Chapter 8: A Bit of Azure Insanity

"If I'd known this would be my fate by setting off those explosives...well I'd have still done it but I probably would have raised an eyebrow or three. How did this happen?"

"Ooh, ooh! And this was the concert we performed in Virginia during 1944, that was the third biggest turnout we had ever seen~! Aww, you should have been there, Alexander! You would have loved it!"

"Indeed. You've mentioned being particular to our rock style of music, the crowd wished for us to play Sky High Bird as an encore and if I do say so myself it was our best performance to date."

Saratoga practically shoved a collection of photos and news clippings into the male Siren's face as Lexington looked on with a smile, his eyes blinking rapidly as the two idols were emblazoned front-and-center on the stage, a roaring crowd present and visible as they sang their hearts out.

"Yeah...that would have been a sight to see."

"I know right? Hey, do you think we could use some of the technology on this ship for our next big single?! I bet it has allllll sorts of incredible sound equipment hanging around, right?"

The male shifted his weight, quickly folding underneath the pleading gaze of the Eagle Union carrier as he weakly protested, "I don't know if there's anything specifically meant for that kind of work and I can't leave this room for the moment-"

"No worries, Alex. I'm pretty good at building and taking apart things, I can help em' out if you point us in the right direction."

Essex's cheerful comment only caused Saratoga to act bolder than before, placing her hands on his knees before staring up at him with watery eyes and a quivery lip, Alexander spotting both Lexington, Prinz Eugen and Belfast smirking at his conundrum as he fought down the urge to grimace.

"Aren't you all supposed to be staying here and keeping an eye on me? Isn't wandering off to rip my ship apart looking for bigger and better bass kinda spitting in the face of that?"

"As if that is what is truly bothering you, Herr Stattlich."

Eugen's amused tone coincided with a pointed look at Saratoga practically crawling into his lap, placing a single dainty finger on her lip as she hesitantly asked, "If you say yes, maybe I'll even give you a...kiss on the cheek?"

Feeling an eye twitch he had no control over decorate his features the young man forced himself to meet the gaze of Saratoga directly...and was briefly thrown by the earnest desire in her expression.

He promptly remembered that she and Lexington hadn't had time to actually host any sort of concert or show in years, what had just been teasing suddenly taking on a far more meaningful tinge.

He sighed and threw his hands up in the air, exclaiming, "All right, fine! I'll have a drone swing by and show you to where most of the intercom stuff is, just stop giving me the puppy dog eyes, okay?"

Instantly all smiles and enthusiasm Saratoga pumped a fist into the air, shouting, "Whoohoo~! Super Idol Saratoga is about to hit the stage! C'mon, Lexy, Exxy! We've got a sound system to build! And as for that reward~..."

Before the Siren could react the energetic shipgirl had again used his knee as a springboard, placing a quick peck on his cheek before playfully grinning.

"Better than an autograph, right~?"

"Err...yes."

The pink-haired girl was already skipping towards the door, Essex and Lexington following close behind as the coat-wearing woman gave a friendly wave of parting, the older sister of the idol duo offering a small but heartfelt smile...followed closely by a very saucy wink as the door shut closed behind them, the metallic whirring of an approaching messenger drone already there to show them the way.

...The room was silent for a few moments.

"Teenage me would no doubt want to punch current me in the face after that particular interaction."

"Goodness, one simple kiss on the cheek and you are but putty in our little idol's grasp. Were I to dance for you would you not also begin eating out of the palm of my hand?"

"Not with that attitude I wouldn't."

The snarky reply slipped out before he could stop it, the young man tensing as he wasn't sure how it would be received-

-and was left sighing in relief as Prinz merely laughed, a deep and melodious tone as she crossed her smooth legs with a movement that was a bit too deliberate to be innocent, half-lidded gaze and coy smile adorning her lovely features.

"And here I believed you lacked steel outside of combat scenarios, Herr Alexander...I do believe I enjoy this side of you~."

Feeling a brief bit of awkwardness and embarrassment at the flirtatious words Curtis turned his attention back to the display he had been reviewing, Warspite - who was faithfully standing by his flank and had been for the past two days with practically no reprieve - facing the Ironblood as she sharply stated, "If you could keep your more blase comments to yourself that would be much appreciated, Ironblood."

