, and the girl noticeably jumps as your prosthetic holds her in place – a firm reminder, but not too firm – for you to say your piece, ‘Let me first and foremost say that I am an Officer of the Admiralty and hold the authority to question and report on any misconduct on your part of the sea. You’re a little daring, acting like that in front of me – especially in front of me - I don’t know if it’s stupid or just emotions running high on your part.’ You add the last bit.

She winces visibly, not looking at you. You let out a breath – this was easier when you saw the actors on television do it, but that was all that you could draw upon to keep the pace and the mood. You didn’t want to scare her off or bully the rest of them; you emphasize those two points, repeating them in your head as you regard the red-haired KanMusu.

‘But if it’s the latter, it must be something serious for it to spill over right in front of me.’ You let out – all three of them look at you at this – and confirm your suspicions. Personal it may have been, but personal with root cause? That was something you definitely needed to address. ‘I won’t report your behavior – whatever it is, I don’t think it should be classified as more than a tiff in the books.’

At this, the silver-haired KanMusu squeaks.

‘However, I need to know just what happened.’ You emphasize again, affirming your position. ‘I may not be your direct Commander, but I am Samidare’s.’ You count even numbers in your head, trying to feel your way through the words. ‘Her well-being is my responsibility.’

You go for broke.

‘And I think, as her friends, it’s yours, too.’

Kawakaze’s shoulders, visibly droop, but she stays silent/

‘Sir…’ the silver-haired KanMusu catches your attention.

TBC

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‘Hm?’

The silver-haired KanMusu walks up to you, nervous to the core. She’s a bit larger than the other two, but the size difference isn’t exactly blatant until she’s right next to Kawakaze, where she has about half a head of advantage over the dirty KanMusu. Her hands, greasy and calloused are folded over her front, and her long bangs stick to her forehead from the sweat.

‘I am Hamakaze, sir.’ she gives you an apologetic smile, going into a formal half bow that reminded you of Houshou. Her voice is a little frantic as she goes on, ‘I’m sorry for my rudeness just now, I – !’

‘It’s okay, Hamakaze.’ You raise a hand for her to cease – not that she could see it, the top of your head the only thing that you can see from her features. ‘At ease.’ You try to joke, as lame as it sounds.

‘Hama – !’ Akebono walks up to you now, putting a nervous hand on her friend’s shoulder.

‘It’s all right.’ Hamakaze reassures Akebono with a smile, albeit a slightly defeated one.

Akebono grunts as she leans against a stacked bench, throwing you a nervous glance with crossed arms. Hamakaze herself looks a little reluctant, but she doesn’t seem to be afraid of you, but rather what she held – what all three of them seemed to be holding, it would seem – back from you. Kawakaze lets out a small whine as silence otherwise reigns, uncomfortable and encompassing the shed. You feel a tinge of nervousness yourself, surrounded by the three KanMusu.

‘Sir, Samidare-chan is… is our friend.’ Hamakaze finally says, looking at you seriously. ‘So we tell you this in confidence, sir.’ Akebono throws a nervous look to Hamakaze at this. ‘We… We don’t want her to go back out there, sir.’

‘Excuse me?’ You blink. That was a strange request. ‘Go back out where, exactly?’

‘Missions…’ Kawakaze mumbles, much to your surprise.

‘We – We don’t want you to send her out on missions anymore, please, sir!’ Hamakaze declares, eyes closed, as though she was confessing aloud to an empty valley, much to your surprise. ‘Don’t send her out there anymore!’

‘What?’

‘Samidare got angry at us when we told her she didn’t belong out there – that she’s too kind, but she keeps telling herself that she has to keep this stupid promise, and – !’

‘Promise?’ You blink.

‘That’s enough!’ Kawakaze puts a hand over Hamakaze’s mouth, looking just as distressed. ‘I’m sorry, sir, but… but if you want to find out more, I think you should talk to Samidare.’ Her eyes look downcast. ‘She’s angry enough at us – at me as it is, but…’

‘You can keep her to at least the low-risk missions, right? Right?’

>‘Of course.’ (Agree – Samidare will be locked out of Lv. 3 and Lv. 4 Missions)
>‘She’s still a KanMusu.’ (Disagree)
>‘Promise?’ (Pry – DC24 Roll a 1d6 each)
>Write-In

>>410324
>>‘Of course.’
It wouldn't feel right sending her on the dangerous missions anyway.

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>410324
>‘Promise?’

>I can't assure you that she won't only go on low level missions

>>410324
>"I'll have to talk with Samidare first."

I feel like we should learn about the promise from her personally.

>>410363
this

this is smart

>>410363
Changing to this

>>410363
This for sure.There is no greater insult to a soldier who wants to fight than keeping them out of the fight

>>410363
Supporting

>>410363
>>410363
A slight modification to this.
>Write-In
I'd like the keep her to low risk missions, but I'll have to talk to her first.

Any reason the Filter isn't recognizing the title? Trying to have it bump the threads to the top.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>410324
>>"I'll have to talk with Samidare first."

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‘It’s not a request I’m willing to entertain.’ You admit, feeling a little queasy at the thought. ‘Especially behind the backs of one of my own subordinates.’ You look at Hamakaze. ‘You’re asking a lot without even talking to her – how do you think she’d feel knowing you went behind her back like this?’

‘It’s not about what she wants.’ Hamakaze manages, looking desperately at you. ‘It’s about what’s best for her!’

‘Samidare may not seem like it, but she’s always been the type a’ gal to jump in first and ask questions later!’ Akebono grits out. ‘Personally, I blame all those cartoons, but you have to understand, sir… she’s not cut out for whatever it is she thinks she’s up to.’ She huffs. ‘We’ve known her for years – she’s not as on-the-ball as she likes to present herself to be; that’s for sure.’

You raise a hand.

‘Samidare is a soldier.’ You emphasize – as much as you hated it, it was the truth. ‘Regardless of what she does or thinks, she is still a soldier under my Command – a KanMusu of the Admiralty.’ You don’t know whether you’re reassuring them or yourself. ‘Whether she looks it or not – and whether you look it or not – we need every able and ready body shored up and on-call.

‘I can’t entertain your request.’ You let out, to their let down faces. ‘However, I do realize just what the base – the Admiralty – have gone through. Maybe not as badly as you have, but I do know.’ You run a hand through your hair, remembering the devastation – it was still being felt. ‘You’re worried, and maybe justifiably so… but I’m going to ask, again, did you think of what Samidare would feel if you knew what little faith you had in her?’

‘With all due respect, sir,’ Akebono snorts. ‘I think we know her a little better than you do. She’s…’

She trails off, struggling to continue. Kawakaze leans against the work bench, biting her lip – none of them seem to know what to say; and you can empathize: they were only trying to keep their friend safe. You believe that if you were in their position, given Samidare’s demeanor… you would, too.

However… you are still a Commander.

‘Free to make her own choice in regards to whether or not she wants to be in the frontlines or not,’ You finish for them, heavily, ‘but right or wrong…

‘Instead of a friend to another, shouldn't you be respecting the decision of a soldier on whether they’re willing to put themselves on the line?’

That took a lot of you to say, heartless as it was honest.

The three of them silently nod, giving you grimaces of varying degrees, going back to work without another word. You feel a little cold, giving that response, but…

You were fighting a war.

3/4
>Find Samidare CONSUMES ACTION
>Seek out KanMusu (Specify)
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
>Observe District Management
>Wander
>Write-In

>>411091
>>Find Samidare
We should go make sure she's okay.

>>411091
>Find Samidare

Also, is the trip inland with Tenryuu something we can do by seeking her out, or is it like an all-day thing we would have to plan beforehand?

Have some work to finish up. Be back in several hours. Enjoy your selves on speculation till then.

>Find Samidare CONSUMES ACTION

>>411091
>>Find Samidare CONSUMES ACTION

Anyone else watching the absolute shitshow that is the DNC right now?

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>>411591
I have washed my hands of this helltrain and eagerly wait it to be over with so that the real nightmare can begin

>>411596
I swear this election cycle has allowed us to create the best memes and has just been an absolute fucking joy to watch the system to fall apart so we can finally rebuild it. Plus the amount of liberal asshurt its causing is also great.

>>411664
And Bernie has just bent the knee to Hillary, forever making him a fucking sellout and total bitch,
Now we wait for the delicious tears of liberals.

>>411091
>>Find Samidare CONSUMES ACTION

>>411091
>Find Samidare
even if it takes the whole day

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You rub the back of your neck as you exit the shed, remembering just why you had come there in the first place. It wasn’t such a good idea to proceed, but you tell yourself that whatever it is, right now you had to tend to Samidare, lest she let herself boil over into a worse state. Kawakaze and the others give you respectful bows and salutes as you leave, not a single word of cheer to see you off – with what you’d been chatting about, you could hardly expect the courtesy.

You step into the yard to see the crew yelling at each other – shift work had started and there would be much to do for them, and by extension, the KanMusu. You find yourself taking in the new sights on the yard; in the last half an hour, there’d been some marked new additions… namely the mini-crane that was being backed from the gate. You see the blonde woman, the Head of the Crew, had returned from wherever she had dragged herself off to just now, equipped in a hard hat and overalls and yelling – she seems to be the source of most of the noise in the work yard right now.

You give the place another once over, form the small tents to the sheds to find that Samidare didn’t seem to be around… so where could she be?

