Author's Note: It's now Day Six of Poker Pair Week 2021. Which means that tomorrow is the last day. Today's prompt is 'nostalgia'.
Warning: Fem!Allen Walker; PokerPair; Aged-Up Characters; Set after series end; Mentioned character death; Probable OOC-ness
Disclaimer: I am not the owner of the D. Gray - Man franchise
Reunion
-xXx-
'Fffwwwweee!'
That loud, ringing sound produced by the train guard's whistle echoed about the subterranean tunnel the train platform was placed in and captured the attention of the other people present due to its intrinsic meaning. The train station employees not necessary to the locomotive's upcoming departure stood clear of the subsequent wave of passengers rushing forward to board the rail cars. There was much excitement in the air, as the train set to depart wasn't the average steam-powered locomotive that spewed noxious coal fumes wherever it went. Instead, it was a newer, cleaner electric model whose debut several years ago in a London subway had been a resounding commercial success. Now several railways, mostly those who traveled underground, were opting for electricity over coal for fueling their trains.
Among that mass of people was a young woman carrying a wardrobe trunk in her left hand and a wicker basket and cabin trunk tucked underneath her right arm and carried in her right hand respectively. She traversed the crowd with a confident demeanor, though also paused to help a child who just dropped their toy or a nearsighted elder wandering a bit too close to the edge of the platform. Her frequent delays, while thoughtful, also ate into the remaining time she had left to board. As such, the crowd had all but evaporated once she finally reached the guard standing by the last passenger car.
The man in question paused his fiddling with the lantern in his hand after he noticed the young woman's skirt and two-thirds of her luggage enter his field of vision. Raising his head and quirking an eyebrow at the slightly wide hat and semi-transparent chiffon veil working together to obscure her face, he nevertheless politely nodded and gestured towards her luggage. "Going away on holiday, miss?"
"Traveling to attend a friend's wedding on the Isle of Wight, actually," the young woman replied with a smile. "I need to take another train and a ship in order to reach my destination, so I made sure to pack for both the long journey and the final event."
The guard felt his eyes grow wide in surprise as he tried to process what he knew of this slightly strange situation. Here was a respectable looking young woman, traveling a great amount of distance alone, and carrying three pieces of luggage as if they didn't weigh a thing. He also had a vague feeling that her voice was familiar to him. Perhaps they had passed each other in the street, before… But now wasn't the time for speculation. "Well, then," he eventually said as he took the young woman's wardrobe trunk from her, "best make sure you'll board this train, eh?"
The railway employee turned towards the passenger car, unlocked the gate guarding the open platform from train hoppers, and slowly stepped onto the suspended piece of metal with the young woman's heaviest piece of luggage in tow (there was a good reason why he was a train guard and not a porter). The wardrobe trunk was placed in a corner between the outermost rail and a set of doors, followed by the cabin trunk and the wicker basket. He then turned back to offer the young woman his hand. "Mind your step, miss," the older man warned as the passenger placed her left hand in his.
Lifting the hem of her skirt high enough to show the ankles of her boots, the young woman quickly crossed the gap between concrete and metal to board. "Thank you," she smiled at her helper once both of her feet were solidly on the open platform.
"'Twas no problem at all, miss," the guard said in return, a professionally pleased expression settled on his face. That changed, however, when that sense of familiarity still hovering around brought forth recognition as he finally placed her voice. Then his jaw dropped down to his chest, and his eyes nearly bulged out in shock before he questioned, "Wait a minute! You- Are you Miss Ellen Walker, the music hall performer?"
The young woman said nothing for a moment, then let out a soft sigh of acquiescence. Her free hand floated up to the veil spread all over the top of her hat's crown rather than being pinned to its brim and undid the loose knot hanging in front. With a few more smooth motions, she untwisted the ends and flipped them back over her shoulders to loosen up the fabric barrier between her face and the outside world. She then finally pulled the veil high enough to expose her right eye and half of her smile. "Yes, I am."
"Well, I'll be! No wonder I thought your voice was so familiar," the train guard nearly whispered in awe as his eyes sparkled with delight. "I had just heard it last night, when me and my mates went to the Britannia." He removed his hat and held it close to his chest while heartily shaking her hand and adding on, "If I may say so, Miss Walker, you have such an angelic voice for someone your age! I'd heard 'The Boy I Love is Up in the Gallery' and 'He Knows A Good Thing When He Sees It' many times before, but you brought something new to them."
Ellen demurely inclined her head in his direction as her smile grew a bit sheepish. "Thank you for the compliments, sir, but my singing really isn't that special…"
"Oh, don't be so modest!" the older man firmly retorted in a low voice. All trace of his previous professionalism was gone by then, thoroughly replaced by the joy all people experience when in the presence of someone they sincerely admire. "It's truly wonderful. Matched only by your superb acrobatic moves and juggling, it is. I also liked those tricks you did with that little puppy of yours." Then a momentary realization had him asking, "Speaking of that little scamp, where is he?"
