A/N: Hey there again! Welcome to Bismarck's chapter. Nothing much else to say here except once again, thank you to everyone who reads these and thanks to the ones that followed it and dropped reviews. I hope you enjoy!

Panting, I straighten out my uniform and stare at the ornate wooden double doors in front of me. Waiting a few more moments to collect myself, I draw in a few quick, deep breaths and check my watch. 1630 hours. Fifteen minutes late, but… They'll get it. Right?

No matter. I'd just have to get creative if they ask for an explanation. Smoothing my trousers and tugging on my shirt one more time, I place my hand on the knob and push inwards.

The room beyond was rather spacious, with tall French windows that allowed the afternoon sunlight to wash in giving the place a cozy, warm glow. This facility was normally used for large gatherings like parties or banquets. As such, it was laid out to accommodate such functions. On one side lay some long tables that were covered with cloth since they weren't being used. A small stage was set in front of said tables, situated up to the wall on my right. The stage was used for speakers, performers, or whatever else would require the room's attention.

For now, a parlor grand piano sat on the linoleum floored platform, lid closed and its black chassis smooth and clean. Gold trimmings on the sides glinted because of the sun, the concealed keyboard facing the windows.

To the left side of the room, a small square table was set with four chairs around it. Though, only two of these chairs were occupied.

Smiling, I wave and walk over to the two ladies. "Good afternoon sir", the battlecruiser Hood greeted. She tittered lightly, waving her hand back at me as gracefully as ever.

Next to her, the German battleship Bismarck sat. "Guten Tag, Kommandant", she said. A smile folded itself on her face, gracing me with the sight. It feels good when everyone's feeling good.

"Afternoon," I reply, pulling out the seat next to Bismarck, across from Hood, and sitting down.

Hood offered, "Tea?"

"By all means."

"Biscuits to go with it?"

"For sure! Thank you."

Just as I was settled in and the snacks ready before me, Bismarck piped up. "So, Kommandant. We were just discussing your leadership."

I froze in the middle of picking up my cup and stared at her with a confused look no doubt writ on my face. "What? You two weren't planning a mutiny, were you?"

To this, Hood giggled and playfully swatted an arm at Bismarck, who chuckled lightly. I couldn't help but join in, laughing along with them before continuing, "I mean, if you were, I'd be disappointed for two reasons, right? One, you were planning a mutiny", I joke. "And two, you just up and told me. I'm not trusting you with intelligence anymore, alright?"

Bismarck broke into a laugh before collecting herself and replying, "On the contrary, Kommandant. We were admiring the developments you've been able to put into effect since you started." She looked at Hood and added, "Or at least, from what Hood says. I wasn't around for your first day."

Inwardly, I breathe a sigh of relief. "Ahh. Well, I do think some of them are pretty cool. The improved stat trackers, for instance."

Hood replies, "Give yourself more credit, lord commander. How about the-" I cut her off midsentence and playfully chided, "Don't call me that."

She tittered. "Right. Anyways, I was just about to mention the DEMO analysis system you introduced. That was simply brilliant!"

Seeing as she just glossed over the topic, I decided to set it aside for the meantime. We can deal with petty grievances later I suppose. "Oh, that. Let me tell you, that was hard to rig up."

After taking a sip of my tea, I ask, "What's your favorite feature of it?"

Hood took on a thoughtful look on her face. Meanwhile, Bismarck had her answer. "The raycasting aim checking systems are incredible to work with, Kommandant."

Nodding my head, I reply, "Ahh, that's good to hear. That bit was one of the most complicated to calculate the solution for. Along with the topographic tactical displays? Those were a pain the a- …neck."

"I can imagine. But they are very effective. Hood and I have a little competition to see who can score a higher fatal hit rate during exercises. I'm winning so far, by the way", Bismarck replied. That got a bit of a chuckle out of me. Every now and then when I was invited to these two's meetups, I get to see Bismarck's more cheeky side. And she is simply delightful when she's cheeky.

"Oh yeah", I ask. "What's your figure?"

"Naturally, I'll be using my rigging's data instead of my full-size vessel. Out of the last 90 salvos, 32.6% were hits. Of that 32 percent, 28.6% were critical."

Whistling, I reply half-sarcastically, "Ooh, wow. That's impressive!" We'd found through telemetry that kansen were generally much more accurate and could fire faster with the exoskeletal rigging than when they were confined to their life-size hulls. It made sense, and at the same time, it didn't. Though in this kind of military, we're far from making sense regardless.

A hint of petty pride shone for a split second on Bismarck's face as Hood giggled. Turning towards the latter, I inquire, "How 'bout you, Hood? I want to know who I can bet my money on."

Hood replied, "Out of the last 90 salvos, 37.2% were hits. 24.86% were critical."

I feigned an unimpressed look on face. "Aw, come on. You've gotta step your game up", I quip. She chuckled in response before I continue, "When are you going to stop collecting data and tie it off?"

Bismarck supplied, "Next week, to the day. When we're dismissed, we'll analyze the data."

"What are the stakes?"

Hood shrugged. "We didn't think those would be necessary. It's a friendly competition, nothing more."

