It's a cold, clear day. The light-blue sky stretches from horizon to horizon, one continuous color reflecting the sea of freshly fallen snow below.
Far from the carefully controlled climate of the Ark, winter has descended upon the surface. Though in the Outpost, there's only one human to enjoy the picturesque sight: the commander of the Counter's squad… And also quite a few other squads.
After a year of endless stress, the onset of winter has brought a lull in activity. A short break, one he was quietly desperate for. From the constant chaos of dealing with Nikke's and Raptures, to the recent catastrophe in the Ark, the commander has been stretched thin.
Like a cold compress against a sore wound, the chilling air has brought a tangible relief to his weary, battered, and scarred body. He still has to manage and advise all the Nikke's under his command, as well as ensure the running and defense of the Outpost, but there hasn't been any high profile missions lately.
Anis and Neon both commented on the break, observing that he should try to rest as much as possible before things inevitably get hectic again. Though she didn't say nearly as much, Rapi's small smile was more than enough to sway him to take it easy.
And so he finds himself in his office, laying on the same couch which often hosted a variety of Nikke's. His attention is captured by the worn book in his hands, one given to him by Scarlet. It's essentially a relic; something she'd found in her never-ending journey on the surface. The book's binder is barely held together, the pages faded and thin. Yet the printed text still holds the same appeal it once did; a fantasy story of a distant land, of simpler times with iron blades and steel-hearted men.
He also has some new… 'Reading material' from Rapunzel, but that's for later in the day, when he can be assuredly alone.
Though being alone is a rare treasure these days. As if to prove such a point, there's a knock on his door. The commander sits up, putting the book down with a sigh.
"Enter."
The door slides open to reveal, unsurprisingly, a Nikke. She saunters in, her red eyes instantly locking onto him and never leaving.
"Hi honey~"
"Hey Viper. What's up?"
The Nikke purses her lips, glancing around the empty room, before sashaying over to him.
"… Have you seen Jackal lately?"
The commander rubs the side of his face, suppressing another sigh.
"She disappeared on you again, huh?"
With a nod, Viper sits down on the couch next to him, scooting closer until their thighs and shoulders are touching.
"I only looked away for a moment…" She exhales dramatically. "I swear, I think I'm finally going to have to get a leash for her."
"Funny, I was just thinking about doing the same for you."
A devious smile appears on Viper's face as she deftly links her arm around his. "Oh~ That'd be a lot of fun, wouldn't it be, honey? So that's what you like… I'll keep it in mind~"
"... Forget I said anything. So, when and where'd you last see her?"
"Well, we had some things to take care of in the Outpost today—I won't bore you with the details—and I ran into Rupee outside the Maid Cafe. That was about three hours ago. She helped me look for her for a bit, but then she had to go to an appointment."
Viper leans in closer, her hand pressed on the commander's arm, who continues questioning her, unfazed by her intimate approach.
"Have you told anyone else?"
The Nikke shakes her head, leaning her warm body into his side. The commander is fully aware she was using the opportunity to get close to him; but that wasn't something he particularly minded.
It was somewhat hard to keep his gaze focused on hers though.
"Well then," he says, "I'll keep an eye out for her. She'll probably show up here by the end of the day if she doesn't come back to you. I've found her sleeping in my bed before, actually."
"Hmm, what a troublesome doggy…" She eyes him with open curiosity. "What did you do with her then?"
"Well, she wouldn't wake up, and I was tired, so… I just pushed her to the side."
Viper chuckles; the sound is as distinctly pleasant as it is uniquely dangerous.
"Hmm, how coldly efficient. When I end up in your bed, I hope you'll treat me with a little more… Care," she says the last part in a low murmur, her face inches away from his.
The commander taps her nose with his finger, causing her to pout and lean back.
"You say that like it's a certainty, Viper," he replies dryly. "Funny, Jackal doesn't even try, and she's already made more progress than you in that regard."
The blonde gives him an unamused look, blowing out a puff of air. She considers him for a moment, before deciding to have one last go.
"Well then, how about another date?" She asks, her voice light and casual.
