A new Platform [Intro post~ August]

[voidtreckermods]

For those on the Train

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Apple." The train announces as always as everyone wakes up the morning of the sixteenth. "Due to your success on Hub World #5739 your team points have been updated on the system. The on train shop has unlocked new stock."

For those going to investigate it might seem like the boredom of the last two weeks will be alleviated a little. More so after a few hours when there is a second announcement.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent."

By now they should know to hold on as the train jerks and jolts. There is only fog outside the windows but the train soon comes to a stop. The doors hiss open.

As they exit into the fog they may notice Hibiki exiting from the luggage carriage door. She hasn’t been seen since the Hub World and they might be forgiven for believing she stayed behind. But here she is, backpack on her back as she walks through the station. She heads no call, reacts to no words and cannot be stopped as she walks to the ticket barrier and disappears through it.

It is impossible to follow. But you soon may be distracted because this platform is far from empty.

For new arrivals

At first all you can see if steam. Billowing around you as you come to your senses. You are standing, in clothes that are not your own, styles you might not even recognise. You are carrying a rucksack on your back. For a moment it seems to just be you, alone in the white haze but then the steam begins to fade and you realise you aren’t alone.

The platform is not very large, but it hold twelve figures all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing, even if one of them is a spider. 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, wearing clothes just like yours.

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.

Once on the train there is plenty to explore. A new sleeper carriage has appeared as has a medical bay. Neither were there before those already on the train had disembarked to meet their new travelling companions.

Each ICP shows the same message. The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food, though it seems that eggs are still predominately on the menu.

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. Those who boarded two weeks ago will know what is coming next.

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

[kumoko]

And with that, she's reached her absolute limit of people for the day. With a jittery side-step, she constructs her teleportation spell and tries to get back to somewhere she can be alone.

The spell works. She flickers, and moves a whole three metres to the left. Hmm. Again. Three metres to the right.

...

Is this some kind of special spider dance? Is she performing, here? Isn't this super embarrassing?

[tinkerheart]

Feanor turns around to the direction of the voice. The one before him is certainly no elf. Not even Avari can look like this.

Is he perhaps a man?

Feanor never had the chance to witness the coming of the Followers. So this is his first time seeing a human. And he's a bit disappointed. The facial hair is hideous. Why they are doing it to themselves?

At least he's friendly. That's a plus.

"Taken?"

That's the thing that raises his interest enough to ask. He'll relax or not when he himself deems it appropriate.

"By whom?"

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony shrugs, understanding completely that his answers weren't likely ones she had hoped for. It was far from ideal, but he wasn't going to sugar coat it either. People deserved the truth.

"The vessel actually goes through the Void. It's a space in between worlds and times and we've visited one world that belonged to none of us. It's.. not as bad as it seems at first." He didn't need to go further into that. He was sure she was confused enough as it was. At her introduction, he gives a lukewarm smile. "Tony Stark. Pleasure."

[sweetnessandfight]

"Oh! But were they all like you?" It certainly seemed as if this was not your average, run of the mill spider...

Another thought struck her at that point. "I should tell you about my husband, so you'll know him on sight. You really can't miss him--he's very tall. I can't imagine that he's not still the tallest one here. Big, too--he has dark skin, white hair, a beard, and his eyes are two different colors. One pale blue, and one red." He was distinctive enough, the gods knew that was true! "His name is Dread Thunderstorm, and he has the Echo, like I do." She knew she had said that already, but it did bear repeating. And she knew that if Dread 'heard' this spider-child speak his name, he'd be far less likely to threaten her. Assuming he even did--Dread often was the type to quietly assess a situation, and then decide if he needed to punch something. Luckily!

"I'll do my best to let people know you shouldn't be harmed, too!" That was a promise Sarai would do her best to keep.

[pleple]

I. New Arrivals

Ple Two is hardly even aware of what a steam engine is, the technology is so dated in an era where much of the human species' population lives in little metal cylinders orbiting Earth. The marvel of Minovsky's nuclear fusion reactor has made electricity the norm in almost all facets of everyday life, especially for those living in space, and she can only barely parse what she's even looking at for a split second.

