Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

< “Ah, so you’re heading to Penacony for work. That sounds like fun! Remember to take some pictures for me, okay? You forgot to take pictures when you visited Belobog on your last business trip…” > Polyxia’s voice rings from the other end of the call, and Castorice smiles, looking out the window and watching the scenery blur past, admiring how the colors merged into one.

“Of course, sister. I promise I won’t forget this time. I’ll be sure to take the pictures as though you were right here with me.” Castorice had moved from her hometown Styxia in order to attend college, and after that, to the big city of Okhema, where she’s resided to this day. Currently, she works as a journalist for The Coreflame Chaser, one of Okhema’s biggest newspaper publications. As their motto goes, ”As always, see you tomorrow.”. Castorice still counts her lucky stars that she even landed a job in such a prestigious company in the first place. She looks down at her Antila themed bracelet, a parting gift from her sister and a reminder of the same dark blue Antila flowers she loves so dearly that bloomed at home.

*Ding-a-ling!* Castorice looks up as the intercom comes on. “Attention all passengers, the warp jump has concluded! Please make sure you gather all your belongings and exit accordingly through the doors SINGLE FILE. I DO NOT want to pay for new doors as this is the THIRD time this week I’ve had to replace them. Thank you very much for riding the Astral Express, and may your journey ever lead you starward!” The intercom beeps, signifying the end of the announcement. Funny enough, the ‘Astral’ Express was more-so a marketing gimmick, it was just a regular train with cosmic themes incorporated into it—via wallpapers and space themed decor—to make it seem like the train would go into space and back per destinations. Castorice thought it was quite cute, as tacky as it was, although she couldn’t quite tell whether the conductor was perhaps wearing a mascot costume or the real deal.

< ”Ah, if I heard correctly, you’ve already arrived. Well, I shouldn’t keep you, have fun sister! You rarely go outside as is, so please make the most of this trip outside of it being for your work.” > Castorice winces as Polyxia hangs up, not expecting the rather uncalled for jab at her way of life. It’s not her fault she’s a recluse, the outside world is just scary as hell! She sighs, making sure she’s grabbed everything as the car attendant makes his way over.

“I hope the ride was to your liking, Miss Castorice.” She bows gratefully.

“Thank you for your service as always, Mister Dan Heng.” She’s ridden the Astral Express so many times now the car attendants all know her, with Dan Heng and March being the ones she’s most closest to. It was during her trip to the Xianzhou Luofu where she really got to know them. She was doing research on some places of interest within the Luofu on her laptop, and Dan Heng had happened to notice as he was passing out drinks and reached out to her, giving her suggestions on what to do on her stay there. It was then she learned he was originally from there before deciding to leave his bleak past behind and boarding the Express, and they had bonded over their similarities, one being writing. March had ended up tagging along in the discussion, talking about how she wanted to become the greatest swordsmaster in all of Xianzhou as Dan Heng stared at her like she was some grand idiot. He smiles at her, bowing his head a bit as well. “Oh, how’s the new scientific paper going?” His eyes widen as he looks slightly surprised, before smiling a bit wider than before.

“It’s going very well, thank you for asking. I just have a bit more to do…if a certain someone wouldn’t constantly bother me 24/7…” Dan Heng looks to the side with a rather annoyed look on his face, as March 7th comes skipping up the aisle with a goofy grin.

“Eheh, it’s not my fault! You’re such a damn nerd that it makes the entire car feel like I’m attending one of Welt’s boring lectures. This car does NOT need any more overly smart people, we already have Shush in the corner with his stupid facts and weird jokes, I wish he had a goddamn off button!” Dan Heng only lowers his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh as March turns towards Castorice with a smile. “Have fun in Penacony!! You’ve got to try the SoulGlad soda there, it’s so good!” She leans towards Castorice, as to not let her coworker hear. “Also, since you’re such good friends with Robin, if you could get me her latest album, that would be gre—hey!!” Dan Heng gives a final wave to Castorice as he drags March away by the ear, who’s screaming about how much she loves Robin and is the biggest Robin fan in the entire universe. Castorice could only laugh at their usual antics, smiling and waving before descending into The Reverie Hotel.

•—————————•

“What an odd set of directions…” Castorice says to herself. She’s currently standing in a rather dark alleyway, on edge. While she would rather not resort to it, Castorice has…certain methods to defend herself if needed. Maybe for once the retractable scythe she bought online will finally come into good use. She looks around once more, before staring back at her phone screen, frowning. “She said to meet here…so where—?” She feels a pair of gloved hands block her vision, as the person speaks almost melodically.

“Guess who~?” the robotic voice hums tunes out as Castorice ponders.

“Oh dear, who could it be?” Castorice mumbles as she goes to feel the gloved hands of the mystery person. “Judging by how big your hands are, it must be SAM?” She’s only ever seen her university friend, Firefly, use that mecha suit a couple of times, mostly out of embarrassment whenever Robin happened to randomly appear.

“You keep joking around like that and I’m going to break your neck.”

“O-of course I’m joking!”

“Okay then, it’s time for you to guess!” Castorice stays silent, and Robin blinks, as a random passerby turns to stare at the spectacle. Robin does a threatening motion and the passerby instantly runs away. Seems that action movie she starred in came to good use after all. Good thing she’s disguised herself as an intellitron, otherwise Sunday wouldn’t let her hear the end of it, but now that she’s here, perhaps Robin should have just revealed herself normally to save all the trouble.

“Um, is it Firefly..?”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Robin instantly steps away and snaps her fingers, changing her appearance in a second. She watches as Castorice immediately crouches down, covering her neck and cowering in fear.

“Please don’t break my neck!” She opens her eyes, only to be greeted with the sight of a familiar face. “Oh thank god. Robin, some odd person tried to make me guess who they were and even threatened to break my neck!” Robin pales, before forcibly laughing and throwing an arm over the other’s shoulder, hoisting the other woman back up.

“That’s soooo crazy! I’m glad I got to you in time, otherwise, who knows what would’ve happened, ha. ha.” She’ll have to take this exchange to her grave, for this’ll never see the damn light of day. “Now then Tori, let’s catch up, shall we? We have much to discuss!” She gently but quickly leads the journalist into the heart of Penacony. Perhaps a few drinks at Dreamjolt Hostelry will allow her to forget all about this rather sad exchange.

—

“Gallaghy~, let me have a Glimmering Dreamscape and a Lost Twilight please.” Robin calls out as Gallagher nods, swiftly turning around to make the requested drinks.

“Comin’ right up.”

“Don’t worry, Lost Twilight isn’t alcoholic. If I remember correctly, you’ve mentioned you prefer more bitter drinks. This is more bitter and mellow.” Robin explains to Castorice as they go to sit on the stools. She turns her attention back towards Gallagher. “Is Sioby not here today?” The fictionologist shakes his head.

