WEEK 1

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 1

[The train wouldn't stop. Not until very early the next morning. The few who might have been awake would be able to exit the train, entering the cool twilight of the dawn. The star is dark, and few stars can be seen in the sky as a cold breeze begins to blow from the mountain beyond. You can see some chunks of rock floating idly nearby, far away from the station that it won't hit trains, but near enough that one can see they are larger than the train they just disembarked.

Lastly, laid out in front of them, the first port of call: Menahoven. The mountain: The Throat of the World.

But which world? Who knows. Not any of yours. Maybe it doesn't matter. Not when you are so far from home. Not when you have no way to get off this rock without the aid of the trains-and they will not let you pass.

It looks like you're stuck here until the Conductor decides to leave. In the meantime, everyone will need to get comfortable.


There are fifteen strangers left in this place.]

Comments

[biddentodance]

[Six months since the Vespertine.... He frowns slightly. And then nods.]

Would....like that. Don't think I'll be hearing it from him.

[unwittingking]

[...wasn’t a specific choice, but King understands.]

So, yeah, the alligator and the bird becomes friends, but after so long of not eating, the alligator ends up accidentally eating his friend. He manages to...get him out of his stomach, but it’s too late. The bird is already dead. The alligator is so sad that he ends up drowning in his own tears. But those tears end up making a beautiful lake, and the other animals come there to enjoy it, even if they don’t know he died to make it.

It...gives a sort of “Beautiful Tragedy” vibe, if that’s a thing. Giving him a legacy, even if no one really knows it. I kind of like it.

Are you sure you don’t want it?

[He again holds it out for Minato to take it, if he wants it.]

[biddentodance]

....sounds like he found his reason. I'm glad.

[He does reach to accept the book. He does want to read it.]

Akinari Kamiki - his name.

[unwittingking]

Ah.

[He’s not fully sure what that means, though King is sure he’s talking about this Akinari guy.]

Do you, uh...want to talk about what’s going with him?

[He gestures toward a chair, offering Minato to take a seat. Hopefully this can get him to open up? At least a tiny bit?]

[biddentodance]

Not really my place to tell... [But also. Not like anyone else will be able to. So he sits.]

Has - had? Not sure... Degenerative disease, and a short prognosis. Very intelligent, though.

[unwittingking]

[Possibly dead friend? Very not good, but King offered to help, so that's what he's going to try to do.]

Ah. I'm sorry about that. Are, or...were you close?

[biddentodance]

Pretty close...said he felt a little better, when I was around. Don't think I did that much.

[But he understands being lonely, being left out. That's why he'd kept seeking Akinari out, even when told not to come back.]

[unwittingking]

Hey, don't say that!

If I was in a situation like that, I'd be happy to see most people. Even if it wasn't much, I'm sure you did make him feel better a little bit.

[And he's not lying. Apart from some more...annoying people, he'd be happy to see anyone if he was in a similar situation. Why wouldn't Akinari?]