Beds - A number of adjustable, moderately comfortable hospital beds with removable lap trays. Each bed/patient area is separated from the others by gauzy curtains and has a window looking out at a white void.
Nurse’s Station - A stand where nurses prepare medications for their patients (or sometimes just hang out).
Offices - A few small but nice offices with predictable doctor decor. The doctors can usually be found here when not making their rounds.
Cafeteria - A cafeteria with different lines for soup and salads, sandwiches, and the hot meal of the day.
Denizens
Doctors (Background/Speaking) - Dr. Seth, a stethoscope; Dr. Siggy, a blood pressure cuff; and Dr. Ivy, an IV stand, make the rounds fairly regularly. Clearly no HIPPA laws apply in this place, but they’re all reasonably professional.
Nurses (Background/Speaking) - Sets of scrubs that seem to be worn by invisible people... but upon examination there’s actually nothing inside. You’re not sure how they can still perform their jobs, but they do.
Patients (Background?/Non-speaking?) - There are a few other patients besides the Passengers, including a small comatose snake statue and a shattered slipper.
Special Notes
Upon entering the car, any Passengers who do not have significant injuries become ill. This is a generic flu-like illness but can have a few other symptoms if they’d be particularly uncomfortable for your character.
Uncooperative, destructive, or cruel behavior causes all patients’ conditions to worsen. Considering the cast involved, assume this occurs in the smallest noticeable increments possible.
With the dinner party in utter shambles, you feared the door may never open for you. But once you'd survived whatever length of time this was meant to last, you found the handle giving way.
And none too soon. Several Denizens' bodies littered the floor, but the rest weren't exactly happy with you. If anyone was going to tend to Abel, it wouldn't be here. It likely wouldn't be on the platform over the wasteland rushing below, either. Nor the bridge—
Which was rescinding, anyway. The handrails folded over and the bridge tucked away into the next car... What were you to do? Jump? Impossible. But Neko-Neko seemed more curious than perturbed, so presumably this didn't wreck their killing game plans.
In a flash, another car, rolling along the top of the ones ahead, lowered into the gap. Another bridge extended, the handrails snapping back into place as if nothing had happened.
"Well, that doesn't happen every day! How exciting!"
"Yeah, it's not that special. Get going."
You had little choice but to obey.
Though one look inside the next set of doors was enough to make several of you have second thoughts, there was no turning back. And if you made some attempt to go over or around the whole car, you were sure to fail, before or after suffering horrible injury—which would only make going inside all the more necessary.
So you stepped inside, begrudgingly or otherwise. You only had a moment to observe the half-curtained-off hospital beds, the IV stands, the bustling sets of scrubs, before something felt... wrong. With you. Was the sheer atmosphere just making you feel unwell? Or...
A pair of spectacles with cartoonish eyes behind them swooped over, ducking and bobbing as if to scrutinize all of you. "Oh dear, oh dear," came a mutter, though no mouth suddenly appeared to give it. "All right, if you could all wait here for just a moment, we'll have your rooms ready momentarily."
It was a nice idea, to actually get a room to yourself for once... but given the place (and the thrumming in your head), it was hard to be too excited. At least Abel could be seen to?
Whether you followed instructions exactly or not, you eventually found yourself guided to one of the hospital beds (they called this a room?). With a promise that a nurse would be in to see you soon, the pair of glasses somehow pulled the separating curtains shut to leave you alone. A draft stirred, but despite the apparent window you couldn't see anything outside but light. Presumably it was enough for the little plastic-potted ivy in the sill, but it did nothing to detract from the stuffy, sterile air of the place. Did you really need to just sit here? Surely it was wiser to at least figure out where the exit door was.
First Room - The room you originally entered, with doors leading into the dressing rooms and one to the main building. The faded etiquette and dancing guide is still here, poised on the podium. You clearly aren’t supposed to come back once the festivities have started.
Dining Hall - A long, candlelit room with a good number of round tables, fully set with velvety black tablecloths and more pieces of silverware than any normal person would know what to do with.
Ballroom - A wide, grand hall with plenty of room for dancing despite the little tables at the sides for resting or snacking classily. One end has two short sets of steps onto a full stage for the orchestra.
Green Room - Set between the hallways and the back side of the stage. Has stacks of chairs, a water bubbler, and racks of music stands. You aren’t supposed to be here, either, but it could make a good getaway/recovery spot for a while if you’re careful.
Denizens
Slippers (Background/Speaking) - The main attendees of the masquerade ball, humanoid figures of tinted glass, which appears molten but feels little different from human flesh. Their hair seems fairly human, but there’s a very inhuman glow to their eyes.
JJ (Swag) - A figure at the masquerade draped in a beautiful deep ocean blue suit, with a pair of black gloves and dress shoes. The mask is the same beautiful deep blue as the suit and the eyes glow... but the expression looks sad.