The commander supports his chin with his hand, appearing to give it some thought.
"If you behave, I'll think about it."
"Hmph. Well, I suppose that's the most I can ask for." The Nikke pats his arm, and then stands up from the couch, leaving a deep imprint in the cushion.
"See you soon, Honey~"
"Sure, Viper. I'll let you know if Jackal turns up again."
She nods, bringing up her hand and blowing him a kiss coupled with a sultry wink, before striding out of the room. The moment the door slides closed, the commander lets out a small sigh.
There was always something.
He pulls out his phone, checking for any missed calls or messages. Upon seeing none, he's halfway to putting it back in his pocket when Blabla dings.
He opens the app to see a message from one of the mass-produced Nikke's assigned to the outpost. Rose, a Missilis model 8, had sent a report of a strange person sighted on the wall, seemingly serving as a guard. They were described with white hair, and carrying a gun that was bigger than their entire body.
The commander stands, sending a quick reply of acknowledgement before grabbing his cap and overcoat. But before he leaves, he makes a quick detour to grab something from the hidden stash in his room. In addition to being hidden, it was also protected by three different locks, as the commander had discovered the hard way that his possessions tended to end up in the custody of many different Nikke's, for a variety of reasons…
At least he'd managed to convince Isabel to return everything. He was still missing his favorite dress shirt, but it was in a better place now—or serving a better purpose, rather.
Hopefully, it would not be too long before he was reunited with it again.
He exits his office, entering a larger waiting room. On one side is a long desk, behind which a short-haired girl sits, wearing a pair of large-framed glasses.
When they're not out on a mission, he often has one of the Counters, or occasionally someone from another squad, acting as a secretary of sorts. Basic paperwork, and handling the influx of visitors and requests, was something easy enough that even the clumsiest of his subordinates couldn't mess it up.
Today, it was Neon. On her desk is a stack of finished paperwork; in her lap is a datapad, which has her undivided attention. With a closer glance, it looks to be a treatise about shotguns.
"Hey Neon. Tell the others I'm going to be out for a while."
"Sure master," she replies, putting down her datapad and readjusting her glasses as she looks at him. "Where are you going?"
"One of the Pilgrims' is here, protecting the wall it seems. I'd like to check up on her while I have the chance. They've been through so much, you know."
"Oh, master. You're supposed to be relaxing instead of worrying, you know? Just what are we going to do with you…"
"I don't know, but if you ever figure it out, let me know."
Neon chuckles, and waves goodbye. "Of course, master. Have fun."
He nods, and then exits the command center. A wall of freezing-cold air greets him as soon as he steps outside—but fortunately, he was well equipped with winter clothes.
Though he has a certain trio—or rather two trio's—of Tetra Nikke's to thank for that, rather than the Central Government. If they had only relied on official supplies, they would have starved by their first month here.
Fortunately, the commander has made a surplus of beneficial connections in the short time he'd been in command. Most of those connections were Nikke's, sure, but those in the Ark severely underestimated how talented they could be for things beside combat.
Though he didn't mind conversing with anyone assigned under him, it was somewhat merciful that he managed to avoid any stops on the way to the outer edge of the Outpost. Perhaps it was thanks to the unfavorable weather, but it was rare that he was not stopped and hailed for one reason or another.
After a short while he reaches his destination, at the southern end of the base. It was the section which was usually the most heavily defended, and had the most rapture activity—yet none of the normally assigned Nikke's were around. They were likely at the other sides of the base, since the lone figure standing watch in front of him was more than enough to cover an entire sector.
The commander pauses for a moment, taking in the sight of the person he owed his life to. Standing there above him on the wall, her faded cloak and massive gun silhouetted against the sky—she looks like a character from a superhero movie.
And from his experience with her, it wasn't an inaccurate comparison. The commander climbs up the ladder, walking over to the stoic Pilgrim's side. Though she remains facing forward, her gaze on the horizon, he has no doubt that she knew he was there.
The commander rests his gloved hands on the railing, following her gaze out into the wilderness for a moment, before electing on a casual approach.
"... Come here often?"
