Ever-lasting train stop

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((put in your favorite characters and we'll see where this is going ))

The snack cart was heavy to push and the hat rested uncomfortably on his head. 'Who actually considers hat a uniform' Sky thought, that gurgling feeling if sickness already set deep down in his stomach and he knew wouldn’t leave until this train would stop.

It was only the beginning of the journey and he already wanted to end it. He squeezed the cart past everyone, bumping a few elbows on his way jerking it forward and grimacing every time he hear the awful sound of the un-oiled hinges on the wheels of the train snack cart squeak. Flipping his hair back and pushing up his glasses Sky came to the empty part of the train. He put the brakes on the cart and peeked cautiously into the cart wondering if he was bothering anyone.

Usually people liked Sky. He reminded parents of the timid child and unsociably informed son they wanted. With his thin long figure, slender limbs and bobbing adams apple and of course his sketch book and variety of pencils which he had strapped a string through the spiral part of the notebook and was now hanging over his shoulder. His dark short unkempt hair whooshed across half his face with just a dot of blonde hair at the tip. He wore skinny jeans some old brown hushpuppy shoes a black T-shirt with a green worn-out jacket hanging over his shoulder. His face was roundish and gentle, his eyes curious from behind squared glasses.

Usually he was mistaken for a very tall 14 year old put Sky had just turned 19. He didn’t especially like his image but he knew he had to live with it.

This old train had always lead to a different place in Sky's opinion. The old rickety seats, dusty carpet, and scents of different herbs and spices could attract anyone to go on the train. Since Sky had started working on the train at the age of 14 everyone had thought at every stop he had gotten off the train and slept at a motel, what with the minimum wage he got as a snack cart driver on a train. But Sky had always stayed on the train. Never gotten off in 5 years.

He hid under a seat when the train was put in the tunnel for the rest of the night at that particular stop, but he always got out his pencils and paper and added a shading or a line to his drawing. He never knew how long that would last but it was a day until the next stop. Maybe today it would be the day that Sky would get off the train.

Shaking his head Sky brought himself back to reality. He was at the back of the train looking out onto the platform. The train jerked forward suddenly and started its slow movement out of the platform.

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((anyone))

[Eris]

The train came, she saw, and slowly came to a halt the moment it reached the station. As soon as the door opened, she took a step back and let the busy men and women board the train, before she does.

It looked nice from the outside, she thought. Everyone around her carried their own white piece of paper called a ticket as they boarded the train. And it was then that she realised she had nothing of the sort with her, save a dagger that she can use to threaten others. But she ditched that idea and decided to not board it.

Still...it's the only way I can get to other places with speed...walking won't help much...

The train jerked forward, and started to move.

She knew she had to make her decision fast. To board or not to board, to board or not to board...

To witness a difference in life or to follow the same routine you've been going through?

The train picked up its pace, and soon it was almost impossible for her to even grab hold of any of the handles to pull herself up. Yet, that did not stop her. She took a step forward, crossing the line between her usual life and the difference in life she could see beyond it. The train was fast now...but she could time herself. As soon as the last train compartment headed her way, she put out her hand.

It's now or never...

She felt something closing in to her. She quickly leaned forward and caught whatever it was...and was suddenly pulled to one side jerkishly. The train moved faster, and she quickly grabbed the handle with her other hand and reeled herself in. Defying the momentum of the train, she flipped herself into a certain landing point and landed there safely.

Sighing in relief, she finally stood up to see herself onboard the train, successfully. But then, there was also another person behind her.

And turned she did...to see a young man standing before her.

Silence. Then she spoke, "Who are you?" Strange as it may, she was still persistent on asking for a stranger's identity.

((I hope that was all right...^_^))

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(yup thats cool, maybe describe how she looks in the course of the next few posts.)

Sky stepped back, suprised by the sudden presence of someone else. He had to admit to himself a while ago he was the sort that was good at human interaction. Blinking a few times and pushing his glasses back up to the ridge of his nose and stuttered.
"Oh...um...I...I'm...I'm Sky." He replied with confusion thick in his voice. He pionted into the direction of the door leading into the more crowded and enclossed area of the train. As he pionted he attempted to say something but nothing came out.
"Are..do-what?...do you have a ticket? Are you looking for someone? Can I offer you a snack?" Sky took a step back and ran everything he had said through his head. Those were the most questions he had asked in one conversation in his life.

He cocked his head to one side and quickly the scene of the girl jumping onto the train which he didnt think he had ever seen sprang inside his head. His emerald green eyes flashed before he blinked again. Obviously confused.

[Eris]

She studied him from top to bottom, as though seeing him for the first time. It has been a very long while since she had interacted with someone else before. And he was, perhaps after a few months, the first.

