middleofsomewhere | No Place Like Home: The Return

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He expects it to be Gusu Lan, when he reaches across all that lays between him and this son from a world that needn't be his own. Sizhui is Sizhui, whatever his iteration, and the stationary anchor might feel a twitch of heartbreak, a familiar face if they've seen Sizhui's before, without necessarily knowing it to be for Wen Sizhui, for a Lan Sizhui on a world no one but Wei Wuxian has seen.

No matter. He's an easy anchor, so self-contained there's little he shares that isn't deliberate, and being connected with him is akin to being connected a general feeling of focussed motivation. With a mental voice that will travel back both directions, welcome to the lockdown compartmentalisation that is Wei Wuxian's life.

Still.

"Sizhui." He steps out from the light and chaos of what is the void, what he's heard talked of from Diagad when people anchored, when he was instead serenading Chaos, that time. "Bet you've figured out half of what's gone wrong already, ah?"

And it is Gusu Lan, just outside the main secured entrance where Sizhui had last been with Wen Ning, preparing for their trip together. He remembers it clear as day, readying to leave after his elders seeing him off, and then— well, nothing? Since that's when he imagines he'd fallen unconscious from silly train shenanigans. Nothing but fog, distorted colors, indistinguishable voices ringing wordlessly in his ears.

He'd grown tired of waiting to return, exhausted with standing about and, following soft, unhappy muttering to himself, decided instead to sit and meditate; it's more difficult at particular points, but he eventually finds some steadiness long enough to continue waiting.

Someone will come. They have to, right? The Voidtrecker Express surely won't abandon them inside these twisted, unstable in-between worlds.

‘Sizhui.’ The sound of his name, easy and familiar, draws his attention upward, eyes widening once he realizes it's someone he knows. Sizhui's instantly on his feet then, scurrying toward Wei Wuxian, one hand stretching out toward him, reaching to maybe grasp his shirtfront or an arm, except he comes up short, hesitating like he might put his hand straight through the man before him. A rough, mirthless laugh follows Wei Wuxian's comment, although Sizhui can't quite feign amusement in his expression, looking far too apprehensive for his humorless laughter. “You could say that, but regardless, it doesn't matter when it's clear none of this could last.”

Where Sizhui hesitates, Wei Wuxian bridges that gap, taking hold of his hand and tugging him forward. Not with force, but with a suggestion of motion to make and take, and a smile that doesn't meet his eyes.

"We'll get you home, Sizhui. That the Voidtrecker's efforts right now haven't been successful in the way that was hoped is true now. It doesn't speak to the future."

A reassuring squeeze of hands, and a serious, direct gaze.

"Ready for everything to coax and command you into giving up as I take you back?"

Warm, solid, firm, Sizhui's fingers close around his father's, holding tight as he's drawn in, eyes widened with surprise. At what? He's not sure, but he is a bit stunned this isn't an illusion and can't help his slightly sluggish movements.

No, no, you don't understand! He wants to scream, to kick, to cause a fuss despite knowing better, no matter how undignified he may look doing so. The worst part about ending up back here is that he hadn't wanted to leave the Voidtrecker in the first place, yet when accidentally swept away on his first world-hop, he didn't stop like he probably should have. Instead, he kept checking places out, forgoing his own home because he had gotten so used to being on the train, having just about everything and anyone he could need (and then some!), part of him didn't want to go back.

Rather than do any of that, he squeezes Wei Wuxian's hand in kind, sniffs softly, “I know it doesn't,” then lessens the distance between them somewhat further and steps closer, moving into place beside him. Still holding his hand, by the way, because now he's determined to face whatever comes next head-on, without wavering.

“Yes and no, but I'm prepared to fight with all my might against whatever ‘everything’ has in store.”

Wei Wuxian nods to him, gives him a small, smirk of a smile.

"Then forward we go to the fight."

Stepping into the increasing fog, the sensation of Wei Wuxian's belief in Sizhui strong, the determination in bringing him back safely. They're tangible, those feelings, not a read of his face or his body language, but a truth delivered directly from spirit to spirit: and reassurance, felt and felt, that I've got you, A-Yuan.

That I will never let you go. By choice.

The rest of what fills the fog, what calls to Sizhui, comes from his world, his time, his heart and mind. Shared likewise with this form of his father.

“Mm,” he head-bobs in kind and cinches his hand somewhat tighter while silently hoping it isn't too much. Sometimes, he forgets his own strength, but it feels necessary at this moment where he'll soon be bombarded by voices and images, both determined to fight him tooth and nail the whole way through this tethering business.

Disregarding his apprehension, Sizhui follows alongside his father, eyes sinking shut as he tries his best to concentrate on Wei Wuxian's emotions; the resolution to return him to the train, being bolstered by his encouragement that they'll make it back if he only believes. As long as you are around, I don't have to worry about anything. Wei Wuxian won't take them anywhere except back, which is what he wants, hand-in-hand with the ever-present promise that he won't let go, no matter the circumstances.

Soft, pleading voices immediately start in, ‘Stay, stay, we've missed you so!’ and although the pull is strong, his bond with Wei Wuxian shines through brighter still.

I want to go back with Wei-qianbei.

It isn't easy, that walk through the chaos of the void, and it reminds Wei Wuxian so much of Chaos too; but he is steady, and he is firm, a rock that was broken only after countless waves had broken crashing against his face. Reformed, he faces them all the more, and this, this he lends to Sizhui by means of feeling, and the inevitable progress toward not home so much as necessity, not sanctuary so much as temporarily stable ground.

Through the fogs, the rainbow ribbons, the whispering voices and their demands, and then:

The metal of the train. An arrival. A return.

Bolstered by his own confidence and this ever-present steadiness from his father, getting through the pandemonium still proves difficult, though not nearly as hard as it might've been if he'd faced it himself. Truly tethered to Wei Wuxian in that moment, Sizhui understands his strength, accepts when it is imparted and attempts boosting his own encouragement in even a half-chance it might match. (It does because it's what he wants, but Sizhui's too focused on Wei Wuxian's support and ignoring everything that's desperately fighting to keep him in limbo.)

The fogs grow thicker, the lights are almost blinding and those murmurs are deafening, but Sizhui winces and— silence momentarily falls over them.

Once his eyes reopen, there's the Voidtrecker Express in all its glory, looking just like he remembers leaving it the last time. A sudden inhale, something that comes out as a quivery sigh then his other hand moves to grip Wei Wuxian's forearm and he halfway slumps against him, barely managing a quiet thank you without shaking again.

No Place Like Home: The Return

for sizhui

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far later than i should be on this, i'm so sorry ohrghrghr

we all feel this

ain't that the truth tho