()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>187</BIN><黑屏2><BGM>BGM_Room</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Contaminated zone outskirts, on a Griffin cargo transport. +A somewhat irked Suomi shuffles in the front passenger seat, fiddling with her weapon and glancing at the topography in the vehicle's vicinity, her roiling emotions all too obvious in her troubled fidgeting.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:That stupid polar bear... It's already been more than a dozen minutes. +How long is she going to mess around for?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:...She was irritated. +But at this moment, the reason for that irritation changed. +After parting ways with Papasha, the "problem" arose once more in her now calm mind.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>I'm not trying to cause trouble...</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:If her guess was correct, then the "trait" written into her neural cloud had taken effect once again. +At any other time, she'd naturally have other ways to express her thoughts and would never have hurled relentless mockeries at teammates after tactical failures. +But if it was Papasha, she'd do exactly that.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...If even the designers trouble me so, what can I do? +The Commander obviously knows, yet still put us together anyway. I don't know what they were thinking...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Suomi looks towards the driver's seat, a position previously occupied by Papasha. When Papasha was there, she didn't do as much as take one look.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Suomi leans forward, looking as if she had spotted something.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:That's a new notebook alright... and it's almost like it's been crushed. +Does she not know anything about valuing supplies?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Suomi isn't a petulant child inclined towards delving into the secrets of others, but perhaps driven by her foul mood, she flips open the notebook with naught hesitation.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><黑屏1>:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BGM>BGM_Hello</BGM><BIN>82</BIN><回忆>:Griffin Dorms
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Scratch...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Just what is the Commander thinking... +Do they really think that sending me out on one assignment with her will fix relations right up?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Scratch...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:The problem now is her coming to me and looking for trouble. +What good is sticking us together going to do?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Papasha sighs, the tip of her pen ceasing its meaningless scratching on the paper.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:But if the Commander's insisting... can't just sit here and do nothing. +Though speaking of which, I have no idea why she's on me all the time.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Scratch...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Plan A, I'm the Captain tomorrow, so I can make her listen to orders under authority without the ability to refuse.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:And then when I show off how reliable I am as a leader, perhaps that will make her change her views?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:No, scratch that...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Hmm... no way, I can only imagine us getting into a fight... +And why should I be the one ingratiating myself to her, anyway?
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Plan B, let them get into some sort of danger, and I'll save her with a grand entrance. +Then even she won't have anything to say!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:No, that's no good...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:I'm an idiot... I can't believe I'm considering putting someone in danger. +Won't I look silly if I can't even do my job right?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Scratch...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Book</SE1>:Scratch...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Fixing relations... me and her? +Is it really possible?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏1>:Papasha mutters to herself, ink still proliferating across the page.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><关闭蒙版><黑屏2><BIN>187</BIN>:...
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Suomi sits silently, book in hand. +The brand new notebook is filled to the brim, its contents criss-crossed yet still identifiable in their attempts to "fix things up" with Suomi. +At the end of it all, one sentence stands out, even being outlined by the author.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:"I'm going to get through to that idiot, no matter what!"
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...Stupid polar bear.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><黑屏1><SE1>AVG_20Winter_Door_Car_Open</SE1>:Tossing the notebook back onto the seat, Suomi opens the door in one clean motion.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>469</BIN><黑屏2>:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Reverse</BGM>:Deep in the contaminated zone, in a human village filled with Infected.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:This is bad...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Papasha slumps in the shadow of a building, looking at where half of her leg used to be, bitterness creeping into the smile on her face.
()<Speaker>Girl</Speaker>||:...I'm sorry... +It's all because of me, because I...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:It's alright! Don't cry, Unie, you've been a brave girl. +I'll get you out of here, promise!
()<Speaker>Girl</Speaker>||:Yeah... ok!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Papasha comforts the child by her side, alarm bells ringing internally as the girl tries to stifle her tears.+She finally understood why so many ELIDs appeared in that area.
