voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post March]

A New Platform [Intro Post March]

PLATFORM STOP: MONTH 17
(QUICKSAND)

BEFORE ARRIVAL

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day 1 of the month of Quicksand. Points have been updated on the system."
The voice of the Voidtrecker Express welcomes passengers at the same time as always, sometime after breakfast. With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later, as the colours of the void outside the windows blur more and more.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. The weather is cold and damp. 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.

ON THE PLATFORM

1. THE ARRIVAL

At first, all your character can see is steam billowing around them as they come to their senses. But as their eyes adjust, they find themselves on a platform.
It is cold, a slush of ice and rain on the ground underneath their feet. It's not currently raining though. The platform is made of black cobbles, slippy under their feet, dark stone gates serving as barriers giving the impression of a severe and grim place.

They stand in clothes not their own, in a style they might not even recognise. They're carrying a rucksack on their person, and for a moment it seems to just be them, alone on this platform. Before the fog starts to subside, and they'll see they're one of eleven figures: all facing the tracks, and all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies, the latter in one of four colours. Purple, red, blue or orange.

But then there's a roaring sound to get their attention, and out from the fog arrives a train. A sleek black, it it reads The Voidtrecker Express in gold lettering on the side. Every one of the doors hiss as they open automatically, and out pours a strange assortment of people, over a hundred at least. Some are human, some less so, with a majority wearing the same hoodie of four colours as they do, though some sport outfits in a variety of styles.

The train doors close behind them, and the vehicle is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform. A group of people head towards the gates of the platform, their expressions blank and unaffected by their surroundings. Ansem, Connor, Curufin, Elle Days, Freddy Fazbear, Margulis, Murderbot, Potato, Vexen, Will Stanton and Yota They disappear through the barriers, but no one else can - all people can do is wait until the train re-emerges, finishing whatever changes it's making.

2. BOARDING THE TRAIN

After a short time, perhaps ten minutes or so, the fog clears and the doors hiss open again. Everyone will feel a pull when they do, a need to board, and those from the train may encourage new arrivals to board. This feeling grows into one of apprehension and turns worse the longer they stay off-board.

For those that do board, they may find themselves in a few different carriages, but most likely the standard coach. A row of seats sit available, with a few tables between each. More likely than not, some cookies have been set out with jugs of drink, and cups available for pouring.

For those that don't, however, they're likely to attract attention if they're spotted. And if that fails... an unfortunate end will await them.

3. DEPARTURE

Do a little exploring, if you will. But people will have half an hour total from the train's arrival before a second horn sounds, encouraging any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air to board. After five minutes from this, the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train begins to rumble with activity, and the platform starts to disappear into a fog as the voidcraft moves. A female-coded artificial voice echoes throughout the train.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express. 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.

ON THE TRAIN

1. EXPLORING

With nowhere to go but through the train's carriages, this is a good time for newcomers to explore. For veterans, it's back to your everyday life aboard the Voidtrecker Express.

¤ New arrivals will notice a screen and console in every carriage sharing the same message, and a stack of leaflets in holders by them offering further information to the curious (see 'Publications'). There are lavatories available on each carriage on one end, with another console with a deposit box under it at the other. This is the train shop.

¤ It'll take some time for newbies to figure out the layout, even if there's only two directions to go in. Go one end, and you'll find the food stores and washing utilities. This month's key ingredient is pineapple, and you're sure to bump into others curious about what's in the stock.

¤ Go to the other end, and you'll find the sleeper cabins. Plaques sit on the wall by each door with the names of their occupants, and one of these will be yours - hopefully, they'll figure out that swiping their ticket against the doorpad will open it up to them. 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.

¤ At the farthest end in this direction is the luggage carriage, where passengers who have bought items from the train shop will find their purchases. There are also medical kits for every one, each labelled with their full roster name. These are scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags, but there's also a small fridge and kettle here with bottled water, for those who want a quiet drink.

