voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post January]

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A New Platform [Intro Post January]

On the Train

After a very quiet latter half of the month of Catfish the calendar clicks over. Passengers wake up in their beds as usual to the passenger announcement. "Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of domino.".

Those that have been on board a while know that new months usually come with new people and so the message a few hours later will not be a surprise. "Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent." A lurch and a jolt and they are soon surrounded by the fog that means they are at a platform.

It will come as a relief that no one leaves this time, no one with packed bags to walk silently towards the barriers.

Added to that the platform itself holds more people then it ever has before. Twenty one figures, all the colours are represented. The ground is icy and their breath pools in white clouds around them.

For New Passengers

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 large and it holds twenty one figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. The air is cold, the ground icy beneath your feet. Both left and right the tracks disappear into the mist. 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 into the cold step a selection of people. Some are human, some are less so. They are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple.

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 also it’s very cold out on the platform. The train is warmer.

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. The store rooms have been restocked and it seems that water chestnuts are the month of Domino’s ingredient of choice! Any of orange team who who go to check the luggage cart will find a parcel containing gingerbread snowflakes, decorated with icing. One for each of the orange team, including new members, come share in the reward!

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!

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It seems they're getting more additions lately to the blue team than they have in a while.. Although Madoka isn't too sure what to think of the new additions this time. She's definitely shy around adult strangers, and the fact that Marcus looks so intimidating even as she's staring from the safety of the train sure doesn't help.

But she knows she can't just stand around there meekly. Come on, Madoka! She mentally kicks herself into at least trying to introduce herself to him, and so she slowly gets off the train and starts walking over to him.

"Um.." She looks kind of terrified. Or at the very least very nervous. "A.. Are you a little confused, sir..?"

[ ooc: i'll match to prose if you'd rather write that way! ]

01: on the train
[ Naruto has worked his way through all the reading material at his disposal -- which is pretty impressive for a guy who finds the act of reading kind of a waste of time when talking is so much quicker -- and his main takeaway from all of it seems to be acceptance. He kind of shrugs, nods his head, frowns at a few words, but for the most part settles into resignation with his lot. The leaflet answered a lot of the questions he was immediately about to ask, so instead he looks around with a kind of curiosity that isn't outwardly accusatory or confused, more open to possibilities. ]

01b.
[ To anyone - literally anyone - wearing even the slightest bit of blue, Naruto will approach to tap them on the shoulder or as close to their shoulder as he can reach being the short-stack he is, and when they turn his announcement is: ] You're doin' meal prep, right? Do ya have to make the stuff they tell ya to, or are ya open to makin' other stuff. I've got some suggestions is all.

01c.
[ To anyone who might pass him by as he's reading up, you might overhear him trying to sound out a word he's apparently never heard of before. ] Ecks.. Exti... Gyush... Guish... Ext--ing..wish...er. Estangishire.. What the hell is an Isinagashare?? An' what's it gotta do with a fire?

02: sleeper cabin
(locked to anyone in sleeper 4 cabin A... unless you want him to have wandered into the wrong cabin by mistake because he absolutely would do that.)
[ Blanket apology to anyone who's gotta share a room with this guy, because while he's a very supportive friend to have, he will not sacrifice his chance for the top bunk of a bunk bed (or as close to a bunk bed as a train's sleeper carriage can get) for anything, or anyone. The minute he's through the door his eyes lock onto the leftmost upper bunk, and in seconds he's scrambling up there like some kind of monkey-boy. ]

This one's mine! I'm callin' it! I got here first so it's mine, y'know!

03: departure
[ Naruto is already sitting down and peering around at the other people in the carriage when the second horn sounds, and he watches as the doors shut with a kind of blank expression. Everything has started to settle in, and though it's weird to be very much Not Where He Was, this place is so different from what he's used to that he's just kind of taken aback by.. everything?

He does what he's told, he stays seated and waits for the train to do what it's going to do. He definitely, however, is not expecting the zoom upward, or the lurch to the side, and though tranquillity follows it, tranquillity is not what Naruto is experiencing in his stomach. ]

Oh shit- [ He garbles before he claps a hand over his mouth. A moment or two of tense sickly silence, and then he exhales a shaky breath and says to whoever is closest to him: ] Has anyone ever thrown up on this train before?

