voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post August]

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A New Platform [Intro Post August]

On the Train

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Grasshopper. Points have been updated on the system and Voidtrecker Express lunch boxes are now available to buy."

They have indeed and everyone can spend the morning shopping, for lunch boxes or other items. Those who have been on the train a while will be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later.

"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. The sun beats down, a harsh, red glow heating the structure almost to the point of discomfort, although the train remains pleasantly cool. People might want to leave hoodies in their cabins.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Alex Hashimoto, Ardyn, Basilton Pitch, Garrett, Gyro Gearloose, Heart, Higgs, Jack Harkness , Luke Skywalker, Merciless, Sam Bridges, Scintilla Caminus, Sven, Telli, Tokidoki Rikugou, Undyne and Wen Ning

But on the platform itself there are many new faces. Wearing polo shirts in four familiar colours, with an equally familiar array of expressions.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is steam billowing around them as they come to their senses. The second thing they will notice is the oppressive, cloying heat hazing the air. The paving is sun-warm, and damp with water vapour.

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 the steam begins to fade. They aren’t alone.

The platform, all pale paving and cement pillars, is not large and it holds thirteen figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. 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 heat step a selection of people. Some are human, some are less so. Most are wearing the same uniform in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple, though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles.

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.

Once again it’s not all that long before the whistles blow as if hurrying the passengers along.

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 more carrots, as well as other staples for the month. Those heading to the luggage carriage for their parcels will find some generic boxes labeled All Passengers. Inside they will find extra leather bound journals for those who have gotten to the end of theirs. There are also supplies of extra toiletries for passengers who are running low.

The big changes that passengers will notice is that the Quiet Coach and the Medical Coach now have two stories. The quiet coach has a whole extra five booths upstairs. The medical coach now has four recovery rooms whilst downstairs now holds two treatment rooms as well as a surgery bay.

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 itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

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Another platform, another new roommate. They really cycled through them fast in this room, didn't they? He sighs and braces himself for another awkward few days, a large stuffed dragon tucked under his arm.

He knocks, calls "Roommate" through the door, waits a few moments, and enters...to find his things tossed on the floor and the new roommate in his bed. He's not wearing orange anymore, having replaced the uniform with his more comfortable silver trenchcoat and black suit, but that he's frowning up at her indicates who this is.

"You've made the best first impression yet. No one else has been so bold as to claim my spot and throw my things on the floor."

Oh good, a roommate. Catra's ears perk, and her tail twitches on her claimed bed; but she does not look abashed in the slightest when he frowns at her.

In fact, she looks rather pleased.

"Aww, thanks," she drawls, lips quirking in a smirk. For her next trick, she'll shake out the purple polo she's been ripping up - sending frayed fabric flying in a gust, some of it aimed his way. Her companion only shakes their head as some lands on them, mewling reproachfully at her as a rather large piece lands over their muzzle. Catra elects to ignore them - she needs to get a rise out of someone today, okay, Melog. It's stress-relieving for her. "Cute toy you've got there. You gonna sleep with that thing?"

Kaiba's frown deepens as he waves an arm in front of his face, dusting off bits of purple. He delicately sets the dragon on the bunk she's trying to shunt him to, then turns to face her, an irritated flush appearing on his ears.

"My boyfriend's idea. He's...more sentimental than I am."

A lie, of course, but one he needs for now. Back to the issue.

"Have you read our welcome pamphlet yet?"

Edited (link to pamphlet in case you needed it! (oops)) 2020-08-03 13:28 (UTC)

A pinched look crosses Catra's face at the mention of his boyfriend, something like -- jealousy, maybe, before she shoves the sudden pang in her heart away. She's used to not having what she wants, and honestly she'd expected something to get in her way. She's Catra, she doesn't get to have nice things.

She just hadn't really expected to have to put up with the evidence of someone else's happiness staring at her in the face. Literally. ---That stupid stuffed doll's beady little eyes are practically boring holes through her. And she's going to have to live with this?

"You guys made a pamphlet?" She tosses the shirt carelessly to the pile of them near her feet, pulling the next one from her bag. Her claws are a little more harsh when she rips through the sleeves on this one, leaving them more jagged than the last, but who's he to know anyway. "Didn't know you could write up one of those for something like this."

That's a blatant lie, and one she says flippantly. There is, in fact, a guide right next to her. Not that she's read it fully yet - she's skimmed it, okay, that's good enough for now. She's too tense to focus on it any more than that.

"Eva did. She's one of our leaders. We've finally acquired a computer and printer so they don't all have to be handwritten anymore, but. Same idea."

There's one stapled near the ICP in every cabin, so he crouches to flip through it. He makes a few pen-marks in it, to replace the names of people who've departed with the new leads, but frowns when he reaches the end.

"...I'll have to ask her to include the train rules next time. There aren't many, but one of them concerns respect for others' property."

