The Legend of Heroes II: Trials by the Light

[Dannyel]

Arabrasia: The Flying Courage Carriage 8

"Oh!" Reyna squealed in delight as her coffee slid down the table into her hands. Just what she needed! Gods, she had been up at the crack of dawn sneaking into the train yard, and now she was dying for some energy right now. "That's the stuff!" she said after her first deep sip.

Only then did she notice just how….crowded the carriage had become. And to think she had been taking up all this space. Grabbing her bag, she quickly stuffed her things back inside, clearing the table she had so rudely been monopolizing. It was fine, she had finished taking her notes anyway.

Though she did have several ideas and theories that she wanted to elaborate on, but that could come later. After food.

And after she found wherever her seat was. Where had she put that ticket anyway?

"Bacon and egg on a sesame bagel?"

"Ah, yes," she said, taking her breakfast and pushing herself as far in the corner of the booth as she could. There! Now someone could come and sit next to her. She was more than willing to share with booth.

With nothing else to do, she dug into her food.

 

[Taerinn]

Kabalic City: The Flying Courage - Carriage 7 -> 8

Cadfael sat for a short while with his eyes closed, listening to the noise of the train and his fellow passengers. If he couldn't eat, perhaps he could simply sleep through the ride.

Guuuuuuuuuuuuu~~~

His eyes practically shot open and scanned over the carriage for anyone who might have heard the violent growling of his stomach. Well, this wasn't going to do. He needed to keep himself busy somehow. But he didn't bring anything with him... Ah, he had been in too much of a hurry to leave the inn.

Rising from his seat, he reached the door to the next carriage in a few long strides and reached for the handle. Before his gloved fingers reached it, the door quickly slid open, revealing a bespectacled girl in whites and purples who smelled peculiarly like aged parchment. She stopped dead in her tracks which, unbeknownst to him, was a triumph considering she had just barely recovered from the embarrassment of running into another stranger only moments before.

His chest was at her eye-level, and she slowly raised her gaze upwards to his face. What followed was a timid squeak and what might have been an apology -- he couldn't really hear it over his own bemused chuckle at the poor girl's flustered state. "Careful, you could hurt yourself if you don't watch where you're going."

It must have come off menacing, because the girl hurried past him before he could even step aside for her. Guilt was surprisingly effective for curing hunger pangs.

---

With every step Cadfael took toward the food cart, the irresistable smell of confections grew stronger to the point where it was getting a little torturous. After dodging a particularly zealous man with the most precarious-looking burden of beverages he had ever seen, he turned his attention to the secondary cart, which was more of a series of shelves with stacks of maps, newspapers and other reading materials, and puzzles. Putting his hands on his hips, the breadth of his shoulders practically obscured the entire cart from view. The headlines of the newspapers -- political something or other -- weren't particularly interesting to him. Seeing no other options, he dug out a few mira from his pocket and walked away with a puzzle book and a red crayon, feeling a little silly but mostly eager to return to his spacious window seat.

Unfortunately, the way back to Carriage 7 was blocked by a large man making a fuss about the quality of the lower-class seating arrangements. How long was this going to take?

Thinking he could duck into a booth until the path was clear, he wandered into a seemingly-empty one and realized he had walked in on a young woman happily eating a bagel. "Uh," he grunted in surprise, backing out of the booth as quickly as he had entered. She'd obviously seen him, though -- there was no unringing that awkward bell.

 

[Cephalogod]

The Flying Courage: Carriage 8


Not only was there a tear, a closer look showed that in some of the places the hem was actually frayed and tattered. Being a traveler was no excuse to not look presentable, though many seemed to forget this fact. Cashmere may had been a bit too obvious in her staring and the man turned in her direction, prompting her to quickly look back down to her embroidery. Where were her manners? Staring was rude, though the thought of the tear continued to nag at her. Augh.

She only looked up when a body slid into the seat in front of her while eggs, cheese, bacon, and more bacon splatted onto the table. Her expression was blank as the man with the torn cloak tried to wipe up his mess while apologizing furiously. His attempts of cleaning up the mess was rather unsuccessful, and the addition of spilled coffee to the mess by the server did not help matters. And did the server's coat just move?

"..." Her mouth opened, then closed as she considered the proper reaction in this situation as she eyed the two fumbling men. Anger? Being indignant was probably appropriate. But nothing of hers had gotten dirty (If anything had gotten on her embroidery or clothing there would have been be hell to pay, literally and figuratively), so perhaps disdain was more appropriate to the situation. Or, being a Guilder, she could be a nice person and help clean up.