“Nope. Amika dragged her sorry ass outta here for sum family matters.” Robin pouts.

“Aw, a shame. I would’ve loved Tori to meet her, she’s very intriguing. She would’ve made for a real interesting article for Tori’s company. Perhaps another time then.” Gallagher presents the drinks to the women in a matter of seconds.

“Ah, a journalist then? Do me a favor, don’t mention this place anywhere. It’s underground for a reason.” Castorice nods quickly as Robin sighs exasperatedly.

“Oh c’mon, Gallaghy! Stop teasing her like that! You did the same thing to Firefly when I brought her here as well.” Robin’s phone rings, and she goes to pick up. “Oh, speaking of which, let me go take this. I won’t be too long, Tori. Have a chat with Gallaghy, he doesn’t bite, I promise!” Robin goes to move to a more secluded spot as Castorice and Gallagher stare at each other. Castorice tries her best not to audibly gulp as her thoughts run rampant. Gallagher seems like a friendly guy, there’s no real reason to be nervous! Castorice blinks as she thinks of something, anything of use, to say.

“So…how old are you?” Gallagher blinks as the journalist tries not to actively slam her head against the counter multiple times in succession. What the hell kind of question was that? As Castorice in stewing in her girlfailure attempt at conversing normally, Gallagher speaks.

“I’m 13.” He goes to wipe a glass as Castorice stares in shock.

“I—what—eh?”

“My turn. Robin peaked my interest there mentioning yer occupation. What kinda articles ya write?”

“Oh! Uh, usually whatever topic interests me. Miss Aglaea doesn’t hold too strict of requirements. As long as the topic is of interest enough, she’ll accept it.” Gallagher raises an eyebrow.

“You work for the The Coreflame Chasers, right? She’s the chief then, I presume?“ Castorice shakes her head, taking a sip of her drink.

“That would be Miss Tribios, actually, though she’s usually always away for some business trip or whatnot, leaving Miss Aglaea the one in charge. Both are more than capable, but I’ve heard stories that Miss Tribios is rather…eccentric, though I have yet to meet her myself. There are actually two chiefs in The Coreflame Chasers: Miss Tribios and Miss Cerdrya both have departments within the company, but I applied for Miss Tribios’ department as I thought it was a better fit.” Gallagher snorts.

“Hah, figures. Congrats to you for working with such a place though. I’ve read a few articles here and there from them, quite interesting.” He gives a smile and winks as he places down the now polished wine glass. “Next time I look fer something of interest to read, I’ll search for yer name.” Castorice bows her head gratefully.

“Ah, thank you, Mister Gallagher, that truly means a lot.” He pulls out a drink of his own, leaning it slightly towards the woman, who looks up in confusion. “C’mon, toast with me. Ya gotta celebrate your achievements too.” Castorice awkwardly raises her own glass, clinking the outer rims together as Gallagher’s grin grows wider.

“Ah, I really don’t think necessary, Lightning Bug!—ah, she hung up.” Robin comes back to the counter sulking as Castorice blinks.

“Did something happen…?” Robin sighs somewhat fondly as she goes to take a long sip of her drink before speaking.

“Oh, it’s really nothing serious, just that Firefly is coming over here soon—“

“MISS ROBIN.” Robin looks up as Castorice jumps slightly.

“Make that now.” She mumbles, swirling the ice cubes in her drink as a huffing Firefly comes into view. “To whom do I owe such a pleasure?” Robin smiles lazily.

“Oh, don’t you give me that—“

“Why? You love it, after all, you’re dating lil ol’ me~”

”E-enough!” Firefly’s face is beet red, and she can barely keep her composure. She puts her head in hands and sits, and Castorice could only pat her friend’s back awkwardly.

“Er…that’s rough, buddy.” Firefly blinks and looks up.

“Eh, Castorice?! What are you—?” She gives a pointedly glare to Robin, who only sticks her tongue. “I apologize for my behavior earlier, I wouldn’t have acted that if I had known you were here.” Castorice shakes her head.

“It’s okay, Firefly. Whatever Robin did, she probably definitely deserved it.”

“Hey!” They both laugh while Robin grumbles into her drink.

“So, what brings you here to Penacony?” Castorice gently traces the rim her glass before speaking once more.

“Ah, I’m here to do a report. The thing is, I’m not sure what…” she stares down at her cup as she feels Gallagher’s gaze, as though reminding her of what he said earlier.

“I see, but then why?…oh.” She gives another pointed look at Robin from over Castorice’s shoulder, the idol smiling all innocently like she wasn’t actually some conniving mastermind.

“What? I just dropped a few hints here and there and next thing you know, Tori sends me a picture of her ticket saying she’s headed here, hehe!” Firefly could only groan as Castorice looks around, attempting to mend the situation.

“I-I promise Robin didn’t really have any ill intent, I also thought it would be interesting to write something in regards to Penacony as well.”

“Exactly! See, Tori understands that I’m the best person in existence ever.” Robin giggles and Firefly decides not to even refute that, as unfortunately she agrees with that statement to an extent. “But don’t beat yourself up over it, you have time to write this story, right? Besidesssss, you got me—who wouldn’t be lucky having me—dear Firefly, and even Hyac—“ Robin abruptly stops as Castorice looks at the other, confused.

“Eh? Did I hear you right? Did you say—“

“M-MISS ROBIN!” Firefly suddenly slams on the counter, with Gallagher grumbling at the mistreatment of his counter. “Ah, sorry Mister Gallagher, but Miss Robin, can I talk to you on the side. It’s urgent.” Castorice could only stare as Firefly practically dragged Robin to a nearby corner, where they go into heated discussion. Castorice awkwardly turns to Gallagher.

“…you really don’t look 13.”

“Everyone tells me that.” He goes to wipe another glass.

“Miss Robin, what are you thinking?!” Firefly whisper-yells. She has to keep her voice down, lest she wants Castorice to know. Robin only gives her most innocent smile of the night.

“What?” Firefly flails her hands around in a haphazard motion, speaking literal gibberish.

“Aisjjdfje—agh,” Firefly breathes, attempting to calm herself. She points an accusatory finger at the idol. “I see right through your little plan, y’know. You only want Castorice here to see Hyacine again.”

“Ah ah ah,” Robin puts a finger up. “The person you are trying to reach is unavailable right now. I am playing Love Halovian, not Robin. These two should’ve gotten together during university but couldn’t! Since the opportunity is right here, why not take things into my own hands!” Robin playfully grins, making a bow and arrow motion with her arms as Firefly sighs for what feels like the thousandth time.

