Wildergeist

                               -1-

The setting sun shone down gently onto Marie's umbrella, and though it was a beautiful day she drew no odd stares from anyone around her. Partly because she sat in the middle of a train station and everyone was attending their own business, and partly because such odd characters were becoming more and more common lately in the area. So she sat there, undisturbed, until at last the whistles began to blow and conductors began to call for tickets. The last train for the hour pulled into the station along its own private track, the massive gold-engraved Shell of the locomotive revealing it's identity as the luxury cruiser the "Wildergiest". In one fluid motion the pale woman would stand and put away the book she had been reading while picking up her bag, then begin walking amongst the crowd. Maybe it was her apprearance or maybe it was just by chance, but not only did she not bump into a single person, but it almost appeared as if she had her own personal space that other people avoided instincutally. Wordlessly she strode up to a conductor and handed him her ticket, then boarded the train. As she walked along the cars, Marie would examine her surroundings, a small smile crossing her features as she took in the familiar sights of theold train. She had heard the engine had recently been replaced, but thankfully they had simply given everthing else a good cleaning. Far too often lately were her favorite places had begun changing to meet modern tastes. As she passed a window she let a stray hand reach out to the velvet curtains, remembering the time as a child when they provided the perfect hiding place. The memory was cut short by the barest hint of a scent that caught her attention. Her eyes widened the smallest fraction of an inch and her ghost of a smile widened, but she simply let the curtain fall from her fingertips and continuedin her way. As she headed for her favorite compartment though, he mood began to fall. Despite everything appearing the same,it was only time before this once grand passengerline was a thing of history. From it's plush seats to it's mirrored hallways that reflected her image all around her, all would one day be dust. She glanced at her reflection, her raven locks and blue eyes the exact same as they had been decades ago. With one last sigh she crossed between a pair of cars and up a flight of stairs into the study. It was full of books and meant for passengers who wanted to read, but as of late it had become rather abandoned. It's windowless walls and dim  lighting made it one of Marie's favorite rooms though, and as an added bonus her favorite employee was the waiter for that room. As she walked through the door the train whistled one last time and began to depart, the slow lurching of the wheels on the track giving the odd sensation of movement even when one felt they were standing still. It took a few moments, but Marie spotted her favorite chair that had been moved to a different corner then sat down slowly, careful not to crumple her frilled skirt, it's dark purple fabric shimmering in the lamplight. She'd only been seated for a moment before the soft sounds of footsteps to her side got her attention.
"Good evening Jak." she said quietly, turning her glance to the lean fox-like man that had come to her side. Dressed in a white suit with the train's logo embroidered up his lapel, his appearance was one of contradictions. His hair hung it pearly white locks around his face despite his youthful grace, and his narrow eyes never seemed to miss a single detail in any situation. And best of all he knew everything going on in the train with almost uncanny accuracy.
"And good evening to you princess." came the reply, the slight hint of a tease snuck into the end. Marie's eyes looked back to him, this time with a cold flash of anger that dissapated quickly.
"Jak, you are one of my favorite people in this world, but call me that again and I will have each of your fingers removed and fed to my pets."
A small cough passed from Jak's mouth, but his smile never left his lips.
"My apologies. Would you like your usual refreshments?" the waiter asked, his tone even. Marie thought for a moment and shook her head.
"Damn appearances. I've had a long year and it's time I indulged. Bring me a tall order of contraband. Make it a russian. It has a good bite to it I find."
The waiter nodded and bowed, a soft chuckle at the small joke before leaving to fill the woman's order. As soon as the odd waiter left Marie let loose a light laugh of her own. There she was again, running fast nowhere. She couldn't stay still for long though, couldn't rest, so running was her only option. She took out her book again and let her eyes scan the words, but no matter how long she stared her mind was too far from that moment to really abosrb any of it. It wasn't long before her musings were interrupted for a second time that day by Jak entering the room. In his hands he held a tall black bottle and a champagne glass. Setting the glass down he uncorked the bottle and began to pour the liquid, the thick crimson color glistening as it filled the glass. And yet again the strangly familiar scent would tease Marie's nose, the haunting mixture of thew woods and something more warm barely noticable.
"As ordered, one fresh Russian, only two weeks old. He was twenty-five and a baker I believe. A donation surprisingly." the waiter explained, pausing for a moment as Marie placed a hand on his wrist.
"Jak, my friend, have you noticed any... unusual passengers today?" she asked sweetly, taking the glass with her other hand as the white-haired man placed the bottle in a small basket.
"You'll find that to be at the perfect tempurature, as we have a new storage system. Very efficient. As for passengers, none that I noticed, but we do have a new chef in the kitchen who might catch the attention of those with very particular... intrests?" he explained, the hint of a tease returning to his voice. Marie let her eyebrow rise, indicating he continue as she brought the drink to her lips. A long draught brought a satisfied sigh fall from Marie's lips as her server explained the chef had just employed a few weeks before, and was quite the character. Originally he had been hired simply for his skills, but it was quickly found that he had a flair for making passengers feel welcome and putting everyone around him in a good mood. Jak then told her that even though he hadn't had a chance to actually meet the chef, he had been told by one of the waitresses in the dining car he was quite the eyeful.
"She ended up saying much more, but not by her knowledge" the lean waiter chuckled, "Her clothes were practically drenched in the smell of his presence."
At this Marie's lips turned downward the fractionally. Noticing the expression, Jak simply shook his head.
"She works in direct contact with him. She made it clear no matter what she did he barely noticed her. I must admit her frustration was a little amusing."
Marie responded to that by finishing her glass and placing it gently upon the table next to her armchair and standing slowly.
"Well, as interesting as gossiping is, I believe the sun has set. And as such I feel the need to mingle with my fellow passengers. Keep that bottle warm for me would you?" Marie requested, her smile sweet. Jak nodded and smiled back at her, picking up the bottle and holding it to his chest.
"Gladly Ms.Stahlgriff. Please enjoy your stay upon the 'Wildergeist' as our valued guest."
Marie's smile widened, revealing her pointed canines against her pale lips.
"Don't worry, I fully intend to."