The spilled coffee was inching rather close to the dropped picture book on the desk and she picked it up before it could get wet. "It's quite all right, I suppose." No need for all of them to give a bad first impression. People seemed to like gracious nobles over pissy ones, after all, and anger was one of the more tiring emotions to feign. Her gaze flitted to Shiloh's cloak again and she paused. "Your cloak is torn," She told him with a great deal of disapproval. She eyed Domino next- did the train not have dress codes for their employees? "and is your coat... Singed?"

 

[Pachamac]

Arabrasia: Kabalic City: The Flying Courage: Carriage No.8 (Dining Cart): Time - 10:15

With a low wry chuckle and shake of his head, Flynn watched as Milia scurried past him and the remainder of passengers standing inbetween her and the train's seventh carriage, dissapearing through the door beyond. Turning back around, Flynn focused himself on the remainder of his surroundings and his own target destination of Carriage No. 13.

As he moved forwards with a jovial spring in his step he started to whistle to himself, with one eyebrow perking up in interest upon seeing a most beautiful blonde woman sitting down at one of the booths with a bevy of maps before her. Catching her sight, Flynn walked with a wink and a grin, moving on towards the carriage's end (and putting in as much distance as he could between himself and the rapidly spilling mess that two of the train's other passengers and a serving boy looked to be making - if there was one thing Flynn definitely did not need it was most certainly another cleaning bill). He dissapeared out into Carriage No.9...

...not realising he had left his wallet square in the center of the Dining Cart's floor; dislodged as a result from his earlier bump with Milia.

Meanwhile, through the door in the opposite direction of Flynn's departure was Carriage No.7, and for Milia yet another brief heart attack. Still reeling with fluster from her disorienting bump into Flynn, she almost crashed head first once more into yet another person - this one however a lot more fiercesome looking then Flynn had been. Her eyes slowly rising up from the man's chest and to his eyes (eyes that were strangely bewitching in their own way), Milia could do nothing but blink, her voice a quiet, hoarse whisper. Whilst it was most certainly not Cadfael's intention at all, Milia could see nothing but an intense, judging gaze staring back down and through her, silently demonising her for yet another demonstration of such ridiculous clumsiness. The mask in particular did not help to assuage Milia's fears either.

With a very rapidly mumbled apology, Milia quickly darted to the side and moved on as Cadfael spoke, already halfway down the carriage and heading on towards her proper carriage and seat without looking back.

 

[Warden]

The Flying Courage: Carriage 8

The new round of chaos brought about by a particularly inept waiter nothwithstanding, this trip to the dining carriage seemed to be exactly what Estefania needed to fix her day. After an invigorating meal of lemon cupcakes and her favorite blend of coffee, the condesa arched her back and unfurled her fists, nearly glowing with the good favor that she lacked an hour back. Even as a child she grew to rise with the dawn, and while that gave her more time for her daily routine, it also meant that a number of things would add to her ire earlier than what would have happened with the contrary. And yes, she absolutely hated it when a retainer saw her frowning so early in the sweet morn, and told her to fix her face before a monster cursed it to be forever twisted in a grimace.

Estefania watched the fumbling waiter with much interest before her attention finally wandered off somewhere. Just to her side, a lovely woman seemed to be engrossed in... cartography? How odd. She leaned closer and tilted her head to the side, studying the details. Oh, she was still a little too far, and her grandparents told her time and again that it was rude to stare at strangers. Very well. She will not be considered a stranger after an introduction!

"Excuse me, but-" Once she had daintily pressed a hand to her chest in the traditional gesture of a greeting, a man passed by and obscured her view of the lady. How rude! Estefania glared at him, about to let loose a couple of cutting words, when she noticed a pathetic-looking mound on the ground behind the knave. Introduction forgotten, she slid out of her chair and picked the wallet up. It looked even emptier up close. This must be the picture of destitution.

Where was she...? Oh.

"Greetings. I am the Condesa de Villanueva. Did you know that man who passed through here? He dropped a pouch while winking at you. Most likely a ploy to show the extent of his wealth, except that it is as empty as a grave," Estefania approached Naomi once more, her fingers barely touching the found wallet as she lowered it on the booth table. She looked vaguely disgusted. "In any case... Are you a traveller? I hail from the glorious queendom of Gualtierrez! May I sit? Tis only proper to talk in equal heights."

