INTRO LOG - APRIL/MAY 18

[phantasmods]

Eventually, Charm starts herding people towards the parked exploratory drone, a few at a time, mostly people who have finished their noodles or other business. "It's almost nightfall at the Station," he says, "and with this many new arrivals, we're going to have to make multiple trips."

(For those who might ask, he also explains that they've chosen not to stabilize the noodle shop for the time being, as the other androids will almost certainly want to speak to Viella, and have no other way of doing so, due to the fact that they don't dream. Aside from that small region, the Fissure is largely stable.)

It in fact takes four trips total to get everyone to the Station. Those of you who don't fall asleep on the way there - the minute you hit stable reality, the inability to sleep vanishes, and most will be hit with a wave of exhaustion - will find that the Station Annex, a building off to the side of the main station, has been finished, at least outwardly.

By the time the first group arrives, the sun is dipping towards the horizon; by the time the last gets there, it's set, leaving a few pink-tinted clouds in the sky. The drones drop everyone off (and that is everyone, even though of you who have fallen asleep) on the observation deck, where those of you who didn't get your fill of noodles will find several buffet-style tables set up with...

...Pizza? Yeah, pizza, in damn near every variety you can think of, including a few things that only loosely fall under the heading of "pizza." Half a table is full of calzones of various varieties; another significant chunk is things that are just desserts in the general shape of pizza, including a couple of iced cinnamon pastries, a pair of brightly-colored "pizzas" made of canned fruit over cream cheese, and a two-layer cake that's just decorated to look like a pizza, with strawberry jam and round slices of strawberry 'pepperoni' sandwiching yellow icing. Finally, the last third of the third table is just three baskets of breadsticks with varying amounts of cheese and garlic, accompanied by two turrens of dipping sauce (one white, one red) and a tower of little plastic dipping cups.

(Those who opt to head directly to bed will find that the banquet gets packed up and moved back to the kitchens around midnight, though it stays warm under a stasis enchantment for roughly the next day before someone packs the remainder into the fridge.)

In the common room, meanwhile, the usual boxes of clothes and trading post sign are set up. Unclaimed rooms can be claimed by writing your name in on a list set up next to the boxes, on what seems to be a broken music stand with a large ROOMS AVAILABLE sign hanging from it. There is also a rather hastily assembled, hand-poked Braille version of the sheet (with the paper punched through in one or two places).

Those who go looking will find that the androids are somewhat more absent than they usually are after an expedition; save obviously for Charm, and Strange who arrives on the deck as usual not long after, you'll have to go looking. Considering the amount of the station you have available, they could be just about anywhere... But perhaps it'd be worth checking over in that new building...?

[Mod note: Strange is the only NPC with a top-level this round, but others may respond to your top-levels, especially in the Annex areas! Consider it a fun surprise. c:]

Comments

[burninglight]

I'm carrying enough to get by for a while if we need to, or at minimum until we find a kitchen and cook for ourselves.

[Ardyn's cup of coffee vanished in favor of restlessly running a hand through his hair.]

There's one that's probably going to want to conduct medical exams to check for side effects of all this. I rather thought that would sound as ominous to you as it did to me, so I'm going to try to get some impression of them first. Just to be safe.

...I'm tentatively thinking their intentions might legitimately be harmless to us, though.

[serrata]

[ That's a good call, because it's impossible to miss the way she tenses up at the words medical exam. She's got her arms folded across her chest already and whether she means to or not, Yuuri starts itching at her right arm. Where the PIP had sat. ]

I almost... I feel like I can't trust myself to tell anymore. I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop this entire time, but the people who've been here longer don't seem to have a problem with any of them.

And all this with the pizza and the desserts and welcoming us back... it's not right, is it? It's... it's not how all this usually goes.

[burninglight]

...it's alright. I'll take care of everything. [He put a hand over hers, stopping her before she ended up scratching herself.]

But it's true, it doesn't quite match up. Apparently people have been here for a month or two already; if this was intentional, there's no reason to take people in waves unless they were dying off. Which doesn't appear to be the case at all. And if what I've been told is to be believed, there's no cameras, curfew, or even outlined set of rules past 'don't destroy things, please'.

It just...doesn't fit, hesitant as I am to take the whole thing at face value.

[riderofcharlemagne]

[Even the never-tiring Astolfo finds himself exhausted from that mission. He sluggishly approaches the buffet table and grabs himself an assortment of dessert pizza-based items, and sinks down into a chair on the observation deck.

Shoving sugar into his mouth, he regains some of his usual pep, and excitedly waves over to friends and newcomers.

Later in the day, fully recharged, Astolfo sets out to explore the station annex...

...and his explorations cease when he discovers the hot tub. For the rest of the day, he can be found there, submerged in water, half-conscious in a swimsuit that leaves little to the imagination.]

