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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"Oh yeah, all the time. Not always on a big scale but we got in a few big fights. I raised my boy to fly- I was takin' care of this Terran kid. An' he picked it up real quick. He was a natural. Dumb as a damn rock an' gets stabbed by women way too often, but he grew up with a talent."

That 'stabbed' remark is said with all the love of a long-suffering father, staring out over the 'water'.

There's something about the way Yondu talks about this kid of his, long suffering but sad at the same time.

"Sounds like he's got a thing for angry birds." Dennis would rather just not deal with any of that right now, liable to mess up what little good he'd steered his life into back home.

"This train business must suck, visiting worlds, but it's not the same as your ship." Not the same freedom or choices.

"Yeah, sounds like you got his type figured out real good." He'd teased him on it more than once.

Especially since apparently he wasn't planning on sending him any messages. Yondu wasn't about to spoil what he already said, and he's well aware that running his mouth too much longer just digs him in a grave fit to lie on.

"Yeah, well. I didn't come in with the best circumstances. Ain't got nothin' to go back to. Still, places like this? Make me miss it."

"Don't know a lotta blokes who chase after women who stab em, but plenty who seem to date crazy ones. Guess it's kinda the same." He's never understood it. Isn't life already enough of a mess, why bring more crazy into it?

Dennis regards Yondu quietly then for a moment, wondering if someone like him would choose to stay on the train if they had the option. Nothing to go back to, sounded like reason enough to stay, but who knows.

"... it's really pretty here," with the river and the colorful mushrooms and the sky, pretty seems fitting, "You've probably seen a lotta amazing stuff like this, huh?" He won't prod into things that don't seem to be his business, but can't hurt to talk more about all the cool planets and stuff Yondu has been to.

He'd run in a heartbeat. In his experience, he doesn't like being owned, even if the owners are being as kind as possible. That's how he sees the train.

"Oh yeah. I been to all kindsa places that were real nice lookin'" But some hiding real bad personalities. "Been to ones shot all to hell, too. Never seen nothin' exactly like this, though."

He gestures loosely at the river. And he makes the mistake of trying to do something; he turns his fin on, wanting to get a feel for the surrounding area. It only lights up for a second, though. Immediately he turns it off and grabs his head. "Holy shit, what was that?!"

He cringes out at the river.

That's fair, being owned isn't good in any shape or form. Doesn't matter how nice things may or may not be. He wishes he could see all sorts of worlds and planets like Yondu, seems like he'll get his wish. Depending on how long he's on this train.

He almost misses it, the fin thing on Yondu's head lights up for a second and his reaction is anything but good. Dennis misunderstands what Yondu is asking, thinking that it's the head stuff that's the problem. Technically...

"Your head thing lit up?!" Is that bad? "Wha- did it hurt you?"

"Nah, nah it was- Tried to use my fin 'cause it acts kinda reads the area, gives me an idea of what or whos around me. Usually loose shapes-" Though after the last mission, he got a lot better about judging those shapes, he almost doesn't even have to use his eyes for it anymore. "Tried to use it just now an' it was like it cut right into my head."

He winces, grimacing out at the river. Still sad, kinda, but that's just freaky enough to take the edge off the sadness. Something about the thing hurt him.

"So like a scanner... wicked." Wait, no that's not the important part of this conversation.

"Something you read hurt? The river you think? The announcement said something 'bout not touching or drinking it." Maybe the reason for it could be effecting the fin?

He touches around the base of his fin, like he's still trying to figure out why that would have happened. Other than Train Bullshit Magic, but it might as well be train bullshit magic.

He shakes it off.

"Yeah, yeah, that's about what it does. It really don't want me usin' it, though."

He holds up his hands at the river. Fine. Keep your secrets. "At least I can tell ya that there's somethin' weird about it. So maybe stuff is goin' like the notice said."

Train Bullshit Magic seems like as legit a reason as any.

Dennis is still pretty shocked by everything not normal to his world. Plain ol' basic Earth. So he's gawking from Yondu to the river, none to subtly.

"That'd be real nice, lotta people been on the train for a while sounds like." He's not worried too much if his gets to his mom or not, if it does it does. If it doesn't that's just the way it is. He knows she'll be okay with or without him.

He does notice the gawking eventually, once the pangs in his head have ceased. Thing is, even in space Yondu's a little strange. Centaurians don't get off-world much, not much more than Terrans (and even Terrans look just like Xandarians so folks usually can't tell the difference should they come across one). Centaurians are just unique enough that they stand out.

But on the train usually people have encountered some kinda strangeness. Cat people. Demons. Giant machines.

"...You're from a Terra like what my boy was from, ain't ya? No real common space travel or nothin'?"

Being blue with a cool orange fin thing on your head is pretty unique. At least for Dennis. In the grand scheme of the universe he has to imagine there's so much more than that.

He's definitely seen things some odd things on the train, but the strange newness of it hasn't worn off yet.

