Inappropriate. Surely the workers had enough time to make even this humble station suitable for Lady Sonia’s presence. I mean, really!? Ashy craters in the floor boards? Even a burning hole in the wall to the Necessary! A disgraceful way to let a lady in need know you have no idea at all of propriety.

And the soot! All over her emerald velvet shoes! She would never be able to get the workers to get it out. Everyone knew… ahem that a combined treatement of hydrogen peroxide and tetraacetylethylenediamine were the scientific way to remove products of fire from ones clothes, but the servants always insisted on simple surfactants! It boggled the mind! No, she would simply have to throw these away.

Not that they were fashionable. They had been her mother’s purchase.

“Come along Sunny, dearest,” her mother called back, leaping across a crater with her wooden clogs, “Keep up.” She landed gracefully on the other side, leaves rustling.

Easy enough for her to say. Any dirt on the pothos leaves growing around her would wash right off with a few pours of water!

“Aren’t you glad I didn’t let you carry your books now?” Sonia’s mother turned, “You might never have noticed, and then your Handali’n dress would be ruined.

Sonia groaned. “They should have known better. I mean, we gave them time to prepare, didn’t we? This is a direct insult to me, for Ire’s sake. If they just knew how to keep out people who could set fire to things… I’m sure there’s a spell for that in Trigid’s Book of Defenses.”

“I’m sure there’s an amusing explanation for the state of the place.” Sonia’s mother began, “And they still managed to get it suitably deserted by the time we arrived, didn’t they? There’s not a single member of the press here trying to snap photographs!”

“I would have stood for the press if it meant we could get some help. This skirt you got me is so wide that I can’t see where the soot is as I walk around.”

“You’re just not used to wider fashions, darling. You should have practiced at home,” her mother chided over her shoulder.

Sonia skirted around a crater by a bench, bending to the side a bit. Oops. She felt her skirt nigh imperceptibly brush the ground. Her face flushed. At least her mother hadn’t seen it.

“Bothers,” she said. “Bothers. Bothers. Bothers!”

Her mother turned, the elephant ear plant on her head perked up, “Are you quite alright?”

Sonia had only felt the tip of the skirt touch the ground. It wouldn’t be visible from where her mother was. Maybe it wouldn’t be visible at all among the shimmery green. Maybe even she wouldn’t be able to see it, but… oh that just made it worse. A fleck of ash that she could see and get off, that was something. One that she couldn’t see?

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Bothers. Was she going to get any relaxation at all by her birthday?

“That’s my train?” Sonia said. “They expect me to ride on this?”

There were five cars stacked in line behind the locomotive front of the train. Sure, they had been painted vibrant green and gold, her favorite colors. Sure, the frames on the windows were brand new, and the face had been polished until it shone, But not one of part had been painted with her name on it! Instead, the name of the locomotive had been printed in shimmery gold font:

“The Solar Express”

Her mother laughed, “Isn’t it in pristine condition? Especially considering the rest of their station. The Tarician Foundation has certainly been competitive for donations to the church this year. They even made it tall enough for your Uncle. It makes one wonder what they want.”

Sonia stepped up to her mother’s side. The wooden floorboards here looked clean, yet, to her horror, she had left several ashy footprints behind her. She would have to discard her shoes as soon as possible.

A golden gilded door opened in the central car. “Esteemed Pristaic Sonia Fairbloss! Lady Veridia Fairbloss! We bid you a fair welcome. Ah. Well. Yes. Please pardon us. I assure you our bearings are better within…”

Sonia looked down at the little man. A Toraic man, no doubt, with a sweaty face, calloused hands, and- oh. Oh no. No.

“You have soot all over you, and everywhere else in this place” Sonia swung her arms out, pointing to a dilapidated bench. It was the one she had brushed past. “There has been nowhere for a lady to sit on our long walk in! And don’t even get me started on your water closet! I hope that you have prepared a good explanation for this… this travesty! Never in all of my life have I been so insulted at a greeting of passage. Why, if today wasn’t so important, I might have abandoned the tri-”

The dilapidated bench fell over in the distance, spitting some embers up into the air. Sonia stopped.

Her mother reached out a viny arm for the man to take. He looked at her, hesitantly, and took it with a bow. Sonia stared. Soot. Her mother had touched soot. With her bare hands. Lady Veridia caught her look and flashed a grin.

“Thank you for your greeting, conductor.” Lady Veridia began, “If I may have your name and badge number? I assume you are part of the contracted staff.”

“Philip Botton, your grace. My- my badge number is PB-C91.” he said.

“Ah. Conductor Philip Botton,” Lady Veridia said, “Wonderful. Now that the introduction is out of the way, I must agree with my daughter. Tell me, Conductor, what has happened? I’ve never had such fascinating service from the Tarician Foundation before. I was nearly convinced that this place had been abandoned.”

“Your Grace,” Philip began, “ There is so much that has happened. There was a conflict in the plaza this morning, but we haven’t been able to repair the damages done.”

“You should have thought of that before you built this place with wood!” Sonia exclaimed.

“I…” Philip’s face turned red, and he stopped himself. “You speak as though I am the one who built this property. I can but advocate for the foundation. This place was built with the safety of its travelers at the forefront.”

“I see,” Veridia said, “Conductor, whatever the state of the station, I must express my appreciation to you for being the one to greet us. I know we are not the least intimidating figures you have interacted with. Please, show us in,” Veridia requested.

"At your command, my Grace," he bowed. "Welcome aboard The Solar Express."