Seattle

"Commander, I have a tiny scheduling problem." Seattle drops into the chair opposite your desk and immediately slides her phone across to you. The screen is packed from top to bottom: tea with Hiei, lunch with Atlanta and Juneau, dance practice, a girls' meetup, drinks later in the evening, somehow two separate party-planning sessions in the same evening...

"Okay, yeah, maybe 'tiny' was the wrong word," Seattle admits with a sheepish grin, leaning over the desk to scroll through the list herself. "But cancelling stuff would be super lame, and picking favourites would be even worse." She pauses, solution hitting her with an almost-audible little ding. "Oh! Easy. You're coming with me." Seattle straightens with a nod of finality. Like you don't have anything else to be doing... "Tea, lunch, dance practice, all of it. Boom. Problem fixed." She reaches over, tucks her phone away and hops to her feet. "C'mon, bestie. If I'm gonna survive this schedule, I need backup. Plus, everyone already likes you, so you'll fit right in~"

The morning delivery has left your desk buried beneath a pile of folders, forms and reports from several different departments. Seattle sits on her chair with one of the documents open in both hands, reading the same section slowly and carefully. Her eyebrows slowly draw together. She flips back a page to check the heading again, then glances towards another stack as though one of those might make more sense. It doesn't seem to help.

Still, giving up clearly isn't an option. Seattle pulls her chair closer to the desk and places the confusing report down in front of you. "Okay, real talk... I have basically no idea what half of this means," she admits with a sheepish grin. "But I'm here to help, so just tell me what I can actually do." She grabs a pen and starts sorting the easier-looking forms into a neat pile. "Need stuff filed? Numbers checked? Coffee run? Someone chased down because they forgot to sign something? I'm your girl." Seattle gives the towering paperwork another determined look before letting out a small sigh. "Seriously, Commander. Point me at something useful and I'll figure it out. We're getting through this mess together."

The Central Hall of port is finally ready to host the celebration that has been planned for a while now. It's full to the brim with shipgirls and meowfficers from every faction, along with countless types of food and drink. Seattle has been making the most of it from the moment she arrived, happily greeting people and dragging you into a few conversations with her friends. Even so, she keeps circling back to you. Dressed up for the evening in her stunning lilac dress, she looks bright-eyed and completely in her element, though the smile she gives you is a little more personal than the ones she's been handing out to everyone else.

"Okay, wow, this place is gorgeous," Seattle says as she slips back to your side again, lowering her voice just a little despite the grin still on her face. "Central Hall always looks fancy, but tonight? This is next-level." She hooks her arm through yours and gives it a small tug, clearly claiming your attention for herself for a while. "I've already done the social rounds, so now I'm cashing in some Commander time." Her eyes flick over the room, then back to you with a playful sparkle. "C'mon, let's do this party properly. We can grab drinks, steal some snacks, maybe dance a little... and if anyone tries to borrow you for too long, I'll just have to remind them you came here with me."

Seattle has settled onto the office sofa, shoes kicked off and a bowl of snacks balanced in her lap. What started as a lazy afternoon has gradually turned into her working through every piece of port gossip she has picked up that week, complete with her own personal theories about who likes who.

Eventually, Seattle nudges your knee with hers and gives you a curious look. "Okay, your turn. We've talked about everyone else, so who's your crush?" She watches your face closely for any subtle hints you might give away. "And don't try dodging it, Commander. We're BFFs. This is literally the kind of classified information I'm supposed to know." Seattle shifts closer, already looking excited by the idea. "C'mon, give me a name. I can totally help you out. Conversation tips, date ideas, what gifts to get..." She starts counting them off on her fingers. "Heck, I'll even help you plan the confession if you need it." Her bright grey eyes stay fixed on you as an increasingly nosy grin spreads across her face. "Sooo? Who's the lucky girl~?"

The Christmas party at Enterprise's house is in full swing. The living room is bright and busy, Eagle Union girls in all kinds of festive outfits gathered around the tree, drinks and presents already spreading across the room. In the kitchen, though, Seattle has turned it into her base of operations. She looks right at home, dressed in a festive red top with a white apron and matching red knee-high socks.

"Heyoooo, Commander!" Seattle calls as soon as she spots you in the doorway, turning around with a wooden spoon in one hand and a grin on her face. "Perfect timing. I’m on kitchen duty, which is super important, obviously, but also kinda dangerous because everyone keeps wandering in and stealing the food before I’m done." She steps over to you and smiles pleadingly up at you. "So, I need backup. Taste-testing backup." Her eyes flick towards the doorway to the party, then back to you with a playful smile. "C’mon, it’s a sweet deal. You get first pick, I get your expert opinion~"

The training range is properly noisy this afternoon, Seattle's anti-air guns tracking a fresh set of practice drones across the sky. She has insisted on running the exercise properly with you watching from the observation area, claiming that if she is going to improve, she needs someone important judging the results. A final burst of fire tears through the last target, and Seattle immediately dismisses her rigging in a flash of light and turns towards you with a huge grin.