For those of Purple team who go looking for their reward they will find simple boxes of cupcakes to share out. There's a cupcake for all of purple team, even the new arrivals, share in your new team's success!

2. ACTIVITIES

But of course, there's also everything in-between those two directions, and the people in them.

¤ Areas of note will be the training gym, where there's always regulars training to pass the time. There's a training board offering services, but maybe you'll find someone who catches your eye in here. Or even its gear?

¤ Is your character used to the appliances to be found in the kitchen? Depending on when your character wanders in, they may find someone testing out a recipe, preparing for lunch, or even dinner time.

¤ The library offers a quiet place, with a fair selection of books from fiction to non-fiction. Is your character interested in learning more about the void? Picking up an action or adventure book? Wow, there sure are a few magazines.

¤ There's also media to consume, from the games car, the cinema, to the arts carriage. Ever played a virtual reality game? Wanted to learn how to fly? Have you seen a screen of moving pictures? There's now documentaries to be found in the cinema's catalogues, from How To programming, Void-related topics, and sports.

3. REST AND SLEEP

¤ Time is difficult to track in the void, even with the few clocks around showing a 21 hour time. But the windows allowing a view of the kalediscope void will shift to a pitch black once the time reaches 12, and keep for the rest of the day.

¤ Breakfast, lunch, and dinner time is usually announced by whoever's cooking that day, and when. Sometimes it's decided by the team chores; other times, it's decided by who wants to be cooking.

¤ But sleep eventually comes to all, even if they don't want it to. When 21 hours have finally passed on the train, all passengers, whether they need sleep or not, will see black - only to start a new day in their cabin beds, with the sound of the train's automated voice greeting them with a 'Good morning' message.

NAVIGATION ~ GAMEPLAY ~ SETTING ~ CHARACTER INITIATIVES ~ QUESTIONS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Esteban is carefully retracing his own name this time around, using the sheet she's given him to carefully place each letter down as per her alphabet, charmed and excited. His foot bounces lightly underneath the table, but he's extremely careful not to disturb her as they both work, giving them each a few minutes to focus onto their own goals. He too soon gets distracted by her drawing when he glances at her progress though, even from an upside-down point of view.

He has to hold himself back so that she can sweep her brush aside, staring in wonderment at the paint that is still gleaming and trying to find the signs to share with her. The swan-stretched neck, but the head crowned with vicious horns, snout stretching from it, and even though the mane is unfamiliar to him-- is it fur? are they feathers?-- he can recognize enough of the shape to see what it is.

"Y' have dragons? Y' have dragons in your world too?" he asks aloud, startled, his hands trying to keep up with his words. {You-learn?} Oh, that's the wrong sign, learning instead of knowing, but he still tries to make his sentence work.

{How do I sign?} here, he points at her painting again, with a touch more need than he meant. It's... it's him. Part of him and he knows he's just mentioned it, but it still feels important to know, to learn. {My-mother} Another try, another time where he points at her painting, his lips stretching wider with the hope that he can get his point across.

She nods vigorously when he speaks, then holds out her hands wide, puffing out her cheeks to indicate 'big.'

That, she signs, pointing at the drawing, is the Queen of Dragons. My nephews saved her son, and brought peace to our world.

Her look darkened a bit, and it was clear that all of this was of some confusion to her emotions. The Queen of the Dragons had been one of the most profoundly amazing things she had ever seen - the realization of how critical the moment was all the more so. But that didn't erase the past. Nothing ever did.

The King of Dragons killed my sister, she signed after that. When our worlds were in conflict. My brother in law killed him in turn. So pointless, now.

She sighs, paying attention to what else she's saying. She frowns a bit, tilting her head. She's missing a context clue, she's sure of it.

You want to sign your mother's name?

For all his excitement of the last few minutes, Esteban can tell the subject is not... as light as he'd thought. He'd never been threatened by a dragon, but his size had meant he was more than aware how dangerous one could be when they so wished, and Amaya or her sister, fighting someone as frightful as Amarantha has him quieten down as he listens to her.