“I know, and I’m genuinely sad about it too, but what makes you think we should involve ourselves like this? Not everyone needs a little push from beyond.” Robin gives Firefly a look.

“Okay, why don’t you tell that to Hilly when he delivered flowers to my brother all those times that were addressed to me? You could’ve easily delivered them yourself! Sunday got the wrong idea!”

“…aren’t they together now?”

“That’s not the point!” Robin sighs. “I know you’re concerned about my meddling, but trust me, I know what I’m doing.” She has to glance away at Firefly’s ‘oh really?’ stare, staring at one of the velvet chairs. “…okay I mostly know what I’m doing. But you’ve seen Hyacinny, she’s as much of a yearner as Tori is, if not worse. She’s always sighing nowadays and looking faraway in the distance whenever I meet with her for a fashion consultation or our clothe fitting sessions. She’s just begging for my help!” She goes over and gently holds both of the other woman’s hands, brushing her thumbs against the other’s knuckles. “Listen, I know you’re thinking that this isn’t a good idea, but please trust me. I genuinely believe it would be beneficial for the both of them to see each other again. Plus I need to see my OTP sail. I was NOT fond of how things ended so abruptly last time.” Firefly only shakes her head at Robin, smiling as she folds.

“…alright. I’m sorry for being overly stubborn. You’re right, I should try and trust you on this matter. BUT,” her face morphs into a more serious expression. “One, don’t do anything too drastic. We are not gods here. Two, you have to let me in on this plan. I am NOT about to go about my life without knowing what antics you have in store. And three…” she leans closer to Robin, pressing a kiss to the other’s cheek. “I love you. Okay, now that that’s settled, let’s go back.” Firefly rigidly yet swiftly turns, speed walking away with her ears red as Robin stares at the other’s descending figure in surprise, before giggling to herself. She truly was lucky, wasn’t she? She joins Firefly and Castorice back at the counter, the latter excitedly recounting things about her trip to Belobog.

“Yeah, you’d love Svarog! I think he’s around the same height as when you’re in SAM. You’d also love Clara too, I feel like you two would get along very well, even though Clara is still only a child, she’s very polite! I had a wonderful conversation with her, so I’m sure it’ll be no problem between you two.” Robin blinks, if Castorice was mentioning Belobog, then…

“Ah, forgive me for interrupting Tori, but did you happen to run into someone named Serval by any chance?” Castorice’s eyes light up as she excitedly nods.

“Yes, I did! She was so cool—!” Castorice suddenly stops as Robin grabs the other’s shoulders, staring at her with an intense expression , and Firefly only shakes her head, knowing what’s to come. “U-um, Robin?”

“Are you able to get me her contact info. Or an autograph. Or both.” Castorice stares. Those sounded more like threats than questions, and she hesitantly nods, vaguely reminded of her exchange back at the Express with March.

“Y-yes, I can give it to you and let her know—“ Castorice is unable to speak as Robin practically holds her down wrestling style in a head lock type hug.

“YAYYYY, thank you thank you thank you SO MUCH!” Robin excitedly jumps up and down as Castorice attempts to breathe, slamming down at the counter in a give up motion as Gallagher once again frowns at his counter. “Oh, sorry, hehe. I’m a huge fan of Serval’s, nothing too serious.”

“She’s got a whole shrine dedicated to Serval in our apartment. Robin’s an insanely dedicated fan.” Firefly whispers into Castorice’s ear, and Robin pouts.

“That was supposed to be a secret!” Castorice could only giggle at the whole exchange. She’s reminded of their university days, where Firefly and Robin would engage in similar silly banter over nothing, while Castorice would feel content, laughing over their minuscule arguments without a care in the world. Though, it felt like something was missing, and she could only frown a bit as she’s reminded of pinkish-teal pigtails and a smile big enough to rival the damn sun itself.

Castorice shakes her head. No, those days are behind her now, and it’s not like she would ever see her again. There’s no way with how things ended rather abruptly between them. She blinks as she feels Robin’s arm sling around her once more, and she looks up to see her two friends smiling.

“I think we should call it a night. I already rented out an apartment room near ours and sent someone to get the rest of your stuff from the hotel. It’ll be just like old times!” Firefly gives a look as Robin cheers.

“…like how I had to help you with physics?” Robin makes a face.

“I can do physical damage, if that helps.”

“It really doesn’t.”

“Bleh,” Robin says playfully, and Castorice could only giggle again as the trio make their way out of the bar and onto Penacony’s streets towards the high rise apartments buildings.

•—————————•

“Annnnnd here’s your apartment! It’s across from ours! Isn’t that lucky?” Robin does a pose in front of the door while Firefly could only sigh for the billionth time of the night. At this point, she’s going to be diagnosed with ‘chronic sighing when Robin does/says anything’ disease the way these next few weeks are looking.

“It’s…quite nice. Thank you, Robin.”

“You haven’t even gone in yet! Wait till you see the expresso mach-“

“Miss Robin, no.” Robin makes a strangled noise as Firefly looks on with a frown. “You know the caffeine is too much for you! You get too hyper and jittery and insane.”

“Are you done?”

“And reckless. Now I’m done.” She steps over towards Castorice, smiling and handing her the keys to her new temporary home. “I hope you have a pleasant night, Castorice. I would say sweet dreams, but I can’t really dream so…” Firefly forcefully drags Robin away as Castorice waves at both of them. She steps into the apartment, collecting her thoughts. While it has been awhile she’s last seen Robin and Firefly in person, they keep in touch rather often through correspondences. She’ll have to make the most of this trip with them. She fiddles with her Antila bracelet as she thinks.

“But what could Robin have possibly meant by that? I could’ve sworn she was going to say her name…no, stop being so hopeful, Castorice, that was in the past.” Yet the past feels like it haunts her. She makes a mental note to ask Dan Heng on tips and tricks to get over your stupid past that haunts you. She fiddles with her Antila bracelet, staring down at it as she moves each bead down. “Polyxia would surely know what to do…but I promised her I’d try to be more independent, so she’s out of the picture for advice…” Castorice sighs, staring out the window of her room. It certainly was a nice view of the city, the lights seemed to dazzle the more she stares. Castorice goes to take a picture, adding it to the shared album. Polyxia had made it after Castorice kept forgetting to take pictures of her travels. It wasn’t her fault she had gotten to into discussion with her newfound friend Pela! They had much to discuss in terms of writing.

*Knock knock!* Castorice looks through the peephole, spying a rather young boy with what appears to be the rest of her luggage from the hotel. She goes to open the door as the bellhop smiles.

