The Endless River

[voidtreckermods]

On the morning of day twenty one of the month of Kazoo there is a message on the ICP screens around the train. Their SCA's will light up the colour of the Void and show the following information.

World #398050 is a void nexus known locally as Tshering. As a void nexus this world has strong links with the void and the connection through worlds. World #398050 is home to the Endless River. Legends speak of this river being powerful enough to send thoughts from one heart to another across any distance. All that is needed is for you to know who it is you wish to reach.

On-board

The dressing carriage is open, filled with clothing best suited to a pleasant spring day. Light, airy and in a rainbow of joyful colours and florals. One closet is entirely filled with wide-brimmed hats bedecked with ribbons, feathers and ornaments. A stack of picnic baskets and containers filled with an alarming variety of passenger-suitable foodstuffs and flasked drinks sits in one corner, next to rolls of thick, weatherproof blankets in the four team colours.

The large box marked Do Not Use Yet, filled with small, empty jute bags, is hopefully still sat in the Luggage carriage, ready for passengers to grab handfuls of its contents as directed by the announcement.

Upon landing (after an appropriate countdown), the train remains on the surface, its carriages partially curved to form a gathering site for the day. Welcome to Tshering, the eighth void nexus!



A Day for Picnics

Tshering, system #398050, is a strange place, only habitable by grace of the passengers' SCAs. The sky is shot through with colours, a cascade of sunsets, and through it, the void shimmering through it in seams like a child's painting of the milky way. Still, there's a beauty to the chaotic mash of colours that soaks through its landscape, and in the shelter of the forests of towering funghi that dot its surface, the Void can go unseen by its visitors.

The temperature seems mild, suitable for the provided clothing, and if there are weather patterns around the world they've taken the day off. The funghi are sturdy enough that what air flow there is doesn't disturb their stalks, and carved grooves and holds in some of the larger examples indicate that climbing them to sit atop their glowing crowns is eminently possible, and, in fact, encouraged.

the Endless River

The Endless River is a font of pure chaos, flowing from a multitude of small rivulets across the area to a central reservoir, from which it pours directly upwards, away from Tshering's surface and out of sight, beyond the world's atmosphere.

Anything bagged and placed within the Endless River will also flow upwards and soon be out of sight, passing, presumably, into the Void. Scattered across the surface of Tshering are small, glittering pebbles, as described in the announcement.

The stones are pleasantly cool to the touch, and all passengers need to do is feel. Messages can be in any form that the Voidtreckers wish. Perhaps words, perhaps feelings, perhaps an image from their mind into the stone. Perhaps a mixture. Once they begin their message the stone will glow slightly and continue to glow as they secure it in the bag and cast it into the river. They will feel, almost instinctively, that they need to focus as they do so, thinking of the person they wish to reach all the while.

There are plenty of bags and many more stones; passengers will not be limited in their sendings.

Comments

[ourtomorrow]

"We don't know," Ken admits, running through a mental list of things that have been useful for explaining Digimon. "But it's possible human thoughts and feelings play a role. Like tsukumogami."

Thus almost, but not quite like, yokai. People pouring enough of themselves into something that it becomes alive, develops its own will. Ken doesn't know if that's how Digimon began, but he has seen the power of emotions, many times.

[bakegarasu]

Hm. That... makes a weird kind of sense. "... I've seen a few of those... I'm my city's guardian. I'm supposed to keep the balance between humans and yokai... human belief is what makes yokai exist, but people don't believe in yokai that much anymore, so they're getting sick."

But it's not the same. Is it? He's not actually sure.

[ourtomorrow]

"That's scary."

And sad! Being sick is scary and sad, and so is having no one to believe in you! Yet Ken-chan is smiling gently, so things will be...okay?

"You're doing useful work." And it is...similar to being a Chosen Child, in a way. "Balance is important."

[bakegarasu]

"Mm." It is, but it's still new and strange for him. "It's a lot better for people than what I used to do."

... He probably shouldn't tell a child what he used to do, exactly. "I worked for some very bad people for a long time."

[ourtomorrow]

Ken is oddly contemplative upon receiving this information, and rather solemn but sincere when his eventual response is:

"I'm glad you stopped."

Wormmon nods along hard enough to make his antennae wobble around. Working for very bad people is scary and awful! And so hard to escape! He knows! So it's very impressive when someone manages to do it, and both he and Ken-chan are always so happy for them!!

[bakegarasu]

The 'escape' was violent and doomed, but he tried at the very least. He's very lucky that he happened to be picked to contract with Shinjuku's yurine.

But he doesn't say that. Instead he says: "... Me too."

There's a lot of reasons why it's good he stopped, even though it was his whole world. "I'm... learning how to help people. It's new."

[ourtomorrow]

"It's fun, huh?"

Wormmon enjoys being of use to others. So does Ken, who will take advantage of Wormmon asking a question to finish setting out the (extremely boring) food.

[bakegarasu]

"..." 'Fun' isn't the word he'd use. "It's... different. And taking some getting used to."

