Inside

[FireFox]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

When Princess Caroline Vulpan arrives at the address given to her by the Exalted spymaster, she'll find herself at a school in the evening. It's a heavily dilapidated brick building with iron bars on all the first floor windows, located in one of the poorer districts. Every street corner she walked past on the way from the Riftline station to here had a dealer or a hooker soliciting business. The directions take her through a broken gate and a potholed parking lot to a playground behind the school. A steep plastic slide over a hard rubber mat. Swings with rusty chains. A four square court spray-painted on the asphalt without a single right angle. The far side of the yard, her destination, ends with a chain link fence separating the schoolgrounds from a sidewalk and a busy two lane road. Carrie will notice an elevated platform in front of the fence made up of orange milk crates, a metal folding chair, and a length of plywood. With the light of the gas lampposts on the sidewalk she can see dirty shoeprints of many small sizes covering the whole span of the plywood, all facing the street. Also, the light is reflecting off several patches of the fence where greasy fingers have rubbed the chain links shiny.

It begins to snow.

Across the road is a market street belonging to a much nicer district than the school. Looking up and down the block, Carrie will be able to see stores selling televisions and videogames, fashionable clothes and designer bags, old books and vinyl records, even one displaying dwarf forged axes and plate mail. She can hear laughter and live music from a pub. Smell mouthwatering grilled meat from a restaurant with a patio. Watch as families go about doing their Thanksmas shopping. Couples holding hands. People walking pets. A half mile slice of a gentrified neighborhood tantalizing all her senses.

[Beans]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

Carrie takes in the contrast---on one side of the road, the quiet sorrow of a school's corpse. On the other, gentrification. Unlit grime versus lit comfort. That's the point, of course. A powerful flap gets her over the fence easily. She takes a moment to breathe in the cold air. On this side of the road, snow is... grim. Sad. On the other side, it's pretty, cute, Thanksmas vibes inspo or whatever.

She takes herself back to being hungry and cold and scared and wanting.

"... Lady Ponera." She swallows, squeezing her gloved hands tightly together. "I... I'm a little rusty on formal prayer, too used to my local deities being my friends and family. But---I remember what Agatha said, about how I could have fit in with your faith. She wasn't wrong. Envy's been in my life a lot. I guess you were there, one way or another---so... thanks for getting me through it. Uh---look, I... thank you for looking after Agatha, and for the opportunity she's had. Really, thank you. If... if I could see her again, I'd really appreciate that. Just to see her again. I know nothing's guaranteed. Anything real has to be... striven for. Maybe there's nothing there, but I want to take that chance. Please. I'm... I want this. I still do envy my friends who have stable relationships. Gods, I do. I'm just better at accepting myself about it. So... your will be done, Lady Ponera."

She sighs.

"I hope that didn't suck too bad."

[Shadowcaller]

[Hospital Waiting Room]

Ambrosia returns the scowl with a smile. Perhaps knowing that it would likely only irritate Kirk further. Besides, looked like he was the one to retreat...

She then takes a deep breath before turning to address Tina and Cantata again. "No apologies necessary. You were right after all. I was acting like a bitch." The scholar gives them both a small smile. "But after all that intensity I do think you deserve a break from me so I'm going to discuss a few things in private with the... nurse." She gives the man firm glance.

"Of course, miss." He gestures towards the same door they had come from. Not the same as the one Kirk had left through. "Shall we?"
Thariza might get the idea that Ambrosia knows this man somehow as she knows her better than the others.

"Let's." She replies curtly but turns to Thariza first. "Think you can manage on your own for a little bit? I just need to exchange a few words."

[FireFox]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

Does she expect Ponera to speak to her? Does she even dare to hope for a sign? How long is she willing to wait for-

A gust of freezing wind whips a flurry of snow down the street, driving it against Carrie's face and forcing her to turn her head.

