voidtreckerexpress | At the End of the Storm [Open/Catchall]

At the End of the Storm [Open/Catchall]

Who: Anyone and Everyone
Where: The entire train
When: The day after the Voidstorm - Horseshoe 21
What: The storm is over. Time to recover.
Warnings: None so far

Yesterday, there was a storm. Yesterday, the Void called out to you, and phantoms of the past appeared outside the windows and inside the cars. Yesterday was...difficult, to say the least.

Today is calm - as calm as things ever are. Today, you have time to recover. There are hastily-covered windows to clean off; there are friends and teammates to check in on; there are even normal, everyday chores, because life does not stop for a single storm.

Or perhaps you succumbed completely to yesterday's phantoms and need to rest and regain your strength.

Regardless of what you need, there is time enough, at the moment.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Senku had always liked the quiet cars, the fact he happened to 'redecorate' one in a fit of inspiration to avoid dealing with what had been bothering him, made that one his favourite. Likely it was always going to be the one he picked every time, at first.

The door isn't locked so when he opens it, he's expecting it to be empty.

It isn't. Oops. ]

Ah sorry- [ He cuts himself off, is the man sleeping? He'll step back out, intending to shut the door. ]

[He starts to stir when the door opens and wakes fully when Senku speaks, sitting up. He'd...fallen asleep. In public. He had certainly not planned on this.]

Apologies. Did you need this booth?

[ He shakes his head. ]

Not especially, I can use one of the other ones, I was just more likely to pick this one since you know. [ He tilts his head at the stars. ]

[He follows Senku's gaze up and smiles - a small one, but nonetheless.]

Of course.

[Of course his fellow astrophysicist would prefer the room with perfect constellations. It only makes sense.]

I am not opposed to sharing, if you do not mind.

I don't really mind.

[ He'll accept and sit on the bench across from him, looking up at the constellations a moment. ]

What do you think?

[He lets his thoughts drift for a moment as Senku settles in, shaking the cobwebs of sleep out of the corners of his mind, so the question catches him a bit by surprise. The constellations are the matter at hand, or so he assumes, but the train was in quite the uproar yesterday, and assumptions can be dangerous.]

Pertaining to what, exactly?

[It is not the first time he's lost the thread of a conversation while in the midst of it; just the first time he's lost it while talking to Senku.]

[ He did mean the constellations, but that wasn't his fault that he didn't catch that, sometimes Senku seemed like he was off on a random tangent. ]

The constellations.

[ He'll shift so he's lying on the bench looking at them, that's the kind of mood he's in. ]

I needed a distraction, and the Mentalist gave me a hand. We typically stargaze together most nights at home.

[ A downside to being in an enclosed train. ]

Are they your doing, then? They are perfectly executed.

[He is, upon reflection, unsurprised. If there is someone else on the train with the knowledge and precision required to recreate a perfect star chart, he does not know them.]

[Senku settles in, and Siebren takes it as an invitation and lies back down on his bench. A conversation should keep him awake this time around.]

It must be nice to have a friend from home here with you.

Edited 2020-10-26 22:29 (UTC)

They are, but I had help.

[ Not that Gen would take much credit, nor would he suggest that Gen did it without much direction like he had, but he would admit to having him with him. ]

I would appreciate any of my friends coming with me on this trip, but ultimately he's the ideal one. He tends to have a lot of skills I lack, which is why he's my right hand man, so to speak.

[A friend with a complimentary skill set truly would be the best person to have along for the ride. Senku seems to be lucky in that regard.]

I believe that is generally referred to as a "partner in crime."

[ He chuckles at that. ]

That describes the Mentalist to a tee, so definitely apt. He's willing to do the dirtiest work with me, after all.

And what do you consider to be 'the dirtiest work?'

[That could encompass a worrying number of things.]

The worst thing we ever did? Hm.

[ He considers that, and decides, without a doubt it was their lies. ]

We constructed a fairly detailed ruse to convince those following our enemy to lay down their arms so we could avoid bloodshed during the brief, but serious war.

It's a pretty nasty lie, meant to give people false hope. We were prepared for consequences. It's luck, maybe, that they didn't take revenge and kill the two of us on the spot.

[...what.]

You had a war against your enemy's followers; your enemy is still on the moon; and...humanity is still mostly petrified?

I believe I am missing a few pieces of your story.

[That is putting it lightly.]

Oh, no. This was more of a different faction. Definitely humanity's enemy is on the moon at the moment. There was a difference of opinion as to how to go about dealing with the petrified people.

[ He thinks maybe he should start at the beginning? ]

Tsukasa thought that it was a chance to reset humanity, and only wanted to revive young people and cull the people he thought were corrupt. I disagreed, meaning we ended up in conflict against each other.

However, I'm not really the kind of guy who wants people to die or get hurt, so the Mentalist and I used some tricks to make them think they were going to be rescued by the Americans. Because he wanted to only revive young people, we're dealing with a lot of people who were at most in their early twenties, and they're all modern kids. None of them want actual combat. None of us have been to war.