A tale of conflict and a tale of loss. He can only imagine the pain this might bring her; gets confused at her choosing to paint the Dragon Queen, but brushes it aside to try and find the words to say.

He shakes his head at her question, hesitating, but...

{Your-sister-name-what?} he asks instead, repeating himself in a slow, soft voice. "What was your sister's name?"

He's fairly certain he's heard it before, or at least, he'd known she'd passed away, but he didn't know it had been a dragon that caused it. Esteban's not sure if speaking about her is going to help, or if Amaya might prefer stepping away from the pain.

He's careful to watch her, snatching a handful of tales behind his teeth if he needs to change the subject, if he needs to clear the air with silver linings. He never knows when to speak and when to stay quiet, but he does want to help her, want to provide an ear or a smile or something, because he does care deeply for Amaya, and he never wants to see those he loves troubled or pained.

Life is never kind, to anyone. But Esteban can try to be that kindness; can try to offer it, in whatever shape Amaya might prefer. It's not much, really, but it's freely offered, and he hopes he can brighten her day, even just a bit.

Sarai, she signs, slowly, with a small smile. Her name was Sarai. The best queen Katolis ever had.

Which was true in more ways than one, quite frankly. Stepping away is fine, in its way. But she can't avoid it. Can't run from it. The only way she'd found to better lands was to go through it.

Besides which, she'd had young nephews depending on her, after all. It hadn't been a choice at all.

{S-a-r-a-i} he repeats after her, a smile growing at the edges of his lips, still soft, still trying to be careful, but. But Esteban knows sometimes all he wants to do is remember them fondly; the people that have been left behind, the people he can no longer see. So he tilts his head lightly to the side, and asks, because Amaya clearly loved her sister dearly, and Esteban is curious.

A sort of curious that wants to know for the sake of sharing, of hoping, of helping. A sort of curious that wants to listen to the best and the worst Amaya has gone through, not in an intrusive, nosy prodding, but to know how to help, how to be a comfort, how to stand by her side. He still doesn't know how to process the dragons from her past, and there's a bit of that too; wanting to understand so that he won't hurt her by being callous. So he wants to listen-- or, well, see in this case.

"Tell me about her?" He asks gently, and there's a pause to allow her to protest, to refuse if she wants.

She thinks for a moment of where to begin, what to say. How to summarize her sister? Her life?

The best friend I'll ever have. Always sweet, always kind. Ferocious in combat, but never cruel about it. A Queen so beloved that even years after her passing, the people still mark her birthday as if she were still there.

Oh, that's not quite what he means. But he listens all the same, because he can gather what she signs to paint a wider picture, frames the littler colours in a way he can understand. As someone he's never met, Sarai is more abstract than most but he makes an effort nonetheless. He repeats the signs for {kind} and {ferocious} and {love}. Amaya admires her so very much.

{Growing up,} he starts a little clumsily. {S-a-r-a-i, BIG sister, small sister, which?} Oh, he's very proud of that sentence alright. He used the signs for serving plates, since he's not sure how to sign older or younger, but he thinks he got the point across! (He's getting somewhere! It's slow-going, but he's getting somewhere!

{Play, together, what?} is his next sentence, and he beams at his success. Two in a row!

He certainly is getting better at it, and she makes sure to show a sign of encouragement at that, a little silent clap for his efforts. Because, well, that's what you did, when someone was learning. She'd spent enough time raising her nephews to have learned that much at least.

Older sister, she signed in return, using first his method then her own, so he could see the difference. We sparred a lot, competed in everything. Racing each other, horseback riding - whatever we could, as sisters do. We were always outdoors, always coming back with grass stains everywhere.

He does take the time to imitate her, signing {older} as she does, before adding a quick {How do I sign, small sister?} His sign for small is contained it a tiny space, like he's exaggerating the movement. Or maybe he just made it smaller and smaller and smaller as he practiced, eventually learning it as this tiny and somewhat delicate sign, despite his large palms.

