Story Train

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Re: Story Train

Postby Janne Halla » Tue Feb 04, 2025 6:25 pm

The gingerbread floor creaks beneath your hurried footsteps as you dash through the narrow train corridor. The mysterious figure is fast, too fast, but you're determined not to lose them. Ahead, Colby is doing their best to weave through startled passengers.

Just as the chase reaches the next carriage, the mysterious figure takes a sharp turn into a compartment, slamming the door behind them. You and Colby exchange a look before rushing forward. only to find the door sealed shut with a thick layer of rapidly hardening caramel.

"That’s advanced magic," Colby pants. "What do we do now?"

Colby presses an ear to the door. "I hear movement."

You step back, gripping your wand tightly. "Then we break through."
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Re: Story Train

Postby Matthew Treetop » Tue Feb 04, 2025 10:03 pm

Your words come out of your mouth as if you are giving orders to another person but you quickly remember that is Colby next to you. The adrenaline rushes through your veins and you hold your wand as firmly as your strength lets you. You glance at Colby, who is also holding his wand, ready to defend you as your bodyguard, or at least, that thought appeared in your mind for a second - or were they two seconds? -

Moving your head from one side to the other, trying to remove those distracting thoughts, you point your wand to the candy-blocked door and say out loud "alohomora". Nothing happens and Colby looks at you, a bit surprised with your failed attempt. "Come on!", Colby shouts "This is advanced magic. And do you see any locks?", Colby adds in a condescendent tone. "Ok, ok. Sorry", you reply adducting your shoulders, understanding that you make a fool of yourself in front of Colby. "Let me try again", you express.

With your wand again facing the door, you shout "bombarda", and a big explosion happens subsequently. Lots of hard candy pieces fly towards everywhere, and even a part of the gingerbread structure of the train falls off, showing a small hole on one side, revealing the people in the nearby compartment. You also feel the shaking of the train, hoping it is just a rough turn, and you did not break anything else in the process.

The blast pushes you and Colby a little back, falling to the floor. "Are you out of your mind?", Colby shouts, a bit nervous. "Who on earth would cast a blast on a gingerbread-made train?", Colby remarks in an angry tone and trying to recompose themselves. Colby is probably right, and your judgement of the situation was a bit off, but you know you are more result-oriented, so in spite of the damage - that you promise yourself will try to repair later - the door is no longer to be seen. You quickly stand up, lending Colby a hand, and pointing your wand towards the recently blasted compartment.

"All right", you express. "Time to solve this mystery once and for all", you finish, looking at Colby with detemination, walking through a cloud of smoke that formed with the blast.
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Re: Story Train