"Wow, I can't believe she didn't include them." The amused gleam in her eyes is sharp, and sardonic, and Catra is honestly having such a great time right now as she sets down the shirt to shift on the bunk, stretching deliberately across it with a pleased flick of her tail. "Don't know how we're possibly gonna get by without a piece of paper telling us what to do."

Edited (WORDS) 2020-08-04 09:18 (UTC)

"How about a duel, then?"

Kaiba turns back to face her, folding his arms. His scowl's even deeper now, but he's struggling to maintain an even tone despite that. "By that, I mean a round of a strategy game from the gaming car. We have dozens, I'll let you pick any one you want."

Catra's ears perk at the mention of a duel, before he elaborates further and they droop again in confusion as she frowns at the roof.

In the end she shrugs, wriggling her shoulders down into the soft (--by the Horde's austere standards) bed. It doesn't seem to rattle at all, which is disappointing, but she's sure she can find a way to make it at least squeak every time she moves. Anything to drive this guy up the wall.

"Sounds like a waste of time to me," she comments blithely. And honestly, too. She just finished running a war, she doesn't need any more practice at it.

...But then again, she did just finish running a war. Rather successfully, too. Whatever strategic simulators they have on this train should be a breeze for her, and she does like wiping the floor with people.

"--Let's say I'm considering it. What's in it for me when I win?"

Kaiba takes a deep hiss of a breath.

"If you win, I'll concede the bed, drop the subject, and do your chores for the next month. But if I win, I take my spot back."

He flexes his fingers. "We have board games, card games, and video games. Any of them will suit."

He doesn't expect her to not scoff at that offer, right?

"Yeah, I've already got the bed." She rolls onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow. "And I don't particularly care about my chores."

Not least because she didn't know she had any.

"How about..." She casts her gaze about the room, lingering on the stuffed toy for a moment long enough to smirk before looking him over. And deciding, on the spot, the stakes she'd like to play for.

"I like your jacket," she comments easily. It'd be huge on her, but that's what her claws are for. It'd make a decent vest, and it'd get her out of all of this purple. "Let's play for that instead."

Kaiba's nostrils flare as he considers her. The jacket is precious, it's his image, and he's seen how she destroys clothes...

But he has several more at home and can order again if she cheats to win. Not that she needs to know that.

"Fine," he hisses, turning toward the door. "Gaming car. I'll give you the grand tour. It's past the other bedrooms, the music room, the theater, the training room, and the two gardens."

Catra waves a hand at him, laying back down dismissively. She is in absolutely no rush to follow him. In fact, she barely has any intention of moving at all.

"You go on ahead. I'll meet you there."

~~In a few hours, maybe.~~

"I'll be expecting you soon," is his parting phrase, as he goes to investigate the gaming car. It's two floors of a vast array of games: board, card, and video, just like he promised, and comfortable bean bag chairs line the floor.

He sets the case of Duel Monsters cards outside: it's a fairly complex game, and he'd have a vastly unfair advantage. As much as he feels she might deserve a thorough beating, he could use a different challenge today.

And so he begins a sweep of the board games, starting with dice games, world conquest games, forest exploration games...and thoroughly reads the rules of each one, creating a stack of the most interesting ones he reads.

He gets so absorbed in learning as many of the rules as possible, and even trying to puzzle out the ones with no included rules, that he doesn't notice her absence until his legs get numb from sitting.

At that point, he stalks back to the room in search of her, calling out.

"Something the matter? Don't think you can face me?"

He lasts a lot longer than she expected, actually. Catra's had enough time to do a lot of other stuff, and talk to a fair few other people - to the point where she'd almost forgotten that she was leaving someone waiting on her in another car.

She is, in fact, just on her way back to the cabin when she runs into him again, outfitted now in her freshly customized uniform. And it takes her a beat to recall what it is he's talking about, her eyes widening for a split second before squinting with amusement.

"My bad. Guess I got a little side-tracked." Catra's grin is sharp, and she gestures down the carriage, inclining her head slightly in invitation. He can lead the way if he really wants to, she can make fun of him just as easily from behind. "You weren't waiting for me this whole time, were you?"

"A little," he deadpans, shaking his head. "And no, waiting implies I would sit and twiddle my thumbs for you. I was planning. Strategizing. I have the games sorted by theme and skills used."

He huffs as he reaches the car. It's spacious and comfortable...most of the time, and the most promising games he'd found are piled on the main table. the chests on the walls all open with games peeking out of them.

He's chosen a colorful board game with a strange threaded loom above it, a dungeon explorer with a detailed treasure map over the seas, a card game with colorful creatures that's a bit less complex than Duel Monsters, and a murder mystery game Each game's rule sheet is neatly sitting atop the box, waiting to be read.

"The video games are upstairs if that's what you'd prefer."

It's a good thing Catra already saw this carriage during her exploration earlier in the day, and got all of her poking and prodding out then. Otherwise she'd probably be inclined to waste more of his time by doing it now.

"It doesn't matter to me," she shrugs. She has no idea what any of these games are anyway. "You're the one who suggested this whole thing, aren't you? You choose."

