voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post March]

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A New Platform [Intro Post March]

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!

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"Hey. Just the lady I was looking for."

True enough, Roland's busy bee happens upon the standard car where Yuume sits. In his arms are various items and papers, but he seems unfazed with the bustling around the train as he lays everything down on the table.

"I guess it's time for us to talk, huh? Are you free at the moment?"

Better to get straight to the point, he thinks.

"Ah-" Well, speak of the devil then- "If you have time to spare, certainly," she answers with a calm smile. "I have my laptop with me in case I need to pull up any visuals clearer than what my glove can offer..." Yuume adds, pulling it out from the side. "But for now at least, let's focus on what you need to know first."

Roland nods and slides himself easily into the opposite end of the booth. All the items in his pile, from a couple of books to supplies from his world, are carefully nudged so he can see Yuume without obstruction...save one. A small brown tome with gold trimmings lays in front of him, the title clear as day. The Twelve Tales of Wonder.

However, for now he pays it no mind.

"Your laptop huh? I keep forgetting you can order regular gadgets from home. I have my phone from Earth, but it's pretty useless without signal. Heh. Anyway. Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" He says pleasantly, hands folded on top of the other as his elbows rest on the table. However, the small smile he sported seconds ago carefully drops into a thin frown, serious in all regards. "If you're ready to talk shop...Were you able to find out more about beings who share souls?"

"Mnnh. There isn't anything that can be done over a network of course, but it's vital for anyone I'm working with while inside any soul."

Now, that aside. "I don't have much- when it comes to those who share a soul, my main experience is in those who were originally the same person- the same 'soul', but then split in two. I did try searching through what research books I still had downloaded," she adds, "But there's very little on the matter unfortunately. With the two that I worked with at home, I do know that their connection was very much akin to an exaggerated 'twin connection'. If you think about how in books, or other media, twins will often seem to know what the other is thinking, or feeling, or simply have a sort of sense about their condition, it was very much like that. More than that, they even shared the same space for their soul." A pause, and she adds- "This was in fact something that failed to clue me in to their actual condition- a shared 'dream' is typical for any set of twins, especially identical- that the same thing occurred with connected souls was coincidence, if anything."

He listens, more than ever, intent clear in the dip of his brow and the way his body leans forward so that he doesn't miss a single word out of Yuume's lips. What he hears reassures and confuddles, but he won't jump to conclusions. Far from it, his mind is already wandering and searching for things to cling to; that no, they weren't the same person, he doesn't think. Right? They share the same soul, him and the other, but to be considered twins the way he knows it to be?

Roland glances down at the tome, fresh off the stores. He's already read the tale that he wants to share with Yuume - something to aid in their little experiment - but there's still too much he doesn't know. He shakes his head, speaking steadily yet cautiously.

"But even with a twin connection, let's say," he goes. "What if that bond is one-sided? What if only one twin can feel or sense the other completely?" What if the other one could only feel pain when the second grew stronger? This, he keeps to himself, letting Yuume answer first, but his fingers itching to open the Tales for a second time today just to read it out to her. See what they can do for one another in this regard. Roland giving Yuume the chance to experiment on his particular case; and Yuume potentially discovering more about Roland's existence than he ever could in the second world where it wasn't important up until the end...

"Do you think that's something you could diagnose? Do something about, if it's a problem at all?"

"A onesided bond..." Hmmm. She has to think about this for a moment. Such a thing could perhaps be likened to certain shadows after all- but that's very much different, and she's not certain if that would help out here.

Ultimately though, there's not much else that she can go on. "...Where I came from, most everyone was and is born with a 'shadow'," she begins, pressing on before the question of relevance can arise. "It's a part of the soul that represents who a person is- in most cases. Even the twins I made note of had one- rather, one split in two with them. More to the point however, is the bond between Shadow and Person."

