Odd hang Out || Vinzent+ Matsukaze + RNA || The Station Car

Vinzent Mayer

After all was said and done at some point, Vinzent returned to where they stood originally, maybe some people had already searched around and were coming back or they weren’t moving from their spots. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a surprise to see some still lingering around. Speaking of people…

Ah, that strange robot (that he still doesn’t believe is a literal robot, sorry R.N.A.) who tried to do the morale earlier to people, and … Matsukaze, appeared to be still around.

Vinzent wasn’t sure what to make of it, should he approach one of them at best? Regardless of the distance, it looked like they were all in the same spot.

“Man, this is going great.”

But he wasn’t going to just stand around awkwardly, and even if Vinzent will expect a very probably unpleasant response, it was marginally better than no response at all.

“Hey… Found anything?”

R.N.A.

Hm? Oh! More familiar faces. It seemed like Vinzent was here. It also seemed like Matsu was here. The two were communicating! It was so nice to see two of their fellow passengers forming bonds already! R.N.A. would awkwardly and noisily shuffle over to the group.

“Ah… Hello, Vinzent… and Matsukaze…”

Vinzent Mayer “Hey… Found anything?”

It seemed like Vinzent was inquiring on R.N.A.'s current contribution to completing the task laid out for them on the board. “My… apologies, Vinzent… But I have been… unsuccessful in finding anything… of use.” Their screen changed to show a sad “T T” expression. “I will continue to try… for the sake of everyone here… however!” R.N.A. was not going to give up. Their new friends needed them!

Matsu They exhale heavily and lean their head back to rest against the trunk of the tree. “What do you want?”

Hm. That closed off body language… Rough tone… It didn’t seem like Matsu was very happy. “Oh… Matsukaze… You seem a little upset. Would you like to… talk about it? It is good… to talk about your feelings. It is… the pro-social thing… to do.” R.N.A. would always lend an ear to a fellow friend!

Matsu

Matsukaze was, perhaps unsurprisingly after that last car, keeping to themself. Sure, they had watched people meander off, but they wanted to sit down somewhere, on their own. They frankly didn’t like any of this – sure, this was a lot warmer than the place before, but it was still not any place they expected to be.

They have since taken off their thick gloves, but thinner and more dextrous black gloves were underneath. Thank god they still had those.

Arms across their knees and chin resting on their arms, staring intently at a spot on the ground, it takes a moment to notice that someone was approaching and talking to them.

Hadn’t they made it clear that…? Oh. The artist.

“Yeah. Apparently a magic fucking train that drops you in the middle of wherever it feels like.” They exhale heavily and lean their head back to rest against the trunk of the tree. “What do you want?”

Vinzent Mayer

R.N.A. @Matsu

Okay, as expected, two Very Different reactions. Is he surprised at Matsu’s rudeness? Not at all, but it still was annoying. Turning to Matsukaze, he spoke.

“I’ll agree it’s really annoying to have to go through that for no apparent reason. But alright. I just wanted to check if there’s anything new. That’s it.”

Then R.N.A. spoke as well…

Uh.

What.

What.

In normal circumstances, maybe he could see the encouraging as a good thing, but honestly Vinzent did find the robot… A little bothersome. At least they asked, he figured but… In the end, it was Matsu’s problem if they continue to refuse to be cooperative. Besides, it was coincidence that they happened to be in the same area at the moment. While he wouldn’t speak over Matsu as to give them a chance to respond to the robot, he made a slight disapproving face at R.N.A., in the ‘why are you wasting your time talking about this’? Was R.N.A.'s suggestion really going to help or was it just going to cause more problems like Vinzent would guess?

Matsu

“What would we even need to find?” They ask Vinzent. Besides a way out. Which, frankly, they weren’t even sure would exist.

Then, R.N.A. speaks to them. Immediately they bristle, and even though most of their face is covered it’s easy to read the scowl. Vinzent’s guess was spot on.

“What the fuck do you think? No! I don’t care about whatever you’re going on about.” They gesture vaguely at the air. “And I’m totally fine, obviously, I’m delighted because I’m here and, even better, some asshole cosplaying a calculator wants to play therapist.”

I’m so sorry R.N.A.

R.N.A.

Matsu

Matsu “And I’m totally fine, obviously, I’m delighted because I’m here and, even better, some asshole cosplaying a calculator wants to play therapist.”

“I am not a calculator… I am a robot. I can do far more than… just calculate numbers.” R.N.A. said, correcting, Matsu’s misconception. “Also, I am not… a replacement for a therapist. I would advise… seeking a professional if… you need it.” Their response was simple. Logical. As if the words were a direct statement, rather than defiance and insults flung the robot’s way. They were not fazed.

“I will not… force you to… speak to me if you desire… not to.” R.N.A. explained to Matsu, before turning to face Vinzent. “Apologies. I have… caused strife for you, as well. Please allow… me to assist you in finding the stationmaster. I wish to make… things right.” Vinzent had become an unwitting spectator to an argument that they didn’t need to see and if that expression was any indication, then Vinzent clearly did not approve of such an anti-social display.

