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"I'm not sure why you're so stressed out," Stelle said, watching March's poor outfits get flung across her room. "She already thinks you're cute normally."
"Stelle, this is different!" A blue and pink sundress suddenly nailed her in the face and she sputtered, scrambling to get it off. "I'm going to be hanging out with Miss Robin. Alone!"
"I'm sure there'll be other people there with you—"
"You know that isn't what I mean!" Stelle removed a short sleeve from her line of sight, spotting March giving her a heated glare. "She'll be looking at me, and expecting me to be able to carry a conversation, and actually talking to me—wait, give me back that sundress!"
"You threw it at me," Stelle huffed, finally managing to remove it from her face and tossing it back towards her flustered friend.
"It's pretty cute... but is it Miss Robin cute...?" March muttered, examining and turning the outfit around at multiple (unnecessary) different angles.
"Like I said, she already—"
The sundress got launched at Stelle's face yet again.
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March put the finishing touches on her makeup, letting out a deep, controlled breath. This is okay. This is perfectly fine, actually. Today's just a normal day, and she's going to her new favorite tea shop to meet up with a regular girl! Stelle hadn't sprung anything on her with nearly zero prep time! Nothing's wrong!
She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment, scrutinizing her appearance; she'd decided on a simple blue blouse and a white skirt, hoping to appear casual and not like her life had been flashing before her eyes for the past hour. Stelle had long been sent away; in the midst of concocting her 'genius plan', she'd forgotten that March actually did have plans today that she now had to fill in for.
Privately, March hoped swordplay was the one thing that girl didn't have a natural affinity for.
She let out another deep breath, doing a shaky peace sign to her mirror before grabbing her phone off of her dresser. Should... should she check in with Miss Robin? Just to make sure that she had the correct time? Or that this wasn't some very elaborate prank?
But how could she text the Miss Robin? Yes, March had her phone number, but she had never even dreamed of actually texting her. What if she got caught up with something else, or really didn't want to meet up, or worse, thinks she's just another crazed fan and is just humoring her until—
Flustered, March attempted to shake off her bad thoughts and hurriedly typed into the messenger app before she could think any better of it.
March 7th: Hi Miss Robin!!!
March 7th: We're meeting in about 45 minutes, right?
Her heart thudded loudly in her ears, her anxiety increasing as the minutes ticked by. Did Miss Robin really not want to see her after all? Or was she being too forward? Or too excited? What if she was figuring out how to let her down easy? March wrung her trembling fingers together.
Finally, after ten minutes had passed, a ding! came from her phone. She frantically scrambled to type in her pin, nearly dropping it in the process.
Robin: Yes, that's right
Robin: Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Miss March
Robin: I've been looking forward to trying out Immortal's Delight for a while
Robin: [RobinSing]
Relief nearly swept March off her feet, her heart now pounding for a completely different reason. Giddy over the fact that the hangout was happening (it was really, really happening!), she typed a response immediately.
March 7th: It's really yummy you'll like it!!!!!
March 7th: [MarchPoint]
...Was that too many exclamation points? Was the emoji too much? No, Miss Robin had sent one too: a really, really cute one—
An immediate ding! silenced her thoughts before she could even begin to spiral again.
Robin: Haha, I'll take your word for it
Robin: I'll see you then :)
March's face immediately heated up. She'll take my word for it? And the smiley face?! Aeons, she felt like a schoolgirl—or at least, felt like what she had read about schoolgirls—but she felt so happy that she couldn't bring herself to feel embarrassed.
March 7th: See you!!! :) <3
Maybe the heart was a bit much, but March turned her phone screen off before she could think about it too hard. She practically launched herself at her bed, about to squeal into one of her pillows before she remembered the makeup she'd spent thirty minutes agonizing over. She settled for clutching one tightly to her chest, willing her excited, racing heart and burning blush to calm down.
But wow... she was really about to meet with Miss Robin. In less than thirty minutes. And they were really going to talk, and sit next to each other, and maybe even laugh with each other like friends, and—
This time, March really did squeal into her pillow, too overjoyed to care if her hardwork ended up smudged.
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Starwatcher Avenue was beautiful and bustling as always, especially with the Wardance approaching; kids chased each other throughout the streets, swinging their toy swords at each other, and many shops and vending machines were occupied with a long line of customers. March stopped for a moment to snap a few pictures, smiling to herself. Today's album is totally gonna be another big one!
The thought of maybe having the honor of taking a picture of Miss Robin made her heart flutter uncontrollably and she turned her camera around, adjusting the clover clip in her hair. It was a gift from the cosmic songstress in question, as personal thanks for the Express's help in Penacony—March had never taken it out of the box before because a gift from Miss Robin? What if she misplaced it?
