Welcome to Gaia! ::

Prajna's attention was redirected from the glamorous black and blue horizon to the moonlit shadows being thrown around the rambunctious freight cart, its twinkling eyes struggling to meet up with Basil's pitch black orbs. Because of the original lack of attention, Prajna was only able to recognize what sounded like uncertain shuffling, exhaustion. From what rustling the Star had heard under the roar of the wheels along the train tracks, it sounded like Basil had planted himself, or perhaps threw himself to the mercy of the cold, rusted floor in tiredness. This idea made Prajna raise a slight brow of concern, and after moments of uneasy silence between them, Prajna's concern quickly mirrored the increasing speed of the train, coming to the point in which it had raised a hand to try and reach out to Basil, feel him out in the shadows, but then the Cobra came back to consciousness, came back to reality. Came back.

From wherever he was and spat out words as if he was in a meticulous but lighthearted explanation the entire time. Not freaking Prajna out with each passing second. Prajna was about to reprimand the shadowy Frei for what it believed to be a trick, when Basil ended his explanation with, "If I were smarter, people would like us more. .... and I could do lots of things that other people do. The way you do."

This instantly triggered a deep blush to flood Prajna's porcelain cheeks. This was a compliment, right? This wasn't like anything any one else had told Prajna. Of course it was beautiful, handsome, perfect but rarely did someone ELSE note its intelligence. Its smaller traits. The ones used for mischief making and games. Prajna didn't know what to do, what to say. Basil... really wasn't so bad.

That's when the Star looked down and saw the snake's pale fingertips. Its eyes then trickled to his heavy winter clothing and then back to its own, lightweight autumn apparel. Was Basil... It was night and winter was quickly approaching. Prajna wondered what exactly Basil was made of... Either way, suddenly, the yearning came back and Prajna recognized it this time. It had gained familiarity by now.

Extending both of its slender arms, Prajna pulled Basil into a tight embrace. This was the least the Star could do right? Basil was so cold and, though the Star wasn't much warmer by nature as well, for some reason... this was the only thing the androgynous soul felt was appropriate. This was the yearning. To be wanted, to be accepted.

The silence was almost as deafening as the rattling of other cable cars' chains and windows, the shrieking of the wheels against the iron rails. It was so loud that Prajna begged for Basil to make some kind of absurd noise as had become expected of him within the last few hours, anything to break the awkwardness in the air but instead, it seemed the dark figure reciprocated Prajna's feelings. As Basil's tense muscular arms wrapped themselves around Prajna's slender frame, minding the Star's coal-colored wings, perhaps even using them for some warmth, and rested his head on Prajna's, like a child exhausted from a long day, the Star could not help but feel an unfamiliar fluttering feeling in its chest. It wasn't the "butterflies" Namini said Prajna had probably experienced with Vyn and it wasn't like the "electricity" David said Prajna had with Varun. It was something like...

Images of stray felines, adults and kittens, Prajna had played with and fed over the course of the last few years instantly popped into the Frei's head, making the Star give a little "oh!" with recognition. So that's what Basil reminded it of. Smiling a bit, Prajna removed one delicate hand from Basil's half developed back and reached up to stroke his hair, imaging him to be like another stray cat. A black one! A misunderstood black kitten. This image made the older redhead smile even wider and Prajna was about to tell Basil that he should just go to sleep until one of the boxes from one end of the freight cart flew into a smaller pile of boxes, creating a light fluttering sound, as if the two had been surrounded momentarily by paper birds.

Prajna jumped in Basil's arms, taken aback by the sudden noise, its heart racing against its chest, but was soon able to recompose itself... That was until it returned its attention back to the Cobra's features and instead of seeing the peaceful face of sleep Prajna had wanted to see, it was met with a sudden wide-eyed stare. With his hair acting as a dark curtain over his eyes, and the moonlight being momentarily blocked out by clouds, Prajna could not resist a scream.

