No Place Like Home: The Return

[voidtreckermods]

---

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: THE RETURN

---

a silence broken...

It's been a very difficult few days. Rocking and rolling into the void and out again. Watching their friends out of the window as they wander from world to world. Meanwhile those lost on worlds continue to wander unable to return to the train at all.

"All attempts at returning those who left have failed. This voidcraft cannot do it alone. It is lucky that unlike those that have left before them, I can still sense them.

But I cannot bring them back alone. This is perhaps too advanced for Voidtreckers, but you have done the improbable before. You say you wish to help. This is how you help."

Their SCA's light up with a message. Or rather, a series of instructions:

In the unlikely event a tether gets stranded on a liminal space platform or between their own world and the platform space, you should, in the first instance, contact the Void technicians who monitor their non-travelling self. However, in the case they cannot be reached or there is a mass displacement of tether, an anchoring procedure can be carried out.

Ideally, this will involve two fully tethered individuals to retrieve the lost tether. One should be a stationary anchor. They should be outside of their void craft, if possible, and in physical contact with it. The second should be a roaming anchor reaching to draw the tethers back. In situations of mass tether displacement the stationary anchor can hold mutiple roaming anchors but it is recommended to not exceed five. In this situation, it is recommended that anchors rotate between stationary and roaming.

To start an anchoring of this kind, those anchoring should activate their anchoring program. Those staying station should reach out to the tethers of those they plan to steady. This might cause some emotional upheaval, and they will need to stay steady, especially if connecting to more than one roaming tether. Roaming anchors then must hold the person they search for in their thoughts and move towards them. It is recommended that the lost tethers activate their emergency beacon to facilitate being found and returning but this is not a necessity.

Once the roaming anchor has found the lost tethers they must keep hold of them and guide them back towards their craft, the stationary tethers must draw them back, pulling them through.

There is an additional note at the end, in different font.

It is as Anan told you. Your minds should visualise it. Be strong Voidtreckers.

... a short-lived dream

The doors open and anyone who wishes to try this can leave onto the platform. It is empty, devoid of the figures they had seen before; and, beyond the fog, devoid of anything. But searching requires their SCAs, not a path, and as people get into teams, they can activate their anchors and begin.

For those who will roam, their minds become filled, visualising light, void, voices and chaos; their bodies feel less stable, like they might unravel if not careful. But for those who will stay, when they touch the Voidtrecker Express, they will feel more stable, grounded. The fog shifts, but the world moves around them without pulling them in.

Thinking of the person they wish to keep stable, a mental and emotional link will be established, and they will feel each other as the roaming anchor sets off to find their missing crew.

---

Outside the train...
For those that had left - either by choice or by strange happenings - they have found themselves back at their anchor point during Poi 26, regardless of where they were before. For those unfortunate enough not to have a world to return to, or those who were stuck between in the first place, they will find themselves alone, in a fog filled space where no matter how far they walk, nothing greets them.

All those in fog or back in their world receive the same message from their SCAs.

Hold fast. Press your evacuation button. Your friends come.

---

RETURNERS: FLEETING HAPPINESS

But it's likely before the message arrived, that something wrong has been noticed by those outside the void. More than the bizarre ability to travel between existences, an inability to move far from where they appear. Back at their anchor points, they may notice - in time - colours sometimes flash across the sky, streaking through clouds or making trails in a night sky. At first not much, something to be easily dismissed but it builds. People talk, wonder at what is happening.

For the colours aren't the only thing. Across worlds, in cities, kingdoms, villages, underworlds and space stations, people are dreaming. Bright colours, vivid dreams. Prophets spring from nowhere, people claim to know the future or to have seen the past. Some talk of places and worlds they could not have seen.

Perhaps at first it can be explained away, there are always such people. But more people talk, from urchin children to commanders, people dream and the colours dance.

ANCHORERS: A STEADY HAND

While the stationeries will feel grounded, they aren't blind to what's happening to their roamer. It's as if they're both linked, intimately, meshing together, and they will need to work to keep their feelings separate; hearing each other's thoughts, their feelings. Images of what the other thinks and memories shared between them.

And then there is the search for their teammates, amongst the multiple of realities. Existences move past the roamer, threatening to lose them in the mess, but they must persevere, keep their thoughts on the individual, their stationary anchor to help them. Until finally, they appear - in a world they perhaps know, don't, the kaleidoscope colours of the void faint above their heads.

Speak to each other, keep each other focused, certain, and find who you came to save.

BOTH: HOLDING ON

Searching for individuals, the anchorers will find themselves at a character's anchor point; if they haven't moved far from here or another world, it will be easy to locate them. Now is the time to convince them to come back, and then the eventual work of doing so.

It can be in agreement, or force. Taking a hold of the person, the anchorer can pull them into the mass of chaos. Just like when they helped the guests return to their worlds from the false Diagad, all parties become battered by images, voices. Voices like sirens; 'Just stay,' the voices encourage. 'Just let go and drift into the chaos. It will be easier.'

But they must be strong, move towards their anchor and towards the craft. The crossing doesn't take too long, perhaps ten minutes each way, and once they get to the craft the person they are rescuing glows gold and vanishes. The anchors will know instinctively that they are safe on the train.

And indeed, the rescued will find themselves within the luggage carriage - exhausted, but safe.

TRAIN: AN INEVITABLE RETURN

Exhaustion is something all parties will experience, once everyone is returned to the train and the adrenaline wears off. Those who anchored will be hit with a total exhaustion, leaving them unable to do much more than eat and sleep for a few days. Those rescued won't be as bad, but if they decide to join in with the efforts, they'll too face the soul-tiring experience that other anchorers are.

There's likely to be efforts, to help soothe people over this time. And as people return to their life on the train, they will see the marks of the last few days for those who stayed behind. Broken ceramics, books out of order in the library; the ICPs in the standard coach, storage, sports and games carriages broken, and some damage to furniture.

But for the scars brought on by this event, surely, they will heal - eventually.

OOC NOTES

OOC post. Ask questions here. New second part OOC post here.

First phase of the event took place during Poi 22 to 25; the second phase takes place during Poi 26 to 28 (20-25th February).

VISITING WORLDS: While during Poi 26, it will be possible to go back to wherever they were, or other spaces. However, they will have increasing difficulty doing this, and will feel themselves getting more lost if they try world hopping too much over the next 3 (void) days. It's like something is trying to pull them back, or pull them, but into nowhere.

SCAs: The SCA's comms will not be active at this time.

Comments

Tidus

[blitzcheer]

preparing; pre-anchoring, and finding a partner

Tidus is ready - as close to it as he can be - to leave as soon as he can, to exit out the doors, and from the tomb the interior of the train had become to his senses. That's as far as he can rush though, the actual anchoring business needed to be started - but to others about the doors, just outside, he does whistle for their attention.

"Hey! Anyone here done this anchoring before? You should help take a lead! And do any of us wanna hang back for the people who arrive? I know the anchors are gonna be exhausted too!"

It's up to everyone else to decide what they'll be doing, what roles. But a little pre-paring doesn't hurt; nor does finding people to anchor with.

He'll approach anyone he knows, doesn't - ask throughout the rescue, "You got someone to save?" or "Can you help me?", to lead for either position. If you want someone to be stationary, Tidus can be, even if he'll be looking more forward to being a roamer.

an inevitable return

It's tiring. Tiring to the mind, his soul, that everything he does is on automatic. By a few turns, he's taken out sixth censers and ethers for those anchoring to take, left on a table, and left with whoever's minding the health of everyone during this. It's some help, either to burn the incense smoke and to make a room a place of recovery, or to let the magic of the ether work; but still, after so many rescues as everyone will need to get involved with, the process will get to anyone.

He only rests when he needs to, when he comes out of an anchor, toppling from the experience. There has to be a list by now, and if he can get away with resting in the standard coach, he'll take whatever food or drink is being passed around; ask too, since surely there'll be a list made:

"How many more?"

