voidtreckerexpress | Staff Meeting - Najaran, Goligan, OTA

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Staff Meeting - Najaran, Goligan, OTA

Who: Najaran, her talking walking stick, everyone! Anyone! (also a top level for chores.)
What: The train gave Goligan to Najaran as a "gift" after Gremlin spent her points ordering an item from home. So Najaran is introducing him to everyone and showing him around.
When: Day 17 till event
Where: all over the train.
Warnings: Violence, violence mentions. Possible gore mentions.

Najaran was giddy. And a little overtired. She had sat in a quiet car talking to Gooligan all night until she'd been zapped back to her room. Then she got changed and bounded out to show him off to everyone! She was now wearing a broad red leather belt with gold metal designs, her card pouch dangling from the back of her belt. In her hand was a walking stick nearly as tall as she was. It looked like good solid wood,. Beautiful craftsman ship. On the top front, however, was a face.

"Honestly Naja," he was saying, because of course the staff speaks, "There has to be some way to return home. You know the Master will be worried about you..."

To which her reply was nearly always an excited explanation about the car they were in, or rushing to say hi to someone she knew... Clearly they've been at this a while. Najaran looks exhausted but delighted, and even when she complains at him, she's clearly glad to have him back....

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Najaran and Goligan had gone around and gathered up all the dirty laundry she could find to do the washing. So far all attempts to show her how to use the machines had gotten waylaid by other events. So she was still washing in the garden car in the biggest tubs or bots she could find over small carefully tended fires. But this time she had help...

"I hate laundry day Goligan groused.

"Oh calm down, you're the one who is always giving me a hard time about being lazy about chores, I thought you'd be thrilled..." That said she shoved him, head first into the water full of dirty clothes and soap. "Besides, it is so much easier now that you're back!" she said cheerfully, pulling him out again after stirring.

He glared at her as she leaned him against the side of the giant suit of armor that was peeling vegetables into bowls so she could cook after.

Najaran fetched up the next set she'd brought in, getting them prepped to add, when she frowned. "That is a lot of blood..." she mumbled, then shook her head. "Goligan, remind me later to talk to people about making sure their mission clothes get in the wash immediately, will you? Blood stains are really hard to get out..."

"Naja..." he began.

She waved him off and set the bloodstained pieces aside to see if she could do anything before she added it to the rest. "I don't care what Master Horowitz said," she said firmly. "You're my friend and I trust you. Always."

Curufin was also toting laundry to the laundry room, a couple of baskets on his shoulders. He was aware that Najaran was washing her share of the laundry in tubs in the garden car, and he want back there to see if she could use any help, since she was determined to do the washing by hand.

He walked in just as she was sorting out the bloodstained clothing. He halted, suddenly making a connection in his mind.

"Wait, Najarn!" he exclaimed. "Don't dump those in the washing vat yet!"

She had just picked up a different shirt and paused, holding it in place, frowning a bit. "Why not?" she asked.

"I think he means the ones with the blood," Gooligan said with the tired sound of someone who has been explaining the obvious all day.

"Oh," she said, then looked at Curufin. "Don't worry, I'm going to wash that separately and see if I can get the blood out. We've been back from the mission a while now, though. It really should have been washed the next day at latest."

Everyone else saw murder mystery. Najaran saw a stubborn stain.

Curufin nodded to Gooligan. "Yes, I did mean the ones with the blood."

And to Najaran: "Don't wash the bloody clothes at all. There's a passenger missing, and on the passenger roster, there's a heart next to her name. It's a girl whose name is A-Qing. When the train puts a heart next to a person's name, it means they are DEAD. She hasn't been here long enough to have gone on the last mission, so she couldn't have died on a mission. The train doesn't bother with a heart if it's just a person who has temporarily vanished and will be back soon, nor for a person who has vanished because they're leaving through the turnstyle at the next platform. So, how did she die???"

He pointed to the bloody clothes. "Where did the bloodstains come from? If anybody had gotten hurt on the last mission, they'd already have washed their clothes. Nobody likes to wander around in messed up train clothes."

Excuse her stunned moment of shock where she just stared at him, having trouble processing that. For a lot of reasons.

That someone was dead was the biggest and most stunning of them. But for all she seemed simple at times, she wasn't, and there were other horrors piling up behind that one.

This happened often enough that the train had a mechanism in place for letting people know.

