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

C

[flatteries]

Inigo isn't quite sure what to do with himself. The train's stop at the platform has made him feel restless, considering who exactly left the train. Which means that he's just wandering around the train without any real aim, feeling much too nervous and sad to be able to do even something as simple as focusing on chores, or doing anything remotely productive.

But even with that mood heavily looming over him, Inigo is determined to not look like he's sad. To try and smile. It's hard, but he still manages to force a smile on his face as he sits down on a chair opposite of where Adam is sitting. Maybe talking to someone will distract him. Or do anything at all.

"I don't think you want to do that for too long." Staring out into the void, he means.

[forleaving]

Blinking, he looked away from the window. He'd had a feeling it was a bad idea from the way it made his head start to hurt, but that hadn't done much to actually stop him. At least he'd only been looking in short amounts of time and not staring in one long chunk.

"Why not?" He was still curious about what else happened besides a headache, and why it happened in the first place.

[flatteries]

"Well.."

He starts, as if he's about to explain, but then Inigo instead just makes a vague half-dismissive motion with his hand.

"I'm not sure if I'm the right person to explain that to you. I'm not really all that good with that.. science mumbajumbo, or whatever you wish to call it.." Inigo smiles and lets out a slight laugh after he says it, though it's a tad awkward. "I just know it isn't good for you. It kind of starts to make your eyes and head hurt when you look at it, right?"

Which is why Inigo is sitting here and directly looking at the other guy, rather than staring out of the window.

[forleaving]

"It's alright," Adam said. He would take whatever explanations he could get, and then compare notes on the different ones, if there was anything different about them.

He nodded. "I noticed the headache." Which had clearly done so much to stop him from continuing to look into the void. "It has this effect on everyone?"

[flatteries]

He nods. “As far as I know. I’ve heard multiple people complain about it.” Which is why Inigo can talk about it pretty easily. He hates talking about personal problems, but if this is something that’s bothering everyone, it’s not like it’s going to make him look bad.

“I guess maybe people who can’t see might not be bothered by it? But it’s not like I’d know about that.” He taps his temple, next to his eyes. He can see just fine! “I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the void itself or just with the moving train. You know, like how you can feel sick while on a moving cart if the road is too wobbly?”

[forleaving]

Hmm. It would make sense if the void didn't effect people who were blind. He'd accept that theory even without any proof.

"Like motion sickness?" he said. Or getting car sick. "The train runs pretty smooth, though." So he wasn't sure about that theory. "I don't get motion sick, either." But looking out the window definitely had some sort of effect on him.

[flatteries]

"Motion sickness? Is that what it's called?"

Forgive him, Adam, but Inigo sure is behind on medical terms. And on most things, really. He's catching up through the sheer fact that he has to deal with so many modern people in this place, but there are some things where his knowledge and thoughts are still decidedly medieval. Like this one.

"Well, I'm.. not sure either," he says, a little uncertain. His gaze turns away from the other, but not out towards the void. Instead he just looks down for a second. "Perhaps it is just staring at it that does it. But I'm not quite sure I want to think too hard about how something could cause you to feel sick just by looking at it."

[forleaving]

"Mhmm." He nodded. He was patient; he knew not everyone knew everything. He certainly didn't, though he was determined to consume as much knowledge as possible.

"Maybe it's dangerous," he said after a moment, "And making you sick is a defense mechanism or something to ward things off." Like poison frogs being bright colors.

[flatteries]

Dangerous. That wouldn't be surprising, right? Inigo may seem a little too innocent to some, too naive and carefree, but he's well aware of just how many dangers lurk out there in the world.

"It's not like there's much more that's dangerous than feeling so sick," he says. The next thing he says already kind of hangs heavily in the air before he voices it, staring at the table between them for a second.

".. unless you just die if you stare at it too long, and it's trying to keep that from happening."

[forleaving]

"Kind of like Medusa." Except Medusa turned people to stone, which still killed them. It was a close enough comparison to him, at least.

"If it is dangerous," he continued, "It makes you worry a little that we're traveling through it." And that there were so many windows, especially in certain cars.

