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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[WangJi followed him inside as much as he could in the small room. It was simply because this wasn't his cabin that he hadn't been able to open the door. He looked around at the space]

Check the space at the head of the bed for belongings. If there are none, the bed is available for you to take. Most people who have been here don't carry their bags on platform days. Once everyone returns for the evening, you can speak with them to ensure there is no conflict.

[that sounds like as good a go-ahead as any. so, sizhui moves between the bunks, perking when he eventually finds an empty one and sliding the backpack off his shoulders to toss onto the bed.

he does, however, remove the qiankun pouch with his more important items in it to bring along.] Hopefully, if there are any other newcomers, I didn't take whatever bed they might have wanted.

I suppose that is where discussion comes in. There is one in my cabin who cannot see. It would be unfair to require him to take the top bunk.

[But since Sizhui was ready to go, he'll step back into the hallway so he can follow him]

There are a few cars between us and the greenhouse and then the dining car. I will tell you what they are as we pass through them.

[It would help with starting to remember what all of them were]

That does make sense... [he and his roommates will simply have to talk things out whenever they're all together tonight. top bunk, bottom bunk, sizhui doesn't really mind either way.

for now though, he'll leave his things there and trail after his father, nodding affirmingly.]

Okay, [he acknowledges.] I shall do my best to remember them.

You can also look them up again if you forget.

[Not like he's going to quiz Sizhui on it.

He led the way through the train in the direction of the greenhouse. Not that there were many other directions one could go. The train was really just one direction. But soon enough, they reached the greenhouse. There were a lot of plants and well as a few animals, including the hutch with two rabbits playing in the outside section, one black and one white]

Here they are.

Oh? Well, that's convenient. [regardless of if he's getting quizzed on it or not, being able to check which car is where will prove useful.

although, if hanguang-jun were to do so, he'd (mostly) have them memorized within the week.

whatever cars they pass through, sizhui keeps in mind, even if he is unaware of their names at the moment. they don't matter nearly as much as where they're headed or what he sees the minute they get to the greenhouse; his eyes light up like a signal firelight right when he sees both rabbits hopping about, the softest gasp passing his lips while he shuffles closer.]

Oh... they're so cute! [he almost immediately reaches down, hesitates, casts a hopeful look toward lan wangji and asks,] May I pick them up?

[Also entering the cars was self-explanatory for the most part. In most cases, it was pretty easy to figure out once one knew what to look for.

The rabbits paused jumping around when they heard others coming, the white one coming to the fence immediately seeing WangJi, the black one following after the other]

Mn. They are. [At the question he nodded his head once] You may.

[okay, fair, that makes a whole lot of sense as well. he'll be in for a real treat once he stumbles across a few of these cars in particular.

after being given the go-ahead, sizhui first scoops up the white rabbit, tucking it gently into the crook of his elbow then he reaches for the black bunny and does the same with that one, too. with both of them carefully settled in his arms, he turns back to his father, eyes somehow looking even more lit up when he asks,]

What are their names?

[WangJi stood back letting Sizhui pick up the two rabbits. The white one immediately tucked himself into the crook of his elbow as well, settling himself there so that he was stable as Sizhui reached to pick up the black rabbit. Clearly, he was used to being held quite often. The black rabbit on the other hand was more excited. New person! He squirmed a little trying to look up at Sizhui better]

Currently, they are Little Rabbit, [He nodded to the white rabbit to indicate that was Little Rabbit] and Small Bunny. I had plans to name Little Rabbit something more fitting, but that was delayed due to events on the train. Wei Ying and I have been trying to figure out fitting names for the pair, but we haven't reached a conclusion yet.

[since one seems so content to stay settled in his arm, sizhui's attention is on the other, his hand carefully cupped around it in the case it decides to try and get adventurous and do something silly like jump. although he doesn't hinder its movements too badly and when it looks up at him, his attention downcasts, a brilliant grin coming across his face while he gingerly adjusts to rub the bunny's ears.]

Little Rabbit and Small Bunny, [he repeats, considering. not bad names at all, really, they are almost something he would've chosen if he couldn't figure anything out right away, but what if:] Radish, [he gestures toward the white rabbit,] and Carrot? [then he motions toward the black one, realization dawning afterward.] Senior Wei is here, too?

