[img]https://i.imgur.com/4uuThLm.jpg[/img]


[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/909715047918497815/1037211200871731300/Umbri_banner6.png[/img]


[color=CD09DC][b]"Ah,"[/b][/color] Stake stepped towards the officer, placed a hand on his shoulder, and tilted his head the other way. [color=CD09DC][b]"Have you forgotten, my friend? We're station inspectors."[/b][/color] He bowed his head, and the yellow of his eyes shimmered against the crags. [color=CD09DC][i][b]"We see you all the time… John."[/b][/i][/color]

Temujin muttered under his breath, [color=DC091C][b]"Oh, he's doing it again, isn't he?"[/b][/color] Umbri’s eyes darted between the ticket inspector and Stake in concern. [color=#A4303F][b]“Doing what?” [/b][/color]she grunted out of the corner of her mouth.

[color=CD09DC][b][i]"You're going to let us pass. Just like always,"[/i][/b][/color] Stake whispered, his voice a velvet-like melody which smoothed out the man's nerves. His eyes lost the light in them. Two beats passed, before he shook himself out of his stupor and laughed in embarrassment.

[b]“Right! Sorry, Luke. Didn’t recognise you out of uniform,”[/b] he said and stepped to the side, tipping his hat. [b]“After you.”[/b] Umbri gaped at the back of Stake’s head in a disbelief shared with the rest of the passengers. Shanks already pushed ahead like he was used to it.

Stake patted the officer's shoulder twice, then slinked forward. He brushed some dirt off his pauldron, ignoring the eyes around him as he led the way. 

[color=DC091C][b]"I don't know what it is. The Stoneworks folks will have a fancy term for it. When 'Stake' looks people in the eye, he can bullshit his way out of anything,"[/b][/color] Temujin whispered. 

[color=CD09DC][b]"Only if they're weak minded,"[/b][/color] Stake replied. The ticket inspector smiled and waved blankly. [color=CD09DC][b]"And I don't use it on women."[/b][/color] He glanced back at Umbri with his chin lifted and his eyes wrinkled with a smile. [color=CD09DC][b]"Takes the fun out of it."[/b][/color]

Umbri scoffed weakly on an exhale, glancing away. She felt safe enough now. [color=#A4303F][b]“I do pretty good at that myself,”[/b][/color] she said as she followed and bit her lip, [color=#A4303F][b]“But I don’t think it’s my eyes.”[/b][/color] Stake's gaze flicked down.

A loud, retching groan came behind her. [color=DC091C][b]"Kill me."[/b][/color] Umbri burst with a laugh, a genuine smile gracing her for a rare moment. Temujin froze up. Were his damages catching up to him? Did his receptors malfunction? He wanted to see if he had imagined that sound. But he couldn't, and a quiet sigh was all he could muster in return.

Stake pressed a button to slide the next passenger carriage open and they were met with another round of shocked gasps. Stake took charge, spread his arms and washed the crowd’s uneasiness with his smoothing presence. They were actually getting away with it, in front of everyone. Too easy. Umbri’s smile faltered as she stepped through to follow, tracking the scratching on the roof.

[b]BANG.[/b]

A shriek erupted from the other carriage. There was a noticeable lurch as the passengers scattered to one side of the train away from one of the windows. Clinging to the side of the carriage and almost peeling off from the force of the train, dangled a Rat. Its talons clawed down the glass and its teeth gnashed against it, failing to dig in and make a crack. More bodies slapped against the windows. More shouts and screams popped off around the train. [color=DC091C][b]"...Fuck,"[/b] [/color]Temujin uttered, unable to do anything but stare.

[b]"Go. Just go, they can't get in here,"[/b] Shanks ushered Umbri along. She was dragged with the fleeing party, stumbling over her disbelief. A violent crash rattled the glass right next to her, and she stared, dumbfounded, at the Rat tapping on the window. A Rat wearing red goggles and twitching with giggles.

Suddenly the whole train screamed at once, melting into the screech of brakes as the train came to a violent stop. Umbri, Stake and Shanks toppled forwards and others were thrown out of their seats. The mother of the toddler had pulled the emergency brake.

Rats piled on thick with no wind to push against them, zeroing in on the thieves’ carriage. They blocked out the outside light. The carriage rocked and groaned from the weight of them. The red goggled Rat disappeared into the crowd. They were trapped here, immobile. [i]But they can’t get in here, [/i]Umbri tried to convince her guts which screamed otherwise. There was a scratching beneath her feet. Then a whir.

A spinning blue laser sprang from the train’s floor in a burst of sparks.

[i]"Hello, this is your engine driver speaking,[/i] pinged from the train’s PA system over Umbri’s shrieking as she kicked away from the laser saw, carving through the floor towards her on a mission to bisect her vertically. [i]Please remain seated while we investigate the disturbance. The railway guard is on their way. I repeat, please remain seated - what is that? What the FUCK is that?? Rat? What - NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! GET- k̵̠̜̽k̶̦̄k̵̙̬̹͛̋̚k̵̖̪̭͐̐̆c̴̼͎̑̒͝c̸̪̬̽̾c̷͓̪͐̏͠c̷̫̾̐͘c̷̙̺̻͒͆͝ḩ̷̃h̵̬͌̇ḧ̵̜́̋ STOP ķ̶͖̞͋c̶̖̳̝̿̒̉c̴̨̯͔̑c̷͖̦̚͝h̵̞̜̑͋̀h̵̬͊́ḫ̴̠̗̍͘h̴̖͖͂͘ͅ AHHHHHHHH"[/i][b] Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.[/b]

It’s like a bomb goes off, as roughly two hundred people collectively realise they’re about to die.

Fucking. Chaos.