‘Hey, watch it, sonny!’ You quickly shift out of the way, seeing several dirty men in overalls and jumpsuits make their way past you, glaring. You’d been standing in the middle of the yard and therefore, for them, interfering with their work. ‘I swear, we get more ‘n more of these types hangin’ around gettin’ in the damn way.’ The man says loudly enough, sending you a glare as he shuffles, his hand on a huge piece of equipment, several of his colleagues appearing to be assisting him. ‘Hey, do we have to tell ya twice, sonny? Move outta the way!’

You feel a sharp knock at the back of your head, dropping to a knee and clutching the spot where the pain seemed to roll out from. Something hard and heavy had knocked you like a boxer’s sucker punch.

‘Move it, ya dummy!’ You look up to see a mustached man, covered in grease as much as the other men had been, hauling a cable and hook over his shoulder – which had knocked you down something hard just now, it would seem. ‘We’re workin’ here, fer stinkin’ land’s sake!’

‘You!’

You wince as you get up to your feet, seeing the fiery visage of the blonde woman upon you, apparently none too pleased at your posturing – as unwilling as it was.

‘If you got things settled, get off my camp.’ She says with a glare.

You frown – you have half a mind to remind her just who she’s contracted to, but you didn’t want to risk getting knocked back down with that nasty-looking socket wrench in her hands.

'I'm looking for - !'

'The blue one, right? She's out on the corner.'

You bolt right out with a word of thanks.

Out on the corner, you don't see her in sight. Where had she gone now?

>Upstreet
>Downstreet

>>412361
>Upstreet

>>412361
>Upstreet

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You mentally flip a coin, looking left and right. You honestly had no idea where Samidare would have headed – it could have been downstreet back to Yuubari, or upstreet into the city. You think to yourself just what you would have done had you been in her situation, and come up empty save for the wait for the imaginary coin flip to end: you give one look to the gradual rise of the hill heading into the upper section of the township, coming to a decision.

You take a step past the corner and up into the town streets. You give the place a good once over, seeing the lack of damage that this particular part of town had taken in comparison to the rest of the sector. Some of the buildings looked undamaged, albeit abandoned; behind you, the noise – the groans and whirrs – of the machines in the camp are loud enough to reach your ears some distance away, but you pay it no heed. The maintenance teams had done a good job to clear the rubble around; considering the beach front areas, this place looks like all it needs is decent paint work.

To your right, you see several lines of abandoned shops – these ones definitely look like they could use a makeover. Shattered glass and cracked wood and cement, along with shattered splinters lay everywhere on this particular stretch of the street, not a corner up from the camp. You draw a conclusion to the preying looters that had been abundant in the area prior to your arrival, if the empty display cases you spy through are any indication of who or what had gone through them.

You enter a nook heading past the shops and into a small row that splits the residential and the commercial, wondering just how far upstreet Samidare could have gone – if she’d gone this way at all, anyway – the place is as deserted as an ancient ruin and the afternoon sun shines above and the trees rustle in the breeze. You step onto dirt, frowning as you realize that you’d definitely dropped into somewhere that you hadn’t been before.

It looks like a football pitch.

No… it is a football pitch.

On it, you see several cones and the like, faded and worn. The field itself looks like it had seen better days, with dried mud upturned in some places, the grass turning brown in others. On one end you see goalposts, standing but bereft of their nets.

On the other, you…

See Samidare.

She doesn’t notice you, as far on the side of the pitch as you are. You make out your blue-haired subordinate jumping in place, soft grunts echoing along the field as she appears to hop from one side to the other, her noises getting louder with every motion. You move to approach her, but stop in its tracks as you realize just what it is she’s doing.

She’s kicking a ball into a wall, angry, focused noises beginning to fill the afternoon air.

>Call out to Samidare
>Keep watching her
>Write-In

>Keep watching her

>>412426
>>Keep watching her

>>412426
>Keep watching her

>>412426
i'd play that game, and i hate soccer games

its better just to grab some buddies and play irl

>>412426
>Keep watching her

File: Flip Flop FLAP.gif (2.17 MB, 284x208)

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You approach slowly to get a better view of her, finding a small smile making its way to onto your face as you watch her.

Samidare was fast – no, not just fast, she was agile. She juggles with the ball, lap to toe and toe to chest, flipping herself for a kick and landing on her hands, before jumping again and kicking the odd-angled bounce right back at the wall. Her hair whips behind her like the tail of a wild stallion, her head making contact with the ball on one move – she drops the ball to the ground and kicks it to the half-ruined wall again; it bounces as hard as it did on the first time, and again, the blue-haired KanMusu kicks it.

Rather than an angry grunt as you had heard in the first place, Samidare lets out a whoop of joy as the ball seemingly curves on a strange angle onto a corner of the ruin, before flipping backwards acrobatically and catching the ball on the small of her back most impressively. You find yourself a little slack-jawed at the display, and the level of agility and finesse she had. You may not have known her long… but you would never have figured she had this level of agility, even if she was a KanMusu.

Samidare spins for a while with the ball at her feet – in her lap, whatever – a warmth apparent from her as she throws the ball into the air and leaps upwards to catch it with her head and flipping downwards for a half-bounce; she follows through with a half-volley, kicking the ball into the bottom corner of the ruined wall, making it zoom directly back towards her at a speed to be believed.

She chests it down with no problem; a loud giggle echoes throughout the pitch along with a whoop of joy… and Samidare goes back to juggling the ball as she had before.

You nod at the display, impressed beyond words. She could be a sight for sore eyes when she wanted to be, that was for sure.

Thinking you had enough of a show, you put your hands in your pockets and approach her. The happy, relaxed humming sound is more apparent as you close the distance, and Samidare, now closer than before, flips herself up for another seeming shot to the wall, when…

Your eyes finally meet and she drops like a sack of potatoes with a wince from your one good eye, groaning bottoms-up and head down.

You really can’t help but smile at that.

‘S – Sir!’ Samidare bows repeatedly, flustered by the reveal of your presence; you chuckle quietly, wondering just how she had managed to miss you and the entirety of your bulk – even from a distance, you suspected you had quite the distinctive silhouette.

She clutches herself, looking away.

‘Are… are you angry with me?’

>‘I didn’t know you played.’ (Curiously inquire)
>‘Those were some smooth moves.’ (Take an interest)
>‘Feeling better now?’ (Refer to her station)
>Write-In

>>412487
>>‘Those were some smooth moves.’ (Take an interest)

>>412487
>‘Those were some smooth moves.’
You are pretty good! (insert ocelot's gesture here)

>>412487
>‘I didn’t know you played.’ (Curiously inquire)

>>412497
Do it Mechanic, you know you want to.

File: Nyuuu Nyaaa Sami Sami.png (1.06 MB, 1447x2039)

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‘Smooth moves.’ You say with a low whistle, causing her to stand upright, eyes wide and confused.

‘Eh?’ Samidare blinks, hands at her front, cocking her head to one side.

Your bend over to pick up the ball with your prosthetic, tossing it in your hand casually and shooting her a smile. Samidare still looks somewhat apologetic from her little explosion from before, you find, but you’re somewhat relieved to see that she hadn’t gone places that would have done her mood worse. After your little lecture with Samidare’s friends on trusting her to make the best decision for herself, you find that she probably did have a better handle of it than you would have thought before.

‘What you did just now.’ You point out, throwing the ball for her to get – she chests it down expertly, dropping it to her knee and lap, playing a small game of keepy-uppy with herself, a warm expression taking the place of the confused visage from before. ‘That was incredible; I don’t think anyone in the world could have pulled that trick off.’

Samidare looks a little embarrassed at the words, but she doesn’t wilt. She keeps juggling the ball, her hum gaining traction and her pace quickening.

‘Ehe, th – thank you.’

‘Where’d you learn to do that?’ You inquire as Samidare taps the ball in your direction – you fail in picking it, allowing it to drop to the grass with a small grimace. ‘I could never get a juggle right – I don’t think I have the build for it.’

‘No, no, all it takes is…’ She steps on the ball, rolling it towards her and flicking it upwards; she hums happily as the ball ‘Practice!’ ‘That’s all it takes!’

‘You’re telling me that I’ll be able to do those ninja spins and catch the ball on my nose like you did with enough practice?’

Samidare looks a little flustered – it had been a teasing accusation… but she doesn’t look the least bit intent on taking the words back, acrobatically juggling the ball, heel to toe and back and front.

‘Y – Yup!’ She grunts, making an impressive spin. ‘Anything’s possible if you put your mind to it, sir!’

Typical Samidare, even after all that.

‘Not bad.’ You let out a low whistle.

‘I usually come here when I have free time.’ She keeps at it, keeping pace. ‘This used to be where the school children would come and play in the evenings. You should see all of them, laughing and playing and fighting!’

You could picture it.

‘I’m sure it was.’ You nod in agreement, smiling. ‘I wouldn’t have taken you for the sporty type – I always saw you… I don’t know, doing something else with your free time.’

‘Neither! Did! I!’
She kicks the ball to the wall and it ricochets right off…

It heads towards you at an incredible speed.

>TASK: Avoid getting hit by the ball! (Roll a 1d6 each DC:16+)

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>412568

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>412568
still sami, allright

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Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>412568

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>412568
Welp, back to the infirmary we go.

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>412568
welp

>>412572
>>412574
>>412576
>>412589
>>412591
Faster than a speeding bullet nothing.

>>412600
we are good at shipgirl related topics, usually

mayve

File: Puh-Puh PLEASE.jpg (284 KB, 850x1197)

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The ball heads right towards you, a spinning orb of power and finesse – your good eye catches the slant, the curve it takes; if you bend over now, in this flash of an instant, you’d get knocked over something good. Whatever Samidare had put behind that kick of hers, the odd reflective angle that the ricochet had taken rips and takes you out for something unexpected and wholly painful…

That is, if you hadn’t had the sense to meet the knock head on.

