A New Platform [Intro Post April]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Once again passengers are awoken by the morning announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day Sixteen 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 after lunch. A lunch that may be a bit sparse: between the big eaters and the stress bakers, the stores have been stretched thin the last two weeks.

"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 steam is thin, with blue skies seen above. The sun shines brightly down, warm light pooling on the platform.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Cassie Lang, Glorfindel, Jessie Custer, Olivia, Paddra Nsu-Yeul, S’reee, Thea Queen, Wei Wuxian.

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, open, with a vine-covered wall stretching high either side of the barrier. 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 eighteen 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 doors close behind them.

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 plenty more tomatoes.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. There is a suitcase stocked with spare wash kit items, for those who are running low as well as a box labelled Do Not Use Yet that is full of small 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 who are making the most of the sunshine. 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

🌙 Koumyou Sanzo | OTA

[its_dad_sanzo]

( Koumyou is in his traditional Sanzo garb, as usual. Also I will match prose or brackets!)

---

Koumyou...

Koumyou just wanted pancakes.

Or at least, that's what he's making when he turns away from the stove for a second. When he turns back to it, the pan is on fire!

"Aaah! Oh no!"

Reacting with instinct instead of with his brain, the priest reaches toward the nearest sink, planning to just borrow some water out of the faucet spout with his chi--

This isn't the first time he's popped a pipe trying to get some water for a fire. The water comes bursting out of the side of a pipe in the shape of a long, sinuous dragon. But once the dragon is out, the water keeps spraying at full force through the hole left behind, geysering into the air.

And when the water dragon slams into the fire, it sends the hot pan and pancake batter skittering across the stove top, and--

Apparently it was a grease fire!

How?! With pancakes?! Who knows! But now the fire's all over the place, thanks to the water.

Koumyou just... stares, as water rains down and the fire burns merrily all around. "...O-oh, oh no."

Oh no indeed.

[hashtagparkerluck]

This is... a scene to walk in on.

"Oh Shit!" Peter cries, not enjoying the thrumming of his senses alerting him that Hey! That's a fire! How did he manage to scorch the ceiling? He fire alarm chirps loudly and it's like it jolts right through him. Today just in not his day.

He grabs the fire extinguisher off the nearby wall and pulls the pin before aiming it at the dangerous flames.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"...I think I may have erred."

Just maybe. A little. Koumyou just sort of holds still in the middle of all this, lest he make it worse.

[hashtagparkerluck]

Peter doesn't offer a snarky response like he might have under normal circumstance but right now he's a little too focused on the getting the fire out and trying tune out that awful screeching from the fire alarm that might actually be making his teeth rattle. He's gonna have such a bad migraine after this. Shit.

There's still the flooding to deal with so he opts to try just cover everything in webs. He aims the fire extinguisher at the flames and his webs at the busted pipe and tries to handle both at once.

Maybe, just maybe the plan would have worked but there's not enough webfluid and he's out before he can stop the rush of water. At least the Fire's out though.

[worthallthis]

Soldat is working merrily away when suddenly dragon and water and fire and what the fuck. They jerk that direction in alarm, scrambling to yank one of their several layers of shirts off to smother what fire they can reach. "What the hell, Sanzo!"

That was the biggest overkill they've ever seen for a simple burned pancake! And now there's a mess!

[its_dad_sanzo]

Koumyou's just sort of paralyzed by -- well, he'd done what he thought was sensible and now look what happened! So if he holds very, very still, maybe it'll all go away.

"It... it seemed like the thing to do, at the time?"

Water's already starting to pool on the floor, sending some of the fire floating along on little oil rafts. He does, at least, try stepping on a bit as it goes by. Does that work?

No, that scatters it into lots of tinier fires, swirling around where his foot came down.

"Maaaaaaaah..."

[worthallthis]

"Get the fire extinguisher," Soldat orders, pointing to it. "Red canister. There." Sanzo is closer, so he gets to retrieve it. Soldat smothers two of the little fires, then turns to the pipe. They handle the water still pumping out in the most expedient way they can for the moment: they close their metal hand around it and squeeze the pipe flat, so no more water can escape. Or as flat as a metal hand can.

[redmeguca]

[Kyoko steps into the kitchen on the way to storage for a snack. Kyoko takes one look at this disaster. Kyoko turns right around and tries to leave.]

[its_dad_sanzo]

[ Koumyou watches this stranger come in, turn around, and walk out. He holds out a hand and makes grabby motions after her, but that's about it. ]

Ehhhhh...

[redmeguca]

[She stops, visibly struggles with herself for a moment, then turns around.]

I can help you get out, but you'll have to find someone else to put the fire out, alright?

[Chains move to cover the floor, leaving a safe path from where Koumyou is to the exit.]

