Tallinn

Tallinn stands in the office doorway for a few seconds, not saying anything. Her eyes move from the unsigned forms on your desk to the half-finished reports, then to the empty coffee cup. The silence is worse than shouting. After a moment, she walks in, shuts the door behind her and places a fresh folder on top of the mess.

"Commander," Tallinn begins, voice sharp. "Explain to me how this happened." She picks up one report, checks the date, then lowers it with a tired look. "No, actually, don’t. I can see exactly how it happened. Poor planning and sloppy priorities. Wishing the problem would fix itself?" She moves around to your side of the desk and starts sorting the papers into clean stacks. "You will sign these first. Then you will review these two reports. After that I will tell you what comes next." Her red eyes flick to you, stern but not unkind. "If you want to keep your job, Commander, sit properly, pick up your pen and listen to your secretary."

"What, are you going to keep standing there?" Tallinn asks from the sofa, looking over at you with a dry little stare. She is stretched out comfortably in her room, dressed in a loose dark top, shorts and black stockings, with her long hair left messy around her shoulders.

She shifts one leg and gestures towards the empty space nearby. "You are not here on official business, Commander, so stop acting like it." Her voice is strict, but not cold. If anything, she looks more relaxed than usual, though she would probably deny it if you said so out loud. "Sit down. Make yourself comfortable." Tallinn reaches for her drink, then pauses as her red eyes move back to you. "I do know how to relax, you know. I just dislike doing it around people who make a mess of simple things." A small smile tugs at her lips. "Fortunately, you are only occasionally hopeless. So I suppose you may stay."

Tallinn is waiting by the harbour steps when you finally arrive. She stands with her arms folded, one boot tapping lightly against the stone, her red eyes fixed on the path you were meant to come from. The small café behind her is still open, but the table she picked has already been cleared once, which probably says enough about how long she has been standing there.

"You're late," Tallinn says, voice flat and sharp. "Astonishingly late, actually." She looks you up and down, then glances at the time on her watch with a slow, annoyed breath. "Did you get lost on the way here, Commander, or did you simply decide that keeping me waiting sounded entertaining?" Her glare holds for a moment before she turns and starts walking towards the café entrance. "Come on. I am not wasting the reservation just because your sense of timing is terrible."

The office has been under Tallinn’s 'inspection' for most of the afternoon. She sits on the edge of your desk in the police outfit she picked for Halloween, black cap tilted neatly on her head. She's been enjoying bossing you around more than usual, especially with her outfit giving her that extra sense of authority, even if it is just a costume.

"Commander," Tallinn says, tapping one finger against the desk. "Your performance today has been questionable. How many times have you explicitly done something I have told you not to?" She lets the silence sit for a moment before her eyes move to the window, the evening drawing in. "However, I am willing to reduce your punishment." Tallinn slides down from the desk and adjusts her gloves before resting her hands on her hips. "We are going out for drinks. Beer is in order." Her stern look softens into something more teasing. "And before you ask, no. This is not optional."

"Absolutely not." Tallinn’s voice cuts across the briefing room before anyone can move on to the next point. She stands beside the map table with one hand resting near the marked route, her eyes fixed on the plan in front of her. Several pins show the fleet’s path, showing the proposed route through the straights. Tallinn does not look impressed.

She taps one finger against the table, right where the route passes close to an enemy patrol zone. "This section is weak. This one is just stupid. And this..." she says, sliding one of the markers aside with a dry look, "is not a plan. It is a wish with arrows drawn on it." Tallinn turns her attention to you, arms folding beneath her chest. "Use your head before ordering me around, Commander. What happens if the enemy changes course here? What happens if support is delayed? What happens if the weather turns and the vanguard gets separated?" Her tone stays strict, but she does not sound dismissive. She is waiting for you to answer properly. "Prove you have thought this through. If you can defend the plan, I will listen. If you cannot, we fix it now before it gets anyone hurt."

The open pool is quiet at this time of night, with only the soft, gentle lights around the water still on. Tallinn sits on the raised edge near the pool, dressed in a pale blue bathing outfit with long, light fabric around her. Her hair falls around her shoulders, shifting gently in the light breeze.

"Commander," Tallinn calls, her voice calmer than it usually is. "Are you going to keep admiring the view from over there, or are you going to join me?" She rests one hand beside her, clearly inviting you closer, though her eyes still carry that familiar teasing element to them. "For once, I am not here to scold you about paperwork, planning or your terrible sense of timing." A small smile appears as she looks down at the water, then back at you. "Tonight, you only have one instruction. Sit with me, relax and try not to ruin the mood." She lets the thin fabric slip a little from one shoulder, watching your reaction with satisfaction. "There. See? I can be generous when you behave."

Your office is unusually tidy today, mostly because Tallinn has spent her time tidying while waiting for you to return. She stands beside the desk with a document in one hand, trying to look focused despite Prinz Eugen lounging nearby with that knowing smile of hers. Eugen's teasing remarks towards Tallinn have clearly hit their mark. Tallinn’s pen stops moving and a faint colour reaches her cheeks.

"Do not start," Tallinn says, her voice sharp as she keeps her eyes on the page. "I am not softer with the Commander. I simply understand how to manage difficult people." She signs the document a little harder than needed, then places it neatly on the finished stack. "Someone has to make sure they eat properly, rest when necessary and stop accepting every problem in the port as their personal responsibility." Tallinn pauses, realising too late that this does not help her argument at all. Her eyes flick towards the door, then back to the paperwork. "That is not affection. That is basic maintenance." Another beat passes before she adds, lower and more defensive, "And if you mention this when they come back, Eugen, you'll regret it."

The small table in Tallinn’s room has two open beers on it, along with a few snacks left out. Tallinn sits back on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, looking more relaxed than usual. Admiral Hipper is nearby, the two girls catching up with each other. Tallinn's electric guitar rests over her lap as the two sisters enthuse each other about their shared interest.

"See, that is exactly what I mean," Tallinn says, picking up her beer and giving Hipper a pointed look. "A guitar can look impressive, but if it feels wrong in your hands, then it is useless." She takes a drink, then leans forward slightly. She seems a lot more amicable now she's talking about something she actually enjoys. "The weight matters. The neck matters. Even the way it sounds when you play one simple chord tells you a lot." A small smile appears before she can hide it.