A woman wearing a black greatcoat is walking up the sidewalk towards her. Lost in thought, staring at the ground, cocked hat tugged low over her eyes to keep out the sudden wind in her face; she's less than 50 feet away but she hasn't noticed Carrie yet. There shouldn't be a doubt in the blightwalker's mind: it's her. The Envy Goddess has brought them nearly together again, but now it's up to Carrie to take what she wants.

[Beans]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

Carrie sees her. "Thanks," she breathes as a post-post-script. She swallows, sucks in a breath of sharp winter air, and goes for it.

"Hey there, Agatha." She smiles, a little flame flickering in her chest just seeing her. Hands in her bomber jacket pockets, one end of her deep orange scarf flaps in the wind, and her wings open a bit. She has to brace against the wind, but it cuts out some of the snow blowing into Agatha's face. "Been a real long time. Y---uh, you wanna see about getting outta this wind a little?"

They say you have to shoot your shot. Well, the tang of black powder's in the air, the pistol's report is echoing in the wind, and the lead is hurtling downrange.

[Murkus]

Hospital Waiting Room

Since it looks like the group's breaking up rather than continuing the conversation, Fettina will adjust her wings and sit back down. She glances at Kirk's back but decides to let him cool off on his own for a minute. She tries to gently poke Cantie in the side of her butt, though, to get her attention. "Hey, nice job," she whispers and winks up at the empath.

[FireFox]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

Inquisitrix Lyubov Donnikova starts with surprise at being called out to, her left hand going to a rapier on her right hip. She stops walking, placing her feet so she's ready to draw and lunge. Then there's the spark of recognition in her eyes, firing a smile of very genuine joy directly into the Princess' heart. But it's gone as quickly as a shot, replaced by a mix of real confusion and false coolness. "Carrie!? What are you- How... Stalker." She takes her hand off her hilt and rushes forward. She covers the remaining distance between them in a flash and the winged woman will only have a split second to react after realizing she's not stopping.

[Morty]

[Hospital Waiting Room]

"I'll be fine," Thariza assures Ambrosia. "I've given birth twice, I think that makes me a pro in this environment."

[Beans]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

Carrie sees that smile and everything's warm... for a second. "Actually I---oh gods okay---" She has barely enough time to stagger her feet and take her hands from her pockets. On impact, she's ready to put her arms around Agatha as her wings start to hastily downscoop to try to counterbalance the impact of something that she hopes is more hug than tackle.

[FireFox]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

Agatha slams into Carrie and wraps her arms around the other lady's waist in a rib-bruising embrace. She plants a foot and pivots on it, bleeding off all the momentum of her charge by lifting Carrie off the ground and spinning her around. The scrawny, malnourished seamstress is now a strong, heretic killing secret agent and Carrie can feel the difference of the last few years in the muscles straining to hold her up wings and all. They complete their pirouette, but Agatha shows no sign of setting her down any time soon. "Hmph. I can't believe I missed a little girl like you."

[Beans]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

Carrie whoops, wings flapping as she's spun about. She's filled out a bit as well, at least making it from skinny to lean. She holds onto Agatha's arms and shoulders. "Malnutrition in prime growing years, so sue me---and I missed you too." She's beaming, her whole face lit up, her glasses slightly askew. "It's good to see you again, new muscles included!" She giggles and squeezes Agatha's upper arm.

[Thursday Violist]

[Riftline: An Angel and Me]

The monster got thrown from the train, and is quickly being left behind. If it didn't have a barrier around it when it was thrown, it would've grabbed on to the train and got dragged along, but sadly it wasn't that fortunate. It gets left behind. Besides, it can't crawl nearly as fast as a train moves.

The woman nods, and starts looking for a radio and a button to turn the radio on, while humming and singing to herself, "𝅘𝅥𝅮Come on, come on, turn the radio on𝅘𝅥𝅮"

Don't worry, though: sooner or later, she'll figure out that either she needs to first find a way to turn the power back on, or that she needs to find a battery-powered radio.


