middleofsomewhere | Swirling Consequences Start

Swirling Consequences Start

On day Seven of the Month of Quicksand as passengers are beginning their day there is an announcement over the ICP system. “Attention voidtreckers and passengers of the Voidtrecker Express. Please give your attention to the following message from the void ministry.”

A blurring of the screen and it fades into a video of an elderly woman, skin a swirl of purple and blue sat behind a dark wooden desk hands folded neatly in front of her.

“Greetings crew of the Voidtrecker Express. I am commander Orlaith of the void ministry. As you will be very aware, you were recently involved in a dangerous and somewhat foolish experiment of the tethering system which we assume was initiated by your voidcraft. We received your call for emergency assistance, and were able to stabilise your craft enough to allow it to focus on ensuring crew safety. We are under the understanding that it was a crew member who used the emergency signal given by the Inspection Arm of the ministry, and that member should be commended. So too should you all, for we have reports that the crew of the Voidtrecker Express took part in a risky and difficult anchoring task to ensure the safety of all. As ever, the crew of the Voidtrecker Express exceed expectations for a crew with no formal training.

However, in less positive news, the actions of your Voidcraft have had a ripple effect throughout the void. Worlds that are non void active have reports of seeing void activity in their skies, with residents reporting dreams and uneasy feelings. In void active worlds there are more serious incidents. We have voidcrews in thousands of systems working towards stabilising the void access points.

We understand that after such an ordeal, your crew may be exhausted however we do need your help. System #5739 is a hub world that is extremely void active. It is used to weathering void storms and the barrier between the world and the void is thin. However, it is currently experiencing an unprecedented amount of void activity and world bleeding effects. We need a team to go in and help the citizens there, clearing out any issues and helping stabilise things from within.

The people there know about the void, and are used to void travellers. However, try not to stir up any extra trouble.” The last sounds almost exhausted. Their reputation may precede them.

The video ends.

I assume no one has any objections as voidtreckers have chosen to work with the Void Ministry. Please see your mission briefs. This is not a catastrophe mission."

They have a couple of hours before landing, a few hours to study their briefs and prepare for what is to come. Teams might chat, people might give out equipment gathered over the months, some of the passengers who have been on the train since the very early days of the month of Apple may have advice to give.

Either way a couple of hours later there is another announcement. “Shortly arriving at System #5739. Exiting the void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one...”

SWIRLING CONSEQUENCES: START

WEARY WANDERER ~ FOREST ~ SCRUBLANDS ~ FARMLANDS ~ COMMS

QUICKSAND 7-10 ~ TEAM OBJECTIVES ~ LOCATION INFORMATION ~ OTHER DETAILS
ASK QUESTIONS ~ SHENANIGANS ~ TEAM PLOTTING ~ MISSION TASKS/REWARDS

ARRIVAL

The train shakes as the view of the void leaves its windows, giving way to a cloudy and wet sky in its descent. There's a small bump, and they land on a set of tracks that lead them uphill. Grassy mounds can be spotted on either side, occupied by sheep, goats, and the occasional six legged antelope grazing. In the farther distance are secluded farm houses, or small clusters of buildings.

Things don’t seem so bad, until the clouds spark with colour that sends animals running, far skittish for anything they're used to.

The sparse hills give way to more trees as the train weaves through them, until finally comes to a stop at a small station, no more than a raised platform in the woods. With a sigh, the train doors open, and passengers can walk out into the clearing. Once everyone who wishes to leave disembarks, the train sets off once again, flying up into the air and out of sight.

"Oh good. You’re here!"

Looking over, voidtreckers will spot a young girl at the edge of the clearing.

"Ma said we should expect some void heroes any day now. She’s put some stew on."

And she’s off. For any who wish to follow her, she leads them to an inn, The Weary Wanderer written on a sign. It’s a large inn, larger than might be expected in such a remote place, and the innkeeper Albany quickly organises rooms and food for any who wish it.

“Well, there’s a whole lot more of you than there was.” She takes in the group after Maia explains that they are from the Voidtrecker Express. “Storms are getting worse, we’re getting reports of stampedes, landslides and monsters coming through the colours.” She explains. She has some maps of the area and happily allows her main common room to be turned into a planning station. She’s clearly used to void travellers.