A deep breath, and she gathers her words as simply as she can. "It is possible to remove a shadow- it is possible to even kill a shadow; but this does not do the same to the person. Remove a shadow, and the shadow exists individually without trouble- it can be bound to an object, or simply left to act as a rogue entity, trapped in the world of light as it were. But this isn't the case for the human partner- in that case, despite the connection of heart and mind between the two, they enter a timeless coma until the shadow is replaced. This is the same for if the shadow is killed- the human enters a timelock, until it is replaced. ...In other words, it is a part of a somewhat one-sided bond that can, in fact, be severed- albeit only when something fills the gap."

She pauses- letting Roland take the words to consider them himself, and how it could relate- and then slowly nods. "The relationship of a shadow and their partner isn't the same as twins, or those from the same soul per-say... ...but at the very least, that one-sided sensation is something many are capable of. ...Given what I know of these various situations, I think I could at the very least diagnose the state of such a connection- whether I could do something however, I would not be able to guarantee. That's something I won't be able to determine until after a diagnosis- though with any luck, such a thing won't be a problem at all."

When Yuume finishes, Roland feels he has a better grasp of what has to be done. He closes his eyes briefly, calm on the onset, before the book is opened with a careful hand, a page already dogeared for faster access. But he doesn't read from it just yet, keeping his gaze fixed on the woman who repairs souls for a living...

Shadows couldn't be the same as soulmates, though there's something tugging at his instincts anyway. All it takes is a brief return to a recent memory - though time passes so strangely in the void, he knows exactly when it happened. The tendrils of darkness that gripped his heart, the pain radiating in bursts traveling from his temples to his nape; the tell-tale sign Doloran was working hard to influence his other half without Roland's knowing at all. Where was Roland's influence on Doloran? Not even staving off his cursed hold could do much to Doloran; no, it was the woman, the kingmaker he loved that made him revert back. It was in Evan's final blow, a severing of light that made him see reason. It was never quite Roland himself, not the twin connection they supposedly existed in.

So, why?

Between Roland and Doloran, who was the shadow and who was the person? Or were they perhaps, both --

Yes, there's merit to this endeavor. There has to be. This couldn't be coincidence. And he rarely ignores his own gut. He knows he's made his decision before his better sense can catch up. He finally opens his eyes and quietly reads from the chapter he had marked earlier. The Sixth Tale of Wonder: My Other Self. With a steady tone, lilt even and controlled, Roland narrates of a little girl with bright red hair whose mother took illness. All seemed lost for her in her grief, until one day she meets another who looks precisely like her, with hair just as red as a ruby in the light. Their friend, the blue bird, could no longer fly, and so the girl decided to help this mysterious one by healing the bird with an herb. Soon after, the bird chirped back into the pink of health and flew away. The next day, after parting with the girl who looked like her mirror's reflection, she awakens to find her mother healed in a similar fashion. As if she had never been sick at all.

He pauses, before reading out the final line.

"...Every person in this world has a soul mate - a person in another world with whom they share a soul. Soul mates' destinies are intertwined and occasionally, they even overlap. So should you ever chance to step through a strange door, do not be surprised if you meet someone just like you."

Roland closes the book and lays it back down on the table. The way he faces Yuume now is of no surprise to anyone.

"I'm guessing I don't have to tell you that I'm asking you to diagnose me in particular, huh?" He smirks, though devoid of actual mirth. "Can you do it, Yuume? I'm ready, if you are."

She waits. There's obviously a lot going on in his mind for a few moments, and it's clear why that would be when Roland reads from the book. It sounds like a fairytale- it reads like a fairytale as well.

In her line of work, she's well acquainted with how real fairytales can be.

Slowly, Yuume nods- a show of understanding, that she's hearing what it is Roland is saying. It's strange to think about- the idea of a soulmate, someone mirroring her. But she thinks she can grasp the idea.

Part of her can't help but think of how some of her peers would jump at this for the sake of the research potential. Inwardly, she crushes that thought in disgust.

This is important- from what the very fairytale suggests, it could be a matter of Roland's health.

