PNC Story/Dark 2-5/Script

Two days after returning from Cyclopes. Engineering Department.

Hearing knocks on her door, Croque gives her desk a good kick, her swivel chair skidding across the office floor. She turned to look at the door.

Croque: Who is it?

Persicaria: It's me, Persicaria.

Croque: Oh... Come in.
Croque: Is it morning or evening outside?

Persicaria: Whichever one it is, it originates from the Weather Simulator. May I ask why there's only two options there?

Croque: Because if it were noon, you'd be way too busy to even eat lunch.
Croque: And now you're here at the Engineering Department, and not in a hurry to get something done. So, you've gotta be here to chat about something.

Persicaria: Hehe... It's night now, almost midnight.

Croque: Even though we're both off the clock, to be honest... I don't have much free time and most importantly I don't like being in the same space as someone else—
Croque: Unless you're here to slack off with me and watch cartoons when we're supposed to be working overtime.

Persicaria: I'll come along whenever I'm free.

Croque: Sounds like one of those low effort "Next time, I promise" responses.
Croque: Aren't you going to say anything about my incredible efficiency in working hours?

Persicaria: In your line of work, things can go awry pretty easily if your mental state isn't the best when you're on the job.

Croque: If only my last boss helped me look for excuses like you...

Persicaria smiles, saying nothing.

Croque's voice gradually trails off into a sigh.

Persicaria: Before we get started, is there somewhere I could sit?

Croque waves, the closet to her side snapping open.

A mechanical arm reaches out from inside, unfurls a folding chair, puts it next to Persicaria's legs, and then retracts back into the closet.

Persicaria: That mechanical arm... a new creation of yours?

Croque: Just a by-product of the mecha.
Croque: To me, it looks a lot like the all-purpose Model in the extra chapter of ARMOUR SUIT. I made it to trial it would fit on one of my new models...
Croque: But reality is cruel, and it was not fit for service. It will have to stay in the shadows of the real heroes!

Persicaria: So that's why it's used for odd jobs and tricks?

Croque: More or less. Eventually, the department will deploy this arm to replace transportation of goods by Dolls.

Persicaria: Alright, then... What were you thinking about just now?

Croque: ...
Croque: I was thinking about Cyclopes... about Simo.

Persicaria: I'm relatively free today. I'll hear you out if you'd like to talk about it.

Croque: You ask me to talk about them, but I don't see a reason to.
Croque: Just some of my own thoughts, anyway. Nothing to talk about.

Persicaria: It's always better to speak your mind than to leave them to stew by yourself.

Croque: ...Perhaps. Have you visited Simo?

Persicaria: I took him around the Oasis to get him reacquainted.
Persicaria: What about you? Have you talked to him?

Croque shakes her head.

Persicaria: Could I ask why you haven't?

Croque: I don't see the need to.
Croque: He has no recollection of what's happened. It'd be weird if I went and talked to him about the past, no?

Persicaria: What would you tell "Simo"?

Croque: Thanks, sorry, stuff like that. But those are for the Simo we had before.
Croque: If it were me, I'd hate to be the target of gratitude from someone I don't know. Sounds like tons of pressure.

Persicaria: Feelings like "Oh, suddenly another person I'm supposed to know"?

Croque: Yeah, exactly. The thought of it makes me not want to go out and socialize at all.

Persicaria: Haha, that sounds about right.
Persicaria: If you've already settled on something, what's still bothering you?

Croque: ...Quit teasing me, Persicaria. Do you really not know?

Persicaria: Sorry, but to me it's thoroughly disrespectful to speculate on someone's thoughts right in front of them.

Croque: My dream is for all of us to live in a world of mutual understanding, with no need for words...
Croque: Ah, what I mean is... I can't just forget about what happened in Cyclopes.
Croque: Simo saved us. He shouldered so much, but in the end, I could do nothing to help.

Persicaria: ...At that time, we didn't have any chance to help them.
Persicaria: You've done amazingly given the circumstances.

Croque: I know, but... we both arrived at the Oasis at around the same time.

Persicaria: I remember. The Neural Search System was only just up and running by then, and you two were the first to respond to the call.
Persicaria: At that time the Combat Module at the Oasis was yet to be completed. He and Sol were the only two combat ready Dolls, and you counted as maybe half of one.

Croque: Half... yeah, half.
Croque: He was always running to and fro to help you guys, and he's the only reason why I could hunker down in the Engineering Department.

Persicaria: I believe you called this "to each to their own".

Croque: I didn't see any issue with it.
Croque: But when I saw that number behind his mask in Cyclopes, I felt so uneasy back then.
Croque: ...Did I push too many responsibilities onto him?

Persicaria: Is that what you think?

Croque: I really didn't want to run around like he did. The department's comfy.
Croque: Doing what I'm good at, as well as I could...

Persicaria: You look lost, Croque.

Croque: ...I don't know what else I really want, so that's all for now, I guess.

Persicaria: I can help you out.

Croque: With what?
Croque: ...Persicaria, that smile of yours is looking a bit unwholesome right now.

Persicaria: Oh, how could that be the case? Let's talk about a different topic.
Persicaria: The report today says that you're in the process of optimizing the output logic of the Engineering Department. How is it going?

Croque: I made a few... bold alterations, which are being implemented as we speak.
Croque: I'm sure it'll be fine, the current operand distribution...

Before she got to finish, alarms ring out both inside and outside the office.

Croque's smile became petrified in an instant.

Croque: ...Come on!

Impatient Doll: Croque! Come here, quickly! There's something wrong with the optimizing program, and the assembly line's stuck.

Persicaria: Haha... Shall we go have a look?

Croque: Coming!

Croque leaps up from her chair, closely followed by Persicaria, and together they raced towards new happenings.