>Ask around, maybe a doctor or wounded trooper will know.

File: 9dcf2b7a518bbd4ce8b1816b8(...).jpg (468 KB, 2184x1456)

468 KB JPG

>>3153268
I'm getting spots in the corners of my vision, is that weird?
>Ask around

"Ask around, I guess." You shrug, looking around the reception to see if there's any particularly lucid-looking wounded. It doesn't take long to spot one of the men watching you and Arleigh- it seems the reception is housing the lesser wounded, and he only has an arm covered in bandages. "Excuse me?"

The soldier tries to sketch an instinctive salute with his wounded arm as you step over to him, but winces. "Can I help you, ma'am?" He asks, in an accent you can't place.

"I, uh..." You glance back at Arleigh for support. She smiles encouragingly at you. "I was wondering if you'd seen any other shipgirls taken in here?"

He thinks for a moment. "Sorry, don't think so."

"Oh." Another glance back at Arleigh, who shrugs. "Well, sorry for bothering you."

"No trouble, ma'am." As you turn away, he coughs, and you glance back, his non-wounded arm patting at his pockets. "Uh, ma'am, if you wouldn't mind, could I get an autograph?"

"Uh." You look at Arleigh, who's clearly trying to suppress a grin.

"Some of the men like to collect our autographs. It's a thing they do." She whispers helpfully.

"I'm afraid I don't have a notebook, er," Your implants detect your gaze at his rank tabs and flash it up in your vision, "Private."

"Oh, I do!" Your sister offers you a notebook and pen from somewhere. She's really not trying hard enough to suppress her grin.

>Sign an autograph. What's the harm?
>You're not really comfortable, sorry.

File: aaaaaaaaaa.gif (1020 KB, 500x281)

1020 KB GIF

>>3153756
>Sign an autograph. What's the harm?
I don't know if I should be happy or sad that I didn't miss much from being held up.

>spoiler
I'm no expert, but that sounds like an uh-oh if it didn't just come and go like a drive-by shooting.

File: 1445740339927.jpg (448 KB, 707x1000)

448 KB JPG

>>3153756
It's happened before but I'm also pretty tired all the time now so I don't know if I just need to get more sleep? If I disappear suddenly that's probably why.
>Sign it like a madman
"Fine, fine." You sigh, taking the notebook and pen from Arleigh. You open it to a clean page, and stare at it for several moments. An autograph. That's just a signature, right? Do you even had a signature yet? You can feel your cheeks heating as the silence becomes awkward, and in a rush of motion you scrawl your name across the page, then rip it out to give it to the soldier. His dirty face splits in a happy smile, treating the page like something precious as he carefully folds it and tucks it into his shirt.

"Thank you very much, ma'am." He says with such quiet sincerity it doesn't do anything to help with your cheeks. Ahhhhhhhh.

"D-don't worry about it." You cough, and turn away, ignoring the definitely-not-a-snigger from Arleigh's direction as you head down a random corridor in search of an actual doctor. You hear footsteps behind you, your implants automatically tracking and assigning them possible threat values. You shake your head to banish the annoying, cluttered data as Arleigh's arms slip around one of yours.

"I'm sorry, sis, you just looked so flustered." Her weight forces you to slow down a little, and you purposefully ignore the way the soldiers in cots set along the white, formerly antiseptic-looking walls are watching the pair of you.
"You'll need to get used to attention like that." She continues, voice pitched low. "We're symbols to them. Heroes. Hell, there's been plenty of books and movies made about us-" A quick query into the base net brings up hundreds of titles, from action thriller to romantic comedy. "-So all we can do is play along."

You think back to yesterday, the applause and cheering you received after facing off against those Abyssal cruisers. It's not like you had much of a choice. Sure it felt good, but...

>But nothing. You are special after all, and deserve it.
>You're still not sure. Even if it does feel nice to be celebrated occasionally.
>Even if you deserve the praise, you're just doing your job, like every other soldier.
>Other (write-in).

>>3153863
>Whether you like it or not, you're expected to be more than a gun with a name. You'll just have to take it as it comes.

>>3153863
>>Whether you like it or not, you're expected to be more than a gun with a name. You'll just have to take it as it comes.

>>3153925
>>3153863
Yeah I guess I'll go with
>>Whether you like it or not, you're expected to be more than a gun with a name. You'll just have to take it as it comes.

File: aa6046b2bb142241f3891c54c(...).jpg (36 KB, 385x578)

36 KB JPG

>>3153863
I fell asleep for 8 hours straight haha oops
>Whether you like it or not, you're expected to be more than a gun with a name. You'll just have to take it as it comes.

