the cat did not GENUINELY dislike very many people, but amelia was an exception to many things. she hissed as soon as she saw her in the car, and her near immediate impulse was to try and get away before the former conductor could try anything. she knew many things, some of it knowledge that other denizens didn’t have access to – she knew that, for whatever reason, one - one trusted her to fix the damage done to the train over three decades. she did not think such a duty could be entrusted to the one who caused it all, but ultimately, she had no say in the matter.
“ and what do you need to know for? ” she asked, her tail flicking; not that she expected an actual answer. she assumed it was because she either needed to fix something, or needed to move forward. either way, she would probably end up needing to offer her assistance, so she sighed and sat down.
“ this car is fairly standard, ” she began, gesturing further in with a paw and trying to keep her tone cordial. “ you’re meant to get the sundials into the proper positions, and the door will unlock. however, as you’ll note, there are no sundials, because SOMEONE had the orb for them removed quite some time ago. ” all things considered, she was permitted the odd dig, she thought.
the cat got to her feet, and walked to a small depression in the ground where one of the sundials would have been. “ of course, i HAVE figured out a way to get around this little problème. ” she wouldn’t just be hanging around a defunct car if she hadn’t found something to gain from it, after all. “ i would be willing to explain it to you, but you should know by now that i require something in return. do you have something to offer? ”
she probably should have learned her lesson about trying to strike deals with amelia by now, but the cat was nothing if not a denizen in search of profits.
A simple roll of the eyes was her first response to the hiss, though it wasn’t as if the feline didn’t have a right to her reaction. She knew that it was more than warranted, though it didn’t stop her from eliciting a response of her own. If she had wanted to hurt the cat, she would have simply done so without initiating conversation first.
Though as unlikely as it may seem to one who had prior negative interactions with her, Amelia was a fairly non-confrontational individual. Any violence she had resorted to in the past she had done simply because she felt she had no other choice. Commanding The Steward to shoot at Samantha may have been overkill in hindsight, but how else was she supposed to scare Tulip from further pursual? Her mech suit alone wasn’t enough to intimidate, so she needed to escalate. Clearly, it hadn’t worked despite her vein attempts.
❝ I think it’s fairly self-explanatory why I need to know. I don’t fancy being stuck in a car when the goal is to move forwards. ❞ Technically, she was working her way backwards. But beyond semantics, her reason for wanting to move through the car was the same as it was for any traveling passenger. She couldn’t get to her destination if she wasn’t allowed an exit.
She listens to the Cat’s explanation, folding her arms at the clear jab towards her interference with the train. She was relatively unphased by it, all things considered. If she were to care for the opinion of others in regards to her actions, a Denizen surely wasn’t on her list of priorities. Especially not one who had helped to aid in her dethroning ( as thankful for it as she was ).
The woman follows the Cat as she walks, playing close attention to both the information that she was relaying and the layout of the Car. She was positive that she could figure this out without help from the scheming Denizen, but having the solution near automatically would save her a lot of time. She was already behind schedule, and so she decided to entertain her offer. She let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair as she thought. She didn’t have much on her that she didn’t need to survive, but she also knew that information may be of interest in the place of anything tangible.
❝ Believe it or not, I didn’t think to bring materials to barter with when I left The Engine. I’m afraid that unless you’re interested in raw eggs and a few other miscellaneous breakfast foods, I have nothing of physical value to offer you. ❞ She said plainly, and seemingly unconcerned. ❝ All I can offer is information. Though I do intend on getting this door open with or without assistance. Really, the only difference is how long I spend solving it. ❞ She figured that that may be an incentive, if nothing else.