"Oh hoh, is the great and indomitable Warspite finally feeling the beginnings of maidenly affection and possession? And here I believed that nothing ever could and never would thaw that steely and cool heart of yours…"

"T-that is neither here nor there, Eugen!"

Tuning out the familiar argument between the pair he instead glanced towards Belfast as the Royal Navy maid deposited a cup of tea onto the table he was working on, demurely stating, "A bit of refreshment, master Alexander."

"Oh, thank you."

Eagerly taking a sip of the beverage he sighed in contentment, smiling at the soothing taste of lemon balm tea as he gave the shipgirl an appreciative look.

"How on earth do you always make it taste so good? And you really don't need to keep on with the whole 'master' part, I'm sure your loyalty will always remain with the queen and that's fine."

Placing a gloved finger over her lips in a playful gesture the maid responded, "The method of tea blending shall forever have to remain the secret of the Royal Navy maids, I'm afraid. And you need not worry yourself over the moniker of 'master', master. Her majesty herself instructed that I am to aid and serve you in any and all capacity so that you may devote yourself fully to increasing our chances of winning this war."

Taking another pleasurable sip of the blend Alexander remarked, "Any and all capacity sounds pretty broad of a description, don't suppose there were any specifics provided?"

"Oh there was little need to specify, the order is as broad as it sounds. Why, were you to suffer from a lack of physical intimacy then I would be all too willing to aid you in finding release."

Choking on the sip of tea he'd been having Alexander gaped at the calmly attentive maid, sputtering, "W-what kind of messed up order is that?! You're not some glorified stress relief tool, Belfast."

The maid placed a palm on her cheek, averting her gaze and shyly replying, "Oh, you profess a lack of affection towards me? To be considered unsightly by a man is a humbling situation."

Alexander narrowed his eyes at the words-

-and blinked, sighing before stating, "You're messing with me, aren't you?"

Belfast lost the shyness, simply nodding with faint amusement as she explained, "Quite. Although that very reaction merely proves that her majesty judged your character accurately, that you would not abuse such a privilege."

Her expression became solemn and earnest as she continued with, "I desire nothing more than to see my queen and sisters given a future beyond a losing war, master Alexander...and to that end I would be willing to go to far further extents than merely laying with a man."

A pretty and honest smile tilted her lips ever so slightly upwards.

"And an honest boy such as yourself seems astronomically unlikely to treat me as a simple toy to slake his lust with. I imagine such a night would end with me having to take charge more often than not~!"

Taking another sip of the tea to hide his mortification at the statement Alexander muttered, "Using that as an excuse to have sex with someone as beautiful and kind as you seems like cheating, Belfast."

"Such kind words...are you perhaps hoping to woo rather than order me to your bedside?"

Sighing in defeat the young man was spared further mortification as a clang of steel echoed throughout the room, his eyes quickly snapping towards where Warspite and Prinz Eugen had manifested their rigging, staring the other down in a clear attempt to assert dominance as Alexander resisted the urge to again sigh, instead muttering, "Rigging, non-lethal restraint, please."

[Complying.]

The ever-present jellyfish monstrosity snapped its more gelatinous feelers outwards...and two feminine yelps escaped the girls as their ankles were bound together, flipped upside down to hang helplessly in the air.

Also causing their clothing to fall upwards, Warspite's midnight underwear and Eugen's tight-fitting bodysuit highlighting their more intimate areas in a way that was more than flattering as Alexander looked away, quickly ordering, "Rigging, in the future restrain individuals in a way that doesn't reveal or further unclothe, err...reproductive areas?"

[Complying with new directives.]

The tentacles quickly adjusted their hold so that both shipgirls were now hanging overhead with their arms pinned to their sides, encircled by one of the odd appendages each in such a way that their busts - even Warspite's more modest assets - stood out rather noticeably.

"I just can't seem to win, can I? Oh great, they're both giving me the LOOK."

"Sorry, but I didn't want the room destroyed by you two getting into it. Rigging, release them."

Both Shipgirls primly landed on their feet, Warspite frowning heavily in his direction as she complained, "Was such a blatantly disrespectful and perverted action necessary?"

"In my defense I had absolutely no idea that's what was going to happen."