Orchestra (Background/Non-speaking) - A number of living instruments, capable of facial expressions and floating but difficult to tell apart from their non-living counterparts when still.
Special Notes
Lying about anything unnecessary for the Denizen charade will cause an immediate crack in your mask. Enough cracks will make the mask unwearable. There are no replacements.
The consequences for removing your mask or otherwise betraying your status as a Passenger are intended to be dire, but depending upon what ends up happening and what ideas players have, we may adjust this.
The dinner is canonically before the dance, though of course you can have threads in any order OOC. The exact seating for dinner is undetermined OOC and can be canonized as we go according to player needs.
Finally you managed to fill the recess with mirror pieces, and the door opened. Despite your exhaustion, there wasn't much hesitation to move on.
There could have been another collapse, after all.
You next stepped into a sunlit room swirling with dust motes, an ornate wooden door set into each of its ten short walls, not counting the single hallway stretching into darkness. Aside from dated but lush green carpet, there was nothing else to shed light on the situation but a dusty tome resting on a podium. The cover was far more ornamental than descriptive, but flipping through the thin leaves showed you a plethora of mind-numbingly worded advice on dinner etiquette and dancing.
That certainly seemed an ill omen for most of you, and there was very little time to make sense of the instructions before the doors flew open in unison. Amorphous shapes, only visible from the way they distorted the details behind them, swept out into the room, making a number of concerned and pitying noises as they inspected the group as a whole. They were more prone to murmurs than anything, but they spoke in full agreement on one point:
"This simply won't do."
Whether you cooperated or not, you were swiftly pushed through one of the doors and locked in. The space seemed a bit cramped for a room, but it was luxurious for a simple changing stall. You felt a few odd prods and pokes as your measurements were taken with invisible tapes, then the door opened and shut before you could possibly slip through. After a few moments of not being entirely sure whether your assigned Denizen had left or not, they surged back inside with fine formalwear draped in their hands(?). While it at least wouldn't be any gendered clothing you were uncomfortable with, the formality level was much higher than most of you were used to. Did you have to?
The Denizen hung the clothes as needed but didn't leave the room. Though you only had the haziest sense of where their eyes might be, you could still somehow feel them boring into you with earnest.
"You must do everything you can to hide your identity here—dress nicely, speak courteously, step lightly, blend in. The Denizens here have been hurt badly by Passengers before and will broker no mercy if they realize that's what you are. Bodily, they aren't all so different from you, but the eyes..."
They retrieved an ornate masquerade mask from the formalwear and presented it to you.
"This will disguise you perfectly as long as you wear it. Value it with your life. I'm only able to provide one, so if anything should happen to threaten it... Please, be careful."
So... On threat of your life, you had to dress up fancy, wear a mask, and survive some kind of upper crust social event without revealing you didn't belong here?
The occasional clang still echoed down the tunnels as you wearily searched for another vein of "ore". How were you even supposed to figure out the best locations, logically? This was not, you were pretty darn sure, how mirrors were actually made in the real world.
All you could do was investigate the walls and conserve whatever energy you could afford to. The lack of food was really wearing on you now. But with the lot of you split up among the different tunnels, surely someone would find what you needed. Whether it was someone in condition to mine it out, well. One step at a time.
Clang, drip, your own tired footsteps... Every sound seemed to wear you down further.
At least, until the cacophony of falling rocks. When you took from nature, you should not have been surprised when it decided to take something back.
Jolted more awake, it still took you a panicked second to determine it wasn't happening around you. But was it coming this way? Had you heard a yell, or was it just someone's startled reaction? No matter your rationale, you found yourself hurrying back to the mine's center chamber. Between you and the others that had gathered, it didn't take long for someone to point out the clattering of rocks down another tunnel. You followed, though you weren't sure you wanted to go too far in here...
“Oh, f-ck–!”
Though one soul had ventured too far. Maybe by chance. Maybe by fate. Maybe by some other design, Viper had made her way in too deep. The rocks rushed to meet her, but some other force, moving faster than you could think, had made its move first, pushing her harshly. She was sent flying, away from danger. Away from the rocks that wished to get up close and personal. She let out a yelp as she skidded across rock, hitting the floor hard. Whether you thought the sight of her on the ground was karmic, or amusing, or just relieving, the rocks tumbled down, down, down… away from her.
Wide-eyed and certainly terrified, she could only watch as the rocks fell. As the place where she had stood just moments earlier was crushed by the falling boulders. If it had just been a moment later...
Splinters of a supporting frame lay scattered among the dislodged rock. A large silvery gleam made you think someone had at least struck it rich here before the collapse—until you realized what it actually was.
Or who it actually was.
