"You scare me when that happens, Liebling." Nimi said softly as she used her finger to trace a circle on his chest.
"I'm sorry. I don't try to, honest." Isaac said with a small chuckle as he slowly moved her from his chest to his side, turning to cuddle her closer.
"But just think, we can spend all day together tomorrow!" Nimi said with a small squeak of excitement.
"I'm looking forward to it, you know." Isaac said as he looked her right in the eyes.
"Really?" Nimi asked.
"Of course. It's been a while since I have been able to tap into my training. I've spent all this time being a Commander, that I feel like I've lost touch with where I began. I can use this time to touch base and get back to my roots, hopefully find a solution to these... episodes." Isaac said.
"Liebling. I have a solution to your episodes." Nimi said softly as she smiled at him.
"You do?" Isaac asked.
"Mmhmm!" Nimi hummed excitedly as she hugged him tighter.
"And what is that?" Isaac asked.
"My love for you!" Nimi said as she pressed her head against his chest.
Isaac blushed a bit but smiled brightly.
"That does seem like a very effective deterrent for those episodes." Isaac said as he allowed himself to be embraced by a very energetic destroyer.
"Why, Prazival? Why do you make these choices?" Bismarck asked as she looked sadly at 556 who had been bound to the bed using leather straps.
"I am trying to protect you, Lord Bismarck. Strength said that if I didn't kill Apollyon, she'd gut you like any other human." 556 said as she looked tearfully back at Bismarck.
"He gave the order to help you. He promised me that he would help me get vengeance on those that hurt you, Parzival. I will not allow you to hurt him... even if I have to do something I will regret for the rest of my life." Bismarck said, finally getting through to 556 where Bismarck stood.
"You... have so much faith in him. Why?" 556 asked as she relaxed from fighting the restraints.
"Because, he embodies everything Azur Lane stands for. And because I believe he can do what he says he will." Bismarck said.
"Is that all the reason you need? Faith?" 556 asked.
"Is that not what you put in me, Parzival?" Bismarck asked as her rigging remained trained on the submarine.
"Bismarck, she is adequately secured to the bed... I'm sure you can be rid of your rigging for the time being." Vestal said as she sat at the desk with her rifle leaned against it.
"She is my responsibility. This happened because I fell asleep while watching her. I won't make the same mistake again." Bismarck said sternly.
"With all due respect, you still need your rest. It hasn't been long since your trip from the Atlantic, I can't believe that you are in any shape for much more of an extended journey." Vestal said.
"And what happens if she gets loose? She is very good at stealth. She knows the Kommandant is onboard. She will try to kill him again." Bismarck said.
"I am not so clueless as to leave her unattended. And besides, this ship is constantly monitored by Norfolk. Since she is the commander's personal ship, there are probably more security features that are left classified than there are declassified." Vestal said.
"Speaking of the Kommandant, where is he?" Bismarck asked.
"Nimi is currently tending to him. Poor thing needs some time with him anyway. So I think it best if you don't go looking, Mein Kind." Friedrich said as she entered the med bay.
"Who do you think you are, calling me a child?" Bismarck asked, suddenly very annoyed.
"I am Friedrich der Große. Battleship of Ironblood." Friedrich said.
"How come I never heard of you during the war?" Bismarck asked with an inquiring yet serious face.
"That is because I was supposed to be a secret, something to surprise the allies with, since at the time, High Command wanted to keep the French and British information networks from intercepting my design, since it was meant to be an improvement of your own, but-" Before Friedrich could continue speaking, she noticed Bismarck's face, and what she saw wasn't the face of the leader of the Iron Blood, she saw the face of woman who felt defeated, outdated and betrayed by her own countrymen.
"I was made to be best the of the best, they made me believe that I was unmatched by everything the allied forces had at the time, they told me I was the Unsinkable Queen of the Ocean, the mighty Bismarck, Leader of Ironblood, that's what they kept saying the day I was brought into this world; but now you're telling me that all of it...was a lie? That even as I was being built they were already planning something even better to replace me?" Bismarck said, with tears starting to flood her eyes, the very same eyes that once filled every Ironblood member with hope, pride, and courage, were now blank, joyless, as if her entire existence had been made meaningless, irrelevant, and pointless.
