voidtreckerexpress | Event: Expulsion (Day 24)

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Event: Expulsion (Day 24)

"Good morning passengers, today is the twenty fourth day of the month of Apple." The morning announcement sounds as usual as dark turns to the ever shifting colours of the void outside the train windows. Some passengers may stir. It might be that they are an early riser or bad sleeper and get out of bed the moment the announcement wakes them or perhaps they roll over and go back to sleep.

Either way the morning rolls on for a few hours whatever they might be doing. Until a sudden judder runs through the train, followed quickly by another. Much like bad turbulence. Really bad turbulence. A third follows and there is a crackling sound before an alarm starts going off blaring loudly, the lights begin flashing red, white and red again.

"Warning. Void engines failing. Warning. Void engines failing. Warning Expulsion from void imminent." More shaking, worse each time, enough to knock them over and then a bang, the train plummets into darkness and lurches, sending everyone flying...

… They never crash land. Instead they float, suspended in the air. In the darkness it is hard to orient themselves or even understand what is happening. There’s a roar in their heads as pressure builds, their ears pop. "All systems critical." Breathing is hard, for one terrifying moment there seems to be no air to breathe.

"Oxygen levels stabilising." They can breathe, the pressure in their heads fades, their ears eventually stop ringing. "Pressure levels stabilising." They are still floating, suspended in darkness. "Gravity systems critical".

Emergency lighting flickers on finally, a red glow from either end of each carriage, in the cabins and along floor strips, enabling them to move without bumping into anything. If they can figure out how to move at all that is. Outside the windows is dark. Not the blackness of the void at night but the deep vastness of space. A few moments pass, enough time to just about process that fact before the voice over the speakers is heard once more.

"Passengers of the Voidtrecker express, due to technical issues we are currently experiencing void engine failure. Thank you for your patience as we endeavour to continue our journey as quickly as possible. We ask that all passengers help in securing the train for re-entry into the Void and on behalf of the Voidtrecker Express I apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Then there is silence. Broken only, no doubt, by the passengers on this now stranded train.

(OOC: Event information is here.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She wiggled her legs, trying to not tip over again. She didn't let go of his hand, she doesn't want to go bouncing off again! She nods when he offers to teach her how to swim. That would be a good thing, drowning would be very bad. She's not really sure why no one has taught her already when she had been taught most the practical things she would need to know.

She wrinkles her nose when he mentions Mr Stark but she shakes his head. She's not angry anymore. The last of the anger had been bounced out of her. She's wary, he had threatened her but that was to be expected. She should have never have let her guard down.

She frowned at the name, though she liked the fact Peter thought she was smart. Even if she didn't know about gravity magic or space or stars. But it's still a name. If she was meant to have one she would have one. There must be a reason and accepting names from these light addled heroes was dangerous. It tied her to them.

"Do you no be being pissed at me?" Because Tony had been very angry, she had imagined Peter would be all scrunch faced mad too but here he was teaching her to swim in space.

He doesn't let go of her hand-he said he wouldn't and he's not going to until she tells him to. He moves his legs like a frog to push them along, moving his arm in the same way he'd shown her.

Her question throws him a little off guard and he makes a weird face at her before just shaking his head.

"No? What would I be mad at you for-" He pauses a moment, realizing he really shouldn't be surprised. He lets out a sigh. "About the knife? That's was uh-it sucked-I will say that-um... look. There are some things I've noticed about you-floating in the middle of space with no gravity isn't an ideal time to talk about it-but what the hell? Uh. Heck." He corrects.

"Uh. So when we first met, you couldn't find which Cabin was yours, right? And then I told you to just ask if you needed anything because our kind needed to stick together-what I meant was orphans. You didn't have a name-you're listed as unnamed and uh-well, usually your parents give you a name the moment you're born-sometime before but they're usually the ones to name you. If not them then a guardian so I realized you didn't have them and I-well, I have May but my mom and dad are gone too, so we're both orphans.

