A Space For Relaxing

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 11, Post Number 274

Proof Of Possession Of The IIC:

-Diana's Townhouse, 5:05 A.M.-

Dressed in her purple t-shirt and black skirt, Diana was in her bedroom trying to sleep, but it was a lost cause. She had been trying to sleep off and on ever since midnight but was only able to sleep for roughly ten minutes at a time before waking up again. Ever since seeing her older sister Melody for the first time in years at the Halloween event the blonde had a hard time sleeping.

After trying one last time to close her eyes and opening them three minutes later Diana gave up on the idea and rolled over onto her left side, then sat up on the edge of her bed. Her feet hit the floor and she stood listlessly in place trying to think of something she could do to take her mind off of her older sister. She had been thinking about both Melody and the threat that had been made before the latter had been banished with a Spirit Drain Beam spell.

Was Melody still around somewhere in the spirit world waiting to return to the land of the living?

Diana had no idea whether that was true or not, but she vividly remembered the encounter. She remembered being in Melody's room and seeing the grand piano the latter adored and the chair Melody loved to tie her younger sisters to before abusing them physically or mentally. Even defeating her sister with a spell had done nothing to ease the anxiety that had morphed into complete terror when Melody advanced on her with a length of rope with the intent of tying her to the chair for a thoroughly unpleasant trip down Memory Lane. Despite being a young adult woman and a powerful mage who had taken many trips to the Cursed Lands those traits did little to protect her from the terror her older sister could inspire years after the latter's death.

Diana was wondering what to do when she was struck by the odd idea to go to her chest of drawers. The blonde slowly walked over to the piece of furniture and opened the top right drawer, then rummaged through its contents until she came across a fancy-looking device that looked a lot like an oversized wristwatch. It was called an "Infinite Improbability Chronometer" and it came with detailed instructions on how to use it.

The blonde mage moved the device around from hand to hand as if trying to determine whether it was real or just something she was imagining due to a lack of sleep. After moving it around several times she finally decided it was real and decided to use it. Anything beat lying around on her bed hoping to go to sleep.

Diana wound the IIC exactly forty-two times and when the final winding was done a pale blue light engulfed her and she disappeared from her bedroom moments later.

-On board the space station-

Diana reappeared in a burst of pale blue light to find herself in the hallway of a space station exactly as the instructions had advertised. It was a straight hallway with signs pointing the way to elevators on each end of the hallway. She had expected the passage to be unbearably cold because of its metallic construction, but to her considerable surprise the hallway was pleasantly warm. The floor beneath her bare feet felt nice despite it being made out of some kind of metal. Diana looked out the long rectangular window ahead of her and saw the stark beauty of outer space.

She saw a countless number of stars as white specks carefully dabbed onto on the dark canvas stretching before her. Diana also saw her reflection and could not help but to notice that her hair had changed from blonde to bone white. The blonde wondered why her hair was white as she looked at herself with a calm expression until her hair eventually returned to its normal, more lively blonde color.

Once that had happened Diana turned left and began walking towards the elevator to try and find someone who could tell her where she was. If she could not find anyone Diana would be willing to talk to an android, robot, or other entity who might be here.

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Diana walked to the end of the station hallway and boarded the elevator, which opened for her as if expecting passengers. She boarded without missing a step and the door closed behind her. She hoped that the elevator was functional because if it was not she might be stuck inside of it for quite some time.

-On board the elevator-

Diana stepped on board and looked around, immediately feeling the same pleasantly warm temperature that was inside the hallway. It seemed like she had stepped onto a freight elevator because it was much larger than the typical passenger ones she had seen back in Fiore. The interior was rectangular and could comfortably accommodate a large crowd of passengers in the dozens... it could fit at least three dozen people without crowding. Diana wondered why the dimensions were so large, but she did not question it because she did not have time to before a female voice began speaking from overhead.

"Oh, a visitor!" The voice exclaimed in excitement. Diana wondered if there really was someone talking to her or if she was only imagining the voice because she was sleep-deprived. Hearing it again did not help matters.

"I haven't had a visitor in quite some time! Welcome, welcome!" The voice bade Diana. The blonde questioned her mental state again but remained silent. The elevator began to move upwards without her doing anything, suggesting that the mystery voice had control of it.