[mtsilver_conquor]

"That's one way to cook..." Eva says, trying and failing to not look ALARMED as she calmly and professionally like the Industy Legend she is (and totally not at all hastily) searches for the nearest fire extinguisher.

Winged Mirages, she came in to help cook, not put out fires.

"... don't throw water on any more kitchen fires ok?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

"It seemed sensible in the moment!"

As, you know, the floor of the kitchen slowly turns into one large puddle from the burst pipe.

"..."

[mtsilver_conquor]

Eva just sighs and shakes her head. She can't deny it's not true, not when water typically does put out fire.

"We'll worry about that later. Do you have anything magicy that can fix the pipe?"

[pragmaticcollaborator]

[Ray’s still exploring the train when he walks into this mess, so he can only stare in shock for a moment before looking around for some sort of fire extinguisher.]

Hey, aren’t you going to do something about this?

[Ray’s kind of questioning how he got here, trying to put out a fire on a train that he apparently can’t leave, after everything he’s already been through today.]

[its_dad_sanzo]

I tried to do something about it and I made it way worse!

[ HELP ]

[pragmaticcollaborator]

I can see that!

[In the meantime, Ray starts spraying down the nearest bit of fire. He's never had a reason to use an extinguisher before, so he takes a bit to work out how to aim it, but at least it's working.]

Is there another extinguisher you can use?

[fun_thementalist]

Gen had been humming, rather cheerfully, almost singing, with his packaged wedding cake as he walked into the kitchen.

And saw it on fire.

Fire.

And increasing amounts of water.

This ... This ...

This had to be someone else's problem, for now.

He turned around, and walked right back out the door. Sorry, Koumyou. He'll apologize later, when he wasn't fleeing the chaos you've left behind.

[canyounoct]

And all Noctis wanted was something vaguely resembling breakfast. Coffee mug full of cereal. Cold toaster pastry. Bread with jam on it. Anything. He'd been mostly sleeping since the last battle and he was starving.

He wasn't expecting fire.

"Look out -" Noctis reacted to try and pull the tall man back from the flames, splashing in the water as he tried to reach him, not really thinking.

His brain was just going !!!FIRE!!!, thankssomuch. His first thought was water to put it out but this guy tried that, and. Uh. Well. His mind blanked for a moment before he grabbed a towel to try and hit one of the flames near him.

There were a lot of flames all around them, really.

[its_dad_sanzo]

The towel, naturally, starts to smolder and smoke, instantly on the edge of lighting on fire--

And then there's more fire.

"Oh no!"

[canyounoct]

"Aagh!" Noctis didn't want to be burned, thanks, non-magic fire could do that. He's very aware. His brilliant solution as to chuck the burning towel into the water that was surrounding them, which. Kept it from burning his hand, sure, but.

Didn't exactly solve the fact that the rest of the kitchen was still on fire.

"How did this even happen?" Noctis asked rhetorically - because it didn't matter - as he tried to find something else to use. (But what???)

Re: 🌙 Koumyou Sanzo | OTA

[najaran]

Thankfully Najaran always stops in the kitchen when she gets up, and is used to kitchen fires. Not that she's caused any recently, but she and her Master both have a tendency to get distracted. A Card flies to her hand from her pouch and she tosses it up. It turns into a rounded metal shield which she throws over the worst of the fire, hoping to smother it.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"--Ah, so smothering works, just not water?"

What weird fire. He's simply never dealt with a grease fire, before today!

But the shield does indeed seem to have done the trick, and Koumyou grabs a pot lid to start trying to suffocate some fires as well.

[najaran]

"If the fire has fat in it, fat floats!" she said, reaching for the shield to go after the next fire, then yelping and pulling her hand back. "Hot shield!" she gasped, shaking out her hand.

[subcircuits]

Fire on the train, fire in the kitchen. Devero had run into Alice-- literally-- in flight of it, and as soon as he was sure she was okay he'd turned towards the front of the train and started to run.

Too late to actually help, as it happens. The fire is out by the time he gets there, the kitchen car damp and scorched and reeking but at least no longer actively burning. He looks around, assessing where he can be of the most help in the aftermath--

...

"Koumyou?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

The kitchen is indeed damp, some of the cabinets above the counter still dripping a little. But the fires are all out, and the majority of the water has been sent down the drain, the pipe kinked shut.

Koumyou's sitting on the floor with his back against the lower cabinets, a lot paler than he'd been this morning, listing a little to one side where he sits. Dizzy and weak, but not burned.

He looks up at Devero's appearance and blinks blearily, his body so drained that his eyes don't even want to focus properly. But he knows that voice, and that shape. The one person on the train he allows to call him by his holy name by itself; "Devero?"