"But there's something else we have in common that I noticed-and I really wish we didn't even if it is a different kind-god I hope it's a different kind-we're both... uh... products of abuse-I don't know if like.. abuse is a thing people consider as being wrong on your world-but it is on mine. It's way more of a big deal now then it was but basically when someone hurts someone-mostly by beating them-that's that's an offense that can lead to time in prison where I'm from. And there are signs-there's always signs. Mine's more... anxiety based but when you-yours is way more subtle. Anyways, one thing that people who have been abused tend to do is that they don't trust so easily-they don't feel safe and if someone's mad they assume they're about to get attacked. And I knew that-but I was so upset I didn't really think about it so when I saw you about to step on the glass I lunged at you-you thought you had to defend yourself so you acted in self-defense. That's not your fault, okay? I was the one in the wrong because I made you feel like you needed to defend yourself, okay? So I'm not mad. It was just a misunderstanding-and I promise I won't do that to you again."

Peter liked to talk and floating in space probably wasn't a good time to talk but lots of times weren't good to talk and Peter talked more than anyone she had ever met in her whole entire life before. She had no idea where he held all the words and how his brain didn't explode from them. Maybe that was it. Maybe his brain couldn't hold them all and that's why sometimes when he opened his mouth he just never stopped talking.

She knows he doesn't have a mum or a dad but that's different than her. His died when he was five and she had just never had any. Never needed any. She wasn't like Peter, not in that way. Maybe it was true that only kids with parents got names, maybe that was why they had never had names. But not having parents seemed like a bad thing for Peter, something he got leaky eyed about when for her it wasn't anything important. Not at all. She hadn't really even thought about it until she came here and people kept bringing it up.

The rest of what he said... She wrinkled her nose. People could be put in jail for beating people in his world? That was weird. Alright if you killed someone you would be punished but just hitting them? It seemed very extreme. How was there anyone not in jail in his world?

Was that why grounding was seen as a punishment? When really it was nothing at all? Peter had been beaten? Before he worked for Tony?

"I did be thinking you would be attacking me, but no because I did be being scared of being beaten. I do no be being a baby and beating people do no be putting you in jail in my world because it do be being a normal thing to be doing if someone do be being bad. Or people will never be learning. I did be defending myself because I did be being angry and you did be being angry and when two people do be being angry like that they do be fighting and I did no be knowing you did be trying to be stopping me from stepping on the glass. It do no be normal to be worrying like that when someone did be making you be going all leaky faced."

He's very strange, but she shrugged. "I will no be hurting you again though, no even with words."

Or mister Stark would make her life very painful indeed. But Peter doesn't need to know that, he would only get confused.

Edited (dialect derp. she never talks this much :\) 2019-08-23 15:41 (UTC)

Peter listens while slowly moving them to the other side of the car. It bothers him a little that she's so nonchalant about not having parents. It's like she doesn't know she should have parents. It's biologically impossible for her not to have them. But again, he's not trying to upset her so if it doesn't bother her then he won't press the issue. Still though, it makes him sad.

He's fairly certain that's the most he's ever heard her say at once. It provides even more insight and confirms a lot of what he'd guessed. There was a lot to unpack from her statement and he's not too sure where to even start. He's probably the last person that should be talking to her about this stuff.

"Okay, so I'm not a psychology major or anything-I'm way better with math and science but a lot of what you just told me, in my world, would be major cause for alarm and would start a whole investigation from CPS-uh-Child Protection Services. Anyways-my point is that you shouldn't have to feel like that-like you need to defend yourself from everyone. Yeah, I was mad but I was mad at what you told me-not you. You were mad and I tried to get you to talk about it-you didn't want to so you lashed out-so we were both upset yeah, but that would be no reason for me or anyone, really, to attack you." He takes a breath briefly pauses to wonder if what he's saying makes any sense at all.

