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"Achoo!" I wiped my nose and said, "Sorry about that. Someone must be talking about me."
Rose let out a serene smile and said, "Well. Considering what you and the others have told me, I wouldn't be surprised."
It was late at night, inside a makeshift camp outside the 5th Weapons Depot.
Rapi, Marian, and Suri were securing the 5th Weapons Depot properly, getting it prepped and secured for later visits as well as picking out key resources to bring back to the Outpost and in turn the Ark.
Meanwhile, I was drinking with Laplace, Drake, and Rose, getting to know the newest members of our team while we sat around a dim campfire.
Ah, and Rose had decided to join up with us. Apparently, after chatting with the others, she thought I was a decent cause to lend her blade to.
As for how exactly we had drinks...
Well, the 5th Weapons Depot had a lot of stuff.
Laplace laughed, a faint blush on her cheeks as she raised her bottle. "Cheers~! To the *hic* greatest heroes ever...!"
Drake cackled, her face red as well. "You mean *hic* to the villains!" She raised her own bottle and then clinked it against Laplace's.
After that, the two shared a boisterous laugh.
Rose smiled, sipping on her own beer bottle. "Mm... I wouldn't take beer to be something that tastes better with age. But this is pretty good."
I sipped on my own beer and said, "I'm surprised too. I've heard that most beers have limited shelf lifes... and I was kind of concerned that these would be skunky or harsh. But it's nice. There's like hints of... dark chocolate?"
"Mmhm." Rose nodded. "Dark chocolate, sweetness from the malt, and a nice savory profile. It's good. Best I've ever had."
"Good enough to raise the dead, eh?"
Rose laughed, her face a faint red hue from the alcohol. "I suppose so." She took another long drink and let out a content sigh. "It's to die for, even."
I chuckled and then glanced at Laplace and Drake. "You guys doing alright there?"
"M'fine!" Laplace grinned. "Just tipsy~! Whoa." She staggered a bit, almost tipping over from her spot by the fire.
Drake laughed. "Look! Villains are superior after all! You don't see me tipping over!"
"Das cause you're already laying down!" Laplace waved her bottle at Drake. "Cheater...! *hic*"
Drake chuckled, indeed completely horizontal on the ground already. "Cheating is what villains do! ...*hic*."
Rose looked at them both and said, "So what's with the hero and villain thing? Is that something you got after becoming a Nikke? My younger sister adopted an old-fashioned way of talking when she was changed... is that something similar?"
I hummed. "You know, that's a good point. We never did talk about that, huh, Laplace, Drake?"
Laplace hopped to her feet and pointed in the sky. "Imma hero because das what I do! Do the impossible, see the invisible...!" She took a deep gulp of her beer and then said, "Touch the untouchable and break the unbreakable! Ra~! Whoops!" She stumbled back and landed on her butt, laughing.
Drake laughed too and said, "A villain doesn't need a reason to be a villain!" She sat up and covered her face, causing her mask to activate. "They're the coolest, strongest, and best! Besides, heroes already have all the spotlight... *hic* Gotta give villains the spotlight too!"
Rose raised an eyebrow, clearly amused at the two's answers. "Is that so?"
I nodded. "Ah, gotcha. So Gurren Lagann and Megamind then."
Laplace pointed at me. "Das why you're the best, Commander! You get me!"
Drake laughed. "Yes! Megamind... that blue guy! The REAL villain..." She pumped her fist up in the air... but forgot that she was holding her beer bottle, causing it to splash all over herself.
Laplace giggled. "Stuuupid~"
Drake grinned. "Stupid? A villain never cares about how she looks when she's celebrating! Kyahahah!"
I watched the two for a bit and then paused, suddenly realizing something. "Wait. You're Nikkes... can Nikkes get drunk?"
Laplace giggled again and said, "We're MISSILIS Nikkes~ The bestest, Commander! Syuen said we have the closis... closet... Uh, SAME! Bodies!"
Drake nodded, her head moving like a bobblehead toy. "Yeah! The only thing we can't do is have babies!"
Laplace gasped. "DRAKE!"
"What?! I'm here! You don't need to yell, HERO!"
"Owowow! My ears!"
I slowly blinked. "...So what I'm hearing is that Syuen definitely had design creep and made you all super realistic."
"Yep~" Laplace giggled and then snuggled up to me, squishing her chest against my arm. "Wanna see~?"
"Hey!" Drake stood up and stumbled over. "No stealing the commander, Hero!"
Rose smiled. "Well, aren't you popular with the ladies."
I rolled my eyes and then laid Laplace and Drake both down on their sides. "And you two have had too much to drink. Sleep."
"Noooo~ I don't wanna sleep, Comman...der..." Laplace protested but immediately started snoring when I laid her down flat.
Drake just immediately passed out, a content smile on her face.
That left just me and Rose sitting by the campfire.
