[They wait. Not very long before the shadows are unfurling and reaching out. Grabbing them both and sucking them in.
It’s a portrait Aquarius can now smell. Industrial, musky, damp. Like metal. The tile runs across the platform, dirty and old. The place looks a tiny bit dated.
He steps out over the platform toward the outside edge where the yellow caution pant runs over the knobbed flooring, warning of the oncoming trains. He is looking up and down the tracks.]
[shadows unfurl and reach out to them, but aquarius seems to step forward and let them grab ahold of them before they really have a chance to suck them in.
as they stand on the platform, they look up and down. it's musty and it's kind of gross but they don't seem too fussed. instead, they follow after jason in their stupid duckling mode, not really thinking much about it.]
...how often does the train run through here anyway?
[He has no watch to judge the time, and there aren't any signboards here to show the scheduling. But Aquarius can... feel? how well Jason knows by instinct what the time tables of the trains might be. And hear, too. Jason is listening, Jason is aware of the ground beneath his feet and what it tells him.
It's a subconscious training he doesn't put any focus into, but it's there.]
We made it with about five to spare. You ever did any train hopping?
Not bad. [they seem to be tuning in, focusing on what jason's feeling and keeping watchful eyes on the track itself. it's...really not so different than their own instincts, they think. not that jason knows that. but they seem to pick up on the way he's fine-tuned to the area and jason himself might notice that aquarius slips in sync with him almost too easily.]
Can't remember. But it can't be that hard, can it?
If you like to live a little dangerously, then it's not bad.
[He says this like he can kind of infer that Aquarius seems like the type to always be living a bit dangerously. Maybe it's why they are SO IN SYNC, hate it. He offers his hand back, open.]
Give me your hand. I'll show you where the best spot to get on is.
[Since, in the distance, the sound of the metal machine is coming. The ground beneath their feet tremors in a muffled way. If Aquarius takes his hand, he'll walk them down the platform to the side where the end of the train would be.]
Not sure I know how to live any other way anymore. [idly. but yeah, that sure is why they're so in sync. horrible. but they look for a moment before taking jason's hand, letting themselves be led and following.]
I have once when I was trying to jump on as it left. But luckily for you, we're going to get on when it stops. Hold onto me, okay? The wind off the train is strong.
[He takes Aquarius to the edge of the platform along the lip that juts out away from the tunnel. He lets go of Aquarius's hand long enough to just hop off the edge and land down on the rocks in a crouch before he stands back up. The platform is fairly tall, and while he'd normally let Aquarius jump, he turns back and holds his arms up to offer Aquarius something to hop into as a kind of buffer. He'll lower Aquarius to the rocks after.
In a pretend, automated voice:] Please keep all arms and legs inside away from the tracks at all times.
[clever. they follow jason to the ledge, looking in the tunnel before watching him jump. they see the arms outstretched to them, eyeing them carefully before they immediately jump. it's an easy landing hitting their target, scrambling down to the rocks before they glance back at the platform. ]
Funny. [but they do seem? more curious? they want to go. ] How far does this one go anyway?
[Good jump, buddy. You weigh about 80 pounds soaking wet. He steers them close to the cement wall of the tunnel, taking them by the hand again. The train is in the distance coming into the tunnel.]
Sixty minutes around the city! [He yells it over the start of the noise.] We'll ride about twenty minutes!
[The sound of the train bursts through the tunnel in an echo, drowning them out. Down here, it's easy to see how fucking fast these things fly by. He keeps a hold on Aquarius, walking down the length of the rock of the tunnel for a few yards, right about where the end of the train would be when it stops.
The blow-back of the wind when it coasts by is indeed strong despite the fact the train is slowing down. He waits with Aquarius in the dark against the wall for it to get to a stop.]
[stop be nice. but they let jason take their hand and they're watching down the tunnel as the train blows through. they jump a little, the noise startling them enough that they take a step back before correcting themselves to follow jason. they turn slightly to try and avoid the wind, stopping in jason's shadow a bit until the train rolls for a stop.]
A little more than I thought. Color me impressed.
