voidtreckerexpress | A new platform [intro post September]

A new platform [intro post September]

For those on the train

“Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Bassoon.” The train announces the morning the month changes. It seems the train counts months in days of thirty. Team Points have been updated on the system.

The day continues as most days do, chores, eating, getting ready for another day. But those who suspect that a change of month may bring something else are correct. It is only an hour or two later that there is another announcement.

“Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent.”

By now they should know to hold on as the train jerks and jolts. There is only fog outside the windows but the train soon comes to a stop. The doors hiss open.

As they exit into the fog they may notice Evie exiting from the luggage carriage door. Much like Hibiki the last time they were on a platform. She leaves the train, backpack on her back as she walks through the station. She heads no call, reacts to no words and cannot be stopped as she walks to the ticket barrier and disappears through it.

Strange. But even stranger still is that there on the platform that whole time is Evie. Dressed in purple, backpack on back, with her are others. Waiting for the train.

For new arrivals

At first all they can see if steam. Billowing around them as they come to their senses. They are standing, in clothes that are not their own, styles they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on your back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze but then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not very large, but it hold twelve figures all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing. The tracks stretch left and right into steam, or perhaps fog. Nothing can be seen to either side. There is a wall around the platform and the only entrance is a ticket barrier. It cannot be open, nor do there seem to be any staff.

What there is, is a train. Jet black and gleaming where it stands on the rails.Voidtrecker Express is emblazoned in the engine in gold. There is a hiss as the doors slide open.

Out step a selection of people, some less human than others, wearing clothes just like those worn by those on the platform.

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.

Once on board there is lots to explore. Passengers both old and new will hopefully be delighted to see the boredom of this train journey is somewhat alleviated by the introduction of a game carriage. Plenty of games, both familiar and new to play with your new travelling companions.
Each ICP shows the same message. If Red team go and look they will find a box in the luggage compartment that contains their prize. A dralite themed cake lolly each. There are enough for the new members of Red team too, share in your teams previous success!

The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food. Salmon has taken over as the primary ingredient of choice. Hopefully everyone likes fish!

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. For those who boarded two weeks ago they will know what is coming next.

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."

Hopefully someone warns you that you really want to heed that warning because a moment later there is 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to voidspace.

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"Charmed, I'm sure," he mutters, and then he laughs hollowly. "Would you believe me if I said that this is the second time this has happened to me in the last year? Though the the transition last time was somewhat lessened by my not knowing any better. And at least that world was Earth, not a ridiculous space train. Another version of Earth, with different magic and different rules governing life and death, but still recognizable."

Why is he telling Tony all this? The man is no Ginia, that's for certain. No one that Joss should feel comfortable spilling his secrets to, and yet...hell. Maybe it's just because he's here and he seems to be lending a sympathetic ear. Maybe it's because, even with Romeo around, Joss is desperately lonely.

"I hate this. All of it. This colossal fucking cosmic joke."

Tony listens quietly as the boy shares his story with him. It clues him in a lot more to what this poor kid has been dealing with and why he was so hostile earlier. God, if he'd been jerked around to different worlds he'd probably want to bite someone's head off too!

What could he do? The boy was clearly hurting and Tony felt helpless when the one thing the kid wanted, he couldn't give. It was so difficult when he was in this position.

"I can't even imagine, Joss, what that must feel like." Especially to someone so young, but he wasn't going to add to the boy's powerless feeling if he could help it. "I know we got off on the wrong foot before, kid, but I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you here. You may be the only one- or one of few- from your world, but you aren't alone. Like I called you earlier.. moxie is bravery and someone with guts. You got that. You can do this. No one will hear from me that you have been anything but a bratty little ankle-biter." He teases ever so lightly, with that same warm smile as when he first sat down. If it were possible for those words to be affectionate, it was in the tone he just used. In other words, he was promising to save face.

He shakes his head. "I had just got used to it, too. Made a life for myself there. Even had a family for the first time in...too long. A foster mother who loved me like I belonged to her, little sisters..." Why the hell is he saying all this? Why can't he just shut up? It's all coming out at once, and oddly, unburdening himself of it is making him feel better. Less alone.

(Congratulations, Joscelin, you've just discovered talk therapy.)