"Alright. Then we'll play a strategy game that's relatively simple, so we don't waste too much of each other's time arguing about the rules."

He's already had enough time wasted today. He picks what looks to be a simple yet strategic train game out of the pile. A little on the nose with the theme, but it should work for them.

"The goal is to earn points by building up your rail empire throughout the land. You can do that by connecting any two cities, connecting the specific cities you're assigned, or connecting a long route. Knowing when to focus on your own plans and when to cut me off, or which goals to focus on, is the challenge."

He shuffles the decks and grins. "Don't worry, it doesn't take long to play. Does it make sense?"

Oh, so he has a sense of humour after all. Here Catra was thinking he was a total stick in the mud.

"Sounds too easy," she goads in return, seating herself readily. And it really does. Misdirect, sabotage, conquer. She's been doing that stuff in her sleep.

The format might be totally unfamiliar to her - no holograms, no surprise attacks allowed, surprisingly few aspects to manage (--or maybe that's just her, having grown too used to coordinating the takeover of an entire planet). But Catra, weirdly, finds herself -- having fun with it. It's harder to run distractions when all of her planning is laid out on a board in clear view, but that makes it more satisfying when one works; and when he wins, it's by a fairly narrow margin. (It took her a bit to settle into the gameplay, long enough for him to establish a lead that she just couldn't quite overcome.)

Catra is nothing if not a competitive person, and by the time they're done her eyes are bright with the challenge. It's weird - so, so weird to not have strings attached. To lose and not face a punishment or a reprimand; to set out plans that don't hurt anyone.

"You got lucky." She's playing it cool, brushing off his win with an unbothered grin; but her tail's lashing eagerly behind her as she sweeps her pieces from the board. She hasn't enjoyed herself this genuinely in a long time. "What else you got buried in here? Bet you can't pull it off again."

It's a more challenging game than he expects. He gives it his all, of course, because the coat is his Image...but she's strong with misdirection and sabotage, and he just barely scrapes through with the final route established.

He stops to take a sip of water, eyes bright with relief.

"Luck is an illusion, skill is the name of the game," he answers. The simmering anger has been replaced with something more familiar to him, the thrill of a game. It helps when the person he's dueling is only committing annoyances and not hurting his brother. And it also helps that the original wager is over---at least, in his mind.

He returns to the shelf and picks up a deck of ordinary playing cards, then a pile of chips.

"You might like poker. It's a game all about reading your opponent and knowing when to press an advantage and when to fold."

He launches into an explanation of the rules, laying out cards and the hierarchy of winning hands. "Players often bet money. We don't have money, but we can use points purchases. You won't have points until the next platform stop, but win and I can buy you a few small things: snacks, a book, or some sleep aids. Any more would have to wait until points are redistributed, I spent most of mine on this."

He smooths his hand over the coat's shoulder. "Interested?"

Catra listens surprisingly attentively to the explanation; her ears flicking with focus, her eyes tracking each card. And even those are unfamiliar, different symbols and pictures upon them, but the game itself - she thinks she might've seen some off-duty soldiers playing it, at some point, right before she clawed through the contraband with vicious satisfaction. (It has to have been the same game, right? After all, how many card games could there possibly be?)

"Pretty low stakes," she notes, following his hand as it brushes over his jacket. At least he's dropped the bed issue, which -- good, it saves them the argument later when he realizes it doesn't matter how many times he wins, she's not giving it up.

But even in the face of the unfamiliar cards and new rules, she's still confident. Perhaps a bit too much so, but Catra has certainly never lacked in hubris. "You that worried about me winning?" Her fangs flash in her grin, but there's nothing actually mean about it this time. She's just enjoying herself too much to hide them. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

And she holds out her hand for the cards, palm-up, clawed fingers gesturing for the cards. She's seen how this bit goes - you sort of, smoosh the cards together and throw them around a bit. To mix them up, presumably. She can give that a shot, it seems fun.

"No, I know betting an already-won prize again is a fool's gamble." Kaiba snorted, looking her over curiously. She really did want to learn to play...

So he placed the deck in her hand. "Your move."

Eh. She shrugs easily, not minding the rebuffing at all, and closes her fingers around the deck - immediately feeling the cards slip in her grip.

...This may not be as easy as people have made it look.

Catra's determined to do it anyway. It's just that, the cards kind of -- stick together more than she expected them to, and the clean laminate of them slides unhelpfully against her fingers. She knows as soon as she halves the deck, the way she's seen it done, that this isn't going to go as smoothly as she expects it to. She can't grip them properly without risk of her claws tearing through, leaving her bracing the deck in the joins of her knuckles, and one moment she's pressing the two halves of the deck together with force - that's what people do! - and the next the cards have exploded, raining down in a flurry around her.

She does not look like she expected that, her ears flat against her head and eyes wide in surprise, her hands still pressed dumbly together as she glances at the mess of cards around her.

That could have gone better.

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A New Platform [Intro Post August]

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