<El-Cideon> The dining car is much as you left it: the strange man is still sitting at his table, attention returned to his newspaper. The statue is not in evidence. There are a few more people in the car now than before; a couple of the soldiers from yesterday lounge at a table in the corner, smoking and talking amongst themselves. Whitney is also still at her table.
* Nadia_Chekova goes over to rejoin Whitney, close enough at hand if Yomi's contact with the scary demon turns sour but not forcing her presence on him a second time after the somewhat strange conversation they had before.
<El-Cideon> "Dare I ask what that strange scene all about?" Whitney says upon Nadia's return./
<Yomi> Drawing confidence from Rena and Nadia's presence, Yomi approaches the table taken by the strongest demon she had ever laid eyes upon, pausing just short of it. "Is this seat taken?" she asks, indicating the one opposite him.
<El-Cideon> He looks up, expression flat. "No. Go ahead, comrade."
* Nadia_Chekova can afford to give a slightly better explanation than last time, at least. "Yomi was somewhat taken by the idea that the man over there would appreciate receiving a token from her, but was too shy to approach him directly nor have me indicate who the gift came from. But now that he has accepted it, she feels brave enough to approach him openly," she explains pleasantly. "The Japanese do have the most interesting customs, don't they?"
* Yomi nods, sitting down. "Thank you, comrade. Are you also traveling to Moscow?"
<El-Cideon> "Ahh," the American says knowingly. "Well, he's not bad-looking, if a bit...rough and utilitarian, you know? Your friend has curious taste in gifts though, doesn't she?"
<El-Cideon> "Yes," the man says, in his provincial-sounding Russian. His voice is deep and rich. "To study methods of administration of our great socialist neighbors."
<El-Cideon> Rena takes a seat next to Yomi, just watching the two of you silently.
<Nadia_Chekova> "She's not a traditional woman... or at least, the traditions she follows are a little bit out of step," Nadia nods. "But she's a very good friend to have, and such eccentricities only make her more interesting company."
<Yomi> "Our neighbors?" Yomi asks curiously. "Then you come from one of the neighboring lands as well?"
<El-Cideon> "Well, we're all permitted a few oddities," Whitney says. "The world wouldn't be much fun if everyone thought and acted alike, now would it? She is feeling better now, I take it? She seemed very disturbed for a moment there. Just swooning, then?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "I believe so, yes," Nadia nods, glancing over at them to ensure all is well. "She's ordinarily very brave and forthright, too!"
<El-Cideon> The man nods. "Yes. I am representing the glorious socialist republic of Mongolia. We coordinate with our Russian brothers in many things since our revolution."
<El-Cideon> "Well, being brave in adversity and brave in the face of love are two different things," whitney says.
* Nadia_Chekova nods. "Still, she seems to have recovered admirably."
<Yomi> "That makes me just a novice, compared to you," Yomi admits. In more ways than one, too. "Not just someone so experienced, but an official representative at that? Frankly, I am in awe."
<El-Cideon> "I am merely performing my humble duty to the revolution, as any responsible socialist would do," the man says. "And from where do you hail?"
<El-Cideon> Whitney nods as well. "Yes. So tell me, have you had your eye on anyone? An intelligent young woman such as yourself must have many suitors."
* Yomi sighs quietly. "From further east. I left my homeland and its imperialistic ways behind, in hopes of learning more. My eyes were opened to a great many things wrong with the land of my birth, and so I found myself here. Was that the same for you, I wonder? Or were you one of those who brought the change to Mongolia?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Not of late, with all the travelling I do," Nadia admits. "Aside from a nice evening spent with a British officer in Palestine last month, anyway. Rena seems to draw most of the luck in that field to herself."
<El-Cideon> "I fought to oust the Chinese and bring about our revolution," the man says. "Just as a humble soldier, no one of importance. I must advise you to hold tight to your beliefs while here. There is much suspicion for those of eastern origin at present. I should not need to tell you why."
<El-Cideon> "She is very...picturesque, isn't she?" Whitney says.
<Yomi> "I understand," Yomi responds. "It is regrettable, but I have to downplay my origins until I can prove my credentials, in a sense."
* Nadia_Chekova laughs at the phrasing. "Were I a lesser woman I might be inclined to jealousy, but she's a good friend and often need the guidance of a more experienced hand," she observes. "She's from Germany, have you ever visited there in your travels?" latching onto the chance given, she tries to steer the conversation in a manner that might broach Ivo once more.
<El-Cideon> "I am sure your hard work will be rewarded if you are sufficiently committed," he says. "This has always been my experience."
<El-Cideon> "Oh, I've been all over Europe," Whitney says. "The benefit of having little in the way of responsibilities. I suppose I'm spoiled."