How many more people are missing? How many more do they need to get?

wildcard;

Feel free to plop a set-up for Tidus coming into your character's world if you don't mind him searching for your character to save! Or if there's anything else you'd like to come up, lmk.

Preparing

[crowneddragon]

The moment the VoidTrecker calls out to them, Esteban is up, listening, straining to hear if anything they have done in the last few days has even made a dent into its-- their-- unwavering distance. This is how you help.

The relief that floods him is staggering, releasing a coil of tension that had been wound tighter and tighter as time went on, as Esteban suggested each and every stupid, reckless, foolish idea that passed through his thoughts. He still feels lost and a little sideways, but there is progress, there is an offer, and with Kaiba having already warned them of the anchoring, Esteban is more than ready to try, to go, to reach out to the friends that he's lost and hold them close, and tight and bring them home.

He's not even the one who suffered the most, know that a lot more experienced Treckers had lost friends and family that they had built upon for months, see even years, but Esteban always got far too attached, far too quickly, and the threat of losing so much again had ripped holes back open where he'd learned to thread lightly. They still shift underfoot, the structure unsteady, but Esteban has a goal, now, has an option now, and he holds onto these tightly as he pushes the chasm of his past aside.

Later. Later, later later, most definitely not now.

He spots Tidus first; of course he does. The last few days have been... rough, on them both, and there had been comfort in the blond, even though Esteban's not sure he's managed to help him back even half as much as he'd been helped. He's still kicking himself for his deviation in the greenhouse, how he'd gotten so stubborn and narrowminded at something to do that he had blinded himself to Tidus' pain, had talked over his sorrow of how to fix things. Promising things that... weren't his to promise.

But they have now. They can fix it now, please, he just wants to make sure they're all safe, he is a dragon and even though it's just shards of it, some of his hoard is missing and that can't do, that won't do, he would rip the moons apart and fight the twelve God Eaters to bring them back home.

"Sunshine!" He's beaming though, buoyed by the announcement, gathering the relief and the hope close as he jogs up to the blond, and, oops-- goes to give him a quick hug.

"You ready?" There's not even a doubt in Esteban's mind that they're going, they'll be reaching out, because he may not know as many people as Tidus does-- (seriously, how does he keep track of them all? Esteban is a social butterfly, but the blond is always with everyone and the half-elf can't even phantom how he manages to be at ten places at once.) --but he does know Tidus and care for him, so wherever-- whoever Tidus is going to save, Esteban will be right there to help him along.

There are people that he wants to save too, and he hopes Tidus is going to cooperate as well, because Esteban is just short of tossing himself into the fog, tethers be damned, but he knows logically that it is not the right choice. It's still... a struggle. But not one that needs to be shared.

Lioriley; ota

[invigorates]

❱❱ rally the troops

Lioriley had wanted to be optimistic; to believe that those that returned would stay in their home worlds as they wished to. But in the time between their departures and the eventual decision that they needed to be rescued, that optimism had all but vanished.

The signs were all there — the train being unable to move, the flickering shadows of those lost and wandering between the void and the worlds they wished to see, the almost deafening silence around them. But she had held out hope until there was no question otherwise, and the message came through loud and clear: they had to do something to save them.

This was not the first time she had been called to action without much preparation, and it likely wouldn't be the last. And Lioriley moved with the swiftness and stalwart intent of a woman who had seen some shit before, and was ready to adapt however she could to assure things went smoothly. During the first few hours as the plans were set into motion, she could be seen hurrying around the carriages, trying to rally the remainers into a single area. And if they did not care to follow her (she could understand — new and unannounced, people sometimes did not like taking orders from strangers), she would at least ask for their name.

"So few that we are, we should be certain we are not overwhelmed while we aid the others." She explained, "I intend to attempt to keep us all in order, if possible." And it'd be great if they worked together.

❱❱ schedules

After all the appropriate information was gathered, a piece of paper would appear on the walls of one of the main carriages (likely wherever people were dropping out to anchor), stating names, duration on the train if they were only just returned, as well as who had done which job during specific hours and days.

Lioriley was clearly the one updating it, and between doing runs herself to help those stuck outside, she would adjust said information as necessary, her usually perfectly aligned, looping script just a little sloppier in how quickly she was altering the text.

❱❱ creature comforts

If something was set up to calm those that were returned — and even those anchoring that seemed to suffer the mental strain of aiding their fellow passengers — after such trials, Lioriley made sure to pop in as frequently as she could between everything else she was doing.

"Do you need anything?" She would ask, coiled lines of magic along her skin pulsing and flickering. "Food, water, anything at all — if it is in my power to retrieve it, I will gladly do so." even if that something was just sitting down and talking to them, she would be more than happy to do so. Just ignore the obvious exhaustion and anxiousness making her fingers twitch.

❱❱ wildcard

Lioriley will be anchoring and roaming between all the shit she's doing on the train. So if you would like her to try and help your character feel free to hit me up @ LiLi#0844 and winemom. Always happy to write personal starters.

rallying the troops

[blue_ice]

The train is finally allowing them to do what they've insisted they need to do. Seto is somewhat relieved, but he knows it's going to be a long road ahead.

And one of the newcomers is facing this task with enthusiasm and purpose. That's somewhat comforting. But he needs to understand and so he tilts his head slightly.

"What do you mean keep us in order? Counting to make sure we're not losing anyone?"

Senku Ishigami

[10billionpercent]

The Placement

Senku had been hopping in and out of his world. Thinking, ruminating, scheming and trying to come up with something as well as keeping tabs on this mess. He knew. He knew something was going wrong. The sky was glowing a strange mix of colours.

Ha. Poetic in its own way. This was another puzzle. Was his world broken again? Was his presence causing the rift? He liked puzzles but honestly, looking at the sky he was just exhausted.

Then, of course, came the point he could no longer venture away from his tether point, and so he sat down in the dirt, just looking at the world as it was. He'd be found sitting there, quiet.

Focusing on Senku, trying to breach into this space he occupied would not be easy.

I. A Rescue

A first glimpse, in the fog, Senku is not the adult, but rather a child, maybe four or five years old, his hair was still standing on end and he's in a pair of pajamas. They were covered in rockets and he was opening the door to his bedroom.

Inside the room are gifts, textbooks, equipment...a lot of things that would belong in a high school lab, not a pre-schooler's bedroom. Behind him, Byakuya Ishigami stood, smiling fondly at the surprise and wonder on his kid's face.

An ominous sound then, slightly distorted but it still sounded like Senku's voice, albeit synthetic. "WHY?"

II. The Return

Getting on board the train again was less than pleasant really, but Senku was exhausted.

Did the train think he wouldn't fight through that to cause a fuss?

He walked right up to the engine room door, banging on it.

"Hey! I need some answers!"

It was possibly entirely fruitless, but he was going to try anyway. Everyone probably wanted rest. Senku needed rest too, all the same, he was going to make a fuss in the hopes that something happened.

the placement ig

[blitzcheer]

Nothing about the anchoring, the roaming to even come to the place that anyone is in is easy. Realities passing one by, all the different existences a blur around him, trying to keep it together by the hold of his stationary, while Tidus plunges into the rapids of the void.

But he knows who he wants to find - he sees Senku's light, his thread, and he follows him to that world. Ishigami Village -

-- and like every single time, Tidus bumbles his landing into every new place, nearly falling on his face. But his hands meet the ground first, skidding, but letting him catch himself on his knees and palms.

Ugh, give him a second...for calling out...but he will definitely be making groaning sounds.

[theverymodel]

Train

It's going to be complicated calculus, especially if what he remembers of the anchoring process from before rings true. They have a lot of people to retrieve and not a lot of people equipped to retrieve them. It's going to wipe out anyone working on retrieval. "Will need to prioritize carefully. Need to retrieve all. Early attempts should be suited to joining in effort. Or supporting any medical issues."

