Trains are fun, all the power thrumming threw the floor as you lounge in your seat, the gentle rocking of uneven tracks as you watch the landscape roll by. Its relaxing. Like one of those big cuddly dogs that stands almost as tall as you.

The rolling hills of hybrid orchards passing by as manors and winding roads slowly give way to the sleepy towns who's only care is their quirky holliday and the harvests. An idyllic scene if not for the storm, one of the clans or collages upstairs was throwing a hissy fit over something and so it rained down shards of ice.

Spinning disks of glassy sleet and heavy flakes of their chaff cut and pounded at everything beneath them. It was better than the next stretch, most of that was still dealing with random daggers everywhere.

Still, it didn't stop Dave from relaxing back and enjoying the scenery.

His feet propped up on his duffle as he leaned on the window of the train, looking over his shoulder at the scenery passing by. While some other passengers looked to give him guff about his sitting that way or taking up a whole bench it didn't bother him one bit.

This was a while in the making, it didnt matter if he had to hoof it where he was going, he'd get there.

A lady cleared her throat at the end of the bench and Dave spared a glance her way, only to be daken back by her looks. There'd been some girls that had him hot under the collar back at town but he'd never seen nothing like her, she had the Skyreach Military dress uniform framing her but firey red hair and half a face. From the nose down was normal but above was matte grey gunmetal and brass inset screws, with no way to propperly see he assumed she had some mana sense or something to go with her anvil forehead.

"David Gaffes, I am advisor Patricia Yates, I will be managing your arrival and induction into the Holler Stimes and Levi transport company and handling your contract. May I sit?" She spoke not quite coldly but seeing her was enough to make him squirm more than he would for any of the attendants, gesturing to the seat opposite him Dave pulled his feet off his bag and sat propper while she got situated.

Her posture was emaculate as she sat, helf her legs also being metal and at least one hand, but beyond that the white felt longcoat fit to snugly tight against her didnt reveal it, the navy blue denim pants did only by virtue of being tucked into her shins.

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She turned over a clipboard to him and he took it, "You scored very well in your cordination, adaptation, durability and judgment tests, well above the passing grade for a position as driver, as such many companies bit for your acceptance of their contract, H.S.L. was the one you filed to accept with and as such you fall under my supervision. I have to make sure you neither insult a client or lose a delivery, so we have some basic stuff to go through to ensure you do what you're being paid to withough any undue side effects."

There was a blank look and she sighed.

"You are a potentially valuble candidate, you may be propositioned by the clients of your employer, its my job to make sure you dont piss them off." She explained with a much less formal tone.

Dave made an exaggerated nod and started looking through the papers as she went back to the perscribed spiel, quizzing him every few seconds for the rest of the day and a half long ride.

By the forst hour he was queetioning whether or not he could just turn back. The second hour came and went with thoughts or jumping out the window. The third was slipping by with his grasp on time. By the time he realized it was sunrise not sunset he was starting to think this could be eome elaborate prank and started answering sarcastically or obtusely. When it was sunset again Dave was sure hed got her, even if she looked entirely unruffled and the only sleep he got was when she left for the bathroom.

When the train stopped he grabbed his duffle by the straps and slung himself into the isle on its weight, throwing in a twist so he could lever it up onto his back smoothly for his exit into the city. She followed him out of course and never made a wound on the cobbled streets of a very homey looking main street.

He booked a room for himself at one of the dencer looking inns and shut the door on her without a second thought. The room was big enough to fit a bed and dresser as wide as the bathroom, with a balcony just as deep opposite the bed. He poked his nose all about the room before stuffing his bag under the bed and sliding out of his clothes for a quick wash.

...

This was always the fun part of the introduction, the vetting faze, seeing how the candidate behaves under stress and pressure. She remebered toughing it out on the train for the whole eight day ride, gittering full of coffee and seeing nightmares walking besside her as she huddled around her trunk of stuff.

By contrast Dave was downright assertive about when he was done, where he was going and exactly how welcome she was with him. Either displaying an admirable amount of caution and hygiene or checking the room and cleaning up as thoughtless habit afterward, she didnt know or care.

The important part was that it was the behavior. She went back to the front desk and ordered up a room for herself for the night too, with no lughage to check and mana sence to scan the contents of the room with she simply took a quick shower and lay on her bed.

The rooms around her were boreing and the city around them more boring still, just a generic if more southern version of the hub city Dave borded the train from. She cast a spell she knew was supposed to be wartime use only, peaking in of Dave's dream as he started to fall asleep.