Winter Faire

[voidtreckermods]

”Shortly arriving in World#5562102022. The dressing carriage is open for your convenience.” The announcement might be unexpected so late in the month, but soon enough further information arrives on their SCA’s.

World#5562102022: Home of the famous Winter Faire. Voidtreckers may spend the evening here. Please remember your Snowcoins. Enjoy.

The dressing carriage is open for characters to choose from an array of winter coats, hats, gloves and scarves. There are also ice skates in a variety of sizes and shapes, suitable for all passengers.

THE PLAZA

The Express comes to rest in a station roofed by sheets of ice. Streamers of light run up and along the arches overhead, sending flashes of colour through the structure at intervals. A wooden path leads through stands of sparkling trees to the faire proper.

The faire is a large one, mostly made up of a large market of wooden huts. The market is held outside; while it's dark when they arrive, there are floating lights twinkling in the darkness that illuminate the area. There is snow on the ground and a light flurry in the air, the perfect amount of snow to be atmospheric without anyone being too damp or cold.

There are both ice paths and ordinary wooden paths through the market. In the centre of the market there is a large ferris wheel, where guests can sit in glass bubbles filled with soft cushions and blankets as they view the snowy market from above.

THE ICE RINK

There are two large ice rinks, and ice paths weave through the market, with many of the eateries having 'ice gardens' where skaters can rest and drink before continuing their skating. Wooden railings run through the middle of the ice paths, both to form two one-way lanes, and to give new or wobbly skaters something to hold onto. 

There are benches at the entrance to the large ice rinks for people to change into their ice skates and cubbies for them to store their shoes; the ice paths connect to both rinks. There are also skate aids for those that need them, carved wooden animals to hold onto and push along the ice for balance. An animal that looks like a furred penguin dominates.

THE SLEDDING SLOPE

To the north of the market, there is a snowy field with a hill perfect for sledging, and sleds to borrow for any who want them. 

The whole field is deep with snow, with a well trodden path leading up the hill and sledding tracks leading down. To the side of the slope are snowpeople and snow animals, some better built than others, and plenty of snow to add to this collection.

THE WOODLAND ENCLOSURES

To the south there is a small woodland where a member of staff will allow guests through with warnings to be peaceful and not disturb the creatures. 

The trees are bare of leaves and white with snow, some with frost forming crystal snowflakes on the branches. There are indeed woodland creatures within the woodlands: deer, rabbits, strange white pompom-looking creatures. They are comfortable with people, and won't flee.

THE FERRIS WHEEL

In the centre of the market there is a large ferris wheel allowing guests to sit in glass bubbles filled with soft cushions and blankets as they view the snowy market from above. The ferris wheel moves slowly, allowing plenty of time to take in the view and enjoy the company, the soft seating, or both.

Bubbles can fit up to 6 people, though the attendants will allow groups from single guests up to six. The glass can be made one-way, so that guests cannot be viewed from outside.

THE MARKET

All the activities in the faire are free.  Everything in the market, from a mug of beer to a blown glass ornament costs one snowcoin, the snowflake tokens that passengers received on station day. Each passenger has ten to spend.

FOOD STALLS

The actual market sells drinks: hot chocolate, mulled wine, beer, spiced apple juice and cider amongst some more alien picks like a bright pink concoction that is delicious but very alcoholic; food: sausages, bread, cakes, roasted chestnuts, candied nuts, stroopwafel and a whole collection of unrecognisable but delicious things.

All are available to take out, though many of them also have a bar area where shoppers can sit, drink and people watch.

SHOPPING

The stalls don't sell much that would be considered useful, but are filled with trinkets, decorations, cute hats and other clothing, sweets, glassware, jewellery, toys… and much much more.

After a good few hours in the market, things are beginning to wind down and stalls start to close. The Voidtreckers will receive a message on their SCA telling them it is time to return to the Express. Once all passengers are on board the train will leave the ice-covered station and return back to the Void.

Comments

[namethattune]

"Yes, I noticed." Dutch.