Yeah, he's implying that losing the few healers they have on the train currently could be a problem.

Anchoring/Roaming

HOpefully they've worked something out. He intends to see this through, taking turns as needed as a stationary anchor or heading out as a roamer. He's ready to be pratical about the thing.

Wildcard

It wears on him, but what can he do but make sure another name gets crossed off the list of the people they need to retrieve? No good can come of leaving people in limbo. He'll rest when he's done.

Train

[renegadeprince]

"Just how many healers do we have left on the train right now?" Vegeta hadn't been involved in the last set of anchoring, however he's heard from others what to expect, but this would still be all new to him. Despite hating the very concept of this, he will be doing his part, mostly to act as an anchor to others.

And this all sounded like it was not going to be fun for most involved, thus the importance of taking care of others afterwards as well as during.

Yondu Udonta | Closed and OTA

[yondu]

Emotionally Braced - Closed to Tobirama

That 'devil-may-care' attitude persists until he sees Koumyou die, and that's what slows him down. Just this dawning realization that he can't be sure what's about to happen to them, that an actual end might be in sight, and he really is living on borrowed time (though all he saw was Koumyou disappear rather than any remnant of a corpse as usually happens).

So he goes back to that little pocket of galaxy on that spaceport colony that means nothing to him and waits around there, quiet, again unnoticed. He sits by the bar and works through drinks, listens to reporters talk about recent happenings. He hears someone talking about Thanos and a dream that he'd attacked Xandar. He listens to someone else bring up a familiar name, Steve Rogers, as the subject of one of their own dreams and wondering why the hell they needed to remember that. Someone else brings up a sky full of colors.

Something was going wrong and Yondu realizes that as much as he wants to spend as much time as possible in a universe where he's wanted? Even if he's not engaging it at the moment beyond drinking? He can't. He has to go and he has to wait in the fog. His presence could be damning this place and he fully expects the Void is somehow leaking in after him.

He could use those moments to send out decent final messages, passing notes for Quill and his team to find later. But he can't think of anything good to say. He'd tried to do that with Devero, leave important messages to people he cared about, but what goddamn good did that do? More seemed to go than he managed to keep.

Maybe if he'd waited for just a little bit longer before walking away, just a few more minutes, he'd have noticed the swirl of yellow from a forming portal not too far from where he'd been sitting. He'd have seen the strong, noble form of one Stakar Ogord step through with Krugarr slithering along behind him. He would have seen them asking around, following up on the word that the ghost of Captain Udonta was haunting this place.

That spirit was purged by the time they arrived, and he's out among the platforms, silent and sad and spent as he checks his SCA and the message that comes across it. Hold fast. Press your evacuation button. Your friends come. The Evac button. He'd forgotten that existed. Maybe he should have tried it sooner, if he'd thought of it. Whether or not it did any good. Now he's not eager to. Now he's angry he can't just exist in a world that actually wanted him in the end.

With that patented too-hard frown and grim face, he pushes the button to summon help. Someone will come, he knows that, whether or not he feels like he deserves it or that they should. They'd come whether they cared about him or not. It's just how these people are. But then again, wouldn't he throw himself out there just the same for his crew?

For now he just stands there and waits.

Back at the Train - OTA

When he's back to the train, he's got some priorities. As much as a self-serving sadsack he can be, he does love his people, so he goes to seek them out. The ones he's claimed as children, the ones he's generally worried about, the ones he feels he really owes something to.

And then there are the ones that bothered to tether for him. Putting their heads on the line to bring him back, and even if someone wandered out into the void river for him, he knows the ones that stayed at the train paid just as big a role. So he finds them too, as soon as he can.

"They flew the Colors for me!" is one of the first things he ends up blurting out. Because it needs to be said, out loud, after all this time. He had been remembered. No idea what the hell to do with that? But he'd been remembered.

WILDCARD - OTA

OOC: As I'm not entirely sure how the tethering/anchoring process is gonna go I'm just gonna tackle some one on one threads here with a Wildcard option for any tether/anchor conversations between those involved if they don't have a top-level to use, even if they're quick action or whatever.

back at the train + wildcard variant

[wishalone]

Pulling people out of the void isn't like any kind of rescue Kyoko's done before. But she hasn't balked, hasn't slowed down, has embraced it -- well, more like she seized the opportunity with both hands. Sitting on the train has been agony. Not being able to do anything -- Being so utterly helpless when the people out there are --

She's had a lot of time to think. This has made her do a lot of thinking. But this has finally been the time of action, and Kyoko has thrown herself into it whole-heartedly.

At the moment, though, she's on a food break. She's too restless to take her meal sitting, anyway, so she's roaming the train cars while cramming her face, keeping a mental checklist of the familiar faces that've returned as she goes. But there's one that makes her stop dead in her tracks -- She swears, she even feels her heart stop. She drops her plate on the nearest flat surface and breaks into a run, dodging around people.

"Yondu? Yondu!"

kaiba | anchor | ota

[blue_ice]

preparation/pairing

Kaiba's already done single anchoring, and he'd been prepared for that, but the extra dimension of pairing with someone else has him slightly wary. He's not sure he's in enough control of his emotional state to hold it all back in an anchor pair right now, but for everyone's sake, he needs to try.

He's paused at the door to steel himself, and perhaps seek a partner.

"...this might be chaotic." Understatement of the week.

rescues

Seto's going off a combination of his own memories and Lioriley's list, trying to call to mind every face he knows. There's some emotion he can draw on to find them, right? It's painful, pushing through all the chaos swirling around him and holding himself together, but he's on a mission. People need him.

If he should find a crew member, he'll yell out. "Over here! Everything's destabilized, we have to go!"

As serious as the words are, there's a glimmer of relief that people are alive. But he's determined to save them.

...and the non-rescues

As the procedure goes on, Seto remembers something he'd learned during their past anchoring test. He'd been able to walk so tantalizingly close to other worlds, is it possible he'd be able to latch onto former crew who'd likely become void ghosts too?

He'll try to recruit a stationary anchor. "Do you know how many rescues we have left? Wondering if I have time to try something."

sleepy reunions

Eventually, Seto is forced to rest. He'd thrown himself too hard at the problem early on, as usual, and he's almost unconscious by the time he lumbers back onto the train. He's draped across a chair, barely moving, but just barely awake.

He might manage to lift a hand in greeting. "You made it."

rescues

[miseris_socios]

Ken doesn't want to be here. Not in this location - but he can't move too far from the alley where his house used to be, where his mother died... where Shinjiro nearly died saving him. He hears a voice and looks up.

"Seto?" He moves towards the voice, ignoring the sudden pull he feels to stay and reaches out his hand, struggling to move towards the voice. Something must have gone wrong... he can't imagine Seto had put together a craft this quickly.

Naoya

[crouching_sin]

Preparation

The broadcast is impossible to ignore. Naoya reads through the instructions several times - this feels familiar. He heads around the train looking for people who look idle and hufffs, slightly annoyed.

"We've got work to do."

Other than that he lingers near the doors and waits for them to open, glancing at the assembled and waiting for their chance to go rescue people.


Retrieval

Naoya doesn't mind being a stationary anchor, perfectly comfortable with holding on to a tether. He knows a lot of people are hero types, more prone to being the ones roaming than the ones holding on.

But he's not about to leave anyone out there. He heads out into the fog himself at times, looking for passengers. He's memorized the roster of course, so there's a decent chance that anyone who's in need might find the white-haired man emerging from the fog.


Exhaustion

For as much as he grumbles, Naoya is willing to work himself to exhaustion to find people. He doesn't complain, doesn't waver even when he's clearly tired. It takes someone actually forcing him to rest for him to actually sit down, slumping in a seat and blinking slowly. He's not about to sleep - not out here, with so many people about - but he'll... be up in a few minutes.