Snow White turns slightly, greeting him with a nod.
"Commander. Good to see you."
"Likewise, Snow." He faces her fully, noting that her weapon, the Seven Dwarfs, was configured in long range mode. "What brings you here?"
Her orange eyes glance at him, before returning immediately to scanning the terrain.
"I was in the area. There's been a lot of rapture activity around here; so I decided to use this place as bait. I won't be staying long."
The commander nods. "How have you been?"
"I've destroyed 327 raptures in the past two weeks. I was following a lead on the Queen a couple months ago, but it ran cold. I'm moving to a section I've barely explored tomorrow, in the hopes that something'll turn up."
"...That's good, but what I mean is how have you been doing."
"I am well," she replies, her voice slightly quieter than before. The Nikke side-eyes him, observing his subtle smile. "How have things been?"
"Pretty good, all things considered. It's been quiet around here, so I've been taking a little break, of sorts. Although…"
She turns her head. "Yes?"
"We've been having, well, trouble with Dorothy."
"I see." Snow White closes her eyes for a moment. "That's unfortunate. I… Don't remember much of her from before, but from what I've heard she's changed."
"From what I've heard, so have you."
Snow raises a single eyebrow.
"Scarlet?"
"Rapunzel, actually. She's been visiting about once a month lately."
"I see…" The pilgrim considers it for a moment, before shaking her head. "Well, if Dorothy gives you too much trouble, send me a message. It'll probably be a while before I get it, but if I'm in the area I can give you a hand."
"Thanks, but I hope it won't come to that. I've been trying to get through to her, but she's very… Stubborn."
"So are you."
Her quick response earns a chuckle from the commander. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is. I'm like that too."
"Yeah…"
Snow suddenly stiffens, her eyes sighting a black shape moving far off in the distance.
"Cover your ears."
The commander does so as Snow levels her weapon downrange, her sight aimed at a powerful rapture prowling leisurely across a distant field.
There's a flash of light and a deep, echoing boom, loud enough to resonate in the commander's chest. The rapture disappears, scattered bits of scrap metal splattering across the snow.
The Pilgrim lowers her weapon, nodding to herself. The commander opens his mouth to comment, but is interrupted by the beep of a message on his phone.
After a quick glance at the screen he pockets it again, letting out a small sigh.
Snow White eyes him curiously. "What is it?"
"Ah, Poli's asking me to help her wrangle Jackal… One of the more troublesome Nikke's I'm responsible for."
Snow nods, watching him stand next to her. After seeing that he's not going anywhere, she tilts her head.
"You're not going to go help her?"
"I will. But… It's rare that I get to see you."
The Nikke stares at him for a moment, not saying anything.
"... That's true. Although I'm not sure what you get out of spending time with me; I'm hardly the conversationalist my teammates are."
The commander smiles at her, earning a faint look of surprise from the stoic pilgrim.
"That hardly matters to me," he says. "Just spending time with you is enough. You know, one of the Missilis Nikkes, Laplace, says that all Nikkes are heroes. Most people ignore her words, or just shrug her off."
"I'm not surprised. She sounds idealistic."
The commander nods, pausing for a moment before continuing, his voice carrying a note of conviction.
"... I may be one of the few, but I believe her. To me, you're all heroes. Time has proven that to me again and again."
Snow's eyebrows shoot up, her surprised expression goading him to go on.
"I wish more people knew; I wish you got the praise you deserve. You've endured so much, out there in the wild. Suffering in silence. Fighting an endless war."
The commander gestures out to the wilderness—but Snow White's gaze remains solely focused on him. "The Goddess squad is a legend in the Ark, but they don't know. They have no idea what it's really like out here."
"They would despair if they did," Snow mutters.
"Probably." The commander sighs, looking back at the pilgrim next to him.
"But to answer your earlier question, that's why I'm standing out here with you right now. As long as you don't mind my company, I'll always provide it to you. You deserve so much more. I'm afraid I can't offer you much, beside my support, and…"
Snow's eyes glow as she watches him silently. The commander steps closer, his voice lowering. "Thank you, Snow White. For saving us. For saving me."
