A New Platform [Intro Post October]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Horsehoe. Points have been updated on the system and new stock is available."

They have indeed and everyone can spend the morning shopping. 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 first thing they may notice is that this platform is inside a basic shelter, making it warmer than the last couple at least.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Adora, Alex Hashimoto, Catra, Cloud Strife, Elizabeth Midford, Feanor, Gerome, Gladiolus Amicitia, Glimmer, Ifrit, Isabella D’Oro, Maru, Nari Reno, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum, Scorpia, Siobahn Chereshei, SXT-2, Tamamo-no-Mae, Tony Stark, Uta, Zidane Tribal

But on the platform itself there are many new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours in various states of confusion.

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 it is gloomy, even without the steam and fog. They are in a wooden building, open to the tracks on one side. It in a creaky shelter, cobwebs hang from the rafters and there is a peculiar whistle as wind finds its way through the cracks.

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 and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large and it holds nineteen 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 gloom step a selection of people. Some are human, some are less so. Most are wearing the same hoodie 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.

Indeed whereas usually there is plenty time for people to be met and brought slowly onto the train, the whistles blow a lot quicker this time, 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… teddy bear shaped luncheon meat being the main ingredient to be found. There are plenty of other staples.

A new carriage has been added, those that go to investigate will find a room full of lockers, designated as the Armoury. Even for passengers without weapons it is somewhere to secure possessions. There are instructions on how to use the lockers and enough for everyone to claim one.

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 over the noise of the hail stones to encourage any stragglers braving the snow 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

Comments

Hikaru Aosora | original (Isekai/Online) | OTA unless otherwise noted!

[extrasaltypotato]

Meet and Greet

[This cheerful man greeting new arrivals is only as tall as a young teenage boy, and is wearing the same hideous orange jumpsuit as many of the new arrivals... along with a very nice black wizard hat with a gold band and a red plume, and his sunstone-tipped staff that dances with an eternal flame. He also has dragonfly wings and pointed ears.]

Yes, hello! Welcome to the Voidtrecker Express. Gods, has it been a month already? I'm relatively new, and yet, think I can help get you oriented.

Alchemy of Wood, Water and Fire
1: [Hikaru is trying out his new alchemy set in the kitchen, on the very first alchemies: those involving grain, hops and yeast. After sanitizing EVERYTHING, he boils barely and wheat - and stirs in malts and yeasts before sealing them; likewise, with steamed rice, he stirs in ground balls of a chalky herbed yeast, before sealing that off as well. Then, smiling, he writes a note on both, speaking:]

"I want to be beer when I grow up, but I'm a fussy baby that likes to sleep all day in the dark. If you find me, pray tuck me in far from the light again. Your future booze thanks you. - Hikaru."

You Gotta Do The Cooking By The Book (Locked to Thorne.tcai):
[He has, as promised, secured a gift from the train's eshop: the ingredients for strawberry shortcake as it is made on Mundus, a Tetra Tertarto Tart, and he has gotten his merde in place to teach Thorne how to make such cake as her mother, the Goddess of the Field and Maiden of Strawberries named Eranda, would serve at her harvest rites. So he recites from the recipe card:]

Whip the sugar into the butter, thoroughly. ...because pound cake doesn't have yeast or baking powders, so the air you're whipping into it is all the lightness and rise it's going to get.

...These were always amazing. I never knew that pound cake could be crisp on the edges until Midsommar in the villages on Mundus...

Shall We Play A Game?
[Hikaru is acquainting himself with the contents of the game room, analog and digital - though he's quite shy to try anything involving virtual reality, oddly enough. Still, he finds himself gravitating towards the board and card games - and he makes a discovery that delights him, pulling it from the shelf and starting to organize the cards and chits, until a newcomer arrives...]

I seem to have discovered a distraction from my home before Mundus, Star Aria! Care for a cozy little interstellar war? I admit I prefer Conclave and Republic decks, but I'd be happy to teach with myself as the mustache-twirling bad guys for a round...

