Awaiting Your Return (Azur Lane)

Overworked

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HMS Prince of Wales P.O.V

Through the cracks in the clouds above the sun's rays shone down upon the ocean surface ahead of us. From the comfort of my bridge, I watched as the fleet sailed onward in hopes of finally opening up the shipping lanes between North America and Oceania.

The water laid calm while the wind had sat still for most of our journey allowing the travel to hold a relaxed atmosphere. Yet of course that didn't mean our heads weren't kept on a swivel. 

With the Commonwealth ships due to return home soon, we decided to give them a gift to sail back with, all we had to do was clear out some stubborn Sirens. 

After the sinking of the Monarchy destroyer the girls of Azur Lane were fueled with vengeance, and it would be a lie if I were to deny my own small form of feelings. As a result, our outdated tactics were reorganized and new task forces had been created to combat the growing threat. 

Failure was no longer an option for this problem, and as a result to reduce that risk, we amassed a large fleet to strike the Sirens without any remorse, combining the majority of task forces and including heavier firepower such as myself for support. The issue had gone on long enough, and the shipping lanes needed to be opened. 

Each nation of Azur Lane represented itself within this fleet by providing several ships, not only that but the Sydney Commonwealth fleet in its entirety had followed us in our plan. 

Surrounding the heavier ships the destroyers scanned the waves in search of any unwanted attention during our trip while the carriers scouted the waters ahead. For those like me though, there wasn't much we could do but sit and wait. 

"Don't go wasting your emotion, lay all your love on me. . ." I sang along with the lyrics to the music I had playing in the background while humming along to the rest before I brought the teacup to my lips and blew lightly before taking a sip. 

About a year ago I would have never seen myself listening to this type of music, up until then my idea of music was merely classical instrumentals. Yet having been around William for long enough continuously exposed me to the music he listened to religiously. At the time I would come to think of it as odd and foreign, but with consistent exposure I found they had grown on me as I came to enjoy the songs with passion the same as he did, so much so that I ordered my own records from the mainland after his incident.

It wasn't just the love for the music however, listening to it I had come to find out makes me feel like he's still with me, laughing, chatting, planning. . . criticizing Her Majesty.

A smile rose upon my lips as I continued to hum along to the song. That man was one of a kind I had never come across before, and the more I thought about it, there really was no denying why I'd fallen for him so. 

"Hmm" I released a light sigh and changed my direction of thought. To think of him any further would surely begin to run me down that rabbit hole filled with sorrow once more. One thing we couldn't afford along this journey was clouded judgment. Now was a time to keep my mind clear for the engagement before us, no matter how often the thought of him was present.