"I see, I see", I reply. Though mildly disappointed, I won't lie when I say that that's probably for the best. We've had lots of other "bets" get way out of line in the past. I don't want to have to deal with that kind of mess again. Shaking off the thoughts, I ran the conversation back to the initial question.

"Hey, Hood. Going back to your best DEMOS feature?"

"Ah, yes! I love the ability to see the battlefield from a bird's eye view after the fact. Especially the inclusion of heatmaps. It allows us to analyze where our positioning and such went wrong, or how to respond to a change in conditions more effectively. Quite a handy system to have."

I hummed my agreement. "Especially when developing newer stratagem. I like to think it coaxes the development of our tactics along smoother."

"Indeed."

Hood got up and excused herself after an hour or so of more small talk and petty conversation. "My apologies to be the one that leaves first, but I have to go attend to something with Rodney and George."

That roster of ships is familiar. I nudged Bismarck lightly with my elbow. "Jogging any memories yet?"

She gave me a joking scowl as me and Hood chuckled at the implied reference. "I see you two will be fine by yourselves", Hood says as she walks over to the door down the hall. Waving, I call out, "I'll be seeing you!"

"See you later at the mess, Hood", Bismarck adds.

The battlecruiser echoes the sentiment and makes her way out the door, leaving me and Bismarck alone.

A lapse of silence took hold of the room, leading me to realize just how much we were really relying on Hood to keep the flow of conversation going steadily. Glancing towards Bismarck, I see her shift awkwardly in her seat, clearly in the same mental predicament as I was.

Out of nowhere, she caught my gaze and we locked eyes. I got a good look at her storm grey irises, glowing softly in the room's ambiance. The soft wash of the late afternoon sunlight painted her complexion with an orange-gold glow that was strangely comforting. I wanted to look away before things got awkward. Well, we're far over that now. Regardless, I couldn't. Entranced, I traced the curve of her face with my eyes. As if under some kind of spell, I was physically incapable of tearing my gaze away from this woman.

This beautiful, strong, and adorably awkward woman. Thinking back to our first meeting, I didn't know what to make of her. Yet there was this inkling that she would be one of those standouts. And she absolutely is.

Her lips parted and closed rapidly, as if coming up with words to say and instantly reconsidering them, before having another volley prepared and swallowing that too. Now I noticed the subtle red tinge join the rest of the color on her face, spreading from cheek to cheek. Suddenly, she broke the lock first, turning her now beet-red face to the floor.

Taking a deep breath, the speed at which my heart was beating now came into my senses too.

"Sorry."

"Sorry", we both said simultaneously.

Looking up at each other, we both had confused expressions before it devolved into smiles and a defusing with a little laughter.

After having toned down, I joked, "God we are bad at this."

She chuckled at that before the room once again settled down into silence. It wasn't as uncomfortable as it initially was, the little bout of humor serving to ease the situation somewhat. After a few more minutes of sopping up the sweet sounds of silence, my eyes found their way back to Bismarck.

Her eyes seemed distant as if reminiscing about times gone by. The look on her face was tinged with melancholy, the earlier smiles and laughter vanished. Now, her complexion exhibited a sense of longing. Deciding to break the silence, properly this time, I ask, "Penny for your thoughts?"

She stirred, slightly startled, and breathed a sigh as she faced me. "Oh, it's nothing Kommandant. Just", she replied, "Thinking."

I retain my gaze on her face, noticing every twitch in the most minor of its contours before giving her a warm but knowing smile. "Thinking about your sister?"

Her expression softened and she let out a defeated chuckle. "Yep. How'd you guess?"

Shrugging, I replied, "I have a feel."

Bismarck only shook her head and smiled before taking a sip of water.

"D'you wanna talk about it?"

The battleship set her glass back down and hummed her uncertainty. I nod and drop the subject, pinning it for later. Looking over my shoulder, I shift in my seat to have a good stare at the piano. Admittedly, mainly because my only other option to stare at probably wouldn't like it very much. Speaking of, I hear Bismarck shuffle a bit to follow my gaze.

She asks, "Do you play, sir?"

"Ehh, a little bit."

A hint of surprise was in her voice as she replied, "Oh? Since when?"

"When I was 8. My mum thought it'd be good for me to learn. Been at it ever since, but I haven't had a lot of free time on my hands lately. Might be a bit rusty", I explain.

She hummed her acknowledgment before I continued, "I should still have a handful of tricks up my sleeve, though."

That seemed to pique her interest. "Oh? What's on the palette?"

I shrugged. "Well, I remember a decent amount. Probably still know how to sight-read. I just hope my muscle memory hasn't left me."

"Mmm."

Just then, an idea formed in my head. Right. How can I put the offer on the table? Chuckling, I scratch the back of my head "awkwardly" and plant the bait. "Well, there'd only be one way to find out."

Bismarck let that hang in the air for a few seconds before asking, "Can you play me something?"

Giving it little more than a thought, I said, "Sure." Yes! Now you're forced to accept my help! Shoot, wait. That sounds creepy as hell.

Meh. No harm, no foul.