Just as soon as he gets his energy back.


Wildcard

[???]

[eternalinquiry]

Anchor Point
Wangji had ventured into the worlds voluntarily, so that he may see his home as it was. He can't regret it even as he finds himself dragged away and back to the familiar lecture hall he was originally yanked from. If you are looking for him, that's where he will be, staring out the window or going through some notes. Some students are milling around and they will be asking him questions, mostly about the strange events happening in the outskirts of town and in the afternoon sky. As it is he's finding it far too easy to slip into old habits and think about staying when his SCA tells him to hit 'evacuate'. He does and can only hope to see a friendly face.
"How strange is it that I am looking forward to returning to the train?"

Returning
Wangji will be tired and emotionally weary from the whiplash of seeing everything. He will offer a helping hand to anyone who looks like they need it, but really he wants some peace and maybe a cup of tea. He will head to the kitchen and then the library or gardens to try and regain his peace of mind.
"I hope those who were seeking to leave are not too discouraged by this set back."

[calmness]

Xichen looks up when he hears his brother's voice, brows furrowed slightly. He is sitting in the kitchens himself, doing just the thing that Wangji had come to do -- drinking a cup of tea.

He'd wanted to go home so desperately, had needed to set things right that the blow is a hard one. "I am afraid many will be," he offers, a tired smile on his lips that does not reach his eyes.

[gathersnomoss]

Poi 26 -- Recovery from recovery
Zelgadis managed to get back to the train without too much trouble. This mostly meant 'is still dead tired and probably needed help even getting out of the luggage car'. For the rest of the day, he is trying to get back to his routine, but mostly he is napping in inconvenient places -- at one of the tables in the dining car, in the library, leaning against the door outside one of the showers.

Poi 27-28 -- Back to the Grind
However, he can't exactly be said to be any worse off than everyone else helping to return train residents. He still looks tired when he shows back up on the platform, but he is looking around with his notebook out. "Who are we still missing?"

There are really too many people on this train, and maybe the train shouldn't have tried to send all of them home at once.

Nozomi Yumehara | OTA

[cureofmanyworlds]

Pol 26 - Lost in the Void

Nozomi gasped as she opened her eyes. She wasn't on the platform anymore. She was... this wasn't the void she was in before. Wherever she was in, she was lost in nothing but fog.

"Kairi?! Um... little girl?!" Nozomi called out. "You guys out here? Hello?!"

And as she called out for someone, anyone, to show up, she noticed her SCA beeping and looked at it, seeing the message, hitting a button to activate the beacon.

Now, all she had to do was wait...

Pol 27 - Back on the Train

Nozomi felt drained. Not as drained as she should be, but she had less than enough energy. But, she wanted to help somehow. So, she was going to drag herself from her room to where the other anchors and partners.

"H-Hey... n-need a hand?"

lost in the void

[wishalone]

Roaming anchors then must hold the person they search for in their thoughts and move towards them.

The instructions make it sound so simple. Crossing the void river, pushing through its dizzying fog, Kyoko holds particular memories at the forefront of her mind: Nozomi chasing her through the train after telling her about her crush on Mami and crying, and Nozomi sitting before her, purifying her soul gem on that disastrous mission where Kyoko almost lost it.

And -- There she is. Nozomi's form appears before her out of the fog.

"Nozomi!"

Leia

[motherofresistance]

Preparing and Pairing Up

"Alright," Leia said to anyone nearby. "As someone who's done this before, I can tell you up front that it isn't easy. Whether you're acting as a stationary or roaming anchor it's going to be difficult, and it's going to require focus. Your mind will be filled with all kinds of voices and images, some familiar, some not, and it may be tempting to pursue them, but you mustn't. Keep your focus on the connections and the person or people you're trying to retrieve. And afterward, once all is said and done and everyone is rescued, don't expect to be able to do much of anything for the next few days. You're going to be absolutely exhausted in every possible way; it'll pass eventually, but not quickly."

"All that said, I'm fully confident in our ability to do this. And if anyone wants to partner with me for this, in either position, or has further questions, just let me know."

Stationary

Leia had one hand on the train, just to one side of a set of doors. The other hand rested at her side until she sensed the approach of her roaming partner and their rescuees, at which point her hand would stretch out, beckoning them closer. Letting them know they were nearly there.

Wherever they were though, she was a rock in an ocean of instability. A stable anchor ready to support them, haul them in, or keep them on a steady course.

Roaming

Leia moved through the fog, focusing her mind on her connection to her anchoring partner and to those she was searching for. Many voices and images called to her, some unknown, some familiar, and some so dear that it hurt, but she kept on. She had a job to do. And friends to save. "I'm nearly there," Leia said. Or thought; they amounted to the same thing in this state. "Just a moment more and I should be able to see it..."

Afterward

Once the last person had been retrieved and the doors closed behind them, only then did Leia allow herself to fully give in to the soul-deep exhaustion that the endeavor had caused. Anyone seeking her or stumbling upon her would find her sitting in a comfortable seat with a partially finished cup of tea in hand, her Espeon resting at her feet and her Flareon curled up in her lap, trying to stay awake long enough to finish her drink. Conversation would probably help. Or, for those so inclined, a bit of cuddling. Flareons were nice and warm, after all.

Wildcard

(OOC: Anything else? go for it!)

roaming - for a clef (and co) rescue?

[blitzcheer]

It amounts to keeping the woman whole in his mind, to keep her clear in it. The figure of her, the collection of memories he has; a few handfuls, but he grasps onto them, keeping them threaded together, seeing as well from her point of view while reminding himself of where he is.

Tidus thinks about Clef - sitting in the library upon his rock, teaching him calmly, almost comically so, Tidus's own state flustered or confused by his tasks - and about his son too, Link. A guy he barely knows, but this place where they all are, he wonders - are they okay? Is their world okay?

There's so many tragic worlds, and Tidus can't help but worry what Leia will see. Is this world, wherever they are, a good place? While acknowledging too, that there's nowhere ever really perfect.

(And feeling sad either way, to be taking them away from living like a family--wanting people to have the opportunities he didn't, himself. There's so many things one thinks, feels, without realising it.)

[badassfreakingoverlord]

Anchoring

The first person to walk anywhere near the Overlord gets said demon immediately stepping into their path -- like, flash-step really-quick right-there in their path, with a scowl.

"Anchor. This'll go faster if you don't argue."

Hunting Persephone

Out into the Void, a scowl on his face and a general air of impatience adopted so everyone knew just how much he was annoyed by this. He absolutely had to make certain that people could see he was doing this out of obligation and a vague sense of an Overlord's duty, not because he was desperately worried and compelled on the most visceral level to get Persephone back. If his thoughts were focused on her, her smile and her sharp wit and her tangle of hair and her warmth and how wonderful she felt tucked against him, that was just because he needed to focus to find her, right?

Right?

...damn it. He couldn't even convince himself any more.

You Other Losers Too

Persephone wasn't the only one who needed help. And as Overlord, it was his duty and responsibility to protects his underlings and servants. Even if they'd done something foolish out there. Even if they'd bought this whole stupid like hook, line, and sinker!

Back out Zetta went, searching for others. Into the Void again.

Inevitable Return

Exhausted. Zetta was exhausted. He'd gotten no farther than the garden carriage, his old haunt and a place he still insisted was his domain and his alone despite his private room with Persephone, and then collapsed. Just no more of his infinite and unparalleled strength to call on right now, leaving him sprawled out on a stone pathway.

"They better appreciate how I've sacrificed my dignity for them," he muttered into the hard floor, a slight twitch the only effort he could muster towards getting up.

anchoring

[myblueskies]

He jumped a little when his god appeared right there in front of him but he nodded straight away. Because he had been looking for someone to help!

