voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post January]

Entry tags:

A New Platform [Intro Post January]

On the Train

It’s been a month of ups and downs for the Voidtrecker Express and its passengers, but like clockwork, they are awoken by a familiar message that morning.

"Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Jelly. 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. The air is particularly crisp and clear here, the view blocked only by the fog around the platform, and while not overly cold, the temperature can best be described as brisk.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Fingon, Galo Thymos, Hikaru Aosora, Jin Ling, Lio Fotia, Minako Aino, Nerdanel, Nie Mingjue, Thorne.tcai, Webmind and Yotsuyu goe Brutus 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. As their eyes adjust, they will see they are on a platform, glass and dark stone rising in sturdy arches around them. 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; then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large with fifteen figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. To both the left and right, 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 step a strange assortment 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

After a short time, the doors hiss open again. 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 fresh ingredients, including several crates of avocados, the ingredient of the month of Jelly, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. For each member of Blue Team, a small gauze bag with their name on it contains a generous handful of sweet rainbow fudge.

New passengers will find their ticket allows 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 full of spare blankets and pillows.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air, 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 itself. 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

Ryo about jumps out of his skin the first time the stranger appears near him in the standard car. The bell, the light, the overwhelming energy that shorts out his Sense - he scrambles away the first time it happens-

And then the stranger is gone.

He startles just as badly the second time, but the third time he's a little more prepared, and this- this doesn't seem planned. This looks like how he feels- unsure, panicked even-

So the fourth time the stranger reappears, Ryo reaches out almost without thinking and makes a grab for his arm-

-oh gods he probably should not have done that-

-but he's here now. "You- you'll be alright," he manages, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "Just- breathe, okay?"

It's likely Thanatos has appeared in every carriage with how rapidly he's going from place to place. He has even doubled back a few in case there was something he missed. The emergency exits that voice mentioned don't work for him, but he now knows the location of every one of them.

When he appears in the dinning car, the last thing he expects is someone to reach out and grab him. Thanatos yanks his arm away, eyes wide. He looks at it like he expects to see a shackle clasped to it. There's nothing, but that doesn't stop him from hovering back a little further out of reach.

Congratulations. For a briefest of seconds, the God of Death was afraid of this tiny mortal. Thanatos is also decidedly not breathing. Or talking.

...well.

Ryo raises his hands slowly, palms out. He has no weapon, and he's not about to reach out and grab this...god? Spirit? He doesn't know...again. But he recognizes the expression on the stranger's face - he's worn it enough himself to know.

"It's okay," he says, voice a bit steadier as compassion edges out panic. "I- I'm not going to hurt you." Not that he could if he wanted to.

Thanatos stays as he is a moment longer, wondering if this is some trickery. When nothing happens, some of his rigid tension fades.

"Not many would try to grasp the God of Death," Thanatos says. Even as he tries to put on that godly air, Thanatos has to lament his weak attempt. At least this mortal truly seems apologetic and well meaning. Not like Sisyphus. He's also wearing a similar outfit, which helps calm him more.

He... feels like he should be saying something more, but ugh... He has no idea where to go from here.

There's a god of death?

Well, evidently there is here, and Ryo has just grabbed him-

It's all Ryo can do not to panic again - that won't help either of them, and he reached out to this god in the first place to try to calm him down-

He takes a breath and lowers his hands. "I didn't know." It's only partially true - he knew this person was powerful, but a god specifically for death is outside anything he'd ever considered. "There's...not a god of death where I come from." That he knows of, at least, and isn't that a terrifying thought.

But that's not helpful either, and...well, he also doesn't know where to go from here. "Are you alright?" It's a terrible question, but it's also all he can think of after a few moments of silence, and at least it's something.

There is a god of death, and he's actually a decent sort despite the job. However, it is a really important job.

"This train has no idea of the chaos it causes in my world by keeping me here."

The implied "I need to go home" is apparent regardless of how he says it. ~~Or internally screams it.~~ He also can't get the idea that Zagreus is being eternally tormented by lava. Or a spike trap. Or a million other ways that deadbeat manages to get himself killed. Thanatos is positive Zagreus tries to find new ways to die on purpose sometimes.