You raise your prosthetic, as quickly as you can, holding it as steadily as you can in that brief instant before it makes contact with your noggin and hits you what for. Your arm braces itself and the bound ball of leather instantly breaks a sensation in your shoulder – you feel a tinge of force, a push right back for an instant, but find yourself sufficiently prepared. The projectile is caught, and your head is safe from a punishing knock that would have probably not have endeared you to the bosom of a certain pink-haired Medic.

The ball is palmed in your hands casually, and you let out a breath of relief.

‘S – Sorry about that, sir!’ Samidare flusters herself with worry. You think nothing of it, letting out another breath as you drop your arms to the side and throw the ball at her, which she chests as before, her expression growing sheepish by the second. ‘I didn’t do it on purpose, honest!’

‘Uh-huh.’ You let out a good-natured smirk, which she takes as a warning, despite your best intentions.

She shuffles in place, scratching the back of the leg as you regard her. The energy in her is somewhat gone and the atmosphere grinds to a cool calm – the aggression that you had felt from before, her grunts and cries in kicking the ball around had done her some good, you find. It’s rather impressive, to you, that such a simple solution had been found by her to just vent on when someone wasn’t there to give a shoulder to cry on.

Sometimes just having a ball to kick the crap out of in an open field did have its merits, even if you didn’t have it as a first option yourself.

‘Sir, I have to get back to work soon.’ Samidare says uneasily.

You find a nagging feeling at the back of your head – the aura around you may have dimmed, but the topic that Kawakaze and the others brought up threatened to bring you to another foul drop; you find it strange that she would so readily go back there, even after all that.

‘Yeah, Samidare, about that…’ You scratch the back of your head, sighing. ‘You don’t have to go back there if – !’

‘No, no, I’m fine there, really!’ She insists – it’s a little put on, but you entertain it anyway – with a serious frown, clutching her brown ball. ‘Really, sir! It was… It was just an argument!’

>Reveal to Samidare what Kawakaze and the others said
>Advise her to take Yuubari’s change of guard
>Allow her to re-take her post
>Write-In

>>412659
>>Reveal to Samidare what Kawakaze and the others said

We should make sure she knows they're just worried about her though.

>>412659
samidare, why do you insist on being on missions? i dont doubt you capacity, not even a second
but why are your friend so worried? tell, and i swear i will help you

>>412659
>>Reveal to Samidare what Kawakaze and the others said

>>412659
>>412675
Something I didn't even think of, but we should ask about the promise too, if we get a chance.

>>412659
>>Reveal to Samidare what Kawakaze and the others said

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‘Samidare,’ you begin, a little bit reluctant. At the corners of your mind, you wonder if you’re breaching some trust between them and breaking some sort of unspoken agreement, but you tell yourself that your loyalty, while steadfast, prioritized the well-being of the KanMusu under your command before anything else. You put your hands in your pockets, that line of reasoning doing no favors to ease your state, ‘your friends are worried for you, you know.’

‘Oh?’ Samidare stops playing with the brown football at her feet, cocking her head to one side, confused.

‘They’re really worried about you.’ You repeat, feeling a little stupid for drawing yourself into this on a personal level, but given how Samidare was – now and before – you didn’t want to risk upsetting her too much; as much as you respected her position as your subordinate, you valued her as a person enough to draw upon the topic delicately. ‘About your… eagerness to leapfrog onto missions.’

‘I know!’ Samidare nods her head, smiling and squeaking.

So far, you think to yourself, so good.

‘They mean well, but I… I can take care of myself, sir!’ She pumps her fist – rather adorably, you find. If anyone else, you would have thought they were just some after-club enthusiast with a passionate disposition. ‘So really, they shouldn’t worry about a thing.’ She nods in agreement with herself.

The next part for you, was a little bit harder to say. You hoped you worded it correctly, you really do.

‘They want me to pull you off any high-risk missions.’ You let out with a breath you didn’t know you had been holding, finishing crisply. Feeling an opportunity to continue, you go on, ‘Specifically, anything they don’t think that you would be… able to handle in your present state.’

No, that did not sound good in your head, or out loud.

‘What?’ Samidare looks as though she’s frozen in shock – her eyes grow wide, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes

‘Don’t get too upset at them.’ You try to give your best disarming smile, hoping to defuse the situation before it got any worse – the cold atmosphere had just come back, and you hope that you could keep it settled and the ship steady enough that it didn’t explode like you had with your own penchant for misunderstanding. ‘They’re just worried for you – I told them that I’d consult with you first before anything else, that I respec – !’

Samidare, however, would have none of it.

‘THOSE JERKS!’ She yells, loud enough to make you duck slightly to give your ears some ease. ‘They do this to me all the time! All the time!’

‘Sami – !’

‘I AM NOT A DELICATE LILY! I am a – a fucking KanMusu, dammit!’

‘SAMIDARE!’

You are agape, flabbergasted, even.

TBC

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‘I have just as much right to go out there and fight as they do!’ She goes on, for some reason rounding on you. You don’t find yourself intimidated by her, but you do find her rant to be a lot more… colorful than you expected. ‘I’m just as capable! I have cannons! I follow orders! I was summoned here for a reason!’ She kicks the ball into the wall, the leathery orb bouncing away from you from the force as Samidare continues her tantrum, stomping and pouting almost petulantly. ‘I am not a tiny little toy on a side! Who do they think they are, wanting me to do that?!’

Somehow, you can see the reasoning behind Kawakaze’s request. Samidare did seem to act like a proper young woman, but her tendency to keep things to herself, her frustrations threatened to let her boil over at a range of provocations; she had kept her troubles to herself, on her hill as most of the leader-types did, but Samidare’s lack of emotional maturity did seem like it would be a liability as it was right now.

Hard as it is for you to agree, there was indeed a strong point to their argument, despite your inclination to the opposite.

That’s not to say you didn’t consider Samidare valuable or, on a dark muse, irreplaceable, but as her Commander you regarded her development as something you had to take onto your own workload press – that it was something, right now, for you to set right. Retroactively, the ranting Destroyer in the middle of the football pitch did seem like a strange sight, especially considering that she acted so civilly most of the time.

‘I told them I would ask you before I made any decision regarding it.’ You raise a hand… and for the first time in your tenure, stare her down. Samidare, even angry, was still Samidare; she instantly wilts and sheepishly stiffens – much like how the other KanMusu had before. You grimace, musing that you had been the one to draw that horrible side out of her. ‘Samidare, whatever it is, you are my responsibility and under this Division.’

‘Y – Yes, Commander.’ She twiddles her thumbs, cheeks red – she’s probably embarrassed from her tirade, but… a part of you doesn’t blame her either. As friends… one typically wanted to have their backs, not try to go as roundabout as they had, even with their intentions. ‘I just thought that they… I knew they, but…’

Samidare’s eyes are lined with tears; she had been holding them back for a while. Her hands are in a tight grip, knuckles white and teeth gritted strong enough for you to hear the soft groan.

She really does look the delicate part right now, despite her earlier protests.

‘Is it really so hard for people to trust me to do a good job?’ She sniffles, rubbing the back of her hand to her eye. ‘Do – Do they think that I’m stupid or something?’

You approach her, unsure.

>Write-In

>>412932
>"I think you can be great one day, but you can't just get that way over night. It takes time. I want to see you grow as a soldier, and as a person. But that can't happen if you go and throw your life away."

Then hug her.

>>412932
>Write-In
no, they do trust you, they care for you, they see a strong shipgirl, but not yet

but i see potential
all you need an opportunity to shine and some training, i will give you that, all it will take is time and some fine tuning, we will make you the finest DD there is
all i need is time

did i fuck up the grammar?

>>412957
>>412983
I feel like these both follow the same line of thought. We comfort her and tell her that we will help her get stronger.

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‘Do you want to talk, Samidare?’ You don’t put a hand on her shoulder, nor do you touch her; she doesn’t look the part of a broken vase or a cracked doll – what you see is merely an upset, eager young lady – one under your supervision and umbrella.

You sit yourself on the ground, the grass and dirt staining your dark fatigues; you don’t care otherwise, patting the spot next to you for Samidare to set herself down. Your good eye looks up to her, still clenching her fist, still upset with whatever words – unintentionally hurtful as they were – still upon her like a dreary croud on this fine day.

She lets out a small whine; maybe it had been a squeak – you can’t tell, but she sits next to you, hugging her legs to her chest and making sounds into her kneecaps. There’s a small silence over the both of you, accompanied by merely the sound of the light breeze.

It’s takes a while for her to get something out there, but she finally speaks.

‘Yes.’ She acknowledges your query, and you rest yourself back, wondering just how best to continue.

You find a small smile on your features as you come upon Nagato’s annoyed visage and cutting words from before, a light rumble at the bottom of your throat making its way out of you in an almost musical manner. Samidare turns to you, her face puzzled – she waits for your words; words at the tip of your tongue that you wish to convey as concisely and to-the-point as possible.

The last thing you wanted to do end up with is enough material for a soliloquy.

‘I’ve been there.’ You reluctantly let out, remembering your clash with Nagato from before – amazing how it now stood as such a clear reference point.

‘Huh?’

‘We both have something to prove – or we think that we do, anyway.’ You raise yourself up to a sit with a grunt, giving her a good-natured smile; you think it best to disarm her slightly, at least. ‘I guess the circumstances are different – and the stakes are a little off one one side, but I think that we’re, weirdly enough,’ you look to the sky, sighing, ‘caught in the same situation. We’re just going about it in different ways.’

