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[oceantier]

[There's a blue lady on the comm's screen, not looking like she completely trusts it -- or that she quite likes being so visible. She has something to ask, though (as much as it feels like an exploitable vulnerability to ask) so she stays. And it's fair that others should see who's talking.]

Hello.

[. . . Knowing how to start is harder than anticipated, and considering the last time she was on the comm was to apologize, it feels even more awkward. She swears she can feel eyes looking at her. Unconsciously, her arms tuck into a cross.]

I heard there are "missions" every month. Where we're supposed to infiltrate, or something attacks.

. . . This time there was water in the city. In the pipes. And the sewers. But people say it's not always a city. Locations are different every time.

I need to be able to access some when it isn't there naturally.

I need . . . help.

[Silence for a moment. That was extremely uncomfortable to say, and the next question isn't much better for her.]

Also . . . I'd like to know what people do to find their own space. Where they can sometimes be alone. When . . . they need to.

. . . Thank you.

Comments

[irrationally]

You mean here on the train? [ For that last part, she means.

And while there are plenty of suggestions Alice could make for carriages that tend to have less people in them than others, there's never a true guarantee that you're entirely alone there when they're all crammed into a train together. So.. ]

I think this train is of the opinion that solitude and privacy are luxuries we don't necessarily need.

[oceantier]

[Lapis eases slightly at the sight of Alice.]

On the train, yes.

[Quietly, flatly:] And if that's true, it's wrong.

[irrationally]

Of course it is.

[ There's not a moment of hesitation before she responds with that. After all, even though they were considered luxuries where Alice came from as well, she already knew back there that it's wrong.

And it's wrong here too. ]

The best you might be able to do is suggest to the train that it should give us spaces where we can be alone, but then again.. its way of deciding whether or not to cater to people's wishes seems whimsical at best.

[oceantier]

[It's a small relief to be understood. Her shoulders ease a little more, even as her voice retains that flat skepticism.]

. . . Does it really care?

[seacub]

Would rainwater work?

[This could be the start of a very strong, very dangerous partnership if all goes well.]

Um...I guess technically there's the quiet rooms, but...

Technically there's...a hidden one..? I've shown a few people, but that's still less than the whole train, and I don't think most of them use it...

[oceantier]

Any water will work.

[She's used sewage before in a pinch -- disgusting, but highly effective. Rainwater is wonderful by comparison.]

[He has her attention with the second part.] A hidden room?

[seacub]

Oh, good! I could probably make a pretty good amount using Weather Report then, so I guess that works! [Yayyyyyyy.

Ahem.] It's a ghost room- in the quiet carriage, where the rooms were destroyed to make the lab, they left ghost rooms behind. To get in, I have to show people where the entrance is first- after that, they can come and go.

So it's...pretty isolated. Technically there's two, but I've only really used the one, mostly... [Since it took two quiet rooms to make the lab...]

[oceantier]

[A blink.]

Thank you . . . but then how would I carry it?

[She technically could in one big sphere, perhaps, but a large, floating sphere isn't exactly subtle for infiltration missions, and it's more vulnerable during a fight.]

A ghost room . . . ?

[What is this?]

voice;

[adropofsunlight]

I guess you like being able to be alone?

{She can at least understand people wanting that now and again.]

I admit it's not easy considering the number of people around and how many places we have, but maybe try the Quiet Carriage?

Voice

[oceantier]

I . . . need to. Sometimes.

[There's a flicker of discomfort in her voice, but it's quiet statement of fact. It's not something she's sure she wants to explain -- or that anyone else will understand. How do you explain a small eternity of absolute solitude and stillness colliding with a constant thrum of movement and activity?]

[And the reason that solitude existed . . . that she's not sure she's ready to give to anyone.]

That carriage is all right sometimes. But . . . it can feel like a cell, too. I was hoping there were other options.

I've been using the pools in the spa and going underneath the water. So far that's been best. But sometimes people want to use the pools.

Voice

[adropofsunlight]

I think honestly, the whole train can feel like a cell to me.

[Sure the only difference between the train and her tower was the fact there were people and more things she could actually do. But she still felt that sense of being trapped when not on missions... and she wasn't on the last mission so it's been a while since she last stepped off it.]

But yeah...it's hard to find areas of quiet but... the train has taken requests before, so that's always an option. Might not be right away, but you never know. I can even ask too if that helps? More voices the better.

Voice

[oceantier]

[Quiet at that first part. Then, softly,] Yes. And . . . it is.

[A place that keeps you against your will in a small, confined space . . . what is, that, really, but a prison? An elaborate one, maybe. But still a prison.]

