A New Platform [Intro Post November]

[voidtreckermods]

"Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Catfish." As passengers wake up in their beds as usual those who were still feeling the ill effects of the inspection will find themselves back to normal. No fear, no strange sights, no eerie singing unless they linger in the gaps between carriages. "Team Points have been updated on the system."

Those that have been here since the turn of the month into Bassoon will probably guess that today will be a platform day and so it is. A few hours into the morning there is a second announcement. "Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent." Hopefully everyone knows to hold on, though if they do not they will be in for a bumpy arrival to the platform. At first all they can see from the windows is fog.

Stepping out onto the platform they will realise it is warm, as if they are inside. Indeed around the space there are candles, hanging from wire though the ceiling is either too high or too obscured by fog to see. Passengers will see both Ash and Uldren leaving the train, both have their rucksacks on their back and they walk towards the barriers through the fog, show their tickets and disappear.

On the platform there are five figures, dressed in Voidtrecker colours. Waiting for the train.

For new arrivals.

At first all they can see if steam. Billowing around them as they come to their senses. They are standing, in clothes that are not their own, styles 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 but then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not very large, but it holds five figures all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing. The tracks stretch left and right into steam, or perhaps fog. Nothing can be seen to either side. There is a wall around the platform and the only entrance is a ticket barrier. It cannot be open, nor do there seem to be any staff.

What there is, is a train. Jet black and gleaming where it stands on the rails. Voidtrecker Express is emblazoned in the engine in gold. There is a hiss as the doors slide open.

Out step a selection of people, some less human than others, wearing clothes just like those worn by those on the platform.

The Train

The doors hiss open. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there is 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 not be a good thing.

It seems the train has once again gained a carriage. A rock garden set in a domed transparent carriage. The sound of fountains and streams make this a peaceful place, and the stone benches that sit around seem to invite quiet reflection and calm.

Each ICP shows the same message. If Red team go to claim their prize they will find there is a toffee apple each. A box labelled passenger supplies can also be found and it contains toiletries that those passengers on the train longest may have ran out of. It also holds a number of new leather bound journals, in case anyone has managed to fill theirs already.

The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food. Sweet peppers have taken over as the ingredient of the month, probably to the relief of the fishphobes on the train!

New passengers will find their tickets allow them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk!

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 and you will hopefully find a pillow for your bed if it has not been nabbed by a roommate, there are also spare blankets for if it gets cold.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers and the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view 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."

Hopefully someone warns you that you really want to heed that warning because a moment later there is 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to voidspace.

Comments

[areasontohope]

It was exhausting. One moment Yuki was standing in front of Machi, and the next he knew he was boarding a train wearing the colour purple. Since getting on board, he'd received some explanations as to why and how he was here, but he found that he just needed time to get his head together. Excusing himself politely, the silver headed man then turned and left. Finding his cabin had been straightforward enough but he didn't stay there long though he'd found himself alone in it.

There would be no back yard garden he could sit and think at, not on a train. So Yuki kept moving until he came to a carriage with a rock garden. His eyes looked around and this place was empty for the moment too. The fountain was beautiful and he walked towards it, gazing at the flowing water for several moments. This seemed like the most peaceful place to think so he move to sit on one of the stone benches, trying to piece all of this together.

[flatteries]

Yuki isn't the only new - and purple - passenger finding the carriage. And although Inigo is here for different reasons, namely that he's just exploring the train in general rather than trying to find a quiet place, he still looks fairly amazed as he wanders into the rock garden. He's so mesmerized by the change of scenery that he doesn't even notice the other guy there, too busy gaping at the streams.

"How truly amazing!" He starts talking to himself out loud, "All of that in.."

As his gaze turns to look at the rest of the carriage, he ends up staring straight at Yuki. Realising he totally overlooked the other's presence, Inigo's cheeks quickly colour a deep pink before he tries to force the blush down the best he can, trying to keep all traces of his awkwardness out of the bright smile he flashes right after. Play it cool, Inigo, play it cool!

