Work In Progress

1.09 Everyone Knows It

[Dice and Periscope are sitting together in their kitchen, seen as in 1.08.]

Dice: Well... Do you remember how you left early for medical?

Periscope: Yeah, it's kind of burned into my memory.

Dice: Right. Well, not long after you left, Pipette had a long-term infirmary stay.

Periscope: Really? They never mentioned that.

Dice: I think if I don't go after them that they'll have to have medical attention.

Periscope: What? Why?

Dice: Pipette's really not stable, they shouldn't be- I have to go.

[Dice stands up and starts walking out.]

Dice, while walking: Get a head start on the books, I want to talk about them with you, and you need to refresh your memory.

[The door opens and closes. Periscope slowly picks up the book from where Dice left it on the table. The camera cuts to Dice power walking after Pipette.]

Dice, sort of loud because they haven't caught up yet: Hey! HEY! You wanna tell me what's really going on here?

Pipette: Nope. I just want to go.

Dice: You have nowhere to go.

Pipette: Well, we'll see when I check my mail, how about that?

Dice: What could possibly be in your mail?

Pipette: I recently made a medical request.

Dice: What for?

Pipette: For the government to put a needle full of chemicals into my head, what else? Obviously, something must be wrong with me, right? So once they affirm my request, that's where I'll go, and hopefully, I won't be coming back here.

Dice: And what if they deny your stupid request?

Pipette: Then I'll just do it myself.

Dice: Pipe, no! Please, I can't-

Pipette, no longer walking: Dice, stop.

[Dice stops walking.]

Pipette: You're my- You're... Well, I know you really well. And you know me, sort of well enough. Well enough, at least to have it figured out that you can't really change my mind about this, and even you knowing that means that you know me too well, you know?

Dice: No, I don't know. I don't get it, you've come so far since last time, it doesn't have to be like this.

Pipette, with a sigh: I haven't changed at all since last time. Deep down, I think you know that, too.

[Pipette begins to walk again, but Dice catches them by the arm.]

Dice: Pipette. You need to think about this logically.

Pipette: I can't think about this logically, that's part of why I know that I have to do this.

Dice: You really don't. And you know what, they're going to read your offer, and they're going to do a mental screening. What are you going to say?

Pipette: You know exactly what, I'm not roundabout.

Dice: Exactly, your brain just makes singular thoughts without having anything to back it up. You're only going to say that you want to die, and they won't let you do it, because you know what they're going to do?

Pipette: What? What do you think, I really want to know. Because obviously I haven't already thought about it.

Dice: They're going to put you back out on the front. And you know it.

[Dice begins to walk away.]

Pipette, hesitating a moment before calling after Dice: They will not.

Dice, shouting, but not turning around: Yeah, they will. You have a one-track soldier's brain and you know it. Everyone knows it.

[Pipette turns around and begins to walk home. The camera cuts to Dice walking to nowhere, and eventually just sitting on the ground.]

Dice: Why do you always have to be so stupid? Why didn't you figure this out before? This is all your fault, and now you're-

[Dice covers up their face with any body part you imagine they might have, and gives out a muffled scream.]

Dice, not screaming, and also not muffled: Why am I such a useless human person? Why can't I just be pleasant all the time so that none of this ever happens?

[The camera cuts to Aglet, filing through papers. There's a knock on the door. Aglet gets up to answer the door. The door is heard opening.]

Aglet: Hello? ... Hello? Hm.

[The door closes again. Aglet walks back and sits down to continue filing papers.]

Aglet: That was weird.

[The frame cuts to Periscope reading a book. They absentmindedly reach for a cookie, but there are no more cookies. The frame cuts again to Pipette's living room, where Moe is. Pipette hasn't returned. Moe is reading the same old newspaper that Pipette was attempting to read in 1.04. There is silence until the door opens, and Pipette walks in.]

Pipette: What are you still doing here?

Moe: Where do you want me to go?

[Pipette doesn't respond. Pipette, instead, leaves frame, and starts creating loud shuffling noises in the background, before eventually gets back in frame and towards the door, now wearing a backpack.]

Moe: Are you going somewhere?

Pipette, in the background: Nope.

Moe: You going to be back any time soon?

[The door opens and closes.]

[credits]