middleofsomewhere | Event: Healing Waters

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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!)

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[ His cringe is too difficult to control at this point, faced with the excessive colors and garish design on the shorts. The cats might not even be the problem! The beach shirt he picked out was classy. Watch him fold the offending item back into a nice little rectangle before setting it aside. It's a no from us, sir. He's a presidential gent! ]

Yeah, that's not coming with me. Thanks, it's the thought that counts.

[ Rummage, rummage. What Even Was This???? as he holds it up with another look of disapproval. ]

Listen, if you're so stylish, then why don't you help me pick out better pairs of shorts for this weather? Serious choices. [ Which is short of saying Roland actually does trust Tidus to the task; he has flair, after all! ]

[ WHAT A SPOILSPORT. It's okay, at least he got to make Roland suffer the shorts for a while.

And he can say some things about serious choices- ]

Alright, alright. [ --but no, Tidus will behave. He's making the shorts swish as he goes through the rack, the onesie still dangling on the top edge. ]

With what? Your cat shirt? [ But before Roland can answer, he adds, the thought popping in his head- ] Did you wear clothes like this before the train?

[ Because imagining a leader type dressed in a cat shirt... ....was a thing. ]

[ Careful eyes will take notice of a lapse in his usually well-thought out movements, like he has to actually physically remember a time when he wore clothes that weren't his suits, ties, clean slacks and dress shoes. But it's a hesitation that comes and goes, maybe it was really nothing at all. Even if Roland is wracking his brain for the answer, for he couldn't even recall it; an actual holiday where there was nothing to be done, no calls to take, no meetings to prioritize. Who was he even with...? ]

Yeah, sure. [ It's only slightly dismissive! ] It's not my go-to attire, but I'm pretty sure I did. [ Once. His childhood counts, right? His mom picked out nice clothes for him. Not a lie. He finds a pair of black shorts with a red rope tie around the hips, but it's almost too formal for the beach. And who wears black out there anyway? Probably this guy, because he looks like he's seriously contemplating it. ] Shorts that'll go with anything, really. Even the navy one. They're all waterproof, right?

[ He's overthinking it, and that's really the best way to look at it. ]

[ 'Pretty sure I did'. Pretty sure that sounds like what a old man would say, but it's an answer. Telling. Tidus watches Roland for just a moment, but there's no reason for him to inspect or scrutinise the man--there's shorts to shuffle through. What would look good on a guy like Roland... ]

I couldn't see it with any of the top heads in Spira. They were called 'Maesters'--not a government, but the same idea. I ever tell you about them?

[ Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. He's taken too pieces off from the rack, hanging over an arm. Both blue if Roland looks over, but he isn't show them off yet. ]

Really, now? Maesters...they sound pretty scholarly. No, but please go on. What's the government like in Spira?

[ Of course he'd be genuinely interested in something like this, even now as they prepare for a seemingly innocent vacation. And maybe knowing what he does about Roland, he's reminding him of them?

Roland sees a pair of denim-type cargo shorts that would probably look better on Tidus, so he sets it aside for him before diving back down.

Some of these were truly horrible designs. ]

[ wow what u got against the della trunks. ]

It was based around religion. Follow the teachings... I don't know exactly. Everyone followed it, but the government was in a place called Bevelle, and you had four...five guys as the heads? The 'leaders', or whatever.

Mika was the head Maester, [ to emphasise the difference, ] then there was a guy called Seymour, uh... a Ronso, and a Kin-something. Kin ran their version of an army far as I could tell, but I don't know what all their jobs were. Basically, just be the guys who spread the teachings of Yevon to Spira.

[ He shrugs, arms coming out in the motion despite the shorts hanging over an arm, a mocking tone at the end. ]

There were people who didn't follow Yevon, and everyone pretty much hated them. Turns out they weren't wrong to find the whole religion stupid though.

[ They're not Della trunks, they're just rubber ducks :| Don't do her dirty like that!!!