THE WEARY WANDERER

The inn has a large and open floor, the entrance close to where a fire crackles, chairs and a table beside it. To the right are places for eating, and kitchen doors that lead in and out, while to the left is where a counter separates another route to the kitchen, and to the family's own private quarters. By here too are the stairs leading up into the bedrooms, with some also available on the ground floor.

There's enough room for the voidtreckers to squeeze into the front at once, and the tables can be joined to create a more team atmosphere.

The problems are everywhere it seems. Farms need help, dralite chicks need rescuing, and their parents reassured before they go on a murderous revenge spree. Voidtreckers can stay or plan or jump right into things - the forest and scrublands are the closest to reach with both behind the inn, while the farmlands will take half a day to reach. Alabany will mark on the maps where to go for the farmsteads, or ones she knows about, and allow her inn to be used as an intiial base.

For those whose skills lie more in cooking and maintaining camp, she will happily take their help in the kitchens, or suggest They go down to the nearest farmsteads and lend a hand there. It'll take about half a day on foot to reach the nearest few, but many hands are needed. They will have better tools for moving debris and making repairs; she has a few, but not enough for everyone, and she'd rather they be used around the forest if anywhere. She needs those!

Albany will warn about the dralites, and to plug your ears if you're going through the forest. Their screeching can stun and slow people even at a distance, and with everyone worked up, it makes it hard to get through. They happen to like bugs, and a fruit called matts - similar to dates, fruits that grow off certain small trees in the forest.

YELLING HEIGHTS: FOREST

Location of: Dralites, young and old, their nests; monkeys, voidblobs (uncommon), fruit cups and purple stars. Displaced people.

The Yelling Height's forest reach spreads far, wrapping around the lower third of the great Ciyesia mountain and its budding fellow heights, with trees as tall as redwoods making up most of its wood. This gives plenty of space for travellers to move through, but the treetops create thick canopies that shroud the world below, the dots of penetrating light visible in contrast. Against some trees can be found what look like bushes, and there's plenty of them around, along with moss; but looking closer, these have hollow middles, made up of pin needles, twigs, feathers and all sorts. Some have been ruined, some have eggs inside.

High-pitched cries can be heard echoing, but it can be hard to tell how far, or what distance they come from - there's too many, making what should sound distressing, sound like a racket. While there's paths that can be followed, some of the wood has fallen, with ways disturbed by rubble that's tumbled all this way down from the mountain. There are signs to aid - those that haven't been knocked over - to give some sense of direction. Still this wood is hard to navigate, and Voidtreckers will want to be careful about rushing in without a plan. Trouble lurks in all manners...

Dralites can be found scattered around this forest, big and small - Albany will tell them as much. The youngest are easy to locate, unable to fly, and make a lot of noise. Slow-moving and dragging their heavy wings, they need help moving with any speed. They can be found alone, or attracting the attention of the great chinchillas or monkeys (who see them less as prey, and more as something to bully and take out their frustrations on).

Some will accept help from the first person that approaches them, jumping on them and wrapping their wings around their neck or head, clinging on and accepting them as their ride. They will need to be returned to their nests, and will reject any nests that aren’t theirs. It'll be very similar to escorting a toddler, often throwing screeching fits if they don’t think their helper is trying hard enough, which can make it difficult for people to move around.

They are hard creatures to please, even so more the adults who are furious that their nests have been disturbed. As large as a sheep with larger wings and powerful talons they might just swoop down and grab smaller unsuspecting voidtreckers and carry them to their nests as workers to help fix them. Some of these adults may be near their nests, or will be seen swooping around above-head at startling speeds, searching for their young.

There are eggs that have gone missing too. A place they can hatch safely is essentia, since they can easily become pray or be snatched by the monkeys who live in the forest and steal from the inattentive.

As well as helping the dralites, there are herbs that can be collected here. Purple Stars are leaves that grow at the top of tall trees. These can be found deeper into the forest, and are different from the other trees by their branches only growing at the very top, their bark stripy. They will need to be climbed, or flown up to - not getting startled by adult dralites is essential, or becoming target practice to the monkeys. They have rocks.

Deep in the most dampest sections of the fores, Fruit Cups grow in a tangle around spider plants, that will ensnare the unwary into it’s sticky grip. For every few flowers, there's a wide trapping of the spider plants, vines impossible not to get stuck to. But as difficult as they are to collect, they are useful, and the potions they make will be handy to the communities that require help. Some voidblobs have gotten trapped here too, and they'll become active once people get close.