"It may not be that you were scared I was going to attack-but it's what you thought was happening. So, it's what you're used to-and it shouldn't be. You shouldn't have to feel like you need to defend yourself against someone just because they're angry. Most people are just gonna yell if you make them really angry and then stomp off. Or you'll get grounded-like I did-or put in a time out until you can 'straighten up and act right' as Uncle Ben would say."

He's still talking. She has said so much that she doesn't think she needs to speak again for a whole week and yet he has found more words to say. Something about child protection services. Where they who Tony worked for? He had said his job was to protect children.

But he wasn't mad at her? Or he was but wouldn't hurt her either way? And it was bad to expect attacks? She didn't think that was a bad thing. Being ready was important. Being alert was the difference between winning and fight and dying.

Grounding was still the most pathetic punishment she had ever seen. Alright if they had been going into a fight and Tony had taken Peter's weapons that would be dangerous, but on the train? Honestly the way Peter wasted the web stuff it was probably sensible to not let him have them all the time.

"And what do time out be being?" She asked eventually, with a nose wrinkle.

Peter gets the feeling he's not really explaining this right but how exactly did he explain this. Because it's a bit of a sensitive subject and he's really only given her half the picture.

"Uh, Time out? It's when you have have to like sit in the same spot and you can only get up when the adult that put you there says it's okay. It's not really worth ignoring-although I did once and then then I got grounded from tv for like two weeks. It sucked." He advised.

"But that's kinda how you teach kids where I'm from? They do something bad you take away something they like to discourage them doing it again. And you re-enforce good behavior. Like uh... when I got my scholarship for Midtown May and Ben took me to see a movie and then ice cream afterward-man you gotta try ice cream the second we can get some. It's awesome."

Time out sounded like training more than punishment. Being still and silent in one place until you were allowed to move.

It's still a little strange but she understands and nods at him. "It do be being the same where I did be living. If you do be being good then you do be getting treats."

She paused to think of an example that wouldn't make him go scrunch faced mad. "There did be being a time where I did be learning a poem off by heart. It did be being eight pages and I did no be forgetting one word. Priestess Elena did be being very proud and Kant did be buying me a pastry and a honeycake."

She has no idea what ice cream is but if it's awesome she wants to try it.

Edited 2019-08-30 15:12 (UTC)

"Better than I could do." Peter states, listening to her story. "I mean, I can remember some stuff, like the Periodic Table and a ton of formulas but memorizing prose and lines and stuff? Nope. Not even close. Guess that's cause I'm not super into literature and stuff." He shrugs.

Honey cakes. He wonders if that's kind of like the honeybuns back home. They're pretty good but man he's really gotta share stuff like funnel cakes and doughnuts and stuff with her when he gets the chance.

"There are so many different things I really want you to try, you know? I think you'd really like stuff like pop tarts, a lot of the cereal, pancakes if you haven't gotten to try those yet and definitely ice cream. Oh! And sour gummy worms. They're like my favorite candy."

He can probably get her some sour gummies if he get another bag of candy, which he'll need to since his getting really low. He's pretty sure this is the first time he's heard mention actual people from her home.

"So is Kant your guardian then?" Also, possible abuser but he doesn't really have enough to make that assumption.

She hadn't heard of any of that food. She hoped that she got to try them at one point, pretty much all the sweet things she had tried so far were delicious. She'd say better than honeycakes but she wasn't sure. Honeycakes were pretty special. Because of more than just the taste, the new things were nice but they were very different, not like home at all.

"Sort of. He do no be being one of the innkeepers, he do be being Priestess Elena's Warrior and he do be teaching me sometimes. He do be being very brave and strong." She smiled at him, tilting her head back now she didn't have to worry about bouncing around. She was getting good at this air swimming. Or no air swimming.

"He did be being the one who did be giving me my dagger," It's not exactly a secret anymore that she has it. "For my birthday."

She maybe shouldn't speak so much, but something about the fright, the weirdness of the gravity magic being broken and the fact that she had... sort of missed him, as stupid as that was, all made her words come easier.

