Compartment 9

[Laraqua]

Charles seems lost in his own thoughts. "If I can't make you a prince, I'll make you a lady instead.... I'll need to go pay a visit to this lord of yours.... I'm sure an arrangement can be made." He chuckles to himself. "I had someone else in mind but, well, he will just have to live with the disappointment." He leans forward to kiss her forehead before rising. "Good news, Lily, you will soon have the chance to enjoy a life of wonder and prestige."

[Kadael]

"Oh, wonderful," Lily says, sounding entirely unenthused by the idea and yet unable to commit to a truly sarcastic tone. "I hope this lord of mine is a kind man."

[Laraqua]

Charles nods. "He will become so if he isn't already." He heads over to the door and opens it, gesturing for the fellow to return. "Keep an eye on her, she's had a terrible shock. Do you know which compartment holds this Lord Cecil?"

Successful Psychology roll,he appears around the corner just as your brother mentions the man and you can see the flicker of concern cross his face again, very subtle this time, and a sort of hidden hardening of the features.

"I understand," he said, a smile appearing across his features. He lifts up the clipboard. "He's in Compartment 4. Would you like me to let you in?"

Charles shakes his head. "Not just yet, but soon." He turns and walks into his separate room, leaving Lily and a now awkward seeming Russian in a conductor's uniform.

The Russian seems unwilling to speak first.

[Kadael]

Lily pointedly looks away while the men are talking. She picks up her sketchbook and flips to a blank page.

"Good morning," she says, after a moment of silence, and takes a pencil from her purse.

[Laraqua]

He simply stands in the doorway, hands thrust into his pockets. He seems content not to speak to her.

If she glances up and makes a Luck roll,she'll see him glancing down the corridor toward the next sleeping car - a perfectly neutral expression on his face.

[Kadael]

Lily busies herself by laying down some guide lines, content not to speak to him either.

Keeper,Lily is sketching what she saw in the water closet.

[Laraqua]

So far so good. He doesn't seem to be paying any attention to her or her book - though from his angle he couldn't see it unless she wanted him to - which she likely doesn't since she'd be drawing a naked woman.

[Kadael]

Lily hums pleasantly to herself as she begins tightening up the shapes of the unconscious conductor. The woman is a vague suggestion of lines and curves at this point, nothing scandalous on that front. She pauses, adds a few strokes to the background to form an impression of tile, then holds the book up so he can see. "Does this look right to you?"

[Laraqua]

He looks at the picture and although his face doesn't twitch, it remains carefully neutral, he literally goes grey - not in a supernatural manner but in the way that so many novelists have captured throughout the years. You didn't think it possible, but there it is. That and his pupils constrict greatly - again, not in an inhuman manner, just in a frightened way. Then his gaze flicks up to meet hers and he tightens his jaw.

[Kadael]

Lily beams at him and goes back to drawing, continuing to refine the composition and sketch in background details.

[Laraqua]

The fellow seems thoroughly unnerved by all of this but doesn't say anything, simply gazes at her with increased suspicion.

[Kadael]

Lily continues sketching, continuing to ignore the issue of the naked woman (mostly because she's never actually drawn one before). "I hope nothing untoward caused this fainting spell," she says. "That wouldn't be nice at all."

[Laraqua]

"I'm sorry?" He seems genuinely bewildered.

[Kadael]

"I said, I hope the conductor's situation wasn't caused by anything particularly unfortunate. But you never can tell. Can you? One of the other conductors was apparently having troubles as well... do you believe in coincidences?"

[Laraqua]

Now he seems relieved. "Oh? Another conductor had troubles too? I believe this one was chemically sedated using chloroform or something similar. He should be waking up soon with a terrific headache. I only hope he does so before any of the other passengers come out. I don't want to cause a fuss which is why I put on the uniform. The last thing we need is for those SS officers to become overly suspicious."

[Kadael]

Lily looks up from her sketchbook and raises an eyebrow. "Who would do something like that to the conductor? Do you know who might have done it? Are we in danger?"

[Laraqua]

"I really have no idea, though I doubt that you or your brother could ever be in danger."

[Kadael]

"I'm sure." Lily shuts her eyes for a second and tries very hard not to yawn. "Sorry. I didn't sleep well."

[Laraqua]

"Bad dreams?" he asks, indicating the drawing she is working on.

[Kadael]

"A night of excitement followed by unwelcome interruptions." Lily starts to draw the woman's bloody face reflected in the mirror. "I don't know if I had time to dream, honestly."