[Little Rabbit had learned quickly to be a good lap rabbit. Small Bunny was still learning this so it was better that Sizhui turned his attention to making sure the black rabbit did not do something that was going to get it hurt. WangJi was definitely pleased that he had figured this out so quickly, paying attention to the general nature of both rabbits. The black rabbit though did settle down when he was being given attention, letting Sizhui pet his ears and not squirming around too much]

Radish and Carrot? [WangJi repeated these names back as he considered them. They did seem fitting for them. Nothing too fancy but were oddly meaningful to the humans] I think these are good names.

[He nodded his head once] Yes, he is here.

[fitting, how the white rabbit is calmer, more like hanguang-jun and the black one is more reminiscent of wei wuxian instead. he offhandedly wonders if they knew before getting them or if it was just happenstance. regardless, they're both super adorable and it seems small bunny doesn't mind sitting still so long as he's getting attention; sizhui's fine with that, continuously rubbing along its ears, between them, down its back then back up to repeat the process. both of them are so very soft too, it's hard to resist giving little rabbit some attention alongside the darker animal.]

Yes. Little Radish and Baby Carrot if you're so inclined. [this way, they don't entirely lose their first names. lan wangji's agreement makes his heart swell even more, an outright beam momentarily overtaking his features before he reels it in somewhat.]

For how long? The same amount of time as you?

[It was ver fitting. Of course, there had been no choice in the matter of the rabbits' nature. WangJi himself had only requested a black rabbit partially because it was fitting since he had had both white and black rabbits at home and also so that it would be easier to tell the two of them apart. Not that telling them apart might matter to many people, but it mattered to WangJi, especially since the white rabbit was more experienced on the train and the black rabbit was not. If it had been in an open field where there was nothing weird to happen, he might not have been so concerned about it.

Both rabbits were very content with the attention that Sizhui was giving them. Little Rabbit was very patient for his attention and Small Bunny would look at Sizhui if the attention strayed too long, but not more squirming]

I think those are fine names. [Also then the rabbits recognize their new names at least a little more having it sound similar or start the same]

He has been here for a few months. But... it is strange. He was here before I was and got Little... Radish for me. However, not long after giving me the rabbit, he disappeared for a few days. I watched him depart the train and then he was on the platform again, watching himself leave.

[in sizhui's defense, he has no idea if they were just randomly given or if lan wangji had the chance to go through a pile of rabbits and decide which ones he liked best. given their current location, he'd assume the train (somehow???) just gave them to him or he collected them from one of the worlds they might have stopped at. since it seems they were picked at random, the former is more likely than the latter. regardless, they're both super-soft and quite cuddly.

luckily for small bunny (or carrot now), his affection doesn't linger away from it too long and thank goodness, there's much less wriggling.]

I'm glad you think so, Hanguang-jun. [proud son mode: activate!]

Wha—? [he hesitates with the petting, fingers lingering over the black rabbit's ears, expression creased with a mixture of confusion and astonishment.] Wait, people can... do that? See themselves leaving the train? [how can two people exist at the same time? better question: will he ever experience something like that?]

[Carrot was very happy that his attention didn't linger long. He was such an attention hog and hadn't learned patience yet. Luckily Radish made up for it and didn't seem at all bothered. Maybe WangJi would carry him around for a bit after this as a reward for being so good.

He definitely had a right to be proud. His father-figure liked the names that he had chosen for the rabbits]

Apparently so. It seems that normally this is not the case. Most people just disembark the train and they are gone. They do sometimes return, but always later. I was apparently here earlier and left but I do not remember this. [A pause] And you were as well.

[frankly, that wouldn't be the worst idea, given how astonished lan sizhui is by the revelation that he's been here before. thank goodness, he isn't so shocked that he loses his entire thought process and forgets he's holding small animals, or else that would have been extraordinarily bad.

he does, however, waver ever-so-slightly, clutch his arm tighter against himself to hold both rabbits close while he reaches his other hand to steady himself on the nearest stable surface.

maybe it shouldn't hit him this hard, but having already realized he'd been remembering things from before, though not knowing about this, it's... more than a little startling and a whole lot distressing.] Hanguang-jun, [comes out a rough, almost hoarse-sounding whisper.] How... how is this possible? To not remember something like this?

