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

[wishalone]

A father dying to save his kid...

Kyoko is quiet again... or, almost. She's still eating those chips. But Yondu grouching is something she can work with — is close to comfortable, even.

"Somebody's definitely slacking," she agrees, forcing bravado up into her voice. That, at least, is easy. "Once we figure out who, we should beat their faces in."

[yondu]

"You kiddin'? I absolutely got a few choice threats saved up. But I need to get a little more inventive. I'm havin' trouble comin' up with enough variations of shovin' my foot up someone's ass."

Talk of death, especially a kid's death (even if he doubts she thinks of herself as that) is such a heavy topic that being a dipshit is the safest place to hide.

"You come up with any, let me know."

He flips the sandwich one last time and puts it on a plate. "Go ahead an' cut this one how you like. Soup should be hot. Bowls over there, utensils over there." He points to where he's indicating. He'll make himself some too.

[wishalone]

A sandwich like this probably needs to be cut diagonally, right? She thinks that's what Mami would do. She thinks about doing his, too, but maybe he's going to want it another way, and she doesn't want to ask, so she just cuts hers.

"Detail is always good," she advises wisely. "But so's variety. Don't just stick with the foot in the ass thing. Talk about how you're gonna break all their fingers one by one or something."

[yondu]

"What if they don't got asses or fingers? Then what are we gonna do? We need back-up plans."

When he's finished up with his, he plates it, pours the last of the soup into a bowl, and sets aside the skillet and pan to be tackled by the next unfortunate dishwashing victim.

He doesn't have any particular way he likes his sandwiches, but he does seem to enjoy how, after he cuts this one, it strings cheese between the sides. Alien life has discovered a new joy in melted cheese this day.

[wishalone]

Rather than taking it to the dining carriage, Kyoko just hops up to sit on the counter next to the wrappers of cheese and the discarded soup can. Her bag of chips joins the detritous.

The cheerful topic of violence is completely derailed by chow time.

Her sandwich was the first one, so it's had time to cool down enough for her to pick up and bite into. The cheese pulls, trailing between her mouth and the sandwich, and she makes a noise of surprise. Happy surprise.

"'S good," she manages around her mouthful. After sandwich has been reduced to mush, she adds, "Way better than the chips."

[yondu]

"Uh huh" he says to the best of his ability, the discussion also killed by the fact his fanged maw is dealing with something cheesy now. Pretty funny. Made funnier that even the inside of his mouth is blue.

It's good but he has to muscle through it.

[wishalone]

It's like a shark got a mouthful of cheese instead of fish. Like something out of a cartoon.

Kyoko tries not to laugh, she really does. But...

"Bahahahaha."

[yondu]

"Y'all eat some sticky shit." Is his assessment. But it's not bad, and it's not said in bad humor. Instead he follows up with eating the soup (which he uses a Japanese spoon for, since looking at spoon shapes that one seems to be the most logical).

[wishalone]

Kyoko, meanwhile, just drinks the soup right from the bowl.

"Don't blame me. This is American food." She refuses to take responsibility for the Americans.

[yondu]

"I'd eat it again," he admits. "But I hear ya. My boy came from Missouri and damn, he was a weird kid. Turned out alright, though. Still weird but what are you gonna do." So says the space pirate who collects cute little toys.

"Pretty sure more of y'all young folks are Japanese than American, though. At least the ones I met."

[wishalone]

"Eeeehh... Really? That's pretty weird." Though she isn't acting like it's surprising, because she's still eating away, not slowing down any. "Why the hell would so many Japanese kids show up here? Are the guys at the crossroads total fuckin' weirdos or what?"

She doesn't think there are actually any guys at any crossroads, but she doesn't know where else to put the blame. This is easier.

[yondu]

He'll accept it, good as any person to blame!

"Not even the foggiest. What country is this train most like to you? I know it's Terran, but-"

He trails off. Is this an American or European train full of Japanese kids, gods, and aliens?

[wishalone]

"Hell if I know. It doesn't look like any train I've seen, but I've never been on one of these fancy kinds before."

Sandwich is gone, crusts and large crumbs and all, so she just has the soup to finish up. She tilts the bowl back to drain the rest of it in one go.

[yondu]

That's actually not a bad plan. He gives up on the spoon and does the same. Might as well get it out of the way.

And then he burps because he's a classy space pirate.

He puts the bowl in the sink, leaving his pile of mess for the non-heathens to deal with. "Well, to be honest it's one of the fanciest places I been, too. I just don't want the assholes at the crossroads to start feelin' all proud of themselves from me sayin' so."

[wishalone]

To that, Kyoko snorts.