"Uhh, Earth? A Earth at least. Guess there's all sorts of em? S'all confusing to me still." He nods though, "Yeah, we can't space travel like what you were talking about. Humans can go to the moon and that's 'bout it. We've sent stuff to other planets in or solar system though." Not that impressive now that he's on a train gat can travel through space and time.

He sputters a noise like a horse and just waves out at the mushrooms.

"Don't even worry about it. Shit ain't gonna get less confusin'. Someone can figure it all out an' the next thing you know you've got a talkin' animal tellin' you explainin' how you been wrong the whole time. Just roll with it."

He sneers like that's one of the most bullshit things the universe has ever presented himself with.

"It's gonna get weirder. Honestly I think one of the best things about gettin' desensitized to it is watchin' how other people react."

"... have there really been talking animals?" Yes that's what he's grabbed on to from all of that.

"Guess you're right, I'll feel better when I'm not gaping like a fish at everything. If I'm round long enough I'll be the one explaining." He can't even imagine how long that'll take. If he's here that long that is. Inigo had said some people are around days others months. Who can guess which one he'll be.

"So uh, what's your name? Figure you don't like people calling you blue guy." Plus that's just rude.

"M'Dennis. Boring Earth person."

"Pretty sure ever'body just thinks of me as the blue guy, anyway. Even if there's two of us what's blue. The robot dick guy is."

Do holograms count? Holograms over robot skeletons?

"I'm Yondu. Yondu Udonta. What part o' Earth you come from?"

"Guess there's worse things than being known as the blue guy. At least you're not the blue robot dick guy?" Dennis is trying to be funny, hand teeters if it's working.

"Ain't met him yet, or guess if I had I'd know." A little shrug.

"Definitely think Yondu rolls off the tongue easier than blue guy." Not just being cheeky, it's the truth!

"London, uh the UK? United Kingdom? Not sure how well y'know Earth stuff." Yondu seems to know a lot more than him, so who can say?

Okay so despite that little snafu a few minutes ago, Yondu ends up laughing at that. "Yeah, boy. You meet 'im, you'd remember. He'd make sure of it." And he chuckles again. Can't help it.

Handsome Jack does his very best to be the biggest dick he can be. Yondu'd almost feel sorry for him and the amount of animosity he inspires from doing very little, but he does so much of very little that it's hard to feel too bad for him.

"I... know it's some islands in Europe. I didn't stop there. Heard it weren't a good planet for blue people."

Man he doesn't really know Yondu much, but hearing anyone laugh right now is pretty great.

"Cross my fingers I don't." Dennis huffs, he's had more than enough of people like that in his life. Thank you very much!

"Yeah you got it. Though think all of Earth probably ain't good for anyone like you. Or uh any "aliens"." Humans are collectively not good at handling things they're not used to.

"He gets around."

He decides then to make a little more room between himself and the creepy ass river, backing away to a safer distance.

"There's a lotta worlds like that. You get used to it but ya also get tired of it. Somehow manages to do both."

"I'll keep my eyes peeled for a giant blue cockhead." And avoid him. The last thing he needs is a dick in his life.

Backing away from the river sounds like a good idea, but first- Dennis puts the pebble inside the pouch Yondu had given him and after cinching it shut, tosses it in the the water. Guess that's taken care of.

"It's funny thinking 'bout it now, I'd be the alien on other planets. Fuck guess I am right now here."

"You get used to it." He almost cracks a joke about how sometimes native folks will throw themselves at ya, but he's not real sure how old Dennis is. And to be honest it's not always the greatest thing 'cause he's had those bad reactions too.

"Nothin' smart enough to communicate, though. SCA is bein' quiet. Or else it'd be the one time they didn't program nothin' in."

Don't worry, Yondu he's old enough to know about the birds and the bees... and to engage in such things. He probably wouldn't either way, but that's neither here nor there.

"Huh? Oh, the watch thing?" He peers down at his. "Fanciest thing I've ever owned and all I had to do was be kidnapped by a space train."

"It translates whatever for ya. An' I mean whatever. Text, anything. My Kree translator ain't even doin' that."

Which means he's basically running two translators at once which can be a pain in the ass.

Give the Kree translator a rest while you're here, Yondu.

"Won't complain about that, sure it'll come in handy going to strange places like this." Dennis kicks aimlessly at something on the ground, sighing.

"... you think the next place will be some mission thing?" He keeps hearing about it. Going to worlds and helping. Saving lives and fighting. Got his nerves a little frayed, which is saying something since he fights fires for a living back home. He's run through fire before, but that's not the same as what people keep talking about.

"S'how it worked out before. An' if you decide that red or purple shit is too much, blue an' orange always get some easy stuff."

It might be a little boring but when they have the superhero squad out there sometimes it's best to find somewhere where you feel useful. Last time there was endless fighting. This time it might be different, more task-oriented.

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agoodsoul - 2021-04-29 05:16 (UTC) - Expand

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