All Wo-rk and No Play: An Abyssal's Trials in the Job Market (KC)
- Thread starter PyrrhicSteel
- Start date
The idea of Trinitite becoming the "face" of this new game through a social media campaign is pretty interesting for a few reasons. It flirts with the idea of streaming/gaming for the entertainment of others as another "job" (thus fitting in with theme of the story), getting Trinitite deeper into social media as a way of understanding humans, and of course the more public her face is, the greater the risk one of the people looking for her notices.
The game managed to be decently interesting because of Trinite's internal commentary and reactions, but there's a lack of any stakes that inherently limit what the story can get out of it. It doesn't really matter if she wins or loses. If she were in a tournament or something at least it would matter, so maybe that's the next step. Also the sly introduction of the concept of 3D printing to Trintinite was cool. I wonder if she can set up a 3D printer as part of her machine shop somehow.
The game managed to be decently interesting because of Trinite's internal commentary and reactions, but there's a lack of any stakes that inherently limit what the story can get out of it. It doesn't really matter if she wins or loses. If she were in a tournament or something at least it would matter, so maybe that's the next step. Also the sly introduction of the concept of 3D printing to Trintinite was cool. I wonder if she can set up a 3D printer as part of her machine shop somehow.
- Location
- America
ehhh, I doubt that.
3D printers tend to be.....finicky, and require quite a bit of trial and error to get to work right.
Also a computer with slicer software is needed for the files, which is another thing you need to learn for everything to work right.
Source: Me. I have a 3D printer.
"Trinitite becomes an Abyssal v-tuber/streamer just by wearing her rigging" is not something I knew I needed until this moment.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Looking back, I think Trintinite's attachment to her figures and then her umbrage at the "carriers are obsolete" remark was supposed to provide those stakes, small as they were - not sure how I'd change it for them to perform that role better off the bat.
I feel that it was more of the experience of the thing. Like, "journey instead of destination" stuff. We didn't get to see her patting her hair after seeing one of her sisters get their flight deck collapsed, but it is the sort of "action" I would expect from the scene. The stakes are that she will have these experiences going forwards, and that this might be an activity that she has to give up in order to continue being a fugitive...
Stahor
BookWorm
- Location
- Russia, Moscow
Reddit: "I'm Abyssal Wo-class, Ask Me Anything"."Trinitite becomes an Abyssal v-tuber/streamer just by wearing her rigging" is not something I knew I needed until this moment.
I wonder what you can post as a proof. Probably fairies doing their thing, it's too expensive for prank to make realistic CG animation.
serra2
Himouto! Sylvanas-chan
This all ends with some poor seaman having to destroy Muray's whole career by opening a Youtube compilation of her streams greatest hits.
@PyrrhicSteel Does Valkyries of Ran allow customizing Abyssal ships to represent their various mutations from their base class?
Followed Shortly afterwards by the vastly more popular "I'm Abyssal Wo-class' fairy, Ask Me Anything".
I think no, as I didn't hear anything about mutations. I imagine mutations would have solved a lot of Trinitite's issues with the classes not having the equipment her fleet did, such as the weak antiaircraft armament of her cruiser or her lacking smokescreen options, had such mutations existed. That said, they probably have no objection to making additions to official miniatures, provided they have no gameplay consequences, and I imagine that options for mutations will come in a new edition, additional-content side-product, or houserules at some point in the future. I mean, sooner or later shipgirls are going to play it, even if only a tiny minority of them, and they are unlikely to stay quiet for long about abyssal classes being varied.
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People animated some crazy stuff in their free time
Now, how about instead of Nashville not hearing of Trintinite the Streamer, she sees here streams, but doesn't believe it's real and ends up being a fan of Trintinite
- Location
- Neptune
"Damn, she's a good cosplayer. Distasteful subject but amazing execution. And the smackdown she put on those rule34 jerks was a thing of beauty."
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- Location
- Here
Alas, it wouldn't be believable. Nash has already seen pictures of Trin; there's no way she wouldn't immediately know that it's real. Unless Trin became a V-Tuber, I guess. But I don't see that happening; she (Trin) would constantly bristle at how the limitations of the technology made her look wrong.
Katie: Hey, this game shop posted a photo of the target on their Facebook.
Nashville: Why is she standing in front of a whole Abyssal battle group? And why is the scale so wrong?
Murray: We can't assume she was actually at the store. They might've decided to promote their game by photoshopping in an actual abyssal model behind the table.
Katie: But where would they get a picture of Trinitite?
Furgeson: And how would they know she was an Abyssal from that photo?
Nashville: Can we just photoshop her into the special prison cell?
Nashville: Why is she standing in front of a whole Abyssal battle group? And why is the scale so wrong?
Murray: We can't assume she was actually at the store. They might've decided to promote their game by photoshopping in an actual abyssal model behind the table.
Katie: But where would they get a picture of Trinitite?
Furgeson: And how would they know she was an Abyssal from that photo?
Nashville: Can we just photoshop her into the special prison cell?
