Illinois kneeled beside a haybale that Sean was resting on. He still looked a little dazed and slow to react to his touch. Looking to the nearest farmers, he asked them over the sounds of the horses in this stable car. "Do you know if there is a doctor on this train?" One of the farmers nodded, rushing off as he said aloud. "I'll call ahead and find out." Bandit guided Diesel into an empty horse stall but asked with concern. "She going to be alright?" Illinois stroked Sean's cheek trying to keep his eyes open, when he answered coolly. "I don't know. I think he has a concussion." Wilford finished putting Shwoompl in a stall, before strutting up to Bandit to say in a light nonthreatening tone. "That reminds me. Bandit?" Bandit merely looked at Wilford and Wilford smacked him across the face with the butt of his pistol. Bandit staggered back a bit, then withdrew his own pistol to aim it between Wilford's eyes. Wilford raised his own pistol to aim at Bandit's face in return, snapping out. "Don't point that thing at me! I called dibs on her, and you stole her!" Bandit shrugged, teasing back with a wicked smirk. "Jealous? Maybe you should try less pink?" Wilford narrowed his eyes on Bandit, lifting his chin as he retorted. "Real men wear pink!"

Illinois glared in their direction, snapping out sternly. "GUYS?! How is this helping?!" Wilford gestured to Bandit, coolly informing him. "Eliminating competition." Illinois rolled his eyes, before suggesting bluntly. "How about you... find us a room to stay in? Someplace Sean can be... comfortable?" Wilford uncocked his gun, holstering it proudly as he huffed out. "I can do that. I have money." Wilford tipped his top hat at Bandit, sauntering off with pride in his steps. Bandit snorted, flicking off Wilford's back and muttering under his breath. "I've seen rattlesnakes that make less noise." Illinois raised an eyebrow, softly saying loud enough for Bandit to hear. "You should just tell him that you like him. Otherwise, watching you two is just painful..." Bandit holstered his gun, snapping out. "I do NOT like him. The guy is... a psycho. A player. I deserve better than that." Illinois shook his head but didn't say anything more. Which resulted in Bandit adding under his breath grimly. "Besides... His heart is set on someone else." Illinois brushed the bangs away from Sean's face, carefully informing him. "Trust me. He can lust after Darkiplier until the end of Time. But Dark is never going to feel the same for him. Dark is too... involved with the King of Clovers."

Bandit slumped back against a stable wall, pulling out a metal flask to sip from. After a small sip, he told Illinois shortly. "Doesn't matter. Phantom would hang me for getting involved with an Iplier. Tensions are just too tight between our families since yours seized power." Illinois cringed, regaling flatly. "I'm not the King of Hearts. What he does has nothing to do with me." Bandit chuckled, toasting with his flask. "And I'm not the King of Diamonds... but we all live by their rules." The train whistle blew in the distance and the sounds of the blizzard winds rustled the wooden doors in the silence that fell between them. Illinois smirked, seeing how relaxed Bandit was by the sound. He looked almost like he could fall asleep listening to the chugging of the train. The doctor finally rushed in with a few farmers at his heels that escorted him to them. Illinois got up, making room for Dr. Schneeplestein. Shooing Illinois out of the way, Henrik kneeled to look Sean over. All while stating sternly in a German accent. "How did he get hurt?" Bandit promptly answered. "Thrown from a horse. He landed fine but..." Illinois piped up as Bandit faded out. "He's dazed. Concussion, maybe?"

Henrik shot Illinois a hard glare, asking defensively. "Trying to do my job? Stand back. Give the..." Henrik blinked, his thumb brushing over Sean's Adam's apple. Looking over his shoulder, Henrik asked in a lighter voice. "Is it a He, She, Or both?" Illinois blushed, telling him honestly. "Sean is a 'He." Henrik nodded, then pulled out a small flashlight to shine over Sean's eyes. Sean's delayed response caused Henrik to inform him. "Mild concussion. Don't let him fall asleep. Get him someplace comfortable to rest. No TV. No reading. No sleeping. Keep him up until he shows improvement. If he falls asleep... Call me immediately and I'll have him taken to the Medical car." Illinois carefully pulled Sean upright, causing Sean to protest groggily. Henrik touched Sean's cheek, tapping it a little to keep Sean's eyes open. Illinois instinctively stopped Henrik, hugging Sean closer to his chest as he told him seriously. "I've got him." Henrik stiffened, saying a bit bitterly. "I know. That's why he's in the shape he's in..." Illinois was about to say something in response to that, when Wilford skipped in and called out. "Who's your daddy?!" One of the farmers turned and said his dad's name, causing Wilford to point at him and say coolly. "Wasn't talking to you, little man. It was a rhetorical question to the fuckers over there."

