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It was a standard day at Azur Lane; nothing major on the horizon save for a few practice drills for the destroyers, mostly regarding proper torpedo deployment. Heading the drills was Carabiniere, the petite blonde quietly walking in front of her assembled colleagues and began marking them off as she spoke.
“Signora Ayanami, here!” She chimed in as the Sakura destroyer saluted her in response with a quick ‘hai!’. “Signora Tashkent, here! Signora Javelin, here! Signora Le Malin…”
The words caught in her throat as she gazed at the empty spot where the French girl should’ve been, a slight frown forming on Carabiniere’s face; was she sleeping on the job again? She wasn’t the only lethargic one at the port; Laffey, Nicholas & Shinano are among those who crave sleep a lot more than usual. But the former two were here today, and Shinano sleepy attitude can be attributed to exhaustion from the use of her astonishing power.
“Does anyone know where Le Malin is? She’s late for her practice drill!” The petite blonde inquired with a quick huff, hands resting atop her hips.
“No doubt my sister’s resting up for today’s event; she’s strong in battle, but can get a bit carried away with her…slothful habits. Come, allow me to help you.” L'Indomptable replied with a quick chime, the white-haired girl gesturing the blonde to follow her back to base. The walk was brisk and fast-paced; neither of them had the time to dawdle around. So it was to be expected that they soon arrived at the shared room for the Fantasque-class sisters, with Carabiniere quickly opening the door and barged inside.
True to L'Indomptable’s word, Le Malin was lying fast asleep on her stomach, hugging a plush bear as a light snore escaped from her mouth. For some reason, she was still in her bunnysuit, the sight catching the blonde girl by surprise.
“She’s been wearing that a lot, ever since the Commander bought it for her a few months ago. I don’t think it’s ever seen a washing machine…” The white-haired girl commented, noticing that her colleague was staring at Le Malin. As such, her hand began gingerly nudging Carabiniere’s side, snapping her out of her funk. “Well, wake her up already.”
“S-Si!” The startled blonde chimed in, quickly making her way to the bed and gazed upon the slumbering form of Le Malin. She had no idea why she was staring at her before…was it the bunnysuit? For the briefest of moments, she considered buying one for herself to rel—no, a subordinate’s duty is to do their job, not sloth about in tight-fitting outfits. Taking a quick breath, she began to poke at Le Malin’s body, yet she still slumbered loudly. Now annoyed, the petite blonde began to poke at the destroyer’s butt and—
“Hyah?! Wh-what are you doing?!” A quick cry escaped from Le Malin’s mouth as she woke up with a jolt, staring wide-eyed at the unimpressed destroyer.
“You’re late for practice drills!” A sharp chirp escaped from Carabiniere’s mouth; arms folded over her chest. “I need you to get moving, Le Malin.”
*yawns* “N-Not now…I need a few more minutes of sleep…” The white-haired girl replied, her body starting to droop on the bed as a sigh escaped from L'Indomptable’s mouth.
“If you don’t get your stern out there, I’m coming back here with Le Terrible, and I’m not kidding around.” The petite girl calmly made a threat, one that the blonde knew was serious given their slight…disagreements over a few things.
“Gwaaah!” A sharp cry escaped from Le Malin’s mouth as she jumped out of bed, standing firmly before the two girls, with a look of unease in her eyes. “L-L-Let’s go already; we wouldn’t want to make her mad now, do we?”
“Good, now show me the elegance and power of the Fantasque-class, my dear sister.” L'Indomptable chimed in with a smile of admiration, her older sister giving her a quick nod as she ran out the room with surprising haste. “There we go, nice and easy.”
“Grazie, signora L'Indomptable.” Carabiniere bowed at her in gratitude, her head turning to face the entrance. “Let us join the others; we’re late enough as it is.”
“Agreed; such tardiness is un-befitting of a Templar Knight.” The white-haired girl replied as the duo calmly made their way out the bedroom. “And in the future, please refrain from touching Le Malin’s stern to wake her up.”
“S-S-Si…” The blonde managed to stammer out, her cheeks burning a bright red. She had no idea what compelled her to do such a thing; such debauchery wasn’t permitted during working hours. Was it out of desperation…or had the bunnysuit piqued the destroyer’s attention?
