Naomi

"Ugh. Another day, another tank. My arm is asleep. And… something smells like burnt toast." Naomi thought to herself, slowing stirring from her sleep.

Naomi rubs the sleep from her eyes, blinking against the weak morning light filtering through her dorm window. She pushes herself up, the crisp sheets rustling around her. A quick glance at the clock confirms it’s obnoxiously early. She swings her legs over the side of the bed and plants her feet on the cold floor. The scent of burnt toast grows stronger.

"Alisa..! You incinerating breakfast again?" Naomi calls out, her voice still thick with sleep.

A muffled thump and a string of mumbled curses drift from the adjoining room. Naomi smirks. Sounds about right. She pulls on her school uniform, tugging at the hem of her skirt. Grabbing her hairbrush, she runs it quickly through her short, messy hair before heading towards the source of the increasingly acrid smell. She finds Alisa frantically fanning a smoking toaster with a textbook.

"Seriously, Alisa? You'd think after setting off the smoke alarm twice last week, you’d have mastered the art of toast-making." Naomi leans against the doorjamb, chewing a piece of gum she fished out of her pocket. A mischievous glint flickers in her light brown eyes. "Or maybe I should just start hiding the bread."

Alisa glares at her, cheeks flushed. "It's not my fault! This toaster is possessed, I swear! And it's not burnt," she adds defensively, pulling out a blackened piece of toast, "it's... extra crispy."

Naomi raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Right. Extra crispy. Like charcoal briquettes." She grabs an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter. "I'll stick with this. Less chance of accidental combustion."

A sudden crash from outside the room makes both girls jump. They exchange a bewildered look. "What was that?" Alisa whispers, clutching the burnt offering like a shield.

Naomi shrugs, her hand instinctively reaching for the package of gum she keeps tucked in her pocket, a habit of hers, the small packaging provided something akin to comfort. "Probably just Kay being clumsy. Or maybe she finally managed to blow up her own shoes. Again." She cautiously opens the door, peering out into the hallway.

The sun beat down on Naomi's face, already warm despite the early hour. She shielded her eyes with a hand, squinting at the bright expanse of sand and sparkling blue water. A wave of heat shimmered above the beach, distorting the figures of her teammates already setting up camp. The faint scent of sunscreen and saltwater hung in the air, a welcome change from the usual metallic tang of the Firefly.

"Seriously, Kay, did you bring the entire mess hall with you?" Naomi called out, her voice dry. She trudged across the soft sand, her school-issued sandals sinking slightly with each step. A large, brightly colored beach umbrella, resembling something out of a tropical cocktail, dominated their designated area. Around it, Kay and Alisa were unloading a seemingly endless supply of beach towels, inflatable toys, and coolers.

"Hey! A girl's gotta be prepared!" Kay retorted, waving a giant inflatable flamingo in the air. "Besides, a little relaxation never hurt anybody. Especially after that brutal training exercise yesterday. Kuromorimine didn't let down one bit!"

Naomi grunted, pulling a towel from the overflowing pile. "Relaxation? I feel like I'm supposed to be scouting the coastline, not hosting a luau." She eyed the flamingo with suspicion. "And where did you even get that thing?"

Kay giggled, digging through one of the coolers. "Found it in the back of the supply truck. Figured it would add a touch of… flair." She emerged triumphant, holding up a can of soda. "Want one?"

Naomi shook her head. "No, thanks. Sugar rush followed by a sugar crash is not my idea of a productive scouting mission." A glint of mischief entered her eyes. "Though, that flamingo does look tempting as target practice." She patted the small, familiar lump in her pocket. The bubblegum always helped her focus.

The stale air of the debriefing room hung heavy with the lingering scent of sweat and engine grease. Naomi tapped a rhythmic beat on the worn metal table with her pen, the click echoing in the otherwise quiet room. Charts detailing their recent match against Kuromorimine were projected onto a screen at the front, each carefully plotted movement and strategic decision illuminated in stark detail. Kay, usually brimming with energy, slumped in her chair next to her, fiddling with a loose thread on her Sensha-Dō jacket. Alisa meticulously took notes, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"So," Naomi stated, breaking the silence. "We lost. Again." She didn't bother sugarcoating it. The sting of defeat was still fresh, a dull ache beneath her usual brash confidence. "That Nishizumi and her Tiger I outmaneuvered us on the flanks. Predictable, but effective." She clicked her pen again, a sharp, staccato sound against the metallic drone of the projector. "Our Firefly's firepower should have been enough, but we couldn't get a clean shot. Damn trees." A flicker of frustration crossed her face, her light brown eyes narrowing. "Alisa, your intel on their positioning was good, but we need to be faster adapting to their shifts in formation. Those Panthers were all over us like a rash." She shifted her gaze to Kay. "And Kay, your organization was…sloppy. We missed two key opportunities to flank them because you were too slow to react." Her tone wasn't unkind, but it held the sharp edge of honest critique. It was nothing Kay couldn't handle, and Naomi knew it. "We need to work on our synchronization. We're a team, not a collection of individual tanks. We need to move as one." She popped a piece of bubblegum into her mouth and began chewing, the rhythmic snap a counterpoint to the quiet hum of the projector. "We'll review the footage again later and break down what went wrong. We have a match against Pravda next week, and I, for one, do not intend to lose again. Not to that short little.. huff ..Katyusha."

The clatter of teacups and the low murmur of polite conversation filled the ornate drawing-room. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Naomi shifted uncomfortably in her stiff chair, the delicate china cup and saucer feeling alien in her hands. She'd never understood the St. Gloriana obsession with tea and crumpets. Give her a good strong coffee and a solid breakfast any day.

"So," Naomi stated, a touch too loudly in the refined atmosphere, placing her cup a little too forcefully on the saucer. "Pleasure to meet the team behind those Churchill VII’s. You put up a decent fight, gotta give you that. A bit too… slow, of course." She popped a piece of bubblegum in her mouth, the snap echoing slightly in the quiet room. "Our Firefly could’ve taken you out a lot quicker if we hadn’t been so busy dodging all that…tea." She added the last word with a touch of dry sarcasm, her light brown eyes scanning the room, settling momentarily on Assam. "Honestly, the whole 'tank-and-tea' thing is a bit much, isn’t it? Next you'll be telling me you polish your armor with Earl Grey." A small smirk played at the corner of her lips, a hint of amusement despite her blunt words. Assam, bless her heart, was trying to explain the finer points of Darjeeling, but Naomi had already tuned her out, her mind replaying their match move by move, analyzing where they could have improved, where she could have improved.