Kid Fleet Season 1

Chapter 5~ Party Time!

Elizabeth watched as Victoria directed the placement of items around their docks. She had her own ideas about placement but Victoria wasn't having it. The Commodore was coming for a fleet inspection later today and Victoria was in charge of the catering. A task she was pursuing a bit too seriously it seemed to Elizabeth. The younger ship sighed. It wasn't that she doubted Victoria's ability to cater. In fact the older ship had a style that outdid Elizabeth's high expectations but she was the equivalent of a drill sergeant when put in charge. Elizabeth had gotten a scolding once already today. She had no desire for another. So she dutifully hung baubles while keeping well clear of her fleetmate.

Inevitably, Victoria came over and Elizabeth sighed as she came alongside. The younger ship continued her task while silently observing her sister-ship out of the corner of her eye. To say Victoria was a mess would be an understatement. She was covered in a dark layer of foamy sweat and reeking of oil fuel and a few other things that Elizabeth could not, would not name. Party poppers and streamers stuck to her hull and sides held in place by her own sticky sweat. Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. "Victoria, I hate to say it but you reek!" She cried. "Blame the tugboats." She sighed, watching Elizabeth lift a gold laced bauble over the red already in place. She weaved them together expertly until her grip slipped. "Barnacles!" Elizabeth swore as she half-dropped, half-fell with the lace coming with her. Victoria helped catch her. "Here." She took the bauble in hand and lifted her bow clear of the water, expertly finishing the weave. "Thanks Vitoria." Elizabeth sighed. The older ship nodded before producing a bar of soap out of seemingly nowhere. Elizabeth grimaced. "Do I have to?" She asked. "We had an agreement didn't we?" Victoria replied. "Every time you cuss you eat a bar of soap." Elizabeth sighed. "No offense Victoria but you need the soap more than I do." "I think we both need it." Victoria grunted, flicking a wad of paupers to her. Elizabeth shimmied away with a giggle. "So we do." She agreed. "Showers?" "Showers."

Ships were not known for privacy. The fact that they would regularly display their keels for entertainment should've been clue enough. But for those people unfortunate enough to live inland and thus be deprived of the ways of the sea, the sight of two ships openly bathing themselves was enough to give them a rather nasty nosebleed.

For their part, Victoria and Elizabeth were enjoying the refreshing feeling of being cleaned. The shower barracks were hardly considered barracks. The only cover they provided was a low wall on the seaward side with faucets hanging off for showering. Elizabeth huddled under one of these faucets, relishing the warm water as it soaked her. "Mmm..." She moaned happily. In the stall next door, Victoria was eagerly scrubbing down with her bar of soap. She'd turned into a brown bubbly ship sized glob. Elizabeth giggled. "What?" Victoria asked. "Oh nothing, Mrs. Brown." Elizabeth dodged the glob of soapy water that was thrown at her. Giggling, she gave as good as she got. Victoria leaped at her and Elizabeth dodged nimbly to one side, nipping her fleetmate's flanks as she went past. Victoria turned, only to have Elizabeth glomp her. "Eep!" She gave a very unladylike squawk as she went down. Elizabeth rested on her belly. "Having fun?" Victoria asked. "Oh just laying around." Elizabeth giggled. Victoria snorted. "Ge off." "Okay." She rolled off her, allowing Victoria to find her keel. "You're a mess.' She remarked. Elizabeth looked at her foam streaked sides and shrugged. "So are you." She replied. Victoria chuckled. "So I am." She agreed. She hosed Elizabeth down, helping her get all the hard to reach places, then allowed Elizabeth to do the same for her.

Once washed the two went to their berths where Victoria got out her paints. "You're funnel needs a touch up, come here." Elizabeth did so, kneeling so Victoria could reach her easier. "I don't think that shade will work on me." She said. "Nonsense, you look fine." Victoria assured. A bit of polish on both ships and they were good to go. "Hey Victoria?" Elizabeth asked. "hmm?" "Shouldn't you put away your magazines?" Elizabeth held up a copy. "My magazines?... My magazines! And Mary's due here any minute. If she sees you with that, she'll have my head." Victoria snatched the offending publication away from Elizabeth and went about gathering the others in a hasty attempt to clear her berth.

"I hope you weren't reading those with Liz here, Victoria." Victoria yelped, seeing Mary sailing towards her. "No, of course not." She replied, sweating a little. Fortunately for her, Mary was not in the mood to press the issue and let it go this time. "I see you've been decorating." She said, turning her attention to the baubles hanging. "My doing." Elizabeth giggled. "Victoria handled the food preparations." "I hope they're edible this time." Mary eyed her sister. "Of course!" Victoria huffed indignantly. That was one time. One time! And she was still knew to the fleet then. But Mary would never let her forget the time her cooking made the Commodore barf and QE2 sick in her berth for days! It wasn't her cooking that did it! Probably the punch in which case, she did ask for a spike of double strength tequila in this batch didn't she... oh dear. Mary rolled her eyes and sailed off.

The Commodore arrived, impressed by the decorations. "Oh no trouble. No trouble at all." Mary assured him while Victoria vented her frustrations on a conveniently placed bucket. Elizabeth giggled.

The inspections went well and soon it was time to feast. Elizabeth, despite being shy and nervous earlier, was eager to try Victoria's legendary lemon bars. But that was when Mary tried the punch. She didn't see the initial reaction but she did hear it. After performing a spectacular spit take, Mary's anger directed itself on the culprit. "VICTORIA!" Elizabeth looked to her left only to see an outline where her fleetmate had been. She sighed, stifling a giggle as Mary chased Victoria around the harbor.

With her elders occupied, Elizabeth turned her attention to one last detail. Melting into pure bliss as she took a bite of a lemon bar, the young ship slipped into Victoria's berth. She rummaged until she found the magazine collection, flipped through the covers until she found one she liked and after popping another lemon bar into her mouth, started to read.