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

[mynameisallen]

"So you don't just stay on the train the whole time." It must be like what he traveled on in the first world. That makes sense. But it did make him wonder what kind of places they were going to end up at and if they were like the first and needed help dealing with something. Do they get paid? That wasn't something to think about right now regardless.

"The last place I was in it never expanded all that much. But the first place I was in was more... There were many different ones, but eventually, you'd get used to them." He figured like he would have to get used to being here. Again. With no friends except for the golden golem.

[irrationally]

Judging by his description, those places sound like they might have been more similar to the train or the many worlds it travels to rather than Wonderland itself.. That's slightly disappointing, but Alice is great at tucking away any vulnerable feeling beneath her usual resting bitchface expression.

"Well, it sounds as if you should have no trouble getting used to this train then. From what I have heard so far, finding yourself here seems to be a rather new experience to most people who show up here in comparison."

[mynameisallen]

A rather new experience for others, but not him. This was the third time. He was used to it. It doesn't mean it's any more fun considering the situations of at least one of the places he had ended up in.

"no trouble. But doesn't mean it's any less a pain in the ass. Whenever I think I have a handle or we are going to help save a world I find myself in a new place."

[irrationally]

It's hard to tell, since shifts in Alice's expression tend to be very, very small. But there might be just the tiniest hint of something more satisfied or amused for once when he mentions the words 'pain in the ass'.. It's just nice to see the sentiment being mirrored so simply and plainly, so there's the slightest tug at the corners of her lips.

"Fate does love making random humans its toys."

What other explanation is her for how crappy things turned out for her in her life, after all?

"Considering we literally travel around to save worlds, you might have until the next mission to see what your fate is. Perhaps you will be able to stick around this time." A slight pause, and then she adds, ".. for better or worse."

The train isn't awful, but it also isn't the best, so.

[mynameisallen]

Allen couldn't help but give a small sigh. Fate seemed to have a way of still being a thing. He had decided what his own path was going to be rather than letting fate do the job for him if he could help it. After all, if he was left to his fate he knew full well where that would have headed.

"I know all about fate, but I won't let myself fall to it and make my own choices." At least he had to check if he could still end up in that fate, but hey the last world wasn't an issue with it. But one could never be that sure when it came to worlds.

But missions were at least enough to ping his interest. It was just like at home, except no Akuma and instead probably other things. He did though have his limits and rules he had set himself, so he hoped that he wouldn't have to break any of others. He never has had to so far at least.

"Missions and such were sort of normal for me. So helping people and doing those would be fine within reason."

[irrationally]

For a moment she just stares at him.

But as she slightly glances away, Alice can't help but remark, "You seem like a rather reasonable person."

She may have been amused by a similar sentiment to what she usually thinks being echoed by him a moment ago, but what he's saying now feels even more familiar. Being unable to stop yourself from helping people, despite being thrown into it half against your will. Making your own choices even when fate tries to make you its plaything.

It's unusual for Alice to have a good first impression of people, but Allen is doing pretty well so far.

"Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing if you find yourself sticking around here longer." .. That's probably her roundabout way of saying 'I wouldn't mind it'.. but it's hard to tell. "I'll have to admit it's not the worst place possible to be stuck in."

[mynameisallen]

"I can be unless people aren't being reasonable."

Which could always be possible. But at the moment he couldn't be too sure if people here would be as such or not yet.

"Odds are I will be. For some reason, places like to keep me for as long as they can before the next one." But right now he had no way of knowing or judging if that was actually going to be the case.

"But I guess it could be worse as well."

[irrationally]

"Poor you. It must be so terribly tough, being so popular." At least she doesn't sound like she's totally making fun of him with that - it's missing a certain edge to it. Maybe she's more just trying to make the situation a bit lighter in her own dry deadpan way to keep them from just thinking about miserable things like being fate's plaything.

"Either way, do you have any hobbies you've picked up along the way? You may find yourself still able to dabble in those here on the train. There's a rather large number of surprising cars."

[mynameisallen]

"I wish I wasn't. Though to be fair, I wish people could make their own choices and walk their own path rather than being forced when they might not want to." But he still made a bit of a face at the thought of being popular. he was back home with people probably going to be hunting him down on both sides too.

"Ah, hobbies... Honestly, I ended up working and helping people more than picking up hobbies... Unless you count clown tricks when I was younger, but that was also a work thing." he soon put a hand behind his head, he could honestly see why people might have thought he honestly needed a break now and again because he focused more on work than anything else.

"I guess I will see this place as a way to pick something up that isn't work-related. What about you. Do you have any hobbies?"

[irrationally]

Alice so didn't expect that question to be thrown back at her. It's not even the first time she's had to face that question ever since arriving here on the train, but it feels just as awkward as it did the first time around.