The entire room felt heavy. Friedrich scooted closer to Bismarck, she knew what she had to do, for she would never allow one of her beloved children to feel this way. She extended her arms and enveloped the Beacon of the Ironblood into her loving embrace.
"Child, you are not pointless. Nor are you redundant as you may now be thinking. The fact is, you were built, I wasn't. And for the people, the sailors and the soldiers, you were everything they could have hoped for. To them you were the one who would lead Ironblood to victory, you made them feel protected knowing that you were there. You gave them hope and that's what matters most, you achieved everything I could have hoped for and even more." Friedrich said with a small smile on her face.
"I couldn't even prove myself; I was sunk on my first mission!" Bismarck yelled, now fully crying into Friedrich's ample bosom.
"It matters not what has happened in the past, Mein Kind, for now you are needed. For even if my dear husband has all of us and you may think you have no purpose here, I assure you with all my heart that he has a need for you. For only you can bring this fleet something that none of us has, he needs your power, your valor and your will of steel. Even your counsel is desired by my dear husband. So, pick yourself up, and stand proud because the Leader of Ironblood shall bow to none." Friedrich said while wiping the tears off of Bismarck's face.
Bismarck looked at Friedrich and understood why she was claiming to be the mother of Ironblood. Bismarck gave her one last hug and rose up. The spirit of the Leader of Ironblood lived once again in her eyes.
"Then I must redouble my efforts, and prove myself to the Kommandant." Bismarck said as she stood tall over 556's bed, keeping watch once more.
"While your will may be strengthened now, Mein Kind, you body will fail if you do not rest. Even someone like myself can see that you need to take some time to not worry about you duty. I will watch the little one. She will not harm anyone further." Friedrich said as she smiled softly at Bismarck, who now wore a small almost unnoticeable blush.
"A-alright then... if you insist, then I guess I could use a few more hours of sleep." Bismarck said as she walked over to the bed beside Friedrich's chair.
"Sleep well, Mein Kind." Friedrich said as she turned to 556. A small shadow covered her eyes as she stared down at 556.
"Uh... G-guten abend..." 556 said with a trembling voice, sensing a great, if invisible anger coming from Friedrich.
Friedrich remained silent as she cast a disappointed look down at the helpless submarine.
"What should we do with her?" Vestal asked.
"I cannot suggest anything, as no child of mine would do something so heinous as to attack the Kommandant." Friedrich said as she witnessed the face of 556 turn to one of shock and sadness.
"So you say. Well, why don't we get Bismarck to the crew quarters. It's my policy to air out the room if we have a hostile patient." Vestal said.
"Alright. I will take her to the crew quarters then. Hopefully she won't resist too much." Friedrich said as Vestal grabbed her rifle and nodded to Friedrich.
"My child, let us head to the crew quarters. I assure you the beds there are far more comfortable to sleep on." Friedrich said softly as she gently hoisted Bismarck into her arms, as if she was holding her own child.
Bismarck stirred a bit, but did not awake. She, instead, seemed to settle into the warmth of Friedrich's body.
"No! Bring her back!" 556 called as she struggled against the restraints.
"No. You don't get to make demands anymore. You attacked my commander. You threatened the stability of this fleet. You are no better to me than the enemies we lay waste to." Vestal said as she glared at the blue haired submarine.
"Bring her back! For all I know you could be trying to kill her yourselves!" 556 yelled.
"Shut the fuck up! You have no idea how hard it is standing here and not putting a bullet in your gut. I've lost far too many friends for you to be bitching and whining like this." Vestal said angrily.
"But..." 556 said as she began to cry.
"You did this! Nobody else decided to try to attack him. That was all you. And in this room, my word is law. And I say, shut up and go to bed. Bismarck will be fine. If anything, she is one of the safest people in this fleet, considering that she is in the same room as our Hero Commander. So save your strength. You can't break out. And I have locked away everything sharp in this room. You're stuck here until we decide to let you up." Vestal said as she headed for the door.
"You, stand guard here until I return in the morning. I can't be here right now." Vestal said as she caught one of Shinano's bulins passing the medical bay.
"No problem, miss Vestal." The bulin said as Vestal closed the door. The Bulin stood in front of it and stood watch as Vestal went down the corridor towards the nurses quarters.