voidtreckerexpress | clockwork night [semi-open]

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clockwork night [semi-open]

Who: Kaiba and the unfortunate souls he meets at night
What: Not sleeping. Inventing. Talking.
When: Month of Egret, Night 1
Where: Dining car, various
Warnings: Discussion of grief/mourning. Will add more as needed.

Sleep is not going to happen easily tonight. Kaiba has slipped into his sleepwear, a thin white tee and some truly hideous orange and white plaid pants, but it's not much more ridiculous than his regular uniform. After a tense few moments with his roommates, he begins the long trek up the train toward the front, greeting anyone he passes with a terse nod.

Once he reaches the dining car, he'll brew some simple tea (not at all the kind he likes, but beggars can't be choosers) and open his notebook. With a click of his pen, he'll start drawing blueprints, even though this isn't the paper for it. A homemade coffee roaster (the train needs more). Some type of VR device to improve on the game room. He moves from invention to invention, spreading the pages out on the table.

Roommates, earlier that night (Terra, Happy, Padmé)
Should any of his roommates be trying to go to sleep at a usual hour, they'll find a tall young man awkwardly joining them at the entrance to the small space. He says nothing, only places his bag at the single open bunk and stiffly lays down. His breathing isn't slowing, but he'll pull the blanket over his head in frustration. doing his best to be quiet here.

Yugi
Earlier on the platform, Kaiba had been stupid enough to make a comment to Yugi that revealed part of the truth. The truth about his secret project, the pain it caused, and what had driven him to that point. If anyone deserved to know the truth about the pharaoh, it was his partner and closest friend, Yugi.

He'd already laid out two cups of tea by the time Yugi arrived. It was probably going to be a long night.

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Thor did not sleep a lot, and was drawn to movement, so it was not surprising that he was drawn to another who was awake at odd hours. He wandered into the dining area, peering at it and at the papers strewn around.

"What manner of magic writings are these?" They looked vaguely familiar, but the way they were put was not one that he was able to pinpoint.

Curiosity tinged his tone as he peered at the drawings.

Kaiba naturally twitched his nose at the word 'magic'. He looked up at the taller man, blinking tiredly.

"Nothing magic about it. They're blueprints, or concepts for inventions. Things that I can build to make life here more bearable. This one makes coffee."

And he points to the coffee maker blueprint, made out of an old popcorn popper.

"Ah, you are from a world where magic and science are separated in ideas, then?" Thor was used to this, at least, and nodded.

He looked at the project bluep[roint and nodded. "Then it shoild be a priority, definitely." An idea occurred to him, then. "Do you know how to build a rapid vapor extraction and distillation device?" Or, in other words, an ale maker.

"Yes. Specifically, magic was from the ancient world and is no longer in general use."

Still, it was progress to get him to admit that much. He tapped his pen against a blank paper and thought it over.

"You want to open a brewery. Given the population on board...if it will keep you all happy and I can acquire the parts, yes."

Ignoring those first words, on the account of not starting trouble for once, Thor snapped his fingers. "Yes, That is the Midgardian word, yes."

He smiled.

"In exchange, if I can be of use to you in your inventing, call on Thor Odinson. I will come." There was a solemn tone to his words as he spoke them, and almost a ringing sound, as if something significant had just occurred.

"Deal. I'll have it as soon as possible."

Kaiba felt a shiver down his spine...or maybe that was the cold. It was a little cooler here at night. He started to sketch out the simplest possible distiller from what he'd seen of available components, or easily acquired components, looking up briefly to introduce himself.

"Seto Kaiba. Inventor and businessman currently in search of a purpose. But I'll admit this is something I haven't yet tried. It's...nice to experiment."

That's almost a smile on his face, even.

"Thank you, Seto Kaiba. Perhaps we can speak of more such things. I have learned that what is magic to most of my people is science to those of Midgard and it is possible we could find more such things for you to experiment on by comparing notes, as Jane used to say."

Thor nodded, watching the man sketch and things appear on the paper as if like magic. In Thor's realm, such a man would be called sage, skald, or wizard, surely.

"...mm. I've heard a similar concept before." But it could come across as insulting, so he'll hold his tongue for once.