This happened enough recently that people knew the mechanism, which was a separate yet connected disturbing issue.

The train, or whoever controlled it, that clearly could act, had pulled them out of that other mission, presumably to save them had let this happen.

That people could vanish temporarily she'd have to learn more about later. That was almost a non-issue under the rest.

And of course there was the question of how the person died. That much blood...

Either the train or whoever was controlling it had killed her... or someone on the train was killing other passengers, and the train was allowing it.

"Najaran?" Goligan asked, very carefully.

As if her name was a signal she began shaking. Badly. Her skin was sickly looking compared to usual. She set down the clothes she had been holding slowly, carefully, as if any motion could potentially break something. Her shoulders rolled back. her eyes were a bit glassy with tears that were gathering but not yet falling.

She might look like she was freaked out, and to be honest, a little she was. Or rather, she would be. After. Right now? She was furious. She was in that rare mode where she didn't THINK she just rushed out and did something stupid. Two cards flew to her hand.

Goligan, in her other hand, was close enough to see the fronts of the cards, and knew her book well. "Najran!" he snapped, trying to get her attention. "You know you are not allowed spell cards."

She didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes locked on Curufin. "Who?" was the only word she said, her voice trembling a bit. The voice told no more than looking at her did, didn't show that she was riding anger instead of horror. She had no awareness of that, of any of it. All she knew was that she wanted to find out who was going around and hurting people who had no choice but to be here, and to stop them. Whatever it took. Common sense would return later, it always did eventually. But the concern and alarm on Goligan's face was the biggest clue that he was more worried that she would do something stupid than that she would fall apart. Well, that... and what he had said...

Curufin came to Najaran's side. He saw the unfallen tears in her eyes and the trembling of her shoulders. He laid an gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't do anything right now. There's as of yet no way of knowing who did this. We have to find out, and we need the clothing to help us find out."

He glanced at Goligan and saw his concern. He tried to let him know with his eyes that he would try to help Najaran so that she wouldn't attempt anything dangerous with those cards. But he was glad that Goligan was with Najaran and would offer his comfort and protection.

Still, he turned to the clothing and took a good look. "These are Blue Team clothes. But do they belong to Qing or to the killer?" He picked up the hoodie and the shirt. "Look, these both have a tear in them, in the same place on the chest. This was made by a blade of some kind. So, these belong to Qing." He searched for name labels, and than made a face. "The labels have been ripped out."

Edited 2020-06-11 09:00 (UTC)

"If she's the only one," Najaran said grimly, voice still shaking. Part of her mind was absorbing what he was saying, was thinking. But most of her was just angry and wanting desperately to stop whoever did this from ever hurting anyone again.

"How is trash disposed of in this place?" It was Goligan who asked. "Could the labels be found?"

Najaran wanted to scream that finding who did it had to come first, but part of her realized that he was correct and she stayed quiet, still raging, still building up all this pent up rage that needed a target.

"If others had been killed besides Qing, there would be hearts beside their names, too. And we'd probably be hearing pleas on the network from their friends and cabinmates, asking the whole train if anyone has seen the missing ones."

He answered Goligan, "There are trash baskets here and there, in most of the coaches. I don't know how or where they are emptied, since that's not one of the monthly chores, and so I've never really paid attention. The labels might have been tossed out into the Void with the trash, for all I know. But we could search the train's waste containers and hope that they haven't been emptied recently."

He could tell that Najaran was considerably upset by this event, and he wished he could say something that would be calming. But murder is not just any event, it is an event that brings out the deepest fears and angers that a person has.

"Has anyone checked for other hearts?" Goligan asked.

Still shaking, Najaran asked, in a low voice, "What about those who don't have names on their doors?"

"I have already checked," Curufin replied to Goligan. "There is only one heart, and that's the one beside Qing's name."

And to Najaran, "Oh, you mean people like Goligan? -- those who are closely associated with a passenger but whose names don't appear on the roster or on the cabin doors? Are you concerned that some such person might be involved? Qing isn't one of them; her name is on her door."

"That doesn't mean that people like Gologan aren't also victims," she said, still enraged, still just waiting for a target.

"I guess that could conceivably happen, and we wouldn't see hearts beside their names because their names aren't on the roster. But if such a person went missing, wouldn't their human friend be frantic and start talking about it on the network?"

