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

"Oh, that looks delicious!" Wei Wuxian said. He took a big sniff of the birds. "Do you have enough to share?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"I can help hunt more tomorrow, if there is a bow I can borrow," he said.

There's a few birds there, so Fingon glances between them and the Man and gives a small smile.

"Well, I can hardly eat them all on my own, can I? Feel free to take what you like. And if you have some suitable wood, give me a couple of hours and I can fashion you something to work with."

Deal! Wei Wuxian was the best marksman of his sect, before he died. He was so itching to get his hands on a bow he looked at the birds, looked back at Fingon, then back at the birds.

"I'll be right back!" he said, making up his mind. He'd seen something earlier that might work, when he'd been out...enjoying some scenery with his husband.

Not more than twelve minutes later, he was back, panting slightly, as he handed Fingon the wood he'd found. He'd been so excited, he'd carried it in his hand, rather than stowing it in his pouch.

"How's this?" he asked.

Yeah. Sure. Let's go with that explanation.

Fingon takes the wood and examines it, trying to get a sense of its properties.

"This should work; it will bend without breaking and the grain is straight." He looks up at the Man. "I can have it done in a few hours."

He'd like a year to properly season a bow stave, but the train isn't going to start running on his standards now, is it?

"Is there something I can do to help? Or for you, while you do that?" Wei Wuxian asked excitedly. "Just name it!"

"Thank you, but no," He shakes his head.

"If anything, it's enough to be busy with something productive. It's very dull on the train."

"It really is," Wei Wuxian said with a sigh. "I mean, it gives me time to meditate properly without distraction, which is helping, but...not a lot to do."

"You have any hobbies?" he asked.

"Horses and hawks," he shrugs, taking a knife from his pocket to mark a few places in the wood.

"Both of which, of course, are rather unavailable on the train. Music, but until the new car arrived I would have had to pester my aunt for my cousin's harp."

Which, really, always felt a bit uncomfortable. Even if Nerdanel would never hold it against him.

"And I enjoy woodworking; I made my own bows at home, when practical."

Wei Wuxian nodded. Some of his hobbies were a little hard to do on the train too.

"If you are good at wood working, can you not make yourself a harp?" he asked. "Or did you borrow your cousin's for sentimental reasons?"

He liked the new music car, but he'd brought his own flute with him.

"I could," he shrugs. "I've never done so before, but I've played long enough, I know how they're created. But it always seemed as though there were more important things to put resources toward.

"Besides. We don't often find ourselves in places with this much wood."

Event: Healing Waters

Barbecue Pit

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