[Who wants to play a round of what's essentially Space: The Convergence with this nerd? dear god I actually tried to make this game I can effortpost about it later]

Wildcard!
[or do whatever with him, I'm not your boss!]

Alchemy

[laurefindil]

[Glorfindel looked over from where he was rolling out some dough.]

How delightful. I was wondering why no one had done such a thing before. May I assist in some way? There are some nice places to store those in the Stores car, though I would stick to this end, just in case.

[extrasaltypotato]

Finding a suitable place to store my fussy squalling children would be most helpful, yes. So would formulae for other libations, including ones that the children on board might safely drink. Sodas and cordials and the like.

Truthfully I'm practicing the basic chemistry before I try to work literal magic. There is science to this, but the science is in service to the art, or else what's the point?

[laurefindil]

Ah. I know how to make apple cider, and fruit cordials, and there is a type of lemonade that fizzes when bottled for a while, is that what you are looking for?

I understand that. Have you tried the salve I made on the last mission? My lord Elrond is an amazing Healer; it is his recipe that I used.

[extrasaltypotato]

I did not; fortunately, the need did not arise. I will test it, and the recipe, if you will permit me to try.

Soft cider and lemonade sound ideal for this, thank you. Perhaps we could even take it with us on mission, stuff it into the Inventories people have... I do so need to recover a Bag of Holding once I'm done with other purchases, unless you recommend the Arm Bands over them.

shall we play a game

[flatteries]

[ Inigo is not okay. He's definitely not okay. But he's trying so hard to seem okay as he's aimlessly wandering the train, unsure of what to do with himself.

So when he suddenly hears someone speak up to him, he swallows thickly. He knows he can't just ignore this, even though he's not sure at all he feels up for a game right now.

But he'll try. Inigo sucks in a breath, forcing a smile up on his face. ]

Oh, I recognize your voice. [ He takes a step closer. ] You're the guy who was all about farming, right?

Re: shall we play a game

[extrasaltypotato]

[He laughs, recognizing that voice too.]

I'm all about whatever I can learn, but that certainly included farming last mission. You're the fellow I bulldozed with talk of rice, aren't you? Inigo?

There will be some practical results, at least. I'm practicing my brewing; you can make a fine wine out of rice, yeast and time.

But that's not what we're here for - we're here for games. Such as this one. I won't claim it's simple, but I like the depth of it.

[flatteries]

[ There's a small nod at the mention of his name, though as he notices Hikaru eager to move on from the topic, Inigo can't help but insert a small-- ] Well, I wouldn't really mind some wine, you know..

[ You know. Just saying. Keep him in mind if you manage to brew some proper wine, Hikaru!! ]

But.. sure, I'm willing to try it out. [ He looks over at the game. ] I can't promise much though. I mean, you've already noticed, I'm sure, but I'm not really..

[ He makes a vague hand gesture.

Not really smart, he means to say, but even by Inigo standards that feels a little too self-depreciating to say out loud. So he'll just let the implication hang in the air instead. ]

[extrasaltypotato]

Remind me to tell you a quote of a brilliant man, concerning how one might measure a fish. But I will try to be brief, honest.

This is a wargame. You win one of three ways: destroying your foe's ability to fight; taking the most Planets - land, in other words; or developing the best base on the land you do have and so gaining 13 points.

[He demonstrates; sweeping dice reading 25 off of his deckbox before returning them and then discarding his whole deck; then placing six face-down cards in front of it in a line, then flipping one face down 'planet' card and stacking Sector cards on it until they show 13 points.]

Does that follow?

Alchemy

[les_magique]

[Samata kind of appeared in the kitchen, at some point, and watched him bustle about for a minute before realizing what he was up to.]

You're brewing beer!

[extrasaltypotato]

I am! Beer and rice wine. Special request from Wei Wuxian, once he heard me tell of the goddess of alchemy on my world. She regularly commands her followers to get intoxicated on homebrew, you see. In vino veritas and all.

[He tastes a particular golden syrup, carefully dripping it onto his finger with a wand, before nodding and adding it.]

