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

[worthallthis]

"Then you must be very important, yourself," Soldat offers, leaning back on their hands to try and get as much of that sun as possible. Too bad they've got like three layers on, which does make soaking it up a little harder.

[fivemilesdeep]

He knows what that mid-sentence pause means, and while he definitely has more to say on the subject, he waits - she's going to want to finish that thought-

The pressure drops, her eyes go red, and Ryo freezes.

He's seen rage before. He's even seen rage like this before - on behalf of a friend. He's seen that particular type of fury overtake Orion-

But Orion burns hot and bright and fast - he gets the job done and comes back to himself. Persephone is a goddess with control over a literal force of nature, and Ryo has no idea what her rage is like aside from what he sees now - heavy and all-encompassing, its presence turning his anger to bone-deep terror in the space of a moment.

She's not mad at him - she's angry for Thanatos - but that doesn't mean anything if he doesn't know what to expect. He's been an unjustified target before, an easy mark when nothing else is available- but he doesn't think he would survive this, and he doesn't know how to defuse it-

So what little self-control he has is spent keeping perfectly still and perfectly silent. It will pass. He has to believe it will pass. Please, gods, let it pass.

[worthallthis]

They glance sidelong at the lantern itself, debating a moment, making themselves focus. (You wanted to tell him before. I did. And Prisoner took it okay. Prisoner's a weird glob thing possessing a body. Nobody attacked anybody else on the mission. True. I did say I'd wait to see how that goes. Asset? Tell.)

Well, if the Asset thinks the benefits outweigh the risks.... They still can't make themselves talk about it out in the open, but. "It's complicated. But I'll explain when we get there."

[controlsthedie]

Six months... He can't imagine what... no. He won't imagine. If he does, he won't be able to function. Thanatos swallows, an all too human reflex for a god to do.

"And void-aware means knowing of the train's existence or what it travels through, I assume. Regardless, I still don't understand the train's reasoning."

[springforth]

The silence stretches, he doesn't respond. Her hands settle perfectly still on her lap and she waits, the raw edge to her fury dulling but the core still smoldering. Finally, after nearly a minute, she raises her red eyes to his, mutely curious. And the terror she finds there snaps something in her.

Her eyes flash back to white, everything lifts and she stumbles to a stand, her hands shaking so much she drops the peach.

"I'm sorry--I wasn't angry at you. I shouldn't...I should have better control." Though nothing in here is bursting out of their plot and her hair is only six inches longer, so control was had.

[controlsthedie]

"I meant what I said. I am the God of Death in my world." Thanatos stands tall, rigid, like he's trying to project the image of an awe inspiring god. Someone to respect and fear. But even as Thanatos attempts that, there's no hiding or forgetting what had happened on the mission. Thanatos froze in terror. He was anything but Death Incarnate then.

[fivemilesdeep]

It passes.

It takes a minute - a small eternity of forcibly keeping still and barely breathing - one of the longest minutes of his life - but as abruptly as it had come on, it passes.

She stumbles, and the tension in him snaps. He falls forward to his knees, reaching out on reflex alone and bringing a short gust of wind with him - enough to slow the peach's descent to the point where he can catch it. There. There. The bad thing has not gotten worse. It's okay-

And he collapses over his knees, that carefully held rigidity dissolving into trembling as he gasps for breath, relief and release of tension laying him out as he tries to get his bearings back. Survival instincts take their toll, and he's certainly paying it. "It's okay," he manages between gasps. "It's okay- I know- I know you're- you're not- it's okay- it's okay."

[springforth]

Her hands still shake but they're pressed to her chest as she watches him catch the peach. She thinks, maybe it was just scary, in the way her mother's anger can be scary. But no--it's scary in the way--in the way she was when she murdered, destroyed. Ashamed tears start to fall and she presses a fist to her mouth, reaching out with the other hand to help him up.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." If she says it enough, it'll fix it.

[flatteries]

Inigo tries thinking about whether it could have been a Tidus thing. Maybe..? He was able to stay underwater really long back in those hot springs, so maybe there's just something different about his lungs or something that'd cause it..

But then again, it could really just be the place too.

"Well, I assume we'll get an answer if we end up having a different reaction when we try it in the next world." Since then they'll know it's caused by the place, rather than the person. Unless their reactions vary. "I've never heard mine go off other than that time we were forcibly evacuated, so I don't think there's anything specifically about me that's put me in danger before."

Despite now knowing his blood makes him kind of different from other people.

[fivemilesdeep]

It doesn't take him long to catch his breath. He'd learned long ago how to recover quickly, and even two years out of practice, it comes back easily. He finally straightens up, breathing more under control, and-

She's crying. She's crying, and she's apologizing, and this is all his fault, isn't it. She'd had every right to be angry - he'd been angry too! - and he hadn't known how to handle it, and he'd done the wrong thing, and now she's crying, and he needs to do something to make it better-

He sets his own peach down, takes her hand, and stands. "It's okay," he tells her as firmly as he can manage - which isn't much, admittedly, but it's something. "I-I know you weren't mad at me. It's okay." Never mind that his breathing is still hitching a bit between phrases, or that his hands aren't quite steady yet. He still has to try.

