Azur Lane: The Shadows Of The Past

Prologue: A Real Doozy

"It's all on us! Just enjoy yourselves!" Two voices call out. Somewhere in the home of the Sakura Empire a group of girls have found themselves in an eatery, having the time of their lives. Among them are Commander Bismarck and Tirpitz, enjoying some well needed sisterly time together.

"Who knew?" Bismarck chuckles as she and Tirpitz clink glasses. "I haven't even tried half of the huge supply of sake that they have."

"This is nothing like the beer that we have back at home." Tirpitz laughs. Meanwhile Eugen and Wales are challenging each other to various games with Zed egging them on.

"Come on! You're German! Surely you can beat her!" Zed laughs as she drinks her own cup.

"I will not lose to the likes of you!" Eugen says confidently.

"Huh, try me, I can hold my drink just as well as you can." Wales chuckles. "Better keep an eye open later on in the night if you lose."

"Like I will." Eugen chuckles back as the two stare each other down. While that's happening Zuikaku and Shoukaku chat with Enterprise and Yorktown about life over their own cups of sake, occasionally stealing glances at the competition that the princes are engaged in.

"It's crazy to think about it." Enterprise chuckles. "Never did we think we would become permanent residents in Germany."

"Well, regional affairs can do that to you." Zuikaku replies. "The Royal Navy has not been heard from since their clone of Jack blew their base to the high heavens and back, but even then Bismarck didn't want to risk the Royal Navy girls becoming test subjects if they came back."

"It literally all started falling apart when Jack died." Yorktown says. "I was absolutely shocked when I heard about it."

"We were too." Shoukaku adds. "We might have seen him as an enemy back then, but we held great respect for him."

"I guess everything quieted down after Jack's reputation as a powerful commander went global." Enterprise says. "And how he decimated most of the Siren fleets that had been pestering everyone." She adds as she takes a long swig.

"That's what I'd like to think too grey gho-I mean Enterprise." Zuikaku says, quickly correcting herself. Eventually Bismarck and Tirpitz join them in talking about life over sake while stealing glances at the princes, and Hood and Georgie are having their own talk over their cups.

"Those two are going to be absolutely hammered the next morning... Drinking that much like that?" Hood says, looking over at Zed who's cheering them on.

"Well, we can only hope that they recover quickly." Georgie chuckles. "Not that we haven't gone through quite a bit ourselves."

"Shut up." Hood giggles. "Are you telling me I can't hold my drink?"

"Oh no don't you dare start with this Hood." Georgie giggles back.

"Whoever said I was?" Hood asks as she looks at the bottle of sake.