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

He said nothing when he sensed the approach of another. Remained quiet when they sat down beside him, and then laid down. He recognised the person, the one from his first day. Taiki. Gerome wasn't sure what had brought the other to his side of all people. He was certain that there was a hundred other people or places that would have been more welcoming.

"... The stars are strange." He said into the silence... and wondered if he would be able to reach out and put his mask on without being noticed?

"They are." He agreed softly, looking up into them. A moment later his eyes glance to the side.

"Do you mind... I can move... If you want?"

He doesn't want to ruin someone's quiet contemplation, after all.

Gerome... sighed.

"... Perhaps I would have minded, back home. But here it does not seem I do." And wasn't that just the strangest of things? If they were back home, his home, he probably would have got up and moved away. Or said something that would have caused the other to move. But somehow... things were changing. He was noticing it, little by little, that other people didn't annoy him nearly as much as he used to give them credit for. Being forced into a space with so many people, there was no way to put distance between them. He was having to learn, to adjust... and slowly he was getting used to it.

Maybe the island had something to do with it as well. The strange, relaxing and calming feel was not lost on Gerome.

But there was also the fact that he did not find Taiki's company unpleasant.

"You are welcome to remain. I will not ask you to leave until you are ready to do so."

"Oh." That was... good, he guessed. That he didn't mind. Taiki didn't want to be an annoyance, didn't want to disturb his peace.

"Please tell me, if you change your mind."

He fell silent and stared at the stars. They were different, obviously. Different shapes, different positions. But still stars high above.

"I will." Gerome nodded. He wasn't trying to be rude of offensive, he was... possibly a little more blunt than maybe he should be. But he meant well. He really didn't mind the company.

He fell quiet then, just looking up at the night sky. It was a mostly clear night, a few clouds here and there, but not much shielding the stars and their light from his eyes.

"... I wonder how far from home we actually are." He spoke quietly into the silence. "The stars are so different here..."

"Very... I think." A whole different world away. It seemed impossible, even if he was used to the idea of other worlds. But two worlds being tangled up, like where he was from, was very different than many worlds connected by a void where trains could drive.

"There is a sea in my world, called the sea of stars, when it is dark... You can see stars under the water as well as up in the sky."

That's what he had thought. Many worlds dividing him from his home. A distance far greater than he could imagine, he was sure.

"That sounds like something I would like to see..." He spoke quietly, eyes on the sky above, trying to decide if a collection of stars looked like a horse or a sheep...

He smiled a small smile and nodded, he hoped to see it again himself, see any of his home again.

He kept staring upwards, at the stars above them, finding shapes in them, much like the constellations of earth. He's not sure if his own world had constellations, if that was something people tracked.

Gerome lifted a hand and pointed toward a selection of stars. "There. Beside that cloud... Horse or sheep?" He truly couldn't decide. It could go either way. Perhaps Taiki would have a perspective he hadn't thought of?

He tilted his head slightly so he could see the star cluster that Gerome was pointing at.

He was silent for a moment. "A sheep. If that is the head." He pointed upwards, "Then the neck is too short to be a horse."

"Hm..." Gerome nodded with a pleased sound, accepting that answer. It was a sheep.

His hand dropped to rest upon his chest and he went back to looking at the other stars, trying to pick out shapes.

He just smiled and fell silent himself, looking up at the stars to pick out yet more shapes.

It is peaceful, probably the most at peace he has felt in a long time.

Event: Healing Waters

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wrap here too?