"Why, I assume you're a human and not part of this garden." Okay, so maybe that isn't the smoothest opening line when meeting a new person.

[dredefulchilde]

“This wasn’t here yesterday,” a child’s voice observes curiously. For the first time in days, Joscelin is miraculously free of the panic attacks and ever-present voices that had plagued him. He feels like a brand new person again, one with the mental bandwidth to process the strange new addition to their train shaped prison.

There’s a teenager looking around nearby.

“You weren’t here yesterday either,” he points out. “Newly arrived, then?”

[deductiongeek]

Conan had quickly found his way to investigate the new car. He'd never been very good at resisting his curiosity. And it was an interesting puzzle. Why a new car? And why a rock garden? Had this been triggered by anything that had happened in the last month? Or was it something that had been planned?

Conan moves around the carriage, inspecting every corner. Eventually he finds his way to the bench and to the person sitting on it, who he didn't recognize.

"Hello!," he says brightly. He was well aware that most people would just see a little kid when they looked at him, and he was more than willing to make use of that. "Did you just arrive?"

Rock Garden

[shockinglycaffeinated]

The crowd of people had finally gotten to be too much for Telli and she had ducked out to find a quiet place to gather herself. Eventually she found the mostly empty rock garden and felt some of the tension ease out of her shoulders.

She attempted to move towards the opposite side of the car as discretely as possible. She knew however that her height and her skin color were working against her more than usual here. She was the only non-human she'd seen so far, and her skin color was far outside the norm for humans.

She found a rock with a flat top and seated herself, her cane ended up across her lap and she closed her eyes to focus completely on the crystal inside. Perhaps the familiar feel would allow her to meditate?

((OOC: In case you don't Star Wars: Telli is a 6ft tall purple skinned Twi'lek so feel free to have Yuki stare. She's used to it.))

Before the new people

[mtsilver_conquor]

Catfish, really. Void months were a strange thing, but not something she was willing to think on right now. Not when there was work to be done before the influx of new faces.

Mostly work in getting the Welcome Leaflets ready to hand out, which is why Eva, looking rather Orange today compared to lounging around in tank and cargo pants- makes a showing around general breakfast. Never mind Orange are on meal prep.

"So," she starts, putting the stack of paper on a table, while Princess* hops up on her chair, vestigial wings briefly flared for balance. Eva shoot him a glare, but makes no move to shoo him off right now. "New month, new people. I made these uh, some months ago - I hope I made enough and got everything needed. If there's anything else that needs to be on them, add it now."

(OOC: Middle one!))

[faithfulson]

It really was that time again, hunh? Luke watched Eva curiously as she set out the welcome pamphlets, before taking one to investigate. He nodded absently in agreement with each line; there wasn't much to really say, considering they themselves didn't know much about the situation.

The last line, though? That gets a laugh out of him.

"T-thank you for mentioning that," he managed to get out, grinning. "People being surprised I'm a real person is getting old."

[freakyfishdad]

Somehow Mako hasn't run into Eva yet. His eyes light up quite a bit when he sees Princess though.

"Oh, you're also from a world with Pokemon?" He leans forward, extending a hand towards the Clefairy without actually touching him. "Hello there, little one."

[stealsyourheart]

"Need a hand, Iden'no-san?" Kaito sticks a head in and waves. Cooking this month huh? That's... well. He can make instant noodles...

[pleple]

Catfish. Really.

Ple Two has no idea what to add to the leaflet, but it seems like the best they'll get. Actually...

"What about the inspection?" She frowns. "They'll probably be back at some point, right? With all the new passengers?"

[princessofjustice]

On the Platform

This is all exceptionally strange, really - though, there's some small comfort in the fact that it looks like the others on the platform seem to be just as confused about this as Amelia is. Also in the fact that she wound up dressed in purple. Not her first color choice, but she'll take it over orange, which seems to be the other represented color going by the others around.