 

[Winter]

~"He smiled at me with eyes of adoration, knowing that I'd have to take his life~​

~Arabrasia: The Flying Courage Carriage 8"~~​

With her eyes closed she'd allowed herself to pay close attention to the sounds around her, from the gentle tap of the machines wheels against it's tracks to the conversations of passers by. Each sound carried it's unique weight in her ears, her mind focusing and picking them out one by one in a semi state of meditation. It was a common practice which served to ease her mind, to connect to the world through a means other than the visual sense which she truly believed was subconsciously taken for granted by all whom shared the gift of sight. She exhaled softly, opening her eyes in time to spot a rather handsome man with red hair. He winked at her with a smile, catching her off guard as her face suddenly began to feel some what warmer, a gentle blush gracing her features. She raised a hand to her cheek to feel her own warmth before giving a small amused smile to her own nature, a reaction beyond her control.

"Greetings". Naomi looked up to see a young woman, small in height with silvery hair and pale complexion. She was quite a beautiful young woman and the way she spoke told volumes of a refined background combined with a history of decent education. Naomi listened as she spoke, smiling softly before eyeing the money pouch curiously. She'd never heard of a man attempting to allure a woman with wealth but then again she hadn't exactly been here long to know otherwise. When the young woman asked if she could sit, Naomi inclined her head respectfully. "It would be my pleasure to have your company Miss Villanueva" she said softly, motioning with her hand for her to sit opposite. When she'd take her seat Naomi would seek to fulfill her own side of the introduction, "My name is Naomi Kaiya Veritas, and I am indeed a traveler" she replied, placing her hands neatly into her lap as she spoke.

Naomi's eyes drew momentarily back to the money pouch before her cerulean eyes went back to the young woman sitting opposite her, "I'm afraid I don't know who this belongs too. In fact, I don't know many people at all here" she looked thoughtful for a moment as she considered her own words. "Forgive me, but might I ask for your knowledge about the queendom of Gualtierrez you mentioned. I am... unfamiliar with that name and I'm burdened with a natural curiosity" she said, maintaining her smile and refined composure.

 

[Kettlehead]

The Flying Courage, Carriage 8

Domino could feel himself turning red – well, redder than normal. He'd been trying to look impressive – who else but a dextrous, cunning rogue could have carried so many drinks at once? – but save it for a rich-looking gal with nice digs to spoil his thunder. A rich-looking... very pretty gal.

Domino scrubbed hard at Shiloh's coffee glass, grinning at the two passengers in an attempt to regain his composure.

"Hey, miss, you don't know where this coat's been," he said, a swagger creeping back into his voice. "It, uh, it used to be in fine shape before the war. A soldier's life is a hard one, eh? Have to scrap out a living between fireballs and bedsheets! I figured, you know, a couple of burns were a gallant depiction of my past victories!" He handed the cup back to Shiloh – coffee mostly intact – and grinned at the older man. This guy was pretty gallant too, come to think of it. Domino silently cursed all the suave, good-looking people in the world. "Same with this fella, right? He's probably a, a well-worn traveler, a real mysterious guy. Who got into – into – a duel, a swordfight, with an old childhood nemesis... Um..."

The sinking realization was beginning to steal over Domino that he was engaging in long-winded one-way conversations with customers. He cleared his throat.

"Anyway. Your pot of tea, miss."

A small bluish-white teapot slid across the counter toward Cashmere, steaming gently and looking a bit relieved to be on a horizontal surface again.

 

[Dannyel]

Arabrasia: The Flying Courage Carriage 8

"You don't have to run'! Rehna said, dropping her bagel on her plate as she waved Cadfael back. "Really, I don't mind the company at all!" She gave the masked man her brightest grin - and really, it was obnoxiously happy. "I'm by myself, and there's plenty of room at this booth."

Leaning back in her seat, she studied the man before her. "You're really big!" she blurted. Wow Rehna, smooth. "Not that it's bad, but you know, you're really quiet too. Heh! You're the strong but silent type then? Don't worry, I can talk enough for the both of us."

Holding out her hand, she waited expectantly for him to take it. "I'm Rehna, by the way, and who are you? Ooooh! Are you a superhero? Do you go by the "Menacing Mask" or something cool like that?"