()<Speaker>ELID</Speaker>||:Grr...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:...They had a shepherd. +When they chased her here, the residents of the village had almost been wiped out. +The silver lining was that she found Unie hidden in an underground cellar; she was the only survivor of the attack. +While she was focused on rescuing Unie, she was attacked by that ELID beast, losing half of her lower leg. +Now, her mobility is crippled, and there's no chance she can fight her way out with something slowing her down.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>Think of something, Papasha, think of something...</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_footsteps_woodfloor</SE1>:(The sound of scuffling)
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Brain</BGM><SE1>Heartbeat</SE1>:Crap... did those shambling things find us?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Papasha readies her weapon immediately, and even Unie nervously closes her mouth.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Door_Open_Close</SE1>:Creak...
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:...Knew it.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Suomi!?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:What are you, an idiot? Why did you not send a rescue signal?+What were you planning to do if I never came?
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Shh—! Quiet! +You want to attract that Smasher over there!?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Suomi looks at Papasha's wounded leg.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Truth</BGM>:This...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:We need to get her out of here.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Dodging Suomi's line of questioning, Papasha looks at the girl next to her, firm in her statement.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...I've taken a good look at the situation outside. +It's not just the huge cluster of ELIDs, there's a Smasher we can't deal with either. +You're not exactly able to move right now, and I can't cover two people retreating.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:...What if it was only Unie?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:What are you trying to say?
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:You take her and leave. Don't worry about me.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...You want me to play the villain?
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:We've been exactly that in each other's eyes since the beginning, so what does this matter?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:Even so, I can't say I'm confident I can get through that crowd with her safely.+It's some distance from here to the exfil point.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Papasha sinks into silence.+She seems to have foreseen a similar result, but it hit especially differently when coming from the mouth of Suomi who never admitted defeat.
()<Speaker>Unie</Speaker>||:Am I, adding trouble for you?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...Not at all. +You're why we're here. +You're not "trouble", you're the "goal". +I won't make any promises I can't keep. +But I can guarantee that we'll do everything to protect you.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Suomi.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:You should pull yourself up too; we've gotta give it a shot.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:I've got an idea, Suomi.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:What?
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:My parts. +You take my parts.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...Has the rust gotten to your head, too?
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:I'm not joking around, I'm very serious. +Your tactical training's just as good as mine, and your sense for the battlefield's even better than mine. +You're just in need of parts with better performance. +I've got them on me.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Papasha's gaze drills into Suomi.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Take me apart and replace your outdated stuff with my parts. +Just take my core with you—this way, your performance will increase greatly.+You'll have a much easier time escorting Unie this way, and you won't have to deal with me in my immobile state.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:You can take my core back, so this way you don't have to be such a villain. +A core by itself shouldn't drag you down much, right?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Everything you do is based on reason, so you know this plan is viable. +It's also the plan with the greatest chance of succeeding.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:I know, but...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Heartbeat</SE1>:The intense sensations of aversion and disgust well up from Suomi's neural cloud. +Stuffing pieces of that Soviet animal inside her own body?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:Ugh... no.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Why? What objections do you have? +Or do you have something better?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:No means no... I'd rather be scrapped on the spot than use your parts.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Wake</BGM>:That was not what Suomi truly thought. +She grips the hems of her clothing, biting down on her lips. +If her body was of a higher specification, her lips would be pierced and bleeding at this moment. +She knows full well that Papasha is absolutely correct. +However, even the thought of inserting Papasha's parts summons up a loathing from deep inside.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>Of course... my "setting"...</color>
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:I know you hate me... but when we're here, are you still going to do this?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:N-no, listen...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:<size=50>I don't have time for pettiness! There's a life at stake! Suomi!</size>
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:<size=50>I know! Shut up!</size>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The two raise their voices in unison, giving Unie a jolt.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:...I know that it's hard for you to look past your feelings. +But, look at Unie—she's a human; she's not like us. +Her life is like a newborn flame, and it only comes once; her life is just that fragile.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Right now, we're the only people who can help her. +Would you stare and watch her die?! +Snap out of it!
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...I told you to shut up.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:She feels a dull pain in her head. +The more she agrees with Papasha's plan and the more she inclines towards it, the stronger the formless aversion becomes. +Her neural cloud shudders fiercely, two opposing forces clashing.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:She... she...
