middleofsomewhere | Into the Unknown Part Two

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Into the Unknown Part Two

On day twenty-five of the month of Symphony, everyone is gathered together, at least everyone who follows the request for a meeting to be held.

One of the head scientists - named Till - stands before the group, a look of excitement on their face.

"We have found something, an anomaly in the void. We are not sure what it is exactly, but there is a lot of activity coming from its coordinates. More penitently, initial investigations have picked up readings that are constant with a void storm.

I believe from your own reports you have experienced void storms before, and you know they can be dangerous, but always fleeting, never lasting more than a few days. However, this storm seems to be static. It has not moved or changed since we first detected it.

We understand there may be people who do not want to venture into this storm, and we understand. The loops we have added to your tethers will allow you to stay on the base long enough for those investigating to return. You may experience some discomfort and disorientation during the time your craft is away, but it should only be mild and temporary.

For those investigating, we know little of what you will face. Every storm is different, and this one is already stranger than anything we have come across before."

The scientists stick around to reassure people and help them make their decisions. Those going to investigate are told to report to their craft in the morning.

INTO THE UNKNOWN: PART 2

SYMPHONY 26-29 ~ OOC POST ~ QUESTIONS ~ FIRST PART

JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN

Those willing to go will leave on the Voidtrecker Express first thing the next day, with only warnings and well-wishes to be careful to go with them. There is an estimate for how long it'll take them to reach the anomaly, about half a day's travel by the train's clock, give or take. But there's no telling the true time it'll take, nor the effects of the void that will be waiting for them. Keeping away from the windows or putting up blinds is advised as a precaution, just in case, and to monitor each other's health.

"Warning: Approaching Voidstorm, please take precautions." The train warns as they arrive on the edges, all the usual train precautions have been taken, the lab cart has been shut down, the ovens in the kitchen are disconnected. The train begins to shake as it enters the first layer.

LAYER ONE: CHANGING SHADES
They first experience changes by sight - literally. Around them, objects start emitting an aura that's unique to each passenger, colouring it to match their mood towards that particular thing. Coffee machines? Amazing, paint that gold. A boring book? Ugh, the entire thing is turning grey.

It's a small effect at the start, yet objects aren't the only things being affected - so are the people on board. Their own moods are changing their hair colour, eyes, and skin, shifting more rapidly than the furniture's paint job. And as time goes on, passengers will be able to affect one another's colouration and aura, giving away how they may feel about that person at that moment, if their feelings are strong enough. Never noticed how fondly one feels about you? Now you do.

LAYER TWO: LOOSE LIPS
Going into the next layer, there's an itch that starts to gnaw at everyone - an itch to talk. To friends, to strangers, to anyone; you have a need to chatter, and it has to get out. Attempting to isolate yourself only makes the need worse, and you won't be able to sleep it away. It doesn't matter if you don't know what to talk about - you'll find something.

A good chat will subdue the need for a while, but it will eventually return. So while listening to others talk might help keep it at bay, it won't forever.

LAYER THREE: CONFESSION - I THINK YOU'RE OK
The changes become stronger, and with them the urges. Passengers will feel compelled to tell those they know their feelings for them, whether it's as simple as finding them okay, to having stronger inclinations of friendship, dislike, or even love.

These urges can be held back on for a time, but it's easy for it to slip out; and many may still be suffering from the previous layer, where they get the sudden need to talk.

LAYER FOUR: A CAKE FOR MY BELOVED
Talking is simply not good enough in this layer: actions speak louder than words. You want to create ways of expressing your desires, regardless of how creative you actually are. Building a shrine to your loved ones, challenging rivals to duels. You can't stay idle, and your hands and brain need to be at work! What can you manage on this train?

EYE OF THE STORM

Finally, all of it stops. The colours, the emotions, the compulsion of dramatics; their minds go from being caught in the storm to completely calm (or, as calm as they ever are). It is much like waking from a dream, or going from one very noisy overwhelming place to complete silence.

A second passes, and then another, and then... there's a feeling. Fear, terror - even those who normally have no ability to feel the emotions of others can feel it, emanating from the train itself.

With it comes an invitation. Hard to describe, but a tugging at their mind. They can push it away no problem, but if they accept...

They are looking out. The familiar colours of the Void are all around them, but they can't turn to look. Ahead is a hole where space should be, nothingness curving and spiralling out from a point deep within that wound in reality, tearing and tugging at the unfortunate observer. The chaotic nimbus at the edge of their vision spins inwards to meet it, and vanishes at the edge of the hole. A void within the Void. And within that terrifying chaotic darkness there are shapes.

The train rocks as energy rushes past it, tossing the craft from side to side. It spins, lurching out of control, the connection snapping as everyone is thrown back into their own awareness as the train starts vibrating to at full speed.

But the tell-tale signs of movement isn't there, and a creaking of metal can be heard. The train shakes more as the view outside the windows shows them inching forward towards where the hole had been, and parts of the roof start to bend inward, water pipes burst and the electricity fails in multiple carriages.

