Beau looked at Sen with a mixture of wonder and disbelief. She did appear to be holding up far better than he had anticipated. She wasn't as delicate as he had assumed at all. Yes, she appeared to be annoyed within herself. That bit he could tell when he heard her say<span style="font-style: italic">"and furious enough that I want to go back out there and hunt that thing down!"</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Are you serious</span>he frowned dubiously when he had heard that line.<br/><br/>However, she hadn't completely broken down into a heap of panic. Which he expected the average girl to do. He knew his sister and his mother could be drama queens. Especially during the times they found spiders in their house or when their possessions got stolen due to being careless. The way they reacted was overly emotive and he could never understand why they couldn't do the logical thing and carry on with life.<br/><br/>Perhaps the explanation was due to what Sen had given. She had been blind since she was born. She had to adapt and press on. Force of will and determination was likely what kept her alive all of this time.<br/>Could the incident back in that last carriage have been her time up had he not been around?<br/><br/>In short, he had to admire Sen's ability to stand up again. If not sound a little reckless at wanting to go back into that carriage to hunt down whatever it was that had assaulted her.<br/><br/>Beau rolled his eyes and almost smiled at the statement of Sen wondering about the whole train they were on. Then his eyes became placid and his smile dropped when she went further into detail about the remarkable difference this one carriage was compared to the rest.<br/><br/>"...guess you're right..." Beau uttered, lost for any further words as he walked through the different seating quarters to observe the chairs and tables. Even poking his face close to some of the candlelights. The warmth very real.<br/>He was pacing up and down as he considered Sen's other questions.<br/><br/>"Don't take it to heart if you couldn't hear that sound," Beau tried to reassure her "there's so many weird things going on with this train that it was bound to be overheard."<br/><br/>Sen wrinkled an eyebrow.<br/><br/>"I doubt it." She replied calmly but matter-of-factly.<br/><br/>Beau stopped in his tracks, but still had his back turned to her. The lights illuminating off his jacket which outlined a pensive posture stuck in a col-de sac.<br/><br/>"I don't really<span style="font-style: italic">miss</span>these things," she reinforced "I<span style="font-style: italic">can't</span>miss these things."<br/><br/>Beau turned to look at her and simply knotted his eyebrows. He had nothing to say to that. So instead, he focused on her next statement.<br/><br/>"As for that<span style="font-style: italic">thing</span>out there... it could've been hiding anywhere. Let's face it... it's a big train. And an empty one too..." Beau looked between the door he had locked at one end, then cast his vision to the door at the other. Presumably the locomotive room.<br/><br/>"Come on, let's just get to the bottom of this..." Beau beckoned for her to follow him, pointing towards the door at the end "we don't know how good that lock can hold against it. I don't know what I saw but... it looked pretty big to me..."<br/><br/>He shook his head and was thankful he never saw that creature. He figured himself and Sen would not know who or<span style="font-style: italic">what</span>it was. For<span style="font-style: italic">now</span>...<br/><br/>Sen caught her breath and got up to walk near him. He would've walked over at helped her up, but he caught some vibe off of her that she needed her own space for now. She wasn't still angry about that creature that had attacked her, was she?<br/><br/>The two faced the door. Beau could see it was an oaken, glazed door with intricate royal carved patterns in it. Almost monumental and suiting to the room but again, like the carriage, a mismatch to the rest of the train.<br/><br/>"...well... here goes..." Beau breathed heavily, making a fist in preparation to knock. Before he was interrupted.<br/><br/>"I wouldn't go in there." A voice of low but suave octaves spoke. The presence alluring but foreboding at the same time.<br/><br/>Beau's ear twitched. His back still turned to the source of the voice. He turned his head, ever so slightly, to look at Sen who was standing right beside him. The surrounding candle light illumination dimming a few shades within the vicinity.<br/><br/>The squirrel swallowed his fear- like a lump of lead- before turning to confront the figure before him.