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Reinforcements from Britain
"Why exactly did the British send a shipgirl and one of their officers to aid in the investigation?" Nashville asked. Having just been informed, through Murray, that HMS Royal Sovereign and a lieutenant Annabelle Fritton would be joining the team.
"You heard about the Baltic Princess that was defeated by a joint operation between the Bundesmarine and the Royal Navy a few months ago", Murray knew, "HMS Royal Sovereign herself requested being stationed far from Russia and Britain. We hope that as a redeemed Abyssal, she can help the investigation. Lieutenant Fritton on the other hand is the one who managed to redeem her. While many consider her a maverick, she's an excellent officer according to all sources I found. There is one thing weird about her file."
"What is it?" Nashville asked.
"Well, for some reason, her secondary school is mentioned at least two dozen times in her file. Most of it redacted. I don't think I want to know what said girl school gets up to. Not important I suppose, we can use the aid at least."
"What's the name?" Nashville wondered, wanting to look up said school online.
"St. Trinian's", Murray answered.
"Why exactly did the British send a shipgirl and one of their officers to aid in the investigation?" Nashville asked. Having just been informed, through Murray, that HMS Royal Sovereign and a lieutenant Annabelle Fritton would be joining the team.
"You heard about the Baltic Princess that was defeated by a joint operation between the Bundesmarine and the Royal Navy a few months ago", Murray knew, "HMS Royal Sovereign herself requested being stationed far from Russia and Britain. We hope that as a redeemed Abyssal, she can help the investigation. Lieutenant Fritton on the other hand is the one who managed to redeem her. While many consider her a maverick, she's an excellent officer according to all sources I found. There is one thing weird about her file."
"What is it?" Nashville asked.
"Well, for some reason, her secondary school is mentioned at least two dozen times in her file. Most of it redacted. I don't think I want to know what said girl school gets up to. Not important I suppose, we can use the aid at least."
"What's the name?" Nashville wondered, wanting to look up said school online.
"St. Trinian's", Murray answered.
wtdtd
slow thinker, with crippling abundance of time
- Location
- The Netherlands
I suspect he's using the original 50's and 60's series rather than the modern "reboot".
I held it vague enough on purpose. Could be either.
- Location
- Neptune
The name of Annabelle Fritton stems from the modern film.
It's probably more "rules lawyering" and the writers of the rules just allowed all aircraft to do evasive maneuvers without thinking about whether heavy bombers should be able to do it.
For that matter, heavy bombers were probably added to the game later, and they either didn't think about banning the move for those pieces, or left it in due to "simplicity". Generally there are only so many rules you can keep in your head, after all. You'd just tick up the unit cost to compensate.
One can do a lot if one is willing to expend energy to do so. I mean, yes, the acrobatics involved are ridiculous, many of these planes relied upon perfectly straight formation-flying in order to have any hope at all of the target being hit, but "fighters get more energy" seems like an arrangement that could keep the craft different while maintaining a single set of rules. Far from realistic, but functional? I would like to think that such is possible. Even the heaviest of bombers could loop with abandon, but only once, and only after preparing for it, while the little buzzing things can pretty much always add some flair to their steps, and with enough reserve, can do most everything, simultaneously.
They could even be abstracting it as that for heavy bombers it might not involve fancy moves at all, but taking safer routes that consume more energy(and presumably reduce range or other options). This might be things like staying at a higher altitude, staying within clouds as much as possible to break sight lines, taking different routes that are more likely to avoid encountering enemy aircraft, etc...
As an example, the old Starfleet Battles game had erratic maneuvers - by spending a warp point(speed), you effectively sacrificed a hex of movement for gaining a bonus on all to hit rolls. The flavor text was that the extra movement was spent constantly changing your heading and speed by small amounts, which meant your movement was less efficient(you still navigated to where you were going on average), but much less predictable, making you harder to hit.
Could be the same idea here. By not flying a straight path at a constant speed, they confuse the fighters trying to intercept them some, making it harder for the fighters to get a firing solution on them. Sure, the fighters can correct, but that means they have to spend energy as well doing so.
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72: Second Shift
PyrrhicSteel
Look natural.
- Location
- Idaho
"Fries are up!" Laura shouted, the black-haired human dumping a tray of fries into the basically-empty bucket. Stephanie had called in sick, Clifton had disappeared again, and both Harvey and Alex had to man the registers and drive through, so that left Laura and herself to manage the kitchen. Not an impossible task, especially since the Wo-class was getting used to managing everything in here, but the afternoon had been significantly busier.
"'Fries are up' aye." Trinitite echoed, focused instead on the grill in front of her. She wasn't nearly as fast as Alex was at making these hamburgers, but she was improving. Remove the sourdough slices from the toaster. Flip the patty that she'd already had on the grill. Lay on a layer of sauce, then lettuce and tomato, and finally the browned patty. Throw the sandwich into the required box, close it, and hand it forwards.
"Number four!"
"Awesome!" Alex's voice was drowned out by the buzz of a timer behind Trinitite, but as he accepted the box Trinitite could read his words on his lips. Let's see, the next order was a Bacon and Swiss, and Harvey had called for a Jumbo Jack, so that meant three more patties needed to go on the grill-
"You two are adorable."