But then she thought about the possibility of Miss Robin's (very, very pretty) eyes lighting up if she saw it, and the next thing she knew the clip was already in her hair.
March snapped the shutter to calm her nerves, throwing up a peace sign with a soft grin. Her makeup thankfully had barely smudged at all after her little incident; she still looked super casual and super cool. Everything was going to go perfectly fine. Yes, she was meeting up with the Miss Robin, but she can be normal! She's got this! Let's go for it, March!
Checking the time and seeing that she was slightly early, March confidently walked over to The Sleepless Earl (which thankfully didn't seem as crowded as the rest of the shops), expecting to be able to sit and take pictures for a bit so she could prepare herself more.
What she didn't expect was for Miss Robin to already be there.
She was wearing a large brown coat with a high collar, a face mask, and a hat to cover her halo, but it was undoubtedly her. March felt her knees go weak, her heart beginning to pound faster and faster. Even in disguise, Miss Robin was still so, so beautiful.
She was sitting at one of the tables and humming to herself, seemingly swiping through pictures on her phone. A cute bag sat neatly in the chair across from her. Did... Did Miss Robin arrive early to make sure we could sit together? March felt her entire face start to heat up, butterflies doing happy somersaults in her stomach. The only confidence she had left was the confidence that she wouldn't survive this encounter.
Miss Robin, unfortunately, chose that moment to look up and make eye contact.
"Miss March! Over here!" she called in a deeper voice to perfect her disguise, waving March over excitedly.
March nearly trembled in place, forcing her jelly-filled legs to move. Her face was still burning. "M-Miss Ro—ahem, I mean! Hi!" Her voice came out an octave higher than she meant it to, her excitement nearly palpable.
Miss Robin immediately stood up once she saw her coming over, and for a horrifying, joyful moment, March thought she was going to hug her. Instead, she crossed to the other side of the table, picking up her bag and pulling out the seat, which was almost worse for March's poor heart. "Come sit," Miss Robin said, her eyes bright and inviting.
March quickly sat down, barely remembering to squeak out a "thank you". Miss Robin gently and politely pushed her chair in, happily replying with a "you're welcome" before returning to her own seat. She lowered her face mask, revealing a warm, pretty smile, and March was pretty sure if her heart pounded any faster they'd have to call a medical skiff.
"Thank you for coming, Miss March." Miss Robin's eyes crinkled at the corners, brightening in recognition once they landed on March's hair. "Is that the clover clip I gave you? Just as I thought, it really suits you. You look beautiful."
I look—huh?! March's brain short-circuited. She scrambled to get any sort of words out, hopefully something like "thank you, Miss Robin," or "you look beautiful too, Miss Robin," but her tongue felt so tangled up that she couldn't even make a sound. As soon as she got back to the Express, she was locking herself in her room and never leaving again. Two seconds into this hangout and she's already embarrassed herself more than once....
But Miss Robin, who surely must've been feeling her own kind of embarrassment, was laughing instead. At me, March immediately thought, her heart sinking, but the songstress's sea-green gaze was glinting with playful amusement rather than ridicule. "You look as red as a tomato." Her tone was still just as friendly, too—it even sounded a bit lighter, somehow. "How about we order and cool off? It'll be my treat."
Her treat?! "A-Ah, you don't have to—!" March finally found her voice, waving her hands around in a fluster.
"No, it's okay. I want to express my thanks properly," Miss Robin interrupted, gesturing for Mengming, the young shop owner, to come over. "And also apologize for making you... briefly indisposed." She smiled at March again, light-hearted and teasing.
Her face once again turning red, March opened her mouth to deny that Miss Robin had to thank her, let alone apologize to her, but by then, Mengming had already approached their table. She reluctantly swallowed her words (although admittedly, "You can indispose me all you want, Miss Robin!" probably hadn't been a good argument), but inside, she felt bubbly with joy. Miss Robin paying for me... this is almost like a date in a romance immersia!
While Miss Robin ordered their drinks, March looked away and fiddled with her camera, hoping to "cool off" by taking a few more pictures. While she'd already taken plenty of The Sleepless Earl, this time was different—she was with Miss Robin, after all! ...Not that she'd take a picture of her without her permission!
Deciding to ask her later (once it was a better time, not because she was still nervous!), March aimed her camera at the pond near their table instead. It was mesmerizing, as always; the koi fish weaved between lilypads to snatch up food that Mengming, Mr. Xiyan, or a previous customer must've left, and March's finger immediately flew to the capture button. Sure, she'd already taken a lot of pictures of these fish eating, but... once again, today's a special day! And they're definitely eating more happily than usual!
