Nimbus Child I: Games of War

Chapter 12

"Kongō-sama!"

Said ship turned her head in the direction of the voice to see Oki run towards her, Hood following behind with normal speed: "Oki."

The superbattleship came to a halt beside her standing in front of the bench her elder was sitting on - beaming, something she did rarely nowadays: "What are you doing today, Kongō-sama?"

"I am watching the other ships."

Oki looked into the direction Kongō had originally, seeing a great many people milling around now that the sun was shining, and then back: "You're not joining them?"

Kongō smiled down at her: "No, little one, I am too old for that by now."

The child furrowed her brows in confusion and looked back to the people below the slope the bench was placed on.

A few of them were running around and playing or doing sports, but most were either taking walks or relaxing.

Oki once more looked up at her flagship: "Even for a walk or picnic?"

"Even for that", she said softly.

The answer made Hood's crossed arms tighten and her brows raise: What bullshit, she thought, you regularly take walks.

On the other hand, maybe she was just tired and didn't want to talk with anyone for that matter: "Oki, let's go. Didn't you want to be somewhere?"

"Oh...", she looked at the ground, then at the battlecruiser with a bright smile before explaining to Kongō, "we're going to play with Lord Bismarck's dogs, do you want to come too?"

"We" obviously meant "I" in this case.

Just as Hood was about to open her mouth to tell Oki that no, the Lady doesn't want to come, Kongō spoke: "If that is what you wish."

Again, Oki beamed and grabbed Kongō's hand, something that made Hood freeze.

Kongō did not like skin-to-skin contact, that was something Hood had to find out painfully when both of them had still been young. The cruisers flitting around her like moths around a flame knew so as well and thus only ever tugged at her sleeves or dress - what Oki had just done would normally end in anger and tears, as that was the only aspect of "I" that Kongō didn't mask.

Yet, somehow, while Kongō didn't exactly return the hold, she allowed herself to be led away.

Hood, irritated, followed them, wondering whether Oki might have struck a card in Kongō's heart or if she was just born under a very lucky star.

They arrived by Bismarck pretty fast, the battleship waving at them when they were close enough: "Hello!"

"Hello Lord Bismarck!", Oki called back, excited.

Since they all could only make exactly one Klein Field plate per person, they all helped with making a staircase up to the deck.

Bismarck kept her eyes on Kongō, confusion clearly visible on her face: "Weren't you here only last week?", she asked while giving a hand to Kongō for support when it was her turn to step down from the last step.

Kongō replied with a meaningful smile.

"Last week?"

Hood spoke with mock offence, "we meet once a month at most."

While Hood had been extremely salty and Bismarck extremely guilty about Rheinübung, they had become good friends over the years, with Hood even giving some leadership advice.

As such, the answer to the earlier statement was not surprising: "Skill issue."

"You truly are your sister's twin", Hood crossed her arms again, then jumped from the battleship's railing onto her deck.

Bismarck could only shrug at that - it was true, after all.

She tended to be the more serious of her class, but that didn't mean that Bismarck was solely serious.

Kongō, who had accepted the offered hand by holding onto Bismarck's clothed lower arm made an amused sound from beside them: "Shall we sit down?"

There were only two chairs placed around the table - one for the owner, another for Tirpitz - but Hood didn't mind sitting on backrests as long as the occasion wasn't formal.

"Sure", the blonde battleship jumped into action instantly, led them over, waited for Kongō to sit down and handed her a blanket.

"Oh?", asked Kongō, accepting the offer and unfolding the fabric.

Bismarck sat down in her own chair, Hood moving onto the backrest, back to them so that she could watch Oki and the dogs: "You look tired and the wind is cold down here today."

That seemed to be something Kongō could agree with, for she covered her lap with the blanket and leaned back with closed eyes, humming once.

There were moments where Kongō's actual age seemed to catch up with her, bones she didn't have aching, mind heavy and tired.

She would be without ever-loyal Myōkō in such cases, distance herself from her family and friends - Bismarck had once subconsciously made the connection to a wounded animal in the wild and now her consciousness could only agree.

Why Kongō had come here in such a state was something she herself didn't really know either.

Kongō hadn't wanted to come, hadn't even wanted to have any kind of social interaction, but when Oki mentioned Bismarck, something inside her gut had curled and uncurled at the same time, the aching in her "bones" had weakened enough to make her walk.

She had felt as if she would regret not meeting Bismarck as if the world's tipping point was finally reached and it would be her last chance - she hated to admit it and thus would never, but she had been scared.

Oki's laughter reached her ears - she couldn't hear it right now, so she concentrated on the waves, ignoring the phantom sensation of a ripping side.

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"..."