Joss sighs, and continues, "I don't need protecting. Not really. I'm quite capable of looking after myself--worry about the other children I've seen here. Worry about my friend Romeo, who doesn't always let on how he feels because he's always so damn cheerful. I've been on my own for a very, very long time indeed; I'll manage."

The hunger inside of him is turning into a gnawing pain. Food won't help it--he needs blood. But whose? Tony seems to be the biggest authority figure on this train--it would be a bad idea to make an enemy of him after they've reached a détente like this.

So how will he eat?

"Christ, I'm starving."

Edited 2019-09-03 00:50 (UTC)

Tony had no idea what he'd done to get this sort of emotional payload from the kid. It was giving him valuable insight into the boy's background, but it was almost uncomfortable how much he was being trusted right now. Not that he could say so, but Joss had picked a very safe person for this though.

"Me protecting you won't mean I will be protecting them less." He shakes his head. "Joss, aren't you doing the exact same thing only with a different facade?"

He grows more concerned as he can see pain on the kid's face. Not the emotional kind he'd been sharing, but something physical. And then he shares what that is too.

"That, my boy, I can help you with. Come on, let's go to the kitchen and see what we an fix for you." He gets up and holds out his hand to help Joss up.

Joss laughs again, a little more genuinely. The old him would never have allowed a mere human to see him in such a state, but the old him was an absolute asshole and he prefers being the new Joscelin. As long as Tony doesn’t go blabbing about his moment of weakness, he can work with this. “Were you a psychiatrist, before? You’re rather good at prying at one’s secrets and neuroses. Yes, Herr Doktor Freud, I am well aware of what I do. A great many years of trauma and internalized rage go into it, I assure you. I’m fully capable of handling my own affairs.” It’s all said very flippantly. Is he joking? Is he telling the truth? The world may never know.

(He’s telling the truth.)

Joss grudgingly allows Tony to lift him to his feet. Even for his small size and skinny frame, the boy weighs very little. His hands are bony and icy cold to the touch. It’s the lack of blood; the longer he goes without it, the more and more he looks like a vampire. Already, his eyes and cheeks are hollow and even paler than usual, making the freckles on his nose stand out even more. The boy looks positively ill.

“I’m not certain that the kitchen has what I need, but a bit of chocolate might tide me over until I can procure it.”

But whose blood will it be?

Edited 2019-09-03 05:18 (UTC)

Tony chuckles in response to the kid's sassy answer. He sure had an attitude on him. He had a feeling he'd want to strangle this kid on a relatively frequent basis if he stays here on the train too long.

"Many years? You're like, what, ten?" He frowns at the cold touch. "Do you need an extra hoodie? You're hands are like ice."

He gives the kid a very weird look. "I was thinking of something more hardy than chocolate, kid. What about some soup? I'll make you some tea too, if for nothing else than to help warm your hands."

“Ten years, seven months, and twelve days,” he counters wryly. It’s true: that’s exactly old his mortal body had been when he died. “Practically grown.” Goodness, he’s dizzy. This is embarrassing. How long has it been since he last fed?

“I’m anemic. I’ll be right as rain once I’ve had something with iron in it. I can’t recall the last time I ate.”

He turns to Tony and laughs. “You’re American; I don’t trust you to make tea.” They’re in the galley now. Joss heads straight for the refrigerator, hoping to find something with a lot of sugar in it to help take the edge off.

He doesn’t believe what he sees. It’s blood. Neat stacks of IV bags that look like they’ve come straight from a donation bank. Suddenly he gives up all pretense of being a precocious, snarky primary school student. He’ll deal with Tony later. He lunges for a bag, fangs fully extended, eyes red. Normally he hates the stuff cold, but he’s too hungry to care right now. He rips one open and gulps it gown, not caring that he’s dribbling down his chin and his front.

Tony doesn't argue about the kid needing another hoodie. He was hoping there really was something they could get for Joss soon to make him look less like he might faint on the way there.

He gives the kid a sour look, though, at the tea comment. "I went to Cambridge, I know how to make proper tea." He let Joss go toward the refrigerator as he went for the kettle. He was just picking it up when...

Oh.

Oh wow. Uh..

Yep, kid's a vampire.

The animal part of Joscelin's brain tells him he needs to drink all of the blood now, because he doesn't know when he'll get more. The boy makes short work of two bags and is deep into a third when he remembers where he is.

And who he's with.

