USS Enterprise's P.O.V
Throughout the garden, dozens of flowers bloomed. Spring cicadas sang their songs, announcing the season's arrival, and birds native to the Pacific flew from tree to tree, scanning the ground for their next meal. The garden hosted a vast amount of flower species—nearly everyone that could survive this climate, it seemed. Their natural colours were beautifully arranged with others, which paired well with the scene they displayed.
The Royal Navy continued to outdo itself with this garden. Designing, planting, and maintaining it; the ships never seemed to falter. Each time I came here, its landscape would always leave me astonished.
Sitting in the gazebo, with flowers blossoming on the entwined vines, I shared a table with my two sisters. To come here was always Yorktown's pleasure, and since she hardly left her room, we were happy to visit this place each time she did. Ever since she grew ill, Yorktown has taken on a slower-paced way of life, enjoying the more relaxing scenes.
Hornet, who held much more energy than the two of us, would always fiddle and look restless whenever we had tea here. Sitting down in a slower environment was never her forte, but if it meant she could spend time with our oldest sister, she'd gladly put up with it.
Once upon a time, I would have been just like her, unable to sit still when I could be doing something like training or out on patrol, but now I find myself in between their two personalities. I still enjoy a faster pace in life, but with help from him, I learned to enjoy the little things as well.
"Here you are." Belfast placed the teacups in front of us, and Yorktown and Hornet said their thanks while I stared at the slice of fruit that floated on top of my tea.
"What's wrong, Miss Enterprise?" The maid took notice of my troubled face.
"I don't like lemons." Leaning away from the gross thing, I stated my objection to drinking it. The maid showed a look of confusion while my two sisters snickered.
"Since when was that?" Belfast asked.
"Since always." Hornet found it hard not to laugh. "She's always detested any food or beverage that has, or has touched lemons."
Belfast nodded as she took in the new information. Despite following me everywhere, I never told her about that issue, did I?
"Sorry," I apologized as she took away the cup in front of me.
"Not at all," Belfast smiled. "I'll make you a new one, just sit tight."
As the head maid brought the cup over to the cart behind me, Sheffield placed a tray of assorted sweets in the center of the table. The moment she let go, Hornet reached in to snatch one of the cakes with a strawberry on top as her eyes followed its arrival. Her behaviour, along with the delighted expression she showed as she took a bite, brought out a sweet laugh from Yorktown.
In no time, Belfast was back with a new cup of tea. This time, I noticed a stick of cinnamon resting in the dark liquid as she placed the teacup in front of me. "Here you are," she then said.
"Thank you." I flashed a brief smile and picked up the cup.
Yorktown giggled again as Hornet reached for another cake the moment she finished the first. I couldn't help but regain that smile as I watched her take a large bite with glee. She always had a sweet tooth, but strawberries were an all-time favourite of hers; It wouldn't be long before they were all gone.
Thankfully, they weren't the only cakes on the tray; still, she'd eventually target the others too. And so, I took one of the carrot cakes as Hornet snatched yet another strawberry dessert from the tray. She had only eaten half of the second cake, but she moved so quickly for another that I'm sure she thought I was about to take one. Even now, she still struggles with greed whenever sweets are present. When will she learn to relax?
"Greed will get you nowhere, Hornet." Yorktown seemed to read my mind. I watched as Hornet's cheeks gained a light shade of red while she looked down in guilt, still munching on the last of the second cake.
"Sorry," she apologized with her mouth still full.
"And what about you, Enterprise? How have you been?" I was caught off guard by Yorktown's sudden question and struggled to find an immediate answer.
"I've been, well. . . "
Yorktown smiled, she had already expected that answer, and I was sure of it. I found it unnerving how she tended to read me like a book at times.
"Been well?" Hornet used a sarcastic tone. "You've been brighter than ever these past few months, and you've continuously flaunted that new outfit of yours. Been well, my ass."
It was my turn to look down in embarrassment as I took a bite from the carrot cake. Immediately though, I found those emotions to wash away from the delightful taste of the cake. Its flavour was a perfect balance of sweetness and carrots, with the texture holding a moist and spongy structure. I couldn't hold back a small moan in the wake of its delicious attack on my tongue.
Yorktown's giggling soon brought my attention back to the table, and I straightened my posture in an attempt to try and play off whatever look I was showing.
"Oh yes, 'I've been wonderful' is what you meant to say, right?"
"I-I wouldn't go that far."