Oh! There's an other one he gets excited to learn, and the sign {outdoors} might be clumsy at first, but he repeats it, before trying to find a way to formulate his sentences. He's had two, so far, he wants to push for at least a third question entirely in sign language. This one is particularly difficult, so he struggles, but he keeps at it anyways, carefully tracing each sign.

{S-a-r-a-i} Her name is still a little slow to spell, so that they hear individual letters rather than a word, but he keeps at it, and practice will smooth it out eventually. {Teach? Amaya} he questions, before turning slightly to his opposite side. {Sa-r-a-i, Amaya learn, together?} Oof! This was hard; and his questions are so basic, simple when limited in this way. But he did his best, and he's glad that he's slowly picking it up!

But he'll definitely be switching back to speaking, because his shallow questions just aren't cutting it when he wants to hear so much more about the person Amaya loved and loves so dearly still.

Carefully, she works to teach him the sign for little sister, repeating it several times so he can emulate it.

She sighs, too, at his question efforts, reaching out with her hands to ruffle his hair a bit. A sign that he is doing his best, and she appreciates it. Her reply is deliberately slow, squaring to face him to make it as easy as possible.

We were close enough in age to have the same teachers. As I said, we did everything together. We were inseparable, as we grew up. People say that sisters are supposed to complete, but we never did.

The hair ruffle gets him startled a bit, but he grins underneath her palm, finding it soothing. It's usually reserved for kids and children in his world, and Esteban's sheer height makes it hard for anyone to bother reaching up, but he's glad she's comfortable enough with him to do so. It's encouraging. A hug without the full gesture.

He's glad his question got understood well enough even though he... actually hadn't finished it. Oops. He'd tried hard; and next time, he wouldn't forget! But it does make him relent, and slip back into spoken Common, simply to make it more comprehensible.

"Was she your role model?" He... understands it as such. He's never had siblings, but he'd had people he respected. "Tell me... Tell me one story about her? Like, something you did when you were kids, or the kinds of troubles you got into?" He'll relent after that, promise.

It's just... these are precious. Little raw-cut stones he can associate with Amaya, see how she polished them with time and skill into who she is today. They are about Sarai, yes, but they are also about Amaya. How she saw her sister, how she understood her, loves her, misses her. And by learning of her, Esteban can also share in his friend's sorrow. Offer comfort if she ever needs it.

She folds her hands at his request, putting her chin on top as she thinks it through. Finally, a fond smile on her face formed, and she started to tell a story.

So when I was fourteen, I was very, very gawky. And into girls, who were...ridiculously pretty, and seemed so elegant sometimes. I was the tomboy who liked swords and horses. And I had my first crush.

She smiles, shaking her head.

She was redheaded, freckles. A goddess, as far as I was concerned. So one day, I brought her flowers and...told her. And...she rejected me. To this day I'm not sure if she wasn't into girls or just didn't want me because I was deaf or...just didn't like me that way. Who's to say? But I was an absolute wreck over it.

What little confidence I had went down the drain. But Sarai took care of me, made me meals, brought me little presents - kept finding ways to make me laugh. Built me back up, telling me how relieved she was I hadn't ended up with someone like her, when I could've done so much better. Don't know if she was just acting it out, or really believed it - probably the latter, knowing her - but she brought me out of it.

And then? Set me up with my first ever date. That's the sort of sister she was.

That's a lot of words Esteban wishes he could add to his vocabulary, but it'll have to wait. He's way more concerned with listening to her properly, even if he misses a few of her gestures. He hadn't known what to expect, but the story is so sweet, that it makes him grin as Amaya recounts her sister's efforts, the light tugs and encouragements she'd woven to help her along.

He can sort-of picture the events, even if he wasn't there. It's strange to think of Amaya as anything less than unwavering, self-assured in her own strength and worth, but she's just told him that it hadn't always been the case. Briefly, and tacked to her mention of being deaf, he wonders if it caused some of her doubt growing up. It's a strange thought; difficult to imagine a reality so vastly different from his own.

