No Place Like Home: The Return

[voidtreckermods]

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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

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.

[blitzcheer]

Tidus would offer Esteban's name in return for the nickname, but the other guy's hug keeps it in his throat, swallowed away by the question in its place. It's not an unwelcome gesture however, and Tidus is smiling, if slightly pinched. But this is what they've been waiting for - a chance. An opportunity.

But he nods the question first, an answer both of them already knew. "I want to get Inigo." First, he means, but he's already going through names in his head. "Jingyi-- he's a friend of ours too. He got knocked out of the train; he would've been scrambling for a way back."

The fact that he's not even out here - but Tidus isn't thinking about any of that. He will be, soon.

"Who do you want to find? We'll get them too."

[crowneddragon]

Oh! He knows Jingyi too! Briefly, and he knows he meant to talk to him more before-- before.

Dead Guardians in a ditch, this month has been...

"Amaya. Sent her home 'cause I thought she'd be better off there, an'--" 'Dians he regretted it. Even as he spoke her name, his right hand came up, almost by habit now, to press into quick signs, which the SCA sputtered out for him in its mechanized voice. {Amaya}

"She might-- not wanna come back?" he's not sure though. His head shakes and he convinces himself that they'll have time for it later, just. One step at a time.

"Allen an' Kitty stayed back. Danny-- I haven't seen Danny. Zetta was with us, Romeo is here," he's suddenly running through all the names he knows in his head, rechecking and double checking that anyone at all who has spoken to him before is accounted for, is present, or will be as soon as they manage it.

"Oh! Jake's missin' too!" He hasn't spoken to the other sunny man in a while, but he remembers him fondly nonetheless, and he won't-- he can't leave him behind.

[blitzcheer]

...that was smart the way the SCA did that, wasn't it. A name coming from Esteban and then it, and Tidus looks for the device with a glance, but nothing more. No getting distracted now.

"Danny and Amaya - let's focus on them," he says with a nod. "I dunno how many we'll be able to get to, but let's try it." He's bringing up his SCA to the document they got sent, an apprehension similar to giddiness already running through him. It doesn't feel real, but it was, and they were doing it.

"...One of us has to stick with the craft while the other goes searching." He looks up from the information to Esteban, a pause as he considers.

"--You wanna flip on it?"

Not that Tidus has a coin, but he's highly aware that they're both the type to want to go out there and get their friends. But this sounded like one of them would be stuck around the train, or something.

[crowneddragon]

There's a shake of his head, denying it. He knows-- it's-- there's.

Tidus should go first. He won't explain, or go into the details why; but his worry, anger and pain-- grief, Esteban had named then, and it's not because the person isn't dead that it doesn't apply any less, because he knows how much this gnaws inside, empty holes that eat away at more and more of a person until there is no ledge to find safe, to find secure.

"Y' go first. I'll stick around; make sure you're not goin' anywhere you're not s'pposed to be~" There's a cheeky wink, lighthearted and cheery, before Esteban remembers their last attempt at anything remotely similar. "My turn to stand here an' look pretty. Can't have you hog all the spotlight."

'Dians. 'Dians, the hope is palpable. It had been so hard; so hard just to thread the water, he hadn't even realized how low he'd sunk until he could manage to bring himself back up. He's sorry that he was in such a poor state before. He's sorry that, for all his intents, and all his tenacity, these days-- these last few days... Esteban feels like he's lost himself. Not just his friends, but himself too.

Later, later, later, he reminds himself. Not now.

[blitzcheer]

He's glad, really; he won't deny the other guy's desire to go out there and find people, knows Esteban wants to, just as much as him. So it's an appreciation that melt onto his face, a small nudge added by the playfulness Esteban adds.

Tidus owes him through this time, for sure, and he reaches for a shoulder, nodding with the gratitude spoken as well.

"Thanks." It's firm, genuine, a squeeze from his fingers, and then he lets go so he can ready his SCA. For the next part to get them going, whatever this experience will be.

"Okay, Trusting you, pretty boy." And there's a grin in it that isn't shown, but still in the delivery. He raises his SCA in indication. "All thoughts on me."

And he'll wait just for a moment, seeing that Esteban is following his wavelength - that he's getting a hand ready on the voidcraft, or near - before his presses the visible anchor symbol, and --

It's like they're in the luggage carriage again; like it, but not exactly the same. The grounded feeling under Tidus's feet disappearing, but he isn't falling, isn't floating; and he'll need Esteban to connect to him, to give him an anchor, to keep himself from becoming lost in that rush. For their emotions, their minds to link -- Tidus with some apprehension in his heart, a flutter of confusion for the sensations, but a grip to persevere through it; his mind, his trust in Esteban apparent, and the desperate impatience for his mind to start their journey into this unknown to find their friend.