Not that R.N.A. was arguing with Matsu at all. It was fine. Sometimes your friends just had a bad day.

Vinzent Mayer

“Well, the obvious way out. Or just any hint as to what the hell this is all about.”

Then he just listened in the two talking…

….

“God, what a pain in the ass.” He muttered to himself, hopefully quiet enough that neither would catch on.

Was it to Matsu or R.N.A.? Or both? It wasn’t clear. The more he stuck around, the more he found reasons to not appreciate either much. I am sorry both of you. That said, he noticed that R.N.A. was then addressing him. Well…

…

“Uh, right… The stationmaster… I forgot about that.”

To be honest, it has gone over his head that there was supposed to be someone else here as well, since so much was happening. Anyway, at least something useful out of that robot.

“Sure, let’s do that.”

He wasn’t certain if inviting Matsu to find the person in question would be a good idea, so he’d leave it to their discretion if they wanted to stay here complaining or whatever.

R.N.A.

Vinzent Mayer “God, what a pain in the ass.” He muttered to himself, hopefully quiet enough that neither would catch on.

Lucky him. R.N.A. didn’t quite catch that, so they dismissed whatever Vinzent was mumbling about.

Vinzent Mayer “Uh, right… The stationmaster… I forgot about that.”

Hm. That could be the trouble with human memory. It was fallible. But R.N.A. would always be here to pick up the slack, so there was nothing to worry. “I am happy… to have reminded you, then.” This was the group’s new shared goal. It was kind of nice to have a new task to complete together.

Vinzent Mayer “Sure, let’s do that.”

Yay! Adventure with a friend. R.N.A. was eager, not only to complete the task, but for the potential to learn more about Matsukaze and Vinzent along the way. Because of course Matsu would be coming along. Why would he not be? The three of them were all in this together, here.

Matsu “If there was an obvious way out, it would be here already,” they mutter under their breath.

Why do people keep muttering? Another thing R.N.A. didn’t quite hear. Well, it was probably unimportant.

Matsu “… What even makes you think there is a stationmaster?”

Matsu “I don’t need a professional, god.”

“You should always… try and seek out a professional… when it comes to medical issues.” It made R.N.A. a little sad to think that Matsu avoided professional care, instead choosing hacks and quacks. They weren’t licensed or monitored and they would certainly only provide subpar care at best. “You deserve… proper treatment.” A little bit of encouragement, in the hopes that Matsu would change their ways in the future.

Matsu … "What even makes you think there is a stationmaster?”

Oh! Oh! R.N.A. can answer this one! They hate to take the opportunity away from Vinzent, but this was important knowledge to pass along.

“There was… a sign outside of the station. It said that the… next train would not arrive until… the stationmaster was present. That we would have to search… high and low to find… them.”

R.N.A. pauses for a moment, to let the information be digested. “I believe… we must find the stationmaster… in order to… get to the door.”

It made sense to R.N.A. They had to complete a task last time, so why wouldn’t this car also work the same?

Matsu

Matsu frowns behind their face mask. “If there was an obvious way out, it would be here already,” they mutter under their breath. Pain in the ass. That was probably them, wasn’t it? As if Vinzent wasn’t a pain in the ass.

(He wasn’t.)

“I don’t need a professional, god.”

They look between the other two a few times, then exhale and push themself to their feet while using a hand on the tree they had leaned against to steady themself. “Fine, whatever, where’s the stationmaster?” Matsu looks at Vinzent expectantly, like they expect him to know. “… What even makes you think there is a stationmaster?” Someone Didn’t Read The Sign Yet.

Vinzent Mayer

Matsu R.N.A.

At Matsu’s question, regarding the stationmaster, Vinzent remembered he had a strange piece of metal with him, as Jack decided that it wasn’t his business anymore to keep it. Okay. Still, he held out the weird legs… Table? What the fuck was this supposed to be, he still didn’t know, but… This was what they were talking about, right?

“Well. I found this in the basement while I talked to Jack… I think there’s more parts to find?”

Still, R.N.A. did complete the question, so Vinzent wasn’t complaining about that.

“So maybe what I found was a part of the whole puzzle?”

He wasn’t a fan of puzzles, but he knew Nikki would have gone ham with that, as he knew they actually liked puzzles. Actually, if he wasn’t in a strange situation, he might have found puzzles a little more fun… But it was no matter here. They weren’t here, he was. And he was just relieved that they’re fine somewhere else. And as for his family… He hoped they’re okay as well.

Anyway. Enough thinking about this. They got something to solve, and he doesn’t want to waste time anyway.

Narrator

Just as the three began speaking of the stationmaster puzzle, something made a faint scraping noise. A careful listener could have easily placed it at the sign—where it now seemed a little hat with a little red band was caught on a top corner, sure to be displaced by the next breeze. When had that gotten there…?