When Marianne returns to the next car, it's still lit entirely by the bluish lights of phones and a laptop screen. The couple who were previously making out are now not doing that, but just huddling together, holding hands. The group of people at the front, upon seeing Marianne return, throng at her and ask her a deluge of questions: what was up there, did she find the driver, what happened to the woman with her, is it safe up there, what happened, they heard something, are they going to die, should they head forwards, and a million other questions.
Sadly, the angel has more important things to do than answer everyone's questions: namely, check whether or not her barrier is still there.

Speaking of the back of this carriage, where the barrier was:
The metal door at the back of the carriage. There's scratching and occasional banging on the door. Seems whatever's back there has made its way up there, but hasn't made it through the door yet.


Also, good news! After a couple minutes, the lights flicker back on.
And then, the woman in the front's voice comes through the crackly intercoms: "𝅘𝅥𝅮Gotta paint my nai~𝅘𝅥𝅮 Hey! It's working! Um....Hello? Is this -- wait, haha, wrong butto-" and then the speakers suddenly cut off.

[Arkhosia]

► SHOW SPOILER

[Hospital Waiting Room]

Kirk gives Ambrosia a displeased scowl, but decides to hold his tongue this time. He steps away from the group and goes to stand moodily by the door out of the room, eyes directed through the small window in the door.

[Hospital Waiting Room]

Ambrosia returns the scowl with a smile. Perhaps knowing that it would likely only irritate Kirk further. Besides, looked like he was the one to retreat...

She then takes a deep breath before turning to address Tina and Cantata again. "No apologies necessary. You were right after all. I was acting like a bitch." The scholar gives them both a small smile. "But after all that intensity I do think you deserve a break from me so I'm going to discuss a few things in private with the... nurse." She gives the man firm glance.

"Of course, miss." He gestures towards the same door they had come from. Not the same as the one Kirk had left through. "Shall we?"
Thariza might get the idea that Ambrosia knows this man somehow as she knows her better than the others.

"Let's." She replies curtly but turns to Thariza first. "Think you can manage on your own for a little bit? I just need to exchange a few words."

Hospital Waiting Room

Since it looks like the group's breaking up rather than continuing the conversation, Fettina will adjust her wings and sit back down. She glances at Kirk's back but decides to let him cool off on his own for a minute. She tries to gently poke Cantie in the side of her butt, though, to get her attention. "Hey, nice job," she whispers and winks up at the empath.

[Hospital Waiting Room]

"I'll be fine," Thariza assures Ambrosia. "I've given birth twice, I think that makes me a pro in this environment."

Cantata nods, hiding a flicker of disappointment. She was mildly hopeful that there'd be a chance for them to ease tensions with small talk. It seemed unlikely that the children born today and the caregivers raising them would see each other again once they parted ways, but it still felt like a mistake for it to happen on icy terms.

She does, however, watch the nurse as he leaves with a curious look. Did Ambrosia know him? She didn't seem to like him very much... but as for the man, she couldn't get much of a reading at all. No particular relief at the scene before him dying down, no nerves over speaking with Ambrosia after seeing her fury, no cheer to speak with her, forced or otherwise... had he been trained to suppress or conceal his emotions?

Fettina briefly distracts the saboteur from her suspicions, however. She takes a seat back down beside her wife with a bashful smile that seems to reply an "oh, it was nothing really" even as she clearly appreciates the praise. "I'd feel terrible if I let anyone spoil this day for you, especially if it turns out to be important," she signs,

[Ironsmith]

[Riftline: An Angel and Me]

The monster got thrown from the train, and is quickly being left behind. If it didn't have a barrier around it when it was thrown, it would've grabbed on to the train and got dragged along, but sadly it wasn't that fortunate. It gets left behind. Besides, it can't crawl nearly as fast as a train moves.

The woman nods, and starts looking for a radio and a button to turn the radio on, while humming and singing to herself, "𝅘𝅥𝅮Come on, come on, turn the radio on𝅘𝅥𝅮"

Don't worry, though: sooner or later, she'll figure out that either she needs to first find a way to turn the power back on, or that she needs to find a battery-powered radio.


