[center][color=FF7F50]"Why the rush?"[/color] Tabitha's head had started pounding somewhere between the Bulwark and [i]here[/i]. She had stalled solely for her own sake, putting the false question forward to allow her a moment's respite from the tempest growing in her temples. [color=FF7F50]"I figured whatever it is ya gonna do, ya could do it wherever and whenever. Why ya draggin' me down to that place? Feels like ya just tryin' to get me upset or somethin'."[/color] Petulance was the easiest method of communication, given the Ghost Girl's stoic demeanor and dismissive patience with her.

 Of course, they were stopped at the top. The Ghost Girl two steps down the set, already; halted, but uninclined to look over her shoulder. [color=FF7F50][i]Really pisses me off. She don't give a damn about me doin' anything. S'alright, though, if she ain't see me as somethin' serious to deal with,[/i][/color] Tabitha took the first of several grimy steps, maneuvering ahead of her escort to lean lazily against the slightly arching wall. [color=FF7F50][i]it'll just make things easier for me...er...once I decide what I'm gonna do.[/i][/color]

 That part was still nebulous at best. The weird mask was a mystery, the weird girl was a mystery. Everything was up in the air, to Tabitha; a coin suspended in the midst of grenades on puppet strings. [color=FF7F50][i]Fuck.[/i][/color] She couldn't keep still, twitching and kicking off the wall as the Ghost Girl slid by her; eyes ever forward, settling into a single color as the shadows swept over her. [color=FF7F50][i]Nothin' to say, eh?[/i][/color]

 [color=708090]"I am not bringing you here as a ploy, Tabitha. Such a thing would be cruel of me,"[/color] she pointed ahead with a slow, fluid motion, [color=708090]"I bring you here because it is necessary. As this place has served as a stable manifestation point, and, as mentioned-"[/color]

 [color=FF7F50]"Yeah, yeah. And a place ya can get to another world from. I heard ya, earlier. It just don't make a lotta sense."[/color] She shoved her hands into her pockets and lowered her head, trying her best to stare daggers at the strange liaison. The steady thud of a veiled object against her abdomen reminded her to comment further. [color=FF7F50]"The mask, too."[/color]

 [color=708090]"That is irrelevant. The latter part, anyway. What you make of the Semblance you have been gifted is a mystery I can not fathom."[/color] It sounded like a lie, but Tabitha let that slide and simply listened. [color=708090]"Time is also a factor. You see, we are the last to arrive. To be late to a gathering of my own design is unbecoming of me. Shameful, perhaps. I know that I told you how little your choice matters. You may also be wondering why time may be a relevant factor, given that statement."[/color]

 Tabitha nodded, casting a glance ahead as they reached the bottom. The shadows behind them seemed suddenly distant. There were other people there, but she felt her throat tighten at the sight of them. [color=FF7F50][i]How many people are there...the hell are we doin' here? Wait...that guy was hangin' out with me, Lane and Rani! What the fuck is he doin' here?![/i][/color] She stalled, again, though the Ghost Girl strode forward with deliberate sloth. 

 This time she turned, facing the other green-clad girl. [color=708090]"It is for them that I made haste. For all of you. Given my lack of proper cadence in the call, we are behind my predicted schedule. If anything is to be accomplished, now is the only chance any of us have. Those of your world, and those of mine. Both will be in the hands of those gathered here."[/color] Her voice was soft, but her eyes bespoke a coming storm. Tabitha's stomach and heart both fell at once, the tension in her throat spreading roots. A shiver rolled through her. [color=708090]"I must address all, as I have addressed many. Please, take your place with them."[/color]

 The Ghost Girl moved ahead, Tabitha frozen in place. She watched, though, fighting down the sensation of dread that had risen from the words. The stranger held her posture and kept her pace; footfalls echoing quietly over what sounded like whispers and chatter. Her own heartbeat made it difficult to tell, but if she wanted to know more she had to move forward. 

 [color=FF7F50][i]For Will. I gotta do this for him. He wouldn't have backed off! Goddamnit, I ain't take this thing for no fuckin' reason! You ain't gonna get me shook, bitch! Don't underestimate me![/i][/color]

 Gritting her teeth and uncurling her fists, Tabitha took uneven steps forward. The first three were short and sloppy, her gaze on the ground. After that, she hit her stride; straightening up and looking over the people gathered there with a veil of disinterest. [color=FF7F50][i]Wonder who they are. Seen a couple'a these people before. Fuck. Whatever.[/i][/color] She took a spot against the wall, trying her best to keep distance between herself, the others and the Ghost Girl.

 It was she who approached the tracks, stopping at the very edge to swivel and stare at those who held a Semblance. [color=708090]"Greetings. Please forgive my interruption. All of you are aware as to why you are here. Perhaps only in a peripheral sense, where others may be more attuned to the ebb and flow. You know me as the Subway Ghost Girl. I suppose, in a sense, I am exactly that."[/color] With another languid flourish, she turned. [color=708090]"In minutes, you will be transported to a different world. I had expected to take more time, given the circumstances, to inform you all of various minutiae about [i]Irriss[/i]."[/color] Something in her tone made the word sound mournful, Tabitha noted. [color=708090]"However, given our current circumstance, we can only allot ten minutes to conversation."[/color] 

 [color=FF7F50][i]Why only-[/i][/color]

 [color=708090]"The train is coming, after all."[/color][/center]