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

[founderinglight]

We're twins, so it would hardly be the first time. And I imagine the androids will do something about the railing soon, they're probably just a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

[From the tone of his voice, he's smiling, though he does pause there to take a bite of his pizza. Hello, kitty.]

A... friend of mine, Ignis, is also blind, but only quite recently. So I'll try to remember to identify myself.

1/2

[blackestwitch]

[ The cat, now that he's guided Maddie to a table, seems to be paying an inordinate amount of attention on Izunia. ]

[blackestwitch]

[ Maddie doesn't notice her cat staring, though. Being blind. Instead, she pauses as she's feeling for a chair to react to that last statement. ]

You have a blind friend? ....Here?

I mean, in this research station?

[founderinglight]

Yes, he just arrived in the most recent group. Early twenties, middle-range voice, bit of an accent? Cooks often, something of a mother hen, enjoys bad puns.

[Distinguishing traits that aren't visual is difficult, but he'd grade that as a passable job.

Hello cat. What are you staring at.]

[blackestwitch]

[ Maddie, for her part, seems happy to hear about Ignis. ]

Right, actually I remember one of the androids mentioned there was somebody else here that needed my kind of accommodations. That must be him. Ignis, huh?

[ Do you know how many blind people she knows personally? ZERO. Blind people apparently hate Florida, probably on account of the alligators. ]

[founderinglight]

He also answers to 'Specs' and a variety of other nicknames - you'll likely run into him with two other boys about that age, Noctis and Prompto. They're all rather attached at the hip and those two probably won't let him out of sight for long until things have settled down some.

[blackestwitch]

"Specs"... got it. And Noctis and Prompto. [ She won't comment on the oddity of the names. Are they Latin or something? Doesn't matter, blind friend. ]

...Ha, out of sight.

[founderinglight]

Noctis tends to be a bit quiet and withdrawn, but you'll likely be able to identify Prompto easily enough - he tends towards high energy enthusiasm. He'll also likely have a very large chocobo hatchling accompanying him at the moment - they're large flightless birds from our world, the hatchling will be at least the size of your cat.

[Who is getting eyeballed because why are you still staring at him.]

[blackestwitch]

[ The cat meets his gaze and doesn't break it. It's a judging gaze - or at least, an observational one. Sizing him up.

Maddie continues talking as if that isn't happening, though, since she can't even see it. ] A large flightless bird.... like an emu or an ostrich? Not that I can compare, I've never actually "seen" one of those either.

I wonder how fluffy they are.

[founderinglight]

I've never heard of either of those. Eos seems to have very different wildlife from other worlds. They're very tall runners, we usually raise them as mounts. ...And yes, they're very fluffy.

...Is there a reason your cat is staring at me, by the way?

[blackestwitch]

I'm - ah, not sure? Zel, what's the matter?

[ The cat glances over to Maddie and meows. Which is magically-disguised telling Maddie about ALL THE MAGIC POWER radiating off of this guy. ]

....I think he saw a bug over that way.

[founderinglight]

Hmm. Usually I'd expect more looking around for a bug.

[He's not quite calling it bullshit, but he's saying he knows it's bullshit and is letting it go.]

I don't have a bird, but I do have a feather from an adult chocobo that I keep around, if you like. I usually keep it as a cat toy, actually.

[blackestwitch]

I couldn't really tell you, then. [ Jeez do you expect her to just ASK HER CAT and GET ANSWERS or something, which she could actually do BUT MOST PEOPLE DON'T ]

He could use a toy, though. I came with my backpack, but unfortunately that doesn't include cat toys. Mostly school supplies.

[ Zel seems to scoff at the idea. As much as a cat can scoff, anyway. ]

[founderinglight]

I was actually considering asking the androids to keep an eye out... It's been some time since I had a pet and I think the company might be good for me.

[Him want kitty.]

[blackestwitch]

Keep an eye out? [ No, that's not a blind joke, she's just curious as to what he means. ] Where would they? I was under the impression we were a little isolated here.

[founderinglight]

Animals are known to appear in Fissures the same way we do - that's where Prompto got his chocobo egg, and another of our number found a beehive there.

[blackestwitch]

See that, Zel? You might get a friend soon, then.

[ She pauses a moment though, leaning forward where she's sitting at the table. ]

What about monsters? Do those show up, too?

[founderinglight]

Mmm, well, both Fissures we've explored so far have had some rather nasty things in them. But if you're asking after something specific, I know that the monsters I would be concerned about haven't appeared.

[The Station is and remains Starscourge free, thank fucking god.]

[blackestwitch]

[ She chooses her next words carefully. ] The ones where I'm from are called thaumivores. They eat magic. Which can be found in people, so they do. That.

And they tend to be attracted to more powerful mages, of course.

[ Her cat is one of those monsters, she absolutely does not mention. He's a good boy though.

She does, however, listen carefully for the reaction to her statement. Zel said this guy had a lot of power, which meant he might be an elder magi... if he was from the same place Maddie was. ]

[founderinglight]

...Hmm, no, haven't heard of anything of that sort here. And I imagine I would likely be one of the tastiest morsels, but the only thing that's tried to eat me recently was one particularly foolish deer and a couple of amphibious sharks.

[He doesn't seem especially troubled by the idea, or to have any particularly strong reaction at all.]

[blackestwitch]

Ah. So you're a mage, then? [ Maddie asks, already knowing he magic thanks to her cat. He looks smug from his spot on the table. ] I'd also ask why a deer would try to eat you, but I'll chalk that up to this place being weird.

[founderinglight]

Arguably, unless you're using the term to mean something specific I'm not familiar with. More relevantly, I'm a king of the royal line of the kingdom of Lucis, and our family has extremely potent magical abilities, largely relating to light and weaponry.

[blackestwitch]

I've never heard of magic running in bloodlines before. [ She could see the magi being into that if it actually was the case, though. But her own parents are... well, her dad's not magical. Her mom might actually have been. ]

And, ah... Should I be calling you "your majesty" or something?

[founderinglight]

Different worlds. That's a common enough reaction from most people here. Actually, I don't think I've heard of another world that does do it that way.

[Vague handwave. He's not too concerned.]

And please, no. Just Izunia is fine; I haven't sat the throne in a very long time, I'm quite retired.

[blackestwitch]

Mr. Izunia then. [ Like how she addresses a teacher at school, almost. ] I'd like to hear how magic works in your 'world' some time - I run... ah, ran... a podcast about magic. I guess I don't run it any more, until I get back home.

[ Her cat gives Maddie an 'are you serious' kind of expression and meows. Maddie brushed him off. ]