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

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!"

[yondu]

There were moments out there where he'd nearly convinced himself that it would be better to stay. If he could figure out some way not to go, if he could be let walk right back into that world and linger until he was gone? He would. But it's a reminder of a little streak of hungry fire blazing at him that kind of world is static, and this is dynamic.

He readies himself like a man ready to take a bull head on, spreads his arms to wrap her up in that hug and squish her up against him.

"You better have been ornery, don't tell me no differ'nt." He rests his cheek against her hair, just hanging on. This blessed angel left her food to run to him.

[wishalone]

Kyoko doesn't slow down one bit. She runs right into him at full tilt, full weight, and she knows from their sparring sessions that he can take it, but even if he couldn't, she'd do it anyway.

She realizes she's trembling. She doesn't even hope that he doesn't notice. She doesn't care if he does. It's Yondu. He can do whatever he wants.

There's too much to say. There's nothing to say. He's back, he's here, he's solid and alive and safe and that's what matters.

Kyoko ends up laughing. Just -- laughing, and clutching him to her. "Yeah? And what if I do anyway? What're you gonna do, huh?"

[yondu]

"Say the next bad joke I hear out loud while you're nearby and in a state where you cain't disown me."

The worst punishment. "I'd threaten to eat ya but pretty sure my blood sugar'd spike and I'd lose a foot."

All of this said without letting her go, not yet. But finally he does say, "I'm sorry I about disappeared on ya. I know I don't got much control over it, but I know you're goin' out on a limb to give a shit. It's worth notin'."

[wishalone]

Kyoko lets the jokes fade as he shifts to the apology. Her kneejerk reaction is to refuse it: he's right, he didn't have any control over it, and she knows he didn't want it. But she pins the impulse down, doesn't let herself respond yet. It wouldn't be right, wouldn't feel right. He knows how much she's lost, and how, and how many of them didn't have any control over it, either. He knows what it's done to her.

There's too much to say. There's everything to say.

She could confess that it was killing her to sit there and do nothing, to feel that helplessness settling in again, the bone-deep panic that she'll have no choice but to just let it happen all over again. She would've lost all of the people she's come to care about -- that this situation made her realize she cares about -- all of them, and without being able to do a goddamn thing.

She could confess she's certain she wouldn't have survived that. It wouldn't matter if the train brought her back. She wouldn't have survived that.

Kyoko finds herself shaking her head without thinking about it. Not refusing what he said, but shaking off that thought. She isn't helpless right now. She's bringing them back, those she gets to before others, one by one. Yondu's back, Yondu's here, solid, alive, safe.

"You're not the only one who's lucky." She never gave him a proper answer to that day, all that effort he put into learning how to say what he told her. And she's regretted it every fucking minute he's been gone.

She swallows around a hard lump in her throat. "Okaeri."

[yondu]

Existing in a world where he was wanted was something that he'd wanted desperately. He knew that he couldn't stay, but there was that inkling the whole time of, What if I could. What if he could just sit there and know someone had wanted him. That his death hadn't been some kind of relief to everyone.

But here's someone welcoming him back in a language that he learned just for her. That he hears without the aid of the translator. It's just there, in his ears, spoken raw from her mouth.

And he grins a little helplessly, that sort of 'happy father' smile that this one little thing she's done hit him right in the perfect spot.

"I remember how bad runnin' that gauntlet wore me out. You want I should make ya somethin' to eat? Somethin' I can do anyway." That's not any kind of deep response, but the expression on his face should make up for it.

[wishalone]

It had been a long time since she last said that to someone. She hasn't had a home, or anyone to come home, since her family died. The look on his face means it was the right thing to say, and she can feel it all the way deep in her chest, too. It was the right thing to say for her, too.

Her face is burning and all she can do is ignore it.

"Yeah." Kyoko nods, thinking of how -- She'd wanted to taste Mami's cooking again so bad. And here, she gets the chance to have that with Yondu. "Grilled cheese." That's apparently your signature dish, Yondu. Grilled cheese and tomato soup.

... She was just eating on her way here, but she'll finish that on the way, and then eat Yondu's food, too.

[yondu]

"You just wanna see me try an' eat it again! Well... I guess you deserve it." He holds out an arm so he can hug her against his side loosely, walk with her that way because he's just glad to see her. She's Kyoko. She burns hot. She needs fuel all the time. More food it is!

"Who all have ya had to see to?" he says as he veers them towards the kitchen car. In fact, towards the nearest transgate to get there 'cause he's sure this little doll's run ragged.

[wishalone]

"I brought Nozomi back. And Idia, too."

Kyoko presses herself against him without any hesitation. Slowly, the more they're in contact, the more they talk, the more things feel normal, tension starts to ease its way out of her.

"And I'm gonna look for my roommates after this. It's freakin' weird for the cabin to be so quiet."

[yondu]

Oh hell! Right, Idia. Idia hadn't been in great shape when they first ran into each other. He seemed to get a little better when he came up with a plan, but he didn't exactly get the 'good news' Yondu did.

"How is he doin'?"

Because he can imagine that crossing wasn't easy for him. Especially as a boy who misses his baby brother is being viewed keenly through the eyes of a girl who misses her baby sister. But at least he knows the kid made it back.

[wishalone]

"He's kinda..." Kyoko hesitates. "I mean, he's okay. Mostly." Doing better than Elidibus is, but she thinks that's kind of a low bar, all things considered. "But it wasn't easy for him. He didn't think anybody was coming for him, and -- "

She shrugs one shoulder awkwardly. She trusts Yondu with everything she has in her, but that call isn't really hers to tell. "Even then, he ended up almost staying. Or, trying to, anyway. But I didn't have to drag him back, he came back by choice."

She'd say, you should check up on him, but she knows she doesn't have to.

[yondu]

"He'll figure it out. That someone will come for him."

Because Yondu knew someone would come for him, and that took a lot of doing. He's been on the train for a full six months, and he was out in the fog waiting for whatever big damn hero would come traipsing through on a rescue mission.

"I'll see how he's doin' now that he's back." Or at least doing a fly by hello. He doesn't think he might be up for talking just yet, considering the situation with his brother. He doesn't want to pressure him.

"He had some rough stuff happen, so I'm glad it was you that went to get 'im." 'Cause he knows Kyoko would get it.