A New Platform [Intro Post March]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Once again passengers are awoken by the morning announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day One of the month of Kazoo. 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 is thick, the air is warm and humid and there are rumbles of thunder, the air heavy with the promise of rain.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Alfredo Martini, Daia, Enna Alchiba, Lord El-Melloi II, Natsuno Yuuki, Nita Callahan, Saku Gyousou, Sakura, V and Wen Qing

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, and seems smaller with twenty-seven 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.

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'). Those not new to the train will note the addition of an eighth sleeper carriage. The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, it seems the month of Kazoo is defined by the tomato and there are plenty of them.

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 as thunder rumbles further and the storm threatens to break. 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

[fennu]

Jiang Cheng is trying his best, even if that might be something no one else can pick up on. He's tense and on edge - from the proximity of his brother, from knowing that his brother's... Partner is here, from being overwhelmed by it all and not sure how to settle in at all.

The fact that he's trying to be nice to someone far, far younger than him because of the fact that she is being nice to him isn't lost on him, and he feels a little shameful.

"Talismans? That's just going to cause more problems," he scoffs. "Especially if someone can come along and just change a character. Idiots."

[spikelet]

As they say in some of the movies she's watched recently, bingo. A cultivator, and one with opinions. She doesn't relax further, but she does settle a little into herself, satisfied.

"That's right!" She'd seen enough experiments on-board to know that even if she was lying through her teeth about the washing machine, it definitely wasn't something she'd put past a few people. "It's really annoying, but at least our team has laundry this month. We won't mess it up."

He's included in that, even! If he's already doing chores, he'll definitely pull his weight. Her proud conclusion is slightly ruined by her messy folding job, but no one made all these guys grow so tall that she can't reach across to both sleeves of their shirts. That's on them.

[fennu]

"Of course we won't."

Jiang Cheng has been here barely any time at all but he's already on the edge of being a little too proud, a little too arrogant about his position. Of course he'd rather be purple, rather have clothing that matched his Sect, but he can manage. For now.

He's seen the purple clothes. It won't be long.

Without too much hesitation, Jiang Cheng reaches over and adjusts her folding; he raised a child. He knows how to fold clothes that have been thrown around or abandoned. He just doesn't let people know that he knows.

[spikelet]

A hum of smug agreement, and she goes back to-- ah? With mild confusion, she loosens her grip on the fabric to allow him full rein over them, and follows the movements, over, under, crease and fold, until she's blinking down at a neat armful of clothing.

How did that happen?

"Thanks, big brother!" And then, because her own pride has just taken a blow from how easy he made that look, she grabs another shirt. "Show me again?"

[fennu]

Jiang Cheng might be a Sect Leader, might be the fearsome Sandu Shengshou, but he's also an uncle that has often been accused of being both a little too doting and a little too mean all at the same time. Folding clothes is easy; it's not as hard as, say, facing your brother, or dealing with Cultivation Conferences.

As soon as he hears the words big brother, though, his hands fumble. He has to pretend, almost tersely, that he's not going a little bit pink. He shakes his head before he grabs another piece of clothing and begins.

"Fine, but pay attention, I'm only going to do it one more time."

[spikelet]

Given his reaction, she doubts that ultimatum. Still, she nods and watches closely, trying to memorise the neat movements. Like that, and then that... Alright.

"I've got it," she decides, because even if she's sure he'd show her again if she wheedled for it, she wants to make a good impression. He might be an unknown quantity, a strange cultivator, but he's also helping her with very little prompting, and that forms the majority of a-Qing's growing good opinion.

She's out of shirts, though, so she ducks down to retrieve one from the basket, and starts to re-fold it in mimicry of him. "Ah, I'm a-Qing, blue team, sleeper 1-E."

[fennu]

At least someone pays attention when he’s teaching - it makes a change from his nephew, who generally seems more inclined to charge off and make a nuisance of himself these days than listen to the wise words of his uncle. It’s nice to be listened to without screaming, even if he knows who to blame for Jin Ling’s attitude.

There’s no real need to now to her, since she’s not a Sect Leader or Chief Cultivator, but there’s also no need to be aggressively rude. At least not yet. Instead, Jiang Cheng steps away to give her a little space before he offers a nod of his head.

“I am Jiang Wanyin of the Jiang Yunmeng Sect. I am currently in blue team as well.”

[spikelet]

Ah?

She's almost done with the last fold - a decent attempt - and halfway through her own nod in return, when his name and all of its riders arrive in her head in a cacophony of exclamation marks. So many of the cultivators here are renowned, or infamous, she should have expected that he wouldn't just be some disciple or rogue.

"Yunmeng--- Sandu Shengshou?" It's hard to forget a name that she'd followed desperately through five townships. And he's here, a Voidtrecker like her! "Are you him?"

[fennu]

The reaction isn't one he's necessarily used to - people are more likely to be afraid of him or say something cruel or mocking than they are to be excited at his arrival. The fact that she knows him doesn't come as a shock, at least at first, because many people know of him by reputation, but to have it said here? That does make him stop.