Anachronistic mass transit?

It's hard to determine why she's even in this place, at this time. One's imagination in those last fleeting moments of life shouldn't contain a machine you don't even recognize, and what a strange way for an afterlife to be - and if she's alive, then what in the world is even happening?

...why is there a giant freaking spider?

She's just going to hurry up and board and hope it doesn't decide to eat her, and deal with her confusion second. "How disturbing..."

II. New Home

She's expected to live here. There are tasks set out before her, lessons to learn, and she's meant to sleep in bunks near strangers - so be it. Whatever is happening here she just has to survive.

Whatever the reason for her being here, she needs to get home, someday, somehow.

To begin with though, she's concerned that the only object she recognizes from home is the psycommu headset, meant to control a Newtype-use mobile suit from afar. As unlikely as it seems, if she can actually reach the Qubeley Mk II from here...

She sits down in her new room, door open, cross-legged on a bed/bench; slips it on, and focuses on reaching out for anything. Anyone psychic whose attention she hasn't pinged yet will almost certainly feel the amplified brain waves; everyone else will just see a very focused little girl with some weird headgear.

[kumoko]

A pause as she spun more silk, and then some more arranging on the floor between them, 'NO'.

Did the girl mean that she didn't know either, or that she was surprised that she didn't know? Ugh, conversation was the worst. She really missed her skills, she'd kill for Appraisal to be working right now. Literally. Just show her who to kill.

'? ? ? ? ?'

The Train- cabin

[knifewithnoname]

Once Ash entered the cabin with her name on she would learn that one of the top bunks at least was occupied. By a small girl who was currently sat on it, leaning against the wall.

She was expecting someone, this Ash. That was their name according to the door and they were in purple. Whatever that meant.

Except that they were making dinner this month.

"That one there do be being free." She pointed at the second top bunk, the one above Tony's bed. She leaned forward as she did so and stopped. They were... impressive ears.

[kumoko]

Hmmm. What's that? She's gone temporarily deaf and can't understand your strange human language. Promise not to injure anyone? No wayyy, that's just asking to get killed. Have you made anyone else promise that? She's betting not, given how you just aimed that weapon at her just now.

Instead of responding, she skitters around him with a burst of near-supernatural speed towards one of the open train doors.

[happyends]

While he does end what he's saying in a reassuring sort of way, Madoka's facial expression still very noticably drops as she listens to the whole thing anyway. But despite that, she does politely bow slightly during her own introduction.

"My name is Madoka, Madoka Kaname. It's nice to meet you, mister Stark."

Once she's uprighted herself again, there's an obvious worried look in her eyes. She can accept the idea of a train that magically pulls people to a different place considering how many strange things there have been in her own life recently, sure, but.. "Isn't there a way to go back to where I came from then..? It's really, really important." She hesitates, not sure how much she can spill about the reason to a total strange. Madoka is kind of supposed to keep it secret. "It's not just about forgetting to feed a pet or anything..! It's a lot bigger than that."

[runs_on_batteries]

He doesn't bow back, if that's what he's supposed to do, but he does give her as polite a smile as he can. He wished he could tell her something different or give her a reassurance she's asking for, but he couldn't. They simply didn't know enough about where they were to make those kinds of promises.

"If I said yes, would it make you feel better? I was taken about a second before I prevented an evil force from destroying my planet, so I understand wanting to get back to something important. Unfortunately, we just don't know. I saw one girl who had been on the train leave through the ticket barriers but I don't know what was waiting for her on the other side." He sighed, glancing at where what's-her-name vanished. "Look, you're welcome to hold on to whatever secrets you have for now. Just keep in mind we're your allies here and want to keep you safe. If you need anything.. you're welcome to come find me."

[deductiongeek]

The boy's painfully forced smile instantly drops into a scowl. There was no point in pursuing the lie when it was obvious that it wouldn't be believed.

"A small chance isn't the same as no chance. I'd rather not build a lie that any person from my world could instantly spot." Not that he entirely believed this story about different worlds. He'd play along with it for now, but he hadn't seen any evidence yet to support such an outlandish theory.

