middleofsomewhere | 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

.. Going with someone else? It's not something Alice really considered before. After all, the entire time she's been stuck here, she's been longing back so much to her own Wonderland that she couldn't imagine going anywhere else.

Not that it isn't tempting to stick with Guri. Alice is very fond of the other, after all. But on the other hand.. Going into an unknown world where people might just end up hating her for all Alice knows, a world where people look down on Guri to boot.. She's not so sure how to feel about that part.

It makes her glance down as they walk, staring at her feet as they step across the cavern floor.

"My Wonderland.. needs me," Alice slowly says.

It's not a lie, considering how easily that place seemed to fall into ruin the moment her mind was absent. But on the other hand, she doesn't want this to feel as rejection to Guri either, which is why Alice is saying is so slowly. Almost a tad reluctantly, because she doesn't want the other to feel bad.

"I can't just abandon it."

She just nods, silently for a moment.

"I understand," she finally says. "Your world is more dependent on you than mine would be."

There's another slight pause. All of this is kind of hard to talk about - or rather, it's hard to navigate. It's nothing Alice has really ever had to consider before.

But then she starts again.

"You could always come to Wonderland with me."

It's offered carefully, though. After all - Alice just said she can't go with Guri because her own world needs her. It's not like she expects the other to then turn around and not have trouble with the exact same thing. Leaving your world behind is big.

".. If I somehow manage to regain a body, anyway." Because that is also kind of a hurdle for Alice to actually be able to go home in the first place, let alone take anyone else with her.

She looked at Alice for a moment, then smiled.

"I would love to, if you'd want me there," she replied. "I am highly confident that you can get back there, too, one day," she replied. "Though admittedly, I have to take a few things on faith."

"Of course I would want you there."

That's not even a question to Alice. She might be way less sure about the possibility of her actually being able to return home in the first place than Guri seems to be, but the idea of taking Guri along?

As long as the other is alright with it, Alice can't see any bad side to it.

"No one would think of you as less than themselves in Wonderland." .. well, aside from the Queen, but.. really, she does that with everyone.

And Alice is fairly sure she must have mellowed out anyway after the way Alice kicked her butt multiple times now.

"You would be everyone's equal."

That's important to Alice. Even aside from her selfish reasons of wanting to keep Guri by her side, she would wish a world upon Guri where no one would even care that she might not be fully human.

She nods, taking that in for a long time.

"I will need time to process that," she said, and then went completely still and silent - which lasted for ten seconds. Then she smiled, widely, nodding.

"If we can arrange it," she said, "I will come with you, when the time comes."

A universe she understood, or a single world with Alice? It hadn't been much of a debate.

Honestly, when Guri says she'll need time to process it, Alice is thinking about it in a much more human way. She figures that it means Guri probably needs a few days to think about it or something.

.. but instead the other stays quiet for a moment, and then seems to process it on the spot. Ah, so Guri meant it slightly more literally than Alice anticipated, huh.. She smiles a little in amusement at her own misunderstanding, and at the fact that Guri is smiling about the idea in the first place.

After all, Alice would like this to be a good thing for the other as well, rather than just a plan that benefits Alice herself. So she's glad to see that Guri seems to approve.

".. thank you," she says.

Alice knows that it's not like it's set in stone, given the fact that she can't even return to her world herself with her current condition, but maybe they'll be able to figure something out.

"I would be glad to return together with you." At least this much is something she can admit to.

She smiles fondly, nodding at Alice in return.

"From everything you've told me, it was an easy choice. That it would be with you...makes it easier."

That said with a slightly different smile, brushing back some hair. Co-habitating with Alice has certainly not bred disenchantment. She's getting very used to another being there, just as a general concept. It is very pleasant.

Event: 12 of Beetroot

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