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

[miseris_socios]

He rolls over to look over at the other Ken. His shorts are all messy, but these are ones he borrowed from the dressing car anyway. He might have some bruises later, but... well.

"Worth it. The look on your face was great!" He's still giggling, but... ah... he can't even remember the last time he laughed this freely.

[ourtomorrow]

"I wasn't expecting gymnastics!" Ken's protest is feeble, more like a compliment. "Is that from fighting?"

....No one is going to get the ball. Wormmon fidgets. A friend moment is so good. Should he get the ball?

.........He will get the ball. And then it will be ready without them having to worry about stopping their friend moment. He is a helpful Digimon!

[miseris_socios]

What a good bugfriend.

"Yeah... some Shadows don't take piercing damage as much, so I learned to use my spear to swing around and kick." He stretches a little and smiles. "... I took a chance, and it worked." He's not even sure if they're supposed to be keeping score. This is just for fun, right?

[ourtomorrow]

"Using all your abilities is smart." Ken has never thought of using things he's learned from fighting in soccer, though he has seen people use things they've learned from soccer in fighting. He starts to consider this.

"Wormmon does most of the fighting, but..."

Wormmon, bold Doer Of Most Of The Fighting, tries to pick up the soccer ball and it pops out of his claws. He chases it.

This is a somewhat less intense experience than the two Kens going after the ball.

[miseris_socios]

"It's... it's just for fun, right? So I thought I'd try... I don't know if that's really allowed to do in an actual game..." He hasn't watched a game in a long time, either.

Ken glances over at Wormmon, and... ah. "Do you want help?"

[ourtomorrow]

"I'm okay. Don't worry." Wormmon waves a claw to tell the Ken contingent all is well, then notices the ball is...still rolling...away from him. "Waaaaaiiittt...."

Ken checks to make sure his partner is OK, then returns to the matter at hand. "You didn't break any rules, so even if it were a more serious game, I don't see a problem."

He grins. "I'm glad to be worthy of facing head-on."

[miseris_socios]

"... I mean, of course you are. You're my -" Say the word, Ken. It's not going to hurt you. Probably. "You're my friend."

The first actual friend his age in... at least two years. A little more, probably. The more time passes the more things before the incident start to get a little hazy. "... I wouldn't just let you win, because I know you wouldn't just let me win, either."

[ourtomorrow]

Ken blushes, speechless at that. Amada-kun agrees they're friends.....!!! And wants to challenge him the same way he does!

"Mm."

"Sticky Net!"

....Okay, they should probably go do something about ball recovery. Wormmon is resorting to drastic measures.

[miseris_socios]

Probably. he gets up and walks over towards Wormmon."It's... it's okay. We've got it." He doesn't really want to touch a ball covered in...

... Whatever it is that Wormmon's expelling.

[ourtomorrow]

Fortunately, thus far, no one has to: the ground over here is littered with little clumps of web net, but Wormmon keeps missing the ball. Soccer is....soccer is hard.....!!

Wormmon pauses, panting for breath, and Ken pats him on the head. "Thank you. You tried hard, didn't you."

Ball's all yours, Amada-kun; Ken has been commandeered by a cuddle. "Ken-chan~"

[miseris_socios]

He picks up the ball and smiles slightly at Wormmon. ... It makes him miss Koromaru, but... well. At least the other Ken has someone?

"You did. Maybe we can think of a way to help you move the ball around if you want..."

[ourtomorrow]

This has never occurred to Wormmon! He'd thought he was okay just watching and cheering for Ken-chan, but...but if he got to do cool soccer things....and work as a team WITH Ken-chan....!!

"Really?"

"It's a game for fun," Ken reminds him. "If my team having two players isn't unfair" - this is important to him, he does not wish to have an advantage! - "I'm glad to have you."

----KEN-CHAN IS GLAD TO HAVE HIM!!!!

[miseris_socios]

"I don't really mind. ... You're Ken's friend and partner, so you should get to play with him. It'd be the same thing if Koromaru were here with me." There's no way he'd play against Koromaru. It'd probably stress him out, anyway.

[ourtomorrow]

Ken and Wormmon feel the same way about each other (Wormmon is not even sure he could play against Ken-chan!), so Wormmon skitters next to his teammate. "Then, I..."

