voidtreckerexpress | Event: Abort! Part Two (day 25, Egret). Luggage carriage

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Event: Abort! Part Two (day 25, Egret). Luggage carriage

They are on world world#27462947582 for about five hours, helping, ushering people out of the city, fighting monsters, keeping guard. All seems well in the city itself, peaceful even except for the slight panic of people being told to move south.

Wherever they are, north in the desert, travelling through the countryside to the south or still in the city itself they will notice from their peripheral vision a darkening of the sky. Looking up they will see clouds. Strange clouds, appearing in the blue sky out of nowhere.

Their SCA’s start beeping, rapidly, flashing red. The clouds are too weird to be clouds, dark shapes in the sky. It might be that the Voidtreckers heed the warning and tap their SCA to evacuate to the train. It might be that they do not.

If they don’t then there is a moment, a moment of absolute stillness as those around them notice the shapes. A confused pause. Children stop their chatter, people stop their complaining, even the monsters seem to sense something and pause in their attacks.

The remaining voidtreckers are yanked away, even without pressing their SCA, they glow gold and disappear.

They all appear in the luggage carriage and not even a second later, with no warning the train lurches, flinging everyone off their feet as it enters the void.

It’s not really easy to tell speed in the void, but they will get the sense that they are moving fast. Faster than before, leaving that world and whatever those shapes were behind.

(OOC: Information on this event is here and part one is here)

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Duo only managed to half turn around before he was fallen on and the wind was knocked out of him in a sudden oof that had him sitting here for a few seconds, stunned and gasping for breath.

All he saw was pink. He should have moved her but he didn't for a minute until she finally started to move.

"S'okay..." He groaned, voice rough and breathless still. "You... hurt?" He asked then, hoping he at least was able to break the girls fall enough that she'd not been hurt.

"I.." 'don't know', she almost says, because she really isn't too sure. Madoka hadn't even checked up on her own condition yet, considering she's much too worried about his condition instead. But since he's asking now, the girl's gaze does seem to turn a little more thoughtful for a moment, like she's trying to think before answering. "I-I think I'm okay.."

More or less. She's still pretty shaken up, honestly, but there's no way she's going to bother someone she just hurt with that, accidentally or otherwise! At least she's no longer directly on top of him, but she can't help but still feel guilty.

"But.. I should be asking you that! You must've had it worse.."

"Nah, I'm good." Duo had managed to get his breath back enough that he wasn't wheezing like an asthmatic and eased himself up into a sitting position. He gave the girl in front of him a weak little grin. "Not every day a pretty girl takes my breath away." It was a weak joke, but she looked so damn guilty he couldn't help trying to change the conversation onto something lighter. Or even piss her off enough to slap him and run off. Each option would be better than guilt. Duo was glad he was able to break her fall. He wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if she'd actually hurt herself because of him.

If Duo wants to distract her from her guilt and worries, then his attempt sure is effective! For a moment the girl just stares at him, as if her brain can't quite understand what he's saying, but then it's slowly dawning upon her. Very slowly. You can practically judge the speed by the pace at which her face is turning red.

"A p.. p.. p-pretty girl?!"

It's a good thing it's such a chaos in the carriage at the moment that no one would hear Madoka yelp like that.. Her hands shoot up to cover up her cheeks in embarassment.

"I-I think you're mistaken.." Did Duo hit his head that hard?! "Or did you mean someone else here?"

Well, that was a reaction. Duo laughed, watching as the poor girl's hear nearly exploded. Surely she should have been used to being called pretty? While the comment had been used to distract, it had only been able to be used because it was the truth.

"Nope, meant you." Duo grinned and started to ease himself out from under the girl. "Can't see anyone else falling for me like you just did." More teasing, he was really enjoying this girls reactions. But at least she didn't look guilty as hell now and that made Duo happy.

Okay, that confirms it. Duo really must have hit his head. Even though he seems so happy, grinning that way and all.. but maybe that's also a side-effect of it? It's the only possible answer to Madoka as to why he would be saying these sort of things to begin with!

"Um, no, th.. that's just since the train.." She stammers, as if the teasing is going way over her head, taking it a tad too literally. The girl shakes her head as if to try and shake off the embarrassment, but it's not fully working. "A.. Are you okay? You must be hurt! Maybe I can find someone to take a look at you.."

Duo was more than amused and so he used the wall behind him to pull himself up to standing. Once he was on his feet, he did a full inventory of himself, making a show of patting himself down before he flashed the girl a wide grin.

"No hurts here." He held out his hand to her to help her to her feet. "No hits to the head. I'm alright. Are you sure you are though?" While he still looked cheerful enough, the tone of teasing had left his voice. Making the girl uncomfortable wasn't something he was aiming for after all.

"Hmm! I.. I'm really fine!"

It's easy to imagine she might not be fine though, considering the hesitation in her tone as she says that. But as she accepts his hand and lets him help her up, it's easy to determine with a cursory glance that Madoka at least physically looks like she got out of this pretty well. There's not even any visible bruises forming. The hesitation in her voice is still mostly just nerves from being flustered.

