Enemy Unknown: Conclusion

[voidtreckermods]

The third night is as long and creepy as the others...

It might be that they found the engine room, solved the puzzles and found themselves in the hangar bay with no way out. It might be that they were still in the station hiding from the invisible monsters. Or it might be that they had been plucked from the mission and were waiting in their holding room.

Either way morning dawns on the fourth day...

---

ENEMY: UNKNOWN

---

DAY FOUR

the trapped. THOSE WHO SOLVED THE ENGINE ROOM SPENT THE NIGHT IN A LARGE HANGAR THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY DOORS. Their SCA's are working, so they can still communicate with those in the station, perhaps talk them through the engine room puzzles or tell them to stay clear. As morning comes all the lights in the hangar come on. Brighter than any lights so far in the station, harsh white light after the eerie red of the rest of the mission.

Everyone still in the station wakes where they fell asleep - if they slept at all. It's not long after most people are up and about that they will hear a high-pitched beep from their SCA, and then a blue light will envelop them and those around them. It might be they spot their friends vanishing before they too disappear.

They arrive in the hangar, reunited with those who spent the night there. All their gear is with them at least, but that doesn't solve the problem of being in a hangar with no obvious way out. Nor are any of those who vanished during the last three days here, their SCA's still go unanswered.

---

the vanished. FOR THOSE IN THE HOLDING ROOM, THEIR NIGHT HAS PROCEEDED MUCH LIKE THE NIGHTS BEFORE. One of the screens showed the hangar, and those that had succeeded in completing the engine room task. The lights had dimmed for sleeping and turned on again bright in the morning. For those watching the screens they will see those in the station vanish in blue light and turn up in the hangar.

Around half an hour later a voice sounds in the room. "Please gather your belongings and prepare for release."

It's another ten minutes, allowing them to make sure they have all their things before their SCA's beep. They are then surrounded by a blue light, taking them from the room they had spent the last few days in.

REUNITED

reunion. AN HOUR PASSES AFTER FIRST ARRIVALS PASS IN THE HANGAR. Suddenly, there is another flash of blue light, and the missing eighteen Voidtreckers appear with the rest of their crew. They will find they had all their gear as well, including their missing weapons.

They are left to their own devices for a small while, a time for reuniting with friends, but not long enough to exchange stories before a voice rings out in the hangar:

"THANK YOU CREW OF THE VOIDTRECKER EXPRESS FOR YOUR COMPLIANCE. YOU MAY RETURN TO YOUR CRAFT."
There is a loud mass of beeping as everyone's SCA's flashes at the same time, holographic messages popping up too fast to be able to read them in their entirety.

Voidtreckers come in.

All Voidtreckers return to the Voidtrecker Express

Voidtreckers evacuate now

Voidtreckers do you read?

Layers of holographic messages pile on top of each other but a moment later everyone's SCA's glow gold and everyone vanishes from the hangar...

LUGGAGE CARRIAGE

return. EVERYONE ARRIVES INSIDE THE LUGGAGE CARRIAGE, PACKED LIKE SARDINES BETWEEN SUITCASES AND TRUNKS. There is no announcement, no warning of returning to the void; just a lurch that is likely to throw anyone on the train unaware of what has just happened off their feet, no matter the carriage they're in.

They return to the void at what feels like breakneck speed. Colours fly past the windows, and it is a good few hours before they seem to slow to their normal travel speed.

---

Comments

[miseris_socios]

Reunion

Ken is unharmed, much to the likely relief of several passengers. He looks annoyed, though - and he's feeling more than a little stiff from sleeping on camp beds and sitting in chairs. He stretches and looks around for people who might be looking for him, walking around a little just to try to get the stiffness out of his limbs.


Luggage

Ken is a little less crowded by virtue of being short, but he does have an extremely pointy stick strapped to his back. He immediately grabs his spear to make sure it's not going to stab anyone and tries to gently maneuver his way out from the mass of people.

Hopefully that wasn't something important he just elbowed.


