The Typist and her Client
"I'm here for a Kan-sen? One 'KMS Leipzig' if you please." Köln would inquire with the nurse behind the desk as she reaches into her breast pocket for an ID and gave it to the nurse.
"Name and nature of your visit? And what would be your relation to the patient?" The nurse would ask with practiced ease and a careful smile as she looks through her logbook for a Leipzig.
"Köln of the Azur Lane Postal Service Division. I'm here as a Typist hired by Miss Leipzig." After writing what she said in the log book, the nurse would then close the book and nod at the Ironblood.
"Oh yes, I remember now. Miss Leipzig told us to expect you. You'll find her room on the women's ward on the second floor, number 207 on the door." The nurse pointed towards the elevators of the building before handing her a card as a temporary ID while she was in the hospital.
"Thank you." Köln would say simply as she takes the card. Picking up her case from the floor, Köln would then head for the second floor of the building, finding the door of her client easily.
With a tentative knock on the door, the cruiser would announce her presence, waiting for an answer to come from the other side of the door.
"Come in..." A quiet and demure voice would call out. Taking it as her sign, Köln would open the door just enough for her to slip through and enter.
On the other side of the portal would be her client, Bubblegum pink eyes, which looked tired and seems to not have gotten a good rest in quite a while, framed by short, slightly unkempt blonde hair. Her skin was incredibly pale, as if she was a victim of some vampire, as if she had been drained of all her blood.
She wore a hospital gown up to where Köln could see, the rest of her being covered by a blanket. Other than her complexion she looked fine, though another look revealed that her arms, up to just above her elbow, were covered tightly in thick bandages.
Leipzig would smile upon seeing Köln and would beckon her in with her head.
"You must be the Typist the postal service sent." Her voice, barely above a whisper and oh so tired, would state as she would try and sit up better on her bed.
Köln nods as she puts down the case she carried onto a nearby empty table, opening it to reveal a typewriter inside before standing straight and bowing politely. "Typist Köln, representing Azur Lane Postal, at your service. I'll be the one to put your words on to paper for today."
"Nice to meet you miss Köln. Please make yourself comfortable." Leipzig would smile and nod as the other woman sat down and readied her typewriter.
Leipzig would fidget in her bed as Köln readied her equipment. Something which didn't go unnoticed by the typist.
"Are you nervous?" Köln would ask with a careful tone, lavender eyes looking through spectacles at faded, tired pink.
"Ah- huh? Oh um... yes, I guess I am. It's been a while since I've had anyone but the nurse come into my room..." Köln would nod in understanding before stretching her arms, and putting her hands on the keys.
"I see then. For whom is this letter for?" She asked, looking back at Leipzig calmly something the sick Kan-sen appreciated as it made her calmer in turn.
"It's for my sister Nürnberg. She's currently in the frontlines in the north." Köln nods again, typing the name down.
"And what would you like to say to her?" The typist would look at her client just as the latter took a deep breath, bandaged hands coming out from under her blanket and positioning themselves on top of one another. The gauze around them was thick, enough to completely cover her entire forearm and hands twice over. Köln couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her.
"I..." Leipzig would start, and for the next 2 hours, she would pour her heart out, her thoughts, her worries, her shame. How she wishes for her sister's safety, how the doctors aren't optimistic about her condition, and she wished to still be with Nürnberg, fighting with her.
By the end, Leipzig would have tears staining her cheeks, and her frame trembled as she tried to control her sobbing. This didn't help improve her already miserable look.
Köln had managed to keep her composure, she's seen her fair share of this scenario as a Typist for Azur lane, but this was the first time she felt an incredible urge to comfort her.
She stood up and went next to Leipzig's bed, putting a hand on the sobbing girl's back in an effort to comfort her. Leipzig, with the little strength she could muster, would lean into Köln as she calmed down.
"Sorry... sorry that was uncalled for," Leipzig whispers as she pulls away from Köln after a few minutes. The typist would shake her head before slowly stepping away from Leipzig and back to her typewriter.
"It's fine. I'm used to it. Is that all you would like me to write about?" Leipzig would nod slowly as she tries to wipe her tears with her bandaged arm.
After organizing the papers, Köln would take her handkerchief out of her breast pocket and come over to Leipzig's side, offering help to wipe the waterworks. With Leipzig's permission, the typist would help her client straighten herself out.
"Sorry... Sorry, you had to sit through all of that and write so much... you even had to help me stop crying." Leipzig would mention when her eyes land on the stack of papers next to the typewriter. Köln would once again state that it was part of the job and that she doesn't mind.
As Köln wipes the tears away, her eyes couldn't help but wander down to the bandaged arms of her client. The thick layer of gauze would hide any indication of damage or story behind it.
Leipzig meanwhile would notice the typist's curiosity and would smile sadly. "A siren naval mine... Got hit and lost all function in my hands. Doctors would have had to amputate them if it weren't for me being Kan-sen..."
"I-... I'm sorry I didn't mean to stare..." Leipzig simply smiles, staying silent as she lets herself look at Köln's features, something which made the latter's heart beat slightly faster.
"I-I'll make sure to have your letter delivered to Nürnberg. And should she write a reply, I'll be sure to deliver it to you as soon as possible." Köln cleared her throat as she leaves Leipzig's side again and back to her typewriter, closing the lid and putting her client's letters away in a separate bag.
"You're going now?" Leipzig asked dejectedly, smile slowly fading as Köln packed her equipment.
"Erm... Yes. I need to make sure I get this to the post office before closing time." She wasn't lying, it was fairly late and she'd have to hurry to make sure these letters got to Nürnberg as quickly as possible.
"Can you... come and visit me again? If you have free time? I-If not then maybe I can hire you again...?" Leipzig's tone was lonely, desperate for companionship, and it made the Typist freeze in place.
Köln looks back behind her, seeing the tired and dejected look start to form on Leipzig's features once more. With a sigh, she would pull out a card and hand it to the bedridden cruiser.
"It's my personal calling card. If you ever need my services specifically again... that'll be how you reach me." Köln thought this was unreasonable. She isn't supposed to just be doing this with clients, yet something in her compelled her to do so.
"Promise me you'll be back?" Leipzig inquired, earning a slow nod from the typist.
"You know how to reach me..." with a click, her equipment was packed and ready to go. With a somber wave, Leipzig saw her go out of the room, once more being left to the empty loneliness of the ward.
"How was the visit?" The same nurse from before would ask as she handed Köln her ID.
"It was... productive..." Köln mumbled as she pockets the card, "In fact, I'd like to come and visit again next week if you don't mind."
"As her typist again?"
"No... as a friend this time."