[crowneddragon]

"Like I w'ld even look away~" There's a grasp, a touch, but only by the warmth of it. The tangle holds, spins sideways, and--

Oh. Oh that is peculiar.

"I gotcha. We're good." It's for Esteban's own benefit, he can tell. There's worry, and anxiousness; a split second of confusion and mismatched expectations before something uncoils, the curl of wings and tail shifting to give him room to breathe. There is a protectiveness settled, deep in his bones, of keeping others safe, of risking life and limbs to save them, get them out of danger, no matter the cost. Esteban too is impatient, but it's leashed, held by old, well-worn ropes.

They are frayed, right now, down to the weave, but they hold together.

He's worried about Inigo. He's worried about Tidus. He's worried about everyone-- and Esteban tugs back a little at the connection, startled at how much gets pushed and shown and shared and suddenly he's not so sure it's a good idea. There's too many emotions, only barely kept from sight, and for a moment, he thinks to hide them, but it's like trying to stop a flood with his bare hands. He'll never make it.

He tries anyways, keeps his grip onto the blond's wrist, barely a whisper, tight as a rope. Tries his best to keep Tidus-- Tidus-- Tidus here, and Esteban gathers something close to himself. A deep breath and his companion can see it, see how lovely it is. Esteban calls him Sunshine, yes, but it's also something he associates with him.

It's a glass bottle, completely crystal clear, with azure waters and sand so fine it whispers with the artificial tide. Sunlight glows from within, gleaming onto the breaks and a tiny, thumbnail blitzball floats back and forth with their movement. A wave is etched and molded into the crystal, surging along the length of the glass, where it breaks into a loop at the neck, curling in on itself. There, dangles a tiny, silver-blue charm, finned, like Gibs' ears.

This is precious to Esteban, this is a shard of his soul, a thread he's associated with Tidus, because he will miss him when he loses him, and Esteban always, always loses everyone that he ever gets attached to. He can't protect them, not really, not forever. He can only try.

[blitzcheer]

It's there in his sights, a bottle -- and it would be strange, if not for everything that sweeps in with it, the emotions jingling with the glass container. Tidus doesn't need to perceive it closely to know - that every detail, every grain and drip and every piece contained inside is formed from him. And Gibbs, usually kept inside his heart - his connection to a far off land; a connection to his friends, a connection to himself - keeps the image of the bottle secure. A trinket firm in the back of Tidus's mind, a signal to Esteban that they're holding on, clasping onto reminders, memories, representations.

But Tidus has to think now of Inigo, knowledge sweeping through both of them - or all three - that he has to go and find their friend. Inigo. The name, somewhere in Ylisse; where the flowers used to bloom in fields close to the castle where Inigo grew up. A world he saved but doesn't view a home; the world he's in, and doesn't want to be.

Tidus reaches out, heart, mind, and everything there is to with, for the light of the tether that he starts to become drawn towards.

A man waiting, in a field in bloom.

[crowneddragon]

"No-- Wait!" There's a panicked scrambling, a split second where his impatience echoes in Esteban's own, and their resonating emotions pull.

The ropes creak and strain and groan, ominous in their sound as Esteban's need to go too, need to try and save Inigo, the side of him that always cares too much tries tries tries to run right alongside Tidus, and the half-elf has to dig in through every rational thought that his place is here as an anchor, a way back. Esteban is their way back.

And he's struggling with too many emotions, too many worries; he's not nearly as strong a tether as he thinks he should be, but when he laces that thought along the pull of his heart, he manages to quieten himself down, dig in his claws in the earth and plant himself firmly "here". He will be their way back. (He will be their way home, he tells himself, echoed through the bond, but Tidus knows Esteban is using these words to placate himself more than daring to believe either of them would see it that way.)

It takes him another breath to feel secure, to feel steady as he keeps his grasp onto the train, testing his pull lightly before he finally nods. The bottle with the cresting wave is bright, shining like a beacon, a nudge of hope that Esteban can properly focus on now, and fine, Tidus is probably way ahead now, might not have even stopped when Esteban had to focus on not breaking his own connection, but the half-dragon can focus on him now, can give him his full attention.

"Get him back quickly?" Esteban is using his own emotions as a tether to the train so that he can properly focus, properly weave every instance that he's shared with Tidus into a tie, a bond that stretches between them. He thinks of opened doors and bright afternoons spent learning how to jump, grav-con in hand. Remembers the scare Tidus had startled into his bones when he was practicing, and-- fair warning-- the notion that he still wants to get him back for that. Think of them eagerly talking about blitzball and weaves in that they are going to play together one day.

He's got his back. And Esteban isn't letting any of his friends down; not today.