It's been a while since I updated this story. This one will be a short one as half of the reason was to give an update. There hasn't been much activity on my end— story-wise and that's because I'm currently busy with multiple life things. Work and other responsibilities have taken me away from writing and lately, I've been feeling detached from the Azur Lane series—the majority being the mobile game itself. I've put it down for a while and the game has been my source of inspiration which allowed me to create some of the stories I've written. I'm trying to finish up Twin Seas, but after that, I might try expanding to other fandoms. There are a few more stories I want to tell like a Yorktown story, and more Edinburgh and Seydlitz. I have drafts for those stories, too, but I can't say when those will be revealed. They will be after Twin Seas for I at least want to finish up that one. Please enjoy this short story that I wrote a while back and didn't want it to go to waste.
Summary: For this story, all the characters are in chibi form like how you see them when they are in the shared exp dorm in the mobile game.
[Bullying Enterprise]
The Commander's dorm. A place where a select few can rest and grow stronger. Only six can enter at the same time which means that the possibilities for mishaps and trouble are always high.
The dorm room had the appearance of an interior resembling that of a beach house. Wooden flooring and blue walls were the main key point of this room. Aside from a low melodious tone that played from a jukebox near the door, the calming sounds of rushing waves were also present.
Six shipgirls made this room their home for the day and they were all different in their own way. The smallest one, Unicorn, was sleeping soundly on a sofa chair near a window. She was curled up like a lazy cat without a care in the world. The warm rays of the sun bathed her body from head to toe, granting her a much-needed rest after undertaking both sorties and action-packed adventures. Upon her head was a pair of headphones, providing her with her favorite music that took her far-far away into a pleasant dream. Above her head, small green experience numbers appeared before fading away.
The next shipgirl, Cleveland, tinkered away with a giant film camera in hand. It was like one you would find in a movie set with a stand and all. Her grin shined brighter than the rays that bathed Unicorn as she was eager to get plenty of use out of her new hobby. She angled it toward the sleeping Unicorn and that was when U-chan jumped in front of her lens.
She jumped back in fright and wondered why Unicorn's companion looked so defensive. Like a guard dog, U-chan jumped into the sofa with the sleeping Unicorn and snuggled its body close to the small light carrier girl. Upon this action, Unicorn unconsciously shifted her arms and brought U-Chan in for a hug.
Cleveland couldn't help but weaken upon seeing such loving bonds those two shared and her confusion melted.
"I don't think that walking stuffed animal is fond of Unicorn being filmed without her consent," said another girl that approached Cleveland.
Cleveland gazed at the other girl that turned out to be Ayanami. The Sakura destroyer spoke with a deadpan delivery but opposite to her tone, she gyrated her hips against a hula-hoop that she had with her.
Cleveland sighed and scratched the back of her head innocently. "Yeah, I think you might have a point. She just looked too adorable sleeping there."
Across from the room, Prinz Eugen and Belfast were idly chatting with their knees folded underneath them as they sipped from their drinks near a low-standing table.
Belfast blew her tea gently and her eyes gazed past Eugen who was drinking a mocha iced coffee.
The silver-haired Iron Blood stared back at her after vacuuming some of the whipped topping that overflowed from her drink and immediately knew who she was staring at. "Why don't you stop burning holes into her and just go over there already? The most sensible thing in this situation is to force her into a small chat."
Belfast jolted from her long stare and quickly sipped her tea to hide her face. She recovered from Eugen's declaration and drew her attention toward the Iron Blood. "What are you talking about?"
Eugen smirked softly. Despite the maid having a good poker face, she tended to lose that ability when a certain Eagle Union was around. "Hmph, it's not every day that Enterprise herself is put on dorm relaxation like the rest of us. Everyone knows she gets her fair share of battle experience and then some." She let a pout slip after letting that last comment out.
"Yes... that is true," said Belfast with a cautious look toward the Eagle Union carrier.
Enterprise had taken a corner of the room for herself and was on a wooden stool while reading a book. She looked deeply engrossed in its contents and her body hardly moved except for her fingers turning the next page.
Belfast sighed miserably. If it was anyone else, she would have already made the first move but there was something about the ace of the Eagle Union that made her endlessly second guess her first impression that she tirelessly replayed in her mind.
Eugen indulged in her iced drink before getting back to the head maid of the Royal Navy. "Oh, you're still here.? My... you really are that smitten with her."
Belfast clicked her tongue in disbelief that she would have gone over there so readily after the heavy cruiser provided a bit of encouragement. Still, she couldn't deny the statement that indeed held some truth. "Miss Eugen. Are you seriously going to tell me that you are not? She is a silent warrior that never reaches out to anyone except the Commander. What are her dislikes and likes? What drives her? What kind of person is she? All of that is a mystery to all of us. Seeing her in an environment that isn't battle is like... seeing a mythical Unicorn in the wild."
