middleofsomewhere | Conclusion

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Poor Alice, dealing with someone as touchstarved as Rich is. It only feels natural for him to support others with the physical affection he wants so badly, so he wants to give it to her. If she wanted him to back off, though, he certainly would.

Poor Alice's flustered look gets a raised eyebrow, but smartly, Rich doesn't comment on it, a bit more distracted by the mention of the train.

"Uh... have to say, I never tried anything like that. The only thing I thought of was burning the computer out of my head." They're so well-adjusted.

Just a bunch of well-adjusted teens over here with their well-adjusted ideas.

In fact, it's a small miracle that Alice manages to not wince at the mere mention of burning. Maybe she's desensitized for the moment after all the fire during the mission - her only saving grace right now.

Though the statement still makes her frown a bit. But that's for an entirely different reason.

"I'm glad you didn't do that." Even aside from it being about Rich personally. Alice doesn't want to see anyone going down that path, especially not for a reason like this. It's too unfair. "It just meant that you would have let them win. You can't ever give in to your oppressors." Even when they're.. a computer inside of your brain, apparently.

Rich wouldn't exactly blame her for wincing. It's an obvious trigger for him too, the smell of smoke still enough to make his breath pick up and his chest feel tight until he can walk far away from wherever it's coming from. And it's a nasty story for him to share. He isn't surprised to see her frown, though he shakes his head.

"I mean, you're more glad that I didn't succeed. I tried it, but... a friend of mine managed to save me." Thinking about Jake leaves his heart aching for an entirely different reason, though. "I found out pretty quickly that I was letting them win when I did that. Even if I took myself out of their plans, they just found someone else to keep it going."

".. Exactly," Alice replies as she walks.

At first it seems like it's all she's going to say in reply to what he's saying. But there's more. There's more she knows she could share - so at least Rich knows he's not the only one in that situation. It's just that it feels a little scary to share that randomly with someone, especially someone she argued with before.

But if there's anything this place has taught Alice, it's that sometimes she just has to at least try.

"I escaped from my abuser back home. But the next time I saw him, he was waiting at the train station for my replacement. If these people are left to do as they please, they'll just find more and more people to ruin. .. Hence why I made sure he couldn't anymore."

You know. That may be where that 'just push them under a train' mention from earlier was coming from.

Rich does maybe feel a little better to hear that he's not the only one. It's just a bit overshadowed by his immediate concern for Alice in that situation. If he had a choice, he'd wish that he was the only one who had to deal with someone taking advantage of a kid who trusted in them. He knows how bad it hurts to be betrayed when you thought there was someone in their corner.

"I'm... really sorry you had to deal with someone as shitty as that. I... if my dad ever did something like that, I'd make sure he couldn't survive."

They've reached the medical bay now, though, which makes Rich hesitate. Should he invite her in so they can talk a bit more? Or would she rather go wash her hands since he's all gross and sickly?

"I, uh, guess this is my stop."

For a moment she pauses, staring at the medbay ahead of them, and then back at Rich. Quietly, like she's thinking for a moment.

Then she gently shoves him. In the sort of way where she's still making sure he doesn't fall over, but she's still guiding him all the way until she's made sure to help him sit down on a bed. There. Much better. She can't trust him to maybe not fall over before he makes it onto one, okay.

"Then I'll leave you here." She at least has enough trust in some of the people usually working here in the medical carriage to know he'll be taken proper care of, so no further hounding is necessary. "Take better care of yourself. It's your right as someone who has survived all that."

Rich doesn't stumble quite as much as before, though he is grateful she actually helps him get into a bad. Once he's seated, though, he starts fiddling with the blankets, and really, as much as he might be sad to see her go, he is exhausted.

"Yeah. I'll be taking a nap, okay? So don't worry too much." He smiles softly. "I... think you should take a break too, after that mission. I'll see you around, though?"

It's a careful question, in case he hasn't impressed her enough to actually get her to accept his friendship yet.

".. Sure."

Okay, so maybe it's not the most enthusiastic answer ever, but you'd be hard-pressed to see Alice ever give an answer much more enthusiastic than this in the first place. Perhaps it's the best he can get in this situation.

She lingers awkwardly for a moment, as if she's unsure of what else to say, but then she starts moving out of the medical carriage, raising up a last hand in greeting, but without turning around.

"Goodbye for now."

And then she's gone through the door.

Conclusion

cw suicide mention

cw suicide mention

cw suicide mention

cw: abuse and murder mentions

cw will probably just continue for a while orz

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