Crow/Story

Spoilers!*"Your greatest villain Drake shall warn you, SPOILERS AHEAD!"*The following article or section contain **spoilers!** Viewer discretion is advised.

Overview**Story**VoicelinesGallery

## Behind the Scenes

###

Lee Myung-ho

###

Corey Pettit

###

Sora Amamiya

## Profile

Leader of Exotic, a penal squad of Outer Rim convicts-turned-Nikkes who in turn patrol and operate within the Outer Rim. In order to ensure obedience and restraint, she, like her subordinates Viper and Jackal, are outfitted with bomb collars that Syuen can detonate on command, killing them if they step out of line. Crow herself is rumored to have once been the leader of the terrorist group Heavenly Ascension.

### Nikke Backstory

The leader of Exotic, from the Outer Rim. There is a whiff of madness underneath her calm exterior, like a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

## Personality

Make no mistake of it, Crow absolutely despises the Ark. Quite befitting her depressing personality and appearance, she is seen as the anarchist among the other two Exotic members. She vehemently loathes the disparity between the people living comfortably in the walls and the noncitizens of the Outer Rim, who are seen as outcasts. She despises its peoples' apathy, as they convert women and children into Nikkes, treat them as less than human, and send them into the battlefield to fight Raptures while they live in willfully ignorant bliss. She hates the Central Government, the so-called leaders at the top of the trash heap that is the Ark's society. If there was one thing she liked about the Ark, it would be nothing more than to watch it all burn to the ground, and maybe even be the one to light the match. Crow is nothing short of cunning, and will even approach other Nikkes to gain advantage of their trust, such as Yuni whom she takes an interest due to the latter's hatred for Syuen for erasing Mihara's memories.

Interpersonally speaking, Crow distrusts commanders, seeing them as nothing more than an another perpetrator and beneficiary of Nikke abuse. The protagonist is somewhat of an exception, if only because she's interested in seeing how long he can hold his ideals before he either crashes and burns, or if she'll get the pleasure of ending his ideals herself, despite the fact that she attempted to assassinate him due to her strong hatred and cynicism.

## Story

### Main Story

#### Chapter 16

Crow and Exotic are deployed by Syuen to support the protagonist and Counters in tracking the Pilgrims so they can acquire more Vapaus. Despite Anis' misgivings about their support, especially Crow, who's rumored to be the former leader of Heavenly Ascension, the protagonist is willing to put his trust in them. When Anis calls Heavenly Ascension out for attacking innocent civilians, Crow retorts that *nobody* living in the Ark can be considered "innocent", not when it's the *citizens* who perpetuate and support the production of Nikkes only to treat them as less than human before throwing them into the meat grinder of the battlefield whilst living their idyllic lives protected by the Ark. Her words cut deeply into Anis, reminding the Counters Nikke that she herself was once of those people.

Crow herself is immensely distrustful of the protagonist, thinking he's just playing nice with the Nikkes because he's the Central Government's lapdog, only on the surface to ensure the squads don't immediately go AWOL or do something against mankind's interests. Over the course of the mission, Crow acts in tandem with her subordinates to subtly sabotage things as a way of messing with the protagonist for being a "goody-two-shoes", as she puts it. She also questions his motives on finding Vapaus, claiming that Nikkes being able to disobey humans would inevitably lead to armed rebellion. The protagonist responds that he agrees and wishes to help free the Nikkes any way he can, much to Crow's surprise.

Eventually, Crow and Exotic betray Counters, disabling the Nikkes. Crow explains that the protagonist, a competent commander who actually holds empathy for Nikkes, is a rare breed that almost never crops up, let alone lasts long enough to make a difference. She explains that humans and Nikkes can never coexist, and details her plan to foment discord within the Ark and make it self-destruct by its own citizens. To that end, she must kill the protagonist, a commander who just might become the rallying point for a peaceful resolution to the conflict of Nikke rights. She ricochets two shots into the protagonist's stomach, bypassing the built-in compulsion against taking killshots on humans, unaware that Rapunzel saved the Protagonist.

Back in an Outer Rim bar, as Jackal and Viper celebrate their success, Crow questions them on whether or not the protagonist lived. Jackal thinks he died, to which she's shot at by Crow until she runs outside. Viper is confident to the contrary, going by the protagonist's track record of succeeding in missions where the odds of survival were nil. Crow agrees, remarking that she'd love nothing more than to go round 2 with the protagonist, crush his ideals into the ground, and kill him while his despair is at its peak.

