voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post April!]

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There's a slight moment of hesitation. Slight, but definitely obvious enough to be noticable. It's the weapon Alice is most attached to, after all - and while it's not like he could just run off somewhere with it (and even if he did, she easily has more weapons to get it back with), there's just enough paranoia in her mind to not easily hand it over.

But not too much to completely stop it either. Since after that slight moment of hesitation, she does hold it out and opens her hand so he can grab it off her palm.

"Why, are you interested in it?"

Duo was just about to pull his hand back and apologise, when the knife was held out to him. He'd noticed the hesitation and really didn't blame her at all. He would feel the same way if someone had asked to borrow one of his own. But he gave her a smile when she opened her hand to him and reach to gently pluck the knife from her hand.

"Just curious." Duo replied, looking the knife over. It was large, a lot bigger than he was used to. And wasn't weighted for him so even if he were to try and take it he knew it wouldn't suit him. It was beautifully crafted though. And when he moved it to his side and have it an experimental twist, spinning it in his hand with a low laugh before he lifted it and held it back out to the girl, handle first. "It's a sweet knife. Not my style though."

"That's understandable. Every weapon is most suited for its owner, after all."

She takes back the knife from him, staring down at it for another moment or so before making it disappear into thin air again. When she looks back at Duo, it's like some of the tension about her has disappeared. It's still not fully gone - there's something very stiff about her shoulders, like she's very much not used to normal social interactions like these - but at the very least she doesn't look like she's ready to jump him at any given moment if necessary anymore. It's kind of like dealing with a feral cat in human girl form.

"I've had this with me ever since I first showed up here. If that isn't the case for you, perhaps you could find some way to convince the train to let you have your weapons again." Not that Alice knows if that's possible at all. Sure, it'd be the logical thing to let them have weapons, considering they need to go on missions at all, but very little about this train seems logical. "I can understand it might feel strange to go without for a potentially long time."

"Point." Duo nodded his agreement. It was still a nice knife though.

"I guess being able to magic them up and just having them on you constantly are two different things." As an example, he'd slept with a gun under his pillow for so long he knew he was going to have trouble sleeping on the train. He was going to be on edge for as long as it took him to be armed. While he didn't anticipate anyone actually attacking him, or an enemy people attacking the train itself, he liked to be prepared.

She huffs.

"If this train cares so much about a slight difference like that, it's true pedantic." Sure, Alice isn't complaining since she gets to have her weapons. But if the train would choose anyone to keep their weapons during their stay here, it sure shouldn't be the girl who constantly gets called violent and volatile. Even she knows that.

"Especially since it requires us to fight on some of these missions. Why not let people use what they specialize in during those? There's no doubt in my mind that this train cares very little about effiency."

Duo was grinning. Clearly he'd struck some kind of nerve. Maybe his problem was a common one, if she was getting annoyed on his behalf?

"Yeah, I've heard of this missions. I'd hoped they'd arm us for them, but I'm guessing not?" Duo shook his head with a frown. That wasn't going to suit him at all. But then he shrugged and laughed. "Well, I'll try and get my hands on something before that time comes!"

"You certainly sound resourceful enough for it."

Granted, he seems maybe.. a little too casual for someone interested in weapons, in her opinion? On the other hand, it's not exactly like she's interacted with a whole bunch of people during her life, so what does she know. People probably wouldn't assume she's the type to be able to pull knives out of nowhere either if they first met her.

"I wish you good luck with that then. I should get going for now."

"You've no idea." Duo smiled, but said no more. He didn't want to come off as boasting too much. And maybe he was casual about it, it was, to him, completely natural. His life had been a strange patchwork of crazy thing after crazy thing and being armed had been one thing that had kept him alive.

"Nice meeting you! And hey, before you go..." He moved a step and held out his hand. "Don't think I introduced myself. Name's Duo. You are?"

Alice just gives the hand a stare. As if it's not a hand he's holding out to her, but rather some foreign object she has never seen before in her life. Of course Alice knows what shaking hands is in theory, but that doesn't mean she's had much experience with it herself in life.

This is so weird. Why does everything on the train have to be so strange!

But despite the awkward staring pause, in the end she does slowly reach for the hand to lightly shake it. (There's something awkward about that too, which is much more betrayed by the touch itself than anything else.)

"Alice. Alice Liddell."

She's definitely the first to let his hand go again, but hey, at least she did shake it! She's trying here. Even though there's no 'nice meeting you too' or anything. Instead her head just dips slightly into a nod.

"I shall see you around."

Was hand shaking so weird? It wasn't the first time someone had looked at him weird for doing it. He was starting to get a complex!

But, she finally shook his hand, and Duo grinned and tried not to laugh when it was almost immediately dropped. She, Alice, really didn't look like it was something she'd been thrilled by. Luckily Duo didn't take offence to it.

"Yeah, I'll see you around, Alice." He was chuckling to himself as he turned and headed off on his merry way, whistling a jaunty little tune as he did.

A New Platform [Intro Post April!]

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