1594/Harbor Meeting

Harbor Meeting
Date of Scene:	17 February 2015
Location:	Boston-666
Synopsis:	Kongou has a surprise to show Psyber. Plus they talk about the Abyssals a bit.
Cast of Characters:	253, 637

---

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Late evening in Boston harbor. Repairs are well under way from the damage caused during the Abyssal Navy's attack, though it was kept reasonably low by the defensive response of the residents. Many of the larger piers weathered it purely due to their size and mass, while several smaller ones also made it through.

    It's at the end of one of the larger concrete piers that Kongou stands, her arms folded neatly behind her back. Hair and long sleeves rustle in the crisp Boston winter breeze. Her usual outfit doesn't seem like it'd be that warm, but the only winter accessory she's opted for is a fuzzy woolen pink and white scarf wrapped about her neck, the tails ending in little pom-poms, which also dance on the breeze.

    Like this, her eyes closed, Kongou waits. She sways slowly from side to side, humming to herself. Overall, even at a distance, the battleship girl seems cheerful.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    After the radio conversation not too long ago, Psyber is actually intensely nervous for this meeting. He rarely likes to interact with serious romance, and for Kongou to ask him to the harbor so soon after such a declaration has filled Psyber with an intense amount of worry and, even, dread.

    Fallen snow crunches under his boots and a cigarette dangles from his lips. He takes a deep breath and then exhales. Numerous scenarios run through his head on how this meeting could play out. If he rejects her advances, at the BEST scenario (in Psyber's mind), she'll want a new Admiral who she thinks can appreciate her. In the worst, she'll go back to being an Abyssal. Paranoia is heavy hanging over him like a black cloud.

    "Yo," He says quietly, barely audible over the winter winds. He finally walks right up to the edge of the docks and looks out. He's pretty much the opposite of the cheery girl next to him.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Though she continues to sway slightly from side to side, Kongou tilts her head towards Psyber when he steps up beside her. The radars on her headband shift, shedding snow that had accumulated on them, "Hello~. I did promise to show you something you hadn't seen before, <Yes?>" Leaning away, she glances his way at last, "You haven't seen my full fit-out yet."

    She steps forward, right off the pier, and drops down to the water where she lands as if it were solid ground. With a silvery glow, her Land fitting materializes, bolted to her hips, the turrets all at rest. She turns only slightly, looking over her shoulder, "I think we've caused trouble for you, so~... maybe I should wait until we're further out before I transform? You have permission to board, though~!"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber looks over towards her, "You did promise to show me that," He says, watching her glance towards him and then rubbing his hands together slowly. He scuffs his foot against the ground and then watches her step into the water, "Your ship form? Is that your full fitout?"

    He steps off the edge and his wings appear. He's hovering just above the water, "We can head out to sea a bit. The US Government knows you're in Boston, so it wouldn't cause that much trouble for you or the other three to be in the harbor," He carefully leaves out the more complex portions of their registration, like his ass being in a bureaucratic sling.

    "I'm curious to see it, though," Psyber notes, still looking nervous. He's not sure how this will all play out.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    There's almost a pout when Psyber opts for wingpower over riding on her fittings or shoulders. Alas! The briefly puffed out cheeks return to normal very quickly and Kongou smiles, "Ah~! I'll still be careful not to cause more problems, though." Her arms re-fold behind her back and she kicks off much like a roller blader might, accellerating on one leg. After a few dozen meters, she switches, accellerating more, until she's cleared the dock and reached a healthy cruising speed of twenty knots.

    "Though, I've been wondering~," The cheer is there but the girl's voice is also clearly concerned, "If I've become a burdon, Admiral. I saw the television broadcast." Glancing sidelong, assuming he's keeping pace, she adds, "If me being in Boston really is troublesome, it's <Okay> to say so. I don't want to cause more problems when you already have so many."

    Problems named Riva, for instance.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "No," Psyber says pretty flatly, flying along at an easy pace to keep up with her with some heavy wing flaps, "The only thing that troubles me is the worry that I can't live up to your expectations, and that I might lose you for it," Psyber says in a serious tone, gliding overhead of Kongou and looking down at her, "I don't want to break your heart or let you down."

