Anglestan

Janus 17, 1923 A.V

New Lundun

Mark 

A sigh escaped his lips as he pulled on the brakes of the tram. His third station for the morning. It was a monotonous line of work, operating trams, making sure he reached each station every twenty minutes. It wasn’t his dream job but it was something, and not like he was getting too tired of it either. The pay was decent for something relatively easy to do. Open tram doors, hit the brakes when reaching a station, radio in with other tram cars, adjust speed when needed, make sure no trouble happens during the ride, and occasionally do maintenance checks. 

This morning was quite a slow one, with only one or two people getting on and getting off at the next station after. Well, all the better for him, he didn’t need to stress out about the passengers too much. Not like anything happened much anyway. 

He opened the tram doors, waiting for the two individuals waiting by the stop to enter inside. He eyed them from the front mirror. A young man and a duskwalker. They were his only two passengers so far since he started his morning shift. Well, it was still pretty early in the morning, he was sure to encounter plenty more as soon as the sun was fully up. 

Mark sighed slowly as he shook his head. It looked like it was going to be another slow day. Oh, well. There wasn’t much he could really do to entertain himself, and so he decided to listen in on his passengers’ conversation. It was something he did on especially slow days. He was going to hear it anyway, whether or not he wanted to, so there really wasn’t any much consequence. He looked at the front mirror and kept his ears open. The duskwalker seemed to be a woman, making friendly talk with the young man. 

Mark started the tram, closing the doors and driving it across the rails built into the road. He listened in on the conversation, hearing about the young man’s questions about duskwalkers. 

Huh, so they’re talking about duskwalkers. New Lundun’s resident strigoi. 

He didn’t get many duskwalker passengers, but a few would take a ride every once in a while. This one might be heading back home to Dante. Just as well, the sun was coming up anyway. 

He had to admit, it was quite an interesting topic. Mark didn’t know much about duskwalkers or strigoi in general, but he did know enough that people were afraid of getting close to one because of the inherent “risks” and dangers that one could pose. He didn’t usually look at his passengers too closely to confirm it for himself. This one didn’t seem too bad, however. In fact, she seemed quite chipper when talking to the young man. It was quite a contrast to what he heard from others who claimed to have encountered some. 

They would describe duskwalkers as walking death stares. Always giving an intense look like a predator surveying its prey, but forced to control themselves. A deep hunger that emanated from their very forms, but as he glanced at the front mirror, the duskwalker seemed just like any other person. 

The minutes ticked by as they passed an assortment of buildings, dozens of them made of brick and stone, while others were coated in silver and had a steel base. Most of them of course, covered in soot and grime. They were approaching the next station, which was smack dab in the center of several factories and industrial establishments. The smoke was a bit thicker, but it was livable. 

Mark stopped the tram at the next station. He pulled on the brakes and looked back at the front mirror, seeing the young man wave goodbye at the duskwalker before stepping off the tram and walking away. Mark waited a full minute before closing the doors back up and leaving the station. 

He looked up at the mirror again. The moment he did so he caught the duskwalker’s eyes looking back right at him, raising an eyebrow. He let out a gasp and kept his eyes forward. 

“So! Do you wanna learn more about duskwalkers too?” she teased. 

Mark let out a nervous laugh. “Ah, it’s not my place, ma’am.” 

“Oh come on, I’m pretty sure you were listening the whole time. You were completely silent, you know? Tell tale signs that you were paying attention.”

“Ah, well. I guess there’s no hiding it. Miss Olivia, was it?”

“Aha! So you were listening in!”

“Guilty as charged?”

“Don’t worry, I don’t mind,” Olivia chuckled, shaking her head. “So, you have questions of your own?”

“Not really,” Mark answered honestly. “Like I said, it really isn't my business. But uh, hey! Nice to m-meet you! I’m Mark. Your friendly neighborhood tram driver. Nothing special.”