YELLING HEIGHTS: SCRUBLANDS

Location Of: Farm animals, some voidblobs, great chinchillas, farmers in need; ruined paths, craggle leaf. Some dralites, mostly adult. Displaced people.

The trees eventually give way to a mix of rock and dirt, stone jagging up from the ground underfoot that travellers will need to watch out for. Vegetation is littered around, patches of shrubs as often easy to catch the eye as grazed grass poking out around mossy-coated stone. There are paths, or were, but only the remains of them can be found, the area reshaped by landslides.

Animals can be found isolated or in some groups, spooked by any newcomers around, and the odd shepherd trying their best to get their herds under control. But there's further trouble than blocked paths to deal with - because these jobs can never be simple.

The farmers' plans are to bring the grazing animals back down to the lower ground and to their farms, but they'll need help clearing up paths and guiding them off the mountain and back to their farmsteads. Not only will it mean moving debris and locating animals, it will also mean protecting them from the predators in the area - and other trouble.

The horned goats, often a worry on these slopes, have grown even more aggressive. They ram into herds and farmers alike, even attempting to send them rolling. They need driven off, away from the herds. The chinchillas are also more aggressive, running rampage through the hills and attempting to down the livestock and to take them back to their nests.

There will also be sightings of the voidblobs for the more unfortunate, dubbed such by the locals. Gelatinous and luminescent, they are a mess of what were likely multiple creatures that have been fused together, patches of fur and teeth and claws held together with thick veins of colour. They attack indiscriminately and without reason, and are difficult to take down, never responding to blows of any type. You only know when they're taken out by when they stop moving - otherwise, they will continue.

During the first night there is a disturbance on Ciyesia. Trees are felled, the mountain seems to rumble and more animals flee, spilling panicked down the mountain to the farm lands below. For whatever aid is giving to the area on the first day, this event causes more damage to the surrounding areas.

LOWER LANDS: FARMLANDS

Location of: Voidblobs (common), great chinchillas, a few horned goats; ruined pathways, farms in need; people to craft balms and potions, access to tools.

While not as high as the Ciyesia mountain, nor as shrouding as the blanketing forest, the rolling countryside shows its sloping and uneven distance, varying fields split by tones and sandy paths - or what should be sandy paths. But the damage to the earth is noticeable, chunks of the various mounds ruined, broken at parts. You can see trouble, ensuing or approaching, just by looking around long enough.

And the biggest trouble will be reaching it.

Buildings squeeze against fields and fencing, separated far from anyone that could be called a neighbour. But there's a few of what can be called villages, where trades are conducted and visitors are sure to stop. There's usually a singular inn, but people looking to call on the help of a void traveller to help with this mess. They can promise hot meals and some goods in exchange, but first needs to come the help.

Though moving the herds closer to the farms is a sensible idea that doesn’t mean the farmlands themselves are safe. Landslides have cut communities off, some of the chinchillas and horned goats have made their way down the mountain and angry dralites stalk the plains looking for their young.

The shaking of the earth and the landslides have caused damage and debris. Trees have been felled bolders moved, barns and houses have been damaged. There’s a big clean up operation required. Farmers have wheelbarrows and shovels and Albany has some more that can be borrowed. It will require a team effort to clear the roads and make sure essential supplies get where they are needed.

Most of the farms and villages have protections in place, but they are overstretched and exhausted. Villagers take turns patrolling, protecting the herds and the people from creatures should they be goats, chinchillas or the new and terrifying void blobs.

Extra people to set up perimeters are very welcome, as are those who can drive the creatures back into the forests. It’s not just the homes themselves that need protecting but also the paths between them, so voidtreckers and others can deliver supplies to the further afield communities.

Making the herbal remedies will mean finding the right people for it, but locating the villages is a good bet. Tinctures and teas are the best method, boiling the plants and breaking them down over hours. Even if you're not experienced, people being around to help monitor the pots and bottle them will be helpful. The craggle leaf are good as they are to feed upset livestock, but also as medicine, for helping against the voidstorm's headache-inducing effects.

FROM THE VOID...

DISPLACED PEOPLE: Once or twice a year, people can be found in the Yelling Heights, wandering around dazed and confused, hailing from a whole other world. Since these storms have begun there have been at least two a day, perhaps more that have yet to be found. They have no memory of arriving, some might not even have memories of who they are, or where they come from.

For now they need found, gathered in once place and care given to them.

