Event: Abort! Part One

[voidtreckermods]

Until now there has been one mission in every month. The practice in Apple and since then one for each month. So for those that have been on the train for a while they will be extremely surprised when on the twenty fifth day of the month of Egret their SCA’s glow gold and a hologram appears. Another mission.

Strange or not preparations need to be made, the voidtreckers are needed, strange timing or not.

Preperations

As promised the dressing room is open once again and there is a collection of leggings, shirts and tunics. All are in bold, differing shades of team colours and are made of sturdy material. There are a couple of cloaks, like those they wore in the goblin world they look medieval in style but will keep rain off as well as a modern raincoat.

As usual they have about an hour of preparation time, to gather supplies, get changed and help those who need more help disguising themselves to do so.

Arrival

”We are now approaching world#27462947582. Warning: Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four,” Hopefully even those who are new know to hold on or sit down by now. ”Three, two, one.” A jolt and a lurch and the void from outside the windows disappears to show green grass and a blue sky.

The Voidtrecker Express has landed in a small dip between two hills. Tall enough to mostly hide it and once everyone who wishes to disembarks it vanishes.

The voidtreckers, on climbing the hill, will find they are inside the city walls, just. Here it is mostly farmland still but as they move towards the centre there are more houses and things become more crowded and bustling. The city is big enough that an influx of strangers doesn’t turn many heads.

Their SCA has a map, red team’s has a marker for the northern gate, purple’s show the position of guard posts. Orange and Blue’s shows the main gates that lead out into the kingdom beyond.

Red Team

Getting to the northern gate doesn’t take all that much time and they are let out without much fuss, though fair warnings about the monsters out there. It is clear that though this city is nominally guarded and walled, it has been a long time since there has been war here and people can come and go as they wish.

The desert is, much as can be expected. It is more a scrub land rather than rolling dunes of sand but the land is cracked and dry. They have to move at least an hour away from the city before they come across any monsters at all.

When they do they are strange almost-boar looking creatures. They are vicious and will attack on sight, charging with huge tusks and teeth that are far too sharp to belong to a natural creature. They are clearly intelligent, even if they don’t seem to have language. But they never come across more than five at once and there doesn’t seem to be any movement of them towards the city.

Purple Team

The guard posts are only have a few guards there at any one time. Though questioning any of them the voidtreckers will learn that there are other guards in the city, ready to come to the defence of the walls if the alarm is ever sounded. Those on the walls are there to keep watch.

It might take a little bit of persuading but there isn’t a huge problem with purple team being allowed up onto the walls. As long as they don’t seem to be causing or bringing trouble.

The surrounding countryside is clear. To the north is the desert but to the east, west and south there are rolling hills of green. The kingdom that this city is part of.

For them it is a few hours of tedium and anticipation. Watching the landscape, waiting for a threat. The other soldiers are curious enough that they could be coaxed into conversation or a game of dice.

Blue Team and Orange Team

It is very difficult to convince a city full of people who have not known danger in a long time that they have to pack up and leave.

There are difficult shop keepers, confused farmers, worried parents.

Some are able to be ready quickly and so can follow the Blue team out of the southern gates. It might take more than one group, with a few blue team going with each one. The kingdom isn’t particularly dangerous but who knows when that may change. Keeping everyone together and moving will be the challenge here.

For Orange team there are plenty of logistical problems to get stuck into. Animals need moving, people need help packing or wrangling small children. Older people need help finding carts to ride.

Not to mention the very stubborn ones who will take a lot of persuading. Those who were on the goblin world have had practice in this already of course, and hopefully have tips to share.

(OOC: Information about this event is here)

Comments

[so_dark_a_road]

Three cheers for lightness and nonchalance! Curufin uses the same strategy as Inigo does, to keep away any sadness that threatens to intrude.

"I'd be willing to give the train the benefit of the doubt, and assume it chose the colors for practical reasons. Still, it obviously didn't consult a fashion designer or an army ranger. When I'm wearing my orange, I often feel like the center of a bullseye target. Your purple isn't quite as bad." Snicker.

[flatteries]

"It's my favourite colour," he admits. Even though he's not too sure how it looks to constantly wear purple with his own dark blue hair.. It's not exactly the greatest colour combination. But he knows it could be worse. Dark blue and orange might just have made him a bit too colourful, so perhaps he should be grateful about the team the train picked for him.

"Although an entire wardrobe in one colour is a little much, even when it's your favourite. I wish it could at least give us some downtime clothes that aren't as colour-coordinated. Although that wouldn't help much with your bullseye feeling on missions, I suppose."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I think purple suits you." Also, he thinks the dark blue hair and the purple go very well together! Dark blue and orange would have been. . . well, a little more iffy.

"I used to wear almost nothing but black, but I see your point. I'd like to have some leisure clothes and have the option of whatever colors I wanted. But, true, the train probably wouldn't let us wear whatever we wanted on the missions. Still, what do you think? -- tight black jeans, black leather lace-up boots with lug soles, black jean jacket, and my red silk shirt that our kindly spider friend made for me?" He grins and strikes a pose that suits the imaginary outfit. "An outfit worth getting shot at for."

[flatteries]

Inigo grins at the compliment, although his facial expression returns to something more neutral - like he's thinking - when Curufin describes the outfit. He's trying really hard to imagine it in his mind here!

It takes a slight moment, but then he nods approvingly.

