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

Xue Yang | The Untamed

[xue_yang]

Dressing Car
Xue Yang stares at the clothing options with a quirked eyebrow. The last thing he wants to do is wear anything in that closet. He is perfectly content in his all black robes. He can handle whatever the weather is on the planet just fine without having to be wearing something so...floral.

He turns away from the closet and picks up a picnic basket instead and a blanket. "I'm not touching anything in that closet." He can always take off layers. He isn't shy.

Picnic
The picnic basket has been abandoned below him as he lays stretched out on the top of one of the funghi. His hands are behind his head and his eyes are closed as he enjoys the warmth of the sun on his face.

He isn't sleeping and he can hear all the people wandering around below him, but he decided that a little pre-lunch nap might be good to have. He wanted to be able to enjoy all the time outside that he can.

He cracks his eye open when he hears someone approach and rolls over onto his side to stare down at them. "Don't be stealing my picnic basket. I'm saving it."

Endless River
He has nothing he wants to say to anyone on their world. Instead he has his arms crossed and is leaning against one of the funghi as he watches everyone else sending wishes down the river. He didn't care for anyone and anyone he actually would want to talk to is already there. So he has no reason to play such a stupid game. That probably isn't even going to work anyway...

[stardustofdawn]

This is a nice break, a picnic. So after the announcement, Xingchen wakes up early in the morning to get ready. He got dressed and wears a robe with shades of blues, and wears a wide-brimmed hat with ribbons and feathers, wearing joyful colors for once. He gathered picnic baskets and he accompanies his fiance through the forest.

Once they had it laid out to enjoy the scenery of the forest, he joins him as he naps. "This place is beautiful." For once, he is so happy and joyful to able to see what the world looks like. From the cascade of sunsets and the colorful milky way, it's beautiful in a cosmic way, and enjoying the nature of the forests and fresh air.

After the picnic, he went to the Endless river to sit by the shore and meditate by the stones to send his messages. There's only a few people he sends his message to. His nephews, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, A-Qings, Song Lan, and finally, Xue Yang...he send in thoughts, emotions, and feelings. He truly believes they will receive it.

Once the message is sent, the stones glowing, he secured it in a bag, and cast it in the river. He watches as the river takes his message away into the void, carrying his stones and messages across the multiverse.

Not true, the stones do work. Xue Yang will be struck with his emotions. Because he's too physically close to him and he's a passenger on the train, he might feel the intensity of Xingchen's message and emotions. There's sadness, regret, grief, love, especially love, unconditional love, and not to mention, followed by a good solid headache.

[xue_yang]

Xue Yang watches, not caring to send a stone to anyone. He doesn't really see the point. He doesn't know exactly show Xingchen is sending the stones to until he nearly gets knocked over by the emotions that suddenly strike him.

He stumbles a little and brings a hand up to his head as he tries to keep himself from being completely bowled over by them. "What the hell..."

He curses under his breath even as the warmer emotions hit him. There is too much negative emotion at first for him to truly understand. When the love hits he starts to slowly understand what is going on. It's pretty damned surprising that this river actually works.

He sits down on the ground and then falls backwards to lay down instead. Now that the emotions have started to dull all he has left is a headache. "Daozhang, You didn't need to send me one..."

[stardustofdawn]

After he watches the stones float away down the river, carrying his wishes, he approaches his fiance with a look of amusement.

"You received it? I wouldn't think it actually works. I thought they're like lanterns, you put confessions and wishes into them to release them." He looks pleased, knowing there's a possibility that Song Lan may receive the message in their homeworld somewhere, so the guilt in his heart has lighten a lot more, lighter much, and freerer.

"I don't need to, but I want to. You didn't know that I truly loved you?" He smiles and bends down to kiss him on the cheek in apology. "I'm sorry, are you all right?"

[xue_yang]

"I'm broken, daozhang. You broke me." He teases as he lays there, giving himself just a little more time to try and recover from the emotions he just got slapped with.

It is rather impressive that it does work like it was described. He figured it was just a bunch of dumb emotional stuff that doesn't actually do anything real. That doesn't change anything. He doesn't really feel the need to send any off. He'll leave that to Xingchen.

"I figure you wouldn't marry me unless you loved me."

[stardustofdawn]

"Then I can heal you and put you back together." He still feels apologetic that he stuns him with his emotions and messages. He simply slides his arms around his midsection to pull him into a hug so he could rest his poor head on his shoulder and let him rest there to comfort him.

"Xue Yang, people marry for love, and I do love you."

[xue_yang]

He would feel embarrassed by this contact if anyone else was in the area. He isn't used to being so cuddly in public. But he let's Xingchen pull him up and rests against him in as relaxed a manner as he can without it looking awkward.

It's public knowledge that they are getting married but that doesn't mean he knows how to be so obvious with his affections.

"I love you too, daozhang."

[stardustofdawn]

There isn't anyone around, but he doesn't seem to mind with the close contact if anyone sees. He holds him in his arms and it feels comfortable, with the warm spring weather it's perfect.

