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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Senku may only be gone for a minute or two, but it feels like an absolute eternity to Inigo. Not since he's impatient, mind you, but since he has no idea what Senku is doing. And that fact makes it so very easy for his insecurities to sneak up on him, especially considering his mood has been so down in the dumps today. Does Senku just not want to talk to him? Did Inigo ruin any shot at friendship with the other, just because he was acting like a total dumbass back there on the mission?

Right before Senku reappears, Inigo's thoughts have spiraled enough to have him practically convinced of the fact. Like even apologizing now won't have a shot at doing anything good anymore.

But then Senku does reappear.

.. With a piece of paper.

It's so completely unexpected compared to where Inigo's thoughts were going that he stares between Senku and the paper completely speechless for a moment.

He does take it, but doesn't unfold the paper just yet.

".. What's this?" Inigo sounds so baffled right about now.

"It's some dried mint leaves for tea, so be careful when you open it. I'd give you more but it's not all dried out yet." Senku explained, as though this was not at all a strange occurrence.

"If you don't like that, I will have chamomile too, when ready, or maybe ginger? I don't know what you like. Maybe I should've asked first..."

".. Tea?"

Maybe he sounds a little too surprised over this. Over being handed something as mundane as tea, a fairly normal social interaction. But it's just.. Inigo didn't expect it. Not now. Here he was fretting the whole time while looking for Senku over how he was ever going to apologize to the other, and now he hasn't even gotten started on the apology yet! Instead Senku has handed him tea?

"W.."

He looks lost for words for a moment, but then Inigo shakes his head. He's not even looking at the paper anymore, instead he's just giving Senku the most confused look. Maybe it's just for the best here if he goes for the obvious question?

"Why are you giving this to me..?"

"Hm." He was trying to figure out how best to explain it in some way that sounded reasonable and not at all like him.

"I offended you, or maybe made you angry with me or something." He waved his hand dismissively, he accepted that as fact. He did it enough.

"So I'm bribing you so you'll be my friend again." Senku responded. A good start, and his usual blunt, catastrophic finish. Gen would be appalled, as usual.

"So that's some tea. If you tell me something better I can get that." He nodded after a moment and looked like he was actually going to leave again.

If the whole 'suddenly being given tea' situation was already baffling, then Senku's answer only makes everything more complicated.

It makes Inigo just stare at him. Quietly. Almost blankly, like his mind is having a lot to process here all of a sudden. Sure, there's the matter that Senku thinks that you need to bribe people into being a friend again, which is very, very wild, but that's not even the first thing that should be addressed here and Inigo knows it.

His cheeks grow a little red - mostly in shame, but he forces himself to speak up rather than stand there and stare like an idiot.

"That's.. I'm sorry, I think I made you misunderstand. I wasn't angry with you at all, nor was I offended." Quite the opposite, though saying 'I was just miserable' feels a little too pathetic to admit to. "I was just.. having a rough day that day. And our interaction just reminded me of something else, which made me feel too nervous to stick around. That's not on you at all, it's entirely my fault."

For a second his gaze falls down on the folded paper still in his hand, but then he looks up at Senku.

"I actually came to you now so I could apologize to you."

This was quite the plot twist because usually when social interactions went sour he not only assumed it was his fault, but it usually was. He just didn't seem to have the ability to watch his words before he hurt someone's feelings, or came across the wrong way. Other people's perceptions seemed to be a bit beyond him.

"Huh..." It had actually nothing to do with him? That was new, although Senku didn't think he helped much since Inigo had run off on him, and told him off for being too blunt.

"Ugh, don't bother, I wasn't ever..." He waved his hand. Mad at Inigo, or upset, he was just confused which was pretty standard.

Then...he doesn't need to bribe him does he?

He moved around to sit then with Inigo if he liked.

Apparently Inigo does like the idea of that, since he sits down as well.

It's a good thing. He's already used up so much of his energy today, between all the emotions, the crying, the restlessness. At least sitting down gives his legs some time to rest, even though his emotions are still churning away like they usually do. Like they do all the time, lately.

At first he doesn't even say anything. He just stares down at the folded paper, playing with it a little by folding it back and forth, careful to not spill its content.