Return to Normal

Despite his usual avoidance of populated areas after a mission, Ken actually feels up to bothering people. There's a good chance of finding him in the games car, either working on his Duel Monsters deck or playing one of the VR games. Equally likely is finding him in the spa carriage where he's floating a little bit in the pool to try to get rid of the last bits of stiffness.


Wildcard

[Want somewhere else? Jut throw up a starter!]

games car

[securityconsultant]

"Hey."

Murderbot doesn't like going out of its way to approach people. Certainly not those it doesn't know well. But. Here's an opportunity, and youths can be...well. Annoying as hell, but also sometimes a bit more honest than adults.

"You were one of the ones taken, right?"

Reunion

[thawed_pride]

And here's one of those relieved passengers now. Vexen is visibly fatigued, and his normally meticulously brushed hair is a mess. But neither of those things seem to bother him right now, as he rushes to check on certain formerly missing individuals.

He kneels down to look Ken over, even Scanning him for more subtle injuries or new conditions, and puts a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I was worried, child. Are you alright?"

spa car

[blue_ice]

Seto has been internally cursing for a good few hours. The last few days, really. But now that he knows for certain they were being toyed with, that anger's going to take quite a while to burn off.

He hangs back at the first reunion, allowing Vexen to take that first precious time...but there is a relieved look, and he'll track Ken down at the first opportunity.

Which happens to be what Seto really needs right now: a hot bath. He climbs in, flopping tiredly against the back wall. He doesn't reach out yet, unsure exactly of what happened and not wanting to startle him.

"We were losing our minds. And all for nothing," he grumbles. "But you're alive. That's the important thing."

games

[myblueskies]

He knew Ken had gone missing and that had been really worrying. He was glad that everyone had got back together and no one seemed to be hurt. But still it must have been so scary!

He knows Ken is very brave though but even brave people need help sometimes. He saw Ken in the games carriage and waved at him.

"Wow you got lots of cards now, I bet you are really good at duel monsters!"

Romeo knows the rules and had even played with Yugi a few times but it was very tricky! Ken was smart though to be so good at it!

[jingyeets]

luggage woes

He arrived with his sword clutched in one hand and a cluster of papers in the other, hitting the ground with his knees as the train lurched into a speeding getaway, his expression scowling.

"Oh those assholes!"

He was feeling about as charitable as that statement, though he managed to regain his feet with his rucksack hanging off his shoulder, and wave his papers back toward where they traditionally exit the train.

"Count this as ten more complaints I want to file against your stupid ministry!"

[longforgottenpromise]

"Shuǐlóng. It is good to hear your voice."

He had spotted Lan Jingyi in the hangar, though he had been occupied hug tackling checking on Inigo and Tidus.

Now they are back on the train, another evacuation, far too many bodies in one place. Much like the time they had first met.

"Did they hurt you?"

sorry I couldn't help myself. XD

[to_rise_above]

Jin Ling felt extremely unhappy as he too did not have a pleasant landing. He landed on his back with a loud thump, and his spiritual dog on top of him, sprawled and whining. Which added to the pain he felt. At least, he knew he was kind of durable. His head throbbed and hearing Jingyi's loud shouting didn't help his case either. He just groaned as he rolled over, pushing his spiritual dog off, frowning.

"Ugh-- will filing any kind of complaint even work?"

Jin Ling highly doubted any complaint would be heard. Jingyi's okay at least. It's not like he was concerned or anything.

[wewillwewill]

"Forgive me. I have nothing to say. However it is good to see you well."

This is the most anyone will get out of Elidibus, who might still be sporting bandages from an arm injury he took during a run-in with the invisible 'monsters' but is otherwise sound of body. At least there's nothing further wrong with him since his disappearance on the third day.

Well one might have also gotten a warning not to speak of anything at all until they were gone.

One thing that would have happened; he would have waited until the last minute or until the train had force evacuated them all out to be sure everyone made it off the station.

The second that they appeared and the half-expected lurch of the train bolting into voidspace had finished, there is nothing but a billowing cloud of darkness disappearing from the spot the Ascian once occupied. With his abilities back and without a single word to anyone else, he'd made himself scarce. Somewhere on the train no doubt but very much gone.

