Link couldn't fall asleep; the train ride was bumpy and loud, so he ended up hugging Rainbakku, the raggedy little dog plush. Tetra, Niko, and Gonzo paced around, and Tetra watched Linebeck go over his map multiple times, muttering to himself. "What are you doing?" Tetra asked.

Linebeck shrugged. He peered up with a look that bordered on disdainful. "Checking the path. It seems this is connected to another train, going a bit farther, and it should disconnect in about thirty minutes. We've got about an hour and a half before we get to our stop. Got that, kid?" He gently elbowed Link, who blinked, then nodded. Linebeck nodded back and looked up at the other kids. "Yeah, he's not listening. How old are you guys? I'm curious."

Gonzo spoke up first, sitting down on a small tower of stacked-up suitcases. "I'm about sixteen. My parents tossed me out when I was ten."

Niko, who had really only spoken once or twice, said, "I'm around eleven. My parents tossed me out, too, when I was eight. I met Gonzo soon after."

Tetra sat down on the floor and simply said, "I'm six."

"She's the younger sister of Zelda," Gonzo added. "She left because she was tired of being cooped up and wanted to go on the streets. She tried to return home last year but wasn't allowed to."

The train lurched slightly, Link banging his head on the wall. He whined and rubbed the back of his head, muttering, "Ow, ow, ow..." Linebeck turned to him and gently rubbed the spot but kept his eyes on Tetra. "You left? What was your reason other than feeling too cooped up and adventurous? Seems a bit stupid for it just to be that."

The girl shrugged. "Well, that was my reason. Zelda was pretty strict anyways, didn't talk to me much."

Linebeck snorted. "Damn. How busy was she? I'd assume she'd have time to interact with you if her work times are the same as Bellum's and Ganondorf's." He stopped rubbing the bump on the back of Link's head and simply kept a hand on his shoulder while the kid leaned against him, how holding out the little stuffed animal and playing with the floppy ears.

Tetra shrugged simply. "Dunno, but I didn't see her much. That's all. How about you two? How old are you and why are you out here? What's your relationship?"

Linebeck pulled his hand away from Link, who spoke. "I've been out here for about..." He glanced up at Linebeck, who said and did nothing. "I think about three weeks. I met Linebeck really soon after leaving. I left because my family died of sickness, I'm five years old."

"And I'm about twelve, I've been on the streets for about four years. I left home after my parents died from sickness. I guess we could have a bit of a... brotherly relationship, but he cares more than I do. I mean, we've only known each other for three weeks, he's really, really damn clingy." Linebeck glanced down at Link who seemed to be yet again trying to sleep. He inhaled loudly, then looked back up at the others. "Well, why are we in the same train? Aren't we going to different places? The train you want to be riding on is connected to this one."

Gonzo, Niko, and Tetra all shared a glance, each of them wearing a different expression on their faces. Link glanced up at Linebeck, a bit worried. Linebeck himself asked, "What, what is it? I don't like the looks on your faces." His blood turned to ice. "What?'

Tetra shrugged, and Niko quietly said, "Uh... this is our train. This is the right one for us. The one you guys want is in front of this one. You've got about fifteen minutes to make it there." Linebeck leapt to his feet, startling Link.

He stared around, then glared at the three other orphans. "Are you kidding?! You didn't tell us! We're on the wrong damn train?" He tugged Link to his feet, and asked, "How exactly are you sure?"

Tetra shrugged. "Well, the trains are numbered, right?"

"Well, obviously," Linebeck snapped heatedly. The clattering of the train on the tracks seemed louder than before to him, buzzing in his ears.

Tetra sighed. "This is train 10, the one you want is train 11. It's the one in front of this. If you guys want to make it in time, you'll have to climb up on top and jump to the next train before it splits." Next to her, Gonzo pointed up at the roof of the car they were hiding in, where a hatch was in the roof. That would lead onto the top of the train. Providing they would be able to reach it.

Linebeck peered around the room, starting to pace, and Link worriedly asked, "We have to go out on top? But the train's moving. How would we stay on, or manage to jump to the other train?" The train shook a bit, knocking a few small boxes off the stacked cases and onto the metal floor.

Linebeck stared at them, then at Link. "Give me the plushie, it'll be safer in my bag." He held out a hand, expecting Link to place the little stuffed animal in his palm.

Link regarded his hand, then hugged Rainbakku to his chest. "Why can't I just carry him?"

