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

more tears bc the train is a big stinky

[fightcreamsundae]

Cherry had missed all the lead up to Xander laying on the floor in a crumpled mess, but she ended up wandering this way because something in her gut recommended she do, recommended she check on things in the engine room. Here she found Xander as he was and she carefully stepped around him to crouch before him. She spoke in a soft and gentle voice, the same she used when the kids were upset.

"Hey there, are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need help?"

Her ears are back a little, her tail moving side to side gently. She emanates a genuine and profound worry, hope that he's okay and maybe just tired and found a weird place to take a nap.

the stinkiest

[emerald_mirror]

Xander shifts position, startled--doinking his head off the train wall and grunting, though he does make a little exhaled breath at the emotional jumble she's projecting. Were he a telepath, he might actually laugh--who'd want to sleep at this place? Not even him, not when he's got a bed to go back to.

"Uhh define 'okay'. I'm not hurt..." Here, he chuckles weakly. "If I thought you could help I'd accept, but..." He just shook his head, though he sits up and turns to face her. He blinks a little.

"Heey, when did you get back?" Don't ask him her name, but he at least remembers her face. Or ears. Really, it's the ears.

[fightcreamsundae]

Cherry didn't know! People did weird things all the time! Surely there were much more comfortable places to rest, but she wasn't gonna judge!

Her tail moved a little bit more as he explained that she couldn't really help. It made her more worried, but she also took it a little bit as a challenge.

"I got back just today, apparently. I didn't even know I left." As she spoke of not knowing that she left there was a little bit of unease, but it's not as much as Xander might expect. She blinked at him, then stood and offered her hands to him. "Lemme make you some drinking chocolate, or something. Your name's Xander, right?"

If he took too long to take her hands she would close her hands and open them a few times, slow gimmie hands. Once he did take her hands she would haul him up to his feet with relative ease. Boy was a lot lighter than he looked.

[emerald_mirror]

"I hear that's the way it goes. You walk off, and you might be back where you were! Family, memories, all that good stuff! But then when you come back here, it's like static. Whatever might've happened...who knows?" He shrugs. "But I've been here since the last time you were here...whenever that was."

Xander might try to check a calendar, if he could find one on the train.

"Yeah, I'm Xander. I'm sorry, I don't remember your name. Just the ears. You're a kitty lady. But that's kind of rude..." He trails off and lifts his hands up, letting her pull him up, though he does help. Man she's strong too, though! He can't help but bounce and flare his wings a little to keep his balance.

"There might be some cookies I baked left in the kitchen, too." Beats sitting around here getting brief, base acknowledgement at best from the train. If that.

[fightcreamsundae]

"I mean I remember everything while I was here last, and everything before that, but as far as I thought I didn't leave? So wherever I went in between I guess is just lost." She shrugged. No point in being upset over what she couldn't change, can't miss what you didn't have. "The month I last remember was called Horseshoe, if that helps."

She smiled a little as she hoisted him up, mostly at being called a kitty lady. Her tail curled in amusement at it, and she chirped a little instead of a giggle. "It's okay. I'm sure it's been a little while for you and we didn't have the opportunity to talk a lot. On the roster I'm Siobahn Chereshei, but I go by Cherry, mostly." She met his gaze when he was on his feet, closing her eyes with her smile. "There's another kitty lady like me, with purple hair. She's my aunt Q'uila Sunrise. Don't get us confused, okay?" It's a small joke, very light-hearted. There was no way in hell he could confuse the two of them.

She linked her arm in his - unless he specifically pulled away or didn't want to - and walked with him through the stores and towards the kitchen. "So you're the one that baked all the cookies that Mr. Soldat is handing out?"

[emerald_mirror]

"Oh, no. Mr. Soldat, they probably baked those cookies themselves. There's a lot of people on the train, and I just try to help out where I can. Cookies are cookies, if you like chocolate chip, you're welcome to them." He hadn't gotten Ariana's recipe down before he'd left Artepus, so Mami helping him learn to bake had only been beneficial.

Cherry's distraction was helpful. "Oh, if she has purple hair, I couldn't mess you two up. Entirely a different color and stuff! I'm Xander, even though the train has my full name on the roster." Though he does snicker a little, leaning in to whisper.

"There's actually two of me, but my brother's not here, so the fact that I'm twins doesn't mess anyone up." The clone part might be worse, but he didn't divulge that much if he could help it. He enjoyed the arm link, so he didn't pull away at all. "It's probably kitchen time anyhow, someone's gonna get hungry."

Someone is the fluffball bat hanging from his right braid.

[fightcreamsundae]

"I am a fan of all things sweet: candy or baked. So I will happily take as many cookies as can be spared." Her ears wiggle happily at the thought of cookies. "That being said!" She raised one finger conspiratorially and looked up at Xander, a playful and mischievous look on her face. "I am an expert on such things! You shall be judged!" Her mischievous expression melts away into simply a good-natured smile.

It definitely turned into a look of surprise as he divulges he's a twin, but she just giggles. "Maybe the others'd get confused, but twins smell different and, well, being a kitty lady doesn't stop at ears, a tail, and some fangs." She tugged him right along into the kitchen with her smile as she finally notices the little puff, gasping in delight.

"Is that someone this little ball of cute? Huh??" She sort of assigns a spot for Xander to sit on a counter somewhere, near the promised cookies. "You sit. Here. I'll take care of everything." For a moment she's serious, before her eyes and face light up again. "And what does this one eat, huh?" She was gazing at the little bat, then she looked back to Xander.

"And you? There's probably still some stuff for some drinking chocolate, or I could make you some nice hot tea, maybe a sandwich..."

