Sylvia was slightly put off by the boy who had bumped into her.

"What the hell..." She was about to reprimand him when she recognized his face.

Oh, it's you. How convenient.

Sylvia approached the boy with the bracelet tactfully and observed him. Based on the way he was sitting, he was obviously an introvert. He had been running, so his thoughts are likely a bit scattered at the moment. Sylvia decided the best tactic would be to make him feel uncomfortable - to not give him the time to think.

With hostility in her voice Sylvia said, "Hey, boy, you just ran into me. What's your problem?" while approaching him malevolently.

Gavin jerked his head up in surprise, staring at the belligerent young woman in front of him. His eyebrows funneled into an confused line. "It was an accident. I don't see why you have to make such a big deal of it. Did I break a bone or something?"

His agitation reflected almost unconsciously on his wrist, the metal pooling into a single piece and slithering down into his hand, where it formed itself into an intricate knife. He held it loosely, letting it relax him somewhat as he looked up at her. "Although, if you really want to consider it a problem, I wanted to get a seat on the train. I don't particularly enjoy standing in crowds, so I got here as fast as I could. That's it." He frowned. "Hang on, I feel like I recognize you from somewhere. Have we met?" His thoughts instantly jumped back to what he was doing before and he sighed.

"See, I was chasing this boy. I wanted to see why he was running, y'know? But he got on the Sabore train, so I never did get to talk to him. What about you? You talk to a blonde kid with blue eyes and a bandana around his face?"

Aeria's undivided attention was on IIlisoth as he explained about the lies of the old government. Although surprised, her expression remained as calm as ever, no trace of emotions visible. It was not long after that another creature who introduced himself as Shigganeth came.

Marx said
"In Ellexkir you will come to me for guidance and I will welcome you as my kin." the voice flowed smoothly like honey, filling the minds his voice lingered in with a sense of calm. "Those who come to my domain will be welcome to explore their curiosities. Ellexkir welcomes the pursuit of knowledge and it is in Ellexkir where we work to unlock each of your true potential..." He voice drifted mysteriously and in his expressionless face, it almost seemed as if he were smiling, his eyes holding the prideful glimmer of a parent looking over their children. "Now please, lend my brethren your ears for whatever there is left to share," he concluded, slowly returning from where he had come,

Aeria knew by the end of the speech that this district was gonna be her choice. The pursuit of knowledge and the unlocking of true potential was exactly what she was aiming for. If she was to survive the upcoming war, not only did she need the power and strength, she needed to learn as much as there was to learn. She drank the last bit of coffee left in her cup and grabbed a tissue to wipe the corners of her mouth before she stood up and made her way to the holotrain to the right which held the mark of an eagle.

Lemons said
Gavin jerked his head up in surprise, staring at the belligerent young woman in front of him. His eyebrows funneled into an confused line. "It was an accident. I don't see why you have to make such a big deal of it. Did I break a bone or something?"His agitation reflected almost unconsciously on his wrist, the metal pooling into a single piece and slithering down into his hand, where it formed itself into an intricate knife. He held it loosely, letting it relax him somewhat as he looked up at her. "Although, if you really want to consider it a problem, I wanted to get a seat on the train. I don't particularly enjoy standing in crowds, so I got here as fast as I could. That's it." He frowned. "Hang on, I feel like I recognize you from somewhere. Have we met?" His thoughts instantly jumped back to what he was doing before and he sighed."See, I was chasing this boy. I wanted to see why he was running, y'know? But he got on the Sabore train, so I never did get to talk to him. What about you? You talk to a blonde kid with blue eyes and a bandana around his face?"

Sylvia heard the sharp, distinct sound of metal hitting metal among the noise of the train and began to look about.

"No, I never spoke to the blonde boy. I know nothing of him. I was hoping you would shed some light on the subject, seeing as you were the one chasing him. Tell me, boy, why exactly were you chasing him. Were you attacking him? What do you know?"

She traced the sound to the knife newly formed in Gavin's hand. Instinctively she reached into her pocket as if to take hold of a weapon of her own. Sylvia had learned over the course of her life that even if she didn't have a weapon, he couldn't know that and would be more cautious as a result.

"I don't particularly enjoy it when someone pulls a knife on me. I'm sure you feel the same way. Now I advise you to put the knife away and answer my question."