"Ticket?" she cocked her head to one side, and then it hit her. 'Ticket' was that white piece of paper that those people carried. And she didn't have one. "Am I not allowed without that then?" her voice came out fluent, but her tone didn't seem to match. She wondered if he got the message clearly.

The wind made her black trenchcoat flutter furiously, revealing the bandages she wore to cover her nakedness inside. It was not that she was hurt. She simply thought that it was easier to be using those instead of normal shirts. After all, she never really bothered about her gender when it comes to talking to others. Her long hair silver blonde hair was a wild mess, flailing wildly with the winds. But despite all that, she couldn't be bothered the least.

What matters now is whether this person is going to harm her if she had no tickets or not. It sounded quite important to her.

"I...don't have...'tickets'..." she said it as though it was a new word to her.

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Sky, afraid a bit that her clothes would come completely off before he got another word in, pushed her into the train. He slid the door open to a room on the train where he kept his snack cart and closed the door. Sky thought for a moment about what he had just done. He had just snuck someone who was not aloud to be on this train, ON THIS TRAIN. His palms became sweaty and his glasses were at the tip of his nose.

"Yah...yo...you need a ticket," He hissed urgently. "Why are you on this train anyway?" He said pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. Why did he have such a great interest in this person? Sky was past confusion and on the bridge of panic. He calmed himself and took a deep breath. Before he new it he was paceing the room trying to think of what to do. He bit his lip and looked at her again studying her.

Then he heard foot steps coming down the corridor. They were heavy and slow and sounded like something not very fortunate was coming. The foot steps told everything about that particular person you'd need to know. oh god... Sky thought.

"SKY!!! get those snacks out there now! Where you day dreaming again! I dont pay you to do that now go!" The loud voice boomed down the corridor with a thick, heavy, stinky french accent.

"One moment!" Sky yelled back panic rising in his voice.

"What is taking you so long boy! I'm comin in there!" Soon the heavy foot steps where coming closer and closer.

"You cant be here!" Sky hissed to the girl.He took the girl and shoved her behind his big snack cart.

Then a voice came on over the intercome but was so muffled it was hard to understand. All Sky could hear was a silent alarm in his head that blared out so he couldnt hear anything else, until the big foot steps, responding to the intercome, slowly faided away.

[Eris]

She was pushed in all of a sudden after she told him that she had no 'tickets'. It seemed so alien to her, that particular word. When was the last time she took a public transport? No, there were no public transport during that era. They either walk, or travel astride a horse. For the rich ones, they would travel by carriage.

Her red eyes noted the sweaty palms of his; he was nervous. Was he or was there another intention hidden within that innocent face of his? Was he an enemy? Was he someone who was going to do harm to her? All these question spun in her head, confusing her...yet, at the same time, it made her want to know him even more. Despite her nature to avoid other people, she was still part human and had that particular sense called 'curiousity' instilled in her very senses.

He asked her, but most of them only passed through her ears and went out the other way. However, she caught the message he was trying to pass to her. "Train...why?" she looked out for a moment and turned back to him, "I want to go somewhere, but unlike those people there-" she lifted a hand and pointed at those finely dressed men and women sitting inside, "I have no destination. But still...I want to change..." her last few words made it seem as though she was talking to herself.

But just as she was about to say more, her ears perched up and caught the heavy footsteps approaching to where they are...followed a loud booming voice that yelled this young man's name. But after another muffled voice sounded, those heavy footsteps soon faded away till she heard no more.

She looked at him, blinking her eyes; "Why can't I be here?" she asked softly, "Is it wrong for me to be here?" she leaned closer to him, "Will I be punished for going onboard without a 'ticket'?"

There was a brief silence, and then...she felt her stomach grumbled; she was hungry. This young man, Sky, had asked if she wanted a snack or not before all these happened. Curiously, she went to the cart and pinned her ear to it, lifting her hand to knock on its wooden frame.

"There is food in here," she said, and proceeded to looking for way to take it apart.

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Sky let out a long exhale of releif. His back slumped over and he placed his hand on his heaving chest. He looked at the girl curiously, cocking his head to one side. Why was it that she had little idea about the simple consept such as a ticket.
"Well...yes, you can not be on this train without a 'ticket." Sky replied awkwardly. He listened to her intently with a lot of interest as she explained about the other people on the train and how she didn't exactly know where she was going, but she knew why.

Sky's mind was bursting with confusion and crammed with worries. He knew he couldn't turn her in because he would be the one caught red handed. It would look as if he had brought her on illegaly, he thought urgently.

Through all the tangled confusion his mind was filled with he suddently saw a scene play out in his mind. The images were a little foggy and blurred but he managed to catch it. In the scene he was looking at his watch. It was the end of the last hour he was in charge of the cart. Walking into his room which he was actually in right now, he found the stranger he had just met lying on one of the benches sleeping peacefully. She looked serin he thought, with a chocolate candy bar wrapper in her hand. The he was sitting in the bench across from her his sketching book open. He slowly started to draw her figure the outline. Whe he was done with that he took out his charcoal and slowly smeared the details on the page making it look smokey and classy.

