A New Platform [Intro Post February]

[voidtreckermods]

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!

Comments

Vexen | Orange Team | One closed prompt, otherwise open

[thawed_pride]

[Closed to Xion and Taiki - Platform]

The clouds of white steam were quite unlike the curling shadows of a dark corridor, and a disorienting shift from the laboratory he'd only recently returned to. He noticed the cold immediately, a welcome quality to the area in his mind, but something about the place...it set his teeth on edge, like he was uncomfortably close to something dangerous.

Immediately, he searched the bag he felt hanging from his shoulders and found what he was looking for. The black coat easily fit over the hoodie, it's familiar weight offering a sense of protection. He didn't know if the garment's protective magic would work against whatever uncertain threat had his nerves wound tight, or whatever magic had brought him here so suddenly, but it was better than nothing. With that, he drew himself up to his full, rather imposing height, and banished the rucksack in a flicker of cold mist and curling shadows.

[Meet and Greet - Open, Platform]

His first encounter on the platform...well, it could have gone better. Though he looked physically no worse for the wear, a distracted melancholy had settled over his features. Things were even stranger here than he'd thought, and he kept finding his hand drifting to his chest, where the muted shadow of a painful tightness pretended to clutch his heart.

There would be time to sort out his feelings later. He adjusted his coat, hood down so that his face was clearly visible, and strode toward the nearest person.

"You there, pardon me." His tone was matter-of-fact, but with the awkwardness of someone who wasn't used to just approaching people like this. He was so used to working recon in a covert group, simply questioning people who might know something felt strange and wrong. "What do you know of this place, and why we are here?"

Re: Vexen | Orange Team | One closed prompt, otherwise open

[nobodys_puppet]

Xion had come out to the platform to look for Roxas as usual. She was her usual afraid self, hunched in as she searched. She spotted Taiki and a few other faces she knew and then a flash of black. Roxas?

She spun to face the familiar flutter of black jacket, and Taiki would feel a flash of hope followed by... terror.

That... that was not Roxas. Worse, she didn't know who it was. But.. it was one of the members of the Organization. Panic. Terror. She burst into motion. But she wasn't running away from the stranger. She was rushing towards him. She would not let him hurt anyone here, whoever he was. She wished she had spotted Axel so they could have faced him together, but she wasn't running away to find Axel. Who knew who could be hurt in the time it would take her?

She rushed to stand between Vexen and the train, taking a defensive position, her hood hiding most of her face, as usual. Her shoulders were set and she looked furious, or at least.. determined. Axel would have seen the fear in her, because he knew her so well, but he wasn't there. Taiki was though, and he'd be able to feel it roiling off of her. This was the most afraid Taiki would have ever sensed her....

But she was NOT going to let anyone from home hurt anyone here.

I'M HERE

[longforgottenpromise]

Taiki was also wearing his black coat, the one Lea had bought him, it was good against the cold and today it was sorely needed. He had watched the people leave silently, remembering their names, hopefully he would be able to paint some later.

The hope was different, unusual from Xion but the terror made him move towards her, looking around for the threat. But Xion wasn't running away, wasn't hiding. Instead she was running towards someone...

Someone in a black coat. Taiki moved through the crowd until he was at her side. She was terrified. Absolutely terrified but she stood between the person and... everyone else.

He stepped next to her, watching warily. Unsure of what was happening here.

[melodiouspacifist]

He'd had his back to Vexen at the time and then let out a little yelp of surprise when he turned around to see him.

"Hey, Vexy, hey!" Demyx said letting out a nervous giggle. His eyes weren't norted anymore but when he saw that Vexen's were, he seemed to relax his posture, if only a fraction.

"What're you doing here?"

[thawed_pride]

He hadn't expected to see Demyx, but then...maybe he should have. Who else wore their hair in such a ridiculous style? It was something of a relief, seeing a friendly face, though it struck him as odd that Demyx's eyes were blue again. On an impulse, he reached up to feel one of his own ears, but...of course it was still pointed. He could feel that shard of foul darkness, still lodged firmly inside him.

He added that to his list of questions to ask, and let his hand drop with a sigh.

"If you'd been listening, you would know that I just asked you that precise question. It was not my choice to come here, nor did I receive any manner of explanation. I was hoping someone else might be better informed."

The important part said, he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Demyx.

"And just what is that childish nickname?"

Meet and greet

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin was wandering the platform in his black jeans, black laceup boots, and black jean jacket, with his orange hoodie tied around his waist by its sleeves. He turned as soon as he saw Vexen with his hand held to his chest.