#### Chapter 18

Crow intercepts the protagonist as he heads back to the Outpost. She's annoyed that he survived and foiled her plans by pulling that PR stunt with Matis on the surface, but is also glad that he's still around. That means that when she finally succeeds in making the Ark destroy itself, she might have the chance to end his ideals herself. She demands he survive until that day comes, and takes her leave.

In an alleyway, Crow talks with Yuni, a Missilis Nikke who's been regularly subject to Syuen's temper tantrums. Crow asks Yuni to imprison Syuen, promising that the protagonist will bring Vapaus and remove her NIMPH, allowing her to inflict pain on Syuen. Yuni is all too happy to comply, wanting payback for what happened to Mihara.

#### Chapter 22

While not directly making an appearance, the Exotic squad was soon discovered to be the perpetrator of the Raptures' invasion of the Ark.

### Event Story

#### D-Outsiders

In response to a terrorist attack on the Ark's Dome of Eternity, Crow and Exotic are deployed with the protagonist to track down the culprits.

### Character Story

*Story appears to be some unspecified time, but presumably after Chapter 16 (where Exotic is introduced) and either before the events of Chapter 22 or far beyond the events of the current main story due to \*Spoiler reasons\**

#### Episode 1 - D-3

Ark Rehabilitation Center, Interrogation Room. The protagonist is in a meeting with Crow, who's been arrested and detained there. The two have a talk, the protagonist hearing rumors of Crow suffering Mind Switch, only for the Exotic leader to scoff at the higher-ups trying to label her actions as "incomprehensible". It turns out just yesterday, Crow went and turned herself in to A.C.P.U., claiming she was involved in the terrorist attack on The Daily Ark, a newspaper office. The protagonist is shocked, but Crow sees no reason to be, given she is an Outlaw and thought to be the former head of Heavenly Ascension. It's no surprise they'd clap her in irons without a thought if she claimed to be involved in a terrorist operation. She offers him a riddle to try and solve before the Ark's AI casts judgement on her case, then asks for the day's newspaper.

The paper reports a terrorist attack on The Daily Ark by an Irregular Nikke, sparking protests at the Central Government building where protestors smashed effigies of Nikkes. Crow herself is moderately incensed, seeing the paper write as if she were the only one attacking that office when she wasn't even using a firearm there. She asks the protagonist for his opinion on the incident, then cryptically tells him the video footage will give him more information.

#### Episode 2 - D-2

Later the same night, the protagonist checks the video Crow told him to. In the video, Outlaws are shooting people and causing havoc. The video shows Crow standing off to the side doing nothing, even as the Ark's citizens scream at her to do something.

The next day, the protagonist visits Crow again. The two trade questions, the protagonist asking why Crow did nothing, to which Crow asks back who the shooter is, and why the Ark's people treat Outlaws as less than human. The protagonist affirms the first and denies the second, leading Crow to go on about how Outlaws are physiologically and genetically the same as any citizen of the Ark, yet those same people are content to let Outlaws rot in the Outer Rim, with not even a scrap of food.

The protagonist tries to explain that it's just the Central Government's policy, leading Crow to clarify that it's not *his* opinion she's currently fishing for. It's the other citizens like those in the video, to which the protagonist tries to explain the resource limitations of the Ark. Crow in response declares that since living safely and happily in the Ark is all dependent on circumstances beyond an individual's control, it's okay for her to just ignore any Outlaws committing crimes, since they were forced to survive by crime. She then asks the protagonist what he would do if he were there instead of him, would he kill the Outlaw to spare the citizens? He replies that he wouldn't kill per say, but he would stop the shootings from taking any more lives. She questions who would right the wrongs the Outlaws have suffered then, to which his answers are less than satisfactory to her.

Outlaws, after all, are seen as "parasites" leeching off the Ark, so no one in the Ark would be charging to their defense. As for anyone who *would* defend the Outlaws, that would only be other Outlaws, none of whom have civil rights to begin with. The fact is that Enikk has declared that only citizens have the right to gather and demonstrate. If Outlaws were to try and protest in front of the Central Government, even non-violently, no one in the Ark would tolerate that. So in the end, Outlaws have no other way to express their discontent beyond violence, which is why Crow did nothing at the terrorist attack. The protagonist then questions if Crow's mindset stems from her previous life as an Outlaw, which takes Crow by surprise, but he elaborates that she's always been the focus of his visits, as he's obligated as her commander to oversee mental health. Crow is reluctant to talk about herself, but she admits that yes, her mindset is from her previous life in the Rim.

