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

[springforth]

A flush starts up on her cheeks as she plays with her hair, curling a little wisp around her finger. It's both awkward and nice to be admired. She never really expects it, let alone to be treated like the cool older sister or something. She's barely got her life together.

"It's not a big deal--I mean, I just know I wouldn't want to waste them. And they're kind of pretty ruined already. It'll be a miracle if I can get back to wearable as it."

[worthallthis]

"Oh, god, no. They were." How do you even describe the spirits? "They were like anything you could imagine. One of them looked like a typical ghost, but that's because she wrapped herself in sheets on purpose, she never said why. One was a giant. Crab thing. One looked like a skeletal dog. One looked like a whole hill that just kind of... moved. One looked like a man with an owl's head and talons. That one gave me this." They slide their lantern over a little on the counter, turning it to show the little charm of folded paper and feathers, the tips of the feathers painted with glitter.

[springforth]

Does that have to do with his healing abilities? Was he seen as healer and nothing more for so long that nothing else mattered? Persephone takes a small bite of peach, mulling over her words. In the end, she decides not to press. He didn't press her about her own small confessions.

"Maybe. I really wonder if there's anyone who cares about him--like as him. The way he talks about Zagreus, I wonder..." She frowns, "It's not my business but I mean--it kind of is?" She gestures 'sort of', a little see saw, "I mean, it's kind of been made my business. Relation and all."

[fivemilesdeep]

He's ready to interject - of course it's their business, they're Thanatos's friends and they care about him - when she ends her sentence like that. He pauses, then looks up from his peach and over at her. "What do you mean by that?"

She'd made a comment about not being Thanatos's Persephone last night - does this have something to do with that?

[worthallthis]

They'll figure out strong smells next time, maybe spend some points once they have them for some stronger-smelling cheese. Textures they can do now, without having to cook anything or work out good combinations.

This is enough, for now, and Yoite gets the best smile yet, even for that lukewarm compliment. "Good. That's real good. You eat that, yeah? Bet you'll feel better with a full stomach. And I'll work out some good recipes for you, for the future."

[springforth]

"I mean, this isn't about me but uh--I like I said, two varying versions of the same set of gods. I'm goddess of spring, young for human standards, let alone gods. In Thanatos's world, I'm kind of still goddess of spring, but also, um, Queen of the Underworld, wife of Hades, mother of Zagreus. Who he's searching for."

She tries really hard to push past it. Really does. Her next words are a rush, b spilling out to avoid the immediate questions.

"So imagine my confusion when we met and I got all that. And then, the more I learned about the differences, the worse it got."

[fivemilesdeep]

...he can honestly say he wasn't expecting that.

Then again, Persephone probably hadn't been either when she'd first heard it.

He's quiet for a few seconds, trying to process everything he's just heard with middling success. "That's...a lot," he says slowly, for lack of anything deeper to say. He's having trouble with it and he's barely involved; gods know how Persephone is handling it.

He has to ask. "Are you okay?" This can be about her, just for a little bit - long enough to make sure she's doing alright.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"I have my moments," the priest says with some mild amusement, digging into one of his billowing white sleeves for a cigarette. Once obtained, he sticks the filter between his lips and lights the tip with a press of a finger.

There's at least one smoker on the train who only does it in the luggage car. That smoker is not Koumyou Sanzo. He's polite enough to not do it in the sleepers or while passing through medical, but that's about it.

"So did you get here last platform?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Whose specialty is it, I wonder?" Koumyou muses, because no one on this train is particularly great at emotional stuff from what he's seen. Himself included.

Or for that matter, back on his original world. Maybe Tenkai, which was probably why he'd died so early in his tenure as a Sanzo. It wasn't a position that favored a big heart.

"...Unfortunately, I'm not going to be the best for advice either. I spent the last few decades dealing with grief by trying to embrace the concept of 'hold nothing', and I certainly can't recommend following in my footsteps," Koumyou explains casually, with a sigh, "It didn't work."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Ohhh..."

Gosh, that sounds familiar, doesn't it? Like Devero's fretting over not being a major combatant here. But the big man was considered one where he came from, and that's probably part of his problem here, now.

Kaiba, though... Koumyou doesn't know much about what he's been in the past.

"You seemed to do fine when we tried to rescue Halo?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Well... I didn't really... pay attention to the radio at all during this mission."

Hey, at least he admits it.

"It's just a lot to keep track of..."

It's really not, but he does like to complain.

[bakegarasu]

"... I'll figure it out." All of this feels dumb, but that's part of the process, isn't it? Ugh...

"Being human is complicated." He's practically pouting when he says it. "But... better being a human than a weapon, I guess." He's trying he's doing his best on this. It's just hard.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"I suppose you have a lot of things to figure out, then," the priest nods, "but there's plenty of time here for such things, from what I've seen."

[bakegarasu]

"Yeah. ... People have been... helping. It's... all of this feels like it's taking forever, but I've only been here a few weeks." He chuckles quietly, looking up at the ceiling. "... And I've got nothing but that, even at home. For myself, at least." The city? ... Different story.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Then there's really no rush, is there? You'll figure it all out eventually, I'm sure."

At least someone here's confident in that!

[bakegarasu]

"No one figures it all out, Mister Spiritual Master." He flicks a little water at Koumyou, smirking a bit.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Well, not with that attitude!" Koumyou says with a laugh, and actually flicks some water right back!

[bakegarasu]

He laughs and uses his arm to make a wave to splash it at the priest. Now he's just being childish.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Oh no!" Koumyou gasps dramatically, "You're going to get my hair wet!"

It's already super wet, of course. That's the joke. He's very funny.

To himself.

[bakegarasu]

He snickers and dives down under the water, reaching over to grab his friend's leg.

If he can't be silly around Koumyou, who can he be silly around?

[luckydragonsfoot]

"Hah!" Ah- Oh. "Oh...Kisara..?" Katsuya blinks, glancing to the side. "...Righ'...I guess she wouldn' have been much older..." Ahem. "I guess it makes sense- if y' had such a thing f'r th' cards, there was probably some kinda connection..."

It's still weird to think about that when he remembers her as a tiny little waif he looked after for a year though...

Well. "Heh! T' be honest, I picked most 'f th' farming from Alola! Helped out a bunch over my time there! Kinda weird tha' it's comin' up so much here though..."

[luckydragonsfoot]

Yesssssss.

Kaseri doesn't give a hoot about papers, suffice to say. All she wants is attention, and the attention comes from Nita, frankly. And-

"MEEEEEEEH."

A 'cotton ball' is rolling down the carriage, apparently wishing for the same thing.

[firewalled]

"Ah, no. I think I'm okay now... there are blankets here if I'm really cold. But I mean, even my fingers are covered, see?" He lifts his hands so the sleeves of the sweater flop down over them. He probably does not realize how adorable that image is.

[bakegarasu]

He laughs a little bit and reaches over to ruffle Rich's hair gently. "All right, then. You make sure you rest up and get better. Do you want me to come check on you later, or just leave you alone?"

[springforth]

"It's--it's fine. I did all my freaking out before the mission. Well most of it, I guess, it's still kind of weird." Shrugs for the bizarre place she's found herself in.

"I'd say it's just as weird for Thanatos but let's be honest, finding out you're married to and have a son with the guy you had a crush on for like two weeks is--a much weirder thing to find out than just the whole alternate worlds. I get to win on traumatic world views changes, just this once." She's half smiling, trying to reassure Ryo.