Nodding to herself at her brilliant justification, March went to work at snapping pictures.
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Just five minutes later, March was starting to doubt that her justification was anywhere near 'brilliant' after all. Ugh, this is going to be a pain to sort through, she lamented, dejectedly swiping through her brand new gallery of practically the same image. At least she didn't feel like she was going to melt into a puddle on the floor anymore. Or explode into millions of little March-shaped pieces. Maybe now, she can actually hold a conversation with Miss Robin without—
"Here are your drinks! Please enjoy!" Mengming interrupted her inner musings, proudly setting the two Immortal's Delights on the table.
"Thank you, Miss Mengming," Miss Robin replied, offering the young Foxian a polite, pretty smile.
March forced herself to tear her gaze away, belatedly remembering her manners. "Oh! Yeah! Thank you, Miss Mengming!"
As Mengming walked away, Miss Robin glanced back at March, the politeness in her smile melting into something warmer and friendlier. March felt her heart stutter rapidly in her chest as she nervously smiled back. Taking those stupid pictures didn't help at all!!!
"What were you doing with your camera just now?" Miss Robin leaned forward, interest coloring her expression. "You looked really focused."
"Oh! I mean, uh—do you want to see?" March's hand was already sliding her camera across the table before she had even finished speaking; she internally cringed a second later once she remembered what exactly she had just handed over. Who wants to see twenty pictures of koi fish?!
Miss Robin picked up the camera, easily figuring out its functions to gain access to the gallery. March nervously watched on, twirling around the straw in her Immortal's Delight. Once the songstress began scrolling through the pictures, she let out a sudden snort.
"H-Huh?! What's so funny?" March demanded, her face burning.
"Hehe—I'm sorry, Miss March." Miss Robin placed the camera back on the table, a stray feather poking out from under her coat collar. She looked positively tickled. "It's just—is this your version of 'cooling off'?"
"W-What about it?" March felt her knee-jerk defensiveness fading, making way for pure embarassment.
"You don't have to be so nervous," Miss Robin said earnestly, the amusement in her expression pivoting into something more genuine. "We're just regular people, hanging out at The Sleepless Earl because I wanted to try Immortal's Delight. Or, at least, I hope you can see me as a regular person?" Her eyes were soft, expectant.
"I—no, yeah, you're right." March lowered her head, shame curdling in her stomach. "I'm sorry." Was Miss Robin hiding how much she was bothered by her behavior? Maybe she really did think March was some crazed fan. She knew she should've just told Stelle she was sick instead...
"Oh, no, you're okay, please don't worry! I'm sorry if I implied otherwise—I just want you to feel more comfortable," Miss Robin immediately reassured her, reaching across the table to put her hand over March's. "Besides, I think it's cute."
March's heart definitely flatlined.
Before she could even begin to recover, Miss Robin had retracted her hand and was moving on to the next topic. "Immortal's Delight... I really have been looking forward to trying it for a while. I almost can't believe it's right in front of me."
Shoving aside the roller-coaster of emotions she was feeling in favor of excitement over her new favorite drink, March replied, "Well, it'll be worth the wait! It really is yummy!"
"Well then, let's see." Miss Robin gave her a warm smile before sipping her first taste through the straw. Her eyes widened and she immediately went for a second sip, her expression brightening with delight.
"It's good, right?!" March sipped her own drink, letting out a satisfied breath as the flavor hit her tongue.
"It's amazing!" Miss Robin's wings fluttered from inside her coat collar and she paused for a moment, quickly stuffing them back in. March felt her face turn pink. Her wings flutter when she's happy? That's—wait, remember, be normal!
But it was really, really cute...
Miss Robin seemed to be trying to reign in her excitement due to the wing mishap, but at March's expression, she lost her composure, giggles erupting from her as her wings once again sprang from her collar. For a moment, March stared, feeling all of the tension inside her melt away at the sight of seeing her favorite celebrity do something so... simple.
This... really does feel like I'm hanging out with a regular person.
At the absurdity of it all, March couldn't help bursting into laughter too.
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After that, the hangout seemed to pass like a dream; March engaged in successful small talk with Miss Robin as they finished their Immortal's Delights, her heart racing with joy all the while. By the time they stopped to come up for air, the sun had begun to dip low into the sky.
"I'm really sorry for keeping you," Miss Robin apologized, placing a generous tip for Mengming on the table and slinging her bag around her shoulder. "I didn't realize how late it's gotten."
"It's okay! I had a really good time," March reassured her, and she had; her face still slightly ached from all the smiling she'd done.