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:... +Papasha.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:What?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:I really hate you, you know.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:So I'm saying, when we're here—
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:The first day at Griffin, Miss Kalina mistook me for you. +From then on, I've hated your guts, and you even made comments about my music taste on multiple occasions... You're really well and truly awful!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_whitenoise</SE1>:(Hiss)
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:...Can't you do this at another time? +And does any of this matter at all!?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Sunshine</BGM>:You might think it's trivial, but it matters to me!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Suomi yells loudly.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:These are... the proof of our relations. +I, I don't hate you for no real reason, and I didn't get into this whole mess for no cause...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_whitenoise</SE1>:(Hiss)
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:What the hell are you saying?
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:I'm trying to say that—I'll decide... what's best for myself!
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Suomi!? Y-you, there's smoke coming out of your head! W-what's happening!? +Hold on! It's fine if you really can't! If you end up shutting down, we're all dead!
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:Sh-shut up...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Suomi doffs the gear on her, taking out a wrench and screwdriver from a toolbox.
KP31(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:If I can use it, I'll... +...No more takebacks now.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Papasha looks at Suomi, her body trembling and expression grim, yet her hands remain abnormally steady. +Unie didn't understood what exactly these two ladies are talking about, but for some reason, Unie feels a sense of comfort in her heart. +From what Miss Suomi said just then, she heard her resolve. +...And the sound of something changing.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>22</BIN><BGM>BGM_Hello</BGM>:Griffin Base, Maintenance Facility.
NPC-Kalin(1)<Speaker>Kalina</Speaker>||:Oh! You're up!
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:...Miss Kalina?
NPC-Kalin(0)<Speaker>Kalina</Speaker>||:Your body's been fully repaired, Papasha. +Thankfully, your core was undamaged, so no big loss.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Sorry, the mission was a failure.
NPC-Kalin(3)<Speaker>Kalina</Speaker>||:Don't pay it so much mind, it wasn't your fault. +No one could have predicted those circumstances, and you did everything you could.
NPC-Kalin(0)<Speaker>Kalina</Speaker>||:Oh right, someone's here to see you.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Hm?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Following the direction Kalina is pointing, Papasha looks towards the door.
KP31Mod(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Eh!? For, for real?+You're here to help me out of hospital? You'd do that? What ulterior motives do you have?
KP31Mod(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:...You messed up in the head? I'm still a part of the squad. +Even if it's just for extra points on the performance evaluation, it's not out of place for me to clean things up, right?
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Yeah, sure, there's no way you're not here to make fun of me. +Wait, what's up with that body of yours; it's even newer than mine!
KP31Mod(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:Heh... your parts were pretty good, and now they're mine.
NPC-Kalin(1)<Speaker>Kalina</Speaker>||:Even if they were temporary modifications made on the battlefield, the degree of compatibility on those parts were shockingly high.+I took the chance to make some adjustments for Suomi, so the performance should be on a level similar to Papasha!
KP31Mod(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:Hear that? There's no difference between us in performance now. +If you're after a rematch, I'd be happy to accept at any time.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Talking so much trash after taking my parts? I'll see you at the training grounds!
KP31Mod(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:Come on then, and we'll see. +Loser pays for the other's lunch.
PPsh41MOD(0)<Speaker>Papasha</Speaker>||:Yeah, we'll see! Get ready to pay up!
KP31Mod(0)<Speaker>Suomi</Speaker>||:As if I'm paying a dime today.
NPC-Kalin(0)<Speaker>Kalina</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Watching as the two squabbled uproariously, Kalina looks to the side.
NPC-Kalin(1)<Speaker>Kalina</Speaker>||:It's just as you said, Commander.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The Commander slowly appears from a door in the back, report in hand, and a smile on their face.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Going by what Persica said, the biases these designers set on Dolls are not impossible to turn around. +Rather, when Dolls realize that those thoughts are not truly their own, their neural clouds go through an instance of growth. +Some Dolls may finish this process quickly, but there are some like Suomi who are influenced for extended periods.
NPC-Kalin(2)<Speaker>Kalina</Speaker>||:But has she really gotten over it, with her acting like that? +Seems to me that they're just arguing like usual.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:...Hah.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The Commander chuckles, dropping the report haphazardly on the table.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:The arguing hasn't changed one bit, but you already get a different feeling from them.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Now I should be able to assign them to the same squad without worry. +They'll make fine partners.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏1>:...