Pinned handily beneath the slowly crushing weight of stone was R.N.A. Surely as the largest among you they had some hope of strong-arming their way out—but it wasn't looking hopeful.
“I… I appear to be stuck…” The robot said, tone still calm and soft, even in a situation seeming so dire. “I’m… sorry. I didn’t mean… To worry you all.”
There were those of you already surging forward to help before they'd finished speaking. The other supports seemed perfectly stable, so if you could just move one rock out of the way at a time... If R.N.A. could just hang in there until enough of the weight was off of them...
But you were all weary enough to begin with, and so few of you had the strength to contribute without even accounting for injuries. Even with the rockfall stopped, your progress was nonexistent.
“Stop… You have to… get back. It might… there might be a second falling… you might get buried.” There was the sound of the robot shuffling. “I think… I think I can get… out if I just…” There was the futile struggling of a robot who had been bested. Metal scissors that could not beat rock. You could hear some of the rocks shuffling… shifting.
You heard a creak of metal.
“In truth… I’m… scared… I feel… human… right now… But I don’t know why… Is… Is Viper okay… I can’t see. I can’t see her… But I got her… out of the way. Because I want… my friends… to get off the train. All of you… I know there has to… be a better way off the train. A way… away from killing… Even… Jack could have. The train doesn’t… make him happy… it just lets him… forget how sad he is.”
Maybe that was rude. But R.N.A believed everyone could escape. That there was salvation and a way back to life for them all.
“I’m safe–” There’s a weak, wavering reply from behind those who had rushed forward to try and help, as Viper tried to wobble to her feet, her gaze fixed on the robot being crushed beneath the stone prison.
“...I don’t… I don’t know if I can escape… I have… one more idea…”
Just enough chips of rock sprinkled down from above that even the most desperately striving among you finally backed away. R.N.A.'s metal joints groaned under the pressure. A few more rocks hit. A crack split their digital face, and the light sputtered out.
They didn't speak again.
The ensuing shocked silence was only broken by a faint echoing drip from some other tunnel. Then some of you finally heard a mechanical whir—but R.N.A. hadn't moved. Your hope evaporated all over again as Neko-Neko strode up to the rock pile.
"Are... Are they all right?"
The cat rapped a not-so-soft paw on the side of R.N.A.'s head. The resulting clang made a few of you flinch.
"Nothin' but an empty shell here."
They turned on the rest of you.
"We'd be happy to congratulate the murderer on a job well done, if we had one!"
"Please at least play the game, nya... Even if we lose Passengers, I can't guide anyone back home if you aren't following the rules."
With a shake of their head(s), they left R.N.A.'s lifeless face display behind.
First Jack, now this? You were hoping this horrible game would end... but not from everyone just dying off of their own accords first. And how safe were you? If you had just been in this tunnel instead of a different one...
Maybe killing to go home wasn't that terrible an idea after all.
Entrance - Gloomy tunnels lit by dingy lamps along the sides. A single railway runs through the main passage, which has long since been picked bare. The large mining cart that led you inside rests here, with enough decidedly not-new mining equipment for everyone.
Mineworks - Several equally gloomy passages branching out from the end of the tracks. The occasional glint can be seen in the walls, but it usually takes a good couple of pick strokes before any mirror chunks show themselves.
Reflecting Pool - A broad but shallow recess between the end of the tracks and the exit door. The raw mirror ore seems to be the perfect thickness to set inside, though it may take some wrangling for all the edges to fit together perfectly.
Denizens
Reflections (Background/Speaking) - Each Passenger has a Reflection residing in the Mirror World. Though they have spent their lives faithfully reflecting their Primes’ movements, they seem to have a little more free rein on the Train. The Reflection does not typically have the same exact temperament as their Prime.
Special Notes
There's a limited amount of dry food in the mining cart. You’ll have to ration carefully if you want it to last more than a day.
Once enough of the reflecting pool is assembled to show a full-body reflection, the Reflections can properly interact with the Passengers. Before then, there may still be a few traces of rogue movement that don’t match what the Passenger is doing.
Each player can design their own Reflection, but mods can be called in if help is needed. This is a character who has been bound to witness and act out everything the Passenger has done in view of a reflective surface, so think about how that might affect someone!
As usual, threads are free to feature your Passenger and Reflection together or separately. You are not required to play a Reflection, but it will still exist canonically.
Reflection lore should work roughly the same way here as in the Infinity Train series—if you need more details and/or would like to try anything interesting, ask around in your planning chat!
You stepped into darkness. Something dripped in the distance, and your footfalls echoed far away. Your eyes couldn't adjust before one of you stumbled into something solid with a wooden thunk. Between that and the tracks that threatened to trip you up, you finally started to piece together your newest location.
