A New Platform [Intro Post April!]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Two days after they return from their mission they are awoken as usual "Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Egret. The shop has been updated and points have been applied to passengers tickets."

Those that go to check the shop terminals will find they have indeed updated, with the option to buy larger items and also animals. The morning goes on until just after noon there is a second announcement.

"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. Though the fog is thick, thicker than usual perhaps, there are patches on sunlight shining through and it is pleasantly warm.

The doors open and the first few to disembark do so with rucksacks on, hoods pulled up, silent and almost blank faced. Cu Chulain, Dio Brando, Disreputable Dog, Heiji Hattori, Loki Maedhros, Maglor, Naruto, Thor, Tobias Fangor.

They walk to the barriers, show their tickets and disappear.

But on the platform itself there are once again new faces. 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 as people begin to shift or call out it will become apparent they are not alone.

The platform is not large and it holds eighteen figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. It's warm but foggy making it hard to see much, but there are clearer patches bathed in sunlight found across the platform. 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, in case the passengers weren't bored of them yet.

Passengers who are not brand new will notice that the train has gotten yet longer again with a sixth sleeper cabin for new arrivals.

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

[blueberryprincess]

"It's absolutely no problem. I used to do this all the time for people at my old school, especially during exam weeks," Evie replies with her most charming grin. Don't mind her, Noct. She's kindness personified. She stands and starts heading towards the dining car and then stops and turns, looking at Noctis with a curious look on her face.

"Do you feel up to coming with me? Maybe getting away from the windows will help you for a bit?"

[sonoflucis]

"Exams. Man, haven't thought about those in a while." College had kind of been put on hold due to his impending marriage, after all. He smiles back at her, standing up slowly.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Where are we headed?"

[blueberryprincess]

“The kitchen. One of my favorite places on the train,” Evie replies with a small shrug. “There’s not a whole lot to do on the train that I enjoy, and cooking is a hobby of mine, so I’m in there a lot.” It would be different if there was an arts and crafts car where Evie could make things for people. Earrings. Necklaces. Even something small she’s sewn. But this was fine. She leads the way through the cars as she talks.

“Tell me about you, Noct. Where are you from?”

[sonoflucis]

"I'm the opposite. Can't cook to save my life." Noct laughed. "But my friend is an amazing cook, so sometimes I'm in there to steal samples."

He sighed softly. He didn't really like talking about himself. "Me? Well...I like fishing. And sleeping. And I guess I'm a King, although it happened really suddenly, and I don't have much of a kingdom left..."

That was depressing, wasn't it?

"What about you?"

[blueberryprincess]

A bit, but Evie understands to a degree.

"Your friend wouldn't be Ignis, would it? Because your name was familiar and I couldn't figure out why until just now." It's probably a shot in the dark, but Evie's pretty sure she's right. Ignis was one of her best friends, and there was a fond tone in her voice as she spoke.

"Well, I'm...not really one for fishing. Or outdoors. A friend of mine used to joke that I couldn't go five feet without my makeup, but being here as long as I have proves that wrong."

She's wearing absolutely none right now. It took some adjusting, but she's comfortable with it now.

"I spent almost a decade of my life locked in a castle with my mother. She's a queen, which makes me a princess, but the place we lived is a prison island. My royal title means nothing, both on the Isle and anywhere else. I'm perfectly fine with that."

See? She understands depressing.

[sonoflucis]

Noct smiled a little wider at the mention of his oldest friend. "Yeah. Iggy is one of the closest friends I have. He seems to be pretty popular around here." Which was strange compared to back home, but it wasn't unwelcome.

"See, I'm not much for the outdoors either...except for fishing." Noct shrugged. "You don't need make-up. I honestly don't think any girls do, but I get that some just like it."

Upon hearing about Evie's past, he frowned. "Damn, I'm sorry...Do you prefer this place?"

[blueberryprincess]

Evie grins when she learns she was right. She was glad this was someone Ignis knew, and glad they cared for him as much as he deserves. He was an amazing person, one of the best friends she's had on this train. He deserved to have everyone he knew from home around, so Noct being here made her glad for one of her best friends.

"My mother taught me how to use make-up at a very early age and for the longest time, I thought it was something I needed to do." She won't get into why. The reasons are horrific. "And then it became something I wanted to do. Now I'm not really bothered if I use it or not."

As for his question, she considers it a moment and then tilts her head a bit, trying to think of the best way to phrase this.

"I'm partial to where I ended up after getting off the Isle, but here isn't so bad. Most days."

[sonoflucis]

"Sounds like growth, to me." Noct said. "But I'm no expert." He considered himself pretty lucky in the parent front. Even though his father was busy, he loved Noct. Noct knew that.

"So you got off that Isle..." That was good, right? "...Most days? That's not ominous at all."

[blueberryprincess]

"I did," Evie replies as they get to the kitchen car. Immediately she heads to different sections, pulling down various ingredients. She grabbed some chamomile tea, some mint and some ginger root and set those on the counter, immediately grabbing a peeler and getting to work on the ginger. A small finger of it is broken off, no bigger than half an inch, and it's peeled as she speaks.