"..."
She continues to stare at him, before eventually shaking her head, a hint of a smile on her lips.
"You really are something, commander. Sometimes… I wish we had you from the beginning. Maybe things would have turned out differently."
"Ahah, I don't know about that… I'm just trying to do the best for the people I've grown to care for," he says with a heartfelt laugh.
For a single moment, Snow White is captivated; not by his words, but by his expression. The commander's smile is brilliant—luminous and bright, conveying the weight of his feelings. His teeth shine a nearly perfect white.
She looks at him for only a moment, before glancing away. To her, it was as if she had gazed into the sun.
"... You have a nice smile."
"Thank you. I've heard that a lot recently. I guess I have a lot to be grateful for."
Snow White nods in agreement. A faint pink colors her cheeks.
"Anyway," the commander begins, "I know hearing my thanks for the millionth time is probably tiresome, so I brought something you'd appreciate a lot more."
He pulls out a foil-wrapped candy bar from his pocket, presenting it to her.
"Chocolate. Real chocolate, too. As precious as gold in the Ark, and impossible to find in the Outer Rim—unless you know the right people."
The normally dim fire in the Nikke's orange eyes pulses, her robotic hand reaching out—but then she hesitates.
"... If it's worth that much, I shouldn't have it."
The commander smiles, nodding to himself. He unwraps the bar, holding it closer so the scent drifts up to her nose.
"How could you say no to this?"
The Pilgrim is entranced as she eyes the food held before her. A thin line of drool begins to leak from her mouth. With one arm Snow White wipes it away and with the other she grabs the chocolate, swiftly taking a bite.
As she chews, the Nikke lets out an uncharacteristic moan in her throat. At the same time, an unprompted blush creeps up her neck.
She stops chewing, glancing over to the commander as she swallows.
"... Pretend you didn't hear that."
"Hear what?"
Satisfied with his answer, Snow White hums, finishing off the bar of delectable calories while keeping her noises of delight to an inaudible level.
"That was… Delicious. No, that word doesn't do it justice." She sighs, her shoulders slumping in a rare display of contentment. Her eyes fall shut for a moment, the Pioneer savoring the memory of the rich flavor while it was still fresh in her mind.
The commander stands waiting, a nearly equal smile on his face as he observes the fulfilled Nikke.
"... What do you want in return?" Snow eventually says, opening her eyes with a neutral look.
"Please, you owe me nothing. I'm still trying to dig out of the enormous debt I owe you. There is something, however…"
Snow nods—unsurprised—but willing to hear him out.
"Before you go, I want you to stop by the cafeteria and stock up on as much food as you can carry."
Snow opens her mouth to refuse, but the commander stops her with a raised hand.
"I don't have any real authority over you, but consider it an order anyway. We've got plenty of supplies here, thanks to the Underworld Queens, so don't worry about it."
"I can carry a lot, you know."
"As it happens, we just got a shipment of canned goods. About 4 shipping containers worth."
"… I'd have to make multiple trips to get that much."
"Well, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, would it?"
The pilgrim glances down, thinking for a moment.
"... No, I suppose not. I can't spend too much time here, however. Even a single second wasted away from the battlefield could mean another rapture goes on to kill someone else."
The commander is silent for a moment. His arm lifts up, as if to lay a hand on her shoulder, but he stops himself—instead the man chooses to sit down on a nearby crate.
Snow White makes another assessment of the perimeter; after finding no targets, she returns her full attention to him with a slight head tilt, a barely noticeable indication of curiosity.
"Snow," he begins, "I know the idea of taking a break is a foreign as it is reprehensible to you. I can even relate; sometimes it feels like I'm the only one holding this outpost together, from keeping things falling apart and everyone descending into endless arguments and chaos."
He sighs. The noise is deep, and oddly wise—it stands in stark contrast to his still-youthful face.
"But then I'm reminded by the people I trust: it's okay to take a breather. To just sit down, and…Think. Or rest. Or read, or play, or do anything besides trying to save humanity. You're really important, Snow, but you're not the only one in this fight. There are others to help you… That care about you."