It was very uncharacteristic, given the last two missions he'd thrown his full support in helping organize their return and departure.

---

I. A gil for your thoughts. Prompt for those who were interviewed.

He had cast off his physical body and lurked in a forgotten space of the train where the others would not often go; not unless they were looking for him specifically. Though there's many who could spy him while in his aetherial body, he'd chosen it to cut down on those who could.

It was here he would stay for some hours, seeking to spread his conscious to the events of recent past experienced by the passengers of the Voidtrecker Express. He had made note of everyone who appeared in the holding room not just for the sake of confirming their well-being, but knowing whom he would have to reach out to later.

Except this time he wasn't going to politely invite people to share their experience and hope they comply but seek to possess it firsthand. Well, there might be one or two exceptions.

[OOC: Elidibus is using an inborn power which can be likened to a type of souped up deus ex machina clairvoyance. FFXIV's mention of the Echo is noted as a 'fragment' of this power, but Elidibus has full control and mastery over it.

This prompt can be handwaved permission; I will reach out and ask folk to at least tag they've given permission (or not) and then read the interview logs! For the majority of cases this would be undetected. Even other Echo users don't generally sense it unless the person's right there next to them and usually they're experiencing something of their own.

But since there's crossover to consider, there might be ways to detect it was being used by the individual, particularly ones with clairvoyant powers or higher awareness. There might even be potential blocks. Feel free to talk them out with me!]

II. Ever Been Constantly Interrupted While Reading a Book?

But it's not like there aren't people who can't find him. Particularly if they want to look. He won't be answering his comms or the train intercom. Elidibus also won't be found in his bedroom or anyplace obvious. How many hours? Well, how many hours did those interviews take? There might be other matters to consider as well.

But if someone really determined and possessed of an ability to see non-corporeal beings came to find him, they could. One of his primary locations was no less than the back of the stores room, where the wall sealing off the engine room exists. Few people store food supplies and necessities at the very back after all, so anyone coming to fetch things after the train recalls them all should have few reasons to delve so far.

Still there could be some, even if they're not looking for him in particular.

III. Later, Somewhere in a Wildcard...

Back in his physical vessel, Elidibus can be found somewhere in the train, as if he hadn't been completely absent for an insane amount of hours and not taking any calls. If someone had left a message for him it might be answered. But it's only much later that any public calls for his presence will be responded to.

Or catch him eating a meal in the dining room, calm as can be. Perhaps in his cabin bunk before the hour turns to 21 and they all fall into whatever state the train puts them in before the next train 'day'. Maybe reading a book from the library?

I. Handwave permission bc mun doesn't want to play it out ♥

[darknessinzero]

III

[jan_ken_hacking]

Finally.

Finally she has found this man.

Kiyoiri didn't exactly have many words in mind once they were successfully evacuated, but watching him stalk off with an arm injury only to become entirely impossible to locate does not sit well on a medic's mind.

Ever.

So.

"....your arm...."

sir that arm had Better be okay

1

[tactlesstantei]

[Have some handwaved permission to do this to Sera! Please call her out on just how much she said…]

[tactlesstantei]

1. Reunited

[Things happen quickly once Masumi and the other captives got word that they'd be released soon. Just enough time to gather belongings, followed by being teleported back to the rest of the group, and shortly after being evacuated back to the train.

And no, being packed into the luggage car with the train slamming back into the void is not a pleasant experience. The only reason Masumi stays on her feet when it happens is the fact that she's packed in there with everyone else.]

Ugh, I see the train's not happy with that either...

2. Use That Energy

[Spending two days locked in a holding room was not fun, and Masumi's now bent on shaking that boredom and frustration from the experience.

First, she makes a stop by the spa car, opting to wear a swimsuit as she relaxes in the water and worries over how the inspectors will use that info they were given. It's a very valid concern, given what she alone said.