Neko-Neko climbed inside the large minecart and gestured for you to join them in some mockery of a lucky cat. Whether you cooperated right away or only after a slow attempt to cross the rocky ground on foot, you all managed to fit in the vehicle just as it started to pick up speed.
Lanterns passed along the tunnel walls, getting a little less dingy as you went in further. This area felt abandoned, though, with only dull, stripped rock passing you by. But eventually the cart slowed and stopped in a slightly more open cavern. The ceilings were low enough to feel uncomfortable, but even the tallest of you could exit the cart without ducking. A few tunnels split off from here, most aglow with lantern light, but the cart tracks went no further. Up ahead you could just barely see light glinting off the occasional chip of something silvery in the walls.
The exit door was in plain sight in this chamber, but of course it wasn't opening yet. A shallow recess stretched some ways in front of it, but there were no labels. No guides other than Neko-Neko, whose eye glowed all the more ominously in this place. But considering the environment and the mining equipment available, maybe you wouldn't have to ask them for advice. At least the way to start the "puzzle" in this car was clear enough, if exhausting to even think about.
And from there... you supposed you'd just have to see.
Whether it was harder to find a book that called to you or run from it, you all eventually managed to complete your task. Where the shelves had spun off into infinity before, a familiar red door appeared in one of the aisles. Word spread quickly, and soon you'd all assembled before it. Time to move on, as always.
The handle turned without resistance, and the churning wasteland stretched out before you. Another bridge, another car ahead. Maybe that one would give you some way to end Neko-Neko's game. Was that what you were hoping for? Were you hoping for much of anything, at this point?
Either way, you found yourself passing through without hindrance, the air outside the Train a little warmer on your face.
At least, most of you.
With a faint sound only vaguely reminiscent of slamming into a wall, Jack marched straight into something that bounced him and only him back into the library. He stumbled but stayed on his feet and tried again, a little faster—but the result was the same.
Perhaps it’s Viper’s guilt at burning the checkout register, perhaps it’s something else entirely, but hearing Jac—no, Jagal, trying his hardest to take the books, she knew she had to try and do something. Maybe she didn't know why keeping these books was so important to him—but she could hazard a guess, after they’d snooped so much into his life. His mother, his father, his sister especially… it had to be hard for him. To be forced to think about them again. And once again, she’d messed up someone’s chance at healing.
“Hey—” He bounced back from the door, and she reached forward, just lightly gripping onto his bag. “Jagal—” Maybe he’d listen if she talked to him. The true him, not… Jack. Worm her way in there, she knew it could go very badly. Very, very badly. But equally, she wanted him to understand that she wasn’t out to hurt him. Not at this stage.
Jack warily tugged his bag out of Viper's grip. How did she know his name? Had she—
"...."
No. Absolutely not. It must've just come up somewhere else, at some point. Not like it was his most tightly-guarded secret.
“I don’t think they’ll let ya take ‘em wit’ ya—I-I can ask. But ya prob ain’t gonna be able t’.”
Jimithy stepped up, as unamused as ever.
"Already told both of you, you can't check out a book that doesn't have a register. A real one."
"And you can't leave with a book you haven't checked out. Put it back." He grimaced. "Or on a return cart, fine. But you're not leaving with that. Don't waste any more of our time."
Viper picked at a thread on the end of her glove. “It’s… prob best ya leave ‘em here anyway. I dunno if ya’d want ‘em ta get hurt… damaged…’n all.” Viper raised her gaze to him—having tilted it to the floor. “Look, I’unno if I’ll get anywhere. An’ I know ya gonna try’n act like ya rejectin’ every bit’a niceness. But I wanna know ya. An’ I don’t care how much ya try’n stop me.”
Tag-teamed, huh? It was true, Jack didn't have any registers, and the train out there couldn't be safe for a book unless he never tried to open it. Would being damaged hurt them? Surely not, if they were already dead, but...
"....."
"Fine."
He withdrew a slim volume from under his hoodie and set it gently on the floor. Not even the return cart, huh.
"Not like I'm much 'f a reader, anyway."
He stepped through the door, this time without any kickback—apparently that was the only one he'd had. Those of you who hadn't made it past before all the ruckus followed him out.
Even after all that, it was just back to the usual march. Everyone onto the bridge, onto another door...
Everyone. Right?
The fastest walker had already laid hands on the next door by the time you realized your head count was down one. It didn't take long after, though, to find Jack back at the library doors, propping them open with one hand. He swept a look across you all, hesitating briefly at Viper. But only briefly. With a swift step, he was back on the carpet.
"I'm not leaving her again."
The doors slammed shut before anyone could even think about getting in the way. The handle spun with a ratcheting noise and locked back into place again. Anyone trying to turn it wouldn't succeed.
...Ah. Well.
