The Land of Black Regality, though oftentimes mistaken for a nation of little pleasure and much progress, is a warm place. Lastationites work hard and live life in a much more orderly fashion than most, but will open their hearts to others as readily as anyone else on Gamindustri. They do, however, possess a pride not often found elsewhere; one who visits Lastation should always be respectful of those they interact with.
-Excerpt from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to Gamindustri, Volume 4: Lastation"
Actually standing and walking after eight hours spent sitting in their compartment felt heavenly. IF happily stretched her legs, relieved that the ride was over.
She and Nepgear filed out of the train among a trickle of other passengers, noting that the dark was held at bay by bright lights. The final station, Nordral; it was as vast as Nicos Central, though different in aesthetics. Where the planeptunian design mostly used shining plasteel, Lastation's largest train station was made of dull concrete and wood. It felt a little alien, more spartan than what IF was used to.
All of this was taken in as she moved, another feeling of confusion created by the lack of a proper skyline; outside of the main Basilicom in the distance, the sky was freely visible. No stars though, the city's many lights hid them all.
Looking around however, IF quietly accepted the fact this would be a long day. Due to the twelve-hour time difference from Planeptune, it was half past two in the morning; the cold September air made her shiver below her thin coat, but also helped wake her up from the long train ride.
Next to her, Nepgear took a deep breath and sighed happily, not at all bothered by either the early hour or the cold. IF gave her the moment, then nudged her side and exchanged a glance with her. Both girls nodded and turned toward the staircase leading down to the main tunnel. From there, they just needed to follow the signs to the concourse.
Or rather, they would have, were it not for the figure awaiting them at the bottom. Leaning against a free part of the wall, her lithe arms crossed in front of her chest, stood a familiar sight. Piercing red eyes wandered over IF and Nepgear as they noticed her and stopped, the beginning of a frown playing around immaculate features. A mosquito buzzed around her head, being slapped away by a small strand of raven hair that went unnoticed by anyone but IF.
After a moment, what the brunette had thought was a frown ceased and Uni's lips curled up. She smoothly pushed herself off the wall, lowering one arm and raising the other to adjust her hair. "Before you ask, miss Neptune called us hours ago. Did you really expect to come here and not see me?" She kept meeting Nepgear's eyes, but IF had the feeling the statement was meant for both of them.
It did not come totally unexpected to her, naturally; even after IF had told Neptune she did not want to be a bother, the CPU obviously had other plans. The momentary annoyance soon faded however, and IF watched the two Candidates' impromptu staring match quietly. Now that she knew, she once again wondered how she could have missed it.
Nepgear she explained away with her original timidness and the fact she dressed more plainly. Uni, however, did not bother with such things. Her black shirt and long skirt conveyed a quiet elegance, underlined by the fact she wore no sleeves but gloves that reached almost up to her elbows. Her whole getup accentuated her inhuman beauty and IF found herself with no excuse to have mistaken her for a human before.
It was intriguing just how much the human mind could overlook, seeing how CPUs could move unnoticed amongst them despite of it all. No one else paid the three of them any mind even now.
After a few quiet seconds, Nepgear broke into a bright smile. "Obviously not," she chirped; there was nothing that could have been a greeting, but Uni did not seem to expect one. Her smile merely grew by a fraction, telling IF that this was normal.
Then however, the Lastationite's attention snapped back to IF as if she had just recalled something. "You... you know by now, I assume?" Uni was more reluctant than usual, her voice a little more restrained. Not having any need for clarification, the human girl simply nodded; there was little else to say on the matter. After a moment, Uni returned the gesture; the hesitation vanished from her features just as fast.
Her next question came with a little bit of heat, directed mainly at Nepgear again: "That aside, where did you think you were staying?" It made the older CPU lower her head ever so slightly while IF rolled her eyes, giving the younger girl a look.
"I was looking into hotels around town, but I have the feeling it will be a moot point in a moment," she quipped from the sidelines. That in turn made Uni's gaze snap over again.