<Yomi> "No one has ever accused me of a lack of committment to my ideals, at least," Yomi agrees, finding herself able to finally smile.
<El-Cideon> Rena nods in confirmation. "No one can stop Yomi from doing what she believes is right."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Of course, Germany is not such a pleasant place of late," Nadia admits, undeterred by the evasive answer. "Unless something is done about the Fascists, it could benefit from a bit of Revolution more than any country I can think of."
<El-Cideon> "Oh, of course, please forgive me for not introducing myself," the man says with a polite nod. "Artak."
<El-Cideon> "Oh, I know!" Whitney says. "All that marching about and Sieg Heiling. It must be very tiresome."
<Yomi> "Ah, that is so," Yomi says. "You know my name, now, and my companion is Rena. We've met while traveling across the middle east, before I returned home and realized I could no longer be a part of my old country and the course it is taking."
<El-Cideon> "Oh yes?" he says. "You range far in your travels. Curious for a woman to wander so much alone, but commendable in a way."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh, yes," Nadia nods. "And they can just pick people up off the street, just like that," she snaps her fingers, "And subject them to the most ghastly experiments for who knows what aims. Rena herself suffered greatly from their abuses."
<El-Cideon> "Did she? Ghastly, isn't it? That poor girl. I thought there something unusual about her demeanor. She must be traumatized."
<Yomi> "The alternative was becoming a secretary, just some cog in the empire. I managed to see much of the world in my travels, though it soon started to appear like much of the same, wherever I went.
<Yomi> "
<Nadia_Chekova> "She is starting to come into her own, although I never knew her before her unjust imprisonment so I couldn't say if it changed her or she was always like this," Nadia admits with a shrug, relenting a bit since Whitney hasn't given her any openings. Still, the American is a smart woman, and can't have failed to draw the connection between 'ghastly experiments' and a hated 'doctor' Ivo.
<El-Cideon> "There are some constants to human behavior no matter where one goes, is there not?" Artak says. "One day the Revolution will encompass all and eliminate these flaws."
<Yomi> "You are a fellow traveler, then?" Yomi nods to herself. "I felt as much. You seemed very confident, despite being in a foreign land on your own. I don't know if I could match that without Rena here."
<El-Cideon> "Well, she clearly has a good friend in you," Whitney says. "That always helps. What was it that they did to her, and how did she get away? Oh, I feel terrible for asking such things, but one can't help but wonder, can she?"
<El-Cideon> "I know my purpose and am secure in my ideals," Artak says. "One need not fear after realizing these things. I have not travelled far in the past, however, only journeys west like this one."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I don't know everything," Nadia hedges, lowering her voice. She certainly doesn't want to broadcast the fact that Rena isn't quite human. "But Rena can't ever have children, now. And she was sold to an Arabian sympathiser of the Fascists for his 'pleasure'," she makes a disgusted face that's altogether sincere. "That was how we found her."
<El-Cideon> "My word!" Whitney exclaims, then glancing around and lowering her voice. "That's simply awful. All of this is almost too outrageous to believe."
<Yomi> "To use the belief in your ideals as a shield against all, even overwhelming fear?" Yomi muses out loud. "Yes, that does sound like a realization I have just started to approach."
<El-Cideon> "Unwavering certainty in your ideals, sufficient willpower, and you may overcome any obstacle," Artak agrees.
* Nadia_Chekova nods gravely. "There is much that can be gotten away with if you are in sufficient favour with Hitler's elite. In some ways it's a miracle that Rena is as together as she is."
<Yomi> Just because she would be unable to actually defeat someone like Artak if it came to that doesn't mean she needs to be paralyzed by fear, or that she is entirely out of options. Yomi nods once more, saying, "Indeed."
<El-Cideon> "The poor girl," Whitney says, glancing over to Rena at the other table. "I would be an utter wreck if I had gone through what she has. Her mental fortitude must be astounding!"
<El-Cideon> "You and your friend are also travelling to Moscow?" Artak asks. "Or stopping along the way?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "In some ways she was able to get closure. The architect of her misery will never be able to harm her or any other ever again, that has been seen to," Nadia says, belatedly becoming aware that she's giving away a great deal more than she had originally intended to any passenger on this journey. But then again, she hadn't expected to be sharing a compartment with someone acquainted with Doctor Ivo.
<Yomi> "Moscow," Yomi responds. "It would be very educational to go further west afterwards, to see life on the frontier of socialism. But studying at the capital comes first, naturally. Have you been there before? Where should we visit, while there?"
