3493/Night Patrol

Night Patrol
Date of Scene:	08 December 2015
Location:	Great Ocean - Southern Loop
Synopsis:	Nagato and Amakasu go on patrol together, story time envelops and a bit of showing off.
Cast of Characters:	Nagato, 901

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Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi had been a little surprised when she'd heard Nagato on the radio, going on a night patrol. For a second, Hoshi had thought she'd been asking for a volunteer to go with her, and she'd happily offered herself. Come to find out that Nagato didn't actually /need/ her, but was willing to let her come anyway. Hoshi's not one to make herself a liar, so she quickly dresses in the new uniform that she'd gotten as Nagato's present and dashed outside, towards the docks.

    For a moment, she has to appreciate the image in front of her; the moon on the slow and gentle waves of a calm sea. Not a half-bad way to spend a night.

    When she makes it to the building shielding the docks, Hoshi peeks through the door before stepping in, making her way to her assigned lane as she looked around. "Admiral? You here, ma'am?"

Nagato has posed:
    The cool evening breeze washes over Hikari, the gentle waves roll into the barricades for the island and, for all purposes, the base is nice and quiet. There are spotlights illuminating the ocean around the immediate base and a lighthouse to warn any ship who dares to get close. Though, for now, the Admiral awaits for a certain special destroyer. Nagato is standing at lane one, face forward to the bay's exit, her face stoic as the chill breeze musses with her hair.

    "Amakasu." she states simply, "Good of you to join me." her eyes close and head is lowered. "I suppose we can have an evening talk as well while on patrol expedition." Nagato's head tilts to the left to look at Amakasu and her lane. "Deploy, please." Nagato's head looks forward once more, and off she goes down the loading bay and into the ocean, quickly in her land kit out. Once she exits the bay, she holds herself still a few hundred yards out.

    When Amakasu does deploy, it's a lot less rocky than the first one. The equipment is lighter and there is a shoulder mounted search light added to the kit this evening. And to her side is what looks like a flare gun, loaded with the fleet's Star Shells. her standard equipment, however, is still there.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Ah, there she was. Hoshi raises her hand and waves with a small grin. "No worries, Admiral." Though, the mention of an evening talk... Hoshi tilts her head slightly, but decides not to ask for now. "I'd be glad to give you some company. Besides, I need to get more practice anyway." She watches Nagato load up and roll out, marveling at how easy she made it look.

    Once Nagato's free of the building, Hoshi hops up on the pad and sets herself. "Deploy!" The feeling of the equipment being set on her was still fairly odd, but the lighter weight was pretty nice, and once she's all set she goes out to join Nagato, with only a few tiny unsteady wiggles that are thankfully covered up by the darkness. "Ahh, there we go. This is a lot better." She grins brightly, reaching up to flick on the searchlight as she comes up beside the Admiral.

    Once she's at a stop, she gives a thumbs-up to Nagato. "Good news, I didn't go down again! Do you do this alone every time?"

Nagato has posed:
    Seeing the outfit on Hoshi gives Nagato that smile. "I see you are welcoming your position in this fleet, Amakasu." and a nod is given, "Practice when you can, perhaps I may assign you as flagship to a fleet once you're confident enough." of course, the idea in mind being something easy... "I normally send a specialized fleet to handle nightly expeditions, however, this once I make an exception." She turns to look up to the moon, "I do not normally go on expedition. It's expensive on the fleet for me to deploy."

    "However, there are occasions where I do go.. one such as this." and with a nod as the searchlight is activated, Nagato heads forth. "We're going two miles out of Hikari, circling around at half speed. By the time we return to this position, it should be daylight." continuing on, Nagato leans forward and starts moving again, "Amakasu, I have to ask. When I made the offer, what was going through your head at the time."

    Nagato slows a bit to allow the 'destroyer' to come by, "Line abreast formation. Stay on my right." she looks forward again, "Aside from Naikui, who I forcibly recruited, you're the first willing recruit." Nagato's arm moves to the right, pointing a bit, "Shine over there, just move your torso. YOu'll still move forward and you'll be able to shine the light where you need."

