voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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!

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A victory against the train. What could that even mean? More than anything, Tidus is perplexed, his mind coming with zero ideas as the packaging - the wrapping thin, its contents weightier - is handed to thing, put on the lap Tidus makes with his folded leg coming to join the other off the bed. He looks at it for a moment in this hidden state before opening it up, and seeing...

...

a.... colour wheel?

The confusion washes over him, inner and out. A frown of mouth and brow, and he picks up the folded letter with it, which he picks up, asking, "--Do I got to read it when you're right there?", his tilted brow more humoured when he asks it, looking at Roland.

"I wouldn't say no to chocolates - Inigo'll appreciate the flowers more."

Roland makes a face of amusement; a cross between trying to hold back a genuine chortle and trying to downplay an embarrassing chuckle. "It's a clock." He says, helpfully, though he can't blame Tidus for not getting that right away. Roland wouldn't have known that either, if he wasn't the one who placed the order.

"And sure, I'll give you privacy while you read my top secret love letter. The chocolates are to follow." Roland jabs, not missing a beat as he looks away just for emphasis. It doesn't last of course; he'll offer side glances from time to time, finally feeling a bit more like himself regardless of the initial confusion. "I tried to assign it numerical values on my own, but I'll be honest with you. Even that's gotten me stumped. Someone else on this train will probably have the brain power for it, but for now, may the first ever void clock serve you well."

"A clock?" Tidus echoes, 'cause it really needs to be repeated as he takes another look at the.... no, it's a colour wheel. It's definitely a colour wheel.

And he would have a lot more rebuttals to speak against the contraception if he couldn't believe what he was looking at. Unfolding the letter without more than a scoff at Roland's jokes, reading through it - "You got better writing," murmured out - with the quizzical eyebrow not shifting its spot on his face.

Colour goes from one to two and then goes back? For once it's not Roland's writing he's having to decipher but who in the void thought this clock was a good idea. For a clock.

"You're not kiddin'." Tidus checks the back, then returns his attention on the clock. Checking what the 'time' was meant to be on the sheet, and then currently set on the device. "I guess Webmind? Maybe Senku? Or- Kaiba's got something to do with machines." Not that he'd know if to ask him about it or not, but...

This was actually a clock. Tidus lets out a breath, taking it in--the one thing he's been complaining about since forever, and it's this.

"No wonder everything about the void is a pain in the ass, huh."

"Hey. My handwriting's been printed on money." As if that proves Tidus wrong. But he still offers that opening regardless, a challenging quirk of his eyebrow thrown Tidus's way too. Besides that, Roland can't disagree with anything else the teen reacts to. He makes a sound, something akin to what-can-you-do-right? before he takes a gander at the clock face, checks his SCA for a few seconds, then peers back at the device again.

"It's quarter-past...dark red. I think." He shakes his head with only a hint of exasperation. "Yeah, go to anyone of them. Please. And let me know what they can decipher. Then we can call it a total victory against the train. And the pain in the A void." ~~BAD WORD.~~

Roland leans back on the bed, his palms extended from behind until he can rest against the mattress a bit more relaxed. "It's around twenty-five points. As soon as we can master how to tell colored void time, we can ask for volunteers to buy a clock themselves. Put one in cars with a lot of foot traffic." He smiles, a hint of fondness, controlled but present. Still joking, a way to release a bit of that tension pooling in his shoulders.

'My handwriting's been printed on money' OK Roland.

Without thinking about it, watching the clock and its dumb way of deciphering time, Tidus leans back too along with Roland, finding the wall to rest against. This small time-teller. Looking at it, being in this quiet of the cabin that-- he isn't sure he appreciates, but lets his mind think maybe more than it should-

"It's a small thing to care about in the long run, right? Time... we should be worrying about other things."

He doesn't voice it as a chide, or as self-deprecating; more of a thought drifting in, some kind of half-hearted reflection. Here they were stuck on a kidnapping train, and he worried about the time. When either way their time was limited, they only had as much of it as the train allowed.

But he doesn't even remember much about caring about time either. Two weeks has felt like an eternity, and everything he knew - it's out of place with the now, with reality. He's not even sure how he feels, looking at this device now.