Then it's time to go vent her frustration in the training car, falling back on her old JKD training as she beats up a training dummy in the car. She's going at it quite violently, with blows that would be potentially injuring on a
human. If approached she'll stop, but it's clear she's not happy about the past 'mission'.]

[knifewithnoname]

Well that was that. Turned out the ministry had found them and captured some of them but just let them all go? Even though they had them in their grasp and could easily kill them?

Strange. But fortunate for the voidtreckers. Especially for those who had been captured. Her roommate was one of them.

It's not surprising to see her in the training carriage and really that is better than finding her being all sad or scared. So she approaches with a nose wrinkle.

"Do you be wanting to be sparring, Masumi?"

[hoardsrealestate]

Reunion

Freeza pops back into existence alongside many of the other vanished crewmembers, at first startled at the change in location but quickly receding back to nonplussed. He accounts for all equipment and belongings while there is a moment to.

Luggage

When they appear back in the luggage car, once again overcrowded, the alien once again simplifies matters by lifting himself into the air to make use of the space in the ceiling not being taken up by people, seeming even to stand there like the world reversed, quickly scanning for a way out.

Upper Cabin 1E

Once back in his cabin, Freeza settles on the higher bunk he's been keeping tended and takes a moment to go through his pack, as though anything he kept stored back here on the train might have somehow been affected in his absence.

Around the Train

Back to attending his team chores or merely wandering, for whatever reason, Freeza seems especially intent on retracing the place, unsatisfied with the assumption that all was simply as it had been. He will at some point stop for a meal in the dining car, and working out in the evening at the training gym, now returning to a focus on ki-less maneuvers and forms.

Luggage

[stillnewatthis]

"Oh, hello!"

Most people were not on Orisa's height by any means, so those who popped up over the crush and crowd caught her attention fairly easily. Especially when they did so through some apparent sort of power or magic!

Especially considering Orisa took up a lot of space. Even tucked up and tugged in as far as she possibly could.

"Are you able to help me at all? I am afraid I may be harming others."

[goingthroughaphase]

Reunited/Luggage Car

Kitty can't help wincing a bit at the sudden flash of light, but she doesn't dwell on it when she finds herself and the others in the same hangar she'd seen everyone else arrive in.

She quickly goes to look for people who hadn't been in holding with her, wanting to make sure everything was okay despite watching them on the screens in the holding room. There isn't a lot of time before everyone's SCAs start beeping, and they are transported directly back to the train.

It's completely cramped in the luggage car with everyone, but Kitty lets herself phase through the tangle of bodies and lift into the air above the mass, reaching down to help get people unstuck.

"Glad my powers are working again..."

Around the Train

Kitty is feeling both exhausted and restless; she'd been stuck in the holding room for three days with not a lot to do but watch the monitors and talk with the others who'd been taken. But the cots they were given had been less comfortable than even the train's beds, and coupled with the worry about her fellow passengers in holding and the rest still at the station, she hadn't really gotten much sleep.

She tries to burn off some of the restlessness in the Training Gym, but when she gets tired of that she heads to the Spa to try to relax. She makes a stop at the Music Car and Library Car as well, before slowly making her way towards the Sleepers, mostly keeping an eye out for people who might still want to talk.

Around the Train

[yondu]

It's in the music car that Yondu finally is able to catch up with her. The luggage car was just to frantic, and he was just too angry about having been dicked around for a little while to be the right kind of supportive.

But when he does see her in there he beelines over.

"Hey! Hey Kitty! You doin' alright?" The answer would probably be 'no' but asking like that's almost an obligation.

[thawed_pride]

[Reunion]

Vexen has barely slept these past three nights, his mind too consumed by worries over his missing family. He's sore and stiff, largely his own fault from hitting things sturdier than him without his powers. But mostly, he's scared and angry, pacing wildly around the hangar in a vain search for a way out.

Until, that is, more people appear. He wastes no time checking on those he'd been concerned about. Ansem, Ken, Demyx, even Xehanort will find Vexen looking to check in on them, though he won't pursue if they seem preoccupied or more interested in being alone.