Postby Galena May » Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:21 am

Your head hurts with all the scolding you've had from Colby. You struggle to open your eyes, as the smoke dissipates. You've rarely seen them this angry, they're the calmest person in this universe. "What's wrong with them, suddenly? Have I been this dumb? It must be the pressure of this issue that's causing them to be like this. Weird of them to take anything so seriously, especially this, but well okay! Maybe they're just pressed in by the urgency! Or maybe they're bothered that we are adventuring on a holiday like Valentine's Day! They'll forget and be their charming selves again when the ordeal is done!" A flashback of the once-in-a-blue moon incidence of Colby being angry returns to you. They usually avoid you till they're calm (and the wait is nonetheless painful and distressing) but then they act like nothing happened! They are one to avoid confrontation, and when it's really important to them, they usually deal gently by asking you casually in a tone similar to "What's cooking for dinner?" or with avoidance!
You feel a strange pang of guilt in your heart for dragging Colby into this!
"Oh no! My sweet partner-in-crime is angry!" you think.
"Is this the time to slow down?" your brain barks at you, "We have an emergency!" And, as you regain your senses, even though you still feel so unsettled about Colby that you are not even trying to compose yourself but still effortlessly vibing with the urgency of the situation, you make up for the few seconds you lost in thought by jamming your body against the opening left by the smashed door, to prevent any exits! They're not giving you the slip again! Not that a gingerbread train has only one exit, but the train is moving, now very fast, so breaking off the side-wall or roof and jumping off the train would cause severe injuries. You feel sure that that won't be risked! And even if it is, it won't facilitate a speedy escape!
Your eyes dart to the hole on the wall, through which the other compartment is visible. Not even stopping to think if the crowd poking and peeping through the hole are just casual observers or in-league with the mysterious man, you say in a very urgent and over- enthusiastic tone, "Hold him", referring to the mysterious man. Not that it'll be any help, there is no way he'll push through that huge crowd even without anyone holding him actively. In a flash, you realize that you can no longer feel the familiar shielding touch of Colby's front against your back. You choke, and then shift your eyes to the mysterious person.
To your surprise, you find him crying, hunched on the gingerbread floor. It could be a trick, another way to escape, another way to give you the slip.
"He looks so harmless now", you think.
Just then, you notice a familiar head poke out from the hole towards the adjacent compartment.
It's Colby! "Oh! Colby!" you think. Now you know where they went when they disappeared from behind you. They went to stop the hole. Ever so mysterious, even without trying!
You turn your attention back to the mysterious man. But, Colby speaks before you can,
"It's no use trying to escape, you are practically and unfortunately sitting on a bit of gingerbread frosted with your own bit of caramel, the one you magicked with advanced magic, and it's going to take some time to get you released!" There's a pause, and then they add, "Unless my partner wants to blast you off it, with Bombarda!" Colby chuckles and looks at you slyly, as they finish their last sentence.
"You already knew that?" you mouth at Colby. The urge to hit his arm playfully was strong, but you hold yourself back.
"Now, you know why I was so unhinged when you magically blasted off the door. The caramel, it wouldn't have stuck to the bottom of this man, if you hadn't magically blasted the doorway!" Colby explains.
"You should've explained, you're usually more communicative", you breathe in relief at Colby. That partially explains his behavior.
"There was no time! We still haven't found out his motives. I thought you were going to use 'Finite Incantatem', I was so surprised when you blasted off the door!" Colby replies.
Now you understand where Colby was coming from.
"Well! I understand! That indeed is unlike me!" you say to Colby, with a relieved sigh, even though you can't figure out what got into you! It must have been the adrenaline! The tension in the atmosphere between Colby and you is released, and you feel slightly relieved. Colby's tone of speech is back to their usual, normal, charming ways, and they prove it by lending you a hand through the hole as you move closer to the mysterious wizard on the floor, and seat yourself beside him, trying to figure out your next steps.
You take a moment to look at Colby and say, "Thank you for joining me on this adventure!"
