undergrounds | The Night Train

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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.)

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Daryl is curled up on himself half-way down the carriage, legs tucked up against his chest and arms around his knees. He'd been in there for a little while trying to get settled but having little luck with how much his hair was standing on end. It was a creepy place. He hadn't seen a ghost yet, though.

"Nah. Mechanic," he answered, sniffing the air as his eyes readjusted to the change in lighting. He recognized that face.

"You got magic, though, don't you?" he went on a moment later. "Can't you just make something of your own to light the place up if you need to?"

Ooh, someone who knows him? He doesn't recognise the voice and his eyesight isn't much in this dark, but they can do re-introductions later. In the meantime, Eames moves to look out a window.

"Don't want to mess with the magic in here already," he answers absently, with a dismissive wave of his hand, "not until I know what's causing it."

"Sign says it's haunted," Daryl stated the obvious. "Can't be much magic in that that someone like you couldn't deal with."

"Ghosts complicate things." Eames isn't a fae who's very attuned to the dead-- he can sense them and talk to them, sure, but beyond that? Not his wheelhouse.

Daryl shrugged, "Wouldn't know. Magic ain't really my thing." He watched Eames carefully in the dark. His eyes probably catching the light and glowing a little if the man turned a looked back at the right moment. Cats eyes. A trait he rarely tried to hide.

He would catch that, except Eames is busy with horrible visions of whatever happened on this train. He sucks in a sharp breath and puts a hand on the wall to steady himself, head bowed for a moment. It's so real, the smell of blood is acrid and coppery on his tongue, overwhelming for how thick it is in the carriage, and Eames finds it in himself to be impressed at the realism here.

"You see any of that?" If he sounds annoyed and short, it's only because this is frankly rude and uncalled for ghost behaviour.

Daryl slowly stood, more fluid and graceful than his body really should have. Had he been human, anyway. He moved to stand next to Eames on silent feet. Probably seemingly appearing without warning considering the man's distraction.

His eyes narrowed before he took a quick glance around, and then out the window, "No. What was it? We pass something?"

He frowns suddenly when he notices Daryl next to him, the only outward display of surprise he's willing to show. Eames' focus is elsewhere, nostrils flaring like he's picked up a nasty scent and he turns his head as if trying to trace the source.

"Nothing," Eames breathes, "illusions."

He sniffs the air, trying to see if he can sense anything off to the air. But it's still just that general disease a place like this has.

"Yeah. Has to be," he agreed after a second. "Bunch of witches trying to mess with people for some reason. Maybe they're hiding something back here."

Which obviously meant it was time to start nosing around.

The Night Train

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