A/N: Yikes definitely should have gotten this posted a while ago, but with starting a new job and family stuff this has been pushed back.
Still, better late than never.
For the moment Annabell still can't understand Train so when he speaks to her it will be in italics.
I don't own any Magic Roundabout characters used in this story, they belong to Serge Danot. I just own Annabell.
It was an early summer morning on the outskirts of The Magic Gardens, the sun just peaking over the treeline.
From his shed Train yet out a yawn as he woke up.
It took him a few moments to register how warm it was in the shed already and let out a tired groan.
"Well good morning Train. Hope you slept well during the heat."
Train looked over hearing the voice of his caretaker Mr. McHenry, the gardener stepping out if the adjacent cottage.
"What's this sleep you speak of?" He yawned stretching his wheels.
Mr. McHenry gave a chuckle walking over.
"The heatwave shouldn't last much longer. Now come on, Annabell should be here soon and I want to go over a few things before I leave."
Train with effort made his way out of his shed just as a burst of purple magical energy appeared nearby.
"Sorry I'm late, Zebedee was showing me some cool magic tricks and I lost track of time." Annabell appologized.
Annabell was rather unusual in appearance as she was what was known as a Springed Wizard.
Annabell herself was rather short, being roughly half as tall as Mr. McHenry. She had purple skin with long blond hair and green eyes, the bottom part of her body consisting of a silver coloured spring.
She brushed down her light blue shirt before bouncing over.
"You're quite alright Annabell. I haven't even started my checks on Train yet so you got here just in time." Mr. McHenry assured.
Train gave Annabell a polite nod.
Annabell watched in awe as Mr. McHenry worked on Train.
She was keeping her distance but could still see everything he was doing.
What amazed her the most was the fact he worked silently, occasionally giving a small tap if he needed Train to lower himself down or to let him know he was working on a new area.
Train himself was relatively calm and relaxed during the whole thing, at least from what she could tell.
Once she was sure they were finished did she speak up.
"That was amazing." She said taking the tool box and placing it by the cottage.
"How did you do that anyway?"
"Years of trust Annabell. I know Train trusts me to keep him in good condition and in return I trust him to tell me when I do my checks and work on him if anything is wrong that I can't see." Mr. McHenry explained.
Annabell looked over at Train who was warming himself up.
He gave her a nod of confirmation.
"Do you think I could learn to do that?" She asked.
"I guess so…we need to learn to trust each other anyway." Train replied, though he was ok with having Annabell around he was still wary of her.
Mostly because the only Wizard he'd met other than Zebedee was Zeebad and he still had nightmares about that encounter at the Ice Palace.
Mr. McHenry gave a nod.
"Train's right. Once you two learn to trust another you'll soon be able to start working with him."
Annabell sighed.
"It feels more like I need to trust myself before I can let him trust me."
Mr. McHenry gave her an assuring pat on the shoulder.
"Zebedee trusts you and that's enough for me."
Annabell gave a small smile.
"Now you remember what to do while I'm gone?" Mr. McHenry asked.
Annabell nodded.
"Firstly make sure Train has enough water for the day, if something seems wrong and I can't identify it get help from Zebedee or Mr. Rusty. After that I need to go to the orchard and garden and check on the fruit and veg. I need to make sure to water the plants in the evenings and make sure Train is safely uncoupled before he returns to his shed and give him enough water for the evening." She recited.
Mr. McHenry gave a nod and smile.
"You'll do fine Annabell. Remember to keep the door locked when you're not in the house. Any food that goes off in the house can just be thrown on the compost pile but make sure no wildlife can get to it."
Annabell nodded.
"You can count on me."