Trinitite looked up from the grill to see Laura smirking at her.
"What?"
"You know, cute?" The dark-haired human clarified, filling another tray with fries and dipping them into the frier. "Don't tell me you two aren't dating yet."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Trinitite stated.
"Sarah, you two live together!" She laughed, "You're a terrible liar."
"I'm not lying, though!" Trinitite protested, isolating her indignation as she handed a finished burger forwards to Harvey.
"...Okay, okay." Laura seemed to back off, before suddenly striking again. "You ever had a boyfriend?"
"No?" The Wo-class replied, confused. "Should I have?"
"No, no! That's fine!" Laura removed another tray, removing another finished basket of fries. "Just- If Alex ever asks you out, don't be surprised."
"Okay…" she hesitated. Did she ask what that was? She had a job to focus on!
A moment passed.
"Jesus!" Laura exclaimed, drawing Trinitite's attention back away from the next order. "Your Mom just didn't raise you, did she?"
"She did!" Trinitite objected instinctually. "Taught me-" The abyssal almost said damage control and firefighting, but caught herself. "...all sorts of things!"
"Like what?" The human pressed, her light-hearted tone failing to make the question no less dangerous. The abyssal needed a good response, something a human should know, but still complicated enough to be impressive.
...on second thought, perhaps an idea she'd dismissed earlier was a good option, after all.
"Firefighting!" The Wo-class proudly exclaimed. She'd been warned of fires while training here, so it was clearly a valuable skill for humans to have as well as abyssals!
"Pfft-" Laura stepped away from the fryer so she wouldn't burn herself as she doubled over in laughter. Trinitite was at a loss, the burger she was working on forgotten as she watched the human's mirth. What about firefighting was funny? It was a deadly serious topic, wasn't it?
"Why aren't you a firefighter, then?"
"I don't know." She replied. That was an option?
"Just as well." Laura returned to the fryer. "I can see people starting fires just to get a look at you, anyways."
"Thank you?" Did that mean she was nice to be around? She knew of plenty of people who wanted to see her, but probably not for whatever reasons Laura implied.
The short break in work ended there, and the two settled back into their duties. Trinitite was used enough to her job that her mind wasn't able to move on from the conversation. 'Adorable?' 'Dating?' She hadn't found time to visit a library in a while, but that would have to change as soon as the shift was over.
…except it wasn't going to, because Trinitite had taken someone else's shift for tonight! By the time she got off work, the library would be closed. She'd have to remember to do it tomorrow, then, or worse case once she could afford a phone on Friday. The abyssal made a note in her log, and continued on with her duties.
They had already been near the end of their shift, so it wasn't long before Trinitite's relief appeared. The coworker whose spot she'd taken must not have informed the other members of the fleet, because one of the first high schoolers who'd arrived there chose to relieve her instead of Laura. Trinitite opened her mouth to correct the high-schooler, but Laura spoke up before she could.
"Happy Halloween, Sarah!"
"Ah. You too…" The Wo-class replied, wondering if that had been the right thing to say. It sounded like a goodbye, so not wanting to make things awkward she abandoned her post and left the kitchen.
What now? Trinitite was behind the counter now, scanning for a job, when her rangefinders settled on Alex manning the till.
That would do.
"Hey," The abyssal called, grabbing Alex's attention. "I'll take over."
"Huh?" He turned away from the register. "We're almost-" Realization dawned on his face, and he suddenly nodded. "Oh, right. You've got an extra shift."
"I do." She confirmed, suppressing a chuckle. "Save some dinner for me, alright?"
With a loose smile, the human nodded.
"Yeah." He breathed. "See you later."
"See 'ya." She replied, taking his spot on the cash register. "Happy Halloween."
There was some risk, she supposed, in parroting the phrase, but with Alex it seemed safer to experiment than with others.
"Oh." Her fleetmate paused, pleasantly surprised. "You as well."
Experiment success! Trinitite couldn't hide her small smile as Alex left, the abyssal turning towards the dining area. She still preferred the kitchen to dealing with customers, but a change in post might be exactly what she needed for this second shift. Additionally, it meant she could avoid the majority of conversations with coworkers she wasn't too familiar with.
There weren't any customers waiting for her to take their order. This wasn't too unusual, even the busiest times occasionally had periods of silence, but it seemed to last a little longer than normal. Was she imagining things, or was this just her unfamiliarity with this shift?
When customers did arrive, the Abyssal's questions only increased. There were two of them, both cruisers- no, humans with the relatively slim frame the Wo-class associated with cruisers. They were dressed in an odd mockery of a shipgirl's rigging, paper-light turrets bobbing with their steps as they approached the counter.
Even if she couldn't see ships' hull forms, she doubted she would be fooled by their disguises. This was probably a good thing, considering one of the pair was attempting to appear as an abyssal! The Wo-class couldn't help but stare. Why the hell would a human try to look like one of her kind? She clearly wasn't trying to blend in, and surely inspiring false reports could only invite unhealthy attention from the US Navy. Sure, the human didn't look particularly 'real,' but Trinitite knew from experience how distance and poor light could warp an observer's vision. Whatever reason the human had, it had better be a damn good one.
