voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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A New Platform [Intro Post October]

On the Train

The train continues its journey

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day sixteen of the month of Nebula. 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 doors open. As usual, those who leave first notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Asch, Ayumi Uoshida, Cleopatra Selene, Della Duck, Ghost, Hanuel Min, Jaisyn Solo, Jonathan Sims, Martin Blackwood, Nie Huaisang, Vermouth; all pass across the platform, not looking back. And then they're gone, disappeared through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

But on the platform itself there are four new faces. Wearing hoodies, three in purple one orange, 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. The platform is relatively small, a brick wall behind them and cracked flagstones on the floor. It is cold, icy cold but the wall at least shelters them a little.

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 on the foggy, freezing platform; then the fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, but it is enough to hold the four 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, perhaps ten minutes or so, 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 yadon tail, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. In most rooms, the occupied beds are obvious, leaving the spotless, empty spaces for the newcomers. 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 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

And a god who doesn't need to eat and lives in a world suffering an eternal winter (and thus a famine) doesn't know a lot about cooking. Thanatos likes bread, and grains are an important part of a mortal's diet. Someone taught him how to make toast. He put the two together. (Thanatos participates in his own version of food crimes, but he's doing his best.)

"It's a sandwich," Thanatos says as he spreads some jam else someone made on a slice of bread before sticking a piece of toast on top of it and spreading more jam.

...ok, Idia had that coming, he did just ask that and the answer was technically correct, even if it wasn't quite what he meant. Lifting up an edge of the top piece of bread to see what was inside, all it did was lead to another question, "Is this... toast?" Again, the answer was obvious. It was more an unspoken 'why' than what it actually was.

Who makes toast sandwiches?

If Idia doesn't directly ask Thanatos why he's making toast sandwiches, he will assume the question means something different. Like he does now.

"Yes, made using that." Thanatos points to the toaster. Without any other reference point, Thanatos assumes more that Idia is closer to him in terms of technology knowledge. He knows a guy with flaming feet, so fiery hair could be another... well, perhaps a demigod instead of a god, but someone closer to his world's technology still.

Yup, that one was also on him, thought it at least snapped him out of his shock at the idea he wouldn't know what a toaster was. He may have no clue when it comes to cooking, but he gets tech, ok? Even if it's... old tech.

...he could invent something better.

Then for the next question; "Why?" Of all the things to make... toast sandwiches? Then again, it wasn't like it was bad. Just... weird.

"It's a toaster. It makes toast." Thanatos, honestly, appreciates that the name and its purpose are clearly stated and related. He hates how ambiguous language can be.

Speaking of which... may he should clarify something upfront. This line a questioning may soon require a knowledge base he does not have. "If you are going to ask how it does that, you'll need to find someone else. I understand death, not technology."

...Ok, this needs to be fully cleared up, Idia giving himself a mental shake as he tries to find the words to actually sort this out. "I know what a toaster is. I mean why of all fillings are you doing toast inside a sandwich? It's weird."

Also, "It's got a heating coil in both sides of each slot, that's how it toasts the bread on both sides at once." To put it simply, Idia could go into more details about infrared radiation and nichrome wire, but he's guessing it would be lost on Thanatos.

Thanatos looks at his culinary creation. He really doesn't see the issue. Bread tastes good. Toast tastes good. The spreads others have made taste good. And putting them together doesn't change that. What's the problem?

"You can ask someone more experienced to make you something. The train doesn't consider who would be best for a chore, and the Red Team is smaller than the others already."

Meaning that even if he doesn't know much about cooking, he'll do his part while also trying his best not to waste food due to his inexperience. Thanatos comes from a winter famine world, after all.

Ugh, don't say it like that, Thanatos. It's not that Idia's not glad there's easy food for him to steal, and it was still better than anything he could make. Or had the intention on trying to make. "I'm not saying it's not good." He mumbled out before another mouthful of the sandwich he still had.

He chewed on it in silence for awhile, then deciding to ask, "Are you only putting spreads in it? It's a sandwich, right? Just... crunchy," Which did add a nice texture. "Can put other stuff in it too."

It's not so much Idia's fault that Thanatos thinks it was a complaint. Everything he tries to do has either been wrong or amounted to little, so his self-confidence has been in shambles. He been assuming that he's doing most things wrong on some level.

"I don't need to eat, so I don't know what others put in their sandwiches. These are what I know tastes good." People have discovered that Thanatos is more likely to go along with eating something if it's bread related. That puts a limit on his on-going culinary education forced upon him by the train.

...What? Really? "Really?" Idia echoed his thoughts. "Not need to eat?" Wait... is he robotic somehow? That would be amazing. "Why?" Calm down, it's doubtful it's that, as Idia eyes Thanatos up closer now. He moved too well to be fully robotic, though maybe his maker was as talented as Idia was with how he had created Ortho's body. Then again, why hide that? Robotics was cool, it should be shown off.

As for the sandwich, "Oh, um, I guess that depends on the person... cheese is good?" Especially with hot toast in it, it would make it all melty.

"I'm a god. Eating is mostly for pleasure, and the mortals on this train need it more than I ever do. They die too easily without food." The matter-of-fact tone Thanatos says this hides the fact that many in his world have been dying without enough food because their crops couldn't grow. Or they were before he arrived on the train. He spreads some strawberry jam on a slice of bread.

Cheese... a memory comes to mind of the first day he tried to do this chore. Soldat had talked about something called a grilled cheese sandwich. Mort squeaks something about never having a cheese before. "I think I know what you refer to though I've no experience with it."

That was far less interesting than a human-like robot...