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi was looking around slowly, but she jerks her head back to Nagato and blushes slightly in the dark. "Well, of course. I promised I'd do my best, so naturally that'd mean I'd devote my time to it." She coughs a bit as she looks away. "Do you really think me being flagship would be a good idea, though? I mean, sure, I've been captain of kendo clubs, but this is... pretty different." Still, apparently Hoshi's luck was pretty good today. She got to go on a solo mission with the Admiral, on a rare night!

    Nagato's instructions are pretty clear, so Hoshi nods and starts to follow. All the way until daylight, huh? Hoshi winces inwardly. School tomorrow was going to be a fun experience. Oh well--her choice, her punishment. That's how these things went. "How I felt, huh... Well, I was still feeling pretty crappy after everything that happened, but you took the time to talk me down and help me feel better. Then... I dunno, I guess I felt trusted. I'd been complaining that I couldn't do enough, and you offered me a chance to do more. There's no way I could've turned it down."

    Hoshi settles into the formation easily enough, and she directs the light to start sweeping along in the direction Nagato had indicated. A few birds scatter at the sudden glare. "Doesn't Kagurazaka count? Or, well, maybe not... Doesn't matter. Like I said, I wanted to do more, and you came at just the right time to offer it. Not to mention, you're really pretty and cool! It's like working for an actual hero. Plus the girls are all pretty cool."

Nagato has posed:
    "May..." Nagato reinforces, "A flagship has a lot of responsibility. Something I am not ready to have you, Kagurazaka or Naikui experience yet." it was a stern voice but one of care. "But, I admire your devotion to this." a nod is given and she continues on, "Good, now move in front of me and to my left, shine to the left." Nagato slows just a bit to allow the maneuver to take place, listening to Amakasu, "I see, you took the offer to better yourself."

    Nagato shakes her head, she didn't have a choice in the matter... "Kagurazaka doesn't. I never formally made an offer." the birds get a look, must be a rock formation near by. "Careful around this area. You do not want to trip over rocks." she warns. "Right place, right time, huh?" a concept she didn't know that well, then the 'pretty' comment causes the admiral to make a really strange noise... one of shock and surprise. "Mmm, hero... I've read a few books over what I used to be... the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy's fleet."

    So that's why there was stoicism in her voice normally, "My girls do try to make everyone feel at home, Amakasu. You aren't an exception to this. I do believe that everything is going well with you fitting in with the Fleet am I correct?" she'll have to talk to DesDiv6 to see how that was going... "We're going to make a small turn over here."

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Right, right. Hoshi smiles a bit as she relaxes. "Yeah, I figured that was the case. Akizuka was really excited when you told her to be flagship. The type of excited someone gets when they're being trusted with something big." Leaning forward, she coaxes a bit more speed from her engines and completes the manouver as directed. Hoshi's eyes follow after the light along with her searchlight. It felt a bit rude, but this /was/ supposed to be a patrol. "Yeah, I guess." She chuckles. "I never expected it, but it's been really awesome so far."

    The mention of rocks has Hoshi gulping as she quickly glances down at the water around her feet. It would be just her luck if she made a fool of herself now. This ends when Hoshi turns around to look at Nagato with a huge grin. "What is it with the Union? Aside from Ms. Germanicus, I guess. Look, I hate lying. I'm telling you the truth: you're really pretty. Don't be so surprised!" She chuckles a bit as she looks back out.

    The kendo girl winces a bit. She knows about the Nagato, alright. If there's one thing they didn't skimp on in school, it was World War II. "And you were sunk, huh... Y-yeah, everyone's been really nice. Though, the lady you told me to report to for training... Is she okay?" Despite the dubiousness of the statement, it seems Hoshi's saying it with complete honesty.