You shake your head. This is all too much, too fast.

"I don't-" You begin, before remembering the soldiers watching you. "I don't know how to handle this." You start again in a murmur. "I only woke up yesterday, sis."
Arleigh smiles brightly and gives your arm a squeeze.

"I know, Mahan. And I'm sooo proud of you for how well you done so far, okay? I'm here if you need me." You stop in your tracks to give her a quick hug.

"I'm just going to take it one day at a time for now."

"Sure. Hey, you should see the fleet girls with snappagram accounts."

---

You wander through the corridors a little more, occasionally asking the more lucid patients for help, and eventually come across a very harried doctor who points you towards a room on the top floor- that's where the shipgirl equipment is it seems. As you and Arleigh step onto the top floor, you note that the hallway here is much the same as it was when you woke up, with none of the patients from downstairs overflowing.

"I wonder which room they're in." Arleigh comments, then clicks her fingers. "O'Mara will know!" Before you can stop here, Arleigh has strode down the corridor, and neatly raps on a door before flinging it open. "O'Maraaaaaa- oh, hi Daring."

"Arleigh." Comes the cool, wry tone of the Chief Psychologist. "And Mahan too, it seems," She continues, as you look in the doorway behind your sister. "I should have guessed."

The office is just as cluttered as it was yesterday, with a blanket of paperwork covering every available surface except for the two chairs facing the desk- in one of them, Daring. She gives the pair of you a cool nod, though you get the impression that's just her being her.

"I've been meaning to catch up with you, Mahan. How are you fairing?" O'Mara is asking.

"Uh..."

>Boast
>Neutral
>Polite

>>3154871
>Neutral

>spoilers
now it's my turn

>>3154871
>neutral
No worries OP, take your time & relaxation

File: 2n7JbM2.jpg (170 KB, 707x1000)

170 KB JPG

>>3154871
>Neutral

"I'm okay, I guess. A little overwhelmed." You shrug. O'Mara nods thoughtfully.

"I'll have to book you in for a session or two, I think. Now, Arleigh." O'Mara's gaze flicks like a targeting reticle to your sister. "What, pray tell, possessed you to think barging into my office?" You take an unconscious step back, and you're not even in the full force of her glare.

"Well, we were just-"

"You were just nothing, young lady." The Chief Psychologist's cool voice cuts straight through Arleigh's excuse. "If you do this again I'll have you on punishment duty until Christmas, is that clear?"

Arleigh stammers out an apology, and the pair of you stumble out of O'Mara's office. The door manages to slam shut behind you.

"Nicely done, Arleigh." The pair of you turn to find Dragon watching, one of her arms in a sling, and the bulky shape of bandages under one of her pant legs. It seems she hasn't gotten a new uniform yet either- she's wearing just her uniform pants and a regular t-shirt.

"Dragon!" Arleigh goes in for a hug, then pauses, apparently thinking better of it. "You okay?"

"Oh, sure. Damned thing messed my arm up, so I've got it like this for a bit. I can still walk though."

Dragon and Arleigh chat quietly, companionably, and you're starting to feel like a third wheel.

>Try to insert yourself into the conversation
>Ask Dragon something (write-in)
>Just cool your heels while you wait for Daring.

>>3154970
>>Try to insert yourself into the conversation

>>3154970
>Just cool your heels while you wait for Daring.

>>3154970
>Just cool your heels while you wait for Daring.

>>3154970
>>Just cool your heels while you wait for Daring.

File: 7850c886c8946d281d4f8e287(...).jpg (343 KB, 947x1117)

343 KB JPG

>>3154970
I got to go to D&D today, but I ended up having to DM. Rip.
>Don't take the chance to drop your spaghetti yet

You lean back against the wall, and half-listen to Arleigh and Dragon's conversation as you play with your implant's systems. You have a lot of history to catch up on, after all, so you mostly surf the base net, finding interesting articles for reading later. You can't find a lot of current news - not entirely surprising, considering the fact you're on a military base - but there's a lot dedicated to... well, fanbases of shipgirls. Specific shipgirls, in fact- it doesn't take you long to find a forum for Arleigh, for instance. Everything from her past ship history (or the ship she was based on? The net doesn't have much information on that, either) to her current mission, if any.

Feeling vaguely disturbed by the lack of privacy, let alone the apparently celebrity status you've apparently inherited, you disconnect just in time to catch the door to O'Mara's office swinging open. Daring steps out, her gaze sweeping the corridor. Arleigh and Dragon have wandered off a bit and are currently bullying a vending machine. Instead, she glances over to you as she closes the door behind her.

