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

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.

[founderinglight]

[There are stranger things in the world than predating chess.]

It will take me some time to develop the skill, of course, but if you were willing...

[matchmakes]

[There sure are.]

Absolutely.

[He gestures to the board as if to ask 'shall we?']

[founderinglight]

[A smile.]

By all means.

[matchmakes]

[He moves the board between the two of them, white on Izunia's side and black on his own.]

The goal of the game is putting the opponent's king into checkmate--imminent capture with no way to remove the threat. [He taps the king on his side. After that, he starts going over the rest of the rules because that's quicker and also because the player doesn't remember all the rules of chess anyway beyond how the pieces move.]