"She hangs out with me more often than ever now. Just the other day, we went on a shopping spree. Can you believe that? Her—going on a shopping spree. . . Who the hell is this new girl?" Hornet's exaggeration brought the embarrassment back as I gave her a look of displeasure.
"Is that so?" Yorktown brightened up. "What did you buy?"
"Just a few little things—"
"A jacket and jeans. A navy blue jacket and BLACK jeans!" Hornet continued to exaggerate. "You'd think the world turned upside down!"
"It really isn't that big of a deal Hornet."
"Why didn't you wear them today?"
Yorktown's question was met with a brief silence as I looked down at the white shirt and shorts I wore. Reading the USN print on the front of the shirt made my cheeks rise with a smile while I readjusted the loose top. "I like this one more."
The memory of receiving it continued to bring humour with it as I remembered the argument he held with that Sakuran ship. You greedy rat! I remembered his initial outburst as clear as day. That line continued to prompt a little snicker each time it played in my head.
"He really was a miracle worker." The sudden mention of the commander lifted my gaze to see Yorktown watching me with a look of contentment. The attention I was receiving began to make me feel a little uncomfortable, and unfortunately, it didn't stop there.
"I'll say, I rarely talked with him. All those stories have made me a little jealous though." Hornet continued. "A man who's able to pull that thing out the depths of hell has gotta be a gift from God."
"That thing has ears, Hornet." My displeasure drew a snort from her, and she retracted the finger that pointed at me. I swear she was really trying to push my buttons.
"Well, at the end of the day, he helped you greatly. You know, you look much cuter now too."
Was I just a target? Why does it feel as if I'm under attack right now? It's as if they cornered me and got some sick pleasure out of teasing. Why was it only me?
"Cute's an understatement. She is full-blown adorable now." Hornet said, and I became fed up with her silly tone.
"If we're talking about cute, why don't we bring up that guy you sneak off to flirt with at the airbase?"
Hornet's smirk suddenly switched to a look of horror, and she tensed up. She stared back at me with eyes as wide as saucers and frozen in place. Every inch of her body grew pale except for her face, which flushed a rosy shade of red. "I-I-It's not like that!" She stuttered. "C-Connor is just a friend!"
"Hornet. . ." As Yorktown spoke with a flat tone, the named girl only tensed up further. "You know none of us are allowed near the airbase without authorization."
"I-I—"
"And how did you come to meet this, Connor?"
Hornet flashed me a look of betrayal. In response, I gave her a small smirk as she shrank in her seat. The youngest of us found it hard to form words as she twiddled her thumbs. Watching her, Yorktown waited patiently for her response.
"He's—. My SBDs needed tuning a while back, and there was nobody at the base who could do it. I was permitted to go to the airbase and have the mechanics take a look. Connor was the only one there though, and we started talking as he worked." She explained. "I-It's not what you think! We've just become good friends, is all."
Unable to look Yorktown in the eye, she stared down at her thumbs as she fiddled while the eldest sister stared at her in thought. Eventually, Yorktown let out a sigh and took a sip of her tea before speaking.
"Just get his information and message him from now on. You know there will be serious issues if you're caught."
"Ah—all right. . ."
You know she's still going to try from time to time.
With that, the conversation had come to a close and surrounded us in silence. Yorktown continued to drink her tea while Hornet stared at her lap in embarrassment, now only taking little nibbles out of her cake like a hamster. The maids, as great as they were, stood to the side, pretending they never heard a word of our conversation.
As annoying as Belfast could get, I still found myself grateful to the Royal Maids. For a while, they had been taking care of and looking after Yorktown, making sure she was fed and rested. They'd follow by her side every time she could leave her room, and watch over her in case something were to happen. If I remember hearing right, it was the commander who suggested it to the Royal Navy.
Even in his current state, he still continues to help me. For that, I feel a slight tinge of guilt as I realize I've never, nor at the moment could I repay him. I guess, despite downplaying it a moment ago, he did, in fact, change me entirely. Even I can't deny that I've taken notice of the change too.
He was right; it did feel good to smile more, it did feel good to get out more, and it was definitely a world of difference to eat proper meals each day. I felt livelier than ever before, and the exhaustion I'd once felt throughout the whole day no longer existed. It was baffling how much of a change there was.
"Have either of you heard the news yet?" Yorktown finally broke the silence. Both Hornet and I looked up at her, only to shake our heads. She let out a quick sigh and continued. "Azur Lane has finally decided on an overall commander for this base, they're going through candidates now."