"That does sound pretty amazing. And hot." There's a pause where he seems to realise how what he just said might sound, and Inigo's cheeks immediately take on the same shade of red as the red team's clothes in the dressing carriage. "Erm-- I mean! People might think it's hot! Other.. people. You know."

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin grins back and waits for a response.

"I had hoped people might think my imaginary outfit is hot. Maybe someday it won't be imaginary, and I'll get to test my theory of red and black as inherently sizzling." No need for Inigo to blush! Curufin gets it, Inigo was merely giving a compliment, not hitting on him. No hard feelings, and the compliment is welcome.

[flatteries]

Bless Curufin for even glossing over Inigo's more awkward foot in mouth moments. There's plenty of people who would have taken advantage of it to wildly make fun of him, after all! So he honestly feels relieved that Curufin doesn't seem to mind it - although he does awkwardly rub the back of his neck for a moment as he tries to calm down from his flustered state.

"If only we could ask the train for speciifc clothes, huh? I kind of miss my own from back home as well, although I've grown pretty used to the hoodies."

[so_dark_a_road]

It's not as though Curufin has never put his own foot in his own mouth! So, he can empathize when other people do, and give them some slack.

"I'd love it if we could ask for specific clothes. I'll bet we'd all be walking around in clothes from our own worlds, at least some of the time. What would you ask for, Inigo?"

[flatteries]

"Well, there's one outfit in particular I'm kind of used to."

Mostly since it is his only outfit. That's kind of what happens when the apocalypse kicks in - you have to stick with what you've got. But this is Inigo we're talking about, so obviously he's not going to share the sad reason behind it. Especially not with someone as cheerful as Curufin, he'd never forgive himself if he brought the other's mood down even slightly!

"Especially if I could wear it into combat on the missions. I usually have this shield on my shoulder.. It's so odd to fight without it. I got too used to relying on it to block certain strikes that I now have to block myself because this train insists on giving us.." He gestures at the clothes around them. "Well, these ridiculously coloured things instead."

[so_dark_a_road]

Funny how Curufin's cheerfulness fools people into thinking he's never down. Actually, cheerfulness is a habit he taught himself in childhood and used forever afterwards to lever his moods back up when they sink. Much of the time it is perfectly genuine, though. Such as now.

He listens to Inigo's description of the shield. "A shield, huh? That sounds useful. What's it made of? Is it metal or a metal alloy?" He has to laugh a little Ingio indicates the heaps of clothes around them, and presumably the train clothes they were wearing when they walked into the Dressing Coach. "None of these seem particularly useful for blocking a sword strike or a hit from any other weapon!"

Inigo seems like the sort who would protect himself with good gear if he had the option. "Anything else? Anything that you wear when you wear the shield?"

[flatteries]

Inigo laughs. "I think it was some sort of metal, but don't quote me on that one. I'm not exactly a weapon or armour forger." Far from it. Inigo may know how to use swords and shields and other weapons, and actually do it pretty well, but he wouldn't even know where to start on making one. Thankfully weapons were just about the only thing that wasn't difficult to come across in the future.

"And the rest of my outfit.. well, it was pretty much just the usual. My shirt, pants, boots, gloves.. I'm not exactly the heavy armour kind of guy. I try to rely on not getting hit in the first place." Hence the focus on that shield, since it was his only real defense with that outfit. "I was a mercenary back home, so I just wore that most of the time. I had to be ready for a job at any given time, after all!"

It's.. not really the full explanation, but it's not a lie at the same time, so Inigo can deliver it quite confidently.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin laughs too. "Whereas I am a metalsmith, and I'm always curious about what a weapon or a device is made of. All right, agreed, I won't quote you!"

He nods when Inigo describes the rest of his outfit. "I suppose it depends on what role you play in a battle, and what kind of a battle it is. Heavy armor isn't needed in all situations. You were a mercenary? What sorts of jobs were you hired for?"

[flatteries]

"Not for any big wars or anything." Nope, that's the part he signed up for very voluntarily.. But he's keeping that fact hidden for sure. There's a lot he doesn't mind sharing with Curufin, but he'd like to keep the sadder parts of his story to himself. Not even since he doesn't trust the other - it's just that he would never want to be the cause of Curufin's smile fading. "Mostly just odd jobs here and there. Taking care of some bandits who stole from villagers, taking jerks who were harassing girls down a notch.." (Inigo, one day you will look in the mirror and realise you're the one harassing girls.)

"Those sorts of things. I figure it sure doesn't sound as interesting as being a metalsmith is."

Want to wrap this thread?

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin would be all right with it if Inigo ever brought up the sadder parts of his story. His smile might fade, but he'd be empathetic to his friend's past troubles. And as we know, empathy nurtures both the one who receives it and the one who gives it.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Metalsmithing is interesting, but so is anything that has to do with either fighting or problem-solving. I wouldn't be bored by stories of your experiences." He smiles.

"We'd better get moving, the train is going to want to land on that planet pretty soon." He picks up his rucksack and his satchel. The circus clown is ready to rock!

yes, sounds perfect to do it here!

[flatteries]

Curufin really is just way too understanding of a guy. In every single possible way. Maybe it's good that there's that distraction at the end or Inigo might just never be able to escape the thought of just how good Curufin is.

(Well, both that and a bit of a circus clown right now, but it's all good.)

Instead he just nods. "You're right, let's go!"