"SASS," said a voice, and SASS felt something brush her nose.
"Mmmmmgoway." SASS snorted and sighed, keeping her eyes tightly shut. She had been sleeping very well and refused to be woken by whatever kept touching her nose.
"And you called me mean," said the voice, and SASS felt something move before a hand brushed the side of her head, pushing her hair out of her face. "My feelings are hurt beyond repair…"
"Bite me," SASS grumbled, echoing something she remembered Grizzly shouting at M590 one night. The voice chuckled, and SASS just was ready to roll over and go back to sleep when she felt the blankets ripped away. "Hey!"
"Get up," NTW-20 said, turning away from the bed and bending down to pick her clothes up from the floor. Shivering from the sudden cold, SASS leaned off the bed to pick up her underwear, still reluctant to stand. "Come on!"
SASS grumbled, but stood, pulling on her pantyhose. NTW-20 already had hers on and was busy with her skirt. The floor was cold, and the room's spartan decoration made it feel even colder. I had hoped her room would be nicer, SASS thought, but ceded that NTW didn't seem like one for anything extra. Her bedside table had only a picture frame, analog watch, and a black-bound copy of a book with gold lettering. SASS squinted at the picture. In it, NTW smiled at the camera with her hand entangled in the snow-white hair of a Sangvis Ringleader. Some more dolls stood next to her, Type 79 and Tokarev, but there were two more that she failed to recognize. "Senpai–"
The top of her sailor uniform smacked her in the face and cut her off. "Finish getting dressed, then we can talk," NTW-20 said, pulling her own uniform over her head. SASS pulled hers into her arms and stared at NTW for a little bit before doing the same. "I think I look cute, don't you?"
SASS looked up and saw NTW posing in SASS's grey jacket. "Hey, give that back!"
"No," NTW said. "It's super comfortable… no wonder you always have it on."
"Yes, and that's why I'd like it back!" SASS stood up and quickly walked over to NTW, who took a step back for every one SASS took forward. Feinting to the left, SASS pounced and managed to pull a sleeve off before NTW got away again. "It doesn't even match the black, you know."
"I guess so," NTW ceded. "Still, it's really warm. You sure you don't have a spare or anything?"
"Certainly not." SASS resisted the urge to smile at her senpai as she tugged the other sleeve off and reclaimed her jacket, putting it on to complete the ensemble. "Oh, it sort of smells like you."
NTW grinned. "Did you enjoy last night?"
"...yes," SASS blushed, remembering the night before, and the other times in the two weeks since the concert at the café. "It was… very nice."
"'Very nice'," NTW said. "I'm flattered."
"You know how I felt!" SASS bit her lip. NTW looked at her and smiled, but said nothing else on the matter, instead walking over to the bed.
"You were going to say something earlier?"
"...yeah, about the photo. I don't recognize some of the dolls in it."
NTW sat down and picked up the picture frame, studying it for a while. SASS sat next to her and waited patiently, suspecting that NTW was thinking about more than just who was in the photo.
"This one's HK33," she said finally, pointing to one. "And the other is M1895 CB. They used to be old members of Hunter, during the transition period."
"Transition?"
"Er, after KSG and ACR left. They – Powell, the Commander back in S16 – made me squad leader and put in these other two as temporary members. It lasted a little longer than I expected, but FAMAS and StG came along soon enough."
"Were they an improvement or a step down?" SASS wanted to ask, but held her tongue. NTW stared a while longer before heaving a sigh and replacing the picture frame on the table.
"They were a good team." She stood, and SASS did as well. NTW placed a hand on SASS's shoulder and smiled gently, genuinely. "I'm sure you'd be an excellent member, if you ever joined."
"Thanks," SASS said, doubting she would ever get the chance. NTW put her arms around SASS and pulled her in, giving her a tight hug. SASS returned the gesture and buried her face in NTW's neck. Her pink hair smelled like nitroglycerin, metal, and coolant, and SASS loved it despite the pungent odor. "I should probably start heading back now."
"Yeah." NTW-20 rubbed SASS's back before breaking away. "The others are probably back."
They were. FAMAS and Type 79 sat at the kitchen bar while Tokarev worked the stove on the other side. The brown-haired doll turned to see NTW and SASS as they entered, adding a smile directed towards SASS.
"How was the poker game?" NTW-20 asked. FAMAS whipped around to face her.
"K5, ce putain de tricheur–"
"K5 played fair and square," Type 79 retorted. "You're just annoyed at not winning as much as you wanted."
"I won plenty." FAMAS huffed and crossed her arms as Tokarev placed two plates of food in front of her and Type 79.
"NTW, would you like me to make you a plate? SASS?"
