Lost at Sea and in Another World

A Fool's Setup

The white side and black side of the chess board, all perfectly in place in the typical checkered wooden board. Two players keenly stare at their own pieces and anxiety builds up anticipating what the other wild counter. Taking the black side is Arbiter III: Empress while Welt takes white side.....or at least her autonomous puppet being the player.

"Toying with Iron Blood now, Aurelius?" Empress scoffs in amusement
"Not exactly. This is just a preemptive bargain with Bismarck. Every moment happening is as she sets to be"

Aurelius grabs the head of one of the eliminated black pawns and flips it upside down. Even in her usual mood, the inhuman puppet with golden draconic eyes, sharply gazes at the unhappy Siren.

"Bismarck META is still alive. To think she would persist even after all this time. She's much weaker than before because she refused to kill her own sister....." Aurelius sways the chess piece
"Wasn't that because of your own interference? Victorious wasn't even supposed to die. In fact, that girl kept the mad Tyrant in check" Empress moves a black pawn forward
"Oh, right. It would have ended rather differently. Unfortunately, the sea lizard you despise so much has another ending in mind"
"Huh?"
"Let's not dive into that right now. Eugen is going to fulfill her role.....whether she likes it or not"
"You really are using Iron Blood as your own chessboard. No, they're all pawns you can sacrifice"
"Aside from Enterprise, Welt doesn't care about anyone. Is that what you're saying?"

Aurelius leans back, losing her usual calm and relaxed tone once Enterprise is mentioned. The atmosphere grows slightly tense, most of the tension stemming from the puppet perfectly mimicking a human.

"Enterprise is another matter. Right now, Bismarck is at the center stage. Tyrant is just making a rather.....spectacular show"
"Hmph. You stirred the events and ensured those two sisters would be at each other's throats" Arbiter IX: Hermit appears behind Aurelius
"Not to mention you sent Victorious to her death on purpose" Arbiter XIII: Strength is also right behind Aurelius
"Well, I won the bet and that's all that matters. You thought Bismarck would actually put down Tirpitz"

Even with three Arbiters around her, Aurelius lifts a purposely smug expression just to strike Empress' nerves. The puppet twitches the side of her lips and emits a pure arrogance gaze.

"There's also the matter of harming the commander and wait how quickly Akagi would retaliate" Aurelius snaps her fingers
"That's asking for a death wish. Akagi will rip you apart!" Hermit stomps her foot
"Perhaps playing with the Northern Parliament is better. To have so-called comrades slit each other's throats and Rossiya couldn't do anything about it"
"The schemes Sirens create are for a long-term purpose, but you're toying with humans on a whim. Pure sadism as they say" Strength frankly comments
"This has a purpose too. Of course, that's a story for another day" Aurelius gently puts down the chess piece
"So what's this bet with Bismarck exactly?"

Empress slightly leans forward while Aurelius picks up another pawn and toys with it between her fingers. The focus is to learn the true motive, but the puppet herself is barely interested.

"On the surface, it's nothing particular. Welt has her eyes on Iron Blood as of the moment and I'm simply ensuring it flows smoothly. You should take this matter directly to her" The focuses on the pawn between her fingers
"That doesn't really answer anything....." Arbiter VIII: Strength rolls her eyes
"There's no need for an answer right now. My attention is to how Tyrant ends this charade" Aurelius briefly turns around

The two Arbiters look at each other then back at the humanoid puppet, somewhat confused at how she acts laid-back while her task remains unfinished.

"Whether Tyrant lives or dies doesn't really matter. I just need a sample from her. That way, even if she dies, I can use her again when I need it" Aurelius causally explains
"Hmph. Your actions are really on a whim"