The Night Train

[undergroundmods]

Watch on YouTube

It's the 22nd of January and the sun has disappeared behind the horizon. You're waiting at your nearest station when a sleek, metallic grey train pulls up at the platform. No one else can see it, only those who are aware of the supernatural world. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Night Train. Tonight the leaders of the Night Council will be making their annual introduction to the supernatural community – aboard a train that will make stops in every borough with a significant supernatural presence. Hop on and off whenever you like: this event is designed to be open to all. (Though for some reason the train won't be passing through East End or Seelie/Unseelie territory...)

The event takes place from 7pm-12 midnight Sunday 22nd January.

Rules of entry
• No weapons. Any weapons or objects that could be used as weapons will be confiscated.
• No drugs or alcohol except that provided at the event. Don't try to sneak any in.
• No violence. The train is cursed with a hex that will punish any trouble-causing passengers with a lightning strike. The Council doesn't mess around here.

Carriages
The train has five carriages, each one with a different theme. While the Night Council members are dispersed throughout the train, they are under no obligation to stay in their carriage and will likely move around to network and meet fellow members of the supernatural community. There are cameras and security guards in every carriage to ensure there is no trouble.

1) PRESIDENT / VICE PRESIDENT. At the front of the train is a carriage decked out as if for royalty. Surprisingly spacious, the carriage is decorated with gilt trimmings, a thick wine-red carpet and leather seating. Portraits of previous Presidents and Vice Presidents line the wall. Coffee, tea and wine is being served at tables interspersed throughout the carriage and finger sandwiches are available.

2) WITCH REPRESENTATIVE. The next carriage along belongs to the Witch Representative. It's rather like walking into a greenhouse: the entire place is full of herbs and other plants, and there are tables where you can sit and ask for advice or magical favours from witches with varying specialities: a healer, a herbalist, a psychic, a medium and a potions maker. Magical butterflies flutter along the ceiling and among the flowers like colourful lights. A small bar at the end of the carriage serves a variety of herbal teas.

3) VAMPIRE REPRESENTATIVE. The next carriage along belongs to the Vampire Representative. Decorated in a tasteful dark red, about half the carriage's length is taken up by a wine bar that serves a variety of alcoholic and blood-based drinks and snacks. The other half consists of leather seating where the seats face each other to allow guests to talk while enjoying a drink.

4) SHAPESHIFTER/META HUMAN REPRESENTATIVE. It seems that Yasmine decided her aim for the night was to let loose and avoid talking, since this carriage is basically a narrow dance floor. Club music blares out from speakers on the ceiling, there's a disco ball and strobe lighting, and all the windows are blacked out. A magical seal ensures that the noise is contained within this carriage, so you won't hear any of it until you step inside.

5) EMPTY CARRIAGE. There's nothing here apart from rows of seats that you might find on any ordinary train. A sign on the door says "WARNING: THIS CARRIAGE IS HAUNTED. KEEP OUT." If you ignore the sign and go in anyway, you might feel a sense of unease. The shadows seem unnaturally long and the lights will flicker on and off. Magically sensitive types will feel a strong sense of impending death and may experience visions of the seats being ripped apart and blood spattered on the walls. If you stick around even after that, the most magically sensitive person in the carriage will experience a vivid hallucination of their own death at the hands of a vampire. If you manage to endure that without fleeing, PM the mod to continue. (Don't worry, no one will die.)

Comments

[falsify]

Eamew snorts, almost amused if not for how perfectly Finnick articulates his feelings. There's a lot to love about humanity, but god they're fucking awful.

"Mm, and yet we're the dangerous ones who need to be kept in line," he says with a frown, eyes drifting to a pair of vampires across the carriage, "then again it shouldn't be a surprise, they go on and on about how untrustworthy we are but never consider why we had to learn to deceive to begin with."

[thelittlemerman]

"Humans come by it so naturally," Finnick says, agreeing. "It must feel so powerful to tell lies so freely. I almost envy them."

There's a wistful tone in his voice to hint that he's thought about this before, thought about how a bald-faced lie might have saved him once or twice, but there's no use dwelling. He changes gear with a sigh.

"Do you think we'll ever be allowed a carriage on this train? Or should we just settle for a stop or two in our boroughs?"