Eugen comedically lowered her eyes in pensiveness and then raised her iced coffee while she nudged her head toward the sleeping Unicorn.
"No, not that kind of Unicorn," wearily said the light cruiser.
The heavy cruiser gave a hotly laugh that caught both Cleveland and Ayanami's attention. However, Enterprise remained deeply focused on her reading material.
Eugen slammed her drink on the table, giving Belfast a jolt. "First rule is to stop putting her on this golden pedestal you seem so fixated on. She's just like anyone of us at the end of the day."
"Say what?" Cleveland's response forced the attention of both shipgirls toward her. The Eagle Union light cruiser approached them with a smirk and a playful head shake. "Enterprise is the embodiment of cool. She's sharp and always thinking ahead of the game."
"I would have to agree as well," said the Sakura destroyer who continued to keep her hula hoop from dropping.
"Miss Ayanami?" Said Belfast, curious as to what her opinions were.
With her flat tone of voice, she spoke. "With a few exceptions to some in the Sakura Empire, I've only ever seen studious Dragon Empery shipgirls read that type of book." She pointed at the red hardcover book and its golden letters were finally made visible when Enterprise shifted the book slightly to turn the page. The name revealed itself as the Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Eugen grumbled and raised her eyebrow. "And...? What does a book on tactics written by some ancient even have to insinuate?"
Ayanami made a disapproving face. "It means that Enterprise is eager to learn and that she even accepts the teachings of those outside the Eagle Union. She's not above reading how others approach war."
"Yeah yeah yeah—know thy enemy and all that. Both Hipper and Bismarck have tried to get me to read that but jokes on them I read the spark notes." She proudly stood by herself with her delusions of that being a worthy alternative as her only companion. The others merely lowered their eyes at her in shame.
"So wonderful!" Remarked the head maid. Her eyes sparkled equivalent to how her sister would gaze upon gold ingots. In her defense, and much to the offended ire of Edinburgh, Belfast could say that Enterprise was more valuable than gold.
Eugen's face was tinted with shades of blue and grew sour at her friend's tastes. "Ugh, how is that cool? Miss Belfast, you wanted to know why I'm not smitten by her like you or the others? It's because that's all she is, a walking battlefield with no type of personality. She might as well be a machine. This is her first time in the commander's dorm room where she can eat, drink, sleep, and cut loose and still get battle experience yet she wastes this opportunity by reading about how to improve as a fighter?"
All the others ended up seeing her point but none of them said anything as they felt conflicted.
Eugen didn't relent and focused her full tone on Belfast since the others grew complacent toward her opinion. "That's sad if you ask me. Sure, she's strong, but at the price of herself being her own person. If you find that interesting then just go talk to her. Maybe you'll get her out from reading that tiresome book."
Belfast finished her tea and stood up, surprising both Ayanami and Cleveland. "Then maybe it's my duty to pull her out of that mindset. Thank you, my friend. Your berating has been very enlightening." She bowed gracefully.
Belfast walked toward the shipgirl known as the Grey Ghost, all the while, the three other shipgirls stared at her in their own way. Even Eugen was interested in where this would go as she hadn't thought the light cruiser would have gained such a resolve.
Enterprise had a hand on her chin as if truly taking every single word in the book to heart. A shadow loomed over her and she tensed when she looked upward from her book. The tension had been a reasonable response to her and it didn't ease once she saw who it was. An awkward situation presented itself before the Eagle Union and Royal Navy yet Enterprise made no sound to defuse the awkwardness nor did she smile to ease it into a transition.
Belfast already brought up her maidly front and bowed at the carrier who continued to stare at her with caution.
For Enterprise, she was still determining if she was a friend, foe… or god forbid… rival. The loud whining sounds of a lone crane could be heard in the distance.
"Forgive me, Miss Enterprise. We haven't formally met but my name is Belfast, head maid of the Royal Navy. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance on this sunny and calm day.
"Hey..." That was all the carrier said. She brought her book closer to her and adamantly tried to focus back on it, giving the maid the cold shoulder worth a thousand blizzards.
The others saw this and immediately face-palmed their foreheads.
"Are you kidding me? Enterprise really doesn't like to socialize then," sighed Cleveland. She had her own ideas of one day approaching the carrier to strike up a conversation. Sadly, this attempt from the royal inspired no confidence.
"She sure cut all future conversation with that move of hers. She really does give off such an immovable wall of distance," said Ayanami.
"Pfft, I would have knocked that book off her hands if she gave me the 'go away I'm busy treatment,'" said Eugen.
