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

[thawed_pride]

[Rise and...Shamble]

Vexen had pushed himself past his limit during last week's mission, and honestly should have just slept in, but he has things to do before they reach the platform. And so, goal in mind, he's dragged himself to the dining car for breakfast and coffee. Don't mind the exhausted tree of a man floating out of a swirling portal of darkness, clad all in black leather. He's just going to grab some coffee, whatever's already made for breakfast, and plop down at the table to get some caffeine and calories into his body.

[Oh, There's the Shine]

By the time the train arrives at the station, Vexen is a bit more awake, but facing a new problem. While he is not, strictly speaking, a creature of darkness, he is a firm lab dweller and not exactly on the best terms with sunlight. His solution? For the first time since his arrival, he's wearing his hood up, not quite enough to fully conceal his face on the bright platform, but enough to cast a solid shadow over it.

A brief look around the platform confirms there's no one here he recognizes, which...may be just as well. Maybe he'll get a calm and peaceful week. Probably not, but he can hope. Just like he hopes when he opens a dark portal on the platform, only to sigh and shake his head when it evidently doesn't do what he wants. One of these days, he swears he will figure out what it is about the Void that blocks the corridors.

[The New Old You]

The reason Vexen needed to be functional in the morning? He had shopping to do. He can be caught briefly in the luggage carriage, checking the contents of a bag with his name on it, before he slips off to the dressing car to change. With the outfit he ordered on in place of the old leather coat, he feels like he's discarded some sort of shackles connecting him to the one person he'd rather leave firmly in the past. He feels like he's finally himself again, and it's enough to have him in a good mood despite his lingering aches.

His next priority is to check in on a certain spear wielding child, after which he settles down in the standard car to spend the rest of the afternoon examining his old coat. He nudges it this way and that with either his hand or his pen, as convenient, and occasionally stops to jot down something illegible in his notebook. Those who can detect magic will be able to tell that the coat is heavily enchanted, and that he's doing the magical equivalent of examining it with a magnifying glass to try to make sense of how the spells weave together to get the desired effect. To those without magical senses...he's just poking at a well worn leather coat, that smells of old coffee stains and something odd and vaguely unpleasant.

[miseris_socios]

Said spearchild is in the training gym, and this time he actually has a spear. It's long and sharp, and also being pulled out of a training dummy before he plants the butt of the spear on the ground, holding it in place and then pushing off the ground, spinning around the pole and delivering a solid kick to the head of the dummy.

As he lands, he spots Vexen and waves, walking towards him with the spear leaning on his shoulder. "You got new clothes?"

[thawed_pride]

He waves in return and walks to meet Ken halfway. There's a stiffness to his gait that suggests he's still sore from overexertion, but he somehow seems to have more energy than usual regardless.

"In a sense. This is the uniform I wore when I was human, studying under my lord, Ansem. I requested it bear the same enchantments as my coat, so that I can freely use the dark corridors while wearing it."

[miseris_socios]

"Oh, good. Are you going to chuck the old one at Demyx so he stops being stupid?"

Yes, they've met. And had that conversation, apparently. Also... hm.

"I met a few other people with Personas, too. But they're not from the same world... I think? They didn't seem to recognize stuff that I asked them about." Which is... odd.

[thawed_pride]

The question gets a laugh and a cross of his arms.

"I've already insisted he buy something of the sort for himself. He has his own that he simply never bothered to request the train import, so he really has little excuse. No, I intend to study my old coat to figure out how the enchantments work, then add one of my own to shrink it so that it will fit you better. In the meantime..." He reaches into his pocket and holds out a chain of dark purple beads, with edges that seem to blur and fade into shadow. "This is a form of magical armor that will help offset that weakness to darkness of yours.

"As for the others with Personas...is it possible they are simply from a different time? None of those I know on this train are from the exact same time as myself, and Demyx is from my future despite having been here longer than I."

[miseris_socios]

"I... oh." He takes the chain and... hm. How to wear this? He tucks it into his pocket, he'll figure it out later. "... Thank you..."

He knows they're 'family' now, but he's still not used to just being given things. "Um... thank you..." He flushes faintly before continuing on.

"They might be. I have no idea... one of them has the same kind of Persona as Chidori. Not like she has Medea or something? But it's a Persona that can detect other Persona users... and probably enemies and stuff like that if she's anything like Chidori." Chidori's better though, because obviously.