His heart feels warm hearing the words and feeling it, so he holds him in his arms. This is a nice break, and having a picnic, it's romantic. He gives him a gentle kiss.

"Let's go back to our picnic spot."

[xue_yang]

"But that means we would have to move. What if I'm not ready yet?" He gives him a smirky kind of pout as he teases. "I still have to get my strength back after being emotionally attacked."

He actually is much better now but that doesn't mean he can't give Xingchen a hard time.

[stardustofdawn]

He holds him in his arms because it's comfortable and he's warm. He smirks back, playfully, "Then stay where you are if it's comfortable and most healing for you to regain your strength back. I guess I attacked you effectively that you're unable to move. It's my most powerful technique."

Besides, it's a nice day out and the milky way that painted the sky rainbow is beautiful. Not to mention he has his handsome fiance in his arms, so it's picture perfect.

[xue_yang]

He shifts a little and settles deeper against him once given permission to stay there and heal for a little longer. He might as well take advantage of the comfortable position while he has it.

"You better not let anyone else know or experience your most powerful technique."

[stardustofdawn]

Once they settled comfortably, all cozy and nestled, he finds a tall funghi to lean against. "Xue Yang, I wouldn't tell anyone of our secrets. The affections and feelings that I have for you is for you alone."

His arms around him loosen, "Anyway, I did send messages to people I know...that we used to know. I think you know who they are. Usually members of our family from our past in that house we shared back in Yi City. I just wanted to say my final good-byes and a hope that I'll meet them again in the next life. If you believe in reincarnation."

[xue_yang]

"Anything is possible, daozhang. We've seen that for ourselves. Reincarnation isn't outside the realm of possibilities any more." Probably not for himself. He figures only people who deserve it are allowed to come back . He has done enough bad in his lifetime that some deciding entity has probably black listed him from ever being put back on the world.

[knifewithnoname]

Wow. As if she was going to steal his picnic basket. How dare he even suggest such a thing.

Alright she was absolutely going to steal his picnic basket but now she just flopped down on the mushroom and wrinkled her nose at him.

"You do be looking happy."

[xue_yang]

He probably wouldn't have cared that much if she had stolen it. Chances are Xingchen also has one and he could just steal from his. But he does quirk his eyebrow a little at the comment about him looking happy.

"Do I? And what makes you say that?"

[knifewithnoname]

"Do you no be being?"

She turned her head to raise an eyebrow at him. "I did almost be getting to your side before you did be growling at me. You do be relaxing."

[xue_yang]

He shrugs and sits up, "Might as well enjoy relaxing outside in the sun while we can. I didn't figure anything in this place was aiming to kill me so why shouldn't I relax?"

[knifewithnoname]

"Yes it do no be being a murderous place."

It didn't seem so anyways. She grinned at him. "I did be hearing that you will be getting married."

[xue_yang]

"A big change from the last world."

He did not expect Xingchen to be making that such public knowledge but there is not much he can do about it since he broadcasted it all over the train before Xue Yang could stop him.

"That does appear to be in my future." Not something he ever expected.

[knifewithnoname]

A very big change. The last place had been very murderous and very dead. She wrinkled her nose and tilted her head at him.

"Do you be wanting to?"

Because the way Xiao Xingchen had explained it, it seemed he wanted to change a lot about Xue Yang.

[xue_yang]

"I want to stay by Xingchen's side." And so that apparently means marriage in Xingchen's mind so he is willing to go through all the formalities.

"I want him to be happy. This is what will make him happy."

[knifewithnoname]

"You do be liking him that much?"

She tilted her head, "Even if he do be telling you what to be doing and do be wanting you to no even be..."

She paused for a moment as she tried to find words to explain what she was trying to say.

"He do no be wanting you do be being you. He do be wanting you to be behaving and to be being a good husband and to be doing what he do be thinking do be being right. Do you be wanting him to be being happy so much that you will be accepting that?"

[xue_yang]

"He doesn't tell me what to do." Xue Yang bristles a bit at the thought. It's not like he is simply bending to the other man's will. He still has his own desires that don't completely line up with everyone else. He just knows when to make those known and when it is time to quell them.

"He just doesn't want me to hurt anyone. I'm not going to suddenly become a good person just to be by his side. He's agreed to accept who I am as long as I agree not to kill anyone."

And he has done well enough to do that since being on the train. There was only one mishap. Xingchen isn't so disillusioned to think he will suddenly be kind and caring to everyone. The only person who gets to see his kinder side is the daozhang.

[knifewithnoname]

Ah so it was more of a deal, he won't kill anyone and instead he got to be married? Got to be at Xiao Xingchen's side.

Xiao Xingchen had sounded like he could change him, so perhaps he was doing it subtly, trying to manipulate him into turning to the side of good.

"You should be remembering that." She told him with a nose wrinkle. "Do no be letting go of who you do be being."

[xue_yang]

He snorts and smirks at her, "That would be impossible. I know clearly who I am and what I want." And he got what he wanted.

Just because he has agreed to behave himself on the train, doesn't mean he is going to become good. He simply won't be stirring up any needless trouble. He still gets to let loose on the battlefields.