“Hello Miss Castorice! My name is Misha! I’ll be your room service friend during your stay at Penacony. Miss Robin has told me all about you!” He happily skips into the room, setting Castorice’s luggage on the side. “If you need anything else Miss Castorice, you’re always free to call room service! I’ll be happy to oblige!” He does a bow and skips out the door, gently closing it on the way out. Castorice blinks, before flopping onto the couch. She’s far too lazy and tired to change into her nighttime clothes, and she’d much rather not sully the rather expensive looking silk that’s adorning the bed with her mere presence alone. She feels herself slowly falling asleep, watching the Penacony city lights dance across the ceiling as feelings of both excitement and anxiety overtake her as she goes to sleep.

Chapter Text

Castorice groans as she’s awoken to something buzzing loudly. She groggily gets up and grabs her phone before it takes a one-way dive off the table.

“…Hello?”

“Ah, you finally picked up. I’m sorry if I woke you up, I know you just arrived at Penacony.” Aglaea then makes a rather annoyed noise, and Castorice can hear a computer mouse being repeatedly left-clicked as Aglaea sighs. “Sorry, that wasn’t directed at you. This person,” a pause as Aglaea squints to read the name of the sender. “…’Alice from Teyvat’ has been hounding my inbox day and night. I told that new intern to check my email every now and then…maybe this person’s a friend of Sensei’s…anyways,” Aglaea goes to take a sip of her coffee. “How’s the ‘Land of Festivities’ so far? You said you had some university friends over there?”

“Yes, Robin and Firefly.” She turns to stare at the window. It seems like the concept of the morning doesn’t even exist in Penacony, as it looked exactly the same as she arrived. At least it was a change of pace from Okhema’s never ending daytime. “While it would be easy to just interview Robin and get things over with, it doesn’t feel right to me.” Even though she can’t see it, Aglaea smiles at that, as if knowing she would say that. “Therefore, I’d like to spend some time getting to know the place and such. I want to be able to write an authentic article about it.”

“You’ll do just fine, dear. Your articles on Belobog and The Xianzhou Luofu were major successes, and I’m sure your next one on Penacony will be just as great. If you need anything, just give me a call or message me, okay? And remember to come back to Okhema for the two week progress report.” Castorice giggles slightly as she responds; Aglaea sounds like a doting parent more than her temporary Chief.

“Yes, Miss Aglaea.” She’s about to bid her farewells and hang up, but puts the phone back to her ear. “Abo—“

“About the souvenirs, right?” Ever the smart one, Aglaea beat her to it. “I’ll think about it once you come back here for your report. There’s no rush for them, and if Sensei asks, I can make up some excuse for you. Remember to have fun and enjoy yourself too, Castorice.”

“I-I will. Talk to you soon, Miss Aglaea.” Castorice puts a hand to her forehead, sighing slightly. Both her sister and Aglaea have now chastised her very being, is there anyone who wouldn’t?

*Knock Knock!* “Cas, are you awake?” Firefly’s muffled voice comes from the other side of the door, and the journalist makes the journey over, opening the door and greeting her friend with a smile. “Sorry if I woke you, I snuck away from Robin’s death grip to get ready and visit you. You can take your time getting ready, I’ll just make myself some coffee, like old times.” Firefly goes to the expresso machine, and grabs a spare mug, and Castorice feels as though she gets deja vu from the time they spent as roommates back then. A question comes to Castorice’s mind.

“Why isn’t Robin allowed to have coffee? She seemed fine with it when we were in university…“ Firefly only sighs as she pours the coffee beans into the machine, closing the lid and running it.

“That was decaf coffee. Mister Sunday would put her on decaf so she wouldn’t miss out, but after we all graduated, she decided to try some regular coffee.” Firefly’s face turns more exasperated as she continues. “…she ended up getting banned from a coffee shop for life for stacking all the tables to the ceiling…and holding an impromptu concert…we were lucky she was disguised, or Mister Sunday would’ve killed me then.” She meets Castorice’s shocked gaze and laughs. “It’s tough being her, um, bodyguard slash sound tech slash tech engineer, among other things, but I enjoy being by Miss Robin’s side a lot…when she’s not on regular coffee.” The coffee machine dings, and Castorice takes it as her cue to get ready. She goes through her luggage and pulls out more casual wear, and Firefly looks mildly surprised.

“Oh, no more of that one worn out tracksuit you’d always wear?”

“Agh—Firefly, we’re years out of college now, have more faith in my fashion sense…” Firefly only chuckles, going to sit down as Castorice goes into the bathroom.

I’m sure Hyacine would be surprised to hear that, she’d always try and convince Cas to model for her and try on her creations… She frowns, remembering the conversation she had with her girlfriend after bidding their good nights to the journalist.

”So, what exactly are you planning to do?” Firefly crosses her arms as Robin closes the door to their room.

“Well, someone’s impatient.” She smirks as she sits down on the couch, with Firefly staring. She puts her arms over her head, stretching as she speaks. “To be honest, I don’t know—“

“You don’t know?!”

“—yet. Don’t get your anxiety in a bunch, now. Hyacine is busy with some other clients right now, I can’t just grab her for myself whenever I’d like sadly.” She puts her hands together, her wings slowly fluttering in and out. “Our best course of action right now is to wait for the perfect timing…” Robin sighs slightly. “I wish these sorts of things would work out easier, it takes a lot of brain power to think of such complicated schemes and plans!” Firefly only shakes her head, amused, as she goes to join Robin on the couch.

“I’m sure they’ll meet each other again soon, possibly without our help,” Firefly mumbles the last part. “It’s been awhile since they’ve seen each other though, will they be okay?”

“Ab-so-lutely!” Robin gives a big thumbs up. “But lightning bug, dear, don’t underestimate them. Their bond is strong, so I’m sure it’ll be fine, especially with my interference I mean help.” Firefly only stares as Robin gets up, yawning. “I have some business to attend to tomorrow, so why don’t you take the time to show Tori around?”

Firefly nods. “Alright, I’ll make sure to leave early so you won’t be inclined to stay in bed more if I’m there with you.” Robin pouts. “Oh, don’t give me that look! You were almost late to that one talk show because you wanted to spend more time cuddling with me!”

“Not my fault your body heat is the perfect temperature for staying in bed longer~” she giggles as she pinches the other’s cheek. “But do get an Oak Cake Roll for me when you two go out, I’ve been craving those lately.” Firefly smiles.

“Of course, anything for you, Miss Robin.”

Firefly fiddles with her now empty mug. Essentially, they’re going with the flow for now until Hyacine has more free time in her schedule, then Robin will start whatever godforsaken yuri-esque trap she’s got planned out. She blinks as she hears Castorice exit the bathroom. She gets up and places the mug in the sink as Castorice goes to grab her tote bag.