He winces at the revelation that Gen tested things - he had not realized Senku's disregard for his own well-being was contagious - and then sighs. He can't exactly stop them, and there is some merit to the argument that the train would not have brought them to an inherently dangerous world for a vacation. "I am not angry," he says, switching back to English, "and I would not deny you an opportunity to relax after the outcome of our recent mission. Though I would imagine you are having a difficult time without a translator."

[10billionpercent]

"Just checking." Senku said, as though he couldn't be sure, and he couldn't. Gen's disregard extended more to stopping Senku from doing dangerous things, he was far more reasonable on his own.

"The mission, the meetings, the questions, yeah, I'm in a real mood." Senku answered, crossing his arms. "But. Gen wants to play in the snow, or whatever, and my dad always said fun was more important when things were bad."

He shrugged at the comment. "A lot of people speak some form of Japanese or English, haven't met any speaking Russian. Beyond that, I wouldn't know. I can gesture my way through a conversation, I guess, at lest with the denizens here. Purchases are an easy transaction."

[namethattune]

It has been one hell of a week, to say the least; Siebren cannot begrudge Senku his frustration. "Your father was correct," he says, hands in his coat pockets. "Uninterrupted stress will wear you out fairly quickly; it is important to give your mind a chance to relax." Even though he's not certain Senku knows the meaning of the word.

There is exactly one piece of information that catches him by surprise in Senku's explanation, and he blinks. "You are fluent in Russian?"

[10billionpercent]

"Yeah, yeah, he was always saying crap like that." Senku said, flushing a little bit. The thing was, before the petrification, his social circle was very very small and included his dad. He didn't really know how to relax, but he was trying.

"Yeah. Well, probably not as good as I speak English, but better than conversationalist, and a lot of technical terms. To get on a space mission English is required, but every mission took the Soyuz up and that's a Russian ship, and so if you wanted to operate it you needed to speak Russian anyway. I only really practiced that with my dad."

[namethattune]

"He sounds like a wise man." Then Senku's cheeks redden, and Siebren does not press.

He can't help but smile at the forthcoming explanation. Of course Senku would learn an entire language for the purposes of space exploration. "Impressive. And here I thought learning Mandarin was a stiff requirement for space travel."

[10billionpercent]

"Yes. He was." Senku agreed with a nod. "In his own way."

"No, not at all. The CNSA wasn't as big a player as maybe they might've thought they would be when things ended. Everything goes through Roscosmos." Senku explained. "JAXA is a rather minor player as well in space exploration too. NASA used to be but..."

He realized he was on a tangent. "Ah, sorry." He waved his hand.

"Mandarin would be easier, at least when reading, because a lot of kanji is shared between the two languages."

[namethattune]

The wave of acronyms rolls past him, and while Siebren recognizes some of them, the others are unfamiliar - ones he does not know of, or ones that don't exist on his world at all.

"Do keep in mind that I am Dutch and have a slightly different linguistic frame of reference," he says wryly. "My sole foray into learning Mandarin was...difficult, to say the least, and I am fortunate Lucheng Interstellar was willing to waive the requirement for me."

[10billionpercent]

"I guess that would be true, that was probably what it was like when I was learning English and Russian, but English was definitely harder. I should've done it the easy way." He quirked a smile and shrugged. He'd been too impatient. Shocking.

[namethattune]

Siebren just quirks an eyebrow at that. "Do you ever do anything the easy way?" He sincerely doubts it, but that won't stop him from asking, even facetiously.

[10billionpercent]

Senku looked a bit pleased at the question. "Sure I do, for Russian I took a class. They teach English in primary school, but not terribly advanced. Do you have any idea how many scientific journals are in English? It was inevitable. But nah, not now, nothing's easy now."

There was a brief pause as he blinked, as though processing what he'd said. "Wait, they waived the requirement? Did you get to travel in space?"

[namethattune]

He supposes he should have expected that answer, given the current state of Senku's world.

It's when the other shoe drops that he smiles. "Yes. I lived at the Horizon Lunar Colony for the better part of a year some years ago."

[10billionpercent]

"Is that so?" Senku had an expression that suggested that it was some of the better news he'd heard in awhile.

"How did the colony work? What was the technology like?"