Nagato has posed:
    "Akizuki." Nagato corrects and then nods. "It's a learning experience for myself as well, to take on a human, to put into our own equipment and to train as a girl of the fleet. Musashi and Mutsu were doubtful of this, but I believe with your continued effort, they will see it properly." She gives a brief nod as she follows the searchlight, "All clear. Face forward, increase speed. Keep in line abreast." the orders continue and the battleship gives a soft exhale.

    "Beauty is not a facet the Fleet strives for. We are warships first." a pause, "I appreciate your honesty, and..." an inhale.. "Thank you. You look good in your Fleet outfit as well and like a proper member of the fleet with the equipment." Nagato's attempt at a compliment, maybe? then the S word is said... "I was. I came to resent being sunk by the ones who cared for me. It... turned me into one of them."

    "I did atrocious acts as an Abyssal, Amakasu. I sank many ships, who knows the crew compliment on most of them..." she turns an eye to the girl, "Fortunately, you will never experience that. The dark depths of the ocean... twisting and warping your sense of self... filling you with the hatred of living people on the surface..." a pause, "I was sunk again... but when I came to, you're looking at what I came back as."

    "Enough about that, she's fine and I look forward to seeing the results of it." she looks forward, though that knowledge still paints a picture on the Admiral's face. She's recalling the events..

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Whoops. Hoshi coughs and rubs at her forehead. "Akizuki, yeah. Sorry. I'm actually a little surprised that you decided to do something this important for a kid like me. I'm no hero..." she says quietly. "But you did trust me with it, so you know I'm going to bust my butt for it." With the all clear, Hoshi relaxes a bit and increases her speed, keeping herself close by the Admiral's side.

    "That's fair," Hoshi can't really argue with that. She strove for kendo and ended up coming out almost looking like a guy, in her view. It was a worthy sacrifice, in her view. She smiles over at Nagato and gives a nod. "Thank you. Man, next time I get this stuff on I want to take a picture..." This jovial mood leaves immediately as Hoshi goes dead silent, a look of sorrow etched on her face.

    She listens to Nagato's description intently as they go along. When the Admiral finishes, she lets out a small sigh. "Thank you for telling me about this. I'm sorry such a horrible thing happened. It probably doesn't help, but I'm glad that you were able to leave that place and come here to be with everyone. But... does that mean that we can free the other Abyssals somehow?"

    The slightly abrupt shut-out has Hoshi wince a bit and go silent for a time, cruising along. Eventually, she says quietly, "You trusted me with your story... Do you want to hear mine? You don't have to if you don't want to! But... y'know, interest of fairness."

Nagato has posed:
    "That does not mean you can't achieve it, now does it?" she replies back to the hero comment. "And yes, I do trust you. I expect great things." probably too great but. "I'll have one of the carriers record a video of your next launch, Amakasu and give you the video. Along with recording a training session. I'm sure your parents will approve of it." a pause, "Speaking of. They /do/ know, do they?" her eyes turn towards Amakasu in a judging gaze, before moving forward.

    Nagato does answer the question during the brief moment of silence. "It is and .. that's how we've recovered a few girls. Yamashiro was one of them." she nods, "It takes an event of sinking the right Abyssal ship and preperation. We have to go out wanting to recover the girl, but it's rare that we can. Even with the vast fleet, there are still girls we haven't recovered..."

    The silence goes again, the offer of the story is given and Nagato nods, "If you wish. I will not force it out of you. I only offered mine as a reference for your studies..."

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi blushes a bit, rubbing her face again with a small snicker. "Maybe. I never thought something like that would've been possible for me before, though. If you've got expectations, though, that just means I'll have to fulfill them!... Given enough time and training, anyway." Hoshi grins over her shoulder. A video, huh? Her dad might be okay with it, but it'll probably scare her mom half to death. "Uh... Well, they know that I'm working with the Union? I'm not entirely sure if they'd believe half of what I told them."

    So it /was/ possible. "Thank goodness. At least there's the chance. Maybe if we can learn a bit more, we can actually figure out a way to do it more regularly." She pauses, tapping her chin in thought. "Maybe it's something we could put to someone really smart in the Union. Scientists and stuff."

