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

With his nerves settled as the island didn't seem to bring too many unpleasantness, Aziraphale set about investigating just exactly what is out there.

Only momentarily broken away from his partner, he finds himself in the path, and suddenly surrounded by quickly blooming flowers. It doesn't so much startle as confuse him, and he pauses to watch them come to life in a way that was usually only reserved by the hand of creatures like him.

When Persephone speaks, he finally spots her.

"Is this your doing?" He asks, curious and polite.

Persesphone sits up quickly, looking around for the voice. Finally, she spots him among the frankly overgrown foliage and scrambles to her feet, more flowers springing from where her hands and feet land.

"This is me. I--uh, got excited about being outside."

His brow raises slightly as he flowers blooming around her feet. Surprising, to be sure, but he doesn't seem exactly shocked or bothered by it.

"They're quite beautiful." He adds politely.

Her shoulders are a little tense, waiting for some questioning about her abilities. It doesn't come and she forces her shoulders to relax as she pokes at the sand and flowers with her foot.

"Oh--thanks. I miss the open sky and sun. Spring doesn't do so well in a crowded train."

Oh, he's bound to at least ask her how these powers come to be, since she doesn't feel like an angel, and he has an average level of curiosity about his surroundings and other passengers from the train. But he's seen far too much in his very, very, very long existence to be bothered by someone's ability to create lovely flowers.

"Ah, yes, it does get quite stuffy in there. I don't suppose the greenhouse car is much of a substitution for actual fresh air."

"Oh it works between planets but leave it too long and I start to get grumpy and all the plants have far too many spiky bits. It's a relief to have a planet stop after missing the last mission."

Persesphone says that all while not quite remaining still. Her toes wiggle in the sand and balance shifts from one side to another in an almost restless way.

"I'm sorry, I'm taking all about me. Do you have any plans for this grand island adventure?"

Aziraphale doesn't quite register her fidgeting and moving. Possibly, perhaps, due to the fact that the constant company in his life is also someone who tends to not sit still for too long.

"Oh, I-" He did just walk off for a moment and start talking to someone, so questions are bound to happen. "I suppose I'm mostly enjoying the fresh air too. The amenities are quite welcome. And I'm quite curious about the ruins." He's also spending most of his time with his partner, but he figures that's not entirely necessary to say.

"Sounds like lovely plans to me. I'll admit I'm not particularly drawn to the ruins but it's nice that this place has stuff for so many different types of relaxing." Her politeness drops a little as she gazes out at the beautiful seaside, "And I'm so done with the ocean for at least another month so I'll leave that to people who can still stomach it after all that seasickness."

Wait was he there for that? How do you even keep track with all the people on and off and back on in some cases?

"Our last mission--the one before this one I missed, was underwater and when it wasn't, it was storming."

Event: Healing Waters

Arrival

Re: Arrival

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