"Let's let things come out of the woodwork

I give you my best side, tell you all my best lies"

-'Homemade Dynamite' by Lorde

Three weeks of planning later and the Seven board the train, it's in various capacities. Luce takes first class, with Reborn and Fon as bodyguards. Lal and Colonnello are given the role of a couple in middle class and Verde is somewhere in the middle class as well, looking every bit the scientist he is. Viper, of course, claims the cheapest seats on the train while Skull grins and dons the uniform of a conductor. He is giddy and what's left of the Wilhelm persona claims he's excited to meet a living ghost story. Claire the primary, on the other hand, feels nostalgic and can't wait for night to fall.

Enough of Claire bleeds into Skull that the red and purple mix to be more of a dark brunette and the other Seven don't recognize him immediately when he comes for their tickets. There's something to be said for a professional showman who can blend in and become what he wants. No one admits that it's slightly unsettling. Though there is a man that has Skull grinning and leaves the three seated in the high class car rather suspicious of him. He's an old man in a white suit and white shoes, barely a hint of blonde left in his white hair, and a predatory smile as he seems to analyze the faces of various staff. His gaze lingers on Skull and the crazy Cloud simply gives the man a cheeky grin. All Four catch the glimpse of a metal hand and Skull's grin widens. The old man's smile stretches but doesn't say a thing, though his foot starts a restless tapping.

Skull finishes his rounds through his assigned cars, with pleasant smiles and generic small talk with some of the guests. He's pleasant to the other conductors and it's easy to see that he's done this before, enough that he's a natural and at home. So Viper adds it to their mental notes on the Cloud because no leads have turned up since the Mist sent out their feelers. Eventually, there would be a hit and Viper was a patient Mist.

Lal and Colonello, looking every bit the couple they're masquerading as, notice the ease of Skull as a conductor as he makes small talk with a handful of actually decent seeming people in their car, a dark-haired woman in her thirties and a younger man with almost the same shade of hair. It's generic pleasantries and Skull is preforming so they don't pay a lot of attention but just enough to see that apparently the woman finds Skull attractive and the young man couldn't care less. In other words, nothing of note and Lal's eyes rove the car in a ruse of boredom while Colonello puts his arm around her and looks out the window, using the reflection to keep an eye on the car. Why it had to be evening train, Colonello guesses that it must be to keep up the ghost story ruse. Good thing they adjusted their sleep schedules for this.

Verde, with a brain like his, is wired for details as long as he's looking for them and almost misses the conductor that asks for his ticket but manages to get a look when he remembers what they're supposed to be doing. There's a hint of red hair under the conductor's hat and a mischievous glint in yellow-hazel eyes. But there's no curls and he's used to seeing that look from Skull before he's found in the oddest places that no human, Flame-Active or not, should be able to reach. So he makes a mental note as he thanks the conductor but isn't immediately concerned. There was a lack of curl to the hair, for one, and two, they're only here to observe and try to ascertain the identity of the Rail Tracer. Though preferred alive, they were given license to kill if they were attacked by the Rail Tracer. The conductor walks away and Verde goes back to his notes. Might as well get some work done while waiting for the mission to really start.

-.-.-.-.-

There's a flicker and then there is a man with rusty hair and black eyes. There's a whisper of a breath and the man is gone. Just a vial glowing gold and note on a table left behind.

-.-.-.-.-

In another part of the world a woman with blonde hair, dark skin and sunsets for eyes grins. The world is spinning and turning and aging the way it should. And she Knows the way everything that the potential to end. She Knows the players, every decision they could make, and every outcome. She is awake again and will not directly interfere but, when the time is right, she will act. She shakes off the dust and dark lips pull into a smile revealing perfect teeth as she stands, walking out in to the sun in her kalasiris*. She walks barefoot in the sand and basks in the warmth of the sun. Alone, she hums a song that she Knowsbut it hasn't been written and won't be for another few decades.

She thinks a name, an Old Name that hasn't been spoken or thought for eras. She blinks and in the empty expanse of sand before her, there is suddenly a man with rusty hair and black eyes dressed in a suit.

She grins and he smiles in return. Only they can feel the world as it spins.

Sorry about the wait for this update. My grandmother has been diagnosed with the final stage of Alzheimer's and I'm one of her primary care givers so more of my time is going to taking care of her, especially as her levels of brain deterioration keep increasing in leaps and bounds.

As far as the story goes, I promise I do have a plot and I know how I'm getting there, even if it doesn't quite feel like it just yet. In this chapter, I have introduced a few new characters to the chaos I'm writing. I'm curious how many you guys can identify them and the first person to name all of them will get a one shot of whatever they want written by yours truly. PM me with your answers! Hint: I'm including characters that have only been referenced up to this point as well.

*kalasiri-traditional Egyptian sheath dress

Heads up: there may be formatting changes depending on the characters involved from now on.