The baggage car is stacked with travel trunks, crates, bags, bundles, and cases; finding the Nguyen’s travel trunks could take half the trip at this rate.
Mrs. Nguyen is trying to be patient, watching the inept porters sort through this mess is eroding it fast.
“These should have been sent straight to our spare cabin. Where is the porter I specifically paid to see this done right?”
Wisely nobody answers.
The two porters dressed in their pressed staff uniforms are developing sweat stains as they shuffle chests and luggage weighing as much as they do. They both have a touch of gift and are balancing kinetic loads by throwing and catching items to one another. This moves the items but does nothing to get them off the ground.
Luscin has had enough as she watches the two pointlessly sort through the same pile for a third time.
“Excuse me Mrs. Nguyen, is there some feature or item in one of the trunks that is unique and easily described?”
“Of course there is, I don’t see how that will do us any good when its in one of my trunks.”
“Leave that problem to me. What can you tell me about the contents?”
“One of my trunks is full of shoes.”
“When we met on the platform, I saw a porter following you with five identical trunks, is that all of them?”
“Yes, we’re only traveling for a week. We have complete wardrobes at our Gateland estate at our disposal, we don’t need more.”
Luscin doesn’t respond, instead she uses one of her lazy tricks she learned on her own before she attended the study on Mammatus plateau. She’s been told it’s lazy because it’s broad spectrum and she should learn to narrow her sight to different bands and energy sources. She likes it because it exposes everything.
She closes her eyes for a moment, when they open, she sees everything. Walls disappear, flesh disappears, even human bones appear as hazy blobs. The trunks are now a bunch of abstract lines, the items inside appearing as uniform haze, probably folded clothes.
When seeing everything it doesn’t stop at looking through stuff. She also can see ripples of sound, they look like the distortion you see over water on a hot day, except the ripples give a visual representation of sounds. Big sounds, little sounds, they hit and bounce off surfaces, making the near invisible solid objects easier to detect.
None of the chests in this car look to be filled with anything as chaotic as she imagines shoes would appear. But the next car looks promising.
Luscin gets the attention of the nearest porter and points towards the back of the train, “What’s in the next train car?”
“Nothing. That car is being transported as far as Thuma where it will be refurbished.”
“If it’s to be empty, why are Mrs. Nguyen’s trunks in it?”
The porter answers immediately, “Oh, sometimes we may use an empty car as temporary storage for something important. Perhaps they were left there temporarily and are to be moved later?”
Luscin turns off her sight, “You mean if we had had waited until the train left, the trunks would have been delivered?”
The porter justifiably smug responds, “Most, likely. We’ll have them delivered within the hour. We will be pulling out of the station in a few minutes.”
“Let’s head to your train car, that’s where Teum should be waiting with your children?”
Teum and Ms. Jones were amusing the two young children for the better part of an hour. Twice in that span he had to talk the three of them out of leaving on errands of no importance, before the family is reunited.
Teum relieved to see Luscin with her two charges in tow, “This has been the longest hour of my life.”
Luscin silently nods in agreement.
“I’m hungry,” whines Leo.
Quieter Luna adds, “Me too.”
Horation speaks up, “Once the train leaves the station the dining car will be open. We need to be here to have our tickets stamped by the conductor when he passes through. We should retire to our cabins and rest until he arrives.”
Pointing to Teum and Luscin, “You two can use cabin D for as long as you like.”
Teum speaks for the two of them, “Thank you, we’ll take you up on that offer. It sure beats sleeping in our seats at the back of the train.”
The train pulls out of El Hat station on time and starts accelerating to a cruising speed of 65 miles an hour. The gentle sway of the train has the pacifying effect of making the two children drowsy, giving Ms. Jones a break. The adults make small talk about their plans in Gateland while Teum and Luscin try to relax.
Eventually the distant and repeating call of, “Tickets, Tickets, please,” can be heard approaching from the rear of the train.
When the conductor arrives, four cabin doors open and tickets are presented. The conductor eyes Teum and Luscin tickets and sees they don’t belong in first-class.
The headmaster speaks up from his doorway, “I paid for that cabin, these two are my guests.”
The conductor takes their coach tickets and punches them and leaves without a word.
Next a pair of porters enter the car with a stack of two trunks between them. Seeing their luggage arriving provides enough peace of mind to move on to lunch service.