Ken puts a hand to his chin. "To still be 'soccer', the ball shouldn't touch a player's hands. Wormmon's hands are also his feet.....

"Unless." Here is a thought. "Could he play goalkeeper?"

[miseris_socios]

"Um... maybe? It depends... the ball goes pretty high sometimes and also fast."

And Wormmon is... very smol. No offense, Wormmon.

[ourtomorrow]

"That's true." They should consult the most important person involved. Ken kneels so he is on Wormmon's level. "What do you think, Wormmon? Do you want to guard the goal or pass the ball?"

"I'll pass the ball!" Wormmon takes a few scoots backwards, a fierce expression on his face. "If I can't touch it with my limbs, I'll do - this!"

And he jumps forward, claws spread, as if he's going to butt the ball with his mandibles. "Or this!"

He waggles his spinnerets, miming whacking the ball. PERFECT PLAN.

[miseris_socios]

"I think... maybe you can have an exception, since you don't really have... hands? They're kind of all legs but also not."

He looks to the other Ken. What's your ruling, friend?

[ourtomorrow]

"Can I?"

Now Wormmon is looking over at this Ken as well. Who grins. He'd been making it too complicated, huh.

"That's right. Move the ball however you'd like."

"Hooray!"

Ken smiles gratefully at...Ken. Thanks for catching him.

[miseris_socios]

"Sounds good to me. You should be able to have fun too." After all, he's Ken's partner.

"Do you want to try kicking it, Wormmon?"

[ourtomorrow]

Does he ever! Wormmon springs into position behind the ball with an audible boing. "Leave it to me."

Ken starts to back up. "I'll cover you," he says, not minding that he's giving away his strategy to Amada-kun. This also makes Wormmon feel very professional. He is a soccer player! People do things like Cover him! Whatever that means!

So he scrunches himself up - and launches himself at the ball. "Yaaah!!"

All that talk about his legs, and they're not long enough for him to reach the ball with anyway. Wormmon headbutts the soccer ball with all of his might!

[miseris_socios]

... That works. Ken runs after the ball - Wormmon is small, there's only so much force he can hit the ball with. He catches it easily and runs it back down the field, tapping it over towards Wormmon. "That was pretty good. Do you want to try again?"

[ourtomorrow]

"Yeah!" Wormmon sizes up the ball, running up to it and giving it smaller body taps.

"Ken-chan, watch. This is dribbling, right?"

"Right." Ken smiles as he watches Wormmon work hard. His partner always gives his all....

Oh, but the ball is not necessarily going where Wormmon wants it to. Control is hard, isn't it? Ken moves to pass the ball back to his partner.

"Thank you! You're so kind!"

Ken shares a look with the other Ken. They may need to spot the ball, if that's okay.

[miseris_socios]

He nods at the other ken. This has evolved mostly into practice rather than competition, and he's okay with that. The next time Wormmon lets the ball drift Ken is there to gently nudge it back towards the little Digimon.

"You've got it, keep going." It must be hard to coordinate that many limbs... sometimes he has trouble with just four. "You're almost there."

... A little further than 'almost', but he's trying to be encouraging.

[ourtomorrow]

He's almost there!!! This knowledge excites Wormmon and spurs him to keep doing his best. Bump.....bump......do Ken-chan's feet get sore after soccer? Maybe soccer players get used to hitting things with themselves all of the time. Ken-chan is so TOUGH.

So Wormmon will be too.

He bumps the ball with extra force, encouraged, and it starts to go the wrong way.....But he reaches out with one of his lower legs and taps it back in the direction he wants! The ball corrects itself, and Wormmon looks up at both Kens as if to say DID YOU SEE?????? DID YOU SEE THAT EXTREMELY SOCCER THING I JUST DID????????

Ken-chan smiles. And Wormmon nearly loses control of the ball all over again.

[miseris_socios]

The other Ken smiles, too. "Good job controlling the ball. A little bit more... you can do it, Wormmon!"

It's strange, how light he feels when he's doing something like this with Ken and Wormmon. It's like someone's come along and shouldered the sky alongside him. He's... going to have to think about that, later. Maybe talk to Ken while Wormmon is busy.