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The Parlor Car is always nice and peaceful at this time of day. If one could even discern the "time" of day without a clock in this place.
Stelle, of course, is sitting on the couch. Why wouldn't she be? The last time she even decided to lay down, having almost done so, Pom-Pom had hurried over and berated (an overstatement) her on even having the gall to ruin their newly cleaned sofas with her shoes.
But that is not what concerns Stelle at the moment, for she has far more pressing matters.
Currently, she's sitting there, wondering;
Are there any other trains cars AFTER the Passenger Car???
It's almost as if that area is completely inaccessible to her. Yet, for some reason, everyone else is able to??
Maybe it's just the Stellaron acting up in her.
Perhaps, Mr. Yang had sealed the door for "authorised personnel" to be allowed in only. Stelle doesn't exactly have a proper job on the Express.
Mr. Yang's door-sealing capabilities are amazing, honestly. His black hole making thingamajig is really cool.
Though, Stelle wonders, if his black hole making thingamajig - cane, for short, she decides - has ever inconvenienced anyone before. Surely not, for someone older than Himeko - he has the most years of experience among the crew. Other than Himeko.
Say, how does Himeko make her brewed coffee taste so strong?? Does she add some special chemical to it or something?
It's not that Stelle doesn't appreciate her dedication - it's just that even Mr. Yang can't stomach it either. Dan Heng's the only one who can.
March 7th would probably be really jealous of that. Maybe it was too strong for her to stay close enough to it to get a good photo Maybe she actually has taken at least one photo of Himeko's coffee before. Maybe it shows a small little waft of... who knows what coming out of that coffee. Maybe dead souls. Maybe the mysterious chemical that makes it so strong. Maybe Himeko's dedication to her coffee. Any single one is explainable.
Stelle bets that Himeko's coffee could beat Phantylia in a fight.
Speaking of Phantylia, Dan Heng seemed really different when fighting in his Vidyadhara form. Dragon form? Vidyadharas are basically dragons, right?
It's like instead of Dan Heng fighting normally, with a weapon - an ACTUAL WEAPON - he fights with a BALL instead and for some reason, it works!
And who the heck has transparent horns?? Are they real or not? And where did he get those new clothes from? And who even IS the "High Elder of the Vidyadhara" supposed to be??? Aren't Vidyadhara, like, Pathstriders of-
Stelle stands abruptly.
She has to retain this single thought in mind. Her complete mental focus is on this one thought.
Once safely stored in her mind, she rushes to the Archives and bursts into the room.
Well, more like a loud intrusion. The door still opens at the same speed. It's automatic.
"DAN HENG!" Stelle shouts out of habit. Whoops.
Said person whose name was exclaimed was merely slightly surprised at her sudden entry. "It's you, Stelle. Here to check the-"
"No time for that! Answer my question quickly! Please!" Stelle goes up to the man, who was peacefully reading entries in the Data Bank and in such a cozy spot in his chair. He is shaken out of peace, albeit a little bit gently, to Stelle's sudden panic.
Dan Heng blinks. "...what is it?"
"You're a Vidyadhara, right?!"
Dan Heng nods slowly, as if cautious of where this topic is going. "And? What about it?"
"Vidyadharas are Pathstriders of the Permanence, right?!"
At this point, Stelle's frenzy is strange even to Dan Heng. "That is true, yes. The Data Bank should have-"
She cuts him off. "And the High Elders are Scions of Permanence?!"
"Stelle, where is this questionaire going-"
"So does that mean that YOU, as the High Elder of the Vidyadhara, are a LITERAL EMANATOR???"
Dan Heng sits in silence for a few seconds, staring at Stelle for a longer uncomfortable period of time.
"...well, it's not really that simple-"
"But it IS, right?!"
The man sighs.
"Yes, Scions of Permanence are also Emanators of Permanence."
"And YOU'RE a SCION OF PERMANENCE!"
"I don't see how that's something to be excited about, Stelle...?"
Stelle finally releases her hold on him, already tapping away at the Data Bank. "We have a literal Emanator on the Astral Express, and it's YOU and you're not excited about it?!"
"...Stelle, I think I'd prefer not being glorified as an Emanator."