“I’m home.” She announced before stooping to remove her shoes.

Silence.

She’s probably hiding somewhere to surprise me. Kanan thought to herself.

Moving into the apartment proper, Kanan found the petals forming a trail down the hallway. Amused, she followed it to the bedroom. No surprise there. She opened the door and…

“<Happy Birthday, Kanan!>” Mari cried in English.

Wow…

Kanan blinked to be sure she was seeing things correctly. Mari was kneeling on the bed, surrounded by rose petals, holding a rose in one hand and wearing nothing but red ribbon. Bright swathes of various widths wrapped around her body, covering obvious parts but ultimately leaving little to the imagination.

A muffled sound and movement drew Kanan’s attention down from the stunning vision that was her blonde girlfriend.

Dia?!

Her other girlfriend was lying on her back behind Mari, also wrapped in ribbon in a similarly seductive manner. But Kanan quickly noticed that Dia’s wrists and feet were bound in ribbon while her eyes and mouth were covered.

“Mari… what did you do to Dia?” Kanan questioned as she moved toward the bed.

“Wrapped her.” Mari said as though it should be obvious. “Dia and I are Kanan’s presents!”

“Yeah, I figured that part, but…” Kanan reached toward the ribbon on Dia’s mouth.

“<No! No!>” Mari suddenly scolded, waggling a finger but making no other effort to stop Kanan.

“What?”

“You must use this!” Mari produced a pair of green safety scissors.

Kanan blinked and shook her head, confused.

“<Like this!>” Mari slid the plastic guard slowly across her forearm while maintaining eye contact with Kanan and smiling saucily. As the blade slid under a ribbon, Mari closed the scissors just enough to start the cut and continued. Eventually, the ribbon sloughed off Mari’s arm to the petal-covered duvet.

“Alright.” Kanan chuckled as she reached for the scissors.

Mimicking Mari, Kanan placed the guard on Dia’s neck before moving it slowly up her jawline. She smiled as the raven-haired woman shivered at the contact. It took a little more effort to cut the ribbon as Kanan noted that Mari had wrapped a few layers, but eventually they all fell away.

“Mari!” Dia snapped immediately. “Why did you tie me up?!”

“Beca~use!” Mari whined in reply. “It took Mari so~ long to convince Dia to let me wrap her up like this, Mari was afraid Dia would chicken out at the last minute and hide.”

Dia sighed and shook her head. “A-anyway… uhm… H-happy birthday, Kanan…” Pink dusted her cheeks as she spoke.

Kanan laughed at her girlfriends’ antics before leaning over to peck a kiss on Mari’s lips.

Despite her eyes still being covered, Dia seemed to sense what had happened and tilted her head up. Kanan responded quickly by twisting down to claim her lips for a moment as well.

“Thanks, Dia, Mari.” Kanan smiled. “I look forward to unwrapping my presents.”

---------

Kanan stared up at the ceiling and released a content sigh before pulling her two girlfriends closer.

Mari giggled and snuggled vigorously into Kanan’s shoulder. On the other side, Dia simply smiled and slid a hand across Kanan’s waist.

Kanan had no idea how long the three had been enjoying her birthday presents, but she didn’t care. She was extremely happy with the way the afternoon, or probably evening at this point, was progressing.

“You know we have actual gifts for you to open later.” Dia was the first to break the silence.

“Oh?” Kanan smirked. “I thought it was just going to be you two. You know I would have been fine with that, right?”

Mari giggled. “Dia says that as if we aren’t enough.”

Dia pouted, earning a laugh from both of her girlfriends.

“I have to ask though, Mari,” Kanan started “aren’t roses typically a Valentine’s Day thing? Or early dates or anniversaries?”

“They can be for birthdays too!” Mari insisted.

Kanan chuckled. “Alright.”

“But we can get more for Valentine’s if you wa~nt.” Mari cooed.

“If we do this again, you’re the one who’ll be tied up, Mari.” Dia grumbled.

