The next day, when Robin woke up she found A2 already awake, though she was still lying on their cot on her side, a hand moving Robin's hair away from her face, her blue eyes looking at her with so much love in them.
"Good morning." she smiled down at her.
"Good morning, gorgeous." Robin smiled too, watching as A2's cheeks painted themselves a little red.
"Have we already moved on to compliments?"
She raised an eyebrow. "You didn't like that?" couldn't she say something nice if she felt like it? Given the rough treatment they both had?
"No, I did." A2 fidgeted a little with her hair. "I'm just not that pretty."
Maybe back then she could be considered a little bit good looking, but now? With all the skin missing and dirt on her body? She couldn't consider herself as such.
"You are to me." Robin put a hand on top of hers. "A2, I chose you, okay? And I like every single thing about you, including your looks."
"I like you the way you are, with or without a properly repaired body."
And she'd never ask her to change or repair herself, if she didn't want to, because it was her body and her decision. If she wanted to stay this way then so be it, if she didn't, then it was fine as well. As long as it was her, nothing else mattered.
A2 only blushed harder. "Well then, you're also very beautiful."
Robin only smiled back. "I know, and you're the first person I know that actually means it for real."
A2 mentally smacked herself in the head. Of course people would have given Robin all sorts of compliments, so they could try to get this absolutely stunning woman into their beds, and have their way with her, when they hadn't already forced her to, she assumed.
She was still rather disgusted at the previous day's confession, but for what those humans did to her lover, not for her just trying to survive.
She was sure that she never liked one bit of that treatment, and who would?
The difference was, that she was now in bed with her without needing to do a thing, and being here next to her was enough, as long as Robin was comfortable, then she was happy.
"And I always will." she will always mean every compliment she'd give her.
She could spend hours doing that, and she wouldn't get tired of it.
A2 coughed in her palm. "Anyways, Anemone called us through 2B's Pod, she said she was looking for a place for us to stay at the camp, and that she'd give you all you need to showcase the things you found."
"Well that's very nice, also these relics would probably be safer at the camp." before someone with ill intentions found them.
Maybe the Resistance could also research them, though the thought of seeing these precious old artifacts be touched from a lot of people didn't sit too well with her. Just in case someone wasn't delicate enough, and could end up damaging them.
"I also was thinking of going to see Pascal. Been a few days since we took you from the village, and 2B did tell him we would give him news." and also she was worried about him.
But maybe he'll be happy to see Robin again.
"All right then, sounds like a good plan." she too worried for the machine after she was told what happened to the village, and the children.
Also she did have to thank him for looking after her dead body, which to A2's saying, was in absolutely terrible shape when 2B and 9S brought her back to camp, as the fire had burned away most of it. That had to be why repairs took so long.
After they had taken care of Popola first, she got told the twins had helped 9S get in the Tower, A2 had found them at the entrance of it, Popola was already too far gone, and Devola just sat at her side, no matter what.
Robin was glad that the twins were reunited, they deserved something good after all the pain they had to go through. A2 also made her aware of those men that tried to not let Devola and 9S repair them, and how she was so close to killing them, using her sword no less.
Weapon she had given back in the end.
She was also happy to know that Anemone finally took action for those people, about time really. Though she shouldn't really judge the Resistance Leader without knowing what had been in the past, and of her experiences.
But these past few days spent together and in peace, gave Robin good hopes for the future.
The eerie and silent atmosphere of the village gave Robin chills, for as used as she was to hear the chatter and laughter of the child machines. The burned grass, plants and wood gave this place an even creepier look.
Normally she would have no issues with it, but knowing just what happened, and how attached she'd been made everything different.
Also, the whole situation reminded her of Ohara. Another burned down tree…
She couldn't help it as the memories of the day before were still fresh in her mind, and the story she had to go through once again.
And yet one more peaceful place destroyed, with people she cared about in it.
A2 seemed to sense her discomfort, as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Is everything okay? We can leave if you want."
However Robin shook her head, walking closer to the main tree holding the village together, with slow steps. "It just… it reminds me of my home…" she placed a hand on the bark.
Closing her eyes she could see the flames of that day way too clearly.
She almost wished that White had manipulated her memories of her past, instead of just the one of her death. Maybe she could have been a better person…
Maybe this all wouldn't hurt so much when she thought about it…
But also she would not have met A2. So many things could have gone differently, and if she had to choose, she'd be content with what she had now, instead of a what if scenario where she'd be all alone, again.
Or dead. That was always still an option.
"I can come back to see Pascal on my own." A2 didn't want to see Robin hurting this way for something she proposed.