When Marianne returns to the next car, it's still lit entirely by the bluish lights of phones and a laptop screen. The couple who were previously making out are now not doing that, but just huddling together, holding hands. The group of people at the front, upon seeing Marianne return, throng at her and ask her a deluge of questions: what was up there, did she find the driver, what happened to the woman with her, is it safe up there, what happened, they heard something, are they going to die, should they head forwards, and a million other questions.
Sadly, the angel has more important things to do than answer everyone's questions: namely, check whether or not her barrier is still there.

Speaking of the back of this carriage, where the barrier was:
The metal door at the back of the carriage. There's scratching and occasional banging on the door. Seems whatever's back there has made its way up there, but hasn't made it through the door yet.


Also, good news! After a couple minutes, the lights flicker back on.
And then, the woman in the front's voice comes through the crackly intercoms: "𝅘𝅥𝅮Gotta paint my nai~𝅘𝅥𝅮 Hey! It's working! Um....Hello? Is this -- wait, haha, wrong butto-" and then the speakers suddenly cut off.

[Riftline: An Angel and Me]

Oh, good. The thing in the other car hasn't broken through yet. That gives her some time to get a handle on the situation.

"Doesn't matter, it's gone; yes, it's safe; she's trying to radio the station; we didn't find the driver and they're probably dead; we threw a monster off the train; yeah that was me, sorry; you're going to be fine; and yes, please, it's safer up there."

As she answers the questions, she mills her way through the crowd, gently applying her soothing touch to each of the passengers, nudging them toward the door she just came from prior to actually instructing them to move up there. When she finally reaches the back of the car, she raises her hands and erects the barrier again, hopefully thwarting any further attempts at ingress.

All things considered, things are actually going pretty well.

[Shadowcaller]

[Hospital Waiting Room]

"It will only take a couple of minutes." Ambrosia promises before disappearing out that door. The nurse making sure to close it before he joins her.

Depending on how far Cantata's emphatic range goes she might get the idea that there's some kind of argument going on out there. With Ambrosia doing the arguing.

[Gullara]

[Hospital Waiting Room]

Kirk holds his position by the door for now. He needs a few minutes to cool off, that's for sure. Cantata may have interrupted the hostilities, but he's still quite irate.

[Keeper]

Planar Introductions

"Maaaybe." Ne0n winks.
"Ugi is nice, I think. It's short. And I think names that are easy to remember are good."

[Shadowcaller]

[Planar Introductions]

"Ugi is short, but punchy. It could work. I knew a tank driver once whose name was Yul." A rib cracks in Tharia's jaws "Mono-syllabic names have a charm to them."

[Planar Introductions]

"Two-syllable actually." Ambrosia points out, ever the academic. "At least how I pronounce it though I could see how a person used to another language would pronounce it with one."

She looks to NeOn. "Of course, I know nothing about taking care of a child yet. The closest thing I got to learning about it was interviewing a couple running a spa together. Well, kobolts ran the spa from the most part from I can tell. The dragon couple was only in charge. Do you know what I'm talking about? Since I could use some parental advice."

[Murkus]

[Hospital Waiting Room]

Cantata nods, hiding a flicker of disappointment. She was mildly hopeful that there'd be a chance for them to ease tensions with small talk. It seemed unlikely that the children born today and the caregivers raising them would see each other again once they parted ways, but it still felt like a mistake for it to happen on icy terms.

She does, however, watch the nurse as he leaves with a curious look. Did Ambrosia know him? She didn't seem to like him very much... but as for the man, she couldn't get much of a reading at all. No particular relief at the scene before him dying down, no nerves over speaking with Ambrosia after seeing her fury, no cheer to speak with her, forced or otherwise... had he been trained to suppress or conceal his emotions?