He answered when Vexen spoke. He nodded at the train, which was parked but still steaming. "That's the Voidtrecker Express, a transport vehicle which travels the multiverse. It collects passengers from various worlds, with the intention of recruiting us as Void Warriors. It goes to worlds that are in some sort of trouble, and we help the people there. The only downside is that the train doesn't ask us for permission before collecting us. But the missions are satisfying, at least I have found them to be so."

[thawed_pride]

He scowled at that, lifting a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He briefly glanced down at the familiar looking orange hoodie, filing it away as a detail to ask about later.

"Quite the questionable recruitment method. Had they seen fit to draft me but a day earlier, they would have found me in the midst of something exceedingly urgent. Moreover, it seems outright suspect. I would have gladly agreed, had they made such a request of me, and I'm certain I am not unique in that regard. Have you received any explanation as to why we are not offered a choice in the matter?"

WHY HELLO...

[shadowslipping]

Yuume is, perhaps appropriately, in violet. The rather tall woman- 5'8'' isn't exactly average in Japan, and that's certainly where she came from- turns, apparently unbothered by the awkwardness.

If anything, it's painfully familiar albeit for different reasons. "I don't know if it'll be what passes for sufficient information, but I'll do my best," she answers rather calmly. "...but we've been rather blindly plucked from time and space to act as part of this train's rescue operations."

She continues, though it's clear she's not certain about what she's talking about. "...Thus far, there seems to be some greater threat the train hopes to build a possible offense against, but the trouble is that we can't quite communicate with it clearly on any level- it doesn't operate with a very organic mindset, so the most that we know is that the threat 'exists', and is something it's avoiding at all costs for now... ...For that matter, it's become a fugitive craft for the people that built it- hence why it's forced to gather a crew from unaware people suiting its parameters."

Hello! Been a while since we've shared a game.

[thawed_pride]

She is taller than any of the women he knows, though he still towers over her at 6'5". Different worlds, though, have different standards of normal, and so her height barely registers as worthy of note.

He taps a hand against his chin in thought, glancing briefly toward the train.

"That explains the lack of prior communication. Blindly grabbing out of desperation would not offer much of an opportunity to explain the situation and properly request assistance. A fugitive craft...did this 'threat' annihilate the train's point of origin?"

Meet and Greet

[firewalled]

"Woah!" Rich is startled by the approach of someone on the train's platform, especially someone in such a weird outfit. The coat is... familiar, but he keeps his mouth shut about that, instead shrugging one shoulder.

"Depends what you want to know, tall, dark and creepy. The simple explanation is this is a magical train that travels to different worlds, and we're all passengers because apparently the train needs us to play hero for a bit."

[thawed_pride]

He rolls his eyes at the moniker, head even tilting slightly to emphasize it. It's not the worst thing he's been called, but he's definitely tired of things like that.

"The coat may be unnerving, but it serves its purpose. On that note, I've heard multiple things about what we're needed for. Is this mysterious 'threat' the train fears connected to the assistance it asks us to provide to the worlds we visit?"

Meet and Greet

[paopuofyourlife]

Kairi didn't know why she had gone to the platform. Maybe it was simply because she had some hope that she might get to see her friends again this time. But after some look around and not seeing any of them she had soon accepted the fact that they weren't here.

That was okay it just meant she could train more, improve a lot more and show them when they finally did arrive.

However she soon paused, looking over at the other close by. She did recognize that coat, but the person wearing the coat she couldn't recognise. But because of that, she just had to know. So making her way over she figured to speak.

"Interesting coat you have there."

[thawed_pride]

Kairi might not have recognized him, but he remembered her. She was taller than he remembered, but given it had been a year since the last time he'd had anything directly to do with the Keyblade heroes, that only made sense. Her heart, at least, was still as radiant as he remembered.

When he noticed her approaching, he frowned slightly, but...she didn't seem confrontational, like Xion had. Of course she commented on the coat, and he brushed his shoulder in response, as if smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles.

"Quite useful, as well. Worry not, child, I am no ally of Xehanort's."

[10billionpercent]

Senku had been thinking about something but he looked up when Vexen caught his attention. Like the new arrival, he was in orange.

"Quite a bit. This is the Voidtrecker Express. It's a train that brings people onto it against their will for the purpose of saving the places it brings us." He answered easily enough.

"Everyone you see here is in the same position as you."

[thawed_pride]

He nodded, and tapped a finger against his chin.

"I've heard as much, so far. I have also heard something to the effect of the train fleeing some unknown threat, and not having the capacity to make detailed choices about who it brings aboard. Is that accurate?"

