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A predetermined meeting spot on the surface under the cover of night. There, Snow White waited for her companions to arrive for their monthly meeting.
As she did, she performed maintenance on her equipment, thinking about the strange Commander that she had met not too long ago, as well as the message she asked to pass along.
"...Is it just a coincidence?" Snow White murmured while gazing at the crackling flames.
Normally, she wouldn't have bothered with a campfire. But she was feeling nostalgic. Moreover, for some reason, since that commander took out Chatterbox, the Raptures had been acting strange. Uncoordinated, almost like the chain of command had been severed.
But either way...
"Andersen. Deputy Chief Andersen..." Snow White mulled over the name.
It was the same. The one that belonged to the Commander who led them all those years ago. But...
"...Why haven't you found us? You didn't even say goodbye."
That was what bothered Snow White.
There was likely more to the story. That man wasn't the sort to vanish without a word. But... if he DID, there was a reason.
And depending on that reason...
"...Dorothy will be upset." Snow White murmured.
Out of all of them, the noble lady would be the one most affected. Especially considering all that had occurred.
And depending on the reason WHY their commander didn't reach out to them for all these decades...
Well. Snow White wouldn't be surprised if Dorothy turned her anger on the Ark itself.
Eden was already a 'paradise' for Nikke and Humans. If it turned out that the place they sacrificed so much for had not just betrayed them, but also their commander...
"...Strange." Snow White let out a soft laugh. "It's not like me to be like this."
Was it seeing that commander and his squad that reminded her of the distant past? The fact that their commander might still be around and not have died that fateful day?
Either way, Snow White realized she was feeling strangely reminiscent.
"Ah, tis a wonderful night for a reunion, is it not?" A female voice drifted upon the wind. Shortly after, a woman clothed in white and carrying a blade at her side appeared like a mirage. Shifting her hat to her back, Scarlet smiled and said, "Snow. Yet another moon has passed and we have the fortune to meet again. How wonderful it is."
"Scarlet." Snow White nodded. "Good to see you too." A faint smile crossed her face. "Still drifting like a wandering swordswoman I see."
Scarlet walked over to sit by the campfire and nodded. "Tis my fate. Left without an anchor with only the lignering will, is it not apt for a follower of the blade to drift with the wind?"
"...And you're still using the same flowery language as always." Snow White chuckled and then pulled out a few packs of old MREs. "I found some old rations. Want some while we wait for Rapunzel?"
Scarlet's eyes widened, a warm smile on her face. "Did the heavens bless you with fortune, Snow? To find proper rations from the surface..."
"Well." Snow White started prepping the MREs and said, "Luck has been good recently."
Since that commander took out Chatterbox, Snow White was able to help Unlimited reclaim the northern research facility.
And considering that the Raptures had been less active as well, that left her with a rare opportunity to rest and develop new weapons.
"Oh my!" Another voice echoed from the distance. Shortly after, a woman with golden hair and emanating a soft light emerged. "You two are here already? I didn't think you would be here so soon. If I knew, I would have just waited a bit longer instead of continuing my pilgrimage."
"Rapunzel." Snow White nodded towards her. "It's not a problem. We weren't here long. I just arrived an hour ago."
Rapunzel sat down at the campfire as well and smiled. "You even have a proper meal prepared for once!"
"I got lucky." Snow White let out a small smile. "We'll eat good tonight."
Scarlet chuckled. "Indeed we shall... Should I share some of my spirits? Tis not often we have such a peaceful night."
Rapunzel's eyes lit up. "Ooh... As a woman of faith, it's always a blessing to be able to partake in spirits... O-Of course, for holy rites, of course. Like blessing our reunion!"
Snow White laughed and said, "Sure. Let's drink and celebrate meeting each other again. It's been a while since we've been able to enjoy a peaceful time like this."
Scarlet paused.
Rapunzel's eyes widened and she looked over at Snow White. "Snow? Did you... laugh?"
