Zetland 5
darthcourt10
Well worn.
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Weaver
Wednesday 21st August
Climbing off his bike, Dan chained it to the bicycle rack before heading to the pavilion that was currently home to a certain lifeboat. Entering he found that unlike the last time he'd visited there wasn't many people around, just a couple of lots of parents with kids and someone who looked like he worked there. After circling Zetland's hull without her avatar making an appearance, Dan made a beeline for the latter.
"Excuse me, do you know if Zetland's around?"
The man turned to him, looked like he was about to reply, then hesisted when he got a good look at Dan.
"Are you one of those lads who Zetland was talking to the other week?"
"Yeah, I am. Do you know if she's around?"
"Hang on a sec, I'll go get her."
With that the man went through one of the doors to the side of the main hall that were off limits to the general public, returning a few minutes later with Zetland's humanoid form, minus her hat and coat, in tow.
"Hi Zetland."
"Hello Dan. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh, nothing in particular. Just wondering how you were getting on."
"Well enough, all things considered. Come on, they've given me a room of my own, it'll be a better place to have a chat than standing around here."
**********
Zetland's room had clearly previously been an office or maybe a storeroom of some sort, but whatever had been in it before had been replaced by a sofa, a tv, a half-filled book case and a slightly battered desk. The surface of the last was taken partly up by an old computer and partly by a collection of thank you cards and children's drawings. Noticing Dan looking at them the lifeboat smiled and shrugged.
"I helped some people when the Abyssals first attacked. After I was in the news they started coming around. Got hugged and had my hand shaken a lot and got cried on a couple of times. Not sure what all the fuss is about, I was just doing my job."
"Your job is saving people's lives, of course they're going to get emotional about it. Besides, people have been making a fuss about you for over a century, I'd have thought that you'd be used to it by now."
The world's oldest lifeboat shrugged and sat down on the sofa.
"Its different when I'm like this and people are talking to me than when I was just my hull and people were talking about me."
Dan sat down on the other end of the sofa.
"Fair enough. Speaking of your hull, I heard that it was inspected the other day, how'd it go?"
Zetland grimaced.
"Not well. It confirmed what I already knew, my outer hull is more or less sound but I've got some rot in my air boxes. Which given what I remember of them being installed is probably to be expected. They'll have to open up my deck to see the full extent of the problem though which I'm not looking forward to in the least. It's got to be done though, even I'm not sure just how bad it is in there and even if I did they'd still have to open me up to fix it."
"Would it hurt you?"
"Probably not, at least not if they don't make a hash of it. It's still not pleasant to think about it. Might not be for a while yet though, they've got to find the money first."
"That probably won't take as long as you think. Most of the shipgirls over in Hartlepool are ready and willing to chip in and the same goes for a lot of their sisters elsewhere."
"I know. The French lasses came to see me at the weekend. It can't make that much of a difference though, can it?"
Dan smiled.
"The Flower-class alone had two hundred and ninety-four ships, at least half of which have come back as shipgirls. And they're feeling generous. Trust me, the money will be raised before you know it, assuming that you don't get government funding since you are who you are."
"They've got better things to spend that sort of money on than an old boat like me. People passing the hat got me built and got repaired last time, it can do so again and anything left over can go to the current lifeboat."
Dan shrugged.
"We'll see."
"Enough about me, how are things with you?"
"Fine. I told you about the summoning didn't I?"
"You did. Two British auxiliaries and two American troop ships as I recall."
"Well, the American ones were attack transports actually but close enough. I haven't been over there since then but from what I hear they'll probably be going back to the US once the red tape is sorted out. Speaking of red tape, I was talking to Awa Maru the other day and her's is finally sorted so she'll be going home to Japan soon."
"When?"
"As soon as she can get a seat on a flight. I hope it won't be before Saturday though."
"Why's that?"
"It's my birthday on Friday. I'm not doing anything really special, just a meal with some friends and family, but I invited Awa Maru and she said she'll be there if she can. My mum wants to meet her."
"I'd have thought that she'd have met her already."
Dan shrugged.
"Dad was the one who picked me up when they were done questioning me after Awa Maru's summoning and after that things kept coming up. Usually Royal Voluntary Service and Civil Defense Volunteer stuff. Mum's very keen on helping with the war effort, it seems like no matter how much she does it's never enough for her. Funny thing is, she's never met a shipgirl before since every time any visited one thing she's involved in she was busy with something else, so meeting Awa Maru will be a new experience for her."
"I think I'd like to meet her myself. If she ever has time to pay me a visit that is."
"I'll let her know."
A/N: I'm not entirely happy about stopping there but I'd written everything I'd wanted to and couldn't think of anything else. Hope that me skipping ahead of the main story a bit is okay.
