Specter: Merry Christmas!

Operator Record Merry Christmas!
A precious chance at a gift exchange, bearing a sincere heart upon its back. Can she sense it?

Unlock conditions

• Raise Specter to Elite 2 Level 1.
• Have at least 50% Trust with Specter (the Unchained).

Characters

Aosta Chiave Folinic Meteorite Suzuran Warfarin

Backgrounds

1 2 3 4

“

An ardent, unknown Abyssal person has entered Specter onto a list for a Christmas gift exchange. Suzuran draws Specter as her recipient, and while being unable to meet with her, tries to give her feelings form all the same.

”

<Background 1>
[Aosta rests in his gang's room until someone knocks the door.]
Aosta	Come in.
[Suzuran enters...]
Suzuran	Nice to meet you, I'm Operator Suzuran...
[...with Chiave barging in right after.]
Chiave	Yo, Aosta! We're back!
Aosta	Get out.
Suzuran	Huh?! I'm so sorry to bother you, I'll leave you alone right now...
Aosta	Not you. I mean this noisy son of a mother. He'll run his mouth with all sorts of things you just shouldn't be hearing, so we stop him before he gets the chance.
Chiave	Hey, what, is that how you figure me? I was just pumped to bring Little Miss Suzuran to you here, see, she said she wanted you to make some cursed doll for Christmas...
Suzuran	A "Specter doll."
Chiave	Yeah, get it? That's gonna be real simple, right, Aosta? Needling that stuff's your number one thing. She was looking for our room for a while, y'know. Just throw that together and give it to her, yeah?
Aosta	It's not that simple, you single-celled organism.
Suzuran	I'm sorry to have disturbed you...
Aosta	Whatever. It's not like I'm turning you right down. So, what exactly is it you want me to make?
Suzuran	I actually saw your name in the list of custom Christmas present makers. I was hoping you could help make a doll for a "Christmas Party" gift exchange.
Aosta	A gift exchange, huh.
Suzuran	Yes! We all pulled lots to decide our recipients. I drew Operator Specter, so I thought of making a nice, ordinary "Specter" doll to match their personality.
Chiave	Whoaaa, that's easy as hell! Aosta, c'mon, who put a stick up your ass? Quit scrunching your face up, what's not to get about this?
Aosta	...Is that all, Suzuran?
Suzuran	Yes! I can pay for you and your materials out of my own pocket!
Aosta	Then you know the rules, don't you?
Suzuran	(Tense) I-I understand!
Chiave	Huh? What's the big deal now? Why so nervous, Suzurina?
Aosta	I take orders based on mood. My commission sheet noted "I only accept one order per Christmas" on the back.
Chiave	*Clicks tongue* You're like one of those "scumbag grown-up" types from the movies. What's your terms and conditions like? If it sounds too hard, you're just not gonna?
Aosta	Any tailored product is easy enough, as far as I'm concerned. If it doesn't require any special Originium processing or materials, I can get it done in a trivial amount of time. So... Suzuran, about your request...
Suzuran	Gwuh...
Aosta	–I accept it.
Suzuran	Th-That's great!
Chiave	(Your rule's just accepting the first guy who comes your way with an order, I bet.)
Aosta	(Hmph.)
Chiave	Cool, everything's sorted! Now–
Aosta	I'm not finished. The question we have to answer now is the "plan" itself.
Chiave	Plan? What else do you even need? Just follow what Suzurina asked for and make something, and you'll be fine.
Aosta	*sigh*... Chiave, you should get into carrying a mirror. See how stupid you look playing the clown.
Chiave	Who asked you to ramble so much? I don't understand why you brainy guys always talk like you're covering up. Where the hell's the problem?
Aosta	Let me make this clear: I'm not being intentionally difficult. Suzuran, you're sure you want me to make you a doll for Operator Specter, as a gift?
Suzuran	Yes!
Aosta	In that case, your design?
Suzuran	Huh?
Aosta	A rough sort of hand sketch works, a detailed written description works, or the most direct path, a photo of this Operator "Specter." You haven't given me anything, have you?
Suzuran	...Uh... um... I haven't.
Chiave	Huh? So you mean...?
Aosta	Chiave, you dumbass. That's what I'm saying. Approach everything with a little more thought, and you'll find your problem faster, no matter in normal life or during critical moments. This "Christmas gift exchange" doesn't interest us, so we haven't kept on top of it. But Suzuran, you wouldn't know which participant you're gifting to beforehand either. The problem is, whether me or Chiave, we've never even heard of anything this Operator "Specter" has done before. We haven't seen them in the cafeteria, the gym, or on any sort of mission, either. You've got a keen eye though. Any doll you have me make will blow any pile of pretty handmade gifts out of the water. Right now, the most important piece of information we're missing is–just who is your recipient, this Operator called Specter? What do they look like?
<Background 2>
Suzuran	...Um.