Considering the party involved, it was hard to feel bad about leaving him behind. A relief, if anything. Though you couldn't be sure exactly how this place worked, if he could still come after you later... Maybe it would have been more of a relief if you were sure he'd die in there.
Not... not that you wanted a person to die! But, well, if it had to be anyone...
"Jack? The game isn't over yet...! I-I can't guide you home if you're not here, nya..."
"Eh, it'd be too obvious if he did the next murder, anyway."
"We're sure the rest of ya can do better by yourselves!"
"B-but there isn't any food or water in that car! As his Stationmaster..."
"That's his own problem. We don't gotta call every single death a murder if it ain't one."
"We've wasted enough time here, don'tcha think? Onward!"
"........"
Despite the particularly split personality at play, Neko-Neko still gestured expectantly at the next car. No more dilly-dallying on your part.
No reason to, anyway. Whether it had locked automatically or Jack was manually blocking it, the library door wasn't about to open. Was it even your business to keep trying? If none of you would be blamed for him choosing this fate, why try to save him? He certainly would've done no such thing for you.
Something still felt rotten in your stomach as you moved forward.
Shelves - Rows of filled shelves from floor to ceiling that seem to go on infinitely far into the distance. A few of the legendary library ladders are here and there for your use, as well as some round metal step stools for shelves that aren’t that high up.
Front Desk - A simple counter labeled “INFORMATION,” though it provides very little. One librarian is seated there to help you but may not. There’s a small room behind it where another seems to be lurking.
Books - Tomes of a variety of sizes, ages, conditions, bindings, etc. Every book contains the life account of a single deceased human. They appear to be written in the native tongues of their subjects, but you have no trouble understanding the text, at least not for any language barrier reasons.
Denizens
Jimithy (Roadie) - A belligerent tween-looking goatboy with curled horns and frizzy hair. Usually found at the reception desk but would rather berate your research skills than actually provide assistance.
Timothy (Amelia) - A shy teen goatboy with glasses who actually does all the work behind the desk, though he's too anxious to talk much to strangers. His real name is Timaeus, but the misunderstanding has gone on for so long that he feels awkward correcting his coworker.
Spectres (Background/Speaking) - Opening a book causes a spectral version of the subject to emerge, immaterial but available for interaction. Closing the book again causes them to vanish.
Special Notes
According to Jimithy, the volumes are organized by the date of the subject’s death, with the most recent the closest to the entrance. The shelves are pretty sparse with their labels, so you may have to check books at random to remember where (when?) you are.
In order to exit, your Passenger must read one chapter of a book with personal significance to them. This can be because they knew the deceased person, are related to them, have been inspired by them, etc. Historical figures are here as well, but the distance you’d have to cover to find someone over 100 years dead would be unreasonable.
Once the exit door appears, attempting to leave the car with a book will bounce the Passenger back inside. Jimithy says only books containing valid checkout registers can be taken, but none of these seem to have one no matter where you look...
Somehow you made it through the literal daycare with less violence than usual. In the end, it was more bittersweet than you expected to leave your sleeping flourchild behind, even though Sister had assured you this was the right path. With the exit door unlocked, it was hard to argue otherwise.
Perhaps you could have stayed with her, even if your flourchild would vanish. It was apparently viable, after all, for a Passenger to simply stay in one spot, and there was food and water... But Sister had no intention of going home. If you did, then following in her footsteps couldn't have been wise.
So you followed Neko-Neko's instead, across the next bridge and to yet another car, identical to all the rest on the outside.
After the rushing air and clanking wheels, the sudden quiet stillness made your skin prickle. The air smelled faintly of dust and parchment, and the slightest chill gripped your shoulders. Rows of polished wooden shelves from floor to ceiling stretched away farther than you could see the end of—if there was any end. Every shelf was well-stocked with books of all styles pressed neatly side by side.
Closer to where you entered, a curved wooden counter with an "INFORMATION" sign hanging overhead separated you from a goatboy of some kind. Eyeing your group, he managed to look utterly bored and judgmental at the same time.
"Great. You look like you won't make any noise."
"We'll all try to be quiet...!"
"We make no promises."
The goatboy's lip curled even further.
"Right. Well. Welcome or something. You're in a library. Go read a book."
He gestured at himself—"Jimithy—" at the doorway behind him—"Timothy. We're here if you need us."
"......."
"Don't need us. Thanks."
He leaned back in his seat—one of the only ones this place seemed to have—and put in some earbuds. Ah. Very helpful.
But at least this place didn't seem particularly dangerous, in and of itself? Though it didn't present a clear exit, either. Hmm.
Play Area - The majority of the car is a large play area with all the indoor faculties you could want. Cutesy, bright, mostly foam and plastic. Injury should be difficult but is never impossible.
