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

[flatteries]

It's like every time he finds out more about the place Taiki came from, it sounds more fantastical. Inigo could take the people turning into horses thing, since that wouldn't be too out of place in his own world, but he had to draw the line at baby trees.

Actually, this new piece of information suddenly feels a lot more normal when he thinks about the baby trees. Sweet Naga, those baby trees.

He smiles. "That sounds great! The view from those places must have been amazing." Since Inigo imagines you must have been able to just look out over that sea of clouds.

[longforgottenpromise]

"It was, it really was like looking over an ocean, with clouds in it."

He's aware it sounds fantastical, it had all been so strange when he had first went there.

"What was the palace like, where you lived?"

[flatteries]

Inigo laughs.

"I'm afraid it's not going to sound very impressive now you've told about the imperial palace of Tai.."

It's not like his world has cloud seas. Heck, the palace isn't even on top of an actual mountain!

"It's just in the capital, in Ylisstol. You'd see it right away once you enter the city. If you look up from the busy streets, you could see the castle standing up on the hill. It always seemed so big to me when I was younger."

[longforgottenpromise]

"It is in the city?" He tilted his head, "What kind of city is Ylisstol? What kind of people live there?"

He sort of imagines them like Inigo, though that is silly. Not everyone in Tai was the same, not even in on village and not everyone in the same city was the same on earth either.

He continues with the mountain of sand he is making as listens.

[flatteries]

"Honestly, I'm not sure how to describe it.. It's just a city to me."

After all, Ylisstol had been his whole life. With his father often away to fight battles and try to employ diplomacy, there wasn't much room for the royal children to travel around.

And by the time he had been able to travel around, there weren't even any real cities left.

"I just remember it always being really busy. There were people everywhere, and you could hear them talk, and sometimes dance or sing.. I really liked that."

[longforgottenpromise]

"It sounds nice." He smiled, "I have only been to Kouki... the city I mean... a couple of times... It was always so full of life."

Now it was very different, "I guess... if the palace was in the city then you were more near the people you served."

Or his family served, Inigo's royalty were more like royalty from earth.

[flatteries]

Usually it would have been a stranger statement for Taiki to say he had only been to the city a couple of times, but right after the explanation of the palace being so high up, it makes sense.. It doesn't sound like it'd be easy to get down to the city where the people were from there.

So he nods at the next part of what Taiki says.

"Right. My father, and I'm sure the same goes for my aunt and all the Exalts before them.. They liked being that close to the people. So they could make sure to protect them the moment something would happen. And to make sure they would never forget that their foremost duty was to serve and protect those people." There's a hint of a smile on Inigo's face as he says it, even though he's looking at the sand he's working on rather than directly at Taiki. He doesn't have too many nice memories of his world, or even many memories of his father in general, but.. at least he can always find pride in how amazing all the Exalts had been.

[longforgottenpromise]

"That is important to remember." Taiki definitely approved of that, he smiled as he glanced up at Inigo for a moment. "I think that is something all leaders should remember, without a people there cannot be a kingdom at all."

It was something Gyousou believed in strongly. There were those, like Asen, who actively harmed the people and kingdom and others who harmed it out of neglect. But a good king always served the people first.

"I think they must have all been impressive Exalts."

[flatteries]

"They were. People always spoke well of them."

And Inigo knows it wasn't just flattery. Even though his father did fail in the end, he died for the sake of his people - and while there's a selfish part of Inigo that feels it's a little unfair, that wishes he could have made a real bond with his father, it's mostly drowned out by the part of him that knows he should be proud of his father instead. His father was an amazing Exalt.

"It's why I like lord Gyousou so much. He reminds me of them. He has all those similar qualities that are great for such a king-- being wise and imposing, yet at the same time kind."

[longforgottenpromise]

"I've never met anyone who didn't believe Lord Gyousou to be very impressive." It was true, even his enemies knew him to be a good king. Asen hadn't betrayed him because he thought he could do better. Even those seeking to destroy Tai knew that Gyousou would be an impressive and wise king, if he was allowed to rule.

"Sorry... I feel I want to ask more, but I don't want to bring up anything painful for you."

[flatteries]

The statement isn't much of a surprise to Inigo. Gyousou's Amazingness (with a capital A for emphasis) is so obvious to Inigo that he truly wouldn't be able to understand how someone couldn't be impressed with him. The king is just one of those universally great people.

But the next part.. is a little more awkward. Mostly though since Inigo really doesn't want Taiki to have to apologize - not for anything involving him. So he quickly looks up at the other, flashing him a smile, trying to make it look as genuine as possible. (It's not really faked as much as it's intentionally done to try and reassure Taiki, anyway.)

"It's fine." And he means it! This time! It's not like he hides stuff about himself because he wants it to be secret, it's more just because he doesn't want other people to feel bad if he talks about sad things.. "If you want to ask anything, just ask. I can talk about it. What do you want to know?"

[longforgottenpromise]

He gave a nervous smile of his own and nodded, "I just... wondered about you. How it was growing up and everything. You said... Your sister was to be the next Exalt right? So you weren't learning to rule?"

Monarchy on earth is archaic and not something he knows about but in terms of inheritance of power Inigo's world works a lot more like earth than his own world.