Meanwhile, the crowd around you is having the time of their life, amused by the drama unfolding between you, Colby, and the man stuck to the gingerbread floor by a piece of magicked caramel. With a now subdued but shy face, among the crowd, is the fidgety one from earlier.
"Okay!" you say, after taking a deep breath. "Why did you run from me? Back when I settled myself down in your compartment. Are you alright?" But there's no answer, because he is still sitting, hunched, on the gingerbread floor, and sobbing.
"I will tell you that", the fidgety one from earlier replies. And the whole crowd turns toward him, even you and Colby.
"He was going to blast the whole train. He had doused the chocolate frogs with some sort of blasting potion and he was going to leave them in different places on the train, couldn't cast the last charm in the process because you turned up in his compartment to investigate, so he failed, I was going to tell your partner, Colby, but I saw him flying out of his compartment on his feet, so I gave up trying to tell, and gave chase after him." said the fidgety one. "Then you two chased both of us, and cornered him here", he finishes. Then, after a second of thought, he adds, "I saw him brewing the potion yesterday, and I guessed he would try to do something like this, but I didn't know exactly what. I figured out a little more about his plan when Colby told me that he had bought chocolate frogs".
"I, I," the mysterious man now speaks, "I hate Valentine's Day. My sister lost a year of Hogwarts studies, because of being at St. Mungo's. What sent her there, happened on Valentine's Day. Her treatments cost a lot, and I couldn't bear to see so many Galleons being spent on a majestic train!"
Colby sighs, and you know that they are thinking about why one would choose to blast a whole train, whatever the reason, but they put their hands on the man's back, comforting him, in their usual, charming, and supportive manner.
"By the way, just so you know, this train was made by magic, with the hard work of the house - elves who made the gingerbread for free as a Valentine's gift to the school, and the professors who charmed the gingerbread. This was meant for all of us to enjoy, even you. No Galleons, no money was involved", you respond, then add, "It is okay to act a little queer sometimes. And, I am happy that we prevented the damage. But, please try and talk to someone the next time you feel this way, that will relieve you a lot, a lot more than blasting a train!"
The man seems to understand, for he nods, and stops sobbing. A look settles over his face, a dreamy one, as if still contemplating about his sister, then he relaxes his body, and a more peaceful look forms on his face.
"We could send his sister a Valentine's gift package by owl, addressed to St. Mungo's", Colby adds, ever the considerate charmer.
You nod. "Brilliant idea", you say, and thank Colby.
The mysterious man looks so happy, and starts sobbing again, but this time, these are tears of gratitude. You feel so relieved.
"Okay, now how do we unstick him?", you say, realizing that this is still not over, "If we blast him off, (and you cannot suppress a giggle), the train's floor may be blasted to bits, and even the rest of the train may crumble. We can't risk it. We have to undo the advanced magic. What's the counter-charm? Any ideas?"
"I do not know the counter- charm", the man stuck on the floor says, sounding and looking terrified, as he takes in the full impact of his plight.
"Hmm! Let me see. There must be a way", Colby says, putting two fingers on their chin and thinking, like they do when trying to figure out a solution, and you dreamily stare at their adorable figure and face, not just charmed, but feeling a whirlwind of emotions, as you wait for their answer. You feel relieved that the ordeal is over and more so that the matter with Colby's sudden anger doesn't trouble you anymore, you feel excited and happy that you successfully completed yet another adventure in the story of your life and that too on Valentine's day with Colby by your side even though you can't appreciate the full happiness yet because of the vestiges of adrenaline that are still dissipating (you are still taking deep breaths and sighing heavily in relief), and you feel relieved that Valentine's day is adventure-free again. You can't wait to enjoy the rest of Valentine's day with Colby, but for now, you are waiting for Colby's answer on how to unstick the man, and then, you are going to put together and wrap a gift package for the man's sister together as you tell him about the empty potion vial you saw earlier (knowing fully well that you two are going to love investigating the contents that had been in the vial), so there's still a lot to do before you finally manage to get to enjoying the rest of the day with your favorite person in the world, Colby.
Last edited by Galena May on Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Story Train

