voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post February]

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A New Platform [Intro Post February]

On the Train

Three days after the Voidtreckers return to the void after their adventures on the biosphere world, they are awoken by a familiar announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day Sixteen of the month of Jelly. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed, and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train for a while will also be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." A lurch and a jolt and the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform. The fog seems thicker than usual and as they step out onto the platform they will find it is cold, very cold. Icy fog sticks to their clothing, makes it hard to see very far; the atmosphere is dark and gloomy.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Alexis Rhodes, Elfnein, Itsuki Myoudouin, Ken Ichijouji, MT, Neku Sakuraba, Nike Lemercier, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Rainbow Dash, Rei Saotome, Taichi Yagami, Tsubomi Hanasaki, Yuri Tsukikage and Zechs Merquise all pass through the platform, not looking back before they disappear through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

But on the platform itself there are new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours, in various states of confusion.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is steam, billowing around them as they come to their senses. As their eyes adjust, they will see they are on a platform, glass and dark stone rising in sturdy arches around them. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single track extending both ways into thick fog.

They are standing, in clothes that are not their own and a style they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on their back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze; then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large with sixteen figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. To both the left and right, tracks disappear into the mist. Then there is a roaring sound and out of the fog arrives a train. Jet black with gold writing on the side. The Voidtrecker Express. There is a hiss as the doors slide open and out step a strange assortment of people. Some are human, some are less so. Most are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple, though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles.

The Train

After a short time, the doors hiss open again. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there's anywhere else to go and even if there was, you feel a pull. A need to board, a feeling that staying on the platform would lead to something terrible. If that is not enough, there are plenty of people on the platform now, to encourage them onto the train.

Each ICP shows the same message and next to the screens there are stacks of leaflets written by those on the train, with further information (see
'Publications'). The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, including several crates of avocados, the ingredient of the month of Jelly, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk!

Room is tight but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers braving the freezing fog, and the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view again as it picks up speed.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express." A female-coded artificial sounding voice echoes throughout the train. "Please take the time to read the passenger information displayed on the Information and Communication points and familiarise yourself with the layout and emergency exits."

The train begins to tilt, leaving the ground and rising up into the fog-filled sky.

"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated. Entry into Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

A shudder, a jolt, a lurch to the left. A flash of light, colourful and blinding. As quick as it happens it is done. The train seems to steady itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

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"I mean, yeah it is." She can't even argue about that. It was na odd thing and something people would question, more so considering she had to leave it growing or lose it which is what happened.

While it had it's positives at the time the negatives were also obvious. But she clapped her hands together.

"Are you talking about Della. I don't think I knew about her knowing how to pilot airships. That's pretty amazing." Rapunzel is easily impressed really.

"I mean yes you are stuck here. I know a lot of people wouldn't want that and you can at least try and leave just to be certain," she said leaning to the side for the moment. She could see the other looking over so she figured maybe she was making a plan for it. So best to let them.

"Attaboy. Come and get me!"

He receives the strike wholeheartedly, chasing after it with a breakneck sprint. True to form, his blade is lifted from below and he parries Inigo's sword, aware that he has a trick up his sleeve now in case that factors into his countermove. But as promised, Roland tests his new move out with a more aggressive opponent. So when they cross swords once more, Roland clenches his jaw and hyper-focuses on what Inigo had suggested: put more distance between you and the enemy. Cover the vulnerability he tempts them with by showing his back to their weapon...

He knows what to do.

Without delaying too much, the hold on their swords finally break with his push back against the balls of his feet, and he pivots again so the Claw in his hand can angle and disarm the way it did before. Except now, he takes Inigo's other piece of advice - when he feels the sword in Inigo's hand fly out of his grip, if the move succeeds the way it must, Roland pushes himself into the other direction, granting him the distance he needs to circle back on the opposite foot. He kicks off from there, the tip of his sword heading straight for Inigo...

...and if it had been anyone else, he probably would have hesitated, but he knows Inigo won't. He has the instincts for it, and Roland believes in his potential more than anything. So he keeps at it, until Inigo either draws his second sword out or he dodges.

Let's go son. Show me what you've got!

I hope so. [She can really only hope that they get to return home, or somewhere they can be happy if not.]

...It’s two of my roommates leaving today. MT and Rainbow Dash.

[That just left her and Buttercup in 1-C. They normally didn’t lose more than one person at a time, so this is extra rough.]

"Huh?" Just the two of them? He lets out a huff of laughter, as quirky as the single raised brow he wears.

"Well that wouldn't be fun. You have to come too! We can watch it whenever...oh, a movie's on now!"

He hushes at the end, voice dropping as the lights do as well with their passage into the next carriage. Ascending rows of seats greet them and the booming noise of talking and music, lights flickering across the seating. Tidus walks through the darkened theatre by the middle aisle, waiting to get somewhere up the slope before pointing up to the screen on the wall by where they came in.

On it shows a scene of people coming out of car, sky-high buildings and traffic buzzing as the rather ordinary scene of the group of three being followed inside a building. They appear to be talking about some big upcoming event they need to prepare for, about someone named Daniel being there. Oh, scandalous.