After smothering a chuckle with her hand, the performer pointed to the wicker basket resting on top of the wardrobe trunk. "He's in there, taking a nap."
The train guard blinked in slight surprise at her answer. "Really?" he questioned, turning his head to look back at the basket. It was then that he realized that the basket lid, tied in place with a wide piece of cloth, actually had several little slots as part of its woven design. Such empty spaces would serve rather well for air circulation. "Is that where he normally goes when you're touring about the country? While traveling, I should say."
"Yes, it is," the young woman replied with a graceful nod before hanging her handful on the veil onto her hat's brim. Her visible eye, a beautiful silver-gray color that reminded him of newly polished steel, gained a playful light as she revealed, "At least in there, I don't have to worry about him running off to beg for treats from every single person who enters his field of vision."
The railway employee pondered her last statement as he finally let go of her hand. It did make sense; not only was her puppy kept in one place, but he would also only see objects above his basket. Still, that did leave one last variable- "What happens if he smells someone with food, though?"
"Then I simply walk away from his target while he whines until I give him whatever I can quickly secure from a vendor. Honestly, there are times where I feel he's training me to give out treats instead of myself training him not to beg. If the former is true, then he's quite adept."
The older man grinned and gently handed over the wicker basket to Ellen. "Sounds like it," he agreed as he walked over to the set of doors and unlocked them. After opening the doors all the way and taking up both wardrobe and cabin trunks despite his aching arms, he looked back at her and said, "Please follow me, Miss Walker."
The two of them quickly stepped over the threshold that marked where the open platform stopped, and the actual passenger car began. But after the train guard placed the two pieces of luggage down with a sigh of relief, his face gradually adopted a concerned frown and deep furrows between his eyebrows as he examined the interior.
"Is something wrong, sir?" Ellen asked as she too inspected her surroundings, trying to figure out what caused his reaction. She couldn't find much. Unlike other passenger cars which arranged seating in several rows and had the seats themselves face each other in a mimicry of stagecoaches, this car had merely two rows that ran along both sides. The effect reminded her of two long benches being brought face-to-face, though that was slightly diminished by the built-in dividers creating three cubicle spaces. Cutting into the leather upholstered seat backs were large windows that allowed passengers to look out on the outside world – though given that the train would be traveling through dark concrete tunnels, such a feature might be less of a blessing than hoped. And stationed in each section was a brand-new electric lamp that better illuminated the space than their gas predecessors.
The older man didn't give a verbal answer at first. Instead, he sighed and pointed to the far end of the passenger car. Visually following the direction provided by his finger made the music hall performer quickly realized that the factor bothering him was something she had vaguely noticed but didn't think of as noteworthy when on a train.
Four sets of trouser-encased legs.
They emerged from the last cubicle on the left-hand side and were of varying lengths. The shortest pair was the one closest to her distance-wise and displayed proper posture, with knees bent at a ninety-degree angle and feet flat on the floor. The other three, however, were much slovenlier than their shorter companion. Instead of keeping themselves together and tucked against their bench, their legs splayed and stretched all the way across the aisle. The longest set, situated right next to the shortest, was just an inch or two from touching the other bench with his toes!
'Though it's unlikely he's even aware of that detail,' Ellen thought as she bit her lip to cut off an amused smile, 'given the lack of sounds besides snoring coming from the entire group.'
If the music hall performer had to guess based on everything she saw, they were most likely working-class men heading home and taking the opportunity to nap before their stop was announced. A bit irresponsible, unless one of them happened to be a very light sleeper. But nothing to make a fuss over.
Such thoughts weren't shared by the train guard, though.
"As you can clearly see, miss, the car is completely empty save for yourself and that lot," the railway employee finally said with a grim nod. "They'd gotten on a few stations back and haven't moved from that spot since." Noticing the confusion on her face, he added, "Not like that's a crime or anything; so long as a person has paid their two-pence fare, they can ride this train for as long as they'd like."
"Then what exactly is the problem, sir?"
"Well… though they haven't caused any trouble yet, they're still coal miners. A rough and coarse lot at the best of times. What's worse, I've never seen them before today. Only God himself knows what they would do…" The already uncomfortable older man gave a harsh tug at the collar of his uniform, then forlornly muttered under his breath, "If only the other carriages weren't full, I could have put you in one of them…"
'Ah,' the young woman thought with a sudden burst of clarity, 'he doesn't want to leave me alone in an empty carriage with rough men who theoretically could rob me of my possessions or virtue. How… chivalrous.'
And completely unnecessary.
Pasting on a winning smile, the former exorcist implored, "Oh please don't worry about me, sir. I'm perfectly fine with staying in this carriage for the time being."