Postby Janne Halla » Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:37 am

Colby furrows their brows in thought, tapping their fingers against their chin. "Advanced magic… Hmm. If only we had some sort of dissolving agent." They glance at the surrounding gingerbread walls, deep in concentration. "Caramel’s tricky."

You snap your fingers as realization dawns on you. "What about a water-based charm? Aguamenti should do the trick, right?"

Colby grins, their previous frustration completely melted away. "That just might work. But we have to be careful not to soak the train. We don’t want to collapse the whole thing before we even get off."

With a flick of your wand, you carefully aim at the edges of the caramel where it meets the man’s robes. A controlled jet of water seeps into the caramel, softening its grip. The man shifts hesitantly, then suddenly lurches free, falling forward with a startled yelp.

He scrambles to his feet, wiping away the remnants of caramel from his robes. "I...thank you," he says. "I still can’t believe what I almost did."

Colby claps him on the back with a reassuring smile. "Let’s focus on making things right. First step...Valentine’s package for your sister. You can help us put it together."
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Re: Story Train

Postby Galena May » Wed Feb 05, 2025 1:34 pm

"Such a light atmosphere! Such a beautiful train journey! I like where this is heading!" you say to yourself.
The three of you sit in the now less messy compartment, and start to discuss what gifts his sister may like.
"She really likes chocolate! And, surprises!" the man says.
"I know just the thing", you respond! "Chocomines".
Colby agrees and drops the sweets called Chocomines from their trolley into your lap. These sweets look like little chocolate mounds, but if you dig into them, they have layers. From the first layer, they ooze out a gooey chocolatey liquid that tastes like a mix of chocolate and caramel but looks like petroleum, and in the second layer there are pieces of dark chocolate shaped like coal and coloured black. "They are splendid!" the man exclaims.
Colby fishes in their trolley for more Chocomines and hands them over. Then, they suddenly seem to remember something!
"I have to complete my duties", Colby says suddenly, "But, I will be back. You two go on until then".
So much for following them around the train. You are sad, but you let Colby go. After all, you are close to Hogsmeade. So many people will be disappointed if Colby doesn't reach them with the trolley before the train arrives at Hogsmeade.
Colby senses your sadness by looking at your face. Then, a thoughtful look passes across their face, and they seem to remember something else with a sudden jolt. They fish in their pockets for something else, and out of the corner of your eye, you see Colby pulling out those heart-shaped candies that they had been trying to offer you earlier. Your face lights up, and you are delighted.
"Thank you, Colby", you say, even before Colby offers the candies to you. Colby is very happy to see you smiling and happy. They give you an affectionate smile, say "goodbye" with their eyes and leave the heart-shaped candies called "Cupid's Kisses" in your hand, and some on the table. You aren't in the mood to tease anymore, after your big adventure, you simply accept them, with a satisfied smile on your face. So nice of them to remember these, and to store these in their apron pocket! It looks like they finally had their chance to give these to you and they look happy about it as well! Colby winks at you mischievously after a sly look at the heart-shaped candies. You want to figure out why, but you realize you will only find out after eating them, and you know it will be good whatever it is since it is Colby's choice.
"Anything else from the trolley for your sister?" Colby asks.
"No! I don't think she should have a lot of sweets!" the man says, "Maybe a card this time!"
Colby knows that you will handle that, so after a quick last glance at you, they set off with their trolley. You are still annoyed about the original plan being ruined, but grateful for the lovely adventure that you had!
Colby turns back again before leaving, and says "I'll see you later!" You know that they mean a nice little friend date with you in Hogsmeade, after the train journey ends, but you smile slyly at yourself because you have another adventurous plan to execute with Colby - retrieving that empty potion vial from under the broken gingerbread berth in the first compartment where this man was initially sitting, and examining the empty vial and the remaining dregs of the mysterious potion. And you have no intention of letting this man into this secret plan, so you turn your attention back to gift packaging and wrapping.
You have a little chat with the man about the favorite things of the man's sister, Jeanie. Then, you draw her a Valentine's Day card, incorporating designs of all that she likes from flowers to balloons. You also write her a lovely quote (see illustration).
You have some plain white paper in your bag, you had brought these along to make Valentine's Day cards with. But, you use your wand and a colouring charm to soften some of these papers and color them in various different colors, till you have wrapping paper dotted with several multi-colored hearts. You put the card, the Chocomines, and some heart-shaped candies on one of these papers, and pack them into a lovely gift with some of your spare ribbons and the sticking charm.
"Such a lovely gift wrapping!" the man says, "A work of art!"
"I am really happy to know that", you say. He pulls out a brown paper from his bag, and together you put the gift inside this brown paper, to protect it from damage during the journey by owl.
The parcel is ready, and the man begins to write a note to attach to the parcel. You smile at the man, and pop one of Colby's heart-shaped candies "Cupid's Kisses" into your mouth. It bursts on your tongue, releasing lovely juices in all your favorite flavors.You look longingly along the length of the train's corridor, waiting for Colby to return, until at last you can take it no more and get up to find Colby and rejoin them wherever they are.

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On the gingerbread table between you and the man, is spread your wrapping paper with several multi-colored hearts. On it lies the Valentine's Day card that you created, and Chocomines and Cupid's Kisses from Colby's trolley!
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Re: Story Train

Postby Janne Halla » Wed Feb 05, 2025 2:19 pm

As you step into the corridor after thinking of the gift for the person's sister, you're glad that mystery is done with.

Colby is chatting animatedly with a group of third-years, who are eagerly selecting their sweets. You wait by the door, not wanting to interrupt, but Colby catches your eye almost immediately. They finish up quickly, give a playful salute to the students, and wheel the trolley closer to you.

"Couldn't resist, could you?" Colby teases, raising an eyebrow.

You grin. "You know me too well. I was thinking we should retrieve that potion vial before we reach Hogsmeade. The compartment will be empty by now."

Colby considers this, then nods. "Alright, but we need to be quick. I still have a few stops to make before we arrive."

With that, the two of you move swiftly toward the first compartment, careful not to attract too much attention. As you slip inside, the scent of gingerbread still lingers faintly in the air. The broken berth remains undisturbed, just as you left it.

Colby kneels down and reaches underneath, their fingers searching for the vial. "Got it," they whisper, pulling it out carefully. The glass glistens in the dim light, and a few tiny drops of potion cling to the bottom, shimmering oddly.

You both exchange a look. "Now," you say, "let’s find out what this is."
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Re: Story Train

