voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post December]

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A New Platform [Intro Post December]

On the Train

It's only been a couple of days since the Voidtrecker Express took to the void once more, and many of the passengers are still recovering and recuperating after a very hectic end to their latest mission. Nevertheless, they are awoken by a familiar message.

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Imagination. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed, and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train for 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 the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform. It is warm outside with a pleasant breeze that flows down the platform, rustling the light spread of leaves that litter the floor.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Akemi Homura, Alfred the Poisoner, Donatello Versus, Chie Satonaka, Joscelin Fitzthomas, Ronan Lynch, Rose Tyler, Tangle the Lemur, Trowa Barton, Wester Mazaki and Whisper the Wolf all pass through the platform, not looking back before 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 swirling leaves at their feet, moving in flurries and rattling against each other softly. As their eyes adjust, they will see they are on a platform, cement and packed earth forming a very practical, plain-looking shelter. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single track extending both ways into thick fog.

They are standing, in clothes that are not their own and a style 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 eight 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's 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 lead to something terrible. 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 (see
'Publications'). The store rooms have been restocked with more jars of honey, the ingredient of the month of Imagination, as well as sundries.

A new carriage has been added right next to the luggage carriage. It is a second medical carriage, or triage carriage. Downstairs is more open with beds and chairs, upstairs are two surgical bays for those that need immediate attention.

For those intrigued by the claim of a parcel for every passenger they will find several large boxes filled with small blue bags. Inside each bag is ten dark blue coins imprinted on each side with a silver snowflake. Each bag has a small label with a passengers name. On the other side of the label it reads: Keep these safe for now.

Of course for any passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage as well.

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 taking advantage of the pleasant weather and the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view again 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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"A train?"

That question mark at the end of her statement is definitely audible. Even Alice knows what a train is, after all, and she's well aware by now that she's not exactly the most up-to-date person on the train. Granted, it's not unheard of that people could end up here from times or places without trains, but it seems to be uncommon.

At least it would explain this person's fear. And that-- that thing she's doing with her bag, whatever that is. Alice isn't quite sure.

"Don't they have those where you come from? They're vehicles. Like.." She pauses, trying to imagine what may be present in this person's world. ".. carts?"

That seems like a safe bet, right.

Alley just wants to prepare to fight rather than rush straight at the huge, noisy thing that had swooped in out of nowhere. It's practical.

Gotta prepare, to rip the face off something that big.

"...A cart."

Oh, good, she knew what that was, at least.

"That's awfully fucking big for a cart."

Seems that her comparison was apt enough to get the message across - it makes things a lot easier.

"It is," she unhelpfully remarks. But then again, how else do you describe something like a train to someone who has never seen one before, other than this way? "It's meant to transport a whole lot more people. Although.."

Her voice trails off, like there's something omnious about to follow.

Or more like Alice really doesn't want to have to say this, knowing how most people react by now.

"Unfortunately you will have to go in there."

"I mean, of course I will," Alley's rough voice just sounded resigned, under all the gravely damage. "Can't have something weird and ominous show up out of nowhere, and let me get to opt out of it."

"Are you familiar with this sort of situation?"

It's said half-dryly, but there is some genuine curiosity in her statement as well. After all, most people seem a bit more angry about the idea, or start protesting. And while this person doesn't exactly seem happy, her response is much more filled with resignation than Alice is used to meeting in return for that news.

"This specific situation? No. Getting yanked around by forces beyond my ken, and regularly punted into the middle of nonsense?"

Yeah, that was distressingly normal.

"Absolutely."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Sure, Alice's tone isn't exactly filled with empathy. If not just because she's just.. not very good at displaying that kind of emotion, especially to people she's only just met. But she does mean the words. No one should have to be dragged around against their will - even though she knows it happens often enough anyway.

"If it helps, I do think nonsense is a very good way to sum up this situation, indeed. It tends to be relatively harmless aside from avoidable danger though."

"Thank the Maker for small favors, I guess," Alleyana sighs, "I guess the weirder this all is, the more it makes sense that I'm here. Because why wouldn't I be."

And if the other people here aren't spirits and demons of the Fade -- which she's not quite ready to settle on, yet -- then they're probably in a similar boat to her. People who just trip and fall into weird shit as a matter of course.

She takes in that statement with a small hum, glancing between the other and the train.

"So, feel like taking a look inside there?"

Because if she already thinks the outside is weird.. phew, she's in for a wild ride as to what it looks like inside there. Alice at least was already familiar with the concept of trains before she showed up here, but the inside of this train is unlike any she's ever seen - and she has seen some truly odd trains.

"You may be surprised. No, scratch that, you will most definitely be surprised."

Well, there didn't seem to be a ton of choice in where Alley was going to go. It was board the train, or stay on the platform, and even if nothing else egged her on... Alley preferred to move forward.

"Yeah, let's do this."

Alice lets out a breath.

It sounds a suspicious amount like a relieved sigh.

"Good." Seriously, good. Because there have been too many people who insisted on staying out here stubbornly, and this person seems reasonable enough that Alice would rather have her on board rather than left out here to experience.. well, whatever exactly it is that happens to people who are still on the platform when the train leaves.

So she starts walking over in the direction of the train.

"If you run into anyone annoying on the train, just tell them to screw off."

Alley falls into step alongside her, working on un-tangling the bag from her non-arm as they go. Once it's free, she slings it back over her shoulder.