[helborn]

Casper wanders through the standard car, catching sight of the man examining a coat. He looks like he's deep in concentration, so he just sits down nearby. He's not totally sure what the guy is doing, but he knows how much he hates it when people interrupt him in the middle of a thought.

So he pulls out a bottle of Niflheim, the magical alcohol dropping the ambient temperature around him due to the freezing cold. He takes a sip and raises his eyebrows. ... Huh. It's been a while since he had this one. He forgot how good it was.

[thawed_pride]

The drop in temperature immediately draws his attention, largely because he can sense the ice magic radiating from the bottle. He pauses his work and looks up, eyes focused on the bottle as if examining it as he was the coat.

"Well now...that's a curious concoction."

[helborn]

"Huh? Oh, yeah. The only way I can even get buzzed is from magical drinks. And I like the taste of this one. The last place I was at was more malleable, so someone basically imported a bar and its whole stock and menu from one of our missions."

He pauses, shaking his head. "Well. A mission I wasn't around for, though we went back to that world later." Moving swiftly on from that point...

"Cold doesn't affect me... I know this one's difficult for people to drink if they don't have some resistance. He also had... uh. Fire, electric, and wind-aspected ones."

[thawed_pride]

His expression tenses at the thought of fire liquor, but he doesn't seem inclined to comment. While he's not actively suspicious of others as a default, his phobia of fire is still something he feels best to keep on a need to know basis.

"I've heard of alchemical liquors before, but elemental ones are a new concept. I imagine the bar in question must have had a rather unusual clientele."

Even back in Radiant Garden, elemental resistances hadn't been the norm, especially in those who weren't specifically trained in magic. Granted, he wouldn't be surprised if some bar somewhere had served mildly elementally charged drinks...he'd never been the 'night on the town' sort, after all. Even on his days off, he'd much preferred to stay in and find himself a good book in the library.

[helborn]

He notes the tension - elemental weakness, maybe? - but doesn't comment. Not his business, and it's not like he uses fire much, anyway.

"It... was. Angels and demons and peregrines - who were kind of like ghosts but unclaimed - and the Sithen which were... I don't know, they're weird, but they ran the Marketplace." So yeah, not humans.

"I was wondering if the train would give me any so I went or the small item since it's magic and specialized. I figured the general alcohol section wouldn't cover it. I can't get any kind of buzz from non-magical alcohol anymore. Apparently it counts as a 'toxin'." He makes the air quotes, rolling his eyes.

standard car

[morganizedchaos]

Exploration and information-gathering is going... Well. It's going, and that's something. From the back of the train to the front, and now Ghost is starting to work his way backwards again, this time with more attention to detail now that he knows the layout.

The sight of a person in a white coat is enough to slow him down, at least. (That, or the feeling of ice, hard and sharp and not familiar but something close.) As a result, he pauses at the end of the row of seats Vexen has occupied. The fact that the guy isn't in the generic matching outfits of the new arrivals is probably a good indication that he's been here for at least a little while.

"So, if I was going to ask your scientific opinion on the whole train thing, would you give it to me?" The voice comes from the phone clipped at his waist, but other than that, there's not anything overtly strange about this particular new arrival.

[thawed_pride]

He ignores the approaching newcomer at first, focused intently on what he's doing. There is indeed something of a cold aura about him, not in terms of actual temperature, but the air smells crisp, like the middle of a cold snap.

The voice does get his attention, and he quickly finishes what he's writing before glancing over. He stays hunched over the coat, even as his eyes light up.

"My scientific opinion? It's quite fascinating. I had not been so foolish as to believe I was aware of the entire multiverse, but the existence of a form of vehicle that can cross regions of interspace impassible to even corridors of darkness is nothing short of revolutionary. The implications are simply astounding, the idea that even the worlds known to seasoned travelers are but a mere fragment of the entirety of reality...that even the concept of 'reality' itself may be broader than any had realized. It's really quite a pity we aren't capable of entering the engine room, I would love to take a look at the equipment that makes it possible for us to enter this Void, when my own magic falls short."

[morganizedchaos]

There's an expression on Ghost's face that could be described as the visual equivalent of a GPS going Recalculating at the mention of magic, but - well, if magic did exist, then yeah, of course people would study it.

