voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post May]

On the Train

Like clockwork, the Voidtreckers are awoken by a familiar message this morning.

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Llama. Points have been updated on the system."

With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will 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 air is sticky and warm, the windows almost immediately dewing over with the humidity outside.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Azula, Prisoner, Amery Vallet, Dyme Graydon, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Yoite, Piccolo, Bulla Brief, Xie Lian, Kurosaki Ichigo, Hua Cheng, Renee Corbin, and Ran Mouri; all pass through the platform, not looking back before they disappear through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

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 find themselves on a platform, rich wood and pale stone forming a natural, tree-like structure overhead. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into thick fog. The air is rainforest-hot, and the sound of frogsong can be faintly heard over the drip of the artificial canopy.

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 fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, and seems smaller with twenty-eight figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. Then there is 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 pours a strange assortment of people, over a hundred at least. 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.

Behind them, the doors close, and the train is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform.

The Train

After a short time, the fog clears and 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 several crates of nori, the ingredient of the month of Llama, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. For each member of Purple Team, a small silver box with their name on it contains a glittery cupcake.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, but at least they won't be alone in their confusion - since the sleeper carriages are now double-decker, and experience isn't going to avail the passengers in finding their rooms.

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.

The new double carriage's transfer ICP is active, allowing people to move to a double room should they meet the requirements with another person, though they'll have to move their belongings themselves.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air, and 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It didn't take Lea long to find Demyx after they all got back on the train. The guy was way too predictable; if he wasn't in his own room and it wasn't mealtime, chances were he was in the music room. And Lea thought it was high time for a shakeup in Demyx's routine.

"Hey, Demyx," he said. "You're not doing anything aside from the usual, are you? Cause I was figuring, while everyone else is busy with platform day things, now's our chance to hit the cinema car and check out one of those musicals I mentioned to you awhile back without having to negotiate with anybody."

"Nope!" Demyx said easily and hopped to his feet. Lea probably hadn't seen him appear this excited in awhile.

"I hope you're not messing with me, I want to see a movie full of music." For all he knew he could be making it up, but he couldn't see why he would. His sitar vanished in a splash of water before the water vanished too.

"Nah," Lea said. "Why would I make up something like that?" He wasn't above playing the occasional prank, of course, but there would be little point to one like this, and it would be easily found out in any case.

Fortunately, it didn't take long to get to the cinema car, and as expected, while there were several people passing through, none of them seemed to be stopping to watch anything. Lea approached the main CP in the car so they could make a selection. "Let's see... Action movies... documentaries... historical dramas... ah, here we go: musicals!" He stepped aside slightly, indicating the listed movies in the category to Demyx. "You want to pick one, or should I?"

"I don't know, why would anyone make up anything?" Demyx asked with a chuckle and followed after him easily enough.

"You can pick one since I don't really know what I'm looking at from titles alone." He threw himself into a seat, slouching to look at the screen. He was prepared to be amazed.

"Alright," Lea said. He read down the list, skipping a few that sounded a bit too silly, comedic, or sappy before landing on one that he thought Demyx might like. "OK, let's try this one." He selected The Phantom of the Opera, then took a seat next to Demyx to sit back and watch. He hadn't seen this one himself, but the summary sounded cool, so he was looking forward to it.

"Alright, let's see, I hope it's good!" He said with a bit of a grin. He trusted Lea at least to pick out a decent movie, not that he'd seen many of them. He couldn't actually remember having watched a single one.

Oh well. Who cared?

As soon as the score started, he was already intrigued. He wondered if some of the music books he'd gotten had been to musicals.

Lea sat back and watched the movie play out. It was a pretty enjoyable movie over all, blending romance, music, gothic mystery, and suspense. Particularly impressive, to Lea at least, was the title song, which required the woman playing Christine to hit an absurdly high note at the end.

It wasn't until the credits began to roll, though, that he turned to speak to Demyx again. "Well?", he said. "What'd you think?"

"I think it was really awesome! There was so much music!" He looked very thrilled by that. "All kinds of new songs to learn too, and they were pretty good. The story was good, because the music worked in it." It might've been the most genuinely animated Lea had seen Demyx.

Lea nodded. "That's the best part about musicals, I think," he said. "How the music and story work together like that. Though just the music on it's own is good too; I'm impressed that the lady playing Christine was able to hit that one super-high note, and the song right after that had the Phantom hitting some pretty high notes for a guy too."

He stretched a bit and looked around at the car. "I think we might have time for one more before people start giving us dirty looks for hogging the screen. How about you pick one this time?"

"Yeah, it was really impressive like that. I don't know that much about vocal theory, but they were both pretty good!" At least, Demyx thought so, even if he was more interested in the melody itself. He'd likely be replicating it later.

"Okay let me see!" Demyx got up and went over to the screen which he'd totally figured out enough about them to navigate the list, thankfully.

Although, if he was asked if he was how carefully he was choosing the movie...it wasn't that careful. He pretty much found one on the screen in the category and didn't really read what the summary was.

He returned to flop down next to Lea again, eyes glued to the screen immediately. This one was about a woman who murdered her lover and the trial she endured to make her way out of prison through lies and deceit.

Lea sat back to watch the new movie. The plot was in some ways darker than the first one, with the vast majority of the characters being unscrupulous at best. But it was definitely interesting and much of the music was more upbeat, and he found himself tapping his foot on multiple occasions.

As the credits rolled, though, Lea glanced over to Demyx again. "I think I liked this one a bit better than the first one honestly," he said. "Mostly I think it was cause the music was more my style. Though I gotta wonder how many musicals there are that combine music and violence like this? I know most of the ones I remember didn't have quite this much to do with murder." Likely because most of the ones he remembered were ones more targeted to children, but shh...

"The music was really upbeat in this one." Demyx said with a grin, bouncing a little bit. "I don't know. It was an interesting story though, murder and all."

He got to his feet and grinned at Lea. "I've totally got to go play now!"

"It's definitely that," Lea agreed. Less orchestral, more meant for dancing.

He grinned right back, giving Demyx a little wave. "Alright then. See you around. And glad you enjoyed."

A New Platform [Intro Post May]

Music Room

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And that should wrap, unless you want to do one more tag. :3