Red eyes become blue again. Something of the child returns to his features, even though the fangs are still fully extended (and he continues to drink blood--can't let this go to waste now that he's opened the bag). He finishes one long, last pull and shakily wipes his mouth. There's blood everywhere. He's going to have to clean up.

Once he's dealt with Tony Stark.

"...There are ways I can make you forget this," he says eventually, fully himself once again. "I could kill you, but I don't want to. I could put you under my thrall and force you to forget, but I don't want to.

"I would very much like to trust you to keep what you've just seen a secret and keep the torches and pitchforks at bay, but we've only just met. How do I know I can trust you?"

A single eyebrow arches when Joss looks at him and rattles off what he could do to him. The expression softens a bit when the kid admits he doesn't want to.

Tony thinks for a moment about their options before answering simply, "Because you can. I know you don't know me, but worrying about me ratting you out is wasted energy." He goes over to the cabinet with the kitchen towels and pulls out a couple. He hands one to Joss and then drops another one on the floor to mop it up using his foot. "Just don't hurt anyone on board, okay? You do that and I'm the safest person you'll ever meet."

Joscelin is so tired.

So tired of the paranoia, always being on guard. So tired of the dueling memories in his head, telling him to be two different people. He decides to just give in to one, the one he likes better. He accepts the towel and gives Tony a smile. A real, genuine smile. For a brief moment, his exhaustion and relief shine through. He doesn't have to pretend right now.

"I don't want to hurt anyone. Not unless I need to protect myself, not unless there's no other choice. I'm...I'm very old, and I'm tired. I have no intention of jeopardizing any semblance of comfort and normalcy I can find on this insane train except in extremis."

He recognized that look. He'd seen it often enough in the mirror. He wasn't going to sit here and try to pretend he knew what it meant though, other than tired.

"You know, if either of us were the hugging type, this might be one of those moments. But you're filthy so.. let's skip that okay?" There was a warmth to his smile and tone though, that spoke to the real message he was saying. "Just do a half ass job in here and go shower. I'll holler at Madoka and see if I can't convince her to stumble upon this mess."

That stops Joss in his tracks. He pauses in mopping himself up and looks over to Tony, head quirked to one side.

"Who is Madoka? Is she a vampire as well?"

There. He's said the word out loud, admitted to what he is. Not like there was any doubt.

Tony laughs lightly and shakes his head. Despite the fact he was covered in slimy blood, the kid almost looked cute.

"What? No. Clean freak. She seems to get very happy when she's being useful so.. win win?"

Joscelin finally understands the joke and snorts.

"I may be an evil, undead creature, but even I'm not that monstrous. Well done, Stark."

It feels strange to be joking about it. Strange, but oddly freeing.

"In the business world, we call it delegating," Tony answers with a wide grin. "Fine, I'll make it up to her with some candy or something. But just so we're clear, I'm not making any blood candy! I don't know how you would do that, but it's not happening."

He tosses the last towel he'd had and wiped down the counter and a few more spots before tossing it right on the pile with the other dirty one. He gives Joss a teasing once over. "You look disgusting, just so you know. I'm so glad I don't have to do the laundry this month."

“I’m not usually a messy eater,” he points out crossly. Since he’s had the blood, some color has returned to his (currently blood-spattered) cheeks, and the dark circles under his eyes have vanished. His skin is warm, and he would look like a normal, healthy child with a pale complexion if not for the blood currently covering him.

“I wasn’t lying: I haven’t a clue when I ate last. I normally do not allow myself to be reduced to something so sloppy.” He’s feeling oddly defensive right now, justifying his blood drinking to a virtual stranger.

Though...

He laughs. “I don’t need blood candy. I’m quite fond of the regular kind. I can eat human food—it just doesn’t sustain me. Unfortunate price to pay for eternal youth, I suppose.”

He finishes mopping up his face and removes his outer layer of clothing, bundling the bloody rag inside the hoodie.

Edited 2019-09-13 05:14 (UTC)

"Oh sure, sure. We'll just get you one of those plastic bibs they give you at the rib joints. I built someone a drum, I could try and make you a big poncho." He laughs and gives the kid a wink.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you made a gigantic mess for such a little guy." He lightly put a hand on his back for just a brief moment as they headed out of the kitchen. "Next time, do what I do and blame Peter."

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A new platform [intro post September]

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