Pryderi's Arrival!
The raised voices and brash arguments had long since ended in the basement of the Junction. The entire building had an uncomfortable air surrounding it, tension was thick, thick enough that a jackhammer wouldn't be able to get halfway through without needing to swap out the hardware. But even with the anxiety and dismal atmosphere a wave of calm had washed over the inhabitants, pulling each away from their troubles and into a deep sleep. Dust may have collected and tiny animals skittered leaving criss cross patterns across the floor, but at least it was quiet.
The junctions doors were sealed tight, locked up for the night and now into the morning, and the entire place seemed daunting. The anxiety and tension caused most passerbys to hurry along, an uncomfortable tingling starting at the base of their spine and spindling up. However; a select few found that the concrete fortress held a gravitational pull, urging them forward and into the mysterious depths.
Kin was one of these such people to be drawn along. He hadn't even planned to return to the small warehouse after the last events. He didn't know why he was going now, when there was such a strong air of discomfort hanging about. Someone probably just got murdered here is what he thought. Someone got murdered here and now it was going to be just like those horror movies where the beautiful person had to go explore the now-haunted place that was practically in the middle of nowhere. He really, really rather hoped it was one of those comedy movies.
Why was he even up this early in the morning? Shouldn't he be getting his model's beauty rest? Swallowing thickly, the blonde reached for the junction's entrance and tugged. It was locked. With a sigh that momentarily rattled his whole body, Kin relaxed some. Well! Good! Maybe he wasn't meant to go in after all! He could just go home now, right? He could go back to sleep... if he wasn't already dreaming. Turning, the male prepared to hustle back to his car, berating himself for not even changing out of his pajamas. What if someone saw? Not that he looked bad at all but...
Tierra Malyn had been in a slump. Her career as a photographer was slowly and painfully dwindling into nothingness. She let out a sigh as she walked out of her apartment building and stepped onto the pavement. Despite her career woes, she was on a mission on this dismal morning, ever since she received the mysterious ticket; it had been nagging at her. She set out towards the building in question. Anticipation and adrenaline were running through veins as she approach the Junction. The streets themselves seemed to be holding their breath.
Once the Junction was in clear view of Tierra, she noticed another figure standing in front of the door. She as she drew closer, she noticed that he couldn’t get in. She walked up behind him and said, “Hey there, so the door’s locked huh? That kind of sucks. So, what brought you out here at this hour?” Her voice unusually cordial even for her.
Ticket bearers, the both of them, no? It could have been a change in the winds or a simple shadow flicking across the window pane. Whatever this distraction was it was sure to end the idle chatting from outside, or at least give the strangers' conversation another topic to hop on.
Behind Kin a large rumble seemed to be released from the junction followed by a frantic scurry of a small beast. A loud click and then clock resounded throughout the crowded streets and the doors suddenly opened a jar. If they looked closely they could see a fuzzy green tail skitter away into the shadows of the junction.
As he came face to face with a woman, the young man nearly jumped out of his skin. Worse, he almost let out a rather undignified yelp. For only a moment he was as stiff as a piece of gum left in the freezer, his golden eyes widened comically. Then, he relaxed slowly, sighing with relief that it wasn't a face that was bleeding or rotting. And she was asking a coherent question. "Yeah, it's locked," He confirmed, a sheepish smile soon creeping across his well-tanned features. As much as he usually liked to speak with others, he really wanted to get home. Best to close this conversation fast.
"Well, I can't honestly say I had a reason for--" The rumble stopped him mid-speech. He would not have seen the tail, as his back was turned to the door. When he did look back, there was nothing but an empty darkness through the slit, although he could have sworn he'd heard something. A little part of him died on the inside- no more excuses for not going in. It wasn't exactly like he could climb over Tierra and dart away into the safety of his Bentley. No, he had far too much ego for that. So Kin put on a brave front, giving a winning smile to the female. "Well, look at that! It's open now. Will you join me?" Concealing well his jittering nerves, the man moved to open the door and take a step inside.
Tierra was highly amused at the reaction of the man, his face had been priceless. She was relieved that she wasn’t the only standing out side of the building. It’s good to have company, she thought when suddenly there was a loud rumbling. Tierra jumped about a foot at the noise, she wasn’t normally this jumpy, but something about this place put her on edge.
The door was hypnotizing to Tierra, she could only stare at it until Kin brought her out it with a question. “S-s-sure” she said, fear evident in her voice. No stop it, you are not afraid! She scolded herself. Look at Kin! He seems perfectly fine! If he can do it, then so can I!
