Isn't this where.....

[strangerpeople]

REUNITED AT LAST

[Living and dead have reunited. That is all well and good. However, all these trains and cars and starships mean nothing by themselves - many of you may be wondering precisely where they are headed, and the answer presents itself soon in the form of a yawning portal in the middle of space. Yawning, calm, so as not to be mistaken with the writhing and twitching of the wefts - it seems to belong, or at least to be accepted as a cosmic inevitability. And this is what all of the dubious spacecrafts sail into for now - it is just barely large enough for all of them to go in one at a time, and to come out on the other side of the wormhole.

That appears to be some kind of airspace. Those curious about the place they're going may want to open the stained glass windows of the trains to get a much better view of the scenery they're descending on. The landscapes are mostly gorgeous, looking from a distance as though they were painted with watercolors, although some may think it also looks a bit, well, haphazardly patched together. For the trains, there is a floating dock above the land that looks brand new, and an elevator to take down to the ground. All other ships can find an easy landing space in the meadow, like the weird UFOs they are. Nevertheless, there is a path to follow from there, leading to a castle in the distance. It is a path lined with wonderful flowers and trees... and also a chaotic smattering of other trees that don't look like they quite belong. Sheets of dry lasagna make up the bark of the spaghetti trees, their inexplicably cooked pasta hanging like a weeping willow as marinara drips from their meatball fruit. The smell is overpowering, but don't let that ruin the trip. "In fact, it would be better if you let it work up an appetite", the cheerful voice of 707 suggests as he leads the pack up the trail like a hyperactive boy scout leader.

Finally, the doors of the castle open up. The halls are full of doors, each glowing from within - some of you may recognize the names of your homes, and others may not. But going past them, there is an enormous arch that is named The Hall of the Beginning as indicated by the carvings on it. Inside is a table that will be familiar to one of the strangers. It is the table that the original 15 Titled met at the beginning of Nirn, and it's overflowing with a feast even more grandiose than the last time. All of the drinks and cuisine you've been missing for so long is here - from sugar-spiced coffee and bubble tea, delicious scones as good as an aunt's, ridiculously spicy takeout wok, popcorn, philly cheesesteaks and the most perfect star shaped peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches known to man, a big toblerone on a long silver platter, three types of ramen, beer, so many grapes, melon bread, something labeled "dead chicken" that is obviously just a regular roast chicken.... it definitely seems like there were too many cooks here, but cooks with their heart in the right place. Some other favorites of the strangers will also be among the chaos if they look hard enough, but certainly, somewhere, it was deemed that they should have a celebration feast.

But then, you are not strangers any more, are you? Everyone here is a familiar face now, and there are even more familiar faces waiting around the table. The ones who wrote the letter, 707, Halley, Maka, Alexis, and Cardia are already there coming and going, but occasionally many others will stumble through one of the many doors. People from the games who had not fallen to IT. People from home, people you love. What we have here is a nexus and a party all in one. Here, there will be as much time for goodbyes as you like - or, as the hall suggests, new beginnings.]

Comments

[katzenpfote]

Um.

[Hm. He's not sure. He shrugs.]

I suppose maybe someone from your group really liked them?

[earietale]

I mean...someone liked them, but she’s not exactly around to say as much anymore.

[Saying that word with a disgust. Bad memories...]

[katzenpfote]

... Not someone you liked, I take it.

[earietale]

Let’s just say, unlike the one behind Akira and Kurama’s Reapers’ Game? Or the one hosting it, anyway? She wasn’t someone you could like, let alone might want to.

How about we talk about something else though. Like...what’s your world like?

[Yes, she is changing the subject. Why do you ask?]

[katzenpfote]

Ah. Oh. Well... how to explain... there is a lot of magic, if that is not a thing in your world? Normally I can do much more than the little that was given to me.

[earietale]

I’ve heard of magic, even if it’s not real in my world.

Is it anything like Molly’s world? His world has a lot of magic too, and I think he usually has...fire magic? I don’t think I really asked him about it too much.

[She was still freaked out by the whole ‘demonic appearance’ thing and needed a while to get used to it.]

[katzenpfote]

[He freezes for a moment and then lets out a long breath.]

Exactly like his, actually. We're from the same world. We traveled together. ... How was he, when you saw him last? Did he mention where he was going?

[earietale]

Oh, I didn’t think anyone he knew would be here.

