middleofsomewhere | Event: 12 of Beetroot

Event: 12 of Beetroot

It's been a couple of weeks since they had evacuated Osiga. In that time, many of voidtreckers were busy with a project to try and solve some of the many mysteries that surround the train they travel on. By the eight day of Rabbit they've exhausted all avenues, and whilst they have learned quite a bit, there are still some clear gaps.

Just as that investigation comes to a natural end, passengers are woken up by an announcement.

"Attention voidtreckers and passengers of the voidtrecker express. We are travelling to system #2554098133741. I have sent word to the ministry who have arranged recuperation packs for you. You have had a difficult mission and you deserve a rest.

But it is not just for rest. Last time we visited the system voidtreckers shared memories. Though it is understood that many of you did not enjoy the experience it is notable that certain voidtreckers saw memories of this voidcraft. They were memories that this craft had not accessed. It led to more pathways opening up in the operation of this craft.

I have done some research on the system and I believe we can trigger the caves of memory. This voidcraft understands this might be difficult for the voidtreckers and passengers of the voidtrecker express and it is hoped that only those of you who consent to this experiment will take part.

Regardless this should be a time for relaxation also and the dressing room is open for your convenience. We will arrive in the morning.

The dressing carriage is indeed opened for those who go and look. It's filled with swimming costumes, beach ware, summery clothes and sun hats. There's even a cupboard of buckets, spades, rock pooling gear and picnic blankets.

There are also team coloured tents for those who want to go and sleep under the stars for a night or two, though the train is remaining on the island for those for who camping is their idea of hell.

12 OF BEETROOT

RABBIT 9-12 ~ MEMORY CAVES: BONDING ~ MEMORY MAZE: SEARCH FOR THE TRAIN'S MEMORIES
ASK QUESTIONS ~ LOCATION INFORMATION ~ MEMORY CAVES ~ MEMORY MASTER POST

JEMA'GRETHY ISLAND: RELAXATION

The next day the train announces their arrival and they burst out of the void. For those near a window their first view of the island will be of crystal blue sea and white sand. It really does look like a paradise. The train circles down before landing on a grassy ridge, overlooking a beautiful beach of white sand and the ocean beyond. It is warm, but not too hot, a cool ocean breeze cutting through the heat making it pleasant. Behind them is a grassy plain, changing to forest in the distance. There is the sound of birdsong in the purple sky. To the west the land is more craggy, the silhouette of a fortress in the distance.

In a word, it is idyllic. A sense of peace permeates the island.

The place has no people, but it is clearly maintained. The eastern beaches have racks of shallow boats, both canoes and one- or two-person sailing dinghies. There is also a small building in which scuba gear is stored, along with several waterproofed manuals and instructional literature.

There are no living quarters, but there are sheltered sections with basic toilet facilities marked as camping grounds in five different sections of the island - by the hot springs, within the ruined fortress, beside the harbour, on the eastern beaches, and on the northern face of the mountain.

The recuperation packs are found at the closest toilet facilities to where the train lands. They are simple things, small gift baskets with a couple of fragrant soaps, fancier hair products and skin cream infused with herbs to encourage rest and sleep.

There are some sweet fruit biscuits and a cheesy bread. The packs aren't named but there are some suitable for the younger passengers with tiny plush and colouring books. Quite a few designed for teens with a more engaging activity book and components for making a fancy mocktail with a cute stirrer. Adult packs have a small bottle of alcohol- there's a mixture between the packs and what looks like a stone. When placed next to the skin it will either warm up or cool down depending on what is needed.

Exploring, the passengers will find beautiful beaches, ragged cliffs to walk and caves to explore. Where it is more craggy the beaches are made of pebbles, perfect for rock pooling.

A little more worrying is the volcano-like structure in the north. But even a quick glance will show it is not a typical volcano. There is no smoke and the liquid slowly running down it in rivulets is pink and blue.

Ruins of ancient houses are scattered across the island, but the main settlement is built into a rocky section in the north-west that has been secured with ropes and stairways cut into the cliffs, perfect for scrambles and hikes.

