IC INTRO - MARCH

[phantasmods]

Sometime after the showdown, those with communication devices from the station will all get a collective message -

Okay, everyone come back! We might need to do a final sweep or two of the beach, but it looks like most of the Fissure is stabilized! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

Everybody go ahead and come back up - and bring anyone else you found with you! I know I saw a couple new faces on the drone cameras. (*･▽･*)

Also, if you get a chance, check out the new door leading out of the residential area! It's a surprise for all your hard work. (´◕ ◡ ◕｀) There's also food in the kitchens if you're hungry and want something warm!

With that in mind, grab your new friends and go ahead and come on back.

STATION EXTERIOR

Upon returning to the station, the first thing most will probably see is Up, standing on the rooftop to congratulate everyone on a mission accomplished and also handle any questions the new arrivals might have that haven't gotten answered yet. They stand tall and graceful beside the ramp... Most of the time. Occasionally, one might catch them trying not to fidget with the belt that now hangs fashionably askew on their hips.

For those who want to seek out the surprise Charm promised, there's a second ramp leading down off the far side of the roof, as well as the door he mentioned on the network. Both lead to the shiny new viewing deck, with its mismatched furniture, half-roof, and view of the beach.

Charm himself is here, long android limbs spread across one of the lounge chairs as he fiddles with one of the wind element crystals in his lap. It occasionally reacts and blasts the tails of his red scarf in random directions, but he doesn't seem to mind.

STATION INTERIOR

Those adventuring to the kitchens will find that there are four large pots arranged in a line beneath a set of heat lamps on the stove. Three contain curry - labeled "mild," "spicy," and "the fire of a thousand suns" in neat handwriting - while the last contains plain rice. An assortment of mismatched bowls and utensils sit on the counter nearest the pots. (Welcome to Keystone Station, you'll have an easier time finding matching cutlery at your local Goodwill.)

In the common room, meanwhile, the boxes of clothes and trading post are set up again. Those who investigate something fluffy in a particular box on the end of the couch may discover a girl and friend taking a nap...

Comments

[matchmakes]

[It actually takes a bit for Robin to actually settle down into one spot in the station, spending a long while busying himself with acquainting himself with the surroundings.

Eventually, however, he can be found contemplating the curry. He's never seen curry before, but whatever it is, it certainly smells good--the rice he only recognizes because of conversations he's had in the past with another member of the army back home. He's helped himself to some of that at least...

Later on, however, he's in the common area with a very nice-looking chess set. It's mostly set up except for one of the black knights, plus there's three extra white pawns set off to one side. The missing black knight is actually in Robin's hand, the tactician turning the dragon(?)-headed piece over in his hand.]

Chess

[photoshooter]

Oh! Hey, I know this game. ...Never any good at it, though.

[Prompto leans over to take a look, then leans back again, light and easy.]

Hi! You... huh. [His head tilts.] Sorry, you look familiar. Like, your clothes and stuff. Have we met already?

[matchmakes]

Ah, hello there.

[The comment on familiarity gets a chuckle and he puts down the chess piece he was holding.]

You might have met my sister? She's here too, after all.

[photoshooter]

Oh! Yeah, with Catria--Wren!

[Prompto grins and then sticks a hand out.]

Nice to meet you, then! I'm Prompto Argentum. Man, I was worried I forgot someone's name already.

[matchmakes]

[He accepts it, grinning back.]

Likewise, Prompto. Call me Robin. Thankfully it's just twin trouble, huh?

[photoshooter]

Ahaha. Yeah, uh. That's more common around here than you might think.

[Hahaha he totally tried to shoot the Founder King of his homeland in the head when he got here, oops.]

You two settling in okay? I've only been here a month, but I can show you where some things are and stuff.

[matchmakes]

... That sounds like that has a story behind it. Better I don't ask?

I looked around a little on my own, but I certainly wouldn't say no to a tour. There's no doubt I missed things.

[photoshooter]

Did you see the chickens?!

[matchmakes]

... Chickens? Okay, I definitely missed those.