[magicurls]

"Well..."

Deep breath.

"I was dying when he appeared. A car accident. My parents were in it too..."

Her breath hitched and she reached to pet Rosetta, who chirped sadly. "He promised me any wish, no matter how impossible, and the only thing I could think was to 'keep living'. I could've saved my parents too, if I'd been thinking clearly---and they didn't make a contract, so they wouldn't have become this."

Deep breaths. "But I can't go where the other souls go when people die, now that I'm like this. So maybe it would've been better to refuse and stay a family...nothing I can do about it now."

[magicurls]

Mami listens patiently. She's not sure what sense is or how it works.

"It just tells you if someone is alive or not? That would be useful for a field medic..."

But she's getting a bit distracted. She nods, trying to push back the sadness. "But I'll keep working alongside you all. I know there's too much to be handled alone."

[firewalled]

When Otoha comes back, he might be pleased to note that Rich did take his advice, eating about half of his tortilla and sipping at the tea when he comes back. He's still not super hungry, but the food hasn't killed him, and the tea is helping to soothe his throat. He smiles a bit when Otoha returns.

"You're clearly learning from me. Nothing's burnt this time around."

[bakegarasu]

"I'm trying." He holds out a red hoodie. It's probably too big for Rich, but at least it'll be warm. "Here. Try to bundle up a bit more." He'll just take his jacket back for a minute so Rich can pull the hoodie on.

[firewalled]

"Oh, shit... okay, uh." Rich fumbles to jot the number down. It's a miracle he has a pen that works, despite getting drenched, and he just... writes it down on his hand. That should at least last him until he gets back to the train.

"Okay. I'll remember that. I... well, I hope you really are trying to help people." That's about all Rich wanted to make sure of.

[firewalled]

"You think the season we spent the most time in influenced us?" That's curious... he'll have to ask Devero and Trunks, since they had tagged along with other teams. He'd think it was just an environmental thing, but considering the effort the train puts into dividing them all up...

He sits down with a sigh, smiling at the warmth of the fire. "Finally, some delicious fucking food." Rich, you can't make that joke. "I could always go for some soup."

POKE...

[luckydragonsfoot]

Know who Always wants to snuggle?

These nerds.

Which is to say, a perfectly round sheep and a perfectly cotton candied pony. The latter is the first offender- while Nita is minding her own business, the ponyta is quite aware that that is a Person, with Hands.

Hands that should be giving her ear scritches, if she's being frank.

"NihiiiIIII!"

Anyway, pay attention to her!

[voidtreckernpcs]

"Thank you. I am glad to have been of assistance."

Isn't Rich glad he didn't give the Helpmate his name?

Maybe the Helpmate nods at him, just a little, but if Rich doesn't have more to say it will just... walk off.

Much work to do, and all!

[firewalled]

Rich probably would have collapsed on his own, but he's not really the type to ask for help, which is probably why he's a little shocked to find her approaching.

"A-Are you sure...? I don't want to get you sick too..."

But he is leaning on her just slightly already, hand gripping her arm as he starts to navigate to the doorway.

"I'll try to be quick." Though that might make him more dizzy.

poke POKEMON poke!

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita's head jerks up, because she sometimes expects to be interrupted, but not like this! A bemused smile fills her face after a moment.

/... Hey, there. I get the feeling I know what you want?/

She starts moving her papers out of the way - just in case she's wrong and the ponyta wants those papers, that doesn't mean she'll get them!

we can wrap it here, yeah!

[flatteries]

"You want me to talk for a few hours about how I've never been more annoyed at walls?"

At least he says it with some humor now that whole ordeal is over.

(Though seriously. Screw those walls.)

"But sure. Um, let me start with.."

And so he does start talking about the mission. Just so they can spend a little while like this. Just sitting there together.

[deductiongeek]

Conan catches the ball with side of his foot and rolls it back in a practiced way. He keeps the speed slower than normal.

[springforth]

"Oh it can't be that bad. Why don't I start with vinegar, then work to baking soda? OR both?"

Doesn't that make it fizz? Fizzing action might be needed to lift the char? Or not needed.

"Besides, if it doesn't work, I'll chop off the bottoms and make shorts. We go to some warm worlds, right?"

[springforth]

"I could make it grow now. If you wanted. But if you're after the satisfaction of growing something yourself, let it happen naturally. It'll take a while but you'll know you did it yourself. I have to do it at home a lot more, let plants grow in their time, keep the order in the world. Takes forever, but you know, satisfying. "

Order in the world is more important than impatience, right? Everything in its season. Not that they have seasons here.

[springforth]

"It's not. I got all angry and then it had nowhere to go. I don't...I don't usually get angry like that. Only once before and it kind of got to run its course."

Lets not think about that statement, the deadly calm of her rage and what it would have done. We'll file it under things to worry about later, right? Right now, she wipes at her eyes.

"It's messed up, getting angry and scaring you when I was just thinking about how terrified he must have been. And angry. It's not--it's not your fault I can't control my emotions." She takes a deep breath, ragged, "You don't have to keep saying it's okay when its not. I'm not mad at you for getting scared. I've been--I've been terrified before."