Commander's Rounds Volume 1

Entry 77-5: Albert's Odyssey- A Moment of Your Time

Graf Zeppelin had only one response to Albert's offer. "...Do you truly mean to try to impose order on chaos, when you are only one man?"

Albert shrugged. "It's something to pass the time."

Peter Strasser had told Albert exactly when she would be ready to go, but she also told him to arrive early to spend some time with her sister. Her reasoning was that if they were going to be dating each other, he should try to get along with Graf Zeppelin, even if they would only really encounter each other in passing. However, one thing he learned from his time here was a good way to start dealing with a ship was to do something for them.

So, Albert offered to brush her hair.

Graf Zeppelin sat with her back to him on a couch, and he realized he had his work cut out for him, which was all the more reason to start. Her somewhat wild white hair was a sharp contrast to Peter Strasser's well-ordered arrangement, and so he put his hand underneath as he began to brush carefully, having to undo tangles himself rather than risk tugging on her hair and pulling her head back. He didn't want to make a bad impression, after all, and angering the busty, melancholy carrier was not a good move. At least in his estimation. She spoke up. "...You are from our country. How can it be your nature to be gentle?"

He spoke up. "In this case, at least, it's not a matter of nature, it's a matter of doing things correctly. Maybe I could make your hair yield to raw force, but that would produce suboptimal results for both of us."

"I see..." She remained quiet for a moment. "Proceed, then, in this momentary amusement of yours."

He went on with it, and did so. While he was working on this, a thought came to mind. "If your sister is too busy to do such a thing, you could always ask someone else for assistance."

"For such a mundane thing for someone who was beneath the notice of the world until now? Besides, you have hardly seemed the matchmaker."

"It's not about matchmaking." He began, still stroking through her soft hair as he worked the brush through it. "Instead, I am passing on some information. For instance, Aquila seems fond of you, likely because you and her exist under the same circumstances. She speaks of it often at Royal tea times."

"Hm. She seemed more likely to gravitate towards Illustrious." Graf Zeppelin shrugged. "Illustrious seems to be spoken for, however, so there is no dispute there. Do you have any further information of this sort you had meant to pass on?"

Albert considered this. "Aside from that specific one, there are any number of ships of your type I believe would help you if you requested it. With anything."

Graf Zeppelin nodded slowly. "...I had thought I would be able to sustain myself through hate alone, but hate has become tiresome rather than invigorating."

The junior officer paused briefly. "What changed?"

"It was no sudden thing but over a long time." Graf Zeppelin's shoulders slumped. "...It can become difficult to sustain such a disposition in the face of this place. It takes more and more effort to despise the world when the response to your ire from your immediate surroundings is to provide you with tea, cakes, and the offer of a back massage while they hear your troubles."

Albert found this line of argument reasonable enough. Before he could say anything, Peter Strasser's voice came in. "Well, if this is how my sister is beginning to think, then I am glad to hear it."

Albert looked over to see Peter Strasser, and she was all dressed up. And Albert was left to marvel at what Peter Strasser had put together. Even if the color scheme was merely black and white- the black of her lengthy hair and the white of her dress, the effect was striking. the white collar with the black and white bowtie, the snow-white roses that decorated her night-black hair, the front that showed so much of her deep cleavage, and the translucent skirt that showed off her wonderful legs clad snugly in white stockings.