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

[strawberryprotector]

With a little concentration, Ichigo got the trench knife half of Zangetsu to manifest in his hand and began using it to scrape the scales off the fish. "Yeah, it's pretty good. I found a decently deep rock pool right on the edge of the beach, so I've been doing well on fish. Might try digging for crabs and octopuses later, though." The cat was getting mighty close to the brightly colored feathers, so Ichigo clicked his tongue to get the furball's attention. "Those aren't yours, get back here."

[utulien_aure]

"You might want to bring some aboard, if you end the trip with leftovers; I suspect a number of people are rather sick of carrots by now."

Looking at the cat, Fingon laughs and reaches over to break off a bird wing.

"Here, little one; why don't you try this instead?"

[strawberryprotector]

"I'm thinking of taking a bunch that I've cleaned to the train later on. And if I'm really lucky, I'll get an octopus or two so I can preserve it and make takoyaki once I get the right griddle for it." Fishing for the train was part of his goal just to get some protein into the fridges again.

The little kitten sniffed at the wing before taking it in his mouth and running back to sit by Ichigo's feet to eat it.

[utulien_aure]

"Takoyaki?" Fingon raises an eyebrow in question. "I don't believe I've heard of that dish."

He snorts at the cat's antics. "Not even so much as a thank you," he remarks lightly.

[strawberryprotector]

"It's a common street food where I'm from. You take basically pancake batter that's not quite so sweet and you put it in a specially shaped griddle that has little half circle spaces. Once it's about half done, you put a small piece of octopus meat in the middle and flip the thing so the rest of the batter will fill the griddle spot and make a ball. Then you top it with whatever you want." Ichigo tried to mime the process as best he could, but he was no expert. He did, however, chuckle at his kitten. "Didn't say please, either, did you? You little rascal."

[utulien_aure]

"Ah, well, I should have expected as much. What self-respecting cat owns any poor soul who feeds him?"

Fingon considers that information, tilting his head in thought. "I think some of my aunt's kindred had a similar recipe, now that you describe it."

There's a guilty twist to his stomach which, hopefully, doesn't show on his face; most of his memories of days in the city of Alqualonde are tainted now.

"I'm afraid I don't remember the name; I've not had octopus of any kind in centuries. But it was quite good."

[strawberryprotector]

"Once I get the right griddle for it, I'll make sure to save some for you. I think it's really good." Ichigo chose to ignore the flash of emotion on Fingon's face, he figured the man probably was just missing his relatives due to being stuck on the train. It was something he could relate to.