To the west are the hot springs. They have both outdoor and indoor areas; the indoor areas being wooden loghouse saunas, changing rooms and storage sheds, whilst the outdoor areas are a tiered series of pools spilling down the side of the mountain and shaded by brightly flowering trees. The waters are hot, mineral-rich and soothing.

MEMORY CAVES: BONDING

Shortly before arriving they will receive some information on their SCA. It will explain how those who once lived on this island went about making life bonds. Both people would bathe in the hot springs and then dress simply, barefoot and walk to one of seven rocks on the island. Their maps will pin point these, which is good because there's no real indication of what makes these rocks different to any other on the island.

Here they must offer their wish to know the other deeper and share food and drink. They can then go about their day. Sometime in the hours after they will receive their first memory, seen through their partners eyes.

However it seems that in envoking the ritual they have woken something on the island. Even those who did not take part or chose to bond to someone find themselves seeing a glimpse of another life.

On the second day they see another memory, through the eyes of their pair. When they come out of it they find themselves in a cave with their partner, chosen or not. The same happens on the third day, except for this final memory both pairs see both memories, watching from the sidelines as it plays out. They find themselves in the cave once more and this time, for many there is only one exit, to leave through together.

Please go here to play out the bonding process!

MEMORY MAZE: TRAIN'S MEMORIES

On the third day the train sends another message to their SCA.

"Activating the caves that share memories has been successful. I know this is a lot to ask of the voidtreckers, but any who wish to assist in discovering what it is that I have forgotten, the path is open now.

Those who wish to may go to the sacred rocks. Please be warned, I do not know how voidtreckers will fare. Please only go of your own free will."

Their SCA's once again show the rocks on their maps and when they get there, this time they are faintly glowing. It doesn't take much. One touch and their minds are drawn away from their bodies, into a labyrinth of caves. For anyone who comes across these people on the island, they look like they are in a deep trance, breathing, safe but far away in their mind.

The labyrinth is made of cool, dark rock. The walls have a glow coming from crystals in-bedded in them, allowing everyone to see as they move through.

At first there's no more to this labyrinth, or so it seems. But then they turn a corner, and they are no longer in cavern as it just was. They may be in their childhood bedroom, or in the middle of a battle they once fought. Perhaps they are not in their own memory, but someone else's. Scenes move rapidly and often merge, one persons into another, mixing to make strange scenes.

These visions don't attempt to ensnare them like some illusions, and those with protection from illusions and such techniques, will be able to find their way forward through the cave, and away from this triggered scenario.

Time barely has meaning. Indeed, when they finally emerge from the caves only a few minutes will have passed. But in that time they will have seen much, and eventually they may stumble across a fragment of memory that belongs not to a voidtrecker, but to the Voidtrecker Express itself.

OOC NOTES

OOC Post ~ Questions
~ You can either write memories in your tags or if they are longer/require a lot of content warnings you might want to write them in this post and link to them. Just start a top level with your character name to keep things organised!

~ For those taking part in the memory share bonding the cave post is here. Characters arrive in the cave after the second and third memory but it is obviously up to you if you play out the conversations after each or both! For those who do decide that their characters will bond- the cave after the third memory will only have one exit for them to leave together.

~ For those who signed up for train memories you will receive the snippet that your character sees- use these in tags as you will. There will be a conclusion post on the 24th which will put all of those memories together!

Art Credits: Header: Tropical Jewel by Steven Power, Thumbnail image 3.

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Being someone who was used to seeing memoires of other people, (thanks Hakagemachi.) Jin Ling immediately knew he was in some sort of memory scape. He was also staring at a version of... Sanzo? He looked no older than twelve or thirteen-- younger than Jin Ling right now. Though, he recalled the brief encounter with this man being particularly, unpleasant.

How he stumbled here, no one knew, but he was making sure he kept his voice down and shushed Fairy, so she wouldn't cause ant trouble as well.