Once the train arrives, the odd feeling does draw her onto the train, though since she's too caught up in wonder and confusion at the oddness going on - maybe this is a dream? - that she isn't watching where she's going, and bumps into someone in short order. She stumbles back, making an exaggerated flailing motion. "Ah, I'm sorry! I should've paid more attention!"

[flatteries]

It's a good thing that Inigo's reflexes are pretty finely honed through all the combat he's been doing, so even though he stumbles as well when she bumps into him, he manages to fairly easily upright himself again before he falls flat on his face right after entering the train.

The bump still had him startled though, so he needs a moment to wipe the wide-eyed surprise off his face so he can instead turn to look who bumped into him. When he spots Amelia, he quickly smile.

"No, milady! It's clearly my fault for being in the way!" Sure, Inigo..

He holds out a hand to her. "Do you perhaps need a hand getting onto this strange.." .. Whatever it is. He sure hasn't seen a train before. ".. contraption?"

[stealsyourheart]

The someone is another teen, maybe seventeen or so, dressed in bright orange. He whoops and grabs for her, steadying her.

"Whoop! It's okay. I'm guessing you're new, huh? Kaito, Kaito Kuroba - nice to meetcha!"

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Whump.

"Hey!"

Edge turned on his heel, one hand flicking out -- except this stupid outfit he wore didn't have a cape, which meant he had nothing to snap behind him dramatically to emphasize his coolness. Damn!

"You certainly should have! You're going to end up tumbling all over!"

[flatteries]

(a. during boarding)

[ Inigo is not new to suddenly being somewhere else. Hell, he isn't new to the concept of traveling through time and space to begin with, really. Not even to the concept of being alone rather than with the people he was with only moments ago. But usually it's a slightly more voluntary deal than right now, so this situation feels odd. So odd.

Also purple totally isn't his colour. What happened to his own good old clothes that he's now wearing this weird purple thing, huh?

But despite wariness, of course he can't resist the pull of the train either. But that doesn't mean he can't linger near the entrance to the train for a few moments while still standing on the platform. If you've come there to check out the new arrivals, you may find him knocking on the outside of the train with an unsure expression on his face. ]

Are you sure this is entirely safe? I've never quite seen anything like it before.

[ Someone please help the poor confused medieval boy.. ]

(b. on the train before departure)

[ Once aboard the train with at least a slightly better idea of the situation, Inigo finds himself with a new mission. It really doesn't matter where exactly you are in the train, but you may find the boy approaching you with a friendly smile on his face. ]

Forgive me, but I can't help but wonder.. Have you perhaps seen a girl called Lucina around here? Same hair colour as me, and also.. [ He hums for a moment, seeming to try and think of something more distinct to describe her. ] Ah, she also has this in one eye!

[ He points to one of his eyes, which has.. an odd pattern in it? Clearly normal. Totally normal. He says it pretty nonchalantly anyway, like it's no big deal. ]

She is also incredibly competent and beautiful-- and I mean that in a completely platonic way, obviously.

[stealsyourheart]

[ The guy in question is half upside-down in a chair, shuffling playing cards in increasingly improbable patterns, but he sits up as Inigo comes over and smiles, friendly-like ]

Yo. And sorry, can't say that I have. You might want to ask Tony-san, or maybe Iden'no-san, I think they keep the most track of whos who on board.

[ He eyes the pattern interestedly ]

I don't think I've ever seen an... what is it? Eyeball tattoo?

[runs_on_batteries]

[Tony, of course, noticed the young man trying to resist the pull of the train. His eyebrow rose when he knocked on the train as though unsure about what it was. At that point, he decided it was time to help the kid out.]

The train is safe, I can assure you of that. I take it you aren't familiar with trains where you're from?

[pleple]

[ Another new person, another... guy to ignore? At least, Ple Two needs to decide how she feels about him, even if he seems nice.

A lot of people seem nice.

