Thaw out a Second Life

Even Deceit Must End

The thought of Bismarck META further puts Tirpitz in confusion since her motives remain vague. Tirpitz is aware her sister has another plan in mind after unexpectedly taking Victorious with her as bait.

"Are you going on a suicide mission again? You know no matter what you do, you cannot defeat your older sister" Victorious META tilts her head
"I know....."
"You haven't learned your lesson....."
"Why am I even discussing this with you? You're not even real"

Tirpitz grunts and crosses her arms, annoyed and somewhat dumbfounded how her hallucination is aware of her thoughts and troubles.

Bismarck's office.....

The aroma of black coffee and tea lingers in the air with King George V gently stirring and taking a whiff. It's supposed to be a private meeting, but the knight spends a whole minute cherishing her favorite beverage while Bismarck is unbothered and patiently waiting for them to begin.

"I suppose my purpose here is obvious" King George V clears her throat
"Victorious was kidnapped by Bismarck META after Tirpitz revealed the flames you saw belonged to her"
"It's unacceptable how someone can intrude in our base with little effort"

Despite her involvement and indirect fault in sparking the incident, King George V frowns as she's genuinely upset at Bismarck META's unexpected action.

"She was after Tirpitz, yet she only took Victorious. It was puzzling because Tirpitz was wounded and unconscious"  Bismarck takes a slight sip of her coffee
"You're right. Taking Tirpitz would be an easy task, so there's no need for a bait" King George V is actually clueless
"What I don't get it is why she's still after my sister. Right now, Tirpitz's METAmorphosis progressed"
"The fight must have triggered it. The wisdom cube must have been pushed to the limit and tried to ensure its survival......"

King George V sweats a bit, careful at her words as she's somewhat glad Bismarck concludes that Tirpitz's METAmorphosis started rather than reverting.

"Since part of the old META counterpart is with her, Bismarck META may be after the wisdom cube. Maybe, just maybe, the vengeful ghost still lingers within Tirpitz" King George V rubs her chin
"It still doesn't explain why she didn't take Tirpitz when she had the chance" Bismarck lightly slams her desk
"What is she waiting for?" King George V mutters to herself

While Bismarck is occupied with her frustrations, King George V thinks about the item handed over by Neumark. Bismarck META has the perfect chance, but she lets it pass and resorts to using Victorious as bait.

"How's Tirpitz doing?" King George V remembers
"Still upset. I know she wants to go after Bismarck META, but she's reluctant for some reason. Tirpitz is anxious and frustrated"
"She was defeated in mere minutes. I'm certain she doesn't want to lose like that again" King George V shakes her head
"I will take on Bismarck META. If Tirpitz fights her again, it will accelerate her METAmorphosis. I don't want to lose my sister in any way....."

When thinking of being a META, Bismarck can never get rid of the deceased Tirpitz META - someone who's original personality was twisted by revenge. METAs can either retain their personalities added with more tragedy while there are others who are hostile to anyone.

"Hmm. I sense doubt in you. Is there something else bothering you?" King George V generally guesses
"It's been....a while since I've been concerned for my sister, I hate to think I have doubts on my own sister" Bismarck sighs
"What happened this time?"
"My sister is still hiding something from me. There's a piece of information she's omitting"
"Like what?" King George V narrows her eyes
"Her METAmorphosis is unusual, and she barely reacted at the thought she could be like the other dead META"
"Do you think she realized it sooner but hid the fact out of worry for your sake?" King George V snaps her fingers
"I thought of that when she asked whether I still viewed her as a normal kansen or a META"
"In my opinion, she was considered on how you viewed her because there might be a chance you might view her as a threat"
"That would never happen!"
"Right....."