Play@YSDC

He smirks at her tone of indignation. "Oh, I wouldn't know much about them. Didn't pay much attention. I did advise that they should get tickets but the lady with them was certain that she should speak to the train conductor. It doesn't sound like it worked out for her her now, does it?"

"What do you mean?" asks Kate, suddenly frightened. "What happened to her? What did she look like?"

"She met with the train conductor," says the fellow, shrugging. "What do you want me to say about it? So ... did you two want a drink? It's nice in here, warm. Though I'd recommend making sure you got your tickets and papers all in order before progressing."

"Just an idea."

"Who was the lady?" asks Kate. "Did she tell you her name?" She describes both Ilona and Lady Katherine to see if it's either of them.

"The Countess, she is rather quiet, a bit stand offish, nice but reserved," Artemis chimed in as he continued to watch the man at the bar.

I think we need to get off the train, there is something about this conductor that he keeps mentioning that I really don't like. Artemis thought to himself.

The man scoffs. "Hardly nice and reserved! She certainly gave me a piece of her mind." He nods along when Kate describes Ilona. "Sounds like her, yeah."

"That's Miss Aston alright," says Kate. "What would the conductor do if she tried to give him a piece of her mind?"

"Oh, I really wouldn't know.... It's if she don't have a ticket that I'd be worried. But I'm sure she'll be fine!"

"But what if she doesn't have a ticket?" asks Kate, gulping. "Would he hurt her?"

Artemis had been scanning about the car as the man and Ms. Kate continued to talk, but her recent question brought his attention right back to the man at the bar. He added his own questions to Ms. Kate's.

"Where are all of the passengers? Haven't seen anyone else but you on the train? Shouldn't there be others enjoying all of this?

"His aim wouldn't be to hurt her, no," says the fellow rather airily. "And he has rather quite a good aim.... As for the other passengers, I haven't seen anyone recently but perhaps they all retired to their rooms? Such a shame. It does get rather lonely here with no one to sing an accompaniment to my piano playing."

"How long ago did she come through here?" asks Kate.

"Y'know, it's really hard to tell the time these days.... Don't the seconds just keep blending into each other and getting all muddled up? Has to have been awhile, but not a good deal of a long while. More of a short while.... But then you've only been on this train a short while, haven't you?"

"It's too dangerous to go back to the station and look for tickets with that violent man out there," Kate says to Artemis, "and it would take too long. I think we're going to have to go on to the next car and look for Miss Aston, conductor or no conductor."

"It's your funeral," says the fellow kindly, raising a small glass of whiskey in salute to them.

"Well, I agree we can't go back outside and going back to that warren of the bizarre is not really an option. " Artemis shook his head.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the odd silver coin with the unusual star that he had found earlier and rolled it between his fingers. As he thought about the situation, he brought it down with a tap onto the bar, and then swooped it back into his hand. "Lead on Ms. Kate, lead on."

Kate proceeds into the Smoking Car.

The strange fellow in the Lounge Car doesn't prevent him from heading off. Merely shrugs his head and turns back to pour another whiskey.

Kate steps back into the Lounge Car and looks around for a place where they can talk without being overheard by the bartender.

Artemis continued behind Miss Kate and did everything he could to keep his eyes focused forward. He needed to get his thoughts controlled, his mind was still spinning and his breath was a bit ragged.