robowest | [ DEPARTURE ]

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game: end

[ DEPARTURE ]

DEPARTURE

It's time to go.

Most people are on the train by now. Settled into their cabins and among friends and loved ones. There are only three new arrivals left to board and once they do, Hal pulls a conductor's hat out from underneath the bar, tugs it on, and steps around it to the middle of the train. He opens his mouth to talk, voice filling the train.

"It's time to go. Stops happen once a day until everyone's departed and I already have your stopped listed. If you'd like to be prioritized, let me know, otherwise we'll go in order of death. Settle in and enjoy the ride. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, folks."

This, of course, means that those who died earliest (Manfred, Higekiri) will depart first while those who died latest (Barnham, Damian, Percy) will depart last. There's a stop for everyone, though those who want to get off together are more than welcome to. Hal pulls a notepad and pen out of his pocket later and people will notice that he goes around the train confirming stops with everyone. Whatever feeling Hal may have had to a character back in town isn't noticeable here -- he is simply a robot assigned with a job.

After that, it's all a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. If that's possible for you, at least.

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...I know when to turn it off, you know.

[more or less.]

My dad wasn't really too strict with me, though. Not a lot of that homeschooling, constantly grooming for the throne stuff you see in movies or whatever.

[he went to school like a normal person and he's held part-time jobs??? modern day princehood's a thing.]

I'll be fine. Funny enough, this place may have gotten me more ready than anything else did back home.

[She's curious about everything else, but it's what he says last that catches her interest most.]

Yeah? How so?

[She can probably guess, but.]

[well, they've got time for questions, and he'll likely have a few of his own as well before they part ways.

for now, he'll answer her question.]

Guess... I just got a better sense of how to protect what matters. Priorities... understanding how I can help other people. Stuff like that.

[his offers of self-sacrifice at bounty meetings were something he absolutely would not have been willing to do before this, after all.]

...Yeah, that makes sense. Probably the case for a lot of people.

[A glance out the window.]

Sucks that it still ended the same way for you.

[nobody here deserved to die, she thinks, but noctis is fairly high on the list of people who deserved it least.]

Not like we had much of a choice.

[but noct shrugs.]

I'm okay, though. With how it went... I know it wasn't as bad as it could've been, and I was ready for it.

[comparatively speaking, natalie had it so, so much worse and he knows it.]

I'm just going to make the best of it. Try to use what I've learned here back home to do what I need to do.

Does not having a choice make it better?

[it does and it doesn't, she thinks, just in different ways. she pauses, though, thinking.]

Yeah. I mean, it was Barnham, it's not like he was going to make it awful.

[that doesn't necessarily make it better, she thinks, but she guesses they have to take what they've got here. at least it's over for him.]

Smart move.

Doesn't make it better, it's just another thing we have to deal with.

[but she's right, in that barnham wasn't going to make it awful. he actually treated noctis with a great deal of respect and remorse that made it much easier to accept.]

...What are you going to do now, anyway? [he's not too fussed with talking about himself; he's certainly better at it than he was seven weeks ago. but he's always going to be both a protag and a king first.

so, you know. he's more concerned about what everyone else is doing.]

Jason, Xion and I are heading back with Percy to his place.

[a half smile. she's still exhausted, she feels like she'll need weeks to forget all of this, but... it's something to look forward to.]

[there's a bit of relief that washes over his expression in hearing that—it's good. they'll be together, and he's glad for it.

(and maybe he's a bit envious, but that's secondary.)]

Good... You guys all deserve a break now.

Well, Percy apparently has to immediately stop the apocalypse, but after that I'm sure it'll be great.

[that moment when you become close friends with a protag.]

If anyone can do it, it's him.

[honestly, noct is hoping he can also stop his own apocalypse but you know.

minor details.]

You guys will be fine there, and he'll do better knowing you guys are waiting for him.

Yeah. Beats home for all three of us, I think, so... It'll be nice. And, I mean, who doesn't want to go to New York?

[A pause.]

...Assuming you even know where that is, given the whole different worlds thing.

Nope, nothing I know.

[that whole different worlds thing.]

But I think I get the idea. My world's got some places like that too.

Yeah. Big city, pretty famous, lots to do. I'm from a way smaller town, so... It'll be ridiculously overwhelming, probably, but I can deal with that.

Yeah, definitely know what that kind of place is like. Insomnia's pretty huge... the first time I went outside on my own... was pretty hard to believe how different things were in the countryside.

[the culture shock goes both ways.]

Bet you'll be used to it in no time, you're good at adapting.

I still can't believe they named a city Insomnia.

[but, moving on.]

Don't know if I'd call where I live countryside, but... Pretty different either way. It's also basically as far to the other side of the country as you can get, so there's that, too. And - thanks. I hope so.

Well... whatever it's like, it's gonna be a hell of a lot better than here.

[so she'll be fine.]

You got through the worst, so... make sure you guys enjoy it there. [once the apocalypse is taken care of, he guesses.

it's a little bittersweet for sure, though. he's going to miss her and the others a lot, especially with how much they all ended up dealing with together in those last couple of weeks.]

Yeah. You too, okay? Once you get headed home.

[She pauses for a long, long moment, before she opens her arms.]

I'm not normally a hug person, and if you tell anyone about this I will track you down no matter how many universes I have to cross.

I'll do my best. You know, once it's all safe and everything.

[he... has a lot of work to do. much like percy.

and for a moment, he seems a little surprised by the offer. but he chuckles a little and moves to return the gesture and hug her.

(seven weeks ago, this would have been nearly impossible for him.)]

That makes two of us. But anyway, I think I can keep a secret just fine—you didn't even know I was a king until five minutes ago.

[she returns it, of course, since she's the one who offered it in the first place. still, nearly as soon as the embrace begins, she pulls away, looking towards the ground. friendship is hard!!]

I really hope the king thing isn't supposed to be a secret. Seems like it'd be pretty hard to keep.

[friendship is hard, he gets it. it's improvement for both of them, at least!]

Kept it under wraps during the game so nobody got the wrong idea. Didn't... really need anyone thinking I'd go killing people or whatever just to get back to my duties.

[and, you know.]

It's not like it was hard to do, anyway. Most people wouldn't look at a guy like me and go "oh yeah, that guy's definitely royalty."

If anyone thought you of all people would do that, they were probably either really stupid or really paranoid. I guess the second one would be fair, though. Not in regards to you, just in general.

[given the rules of the game.]

Yeah, not going to disagree with that.

Never know. Especially early on...

[it could've been a problem, but naturally by the time people started finding out, they knew he wasn't that sort of person.]

Worked out in my favor anyway, didn't it? Kind of saved me having to answer a ton of questions over and over, too.

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[ DEPARTURE ]

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