‘Situation?’

‘People don’t think you can do it, either.’ You give her a look.

‘Oh.’ She nods in understanding – she got that part down well enough.

‘I’m not going to go into a weird tangent, or at least I hope I’m not going to, but…’ Now came the hard part – but the most crucial part, at that. ‘Samidare, your friends, they do have a point.’

‘Y – You too, Commander?’ She stutters, her eyes wide as saucers.

‘You’re definitely not ready for the big leagues.’ You nod slowly. ‘I don’t know if you can go out there swinging myself, but from what I’ve seen, we…’ You chuckle mirthlessly. ‘I don’t think I can call anyone else – any one of us ready, either.’

She frowns at this, clearly confused.

TBC

File: This Is The Story Of A Gi(...).png (1.86 MB, 1240x1754)

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‘I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, Commander…’ She cocks her head to one side, letting out a whine. ‘You’re saying that I’m not ready, but you’re also saying that, urgh, my head hurts…’

‘What I’m saying is, Samidare, is that I don’t think we’ll ever be ready for that moment until we face it.’ You nod, almost grimly. ‘I… I definitely wasn’t, and it almost cost me the lives of my whole Squadron.’

You remember your mission, the horror, the helplessness and despair, how a turn of luck had got them out of the fire with only the proverbial bloody nose.

‘I would have had more than a red mark on my mission report at the end of the day.’ You let out a sigh – this was hard enough for you to admit to yourself. ‘I just got lucky.’

‘Commander?’

‘Samidare, I was rejected from the Admiralty. You know this. The last thing that would have crossed my mind was getting a second chance at this – and boy,’ you run a hand through your hair, feeling a slight fatigue creep over you, ‘it's a Hell of a second chance.’

‘All I want is to prove myself,’ Samidare cuts in, almost too enthusiastically. ‘if I can prove myself, then - !’

‘Then who’s going to cover the man next to you?’

She looks taken aback; her mouth opens and closes, looking away.

‘Samidare,’ you turn away from her, remembering Nagato and Takao again, ‘if your first thought stepping out onto the field – the sea – is to prove yourself, then I can’t have you out there.’

You are firm and uncompromising. You speak that from the bottom of your heart.

‘The first thing you need to do is realize that… whatever you feel, whatever you want to show the world or your friends is that your life is there to give to the man next to you.’

Samidare looks back at you, her lips thinned to a line.

‘Capable as you are, the Squadron has to fight, has to operate as a single unit. I told you that we can’t prepare for the moment – one of the guys back in history used to say is that it’s the moments that prove our mettle on the fore.’ There is an unmoving quality to your voice. ‘If you want to prove yourself… prove just how much you’re willing to give the gal next to you.’

She slowly nods.

‘I thought that I had something to prove, once, but…’ You look away. ‘actually, I do feel that I still have something to prove, but… eh, look what I’m trying to get is…’ You try to finish. ‘Once you can put that tripe in the backseat, I think you’ll find that you’ve proven enough.’

‘Yes, sir!’ She says seriously, getting to her feet and saluting you.

You get to your feet, too, chuckling.

‘Well, now that that’s sorted out, how about you teach me how to do a little keepy-uppy?’

Her grin is truly infectious.

2/4
>Look for a KanMusu (Specify)
>Seek out Officers/Staff (Specify)
>Observe District Management
>Wander (Specify)
>Write-In

>>413251
>>Look for a KanMusu (Akashi)
Let's go see what she's up to.

>>413251
>Look for a KanMusu (Akashi)

>>413251
>Look for a KanMusu (Akashi)

>>413251
>>Observe District Management

>Observe District Management

We should get some work in.

>>414815
We already did that yesterday though.

>>413251
>Look for a KanMusu (Akashi)

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You’re a little clumsier than you remember, but a lot more agile than you’d expected of yourself – the last few weeks had probably contributed greatly to your improved health, what with the minimal snacking and the lack of an operational sweet stand within the immediate vicinity, not to mention being bed-ridden and introduced a cocktail of vitamins and irons instead of old-fashioned junk food.

However, against a KanMusu who apparently delighted in showing off her agility and her skill and humiliating you in tandem, the reflexes of an overweight man meant practically nothing.

You work up a good sweat, though, jacket tossed aside and your white shirt a little drenched from the exercise. You could do, however, with a little less pain at the back of your knees – even the small jog you had taken from before right after that grueling session with the Trainer and the Vice-Admiral seemed a little tame in the pain department. Samidare was definitely one of the Destroyer Class KanMusu.

You pick up your jacket, letting out a tired laugh as Samidare, as bubbly as ever, comes up to you and thanks you for the session. You find yourself wordless, mostly due to the soreness in your joints and ankles, but you do give her a wave off – and even then you find your shoulders aching.

Samidare doesn’t notice, though, and she’s right off back towards work. At the back of your thoughts, you hope she settles whatever you need with the other three without anymore incident. You rub your sore shoulder again, grimacing as the trigger of pain hits you and reminds you of your previously attending medic.

You put your jacket over your shoulder, making your way back to the main street.

There are a lot more people out… and a lot more civilians working around in the broken-down buildings compared to before. They’re still non worse for wear, most of them clad in mismatched clothing – probably received from the relief efforts in the area. They were part of the remaining population; the ones that didn’t want to high-tail it out of there; from the reports since the permitted management of the area handed over to the Admiralty from the governance, many of the ones that had remained in the first place had slowly headed inland to safer zones.

Since you’d been admitted and later discharged from the care of Akashi and the MASH, the reports stated that maybe half of the initial staying population had petered out since then. You walk past a particularly large building, a gaping whole in its side, barely standing with red tape all over.

WARNING: HAZARDOUS AREA – STAY AWAY

It was the town’s old hospital.

The roads were littered with large blocks of rubble. Even with the efforts to clean up, with the lack of manpower, it hadn’t been much of a success to get things back to capacity.

You only hope it could be temporary.

TBC

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It’s surprisingly some walk away from the MASH; mostly due to the fact that you couldn’t exactly pinpoint your location. A part of you berates yourself for not just heading back to the camp with Samidare, but you’d been insistent on yourself to see Akashi; if nothing else but to show off that you had the capacity in you to stay out of trouble when her eyes turned the other way.

Somewhere in the back of your mind you see Nachi and Kaga shaking their heads.

You pass by a few civilians, a few workers who give you suspicious looks, some of them tinged with a hint of fear and apprehension. You’d never been in this part of town before, you realize; it’s a little bit further in-land than where you had been before, compared to where you’d usually frequented – save for the plaza and Shopping District you’d managed. The buildings are in better shape, but you find that the larger ones like the hospital and a few office buildings were turned into practice marks by the last invading force.

You see a boy and a girl, clad in what could only qualify as rags, running off and clutching a box of what seemed to be the distributed goods. They give you a look upon your notice of them, biting their lips… until the girl grabs the boy’s hand and runs into the door of a run-down shop, where an elderly woman brings them in. She gives you a glance and closes the door with an acknowledging nod.

Now that the war had reached them, there was no way for them to turn back to what they were.

You’d lived inland all this time – the worst you’d come to it was the news and seeing another building filled up with people from the seafront. Now, though…

You run a hand through your hair, hoping that this would end soon. As perky as you’d been with Samidare, seeing all this took the life right out of you.

It’s about half an hour when you finally see the MASH on the other side of the road.

You walk to the compound, raising a hand to the MPs. They give their salutes and you’re in, moving past a familiar collection of tents and crates. You notice a few metal and plastic containers, new arrivals from the Admiralty. There’re several stickers – notices – on them about their contents, all wearing the similar warning and the symbol of the Admiralty, just to tell where they’d come from.

‘Good.’ You mumble to yourself, a little bit relieved that new supplies had arrived from inland. The place could use a better state of things in recovery; after seeing the state of things around the city, they needed it. ‘That’s good.’

‘What’s good?’ A voice sounds out from behind you, surprising you slightly.

You spin around to see a…

>A man about you age
>An elderly woman

>>415629
>>An elderly woman

>>415629
>>An elderly woman

>>415629
>An elderly woman

>>415629
>>A man about you age

>>415629
>>>A man about you age

>>415629
>An elderly woman

>>415629
>>An elderly woman

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An elderly woman stands, laughing lightly at your reaction as you take a startled step back – you hadn’t expected her to stand so close to you. She is clad in kimono and has her curled hair curled up a short ponytail, a grandmotherly smile on her face as you shuffle yourself in place, your jacket still hanging over one shoulder as you regard her.

‘Oh, no, I was just – !’

You grow even more startled when she gives your chest a light jab, her wrinkled features forming into a frown as she gives you a once over – and scans you, blatantly. You don’t know how to react; she looks like a drill sergeant giving you a surprise inspection; her nose twitches and a low disapproving hum emanates from her throat. You find yourself unable to move as she frowns, rubbing a pull of fabric from your clothing

‘Oh dear, will you look at that.’ She gives a disapproving click of her tongue, taking a step back and looking right up at you – as fierce as a tiger and as stern as a gazelle. ‘Young man, a man of uniform has to be prim, proper and cut.’ You open your mouth to say something, but find no words – this was something you definitely didn’t expect for the day. ‘What would your fellow soldier say if they caught you in such a manner of untidiness?’

‘Um, uh – !’