<El-Cideon> "Well, that should be some comfort," Whitney says with a nod. "Revenge is a terrible thing to live one's life for, I think, and I don't condone it in any fashion. But to know that such crimes will not be repeated, well...I can't argue it sounds like it was for the best."
<Nadia_Chekova> "No judge in the Reich would have convicted him, that is sure," Nadia concludes. Well, even if Whitney isn't obliged to clarify her knowledge of Ivo, at least now she can be under no illusions as to the sort of man he was.
<El-Cideon> "You are obligated to visit Lenin's tomb while in Moscow, of course," Artak says. "No visit would be complete without it."
<Yomi> "Certainly," Yomi agrees, committing it to memory. "Anywhere else?"
<El-Cideon> "It's a terrible thing when someone decides they're above the law, isn't it?" Whitney says. "You see people at their very worst when they feel they don't need to be held accountable for their actions."
* Nadia_Chekova actually feels that remark strike home! "I take your meaning," she nods in understanding. "However you may feel about vigilantism, however, I felt it important that you understand Rena's situation, and the lack of recourse she had otherwise."
<El-Cideon> "I am sure the local party headquarters can direct you better than I," Artak says. "I visit only on official business. It would not be responsible of me to sightsee at the expense of my superiors at home."
<El-Cideon> "Oh, of course," Whitney says. "When one is driven into a corner, well, what else can she do? I could hardly blame the girl for anything she did to break free of such an odious situation."
<Yomi> "I suppose not."
<El-Cideon> Artak folds his newspaper, pushes the dishes to one side, and stands up. "Conversation has been pleasant. Enjoy the rest of your journey." With a nod, he heads to the back, towards the sleeping cars.
* Yomi returns the nod, remaining seated as she follows him out of the car with her eyes.
<El-Cideon> Artak exits without a look back.
<El-Cideon> It's also apparent that he's not carrying anything--Yomi doesn't see any unpleasant stone idols in his hands, and the statue would've been too big to stuff into a pocket.
* Yomi decides to rejoin Nadia and Whitney's table, frowning slightly. "It didn't seem like Artak was carrying the idol after all," she says, glancing back towards the door once more.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Hmm?" Nadia looks over, first at the retreating figure and then at the table. Did he leave it under his seat?
<El-Cideon> It doesn't look like there's anything under the table.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Did you see what he did with it, Whitney?" Nadia asks their American traveller on the off-chance.
<El-Cideon> "I thought he set it under the table..." Whitney says with a frown. "Is it not there now?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Perhaps he concealed it on his person," Nadia smiles. "It's not so hard - watch my hand closely," she bids, using a bit of stage-magic to misdirect the eyes of her fellow passengers as she scoops up the empty coffee mug and cunningly conceals it on her person!
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+15 sleight of hand, make your spot checks to penetrate my cunning magic!
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+15 sleight of hand, make your spot checks to penetrate my cunning magic! and gets 22."12 [1d20=7]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20-1 Rena autofails
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20-1 Rena autofails and gets 11."12 [1d20=12]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+13 Whitney might not
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+13 Whitney might not and gets 32."12 [1d20=19]
<Yomi> roll 1d20 what is a spot check
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20 what is a spot check and gets 2."12 [1d20=2]
<El-Cideon> Rena is dutifully misdirected. "Where did it go?" she says.
<El-Cideon> Whitney chuckles. "Very good, Nadia, but anyone who's seen a couple magic shows knows to watch what the performer doesn't tell you to watch."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Just so," Nadia nods in deference to Whitney's sharp eyes, the mug appearing in her hand once more as she extracts it from a sleeve that seems far too narrow to have held it anyway. "Still, being able to hide things on your person is a useful skill for more than just entertaining stage shows."
<Yomi> "That's what happened, you think?" Yomi asks dubiously. "Why would there be a need to hide it?"
<El-Cideon> "It was ugly?" Rena posits.
* Yomi flushes slightly. "Well, I suppose, there is that. But then there was no need to take it along, was there?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Perhaps he did not wish to tempt thieves?" Nadia offers a more flattering explanation for what he did with Yomi's token of love.
<El-Cideon> "Rena, that's no way to speak while your friend is here," Whitney says. "It was given with love."
<El-Cideon> Rena glances at Yomi. "It was?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "It was," Nadia nods decisively, hoping they take the hint.
<Yomi> "So how about we return to our compartments?" Yomi hurriedly changes the subject. "Or I could come visit for a change, I wouldn't want to get in the way of Erin and Suzume."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Why not? Breakfast is done, anyway," Nadia pushes away from the table and rises.
<El-Cideon> Whitney stands up as well and leads the way back to the sleeping car.
