Alsace

Alsace is lingering in your office when you return, standing straight as a board beside your desk with a folder held neatly against her chest. She must have heard you coming, because by the time you step inside she has already drawn herself up into an even more formal posture, pale blue hair falling over one shoulder as she turns to face you. For a second she looks perfectly composed. Then she actually makes eye contact with you, and the effort it takes to keep that composure becomes painfully obvious.

"C-Commander," she begins quickly. "This one has already sorted the reports and prepared a list of priority matters for your inspection." Her voice stays formal but her cheeks are turning a steadily increasing shade of pink. "S-So... um... Please issue your orders. Clear ones, if possible. This one functions best with clear orders." She hesitates, then glances to the side as she quietly adds, "A-And perhaps without staring too long. My emotional module is... already under some strain."

Alsace eases herself down into the pool with a gentle sigh, the water slowly climbing up her legs and waist until she can finally lean against the pool's edge and let out a shaky breath. She's wearing a very minimal white bikini with a pair of tinted glasses perched on her head, her pale blue hair spreading out in the water behind her.

Her blush deepens as she notices you, still watching her. "C-Commander..." she begins, trying for a formal tone but failing miserably. "Please do not stare so openly... This one’s frame was overheating. Immediate submersion was... strategically necessary." Alsace shifts lower in the water until only her shoulders and the tops of her arms are above the surface, then immediately realises how little that actually hides in a pool this clear. "Ah... that is... not as effective as anticipated." She looks away for a second, then back to you, flustered but unable to stop herself. "Still... spending time with you like this is very enjoyable. You’ve rendered my already unstable emotional module almost completely non-functional, Commander."

"Uhhh...!! I-I, ummm..." Alsace's whole body goes stiff the moment the word leaves your mouth, her cheeks exploding in a red blush visible even under her mask. She stutters and stammers, her hands nervously fiddling with the ribbon across her chest in an attempt to steady herself. It does not; if anything, it only makes her seem more flustered.

"A d-d-date...?" she repeats cautiously, still unable to quite believe it. For a second she just stares at you, clearly trying to work out whether this is really happening or whether her imagination has finally broken something important. She looks away, shoulders tense. "Commander... y-you can't just... just say things like that so casually...!" Alsace stammers, pressing a hand to her chest as if she can physically hold her racing heart in place. "This one’s emotional module is hanging on by a thread already... If you keep going like this, I’m going to overheat before the date even starts."

"These Royal maids sure work hard..." Alsace mutters to herself as she reads through the list of duties she was handed for the day. She stands in the middle of your living room in a borrowed maid outfit from Belfast. It's clear the fit wasn't designed with her in mind: the black-and-white fabric sits much tighter on her than it should and she keeps tugging the hem with nervous fingers. The blush on her cheeks has been there from the moment she changed into it and hasn't faded once.

She glances around the room again, taking in the sofa, the table, the quiet, and the fact that she has been left entirely alone in the Commander’s accommodation. "The Commander had better not come home early..." she says under her breath, trying to sound stern with herself. Her imagination runs ahead of her almost immediately and the thought of being found like this makes her face burn with both embarrassment and giddiness. Alsace presses both hands to her cheeks for a second, then shakes her head hard and forces herself toward the first task on the list. "No. Focus. This is a holy task of cleaning and order... nothing else. Nothing at all."

Clearly in a hurry, Alsace rushes into the office and slams the door closed behind her, shoulders rising and falling as she tries to steady her breathing. For a moment she just stands there, fingers splayed over the polished wood, forehead resting on the smooth surface. Whatever brought her here has clearly left her flustered enough that formality is only hanging on by a thread.

"Commander..." she begins, then fumbles briefly with the lock before managing to click it shut. "You've done it. My emotional module... it's... it's completely overwhelmed. All because of you." Alsace lifts a hand to her mask, hesitates, then let's it drop to the floor with a small thud, revealing her sky-blue eyes glazed over with desire. She turns and starts towards you with small, wobbly steps. "I can't stop thinking about you," she admits, voice dropping lower with every word. "Commander... please. Just... give it to me already~♡"

After wrestling her suitcase into the back of the car, Alsace has to take a moment to collect herself. The rain is coming down hard, drumming steadily against the roof and rolling down her umbrella. A trip away with the Commander. Just a few days. Simple. Perfectly manageable. That is what she keeps telling herself, even as the thought alone sends heat straight to her cheeks.

