🚅 all aboard!

“Well, you’re right on that front, lass,” he finally says, sighing into his palm. He’s off work, at the bar talking with a pleasant stranger rapidly turn acquaintance. Emmet thinks he can cut loose and be a little more... open with his thoughts. “Even though we’ve been established for years now, with a set of rules that’s plastered on our homepage and the board before you enter the train, there’s still Trainers who use forbidden moves on the subway. Like, Explosion is off limits for a reason!”

Having said his piece, Emmet sighs again, shoulders slumping as the brief flare of indignation peters out. Well, she doesn’t seem like the type who judges; she even sympathized with him earlier! She’s real easy to get along, especially with a drink in his system. Emmet grins, raising his similarly near empty glass in response. “Here, here.”

Swigging the last of his whiskey, Emmet tips his head towards Dean. “Mind giving me a refill?” His grey eyes flicker to Dawn, still grinning. “And get her whatever she wants. Second round’s on me.” This will also be his last, as Emmet is not a huge drinker in the first place. He’s got height but pretty lanky, not to mention he’s got an afternoon shift to come in tomorrow. Iggy wouldn’t like it if he came in late because he got one hell of a hangover.

“Thank you so much for this! I’ll be sure to enjoy this thoroughly, then pull Iggy into it.” If there’s an opportunity soon, he wishes to return her kindness. Emmet carefully stores the book away in his pack, mindful of its position among his other possessions. He’ll make sure to care for this book like it’s a precious treasure! Iggy will certainly be surprise on how he came to acquire this novel!

Her question gives him pause. Hm, Emmet hasn’t necessarily formulate what he wants to do after he collects the info he needs. He sort of figured to just wing it; see where the winds take him and what his heart desires until he has to return back home. Though, it feels kind of weird to give Shauntal that answer. He hums, tapping his cheek in thought. 

“Well... I suppose I’d like to check out the local food scene.” Emmet grins at her, swinging his long legs. “They always say that one way to get to know about a place is through their cuisine! Nimbasa isn’t short on variety when it comes to food, but there’s just something about eating at the source that gives it a different experience, if you get what I mean.”

Touko smiles in that familiar sort of way, lips stretched and eyes twinkling. She could have fooled him, had it not been for the way she stumbles back, opting to sit down before she falls down. Still, she continues on in this peppy sort of tone. He’s suddenly reminded that it’s late at night, snow flakes falling around them, the chill of Winter oppressively present.

Being pulled in by a regular greeting like that feels a little off kilter. Emmet’s brows furrow slightly, cocking his head in that telltale sign that he’s carefully considering on his words. “I’ve been doing well. Iggy and I have been busy with challenges, even though it’s close to the holiday season. I guess people still have an itch for battles...”

He trails off, his grey eyes flashing with concern. Touko... didn’t look too good. Maybe it’s his tired eyes tricking him, but his gut feeling is telling him that he shouldn’t leave her alone. Emmet hadn’t seen her in years so finding her in this setting is a little disconcerting. A puff of white breath escapes him, and he speaks again, this time with some weight to his tone. 

She procures a book from her satchel and hands it to him. Ruin Maniac’s Dilemma is emblazoned on the cover, with the simple background leaving an imprint from first glance. Those eyes leaves plenty to the imagination for sure. Emmet flips through a couple of pages, appreciative to see an index that shows the title chapters and other necessary information. It’s a little feature to books that’s becoming less common, judging from his own read through of Ingo’s collection.

“A murder mystery, eh?” Emmet pauses on the first page to skim through it. “These kinds of genre is certainly popular. Iggy loves reading it cause he likes to figure out who’s the culprit as he goes through the plot.” A brief round of chuckles. “Sometimes he pulls me into the discussions, so I have to read it for myself so I can understand what he’s talking about. It’s really fun cause things can either go what you think or there’s just a plot twist that could go either way.”

He’s not fond of authors who uses plot twists for the sake of shock rather than being an integral part of the story. Emmet believes that Shauntal isn’t in the same vein as them cause Iggy enjoys her novels. If a piece of reading material gets his twin’s approval, personal preference notwithstanding, it must be good! He gives it another skim through.

Well, Emmet did have that thought, but he figured she had her own reasons. Didn’t expect her to just go off like that, though he admits that is’ quite nice to see someone so spirited. If there’s one thing that he likes about drinking, it’s the sort of company you might meet at the counter. And it seems that tonight, he figuratively strikes gold when she closes the distance and reveals her identity.

“Well well, guess I’m in the presence of a celebrity, eh?” Emmet says in good nature, raising his glass to tap against hers. The clink is satisfying, and he takes another sip before continuing. “You know, I thought that ya look familiar. Apologies for not recognizing, but I swear I’ve seen your face before on TV. Maybe from an interview? Didn’t think you were that young either, and I mean that as a compliment. You’re like... larger than life, kind of.”

In the face of pleasant company and the mild buzz kicking in, Emmet feels chatty. “I guess it’s like, you could’ve just sat anywhere you want and talk with whoever you want, but here I am talking with you. And when I hear you talk, it’s like, wow, she’s got a lot of life to her, if that makes sense? Guess what i’m trying to say is that I’m having fun talking with you.”

Unova is pretty much the only region where you can battle on trains, no less than the brainstorm of the two young engineers turned train conductors. With the help of other experts in the field, the Single and Double Trains are customized to handle most attacks dealt within the special battling cars, allowing for the Battle Subway to come into existence.