Wait, she needed to greet them, didn't she? Remembering her duties a moment too late, the abyssal spoke up.
"Welcome to Jack in the box!" Noticing her slip in behavior, the 'abyssal' shifted, her clearly human eyes failing to make contact with the abyssal. In contrast, the 'shpgirl' strode confidently towards the counter, the uneven coat of paint on her false rigging making it look even more ridiculous.
"I'll take a Jumbo Jack, no onions!" The 'shipgirl' asked, leaning on the counter.
Well, strange or not, she was a customer. The abyssal keyed the order into the cash register.
"Do you want to make it a combo?"
"...Nah," the fake shipgirl waved her hand dismissively. "There'll probably be enough snacks at the party we're headed to."
"Okay, a Jumbo Jack with no onions." She repeated, keying the order into the cashier before turning to the 'abyssal.' "What can I get you?"
"Er-" She hesitated, "I'll take a… I'm sorry, you're not offended, are you?"
"...No." The Wo-class replied. Why would she care about what Trinitite thought? Yes, she was an abyssal, but the disguised human couldn't know that.
"See?" The 'shipgirl' punched the 'abyssal' in the shoulder. "You're getting way too embarrassed about this!"
"I thought we were just going to Sofie's!" the false abyssal protested.
"With all that work you put in?" The 'shipgirl' replied, looking to Trinitite. "It looks good, right?"
"Uhh…" Trinitite hesitated, taken aback. She inspected the false abyssal a little harder. Without a hull form, it was a little difficult to determine what kind of ship she was trying to look like, but if she had to try…
Her dark suit reminded Trinitite of a Ru-class battleship, but her 'rigging' wasn't anything like the gun batteries that encased a Ru's hands. This hung from her hips like a Ta's, if a Ta-class only had two turrets. The turrets themselves seemed… lumpy, the triple barrels jutting from between paper teeth leaning at crooked angles as if an ammunition-handling accident had melted the turret's interior.
"It looks great." She lied.
"Thank you." The human whispered, smiling smally. "Er- Get me a chicken bowl."
"Would you like to make it a combo?" When the human's foundation-caked face shook in the negative, Trinitite continued. "Alright, I've got a Jumbo Jack, no onions, and a Chicken Teriyaki Bowl. Will that be all?"
Long after the two oddly dressed humans received their order and left Jack in the Box, Trinitite's thoughts lingered on them. What kind of operation were they performing, and how could it require a shipgirl and an abyssal disguise? Perhaps she would have dropped those questions in a few minutes, but as more customers entered Trinitite realized that the anomalous clothing changes weren't unique to them!
Two human males, one in an orange flight suit and another covered in metallic, abyss-black armor. A pair of regular-sized humans in normal clothing, but surrounded by escorts adorned in bright, colorful suits. A woman, her face decorated with dark makeup as seemingly useless gears adorned her clothing.
Whatever was happening, it was far bigger than some 'Sofie.' Perhaps it had to do with the Commissar uniform Dustin had been wearing last week? He'd called it something, hadn't he?
These questions continued to bother her until a familiar face stepped through the door: Alex, thankfully in his normal human clothing. He didn't order anything, instead nodding to Trinitite and finding a place to sit. The abyssal checked the clock. She wasn't due to be relieved yet, but the shift had passed much faster then she had expected. She didn't mind, smiling back at her fleetmate, but what was Alex doing here?
She got her answer after she clocked out.
"I brought the car." announced as Trinitite approached her. Alex announced. "Figured you'd want to get home quickly after a long day."
He'd driven down just for her? This act of generosity was too minor to garner much favor with her, compared to how much he already had. Unless it was just to spend some time with her, or he thought Trinitite needed an escort tonight…
A pressure transient she wasn't familiar with interrupted flow in her steam system. The Wo-class quickly ordered another pair of boilers heated up, so the ones currently operating could be isolated and inspected.
"I do. Thank you." She managed. "Had dinner yet?"
"Mom's keeping it warm for you." Alex answered, leading Trinititie out of the building.
The comfortable silence as the two piled into the car allowed Trinitite's thoughts to wander back to the strange behavior that had bothered her during her shift. Her curiosity only intensified as she saw many more oddly-clad groups along the road.
"So, Alex…" She started, "…do you know why so many people are wearing disguises today?"
"Disguises?" He echoed, before comprehension appeared in his voice. "Oh! Yeah, yeah." He nodded, rangefinders remaining focused on the road as he guided the vehicle through its gentle maneuvers. "It's Halloween."
"Halloween." She echoed, remembering the word. It hadn't had any meaning to her earlier in the day, but clearly she'd underestimated its importance.
"Yeah, it's an American thing, kinda." He explained. "I think it started a few hundred years ago. Something about confusing dark spirits before the harvest, but obviously it wouldn't work on abyssals."
Well, she was confused. Mission accomplished.
"So what do they do?"
"Just- everyone who's interested will get into a silly or spooky costume. Kids'll go around, asking for candy from everyone who still has their lights on, and adults without kids will usually go to some sort of party."