"A likely story, Herr Tier...so boldly restraining ladies such as ourselves, I never would have thought of you as the type…"

Now fully exasperated beyond measure Alexander complained, "Is teasing and seduction through teasing a natural thing for shipgirls or am I merely an easy target?"

"Not all of us are that way...nor should we be."

The cold, inflectionless words cut through the mock indignation and levity that had seized the room, all eyes flicking towards Kawakaze as she stood off to the side with the barest hints of genuine irritation coloring her expression.

The group wordlessly calmed down and returned to their previous activities, a tender silence permeating the air.

"I guess not everyone has handled things by being a goofball or flirt."

Flicking another glance towards the now placid Sakura destroyer Alexander couldn't help but frown. She was easily one of the prettiest girls he'd ever laid eyes on, with shockingly bright aqua eyes and silver hair, a dash of exoticism added by the black and grey fox ears and tail she sported...but it was a beauty that seemed downright tragic, as she was cold, distant and completely emotionless.

He bit back a sigh, focusing on his work.

The past few days he'd consigned himself to a relatively out of the way part of his vessel, hidden away from the various mechanics, researchers and Bulins swarming over the ship and learning every scrap of technical know how he could surreptitiously deliver to them, or just blatantly tell Akashi when she dropped by.

No doubt partly to keep an eye on him as well as prevent him from going stir crazy being cooped up in such a small space the Commander, Nagato and Elizabeth had assigned him both a fixed and rotating 'guard' of shipgirls, the permanent fixtures being both Warspite, Belfast, Prinz Eugen and Kawakaze while the rest came and went as they pleased or were assigned.

He'd spent most of that time compiling everything he knew about the technology now whirling around inside his brain into the simplicity of a high school level education - his, surprise surprise - and was now doling it out to the various Azur Lane branches and staff who were under the impression that it was just info readily available in the ship's computers and other storage mediums.

No doubt the Commander would want to speak to him any day now about what their plans moving forward would be...as well as the true nature of the war between Sirens and humanity.

A glance around the room at the gathered shipgirls sent another kernel of doubt wriggling into his skull.

How would they take the news of their inevitable fate, of what awaited them in the future should they win? They had already sacrificed so much…

"Alexander?"

"Hmm?"

He glanced to the side to find Warspite's face even with his despite being seated, the battleship swiftly leaning back before clearing her throat, carefully remarking, "You seemed...distressed, about something. May we be of assistance? That is why we are here, after all."

...Had he been that obvious? Or was it a result of something else informing her inquiry, another strange outcome of that connection they had shared not more than a few days ago? Even all of the collective knowledge of the Sirens hadn't been able to explain why he somehow instinctively knew what Warspite was doing or thinking, what she was feeling or processing.

And if her attentiveness was any indication that street went two ways...which was actually kind of a scary thought, considering he had a lot more to hide than her.

"It's nothing, just finishing up the report to the Commander on what this ship can do and ways to use the technology aboard it."

While the battleship didn't seem to buy his excuse all that much Prinz distracted her by suddenly asking, "Have you not thought of a name yet? Simply calling it 'ship' and 'vessel' is hardly inspiring."

"Well...huh. You think I should?"

"Obviously! What, were you planning on legitimately calling it by nothing for the rest of time?"

"...Maybe?"

In all honesty Alexander had been doing exactly that for a reason. By pretending it was just a distant ship he was hitching a ride on he could pretend that he wasn't truly a Siren, connected to one of their vessels with no hope of ever being free. What Eugen was suggesting was tantamount to acknowledging that fact, that he could never go home again.

"But do I really have a choice? And who am I kidding, this changed state of mine is never going to go away...for better or for worse I'm stuck like this until the end of this crazed experiment. Or I die. One or the other."

"Well if it bothers you that much then why not help me pick one? You're going to be the ones calling it out all the time, might as well be a title you like."

The shipgirls blinked...and it was both Warspite and Eugen, predictably, that were eager to lend their voices to the process, Belfast also seeming mildly involved while Kawakaze remained stoic and unmoved from where she stood at attention in a corner of the room.

"Hmm, such a gigantic vessel must be appropriately named as such...what about beasts of old? Leviathan, Behemoth, Kraken?"