He looks at Tidus as he muses, just listening and letting the words drift, coming into their own sense of meaning. Tidus most of all, would have a lot to say about the subject of time, now that Roland thinks about it. And it's precisely why he didn't know if he should be gifting it for him to begin with - especially now, of all moments. But there's little regret in Roland's eyes, just that things have shifted now, for better or for worse. He wouldn't have known. Tidus wouldn't have been able to predict it either.

He keeps quiet, just hums deeply, a rumble against his chest. Eventually, he does answer, shifting in his spot on Tidus's bed, a lot cozier than he gave it credit for. "It's yours, regardless." He eventually says, voice still warm and low. "Just thought to try putting in an order, in case the train takes it against you for complaining about clocks for so long." Another gentle nudge, a poke in the direction of humor but he's still thinking, still wondering how they had gotten from throwing footballs and asking Tidus for an exhibition, to sitting in bed pondering about the nature of time and the void they're prisoners to. Or in this case, the irony that the same void is the one that keeps Tidus anchored to them.

When it feels like there is a lull between them, not uncomfortable in the least, Roland will sit further back in, allowing his legs to straighten just enough so that he doesn't accidentally let his boots touch his clean sheets. His mood doesn't quite change, the nervous energy not as heightened as before since the hardest part is over, but there's an uncertainty there. Or a softness that isn't usual of him.

You wouldn't hear it, though. "I've...got something else for you. One last thing. Do you mind looking away, or closing your eyes for just a sec?"

Tidus doesn't mind when Roland speaks, doesn't mind the silence. It's manageable in here in this space, and with the clock before them - the 'clock', designed to shift by colour, it's as if they have plenty of it. Time. Plenty of time to muse in silence, be unmoving. Doing nothing.

A state his mind maybe shouldn't get in, but it's easy to, nonetheless. Tius huffs in acknowledgement to the joke, a noise lost to the silence. Disturbed only by Roland when he speaks again, and Tidus doesn't look at him right away- but certainly does at the request to look away from him. An unintentional contradiction.

"What?" A blink, and the request is settling in. A twitch of expression and tone that can be mistaken as humour follows suit, flatly so. "You're really asking me to look the other way."

Look, he will, he just really needs this to be loud and clear so all four walls of the cabin knows it too.

Roland shoots him a look, raises his eyebrows once so that it disappears beneath the bangs of his dark hair. "Uhuh. Why? Nervous?" The president asks, not without a sense of dry humor of his own. And maybe he's doing that just to deflect his own feelings on the matter, unused to the act but desiring to do it right regardless.

"Just checking," his reply more heavy with humour than anything sly or testing. But look, just so Roland knows he isn't looking, Tidus shuts his eyes with a- "Eyes closed - tell me when to open them."

Come on then, Roland. Time for this important surprise.

He trusts Tidus enough to know he won't go against his word, so Roland chuckles and...doesn't prolong it anymore. Truth be told, this wasn't the first thing he wanted to buy for Tidus the moment he got the chance to check the shop; check his points replenished from last month. He recalls a distinct pair of earrings that would have completed his merchandise, the necklace with the emblem of his team on his person constantly. But after Irivar, after everything, Roland's instincts drew back. It wouldn't have been right. He couldn't predict at all what it might have made him think; it might have been an added weight that he couldn't bear to place upon him now.

The partial story of Zanarkand reminded Roland of something else instead, and maybe in the end it was the right move to make. A gift that would remind Tidus not of the ghosts or the fears, or the guilt and trauma; but one completely new. One from a friend who pledged to stay by his side.

Roland faces forward and touches his hand to his chest, eyes drifting shut. The Arms Band begins to thrum as he takes it from the hammerspace, his body glowing with a brilliant blue light, almost like a prism. It is warm, comforting, and at the proximity they're sharing shoulder to shoulder, Tidus may feel it too. His final gift rests now on his lap, and Roland is pleased to see it when the hammerspace closes up again. He gestures his head to the side; a jerking motion, swift and sure. Towards his companion, waiting.

"You can open your eyes now, Tidus."

