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

[sunbloom]

Itsuki nodded. "Mm, we pull up to a platform, several people disembark - it's different each time, just like people coming on - and then there are a number of people on the platform that come aboard." She hummed in thought for a second, before her head tilted. "We don't know what happens to the ones that leave, since if we try on our own, it doesn't really... work? It's very strange. And you probably don't want to ask about it right after a platform day. Watching your friends go home when you're stuck here is... painful." Perhaps surprisingly, there wasn't a pang of sadness in her own tone; she hadn't had to deal with it herself yet. Hopefully it stayed that way and none of her friends left. She'd had it bad enough today with the tightness in her chest that just won't let up.

She took a deep breath, before shaking her head, feeling her face color slightly. "I don't know how far you got through the pamphlet, but we're here to save people. That's important enough to set our differences aside, right?" She'd always thought so. She grinned at the offer to help, then. "I don't know how much looking over everyone I do - not that's much real help - but I enjoy doing it. I probably need someone looking over me though, I tend to find trouble." Her face heated up a little further at that. "Um, I'm right over here, incidentally." She stepped forward toward the door she'd looked at - 5-C, the center room of the car - as she drew her ticket from a pocket and opened the door. "If you're certain you don't mind, I'd appreciate the help!"

[purifyings]

"Don't they go back to their own worlds?" asked Nike next, finding the explanation to be a tad bit worrisome if no one knew what happens to those who leave the train. She wants to believe they return home the same way one arrives at the platform. It makes sense to her, at the very least.

"Not very far. There were terms I didn't fully get, so I stopped reading," admitted Nike without a second thought. She thought it'd be best to gain knowledge from all those with more experience and knowledge. Who knows, she might find someone who has more obscure information. Like right now. Did she just overhear a personal confession? "Really? You're a magnet for trouble too?" asked Nike with a slight tease in her tone, but it was clear she was amused by it. They are more similar than she thought! The other girl's sentiment in working together, looking after others, being diligent in their responsibilities, and now being a magnet in finding trouble are all traits Nike understood.

Noticing that the other girl's room was not very far from her own, Nike will look more relieved to know she had a potential friend close by, and once given permission she will head towards the room and begin to take the bedding off the bunk. Looking around, she'll ask, "Other than the bedding, what else can I take to wash, Miss....?"

[sunbloom]

Now she was getting into speculation, but- "We assume so, but how would we check? And passengers only get off the platform if they've been called to see the conductor first. So something has to be strange there... well. I shouldn't go on about things I don't know about. And certainly not depressing things!" The topic shift was not subtle. "Let's be happy about new beginnings instead of worried about endings." No sense in making herself feel worse, or making everyone else feel worse for that matter!

"Okay, short version, then," Itsuki began. "This train travels space and time to help people that are in trouble. We're broken into our teams because each team gets a specific job each time. Red is good at offense, blue at defense, orange at research, and purple at protection, as far as I can tell. We call them missions, to keep it simple. They're different every time, but... these people need our help. Nothing is ever as easy as we think it'll be when we get started, and that's okay. It's important work, and it's fun most of the time!"

She had the grace to laugh at herself as she stepped back into her cabin, if only to clear the doorway. "My team is pretty used to things going crazy, and I've made a few friends here that have seen it. So... yeah. Trouble finds me more than I'd like, but it's okay." She'd started to collect her other things on autopilot, so when she was asked about anything else, she waved the other girl off. "Ah, no, I've already got most of it here, but thank you. And it's Itsuki. Itsuki Myoudouin."

[purifyings]

"A conductor? What's that?" asked Nike next, not recognizing the other word. Why was it suspicious to see whoever or whatever that is? She didn't get it. A piece of her wants to believe whichever force brought them would return them. The end doesn't really scare her. "To new beginnings, huh?" repeated Nike, realizing she was excited at the prospect of having another chance at life after having abandoned her first one.

Too bad she'll end up pouting at the explanation behind the color meanings. Why did she get just defense instead of the protection team? She was a guardian spirit! Her duty was to protect others! How did this happen? And yet, she couldn't stay mad at the color choice, not when she was given a purpose -- to help those from other worlds. "When will we be going to one of those worlds?" asked Nike next, curious to know if there was a timeline for it like there was one for the platforms. "How long will we be allowed to stay? Can we explore before being sent on missions? How does it usually go?" asked Nike next.

