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

Curufin gazed at Wei Wuxian in surprise. He knew the man had some magical skills, after all, he was a cultivator, but he hadn't known he could move an object such as a boat. Well, this was fun!

"Don't lose your balance and fall in," he joked.

Wei Wuxian shook his head and looked over his shoulder at the elf. "Nah, we travelled like this all the time, back home. Cultivators don't row."

Now that they were on their way, he turned a little. "Elves have to row, huh? You have so many other talents, that surprises me a little."

"Cultivators don't row, sounds like an old platitude or homily. Is it some clan rule?" He chuckled. "So you just moved the boat smoothly along the water with magical force. Did you move other vehicles, too? Could you move a horse cart? Or. . . the horse itself?" Grin. He's picturing the horse floating along the road without having to move it's feet at all, with a completely baffled look on its horsey face.

Wei Wuxian shook his head and laughed. "No. Though my donkey, Lil' Apple, probably wished I could. Carts are meant to be pulled, boats are meant to glide through water, there's a difference. At least that is how it was explained to me. Besides, why levitate a cart, when you can just ride your sword?" he asked wisely.

"You have a donkey named Apple? How adorable. Does he like to munch apples?" Grin. "I'll bet he doesn't like to pull carts, and so if you ever expect him to do so, he probably will hee-haw at you with great annoyance and demand that you use your powers of levitation. But what's this about riding a sword?" He's scratching his head, trying to picture it. "How on earth do you do that?"

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. "Yes, and it is the only way to get him to move. String, stick, apple."

"He doesn't pull a cart, he just has to carry me, and I'm not that heavy. He's just a lazy donkey. Unless he wants something, then you can't get him to stop."

Wei Wuxian sighed. "I cannot do it right now, or I would show you. The Cultivators of my world have a Golden Core. Basically it is spirit power. As a junior you meditate many hours to create it and strengthen it, then you learn how to manipulate things. Spells, riding your sword, dealing with the undead and spirits, things like that."

He paused a moment, then smiled at the elf. "My new body...the previous owner never spent a lot of time working on his Golden Core." He cocked his head to the side and back. "If he had, he probably wouldn't have needed to summon me, so while I am critical, I understand...if it didn't happen this way, I would still be dead."

"But! If you want to see it," he grinned again, "Lan Zhan is very good at it. When we were in the caves, going down to help the Dweller, he gave me a lift so I didn't have to climb. He's the best husband ever."

Curufn grinned. "Apple must be a creature of stubborn integrity. It sounds as though he will not be led or commanded. . . but maybe bribed, occasionally, with an apple. Or tricked. Good thing he doesn't have to pull a cart. He'd probably upset it and dump the cargo into a ditch, as a way of making a statement about his displeasure with being used for a cart-horse while not even being a horse."

He listened to Wei Wuxian's description of the Golden Core. "The Cultivators of your world seem to use a technique similar to Elvish methods for developing spiritual power that can be employed in the martial arts or other skills. Funny how things can be similar across the universes."

His eyes widened a little. "You're occupying a body that was not originally your own? The original owner called you to come and take up residence? -- was it because he was in some kind of trouble? I'm actually rather glad you were given that opportunity, because I'm guessing your world needed you in some way."

"I'd love to see Lan Zhan ride a sword some time! I guess you two proved very useful on the last mission. I don't know him well, but I've had some conversations with him. I can easily imagine he'd be kind and thoughtful in any venture. And especially in marriage. You're lucky to have him, and I think he is lucky to have you."

"I don't know about integrity, but definitely the stubborn part!" Wei Wuxian actually liked the stubborn creature, but he wasn't about to let him know, Lil' Apple was hard enough to deal with as it was.

He nodded at the comparison to the Elvish methods. "That Glorfindel who hangs around with Lan Zhan and calls him...Otorno? Brother. He says that we do seem to be quite elvish for humans."

"Yes, Mo Xuangyu...he had a hard life, not all of his own making," he said with a pointed grin. "And...yes and no. One particular person masterminded my return because he felt that I was the best tool for the job, that of uncovering the truth behind what happened to his brother. But Lan Zhan and I benefit from that, so. But I will definitely be keeping my eye on him, as he is quite subtle and it wasn't until everything was wrapped up that we were able to determine it was indeed him behind it all."

"I know I am very lucky to have him," Wei Wuxian said seriously. "Though, I only realized recently that I did. That is when he got me and now he is lucky too." He grinned again. "I hope you are so lucky. With someone other than my husband, though." He narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion. He knew Lan Zhan's heart was eternally his.

Curufin felt the same way about Huan the Hound of Valinor, his brother Celegorm's dog. Stubborn as a donkey!!

"Glorfindel would know." Grin. "He's a First Age Elf, like me, and that means SUPER-Elvish. I have the same feeling -- you and Lan Zhan seem strangely and interestingly Elvish to me."

"What kind of life must this Mo Xuangyu have had, to have been willing to give up his body and his life? And you say that Mo Xuangyu summoned you, but there was somebody else involved? Hmm. Since you're speaking of keeping your eye on this mystery person, in the present tense, I take it you're refering to Xue Yang? The only other person from your world who is here and is a "him" is Xue Yang."

"Lan Zhan and you are both lucky! Thank you for your good wishes. I won't be chasing your husband, though. He's a handsome man and a good one, but I wouldn't poach on somebody else's territory. Besides, I'm entranced by Glorfindel." Another grin.

Event: Healing Waters

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