"Me too." Miss Robin glanced up, her eyes soft with happiness. "I really appreciate you spending your afternoon with me."
March's chest felt warm; she had to look away before her heart drummed out of it. Despite realizing that this really was sort of a normal hangout, it still felt so exciting, and exhilarating, and... she really didn't want it to end.
"I'll walk you home!" she offered boldly. "I mean, well—not home, but wherever it is you're staying! If... that's okay?" She backpedaled, giving Miss Robin the chance to deny her.
"That'd be lovely," Miss Robin replied, smiling warmly and walking up to stand beside March. "The inn I'm staying at is just a couple of blocks from here. It shouldn't be too long of a walk."
"Awesome! Then let's go!" March immediately set off in a random direction. Miss Robin let out a giggle, hurrying after her and redirecting her to the correct walkway.
The walk was quiet, but comfortable; after talking for nearly three hours, there wasn't too much left to say. The city life around them hadn't dwindled though: in fact, it seemed even busier than it had been earlier. The Wardance really is a super popular event...
"I meant to ask earlier," Miss Robin started, staring up at the darkening sky, "but I saw a picture of you holding two swords in your camera. Are they yours?"
"Oh! I thought I printed that picture already. But yeah, they're mine," March said proudly, putting her hands on her hips. "You're looking at the brand new swordmaster of the Luofu!"
"'Swordmaster'? Didn't the Express arrive here only a few days ago?" Miss Robin teased, but her voice was tinged with curiosity.
"W-Well! Swordmaster in training," March corrected, her proud stance wilting like an unwatered flower. "I'm the representative of the Express for the Wardance, so Yanqing and Miss Yunli are making sure I'm in tip-top shape!"
"The Wardance... I've heard a lot about it, but I didn't know the Express was invited to participate, too." Miss Robin glanced back at March, the fading light of the sun illuminating the earnest interest in her gaze. "I had already planned to, but I'll definitely have to watch it now."
March immediately looked away, her face burning. "Ahaha—t-then I'll show you all my awesome swordmaster skills! So make sure you only focus on me! I-I mean—"
"I will." Miss Robin's voice was so gentle that it sent her heart for another spin.
By the time March had cooled off, they had already reached the inn. And by then, the sun had fully set into the skyline, making way for the brilliant, silver moon. Miss Robin turned to face her with a small, yet bright smile; in the moonlight, she looked even more stunning. March felt her throat dry up.
"Thank you for walking me back. I really had a fantastic time," the songstress said sweetly. "I'd love to do something like this again."
"I-I—Yeah! Me too!" March squeaked out, her nerves returning with full force.
Miss Robin's smile widened slightly, her eyes crinkling with a mixture of amusement and joy. "Then, I'll see you later, Miss March."
As she turned around to open the doors of the inn, March blurted out, "March."
Miss Robin stopped. "Hm?"
March nervously wrung her hands together. "I-I mean, you don't have to call me 'Miss March'. You can just call me March. Since we're friends now. Right?"
Miss Robin stared at her, and for a moment, March thought that she had somehow completely misjudged this entire situation. But then, her expression lit up like a child seeing snow for the first time, and she began to nod eagerly. "Right! You're right, we are friends. What I meant to say was, I'll see you later, March!"
Belatedly realizing that her own words meant that she'd have to return the favor, March swallowed, pushing aside all of her nerves to reply, "See you later, Robin!"
Mi—No, just Robin happily waved goodbye to her before turning around and heading back inside the inn. March stood there long after she had safely disappeared inside her room, feeling jittery with happiness.
Did that really just happen? Am I dreaming? Did I hit my head during practice?
A buzz from her phone silenced her thoughts; she flipped it open from out of her pocket.
Stelle: 7th, are you still with Robin?
Realizing that she had been out so long that even Stelle was back from her impromptu swordplay lesson, March started heading back to the Express, typing up a response on the way.
March 7th: We just parted ways
March 7th: It went super well!!
March 7th: [MarchParty]
She turned a corner, thankfully spotting a Space Anchor on the other end of the street. Another buzz vibrated from her phone and she glanced downwards as she quickened her pace.
Stelle: You were talking with her for hours
Stelle: Are you finally going to praise me?
Stelle: [StelleWatermelon]
March stopped to let out a huff of disbelief. While she did appreciate Stelle for at least allowing something like this to happen, never in a million years was she going to say that she liked the thought process.
March 7th: Maybe in your dreams
Stelle: [PomPomCry]
It was only then, as she was snickering on her way to the Space Anchor, that she realized she had completely forgotten to ask Robin if she could take her picture.