Chapter Text
Dorothy enters her suite as she was about to tuck in for the night. Then she checks out the trunk that she brought with her for this holiday. In one compartment there was selection of various tea leaves that she procured as she built Eden alongside her squadmates of Inherit. As she checks her collection, she cannot help but think back of what happened that night. Her fight with the other Nikkes, the throwdown she had with Rapi, Red Hood’s new heir. While she expected such strength from someone who inherited her old comrade’s ideals, she could not get one thing out of her mind. The way the Commander, a mere human was able to slow her down just because he grabbed onto him.
She should have been stronger than him. As a Nikke of the Goddess Squad, of a generation far older than the Nikkes she is with on this holiday, she had no NIMPH to hold her back from harming a human. It would have been so easy to swat him off like all the others and yet, he was able to slow her down for Rapi to nail the final blow to her face. She takes a deep breath after a while of contemplation before she takes her tea set to properly wash them, ready to be used for what is to come. She then picks out a jar of tea leaves that appears to be older than the rest yet perfectly sealed to preserve its aroma and flavor for a very long time. She then takes her phone and starts texting, her heart starting to beat faster with each press.
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Colorful lights.
Upbeat music.
A beautiful night sky.
A lovely dark ocean.
Shortly after resolving the whole matter of the mysterious cruise ship Utopia, the Commander and the Nikkes under him began to celebrate. He stands by the upper deck of the ship admiring the beautiful maidens from afar while sipping on a pina colada freshly served to him by one of the ghosts, or rather the AI holograms that act as serving staff for the ship. On the kitchen area, he sees Rapi clapping her hands as the AI named Sizzly prepare the meals with culinary showmanship. By the dining area he sees Frima sleeping like a log despite the loud music and bright lights with the AI named Neaty constantly monitoring her. Further from him, he see’s Elegg gazing up the night sky on the balcony, teetering close to falling off while the main AI with a necktie by the name of Alfred was constantly telling her not to go too far. By the pool, she could see Tove having the time of her life and splashing by the water much to the annoyance of the AI Detaily. By the gift shop she sees Yan and Sellsy looking mighty pleased with the selections Pepper made as she was perusing through the store. He then gets up from his seat to gazer at the lower deck closely and directly below him Centi was coaching the AI Fixy about different techniques related to engineering and maintenance. Sipping from his drink once again, he feels a sense of contentment for a job well done. They (and he) deserve this lovely night of respite after all the antics that they have experienced when they initially arrived.
“Commander.” A female voice called out to him. He turned his head and smiled as he sees Rapi standing behind her carrying a freshly cooked dish from the kitchen.
“I hope you are hungry, for Sizzly has made us quite a lot of food for us to share.” The redhead Nikke said as she moved the dish closer. The Commander opened his eyes wide as he stares at the plate. It has an assortment of seafood freshly caught from the sea. Grilled salmon, large lobsters, and an unusually generous pile of delicious mollusks; oysters, mussels, clams and even scallops.
“Why, now that you mention I am feeling quite hungry. Allow me…” The Commander assisted Rapi in setting their meal to the closest table by the upper deck. He pulled up a chair and gave a wink and a gesture to Rapi to have her take a seat first. She chuckled at the gentlemanly gesture and indulged him while the Commander sat on a chair across from her. Both the Commander and Nikke reached out for one of the oysters when their hands touch. It has been a while since their last date but the sensation of having their hands make contact give them both quite the rush. They both giggled sheepishly as they take an oyster to start the meal.
“Here is to another victory, Rapi!” The commander said raising his oyster in a silly gesture of a toast.
“Hehe, and here is to more victories to come, Commander.” Rapi returned the gesture with a toast of their own, her shell making contact with his before they both slurped the meat. While he and the Counters have eaten food that wasn’t Splendamin before, he had only eaten seafood on very rare instances, at most once every summer. The oysters were remarkably succulent and juicy.
“Say aaah~”, Rapi leans to the commander as she offers him a lobster tail neatly cracked open and extracted from the shell with no bursting and glistening with butter. The Commander opened his mouth taking in the shellfish. It was savory and cooked to perfection and only enhanced further by the butter. He then helped himself to more of the lobster starting with the claw. Before he saw a plate of grilled salmon. He took his knife to cut a generous chunk off and stabbed with a fork.
“My turn, now. Say aaaah~” Now it’s the commander’s turn to offer up a fork of salmon splashed with lemon. Rapi smiled warmly as she opened her mouth in response as she digs in. The flavor was finely balanced between savory, sweet and sour. She chewed slowly trying to fully appreciate the finely cooked fish.
The two continue to share a meal and enjoying each other’s company as the other Nikkes continue to celebrate and make merry in their own ways. All is definitely well in the high seas aboard the S.S. Utopia. Until both Commander and Nikke felt their phones vibrate. At the same time, they both pulled out their phones to check the latest Blabla message.
It’s from Dorothy.