Basil's face at that moment had suddenly reminded the Flame too much of all the horror movies it stayed up to watch when Namini and David went to sleep.

After Prajna's damsel-in-distress scream, the Flame watched in amazement at how well Basil received the situation; he didn't flinch, he just reacted protectively, releasing Prajna only to confront whatever in the darkness had scared it, though Basil was unaware how he was the source of momentary terror. Prajna continued to keep that to itself as Basil seemed to slither forward and away from the Star, investigating meticulously the rest of the cart and its components, hidden or revealed, but eventually the Snake returned empty handed. Obviously. Prajna thought Basil would just return back to resting but it seemed the seed of mischief Prajna had planted in him was still blossoming.

The redhaired Frei watched as Basil floated on out to the "door" they had entered, seemingly unsatisfied with the night so far. Suddenly Prajna watched as he noisily ripped at the metallic wall and pushed them into full exposure of the midnight air and moonlight's embrace. Prajna had to cover its ears to block out that awful noise of metal scratching against metal but then it saw Basil's mouth moving. What was he saying? Freeze. Different. How?

Prajna tried to think but it was difficult to concentrate with all the noise. Had there been something it had overlooked when they entered the cart? Prajna tried to think and all it could yell back in response, after moments of deep thought, were, "Look for door! Real door! No metal walls! Door can take us to a different one, Prajna thinks."

Doors to Prajna, were everything. They were possibility themselves.

Prajna was still adjusting to the ever shifting darkness and saw Basil's silhouette grope one of the remaining metal walls of their freight cart. His facial features couldn't be made out too well, but what Prajna knew of body language, the Star got the notion that the Cobra was struggling a bit to find the door it had suggested moments ago. Prajna began to feel around the floor, immediately recognizing that the chances of them finding a door was very low, and, if they did manage to find one, the likelihood of it possessing some kind of lock, like the ones Prajna had seen Namini put on her bike or the ones David has explained to be put on lockERS, would be very high. As the redhead extended its palms and floated close to the grooved floor beneath it, soft but ominous -thud!-s began to echo off of the walls. Prajna turned around and squinted in the darkness again; it looked like Basil was throwing all of his body weight, which, for either of them, really wasn't a lot, at the door.

Prajna skimmed across the floor faster, in hopes of being able to contribute to the "adventure." A few cardboard boxes fluttered about and hit the Star on the head, shoulders, sometimes on the wings, causing all sorts of distractions, but then Prajna found it, something oddly shaped but heavy among the straw. With no idea what it was, Prajna picked up the rusted wrench and headed towards Basil's side, the wrench dragging along the floor, creating a terrrrriiibbbbllleeeee clanking-skidding noise. The Star wished at that moment it was dead, the noise was so awful and loud, but it would be too much of an energy waste to carry it across the cart and then swing it. Prajna let out a shaking breath when it reached Basil and the door, the cold air making its hands numb and tingly. The shadowy Frei seemed to be, painfully, clutching his shoulder and Prajna immediately felt overwhelmed with concern, though it decided, perhaps now was not the best time for sympathy. It faced the door and sternly told its companion, "Watch out."

Suddenly Prajna took both hands, tightened them around the wrench's handle, and then lifted it quickly above its head and brought it down like an axe, chopping/banging against the padlock on the door. An unruly clank interrupted the sharp whistling of the air and Prajna knitted its brow together when it saw that it had left a small dent on the lock but would probably need another, more powerful blow to do any kind of real damage. Prajna winced as it gripped the wrench again and swung at the padlock from the side, hoping this would be enough as the Frei was not very strong and its magic would do little good here...