Leon knew precisely which district he belonged in after the beings gave their introductions. The choice wasn't a particularly difficult one either, the already familiar voice of Shigganeth one again reaching out to the minds of the muties. Though, now it was aimed at a much smaller crowd. "I welcome you to my family, Lillith, Aetia, Leon, Tollank, Mathhew, Meiru." The voice said warmly, the presence of the being quickly leaving the minds of those he visited.

Leon was rather excited to hear the voices that Shigganeth announced, an inkling of hope forming in his mind. Perhaps he'd find friends in those names. As Leon weaved his way through the crowd his mutation began to flare up. It was a useful, though rather stressful. Leon's mutation allow, no forced, him to be aware of the health of everyone around him. In crowds it was like having a hundred voices constantly talking over one another. The only way he could remove the noise was to focus on a single person, but with the splitting headache from being in such a crowded area even that felt nearly impossible

When he had made it into the holotrain he nearly collapsed into an open seat. The train was nearly empty. It seems that Shigganeth didn't capture the hearts and minds of as many youngsters as the other district leaders. 'Oh well,' Jesse sighed, looking across from his seat to the pair of seats facing him. Perhaps he'd get to meet one of the people Shigganeth mentioned.

Aeria was the first to arrive in the holotrain and just when she thought she was most likely gonna be alone with the choice she made, she heard a voice in her head which welcomed the people, who she assumed chose the Ellexkir District.

"I welcome you to my family, Lillith, Aeria, Leon, Tollank, Mathhew, Meiru."

She recognized the voice to be shigganeth's and she took a mental note of the names mentioned. It won't hurt to be careful of the people she was gonna spend most of her time around with in the district. Aeria was cynical, careful with whom she trusts and opens up to.

Her thoughts were once again distracted when a light haired guy who seemed to be around her age, or a bit older, came and took a seat on the chair in front of her. His back was facing her and she knew he hasn't noticed her presence yet. She stayed silently on her seat as she looked at the crowd of people trying to decide which district to join.

It was unusual for Leon's mutation to take so long to detect a nearby person. Once his mutation had picked up on her, he immediately became aware of her health and her personality. That was the part of his power that Leon really hated. It was hard not to feel intrusive when he was literally forced to understand how people tick. Leon had yet to see where she was though and gave a quick glance around the train. 'Oh,' he realised looking behind him to see her shoulder in between the seats.

"Not too talkative, are ya?" Leon said without trying to look around the seat and make eye contact with her. If she wanted to have a conversation beyond just speaking at one another, then he was sure it'd be apparent. He doubted she would though, didn't seem to match her personality. "I think we're lucky," Leon went on, "Ellexkir is going to be the least populated district. I've already had enough of the crowds. My mutation makes being around a lot of people really difficult." Leon adjusted how he sat in the seat, pulling off the gloves he always wore in public. Deep scars ran across his right hand, one single jagged scar in the center of his left. He looked at his hands, letting out a sigh before putting the gloves back on. They were uncomfortable, but he wasn't quite ready to be without them. "Sorry," he suddenly added becoming aware of himself and of the person he was talking to, "I don't mean to be a bother."

Aeria turned to the man who had just spoken to her. She listened but didn't say a single word as he went on talking. She watched as he slowly removed his gloves, only to reveal deep scars that ran across his hand. She glanced a little at the scars that were seen and It sparked her curiosity but she decided to ignore it, putting away the question for a later time. Her eyes left his hand as he placed his gloves back on.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be a bother." She was quiet for a few seconds before she responded. "I don't mind." A gentle breeze of wind passed, carrying the scent of vanilla. She took a deep breath and calmed her mind. Sometimes when she's thinking hard enough about something, it would affect the vibrations of the air around her. She didn't have perfect control of her ability yet and it might have been her curiosity that caused it to happen.

Gavin glanced down at his hand in surprise. "Oh, haha. Sorry about that, it happens sometimes. So, why I was chasing him..." His hand went to his chin, which he rubbed thoughtfully before shrugging. "Well, I didn't really have anything better to do, I was curious as to WHY he was running in the first place, and I needed to get out of there myself. And just to let you know, I have a name. You know, like most people? I don't appreciate being simply known as boy regardless of my age, girl. My name is Gavin and I wish to be addressed as such." His eyes narrowed as the silvery knife melted back down, crawling up his arm and solidifying itself firmly in place as a bracelet once more.

