Seriously.

[cursedtolive]

Who: Czeslaw and Claire Stanfield railtracer
What: Father meets son.
Where: 459 Stone Street
When: July 10th, late afternoon/evening
Warnings: the Rail Tracer.

[At first he had wondered if he was dreaming, but when he realized how conscious he was about how this must be a dream, he was forced to come to the conclusion that he was, in fact, awake and stuck in a very, very surreal place. This was no longer the apartment he lived in with Firo and Ennis, nor was this even Manhattan. The calendar was off, too, twenty or so years ahead of the date he last remembered... and who was that woman who called herself his mother, anyway? He had never seen her before, and she acted so strangely. And his "siblings", too.

The only one missing was his "father". He was told that the man would be home soon from work, and he wonders if he would be anything like his other, strangely empty family members. He's sitting in the living room now, waiting for the man's return after being released from chores around the house.]

Comments

1/3

[railtracer]

[For the last couple weeks Claire literally went to hell and back. But thankfully that was over and everyone soon adjusted to being back in Normalfield again. Claire was no exception. After waking up he got right back to work as a bartender and gaining his information that way. Since everything went back to normal he expected to be greeted by Erim and Yonah's drones and his drone son like usual. He wasn't expecting anyone in the house to be replaced, let alone Jimmy who's been a drone ever since he got here.]

[railtracer]

I'm ho--huh?

[The moment he opened the door he noticed Czes just sitting there on the couch. He couldn't help but laugh to himself as he locked the door out of habit.]

Done

[railtracer]

Well now, isn't this a surprise. The last time I saw you was...it was when you ran away behind the speako wasn't it?

[He inches closer towards the couch.]

Heh...you know...you were probably the last person I thought would ever end up here. This place never ceases to amaze me sometimes.

[cursedtolive]

[Czeslaw's body tenses before his mind registers the surprise and instinctive fear. The thought of I know that voice hits before the name of the speaker dawns on him, and he's turning faster than his eyes can follow. He doesn't have to see more than the red hair to realize who this is.

... This is him? He's frozen on the spot like a deer caught in the headlights. This man is his father?

No, no, that's ridiculous, he'll think at any other time, in any other state of mind. That's ridiculous, that's not true, it's got to be a mistake.]

Y-you... you?

[railtracer]

[He's just going to plop down right next to him now. It's like the less bloody version the what happened on the train.]

The fact that you're here, Czes, and the fact that you're shocked to see me must mean Erim or someone else in town told you about your little situation? We're family now! So the least you could do is try to calm down.

[cursedtolive]

[Just like on the train, Czelsaw is trying to push himself as far away from this man as he can. He knows he can't cause a scene, though, not with those strange family members and an entire town he knows nothing about being the only places he can go. But he is so afraid.]

F-family...? T-that's ridiculous, it's got to be a joke.

[railtracer]

Not according to this place. It really does think we're family.

[He puts his arm around him and pulls him in closer. What is personal space?]

Then again, this place also believes that I was born in in the '30s...but you an I both know that ain't true.

[cursedtolive]

[The sound he makes is somewhere between a gasp, a choked down scream, and a sob. He tenses but doesn't dare pull away out of fear that any sudden movement will be taken as a cue to attack. He's shaking like a leaf, even though he tries to push down the strong panic. He needs to find out what's going on.]

Where... is this place?

[railtracer]

Mayfield. It's somewhere in the US, but who knows where it really is or if it exists at all!

[cursedtolive]

... Why do they think I'm your child? I-is there anybody else? If I don't get home, Firo and Miss Ennis would worry.

[railtracer]

Who knows. I never fully figured that out myself. Especially your sister over there. She went on an' on about her real dad and how she wanted me to meet him. An' yet dispute all that the place still thought she was my kid.

[Claire is still holding him close...very close. Because he knows Czes will just run away again if he lets go.]

So you know them huh? Not surprising I guess considering what alley you popped up in....

[cursedtolive]

[He turns his head slightly to look at that sister. Finding her real father? She hasn't said a word about anything like that since he met her at breakfast that morning. But he rips his gaze away from her to look at Claire's arm around him, then back up -- to look at somewhere near Claire's collar.]

A couple of people I met on the train were friends with them, and... I've been staying at Firo's apartment since then. [He's still trembling, eyes flickering.]

[railtracer]

[He turns his head away and talks to himself.]

Huh, so he knows that Isaac and Miria couple or whatever their names were. Wonder what else he's been keepin' from me.

[And here he was thinking that they were Czes' lackies this whole time. He turns back and faces Czes and smiles. Sill keeping a tight grip on him.]

Well you're in luck, Czes! Firo happens to be stuck here as well.

[cursedtolive]

Huh? [His head snaps up before he looks down again, his heart rate shooting up like a rocket when he accidentally looks at Claire's face. Oh no, not his eyes. He can't look into this guy's eyes!]

F-Firo's here, too?

[railtracer]

Yep. He actually lives a couple streets down from here.

[cursedtolive]

[The color that returns to Czes' face is definitely that of relief. Someone he knows! Someone who hasn't torn him apart yet!]

W-what about anyone else? Miss Ennis? or Maiza?

[railtracer]

Not here.

Though I am kinda worryin' a bit about Firo and the lack of that Ennis doll bein' here. I know he's from the past, but still. [So says he who still misses Chane being here from time to time.]

[cursedtolive]

From the past? [He doesn't sound completely surprised. If this town really is in the 50s, time warping must be a possible thing here.] When?

[railtracer]

A couple months, maybe a year. Honestly I don't remember.

[cursedtolive]

[He frowns, confused. He makes a note to ask the guy himself -- "from the past," though? Would Firo recognize him? He feels worry sink into his stomach.]

Firo's probably really worried about Miss Ennis.

[railtracer]

Probably. We did have a little discussion about that durin' prom a couple months ago.

[cursedtolive]

[He listens, then takes a deep breath before scooting himself away from Claire a little. He doesn't try to get away completely, being full aware of the arm around him.]

Your name is Claire... Claire Stanfield, right? [That was the name he heard in passing from Firo before. Firo didn't know about Czes' encounter with the Rail Tracer, but if Firo was the "old friend" this man mentioned when they last met.]

[railtracer]

[He loosens his hug, but not by much. If Czes were to pull away any more he would still be able to pull him back.]

I've gone by that name before. But Claire's dead now. Turns out he was killed by the rail tracer. I go by Felix Walken now.

[cursedtolive]

But you're the R-Rail Tracer... Besides, isn't Felix Walken the name of that famous assassin?

[railtracer]

Didn't you know? Both conductors were caught up in the Flying Pussyfoot incident. "Claire Stanfield" is legally dead and I, the Rail Tracer killed him. Well that isn't entirely true since I'm both here now and like you said the Rail tracer. Still it really doesn't change the fact that Claire is simply the name of my soul now and there is but one person in the whole world that is allowed to call me by such name.

As for the name Felix Walken...I met someone on the train. Since stiffs can't exactly marry the living, I decided I would buy it!