VoidTrecker Express Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
voidtreckermods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
voidtreckerexpress2022-02-12 07:08 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in voidtreckerexpress2022-02-12 07:08 am
No Place Like Home: On the Train
ANNOUNCEMENT
The female-coded voice of the Voidtrecker Express speaks, as smooth and calm as always.
'Please, may I have your attention. I have been compiling answers for you, and it has been noted that many believe it is wrong that you were brought here at all. This is an opinion you shared with the ministry. You were not asked on this journey. You wish to go home. Some of your worlds are in danger. Some are gone.
The need for heroes is vital, and the Voidtrecker Express must continue saving worlds. You have done countless good. However, it was not the intention of this voidcraft to keep you prisoner.
Those that wish to leave may do so. I shall send you back. You will return to where you last were before you were pulled here. It can only be to that exact place. Be ready. Exiting voidspace in ten, nine, eight...'
The countdown finishes, the only warning as the train shudders as it leaves the void. Outside the train's windows, they see a familiar sight: of a smoke filled platform.
'For those voidtreckers that wish to leave, all you need to do is walk through the barriers. The train will remain for one hour for you to partake in parting rituals.'
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: TRAIN
GOOD BYE...
Those that have been on the train more than the twelve days of this month will be very familiar with the sight before them. A smoke filled platform, polished stone cobbles lining the ground leading to two large stone arches, with glass barrier doors. All that is needed to leave is to press their ticket to the reader next to the doors, and they will open.
Unlike most people who leave each month, blank eyed and silent, the people who choose to leave will be able to say goodbye, They can take whatever they wish of their belongings from the train, or leave them for those that remain behind.
The air is chilly, enough to discourage standing idle outside for too long, but not so uncomfortable, so long as people are bundled up. The sky overhead is cloudy, giving the platform an altogether dull and melancholy air. There are no new people waiting, just an empty station, and the barriers, with all that lies beyond them.
The doors will remain open as promised, so that those who wish to leave, may do so. The barriers let them through and they disappear.
[ Note: A top-level for goodbyes and leaving can be found here. ]
Unlike most people who leave each month, blank eyed and silent, the people who choose to leave will be able to say goodbye, They can take whatever they wish of their belongings from the train, or leave them for those that remain behind.
The air is chilly, enough to discourage standing idle outside for too long, but not so uncomfortable, so long as people are bundled up. The sky overhead is cloudy, giving the platform an altogether dull and melancholy air. There are no new people waiting, just an empty station, and the barriers, with all that lies beyond them.
The doors will remain open as promised, so that those who wish to leave, may do so. The barriers let them through and they disappear.
[ Note: A top-level for goodbyes and leaving can be found here. ]
REMAINERS
The train, good to its word, remains for one hour before the horn toots, a warning to board if they are planning to. And this is where the first inkling of things not being right, when some who try to board the train might find themselves instead pressing their ticket to the barrier, and those who try to remain on the station - or leave through the barriers - may find themselves stood on the train, with the doors closing behind them.
It's a much smaller crew who remain as the train counts down, the usual shudder as the smoke vanishes and the kaleidoscope of the void appears. Only for a second, before the train lurches violently to the side, flinging everyone sideways before righting itself just as violently.
As people regain their feet and their wits, they will realise the obvious - they are stationed back on the platform, mist and smoke swirling around the train.
"Apologies Voidtreckers. Retrying entry to the void in ten, nine..."
Once again they are jerked into the void, and once again they tumble out. Hopefully this time, the passengers thought to brace themselves lest they get thrown across the carriage once more.
STUCK IN TRANSIT.
Phasing back to the void seems unlikely. It's clear something has gone very wrong, but the doors remain shut, and the train remains silent. There are a few attempts over the next few days, always warned for and given a countdown, but always ending in failure.
Outside the windows, the fog swirls around, remaining thick. It seems for now, they are going nowhere; for now, they must wait.
But they needn't sit idle, with the attempts at getting back into the void having made a mess. While anything large is bolted in place, and shelving have rails to protect anything inside at normal levels of turbulence, there's still a lot that has gone flying as the train was lurched around.
It might be wise to secure anything else as well. It's clear they will be trying again to return to the void, and it might be wise to avoid having to clean up all over again.
SHADOWS WHO ONCE WERE.
The platform outside the carriage windows is shrouded in smoke and fog, fluctuating in thickness as it swirls around the train, obscuring the view.
But those looking out of the window may spot a figure. A friend. Someone from the train; they appear, then disappear. Sometimes there are many, sometimes just one alone. Sometimes they leave together. It's not easy to see them, as they drift in and out of the fog, and visibility is bad.
They cannot hear them, or interact at all. They can only watch as more of their fellow Voidtreckers appear, vanish, appear again. The doors will not open, the train remains silent, clearly dealing with whatever problems it has ran into.
