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

"I can see how flame would suit you." Gladio smiled. Curufin was a fiery personality, after all.

"The train likes to tease us, haven't you worked that out yet?" He laughed and stretched out a hand to brush his fingers over the rack of clothes beside him. "Shows us these amazing clothes only to steal them right out from under us when we're not looking."

Curufin smiled back. It was true he had an affinity for fire, and for all the colors of fire.

"The train has a sense of humor?? Hmm. I've never noticed that, but I suppose you might be right. It does seem like a form of teasing, when it lets us play dress-up and then snatches our costumes away before we have a chance to wear them on ordinary days." He has to laugh a little, thinking of himself and Gladio and all the other passengers going about their assigned chores or daily routines wearing those brightly colored and interestingly designed outfits. "Can you imagine it, if we kept them?"

"Sure can!" Gladio replied cheerfully and eyed up some of the other shirts. "I'd grab a whole bunch more if I knew we could keep them. There's one I saw before with two big fish holding cocktails with little umbrellas. If that's not amazing I don't know what is." He was only half joking here, he though the shirt was funny and he would happily wear it, probably anywhere around the train if he was allowed. Sadly he wouldn't be.

"We'd be a veritable carnival, every single day! That would be fun. And so cheerful. It would be a mood-booster for everyone."

He pictured the fish with the fancy cocktails in their fishy hands. . . well, it would have to be fins. "That shirt does sound amazing. You'd like to wear it, wouldn't you? It would make a statement, for sure!"

"Would love to... if I could find it again." Gladio wondered if someone had taken it before he could get back to it. And wasn't that a damn shame?

"Maybe I could order some from the store. What do you think?" He laughed. "Not a frivolous use of points is it?"

"If the train keeps the same clothes in the Dressing Car until we all disembark, you might be able to find it again. Want some help searching for it? You could at least take it with you onto the island."

Ah, the subject of the store. "I don't think it's a frivolous use of points! I think it's important to be festive at times, or at least cheerful. You could try ordering some Hawaiian shirts from the store. You never know what the train might consider valid merchandise." Grin.

"Would love the help." A return grin as he moved to a bank of shirts. "I like the way you think, my friend. I think I've an idea what I'll be doing next." Gladio was laughing as he started hunting for that amazing shirt he'd seen.

While he didn't know if he could get specific shirts from the store, he would at least have a look when he had the chance. It would be fun. And maybe he could share with Curufin. They'd be a little baggy on the guy but did that really matter when dressed in flashy, cheerful colours? Gladio thought not.

Event: Healing Waters

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Want to wrap this one? And catch up later?

Lets wrap then. More points for the point monster!