"My mother was imprisoned there for attempted murder, long before I was born. For the first fifteen years of my life, it's all I knew. And how I was raised. The king of where I'm from decided the kids on the Isle didn't deserve to be there, so he picked a few of us to leave. We were a test run. I've been happy ever since."

[sonoflucis]

Noct watched her work, finding it quite similar to when Ignis would cook for him. He listened to her story, leaning on the corner as his brow furrowed. "Was he the one that put her there? If so, why did he wait so long to allow innocent kids to leave? Seems a little messed up to me...but I'm glad you at least were able to find happiness."

[blueberryprincess]

"Oh, no. No, no no. Our current king is roughly my age. It was his father that put my mother there. My phrasing was off. I'm sorry." She really is having a rough day, Noct.

Grabbing one of the tea kettles from behind the stove, she fills it with water and sets it on the stovetop, turning the burner on and turning to look at Noct again, this time with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you. It's...I had to learn that the me I thought I was supposed to be wasn't really me. I didn't want to be the vapid airhead my mother said I needed to be in order to catch a prince. That was my ultimate goal, according to her. I figured out, within the first few weeks of being off the Isle, that I'm happiest in school. Particularly chemistry. And I was able to start up my own super successful fashion business out of my dorm room."

She hooks a nearby stool with her foot and pulls it over sitting down and resting her elbow on the counter-top.

"I can't really fault our old kings thinking. There were some terrible people that caused all kinds of trouble for the people in my world. But, his concern that the kids of the villains would be just as bad sort of spread to many others that didn't live on the isle. I'm very glad King Ben saw things differently."

[sonoflucis]

"So, a young king. Guess I can sympathize there." Noct said. He was never prepared to be king, but he hoped that if things ever got back to normal, he would be a good one.

He did like to hear about people thriving. He smiled softly. "You sound way smarter than me. I barely made it through high school. If it wasn't for Ignis, I'm sure I would have shamed my father." He laughed softly.

He nodded at that last bit. "Yeah...I know a lot of people where I come from dislike people from the opposing empire...but the way I see it...both sides have a lot to answer for when it comes to taking care of their people. My dad made some decisions that I never realized the impact of until I ventured out of the walls. Those decisions cut a lot of people off from safety and I don't agree with that."

Noct let out a heavy sigh. "And the fact that he did it to protect me certainly doesn't help."

[blueberryprincess]

"Ben Florian is a very thoughtful young man. I'm glad he's my friend, and I'm glad I get to be his adviser," Evie says with a soft smile of her own. Evie was clearly someone who deeply valued the people in her life. She was a very loyal girl who also knew when to put her foot down with things.

"I had help," Evie admits, shrugging briefly. "One of the kids from Auradon helped me really study for things, instead of using magic to cheat. It felt really good realizing I could actually succeed on my own merit, and not through shadier means."

Listening to what he says about his father, she gives him a small, knowing smile. "Your father and Bens father sound a lot alike. He wanted to protect people, mostly his own son. I'm sure your dad and our older king would have a lot to talk about."

[sonoflucis]

"Adviser, huh? No wonder you and Iggy are friends." They probably had a lot to talk about. Noct definitely got a similar vibe from her that he got from his oldest friend.

"Succeeding on your own merit, huh...?" Noct tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment. "Maybe that's why I like fishing so much. It's something I'm good at that I learned on my own..."

Noct took a deep breath. "Yeah...I guess if nothing else...I learned I really was my Old Man's whole world. He did things, hid things..." Noct's throat got tight. "...I don't know if it did any good. I don't know if it was good to hide things from me. I'll never know, now."

[blueberryprincess]

That's part of the reason they're friends. As confident as Evie can be, she's still not sure why people are friends with her, but she does her best to show them care and compassion and respect. She likes helping them when she can and making sure they understand they're loved.

Listening to him talk about fishing again, she manages a small smile. It's still not for her but...

"Maybe one of the stops we'll make won't be some dire mission like they have been, and you'll be able to go fishing." She doubts it, and it's really not for her, but she already considers Noct one of her friends. So of course she's going to say something like that.

Turning towards the boiling water, she sets about getting a tea ready for Noct and his headache. She listens to him talk about his dad and her smile fades.

"We don't have to talk about your dad if you don't want to. With the way you're talking about him now, I'm assuming he's..." Gone. No longer with them. Something along those lines. She passes the tea to Noct and starts digging around for sugar, finding some sugar cubes in a bowl and handing that to Noct too.

[sonoflucis]

"That would be nice. It's been too long." Once they had made it Altissia, everything had just snowballed. There was no time to relax.

He takes the tea, sipping it before adding some of the sugar. "Yeah, he's gone. Protecting me, like an old fool." He knows that his dad had been dealt a losing hand, but he should have at least told Noct what was going on. "I'm okay, though. I know he didn't really have a choice. Besides...what good does bottling it up, do? I tried that, and all it did was alienate my friends."