Green eyes met red for a long moment as the two came to a quiet understanding. IF did not particularly mind going along with whatever had been planned for them and Uni apparently did not mind her being involved. The raven-haired girl nodded once. "Quite," she allowed. "You are staying at my place, both of you." It was not even a suggestion, though both Planeptunians knew better than to argue.
Instead, IF heaved a sigh and gave a shrug in response to Nepgear's helpless smile. She was tempted to throw in a tease about Uni's rather obvious crush, but thought better of it; she did not know Uni that well and the younger girl had just offered her a place to stay for the following weeks. Perhaps even more, if she considered Neptune's usual schemes.
As no verbal response came, Uni nodded at herself and started to walk with measured steps. She kept her pace even, though slow enough that IF and Nepgear could match her with their suitcases rolling behind them. There was little more than a few glances spent on the concourse as they strode through it, the nighttime personnel offering them sleepy smiles in passing.
Before IF could get absorbed by the sights awaiting her however, she quickly tapped Nepgear's arm. "Mind doing the thing from this morning? I have a question I'd rather have answered now." Her voice remained level, but Uni displayed her curiousity with a slight tilt of her head; seeing that she was leading them, IF could easily see the back of her head shifting. Nepgear thought for a moment, then remembered and nodded. A moment later, the slightly disorienting feeling was back.
"So," IF started calmly, eyes on the Lastationite's hair, "If I am likely to run into Makers today, now would be the time to tell me." If either CPU noticed the uncomfortable note in her voice, they did not react to it.
Nepgear became thoughtful while Uni threw her a bemused look, never once ceasing to walk. "I do not expect it. Falcom and CC2 are close to the western border, and K-Sha... huh, she might drop by in the next two weeks, but I doubt you will run into her."
Her explanation complete, Uni stopped in her tracks; they had reached one of the half-dozen bus stops surrounding the train station. "Anyway," she continued smoothly, "we will have to wait a few minutes. The line home is scheduled only once per hour this early, so... another twelve minutes or so."
The other two nodded understandingly, IF being mollified by what she was told; she had yet to meet any Makers and Neptune was considerate enough not to make them run into each other. Happy that she would not have to prepare herself to meet a heroine when she was only here for weapons, IF's mind returned to more mundane problems.
Due to Nepgear's magic surrounding them, there was no wind to bite into IF for the moment, which she was actually quite happy with. That was why she turned to her friend with a pleading expression. "Can you keep that up while we wait? It's cold enough without the wind."
Nepgear flashed a mischievous smirk, but nodded and kept quiet. However, one of Uni's immaculate eyebrows rose over the interaction and she snarked at IF. "Last I heard, you have a metric ton of magic in that body of yours. Can you not keep yourself warm?"
However, IF only raised an eyebrow in turn and snarked right back: "Not unless you want to foot the hospital bills from me setting myself on fire."
"Oh." The critical edge was gone, replaced by understanding. Uni's eyes broke contact for an instant and the Lastationite nodded. "I see."
With that concluded, IF once again buried both hands in her pockets and ducked a little to get her chin below the coat. Nepgear immediately swooped into the ensuing silence, curiously distracting Uni from her slip-up: "Did anything interesting happen in the meantime? Did you make progress on that beam rifle?"
The other girl shrugged and took the bait, allowing IF to just listen in. "I got most of the design streamlined, but I can't find any materials for the conductors," Uni complained without any real heat. "A single shot melts them every time."
Nepgear made an understanding noise and put a finger to her chin. Then the two CPUs began to discuss the viability of all kinds of fluids and gases, some of which IF had not even heard about in school. She tried to follow their conversation, but soon gave up and watched her surroundings instead; streetlights illuminated well-kept patches of grass with a few late flowers, casting shadows on the buildings looming over them. Storefronts lay silent, with the occasional neon sign still lit. Nightclubs and a few 24/7-markets.
The bus arrived soon after and IF let the arguing girls enter first; both Nepgear and her paid for an adult ticket that was handed to them by the driver, while Uni just flashed some kind of card at her. IF quickly went after her friend, the purplette's conversation never once ceasing. They quickly shuffled onto a group of three seats toward the back.