The First-Class Dinning Car is back-to-back with the Second-Class Dinning Car and the Kitchen which separates the two classes of seating. Everything beyond second-class seating is Coach and has no amenities other than a single seat water closet per car.
Luscin wants to have a word with Teum before they join, “I’d like to have a word with my husband, do you mind if we join you in a few minutes?”
Lila smiles a knowing smile, she needs to steal alone time with her husband sometimes too, “Of course, take all the time you need. The kitchen never closes when traveling first-class.”
The Nguyen’s are barely out of the car before Luscin pushes Teum inside and slams the door.
“That was exhausting! One fifth of the luggage she brought for the whole family was shoes! Shoes! Don’t ever let me get that, that, that… I don’t even know what that is.”
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Frustrated she wraps her arms as far as she can around Teum. Silently she wishes she was bigger so she could hold him tighter.
Teum doesn’t know what the big deal is about shoes but is happy to have the woman he loves in his arms.
There’s that word again, it’s meaning is finally sinking-in. The day he was told that word and how to use it was tumultuous to say the least. He was reunited with his wife, he said he loved her. She killed him, then she did some crazy technique that his friend Malo taught her and now they both have these crazy strong spirits, like the one Master Robles has.
Teum wants to kiss his wife, her being shorter by half a yard can be an issue. An easily solved issue but still an issue. He puts his hands on her hips and lifts her until her face is even with his.
Luscin feels herself rising in a familiar grip, she slides her hands up Teum’s chest and wraps her arms around his head and her legs around his waist.
Teum slides one hand under her bottom and the other up between her shoulders.
They rest forehead to forehead for a moment before sinking into a deep but gentle kiss.
After a minute their sense of purpose is refreshed, they can shake off the chaos of the last hour and join the Nguyen family for a nice midday meal.
Opening the door to the dining car it was obvious immediately that something was wrong. Both children were crying, instead of comforting them Ms. Jones was standing in the aisle as if to prevent the approach of something. Horatio looked terrified and Lila looked more confused than scared. There were two other couples who were just as confused as Lila.
Luscin reacted first. She saw through the illusion projected by Defender Elora Remon to menace the car occupants.
Elora Remon was projecting three different appearances to the car occupants. Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen saw her true self, the children and Ms. Jones saw a half dead walking corpse. The other two couples see a simple porter.
“Teum told me you’re fond of parlor tricks. And I don’t like people that terrorize children for sport.”
Elora drops the illusions. She looks Ms. Jones dead in the eyes and says, “Silence those children or I will.”
Teum doesn’t hesitate and reconstructs the machine he used earlier to mask his and Ms. Jones conversation. The noise from the crying children abruptly ends.
Defender Remon puts on a reasonable affect and address all the occupants of the dinning car, “There is an emergency back in El Hat. I’m afraid I will need to accompany the headmaster back to the study to attend to the matter.”
Turning her attention back to Mr. Nguyen, “I’ll collect your family in Thuma and have them returned to El Hat when the emergency is past.”
The threat of hostages is clear to Horatio, Luscin, and Teum.
Luscin speaks next, “What kind of emergency?”
Defender Remon snaps, “That’s none of your business.”
Not letting it go easily, “Why would you say that? I’ve been attending El Hat study on and off for three years now.”
Elora isn’t sure where the girl is taking this, who is she working for, where did Milnor go? Knowing she’ll not get answers she settles for saying, “This is Defender business, nothing a student should be involved in.”
Luscin lowers her voice and asks Teum, “Did you bring your bag? I left my satchel in the cabin.”
Ms. Jones clears her throat, “Are you two looking for these?” and throws them the two bags they left behind.
Surprised by the amazing forethought this nanny just displayed, they each catch their respective bags.
Luscin speaks louder now for the benefit of Lila, the other two couples and the serving staff that just entered the car, “Maybe students shouldn’t get involved but you can’t possibly be questioning the abilities of…”
Pausing her speech, she reaches into her bag and pulls out her orange jacket with the fur lined collar and slings it around her shoulders.
“Fighter-Fox and…” she backhands Teum’s stomach.
“oomph,” Team reaches inside his bag and pulls out his dragon fang necklace. Roughly slings it over his head where it catches on his right ear, “aannd The Hunter!”
Teum dramatically takes his arena entry pose as if he’s about to stalk some imaginary prey, before shaking his head to dislodge the snagged necklace.
Horatio eyes go wide at the sight of THE Fighter-Fox jacket.