"Let me try something!" had to be the four most beautiful words Prajna could ever hear at that moment. Instantly, the Frei moved aside and collapsed in the corner, its arms exhausted. It wasn't made for brute strength. It was barely made for anything aside from intellectual strength, but Prajna felt satisfied knowing it tried. That's when Basil took center stage and the Star tiredly watched its companion have another go, the twilit blues watching the Cobra's shoulder carefully, making sure nothing got over exterted or perhaps ...removed? Prajna wondered a bit on how much it would take to rip off an individual's arm, or perhaps, how much it would take to rip off a human's arm compared to a Raevan's... In its short moment of morbid distraction, Basil prepared himself for another go, unlike Prajna, without the assistance of the forsaken wrench, which now laid at Prajna's side, unwanted and abandoned. But soon, then was a rumble. A rumble and a grumble and Prajna felt the cart vibrating a little bit more than before, as if there was a small earthquake that wanted in on the scrambling of the two Freis in their rusty old freight cart.

The redhead grew uneasy, a bead of cold sweat glistening down its pale forehead when it looked up and noticed the intense look of concentration on Basil's face. Prajna was dumbfounded for a moment, then as it grew a bit impressed, about to praise him, it came. A series of warped sound waves. It made Prajna feel like it was underwater, hearing the contorted voices of other people or passing cars, the muffled wind or distant splash. Ugh, it made the Star's head spin and caused such distortion that Prajna had to plant itself against the wall, like some kind of crimson growing vine, its fingers firmly planted. Basil was making this happen? The sensation seemed to make Prajna's mouth, even, feel odd, as if its tongue had fattened and it needed something to drink. But just as quickly as the odd power presented itself, it disappeared and Prajna found itself listening to the familiar ratatatatatatata of the train's wheels gliding violently against the tracks.

Prajna looked at the door. Impressive. The Star tried to hide its awe as it noticed the door was no longer locked, no longer really in place for that matter, but hanging ajar, openly exposing the fancier cart in front of them. Basil, proud of his work and quick to move, was already hopping over the chained, clanking hinge connecting the freight cart to the dining car. Prajna seemed to pout as it pushed itself out of its pitiful position against the wall and followed suit. It was going to have to teach this magical ninja that he wasn't going to be allowed to leave Prajna behind all the time!

That's when the redhead opened the door to the next cart and felt its irritation melt away with the unfamiliar heat. Had someone been sleeping in the cart, perhaps they would have been slightly uncomfortable with the temperature, a few beads of sweat on their forehead as they snored, but for two individuals who had been suffering the whipping, roaring wind and night air outside? This was paradise. Prajna tied its hair back up, trying to groom it into a more presentable manner as it glanced around the room. It was stunning... though, anything could have looked better than the damp old box they had just escaped from. Prajna pushed past Basil and ran its hands across the tops of some of the empty seats; how nice they were to feel, like soft kittens or a freshly dried blanket... That's when Prajna wondered. Floating a little higher, it began to peek over the seats into the overhead compartments, seemingly looking for---

A small "oh!" escaped the Star's lips and suddenly the next thing Basil knew was Prajna throwing a small blanket at him. It smiled, "In case we get cold again."

Prajna watched with mild disappointment at Basil's seemingly half-hearted acceptance of the blanket and swayed on past it, the blanket just barely hanging off his shoulders like some kind of pitiful cape. Prajna was a bit too tired to argue but it did not lack the energy to pout, which it did as it watched with curiosity as Basil explored the room on his own a bit. The Star noted his accidental attachment to the tablecloth and then the noisy pull of tablecloth and candle holder off of the table and onto the floor, but the thuds and bumps were no noisier than footsteps and so the redhead minded very little. It did float over though, once Basil had released his fabric prisoner, and place everything carefully back onto the table; if they were caught later, Prajna wanted there to be as little evidence as possible. During this moment of careful re-positioning of the utensils and tablecloth, Prajna remained ignorant of Basil's wandering gaze and his entrance into the small kitchenette at the front of the cable car.

It was not until Prajna had taken a step back to admire its work that there came a loud yelp-like noise and the Star turned its attention back to its companion.