   All around Marie people moved about, chatting and interacting with each other. Among the crowds she saw a few of her kind, but for the most part it was normal people going about their everyday lives. She quickly made her way to one of the larger cars in the middle of the train where a small ballroom was kept. As she stepped inside she was pleased to find the light dimmed and a slow relaxed melody being played. There were a few people dancing on the floor, but most were simply sitting and talking. Marie looked around for a few moments before she saw the young woman she had been looking for. Standing in one of the corners in front of the band stood a tall woman, her dark skin and stature the perfect appearance for the composer she was. As the song came to a finish Marie strode over quickly through the dancers and pinched the tall woman's arm.
"Hey! Who the-" the composer yelped, turning to face her attacker.
"Marie! Of course it would be you! Back so soon?"
Marie shrugged, rolling her eyes.
"You know me, always going somewhere. But what about you Dani? How is your music coming along?" she asked.
Dani turned back to the band and waved for them to play on without her, then turned back to Marie.
"Quite well actually. I've made alot of progress in the year since I last saw you. I'm actually working on a new piece currently. You'll have to come by my quarters later and listen to what I have finished so far."
"That sounds great. Oh, by the way, what do you know about the new chef they hired?" Marie asked, doing her best to stay nonchalant. Dani simply chuckled at the question.
"Right to the point I see? Well, he's not really my type honestly. A bit too rough around the edges for my taste. But if you're curious enough to come straight to me and ask about him you must know something I don't. So what makes him so special to you?" Dani asked curiously, crossing her arms and grinning. Marie scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Nothing you would care about. Trust me. So just tell me what you know!"
Dani laughed and nodded her head.
"Alright alright. I think his name is Rolan. He's native american or something like that. He just got out of culinary school and has a way with food. That's pretty much all I know. Why don't you just go ask him all this yourself?"
Marie smiled and hugged her friend quickly.
"That's what I'm going to do right now, and you're going to help me." She explained, grabbing Dani's wrist as she began to walk back through the ballroom to the door she had come through.  

As they moved their way through the crowds towards the dining car, Dani had finally gotten her hand back and was now following willingly.
"So your logic is that because I work on the same train, I can get you into the kitchen?" Dani inquired.
Marie looked over her shoulder and shrugged.
"It was the best plan I could come up with. Besides, it's not like they have armed guards or anything."
There was a slight utterance from Dani on the subject of certain passengers creating a need for them, but it was ignored. Marie was too focused on her new subject of interest to let her friend's negativity bring her down. So focused, in fact, that she nearly bumped into a gentleman in rather ragged-looking clothes. When she tried to apologize however he simply glanced over at her for barely a second before walking away with a hollow look in his eyes. Marie looked back at Dani who simply shrugged her shoulders. Some people were just weirder than others.

Much weirder.