[Chickens are cute...]

chess

[founderinglight]

[Oh hey speaking of twin trouble -

It's starting to get pretty late in the evening - well after sunset - that Izunia actually wanders back through the common room, coming in from the deck outside. He pauses on seeing Robin -

And then pauses again right after he takes another step. Huh. A keen eye will spot that his hand grabs at the trailing tails of the blue scarf around his neck before he makes his way over and sits on the next couch, instead.]

I suppose you don't need color-coded clothing as much when you're fraternal.

[matchmakes]

No, but I imagine it couldn't hurt.

[He tilts his head a bit, chuckling, before putting the knight piece down.]

I take it you met Wren already.

[founderinglight]

Scarves seem to be the accessory of choice - I didn't give the androids the idea, they came up with it on their own.

[Izunia, for his part, will palm one of the regular knights on the white side and look at it curiously. What the fuck's a horse?]

I did.

[matchmakes]

That so? I'll have to keep it in mind, maybe pitch the idea to Wren.

I wonder if there's a chess set floating around somewhere that's missing three white pawns and has a horse piece among dragons for the knights.

[founderinglight]

Who knows? They're nicely enough matched that I wouldn't think them from different sets, save for the obvious.

[He tosses the horse piece in his hand before setting it down.]

Ours used chocobos, as I recall. I've never played, myself.

[matchmakes]

Chocobos?

I like the game well enough, even if it's not really my first choice...

[It's more out of necessity that Robin plays more of games featuring moving (simulation) troops around these days, but boy does he long for the day that he can mostly just play chess.]

[founderinglight]

Large flightless birds - they're the only livestock used as mounts on Eos.

[Izunia shrugs lightly. He already had this conversation with Wren, funnily enough.]

I predate it by a couple of centuries, so I've never gotten the chance. Do you know it well enough to teach?

[matchmakes]

I see! That's rather interesting. I may have to pester you with more questions about them later.

[... By a couple of centuries, huh? Well, Izunia can note that it doesn't seem to faze Robin any. The tactician nods, smiling.]

I play with my sister every so often, but she and I know each other's strategies inside and out by now.

Kitchen

[thoroff]

[Thought you were rid of her? Nope, Wren happens to wander into the kitchen not long after Robin, and she barely even bothers acknowledging her twin as she brushes shoulders with him on her way to take a look around for herself.

Spotting the large jars, she leans in to examine the "fire of a thousand suns" curry with a skeptical expression. She opens it up and takes a quick sniff, then coughs and hastily replaces the pot's lid before glancing over to Robin.]

...

I'll try it if you do.

[matchmakes]

[He raises an eyebrow at her, then glances to the curry.]

Yeah, forget it. [He punctuates that with a soft snort, reaching for the spicy curry.] If it's enough to make you cough, I'm not even going to make the attempt. My mouth's getting numb just thinking about it.

... You alright after earlier?

[thoroff]

[How incredibly boring. She actually pouts a little as she watches him take the comparatively mild curry.]

Pah. Don't be a craven...

[His question cuts her off from pushing the subject any further, however. She blinks in response.]

Huh? I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?

[matchmakes]

A craven? Hardly. I'm just a man who knows my limits.

[He pauses, then glances up.]

Just wanted to make sure.

[He's not gonna scold her on an empty stomach, so he'll wait for Wren to get food herself.]

[thoroff]

[How considerate... Don't think she didn't notice that pause, though. She absolutely noticed that pause. She narrows her eyes, but lets the moment pass; whatever, she's hungry. She prepares her own helping of spicy curry (surprisingly without incident) and sits down to eat it.]

What about you? Doing okay yourself?

[matchmakes]

[He moves to sit down with her, staring at the food for a few moments before responding.]

Well, my annoyance from the fight has cooled, but... I'm still pretty irritated about us being here instead of back home. I know there's nothing we can do about it, and yet...

[... He doesn't finish that thought, instead taking a bite of his curry.]

[thoroff]

And yet.

[She too leaves the implications hanging as she eats.]

[matchmakes]

I don't know about you, but I'd feel a lot better about this if one of us were back home instead of both of us being here.