Suddenly his mind let go of the scene and he snapped back to reality. He blinked and but his hand on his forehead massaging his eyebrows. He looked back up at her.
"How did you know there was food in there?- I mean would you like anything?- I mean-wait yes there is." he questioned and answered her all at the same time keeping his voice a little low. He was still a bit paranoid.

[Eris]

She turned to look at him for a moment, and caught his voice. Of course she knew there was food, she did smell it...or did she? Her ears perched up the moment her knocking fingers knocked on something that sounded rather hollow. Turning back to the cart, she then proceeded to open it, pulling from every part of the cart. There was a small cleavage there, she noticed, and quickly, her prying fingers went to that particular part and pulled it open.

Food appeared before her very eyes.

"Hungry," she muttered and snatched one of the chocolate bars.

She turned her back on him as she stood up and tried to open the wrapper. But after trying for so long, the wrapper still remained stubborn to let her consume the chocolate in it.

Sighing softly, she turned back to Sky and looked at him for a moment. Then she approached him, handing him the chocolate, "I want it, please open it for me," she asked, her voice sounded monotone but in truth, she spoke the way she had so often spoken when she conversed with others. But the thing is, she hardly spoke to anyone before.

Most would confuse her age due to her mentality, but she had been like this ever since the longest she can remember. Socializing was never a part of her life as she often secluded herself. The people feared her as she feared them, and confrontations often led to a bad ending. Since then, she never spoke to people the same way.

But somehow, this young man here changed her perception of people, or to be more exact, humans. He had a certain sincerity in him, and she was able to open up a little bit to him. And opening up, to her, is to talk more than a single word.

The whole issue about her getting onboard a train without a ticket has made her want to inquire more about this. "Why do you need tickets for? It's just a piece of paper...just a small piece of paper. Insignificant...short-lived...fragile..." she left her words hanging.

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((ok sorry but I'm gunna start having short replies soon cause I am Uber busy...sowwy))

Sky sighed and decided there was no point in reporting this to anyone. He took and candybar and unwrapped it, then handed it to her. Maybe she could pass as his partner in the snack cart business. Taking off his jacket and pushing up his glasses to the ridge of his nose he asnwered her politley before closing his snack cart.
"Well yes...people need the tickets because they cost money. And to get from place to place people need money in this world. Well maybe you dont but thats what his world has come to. Like a rat race dont you think? I mean know peaces of paper represent money and thats what people live for, money I mean." He found himself going on and on about this then suddenly he stopped a blushed a bit before sighing again and looking down at his sketch book.

[Eris]

((Ookays...=( I'll wait for ya! ^-^))

She listened attentively while munching on her chocolate bar. It tasted good, she realised, and this made her smile a little. It has been a while since she tasted sweet things.

"What a sad life human live by nowadays..." she said softly, "Little pieces of green paper now governs the life of these humans...how sad. To think that they had once lived in lores, stories, myths and legends..." sighing softly, she turned to him, "I don't think they do that anymore, do they?"

Her eyes caught the sketch book in his hand and she quickly squatted down to look at it closely. Smiling at the sight of it, she poked it with her finger and giggled a little.

"You're an artist?" she looked up at him, "Do you draw? What do you draw? What kind of pictures? What sort of things? What kind of wonders?"

Pictures had often fascinated her for she always believed that they convey a significant message to those who look upon them. And she sees them everywhere; on the floor, on the wall, or even on the face of a particular person. She could see one too on Sky's face, but it was a little hard for her to interpret that particular picture.

"Do you draw lots pictures with your face too?" what she meant here was whether or not he wears a 'mask' on his face all the time.

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Sky smiled warmly at her. He was thinking he could get used to the idea of teaching someone a new way to look at this rusty old train. But most importantly he was glad to have someone to listen to him after all this time.

He had finally settled that either this was one oblivious trauma stricken human or someone of another species. If it fact it was some other half human, Sky considered that he wasn't that amazed. Curiosity of course had got the better half of him.
"I'm not sure...humans is legends and myths?" He said awkwardly cocking his head to one side. "I'm sure at one piont we seemed unreal...but as far as I know this is the only way I have seen life being governed for as long as I've lived."

Sky grinned modestly at her mentioning of his notebook. "Yes I do draw. I draw anything I feel like, anything that intrested me or anything that forms its figure in my mind. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember." He pushed his glasses further up his nose and sat down. He gestured for her to come sit next to him smiling invitedly. "Wanna see?" He asked cheerfully. He was puzzled at her last question shaking his head a little his eyes showed confusion. But he was way to eager to show someone his portraits to pay attention to her odd questions.