Until there's a rush, a shaking and twisting, and the void flashes violently in the windows. The ever distant choral singing becomes a roar as a kaleidoscope of colours fills the interior of the train itself.

Then there is stillness. It calms, and there is no storm, no terrifying darkness. Just the void, as it ever is, ever changing.

OOC NOTES

NOTES: They will be in the storm for three days, each layer takes about half a day.

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[..................They are, in fact, this oblivious.]

I guess...

[Just....well....the pinkness...]

[Entirely oblivious and she really does seem to be genuinely so.]

Yeaaaah. It'll be fun or... something? [Unless things go like the pool, in which case... She pauses for a second, deep breath to steady herself. Mm. Well, maybe a little more pink there, that's fine.]

'Sides. Gotta stick close, never know what might happen?

Exactly. We gotta stick together, just in case someone starts seeing their loved ones in the void or something and needs to be snapped out of it.

[Masumi also starts turning a bit more pink in response to the idea of spending time with Jolyne, despite the current situation with the voidstorm.

She also starts looking between herself and Jolyne, a slight look of thought on her face. It seems her brain cell is kicking in finally...]

Edited 2022-09-14 01:44 (UTC)

[He can't take this!]

....I don't think seeing them in the void will be an issue...

[AAAAAAAAAGH!]

[Is it kicking in? Because she's looking between Sera and Emporio with a small frown. Okay, something's going on now, but she's not quite sure what it is. Something to do with the colors? Something awkward that happened before? It's weird.]

... So spit it out, what's up? 'Cause you're acting weird as hell, Emporio.

[Masumi's still thinking, glancing at poor Emporio off to the side, then at (a very pink) Jolyne, then at her own (also very pink) hand. Something's up here, and she's right on the edge of figuring it out-

Oh.

Oh.

Just when you thought Masumi couldn't go any pinker, she goes pinker. She's practically the World's Pinkest Pink right now.]

...Jolyne, I think he's saying we're in love. [Which does make sense, in hindsight. It's just that Masumi's not sure how this flew over her head.]

[Excuse him, he's burying his face in his hands, black cap sliding upward awkwardly.]

You're both glowing PINK.... [he half wheezes, half whispers.] It's only getting worse while you both talk to the other even...

[What? They're pink and...

Oh.

Love, huh. It's... been a while since she's had to recognize that particular emotion. But it makes sense in hindsight, even if she's internally screaming about how stupid she is for not realizing that sooner. Sometimes she's not the most observant, she knows that much.

Give her a second while she rubs her face with one hand, getting herself together. Or, well, as much as she can while emotions are visible like this.]

Oh. [That's practically a squeak, good job, Jolyne.]

[Masumi, now getting past the initial shock of 'oh shit, we're in love', sees Jolyne's own shock and responds in the only way she can.]

...So, still wanna spend time together?

[By attempting to fluster Jolyne while she can. She might still be dealing with the realization that she is in love, but gosh darn it, she's going to try and get a reaction out of Jolyne.]

[GGGGGGGGGGGGGGUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYS-]

...I'm gonna go to my ghost room....

[goodbye....]

[It's too bad, for Jolyne at least, that she's easily flustered when caught on the wrong foot. How she can managed to be a darker shade of pink is anyone's guess other than she's hiding her face in her hands for a moment to silently scream.

Bless Emporio for saying anything in that moment to give her an excuse to find some semblance of not this for a brief second.]

S-sure, don't do anything I wouldn't. [Which leaves him open to... a lot, actually.]

See you, Emporio.

[Masumi says bye to Emporio before returning her focus to Jolyne. Seeing her state, she grins, briefly, happy that she's finally gotten to Jolyne after how Jolyne got to her during their meetup in the pool. That smile fades into something a bit more unsure though, as she thinks more about her feelings and how this happened.]

Fuck, I never thought I'd actually fall in love with a girl on the train. I kind of thought it would happen later.

[Not that she's complaining, of course! It's just that Masumi was a bit uncertain about possibly falling in love with someone who could leave at any time and hadn't had too much time to think about the topic before.]

[Now they're alone and she's focusing her attention on her, a brow raising slowly as she notices the smile fade. It calms her nerves a little in turn, but that's because they can focus on something else other than ridiculous teasing. ~~Not that it'll probably last long, but that's a later problem.~~]

Mm? Kinda bound to happen with a lot of people in close quarters for a long period of time, right? [She would... know... not that she had much time to think on anything of that caliber. Even if she'd seen enough in that prison to tell her how things worked.]

'Sides, sometimes "fate" or whatever works like that? Though can't say I much expected it, either... [What with being dead and all, technically.]

I guess, I know there's others here who even got married on the train...

[Like Yugi and Kaiba, or Gen and Senku when they were around.

