2672/More Than A Sandwich

More Than A Sandwich
Date of Scene:	24 July 2015
Location:	Boston-666
Synopsis:	Psyber, Wo, and the Fourth Mobile meet to talk a bit.
Cast of Characters:	253, Wo, 637

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Wo has posed:
    It was already late evening, local time. The waterfront, where most of these meetings naturally began their course, is brightened by the sparse lighting. For her part, as is customary, Wo had radioed ahead her intentions via wireless telegraph, so that both Psyber and the local Coast Guard would be aware. The nature of the meeting, however, was a bit more vague than usual, lacking much in the way of motive or objective, and the timing even moreso. Had something happened on her end that required the odd circumstances? Had Samar finally lost her mind, and the loyalty of her fleet?

    Radio chatter by the local port authority would alert those present to several sonar contacts - something to be expected, given the nature of Abyssal visitors. The routine of this had apparently sunken in with the Bostonians by now, since the confirmation of a half dozen human-scale contacts is par for the course for this kind of encounter. A bit of confusion slips in, though, as the last return is analyzed, "That's a fairly biggun. They swim around like giants, too?" There is no alarm, yet, but the slightest bit of tension enters the atmosphere, at least among them.

    Not long after, the sonar hits turn into radar ones, as the Abssals surface well offshore. The familiar Wo-class is here, or at least it can be assumed to be 'that' one, flanked by a formation of four Ro-class Abyssal Destroyers. A Tsu-class Light Cruiser is also present, sticking closer by to Wo, herself. None of them appear to have weapons readied, for what it's worth, as they buzz and gargle between each other, heading forward. It is somewhat the spectacle, this time of day; all of them that have visible eyes are glowing like bioluminescent jellyfish on some deep sea documentary. Their mostly black and white forms illuminated by the Coast Guard's searchlights.

    Finally, the largest contact also surfaces, breaching the waves dramatically in the harsh light, and bringing the attention of most of them. The sleek shape glides the rest of the way, behind the Abyssals, its conning tower and appearance easily marking it as a U-Boat. A naval museum piece, but it looks new, from what little can be told in this environment. What in the world?

Psyber (253) has posed:
    As is his self-given custom, Psyber is waiting on the docks to greet Wo whenever she sees fit to arrive. Part of his ongoing project to make her feel welcome and accepted by him, regardless of her Abyssal work. He has a cigarette in one hand while the the other is kept in the pocket of the much lighter, short brown coat he wears on his upper body.

    "Dunno," Psyber says to the analysis of the size of one signature, "But it's probably safe. Clear it some room and try not to get directly above it. She won't let anyone attack the city, much less do it herself," Psyber says, putting that normally huge amount of trust in the intentions of the Wo-class.

    Of course, Psyber recognizes Wo-Class as the one he associates with. Give him a couple more meetings with her, and he'll be able to pick her out of a lineup of dozens of Wo-class vessels, no doubt. Hypothetically, anyway, "Oh, there she is," He says to whichever members of Kongou and her team decided to come out for greeting duty with him.

    Of course, once the submarine surfaces, he gets a surprised look, "WOAH. That's uh... that's not normal for her. Where'd she get that?"

Kongou (637) has posed:
ELSEWHERE:
    "Admiral is going to like this~!" Kongou sing-songs to herself, swinging her arms in wide arcs as she strolls along the sidewalk. Hanging from one hand is a thick paper bag with sturdy straps, containing something wrapped in paper and tied with string. The battleship is totally unaware of ABYSSAL ENCROACHMENT into her territory, because she's not the one who accepted the usual transmission.

AT THE DOCKS
    The shipgirl who did receive that transmission is barely visible behind Psyber. A glimpse of raven hair here and there betrays her presence until, after a few moments, Hayashimo leans aside just enough to peer under the half-angel's arm. Her single visible eye wanders across the gathered destroyers to the Tsu-class and then rests on the Wo in the center of the formation. When the submarine surfaces, that eye widens and she lets out a little "..Ah." sort of sound.

    Not standing behind Psyber but to the side is Zuihou. Tucking her airplane magazine under one arm, she raises her other hand to wave cheerfully at the surfacing Abyssals, "Welcome back~!"

    It's a wave that freeze-frames when the u-boat appears, "--huh?"

Wo has posed:
    At the head of the odd group, considering an actual boat is among their number, the Wo-class Carrier slips forward just above the waves, hands on her staff and singularly focused on the shoreline. If she is bothered or distracted by the attention of the locals, it never crosses her face - not even her eyebrows, the normally expressive part of it. The Ro-class, despite their own 'faces' being even more fixed, somehow seem to have a pride to them, their bellies angled to be lifted just slightly higher out of the water as they make their way forward. Kids will be kids, even when they are evil whale things. The Tsu-class appears a bit more stoic, or as much as one can without a visible expression.

    It doesn't take long, even when not at full steam, for the collection to properly enter the bay and approach the waterfront. The submarine remains just offshore, seeming to set anchor there, and the softer glow of the ambient lights reveal it is in perfect condition. The only alteration appears to be the removal of certain hated symbols, replaced with Heaven or Hell's own emblem, most prominently on that conning tower, as well as any identifying numbers. That is certainly peculiar, as well. After a while, some (human) civilian contractors that had been manning it climb out onto the craft's narrow deck, gathering there and appearing to wait.