    He scowls a bit at the idea of it. And keeps an easy pace with her. He would have been embarassed to perch on top of her in her more humanoid form. Plus it didn't occur to him while he was busy letting his paranoia run wild.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Returning her face to forward, Kongou lets out a thoughtful noise as she shifts her stance and her posture, going with the skating motion. At least now she's keeping both feet on the water, almost as if she were coasting, though it's clear she's propelling herself across the surface in that mysterious way all Kanmusu do, "You couldn't disappoint me, Saiba. You came back for me when I was lost in my own <Despair.>"

    She doesn't often say his name. Kongou clearly means what she's saying. After a moment, she returns her gaze to the floating angel, a warm smile filling her face, "<You Came Back.> I can only hope to do half as much for you as you've already done for me."

    Lifting one arm, she braces her bicep with the other, "Not that it will stop me from trying~! Gain altitude, Admiral, this is going to be <Big!>"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "You say that now, but I let everyone down eventually," Psyber notes depressedly, scowling a bit, "But thank you. Even if I'm not sure I can return your feelings in the same way..." Mostly because he's not sure he can feel romance like that. Partially because he may already have those feelings for someone else. He's still wrestling with that.

    "... you will always be my ship. And I will always try to be an Admiral worthy of your loyalty and devotion," He notes in a very, very serious way, looking down at her. But when she tells him to gain altitude, he nods and then swoops up, easily peeling up and into the sky with almost no effort from his wings.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "That's okay with me," Kongou says brightly, "So long as my feelings reach you, It's <Okay> if they don't come back! <Love> is a renewable resource and nobody has more than me~! But that's enough of the past, okay? For now, don't take your eyes off me!"

    Kongou twirls on the water, though maintains her forward momentum, her hands held out to either side. Swiftly, her entire body starts emitting that same silvery light that her Fitting had shined into existence with. This rapidly expands into a large sphere, clearly visible even from shore. And then, from within the orb, surges forth a fortress of steel, wood, and guns. The battleship bursts forth at an upward angle, quickly crashing down into the waves with a tremendous splash, dipping, then bobbing back up to her regular waterline.

    Kongou still cruises at 20 knots, though her size is significantly different. Immediately upon emergence, the radar masts begin to rotate and, more importantly, the radio mast extends. Before the Boston harbormaster can even pull his jaw off the floor and reach for the Bad Shit Button, she's broadcasting her Union affiliation and peaceful intentions.

    "This is the real me, Admiral~! My armor is <Perfect,> my guns are <Perfect!> Aren't I impressive~?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    The sigh Psyber heaves is almost palpable, as if the entire weight of a ship had come off of his chest. He nods his head to Kongou and then flies along.

    "What the..." Psyber murmurs as she turns into a massive battleship. He loses pacing and dips a bit in his flight. And then he turns hard in the air and comes down to land on her deck, trying to find a spot as close to the bridge as he can.

    "I feel like I'm robbing a real naval expert of a marvel," Psyber admits, looking around the ship. One of his hands rests on the railing and he looks out over the water, "It's amazing. I knew you were a ship, but it never clicked until I saw it."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Mm~mm~!" Kongou's voice is disembodied, echoing through the ship's PA and external megaphones rather than through any kind of spiritual presence. The closest point to the bridge to land would be on the superstructure, on one of the exterior lookout platforms--which are literally a single door's distance from the bridge itself. This platform also has a 20mm anti-air cannon on a railing mount, which respectfully points down and aft after the angel lands.

    "Most people don't believe it until they see this. Even my Land fit-out doesn't convince them. But who could deny <Proof> like this~?" Far up on the mast, the foghorn lets out two customary blurts of sound, announcing the vessel's presence as she starts to round the cape. Given her size, there's a noticable lean inboard as she starts to turn but it's not very severe. "I thought to myself~... An admiral should know as much about his ship as he can, <Yes?> What better way than a cruise under the stars~?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber stands on the lookout post for a while, his wings vanishing and leaving him steady on the ship as he looks around. He rests two hands on the rail of the lookout deck and then heaves another heavy sigh as he looks around. It's an awkward and new experience for him to see her this way. He's most weirded out by a lack of crew.

    He carefully opens a door and takes his place on the bridge. He carefully looks around, inspecting controlls and getting a feel for the layout of the ship. He's silent for a very long moment, "Thank you, Kongou," He murmurs a bit.