Only one other passenger was in this bus, an older man who threw a curious look their way, but went back to his newspaper a moment later. IF had the feeling he was hiding a smile though, considering that the two girls to her right were going through possible ways of lowering the power requirements for their rifle.
All she had to do was looking out the window as the bus drove on, watching buildings pass by. The ride was rather uneventful; Uni and Nepgear ultimately agreed on how to proceed with their pet project, but did not strike up another conversation. Both of them were perceptive enough to notice IF's boredom.
When the three of them stepped out of the bus in front of Lastation's main Basilicom, it was the first time in this country that IF felt vaguely reminded of home. Not for the aesthetics, but because the towering office complex in front of her blotted out the night sky. She knew that on top of this ordinary-looking building was another structure, made of coloured glass, metal, and cloth. A dome, a mansion, several terraces, and more. She saw pictures of it gleaming in the afternoon sun, contrasting the dark building beneath it.
It had another name, but people commonly referred to the whole building as 'The Black Box', which was an apt title. One that IF was almost certain originated from a little lilac-haired troublemaker she knew.
The three girls entered moments later, with Uni in the lead. Nobody paid attention to them after Uni flashed a card at the clerk in front; everyone around appeared a little lethargic to IF, some slurping coffee as they worked quietly. A few citizens were around as well, talking to an attendant further down the hall.
They strode to the elevators uninterrupted and quickly filed in, the local Candidate's fingers dancing over the panel in a heartbeat and sending them off. Curiously however, they were not set for the top of the building.
When Uni saw IF's confused gaze, she quickly offered an explanation, tone and expression all but daring the human girl to argue: "My sister and I live in the center, not on top. That is mostly there for appearances and special occasions of various kinds."
IF merely nodded, ignoring the little edge Uni had in most of her statements; she had yet to hear her speak in any other way, which implied that it was just one of her quirks. There was no need to get worked up about it.
The elevator soon slowed down, surprising IF who had become used to riding up four hundred storeys regularly. Her little group filed out on the seventeenth storey, lights flicking on as sensors registered their movement. The corridor was deserted this early in the morning, allowing them to pass through unseen under Uni's lead.
It took but a minute before the Lastationite stopped in front of a particular door; IF took note of the engraved hammer and anvil on its center, Lastation's crest. "This is Kei's, uh, our Oracle's office," Uni explained casually as she opened the door. "My home is right behind it."
Almost immediately, the plasteel floor was replaced by a dark blue carpet that lined Jinguji Kei's office; IF had heard of her, though only a little. Oracles were not particularly public figures. This woman was yet young, replacing Ganache after his recent retirement; an Economics major and also quite strict, but fair.
They followed Uni through the empty room, IF noting the immaculately kept desk, before wandering through another door with the same crest as seen before. It opened just as easily, revealing that it was not locked; the carpet remained the same, making it appear more as if Kei was the CPUs' receptionist.
IF gingerly slipped out of her boots and lined them up at the door while her friends simply reabsorbed theirs, immediately walking on white and black socks respectively. This area had no automatic light however; once Uni flipped a switch, the new area was illuminated and revealed to be a hallway. Before IF could take in more of it, a beautifully crafted wallpaper took her attention and kept it for long moments.
The craft depicted a leanboxian pasture, lying peacefully with flowers blooming and a little creek making its way between the grass. From its grade of detail, IF was confused she could not hear the water gurgle by for a moment.
Once she realised she had been all but drawn into the painting, IF blinked at it and turned her eyes away. Nepgear and Uni were both eyeing her curiously, though they immediately acted as if they had not. She considered asking, but decided not to and instead took in the remaining hallway. It led a little further inside, fine furniture soon lining the walls. The walls quickly turned sideways to the left and right, with a mostly open area in the center. It took a moment for IF to realise this hallway was actually circular.
