middleofsomewhere | Not with a Bang: Conclusion

The base camp is a mess by the time the fight is over. The heavy rain alone would have been enough, but the battle has churned up the earth itself. The previously peaceful clearing is pockmarked with craters and dark puddles where ash has mixed into rainwater, along with oil and blood that swirl unpleasantly through the shallow pools. The trees are bowed outwards with the force of the powers that waged through the area, trunks shattered and torn, boughs hanging haphazardly or draped with the remnants of tents and equipment.

Perhaps all that can be said is that it gives the Voidtrecker Express a decidedly clear landing spot. The train snakes its way through the jungle, coming to a stop in a familiar, though now lopsided, coil around the clearing, and opening its doors to allow injured to be carried on, or anyone from the train to disembark.

It’s clear that there are indeed people aboard - as the doors hiss open, activity is already visible inside, as well as voices audibly going back and forth over the tinny speakers of the ICP.

Now that the saboteurs are dealt with, the final repairs can be made to the damaged stations and the shields locked into place. By the time they are done, nothing and no one will be able to enter the planet - from space, anyway.

The train will remain in the clearing through the night of Imagination 12 and the morning of Imagination 13, until all the stations are prepared, the pandas returned to their rightful place and everyone has rejoined the train.

By midday of Imagination 13, the train is ready to leave. Everyone gets a message on their SCA to return to the train, if they haven’t already. Once all are onboard the doors shut and the train begins to snake through the jungle.

“Re-entering Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

The train rattles and shakes as the greenery around them (and the purple of a few farewell pandas) fade into the colours of the void.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Right. The train is rather resourceful." Somehow it could get a hold of even rare items from worlds with little to no trouble at all. He wondered how that worked. (Magic?)

Well, speaking of magic and getting things out of literal no-where...

Piccolo held out his hand and caused a bright light to flash as he magically created an exact duplicate of Trunks' sword. That he could do. He held it out, hilt to Trunks for the teen to take.

"That about right?" Not that Piccolo doubted it wouldn't be perfect.

Wait....huh....how? Blue-eyes are wide and Trunks looked like he'd been punched. Then tentatively took the hilt. Scabbard in one hand, hilt in the other, he drew it. Taking a step or two back, for some practice swings, smiling. Before moving to loop the scabbard over his back, as he tossed the sword up. At the right moment, he tilted slightly to the left, as the blade slid into the scabbard like it should.

"You, Piccolo, are even more amazing than Gohan told me. Thank you." Piccolo is getting a deep low bow.

He stood and watched, arms crossing over his chest. He looked down at Trunks as the other bowed and didn't so much as blink. When Trunks had finished Piccolo finally responded. "I don't know about that, but I'm not surprised you didn't realize I could use magic such as that."

After all, it didn't come up much.

"Maybe not, but this. It means a lot to me." Trunks' sword did mean a lot to him, besides just its familiarity. He'd come by it through difficult times, and it was an old and faithful friend now.

"I definitely did not know you could use magic." But that wasn't the topic they needed to discuss. "Besides senzu beans, do you think if we could get saiyan armor it'd help? I have my set with me from the cell games in a capsule. It's designed to be flexible and lightweight, so it'd fit a variety of types."

"Don't sweat it." Really, don't. Piccolo didn't necessarily like the gushing. He got gratefulness--that was fine--but anything more than that made him uncomfortable. But, he nodded to Trunks anyway in a sort of 'you're welcome' gesture. It was no big deal.

"That depends on if anyone wants to wear it or not. Sometimes the train provides clothing for fitting in or environmental reasons. Most people enjoy the...dressing up...part when it occurs." Not Piccolo. He just did him. "But, that's something else I could make if you wanted."

Weapons and clothing: his specialty.

It was a more subdued gushing, but Trunks knew the other man didn't often seek the spotlight so he said no more about it. "Hmm, you're right about that. Maybe it's worth asking the other passengers about, because when we don't need to fit in it might be useful."

Piccolo could make saiyan armor? "I couldn't ask you to, but I'll keep it in mind." Casual, as he wasn't going to make a big deal of this. "We should definitely try to see if we can buy some senzu beans. I had a check-up by Ichigo, and was talking to him a bit about my world, but didn't mention them or the dragon balls. He reminds me of a cross between Gohan and Mom though. My Gohan. Wanting to help out and take care of everyone."

"Probably right." Armor was armor, and these people needed what they could get when it came to protection. Piccolo didn't really like Saiyan armor--the look of it was repulsive and, hey, it brought memories of certain assholes trying to kill people important to him so he couldn't help it if it wasn't his favorite outfit to see--but it had its uses. It's not like he was a fashionista that actually cared what people wore.

"...it wouldn't be the first thing that someone asked me to make for the good of everyone on board the train." Again, no big deal. It's not like making a hundred bottles and food containers had worn him out of anything, that'd be ridiculous. So was the making of them and the assembly line that had formed that day. Thanks for that sweet memory Tidus. "That sounds like any Gohan." Because of course it did. "Yeah. I don't even want to bring up the Dragon Balls around here. I doubt the train can get one of those and if it can--I don't want to know." Scary thought. Tempting, but scary. No one else needed to know about them and try to get them either, honestly. "Anyway, I'll try to get some senzu beans when we get back on the train. I'm sure I can manage..."

Or...someone could help him with that. Maybe more than one someones. He would at least want to talk to Tidus first to see if he knew the best way to order things from the shop since he'd done it so often.

"Yeah, it does sound like any Gohan, now that you mention it. It's been...nice, getting to know him at this point, if a bit awkward at times." Stupid time-travel, stupid blessed time travel.

"I definitely don't plan to try to get any Dragon Balls. Cassie knows, because we kind of hit it off really well" An understatement. "So I told her about where I'm from, and my situation. But I trust her."

Yeah. Time travel was...nuts. Best not to think about it. That's what Piccolo typically did. If he could get away with it.

"Hmm. Fine." It wasn't as if Piccolo could admonish Trunks for simply talking. Well, he supposed he could but what was the point. Besides, Piccolo also thought of Cassie as quite practical and good at heart, and didn't think she'd cause any trouble. So it wasn't the worst thing that had happened so far. "Funnily enough, that's about the only thing I haven't mentioned to anyone. But I've mentioned plenty of everything else that's crazy back home," he said almost with the hint of a chuckle.

Piccolo wasn't his father, not that Trunks would've necessarily listened to Vegeta. Especially after having MET the man. So he definitely had no standing to admonish him, as anything more than an elder to him.

"Yeah, from what little you've said it sounds like things just get..." Not worse, he wanted to say. He wanted to hope. "Strange." Trunks finally settled on.

"Anyways I should get back to clearing up around camp. If you need me for something, just yell."

Not with a Bang: Conclusion

he didn't ask but I hope you don't mind...

Piccolo, you blew his mind! You're even more awesome than Gohan said you were.

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