“<Okay!>” Mari cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

Kanan laughed heartily at Mari’s enthusiasm. “And maybe since Dia was tied up this time, she can be the gift receiver?” She suggested after she settled down.

“Perhaps then, Mari can be the receiver on her birthday?” Dia proposed.

“Awwuuu…” Mari pursed her lips. “I’m not sure I’d be able to wait that long…”

This time, both Kanan and Dia laughed.

“Well, maybe we can figure out a time to do it again sooner.” Kanan decided. “By the way, who’s going to clean up all these rose and petals?”

---------

Author’s Note Continued: Happy Birthday, Kanan! I believe this is the first time I’ve written a birthday chapter for an LL girl who is not in one of my flagships. But the timing worked out, so here we are.

Guess I’ll go sleep first. It’s past midnight already after all.

“Good night, Dia, Mari.” Kanan stands to go to Mari’s bed; the bluenette happily accepted Mari’s suggestion to play Japan’s traditional game of kendama and also magnificently got the ball onto the wooden pointed part in one try. She then patiently and encouragingly waited for her girlfriends’ turn for success. She did not expect them to be an hour in and still be trying.

“Buu buu desu wa!” Mari pouts in Kanan’s direction while the bluenette reminds herself not to turn around to see Mari’s or Dia’s pout which will no doubt make her return to their sides.

“Kanan-san! You shouldn’t be sleeping until you teach us the secret to playing this!” Dia has her hands to her hips; demand in her voice and posture.

Kanan remains adamant as she climbs onto Mari’s queen-size bed and lies right in the middle. “I’ll be here waiting for you two~ Good night~”

They’ll get bored soon enough without me there or perhaps Mari will cheat and put the ball in, declaring hers and Dia’s success before joining me… Sleep entices all.

Kanan had it all sort out in her mind, things will settle down in the Ohara house and she will get to have a peaceful, proper sleepover with her girlfriends. Now all she has to do is wait.

“Kanan!”

“Kanan-san!”

Mari and Dia’s protests and whines were ineffective.

They exchanged looks with each other and the kendama in Dia’s hands before looking back to their girlfriend who retired to bed first. Their gaze stopping at the rise and fall of Kanan’s chest (Dia looked for two seconds and Mari stared for a good ten seconds), then to Kanan’s muscular arms, out in the open as she wore a sleeveless shirt, lying on the bed just waiting for someone to hold onto it (at least it seemed that way to Mari and Dia).  

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Dia?” Mari asks as a grin grew on her face.

Dia sighs to hide her growing blush and puts the kendama away. “I believe I’m thinking what you’re thinking, Mari-san…”

Mari’s grin explodes into a wide smile. “Then LET’S GO~”

Mari skips and climbs onto her bed swiftly, taking Kanan’s left arm into a tight embrace, nuzzling close to her girlfriend’s shoulder, making sure Kanan’s arm was snugly squeezed in between her breasts – if that woke Kanan and made her blush, it’s a win for Mari, else she’s just happy to have Kanan as close to her as possible, so it’s her win regardless.

..! Mari! Your breasts..! … Ah, fine. I expected this when I exposed my arms anyways.  

Dia was right behind Mari, not wanting to be left out, though she made a detour to switch the lights off before getting into bed, claiming Kanan’s right arm for herself. Though unlike Mari, Dia slept in a straight posture, so she simply laid her head on Kanan’s upper arm.  

Cramped arms in the morning is worth it for you two…

Kanan smiles as she moves her right arm so that it pulled and held Dia closer to her just as Mari was wiggling and snuggling closer to her on her left.

“Good night, Kanan…Dia…” Mari murmurs sleepily and blissfully.

Dia lets out an equally blissful breath of air when she felt Kanan hold her closer. “Good night, Mari-san… Kanan-san…”

And so the three of them slept a good night’s sleep, Dia and Mari in Kanan’s arms and Kanan holding them warm and close.