In the center of this circle was a staircase, with a set of stairs leading up and one leading down; they were mirrored on the other side. Once IF took a few steps inside and could look down, she saw that the two sets met at the lower floor.
"That kind of reaction is rather normal," Uni provided with a satisfied note. "Everything in here was made by my sister, and it shows." IF nodded mutely, still enamored with the sheer quality of everything around herself. The lastationite Candidate tapped her shoulder to get her attention, though. Then she pointed at a door on the opposite side, "That is the kitchen," at one to their left, "that is the storeroom," and at one to the right "and that is our workshop."
IF only had time to note that the doors were placed in right angles from each other, then Uni's finger had wandered upward. "Our bedrooms and the guest bedrooms are up there." Then below. "And our offices are down there. Also the bathroom, if you need it."
The raven-haired girl gave her a moment to digest the information, then made a motion for the upper floor. "You can go up ahead, I want to tell Sis I'm home."
But before either visitor could start walking, the door right ahead of them swung open and revealed another woman. IF's eyes widened at her sight, taking in what was obviously Black Heart; even outside of HDD, her appearance was striking. The same sharp eyes Uni displayed, a deep red that seemed to bore into her very soul when their gazes met. The same black hair, though considerably longer and held in twintails instead of being done up. The same regal features, though significantly more relaxed.
Where Uni appeared as if she was trying hard to keep herself composed and portray an air of superiority, this woman effortlessly drove the impression home, making IF straighten more than she already had. Her gait was measured, careful yet without hesitation; a skirt of solemn grey swished around her calves as she walked, making her almost appear as if floating toward them. IF absently took note of the fact her dark blue top held red and blue ornaments, and that it was bulging a little around the chest.
Quickly averting her gaze and seeing that nobody else was moving, the brunette stood still and waited for the CPU to reach them; she held a cup in her hand, the liquid within hardly even moving. The other was holding up a sheet of paper which the woman was reading from, though her eyes obviously did not miss the three of them. The momentary wait at least gave IF enough time to get herself together and look up; she had had no time to prepare for this properly, but her mind was kicking back into gear by this point.
Black Heart's lips curled into an easy smile as the paper was lowered and her eyes focussed on her Candidate. "Welcome back, Uni. I see you found them well enough." Then they wandered from the happily nodding Uni to their visitors. "And welcome back, Nepgear."
The purplette immediately returned the smile, though IF noticed that she was also standing at attention. "I'm sorry to bother you again so soon, miss Noire."
However, the older CPU waved her off with a dismissive motion. "None of that, it is fine. As always." Then her eyes focussed on IF, taking in her appearance curiously in a single sweep. "And you would be IF." There was no hostility in her voice, yet IF was inclined to bow her head in a placating gesture anyway. She only slowly managed to shake that off, though it helped to concentrate on Noire's musings: "After what Neptune told me, I am quite happy to have you here. Welcome to Lastation. I am Black Heart, Noire."
After switching her cup into the left hand, Noire held out her right; IF stared at it dumbly for a moment before moving her own, shaking it. "I-It's an honour, Lady Black Heart," she stammered, though the CPU did not seem to mind or care. Her grip was strong, strong enough to ground IF and make her return it in force; she knew she needed not hold back here, and it earned her an appreciative nod.
Noire cast another look at the three teens, then turned on her heels and sauntered toward the staircase. "I have some more paperwork to get done tonight. You two will be staying here for the next two weeks, so get your things up to the guest bedrooms and then get yourself into my office." She did not look back, though her words were clearly meant as an order.
The human girl took a deep breath and exchanged looks with Nepgear, who shrugged in return; there was a hint of mirth in her expression, though IF had no time to address it before Uni took charge again with a clap of her hands. "You heard her, hop, hop."
Both Planeptunians followed her without complaint, though IF felt decidedly less impressed with the younger girl's demeanor. Now that she saw the original, so to speak, she found that Uni could not compare. She kept that thought to herself, though; Uni was obviously trying hard to follow in her sister's footsteps.