What a strange bug child...

[ourtomorrow]

Wormmon, unbothered, nods. People for whom things take getting used to, but try the things anyway, are strong. "Good for you."

"Ehe..."

Ken laughs nervously. He knows that cheer is also for him, and he's touched.

[bakegarasu]

"Uh. Thanks." How do complimented by worme.

... Hm. "Did you make all of this?" There are suspiciously wormclaw-shaped indents in that rice.

[ourtomorrow]

"I did the rice. Ken-chan made the others!"

"I'm inexperienced," Ken admits, although his contributions do look a lot....neater...than Wormmon's. "But, please."

Help yourself....

[bakegarasu]

"You... uh. Did a good job?" He means it, though it probably doesn't sound that way. "I'm not exactly great in the kitchen, either."

At least he's stopped accidentally cutting himself every other time.

He picks up one of the rice balls and... why not? He takes a bite and... "Huh. It's pretty good."

[ourtomorrow]

Wormmon blushes. "Really???"

Ken smiles, picks up a rice ball himself. Delicately breaks it in half. Offers half to Wormmon. Wormmon scoots forward to accept it.

Munch munch.

"Mmmn!!!!"

Ken grins at Otoha. They may struggle in casual conversations, but they have making Wormmon happy in common now, and he likes that.

[bakegarasu]

He tries to smile, feels dumb about it, then just nods at the other two. "Last time I tried to make something like this I burnt my fingers since I didn't wait until the rice was properly cool. ... That was a while ago, though." It wasn't often that he really had to work at making his own food.

cw: INTENSELY pure boy

[ourtomorrow]

"There's lots to consider when cooking, isn't there."

What with Orange being on meal prep and all, Ken is learning that. And also learning that he...doesn't really mind it? It's a task that calls for methodical precision, and that sort of thing gives him a calm satisfaction. He doesn't have much faith in his abilities yet, but, perhaps...

Maybe, when they've saved what the Voidtrecker Express needs them to save, and he goes home, he can offer to cook with his mother. Ken is starting to think he might like that.

oh no

[bakegarasu]

"Yeah. ... I got banned from the kitchen by my friends for a bit. It's too easy for me ot get hurt and not notice." Nom nom.

"Burnt my hand and cut the other one before I got stopped. I didn't know those wounds were there."

Re: oh no

[ourtomorrow]

"It didn't hurt?"

Wormmon is trying to picture what not hurting would be like. At first it sounds nice, like you wouldn't have to be scared of things, but you'd have to be even more scared, wouldn't you? You would have no warning.

Pain tells you something is wrong. That's like. Deep. He's smart like Ken-chan!

[bakegarasu]

Ah. Right.

"I can't feel pain. Something to do with my nerves not sending the signal to my brain properly. Don't know all of the science behind it. It means I have to check myself out of fights, but it also means that I can keep going in a fight even when badly hurt, since the pain doesn't stop me."

[ourtomorrow]

"Insensitivity...."

Ken adds this to the things he knows about his new acquaintance. It would be so easy to push yourself too hard......Or perhaps that's just Ken. If he didn't feel pain, how would his life be different?

Wormmon also considers a life Without Pain. He hits on what he feels to be the most important part, noting sagely: "Take care of yourself."

[bakegarasu]

"... I try. And I check in with Medical after missions... one of my friends has healing magic, too." He's not comfortable just flat out revealing that Ryo's one of his brothers on the train - if Ryo wants to tell people about that relationship it's fine. He's not going to push it.

"I've gotten really badly hurt before... but it's important to finish what you started, pain or not."

[ourtomorrow]

Ken has learned to look out for his life, but he can agree with the gist. "Some things need to be done."

"I'm glad this isn't a painful world," says Wormmon, heading over to Ken-chan. He could get the food himself like a big boy, but....Ken-chan? Will you feed him? It will taste better if Ken-chan feeds him.

[bakegarasu]

"Me too. I haven't... really had much of a chance to... hm." How to put this without being completely depressing? The kid seems mature, but he's still a kid.

"I pretty much never had a chance to totally relax. Not even when I was little. So it's good to have a chance to learn how to do that." He's still on top of his duties... but it's less here. He's not the only one fighting.

[ourtomorrow]

Ken smiles the smile of someone who does Get It, a little. "Mm."

What would you like, Wormmon? A sandwich. Here is a piece of sandwich. Ken feeds Wormmon piece by piece by hand, mindful of portion size so his partner won't choke.

Wormmon is on cloud nine. "It's yummy! Food shared with others is yummy!"

A glance at Otoha, and Ken's nodding. "I agree."

[bakegarasu]

"I've... been finding that, yeah." He sits back a little, eating slowly while watching the kid and his bug. "You haven't been here that long, right?" And definitely not on red team. The kid doesn't seem aggressive enough.

[ourtomorrow]

A shake of Ken's head. "This was our first mission."

"You were good at the puzzles, huh, Ken-chan?"

"I wouldn't say that...."