"Is that a common problem here, annoying people?"

It couldn't be any worse than Orlais, surely.

"It depends. I'm from.." London, she almost says, before realising this person probably has no idea what London even is, let alone what the people there are like. So she shrugs as she walks. "Well, let's say that I'm from a place where just about anyone you'd walk past on the streets is rude. Things seem to be at least better than that on the train."

Alice has, in fact, found that there is a surprising amount of tolerable people here. It's a small miracle.

"But there definitely are some people I doubt anyone can stand. The first time I showed up here, a talking book tried to flirt with me. I was just about ready to throw it under the train."

"A talking book? Maker's balls."

So she's in store for some real bizarre shit, is what Alley's getting from this conversation. The Fade's really outdone itself, this time.

At least she has little worry of being flirted with. No one's going to do that and mean anything good by it, with her looks, and that's just a basic fact of life. Water is wet, fire is hot, and Alleyana Tabris looks like she lost a fight with a meat grinder and a brick wall.

This certainty leaves her free to flatten their face for them, if anyone keeps up the joke for too long.

"I mean, I'm pretty rude myself." So there's that. Being blunt is rude, right?

Alice lets out a small hum at that last statement.

"I'd say you're fairly tolerable." That.. sure would not be a compliment by most people's standards, now would it. That's the same as saying someone is not the worst, or something along those lines. But considering the fact that Alice is usually hesitant to speak of anyone in a positive manner, this is just about the most complimentative she can get.

"There's a difference between being straightforward and rude, after all. The former can be helpful since there's no need for useless fluff. The latter involves being unkind to strangers, and I wouldn't say you have done or said anything bad enough to offend me so far."

And yet, Alleyana's going to take 'fairly tolerable' as a compliment and not even think twice about it.

"Most people don't make such distinctions between the two," she says in response to that frank assessment. It's definitely not disagreement, more... surprise.

Interesting.

"Then they are idiots. Not every conversation has to involve everyone being perfectly nice and social."

.. because otherwise Alice is never going to have to be able to have a conversation.. Sure, she can be nice around the people she cares for, but even then it's sometimes like pulling teeth with how socially awkward she is.

"We are all kidnapped onto this train, after all. It's not as if we voluntarily came to have a tea party. We didn't choose to be stuck with all these other people here, so while I'd say there's no reason to be mean to people without reason, I would hope not everyone is expecting me to smile at them." Please, the corners of Alice's lips are probably frozen this way. Stuck in permanent resting grumpface.

Then they are idiots.

The stark reasonableness of this stranger gets a startled, harsh bark of a laugh out of Alleyana. "Oh, I like you."

Even if this person's a spirit, or a demon, it wouldn't be the first time Alley's had a perfectly civil interaction with one. Perhaps a spirit of... whatever the emotional concept is that's anti-bullshit. Sensibility? A spirit of Sensibility?

Maker, that one would be almost as rare as Compassion.

It's not something Alice has heard often. Not at all back home, and in this place-- well, it's a tad more common, but it's still something she very much has to get used to. It's still weird.

A little less weird when it's being said in this way though. When she's just being praised for having common sense, rather than being liked for who she is.

"Are you that unused to having reasonable people around you?" She instead just asks.

"I'm used to all kinds," Alleyana says with some mild, grim amusement. "Sensibility's a rare trait in most."

"Well," she starts.

Then hesitates.

This upcoming thing feels dangerous to say. Is it? Alleyana seems pretty okay, so hopefully it won't end up biting her in the butt later on.

"If you ever want to have some sensible conversations, you can usually find me in the kitchen or the dining carriage drinking tea." Yes, that's an invitation to come talk to her whenever. It's not something Alice extends to just everyone, but Alleyana definitely seems like she could use some help getting settled in on the train - if she didn't even know what a train was to begin with! - and doesn't seem like terrible company to boot. "And-- before you ask, yes, those exist on a vehicle like this train. It's easier to not question it too much."

Alleyana eyes the train as they approach it, taking in the size of the thing. Somehow it's not as surprising as it should be, that something that big has a bloody kitchen on it.

"I'll keep that in mind," good job Inquisitor, haven't even gotten onto the train yet and you're starting to stumble into connections.

But now they're at the train, and Alley eyes it with suspicion for one more moment before reaching up for a handle to haul herself up the step with. Onward!

There they go. That social offer didn't go over too awkwardly, and Alleyana is on the train without causing too much of a fuss about it. That's a win in Alice's books, really. She's certainly had more troublesome platform stops.

"I'd suggest just walking around now." Especially since getting lost in the train is pretty hard when it's just like one long, long line of things.. "Just look at everything you come across, take it in. I'll leave you to do that."

Because Alleyana seems smart enough. She doesn't need a babysitter, let alone one so much younger than her.

"Right," that's a pretty standard way to handle weird shit, isn't it? Walk around and stare.

But first, the Inquisitor turns to look at Alice, and gestures to herself with her singular, gloved hand. "I'm Alley."

Names. Names are useful.

".. Alice."

There's a moment where she seems to hesitate, to think - but it's been a long time since that other girl with the same name was here on the train, so there's no longer any real need to differentiate herself, huh.

"Alice Liddell."

Apparently that's enough for her, since all Alice does is nod before turning to head off.

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A New Platform [Intro Post December]

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