‘You are an Officer of the military, are you not?’ She chides you, and you wonder why your usual gear of tuning it out doesn’t kick in; your survival instincts must be working something fierce to keep you in check at such a level. ‘Or did the standards of the boys drop when my first greys sprouted?’

That jibe hurt.

‘Uh, ma’am – !’

‘Jacket. On.’

You do so without a word edgewise.

‘Dust your pants.’

Again, you comply.

‘A man of the blades may deal in the trenches and the horrors, but that does not mean that you are give the freedom to throw that conduct away at your convenience.’ She says with an edge in her voice, and you keep silent, thoroughly embarrassed. You don’t feel like a child being lectured – you feel like you were being used as an example of incapability. ‘You are more than just a soldier, young man. You are an example.’

Her shoulders droop and she regards you again, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny.

‘Please act more of the part, Commander.’ She gives you a respectful bow.

You wonder what the Hell that had been all about.

‘GRANNY!’

You turn around to see Akashi, clad in her normal doctor’s wear, running towards you as though she was being chased by bulls.

‘Lebe – !’ She huffs, hands on her knees. The woman doesn’t pay her condition any heed, coolly regarding her as she did you. ‘Lebe’s check up is done. She’s – She’s waiting for you at Post 6.’

‘Thank you, Akashi-chan.’ She turns to you, giving a smile. ‘Good day, Commander.’

She's off with a bow, humming under her breath.

>‘Who was that?’ (Inquire)
>'Been keeping busy?'
>Joke around with Akashi

>>416090
>‘Who was that?’ (Inquire)
lebe? i doubt it but...

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>>416090
>‘Who was that?’ (Inquire)
Wait, Leberecht Maass?

>>416090
>>‘Who was that?’ (Inquire)
We're going to end up being infamous as the commander who just doesn't follow the regs, aren't we?

>>416090
>>‘Who was that?’ (Inquire)

>>416095
>>416103
>>416123
>>416138
This choice wasn't meant to show until you guys screwed up again, but you guys visiting Akashi early forced me to remake the prompt.

>>416090
>whodat?

>>416153
S-sorry...

>>416153
So we were supposed to first meet the old woman/guy about our age when they berate us for nearly dying again?

>>416163
Yup. Enjoy the cameo.

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‘Um, mind me asking, but…’ You scratch the back of your head, confused by the bizarre occurrence – you had been essentially disciplined in public, thankfully with no witnesses, at least. ‘who was that?’

‘Someone whose bad side you really don’t want to get on.’ Is all Akashi apparently says about it, her mouth contorting into a disgusted twist and her eyes looking a cross between relief and worry. ‘That’s all I’m gonna say about it, but… hey, what are you doing here?’ She blinks, putting her hands in her lab coat’s pockets – she shoots you a smirk, chuckling lowly. ‘You’re not dying, are ya?’

‘Actually, I thought about paying you a visit. Check up on my favorite Doc.’ You put your hands in your pockets yourself, nodding to one of the tents good-naturedly – as intimidating as Akashi had been during your time in bed, to you she’s still rather infectiously kind-hearted and nice to be around. ‘You know, rather than being forced to be in your care.’

She lets out a laugh, clutching her sides.

‘Ten days of hooks and streaks not enough to turn you away from me, huh?’ She manages.

‘I owe you my life.’ You really did – nothing could change your perception of her as being decidedly on your side when it came down to it. ‘I don’t think anything’s enough to turn me away from you.’

Akashi was almost too sweet to be a Doctor, even with her pranking tendency.

‘How sweet.’ She puts on a high-pitched voice, but you know she doesn’t mean anything by it. ‘It’s great to see you so… what in the world happened to your pants?’

‘Samidare.’ You indicate, grimacing. ‘Played a little football – !’

You’re interrupted by a staff member, rushing up to the pink-haired doctor, clad in cap and overalls.

‘Officer Akashi!’ She pants, hands on her knees. ‘Been looking for ya – we have the next batch in and we’ll probably be operatin’ in by the evening. The supply chain was good enough ta give us a fresh line, but I wouldn’t be so happy just yet; I don’t think we got enough ta…’ She struggles to say the next few words, ‘enough ta operate all at once with the number of generators we’ve gone through.’

‘Did you check if we could hook up a few more?’

‘Maintenance said there were voltage concerns or somethin’.’ She shrugs, sighing as grimaces. ‘I dunno.’

‘Well, whatever it is, I’m glad we got a new batch to work on.’ Akashi says earnestly. ‘I don’t think I would’ve been comfortable operating with a scalpel and going in blind again.’

‘Anythin’ else, ma’am?’ She salutes into a stance.

‘No.’ Akashi shakes her head; the woman salutes again and is off without much ceremony, leaving you with Akashi again.

Akashi turns to you.

‘I’m heading back to the office. Wanna join me?’

>‘No, I just came to check on you, honestly.’ (Decline)
>‘Sure, might as well.’ (Join her)

>>416269
>>‘Sure, might as well.’ (Join her)

>>416269
>>‘Sure, might as well.’ (Join her)

>>416269
>>‘Sure, might as well.’ (Join her)

>>416269
>‘Sure, might as well.’ (Join her)

>>416269
>‘Sure, might as well.’ (Join her)

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‘Sure, might as well.’ You shrug, giving her a small smile. ‘It’d be a little silly to shoot off after I just arrived.’

‘Wouldn’t it just?’ She says simply, leading the way.

You pass a few crates, a few men in stretchers being hauled to other places. You spy that Akashi’s expression, while neutral most of the time, develops a hesitant shade as she observes the changes around the both of you as you make your way to her office. On your left, past the tents you see the a tent with the biohazard symbol – familiar and a little dark in humor; pure Akashi – that’s where, you remind yourself, you were headed.

With the MASH as dense as it was, with tents packed and clustered, it takes a little longer to get there.

The orange tent was surrounded by a secondary fence, where a few MPs were stationed, one seated on the chair and the others chatting to the side. Whatever topic they were visiting, it wasn’t one that got them smiling.

‘Hey, boys.’ Akashi gives a casual salute.

‘Ma’am!’ The one on the seat raises himself, giving a salute in return.

One of the standing MPs gives you a look – one of recognition, before going back to his conversation, not bothering to give you a salute as the seated one had. She smiles at them, taking out a pass from her pocket that he acknowledges with a nod, moving to the fence.

You blink as you realize that the lock was built into the fence’s doorway and manually operated. You would have pegged the Admiralty to have something a little more fancy than a lock and key.

As soon as she moves into the fence with you, the man gives a salute… and you find yourself swamped by several men and women in scrubs or the like.

No, not you – Akashi.

‘Akashi, we changed the schedules, but I don’t know if we have enough to rotate.’

‘Then change the schedules around – I don’t care if they’re screaming in pain as long as they’re breathing, got it?’

‘One of the machines can’t run. The generators aren’t able to power it up as – !’

‘Call maintenance and tell me when they’re going to be able to spare a few.’ She says this one a little tiredly, rubbing her temples. ‘Commander, you know where my office is. Just…’

Akashi returns to the attending staff, not bothering to finish her words.

Busy, busy, busy…

You remind yourself were entering a restricted area now – one that only Akashi and other members of the medical staff with authority had to go through. This particular patch of land is a little more bare than the rest of the place, but with your last visit, you knew that this was where Akashi and the others worked tirelessly to keep things – and the people – running.

You move into the orange tent amid the clamor around the swamped KanMusu, deciding not to test her patience yourself. When Akashi said something had to be done… one did it.

TBC

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You see several rows of jars, an upturned chair and a table overloaded with sheets and forms and folders. It looked more like an accountant’s desk on audit day than a doctor’s business zone.

‘This place is messier than I remember.’ You quip, taking a seat on one of the chairs across from her makeshift work table.

The last time you had been here was when Akashi had dragged you from the bed to give a check-up on your prosthetic. You had done a small amount of damage to the wrist joints in your little scuffle in the abandoned mall, and had to be hauled here due to the fact that at the time you were in a public tent instead of a high priority one, even with your injuries. You flex your arm unconsciously as you remember the combination of Akashi’s frustrated tirade and the occasional jab of a screwdriver into your mechanical arm.

You wince as you remember a few of the more personal insults she had thrown you then. It wasn’t a happy first few days of admittance – all.

‘You’ve only been in here once.’

You turn around to see a haggard-looking Akashi, smiling as she moves past the flaps and behind the messy table, propping her feet on the masses of paperwork.

‘You were a lot tidier back then.’ You give her a good-natured smile, setting yourself down on the chair – it’s not as comfortable as you remember, either.

‘Well, it turns out that people don’t need to be casualties of war to get sick or invalid.’ Akashi grumbles, moving past you and dropping herself behind the desk. ‘Blame your capacity for getting sick on the wonders of the human body.’

‘You’re telling me you don’t get sick?’ You smirk.

‘No, I’m telling you that with the current state of things,’ She says it in a sing-song voice, laced with a pinch of impatience. ‘it doesn’t look like the people of this town aren’t going to get any healthier. Do you even know what’s been going around?’

You’re reminded of the two children and the old women in the ruins.

You do know, you suppose.

‘I…’ You tiredly let out. ‘I think I can get a picture.’

‘Medicinal supplies are short as it is – we just got a few machines today to pick up the treatment pace with how well we can treat people.’ Akashi practically spits it out. ‘I think we already went through a few generators on the night after the attack. We have a few more running right now, but…’ She lets out a cry of frustration. ‘it’s not enough to work on at capacity, and…’

She stops her tirade, throwing you an apologetic look before looking to the canvas ceiling above.

‘Sorry, I…’ She lets out a mirthless laugh. ‘I know you don’t want to hear about those details, huh?’