So Yuume nods- slowly, and then more firmly. "I believe I have the basics of it, yes- from what you've shared, I would hazard a guess that you have met your own soulmate- a situation which could potentially grow dangerous for yourself despite separation depending on." Only himself, she thinks quietly. After all, he had asked about 'one-way' bonds for a reason.

"If there is anything I can do, it is diagnose what is happening with your soul right now. It might take a bit to find what represents that bond, but I can assure you at the least that as a trained professional, non-invasive investigation is my focus. Nothing will so much as be looked to any longer than necessary."

That aside. "I will need to prepare a room in medical for this, however; during the procedure for diagnosis, both of us will be asleep to the waking world. As well, I need to find someone capable of acting as a 'spotter'- someone to watch our bodies."

The way she describes it sounds almost as if Roland will absolutely be present within his own soul.

In fact, that's what she means exactly.

He wouldn't mind offering himself up for Yuume's own personal research, and part of Roland thinks that must be the reason why she would even agree to see his case in the first place. He doesn't know the inner workings of worlds beyond the ones he knows, but Roland imagines soul mates will often differ in both their treatment and definition. It just so happens that the one that came across his way now almost fits enough of the description to help him find out more about himself than anyone ever could in the Second World.

Roland nods decisively.

"I have met him, yes." He'll casually gloss over the fact that his other half successfully stole other people's kingsbonds from them to try and revive a kingdom long gone at the price of millions of souls, but it's something he won't ever forget. "He's reformed now, though." Roland assumes at least, from the last conversation. "But I think you've got the rest of it right on the money."

His voice tapers off as he looks about the car, a couple of people strolling by without batting an eyelash at their direction.

"Can't we do it alone?" He turns back to her, as serious as ever. There's no reason to hide, he knows. It's just as Yuume said; an exploration, a non-invasive look into a soul bound to another in inextricable ways. Nothing to be done without Roland's own consent moving forward, he'll assume. She is a doctor. And yet...

"I'd rather we keep this private if possible. I'll make it so that medical is clear of any hazardous materials around us, or whatever it takes to make it comfortable?"

Yuume considers it for a moment- her response slow, but at least certain of herself. "...It isn't recommended...if there is anyone you can trust with this matter, I would rather a spotter be present. But, it is definitely possible, and I have absolutely performed such cases without a spotter present," she adds, quietly not thinking about how not having a spotter was precisely what saved her entire reputation after one particular incident.

That was a very unique situation, after all. "Ultimately, it is your choice- your mental comfort takes precedence here, as it affects the surroundings within the soul itself."

"Why do you need one, anyway? Do we...thrash? In our sleep?"

But he's still inclined not to ask anyone else to be there for this. He doesn't even know what Yuume will find. More than that, there's no room on this train for personal concern over something like this; so if he can keep it between the two of them, then he will.

"I'd rather we just do this, you and me. Unless there's a greater risk in proceeding without a spotter, I trust I'll be in your good hands."

"Nothing like that..! Part of it is to make sure no one removes my hand from your brow- doing that could cause irreparable damage, as it forces an abrupt separation. However, they would also be able to see what we're doing, through my eyes- it allows an extra bit of input, particularly if there's something being hidden from our vision. The system can't be fooled by those things, as the system isn't 'alive'- and once filtered through that, someone watching the screen can see otherwise."

Ahem. That said. "But, if that's what you'd rather, we can do this alone. As I said, I've done that before, and it would be better to go in with something you're comfortable with while taking the risk, than otherwise."

Ah, that said- "...How soon do you want to do this, however?"

"Now."

He's nothing if not decisive, where it counts. The book in his hand disappears in his Arms Band, and the rest of the pile of items he brought with him are individually placed in the hammerspace afterwards. He speaks as he works, brow straight and shoulders back.

He sees the merit of the spotter, but - but this is just a check-in. A first look. A diagnostic...Surely they were going to be okay, just the two of them?