[He was very glad that Sizhui didn't forget he was holding small animals though he was there and would have tried to catch them if Sizhui had dropped them. Radish was at least in a more of a free position and probably could have jumped to the ground if he felt his support suddenly leaving. But since it didn't happen, they were still both very happy to sit there. Carrot squirmed a little at being held tighter for a moment, but Radish was perfectly fine with it. He was definitely a good therapy rabbit, good for holding and listening to whatever someone wanted to tell him]

I do not know. It is very concerning. I arrived here and others knew me and knew that my leaving previously had made Wei Ying sad, but I did not remember meeting them before. There are also people from different time periods here so I do not know if it is the same sort of thing that has caused that.

[he'd have felt terrible if he had accidentally dropped either of them, so he's glad for his quick reflexes as well. feeling carrot wriggle in his arm reminds sizhui that yes, he is most certainly still holding bunnies and has him loosening his hold somewhat, silently praying he didn't hurt them during his momentary slip. his other hand moves back over them, fingertips gently rubbing across both of their heads, ears and down their backs to their little cottontails, soft, soothing motions for them (and possibly himself). sorry, little rabbits, he'll be more careful!

with a hum of uncertainty, sizhui's attention downcasts as he attempts not focusing on the abrupt jumpstart of his pulse.] Is that why—? [he stops, bites his bottom lip with a soft mmph then shakes his head. no, that doesn't matter; lan wangji is lan wangji, no matter the circumstances.] Do you think people will recognize me, too?

[The rabbits were both fine from having been hugged tighter than before. Carrot settled down and began cleaning his face, rubbing them with his paws. Radish clearly had a happy rabbit look on his face as Sizhui pet him and checked him to make sure he was okay. WangJi wasn't concerned seeing that the rabbits were both behaving normally.

At the question, WangJi looked at him curiously, wondering what he had been wanting to ask him. If he had known the question, yes, it would have helped that he had been here before that he recognized him, but he had also recognized him the first time as well]

Yes, I'm sure that there will be others who will recognize you.

[the softest aw! passes sizhui's lips as carrot begins cleaning himself, a cute little gesture that makes his lips curve slightly at the edges. that at least makes him less nervous, less worried about him having already been here, yet not remembering a single thing. maybe it shouldn't be such a big deal, taking into account he hardly recalls much from his past when he was far younger, but this— it just feels different.

he hates it, though not nearly as much as he dislikes keeping things from lan wangji.]

But I won't recognize them. [and how is sizhui supposed to feel about that? how will they feel about it, realizing he doesn't know who they are? something he'd rather not linger on too long.] ...may we go have tea now?

[WangJi has long since passed that day, but he had seen WuXian do it and he was prepared for Sizhui now to have to meet people who knew him, that he did not know]

People here are understanding of how the train works.

[No one was going to blame him for not remembering them because of something he had no control over]

Yes, let's go get tea.

[WangJi reached to take Radish from where he was nestled with Sizhui. The rabbit was certainly very patient as WangJi took him into his arms to carry him. Carrot had seemed to be getting along with Sizhui very well]

We can take them with us.

[They were both used to the train and had been in the dining car so often that it wasn't anything to be concerned with. So they could tag along for a snack]

[if he's lucky, they'll think nothing of having to rebuild a friendship with him. he's kind enough, it shouldn't be difficult to do so, but one can make assumptions and be completely, utterly wrong about them.] I'm glad to hear that. I don't know what else I would do if they weren't.

[probably feel even more awkward about it. as it stands now, there's nothing that can be done though, so thank goodness there's the distraction of tea to accommodate.] Mmn, [comes the soft noise of agreement and when wangji takes the white rabbit from his arms, he holds them out for ease of access, waits patiently then readjusts so carrot is settled more comfortably while he goes on cleaning his face. (which is still the cutest thing ever and sizhui can't help admiring a moment longer.)

with their decision made, he gestures toward the door, managing a small smile whenever he does.] Lead the way, Hanguang-jun. [and his son will dutifully follow.]

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A New Platform [Intro Post October]

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