"Now, my question. Why are you so interested? You don't ask someone if they were attacking somebody simply because they bump you on the way to a train. What's your investment in this situation?"

Leon smiled at her comment, getting up from his seat. "Then I hope you don't mind," He chuckled lightly, leaving his seat and taking the one across from her. He dropped into the seat with a thud, bouncing slightly as he adjusted into the seat. The seats on the holotrain were impressively comfortable. Much unlike what he was used to back home. Back home public transit typically had metal or plastic seats. It appeared the aliens were more courteous to the backsides of their human companions. "Leon," he said, looking at her now, taking a moment to take her in. She was an interesting sight. She seemed delicate, almost to delicate to be a mutant. Then again, he didn't look rough around the edges like some of his cybernetic and bug-like contemporaries. Then again, he also kept most of himself hidden away beneath clothing.

"You're... Aeria?" he took a shot in the dark, figuring it was a safe bet. She seemed to match the name. Mysterious, delicate, cold (falsely so, he guessed). "I have the guardian mutation," Leon said, speaking with a warmer tone than before, "I heal people and can create barriers. What's yours, if you don't mind me asking that is."

Irritated with the sudden change in control of the conversation, Sylvia though of how to respond. She took hold of one of the poles on the train to balance herself.

Does this "Gavin" merit my trust? No, no it's much too soon to trust anyone, much less this one. But I can't just ignore his questions...

Sylvia impulsively started twirling her coin in between her fingers.

He's clever. I need to deal with this in a way that only I get the information I need, it'd be too dangerous to trust this one right away. How am I going to do this?

Sylvia realized that her time was running short, she had to answer now. "Well then, boy, " she said with spite, "You'll have to earn the respect that comes with a name. I was just wondering why, oh I don't know, in the middle of whatever you want to call this, you're chasing someone who was trying to hide their face. Understandable, no? Oh and as for my name," Sylvia paused for a moment, and then with the slightest hint of a smirk said, "Evelyn. Nice to meet you."

Sylvia stopped twirling her coin and held it in a fist for a moment before putting it away and out stretching her newly freed hand to this "Gavin"

Tollank had just decided what district he was going to join when a familiar voice entered his mind.

"I welcome you to my family, Lillith, Aeria, Leon, Tollank, Mathhew, Meiru."

"Well that was quick." Tollank chuckled to himself. He turned around from walking towards the café and started to walk towards the holocar that bound for the Ellexkir District. He noticed that a far fewer people were heading to the Ellexkir car. Didn't they know that they can't just count on brawn or mutations to win a war? Knowledge. Knowledge was power. Tollank entered the holocar and was pleasantly surprised, it was far nicer than what he thought it was going to be. The seats actually appeared comfortable and it was well lit and appeared to be clean. The people in the car seemed to be far more collected than the rabble in the crowd outside, which suited Tollank quite well. Suddenly Tollank saw a familiar face in the crowd. "Bowtie!!" Tollank said to the dapper young man that he had seen earlier in the café. He didn't hear Tollank however, because he was more engrossed in speaking to the young lady sitting across from him. Tollank walked up and plopped into the seat next to the young man.

"You're... Aeria?" he said to the girl that sat across from him. "I have the guardian mutation," Leon said, "I heal people and can create barriers. What's yours, if you don't mind me asking that is."

Tollank realized that he was potentially interrupting their conversation. "Sorry." he said softly, and leaned back in his seat to await a moment for the conversation to shift his way.

Sylverblu said
Irritated with the sudden change in control of the conversation, Sylvia though of how to respond. She took hold of one of the poles on the train to balance herself.Sylvia impulsively started twirling her coin in between her fingers.Sylvia realized that her time was running short, she had to answer now. "Well then, " she said with spite, "You'll have to earn the respect that comes with a name. I was just wondering why, oh I don't know, in the middle of whatever you want to call this, you're chasing someone who was trying to hide their face. Understandable, no? Oh and as for name," Sylvia paused for a moment, and then with the slightest hint of a smirk said, "Evelyn. Nice to meet you."Sylvia stopped twirling her coin and held it in a fist for a moment before putting it away and out stretching her newly freed hand to this "Gavin"

Gavin stared into her eyes as he took her hand and shook it, and one fact instantly became clear in his mind. She's lying. Outwardly, though, he made no movement to betray his conviction. "Nice to meet you as well, Evelyn, though I wish we could've done so on better circumstances. Really though, what's with these freaky aliens anyway? They're acting like we should just obey them without question." His eyes once again narrowed, something he tended to do quite often. "I don't know about them. There's something not quite right about all this, and I mean to find out what it is. Who knows, maybe I'll even run into that kid again." He shook his head to clear the thoughts.