[runs_on_batteries]

"Shit!" Tony cursed as the spider suddenly zoomed past him. He launched into action a second later, ready to fight this new threat- who refused to swear it wouldn't hurt any of his train family!

He didn't have time to do hardly anything else, but pounce. He caught hold of the spider's torso as he tackled it and wound up rolling a bit before finally landing on the platform, metallic arms locked around its body in a tight (but not painful) grip.

"Not a chance! You're not getting on the train till you tell me you're going to behave yourself!"

[runs_on_batteries]

"That's fair," Tony concedes much easier than the boy probably expected. "I take it you're wanted for some reason and you're now having a code brown underoos because of it? I don't know if we have any artists, but we can get someone to maybe make some patches for you to put over the name on your bag and in the hallway at your cabin door."

He went over what kind of material they had on the train. There were extra blankets he might be able to rip a section off of. It wouldn't look anything like the material on Conan's rucksack though. Hmm. They also didn't have any way to embroider the name like it was now. This problem might take some thought.

In cabin

[runs_on_batteries]

Tony had done what he'd felt like was his duty to all these newcomers. He'd told as many of them what was going on and tried to keep them calm. In short, it had been a headache. He had a hoodie on, but as he opened the door to his cabin, he was in the process of slipping out of it. Underneath was a plain white tank. Halfway through the door, he halted, seeing the unusual person in his room. An eyebrow rose and he continued to get the hoodie off.

Glancing at the panel on the side of the door and the woman-bunny person, he asks, "Ash, I presume?" He offered his hand. "I'm Tony, looks like we're going to be roommates. Hope you don't mind the top bunk since that's what's left in here." He points to one of the beds and bottom bunk. "Lightning, but you can call her Light." Top bunk on that side. "Buttercup." And bottom bunk other bed. "Me."

[deductiongeek]

Ever want to be judged by a seven-year-old? Because Conan was judging Tony hard right now. He doesn't even dignify that comment with a response.

"Let's just say, where I'm from that isn't a safe name to be connected to."

[runs_on_batteries]

Well fine, Tony will laugh at his joke. He had a sense of humor.

He'll also judge you back because come on, what are you? You're not a typical kid obviously. Either way, he kind of liked this kid. Something about him was amusing and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about this boy's story- he clearly had one!

"Right." That's what he said, wasn't it? "If anyone on the train gives you any trouble, just come find me. I'll protect you from anyone but Sarai. You piss her off, you're on your own."

Evie Grimhilde - OTA

[blueberryprincess]

[ Arrival: Finding her room - OTA with pokes for people in cabin 1:E. ]

Evie was no stranger to really weird things happening. Especially since to her, the weird things were pretty much the day-to day. But the train was unsettling and she almost didn't get on, save for that pull that told her she needed to be on it right away.

So she followed the pull with a frown, head held high, blue hair tied back and out of her face with her usual crown braid across her forehead. She was going to find a way home, if it was the last thing she did.

After finding her room and dropping her stuff off, putting it away neatly and claiming one of the bottom bunks for herself, she digs through the bag and is surprised to find her best friends Spellbook. What was that doing here? Turning it over in her hands, she runs her fingers over it and then hugs it close, sighing and, for just a moment, feeling a tad homesick.

[Dining Car - Also OTA. ]

Later on, Evie can be found in the dining car. Mainly, the kitchen. She wants to see what she has to work with if she's going to be cooking with for the entirety of the train. It wasn't too bad. It looked a lot like the kitchen at school. A place for everything, and everything in it's place. Going over the food stores had her eyebrow raising some in uncertainty, but if that's what she had to work with, then so be it.

And then her eyes stumbled upon an allergies list, brown eyes narrowing some in confusion as she read it.

Rosemary. Mint. Citrus. What in Auradon was going on? The weirdest part was, two of the passengers shared the same allergies. Were they related, or was it just a wild coincidence?

Putting the list back, she studies it for a moment and then one shoulder shrugs.