He's found a couple more sensible choices. A beige one, a white one, and a nice spicy dark red, though the last one was a little too short for his liking. Still, he sets it aside for shortlisting. All the while, he glances at Tidus speaking, nodding in understanding from time to time. ]

If it's a government based on a widely practiced religion, then it's a theocracy. Interesting. [ Not new, but it did paint a better picture for Roland on the kind of world Tidus came from. With arms crossed, he faces him fully engaged now, the shorts hanging over his arm noticed but not mentioned for the moment. He hopes he picked a nice choice, at least! ]

So there was some sort of civil divide between citizens who followed the Maesters and their teachings versus non-believers. What was problematic with 'Yevon'?

[ LIKE YOU DID ETHAN, YOUR OWN KING?? SMH.

Theocracy? Sounds like more words that Tidus doesn't get, but it doesn't bother him much to ask. ]

No one actually knew it at the time, but the real Yevon, he was the guy who caused the problem Spira was dealing with. But the Al Bhed didn't know about that--they just didn't believe the teachings, what they said you could or couldn't do. They didn't see why they had to go along with them.

[ And if he's bringing up the Al Bhed, Tidus knows this isn't going to be a short explanation. So he steps away from the rack, turning to face Roland and regard him; the hand with an arm free of clothing being used to gesture as he explains. ]

So a long time ago, machina--machines--used to be big. They got popular, there was a war, and then Sin came around. People blamed the machina on Sin, who was a giant fiend that destroyed everything. 'People got lazy, and Sin was their punishment'. Like that.

[ He speaks with a familiarity,--drily for the quote--but a distance too: a tourist who knows about a place and the tl;dr of the situation, with no connection to any of the events. Plain, and to the point. ]

The Al Bhed used machina and didn't believe that was the problem. So...everyone hated them, 'cause everyone else decided to stop using them. There was other stuff too- [ Tidus shares, facing the rack again, but actually looking at the shorts he's got. Putting them in his hands and folding them once. ] Like...what happens to people when they die. Their own language. A lot of things. They have their own way of living. And they're the same as everyone else.

[ He's walked over to Roland to hold out the clothing for him to take. Three pairs of shorts. ]

Not a fan of the longer ones, but the other two look okay.

That's textbook discrimination.

[ He actually stops to listen intently, abandoning the idea of looking for a pair of shorts to go with his outfits when Tidus is sharing the history of his world with him. And the more he listens, the more Roland sees similar threads in political dealings. Sometimes, bringing out the very worst of mankind. If Tidus thought this wasn't going to revert him back to his usual seriousness, then he's got another thing coming. His brows are furrowed in thought, realizing that every world, in every dimension, were always going to be plagued with the mistakes of failing leadership. His voice is low and tense, and he's crossing his arms already; a practiced default. ]

And the Al Bhed just...accepted it? They didn't try to assert their claim to free speech; that they had every right to live the way their culture and their people have decided for themselves, just like everybody else? [ He looks away. This is probably the most passionate Roland's ever been, on the Voidtrecker. ] The Maesters should have been elected out. Shameful. The Al Bhed were probably just as affected by Sin.

[ When he pauses, and when Tidus hands him his picks - all blue, all very tropical - Roland takes them silently in his arms and immediately picks the two shorter options. He thanks him, but... ]

What happened, in the end? To the Al Bhed? The rest of Spira, who cast them aside? And the Maesters who didn't think of leading the people to accept all walks of life?

Dunno.

[ No, it's not a satisfying answer, but it's what Roland first receives along with a quick shrug, a continuation after a beat. ]

I think all the Maester died before I showed up here. Sin was destroyed too, but I dunno what happened after that--I got picked up 'round when it happened. [ ... ] But a better life for everyone, I hope.

[ Though, he knows some of the answer to that. With his hands free Tidus steps away from Roland, his back turned, but walking with no real rush to the racks. No immediate desire to go and look for his own wear with the story on his mind and tongue to finish. ]

Everyone got hurt before Sin was finally gone though. The Al Bhed... they're still around, but their home where most of 'em lived got attacked, back when Yuna got kidnapped. [ The reason they attacked. ] Maybe they're rebuilding now; it's been three years since then. A friend of mine, Rikku--she's a treasure hunter these days, with Yuna and some others. [ And then there was Kimahri, Wakka and Lulu... ]

Everyone's trying to rebuild, [ he figures, with some more certainty. ] The truth about Yevon came out, and everyone knows it wasn't the machina that made Sin.