Meet and Greet

[swansongs]

Dyme actually perked up a little when he was questioned, nodding a bit. "This is the Voidtrecker Express," he gestured to the train, "And we're here because the train 'needs us'-" Yeah, he did the finger quotes and everything. "-to save other worlds and the people who live on them. I still stick by the fact that they could've just asked for volunteers instead of kidnapping people, but." He shrugged.

"Aside from the missions, it's not too bad here."

[thawed_pride]

He nodded in agreement, then rested one hand on his hip with a huff.

"I'm in perfect agreement with you, there. I would have readily volunteered for something of that nature, but I would have quite liked to let my...compatriots know, beforehand. They're going to be quite concerned over my sudden absence, as things stand."

[miseris_socios]

Ken looks up at the guy. And then up, and then up. He frowns and crosses his arms. "No idea. I just got here, too."

[thawed_pride]

He notices how far the boy is craning his head to look at him, and bends down to be closer to his level. He's still a little above eye level, but it shouldn't be uncomfortable to look him in the face.

"You arrived by yourself?"

meet and greet

[irrationally]

Thankfully Alice doesn't look shy in the slightest about someone just approaching her and speaking up like that. Sure, the way he's saying it sounds kind of awkward, but considering to the way she's hearing random strangers talk on the streets of London - in not exactly the friendliest manner of conversation - this hardly even makes her blink.

Especially since it's so obvious this must just be some new person if he's going around and asking this in the first place.

"It's a train that travels to different worlds," Alice says, so casually. Like it's the most normal thing in the world. (To be fair, she's seen stranger.) "And it seems to deem us heroes who must save said worlds."

[thawed_pride]

The concept isn't especially strange to him either, though he can't think of why someone would make their inter-world transport vehicle in the shape of a train rather than some sort of boat or plane. Still, it's a better choice by most standards than simply walking through the darkness to reach your destination.

"Have you noticed any sort of pattern as to what those worlds must be saved from?"

Meet & Greet

[controlsthedie]

Thanatos still wears his red hoodie and other train-issued clothing. However, he's floating above the ground and seemingly lost in thought until someone calls out to him.

"You've been captured by the train to help worlds other than your own." While others might paint the whole ordeal in a more favorable light, Thanatos still cannot help but consider this being captured. His circumstances differ wildly from others. "But I would ask someone else. I was only trapped a platform before this one."

And he's been in some level of mental and emotional (Why does he have these?!) distress for 16 days straight. Thanatos is really not the best passenger to get an introduction from.

[thawed_pride]

"I was already in the midst of assisting worlds other than my own. If that is, indeed, the goal, then I must surmise that the train has little awareness of what situations it pulls people from. Otherwise, it would have waited at minimum another day, until it was certain my side would have no more need of me."

True, it would have been worse to take him even earlier, but even with his planned role finished, he wouldn't be certain until it was over that he wouldn't need to step in again. He's not at all sure how he would fare in direct combat against the likes of Marluxia or Larxene, let alone any of the actual Xehanorts, but...at least he knew he could have tried, if they needed him.

Meet n Greet

[bodyoftheseus]

V had eventually decided to get himself on the train and take stock of what this place was and, hopefully, find somewhere quiet to do a more in depth system scan and check for inconsistencies. You don't come back from being an AI merged with hundreds of others unscathed, oh no. Also? It was really cold. This platform had a chill to it he'd never felt while in California or Georgia.

He turned to the sound of the voice that had called out, seeing if it was directed at him. It was. V had a horrible case of resting bitch face, but he didn't seem to particularly mind being called out to. He held himself with a certain confidence and authority that he was comfortable with whatever the hell was currently happening and he couldn't really blame the guy for thinking that maybe he had some information. What V couldn't stop himself from doing was looking the man head to toe because of the strange garb. He looked like some goth kitsch that walked off the street. It was certainly an aesthetic.

"Not much, just arrived as well." A beat. "Seems the people who've been here are mostly resigned." That is, nobody seems glad to be here.

Wildcard ; roommate

[stardustofdawn]

At the end of the day, once Vexen gets to know some of the passengers and it's a simple matter of time before he finds his way to his assigned cabin room to retire and sleep. When he opens the cabin door, there's one occupant in there. Xingchen knows his roommates, so when he sees the other man entering.

He looks up from the book he's reading, "Hello? Oh, you must be new. Welcome. I'm afraid you can't be picky with the bed since three are taken, so take the empty one at the top bunk."