Commander's Rounds

Entry 56: Reconcile

The commander was outside to check on the Orpheus. The repairs were going well, as Purifier's million-dollar shot had only wrecked the engines and nothing else, so that was the only part that needed replacing.

The other reason, of course, was that it was a lovely day, and those were not something best spent stuffed in an office.

However, making himself available to the outside world meant that he was now fully exposed to the kinds of matters of the port that occupied his time as the commander of the base, and these didn't always have to do with paperwork or requisitions or the usual sorts of routine grind that defined his time indoors during his workday. Sometimes it involved resolving disputes, others just general questions, but once he was made available, such things came to him unerringly like the sun and the rain.

"Commander." Bismarck approached him, and the commander gave a sigh of relief. Bismarck tended to be rather calm and quiet, so he knew she had something that was reasonable or practical to ask.

He turned to have a look at her. "So, what can I do for you? Is there something the Iron Blood needs?"

"This is more of a personal matter." She looked to the side for a moment. "...Because we fought together so much in the last battle, Hood wants to talk, and I'm not sure what response I can give her."

The commander settled in. This was not straightforward. "So, what's the problem? It shouldn't be that much of a big deal, should it?"

"The truth is, we haven't actually talked that much since we came here... It has always had that awkward feeling." She took a deep breath, as well as a little time to collect her thoughts. "...Plainly put, I don't feel like I've adequately made restitution for things that happened in the old days. I worry at times that wishing her well may come off as off-putting, considering what happened back then."

The commander gave a nod. "I don't think you could really be held responsible for what happened back then- it wasn't as though you really had a will of your own."

"Perhaps." Bismarck said. "But now that I'm capable of both being and feeling responsible, it would feel wrong not to feel the need to exercise these capacities." She looked straight at him. "After all, let's consider your case. You were appointed as the commander of Azur Lane. The requirements of your position are to ensure combat readiness, set objectives, and design and order mission plans with the assistance of your general staff. But some of the responsibilities you have taken on are beyond the bounds of your station, are they not?"

King George had said the same thing to him before. "Considering what you all have done for me, I consider those to be as much obligations as anything else my job description asks me to do, perhaps more."

Bismarck put on a small smile for a moment, and then went back to her regular self. "Indeed. So, that is where I am at the moment, and I wonder what might be best for me to do."

The commander gave a nod. "I would accept Hood's invitation. If she wants to talk to you, she may not have the same hard feelings about these matters that you do, and she might even be wondering why you've been so quiet around her despite working alongside her for all this time. So, how does Hood want to meet with you?"

"...Dinner. At the beach."

The commander winced a bit. She was going to be asking him for some rather interesting advice, wasn't she? "I'm sure she just wants to talk." He said, hiding the fact that he didn't have 100% confidence in his statement. "Hood is exceedingly Royal, so I don't think she's up to much else- she just wants to sound you out, I think."

"Hm." She went. "Do you have any other advice?"

The commander thought about it. "...Do you have a swimsuit? As much as Hood dresses up on land, she does have something like that whenever the mood strikes her to go to the beach."