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

[stardustofdawn]

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.

[xue_yang]

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.

[stardustofdawn]

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."

[xue_yang]

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.

[stardustofdawn]

"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."

[xue_yang]

"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.

[stardustofdawn]

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."

[xue_yang]

"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.

[stardustofdawn]

"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.