"You can call me Thanatos." He offers as... an attempt to carry a conversation.

"I think we all left some chaos behind when we were brought here." He can't imagine that Orion and Endon are taking his absence well, but he can't think about that long, in the same way that he can't think about Ryoga's departure for too long. It's pain with no point - there's nothing he can do about it.

"My name is Ryo," he says in response. "It's...nice to meet you, despite the circumstances." And the circumstances are weird and terrible, but...for his first meeting with a bona fide god, it could definitely have gone worse.

If only Ryo knew the scope of chaos Thanatos speaks of. It isn't just a few people missing him. How the world functions has been turned upside-down. Calling it functioning is putting it lightly because he's pretty sure nothing functioned from what he heard. Thanatos clenches his jaw at the thought.

"I suppose it would be polite to say the same." That may sound rude, but with how awkward it's said, Death clearly has trouble communicating with people. "Although, under different circumstances, I doubt you'd want to meet me. Most don't."

"I can see why." Nothing quite like meeting the manifestation of one's own mortality.

Then again, Ryo has just done that, and Thanatos seems...okay? Not as aggressive as one might expect a specter of death to be.

"Is that all people know of you? Your job?" He can understand why, with a role like that, but...there's a person in there. Death, he thinks, doesn't panic, or worry about being polite, but it seems Thanatos does.

"Some know a little more, but it's more common for people to fear me or mistake me for the God of the Dead or the God of War." Which is basically all the same looming ill-omen to the mortals.

They learn the truth about the afterlife once they die, but that truth doesn't often reach the surface. The mortals live their lives fearing him and death being the end of their existence. Considering what they could know about him, one of the reasons why he's panic teleporting through the carriages, Thanatos prefers to remain mysterious and feared.

This...is getting far more specific than Ryo had initially expected.

(Then again, his initial expectations had boiled down to "attempt to help the very powerful person stop panicking," so it had been a low bar to begin with.)

"How many gods are there where you're from?"

"A lot." He doubts even the Olympians know the exact number of gods... In fact, he knows they don't because they didn't know about Zagreus. There's the fact that the count could be changed based on if they included or excluded "lesser gods" like himself. (Or just Zeus being Zeus...)

Thanatos doesn't interact with many of them. Different lines of work, they wouldn't want anything to do with Death.

"Enough that they have temples and shrines all over the surface with sacrifices burning for them at all hours of the day or night."

Ryo is quiet for a few moments, trying to wrap his head around that. He has no idea how big 'the surface' is where Thanatos is from, but given that he's already mentioned a god of war and a god of the dead in addition to himself, Ryo is starting to get the feeling that there are far more gods on Thanatos' world than any one world should really have.

Not that he's ever going to say that. It's equal parts rude and dangerous.

"That..." he starts, trailing off. "Wow. That is a lot." A beat. "Are they your friends, then?" Humans may not be happy to see Thanatos, but surely other gods would understand?

No... there are probably too many gods in his world. They fight and bicker, and mortals are caught in the crossfire many times. At least being Death, he's neutral to those conflicts. Mostly. He's not exactly neutral in one of the conflicts between gods right now.

"No. I don't cross paths with most of them, and they would rather not have anything to do with me." Thanatos isn't sure why he's telling Ryo this, but at the same time, it's not secret even if mortals know little of the problems of gods. How many does he regularly interact with? 8?

Although friends... actual friends... one? Possibly two? Maybe he can stretch it to three or four....

Ryo's expression falls at that explanation. Humans don't want to see him, and the people who should be his peers - his friends - avoid him instead...

Ryo never would have wished his situation on anyone, and yet he's somehow managed to find someone experiencing it anyway.

"It's...lonely, isn't it." It's not a question - it's the phrasing of someone who's been there.

"I do not expect anything different. Leave my twin to greet and befriend many."

Hypnos speaks with such cheer, though he lacks a filter for his words. Even the Olympians had called upon him a few times... Although, that is part of the reason why he works in the House of Hades now. May Zeus never find out Hypnos' role in the Trojan War, but they Olympians fear Nyx. She may stay distant. However, she would not let such harm fall upon him.