"Yes sir! Are we going to try and get miss Persephone back?"

Of course that would be who mister Zetta would be looking for!

jiang cheng ( the untamed ) semi-open

[fennu]

RESCUE; closed to madoka/tidus/wei wuxian

Lotus Pier is decorated with storms.

Jiang Cheng had awoken in the room he had first arrived in, the world around him echoing with strange things that he cannot understand - but can hastily link to the idea of it being the train's fault, somehow. With the sky flickering colours under an eternal thunderstorm it feels like a reflection of his nature, his personality, somehow, his anger boiling over until it's damaged the atmosphere itself.

The people around him (and, for a moment, he wonders if he could even describe them as people, if they're even his sect members and disciples) comment on the strangeness of it and he feels uncomfortably sick to his stomach at the notion of his own home being damaged, of being harmed, somehow. He wants to protect Lotus Pier, to protect Yunmeng, but he has no idea how to do so: he doesn't know if he has the power to do it.

Eventually, all he can do is try and move himself away from the central compound, to where he's spent most of his time - the Pier itself, as though he can find some solution from staring up at the broken sky.

INEVITABLE RETURN (OPEN)

By the time he's back there's a sense of helplessness to him, an aura of frustration and melancholy that rolls off him in waves. His empathy power is difficult to control with the level of tiredness he feels, and he does his best to maintain it - but he's not always successful. It's clear that, as relieved as he is to be alive and well, Jiang Cheng is more than a little sour about having been forced away from home once again.

Much like many other things on the train it was far too good to be true.

Once he has calmed and mustered some energy he makes his rounds on what is still familiar to him: the garden, where his rabbit seems to have survived unscathed, and earning a lot of affection and treats at the same time. The quiet carriage, where most things seem the same. His room, where little is different. It's comfortable enough that it prickles at his skin; he hates the idea that the train is now that level of familiar to him. It gnaws at him and makes him grit his teeth, stalking around the corridors as if there's anything he can do about it.

Eventually, he sets himself to chores: he tries to pick up and tidy anything he sees, settles down to stare at furniture and repair it - things he had done to his home, once, when it had first burned down. All the while he is giving off feelings of hurt, frustration, anger - familiar things to anyone who knows Jiang Cheng well but enough to make anyone who feels it sickly.

WILDCARD

( Feel free to find him elsewhere/on the train or PM/DM me for something and we can figure it out! )

THE SQUAD

[happyends]

Honestly, it's such a good thing that these teens have Wei Wuxian to help them. After all, despite knowing Jiang Cheng fairly well, and being able to focus on him as an individual pretty well, it's not like Madoka has ever seen Lotus Pier. She doesn't know what Jiang Cheng's world is like at all, beyond what he has told her. Even as she feels her and Tidus moving, trying to seek out Jiang Cheng in the sea of presences, it's like she can feel Wei Wuxian at her back, guiding them right along as she just tries to think of Jiang Cheng, of every memory she has shared with him--

Right until she feels a sudden odd breeze, and she opens her eyes, realising that she is, in fact, standing right in front of Jiang Cheng.

As in - if she had appeared an inch further to the front, she literally would have bumped into the man.

Madoka's mouth drops open in surprise, just staring at the familiar man. Just glancing around her, realising that they really did make it over to his world.

"We.. We made it!"

One might wonder who she's saying it to. Or why she's saying 'we', actually. Because there's only the girl standing in front of Jiang Cheng right now. Wei Wuxian obviously not being visible, even though he will be able to feel the sensations of this place and this moment through her. And Tidus..

.. wait, where is Tidus?

It's a realisation Madoka seems to have too, and though she really wants to properly greet Jiang Cheng, this realisation has got her too worried for the moment to do so. Madoka manages to tear her gaze away long enough from the man to frantically look around, trying to spot the other teenager. Did he not make it?

[schrodingersghost]

The Rescue:[Closed]
The longer he stayed in his world, the more worried Danny was getting. The warnings from the Ministry, the strange lights in the sky, the dreams...

But if there was one thing a Fenton was, it was stubborn and overprotective. And he was determined to stay in his world to the very last minute as he did everything he could to protect his town.

The Return: Luggage Carriage:
When Danny finally reappears in the luggage carriage, the exhaustion hits him hard. Not just from the return, but he'd spent every moment in his world pushing himself. It was only now that he realizes that it was possible that he'd overdone it. By a lot.

He blinks blearily and starts to make his way back to his room for a very long nap... and then he remembers his promise to check in with the healers.

Where was he supposed to go for that again?

[blitzcheer]

It's not possible, for Tidus to do everything he wants. Go in and get everyone, be there in person as much as he'd like. But it's fine; as long as they can get everyone, standing back by the Voidtrecker Express is still its own exhausting work: keeping the line back to the train present, but also aiding Lioriley in finding the guy they were searching for.

Danny.

He thinks about him, but for her, his image of the young man. A decent guy, ordinary-looking who you wouldn't think has the inability to pause once it comes down to business from how easy-going he seems otherwise. The different shades of the same figure he takes: the human, the ghost. Memories of them chatting, hanging out; a guy that Tidus trusts and respects in the way comrades do.

And there's the worry too, of the world that Lior will be heading into: a world of ghosts (which, in Tidus's mind, are taking on a rather unhuman form, because his inner brain is a sunday cartoon like that). That Danny will be throwing himself around in a fight in the worst possible scenario, he won't have anyone to help him, no one will be able to stick by his side.

...but there's the glimmer of a hope that the easy-going Danny is getting to be out, chilling, maybe going to school or hanging out with friends. Images accompany that, but they don't pretend to be of Danny's life - but of a different city, of what Tidus knows a simple life to be.

Hopefully, there's enough for Lioriley to grasp onto, to find Danny's tether and to go to him, and appear nearby to his person.

Vegeta

[renegadeprince]

Anchorers
Vegeta hadn’t taken part in the last time they were required to do this, however hearing from others how it would work… he hated the idea. So, so much. If it was any other situation, if it wasn’t a case of others being in danger, he would had turned his back on this all. But it wasn’t. They had to try and clean up the mess the train had made and get their teammates back. Yet every aspect of this set him on edge.

Vegeta was a super private person, he kept a lot in his head, despite the fact it may not seem it with how easily he can yell or lose his temper. Something like this was such an invasion of his self, such a loss of his own identity, and a need to keep it separate from another. The only bonus out of this all is that this wasn’t fully new to Vegeta, fusion had done something similar. Fusion, which he hated… and had to always be talked into doing…

But fine! He’s going to hate every moment of it, but let’s get this done and the others back! The sooner it was done, the faster he can stop doing this. He’ll be an anchor to others, he won’t like it, but he will damn well do his job, and do it well!

Train
Vegeta is used to exhaustion. Training himself to a breaking point. The results of one of their bigger, the world is at stake, fights. A case where you push yourself to the very edge of your abilities, and even beyond, that can feel your body breaking, but still have to keep going. It was strange to have that feeling with something that was primarily a mental strain than a physical one. He’s grateful that he had been doing that meditation training for a while now, as well as his newer training he had started in preparation for a time to test his Oozaru form. It certainly aided him in getting through this.

True to Saiyan form, his first stop for recovery is to head to the kitchen, get food, and fill his stomach. Most should be used to the pile of plates that occur when he eats by now, it only growing greater after training or a mission, having to replenish all those calories lost.

The rest of the time recovering will be either spent sleeping in his room, or maybe even relaxing in the Cinema car with something on that he doesn’t really care about, but using as background noise to space out to.

Wildcard

Idia Shroud

[flameinthedarkness]

Returners/Holding on – Closed to Kyoko
Idia had already said his goodbyes to his world. Had left it in the way he wanted to. Was ready to move on. He had actually been enjoying a chance to look around other worlds, popping in to explore what they were like, documenting his time there, and moving onto the next when he needed supplies or a place to rest away from the platform.