With each cautious step she took towards the door, her heart accelerated. She finally reached the door, but paused in the threshold. “Do you think it’s safe?” she called out. “I thought I saw something in there.” Her heart was almost crawling out her throat and she was sure that Kin could hear it from where he was in the building. Finally, Tierra swallowed her fears and doubts and entered into the shadows of the building. “Hey, wait up!” she called into the darkness.
The door slowly closed behind Tierra, quietly as to not disturb the visitors. But the shadows did not swallow them. In front of the forayer there was a counter, cluttered with boxes upon papers which were again upon boxes. A lone antique cash register sat at the edge closest to the wall. It was upon a haphazard pile of books that a gentle lamp lit the room, casting a calming glow, or frightening depending on how it is perceived, upon the room. The lantern itself looked out of place. While the rest of the room had a train station theme with the teller's box, trunks piled, blank train tickets littered about, the lamp was more of a lamp one would find on a seaward ship.
The room was silent, relatively given a few creaks and shifts of the building settling. That was until an lonesome tune made its way through a basement door nearby.
"A dog came in the kitchen
And stole a crust of bread.
Then cook up with a ladle
And beat him till he was dead.
Then all the dogs came running
And dug the dog a tomb
And wrote upon the tombstone
For the eyes of the dogs to come..."
The voice itself seemed to beckon the visitors towards the dimly lit staircase leading downwards.
"Safe? I dunno... But I'll watch out for you, okay? It'll be alright." He straightened a little more, shoulders and taut chest becoming somewhat clear through what now seemed a very frail set of blue flannel pajamas. To be honest, he wasn't sure what he and the stranger were getting into, but one thing was for sure. They were supposed to be there. No manner of bitchery from his manager could have called him out here, so this must have been a step up- destiny, maybe.
He tried very hard to ignore the comment about seeing something. He really didn't want to think about it. And when she called for him, the young model was glad to comply, not wanting to be alone either in this strange place. Sure, he had been here once before, but that was when it was all lit up. Admittedly, all the piled boxes were not scary at all, nor the strewn papers. Maybe he was getting a little too worked up about this...
He thought too soon. As the eerie voice crept its way through the dim light, Kin hoped Tierra could not see him shudder. What the HELL was that? Ohhhh not-God. Clearing his throat, the blonde glanced towards his companion. "You can... hold my hand if you're scared." He offered her, clearing his throat with a strangled attempt at nonchalance. That unpleasant song was calling to them and, well, it was probably right they follow now that they were in that far. Glancing once at the other, he slowly began to leave the light of the lamp and follow the sound, thought better of it, and picked up the antique thing. No way he was going down anywhere without some sort of light. Holding it out in front of him like a shield, Kin made to lead the way down the stairs, reaching back for Tierra just in case she wanted to take him up on his offer. He kind of hoped she would.
To her chagrin, Tierra found it sweet how this man she’s only met for a couple minutes was trying to be brave for her. She tired desperately to remember that she doesn’t need a man to make her feel safe, but Tierra could help but to admit to herself that it was nice. Once Tierra’s green eyes had fully adjusted to the change in light, she found herself studying the layout of the room, the cash register, the books, the papers, and the strange lamp that illuminated corners and created shadows. I wish I had my camera was the first thing she thought of when she saw this. Tierra found this to be strange, but she wanted to capture the feeling that this room gave off and show it to the world. She could be in here for hours and still not be able to fully unlock the mystery of this room.
A song floated up from below them and it caused Tierra’s heart to jump. It was sad, but alluring, Tierra desperately ached to find the source of the poignant song. And at the same time, Tierra couldn’t help but smirk at her companion’s reaction to the sudden appearance of the song. “Um, sure, if you want me to.” She said, nervously twirling her auburn hair. She stepped closer to Kin and reached out for his outstretched hand.
They stood at the top of the stairs to the basement, Kin holding the unique lamp. She gripped his hand tighter and glanced over at him. “So are you ready?” She said trying to put as mush bravery in her voice as possible; it ended up coming out high-pitched and squeaky. Tierra inched closer to him, “Come on, it’s now or never.” And they descended into the foreboding staircase.
As soon as the two adventurers hit the landing of the staircase the audible sound of retreating waves echoed throughout the junction. The train tracks were empty and the dull shipyard lanterns shed very little light, creating a pseudo twilight around the enclosed train station.
"Hmm. You two are early." Came a voice who began to hum a resemblance of the tune previously sung. "Things truly do get muddled without Pere here." Another lapse of song, then suddenly the voice cried"Tickets please."
A arm and hand entered the guests fields of vision, and this arm so happened to be attached to a man. He was almost identical in visage to the man who normally resided down here in the junction, but he was somewhat scruffier. He lay back on what appeared to be a capsized boat, built by a kindegartener. His pants were rolled up to mid calf and his feet were bare and covered with sand even though no source of a beach or otherwise sandy place was visible. Hanging upon his bare foot was a precariously perched black bowler's cap. As to who it belonged to, there was little known.