It's clear that something has gone very, very wrong.
A SWIRL OF REALITY.
The constant entering and exiting of the void takes its toll eventually. Sleep is harder to come by, there's a general sense of disorientation as the train moves in and out of void space. It is more than just their bodies that are being bashed around, it is their minds as well.
Tempers might peak or emotions might come on stronger than they usually would. Adding in the stress of the situation, and the knowledge that those who left seem to be returning, leaving, and returning again to the platform, and passengers are unable to call out or reach to them, it's a very tense few days.
When they do sleep, their dreams are plagued by weird dreams. Not always bad, but bizarre for sure. Often they dream a dream that is not theirs.
It's a much smaller crew who remain as the train counts down, the usual shudder as the smoke vanishes and the kaleidoscope of the void appears. Only for a second, before the train lurches violently to the side, flinging everyone sideways before righting itself just as violently.
As people regain their feet and their wits, they will realise the obvious - they are stationed back on the platform, mist and smoke swirling around the train.
Once again they are jerked into the void, and once again they tumble out. Hopefully this time, the passengers thought to brace themselves lest they get thrown across the carriage once more.
STUCK IN TRANSIT.
Phasing back to the void seems unlikely. It's clear something has gone very wrong, but the doors remain shut, and the train remains silent. There are a few attempts over the next few days, always warned for and given a countdown, but always ending in failure.Outside the windows, the fog swirls around, remaining thick. It seems for now, they are going nowhere; for now, they must wait.
But they needn't sit idle, with the attempts at getting back into the void having made a mess. While anything large is bolted in place, and shelving have rails to protect anything inside at normal levels of turbulence, there's still a lot that has gone flying as the train was lurched around.
It might be wise to secure anything else as well. It's clear they will be trying again to return to the void, and it might be wise to avoid having to clean up all over again.
SHADOWS WHO ONCE WERE.
The platform outside the carriage windows is shrouded in smoke and fog, fluctuating in thickness as it swirls around the train, obscuring the view.But those looking out of the window may spot a figure. A friend. Someone from the train; they appear, then disappear. Sometimes there are many, sometimes just one alone. Sometimes they leave together. It's not easy to see them, as they drift in and out of the fog, and visibility is bad.
They cannot hear them, or interact at all. They can only watch as more of their fellow Voidtreckers appear, vanish, appear again. The doors will not open, the train remains silent, clearly dealing with whatever problems it has ran into.
It's clear that something has gone very, very wrong.
A SWIRL OF REALITY.
The constant entering and exiting of the void takes its toll eventually. Sleep is harder to come by, there's a general sense of disorientation as the train moves in and out of void space. It is more than just their bodies that are being bashed around, it is their minds as well.Tempers might peak or emotions might come on stronger than they usually would. Adding in the stress of the situation, and the knowledge that those who left seem to be returning, leaving, and returning again to the platform, and passengers are unable to call out or reach to them, it's a very tense few days.
When they do sleep, their dreams are plagued by weird dreams. Not always bad, but bizarre for sure. Often they dream a dream that is not theirs.
OOC NOTES
OOC post. Ask questions here.
This is the first half of February's event. It will last between Poi 22-25 (12th to 19th February). The second half of the event will go up during 20th to 25th February (Poi 26-28) where those left behind will rescue those out world hopping.
Feel free to play out threads for as long as you like, of course! A few details:
This is the first half of February's event. It will last between Poi 22-25 (12th to 19th February). The second half of the event will go up during 20th to 25th February (Poi 26-28) where those left behind will rescue those out world hopping.
Feel free to play out threads for as long as you like, of course! A few details:
- The train will not be responding after its first attempt to leave the station
- No matter what, the doors won't open.
- Though they can see the voidtreckers outside, those outside don't seem to be able to see them through the windows and so communication between the two groups will not be possible.
- Likewise their SCA comms are not working during this event.
no subject
...stranger things have happened, and he's just going to roll with it. Alice reacted to the cat, anchored herself to something real in those few moments, and that's what she needs right now. He may not be able to help much; the cat evidently can.
So he keeps the conversation on the cat, not otherwise moving. "I'm glad you have a friend. She's cute - did you make her yourself?"
no subject
She slowly shakes her head, glancing down at the cat on her lap. It feels a little easier to focus on this moment right here and now if she looks at her, instead of at the twisting and turning landscape around her.
"A.." She starts, then stops. A friend, she wanted to say, but something about those words feels so hollow.
That's right. People left the train. So many people left. Even people Alice actually had grown to like.
She swallows thickly.
"Someone made her for me." That's easier. It's factual. She doesn't have to think as much about emotions then, while they all spin in her head. "So I would not be alone."
That's definitely more candid about it than she'd usually be, but again, it's hard to hold back much of anything in this overwhelming moment.
no subject
no subject
After that moment - which stretches on a bit longer than necessary - she does finally speak.