Once they reached the upper floor, they were greeted by a small corridor with four doors; in difference to the Purple siblings, the Black sisters had separated their rooms; they were each marked with red signs, Noire's right up ahead and Uni's next to it. To the left and right was a door each.
As IF still took in the setup, Nepgear zipped over to one of the rooms without signs and opened the door. That left the other room for her, which she got to immediately; her suitcase rolled after her as she opened the other door and stepped inside. She mostly just pushed the luggage against the bed, though; there was no need for anything in it at the moment.
The ticking of a mechanical clock caught IF's attention, telling her on a glance that it was now three in the morning. Another four hours until sunrise, but she felt energetic and ready for the day. While she knew the tiredness would set in around noon, IF was also aware that she had time now.
Her eyes fell on the bed she would be sleeping in the next two weeks, noting that it was almost queen-sized; white sheets and a big pillow greeted her gaze, promising a good rest once it was time to lie down.
With her things put away for the moment, IF strode out of her room and gently closed the door. Uni was waiting for them with her eyes closed and arms crossed, lost in thought; she snapped out of whatever musings she had when Nepgear closed her room's door as well, red eyes going from one Planeptunian to the other. She did not speak though, merely motioned for them to follow.
The CPUs' office, once they entered, revealed itself to be somewhat similar to what she had already seen in Planeptune: the room itself was fairly large, illuminated by indirect lighting; it held sparse furnishings, a throng of different machines from scanners to printers, and their desks. The main difference IF saw was that there were only two of the latter, as Histoire had integrated her office into that of the CPUs back at home; where her and Nepgear's desks were pushed together with Neptune's at their sides, Uni and Noire had theirs arranged next to each other instead.
Only one desk was currently occupied, the same woman she saw a few minutes earlier working quietly; IF could see neat stacks of papers sitting near her elbows, partly hidden by a large screen. No keyboard in sight though, possibly below the desk proper. Noire jutted down notes and filled in blanks on two sheets simultaneously, one with each hand. Sometimes she switched the pens to her pinky and ring fingers to grab a seal placed with her other supplies.
All of them paused for a long moment to behold the simple elegance; Noire never once interrupted her routine, fluidly moving from one paper to the next.
"Some work came in for you as well, Uni. Take care of it first, would you?" she asked absentmindedly. Uni immediately complied and slipped behind her own desk, going through the sheets on it and getting to work. Then Noire's hands slowed and one of her eyes flicked up to take in IF. A weak smile played around the woman's lips. "Please do not take my lack of form as an offense; I simply do not have the time to take longer breaks."
However, IF quickly shook her head in understanding. "It's fine," she all but blurted out, "I don't want to keep you from your work." Yet she was still surprised, and it showed on her face; and IF knew that Noire knew, seeing that her hands paused in their tireless work, allowing the CPU to direct both eyes her way. An immaculate eyebrow rose in silent question; the very same gesture she saw from Uni before, but with so much more impact. The brunette averted her gaze and sheepishly shuffled her feet. "It's, uh... you and Nep are like polar opposites is all."
Her admission made Noire chuckle; she went back to work at the same time, offering IF a smile. "My Makers say that a lot, and you are all right about it. Then again, it would be boring if we were all the same."
"Meaning," Nepgear stage-whispered to IF with a smirk, hidden from Noire behind a hand, "she actually likes when Sis jumps on her back and pets her head."
There was a notable pause in Noire's movements; Uni gaped at the grinning purplette while IF blinked. Then Nepgear was out of the door with a giggle, right before a ballistic pen impacted it and shattered. Noire grumbled something under her breath, then took a deep breath and cast a glance at Uni. "Do not throw things at people. I am happy that you want to protect my dignity, but this is not the right way to go about it."
The younger CPU immediately lowered her head while IF still tried to make sense of what just happened. She was taken out of this endeavor by Noire, who addressed her once again: "My apologies for that. Back to the topic at hand, I heard that you wish to take care of your business yourself." She marked a passage and looked up again, meeting IF's gaze. "In this case however, as it is your first visit to Lastation, we believe it is better to give you someone more knowledgeable to ask for advice.