[it's supposed to be dry but they. seem like they're ready to bolt and jump on this train while it's still moving. help.]
[Luckily, Jason is such a dorito that he blocks a lot of the brunt of the wind. Hateful.]
There are different stops, but it's an hour the whole way almost.
[He doesn't have to yell so much once the train has lumbered to a stand-still. They are just a bit off from the rear, so he pulls Aquarius along to the end. It isn't extended like an engine train, with a balcony to stand. But there are some rebar railings lining it up and down, and there's a little bumper of a ledge to stand on.
He shifts behind Aquarius and slides his hands under their arms so he can heft them up to grab the bars.]
Find some good footing and a place to hold on. We've got about two minutes.
I have time for whatever. [it's kind of quiet, but they're waiting as the train rolls to a stop. they really are just easy to cart around, letting jason pull them along until they reach the end.
this really just looks like a challenge, and they're here for it. okay but suddenly they're being lifted and there's a startled noise as they feel the air under their feet, kicking a little until they find the ledge and wrap a gloved hand around one of the bars.]
[He grabs the bottom of one of the bars beside them and hefts himself fluidly up with them in one smooth motion. Bats. He isn't on top of them necessarily, but he does lean against the outside of the train with his side in a way that kind of is shielding them? From falling off and stuff. But he lets them hold on because, for some reason, he feels like he can trust they know what they're doing mostly.
It's a connected vibe.]
Tuck close. Don't stick your head or arms or legs out. Nothing will really be jutting in the tunnel, but just in case. Don't want any painting amputation. We'll be outside in the city air first, then we'll go through the tunnel.
[The Tunnel.
Also, he is telling them all this because it's really hard to hear when they are going about sixty or so miles and hour on a track.
The doors of the train on the platform shut. IT'S BEEN TWO MINUTES? So fast! See. The exhaust of the brakes decompress, and the train jostles them both as it starts moving.]
[bats. aquarius doesn't seem to mind the sudden meat shield. maybe they're used to this. they also don't seem to be too worried about the fact they're about to go sixty mph since the hold is almost loose.
the vibe is very determined though. and excited. maybe a little manic to see something new and experience something more than speed.
but the instructions to tuck in are clear and they do so, turning a little closer to the end of the train itself and away from the walls of the tunnel. they whip their head around as the doors slide shut and then they look back at jason before there's a nod.]
[That makes him laugh. He really doesn't like that they have such a wild streak in them, but okay. Damn. It's better they're doing it with him than doing it by themselves.
The train takes off through the second half of the tunnel, picking up enough speed to spit them out full force into the open air once the tunnel ends. What's wild is the train is like a subway, looked like one, down in a kind of subway platform area, but when they come out... they're high in the air in the upper regions of a sprawling, industrial city. It's night, the windows of buildings are lit here and there. Cars honk and move below on the streets. A fog gathers over the water in the slit of the bay that can been seen on a side they haven't reached yet.
The stars can't be seen because of the pollution, but it does trap the city lights in a bubble--red, green, blue, violet. Coming out of the tunnel seems fast, but in the wide sky like this, it feels like they aren't moving so quickly.
Aquarius has a couple of minutes to take in the view before the upcoming tunnel.]
like yes, okay, they know this is a painting but it's still something that's not the wretched hotel. they hold onto the bar but they can't help but immediately turn their head every which way to try and take in all of the sights. why the hell are they in the air? is this normal? this is definitely not how they think trains are, so they're taking in everything gotham has to offer.
it's a dirty, dingy sort of city maybe, smog blocking the view of the stars, but there is a little flicker of longing that comes as they're watching everything. without thinking about it, they start to kind of scoot a little closer to the edge so they can look over the track and down into the city. they have a few minutes, right?]
[It's a cool view! Aquarius is valid. They do have a few minutes of time to be able to look out over Gotham, churning and rolling with endless living.
He doesn't reach out to grab Aquarius to keep them from leaning, but he does keep a few hawkish eye on them to make sure they don't slip or get sucked off. He will put his hand on their shoulder if he needs to, but he trusts them not to be too stupid.
Well, not to be too stupid here.