"I.. um. I was also going to ask you what friendship terms you're comfortable with." Since Senku sure drew a hard line in the sand back there on the mission, and Inigo does want to respect that. "I promise I won't act as dumb about it this time."

He was being asked about his boundaries? Someone was actually going to respect them?

Senku grinned a little bit.

"I can probably put up with sap if I have to." Senku said with a bit of a sigh. "But I really don't like being touched or crowded." He explained.

"It's not usually much of a problem but some people like my best friend decide to try and hug me anyway and he knows better and so I usually kick him or punch him. Or that birdbrain who picked me up on the island, that actually made me mad." He said, as examples. "Because she wouldn't let go."

He paused for a moment. "If you feel the need for some kind of physical contact, I'm pretty good with my hands. High fives, fistbumps that kind of thing." He knew other people preferred physical contact, and that was his compromise.

".. I'll try." Inigo sounds a bit defeated still, though it's hard to tell whether it's because of the mood he's seemed to carry around with him all day already or because of this particular subject. Or maybe it's a little bit of both. Inigo is very, very fond of physical contact, after all. He practically survives off it. So being told he can't - or hardly can't - this bluntly feels a little bit like a punch in the soul.

But no matter how much he looks like a kicked puppy, he means it. He will try, since the last thing he wants to do is upset Senku.

"I.. um. I really like hugging, and holding people's hands." He feels a little pathetic admitting it that openly in the context of this conversation, but he feels like it's only fair if he shows his cards as well in this sense. "B-But I won't do that to you if it bothers you that much. I don't want to make you mad."

He might not be able to read the room sometimes, but he can tell his answers are unsatisfactory to Inigo. He sighed softly like he was a little tired. He didn't mean to upset him, but he wasn't going to make himself more uncomfortable than necessary for his feelings. He wasn't that guy.

"I'd rather you didn't." He told him, blunt as ever, but his tone suggests he's trying to be a bit softer about it.

"I only got mad because she wouldn't let go when I asked. I don't...well I can't say I don't get mad, I do, but I don't usually act on it considering it's a waste of time. Being angry doesn't accomplish anything."

He lets out a whine, sounding somewhere perfectly midway between a hurt puppy and a petulant child.

"I know you'd rather not have me do it! I won't, okay!"

It's a bit of an outburst, but it's not angry. Inigo usually isn't the type to act on anger either, but it's more just that he doesn't get angry very easily in the first place. No, his brand of upset - like right here - always leans more towards a sad kind of hurt. The kind of hurt that collapses inward and turns on him instead.

"I won't even touch you. I'm just.. just trying to explain what things are like for me. Even if you may think I'm some kind of freak." He's pretty convinced Tidus thinks that way by now, anyway. The last thing he needs is for the whole train to agree.

He wasn't exactly clear on what Inigo was thinking or feeling in that moment, but that was a weakness of his. "Alright..."

He couldn't complain, he was just fine if people didn't touch him, so he didn't take issue with that.

"No, I don't think you are." Senku told him. "If anything, I'm the strange one in this scenario. From what I can tell based on observation, I've never met anyone who is as uncomfortable with the notion as I am."

He shrugged, a little helplessly, because he wasn't going to be comfortable with something like that overnight or maybe ever.

It's not that he doesn't hear what Senku is saying. Senku says he doesn't think Inigo is a freak, but Inigo isn't so sure about that. He's had so much experience with people turning down his affection that he's pretty sure he's the abnormal one here. Or much more people would be okay with him.

He sucks in a deep breath though, trying to not get swallowed by the abyss of insecurities that feels more and more like it'll swallow him right up by the day.

".. I think you should observe a little more. There's plenty of people like that, you know?" His voice is a little soft. Like he doesn't want to be patronizing, but does want to give his opinion on the matter here. "Many of my friends back home threatened to literally murder me for touching them. I guess I can't say what it's like where you come from, but you aren't odd at all compared to that."

I think you should observe a little more.

Senku glanced away when Inigo said that, although he didn't say anything, that wouldn't be the first time he'd heard something like that, some kind of indication that he was not like other people. Even when he tries to connect, sometimes he's wrong. Inigo didn't mean that, but it was the kind of thing that ate at his own insecurities.

