voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] voidtreckerexpress2021-02-01 06:00 am

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!
yondu: (1 1 7)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-02-06 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
"My ship was pretty big, so we had some long walks. But this is claustrophobic as hell."

And god, a walk up like that is gonna be a slog. But he follows along, taking in the layout, eyeing the big screen. At least the set-up is understandable enough, and Earth isn't the only planet with something like a movie theater.

It's not super interesting to him, but who knows. He might get bored. From the sound of it, the likelihood of that is actually pretty damn high.
seacub: (AND NOW A PIPE TOO??)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-02-06 03:23 pm (UTC)(link)
They did pass through that games car earlier...

"Mnh, it's pretty narrow..." Especially now that they're going through carriages that consist of hallways alongside their room's purpose again. The training gym, the music carriage, then the library... "It's sort of cozy, I think? But knowing that we stop for trips every month has helped."
seacub: (AND NOW A PIPE TOO??)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-02-06 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh." That's...even...

"I wonder why..." Well that's not something he's about to get an answer to, that's for sure.
myblueskies: (where are you taking me?)

[personal profile] myblueskies 2021-02-06 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'm glad." He is! It's good that Bianca is alive and he hoped she would have a good life, even if she must miss her brother!

He leans back a bit, just so he could look at Alfredo, though he didn't leave the hug completely.
yondu: (0 8 3)

[personal profile] yondu 2021-02-06 03:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"At least that's somethin'." But being on here the rest of the month? He suspects he'll either eventually lose his mind feeling contained or... he doesn't know.

He might actually not even care. He finds that at that moment he's plumb out of shits to give. Not a single iota. Not despair, not more than a big of satisfaction that Ego is dead and Peter is alive and some fatigue.

He rubs his eye with the heel of his hand. "I guess if I wanna bitch about it bein' too damn small and too big I'll be right either way." He chuckles dryly to himself. "Y'all been keepin' it clean. Better than my boys would have. Even the ones that were actually good at that kinda thing."
dyingpro: Somber (All falls away in time)

[personal profile] dyingpro 2021-02-06 03:44 pm (UTC)(link)
What? What are you talking about? Of course it's me! Than...

[He's never seen Thanatos this troubled, and it aches in his chest, a painful weight crushing him in a way he never wants to feel again. He's not about to let go of Than's hand, not while his friend is in such distress. He squeezes Thanatos' hand in his, grounding the God of Death as best he can, reminding Than that he's still here... that he's not going anywhere. The crimson thread remains to stitch up the pieces even stronger than before.]

I don't know what I said that upset you this much, but whatever I said... I'm sorry. You know I say things wrong sometimes, but-- you're my best friend, you know I'd never hurt you on purpose! You helped me out, even when you didn't have to, even when I didn't need your help, and... and I'm rambling again, aren't I. Rrgh, what I mean is... I'm here for you, Than. Tell me what's happened, please. I want to help you too.

[Zagreus' ears perk up at the squeaking, and that's when he spots the telltale ears of a certain Cthonic Companion poking out from the folds of Thanatos' hoodie.]

Hey, Mort! I was wondering where you'd gone! It's all right, we're safe now, I think.

[He'll take a short break from all this hard emotional stuff to pet the top of Mort's head with a finger.]

You're keeping Than company? Thanks, Mort.
miseris_socios: (ugh...)

[personal profile] miseris_socios 2021-02-06 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not sure... my team leader would know more than me, but he's not here." He glances down. It's hard without him...
hisblueskies: Blond-haired boy leaning on windowsill, hands apart. (Leaning on Windowsill)

[personal profile] hisblueskies 2021-02-06 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Alfredo's not looking at Romeo, so it takes him a moment to come back to himself, to try to shake this mood off.

It doesn't work very well anyway.

"But if she can live on, so can we. No matter how hard it seems."

He reminds himself that - no matter what she and Romeo could have become - Bianca still won't be alone.

Doctor Casella had looked out for them, after all. Even if the other kids left, the man wouldn't give up on his promise.

... Why are there still tears on his face?
unfavorableinstigation: Nita Callahan kneeling in the woods, drawing a glowing blue diagram on the ground while reading from a book. (Drawing a Spell Diagram)

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2021-02-06 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"Maybe..."

Nita doesn't yet know Yurine is on the train, so 'just ask her' is something she's quick to dismiss.

"If she's a spirit - of the city, you said? - then she still had something to regenerate from, physically, and an idea to anchor herself to, and thus you. I can't speak from personal experience or anything on this-"

Not counting kernels, technically.

"But it's not entirely new to me, either. And, well, you're here right now, right?"

And the Voidtrecker Express was its own class of weird, as Otoha no doubt knows by now.
seacub: (: ' D)

[personal profile] seacub 2021-02-06 03:55 pm (UTC)(link)
"Haha- each of the teams gets assigned something else to clean with each month; even if someone doesn't help, there's still a lot of people pulling it off...same for cooking," he added, beaming. "When there's so many people helping, things like that become pretty easy- especially when what we need to do it is right there."

It probably helps that the train would likely become intolerable if they left it a mess too long- these cramped spaces would be the Worst...
bakegarasu: (the city is at war)

[personal profile] bakegarasu 2021-02-06 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
He just shrugs a little helplessly. "You've got a better idea than me. It was never my job to be smart." Just to be muscle. ... But that alone won't cut it anymore.

"But yeah, I'm here. The city's not... in danger of being destroyed right now, at least structurally. So it's probably fine."
dyingpro: Curious (Goodbye to all the plans that we made)

[personal profile] dyingpro 2021-02-06 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
... oh! You mean a gyro?