>‘No, I get that you’re having a hard time as it is.’ (Refocus, assure)
>‘If you’d cut to the chase, then… maybe?’ (Pursue crux)
>‘Yeah, I… don’t get it, really.’ (Divert)

>>416492
>‘No, I get that you’re having a hard time as it is.’ (Refocus, assure)

>>416492
>>‘No, I get that you’re having a hard time as it is.’ (Refocus, assure)

>>416492
>‘No, I get that you’re having a hard time as it is.’ (Refocus, assure)

>>416492
‘No, I get that you’re having a hard time as it is.’ (Refocus, assure)

While I have the opportunity I would like to apologize for the lack of posts.

Internet is shit. No way around it. Been like that since Eid ended.

>>416566
shit happens, dont worry

>>416492
>>‘No, I get that you’re having a hard time as it is.’ (Refocus, assure)
bitchs love some gens we going to go find some for her

>>416492
>>‘No, I get that you’re having a hard time as it is.’ (Refocus, assure)
>>417032
Voltage concerns. Its not that they dont have gens, they just cant use them.

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‘No, I get that you’re having a hard time as it is.’ You give her a reassuring smile, remembering the small, dismal looks that your attendants threw at you as the three of you sorted out your paperwork in the morning.

Akashi’s stacks must be about triple what your workload had been – with a few red stamps for good measure, too. Even from your position, you can tell that she’s not even half-done with the items yet.

‘Heaven knows I probably feel just as bad as you do with the stacks… and I only have a Division to take care of.’ You empathize, locking your fingers and bending over.

‘Thanks for understanding.’ She lets out an almost delighted hum, a sigh escaping her as she raises a hand to her forehead. ‘I haven’t had a good night’s sleep for the last few days. There’s always something going on – and the really bad stuff usually only comes out at night.’

‘Huh?’

‘You may have taken care of the gang problem, but that doesn’t mean you’ve taken care of the issues with the delinquency; people are going to…’ She struggles with the next few words, throwing you an iffy glance as she tries to put it into context, finally speaking, ‘they’re going to jump on easy prey when they see it. The MPs have have their hands full doing this and that and - urgh!’

She grimaces, taking off her coat and revealing her regular uniform underneath, dropping the material onto the floor without much ceremony.

‘Not easy to do when your folks want nothing to do with us.’

Your mind drifts to Tenryuu and the incident with the girl the day before.

‘You’d think they would be a lot more receptive.’

‘I’m used to dealing with KanMusu that want their fingers regenerated.’ She practically hisses, throwing you a small glare, as though you’d been a section of the guilty party. ‘Why you humans throw such a piss fit when you’ve got a gash this,’ She raises both her hands, putting some distance between them. ‘big is beyond me. I’m not trying to chew your guts out, you know.’

Her shoulder droop. She’s definitely moving into an area of release now.

‘Still, it’s kind of annoying.’ She runs a hand through her hair. ‘I’m so used to…’ She bites her lip. ‘so used to the ones under my rigs being so compliant and still, that…’

She looks at you, eyes hard, lips scowling.

‘Is it so hard to ask for a little bit of cooperation? Do you hate us that – !’

She pulls back, looking away.

‘Sorry, again with the details and the rambling. Gah.’

>‘People are just scared, I guess. We do hold a lot of power.’ (Disagree with her diplomatically)
>‘I don’t think you get how they see you – see us.’ (Disagree with her aggressively)
>‘Everyone just has bad days, I suppose. Some more than others.’ (Agree with her diplomatically)
>‘You’re right that they shouldn’t.’ (Agree with her wholly and aggressively)
>Write-In

>>418864
>‘You’re right that they shouldn’t.’ (Agree with her wholly and aggressively)

>>418864
>>‘You’re right that they shouldn’t.’ (Agree with her wholly and aggressively)

>>418885
>>418896
Not saying much, but one of the points of being a Commander is not being a yes man but a proper manager of people and a capable officer on the field. From the last several decisions I've been getting a huge white knight/waifuing vibe with "nuts to the rest of the world" on the side.

I sincerely hope this isn't the case and that you're making decisions based on logical runs rather than "omg i have to protect this girl".

>>418864
>‘Everyone just has bad days, I suppose. Some more than others.’ (Agree with her diplomatically)

>‘People are just scared, I guess. We do hold a lot of power.’ (Disagree with her diplomatically)

>>418906
>>418864
My thought was that it doesn't sit well with me when people are hostile to someone who's just trying to help. Though I don't want to give off the kind of yesman vibe you're mentioning, so I suppose I'll change to
>‘Everyone just has bad days, I suppose. Some more than others.’ (Agree with her diplomatically)

>>418864
>>‘Everyone just has bad days, I suppose. Some more than others.’ (Agree with her diplomatically)

>>418933
I'm not trying to change the vote. I am, however, curious of the reasoning behind the last few decisions because they just seem kind of...

OOC compared to the last several threads, I suppose.

>>418943
I dunno. I feel like especially after the incident at the supply depot with Tenryuu and the lady with the piercings, the Commander seems to be less forgiving of transgressions against his comrades. I could be looking too far into it though.

>>418943
For me, it's just pretty damn easy to side with the KanMusu. I mean, every moment we've had with people had them either working with the KanMusu with no problems, or just being assholes to the defenders of humanity. It's kind of hard to sympathize with people who keep complaining that they aren't being saved good enough.

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‘Everyone has bad days, I suppose.’ You try neutrally, remembering the events the day prior with Tenryuu and the young woman. It annoyed you to some extent, but it keeps out of your voice as you approach it as neutrally as you can. ‘Some more than others.’

‘How do you do it?’ Akashi’s eyes aren’t on you – they’re still trained up to the ceiling.

‘I think I’m the last person to ask that question, truthfully.’ She frowns as she bends her head to you at your small confession – you weren’t going to get away with dismissing it, continuing, ‘You’re talking to the guy who threw a fit at his boss for getting the orders wrong because of a bad night’s sleep.’

‘Please.’ She throws you some pleading eyes – she wants something to grasp, anything.

With a heavy sigh, you find yourself indulging her.

‘I just…’ You try to word it as best you can, frowning as you throw both arms up, stretching. ‘I guess I just look at it in retrospect, most of the time, too late.’ ‘You don’t bite the hand that feeds, yeah, but… sometimes you just lash out. You look for the easiest thing to blame that isn’t you and we latch on and say we need this, we need that.’ She smiles a little at that. ‘It’s really hard to do your patience stick’s well worn out.’ You confess – you knew the feeling all too well, although you don’t think you would have lashed out to that extent. ‘Strange as it is for me to say, we’re… human, I guess.’

‘All my life I’ve only been focused on keeping the Divisions and Forces alive.’ Akashi lets out, unbuttoning a button on her top ‘I think this is the first time I’ve ever had people cursing at me for keeping the old ticker running.’

‘Akashi…’

‘It’s a little frustrating, nothing I can’t handle, but what I’m trying to say is,’ She grunts, shifting and throwing you a grimace. ‘I guess I didn’t know you operated like that.’ Akashi sighs, picking up a piece of paper and reading through it before setting it down again. ‘Most that we’re taught before being let loose is to say please and thank yous. I never thought that you folks would be such an enigma when it came to…’ You grimace yourself, seeing her restrain her vocabulary. ‘etiquette.’

You open your mouth, the words at the tip of your tongue but Akashi cuts you off by burying her head in her hands, groaning.

‘I know. I guess I’m just not used to it.’

‘Have you tried giving them candy after being good kids?’ You shoot her a smirk, hoping to alleviate the somber mood that had come over the place – that was two for two for the day, and you don’t think you could cope being the catalyst to either.

She cocks her head to one side.

‘Huh?’

‘Sorry, it’s a joke.’

She mutters under her breath.

>Ask about her.
>Shoot the breeze (Specify topic[s])
>Talk about her findings in regards to the data you handed her.
>Write-in

>>419112
>>Ask about her.
Considering we've been saved by her on multiple occasions, we know remarkably little about Akashi.

>>419135
Akashi's saved a lot of lives. Not just yours. She just doesn't think much about it other than getting her 3 hours of sleep.

>>419147
Fair enough. I was looking at more from the Commander's perspective. It's better to be friends with your medic when you get injured as often as he does.

>>419112
>>Talk about her findings in regards to the data you handed her.

>>419112
>>Talk about her findings in regards to the data you handed her.

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‘So this is what you get up to when you’re not practicing bad bedside manner?’ You turn the chair around, resting your arms on the back rest and smirking.

Akashi unbuttons her top a little more, throwing you a lazy eye as she leans back on her chair, a smitk forming on her features.

She raises a hand formed into a gun, making a clicking noise – much to your amusement.

‘Watch it.’ She warns jokingly, closing one eye and aiming for your prosthetic with her index finger. ‘I gave you that arm and I can take it away.’

The both of you share a small laugh and Akashi leans back on her chair even further, spinning around and humming to herself as the world outside began to turn without the both of you. Akashi doesn’t seem bothered by it one bit, even with the rising din of people getting busy with the rest of the day’s work shift. She does, however, spare a short glance past you and to the orange flaps of the entrance to her office for a bit, her lips thinning into a line – a tell that she’s already expecting someone to rush into the room and pull her away from you.

‘Complaining aside, you do seem like you enjoy your job.’ You take what you can get, getting the ball rolling.

You really didn’t know that much about Akashi, save for her hot and cold bedside manner and her growing frustration with your tendency to render her good work moot with your nature; this was probably as good a time as any to actually get to know a little more about her.

