wharf and observing the peace in Iron Blood. Strangely enough, she finds relief that Iron Blood is in order and united when Bismarck is appointed as fleet leader. It's not as relaxing as her home, but Victorious finds the serenity of her surroundings quite comforting.

"I haven't seen Tirpitz. I wonder if they're done talking....." Victorious sits at the edge and stares at the calm water below her
"If you're looking for her, she's having tea with King George V"
"Eek!"

Victorious nearly falls to the water when she doesn't even notice Bismarck walking in her direction and speaks once she's right behind her. She flails her arms and pulls back her weight before she loses her footing.

"B-Bismarck, it's just you...." Victorious nervously laughs as she stands up
"What do you think of Iron Blood?"
"Well, it's a bit peaceful.....minus the bloodthirsty heavy cruiser and the other sadistic one" Victorious scratches her cheeks
"My nation means everything to me, so I do everything I can to keep it united while I'm the leader" Bismarck turns around when a breeze passes by
"You're an earnest and strong-willed person, Bismarck. No wonder people think highly of you"

Victorious is impressed by how proudly Bismarck stands yet fondly looks at the nation she struggles to maintain peace and order. In fact, she could sense Bismarck is shouldering that responsibility to herself and doesn't speak of her hardship to anyone..... thus she ends up suffering alone similar to her younger sister.

"Victorious, you are the most important person to my sister because you once saved her from loneliness. That's why she couldn't afford to lose you or see you get hurt" Bismarck looks at Victorious right in her eyes
"At first, I was curious why she's so stubborn, so I did everything I could to remind her of warmth. It took a long while, but she came around when she finally smiled at me"
Victorious' fingers fidget

For her, one of her biggest accomplishments is finally urging the Lonely queen of the North to finally smile and open up her thoughts. Victorious unknowingly curves a fond smile at the memory of Tirpitz expressing her comfort through a faint yet gentle smile.

"Even if it's not completely, I want her to feel something again. I know she might slip away....and even I wouldn't be able to save her" Victorious clutches her hands to stop its trembling
"You have an honest heart, so I know you wouldn't take advantage of Tirpitz's trust"
"Of course not. I would never-"

Victorious stops her own words when she nearly forgets that a META version of her exists. The version of her is full of sorrow and regret as if she carries a sin she couldn't deny.

You trust she wouldn't hurt you just she would trust you wouldn't betray her. How tragic could that be?

Tirpitz META despises her enough to try and kill her over an unknown wrongdoing, but Victorious knows very well that the furiously revived META completely distrusted Victorious META. They may not be the same, but Victorious fears for both herself and Tirpitz.

".....I wouldn't hurt her....." Victorious anxiously finishes her sentence
"You look pale all of a sudden?" Bismarck leans her head forward
"It's fine. I just remembered the last mission where a freaky blizzard appeared out of nowhere" Victorious makes the best excuse she can

"I just remember. I'm supposed to ask you something about that"
"W-what is it?"

It doesn't appear Bismarck is aware, but Victorious is the only who witnessed both Victorious META and Tirpitz META's conflict. Other than that, she isn't aware of what caused Tirpitz META to view the other Victorious as an enemy she must take out.

"You were in that blizzard too because Tirpitz protected you. Was she the one who summoned it?" Bismarck sternly asks
"No, I don't think Tirpitz could do it. She was already too weak from fending off the enemy that attacked me"

Victorious is conflicted as it's both the lie and the truth. It's the truth because Tirpitz herself didn't cause it, and it's the lie because her META version possessed her and manifested the extreme weather. She tries to avert suspicion by not breaking eye contact with Bismarck and tensing her body to avoid trembling.

"Are you certain? Tirpitz admitted it may have been possible since she made a blizzard appear a year ago in Iron Blood"
"Tirpitz passed out by the time the blizzard appeared. It only disappeared at some point while I'm trying to drag Tirpitz away" Victorious lies to Bismarck again
"........" Bismarck observes her gestures and movements
"No one really knew where the blizzard came from, but I wish it wouldn't appear again"

Bismarck's gaze is locked on her like a predator eyeing its prey for any sign of weakness. As much as Victorious wants to hurriedly leave, her body couldn't move from the intense anxiety and the fact it would raise suspicion to Bismarck.

(She's hiding something, so it's either Tirpitz did cause it or she must have witnessed something she shouldn't see) Bismarck is slightly suspicious but not hostile
"I'm sorry, Bismarck. I wish I could tell you more, but I got caught in the confusion back then" Victorious nervously laughs
"No, that's fine. You told me enough"

Unfortunately for Victorious, Bismarck's intuition is sharp and she could determine a lie in front of her. It doesn't help that Victorious isn't a habitual liar, and her honest nature is quick to give her away.

"Victorious, were you anywhere near Iron Blood a year ago when Tirpitz was near death?" Bismarck frowns
"Eh? I was in the far north as part of the cooperation between the Royal navy and Northern Parliament" Victorious tilts her head
"Ah, that's right. I remember that....." Victorious exhales deeply
"I honestly didn't want to stay there but the whole mission lasted for a whole day....." Victorious shudders

This time, Bismarck could sense Victorious is genuinely unsure of what Bismarck is trying to imply. Just earlier, Bismarck gets a vision of the unknown kansen who convinced her to go through with the operation to be actually Victorious albeit with a tattered appearance and solemn expression.

"Sorry, I must be imagining things" Bismarck eases her tension
"What do you mean?"
"Don't mind it. I have other things to take care of as of the moment" Bismarck turns away
"Right....."
"I'll try to ask you more if something comes to mind. In the meantime, feel free to tour Iron Blood as Tirpitz will undergo one final check-up before departing"

Bismarck parts with those words and waves her hand good bye as she begins to walk away. Still anxious and puzzled, Victorious could only remain right where she stands and watch Bismarck take her leave without even looking back.

"I want to know the truth from my META version, but I'm scared that Tirpitz might lose control again....."

As soon as Bismarck is leaving her line of sight, Victorious releases her breath and whispers under her breath. She drops a cold sweat at the thought of seeing Tirpitz become filled with killing intent and not caring if she drags everyone else around her. That Tirpitz willingly returned to dormancy, and Victorious wouldn't think of trying to speak with someone who might kill her.