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Once Kongou exits the bay and reaches more open ocean, there's a ringing sound within the bridge. The speed telegraph lever rocks back to All Stop, then swings forward to Flank. It's echoed somewhere else far away. With little warning, the battleship accellerates again to her top speed. Cruising at just over thirty knots in no time, the most unnerving part of the missing crew must be how the helm steers itself.

    "<Problem Nothing!>" the ship declares when she's thanked, "If there's every anything I can do to help you, don't hesitate! Not one bit! Kongou will help you any way she can. I am <Your Ship> after all, please make use of me when you need me~!"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Maybe it might be best to tell Kongou his plan now, so it didn't catch her off guard later. If she's being so open about wanting to help him, that is. The half-angel walks to the backmost wall of her bridge and slowly slumps into a sitting position, back against a wall and his legs sprawled out.

    "I'm going to make an unpopular decision soon. Again," The half-angel reaches into his jacket and takes out a flask, unscrewing it to take a deep drink and then put it away, "I'm going to try to reach out to the Abyssals. Wo, at least, anyway. I think they can be understood and reached without sinking them."

    He rubs a hand over his face, "I don't like the idea of having to hurt you every time you turn into that other form. I want to understand the Abyssals so I can better know how to fix you when I need to. I expect many people will not like that call. Especially your own fleet."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    Without fanfare, the speed telegraph suddenly ratchets back to All Stop and stays there. The distant rumble of Kongou's turbines fades to the dull thrum of her boilers and, steadily, the ship glides to a stop. Evidently, while thinking over the angel's words. What he's said, as he surmised, is not an idea she likes. But it's not for the reason he might be expecting.

    "That will be dangerous," the ship states plainly, as her speed dial creeps down past 10 knots, approaching 0. "I think it's the right thing to do," she asserts, "Reaching out to them, reminding them of the good things about the lives they held before ... what they are now. But many of them will not want to remember. That Wo-class might respond. Or she might be too far gone to reach. It's very hard to tell with them, but if that's what you want to do..."

    After a long moment, the telegraph rocks back to Full and the thrum of Kongou's turbines returns, the ship's bulk accellerating again, "...Then I will stand beside you and reach out to them, too!"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Thanks, Kongou," Psyber says as he rests the back of his head against the interior wall of the bridge, "What I do is always dangerous. My life's going to be hard, just because they're going to get support from within the Confederacy to disregard my stance. I already had one group of people berate me over this business involving reaching out to Feds, it's risky for me to try with another group," He adds.

    Psyber slowly stands up and walks over to the helm console on the bridge, running a hand over the consoles and blinking several times, "The support means a lot."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "Mm~..." Kongou muses it over, a thoughtful noise resonating from the PA system for a few moments, "In many ways, your life is like ours. Before. During the War. It was a dangerous life, frought with perils and filled with combat on every horizon. Eventually it caught up with me~." While she's cheerful, there's a hint of sorrow or regret in her tone, "But. I wouldn't change anything, because if it was different, I might not be here, sharing this time with you, Admiral."

    The empty captain's chair suddenly swivels towards the angel, but does nothing else of note.

    "I'll be here with you, as far as I can go, okay?" The sorrowful tone leaves, "I won't let you be defeated for following your <Heart> and trying to save those ships!"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber doesn't have much else to really say to Kongou for a long few moments. He stares out the front window and then lets out a tired sigh. He looks towards the chair when it swivels towards him and then calmly sits down in it, resting his hands on the arms of the chair and gripping them tightly.

    "I'll try my best to do what I can. We'll see what the future holds."

Kongou (637) has posed:
    "We'll meet the future together," Kongou says brightly, "On the Dawn's horizon~!" Also this chair is incredibly comfortable.

    There's a buzzing noise outside, approaching fast. From behind Kongou, soaring out in front, is a green and teal plane with floats on its wings. This aircraft waggles its wings, then banks, showing the red circles adorning either wing as it comes about.

    "Isuzu is here~. I think they noticed I snuck out." Kongou actually sounds a little guilty this time, like she's been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

    After a few minutes, a much smaller warship pulls up alongside, a few dozen meters out. Flying the Rising Sun, it's clearly Isuzu--lacking the distinctive flight deck that Zuihou would have and being too large to be Akizuki. Once she matches Kongou's speed, her seaplane lands in the water beside her and is swiftly hoisted up by a crane from the aft deck.

    "I guess this is an end to our private time together," Kongou admits helplessly, "But she can't tow me back, so we can go back whenever you want."