voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post November]

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A New Platform [Intro Post November]

On the Train

The morning after the Halloween party passengers are once again woken by a familiar voice.

"Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Imagination. 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. But through the fog comes sunshine, causing patches where the light shines down to warm the concrete. Looking up passengers will not be able to see the sun through the fog, or much of the sky at all.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Bryn Pendragon, Bucky Barnes, Colden Rollins, Elena, Fai D Flourite, Jiang Yanli, Juliette d'Aubigniy, Misa, Peter Parker, Samata Mahto, Satou Kuroneko, The Doctor, Tohru Mutou, Zuko, 10 Vigilant Gaze Purges The Horizon. They all walk silently and do not look back as they disappear through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

But on the platform itself there are 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 the thick fog, penetrated by beams of light. As their eyes adjust they will see they are on a platform, behind them are a set of barriers and in front of them is a single track.

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 five 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.

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 and Honey is the newest ingredient, jars of honey stock the shelves and the ICP's in the kitchen have recipe ideas for the month.

A new carriage has been added, those that go to investigate will find a small but function-able spa, complete with a small hot tub and even a steam room. It is a relaxing room with sun lamps and relaxing music or nature sounds available through the ICP. There are a couple of massage tables, with a course for how to give massages for those eager to learn.

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 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Yes." Natsuno answered, selecting a black tea blend and moving about to get the water started.

"It's almost as though they are entranced. They can't see or hear anything. I wonder if it's painful for them." He frowned. That...would freak him out.

She hums in response to indicate that she's trying to think about it now herself. Would it hurt? There's no indication that anything would physically hurt, but then again, if they don't react to anything, they probably wouldn't react to pain either..

"Even if it's not painful, I can't imagine it's fun. Imagine if something or someone else had control over your body." It's practically Alice's biggest fear, in fact, though she manages to keep her tone fairly even as she speaks about it. This is the payoff for lots of practice, really. "Wouldn't that be terrible?"

"Yes." Natsuno agreed with a frown. He shuddered. He'd actually been there. Not in the sense he'd done anything, but he'd been frozen in place, unable to move.

That was enough.

"Hopefully they won't remember it...hopefully." He didn't wish his friend ill, mostly.

".. hopefully," she repeats.

There are a lot of things to hope for though, aren't there? Hoping that the people who leave that way actually end up back home, for one. Even death would be preferable over some places where people might be kept under worse circumstances than here on the train, Alice can't help but think.

"I just hope it won't be us next. Even though I don't exactly like this train, I'd rather not find out what happens to people on the other side of those gates they leave through. If it isn't just them going home."

"I'm not sure how I feel about it." Natsuno answered as the water boiled.

He turned it off and set about preparing the tea then.

"If I was going home, that's fine. In theory it's just me going to rest, finally, but if it's somewhere else." He sighed. "I'd rather be here, I suppose. It's not the worst."

She nods.

"This place isn't exactly spacious, and some of its limits are annoying, but at least we aren't locked into rooms." Which may be a very low bar to clear, but that's how she was living for ten years. So in comparison just about anything seems better to Alice. "And there is food. Granted, this train could take any of it away from us at any moment, but things seem to be going decently so far."

And she's already been here for a while, so the paranoia about things suddenly changing is at least slightly less by now. Especially since everything has more or less been the same ever since she first showed up here.

Natsuno set a cup of tea in front of her and took one for himself, moving to take a seat.

"That's a valid point, I don't think I would enjoy being locked in a room." It didn't sound the least bit enjoyable.

"I don't know what to do about the food situation since mostly we're just stuck on this train. I mean, I guess we could buy some in the places we go, like the last mission."

"As an expert in that department, I can tell you I can't recommend it."

It's said a little dryly, because it's honestly the best way to deal with those memories. Downplay them. Don't think too hard about them, before she gets lost in them.

"And I suppose we could hoard food, but.. who is to say the train might not take that away from us as well?" She shakes her head. "If we're to speak of the downsides of this train, it's that I certainly don't appreciate something constantly being in control of us like this."

Even if the train is being fairly lenient up until now.

No, it wouldn't do to dwell on these things and that was the same respect she gave him, he wouldn't dwell on the bits of history she shared with him either. If she wanted to brush it off, he had no problem with that.

"I suppose that's an equally valid point." He frowned. "I agree, I don't like being anyone's puppet."

That should be rather apparent. He didn't think much about people telling him what to do or what he should be.

"It's not like we can just leave either. This whole being kidnapped is an incredible pain."

At least they have tea now. Tea makes any topic more bearable - hence why she quickly takes a sip. Ah, so much better.

"Who knows, perhaps the train will stop in either of our worlds eventually." It's not unthinkable, is it? With all the odd places it's visiting, Wonderland really wouldn't be all that strange in comparison.. "Then we could just leave."