[ He looks over his shoulder at Roland. ]

What would a world like that look like now?

[ The clothes are more or less an afterthought now, since Roland agrees with the choices Tidus has picked out for him anyway. The final folding is slow and relaxed, just storing away his supplies for the three day reprieve. It was still surreal to him to be privy to these stories; histories of worlds and universes that would never have occurred to him as President, all ended up true and real. Though something about how Tidus speaks, the way he is recalling things, bothers Roland somewhat.

If he was picked up by the train shortly after Sin's defeat, then how does he know how much time has passed back home? Three years since? With the fates of his friends, even his girlfriend...

He saves it for later. ]

Divided.

[ It's an easy answer, one that comes from experience. ]

Still waters run deep. Just because the truth is out now doesn't solve the small problems, the microaggressions that have built up over time. But that's just the beginning. It seems Spira at least, has earned its peace from Sin. From the Maesters. Unification is always possible no matter how great the chasm between nations. It just takes a lot of hard work. Together, as one.

That, I know that from experience. [ His hands stop moving, folding has ceased. He stares at the bright colored shorts in his grip. Then he throws Tidus a small smile before resuming his folding at a leisurely pace. ]

Good choices, by the way. Except for the long ones. You're right, they're not my style. Either be shorts, or be pants, not both. [ SORRY BOUT THE STYLE CHOICE, TIDUS. ]

[ He wants to know more about it. More about Spira, how it might be conflicted, changed. He wants to walk the trails he did with Yuna and the rest, search for every difference in the environment, how the world healed without him. But, he'd want to do it and be able to stay; he'd want to chat with Kimahri as the new Ronso leader, hang out with Rikku on her treasure hunting adventures, check up on Lulu and Wakka as a couple. He'd want to meet their baby, give Wakka a punch on the shoulder for being a dad now; and get headlocked in by him, hear his noisy laugh, his thick accent and carefree ways.

And it's always around then that Tidus realises he's lost track of the dream, that small fancy of seeing the world once more from the distance--and remembers he shouldn't think of impossibilities, and crushes it down. Tells himself he won't get any of it.

It's what he recalls in a few seconds from listening to Roland; the shirt rack somehow in front of him, but his gaze elsewhere, deeper in.

He shuffles some, chuckles with a grin, pulling himself back to reality. As he always does. ]

You never saw my blitz outfit. But you have to be good to pull it off! [ That is- ] Fashionable.

Hey. I used to wear designer and bespoke almost every day, back home. You think I can't pull off your style, kid?

[ He chuckles, and retrieves the discarded one-piece wetsuit Tidus had thrown haphazardly back before he helped pick out some of Roland's attire for the trip. He waves it around with a playful smile on his face. ]

I mean, if you're so stylish then why does this scare you so much? It's all in the person wearing the clothes, y'know.

I can wear a bin bag. Doesn't mean I'm going to!

[ So no, he's not going to even humour the idea of taking it, continuing through the rack and picking himself out a few ~~that I'm not going to link images to bc I'm lazy~~. ]

Why don't you see if there's some suntan lotion and let me dress myself. [ Drily: ] And don't forget your twenty swords, just in case.

[ Again, if he was the type to roll his eyes, man he would be doing that Right Now! But Roland's already appreciative of the time, the story, a little bit about Tidus that he wouldn't have ever known. So he just prepares his duffel bags - yes BAGS! plural!! - and gestures with a nod of his head to the side; a whole area of cosmetic items for excursion fun times. ]

Go wild. Let me know if you need a sword to stab some fish with. [ You think he won't? It's more efficient! ] Maybe I'll lend you one again. If you ask nicely.

[ He waves at him once, smile on his face as he walks out of the carriage. Before he leaves, he looks back, a glance thrown over his shoulder. ]

Thanks, Tidus. See you around the island.

[ Thanks for what? The shorts? Maybe. And maybe, a little bit more than that, too. ]

Edited 2020-08-19 11:36 (UTC)

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Event: Healing Waters

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wrap this thread up too, coward

i've finally destroyed you, weakling