Wednesday 21st August
Climbing off his bike, Dan chained it to the bicycle rack before heading to the pavilion that was currently home to a certain lifeboat. Entering he found that unlike the last time he'd visited there wasn't many people around, just a couple of lots of parents with kids and someone who looked like he worked there. After circling Zetland's hull without her avatar making an appearance, Dan made a beeline for the latter.
"Excuse me, do you know if Zetland's around?"
The man turned to him, looked like he was about to reply, then hesisted when he got a good look at Dan.
"Are you one of those lads who Zetland was talking to the other week?"
"Yeah, I am. Do you know if she's around?"
"Hang on a sec, I'll go get her."
With that the man went through one of the doors to the side of the main hall that were off limits to the general public, returning a few minutes later with Zetland's humanoid form, minus her hat and coat, in tow.
"Hi Zetland."
"Hello Dan. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Oh, nothing in particular. Just wondering how you were getting on."
"Well enough, all things considered. Come on, they've given me a room of my own, it'll be a better place to have a chat than standing around here."
**********
Zetland's room had clearly previously been an office or maybe a storeroom of some sort, but whatever had been in it before had been replaced by a sofa, a tv, a half-filled book case and a slightly battered desk. The surface of the last was taken partly up by an old computer and partly by a collection of thank you cards and children's drawings. Noticing Dan looking at them the lifeboat smiled and shrugged.
"I helped some people when the Abyssals first attacked. After I was in the news they started coming around. Got hugged and had my hand shaken a lot and got cried on a couple of times. Not sure what all the fuss is about, I was just doing my job."
"Your job is saving people's lives, of course they're going to get emotional about it. Besides, people have been making a fuss about you for over a century, I'd have thought that you'd be used to it by now."
The world's oldest lifeboat shrugged and sat down on the sofa.
"Its different when I'm like this and people are talking to me than when I was just my hull and people were talking about me."
Dan sat down on the other end of the sofa.
"Fair enough. Speaking of your hull, I heard that it was inspected the other day, how'd it go?"
Zetland grimaced.
"Not well. It confirmed what I already knew, my outer hull is more or less sound but I've got some rot in my air boxes. Which given what I remember of them being installed is probably to be expected. They'll have to open up my deck to see the full extent of the problem though which I'm not looking forward to in the least. It's got to be done though, even I'm not sure just how bad it is in there and even if I did they'd still have to open me up to fix it."
"Would it hurt you?"
"Probably not, at least not if they don't make a hash of it. It's still not pleasant to think about it. Might not be for a while yet though, they've got to find the money first."
"That probably won't take as long as you think. Most of the shipgirls over in Hartlepool are ready and willing to chip in and the same goes for a lot of their sisters elsewhere."
"I know. The French lasses came to see me at the weekend. It can't make that much of a difference though, can it?"
Dan smiled.
"The Flower-class alone had two hundred and ninety-four ships, at least half of which have come back as shipgirls. And they're feeling generous. Trust me, the money will be raised before you know it, assuming that you don't get government funding since you are who you are."
"They've got better things to spend that sort of money on than an old boat like me. People passing the hat got me built and got repaired last time, it can do so again and anything left over can go to the current lifeboat."
Dan shrugged.
"We'll see."
"Enough about me, how are things with you?"
"Fine. I told you about the summoning didn't I?"
"You did. Two British auxiliaries and two American troop ships as I recall."
"Well, the American ones were attack transports actually but close enough. I haven't been over there since then but from what I hear they'll probably be going back to the US once the red tape is sorted out. Speaking of red tape, I was talking to Awa Maru the other day and her's is finally sorted so she'll be going home to Japan soon."
"When?"
"As soon as she can get a seat on a flight. I hope it won't be before Saturday though."
"Why's that?"
"It's my birthday on Friday. I'm not doing anything really special, just a meal with some friends and family, but I invited Awa Maru and she said she'll be there if she can. My mum wants to meet her."
"I'd have thought that she'd have met her already."
Dan shrugged.
"Dad was the one who picked me up when they were done questioning me after Awa Maru's summoning and after that things kept coming up. Usually Royal Voluntary Service and Civil Defense Volunteer stuff. Mum's very keen on helping with the war effort, it seems like no matter how much she does it's never enough for her. Funny thing is, she's never met a shipgirl before since every time any visited one thing she's involved in she was busy with something else, so meeting Awa Maru will be a new experience for her."
"I think I'd like to meet her myself. If she ever has time to pay me a visit that is."
"I'll let her know."
A/N: I'm not entirely happy about stopping there but I'd written everything I'd wanted to and couldn't think of anything else. Hope that me skipping ahead of the main story a bit is okay.