<El-Cideon> roll 1d100
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d100 and gets 48."12 [1d100=48]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+9
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+9 and gets 28."12 [1d20=19]
<El-Cideon> Night passes uneventfully. Everyone wakes up the next morning to clear sunlight streaming in through the windows--it's a nice day outside, Siberia's too-brief summer getting underway, fields of wildflowers flashing by outside. (more)
<El-Cideon> Yomi finds Erin already awake. She's sitting crosslegged on the floor of the cabin, staring fixatedly at a pile of paper in front of her. Her hands, fingers covered in inkstains, are busy folding sheets of it into cunning and intricate shapes.
* Yomi stays away from Erin and her weird knowledges man was not meant to know, and decides to get Suzume to join her for breakfast, hoping that for once it would go smoothly.
<El-Cideon> Suzume rubs her eyes, stirs herself out of her bunk. Then pauses and stares at the display on the floor. "That is...actually a very impressive display of origami, Erin. I didn't know you had such talents." Erin looks up and babbles something in a strange language without nearly enough vowels. Suzume stares more.
<Yomi> "If she doesn't snap out of it by lunchtime, I'll pour some cold water on her to wake her up. Want to go eat something to start the day off on the right foot?"
<El-Cideon> "Er...yes..." Suzume leaves with just a lingering look back.
* Yomi knocks on the adjoining door to invite Rena, Nadia and their American friend!
* Nadia_Chekova is happy to come along for another filling breakfast!
<El-Cideon> Everyone heads to the dining car together, Whitney yawning and stretching along the way. "If there's one thing I can't abide about such journeys, it's the lack of running water. What I wouldn't give for a hot shower right now."
<Yomi> "It would be quite a feat in Siberia," Yomi muses in response.
* Nadia_Chekova is somewhat more muggy than her usual elegant self thanks to the trials of travelling. "A hot bath might be possible if we stop somewhere long enough. Perhaps I should ask the conductor if anything like that is planned?"
<El-Cideon> "I also regret the lack of bathtubs on this train," Rena agrees.
<El-Cideon> "Well, there has to be running water somewhere between us and Europe," Whitney says. "This is a socialist utopia, after all."
<Yomi> "There's no harm in asking, in any case."
* Nadia_Chekova makes a point of asking the cook/waiter when ordering breakfast.
<El-Cideon> Nadia is informed that the train is due to make a stop at Irkutsk within a couple hours--a brief one to drop off and pick up passengers, so one would have to be quick about getting cleaned up in town.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Probably not long enough, really," Nadia opines as she starts in on her breakfast with the others after this news is relayed.
* Yomi nods. "If you just rush through things, it's not much better than using a wet towel to clean up."
<El-Cideon> Everyone starts in on breakfast, fairly ordinary stuff--eggs, toast, sausage--but filling enough. The car starts to fill up, moreso than the previous day--perhaps the first day's murder had been keeping them isolated from fear. After about an hour of dining and light chatter--(more)
<El-Cideon> --the officer seen in the aftermath of the murder strides in from the front of the train. Long gray coat, dour expression, flanked by his soldiers. He pauses, looks around, standing at the door long enough to become the focus of attention.
<Nadia_Chekova> He has Nadia's!
<Yomi> And Yomi's!
<El-Cideon> Once sufficient impression has been made, he walks down the center of the car and approaches a lone man sitting at his own table. Young, thin, cleanshaven. "Lev Ivanov," the officer announces. "You are under arrest for the murders of Eugene Forester and Semyon Radoslav. You will come with us and be transferred into the custody of the authorities at Irkustk."
* Yomi stares incredulously. Just how many people died on the train so far?
<El-Cideon> At this point, most of the passengers make a point of not looking at the accused. Windows are suddenly much more interesting!
* Nadia_Chekova takes a quick look to see if she recalls seeing him at all since boarding but otherwise doesn't stare.
<El-Cideon> Nadia can't recall seeing the young man around before, but there are quite a lot of passengers on this trip.
<El-Cideon> "What? I--who? No, I didn't--" the man stammers in confusion. At a nod from the officer, one of the soldiers steps up, grabs the man under the arm and pulls him to his feet.
* Yomi sits quietly and observes, not really comprehending just what is going on. She realizes enough that asking about it would be a pretty bad idea, however.
<El-Cideon> No one else is any more inclined to interfere. He's soon hauled off to the front of the train, pleading to deaf ears all the way. An uncomfortable silence reigns after the group's departure.
<Yomi> "Does this happen often?" Yomi asks bluntly, if very quietly, once the soldiers leave.
<El-Cideon> "My word, I hope not," Whitney whispers. "How could one keep her sanity in such an atmosphere?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "Well... if he was a murderer..." Nadia posits awkwardly. "But only one man died on the train yesterday, and the guard mentioned two names." Although in a sense that comforts her that he isn't taking the fall for Yomi.