Train

The cold didn't surprise him--Pittsburgh, as a city, was cold this time of year. Bran isn't even terribly annoyed by the crowds for the same reason.

But a train? He didn't remember signing up for this one. And he had definitely not left the house wearing this getup--not that he remembered leaving the house, either.

Nor did he know any of these people. He frowned, looking left and right, and turned back to try to check the turnstiles--all to no avail. Well. Shit.

Departure

Having been on a train before, Bran knows what this means...basically, sit your happy ass down or go flying. So he does, though he certainly doesn't look thrilled. Then the computerized voice gives a friendly reminder.

"Yeah, yeah," Bran grumbles, glancing over to the windows--just in time to get blinded. He swears under his breath, ducking to rub watering eyes before he straightens again.

And pales a little, because those shifting kaleidoscope colors are pretty similar to something else he's seen before. But...he wasn't even sure that was possible? Nah, had to be something else.

At least, that's what he's going to tell himself.

Intent on her prize - that being the unoccupied console with Knight Quest still idling from when she'd been catapulted back to bed by the morning alarm - the spider doesn't initially clock his condition, and Peter is a common enough sight in the games room that she just makes a beeline. Spiderline.

Eh, she's made that joke before. Maybe retire it?

She's propping the headset against the two eyes on her head that it'll fit over when he sneezes and she jumps.

Stills. Turns around, headset still tilted rakishly. Scrolls through her new tablet with a few flicks of a claw, and hits play.

"Are you okay?" The tablet's preset voice asks.

Yeah, Bran can tell by the prison-inmate fashion that this is his new team leader. So okay. Deep breath. Probably not her fault that he's here--she looks confident, sure, but there's just something that reads as she's in the same, 'this is not on my bucket list' boat that he himself is.

"So, welcome leaflet?" he asks, brows arching. "You in charge, or just in charge of Orange team? I'm Bran, you are?"

He notices that ball, and he even has an idea of what it is--besides huge in Japan--but he decides to ask about that later.

Unless the Clefairy shows up. Then, all bets are off.

"Yeah." He sniffles, wiping his nose with his sleeve and then taking a deep breath. "I'm good just... you know." He shrugs, his voice a bit scratchy and not sounding at all like he's okay. It sinks in a little slower than normal that she has a device to communicate.

"Hey! You gotta a thing to talk with, that's great-" Cough. "Really, that'll make things easier." He coughs again, chest sounding like there's a rattled in it. "Ugh." He leans back in the chair again, letting his head fall against the soft cushion of the bean bag chair.

Marcus looks up from looking in his sack and looked over at the red haired woman who looked a bit different than what he was used to. He was confident in his stride but he'd try to cut down on the coldness unless he came upon someone who was mean back.

"Yes, It says I'm.. on the blue team. So I'm assuming I'm with you guys? He was used to woman who were solider types but he hadn't been around too many fully non-tomboyish females before. He could feel the freezing wind on his cheeks not covered by the new clothing.

"Come on, you must be cold. I won't hold you up.

It doesn't sound great, it sounds like he's dying. She scrabbles at the tablet a little more carefully, but honestly it's still just easier to pick from the preset list so he gets:

"Do you need to go to the doctor?"

The Platform after the fog clears though you know
Prisoner's perched himself atop the train, laying like that "paint me like one of your french girls" meme as he "looks" over the new arrivals. New arrivals will notice this guy has a fireball for a head and no proper face: only the gleam of what may be a crystal or some such thing to show what direction seemed to be catching his attention. The next thing they would notice is that he didn't wear the train uniform, but something a bit more comfortable, sans one shoulder pauldron. No, he didn't wear shoes. Finally, his body was blue and was mutated and relatively corpsey, with parts of his arms scaled and nails cracked.

This seemed to be a large arrival and he was taking stock of who all was here. There were some interesting characters, similar to him but only in that they weren't normal. Good. Maybe he wouldn't stick out so much now.

Wildcard
(Find him anywhere on the train, except maybe the kitchen (unless he gets hurt). He likes to sit in the rock garden or try to climb the dome, and he likes to climb around in the gym area. Legit just bother him wherever he's bored. You're free to sneak up on him, chuck him across a car, tap his shoulder, have him see you come up, whatever. Just don't like seriously injure him unless you poke me with a plan for it.)