[#didn't get it]

springforth: (446)

[personal profile] springforth 2021-02-06 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
['She never wanted to see me again'. It gets another wince out of her as she takes in his reply. She's about to apologize, about to try to smooth things over, because she knows how hard it would be to see her mother and get told she doesn't exist and Demeter isn't her mother.

But the last bit--Persephone sputters
]

I don't know that we are ordained to be together! And the fates don't care about me, one way or another, or why would I be here? Not on their plan, I bet. [The flush on her cheeks, the set of her hands, she's wavering between angry, upset, and embarrassed. She glances over her shoulder at the rest of the platform]

I just know that when I left, Hades was committed to another relationship, one that started long before he met me. And he barely knows me or me him.

[Pause] ... But that's not the big deal right now. You know how weird it is to discuss this relationship with you of all people, right?
unfavorableinstigation: Nita looking right, holding a book. (I'm In The Book)

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2021-02-06 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
All Nita can do is nod to that, really.

"So... anywhere else you wanted to head, now that we've got the books situated?"

Back to the greenhouse, maybe.
blitzcheer: (trying not to use same keywords)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-02-06 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
"Itsuki, who was into the karate? Yeah, I met all three of them on their first days here. Noctis, and Zechs..."

He trails into a moment of silence.

"I wonder why we see them come and go, but we stick around. I know it's just- luck, whatever you wanna call it. But it's...strange. The more you see it happen. The longer you're here, but others aren't."

That some threads can break away, but yours seems to stick - for better or for worse.
bakegarasu: (heroes rise again)

[personal profile] bakegarasu 2021-02-06 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"I don't know. ... Today's two weeks since the last station, right?"
myblueskies: (time for adult decisions)

[personal profile] myblueskies 2021-02-06 04:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Romeo pressed into him, wrapping his arms around him too and letting mister Tidus hug him, not wanting to let go. Wanting to cling onto something, even if it couldn't be Elfnein.

And Mister Tidus is right, he was still Elfnein's friend, they were still friends and if she went back to the heavens, one day he would see her again.

"We will see her again, when we can go to the heavens and find her again. But... It's hard. Because we don't know... How to get back."
blitzcheer: (and i can barely breathe)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-02-06 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
"When things get tough, all you can do is hope, and keeping trying." He keeps his arms around Romeo, speaking reassurances from his own heart, the chill of the fog pinching at his cheeks.

"You don't always see the way ahead, but you don't stop trying. I believe we'll find a way... we have to. And if Elnein's back in heaven, maybe she can help us from there."

Tidus turns his head, but only to the extent of Romeo's hair brushing the side of his face. Voice dipping down privately, intimate.

"But it's okay... if you wanna miss her, I'm here. We'll stay here 'til you're ready."
unfavorableinstigation: Nita looking right, holding a book. (I'm In The Book)

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2021-02-06 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yup."

Hence the books.

"Sure seems like the platform was crowded again - want to check the roster, see if you recognize anyone before you walk past them in the hallways?"
unfavorableinstigation: It is dark, but Nita is inside reading a book. (Dark)

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2021-02-06 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Nita nods at each additional name.

Noctis - he'd been a prince, hadn't he? But also a chill, responsible sort; she'd gotten along with him, for what little they'd been around each other.

Zechs she knew a little better, and it'd been more painful to see him go... but he hadn't been happy here, with how it'd all been structured.

"Yeah. And we still don't know where they're even going. Something about their tether-strength waning, right?"

It was to be expected from an emergency measure that couldn't be rooted even in consent, sure - but what did that consign the lost to?
bakegarasu: (death carnivore)

/makes wibble wobble time hands

[personal profile] bakegarasu 2021-02-06 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"I might do that, yeah. I kind of doubt anyone will get pulled. Though if it can pull anyone from whenever... might be interesting to see Nue again." There'd been a reason he hadn't killed the guy on first meeting - he'd seen a reflection of himself in a lot of ways.
unfavorableinstigation: Nita working with a Kernel (Wizardry Is Kid Stuff)

wibbly wobbly timey wimey! Am good with it turning into a joint thread at this point, fading, or n/e

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2021-02-06 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"Nue? Don't think you mentioned him before."

Nita gestures for Otoha to take up at the ICP this time; it does have the regular functions on top of library processing...
Edited 2021-02-06 17:00 (UTC)
bakegarasu: (ooh what you say?)

[personal profile] bakegarasu 2021-02-06 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'll tell you about it some other ti -" He pauses, hearing something in his head. A bell, as clear as if it were right next to him. "... I don't need to check. She's here. ... I need to go."

Without waiting for a response he dashes out from the library, starting to dart through train doors and down the length of the train towards the platform.
unfavorableinstigation: Foresty background (Forest)

[personal profile] unfavorableinstigation 2021-02-06 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"... Huh?!"

There's a distinct pause where Nita just stares after him.

"Guess there really is no such thing as coincidence."

Maybe she should give him a minute? Nita counts to ten, counts to ten again - then goes to pick up the books again.

Maybe she can drop them off outside his room, if nothing else...
blitzcheer: (distantskies)

[personal profile] blitzcheer 2021-02-06 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
He gives a short hum in confirmation for the tether.

"But they go back where they came from, right? Didn't someone ask about it during that big Q&A? Where else would they be going 'cept back?"

Even if it didn't make a lot of sense, he held hope onto that. Felt and sounded pretty sure in the idea, whether or not he didn't remember clearly a confirmation.