Crow was literally born in the Ark's sewage dumps, and she saw what the filth, both literal and metaphorical, did to people. She admits that maybe the Outlaw who attacked the Daily Ark is no saint, but she questions whether or not one can truly say the man was evil, or if he was merely a product of oppression perpetuated by the class disparity that the protagonist himself is part of. The protagonist has no reply as the visitation ends.

Later that night, the protagonist is mulling over his talk with Crow. After coming to one conclusion or another, he's messaged by Poli of A.C.P.U. about his talks with Crow. The police have done some investigating on their end, and it turns out the Outlaw responsible for the attack was in contact with Crow for over a year, though he refuses to elaborate any further. The suspicion is that Crow may have incited the man to attack the Daily Ark, but those looking into the case don't see it as her usual M.O., so Poli saw fit to keep the protagonist updated on the situation.

#### Episode 3 - D-1

Later, at the Rehabilitation Center Interrogation Room. Crow remarks on how much more time she's spending with the protagonist, seeing him again not even 24 hours after their last talk. While Crow ponders on why the protagonist is here, the man asks if she really was in contact with the shooter before the attack. While Crow is annoyed at the protagonist grilling her like this, she also questions what the point to her answering would be. Enikk is going to compile all statements and testimonies to make an arbitrary judgement that will maintain the status quo, so why should the man care about what the real context to this debacle when he can just sit back and wait for the Overseer to tell him what to do?

The protagonist rejects such a notion, claiming he is required to stand by Crow's side as her commander. Crow is baffled, but after prodding the protagonist on his motivations, she eventually relents.

One year prior, Crow was approached by an Outlaw she calls "Jack." Jack wanted his daughter to get citizenship so she could live a comfortable life in the Ark. To that end, the man approached Exotic, who are well-known in the Outer Rim for being problem-solvers. Crow tried to shoo away the man asking her to forge citizen IDs, but it turns out he wanted a *legitimate* citizenship for his daughter. Crow further shooed the man as he went on and on.

According to Crow, the man went on about how he wanted his daughter to have an actual roof over her head, real food on the table, an actual job instead of rummaging in dumpsters. In response, Crow decided to give Jack a physical reality check, reminding him of the garbage hand life has dealt them all. But she does have one suggestion; if he's willing to gamble, perhaps a citizen in the Ark would be willing to adopt a poor child from the Outer Rim...

Over a time period after that, Jack kept going back to Crow, talking about things like finding an orphanage willing to take his daughter, even though all the ones he tried turned him away. Then one day while Exotic was drinking, Jack told Crow he found a couple willing to adopt his daughter, some impoverished seniors. Jack anonymously sent them some money as thanks for adopting his daughter and giving her hope for a better life.

Crow's hope was that the daughter would be able to leave her Outlaw life behind and become happy, only for the protagonist to get the implication such wasn't the case. A xenophobic reporter keeping tabs on the family for his latest gossip rag piece noticed the better-than-expected living conditions, tracing their donations to the Outer Rim and blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Jack was discovered and beaten up by the police, the daughter was taken to parts unknown, and the elderly couple suffered a nervous breakdown from the shock of losing their foster daughter. Meanwhile, the Daily Ark was making big money thanks to their reporter giving them the exclusive coverage.

Noting that bit of karma, Crow asks the protagonist who he thinks is the sinner here. Jack, for attacking the Daily Ark? The reporter, for being a xenophobic paparazzi? Or the daughter, for being born to an Outlaw? The protagonist is silent, then stands up to leave. Crow is confused at why he's leaving without answering, when he replies he's going to look for Jack's daughter.

#### Episode 4 - D-Day

The protagonist's vision is blurred from fatigue, so tired he forgets he's in the Interrogation Room until Crow snaps him out of his fugue. Turns out the man has been turning records upside-down to try and find Jack's daughter, a feat that Crow sees as ultimately futile when there's only one place the girl could have ended up. At the protagonist's obliviousness, Crow makes the implication very clear; after being caught up in an incident like the one that exposed her, Jack's daughter likely got turned into a Nikke.

The protagonist is in disbelief, leading Crow to goad him to contact the Big Three CEOs. Surely, one of them would have a record about putting a female Outlaw through Nikke transplant surgery. The protagonist does so, and unfortunately, he gets one result from Ingrid of Elysion. Crow's smugness is all too palpable, proclaiming the Ark has always done this sort of thing to keep the have-nots from dirtying the squeaky-clean image they present to the citizens.

While they're on the topic, Crow has one last question for the protagonist. Nikkes, the goddesses of victory, mankind's first and last hope of beating back the Raptures to reclaim the surface. Such pretty words, yet everyone from the Central Government's upper echelons to the lowest-income Quotidian insists Nikkes are only slightly above Outlaws. The protagonist guesses it stems from the military's need to control Nikkes, a partially-correct answer by Crow's reckoning.

