Through the Distance

(So, I'm instating a new rule, to insure that this rp moves at a decent pace: People have three days to post, or else the rp moves on without them. The only exception to this rule is if I am notified before-hand if you'll be busy or are having trouble with a post. If you have time to lurk, you have time to post. So lets get on it.)

“And your little sparrow returns.” Sade watched Hayln bounce to Shen’s side and sent him a wry smile. “Never strays far, does she?” She turned smoky eyes to the shorter woman. “The world ain’t as pretty as you like to think.”

With that, she sauntered over to Win and slipped her free arm around his waist, trailing a feather-light caress along his lower back with her fingertips. She took one last, lingering drink before dangling the bottle before the younger man. “Don’t drink it all, sug’.” Teasingly, she gave the bottle a tiny shake, the liquid sloshing gently with the movement.

"Trust me, I'm not that stupid." He grunted, taking the bottle, his blush indicating how well he managed to ignore Sades teasing. This unholy concoction, he wagered, was probably made on board with whatever fruits could be found. Caned or bruised fruit left in a clear container for a few weeks, with sugar and maybe a little yeast. Finally, the weeks (if not months) old mixture was filtered through a cheese cloth and bottled, the end result tasting of honey and bile. Win felt the mixture, sticky and hot, slide into his mouth and could barely help to gag. After a moment, he manages to swallow a healthy dose of the fluid. "At least the alcohol will ensure that I wont catch shit from your back wash. 'sug'" he said.

Shen turned, leaned his back to the wall. One arm still drape out the window. A spur clicked against the metal wall, leather clunked softly. He took the cigar in his hand, laid it across the raised knee. Ash drooped from the tip and fell away. He eyed Hayln a moment, let out a snerk of a sigh and smiled ever-so-faintly.

"That she does not," he responded to Sade. He pulled his arm back into the cabin and gave Hayln a pat atop her head. "The world will forever remain, little one. Ain't nothin' new out here save the unfamiliar." He looked out the window, his eyes distant. "Take care that don't lose its luster." The final words aimed at more than just Hayln.

"Hey!" Halyn protectively covered her head and shot a friendly glare at Shen. She then ran a hand over the fiery dirt that was her hair, making sure none of it was sticking up too far. Not that she cared much. "It's easy for you to say that," she said to the train-hand. Easy when he had always left and she had always stayed.

Shen flashed her a sardonic grin. His cigar bobbed with the motion, settled into a upward tilt. "No more easy than you," he retorted. "Most everyone lives in a cage, little one. Ain't nothin' but draperies an' rugs that seperate us."

(So so so sorry for the absence, I had some issues with forumotion servers, then my parents were in town, then a crazy work week, some family illnesses and to top it all off I got sick. But now I'm on the mend and intend to post in the next day or two. For future reference, however, there's no reason this rp had to grind to a halt without me.)

"My cage has been rather bare, then," Halyn said. "No draperies or rugs for me. Just dirt, sweat, and herbs." She patted a hand against her brown knapsack, where some of the said herbs rested, as well as some medicines she had mixed from them.

"Those are your draperies and rugs little one," Shen responded softly. His cigar had burned low, prompting an exit through the window. In a fluid motion he kicked himself from the wall, checked his watch. Grunted. Sighed. "Speakin' of those fine furnishin's of live, time to get back to them."

He tipped his hat in the direction of Sade and Win as he started off in the opposite direction. At the door he turned briefly, his eyes landing upon Hayln. "Don't go day dreamin' too much about the outside, lest it only disappoint."

Name: Bairn
Age: Mid-Twenties
Appearance: Bairn stands at 5"8 and has an average build. He has black medium windswept hair that is unkempt; some hairs stick out from under his hardhat. He has a diamond shaped face, a young nose and light brown eyes that do not seem to waver. There is some evidence of a stubble. His skin is a light tone but has patches of soot blotted around. He mostly keeps an unamused expression his eyebrows are almost inanimate. Bairn wears a tattered dark brown woolen turtleneck; underneath, is a lighter brown t-shirt. He also has a muddy stained leather jacket which has many pockets and zips. He sports black formal shoes and has muddy black slacks. Has construction grade shin and elbow pads.
Weapons: A stonemason's pick and a railroad hammer.
Profession: Train Hand. Was previously a construction worker.

Edited

(Accepted.)

((Thanks!))

Bairn slowly walked through an empty carriage which was dotted with unused wooden tables and chairs. The smell of rotten wood was apparent and the dust flowed heavily with every step he took. He didn't know why it wasn't used. It could easily make for another small restaurant. Perhaps he could fix the place up himself, he thought. He hooked a hand underneath his hard hat and scratched away at an invisible itch.

He came to the end of the carriage and standing in the doorway was a large, towering figure. Bairn paused and rested his posture, so as to look a little more reassuring; friendly. He put a gentle fist up to his mouth and cleared his throat in a dull tone.

"Shen." He spoke in a firm voice.

It took a moment, a squinted-eyed and raised-eyebrow moment for Shen to recognize the new face. There were several new faces to remember to recognize and place names too. Perhaps more than usual, perhaps not. It was a hard thing to tell, after so long on the trains one begins to stop taking as much notice. There had been older men when he was younger who till their death never cared to learn Shen's name.

"Bairn." The word slipped out as query rather than a greeting. Shen snapped his middle finger across his thumb, shook his index finger. "Bairn," he said again, this time with more certainty. He smirked, stroked his chin. "Shift change?"

Truth was, Shen had no longer knew when there was a shift change. He'd been part of the crew too long. The older members grew more lax, less attentive of schedule. Though on the flip side they knew things well enough they were more efficient. It was an even trade, far as the boss men were concerned.

Madeline made her way through the boxcars of the train, before she arrived at the main kitchen area. She donned an apron and joined in with the cook, as he began another day of her training.

Since beginning her new life here, things had changed a great deal for her, Madeline thought. The train didn't exactly have a bar, so she couldn't reprise her old role as barmaid here. But thankfully, the main cook of the train took her in as an apprentice of sorts, and now she was learning her way around a kitchen. It was a rather unique experience, and one she hoped would earn her place on the train. Madeline never did like to be a burden.