“Right, shall we set off now?” Castorice nods, and they head out towards Golden Hour.

•—————————•

Castorice feels like her neck is about to snap as she looks wildly at everything that floods her field of vision. Firefly only watches in amusement as Castorice goes to take several billion pictures on her phone, almost dropping her it as she does so.

“Do Belobog and The Luofu not have any cool attractions or something?” Castorice shakes her head.

“They do, but it’s not as colorful or eye-catching as the ones in Penacony…are those instruments playing by themselves?!” Firefly only laughs at Castorice’s childlike sense of wonder as she rushes over to the orchestra. It was rare to see Castorice smile or even exhibit any sort of emotions the very first time they met, she’s happier Castorice can smile a lot more easily now.

“Ah, wait, Cas! Don’t go too into the crowd—!” Firefly runs to make sure she doesn’t lose sight of the lilac-haired girl within the park.

—

“Would you like to go gambling? I have a few spare Aideen tokens we can use.” Castorice blinks at that as she stares at the Golden Capsule with a mixture of skepticism.

“Aren’t these usually a scam?” The olive-haired girl shrugs.

“Yeah, but it’s fun.” She hands Castorice two tokens as she inserts two tokens of her own. The machine rumbles, before a gacha ball pops out. “Let’s see, I got a…Clockie Pizza. Hooray.” Firefly sighs as she goes to accept her cold pizza while Castorice giggles. She places her tokens in, and they both watch as the machine rumbles. “Maybe you’ll get the big prize.” The gacha ball comes flying out, and Castorice hesitantly reaches her hand out. Firefly waits in anticipation as the journalist turns around.

“Well, we match now.” Castorice produces a slice of her own, as Firefly sighs. Oh well, at least they can share some cold pizza together. The engineer guides Castorice out of Aideen Park and towards Oti Mall.

“This is Clock Diner, they have a lot of great options, including Oak Cake Rolls, which I highly recommend.” She claps her hands together, turning to the other. “Pick whatever you want, it’s on me!” Castorice looks carefully at the sign., adjusting her glasses as she does so.

“I think I’ll try the Potato Fries Sundae and an Oak Cake Roll.” Firefly nods, relaying her order to the waiter.

“I’d like one serving of Potato Fries Sundae and four orders of Oak Cake Rolls to go please.” The waiter nods and leaves as Firefly turns towards Castorice with a smirk.

“They had an Oak Cake Roll eating contest here a few months back. I ate 20 in a row and won by a landslide, though, I got extremely sick afterwards…Miss Robin wasn’t too happy with me about that either…but at least I got a medal for it, ha!” Castorice leans in as she looks at the photo on Firefly’s phone. There laid an overjoyed Firefly smiling widely, holding a cake in each hand as a gold medal is placed around her neck, with a rather flabbergasted disguised Robin in the background. The journalist only stares in astonishment as the waiter returns, handing the bag over to the engineer. “Thank you very much,” Firefly bows, handing the waiter the money and a tip as she turns to the other with a smile. “While we could eat this here, I know of a far better spot to take you. I promise you’ll love it.”

•—————————•

“…Robin, you’re—“

“Late? Yes, Sunday, I’m aware.” She snaps her fingers, removing her disguise and covers a yawn as she approaches her brother, who raises an eyebrow. His finger taps arrhythmically on his bicep as he studies her closely.

“Didn’t get enough sleep?”

“Yes.” She leaves it at that, internally cursing Firefly for sneaking out of bed far too early for her liking. She glances at Sunday’s itinerary, sighing as she does so. “Ugh, more meetings…?” The manager looks slightly sympathetic as he closes the book.

“Unfortunately, but you’ve been doing amazing so far. You’ve been gaining so many new fans and newfound popularity ever since we took a stop at Penacony. Don’t worry, this meeting now is really the only important one you should attend, I’ll handle the rest.” Robin only smiles gratefully as they begin walking towards the meeting point as Sunday smiles earnestly. “I’m genuinely happy more people get to hear your singing, sister.”

Robin only giggles, a skip in step. “You tell me that all the time!” Sunday only shrugs.

“It’s true, your singing has always impacted me so deeply, how could I not express it as a fan? Although, don’t tell Boothill I said any of this, I’m supposed to have his country album as number one in my heart…” Robin pulls out her phone, finding Boothill’s contact and hovers her finger dangerously close to the call button.

“And what if I do?” Sunday blinks in confusion before realizing, as his face falls seeing her phone screen.

“Wha—? Wait, Robin, come back—!” He chases after the idol, who’s now sprinting away at full speed, and Sunday could only prepare himself for whatever antics Robin pulls for the day.

•—————————•

Castorice grabs onto the steel railing, huffing as she attempts to catch her breath while Firefly bounces up another step, doing a twirl as she does so. She jumps over the last step, as she smiles up at the sky.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve come here, I’m so excited, aren’t you, Cas?—“ she turns around, only to find no sign of the the woman in question. “Eh, Cas? Ah!” Firefly rushes over to a dying Castorice. “Sorry! I forgot you weren’t the most athletic…” During their time in university, Firefly offered Castorice to tryout a “few” sports clubs with her, the latter ended up either falling on her face, getting hit in the face with a ball, or getting chased by a pack of dogs. She vaguely remembers almost telling Castorice about the table tennis club, which Robin only pointed out that Firefly may face Hyacine’s wrath again. She shudders as she thinks about that, and Castorice makes it up the final step.

“Huff…I made it…eugh.” She lets Firefly guide her by the arm as the journalist drones on about how hellish those stairways were. They walk to the edge of the rooftop, and Castorice feels as though this is the most awestruck she’s been today. She watches the stars shoot down towards the end of the horizon and Firefly smiles a goofy big one.

“Welcome to my secret base! Unfortunately, there’s no Menma around to greet you…” Castorice hits the other lightly in the arm, grumbling a subdued ‘Don’t remind me. You cried just as much as I did after we finished Anohana.’ as Firefly laughs. She hands the journalist her fried as she goes to take out a whole Oak Cake, and they silently watch the view together.

—

Castorice munches on her half piece of cake as Firefly devours the rest of it.

“Man, I love Oak Roll Cakes.” She smiles happily as she stretches her arms out in front of her. “But I just can’t get enough of this view. I happened to find this place by pure accident, actually. I was supposed to meet Miss Robin at a different side of Dream’s Edge and ended up here. I got so mesmerized by the view that I lost track of time, and well…” she leans against the railing. “I’d like to take everyone here sometime soon.” Castorice gazes at Firefly, a question lingering in her mind.

“By everyone, do you also…?” Firefly only sighs, taking her gaze off the sky and directing it into Castorice’s questioning eyes. Looks like Robin’s blunder didn’t go unnoticed like she hoped.