"I can work with that." With that settled and a project in mind, Evie's charming grin appears on her face and her tone of voice is less Supremely Concerned and more...well, not settled, but ready. For what, she had no idea, but here Evie Grimhilde was, shoulder back, back straight, head held high, hands on her waist.

She was going to get through this, even without her best friends around.

[bombashbunny]

Most people would be embarrassed by this turn of events? Ash wasn't, though. Maybe she should have been - for as much as she rode air ships in Eorzea and Norvrandt she should have been prepared for that. Either way, she was less than pleased with herself for falling into someone.

"Oh- my apologies." She righted herself after being steadied by Renee. "I would not turn down a seat, but I certainly shan't be falling now the train's righted itself. I should think the term air ship is more appropriate though, considering I do not think we are still on the rails." Was she mumbling to herself? Was she still speaking to this person? Who knows. Her voice was so flat.

"I'm not sure what an 'Easter Bunny' is, nor do I know what a 'seatbelt' is - though at least that word gives clues as to what it is." Anyone else would probably be chuckling a little as they said that. The comment about the train actually caused a slight thoughtful expression to cross Ash's face. "Hm, surely not one that I had the option to take. You here by choice or by force?"

Arrival

[pleple]

There was nothing really all that strange about assigned rooms, bunking with others - common in military life. Only Ple Two had never been a normal soldier. She was a special project, given extra attention by her commander. Of course, it was all just to raise her to be obedient, wasn't it?

Here, though, she was no one special. Just another one of the surprisingly young passengers stuck on this train, sleeping within a few feet of other people who were simply chosen by a roll of the dice, one of whom had already beaten her to checking out their room.

"Room 1:E, correct?" she asked cautiously. Of course it was, but she wasn't sure how to actually introduce herself to someone in a situation like this.

Re: Arrival

[blueberryprincess]

Evie's reading through the spells, wincing some at how horrid some of them were. She knew Maleficent was kind of a nightmare, but some of these spells really were awful. So she's very thankful for the voice at the door.

Turning Evie gives the girl her best grin and a nod.

"That, it is. I'm Evie."

[pleple]

What the heck is magic Ple Two is used to giant robots. She takes a moment to gauge the older girl she's rooming with. Friendly, at least, the smile draining just a little bit of tension out of her. Blue hair. Dyed? Natural?

"You can call me Ple Two, Evie." What a name... but it's hers. She nods back, expression guarded, neutral.

[runs_on_batteries]

One inflated ego to another, Tony's fairly certain he's recognizing the signs. For now, it doesn't change his goal to assist the new comers but that could change. The man was on his team, after all, so he might as well attempt to be cordial.

"Yes, taken," Tony repeats in a neutral, calm tone. "We haven't been able to find who it is that has done this to us. It would seem to be the conductor of the train," he gestures to the locomotive in case he was unfamiliar with the term. "However no one has met or seen him in person."

[blueberryprincess]

Meanwhile Evie would find the giant robots baffling, but want to investigate and learn more. It'd be something Carlos and Jay were into. And they'd want one of their very own.

"Ple Two, it's a pleasure to meet you, ridiculous as the circumstances are."

Evie grew up on an island full of her worlds worst people and their equally Goblin Refuse kids. She's used to guarded and neutral expressions. It also causes some concern, but Evie keeps that in check, refusing to let it show.

"You're a new passenger, too?"

[pleple]

It's a shame the Voidtrecker Express doesn't seem configured to carry mobile suits, then. A custom car could probably manage a smaller model...

Well, so far her name isn't being questioned. It feels like a model number, but this situation is strange enough, perhaps, that it doesn't stand out quite so much. "Ridiculous, baffling... impossible." None of it actually makes sense in the first place. "I'm new as well, and it looks like we'll be sharing this room."

[pleple]

Pink. It's hard to put aside that her first impression is of Madoka's bright pink hair, and then her determined worry, and the fact that she's, what, the age of those pilots that Ple Two has had to deal with, give or take? Makes her older than Ple Two obviously, but she knows she's a special case.

"Something that... 'looks like' a cat?" she finally responds, raising an eyebrow. "But it's not a cat?" That's a bit peculiar, but no more so than the rest of this fever dream of a place.