voidtreckerexpress | A new Platform [Intro post~ August]

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A new Platform [Intro post~ August]

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.

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"O-okay, okay--" His eyes wince. Poor girl. She didn't intend to get wrapped up in any of this, and now missing a pet? If it were him, he'd be pretty banged up about it.

"I can help look. All white, you said? Does he wear a bell or a collar?"

She shakes her head. "No.."

It's doubtful whether it even registers with her that it might make Madoka look like a pretty irresponsible pet owner to say that, but she just can't really think of that thing as a pet anymore after what happened back home..

"But he's really unique-looking, so you'd know right away if you saw him. You see, he has.." Madoka pauses for a moment, looking like she's hesitating. She's at least aware that this part is going to make her sound weird. "Um.. It looks like he has two sets of ears..?"

Totally normal cat, right!

"It, uh..." Blink. "Er, what?"

Two sets of ears? How does that work? Manabu's mind tries to paint this picture for him, but a cat with ears growing on top of ears looks like a bad Photoshop, and he's not sure he buys it.

He hesitates a beat more, scratching at his cheek.

"Uh, it's...a cat, right? Not like a, uh, a Pokemon or an alien...?"

Manabu is a little too smart for his own good in this case. Or rather, a little too smart for Madoka's good, since she starts looking kind of nervous when he mentions that last part. Yes, she's definitely looking for an alien that looks kind of like a cat, but she isn't supposed to tell other people about that part...

"It's.. definitely a cat."

That was probably the least convincing lie in the whole universe, but no one has ever claimed Madoka is a good liar.

"He just looks kind of strange compared to most cats.."

"Okay, then..."

He rubs his hands together, looking about the platform and its remaining, lingering, soon-to-be passengers. His mouth tugs a dubious frown as his eyes settle on the lingering, thick fog around them -- the fog that swallowed Hibiki up.

"Well, if he's come along with you, there's definitely not a lot of other places out here he could be," he admits before looking back toward the girl. He jerks his thumb toward the train. "Let's walk around the perimeter as far as we can and see if he hasn't holed up under the cars? We'll rule out the outside before boarding. Sound good?"

"Yes!" Although there still seems to be something worried about her, Madoka also definitely sounds determined. She has to find Kyuubey, after all, and she's honestly grateful that this person is so willing to help a total stranger like her. She's already heading in the direction of the train so he doesn't have to wait for her, but glances back over her shoulder.

"Thank you so much for helping me.. I have no idea what I could have done all by myself in a strange place like this."

"You're definitely not alone out here," he assures, slowing down so he can crouch and peer under the engine car. No sign of scared animals here...

"We're all kind of stuck here together somehow. No one's really sure how yet..."

Madoka also starts looking - no way she's going to make him do everything by himself! Especially since Madoka is pretty small, so it's easier for her to look in the low or small places. It'd be kind of weird for Kyuubey to be hiding, but hey, maybe he just ended up in a strange place when he showed up here?

What he says makes her pause for a moment to look at him though. The thought of no one knowing what's going on definitely isn't great, but.. "So if we're all stuck together, then we should be helping each other." That seems to be what he's putting into practice here, anyway. "I agree with that.. I mean, I really have to go back home, but if there's no way to do so right now, then I at least want to make sure to help out here."

It's a good attitude to have as far as Manabu's concerned, but if anyone asked him, he'd think kids like her oughtn't get wrapped up in this nonsense. She should be off, with her weird cat, being a kid, doing kid things! Not...whatever the hell this is all supposed to be.

"No sign here," he announces, straightening back up. "Let's go down the line, then hop on board. He could be hiding out in there."

"Alright."

Madoka nods, starting to look further along the train. She's thinking about what else might help them find him.. Usually her very presence is enough to make him pop out of nowhere, but that doesn't seem to be working somehow. As she looks along the train without spotting the white creature, and turns to look at Manabu.

"Um.. Here, let me try to call him. Maybe that will make him appear..?" Maybe Kyuubey just couldn't find her right now for some reason. "Kyuubey..! Kyuubey, you can come out now.."

