middleofsomewhere | The Endless River

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.

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Of course. Her parents. Who else could Mami want to reach through time, when it sounded like Mami never really had friends - other than Kyoko, who is right here with her?

It makes Madoka go quiet for a moment, but then she slowly reaches out, putting both of her hands around Mami's hands and the rocks in them. Clutching it all tightly between her own two hands.

"Mami-san.. um.. I don't know if it's too forward, but.. I don't think your parents would want to hear 'I'm sorry.'"

Madoka can only imagine what her own mother would say if that was the kind of message she sent back to them after everything..

"I think, instead.. they'd rather hear about you. About the things that are going well for you. The things you hope for, the things that make you happy.. I-I don't know your parents, of course." And Madoka wouldn't want to be rude, so she does look a little embarrassed as she speaks.

But she thinks about what Yondu told her. Every parent out there worries about their child..

"But I think every parent out there probably just wants to hear about their child's happy moments, so they know they don't have to worry or feel bad for leaving them behind.."

Mami listens patiently, feeling a little twinge of guilt. She's so burdened by her own guilt that she's forgotten how to smile at the past. Madoka's right, of course she is.

So Mami wipes her eyes with a small shake of her head.

"Of course you're right. They wouldn't understand what I meant...my life changed so much. It's been hard, but...I should let them know how wonderful you all are. That I'm glad they taught me to care about making the world better, and I'm going to keep trying. Do you think that's good?"

She nods. Surely that should put Mami's parents out there at ease, right? Knowing that their daughter is still happy, even though she's had a tough time? That there are still things worth smiling for..

"I think so. I also think they must be really proud of you, you know?"

If Mami's parents were-- are anything like Madoka's own. And she figures they must be kind people, because they raised someone as kind as Mami.

"Do you also feel good about sending a message like that..?"

Madoka is so kind and thoughtful. Not assuming, not pushing...Mami just nods.

"I hope I can make them proud. If I can do that one thing right, healing and protecting our team as we protect worlds...that would make me happy, I think."

She clutches her stone and starts again.

"Mom, Dad...I want you to know first that I love you, and I'm so grateful for everything you gave me. I want you to know that even if we part suddenly, I'm going to do my best to be the girl you taught me to be. Helpful, kind...and I've met so many friends in helping out."

Just a start.

Madoka does take a small step back. She doesn't leave Mami entirely, so she can still be there to support the other, but she does want to give her a little bit of space - just enough to be able to do this much by herself, to cast the pebble into the river once she's done.

The words sound good though. They sound positive, and not in a way that seems - to Madoka, at least - faked at all. Like the feelings are really coming from Mami's heart.

Not wanting to interrupt her, Madoka just gives her an encouraging nod and a smile.

"I wish I could bring them home to you. You always worried I wasn't making enough friends...I won't lie, I struggled for a while. But I'm doing better now. And I'mm proud of the work I've done with them.

I hope to see you someday when I can tell you all about it. Until then...keep being you, okay?"

Finally, she's finished. She gently drops the rocks in a bag and ties it up.

"Was that...okay?"

She nods, seemingly not having to hesitate for a moment.

"It was great, Mami-san." Acknowledging that she hasn't always been doing great, but that she's trying to do her best so she's less miserable now.. that's the important part, isn't it? And Madoka is honestly glad to hear it too. That Mami is also starting to see that things are turning around. That they are becoming better.

It only strenghtens the resolve in Madoka's heart to make sure to save the world. So there's a world for Mami to live in too.

"Were those all the messages you wanted to send..?"

Mami thinks about it a little longer, and then...no, that's not all.

"We're all from different versions of the worlds, or that's what the train says. So. I think I should send a wish to my world's Miki-san and Sakura-san...and you. To tell you that you're strong, and I wish I could be there to help."

Madoka doesn't doubt that they could be from different worlds. After all, even aside from what the train told them, there's what Homura told them back home. About all the different timelines she has experienced. Maybe there were multiple ones where Mami died the way Madoka saw it happen too.. which is a sad thought, and one she doesn't like to linger on, but it's one that'd definitely explain how they could all be from different worlds.

So she nods, making sure to quickly shove that thought out of her head again.

".. that's kind of you.. I think that.. um, that the me from your world.. that she'll be very happy. I think she probably misses you."

After all, Madoka missed Mami so much too, right after the other girl died. It even lingered here on the train until Mami herself showed up again.

Mami is secure in her decision, then. She balances the new rocks and squeezes them.

"Then I will. I want you all to know...that I was glad to meet you, and I hope you'll be safe. I know it's hard in our world...but we're all trying, right?"

She nods.

"It's since you taught us well, Mami-san."

Madoka knows that this isn't really meant for her. After all, the her from Mami's world.. If she's still from that time right after Mami died, she's an entirely different person compared to Madoka herself, who has been on the train for so long now. Who has changed in some ways, she thinks. (She likes to think.)

But she knows that even her past self would want to say this to Mami, so she can't help but tell the other girl it now.

"Thank you," Mami whispers, and she steps forward, hesitantly squeezing Madoka's hand.

"Now...would you like some tea?"

Tea does sound like a good idea, huh. Now Mami has sent off her messages, it's probably better to not linger near the river. Not when it's much more likely to lead to slightly sadder thoughts than any other part of this odd mushroom world.

So she therefore says, gratefully: "Yes!"

She would love some tea right about now.

"Maybe we can have a picnic together with some tea?"

The Endless River

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