middleofsomewhere | Event: Healing Waters

"Good morning passengers, it is day twenty three of the month of Grasshopper. All passengers of the Voidtrecker Express require rest. Next stop Jema’grethy Island. All passengers prepare to disembark."

It is a very strange morning message that rings through the train on the morning of day twenty three but as the passengers of the Voidtrecker Express wake their screens glow with the colour of the void and a holographic screen pops up for them to read.

World #2554098133741: A world once inhabited by an ancient civilisation and now preserved as a historical site, nature reserve and well-being retreat. It is famous for its relaxing hot springs, calming atmosphere and beautiful beaches.

It is a popular void-traveller destination, particularly among void missionaries as a place to rest and recuperate after difficult missions.

The Voidtrecker Express will spend three days here, arriving today and leaving on day twenty six of the month of Grasshopper. The dressing carriage is open for your convenience.

It is time for a holiday it seems!

Preparation

For those who go to explore the dressing carriage they will find a variety of beachwear and wetsuits. One cupboard has a pile of tents and groundsheets in all four team colours.

One cabinet is exclusively filled with beach towels, in a kaleidoscope of colours, designs and patterns. Another is filled with different shapes and sizes of plain towel dressing gowns. There is even a cabinet with buckets, spades and small rock-pooling nets.

It seems they are in for quite an adventure.

Arrival

"Shortly arriving on World #2554098133741. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train lurches and rattles as it leaves the void they will get a glimpse of silver-purple sky and a beautiful ocean below.

However some passengers might be a little more than distracted, one staring at that table for a second too long, another seeming lost in thought for a couple of seconds, a longer than normal pause in a sentence. They see a vision, a glimpse of a life that is not their own. Not all at once, but here and there as the train descends to the island.

But then it is gone and things are back to normal. Just in time, as they come to land.

Jema’grethy Island

The train has landed on a grassy ridge, overlooking a beautiful beach of white sand and the ocean beyond. It is warm, but not too hot, a cool ocean breeze cutting through the heat making it pleasant. Behind them is a grassy plain, changing to forest in the distance. There is the sound of birdsong in the purple sky. To the west the land is more craggy, the silhouette of a fortress in the distance. In a word, it is idylic. A sense of peace permeates the island.

A little more worrying is the volcano-like structure in the north. But even a quick glance will show it is not a typical volcano. There is no smoke and the liquid slowly running down it in rivulets is pink and blue.

Exploring the passengers will find beautiful beaches, ragged cliffs to walk and caves to explore. Where it is more craggy the beaches are made of pebbles- perfect for rock pooling.

The place has no people, but it is clearly maintained. The eastern beaches have racks of shallow boats, both canoes and one- or two-person sailing dinghies. There is also a small building in which scuba gear is stored, along with several waterproofed manuals and instructional literature.

Ruins of ancient houses are scattered across the island, but the main settlement is built into a rocky section in the north-west that has been secured with ropes and stairways cut into the cliffs, perfect for scrambles and hikes.

There are no living quarters, but there are sheltered sections with basic toilet facilities marked as camping grounds in five different sections of the island - by the hot springs, within the ruined fortress, beside the harbour, on the eastern beaches, and on the northern face of the mountain.

Hot Springs

To the west are the hot springs. They have both outdoor and indoor areas; the indoor areas being wooden loghouse saunas, changing rooms and storage sheds, whilst the outdoor areas are a tiered series of pools spilling down the side of the mountain and shaded by brightly flowering trees. The waters are hot, mineral-rich and soothing.

Perfect for overly stressed, world weary Void heroes...

(OOC: More setting information is here, please feel free to go wild with the setting and have a fun and relaxing time. You can use this post as a catch all for your holiday or make your own posts on

middleofsomewhere. More information about how the memory event is structured is here!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Good, I'm glad."

But that worries her. Mami clenches her ring hand just in case she needs to leap into action again...

"This is such a beautiful place. I wonder if they left...or something happened to them."

"There is a theory stating that most civilizations tend towards self-destruction of some sort, after achieving enough complexity," Webmind answers, after a distinctive pause.

"But such a thing seems terribly morbid, particularly when this place is so peaceful."

Though if they'd just never concerned themselves with space exploration and 'died out' naturally... a better fate than bomb, of course, but still a sad idea.

"...do you really think we're that hopeless?" Mami wonders aloud, shaking her head. Humans struggle, but they try hard! They can do it!

She wonders. "So...something like illness, famine. I guess that can hit anywhere. It's a shame, this place is so beautiful."

"No," Webmind replies simply, still moving along.

"But it does take help to see there's more to life than destruction."

He knows that all too well.

But he nods. "Beauty can hide stagnation, Mami. Even in the case nothing ever went wrong here, that does not mean anything went especially right."

"...that's true too. We learn and grow when we struggle, as painful as it is."

She stops to rest a moment. "But this is all right...for a little while."

Webmind stops moving as well; rest or no rest, the view is quite something, and so he turns around for a better look...

Which is when the part of the stair-railing he's touching does more than creak: part of the rocky foundation under it falls away, on both sides.

"Mami, assistance please!"

Look, just because he has a rope, doesn't mean it's bad to have backup!

"Here!"

And she sends a ribbon, lashing it around him and yanking him to her side. She immediately crouches low, testing the ground they're on.

"Think we should head back down?"

"Down appears to be more stable than up," Webmind observes - though perhaps it counts as a quip, as well.

"Being off the stairs for the moment should be enough improvement, I suspect."

"All right."

Mami ensures they're safe with a hesitant step, and then continues forward.

"Mm, at least it's never dull."

"Indeed not. Even paradise can only be so stable."

Which circled the conversation back around, didn't it?

"Speaking of, shall we go find a more stable set of stairs, Mami?"

"Yes, let's!"

And Mami was happy to help him to the next stair, and their next adventure.

Event: Healing Waters

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Hmm - to wrap, or have them segue into other topics?

/wrap