Postby Galena May » Wed Feb 05, 2025 2:57 pm

Colby seems as excited as you to find out about the previous contents of the potion vial. You hold the stopper and they sniff the insides of the potion vial! They pass it to you, saying, "This doesn't smell familiar, at least not like any known potion, not that I thought it would, it has a distinct aroma of rotten fish".
"Hmm", you say, sniffing the last few drops of the contents next, and shrivelling your nose at the rotten smell, "this indeed isn't familiar". Your eyebrows furrow in concentration, and theirs as well.
"A blasting potion, did they say?" Colby asks. "Yes", you respond, "is something running through your mind?" as you turn the vial in your hands, looking for a label.
"The least I can say is that I read in 'The Encyclopedia of the Strangest Potions' about an Explosion potion that uses shell of Blast- Ended Skrewts", they wink at you, "Do you see why I am thinking about that one?"
You give them a meaningful look and say, "Aha! Indeed I do! Rotten fish! Their shells smell like rotten fish!" bobbing up and down on your toes in excitement! "I've got to read about that potion". You feel really happy for Colby's love of reading at this point.
"I'll get you my copy of that book. Except!" Colby adds, deep in thought.
"What is it?" you ask.
"I still don't get what the mysterious person was trying to achieve. As far as I remember, that potion only creates illusionary magic blasts, it wouldn't have hurt even a bit of frosting on the gingerbread train, even if they mixed it with the chocolate frogs to harness the charms in those lovely treats", Colby finishes.
After an awkward second, Colby pockets the vial in their apron, and you two leave the compartment, still deep in thought.
"Umm, my theory is that, they would add some additional charms to enhance the effects, the ones they never finished because of my interruption, remember?" you add after some thinking.
"Hmm! That's a possible theory, but still very unlikely, given that that neither the potion nor the chocolate frogs seem to contain the magic they wanted, so all the work would have to be done by the additional charms. I don't think they would take all that trouble only to rely on charms, unless they did not research the potion properly and thought that its effects would be real blasts", Colby answers.
There is another long awkward silence.
After the pause, Colby asks you, "Care for some research?"
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Re: Story Train

Postby Janne Halla » Wed Feb 05, 2025 4:58 pm

Your eyes light up at the suggestion. "Absolutely!" you say, matching Colby's enthusiasm. "But where do we start? We only have so much time before we reach our destination."

Colby taps their chin thoughtfully as the train rumbles beneath your feet. "Well, we can rule out the standard textbooks. If this was common knowledge, we'd already have figured it out. We need something… obscure."

"The Restricted Section?" you suggest with a mischievous grin.

Colby chuckles. "Tempting, but let’s start with the library’s special collections first. Some of those older potion manuscripts might have something useful. And I know a certain librarian who owes me a favor."

You nod, mind already racing through possible leads. "Then we need to take notes now, so we don’t forget anything when we get back to school."

The two of you settle into a nearby seat, pulling out parchment and quills. You carefully write down the details you’ve uncovered, the rotten fish smell, the possible Blast-Ended Skrewt shell ingredient, the illusionary nature of the potion, and the mysterious intent behind its use.

"But what if," you say, tapping your quill against the parchment, "this wasn’t meant to cause actual destruction at all? What if the whole thing was just a diversion?"

Colby’s eyes widen. "A distraction! But for what?"

Before you can respond, a sudden commotion breaks out in the corridor. Students are whispering in hushed voices, pointing toward the front of the train. You and Colby exchange glances, then quickly gather your notes and make your way toward the noise.
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Re: Story Train

Postby Matthew Treetop » Wed Feb 05, 2025 10:33 pm

Although one mystery was solved, another seems to come up immediately after. And the best part is that you can still spend some more time with your friend Colby, solving another mystery together. You think to yourself that this is a day you will remember for quite a long time, for a myriad of reasons you don't want or have time now to enlist.

Speaking of "lists", the outside commotion is making quite the fuzz, interrupting Colby's and your line of thought. Rushing out with Colby by your side, and the notes in your pockets, check what is going on.

"No, no, this can't be!", one of the students shouts in the middle of the gingerbread corridor. "How can we get back now?", another student mumbles from a nearby compartment. Both you and Colby exchange a surprised look, and attempt to observe the front of the train, which by the way, it is still moving vertiginously fast to your consideration.

You grab Colby by their arm, and walk steadily towards the front of the train. Much to your amazement, you find a person laying on one of the compartments, surrounded by a group of students who seem to be really worried. "This is the train driver", one of them says. "We found them here some minutes ago, apparently fainted but I don't want to touch them or anything. Imagine if they're cursed", another student ends, placing her hands on her mouth in shock. Without trembling, Colby gently asks the students to move and leave some space so they could see what the problem is. Indeed, after inspection, Colby and I realize that the train driver has been subjected to something dark.

