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

[thebiggestguy]

"Baked onion soup." Though in the name of full honesty, he added, "Or it will be when it's baked. The last step is to melt cheese on top of the soup, right before it's served."

[really_sketchy]

"That sounds delicious. Is it alright if I have some?" She walked a little closer but stayed out of his way while he bustled around the kitchen. Naminé has been learning to cook and realizes that being in the way was easy and detrimental to those in the kitchen.

"I didn't know you could cook. This is amazing."

[thebiggestguy]

Dread slid one of the bowls closer, put the cheese over it, then bent to pop it in for a quick broil. "I spent a lot of time practicing cooking back home. It was one of the things I got very good at."

[really_sketchy]

Naminé watched the process enraptured by Dread's movements. She was slowly learning to cook with help from Bucky and Nita but she wasn't really good at it.

"Did you cook for a lot of people?" That was her favorite part about cooking. Everyone gathered and shared food, they talked and laughed. It was almost like magic in a way.

[thebiggestguy]

"Sometimes. I even cooked for a contest once or twice." Really, the way he wielded a knife to chop onions was masterful considering how the utensil looked like a toy in his hand. "And some important people. I've always enjoyed it."

[really_sketchy]

"Really? A contest. Did you win anything? I remember seeing contests where people won these really pretty blue ribbons." She connected her fingers in a circle to show him what she meant. "It was really pretty."

"Bucky has been teaching me how to cook. I hope to be very good at it one day."

[thebiggestguy]

"I taught another culinarian that hubris and arrogance wouldn't keep him on top of the pack. That was worth it." The rest was pretty trivial, honestly, and had nothing to do with why he entered.

"You'll have to cook for me someday soon."

[really_sketchy]

Naminé smiled a little awkwardly. "I'll try but it won't be very good. I've only just really started to learn. But maybe one day, I hope." It would be a nice way to pay him back for the soup!

[thebiggestguy]

"You don't get better except with practice. If you start by following a recipe strictly, you'll get a feel for it and gain confidence." Recipes were very difficult to mess up if you followed them. True mastery came with understandings of why recipes worked, and what could improve on them.

[really_sketchy]

"That's true. I like reading the cookbooks here." Maybe that was weird but the library wasn't all that big and Naminé was running out of things to read. She thought to request something from the train but she didn't actually know the names of any books. Most of her memories had come from Sora and he wasn't a big reader.

"Um... is the soup ready yet?" She was a little hungry.

[thebiggestguy]

Dread held up a finger for one moment of patience -- then, as the recommended time elapsed, he tugged on an oven mitt to lift the soup out of the broiler. The cheese on top had baked perfectly, melted over the soup to add its own smell to the air.

He set it down for her. "Mind the bowl."

[really_sketchy]

Naminé waited patiently, her fingers clasped in front of her to hold in her excitement at trying something new. She watched him use the oven mitt and while she had more questions, she didn't want to distract him.

"I will! Thank you."

She grabbed a spoon and gently poked at the cheese topping.

[thebiggestguy]

Dread went back to chopping onions, though he couldn't help but watch her sidelong as he did. People enjoying good food always pleased him. Victuals could be the difference between misery and contentment, after all.

[really_sketchy]

She moved the bowl to a table to get out of Dread's way and carefully blew across the soup before taking the first bite. Her expression instantly brightened as she looked up at her talented chief.

"This is delicious!!"

[ooc: handwave from here?]