Chiave	Ha ha, c'mon, Little Miss, don't get bummed out. Aosta just talks kind of direct, that's all. He's not saying he's gonna refuse your request. More likely if you try to find anyone else to make your present, he'll bring his "weapons" out and go fight the other tailor for supremacy, then come back and cross his heart to get what you asked done.
Suzuran	I'm sorry, Chiave, it's my fault for rushing too fast to call on you, when I clearly don't know enough yet about who I'm even giving this gift to.
Chiave	I gotta say, it's a pretty weird game when someone you know nothing about's signed up.
Suzuran	Hehe. That must be a large part of the reason this game exists. It encourages everyone to know each other better. But actually, I assumed I was the only one in the dark on Operator "Specter." I never thought nobody else knew...
Chiave	Damn, that's weird! Don't be shocked, but I don't think I can help you out with this! Hey, but it works out this way too. You work hard, go around asking everyone about "Specter," and you know all sorts of people better by the end of it. –Just so long as it's not someone you should be steering clear of. The people taking part in this thing can't be that dangerous, right?
Suzuran	I-I don't think so.
Chiave	Ha ha, thought so too. Sounds like an average party game to me. Go ask and see, then, Suzuran! Rhodes Island is so full of mystery guys, you have no idea. You don't know if they're just like the name, mysterious like a "specter," terrifying to see, voice deep and dark all around you at night...
Suzuran	Eek...! E-Even so, they're my recipient, so I'll try my hardest... to give them this present!
Chiave	Yeah, I like that attitude. Careful out there, Suzuran. You land in any hot water, just give me or Aosta a shout– If there's one thing we know, it's problem-busting.
<Background fades out and in>
[Suzuran walks alone in the corridors while thinking about how Specter looks like.]
Suzuran	Hm... I need to think, what should I do now... Chiave and Aosta's worries aren't unreasonable. After all, I've never heard anything about Operator "Specter" before, and I haven't ever seen them either... But Ifrit invited me to do this, and Silence helped set it up. There shouldn't be anyone to watch out for. But because I don't recognize them, I don't know who I can ask, either... Mgh... I can't be pessimistic! No matter who they are, I joined in so I could share the holiday cheer, and experience the effort that goes into getting gifts, and the nice surprise of receiving them. I'm looking forward to being part of all sorts of holidays, and getting all sorts of gifts... and they must be looking forward to it with great care, too. I can find information for sure. Everyone is always praising the dolls Aosta makes. I have to do my best too, to give them a gift that'll make them happy. Alright. Let's work on finding any relevant information about Operator Specter today.
<Background 3>
Half an hour later...
[Suzuran sees Meteorite in the bridge of Rhodes Island and approaches her.]
Suzuran	E... Excuse me... Um... May I ask...
Meteorite	Hm? If it isn't Suzuran. What's... Calm down, I'll hear out what you want to say. What's happened? (Suzuran doesn't usually look so frazzled... Could something serious have happened?)
Suzuran	I-I want to... find someone... Meteorite, do you know Operator "Specter?"
Meteorite	Specter... is it...?
Suzuran	Because... Because I asked some friends, and nobody knows of any 'Specter' at all, so I thought I might've come across... something strange.
Meteorite	Phew... So that's how it is. It's alright, don't be scared. Good girl. You haven't run into anything too bad just yet. It's true, "Specter" is a very exclusively kept secret, but she's one among Rhodes Island's personnel as well. True indeed... I don't believe she and any of your friends would've ever come across each other. But you have to tell me, why are you seeking information on her?
Suzuran	I-I wanted to give her a present...
Meteorite	Present? But you hardly even knew she existed. Ah, let me think... It was the one on the pamphlet, the Christmas party with the gift exchange of some sort. Is that what led you to look for her?
Suzuran	Yes! Could it be... you're in the exchange too?
Meteorite	I am. We're both getting presents ready right now. Alright–there's no need for alarm, then. I may know a few things or other regarding this operator.
Suzuran	But why are you the only one who knows anything about Specter so far? I've been searching so hard...
Meteorite	You're very diligent, Suzuran. But here at Rhodes Island, there are more than a few people who have to hide themselves. I only know of Specter because we once fought alongside each other.
Suzuran	But you're always on such difficult, dangerous missions...
Meteorite	Though it's a reluctant thing, to Rhodes Island, people like me who can "cut through to the chase" are indispensable. It's easier on myself, as well. After all, going on safe, secure work would've actually dulled me. That said, as a "chase-cutter," Specter is certainly much sharper than I am.
