"Language powers? No, nothing so fancy." Xander laughs, but it's a weak one. "I'm an empath, so I'm reading the train's emotions."
It sounds stupid to him as soon as he says it, but he keeps going. "It's really reticent and withdrawn...and I think it's...sad? I mean we all figure it knows more than we do, but...we've had a little bit? Not much."
Beyond that? Xander doesn't know, and the train's not telling. Mostly, what his empathy tends to be good for in that situation is figuring out if someone is lying or not. There just tends to be a feeling of smugness or getting away with something when that happens. And so far, that hasn't happened with the train yet. It's been traumatized, Xander thinks, because there are echoes there that he's felt from other people.
And these people, with their wariness, echoes that, but he's not about to spit that out. He's already put his foot in his mouth once. He's not in a hurry to do so again.
And yet. He reaches over to just put a hand on Seto's shoulder, briefly. Saying 'I know, I've been there' seems way too...smirkingly superior to Xander, but he wants to offer comfort in some way. He'd handle his twin like that, or anyone else who seemed sort of standoffish and touch averse. But he knows.
Xander shrugs again, then. "I went for a walk, sort of--as much as you can, here. I didn't want to go to the garden car, because my familiar--she's a tiny white bat--she might wake up, then. I left her in my cabin. She's safe enough there. And I figured I could soak a bit and then go back, so long as I didn't get my wings back. Good enough, right?"
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It sounds stupid to him as soon as he says it, but he keeps going. "It's really reticent and withdrawn...and I think it's...sad? I mean we all figure it knows more than we do, but...we've had a little bit? Not much."
Beyond that? Xander doesn't know, and the train's not telling. Mostly, what his empathy tends to be good for in that situation is figuring out if someone is lying or not. There just tends to be a feeling of smugness or getting away with something when that happens. And so far, that hasn't happened with the train yet. It's been traumatized, Xander thinks, because there are echoes there that he's felt from other people.
And these people, with their wariness, echoes that, but he's not about to spit that out. He's already put his foot in his mouth once. He's not in a hurry to do so again.
And yet. He reaches over to just put a hand on Seto's shoulder, briefly. Saying 'I know, I've been there' seems way too...smirkingly superior to Xander, but he wants to offer comfort in some way. He'd handle his twin like that, or anyone else who seemed sort of standoffish and touch averse. But he knows.
Xander shrugs again, then. "I went for a walk, sort of--as much as you can, here. I didn't want to go to the garden car, because my familiar--she's a tiny white bat--she might wake up, then. I left her in my cabin. She's safe enough there. And I figured I could soak a bit and then go back, so long as I didn't get my wings back. Good enough, right?"