robowest | [ DEPARTURE ]

DEPARTURE

It's time to go.

Most people are on the train by now. Settled into their cabins and among friends and loved ones. There are only three new arrivals left to board and once they do, Hal pulls a conductor's hat out from underneath the bar, tugs it on, and steps around it to the middle of the train. He opens his mouth to talk, voice filling the train.

"It's time to go. Stops happen once a day until everyone's departed and I already have your stopped listed. If you'd like to be prioritized, let me know, otherwise we'll go in order of death. Settle in and enjoy the ride. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, folks."

This, of course, means that those who died earliest (Manfred, Higekiri) will depart first while those who died latest (Barnham, Damian, Percy) will depart last. There's a stop for everyone, though those who want to get off together are more than welcome to. Hal pulls a notepad and pen out of his pocket later and people will notice that he goes around the train confirming stops with everyone. Whatever feeling Hal may have had to a character back in town isn't noticeable here -- he is simply a robot assigned with a job.

After that, it's all a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. If that's possible for you, at least.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[oh my gosh. Natalie might be teasing, but Milla's expression lights up]

Right? There's so much good food on this train! And it's ready as soon as you order it, too. It's so convenient!

Edited 2017-03-05 00:44 (UTC)

You're totally going to...

[wait]

Do you think we can gain weight while we're technically not alive?

. . .

Frankly, I've never worried about my waistline before.

[SO SHE HAS NO CLUE]

...Wait, is that a non-human thing? Do you just not have to worry about that?

Well, with a human body I suppose I would, but I didn't start actually eating until recently.

[wtf Milla that's weird]

And so I just never gave it much thought.

...So the human body is a new thing?

[she feels like she would remember that??]

Well, not precisely. I actually inhabited a human body for twenty years before I lost it.

[haaaa]

But I used the power of the spirits to gather nutrients and water, so I never had to eat or drink. It was only when I lost the power of the spirits that I had to consume calories and rest like a normal human would.

[She pauses for a moment.]

Okay, I have two questions, and I'm betting you can guess what they are.

Ah-- actually, I can't.

Because I am not a mind reader.

...Oh.

[this is what she gets for assuming]

How did you lose the first body?

I died.

[yeup]

My death in this town wasn't the first time I've experienced it.

[she quiets for a moment, growing more somber]

...I'm sorry.

[Milla honestly doesn't seem too bothered by it]

It's all right. Dying was my choice. I sacrificed my life to save my comrades.

When I was reincarnated after a brief stay in the spirit world, the form I assumed was similar in appearance to my human body. But it wasn't human-- the catalyst I occupied was lost. And because of that, my time in the human realm was limited.

[and in the end she had to return to the spirit realm because of it and. yeah]

So, you were human originally, or you just had a different body before the one you're using now?

I was never human, no. I am simply a spirit who took on a human vessel for a short period of time.

A short time being twenty years?

That's right.

[because twenty years is """"short""""]

...How long have you been alive? Like, not just in a human body, just... In general.

[THAT'S SUCH A COMPLICATED QUESTION NATALIE. . .]

Technically only twenty years, but I have the memories of over two thousand.

It's-- ah. Complex.

[A pause, and then a small laugh.]

Well, we've got a month. Might as well learn about each other while we can.

[she laughs]

A good point. Then, do you want me to start from the beginning?

[She nods.]

Yeah. From the beginning sounds good.

[WELL. NATALIE ASKED FOR IT. buckle up it's a long story]

. . . I suppose I should start off by saying I wasn't born like normal spirits usually are. I was created by my predecessor, Maxwell, the Lord of spirits, and given his memories so that I might grow up believing I was the true Maxwell.

Okay. I'm with you so far, even if it's weird.

[hopefully that lasts]

[hopefully]

I was "raised," I suppose you could say, but the Four Great Spirits of my world. They protected me when my body was too young for me to protect myself, and stayed by my side as I aged. After twenty years, I left the village I had lived in to travel the world with a group of comrades. That adventure led to my discovering that I wasn't the true Maxwell, but it also led to the destruction of the Schism and my predecessor's death.

When he faded away, I became the new Maxwell.

And that's how I am only twenty years old, but with the memories of over two thousand years.

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