"A place can be all nice and still suck." So far, the train hasn't been so bad. But Kyoko doesn't trust that it'll hold out. "They can be proud of themselves all they want, it still won't stop us from kickin' their asses."

[yondu]

"Well, I'll tell you somethin' real weird. They seem to be able to keep us from doin' a whole lot, 'cause they got actual gods here." He makes wiggly fingers.

"I know that seems like some shit, but if you see a pretty pink girl around the greenhouse, that one ain't alien, and them plants got reasons for likin' her."

[wishalone]

Pink girl just makes her think Madoka. But Madoka doesn't have anything to do with plants, and definitely isn't a god, so there's no way he can be talking about her.

"Eeeehh...?" Kyoko's questioning noise is low pitched and skeptical. "Keep us from doing stuff? Like what? Are there some stupid rules here or something?"

What will she do, if -- when, apparently -- she meets a god? It's... weird to think about. Uncomfortable.

[yondu]

"They make you go to sleep same time ever' night, an' then you wake up in your bunk. No matter where you're at or what you doin', you gonna go to bed right then. Thing is, it does it for the gods too. They ain't exempt, and that's a hell of a thing."

He finds a toothpick in one of the kitchen drawers, using them to dig at his sharp teeth between talking. He can't really help it. He could probably wait til he was in private, but at this point he doesn't care.

The joy of a maw like his.

"An' when I say pink by the by... I mean pink like I'm blue."

[wishalone]

"Oh, so that's what you meant. I know a girl with pink hair, so that's the kind of thing I thought you meant."

Kyoko can't help the way her eyes linger on Yondu's teeth as he works on getting the cheese out of them. It's her first good look at them, and she's... well, she's curious.

"But we have a bedtime? Are you kidding me? That's so stupid."

[yondu]

That stalls him up for a moment, and he pulls away the pick and sucks at the sharp teeth before asking, "Madoka?" Face twisting up in vague connection.

Which, to be fair, is the only pink-haired girl he currently knows.

"Yeah, it is pretty stupid. Boom. You're just wakin' up out of bed. You're gonna be rested no matter the hell what, I figure."

[wishalone]

Kyoko's attention on the forced bedtime topic screeches to a halt, because this is way more important.

"You know Madoka?" Wait, no, that's probably not that much of a surprise. She's been here a while, she said, and it's not that big a train.

"Wait, is she the only one with pink hair here?" That would be even more weird to her than Yondu being blue, because Yondu is blue. If he's blue, and there's someone else who's pink, then why the hell would there only be one girl with pink hair?

[yondu]

"She might not be, she's the only one with pink hair that I know, though. Sometimes you come across a notable Terran. She's got pink hair. Then there's Siebren who's literally seven goddamn feet tall. You gonna remember some people."

But.

"Yeah, I wasn't in a great place when I showed up. Had a real long, real bad day I got yanked out of. We're talkin' 'had raccoon touchin' my head and fought a planet' bad. An' she stopped an' talked to me. Told me a little bit about where she comes from, not a whole lot, though."

[wishalone]

A... raccoon... and... fighting... a planet... Yeah, she doesn't even know where to start with that. This is one of those times where she's refusing to ask, because she's betting she probably doesn't want to know, anyway, but her face when he says it is a comical 'what the fuck' expression, even if it (mostly) settles back to something neutral enough.

"Yeah... We're from the same -- I don't know what to call it. But I know her from back home." And she knows how Madoka just kind of has that special ability to change your mood to something less awful, just by talking to her. But she's not going to admit that, hell no.

[yondu]

"You have no idea how bad I wish I was jokin'. You might like the raccoon, though. He was funny. An asshole, but funny." He responds because... yeah, that's messed up. But far easier to put out than the grueling emotional toll of that day. How his whole life built to a crashing crescendo. A whole lot of carefully balanced pain slipped and crashed like a house in a landslide.

"She told me a little bit about a big ol' witch but not too much more than that." The 'not too much more' was a pretty dang big thing, but not something he'd readily mention. "Sounds like you girls have you a hell of a time."

[wishalone]

"So now you're saying the raccoon talked, too? Jeez... As if it isn't weird enough to have one touching your head..."

But something about Kyoko's casual behavior cracks, though, when he says witch. Her gaze sharpens, narrows for a moment, and she studies him, as if really looking at him for the first time.

When she thinks about it, it isn't surprising for Madoka or Mami to mention witches to other people here. But Kyoko can't help this reaction, this sudden scrutiny. Madoka told him. (Him, an adult. A man. Someone who isn't involved in any of this.) And not just about witches existing, but about specifically...

"Walpurgisnacht? She told you about that?"