    Hoshi takes a nice, long deep breath of the salty air. Story time. Okay. "That's okay. Uh... So. How this all started. Well, first I moved to Alberichstadt and started going to school at Drachenblatt Academy, and I heard a rumor. Go to a mirror during the witching hour and chant the spell, and you'd learn a secret. I'd heard something that I needed to know..." She sighs, and continues slowly. "Doesn't matter. So, I did the spell, and I found a secret. Me. Everything inside me that was bad and wrong, that I hid away. Then I got dragged through the mirror and thrown into the Mirror Forest."

    Her voice goes a little lower, her eyes firmly glued on the ocean beneath her feet. "I ended up running into my Shadow. Looked just like me, but she was like what I'd seen in the mirror. All my bad, pent-up stuff. And then, I managed to get away from her, and found the Wolf instead." Hoshi shivers. "I saw into it's eyes and saw the end of everything. Death in a form, right in front of me. Hungry. I thought I was going to die, but the Woodsman dragged me out and gave me Rosamond." She clears her throat and rubs at her face. "I'd ask if you think I'm crazy, but you're probably not too shocked, huh?"

Nagato has posed:
    "When I joined, I didn't believe half the things I heard either." Nagato replies, nodding some , "There is a chance but... I'm not sure the smart people in the Union could help with this. We tend not to ask much of them." Nagato goes silent for a while as she listens to the story time from Amakasu. Most of this doesn't make sense to the Admiral, such as place names and spells, but... "You found yourself." she replies after the story. "You faced yourself and found your whole, right? It's... how most of the fleet came too. Found themselves after facing their death and came back to the place that welcomes them with open arms." its about as close to a resemblence she's going to get.

    "You've faced death and lived. Not many can say that. This Rosamond, however, who is it? You've referenced it a few times on our fleet radio. I would like to know what you, personally, are capable of outside of the gear, if you do not mind indulging the Admiral like this." Nagato actually turns her head to look at Amakasu this time, an interest in her gaze instead of the sad things she was thinking about. "Of course, only when you're ready.

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi gives an uncomfortable little shrug. "I guess so? I've been told that my Persona is supposed to be my Ego personified. She's me, and I'm her. I think it's true, too--Rosamond has been hit by things, and I feel it too. I still don't really know why it all happened, though." She glances over curiously. "Well... Obviously I can't really tell you what to do, but what's the worst that could happen if someone was able to study the Abyssals? At worst, they'd say they can't do anything, and nothing is really lost."

    Nagato wanting details about Hoshi makes her snicker quietly. "Rosamond's my Persona, and... I don't really know much more than that. She's me, and I'm her. Probably the best way to explain is just to show you." She drifts a little further to the left and digs her locket out from under her shirt. Popping it open, she calls out clearly, "Persona!"

    Immediately, the sound of glass breaking echoes in the air as a strange blue mist forms around Hoshi. Her locket emits a piercing blue gleam as the mist begins to shift, taking form behind the kendo girl, shaping itself into a very tall woman, most of her face hidden by a hooded cloak. It's hard to tell in the dark, but it looks like she's wearing a muddy, ruined wedding dress under the cloak--and carrying a broadsword that's taller than Hoshi is with one hand. As soon as she's fully formed, the Persona takes flight, moving ahead of the two rapidly before disappearing again in the night.

    "... Well, at least now we know she can fly, too. Progress."

Nagato has posed:
    "Mm. It's like our armor. It takes damage, we receive damage." the similarities are uncanny so far with Amakasu and herself, she taps a finger to her chin and shakes her head, "Well, we've never been able to capture an abyssal... even dead." she comments, "But... this is an idea." she nods, "Perhaps we may try that one day. When we have a bit more preperation for it." with that, she nods, listening more to Amakasu and hmms, the noise catches her attention and she immediately looks around, then behind the kendo-girl.