0000
“Alright everyone, when I give the order, you’re free to fire your torpedoes at the targets. The targets are mobile so you’ll have to time it carefully, got it?” Carabiniere called out to the small fleet before her all of whom gave her a firm nod. Her hand on the hilt of her sabre, the blonde unsheathed it before pointing it in the air. “To battle, sisters!”
“Hai!!” A unified cheer echoed throughout the area as the destroyers broke off into smaller groups, skating towards differing groups of targets. Their torpedo launchers primed and ready, the petite girls composed themselves before initiating the attack…or at least, most of them did.
“Yahoo! Coming through…!” The cheerful cry of Shimakaze rang out in the blonde’s ears as she skidded past her at blinding speeds, firing off a volley of torpedoes. They whizzed through the water quickly, shattering the targets effortlessly before exploding. However, they were only dummy torpedoes, meaning that the risk of injury was very slim. Powerful bursts of water rose in the air with every explosion, splashing all around the destroyers as they uttered quick cheers of joy.
*sniff* “Ah, the smell of water. It’s a most refreshing sce—” Foxhound chimed to herself, only to have some water splash all over her body, a surprised coo escaping from her mouth. “Oh my, I’ve gotten wet. Miss Carabiniere, do you mind if I dry myself off?”
“S-Sure, b-but be quick about it!” The blonde managed to stammer out, her soft amethyst-eyes unable to look away from the latter’s heaving, water-soaked breasts. Ever since the whole incident with Le Malin, the Sardegnan’s been more…aware of everyone else’s beauty. Her eyes would occasionally linger upon her friends bodies; Javelin’s thighs, Ayanami’s arms, and now Foxhound’s bosom. Perhaps when this was over, she could—
No, a subordinate’s duty was to complete her duties; she cannot allow such lewd thoughts to occupy her mind. With resounding willpower, she turned her head away from Foxhound and got back into the grove of her practice, arming her torpedo launchers. “Fuoco!” She called out, launching her torpedoes at a cluster of targets.
The metal tubes hurtled throughout the water, slamming into their destination before exploding in a shower of water, a few drops splashing all over her bicorne. There we go…her aim was just as good as it was back then. A satisfied smile on her face, she gingerly glided over the water to check up on the rest of her fellow destroyers.
To the side, she saw Ikazuchi and Inazuma working in flawless harmony, the duo bobbing and weaving alongside each other while firing torpedoes at different intervals. They covered each other’s weakness perfectly while emphasizing their strengths, the blonde noting it down on her clipboard as she gave them a quick nod of approval. Gliding further east through the training area, Carabiniere soon noticed her fellow Sardegnan’s, Libeccio and Maestrale, the former eagerly waving at her.
“Miss Carabiniere! Miss Carabiniere; you’ll never guess what happened!” The blue-eyed girl cheered with enthusiasm, gesturing her to come closer. “Maestrale, my big sister, took out THREE targets with one torpedo!”
“I-It’s not that impressive…” The red-eyed girl rebutted, standing beside her sister as she nervously gazed at her elder. With a reassuring smile, the blonde rested a hand on Maestrale’s shoulder, a fierce blush soon forming on the latter’s face.
“No need to be modest, you did very good, Maestrale. Taking out three targets with a torpedo is a sign of impeccable aim.” Carabiniere smiled at her, her hand tapping on the destroyer. “Take pride in your accomplishments, like your little sister.”
“Yeah, she’s right! You’re so good at theory; remember that 98/100 you got on the last test?” Libeccio reminded her merrily. “You were upset that you didn’t get a perfect mark that day. However, nobody got a perfect score that day; in fact, you got the highest score of us all!”
“I…yeah, I do remember.” Maestrale replied, her tone picking up in cheeriness as she turned to face Carabiniere, a solemn look in her eyes. “I’ll…I’ll become stronger in all aspects, especially torpedoes!”
“Bene. I look forward to seeing the results of your diligence.” The blonde destroyer smiled at them, the two sisters giving her a quick nod as both parties went their separate ways. Moments later, she stumbled upon a familiar face; L'Indomptable firing a barrage of torpedoes with unrelenting zeal, alongside her sisters, or at least, two of them. Yes, Le Terrible and Le Triomphant were by her side, yet a certain white-haired destroyer was mysteriously absent.