<Yomi> "He seemed fairly confused at the news, though I'm not much of a judge of character outside of special occasions," Yomi says. "We still have some time before Irkutsk, so want to use that time to find out just what is going on?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "A band of foreigners meddling in Soviet justice?" Nadia keeps her voice very low. "I would not care for our chances at all."
<El-Cideon> "Really, you want to involve yourself in their affairs?" Whitney says. "I'll hide in my cabin and hope no one accuses me of anything outrageous, thank you."
<Yomi> "If more people died and it was being kept quiet, that's something that would be helpful to know in case this man is just taking the fall for someone," Yomi responds, trying to say as much as she can in Whitney's presence.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Perhaps we can ask our fellow passengers. One of the victims was a foreigner, going by Eugene. It may well be remarked upon," Nadia concedes a little bit. "But we should not do anything to rouse the authorities."
<Yomi> "Of course not," Yomi agrees. "Do you think it would be alright to take a walk throughout the length of the train, however? Without bothering anyone, just a stroll to properly stretch my legs."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I'll come with you, then," Nadia volunteers, better than a single Japanese woman wandering alone in these circumstances.
<El-Cideon> "I would not complain about getting some exercise," Rena says. "Should I come?"
<Yomi> "It would be nice to have someone else along, in case I have another fainting spell," Yomi responds.
<El-Cideon> "Maybe I should check on Erin," Suzume offers. "Someone should make sure she doesn't get into trouble..."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I don't know what she can do cooped up in her compartment, but you may as well keep her company," Nadia allows.
<El-Cideon> She nods. Whitney scurries back to her cabin, seeming glad to be out of sight what with all the murdering and arresting going on. Many other passengers seem to have the same idea and quickly vanish. Suzume disappears back into her compartment--you get a brief glimpse of paper strewn all about the floor before the door closes again--and the three of you are alone again.
<Yomi> "We can start from the end of the train?" Yomi suggests, opening her eyes to the otherworldly!
* Nadia_Chekova shrugs, happy to just tag along for now.
<El-Cideon> OOC: so, what's the plan here?
<Nadia_Chekova> OOC: I think Yomi is just detect demoning
<El-Cideon> OOC: okay. If she's just taking a straight stroll through the train and doing that along the way, then gimme a sec.
<El-Cideon> The group passes through several cars like your own, lined with a small number of private compartments. Yomi's arcane senses turn up nothing along the way. Eventually you arrive at the more tightly-packed cars, long ones filled with rows of open bunks. It doesn't seem nearly as comfortable as yours, but it's probably cheaper at least? Yomi is again overwhelmed as she enters the second of these--a quick glance around shows Artak sitting on a bench, reading a book--and Yomi has to hobble on through with some help from Rena. A couple more cars and you reach the end of the train--oh, there's a baggage car back there too, but it's locked up and there's a conductor sitting at the end of the last passenger car.
<Yomi> "It occurs to me," Yomi tells Nadia quietly, once they are reasonably away from any curious ears, "that Erin mentioned the violinist having something magical in his pocket. If my own attempt finds nothing new, perhaps she and Suzume would have better luck on a second pass?" She nevertheless intends to check the front of the train as well before giving up.
<Nadia_Chekova> "A walk might do them good regardless," Nadia shrugs, unconcerned.
<Yomi> "Erin is reading the Necronomicon and muttering to herself, you don't know how right you are."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Sounds dark," Nadia mutters, not knowing the mystical significance otherwise.
<Yomi> "It's about raising the dead. She swears it's only light reading."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I hope she is only reading it to better stop occurances like in Zanzibar," Nadia is now given cause to frown worriedly.
<Yomi> "I'll smite her back to her senses if it gets out of hand," Yomi responds with a shrug. "Not like I can dictate what she should read, however creepy it sounds."
<El-Cideon> Back up through the train, along the passenger cars, through the dining car. There's a lounge of sorts here, with reasonably comfy seats positioned in front of windows, though it's mostly depopulated right now. Past that...well, what you can see through the small window in the door at the end of the lounge is like another passenger car, though with only a couple, larger rooms that are closed off. There are a couple soldiers standing in the hall of this next car.
* Yomi had been atop the train just two days previously, and tries to determine how many cars remain till the very front of the train.
<El-Cideon> This is very close to the front of the train, you think--probably not far past this is the locomotive.
* Yomi decides to retreat towards the lounge and settles in one of the comfortable seats to the left and peering ahead.
* Nadia_Chekova is happy to relax in the lounge herself!
<El-Cideon> Yomi sees rolling hills, flourishing greenery, and wildflowers streaking by outside. Nothing else of note.