"'We'," Noire noted after a moment, "means Neptune and myself in this case." She waited for IF to nod, then continued with a hint of disappointment: "As proud as I am of my craftsmen and manufactories, I know best that more than a few of them have grown arrogant over their expertise. Some even overestimate the quality they are capable of producing. That will not do."
Once it was clear she was done, IF let out a sigh and lowered her head. "Alright, I guess." She was not too happy with the matter, but could see the wisdom in it. "Then I am in your hands."
Noire nodded before motioning toward Uni, who had already worked through most of her little pile. "It is good to know you will not make trouble for my sister." She paused for a long moment, apparently waiting for the younger CPU to finish.
IF considered interrupting and decided she might as well take the opportunity. Yet she sounded more hesitant than she herself liked: "Um, may I ask a question?" Once Noire nodded, she asked away: "Why exactly are you making the effort to help me of all people?"
This made Uni slow and gathered Noire's full attention; IF had a few ideas, but it still felt weird to her that two thirds of the pantheon were interested in helping her.
However, Noire only huffed, a much warmer smile playing around her lips as her features softened. "You really do not know?" IF shook her head, and the woman across the desk sighed, though her smile did not waver. "It is because we are grateful, Neptune in particular."
The unexpected response made IF blink in stunned silence, which Noire smoothly filled: "The incident a few months back was noticed around the world, especially after Neptune made sure to edit most of Nepgear's parts out for her secrecy. Even without that, we recognise your capability, and that you protected planeptunian citizens where the gods could not. You got paid money for the monster you helped kill, but the lives you saved that day can not be given a pricetag. For that, Neptune will always make sure you are well and taken care of."
While IF began to take in what she had just been told, Noire breathed in slowly; then her lips twitched. Her smile held, though it almost turned into a smirk. "Not to mention that you already had our interest when you became friends with Nepgear. Heh, not that the other two knew your face before that day."
"What do you mean?" a curious Nepgear rejoined the conversation from behind the door, peeking past it to see if any more pens would come flying. IF had no response to any of this anyway, so she kept quiet and waited what else she might learn; her mind slowly settled from its turmoil, trying to make sense of the fact she was special to a CPU.
Noire merely threw a calm look at the planeptunian Candidate in the meantime. "Neptune kept a tight lid on IF as long as she could; the only reason I found out ahead of time was that Uni met her." She offered a weak smile and went back to work. "After that incident, they easily pieced together who it was you made friends with."
IF did not really understand why she would be kept a secret from other CPUs, but she had the feeling there was more to this; more that she likely did not want to process right now. Noire, who noticed her expression with a passing glance, did not expand further. Instead, she took the sound of plastic on wood for what it was. "You did good time, Uni. Now off with you three, you should go and get started on the day. We can talk at a later time."
"Okay!" Uni beamed at the praise and quickly twirled around her desk to usher IF out of the room. The brunette obediently left and soon the door closed behind them.
Noire was left by herself, with a lot of work still to be done. She nonetheless paused for a moment and considered the place where IF's back had vanished.
Of course, just being in Neptune's good graces was not the only reason they paid special attention.
Noire was not entirely sure what her old friend saw in this girl, but she could guess it well enough. She knew the type by heart, and found many important qualities in her during this short conversation. Not just from her words, though.
IF stood straight like an arrow, even while relaxed. She moved fluidly yet precisely, wasting barely any motion. That was not a starry-eyed child's stance, it was that of a warrior. Her deeds spoke for themselves, especially at such a young age.
In fact, she was much like Neptune in that regard; relaxed yet ready, never once off guard. Always prepared to fight with the ferocity of a beast, should it be required.
Noire was actually amazed that IF had not noticed it herself, even if it could be easily explained with her gaping inferiority complex. Neptune held back on a Maker for years.
And now, after meeting the girl herself, Lastation's CPU knew with certainty who that seat was reserved for.
She merely hoped that IF would not break herself before that time.