She still didn't understand what a 'party' was, but a simple search should solve that. The Wo-class hummed in understanding.
"That's why Dustin was in that uniform?"
"Yeah. He wasn't going to be doing anything tonight, but really wanted to show off his changes to that commissar costume." He chuckled. "Honestly, he looks spookier in all that black-market Russian army gear he has."
"I bet he does." Trinitite agreed, not really knowing what any of that meant.
A moment passed, The Abyssal's thoughts drifting as her rangefinders lingered on another group of costumed humans.
"Everything okay?" Alex asked, and Trinitite's gaze snapped over to him. Despite his focus being on the road, he'd managed to make a guess at her forming emotions.
"I feel like I… missed an opportunity, here." Trinitite admitted. She could have used this 'Halloween' as a way to test her fleetmate's attitude towards the real her. No rigging, no lights in her island, just her old uniform and her real face. If he panicked, she could pass her appearance off as a costume. If he didn't…
Trinitite suddenly realized how much she missed being able to just talk with someone. Before the Battle of Bikini, she could always pull aside one of her sisters, or any other member of the fleet, and vent her feelings. Now, she'd spent months here, alone, and unable to confide in anyone. Carriers weren't meant to operate alone like this.
"Well," Alex added, the reassurance in his voice hollow and uncertain, "there's always next year."
Next year. Where would she be then? Given Trinitite hadn't been able to maintain her disguise for more then a few weeks the first time, thinking that far ahead seemed more than a little optimistic, but what about a month from now? Three months from now?
There was a lot to be said for only taking hard situations a week or day at a time, but things seemed to be stabilizing at the moment. Once she got her phone this Friday, she should be able wait, watching the internet until The Navy made a mistake and Saratoga appeared.
A robust plan, but all that time she'd be indebting herself further to the Martin-Campos fleet. Their kindness was an entirely new trap that Trinitite didn't know how to fight out of. Part of her knew that, if she had to leave, they'd let her, but the Trinitite couldn't allow herself to betray their trust like that. There was always the risk that The Navy would somehow catch onto her again, but if Saratoga's location emerged…
Alex, at least, would deserve an explanation. An apology, even though it could only dull the betrayal she was committing.
"I guess there is…" she trailed off, keeping her voice even to hide her apprehension. As if to distract herself, her mind snapped to a bit of information hidden in Alex's statement. "This only happens once a year?"
"Yeah… It's a Holiday." Alex replied, the realization that Trinitite didn't know those either seemed to dull his voice. "Thanksgiving's coming up in a few weeks. That's a holiday we celebrate."
"What's that about?"
"Oh, you'll love it." Alex's voice seemed to gain a little energy as he continued. "We go to Dad's parents' house, and help with their big smoker. Then, we make and eat way too much food, and talk about what we're thankful for."
"That sounds… nice, actually." Trinitite admitted, wondering what 'too much food' looked like to humans. Meeting new humans didn't sound too thrilling, and she'd have to contribute, somehow, but an excuse to fill her stores instead of keeping them around a week's level sounded like a welcome reprieve. "I'm looking forward to it."
Silence descended again, as Alex guided the vehicle through another gentle turn. Only one more to go before they were home. Trinitite would have allowed it to continue, her rangefinders resting on another task force of colorfully-decorated humans that they crept past. Given the rapidly-degrading light conditions and the number of humans camouflaged in black garments, it made sense that Alex was running the car at such a low throttle, but it made the trip all the more surreal.
"Sarah."
Interrupted from her thoughts, the abyssal's rangefinders snapped back to her fleetmate.
"Yes, Alex?"
"I-" he stumbled over his words, the lump in his neck bobbing as he swallowed. "I've got-"
It was difficult to read his expression as he drove, but in the warm glow from the streetlamps Trinitite thought she saw the human's cheeks darken. Unfortunately, his attention seemed to shift as they reached home, guiding the vehicle into the driveway.
"We're here." He announced, lips pursed.
"What were you going to say?" Trinitite probed. As the car's engine died, Alex finally turned towards her.
"Sorry, I gotta think it through a bit more." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "I won't leave you in the dark too long, okay?"
"Alright." The abyssal allowed, unbuckling and opening the door. He'd been planning on some kind of offer or announcement, but was either rethinking the terms or just gathering courage. The Wo-class could relate to that. "I look forward to it."
After all, her curiosity has been piqued, and it was a good diversion from her thoughts during the drive.
"'Fries are up' aye." Trinitite echoed, focused instead on the grill in front of her. She wasn't nearly as fast as Alex was at making these hamburgers, but she was improving. Remove the sourdough slices from the toaster. Flip the patty that she'd already had on the grill. Lay on a layer of sauce, then lettuce and tomato, and finally the browned patty. Throw the sandwich into the required box, close it, and hand it forwards.
"Number four!"
"Awesome!" Alex's voice was drowned out by the buzz of a timer behind Trinitite, but as he accepted the box Trinitite could read his words on his lips. Let's see, the next order was a Bacon and Swiss, and Harvey had called for a Jumbo Jack, so that meant three more patties needed to go on the grill-
"You two are adorable."