Author Notes

Yay~ Diananmari~! :D Is how I tend to call this ship. But well, Dia x Kanan x Mari. :D

I was wondering what kind of scene I could write for these three, and when I was looking at some fanart, I realized… It’s got to be hugs! *w* And then for some reason the image that popped into mind was Dia, Kanan and Mari sleeping together, each in Kanan’s arms~ XD So yep!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! XD

While it was true that the three of them had grown up together, they had lost track of each other back in high school when Mari spent her second and third years over seas in the United States before going to college in Italy. Dia also left to attend college in Tokyo, leaving Kanan alone in Numazu.

It had barely been a year since Mari tried to reestablish contact. She managed to convince Kanan to leave the dive shop in the capable hands of a cousin, move to Tokyo and open a new shop right on Odaiba Beach. However, she ended up spending much of her time driving Mari around and leaving the shop to her employees. Not that she minded this arrangement. She enjoyed the excuse to spend time with Mari, and if she was being completely honest, knowing the blonde’s habits behind the wheel, it let her worry less for her friend’s safety.

Driving was also a way for Kanan to feel like she was contributing to the household. Mari was obviously the primary bread winner, so Kanan liked to do things in return.

Mari had found a huge 3LDK penthouse apartment where she invited Kanan and Dia to live with her. However, thus far, only Kanan had accepted. Dia, unfortunately, had been less responsive to either of their efforts to reconnect. But there was a room was open for her to accept at any time.

“Ah, here we are.” Kanan spotted the slot and pulled in.

“Eh? The best parking is on the second level?” Mari sounded confused.

She really didn’t read the email… “Of course, this is where the skyway entrance is.” Kanan explained.

“Skyway? Booo… I wanna see the main entrance!”

At this Kanan laughed. “Alright, just let me message Dia-chan to tell her where to meet us.”

With that said, Kanan exited the vehicle and was about to open the door for Mari, when the blonde hopped out herself instead.

“<Let’s go!>” Mari cheered in English, offering a brilliant smile and pumping a fist into the air.

Kanan pulled out her phone as she followed her energetic friend toward the stairway.

Krakanan: Mari-chan wants to see the main entrance, so we’re heading there instead

KurosawaDia: Very well. See you two in a few minutes.

KurosawaDia: Umi-san will be joining me.

Krakanan: I figured as such

Krakanan: I look forward to meeting your new business partner

Krakanan: I’ve heard good things about the Sonoda Theater Group

Not expecting a response, Kanan returned her phone to her pocket and continued her way toward the front doors of the theater. She and Mari made their way across the street, around the corner and..

“Dia-cha~n!” Mari cried, running up the handful of steps between the sidewalk and the entry and all but tackle hugging the raven-haired woman at the top.

“Salutations, Mari-san.” Dia greeted. “Thank you for coming today. I look forward to introducing you to the cast and crew.”

“Always so formal, Dia-chan.” Mari pouted. “It’s been for~ever~ since we saw each other, you should be more excited.”

Something changed in Dia’s expression. Just for a second. Had Kanan blinked, she would have missed it. And she had no idea what to make of it.

“Anyway,” Dia said after a moment “please allow me to introduce you to my partner in this endeavor, Sonoda Umi.” She pulled an arm free of Mari’s embrace to indicate the blue-haired girl beside them.

“Thank you for your generous donation, Ohara-san.” Umi said with a bow.

“Ohara-san?” Mari repeated. “<No, no, no.> You can just call me Mari. Any friend of Dia-chan is a friend of mine, Umi-chan.”

Pink dusted Umi’s cheeks undoubtedly caused by the casual referral. “V-very well, Mari-san it is.”

“Anyway, what a lovely place you two have here.” Mari finally released Dia and stepped down a few stairs to get a better view of the façade above her. “But, Sonoda Kurosawa Theater? Really?”

“We decided it best to put Umi-san’s name first.” Dia explained. “Her family is more renowned here in Tokyo than my own.”

“No, that’s not it.” Mari dismissed. “I meant, why just your names? That’s so boring!”

“How do you mean?”

“You should call it something more exciting, like The Monster Mash!”

“That is a song, and a dance type.”

“Or how about Tales from the Cryptids?”