But mostly he just wants to know more about Inigo, to learn more about his life before coming to the train.

[flatteries]

"We both mostly got the same lessons." Until they had been cut short early by the death of their parents and the literal destruction of everything, but, you know.. "But since it's true that my sister was the one in line to rule and since everyone was well aware that she was quickly turning out to be the more competent one between the two of us anyway, she started to get more lessons than me."

Which Inigo doesn't really mind. He never wanted to rule, anyway. He can't imagine himself as the Exalt.. him being responsible for all the decisions being made? For the lives of everyone in the halidom? It feels way too heavy for his shoulders.

Though him failing to live up to his sister does kind of sting, mostly of the disappointment in him it tends to give people.

"But I got all sorts of lessons. Swordfighting, diplomacy, etiquette.. I tried to help mother out whenever she would listen to the requests of people coming to the palace when father was out doing other important things."

[longforgottenpromise]

He was sure that wasn't true, Inigo is very competent. It might be that his sister was even more so, but he would imagine more lessons would be needed for the one who would rule anyways.

"Hearing the requests of people is really important, I remember doing the same... I was just a child though so it wasn't as if I really could make any important decisions or anything. But it was important to learn and Lord Gyousou was always patient and explained things to me afterwards."

He imagined it must have been the same for Inigo, he knew very little about Inigo's mother but she sounded like she had been a very noble and great person.

[flatteries]

Inigo lets out a slight, breathy laugh.

"Yes, it was the same for me. I was still so young and hardly knew what was going on. Though my father was technically the one calling the shots anyway, so mother mostly tried to hear people out and comfort them. She was always amazing at that." That much he still remembers. And not just from personal experience, his own memories with his mother. Inigo remembers seeing her touch the hearts of so, so many people. That's exactly what cemented her as an amazing person to him.

"I mostly just remember people calling me cute during those moments. Especially whenever I tried to hide behind my mother when I got shy."

[longforgottenpromise]

"I think you must have been really cute." He tries to imagine Inigo as a child, he can see why people would have said so.

After all he can be pretty adorable even now. "It sounds like you learned a lot from your mother."

After all Inigo is good at comforting people even now. Good at listening.

[flatteries]

Look, when it's coming from Taiki, and they're doing something as peaceful as making sand sculptures together of all things.. he's willing to let that agreement about him having been cute as a child slide. Without getting too embarrassed about it, anyway.

Too embarrassed, that is - because there's still a faint pink hue to Inigo's cheeks as he speaks up again.

"I'm not so sure about that. I just aspire to be like her one day." Olivia is pretty much everything Inigo admires in a person embodied, after all. "She did teach me to be kind to everyone I meet, though, so that's what I try to do."

[longforgottenpromise]

"I think you already are, you are one of the kindest people I know Inigo."

Unlike Inigo Taiki doesn't seem embarrassed at all, just very sincere. How could he be embarrassed when it is the truth. Inigo was gentle and kind and Taiki had no doubt he had already become the sort of person his mother hoped he would be.

He is quiet for a moment, concentrating on a fiddly bit of sculpting.

[flatteries]

Slowly growing more pink over here!

Which Inigo is apparently trying to hide by suddenly seeming very, very focused on getting this whole sand castle thing right.. Ducking his head to better look at it and all. Clearly it's not just to try and hide his face with the blushy cheeks!

"T-- That's just since you're so nice, Taiki! I'm sure you'd call just about anyone you know well kind!"

[longforgottenpromise]

"Only when they are."

He smiled at him though he mercifully kept his eyes on his own sandcastle and not on Inigo's reddening face.

"I wouldn't say someone was kind when they are not."

[flatteries]

"Well..."

Inigo sucks in a breath, trying really hard to force his face to be a little less red.

It's only partially working.

".. In that case I hope you can just meet a lot of kind people, Taiki. I don't want people to take advantage of your sweetness."

[longforgottenpromise]

"Yes."

He hopes so too. He's like to think everyone he has met and liked are kind. But he knows sometimes people can hide, seem kind when they are not.

"I'm getting better at telling the difference."

[flatteries]

"I'm not surprised. You learn quickly."

And while it'd be great if Taiki didn't have to, if he could live in an ideal world where everyone was only nice to him.. Inigo knows it doesn't work that way. It sucks that Taiki's innocence can't be fully preserved, but it's a relief to know the other will at least be a little safer.

"Let me know if you ever can't quite figure it out when it comes to someone on the train. We can take a look at it together."

[longforgottenpromise]

He really hadn't, he had learned slowly. But Inigo doesn't have to know that. He just smiles at him over the sandcastle.

"I will, thank you."

He moves slightly, to look closer at Inigo's sandcastle.

[flatteries]

The sandcastle is.. actually not all that bad! Sure, it's no masterpiece, but it's clearly recognizable as a castle - and on top of that, not even a super generic one. Inigo did do his best to try and remember what the castle had looked like back home, so it actually did kind of end up looking like it.

Inigo is so focused on the final touches that he doesn't realise Taiki is looking over at it until a few moments later, giving him a slight sheepish laugh as he looks at the other's face.

"So, what do you think?"