He gave the older Sanzo a look, and then stared back at the teenager that was his carbon copy. Great

"...You going to do something about this?"

Memories were places people shouldn't be wandering into. Jin Ling literally should be seeing himself out, but also, his need to maybe assist on the situation might be-- well buried in his core. Sometimes, he cursed stumbling into things he didn't want to stumble into. Of course, he had to be the person that wanted to find answers and he had to choose to tread this maze.

Edited 2022-05-24 01:44 (UTC)

It felt surreal to see himself from such an outside perspective. To see the sweet innocent yet somewhat pouty young man he once was staring past him, curiously towards the older man sitting on the stoop.

He was so caught up in the off-putting sight that he didn't even realize he wasn't alone until Jin Ling had managed to speak up.

Do something—what a question.

"Do you think there is anything we can do?" He responded coldly, almost dead-toned, as he remained fixated on his younger self. He didn't notice until it was too late how the older monk with the long golden braid turned from his spot on the stoop to look back, a calm, warm smile barely holding the sad atmosphere around him.

"Ah, Kouryuu. Come here and sit, will you?"

It was almost in quick response that his younger self obeyed. He walked past Sanzo and Jin Ling to slowly sit beside the older man.

"I suppose we could always leave," But Sanzo also knew that he could abandon any potential lead for the Voidtrecker if he did such a thing. Flashbacks like this were why they were all here, after all.

He can do this. He's already handled it once earlier this week. He should be able to take it now.

He hoped.

Jin Ling doesn't know if there's anything they can do, but it's something that he can say for the sake of this man's privacy. Either way, it doesn't seem like the memory is ending any time soon. He's stuck watching it as they maneuver through all of this.

The boy didn't really have a response for them leaving. He felt like he heard something he shouldn't have. Not that he recalls them exchanging names or anything. Perhaps, that's probably what he might stick with if Sanzo didn't say anything. Though, the younger version of this man seemed a lot less annoying. Though, it reminded Jin Ling of his youth, when he was much younger than this version of Sanzo. How he would obediently listen to his shushu, and jiujiu. Also, the massive tantrums he threw when he was bullied by the other kids.

Jin Ling shook his head to get rid of those thoughts, before kneeling to pat his dog.

"It's not my memory. That's up to you. We'll have to keep going anyway."

"Hmn," Sanzo gave a sullen nod of his head as he continued to fixate on the young version of himself. He almost forgot how naive he was back then, so obedient and forthcoming. He quickly turned away from the small intimate scene just as the young boy sat beside his mentor.

"That was quite a feat you pulled with that bear. Many monks seem to think you are some demon with how you scared it out." The older man chuckled sweetly.

"I only let it know we did not want it here. If you don't assert yourself and try to run instead, it will think you're prey. And then we'd all be dead."

"Well, I woulnd't say that now."

While the conversation seemed to go on, Sanzo merely looked over at Jin Ling. His expression was oddly serene despite the strange and intimate peek into his past that seemed to play out behind him.

"All right then, runt. What do you think we should do next?" If Jin Ling thought there was a better way to access this train's memories,' as it were, that wasn't just sorting through their own in the process; he was all ears.

Even Jin Ling could understand why most children were that way. Perhaps, if he had his parents by his side, he wouldn't feel as jaded as he was now. Without his parents, Jin Ling always felt a little different from other kids. He didn't really know what it was like to have parents.

The other kids always just made fun of him and the teasing only led to Jin Ling getting into fights with them. Strangely enough, he did recognize that this person wasn't at least bothered by this. Whether, he was just feigning it or not, Jin Ling wasn't sure. He still had a rather complicated look on his face.

"You-- scared off a bear?"

He brows furrowed at the question that left his mouth.

"Who's a run?! How am I supposed to know? I'm just as lost as you," and he hated it. He didn't know how to proceed, unfortunately. They could only keep traversing through the train, at the risk of exposing their own memories to each other. Jin Ling already felt like he was being left with no other options but to keep going. Even if it was dealing with Sanzo.