“Hey now, being a tram driver is a service! There’s something special in that. Besides, without you, I wouldn’t be able to get to Dante in time before the sun is fully up in the sky and burns me alive. So you’re technically a life saver,” Olivia winked at him. 

Mark let out a soft laugh and shook his head. “Well, you really do know how to butter me up. I bet you say that to all tram drivers.”

Olivia faked a gasp and pretended to wipe sweat from her brow. “Oh of course not! I only say these compliments to especially friendly tram drivers who aren’t afraid to share friendly banter with duskwalkers!” she giggled. “Although, I do always thank drivers of all public transportation. But you get more than just a thank you! Take it as a compliment!”

“I’m just doing my job, ma’am,” Mark let out a breathy sigh followed by a small laugh. “But thanks for the compliment,” he said. 

“Is this your first round for the day?” Olivia asked. 

“Yeah,” Mark nodded. “You and the other guy were my first two passengers actually. You’re heading to Dante right? I doubt there’d be any other passengers for a while so I could speed up a bit. We still have about four stations before we reach Dante. I’ll try to get you there as soon as I can, ma’am.”

“Wow, you’re really accommodating, Mark! Such a gentleman. Do you always do this for pretty girls?”

“Do you always flirt with public transpo?” Mark snapped back with a snicker, shaking his head. 

“Witty too! Gotta say, I don’t usually find people eager to make jokes with me.’

“Yeah, well. I don’t really care about the rumors behind duskwalkers. I’m wary, yes, but I like to see for myself first,” he said. “Was the guy earlier a friend of yours too?”

“An acquaintance. Just met him a few minutes before we got here.”

“Well that confirms my suspicions.”

Olivia raised a brow. “Of?”

“Of you being a chatterbox who would talk to any poor bloke who would listen.”

“Ow. That actually hurts!” Olivia chuckled, pretending to be shot in the chest. 

“You sure are a handful Miss Olivia,” Mark smiled with a friendly nod. “I’m sure a lot of people find you to be fun to talk to. You sure do know how to brighten someone’s day. That’s not found too often these days. But I’m glad to know that duskwalkers aren’t immune to being funny.”

Olivia smiled at him under her mask. He couldn’t see it, but he could tell that she was by the way her eyes looked. How she leaned against the operator’s door frame with arms crossed over her chest. “You know, Mister Mark? I think I like you. If you’re always coming by around this time, it’d be nice to talk to you again. I’d like to have new friends.’

“That depends if you catch my tram on time,” he chuckled.

‘That won’t be much of a problem, Mister Mark.”

“Please. Mark is just fine.”

“Nuh uh, I have respect for public service workers.”

“Whatever you say, ma’am.” 

Mark continued to Olivia, as they passed and stopped by the rest of the other stops. Some other passengers would get on and stare, but most of them ignored the two. Most of them got off at the next station anyway. Time passed quickly as the stations came and went. Eventually, they reached the end. Duskwalk Station. It was the final tram stop before they looped back around or went straight to the maintenance stations. It was also the stop closest to Dante’s shuttle station. 

Mark slowed the tram down before reaching for the brake. He squeezed the handle and pulled it as soon as the tram reached the end of the stop. The wheels screeched to a halt and the doors opened with a soft huff of compressed air. 

“Well,” Mark started. “Here we are! Get home safe Miss Olivia!” 

Olivia nodded at him and gave him a thumbs up. “Thanks! Nice meeting you, Mark!” she said with a soft giggle in her tone. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll get on your tram again tonight when I leave for work. You’ll never know.”

“Doubt it, but hey! It was nice talking to you. See you around, I g-guess?” 

“Yeah! See you around!” Olivia hopped off and waved at him before walking towards the shuttle station heading down to the city of Dante. The sun was up now, making her hold on tightly to her hood and keep her head down. 

Mark nodded and started to drive the tram back to the loop. He still had a long day ahead of him after all. At least his first round was finished. That only left him with about a hundred more or so to go. He chuckled dryly, shaking his head and nodding. 

“Alright. Here we go.”