"So, what are you here for? What's your little quirk?" He reached out and touched the steel pole she was grasping, twisting it into a spiral. "I think mine is pretty evident."

Lemons said
Gavin stared into her eyes as he took her hand and shook it, and one fact instantly became clear in his mind. Outwardly, though, he made no movement to betray his conviction. "Nice to meet you as well, Evelyn, though I wish we could've done so on better circumstances. Really though, what's with these freaky aliens anyway? They're acting like we should just obey them without question." His eyes once again narrowed, something he tended to do quite often. "I don't know about them. There's something not quite right about all this, and I mean to find out what it is. Who knows, maybe I'll even run into that kid again." He shook his head to clear the thoughts."So, what are you here for? What's your little quirk?" He reached out and touched the steel pole she was grasping, twisting it into a spiral. "I think mine is pretty evident."

Sylvia flinched seeing this, and feeling threatened instinctively reached into her pocket only to pull out the coin. After a moment to collect herself, Sylvia blushed slightly and put the slice of silver away. She also reclaimed her glove, which had become snagged on the twisting pattern of the pole, concealing the end of a tattoo which appears to run up her arm.

Of all the days to not have a knife...

"Well, a few points to address. First and foremost I have to ask if you're xenophobic. An odd question I know, and poorly inserted into the conversation, but these 'aliens' aren't freaky." Sylvia could feel a tirade on the nature of racial judgement coming on. "They're no 'freakier' than you are, they're just different. How do you think you seem to them? I mean..." Sylvia stopped herself before making a scene.

"Anyway, I see no harm in obeying them. If we don't, bad things happen. If we do, bad things might happen. You can see where I'm going with this." Sylvia shifted to a more comfortable position, reaching out for and leaning on the metal beam. "Whatever, we can discuss the grand nature of our situation later, right now I'd just like to know what's so fascinating about my eyes, after all, you haven't even seen their trick yet"

Sylvia gestured towards her grey eyes. She then blinked once, then twice, restoring the vivid green to her irises.

"I see what you see. Also, I hear everything. Keep this in mind when you try to keep secrets from me, which you inevitably will. Any other questions or comments for the ride? We'll be here for a while presumably, and we're heading for the same district. May as well become acquainted."

Sylvia put on her listening face while she thought about how she would deal with this boy. He could be a valuable ally, but he could also be a threat to her. He did a poor job concealing his distrustful nature, but it mattered little.

It doesn't matter that he knows my lies as long as he doesn't know the truth

Gavin stiffened. "That's one hell of a strange ability. So you can see through anybody's eyes? That's...huh. I'm gonna have to remember that."

"How does that even work...?" he muttered under his breath, until remembering that she also had really powerful hearing. Well then. "And yeah, I can be a little bit of a xenophobe, when said aliens are talking like that. You heard what that Sabore guy mentioned, right? About a war? I mean, I have friends back in Harmonica. I have family. Doesn't it seem a little too...convenient to you, all of these abilities and how they work? Think about it. With yours, you are essentially a perfect spy. You don't even need to enter a place to see what's going on. With mine, I can change any metal that has any amount of iron in it. I knew a guy back home who could change the density of atoms around him to make massive bursts of hypercompressed air. Wonder where he went on the holotrains...? Anyway, it seems almost like we were bred, y'know? To fight in a war. But then what do our lives mean?"

As he spoke, he began to motion with his hands to emphasize his points. The bracelet once again slithered around his arms, reaching his hand and jumping from fingertip to fingertip like an electric arc. Gavin sighed.

"But I guess you're right about the obedience part. Hell, these trains are probably bugged and rigged with any number of preventative measures. If we decided to go our own way instead of obey the aliens, they'll probably just vaporize us on the spot, or gas us, or some such thing."

He slumped down, bracing his cheeks on his hands. The metal stopped moving, simply staying in stasis mid-jump.

Sylvia chuckled lightly.