To be suddenly thrown back into his world, into Night Raven College, and into Ignihyde dorm… he hadn’t been expecting that. He’ll overhear talk about those strange events going on, even go and have a look himself to see it. And to get that message. They were going back to the train… good… good. He… he wanted that. Activating his button, Idia waits, hoping it would work and that they will come for him.

…right?

Train
…this place was a mess. Just what went on here?! Wow, and he thought it was bad bouncing between worlds. Idia wasn’t the neat type to begin with, unless it was making sure all parts were in their proper place where he worked, so of course the Lab is one of the places he goes to check survived the turbulence of the train. He’s happy to see his broomstick survived, planning to start work on that again, even if the rest of the carriage had some issues… He hopes they will be able to replace all the stuff that got broken. The train should! It’s its fault after all!

He… guesses he will help around the train, though ‘helping’ is more him using his magic to put stuff back in place than getting his own hands dirty; picking up stuff with it and moving it back into place, or what looks like close enough. Sorry, some of those library books may be out of place…

If not then he’s going to rest in his room and just… have a chance to rethink everything. A lot has changed, and Idia realizes he has to change up the way he’s thinking about this all now. It’s not going to be easy, he still misses home, he misses Ortho, but… this is what he has to work with, and he will.

Wildcard

[wishalone]

There are more names on Kyoko's list of people to look out for than she expected. And this particular blue idiot is one of them. When Yondu introduced them, she hadn't expected to -- well. To spend so much time with him just doing normal shit. Talking about magic over snacks is familiar in a heart-achingly way, but with him, it's different enough that it feels like establishing a new normal instead of sadly echoing the past. Dragging him into playing DDR with her, and then listening to music together in the music car, and reading manga together... This is the kind of shit normal kids her age are supposed to do. And it's -- It's weird, but it isn't... It's less suffocating than she expected.

And the time that she spends on the train, stuck at the platform, stuck waiting -- waiting -- She spends that time doing a lot of thinking. A lot of worrying. And when it was time to finally do something, to bring her missing people back to the train -- By then, she had a list.

She focuses on Idia, and the emergency beacon draws her in. This isn't like rescuing Nozomi, though -- Idia apparently isn't just... out in the void. He managed to make it home. The moment it solidifies around her, Kyoko barely spares her surroundings a glance -- She has eyes on Idia, and that's what matters.

She holds up a hand in greeting and simply says, "Yo." Of course she's playing it cool.

Returning

[nell_of_soulwood]

Being rescued

Nell found herself back where she had first arrived in her woods, not able to move more than a few feet from it. Things had gotten strange in the last day or so. Colors dancing in the sky, dreams so vivid she'd have sworn she was awake, unease in the woods.

Then a message to evacuate from the train. On the SCA she'd barely realized she was still wearing.

To leave her world, especially knowing what she now did about her family? How could she go? How could she leave her woods again?

But her heart and her gut knew what even the woods were trying to tell her. Something about this world had always been wrong. Didn't make it any easier to push that button, though. Even if she knew it was the right thing to do.

Back on the Train

Nell was devastated by the loss of her new-found family, pulled once again from the woods that made up part of her soul. She'd try to help the others the best she could, putting a brave face on, but inside it felt like her heart and soul were dying. She might be found tucked away in some quiet corner overwhelmed by grief, cooking comfort food she couldn't make herself eat late at night, or just sitting with little Selene in her room or at the library as she stared blankly at a book.

back on the train

[obliviouspatriarch]

While he didn't leave the train to go back to the hellscape he'd left from, Wuxian does understand the feeling of being pulled away from new family and family he'd reunited with. It's always painful, but it's better to be back on the train where things are less crazy, usually.

"Are you doing okay? You were one of the ones that needed rescuing, if I recall."

Lea- Being rescued, then later Roaming

[hotheadwarmheart]

Fogbound Rescue

How the heck had they become separated? Xion had been right there, practically clinging to him, as always. "Xion!?", he called into the fog. No answer. "Xion, yell if you can hear me!" Still nothing. And nothing but more fog in every direction.

He... may have been freaking out. Just a bit. OK, maybe more than a bit. What could he do though? There was nothing but fog, fog, and more fog, and no way to get anywhere or contact anyone that he knew of.

He was about to start shouting again, when his SCA beeped. He read the message, took a deep breath, and jabbed the evacuation button. "Hurry up guys...", he whispered. He needed to find Xion, and his other friends. And on top of that, something told him that spending too much time in this foggy place wasn't a good idea.

Roaming

Focus. Easier said than done. Light and noise and music and voices and chaos, all pulling him every which way. No He reached out to his anchoring partner, and focusing became a bit less difficult. "Keep your mind on the person you're looking for," he said- or thought, it was hard to tell at the moment- to himself. Then to his partner, "Think we're getting close?"

Exhaustion After

They hadn't been lying about how exhausting this anchoring thing was. Lea couldn't recall ever being this tired before. And there were people who'd been doing this the whole time? He couldn't imagine how. However they did it, though he saluted them.

Or would salute them, if he had the energy. At the moment, just sitting where he'd eventually flopped and not falling right asleep was about all he felt he could muster. Maybe a conversation would help him stay awake a bit longer. Or alternately, a nap partner who wanted to flop next to him. They could probably get a bit of talking in before they fell asleep. Or maybe after they woke up.

Wildcard

(OOC: You know what to do.)

Bucky/Soldat | MCU | OTA

[worthallthis]

I. A Noisy Anchor

What Soldat is best at, ironically, is knowing who and what they are, and holding fast to that-- as well as knowing who and what someone else is, and holding fast to that. They remember the feeling from not-Diaghad, and they put a hand on the train. "Let me keep you safe," they tell anyone heading out to roam.

Though anyone who accepts their offer and head out into the void mist gets to learn a little more than they might have wanted to about who and what Soldat is, because when thoughts start to leak across the anchoring bond, with Soldat's voice come other voices, which mostly sound like them but also clearly... aren't them. (Ah hell, this again? WHAT DO YOU MEAN AGAIN? This happened back in Beacon. You weren't here then. Focus. Yeah, yeah, okay.) Then Soldat's voice: (Sorry, try to ignore them.)


II. A Determined Rescuer

It's a good thing the instructions suggest switching off, because Soldat would probably wind up vibrating out of their own skin if they had to keep from looking for people themselves. They venture out into the void with an anchor of their own more than once, with the sense of them and the noise of their own mind for company, a chewing pendant in their mouth to help keep their body in their perception against all the distractions, and the picture of people they love firmly in their mind.

Otoha. Buttercup. Yondu. Devero. Eva. Anyone they know and miss and know needs to be brought home, even if this isn't the home they wanted.

They swim out of nothing into something, into a new world, and look around, hopeful for a familiar face.


III. Somebody Doesn't Know the Meaning of the Word "Break"

The only concession to resting Soldat takes over these three days is constant snacking. No sleeping, no. There's a mission to complete, and they are laser focused on that mission. They've gone longer than this without sleep, even counting the few days leading up to this where sleep was hard to catch. It's fine.

When the last person is back on the train, Soldat... just kind of collapses into a chair in the standard car, cradling their lantern in their lap and catching their breath. Somebody else better have a handle on dinner today, because they don't think they can get up.

Even once they do manage to move again, it's to stagger back to their cabin and sleep for most of the day, with the comforting sound of people all around them again. They groggily emerge to eat, and can be found throwing some long-simmering stew on a stove and writing down unsteady instructions for people more awake than them to stir.

II

[bakegarasu]

The fog clears, solidifying into a street. It’s dark, but the lights of construction still blaze on. There’s signs written in what translate fine, but if Soldat focuses they can see that it’s a strange mix of kanji, hanzi, and hangul. There’s a crater in the street that’s half-repaired, and the buildings around him are still partially full of holes.

