Conclusion

[voidtreckermods]

Thank you.

For those inside the system the voices of the Great-Seasons ring out around them once the red mass has vanished and the blue plinth it was smothering is freed once more. They don't have all that much time to reflect on that before they find themselves waking up once more in their bodies around the tree trunks.

Or at least, around the tube that is the Great-Season they entered through. All illusions have vanished now, all that is left are pipes and metal.

The Great-Seasons allow them passage out from the centre, no sentries or pipes attack them this time. Everything seems to have been put to rights, the walls in the Autumn sector have stopped moving, there is no strange weather effects in the Summer Sector, no engineering problems in Winter and all the camaloid creatures in Spring are calm. Any Helpmates they come across are doing their jobs and no longer malfunctioning.

After a small amount of time, enough to check that all is well, their SCA's light up. All Passengers are to return to the Voidtrecker Express.

Considering the vast distances involved it is probably best that they use the evacuation function to return to the Luggage carriage.

Once all Voidtreckers have returned the train returns to the Void once more.

Comments

[nutkrusher]

Cassie chuckles softly. "He's a real thoughtful guy, Glorfindel."

She leans in for another kiss, because the rush of excitement at the thought of a private place for the two of them just can't be kept in entirely.

"We should each be able to sense which one the other one picks, right? It'd be good practice for me."

[light_of_willpower]

"So I shouldn't hide then?" Trunks asked with a grin. He commonly kept his ki hidden so he wouldn't be sensed accurately for as strong as he was.

[nutkrusher]

"We can play hide and seek if you like," Cassie says.

"Prize is better if I win, though."

[light_of_willpower]

"Another time, Cas." Trunks replied, reaching up to brush her hair back gently. "Besides, the quiet cars have the see-through doors. Won't be hard to find either of us."

[bakegarasu]

"Why no tattoo? I... it's not like I needed to be sneaky or that there was a problem with the pain, I just never really settled on a design I liked." There's not really a deep meaning to that one.

"I thought of getting an oni mask - big scary demon would be a good pick for an enforcer. But I could never think of how I wanted it to look, so I just never did it."

[nutkrusher]

Cassie chuckles. "Yeah, maybe not. Let's hit the showers real quick-like, then."

[bakegarasu]

Oh. Paper cranes. He's seen these done before, but he's not sure... he puts the paper flat on the counter so he doesn't drop it and makes the first fold. He knows this thing is complicated, and his expression is still blank. He feels like he's moving so slowly, even though he's not outwardly moving slower at all.

[springforth]

"You can do it though. I think you were starting to do it, starting to take a side, make friends, be your own being. It's just taking other steps. You have us. And I'm not your Persephone but that's probably the best right? You wouldn't be your Persephone's friend, probably, but you can be mine." She squeezes him tight, tilting to look at his face.

"You have a chance to step outside of your role, to become yourself. Better late than never, right?" All the big gods get away with murder, with horrible things, but get put in a box against your will and suddenly you're to blame, you're the one who made a terrible mistake, you're the one who has to be iron and steel and above reproach. The fury still simmers in the back of her mind, but she buries it, deep and deeper.

[subcircuits]

He lowers his hands again, so they hang between his knees even in the buoyancy of the water. He remains hunched in on himself. "It'd be okay if it was just because I'm pretty," he says with a bitter laugh. "It's my-- best feature, isn't it?" Sure sounds like he substituted an innocuous phrase for a more unpleasant one right there, doesn't it?

Apparently, he's just full of Valdana-isms right now.

He rubs one wet hand over his face and looks away. "Sorry," he mutters. "Shouldn't be talking like this. You're just trying to help."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"I'd feel the same way about you even if I was blind," Koumyou tells him gently, "if half your face was burned off I'd still want to kiss it every morning. You're the sweetest, gentlest, kindest person I've ever met on any world, and I would literally fight anyone who tried to hurt you."

Including himself, as proven by his state just before the mission.

[blue_ice]

"But we're back. That's the important thing."

Seto's serious about that. The last thing they need is to get into another existential crisis. He wrings out his clothes as best he can (taking a dip before the tree assault hadn't been fun) and starts toward the standing sectors.

"Remind me to pack dry clothes in waterproof bags next time?"

[blue_ice]

"A worm in an apple...?"

Kaiba squints down at his frog...iguana...whatever, she's his baby, and tries to imagine it.

"Don't worry. You look much more fierce this way," he tells her. She croaks happily. But then he looks back up at Jonouchi with an odd expression.

"What I mean is....we were able to change forms inside the virtual reality. I didn't recognize you at first. Your form looked like someone else."

He leaves 'someone else' up in the air.

[luckydragonsfoot]

"Yup. D'pendin' on th' apple y' give 'm, either evolves int' a big ol' turtly pie guy, or a flyin' wyvern sorta deal."

That aside. Uh.

Uhhhh. Uh- "Nyyyhhh... ...s...someone? I've heard 'f a class change but... ...whatdy' mean about th' someone..." He's one part clueless, another part suspicious- but if Kaiba describes the basics, he'll figure it out.