Fettina briefly distracts the saboteur from her suspicions, however. She takes a seat back down beside her wife with a bashful smile that seems to reply an "oh, it was nothing really" even as she clearly appreciates the praise. "I'd feel terrible if I let anyone spoil this day for you, especially if it turns out to be important," she signs,

"Right. Cuz this is supposed to be a happy day," Fettina says, tone opaque, leaning her head on Cantie's shoulder and closing her eyes for a moment. Just a moment, though. She's gotta be able to see Cantie's signing for the most part. "You know, with your powers like that, I'm surprised you don't get along with Kirky. I would think you'd eventually be able to get along with anybody," she says.

[Thursday Violist]

[Riftline: An Angel and Me]

Marianne's soothing touch is remarkably helpful since it lowers the panic level enough that people can calmly move forward to the front train car. No shoving or anything like that. (The lights being back on helps, too)

That specific power seems to get a lot of mileage in this situation, actually.

The number of people in here decreases as they move upwards.


The door keeps on getting banged on and scratched, even after the barrier appears.


When there's only a few stragglers left with Marianne, the speaker turns on again: "Good news! Station is five minutes away," the woman says over it. "They're aware what's going on."

And then, the door stops getting banged on.
Eerily quiet for a few moments, and then the scratching and creaking begins on the roof of the train car, moving forwards. Seems like the monster from the back carriage is trying to climb over the train, skipping the carriage with the angel.

[Ironsmith]

[Riftline: an Angel and Me]

Marianne recoils as she hears the unmistakable sound of the monster mounting the roof of the train, backing away from the back door and swearing profusely to herself. Stupid! She should have known better than to be so specific with her barrier. There's more than one way around the train, and it looks like this creature was smart enough to realize that was the case, too.

She turns and sprints for the front car, quietly hoping she's faster than whatever's on the roof. If she gets there first, she's going to hastily search for a decoupling mechanism, deciding to go with the previously-mentioned idea of simply abandoning the rest of the train.

Wait...

No, that's stupid.

If she uncouples those cars now, the engine will pull ahead, yes, as the other cars lose momentum, but when it stops in the station in five minutes, it's going to get slammed from behind by a much more massive and likely not much slower mass of metal.

She can't just uncouple the train cars. She has to stop this one.

If she gets to the front first, and if she finds a decoupling mechanism, and if she can trigger it from this side, and if she can get to the emergency brakes... well, that all amounts to an awful lot of luck, and yet at the end of it, she's not going to be very lucky.

[Morty]

[Planar Introductions]

"Yeah, I can't really help here. I gave birth to my cubs, I didn't raise 'em. And Charr child-rearing is really different from what Ambrosia wants." Ambrosia of course knows all this but Thariza says this for Ne0n and Utayo's benefit.

[Hospital Waiting Room]

Thariza falls into a somewhat awkward silence, looking between the others.

[Gullara]

[Planar Introductions]

"I'm not sure it's possible to be fully prepared. I'm contemplating my own motherhood and I'm uncertain what could possibly prepare me." Utayo smiles with light amusement. "Back in my home there are many resources for prospective parents, however. Perhaps you can explore what is available here?"

[FireFox]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

Carrie whoops, wings flapping as she's spun about. She's filled out a bit as well, at least making it from skinny to lean. She holds onto Agatha's arms and shoulders. "Malnutrition in prime growing years, so sue me---and I missed you too." She's beaming, her whole face lit up, her glasses slightly askew. "It's good to see you again, new muscles included!" She giggles and squeezes Agatha's upper arm.

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

When Agatha's face turns red, it is surely because of the cold wind. Not because her face is up close to Carrie's incandescent grin. Definitely not because the other woman is squeezing her bicep. This was a better reaction to their reunion than she could have ever hoped for. An almost suspiciously encouraging series of signals.

"I... did you come all this way just to flirt with me? How did you even find me?" She squeezes Carrie's waist before setting her down, then takes a reluctant step back so she can look the winged woman up and down. This is the healthiest she's seen Carrie look, the most confident too...