Bandit tilted his head back to look up at the ceiling, grumbling out. "Here we go..." Strutting up to them, Wilford cheerfully told them as he wiggled a set of Victorian looking iron keys. "Come on now. I wanna hear you say it. Who's your sugar daddy?" Illinois looked at the small gears attached to the keys like little tags. Seeing the VIP sleep car symbol, Illinois snatched a key as he said excitedly. "Holy shit! How the hell did you get these?! These apartments have to be reserved in advance!" Wilford beckoned with a hand, chuckling out. "Come on. Say it." Illinois chuckled back happily. "You're my sugar daddy, apparently. Damn, Will. I'm impressed." Bandit crossed his arms over his chest, grumbling out. "Who'd you sleep with to get those." Wilford straightened up, huffing out. "Nobody. I am quite popular, you know." Bandit scoffed, looking away from Wilford with a distant look. Wilford slid up to him, holding out his key for him to take as he told him in a thick smug southern drawl of a voice. "Consider this payment for helping us. It's worth twice what Illinois's life is worth." Illinois snatched one of Wilford's suspenders, pulling it back to snap it against his back as he yelled out. "HEY!"

Wilford yelped, taking a step back to stomp on Illinois's foot without looking at him. Illinois jerked, listening to Sean giggle against his shoulder. Wilford held up the key and when Bandit tried to take it, he moved it out of reach. Staring him down, Wilford cooed out. "I wanna hear you say it." Bandit stared back at him, asking curiously. "And if I don't?" Wilford flashed him a wicked grin, before saying firmly. "You'll be missing out on the time of your life, Cowboy." Bandit showed no emotion, retorting in a low tone of voice. "I don't need luxury. I can have fun without it." Bandit started to move away, until Wilford slammed a hand on the wall at Bandit's neck level to stop him. Leaning closer, Wilford draped an arm on Bandit's shoulder, purring to him in a cool tone of voice. "You know what your problem is, Cowboy?" Bandit rolled his eyes, grumbling out without looking at him. "No... but I'm sure you'll tell me..." Wilford snatched Bandit's flask to take a drink from it, before telling him calmly. "You're too dark and brooding. You and your pony are always running from something and chasing something..." Wilford gave him his flask back, teasing back to him. "I think you'd go crazy if you slowed down. Which is a shame... Cause I've been locked up for so long... I'm looking for someone that can handle my level of crazy."

Wilford kissed the key, then stuffed it into Bandit's back pocket. Giving him a wink, Wilford told him with a smirk. "Do yourself a favor, Bandit. Hop on the crazy train before it hits you." Wilford started to strut away, calling over his shoulder to Illinois. "I'm going to check out the clubs on this thing. I feel like celebrating my freedom before we all die!" Illinois helped Sean up, chuckling as he led Sean toward the same door that Wilford was going to. Bandit followed them, removing the key from his pocket as he asked Illinois. "Did he just make a pass at me?" Illinois shrugged, honestly telling him. "I gave up trying to figure out Wilford years ago. But if he's going to a club to party... He's not going home alone." Shoving Bandit forward, he added with a wink. "Go and keep an eye on him for him. Don't let him gamble." Bandit huffed but jogged after him. Sean tried to pull from him to follow Bandit, groggily mumbling out. "I wanna go dance too." Hefting Sean up into his arms, Illinois told him sweetly. "Nope. Not tonight. We're going to the apartment." Sean went limp in his arms, groaning out. "Aww, but they get to go..." Illinois walked through the sliding door and out into a large greenhouse car.

The greenhouse was filled with crops that were being tended too by farmers. There were more than enough plants to supply everyone on the train because the plants here produced food regularly as long as they were tended too properly. Making sure that Sean didn't touch any of them, he told him nicely. "They don't have a mild concussion. Besides, we'll have our own fun." Sean narrowed doubtful eyes on him, grumbling out. "Doing what?" Illinois gave him a warm smile, telling him casually. "I'll make hot chocolate. And we'll toast marshmallows in the fireplace." Sean perked up a little, before whining out. "But I can't eat food from Wonderland or..." Illinois held him closer, slipping out of the green house and into the next car as he said calmly. "True... but technically... This train isn't apart of Wonderland. So, the food here isn't going to do that." Sean blinked, asking perplexed. "But it's the Wonderland train?" Illinois shook his head, informing him as he moved through a train car that was designed like a steampunk grocery store. "They call it that because it is the ONLY train in Wonderland. However, it is considered neutral ground since it runs along the borders of Wonderland."