"Basil? Basil, what are.." Prajna's voice faded off as it watched the Cobra stumble out of the shadows of the chrome corner and somewhat crumbled into the floor, spoons spilling from his pocket. Then, Prajna realized, Basil stopped moving. Prajna let this go on for a few moments, wondering if this was some kind of trap or game, but when the dark haired Frei remained motionless, like a scaly statue, the Inverted Flame thought perhaps it was time to act. Extending a delicate, pale hand to Basil's shoulder, Prajna tried to shake him gently awake, "Basil is sleeping? Basil. Basil. Wake up. Spoonses are not Basil's either."

Prajna picked up some of the fallen spoons and waved them, scolding, at Basil.

"Basil. Prajna needs Basil putting spoonses back in their places, yes, okay, Basil?"

Prajna had scrunched its nose, as if smelling something exotically disgusting, when Basil had mentioned flies; Prajna had past experience with those horrible, terrible bugs some times when Namini or David was away. They would buzz and bother the Frei so terribly, it thought its head would explode and yet... Prajna examined the room and found none. Perhaps the flies were just bothering Basil? Weaving too closely to him for the Star to hear their mentally destructive bzzzzing? The redhead glanced the Cobra over once more, ignoring the metallic halo around his stiffened torso, and was surprised to see Basil's hair no longer cloaked by the reptilian hood he kept pulling over as if to shield his dark eyes from the world. Prajna was about to point this out, in hopes of surprising the younger Frei back into a more... friendly? state of mind, when it found itself being apologized to.

"Sorry."

The Star was taken aback. It usually took a lot more fighting to get anyone to respect the androgynous soul that quickly; David would have pouted or cursed under his breath. Varun would probably have hissed in discontent. Some others, Prajna imagined, would have at least given it a stern, disapproving frown. But Basil had said but one or two words then backtracked. Apologized. Prajna was in awe and wanted this feeling of admiration to linger, so when Basil graciously gathered then pushed the utensils over to the Star, it nodded in understanding and acceptance.

"Will do." Prajna noted, scooping up as many of the silvery spoons and forks as it could, before floating into the kitchenette. Upon entering the chrome wonderland, the Star was impressed by the smoothness of everything, never having seen so much metal in its life. But there also seemed to be countless drawers. Too many for the Star to want to deal with. Closing its eyes in preparedness, waiting for the horrible clanking noises, Prajna then, lazily, dropped all the utensils into a nearby sink and returned to Basil's side, smiling. " Basil wants to go adventure more? There is places probably one or two more that Basil and Prajna can probably go look around."

Prajna had given Basil any necessary space he could have needed to recompose himself as it peeked out through the small window of the end of their nighttime carriage. The train had gone over a bumpy patch at that moment, and Prajna felt itself thrown against the smooth glass, letting out a yelp of pain when its pale forehead made contact with the window. Rubbing the spot in a mixture of pain and irritation, suddenly the redheaded Star found a light being shown directly into its clear eyes. It jumped back from the door, still wincing from the pain, confused, to see two men in uniform, one waving a flashlight, in the next cart, pointing through the window at the odd duo. The Star didn't need to hear the words they were trying to say to figure out that they had been caught.

Turning to its dark haired companion, Prajna was about to suggest they make a "run" for it but found itself staring into the Basil's tanned face, his features scrunched up in either pain or tiredness. Prajna looked back at the men who were now opening the doors and walking towards them, a stern expression on each man's face. What to do? What to do? Prajna's first instinct was to fight but Basil did not seem to have the energy to escape, and Prajna wasn't very confident in its ability to guard Basil and find some way around the guards.

"We thought we heard something in these back carts. What are you kids doing here?" one of the men asked, glancing the mysterious Freis over. Were they some kind of thieves?

Prajna "knelt" beside Basil and stuck its rude little tongue out at the guards, defiant as ever. The men were a bit surprised by the Star's unexpected boldness and then turned to one another. "I guess we'll just have to deal with them when we reach the station," the man with the flashlight murmured before turning his light back to Prajna's face. "Which station did you two board on? Durem was our last stop. Are you from Durem, kids?"

Prajna frowned, its cheeks reddening with shame as it pouted, "Perhaps."