Linebeck sighed, his left eyelid twitching slightly out of irritation. "Look, if you hold it up on top of the train, you'll lose it." Link squeezed the plushie tighter, glaring at Linebeck's outstretched hand. Teeth now gritted, Linebeck fought to keep his voice calm. "Kid, I don't want to argue. It's pretty damn windy up there. You can watch me, I'll put it in the bag carefully." Finally, Link hesitantly handed it back to Linebeck, and the young teen gently placed the stuffed animal in his messenger bag. "Thanks. Now, I've got a plan for getting up on the roof," Linebeck said, and glanced around the train car. "and I'll need all of your guy's help for this."

They are exchanged confused glances, and Linebeck sighed. "Well, I mostly need Gonzo since he looks to be the strongest. I just need to stack up a few of these cases and boxes to reach that door. If you help us..." Linebeck held out his arms. "We'll be in your debt. We'll owe you, if you need!" Like hell they would. At least that got their attention. They all started to move luggage and boxes to the middle of the room. At one point, Linebeck stumbled into Tetra, who shouted at him and shoved him away.

Soon enough, there was a messy but tall pile in the middle of the car, and Linebeck backed up from it. "Oh, that's good." Linebeck glanced sideways at Link. "You wanna go first? Though, it'll be easier if I went first."

Link nodded. "Yeah. If you go first, I think you can pull me up, right?" Linebeck nodded and clambered on top of the pile. The train jostled, shifting the items, and Linebeck bit back a scared yelp. Most of the things in the car had been moved to the pile. Anything else was either left as it was or tossed carelessly to a corner. The trio they met up with watched Linebeck from the side, and Link was near the base of the mess.

The hatch was a few feet above him, so Linebeck crawled over a few suitcases to the top of the pile. It shook, but Linebeck managed to get to his unsteady feet and reached up to the door. If he pushed on it, that should open it. He placed his palms against it, then shoved upwards, standing up straighter. It opened quickly, and the wind kept it open for him. Shouldn't be too hard for him to get up there. He gripped the edge of the opening and slowly pulled himself up, swinging a leg onto the roof and clawing his way onto the top.

The wind made his coat billow out behind him, hair whipping around and getting in his eyes. He knelt down next to the door, peering back down into the car. Link was working on getting up the ramshackle pile. Link reached the top and reached up to the opening, and Linebeck got down on his knees, grabbing his upper arms; that was as far as he could reach. He slowly and painstakingly pulled Link up, the kid not as heavy as Linebeck expected him to be, but, hey, they were homeless and getting about a little less than one meal per day. Now that he thought about it, the kid never complained about it.

Link clawed at the edges of the opening, Linebeck shifting his grips from Link's arms to his waist and pulling him onto the top. Link let out a little grunt as Linebeck let go of him and shuffled back. "Well, we're up here," Linebeck murmured. He sat up and fought the wind as he shut the roof access door.

Link looked up, squinting against the wind, and shouted, "Which way do we go? Why's it so windy? The train's not moving that fast, is it?" He started to stand up, then stumbled back a bit. Linebeck got to his feet beside him.

He pointed down the train. "We need to go this way. C'mon, just follow me." He started on his way down the train, checking back every few seconds to make sure that Link was keeping up well enough. It wasn't too hard aside from having to continue squinting, but they reached the end of the first car soon enough. About a foot between theirs and the one in front. Link took Linebeck hand while he peered down, the kid's face going white as a sheet. "Scared?" Linebeck asked, glancing over at Link. He felt shaky himself but learned to hide it. Goddesses, he'd heard of so many things going wrong after kids trying to jump from car to car, or train to train. They don't make it and get trampled, break a bone but make it, get caught only to get thrown off, so many horrible things.

He didn't realize he'd started noticeably shaking until Link squeezed his hand. The little kid smiled up at him. "Hey, I bet it'll be fine. We'll all be fine. You, me, and Rainbakku." Linebeck smiled weakly, and carefully stepped from their car to the next, the gap small enough to allow it. Link followed suit, and they let go of each other's hands and ran to the next one. Before jumping to the next, Linebeck checked back over his shoulder to make sure that Link was keeping up. Once satisfied, Linebeck hopped over to the next car and kept running.

After a few modest hops, Linebeck broke into a full run, jumping and keeping his momentum after hitting the next car roof. He didn't slow except for glances back to check up on Link. The kid looked more confident than Linebeck felt. His heart was racing, palms sweaty and shaky. The only thing from keeping him from mulling over everything that could go wrong was checking back at Link and thinking about what they'd do in the park.