He does lean down near their head, though, to talk above the sound:] You cold?
[thanks for trusting them, jason. they seem to know their limits, leaning far enough to look but still easily keeping their balance and hold of the bar. but they turn when he speaks up and shakes their head.]
No. This isn't bad at all. Probably moving too fast to be cold anyway. [and even if it was cold they likely wouldn't mind.]
[He laughs a little. Okay, macho man.] If you get cold, you can have my jacket. [But he leans back up since they said it was fine. Their hands were too fucking cold already, so he doesn't know whether to be worried or like "can't be worse than that."
Gently, he nudges their shoulder, then points a bit around the train ahead of them. The tunnel is coming. Aquarius can already see, peeping out from the darkness inside, a little bit of color...?]
I'll be okay. [shhhh. they are very tough!! but in all seriousness, they really don't mind. they've been in far worse places with far worse conditions, and this is...still better than being inside the hotel. reasonably, they are aware they're inside the hotel still, in a painting, in something that isn't quite real, and there's maybe a bit of dissonance with what but they're more interested in what's ahead.]
...this is that tunnel you told me about, right? The one that was tagged.
[they apparently listen to jason more than they let on, and they're also moving again as if to get a better look.
it's wild, a little, to see how more normal people live and the things they do. normally it's debatable if aquarius would care, but...it's been a while. and this is something that, whether he'll really say so or not, is somehow important enough to jason to make note of. so there's nothing but curiosity as the train zips along.]
[The illusion of the train moving too slow disappears as the front goes into the tunnel. Everything speeds up, but it isn't so fast it's over in the blink of an eye. The tunnel is a little long.
Technically, this shows up with black light, but shhh. The inside walls of the tunnel from one edge all the way overhead to the other edge are covered in different, glowing graffiti. Everything from words to more intricate art, all in places that would make anyone wonder how they were done with a train passing through from time to time.
It's very cool. And kind of trippy to speed through.]
[the tunnel is long, and aquarius falls silent as they immediately watch the graffiti pass them by. it's bold and it's bright and it's all over the place. aquarius isn't trying to jump off the train, but they're whipping their head this way and that to try and soak all of it in. there isn't enough time. it's...very different than what they're used to, they think, and they seem to be trying to memorize everything.
and if they step back into jason to get a better look of the wideview, so be it.]
[Using him as a cushion is fine. He reaches up to put a steadying but not distracting hand on their shoulder to make sure they don't flap away in the wind trying to look at all the cool graffiti.]
Tagger's magic.
[Trying to logic it out will ruin all of the fantasy and mystery of it, he thinks. So he doesn't give any explanation. Maybe Gotham fairies did it. Otherworldly beings, spirits. Things like that. The tunnel is a good two or three minutes which seems short numerically, but it's actually rather long speeding this fast.
And then it's gone. Whisked away like exhaling breath. The outside of the tunnel, on the face, has a pair of neon glowing eyes watching them move on into the distance.]
[they continue to watch, enthralled for a brief moment before there's a weird sort of out-of-place feeling of something like melancholy. the train speeds along, and then it's gone. they stare at the neon eyes for the longest time, refusing to break contact.]
I'm...not usually one for bright colors. But that's pretty awesome.
[He gives their shoulder a squeeze of reassurance, then lowers his hand. They can have a little of Jason's amusement and understanding through the mind-meld.]
Yeah? I told you. Didn't think I'd get to show you, but that's fine.
[He points around them into the distance.] You see the top of that big ass mansion out there beyond the city? The one on the hill just over the trees? [It's outside of the city, but they can see a glimpse of it through the buildings as they go along in the open air again.]
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[They wait. Not very long before the shadows are unfurling and reaching out. Grabbing them both and sucking them in.
It’s a portrait Aquarius can now smell. Industrial, musky, damp. Like metal. The tile runs across the platform, dirty and old. The place looks a tiny bit dated.
He steps out over the platform toward the outside edge where the yellow caution pant runs over the knobbed flooring, warning of the oncoming trains. He is looking up and down the tracks.]