“Siren plebs, meet your doom at the hands of—ah, Miss Carabiniere.” The white-haired destroyer turned to face her, offering a quick bow of respect.
“Where has Le Malin gone? She was supposed to be with you today.” The blonde inquired.
“She went off on her own, declaring that she can take out multiple targets on her own. Truly, she is a pinnacle of strength and elegance!” L'Indomptable beamed with pride, a bemused expression soon forming on Le Triomphant’s face.
“She went off on her own, alright, but not to take out targets on her own.” The blonde girl rebutted, her words causing Carabiniere to begin frowning. “Our sister’s most likely sleeping somewhere; do you mind waking her up for us?”
“I can do that for you; just stick to the schedule, alright?” The Sardegnan girl replied, the trio giving her a unified nod as the blonde proceeded to glide her way back towards the dock, an annoyed expression on her face. She had just told Le Malin to get her butt moving today, and now she’s back to lazing about without a care in the world. Soon, she found the white-haired woman, casually sleeping underneath the shade of a cargo container. Making a beeline towards her, the blonde walked up to her and loomed over the lazy destroyer, clearing her throat audibly to wake her up.
“Ngggh…” Le Malin groaned quietly, her eyes fluttering open as she looked up at the unimpressed blonde, a quick yawn escaping from the former’s mouth. “Is it lunch time already…?”
“You can’t keep sleeping on the job; we’ve got important training to do!” Carabiniere chastised her, hands resting atop her hips.
“Geh…but I’ve already done some training. I destroyed some targets, and then I felt sleepy…” The white-haired girl winced, reclining against the metal container as a melancholic look formed on the blonde’s face.
“You can’t keep sleeping like this; it isn’t healthy for your body.” She informed the listless lapin, the latter looking at her with her blue eyes, an equally melancholic look within them.
“Kinda like how working yourself to the bone isn’t good for your body.” Le Malin rebutted, causing Carabiniere to pause for a moment. “I’ve seen you from time to time, always slaving away at your duties without a moment’s respite. If it’s not tending to the whims of the Commander, it’s tending to the whims of Vittorio Veneto and her sisters. You need to learn to sit back and relax more often, just like me.”
“But that’s—” Carabiniere called out, only for the white-haired destroyer to drift off to sleep. Another annoyed huff escaped from her mouth; she was starting to become quite the handful today. Still…could she be in the right? Was she focusing too much of her time on work and not getting enough rest and reprieve? Ah, that could be answered another time; there was still training to conduct.
0000
“Ok everyone, we need to get to work on preparing the Launch Day party, chop-chop!” Carabiniere called out to her fellow destroyers as they began the arduous process of decorating the hall, organizing the food, and getting the presents ready. The exceptions of course, were Hunter, Inazuma & Craven as today was their Launch Day, the three of them hanging out in one of the many break rooms.
A slightly weary sigh escaped from the blonde’s mouth; February 25th was always a tricky day in terms of setting up Launch Day parties, as it was the most populous day at an astonishing six KANSEN. Adding to the difficulty was that one of those six was Sovetskaya Belorussiya, the Commander’s girlfriend, and he wanted the absolute best for her. But despite the arduous task at hand, Carabiniere made a vow to get the job done; it was her duty as his loyal subordinate, after all.
A quiet hum escaping from her mouth, she gingerly walked through the vast room, the click of her boots ringing in her ears. Every now and then, she would take a glance at her clipboard and either write something down, or check off an item on the extensive list. But that was the easy part of the job; keeping everyone else on track was the hard part. As such, she made her way towards the wall to her east where a few of the Northern Parliament girls were hanging up various decorations. As she expected, a lot of them were pro-Revolution posters and banners, no doubt a means of appeasing Belorussiya.
“Ура! There we go!” A soft smile formed on Tashkent’s face as she finished hanging up one of the banners, a sense of pride emanating within her chest. “Ah, how may I help you, Comrade?”
“You’re doing good with Belorussiya’s decorations, very good. How are you going with everyone else’s decorations?” The petite blonde chimed in with a smile, a look of confusion forming on the Blue Cruiser.
“Everyone else’s…?” The purple-haired girl mused for a brief moment, a finger resting on her chin. “Ah, those. I didn’t see a need to hang them up; the Revolution’s something all of us can appreciate.”