Lila rolls her eyes, knowing how much of a fanboy her husband is for professional dueling.
The males from the other couples are slapping each other’s shoulders and pointing excitedly at recognizing the two popular fighters.
Defender Remon has no time for foolishness, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Go back to your third-class seats where you belong.”
Luscin slides her arms into her sleeves and pulls her hair comb from an inside pocket. As much as she hates the persona and this costume, she appreciates the instant respect it brings. This must be what it feels like to wear defender blacks.
Fitting the comb in place, pulls her hair back and adds her iconic fox ears that her agent insists as important. “What do you need me to do, pass a test? Go ahead and try me, give me your best shot.”
Lazily Elora decides to end Luscin here and now. She delves into her spirit breaking toolbox and pulls out a spirit spike to plunge into the poor nonsensical deluded child’s spirit.
Before it can land, it’s wrenched from her control and turned back onto her own spirit.
Luscin, now in control speeds across the car to Defender Remon and stares fiercely up into her face, before shattering the spike and saying, “I didn’t think so!”
The witnesses in the dining car only saw Fighter-Fox challenge a defender and the defender backing down.
Luscin doesn’t let up, “Headmaster Nguyen and his family are taking a well-deserved vacation. We’re here to make sure that happens. Would you like to take me to this emergency or are we going to stand around eye gazing like sad little inu?”
Defender Remon uses a flick of kinetic to open the roof access panel. Another nudge flings the panel up and open.
Confidently she flies up and out of the train.
Luscin snatches a saltshaker and unscrews the cap and dumps it out in her palm.
She steps below the open access panel and says to Teum, “When we’re taught how to handle kinetic energy, we are trained to capture even the slightest amount that is thrown at us, we’re taught to not be distracted by whatever is hitting us, because we won’t even feel it.”
She flings the salt into the face of Defender Remon who was still in the cabin, having sent an illusionary version of herself off the train.
Luscin addresses the hiding defender, “You’re going to need to go first if you hope to ambush me. I’ll send Teum out to wait for you if I must.”
Elora is blinking away tears as she just caught an eye full of salt and learned her opponent will fight dirty. Invisibly, she awkwardly bounces through the roof exit and decides her next course of action.
“Teum, she left for real this time. I’ll take care of her while you wait here, in case a second one shows up.”
“Be careful, Luscin. She’s not bright but she is a trained Defender with skills taught her by the… others…”
“I know Teum. I’ll come back this shouldn’t take long.”
Luscin doesn’t have to look far for Defender Remon. She’s standing three train cars back holding a pair of short swords. Luscin smirks, knowing this tactic. She thinks she’s going to overload an unarmed Luscin with the concentrated energy transferred through those razor-sharp blades. Conceptionally it’s a good tactic but it won’t work against a savant like Luscin.
The two women lunge towards one another atop the 65-mile an hour train cutting through the flatlands of Rebirth. Luscin’s orange jacket whips violently behind her creating drag, while Ellora in her Defender blacks sails smoothly through the air.
Dual swords scissor towards Luscin’s neck. She punches a fist into the point where they cross, sending them back and wide of their mark.
Bodies crash into one another, tumbling them both to a train car roof.
Elora grapples Luscin, close combat like grappling negates many advantages of using the gift. She uses her superior weight and reach to gain control of Luscin and pin her to the car.
Luscin took that time to remove the belt from her jacket while preparing to slam herself upwards at four times the speed of Freefall.
Elora feels the building pressure as Luscin’s body tries to rapidly fall skyward. That’s fine she thinks, she can win in the air too and rolls to the side releasing Luscin.
Luscin jerks upward, speeds her mind accordingly to get the timing right and loops the belt around Elora’s neck.
When the belt goes taut, she yanks and lifts the defender off the train and swings her back down atop the train car.
That’s what she intended anyway. She didn’t expect Elora’s head to pop off mid swing. Her head bounced off the roof and rolled off the side while her body spun through the air spreading a red mist down the side of a second-class rail car.
Stunned by her sudden success she forgets to check for blood splatters before returning to the dining car.
Luscin drops back into the dining car to everyone’s surprise. She was only gone for a minute or two.
“Teum, remind me to thanks Master Blackwell for all the strength exercises he made us do.”
“Are you kidding me? You hated doing those.”
“Yeah, well a little exercise is nothing to lose your head over.”
Ms. Jones whispers, “If you leave me your belt, I can clean the blood off it before morning.”