She's trying to calm down now he's stopped teasing - it just takes a few moments. And her sucking in a deep breath once she's on two feet again, slowly letting go of his hand.

"I'm just a little startled.. Everything happened so suddenly."

"Yeah, it's a heck of a thing." Duo let go of her hand once she was on her feet and used that hand to comb his fingers through his hair. "... Does stuff like that happen often here?" He asked, though even as the words left his lips he had a feeling he knew the answer. If she could be started by it all and if it was so sudden for her, maybe it really was something new and strange?

Whatever the case was, the luggage carriage was quickly crowded as hell and while he wasn't the claustrophobic type, he wasn't the getting-crushed-by-people type either. "We're sardines in a can here. You ready to get outta here of you got places to be?" He asked the girl.

She's about to answer his question, but then there's that extra part he adds afterwards, and that makes Madoka glance at the carriage around them - still looking a little uneasy. Maybe she should look for her friends, or even one of her dads, but everything is such a chaos in here right now that it's hard to tell where anyone even is. Maybe she'll be able to find someone familiar more easily if she just waits outside.

"Yes.. Let's get out of here first."

Even though that's easier said than done. Madoka is so small, she can't even see the exit between all the people standing and lying everywhere! She doesn't want to ask Duo for help, since it'd feel bad to immediately ask that from a strange who she landed on to begin with, but the girl is starting to look a little helpless all the same.

Duo took a second or two to rearrange himself and the swords he had hidden within his cloak, and then he flashed the pink haired girl a wide grin.

"Then lets go!" He would have grabbed for her hand had the circumstances been normal. But for how crushing and crowded the place was he went for an arm around her shoulders to keep her closer to his side. "Don't mind me, miss! Just making sure you don't get lost in the shuffle." He laughed and started his way through.

Duo kept himself a little more forward than Madoka so he was the first to encounter anyone and either gently, or with a little more force (never enough to actually push anyone over!), push people out of the way so they could get through. It wasn't easy going. But he managed to get the girl to the door and out of it in one piece and that, he thought, was a mission well and truly accomplished.

Madoka most likely doesn't realise that she's much easier to read than she thinks she is, considering that arm around her shoulders manages to make her look very much surprised. As if her sad, sad puppy eyes from a moment ago weren't just downright asking for it.

But she doesn't protest. Not even when he speaks up, making her blush slightly. It's just-- She doesn't even know him, but he seems so cheerful and nice, even under these circumstances! It's kind of wild to Madoka, but in a good way. Even if it's slightly flustering.

The girl just tries to do her best to move along through the crowd as he guides her until they finally find themselves outside after what feels like an eternity.

Madoka lets out a breath she didn't quite realise she was holding in.

"Thank you.. I don't know how I would've gotten out of there without your help. I really owe you one.."

Especially since she also landed on top of him to begin with! That means she owes Duo double.

"Nah, we're good." Duo was all smiles as he went and removed his arm around the girls shoulders now they were safe and away from the other people.

"You sure you're alright now?" She didn't look like she'd been hurt at all. No obvious bruising or bleeding, but there could have been less obvious things. "Do you need to go to medical?" While he may have been smiling there was also genuine concern in his voice also.

She moves some of her limbs, as if to check whether anything hurts, but then shakes her head at him. "I don't think so.. I can't feel anything weird." And even if she did find something minor later, it'll be fine. No need to fuss over her, nope siree!

.. except she's about to be a hypocrite, since she gives Duo a worried look instead. Unfortuntely Madoka doesn't seem to have mastered the combination of the smiling yet worried look, since it's just Oops All Worry at this point.

"What about you? Didn't you get hurt when you hit the wall? I can help take you to the medical carriage."

Duo was relieved she was already, he would have felt guilty if she'd accidentally landed on one of his blades when she'd fallen into him. Though he was surprised when the tables were turned and she began to look at him intently for injuries. He had to grin. "I'm alright." He assured her, his grin widening. "Nothing hurt but my pride. But rescuing a princess goes a long way to fixing that so I think I'm good for now!"

Maybe he'd have an interesting bruise in the morning. But certainly nothing to worry a medic with, especially when he was sure there would be other people with more serious injuries to be looked after.

Madoka is still staring at him for a moment more, even as he gives her that answer. His grin is pretty convincing, but the girl has grown so used to people who just won't tell her when anything is wrong that she can't help but want to look for another moment to assure herself he is alright and not just trying to hide something big from her.

But she can't spot anything obvious. Which means there probably can't be something huge wrong with him. Not to mention Madoka is way too polite to push for something like that with a stranger, so after a moment she just ends up nodding slightly.

"Okay." Apparently she was so focused on trying to make sure he's okay that the princess comment went way over her head.. Although that's most likely for the better, since otherwise she'd just get flustered all over again! "I'm glad you're alright, um.."

It's only now that she seems to realise she doesn't even know his name.

"S-Sorry! I should have introduced myself earlier.." Madoka quickly bows. "My name is Madoka, Madoka Kaname! It's nice to meet you, um-- despite the circumstances, that is!"

