Traintober25 Day 8 Of Easterns and Westerns
Day 8-Gathering
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Duck found Cassandra hidden far up the old sidings at Arlesburg, hidden among the disused trucks and vans. He hadn't been looking for her honestly, well aware that she wanted no part in the events at Tidmouth.
“Morning Cassandra.”
She looked up and sighed, “Morning Duck, I guess the others sent you to find me.”
“No, I actually came to grab the trucks on track 3, it's their turn for overhaul.
The mentioned trucks cheered, happy to soon be causing chaos on the rails once more.
Cassandra shifted on her frames, “I need to get moving once you're gone then.”
“I'm hardly going to tell them where you are.” Duck said, offended at the idea he would out her location.
Cassandra rolled her eyes, “but Gordon will ask, and he will know instantly whether you've seen me or not “
“...right.” He considered his partner. “Are you actually planning to hide the whole event?”
“Of course!”
Duck looked at her dubiously, “the entire month?”
Cassandra swore, “they extended it?!”
Duck chuckled, “yes, it's the most London North Eastern engines in one place since the fall of steam. Sir Topham Hatt is looking for loaner engines to help cover the tourist traffic.”
Cassandra grumbled something under her breath that Duck was fairly sure Samantha would wash the tank engine’s mouth out with soap if she had heard.
“You don't want to stay away from your branchline that long.” He said.
Cassandra glared, “Gordon bribed the shop crews to paint me North Eastern green.”
Oh. Oh that would not do.
“Correct me if I'm wrong,” Duck said slowly, “but you never wore that livery in service.”
Cassandra smirked, having noted his possessiveness “I never wore any North Eastern Livery in service. I was painted black and rolled out without so much as a builder's plate.”
She sighed, “my classmates are egging him on, as they think I have the right to wear that livery, no matter I was on that line for less than a month and never even had my numbers applied. The other North Easters just wanna claim the Lady's Champion.”
Privately Duck thought it was more likely the majority of the surviving engines had been saved by Caomhnóir, and wanted to show their appreciation by giving her their colours.. but the Great Western hadn't become God's Wonderful Railway by playing fair, and he wasn't about to start now.
“How unfortunate that the Western Crews weren't told and had already painted you in their colours.” He said mock sorrowfully.
Cassandra raised an amused eyebrow, “you'll start the old rivalry back up.” She said dryly.
“Then it's a good thing one upping North Eastern pacifics is a Western tradition.”
Cassandra laughed, short but genuine.
Duck hesitated for a second, “It's not in poor taste is it? This event is to celebrate Mallard’s run…”
She snorted, cutting him off, “You’d make her year. No matter how well Mal plays the part of distinguished express engine, she lives for this kind of thing, as long as she's in on it at least.
Right. Duck had forgotten the strange friendship between the No.1 and the record breaking Pacific that no one knew the origins of. No one even was sure how the two had originally met.
“I’ll let her know when I pass Tidmouth, assuming you actually want to do this?”
Cassandra stretched, “might as well. I can't avoid my duties for a month, so Western colours it is.” She smirked, “Besides, you can never keep your eyes off me when I'm in those colours.”
“Part of the Great Western Way is appreciating the finer things in life.” Duck said as he began backing out with his trucks.
“I’m sure it is,” Cassandra replied dryly.
A/N: Hello Loves! This and a few other stories this Traintober take place during June and July 1998, the 60th anniverary of Mallard's record break run was celebrated on Sodor, with most suriving British LNER survivors appearing during the event, as well as many other notable locomotives. Love Y'all!