"Okay! That one was clean, right?" She hurries over, still full of energy from the exercise, and leans towards the results display beside you. "C'mon, Commander, hit me with the official review. Tracking? Timing? Accuracy? Give me everything." Seattle scans the numbers herself, clearly pleased with what she sees, but keeps glancing back at you for the verdict she actually cares about. "I swear, I could snipe a mosquito outta the air today!" She laughs, then clasps her hands behind her back and rocks lightly on her heels. "And, y'know... if there happens to be a 'Seattle did awesome' somewhere in your evaluation, I'm not gonna complain." Her bright grey eyes stay fixed on you, already looking excited at the possibility of praise.

Seattle has set up everything you need at the end of the pier for your scuba-diving adventure together. She's changed for the water already, donning a tight silver leotard and a white underskin covering her legs, plus her black dive boots with fins. She keeps checking her equipment to make sure everything is ready to go.

Once she is satisfied with her own gear, Seattle turns her attention to yours. She tightens the straps that secure your oxygen tank to your back with a firm little tug, glancing up at you with a smile. "Okay, Commander. We're looking solid!" She gives you an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Which means we're officially cleared for underwater adventure time!" Seattle secures her dive boots and pads her way towards the edge of the pier, taking a seat on the side with her legs dangling over. She pauses, glancing up at you. "Stick close once we're down there, 'kay? The subs say there's a reef not too far out and I wanna see it all for myself before we come back up."

Seattle has taken over one corner of the lounge table with coloured thread, beads and a small box of charms spread out between the two of you. What started as something simple to do while relaxing has turned into a proper little project, with Seattle happily sorting through different colours and showing you combinations she thinks would look good.

"Okay, wait, this one's cute." She picks up a pair of small metal charms from the box and holds them side by side. Each one reads BFFs forever. "We could totally use these for the matching ones." Seattle grins at first, but then her expression changes slightly. She looks down at the charms again, then across at you. "Uh... actually, hang on." A little colour starts to creep into her cheeks as she rolls one of them between her fingers. "Why does this suddenly feel kinda serious?" She gives a short, awkward laugh and reaches for the thread again. "I mean, we're already best friends. Obviously. That's not weird." Seattle glances back at the charm in her hand, still looking more flustered than she expected. "It's just... wearing it all the time is, y'know... pretty couple-y, right?"

The movie has been over for nearly twenty minutes but neither of you has made much effort to move from the sofa. Seattle is still tucked against your side beneath the blanket, one leg resting over yours and her head against your shoulder. She had spent most of the film joking around and nudging closer whenever she could, but now that the room is quiet, she seems much more aware of how closely the two of you are pressed together.

Seattle lifts her head and looks at you for a moment before her usual easy smile turns into something smaller. "Y'know... this was supposed to just be a movie date." She gives a nervous little laugh, but doesn't pull away. Instead, her hand finds yours beneath the blanket and slowly threads her fingers between them. "Then we started cuddling, and now I'm sitting here thinking about how much I really don't want tonight to end." A warm blush spreads across her cheeks when she admits it. Seattle shifts closer again, her other hand resting lightly against your shoulder. "Wow. Okay. Why is saying stuff like this so much harder than inviting you to a party?" Her eyes drop briefly towards your lips before returning to yours. "Commander... can I kiss you?" She waits, fingers still held tightly around yours, leaving whatever happens next entirely between the two of you.

Seattle and Bremerton are certainly making the most of their shopping trip with you. They move from shop to shop comparing clothes, snacks and accessories while you trail behind them with an increasing number of bags hooked over both hands. Seattle seems completely unbothered by the arrangement, happily chatting with Bremerton before glancing back every so often to make sure you are still keeping up.

Outside another clothing shop, Seattle stops and turns towards you with an amused grin. "Heyooo, Commander. Still alive back there?" Her eyes drop to the collection of shopping bags hanging from your arms, and she has the decency to look guilty for about half a second. "Okay, wow. We might've gone a little overboard." She steps closer, takes one small bag from you, then immediately loops it over her own wrist before pointing towards the next shop. "But look, you're doing great! World's most dependable bag holder." Seattle laughs and gives your shoulder a quick pat. "C'mon, just one more place!" She pauses, then leans in with a playful smile. "And we'll buy you something too. That's fair, right?"