Her words struck me like a truck, and I nearly dropped the teacup in my hand. My mind blanked for a moment as the small bit of information was too heavy to bear. Azur Lane could not wait any more, and we could no longer prolong it. It was expected to happen, but despite the preparations, hearing it now still hurt. Why did it have to come to this?
"So that's it huh?" Hornet sighed. "Now we gotta deal with someone we don't know? That's gonna take some adjusting."
"As far as I've been told, they've decided to look for someone from the Royal Islands or the Eagle Union."
"Why's the Union still directing messages to you?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Well, our fleet still doesn't really have an overall leader, despite you taking charge of sorties, Enty. You said yourself you weren't yet cut out for that responsibility, remember?"
Ah, she was right. I had forgotten I said such a thing. Still, I don't think I'd ever be fit to lead now. After all, the best teacher to train me is lying on a hospital bed, unconscious. Not only a teacher but the best candidate to lead us overall.
Constantly, he would remind me that life is neither now nor ever going to be easy. That was true, but for once, could it just give us even the tiniest of breaks? Ah, of course, another thing he'd say. Life will always be unfair. Sometimes it seemed he spoke nothing but truths, and many of them weren't usually reassuring.
"Right. . ." I trailed off.
"It's been set in motion, there's no stopping it now."
"Haagh. . ." Hornet let out another sigh. "Well shoot, it's not something we should dwell on, especially when it's out of our control."
The twin-tailed carrier reached for the last strawberry cake and subsequently finished half of it in one bite, getting a little frosting on her lip. Her face lit up in ecstasy while she wiped the frosting with her thumb and licked the rest of it off.
"I suppose. In that case, switching the topic. What kind of man is Connor?"
While sucking her thumb, Hornet froze up again as Yorktown mentioned her 'friend'. Her eyes, once again wide as saucers, panned over to our eldest sister, who shared a friendly smile. Hornet's cheeks regained that red hue as she removed her thumb with a pop, gazing at Yorktown as if she were a spy jumping to a public interrogation.
"I, erm. . . H-He's. . ."
"Yes?" Yorktown egged her on.
"W-Well, he's from the Royal Islands. He's friendly, enjoys a good laugh, and loves working on machines." She began to open up. "Why are you suddenly curious?"
"It interests me to hear who my sister likes."
"I told you it's not whatcha think!"
I couldn't hold back my snickering as Hornet's face continued to grow red. Meanwhile, Yorktown held her genuine smile as she watched our sister's reaction. As much as I would've enjoyed it right now, she showed no signs of teasing. Instead, her question held honest curiosity while she looked at her with pure happiness. Hearing that our youngest sister was dabbling in the realm of romance seemed to bring joy to her features.
"What else is there to him?" I joined in. Hornet only shrunk further as it was now her turn to be cornered.
"He. . . He has a good accent on him, not too strong, and he loves to lay back and gaze at the stars most nights, that's usually the time I meet with him. Normally we watch the stars together and talk about life; he enjoys talking about his past experiences back home, mostly about the farm he grew up on. . ."
"You're smitten with him," I told her.
"I am not!" She tried to defend herself. "It's not like that. . ."
Hornet began to twiddle her thumbs again as Belfast came in to replace the empty tea cup in front of her. In an attempt to take her mind off the embarrassment, she snatched one of the carrot cakes next and began to munch on it. Her lips curled up in pleasure as the sweetness hit her tongue, and, as if it were a drug, her entire face relaxed with satisfaction. Hornet's attitude looked to take a complete one-eighty as she proceeded to stuff the rest of the cake in her mouth before grabbing another.
I could only sigh as I watched her eat the cakes as if they were going out of style. Yorktown, however, continued the amused smile that she's held most of this evening, enjoying her time. I guess, in a way, it was a little cute watching her sweet tooth run wild.
As she continued to devour the sweets, soon moving on to the pastries, Belfast moved in next to her and cleared her throat. Intending to gain her attention, Hornet paused and looked back at the intimidating smile the maid displayed. "Miss Hornet," she said. "If you would be so kind as to slow down? You've got frosting on your lip again and are dropping crumbs all over yourself."
"O-Oh, right. . ." Hornet got the message. Having been asked for better table manners, she fixed her posture and wiped off the flakes of pastry from her lap. Then she wiped her lip with her thumb once more and licked the icing off, making Belfast's eye twitch as she continued observing the carrier with a smile.
