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It would probably be a bad idea to let Nat, clearly proud of the new class power she wields and apparently jealous that it has limits, know that the fugee she invited on a free trip to Europe is about to jump to first class status.
I had a lot of fun with the colours here. Sometimes you start drawing a scene without any particular idea of what to do with the colours, only to figure out along the way how to use the palette as a big part of the storytelling in the scene.
↓ Transcript
Panel 1: Maida, Zaynab and Nat stand on a train platform as the barriers open to let people on board. All the other passengers are dressed in black and white.
Panel 2: They move onboard and find places to sit with benches facing each other. Zaynab, looking around: "Aiya. Is this first class?" Nat: "Nah. Second class."
Panel 3: Nat: "The military can mingle wiff the vaisya-sudras, but our 'valuable service' ain't enough to get in wiff the shidafu and amelu."
Panel 4: Zaynab, excited: "Oh! Didn't you know that Maida is..." Maida, interrupting her: "Really glad for the extra leg room. Crowded trains are one of my least favourite things."
Panel 5: Announcer: "Apologies for the interruption. Welcome aboard transcontinental route 617 to London. Once we reach top speed we will be travelling at a brisk 500kph along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean."
Panel 6: Announcer: "Our travel time today will be approximately four hours. After a brief safety tutorial, please feel free to get up and enjoy our many onboard activities..." Nat starts going through her bag. Nat: "Alright you lot. I've bin up since oh-five-'undred and I'm knackered."
Panel 2: They move onboard and find places to sit with benches facing each other. Zaynab, looking around: "Aiya. Is this first class?" Nat: "Nah. Second class."
Panel 3: Nat: "The military can mingle wiff the vaisya-sudras, but our 'valuable service' ain't enough to get in wiff the shidafu and amelu."
Panel 4: Zaynab, excited: "Oh! Didn't you know that Maida is..." Maida, interrupting her: "Really glad for the extra leg room. Crowded trains are one of my least favourite things."
Panel 5: Announcer: "Apologies for the interruption. Welcome aboard transcontinental route 617 to London. Once we reach top speed we will be travelling at a brisk 500kph along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean."
Panel 6: Announcer: "Our travel time today will be approximately four hours. After a brief safety tutorial, please feel free to get up and enjoy our many onboard activities..." Nat starts going through her bag. Nat: "Alright you lot. I've bin up since oh-five-'undred and I'm knackered."
Ah, so “Chang’an Station” is named after the ancient capital but isn’t actually there, like “Gare de Lyon”. I thought I had missed a trip already.
That’s right. I suppose it’s a bit confusing, but London (my main inspiration for this story) is full of things named after other places– Oxford, Lancaster, Liverpool, even Greenland and Canada. I think it’s a thing that capitol cities and empires do to assert their importance.
Oof, forgot about Maida’s (understandable) hangups with trains.