 

[Taerinn]

Kabalic City: The Flying Courage - Carriage 8
Rehna, Cadfael

The young woman's exhuberantly cheerful voice gave Cadfael pause, and he stopped mid-turn to look sidelong at her. One more glance at his blocked escape back to Carriage 7, and he conceded that the next best thing to an unoccupied booth is someone happily inviting him to stay. He wasn't an unfriendly person, but he was more used to people (especially women) reacting the way the girl with the glasses had.

"Not that it's bad, but you know, you're really quiet too. Heh! You're the strong but silent type then? Don't worry, I can talk enough for the both of us."

His brow furrowed quizzically, both at Rehna's enthusiasm as well as her perception. Staring at the hand thrusted towards him, he paused for a moment before shaking it, finding that her handshakes were equally energetic.

How many questions had she asked just now, and which one should he answer first? "A superhero? Afraid not," he said with a chuckle, finally sitting down opposite her. "Just Cadfael's fine. 'Menacing Mask' isn't bad, though." Anticipating further questioning, he tried to think of a question for Rehna. "What's bringing you to Cerenis? Family?" he asked, hoping to make use of her talkative nature. Although he was curious as to why such a friendly young woman was travelling alone.

 

[Cephalogod]

The Flying Courage, Carriage 8

Cashmere eyed Domino with interest- Former soldier? That was certainly a reputable profession, she supposed. He didn't look like it, nothing like the valiant generals she had seen in portraits, but then again it was always a bad idea to judge by looks. Shiloh did quite fit the 'real mysterious guy' description, though.

"Forgive me if I sounded overly presumptuous," She gave Domino a nod of thanks for the tea. "I suppose everyone has their own particular set of circumstances. It's hardly difficult to learn how to sew, however..." The last part was more of a grumble as she deftly poured herself a cup. The steam felt nice on her face and even alleviated the smell of bacon and grease in the cart. "I've no doubt the two of you have stories to tell, however."

Boisterous former soldier (?) and mysterious traveler (?) aside, the number of interesting looking individuals in this cart had only increased. She placed her teacup down on the saucer and smiled. "If we're going to have a conversation I suppose I should at least introduce myself. I am Viscountess Cashmere Chevon. No need to worry about titles and such, they feel too stiff and unnatural to me." She bowed her head slightly, then paused. "Oh, and I'm also a Guilder. Should probably mention that."

 

[Rexcalibur]

The Flying Courage: Carriage 8

"Torn?" Shiloh look up from his and Domino's mess to what part of his hood he could see in his peripherals. He paused. "Ah. Yes, there is." ...and that was that.

After that general statement, Domino went on about going to... war? Although Shiloh watched with a blank expression, he listened intently to everything Domino was going on about. But he blinked quite a bit when Domino mentioned something about Shiloh himself. "Swordfight?" Another, this time uncomfortable, pause between his sentences. "I... would remember such thing. But I do not." Note the floating question marks slowly drifting over his head

Domino cleared his throat and changed the subject, and Cashmere followed up with something much less... extraordinary than what Domino had to say. Probably for the better. In the meantime, Shiloh had retrieved his paper bag, quietly thanking Cashmere for keeping it from getting soaked. He would have departed afterwards had the fashionista not introduced herself.

Shiloh smiled faintly when Cashmere mentioned she was a guilder. "Guilder... it's been while since I met with one. You're kind people." His eyes drifted away, lingering on the bag in his hands for a moment, before returning to Cashmere's own. "I am Shiloh. Pleasure." He reached out his hand to shake hers. "I am sorry to bother."

He looked over his shoulder to Domino next. "And, thank you, for help."

His stomach rumbled loudly then. Shiloh thinned his lips but made no other reaction or movement - just politely waited for Cashmere to oblige. Yeah... he was going back in line for another sandwich. Only this time he'd return to whatever his assigned carriage was afterwards and not make the same mistake again. He didn't mean to pester anyone.

 

[Warden]

The Flying Courage: Carriage 8

Upon receiving formal permission to take a seat, Estefania did so with poise. A cascade of lustrous golden curls slid over her shoulder as she swept her skirt out and took a position directly across Naomi. Almost as soon as she sat down, the aristocrat's eyes were trained on her partner, taking in the finer details of her appearance from this vantage point. Perhaps the only sign that she deemed the traveller fit to converse with was her placement of her hands on the table. "Very well. I shall take it upon myself to return this lost object. My carriage is so near to the security center, it would be indolent not to take the opportunity." Then she will give its owner a lecture on the virtues of thrift.