Trinitite looked up from the grill to see Laura smirking at her.
"What?"
"You know, cute?" The dark-haired human clarified, filling another tray with fries and dipping them into the frier. "Don't tell me you two aren't dating yet."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Trinitite stated.
"Sarah, you two live together!" She laughed, "You're a terrible liar."
"I'm not lying, though!" Trinitite protested, isolating her indignation as she handed a finished burger forwards to Harvey.
"...Okay, okay." Laura seemed to back off, before suddenly striking again. "You ever had a boyfriend?"
"No?" The Wo-class replied, confused. "Should I have?"
"No, no! That's fine!" Laura removed another tray, removing another finished basket of fries. "Just- If Alex ever asks you out, don't be surprised."
"Okay…" she hesitated. Did she ask what that was? She had a job to focus on!
A moment passed.
"Jesus!" Laura exclaimed, drawing Trinitite's attention back away from the next order. "Your Mom just didn't raise you, did she?"
"She did!" Trinitite objected instinctually. "Taught me-" The abyssal almost said damage control and firefighting, but caught herself. "...all sorts of things!"
"Like what?" The human pressed, her light-hearted tone failing to make the question no less dangerous. The abyssal needed a good response, something a human should know, but still complicated enough to be impressive.
...on second thought, perhaps an idea she'd dismissed earlier was a good option, after all.
"Firefighting!" The Wo-class proudly exclaimed. She'd been warned of fires while training here, so it was clearly a valuable skill for humans to have as well as abyssals!
"Pfft-" Laura stepped away from the fryer so she wouldn't burn herself as she doubled over in laughter. Trinitite was at a loss, the burger she was working on forgotten as she watched the human's mirth. What about firefighting was funny? It was a deadly serious topic, wasn't it?
"Why aren't you a firefighter, then?"
"I don't know." She replied. That was an option?
"Just as well." Laura returned to the fryer. "I can see people starting fires just to get a look at you, anyways."
"Thank you?" Did that mean she was nice to be around? She knew of plenty of people who wanted to see her, but probably not for whatever reasons Laura implied.
The short break in work ended there, and the two settled back into their duties. Trinitite was used enough to her job that her mind wasn't able to move on from the conversation. 'Adorable?' 'Dating?' She hadn't found time to visit a library in a while, but that would have to change as soon as the shift was over.
…except it wasn't going to, because Trinitite had taken someone else's shift for tonight! By the time she got off work, the library would be closed. She'd have to remember to do it tomorrow, then, or worse case once she could afford a phone on Friday. The abyssal made a note in her log, and continued on with her duties.
They had already been near the end of their shift, so it wasn't long before Trinitite's relief appeared. The coworker whose spot she'd taken must not have informed the other members of the fleet, because one of the first high schoolers who'd arrived there chose to relieve her instead of Laura. Trinitite opened her mouth to correct the high-schooler, but Laura spoke up before she could.
"Happy Halloween, Sarah!"
"Ah. You too…" The Wo-class replied, wondering if that had been the right thing to say. It sounded like a goodbye, so not wanting to make things awkward she abandoned her post and left the kitchen.
What now? Trinitite was behind the counter now, scanning for a job, when her rangefinders settled on Alex manning the till.
That would do.
"Hey," The abyssal called, grabbing Alex's attention. "I'll take over."
"Huh?" He turned away from the register. "We're almost-" Realization dawned on his face, and he suddenly nodded. "Oh, right. You've got an extra shift."
"I do." She confirmed, suppressing a chuckle. "Save some dinner for me, alright?"
With a loose smile, the human nodded.
"Yeah." He breathed. "See you later."
"See 'ya." She replied, taking his spot on the cash register. "Happy Halloween."
There was some risk, she supposed, in parroting the phrase, but with Alex it seemed safer to experiment than with others.
"Oh." Her fleetmate paused, pleasantly surprised. "You as well."
Experiment success! Trinitite couldn't hide her small smile as Alex left, the abyssal turning towards the dining area. She still preferred the kitchen to dealing with customers, but a change in post might be exactly what she needed for this second shift. Additionally, it meant she could avoid the majority of conversations with coworkers she wasn't too familiar with.
There weren't any customers waiting for her to take their order. This wasn't too unusual, even the busiest times occasionally had periods of silence, but it seemed to last a little longer than normal. Was she imagining things, or was this just her unfamiliarity with this shift?
When customers did arrive, the Abyssal's questions only increased. There were two of them, both cruisers- no, humans with the relatively slim frame the Wo-class associated with cruisers. They were dressed in an odd mockery of a shipgirl's rigging, paper-light turrets bobbing with their steps as they approached the counter.
Even if she couldn't see ships' hull forms, she doubted she would be fooled by their disguises. This was probably a good thing, considering one of the pair was attempting to appear as an abyssal! The Wo-class couldn't help but stare. Why the hell would a human try to look like one of her kind? She clearly wasn't trying to blend in, and surely inspiring false reports could only invite unhealthy attention from the US Navy. Sure, the human didn't look particularly 'real,' but Trinitite knew from experience how distance and poor light could warp an observer's vision. Whatever reason the human had, it had better be a damn good one.