[Eris]

((oblivious trauma stricken human? *sobs* XD))

She accepted his invitation and seated herself next to him, her eager eyes looking at the sketch book curiously.

"Drawing with feelings..." she smiled at it and quickly finishes the chocolate bar, "Wonders...such wonders..."

She raised one hand in the air and started tracing something unseeable. She was merely following what he had just said, 'drawing with feelings'. Her fingers traced the air till she realised something; she could not see it with her naked eyes, but she could 'see' it with her mind and heart. That was something she had always been doing, but to show it to him would be a bit too...difficult, seeing that every mind has its own individual thoughts.

She finally rested her hand at one side and turns to look at him, then to his sketch book. Her eyes grew big in interest. "I draw pictures with my face too," she said it absent-mindedly, smiling as her fingers touched the cover of the sketch book, "Humans don't see it though, because their faces are filled with other pictures...frozen pictures that soon turned to masks. It hurts to see them that way...because their real faces contorts in pain,"

Turning away from the sketch book, her eyes went to the floor as she hugged both of her knees tightly and rocked herself back and forth, "They don't know how painful they feel..." she then stopped and looked at him, "You have a picture too, on your face...right there," she lifted a finger and pointed at his glasses, "That's your 'picture'," her lips curled up into a smile.

She sat up straight again and leaned closer to him to get a better view of the wonders that lie from behind the cover of the sketch book, "I want to see what you've managed to capture in this book...the wonders...the unseeable...the significant," she said it eagerly, "I want to see them all..."

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He turned to her fully listening with interest. This was definitley unusual and confused he had to say but also very interesting. He smiled at the thought that the only great wonder he had in this book was that one picture of the broken down train and the woman in the red scarf next to it. It was the only picture he had in color, he was most proud of that. When he had drawn it, her scarf was billowing in the wind and little strands of her dark midnight black hair fell from the tight bun that rested at the back of her head.

He was thinking of that very picture as she seemed to be sketching something in the air. His mouth was open a little and he snapped it shut as she turned her attention back to him.

Sky reached up to his glasses where she pionted and gentley removed them from his nose and held it up to the light, as if he was looking to see if there was any dust on them. Then he rubbed the lenses between the bottom of his worn out T-shirt and turned back to her.
"Do you really see humans in such pain? I mean, well some people seem to be perfectly happy but of course you can never tell. I geuss your right, everyone has something that pains them otherwise they wouldn't be hu-" He was about to say human but took it back. Quickly he smiled pleasantly enough and looked at his sketchbook. He ran his hand along the smooth colorless cover and opened the top turning to the first page where he had drawn his uniformal had hanging from a coat hanger. The lines were smokey and deep and the picture was black and white except for a gold button on top of the hat.

"It was my first day at work." Sky mummbled a slight smirk on his face. His tiny signature was at the corner of the page and he traced it with his fingure.
"Well?" He turned back to her "What do you think?"

[Eris]

Her eyes widen in curiosity at his words, not fully completing the words he had just said. She did realised that he was about to say 'human' at the end of it, but she was a little surprised at his hesitant on not wanting to complete his sentences. Was there something wrong with saying such a word? Not that she would be offended or anything, but she was part human. Her other part, however, remains unknown to even herself. Except...perhaps, that strange voice in her head that had saved her a couple of times before. It might know something...

She turned her attention to his sketch book and watched it closely as he flipped to the first page. The picture stood there before her, and after explaining it to her, she grew even more curious and proceeded to touch it.

Smooth, she felt with her fingers. She touched it carefully, not wanting to make any unecessary smudges to change the way it was drawn and shaded. Despite the fact that it was entirely out of black and white, her eyes could somehow see it as 'colours'. They were a strange set of colours, one she could never really explain with words, for they keep changing and altering to their heart's desire. But there was a certain symmetry that goes along with the change of 'colours'.

"Colourful..." she said it, her voice so soft that it was almost to the point of inaudible; "Colourful colours of the past...it's bright."

Her eyes then noted the gold button, the only part that was coloured in the picture. This, she found weird. Although the rest of the so-called 'colours' of the pictures moved, this gold button was the only one that remained in its place, not wanting to move along with its neighbours. She cocked her head sideways and peered at it even more closely.

"The button...its 'colour' is not moving," she said, her fingers moving towards the gold button on the picture, "Was it because...it is something you didn't want to change? Something that you want it to remain? Was that why you coloured it and let it not 'colour' itself?" she asked, hoping he got her message. She knew her questions are always strange and people often chose to ignore her strangely arranged words. But this person here, he seemed different. She could somehow see that he would understand.

He should be able to...he could 'see' and 'draw with feelings'...surely he would understand...