She really is getting the hang of it and Peter's really quite impressed at how well she can adapt. He shouldn't be-he knew that Buttercup or whatever she wanted to go by now, was a smart capable girl and part of that would involve adapting to situations.

"Oh yeah? Since he's your teacher does that mean you're training to take over for him?" He just nods. "I'm sure you're well on your way." He tries to be encouraging.

"Think you can handle it if I let you go, now?" He asks.

"I do no be thinking so, but if I did no be being on this stupid train I would be going to the Temple to be learning to be being a Warrior, so I will be being like him when I do be being older." But not taking over from him, that would mean being Elena's warrior and she didn't think she would want two. She would find some other priest or priestess to serve. It seems a very long way away, in time and distance and she will probably never go there now, since she is here on this train.

Could she do this alone? She thinks so. She's getting the hang of it so she nods. "I think you can be letting go, I will no be bouncing around anymore."

"If I wasn't here I'd be in Space. Well, I don't know exactly if I'd still be in space." Peter states. "See, I guess you heard about Thanos from Mr Stark-but you probably didn't get the whole story. He wanted to uh use these magical stones called infinity stones-there were six of them-Um... power, soul, space, reality, time, and uh... mind-At least, I think that's what Dr Strange said-anyways, Thanos wanted to use them to wipe out half of all life in the universe. And from what I can tell-since Mr Stark's from the future. I think he wins-Thanos, I mean. At least at first." He admits.

"Anyways, I'm not super eager to go back to that, I gotta admit, but If I can, I'll help you get back home. Although, I don't know about the kinda stuff your guardian puts you through-from my standpoint it just seems cruel."

He finally lets go of her hand, sticking his other to the ceiling again, and watching her carefully in case he needs to intervene.

She hadn't actually heard of any Thanos from mister Stark. He had just blurted out that he was dead or everyone was dead and Peter was the only survivor whilst arguing. About her actually. But he hadn't explained anything around it.

But Peter was good for information because he talked so much so she listened. Magical stones. Wanted to wipe out half of life in the universe. And he won.

Her eyes widened a little. It was rare the shadow ever actually won. It was always the goal. Beat the light side. But there were so many more of them. But in Peter's world someone had succeeded. Wiped out half of all life. It's a big goal. Had he chosen which half? Was it random? These magic stones must be very powerful.

Apart from the slight widening of eyes her face showed nothing of her thoughts. But she was impressed. But Peter was offering something, to help her get home. She shrugged at the suggestion that her guardians were cruel. Peter came from a weird world. One where you could go to jail for hitting children but one person managed to wipe out half of all life without being stopped.

She moved slowly to turn to face him. "We do no even be knowing where we do be being, never mind how we can be going back."

"I just kinda wonder what makes a person want to do something like that, you know? Like he must have a reason why he thinks taking out half the population of the universe. But statistically, mathematically and logically-it just doesn't make sense. Think about it-if, back at your home-suddenly half the population of your world vanished-what would happen? Civilization would collapse. The planet wouldn't really be able to sustain its self." He shakes his head and pushes the thought aside, Buttercup doesn't need to hear him question Thanos's motives.

"Yeah, I know. But Mr Stark is a genius-love 'im or hate 'im he's probably the best equipped to figure out what's going on. I mean, he is the head Avenger and he built the Iron Man suit which is like. Indestructible."

Chaos. Chaos is the answer. What better way to serve chaos than to kill half the planet in one moment. It's almost terrifying, awe inspiring. She nods silently at Peter's musing. Of course he finds it confusing. He's light addled and will never understand.

That's okay. She thinks she likes him anyways. Despite that.

"His armour? It do really be being indestructible? Nothing can be destroying it at all?"

And yet he had lost. Despite having something any fighter would dream of. Armour that would not fail them.

"What do an Avenger be being?"

Peter thinks about it. He knows the armor has gotten pretty beat up in the past so how exactly should he answer that?

