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

Maru shook his head. "I didn't see anything of what you saw."

No school and no cups of tea. "Why were you hiding?"

"Oh." He nodded, it had been a strange thing...

"Bullies I think..."

Or at least, other school students, one who wished him... The person in his memory, harm.

"That sucks. Poor kid..." Bullies were nasty things. Maru didn't like them. Didn't understand why people would do that to others.

"You alright though?" If he'd seen that vision, Taiki had gone through it, right?

He nodded, "I'm fine. It was just strange. It wasn't like anywhere I'd been before."

School bullies were nothing new exactly. But it hadn't been his old school on earth that he had seen.

Maru hesitated... but then reached out a hand to lightly pat Taiki's arm in an attempt to be comforting, but not sure if the other even liked touch... Despite the many times the other had petted him.

"It sounds really strange... I'm sorry."

He allows the petting, leaning in to him slightly with a small smile. "It's alright..."

He shook his head, "It was just strange, I wonder why I saw it."

He moved his hand to the others back, gently rubbing up and down in a way he knew was soothing when Taiki had done the same to the top of his head. It was... strange to be the one to do it to someone else though. He knew it should feel awkward but somehow... it wasn't.

"Dunno. Wish I knew." If he had an answer, maybe Taiki would feel better. "It'll be okay."

"Yes." It would be, or it wouldn't be. But there was little point in worrying. If something bad was going to happen... That would be normal. So they would cope.

He can only hope it doesn't, that no one is hurt and nothing bad happens.

"Good." He felt bad for him, it seemed to have unsettled Taiki. But Maru didn't know how else to help. It wasn't something he was particularly adept at, or had any real practice with. But he tried.

He smiled softly, appreciating Maru trying to cheer him up.

"I hope you have a nice time, where we are going."

If it really was a rest, that would be good for everybody.

He knew he wasn't the best at it, but he at least wanted to try, after all the times Taiki had done the same for him.

"I hope the same for you."

But he was sure they would. It was a vacation, after all. With hot springs. What wasn't to like about that?

He smiled, he hoped so too. It would be nice to do something different, especially after his week in bed. A few days off the train would be a good thing.

Event: Healing Waters

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Wrap?

wrap!