middleofsomewhere | 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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"R&D is research and development. So things made along the way to a final product that may be good to go back to if you ever want to rework the final product." Though.. well. her somewhat jovial explanations turn to a bit of a sour expression as he goes on about how many one person can come up with.. this is Bulma.. she has a lot of inventions in drawers or her notebooks and on random scraps of paper.

"Thousands, if you want to get technical." A huff. Then again, she's always known that not everyone could grasp exactly how her mind worked with all of that IQ rolling around in there.

"It happens when you're a genius with a genius father."

"Whoa!" Okay, that was a bigger number than Tidus was willing to go up to. Doesn't seventy sound like a more imaginable amount?!

"So...what about on the train? You come up with a bunch there, too?"

There, now, away from home? ...can someone come up with more than a hundred inventions while on the train?!

"Oh, here? I've been at a bit of an impasse here - " Trying to figure out how to keep them stocked with armor that was good enough to keep Vegeta and Trunks protected, trying to develop something like the gravity room here on the train. There's also the matter of figuring out about tethers or something similar after all of this, but that's beside the point.

"There's a lot going on, and Vegeta and Trunks would benefit from having a gravity room, so I've been trying to work on that - " Bulma sighs, a hand waving as if to say the work never ends.

"- Oh, and I've made a time machine, so there's always trying to figure the train out, too."

Tidus remembers about the room, but then the problem of space for such a room. Nothing he could help with, when the idea of 'isn't there magic for that' doesn't help - if you don't know the magic.

But then Bulma mentions the time machine, and Tidus makes a small 'buh?' sound before, more coherently: "A time machine? For the train? ...How?"

What would a time machine do for the train?

"Well, not necessarily for the train." Bulma waves a hand as if dismissing that - the train already travels through dimensions, it hardly needs to help to travel through time if it so wishes, so far as she can see.

"I'm saying I made one before, in my world. So I know how it works. Really... traveling through time isn't all that different, theoretically, than traveling through universes." She's bringing it down a little, here, just to make it simple to understand. Bulma is well aware by now that what she says is not always in layman's terms, and not everyone is a scientist who can understand it.

"Now, if Whis was here this might be a little easier to suss out, considering he does that sort of travel all the time, but since he isn't... I've been trying to work it out as best I can in my mind."

Oh, so no time travelling machine for the train. Tidus listens as Bulma speaks though; not sure how time travelling and universe travelling can be similar, but also?

He's not the smart science person here, and he is so not going to attempt to figure it out. Leave it to the smart types.

"It's not in any of the books about voidcrafts we've got?" But even as he says that, he acknowledges, "I know they're meant to be pretty bare bones... but there looked like there were a few."

"There's bits and pieces but I also don't make it a habit to trust other people's numbers and equations." Yes, there is a fair chance that everything in the books is correct and that she's overthinking things, but... on the off chance something is incorrect, that's a huge problem in terms of traveling through time and space.

A few digits off and you're in a totally different dimension and time frame, which isn't exactly what she's aiming for.

"If anything if we skirt close to our world we might run in to Beerus and Whis and they'll get us back to where we need to be. Beerus was pretty pissed I was using a time machine in the first place."

"Why's that? It sounded like it turned out well." ...well. Actually, now that he's thinking about what Trunks told him, Tidus's brow furrows.

"There's a time where some bad thing didn't happen...but also a timeline where something bad did?" Oh- he pauses. "Unless you used a time machine for something else? Trunks told me about you making him one to use."

But who knows what time machine adventures Bulma is having in all...realities.

"People really aren't supposed to mess with time, according to the powers that be." Not that Bulma genuinely cares about that, really. It's just the fact that she doesn't want their world to be imploded that makes her even think about it twice so far as making another time machine to continue on as if Beerus hadn't already warned her.

"I was trying to build a second one and Beerus destroyed it before I could complete it." Bulma sighs, trying to think of a simple way to explain this whole thing. Their world was pretty strangely complicated, when it comes to things like time travel and the lot.

"Yes, Future me made one for Trunks to use and come back in time with. He used the same one the second time he came back, and I went to the Future with them, that time." But oh, wait -

"Trunks doesn't want to hear about anything past his time, though, so... you know. Keep that between us please."

"Sure, no problem." He shakes his head, but he nods once. "I won't tell. But, even if he's from the future... but you know more about it right now than him? How is everything?"

Since Bulma went. And even if it's a conversation to stay between them, Tidus can't help but have some concern for the place Trunks came from. Where he might return.

It's related to Trunks, so he cares.

"I do. He came back again with another problem." A problem that they had eventually solved, and not without great effort exerted to do so, but Bulma... is hesitant to share. How exactly does one say that they deleted the entire timeline, basically, and shuffled Trunks and Mai off to another one to continue on their lives and, presumably, get married and have kids or something there?

So she'll fudge it a little.

"We took care of the new threat and he's better, now. It took Goku and Vegeta both, but what challenge lately doesn't?"

Well that sounds completely fine, doesn't it?

"Too bad Goku isn't around." ...For more than just challenges, but. "Hopefully, he's back home safe! He must have a family too, or people worrying about him."

Not that he got to know his short-time cabin mate that well, but he was a decent enough guy. ...really into food!

"Vegeta can handle things here by himself, I think." Bulma is quick to correct that, at the very least. She's not so dense as to think that there may not be a time where having Goku there would of course be helpful, but... she's also not going to sit and linger on it, either. It just didn't seem the most productive thing to do, at the end of the day, to sit and worry about it now that Goku is no longer on the train.

"Oh I'm sure ChiChi was there to ask him where the hell he's been.. don't worry about that.." Bulma laughs at the thought, in fact, shoulders shrugging as if asking what there even was to say about that otherwise.

"Goten and Gohan will be happy too, I'm sure ChiChi's been miserable to deal with."

The Waking of Neran

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