"Where can I find you when I've finished? It shouldn't take more than a few days."

"I've been assigned to Cabin 4-C. I will be there, likely, or wandering the train."

He nodded again, then stepped back. "I will leave you to it."

"I'm in car 3, cabin D if you're looking for me. But I don't think I'll have trouble finding you." He feels strangely better as he returns to his work with one last nod.

Thor nodded and headed off, more exploring to do, and more curiosity to seek out.

Considering everything that was going on, even Yugi found sleep to be something impossible at the moment. With so much that he didn't know and the fact Kaiba had wanted to talk to him about something, he was pretty sure that sleep might not have been a thing in the first place.

When he finally reached the place the other was in, he rubbed his eyes sleepily if for a brief moment before speaking. "Okay, Kaiba. I'm here. We can talk about what you didn't want to before."

Kaiba gestured for him to sit. He'd left the milk and sugar out, unsure what Yugi preferred, but kept his tea plain. This was going to be a hard night.

"You might want to sit. It's going to take me a minute."

He stirred his cup, pausing to consider his wording before voicing an answer.

"I kept Aigami's plana after the duel. I know you told me over and over again to accept that Atem had gone...but I couldn't, and knowing that he'd saved us without sparing me a second glance hurt. So I studied it, pieced out the interdimensional coordinates, and went to his afterlife. I found him, Yugi...and he wanted me to tell you how proud he was of you."

There's a lot more to the story, but he'll start with that.

He walked over to take a seat, sorting out his tea and of course it at least has milk, all the while starting to worry a bit about just what Kaiba actually wanted to talk about to warrant him having to actually take a seat.

Was it that bad, or... he didn't know what it could be really. He soon went to take a sip of the tea just as the other started to speak. He soon put the cup down as his thoughts went to many different places for one... Was he really surprised about what he was saying? Not at all. No matter how many times he had said to accept it. He probably knew deep deep down that Kaiba still would have done it.

However what he hadn't expected was for it to have actually work. But it was once again Kaiba, was it that surprising? A little bit. The last part tho... was enough to cause the other to start looking down at the tea in front of him and for a moment being quiet.

After that moment to let it sink in and to really gather his thoughts and feelings on the matter he finally managed to get some type of wording out. His eyes still looking at the cup in his hands.

"So...you are telling me you actually went to his afterlife and spoke to him?"

"Yes," Kaiba answered. He was quiet, speaking in hushed tones---far from his usual boastful nature This subject was serious for him.

"I needed to duel him. The way he looked at me from the throne...he'd expected it. It was a different experience. We used our wills, rather than decks, similar to dimension summoning, but the things I felt..."

He didn't mention the outcome, the expression on his face distant.

"It's over. He ripped into me for risking my life, risking everything...but we said goodbye. And he tasked me with finding you when I returned...though I don't think he expected all this."

Yugi can understand wanting to be able to see him again, but with the way things ended the last time, Yugi felt like he had at least gotten some kind of closure.

Now that he thought about it more, he had started to wonder if Kaiba until now ever did. It would have made sense that he didn't.

Yugi had kept quiet once again, putting the tea to his lips before taking another sip. The moment the cup was down he finally talked again, a small slightly bright smile on his lips. "That sounds like him alright, but I agree he wouldn't have known or expected this. I assume he thought things would just be normal."

he was silent again, eyes finally looking back up at the other the smile no longer there for the moment. "The way you talk made me realize something. Before now... you never really had the chance to say anything the day he went did you?"

Kaiba tightened his grip on his mug, silently willing the storm within to quell. Yugi was coming far too close to the truth. To tearing down the walls he'd spent so long building around himself.

But he'd promised honesty, and for once he didn't feel like breaking it.

"No. I tried to follow...but by the time I arrived, it was done. After everything, that he left without a word to me? It drove me off the deep end. I couldn't stand it."

Deep breath. The hardest part was still coming. "I lashed out at you. You didn't deserve that. You've more than proven yourself as someone I'd want to rival, Yugi, and despite that I was cruel."

He finally made eye contact. "I'm sorry."

