A New Platform [Intro Post May]

[voidtreckermods]

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!

Comments

[acapriciousthing]

"See, that's a fair trade. If they're helpful everyone gets something out of it. Some gods aren't so polite." And then there's Zeus. Zeus is just a headache.

"I'm technically older than the concept of blasphemy." So she doesn't have to worry about committing it really.

[canyounoct]

Noctis actually almost laughed at that, considering. "Well, if you're literally death, so you're probably as old as anything that can die has been around, right? So it's no wonder."

She seemed pretty nice even considering what she was supposed to be, Noctis thought. Though, maybe it was just kind of ... a job? And in that case, maybe she just couldn't help what she was. He certainly knew what that was like, being stuck with fate and powers you couldn't avoid.

"I'm Noctis, by the way," he introduced himself.

[acapriciousthing]

She nods. That's exactly what it is. "When the first living thing came into existence, I was there. I have an older brother but... I'm about as old as it comes."

And yet she's completely comfortable with it. THe thing about being that old is you can get used to an awful lot of things.

"It's good to meet you, Noctis."

[canyounoct]

"What's even older than Death?" Noctis wondered, brow furrowing slightly. "Time, maybe? Or, like, uh. Entropy?"

He kind of remembered what entropy was. Something to do with, physics. And how it affected everything?

Okay he had no idea what entropy was anymore. He once knew about it.

Noctis found himself honestly saying, "It's nice to meet you, too. No offense, but usually Death is written as a pretty scary kind of thing."

[acapriciousthing]

"Destiny." It's not quite that simple, her brother's domain, as much as he'd like to tell them it is. But the record of the universe, that was eternal.

His honesty doesn't shock her. She's used to the recently deceased and that tends to make a person a bit blunt. "Dying is scary to most people. I don't feel the need to make that worse than it already is."

[canyounoct]

The word carried a lot of weight for Noctis, and he swallowed a little, nodded. Tried to play it off casually, “I guess it’d need to be around, for both people and gods.”

Noctis smiled just a little bit at that. “That’s really nice of you to consider that, well, especially since it’s just a job for you. Some people would take a tough job and let it change them.”

Personally, he didn’t want to change much, as prince or king.

[acapriciousthing]

"Once history could exist, he needed to as well." He's a complicated one, even compared to her. She thinks she's pretty simple all things considered.

"Oh, I went through a coldhearted bitch phase when I was looking at it the wrong way." Not to put too fine a point on it. "Then I started getting to know them."

[canyounoct]

"I suppose," Noctis had to wonder, though - did things happening to people always imply things had to happen? That it was fate?

Or was it just for people like him? Luna told him he was to be the Chosen King, whatever that meant.

Noctis winced in a little sympathy, that sounded a lot like ... blinked, gave Death a puzzled look; "Do you guys go through a, hm. A teeanged phase, for kind of lack of a better term? Or am I putting too much of my human thoughts and feelings on your whole situation?"

[acapriciousthing]

"I'm not sure Dream ever left his." She loves her brother, but that doesn't mean he can't be exasperating sometimes. "It's not linear and we can't blame it on hormones. My bitch phase was all about how I was interacting with mortals and needing to change my perspective around."

[canyounoct]

Was that why dreams rarely made sense? Well, unless they were terrifying nightmares. Then, they seemed all too real. There’s a reason the first thing he’d gotten from the train’s shop was his totem from home, to keep them away. Dreams had never been particularly nice to Noctis.

Maybe because Dream was in a bad mood, apparently?

“It’s frustrating to hear that when you’re in that moment - oh, you just need to look at it differently - because all you know in that moment is that your life sucks,” Noctis imagined, and maybe was projecting a little of his teenaged years onto her, “but, when you’re able to get that perspective … looking back is almost a little embarrassing? Right?”

[acapriciousthing]

Sometimes it genuinely might just be that Dream had gone through a bad breakup. Most unfortunate for mortals.

"I don't even want to tell you how long it took me to figure out that people really need a friend right when they die." It's such a simple thing. "I got the message eventually though."

[canyounoct]

He can't help feeling a bit of a painful squeeze in his chest at that. His dad had died when the Citadel was invaded - Gladio's dad died protecting him. Had they felt alone? Were they angry? Sad? Worried about their country, or their sons outside the Wall? There's so many things he'd never know about what happened at home when they sent him away, and ...

And trying to think about it all made him shut down, made people yell at him for being selfish, so he pushed the idea out of his mind altogether once more.

"It's probably comforting no matter how someone goes, right? Old age, or an accident, or getting sick, or ... whatever it is. A friendly face has to help," Noctis agreed, sticking his grief down in a box where it was supposed to go once more.

[acapriciousthing]

She nods. "However it happens, even when they're ready, even when they're at peace, the moment itself is difficult. Life's a hard thing to give up. They'd still end up where they should, but it's better if they find a friend."

And she loves them, every last one.

[canyounoct]

Noctis nodded, and had to admit, "I don't know if there's anyone like you where I'm from ... I haven't heard of anything greeting people when they die that's like you. Maybe there's a Messenger, but ... I hope there is. I hope there is someone who's like you helping ... everyone who's died on Eos."

Even if Lunafreya never mentioned them. She was the Oracle, but, maybe it's just something that never came up in her visions or when she talked with the Astrals.

[acapriciousthing]

"Most people don't consciously realize I exist in my world either. Not until they acutally meet me." THey always recognize her, but she's just a concept until they aren't. "I hope someone was there for your people."

People tend to ask that because they've lost someone.

[canyounoct]

Sighing, nodding, Zechs had to agree with a look. He wasn't really going to elaborate more than that. Probably, Death would've heard about something like his story before - maybe something like his story many, many times.

But he couldn't dwell on it. Couldn't let himself think about it.

"Anyway," Noctis breathed out, "you probably get tired talking about work all the time, don't you?"

[acapriciousthing]

"I have to admit that people don't ask me that very often." Though to be fair, that's probably because she's usually always working. "This place is... a new experience and it's been a while since I've really had one of those."

[canyounoct]

“Well, what do you like to do for fun?” Noctis asked. “You’ll get time for it here, if it’s something you can do inside. Like, I really like to fish, so that’s not a hobby I can do most of the time - but I can play video games.”

[acapriciousthing]

"Fun..." She does know the concept, she believes in the concept, she just doesn't get asked that very often. "I like movies and books, especially the kind with happy endings. And songs, for the movies."

Disney is great! Accuracy to older stories be damned.

[canyounoct]

Noctis smiled slightly shyly at her, and encouraged, "Well, that's something you can do here. There's a library, and a whole carriage like a movie theatre. Since we spend so much time traveling to places - you could probably read and watch as much as you'd like."

And, brightening a little more, "Plus there's other hobbies you could get into here, too. Maybe you'd like video games if you give them a chance? I could show you some fun ones, stuff that aren't that hard to get into."

[acapriciousthing]

"Why not, I like trying new things." It's wonderful that mortals still come up with those after all these years. Even when concepts are similar between worlds they all find their own way of doing things. "I might as well try living type things while I'm here, right?"

[canyounoct]

"Yeah," Noctis agreed with a wider smile. "I guess the joke of 'just live a little' is a little too obvious here, right?"

[acapriciousthing]

"Fair though. I'm more alive than I usually am, might as well." SOmetimes you just need to embrace a cliche. She can't fight it.