This is also my learning to walk before I run, I suppose. Chemistry before alchemy.

[les_magique]

I'm more of a grape wine drinker, but I won't turn my nose up at something I'm not used to in a drought.

[Alcohol was not among their normal supplies, after all. And Samata wasn't a drunk but she did like to get buzzed occasionally.]

So I think this is a splendid idea. Do you need any help?

[extrasaltypotato]

If you can find a grape wine recipe we can replicate in this kitchen rather than with full-scale equipment, by all means, I'll try that next. I'm also looking both for drinks suitable for children, and for basic alchemical potions and pills. Match them against my understanding of the Mundane ones - ah, the ones from my second world of Mundus.

Alchemy

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein has been in the kitchen area more late trying out different ways of making food like cheese and yogurt since having a fresh source of those is important for other recipes. Though Hikaru's beer making has her interested. ]

How long does it take to fully become alcohol?

Re: Alchemy

[extrasaltypotato]

Mu.

[In other words, "you're asking the wrong question." He chuckles.]

The beer takes two weeks to become drinkable; the huangjiu rice sherry, a month. Though I've heard the latter can be much improved by time.

I've not seen you around. Are you new, or did I merely miss you? Call me Hikaru.

[alchemists]

I'm Elfnein, and normally I'm in the library or in the greenhouse. I've only recently started trying to make new foods after reading into how to make cheese and other items!

[extrasaltypotato]

Ah, other foods beloved by Flamma, Our Lady Of Fermentation. Thank you, Elfnein, for your valiant attempts to save us all from Bear Loaf.

As an aside? The stuff is better with some time on a pan or griddle. Caramelization covers a multitude of sins, apparently.

How have your experiments gone?

Alchemy

[10billionpercent]

[ The chemical components are such that he can tell what Hikaru is making just from the ingredients, leaning forward to look a little bit at this kit he has. ]

Sake and beer?

[ He hums a little bit. ]

I'll trade you something if you let me use that to make mirin.

Re: Alchemy

[extrasaltypotato]

Huangjiu and beer. Rice sherry. Zhongguo, mundane China, found Yberia before mundane Nihon did.

I would have let you of all people use my alchemy kit anyway, but I'm curious. What were you going to offer?

[10billionpercent]

Pretty much whatever you want. I could get what I needed and make it. It's a typical bargaining tool I have in my back pocket. You wouldn't believe the kinds of things the Mentalist promises I'll do.

[extrasaltypotato]

...I doubt you could get me what I wanted as my first thought, unless you're a silversmith and gemcutter among your many talents. But if you could analyze my breath, and Breath, under a microscope and tell me what you find...

cake

[thornsofmundus]

"They always looked so good when I saw them at Midsommar," Thorne.tcai says longingly, as she does her best to whip as instructed. "Mama Eranda loves how they smell, you know. It's important for food to smell nice, because normally we just inhale the scent."

She's dressed in the new, pretty dress and coat she'd gotten from the train, even as she's got an apron over them for protection.

Re: cake

[extrasaltypotato]

He admires her, for a moment, before nodding. "Lemon peel and vanilla will make this extremely fragrant," he promises. "Even if we're just using an extract. Even now and here vanilla is relatively expensive stuff."

He's been busy greasing a loaf pan and slicing strawberries: he looks for the next step. "Right. Beat in two eggs and then the buttermilk; I'll sugar these so they make the strawberry sauce."

Re: cake

[thornsofmundus]

Thorne.tcai nods. "Mom says a little can go a long way. I should crack the eggs in another little bowl before adding them, right? In case there's shells because I broke them wrong."

She goes to get that little bowl and then picks out two eggs from the carton.

[extrasaltypotato]

"I don't think that can hurt," he agrees. "You're learning this from scratch and cooking... well, anything but game isn't in your domain. Mistakes are inevitable. Reminds me of something Chuck Jones once said - a legendary terrestrial animator, if you don't know the name."

He starts scooping up the sliced berries and putting them into a wide bowl.