They don’t get a second look from the people around them, few though they are. A couple of drunks, some guy with a woman in red, and a few men in long coats that could definitely hide weapons.

And a man pacing, his expression dark. Otoha doesn’t know why he can’t leave this area when he could go so far before, but he can’t and he hates it. He’d pressed the stupid button, but he’s not certain anyone will come and get him. Why would they?

[wewillwewill]

~Poi 25. ICP Roster~

With little fanfare at some point in the day, the marker indicating the occurence of death appears next to the name 'Elidibus' in the passenger roster. Of course there's little to do but wait, if anyone wants to do anything at all. But with the name remaining part of the listing, then those familiar enough (or have familiarized themselves enough) with the system will understand it's only a matter of time before the dead returns...


~Poi 26. Luggage~

When the Warrior of Light and the Crystal Exarch had sought to seal him after his defeat, Elidibus had gathered the memories of his beloved friends and family about him and prepared to sleep. Until such time as the Tower's systems dispersed his aether and returned it to the Aetherical Sea of the First, or lest someone managed to free him so that he might continue his duty. Until that fated moment, he would sleep.

And dream.

But the train had grabbed him at the cusp of this. Robbed him of his world, his duty. The physical copies of the memories he'd had restored to him. This latter had angered him. But the weight of the former's priority had stayed any effort to strike against this overpowering entity. He'd found a measure of something beyond the benefit of recovering his energy, biding his time and learning of new knowledge beyond the kin of his world... his reality. He'd even managed to regain some of the lost stones. Though not all. Not... yet.

Three months on the train, hardly any time on the First at all had passed; but then the Ascian had long been used to the passage of time on one world having little meaning on another. It could be faster or shorter. Even exactly the same; so perhaps it was only expected that the Ascian reconnected to his star when he was... needed. Particularly considering...

Well anyway. It wouldn't have escaped the ancient being's notice that the train's tether might work to keep him a true death. But setting aside the uncertainties of the unstable tethered, there was nothing in his choice that gambled on the chance of a safety net. Naturally he had given his all. Yes, it was beautiful as they say.

---

Quiet and dark. Here, Elidibus found himself dreaming. Memories a little less fragmented and frayed. Pieces he'd gleaned from the Convocation stones' knowledge. It was not the wash of restoration he would have imagined. Yet much of it seemed more real than simply 'reading' what someone else had put down and assured him was true.

Awareness returns and with it, lethargy. Discomfort. These were not traits one should feel. Creeping, growing; the former sensation is not unfamiliar to an aetherical being. But the physical discomfort- for physical it most certainly is- is distinct and foreign to someone who may be familiar with the sensation, but has not experienced it in the vast majority of his life span.

I. Luggage Entry, Poi 26.

A shell-styled suitcase with rollers and handle thunks over on its side from a sudden, violent shake as though the contents were surprised. There is quiet that follows as the same contents begin to realize struggles not only avail little, but disorient and further exhaust. There is a meticulous search before the zipper begins to move. Manually, there's no sense of magic and a hand emerges, followed by arm and finally the further unzippered hatching of one Ardbert-shaped (at least as far as the host-body goes) Ascian.

One very pale and weak and who doesn't move further in the immediate moment though he knows he must. "So you've seen fit to keep me after all. Or could you not help yourself?" Elidibus questions to the air around him. After all, hadn't the Voidtrecker Express said it's always listening? Always watching? He lets out a sigh. It's hard to explain his emotional state. Bitterness is present. Resignation. Not acceptance by any means, but there is at least a sense of acknowledgement.

Elidibus doesn't expect a direct answer from the train. It's no doubt busy with other matters right now, given the circumstances before he'd... died. But he can certainly be overheard if anyone's been looking out or happens to be in the car at the time of his revival.


II. Medical, Cabin L1-B, , Poi 26-???

Whatever had happened to cause his death had taken at least as much of a toll on Elidibus as anyone who acted as an anchor to rescue the others. But he was on no rescue list and the roster had definitely marked him as having died. For a short period of time though, he will be found in the medical bay, occupying one of the beds or perhaps visiting for an examination.

It's not as if the Ascian is trying to overtax himself or not get rest. But trying to keep him cemented in a place where he can be monitored is going to be another matter entirely. He might turn up in his cabin if visitors come looking for him there. And there are even a precious few he might reach out for, as more return to the train.

Two things are clear however. Once Elidibus is found in a location, he isn't very mobile. Sitting, sleeping, perhaps eating. Teleportation doesn't appear to be an option.

And he's considerably weakened. Though no injury seems to exist, there is still a sense that he was only recently on the brink of demise. Perhaps that is normal for revivals through the train's 'service' though?

III. Wildcards, Open or Closed Poi 26+

[OOC: Feel free to contact me for scenes. Elidibus will absolutely not fight attempts to get him to rest, recuperate, bring meals, otherwise help. People who (correctly) suss out that his moving around is a form of defense and try to offer protection will be treated depending on context. This is also a good time to corner him. Sing stupid songs, try to pester information out of him, etc etc.

Asking about his death may or may not be rude and may or may not get a response but it DOES relate to Endwalker expac related material (6.0) so be warned! He will also be trying to rent out a hire room from A or B sleepers for a couple days for privacy for Poi 27-28 and can be eventually bothered there too as an option as long as the hire goes through. Please PM to check before threading that one.

Folk who track by life-force/souls might have a bit of difficulty finding him right away. Whatever happened seems to have virtually drained all of his lifeforce. It will slowly recovery but not before the exhaustion passes. But hey, he's still around. Just not the bright beacon he normally is. He will definitely not be in any state to anchor or participate in rescues.]

[invigorates]

Lioriley had been watching the roster since the rescue missions had begun, making sure to track any changes — disappearances, appearances, changes in color from the standard four to gold. The marker beside Elidibus' name was not as foreign a symbol as one could hope someone so new would know; she had already seen it once before after the incident with Malekith aboard the previous platform.

She did not know him well, of course, but their previous discussion had been pleasant enough and even if it hadn't the heaviness in her chest still would have weighed her down. He had died out there — and she could only hope that it was not alone and calling for help. But death never was so kind, was it?

She checked, then; scouting the luggage compartment much as she had when the Svartálfar had died and been subsequently returned to the train, hoping to find a sign of life instead of the empty air and closed luggage. On that first trip, she did not find it, and with her self imposed duties to tend to - she could not linger for longer than a few moments before rushing off again, intending to return as soon as she was able.

Maybe it was pure luck (of which she usually lacked in the good variety), or maybe the train knew somehow that she was looking. Whatever the case, the Lunari had arrived back at the luggage area to hear the soft thud of the suitcase; the sound of it unzipping, and the familiar voice questioning nothing - or what he probably assumed to be nothing at the time. But Lioriley was standing there, wide-eyed, coiled lines of magic along her skin pulsing rapidly with her ever increasing heartbeat. How the train did such a thing was beyond her, but she could not help but be grateful for it when people returned whole and mostly unchanged from the jaws of death.

"Elidibus." She called softly, finally composing herself long enough to hurry over to him, hands outstretched to set gently upon an arm if he did not pull from it. "You are back. Are you...all right?" There was a hesitation, because she already knew the obvious answer, even if he did not say it. No one was just all right after they died, surely.

[crowneddragon]

I. Roaming for his missing hoard
[ooc: potential threadhopping, and anyone getting saved by Esteban is getting tackle-hugged. No exceptions.]

Roaming comes easier to him than anchoring.

He's a creature of movement, a light, a small fire, reaching out to warm the people that he cares for, that he misses. And there were a lot who stayed behind-- small mercies-- but there's also a few that went on, that vanished, that were missing from his hoard, and Esteban is not-- cannot leave them behind now that he has a chance to get them back. Every person he's met on the train matters to him, no matter how short their interaction, and the half-elf is not about to leave them behind.