Aside from not meeting his eyes for a moment, he wouldn't react.

He decided instead to go for a humourous quip instead of dragging them further into some kind of upsetting discussion, they were supposed to be making up after all.

"I'm a pacifist." Senku offered as a bit of a joke, he wouldn't kill anyone, especially for something so minor.

"Ah, well--!"

Inigo starts, also obviously awkward. He sucks in a deep breath, trying to keep himself from falling into the usual panic spiral. Senku may be thinking that he's the one here who's bad at being social, but really, despite Inigo's natural affection for people and the way he seems to talk to a lot of people easily, it's so, so easy for him to fall back into instinctive shyness and awkwardness.

But he's trying.

"I mean, I wasn't implying you'd murder someone over it." Hopefully. Poor unsuspecting people on the train.. "I suppose I'm just trying to say.. It's not odd if you don't want it. It's just you being who you are, and that's fine. A lot of people have the same preferences as you."

He hummed a bit, giving that a moment's thought before he nodded. "Noted." Senku said, accepting the information for what it was.

"And I wouldn't. Not really a fan of killing people anyway." He didn't like it, and he didn't think much of ideologies that allowed people to do that.

"Everyone has value." That was something he believed, and used to his advantage, often.

Phew. Seems like he made it through most of the awkward topic.. probably, anyway? Especially since Senku seems to accept what he just said, so Inigo figures his explanation came across well enough for once.

Though he can't help but feel glad to hear the rest of what Senku says. Considering how.. let's say "creative" Senku is, it wouldn't be great if murder was one of his hobbies, okay.

"Of course." He smiles after he hears the last part. "Life is precious."

Somehow when you've been forced to kill hunderds upon thousands of people, that statement only starts ringing more true.

"I'll admit the murder part may have been a tad exaggerated. My friends might have hit me, but they wouldn't actually kill me." There's a pause, and then a much more uncertain: ".. probably." SOME OF THEM....

"Oh, I'm friends with lots of people who've tried to kill me." Senku said pleasantly as if that was a normal statement, and not something that made Gen complain about more of his hair going white.

He looked as serious as he usually did, was it a joke?

...

Talk about taking the words straight out of Inigo's mouth with that last part. He's just staring at Senku for a moment, like he's trying really hard to figure out if the other is joking or not. Why does Senku always have to sound so serious, it makes figuring that out really hard, okay! You could base a quiz show on it!

In the end Inigo just decides it's better to ask, even if it may make him look like an idiot if Senku is joking.

".. Are you?"

"Sure." Senku said with an amused grin and a shrug. "They're not trying to kill me anymore."

He honestly didn't see anything wrong with that.

"You're really amazing at this whole 'forgive and forget' thing."

Maybe a little too amazing, to a point where it loops around and just becomes a really bad idea.

But surely Senku knows what he's doing. He's a smart guy, right.

"And you're sure they won't sneak in another attempt when you least expect it?"

"Heh, I don't forget anything, but there's no real point in getting mad about it. Anger's not really constructive and besides, picking a fight with one of the few humans left? I'm outmatched anyway."

Senku hummed a moment. "Ten billion percent sure." He was a useful guy, killing him would serve no purpose, would it? "But, if I'm wrong, I'll deal with it then."

...

Wait, one of the few humans left? That wording sure isn’t getting past Inigo so easily, and his mind gets stuck on it for a few moments. Are there so little people left in Senku’s world? Sure, he said he lives with some tribe, but Inigo imagined that there were people beyond that in the world.. Where did everyone go? What happened?

This doesn’t feel like the right time to ask about it, but he sure is filing that information away in the back of his mind - especially since Inigo’s own world sure had a sudden population decrease as well...

“Well.. you’re a smart guy, Senku.” It sounds like he means it as he says it. “I know you’d be okay in the end, one way or another. You’d figure it out even if it did go wrong.”

"Yeah, don't worry. Besides, I've got people watching my back as much as I do, so it won't be a problem." He grinned and shrugged at Inigo. He certainly didn't look too worried about people stabbing him in the back.

One day, they'd come back around to why his world was such a mess.

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A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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