Posters - Bright posters with encouraging kiddy slogans and illustrations. Includes an activity schedule for the day—most of it seems freely adjustable, but there’s a hard deadline for naptime at the end of the day.
Learning Area - A few desks and cubbies of supplies where kids can have fun with crafts or practice reading, playing recorders, or math. Enjoyment levels may vary.
Break Area - A small, bleak additional room for staff and Passengers to escape to when necessary. Has restrooms, a kitchenette, an incomplete deck of playing cards, a few sad-looking tables, and a sofa. The refrigerator is somewhat stocked with food and drink that are not clearly labeled and thus fair game by break area law.
Denizens
Sister (Maw) - A seemingly human Denizen dressed in a nun’s outfit. Actually, is she a Denizen at all, or is she a fellow Passenger? Either way, with the striking resemblance she bears to the recently-slain Atsuko… something isn’t quite right here.
Flour Patch Kids (Background/Speaking) - Each Passenger has a corresponding Kid that looks, speaks, and acts about like they did when they were little. Feel papery but have some weight to them and will leak flour if injured. Just human-looking enough to be cute without lapsing into uncanny valley (though your mileage may vary).
Toys (Background/Speaking) - A number of animated toys that work to pacify and corral the kids... to an extent.
Special Notes
Your threads are welcome to feature your Passenger and Kid separate or together. You are not required to play a Kid if it’s not coming together for you (though it will still exist canonically).
The exact age of your Kid can be whatever works best for your own backstory needs, but they should all qualify as small children.
If this situation brings up OC spoilers you don’t want out yet, let mods know—if you want to move quickly to hide your Kid somehow or give them some nondisclosure warnings, that’s perfectly okay.
With the claustrophobia of the flower shop and the many things it brought up that you didn’t want to talk about, moving onto the next car seemed like a swell idea. It was more naturally peaceful here, perhaps, but what difference did that make with this group, anyway?
Whether you kept any flowery souvenirs or not, you crossed along the bridge to the next door.
Inside was a more normal-looking, if quite colorful, setup. In one corner a clean cluster of elementary school desks with chairs waited, rows and rows of bright cubbies behind them with various supplies. More eye-catching was the large play area with all manner of slides and swings and the like atop a colorful patchwork of bright foamy tiles.
And unlike some of the cars that felt lively but empty, quite a few Denizens seemed to be running about. A collection of children's toys on the larger side seemed to be doing their best to entertain and otherwise corral a number of... What exactly? They certainly chittered and ran and looked like young children at the barest glance. But upon further examination, there was an origami-like quality to them—or maybe more like... flour bags?
"Oh, this looks like such a fun car, don't you think? Or if you don't, you know the easiest way to get out!"
"Just remember, killing a Denizen doesn't count for our game!"
Neko-Neko, the only solid-metal-spiky sort of thing in sight, strolled over to the desks, seeming to contemplate their value as a scratching post. They didn't elaborate on why they thought the distinction was necessary here. Did they really expect you to kill... toys and children? Or how could you mistake any of those as one of your group "eligible" for killing?
"...What is this about killing?" A voice chimes in from another corner of the car. For all of its unfamiliar warmth, it seems hauntingly familiar.
You turn in the direction of the voice, only to be greeted by a sight that sends a chill down your spine and a burst of cold through your blood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfkoK-h23dg
"...Whatever the case is, I wager you can get through this car just fine. Although there's certainly plenty of children to keep us busy..."
Standing before you is a woman in a nun's outfit, smiling warmly and serenely. But something feels... off. It's her face, it's those eyes... No, it couldn't possibly be—right?
"...You can call me Sister. I'll be doing my best to help you handle the children. Hopefully without resorting to any... killing." Sister scowls at the word, like even just saying it has spread a pungent taste throughout her mouth.
A silence hangs over the you all for a moment, which Sister breaks, smiling at you nervously.
"...Why are you looking at me like you've seen a ghost?"
But looking out at the children wasn't any better—some of them seemed rather familiar, too...
Zen Garden - A garden with a single path winding around large stones surrounded by raked sands; past an old, stooped tree near a gazebo; and over a babbling brook. While peaceful, everything but the gazebo seems strangely devoid of color.
Flower Shop - A rustic, somewhat claustrophobic shop with shelves of bonsai, ikebana arrangements, and the like. Among the normal offerings are a few translucent, glasslike roses. They will crack, chip, or shatter if dropped.
Bouquets - Ten bouquets stretch along one wall of the shop, but you get the feeling they’re incomplete. Each has a tag with a simple ink brush illustration.