(With Madoka being Madoka, even her trying to raise her voice isn't super loud. But she's trying.)

"Kyu-kyubey?" Manabu calls, his eyes wincing a little. It's not like a cat would come at the sound of his name from some stranger, is it? How smart are cats, anyway? He only ever had a dog growing up.

Fortunately, no one gives him judgment for an honest effort in helping a girl find her missing cat...fruitless though it seems to become. There's a point where the fog is just too impenetrable at the edges of the platform, preventing either of them from going around...or even under the train. It's after trying the other end of the platform where he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly and looks to the girl.

"No sign out here...are you ready to hop in and look around? That'd be the only place if he came with you all the way here."

Even as he asks her if she's ready to go in, Madoka still stares a little off into the fog - something in her eyes almost a little sad, like it's taking away just a bit of hope that they didn't already find him out here to begin with.

After a moment or two she finally manages to tear her gaze away to look at him though, nodding slightly.

"Yes.. Let's look there." Something about what Manabu said makes her think though, and she brings it up a moment later as they start walking again towards the train's entrance. ".. Has it ever happened before at all that people arrived here together from the same place..? Like.. um, two people who knew each other back home, or someone and their pet.."

"Oh, yeah," he assures, sidestepping to let her climb aboard first. "Actually, we have a married couple aboard, and one man and his assistant from his lab...considering how few of us there are, that's actually a pretty high percentage!"

But not a total one. Manabu, like others, came alone. And even though he's encountered familiar things -- the name Stark, the Pokemon -- there's no sign of a face he knows personally. He's part of a percentage, too.

But it's not about him right now. It's about giving some assurance to this kid.

"But either way," he adds on, climbing up the top step, "I don't think you have to worry about your little friend being lost. This sort of...of weird...plucked-from-your-home thing? I don't think it'll shake up others back at home.

"At least...that's how it was the, uh, other times I got transported to different places. Or times."

"Huh.. really?!"

Granted, the first part of what he's saying is already giving her some reassurance - or at the very least some hope that Kyuubey really might be somewhere in this place. He's small, maybe she's just overlooked him! Maybe he's hiding in some tight space, who knows!

But it's the last part that really seems to make her look surprised. She freezes in the middle of following him, her eyes widening. "So.. nothing bad will happen at home while I'm here? Do you really think so?"

Please let that be true. Being stuck here is.. a little odd, yes, but it's something Madoka can deal with. Her main worry comes from the fact that she's pretty sure the world is ending somewhere right now because she's here and not back there.

Oh, dear.

That earnest, hopeful look of hers puts Manabu in a tough situation. See, if it were up to him, he'd be more than happy to assure her. That's the natural, determined optimist in him. But...he really doesn't know for sure. He can only go by what he's lived through, because the rules this particular train plays by? He hasn't figured them out yet.

Despite this, though, Manabu is still Manabu. He gives her a warm, certain smile when he turns back to her, nodding.

"I really do," he assures. "Nothing's come up that's proven me otherwise."

Granted, nothing's come up to prove him right, either, but...glass half-ful.

Madoka slowly lets out a sigh of relief. Sure, she's not totally naive enough to believe that Manabu can know for sure what the situation is like back home when he's stuck here just like the rest of them. But she's hopeful, and she's trusting.. And therefore it does give her some small comfort in the moment. There's a possibility that everything is alright. That Homura is fine, and her family, and the world, and then when she comes back she can finish things as if nothing happened inbetween.

"Thank you so much.."

Her voice is practically soaked with relief as well. For a moment it almost looks like Madoka is about to cry, but after a blink of her eyes that's mostly gone again.

"I really hope that's true.. Maybe staying here for a bit wouldn't be so bad if that's true."

"Right!" he chirps, giving a confident nod. "And so far, everyone's pretty nice and helpful, so you shouldn't have to worry about feeling alone in all this. We're all kind of figuring this out together, you know?"

That makes him realize something that turns his tone sheepish.

"I'm Manabu, by the way. I actually...ha, I actually work on trains kind of like this? Back where I'm from. But they're the sort to go into space, not...uh..." He squints, flickering a glance toward the fog-filled window. "Wherever...this one...goes..." He clears his throat, straightening back up.