After all… sensible creatures didn’t just dismiss the one pulling and tugging on them time and time again as simple props at their beck and call – you very much would rather be on her good side the next time you’re struggling for breath and blood. Plus, you didn’t know just how far the creed for non-violence against humans extended for KanMusu – and Akashi was one of the KanMusu you did not want to try.

‘I wouldn’t say that I enjoy it, but…’ She lets out a light laugh, giving you an honest and acknowledging look, before spinning around again. ‘I have to admit, it is pretty rewarding when it comes down to it.’

Something bites you at the back of your thoughts.

‘I heard that Houshou was the chief medic before you came around, so did she teach you any tricks or what?’ It’d be interesting to know what your CVL had been like as Akashi’s mentor at the same time; you’d been curious about this for quite a while, in fact.

‘Houshou taught me pretty much everything.’ Akashi hums distantly, stopping mid-spin and sniggering lightly. You frown a little as she leans on the table, her teeth bared in a toothy grin. ‘Did you know I used to use fata aqueuous on everything?’

‘Everything?’ You raise an eyebrow.

‘I thought it was a cure-all or something for us KanMusu.’ She says in a sing-song voice. ‘Just slapped it here, there and everywhere.

TBC

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Akashi rubs the back of her neck, leaning over the table in embarrassment.

‘She was kind of annoyed when I spoonfed her a whole cup after a mission.’

You burst into laughter – you could see Houshou throwing a look of motherly annoyance better than anyone else.

‘Chewed me up something fierce, I tell you.’ Akashi says with a huff, crossing her arms and groaning at the memory – it must have been embarrassing, really. ‘I think that’s when the Admiralty gave me, what was that again? A research grant?’

‘A research grant?’ Your eyes widen – you hadn’t expected that at all.

Her eyes brighten a little as she pulls back, puffing her chest.

‘I was part of the Alchemy and Magic Research Committee a couple years back, you know.’

‘That’s pretty hardcore stuff.’ You admit.

The committee had been responsible for a lot of the advances in human sciences – even with them being cut off from the rest of the world, the technological advancements on the main continent had spread enough to allow humanity to take a sizable leap. Your prosthetic arm being one of the more direct accomplishments in their advancements, it was a rather big deal.

In retrospect, the KanMusu before you being an attache to the whole shindig… wasn’t that big a surprise, upon observing her work.

‘Yeah, well… it was hardcore all right.’ She lets out tiredly, dropping back into her chair.‘A lot of the people in the University we were attached to didn’t take too kindly to me taking place among…’ She grimaces, throwing you a look. ‘people.’

She looks a little solemn, letting out an unhappy sound.

‘You okay?’ You throw her a worried glance.

‘Fine.’ It didn’t sound fine at all, truthfully. She’s more dismissive now compared to before. ‘It… wasn’t a good time for me. Those stupid advertisements sold the wrong product.’

‘So, ah,’ you try to steer her into lighter waters, ‘you pick anything up?’

She looks thoughtful.

‘I don’t want to bore you with the details, but,’ she lets out a small laugh, again, a little bitter, ‘but, well, I kinda learned that… well, someone’s counting on you to make things well.’

You don’t know how to reply to that.

‘I mean, before that, I was… I guess I was just slap ‘em up with some gel and be done with it, but…’

‘But?’

‘But I learned that it wasn’t just a job.’ She sounds a little like Ooyodo now. ‘It was a duty – as a KanMusu, to heal and make better, without knowing or caring about the cost to yourself and…’

She struggles to say something else, but flops onto her chair, a look of annoyance on her features.

‘Sounds a little silly, huh?’ She gives you a look, neutral and cool. ‘Going in, learning to mix and match chemicals and fairy dust and ending up crying over a dead rabbit when you’re out.’

>Perceive (Roll a 1d6 each DC:16+)
>Shoot the breeze (Specify)
>Talk about the findings
>Write-In

>>419336
>>Talk about the findings

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>419336
>>Perceive (Roll a 1d6 each DC:16+)

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>419336
>>Perceive (Roll a 1d6 each DC:16+)

>>419336
>Talk about the findings

I don't think there are enough people on right now to roll a high enough number.

>>419369
you could help with the roll

>>419371
Even if I rolled a 6 it wouldn't be enough.

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>419336
>Perceive

>>419383
if you rolled a 6 and the other gy rolled could have made it>>419386
there we go high 5 now just need one more and we are golden

>>419383
You do know I take the first 5 rollers as per my rules, right?

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>419388
In that case, I'll roll.

>Percieve

>>419399
and what do you know you rolled a 6 and we are now over the line:)

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You feel your heart go out to Akashi – she must have been this way since the attack. Her haggard form and tired eyes say it more than you care to perceive; she was emotionally ailing, drained…

You wonder why you hadn’t caught on the moment you entered the compound.

‘Akashi, you’re doing your best.’ You try, approaching her and leaning over the desk. ‘I think that there’s nothing more than people can ask of you than to just do what you can.’

You don’t smile – it’s a little too pretentious for your liking, but you try to get it across.

‘It’s hard, and it doesn’t get any easier with experience, believe me.’

She shoots you a flat look.

‘I envy you. It’s so easy for you to just turn it off and on.’

‘Like a rusty switchboard.’ You check yourself, sitting on the desk. ‘Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but telling yourself that you’re all right with whatever is happening is a lie; and doing that only makes it worse for yourself and for the people relying on you.’

‘Not pulling any punches, are you?’

‘You know, if you weren’t around… I wouldn’t be walking.’ You try another route, your shoulders shaking. ‘I probably wouldn’t even be breathing and just be a name on a casualty sheet, but I am, thanks to you.’ You frown at her as she buries her head into her desk. ‘I don’t know what you’re thinking about yourself, but putting that much doubt in your work?’

You pray the next words work.

‘Come on, you know you’re a better shot than to drop into a nexus of self-loathing.’

She sits up straight, stuttering.

Now, you were getting somewhere.

‘How did y – ?’

‘Takes one to know one.’ It did, indeed. ‘Trust me when I say it’s not a good color on you.’ ‘I am very much, very, very much speaking from experience here.’

Too much experience, you muse.

‘Wallowing isn’t going to do much – other than turning you on yourself. Whatever you’re thinking, whatever it is you have in the reservation aisle about what you can and can’t do… the best thing is for you to honestly drop it.’

She gives you a look of disgust. That didn’t come out right.

Not working, Commander Crash.’

She laughs, much to your embarrassment.

‘I mean, as long as there’s a beep calling for you to do your job, your duty, that means someone needs you more than anything at that point in time. That’s something worthwhile, no?’

‘You’re horrible at cheering people up.’

She gives you a small smile.

‘But, analogy-wise…’ She looks away, laughing lightly. ‘If a beep calls for you, from me… would you call me worth your time?’

Your mouth is a little dry.

>‘Enough that the buzz wouldn’t cure a hangover.’ (Acknowledge it)
>‘Not in that kind of way, if that’s what you’re implying.’ (Dismiss it)
>Change the topic to one of the previous options (Specify/Avoid issue)

>>419478
>>‘Enough that the buzz wouldn’t cure a hangover.’ (Acknowledge it)
im here arnt i

>>419478
>>‘Enough that the buzz wouldn’t cure a hangover.’ (Acknowledge it)

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>419336
>percival

>aknowledge it.

>>419478
>‘Enough that the buzz wouldn’t cure a hangover.’ (Acknowledge it)

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‘No promises, but if you did give me a beep,’ You say, half-earnestly, half-jokingly, leaning over the table and giving her a good-natured grin, ‘there wouldn’t be enough buzz to go around to cure a hangover.’

‘I have no idea what you mean by that, but I’m going to take it as a good thing.’ Her own good mood stays, as does her smile. Akashi leans back against her chair, biting her lip ‘Thanks.’

‘You’re a credit to your uniform… when you bother taking care of it.’

‘So are you… when you’re not trying to flash me.’ You tease, giving her a wink.

She leans over, her two unfastened buttons allowing the sway of her bosom underneath the fabric. Too used to Takao and Kaga, you raise an eyebrow at her as she smirks down at you, the typical bedside manner of Akashi returning to take full charge.

This was the Akashi you remembered in those days bed-ridden and still.

‘How crude, I’ve been called supple, you know,’ She insists ‘and it’s not like you’re packing anything impressive enough to leave me a quivering mess.’ She smirks at your wilting form – she can definitely pack a verbal punch when she wanted to. ‘Believe me.’

You could sum up your relationship with her in two minutes. You are rude jokes and friendly jibes with one dominant over the other, every single time.

It doesn’t take long until you’re both laughing at its absurdity, rolling on the ground.

‘But really, though, thanks for the visit.’ She manages through her lined eyes. ‘I think I needed that little bit of a pick-me-up. It’s nice to see you in… one piece instead of three or four.’

‘I’ll try to keep it up, ma’am.’ You chuckle.

‘The arm’s working just fine, right?’ ‘No pain, difficulty or anything?’

‘No, none whatsoever.’ Now was as good a time as any. ‘Although, I do think that – !’

‘I am not installing a rocket booster into it. You’d rip your arm off – there’s still bone, flesh, and muscle under there, Commander.’ She cuts you off again. ‘And no, I am not installing a cannon into it. I swear, the moment that folks like you find out you’re compatible with Kantai Steel and Fairy’s Tears, that’s like the first question you want to ask.’

‘There’s a child inside of all of us.’ You pout. ‘One that wants to cry out cliché serial catch phrases and die peacefully after – it is but a dream of days past.’