[ He hums. ]

One of his high ranking commanders struck a deal with me that he would help us if we could stop Tsukasa without any bloodshed. We were very nearly successful. But it's a cruel trick of course. The odds of anyone being awake in America, nevermind with the capability to make it to Japan on a rescue mission is next to impossible.

It's been resolved and we're all one cohesive group now.

[It seems humanity remains true to itself, regardless of how many or few of them there are left. A war over ideals; not a welcome development, but not surprising either. Though it sounds as though it was resolved relatively painlessly.]

When you say it is resolved - you informed them of your deception, and they still joined you? And you were able to convince this Tsukasa of your way of thinking?

[ He looks like he's considering how to answer that question. It's more that he's wondering how best to word it, not because he doesn't want to. ]

While the actual fighting was short, due to our tactics in trying an overwhelming show of strength, which was a bluff much like everything else we did, I managed to force a stalemate. He had strength, but I whipped up nitroglycerin and threatened to use it to blow everyone up if he didn't agree to an armistice.

[ Most of his tactics involve deceptions, that's just a fact. ]

I realized there was some reason he was fighting in the professional circuit as a teenager. He was trying to protect someone. His little sister, who was brain dead. In exchange for ending the conflict, I told him the revival process could save her. He agreed to stop in exchange for that.

[ He hums slightly. ]

Then I just had to contend with the bigger pain in the ass he woke up, which he helped me with. They weren't exactly a cohesive unit and some people didn't accept those terms, but getting the opposing leader on your side is convincing for most. At the moment, he's dead in a cold sleep, Tsukasa I mean. My plan is to preserve his body, petrify him again and wake him up. Gen has told me, at least, that it's successful.

...you would not have used the nitroglycerin, then.

[The fact that Siebren feels the need to check that no, Senku would not have blown up his allies along with his enemies, says less about Senku than it does about the sort of people Sigma is accustomed to working with.]

Gen is your Mentalist, correct? Is he from a different point on your timeline than you?

[It stands to reason, if he is able to confirm the success of a plan, but it is worth confirming.]

Not for that purpose. We did use it to smash through some bedrock to get his sister out of the ground. That would have caused casualties. Not only do I not want any, because seriously, there is only a very small number of humans, and killing each other isn't going to get us far, but I also promised Ukyo.

[ He wouldn't want to break a promise for any reason. ]

That's right, he is. He's from about two months after me. Annoyingly aside from tell me about Tsukasa, he won't tell me anything else.

I see.

I have been informed that missions here have the potential to become violent - do you still hold to that philosophy here?

[It was a promise made, yes, but also a promise made in very different circumstances; how does Senku see it now that the situation has changed?]

[As for Gen:]

Is he worried about time paradoxes?

There hasn't been anything here to suggest I need to change my mind, and I'm not likely either. I'm stubborn as a mule.

[ Gen would unhelpfully whisper he was being a Capricorn. Ugh. Him and his astrology needed to get out of Senku's head. ]

It was one of the things he did mention. All I've gleaned is that, my plan works, and at the point he's come in, I'm seriously injured. I don't think I would change my course of action regardless if I knew the outcome or not. I always typically take what seems like the best avenue in the first place.

Edited 2020-11-05 03:38 (UTC)

...that is good to know.

[It is one thing to have a measure of someone's intellect; it is quite another to have a measure of their character. Siebren now believes he has both for Senku, provided that Senku has been telling him the truth this entire time.]

[Senku has only mentioned deception in response to violence, and with a possible future injury...Siebren hums thoughtfully and adds Senku to his list of people to be protected should violence arise.]

All hypotheticals - you cannot say for sure without the data in your hands. [Had he know in advance the extent of the damage his experiment would cause, he certainly would have changed course.] It may also be possible that he does not wish to recount events he finds upsetting and would simply prefer to see you healthy here. [He hasn't met Gen yet, so he cannot say for sure, but...well. Basic human compassion.]

[ Senku's deceptions tended to come with help, he wasn't naturally inclined to lie. He didn't really understand the point of it, most of the time. ]

That's true, but I can't imagine changing course, even if I get hurt. It's likely I'm the only one hurt, and I'm not dead so in the end it might end up being inconsequential. [ He's more inclined to sacrifice himself if it has to be someone over no one. ]

Hmm. I hadn't considered that. It wouldn't bother me, I'm not upset about it. Injuries are always a risk in a dangerous world.

[Siebren huffs at that, somewhere between incredulity and a laugh.]

Is that your standard? 'I am not dead; therefore, everything is fine?'

[If Senku is that self-sacrificing - or reckless, as the case may be - then he will definitely require protection should the situation become dangerous.]

Injuries are a risk regardless of the world's level of overt danger. Perhaps you should consider that possibility; it may give you a new angle of approach the next time you ask.

[Provided there is a next time.]

Nah, I've been dead.

[ Senku will just leave that there without context, because it's more of a correction and fleeting thought. ]

Hm, I'm not sure I'll ask him again, but I guess I should consider that. He seems fine though.

At the End of the Storm [Open/Catchall]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)