[Beans]

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

When Agatha's face turns red, it is surely because of the cold wind. Not because her face is up close to Carrie's incandescent grin. Definitely not because the other woman is squeezing her bicep. This was a better reaction to their reunion than she could have ever hoped for. An almost suspiciously encouraging series of signals.

"I... did you come all this way just to flirt with me? How did you even find me?" She squeezes Carrie's waist before setting her down, then takes a reluctant step back so she can look the winged woman up and down. This is the healthiest she's seen Carrie look, the most confident too...

[Yasnaya Polyana Middle School]

"Well..." Carrie swallows. "I heard you were around Inside. So I asked Rhett's advice on how to get in contact with you again, and with what he told me... I came here and prayed to Ponera. I asked her to help me get in contact with you, 'n I told her I wanted to see you again." She smiles a little sheepishly. "And that's true. The flirting is a nice bonus, but I came here to see you again. Because..." Because I've never forgotten the kiss you stole in the movie room at HALO. Because of every time I've been with someone else and realized I'd rather it be you being snippy at me. Because we're both sad, hungry girls who grew up and the sadness and hunger never leaves your bones, and other people can't quite understand. Because you're the only woman that things have ultimately, truly felt right with.

She steels herself. "Because... over all these years I've been away, you've never left my mind. Something would remind me of you---I'd pass by a tailoring place, or I'd see The Little Mermaid in someone's rack of movies, or whatever---and I'd think, I wonder what Agatha's doing, I hope she's well. And... here we are. It really is so good to see you again, Agatha."

[Earl of Purple]

Market Street

Amongst the shops and stalls is one almost drab affair. It's a single table, covered in a ragged piece of cloth, with only a few things lying upon it. There's the hilt of a broken sword, the pommel carved to resemble a humanoid skull. A length of twisted wood, purple leaves growing from it. A pair of glass shoes, polished to a very fine sheen. A mummified six-fingered hand with no thumb.

Sat behind the stall is an old lady, with wrinkled brown skin and long grey hair, wearing a faded, once-bright yellow sari and a pair of cheap black sunglasses.

[Rebonack]

[Market Street]

Khannie is still searching.

Searching for a way to banish fox smell forever.

She's pretty sure that all of this happened because she was complaining about how bad foxes smell at Spooktober and then BOOM! Welcome to fox smell land, Khannie. Fortuna's meddling had been broken and then it was back to being a pokemon. A... different sort than before. Which to be utterly honest Khannie isn't too upset about. Mostly because she absolutely hated being a kangaskhan. Everything about it just felt wrong. There's still some lingering sense of that wrongness but that's largely because Khannie thinks of herself as human.

Even if she's a weird ghost-fox critter.

Either was, that fact isn't obvious.

Because, as almost always, she's illusioned up with her human teen girl disguise. The shadow illusion is pretty advanced, enough so that it FEELS real to both Khannie and anyone who happens to brush up against her.

But not matter what she does she can't totally get rid of that smell of fox.

She's tried shampoos and perfumes and stuff (resulting in her smelling strongly of a fox that been dunked in lavender) but the fox smell is still there. And she's been trying to figure out how to get rid of it for good without actually harming herself. The problem of course is that foxes are equipped with a whole array of stink glands that exist for the sole purpose of making them stink.

Perfumes haven't worked.

And shampoo has gotten rid of it, either.

Khannie needs something a bit more potent.

She isn't sure why her attention is drawn to the ratty looking booth with the old lady and the random creepy junk, but that's where her eyes are attracted. And so, maybe against her better judgement, she approaches. "Hey. What do you sell here? Busted swords or something?"

