[TLV] IC Inbox

[palissant]

[No response can be gained via comms. He isn't interested in making himself available that way.

If you want him, come find him.]

Comments

[palissant]

Driving trains? That's a complicated question.

[He shrugs and takes the lead, hopping up into the cab.]

Remember what I told you about how I was made?

[superniceone]

[he's immediately in full Study Mode, prepared to commit this all to memory.]

A bit. [every word.]

[palissant]

[A vague wave of his hand. What he says next comes out a little... awkward. It's rare he's able to be so frank about the nature of his own existence.]

A lot of my memories... they aren't mine.

[superniceone]

Yeah. I— yeah. [solemn, but not exactly pitying. acknowledging.] A holdover?

[palissant]

[A sharp huff.]

They're Verso's. The real one.

[superniceone]

[gustave hesitates for a moment, not exactly certain what lines are okay to tread here. he still struggles at times with this concept.]

Well. I appreciate you letting me borrow the experience, at least. Not sure I'd know where to start otherwise.

[palissant]

[He just smiles easily. It's fine, honestly.]

Come up front, I'll tell you what to do and you can do it. Not every day you get the chance to drive a train.

[superniceone]

I've got a warden key. [meaning: he can summon this up whenever he'd like.] I can learn by example today.

[palissant]

[Excuse him while he rolls his eyes. Gustave is probably the only warden he really tolerates by that title.]

Just get to the controls, Gustave.

[superniceone]

[gustave rolls his own eyes in exaggerated but good natured mimicry as he seats himself at the controls.]

Fine. But only because you insist.

[shut up this is exciting]

[palissant]

I do.

[Smirk.]

First, push the Johnson bar forward. That one. [He points it out.] Then open the cylinder cocks. That valve, all the way clockwise.

[It is fun, honestly, showing someone something he's fond of.]

Then blow the whistle.

[A grin. Everyone's favourite thing is blowing the whistle.]

[superniceone]

[it's not the sort of dashboard that gustave has ever seen outside of an old reference manual, but he's good with machines; despite his occasional general aura of uncertain anxiety, he's able to follow the instructions with deft ease.

and when the whistle blows, he laughs aloud; it's juvenile, but the delight is sincere.]

It's a genuine replica, then. Just like the real thing. [for a given value of real, of course.]

[palissant]

Of course. I wouldn't want something that didn't work.

[Gustave please, what do you take him for.]

Release the brakes. [He indicates two brass levers.] The top one, right to left. Then you'll open the throttle.

[The throttle is a long lever hanging from the cab roof. Verso points it out.]

Give it a yank towards you then push it back in, we don't want to set off too fast.

[superniceone]

[gustave lapses into silence to follow instruction, clearly committing it all to memory.]

I— do you have any idea where this is theoretically going to take us?

[palissant]

[He thinks for a moment.]

If we take the right-hand turn when we reach the fork outside of the station, it should take us to Old Lumiére. To the left, over some open ground a quarry, then the coast.

[superniceone]

[seeing old lumière firsthand is— well, basically a dream for him. but it's not firsthand, not really, so he'll tamp down his own opinion about the matter.]

If I'm driving, then you're navigating. Which way?

[palissant]

[He knows Gustave wants to see Lumiére in its prime. Before its heart was ripped out and before it was destroyed utterly by Simon's rampage. Yet, still, he... thinks about it.

He thinks about it because he's not sure if his own heart can take it.

But... he sighs quietly, and faintly smiles.]

... Go right.

[superniceone]

[gustave doesn't know verso well enough yet to know the shape of his baggage — but he's aware of the pause, can hear the little sigh, and he makes an executive decision to steer the train left.]

Sorry. Took too long, had to make an executive decision.

[palissant]

[A soft grunt. He lightly cuffs the back of Gustave's head.]

Hope you brought your swim gear.

[superniceone]

Not a chance. I'll burn to a crisp. [it's wry, irreverent. he doubts sunburn is an actual concern here, but he's also less than jazzed about visiting the coast. he's not had great luck near the water on the continent.]

[palissant]

You look like the kind of person who would have all their freckles join up in the sun.

[Just saying.]

[superniceone]

[gustave turns in his seat to squint at him.]

I genuinely have no idea if that's a compliment or an insult.

[palissant]

[Grin.]

A completely harmless observation.

[superniceone]

Doubt we'll get much sun on the Barge. It'll have to remain a mystery. [he's... never really paid enough attention to his own reflection to know if that's a thing or not :')]

[palissant]

Tragic.

[Verso is not one of those people. He tans.]

Getting up to speed, pull the Johnson bar back, but not all the way.