In an eon long-forgotten, this *wasn't* the case. First-generation Nikkes like the Pilgrims were revered as goddesses, the only hope mankind could count on. They very nearly could've become the symbols of a new religion in the Ark. But as time went on, and the war ground away at people's minds, the military devised new ways to control and arbitrarily shackle the Nikkes, stripping away rights and protections until things became as they are now, with Nikkes being at best feared as monsters and at worst beaten down out of fear of an uprising.

The protagonist wonders if no Nikkes tried to resist these changes, which Crow asserts that there were. But the military at the time was too large an entity to easily fracture unless the citizens themselves gathered to do so. And yet, the people of that time stood by and did nothing as their goddesses were degraded and cast down, as if they'd completely forgotten the Nikkes' bravery and sacrifices in the First Invasion. As if they *chose* to forget those sacrifices, even as they continued to happen...

Thus, Crow has one last question for the protagonist. The citizens who stood by as Nikkes were converted from goddesses to tools, can they really be called innocent? The protagonist's response is a firm "No," on the grounds that those people had the power to do something about the situation, yet chose to do nothing and watch from the sidelines. Crow agrees with such a sentiment, which was the motivation to turn herself in. If she also stood idle when tragedy struck and tried to run away from her culpability, she'd never be able to look her fellow Nikke in the eye.

The protagonist thinks back to Crow confessing as she turned herself in to A.C.P.U., the video where she did nothing as Outlaws gunned down civilians at the Daily Ark, and her words about how the people stood and did nothing. As the protagonist comprehends and parses this, the intercom beeps with a notification. Enikk is soon to give her judgement regarding Crow's case. Crow notes how Enikk's role as the Ark's overseer means her decisions reflect the thoughts and will of society, and wants to see just what the Ark makes of her inaction.

#### Episode 5 - Liberation

In the courtroom, Enikk goes over the details of Crow's case. Despite Crow disobeying her directive to protect humans, it has been deemed that her inaction stemmed from the conflict being human-to-human, and that any decision she could have made in that conflict could not be deemed of her own volition. As this case has no precedents on record, a new case shall be made, and a new directive will be added to the NIMPH of Crow and all other Nikkes. In the case of both citizen and non-citizen lives being at risk, citizen lives will take priority. With this declaration, Enikk adjourns court.

Back at the Interrogation Room, Crow and the protagonist banter before the former notes the latter's dissatisfaction with Enikk's verdict, the AI having arbitrarily decided whose life is more valuable than the other's. While Crow is unsurprised that Enikk chose to treat the Outlaws like this, the protagonist has more beef with the decision.

Back in the courtroom, Enikk declared that Crow would not have been able to make a decision at the incident, basically saying she had no free will. Crow is also unsurprised at this development, commenting that if Outlaws that are physiologically the same as citizens are being stamped down this badly, it's only natural that an ambulatory chunk of metal like a Nikke would be even less acknowledged. If anything, standing in the courtroom, watching Enikk call the shots as no one even tries to gainsay her. It's only reaffirmed to Crow how much of a rotten dung pile the Ark really is.

Noting the heavy atmosphere, Crow decides to change tracks. She's going to be released today, and the protagonist is scheduled to escort her back to the Outer Rim. She invites him to take a walk, and stick around at the gate.

Later, at the gate to the Outer Rim. The return of Exotic's leader is a welcome sight for Jackal and Viper, though the latter notes their boss wanted to take a rest inside the Rehabilitation Center. The protagonist notices this comment, and turns to Crow for answers. Turns out the Exotic leader made a bet with her life, same as Jack and his daughter, and while the result wasn't *quite* to her expectations, she did find some merit to it. Turns out this was on some level a ploy to have a one-on-one chat with the protagonist, who would immediately come knocking if a Nikke under his command got locked in the Rehabilitation Center.

The gate to the Outer Rim opens, and Crow bids goodbye as Exotic steps toward it. The protagonist stops Crow to tell her she can rely on him if she wants to meet up again for anything. The Exotic leader's flummoxed expression is the last thing the protagonist sees as the gates close, segregating the Ark from the Outer Rim once more. The protagonist ponders to himself; if the people of the Ark ever see the end of the war, will they be able to overcome the hatred that has built between the citizens and the Outlaws? Though Crow would probably tell him to stop dreaming, the protagonist believes that *someone* has to try and take the higher path, if only to shine one more ray of hope on this world.

## References

Notes

References