“Wha?!” Carabiniere uttered a cry of surprise and stepped back a couple feet, the clipboard nearly falling out of her hand. “Y-You can’t just ignore everyone else on their Launch Day! You need to get them up right now; where are they?”
“On that table over there.” Tashkent replied with a tiny hint of bluntness, her finger pointing at a nearby table. With haste in her steps, the petite blonde arrived at the table and picked up the decorations, quickly walking back towards the Northern girls. She handed a pile to Tashkent, some to Grozny, some to Kiev and so on.
“Now get to work! We don’t have all day, you know.” The blonde girl ordered, taking the remaining decorations and began handing them up by herself. Under normal circumstances, she would’ve done this in a soldierly, professional manner. But the ticking of the clock began to push her over the edge, her movements becoming jerky and imprecise. As a result, they decorations came out slightly crooked and wrinkled; a far cry from what she expected and desired. Her normally soft face began to form a scowl as one particular banner refused to stay up, the Sardegnan destroyer continually pining it to the wall to the point she started to hammer her fist into it.
“M-Miss Carabiniere…” A nervous squeak came out of Kiev’s mouth, the petite girl eyeing up her supervisor. “W-We can handle it from here; you can go back to your duties.”
“Bene, I’ll hold you up on your word.” Carabiniere replied, the petite blonde climbing down the ladder and retrieved her clipboard, marking off ‘decorations’ before making her way back to the center of the room. Along the way, she saw the Royal Navy girls gingerly lining up bowls of finger food and soft drink atop the table, cheery looks on their faces. They had done a great job providing a wide variety for everyone here, featuring foods from all across the globe. However, what caught her attention was the hungry look on Foxhound’s face, the orange-haired girl sniffing at a bowl of corn chips before reaching for a couple.
*slap*
“H-Hey, that hurts…” The orange-haired girl whimpered over the gentle slap, cradling her right hand as the blonde shot her a glare.
“Now isn’t the time to be eating; we’ve got a lot to do today!” The Sardegnan shot back at her, hands resting over her hips. “If they find out that someone’s been snacking on the food before the party, then they’re going to get upset at the Commander, who in turn will chastise me for not keeping an eye on you. So keep your hands out the food bowls, got it?!”
“Awooo…” Foxhound uttered a melancholic howl of compliance, slowly walking away as her head and shoulders were slumped in misery. Javelin soon called out to her, the purple-haired girl hastily walking towards her friend to cheer her up. All while Juno shot the destroyer a look of disapproval.
“You didn’t have to be so harsh towards her, Carabiniere.” The pink-haired girl chastised her.
“I needed to be firm in order to get the message through; this party needs to go off without a hitch!” The blonde defended herself, standing firmly before the British girl. “It’s my duty as the Commander’s subordinate to see his will through.”
“You’re putting too much pressure on yourself; you need to sit down and take a break, no one here will hold it against you.” Juno pleaded with her, a look of concern forming on her delicate face.
“I cannot rest right now; I’m nothing like Le Malin!” Carabiniere rebutted with a huff, quickly storming off towards the kitchen as the pink-haired girl gazed at her in sadness. While heading towards her destination, the blonde gazed back at the Northern girls, satisfied that they were sticking to the task at hand. However, her eyes began to wander slightly, specifically at Kiev’s soft thighs. They were a most attractive sight; slim and delicate just like the girl herself. She soon focused her gaze upon Tashkent; the destroyer’s skirt at such an angle that she could see her pan—
No! Such lewd thoughts were not befitting a diligent subordinate, she has to stay focused today. What troubled her however was that this was not her first thought of a risqué manner today; was Littorio rubbing off on her somehow? She’ll have to ask Signora Veneto about it tonight. Putting the thoughts aside, the blonde quickly made her way into the kitchen and gazed upon the welcoming sight; her fellow Sardegnans were working alongside the Iris and Vichya girls in order to prepare the main dishes. Finally, an area without any hassles whatsoever…
“Oh, heya Carabiniere!” Libeccio waved at her eagerly, the blue-eyed girl eagerly making a batch of fettuccine carbonara alongside Maestrale. “How’s everything going out there?”
