middleofsomewhere | The Waking of Neran

The Waking of Neran

"Good morning Voidtreckers and passengers. Today is day twenty one of the month of Orchestra. We will be arriving in System #78961112094711 later today and the dressing carriage is open for your use."

It is indeed, with thick winter coats, hats, scarves and gloves in all sizes. There are also some bags suitable for carrying food, for anyone who wants to add to the festival food with more food!

They have the morning to prepare before another announcement.

"Shortly arriving in System #78961112094711. The weather is extremely cold, voidtreckers and passengers should wrap up warm and wear their SCA's at all times. Arriving in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."
The train shakes as they leave the void and they will see dark skies with glowing flecks of light falling down around them. It's only a glimpse before there is rock to both sides as they enter the landing area.

The Waking of Neran

... ARRIVAL TO OSIGA

THE VOIDTRECKER EXPRESS PULLS INTO AN OPEN HIGH-STACKED PARKING STATION, FILLED ALREADY BY A VARIETY OF VEHICLES. Darkness and the cold spills into where they pull in, lights and signs around to guide the Voidtreckers who exit the craft where they need to go, elevator and teleporting systems available to choose from.

For those turn their gaze to where the cold comes, they will see a view of the world: a landscape of mountains lit in burning bright blue. Like Christmas and city lights, they can be seen in the far distance, and the sky too glows with a shimmering, falling blue. It looks like a slow rain, while farther up, the twinkling of actual stars can be glimpsed.

This will be their view of the world for three Osiga days - 210 hours, give or take.

The lower floor widens into a train-like station, shuttles ready to take them into Osiga proper in short five minute rides. They just need to figure out they need to scan their SCAs at the turnstiles, which will beep with approval, and send a map to their SCA of the grotto.

With a handy dot to their hotel.

... THE IRUE GROTTO

HOTEL. THE EXTERIOR OF THE HOTEL IS STONY, A WALL OF UNEVEN ROCK WITH SLITS FOR WINDOWS CLIMBING UPWARD. It gives off a sparse, cold impression, but the interior is anything but. Inside the floors are smoother, a carpet in the middle of a lobby, and the walls are decorated with colourful paints and endless rugs and furs. There's seating, a roaring fire in one corner, and lighting set to a cosy mood.

There's stairs that can be taken, but also elevators. The bedrooms are much the same as the lobby, with paints and furs all around - the furs especially covering the beds, along with hand stitched quilts. In the centre is a fire pit, set with heatstones than wood or coal, and extras in a container by a wall with safety instructions of how to move them (with tongs and gloves).

Outside the rest of the grotto can be seen, a mish-mash of layers closer to a labyrinth. There's curtains for privacy, and also a screen to help blot out the sound.

FOOD & SIGHTS.

NOW, THE IRUE GROTTO CAN BE EXPLORED. The grotto is easy to get lost in, with stone stairs and archways doubling as bridges to lead to different levels, but always with something to see. Museums and art galleries fill most of the lower layers down, a few shops between of traditional trinkets and garments for those who come out interested in taking a piece of Osiga back with them. There are also day classes, with candle-making a big one on the first night.

Water runs through constructed streams, small but always in travel. They fall off into small waterfalls, eventually gathering into pools that always ensure drink is around. But there's also drinking spaces around, wall coves where servers mind the drinks, and people gather around on crouched seating. Privacy isn't a big deal in Osiga; visitors welcomed into conversation freely. The drinks favour the strong, spicy and sweet. Their traditional drinks are a fiery whisky and a sweet creamy milk drink flavoured by spices that taste very much like cinnamon and nutmeg. It is strongly alcoholic though there is a non alcoholic version as well. There are other drinks available of course from other planets but visitors are encouraged in a good natured way to try the good stuff.

And let's not forget the food. Most traditional Osigian dishes are spicy yet sweet, fatty, and largely meat. There are also food baskets all over, filled with wrapped snacks free for taking, or to add your own. Never let your neighbour go hungry. What will you find, dipping your hand in: a treat, or a mistake?

SORS PARKS, OPEN SKIES. THE FARTHER FROM THE HOTELS AND STATION VISITORS GO, THE MORE THE SKY BECOMES VISIBLE, AND WITH IT THE FALLING SNOW. Except this isn't snow, and those who venture out will figure this soon enough. There are sors parks up ahead, hard to miss for how they glow a brilliant blue, tall erratic sculptures shaped like an abstract mess. They're cold, even colder than the rest of the grotto, and near every entrance are wooden racks with coats and scarfs hanging from pegs, a bucket of heatstones to stick in pockets.

