The Night Train

[undergroundmods]

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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

[longterm]

Cesare doesn't exactly believe that Samantha has no idea who he is. She clearly knows what's going on politically around London (after all, how could she get her position?). The chances that she wouldn't know who he is would be slim.

But he humors her in favor of being polite, just as he does when she pleads innocence regarding his claims about her new position and Sylvia, smirks and half nods, halfs shrugs as if to say my mistake.

"Not yet. Cesare Borgia, Marquess of Islington." He holds out a hand.

[brightwitch]

She shakes his hand, as amiable as he is. "Samantha Okeke, former High Priestess. I thought I recognised you. You were one of the nominations for Vampire Representative, right? So what do you think of the guy who actually got it?"

Is he resentful? Accepting? Is he the sort who would happily carry out a little backstabbing if it got him where he wanted? All things she'd love to know.

[longterm]

Cesare barely resists rolling his eyes.

"The people have spoken," he says, making it pretty clear that he thought they made the wrong decision. "Let's hope he represents my kind adequately. Though, if not, I am sure that will be sorted out sooner rather than later." It's no secret that Cooper and Cesare don't get along. They've fought publicly in the past. Cesare is perfectly happy not keeping that from Samantha too. Cesare isn't exactly the deceitful type.

"What do you think of him?" Now that Cesare would like to know.

[brightwitch]

Resentful. Well, now she knows. She listens with interest, thinking he must be pretty pissed off if he's willing to talk about it like this to a stranger.

As for the question, she shrugs. "I don't know. We only just met. He seems... young. He's not though, is he?"

They're vampires, they could both be hundreds of years old. Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't know how old Cooper is.

[longterm]

"Oh, he's a child," Cesare says immediately, confirming her thought without hesitation. "He has little experience in life, let alone in politics. I'm fairly certain this is his first foray into the field." Yet he'd beaten Cesare, a seasoned pro, at it. Something was definitely messed up about that, he thought. Cesare doesn't intend to try diplomacy again.

But he smiles for politeness sake.

"But he's the people's choice."

[brightwitch]

"Huh." Cesare must be biased, but he's really not making Cooper sound like a good choice. Her expression softens. "I guess that's democracy for you. It's a popularity contest. Even if you're well-qualified... it doesn't matter if people like the other guy more."

She's sympathetic, not because she actually cares that Cesare lost, but because it can't hurt to make him think she's on his side.

If Cesare knows too much, tell me and I'll scoot back. <3

[longterm]

Cesare shrugs and nods.

"That's the risk of it, I suppose: popularity does not always equal competence. I suppose that's why you've avoided it." He gives her a small smirk before turning back to his drink, saying no more about it.

"I do hope our factions might get along one of these days, though. Properly get along. I am tired of all the bickering." And by bickering, he means the issue with Raymond Harris. Honestly, the witches really cramped Islington's style on that one.

np!

[brightwitch]

She's going to pretend she didn't hear that one. Samantha wrinkles her nose. Bickering. Is that what they call murder around here?

"Seems to me like you're back in the fold. Back on the Night Council. Having a drink with the rest of us. That's some serious diplomatic effort after the last guy in charge."

She'd only been around for the last couple of months of Raymond's short reign, but she remembers the terror. The whole city had felt like it was sliding further and further into chaos.

[longterm]

"I don't know about you, but I personally wouldn't call an assassination diplomacy," Cesare replies wryly, sipping his wine. In his eyes, it doesn't matter that he himself participated willingly in the assassination of Raymond Harris. His objection is more the idea of it being described as diplomatic when it clearly isn't. If people are going to decide a set of rules, Cesare would rather people stick to them. That way he knows the field.

But Cesare is happy for Samantha to think that his interest lies in diplomacy and the voice of the people being heard, rather than him just wanting to have the upper hand.

[brightwitch]

"I meant after the assassination," Samantha replies without missing a beat. "Assassinations are... kind of the opposite of diplomatic, yeah. Going from that to a democratic election must have been interesting."

It is a huge change, now that she thinks about it. She'd always imagined that vampires backstabbing and murdering each other was just how they handled their power struggles. It seems more in-character for them to settle their differences with violence.

[longterm]

"Yes. Hopefully we're all reformed people now. Well behaved and all that," he replies with a smirk, not really believing it. Cesare has been around for a while, long enough to witness cycles. He does not believe that people nor humanity changes. Trends shift, yes. But genuine changes at a person's core? Definitely not.

"I would hate for there to be another upheaval. Jean-Claude is a friend of mine." Friend is a bit of a strange term for how the two men consider each other, with far too rich a history and very little trust. But friend will suffice for this conversation. "It would be a such a shame if his leadership were dashed so early in its course."