He'll feel the presence, first. He doesn't have to reach out. When the darkness behind his lids fade, and he adjusts back to the car's overhead light, Tidus will find it staring up at him in wonder. It is made of water, bubbles floating up against the top of his head, its crown made to resemble grand fins, astounding corals, gems of the deep blue sea.

Roland speaks not before long.

"Meet Hibber-Gibber the Hopeful." He says, still smiling, watching it begin to approach, sensing Tidus from its own nexus of ancient magic. "A high higgledy. And it's yours, now. If you'll allow it."

Hiiiig! Piggle!

Tidus feels something beside him, for sure. He knows the use of an Arms Band well by now, but he knows this is--more than that. A more that has him wanting to open his eyes and see, but he does the opposite, scrunching them, doing his best to behave when that's not what he wants to be doing.

Everything darkens slightly on the other side of his eyelids. Then finally, the permission is given, and Tidus opens them up; the haze of colours adjusting into their lines, given definition--

a thing of a crown, attached ... hovering above the head of a creature staring up at him in some kind of awe or wonder. Tidus recognises it as one of those creatures that Roland has, but he's taken aback, surprised. 'It's yours, now. If you'll allow it.' Its tiny cry, Tidus parts his mouth in his search for anything to say.

"I... uh... me?" He doesn't look away from the creature, his surprise not receding. What should he do? What should he say? He's never had a pet before! Is it bad to think about it as a pet?

"What's uh... ...up?" he asks the little guy. ... then, quickly to Roland, voice hushed, "What do I do?"

He folds his hands against his stomach, crossing one ankle over the other. The higgledy is still studying Tidus, but that's only because Roland never intended to ask Hibber-Gibber to follow him. The intention was always for Tidus. And so it attempts to reach out to the teen, reading his heart, eager to ride on his frequency.

Roland smiles at the oceanic spirit, big enough to be picked up with two hands, and whispers back.

"Well, what else do you do when you meet someone new? Introduce yourself so it can attach to you."

And by attach, Roland means it to an almost literal level. They read their owners hearts, accompanied by their own disposition since they too, were born from the heart of someone else. But he would save his little rationale for until Tidus feels comfortable, watching keenly on any interaction that may follow now.

Is this what getting a pet is like for other people? Confusing? It's watching - studying? - him intently, and Tidus is wondering if there's something about his face that's particularly new. Where did it come from? Were these things used to being around people?

...He might be overthinking this encounter. Roland is telling him to introduce himself, so-

"Uh... heya! Wassup?" A beat, and the he brings up a hand. "I'm Tidus, how do you do?"

And he offers the hand, or the forefinger of his hand? Still held out, whichever or whatever the higgledy wants to take, 'cause this is the polite way to act, isn't it? It's certainly less boisterous than the fire one. ...maybe because it's fire?

Hibber-Gibber finally gets that opening it needs, latching on to Tidus's hand with its short arms, without fingers, looking more like tiny sticks jutting out from its watery body. Roland doesn't interrupt; knowing full well that indeed, it is quite different from the one he bought for himself. Even he's fascinated at it, seeing how they connect.

And instead of doing what is expected - to shake Tidus's hand, or whatever else might be its equivalent as an ancient magical creature - the high higgledy begins cooing, rubbing its cheek against his new owner's skin like it's trying to soothe a burn. Roland won't know it, but the high higgledy is already attuning to Tidus - his heart, his mood, his disposition. More than that, it is attracted to...something less savory, feeding off whatever negative or unpleasant grief he keeps to himself. Like it's absorbing it, wanting more of it, so it can send back its own energy; cool waves against a hot, sandy shore.

It's bond complete, Hibber-Gibber lets go, appeased and ready to be at his beck and call. It reappears in a flash of light on Tidus's lap, and begins to dance.

Roland snickers under his breath, but done in good nature. He's guessing Hibber-Gibber likes his master. He quietly wonders if its reciprocated. "Wish mine did that."

....it's...kinda cute....

And Tidus has no more of an idea of what to do than he did five seconds ago. The rubbing of it against his fingers, the tiny sounds it makes as it does so; again, cute, and also a feeling strangely...pleasant. Because it is cute? Or is that sensation something else...