Wait, she needed to greet them, didn't she? Remembering her duties a moment too late, the abyssal spoke up.
"Welcome to Jack in the box!" Noticing her slip in behavior, the 'abyssal' shifted, her clearly human eyes failing to make contact with the abyssal. In contrast, the 'shpgirl' strode confidently towards the counter, the uneven coat of paint on her false rigging making it look even more ridiculous.
"I'll take a Jumbo Jack, no onions!" The 'shipgirl' asked, leaning on the counter.
Well, strange or not, she was a customer. The abyssal keyed the order into the cash register.
"Do you want to make it a combo?"
"...Nah," the fake shipgirl waved her hand dismissively. "There'll probably be enough snacks at the party we're headed to."
"Okay, a Jumbo Jack with no onions." She repeated, keying the order into the cashier before turning to the 'abyssal.' "What can I get you?"
"Er-" She hesitated, "I'll take a… I'm sorry, you're not offended, are you?"
"...No." The Wo-class replied. Why would she care about what Trinitite thought? Yes, she was an abyssal, but the disguised human couldn't know that.
"See?" The 'shipgirl' punched the 'abyssal' in the shoulder. "You're getting way too embarrassed about this!"
"I thought we were just going to Sofie's!" the false abyssal protested.
"With all that work you put in?" The 'shipgirl' replied, looking to Trinitite. "It looks good, right?"
"Uhh…" Trinitite hesitated, taken aback. She inspected the false abyssal a little harder. Without a hull form, it was a little difficult to determine what kind of ship she was trying to look like, but if she had to try…
Her dark suit reminded Trinitite of a Ru-class battleship, but her 'rigging' wasn't anything like the gun batteries that encased a Ru's hands. This hung from her hips like a Ta's, if a Ta-class only had two turrets. The turrets themselves seemed… lumpy, the triple barrels jutting from between paper teeth leaning at crooked angles as if an ammunition-handling accident had melted the turret's interior.
"It looks great." She lied.
"Thank you." The human whispered, smiling smally. "Er- Get me a chicken bowl."
"Would you like to make it a combo?" When the human's foundation-caked face shook in the negative, Trinitite continued. "Alright, I've got a Jumbo Jack, no onions, and a Chicken Teriyaki Bowl. Will that be all?"
Long after the two oddly dressed humans received their order and left Jack in the Box, Trinitite's thoughts lingered on them. What kind of operation were they performing, and how could it require a shipgirl and an abyssal disguise? Perhaps she would have dropped those questions in a few minutes, but as more customers entered Trinitite realized that the anomalous clothing changes weren't unique to them!
Two human males, one in an orange flight suit and another covered in metallic, abyss-black armor. A pair of regular-sized humans in normal clothing, but surrounded by escorts adorned in bright, colorful suits. A woman, her face decorated with dark makeup as seemingly useless gears adorned her clothing.
Whatever was happening, it was far bigger than some 'Sofie.' Perhaps it had to do with the Commissar uniform Dustin had been wearing last week? He'd called it something, hadn't he?
These questions continued to bother her until a familiar face stepped through the door: Alex, thankfully in his normal human clothing. He didn't order anything, instead nodding to Trinitite and finding a place to sit. The abyssal checked the clock. She wasn't due to be relieved yet, but the shift had passed much faster then she had expected. She didn't mind, smiling back at her fleetmate, but what was Alex doing here?
She got her answer after she clocked out.
"I brought the car." announced as Trinitite approached her. Alex announced. "Figured you'd want to get home quickly after a long day."
He'd driven down just for her? This act of generosity was too minor to garner much favor with her, compared to how much he already had. Unless it was just to spend some time with her, or he thought Trinitite needed an escort tonight…
A pressure transient she wasn't familiar with interrupted flow in her steam system. The Wo-class quickly ordered another pair of boilers heated up, so the ones currently operating could be isolated and inspected.
"I do. Thank you." She managed. "Had dinner yet?"
"Mom's keeping it warm for you." Alex answered, leading Trinititie out of the building.
The comfortable silence as the two piled into the car allowed Trinitite's thoughts to wander back to the strange behavior that had bothered her during her shift. Her curiosity only intensified as she saw many more oddly-clad groups along the road.
"So, Alex…" She started, "…do you know why so many people are wearing disguises today?"
"Disguises?" He echoed, before comprehension appeared in his voice. "Oh! Yeah, yeah." He nodded, rangefinders remaining focused on the road as he guided the vehicle through its gentle maneuvers. "It's Halloween."
"Halloween." She echoed, remembering the word. It hadn't had any meaning to her earlier in the day, but clearly she'd underestimated its importance.
"Yeah, it's an American thing, kinda." He explained. "I think it started a few hundred years ago. Something about confusing dark spirits before the harvest, but obviously it wouldn't work on abyssals."
Well, she was confused. Mission accomplished.
"So what do they do?"
"Just- everyone who's interested will get into a silly or spooky costume. Kids'll go around, asking for candy from everyone who still has their lights on, and adults without kids will usually go to some sort of party."