Back to Belfast, the light cruiser dejectedly lowered her eyes yet agreed to try again to break through this recluse of a woman. "Pardon me, Miss Enterprise. Are you perhaps parched? My... um... friend and I are enjoying wonderful beverages over by the table. There's plenty of room for you to join us."
Enterprise darted her violet eyes toward the table and saw the other shipgirls merely staring back at her. Feeling like they would be rude if they didn't acknowledge her looking their way, they all politely waved, except for Eugen, who waved with a laid-back approach coupled with a flat face of empty emotions.
Enterprise made a sound of discomfort and continued to keep her book closer to her chest as if thinking the maid would snatch it all of a sudden.
While Belfast had thought of that method to get the carrier's attention, she didn't feel like it was the right call to take that chance as they hardly knew each other.
Enterprise quietly hunkered down with her book and gave off the body language that said, "Go away, I don't want to be your friend."
Eugen had enough and downed her remaining iced coffee before walking over to the two. "Hey, Grey Ghost." She took her place next to Belfast who suddenly felt even smaller from the presence of the Iron Blood. The maid knew she had failed in swaying the situation in her favor and now her friend would be taking the wheel. And Eugen had a tendency of driving dangerously.
Enterprise glared at her, finally reaching a point of immense annoyance because the Iron Blood had approached her. "Why can't you both let me read in peace?" She finally spoke her peace.
Belfast widened her eyes and grew despondent at the carrier's rational yet sad desire.
Eugen didn't let that phase her and cross her arms. "Pfft, I got nothing against someone shoving their nose into a book but you don't have to be so rude to this lonely maid that yearns to get to know you."
The realization caused the carrier to blush silently and comfortably clutch her book.
Belfast was of the same mind as she covered her face with her hands before adamantly focusing her attention on Eugen. "Why do you have to say it like that? I'm not lonely, Miss Eugen!"
A loud racket suddenly resounded from the room. The three shipgirls darted their gaze to see a storm of disorder ensue from Unicorn's companion. The small animal-like plushy upheaved everything around it with the force of ten bulls in a stampede. Furniture and other assortment flung around the room all the while Unicorn remained soundly sleeping with her headphones in place.
While the conversation had been going on, Ayanami ended up playing with U-Chan with her hula hoop as she used it as a ring for U-Chan to pass through. The amazing and adorable performance was enough to send Cleveland overboard and she made it her mission to record it all.
U-Chan had caught wind of being recorded and quickly ran around the room to avoid the camera. Through all its jumps and dashes, U-Chan ended up in the corner and colliding with Enterprise's book. Most likely, U-Chan was drawn to the bright red hardcover.
Enterprise let out a yelp as her book came tumbling down. In its free fall, Belfast and Eugen were left awestruck when a smaller book slid out from behind the red hardcover book. There were now two books on the floor and Enterprise grew incredibly pale. She made a desperate dash for the smaller book but Eugen snatched it and held it up to the light.
"What's this?" She said as the dust-filled commotion in the background continued, with Cleveland and Ayanami trying to catch the wild U-chan. She turned the book to see the title and Belfast couldn't help but join her in her bewilderment. All the while, Eugen was holding back a frantic Enterprise with her other hand pushing against the forehead of the carrier who stretched her arms to retrieve her mysterious book with little success.
Belfast didn't mean to read it out loud but it was one of those things that happened. "Cooking for dummies...?" She said with a head tilt.
Enterprise lost all urgency and slumped her arms down with a shadow covering her eyes.
Eugen smiled softly along with a giggle. "Oh wow. It's one of those self-help books for people who are so destitute in their life."
Enterprise dreadfully shivered and the shadow under her eyes had not ceased. She looked like one who had seen the most bazaar of the paranormal and lived to tell the tale.
Belfast was about to say something, anything to help the situation, but the carrier turned tail and ran out of the room in a mad dash. "Miss Enterprise!" The maid pivoted sharply toward Eugen who innocently cocked her head toward the maid.
"Whaat? Maybe now she'll open up since we know a bit about what kind of person she is under that Grey Ghost exterior. Here's a thought, go console her. You've been waiting for a moment like this, haven't you?" She said with a cheeky tone.
Belfast grumbled under her breath unable to argue back with the heavy cruiser. She then took that advice and sprinted out of the room.
The end
[Aside- only meant for the audience] Enterprise is setting in a chair with a white void as a background explaining to the audience why she had a book inside another book. "I have an image that I need to uphold," she states in a tired and humble tone.
The white void in the background suddenly rips open to reveal Belfast. "There you are, Miss Enterprise."
The eagle carrier quickly falls over her chair but then transitions into a roll that lets her make a clean escape.
"Miss Enterprise—wait! I could give you a few tips on cooking!"
As clean as the escape was to avoid her heart from further embarrassment, the carrier left her hat behind in the white void.