"That is well. Music makes for a joyous existence, or at least for joyous times. And indeed, to make music is very human."

He does have reverence for the ocean, as do all Elves who have any experience of it.

"Yes, Elves. We actually didn't invent the term, it was invented by our gods, the Valar. We're also called the Firstborn, because in our world, we were the first sentient beings to come into existence. Mortals are the Secondborn, as they were next. We were supposed to be the teachers of the Secondborn."

"I suppose not," he agreed. "Anybody who plays a support role in a battle can get injured."

He sipped again. The warmth and the flavor were both welcome. "I remember you said you were a general. So then, you have to organize many people who play many different roles into units, and make sure that each unit is where it is supposed to be at any given moment. Is that a fair description of a general's job?"

The Elvish armies that Curufin remembered were less organized than the ones Sonya had led. The word warrior was the usual term for anyone who played a combat role. Others, such as the healers, were not considered to be part of the army, even if they traveled with it.

"Either, really."

It's not her avoiding the question. It's more just that the spectrum of things they have had to fight is so wide, that they have most definitely encountered both categories during the missions.

"It depends on the specific mission, but I've fought both already during the time I've been here."

"I guess it's a personal thing, the choice or the desire to have foreknowledge or not. If you would be going back to being a prisoner in a tower, than maybe you wouldn't want to know. But of course, if you were going to another world that was not your own, you might have a better life."

He smiled and shrugged. "If I leave the train forever, I don't think I'd be going back to my world. At least not to the version of it that existed at the end of my lifetime there. I'd rather go adventuring in the multiverse. But you may feel differently."

"Then if such a thing ever happens, I'll be sure to welcome him and talk with him." Curufin had less fear of chaos than did some. He'd be pleased to meet Shiro!

It's no trouble at all. In fact, it's part of my job. [ He doesn't move out of his seat yet, arms still crossed comfortably as he converses. Roland, if anything, is always a little bit too calm on the outside...though he has been told it can get a bit irritating. Nothing to be done about that. ]

I'm one of the team leads assigned to the groups, you see. This wasn't required of us, mind you, but I'd rather use this time to help out. And I'd prefer to see you settled somewhere stable before the train starts running. It can get a bit jarring for the newcomers.

[ Despite his words, and a strangely understanding smile, Roland doesn't budge even then. He's waiting for Olivia to make the call. Experienced in spades; he's done this so many times that even faced with the mother of the boy he's come to call his own too, there's no effort at all. In fact, he seems to enjoy the act of being available. ]

Meanwhile, had Roland been privy to such thoughts, he would have gladly offered a similar yet opposing take. Families for him have begun to convene on the train, between Trunks's entire brood appearing out of thin air, to Inigo's mother who he had just met earlier. It worries him, but he's shoved it so far back in his mind that Roland merely hums at Taiki's observations.

He settles next to Taiki when all the drinks have been served. This would be his first time to try a new concoction of milk, and his first sip is telling. It's delicious.

"Do you want to go there after this?" He says kindly, a tilt of his head to the side in close listening. "I wouldn't mind taking a trip. Or to just keep a friend company." Especially when losses weigh heavily on their mind. Roland understands these days are never easy, no matter how often they come and go.

With that said, he nods and gestures to the only remaining empty bed in their cabin, expression kindly as it has been since he first saw Ken enter their shared quarters.

"Take a load off, then. It's going to be a long train ride. You'll have time." They all would, quite frankly.

"There's not much freedom here as a whole."

Likely not the most positive of messages, but Alice has always prefered just telling the truth over sugarcoating things. And her having laughed at his antics does open her up a little bit more - at least enough to not mind telling her new roommate this much.

"After all, technically we are all merely victims of a big kidnapping scheme. We have no choice over what food appears here any given month, no choice in where we sleep.. Not to mention that the train doesn't seem to care very much for us."

She gestures in the direction of the panel in the wall. "Whenever you send it messages, no matter how emotional or convincing, it just gives you the same standard response it gives everyone else."

He repeats the words carefully, though he will admit they are foreign to a tongue that isn't used to syllabicated words. Roland powers through though, and listens intently still. Certainly there was truth to the kanji looking intimidating...that was a lot of strokes.

"It'll definitely be a challenge," Roland goes, though he's as invested as he can be to a new goal. They had a lot of downtime on the train in between missions. He enjoys learning when he has that moment to himself. "But I think we'll be able to do it. And I can try speaking in Japanese to you every platform since we'll have our SCA's off as part of the experiment. See how much I've improved." He's setting himself up for a tall order he knows, but Roland is one to function well under pressure anyway. He smiles.

"If you're willing to be a teacher, I'm here as your first student. Or rather, first interdimensional student, heh. What's teacher in Japanese?"

"I think you'll manage fine." Senku agreed. They had so much downtime what was another goal? He was learning things anyway, all the reason to encourage Roland to do the same.