<Yomi> "There's something very strong up ahead," Yomi reports, trying to see if that's something she can see with the naked eye. She frowns. "Either invisible, or too slight in form for me to catch at a distance. At least it's not overwhelmingly so, this time around. How hard would it be to find out who's staying in that car towards the left?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "This train is swimming in demons, it sounds like..." Nadia mutters bitterly under her breath. "I wouldn't like to go nosing around with all those soldiers there. Perhaps we can wait and see if anyone comes out and ask them about their neighbours."
<Yomi> "Ah, damn." Yomi grimaces. "It's scrambling towards the front car, and outside the train at that. I'll have to get outside as well and try to catch up, unless we want whatever it is to mess with the locomotive."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Now, just when you happen to arrive to see it?" Nadia asks, peering ahead through the door into the next carriage. "This stretches coincidence, doesn't it?"
<El-Cideon> Nadia sees a couple soldiers standing in the corridor. They look bored.
<Yomi> "Maybe it can see me back?" Yomi suggests feebly, already incredulous about the stretch of coincidences so far. "Want to give me a hand, while Rena keeps watch from here?"
<El-Cideon> "What am I watching for?" Rena wonders.
<Yomi> "What happens, of course, if anything."
<Nadia_Chekova> "We can't just climb out the windows!" Nadia protests in a harsh whisper. "Even if we don't fall off and die, we'll surely be thrown off the train by the guards at the next stop for such behaviour!"
<Yomi> "Not if we get out between the cars, or from our our compartment. It's safe enough if we don't show off."
<El-Cideon> "Only if they see us," Rena says. "Aren't you good at not being seen, Nadia?"
* Nadia_Chekova frowns irritably, but decides Yomi probably knows what she's talking about. "Alright," she smoothly gets up and walks to the far end of the lounge, away from the direction of the demon and the front of the train. She can climb up on top of the carriage from there and work forward. If nothing else it'll be very exciting...
* Yomi has already done this once, out of necessity, and feels confident enough in trying it again with company!
<El-Cideon> The windows on the doors between cars provide only a limited view into the next one; as long as no one's looking right out the end of the dining car, you should be unseen between cars. Meanwhile, Rena finds a seat in the sun and settles in to sit and stare at things. She's good at this.
<Nadia_Chekova> roll 1d20+14 climb
* Hatbot --> "Nadia_Chekova rolls 1d20+14 climb and gets 15."12 [1d20=1]
<El-Cideon> The train shaking and rattling makes it a bit nerve-wracking to go up on top, but there is fortunately enough in the way of handholds to make it easy to do so. Nadia finds herself up top shortly. The car's roof is slightly rounded and the wind tears at her, throwing her hair into a tangled mess instantly, but moving slowly seems safe enough.
<Yomi> Once Nadia is out the window, Yomi ensures that no one is paying special attention to them before following her outside.
<El-Cideon> The dining car is virtually empty, so you're safe enough.
<Yomi> OOC: I'll happily take ten if that works
<El-Cideon> OOC: yep.
<El-Cideon> Nadia is shortly joined by Yomi!
* Nadia_Chekova keeps very low, almost crawling as she waits for Yomi before starting to scramble along towards the front of the train.
* Yomi mirrors Nadia's actions, moving slowly and quietly towards the demonic aura she had felt previously.
<El-Cideon> You move forwards, across the top of the lounge car, and make it to the gap between this one and the next. It's a couple feet across; you can see gravel and rails rushing along beneath the car.
* Yomi takes a look to see if the demon had fled already, or decided to stick around after all.
<Nadia_Chekova> Rather than jumping, Nadia leans forward to grab onto the next carriage and then haul herself across, preferring to exercise caution than be too acrobatic.
* Yomi follows along, keeping an eye on the demon.
<El-Cideon> Nadia can see the front end of the train from this far forward--there's another car like this one, then some manner of container for fuel, then the locomotive.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Where's the thing?" Nadia calls to Yomi over the rush of air, endeavouring to keep below any smoke from the locomotive and brushing her horribly windswept hair out of her face.
* Yomi gestures directly below, puzzlement upon her face.
* Yomi frowns again, slowly making her way to the edge of the car in order to observe the one after it. If the train has three demons, it may well have four, and better to be prepared in advance.
* Yomi sight in relief, returning to Nadia's side. "The next one's clear, at least."
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20-13
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20-13 and gets -3."12 [1d20=10]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20-13
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20-13 and gets 4."12 [1d20=17]
<Nadia_Chekova> "So what now? Isn't it going to the engine, or what?" Nadia asks, since that was why Yomi had them come up here.