VOIDBLOBS: The voidblobs, as they have been dubbed by those who have seen them, are truly monstrous creatures. Perhaps once multiple creatures they have been fused together, a mess of fur and teeth and claws held together with thick veins of colour these creatures have one instinct and that is to kill.

They are rampaging, strong in their urge to destroy. Fighting them is difficult as nothing seems to slow them down until they die, it’s hard to know how hurt they are and injury doesn’t seem to stop their brute strength or will to kill. They rarely will stop and fight either, requiring a team just to keep up with them as they will lash out and fight but keep rampaging on, drawn towards groups of people or creatures. They can be found anywhere.

VOIDTEARS: For now, it's Red Team's task to find these tears and secure a perimeter on them - a difficult enough job that will take the first few days of the mission. They aren’t visible except in the storms, and so finding them requires braving them, where the wind sings with void music, rain pouring with hail, and a strong sense of unease growing until it too unbearable to endure. But the exact point of the tears must be found: a spot where the kaleidoscope of colours shines down onto any under it, only visible in that area.

STORMS: These are scattered around the lands, never moving despite the clouds that do. In the storms, the voidtears pulse with colour. Being near them is uncomfortable, and there is always the risk of a voidblob coming through. Being near the voidtears for too long even outside of voidstorms will lead to headaches, and so it is wise to rotate who is guarding them.

THE FIRST NIGHT: Late into the first night, there will be loud noises, the earth rumbling and a worrisome show of lights as the full moon hangs in the sky above. There may be word from fellow voidtreckers what's going on, but either way, this disturbance will bring out trouble into the night, breaking fencing and some buildings that were on their last legs.

OOC NOTES

OOC Post ~ Questions ~ Shenanigans ~ Tasks Check-In & Mission Rewards
This log lasts for 7-10 Quicksand, with the next log going up on the 21st March (11 Quicksand). Please remember that we will be determining the progress of the mission by task objectives being fulfilled, so PLEASE visit the task objectives toplevel and let us know what your character has been working towards! We accept handwaves (especially if your character is around but you're on hiatus), but actual thread links will count more towards success!

An extra list of prompts for ideas, arranged by team (click):

RED TEAM

You've either wandered into a group of voidblobs or see some approaching. They're annoying on their own, but as a group, they can cause serious damage.

The voidstorms are easy to find by the literal storms they bring, but the tears themselves? They're a pain to, only visible once you're right under them. How will your character persevere in the search? Flying, if you can, might seem the quickest option, but a closer level to the sky seems to make the headaches and disorientation worse.

You've somehow been convinced into fixing up a fence during watching the perimeter. Yes yes, that's important, but the area is clear for now, and what if an animal gets loose? More hands will get this done quick.

BLUE TEAM

What kind of people will you find out there in the wild? Someone desperate for an offer of aid, or someone suspicious, distrusting? Are they even human, or some other race - or sentient object?

The dralites aren't good at in any way but wailing. But their eggs are unique, obsidian in appearance. So if you see a monkey carrying any such thing, or see one being carried by a great chinchilla - that's no lucky lump of goal. That's your way of calming down the ticking time bombs of angry parents.

PURPLE TEAM

Farm work isn't your chore, but the farmers need all their herds before they go anywhere, so you're getting involved whether you want to or not.

Make a good impression on the farmers, and they're likely to help you out. Need to borrow tools? Or can you convince the farmers to let you and your friends borrow some, passing them onto the people who need them?

ORANGE TEAM

Herb collection is hard enough with tall trees and spider plants but watch out for the monkeys who want to steal the prize.

Once herbs are collected they can be made into potions. They aren't too difficult to make and Albany has recipes if asked.

Herbs aren't the only things monkeys want, there's a group converging on a dralite nest, those eggs look very shiny.

ALL TEAMS

Distance is a real concern. Who will go where, where are places and people in need? Scouting is a good idea, and so is organising who will be best, where. ... or, you can just go and do your own thing.

Image Sources: Top header - Tavern - Farmlands - Void coours

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The boy nods seriously as they begin to approach. The weather batters against what resistance he's put up against it, and they certainly do not have too much time.

At Alice's suggestion, he balks- that very thought on his mind.] I don't think I can hold it off forever- but when I was asking about the Voidtears, they were really firm about locating and securing the perimeter instead of trying to close them...I think it's something that's going to take more than just the two of us, otherwise...

[Emporio grimaces whoever, as he looks around.] ...Even just that much is going to be hard though....can you hear anything around us? Any 'voidblobs' that might have come out?