The first car was coming up, the coal car in front of it. Linebeck knew enough about coal to know it would be bad to be in that car for too long. He'd have to wait for Link. Linebeck hopped a few more cars, getting fleeting glances at the passing city. This was more a residential area, houses littering the area. Near the park there were larger roads and floral shops. Not near here. He reached the coal cart and whipped around, keeping an eye on Link. He was carefully jumping over the gaps, sprinting over, the determined look on his face visible from a few cars away. Link's bravery was admirable.

Linebeck held out his hands and Link approached, and said, "This is the coal car, we need to be really careful with this one, ok? Let me go first. Try not to breathe in any dust. I don't want to deal with you getting sick or anything." Link nodded without much hesitation, and Linebeck took a deep breath before jumping in. There was a bit of weightlessness and he fell, then pain. Nothing horrible, but he felt badly bruised. He started to climb up the pile, the coal shifting and sliding under his hands. It was uncomfortable and again, painful, but he forgot the pain as there was the sound of another person jumping into the car behind him.

Linebeck bit his bottom lip. "Dammit kid, I told you to wait until I was done." He leapt forward a bit, near the top of the car.

"Sorry, but I didn't want to waste any time!" Link could be heard shuffling around behind Linebeck, grunting with the shifting of the coal. Linebeck clawed his way up on the rim of the coal car, the surfaced was luckily a few feet wide. He waited on his knees until Link got close and pulled the younger orphan up with him. They jumped to the first car, the metal warm until his hands, but Linebeck got up on his feet quickly and stopped at the edge of the car. A few feet to the next train, that'd be one hell of a jump. His breath caught in his chest as he spotted the place where the trains go on different paths in the distance.

Link, on the other hand, moved to jump. "Wait!" Linebeck blurted out, pulling him back. "Let me go first. I've got longer legs and can make the jump easier, and I can help you up when you jump." Link pouted, but let the older urchin go first. Linebeck took a deep breath, trying to focus on the other train, not the tracks down below. He backed up a few steps, trying to estimate how much of a running start would be needed to clear the distance. Screw it. He took another deep breath, then sprinted.

Link stumbled back as Linebeck passed him, and he leapt for his life. For a fleeting moment, Linebeck thought he wouldn't make it, thought he'd be just too short and die under the train... then he slammed into the back car, his ribcage aching and burning from the impact. Linebeck clawed breathlessly at the car roof and swung his legs over the edge. A sigh of relief got out as he stood, hugging himself around the waist. He glanced back at Link, the kid's face white from fear, but the determined look still remaining. Linebeck let out a small chuckle. Link was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Perhaps both. "Your turn, kid!" Linebeck shouted above the howling wind.

Link nodded, then backed up just like Linebeck did. He set off running quicker than Linebeck had hoped, and his heart seemed to leap into his throat. That wouldn't be enough of a running start. No, no, no... that wasn't enough, but there was no stopping him now...

Link took the leap, reaching for the car Linebeck was on. It wasn't enough. He was at least two feet short. He seemed to realize it midair, and a look of complete and utter terror and despair replaced the one of determination and fearlessness. Time seemed to slow for Linebeck, and he nearly threw himself off the train, reaching for one of Link's outstretched hands. If he could just reach...

He grabbed onto one of Link's hands, and almost fell off the train. Holding on tightly to Linebeck, Link swung forward and slammed into the side of the car, letting out a sharp yelp. Linebeck's arm strained from Link's weight, but he painstakingly started to lug him up. It was hard keeping his balance, if he leaned to far forward, he'd fall and the both of them would die. The blood was roaring in his ears, so close to having the both of them safe. Link grabbed onto the edge of the car roof when close enough to it, allowing Linebeck to get away from the edge.

With one last tug, Link stumbled onto the roof with Linebeck, his breathing ragged and covering up the fact that he was rather noticeably on the verge of tears. The train turned a corner and continued on a different path than the one they had jumped off of. Linebeck's relief washed over him like icy water, making him shudder a bit. His gaze snapped down to Link, who had started to audibly sob. "Hey, uh, kid...?"