Tag: a figure hard at work as a clock speeds along overhead
Roses: toffee, green, blue, grey, orange
Bouquet 5 (complete)
Tag: two similar figures facing away from each other
Roses: grey, orange, red, green
Bouquet 6 (complete)
Tag: a pair of handcuffs
Roses: orange, whitish, pink, green, lime
Bouquet 7 (complete)
Tag: a wrist with a number of marks
Roses: green, yellow, toffee
Bouquet 8 (complete)
Tag: a hoodie
Roses: green, teal, grey
Bouquet 9 (complete)
Tag: a noose
Roses: yellow, green, grey, purple
Bouquet 10 (complete)
Tag: two figures placing a hand on each of a smaller figure’s shoulders
Roses: teal, purple, lime, yellow
Denizens
Tsubaki (Kris) - A pink and green hummingbird that seems to flap even faster than normal thanks to all that nervous energy. Would like to help the Passengers but gets very nervous at the prospect of even talking to one.
Naru (Maw) - A fluffy teal silk mothperson whose four arms are put to good work scrapbooking. She seems to be keeping her distance; perhaps all the injuries have her feeling squeamish?
Special Notes
A character holding a clear rose and concentrating causes the rose to take on that character’s Standardized Hex Color. The petals become a bit softer, too, but are still fragile.
The bouquets do not need to be completed in any particular order.
Two characters touching a part of the garden at the same time may cause that part to gain a natural coloration, depending on the circumstances. There will be a separate forum thread for these interactions that is assumed to be simultaneous with the main megathread.
If Tsubaki is grabbed/similarly attacked, the attacker will get a poison ivy style rash/reaction. Not deadly but not pleasant.
Plart's mall was somehow even more chaotic than you'd anticipated—but everyone survived. Not everyone was thriving, certainly, but eventually you'd all stolen or caught what or whom you needed.
As if ready to get you all off his turf, Plart offered his congratulations tersely and guided you back to the Segway station to dismount for the last time. Phew. You could certainly hope the next car wouldn't pit you against each other so much—but you were almost certain you wouldn't have to wrestle those things again.
But you did still have to follow Neko-Neko, out onto the rushing wasteland and across to the next car. It was hard to feel much of anything but trepidation at this point, but maybe, maybe, a more helpful Denizen would be here.
You stepped into what must have been the smallest car yet, though that may have been saying fairly little. This time you were constrained to some kind of little florist shop with pleasant lighting. Tasteful floral arrangements and bonsai took up most of one wall, while another held looser flowers—were some of those translucent? Par for the course, perhaps, but still odd enough to notice.
Also a little odd was the lack of Denizens greeting you. Would anyone tell you how to get the far door to unlock? Were you supposed to depend on Neko-Neko for that? With your luck, they'd just tell you to kill somebody to see if it might work. Then again, after Comedy's claims, maybe you didn't want to trust every native Denizen wholeheartedly, either...
Ten outstanding bouquets had odd little hand-painted pictograph tags hanging from their vases. Each had a lovely-looking unique combination of flowers centered on multicolored roses, but something seemed to be missing.
As you finally passed through to the end of the store, you found the car wasn't quite as small as it had seemed. A zen garden spread out before you with trees, stones, a curved bridge, sand, and a few benches. Though peaceful, all of it was oddly drained of color. You weren't sure it needed fixing, per se, but it was still noticeable.
A flitter tickled the edge of your vision. You turned to look, but by then the only sign of... whatever that had been was a quiver in some of the flower shop's petals.
Hmm. Maybe the helpful Denizens weren't missing after all.
Group O - Asuka, Jack, Matsukaze, Melvin, Vinzent, Viper
Group R - Abel, Arty, Dexter, Haruka, R.N.A., Taran
Travel Time - A few days
Points of Interest
Obstacle Course - The heart of the car, a winding course through various terrain and every obstacle you could ever imagine cropping up in a shopping mall.
Food Court - Several stands of pretty cheap generic mall fare. No one is actually manning them, so it’s weird that your orders still show up normally. Officers receive meals for free. Robbers have to steal theirs.
Stores - The mall has a single department store and a handful of other shops, offering completely normal human items despite none of the residents being human.
Mall Prison - On the wall outside hangs a bulletin board that tracks each Passenger’s number of demerits. The interior is normally inaccessible but consists of a single dinky cell, perfectly sanitary but devoid of nice things.
Denizens
Plart (Roadie) - A large blue bouncyball with sunglasses and a moustache. While he has an authentic cardboard Badge of Mall Policing and claims to be your instructor, he can’t really demonstrate Segway technique by example here.
Mallgoers (Background/Speaking) - A number of large bouncyballs of various designs going about their business at the mall. Some have accessories that somehow stay on and upright through their travels. Likely to flee in terror from any obvious robbers but happy to cover some expenses for officers.
Special Notes
You physically cannot leave your Segway while on the obstacle course or traveling the thoroughfares of the mall. Some invisible force will shunt you back if you try to dismount.