He couldn't help but feel a tiny bit bad about it. He would have never thought about having the other there, instead he at the time had been more focused on the upcoming duel. Maybe the whole thing would have been sorted should they had just waited or at least found a way to let him know.

Shaking his head slightly, he already knew what he was going to say. He was never one to hold anything against someone after all. "It's your way of attempting to deal with something, but don't know how to just reach out and ask for help."

At least that was the way he saw it anyway. He could also be wrong. But Yugi gives his usual smile, heartfelt and sincere. "You didn't need to say sorry, I would have just forgiven you regardless. I mean I have forgiven you for worse things after all. But maybe next time if something is bothering you, perhaps try reaching out."

"The closest I ever came to feeling like this was when Mokuba's soul was stolen, but then I had hope to get him back. I was too young to really conceptualize my parents' deaths at the time..."

In other words...he's new to this whole grief thing. He hasn't spoken about this with anyone before, except to comfort Mokuba on a bad night. Never sure what to do about his own emotions.

He's grateful for that forgiveness, but aware he doesn't really deserve it. "I'm trying that now, aren't I?"

"You are, but after this what's to say you won't just close yourself off again." he soon took another sip, looking at how much he had left. It was half full still so he still had a way to go with the tea anyway.

"I can always help the best I can, more so since I went through it myself." Sure, they weren't close compared to his friends back home, but he was still someone he knew and someone he was willing to help.

"But it will still take time."

Kaiba paused to consider what Yugi was saying. It was hard to hear, and Yugi had every reason to have doubts about him. But something inside him had shifted after the last duel, and he needed Yugi to know.

"...I don't know how this works. I haven't really spoken to anyone like this before. But if you're still willing to put up with me, I might have to take you up on it."

He almost smiles. "Maybe with a game, next time."

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be sitting here drinking tea." Which speaking of, he decided now was a good time to take another sip. Yugi could tell the other was trying, even if it was pretty hard for them too.

But at the last line, he smiled, maybe a little bit of a sly smile more than anything. "I mean there is a game carriage with plenty of games, so I am sure we will be able to challenge each other"

Edited 2020-03-03 15:36 (UTC)

Kaiba laughs a little. "You're too good. I know you've heard that before."

He even smiles. "But do be warned. I'm going to throw every game in that cabin at you, and there's no chance you'll win them all."

"Good, yes but even I have games I can potentially lose at." One came to mind, but that was also a game one must never open again. The poor kid whose soul ended up in the jar though.

"So I am sure you'll make sure to figure out which ones I might not be great at and I look forward to it." he laughed at the thought before looking at the cup "And maybe later on if we can ever manage to get something from home we can expand the games here."

Ivy didn't like the night. Sure, her powers were slightly stronger and she was more consistently visible, but, well... she doesn't sleep. Nighttime was just dark, and quiet, and reminded her of the cave just a little too much to be comfortable. Thus, whenever she got restless at night, Ivy would leave her room and wander the train. It was something mindless to do to keep her mind off of the past, but also a chance to find fellow night owls to talk to. Conversation always helped.

So, when she saw Kaiba sketching out blueprints, her curiosity leads her floating over to take a peek over his shoulder at what he's drawing. Most of it's incomprehensible, but one bit does jump out at her.

"Say! Is that one of those game helmets?"

Kaiba twitched when he heard a voice---he'd been so absorbed in his work that he didn't hear anyone approach. One sip of his tea was enough to calm himself, thankfully, and he looked up at the girl.

"It is. I've had a chance to review our on-board games by now, and they're somewhat lacking. If I can ever find supplies, I want to upgrade them to more immersive experiences."

He turns the page to the game design document. "This one's about commanding a fleet of dragon riders to fly through the dangerous cavern, fight off the wizards, and save the kingdom."

"Goodness!" Inigo's explanation felt like he might be making it up, but this fellow's making it sound even more amazing than before. "Can a helmet really do that much? I've never seen anything like it!"

"Yes. I could do even more if I had my lab with me. The games in the car are primitive right now, but I could show you what they have right now..."

He blinked. "Maybe tomorrow. We probably shouldn't be hanging around the game car this late at night."

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clockwork night [semi-open]

Dining car

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