Without knowing so, Naomi opened a floodgate with her next question. Estefania's cheeks colored and her hands turned white at the knuckles. Then she took a deep breath, reined in her enthusiasm, and sniffed. "It is my home. Back there it is always sunny and the fields roll verdant as far as the eye can see. That is not to say that our cities are any less beautiful. My own city of origin is a masterwork of colored glass and dark ridged stone. So cool and restful when the sun burns overhead during noon, and the shadows of the buildings stretch over the streets like wide strips of shade. When I left they were harvesting grapes for our midseason festival; the air was thick with the smell of crushed berries and baked sweets, the rooftops decked with banners made of thin, colorful paper. And of course all the provinces are ruled by the Crown of Gualtierrez. We are considered a militaristic country, I understand. The Queen was a warrior in her prime." There were never enough words to discuss her country, but Estefania digressed. Her heart was starting to burn in nostalgia.

She gestured to the maps Naomi was poring over before she arrived in the picture. "But that is enough about me. How about you? You must have been to many places, and perhaps learned more of them than I cared to learn about my past destinations. Will you tell me about them? Are those marks where you're headed to next?" The condesa tilted her head to the side, awaiting a detailed response.

 

[Pachamac]

Arabrasia: Kabalic City: The Flying Courage: Carriage No.6

"32B... 32B... ah! Here it is!" Finally coming to a stop halfway down Carriage No. 6, Milia beamed a triumphant if not weary smile at having finally made it to her seat. The trip hadn't been a long one in the slightest, but it certainly did prove more difficult then originally anticipated, the dining cart in particular. So many people... and not to mention that terrifying masked man as well...

Shivering in memory of him, Milia exhaled a deep sigh whilst trying to put him out of her mind. It wouldn't do at all to be worrying about him for the entire trip - it was an eight hour long journey after all. That said... well, as scary as he was, he certainly looked interesting. What was the story behind the mask, she wondered?

And that's when a flash of inspiration beamed inside her mind. As intimidating as he had been and still so unnerving to be thinking about him it was... yes... yes it would work!

He'd provide the perfect character of a villain for her story!

Plopping herself down in her aisle seat, Milia busily scrambled through her bag for her notepad and one of her pens, wishing to save the quill for a later time (risking another spilt ink pot on a train was ill advised, she had learnt her lesson the last time it happened). It was just as Milia's pentip touched her page that she paused, finally noticing that she was alone. Slowly turning her eyes to the side and the window seat beside her, Milia discovered she had company.

---

Arabrasia: Kabalic City: The Flying Courage: Carriage No.13

Easing himself down into his seat comfortably, Flynn lifted and crossed one of his legs over the other before unfolding and opening up his newspaper, murmuring to himself with keen interest over the contents of the paper.

A lot looked to be unfolding across the world, with much being reported by the intrepid journalists of the newspaper's company, from developing details concerning war stricken countries to local news stories of festivities, mysteries and an bevy of other smaller stories. Truly the world of Ddaear was a big place, with much going on all across it.

And yet Flynn perused through it with his attention firmly focused on searching for something in particular, flicking page after page until he finally found what it was he looking for. A double paged spread. The leaves of newspaper started to ruffle about in Flynn's trembling hands, his eyes widening and jaw slowly starting to drop.

This couldn't be...!

 

[Dannyel]

Arabrasia: The Flying Courage Carriage 8

Rehna grinned. "Menacing Mask is great, isn't it? I'm proud of myself for that one. If you ever want to use it, feel free to!"

"What's bringing you to Cerenis? Family?" he asked.

"Nah, nothing that fun. I'm just one a pick-up run for my boss." She shrugged. "Turned out we needed something made that only the man who trained him could make, and that guy retired to Cerenis! Now, I bet you're wondering why we just couldn't have it shipped - I asked the very same thing!

"Well, Andrew told me it would do some good to see the world and get out of the city I was born in for a change," she said, making air quotes as she did. "I guess it was, I mean I did see the inside of a locomotive! They are really cool! Oh! I'm sorry, but I never asked why you're traveling. I swear, I won't interrupt you."

To seal her promise, she mimed zipping her mouth shut and tossing the key out the window.