"My name is Johnathan, now quit the staring and the meaningless introductions and hand me the tickets?" The man asked, exasperated, sitting up and flinging the bowler's cap to his hand. Apparently he had a temper.
As they came into the room where there was a little more light, the man gradually loosened up. Hey, maybe this wasn't so bad- maybe they weren't really going to die due to vengeful spirits or otherwise. Sighing quietly, he was about to give a reassuring smile back to Tierra when the voice made him flinch. Hey! There was a man there! Why hadn't he noticed before? And such odd attire... The bowler at least made Kin feel a little more secure in his pajamas- at least THEY were in-style designer models.
So this was the end of the line, right? Ignoring the slow-creeping feeling of embarrassment, Kin untangled his hand from the woman's, assuming he had done his job as a man and looked out for the damsel. Almost childishly, he canted his head down at the man who had introduced himself as Jonathan, a small smile creeping over his handsome features. "Hey now, I know it's the first thing in the morning, but there's no need to be curt, Jon!" He seemed to be musing for a moment before imploring, "Who's Pere? Did he get hurt? In any case, I don't think I have what you're looking for. As you can see, I kinda came out here without really thinking to pick anything up!"
He chuckled, hiding the awkwardness of the situation. That was very much like him, to get more confident when any sane person would have had the sense to shrink a little and try to evaluate limits when it came to this new stranger. He was probably just a little too friendly, but that wasn't necessarily a bad quality, right? Right? As if to emphasize his earlier claim, the man tugged at the fabric of his pajama bottoms, even reaching in and turning out his pockets. That was when it appeared, flickering out onto the open and fluttering on an invisible current of air. A ticket, the ticket. The owner himself looked incredulous, his lips thinned in a delicate display of his bemusement. After all, he could have sworn the last time he'd seen the ticket it had been to keep his place in his pseudo-Bible. Wait. Now he was going to find his place all over again? Did that ticket know how hard it was to find ANYTHING in that book? But there it was, spiraling towards Jonathon, the printed ink glinting in the dim light.
The walk the staircase wasn’t nearly as scary as Tierra had thought it would be. She had been able to loosen her hold on the young man’s hand while they entered a room with sufficient enough light. The sound of the waves kept Tierra’s mind occupied thoughts until a voice brought back into the real world. The voice caused her to take a step back, she wasn’t always comfortable around strangers, and there was something about this man that caused shivers down her spine.
But she did like the hat. Tierra glanced over the man once more and noticed that he was dressed kind of eccentrically, but not that she was one to talk, wearing her mismatched socks and jeans so old that they were practically falling apart while she was wearing them.
Tierra noticed that Kin had let go her hand a while ago and was now talking comfortably with this man who introduced himself as Johnathan. Tierra, on the other hand was highly affronted by his tone of voice. He was asking for the ticket. Might as well give it to him she thought fumbling through her pockets for the aforementioned ticket. “Is this what you want?” Tierra said, finally finding a voice. She held out the ticket and then it was no longer in her hands, but rather heading towards Johnathan.
"My don't we have the drop-ies today. Would you mind not throwing them at me? I find that to be rather offensive." Johnathan sniffed and reached down to grab the two tickets, precious as they were, nonchalantly. "Honestly, handing them to me would have been just as fine. Easier, not requiring me to move much and all."
It was obvious from the start that this man had the utmost pessimistic view on life, but his gravely tone just added to his flavor. He reached up to the bowler cap and flicked it off his head onto the boat. Or rather...shabbily built raft?
Johnathan stretched before walking over to a small shack in the middle of the platform. A dilapidated sign reading '----'s office', nigh unreadable mind you, as he passed he tried pulling on the handle which would simply not budge, knocking on the window which gathered no response and finally shouting.
"Oh Common! Peregrin, you cannot make me do your slavework forever!" He sighed and leaned against the door. "These lumps of baggage continue to pile up and my time spent here without escorting them elsewhere is waste!"
He finally gave a harumph and pushed himself off of the door. "You two, follow me if you're still here. Damn you if you are." He hollered over his shoulder to the two intruders.
With little more than a flick of his wrist at another open walled booth and jab into a drawer, Johnathan pulled out an aged timebook and scrawled something within it.
"I'm ne'er quite goo'at timing'ings and with 'er all pissy'n whutnot. But, I'ssume..." He said through the pen that had made it between his lips until a loud screeching noise penetrated the seemingly enclosed junction. The walls to the left and right of the expanse of railroad track were, well, walls. Physical barricades with no way in or out, yet now there was a rather large and imposingly red steam engine screeching to a halt.