"Eh, might as well be. It's more that Mr Stark is uh.. really good at figuring things out so he's always like like five steps ahead of the game." Peter explains and then goes on to ask about the Avengers. And oh man, is he ready to answer that question.

"Okay so, the Avengers are known as like... earth's mightiest heroes. It's our job to defend the Earth from people like uh-Like Thanos. I mean they saved world from Thor's-uh he's the God of Thunder-Thor's brother Loki-who's the God of Mischief when he summoned and army of aliens called the chituri to enslaved the Earth." He rattles off quickly. "Well, I say the world but uh, it was more like New York because that's where the portal was and the Chituri didn't even make it past uh... twenty first street, I think it was? Anyways, I was like ten back then." He says happily, as though it were a fond memory.

"Of the Avengers there's Mr Stark- or Iron Man as he's known as an Avenger, Captain America-he's like a super soldier from the forties and he's pretty awesome. His real Name's Steve and he got trapped in ice for like seventy years. And then there's The Hulk-he's like uh... you've seen Dread right? Like that but Green and... angry. Dr Banner was trying to like recreate the serum that made Cap-uh-Captain America and it went wrong and now he turns into a giant green rage monster that likes to smash things. He's still pretty cool though. Then there's Black Widow-her real name's Natasha-At least I think it is? she was trained has a Russian spy so who knows. She's awesome and like one of the coolest people ever. I think you'd like her. And then there's Hawkeye or Clint-he's cool too. He can hit anything with an arrow."

He takes a breath because that was a lot of words to spit out. "And of course-those are just the original Avengers-that's not counting Wanda, Vision, War Machine-or Iron Patriot-but Mr Stark hates it when you call him that. And The Falcon."

Edited 2019-09-13 19:33 (UTC)

Five steps ahead of everyone else was part of what made Tony so dangerous. Then Peter continued speaking and spoke and spoke and spoke.

Avengers, heroes. Defending earth from people like Thanos. Light-sided heroes who fought dark serving heroes. His world had a god of thunder? And one of mischief? They saved the world or just cities and there were... That was a lot of names. Iron Man, Captain America who was a soldier from somewhere called the forties. How had he gotten trapped in ice? How was he not dead? She knows what ice is but has never seen it, it's hard to imagine. A green rage monster who was apparently a light sided hero as well? A spider who was also a spy and someone who was good with arrows.

Why did they all have two names? Wait Peter had told her that before. It was so people wouldn't know who they were. Then there were more names. She blinked at him. "That do be being a lot of famous heroes." And he had said our so he was one too. "Did Thanos be having a really big army?"

Because it is hard to figure how the could stop aliens that tried to enslave... twenty one streets but had failed to stop one man from destroying half of all life.

"Well, I never saw it. But Thanos was behind the attack on New York." He states, his excited voice toning down quite a bit at the thought of Thanos. "I never met him-I was on a ship to go fight him when I ended up here. They told me a little about it-Thanos uh.. he's a name known outside of earth on other planets. He's said to have the biggest army in the universe and goes from planet to planet wiping out half of it in order to like... achieve balance or something. Which doesn't really make sense to me because-well, like I said, the math wouldn't work out-like whole ecosystems would collapses."

He sighs and shakes his head. "He's another person I hope I never see on this train. I mean, I won't know 'cause never met him, but Mr Stark would."

Ah so he did have a big army and went from planet to planet to achieve balance, or chaos. Half of all life destroyed. It would be interesting if he ended up on the train, because that would be three people who knew each other. But also Tony would be very mad and that could be bad for everyone.

She reached out carefully to touch the wall and worked on turning herself around. She was pleased to have managed to get all the way down the carriage without bumping into anything. "He did be attacking New York as well. Do that be being the most important city on your planet?"

"Hey! You made it! Congratulations!" Peter calls out to her when she meets her goal and then focuses on her question.

