voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post April]

A New Platform [Intro Post April]

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!

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His eyes widen at that and Sizhui beams.

“Ah, is there to be an addition to our family? Are they nice to you?”

"Huh?" Wen Ning blinks at the question, then looks absolutely horrified once it sinks in.

"N-no! Of course not! A-Yuan!" Blushing is difficult for him, but there's still blood in his system so a bit of pink manages to reach the tips of his ears. "I-I mean yes, they're friendly enough, but it's not like that!"

Flustered, he crosses his arms over his chest and looks away. "It's just how we were assigned."

He chuckles a little and places a gentle hand on his dear cousin’s arm.

“If it were such an occasion, I would be incredibly happy for you. If it is simply how things are, then I am glad that they treat you well.”

In this body, Wen Ning isn't even certain he's still capable of reproducing, but he's not going to drag down the mood by bringing that to light. Instead he remains humorously flustered for the boy's sake.

He hasn't been thinking about this sort of subject much since Wei Wuxian had saved him. It hadn't seemed all that important somehow. He might have held a certain amount of attraction toward one or two individuals, but that's it.

"A-Yuan is far better on the eyes than I am. And now there are two of you for others to faun over. If you're not careful I'll be asking that question of you later."

He gives an embarrassed laugh and rubs the back of his neck, unable to stop the flush to his cheeks. How the tables have turned quickly. His cousin surely is wise.

“Ning-shushu...” He shakes his head. “I’m in no such rush for that kind of thing. I’m quite happy on my own. Besides, I’m much more content that I have siblings now with the other me.” It’s still a strange thing to consider. “It was a little lonely being the only child for a long time.”

Wen Ning's expression softens. He lifts a hand to give the boy a single, gentle pat on the head. He doesn't want to patronize him, of course, so he won't do much more than that. He's not sure his heart is going to be able to handle two Sizhuis here. It might just explode.

"I can imagine..." If this version of his cousin hadn't grown up with the Lans, that means he didn't have other kids his age to grow up with. That, unfortunately, is a downside to being able to stay with his family. If the other option is the death of said family, however, he can't say he'd call it an even trade. "Did you ever meet the other juniors?" Even if he hadn't, they should still be there. Maybe at some point they could still become friends.

“The other juniors?”

Confusion flashes over his features before it clears up.

“Ah, yes, I’m friends with Jingyi. We’ve been friends since I was young. Hanguang Jun would take me to Cloud Recesses with him sometimes. Mmm and I’ve met Ouyang-gongzi once. At the festival at Lotus Pier.”

Sizhui pauses to think on it. There aren’t many juniors he feels close to other than Jingyi. Maybe Ouyang-gongzi could be considered a friend.

Ouyang Zizhen is definitely a kid that someone could meet once and remember for a long while after. Even if he doesn't hang out with the whole group of them, it's nice that he at least has a friend or two his own age. Lan Jingyi is a good person, obnoxious though he may be at times.

"Maybe you can talk with your other self here. He might know some disciples you haven't had a chance to meet and you can decide whether or not you want to talk to them when you return home." When, of course. Not if. Wen Ning still doesn't want to think that the train will keep either boy forever. They need to be able to go back to their regular lives and become powerful cultivators. He knows they'll do great things when they get older.

"What about Young Master Jin Ling?"

He nods.

"I've met him. I needed to settle in before we could speak more of our respective lives."

He already has an idea as to how different. Especially since the curiosity is already stoked within him to learn more of this other life. He reaches and gently squeezes Wen Ning's hand gently when he says when he returns home. When Young Master Jin Rulan is mentioned, Sizhui's eyes widen a little at how familiar Wen Ning is to call him by his name like that. It's quickly replaced by confusion.

"What about Young Master Jin Rulan?"

In all fairness, Wen Ning had attempted to call Jin Ling by his courtesy name only to be yelled at for it. Apparently having the Ghost General call him by something so formal didn’t sit right with the boy.

The fact that Sizhui doesn’t appear to be close to Jin Ling in his world is sad to hear but not all that surprising. They hadn’t been close in the world he knew either at first. It had taken them a while to warm up to each other. Wen Ning knew their relations with him hadn’t helped much. Without the events that occurred the way he was familiar, it could be that they’ve never actually met in person.

“Are you acquainted? Have you gone on any night hunts with him?”

“We know of each other.”

How to best explain their situation...ah! But it requires a little bit of privacy. Wen Qing had always made sure that he was well aware of how cautious he needed to be when he spoke.

“...would you like to continue this somewhere more ah...private, Ning-shushu?”

"Is it... it's that serious of a subject?" Wen Ning tells himself he shouldn't be too surprised. Jin Ling is an Issue, but at least he'd been willing to hang out with the other juniors in his world. What's the difference in this one?

He nods slowly. If Wen Yuan doesn't want to talk about this in a public location then he'll definitely respect his wishes.

"We can go to my cabin. There probably won't be anyone else there right now... but we'll find somewhere else if there is." He gives the boy a questioning look. "If... that's alright with you?"

He nods enthusiastically, glad to spend time with his cousin.

"It...it isn't but I know our worlds vary very much between what has happened for you and for me. The Jin...well..."

He takes his cousin's lead toward the other's cabin. He should be safe here, right?

"Lanling Jin do not trust us," he says quietly. "Despite the great sect leaders agreeing to relocate us to Dafan Mountain, the Jin were...suspicious. Chifeng Zun, Zewu Jun, and Jiang-zongzhu had appointed Hanguang Jun to keep an eye on what we did."