All of a sudden, Link wrapped his arms around Linebeck, embracing him tightly while he sobbed into his chest. He was clearly still terrified from his brush with death. Not surprising, Linebeck was still shaken up himself. That was too close. He'd only known Link for, what had he said... three weeks? Going on four? Well, either way, he was more inclined to let Link stick around now more than ever. He hugged Link in return, stroking his wind-blown hair. "Hey, you're ok, you made it, you made it, you're fine, we're fine..."

Link nodded, but his sobbing continued. Linebeck murmured gently to him for a minute longer, then pulled away, allowing Link to keep clinging to him. Making sure to not brush against Link too much, he dug through the messenger bag. His hand closed around the dog plushie, and Link peered up slightly, watching him. "Wh-what are... y-you doing...?"

Linebeck shrugged, plucking Rainbakku from the bag and holding him near Link. "Just wondering if you'd want the plush." Link blinked lethargically, then slowly took the plush from Linebeck's hand. Tears were still streaming down his face, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit. He hugged the stuffed animal to his chest, keeping his forehead pressed against Linebeck's chest.

"That was scary..." Link rasped. "I thought I was gonna die." He peered tentatively up at Linebeck. "You saved me. Thanks."

"I... uh... I owed it to you."

Link nodded, then glanced around Linebeck, at the rest of the train. "So, uh, do we need to keep going...?" Linebeck nodded, then helped the still-shaky Link to his feet. "Oh. Ok. Can I still carry Rainbakku?"

"...Hold on to it tight," Linebeck muttered. "We can keep going for a bit, then I want to drop into one of the baggage trains. It'll be safer." Link nodded, and the pair of them continued down the new train, stopping at the first door in a car roof. Linebeck kneeled down next to it, pulling up on the handle and opening the hatch. "You go first."

Link nodded timidly and hopped down into the car, the plushie clutched tightly to his chest. His knees buckled on impact, and he stumbled to the ground. Linebeck jumped in after him, dropping in but hanging from the opening, then closed the door before dropping down. Link got to his feet, coughing. "Are you ok?" he asked, staring at Linebeck with wide eyes.

Linebeck nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "A bit sore, but good. How about you?"

"Still scared, but I think I'm ok," Link murmured. He sat down, shifting back so that he was against the wall. "Thanks for helping me, again." The response he got was a silent not from Linebeck.

For the next thirty minutes, they were quiet, not letting out any coherent words. Link muttered to himself a few times and seemed like he wanted to talk to Linebeck, but never got any proper words out. It was annoying to the older orphan. He was sifting through the luggage, trying to see if there was anything worth taking. Not much aside from clothes, but Linebeck found that useless. There was another tube of ointment, so he pocketed that along with some packages of crackers and dried fruit. Other than that, there wasn't much they would find worth taking. Oh, that reminded him. "Hey, kid, do you think we'll run into that group again?"

Link nodded. "I hope we do. They seemed pretty cool. Hopefully we might be able to team up with them at some point."

With a disdainful curl of his lip, Linebeck drawled, "They barely seemed worth it. I barely hear about them, anyways. We don't need to run into them though, again." A smile replaced his bitter sneer, and he sat down in front of Link. "I got what I wanted from them anyways."

Link didn't react after a few moments, then tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean? They didn't give us anything or anything like that."

Linebeck shrugged. "Yeah, they didn't give us anything. But I did steal something." He reached into his coat and brandished a knife Link hadn't seen before. The blade was longer than the one stolen from a house, the hilt adorned with small jewels. Link gawked at it, and Linebeck turned it over in his hands. "Yeah, I managed to steal back that knife that they stole from me. They might come after us for it, but we could stay away from them easily. Not that they were doing anything with it."

The knife was put away, and Link relaxed against the wall of the car. "Well, that's cool. When should the train stop? I'm tired."

"It should be a few minutes. When the train stops, give me the stuffed animal and I'll keep it safe for you. That fine?" Link nodded. "Good. I guess we'll explore the park a bit and find a few places to stay, and we can go around this part of the city if you want."

"...Can we help that group? With releasing their friends?"

Linebeck hesitated, then sighed. "I mean, it would be dangerous. At the best, we can keep an eye on them providing we catch when they do it. The park is close to the prison... if you want, I could at least show it to you."

The train jostled again, Link grimacing. "Sure. Have you ridden on these trains before?"

Linebeck nodded. "Yeah, a few times." He chuckled. "I've just never had to run across the top with another kid, y'know? That was new." Link laughed quietly as well, then fell silent again. Linebeck sighed and sat next to him, and they waited out the rest of the duration of the train ride.