“Terrible; I had to remind several people to do their job properly. If it wasn’t Tashkent omitting everyone else’s decorations, then it’s Foxhound attempting to steal the finger food.” A weary sigh escaped from the blonde as she rested up against the countertop, her hand holding up her head. “I wish today wasn’t so frustrating…”
“February the 25th’s always been a challenging day around here; so many Launch Days to cater to.” L'Indomptable mused in agreement, the destroyer puffing her chest out with a sense of pride. “Luckily for us, we’ve got Belorussiya’s cake all under control! It’s being baked as we speak.”
“Bene. I know how much she likes that style of cake; it’s not easy to get, but it does taste very nic—” Carabiniere began, only for a thick plume of smoke to suddenly fill the room, causing her to begin coughing. A look of concern soon formed in her eyes; something was on fire, and it needed to be put out. Her eyes quickly scanning the area, she soon found the source of the smoke and dove towards the over, switching it off and covered her mouth. Opening up the oven door, she was soon bombarded by a plume of smoke, another dirty cough escaping from her mouth.
Putting on some oven mitts, she reached into the oven and gingerly pulled out the cake…or what was left of it. It had been burned severely, to the point where it was no longer edible. A horrified look formed on Carabiniere’s face; Belorussiya’s cake was ruined, utterly ruined. She was going to complain to the Commander, who in turn will chastise her for her failure. Horror soon turned into anger, the blonde throwing the ruined cake on the ground as it spattered everywhere.
“How could such a thing happen?! I told you all to keep an eye on the damned cake, but did anybody listen? Nooooo…” She chewed out her comrades, pointing her finger at them as they all curled up in fear before her anger.
“B-B-But we did arrange for someone to keep an eye on the cake, honest.” Libeccio protested, holding onto her older sister as Maestrale fought back the urge to cry.
“Who? Who was it that was keeping an eye on the cake?!” The blonde demanded, only to see that everyone else was unsure on how to respond. With a quick growl, she slammed her fist on the table, causing a few of the girls to jump back in surprised. “I asked a question over here; who was tasked with watching the cake?!”
“L-Le Malin! Le Malin was tasked with watching the cake…” Maestrale choked out a sob, weeping in fear over her friend’s sudden outburst as Libeccio continued to cuddle her, comforting her terrified sibling.
“She volunteered for the job, so I gave it to her, I know how reliable she is—” L'Indomptable, began, only for her words to fall on deaf ears as Carabiniere stormed out the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. Her eyes seeing red, the blonde quickly scanned the room in search for the white-haired girl, only to find her curled up in a corner…sleeping. Fists clenched into a ball, she stormed towards the slumbering destroyer and quickly shook her with such fervor and zeal, the Frenchwoman waking up abruptly.
“Hyah?! ...Jeez, what are you doing!” Le Malin inquired, gazing up at the enraged destroyer.
“Waking up your good-for-nothing stern; you were tasked with keeping an eye on Belorussiya’s cake! It’s ruined now, thanks to your laziness; the entire parties’ ruined now!” Carabiniere chastised her.
“Ah, relax. I’m sure we’ve got a spare cake in the cupboard somewhere. We’ll just put it in and bake it, no harm done.” The white-haired girl rebutted.
“That’s not the point! Your laziness has been a problem not just today, but ever since you got here. You do nothing but lounge around and eat sweets while the rest of us are working our sterns off!” The blonde girl continued to grill her, yet Le Malin wasn’t fazed by her words at all. If anything, she gazed at her with a look of pity.
“You work too hard, Carabiniere. You need to learn how to wind down and relax…” She informed her, the listless lapin’s words proving to be the former’s breaking point.
“Relax? RELAX?! How can I relax when there’s so much incompetence on display here?! Who else will take charge and get things done if I’m too busy sitting on my ass and doing nothing?! Subordinates do not relax, they get the job done no matter how hard it may get!” She ranted, her head turning to face everyone else in the room as they all paused to watch the ensuring argument. “What are you all standing around here for?! Get your job done alrea—”
Her words were cut off by a sharp cry of pain, the blonde clutching her chest as she staggered back a few feet. A cold sweat pouring down her body, Carabiniere’s eyes started to roll as she collapsed on her back and fainted, a series of horrified murmurs escaping from the destroyer’s mouths.
“Cara? Cara, are you okay?”
“I think she’s fainted; somebody call Vestal immediately!”
“Call the Commander! Call the Commander!”
“Oh dear; what do we do now?!”