We have to close them so we can leave here, right?

[ Is this a very productive attitude?

.. maybe. Maybe not. Emporio is right that it's much better to deal with these things with a group of people, after all. But Alice can't help it. She was already reluctant to do this mission in the first place, and that certainly hasn't changed now she's actually wandering around in this storm.

If anything, it's only draining her motivation to do anything further. ]

Then I am going to close them. [ She says it as if it's just that simple. But there's no cocky overconfidence about her.

Just stubborn anger trying to override all of the hurt inside of her. ]

That's not how it works-

[Alice might be stubbornly angry, but Emporio is stubbornly serious. He reaches out despite his draining energy to grab at her arm, shaking his head.] The important thing is still staying safe- for everyone to stay safe.

They said this is a job for small groups for a reason- that we have to focus on setting up a perimeter and marking these locations for a reason- we can't just risk ourselves trying it alone.

[ Even under these circumstances, she doesn't shrug off that touch on her arm. Which is saying something, really. If a stranger had tried it with her, she might just have hit them for it, especially while she's already tense in the first place.

But she allows this to happen. It shows that, despite her mood and everything else, she still cares enough about Emporio to let him.

Even if the rest of her reaction might not show as much. She frowns, her voice icy. ]

I am already dead. What more should I stay safe for at this point?

Because you're alive now!

[Even with a hair of a moment of hesitation, the words come spilling forth. Because Jolyne, too, was already dead. For all he knew, perhaps so was he. Did he know about Alice before? ...It doesn't matter, not really. But...]

Because we're here now! Because there's people who care about you now, and it's worth being careful for that! It's worth not throwing it away when we can fix more than just this! [he cries, voice rising. Maybe she should have turned on him. He'd understand that.

He'd say it all anyway.] ...Because...there's things worth trying to live for, even if we can't in the places we came from...

Are there?

[ Maybe this isn't the right time to talk about this.

Scratch that. This definitely isn't the right time to talk about this, considering they're in the middle of this storm. But maybe the storm is exactly what's stirring Alice's emotions only more and more, driving her to pour it all out at the worst moment possible. ]

I'm so tired of everything constantly being taken away from me by forces outside of my control. [ First the fire, then the asylum, then that awful doctor, then this train. It's like it never stops. Like she isn't even allowed to have anything without it being ripped out of her hands. ] Why make sure to be careful, just so I can live and have that constantly happen to me even more?

...

[It definitely isn't, ignoring the fact that Emporio is far from someone qualified to really help in a talk like this.

...But then again he can relate at least. He can relate a lot.]

...It... ...It's hard...when you can't choose how things happen. How it starts, or ends, or keeps going... ...But there's a reason to look forward to the chance for that choice! [he shouts more confidently, choking on his words.] I...I hoped for that choice! I fought for it, even...even when it ruined everything..!

But part of doing that means treasuring the life you have, and taking it seriously! We have a choice now- to help without bringing more pain to everyone else, including ourselves!

...so... ...so shouldn't we at least do that?

[ There's a part of Alice that at least sees that. It's not a big part of her, not when she's so busy being consumed by her own emotions, but she seems to at least realise that telling Emporio of all people about all of this probably isn't the best choice.

And yet.. she can't help it. What else is she supposed to do? The train has hollowed her out enough that of course eventually the emotions are just going to pour out like this, regardless of time or place. ]

If I help here.. I am still going to be in pain.

[ At least she's trying really hard to keep herself from fully getting angry and flying off the handle. At least she's trying that much in front of Emporio.

But a lack of over the top anger just makes the pain in her voice all that more audible. ]

Then who is going to take away my pain? Why must we go around and fix other people's problems when no one will ever fix mine?

I....

....I can't stop everything that hurts, [Emporio admits first, his voice quieting. His eyes are shadowed by his cap, and he swallows- throat already feeling scratchy and dry.]

...I can't stop it all...but if I can take some of it away...If I can take any of it away, I want to..! Because...Because everyone already does that enough for me- everyone I've met on this train...the people I've talked to, and become close to...

[The boy's eyes well with tears as he tries to look up to Alice, stepping just a bit closer than the desperate arms length he'd been at. He thinks of Buttercup. Of Yondu, of Otoha.

Of Alice herself.] They've listened to my words, they've helped me while I cried... ...and I... ...I still haven't been able to do even a little of the same in return..!