    The sight is, to put it lightly, magical. "A summoned creature." immediately, Nagato looks at Amakasu and nods, perhaps ... she can do that. "Perhaps I may let you learn under Ryuujou." as she turns to watch the now flying Persona before it dissapears. "Interesting. Very... very interesting." Nagato nods in content-ness. "Amakasu, you truely surprise me more and more the time you're in my fleet."

    Nagato takes a turn to the right, speeding up just slightly. "I do not expect you to stay the entire patrol. If you want, you can use the star shell launcher to illuminate a path back to Hikari. You are still more than welcome to stay with me during the entire patrol."

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Hoshi tilts her head, and glances down at the armor that Nagato was wearing. It made sense. They were, after all, ships. "Huh... Alright then. And you never know, maybe if someone could even get a look at them, they might be able to see something... Magical? Strange? I don't know. I'm not really all that smart with things like this."

    Hoshi flashes Nagato a grin, but her expression is somewhat strained. "Yeah. She's like me--we can use swords really well, but I don't think her magic is very strong. It looks cool, though, watch." Suddenly, there's a flash in the sky. Rosamond is directing the light of the moon from her sword onto the sea not far from them. The light turns bright golden, shaping itself into talismans and prayers that explode violently. Rosamond fades away, and Hoshi lets out a tiny little gasp of effort. "Whew... Man, I love her." Apparently she couldn't resist showing off, judging by the smile on her face. "Who is Ryuujo?... And thanks, I guess. Compared to you guys, though, I'm nothing too special."

    Hoshi glances up at the moon. "Hmm... I /do/ need to actually sleep tonight. But I don't mind staying for a little longer. Say another hour, and I'll jet back."

Nagato has posed:
    Nagato's turrets track Rosamond as Nagato herself looks at the Persona. "Sounds like she's capable just like her owner." she comments, taking a brief look at Amakasu then back at the sky. "On the contrary, you're special. You've taken to sailing quite easily. I haven't seen too much of a mistake in your movements. You're getting better and with more practice, perhaps you and your Persona can ride the waves and perform at your very best. I see that in you."

    The question about Ryuujou is given and she nods, "Ryuujou is a light aircraft carrier of the fleet. She's highly energetic and uses summoned planes to fight at a longer distance than most of us. Perhaps, one day, I can let you see if her style will fit you better. For now..." once Rosamond is out of the way, time for a fireworks display of her own. "Type three sanshiki loaded. Firing angle set..." the turrets seem to be moving to a high angle. "Cover your ears."

    With a loud yell, she shouts "FIRE!" and eight shells come blasting out of the turrets, a loud bang and plume of fire brightens the night as eight streaks hit the sky. It takes only a few moments once up there for them to burst apart into thousands of tinier fragments, designed to take out aircraft. To most... it looks like a fireworks display. "We'll continue it for one more hour and you can rest."

Hoshi Amakasu (901) has posed:
    Now it's time for Hoshi to make surprised sounds. "Y-you think so, Admiral? Heh... Dunno if I'd call it easy, but thank you. I'll do my best to make sure I'm worth the trust you put into me for this." It's a nice thought. Running along the waves, helping to protect her new friends with Rosamond at her side. "Well, either way. Next time the Abyssals show up, we'll push them right back out. Same with the Feds. No problems if we all work together."

    Then... She's confused. "How do you summon a plane?... Are you guys magic, too? You might be right about it being a good fit for Rosamond and I, though. I guess we'll see?" When the turrets start moving, Hoshi's eyes widen, and she covers her ears with a squeak. The sound of the report blows through her fingers and nearly makes her jump, causing her to wobble awkwardly for a few seconds before catching herself. What she sees afterwards, though... "Heh... Funny how just the one of those can just wreck a person, huh? It looks almost like fireworks."

    Nodding, Hoshi comes closer again and stretches a bit. "Thanks for letting me come out, by the way. I like talking with you, Admiral." She smiles brightly over at the other woman, then settles in for the rest of her shift on the calm moonlit sea.