"But in any case, I got my eyes peeled for any trouble on board, so you don't have to worry about that! Okay?"

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Madoka Kaname."

She even bows politely after the introduction before standing back upright again a moment later. It feels so much easier to just do normal introductions now she at least doesn't have to constantly worry about her home.. Sure, this situation is still weird, but not awful enough to not bother with being polite.

"It's really kind of you to look out for trouble like that for everyone's sake.. Thank you in advance." She smiles a bit, although her look turns more curious when she asks-- "Trains going into space though.. You mean rockets?"

"No," he replies plainly. "Trains like this. There's some rocket propulsion to get them out of the atmosphere, but...yeah, mostly similar structure." He glances at one of the information panels they pass by on their way to the dining car. "...More advanced than this setup, though, from what I've seen. And a big roomier? Things are kind of a tight squeeze here."

Then again, with someone like Dread as a cabinmate, maybe a tight squeeze was inevitable.

"Anyway--" He sidesteps to let Madoka take the lead again. "Maybe your cat-friend found his way into the kitchen for some treats? Let's have a look around."

Literal.. trains into space? But why would they send trains? Do people just casually travel out into space as easily as they'd take a train to spend the day at the beach? Madoka has a lot of questions, which is obvious just by how she frowns slightly as she thinks about all of this.

But this is not a time for any of those questions. This is a time to go look in the kitchen for her lost alien, apparently.

"Hmm.. I sure hope he didn't get those treats.."

Mostly since she isn't too sure how she's going to explain Kyuubey's literal infinite alien stomach consuming every last piece of food on board of the train. But she steps into the kitchen regardless, first just standing there for a moment as she takes in the sight. All of this is still new to her, anyway.

".. Wow, I've never seen a kitchen in a train."

"Not been on many long-term trip trains, huh?" Manabu laughs a little, scooting around to the other end of the long counter going down a portion of the car. He crouches so he can start opening up cupboards to peer inside.

"There's a dining area on the upper level of this one -- that's why the ceiling's so low here. So if we don't see him hiding around in here, we can check up there? Lots of cushions to curl up on."

"That sounds like a good plan.."

Madoka also starts looking, making sure to look at all the lower and hard to reach spots since she's the smaller one here. Manabu is already doing so much to help her, that last thing she wants to do is making him do the hard work!

She suddenly uprights herself though as she seems to realise something. It's kind of an odd question - and that's an understatement - to ask out of context though, so she hesitates for a moment, trying to think of how to word this without freaking him out.

"Oh, um.. By the way.."

Come on, Madoka, just make it sound like something totally irrelevant to your current search!

"Am I the only young person on board here..? Or are there other young girls like me?"

"Mm-?"

Manabu pokes his head out of a cupboard and looks over her way. It takes a second to re-hear her question in his head before he perks up to reply.

"Ah, yeah! I mean--yes, there's others. One, I mean. She goes by Buttercup. She's littler than you by a few years, but, but you're not a precedent-setter, if that's what you're worried about."

She quickly shakes her head.

"No, that's.. that's not it, not exactly..."

It seems Madoka hesitates again a little after saying that. She doesn't like lying, and she isn't really good at it either, but maybe a small white lie is the best thing to use here..

"I just thought.. um.. if he saw another young girl, he might mistake her for me and be somewhere near her?" Hey, it's better than saying 'I'm actually looking for an alien who will just want to make a contract with whichever young girl he can find the quickest'.

Martin's head tilts with a quizzical look. Mistake someone else for her? Wouldn't a cat know by smell? Or...something? He has no idea how cats work, so he doesn't waste time wondering.

"A, aah...well..." He scratches the back of his head. "Besides Buttercup, then...I think it might be just you? But I haven't met all the other newcomers on the platform yet."

Boy. It sure doesn't feel great to have nothing but these sub-par answers for the kid.

"But! But don't worry." He's quick to look encouraging again. "We'll either find him ourselves, or be sure he hasn't followed you out to this weird place. Okay?"

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A new Platform [Intro post~ August]

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