"Sensei, is the word for teacher. It's also one of the titles you would use to show respect. Much like addressing someone as a doctor, for example, you would address them that way. Coincidentally, that is true if they were a doctor. So I would be Senku-sensei. Well, technically, Ishigami-sensei." He chuckled though.

"Calling me that is not required." He waved his hand. "Way too formal, considering."

"Hey, that wasn't so bad to start with. Not the best form for a train, but when we're out on a mission you ought to have a good time of it." So long as it wasn't some tiny stupid mission.

"What happens to you in 2016?"

He should probably be freaking out more about future events, or that this kid knows him in the future, but considering he's just been bodily kidnapped onto a ... world-hopping train, it seems easier for Steve just to go with the flow. Or whatever that bit of slang they use now is.

"Yeah, I've been given the run-down." At least enough to get the basic gist of this place, although some things will probably have to be seen to be believed. "Sometimes it's not cool? Tell me about that."

He takes a glance at her reading and nods in some slight interest. Roland leans slightly against her arm to nudge her back, careful not to spill either of their cups.

"Hm. A mining town, eh? With biographies, too. A treat." Roland peers at the back of the magazine with a careful tilt of his head, reading what he can and what isn't obscured. He straightens up and sips from his blackened tea. "You're getting an inside look into a whole other community. That's always the best kind of research, I say."

And it's admirable in a way, to remain dedicated to it even through all the missions they have to go through time and time again. He doesn't discourage it at all, and leaves the air between them free for Nita to poke him with findings as she reads. His company is easygoing as it can be, between offering an ear to listen or conversation to be had if that's what she so chose.

Edited 2021-02-23 16:54 (UTC)

"Relatively recent, but not just arrived. I have only been here a few weeks - my younger brother a lot longer." Didi, not shidi, though that, too.

"It takes some time to get used to it at all."

"...That's terrible, Demyx."

Between the storm of words Roland has no idea what to make out of, divorced from context, and the final revelation that apparently without your heart, you're not real, Roland is unable to hide part of how he really feels. A rare moment, but get a guy flabbergasted enough and it can happen.

"You're quite real right now, though. You're here, on this train. Just like the rest of us." He encourages easily. He's had this conversation ad nauseam with someone else but he's ready to dredge the sentiment back up for someone else if he has too. They all existed at one point or another, and the desire to live is stronger than any magic. Roland is testament to that too.

Nita settles - into the moment, into the magazine and, in what is more immediately notable, into the contact.

It's not something she does deliberately, but she relaxes. Again, tea is not spilled, but the food is almost secondary to the whole situation.

There are a few points into her reading where she points out some paragraph or other, or a picture someone probably had taken by hand of their workplace, their family. Places people liked to hide away, or of particularly 'historic' mines.

"Thanks," she says some time later, seemingly without prompting.

"You... didn't have to come hang out with me, Roland. But I'm glad you did."

[He didn't seem to ~~care~~ mind what she was saying. He had this way of ignoring bits and pieces of what he didn't care about and still moving forward anyway. Just like a little punk.]

Lucky you. They got skills but mercs aren't the best kinda people to look to. Like I said, they're more a temporary solution. Hire 'em for a job and then dispose of 'em.

[He shrugged and moved about his business for a minute.]

You won't see me trading my job for anything else though. It's got the thrills and steady pay. And good company.

[It was always a slippery slope thinking about home but the thing he missed the most was definitely his fellow Turks. He kept his smile on though, a certain fondness in his expression and tone whenever he mentioned 'good company'.]

[He did not seem convinced and Olivia decided it was definitely not her play to try any convincing of any kind.

Instead, she found herself peering over at him as she lifted another article to hang for dry.]

It sounds like you have many friends, then. I guess that's what r-really matters. Having friends and being able to have a good time. Or at least being able to work w-well together.

[But the way she traipsed around it kind of betrayed that she still wasn't really sure what he did outside of odds and ends here and there. Maybe that was all he needed.]

[She didn't need to know what he did. Someone so innocent deserved to stay that way. Besides, it made it easier on himself. Not that he doubted for a second that she wouldn't hear about his misdeeds at some point. Not much else to do on a train but gossip.]

Yeah! My partner's the best but all my co-workers are great. All top-notch operatives. Smart, skilled, good at getting the job done. That's what matters.

It's a good thing Inigo is so used to battle. It makes a sword coming for him, pointed right at him, seem much less daunting to him than it might to some other people. So he doesn't freeze up, especially with the knowledge beforehand that Roland is going to try and have a better ending to the move this time--

It means Inigo sees it coming.

Which gives him exactly enough time to take out his second sword again, swinging it to block Roland's attack at the last moment. It's a little weaker than Inigo's usual blocks, since he's not quite as used to this sword, but it's still barely enough to keep Roland's sword in place rather than let it move on to strike.

It's just a block though. Nothing more is necessary. After all..

"Great, father. I doubt an enemy would have seen that coming." Which means the point of the move works now. Other people facing it wouldn't know ahead of time that the attack was coming the way Inigo does, so there's no way they would be able to block in time. Inigo just knows it.

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A New Platform [Intro Post February]

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