Suzuran	Do you know... what kind of person Specter is?
Meteorite	We only worked together once. She's a young woman from the deep sea. A presence whose mind is a bit of a challenge to comprehend for the rest of us.
Suzuran	Huh...?
Meteorite	Unable to carry out tactical communication. She takes up her weapon, hears an order, and then heed only that sole commander's orders until the mission is over and done with.
Suzuran	Is Specter... a very quiet person?
Meteorite	If you call not uttering a single word "quiet." But silence is far from just an affectation, it is also a choice. When she sees terrifying, murderous enemies before us, and monsters who roar as they charge us, she preserves that "quiet" way of hers unbroken, with her mood completely unreadable. After that... she wreaks her most unwavering destruction, as if from start to end she believes that she, on her own, is facing off against every single threat. I imagine that, aside from listening to her commander's orders, she gives not one care for her own body. Whether enemy or ally, alive or dead, she sees none of the emotional fluctuation between anything or anyone in her surroundings. Yet, I wonder if her wordless self is ultimately aware of how she "holds her peace," and whether she hopes to communicate with others.
Suzuran	Th... Then, setting battle aside, would Specter have any relation to anyone else?
Meteorite	Now that's a difficult question... but, and I imagine, Specter's psychological state is far from suited to a normal life. At the very least... I can't picture her dwelling ordinarily in the dormitories.
Suzuran	Then that means... maybe the Medical team has more...? Ah! I get it.
Meteorite	Uh-huh. Now, I absolutely didn't just mention any significance-bearing clue.
Suzuran	Hehe, thank you, Meteorite. If we get another chance, I'd like to hear you share more of your war stories. If conflict is unavoidable, if our only option to protect them is to fight... I hope I can protect the friends and family I hold dear too.
Meteorite	Hm? You want more war stories...? I'd need to spend some time to prepare for that.
<Background black>
...... ...... ......
Meteorite	But, if I were to guess, it'd be very difficult for me to ever cooperate with Specter on another mission. After we left the mission zone, and until we were back at Rhodes Island to recuperate, the sight of her weightlessly, methodically tearing our enemies to shreds played back in my mind. Her mind could only be barren, or else hold secrets dangerous enough to outweigh those atrocities. Otherwise, how could she be so indifferent to the result of what she does with her own hands?
<Background 4>
[Folinic is in a Rhodes Island medical bay when someone knocks the door.]
Folinic	Right–come in.
[Suzuran enters.]
Suzuran	Sorry to bother you–
Folinic	Huh? Here at my clinic of your own accord, Suzuran? You wanted the same no-holds-barred health checkup as always, then?
Suzuran	No! Nothing that scary, Folinic.
Folinic	Just messing with you. I'm on break right now; if you want to play something with me, I'm all ears. So. What's on your mind?
Suzuran	Actually, I'm preparing a Christmas present for a gift exchange.
Folinic	Mmhm, mmhm.
Suzuran	And also, my partner for the exchange is Specter.
Folinic	Mmhm... mm? Did you say Specter? Wait, she shouldn't have left the med bay recently. How could she...
Suzuran	Ah... so you do know something about Specter. That's brilliant. I was afraid I figured it wrong. I-I'm giving Specter a handmade memento doll, so I want to know some things about her.
Folinic	Info about Specter... huh. I can confirm I've assisted Dr. Kal'tsit in treating her before. But her mental state has been overly unstable as of recent. A while's already passed without her leaving her treatment room. Did she really sign up to a gift exchange?
Suzuran	I-I think anyone has the right to enter it. But Meteorite said that Specter wouldn't take part in a game like this, too. Maybe... maybe somebody helped her sign up? But no matter what, I'm not going to mess this up!
Folinic	That's for sure. You're a goody-two-shoes, Suzuran. By my guess, there's only the ones who visit her that... ahem, no, forget it, nothing.
Suzuran	Is Specter very ill, and unable to leave?
Folinic	During her very few moments of lucidity, Specter might choose to head outside for a bit. But her language systems have been greatly affected, and rather than saying anything someone might misconstrue, she chooses to be silent most of the time. Hm... on the battlefield, she displays calm behavior exhibited through past muscle memory, and after her fill of combat, her period of over-fatigue allows her to soundly rest. So don't worry too much. Specter leads her lifestyle in the manners she's able to choose.
Suzuran	If that's true, I want to see her...!
Folinic	That's...
Suzuran	So I can't, after all...