"Those are rote names, Ironblood. Perhaps something along the lines of Camelot? Great Welsh? Avalon?"

"You complain to me about rote titles and you lift straight from Arturian legend? Come now, Warspite, a little self-awareness never hurt anyone."

Quickly interceding before yet another argument could break out Alexander turned to Belfast, asking, "Any thoughts from you, Belfast? You seemed like you wanted to participate, right?"

The maid tilted her head, demurely smiling as she distantly commented, "I believe I shall wait and see what the others think of."

Briefly thrown off by her noncommittal reply Alexander switched gears to Kawakaze, fighting back a brief moment of nervousness at the austere shipgirl's chilly demeanor as he said, "Well, Kawakaze? You're a part of this too, have any names you can think of?"

The shipgirl blinked, obviously caught off guard by the request before instantly returning to a state of disinterest, remarking, "You have no real need of my aid. And a name is just a simple moniker that holds no real importance...pick what you wish."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, asking, "And the word, 'Kawakaze' means nothing, carries no weight? I don't believe you."

For a moment annoyance flashed across the features of the Sakura destroyer before she was once again sporting a placid expression, responding, "That was poorly worded. Believe what you wish."

"What I believe is that I would like for you to come and try to think of a proper name with us."

Prinz smirked, stating, "Will you protest against a direct order, little fox?"

Keeping her cool Kawakaze approached, deciding not to make a big deal of the whole situation now that she'd been roped into it as she primly seated herself on one of the chairs he had grown from the floor, back ramrod straight.

"Back to the matter at hand, what about old knight orders? Does Stalhritter sound preferable?"

"That name clearly favors Ironblood origins, it sends a bad message to our now combined forces, Eugen."

Raising an immaculate eyebrow at Warspite the Ironblood archly responded, "And names such as Camelot don't?"

"So that makes your titles acceptable, then?"

This time not bothering to hide his sigh of exhaustion as the two shipgirls began to go at each other yet again Alexander turned to face Kawakaze, inquiring, "While they're busy working out their differences do you maybe have any ideas?"

The almost ethereal aqua of Kawakaze's eyes bored into Alexander's own bright gold, the shipgirl and male Siren entering into a silent contest of wills...that he eventually won, the Sakura destroyer shrugging before blandly responding, "Bakunawa."

All eyes turned to the Sakura, her gaze rapidly flicking between them before she bluntly asked, "What? That is a name you requested."

"Well, yes, but it's not a Sakura sounding one, that's all. I don't recognize it from any Royal Navy faction, that is for certain."

Warspite's question caused Kawakaze to shrug in indifference, responding, "It was from one of the many island chains the Sakura invaded under Kaga and Akagi's orders. Before the unification."

Seeing the collection of gazes still resting upon her the destroyer sighed, elaborating with, "It is a sea serpent that precedes eclipses, storms and other disasters. It also acts as a sort of calendar, marking changes to the current age."

She now appeared the slightest bit defensive as the group continued to stare.

"I believed it fitting."

"...You know, I kinda actually like that. Technically originates from the Eagle Union where I was born but the islands were always a separate providence so there's no real favoritism going on…"

Warspite and Prinz also agreed, slowly nodding as the Royal Navy shipgirl stated, "It carries within a certain level of pride and class."

"And the connotations of being in relation to a mythical monster of old is nothing to scoff at."

Alexander smiled, nodding, "Bakunawa. Yeah, I think I wouldn't mind that. Good choice, Kawakaze."

Prinz chuckled, telling the destroyer, "Less than ten sentences and you have already suitably impressed our little secret? You work fast, sister."

"Indeed, it would behoove you to be more vocal with your thoughts, Kawakaze."

For a second the destroyer blinked at them in what was obvious surprise...and while it was as quick as the blink of an eye her ears twitched, tail briefly wagging before she hid behind the impassive expression she'd worn since Alexander had first laid eyes on her, blandly responding, "You're welcome," without actually meaning it.

While he would have preferred to see her lose the doll-like attitude she carried Alexander decided that brief glimpse of emotion and life was enough for the moment, instead turning and asking, "What about you, Belfast? You've been pretty quiet and...Belfast?"