"I know my duty."

That's not an answer. That's avoidance. He's...familiar, to say the least.

Thanatos had been panicking, and it sounds like he's been alone, despite having a twin; whether the two are related, Ryo has no idea. He also doesn't know how much further he can go without potentially making things worse.

He hesitates, but...honestly, he honestly isn't sure where else to go. "That isn't what I asked," he says quietly, well aware that it could end the conversation.

...admittedly, he hadn't asked anything, but the sentiment is there nonetheless.

"I don't expect anything different," he repeats as if Ryo didn't hear him the first time. "I am Death Incarnate. I have been all my existence. It's what I know."

But even as he says that, Thanatos questions if that exactly true anymore? Sure, it's a more recent development in his life, but... well... Zagreus... what? He doesn't have an answer for a question he doesn't know either. Blood and darkness. Why are emotions so hard to understand? He doesn't like, doesn't want this confusion.

He shakes his head. "I can't remain here. I need to be freed."

There's something there, under the surface. Ryo can see the signs of it - the hesitation, the head shake - even if he has no idea what it might be.

But the conversation moves on, and he follows it - no sense in trying to dig now. He sighs. "If you can find a way out, I think everyone would like to know. From what I've been told, people have been here for months. It doesn't sound like we can leave."

"No, I refuse to be trapped for a month again." The "again" slips out before Thanatos can even think to stop it. He continues, hoping that he'll be able to draw attention away from it. "There is too much to be done back home, and the gods will not appreciate their lives being so interrupted."

They like their wars and sacrifices and helping Zagreus. Especially that last one since they seem to find their assistance a new and unique source of amusement at the moment.

'Again' doesn't slip his notice - gods, that's probably why Thanatos was panicking earlier, if he'd been trapped somewhere for a month - but he doesn't comment.

"They may need to adjust." Not that Ryo has a terribly high opinion of the gods of Thanatos' world, if they call on his services but routinely shun him as a person. "Like I said, from what I've heard, nobody has found a way out yet." He pauses. If Thanatos can poof in and out of existence, maybe he can cover some ground. "Is there anywhere you haven't checked yet?"

It won't only be the gods needing to adjust. The entire world will have to adjust. People are going to needlessly sufferer from a myriad of things. And again... what about Zagreus?

Thanatos has to find a way out.

"There are some areas I cannot access. I do not know if they are locked by some force, but I am bared from them. I have also tried to shift as far as possible from the train to no avail."

He... may have hit a wall in the process a few times. Very undignified for Death Incarnate to do. (He... hopes no one saw that.)

(The train saw that, Thanatos.)

"So we're stuck inside the walls, then." It tracks with everything else he's been told so far - which hasn't been much, but it also hasn't been a full day yet. He glances at a window, out into the swirling void beyond. "Honestly, if our choices are in here or out there, I think I'd rather be in here."

Honestly, he'd rather be home then either, but that's not going to help either of them right now.

He turns his attention back to Thanatos. "Is there any way you can relax while you search? Anything that helps you calm down?" Trying to dissuade him entirely will likely make things worse, but maybe a different angle will help.

(No, it didn't!)

And Thanatos would rather be in that dark void beyond the windows. It's close to Night or maybe even Chaos, despite not being as familiar with that primeval realm. It's closer to home.

The silence that follows Ryo's question really doesn't bode well for the number of relaxing activities Thanatos participates in. His breaks are few and brief, and lately he had spent them fighting shades alongside Zagreus.

Thanatos hates how his thoughts keep drifting back to him as if he really didn't have enough to worry about.

"I watch the River Styx flow past the balcony of the House," he ends up saying.

(The train sees all, Thanatos)

That is not a promising silence. Abject denial could at least be argued against, but the silence implies that there really is nothing to fill that gap-

So it's a relief when Thanatos does speak. Watching a river... "I don't know if you've seen it," Ryo starts, "but there's a garden not far from here, with a fountain and a stream. It's not the same, but maybe it'll help?"

A New Platform [Intro Post January]

The whole thing starts with a box

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)

(no subject)