Keeping company is better than not. Anyone who goes in alone will find the chill uncomfortable to those who have someone else nearby, SCAs working stronger together. Paths somehow stay free from being covered in the icy mess, and every few yards are grit bins with small bags to put the contents in, instructions as to what to do.

And that's to throw them at the sculptures, into the air, and watch as the hardened ice disperses into a fizzle of lights. The sight is considered beautiful, and especially fun for kids and couples.

... ANAN & THE MINISTRY

It's maybe an hour or so after their arrival when a message comes through the comms on their SCA's.

boop beep boop beep / boop boop boop/ boop boop/ beep//
beep beep / boop beep//
beep beep beep boop/ boop boop boop/ beep beep/ boop beep beep / boop / beep boop beep/ beep/ boop beep boop beep/ boop beep boop/ beep/ beep boop beep/ beep beep beep//

"It didn't close the hack. I think your Voidtrecker Express likes me." Anan sounds almost triumphant. "Glad you all came. I'm at the drinking space next to the Irue Museam of Osigan Art."

For those that wish to go and meet her, they can.

... THE WAKING OF NERAN

NIGHT ONE: REMEMBERING. It's hard to tell when 'night' begins when the world is in darkness and there are more hours in the day then they are perhaps used to. But things begin to wind down a little, the art houses and museums close and the day activities are wrapped up.

People begin making their way to the main streets where the parade will go. Some people may have made candles throughout the day but there are also long candles for sale and 'fire' bearers carrying large torches to light the candles. The main lights are all turned off, plunging the streets into darkness lit only by the candles and the faint distant glow of sors.

The parade itself has large lit floats, literally floating above the ground, the lights are in intricate shapes. There are light dancers- people dressed completely in black to blend in to the night, with ribbons of light doing feats of acrobatics to music- instruments and volcaless voices weaving melodies.

After the parade passes by people move to the streams, where their floating candles that can be lit and sent on their way. There are designated areas for the tall candles to be placed- almost shrine like with areas to pray or think or sing- the helpful guides will assist anyone and are very open to the different ways people from various worlds and cultures may wish to remember their dead.

Afterwards people are encouraged to drink, eat, spend time with the living and swap stories of the dead. Dance and sing. It is upbeat, joyous and the tears are meant to be cathartic.

NIGHT TWO: PERSEVERING. After another day of activities- or resting and recovering from the excess of the night before the grotto again is ready in anticipation. The side of the grotto open to the sky is packed with people, ledges and railings packed with people. Even the buildings on this side of the grotto have opened their doors to allow people up on their roofs to watch the firework display.

Sparklers are sold, as are snacks and drinks and a voice comes through speakers throughout the space.

"NERAN! On this night you fight!" The crowd cheers. "Hear our dedication, return to us! For tonight is a night of COURAGE!"

The crowd cheers again and the fireworks begin. Loud and colourful, beautiful shapes, almost like dances in the sky. It's loud and it's busy but the atmosphere is great, throughout the night within the crowd there are marriage proposals, declarations of new jobs, decisions to travel the void. Bravery and courage abound- helped probably by the strong whisky that is flowing freely.

NIGHT THREE: UNITY. The festival continues, though it's a slightly later start on day three for many who are nursing hangovers, having a well earned sleep in preparation for the final night or just frantically trying to remember what declarations they had made the night before.

But the activities are still happening throughout the grotto- though the guides might advise any obvious voidtravellers that they may wish to nap before 'night' time, especially if they are not used to day/night cycles this long. The final night doesn't stop til sunrise after all and no one wants to miss the sun rising!

As the time comes for the party to start every square and every street is packed, music blares through speakers. Traditional Osigan music mixed with styles and music from other planets in the galexy. The traditional Osigan music has many layers, deep bass instruments that seem to make the ground itself rumble.

There is dancing, led by guides and locals. They are big circle dances, loud energetic and done in unity. There are callers who keep everyone in time and remind them of the steps but it is mostly an exercise in organised chaos.

But very fun organised chaos. There's extra chairs and benches set around for people who would rather watch or need a break from the endless swirl of dancers. There's plenty of water in large barrels for people to help themselves and other drinks are available to buy.

The party goes on for hours but eventually the music stops and there is an announcement that they have an hour left until sunrise. People begin moving out to find the best spots to watch. Up high on the cliffs people spread out rugs and blankets and settle, waiting.