* Yomi finds herself at a loss, chewing on her lower lip. She shrugs helplessly. "I must've misread the situation. Let's return and ask Rena who she saw out in the open?"
* Nadia_Chekova futilely tries to flatten her hair down, nodding a moment before she scrambles back to the far end of the lounge carriage, dropping down and trying to fix herself somewhat, waiting on Yomi before going back inside.
* Yomi follows suit, thoroughly confused. "It was outside and heading forward, then it headed into the car and walked out in the open. Just what could it be?"
<El-Cideon> It's going to take a lot of brushing to clean up the bird's nest Nadia's hair has turned into. Yikes.
<Nadia_Chekova> "I don't know, you're the expert," Nadia moans, licking her fingers and spending a bit longer to make herself even just a tiny bit more presentable before she goes back to see Rena. She needs to go back to her compartment and her hairbrush, soon!
<Yomi> "As an apology, I'll help you with your hair?" Yomi offers, wincing. Her own is likely a mess despite the ponytail it is in, but she's used to it in the line of duty, at least.
* Nadia_Chekova accepts the conciliatory gesture. "We'll take Rena back to the compartment where my brush is."
<El-Cideon> There's a soldier in the lounge now, talking to Rena. Rena, not knowing any Russian, is looking very confused and staring at him.
* Nadia_Chekova is happy to offer her services in translating!
* Yomi humbly stays behind, keeping just close enough to help in case the mystery demon appears!
<El-Cideon> Both of them to look as Nadia approaches. "Oh, Nadia. This man just walked up to me and started saying things. I tried English but he doesn't know it."
<Nadia_Chekova> "I'll find out what he wants," Nadia reassures her. Although she can easily guess... "Excuse my friend here, she doesn't speak Russian," she explains to the guard in said tongue. "If you like I can explain to her what you were saying?"
<El-Cideon> "I though I heard a strange noise, someone yelling, outside of my car," he says, gesturing back to the next car forward. "I come to look around, find only her. So I ask her if she heard anything."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Ahh." Nadia conceals her surprise that he wasn't seeking intercourse and asks Rena, "Did you hear any yelling back here, Rena?"
<El-Cideon> She shakes her head. "No. I didn't hear anything."
<Nadia_Chekova> "She heard nothing," she then tells the soldier, if the head shake wasn't clear enough.
<El-Cideon> He shrugs. "Very well. You should go back to your berths. We will be stopping within an hour." A brief glance around the car, and he retreats back towards the front of the train.
* Yomi rejoins Rena and Nadia when the soldier retreats. "Did you see anyone head towards the center of the next car while we were gone, Rena?" she asks the German girl, wondering whether the demon could be seen by human eyes.
<Nadia_Chekova> "Lets go back to our compartment," Nadia waves them to come along as they talk.
<El-Cideon> "No one came through here," she says, following along. "The doors did not even open again except when the soldier came in and when you returned."
<Nadia_Chekova> "It seems to have been fruitless, then," Nadia concludes, hurrying back so she can put her hair once more into order.
<Yomi> "Whatever it was, this is the first time I come across a demon that lacks a tangible form others can perceive," Yomi admits worriedly.
<El-Cideon> "Nadia, are you doing something new with your hair?" Rena asks as she crosses back through the dining car.
<Nadia_Chekova> "It needs to be brushed," Nadia nods emphatically. "That's why we need to return to our compartment."
<El-Cideon> Through a mostly empty dining car, through one passenger car, and you're soon back at your own.
* Yomi holds Nadia and Rena up before they proceed down the length of their car.
* Nadia_Chekova pauses expectantly in response to Yomi.
<Yomi> "I lost it for a while as it scrambled across the top of the train, but it's now in your compartment," Yomi whispers. "I'll head in first, if that's alright?"
* Nadia_Chekova pales somewhat. "Get Erin and your sword first?" she suggests quietly, alarmed on Whitney's behalf.
<Yomi> "I don't need a sword for this," Yomi responds, turning her entire body into a weapon with a bout of concentration. "I'll greet Whitney by name if the aura's in her. If not, try to get her outside for a moment while I deal with whatever it is?"
<El-Cideon> "What's going on?" Rena says--quietly, at least. "Do we need to kill something?"
<Yomi> "Hopefully not."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Yes, hopefully..." Nadia mutters, alarmed at all the death occuring on this train as she falls in behind Yomi for her to take the lead inside.
* Yomi opens the door, peering inside with a smile!
<El-Cideon> OOC: sec, are you guys approaching with any kind of stealth or just normal walking pace?
* Nadia_Chekova is good with walking.