Dia sighed. “That’s just a play on the title of an old television show.”

“But I mean that’s what this whole place is about, right? Giving our kind a place to be what they are while excusing any slipups as movie magic?”

“Theater magic, but you’re not exactly wrong.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Umi spoke up “but should we really be discussing such things out in the open like this?”

“Oh, you worry too much, Umi-chan.” Mari waved her hand at the other woman.

“No, Umi-san has a point.” Dia conceded. “Let’s head inside, shall we?” She turned and motioned for the others to follow.

“Fine.” Mari crossed her arms before moving back up the steps. “But you guys hired that Yoshiko girl, right? I think we’ve all seen how her claims are reacted to by the general public.”

Kanan couldn’t help enjoying the show as she watched her friends behave pretty much the same as they did back in high school. They really hadn’t changed much… except for whatever that crack in Dia’s demeanor had meant. She decided she could explore that issue later and smiled to herself as she followed the others into the theater.

“<SHINY!!>” Mari proclaimed, throwing the front doors wide as she entered.

“Pigi!” A voice squealed as a head of red hair ducked below a nearby counter.

Ah, of course Dia-chan would bring Ruby-chan here with her. Kanan thought to herself. I wonder if that means Hanamaru-chan is around here somewhere as well.

“You can come out, Ruby.” Dia said, her tone softening immediately as she called her younger sister and moved toward where she was hiding. “It’s just Mari-san being her usual boisterous self.”

“Mari-chan?” Ruby poked her head up. Emerald eyes sparked with recognition. “Mari-chan! Kanan-chan!” She ran to greet the two excitedly.

As Mari happened to be closer, she greeted the blonde first with a warm embrace. However, she was quick to shift to Kanan to welcome her as well.

“Good to see you again, Ruby-chan.” Kanan said as they parted. “We’ll have to catch up sometime soon.”

“Mm.” Ruby agreed with a smile. “Are you two the reason for the meeting?”

“They are.” Dia confirmed. “I want everyone to meet some of our generous patrons. I believe we have the Nishikinos slated for tomorrow?” She turned to Umi who confirmed with a nod. “Anyway, speaking of the meeting, we should head to the stage now for it.” She was about to turn and resume walking when…

“One last thing, Dia-chan.” Kanan spoke up.

“Yes, Kanan-san?”

Kanan spread her arms wide. “Hagu.”

Dia flushed a little but smiled anyway and stepped into the embrace.

“It’s… good to see you again, Kanan-san.” Dia spoke quietly, surprising Kanan. “I’m sorry if I’ve been a little cold as of late.”

Then, all too soon, as far as Kanan was concerned, Dia pulled out of the hug and resumed leading the way through the theater to the stage. Upon arrival, Umi and Dia began their introduction of the theater’s patron, Mari.

It seemed Dia’s penchant for long drawn out speeches hadn’t changed. Kanan considered. And it seemed she had found a business partner with similar tastes.

Ah, there’s Hanamaru-chan. Kanan thought as she scanned the crowd gathered on stage. Next, she picked out Chika and You, remembering their faces from back in Numazu. She made a mental note to greet them all after the meeting.

She recognized Nico and Maki from pictures included in emails sent by Dia about the lead roles for their first production. A few other faces looked familiar from other pictures, but she couldn’t readily place their names.

Still, it was amusing to observe some of the body language of those gathered. There was a young woman with red hair both longer and darker than Ruby’s. She was giving nervous side glances to a shorter girl near her. That girl had some of her blue hair tied up in a bun with a black feather sticking out. Wait, was that the Yoshiko girl Mari had mentioned a few minutes ago?

Next was an ash blonde whose attention seemed focused on Umi. Then, there was another redhead with braided twin tails who looked quite friendly standing next to slightly taller woman whose aura was as cool as the dark blue of her hair. A bespectacled brunette was looking at Nico like a fan waiting for an autograph. A darker brunette with a lovely red ribbon in her hair next to another ash blonde sporting an uneven, though cute haircut. A short pink haired girl with a blank expression stood next to a taller blonde with a brilliant smile. Then a sleepy looking brunette, a raven-haired young woman giving off a fiery aura, another with the tips of her dark twin-tails dyed green and a redhead with a stylish bun surrounded by a braid.