[Everyone Has Baggage]

Many times these past few days, Vexen has found his sheer bulk to be an inconvenience. This is another such time, as he finds himself cramped by luggage and similarly off balance people. This time, however, he has his powers.

Someone may, unfortunately, get shoved or elbowed away, a second before shadows wrap around him and carry him to just outside of the tangle of disoriented Voidtreckers. From there, he begins moving suitcases, working to help others work their way out of the luggage carriage. He might be stiff, sore, and tired, but at least he can do this much. While, naturally, keeping a particular eye on how his friends and family are doing.

kind of adjusts to make things easy w/ what i had in mind

[darknessinzero]

Vexen finds Ansem last.

The King seems tired, though one would have to know him well to notice; instead, he, much like Vexen, is working with others, assisting them in gathering themselves and their belongings and escaping. When he notices Even, though- something in his gaze flashes, rare and brief.

Relief.

It's gone a moment later, replaced by a weary - albeit far more composed - smile, and he begins squeezing his way towards the other with murmured apologizes towards those he moves past.

[schrodingersghost]

Reunion:
The moment Danny is returned he goes in search of friends.

"Okay, before you say anything I want to point out that was probably the most civil kidnapping I've ever had."

[dnaofahalfa]

"DANNY!"

What is this talking, there is only being tackled by a Very Worried Cousin.

[monkeyinthewrench]

reunion

Jake really isn't close enough to any of the other passengers for them to be particularly concerned about him, at least in his opinion He's just the funny guy who tried to get them drunk last week. But he hangs back with his hands stuffed in his pockets to watch the reunions with a small smile...he'd meant what he said. This was a good group and they deserved to be with their friends.

luggage

"Oww---hey! Too many---pointy edges---"

This is Jake's first mass evacuation, and he does not like it. He continues to pout until he can disentangle himself from the pile of suitcases enough to leave. It's very slow going.

dining car

After a shower (and what a relief that is), the next thing Jake seeks out is food. And coffee. Real stuff, not the nutri-sludge over the last few days. He'll even happily eat the yadon tail now.

He can be seen with a large pile of food (too large...he'll wave someone over to share. Looks like his eyes were bigger than his stomach) or half-asleep on the table. It was pretty rough trying to sleep in the holding cell.

"I still think grownup naptime is a perfectly good idea."

dining car

[catti]

K'zeka isn't entirely motivated by food, but so long as he's in the area and it's being offered, he's probably not going to pass it up. Depends on what it is. Either way, Jake is familiar enough that he's going to go bother him.

He's very glad to be back on the train and not in the potentially-haunted station being plagued by mystery noises he could neither find the source of nor properly identify and invisible enemies everywhere.

"You've enough food for a whole group there," he greets, sliding into the seat opposite Jake.

[melodiouspacifist]

I. Reunion

In a flash, Demyx reappeared from wherever he’d been spirited away all this time, with everything back in order. He could feel the pull to his weapon and magic again and he just smiled slightly at that.

He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of everything, or the fact he had such trouble with even the simplest question from the investigators.

Something to ponder upon the future.

II. Return

Despite himself, being squished like a sardine was not a pleasant experience. Anyone who might’ve noticed him, would notice him vanish in plain sight, an ominous portal open in the back corner of the carriage and then close once more.

Demyx could be later found back in the music room, if only so he could think, and what better way to do that then to let his sitar do his thinking for him.

The melody is slow paced and curious, not quite telling a story, but rather like a protagonist might be walking in circles.

Reunion

[thawed_pride]

After making sure Ken is alright, Demyx was the second person Vexen saw that he'd been worried about. He hurried over, labcoat flaring out behind him as he looked his fellow Nobody over for signs of injury.

"Demyx, there you are! I have heard what this entire mess was about, I hope your interrogators were not overly unpleasant?"

[10billionpercent]

I. Hangar

Senku did manage to solve the Engine room puzzle, and if anyone was with him they’d certainly get the opportunity to come through and hang out.

Even though it was somewhat boring, really.