The train guard spluttered a bit at that statement from his latest passenger. "Y-you are?" he asked, looking at her in shock.
The young woman nodded as her free hand slipped into her jacket pocket. "It isn't the most ideal situation for a woman traveling alone, true. But there are times when one must deal with what has been given to them and not complain." A white square of paper was withdrawn from the jacket, then opened to reveal a long list of railway lines, station names and rough estimates of arrival and departure times written in large but relatively neat cursive. "Besides, I'll only be taking this train to the second station after this one. Once there I'll get off, walk to the Central Station and continue on my journey."
Blinking in slight befuddlement, the older man took a good look at the piece of paper being brandished by the young woman. Sure enough, the itinerary confirmed everything she had just said. That certainly cut down on how much time she would be left in the presence of the miners. Still…
Sensing the man's momentary waver, the young woman put forth her final argument. "I'm ever so grateful for how much you are concerned about my safety, sir, but I can't let you jeopardize your job for my own comfort." A slender hand set down the cabin trunk and lightly grasped one of the train guard's much meatier ones, prompting a light blush to overtake the other's face. "While I don't presume to know how a railway is run, I will hazard a guess that the owner expects their trains to never stray from the timetables for any reason. And if they realize a delay was due to your accommodating me, then they might become angry enough to dock your pay. Or worse."
The train guard startled at that harsh truth, then let out a heavy sigh. "Are you sure you would be okay in here with them, Ms. Walker?" he gently pressed, torn between keeping to the schedule or safeguarding her from 'ruffians'.
"I'm quite sure, sir," Ellen Walker confirmed with a sympathetic smile.
"Very well, if that's what you want," the older man sighed once more, this time in resignation. A second later he resumed his professional tone to ask, "Why don't you find a seat for your dog and yourself then, miss? I'll handle your other trunks."
Seeing the resolute expression on the train guard's face, the music hall performer gave a nod of thanks and released her hold on his hand. She walked over to the first bench section on the side and sat down in the middle. True to his word, the wardrobe and cabin trunks were moved to her side. The former was placed upright by her feet, and the latter on the seat next to her. The wicker basket, meanwhile, was smoothly transferred from underneath her arm to on top of her lap during the process.
"Yip!"
It wasn't enough, however, to prevent the basket's passenger from waking up.
The young woman gave a startled blink in response to her puppy's vocalizations emanating from his basket, then looked up and sent the railway employee a chagrined half-smile.
The older man, thankfully, did not scold either of them for the noise. With a twinkle in his eye, he simply said, "Don't mind me, miss. I just need to check one last thing before I close the doors again and signal the driver to depart. Please feel free to tend to the little scamp."
"I will, thank you," the former exorcist replied with a nod.
As the train guard walked away, Ellen Walker quickly undid the long strip of cloth keeping the basket sealed and removed the lid. Nestled amongst the folds of the soft blanket was a golden spaniel puppy who immediately set about trying to escape his carrier to reach his owner.
"Easy now," the music hall performer softly mock reprimanded the excited puppy while picking him up and bringing him close to her face. "Don't let your enthusiasm send you falling out the basket."
The young canine didn't truly listen to what his owner had just said. Not because he was being disobedient, but because he was more interested in giving her a lick on the uncovered cheek.
The young woman's serious façade instantly melted away at that show of pure affection and was followed up by quiet giggles. "Well, I guess I can't blame you wanting to get out. You had been in there since this morning," she admitted, cradling the little spaniel in her arms while he scented the air. 'Even though most of that time was spent asleep…'
One of her hands began to scratch the underside of the puppy's chin, eliciting happy panting. "Anyway, since we're going to be traveling the rails for the rest of today and tomorrow, I'll make sure you can enjoy all occasions when you don't need to be kept in the basket."
On its way from the canine's throat to his side, nimble fingers bypassed a simple leather collar and its sole tag. "Won't that be lovely, Tim?"
-x-
"Yip!"
'Hm?'
Blinking at that unexpected sound, Eeez paused his struggles through a once discarded issue of The Union Jack and slightly lowered the magazine from his eyes. 'Did I just hear a dog?'
As if in response to his thoughts, another set of high-pitched yips was let out by the invisible canine in question.
Now quite intrigued, the young teenager put down the magazine and tried to locate the animal. Since his friends were occupying the rest of the bench on his left-hand side, his blue eyes immediately glanced to the one across from them. But after realizing there was no one there, he caught the tail end of a conversation coming from his right.
"…feel free to tend to the little scamp," said a man's voice the blond immediately identified as belonging to the train guard. His first impression of the man was that of an utterly professional and detached individual, so the warm and easy tone coating his words was quite surprising.
"I will, thank you," replied a woman's voice that sounded quite melodious, one perfectly suited for serenading others. There was a familiar quality to it, but he couldn't pinpoint how.