But he lets it sway away, exactly because he knows it would always fall short of her own experience. What he can do, what he does strive to, is to learn her language, and to realize when he's being shortsighted. It's not perfect, but he's trying.

"She sounds like my kind of nosy," he snickers, his smile brightening his entire face as he speaks. "Not wantin' to leave you without a silver linin'." Some people would find it, oh, intrusive, irritating even. But Esteban sort of understands-- at least, understands the way Amaya speaks of her.

"She must've been very warm t' be around." And he doesn't mean it as bodyheat. Some people... some people feel like sunshine, Esteban's always found. He likes to think that Sarai would have been one of them. Well-- that, and he's basically just rephrasing what Amaya had been telling him all along, oops. His grin widens at this, a bit sheepish, but glad nonetheless.

He wishes he could have gotten to know her.

She smiles at that.

And it's in her sons, too. All that nosy. All that warmth. They'll be good, no matter what they do.

Oh. Oh no, he's already being greedy. He'd focused onto her sister first, and he wants to know, to get to know her, to get to know how Amaya had perceived her. Now she mentions her nephews and Esteban is just as tempted to fall into the same-- ish-- question, to blabber on about their own lives, getting to know them too.

Greedy, the half-elf is. Greedy for his friends, for their happiness, for the things that brighten their day, their lives. He wants to know everything there is to know about them, but he hardly ever shares anything back, because he's greedy and grabby and most of them just go along with it.

He should give something back, truly, but the pull of curiosity is so hard to ignore. And besides, he's already tiptoed around them before; he doesn't want to do it twice.

"Ezran and Callum, right?" he signs their names; slower now, as he doesn't practice them as often, and the SCA dutifully garbles out the signs in its eery, mechanical voice as he does so. {E-z-r-an, Ca-ll-u-m} AHA!

{Ca-ll-um, oldest-brother. Ezran, younger-brother.}

"Tell me about them?" Yep. He's greedy alright. Hope Amaya doesn't mind.

And in response to that, Amaya puts on an elaborate display. She puffs at the hair over her face, making an exaggerated face of being put upon, holding her hands up to the heavens as if imploring the gods themselves from release from being asked to gush about her nephews.

Then she just starts to sign. And Esteban will definitely not be able to keep up with this, because this is the movements of a proud Aunt who loves those boys more than anything in the world. So she talks about Callum and his courage, his willingness to throw himself into danger to protect those he cares about. His thirst to learn, to grow, to never accept that there is anything he can't do.

And she signs tales of Ezran, the boy who would be - and was now - King. Wise beyond his years, kind and trusting. With all the instincts of his father, and the steel-life belief in the goodness of people of his mother. And, of course, she talks about him and , their clever thievery of jam tarts.

Frankly, Esteban will have to stop her.

He'd almost believe her, as clearly demonstrated by his snicker. There's a bit of a pang that he hides pretty well, but she soon smooths it over when she does start signing about them, about their antics and about their determination.

Stop her? Esteban wouldn't dream of it. He listens attentively, not even trying to repeat any of her signs-- they're a bit too fast for him, anyways-- as she motions forth, about courage and acceptance and belief. Amaya feels warm, sharing in this sunshine she loves so dearly. Esteban can understand, sees the love that she holds for her nephews in the smile that dances across her lips, the way her eyes crinkle just a bit at the edge. It feels a bit like coming home.

"What kinda tarts do they like?" Esteban asks eagerly, leading her on to the next tangent in his thoughts, or maybe her words, just to keep her signing. He drinks in her words, gathering them close and preciously as he always does; a bit of brightness to colour the world when the skies grew dim.

Jelly tarts, she signs in reply.

The cook can barely make them before Ezran and Bait are attempting to eat them. It's a long-standing duel the cook continues to lose.

There's another snicker from her companion, his eyes brightening in mischief as he adds his own comment to it.