It's so very obvious too. At first the young woman looks surprised to hear the question, but then her expression fades into something a bit more awkward that she can't hide in time.

"Ah, well.." Just from the way her voice trails off it's so very obvious that the answer is nope, she doesn't have any hobbies. Other than daydreaming, but that doesn't count, right. And she doesn't even have the excuse of having been too focused on work! ".. not really. But you'll find that you can run into many people in this place who really care about their particular choice of free time activities."

La la la, just.. gently turning the focus away from herself there! Very subtle, clearly.

[mynameisallen]

Well, it seemed like their lack of hobbies was something they had in common. That was something at least. Not the best thing to have in common, but it was something.

"You can and I guess with not a lot one can do on a train one might pick up hobbies." So while neither one had any, he figured for the time being they might be able to discover something they might not have back in their homeworlds.

So he flashed a smile, which for him was the perfectly normal reaction to pretty much most situations, even if sometimes they hid other intentions, mostly to avoid worrying people, but this time was perfectly normal smile.

"Guess we can do that."

[irrationally]

It may be a very normal smile on Allen's part, but it still makes something about Alice look a little awkward. She's so unused to people smiling. Even random people she'd pass on the street back in London usually looked miserable, and she's having a really hard time trying to adjust to how much more energetic and cheery people on the train are.

If not just because it makes her stick out so much more for looking so gloomy.

"I'm not quite sure why you are saying we," she says, trying her best to keep the awkwardness out of her tone. (It only half succeeds.)

[mynameisallen]

"I mean we can find hobbies separately, I wouldn't want to seem annoying or anything." Plus she does sound a little awkward and so figured she might not be used to doing things with others and more used to being alone or something.

But then he was reminded that the friends he had made back in the last world would want him to at least try and be more open to things and just... have fun or something.

"But it never hurts to try with someone."

[irrationally]

"I.."

She starts, but then promptly shuts her mouth again. Honestly, with how awkward she looks right now, Alice kind of looks like a goldfish opening and closing its mouth.. Sure, she's heard baffling things before from people on this train, but Allen might just have hit the jackpot.

"You.. want to try and find a hobby. Together with me?"

He's being very clear, yet somehow Alice's mind seems incapable of wrapping itself around the concept.

[mynameisallen]

Allen understood being awkward around others, keeping people at bay. But he also was met with people who would yell at him for that, for running away and not letting others help him. So he knew that maybe others needed such a thing as well, even if it was baby steps and perhaps more severe than his issues.

So he knew that it might take some time for the other, but he figured he might as well try.

"Yeah, I mean I'm not going to force you if you don't want to, but... It never hurts either to have someone there."

[irrationally]

It'd be one thing if he was joking. Or trying to make fun of her. She would be able to respond to that quite easily, even if it wouldn't be a very pleasant response.

But this, on the other hand? Allen seems so weirdly genuine about it. Alice isn't even sure if she likes the idea of trying to find a hobby together with someone else, but something about turning down such an honest offer feels.. weird.

"I suppose it can't hurt.." Yet she still sounds somewhat unsure. It's a consequence of the confusion. "As long as we won't do anything ridiculous."

[mynameisallen]

"I promise I would make sure it isn't." If he was to do anything like that, he would always make sure that it was just him. Considering he has been trained as a clown... He would consider the ridiculousness for himself. But not force that on others.

But it did soon bring up the thought of just what would be a good idea? What would be good to consider? What could one actually do on a train?

"Though, I don't really know much about what hobbies exist on the train yet."

[irrationally]

.. A promise.

How odd. That's the only thing Alice can think about Allen as she looks at him. He's so odd, and she's really not sure at all what to think of him. At least that's not really meant in a negative way, more just.. a confusing way. If it was a negative way, she'd be walking away at this point.

But she isn't. She's still standing there, talking to him.

"You'll find out soon enough just by walking through the train. The cars of this train tend to be themed after their purpose. There's just about everything from gardens to kitchens."

[mynameisallen]

"I should really do that." The kitchen would interest him more than anything, more so if he had been hungry at this moment.

But he figured it was nice to talk to others while here and he knew the last place he was at they would want him to at least try and make friends here too. They would probably yell at him otherwise.

"I assume you are going to continue exploring, right?"

[irrationally]

"I'm going to find somewhere to hide away from having to talk to all you wide-eyed new people."

So friendly, Alice.. Yet somehow it doesn't sound harsh as much as it just sounds like a very flat and dry attempt at a joke. (Yes, she's not really good at jokes..) After all, there's no way she would have agreed with Allen's idea if she truly had hated talking to him.

"I suppose I'll see you around some other time."