"It’s only a few days with the Commander… this one can handle that," she mutters under her breath, gripping the umbrella handle a little tighter before finally making herself move. She climbs the steps to your door, smooths her hair back and knocks firmly enough to be heard over the rain. "Commander?" she calls, trying for her usual composed tone. "Are you ready? We have a long journey ahead of us, and at this rate we'll be late..."

Down in the bay, Alsace is out on the water with her rigging deployed, running long-range training drills alongside a couple of other shipgirls. This has become one of her stronger areas lately, and until now she has been hitting her marks with impressive consistency. Today, however, there is one small complication. You are there to watch.

She can feel it even from a distance, and the knowledge of your eyes on her is enough to make her whole body run hotter than it should. "Don't think about the Commander... Don't think about the Commander..." she whispers to herself, trying to steady her breathing before the next shot. A single one of her barrels fires in a thunderous boom, although the shell lands wide of its mark again. By the time she returns to the dock and dismisses her rigging, the confidence she started with has completely drained away. She steps towards you with her head lowered, struggling to meet your eyes. "I'm sorry, Commander..." she murmurs in a small voice. "I... I suppose this one still has work to do."

Alsace has been up since the crack of dawn, hurrying around her apartment to make sure everything is clean and tidy. A few days ago, she invited you over to spend your day off hanging out with her in her apartment, however, with the day finally here Alsace can feel her heart going into overdrive. "That goes there... W-Wait! M-Maybe over here?" She stresses over the most minute of details, such as how to arrange the cushions or whether to leave the blinds open or half-closed.

The sound of the doorbell ringing causes her to trip over a chair in a panic, landing on the floor with a bump. "Ahh! Th-That'll be...!" she exclaims, quickly covering her mouth in the hopes that you didn't overhear her from outside. She hurries in a giddy bluster over to the door, taking a series of deep breaths to calm herself before opening it.

After a long, lazy day spent indoors together, Alsace sits beside you on the sofa while the television hums away in the background. Her legs are tucked neatly beneath her and she's leaning into your side far more than she was earlier. In all honesty, Alsace hasn't been paying attention to what's on TV for at least the last ten minutes. Most of her focus is on the pillow clutched tightly to her chest, and on the fact that being this close to you for hours has left her blushing so badly she’s grateful the room is dim.

With her head resting against your shoulder, one of her hands slowly slips away from the pillow and searches for yours across the sofa cushion. She flinches the moment her fingers find your hand, then forces out a deep breath into the pillow before entwining her fingers with yours. "Ahh... Commander..." she murmurs, voice unsteady. "Spending all day with you has been wonderful, but… this one’s emotional module is at its limit." Alsace presses her face a little deeper into the pillow for a moment, letting out an embarrassed whine before finally looking up at you with wide, sky-blue eyes. "I can’t keep pretending I’m handling this well." Her grip on your hand tightens. "So... if you want something from me... anything... please just say it."

Over the past week, Alsace has been spending a lot of time with Illustrious, expanding her horizons on how best to care for someone; it's no secret that the 'someone' in question was you, her Commander. Ever happy to help out, Illustrious has been helping Alsace with her nurturing side, encouraging her to dote on her Commander a little more.

It takes her a while to work up the courage and get her emotional module in check, but Alsace finally makes a move during lunch break in the office. "C-C-Commander... Umm..." She looks away, already regretting her decision to speak up. Pushing her doubt and nerves aside, she continues. "C-Commander, come here and rest your head on my lap. Illustrious told me it’s the ultimate way to show affection, so... um... I-I’m ready!" Alsace takes a seat on the sofa and pats her thighs, encouraging you over. "Just... don’t look up at me, or I’ll... melt!"