The other three shipgirls also turned to see what had caused the male to sound so confused, only to feel their eyes widen as the Royal Navy cruiser swayed dangerously on her feet, eyes dazed and unfocused before she listed to the side, Alexander quickly having his Rigging catch her as he bewilderedly asked, "What's wrong with her?"

Prinz and Warspite instantly took a closer look at their fellow shipgirl, the Rigging announcing, [Likely cause of sudden weakness is mental and physical fatigue. Recommended treatment of 'light cruiser' class 'shipgirl' is a hearty meal of at least 4000 calories and four hours of REM sleep.]

"What the machine said, our sister does not seem to be in immediate danger."

At that utterance Prinz sighed, running a hand through her silver mane and suddenly looking a fair deal exhausted herself.

"Honestly, Fräulein Bel...the Grey Ghost will be most upset if she were to hear of this."

"Never mind her majesty, Belfast! What were you hoping to achieve by driving yourself to such a state?"

The maid blearily blinked, offering a slight smile at the other shipgirl's concerned gazes even as she attempted to stand, responding, "It has been a rather rough few days, sisters. And a maid's duty is ever constant, sleep can come later."

Alexander crossed his arms, offering an unimpressed look as he remarked, "If what Rigging is telling me is any indication you haven't slept in almost a week. I get that you shipgirls are tough as hell but that seems a little...extreme."

He glanced around the room, focusing mostly on Eugen and Kawakaze.

"Are you two going to collapse on me as well? No offense, Prinz, but you look in dire need of rest. And I'm not familiar with your schedule yet, Kawakaze, but you better not be operating on as little downtime as these two seem to be."

The destroyer tonelessly responded, "I take fifteen minute naps roughly once a day."

"Roughly?"

[Shipgirl classification Kawakaze is also exhibiting early onset signs of sleep deprivation. Higher blood pressure, immunity weakness and micro-displays of uneven balance outside of shipgirl norms detected.]

The Sakura sent the floating contraption a dull glare as Alexander huffed out an aggravated sigh, turning to Warspite before wryly asking, "And you?"

Quickly snapping to attention the battleship swiftly replied, "I'm perfectly fine, milord. I must have spent a great deal of time resting when being repaired."

The lithe shipgirl's expression twitched at the sudden usage of the royal title, Curtis electing to ignore it for the moment in favor of a glance sent at the Rigging, the mechanical being remaining silent on the matter.

"Well at least one of you isn't about to pass out. Rigging, create bedding for the three of them, please."

The shipgirls blinked, Kawakaze neutrally asking, "Bedding?"

"Well duh. You're all in desperate need of rest but have orders to watch over me, yet I need to remain incognito for now. Thus you can all sleep in here without issue, right?"

The sole Ironblood raised an eyebrow, hesitantly stating, "Yes, well...hmm…"

"Something wrong? You can rest in your own quarters or ship if you want to, I'm not about to report this."

Eugen shook her head, silvery strands flowing as she offered the towering male a disarmingly genuine smile.

"No, it is just that you really are a big schnuckiputzi, aren't you?"

He rolled his eyes, the Rigging disgorging thin blankets made of highly effective insulating material while the gelatinous material of its tentacles made for excellent mattresses and pillows.

"Of all the various uses for Siren technology out there that exist instant bedding wasn't one of the ones I expected."

Alexander shrugged at Warspite's words, the battleship helping a weakly protesting Belfast into the impromptu pad as Eugen wordlessly retrieved her own supplies.

Kawakaze merely stared at him, the young man hesitating for a moment before reluctantly deciding his next action was for the best.

"Kawakaze, this is a direct order...rest. I want you to be healthy, not slowly wearing yourself out."

There was yet again the briefest twitches from her ears and tail, the destroyer eventually offering a sharp nod of acknowledgement.

"Understood."

Without further complaint the Sakura shipgirl spread out her bedding, kicked off her boots and laid on her side facing a wall without so much as a 'good night'.

Not that he'd really been expecting one.

Turning his attention back to Prinz Eugen he was about to ask if she had everything she needed-

-and swiftly averted his gaze, the sight of the Ironblood divesting herself of her clothing and boots prompting him to weakly ask, "Should I go outside?"

"Oh~? Do I excite you so?"