[flatteries]

Inigo makes a bit of a face at the 'Medusa' part, obviously having no idea what the other guy is talking about. Probably something unique to his world, Inigo figures.

Besides, there's something much more interesting here. Something he suddenly remembers, his eyes growing wide.

"That's right! One time-- One time one of the windows broke a bit, I think. And all of us fell asleep and had these weird dreams because of it." Look, it's a while ago, so most of the details have been lost on Inigo.. But he at least remembers the outline of it all still.

[forleaving]

That caught Adam's attention. Had the void entered the train? "The void made everyone dream?" He frowned. "What kind of dreams?" He was curious, and maybe it could help him understand the void better. Or, the other option was it would just confuse him even more. Both were equally likely.

[flatteries]

".. Strange dreams."

Inigo isn't quite sure how else to describe it. He remembers his usual dreams very well, most of the time, if not just because they tend to be very, very repetitive nightmares.

But the dreams he had that day were so different from that. It's why it sounds like he's really thinking about it as he slowly speaks.

"We all somehow entered each other's dreams. Involuntarily."

[forleaving]

He was about to ask if they were nightmares or some other kind of strange when Inigo added the last part. The idea of involuntarily sharing dreams with other people didn't sit well with him. Maybe he was biased because of Ronan, but he knew how dangerous dreams could be. He also hadn't had many dreams he'd want other people to see.

"Sounds like that was a nightmare." Pun maybe intended. "Was anyone hurt?"

[flatteries]

He shakes his head.

"Not as far as I know." And Inigo actually has a pretty good idea as to whether or not physical injuries from the dreams carried over into the waking world, considering he certainly died in at least one of those dreams, if not multiple. And yet he was fine when he woke up. Shaken up, sure, but fine.

"It was mostly just really confusing. And I'm sure some people were forced to let others see things that they didn't want anyone to see."

[forleaving]

Adam nodded slowly. Even without anyone getting hurt, it sounded like it was awful. He was glad he hadn't been here for that. And he hoped the void never caused anything like that ever again. What he didn't understand though, was why void exposure would make people share dreams.

"I wonder what else the void is capable of," he said, glancing at the window again for a moment. "And how."

[flatteries]

Inigo is quiet for a moment. He's not sure at all, really. Mostly since he prefers not to think about it. Inigo knows he's not all that smart - there's no way he would be able to wrap his mind around it if even the smarter people aboard the train can't.

But maybe..

"There are some people here who have been trying to look more into those things," he explains, looking at Adam. "Maybe you should talk to them? I know my friend Nita is really interested in those things, but, uh.. There are probably more if you'd ask around."

[forleaving]

Adam would rather have the answers to things, no matter how unpleasant they were, then not know something. He could handle the awful part of things (probably), had thought up awful things before, himself.

"I'll do that," he said. "Thank you."

[flatteries]

"Hey, no need to thank me for something so simple."

Inigo exhales a breath, managing to put a smile on his face, no matter how heavy he's still feeling. No matter how tough today has been so far. He at least wants to show a smiling face to new people he's meeting for the first time, rather than looking as miserable as he feels.

"We're all in this together, aren't we? Which means, I suppose, that we should exchange names too. My name is Inigo, nice to meet you." He holds out a hand towards the other.

[forleaving]

"It's a habit." Being polite, that was.

They were in this together, he supposed. They'd all been kidnapped, they were all in the same boat. Pooling resources and figuring things out together was the least they could do, really. He was grateful for other people to bounce ideas off of, people who could be smarter than him and have better theories.

"We are," he agreed, nodding. "I'm Adam." He shook Inigo's hand. "It's nice to meet you, too."

[flatteries]

“Adam, huh? I’ll remember it.”

After briefly shaking that hand, he lets go of it, standing up.

“I should get going now,” since his mood isn’t quite the best, and it’s hard to keep up a relatively normal or cheery attitude today of all days around new people, “but I’m sure I will see you again sometime soon.”

[forleaving]

"Okay." He nodded. "Thank you for answering my questions." He couldn't not say thank you; it was ingrained into him. Besides that, he really did appreciate anyone who answered his endless questions and dealt with his curiosity.