And then it's dancing. And then it's dancing. And now here they are, with a higgledy doing a higglejig on his lap and Tidus's hands out so he won't accidently catch the small thing and interrupt it!

Oh look, Roland's still there beside him. He nearly forgot about him.

"H-hey, what do I feed it? What does it do? Isn't this where you're supposed to pull out a manual on me?"

Help Tidus is seventeen and doesn't know the meaning of responsibility!!!

He's too accustomed to the higgledy ways for this to surprise him, but he can't deny that Tidus's reaction is giving him a reason to let out a breath, a sigh of relief almost, hiding behind a chuckle. The nerves finally leaving his system, though he has yet to really tell Tidus the why's of his choice. He's prompted at least, to return to full attention just as he grows settled on this spot by Tidus's bed, at the mention of a manual and what to feed him.

He sits up just a bit straighter, nevermind that Tidus was trying his best to stabilize a being more powerful than he realizes. "Higgledies don't need to eat to survive, but if you want them to be really strong in a fight, then you start feeding them." He extends his hand out somewhat to summon a book - a new one, fresh off the store. 'My First Higgledy Cookbook' is printed in bold, embossed letters on the leatherbound cover, and he skims it right away.

It doesn't occur to him that Tidus might see the title and read it...differently. He's already engrossed in the reading, a finger to his chin, eyes narrowed in interest.

...He knows what he's doing. Don't worry, he'll find the answer to those questions! He never claimed to be the Higgledy expert, okay!

Edited 2020-10-03 18:03 (UTC)

Fortunately, context is a powerful thing, and what had Tidus more baffled was 'you don't need to feed it, but also you should probably feed it' that he received. Like yeah, no kidding, President Obvious!

And look at this guy, making them wait. Both him and the higgledy, of whose name he'll need to ask Roland for again (Higger-be? Hibble-be-Bibble-be? Okay, now he's just confusing himself).

"What do you like to eat?" Tidus decides to ask the higgledy instead. And considering it's all...water-like in appearance. "Fish? ...seaweed?"

Wow, this book had a lot of preamble. Paragraphs of history, an introduction, a well-organized Table of Contents, and how this was the first of a series of books...

The thing that takes the most time is that Roland - even as he speed reads - can't seem to skip the long paragraphs, afraid of missing exactly that: the context. It doesn't help that in the Higglery where Auntie Martha takes care of them, he's completely hands-off on the magical aspects, leaving it to Leander. No, I should know this!

"Uh, okay, it's not...buttons. That's for the other type..." He mumbles, turning multiple pages at once, feeling Tidus's impatience even when he isn't looking in his general direction.

But the magic is, in fact, the question.

For Tidus's simple ask is what makes the Higgledy stop dancing, posing with one stubby arm in the air like trying to fly. The bond between those more inclined to spirits and magic means there is a higher chance that a higgledy can communicate properly, similar to Evan's own fluency in understanding every higgledy he meets. Tidus will hear it then, a small squeak in his mind, foreign but not unwelcome. Not in any human or humanoid language, but it's transposed to be totally understandable - a voice that he just gets.

'Higgle piggle! Well-met, young sojourner! You ask for what I like, and that means I will like you quite a lot! Coral! Lots of delicious coral, the prettier the better, that is!'

!!!

IT'S IN HIS HEAD.

--and it's such a cute voice in his head too...! Did Yuna ever get this with the aeons? Tidus has no clue, but he does think about that bond, summoners and their aeons, and it's enough to make him more inclined to this situation.

Actually, the little guy being appreciative of the question is. An oh, and then Tidus's expression brightening. Like he totally just made the best discovery ever.

"I can buy coral!" Roland is so last week, now it's Tidus and higgledy chatting time. And he doesn't consider that chatting back in his own head might be better--he spoke out before, so obviously the higgledy understands that! "I won't be able to get any for a while - that okay? We don't get out of this place much."

True, Roland did say they don't need to eat. But not needing to eating and wanting to eat are two very different things! And Tidus doesn't want the little guy to think he's skimping out on him!