Sanzo let out an exasperated and world-weary sigh with that response. Really, what did this kid think he was offering? That they go off and explore when they had no idea where? Do they continue to wander without aim until they find something that wasn't this?

"... It broke into the temple in the middle of the night and harmed one of the other monks as he was trying to shoo it away. Idiots thought they could intimidate it as long as they had something to beat it off with," He turned back to the scene, crossing his arms. "You can't scare off anything if your knees are trembling."

He took another glancing look at the scene. It probably was best to go before it further escalated.

"Tell me, Kouryuu. Do you know what it means to be a Sanzo Priest?"

"Of course, master. As a designated Sanzo, it's your sworn duty to guard one of the Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth, a job designated to the most devout and adept of monks. Those most attune to the world and heavens, and closest to the gods and realization of sunyata itself," The young Kouryuu hesitated with that, knowing better than to step over his boundaries, even as it left him questioning how the gods decide to leave it in a man such as his master. "It is a role designated by the gods themselves."

The older man could only laugh out at that. "Very good! Very good! But why the hesitant look, I wonder.."

"To think it was that bear that was the trigger to it all..." It was more of mutter under his breath than anything else. A realization of something that Sanzo only began to figure out himself recently. "Anyway, I have no idea where we're going but lead the way, kid."

He said, already seeming to be making his way towards what appeared to be the temple halls. The breeze outside began to pick up once more. The sound of rain beginning to fall."

"Ah, it's starting up again already. Shall we take this inside Kouryuu?"

If they leave, there's nothing for them to gain. They've already gone so far, anyway.

If needed, Jin Ling was willingly to cover his ears and close his eyes. It's not like he had any particular interest in a complete stranger's memory. In fact, he could really care to know any more about this person, given their prior meeting.

Regardless, they're kind of stuck with each other and Jin Ling had no other way to really combat this current situation. He was well aware that they had something to accomplish by wading through these memories. He also knew that memories weren't exactly people's favorite cup of tea either. He sure as hell didn't want to share with anyone his personal memories.

"Most noncombatants would exude that sort of behavior!"

Only he would be scaring off bears like that. Though, Jin Ling couldn't deny that he would also have done the same.

Jin Ling was going to comment further on the bear scaring thought, but the memory continued, leaving no room for him to speak. He could only grit his teeth for a moment and just watched. At the very least, the bear wasn't harmed. It seemed like it was scared off for the most part-- perhaps? He couldn't tell since a lot was happening, and he was trying to process everything all at once. Jin Ling proceeded moving forward. They didn't have much to lose and Fairy was there if anything odd happened.

"Hmph. Non-combatants, huh?" Well, perhaps. But Sanzo being ever judgemental as he was, had set high expectations for those around him even at that age. And considering the line of training that came with most monasteries, he had at least expected the other monks to be aware and level-headed enough in their martial training to know not to freak out at seeing a fucking bear. "Every single one of them is under strict training in Shaolin teachings. It's embarrassing."

Strange though, despite his initial non-compliance, the kid did not seem to be trying to follow him to leave the scene.

The afterimage of his master and his younger self seemed to continue with their intimate chatter as if counter to the much more light-hearted conversation Sanzo and Jin Ling were having.

"I'm sorry, master, I do not wish to seem presumptuous, but why is it that you're asking about your title?"

The older monk paused in his tracks, folding his hands into his sleeves before looking at the young blond. "Kouryuu, you know what a Sanzo priest is. But are you aware of how one is chosen?"

"Oy. Brat. I thought you said you wanted to keep going," The real Sanzo seemed to speak up over the other two, finally seeming to turn back around and look at Jin Ling with weary confusion.

"What does that even mean?"

When Sanzo said those words, there's a visible raise of Jin Ling's brow at those words. He knew of monks, and most of them seemed well disciplined and practiced. Though, being able to fend off a bear was a huge question mark for him. Regardless, he still kept his attention to the man as he continued.

"Shaolin, teaching..."

