A New Platform [Intro Post March]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Luckily there are no more crises after the strange dreaming, except the ones passengers created for themselves and soon the month is turning. "Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Egret."

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 in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." 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 it is not raining this time. However it does seem to be quite blustery.

The doors open and the first few to disembark do so with rucksacks on, hoods pulled up against the wind. Amery Vallet, Steve Rogers, Darth Vader, Peggy Carter, Bran Corbie and Ash. They walk blank faced to the barriers, show their tickets and disappear.

But on the platform itself there are nineteen new faces, or rather seventeen new faces and two that some people have definitely seen before. All are stood, waiting for the train.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is 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 ninteen figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. The air is cold and the wind is strong, blowing their hair, if they have hair, across their face. 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. If that is not enough, there are plenty of people on the platform now, to encourage them onto the train.

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 with an abundance of onions! Any of blue team who who go to check the luggage cart will find a parcel containing rainbow macroons. One for each of the blue team, including new members, come share in the reward!

Passengers who are not brand new will notice that the train has gotten yet longer again. A transparent domed carriage, with a grass aisle and soil beds, ready for the passengers to do with as they wish. Crates contain bulbs and seeds ready to be planted and there are all the tools a budding gardener would need for this task.

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. 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

Comments

[Around the Train]

[luckybucky]

Bucky is spending more time in the kitchen than out of it, trying to distract himself from a swiftly growing number of things, and that's where he is now, chopping up veggies for the next meal's prep. He glances up when Prompto nears the door, flashing a smile. "Hey there, teammate. We're on kitchen duty this month, wanna come help?"

[bethereprompto]

This was his second trip to the kitchen today and he was not hating how friendly everyone was when he poked his head in there. So far he'd befriended one cute redhead and now this nice guy was talking to him. There were a lot worse ways to spend a day!

He laughed and shook his head. "Oh, dude, you do not want me doing anything in here but getting out of it. I usually get shooed out of kitchens for being a useless chocobo." That confession didn't dampen his grin even if it wasn't a flattering statement about himself. Either way, the small twenty year old came closer to see what Bucky was doing. "What do you mean we're on kitchen duty?"

[luckybucky]

Was that a challenge? It sounded a whole lot like a challenge. He grins in a way that isn't quite all the way friendly. "I dunno what a chocobo is, but you're in luck. I've been teaching people to cook, and I haven't met a useless student yet. C'mon in, I'll show you how to handle a knife without hurting yourself."

He gestures for Prompto to join him, and pulls a seven inch knife from a chopping block, to go with the six-incher he already had in his hands.

[bethereprompto]

"You don't? They're awesome!" He asked, surprised. He made a gesture and a camera abruptly appeared in his hands out of thin air. He came closer and flipped through a few pictures to find an image to show his teammate.

"This is my friend, Noct, on a chocobo and here's one in the wild and a chocobo selfie!"

He would much rather keep showing off pictures of chocobos, but now the man had a knife so he's going to pay attention. His eyes widen a little nervously. "Are you sure about this?"

[luckybucky]

Bucky's jaw literally drops when the camera appears, mouth hanging slightly agape as the pictures are shown. He understands the camera and the screen and all that but the... the magic appearing and disappearing thing.

Oh, and his hands had gone limp, but it took this long for the knifes to tumble free of his fingers, one of then slicing blade-down at his arm, but dropping off it harmlessly. He's just lucky it was the left one and not the right.

He blinks a few times, looking down at the knives, giving his head a shake before picking one up again. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure," he replies, and holds the knife out, taking a good five minutes to explain the proper technique for holding a knife and keeping control of it. As he hands it over, he finally asks. "Can Ignis do that... thing? With making the camera appear?"

[bethereprompto]

Wait, what? Prompto looked at the man with the weird metal arm in confusion, but that only lasts a second before- yikes! He's dropping the knife.

They were both staring in amazement, but at very different things. "Are you okay?" He asked. It was so bizarre when they just go right back to the knife demonstration after that, but he tries to keep up. He's very hesitant to touch the knife, but he was being handed it.

The question has him abruptly looking up in confusion. "Iggy? Um.. he doesn't usually take pictures.." Oh wait, that's not what the man was meaning, was it? He put the knife down.. just in case. "Oh. You mean this?" He summons the camera back to his hands. "It's a gift from our king. He shares his magic with his Crownsguard. Iggy, Gladio and I are all members." He then demonstrates again by calling forth a large, ornate handgun. He twirls it around one finger and smiles. "He also entrusts us each with one of his weapons. This is the lionheart. Iggy has his lance and daggers."

[luckybucky]

"I'm... fine," he replies, blinking a few times at Prompto. Iggy? Iggy?

He almost looks like he's going to be sick for a few seconds, then bursts into laughter. "He lets you call him that?" Though he quickly jerks back when Prompto summons the gun, his eyebrows jumping up. "Be careful!" he scolds. "Didn't anyone teach you how to handle that thing?!" He looks like Prompto just threatened to shoot him in the face with it. "There are kids on this train! A lot of kids, you can't just go around twirling a gun!"

[bethereprompto]

Prompto was taken back by well.. all of that. He was shocked at the man's surprise and then even more so at being scolded. His cheeks color a light pink and he held up his free hand, though it was partially covered by the cuff of his sleeve.

"Whoa! Easy there, man. I know what I'm doing." He dismissed the gun since it was clearly frightening the other guy. "And I've known Iggy since I was in high school. He's like.. family." He hoped. "But, uh, on that note. Why are there so many kids on this train?"

[luckybucky]

It was no small relief when the gun vanished -- though Bucky wasn't so sure he'd feel that way if he knew the mechanics of it -- and shrugged uselessly. "I have no idea, but... most of them seem to have pretty unpleasant histories. It seems like most of the people on the train are good people, at least," even if it was hidden under a pile of thorns.

[bethereprompto]

His frown deepened at that explanation. It made him think of Noct and how he'd lost his dad. His own background wasn't the easiest to deal with either.

"That sucks they've gone through that but so far everyone seems to be cool. And hey, I'm sorry if you thought I was being careless. I hope I'm not on the wrong foot with you now. I don't think I caught your name before. I'm Prompto Argentum."

[luckybucky]

Bucky shakes his head, smiling a little. "It's okay. Sometimes I forget that people on the train aren't all from the same place -- and I've received my fair share of training on weapons safety," albeit from 70 years ago, but 'how not to shoot your buddy' didn't change a whole lot over the years.

"I'm Bucky," he replies with a little smile, offering his flesh hand to shake.

[bethereprompto]

It hadn't changed. If Prompto was thinking about it as a big deal, he would and was currently noticing how bad of an idea that had been. Unfortunately he was so used to his guns that he had likely more faith in them than he should. However, he didn't know what to say to that, knowing he didn't have any good reason to back him up besides 'I've never accidentally shot anyone'. He knew how that sounded!

He smiled at the intro and shook Bucky's hand. "Thanks for the cooking- well knife- lesson, Bucky. Maybe I should get out of here before I mess something else up."

[luckybucky]

Bucky huffs out a laugh. "You can escape for now," he agrees with a grin. "But don't think I won't drag you back into the kitchen eventually." He was only half teasing. He took the kitchen duty thing maybe a little too seriously.