ใ๏ผฐ๏ผก๏ผณ๏ผณ๏ผฅ๏ผฎ๏ผง๏ผฅ๏ผฒใ๏ผญ๏ผก๏ผฎ๏ผฉ๏ผฆ๏ผฅ๏ผณ๏ผดใ
"๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข.๐ณ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐."
๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ๐พ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ด๐ป๐ป๐พ
Twenty-two . โ . Pierre Ramos
Florens Agnello's only child, accompanied by his (secretly) estranged wife of a few months. Mo figures the only way this will be a holiday for him is if he is heavily medicated the entire time- and maybe not even then. For one thing, his wife (from an arranged marriage) and he will be forced to share a compartment, while, at home, they are free to live separately. Being surrounded by people who know his father, anything amiss would surely reach his earโฆwhich simply won't do. The old man's been begging for grandchildren, after all. To say nothing of the fact that Mo is fairly certain his ability to remain happily married as well as produce a healthy grandson has some significant weight on his inheritanceโฆand he, least of all, would want to jeopardise his endowmentโฆ . To complicate matters further, he can't get Caelia out of his head- a horribly knotty ordeal weighing on his heart and mind as she is his father's mistress. He feels he must attempt to avoid her at all costs and play the doting husband on his "honeymoon" (Florens' word, not his own) for his own good. All in all, Massimo expects the worst experience of his young life outside of his surprise wedding day.
๐ฟ๐ด๐๐๐พ๐ฝ๐ด๐ป๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ด๐ป๐ป๐พ
Twenty-one . โ . Georgia Palmer
Florens Agnello's daughter-in-law, accompanied by her (secretly) estranged husband of a few months. Perronelle is endlessly bored. She drifts about the house she and her husband live in all day long, looking for things to do. She eats alone, she sleeps alone- well, if one doesn't count her Greyhound (a racetrack rescue), and some of the time, she does. Her husband, Massimo Agnello, appears to want nothing to do with her. Theirs was an arranged marriage, and from the word "go", the whole thing has beenโฆterribly awkward and very lonely. The pair hasn't exchanged more than vows and a few pleasant acknowledgements in passing- other than that, nothing. Perronelle, for her part, doesn't know if she wants to make things work (for she feels she could possibly ensnare him if she wanted to) or simply up and vanish in the night to start a new existance elsewhere. This "honeymoon" is merely a formality, and she knows nothing romantic will come of it. The train trip, she's decided, will make up her mind. Either they will come home disgustingly perfect lovebirds, or else Perronelle's as good as gone.
๐ฐ๐ป๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐
Twenty . โ . Freek Iven
A nephew of Florens Agnello's, accompanied by his fraternal twin brother Dougray. Alainan is quite the accomplished sportsman- he's, at once, engaged in a number of athletic pursuits including, but not limited to, polo, tennis and rowing. Because of this and the wealth (and possibly also the great hair), he's quite popular. Alainan is also somewhat detached from reality. Daria Corsair, Alainan's mother, had been involved in some bizarre occult activity before her untimely death in the nineties. Alainan seems to have taken up his deceased mother's interest- and more than that has certainโฆgrandiose thoughts about himself. For one, when he was a teenager, Alainan attended a boy's school where he amassed a strange little following of fellows who, according to the headmaster of the school, "thoroughly and truly believe Mr. Corsair to be possessed of an 'angel'". Alainan's father took his son's odd ideas to be innocent- his exact words: "school boy drivel". Despite the fact that this "drivel" was the direct cause of another boy's injuries. Alainan was- not strictly "expelled"- but he wasn't to return to the school as he would be admitted to a psychiatric institute by his grandparents, who unlike his father, saw issue with their grandson's peculiar notions. Alainan spent a year in the institute, and upon his return home to his father and brother, seemed a new young man altogether- a happier, healthier-minded jock. (His father's dream son, really.) And the angel-possession was never brought up againโฆ Until recently. You see, back in school, Alainan never claimed to be possessed by an angel- he had only allowed the headmaster and everyone else to believe so to, perhaps, soften the situation. What exactly Alainan told his school-mates was that he was possessed of a "fallen angel" who compelled him evilly. Alainan has never stopped believing himself overcome. He pretends at normalcy well, but in his mind, he is always in conversation with it. And his dreams are wretched. This trip, Alainan knows, will serve as a catalyst for something awful. The dark angel has already told him so.
