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

[bakegarasu]

“... Okay, fine. Look. He and I... he was the only friend I ever had, before here. He hated how my brother used me, who - uh. Different sort of fucked-up sex stuff there.” Better not to get into it. “He was driving me from a hit and the car TV was playing something about New Zealand. ... Islands south of Japan. They don’t speak Japanese there. He said we should run away to there, and we both said we’d go wherever the other went, and so we stole some money from the group’s safe. I... had to try to shield him when we were chased. Got shot off of a fire escape.”

He sinks down a little more, expression dark. “I rescued him from where he was being held later on, but my brother shot him. ... I... I don’t know how... shit. It’s been two weeks? Or something.” He presses his hands to his face. “... I shouldn’t have dumped that on you.”

[subcircuits]

Well. That's a lot to unpack, isn't it? Devero starts at the end, with the only friend Otoha's ever had getting shot-- and that's about as far as he gets, actually, because if it only happened two weeks ago...

"That must have been right before you ended up here," he says. "Shit, man, you must be worried sick about him."

[bakegarasu]

"... There's not much to worry about. He's dead." He lets that hang for a moment and takes a deep breath. "Even if he'd survived that shot - and he didn't - my father's backup shot at me with rocket launchers after I killed him."

He doesn't like these emotions, someone make them stop.

WOW DON'T KNOW HOW I MISSED GETTING BACK TO THIS

[subcircuits]

Sorry, Otoha, Devero is the worst person to help you stop your emotions. In fact, he stands abruptly and sloshes across the pool to Otoha's side. He splashes down beside him and throws an arm over the other man's shoulder.

"Rust and ruin," he breathes, "I am so sorry."

[bakegarasu]

He freezes and takes a moment to breathe. "It's... not your fault. None of us in the yakuza expected to live to old age, especially at the lower ranks..."

He doesn't sound convinced.

[subcircuits]

"Of course it's not my fault," Devero says. "Does that mean my heart can't break for you? It sounds like the two of you wanted better for each other, and who can blame you given what you've told me?"

[bakegarasu]

It takes a minute for his brain to reboot a little bit. "I... we did. He... was a good guy. I don't... people don't normally feel sympathy for me. Or think about my feelings at all."

[subcircuits]

"Maybe back where you come from," Devero says, "but I bet you're finding it's different here, aren't you?" Call it a hunch.

[bakegarasu]

"... Yeah. I'm talking... a lot more than I'm used to. And people are... nicer."

[subcircuits]

"Good." Devero squeezes him once around the shoulders, then releases him and scoots down, though he stays on the same side of the pool for now. "There's a real good crew around here, in my experience."