The atmosphere is one of anticipation, people passing around drinks and snacks. Then there is a hush, a cry as for the first time in a month the first ray of light streaks across the sky.

Neran has awoken. The sun has returned once more.

OOC NOTES

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"... Yeah. I blamed him for my mother's death. He did kill her, but... it was an accident. I see that now." He's still angry and he suspects he always will be, but it's not the all-consuming flames of hatred that once burned away at him, leaving nothing but a hollow husk of a person.

He turns to look at her a little bit more. "Someone else was going to kill... both of us. An enemy of both of our groups. He jumped in front of the bullet... even after he already got shot. He saved me, even though a minute before I was trying to kill him."

"I understand how you feel," Thanatos admits as Ten-Nank goes to their seat. He'll remain where he is, floating stiffly as he's wont to do. "It is exhausting."

If all life died on his planet, they would still exist in the Underworld in a sense, but he would like to avoid that. His worries have been ever present in his mind since he realized he was separated from his world, trapped. He's worried about Zagreus, his family, the Underworld in general, the mortals, and just... Life. Past experience taught him that the responsibility is ultimately his because he can't trust that the other gods will help him, help their world.

Mort stares at him a moment longer before finding a warm spot in his scarf. "Still, I will do what I can." It's all Thanatos can really say.

"And I will too," they reply, not needing anything more - anything to begin with, really. As still as a statue, their figure unmoving in its seat.

"If you have anything more to say, to ask, I'll be here. Fortunately, I'm incapable of 'enjoying' festivals. I have no predictable reasons to leave this space."

If others knew how much Thanatos related to Ten-Nank, no doubt they would be having Words with him.

"I will leave you to your rest then. Thank you for your time." And with that, Thanatos shifts out of the room.

After putting his mind to it, the pull aims itself towards the hotel, the generally correct direction (he assumes, it's where he'd left Soldat earlier).

"Resets, huh? And it'll do this as long as I'm holdin' it? Won't go draggin' off if I put it down?"

Look he needs to know the particulars.

"They didn't keep me up last night, so I figure it did some good. They let me sleep easy."

They didn't haunt his dreams as before. He thinks it's not so much the memorial that did it, but publicly calling out their murderers. Because it wasn't him that failed... okay, in a way he had, but they would still be alive if it weren't for the traitors and everyone knew that.

"Well, I don't really know how my powers work? I just know I've got all of the abilities of a ghost, and lot of those involve ghost energy. I keep developing new ones, too." An awkward shrug. "My powers.... Well all I know is that I kind of got stuck inside a portal between dimensions when it was opening."

He used to think of himself as a freak accident.... But he was a little better about that these days.

"And when there's only one choice to figure out what's going on at home." He sighs. "I think I'm going to have to give them a chance. Even if they do give out creepy government agent vibes."

"Every night you can keep or change the target." Being a child of Night means a lot of night related things.

"I..." Thanatos pauses. He didn't think about that because keepsakes were usually kept on a person... but it's a really good question. He goes over how he imbued the keepsake with his power. "No, I don't think so. It depends partly on your connection to your target. Without you, the connection can't be completed."

Just as a test he puts it down, and fortunately his little divining gem behaves. It just stays put and doesn't scuttle off to be stepped on by someone, which he greatly appreciates.

He picks it up and clips it to a pocket on the inside of his jacket.

"I know you're sayin' it don't cost me nothin', but really. You need or want anything, let me know. Even if it's some kinda plant I can put together for ya, or a fruit or vegetable or somethin'."

"If more places were like that, life would be able to thrive better, I think." Thanatos doesn't just speak for her world but his as well. And others. Unfortunately, that isn't the case, and wishing it was wouldn't do anything. His world might share the wintery cold, but it is also full of War. Two gods of war, in a sense, although Lord Ares is more known for it that his sister Lady Athena. And various other gods meddling in people's lives.

"Life can be very fragile as much as it is persistent. And some don't realize it until it's too late."

"Couldn't resist my gravity, though, could you?" Devero says with a wan little smile, even as his eyes mist up. "And I couldn't escape your light."

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

She rears as that transformation starts, ready for - well, a lot of things, but not that.

She frowns, sighing, signing back.

Congratulations. You found a rare way to surprise me.

They're my nephews. There was no other choice.

It would matter a lot. But there really wasn't a choice at all.

"They definitely give off those." Which she's inherently mistrustful of for fairly obvious reasons. "The kidnapping didn't help their case either."