[emerald_mirror]

"It is, her name's Cottonball and she's a Kiroptyran. My familiar." The bat opened tiny oildrop eyes and yawned to show a mouthful of teeth, gazing about sleepily. He does good-naturedly hop up on the counter, tucking his wings in against his back, because no one needs bits of feathers in their prep area.

"She eats fruit, mostly. Strawberries are her favorite, though she likes these things called rolanberries, too. They kind of look like each other, but the rolanberries are bigger. Someone planted them in the greenhouse and we all try to keep them going."

Xander thinks about it a moment, and then shrugs. "Make whatever you want to make yourself and I'll share? I dunno how much I want to eat, and I've never been the picky sort, no reason to start now. She'll start complaining sooner than I will," he says, giving an eye to the bat. Cottonball just puffs up at him a little and squeaks. He just gives Cherry a look as if to say 'See what I mean?'

[fightcreamsundae]

Cherry is absolutely smitten with Cottonball, cooing when she opened her little eyes and yawned. The love on Cherry's face for this little creature is so very plain both on her face and otherwise. At the mention of rolanberries Cherry's ears perk up and she looks invigorated as she smiles.

"There's rolanberries here now? Really? I love rolanberries! Is there enough to make rolanberry cheesecake yet? I'll have to make it sometime!" And, conspiratorially, she looked back to Cottonball and spoke with a little more hushed voice to the bat. "And if Xander allows it, I could use a little helper that can help me test the rolanberries I pick." Yes, this is an invitation to eat as many rolanberries as the little bat could without getting sick while she made cake pie.

"Hmm, okay." She took a cookie and took a bite out of it as she rummaged about the kitchen and found a small bowl, something you may use to serve a dipping sauce of some sort, and set it on the counter next to the prep space nearest to Xander. She then held what was left of the cookie with her mouth as she dug through the fridge for some fruit. Her tail was twitching as she thought about things, but she emerged with a handful of things, which she also sat next to the prep space.

"This is really good!" She held the cookie up towards Xander, then took another bite. "You ever think about adding some cinnamon to it? Gives 'em a little extra kick. The kids loved chocolate chip and cinnamon cookies." She shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth as she fished out a knife and started to cut some fruit up and put them it into the small bowl for Cottonball.

[emerald_mirror]

"I don't know, she was using them to make...cake? I think? Or topping cake with them?" Xander shrugged. He hadn't paid a whole lot of attention at the time. Though he's at least a little amused by the way Cottonball seems to have another convert. Amused, but not surprised. She's cute. Though were he asked, he'd say Cherry was equally cute, too.

Oh no. Oh no. The bat practically danced in Xander's palm as Cherry invited her to 'test' the rolanberries, and the nephilim's eyes went wide. "You're gonna get too fat to fly doing that!" he exclaimed. "Don't give her total free reign, please. She needs to be able to fly sometimes. Or at least like...toss her up and catch her and make her flutter so she gets some exercise?"

Xander's brows went up a bit--but Cherry had said she'd be critiquing his technique, so he really couldn't feel offended. "Siobhan," he said, mostly testing out his pronunciation--pretty good, but then again, being a mage, pronunciation was important! "Uh. Cherry. No. I hadn't, mostly because I'm still learning. You know how they say, to try to perfect the method first, and then expand? Yeah, that. But it does sound good, so I'll try it!"

Cottonball was watching Cherry cut up the fruit--and she practically divebombed on to it from Xander's braid. He couldn't help it--he started snickering at his bat because she was just...such a glutton.

"Watch out for your fingers, she's vicious!" Not really, not vicious. Just voracious.

[fightcreamsundae]

"If she were gonna make the same thing I wanna make then you top a cheesecake with a wonderful rolanberry compote. By the time it's made it's sweet and sticky, there's just a hint of lemon to the cheesecake to bounce off of and balance the sweetness of the compote. It's one of my favorites!"

Cherry giggled at Xander's surprise, speaking quietly to him so hopefully the little bat didn't hear. "I have experience with feeding gaelikittens and gaelicats. I'll be sure to make a game of it so she doesn't get too big." She winked. "I'm also used to babysitting toddlers who try to eat everything while I make stuff."

The use of her real name actually made her pause and actually look back to Xander - usually her real name was only used when there was trouble afoot so the reaction was sharp and fast, though she relaxed when she saw nothing was wrong, resuming her cutting and putting fruit into the small bowl.

"Adding a little cinnamon or a pinch of clove is a super easy way to add a little something extra to chocolate chip. I've never met someone who hasn't liked the twist."

As Cottonball divebombed and Xander warned about her fingers, Cherry laughed. She very gently and with a movement of someone used to creatures causing such trouble used her hand as a barrier to what she was working on and gently directed Cottonball towards the bowl. There was some cut up fruit in it already that she could work on. Cherry was almost done anyhow, she was just cutting some grapes up into more manageable pieces for her.

"Good thing I'm not made of fruit or I'd be worried!" She cut a few more grapes up and slipped them into the bowl with the rest of what was there, then put the fruit away. She started gathering up the things she needed to make a proper drinking chocolate and dug out spices - cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice. Xander may notice that in her searching for the spices she seemed to do it by smell - pulling out a jar, opening it to sniff, putting it away if it wasn't right or setting it on the counter if it was. She didn't bother to check the labels.

"I'm not super hungry for real food, so I think some drinking chocolate. It's still filling, but it's not food you know? Also a warm drink and something sweet kinda lifts the mood, I think." She smiled warmly to him as she started the stove. "Though I hope my company's been enough for that. It's okay if not. Won't hurt my feelings."