Wait, god? "A god? Really?" How does a god get caught by the train, that doesn't make sense. "I didn't realize the train was strong enough to take gods as well..." Idia doesn't seem surprised about the existence of gods, though it's still strange to actually speak to one. Like, so casually like. He expected gods to be... he doesn't know, more all grandeur and looking down on mortals.

Not cooking for them.

He's distracted a moment by that squeak as well, before the question brought his attention back to Thanatos. Oh, well, "Ah, I don't really either. I guess, just, you know, instead of spread put cheese on it?" Right?

...also he's far too curious not to ask. "...What kind of god are you?"

It's far easier to trap a god than one thinks, and this hasn't been the first time Thanatos has been trapped. The box just happens to be bigger and with company. Also, Thanatos has been stuck on the train for about 5 months now with multiple mental and emotional breaks having taken place. He's the furthest from acting like a god should than he's ever been.

He doesn't get too much time to consider placing a block of cheese atop bread because he's given something else to answer instead. "I am Thanatos, Death Incarnate."

Please don't, Thanatos. Even Idia knows that's not right.

"Oh?" A bit of nerve behind that, maybe not for the reason Thanatos may expect though, not that Idia plans to go into that. Then a calmer, "Oh," Continuing with, "Like Hades. With the Underworld and all that." Why do the Greats keep popping up here? Well, two of them now, but it's still weird. Of all the chances of universes meeting up, the fact they share similarities is just too strange.

"You've heard of me." Thanatos is mildly surprised that this person knows the difference between him and Lord Hades. Usually, he's mistaken for him by mortals. They misunderstand the nuanced differences between the God of the Dead and God of Death. The two of them could never exchange roles to any successful degree.

"I serve Lord Hades, collecting and guiding shades from the surface to the Underworld or to my brother's ferry."

"I see." He mumbled, then frowned a little. "It's strange how similar some stuff is from home, when so much isn't." And why was it the Greats that were carrying over? Would they also be Greats in other worlds too? Would Thanatos know of the Queen of Hearts as well?

Also... Thanatos said he worked for him, right? So... "What's... what's Hades like? Your Hades, I mean." What Idia knew was from tales and legends from long ago, not the actual god himself.

"He's strict. Busy. He expects people to do their jobs and do them well. He has very high standards. Especially for his son." And matters involving Lord Hades's son are very complex, and Thanatos doesn't exactly know how much to go into. It's not his thing to say when Zagreus is on the train.

Thanatos begins a new toast sandwich. "Is there something specific you'd like to know?"

"Oh, I see." ...and he can see that. Why would you want people around you who couldn't do their job right? Then again, why would you want people around you? Better to do it yourself right the first time, why bother relying on others who would just screw it up.

He's also going to gloss over that whole 'son' bit... that's news to him. That question was a good one though, did he have anything he really wanted to know? What was the chances of even meeting Hades, any version of them? And if he did show up, Idia doubted he would even waste time on him. Why would he? Just for some kid who's part of a dorm named after him? "Well, no, I guess. It's just... it sounds like he has a lot of people around him." That's completely different from the stories Idia knows.

This is familiar territory, businesslike and nearly standard procedure for him. Thanatos knows his job and how things are done despite what others on the train may think.

"It takes a lot to keep the Underworld running with the high influx of shades. Mother Nyx assists in keeping the realm physically upheld while Lord Hades manages the shades and the different levels of the Underworld. There are many people under his rule."

"That's very different to his legend back home." Idia's not sure what to make of it. Then again, it's a story from long, long ago, and they were from different worlds, there were bound to be differences even if they somehow shared a similar name between them. Though, "Kind of. They said he was very hard working." Always keeping to his duty, never a break, loyal to his task.

"He's always working. I rarely saw him away from his desk." Which may sound less impressive given that Thanatos isn't around that often, but even Thanatos's earliest memories of the god had him behind that large, imposing desk. The constant scratch of a quill was just as present as all the other sounds of the House and Tartarus.

"Many mortals do not understand how the Underworld operates. I'm often confused for Lord Hades or Lord Ares when I approach."

"Oh." Idia has little to add to that comment, then, "The story back home talks of Hades staying in the Underworld, so, well, Death would have to go between that and the mortal realm, right? So you can't be Hades. Or, well, at least go to the boatman." Maybe not all the way into the Underworld. So maybe Thanatos was in the legend, just not mentioned since the story was about Hades, and if he just drops souls off at the boat then it would make sense for him not to actually go to the Underworld.

"Someone has to bring them to the Underworld if Hades can't leave it."

"Would more mortals think as you do, but they learn soon enough." At least both Lord Hades and Lord Ares have a stronger connection to Death. Thanatos finds being mistaken for Eros far more embarrassing and troublesome. There are multiple winged gods.

"News from the Underworld to the surface travels slowly. 'There is no escape,' after all."

"Yeah, well..." Lets not go into that too much into details about that. Or the whole 'no escape'. This was all feeling a bit too close for Idia. "Hades' and his tasks are well known in my world." Did that work for an answer? He hoped.

If not, then distraction was the next best option! "Um... you will have to cut that up first before you put it on that." Idia pointing to the block of cheese. He's not calling you an idiot, Thanatos, just... maybe not that informed on all things. It's not a good idea to anger Death.

"..." Thanatos glances over at the block of cheese, not remembering having brought it out. Perhaps a passenger had walked by and attempted to leave an unsaid suggestion for the god. "I had no intention of using that ingredient. Unless, that's what you would like as part of your meal."

Idia did not say how he was supposed to cut it up. The potential for cheese disaster is still there.

A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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