She does not appreciate people who kidnap her kids, okay? "Be careful how much information you give them to get what they're offering."

"There's no accounting for taste," she replies to the former, with an air of being put upon. Her sense of humour, emerging again, as it tends to, around Alice.

She smiles at the latter, though, making a pleased little humming sound.

"The best part of paradoxes and magic, in my experience, is that they both mean knowing one fact that others do not. In this case, what can be done with a room that can be undone."

"Thank you!" she calls, in the local language, as they allow them in, taking the lead well indeed.

"And yes! It helps to have perfect recall, of course, but dancing is more than that."

That was good enough reasoning for Idia, at least in this cold, he tilting his head a bit in the hood he was wearing and his floating computer slipping itself out from where it had been behind his head. Mostly hidden too, Idia had so much 'hair' it was easy to assume it was just that all shoved into the hood, rather than the floating skull that now bobbed around in the air.

Idia gives a slight wave of his fingers as a flare of fire sprung up and started to circle around the skull. It's not enough to be seen as an attack, just a steady constantly flicker and crackle of fire slowly rotating in a ring. With that settled in, Idia lifted his hands near it to warm them. See, wasn't being on a planet that allowed magic so much better than those horrible ones that didn't?

Oh, wait, does he have to say it? He thinks its obvious but... well, just in case. "Oh, um, you can use it too."

"Well, I don't know if I'd say restful, exactly." There's still nightmare problems. But at least they're not disturbing three other people with them, just one, and that one not very often given their split sleep schedule. "But less nervous, anyway."

They back carefully into the room, looking over their shoulder the whole way, so they definitely get a look. "That's a lot of pillows."

"I know." Soldat leans back, using the metal arm to prop themselves up so they can keep the flesh one warmer in their pocket. "I kind of miss being able to just. Stay in one place for a while. Beacon was dark, and dangerous, but you could still make it your own, you know?" Though things are a little better now that they've moved to a double room, it's still not really their space, properly.

"Well. Yes." Soldat blinks at him a few times. "But I wasn't lying when I said I already make them for me, you know."

They fish into a pocket and pull out a little bag, full of trail mix, and give it a little shake for emphasis. "I munch pretty much all the time. My metabolism is kinda crazy. So it's not like it's hard to just make a little more and leave it out for people."

He winces a little, looks away. "Uh, yeah. I guess you do know about the, uh, rest of us." (You might as well tell her so she doesn't think she did something wrong, pal. SHUT UP. You know I'm right. Yes. I WAS GONNA, OKAY, JESUS.)

He runs a hand over his hair, a move the other Kitty would recognize as reluctance, and says, "Name's James. I'm. Kind of a leftover of that... fake world you all were in." Which might explain the familiarity, if she makes the connection.

Soldat considers that a moment. "I'm not sure if it really matters. You're still working as a team. Leading people on good missions to keep them safe. If you're only doing it out of guilt, you're still doing it. Good things still come out of it. And the more you do it, the easier it gets to add more people to the ones you keep safe."

They still clearly remember the moment they realized they had multiple friends, and hadn't even realized it. So that one they know pretty intimately. And now on the train, they'd done it again, gotten themselves more people they love, made their own circle bigger.

They're positive Yondu can do the same, probably already has. Maybe also without realizing it.

Thanatos is relieved that the Darkness Pull doesn't fly off on its own. That would have been disastrous and is something Thanatos is going to consider for any future keepsakes he may make.

Although... this is the second or third time someone has offered to give Thanatos fruit, and the only fruit Thanatos is really familiar with are the pomegranates growing in the Underworld. He knows more exist, like Dionysus's wine grapes or Athena's olive or that golden apple Eris threw, but it's really the pomegranate that comes to mind. And it's not like Thanatos ate the pomegranates. That was mostly Zagreus... who ate them rind and all. Even Thanatos knows that part of the pomegranate isn't meant to be consumed.

And that gives Thanatos an idea. "What about a pomegranate with an edible outside? Like how you can eat an apple without peeling it?"

Between a purchased Pom of Power, Persephone's pomegranate (from the Pom of Power he gave her), Kairi's pomegranate, and now potentially Yondu's pomegranate, Thanatos is going to have a sampling of different pomegranates for Zagreus to try.

"Like any big organization... there are a lot of people. Some of them good, some bad, many neutral." Even Neo Zeon had good people, as twisted as their goals often led them to be. "Things are complicated for them as well but... it seems like some influential people want to do right by us, instead of just taking the easiest solution."

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The Waking of Neran

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