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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[ Curufin simply looks back, with a kindly expression on his face. ]

Yes, you're not in your own world anymore. You've been transported to this one, by what means I do not know. I do not know why you were chosen, anymore than I know why I was chosen.

[Wow, um. Wow. It was hard wrapping his mind around that, but he couldn't deny the fact he was here and everything looked real. It didn't feel like a dream or some kind of hallucination. Although how would he know?

He was lost for a moment, pondering and slowly relaxing. As odd as it was, this made him less afraid Kazuha was here and lost and more focused on solving this new mystery.]

How very strange.

[A pause again.]

I'm Hattori, Heiji, by the way.

[ooc- the translator might switch it to Heiji (first name) and Hattori (surname).]

[ Not always easy to tell the difference between reality and a dream or hallucination. Sometimes all three have a lot in common. ]

Yes, very strange.

[ He waits for the man to finish processing. ]

Pleased to meet you, Heiji Hattori!! My name is Curufin Fëanorion. Say, we're both wearing orange? I wonder what that means?

[ OOC: I figured. And yes, the translator did switch it around. Apparently, it is programed to rearrange Japanese names. ]

Curufin, I've never heard that name before. Is it more common where you are from?

[Was it maybe from the Scandanavian area of the world or maybe Eastern European? He didn't know.]

Where are you from?

[Hattori looks down when it's pointed out and frowns a little.]

Oh.. uh.. I don't know. I like orange but I prefer red..?

I only know one other person who has it -- my father. In the original language of the Elves, Quenya, we're both Curufinwë, but he's usually called Fëanáro. And in the Common Tongue of the Elves, Sindarin, he's Fëanor and I'm Curufin. Nobody else has either of those names. And in Sindarin, my surname, Fëanorion, means "son of Fëanor," of course.

[ His surname does sound a little bit Eastern European, but his first name would be related to Welsh, probably. And Heiji's name would remind Curufin very slightly of the Quenya language, as Japanese is in the same larger language group as Finnish, the model for Quenya. ]

I'm from a world called Arda, and my country was Beleriand. How about you? Where are you from?

I feel the same. I like fire colors, but I like red better than orange. Oh well.

[He was smart- a genius some might even say- but languages weren't necessarily his strongest subject. However, he listens, nodding his head every so often, absorbing what he was being told.

His eyebrows rose sharply when he's informed Curufin isn't from his world. While he'd basically already been told this but he'd been overwhelmed. Now it really sunk in. This man really was from another world entirely? He'd said 'Elves'.. could it be?]

D- does that mean you aren't human? Not to be rude at all! I just.. I can't help but notice how tall you are and that you have some features that don't look similar to people I know.

[Way to go. That hadn't sounded insulting at all. He flushes just a little. While he wasn't the type to get hung up on manners, he didn't make a habit of actively being impolite either.

And Curufin did look huge- maybe not as much as that other fellow with the missing hand- but to a Japanese teenager, he was very tall.]

[ He's actually only an inch or two over six feet, and his ears are not markedly pointed, though they do look a bit Elvish. The feature that would most seem not-human would be something other than his facial features or height. He seems to radiate with a very slight glow, like an aura, and it's both bright and dark. This is not visible at every moment, and it when it is, it is subtle. It does give him an otherworldly look. ]

Don't worry, I don't think you're being rude. I am human, just a different type of human than you are. Elves and mortals are the same species.

[ But he was still curious about Heiji. ]

Where are you from?

[ooc: Oops, I knew Curufin wasn't the 'tall' one, but I was guessing a Japanese young man to be shorter than apparently he is. I was guessing 5'6" but my castmates just told me it is 5'8". So.. Curufin is still tall, just maybe not as tall as I was implying. Sorry about that!]

[Now that he'd said it, maybe it wasn't quite those features. It was just something. He couldn't figure it out. (It's not like glowing was something a person immediately thinks of when he's looking at someone).]

I see. I've heard of Elves from video games and stories but they're not considered real where I'm from.

[Oh, he'd gotten distracted. This really wasn't his best first impression!]

I'm from Japan- uh, Earth. Japan is a country and Earth is my planet.

[Wow, he's never had to say that before.]

This is all very weird.

[ OOC: No problem! And I guess if Heiji is 5'8", then Curufin's five or six inches taller, so he'd definitely look tall to Heiji. ]

I know about video games from my travels in other worlds, but I didn't know there were Elves in some of those games! Funny. [ He laughs. ] So I guess it might seem strange to you, to meet a real Elf.

There were a few people from Japan in those other worlds I've visited, but I still know little of that country or its history. But it must be an interesting one, for Japanese people seem to me to be talented in many ways. What is your country like? And what is your life like? If I may ask.

It is, but I'm glad I am meeting now.

[He tilts his head a little to one side.]

How were you able to travel to other worlds?

[He grins, but is bewildered by the question. Huh, what was it like to live in the country he's from and his life? Those were some very big questions.]

Japan is an older country and proud. It's a country made up of four main islands but there are some smaller ones that also belong to us. I'm from Osaka, which is one of the large cities on the main island. We're known for martial arts, technology.. uh.. the cities are dense, population-wise.

My life? Uh, I go to high school and when I'm not there I'm solving mysteries like murders, missing persons reports. My friend, K-er-Conan is here and sometimes we solve mysteries together. Kazuha is a friend I've had since childhood and she helps too.

These are hard questions! You get so used to what you feel is normal, it's difficult to describe it. What's it like where you're from?

I'm glad to be meeting you, too, Heiji.