"I'm bringing you up to the penthouse suite. It won't take long!" Diana was assured that the ride would be brief. The elevator jolted and began to ascend faster, causing Diana to stumble forward for two steps before she regained her footing. Within two minutes of starting the ride came to a stop and the door opened onto a luxurious penthouse suite that certainly fit the bill.

The suite was easily twice the size of Diana's bedroom, if not three times the size. In the back of the room was a long rectangular window like the one seen in the hallway Diana had first appeared in. On the left side of the room were two closed metallic doors and throughout the room were pieces of furniture such as a long black sofa positioned against the right wall, a glass coffee table sitting in front of it, and a pink chair sitting in front of the coffee table. Diana stepped off of the elevator and entered the suite, if only to satisfy her curiosity.

-Inside the penthouse suite-

Once Diana was inside the suite she noticed more features such as a mini-kitchen area to the left with a refrigerator and microwave plus a small kitchen island that had a black base. On the right side of the room was another closed metallic door. Just to the right of the door she had entered through was what looked to be a temperature control panel, suggesting that the suite had central air and heating.

Hesitant to go any further, Diana stood at the elevator and wondered where her hostess was. Maybe she was behind one of the three doors getting ready to greet her guest. Or maybe she was elsewhere on the station and had guided Diana into her personal suite to wait for her there.

"I see you've made it to my suite. Please wait there... I have some business I need to take care of before I officially welcome you! Make use of whatever furniture you'd like!" The voice granted Diana permission to sit on the furniture if she wanted, permission she was going to use. Diana walked over to the black sofa and sat down on it, then faced the door and waited for her hostess to arrive and speak with her.

-The penthouse suite, two hours and seven minutes later-

Diana had sat on the sofa for the past two hours or so and her legs were starting to go to sleep, so she slowly and painfully forced her way up and stood in front of the sofa while facing the doorway. She could not move right away because her legs were dangerously numb, so she awkwardly stood in place and waited for feeling to return to the limbs before she dared take a step forward. When it felt like it was finally safe to walk Diana took a step to test the waters and when she did not fall onto her face she took another one. Once she took a few more steps without falling over she began to walk around the room to get some exercise... and to prevent herself from falling asleep in her hostess' living quarters.

Diana was tired before she had arrived on the station using the IIC and now that she had sat in place for awhile the drowsiness was starting to affect her. Hopefully her hostess would get here before the temptation became too great to withstand and she decided to sleep on the sofa.

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-Inside the penthouse suite, two hours later-

It had been slightly over four hours since Diana had arrived at the space station and she had yet to see her hostess. She was now seated on the sofa again and still struggling to resist the temptation to lie down on it despite it being considered rude to do so. The blonde was a patient sort and would wait as long as necessary, but she was not sure if she could stay awake long enough to be sociable. The pleasantly warm room temperature was making her feel comfortable despite being in an unfamiliar place and she was more than a little tired.

Maybe she should just lie down for a few minutes...

Diana was just about to act on that when the suite door opened and in waddled a green ball of some sort. It had mechanical arms and legs and stood at a height that would place it just above her ankle if it stood next to her. Diana watched it and questioned if she was seeing things or not. It waddled up to the sofa where she was seated and raised its right arm, then waved it.

"Hello, visitor!" It greeted her in a feminine voice that sounded a lot like Melody Winchester's except that it was an octave higher than the original's. Diana leapt up from the sofa and stared at it with an expression of intense discomfort on her face. It in turn looked at her with tiny unblinking red eyes that conveyed a hint of malicious intent it was waiting for just the right moment to act upon.

Was Melody possessing the small robot in order to communicate with Diana?

"Are you OK?" The female voice she had been hearing asked Diana over the intercom system.

"Y-yes. The voice on the little green ball sounded familiar, that is all." Diana replied as calmly as she could considering the unpleasant surprise she had just been on the receiving end of. A giggle came from overhead.

"She's Emerald, a guide robot for guiding visitors around the resort. My personal guide robot's with me right now, so I sent this little one your way. Her voice module needs some work... I can change it later so that the voice sounds more pleasing to you." Came the explanation of what the spherical robot did and why its voice sounded the way it did.

"Would you like her to guide you to your personal suite?" Diana's hostess asked.

"Yes, please." Diana replied. Once the shock of the guide robot's voice wore off she was feeling tired again.

"OK then. Follow Emerald and she'll show you the way!" Diana was instructed. Emerald pointed her left arm towards the door it had come through.