[blue_ice]

"I don't think so. If erasure can erase the memory from all except those who lived it...how could anyone track that, unless they already knew something was missing?"

He leans back against the frame, hooking an arm around one of the bars.

"It's technically true that there can't be conflict without the existence of life...but it doesn't surprise me. Power and excessive love of one's own ideals can lead someone down that road."

[blue_ice]

"Like the thief king."

He's not the type to beat around the bushes for long, sorry.

"I'm not judging, I know you had an eventful...past incarnation. And bits and pieces of it. It was just surprising, that's all."

[luckydragonsfoot]

Uh.

"...Thief..."

He frowns. "Oi, 'f I looked like anyone, there's no way it'd be a king 'f thieves, don' be stupid. Past me had nothin' t' do with tha' crap, it was all goats all th' way." He nods, and then frowns.

"...wait, what's th' thief king look like..."

Amazing.

[fivemilesdeep]

It's called being in a rut, Thanatos, and it's not necessarily a good thing.

Admittedly, not your Persephone throws Ryo a bit - what does that even mean? Is there an entirely different Persephone in Thanatos' world? - but he sets that aside for now. Questions for another conversation.

"You have time here," he says, thinking of Otoha. Gods, but those two have more in common than they'll likely ever know. "And you can figure out what you want. Not what your job requires, or what other gods think you should want, but what Thanatos wants. What you do might be part of who you are, but it's not everything, and now you have a chance to figure out the rest."

[blue_ice]

"Like Ryou Bakura. He was the spirit of the ring who occasionally possessed him. Like the relationship Yugi and Atem had, but far more antagonistic. In my world, at least."

And to be honest that's the part that's giving him a little Concern.

[controlsthedie]

The grace of which the other moves catches Thanatos's eye. Mortal? Divine? Something in-between? He's not sure, but he has realized that it doesn't matter on the train. Just like death.

Thanatos shakes his head at the man's question, though that is hardly a good answer. "It doesn't matter to me either way. Am I disturbing you?"

[luckydragonsfoot]

Blink.

Blink.

Bl- "TH' BRAT STOLE MY COAT!?"

This is apparently what stands out most. "What th' hell..! Firs' I end up jewelry, which he gets stuck in, but he stole my coat on top 'f tha'!? That's th' thing that stood out righ'!? I r'member, th' coat I had in Noa's world was red, so I'm bettin' it was th' same- an' honestly, we'd h've had th' same hair an' eyes so..."

Well, now he's fuming. "That prick..! If yer gonna take someone's shit after they die don't go stealin' in it..!"

Wait until he finds out about what else he stole

[blue_ice]

That's not quite the reaction he expects. Kaiba sits back a little, giving Snapper room to burrow in the crook of his arm if she likes.

But she's a bold little dragon, so she'll trot over to set a clawed foot on Jonouchi's knee. As high as she can reach, anyway.

"So that's...your past life's identity. And that virtual world was able to tap into your true essence too."

Alright. That's the relevant information to him, anyway. "Doesn't surprise me that he's into that."

[luckydragonsfoot]

"Yeah, I got stuck in th' costume durin' Noa's virtual mess so..." Wait, hold on- "O-Oii, wait did I seriously look the whole deal? Hair, skin, eyes, what have you..?"

Ahh...it's finally sinking in. "I-It seriously went tha' far..!?" aaaaaaaaaaaa.

"When Noa had his claws in, he even admitted th' class change wasn't him- something funky goin' on with my memories, even had t' make a program t' sort 'm all out. It was why I got stuck w'th th' coat an' robes look though, can say tha' much."

He frowns. "...still can't r'member th' old name though...maybe tha's f'r th' best..."

At his feet, Red Eyes is poking their head out to blink at Snapper. "RrrRrruuuunnrr..?"

Snapper is undoubtedly smaller than Red Eyes' head.

[fivemilesdeep]

He smiles and places his hand atop Otoha's. "Scars mean you survived. I can't speak for other people, but they don't bother me." Injuries don't bother him; scars don't bother him; the fact that Otoha has been so abused in his life absolutely bothers him, but his anger there would be useless at best. Better to approach that with compassion instead; it's what Otoha needs and deserves.

[blue_ice]

Snapper is undeterred! She gently headbutts against the bigger dragon's neck.

As for Kaiba...he nods grimly. "If that code could tap into your memories, I wonder if there'd be a way for it to help you remember, if you wanted to...but I wouldn't feel qualified to risk it. I'm wary of machines tapping into our brains, given...everything."

He just lets it stand, watching Snapper like a hawk to make sure she's not getting herself into trouble. She seems to like Red Eyes, judging by the croaking.

[luckydragonsfoot]

"Nyhhh...given all th' crap tha' comes playin' aroun' w'th names, maybe it's better t' not..."

Ah, that aside. Red Eyes chuffs back, and lowers his head down to Snapper Level. Much better for headbutts. "Heh, looks like they're gettin' along..."