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

"Ah!" She smiles. "The bonds of choice can be as strong and true as those of blood, tis true. From those returning from the wars we learnt new words for those sorts of bonds, for those who chose to stand beside you and fight may not be those who expect!"

"Oh, I definitely didn't expect a lot of them." Della chuckled as she remembered. "When I was away from my family, it was like they grew tenfold while I was gone. So when we were reunited, it just so much more to love, y'know?"

"Ai! A family growing... how lovely. I am glad you were able to form such bonds with those new come into your family."

"And we plan to expand it even more!" Della said with a grin. "I love meeting new people and making new friends."

Nerdanel smiles.

"Well, that would make the train an excellent opportunity for you then!"

"You know it! I've totally made plenty of B-F-Fs!"

"What does... B-F-F mean?"

Della spread out her hands as if making a big drama. "Best Friends Forever!"

"Oh!" She smiles.

"What a lovely thought! I shall have to remember that."

Della gave a little laugh. "Hey, happy to spread it around!"

"It is a very useful term!"

She agrees with a smile.

"I suppose the closet equivalent we would have would be... otorno - sworn brother, or the female equivalent osellë."

"Otorno... Osellë." Della repeats, enjoying how they roll off the tongue. "I might have to keep those as well! Beautiful!"

She smiles. "Our warriors brought that back with them from Beleriand, for war makes brothers and sisters out of the most unlikely of peoples."

"Your world has a beautiful language. I'd love to learn more, anytime!"

"Thank you! Of course, I do not mind teaching whatever you would like to learn." Nerdanel tips her head. "Are you a linguist?"

A half-shrug. "Kinda? Sorta? When traveling the world, learning other languages is a must... but I also just enjoy learning new things in general."

"More a generalist, then?" She smiles. "I only asked because Feanaro ... well, he does a bit of everything, but his first love was always language."

"Mine was the sky. But language comes pretty close?"

"Ah, you mentioned you were a pilot, yes? How wonderful that must be, to fly in the skies..."

"It's the best feeling in the whole world - in any world! I wish you could all experience it!"

"Perhaps we will have a chance here." She muses. "Certainly, we were able to pilot vehicles through space, earlier."

"You were? When was this?"

She frowns thoughtfully.

"It must have been... hm. Four or five stops back, I think. Shortly after I arrived?"

Della clicked her tongue. "And the train doesn't do repeats, right?"

"Not so far." She nods. "Of course, nothing to say that there cannot be silmilarities, but so far, no actual repeats."

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