'I wonder who she is?' Eeez asked himself, leaning around the divider to get a peek. He managed to see part of a large trunk stood upright, and women's boots paired with a long skirt. Unfortunately, everything else was hidden by the divider by her side.
The train guard, on the other hand, was completely in view… and was walking right towards him.
The young teenager startled and withdrew back into his compartment. His blue eyes became glued to his lap, and his hands started to fiddle with the magazine as he listened to the rail employee's steps growing closer and closer.
Then, all too soon to the blond boy's reckoning, the footsteps stopped right in front of him before a throat was cleared. He nervously swallowed and looked up to see the older man's face staring down at him. "Is there something wrong, sir?" he asked with an accent fainter than when he was eleven.
The train guard didn't say anything at first, instead glancing over to Eeez's friends. Tyki, Momo and Clark were all still ensconced in dreamland, shielded from sight by newspaper sheets. The older man's lips twitched down, though the Portuguese teenager couldn't say if it was in contempt of his companions or not. The action hadn't been accompanied by a chilling spark within his eyes. Not to mention the newspapers were covering some rather controversial topics. One extra-large headline read 'King Edward Attends Opera Starring Latest Mistress', another 'Scramble for Japan? World Turns Its Eyes to Depleted Country', and the last 'Search for X's Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Continues'. Anyone would go a little cross-eyed over reading those.
Whatever the ultimate reason, the railway employee looked away from the other adult men to Eeez. "Can I trust that you will share what I'm about to say with your companions later, young man? It's very important."
The teenager blinked in surprise at the request. Why share important news with just him when the older man could have told him to wake the others up so that they would all hear it. Still, he nodded his head and replied, "Yes, sir. I'll tell them everything you'll say."
"Good," the train guard sighed with some measure of relief. The professional mask was then put back into place before he revealed, "You four now have fellow passengers in this car: a young woman and her dog. They're traveling to attend her friend's wedding, so this ride will be the first of many during their long journey to the southern region of this country."
'Ah, so that's why she has such a large trunk,' the blond boy thought to himself before refocusing his attention on the still speaking railway employee.
"The first destination is a few stops from here, so they won't stay in this car for long. Still, I am determined to make sure that she will have a pleasant ride during that space of time. Are you following me so far, lad?"
"Yes, sir."
Assured by that confirmation, the older man wasted no further time and revealed his reason for the talk. "Therefore, I want all four of you-" his eyes had settled solely on the other three, however- "-not to bother the young lady in any way until she gets off at her stop."
'"Bother" her? Why would- Oh!'
Once the implications behind that word in relation to the female gender fully sank in, Eeez sent the train guard an affronted look with his eyes. He also had an impressive frown, though that was hidden away by his face mask. "I'll tell my friends what you just told me, sir, even though it's not really necessary." A pale jaw slowly growing out of its childish form stuck out in silent defiance as he further elaborated, "my friends would never harass a woman anywhere, and especially not a stranger on a train."
The railway employee raised a bushy eyebrow to show his own less than 100% certainty of the blond boy's statement. "Can they truly live up to that, lad? Because if I hear one word of complaint from her about their behavior, then they'll have to answer to myself, some porters and – if the situation calls for it – the nearest constable."
Eeez's gaze remained steady as his knowledge in his friends' somewhat rough and sneaky, but otherwise honest characters. "You have my word that they'll behave themselves, sir."
"…Very well, then," the older man acquiesced with a nod. "I won't tarry on any further. Just remember to tell them what we've discussed."
"Yes, sir."
And with that established, the train guard turned around and walked back to the other end of the passenger car.
'I wonder if he's going to tell the lady what just happened,' the Portuguese teenager thought as he released a stealthy sigh. 'I hope not. If he makes her nervous about us, then she'll be more likely to misunderstand and be spooked by anything we say or do.'
There was also another factor to consider, of course. If the lady, presumably a member of the upper classes – otherwise why would the train guard have called her so? – was naturally prejudiced against individuals lower on the social order than herself, then she would treat them with greater suspicion than her peers.
But then blue eyes widened as Eeez realized, 'Wait a minute… why would someone of that social rank take the subway in the first place? Surely she could have taken her coach or maybe even one of those new automobiles straight towards her destination?'
The blond boy tried to deduce plausible reasons for such an action but could only come up with the mystery lady being a New Woman-type wanting to take a less wealthy form of transportation and thus highlight her autonomy. And even then, that possibility didn't seem to fit completely; she could have just drove herself, after all.
'Well… it doesn't really matter in the end. The train guard told us not to bother her, so we won't.'
With that in mind, the Portuguese teenager resolved to tell his friends the situation once they wake up.
A particularly loud snore from Tyki had him amending, '…if they wake up before she leaves.'
-End of snippet-