She still didn't understand what a 'party' was, but a simple search should solve that. The Wo-class hummed in understanding.
"That's why Dustin was in that uniform?"
"Yeah. He wasn't going to be doing anything tonight, but really wanted to show off his changes to that commissar costume." He chuckled. "Honestly, he looks spookier in all that black-market Russian army gear he has."
"I bet he does." Trinitite agreed, not really knowing what any of that meant.
A moment passed, The Abyssal's thoughts drifting as her rangefinders lingered on another group of costumed humans.
"Everything okay?" Alex asked, and Trinitite's gaze snapped over to him. Despite his focus being on the road, he'd managed to make a guess at her forming emotions.
"I feel like I… missed an opportunity, here." Trinitite admitted. She could have used this 'Halloween' as a way to test her fleetmate's attitude towards the real her. No rigging, no lights in her island, just her old uniform and her real face. If he panicked, she could pass her appearance off as a costume. If he didn't…
Trinitite suddenly realized how much she missed being able to just talk with someone. Before the Battle of Bikini, she could always pull aside one of her sisters, or any other member of the fleet, and vent her feelings. Now, she'd spent months here, alone, and unable to confide in anyone. Carriers weren't meant to operate alone like this.
"Well," Alex added, the reassurance in his voice hollow and uncertain, "there's always next year."
Next year. Where would she be then? Given Trinitite hadn't been able to maintain her disguise for more then a few weeks the first time, thinking that far ahead seemed more than a little optimistic, but what about a month from now? Three months from now?
There was a lot to be said for only taking hard situations a week or day at a time, but things seemed to be stabilizing at the moment. Once she got her phone this Friday, she should be able wait, watching the internet until The Navy made a mistake and Saratoga appeared.
A robust plan, but all that time she'd be indebting herself further to the Martin-Campos fleet. Their kindness was an entirely new trap that Trinitite didn't know how to fight out of. Part of her knew that, if she had to leave, they'd let her, but the Trinitite couldn't allow herself to betray their trust like that. There was always the risk that The Navy would somehow catch onto her again, but if Saratoga's location emerged…
Alex, at least, would deserve an explanation. An apology, even though it could only dull the betrayal she was committing.
"I guess there is…" she trailed off, keeping her voice even to hide her apprehension. As if to distract herself, her mind snapped to a bit of information hidden in Alex's statement. "This only happens once a year?"
"Yeah… It's a Holiday." Alex replied, the realization that Trinitite didn't know those either seemed to dull his voice. "Thanksgiving's coming up in a few weeks. That's a holiday we celebrate."
"What's that about?"
"Oh, you'll love it." Alex's voice seemed to gain a little energy as he continued. "We go to Dad's parents' house, and help with their big smoker. Then, we make and eat way too much food, and talk about what we're thankful for."
"That sounds… nice, actually." Trinitite admitted, wondering what 'too much food' looked like to humans. Meeting new humans didn't sound too thrilling, and she'd have to contribute, somehow, but an excuse to fill her stores instead of keeping them around a week's level sounded like a welcome reprieve. "I'm looking forward to it."
Silence descended again, as Alex guided the vehicle through another gentle turn. Only one more to go before they were home. Trinitite would have allowed it to continue, her rangefinders resting on another task force of colorfully-decorated humans that they crept past. Given the rapidly-degrading light conditions and the number of humans camouflaged in black garments, it made sense that Alex was running the car at such a low throttle, but it made the trip all the more surreal.
"Sarah."
Interrupted from her thoughts, the abyssal's rangefinders snapped back to her fleetmate.
"Yes, Alex?"
"I-" he stumbled over his words, the lump in his neck bobbing as he swallowed. "I've got-"
It was difficult to read his expression as he drove, but in the warm glow from the streetlamps Trinitite thought she saw the human's cheeks darken. Unfortunately, his attention seemed to shift as they reached home, guiding the vehicle into the driveway.
"We're here." He announced, lips pursed.
"What were you going to say?" Trinitite probed. As the car's engine died, Alex finally turned towards her.
"Sorry, I gotta think it through a bit more." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "I won't leave you in the dark too long, okay?"
"Alright." The abyssal allowed, unbuckling and opening the door. He'd been planning on some kind of offer or announcement, but was either rethinking the terms or just gathering courage. The Wo-class could relate to that. "I look forward to it."
After all, her curiosity has been piqued, and it was a good diversion from her thoughts during the drive.
Ugh, this was supposed to be just a silly Halloween episode, but all that sappy stuff snuck in at the end there! I'm really sorry guys, I'll go back and try to fix that later (/s).
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! The writing on this one felt a little choppy, but after an editing pass or two it didn't seem too bad. Let me know if y'all got that impression, or I'm being too self-critical.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! The writing on this one felt a little choppy, but after an editing pass or two it didn't seem too bad. Let me know if y'all got that impression, or I'm being too self-critical.
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It's like there's a party in my mouth, and everyone's abyssal!
On behalf of the culturally deprived amongst us, I request assistance in identifying any references in presence.