    With the other Abyssals appearing content to remain on guard duty, the Wo-class drifts out of the water, making an unhurried walk to finally actually greet Psyber, Zuihou and Hayashimo in person. The latter still gets that somewhat purposeful look from her, but she lets her focus wander to Psyber in short order. "Psy-ber," she says, summoning her energy to try and sound as serious as she can through her stilted monotone. Both her own eyes and those of the hat glow a turquoise as they bore in. "--I'm sor-ry, for the short no-tice." She glances out to the U-Boat, then. "But...this de-livery, had taken. Long e-nough." The Abyssals buzz again, somehow enthusiastically.

    As if it wasn't clear enough, Wo states it quite plainly to him, "This is - yours, now. Ad-miral." Once her moment is over, she appears to relax a little in posture while propped on her staff, her eyes travelling to Zuihou with an acknowledging nod, but then her eyes continue to glance around, almost expectant, and missing something.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    There's a lot of things to process for Psyber right now. He looks over his shoulder at Hayashimo and gives her a smile. Another smile goes towards Zuihou. Somewhere, he feels a sense of dread at what kind of present Kongou could be preparing for him, but that's more instinctual than knowledge. Little does he know, the most awkward present of the night will come from the Wo-Class directly in front of him.

    Unlike many, Psyber simply nods to the destroyers and the Tsu-Class as they approach the shoreline. These forces are harder for him to recognize if he's seen before. The Wo-Class, he knew much better than her escorts. That was more often the field of the Fourth Mobile than it was him. The half-angel tilted his head a bit and watched the approaching group.

    "No need to apologize for the short notice. I told you that you're welcome any time, but a delivery? I'm very confused," He notes, taking a long pause as if expecting her to hand him a package or some salt water taffy or something. When she indicates the submarine over her shoulder, Psyber gets a rather embarassed look on his face.

    That's not just because she almost literally did the ship equivalent of a cat delivering a bird, but because she called him Admiral. He's not fully sure how to take it, unsure if it's a note of formality, the start of some awkward competition between her and the other ships, or what.

    "That's a uh... Type Seven, right? German?" He asks awkwardly, looking at the vessel in the harbor, "Uh... Admiral?" He finally asks awkwardly.

    Moments later, he adds, "Ah! Right! Thank you for the gift, Wo-Class. It is certainly an unexpected surprise. I've never gotten a gift quite like this before," He says with a mix of embarassment, formal acceptance, and confusion.

Kongou (637) has posed:
ELSEWHERE:
    The battleship girl pauses mid-stride, eyes snapping open, with a shocked sound. Planting her foot down, Kongou whirls in place, the radars on her headband adjusting a few degrees. After a moment, the girl's eyebrows set in determination, fire blazing in her eyes. Her free hand raises slowly.

    "Someone different..." That raised hand clenches into a fist with a sound like steel striking together, "...has called my admiral 'Admiral'..!"

AT THE HARBOR:
    "...Delivery," Hayashimo repeats, "...of a Submarine." Her single visible eye travels sidelong until she peers up at Psyber, as if asking if he somehow knew about this beforehand. When he's clearly flabbergasted by it, she returns her gaze to the Wo-class.

    When noticed, the destroyer disappears behind the angel, who is conveniently large enough for one fourteen year old to hide behind with ease.

    Zuihou is more distracted by the submarine, herself. Trotting past Wo, she grabs on to the railing and leans over to get a closer look, propping her feet on the lower bar, "--Wow, is that really for the Admiral? Miss Wo, you find the neatest things!" Straightening, she glances over her shoulder with that big, honest smile of hers, "You know, I used to be a submarine tender before I was remodelled into an aircraft carrier! But I only ever serviced Type-C I-Boats, never a German one!" Looking back out to the vessel in the harbor, she clicks her tongue, "It's so small~... How cute!"

Wo has posed:
    The Wo-class finally quirks an eyebrow at Psyber's questioning on specifics. She's not like Zuihou, worrying over particulars and specifications, outside of the general role definitions. All(*) of the equipment she produces looks and performs basically the same, perhaps owing to part of the Abyssal unified purpose. Eventually, she gives a shrug of her shoulders, "German. Surface...people. Making, weapons." That might also serve as a hint on how she came across this particular specimen, as she breaks away to join Zuihou at the railing, resting one black gloved hand atop it. "Many, were - sunk. But... This one, will be. Diff-erent. It will pro-tect, Boston."

    She does give a quizzical look to Zuihou, though. Something she said caught her attention. Not the unintentional stealth diss on what the cat dragged home, but, "You, re-member, then?" Her eyebrows knit together, "...when you were...a ship." This is somehow something she hadn't seriously considered before. Certainly, she had been aware of even her own nature, after she became more conscious of herself. But that sort of thing has remained completely beyond her. With a slightly pained and uncomfortable sound from deep inside of her, she dismisses it, "...for-get it. Zui-hou. I'll be - count-ing on you, then. ...to help." The hand that had been resting on the railing lifts to move toward the light carrier, giving it a firm touch if she doesn't evade it.