SASS looked to NTW, who shrugged. "If you want to stay, you can. It's the weekend, after all."
"I guess it is." SASS took a seat at the bar, and Tokarev smiled before turning back to the stove. It was warm by the kitchen, and even on the barstool SASS felt herself feeling tired again. NTW nudged her periodically.
"Any word on how the operation is going?" FAMAS asked, taking a bite of her toast. NTW shrugged again.
"Slowly, but it's working. Sangvis is tenacious, though Jericho isn't keen on letting them keep any land. I don't really attend many or hear much about the strategy meetings, just what I overhear or what gets passed down."
"And the Ringleader?" Type 79 said. NTW shrugged for a third time, saying nothing. Tokarev finished scooping food onto two places and placed them in front of NTW and SASS. The smell was enticing, and SASS started eating right away.
"Have you heard anything about 44?" Tokarev asked from the sink, washing her hands. NTW swallowed awkwardly.
"She's, uh, doing fine. Better than I thought she would in Chrysanthemum, actually."
"Hopefully CBJ-MS will teach her something," FAMAS said, poking at crumbs with the tines of her fork. "44 has too much leeway."
"Care to elaborate on that?" NTW said coldly, not looking up from her plate.
"Certainly," FAMAS started. "You see, StG–"
"I don't care about what you think about 44." NTW set her silverware down and stared at FAMAS. "But when you complain that she has too much leeway, you're judging my choices as leader."
The green-haired doll studied NTW for a moment, her mouth a thin line. "I'm not saying you made a poor choice. It's objectively true that Hunter Squadron fosters 44's behavior, and I hope that CBJ-MS will help her recognize that she needs to conform before Kerr or anyone else accepts her. If she doesn't get her temper under control, she'll just keep looking like a child throwing a tantrum."
Type 79 nodded in agreement. "I think CBJ is the one to do it. The one time I met her, she seemed like such a natural leader that I wanted to apply for a transfer…"
SASS noticed that NTW looked a little sheepish and leaned over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Senpai, I think you're a great leader and teacher."
"Thank you," NTW said under her breath, flashing a smile at SASS. "Isn't Z-62 CBJ's second in command?"
"Yes." Type 79 flexed her joints as she spoke, and for the first time SASS noticed that she bent her prosthetic fingers both ways. She supposed that it was purely for looks, since prosthetic joints couldn't be cracked, but it still seemed surreal. "She's reserved, but exactly the sort of person who would a good lieutenant."
NTW laughed, and SASS saw her glance at Tokarev. "I get it. Is she good in combat?"
"I heard that she used to have a lot of trouble, back when she was in another sector. S18, I think, then Kerr got her transferred here a while ago and she joined Chrysanthemum in the last year or so. Groomed, you might say.
"It really seems like Kerr likes bringing dolls into S17," FAMAS said. "She's importing talent, almost."
"It makes sense," replied NTW-20, scooping a final forkful of eggs into her mouth. "She's trying to squeeze the best she can out of the IOP dolls Griffin gets. We have defects, and she wants the dolls that can improve, or that are so good she can overlook their issues. Think about it: all the dolls here are experienced, or driven, or show promise… That's why she pulls dolls like 44 out of S09 and into S17. She's cherry picking the best dolls from anywhere she can, essentially."
"Kerr thinks 44 has promise?" FAMAS asked, more curious than incredulous.
"You don't?"
"So how much of S17 is actually from S17?" Type 79 asked.
"Everyone." NTW-20 pushed her plate away from her. "It doesn't matter what sector you were made in or delivered to. We're all in S17 now. We all work in the same place, with the same people, for the same person. I don't think a lot of us are from S17, but it doesn't really matter. We're all part of it now."
A silence fell across the kitchen. SASS swallowed her toast and stared at the linoleum counter, willing for someone to say something, anything. Ingram had been from S09, had been an import… SASS wondered where the others were from. Grizzly and M590 seemed to know a lot about S17, sure, but that was part of their job. RFB never talked about her past… she never had the time.
"I miss S16," FAMAS said. "It was so clear-cut then."
"Mm," said Type 79. Tokarev picked up NTW's empty plate and went to the sink.
"I wonder what's up with Powell. He seemed pretty stressed out when we left."
"Let's not talk about it," NTW said. "Not… now."
SASS ate the rest of her breakfast as quickly as she could and let Tokarev take her plate. "Well, senpai, I should be going! Thank you for the breakfast, Tokarev."
"Absolutely," the blue-haired doll smiled, and NTW turned her head to look at SASS. Her face had grown long, and smiled only faintly at SASS as the doll retreated to the door.
"I'll talk to you later."