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

Re: Buffet

[meowna]

[The smell alone is enough to make his fur prickle a little; it smells like the lingering ozone crackling on the battlefield after Ryuji has struck down Shadows with blasts of lightning, or the crisp smell of a storm as Akira walks home after a study session at the diner. There's a strange sort of undercurrent there, though--not quite Shadow, not quite as specific as the fox Kurama smells so strongly of, but..... if he had to put a claw on it.....

He smells like danger, pure and simple, like the raw, primal fury of the storm. It's an odd thing to try and pin down, when you're mid-jump; he's distracted enough that his paws slip on the smooth surface of the table, and he falls back down with a thump. Ugh, he can't even pretend like nobody saw that.....

Have a little disgruntled noise as he sits up and rubs the base of his tail. Owww.....]

.....Yeah, that'd be nice.

[superstylishsquid]

[Oops. Well, he's used to animals being pretty spooked by him, unless they've been raised around things they'd normally be scared of, so he probably should have expected that. He'll just be bending down to pick up the little cat-creature and lift him up high enough to reach the food, though not without a bit of a chuckle.]

Here you go. Sorry about the surprise.

[meowna]

No problem.

[At least he seems more startled than actively spooked? Morgana gives himself a good shake once he's up on the table, turning back around to see just who gave him a boost. His ears prick up and to the sides, curious and a little puzzled--that's an..... interesting look. Definitely not human. Is he some kind of Shadow? He seems a little too amiable for that, though--and besides, they're in the real world, not the Metaverse.

Still, the stranger someone is, the more interesting they usually are. The more likely they are to have a strong, unyielding spirit, and possibly useful skills! A guy who looks like this must be worth getting to know, right?]

The name's Morgana. Nice to meet you!

[superstylishsquid]

Likewise. I'm Alastor.

[He's even holding out two fingers for Morgana to shake! Since...a whole hand might be a bit much. At Morgana's scale, it should be pretty easy to notice the slits in his gloves for claws, despite no visible claws.]

You're an interesting creature, though, aren't you?

[meowna]

[Two fingers is about the right scale for him! Especially since it means he notices the little slits in the fingertips front and center, as he gives him a shake. Retractable, huh? That's definitely the way to go!]

Not bad, huh? I'm really supposed to be a human, but this form does have its uses.

[Or at least, he thinks he's supposed to be a human. But there's no way he's letting that on to a stranger.]

[superstylishsquid]

Lemme guess, like making it easier to sneak seconds when nobody's looking?

[meowna]

When you're this cute? People just give you seconds.

[superstylishsquid]

Oh, of course. And they never complain about gluttony, right?

[meowna]

Well, some people do. But they don't know what they're talking about.

[He works hard for his food, thank you very much. Driving around Mementos, fighting Shadows, and forging their way through Palaces is tough!]

[superstylishsquid]

Well, just make sure to leave enough for the rest of us. I know how carnivores can eat.

[meowna]

From experience, right?

[Have a grin; he smells how much of a predator you're meant to be, Alastor, and he's seen the signs of claws. You've got the hardware for hunting.]

Don't worry, I'm not big enough to make much of a dent in this spread unless I took two or three passes at it.

[superstylishsquid]

You caught me.

[He flashes a grin of his own that shows off some extended canines.]

Not that I'm against eating some pastries now and then...

[meowna]

Nothing wrong with a few sweets! Maybe someday I can take her to a little cafe and we can share some cakes.....

[BRB mooning over daydreams of his incredibly unlikely future hypothetical dates.]