Sean winced, mumbling out. "I don't get how that would make the food grown here ok." Illinois just smirked, telling him warmly. "Just relax. Let me worry about it." Moving through one train car after another, they finally came to the apartment buildings. Stepping into the VIP building with the fancier apartments, Illinois got into what looked like a large cylinder that closed them in like a birdcage made of sleek iron. Illinois pressed a brass button for their floor and the elevator pistons hissed before slowly lifting them up. Sean marvels at the beautiful brass stairway that spiraled around the elevator to allow people to walk up to their floors. He even saw some creatures using the stairway to make out in private. When the elevator stopped, Sean asked curiously. "This train is... weird." Illinois waited for the door to slid open, then walked down a narrow hallway of rooms as he said. "I thought they had trains in the Oyster homeland?" Sean nodded but said breathlessly. "They do... but not like this." Using the old key to unlock a wooden door with a large brass locking fixture across it, he put Sean down to let him walk in on his own. Sean grabbed a brass pole to stay upright, taking in the room. He didn't even know how to describe it.

The room was just large enough to be a standard hotel room. It had a small kitchen and bathroom. It had a couch and TV on the mantle of a gorgeous fireplace, but it had bunkbeds with sliding wooden shutters. The room was entirely made of sleek dark wood with brass accents that made the room appear rustic and yet strangely modern. Brass pipes lined the ceiling and walls, attaching to almost everything that needed power to run. Illinois closed the door, taking his arm to guide him to the dark leather couch as he said through a chuckle. "The whole train runs off steam. It's J.J's baby. Although, he didn't do it alone. He had to devote a train car to the King Dice for putting up the money to help build it." Sean stretched out his legs on the couch, saying with a small smile. "I don't know who they are." Illinois lifted Sean's feet to sit down with him, laying Sean's feet back down across his lap. Propping his head up on his hand on the back of the couch, Illinois purred out. "Well... King Dice isn't really a king in Wonderland. But he wants to be. Sadly, the Chess Kings and the House of Cards are stacked against him. They outnumber him. So, he helped J.J. make this train to... be his own little kingdom. J.J. is mute... Which is ultimately why King Dice agreed to support J.J.'s dream. J.J. may be the engineer of the train. But King Dice rules over it."

Sean blushed, staring into Illinois's eyes when he said softly. "You don't like him? Or..." Illinois leaned a bit closer, whispering playfully. "I don't trust him. And neither should you. His games are rigged so that the house always wins and often what you are gambling for isn't worth what you put up for collateral." Sean's eyes drifted down to the sudden feeling of Illinois's warm hand on his ankle. Illinois reached out to touch Sean's nose, causing him to wince in pain. Illinois showed him the blood, mumbling out in a pained voice. "Your nose is still bleeding. I'll get you something for that." Sean's hand jerked out to grab Illinois's shirt to stop him. Sean's vision blurred a bit then as a fuzzy image of Illinois leaning in to kiss his cheek before moving slowly away from him played out. The feeling of loss was so strong that Sean curled his fingers tighter in Illinois's shirt. The image and emotions came and went so fast that Sean hesitated. What was that? A memory? A dream? Illinois eased back down from trying to get up, asking nervously. "Sean? You ok?" Sean licked his lips, forcing his fingers to release Illinois's shirt when he asked in almost a whisper. "This is going to sound crazy... but... Have we met before?"

Illinois reached out to lift his chin a little, asking as he looked deeper into his eyes. "Depends. Do you remember seeing me at Mad Hatter's house?" Sean pushed his hand off his chin, saying swiftly. "I'm not talking about recently. I'm talking about... Before that. I... I swear... I feel like I've met you before. I feel like I've..." Sean drifted off as he saw the way Illinois looked at him. He wasn't looking at him with concern... but with hope. Sean's lips parted a little, breathlessly uttering out. "Illinois...? Am I going crazy?" A tiny smile pulled at Illinois's lips, before he suddenly leaned in to kiss him. Sean squealed a little in surprise from the contact of their lips. As Illinois started to pull away, Sean found himself reaching out to cup his cheek and pulled him back into the kiss. Sean couldn't explain it. There was something about the kiss that was strangely familiar. When Illinois finally pulled away, he whispered over his lips. "All the best people are a little crazy." To Be Continued...