<Yomi> OOC: Normally
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20-1
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20-1 and gets 17."12 [1d20=18]
<El-Cideon> roll 1d20+12
* Hatbot --> "El-Cideon rolls 1d20+12 and gets 15."12 [1d20=3]
<El-Cideon> Whitney is sitting on one of the benches inside, reading a book. She glances up as you enter. "Yes?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "It's just us," Nadia says from behind Yomi. "We're done with our walk..." Now she needs to see how Yomi greets the American...
<Yomi> "We are just looking for a brush," Yomi adds, looking about the compartment.
<El-Cideon> "Oh, of course," Whitney produces a brush from one of her bags and hands it over. "My word, what have you two been up to?"
<Nadia_Chekova> "I poked my head out of a window, rather silly of me," Nadia laughs it off. "Not to worry, I have my own," she goes into her own handbag to find her brush and starts to work on fixing her hair while taking a seat on her berth.
<Yomi> "It's nothing indecent," Yomi responds, moving towards the window. "It's easier to show you, in fact." She opens it, sticking her head outside to take a glance. "This is quite fun!"
<El-Cideon> "Well, you should consider yourself lucky it wasn't struck off by a passing tree or something, Nadia! Really, do me more careful."
<El-Cideon> OOC: the window was already open, actually.
<Yomi> OOC: I'll still look outside!
<Nadia_Chekova> "Oh, they don't grow that close to the track," Nadia dismisses the worry, wincing slightly as she works on a particularly brutal tangle.
<El-Cideon> OOC: roll spot?
<El-Cideon> OOC: just Yomi.
<Yomi> roll 1d20 alas
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 1d20 alas and gets 10."12 [1d20=10]
<Yomi> roll 2d6
* Hatbot --> "Yomi rolls 2d6 and gets 11."12 [2d6=5, 6]
<El-Cideon> Yomi doesn't see anything outside, even where her arcane senses insist that something is there...although there is a set of very small scratches and punctures in the side of the car, almost a trail of such leading to and from the window.
<Yomi> "There's a time and place for fun, but I did promise to help you with that," she tells Nadia, pulling back in and closing the window.
* Nadia_Chekova hands Yomi the brush and sits straight, submitting to her attentions.
<Yomi> Tending to one's hair is something Yomi is quite adept at, working methodically to remove all the knots. Speed and time aren't an issue, and thus she strives for making it a painless and even enjoyable experience above all.
<El-Cideon> Whitney simply tsks at Nadia's carelessness and goes back to reading her book.
<Nadia_Chekova> "So what are you reading, Whitney?" Nadia makes conversation as her unkempt chestnut brown hair is put back in order under Yomi's careful ministrations.
<El-Cideon> "Hemingway," she says. "I really do not understand what all the ballyhoo is about. So dreary, so plain! But one doesn't know until she's read it for herself, does she?"
<Nadia_Chekova> No doubt it's better than Erin's preferred literature. "I've never read anything by him myself, I admit. What's it about?"
<El-Cideon> "Oh, it's about war, and being masculine and stoic, and all that sort of thing. Very tiresome."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Does sound dull," Nadia admits. "I prefer romantic stories, or adventures."
<El-Cideon> "I wouldn't think you need to read adventure stories. It sounds to me like you live plenty of them."
<Yomi> "Anyone who travels across a foreign land is bound to live through an adventure," Yomi comments.
* Nadia_Chekova laughs softly, careful not to move her head and disrupt Yomi's brushing. "Perhaps such stories whetted my appetite when I was younger?"
<El-Cideon> "Yes, well, this one can stop at any time as far as I'm concerned. After such a ghastly murder on the first day? I've had quite enough, thank you."
* Yomi devotes her energy to the left side, not taking her eyes off Nadia. "And yet more to follow it, sounds like," she agrees. "One has to wonder if that all will stop once that man is off the train."
<El-Cideon> Whitney checks her watch. "Well, let's hope so. We haven't long before that happens."
<Nadia_Chekova> "Less than an hour, so the last guard we saw said," Nadia confirms.
<El-Cideon> She nods, looks up to check on your progress. "I see Rena at least was responsible enough not to go sticking her head out of any windows?"
* Yomi shrugs. "Rena has fun in her ways."
<El-Cideon> "Mm. Yes, so I hear."
<El-Cideon> Rena doesn't seem bothered much by people talking about her in her presence, as usual. She's just taken a seat by the window and spaced out.
<Nadia_Chekova> "As much fun as can be had on a train, anyway," Nadia shrugs lightly. "A few more days and we may all be bored enough to read some Hemingway."
<Yomi> "That's quite the disturbing thought."
<El-Cideon> "Well, it IS better than contemplating taking a journey with murderers, at least."
<El-Cideon> ~