Something he may have loosely heard of, but Jin Ling grew up in the cultivation world, so things like this may not have been prominent in his education. He felt that something like this was mentioned somewhere.

Jin Ling stiffened up, snapping out of the trance as he nodded his head, frowning as he heard Sanzo's voice. Thinking on it, he didn't realize that neither of them knew each other's names. He kept his silence for a moment, before stepping again, maybe a bit bothered by what he was hearing.

"We are going!" He retorted, and increased his strides. The sooner they got out, the better. He hoped whatever was left of that memory fizzled out.

"Hmph," Damn, the kid was a bit of a brat, wasn't he? ~~Not that he was ever one to talk.~~ But it seemed he could get Jin Ling moving with that slight verbal push. Perhaps for the better, as insightful as this scene was, it was probably best to leave it before it got too bitter. If they went like this, it would come off as a sweet memory of the long nights of Genjo's childhood experiencing the monsoon rains with his master.

Sanzo leads the way out of the room with that response. The scene behind them seemed to fizzle and fade just as the young Kouryuu began to speak up.

"Of course, master. As a designated Sanzo, it's your sworn duty to--"

And that was it. The familiar architecture and sound of rain seemed to grow just as silent as the conversation as their surroundings returned to the quiet cave they once started in.

They had a mission, after all, and such memories like that had no place in it.

"I doubt this will be the first scene we encounter. Chances are, we'll probably run into parts of your memories as well now that we're together here," With that, Genjo paused, turning to look towards Jin Ling with a severe expression. "Are you sure you're up to relive it all again? You could always turn back."

As if Sanzo was any better than Jin Ling on the matter. He was also hard to work with. It's not like Jin Ling wanted to see his memories either. He happened to just walk into it and he knew that these memories things worked in strange ways. He was at least capable of pulling himself from it. He didn't say anything else to Sanzo beyond that and kept walking ahead of him, keeping his eyes and ears straight ahead.

If the man didn't want him prodding, he wouldn't. Not like he wanted to begin with. He just let curiosity get the better of him for a moment. At least the cave was partially reassuring. Jin Ling wasn't sure how much of people's memories would be shared on top of being worried about his own memories bleeding into the cave.

He wasn't wrong and Jin Ling agreed with that.

"Don't-- remind me."

He muttered as he kept ahead of Sanzo for the time being, while turning his head back once in a while to respond.

"I've gone too far to go back. What's the point of going back? It's not the first time, anyway..."

Jin Ling replied as if he had experienced this situation before. He made no other comment to Sanzo as he kept moving forward. The both of them started to hear voices, probably. The voices were muffled at first, following a loud shatter of something ceramic.

Edited 2022-07-23 04:30 (UTC)

Not the first time, huh?

Sanzo had remembered hearing aboard the train how this would be the Voidtreckers' second trip to the memory caves. But as of so far, most he had come into contact with were not here when the first trip had occurred. Could it be that this kid had been tethered for some time?

"You were here during the first trip?" It was his way of summing up the matter, getting a feel for not only Jin Lings' experience with the memory caves but with his travels upon the Voidtrecker itself. Casually keeping pace behind the teenager as he tucked his hands comfortably into his sweatshirt pockets.

It was a habit he was slowly starting to develop the longer he wore such untraditional clothing.

Jin Ling doesn't say anymore than that for the time being. He was more focused on other things instead of memories that he wants to not discuss. He keeps his distance from Sanzo, and gracing him with nothing more than silence until the man spoke again.

"That's--- not what I meant."

He replied. His frown deepened, "It's not the first time people's memories are visibly shown in this way."

He hates thinking about it because those memories bothered him. Not in a bad way, but he couldn't describe it in words. The sound of ceramic almost made him flinch. Jin Ling looked around and all he could hear was the sound of a youth shouting. The gave itself slowly warped into what appeared to be a traditional looking building. Most importantly, it appeared to be someone's room, and there was indeed a large shattered ceramic in the middle of it.

A very small toddler, no more than maybe four or five years old, was crying and sobbing, visibly distressed. People around him were trying to calm him down.