That's not the only question on Masumi's mind, though. There's the question of what happens if one of them leaves, or after all this is over. As much as Masumi wants to go home, she can't bring herself to leave Jolyne.

...And there's another worry, one that's weighing on Masumi's mind now. Taking a breath, she decides to just rip the bandaid off and get it over with, before she can draw this out too long.]

...It's not just that. I'm also trans, and I guess I wasn't sure how to break it to a girlfriend. [She's never encountered issues related to this on the train before, but it is a bit of a worry.]

Man, the fact people have been around for that long...

[That's wild to her, but she also assumes people take a while to get married and not just do it shotgun style. Not that she... knows one way or the other or has really paid attention to any of that to begin with. Always focused on the goal, social shit be damned. Mostly.

She pauses as she parses that last bit. Trans isn't... a new thing, necessarily, to her. She'd seen and heard enough in her lifetime to be familiar. But she hadn't expected to be confronted by the topic as bluntly as this.

Though soon she breaks the silence with a laugh of all things.]

Dude. I don't give a fuck what someone's got or doesn't got, I like 'em both equally. [Chaotic bisexual it is.]

You don't? [It's a relief to hear that, and Masumi breaks into a faint grin.]

That's great. I was worried, since I know I already don't pass well as a tomboy trans girl, so the thought of what you'd think knowing for sure was getting to me.

[There's a relieved laugh in there somewhere as she unpacks her concerns.]

Thanks, I mean it.

Hey, if you're a girl, then you're a girl. [Albeit one with something different in private, but that doesn't really change anything for her. Just how she approaches a situation that is... probably later down the line somewhere, knowing how she is.

The laugh brings a more relaxed posture from her and a lazy grin, moving to wrap an arm loosely around Sera's waist and gently encourage her for a proper walk.]

Life's too short to be worried about all that anyway, if you ask me. Only changes one scenario for me, which ain't a big thing. [She can't not be a gremlin for two seconds, though she's probably already figured that out with her.]

Also a hell of a lot less of a thing that my whole, you know, being unable to unravel my body thing. So that's way more normal in my books.

[Masumi goes along with being guided along, leaning into Jolyne slightly as they move along.

Then of course Jolyne decides to bring that up and Masumi flushes with a noticeable sputter, somehow visible even through all the voidstorm induced pink.

(She really is easy to get to, despite knowing what a gremlin Jolyne is.)

But the real surprise is Jolyne's statement about 'unraveling her body'. She's not sure if Jolyne ever mentioned that before, but she thinks she would remember if she had?]

...Unravel your body?

[All the better for her as she's not too keen on letting her go any time soon. Even if it's a little odd to her to be with someone that's shorter than her. Not that it's that big of a height difference or anything.

She has to bite back a laugh as she flushes and sputters, because she knows exactly what got to her there. Really, she looks more like the cat that caught the canary with her grin, she can be a gremlin without being too obvious. Until she feels someone out, at least.]

Mmm? Oh, shit. Yeah, so my Stand basically lets me be able to unravel a lot of my body like string and manipulate it if need be. Only really used it for fights or survival shit or whatever, but I've had some thoughts about other ways it could be useful while stuck here. [... Don't question like what.]

[Thankfully for Jolyne, Masumi's current state won't stop her from being cuddly. She's just. So flustered.

Still, she tries to focus on what Jolyne's saying about her Stand.]

That's neat. That sounds like it'd be useful in a fight for a lot of things-

[And then Masumi realizes where Jolyne's going with this and flushes harder. Damn it Jolyne, can't you give her a break?]

[She is perpetual gremlin in the flesh, best get used to it! At least she's using her words instead of doing anything particularly physical, so there's that?

Even if she's huffing out a laugh at the pause and flush, this is way too easy and way too fun to her.]

Sure was. But there's less fightin' around here, so gotta figure out other ways to occupy my time. Only so much the gym can do to keep my mind going~ [Is... that some kind of innuendo? Who knows.]

[At this point Masumi is desperate to change the topic; not because she's not into this (she kind of is), but because she really wants to be able to focus while in the voidstorm.]

...So, what were you doing fighting for survival? [She's deeply curious about why Jolyne had to use her powers to survive.]

[Boooo voidstorm focusing. But that's probably the smarter option given how things can, and will, change later on.]

Mmm. Well, long story short is that some jackhole had a vendetta against my dad and thought it was a great idea to get me locked up in prison so he could off me when he wanted. [She pauses for a second, that... sounds a little ridiculous in hindsight, oh well.]

Fucker didn't expect me to get a Stand in there, so it was a lotta... fighting people to stay alive kinda thing. [Does that answer the question? Proooobably not.]

That's...that's awful.

[Masumi's shocked by this story, but tries to keep at least somewhat calm.]

So they had you falsely arrested to kill you later so they could...what? Get back at your dad? [That's a ridiculous plan, but still a horrific one.]

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Into the Unknown Part Two

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