Quite the crew. Kanan found herself wondering what each might be.

“Food’s here, nya!” A voice cried from somewhere in the auditorium before an orange-haired blur scampered down the aisle. “Where do you wanna set up, Umi-chan?” A young woman asked, not seeming to care that Dia was still talking.

“Rin.” Umi scolded. “You’re early.”

“Better than late, right? Oh! Kayo-chin is here!” Rin scampered over to the brunette with glasses.

“R-Rin-chan...” Kayo-chin? said as Rin rubbed their cheeks together. That must be a nickname.

Kanan wondered if the nya had been indicative of her actually being a cat or just a verbal tic. Based on her running speed, Kanan suspected the former, though both wouldn’t surprise her.

“Special delivery!” Another voice rang out.

“Honoka, you’re…” Umi started.

“Ooo, what did you guys order for us?” Mari interrupted.

“We got lots of stuff!” Rin announced proudly. “But I gotta set up the tables and such for Honoka-chan to put things on.”

“Do you need help carrying anything?” The braided redhead spoke up.

“Sure! Lemme show ya, nya!” Rin sped back up the aisle.

“Emma-san…” Umi sighed as the redhead followed.

“It’s alright.” Dia said. “We’ve already lost Mari-san.” She turned back to her staff. “It seems the meeting is adjourned. Please be sure to thank Mari-san for sponsoring this meal, brought to us by Kousaka Catering.”

“I thought she didn’t know what was ordered?” Umi raised an eyebrow.

“I placed the order. Mari paid the bill.”

“I see.”

“There’s plenty of food!” Mari announced loudly. “Don’t hold back! Eat all you want! Take some home if you want. I don’t want to see anything left.”

As Kanan headed up the aisle to see what else needed to be carried in, she mused about the appetites of those she knew. If those were any indications of the others, she wondered just how much had been ordered. She figured it would probably fill an entire…

Box truck.

Sure enough, parked haphazardly on the sidewalk, emblazoned with Kousaka Catering on the side, sat a box truck. And it indeed appeared to be completely packed.

She spotted Emma carrying several catering boxes, stacked past her head.

“The breadsticks are buono!” The young woman said as she passed.

Part of Kanan wanted to break out her other arms in an attempt to carry even more boxes, but as there was no shortage of witnesses on the public street, she settled for a similarly sized stack as Emma. Perhaps some other time. No more than three steps later, and Rin was already slipping past her, carrying only half as many boxes, but speeding along at probably thrice Kanan’s pace.

Again, Kanan found herself wondering what all everyone was. She knew Mari would want to stop by the theater on a regular basis, so perhaps over the next week or so, she could find out.

----------

The distinctive thwupping of helicopter blades caught the girls’ attention.

“Ah, looks like she decided to bypass any possible traffic.” Kanan commented.

Sure enough, Dia quickly spotted Mari’s distinctive purple and white helicopter approaching them. And she braced herself for the swirling winds that would soon engulf her.

“Ciao!” Mari’s voice somehow managed to pierce the thunder of the blades. “<So sorry! I’m late!>” She swapped to English in her apology. “Anyway, come! Come! There’s something I want to show you!” She beckoned her friends to join her.

Dia and Kanan climbed aboard and donned headsets.

“So, what’s the plan?” Kanan asked as the helicopter lifted off.

“È una sorpresa!” Mari replied.

Dia was about to chastise the use of Italian when she realized she had actually understood that Mari wanted it to be a surprise. Her thoughts turned to what overly expensive treats Mari was likely going to feed her friends in the penthouse suite of the Ohara’s Numazu hotel. However, that idea was quashed as she realized they were not flying in the direction of the hotel. Where…?

She got her answer a few minutes later.

“Why are we at the airport?” She asked.

“È. Una. Sorpresa!” Mari reiterated.