Bran had been looking over the others, but an imperious little voice snapping at him has him looking back down. Hey, he's 6'3, at least on Earth, he's used to that. And he arches a brow. She's dressed like him, so they're on the same team. Hmm.

He's not happy about being here--anyone with a hint of empathy can probably sense there's a thin veneer of calm over a bit of simmering rage, but he's holding it back as best he can, and the tide rolls out since this is obviously a kid, with no bearing or knowledge of any whys--especially with that question.

He crouches down a bit, to be less intimidating and to make her stop looking so far up.

"Bran Corbie," he replies, with a hint of a smile and another arch of his brow. "So who do I have the honor of addressing, hm?" There might be the slight suggestion of a challenge in there, but it's mild. And said challenge is probably to help take her mind off the situation. He knows he's already flipped the switch to analysis already...

Peter takes a deep breath to get in a little more air and then coughs again. He'll be so glad when this stupid whatever it is, goes away. Ugh. Everything aches.

"Nah, I'm fine." He sniffles again, keeping his eyes closed. "I just woke up feeling a little..." He trails off, not really wanting to say outloud he suspects he might be sick. "Not awesome."

Marcus looked over at Bran, seeing he was a different color than him but turned "You remember signing up for a train ride?"

"Pete. You don't look so hot." Renee's already on the train. Usually she's just standing in a typical superhero pose on the engine, but seeing him hop up on the train (and back down again, she just uses her powers to follow him) has her mirroring him.

"You sure you don't wanna go back inside? I'm not gonna let you have your Red Bull if you're sick." Oh yeah, she got it already, but she shoved it in her cabin under her bed--everyone else in her car isn't going to mess with it, and her lips are sealed as to the location.

[ there wasn't a spider in the carriage at the beginning of take-off, but there definitely is afterwards, and she's staring at him in vague anxiety. Please don't throw up, she's thinking as hard as she can, it's Orange's job to clean the rooms this month. She just checked, and everything.

She thinks, though, about his question. You know, from a theoretical standpoint. No? No, she hasn't seen anyone throw up. Which is kind of impressive, if you think about it!

The small bin under the seats is promptly pulled out and set in front of him. Two of her other legs are occupied messing around with her shiny new gadget, which is now hanging around her neck on silk thread, and promptly informs him in its bland machine voice: ]

No. You would be the first.

{For New Passengers}

{He is entirely uncomfortable for many reasons. For one, his clothing is unacceptable; for two, he is utterly confused. The behemoth before him is like nothing he has ever seen. He is almost tempted to use a talisman on it. If he had one. Maybe his Guqin would be more suitable?

But there are people exiting the monstrosity and he doesn't want to hurt them. Shifting his rucksack and wondering what could be inside of it, Sizhui glances around for any...any...familiar faces. Or at least kind ones.}

{The Train}

{He worries over his decision to board the..."train". Being shut in a tiny compartment doesn't suit him, so Sizhui has left the door open. He is currently in the process of lowering his rucksack onto a bed and he begins to look through it. He finds most of what he needs to look like a proper disciple of the Gusu Lan, but he is hesitant to change. What if there is reason for his strange attire? The purple hue of his over-shirt in particular seems to hold some significance.

However he cannot do without his headband, at least. Tying it around his forehead includes slipping it through his hair and knotting it at the back. Once the band is secure, he sighs.}

I wonder what happened to Uncle...

{Wildcard}

{Wide open~}

Edited 2020-01-01 18:05 (UTC)

Typical arrival. Renee's on top of the train--she'd done the Superhero Pose on the engine, but for now, she's moving on the tops of the cars, pausing by the doors to take in new faces.

The red hair does catch her eye--Todd? is her first thought, and she moves closer to take in this new face.

But there's a pang of disappointment, really. Whoever this guy is, he isn't her baby brother. He doesn't seem to be moving normally, either--Renee's had some experience, both with dealing with injured folks, and being injured herself. Especially wincing.

"You gonna be okay?" she grunts, right at about the time he reaches the door. Look up, Cal, she's like a harpy hanging over the entrance...

He blinks a bit trying to steady himself before he focuses on Renee. He has to admit that was some vertigo which is a little odd for him-who has a near perfect equilibrium. But it's probably from the sense going crazy. Probably. Does he actually believe that?

