The adventures of the young engineer and Prinz Eugen Volume 2.

No. 7 Chapter 12

The young engineer stood up from his place and felt the effects of what he had consumed over the last couple of hours and the toll they demanded now. He could not remember how many glasses of Cognac he had downed but he knew it was a bit too much. Midnight had passed quite a while ago and the young engineer was ready to find some rest. But he could not leave without Prinz Eugen. At least he felt obligated to find her and inform her that he was going to leave. Walking through the etablissement he searched for the cruiser at every table, earning himself the odd greeting and new years wish. He found the cruiser in the company of Atago and another woman he thought he had seen before. Before he was able to join the table the third person had left Atago and Prinz Eugen. "There you are. Happy new year, comrade." Prinz Eugen greeted the young engineer with a tipsy smile and reddened cheeks. "A happy new year indeed." Atago agreed and stood up from her chair, stretching her arms out to hug the young engineer. The latter stepped away the second the arms of the sakuran cruiser reached for him. "No hugs for sister Atogo?" The cruiser asked disappointed. "I guess you want to head back to the hotel right?" Prinz Eugen asked and brought their attention to her. "Indeed. All I wanted to do was tell you that I will be heading back now." He confirmed her question. "Alright. I will see you there." Prinz Eugen agreed and dismissed the young engineer. The latter turned back to Atago. "I wish you continued fun and we will see each other later today I imagine." He said his goodbyes to the Takao class cruiser. "We will for sure." Atago promised and tried to hug the young engineer again. The young engineer on the other hand avoided her by already starting his walk out of the building.

Putting on his scarf and coat he stepped outside into the falling snow. The cold on his face was refreshing and with a sort of new vigor he made his way towards the hotel to find some rest before he would travel back to the sakuran naval base to fix Prinz Eugens rudder.
The young engineer's journey through the empty streets of the city was uneventful and left him the time and opportunity to think about the information he had obtained from Amagi. They once again added to the impression the young engineer had gained and complimented the idea that the Shipgirls were so much more than just their physical form and their purpose for which they were designed. No longer just machines designed for a purpose. It was all information he basically already knew, but seemed to struggle to actually accept.
Soon after he arrived at the Hotel he fell into the comforting cushions of his hotel room bed and into the comfort of his dreams which turned his rampant running thoughts into the stuff of dreams which he lived through.

The young engineer was awoken by a set of knocks on his door. Looking at his watch he realized that it was nearly half past five in the morning. He had barely slept an hour and someone had woken him up. Groggy and annoyed he stood up and shuffled over to the door while putting his dress shirt and pants on. Having closed half the buttons up, he opened the door. "Yes?" He asked, displeased. In front of his door stood Prinz Eugen. "Hey." She greeted him and pushed the door open, that the young engineer had only partially opened. She walked in and sat down on the rim of his bed. "Sorry for barging in. But I thought I really need to talk to you." She slightly slurred. Not amused by what was happening and how Prinz Eugen behaved, the young engineer was not in the mood to talk. "I doubt that is a good time. We both are tired and intoxicated." He declined. "Exactly. Liquid courage is what we need to properly talk. To be honest I promised you not to lie and I don't want to." She admitted. "What do you mean by that?" He asked surprised. "Well. I was not really truthful earlier. I did not just wear your ring openly because I forgot about it. I showed it off to Hood and during the evening when you snapped. The reason why was because I wanted you to flip out and lose your temper." She explained. "Why would you want that?" He asked surprised. "To be fair when you got the invitation to be an advisor to the Iris Libre, I was tasked by the naval Intelligence officer to make your efforts fail under every circumstance. Otherwise they would have trialled you for treason and aiding the enemy after your return. The naval intelligence service and especially the intelligence service of the interior seem to see you as a liability. They and I guessed that the Iris Libre would use you for their purposes. I just thought by discrediting you further and by making you lose your temper in front of everyone I would be able to make you quit, while showing your true association and loyalty to me and in extension the Ironblood through me. The fact that Hood fell for it seems to be proof enough." She explained. The young engineer leaned against a wall and took in deep breaths. He could not decide if the nausea he felt was alcohol induced or came from what he had just heard. "At the same time I knew what the ring meant to you and what it meant wearing it the way I did. I wanted to reassure you that I stood by your side." She added. "I had no idea that things would go that way that evening." She admitted while leaning back onto the young engineer's bed. The latter took some moments to digest what he had just heard. His alcohol fogged brain, lack of sleep and headache did not help in the slightest in that regard. He walked over to the bathroom and took a sip from a glass of water he had prepared for the next morning there. "So you mean to tell me you decided to make me fail and pick a fight with you to protect me?" He asked. "You know how stupid that sounds?" He asked her again while emptying the rest of the glass down into his gullet. "If I wouldn't know how messed up the intelligence services are, I would not even consider believing you." He added while walking back into the bedroom. "But I guess that what had happened between me and the Iris Libre helped you in retaining Vichiya." He stated. Waiting for an answer he became suspicious by the long pause and lack of answers from Prinz Eugen. Looking at the cruiser he realized that she had fallen asleep. "I suppose that adds another point in case that even Shipgirls can overindulge in alcohol." He stated with sarcasm in his voice. "Now I have Gangut and you as proof for that."
He struggled with himself for a bit and hesitated before he carefully grabbed the ankles of the cruiser and placed her legs on the bed as well before tugging Prinz Eugen in. "I suppose even the strongest giants are peaceful in their sleep." He murmured to himself before grabbing a big spa towel for use as a blanket to make his return to sleep on a cushioned seating bench more comfortable. Entering the land of dreams again the young engineer's imagination ran wild once more with many thoughts and wild ideas mixed with the disorientation the alcohol in his body caused..