He continues, a echo of passion leaking into his voice.
"I don't care about what's making your heart beat, what fluid is pumping through your veins, or even how many rapture parts formulate your body. You're not a machine, Snow. You are… Just as human as me."
The pair stare into each other's eyes for a long moment. Snow White meets his determined gaze with her own, orange eyes unblinking as his feelings gradually soak into her.
"Commander."
The corner of her mouth turns upward.
"... You always give me a lot to think about, huh?"
She shakes her head with a twinge of exasperation.
"That's all I can ask, Snow. It's just like reloading a weapon: you can't always keep the trigger pressed down."
"Hmm. I suppose so." She glances over to check for raptures, before returning her attention back to him. "But I hardly need to rest. My only hobby is taking care of my weapon, if you consider that a hobby."
"That's alright. But you don't have to think about fighting raptures 24/7. I bet there's still some part of you, deep down, that wants a quieter life. Being with others you share a bond with, enjoying simple moments, like this one—precious and fleeting. Gone before you can even realize."
"... You're pretty young, to be saying things like that."
"Well, I've almost died more times than I can count this past year. It's given me some… Perspective."
"Hmm, That's right. It has been a year since you started, hasn't it?"
"That it has. One hell of a year."
Snow chuckles. "Talk to me after you've had a couple decades under your belt." Her face then grows serious, the echoes of countless battles etching hard lines into her expression.
"Do you really think we can do it?" She asks, her voice neutral and subdued. "Reclaim the surface?"
"With you out there, I know we can."
Snow White is silent for a while. Her gaze returns to the outside perimeter, though she doesn't appear to be looking for raptures this time.
The commander steps closer, reaching out to hold her open hand.
"Hmm?" The contact sparks a small noise of surprise from the Nikke—though her expression softens she glances down at her hand, held in his own.
"... Thank you."
They stand together for a long while. The warmth pulsing in their palms is a stark contrast to the cold surrounding them. A gentle breeze flows through the air, and there's the distant sound of an engine, but it is otherwise quiet—almost peaceful.
"If you need anything, you know where to find me. Don't be a stranger." The commander squeezes her hand, and then lets go, stepping back.
A small smile forms on the Pilgrim's lips. "I won't. Be seeing you, commander."
"Until next time, Snow." With a wave, he turns and leaves, heading toward the police station. His long coat flaps behind him in the gentle breeze, his boots leaving an obvious trail of prints down the snow-covered road.
Snow White watches him leave, until he disappears behind a row of distant buildings. Her gaze lingers on the barren ground for a moment, before returning to the wide open plains beyond the wall of the Outpost. The sky, once a bright, effervescent blue, is now covered in low-hanging gray clouds. They match the landscape below, covered in rolling waves of snow, broken by the occasional dead tree or rapture husk.
Something clicks in the Pilgrim's mind; the white surrounding her is so much brighter than her tattered clothes, her battle-worn hair, or even her prized weapon, which she has been so careful to keep in good condition. It's been nearly a century, and she hardly resembles her name anymore.
Long gone is the young, bright-eyed, especially naive girl who had just joined the Goddess Squad, eager to prove her worth and build the next great weapon for her comrades.
She has been shaped—grayed, worn down, and embittered by the unforgiving world. Most Nikke's were unable to survive a single mind switch; she's survived two of them. Most of her memories and personality were lost in the process, but still she survived.
She persevered, fighting every day of her life. Eating things no human would dare think of, even in their worst nightmares. Every day, never faltering, destroying raptures with a singular goal in mind: defeat the Queen, and save humanity.
Nothing else mattered. Dreams? Hopes?
Ashes. Dust in the wind, like so many others she failed to save. And yet…
Snow White glances behind her shoulder, to the main complex of the outpost. She'd been alone for so long; but that has never bothered her. She won't stay here much longer; there is so much for her to do. The work never ends.
And yet—perhaps she can stop by more often. Sure, the temptation of real food is irresistible, and she can always use more supplies. But, deep down…
She wouldn't mind seeing that smile again.