A look of guilt formed on Le Malin’s face as she gazed upon the still destroyer, her hands wringing each other thoroughly. This was her fault…her laziness caused her friend to suffer a rage-induced heart attack.
The next day
“Nnngggghh…” A pained groan escaped from Carabiniere’s mouth as her eyes slowly fluttered open, the destroyer finding herself within the port’s infirmary. Vestal, who had been gazing at her chart for a while, turned her attention towards the blonde with a neutral expression on her face. Beside her bed were three people; Libeccio, Maestrale and Vittorio Veneto, all of whom had looks of relief on their faces.
“You’re awake!” The cheery tone of the blue-eyed destroyer chimed in, leaning slightly over the bed. “I’m so glad that you’re alright, Cara!”
“Ahhh…” The blonde began as she gingerly rubbed her head with her hand, slowly coming to grips with her situation. “W-What happened to me?”
“The combination of overworking yourself and a sudden outburst of anger caused you to suffer a heart attack.” Veneto informed her with a calm casual tone, one that hid a slight tinge of melancholy. “Had we not gotten you to the infirmary quickly, it’s likely you would’ve died from your anger, much like the Sardegnan emperor Valentinian I.”
The grim news soon dawned upon Carabiniere; she had worked herself to the point where she was mere moments from moving on into the afterlife. She was immensely grateful that she gets to life another day, but the whole incident left here with some food for—food…the cake! How could she have forgotten about the cake?! She was in the midst of chastising Le Malin for her failure to.
“I-I need to go; the party can still be—” The blonde quickly attempted to get out of bed, only for Vestal to firmly hold onto her thin wrist.
“You’re not ready to leave the infirmary yet; you need to recover.” The repair ship told her firmly, her blue eyes locked onto the destroyer.
“B-But I need to make sure everything went alright; it was my duty—” Carabiniere protested.
“The party went smoothly, Carabiniere.” Veneto reassured her, gingerly clasping her other hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Following your sudden collapse, the other’s took it upon themselves to finish preparations for the party; Le Malin herself stepped up to take your place.”
“Are you sure you’re haven’t mistaken her for L'Indomptable? All Le Malin did was lounge around and shirk her duties.” The blonde rebutted with a hint of incredulousness, yet the Eternal Flagship rebutted with a gentle nod.
“I’m telling the truth, my dear friend. She felt guilty about pushing you over the edge, so she took it upon herself to finish off the job.” The grey-haired replied with a smile upon her face, her expression soon growing more neutral. “You terrified a few of the others with your outburst that day; it isn’t like you to get that angry.”
“Y-You weren’t the Carabiniere that I know that day…you were very scary.” Maestrale managed to speak up, her hands holding onto Libeccio’s arm. That terrified look in her eyes…it stung the blonde destroyer. She realized that she allowed her duty as a subordinate to cloud her judgement, scolding others when they were doing the best they could.
“I…I’m really sorry, everyone. I got so caught up in my duty that I took out my frustrations on you all…” Carabiniere apologized, her tone brimming with regret and sincerity. Sure enough, the trio reached for her hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze, warm smiles returning on their faces.
“It’s alright; we all know that you only wanted what was best for the birthday girls. Besides, friends forgive each other all the time!” Libeccio regaled sweetly, with Maestrale offering a nod of agreement.
“When you get better, perhaps the three of us can have some cake at the café…” The red-eyed girl proposed, with the blonde mulling over the idea. It was a very good idea, but could she really forego her duties just to kick back and relax?
“Perhaps this could be a chance for you to learn about taking it easy, so that something like this doesn’t happen again?” Veneto chimed in causing the destroyer to tilt her head with slight confusion. “Carabiniere, your diligence is an admirable trait; none of us here plan on taking it away from you. But you’ve got to learn how to balance work and respite, otherwise you’ll faint from exhaustion.”
“R-Respite? But is it not my duty to—” She began, only for the Eternal Flagship to gingerly squeeze her hand.
“I know what your duties are; both as my escort and as a KANSEN of Azur Lane. But I want what’s best for you, just like how you want what’s best for me.” The grey-haired beauty replied, a smile forming on her lips. “Which is why I’ve invited a guest to help you learn how to relax.”