She clapped her hands together and replied, "Alright!" As she got up and made her way to the stage. Shrugging, I stood and followed. "Got any requests", I ask her.

Pausing, she turned to look back at me and replied, "Surprise me."

I nod and walk the rest of the way, taking a seat at the bench and lifting the lid, exposing the keyboard's smooth white and black keys. I pan a gaze up and down the length of the piano, inspecting it, making sure nothing was out of order.

Positioning my fingers on the keys, I play a simple scale to ensure that I was ready. Hesitating, I look up at Bismarck who was standing to my left and leaning on the chassis. "You sure you don't have a request? People usually-" She interrupted before I could finish. "I trust you, Kommandant."

I shrug and nod. Just a little more initiative, I guess. Taking in a deep breath, I reposition my hands and say, "Alright then. Maybe a little something for Tirpitz. I don't really have a drum-" Once more she cut me off. "You… you don't have to, sir."

Holding up my hand, I retort, "I insist. Look." Shifting on the bench, I turn to face her for this quick explanation. "We don't have to talk about it if you really don't want to right now. But if anything, let some of the feelings off your chest." I give her my best, most reassuring smile and finish, "Take it from me. Don't worry."

She nodded slowly and agreed, albeit with more than a hint of hesitation. Right. One thing left to do now. I better not screw this up. I took in a few more deep breaths to still my mind and let the muscle memory come back to me.

Alright, here we go. Playing the piano was one thing. Singing while playing spiced it up with a little more difficulty though. I hoped I still had it as I struck the first few notes. The melody was slow and pleasant, a sense of calm washing over me and, hopefully, Bismarck. Playing an instrument can be a sort of catharsis when the right song is played with the right mood. It can be very soothing when done correctly.

Playing the transition, I let my voice ring out with the first few words.

"Oh, they say people come"

"Say people go"

"This particular diamond was extra special"

"And though you might be gone"

"And the world may not know"

"Still I see you celestial"

Bismarck stopped leaning on the side of the piano and stood straight as she crossed her arms on her chest. She tilted her head slightly and closed her eyes, getting a feel for the song. A more intricate melody provided a segway to the next bit.

"Like a lion you ran"

"Goddess you rolled"

"Like an eagle you circle"

"In perfect purple"

"So how come things move on?"

"How come cars don't slow?"

"When it feels like the end of my world"

"When I should but I can't let you go"

I felt myself get taken in by the rhythm and the mood of the music. The true weight and significance of the meaning behind each word crashed down on me as I thought about what this might sound to someone like Bismarck. If anything, I hoped it was comforting.

"But when I'm cold, cold"

"Oh, when I'm cold, cold"

"There's a light that you give me"

"When I'm in shadow"

"There's a feeling you give me, an everglow"

The transitory phrase from earlier repeated, giving me an instrumental break to take in some deep breaths and focus on progressing through. Slowly, I began swaying side to side to the beat. I saw Bismarck nodding slowly to the rhythm in my peripheral vision, punctuated by the notes my left hand struck.

"Like brothers in blood"

"Sisters who ride"

"And we swore on that night"

"We'd be friends 'til we die"

"But the changing of winds"

"And the way waters flow"

"Life is short as the falling of snow"

"And now I'm gonna miss you, I know"

Drawing in one more breath, I geared up for another chorus.

"But when I'm cold, cold"

"In water rolled, salt"

"And I know that you're with me"

"And the way you will show"

"And you're with me wherever I go"

"And you give me this feeling"

"This everglow!"

After the chorus climaxed and I had the chance to take another break, I felt a strange weight press against my left shoulder. Turning to examine what was causing said weight, I saw Bismarck's head leaned on me, eyes closed and enjoying the tune as much as I was.

"Oh, what I would give for just a moment to hold"

"Yeah, I live for this feeling, it's everglow"

My body swaying side to side with the rhythm and an uncontrollable smile writ across my face, I end the track with the closer.

"So, if you love someone"

"You should let them know"

"Oh, the light that you left me will everglow."

Playing out the last few lines, I let the final note fade into nothingness. A silence filled the room once more, surreally serene. My right hand fell to my side while my left arm wrapped itself around Bismarck.

We stayed like that for a few seconds before something warm and a little moist found itself on my shoulder, running down my shirt. Looking over, I see her tearing up a bit. Concerned, I rock her softly and do my best to comfort her. "Shh. It's okay. It'll be okay."

When soft sobs started slipping out of her mouth, I reached up with my right hand and stroke my thumb through her soft blonde hair. Whispering into her ear, "You'll see her again. I promise."

Time stood still as I held her in my arms.

After a few long moments, perhaps of reflection on the lyrics, or of introspection with her feelings, Bismarck collected herself and looked me square in the eyes. With a glowing smile on her face, she said, "Thank you, Kommandant."

A/N: Isn't that just nice? I listened to Everglow and spent a few days just writing my thoughts about the lyrics in my head. Then the idea for this chapter just clicked.

Thank you very much for reading, and hopefully, I'll catch you again. Tracklist is down below!

'Till next time! Cheers, Jarvis.

Tracklist

Coldplay - "Everglow"