"Oh, Mahan, right?." She offers a slight smile. It's not much, but it does reach her eyes. "We haven't really been acquainted yet, yesterday notwithstanding." The British destroyer offers her hand. "Also, you might have saved my life, coming when you did," She glances back at your sister and Dragon, who are still quite a ways down the hallway, and leans in, "So I'm really rather grateful."

Something about her tone brings you up short. Very short.

>Take her hand.
>Stammer.
>Blush.
>Drop spaghetti.

>>3156212
Is it valid to take all four options in the order presented?

>>3156239
yes

Also I didn't even realise my name dropped

>>3156268
excellent i'm doing it

>>3156212
>>Take her hand.
>>Blush.

File: sample_2a7e6d57b36a8d98a4(...).jpg (199 KB, 850x1202)

199 KB JPG

>>3156212
I just realised I don't have any references for Daring yet, either, rip me
>Take her hand, blush, maybe a little spaghetti drop

"Oh, u-uh. D-don't mention it." You can feel the colour rising in your cheeks as you reach out, and take your hand- but after the brief, initial shake, her fingers stay curled around yours. They're rather soft, you notice.

"No, no, I insist. You simply must let me make it up to you." You suddenly realise how close Daring is.

"Uh, well, you know, it's just, like... my duty, right?" Oh god, you're stammering. The blush has conquered your cheekbones and doesn't show signs of stopping. God help-

The door to O'Mara's office swings open behind Daring, and the pair of you spring apart- Daring looking innocent, you looking feverish. The Chief Psychologist is standing in the doorway, looking down at some kind of tablet.

"Sorry, Mahan, I needed to type up my notes-" She breaks off as she looks up, raising an eyebrow at your expression. "...Did I interrupt something?"

"No!" You reply, far too hurried for it to be anything but guilty. O'Mara fixes Daring with her gaze, but the other destroyer refuses to be taken in.

"Okay then..." You get the sense she isn't convinced. "I really do need to debrief you, and I've got a little time in my schedule now. But it can wait for a day or two, if you'd prefer."

>You can talk to O'Mara now.
>You're pretty tired, maybe it can wait?

>>3156412
>You can talk to O'Mara now.

>>3156412
>>You can talk to O'Mara now.

File: 241f2697fba69a209296b7a8a(...).jpg (424 KB, 900x1200)

424 KB JPG

>>3156412
>Anything so you stop spilling spaghetti

"Sure, I'm free right now." You nod, deliberately not looking over at Daring.

"Very well, come on in." O'Mara gestures, and you look down the hallway. Arleigh and Dragon have both got an armful of snacks. You shake your head in bemusement, and instead turn to Darling.

"Tell sis she doesn't need to wait for me, okay?" She nods, and you could swear you catch a flicker of disappointment on her features as you step inside O'Mara's office.

---

"Now then," O'Mara begins once you're seated, smiling slightly at you from across her desk. "I have to say you've had a rather... unique awakening, Mahan. Most girls aren't allowed to even fire their weapons until they've passed sea trials, but you weren't even awake six hours before you were helping defend the base. If you keep being this impressive you might find yourself being volunteered for things."

You shrug a little, not sure how to respond. O'Mara just nods and continues, resting her tablet atop a precarious stack of paper.

"In any case, if you ever need to talk to somebody until you get shipped out, I'm always here for all of you girls. But I'm afraid a psychological debriefing is mandatory after everyone's first combat." She looks up at you, as if expecting a response, so you nod. "Now then. You said you were feeling a little overwhelmed, earlier. Would you like to talk about that? Or something else, perhaps. Whatever you say to me doesn't leave this office."

>Talk about how overwhelmed you're feeling since being 'woken'.
>Talk about how guilty you feel after seeing all the soldiers you weren't able to help.
>Talk about how good, how powerful combat made you feel.
>Talk about something else (write-in).

>>3157814
>>Talk about how overwhelmed you're feeling since being 'woken'.

>>3157814 >Talk about how guilty you feel after seeing all the soldiers you weren't able to help

>>3157814
>Talk about how overwhelmed you're feeling since being 'woken'.

File: 8cd5ad3e05e59e37995f9d33b(...).png (489 KB, 1003x1535)

489 KB PNG

>>3157814
>Overwhelmed as hecc

"Yeah, I mean... Well, ever since I 'woke'," You use your fingers to demonstrate airquotes, "It's just been one thing after another, you know?"