Come back. Come back with him.

There's a heedless search when he enters the void, fogs and worlds he barely glances at, only the reach, the stretch of his awareness, searching for someone he knows in a sea of nothings and a wave of unfamiliar colours. He's bright, like a flame, like a blur, rushing forwards with only one thing on his mind; reaching them, and holding them close, and saving them-- saving them from the void that might devour them.

No one gets left behind.


II. An exhausted break

Even Esteban has to stop at some point.

His energy has run dry, he's weary with the constant tug-o'-war taking over whenever he places himself as an anchor, or as a roamer, and the loudness of other people in his head has stretched him that much thinner. He's been tied to something or someone or many of them all within the last few days and his thoughts have been running wild with the constant strain, the touch of others inside the cacophony of his brain.

He's happy-- really, he is!-- that people are coming back; relieved and gathering them close, hugging every single person that seems like they would endure it in his greetings. He'd been so scared. Restless over too many threats, too many wounds. Echoes of people he hadn't wanted to leave behind. Some old. Some new.

And it's a small thing, a tiny victory, that they were allowed to help at all but he is tired, and with all the voices on the platforms, and the people roaming the hallways-- all of them in states more or less relatable at this point-- Esteban has run to the stone garden, one of his favourite haunts since the weather system came in.

He's letting it rain right now-- a soft drizzle that pours in a gentle staccato over the mosaics and the marble creatures, limbs sprawled carelessly as he allows the water to soak through his clothes. He can't get sick anyways-- and yes, he's likely to get scolded again, but he doesn't expect anyone to come out and stick around. He's only seen a handful of them since he entered, and the rain is slow enough that someone passing through wouldn't get more than a little wet.

It allows him to doze, eyes shut and breath slow as he simply listens to the pluck of raindrops, sketches of memories weaving a familiar comfort in his bones. Half-hidden behind a stone lion, Esteban uses the silence and the quiet to re-weave his thoughts into something more stable, into something quiet and gentle after all of this nightmare.


III. Worn-out faces (Poi 28)
[ooc: closed to Tidus and / or Kaiba]

There's people lost in the void.

They're almost done, reaching the last of their searches for the few that remained, the rare person that would not come back on their first attempts. All of them are exhausted, stretched thin after ventures into the foggy deserts ahead, endless stretches of nowhere to sweep through, to find the last stragglers. But Esteban can't come back in yet, won't come back in yet.

He's staring, daring to look into the fog that has them surrounded as he considers his options, the last few days fading from his mind as he wonders, wonders, wonders.

He has to try.

There's people stuck in the fog, people he hasn't met before, people he has no hoard to tie them to, or item to recognize them by, but he knows they're there, and Esteban-- Esteban cares way too damn much. He has to try, even though he doesn't know how he could search for them, has to try even through the risk that he himself might get lost. He has to try and reach out for the hands that might reach back.

But-- but. He can't ask just anyone. They won't understand.

Esteban can't even put it into words, what he's trying to do; plunging into the void, not to search for a lost treasure, but to dive as deep as he can, to reach out to the emptiness below and hope, hope something might reach back. There's only two more people he can actually believe would understand his goal, but he hesitates, unsure if he should ask.


IV. Wildcard
Come get free hugs; Esteban will offer cuddles to anyone who asks at this point.

i - rescue

[monkeyinthewrench]

Jake is increasingly distressed as the situation degrades. The void is penetrating the sky, he's hearing weird echoes...and though Amy finally believes him, that means she's now worried.

He's told her that this means he might have to go back, and he's let the squad know too. As much as he wants to rejoin the squad...he suspects he can't.

And then his SCA chimes, and his stomach drops. It's happening, isn't it. He's out on the street on his own when it happens, and that's the scene Esteban will encounter. Busy sidewalks, honking cars. And Jake, holding a foil-wrapped sandwich, eyes wide.

"...Esteban?"

Ruby Rose | OTA

[silver_eyes_rose]

Colors in the Sky

Ruby had noticed the strange streaking lights in the sky, but ignored it. However, as the time would pass, she would hear some people talking... talking about things about the past. Things that they shouldn't know.

"Who were those things? Gods?" "That Yang girl was innocent all along - those creeps cheated!" "I wish we could have done things differently with those Faunus..."

"The end is coming! Praise be to Salem!" "It's that girl! She'll save us all!"

More and more people were starting to gather around Ruby, the girl confused. "H-Hey, what's going on? What...?!"

And then her SCA would activate. "What? H-How...? No, not now...!"

Back on the Train

Ruby was devastated, to say the least. That wasn't her world? How could it not? And now she had to leave it behind?

The girl found herself wandering the train in a daze, confused as to what to do.

Between the exhaustion of being brought back and the revelations, she's really not there at all.

sonya blade:OTA

[soldier_blade]

Anchoring via roaming: OTA

'No soldier left behind.'
If it wasn't the official motto of Special Forces, it was still said among them; get everyone home, and if not living, then get their remains.

Trial and error have her go..not touching, but keeping close to the train, intervals when the noises and visions in her head become too much. All this talk from the SCAs, and focusing and seeing them in their heads. If there was ever a time to 'focus' on a person's chi-well, wouldn't be the first time she's had a trail by fire.

Hand on a tether, she forces herself to move forward, eyes sharp for movement through the fog. The names she calls out are members of her team that might've gotten lost..or names she might've adopted.

"Cassie! Cassie..are you there?!"

Return

Sonya thought she knew exhaustion; years of combat meant more than enough ventures of sleepless, ever vigilant posts, meant wounds and near death experiences that one time required her to be put in a medical coma so the rest of her could heal. All of it meant days of lingering fatigue.

And yet, Sonya couldn't recall being so tired, so fatigued that just staying awake was pain. Perhaps along the lines of a bad flu, or recovering from an explosion, but still not the same.

Red was due for cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, but even a light cleaning required too much energy. She spent the entire rest of the day feeling as though every muscle made of cinder blocks.

[nutkrusher]

Her voice seems to echo in her mind, through the hazy rainbow lights that dot the sky.

"Mom? Mom, is that you? I mean...train you?"

Fai D. Flourite | OTA

[truesmiles]

Fai felt like he didn't know people enough to help them with the anchoring even if he wanted to, but seeing how they seem to turn out made him change his mind and help in his own way.

Sure his taste buds might be different but he was still a rather decent cook. So he set about spending time in the kitchen making food so those doing the hard work didn't have to. When someone enters the carriage Fai was quick to smile brightly.

"Hello, I know you must be exhausted to let me get you something to eat or drink. Just tell me what you would like."

Ryou Bakura | OTA

[rolltoavoidpossession]

1. Anchoring (Stationary)

[For Ryou, it's not completely new to have other people's voices in his head. It's a surprise at first, one that has him deeply startled (and, for whoever he's working with, has him think about a certain Ancient Egyptian artifact and the spirit tied to it), but he gets over it and manages to hold on to help get the other passengers back.]

How are you doing out there? [He's checking in with whoever he's working with, making sure they're doing alright so far.]

2. Anchoring (Roaming)

[Eventually he switches to roaming, taking his turn to go look for people. He might not know a lot of people on the train yet, but he has to try anyways.

It's overwhelming, the first time he tries roaming. The info given by the train wasn't enough to prepare him for what this side of anchoring is like, and for a moment he has to steady himself. Focus on trying to find people, his connection to whoever he's anchoring with, and then he can get to work looking.

Whenever he actually finds someone, he'll run up to them, not wasting time as he glances at the colour streaked sky.]

Sending everyone home didn't work, we have to go back to the train!

3. An Inevitable Return

[Ryou is not immune to the crushing exhaustion that comes with anchoring. Once that exhaustion hits, he can be found in the dining car, faceplanted firmly on a table as he tries to consider going to bed.

Key word 'tries', he's barely awake at this point.]