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as they stand on the platform, they look up and down. it's musty and it's kind of gross but they don't seem too fussed. instead, they follow after jason in their stupid duckling mode, not really thinking much about it.]
...how often does the train run through here anyway?
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About every twenty minutes.
[He has no watch to judge the time, and there aren't any signboards here to show the scheduling. But Aquarius can... feel? how well Jason knows by instinct what the time tables of the trains might be. And hear, too. Jason is listening, Jason is aware of the ground beneath his feet and what it tells him.
It's a subconscious training he doesn't put any focus into, but it's there.]
We made it with about five to spare. You ever did any train hopping?
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Not bad. [they seem to be tuning in, focusing on what jason's feeling and keeping watchful eyes on the track itself. it's...really not so different than their own instincts, they think. not that jason knows that. but they seem to pick up on the way he's fine-tuned to the area and jason himself might notice that aquarius slips in sync with him almost too easily.]
Can't remember. But it can't be that hard, can it?
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[He says this like he can kind of infer that Aquarius seems like the type to always be living a bit dangerously. Maybe it's why they are SO IN SYNC, hate it. He offers his hand back, open.]
Give me your hand. I'll show you where the best spot to get on is.
[Since, in the distance, the sound of the metal machine is coming. The ground beneath their feet tremors in a muffled way. If Aquarius takes his hand, he'll walk them down the platform to the side where the end of the train would be.]
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Ever missed before? [just wondering.]
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[He takes Aquarius to the edge of the platform along the lip that juts out away from the tunnel. He lets go of Aquarius's hand long enough to just hop off the edge and land down on the rocks in a crouch before he stands back up. The platform is fairly tall, and while he'd normally let Aquarius jump, he turns back and holds his arms up to offer Aquarius something to hop into as a kind of buffer. He'll lower Aquarius to the rocks after.
In a pretend, automated voice:] Please keep all arms and legs inside away from the tracks at all times.
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Funny. [but they do seem? more curious? they want to go. ] How far does this one go anyway?
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Sixty minutes around the city! [He yells it over the start of the noise.] We'll ride about twenty minutes!
[The sound of the train bursts through the tunnel in an echo, drowning them out. Down here, it's easy to see how fucking fast these things fly by. He keeps a hold on Aquarius, walking down the length of the rock of the tunnel for a few yards, right about where the end of the train would be when it stops.
The blow-back of the wind when it coasts by is indeed strong despite the fact the train is slowing down. He waits with Aquarius in the dark against the wall for it to get to a stop.]
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A little more than I thought. Color me impressed.
[it's supposed to be dry but they. seem like they're ready to bolt and jump on this train while it's still moving. help.]
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There are different stops, but it's an hour the whole way almost.
[He doesn't have to yell so much once the train has lumbered to a stand-still. They are just a bit off from the rear, so he pulls Aquarius along to the end. It isn't extended like an engine train, with a balcony to stand. But there are some rebar railings lining it up and down, and there's a little bumper of a ledge to stand on.
He shifts behind Aquarius and slides his hands under their arms so he can heft them up to grab the bars.]
Find some good footing and a place to hold on. We've got about two minutes.
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this really just looks like a challenge, and they're here for it. okay but suddenly they're being lifted and there's a startled noise as they feel the air under their feet, kicking a little until they find the ledge and wrap a gloved hand around one of the bars.]
Two minutes can be an eternity, you know.
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[He grabs the bottom of one of the bars beside them and hefts himself fluidly up with them in one smooth motion. Bats. He isn't on top of them necessarily, but he does lean against the outside of the train with his side in a way that kind of is shielding them? From falling off and stuff. But he lets them hold on because, for some reason, he feels like he can trust they know what they're doing mostly.
It's a connected vibe.]
Tuck close. Don't stick your head or arms or legs out. Nothing will really be jutting in the tunnel, but just in case. Don't want any painting amputation. We'll be outside in the city air first, then we'll go through the tunnel.
[The Tunnel.
Also, he is telling them all this because it's really hard to hear when they are going about sixty or so miles and hour on a track.