"I suppose that's true. If we wound up in my world, would I just disappear or would I walk off the train like Tohru-chan did?" Natsuno mused, sipping his tea.

After all, he no longer existed in his world.

"Well.."

Alice starts. Thinking. It's a good question, really. Either possibility seems just as likely as the other, especially since they have no idea what happens when people go back to their world in the first place. Do they go back to the moment they left? Or has a lot of time passed in their world? If it's the latter, who's to say Natsuno will even go back to the moment he died?

"Right now you exist. You're alive. I don't think merely getting off the train and setting foot into your world would be enough to suddenly blink you out of existence. Unless the power that's tying you to life right now is that weak." At least she's aware Natsuno is not exactly happy about his current living state, so Alice is tactful enough to make the discussion sound somewhat neutral.

"I don't actually know." Natsuno thought about it. He wasn't happy, but that was neither here nor there in this discussion.

"I'm..perhaps tied to the train? I don't actually know." He repeated, looking a bit perplexed.

"I never considered it, actually."

Tied to the train, huh? There was that whole thing about voidsickness before, didn't that mention something about that too..

Alice tries to think, but she isn't sure. She mostly just remembers getting extremely mad at one part of that whole explanation - mad enough that it completely blotted out her knowledge of the rest of what it had said.

"Aren't you curious about it?" She asks. There's no judgement in her tone - like either answer would be fine, but she's just curious. It's what lies at the root of Natsuno's very existence at the moment, after all.

"In a manner of speaking, perhaps. In the way that if I understood and could maybe remove the obstacle..." Natsuno shook his head.

"Ultimately it probably doesn't matter the how and why, but more matters when it will end." He might have been more interested before he died, however, he was in a position where his ability to be interested and care about the world around him had become rather muted.

"Of course the how or the why matters."

She won't even question what he says after that. It's been clear ever since she first met him on the platform that he has very little regard for his own life, and Alice isn't quite sure if she can criticize him on that when she has been the same for so long, when she still isn't quite over it now.

But this part, this is something she does feel more comfortable calling him out on.

"Don't just resign yourself to something else having complete control over you. Live or die by your own terms, not some random train's."

"I suppose you have a point. I don't really enjoy being thrown around into things against my will." Natsuno admitted with a soft sigh.

"If I can find out more, it might be worth knowing, but if not..." He shrugged.

Alice reaches out with a hand. And if he doesn't move out of the way or resist, she's just.. going to flick his forehead with a finger.

Like he's a five year old or something. There's such a stern look on Alice's face to go along with it too.

"I'm going to find it out."

There's something firm about the words, like she isn't going to change her mind.

"It's an important part of you while you're here, after all." And Alice? Well, she cares about him.

That's not something she's going to admit out loud, though. She can hardly admit it to herself. Hence why it comes out in such a weird tsundere-ish cold flicky way.

Natsuno didn't resist, so he got a flick to the forehead as he deserved. He didn't even complain.

"Alright." He acknowledged. "I'll help you." Natsuno answered. "What do we do first?"

...

For a moment or two she's quiet. Alice is used to scolding people, sure, especially ever since she ended up on this train. But she isn't used to people listening to her so easily. Especially since Natsuno seemed so headstrong about things before.

The surprise slowly wanes away though. Enough to at least answer.

"I'm not sure yet. Nothing on this train seems to make sense, and asking questions to the train seems to yield even less results. Maybe we ought to experiment sometime when we actually leave this train for a bit."

"That seems like a valid enough response." Natsuno agreed, sipping his tea and considering it.

"We'll have to come up with something we can try when we're not on the train. This place is so...strange."

He found it odd that people were so comfortable.

"Weird in what sense?"

Of course Alice can think of multiple ways. But it's just--

"I've seen a lot more odd, after all. The place I was in before I ended up here had birds holding caucus races and babies changing into pigs at the drop of a hat." So a dimension-traveling train? Not all that weird. But she feels like that's probably not the main thing Natsuno is refering to.

"Okay, well I can't begin to imagine that." Natsuno admitted with a wry smirk.

"I mean all the people on top of each other and everything." He sighed. "I mean, don't they want to go home?"

She hums.

"Well, perhaps some people don't really have homes to go to. It's the same for me, to a certain extent." She's alright enough with admitting as much to Natsuno. Besides, it's one of the less vulnerable things about her history to begin with, Alice thinks.

"I know it's different for you, but some people do want to keep living, even if it's in some crappy way here on the train. Or perhaps others have been here for long enough that they've given up on being able to find a way to return home at all."

"I get that. They're not monsters like I am." Natsuno said with a bit of a frown. "I've already died."

All the same though, that was a problem. "What if they could go somewhere else at least? If nothing else? I don't know how any of this works. Maybe they can just stay on this perpetual trip of their own free will."

"What I do know, is I want to get off."

A New Platform [Intro Post November]

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