[anarchia]

[Carnivac opts to skip the buffet, and heads straight inside the station, to the common room where he...collapses? A faint rise and fall of his chest suggests he's still alive. It might be best to let sleeping dogs lie, but this one's in an inconvenient spot, right on the floor there.

Whenever he wakes, and has gotten over the embarrassment of falling asleep in public, Carnivac sets about exploring the entire station. He takes particular interest in the library, wandering around the bookshelves, occasionally pulling one out with his paw to flick through- to some success.]

[press_start]

Over 2000? No way, then you must be… an ancient NPC spirit!

[her eyes light up, and she sits up straighter. WELL THIS IS. it's not an inaccurate guess, technically.]

Are you here to give me a quest? My level isn't very high, but if I can do it I'll give it my best shot.

Re: later

[founderinglight]

...Mmnn?

[He sees your hovering but can't manage more than a vague questioning sound for verbs now, Ardyn.]

OTA

[power_of_dominance]

[Soma takes a few things from the buffet, though he does look almost too drained to eat. Hopefully he can sleep on a full stomach, or at least not pass out in his meal? First thing's first, he crushes a few fruits from the desserts and lets his kittehfly lap the juice from his fingers. Always feed the animals first, that's how he was raised. After a bit, he settles into feeding himself with one hand and his tiny friend with the other, until the kittehfly yawns and settles back into his hair for a nap.

Once he's full, you'll find him in the kitchen, cleaning and prepping a large hex turtle for later cooking. It's ugly work but something he's clearly done at least a few times before. He's saving the shells for study, because what the hell's up with those crazy runes? Maybe one of the androids can give him some clues.

Finally he'll be headed back to his room with a mostly empty pack on one shoulder and the kittehfly purring on his head. He looks exhausted but if someone stops him for polite questioning, he's friendly enough to answer without being the least bit short about it.]

your new punching bag

[makejapangreat]

[Exhaustion is an understatement, really.

Not that sleepless nights are new to him, but he'd usually at least be able to get a couple hours of sleep here and there before startling awake from his nightmares. That, coupled on top of being landed right in a world where sleep won't come at all, and everything else?

It's rather fortunate he doesn't go into a coma as soon as he manages to get a room.

But even that sleep doesn't last too long. After about five hours— a new record for him since the past few weeks!— he's awoken again. He takes the iced coffee he'd haphazardly shoved into his mini-fridge and nurses it as he heads down to the kitchen for food.

He would have stayed in his room and contemplated his existence, but noodles and rations over the past few days aren't exactly filling. ... Pizza isn't exactly what he would've chosen, but he's too tired to complain. It's good enough.

He'll be getting a couple slices of a pizza with less traditional toppings and sort of... half-heartedly munching away at them. He's clearly lacking energy, even with the coffee, but it's not just from a lack of sleep, there's definitely... something going on in that head of his. He looks kind of spaced out? Also, a few things you might note: he's got a nice, blooming black and blue bruise on the right side of his jaw, and his suit is torn on right near the bottom of his ribcage, with a shoddy bandage job underneath. Actually, it looks like those bandages ought to be changed by now...

He at least looks a little more alert later on, yet despite that he seems to be headed straight back for his room. Hello, he's going to go contemplate his existence until the caffeine wears off and then probably pass out for a week. But feel free to intercept him.]

Food

[power_of_dominance]

[Wow, she's got a sweet tooth like Mina. He smiles at her, still feeding the kittehfly nesting on his head. It looks like a dark-colored galaxy bow at first glance with those wings.]

I think somebody was a little obsessed with the concept of pizza here. But it's all good at least.

[burninglight]

[That’s okay, because Ardyn was roughly the shade of paper and quickly looking over Izunia for lack of any ability to speak.]

[serrata]

[ She looks a little startled – like she hadn't even realized what she was doing. But after a moment, she relaxes a touch and she stops picking at her skin so insistently. ]

It's almost too good to be true. [ She gives a laugh that's not quite but almost verging on being a little bit hysterical, the kind of laugh you hear from someone who's overtired, who's laughing at something that isn't really funny. ] I mean– none of this is good. Not even remotely.

But ending up here, so many of us still together, and there's no rules, no motive, no– no Overseer–

[ She takes in a short, hard breath and makes herself stop rambling. ]

I don't know. I'm sorry, I just... don't really know what to do with myself.

[burninglight]

Hey...come here.

[Ardyn knelt down and put his arms around her shoulders to ground both of them.]

I remember you, and Junpei, and everyone we’ve met. There’s nothing holding my powers back. Those two things alone are enough to be sure that if anything comes at us with some ill intentions, I’ll tear it apart. You’re safe, so breathe and we’ll figure out the next step together.

I don’t know what to do either, but I know that if cautious optimism proves wrong and this does go badly, nothing is hurting us ever again.

Library

[caduceusoncall]

[Angela is not a dog person, per se, but she certainly isn't against them. She's somewhere in between a cat and a dog person. But when she sees this particular animal pawing through a book as if it's reading, she just sort of stares. Yeah, this really is a different world.]