The teasing tone suggested that he wasn't in trouble, Alexander returning his gaze to the shipgirl as she stood without shame in front of him, the young man feeling a bit of heat crawl up his neck at the sight.

Clad only in her backless leotard of midnight coloration, silvery locks let loose from their twintails the woman cut a very striking figure as she smirked, coyly asking, "Are you perhaps a jungfrau?"

Finding his center Alexander cooly responded, "Not even close. Believe it or not the end of the world as well as plenty of work on the docks makes a guy's chances of getting laid pretty good."

He had to break off from meeting Eugen's eyes as she arched an eyebrow in a manner that was somehow more suggestive than any striptease could hope to be.

"...None of them were as striking as you, granted. Or any of your sisters."

"You were actually flirting quite nicely until you brought up my fellow sisters, Alexander-eh?!"

A surprised yelp left the Ironblood as Warspite suddenly swept her feet out from beneath her, the silverette landing hard on her bedding as the battleship pouted fiercely at the two of them.

"If you are quite done attempting to seduce his majesty then do as ordered and sleep, Ironblood."

"Hmph. You just want 'his majesty' all to yourself, don't you?"

Warspite didn't dignify that with a response, just sticking her nose up as Eugen nonetheless situated herself on the mattress, shutting her eyes and settling down for a badly needed sleep session.

In just a few seconds the room was filled only with the sound of quiet breathing and occasional rustle of blankets, Warspite and Alexander retreating to a corner of the room as both resumed their previous tasks, the shipgirl keeping a general eye out for trouble while the male went over reports and submittals...albeit his mind was far and away from the administrative work.

"Why were they all so exhausted? Yes, they're on a constant and stressful schedule of perpetual conflict with an implacable enemy breathing down their necks but the simple reality of ocean combat means there would have been plenty of opportunities to rest and recuperate...which means they deliberately avoided falling asleep."

The young man grimaced at the prospect of such a thought, remembering the Commander's list of mental and physical issues that had begun plaguing the shipgirls as the conflict dragged on.

"There's got to be something I can do…"

"Your majesty?"

Not realizing Warspite had been close enough to hear his barely audible whisper Alexander shook his head, quietly replying, "It's nothing, Warspite. And I thought you hated the idea of calling me 'your majesty'. What changed?"

Wincing at the sudden inquiry the battleship heaved a soft sigh, responding, "During the last battle the...connection between us allowed me to more clearly see who you are, as well as what you hoped to accomplish."

Looking as if she was swallowing a lemon the shipgirl concluded with, "While you will never be as important as my queen...I believe you intend nothing but the best for us and humanity as a whole, despite the influence of the Sirens upon your mind."

Pink dusted her pale skin, eyes averted as she mumbled, "And...and your faith in me was quite pleasant. It's only appropriate that I match it in kind."

Touched at her words - and entirely unsure of how to respond - Alexander simply settled for a nod, glancing towards the resting shipgirls only to frown as he noticed Belfast seeming...restless. Shifting and turning slightly beneath the sheets, as if wishing to engage in activity despite logic saying that's the exact opposite of what she should be engaged in.

Warspite also seemed ill at ease with the image, muttering, "Bloody hell, Bel...can you not resist the urge to serve others for at least a period of a few minutes?"

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

While the battleship seemed like she had the beginnings of an idea it was cut short as she suddenly stiffened, turning to meet the taller man's gaze as she stated, "The Commander wishes to speak with you, he says he's ready and that the command deck has been cleared of Azure Lane personnel for now."

Sighing at the lousy timing Alexander made to leave...and felt his lips quirk in a brief smile.

"Hey, Warspite. Belfast is pretty good friends with Enterprise, right?"

A wry expression crossed the battleship's features.

"Many have speculated if their relationship does not run deeper, but yes, they are. Why?"

The male Siren nodded, sending a message to one of his drones before motioning for Warspite to follow him, the Royal Navy shipgirl hesitating only briefly as she glanced over her shoulder at her sister's sleeping forms.

"Don't worry, Rigging will keep a close eye on them and has a message saved if they wake up while we're gone...and I've already hired a babysitter."

"...Very well, your majesty."

Offering a wry smile at her words he motioned with his arm to the silently opened door.

"After you, milady."