Curufiin recognized Najaran's anger and wished he had a real solution to offer. But he didn't, he only had his ability to think things through, one step at a time.

"I don't know but I want to find whoever would do such a horrible thing and make sure they never ever do it again!"

"This might not be the same as Gremio and his Goblins..." Goligan cautioned.

"I don't CARE!"

"I also want to find the killer. Making sure they never do it again is a priority for me as well." Curufin was standing with his arms folded, looking more and more concerned.

He was beginning think about the consequences of this murderous act, not just for Qing, but for the whole train. Even if the passengers had been kidnapped into this life, at least they had been safe on the train. And now, those who were vulnerable to attack would never feel safe again. Not even if the killer was found and dealt with in some way. It was now obvious that the Voidtrecker would allow serious violence to occur and do nothing about it. Furthermore, this had been a peaceful community and for the most part a cooperative one. And now, all of that would be shattered.

"What shall we do next?" he asked Najaran and Goligan.

"Find them!" she growled.

"Your temper," Goligan reminded her.

"Whoever would do this deserves it!"

"And whoever might get caught in the crossfire does not. Would you use your cards against a non-cepter? Even one who had done something so horrible?"

Thankfully Goligan knew just what to say. Najaran slumped and sank to the floor like her strings had been cut. She mutly shook her head as her tears ran down her face.

As soon as he hears of the team's assigned chores, Roland is quick to move. He has settled in, written down his thoughts, and kept his things safe and sound back in his cabin. Now, he is diligently moving about the Voidtrecker, losing himself in the menial task of cleaning bedrooms and passenger areas as instructed. He's set up a practical routine, and starts with the largest common areas before moving into the more private cars.

The more he cleans, the more he feels incredibly nostalgic. I haven't had to do this in years...Heh.

In one particular part of the train, however, he is met with the increasingly loud voices of what he assumes to be two people walking towards his general direction. He prepares to move in case he was blocking their way, but what he did not expect was to find a well-dressed girl talking to her staff. Which had...a face on it.

...

Some days I really do wonder if I'm just dreaming.

He was just about to excuse himself, but his nagging curiosity does win over in the end. So instead of leaving their vicinity, Roland approaches them as politely as he could with a question ready at the tip of his tongue.

"Hey there. I hope I'm not interrupting. But can I ask, did your...staff, come aboard with you on the train? I couldn't help but overhear you explain some parts of the Voidtrecker."

"Apparently my Gremlin accidentally told the train to... purchase... Goligan. One more thing to talk to the train about once I figure out how. Goligan is a who not a what."

"Naja... he started, seeming touched, eyes misting.

"Even if he is terribly useful at stirring laundry."

He sighed, as if he should have known better than to get his hopes up.

"I'm Najaran, this is Goligan."

"A pleasure, though we really should be working on finding a way home," the staff pointed out.

"He'll be nagging like this for ages yet, don't worry," she assured the new person.

"You can...talk to the train...?"

This is what stands out to Roland, since he had been debating on whether or not he should even try to communicate with the Voidtrecker at all, or if it would be a fruitless endeavor altogether. From his conversations with Orisa and Webmind, he already formulated a conjecture; that the train itself bore some level of sentience, as if every cab connected to it represented a part of its 'body.'

After he settles his surprise, he realizes his mistake and shakes his head in apology. "I'm sorry you and Goligan were reunited because the train bought him." Roland sends both of them a reassuring smile. "Najaran, Goligan. I'm Roland. I'm sure we'll all be able to figure out a way home. That's why we've come together with teams and helpful guides, right?" He curls his right hand into a determined fist. "I may be new, but I'll give my best in whatever way I can. Even if it's just doing a really good job at the chores, if I do say so myself."

He glances proudly at some of the cleaning he's already done. Roland is completely confident that the next person to enter would find it's interior, spotless.

"We think so. I tried offering it food but even though it was super yummy, there was no answer."

"Not everyone thinks with their stomach, Najaran," the staff lectured.

"But those units," she pointed to one, "have a way for you to buy stuff and then it shows up, either immediately or in the luggage car sometime later. And sometimes the train asks questions with them."

Roland hums, eyes trailing towards Najaran's pointer finger. "I've read about the points. They're our currency, right? But more than that, I'm more curious about the train communicating with us. Has the Voidtrecker asked you something, directly?"