๐ณ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐
Twenty . โ . Kit Butler
A nephew of Florens Agnello's, accompanied by his fraternal twin brother Alainan. Three minutes his brother's junior, Alainan calls Dougray "baby brother/bro" more often than anything else (prompting their family to refer to Dougray the same way, even when he's in the room). If Alainan is "night", Dougray is "day". Where Alainan had a troubled childhood (brought on by the death of their mother Daria), Dougray floated through without incident. He graduated top of his boy's school and went straight into a culinary academy (much to his father's dismay), no stops in between. However, he dropped out of culinary school because his Uncle Florens asked him to, instead, come work aboard his pet project- the Grand Behemoth. It was not yet finished when he made the offer- it was still a few months out at the time- but he assured Dougray that it would be a marvel with the finest restaurants in the world aboard. Florens was looking to give his favourite nephew a place among the Behemoth's soon-to-be globally renowned eateries where he could eventually work his way up the ranks by his own merit to chef de cuisine. "Experience over education," Florens always says. Dougray, delighted of course, accepted- but this trip is, more or less, a trial. If he can see himself living aboard the Behemoth long-term, he'll officially take the opportunity given him by his uncle upon his return from holiday. The rub being, Dougray has no idea what is ahead of him- a trial, to be sure. One that will certainly distract him from the task at hand.
๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ท๐ธ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฝ-๐๐ด๐ฑ๐ด๐
Twenty-five . โ . Leon Dame
One of Florens Agnello's two kept-lovers- the other of whom, Caelia, is now his closest friend and confidante. Nymphicus is also a novelist with aโฆsalacious body of work, but under a nom de plume. These things aside, he's rather a reserved character in demeanor. Stoic and observant and keeping a very small circle of friends. Agnello wants Nymphicus to decompress on this trip. You see, recently, Nym's been sleep-walking and very nearly had a lethal accident while doing so at the Agnello home. Agnello had his doctor see to him a couple weeks earlier and the doctor said the sleep-walking could be due to stress (of which Nymphicus has in spades between demanding publishers, deadlines and the old married man he's taken to when he used to joke about offing him with Caelia). To get Agnello off of his back about his health, he agreed to the "decompression" trip as long as Caelia would come with him and "keep him company around all the yuppies". Nymphicus sort of hopes the travelling will help move his process along- that maybe he'll be able to write a little bit even though the old man specifically asked him not to work (and even threatened to smash his laptop). Then maybe all the sleep-walking will cease.
๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ด๐ป๐ธ๐ฐ ๐ณ๐พ๐ป๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ฐ
Twenty-six . โ . Anya Taylor-Joy
One of Agnello's two kept-lovers- the other of whom (Nymphicus), she has become incredibly close with. Caelia isn't only on the trip because Nymphicus wanted company- Agnello wanted to make sure he would not sleep-walk off of the train in the middle of the night, so she's also there as his body-guard for the time being. During the day, however, Caelia knows she will be anxious to take it all in, a chance like this never coming along again. A lover of the arts (and, in fact, a self-trained sculptrix), she knows she'll be lost to all there is to see and experience within the marvel the old man has managed to construct. The operas, the carefully curated artwork (some pieces specifically chosen, Agnello says, because they remind him of her tastes), the sumptuous food, insane landscapes, and interesting company- all of it, an ideal holiday, in her opinion. However, there's the small matter of Massimo Agnello who will also be present on the Behemoth. Caelia has beenโฆaskedโฆpolitely to avoid him. "A simple favour, for me," Agnello said. Evidently, the old man has a tiny jealous streak, which- fine. Caelia was up front with him about a brief interlude she and his son shared following a gala last winter. Next thing you know, Massimo is married off. Caelia would just love to avoid any awkward encounters- the old man didn't even have to ask. Stillโฆ Would a brief exchange really harm anyone ?
๐ธ๐ฟ๐ ๐ป๐ฐ ๐ถ๐พ๐ณ๐ธ๐ฝ๐ด
Twenty-four . โ . Sherouk Farid
Ipy merited a ticket to ride only because she happens to be the favourite dancer of Agnello's two mistressesโฆbut she doesn't need to know that. All Ipy knows is that Florens Agnello is an admirer of her balletic ability- her ability before her terrible leg injuries, that is. Sorely in need of break from her newly bleak existance without performance (as she continues to force herself to the barre in secret and very much against doctors' orders), Miss la Godine jumped at the opportunity to be among the first to travel on the Grand Behemoth. What a spectacular way to spend a summer, among new scenery and new people- people who likely don't know her face and who won't give her that look of pity each time she walks into a room. It's like Ipy can't exist anywhere anymore without bringing a cloud of misery along with her- it's franklyโฆexhausting. She just needs a break from it all. Unfortunately, this little journey won't be the respite Ipy believes it will be.
๐๐๐ด๐ด๐๐ท๐ด๐ฐ๐๐ ๐บ๐ท๐พ๐ฝ๐ถ
taken by @vampirkaninchen .
