voidtreckerexpress | Talking to walls... and doors. Partially OTA, See headers.

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Talking to walls... and doors. Partially OTA, See headers.

Who: Najaran and Glorfindel and Minako and Webmind and OPEN (See headers)
What: A very... Najaran... way of trying to communicate with the train.
Where: Starting at luggage, going as close to the engines as they can get. And since she isn't alone, she won't be lost this time. Also, there might be signs!
When: Forward dated to Saturday the 19th
Warnings: possible violence mentions. Thread headers will contain other CW if needed.

Najaran was still upset about how they had been pulled back the mission before last. And didn't want to wear the device that could do that to her again. But Duo had gotten so angry at her... And she realized that she had to make peace with the train. And she knew how to do that....

Or so she thought.

After all, when someone wanted to make peace it was best to do that with a feast, right? And they had tons of crab and other seafood now... And she was dying to try to figure out how to make crab cakes...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She had loaded them all up with as many little wrapped food gifts as they could carry. She shoved one of the burnt ones that hadn't been good enough to include in her mouth.

"Alright," she said as she chewed. "I want to start on one end of the train and move to the other...." Once they pointed her the right way she headed for the luggage car. She took a deep breath and faced the rest of the train, then lifted one of the offerings high.

"Train or if the Train is controlled or spoken for by someone... We offer this food in peace so that we might talk and feast together! Please! Speak with us!"

Undeterred when there was no response after a long moment of waiting, she set the offering down, bowed deeply, then carefully stepped over it. On to the next car! She didn't know that soon Web Mind would be joining them to help them carry, and perhaps for reasons of his own....

Glorfindel sighed and pointed her in the correct direction, then indicated the sign near the door they were going through.

It said, "Luggage Car --> [among other things]

"I, uhm, that's what I was doing this morning before I found you. There are now signs in every car, telling you which way to go to get to which car. Even if you start in the wrong direction, if you have time to stop and read, it will keep you from going too far before realizing."

She made a happy little noise and stopped to hug him. She didn't have much experience with hugs, but she was learning again. "That's great! Now even I can't get lost!"

Glorfindel happily returned the hug. "I've seen you when you are really tired," he said, teasing her gently. " I have the utmost confidence you could still manage!" He laughed, but inclusively, not meanly.

"I'd argue but you're right," she mumbled.

[From here we move onto the other thread?]

(Sure! TY)

Webmind had noticed the signs with bemusement, but let them pass without comment.

The food brigade, however, would not pass without comment.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked, voice calm as always.

And, "That is a lot of food you are carrying, even for the three of you."

"Sure! You can help carry!" she said, cheerfully. She was meeting all sorts of interesting people that looked like cards on this train. If not for a few key aspects, she'd be having a great time here.

Webmind nodded, moving forward to start taking his share of crabcakes to carry.

"Is there anything else involved with being part of this entourage?"

There would have been a pause before that last word, but that seemed a little too on the edge of rude to him.

"I just need the help carrying while I make my offerings."

"Offerings?"

Webmind managed to sound genuinely surprised without changing his expression.

"I cannot say I have seen anyone do precisely that before..."

Maybe that meant it was worth trying. Covering all their bases, if nothing else.

"Though I have also not been on this train very long, either."

"Who wouldn't want to come out and talk if offered yummy food?"

This time Webmind just had to stare at her.

"Not all beings need food; even if it appreciates the gesture, it may have no use for it itself."

He's not letting go of the food, though.

"But... food is WONDERFUL! The taste, the aroma, the sight, the sounds it makes when it is cooking..." She licked her lips, getting hungry just thinking about it.

Webmind got the feeling this disconnect went deeper than he could bridge.

"Not everyone has more than an aesthetic appreciation for food, Najaran," he explained, not unkindly.

Glorfindel shook his head at the exchange. Najaran's opinion on food boarded on obsession, so it made sense to her, and it harmed no one, in his opinion, so he was there to help carry things and be supportive.

"Cannot hurt to try," he said. "Nothing else has worked so far." He smiled at Webmind, as he hadn't spoken to him in a few days.

"Then maybe they just haven't found something yummy enough yet!"she gave them both a bright smile.

Webmind looked to Glorfindel, holding back from displaying a 'shrugging' emoticon since Najaran could still see his screen and he was in no mood to be passive-aggressive.

"How will we know when the train has registered the gift, then?"

He joined the (not nearly as literal) train of food carriers.

"It reacts to some inputs immediately, but how soon could we estimate it noticing this? Should we check back along our path after the 'nightly' reset, or sooner?"

"Hopefully someone will just start talking to us, either the train itself or someone on its behalf. But... it's yummy food we're leaving out. Even if this doesn't work, there won't be any left by tomorrow." Rule one of yummy food left unattended: someone will always eat it.

"You think the Train will realize that the food is being left for it?" Glorfindel asked.

He sympathized with Webmind. This was an odd idea. On the other hand, nothing else was working, so perhaps going a lttle outside the norm might work. He certainly saw no harm in it.

"Should I try speaking louder?"

Clearly... that was the issue.

"Somehow, I don't think that is the issue. Though, maybe if we were closer to the ICPs?" Glorfindel suggested.

"Okay! We can try that if you think it might help!"

"I shall turn the nearest ICP on, then."

Regardless of what carriage they were in, there always seemed to be one around - at least one consistency with home!

Inserting his ticket without trouble even given his current armload of food, he announced, "This should do. Will the starting screen be enough, or should I access a specific page?"

Such as the actual Feedback and Suggestions post.

Talking to walls... and doors. Partially OTA, See headers.

Onward, we begin! - Locked to Glorfindel, Minako, and Web Mind

Re: Onward, we begin! - Locked to Glorfindel, Minako, and Web Mind

Re: Onward, we begin! - Locked to Glorfindel, Minako, and Web Mind

Re: Onward, we begin! - Locked to Glorfindel, Minako, and Web Mind

Re: Onward, we begin! - Locked to Glorfindel, Minako, and Web Mind

Re: Onward, we begin! - Locked to Glorfindel, Minako, and Web Mind

Re: Onward, we begin! - Locked to Glorfindel, Minako, and Web Mind

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ROFL! Good place to end?