She nodded to the first then considered the second. "I'm still learning how to use this thing, so I'm not sure. You might have to ask someone else," she said, apologetically.

Roland shakes his head, a small smile on his lips.

"Don't worry about it. I guess I'm just trying to figure out the logic of how the train functions around its people, and how it knows what we want or need, but that's not a question that has an easy answer. We'll figure it all out at some point."

He watches her staff, and the expression he makes.

"Do you use him in a fight?"

"More often than I would like," Goligan muttered.

"Oh sure! He's useful for all sorts of things! Catching a ledge when an attack knocks me off of it, or stopping a sword that is trying to behead me by catching it with his teeth!" She sounded so enthusiastic about it...

"......"

Roland isn't sure what to make of that. But what he does say next is very genuine. He turns to Goligan with a mixed expression.

"My sympathies."

"I do hope one day Najaran shall grow up and stop getting herself into such dangerous situations," he said heavily.

"HEY!"

Roland watches them with some level of amusement. "Well, age isn't necessarily going to mean she'll stop wanting a bit of fun, you know. Apart from being a friend, is Goligan your guardian too, by any chance?"

"I didn't do any of that for fun!" Najaran protested. "The first time we were stuck in the Cepter's tournament"

"Because you lost your temper at the inn," Goligan said.

She continued, as though he hadn't spoken. "And the sword thing was when Dumdum's men attacked us outside Bisteam!"

"Where we only were because you agreed to help out Alta."

"I had to!" Naja all but whined. "Alta wouldn't break me out of jail, otherwise, besides, if I hadn't been there Kigi might not have been able to stop the Dark Lord, you saw the shape she was in by the end!"

"Very well, I admit on that adventure, even if it all started because you lied to Master Horowitz, in the end it was good that we were there."

She huffed a bit. "Why did I miss you, exactly?"

He twisted in her grip to answer Roland. "Her master asked me to keep an eye on her when she is traveling."

Their back and forth banter almost reminded him of Tani and Batu from back home. He smiles fondly at the scene unfolding.

"I see. Then it's just right that you're here now," Roland reassures Goligan. "Though I have to admit, hearing about your stories makes for a pretty impressive adventure. Not everyone is built for that sort of thing, you know. Keep that fire alive, Najaran. Just don't overdo the gusto, I suppose."

"It is her temper she needs to work on more than her gusto," Goligan grumped, but he had smiled a bit at the reassurance.

"My temper's not that bad," she muttered.

Roland chuckles lightly. "I believe you," he motions to Najaran. "Just remind me not to get on your bad side." The older man jokes.

"Thank you for answering my questions, you two. I'm still green on the Voidtrecker, so any information I can gather, I try my best to ask."

"So long as you don't attack innocent people or mistreat your cards, you probably won't," she admitted, still a little sheepish.

Roland blinks in interest. "Mistreat...my cards? What do you mean by that?"

"You need to be careful who you talk to, Najaran!" Goligan lectured.

Najaran shook her head. "It seems to be different here, Goligan, no one even knows what a Cepter is." She turned to Roland, to explain. "I'm a Cepter. Back home other Cepters like me can summon creatures, items, and spells from our cards. All of the creatures I can summon are my friends, and are all dear to me. So when I see someone abusing the trust between Cepter and card... I kind of lose my temper," she admitted sheepishly. She reached a hand behind her and two cards flew to her hand. She held them up to show him.

He listens intently, and his eyes widen a fraction upon seeing the cards summoned in a flash. That's really impressive.

"I see. Are all your cards of the same type? All...creatures?"

Oh that was nothing.

"Nah, I also have items and of course a few..." she mumbled a word after that.

"Do not even think about it, Najaran!" the cane scolded.

"I wasn't going to use a spell card on the train!" she protested. "I mean, probably not."

"Naja...."

Roland chuckles again, though a part of him is quite curious about what she could really do in a pinch.

"I suppose you've used this skill as a Cepter in missions outside the train, before? I'll look forward to seeing what you can really do!"

She nodded. "Oh sure, lots of times now. Well... a few anyhow."

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Staff Meeting - Najaran, Goligan, OTA

Chores top level - warning for blood

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Bonus AC for him?

Apologies for the backtag! And just wanted to throw him early at one more of yours! :)

You never need to applogize to me for that. Backtags welcome! :D

Yey! Lovely <3

:D

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