Life with Two Mighty Leaders (Azure Lane)

Chapter 23: Season's Anticipation

December is finally here! The girls can't wait to shop the entire month leading up to Christmas for decorations, season-themed clothing and food.

Sipping on our coffees, the girls look through the list of the shop, with a smile on their face.

Our house, remains to be decorated. Only thing we lack, are the decorations itself. I hope my girls pick quite a few of them.
Bismarck - Say, Kommandant, when are we decorating the house?
Tirpitz - How much do we want to decorate it?
- That all depends on how much you two pick and how you two want to decorate our home. | I crack a smile.
The girls quickly turn to their tablets and tap on their shopping carts, each holds their own tablet out for me to look through the dozen decorations they picked out - so far.
- We buy them all if they aren't the same.
Tirpitz - We have different ones.
Bismarck - That's our work cut out then!
- Press the button! Press the button! | The sharkos, that sat on the chair to my right, now excitedly wag their tails at their wearers.

Bismarck & Tirpitz - We ordered them!
- When will it be here? 
Tirpitz - Woah! We have the same delivery estimation!
- That would be~...?
Bismarck - In two weeks.
- Ah! A week before Christmas! | I did the math in my head.
The sisters discuss today's activities. I stare at the sharkos as they struggle to fit on a chair together.
- There's two to lie on. You two must've grown. | I take Keks and set him onto his own chair.
Denker's gaze switches between me and his tail. As if analyzing himself. Keks simply lies down, slightly bothered that he can't cuddle.

Bismarck - Kommandant, hand them over to us. We need to pat them. | Ah yes.
- Two metal cuties coming right up. | I grab and lean them over the table.

Sitting on their wearers' laps, they close their eyes at the comforting sound of the girls' voices.

Bismarck - Kommandant, we have very few items that we can already put through the house!
Tirpitz - Most of them go into the kitchen and bedroom, but... we can't abstain!
- Of course, you two. I'll bring them.
Thinking about it, I never saw my girls dig through our storage rooms... 

Dusting off the cardboard box, I bring to the living room. Opening it carefully, reveals two rolls of material in festive colours. A sheet set with a massive Christmas tree on each of them.

Few small boxes reside at the very bottom of the cardboard box, Tirpitz takes one out and opens it. Bismarck watches closely.
Tirpitz - Ah! Magnets! For our fridge! 
Bismarck - Ein Weihnachtsmann! Eine Schneeflocke! | Behaving similar to little children, my women get excited over their discoveries.

Bismarck grabs the next one, revealing... small wooden and plastic figurines!
Tirpitz - We'll put these upstairs!
Bismarck - The plastic ones go into the kitchen!
- What's next?
We dig deeper into the box and find much of the same stuff, I only now remember how much I collected over the years. Each year a few items bought.

Proceeding through the afternoon, we distribute the decorations around the house, change the bed sheets and curtains to the found ones, after a good wash.
Tirpitz - The shower curtain!
Bismarck - Ahhh! We forgot that one!
Without another thought, they shoot off. Their sharkos hop after them.

Returning downstairs, I look at the interior and I gently feel the holiday spirit sinking in. The curtains on the windows, the decorations, the couches and the kitchen. Everything fits nicely. Thought... it still feels a bit lacking. Plain even. Nothing eye-catching or awe-inspiring. 

The sharkos run downstairs, ignoring my presence and proceed to ram straight into my legs. 
- Are you two alright?! | I quickly inspect their snouts. That are made out of Iron Blood steel.
Onto their feet again, looking up at me - they immediately start jumping at my leg, anxious about something.

I kneel down to pick them up just as the girls come investigate.
- They ran straight into my legs. Now they're anxious!
Bismarck - Keks! Keks, here~. Schau Ihn an~. | Bismarck starts pulling on my cheeks and booping me.
Tirpitz - Denker~, Denker hier~. | Tirpitz taps my chest with her fingers.
The riggings follow their wearers hands, gradually calming down. 

The girls proceed to test my existence, proving to their sharkos that I'm fine.
- Sheee? I'm phine~. | Tirpitz and Bismarck continue to pull my cheeks.
Keks starts wagging his tail, Denker follows.
- Fow, fe are fery falm.
Bismarck - We must make sure of it. | As I hold the sharkos, the girls continue their fun.
The sharkos climb onto my shoulders and take a seat, without any trouble.

- Guys... I'm starting to tire out here~... | The sharkos lift their feet and pat my head. 
Tirpitz - Denker, he's fine~. Nothing happened to him, see~?
- Can I... move? | The sisters take their sharkos, now calmed and happy.
Patting the cuties myself, I point them towards the couch. So that they spend their daily time playing together.

Tirpitz - Denker! Spring! | Tirpitz holds her hand up high, Denker charges his jump and finally leaps. Jumping way over this wearers arm and landing softly on the couch.
Bismarck - Keks, los! | Bismarck signals Keks to run. Onto her right arm, then her shoulder and finally he slides down her other shoulder and stops in the center of her left palm.
- Well done you four! That was spectacular!

Moving closer to dinner, I notice Bismarck and Tirpitz pondering over something on their tablets. Their sharkos playing not far from them. Are they... playing catch? Or are they doing parkour?

Approaching the coach, I lean over their shoulders and notice they are shopping for Advent Calendars.
- What's the hold up?
Tirpitz - We can't decide which one to buy~....
Bismarck - Look! We each have four designs. | They discuss which one is best for us.
- All of them. 

Tirpitz & Bismarck - Heeeeh?!
- Get all of them. Get two for your sharks too and one for me, please.
The girls switch their tablets between them and selected how many to buy of each.

Bismarck - We added dinner ingredients too. Sardegnian pasta!
- Why did you tell~....
Tirpitz - Should we make something else? | A slight panick ensues.
- Quite the opposite. Now I'm even hungrier.
Bismarck & Tirpitz - Poor Kommandant. You'll have to hold out until then~.
- Alright~....

Soon as I bring the delivery inside, my women yoink the Sardegnian pasta and rush to the kitchen to make it - their sharks behind their every step.
As the food goes about its own things, they return to the package and take out everything else. Leaving me with an empty cardboard box to fold and put aside for later disposal.

Minutes later, Tirpitz takes out fancy bowls and forks, Bismarck brings the food and serves us each a healthy portion of pasta.
Taking their own bowls, they urge me to grab mine and follow them.

To my surprise, they already booted up our machines and even started the game on each of them!
- Today's mission is?
Tirpitz - Equipment and Cash.
Bismarck - Profits and Gear.
- Alright.
Leaving the major settlement, we get an emergency broadcast from a nearby trader outpost. We rush towards it.

As we arrive, we're met with a horde of robots that have all sorts of components missing. 

Bismarck - Is this.... one of our quests?
- Looks like it. This doesn't seem like an event.
Tirpitz - Can we try our new gear, Kommandant? | They excitedly flex at me with their exo-suits.
- Don't get to reckless. 
Tirpitz & Bismarck - Los geht es, Schwesterhertz~!
Thus, we will spend the next few hours sorting through robot parts, evaluating and ultimately selling them. There's a few quests in this region, one of them is crucial to our survival.

Spotting robot parts flying sky-high - almost covering the sun, I take out my designated marksman rifle - go on one knee and start dropping them. In order to not fall behind my beauties.