[falsify]

Eames has half given up on the idea of a Council seat, and honestly he's not sure sure he wants to be aligned with a council that'd welcome the vampires back so easily.

"If that," Eames sighs, tired. "I imagine they expect us to be satisfied with table scraps."

[thelittlemerman]

Part of Finnick would be satisfied just to be left in peace for a few years, without having to worry about witches or vampires or what he's allowed to do and not do in the mortal world. Maybe that's what makes him ill-suited for this bureaucracy business; his ultimate goal is just to be left alone and it's never ending with these witches.

"I think they expect us to be satisfied that we're allowed in London at all."

[falsify]

Eames' feelings are relatively similar to Finnick's, which is maybe part of why he'd found him so easy to work with. Might be a little more militant about it than Finnick though; If he has to fight everyone in London just so they'd let him be, Eames is starting to suspect he would without hesitation.

"Under their supervision, of course," Eames raises an eyebrow like it's a joke. The real joke, of course, being the idea that someone wouldn't have some great crusade against them for a decade or so.

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick looks solemnly forward, at nothing in particular, like he's considering life in a whole new depressing light. It's the same depressing light as always, he just tries not to go there too much. After a moment he speaks again with a hesitant glance at Eames.

"Do you really think all this mess is fixable? Can we make anything out of this?"

[falsify]

"I don't know." He sighs and puts a hand on Finnick's shoulder in a small gesture, some attempt at solidarity, "not tonight, certainly."

The question is twofold really, what do they even want going forward and how do they do it.

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick relaxes by a margin at the contact, even more aware of what a magical presence Eames has and how small he feels in comparison. Finnick's magic is fine, practiced for a low-ranking fae, but Eames is the Lord of Autumn now and he's strong.

"I know I haven't been very reliable," he admits.

[falsify]

"No," he's not going to disagree, Finnick has been an unreliable collaborator, but he's still useful. And honestly the only other fae Eames knows of who gives a shit and is willing to put himself forward to do anything.

Eames tilts his head toward Finnick, voice soft and low, "but you're capable, and smart enough to know we can't just wait this out."

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick's great at pretending to accept praise, but there's no use playing it up with Eames. He takes a breath and nods softly.

"I'm going to try harder. If they get bored with the stability they may turn their sights on us again, and I'll be ready."

[falsify]

"Good. It's either us or the wolves, and we're the ones they love to hate."

Eames isn't about to sit on his laurels, something's gotta give and he has to be ready. They all do.

[thelittlemerman]

Finnick means what he says. Annie's gone now, back to Ireland, and while he never would have considered her a distraction she was always in his mind whenever something happened in London. He considers the ignorance bliss even if he can't be with her all the time.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do. We both know the courts aren't very pro-active on these things; it's up to those of us who live in the mortal world most of time to make things happen."

[falsify]

Eames takes his hand from Finnick's shoulder with a soft, bitter laugh. Up to two fae and a handful of people they can convince to help out, wonderful.

"I'll call you," he says, "or you call me if you've got any ideas."

[thelittlemerman]

"I will," Finnick says, sounding confident that he will be able to move forward on this. He hesitates a moment, glancing around like he's nervous someone's going to hear what he's about to say, even if it isn't all that radical at all.

"Thank you, Eames."

[falsify]

"Don't thank me," it's not harsh, the way he says it, but it's flat. He likes Finnick, and he'd hope that much is clear to the other man, but Eames isn't exactly working with him because of friendship.

He frowns, looking at Finnick with a sombre expression, "I don't need gratitude, I need the man who helped me broker a deal with Redbright."

[thelittlemerman]

"That's still me," Finnick says, quiet and sad, but confident all the same. He knows that capability is inside him somewhere, and if he calls upon it he won't be at a loss. Learning how to manage his own mind is day-to-day but he thinks he has it under control enough for that. "I'll be ready; I am ready."

[falsify]

"Good." How much of it he has left in him remains to be seen — fuck knows they're not as similar as Eames had initially assumed — but that's an issue for later. "And if you're ever not up to something-- I need you to tell me.

[thelittlemerman]

"I will. Every day I learn how to manage it better. I won't let you down," he says.

[falsify]

Eames makes a soft noise through his nose, something both pleased and understanding, and he nods his head.

"Glad to hear it," he says genuinely, because he is. What a friend.