"Would that be possible, Doc?" A beat. He pauses before absorbing the last parcel in his Arms Band. "Of course, as a fair trade off, I give you my full consent to consolidate and keep any new findings inside my...soul, to your own field of research. It's only fair. You're doing this for free, heh."

Now.

Hooboy. "It is, yes- we just need to make sure that there's an available room in either Triage or Medical, and I'll need to make sure no one can come in. Ah-"

AH!!!

"Oh- I couldn't possibly..! ...well, I suppose a few points perhaps...but I absolutely refuse to use anything too personal..! It's still your soul after all..!"

To be fair to them both, the very nature of what's being looked into should be plenty enough for a Very interesting paper though.

He doesn't flinch even when Yuume gives him such a reaction. Instead, Roland stands and smiles, knowingly almost.

"Exactly. It is my soul." Roland says. "So if it's okay with me, then..." He trails off, cheekily, before taking a few steps towards the direction of Medical, halting only to wait for Yuume to either take the lead or so he can follow hers.

"Either way, I'm ready."

What's the worst that could happen? The risks were minimal if it was exploratory. He can deal with consequences for the price of deeper knowledge. He had to.

"Right." ..Well, she'll follow, and soon enough match pace where it works out- ultimately she's going to have to lead the way once they hit the narrower aisles. "In that case, let's see what room we have to work with."

Roland just nods at that, and as soon as they hit the Medical car, with Yuume scoping out the best place to lay, he gets to work too. Removing the outer layer of his long coat, revealing a black turtleneck and slacks. He starts moving about, removing objects that are otherwise sharp or dangerous just in case. Pushing a bed closer to another, if his understanding of this process is correct; that both had to be asleep for this.

He also wonders if this was the right move, if he should be going about his soul like a trip to the park...

But his curiosity about who he really is wins in the end. If there are dangers fraught inside of him, Yuume would be the first to point it out to him. So he waits for things to get settled for the procedure, patient and still.

While Roland starts to set up, Yuume simply busies herself with the door, setting up what's necessary to make sure no one comes in.

She turns in time to see Roland moving the beds together. "Oh-! We only need a bed for you, actually- I tend to simply sit in the chair. I won't fall out, if that's a worry."

Honestly, if anyone should be worried, it should be Yuume's non-existence chiropractor. Regardless.

"Alright- No one should be able to get in, so I simply need you to lay down as comfortably as possible- let me know when you're ready."

"Oh. If you're sure, then."

He stops pushing the other bed and eventually, ends up sitting on the closest one next to Yuume. He's feeling a little apprehensive, but this - this would be fine, right? Yuume was a professional, a doctor in her field, and even without a spotter...

It was too late to go back now, regardless. His own mind wouldn't be at ease if he doesn't do this for himself.

With a heaviness about his limbs, Roland nods at Yuume in quiet affirmation before setting himself down on the bed, closing his eyes as soon as his head hits the pillow.

"Ready." He swallows thickly, folding his hands over his stomach. Would she instantly put him to sleep? Would she cast a magic spell over him? How would this all play out?

He's eagerly anticipating it just as much as he's nervous to see what kind of world would lie inside someone like him...

A nod, and soon enough Yuume is checking over her glove before nodding. There's no need to set up the laptop, ultimately- if they don't have a spotter after all, no one would be there to watch.

Carefully, she rests the gloved palm over his brow. "Alright- Okaeri."

The passphrase spoken, both of them black out.

...And yet, not.

To Roland, it'll seem as if he blinked- one minute, they're in the medical car, and the next?

They're in what seems to be another world entirely. Roland shouldn't look too different from how he typically appears- it's his own soul, and he doesn't need protection from it. All he should be, is himself.

Yuume however, is in her armor- she is, after all, a 'foreign entity'.

Continuation here because we're gonna get recaptcha'd hehe.

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A New Platform [Intro Post March]

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I'll be leaving the details of the dreamscape/soulscape/etc to you if that's alright?

yessss! :) sorry for the late too, i think i lost this notif!

IT'S ALL GOOD i say three days later

LOL SAME HERE