‘That’s stupid,’ She laughs. ‘even for you, Commander.’

‘Hey.’

You both share a smile.

She holds out a fist, which you bump softly with your prosthetic, a symbol of your never-ending capacity to try each other’s patience.

‘Anything else I can do for you, then?’ She says, coughing into a fist. ‘Before the day eats up the rest of my time?’

>Shoot the breeze (Specify)
>Talk about the findings
>Write-In

>>419540
>>Talk about the findings
May as well get down to business.

>>419540
>Talk about the findings

>>419540
>>Talk about the findings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64

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‘Have there been any developments with the investigation?’

The material off the Princess, not to mention the readouts from Tenryuu’s and Nachi’s wounds comes to your mind. Now that Akashi had settled down somewhat, you could get down to business a little more comfortably.

‘I was actually hoping that you wouldn’t be asking me that.’

Akashi grimaces, surprising you. She looks a lot more tired now; you wonder if you had made a mistake, dragging it up after a bad day, but she’s already going through a box underneath her table. It takes a good while before she’s up again, taking out a very thin folder out and an attachment with a label.

CLEARANCE – B

‘I couldn’t find anything with either of them.’ She sighs, a tinge of frustration in her voice. ‘The only thing they have in common is other than that the fairies don’t like the looks from any one of them – not the material you scraped off from your scouting detour, nor do we have anything to even remotely recognize whatever the infection that Tenryuu and Nachi caught – only that, by whatever luck, it doesn’t like Fairy’s Tears being poured on it.’

You open the folder, finding most of the readings on either one of the substances as blank as Akashi had made them out to be.

‘Got any left?’

Akashi snorts.

‘We’ve got enough to go around on the first sample you brought back, but I don’t think I want anyone other than me handling the second one.’ She crosses her arms and legs, scowling. ‘I don’t even know what it’s made of; Gives me a headache.’

‘So what you’re saying is… we really don’t know what either is?’

‘We know what the first one is.’ She corrects – you remember what you and Akashi had discussed weeks before. ‘The Admiral told me – we don’t know what the Hell it does, though, and I don’t think anyone upstairs is going to appreciate him snooping around anymore than he already has.’ She practically spits out the next words. ‘I don’t think this was what they intended when they wanted to…’

‘Akashi?’ You worriedly glance at her.

‘Sorry, I… I don’t feel so comfortable with it.’ She admits, rubbing her temples. ‘The readings give me the jitters – it’s like looking into a primordial cocktail.’

‘The other?’

‘No discernible reading whatsoever.’ She manages, grimacing at you. ‘But give me a week or something, maybe I can dig something else up.’ ‘Give me a year and maybe I can tell you if its natural form is a liquid, solid or gas.’

‘Science joke?’

You give her a reassuring smile. That’s more than what you’d expected, anyway.

‘AKASHI-SENSEI!’

‘Duty calls.’ She raises from her seat at the call, giving you a smile. ‘See you when I see you?’

1/4
>’Maybe I can help around.’ (Stay) CONSUMES ACTION
>Seek out KanMusu (Specify)
>Seek out Officers/Staff
>Observe District Management
>Write-In

>>419967
>>Seek out Officers/Staff
i rather not get in her way

>>419967
>Seek out Officers/Staff

>primordial goop
whatever it is they are either for the long game or its some resident evil tier bioweapon

RANDOM POLL TIME:

Character you enjoy seeing the most in the story so far and character you really don't enjoy the way they're written. This has no bearing, but it will give me an indication of where to improve. Personally, I think:

Best-written: Takao and Worst-written: Kaga but hit me up on which way you guys are swinging in regards by how they're written.

I know there are only about 12 of you, but the input is appreciated.

>>419977
>>419988
Specify which staff members/officers you'd like to meet up with, please, sirs.

>>419967
>Seek out Officers/Staff (fingers)
i think i remember fingers wanting to see us

>>419967
>Seek out KanMusu (Specify)
It's been quite some time since we've spoken to her one-on-one.

>>420092
Gah. I meant to put Houshou in the parenthesis.

>Seek out Houshou.
Also while I really like Takao, when it comes to writing, your versions of Tenryuu and Murakumo have really piqued my interest for some reason. I don't really think any of the characters are poorly written though. They all seem to have realistic motivations for what they do.

>>419967
>Seek out (Houshou)

>character you really don't enjoy the way they're written
Now that's just asking for personal biases. But, personally, I've always been confused about how the relationship with Nagato jumped from 'buddies' to 'throes of passion'. Unless I just happened to have missed something and this is me being dumb.

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>>420138
Adding onto this, it seems to me at least that we don't see Houshou or Kaga in a non-intimate context much. We don't know much about Houshou except for either in sex, what other people have told us about her, or what you've told us OOC, and only recently has our interaction with Kaga moved beyond sex or dick jokes. Though I'm trying to on-the-spot remember several weeks of updates with a month-long break after them, so I'm probably falling back on personal views instead of examining them thread-by-thread.

>>420002
Best Written:Takeo, Akashi, Samidere

Worst: Houshou, Kaga, Nagato

>>420152
Also, I remember you mentioning that only carriers have a libido, and this is a source of angst for the non-carriers. But then Nagato and Takao were pretty aggressive in banging the Commander. Never got how this happened.

>>420138
There are clues about that behaviour.

One, if Carriers are the ones mainly affected by that kind of thing why is Nagato so caught up in it?

Two, if the QM is such a dick about realistic relationships why is he pulling this junk with her?

Three, the Admiral's relationship with her does seem to transcend the typical subordinate and superior bond.

Now why could that be, I wonder...

I leave it up to you to decide how to pursue it. My job is only to keep you interested.

>>420169
I know. It's almost like a mystery, huh?

>Seek out Houshou.

Sorry, can't give you my best/worst character now. Brain is in math mode. Literary mode is cold iron till tomorrow.

its a lawed mystery and we should to try to find it out

>>418906
White knighting in a quest is inevitable. Mercilessly destroying anyone who harms any girls and blindly saying yes to anything those girls say is practically a /tg/ tradition.

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>>418906
To be honest most questers are gonna choose the waifu asskissing option.

/tg/ making pragmatic, officer-like decisions when it comes to current or possible waifu characters is a laughable endeavor.

>>423322
Clearly it's time to bring in Mogami() so we have someone we are in charge of but don't want to fuck. Oh who am I kidding, we'd end up fucking Mogami() too.

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>>423438
>()
That was supposed to have a symbol of Mars.

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>>423322
Clearly it is time to start killing off waifus so we stop forming emotional connections and start being truly pragmatic

Also, on Kant-O-Celle, have the players chosen a waifu yet or is it still regular love triangle flip-flopping?

>QM and other players making assumptions about certain players' intentions

I mean my reasoning is that I personally would prioritize my comrades' well-being over some idiot townies, but whatever. I guess I should find a quest where players don't have to explain their reasoning to the QM. Damn shame too.

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>>423521
Being passive aggressive here is just gonna get everybody riled up and solve jack shit mate

>>423531
>Implying I'm the only one acting that way

There's been a lot of passive-aggressiveness since pretty much the beginning of this quest, from many different players. It gets pretty damn tiring after a while.

>>423541
I don't know. Personally as long as people are having fun, I have no qualms about writing characters, but some of the after-decision text.

Like calling Samidare daughter and the like does get me a little curious to the motivation players want for the MC.

>>423697
I feel like the whole "team daughter" thing was more semantics than anything. But she is essentially a child, and it makes sense to look out for her with a bit more care because of that. I mean, our other destroyers at least seem more hardened by battle, but Samidare's still a kid, regardless of her status as a soldier. At least according to everything we've learned about her up to this point.

That's just my take on the whole situation I guess. Maybe I'm missing the point entirely.

>>423697
I just said daughteru because it's 4chan lingo, like how people can call each other senpai, famalam, etc.

>>423741
>>423773
I believe to emphasize right now that regardless of how they look, a KanMusu has enough firepower to level a building with a few well-placed shots.

Carrier KanMusu pack enough to devastate cities if they want to, and let's not get started on Battleships. They're only limited right now by the fact their stats are 1.

It's good that you have a sense of camaraderie with them, but being overprotective of them just because is kind of...

Anime.

Regardless, it is still your choice on how to proceed.

Next thread will be up within 8 hours.

>>423741
She's essentially more of a beat cop in comparison to the others and their special forces tendencies - that's not to say that she can't be.

But you're the Commander. You're going to have to pay attention on how you want to develop her as a soldier.

Hell, maybe half your team, in fact.

>>423805
That's fair. I'm speaking more from experiences I've had on maintenance crews in the past: Any time there's someone obviously inexperienced on the crew, we kind of baby them for a while, introducing them slowly to the heavier stuff. That's where the whole "team kid" thing comes in. Obviously I wouldn't intend on being overprotective of her forever, just for now.

>>423797
And regardless of all that firepower, it's been pretty much shown that it can only be used against Abyssals. As far as we've seen, they can't lift a finger against regular folk; not even against jackasses making fun of their cooking. It sort of engenders an "I must protect them" instinct, even if we try to tone it down.

>>423848
That's a good view. I'll try to integrate that into the Commander's rhetoric. Thanks.

>>423865
>He doesn't know about the First Quickening.
Oh I am going to love it when we reach that part of the story. Love it.

I wonder if MECHANIC's real waifu is Samidare and we just got a fake cap of some other dude's married Yammy.

>>425890
I'm curious as to this reasoning. Why would you think so?

NEW THREAD IS UP
>>426535
>>426535