<br/><br/>Sitting so casually from the shadows, upon one of the far ends of the seating areas was a tall, surreal coloured creature. Tall stature (judging even when seated), formal blazer overlaying a business white shirt with a red tie, and a sleek haircut to frame the face. If not to cover half of it as well.<br/><br/>Beau was able to deduce that the figure seating there was purple in skin tone. What caught his attention most however was that glaring red eye piercing through the dark.<br/><br/>Leaning back in his chair, he sat there tapping the table with an elongated purple finger. The end of the sharp claw setting a regular death toll tone upon the surface.<br/><br/>Tap<br/><br/>Tap<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Tap</span><br/><br/>"Did you notice him there before?" Beau spoke in a hushed tone to Sen who, by now, had also turned around. The front of her face looking at the figure that Beau could see. All he could see was a straight expression upon her face. Made all the more ominous and cautious with the shades she was wearing.<br/><br/>The figure lifted his head and scratched his chin. Looking down on the students and smiled wryly.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> Did he hear what I just said?</span>Beau coulnd't help but snear, looking the stranger up and down as he noticed his prying expression.<br/><br/>"Are you the driver of this train?" Beau asked in a dumbfounded manner. The blue toned squirrel's eyes widened as he looked closer at the shadowed individual "wait! I've seen you before... you... you were one of the panel members for my recent job interview!"<br/><br/>"You've got a good memory!" the figure laughed at him, before rising from his seat to walk towards the two young students down the passageway. He stopped and folded his arms. Torso slightly leaning back.<br/><br/>"...and no, I'm not the driver of this train." He waved his head in the direction of the door as if to indicate.<br/>The squirrel briefly turned over his shoulder to look to the door, before turning around again. A confused expression on his face.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">What was going on here?</span>Should he be relieved or panicked to finally see someone else on the train. Yes it was clearly, someone he had met before. But where did he come from? He didn't even hear the door open!<br/><br/>Beau brought his attention back to the man in front of him.<br/><br/>He raised his eyes brows with his mouth slightly ajar in wonder, before lifting his head and eyes up. This individual was just a foot below the ceiling!<br/><br/>"Do you remember what my name was?" he asked, a rubix cube unveiled from the palm of his hand. Colours scrambled haphazardly. Almost as if he was expecting him to solve the puzzle as well as answer his question "because I'd be disappointed if you didn't."<br/><br/>Beau bit his lower lip. It wasn't an unusual name. But it didn't fit the attire before him. Logical, cold cutting, business like, testing and enigmatic.<br/><br/>"Julien Summerfield," Beau addressed him. Julien clapped mockingly, still holding the rubix cube.<br/><br/>"Good job."<br/><br/>"Please..." Beau interrupted him with a longing voice "what's going on with this train?"<br/><br/>There was a moment of silence. Bar the<span style="font-style: italic">rata tat tat</span>of the train wheels outside. Darkness still amassed outside through the windows.<br/><br/>"What is it you want to know?" Julien frowned, turning the cubes within the palm of his right hand single-handedly.<br/><br/>"...well... everything..." Beau strained his voice. The question making him feel cornered rather than helped.<br/>Julien studied him, and also took a moment to look at the girl next to him. Narrowing his eyes at her before sniggering.<br/><br/>"Firstly, this train seems dated and lack-lustred. Then, it takes off with no announcements... into the middle of nowhere!" Beau opened up, albeit anxiously and tense as he stuttered "then the lights go out and as we get here... my friend gets attacked by some hooorrible creature out there..." he said, gesturing from Sen with his hands to pointing to the door behind Julien.<br/><br/>Beau paused, before diverting his gaze from the door and back to Julien.<br/><br/>"And now we're here... with you!" he exclaimed thrusting his hands out "for the last time! What is going on and what IS behind that door?!" Beau demanded throwing a finger at it, intent stare still locked on Julien.<br/><br/>Julien simply looked on, as if Beau was a troublesome child.<br/><br/>"You look to me for answers, and yet I assumed you kids would be good at problem solving," Julien laughed out loud with open palms, a half solved rubix cube in the right hand.<br/><br/>He then turned to look at the squirrel panda hybrid.<br/><br/>"Did you want to know what's behind that door?" he asked her with eager red eyes.