Their babies are unique in its own right, but Emmet is curious on the structure of trains in different regions. He knows that one famous line is the one bisecting the Kanto-Johto region, connecting Saffron City all the way to Goldenrod. Unova’s region is large and centered, so there hadn’t been a need to extend the rails into neighboring regions. Whereas their trains are built for durability, this train is suited for speed.

Emmet wants to know for himself the experience of one riding, so he convinces Ingo to give him half the week off so he can travel to Kanto, catch the train into Johto before returning back home with recorded data. After promises of buying souvenirs, the younger twin flies over to Kanto. Not many people traveled for the purpose of riding other public transportation, but that just goes to show how much Emmet loves trains!

It’s not long before he’s a passenger of the train, watching as the scenery zooms by. Emmet had taken some time to simply explore the cars, striking up conversations with a couple of the on hand staff before he settles down. Nerves buzzing with excitement, he regrets not bringing a notebook that he could write everything down into. Oh well, he just needs to commit everything to memory, then.

Before he can indulge in some daydreaming, a mousy voice calls his attention and what do you know? Emmet didn’t expect to see a familiar face all the way out here!

“Well, I’m here for some research! Not a lot of regions have an active train line that I can make comparisons to!” he responds with a laugh, easily making room for Shauntal to sit down. Emmet can’t say he’s too well acquainted with the Elite, but he did hear about her achievements and how she’s a successful author. He thinks Ingo owns one of her books, too. 

Emmet knew the stakes at hand, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t draining. Winter never failed to bring out this lethargy that tried to sink into his bones. Oh, it wasn’t like he hated the season. He loved the act of bundling up and everything else associated with warming oneself up. Still, staying outside whilst on duty could sap even his seemingly boundless energy. 

Heaving out a careful sigh, Emmet cast a glance at the clock. It was almost time for him to close the station proper now that the last trains had departed. Since he took up this late shift, he wouldn’t have to come in early the following morning to open up; those few extra hours will certainly be spent on catching some much needed sleep. 

After he went through the motions of closing up, Emmet watched as darkness engulfed the station before he locked the doors behind him. The main station floor remained open to the public, but they won’t be able to get onto the platforms until the trains ran again in the morning. 

Upon stepping out, it seemed that they’ve been graced by a rain of white. Emmet tightened the scarf around his neck, then stuffed his gloved hands deep within his pockets. He couldn’t wait to return back to his shared apartment and wiggle his way underneath his blanket. Quietly, he walked away from the station, his tall stature cutting an almost haunting silhouette under the falling snow and light cast from streetlamps.

Emmet wanted to head straight back home, but it looked like fate had other plans. If he didn’t flicker his gaze to the left at that precise moment, he might have missed the figure slumped on one of the benches, dressed in clothes unfitting of this weather. It might be one of the rare drunkards that occasionally partied too hard, but in this frigid temperature, Emmet just couldn’t leave them be. So it was with long strides that closed the distance between them.

“Hey, are you alright there? You shouldn’t be out in this weather at this time of night,” Emmet asked with a gentle shake of her shoulder. Upon closer inspection, the figure turned out to be a young woman. Though, it was when she looked up that he realized that she wasn’t a stranger to him. Years might have passed since their meeting but Emmet will never forget this face.

The image of fierce battle within the Double Train, matching grins etched across their lips briefly flitted past his mind. 

Plastering on a small smile, he properly sat up, giving her a full view of his sideburns. Man, even that small movement made his back ache. Just because he had grey hair, it didn’t mean that he was old! “Mmm... you could say that. Work’s been busy -- both battling wise and the managerial side of things. Even that could be tiring on the mind, you know?”

Emmet couldn’t tell if she recognized him as one of Nimbasa’s Subway Bosses, but honestly, he’d prefer to keep that persona of his in the back pocket for tonight. Right now, he was just Emmet Hildebrand, a guy who wanted a few drinks in him to loosen up the tensions of the day. Nothing wrong with a bit of indulging every now and then.

Soon, Dean handed him his drink. Tipping his head in gratitude, Emmet picked up his glass, taking a moment to feel the cold that seeped into his fingertips. The ice clinked against the glass when he swirled it around before he took a sip. A little strong but the ice helped dilute the sharp taste, allowing him to savor the depth of this flavor. Rich, smooth, almost smoky -- he heaved out a pleased sigh, eyes sliding shut for a moment.

Emmet’s attention swung back to Ingo when he finally spoke up. Mmm, of course that’d be Iggy’s answer! Their jobs meant that they had little time to travel, so being able to come to places they only got to see in the travel books by the station’s convenience store was practically a treat of itself! Though, the mentioning of that incident briefly flipped his smile. 

Oh well, their activities were practically non-existent lately, and things had been peaceful for awhile now, so he won’t bother himself with such needless thoughts. They were here to explore and have fun, after all! “I get what you mean! Despite the... circumstances, just being able to enter one of Unova’s oldest structures is an experience worth trying. Let’s just make the most of what we have!”

A delighted laugh escaped him upon seeing Ingo seemingly brightened up just a little at the thought of documenting their trip. Anything worth noting down goes into the camera! Emmet flashes his twin a grin, bounds over to him and neatly grabbed the device from Ingo’s hand. His free arm wrapped itself around Ingo’s shoulders, tugging his twin close, almost cheek to cheek. Emmet’s smile is felt more than see by this point.

“The first picture has to be a selfie of us! C’mon Iggy, smile for the camera!” This was not a smartphone with a screen to snap their picture with, so Emmet just positioned it to where he thinks is the right spot before snapping a picture. When he turned the camera around to check, he still laughed at the image. Only half of their faces could be seen, with the tower slanted to the left.