[Earl of Purple]

Market Street

"It is a sword, and it is on offer, but not for sale. I sell nothing, and buy nothing. My deals are older than currency, and far beyond the means of gold. I barter, like for like, for given values of 'like'. This one protects against death. Hold it and you won't die, no matter the wounds you receive. Neither does it kill, no matter what wounds it inflicts. I doubt a girl such as you has what I want for such a powerful item, though I offer knowledge and skills as well. Even extended life, five years per digit." The old woman has a cane propped up next to her chair, carved to resemble a snake. She'll take it and lean forward to rest her head on it as she examines Khannie. "Perhaps you'd like something instead. Something bothers you. Tell me, and perhaps I can help you. For a price. Something to make you feel... more human, or perhaps just more desirable. You are old enough for that to interest you, are you not?" That's curious wording, and perhaps she knows more than she lets on.

[Thursday Violist]

[Riftline: an Angel and Me]

To be fair, the location of her barrier was really effective for as long as they were in the tunnel. It's just now that they're in open air that the monster even has the option of bypassing it.

And if there's any good thing about the sound of the creature on the roof, it's that it encourages all the stragglers to hurry up and move to the front train car. And, thanks to her efforts, there's few enough people that the panic doesn't cause any problems. Pretty soon, it's empty except for Marianne, as everyone has wisely moved forward to safety.

And.
The angel doesn't realize it yet, but she doesn't need quite as much luck as she expects. First of all, she can definitely get to the front first. Unquestionably. The monster has to fight against air resistance. At the speed the train's going at, it has to fight upwards of sixty pounds of force as it crawls along the roof. And, to be honest, while the monster is strong, it's not very heavy so if someone jumped upwards and checked its progress, they'd see its legs flailing hilariously in the air as it crawls along the roof.
That's why horror writers say to leave the appearance of the monster a mystery. You just can't take them seriously when the spooky mannequin monster looks like those inflatable tube men, desperately clinging onto the roof.

The emergency breaks are incredibly easy to find. As long as the trains get decoupled, just pulling on the chain will activate the breaks! Emergency breaks are, after all, a safety feature that have to be easy to use. As long as someone stays on the back cars to pull the emergency breaks, everything will be alright.
Well, if she can get it decoupled first. Unlike emergency breaks, train carriages are not meant to be decoupled while the train is moving. So it'll require quite a bit more work. Easy enough to find, but a lot of effort to decouple. If she focuses entirely on decoupling the cars, the monster will get here before she can detach them.

Marianne's luck would run out if she were alone.

Fortunately!
In spite of being an angel, Marianne seems to have the devil's own luck.
She's not alone: the woman in the sunglasses comes back and crouches by her: "I showed those smoochy people the radio," she says to explain why she's here instead of in the very front. "How can I help?"

The woman looks at what Marianne's doing, and then looks upwards where she can hear the monster on the roof very nearly arriving here, any moment now. Its claws could appear there any second now.
Then, she adds, "Oh, also, I just remembered I can do pain magic and fwoooosh magic." Technically, her player forgot she could do that. But, she can just blame it all on the fact that touching the angel made the woman's thoughts become ditzier and that's why she forgot and has been practically useless this whole time.

[Ironsmith]

[Riftline: An Angel And Me]

Well.

On the one hand, that does make it more likely her ploy will succeed. June could be a tremendous asset in getting the couplings undone, if Marianne understand what she's implying right.

But, on the other hand, it does throw her in harm's way. And Marianne isn't too fond of that idea.

Unfortunately, she doesn't really have time to bat this around. She'll just have to accept June's help whether she likes it or not.

"Okay. Get these cars seperated, as quickly as you can. Tell me the second you manage it." The angel turns and bolts to the nearest chain, ready to pull on it as soon as June gives the signal.

As she does, she gets another idea that might help them going forward. When she pulls the brakes, everything in this train is going to lurch forward, including the monster on top of the train. If she times it right, that could send it onto the tracks in front of them... where it'll promptly be squashed by the train.

Maybe.

It's worth a shot.

To make sure that happens, Marianne keeps an eye on the front of the car and waits for the signal, at which point she'll re-direct her barrier to appear there so the monster doesn't land in the car with them.