Event: Healing Waters

[voidtreckermods]

"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!)

Comments

[so_dark_a_road]

"A talan? Oh, you mean one of those tree platforms the Wood-elves use to make it possible for them to live high above the forest floor. Yes, I have! I used to cross the River Gelion and visit the Ossiriandi, sometimes with Amrod and Amras, who spent the most time with the Wood-elves of Ossiriand. We'd sometimes go to the summer festivals and drink and dance till midnight or later, and then we'd climb up into a guest-dwelling in a tree and throw ourselves down on the boards and wrap ourselves in our cloaks and sleep until the sun rose."

Of course, it was even nicer to be invited separately by a friend, and spend the night. . . in, er, let's call it a two-person moonlit revel. Oh yes, many things can be done in a tree!

[laurefindil]

"They're also used by the patrols of Imladris to keep us up and out of the way of the orcs at night," Glorfindel said with a grin. "I've gotten rather good at putting one together and thought you might appreciate not being in a tent, on the ground, while we were here?"

It was even nicer to have that invitation accepted, and see just what it was that the moonlight might reveal.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Thoughtful of those soldiers of Imladris!" agrees Curufin. "You wouldn't want Orcs nibbling on your toes. Talk about not wanting to be nibbled on by strangers! Oh, and I'd be fine with sleeping on the ground, but since you so generously offer to assemble a talan, I'll cheerfully accept your hospitality."

And oh, those moonlight revelations! He meant to make them well worth Glorfindel's good energy and generosity.

[laurefindil]

"While I don't mind sleeping on something hard, the ground is not my first choice," Glorfindel said with a grin. "Plus, if we're up in a tree, we won't keep others awake if we happen to...converse until the early morning hours."

Energy is a specialty, and he finds it very easy to be generous to Friend 1.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin grinned back at him. "If you don't mind sleeping on something hard, I'm sure I can arrange something. . . " Nope, didn't say that, no, not at all! "Our being high up a tree would be a great boon to anyone who was sleeping nearby, I'm sure. Our conversations would be enthusiastic and expressive, and we wouldn't want to keep anybody awake. A little vertical distance would surely solve that problem."

Friend 1 is looking forward to it!

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel was quite looking forward to appreciating Curufin's hard...offerings. "You are too kind," he said, his grin not wicked at all. "To go to such...lengths for me."

"Vertical distance is definitely a high point," he said, trying not to laugh, but perhaps giggling just a little. "We can converse as much as we want to, and no chance of disturbing a random passerby."

[so_dark_a_road]

And Curufin was looking forward to Glorfindel appreciating his hard offerings. And of course he meant to return the favor. "I shall go to great. . . um, lengths. . . to please my golden friend. We don't mean to keep each other at arm's length, after all." Curufin's grin was not wicked either. No, certainly not.

"Yes, and we must exert ourselves to erect that talan to a high angle. . . I mean, so that its height is such that we don't annoy those random passersby. We wouldn't want any of them climbing up to tell us to shut up."

[laurefindil]

"I do look forward to growing closer to you," Glorfindel returned. Close distances made great lengths even better, after all. He already appreciated the not wickedness of that grin.

"It would certain bring down the mood," he agreed. "It would be a shame if something were to interrupt our hard and deep conversation, and imply our erection was not as high as it needs to be."

[so_dark_a_road]

"I, too, will enjoy growing closer to you, Glorfindel," replied Curufin. Yes, closeness and time make things better, including length of stay. And being well-endowed with kindness and good intentions would make the closeness best of all.

Curufin was enjoying his golden-haired friend's not-at-all- wicked grin, too.

"Oh, yes, angry neighbors are a downer, for sure! We would not want to find ourselves prematurely deflated, after all. And our deep conversation, as always, will be based on hard logic and our two deep, penetrating minds. We must surely guarantee that our erection of the talan is done with good construction methods and the smooth performance of our chosen tasks."

[laurefindil]

When it came to good intentions and kindness, elves tended to be quite well-endowed, and Glorfindel had no doubts that Curufin would prove generous with his...generosity.

Their not-wicked grins were so pure, saints would cry. Perhaps not for the usual reasons, but there would be tears, to be sure.

"One must appease the neighbors," he agreed. "To be raised in their esteem, and remain elevated throughout the night. We can praise the dawn with a satisfaction that everything stayed erect though our conversation went long, hard, and deep."

[so_dark_a_road]

As was true of many Elves, generosity was Curufin's strong point, and doubtless it was Glorfindel's as well. They would definitely share their . . strong points with each other, and do it with pleasure.

Oh, so pure were the grins of Glorfindel and Curufin that those surveilling saints would cry, all right. With their saintly perception, they'd perceive the reasons for the brilliant smiles and cry with ENVY!

"Oh yes, to be raised high in the esteem of our neighbors and trainmates, that is surely our goal. To be so elevated hour after hour, we will certainly exercise our best energies and intentions. And due to the depth of our perception, the stiffness of our pride, our hard-core understanding, and our firmness of purpose, we will greet the dawn with cries of triumph and joy." Said with a grin that would make the angels scream.

I don't know about the angels, but I certainly laughed!

[laurefindil]

That last statement was too much for Glorfindel and he started laughing. "Well said, well said!"

"I'm quite looking forward to this, you know," he said, once he got his laughter under control. "I had best go find an accommodating tree, hadn't I?"

XDDD, and want to wrap this one?

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin grinned. "Glad you like my word-smithing. I certainly like yours."

"I'm looking forward to this, too. Yes, go pick a tree! And if you need help, I've got my tools with me. Also, I brought a bag full of blankets and a few pillows, so we will have lordly accommodations."

Woo Bonus Points!

[laurefindil]

"I don't hold a candle to the forge of the Master, but I try my best," Glorfindel said modestly.

Glorfindel gives him an Elven salute and a grin. "Trust me, I will be in touch." In so many ways...

\o/ And it's a wrap!

[so_dark_a_road]

"Oh, don't worry, Glorfindel. With your Light, you can hold a candle to anyone!"

Curufin smiles and returns the salute. "I'll go and get my tools and my bag of pillows and blankets, and I'll be waiting. For your. . . touch." Yet another bright grin that is not entirely innocent.