"Yeah, I'm fine just my senses going off 'cause I don't know if you noticed but Darth Freakin' Vader is on the platform. In a blue hoodie." His voice sounds scratchier and scratchier as he talks until finally he's coughing and half laughing because the idea of Darth Vader in a blue hoodie is cracking him up.

At least he remembers to cover his mouth.

"Oh man, the Red Bull came already?" Cough.

Suspicion. But she's not going to rat him out to any of the adults, so instead she puts the headset back down a little regretfully, and starts going through her spatial storage inventory in her mind.

Hmm. Wrong storage, that's the goblin corpse box. Next! Ah-hah, there's the hot box. If anyone has been wondering where some of the plates and bowls have gone, they'll have solved the mystery as she produces a covered bowl of something gently steaming and brothy from thin air.

Ah, she was gonna sit in her nest later and eat this for a proper winter comfort food experience, but he really does need it more than her. She nudges it into his hands.

No spoon, though.

He's probably back where you came from. [ she'd been heading back through the sleepers towards the living areas of the train as he spoke, and her comment in reply was almost automatic.

Luckily, she was saved from the awkwardness of realising that he'd been talking to himself by noticing his forehead ribbon. Doesn't that look familiar? A glance at the name on the door confirms her suspicions. ]

... Uh. Unless his name's Lan Wangji, in which case he's here.

Edited 2020-01-01 18:08 (UTC)

Honestly, that screwdriver? It looks just about the same as all this modern newfangled technology that Inigo isn't used to, as far as he's considered. The train and that thing might as well be on the same level of technology, he doesn't have a clue. The only clue he has is that the sight of the Doctor just.. rubbing that thing over the wall is pretty odd. Maybe he's trying to find a way through it? Even though Inigo has no idea how anyone would do that with such a strange device, but it's the most sense he can make of it as he approaches the other.

"Er.. I don't think you'll get it open that way."

The fact that this new 'face' was a bird didn't...really weird Renee out that much, all things being told. The floating rocks had her a bit...off. But she could tell that this power being used was something like her own, at least.

Mutant bird? Or mutant human like a bird? Hard to tell.

She wasn't really making any attempts to be quiet, and reaching out to use her powers to stop one of the bird's rocks from floating aimlessly? Not subtle at all, but Renee just planned to harmlessly zoom it around a bit.

That was definitely not something Peter had been expecting. Where had that even come from? Was she supposed to be like.. some kind of video game character with space of holding? And how is it still hot?

"Th-thanks." He tells her, looking down at it to see what exactly it is. It doesn't look too bad and if she can eat it, then it's probably not going to hurt him. He brings the bowl up to blow on it before taking a careful sip.

{He jumps at the sound of a woman's voice, turning quickly to face her.}

N-No, my father's name is...Lan Wangji. He is also my teacher.

{Admitting that the other man is his father isn't something he normally does. But the bonds feel important in this strange place.}

I was wondering about Wen Ning.

{However he has plenty of reason to brighten now.}

Where is Father? I didn't see him...

"Yeah, like Christmas." She's got two brothers at home, and no, she's not gonna buy any claims that he's not sick. How the hell did he get sick? Is there some sort of super bug on the train? She hopes not. Pete, please don't be a vector.

"You should go see Tony and get yourself some soup or something." Renee frowned a bit. Wait. She straightened a bit. "Vader? Shit." That can't be good, can it?

Renee moved over to the side of the train further, squinting. Yeah, can't miss him, even in the hoodie...and isn't that a sight to make a person want to take up drinking?

"What do we do about that, Pete?" She meant Vader, not the Red Bull.

[ Naruto, please. When Inigo is just innocently wandering through the train and suddenly hearing those words, he almost wonders if someone is trying to chant some sort of spell or something? Those words definitely don't sound like normal human words, and it's slightly concerning.

But when he gets close enough to see Naruto peering at extinguisher, he just. Stares. Because it's totally not what he expected, so he's super thrown off for a moment. ]

.. I don't think it's pronounced that way.

[ Not that he's an expert, since he also is unused to this modern technology. But he knows this much! Mostly! ]

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Page 3 of 89

A New Platform [Intro Post January]

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naruto uzumaki | naruto: shippuden

Bran Corbie | OTA

game car

Platform

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Platform

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Train

Platform

03: departure

Lan Yuan/Lan Sizhui | Open

Arrival

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Train~

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Rock Garden

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1c