“Did you buy a plane?” Kanan asked.

“Mohhh… Kanan!” Mari whined, earning laughter in return.

Another private jet? Dia wondered as she removed her headset and disembarked the helicopter.

“Still, it’s not just any plane.” Mari said, leading her friends to a nearby hanger. She punched in a code, which caused the main door to start opening. She then started to bounce excitedly as she waited for it to roll up completely. “Behold!” She finally said, making a grand gesture to the vehicle within. “Volare!”

The plane in question was not a jet as Dia had suspected. Rather, it was a small, single engine prop plane, which did indeed surprise her. What was not a surprise was that it had been painted purple and white.

“Wait.” She noticed large letters emblazoned on the tail. “You named this plane Volare?”

“Sì!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Kanan questioned.

“Isn’t that like naming a boat Float?” Dia insisted.

“Galleggiante?”

“That’s not…”

“<No. No.>” Mari waggled her finger. “Dia should know that the first boat Mari buys will be named Boaty McBoatface.”

“I… what?”

Kanan laughed heartily. “There’s an old memory. No surprise you’re holding to it though, Mari.”

Dia sighed. “Anyway, where is the pilot?”

“Qui!” Mari pointed to herself.

“Did you get a pilot license?” Kanan smiled.

“Sì!”

“That’s awesome!”

Mari turned to Dia expectantly.

“That is actually impressive.” Dia admitted honestly.

Mari grinned.

“So where are we flying?” Kanan asked.

“I have a driver in Nagoya who will take us to a restaurant for dinner.” Mari explained. “Then on the way back, I’ll fly us along the coast so we can see the fireworks from the festivals in Hamatsu, Shizuoka and eventually back here in Numazu.”

“That sounds lovely.” Dia admitted.

“I know right?” Mari bounced again excitedly. “It’s a new way for us enjoy our sky together.”

That earned smiles from both Dia and Kanan.

“Now come help me roll Volare over to the fuel pump so we can get going.”

“Right.” Dia and Kanan agreed, nearly in unison.

---------

Author's Note Continued: Volare -> Italian for "fly" -> Melody Air, obviously... But... Setsuna already owns a plane. She named it te Chaser of Blue Skies. Mia built a plane and named it Sùdù, Chinese for "speed." Most of the women have pilot's licenses. Who would name a plane Volare...

Mari. Mari would name a plane Volare. And she even has Italian lineage to fall back on as an excuse. But the Sunshine girls aren't in MA. Hrm...

Thus, I decided to write a side story for my YohaRiko fic, Happy Life. And I hadn't written my Sunshine third year trio yet for this year's Promptober, so this made for a good excuse. I do so very much love writing Dia having to deal with Mari's antics, and Kanan getting to watch the show.

As Dia scanned the room, her eyes fell on the alarm clock on the nightstand. And realized the display was off. Had Mari unplugged it for some reason? Dia was just about to climb over her troublemaking girlfriend to check when a beam of light came from the bedroom door.

“Ah, you’re awake.” Kanan said, moving toward the bed, using her phone to light the way. “Or at least one of you is. Ne, Mari.” She knelt on the mattress and shook the blonde’s shoulder. “Wake up.”

“Mmm… I thought Kanan said she was gonna wake us up with kisses…” Mari muttered.

“The hotel has lost power.”

“Mm?”

“I thought this place had a generator?” Dia thought aloud.

“We do…” Mari sat up, her tone serious, but her body still groggy as she wobbled a little. She grabbed her phone, unlocked it, and checked a few things. “<It’s broke.>” she said in English.

Dia furrowed her brow. “Mari, this isn’t a joke, think about the guests.”

“She said it’s broken.” Kanan pointed out.

Oh. Dia realized her misunderstanding and felt heat rise in her cheeks. Thankfully, it was probably dark enough that her girlfriends didn’t see. At least neither teased her about it.

“I’ll just send maintenance out to fix it.” Mari said.

“You’re going to make them brave this weather?” Dia asked, incredulously.