Thank you . . . [Said with a flicker of surprise that she would offer.] But . . . even if it were to offer such a thing, it feels . . . [She gropes for the right word.] Like a bribe.

[Which is still not to say that she doesn't want it. It's irritating how much she wants it -- knowing it's within the train's ability and dangled just out of reach.]

[gathersnomoss]

Does the train provide waterskins if we're going on a mission where there won't be drinkable water? Is that enough water?

[oceantier]

I don't know. That was my first mission. If it provided clothes for us this time, though, when the goal was to infiltrate, maybe?

Something like that . . . I could make it work, but I can do more with the more that I have.

[She's had to make do with small amounts of water before. She can be effective, but . . . it's limited. More limited than she would ultimately feel comfortable with.]

[Also, he appears to be another blue person . . . embedded with rocks? He doesn't look like any Gem she recognizes, but it's enough to draw some measure of curiosity.]

[gathersnomoss]

[It certainly does look like rock, and his hair is metallic in ways human hair isn't].

It was mine too, but we'd be in a lot of trouble if there wasn't water, beyond just your abilities.

[oceantier]

I think the train must at least want us alive, or it wouldn't feed and house everyone now. It wouldn't have provided clothing if it didn't want to prevent us from being seen. If there was no drinkable water for those who needed it, it wouldn't be safeguarding its investment.

But that still doesn't mean there would be water -- or enough water -- for those who use it to fight. Or a way to carry it.

[She definitely is intrigued by his appearance.]

Are . . . you made of stone?

[And in true Lapis form, the question is put out there, bare, with nothing to cushion it.]

[schrodingersghost]

[Oh hey, it was the water girl who'd tried to flatten him and beat him up with clones that one time. But lots of people had tried that. Danny didn't hold a grudge.]

Well, I mean, I can create ghost ice anywhere. Would that help? Or does it have to be liquid?

[oceantier]

[. . . It was that flying boy who tried to fight her. Hopefully he saw the apology on the network; she can't remember him answering.]

[He doesn't seem to be holding a grudge now, though, if he's replying without even mentioning it?]

[She decides not to mention it for now. No need to reopen anything. Just in case.]

It's . . . easier if it's liquid. Ice takes time to melt.

[And while she can melt it more quickly than it normally might, a large block is still a large block, insulating itself on the inside and making itself more resilent. There's a reason enormous snow piles take forever to melt.]

I'd also still need a way to carry it.

[schrodingersghost]

[Danny makes a face.]

Probably not an option, then. I've got an ice core, not a water core. I can shape it, but I can't melt it.

Video

[goingthroughaphase]

Hmm...well, sometimes water bottles are included in the supplies we get for missions. Maybe we could get one for you, one that's a bit sturdier for you to keep and use on missions?

And getting a bit of privacy on the train is...hard. I usually just use the Quiet Car or the Library.

Video

[oceantier]

[Guilt pricks through Lapis' insides. This girl tries so often to help . . . which means that Lapis has so often seemed as though she needs it.]

[That's not a pleasant thought. And she's not sure what to do with it.]

It . . . would be good if that's the only option. But it isn't a lot of water.

[She's been in that situation before -- where there isn't enough water to destroy what she needs to destroy, not enough water to save--]

[She shakes the thought away.]

And . . . it would be nice if I could make a place that's just my own.

[Where she doesn't have to worry about being seen. But that's not something she says aloud.]

[goingthroughaphase]

Yeah, bottles don't really hold a lot of water. [ And carrying multiple bottles is just a hassle. ] I don't really know what would be good for holding a lot of water, though.

And I'm not sure if there's much space to set up for individual people, as much as it would be nice. [ It's tough to find place on the train that could be completely cleared out. ] Are there any places on the train you're most comfortable with?

[salutosinedelectat]

[ Aziraphale remembers her, of course. Hard not to - and not just because of her blue tint. ]

Suppose we all find our spaces.

[ He addresses her entirely naturally, no mention of the first time they met. ]

There are private cars for free use. They can be locked.

And there are spaces that, while accessible by everyone, tend to stay somewhat quiet at certain times of day.

[oceantier]

[Someone else who she really hopes saw her network apology. Her eyes betray a flicker of worry, darting over his face, searching--]

[He doesn't seem to be angry, though? At least not that he's showing.]

[She tries to answer as he does, not bringing it up in turn.]

Private cars . . . ?

[salutosinedelectat]

[ He's not angry. Whether that's on his angelic nature, naivity, or simple empathy is up for discussion.]

Yes. Or, well- car with the small sitting rooms. You can lock thee door, if you wish. It's one of the few ways you can make sure no one will bother you.