The front carriage had calmed down enough for Paula to hear her own thoughts, which was certainly something considering the amount of racket that had filled the air for the last few minutes. Some listened to her words and sat down. Others followed the peer pressure from there, especially when their wives or husbands implored them to. A few more rowdy examples had declared her advice to be no good and vacated the carriage, but you couldn't save everyone. That much Paula had learnt a long while back. Don't try to help those that don't let themselves be helped. "I'm not saying you cannot go", she had pointed out to them, "but I am implying that you lot have a better chance at making it if you just stay put." One had reconsidered. Others had called him a wuss and made off to the shrouding darkness of the wood, looking for who knows what. A piercing note of a whistle cut through the air, but on a quick look Paula couldn't pinpoint its source. What she did note was a small entourage of people approaching from towards the back.

Outside didn't look right still, so she had to be watchful for some trickery that could be afoot. "You", she pointed to a sufficiently bulky looking passenger. "Come hold this door for me. I see people coming from the back, and I like to think they are indeed people, but we better be on our guard", she gave the man an order. He refused, rather promptly too, telling her that he would not be taking orders from a nobody, much less a midget. He was… well, whatever the name and title had been Paula had already dismissed and left the too good for common good individual babbling about his own importance and tried looking for someone else who would take the task for themselves. And of all the options, she would eventually get the help from… She couldn't help but sigh. It was three literal children, helping the scary woman because mommy told them to. This would end well. In not a single sense of the word.

The door to the carriage opened and the beaked mask pressed outside. She hung on to the frame of the door with one hand ready to push her back in at any moment and the children at the ready to push the door closed. So far so good, nothing had lashed out at them yet. So it wasn't a shroud over the windows of their carriage, if such a thing was even plausible. You never knew with the dark side was the lesson she had learnt better than any other. Feel free to assume, but do not think yourself absolutely correct. "Hey!" she called out towards the recently halted procession of mostly church people, hoping they would hear her over the music. Of all things, music! Had people no tact or tactical sense for that matter whatsoever?

"Engine is gone. Train isn't moving from this point, not if we remember to pull the emergency brake. Anything shareworthy from back there?" the shouting continued, though other than the volume her voice was rather level. Keen eyes observed what was to come from behind the lenses of the beaked mask, her other hand fondling a glass bottle under her coat. If this was some trick, she would only have to toss it out there and have the door shut. What she couldn't afford was to let anyone close to the door until she could be sure. And at times like this, certainty was not an available commodity. One had to make concessions.

[@Lady Selune][@Ashgan][@Eisenhorn]