Readjustment over, he leans forward to prop his arms on the back of the back of the seat closest to him. "And it's not even just the branching timelines kind of alternate worlds. If magic's real and commonplace in yours, then there's probably a subtle difference in the way the energy part of the laws of physics works."

[thawed_pride]

He taps his pen against the coat, grinning widely. This might not be his primary focus, but it's one he finds fascinating nonetheless.

"The prevalence of magic and even its mechanics do vary from world to world, this much is already known to any who have access to interspace. In my homeworld, it is a common aspect of daily life, often woven together with technology. In others I have been to, its usage is more restricted, or even unknown altogether. It is, however, worth noting that I have yet to encounter a world where even foreign magic is rendered entirely unusable."

Stumble, stumble, stumble

[canyounoct]

Zombie-like is probably a good description of Noctis this morning. (Perhaps most mornings ... but.) After pushing himself so hard during the last mission, it'd taken him a couple of solid days to recover from Stasis. Even now, he was very, very groggy, half-out of it.

He wondered a bit if he was still dreaming when he saw the very tall man step out of a swirling dark void, blinking blearily at him from the kitchen table.

Noctis looked up toward Vexen, and down at his mug, and wondered aloud, sounding tired even now, "Maybe I need more coffee."

[thawed_pride]

That very tall man notices he's being stared at, but doesn't feel it's worth the energy of commenting until the young man actually says something. Then he stifles a yawn, still floating several inches in the air, and rubs at his face.

"More coffee certainly sounds agreeable to me."

[canyounoct]

Well, that decides it, then. Noctis got to his feet from the table, the only motivation behind his movement was the enticing siren call of a fresh cup of coffee. Though Noctis knew from experience it likely wouldn't help that much.

Being this tired, his filter was mostly gone - he found himself asking without thinking, "Did you just step out of some kind of black swirling hole in reality?"

Oh, There's the Shine: Helios stop that please

[controlsthedie]

Does Vexen know who else is hating this sunshine? How it hurts his eyes and forces him to wear shades? Who also tried to escape with teleporting powers? (And now regrets the attempt as it drains the energy he thought he regained by now. Blood and darkness, that hadn't been a good idea.)

Thanatos tugs the edge of his red hoodie and keeps his head lowered as he floats over. "I take it you haven't had any luck either."

[thawed_pride]

At least his own eyes aren't so thoroughly acclimated to dim surroundings that he can't see without sunglasses, but he does have his hood pulled forward enough to shade his eyes from the glare. As pale as his eyes have become under Xehanort's possession, he's sure direct sunlight will wind up giving him a headache if he's not careful.

"None...I can open a doorway into the darkness, but I can only create an exit when it is somewhere within the range of the train or platform. Otherwise, it produces naught but a dead end."

[controlsthedie]

"I haven't noticed any progress breaking through either. It's all as blocked as before." Thanatos never thought he'd have to attempt different ways of shifting, but doing the same thing hasn't gotten him anywhere. He looks back at the train, wincing a bit as the angle catches the sun stronger. He quickly lowers his gaze back to the ground.

"Did you use your doorways during the mission? I was able to shift between the realms, though it drained me considerably." The realm in general was harsh, even for him, but there had been something comforting about being able to move about more freely.

[thawed_pride]

"Only after the demons' retreat. I lent my coat to another, and my portals are dangerous to use without proper protection. They pass through a form of darkness that weighs heavily on the human heart, and mine is already a mere fragment of what it ought to be."

He shakes his head and pulls his hood a bit further forward as it tries to shift back.

"But while I was able to move freely about that world, I could not reach others I have visited. On our next stop, I intend to attempt movement between two known worlds separated purely by the Void."

The New Old You

[10billionpercent]

The way Senku was gathering packages in the luggage car, one would think he was moving in there or something. He picked up another book shaped one and piled it on top of three others by his feet.

He looked up when Vexen came in and offered a raised hand in greeting. "Hey. Looking for something?"

There was a decent chance he'd seen it.

[thawed_pride]

He waved in turn, and gave the pile of packages a raised eyebrow. He was...definitely curious what all that was about, but it would be rude to pry. Besides, he has some very important things of his own to collect.

"I am. There ought to be a small bag and a package of clothing in here somewhere, both addressed to Vexen."

[10billionpercent]

"I might've seen the small bag." Senku answered and after a pause, stepped around his things to go and find it again. It would take a minute all the same.

"I've been in here awhile, looking for things."