The explanation will leave Nike curious, wondering about certain examples she could use. This was a good opportunity to tell her stories, but it will have to wait. SHE NOW KNOWS HER NAME! Nike will perk up greatly, "It's nice to meet you, Trouble Magnet Itsuki! I'm Nike Lemercier, the savage, as the royal nobles have declared me to be!" All spoken with a light chuckle because, well, it was true, and found the chance to introduce herself in a new way.

[sunbloom]

"Mm, right. The conductor is the person that drives the train. But the engine car is sealed, and none of us have ever seen that person. That's why it's disconcerting," Itsuki reasoned. Maybe it was just her, but it was a little scary? Well, in any event.

She could read that pout easily enough, though, and she laughed. "Join us on purple, then! Like I said, do the job that you're best suited to. You'll have to wait a little bit, though - we just got back from Royal Lake Hill a few days ago. Those are usually once a month, near the beginning, and they last about a week. There normally isn't much time to sightsee; we've got work to do, after all. We'll all get dropped off in groups to work on whatever jobs we're assigned, and then, well... we adapt as our mission changes."

But the most important thing came at the end, and even as she rubbed at the back of her head with her free hand, she smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Savage Nike. I don't think your nobles are here, so I look forward to seeing your reputation in action."

[purifyings]

In the conductor's defense, Nike would be concerned if people could go into the area used to drive the metal contraption. A piece of her wonders if they're okay in there.

The explanation about the length of time of missions and when the next world will be available will leave her feeling pensive. How will she be able to use her powers if it'll take her a while to connect to her surroundings? Her green gaze will turn to the ground, thinking for a moment. "It's too bad we won't get a chance to sight-see. I'd love to explore a new world. Get to know its cultures and see the type of people live there," began to explain Nike since those are the qualifications needed to summon the rain. But she will smile though, "I'll look for you! Once I know what my mission is, we can exchange info and figure out if we'll be able to work together." The idea of working with a friend helped elevate her spirits a bit. A bummer about the amount of time allowed in a world, not so much the missions or working together bit.

"Well, for now, I have no plans on acting like a savage," responded Nike with a jest in her tone. Instead, she will lift the blankets in her hands, "This comes first, then we'll have all the time to play afterward, right?"

[sunbloom]

Itsuki nods. "There's a little downtime, usually, but not much - worlds don't really need our help if there's enough time for us to be tourists. Oh, but the train tells us a little bit about where we're going, right before we get there. So you can still learn a few things, and follow up once we arrive," she offers. "That's when we find out what we're doing on that world, too, so you can go with the team that sounds like it'll best suit your abilities." Privately, Itsuki was pretty sure missions were less stressful than everything else they got up to, but she wasn't going to tell Nike that. Not yet. No reason to scare her! Besides, maybe she'd just been unlucky so far.

She couldn't help but laugh at the reply. "Well, I suppose that's fair, too. And I don't know about playing - I think I need some new hobbies. I keep falling into old habits and spending all my free time training in the gym." And worrying after her friends, but that's not exactly productive work, so she's. Not counting that. "There's plenty to do around here, at least. We can't do chores and be on high alert all the time!"

[purifyings]

"I suppose that's true..." admits Nike while feeling a little bummed by having so little time in a world. She knows it's to help them. Nothing else especially when the contraption will inform them of the details concerning the type of help each group will be offering. "How does the train tell us these details? Isn't the conductor the one who lets us know?" asked Nike next a little confused by that detail of the train giving them information.

It was difficult to not feel curious about Itsuki. "What do you usually do at the gym? Are you training to become a knight or do it for fun?" asked Nike next wondering if she should drag Itsuki to do all kinds of things with her. Then again, Nike wouldn't mind doing some training either. She still needs to figure out which of her abilities worked and which did not. It'd be nice to know before a mission came up.

[sunbloom]

"Sometimes we do get to go exploring!" Itsuki adds, noticing her new friend seemed bummed out. "I've only been here for it once, but we even got a whole vacation! That was..." A lot to work through, she could admit to herself, but she'd made enough friends and grown enough that she could honestly say it was- "pretty good, honestly. By the time it was over I was ready to get back on the train, though. Ah, we get information the screens in our cabins," she goes on, gesturing at the one on her wall as she prepared to walk back out. "And through the watches we're wearing, too. We still haven't met the conductor, though."

Training is, at least, a safer topic. "I don't know about being a knight, but I need to train to deal with... some threats back home. That sounds like it might be somewhat close? Ah, I'd be happy to have a training partner, if you want!"