Snow White froze. Then she reached up to touch her face, where a warm smile certainly was waiting. "...Huh." She rubbed her face, feeling how stiff it was after she smiled. "...Strange."
Now that they pointed it out, Snow White realized that she HAD been acting a bit off.
Was it because of that commander?
Ever since meeting him and learning that her own commander might still be alive...
"...I'm not sure what it is." Snow White shrugged. "I just feel... at ease. Maybe that's why I'm in a good mood."
For once since that day where they were left stranded outside of the Ark...
Snow White felt light. Not quite happy, not quite content. But calm. At peace.
"Tis truly a rare occassion to see our Snow smile so." Scarlet nodded. "What might be the reason for such fortuity?"
"Yes!" Rapunzel nodded. "Do tell! Unlike us, you clearly had something interesting happen!"
"Well..." Snow White hummed, idly tending to the MREs being reheated over the flames. "...It all started with this ridiculous Commander who used a sword to cut off Chatterbox's arm."
Scarlet paused. "...I beg your pardon?"
===
"Alright, Commander!" Anis hugged my arm and said, "You're all mine today, so let's go on a date! To the Ark!"
"Of course, Anis." I chuckled. "I'm all yours today, just like we promised."
It was a Monday, the fresh start of the week.
...Not that it really meant anything to us. The Brave Squad didn't really operate on a set schedule really.
A few days had passed since meeting up with Andersen. Nothing much occurred. If anything, it was surprisingly peaceful.
In the morning, I woke up next to Marian, went off to train, checked in on Sophia's progress, texted Raptilion on a secure channel, and then spent time with the girls.
The afternoon was spent with a group lunch, and then everyone scattered to their own devices to unwind.
The evenings... well. Marian was very adamant about making that time hers. In multiple ways. And she'd even roped Endless in a few times, the naive Nikke being surprisingly curious about 'love expressions.'
...Yes, that was a thing.
But anyway.
Apparently, the girls had come to a consensus about the arrangement with me, and today was just me and Anis.
I walked with her to the elevator down to the Ark and said, "It's not often we get to spend time alone together, huh? Usually we're in a group."
Anis leaned against me and said, "Mmhm. You're always bustling around saying you have things to do or checking in on all of us... You do know that you deserve some downtime too, right? We never know when our next deployment is going to be."
I hummed. "I personally disagree with that statement. After all, I could always deploy us like tomorrow."
Anis rolled her eyes and lightly punched my arm. "You know what I mean. Sheesh, always the contrarian."
"Only because you're fun to tease."
"Wha-?!" Anis blushed and then she huffed. "You're terrible. How come I'm the only one you tease, huh? Is it that fun?"
"Well, you react the most." I chuckled. "But yes. You're cute when you do that."
Anis's blush turned an even darker shade of red. But a prideful smile filled her face too as she said, "Well, good. I WAS an idol. It'd be sad if I wasn't cute, you know?"
"Right. You did mention that." I hummed, watching the elevator lights pass us by as we descended into the Ark. "Come to think of it, I don't really know much about all of you, do I? I mean, I know how you are as people, but I don't know much about your pasts."
Anis paused. "Well..." She fidgeted a bit, picking at her sleeve. "...That's because a Nikke's past isn't usually happy, you know?"
"Ah. Right."
"Don't worry about it, Commander." Anis chuckled. "I don't mind. It's not like rude or anything. You ARE our commander. If you want to know more about us, you can just ask. You're clearly different, after all." She smirked at me and said, "I mean, you're actively courting four women at once, so you CLEARLY see us as more than just dolls like most people do."
"...When you put it that way, it makes me sound like a terrible man- Wait, four?" I did some mental math. "You, Marian, Rapi... who's the fourth?"
Anis paused. "Wait. So are you not interested in Endless? Because that's not what it seemed like to me..."
"Oh. I'm not pursuing Endless. She's already mine."
"..."