Yeah, they'll vaporize us... You're interesting Gavin, I'll give you that. Some mix between a paranoid child and a tipsy adult. This relationship is going to be interesting all right. I guess it'd do me good to have someone keeping me on my toes for some impending alien incursion or whatever crazy theory you're bound to come up with.

Sylvia turned to Gavin as though to say something, then instead began to focus on his bracelet.

I wonder if that bracelet's worth anything... There's bound to be a pawn shop of some sort wherever we're going.

But it seems to being him joy.

Caught in a moral dilemna, Sylvia sighed and decided that it would be better not to try something stupid given the great risk involved for such little reward.

At least, for now.

"So, tell me about your family."

Gavin's head jerked up and out of his hands and a pensive expression spread across his face.

"They're in a bit of trouble. There wasn't much money in our part of the old city, so we struggled to get by. My little sister was...killed in an industrial accident only a few days before I left. I didn't even get to come to her funeral. On top of that, my parents are pretty old. I don't know if they'll be able to support themselves..."

His face hardened.

"Why? What do you think you're doing with this information?

"Ever the charmer, aren't you?" Sylvia regained her stiff, distrustful stance and put her free hand in her jacket pocket.

"How I answer depends on what you want to hear. Inevitably, you're going to say you want to hear the truth, so I will answer by saying that I'd like to learn as much about you as I can so as to have information that I can apply to future situations. For example," Sylvia took on a sardonic, almost menacing tone. "I now know that you are emotionally weak, being all upset over not being able to go to your sister's funeral. And here I was beginning to like you. You know, there are harder things in the world than not being privileged enough to go to someone's funeral."

Sylvia began to redden, her volume increasing, her gesticulations becoming more violent, though she was still making sure to avoid attention from others.

" Some people have to watch as their sibling is stabbed for trying to protect them. Some people have the pleasure of being able to watch their only sibling's bloodied corpse thrown into a filthy lake, in an effort to, 'hide the evidence'. Some people end up being despised by their parents, because they end up being blamed for their sibling going missing. Some people's sibling never get a funeral!"

Sylvia was losing her sense of tact.

"How do you think that would make me-" Sylvia caught herself. "some people feel, knowing that people like you are mourning your sister who was at least honored after her death, and then you have the audacity to question someone when they just ask a simple question?"

Sensing her failure to maintain her often tranquil nature, Sylvia sighed in disappointment. She returned to her quiet, sarcastic tone of voice.

"Anything else you'd like to share, or am I too suspicious to be trusted with the valuable information about your family?"

"Well then. So your brother is dead. I get it, you're angry and upset...No, those words don't even come close to describing how one feels at death, do they?...But regardless..."

"Just because I'm upset that I wasn't able to go to my sister's funeral, does NOT make me emotionally weak! I don't particularly care how severe your childhood trauma was. News flash! At least your brother died somewhat quickly, and at least he died meaningfully! My sister languished in a dirty bed four days, covered in ammonia burns from a chemical spill, wracked in excruciating pain. She was only. Ten. Years. Old! And you think I'm weak for wanting to pay my last respects to her dead body?"

Gavin took a deep breath, calming himself down somewhat. "And to point out a total logical fallacy in your argument, all I did was ask a simple question as well. I wasn't the one blowing up over a question. That would be you."

She was looking at the crowd, and at the same time watched him take the seat across her through her peripheral vision. She only looked him in the eye when he introduced himself as Leon. Before she could tell him her name, he guessed it right so she gave him a small nod instead.

"I have the guardian mutation, I heal people and can create barriers. What's yours, if you don't mind me asking that is." Aeria's full attention was now on Leon. His mutation was definitely useful. She could use him as an ally. In a world where a war was brewing, having a companion with the guardian mutation would be advantageous. Then again, she wasn't the type of person to keep someone close. Once again,a gentle breeze came. Strong enough to be felt, gentle enough not to be noticed by the many who aren't paying attention. She cleared her throat, in an attempt to cover it up. This has been happening a lot lately but she had no explanation for it. Her guess is that it happens when she's thinking about something that sparks her curiosity or interest but that was simply a guess. "I can manipulate the air and wind at will. Not as useful as yours, really." She said nonchalantly.

It was only after she responded that she noticed the man who came in and sat next to Leon. Their eyes met and she gave him small nod to let him know she was aware of him now.