middleofsomewhere | The Endless River

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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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.

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."

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."

"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.

Thankfully, the train isn't that type of entity, so it brought people to life without judgement as long their lives are tethered to it's source. And even if he did bad, he'll probably plead that entity to let him go and let him experience a second chance. He simply listens and nods. He had a lot of thoughts, but then his last life is depressing and he spent the last few months thinking about his own mistakes and...forgiveness is a nice feeling. Which is human of him.

"Mm. I just think it's a miracle that we meet each other again like this and now we're like this, I want..." He looks at him. He definitely wants him. "I like the possibility of starting our lives all over again."

He looks at him with much happiness and joy in his heart, now his heart is free like a bird spread it's wings. "I like the idea of being your husband. What about you...? Do you think that's possible too?"

"Of course, daozhang. We're getting married right? So we will be starting over. A new life together as husbands." It is still really strange to say that or even acknowledge that in a few weeks or months that he would be married. Even though he agreed to it, part of him still doesn't believe it will actually happen.

He has lost Xingchen twice before and he isn't so naive to think he couldn't lose him again. Even though Xingchen doesn't remember being on the train before, Xue Yang does...and he had been so mentally fragile because of everything that happened that watching the daozhang leave had been harder then he ever would have imagined. Almost as hard as losing him to his own hand.

But he feels slightly hopeful that Xingchen is going to stay this time and that this marriage will actually occur.

It's good that he becomes hopeful because it's real and it was given to him freely and truly, coming from himw. "Yes, of course. We're getting married and we're becoming husbands." And he said it as if it's the truth.

Xingchen now isn't mentally and emotionally fragile as before. He was broken, yes, but the connection he has with others and his connection to him is a real gift. Day by day, he becomes mended and whole, and he holds a key to complete the puzzle that is in Xue Yang's heart, whether he's aware of it or slowly becoming, and with the key, he simply opens the door.

"Having you in my life is a gift. I should have said it to you before when you said, but I wasn't ready." He knew that would please him. "But now I am."

He's going to hold him in his arms and have him sit on his lap. "It also means I'm never going to leave you." He whispered like a secret, but shared only with him.

"You wouldn't have said that a few years ago." That he was a gift. Not when he killed all those people and took Song Lan's eyes. At that time he was probably the one person Xingchen hated. And Xue Yang certainly felt he same way about him.

A lot changed in those years in Yi City. He wouldn't say that he felt himself changing but his thoughts and opinions on the daozhang did. He felt like he had a family for once. He had someone who showed him kindness. And now on the train he is able to share with him some of those feelings that have grown inside of him.

"I'm glad we changed out minds."

"I wasn't able to. I didn't know who you are and...we are different people then." Before their own deaths. Even if he had found out the truth, it seems taking his life is inevitable like nothing and no higher power in the universe can change that fate.

During those years, it's almost a peaceful time, but that was an illusion. But now, with the feelings between them growing and transformed, being nurtured, and being truthful, their relationship can go in that direction.

"Yes, I'm glad too. And it certainly does look like we're going to feel better and living in the future. If that's the future you also want, then come with me and be with me." Otherwise, he wouldn't agree to marry him.

"If I didn't want it then I would agree to a wedding." Xue Yang isn't so easy that he would simply go through with something because someone asked. He has his own desires and drive that isn't so willing to bend. He only agrees to things that he is equally as invested in.

"Should we go have our picnic now? I think I've recovered." From his pretend injury caused by Xingchen's real emotions.

With a nod, he wants to be sure Xue Yang wanted it. "It's important we both want it." He was anxious about what people will think, but it's more of his criminal history that Xingchen knows so well, and his relationship with him is complex. But at least with the network post, it's more of a concern over A-Qing's safety, which he can figure out a way to protect him and her both, so that's something he can work with. He accepts that all of him, and he knows Xue Yang is still changing even during their marriage and it will continue. He simply loves the better side of him, when he's in a good mood, so he will nurture him and he wanted to.

"Must be a bad headache I have given you. I can give you a head massage once we get to the picnic." He searches for his hands to wrap and thread with his fingers as he rose up to his feet and with a gentle smile, leads the way.

He stands up with him and follows. "You better spoil me after all the abuse you put me through." Should he probably stop himself from being too pushy? Probably. But it was Xingchen's idea to do the message so he might as well encourage it.

He already gets spoiled by Xingchen generally but that doesn't mean he can't pretend that he needs more of it.

He holds his hands loosely as they made their way to the picnic area, and they already have their spot with the mat laid out and picnic baskets. He plops down to help himself to the sandwiches and a thermos containing tea.

"And do you want me to make up for it?"

"You should feed me, daozhang." He is going to take full advantage of this while he can. He opens his mouth and waits for Xingchen to put some food inside of it.

Raising an eyebrow, he lowers the thermos down, "All right. All we have are sandwiches and chips, and we also have pastries for sweets."

He searches the picnic basket and finds a plastic-wrapped sandwich. He unwraps and tears it up in half like a triangle, and brings it over to him. "Here, say ah~." With every intention to feed him slowly.

He smirks and says 'ah' then bites down onto the sandwich. Sitting up again once he has a mouthful to chew it.

"The food will taste better if daozhang feeds me."

He finishes chewing that piece and opens his mouth again for the next.

He smiles softly, "If you think so, then you must have liked my meals. I'm learning to cook too." He's kinda cute when he accepts food from him, so he feeds him slowly the sandwiches in small bits.

Eventually, he fetches another thermos and hands him one. "Here, drink. This is lemon tea that I prepared. It's refreshing."

He takes the tea and relaxes back against the stem of one of the strange plants this world has. At least it is sturdy enough to hold him up. He takes a sip of the tea, letting it wash down the taste of the sandwich.

"Why are you spending so much time learning to do all these things? You might as well relax on the train."

Says the one who almost never does chores.

"I want to learn as much as possible. I was thinking about how my vision and my mind are narrow in my last life. It's good to expand your mind and learn in pursuit of knowledge. Back home, my formal education is studying with Baoshan before I left the sect." Before she helped him transfers his eyes with Song Lan and she exiled him.

Xingchen drinks his tea as they relax side to side. "But I'll try to relax if you insist."

"Relaxing is good for you. If you stay too busy then you'll get tired. Then you won't want to have any fun."

Xue Yang is going to leave it up to his imagination what kind of fun he would miss out on. Xue Yang likes staying active himself. He is often in the various rooms on the train doing things. But he also takes plenty of time to do nothing at all.

Xingchen is well aware that Xue Yang is laid back and somewhat lazy, and likes to take it easy. But instead of scolding, he smiles a little and loosens up his strict sternness that he is well-known for.

He realized what he meant. He smiles softly and gives him a kiss on the cheek. "That's a good idea. How very sweet of you. The next time I get tired, I'll remember to spend time with you and have fun and relax."

"Don't go around telling people I am sweet. You'll ruin my reputation."

He laughs and rummages around in the picnic basket for something more to snack on. The sandwich was good but he wants a little more.

"A-yang, I didn't realize you have a fierce reputation, scaring the children. But I wouldn't dream of it."

He laughs too. He is teasing him, but the picnic is peaceful for once. In the picnic basket, there isn't much other than sandwiches, cookies, and chips.

But for the next few hours, he's going to enjoy a picnic and lunch with his beloved, enjoying the scenery alien landscape and the sky.

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The Endless River

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