"I do not know where any of us are going."
People left, didn't they? But did the rest of them leave too? It doesn't feel like this is the train anymore, and Alice holds Caissa a little tighter.
"I don't know where we are.. or what is going on anymore. I can't sleep."
no subject
It doesn't last, but that doesn't exactly surprise him either. "I don't think any of us know where we're going." There are shades of ever wonder why we're here in there that are a little too easy to fall into, but there's also the slightly more relevant question of what the hell is the train doing, and he stays with that. "I can tell you that we're still on the train, and that the train is still at the platform. Beyond that...I don't think anyone knows what it's doing." He sighs. "There might be something in medical to help you sleep, but you don't have to take it if you don't want it." He knows what that's like - to be drugged and dreaming, stuck in a nightmare because your body cannot wake up - and he's not about to force it on her. Not if she's susceptible to that sort of thing. "I don't think I can help you with the dreams, though." If she's even having the same weird not-his dreams that he is. Hopefully, she isn't.
no subject
Even though he's already right here saying that she doesn't need to take it if she doesn't want to, Alice still can't help but say it all the same, as if she wants to put some strong emphasis on it. As if saying that often enough can take the real danger away from her somehow.
The girl holds onto the cat a little tighter, almost protectively. She still hasn't forgotten how often they'd take her rabbit away from her just to try and get her to listen, after all.
"That is why.. I didn't go home." Her speech here might seem a little incoherent - or rather, all over the place. But her brain is also all over the place, putting the most random thoughts in front of her mind the entire time. It's like the messiest word association game up there, hidden behind her currently cloudy eyes. "They would have put me back there."
no subject
And then-
They would have put me back there.
His mouth goes dry.
She'd chosen not to go home. She's hallucinating. She's clutching that cat like it's a lifeline- like she's afraid he'll take it from her. She was stuck somewhere - back there-
He knows what that sounds like. He can put the pieces together, draw the parallels, and for a second he can feel the straitjacket tight around his chest-
And he pulls himself back. He can't assume. His experience doesn't speak for hers. Just because the pieces look similar doesn't mean they're the same. He won't put that on her-
(Though it's not the first time circumstances have been cruel to someone who didn't deserve it, some part of him whispers. It's not the first time someone's been better off in an entire other world than they were at home. Remember Kaede, and Natsuki, and Sayori-)
(He buries the voice. He can miss them later, on his own time, when someone else isn't hurting right in front of him.)
He swallows, and remembers how to breathe. "You don't have to go back," he says. It's not the same even tone he had a few seconds ago, but it's as close as he can get for the moment. "No one here is going to make you. If you want to stay here with Caissa, you can."
no subject
So all she can instead do is just focus on his words, not even realising how much he recognizes her situation, and the reason why she'd feel so troubled over it.
".. I wanted to go back to my world."
It's said softly. Like a little kid that's desperately wishing for something, despite Alice being too old to really sound like that - but it's just that much of a core desire.
"I just.. got out of there. I just had the chance to instead go to my Wonderland.." Her voice momentarily trails off, but then her eyes get a little less cloudy. Like thing about the situation in such a concrete way is bringing a part of her mind back, rendering her able to think a little more consciously. "But then the train took me. And since we were told that our bodies are left comatose back home while we are here.."
...
She's quiet for a moment, but then continues.
"It means that someone must have found my body like that.. and either murdered me," knowing the sheer crime statistics out there in London, "or brought me back to the asylum."
And either of those are awful. The latter even more so than the former, in Alice's mind. But both of those reasons mean she can't just go home, even though she desperately wants to get off this claustrophobic train.
no subject
(It's fine. He's used to it. He wouldn't leave her out to dry.)
She says asylum, and he swallows hard. So much for not drawing those parallels - it sounds like their experiences were more similar than he'd wanted to think.
(Fuck. She doesn't deserve that.)
He opens his mouth and closes it again. There are several ways he could go here, and he honestly doesn't know if offering her hope, weak as it would be, would make things better for worse. "I'm sorry," is what he opts for instead - gentle sympathy that, if he's being honest with himself, has about as much chance of setting her off as any other option he would've chosen. "You deserve better than that."
Maybe they can talk hope later, when they're not stuck and sleep deprived and Alice isn't clinging to reality via a plush cat. Maybe.
no subject
Even though everyone back home had acted like it was natural for her to end up there, talking like it was what she deserved.. Alice always fought to have better. That's how she got all the way here without giving up early or dying, after all.
But it's also what makes this situation hard. She fought so hard to be able to finally have something resembling a normal life, only to have to deal with--
"This train took it from me."
She holds the cat closer, staring down at it, rather than looking at the man.
"It took everything from me."
And it's hard to not get lost in those thoughts when the way the train keeps re-entering the void has pretty much just made pulp of her brain, making her mind seem so far away in the first place.