Work In Progress

1.19 Life Is Different Now

[Moe and Pipette are in the same setting as the end of episode 1.18, but now, Pipette is lying down, surrounded by folded paper swans.]

Pipette: ... Do you like it here?

Moe: Actually, I kind of do.

Pipette: Yeah?

Moe: Yeah. It's a lot better than where I used to be.

Pipette: What was that like?

Moe: Really bad.

[Moe sighs, and Pipette, for once, doesn't speak.]

Moe: Just really bad.

Pipette: What was it like growing up?

Moe: There wasn't a lot we could do. You could only move around within your district.

Pipette: Did you go to school?

Moe: Oh, sure, there was a school. It was more like being babysat in a room filled with books, though. We mostly learned history and science.

Pipette: What?

Moe: What?

Pipette: Why?

Moe: Did you not take history and science?

Pipette: I studied heat management.

Moe: You studied what?

Pipette: Heat management. And technical writing. Oh, and weaponry, later on.

Moe: I don't think you realize how bizarre that is.

Pipette: It's not bizarre!

Moe: Yeah, it is. See, I got to learn about how everything the people in the east were doing was going to fail, pretty much.

Pipette: It is not going to fail.

Moe: We'll see about that.

[Beat.]

Pipette: Did the Pillow Mission ever come your way?

Moe: No, what's that?

Pipette: Pillow Mission, the mission trip to bring clean bedding and fabrics and all out to the people in the west.

Moe: It must've been before my time.

Pipette: What are you, fifty?

Moe: No, but I'm older than you, for sure.

Pipette: How?

Moe: I-

Moe doesn't feel certain about continuing the conversation.

Moe: Do you know why I'm here?

Pipette: Honestly, no.

Moe: I've been placed here for political asylum.

Pipette: What does that mean?

Moe: It means that I was in prison for a long time for my political alignment, and someone decided that that was unjust, and I got moved from prison to Harmony.

Pipette: What was your political alignment?

Moe: It's not any of your business.

Pipette: Fine.

[Beat.]

Moe: So what injury did they put you in here for?

Pipette: A few things. Really just a lot of things.

Moe: ... Sorry.

Pipette: No, it's ok, I got into the medical center for something and they found some sort of issue that prevented me from continuing in the service. They shipped me off with Dice and Tab. I don't remember what Tab's deal was. They used to live with me, but not anymore.

Moe: So, they put me in, then.

Pipette: I guess.

[Beat.]

Pipette: Talking to you is very disjointed.

Moe: That's a big word for someone who only ever studied technical writing.

Pipette: ... That's fair.

Moe: What do you even use technical writing for?

Pipette: Well, you know, like... getting jobs.

[Pipette pauses for a moment.]

Pipette: I wanted to get a job developing designs for wind turbines.

Moe: Oh. That's actually not as pretentious as I thought it would be.

Pipette: I'm not uncivilized.

Moe: I suppose not, I just thought you'd be a lot more self-centered in your job prospects.

Pipette: I mean, there's no chance for the wind turbine thing now, I never completed my studies.

Moe: What do wind turbines have to do with heat management?

Pipette: Everything has to do with heat management.

Moe: That sounds fake.

Pipette: You just wouldn't know because you wasted your time studying history.

Moe: Ok, but I studied science too, and based on its name, I'm pretty sure heat management has nothing to do with wind turbines.

[Beat.]

Moe: By the way, you got mail.

Pipette: Oh yeah?

Moe: Yeah, like, a day ago. You didn't check it, is everything alright?

Pipette: I just forget sometimes because we get boring mail.

Moe, standing up and beginning to walk into another room: I think you'd be interested in this mail.

[Moe walks out of frame. Pipette sits up, gently pushing aside a lot of paper swans.]

Moe, out of frame: It's from those people again.

[Moe walks back into frame, crosses the room, and hands Pipette an envelope.]

Pipette, inspecting the envelope: When did you say this came?

Moe: Two days ago.

Pipette, removing the paper from the envelope: Huh.

[There's a silent moment where Pipette is reading and Moe is questioning the high amount of paper swans scattered about.]

Pipette: You need to read this.

Moe: What?

Pipette: Moe, we have to make a decision here.

[]The screen cuts to Aglet and Dice in Aglet's kitchen. There's a plate of cookies that no one is eating.

Dice: ... Thanks for the egg.

[The screen goes back to Pipette and Moe's living room.]

Moe: This is a bad idea.

Pipette, gently putting a piece of folded paper into an envelope: Shut up. There's nothing to lose except your own aching morality.

[Pipette seals the envelope.]

Pipette: I'm going to go mail this. And I have someone I have to talk to.

Moe: But it's getting late.

Pipette: So what?

[Pipette walks out of frame. The door opens and closes.]

Credits.