 

[Taerinn]

Kabalic City: The Flying Courage - Carriage 8
Rehna, Cadfael

"Turned out we needed something made that only the man who trained him could make, and that guy retired to Cerenis! Now, I bet you're wondering why we just couldn't have it shipped - I asked the very same thing!

"Not at all, in fact--" Cadfael began.

It turned out he had vastly underestimated the length of Rehna's pause, for she barreled right on through to continue her explanation. His eyebrows remained slightly raised throughout her entire story. "Oh! I'm sorry, but I never asked why you're traveling. I swear, I won't interrupt you."

Even with her pantomimed promise, he waited a full fifteen seconds to make sure she meant what she said before he opened his mouth again. "... Same as you, I suppose. The seeing the world thing. Have you really never taken a train before? You must not have, if you're not grumbling like the rest of these people." He jerked his thumb out of the booth. "I can't say I've ever seen a courier so happy about a sixteen-hour round trip."

 

[Cephalogod]

Arabrasia: Kabalic City: The Flying Courage: Carriage No.8

"Pleased to meet you as well, Shiloh." She leaned forward to take his hand in a firm shake. It was rather surprising to hear that he hadn't met any Guilders for a while considering they were usually quite abundant, with a Guild building in most cities and larger towns. Perhaps he was from somewhere smaller? Cashmere eyed him curiously. "If I may ask, where are you from? You sound-"

Guuuuurgle.

She blinked, looked to Domino, blinked again, then looked back to Shiloh. Ah, it was the enigmatic traveler. "It wasn't any bother, just be more careful next time." She tried very hard not to laugh, though the look of amusement was quite clear to see. "If you want me to watch your belongings while you go to get another sandwich, feel free to ask." She wouldn't even charge him this time since he had been so polite.

"And what's a former soldier doing serving food on a train?" It was Domino's turn to be the target of Cashmere's curiosity.

 

[Rexcalibur]

The Flying Courage: Carriage No.8

"If I may ask, where are you from? You sound-"

"Vandrell," Shiloh said, straining a smile. Especially after his stomach went off. "Quite far, from here." He didn't add anything else, so Cashmere offered to watch his belongings. This time Shiloh's smile was much more at ease, though still soft. "You would? Thank you."

The robed young man left his bag on the table and, after politely asking Domino if he could get by, excused himself from the booth to approach another attendant. At this point most of the riders remaining in the same carriage were either waiting for their meals to arrive or were just loitering about eating them. Shiloh stood by and waited for his new sandwich to be delivered, then returned to the booth. But only temporarily.

"Thank you, Miss... Viscountess. Maybe I speak with you again later." Shiloh bowed his head politely to her as he retrieved his paper bag, holding both it and his meal close to his chest. "Um. Goodbye."

Well, farewells were always awkward, weren't they? His face reddened slightly, as he was completely unsure of himself and what he was doing, but nonetheless he decided to leave the two alone and head to his assigned seat. ...If he could remember which direction it was.

After a withheld sneeze finally escaped, Shiloh asked another attendant for which direction Carriage 13 was in and headed there promptly. Every other carriage he asked which number it was, according to his ticket, and the staff politely guided him in the correct direction. (It was crowded, man, anyone could make mistakes.) Eventually he came across his open aisle seat and cautiously sat down - right beside the newspaper-flipping Flynn. Satisfied, Shiloh unwrapped his sammich and began to eat again.

 

[Pachamac]

Arabrasia: Kabalic City: The Flying Courage: Carriage No.13
Flynn, Shiloh

After a short amount of time and difficulty, Shiloh had managed to not only procure himself another sandwich to satiate his gurgling stomach, but find his seat as well all the way down in Carriage No.13. After finding the right carriage and with a helpful directions his seat, the enigmatic, purple robed traveller found just the spot, and settled himself down nicely into the seat, wonderful thoughts poised on just how delicious the sandwich would be.

A shame then, that he'd never get the opportunity to eat it. For just as he was about to take the first bite, an ear piercing shriek erupted from the man sitting down beside him.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Flynn screamed, the man's newspaper dropping down into his lap as his hands shot up to and clutched the sides of his head. In pure shock and horror, Shiloh's sandwich went flying out of his hands. Flynn's scream was noticeably loud, heard as it was all throughout his carriage and those adjacent to it. Those still remaining in the Dining Cart would be able to just barely hear such a strange wail, although would be left unsure on whether or not it was legitimate or something else instead.