"Yes, that is correct. I am Sandu Shengshou." Despite the fact that he does not have Sandu with him, another burden he has to bear. Still, she's clearly not of Yunmeng by clothing and he lets his arms cross, head tilting just a little.

"Have you visited, A-Qing?"

[spikelet]

"Mm, no, I wanted to, but it's a long way to walk from Shudong and I didn't know the way." Her response, still eager, is tempered by the memory of that journey months ago, but she doesn't it show through for long. By the time she's emptied her hands and offered a clumsy bow, only interest remains. "What's it like?"

[fennu]

“Perhaps one day, then.”

Jiang Cheng is clearly proud of his home and his stature changes, just a little. His shoulders straighten and something like a smile settles on his face. Lotus Pier is beautiful, even after the destruction it had suffered, and all he can do is voice that with a little melancholy. He already misses it.

“Yunmeng is beautiful, of course. Lotus Pier is as it sounds, waters filled with the plants and the Sect growing on its edges. It is a sight to see.”

[spikelet]

"After we're done here," she decides, clearly enthralled by the imagery, "Or if I get sent back, I'll definitely visit and see for myself."

Several more questions flit through her mind, so she shamelessly grabs some of his laundry to hang up, minnow-quick; she needs the excuse to stick around. "Do you-- ah, it's no good, I don't know what to ask first. Do you have any questions for me? I've been here a few months, you know!"

[fennu]

Jiang Cheng can't help but look at her with a kind of amusement that reminds him of parenting Jin Ling; the excitement, the hundreds of questions, the general warmth and overwhelming... Nature of it all. It's almost painfully nostalgic now that A-Ling is all grown up.

"If I think of any I'll ask you," he nods, letting her take control of the laundry, as if he's not savvy to her plotting. "But you should visit. I am sure all of Yunmeng would be welcoming."

[spikelet]

"Alright!" She nods, earnest, and reaches up for more clothes pegs. It's strange to think of, that the 'her' who might have been able to miraculously escape Xue Yang on that riverbank and make it to Yunmeng would have been an exhausted, ragged beggar that no one would have looked twice at. She's really changed, huh? Getting invitations from a sect leader.

"Were you on a night hunt before you came here?" Fishing for stories is always safer than pursuing that line of thought.

[fennu]

It's not as though the Jiang Sect would really turn anyone away - not when they had a history of adopting beggars, quite literally. Their Head Cultivator had been an adopted child who had been on the streets for long enough that he had such an intense fear of dogs Jiang Cheng had to give up his own. With their Sect regrowing too...

He hoped anyone would come to them if they needed it.

"I wasn't," he admits, shaking his head. "I had returned to my Sect after some political issues."

Which is putting it lightly, but she doesn't need to know that.

[spikelet]

Given the results of their most well-known commoner disciple, or at least the majority of rumours about him, she'd understand if they'd changed their policy.

Her nose scrunches at the mention of politics. She'd ask which sects, but with time being so strange, he could be from any time at all. It could be with the Wens, or with... she doesn't remember. Other people.

"There were political issues here for a while," she tries, instead. "But then the guy who called himself leader left the train, and no one wants a new one."

[fennu]

There's always a political issue or something for him to deal with and Jiang Cheng hates that part of leading one of the major sects. It's annoying more than anything else, frustrating beyond reckoning, but he can manage it for now. He can muster the mental strength to deal with dreaded paperwork.

"Leader?" His nose wrinkles. "A cultivator? Or someone else?"

[spikelet]

"Someone else. A hero-blacksmith. He looked older, and he was ill a lot." She crouches to start hanging clothes on the lower sections of the drying rack. It's easier for her to reach, after all. "He wasn't a bad guy, but sometimes people talk as if he was. Making themselves look righteous, probably."

[fennu]

That makes Jiang Cheng snort.

"I know the kind of people you're talking about. It's probably a good thing his gone."

scene fade soon??

[spikelet]

"If I was a leader, I'd have to stop myself kicking people to death," she mutters, thinking of some of the idiocy she's seen around the train. It's definitely an exaggeration, but only insofar as she'd probably only kick them a few times.

She arranges the last sock on the lowest line of the rack, and stands up, wiping her hands on her hoody in brisk motions. "Okay, we're all done here! Have you eaten yet? Have you seen the kitchens?"

sure!!

[fennu]

Jiang Cheng can't help but empathise; more often than not he wants nothing more than to kick some people down the stairs. One particular person comes to mind, and he has very good experience of falling down stairs. But he resists.

"No, I haven't. I have not explored much."

[spikelet]

She's glad, it means she can spend some more time with him. And maybe think up what questions to ask!

"That's alright. I'll show you around." The dry laundry in the basket gets a look, and is promptly ignored. She'll come back up and get it later, definitely. For now, she checks her hands aren't damp any more, and reaches for the excess gather of sleeve at his wrist. And, since he didn't object the first time, "C'mon, big brother."