That didn’t matter, although it would’ve been nice to be carrying a book. He would have to remember that in case magic was inaccessible again.

He didn’t look like he was planning on sleeping however.

II. Back On Board

“Why.” Senku groaned with complaint as they were evacuated all together again and promptly pressed himself against a wall, hunching into himself.

He was just going to wait it out until people were finished leaving, regardless of how uncomfortable he looked.

After that, he supposed making something to eat was in order, he was kind of hungry, and could be found in the kitchen.

ii

[blitzcheer]

"Senku, hey."

Tidus isn't interested in food, but he wants a drink, coming to the kitchen to fill his sports bottle and that's about it. But Senku is an appreciated sight to spot in there, neither of them now packed up amongst suitcases and else, the utensils rattling with the speed the train is still going.

"First time I've felt the train like this."

He feels uncertain, off himself, but the vibrations in his body are adding to it too.

[badassfreakingoverlord]

The Luggage Car

Once in a while, Zetta strongly resented that he had to be nice and play fair and otherwise tolerate all these people. Times like these, when he would love to just explode in a fury of violence and anger, clear his way out, and go rage for a while.

Instead, holding his emotions very firmly in check, he spoke up from his position on the floor.

"Hey, uh, could you maybe get the hell off me?"

Standard Carriage

Finding Zetta in a standard carriage was a lot like finding fifty bucks in your eyelid: it was really weird, raised a ton of questions, and any benefit it might offer was grossly outweighed by all the disadvantages and downsides. Particularly since the Overlord looked painfully pensive, with his arms folded and a faraway look in his eyes despite their complete lack of visible ocular structures. Hard to more effectively communicate that something was bothering him than that...

[springforth]

Pensive is not a normal Zetta emotion. Anger, sulking, lust, jubilance, all of them she's used to. This is weird. Then again, this whole mission had left them all a little raw. Nothing like days of weird abandoned spaces and tiny spider robots and disappearances and unseen forces to really work at the nerves.

"So, what is it?" Persephone lifts the armrest between the two seats and flops down beside him with a puff of petals falling from her hair. She holds up a hand to take his, if he'll let her.

[eternalinquiry]

Reunion
Lan Wangji is more than slightly pleased to be out of that room. He can be seen almost smiling as he stretches once, before looking around.
"That was boring, if not unpleasant experience."

Luggage
Being thrust back into close proximity is the last thing he needs, he is scowling as he tries to minimise any contact and escape as fast as possible to the garden.
"Could you please remove your elbow from my kidney?"

[longforgottenpromise]

"Ah apologies."

He scrambled slightly, trying to find a place to be small and out of the way. Evacuations are always difficult, even if this time was not so bad, no one was terribly injured, the luggage carriage didn't smell heavily of blood.

He looked at who he had fallen on top of. "My apologies. Are you alright?"

[subcircuits]

Trapped:
Devero makes it through to the final hangar on the third day, which means anyone in there with him gets to see his anxious pacing. There is a certain similarity to a tiger stalking its too-small enclosure in one of those astonishingly abusive roadside zoos or private menageries that his world used to have, a certain air of uncharacteristic coiled violence about him. Approach with caution?

Eventually, he checks himself and settles against a wall to-- meditate? Yep. He's put a lot of effort into learning to center himself and focus, so he's going to take advantage of that here and now. He'd much rather be ready to respond to whatever happens next than an anxious, exhausted wreck.

If he sense anyone lingering nearby, he'll crack an eye open and peer up at them, then pat the floor next to him. "Join me?"

Reunions:
The arrival of the rest of the unvanished crew the next day is a relief. Both waves will find him prowling around, cataloguing faces and SCA signals with his Interface and checking them against what lists of the present and missing have been compiled already. (Even if he isn't terribly vocal on comms, he listens.)

He's likely one of the first people to heave a sigh of relief once the vanished have returned and announce, "I think that's everyone who made it station-side for this mission accounted for."