"I'll be okay…" she sighed. "This whole thing is just too similar, and I can't help but remember."
"Just do say something if it gets too much, okay?" all A2 received was a nod, but it was something. At least Robin seemed to be wanting to communicate when she was hurting, instead of keeping everything to herself like she used to.
That was an improvement.
Should Robin fall apart she'll catch her, hold the broken pieces together, and put them back in their place, just like she had allowed her to do so many times in the past.
In the end A2 remained the same crybaby as she was before, some things were never destined to change.
Neither of the two said anything for a while, the silence only broken from leaves falling in the wind around them. And then from the sound of mechanical steps approaching them.
"Oh, A2, and Miss Robin, I'm glad to see you."
"Likewise, Pascal." Robin turned to him with a smile of courtesy, unsure how to approach him, but she was glad for the distraction.
"2B did say we would come back with news." A2 motioned to her companion, who now was alive and well again.
"I'm really happy to see Miss Robin alive again… I wish I could say the same about the other villagers…" only now the former human noticed the pile of dead bodies in a corner. "But at least something good still happened."
"I'm sorry, Pascal." the black haired woman looked down, and probably her presence was making things worse. "Maybe I'll just leave, I'm sure that seeing me is bringing back bad memories."
"Oh please don't." he replied, as she raised an eyebrow at it.
"I did mean it when I said to be happy upon seeing you again, because at least something could be saved out of this mess."
Still Robin couldn't help but feel bad about being here, maybe this was not such a good idea after all, not when it came about her.
"Thanks for looking after her too, Pascal. I wouldn't have gotten her back if it wasn't for you."
"Well, I did promise I would have." he replied, looking at them both. "After all you two have done a lot for this village, and I'm sorry that dragging you into trying to save us ended up separating you two."
Even if he had no facial expressions, his voice was enough to tell that he was truly sad for what had happened here.
"In the end, you came here for nothing." only to find death.
"Don't even say that! You couldn't have known it would have ended the way it did." A2 took her sister's words from the day before.
If they applied to her, then they applied to him too.
"The best you both can do is try to move on, and find your own peace, it won't be easy, but being stuck in the past, and putting the blame on yourself for things out of your control will only end up hurting yourself further." and A2 knew Robin spoke with more than enough experience to tell.
She'd been through so much, and even now she still struggled to move on and come to terms with it all. But she was trying, and so was A2.
They relied on each other, and the aid of their friends they now could have without anyone risking their life, only to spend a few moments together anymore. However… Pascal was still a machine.
Even if a friend nonetheless, perhaps only other machines could truly understand and help him.
But where to find them?
"You have that look on your face." Robin frowned at A2's statement. "What look?"
"The "I have something on my mind." look. I know it too well, I've seen it too many times." and A2 sure hoped it wasn't something bad. It worried her when her companion suddenly started looking into the void, signaling she got lost somewhere in her head.
"You surely have gotten good at reading me." the taller woman chuckled a little. How crazy it was, that all the walls and the masks she carefully built and crafted over these years, came crashing down so easily in A2's presence.
She had carved her way into her heart and destroyed all those defenses little by little, slowly but steadily, just by simply using those strong emotions that drove all her choices.
Maybe one day she'll be able to break them all down for good.
After all, A2 did often say she was good at breaking things, but in this particular case it wasn't a bad thing.
"I was thinking… what if should we find more machines that weren't connected to the network when the Tower fell? Machines like Pascal, that may be needing help?"
A2 crossed her arms, now she had a pensive look too.
"Are you implying that we could send them here should we find them?"
That could probably do good to Pascal, he wouldn't be so alone anymore. Because for as good as he was, taking him to a camp of androids would probably end up in a disaster.
There were still androids that believed words of thousands of years ago, about something they didn't know about but still followed on with violence towards Devola and Popola, who were androids like them and yet got no respect no matter what they did to help…
A machine would probably get an even worse treatment, despite the useful ally Pascal had been.
Both Robin and A2 had seen and received, and sometimes even given back, too much cruelty, to witness more of it, and even more so towards a friend.
"No, no, please don't do that!" Pascal's panicked voice distracted them from their thinking.
"I don't want to see them die again… I don't want to make the same mistakes…" he shook his head, holding it between his small hands.
However Robin stepped in front of him with a serious look on her.
"You won't." Pascal only looked up at her, tilting his head slightly signaling confusion. "You will not repeat the same mistakes again."
"How can you be certain of it?"
"For many reasons, but mainly because I know that everyone has potential to learn from the mistakes they make, including you." machines had proven to be capable of learning, and adapting even better and faster than androids did.