[She's a little more casually dressed than usual, having shed the suit in favor of some well-fitting clothes from the new arrivals pile.]

[Clearing her throat and feeling a little silly, she checks to see that she's alone before talking to the animal.]

Hello?

[honededge]

[Talon catches sight of him by the buffet table, first, but he doesn't approach properly until their paths cross on the way to their respective rooms. He's noticed the bandages, noticed the bruise. Felt that familiar tugging in his gut. Bear, urging him to offer his protection. Typically the urge wasn't so strong but. Well. He's got nobody and nothing to really watch out for these days. It's uncomfortable for shaman and totem alike.]

[So as he passes by, Talon flags down Shido with an upward nod.]

Hey, nasty injuries there. Need them healed?

[photoshooter]

Okay.

[That makes sense? He thinks it makes sense.]

Charm and Noct both told me to practice. That won't make it stronger by accident? I mean, like, too strong.

Buffet!

[power_of_dominance]

[Morgana is officially adorable, because he just is and Soma loves cats. So as tired as he is, it's no trouble to offer some help. So have a tall, startlingly pale, white-haired teenager smiling down at you, Morgana.]

Do you want a little of everything? Is there anything you can't eat? You look a little like a cat and I know they're not supposed certain things, but it's obvious you're not really a cat....

[He's rambling a bit because he's kinda overwhelmed by the cute. The purple kittehfly perched on Soma's head stretches, yawns, and mews at Morgana in greeting.]

[kingshaming]

[ First things first, Xander finds himself a room of some sort- room 31 in fact, and strips down out of his cloak and crown and most of his armor. It wasn't that he felt safe enough to be exposed, more so he didn't want anyone to think he was out to start a fight.

He still had his dragonstone and Siegfried on hand if needed, after all. But at least now he looks a little less like a dark knight out of a child's tale when clomping around the station- though his riding outfit still certainly puts him out of time compared to the area around him. He had pondered sleeping outright, but he's done marches on less sleep, and he knows he won't sleep well until he gets a lay of the area. As such he can be found exploring the main building, taking note of everything he finds. He lingers in the new area most of all, head cocked at the hot tub and grazing through the library for awhile. As well as stopping by the garden so the kittyflies that had been following him can find a place to start building a new nest.

Finally he comes back to the food, and stares down the pizza before:]

I see, open faced meat pies. I've never seen so many combinations before...

Kitchen (/excited squealing of "CHIAKIIIII")

[power_of_dominance]

[Well, a little while after Chiaki steps into the kitchen, she's joined by someone who might remind her a bit of Nagito if only because of his startling pallor and white hair. This guy is far from that crazed and disheveled, though. In fact... he's pretty. Like inhumanly pretty. He even smiles warmly at her as he sets a large backpack on the floor near the counter.]

You cook, too? Guess it's good to have more than one with all these people. Or are you just looking for something that isn't pizza or pizza-shaped?

[He pulls a rather large wrapped parcel out of the pack. The waterproof tarp is peeled away to reveal a sizeable, very dead hex turtle.]

Food (because of course, it's Soma)

[power_of_dominance]

[Wow, look at this guy. He's so gothy, he could be a Belmont. Hell, Soma's tempted to take a closer look for fangs, too. The purple kittehfly on his head looks like a strange galaxy-print bow, but it sits up to mew at the blond stranger because it can smell traces of its fellows on the man.]

They're called pizza. And some of it just looks like pizza but it's sweet. For dessert. The way you're dressed, I'm guessing you're used to things like mutton joints and stuffed game birds?

[kingshaming]

[ he chuckles slightly, and when he speaks there are indeed sharp teeth- but thicker and duller then a vampires- these are like a wolf's or other hunting beast. Meant for gripping and tearing instead of puncturing ]

Am I so obvious? I do look a bit out of place here...

[power_of_dominance]

[Whoa. Not too off the mark... could he be a werewolf? At least this guy seems friendly enough.]

Hey, it's okay. You really don't look that out of place. There's a lot of unusual people here, a few might be from worlds like yours judging by how they dress and talk. We're a human patchwork society... or at least humanoid, in some cases.

[He sticks out a hand.]

Soma Cruz. And the little stowaway on my head's called Polaris.

[kingshaming]

[ He takes the offer easily enough, giving a firm shake]

Xander. It's a pleasure.

[power_of_dominance]

Likewise. If there's anything you're not sure about, ask. I cook all the time, I know what most of this stuff is. Watch that one on the end if you don't like spice, it's pretty hot.

[It must take a lot of calories to run that wall of beef. Maybe another big eater Soma can help to keep full?]

[rhododendronhoney]

Strange has a medical room on the fourth floor-you can find them there most of the time, or they might put out another call asking people to go get checkups sometime. [There's a pause as she looks around.] Actually, I think they're around here somewhere.