I didn't do it on purpose. . . at least not in the beginning. I was whisked away to the first world I visited, not knowing I was going there. It was the same with the second one. But when I left that second world, I launched my own spirit off into the Dark, and. . . [ He grins. ] . . . I guess I sort of thumbed a ride. And here I am.

Japan is an island country, is it? I like islands. To be proud is to be strong and durable. Known for martial arts and technology? -- no wonder I have a good feeling about the Japanese people.

You seem older than high school age, but then, maybe you have lived a life that requires that you think and act like an adult? Solving murders and missing persons cases sounds like a adult's life. I'm glad you have a friend here, Conan, and it is too bad if Kazuha is not here as well.

I see your dilemma in description. I have that problem as well.

My world is called Arda, although we use the term to mean both the universe and the Earth. It consists of two continents, Aman to the west and Middle-earth to the east. We Elves first awakened in Middle-earth, but then the Valar, our gods, summoned us to Aman because Middle-earth was a horrifically dangerous place to be in that era. Some of our people went to Aman, and I was born there in a city my people built. It's such a long and complicated story that I won't tell it at this moment, but my father and brothers and I, and most of our extended family, left Aman and went back to Middle-earth. The continents are both beautiful places. I only lived in northerly latitudes, and I loved the misty mountains, the wide plains, the deep forests and the sparkling lakes and streams. Unfortunately, our life in Middle-earth was mostly war, war, and more war. I spent my whole adult life fighting.

[He incorrectly assumed 'launched my own spirit off' was another way of saying 'went off on my own'. The 'spirit' he guessed was a translation issue. He smiles at the compliments about Japan. He was proud of his country and he very much agreed it was a good thing to have national pride- so long as you knew where to draw the line.]

It helps that people often underestimate a kid. Though I've built enough of a reputation that people are starting to notice my name and not just my dad's.

[He pauses and adds, realizing Curufin wouldn't know why he said that about his dad.]

My dad is the chief of police in Osaka. That's how most people in the law enforcement field know my name.

[He nods along to Curufin's answer about what his world was like. He frowns a bit hearing about the wars.]

What sort of weapons are you familiar with? If it's swords, I use those for kendo. We could keep each other in practice if we find space on board.

[ Actually, it kind of did mean 'went off on my own.' But he wouldn't be standing here on this platform if the VoidTrecker hadn't summoned him out of wherever he had gotten to. And it's likely there are some differences in the definitions of the word spirit from culture to culture. And oh gods, if only all nations knew where to draw the line! But that sort of knowledge is rarer and rarer these days. ]

Your father is a chief of police? Then you must have absorbed a lot of information and know-how from him. It seems a good start to a career such as yours promises to be.

My primary weapon is the sword, though I can now handle modern weapons as well. But there is really nothing like the sword. Yes! If you want to practice, I'd be pleased to practice with you. Maybe we could monopolize the gym carriage sometimes? I don't have my sword with me, unfortunately, but we could practice with sticks or something. And I'm hoping the VoidTrecker will stop at a world where I can build a forge and find some iron to melt down. I'm a swordsmith, and I could make a katana, since that's your weapon and anyway, I like that type of sword.

Edited 2019-09-10 21:20 (UTC)

[It was both frustrating and made him proud to hear the praise toward his dad. Since a young age he'd been trying to best the old man, he couldn't deny the truth Curufin had just pointed out either. No matter how hard he worked or how many mysteries he solved, in Osaka and maybe even Japan, he'd always be the chief of police's son. There were worse shadows to be stuck under, he supposes.]

I have! He's been a big help for most of my career so far, but I've been working to make a name for myself. It hasn't been easy since he's so well known.

[He looks to the train and back at the strange man- er- elf.]

There's a gym? I've never heard of a gym on a train.

[This man can make him a sword? A katana to be exact. He stares in disbelief, unsure how to even respond to that.]

Does that mean you know kendo?

[ In that, they had similar problems. Fëanor was an amazing craftsman and had an almost scholarly intelligence, and he had had renown all of his life. His seven sons were renowned mostly because they were the sons of Fëanor. Curufin was the fifth son, and very like his father, whom he loved dearly, but he had always felt that he'd be forever in his dad's shadow. ]

It is good that your father is eager to help you, but I hope that some day you are famed for your own work.

I suppose the train entity was thinking that we'd suffer if we didn't get our exercise. [ He laughs. ] It is rather a strange combination, though: a gym and a train.

[ Curufin learned swordsmithing long before he was out of his adolescence. Japanese and Elvish forging techniques for swords are pretty much the same. ]

I've known people who practiced Kendo, and I picked up the fundamentals, or I'd like to think so. If I fall short, you could teach me, could you not?

That's kind of you, thank you.

[He wasn't quite used to such overly nice things coming from someone other than his mother. No matter what, Curufin was making a wonderful first impression!]

Don't they think we might suffer by being taken away from our homes and lives?

[He grins enthusiastically.]

Yes! I'd love to help you with that. I'm regional champion at my high school.

[ Curufin smiles back at Heiji. ] I'm sure you deserve it.

[ Curufin was doing his best! He hadn't exactly been a nice guy in his original world, at least not for the last 500 years of his life. And now he knows how much it matters that people find ways to connect and to help each other, and that's his priority. ]

Yes, you'd think the VoidTrecker entity would worry about how people would feel about being snatched away from their own worlds and lives, but I've noticed that that such entities don't seem to concern themselves with that.

You're the Kendo regional champion at your high school? You must have worked hard at your skills. Did you start young?

Edited 2019-09-23 21:06 (UTC)

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A new platform [intro post September]

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