Edited 2022-08-06 22:23 (UTC)

Ah, so it was as Sanzo had thought. The more they had wandered, the more likely they were to have the cave start reading into their pasts. And as a people group, it would interchange both of their thoughts.

The scenery was oddly nostalgic.

More decorative, obviously the home of someone who came from a position of prestige and wealth, but this style was enough to give Sanzo an idea of how similar the places they both grew up were.

And then he saw the child, people surrounding him, trying to ease his worries.

He was very young, but he was almost sure he knew who that child was.

"So this didn't happen at just the memory caves then? Other instances caused us to look into others' moments upon the Voidtrecker?"

He knew how tough it was to display something vulnerable like this before others. Rather than question it, he knew it would be best to keep the conversation on what it was.

That thought sharing isn't exactly his cup of tea. He can't control what it does. He can only frown at the sight of it. The nostalgia and reminder that he misses his shushu very much. He misses his father very much and his mother.

"Not-- here. Not this train."

He at least had a chance to meet his father in the flesh. While Hakagemachi had a lot of experiences he wished he forgot, Jin Ling was truly grateful for having time with his father. He continues to frown as he keeps walking, trying to drown out the sound. At some point, the crying child and the scene swirls into a new day. There's a knock on the child's door and the damage from the other day was still left to be cleaned.

When he pushed opened the doors with his small little hands, a taller man, wearing a charming smile, holds out a small husky. The puppy had small eyes.

"I found this little thing and I don't know what to call it. Perhaps, you can give it a name"

Of course, the small child was enamored by the small puppy and his eyes sort of lit up at the sight. The little puppy also seem satisfied with this as it gives the small toddler a happy greeting. Jin Ling's face is a little hot after seeing that.

"Stop-- looking won't you?"

Because, this cave needs to stop sharing his weaknesses in broad daylight. Fairy, who had been trotting happily next to Jin Ling rolls her head into his knees and nudges it, while he's trying to forget what being broadcasted.

Genjo recognized the look that the small child was giving. At one point, he had remembered being on the receiving end of such a look. A young boy covered in dirt and messy long brown hair had given him a broad golden-eyed plea as he held up a small, equally dirty shiba-inu pup with a wagging tail.

Was the person in this scene someone important to Jin Ling?

As the petulant younger man spoke up in exclamation, Genjo seemed rattled out of his train of thought. He looked at the pout with curiosity before folding his arms into his sweater, turning away with little hesitation. "We should keep moving. Focus on the present and getting out of this thing."

He hesitated a beat.

"When you say not on this train, what was this other memory situation that you were in? Was it different from this?"

Jin Ling looks over at Fairy and then back to the memory. He wants to wash it away as soon as possible, but that memory is important to him. That memory of his shushu and Fairy. Fairy is so precious to him, he can't imagine being anywhere without her. As for his shushu, he can't even fathom how he will cope with this if he returns home. After all, he's dead and Jin Ling is still processing that to this day.

"That's what I'm trying to do!"

He replied annoyed. Of course he wants to get out as much as Genjo does.

"Why are you so nosy! Yes, it's my memory of when I WAS a child!"

"Ughh," Dropping his shoulders, Sanzo could only put his palm to his face with a weary sigh. Was this brat just... always like this? How annoying. "Thank you for the obvious intel. I'm talking about how you said there was another situation that you've experienced like this one."

Urge to resist pulling his fan out and slapping this child silly with it rising.

"You're claiming this is far from the first time the train made us invasively dive into people's pasts. I want to know about that moment."

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Event: 12 of Beetroot

II. any memory but that

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Speaking of tags that are FOREVER old--!!!

yeah this is old as shit. but eeeyyy here we are

eeeeyyyyyy (o3o)

Event: 12 of Beetroot

II. any memory but that

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

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no subject

no subject

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Speaking of tags that are FOREVER old--!!!

yeah this is old as shit. but eeeyyy here we are

eeeeyyyyyy ~~(o3o)~~

eeeeyyyyyy (o3o)