Just thinking back at how quickly Adam and Eve had evolved during those few months they had been alive, and how Adam had been so close to finding out a truth that very few people knew.
Even if his intellect was still lacking at times, his curiosity brought him to lengths no other machine had even gone to, perhaps it had been thanks to him that there was so much information inside the Tower, about androids and YoRHa specifically. If he could make progresses the destructive way, then Pascal could make them the good way.
He just had to believe.
"But I'm just a machine…"
"Exactly." she nodded. "Machines are capable of learning at a very fast rate, and much like us, you imitate others, you imitate humans. And one of the main essences of being human was learning and growing from past mistakes, to be a better person, for yourself, and for the people around you."
Of course, not all humans did learn, some blatantly refused to, and others even used their experience to harm others, like the ones like her, but he didn't need to know about it right now.
"Only a person that doesn't remember the past is bound to make the same errors as before, but you remember, we remember, and we can aid you along the way if you need us to."
These past words reminded A2 of all the times 9S had to be executed, all because he kept being too curious and finding things he shouldn't have, because like she said, he was bound to repeat the same mistakes over and over, because he didn't remember what he did wrong.
As his memory was reset anew each and every time.
Who the hell at YoRHa expected him to ever change attitude, or to get better at holding back his curiosity, if he didn't know what he did in the past to correct his behavior?
And by doing so, YoRHa kept hurting him over and over, and it wasn't a wonder that he went mad once he had everything in his hands, but no one at his side anymore to help him deal with it.
Also, the people around him would hurt too, such as 2B, the woman that so much loved him, because A2 knew she did too well, so she'd have to keep carrying out her duty and kill him so many times… only to restart again.
All around in circles.
It was a miracle her younger sister didn't go crazy herself with how much pain that was being inflicted upon her, and that she believed she was the cause too!
Because she believed that it kept happening, as she wasn't good enough to keep him out of trouble, and had grown cold towards him in a foolish attempt to protect herself from even more pain.
Even a woman as mentally strong as Robin, who had been through the worst of the worst, had been close to falling victim to the curse of E types…
A2 wondered if it would have changed anything, had 2B been alive and not infected.
Perhaps she and 9S could have supported each other, or perhaps they would have both gone mad like he did.
And what of the people that loved them? A2 knew they had their Operators guiding them, how hard it must have been for them to see them kill and be killed?
Suddenly, she remembered something.
There was still one thing Robin hadn't been made aware of, that had completely passed over in their minds.
But 9S' Operator, the blonde woman in the resource unit at the park, was also Robin's Operator too.
"Can I borrow your Pod? I need to call someone." she said. She didn't need a verbal answer but 007 gave one anyway.
"This Pod is in complete support of Unit 26E and A2 both, how may I be of service?"
"Can you contact the twins for me?" Robin raised an eyebrow at it. "What do you need Devola and Popola for?"
"It's something, hopefully, good. Trust me on this."
She trusted her, but… it seemed a little odd of her suddenly needing the help of the twins out of nowhere.
She understood that A2 relied on them and 9S when she was crippled and still dead, to fix her body and bring her back. But now why would she? Was there something wrong?
It was Popola who picked up the call, with Devola leaning on and over her shoulder.
"A2, is everything going well? Is there a problem?" the straight haired twin asked through the screen.
"Not at all, I was wondering if you both could come over to the Amusement Park, whenever you were free." A2 explained. "There may be something I'd like you two to check."
"A bit of an odd request." Devola frowned.
"For the record, she won't tell me a thing either." Robin replied. "This is entirely her idea."
"I suppose we could just head over and see what it is, the situation at the camp is much quieter now that there aren't machines around." and now that no one needed repairs to be brought back from the dead.
For the time being.
Because there soon may be someone else needed tending to, if A2's idea worked.
And she was sure that both Robin and also 9S would love it.
The Scanner boy did need a bit of gratitude for what he did for her, after all, she left without much of it, not even a thank you. And what better way than bringing back another person he cared for?
If the body was salvageable enough, maybe she could be repaired too, and A2 was positive that the damage she'd done to it was nowhere near as bad as Robin's was.
Though she did stab the woman more than one time.
That was why she needed the twins there, to confirm or deny if she could be saved.
"All right, see you there." and with that she ended the call.
"What do you have in mind?" Robin frowned even harder at her partner.
"You'll see." the white haired woman took her by the hand, dragging her over to the bridge that led to the park.
"I sure hope you know what you're doing."
A2 nodded. "With any luck, it should be a good thing."
Time to take a trip to the park and dig through some rubble to potentially find another survivor.