Nimbus Child I: Games of War

Chapter 11

It had been about a year since the reveal of the world's end to the flagships.

There had been no significant changes.

About 100 years had been needed to throw the world out of order, about 100 years would be needed to bring it back at this rate.

That... unsettled them.

What was expected but not making it any better was the fact that the other ships had noticed that something was off – they weren't asking difficult questions just yet, but how long would it take until they did, the truth had to be revealed and they would split apart?

It worried Bismarck, it worried her to no end!

The cold feeling of a tea spoon's handle quite literally jolted her away from those thoughts as she reached up to rub her forehead.

Kongō didn't simulate metabolistic functions like Bismarck did for the dogs, so the spoon didn't have a chance of being warm there: "That's cold, Kongō...."

"Apologies", she didn't look apologetic at all, eyes shining with amusement, lips mirroring the emotion, "you looked troubled."

"Not more than usual", Bismarck muttered, petting Geist when she whined from her position on the battleship's lap.

A huff: "That's not good, my dear. You shouldn't worry yourself with things you can not change", Kongō used the spoon for what it was made for now, "also, you will get wrinkles if all you do is frown."

Bismarck threw her a look, which she pretended to not notice by sipping from her tea: "We really don't need Tirpitz for our tea parties – you're just as terrible."

As if to confirm that, Kongō winked at her.

Well, it helped with taking her mind off of things... for a bit.

"Very well, Bismarck, what does trouble you?", she rested her arm on the table and her chin on her hand.

The battleship looked at her with a surprised face.

"You wear an excellent mask in public, my dear, but in private one can read you quite easily."

At least when Bismarck was comfortable enough to be her true self.

She blushed in response, not really knowing what to say.

Kongō chuckled at that: "Fret not, my dear, it is quite adorable."

Adorable!?, Bismarck blushed even harder now, making Kongō laugh to herself.

Playing with her was fun – Kongō could understand Tirpitz in that aspect: "So, speak."

Bismarck watched one of Kongō's hands sneak forwards to steal a cookie, to which she reacted by turning the little plate her iced coffee stood on: "It's really just the same as usual."

"But which of these things weighs on you most?", after her failed attempt, Kongō took a cookie from the big plate actually intended for that purpose.

"I'm not sure...", she looked down at her puppy, "dividing us, maybe?"

Kongō hummed while taking a bite, thinking about it during chewing and speaking after swallowing: "Killing Oki would be a logical thing to do. While it is morally questionable, some will gauge this decision as the best."

A nod came from the blonde: "It is the most logical decision – since it is fastest and guaranteed to work – but it doesn't make it right."

The fast battleship swirled her tea with her spoon, looking at Bismarck from underneath her lashes.

There was something in those sky blue eyes that made Kongō think that she might be coming to terms with the idea as well. Bismarck was against killing one innocent person just to save many, of course, but somehow... somehow Kongō felt as if Bismarck was reminding herself of the fact that doing so was wrong.

Deciding not to comment on her observation, Kongō instead nodded: "Indeed."

"...Do you think the Demonic Lady thinks so as well?"

"Demonic Lady", was what they had decided to name the demonic ship.

Thes didn't know anything about her, except that she was a ship, had turned into a demon, would possibly kill Oki and was maybe one of them – since they didn't know why she had become what she had become, they decided to give her a more respectful name.

Some of the younger ones had proposed it, Kongō hadn't cared and the rest had been on their side.

"I do not think so. Or rather, she might per se carry the same thought, yet she does not experience the moral conflict you do."

Bismarck nodded slowly: "I suppose there might have been similar experiences in her life before, so maybe she got accustomed to such decisions..."

That made Kongō cock her head a bit: "Pray tell, why do you think so?"

"Uh, well...", Bismarck took one of her saved biscuits and dipped it into her drink, "she used to be a normal ship, once, right? I of course don't know how it actually works, but I don't think that people turn into demons because something good happened, you know?"

Kongō nodded, then remembered something that made her involuntarily crack a smile.

"What is it?", had she done something "adorable" again?

"I merely remembered that, before she had been given to us", Kongō started while looking into her tea, "Nassau used to be referred to as a demon."

Bismarck blinked surprised. She couldn't imagine a reason for that: "Why?"

Another smile decorated her face: "I have not met her before 1918, so I cannot attest to the truth factor of this information, but allegedly the young Nassau was quite similar to Tirpitz and Prinz Eugen."

"Really!?"

"Allegedly."

Tirpitz was a little evil bastard who would laugh at you while she bashed your head in and then eat you, Prinz Eugen was a potentially very big bastard who was very kind as long as you weren't an enemy. Your death would be fast, but not painless.

So, hot temper and cold efficiency fused into one – that was what soft, motherly Nassau had been like in her youth!? Insane.

"You don't think she is the demonic ship, do you?", Bismarck's voice made it very clear that she didn't believe that.

Kongō's voice, tainted by amusement as it was, reflected that opinion: "No, of course not, I was merely reminded of that and wanted to share it."

She wouldn't normally throw out such a random comment or portray her emotions so openly, but... Bismarck made her feel young, she supposed.

--

"..."