"Remind me to pick them on my team when we need t' sneak about. Betcha they're great hiders." It's more to add to the warmth than out of any knowledge if Ezran and Bait are truly that good, but from what she says, it seemed they would manage quite well! Esteban has faith in their abilities!~

"What kinda games did you play with them? When you got to see them--" he adds, because he seems to recall she had been marching a lot? Something about her traveling and patrolling the border? "Didja get to see them often? When did you get t' see them usually? What would you do t' spend time with them?"

Less with time, she signed, deflating just a little. My task was defending the border against a perceived enemy - it kept me separate from them all too much. But it was my duty, and I did it.

And now, she's here. Esteban deflates a bit to hear this, upset on her behalf, just a bit. He can't fix this-- not for anyone, but it still rattles him that he can't.

Let it go.

He can't fix everything for everyone, but he can give them hope. He can give them hope and affection and brighten their days, shooing the stormclouds away whenever he can, and covering them with silver linings when he can't, so Esteban tucks a foot underneath his opposite knee, grins, and tries to uplift his friend.

"Your little nephew who's a king is gonna need strong supporters, right?" Especially if he is as young as Esteban understands; he doesn't have their ages, but both Ezran and Callum seemed to be teenagers at most, so he expects this to hold true.

"At the very least, you'd know your borders, an' border disputes best. Know how t' handle disputed terrain, an' how t' best keep your country safe, right?" It's... it's something she can offer Ezran. When she gets back. When they all get back.

He will find them no matter what, she signs in reply. He has it in his blood - and more besides. He's a natural king.

And she means it in the best possible way. But as to the rest...

Does blowing up a land bridge behind a lava waterfall count? Because I did that. I did the heck out of that.

She looked more than a little proud about that, in addition to the humour visible on her face.

Hang on, Amaya, there's a coolness factor that you've Clearly Just Exceeded.

"Blowing up--" She probably doesn't need to hear him to know that he's being loud about it. He does seem to realize it and try to tamper it down at the very least. "-- a land bridge behind a lava waterfall" He's half-laughing and half just baffled at the sheer concept she's just tossed at him, before laughter wins him over.

"That's one way t' take care of a problem, I guess!~" The laughter gleams in his eyes, leaving them bright as a summer sky, but still wide with amazement. He'd known Amaya was a fighter and a badass, but this just upped the ante. He'd like to see her go all out at some point, maybe in a practice bout. Speaking of--

"Would y' teach me? To fight, I mean." Esteban is... decent, but his fighting style has always been more about escaping an enemy than actively fighting them. And he needs to learn to fight; he's seen it first-hand in their last mission.

She shrugs, modestly.

Anybody could have done it. I just made sure it was me.

As for the rest she pauses, frowning.

Are you absolutely sure? It's a lot of work and...not a path you can easily step off of, once you've started down it.

There's a bit of silence. A beat where Esteban lifts his head in a slight smile before looking away again, not because he was kidding, but he's...

It's not shame per say. But.

"I can't... help anyone 'f I just keep runnin'. Runnin's fine, runnin's okay if I'm alone."

Oh... he hadn't realized it. Working through his words seems to... brighten him, to settle pieces into place that he hadn't really understood before now.

"I'm not the best fighter. I'm not horrible--" he grins, because there's some basics he can work with, "-- but I'm not great at it. I didn't have a reason to fight anyone. Fights usually found me." Because that much is true, even though he really doesn't want to get down to the bottom of this right now.

"But I got friends now. Most of them are good, an' can fight for themselves, but I can't have them watchin' out for me... y'know?" He doesn't hope to suddenly get to be the Best Fighter In The Team title. That's not for him. But he does want to get better. If only because he doesn't want them to worry.

A New Platform [Intro Post March]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

And now it's head canon o'clock. :P

XD

no subject

no subject

Having to make up a lot, here :P

XD Yep, sorry, I promise it's the last, ahaha

no subject

I'd promised it was the last, Esteban, PLEASE XD

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

Wrapping it up here?

Works :)