Seeing a rare occurrence in action, I stifled a laugh while I spectated Belfast's impatience. With the courteous smile still raised, Belfast's eye twitched again as Hornet proceeded to take a large bite out of her pastry. I had to bite my lip to help control myself when the maid bent down to meet her eye level, moving in closer to increase her intimidation.
"Miss Hornet." She reminded my sister as more crumbs fell. Looking back, Hornet flinched when she saw how close Belfast was, but what seemed to bother her more was the intense smile, which held the opposite of a happy aura.
"Sorry. . ." The youngest carrier understood the message a lot better this time. Placing the pastry on an empty plate, she then sturdied her posture and again wiped away the flakes. When Belfast finally backed off, Yorktown and I could no longer hold back our snickering. In response, Hornet rolled her eyes and sighed before taking her teacup in hand.
Eventually, the snickering came to an end when Yorktown had to cover her face to cough. For only a brief moment, she let it bother her before steadying herself to take a sip of her tea. Raising it to her lips, she began to drink when another cough suddenly interrupted her. The unexpected force caused her to spit a bit of the tea outward before quickly lowering the cup so she could cover her mouth once more.
By now, Hornet and I watched her in worry as she placed the cup back on its saucer. When it seemed to be over, she cleared her throat and gave us a reassuring smile. "I'm alright," she said in confidence. "It was just a small fit."
Her words, as positive as she tried to make them, didn't bode well with the two of us. Despite trying to look all right, I noticed her breathing became shallower, and she began to tremble slightly. She always had a habit of trying to play it off as something brief, hoping she could spend as much time as possible with us. Unfortunately for today, time was up.
She tried to say something more when the cough came back, this time much harsher. It hurt me to watch it continue with little end, only giving her enough time to take in a sharp breath periodically. Soon I winced as it got to the point where she began to dry-heave at the end of each fit and the maids were forced to help her up.
She tried waving them off while saying, "I'm alright, it's alright." But the maids knew better than to listen. Getting her up on her feet, she continued to politely wave them off as one linked their arm with hers for support.
"I can stay a bit more." She wouldn't give up when they began to guide her away.
"York. . ." Hornet caught her attention. "Today was great fun, don't feel bad about it."
"We'll be here the next time you feel well," I then added. York paused for a moment before nodding.
"Alright then. . . I'll see the two of you soon." We convinced her and waved our goodbyes. When she turned around, I nearly choked, as I swear a tear just rolled down her cheek. Struggling to hold in my own waterworks, we watched her back as the maids helped her away, the coughing never coming to an end. Neither of us said a word for the moment after she rounded a corner and left our view. While we sat in silence, Belfast came around and cleaned up the table, taking our tea along with the sweets.
I continued to stare at the last place I saw her, imagining her coming back full of energy. Rather, it was more of a wish than anything. I wished for the day when the Union finally refits her crumbling hull. Sitting in a drydock, she would receive what little work could be done to help—but since being severely damaged, the Eagle Union has had no plan to recommission her. No parts for repairs were sent, and no word on her future was ever received. It was a cruel fate.
For now, she was slated to stay in this state indefinitely. Knowing such a fact pained me more than anything. There was not much we could do, it was not up to us, no matter how many times we asked. Our only option was to hold out hope and pray.
Disconnecting her from her wisdom cube could save her, but not only was she averse to the idea unless absolutely necessary, the Eagle Union was also keen on mothballing her in case they eventually needed her. Till that day came, we were left to wait.
To the right of me, Hornet sighed after she finished doing something on her phone. "You got anything planned for the rest of the evening?" She then turned to me as she shoved the phone in her pocket.
"I hadn't thought of anything, why?"
"Well, it's getting late, and there's a discount on all pints at the beer hall tonight. Wanna go drinking?"
I looked at her with slight concern. "I don't really have any experience with alcohol, Hornet."
"I know." She smiled, "First time for everything. C'mon, it'll be fun—and packed."
Averting my gaze to think, I weighed my options. I wasn't one for crowds, but after Yorktown took her leave, I didn't like the idea of being alone with myself right now. I guess, she was right. There is a first time for everything, and it did sound a little interesting.
"Alright then," I agreed. "Are we inviting Connor along too?"
My lips curled into a smile as, for the last time, Hornet's face flushed red while she went rigid. Her reaction eventually led me to chuckle, causing her to growl in irritation.
"I told you it's not like that!!
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I've come to notice that my writing seemed to peak in the last two chapters that were Enterprise's perspective, and it was a little weird. Why can't this come out in the other perspectives...
Also wattpad has had, for a long while now, some seriously bad formatting glitches. And they are driving me up the wall.