She can still try to help, though. Hair color, named Lucina, and... weird eye. Okay. Judging by the 'same hair color' and 'platonic' comment- ]

Your sister, then?

[ It's a guess, going by his age. ]

...no, I haven't.

a

[dredefulchilde]

[Joss rolls his eyes at the newcomer. Why do they seem to flock to him? He's a child.]

Of course it's not bloody safe. But you don't have a choice. You're a prisoner like the rest of us, and if you don't yet feel a burning compulsion to get on the train, you will shortly.

[He smirks. How can such an angelic-looking little boy suddenly get such an evil glint in his eye?]

You'll die if you don't.

A

[thebiggestguy]

[Hey, hey, be careful. Hitting the train hasn't necessarily ended well for most people.]

It's mostly safe, but we did lose power at one point. No one was seriously hurt, though. Structurally it's basically invincible.

[shockinglycaffeinated]

On the Platform:

This was not Pijal, and this was not the room Telli had fallen asleep in. She looked around, taking in the strange platform she was on and the strangers surrounding her, before taking in the clothes they all were wearing. What even were these outfits?

And then the quiet of the Force hit her. It was like someone had sucked all the air from around her for a moment, and Telli had to close her eyes and just breath for a moment. Panicking wouldn't help her find out what happened, how she'd gotten here, and she was not going to allow herself to fall into it.

As she calms herself she felt a familiar presence in the bag on her shoulder and pulled it open to find her cane broken down inside. She snapped the pieces back together in smooth, practiced movements before focusing her senses. The Kyber crystal in it sang to her, it's familiar warning of genocide a strange comfort.

Then the other life presences made themselves known, all strange and unfamiliar, until she found one that she knew. Her eyes opened and she clenched a fist, a faint crackle of energy flickering between her fingers for a moment before it's snuffed out. Somehow this was his fault. She doesn't know how, but it must be.

"Kriffing Skywalkers."

On the Train:

Telli adopted a limp as she moved toward the train, making herself seem smaller and more fragile as she leaned on her cane. She was the last to board by her own design, wanting to ensure nothing was set to attack.

The ticket in her hand had the cabin she was assigned, and Telli decided to find it before exploring the rest of the train. Slowly, she moved through the carriages, glancing around as she moved through.

On the train

[faithfulson]

Perhaps it's either luck or the will of the Force, but while Telli sensed Luke on arrival, he didn't show his face until she was on the train. He was busily keeping an eye out for other purple-shirted individuals, and didn't see her, not immediately.

OTA

[runs_on_batteries]

[Quick! Stop that Bunny: On the platform]

One never knew what they were going to get when stepping out on a platform like this. Tony had met great friends this way and people he would rather have stayed in their own universe. It felt a bit strange that first category overwhelmed the second by a considerable margin. He wasn't exactly used to getting along with others as well as he did here. He tried not to think of why that was. Today was about whoever these new passengers were and how he could best help with their transition to life on the train.

As always, he walked out of the train like he owned it and took a quick look around at those gathered there. As he was one of the first to get off, he was surprised there were so few to greet. Just as he was deciding who of this odd assortment of people to greet, he caught sight of movement from the back of the train.

"No.." He gasped seeing who it was who was walking with that same strange expression and movements as Manabu had. "Wait! Ash, no!" He ran to catch up to her. "Ash!" He reached out, almost catching a hold of her hair as she passed through the exit. "Dammit! Ash!" He shouted, striking at the barrier but it was useless and he knew it. Still, he stared after her for several long moments even when he could no longer see her.

His beautiful, sweet bunny...

[Evening Blues: Brooding in his workspace]

First Manabu and now Ash...

Tony poured himself another tumbler of the whiskey he'd finished making yesterday. It wasn't very good yet, clearly he didn't have the right recipe for his still. It was fine and it was doing it's trick at dulling a bit of the pain.

He sat with his back against the painted glass wall, legs stretched out along the bench and looking out at the window where the colors were both soothing and making his head hurt. The notes on Ash's gun were crumbled in several balls and thrown around the room, one even rolled out into the hallway.