Folinic	Even I can't enter from her room at will, most of the time. I understand you want to give your gift to her in person, but given Specter's current condition, that may be extremely difficult.
Suzuran	Hm. But I just hope... even if I can't meet her, I can at least finish this present, and have it reach her hands. I think there's a lot of meaning in giving and receiving gifts!
Folinic	That's really, really great. Good on you, Suzuran. Make sure you hold onto that kind heart! (Whisper) Actually, as long as the info's not too sensitive, it's not like I can't make an exception for you. Hehe. Who made me Kal'tsit's trusted disciple?
Suzuran	Thank you, Folinic...! If it's okay, I want to gather any design elements I can use to make the souvenir Specter doll...
[Warfarin enters the medical bay amidst the talk between Suzuran and Folinic.]
Warfarin	Yoohoo! Well now, if it isn't little Suzuran? Is Specter your topic of the day?
Suzuran	Ah, Dr. Warfarin.
Folinic	Damn, it's her. Here we go...
Warfarin	Just overheard while I was passing by the door, that is all. You want to make a doll of Specter, do you? Now isn't that such a cute notion! I'll help!
Folinic	Even that couldn't escape your eavesdropping, Dr. Warfarin.
Warfarin	Honestly, I could give you her measurements: bust, waist, AND hips. Plus the precise material used in her clothes... my access far outstrips Dr. Folinic's here.
Suzuran	Y-You really know all those details...?
Warfarin	More than that, I could also help get your doll into Specter's hands. Of course, my price... heh, heh, you peddling Penguin Logistician, I'll have that commemorative run of tomato juice out of your mitts yet...
Suzuran	I-I understand, I'll go right now and ask–
Folinic	Don't make lackeys out of children, Dr. Warfarin! Ah, Suzuran! You don't need to go right now–
[Suzuran rushes off as Warfarin goes to Folinic's side.]
Warfarin	Good, then! Our business is thus concluded!
Folinic	Huh? What... do you mean?
Warfarin	Wasn't that a very dangerous spot you were just in? I don't think allowing Suzuran to know the present truth of things vis-a-vis Specter is any good idea.
Folinic	She cares, that's all. She's a smart girl, and knows there are many things she shouldn't come to understand, nor need to be aware of.
Warfarin	Just a little curiosity can put one in an irreversibly sticky situation. It's a very well-worn warning. Even so, I wonder what warm heart thought to offer Specter a little extra kindness–
Folinic	I imagine they set Suzuran up to give the gift as well.
Warfarin	Quite. After all, anyone else raising Specter topics with no warning would raise some very clear-cut red flags.
Folinic	And only Suzuran could make us, or anyone, believe this was genuine passion and concern. Specter wouldn't be familiar with this, the holiday gift exchange... and has no way of preparing in time.
Warfarin	Do you feel sorry for Suzuran?
Folinic	I'm just...
Warfarin	To be clear, I didn't say what I just said for the fun of it. Come the time, I'll have Suzuran give the sewn-up present over to me, and I'll think of some way to have Specter receive it.
Folinic	But if we allow Dr. Kal'tsit to find out about this–
Warfarin	Didn't you just say? For Suzuran's sake, you wouldn't balk at using a little "tiny bit of prerogative." To be factual, it's for Specter's sake as well. How will she respond when she receives this gift...? That should have some experimental value, no?
Folinic	But still... I have this feeling, the one apologizing to Dr. Kal'tsit in the end's going to be me!
Warfarin	Well, it certainly won't be me–
<Background 1>
Twenty days later...
Suzuran	Mmn... (Yawn–) It's already morning. My coat... phew, alright! Today I need to go to Folinic's for a health checkup, I need to find Kal'tsit for tutoring... ah, and there's a tea party and a tailoring expert giving lessons this afternoon. I need to keep my spirits up all day. If I start learning how to sew in earnest now, maybe one day I could become just like Aosta, able to make presents everyone will love. Hehe. I've already given Dr. Warfarin the doll I asked him to make so she could pass it on to Specter for Christmas. Dr. Warfarin said Specter probably doesn't know who signed her up to the gift exchange, but when she got her present, her state seemed to improve a bit. Ah, Christmas was already six days ago... it was so much fun, I'm still giddy even now. I hope Specter got to enjoy some Christmasy feeling too. After she gets better, I wonder if we'll have the chance to chat, and eat together, hehe... Alright, I need my schoolbag, schoolbag... Huh? What's this gift box on the table...? This wasn't here last night, was it? C-Could it be there were too many people to give gifts to, and Father Christmas missed a gift by mistake– Wow. This is... "A present from the abyssal deep sea"... It's a music box!

Trivia

• This Operator Record is the only one where the subject Operator themselves do not appear at all.