"Gods damnit, no!!" Flynn cursed, shaking his head from side to side, his hands still clutching onto his head. "This... this just can't be!"

What on Ddaear could possibly encourage such a reaction from a newspaper?

---

Arabrasia: Kabalic City: The Flying Courage: Carriage No.6
Milia, ???

"Um... hello! How are you? My name's Milia Silverstein. It appears we're going to be travelling together for some time, hmm? It's a pleasure to meet you!" Putting on her best smile, Milia attempted to introduce herself to the short blue haired woman beside, only to discover that... her response was less then emphatic. Or anything at all, really.

No, the blue haired woman didn't say a word or even move to acknowledge Milia's presence. Not a turn of her head or even a flutter of her eyes. Instead, Milia's silent companion continued to rest exactly the same way she did when Milia first noticed her, with her chin resting on her hand and looking out through the window beyond, watching the rolling scenery pass them by. Atop her head were a pair of headphones, music of which Milia could quietly hear emanate out from. If she could hear them, it must have meant the music was very loud indeed.

'She must not hear me...' Milia mused to herself, before resigning herself to a smile and invisible shrug. That was fine, nobody was forced to have to speak to anyone, of course. Instead, Milia renewed her focus in jotting down a few helpful notes down onto her journal, including the two strange men she had met earlier.

 

[Kettlehead]

The Flying Courage, Carriage 8

Domino had gone quite still, eyes wide and hands reaching to hide themselves in his pockets. A Guilder? In the flesh...? It... it was the first time he'd ever encountered one since –

Shiloh murmured a quiet pardon as he slid out of his seat, and with a start, Domino scooted out of his way, his revelry broken. He plastered the familiar smile back onto his face, trying to relax his shoulders. "Sorry – sorry, I'm in the way, aren't I?"

"And what's a former soldier doing serving food on a train?"

Domino turned to face Cashmere again, looking at her with far more scrutiny. A gentlelady, that was for sure – unlike his father in nearly every respect, but now – now he could see the quiet determination behind her eyes.

"Well, um." He reached a hand to scrub his hair out of his face, aware he was growing pink. "T-To be honest, ma'am, erm, I didn't have the money to ride the train with the normal folks, so – so I offered my services as an assistant. I'll only be on the train 'til we touch down in Cerenis." And I'm not a soldier, I was just saying that to impress you. No, no, he'd seem like such a fool in front of her. In front of a real Guilder... Unacceptable!

Shiloh returned, briefly, sandwich in hand, to give his farewells to Cashmere. He barely cast a glance at Domino as he turned to head out of the carriage. Domino watched him disappear into the crowd. A tiny hope was kindling in his chest.

Pausing only to cast a crafty glance at the door to the kitchen backroom, Domino slid into the train seat opposite Cashmere, his face lighting up again into its familiar foolish grin. "But enough about me, right? The mighty Mr. Green doesn't need any introductions, heh! Did you say you were a Guilder just now? A real bona fide Guilder?" He leaned forward eagerly. "Have you been in any battles...?"

 

[Winter]

~"The very worst part of you, was me"~​

~The Flying Courage Carriage 8"~~​

Naomi listened intently as the girl spoke of her home, noting her enthusiasm and fondness she had for it. It wasn't uncommon for people to feel attached and nostalgic towards their homeland, but never the less it was still pleasant to see such emotion. "Your home sounds wonderful, I may have to visit it myself some day" she replied softly, her mind momentarily withdrawing to her own home which was far different than what this young girl had described. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but her home was certainly... different. Naomi looked thoughtful for a moment as she looked to her maps, eyeing the annotations and circled locations briefly before looking back to the girl before her. "You're quite right, I've learned much during my travels and seen things I'd never thought could exist" she said with a small smile.

She reached over and took up a map before placing it between her and the Condesa, flattening it a little as she unfolded it more so she could see more of it. It was full of different annotations and details, different colored markings indicating different things such as danger, friendliness and more. "I started here" she pointed to a city located far to the east, "I've been making my way west for the last few months" she moved her finger across the various routes and lines she;d outlined, indicating she'd traveled quite a way over a reasonable period of time. "Cerenis is my next stop, I'm in anticipation of what I might next see upon my journey" she said, smiling as her eyes returned to Estefania. "Are you a traveler yourself?" she asked curiously, "Or are you merely passing through" once again she found her curiosity peeking.