“…Yeah, Hyacine’s around too. She’s a fashion designer, like she said she wanted to be in uni.” Castorice looks down, her fingers tapping erratically against the granite brick. So her fears were confirmed after all. Firefly frowns as she watches her friend. “I’m not saying this to be mean, Castorice, but don’t you want to see her again?”

“Yes! Of course I—!” She feels a few stray tears fall as she goes to wipe her eyes. “Of course I do! But, with the way I left like that, there’s no way she’d want to see me again!” More tears threaten to escape as she takes off her glasses and furiously attempts to wipe them away, the Antila flower bracelet rattling as she does so.

Firefly opens her mouth to speak, but closes it instead, for how can she possibly put into words the utter sorrow she remembers seeing on Hyacine’s face when Firefly had told her Castorice had already left? She bites her lip and curses herself for being useless in this moment. She rummages around her pocket, grabbing her handkerchief and gently wiping Castorice’s tears away for her.

“…Cas, I can’t speak for Hyacine, but trust me, she so badly wants to see you as well. Penacony isn’t that big of a city, so I’m sure you’ll run into her soon.” She purposefully leaves out the crucial detail that Hyacine was actually Robin’s fashion coordinator at this moment, but whatever, her dearly beloved can deal with that when the time comes. She encases one of the journalist’s trembling hands within both her own and patiently waits as Castorice calms down.

“…sorry, I just ruined the mood there.”

“No! I mean, don’t be. If anything, it just proves to me you miss her as much as she does.” She prays Robin’s stupid plan works, whatever it’ll turn out to be if not other than a huge mess. She pulls out another Oak Cake and breaks it in half, offering the other to Castorice. As they eat, Firefly has a thought; An Oak Cake Roll really is the solution to everything.

•—————————•

Robin shivers in the leather seat slightly. Sounds like someone she knows is talking about her, and Robin can only hope Firefly is perhaps saying nice things about her to Castorice. She tries her hardest to pretend as though she’s listening to the business man flatly go on and on about ‘stonks’ and whatnot. She feels her pocket vibrate and discreetly pulls her phone out from under the table.

[ One new message from Hyacine ] She opens the notification to enter their chat.

Hyacine
—

< Hi Robie!!! Sorry for the late response, I was in a rush this morning, but if you’d like, we can call after your meeting! :) >

Robin quickly types out a response before quietly putting her phone away. She goes to take a sip of her tea, continuing to tune out what the man was saying.

“…and Miss Robin will have to create a new single by the end of the month.” Robin has to steady her hand as she sets the teacup down in almost lightning speed. She’s about to speak, but Sunday beats her to it.

“Pardon? But she just released Had I Not Seen The Sun just a bit ago—“ the business man puts his hand up, and Robin could only make out things like cost demand and whatever business jargon spills out of his mouth. While this was a challenge for sure, with such a tight deadline, and what about the lyrics…?

“But—“ Sunday grows slightly more agitated, ready to protest.

“Brother.” Robin puts a hand up, and all forms of protest dies down as he clamps his mouth shut, opting to glare at the man instead. She turns towards the business man, and she could only pray she looks calm and poise in the moment. She opens her eyes, meeting the man’s expectant ones.

“I’ll do it,” Robin smirks. She knows the perfect accomplice who can help her, after all. “but I have two conditions, if I may.”

Chapter Text

Sunday sighs, putting a hand to his forehead and massaging it as he opens the door for Robin. She turns towards him with a frown as they make their way out of the cafe.

“I know you’re not happy, but!” She picks up her pace slightly. “I think it’ll be a good challenge!” Sunday only looks at her with an exasperated expression, and Robin huffs. “Well I think I handled myself well there. Even if I don’t understand business lingo, I still have a say, y’know!”

”I have two conditions.” She stares at the business man with a serious expression, and Robin tries her hardest to ignore Sunday’s pointed gaze. “First,” she puts a finger up. “I want full rights to what topic the single is about, since I’m the one singing it, obviously. And two,” she places another finger up. “I would like to hire a ghost writer. I can’t possibly make the lyrics on my own in such a short amount of time, writing takes work!” The man contemplates, taking a sip of his drink before speaking.

“Alright.” Sunday doesn’t know whether he’s more flabbergasted at Robin or the man. All too quickly, the business man gets up and offers his hand to Robin, who shakes it eagerly, and Sunday is left to question what the hell just happened.

“I think my conditions I had put in place were great, by the way.” Sunday only sighs once more, albeit even harsher.

“I’m glad you want to challenge yourself more, sister, but—“

“Ah, ah, ah! Didn’t you say you’re my biggest supporter and fan of me and my songs a bit ago? Do I need to do the impression of you when we were kids when you first told me that?”

“…no.”

“Exactly! Sunday, I’ll be okay! Sometimes you have to let a bird out its cage too…” She does her best puppy eyes, and Sunday rubs the back of his neck awkwardly as they walk back into the heart of Penacony.

“What about that ghost writer you’re getting? Those are expensive.” She smirks, and the manager could only blink.

“I already have it covered.” She feels her pocket buzz and pulls out her phone, just barely missing the call. “Now, go home to Hilly, brother, I need to take a phone call and he’s told me recently he misses you dearly.” She shoos him away as though he were a child, and he turns to walk rather solemnly. Robin watches Sunday’s descending figure with a mixed expression. While his worry is understandable, he should really ought to trust her more! Both Sunday and Firefly have this vendetta against trusting her, it seems. Her phone buzzes again, and the idol picks up this time, as she heading towards the Clockie statue, sitting down at a nearby bench.

< “Oh, Robie, you finally picked up!” >

Robin chuckles. “Heya Hyacinny~ how’s it going girl? Sorry I couldn’t pick up earlier, I was still stuck in that meeting.”

< “No worries! And I’m doing fine, thank you for asking. So, is there any reason you wanted to call?” >

“Well…” she glances up at the Clockie statue, watching the people come and take pictures with it and smiling to herself. “I was just wondering when you were free! It’s been awhile since we’ve hung out for ‘friend-related things’ and not ‘work-related things’, y’know?” She will make her damn OTP sail no matter the cost. She hears a faint hum as Hyacine flips through her work calendar.

< “Yeah, you make a good point, let’s see here…” > more pages rustle. < “I should be free in a few days, actually—no wait, I have written down here I’m scheduled to meet with you…” >

“Eh, really? Must be Sunday’s doing, I don’t have any—“ she pauses. Couldn’t this be the perfect time to reunite the two lovebirds together? She smiles deviously as her wings flutter slightly. “Actually, let’s do that. We can treat it like a friend hangout! I’ll even bring Firefly.”