A new mystery is now on the beautiful gingerbread train. My Sherlock mood activates again and my mind starts plotting several possible questions that will need an answer: "Who did this? What for? Who is driving the train? What will we do if he doesn't wake up? Will I ever spend some time with Colby without rushing out to solve a mystery?" These questions rapidly invade your mind, trying to uncover the most plausible reason for this to have happened.
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Re: Story Train

Postby Janne Halla » Thu Feb 06, 2025 4:49 am

Colby kneels beside the unconscious train driver, pressing two fingers lightly to their wrist. "They're alive," they announce, relief evident in their voice. "But their breathing is shallow, and there’s a faint trace of... something magical lingering in the air. Do you smell that?"

You lean in, taking a cautious breath. A strange, metallic scent tickles your nose, mixed with something faintly sweet, like burnt caramel. It doesn’t seem natural. "Could it be a potion?" you ask, glancing at Colby.

"Possibly," they reply, scanning the driver’s robes for any clues. "Or a hex. Either way, we need to figure this out fast."

A nervous murmur ripples through the gathered students. Someone at the back asks, "If the driver is out cold... who’s controlling the train?"

You exchange another quick glance with Colby before rushing toward the front of the train.

You push open the door to the conductor’s cabin, heart pounding. The sight before you makes your breath catch. The control panel is glowing with eerie, shifting runes, pulsing in a steady rhythm. And standing before it, one hand hovering just above the controls, is a cloaked figure.

They turn their head slightly at the sound of your arrival but don’t flinch. "You shouldn’t be here," they say, voice unnervingly calm.
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Re: Story Train

Postby Matthew Treetop » Fri Feb 07, 2025 3:20 am

Your mind is invaded with a mixture of fear and confusion. "Who is this person if they are a person at all?", you ask yourself trying to hide your feelings so that Colby doesn't perceive them. The cloaked figure moves their head a little to the left just to reveal something unnerving. You want to see if Colby is alright, but what this mysterious entity shows paralyzes you in your feet.

You cannot see any face, just a half part of it. The only section, similar to a half moon night, that you observe is covered by what seems hardened caramel, making a perfect mask that conceals part of this figure's face. The other part, hidden under a black and dark brown cloak, isn't available for your eyes. You debate between running away, pulling out your wand, or looking at Colby to find an accomplice - or someone who can decide in place of yourself -

Without time to react, the mysterious entity swifts through the door behind you, in a blackened cloud, leaving a trace of caramel smell behind, similar to the one you sniffed when you and Colby were scouting the conductor a few minutes ago. Turning to the right to face the direction where the figure escaped, you also see that they bypassed the other students, who seem startled by the situation. It's in this moment that Colby grabs your hand, and drags you towards the first set of compartments, in a sudden rush that you both feel at ease because they were capable of making a decision you were unable to make, and worried about what might happen next.

"Let me be the one who leads the way this time", Colby says while walking down the gingerbread corridor. "We must be "nosy" and follow the smell, which will reveal this person's location", he adds with determination in their voice. "But what about those strange runes and the fact that we are adrift in this gingerbread train?", I ask with a trembling voice. "That can wait. This is something we must solve now or we'll regret it", he ends, opening the door separating the first and second parts of the train just to find that the mysterious figure was facing us at the distance.
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Re: Story Train

Postby Matthew Treetop » Sun Feb 09, 2025 2:03 am

Your mind wanders again to consider a myriad of outcomes. You start thinking if it's necessary to engage in a fight with the mysterious figure, or if you and Colby will be able to negotiate to uncover this figure's true intentions. In any case, Colby and you were facing this cloaked entity, from the other side of the wagon. The figure had piercing eyes, most of their face hidden behind the caramel mask.

Colby quickly grabs their wand, pointing it at the the figure and you do the same just because you believe it's the right thing to do. After all, it's what you have learned at school, to be prepared for everything. The cloaked figure doesn't react and keeps staring at you without moving a single part of their body.

"Time for some questions", Colby shouts from where you and they are standing. "Who are you and what are your intentions?", Colby says with a louder voice. The figure stays still, unresponsive. "If you aren't going to answer, then we'll have to do something about it", Colby voices but before they could do something, I grab their arm signalling that they must wait for a minute. Colby turns their head to the right and looks at you, very baffled. "What are you doing?", Colby asks in a soft voice, almost near your ear. "I think we must wait. Don't know why, but something may reveal soon", you reply trying to convince Colby that you are making a good decision. Colby keeps showing a confusing expression but they surrender to your proposal and answers: "Ok. I'm going to follow your lead in this one. But just for some minutes. If nothing happens, then I'll act", they end.
Matthew Treetop
My MC is a... ACK! It ran away!
 
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