O'Mara nods, glancing down at what she's writing. "I understand. As I said, you've had quite the experience so far. But, remember, it's only your second day awake. Some of the older Girls we have here, like Vindicative, have been around since the first wave of shipgirls back in the twenties." Huh.
"So for the meantime, I'm going to recommend you just take it one day at a time." She scribbles something else, then sits back. "I notice you seem to be getting on very well with your sister?"

You nod- this is a subject you feel pretty confident about. "Yeah, she's nice. Even if she's, uh..." You hesitate.

"A little overwhelming?" O'Mara suggests with a little smile.

"Yeah, exactly." You manage to return her smile.

"Excellent, I'm glad. Finally... how are you getting on with the other Destroyers? You're going to be working with them soon. You seemed to be chatting with Daring when I came out."

Don'tblushdon'tblushdon'tblush

>You're sure you're going to be friends!
>You haven't really talked to them yet, but they seem nice.
>You're not sure, you might prefer to just stick with Arleigh.

>>3158066
>>You're sure you're going to be friends!

>>3158066

>You're sure you're going to be friends!

So what is Daring trying to pull. Is she a casanova destroyer type that tries to get into the pants of every newly summoned girl possible.
Or is she suffering from rescue romance syndrome.

>>3158066
>You're sure you're going to be friends!

File: burke.png (33 KB, 1150x385)

33 KB PNG

>>3158066
>>3158066
>Mass harem route

"I think I'm getting on with them, I met Exeter earlier too."

"Yes, I'd heard she and her sisters arrived." O'Mara nods, making another note. "I'm sure you'd like to get back to them, so I'll let you go for now." She gives you a reassuring smile. "I'll be seeing you more over the coming weeks, to make sure you're coming along okay."

You nod, and leave the Psychologist at her desk as you slip out. Outside, your sister and the others have disappeared, so you ping her through the base net as you make your way out of the hospital.

"Hey sis! Me, Daring and Dragon are gonna set up to watch some old movies for the evening, you wanna come? Oh, Exey said she was looking for you too though."

>Sure, movies sounds good.
>Maybe you should explore the base a little.
>Go find Exeter, make friends with the other destroyers.
>Go do something else (write-in).

There's something about power issues in my area... not really sure.

>>3158213
>Go find Exeter, make friends with the other destroyers.

>>3158213

>Maybe you should explore the base a little.

>>3158213
>>Go find Exeter, make friends with the other destroyers.

>>3158213
>>Sure, movies sounds good.

File: HMSExeterSailingDownTheTh(...).jpg (2.65 MB, 3072x2048)

2.65 MB JPG

>>3158213
It turns out there were power issues. So that's fun.
>Have an orgy with Exeter and sisters

"Uh, thanks for the offer, but I think I'll see what Exeter wants."

"Sure! She said, um... The common room, you know the ground floor of the shipgirl dorms?"

"Yeah. Thanks, sis." You sign off, and get your bearings by pulling down the base map from your implants again. Thankfully, you're a little more familiar with the route between sickbay and the dorms, so you manage to not get lost this time.

"Mahan!" You walk into the common room of the dorm to find Exeter with three other destroyers sitting around the big coffee table.

"Uh, hi, Exeter." You wave awkwardly, glancing over the girls before looking at the table. It's covered in snacks, drinks, papers, pencils, and, for some reason, weird-shaped dice. "Arleigh said you were looking for me?"

"Yeah, we figured we'd invite you- oh, first." She gestures to the other girls at the table. "This is Liverpool, York, and Edinburgh." They chorus hellos. You wave again. Unfortunately, they all look basically identical to Exeter. "Anyway, as I was saying, we thought we'd invite you to play with us, if you wanted.

You think about it for a few moments, but since the only other option is a movie night with Arleigh and the other destroyers, you just shrug and sit down at the table. "Sure, I guess."

"Great!" Exeter beams and hands you a piece of paper, "So here's your character sheet-"

You find yourself playing Wizards and Wyverns for the rest of the evening with Exeter and her sisters.

File: 42ab4aa6d13af28254f1f8bdd(...).jpg (98 KB, 778x1100)

98 KB JPG

And I think that's where I'm going to leave it for this week. Not very exciting, I know, but hopefully things will pick up next time. I am hoping to finish up Fleets of God Quest soon though, so idk.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed, twitter link for when quests run, etc etc. Feel free to ask me anything or just tell me how bad my writing is when I'm tired.

File: 454639505757044737.png (14 KB, 89x90)

14 KB PNG

>>3158866