"This way, please!" It requested. It retracted its arms and legs into its spherical body and began to float at shoulder level, floating a lot more smoothly than it had walked. Diana wordlessly followed behind Emerald and was guided to the elevator, which she entered. She turned to face the door as it closed.

-Another Penthouse Suite, two minutes later-

After a quick and uneventful ride the elevator door opened and Diana and Emerald stepped into a penthouse suite that was exactly like the one the blonde mage had just left behind. It had the same layout and same furniture as the previous one.

"Here we are!" Emerald announced, opening the hole where its right arm was and waving the limb to show off the room.

"This is your personal suite, visitor! It hasn't been used for some time and I don't get a lot of visitors, so it's yours now!" Diana's mystery hostess informed her that the space stretching before the blonde was hers. Diana had not been expecting such generosity and wondered what price she would have to pay for it, but she would cross that bridge when it came. For now she would accept what she had been given.

"Thank you." Diana extended her gratitude for the unexpected gift. Emerald turned to face her and spoke.

"I'll be going now. Have a nice stay!" Emerald bade Diana before turning away and floating back into the waiting elevator. Diana watched the doors close and turned to face her new penthouse suite. She walked over to the black sofa and sat down on it, then reclined and rolled onto her side to face the room. She would tour the space and see what it had to offer after she had gotten some sleep.

Emerald:

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-The penthouse-

Diana faced the doors as she waited to reach her destination. The trip was a short one of almost a minute and when she reached her stop the doors opened onto the penthouse, where a young woman with long pink hair wearing a white and lavender dress was waiting for her. The young woman noticed Diana and began walking towards her while Diana exited the elevator. It did not take long for them to meet and when they did they stopped a short distance away from each other.

"Hello, visitor! My name's Juno, the station manager!" The pink-haired young woman introduced herself to Diana, who was not sure if her hostess had a last name or had one but simply chose not to use it. Juno was as tall as Diana and had blue eyes plus an odd gold hair ornament in her hair, but her standout feature was the dress, which looked less futuristic than the blonde had imagined someone living on a space station to wear. She also had a wide smile.

"I am Diana." Diana introduced herself and withheld her last name as well. The other young woman reached out to hug Diana and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. The latter's skin crawled until she was released from the embrace a few seconds later.

"It's nice to meet you, Diana!" Juno said to the blonde.

"It is nice to meet you too." Diana offered the obligatory pleasantry to the pink-haired young woman. In truth Diana would have been perfectly fine by herself, but she was not by herself on the station, so she would have to play nice with the station manager.

"It's been a long time since anyone's visited this place. Would you like a tour of the station?" Juno asked Diana. Curious as to what amenities the place had to offer, Diana decided to accept the offer.

"Yes, please." Diana replied. Juno clapped her hands together.

"Great! We'll get started right away! Follow me!" Juno said with audible excitement and walked briskly towards the waiting elevator. Diana followed behind her hostess and was soon standing at her side. The doors closed and the elevator began to descend.

-On the space station, two minutes later-

The doors opened and Juno exited the elevator followed by Diana. The pair were now standing in a hallway exactly like the one Diana had arrived in, but this one had a single metallic door on the left side.

"This is the park level, Diana. Here there's a large park full of grass and trees. It's a nice break from staring out the window at inky darkness all day, but this isn't the only space for recreation here." Juno told Diana where they were. She then guided the blonde towards the door on the left side of the hallway, pausing in front of it while the blonde hurried to catch up. When Diana was finally with her again the pink-haired young woman turned towards the door and placed her hand on a panel to the right of it. The panel flashed green and the door opened upward, revealing a wide green expanse of grass that was reminiscent of grassland at the end of a short tunnel.

"This way!" Juno exclaimed, walking briskly into the park before Diana could turn to face the door. Diana hurried after her hostess and soon passed through the tunnel before entering the park.

-Inside the park-

Juno and Diana now stood at the edge of the park, which was a large space that was not enclosed by any sort of fence because the station walls served that purpose. The area was mostly a large expanse of grass with a few trees dotted here and there. but there was a wall of trees near the back wall to serve as a natural barrier of sorts. They were just thick enough to hide the bare metal wall.

"Don't you like this place, Diana?" Juno asked the blonde.

"I like it." Diana answered calmly. She liked it because it did a good job of simulating a natural space. She also liked it because it was not crowded... as far as she knew she and Juno were the only two people on the space station. That was fine with Diana.

Juno:

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