...So if I can help with yours...please.

...Please, let me, Alice.

[ Alice slowly - and deeply - breathes out.

Maybe she's only realising it now. Despite what she said a moment ago, it's not like there's anyone who can truly help her. Her problem is too big to be something that can be fixed by a single human, after all. Especially by Emporio, as young as he is. ]

You can't.

[ It's not said harshly, at least. She couldn't. Not in the face of those tears.

Instead her own tone sounds tight, pained, her throat feeling like she's choking on thin air. ]

The train took away any possibility for me to finally have a happy life. No one can suddenly bring that back.

[Emporio's answer...

...may be surprising. Or perhaps not. It's not one most would expect from someone his age at least, and indeed plenty of adults would gloss over it themselves.]

...Nothing like that can be 'sudden', [he begins quietly, slowly shaking his head.]

...But...

I refuse to believe, that there's no possibility for it, [he continues firmly, forcing strength into his words.] Even if something seems impossible...even if it can't be done right away, I won't believe that you can't have a happy life!

.. It is sweet of you to believe in that.

[ Because that's what Alice ends up seeing it as after quickly processing what he's saying in her mind. It just seems like that kind of childish idealism that is - where Alice comes from - quickly beaten out of absolutely everyone.

She knows how the world works too well to be able to believe that. Even outside London. ]

But I have.. already given up.

[ Last month was just the final blow. The final nail in the coffin, after already having sat on these feelings for so long. ]

I have been on the train for over a year now. If something were to change for the better for me, it would have already. I am tired of waiting, only to be let down. Only to be made to feel worse.

Then I'll keep believing for you.

It's not because it's a 'nice' idea. I...I gave up on something that took a lot longer than one year to happen, [he admits, his tone dark and quiet.] ...I gave up on it, and when it finally happened...I thought it cost everything.

...But that wasn't true. ...So even when I thought that it had been for nothing...when I was let down more than I thought could be possible, things were able to turn around..!

...So...even if you've given up, I won't give up on you!

[ Alice stands there, a weird unmoving figure in the middle of all the chaos around them. ]

Then.. what are you going to do?

[ She doesn't sound too convinced. Maybe she would have been if this had been the first hardship in life she encountered. But this is not even the second, nor third.

After a while, fighting for your life just gets tiring, especially without perspective. ]

...I can't answer that.

[He speaks with honesty- to do otherwise would only let her down more.] I don't know the details of why you're hurting- I don't know why it seems impossible.

All I can say is that I'll stand by you- I'll do what I can to help you from thinking there's nothing left...to help prove that, no matter what it seems, there's a reason to be careful for yourself!

...But...I can't answer more, for how I'll help- I need to be allowed to help, after all...

[He can shout and pull and try all he wants.

It won't matter if Alice doesn't take a step toward him either.]

You can be allowed to help.

[ At least she doesn't seem to be stubborn about that. No matter her own rotten mood or her hopeless outlook on their current circumstances - it's not like she doesn't still trust Emporio among it all. ]

But that doesn't matter when you can't do anything to help.

[ That's the crux of this entire problem, isn't it? It's why it's so hard to let anyone in when it comes to this.

Because it doesn't feel like this is something anyone can fix. And if it isn't something anyone can fix, then.. why bother? ]

It's just factual reality that there is nothing left. I am no longer going to believe in false dreams. [ Not when they just hurt her in the end when everything comes crashing down - again and again and again. ]

...Nothing left of your home? [he asks, his voice quiet, if not even empathetic.]

...Sometimes...helping isn't about fixing what you lost. ...It's...about finding something else you can keep going for, [the boy admits.]

.. I just want to go back to Wonderland.

[ Not that he's saying anything wrong here. She could consider moving on to another world. Seeing if she could go home with someone else. Alice knows that there are people on this train who wouldn't mind that in the slightest.

But.. she fought so hard for Wonderland. She fought so hard to be happy there, and then to have that taken away from her just as she had reached her goal..

It's too cruel. ]

But I have no body left to go back there.

[ That's the crux of the entire problem, and the reason why she's saying he can't help her. After all, who is Emporio to suddenly conjure a new body for someone out of thin air? He can do more than most kids his age, sure, but that is beyond his scope, she's sure. ]

[...It's about that, is it?

....] ...I don't think I do either, [he says after a moment- moving closer to Alice, so that his position is less one of struggling attempts to hold someone back, and more a friend comforting another friend.]