"Sheesh! Always when I'm least expecting it!" Johnathan glared at the opposing object as the train's doors shot open. He took the pen from his mouth and turned his gaze to the newcomers.
"You, Wench." He said indicating Tierra. "Compartment 7, aisle 12, left hand window seat I believe."
"And you, Poofter!" Johnathan turned to Kin. "Same compartment, aisle 13, right behind the other bugger."
"I didn't mean to!" The blonde protested, hmph-ing idly as he made to cross his arms. He hadn't even know he was in possession of the ticket that had somehow snuck into his pajama bottoms. The female seemed much more prepared than he. Twin, golden brows arched as their greeter or sorts began to holler at what looked to him like an empty, locked room. Was someone else supposed to be out there with them now?
"Is everything alright?" He called to Johnathan, curious and eager to be let in on some sort of drama that was apparently going on. Anything could be more interesting this dim, deserted place... Wait. Take that back. There was a train now, chugging forward from absolutely nothing and just about prompting him to jump five feet. Clutching at his heart somewhat dramatically, he glanced to Tierra, wondering if she was seeing the same thing he was. "Is there a train in here?"
And now the guy was saying they had to board it? Oh ho ho ho! He had another thing coming... No he didn't. Kin was in his night clothes, far from his home and town house- he wasn't about to go home with nothing. Weird as it was, he was going to get on. "Poofter! I know you mean that only in the nicest way, John," He told the other man, winking and maybe even waggling his brows a little, playful even though it was still early. Then, after counting the train compartments, he looked to his current companion. "My dear wench, shall we?" He gave her a faint smile, to show that he was joking, before heading off to the seventh car, keeping the number in his head as he cautiously stepped onto the care and glanced down the aisle.
I’m such a klutz, Tierra thought while staring down at her worn out sneakers. A small apology escaped her mouth as the young woman continued to berate herself. She looked up to see Johnathan picking up the dropped tickets. Johnathan was putting her on edge, not only did something about him rub her the wrong way, but now he was yelling at door as if some one else was there. Confusion was only growing in the redhead’s mind.
She heard Kin speak and looked up to see Johnathan fiddling with an old book when suddenly, appearing from what seemed to be complete nothingness, there was a train. Tierra became like a deer in headlights when she saw the train, unable to move, and her mouth wide open in shock. She barely noticed the blonde’s spectacular jump as she thought, “How on earth can there be a train here?”
Then Johnathan’s voice cut though Tierra’s reverie like a butcher’s knife through soft butter. “Did he just call me wench?” her shock quickly turning to resentment. The young redhead was never fond of nicknames in the first place, but this one… She didn’t have much time to stay angry, the strange man had also told her a compartment number. Then she heard Kin’s remark and couldn’t help but to let out a loud peal of laughter, which she tried to cover up by nervously coughing afterwards.
She stared up at the train, debating with herself on whether or not it was worth getting on the train or not when Kin spoke to her. She smiled back at him, “It’s now or never!” She stepped gingerly behind the young man as they entered the train.
he air aboard the trains cabin was thick and heavy with the smell of brine and earth. The two conflicting senses of ocean and land was enough to cause a headache among the two victims of one of Gaia's oddities. The lights seemed to flicker and the floor was soaked in a layer of salt water. The train swayed, as if on the ocean, releasing a moan as bolts and sheets of metal resisted the movement.
Yet, despite the definite feel of being on the open sea, there was another presence. Rooted and earthy. Like fresh spring dirt, the kind that cakes between the toes of some unsuspecting stranger. The tones of green and blue wavered in the air as the two Gaians made their way through the rows of seats.
The twelfth aisle came upon them, the scent of earth was thick. Tiny whispers gathered around the duo, "It will protect you.".
The sight to greet them, a small boy, strawberry blond hair, piercing green eyes and several stones and earth hovering around him lazily. The boy looked a little ruffled, one sock missing and his clothing had a fine layer of dirt and wrinkles lining it. Airily he glanced up, eyes searching Terra's face before a small grin formed on his features. Hands slowly raised towards Tierra.
Behind him, aisle thirteen, resided another small figure. A head of brown curls lean ed against the window, contemplative stature, almost huddled from the cold. The scents had turned form forest to ocean and brine once more. The boy looked up with impossibly blue eyes surrounded by his tan complexion. He broke out in an easy grin, casual and as if he knew his guardian, Kin, from before.
A small whisp of ocean scent and warm air brought a tiny chime "All of that, and even again, just for one more glimpse of that shining tail."