    She then turns again to Psyber, and accordingly Hayashimo; her cape flourishing with the movement, which is fluid despite that pendulous flight deck atop her head. This sends something tumbling from beneath the tarp-like cloak, which in one smooth gesture is snatched out of the air by her hand. It makes a squeaky sound. Don't interrupt her serious time, fairy! "You are, Kon-gou's...Admiral," she reaffirms, "Is that - not acc-urate?" She eventually releases the fairy again, that seems to climb onto the notch in the metal shank that serves as her staff, propping itself there. Wo doesn't seem to bother with it further, continuing, "With this... No more, motor-boats. They are...be-neath you."

    Her eyes wander again to the Destroyer that's trying to hide behind Psyber, but her peek-around staring doesn't feel like the source of the strange tingling she just felt. Peculiar... Is something bad about to happen?

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Oh, you..." He seems to dawn the realization. Every time Wo has ever seen him deploy on water, he was either on foot, riding a piece of ice, or in a crappy motorboat. Thus, he figures, in Wo's mind he was lacking a suitable Naval ship. He understands it now, sorta. He gives her a smile, "Thank you, Wo."

    He looks over to Zuihou, "Oh, if you have some experience here, I will probably need your help keeping it maintained. I already can think of a crew, or at least a few people," He ponders, rubbing his chin as he looks over the water.

    Finally, he deems fit to react to Wo's comment about his Admirality, "Oh. Okay. I thought this was some Abyssal ritual to come claim me as an Admiral for yourself as well or something. I'm still figuring out cultural dynamics," He professes, watching the fairy as it scampers around.

    "I appreciate your gift. I will likely record it with the Union, but..." He ponders a bit, "I think I'll be vague on its origin. If they find out it's stolen, I'll have to give it up and it'll defeat the purpose of your actions."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Mm~," Zuihou tilts her head to both Wo and Psyber's questions, "I remember who I was and what I used to do very clearly. It's a part of who I am!" Hopping back down to deck level, she whirls in place and folds her hands behind her back, "I don't have the equipment to service submarines anymore, but I can offer advice from what I remember, sure~!" Leaning back, she shifts a hand around front to touch her cheek, looking upward, "But we're going to need a crane for resupplying the torpedoes..."

    "Motorboats..." Hayashimo peeks around Psyber again, "...Do the job.. inadequately." Her eye wanders to the submarine and she makes a thoughtful sound, though it's the fairy that draws her attention away from it.

    "...So you kept it."

    She disappears again, only to glide out from the other side like a ghost. Cautiously, she approaches the Wo-class carrier, though rather than address the taller woman, crouches down on her knees. One hand rummages in her pocket for a moment, and then she holds out a small grain of bauxite on the tip of her finger, holding it out to the fairy occupying Wo's staff. Probably some pebble left over from an expedition that the other carriers somehow missed.

Wo has posed:
    The taller carrier stares a bit blankly with Zuihou's complete explanation. Even though she had dismissed it, it came all the same. This girl was always eager with this kind of thing, she's come to expect. This prompts the Wo-class to close her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath of air, even if it's uncertain whether she really needs to breathe, as Psyber does, and presumably the fleet daughters do. "I - see," she eventually speaks again, her lip pursing. Metaphorically, another piece of a longstanding puzzle falls into place for her. It's becoming more a matter of whether she truly wishes to solve it, in the end. "Paid...a crew, but. Just - for delivery," she also explains, off-subject for Psyber and Zuihou, which would be the people that are now climbing into a raft to make landfall, presumably to arrange their own transport back to other parts unknown.

    Her eyes narrow just the slightest with Psyber's later words, though. It might have been the slightest bit insulting, really. "They were...ma-king weapons, to disrupt the sea's - peace," she says, her mouth managing a frown despite her voice remaining much the same as usual. She then seems to regain her calm, after the moment is over, the fairy glancing up from the nook curiously at the shifts in demeanor. "--call it, what you - want. Any, that weren't - taken. Were des-troyed." She glances out at it again. Better for it to be in Psyber's hands, she figured, than left to make war, or a heap at the bottom of the sea. "You are not, my Admiral," she confirms, "But - you are, a surface person. That I, can re-spect. You also, treat...my sisters, well. Your dig-nity is, important."

    She is shortly distracted from her thoughts by Hayashimo speaking up. A rarity in itself, it is followed by her approach, and preoccupation with the tiny fairy, dressed in a flight jacket. The Wo-class does not draw away or even particularly shift, merely watching with teal eyes that, despite her mask-like face, manage to convey curiosity. The tiny figure, meanwhile, blinks blankly at Hayashimo for a moment, with that dumb but friendly smile that many of her kind seem to have. When handed the pebble of bauxite, though, her expression brightens, taking it into those miniscule hands. A bit of fairy magic later, and it turns into a suitably-sized cheeseburger, more fit for consumption. "...yes," the carrier finally speaks up. "She - listens well." Even if she can't be certain she really understands.