< “Will—“ > Hyacine catches herself, and Robin knows what she was going to ask. < “No, nevermind. It’s getting late, Robie. I don’t want to keep you any longer, so let’s call it here, okay?” > Robin wants to respond to Hyacine’s question, but decides against it. Now’s not the time, as painful as it is.

“Alright, Hyacinny. I don’t want to keep you any longer either, dear, so you have a good night!” She tries to make her voice cheery as Hyacine bids her a good night and hangs up. She puts her phone away and leans back against the bench, staring up into the ever present night. Being the Love Halovian is far harder than she thought it’d be, but at least she’s got something now.

“Oh my gosh, is that Robin?!” The idol blinks as she looks up to see two young girls standing somewhat near her. Right, she was a bit too distracted being the ultimate shipper that she forgot to disguise herself. Well, it doesn’t matter, the park barely has any people anyways. She beckons the two girls over, who squeal.

“Why hello there! I assume you two are fans?” The girls nod excitedly as Robin giggles.

“I-if it’s okay, can we take a picture with you?” While this is technically not allowed, and Sunday would chastise her heavily for it, it’s fine…probably.

She smiles. “Of course.” She does her best professional smile as the girls take a selfie with her.

“Thank you so much, Miss Robin! We’re such huge fans of you and and and—!” Robin giggles at their excitement.

“I’m grateful you two are. Please just make sure you keep that photo amongst yourselves, okay?” She puts her hands together and does her best pleading face. “If it gets out, people might expect me to be here 24/7, which may cause problems, and, well, you get the idea.” The girls nod their heads off.

“Of course!”

“We will keep this photo you took with us to our graves!” Okay, well that was a bit dramatic but nonetheless appreciated. The two girls bow again, bidding their goodbyes.

“Thanks again, Miss Robin!”

“We look forward to seeing whatever new song you make next!” She very vaguely catches one of the girls handing her friend some credits, did they have a bet about whether or not she’d agree to this? She decides not to question it further as the girls happily skip along into the night as Robin sighs to herself. She already has a topic for the single in mind, but

“The real challenge is if Tori will agree to help me…”

•—————————•

Hyacine places down her phone with a frown. It’s silly to dream of such a thing after all, so why does she always still hope she’ll get to see her again? She sighs as she hears footsteps approach then abruptly stop.

“Oh, there you are, Hyacine!” Phainon approaches the woman as he ruffled through the different design drafts. “About these Origami bird accessories…” she walks over to her coworker as they look over the designs together.

“What are you two doing?” They jump as Anaxa approaches the both of them, face indifferent. “Phainon,” the white-haired man looks away, staring at a nearby Droma lamp. “did you take these drafts off my desk? I told you tomorrow we would save that for tomorrow.”

“Aha, I know, Mister Anaxa—“

“—goras.”

“—but I wanted to discuss these with Hyacine now! We still have a few minutes on the—“ Phainon looks over to the Droma head clock, a frown forming on his face as he looks at the time. “…oh.” Anaxa only sighs as he takes the papers away.

“Making me do more work as the work day is already over, that’s coming out of your paycheck.” Phainon only groans as Anaxa curtly walks back to his office, and Hyacine couldn’t help but laugh. It’s been awhile now since she’s been employed at Anaxagoras’ Enclothed Cognition, a clothing line featuring an array of droma based apparel, but it feels like a second home to her. She still vividly recalls when Phainon welcomed her with open arms and Anaxa had nodded in approval at her addition to the brand, and since then, the clothes have expanded from just droma apparel, featuring other cute mascots and such. Hyacine always has a smile on her face whenever she sees someone’s face light up staring at the vast options available, and it motivates her to keep creating more designs alongside the other two.

”I’d like to create my own brand someday, one that makes you feel like you’re floating in the sky!” Hyacine had said to Phainon once on their break.

“A lofty dream! Befitting for someone like yourself.” Phainon crosses his arms and thinks to himself, before opening his eyes. “I’d also like to make my own brand someday, though, I have no clue what…maybe some clothes that make you feel like a hero!”

Hyacine giggles. “You really like heroes, don’t you Phainie?” He nods happily.

“Of course, they’re the best! Being a hero is so cool! Ah, but what about Mister Anaxa—“

“—goras.” Anaxa’s voice chimes in from the back, and Phainon blinks.

“How does he always do that? We’re outside, and he’s literally in his office.” He mumbles to himself.

“Must be some sort of third eye or something?”

“Oh, or maybe it’s related to his eyepatch!” They spent the rest of that break discussing animatedly about Anaxa’s secret technique to eavesdropping them, and she remembers Phainon coming at her a week later complaining how his pay had been docked a few credits.

Anaxa walks back towards the two. “You two should clock out and get going now, I’ve already started a timer for how much time I will take away from Phainon’s pay.” Phainon pales upon hearing that, and both designers hurriedly scurry over towards the clock out machine.

—

Both wave their goodbyes to their boss as they set out onto the street, with Phainon seemingly excited.

“Still thinking about those drafts?” He nods.

“Of course! I really think the origami bird collection will be a major hit once we work out the few loose ends.” Phainon pulls out his phone and stares at the 99+ messages currently blocking his Lock Screen wallpaper of him and his childhood friend. He types a response towards a nagging rockstar before putting it away again. “What made you decide on origami birds, though.” Hyacine smiles sheepishly.

“On my day off, I saw an arcade machine titled ‘Origami Bird Clash’. I tried it out and had a lot of fun! I did some research and learned that the game is actually very popular, so it’s best to capitalize on that fact. Plus, the birds are cute!” They arrive at Hyacine’s apartment, and Hyacine bows gratefully at Phainon. “You know, you don’t have to accompany me home every time, I can defend myself too! And plus, you can avoid Mydei’s wrath that way…” Phainon only shakes his head, absolute.

“Cyrene would kill me if I did. Plus we’re friends! The work day is too short for us to yap all we want.” He smiles as he waves. “See ya tomorrow, Hyacine!” She smiles as she waved at the eccentric man. Maybe she can sew Phainon an origami bird plushie as a gift, especially since the ahoge on his head reminds her of the feathers on an origami bird. She enters the building and unlocks the door to her apartment, slouching against the back of the door as she goes to close and lock it. She goes to look at the Lock Screen of her phone, smiling wistfully at the image of the four smiles appearing back at her, smiles differing in size as the sparklers in their hands glow bright orange. Her eyes linger a bit too long at a certain girl next to her in the picture. She’s heard that Castorice became a journalist like she’s wanted, and whenever she’s gotten the chance, she’s binges the articles her dear “friend” has put out so far, awed in the way Castorice manages to describe places like Belobog and The Xianzhou Luofu with such poetry.