Everyone in Group O is assigned to be officers, while Group R will act as robbers. Uniforms for both will be enforced, but you can still try on other clothes, remove the mask, etc. for brief periods of time. Until Plart catches you, for the most part.
All items on your person besides your Neko-Neko-provided glove and notebook vanished with your normal clothing. You can try to convince Plart to return some necessary items, but for the most part it’s all off-limits until you personally achieve the car’s exit condition.
If a robber successfully reaches the exit door with any stolen merchandise, the robber will be allowed to exit, and the closest officer will receive a demerit.
If an officer successfully halts a robber in action, the officer will be allowed to exit, and the robber will receive a demerit.
Receiving a second demerit will cause the offender to warp into Mall Prison for the rest of that day. After that, gaining a single demerit will warp them back to the cell again.
Demerits may also be given for other unsavory behaviors like unwarranted violence. We won’t be aggressively keeping track of daily demerits; just go ahead and put your Passenger in jail for a thread if you feel like it. We can work something out.
After an extended soapy ride that was only remotely soothing to one group, you all somehow made it out alive. The final Denizen puffed a little extra air your way in goodbye as Neko-Neko led you to the nearby door and a freshly-laundered creature followed along. Your thumbless stationmaster still needed help getting the thing open, but what choice did you have? After all the chaos, you weren't sure keeping everyone in a smaller space than necessary was such a great idea.
Of course, jumping off the rails into the wasteland wouldn't be a much better idea, so onto the next car you went.
What appeared to be a small, two-floor shopping mall stretched out in front of you—though you couldn't get a good look from the entrance before nearly tripping on a large charging station. At least a dozen Segways stood pristine in their almost-stalls, seeming to beckon to you...
But even more noticeable than that was the fact that you were no longer in whatever you were wearing upon entering. Though you certainly hadn't changed yourself, you now wore a perfectly-fitting uniform of some sort, and so did the others beside you—everyone but Neko-Neko. Half of you now wore what appeared to be knockoff police uniforms, while the other half was decked out in in obscuring black, ski masks included. Considering the apparent theme, you really didn't feel like the lot of you got the costume you were supposed to...
If you had complaints, the bright blue bouncyball now approaching you seemed to hold himself with the authority to broker them—if not the desire to. With no facial features but a moustache and a large pair of sunglasses with no eyes to cover, it was a bit hard to guess at any expressions here. But he still had no trouble speaking.
"Welcome, recruits!" He seemed to scan those in ski masks. "And... volunteers." He made a throat-clearing noise and straightened up, however that worked for a bouncyball. "I am your instructor, Plart, but you'd best refer to me as Sir. As of today, you will be receiving training in the art of mall policing—or acting as those we must police against. If you aren't happy with the role you've been given..." He faced away in thought before suddenly spinning back—"then too bad! I will not tolerate slacking on either side. Without a little conflict, you'll never learn what you have to."
He pulled away a bit, nodding at the Segways. "Each of you, choose your steed. They'll serve you well—if you serve them." Whatever that meant. "Mastering your steed is a critical part of mall policing, and we'll have a course for you to prove yourself. Of course, the real test will be how well you can stop or execute a robbery... But you'd best acclimate yourselves to your roles before you go jumping into the final exam."
He gave the distinct impression of someone crossing his arms. "You can find me anytime if you require further instruction—I'll be making the rounds to ensure you're all doing your part, but I'll be stationed in front of the Mall Prison just as often. If there are no questions, you are dismissed."
Oh, there were questions—but how many of them would this guy answer? Switching sides apparently wasn't an option, and you had the feeling even an imposing bouncyball mall cop couldn't overthrow Neko-Neko so easily. There didn't seem to be much to do but choose your "steed" and explore the mall—whether that be as a cop or a robber.
Plart hopped onto a Segway and, with no physical explanation for being able to successfully operate it, wheeled away into the halls.
Procession - Each group is forced into its own vehicle to sit in through the ride. Kept in neutral, hazard lights on, fuzzy radio cutting in and out.
Path - There doesn’t seem to be any way out of the car wash besides straight through. There’s light at the end of the tunnel—it looks like you’ll find the exit door once you’ve made it off the track.
Denizens
Car Wash Employees (Background/Non-Speaking) - A number of brightly colored brushes, sponges, and cloths. They’re happy to clean up your cars but definitely know something’s wrong here and are a little bummed about it. They’re not sure how to help besides just keeping at their jobs.
Special Notes
Neko-Neko ultimately enters the hearse, while the creature is bringing up the rear outside of any vehicles.
Don’t worry too much about the setting details, and assume any attempts to shake things up fail. More than anything, this is just a recovery area between the trial and the start of the next chapter. Enjoy your awkward funeral procession!