Duo wasn't sure why she was staring at him like that, he wasn't lying! Okay, maybe he wasn't admitting to the potential to have a bruise on his back but it wasn't anything really medical. Bruises happened!

His thoughts were derailed by the sudden change in the girls behaviour and he laughed. "Ah, we're bowing now? Wait, you're Japanese?" Duo grinned and returned her bow with one of his own. "I'm Duo Maxwell, pleasure to meet you, Madoka."

"I am.. Is it that obvious?" She smiles as she asks that, at least, even though it's slightly shyly. (Yes, Madoka, it is quite obvious with your kind of name and your overly polite ways, despite your candy pink hair...)

"Honestly, even though I've been here for a while, part of me is still getting used to the fact so many people here aren't.." And Duo.. probably isn't? His name doesn't sound very Japanese, at least. Madoka knows that much. "I'm sorry if it seems slightly odd."

"Not so much. The pink kinda confused me. But the bowing and the name, those make it obvious." And it clearly didn't bother him, in fact it made him somewhat happy to know there were other people from Earth around. Even if they were from a different kind of Earth... and even if technically he was born in space and not on Earth...

"It's reassuring, not odd." Duo replied with a laugh. "I wasn't born on Earth, I was born in a colony above the Earth. But my colony was mostly american and english speaking I guess? But I know Japanese well enough to get by. I had a... uh... friend, I guess? He's Japanese. Most of what I know I've learned from him." When Heero bothered to teach him anything.

His mention about the pink being confusing makes Madoka raise her hands up to her hair rather selfconsciously.. Not that she really looks like she feels bad about it, it's just confusing how he's not even the first person to bring up her hair colour! It's hard for her to realise how un-Japanese it is in a world full of people with anime hair.

But she's also quickly distracted by what he's telling her.

"Above Earth.. So in space?" Thankfully he's not the first space-person she's met, so at least it doesn't super startled her. She looks more mildly surprised now. Duo seems so normal for someone from space! But then again, in the future even normal people will just live out in space, right.. "It's amazing you could all live together up there like that.. Is that friend of yours here as well?"

Duo picks up on the way her hand moves to her hair and is ready to jump in and reassure her it was fine, her hair colour was nice! But he'd already apparently distracted her with something else. So ready and willing for the change of subject, Duo grinned widely.

"Kinda! In my world we have these biiig space stations. Earth was getting crowded for a while. So colonies went out into space and lived like that for a while. There was travel between the Earth and the Colonies so it wasn't like it was completely separate. And I've been to Earth." He paused for a second, his smile slipping just a little before it went back up a notch and he shook his head. "Nah, he's not here. Not likely to be either. I don't think even a train as magical as this one could get his stubborn ass here!"

That does kind of sound like a story from the future.. Madoka slowly nods along as he explains, seeming to at least somewhat understand it.

Although then there's that slight slip of the smile.. But it's happening so quickly that the girl isn't entirely sure if she didn't just imagine it. Maybe she's reading into it and he's fine without his friend? Duo seemed to shrug this whole situation off so easily too, maybe he's just really strong!

But still.. it's Madoka. She can't help but worry just a tiny bit, just enough for her to offer Duo a small smile.

"Well.. I hope you can see your friend soon either way. No matter whether the train does manage to get him here, or because you get to go home and see him there."

Duo just grinned. He didn't need to tell the little cutie that even if he did go home, the chances of seeing Heero again were next to none. That guy had run off the second he'd had the chance. To the Preventers he imagined. And sure, he could go that way himself and maybe he'd get to see him there, but did Duo really wanna put himself through that?

"Don't worry, hon. I've made some good friends here, if I see him again it'll be nice, but it's not as if I'm alone!" How did the conversation turn out this way? Duo shifted from one foot to the other and then laughed softly at himself. How had this perceptive little cotton candy cutie managed to poke a hole though his shields so easily? Damn.

Him wording that sentence does smell a little of him admitting he probably won't see his friend again. But it's definitely not an issue Madoka wants to push with someone she only just met - she's much too worried about accidentally hurting his feelings. And she really wants to believe Duo is at least being genuine about having friends and not being alone.

So though it's still with the same tiny smile, she nods.

"That's good to hear.. And--" She hesitates, unsure if it goes too far to offer as much, but then Madoka shakes her head and says it either way. "Um, if you ever need someone else as company, or just to do something together with.. You can always find me somewhere on the train and ask. I wouldn't mind."

Duo seems nice enough, after all.

"Right now though.. um.. I should probably look for some people to see if they're alright after all this."

Duo's usual comic grin softened then, as did the look in his eyes. He was genuinely touched by the girls offer and so he held out his hand to her, bending a little to bring him more to her eye-level.

"Deal. If I ever find myself in a bind and looking for a friend, I'll come and look you up." It was sweet of her to offer and while he didn't think he had much to offer her, he had the feeling they were vastly different people, it was still nice of her to offer. And maybe he would actually take her up on it? A little sweetness in his life couldn't hurt, could it?

"I should do the same, actually. I hope ya find who you're looking for." Duo grinned again. "I'll see you around, Madoka."

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