"Cool name, I'm Lily, and you?" She asked the guy, her tail brushing again the ground as it flicked, her ears listening for the sound of a train coming, nothing yet. She sighed and looked around.
"James," James answered, nodding to the women. "It's good to meet you both, officially, I mean." He startled as the train pulled into the station. Finally! Slight relief crossed his face as the bystanders nearby started boarding. He hesitated before boarding himself, not sure why he cared whether Lily or Jila followed him or not.
Jila hesitated but didn't board the train, turning her phone back to herself and opening her travel app once more. She scrolled for a moment before finding where the travel agency put the excuse. Minor engine failure. Delays expected. She shook her head, turning off her phone. That wasn't good. But her vision couldn't be true, could it? No. There's too much security on the train. The vision can't have been real.
Lily boarded the train. "Finally, wonder what kept it up." She mumbled to herself as she took her seat, tail curling neatly in her lap as she looked at the passengers around her.
James sighed as the train's doors started to slide shut. He'd already found a spot, though there weren't many left in the cars of the train. But he'd noticed that Jila didn't board and wondered if she lived somewhere else. But if she had, then why was she waiting for the train this early? A strange woman indeed. Eh. I shouldn't care. People are strange.
Lily frowned as she saw that Jila hadn't gotten onto the train, she got up and peeked her head out of the door, looking at Jila. "Hey, you coming?" She asked, her tail swishing as she looked at her.
Jila blinked at Lily for a moment then, despite her hesitation to do so, boarded. This is a bad idea. Maybe if I do board then it doesn't happen. THat's probably it, right? That has to be. I have to believe it is. She thought, hating that she even questioned herself. But she went and found a spot to stand near the back of a crowded car, not looking for James or Lily.
The train's doors slid shut and it began to move, slowly at first but then picking up speed. James took out his phone and started playing Candy Crush, bored out of his mind. I need a nap. I need to do laundry, actually. Ugh. I have a showing tomorrow. Why do I do this to myself? Ah, crap. Two showings. Ah, I'm screwed.
Jila put on her headphones and began playing a rhythm game as she waited for her stop. She was uneasy as the train sped up, but forced herself to stay calm and play the game. She struggled to focus on said game despite her attempts to focus on it.
Lily got up and sat beside Jila. "Hello." She said, voice soft as her tail flicked and hee ears perked, listening to what she could hear, the train was packed, many more people on because of the delay. At least the train finally got here. She thought to herself as the train sped up.
James watched the women silently, along with the other passengers. He didn't interact, however. Ah. Almost my stop. Finally! He thought after a few minutes as the announcer called out the stops over the PA system. The train was still speeding up though, and James was slightly put-off by this. If they were close to a stop, shouldn't they be slowing down?
Jila didn't hear or notice Lily at first since she was absorbed in her game. She completed the level and startled as she realized Lily had sat down beside where she was standing. She switched to her notes app. What?
"Just wanted to say hi." She said, raking mental note that the train isn't stopping, worry clouding her gaze as she looked around, she got a feeling something wasn't right.
A voice came on over the PA system. "This is your conductor. I just want to ask you all not to panic as the breaks have failed. They'll be back online shortly since it's an easy fix even while we are still in motion. Those who miss their stops will be compensated."
Jila heard the announcement and panic crossed her face. Shit! She shoved her phone into her pocket, sliding her headphones down around her neck. She shifted her weight as she went to move but was kept mostly in place by a wave of panicked passengers. Great job, conductor. Real useful.
Her ears flatten on her head as she heard the announcement, her breathing turning a bit jagged as panic settled in. No, calm down, everything will be alright. They are fixing the brakes right now. She thought to calm herself down.
In the midst of the chaos, James noticed a child had gotten separated from his mother. He picked the child up so the kid wouldn't get trampled. He put on his commanding boss realtor voice then. "People! Calm down! They're fixing the breaks! Is this anybody's kid?"
Despite the situation, Jila couldn't help but smile at James' strange words. The part about the child was so far off-topic. James really is a strange man. At least he's good at dealing with people, She thought as people started to calm down a bit after hearing James' words.
Lily looked around, ears still down as she waited for the train to slow, she was starting to worry a little bit, ok, maybe a whole lot. A lot lot, she was starting to hyperventilate a little bit but was good at hiding it.
The train was still speeding up. "We're working on the breaks! There's been a slight delay since the engine is starting to overheat, but we won't die! I promise you that!" The voice said over the PA. Chaos erupted again. "NOT HELPFUL! PEOPLE! CALM DOWN! WE'RE GOING TO DIE SOONER IF YOU TRAMPLE EACH OTHER! SOMEBODY CLAIM THIS STUPID KID SO I CAN SET IT DOWN!" James shouted, calming some people down.