“Cassie, I wonder how you’re doing now…” she only sighs to herself. She should’ve gotten Castorice’s phone number, or perhaps should’ve done more in that moment to help, but it feels like it would all be in vain.

I really am a weaker person than I thought… Just as easily as she could ask Firefly or Robin for Castorice’s number, what would she even say? The words feel like they’d die out as soon as they’re thought and formed. Hyacine lingers on the picture for a few moments longer, before getting up to get ready for bed. Perhaps some sleep will help delay the inevitable worries and pain she has today.

•—————————•

“I’m home~” Robin quietly closes the door and locks it as she tip-toes through her and Firefly’s shared apartment.

“Welcome back,” Robin jumps as Firefly blinks, staring at her. “…what? You look like you’ve committed a massive crime. Miss Robin, don’t tell me—“

“Dear, you come to drastic conclusions far too much. Of course I didn’t…yet.” She bounces over her girlfriend, who’s on the couch tinkering with some mecha parts, smiling widely as she does so. “Sooooo, I managed to catch Hyacine free for once!” Firefly only stares more as Robin’s enthusiasm grows.

“Oh bother.” Firefly mutters to herself as she sits upright, and a Robin claps her hands together, doing a twirl.

“I was thinking we all could hang out—“

“By all, you mean…?” Robin nods her head, and Firefly feels like her jaw’s unhinged, given the way it falls open. “Is that really a good idea? Making them meet just like that?”

“Firefly, how else do people meet each other? Through mecha suits?” She teases as Firefly looks away with a blush.

“That was ONE time! You can’t blame me for reacting like that when we first met the way you just randomly spawned in!”

“Sounds like a skill issue~” She joins Firefly at the couch, nestling into the cushions. “But I’m working on it. I don’t now how I’ll reintroduce them to each other…wait, but they know each other? Ugh this is all too much, what with my…” she trails off. For now, she’s opted to keep the new single a secret from Firefly, as much as she loves her, Firefly will possible freak out and panic more on Robin’s behalf. She feels the engineer’s stare as she quickly makes up an excuse. “My…matters regarding Sunday and Hilly! Apparently Sunday isn’t as big of a fan of Hilly’s latest country album, maybe I should’ve said yes to collabing with him, mmm.” Firefly only shakes her head.

“You’ve already got yourself tangled into one love mess, I don’t think the Love Halovian should strike again.” Robin only rolls her eyes at the other.

“See, this is why the reality you’re living in now is dating me, and not both of the Galatic Baseballers, but now I’m thinking you should be all bi yourself if you keep talking with that mouth of yours.”

Firefly’s face turns red. “Wha—? That was freshman year when I had those crushes! I could say the same for you, actually, with your huge crush on Serval you had then too!”

“The nerve bringing up the past like this!” She jokingly rushes over the her Serval shrine. “You leave me and my work wife alone! Once we collab, it’ll be over for you.” She sticks out her tongue as Firefly only laughs. “I’m going to use the bathroom now, reflect on your thoughts.” She closes the bathroom door, smiling to herself. It’s not often she can just be Robin and not Robin the beloved idol, but she cherishes these moments all the same. As she takes off her clothes and goes into the bathtub, her mind is filled with thoughts, and she goes to turn on the showers.

“Just how will I convince Tori…Agh! Geez, how does Firefly handle these hot temperatures…” she turns the handle towards the cooler side and leans against the wall. Castorice isn’t by any means hard to convince, but it’s not like she’s that easily led along either. “Hmm, should I dress up and threaten to break her neck again…? No, I already caused her enough trauma…” she recalls the two fans she met at the park, and an idea comes to mind as the water finally goes down to a moderate temperature.

—

“Tori~!” Castorice looks up from her laptop to spot Robin, and she waves. The idol looks around, smiling in satisfaction. She picked a rather secluded spot for her and Castorice to meet up at, one where Robin didn’t need to have on some silly disguise of the day. Robin goes to sit, and she curiously glances at Castorice’s laptop. “Hm? Is that the article you’re working on?” Castorice nods.

“I have to go back soon for my first progress report with my chief, so I’ve been slowly working on my first rough draft.” She smiles. “Penacony really is a nice place, I want to do my best to convey my thoughts properly.”

“Ever the studious one. Well, good luck! Tell me when it’s out, I’ll make sure to advertise it along with whatever new albums and singles I release.” The journalist only mutters a small ‘please don’t’ as Robin laughs. She plays with a bead on her necklace as she ponders what to say next. “Soooooo, um, funny thing actually, regarding a new single.” Castorice curiously looks up as Robin squirms slightly in her seat.

“I…actually will have a new one ready…soon.” Castorice’s eyes light up slightly.

“Oh really? That’s great Robin!”

“Ehehe, yeah…”

“You don’t really seem so excited though. What’s wrong?” Oh boy, here we go. Robin steels herself.

“So here’s the thing: the deadline is pretty tight, and as genius as I am, I cannot possibly create a song in such a short amount of time. So, I decided to find a ghost writer.”

Castorice blinks. “That sounds tough, but you can do it.” She has a staring contest with Robin and grows more confused. “Uh, Robin? Why are you staring at—“

*Slam!* The lilac-haired girl looks down to see a somewhat haphazard stack of credits, and she feels her eyes goes wide as she looks up to meet Robin’s gaze.

“Y-you don’t possible mean…?”

“Looks like we’re on the same page. Yes, Castorice, I mean you. I want you to be my ghost writer for this song.” Castorice’s mouth repeatedly opens and closes, and she tries her best to form any semblance of coherent words.

“I, uh, I—wha…?”

“I know it’s a big ask of you, but I seriously don’t know anyone who would be better at this than you, Tori, believe me. Your writing has a way of striking people’s hearts.” Castorice looks down, and she fidgets with her hands, and Robin goes on. “I genuinely can’t think of anyone else more fitting than you.”

“…okay.” Robin blinks.

“Wait, really???” This was a rather pleasant development. She was expecting to sit here and put up a whole back and forth conversation that’d rival the comedians themselves!

Castorice nods slowly. “I’d like to try it. I’ve never tried writing lyrics before, but I’ll do what I can.” Robin squeals and encapsulates the journalist in a bone-crushing hug.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise this’ll be a blast!”

“Ow…o-of course, Robin. Just…please put the money away—! I’d feel bad if I took that!” Robin snatches the credits and shoves them back in her purse, a wide smile on her face as she lets go. “Anyways…what’s the song supposed to be about?” Robin’s smile turns slightly mischievous.

“It’s about love.”

“Love, huh?” The journalist fidgets with her bracelet, before looking up in shock for the second time today. “Wait, LOVE?!”