"Well, not really. It's one of the most known cities but I wouldn't really say it was the most important-New York City, that is. New York is a state-my state. But the city I'm from is Queens which is just outside of New York city." He explains.

"Just outside? There do be being two cities that close?" Turn completed she pushed off the wall gently to start slowly returning to him, not too much, not too fast.

"Do they no be fighting all the time?"

He just gives a weird look for that comment before shaking his head. He forgets that her world is pretty much still in the dark ages.

"Uh, no. I mean-war's definitely still a thing where I'm from but it's uh... I don't really know how to describe it because I keep falling asleep in my government class. Or passing notes back and forth with Ned. I don't know why anyone let's us sit together but I'm not gonna call it out." He pauses as he realizes probably none of that made any sense.

"Uh... so. Some of the countries from my world are still war torn but mine isn't even though we keep starting wars and destroying other country's governments-or their plans as to how to run themselves. One of the things the country I'm from is known for is being the land of opportunity and freedom-particularly religious freedom. Don't let the shiny title fool you-America's mess too-like a huuuuge mess. We just like to pretend we're better then everyone because Amerca I guess. I don't know-I don't get politics. I just no that it's really only the land of the free if you're an old, white male."

She would have been more surprised if he'd told her he somehow came from a world with no war honestly. Especially since she would know it to be a lie. He had just told her about Thanos and the aliens after all.

He had fallen asleep in classes? How did he know so much stuff then? She tried to follow, filtering out things that probably weren't useful. Maybe. It was hard when he used so many words.

His world had countries that were war torn but his wasn't. But his country started wars and destroyed other countries governments. Yet called themselves a land of freedom. Freedom at the price of other people.

It didn't sound like his world was ran by the light blinded at all. Maybe that was how Thanos got away with it. His rulers were all shadow agents. Or some weird world equivalent. In her world... Rulers could be harsh but they had to at least seem to be serving the light or they would be brought down. The temple didn't meddle in non-religious matters but if they believed a ruler to be shadow god worshipper... That was when kingdoms fell.

Religious freedom was interesting though. She tilted her head as he finally stopped. "Old, white, male. That do be being a type of person yes? No a horse?" It sounded more like how Kant would describe a horse honestly but she is getting better at listening to all the inbetween bits of Peter's explanations rather than just the words. "What do you be meaning by religious freedom?"

"No, not a horse." He laughs a little at the question and before he can even think to stop himself- "more like an ass." He laughs a little at his own joke but shakes his head. "No, they're just old guys that are super set in their ways and are terrified of change-they're also greedy and want as much money as they possibly can get."

"Yeah, religious freedom. Basically, the idea is that you can worship whatever religion or God that you want and no one can tell you no." He explains. "I say that. There are a lot of people that will try and shove their's down your throat-surprise-it's usually those asses again-old white males. But I'm not religious. I mean-if you asked me what my religion is-I'd say science. It explains everything with verifiable fact and that's a comfort to me-I guess. That everything has a scientific explanation."

She laughed at the joke but listened to the explanation. Old guys who wanted lots of money. Nobles maybe? She's not sure where white comes from? Hair? Skin? Joss had skin that was white. Did they drink blood?

But questions about that disappeared as Peter kept taking. People could worship whichever god they wanted and no one could tell them no? Unless they were one of those asses. And Peter didn't have a religion?

What? How could he not? "You do no be following the gods? No even that god of thunder you did be mentioning?"

Event: Expulsion (Day 24)

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cw: mentions of abuse.

cw: mentions of abuse, historical/medieval ideas of punishment etc.

cw: mentions of abuse, historical/medieval ideas of punishment etc.

cw: mentions of abuse, historical/medieval ideas of punishment etc.

cw: mentions of abuse, historical/medieval ideas of punishment etc.

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cw: for controversial opinions??

Re: cw: for controversial opinions??

cw: for controversial opinions??

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cw: religious... superiority? moral pity? idek but it probably needs a warning

cw: for controversial opinions still...

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