Rose sipped her beer, watching as I made Laplace and Drake comfortable. "You know, Commander. You're not what I expect a Commander to act like."
"I hear that a lot." After I finished tucking Laplace and Drake to sleep... and made sure to prop their backs up against a backpack so they didn't choke in their sleep if they threw up, I looked back at Rose. "But that's because I just treat everyone like humans. After all, you are, right?"
Rose paused. "Human... I don't know if I would call myself that anymore. Especially not like this." She gestured towards her body, patched together and still with the hole in her abdomen.
"Well, you're still making choices, right? And you can think for yourself. I'd consider that human."
Rose smiled. "You have a pretty broad definition of humanity then, Commander. Wouldn't that include Raptures too, if they were able to do that?"
"Of course." I nodded. "I'd consider 'humanity' to be more of a core trait than just a simple biology."
Rose paused mid-sip. "A core trait... That's interesting." She swirled the beer around in her bottle and said, "Not something that fades with time, but an echo that lingers... Or something like that, right?"
"Mmhm." I nodded. "You've got the gist of it."
Rose let out a soft chuckle and said, "You're interesting. If you had been around in those times... maybe things would have been different." She finished her bottle and opened up another. "Most of the officers from the United Forces of Humanity were cowards who treated Nikke like weapons." She paused. "Well... the Goddess Squad was different. But we all hoped to be like them because of it..." She let out a bitter sigh. "How naive of us. Volunteering to be goddesses only to be treated like disposables."
"Well." I sighed. "That happens. People in power rarely use it properly. They tend to cling to it instead of spend it on others."
"I'll drink to that." Rose raised her bottle held it out towards me.
I clinked it against mine and then said, "I won't ask you to tell me about yourself. I think it's a bit too soon since you're still processing the whole 'still being alive' thing. But is there anything you want to know about me?"
Rose paused. "...There is, actually." She tilted her head, staring at my face. "...Are you related to him? The commander of the Goddess Squad. You seem pretty similar. You look like the pictures I've seen too... well, pictures I once saw."
"Apparently, through some various circumstances involving potentially harvested genetic material and frozen eggs, I'm biologically his son and that of Liliweiss, the leader of the Goddess Squad."
Rose froze. "...Say that again?"
I sighed and sipped my beer. "Yep. My life is strange."
"...But Liliweiss was a Nikke- Ah, you said frozen eggs. I guess they would have preserved the genetic material from someone that outstanding... but even then..." Rose shook her head, smiling at me. "Well. I suppose it explains your fearless attitude."
"Nah, that's just me."
Rose chuckled. Then she hummed, taking a look around the surroundings. "Answer me this then, Commander. Is this... normal? Has the world truly become this peaceful to where we can drink around a campfire without fear of Raptures attacking?"
"Oh, not at all. That's just because I've killed so many Raptures that barring Lord-Class Raptures and above, they fear me."
"...I beg your pardon?"
===
"Looks like the facility is secured." Rapi glanced over to Marian and Suri. "I'm surprised though. It's completely functional."
Marian sighed and leaned against a wall. "It is... but it was nerve-wracking walking around it."
Suri took off her visor and rubbed her eyes. "You think that was nerve-wracking... I think the fact that Raptures kept circling us but never approaching is nerve-wracking."
Rapi let out a wry smile. "You get used to it."
Marian giggled. "Yes. I think that's going to be the case whenever we're out with our commander."
Suri sighed. "Our commander, huh?" She glanced back outside towards the faint orange light of the campfire. "...He really is different, isn't he? Taking the time to get to know them like that."
"Mmhm!" Marian smiled. "That's why I love him."
Rapi blinked. "...That's bold."
Marian giggled. "Well, it's true~"
Suri leaned against a nearby pipe on the wall and said, "Tell me more about the commander, Mari. You're the one who's known him the longest, right?"
"Hm? Well, only barely though?"
Rapi paused. "Wait. Didn't you say that you were under his command from before we met? Part of Silver Gun, right?"
Marian nodded. "That's true... but I don't really have many memories either. I'm not a mass-produced Nikke, but I was also just created and deployed the same day as the commander."
Rapi froze.
Suri's eyes widened and she held up a hand. "Wait, wait, wait. So you're saying BOTH you and the commander are amnesiac? And were on the same mission?"
Marian's ears turned red. "Y-Yes? B-But I'm fairly certain I knew the commander beforehand! Or..." She trailed off, thinking. "...Someone like the commander beforehand? I don't really... remember?"
Rapi narrowed her eyes in thought. "...We never did determine who corrupted you on that first mission, did we?"
Suri shoved herself off the pipe and said, "Hold on. Corruption?! First mission?"
"Ah." Rapi paused. "It's a long story..."
"And we have time! I think I deserve to hear this!" Suri looked at Marian with caution. "...Especially if Mari might still be corrupted."
Marian smiled. "I'm not! Commander overwrote my corruption!"
"...I HAVE EVEN MORE QUESTIONS!"