“<It’s joke!>”

Dia closed her eyes and took a slow breath.

“They’re already out there.” Mari explained. “I didn’t need to ask. But I did just promise them a hazard pay bonus.”

“You’ve got some good employees.” Kanan commented.

“The best!” Mari smiled and set her phone back down. “They estimate it will be back online in about an hour. And in the meantime, since I can’t make breakfast yet, Kanan can’t go for her jog, and Dia can’t rush off to work, I know of something we can do to pass the time.”

Kanan hummed in approval.

“What did you have in mi…” Dia cut off as a hand landed on each of her shoulders and guided her down to the mattress. Oh…

---------

The only reason Mari was not thrown through the shattered windows at the front of the bridge was the fact that her mech’s feet were magnetically clamped to the floor.

She gritted her teeth and continued to hold the throttle and the Shiny Racer pushed the cruiser into the carrier next to it.

That should do it. Hopefully.

Mari raised her weapon and fired into the roof, then deactivated her mech’s magnets. Finally, as a tear slid down her cheek, she pressed one last button.

There was no countdown. The Shiny Racer’s engines exploded.

Mari’s mech punched up through the weakened spot in the roof as more explosions chained up the body of the ship. The first shockwaves began to buffet Mari's armor the mech held itself aloft.

Then, the first explosion rocked the cruiser. Their munitions room had obviously been damaged, which was why an inferno was now blasting toward Mari.

Time seemed to slow for a moment as she watched. However, she was unable to even complete a sigh of resignation before it was upon her.

---------

"...ri?"

Mari's eyes snapped open.

"Oh thank the gods, she's alright."

"Kanan?" Mari blinked to clear her view.

Sure enough, her wife was leaning over her with a relieved expression.

"I'll give you three a moment." The medical officer said before departing.

"Three?" Mari muttered.

"I’m here as well." Mari heard the voice of Dia, her other wife, come through a nearby speaker.

It looked like Mari was in the medical bay of the Delphinus, Kanan’s submarine. But… how?

“When I heard about how the battle was going, I came as fast as I could.” Kanan explained, answering Mari’s silent question.

“But this was a contract with the URS, not the Empire.”

“I don’t care.”

Mari smiled as Kanan casually dismissed having likely broken protocol by not waiting for orders.

“And my mercs?”

“They’re fine. They’re aboard the USS Nijigasaki, enroute to the Bomberhead’s HQ.”

Mari made a mental note to thank Secretary Takasaki when next they spoke.

“What were you thinking, Mari?” Dia’t tone became stern. “This isn’t a game of chess. We don’t need to be sacrificing pieces.”

“It was just a ship.” Mari replied. “And I took out two of theirs, so it was a trade in our favor.”

“I wasn’t talking about the ship. And you know it.”

“We lose personnel every battle.” Mari stated solemnly. “I am just as prepared to give my life for our world as they are.”

As neither Dia nor Kanan responded, Mari continued.

“But you’re right, Dia. This isn’t chess. Chess is a zero-sum game. But we’re the only ones working with those rules while our opponents seem to have nigh infinite resources. We need to make sure everything we do hurts them more than it does us.”

“I would say that’s still a point in Dia’s favor.” Kanan finally spoke. “You can’t make any more moves once you’re off the board.”

“Fine, you two win.” Mari relented. “I’ll try not to sacrifice myself again. But,” her tone became more lighthearted, “having done so, I think I’ve earned myself a break. Why don’t the three of us spend a nice week together? Tsubasa or Sarah can take any contracts that come in while I’m gone.”

“I… could burn some PTO.” Dia said.

“Alright, I’ll set a course back to the home islands.” Kanan said.

---------

Author's Note Continued: My initial thought for this scene was to have Dia comment that Mari was playing 4D chess and have the battle actually be in some sort of training. I was back and forth between the training being a simulation and live, and leaning toward the latter as I was a little amused by the idea of Mari sacrificing an entire ship to gain an advantage in training. Dia would be upset about the money wasted and Mari would point out that if the Paragon won, money wouldn't matter.