...And...I know for a fact...that Jolyne doesn't either. [He had never been so relieved to see her there. And yet, so fearful all the same, knowing what would happen if that tether ever broke.]

...There are people working on that, though. The ministry we're in contact with...they aren't just leaving us to handle that on our own. ...Even if I don't think there's somewhere to go back to for me...if you have a place to return to, they're definitely working on something that will give you a body.

[ She hates this.

Because it's hope being extended to her. And whereas someone as cynical as Alice could easily bat that away if it was coming from someone else, like all the people who constantly lied to her back home, it's harder here. Because Emporio - he's always been nothing but kind and honest with her, as far as she's seen. He's just a kid, coming from circumstances way beyond what any kid should be dealing with.

He wouldn't tell her this if he didn't mean it.

And yet, at the same time, Alice can feel everything twisting up inside of her chest all over again. With worry. With fear.

Hope is so easy to accept, but that just makes it hurt more in the end if it turns out to be false. ]

Who knows if they could do such a thing though? [ It's one thing to promise someone something, and another thing entirely to actually do it. ]

.. and why would they do such a thing for us in the first place?

[ Of course Alice is naturally distrustful of any organisation. She's distrustful of anything and anyone outside of the small circle of trusted people she lets near.

Trusting some organisation to somehow fix everything for them.. that's hard, if not outright impossible. ]

....Why wouldn't they?

[It's a...naive outlook perhaps, and not the sort of outlook he often takes. But all the same-] ...They have more to gain helping than otherwise, don't they? Right now, their biggest worry is already the fact that we're tethered like this instead of...well. Home. With our bodies.

The more I spoke to them, the more they focused on that too- it wasn't about if I could work with them, or stay with the train. It was about making sure I could get a body safely again- and I never even asked about that.

It was something the Ministry brought up themselves every time. I know...it's hard to trust that kind of group. ...really, it's hard to trust any adult, [he admits with a grimace.]

...But I think they're telling the truth.

.. I see.

[ At least he acknowledges one very important thing here. Even though Alice is - technically - very much an adult herself now, she knows it just as well as he does, despite their age difference. Adults are not to be trusted, especially not when they pretend to be some sort of organisation that's helping others.

It's a truth that's so deeply rooted within her heart by now that she can't help but say one thing. Glancing away from him, into the storm that's still going on, though not directly around them anymore thanks to Emporio's helper. ]

I do not think I can trust them for that exact reason. [ Because it's hard to trust any adult, indeed.

Her voice is serious and hard, yet pained at the same time, unable to fully escape from her trauma. ] Not until I see some results. Until they prove they can truly give me my life back, it is hard to feel any hope.

[ Since he is speaking so seriously, she grants the same courtesy in return. Speaking from her heart, even if it means being a little open with him here. No matter how scary that idea often is. ]

....They trusted us to help them at least, right?

[He thinks that counts for...something, anyway.]

...but...if you can't trust them until then... [Emporio swallows. He's not sure where to go from there- what to say. It's Alice's business, trusting or not trusting. Jolyne certainly doesn't have that much faith in it all but...]

...well... ...we won't be able to see proof either way if we aren't careful, right..?

[It's.

Weak. Very weak. But he feels like it's less awkward than just...pushing onward to 'let's radio for the others then and set up a perimeter'.

(It's unclear if it is or isn't actually less awkward.)]

...

[ It's definitely still awkward, huh.

Especially since Alice doesn't reply right away. It stretches the silence, only filled up vaguely by the sounds of the weather, before the girl finally starts to slowly nod. ]

Alright.

[ She seems willing to give in, at least for the moment. Even if she doesn't have much faith, she guesses she can go along with this farce for now, anyway.

Especially since the girl has no idea yet just how much worse everything is about to get. ]

Let's set up the perimeter so more of us can work on this one later.

Right.

[They can do so then- in silence, in awkwardness...with radio calls and whatever physical markers can be made.

He still wants to believe.

...

(But he hopes the belief isn't unfounded.)]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Swirling Consequences Start

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CW: Talk of death, general similarity to suicide prevention

cw continuing through here

CW should be considered until noted otherwise at this point

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this thread took such an emotional turn and i love it but also i hate it sobs

sorry emporio, you tiny good bean ;;

clutches my heart...

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stares at Stone Ocean and stares into space

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CW: Spoilers for End Stone Ocean, reference to Character Death

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ties this off here, cries over the other thread