To Thaw a Lost Heart

Guilt over Betrayal

After confronting the contradiction of the sudden turn of events, Tirpitz finds herself sitting near the beach enjoying the view of shore. It's the perfect weather to enjoy a peaceful afternoon with no one around and only the calming waves brushing at the shore.

"Victorious, what you cooked the other day...." Tirpitz grunts
"Ahahaha. I might have gotten carried away" Victorious scratches her cheeks
"Just one spoon and I've been out cold for the next two days" Tirpitz crosses her arms
"I tried to experiment a spicy and sweet soup!"
"No wonder I felt burning in my mouth and the sweetness tainted my tongue"

Tirpitz could only cover her mouth as she freshly recalls the exact reaction that flooded her senses. Even now, she furrows her eyebrows in disgust and even appears about to hurl just remembering it.

"Neumark said I almost had a heart attack" Tirpitz removes her hand from her mouth
"I apologized already! I just tried to make something new you would like" Victorious playfully hits her
"You don't have to go all that trouble. I'd eat any normal food you'd cook" Tirpitz sighs
"Hehehe. That's my Tirpy!"
"Don't call me that. It sounds childish....." Tirpitz averts her gaze
"I'm glad you appreciate my cooking skills"
"I just trust your cooking. Neumark tried to make herbal soup for me once. It tasted so bitter I couldn't taste anything for the next three days" Tirpitz closes her eyes
"I already imagined your reaction"

Victorious blinks before giggling at the mere thought. This slightly annoys Tirpitz, but she sneaks a smile when Victorious isn't looking. It's only rare for her to express warm emotions and still find it difficult to do it in front of someone she trusts knowing Victorious would bother and tease her about it.

"Still, I'm glad you stopped being a such a socially awkward drama queen" Victorious clears her throat
"Am I that much?"
"Of course! You'd act so stubborn that I resorted to dragging you myself. If you weren't used to the cold, I would thrown you in a frozen lake!" Victorious lifts both arms up in the air
"....and I'd probably drag you too"
"I'd catch a cold!"
"Loud and persistent ones can't catch any"
"Wha-! When did you learn to answer back?"

Playfully upset at Tirpitz's unexpected remark, Victorious grabs her cape and weakly shakes the unmoving Tirpitz. All she's doing is wrinkling Tirpitz's cape and providing her an afternoon amusement.

......
......
......

"How can you put so much faith in her? That you'd do everything to keep her happy"

The scenario dissipates and Tirpitz ends up in a stretching land of nothing but snow a few dried trees on their surroundings. The "ghost" in Tirpitz's mind drags her in that world and even asks without even facing her the slightest.

"You peered in an old memory of mine" Tirpitz sighs
"........"
"Even if my emotions are just a memory now, I haven't forgotten anything. That's why I'm letting her do what makes her happy" Tirpitz wuickly answers the question
"You care about her even if you can't return the warmth she shared with you" The doppelganger turns to face her
"I just can't seem to leave her be. That's why I stayed by her side when she dragged me out of that prison like how she once declared she would remind me of warmth"
"......"

Tirpitz speaks with full certainty that she doesn't avert her doppelganger's gaze even when those eyes are that of someone who wouldn't hesitate to cut someone down. There's indeed no doubt which puzzles and intrigues the doppelganger at the same time, causing the one minute silence.

"You trust her with all your life. Haven't you thought you would come to regret that?"
"....No, I wouldn't"
"How can you be so sure?"
"I made the choice to trust her"
"I thought you lost your emotions, not your common sense"