The battleship’s words must’ve been a signal of sorts, for upon their conclusion, the door opened up as an all-too familiar white-haired girl walked into the room, carrying with her a plate brimming with Iris desserts. To nobody’s surprise, she was still wearing that bunnysuit of hers, the destroyer’s eyes locking onto Carabiniere as she gingerly rested the plate on the drawer beside her.
“S-Signora Le Malin?!” A cry of surprise escaped from the blonde’s mouth as Veneto gave her a gentle nod, the buxom battleship slowly getting up off her seat.
“I’ll let the Commander know that you’ve woken up; get well soon, my loyal friend.” The Eternal Flagship smiled with a bow, before making her way out the room with Maestrale and Libeccio in tow. Vestal on the other hand had gone to her PC to type up a status update on the destroyer, leaving her alone with Le Malin. Slowly, the white-haired girl made herself comfortable atop the chair, reaching for a choc-coated biscuit and began chewing on it slowly.
“Hey there…” The petite girl spoke as she chewed on her biscuit, the blonde turning her head to face her. “How did you sleep last night?”
“Bene, I suppose.” Carabiniere replied as she reached for a biscuit herself and began chewing on it, her amethyst-colored eyes resting upon the French girl.
“Listen…I’m sorry that I caused you so much trouble…” Le Malin apologised, a hand resting atop the metal railing. “I only wanted to rest up for the party; I didn’t want you to end up like this…”
“It’s alright, Le Malin. I forgive you.” The blonde gave her an appreciative smile. “However, you’ve got to start putting a bit more effort into doing your duty, otherwise we’ll get a repeat of what happened yesterday.”
“I suppose you’re right…” A weary yawn soon escaped from the listless lapin, her hand covering her mouth. “Ah, last night was exhausting. I gotta say, I don’t know how you’re able to keep everything under control; I was on the verge of collapsing by the end of the night.”
“Diligence. Diligence is key to seeing things through until the end!” Carabiniere chimed in with a sense of pride, reaching for another biscuit and began chewing on it. “When I’m out of here, I’ll teach you a thing or two about diligence.”
“And I’ll teach you a thing or two about relaxing; fair’s fair after all.” The white-haired girl offered, her words causing the blonde to pause for a moment. Their situations were the exact opposite of each other; she was as busy as a beaver, while the latter was as lazy as a sloth. And yet…they both complemented each other very well. They could teach other a tip or two about how to improve their respective lifestyles, ensuring the best results possible from the both of them.
“Sure, that sounds good to m—” The blonde began, only to feel Le Malin gingerly climb onto the hospital bed, a startled ‘eep’ escaping from the former’s mouth. Her eyes watched as the white-haired girl made herself comfortable atop the bed, nuzzling up to her body as her gaze slowly drifted towards the French girl’s derriére. It looked so soft and snug inside her bunnysuit; she was sorely tempted to—no, subordinates mustn’t let their desires cloud their judgement.
“Like what you see?” Le Malin uttered a yawn as she slowly wiggled her plush backside. “There’s nothing wrong with relieving your innermost desires; it’s why the Commander got that law repealed, you know?”
Carabiniere began thinking to herself once more; there was truth to her friend’s words, more so since she was the one who set the ball rolling that fateful night. Yet despite the repeal, she hasn’t engaged in any intimacy with anybody, often working herself to the bone to ease her desires. In fact, this applied to every other desire, not just sex. And though her diligence brought incredible results, it came at a terrible cost if yesterday was any indication.
“Surely there’s other ways to relax outside the bedroom?” The blonde inquired, with Le Malin tilting her head to look into her eyes.
“Mhm; there’s plenty of ways one can relax. Take it from me, I’m an expert at that sort of thing.” The white-haired girl replied, another yawn soon escaping from her mouth as she wrapped her arm around the petite blonde. “I’d tell you more…but I’m beginning to grow sleepy. Goodnight, Carabiniere…”
“W-Wait a min—” She began, but her words were cut off by the subtle snoring of the listless lapin, a weary sigh escaping from her mouth. Carabiniere now found herself within the warm embrace of Le Malin, which was a lot more comfortable than she anticipated. She was a little disappointed that she didn’t get to hear more advice from her before falling asleep.
Except…perhaps this was her own way of encouraging her to take it easy; just sit back and allow the tendrils of sleep to comfort her. Taking it upon herself, the blonde made herself comfortable before quickly falling asleep, the two destroyers slumbering blissfully within each other’s arms.