Returned:
Big, solid, heavy Devero is... just going to find somewhere out of the way to wait for the carriage to clear, arms crossed over his broad chest and expression brooding. (Or maybe he's just focused on his Interface, cross-checking SCA signals as he conducts a post-evacuation headcount.) (And are those crossed arms clutching his biceps so hard his knuckles are white? Is he so tense across the shoulders he's trembling?)

Either way, as soon as there's enough clear space, he beelines for the-- luggage ICP? And damn if his hand isn't shaking as j-j-jams his ticket in and accesses the passenger roster, scrolling until he finds a certain name--

"Oh," he breathes, relaxing hugely, "thank the virtues."

Reunions (reprise) - closed to Koumyou:
Don't mind him, he's just going to stalk the train until he finds one (1) Koumyou Sanzo. Time for another reunion.


[[I didn't get to do much on the actual mission log so if you want to handwave an encounter w/ Dev, feel free. If you want to chat something out, hit me in PM, on plurk at Nellasaur, or on disco nellasaura3047!]]

Reunions (reprise)

[its_dad_sanzo]

Don't worry, Devero. You're not the only one looking for someone. As soon as it was known that people had been evacuated, Koumyou had bee-lined for luggage, hampered only by the number of people pouring out of it.

As soon as he spots Devero through the (finally thinning) crowd, the priest raises an arm and waves it to show where he's at. "Devero!"

[adregem]

reunion + luggage.

Roland only ever voiced it out once or twice, but it became clear from the start that everything in their so-called ‘mission’ was nothing more than a set piece for a trap. The reappearance of more than a dozen Voidtreckers and their collective experience in holding is all the evidence needed to close the case. In the throes of reunion, though Roland is as pleased as any to see familiar faces and friends return in good health, it’s the voice that turns his expression utterly sour.

“Compliance? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

It’s when their SCA’s go haywire that a part of him grows determined and fatigued all at once; as if he has danced this dance with the void before, and once is already once too many. He strikes a stern figure standing to the wayside, staring at his watch, before he joins the cacophony of complaints, bodies piled next to and on top of each other. Then comes the jolt, enough to send people even further back - but Roland remains rooted in place, muttering words just loud enough to hear in their exasperation.

“What, you’re running away?” Who was he referring to? Talking to? Certainly not a passenger, right? “Hm. You’re getting sloppy.”

wildcard (your prompt).

no preferences, though these presumably happen after the train leaves.

luggage

[longforgottenpromise]

"I guess the train wasn't aware of whatever that was either."

He had been less lucky at staying on his feet but he clambered up now, looking up at Roland. He hadn't seen him much in the station but he knew he would have been just as worried as Taiki had been.

"It's worrying to think something like the train was tricked."

Closed to Inigo and Tidus

[longforgottenpromise]

He had solved the engine room, it had been strange. It wasn't a real engine room it felt more like a puzzle.

Much of this mission had felt like a puzzle, almost not real at all except people had vanished. That had been real and despite all their efforts they had not been found.

It was clear something was happening at least when everyone ended up in the hangar together and then... Those who had vanished returned.

He moves quickly, finding Inigo first and launching towards him, arms reaching out, as if needing to see if he is really there.

[flatteries]

While Inigo is still grateful for the experience they've had, considering it's the first light of hope he's seen in a long time, he's still not exactly super happy about the way it went down either - if not just because seeing his friends looking for him without any way to contact them was absolutely the worst. And at least he was already able to see some of them again - Tidus, Jingyi - in the holding cell, he knows Taiki was so worried about him. This entire time. And he only had to watch even more people disappear.

So when Inigo suddenly sees a familiar blur launching itself at him, he doesn't question it, instead just wrapping his arms around the other. Inigo himself is still a little startled from suddenly being brought back to this place, maybe having shrieked and clung onto Tidus for a moment, don't ask him about it (wait, is Tidus still next to him, he didn't even get to check yet--) - but even in the middle of his current daze, he's still holding the other tightly.

When a bit more of his brain returns to him, realising that it really is Taiki that he's holding, Inigo finally speaks up.

"Taiki, I'm so sorry.."