The doors of the train on the platform shut. IT'S BEEN TWO MINUTES? So fast! See. The exhaust of the brakes decompress, and the train jostles them both as it starts moving.]
Ready?
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the vibe is very determined though. and excited. maybe a little manic to see something new and experience something more than speed.
but the instructions to tuck in are clear and they do so, turning a little closer to the end of the train itself and away from the walls of the tunnel. they whip their head around as the doors slide shut and then they look back at jason before there's a nod.]
More than ready. [let's go!! sightseeing!!]
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The train takes off through the second half of the tunnel, picking up enough speed to spit them out full force into the open air once the tunnel ends. What's wild is the train is like a subway, looked like one, down in a kind of subway platform area, but when they come out... they're high in the air in the upper regions of a sprawling, industrial city. It's night, the windows of buildings are lit here and there. Cars honk and move below on the streets. A fog gathers over the water in the slit of the bay that can been seen on a side they haven't reached yet.
The stars can't be seen because of the pollution, but it does trap the city lights in a bubble--red, green, blue, violet. Coming out of the tunnel seems fast, but in the wide sky like this, it feels like they aren't moving so quickly.
Aquarius has a couple of minutes to take in the view before the upcoming tunnel.]
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...OUTSIDE....
like yes, okay, they know this is a painting but it's still something that's not the wretched hotel. they hold onto the bar but they can't help but immediately turn their head every which way to try and take in all of the sights. why the hell are they in the air? is this normal? this is definitely not how they think trains are, so they're taking in everything gotham has to offer.
it's a dirty, dingy sort of city maybe, smog blocking the view of the stars, but there is a little flicker of longing that comes as they're watching everything. without thinking about it, they start to kind of scoot a little closer to the edge so they can look over the track and down into the city. they have a few minutes, right?]
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He doesn't reach out to grab Aquarius to keep them from leaning, but he does keep a few hawkish eye on them to make sure they don't slip or get sucked off. He will put his hand on their shoulder if he needs to, but he trusts them not to be too stupid.
Well, not to be too stupid here.
He does lean down near their head, though, to talk above the sound:] You cold?
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No. This isn't bad at all. Probably moving too fast to be cold anyway. [and even if it was cold they likely wouldn't mind.]
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Gently, he nudges their shoulder, then points a bit around the train ahead of them. The tunnel is coming. Aquarius can already see, peeping out from the darkness inside, a little bit of color...?]
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...this is that tunnel you told me about, right? The one that was tagged.
[they apparently listen to jason more than they let on, and they're also moving again as if to get a better look.
it's wild, a little, to see how more normal people live and the things they do. normally it's debatable if aquarius would care, but...it's been a while. and this is something that, whether he'll really say so or not, is somehow important enough to jason to make note of. so there's nothing but curiosity as the train zips along.]
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[The illusion of the train moving too slow disappears as the front goes into the tunnel. Everything speeds up, but it isn't so fast it's over in the blink of an eye. The tunnel is a little long.
Technically, this shows up with black light, but shhh. The inside walls of the tunnel from one edge all the way overhead to the other edge are covered in different, glowing graffiti. Everything from words to more intricate art, all in places that would make anyone wonder how they were done with a train passing through from time to time.
It's very cool. And kind of trippy to speed through.]
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and if they step back into jason to get a better look of the wideview, so be it.]
...how?
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Tagger's magic.
[Trying to logic it out will ruin all of the fantasy and mystery of it, he thinks. So he doesn't give any explanation. Maybe Gotham fairies did it. Otherworldly beings, spirits. Things like that. The tunnel is a good two or three minutes which seems short numerically, but it's actually rather long speeding this fast.
And then it's gone. Whisked away like exhaling breath. The outside of the tunnel, on the face, has a pair of neon glowing eyes watching them move on into the distance.]
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I'm...not usually one for bright colors. But that's pretty awesome.
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Yeah? I told you. Didn't think I'd get to show you, but that's fine.
[He points around them into the distance.] You see the top of that big ass mansion out there beyond the city? The one on the hill just over the trees? [It's outside of the city, but they can see a glimpse of it through the buildings as they go along in the open air again.]
That's B's house.
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