[ooc- If you'd like Tony anywhere else between these two starters, just feel free to just put him somewhere.]

Evening.

[hashtagparkerluck]

For better or for worse, he's still got a mess of a teenage spider-kid. It's late and right around the time Peter usually needs to get up and find something to do because sleep doesn't wanna happen. But it did tonight, much earlier than usual. Maybe it was relief that helped him to just fall asleep, either way, right after lunch he crawled into his bed and has been asleep since.

Needless to say, he's up again at an early hour and with nothing else better to do, he makes a stop at the train shop to get a bottle of purple and then heads to the lab to work on calculus or maybe his webs. Something.

He lets himself in and startles slightly at the sight of Tony. He shouldn't be surprised, it's not like Mr Stark keeps any better hours than he does.

"M-Mr Stark?" He asks then takes note of the obvious mood. "Uh... are you okay?"

[alchemists]

1 - New Arrival

[ Elfnein is very confused and trying to clear some of the smoke away from her face. This wasn't the heavens, nor was it the S.O.N.G base, her normal clothes were nowhere to be found but instead a weird orange looking set, and worst of all she couldn't sense Romeo. She was more concerned about him since without a god a shinki can't do much. ]

Can someone help me?

2 - Train

[ Boarding the train was easy, the steps on the platform weren't easy to trip on and Elfnein was able to make it in one piece. Walking through the different cars to get to the cabin that was listed on the ticket, Elfnein couldn't help but take notes in her head. This whole train was an amazing feat of technology, clearly it must have used some form of alchemy or custodian technology. ]

2: Train

[hibana_incursa]

Gwen once again felt no need to leave the train. Her slightly more psychic spider sense didn't tell her to, so she'd had no desire to head out. Instead, she stayed on. Someone had made sandwiches for new arrivals and old and Gwen had busied herself in the kitchen filling glasses with water and juice and whatever else she could find.

When she sees the girl wandering in, Gwen gives her a friendly wave.

"You're new. Hi. I'm Gwen. Help yourself. I don't know what all sandwiches there are, but if you don't see anything you like I can probably help you make a different kind of sandwich."

[onehandsomeslickninja]

On the Platform

"Okay, people!" The ninja clapped his hands in the air to draw attention. Though a King by birth and training, Edge relied far less on the diplomatic and social skills he had utterly failed to develop as a monarch and much more on being loud and boisterous.

"Let's not crowd or wander off! I'm sure some of you all are new! Come on over and I'll give you the news. Welcome and all that!"

No one put him in charge. He just decided to take it on himself.

A NEW CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!

A car for quiet calm, peaceful meditation, and soothing sound. Yeah, no thanks. Edge had his own plans. Taking advantage of the streams, he ran laps around the outside, vaulting water like some version of the hurdles. Had to keep in shape somehow, right?

[deductionrival]

Hattori had heard from someone there had been a new car. He hadn't believed it was really as set up and pretty as this. They could all use some place to relax and get away from everyone else. Although, he hadn't achieved that second part since the car wasn't empty. As he strolled in, he spotted someone jumping around everywhere.

"Oi! What are you doing?"

[thebiggestguy]

On the Platform
Yet again. Here they were.

Dread stood by the train, his arms folded as he watched and waited. The swirling steam and train lights made him seem ominous, helped along by his awesome size and bulk -- a fact he didn't realize for the moment, as he frowned at the people moving out there on the platform and tried to see if he could spot any differences from the last times.

By now, he'd thought something would have changed, they'd have had some sign. But no. Not yet. Which meant... what, precisely?

[knifewithnoname]

She was quite shocked at Ash's departure. It was strange that people left, strange that people came at all and she wondered where she had gone. Home? Or somewhere else.

She was watching the new arrivals and found herself next to Dread, she looked up at him through the mist and then back at the people. "There do only be being purple and orange, this time."