NieR:Remnant

XV - Labyrinth of Green

"So this is it, huh?"

2B crouched down towards the husk of that machine with the bow, the one they'd escorted through the desert. She removed a glove and touched the chassis, then cleared away some of the leaves that had gathered.

"This is where the captain made home before he heard the call of the sea, huh?"

"Yep," replied Anemone. "Pascal had a good thing going here. Horrible what happened. Damn this war."

"What did happen?" inquired Linus. "He doesn't really talk about his past."

"There was an attack. We lost," said A2 at a not-so-quiet volume. She hadn't stopped walking. "Let's keep moving. Anything could be using all this scrap for cover."

"You good, 2B?" 9S crouched down next to her.

"Yeah," she replied without looking away from the corpse. "Sorry, it's just..."

A sudden realization hit his visage. "You were already..."

She faced him with a slow nod.

"Sorry, I didn't..."

"I thought the ones at sea were-"

"Damnit, I should have warned you." 9S sighed. "No, something happened and, well-"

"Crazed machines from the local area laid waste to the village," chimed in Pod-042. "A2 and myself provided defense, but it wasn't enough. Pascal and the surviving children reconvened to the factory shortly before yet another attack. The children committed suicide in the chaos. A2 and I suppressed Pascal's memories so that he could live on."

"We were supposed to delete them!" echoed A2's voice from ahead. "Just to be clear!"

2B kept staring at the corpse. She thought she'd begun to grasp just how much hell had broken loose in her absence. How many more had died? And who was bearing their burden? Her mind went straight to Pascal. How the hell was he still going on through all this?

"We should keep moving," said 9S.

"Agreed," echoed Pod-153.

2B lifted her gaze from the corpse, only to further take in the rest of the ruin surrounding them. "Alright."

She stood and re-gloved her right arm before moving up to rejoin A2 and their company. 9S and Pod-153 trailed behind.

"Recommendation: Don't dwell on it."

"Agreed," said Pod-153. "Focus on the now; you're alive, Pod-042 is alive, 9S is alive, A2 is alive, Pascal is alive, and the resistance is alive. All is well."

A2 turned back towards them. "You have a strange definition of 'well.'"

"A2," said Pod-006. "I think what our company is trying to say, is that it could be much worse."

"Hey, what about me? And the crew?"

"Yeah, thanks for that, pod," replied A2 with a clear roll of her eyes.

"Apologies, first mate," said Pod-153. "Yes, Linus, we are indeed blessed that you and the crew are alive and free of Remnant's grasp."

"So say we all!" he replied. "Heh."

"Is this typical for YoRHa missions?"

"Hm?" replied 9S. "What do you mean, Anemone?"

"Nothing, really," she replied. "Just a lot more banter than I'd expected, notably from you pods. I mean, yeah, there was some back at Pearl Harbor," she had an eye on A2, "but I figured they'd moved past that with the whole 'emotions are prohibited' thing." She quickened her step to keep up. "I never really thought that'd sunken fully in with any of you, but my perception was that a mission carried with it a certain demeanor."