"Huh? What did you just say?"

Roland turns to him, adjusting his seat as the sheets crumple in the movement. He's not completely stuck on the page that he misses...something, evidently. The high higgledy is squealing in a loud, upwards lilt - Hiig! Pig! Piggle! - and has started to wave its arms around from side to side in an admittedly, adorable sway. Tidus meanwhile, is screaming about coral of all things, which Roland merely replies; "I think it might be shells. According to this, higgledies aligned to water are usually fond of colorful, rare shells." He re-reads the sentence, then looks like he doubles back on a mistake, not knowing Tidus already has his answer. "Oh, no. Hold on. It could be secret ingredients too..."

It's enough of a statement to draw a reply from the magical creature, though it's already engaged fully in its new master's enthusiasm.

'Hig! Coral is what I'm looking for! Shells are only snacks! Corals from a strange new world, corals from the deepest oceans, or the dark dark Abyss! Grateful! I will wait for your offering! Young sojourner, I like indeed!'

Its dance resumes. Roland is none the wiser, though is distracted by the squealing its making overtly, but none of the meaning coming through for him. Enough to throw both of them a curious look, the book slowly lowered.

What?

Edited 2020-10-03 18:58 (UTC)

The little guy returns to his dancing, and it's a fact: Tidus is charmed. This higgledy knows what he wants and he's gonna have all the fun talking about it! A smile growing on Tidus's face, too distracted when Roland voices his first admission of confusion. But after the news about the shells, Tidus waves a hand.

"They want coral - shells are snack food!" he explains. "So I gotta get coral first--and some snacks too," he says, looking back to his new little friend. "You gotta have both. Sometimes you just want a small bite to eat!"

Clearly this explains everything, and Tidus isn't forgetting or leaving out any details.

Roland abandons the task of reading from the book for now, resting it on his lap though he makes sure not to remove his finger from the page just in case. It clicks, and he doesn't bother to hide his surprise with brows shooting up high, corner of his lips upturned to one side.

"Well. Would you look at that. You can talk to them. You can understand them." His magical literacy was the poorest among their own little team back home; Bambosh never really expressing itself beyond moving certain way, or sounding happy, angry, or calm. He doesn't know how else to explain it, why Tidus got so close so fast to the higgledy that's now taken to him, pun intended, like a fish to water. It waddles over to sit by his stomach, settled and calm with a low hiiig~

Now this scene, was cute. Roland's smirk turns genuine, softer around the edges. He supposes it worked out, in the end. Nervousness deflating, air out of a balloon.

"Maybe you can ask mine what it likes to eat, too. You're making me look bad. Heh."

"Eh?" Tidus eyes Roland curiously, not really understanding--despite the remark of him understanding in the first place. The higgledy goes to sit, and it distracts him, not sure at first what it'll do - being able to communicate doesn't make him psychic, now - but when it plops its odd little self down, Tidus scoops an arm around the side of his leg. Like an arm rest, if the higgledy wants it.

Not even thinking about certain other reactions above, catching Roland's eye when he looks back over to the man. A small reactionary frown tugging the edges of his mouth. But then- his brows lowering to join the frown.

"What're you talking about? Bambosh doesn't talk in your head? Why not?"

"No. He doesn't. Evan's always had the power to communicate with them, though. They have conversations. And all I know about them is that only those of pure heart can see them, use them."

Which could be an explanation all on its own, now that he ponders on it. Perhaps only half of Roland registers as pure of heart, so he doesn't get the whole higgledy experience? A thought for another time, even if he's already resigned to communicating silently with Bambosh anyway.

"The heart thing is important, too." Roland adds, now that it's come to mind. The higgledy looks natural on Tidus, resting there just keeping him company, it seems. "Bambosh can't talk to me, and I can't understand what it says, but...it's connected to me. That much I know. This one - " he goes, with a small attempt to reach to it, two fingers in offering from his closest arm to Tidus, hovering by the side of its face. Whether or not it does anything might be dependent on its new partner. "- is already connected to you now. Good for you two."

Edited 2020-10-04 06:23 (UTC)

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