Twenty-one . โ . Sherry Shi
Sweetheart married at eighteen and was a widow by nineteen. Her husband was an "associate" of Agnello's while Agnello was recieving death threats over the construction of his Grand Behemoth. Sweetheart's husband, Emil Avot, was acting as Florens Agnello's body-man, and at times, strong-arm once the old magnate realised Emil was capable of scaring a few of his former partners just by being present in the room with him. Sweetheart was never aware of her young husband's job description, exactly, but it all came out when Emil died just two years ago having, apparently, taken a bullet for Agnello outside of his offices. The culprit has, to date, to be found. Sweetheart has been attempting to heal herself, but it's difficult without answers (even with the tidy sum afforded her by her husband's former employer). Upon the completion of the Behemoth, Sweetheart was among the first to recieve an invitation for its maiden journey. Agnello wanted to express his extreme and continued gratitude and condolences for the young widow the best way he knew how- by allowing her a glimpse of just what her husband died to protect. Sweetheart hates the thought like poison- that the Beast train was worth her Emil's life. She wishes the invite had never come, but nowโฆshe might just have to throw herself off of it to teach Florens Agnello a lesson. She could, she imagines- but then her heart and stomach turn against her. For Emil and her own curiosity and anger, Sweetheart will be there. If she will come back, remains to be seen.
๐ป๐ด๐๐๐ธ๐ฒ๐ด ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ด๐ณ๐ผ๐พ๐ฝ๐
Twenty-two . โ . Sofia Steinberg
Lettice is the daughter of an old friend of Agnello's- a renowned film director in Hollywood. She's accompanied by her older sister, Lilac. Lettice is a gossip colomnist for a celebrity magazine- she dishes out judgements and juicy, unconfirmed tidbits about everyone's favourites. She knows well what she is, okay? To date, Lettice's most popular piece was on whether or not then-pregnant film star Alina Bratovich was artificially insemenated by aliens. It was a hilariously well-argued bit of work, in Lettice's own opinon, and to this day, bafflingly, she still recieves death threats from Bratovich's most loyal fans for lying on the actress. But anyone with full functionality of their brain would know that Lettice is simply entertaining the masses with her stupid little colomn. Even the people she concocts tales about know thisโฆmost of the time. (She has been swung on by three different actresses and one super model.) In real life, it's much the same story- Lettice makes friends easily with her tantalising, high-profile gossip and is the life of any party she wanders into. And this little Behemoth trip? Well, it's rife with VIPs and gossip potential. Naturally, Lettice has to be there.
๐ป๐ธ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ด๐ณ๐ผ๐พ๐ฝ๐
Twenty-three . โ . Julia Cumming
Lilac is the daughter of an old friend of Agnello's- a famed film director in Hollywood. She's accompanied by her younger sister, Lettice. Lilac calls herself a philanthropist, but there's little evidence to support the use of this title. In reality, she's subsisting off of daddy's money. Inept at real life as they come, yet somehow still the apple of her father's eye (an argument she and her sister have quite often), Lilac's been able to get away with a lot in her life- things that the common person would not be able to pay their way out of. For instance, Lilac was, at one point, involved in a home invasion with her boyfriend. Turned out to be her friend's house, and Lilac just wanted to "get back her Bottega Veneta alligator luggage before Tiara could throw it away" to get back at Lilac for some embarassing social media posts. She also admitted that she wanted to scare Tiara- hence the creepy masks they wore- which she certainly managed to do. Money was exchanged, and no charges were ever brough against Lilac or her boyfriend. There was also a police interview following an "accidental" death at an Indonesian spa Lilac was staying at with friends, but after Lilac's father became involved, it never came back up and Lilac returned home without incident. There have been other incidents of some suspect, but finally, her father is ready to cut her off. If anymore trouble ensues, including this train trip, he will officially sever his monetary ties with Lilac. While he hopes she will do some reflecting on the Behemoth, what may end up instead, is that she finds a little dark inspiration.
๐๐๐ฝ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ป๐ป ๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐๐ท๐ด
Eighteen . โ . Olesya Ivanishcheva
Diana Agnello's (Florens' wife's) niece and current Agnello household guest. Wyndall's parents are currently going through a nasty divorce, and so Diana offered the Agnello estate to the girl as a place of respite from the anxiety-inducing and thoroughyl vitriolic situation. Away from her parents' home, she's finally been able to experience a little peace of mind before heading off to uni in the autumn. Before that, however, there's this train trip to be had- and honestly, Wyn is so excited she can hardly wait to board. She imagines herself indulging on caviar and perhaps having a fling with a tall, dark stranger among the otherwordly ocean vistas. Of course, Wyndall's domesticated mink Falkor (whose semi-aquatic nature requires access to a bathtub) is coming with her, as well as her beloved journals. Wyn is introspective and tries to be careful with her words, but so often they get away from her- especially when she's troubled. It's this whole thing with her parents, she believes. She would like to go on the train and just forget that any of it is happening for a few weeks. If she can do that, she'll consider the holiday a success. What she doesn't realise, unfortunately, is that her Uncle Florens invited her father on the trip as well. And Wyn's father won't be alone, having invited his new girlfriend- a former schoolmate of Wyndall's- along with him. [Note: Her father definitely has no idea his daughter will be there.]