Well, we finally meet someone else essential to the story.
Gear Station was exactly as he had remembered it; a massive room with bright, tinny music playing, with dozens of people rushing around, even during this time of night.
There was just so much noise; babies crying, rapid barking into various Transcievers, the rolling of wheels against mislaid concrete. Blair descended the stairs and walked around in a full circle before deciding to board the train headed for Anville Town. It was the last train heading out of here before Gear Station closed about half of its lines.
The line wasn't very long; there were only a few older gentleman and some burly guys with a bunch of boxes to load. Blair flashed his Gear Card (from Sherry's key bunch, thank Arceus) and boarded the train.
This was an overnight train, inferred from the bed above every pair of facing sofas. Blair glided through the cramped quarters of the first car and made his way to the back of the train, where no other passengers were.
There was a large seat near the emergency exit door and Blair fell into its arms like a young Kangaskhan would to its mother.
Blair was tired.
He fell into a dreamless slumber.
Blair awoke to a sharp, stabbing feeling in his cheek. It felt like his mouth was on fire. His eyes flashed open and he awoke to a woman's pretty blue-eyed face framed by thick and brown long hair.
"Show me your ticket." the woman ordered, eyebrows furrowed, as if she were trying to figure out something.
Blair said nothing.
"Hello," she said, drawing out the 'o' for quite some time, "I am talking to you."
Blair once again said nothing.
"Hey, this is my seat! 23!" the woman said again, pouting with her hands on her hips, her shoulder weighed down by a heavy looking Nike duffel bag.
"Strange," she whispered, eyes clouding, "Hey, mister!"
Blair looked away out the window into the blurring landscape.
"This seat is mine! 23!" the woman yelled into the silence of the train, nothing but the clicks and clacks of the railroads surrounding them.
Blair looked up, feigned surprise, and moved to seat twenty four.
The woman bustled around, stuffing baggage under her seat and laying various other paraphernalia on the seat.
"Nobody likes the passage seat," she started, a small smile growing on her face, "But I always insist on the passage seat!"
"My logic is that my adventure doesn't end with the train!" the woman spoke again, bouncing onto her seat, with her legs pulled close to her chest.
Blair stared at the fair-skinned and slender woman in front of him.
"I am going to Anville Town." she stated simply, arms winding around her long legs.
"My family is there visting. Everyone has a family. I have one too." she announced.
Blair silently snorted. If only you knew. . .
He fixed his gaze to a torn hole in the fabric next to the chatty woman's head as she rambled on and on about this and that.
"Everyone says Nimbasa is crowded. What do they mean by crowded? People like us form the crowd." She pointed expressively to herself and Blair.
"They are part of the crowd. Yet they crib about it." she concluded with a thump of the seat.
Blair rolled his eyes inwardly.
"I am leaving Nimbasa forever! Do you know when I came here?"
The lady waited for a guess, but got nothing, and still continued.
"Six years!"
"Hostel hostel hostel!" she repeated, snapping her fingers with every word.
"I swear; henceforth, I will never live in a hostel again." she pledged, one hand lacing through her chocolate colored hair.
Blair was getting frustrated now, but he only clenched his fists slightly.
"I hope the road construction stops before the monsoon in Mistralton." she prattled on.
"Otherwise, do you know what will happen?" she questioned.
This girl was getting on his nerves.
"Anyway," she continued but noticed Blair getting up and moving towards the emergency door, "What happened?"
Blair said nothing, but merely opened the lock and the door.
The wind immediately flushed his face, flushing his cheeks rosy red. They were near Mistralton; the scenery was changing from lush hills and fields to craggy cliffs and mountains. They were nearing Twist Mountain; the train would go through a newly constructed tunnel in the mountain.
Okay, on the count of one. . .two. . .three. . .
"What are you doing?" A hand clamped on his shoulder, much like a Kingler would clamp down on its prey.
Blair turned around in a whirl.
"Last time a kid fell and died. It's really dangerous." She said nervously, with a worried look in her eyes.
Blair only stared back, as he had been doing for the past hour or so.
"Are you dumb? Can you talk?" She asked softly, motioning with her hand as if it were a sock puppet.
"Or are you shy?" She questioned, a bit louder this time. It was clear that she wanted, no, demanded an answer.
"Or are you just stupid?" She yelled now, over the rush of the wind. They were in a valley now and the wind was getting intense. It was almost pulling Blair out onto the tracks.
"Something is up! I've asked three times but still no answer!" she called out.
"Ticket please!" the conducter called, tapping the woman on the shoulder.
"It's on the berth. Just wait." She told him angrily.
The conducter turned his attention to Blair.
"Excuse me, mister! Ticket please!" he said, pulling out a hole puncher.
Blair stood there, remembering he would need to buy a ticket on the train; the Gear Card only gave a discount.
"First come inside," the conducter motioned with his arm.
Okay, sorry for the long wait. It's been hard functioning with writer's block. I thought I might as well post something.