He trusts his cousin and has no secrets of his own. But he also knows his place.

"Jin Guangshan had always had a certain view of the Wen. Especially since we escaped from his prison camp. He had maintained that we...were amassing armies and committing crimes. Jin Zixuan believed it as well until Jiang-guniang had taken him to meet us."

His smile is soft, sad.

"Unfortunately, Jin Guangshan had...a strong hand in Jin Rulan's education."

There's no one else in the room, thankfully. If there had been he would have taken the boy to the quiet car and hoped it was empty enough that they could have some privacy.

He listens to Sizhui's explanation, nodding and then frowning the whole way. This also sheds more light on the other differences between their worlds, what had happened to his family and why. He doesn't want to ask how they managed to escape. It can only hurt to know, seeing as he can't go back and change things in his own world.

"Jin Guangshan is... still alive?" If nothing else, Wen Ning might have thought Jin Guangyao would have killed him to keep him from influencing his nephew. Would he not have tried to kill Jin Zixuan despite the lack of a scapegoat in the Wens? "What about Young Master Jin Ling's parents? What about Sect Leader Jiang?" Had they had no influence at all? Even his mother?

Had she still been killed?

And then, to top it off... "What about Jin Guangyao?"

"Jin Guangshan had passed away not too long ago. Sect Leader Jin is Jin Zixuan. He truly is trying to undo the cultivation world's view about us," he smiles softly. "Hopefully make us seem less...scary."

When he mentions Jin Guangyao, Sizhui presses his lips together and looks around to make sure they truly are alone.

"Executed," he says very quietly. "Shortly after Jin Guangshan's death."

Could Jin Zixuan not have stepped in before? Jin Ling is his son, after all. Wen Ning doesn't want to think ill of the dead, especially someone he killed, but it seems to him as though the man needed a bit more of a spine. But then, given his own history, this also isn't fair of him to think. He doesn't know enough of this boy's world to be making judgments on anyone.

He does wonder what Jin Guangyao had done to give himself away to where an execution had seemed necessary. He'd gotten away with so much more in his world.

"...A-and his mother? Is Maiden Jiang... ah... Jiang Yanli. Jin Yanli? Young Madam Jin..." He sputters trying to figure out what to properly call her. "I-is she still alive?"

He brightens at that, happier to talk about her.

"Madam Jiang is alive and well. She and Sect Leader Jin are expecting. There's word that it may be twins. They're very happy and I believe even Jin-gongzi is excited to be a brother," he babbles. "She even asks Qing-shenshen for her medical advice whenever they see each other. Xian-ge and Sect Leader Jiang are both fighting to see who can come up with the better courtesy name."

Alive. They're all alive. That's fantastic. And Jin Ling would surely be thrilled to have siblings. It will be good for him, help him mature.

This world sounds so wonderful, so much more successful than his own when it comes to his family. Where did his go wrong, he wonders? Except that he can't wonder. It's too dangerous to wonder because it can't be fixed. Any number of little things could have happened to lead up to these differences. He has to avoid thinking about it and he has to avoid blaming himself.

But the black lines on his neck spread slowly over the sides of his face and his hands balled into the sheet on his bed where he sat. "Good. That... that's good. I-It's good. I'm so glad for all of them. And for you. I'm glad."

His gaze flickers to the black lines that seem to spread across the neck and face of his favorite cousin. Well, one of his favorites. Sizhui squeezes his hands within his own, hoping that, while he is not the cousin he may have left behind, Sizhui could bring him some sort of grounding presence. It tells him all he needs to know about the fate of his family in the man's world.

Sizhui carefully sits down on the bed next to him and cuddles up next to him, hugging his arm like he had when he had a nightmare as a child.

The contact causes Wen Ning to force himself to take a few calming breaths. He needs to calm down. He can't go potentially scaring other world versions of his only living family. His body shudders, then slowly relaxes. The lines that had been steadily crawling up his face begin to recede. The darkness doesn't reach his eyes.

"Sorry. I-I'm sorry." He wants to offer a comforting pat on the arm to the boy but he doesn't dare. It's good enough that he's controlling himself. "I really am very happy for you especially." Not that Lan Sizhui had a bad life - quite the opposite. But it would have been nice for him to have been able to grow up with his family.

He keeps his hold even through the shudders. There's a part of Sizhui that's relieved when he sees the dark lines start to recede. He smiles comfortingly up at his cousin.

"There is nothing to apologize for, Ning-shushu. If you ever feel yourself scared like that again, I'd like to know. We could share stories and perhaps it would help."

Ah. His gaze flicks down to how he's holding onto him and he lets go with an embarrassed smile.

"I...I'm sorry. I should have asked--"

Scared isn't the word Wen Ning would have used, but he nods all the same. Wen Sizhui's concerns are heartfelt and he would never dismiss them. "Thank you... I would like that."

Even if he doesn't need it, it's always nice to talk and share things with his cousin. They could talk about practically nothing and it wouldn't matter.

He shakes his head at the apology, reaching over carefully to give the boy a gentle pat on the head. "It's alright. I don't mind. Hugs from A-Yuan are always appreciated."

He smiles at the pat on his head, so like his own Ning-shushu.

"I would come to him when I had nightmares. He would make sure that nothing bad could ever get me."

"That... sounds like a good plan." Wen Ning's smile eases up a bit more. His posture becomes less tense. "I would definitely fight off anything that would come after my little cousin. Even hayfever."

Don't ask him how, but he'd make the attempt. He has some medical skills.

"I'll do it here too."

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A New Platform [Intro Post April]

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