[That’s...probably stupid, but she wasn’t really thinking about it too much.]

He was good, and I think he would’ve gone back to you. We didn’t talk to much, but I figured he’d want to get back to his world, like almost everyone else.

[katzenpfote]

[Oh gods. How does he tell her this?]

... He. Ah. I... hate to tell you this... but Mollymauk Tealeaf died some time ago.

[earietale]

[...ah...how does she tell him this...]

That...that might mean he was taken right before he would’ve died, then. That’s...what happened to me, anyway.

[katzenpfote]

I... I'm sorry.

[There's really not much more he can say to that. Bad enough to have died, but to have to deal with one of these sorts of events?]

Light What Remains of Edith Finch Spoilers

[earietale]

It's fine. I've gotten over it, for the most part. At least I get to live my life now, instead of getting killed by a bunch of psychos in my own house while my little brother hides under his bed in fear.

[…okay, maybe not completely over it, but she did say mostly over it, so she's still technically right, she's pretty sure.]

[katzenpfote]

That sounds awful. ... Are you staying in someone else's world for now?

[earietale]

No. I've been able to stay at my home. I couldn't just let my mom and dad think we both died, and there hasn't been any sign of those guys since, so I figured it was fine.

Was...that a mistake? Should I've gone to someone else's world, do you think?

[She's pretty sure it won't happen again, but now? She's?? Curious???]

[katzenpfote]

Ah. So they did not find out that you were not okay. I thought there might be a gap.

[earietale]

Well, I think they did, but...when you disappear into thin air, right as a group of crazies are about to kill you, and your world has nothing to make that possible?

They might've thought I was witch or made a deal with the devil or something. It...might've actually scared them off.

[Even a bunch of murderous loons have to be afraid of something, and victims disappearing like magic is probably one of them.]

[katzenpfote]

... As long as everyone is all right with it. Time seems to work differently from world to world in terms of how long we seem to have been gone. But none of the calendars here are like the one in my world, anyway.

[earietale]

It’s alright with everyone that it needs to be.

[Everyone had been worried, of course, but occasional visits to her world and her to others managed to their worries sated, for the most part.]

And you’re telling me. I don’t know about calendar stuff, but for us it felt like we were stuck in the base for over a month. Outside of it? I don’t think even half a day passed.

[katzenpfote]

That's fortunate. I think time has not passed exactly how it seems here in my world, because my group seems to have been less worried than I was afraid they would be.

[earietale]

That’s good. Even if it’s a pain, it’s better that the important people don’t see it as taking that long, unless we want them to be scared.

Now I just need to hope it’s the same way with my world at the moment...

[It was weird enough having to explain to her family what happened at the base, and how she was alive in general. Something like this...it’ll probably give her mom another idea for a book, but it’ll still get an awkward silence during the family meeting.]

[katzenpfote]

... If it wasn't, I'm sure there are people here who can help you out with an explanation. I am not sure I will be all that useful, unless your world is similar to mine.

Some things are a bit... eh. Harder to explain across world clusters, if that makes sense?

[earietale]

I’m sure they will, and I can probably do a good enough explanation myself. It’s just...understanding all of this in general and giving a good explanation of what exactly happened with everyone else.

[A small shrug.]

It’s going to be a challenge, that’s for sure.

And they certainly are. When I first saw Molly I was afraid he was a demon. Even after realizing he wasn’t, I thought he had special effects make-up or something to make him look like that. I didn’t even try talking about him back home, unless I wanted to get dragged to a church and told to pray for what would be no reason.

[Honestly the fact that she understands Molly isn’t a demon is an achievement here.]

[katzenpfote]

Tieflings have demonic blood, but they are not demons, ja. I do not think that it would be all that strange if you simply didn't mention his race, if that is a problem.

[earietale]

I honestly would, but it'd be really difficult to explain why I was afraid of some random guy that was drinking soda from the soda fountain, then started talking in a demonic language as he walked up to me, scaring me so bad that I was praying not to die then and there.

…on second thought, maybe that wouldn't be so hard to explain.

[Maybe it's more that the whole fact that she thought it was a prank? No, even that can be talked about without his race coming up, probably.]

Okay, yeah, I can probably do that.

[katzenpfote]

Mollymauk is strange even for a tiefling. ... Perhaps he wasn't all that strange, but I do not know all that many tieflings. He was... a colorful character by most standards, I think.