Wood Fired Pizza | Atsuko + Melvin | The Station Car

Atsuko Samukura

Melvin Greene “Anything woulda been better than that.”

Atsuko gave Melvin a single nod in solidarity. While Melvin was contemplating if something worse could come, to her, there was nothing worse than that. As far as she was concerned, the worst of this was behind her. One could wager just how distressed she really had been seeing how stoic she was now compared to how she was on the ice. And even then, only the two that woke up with her had seen her at her most distressed.

Melvin Greene “… What? No, I said that was where I work."

“…Oh.” If you couldn’t tell by her exaggerated reaction, Atsuko was quite shocked by this information. “Ok.”

She truly was giving Melvin very little to work with here.

Melvin Greene “It’s in Des Moines. Is that all you wanted?”

Atsuko’s first response was just to blink at him, and Melvin could surely only wonder what was going on behind her cold eyes. Being stared at could only be so much fun before it got uncomfortable.

When she finally did give a response…

“…I don’t know where that is either.” Great. “Just like you… probably wouldn’t be able to point out Asahikawa on a map. But… it doesn’t really matter. Once we get off this train, even if we somehow met again… We wouldn’t be able to understand a word. Unless you study to become… fluent in Japanese.” How direct, miss blue eyes-blonde hair. For all intents and purposes, especially with the color of her eyes and hair, Atsuko didn’t exactly look Japanese.

But was that all? No, she had only asked one question, hadn’t she?

“…No. I was curious about your lighter.” Of all the things Atsuko could have asked to talk about, that was definitely one of them. “You lent yours to… Fenna-san earlier.” Well, at least that partially explains why she had been starting so intently at the two of them. “Do you keep yours just for smoking…?”

Melvin Greene

This was by far the most riveting conversation Melvin had ever had. Atsuko was one of the most skilled orators he had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Her words could move even the most stoic of hearts, melt the coldest ice, stoke the depths of the most passionate fire. It was inspirational, really, how she could say so much while speaking so little.

Ah, who’s kidding who. This guy thinks it’s pronounced stoike, there’s no way he was actually thinking any of that. He looks like he’s getting a little antsy just waiting for her to say something already. Not that he was the greatest conversationalist ever, but it felt like every moment passing was filled with Atsuko just about to say something, like she was going to get started any moment, and so the cycle of anticipation would continue.

Maybe he wasn’t getting out of this without just walking away from her, which would take more out of him than he cared to spare at the moment, but he was absolutely not maintaining any sort of eye contact here. It was just unsettling.

…

…….. All that just for her to say that he hadn’t actually clarified anything. Great. And furthermore, that it wouldn’t make a lick of difference later on down the line if they ever got out of here. Language barriers and whatnot. Pity, the company had been so wonderful thus far.

“Yeah, I’m not doing that. Real shame.” He somehow didn’t think he’d be missing out on much by not being able to speak with Atsuko. Still, Melvin had already figured escape was probably never going to happen, and that they were going to be stuck in Train Hell forever. Kind of a moot point, in that case, wasn’t it. Shoulda kept more on his person - ‘forever’ was a long time to ration shit out for. Speaking of, his lighter was probably not going to run out of juice before he ran out of things to use it on. But what did it matter to Atsuko? She was certainly an odd person, to put it politely.

“… the fuck else would it be for?”

Does he look like he just goes around starting fires for fun, huh?

Atsuko Samukura

The inner machinations of Atsuko’s mind truly were an enigma, weren’t they, Melvin? Never before had such a conversational comet struck this earth like she had. Actually, could they even truly be sure that this was Earth? Oh well.

Melvin Greene “Yeah, I’m not doing that. Real shame.”

Again, oh well. Atsuko was the one who said it, so nothing truly lost for her. Just as she had no interest in learning another language just to go visit Fenna’s nightclub when that wasn’t exactly her scene. She’d stick out like a sore thumb.

Melvin Greene “… the fuck else would it be for?”

“Many things,” Atsuko responded matter-of-factly, gripping the strap of her bag tighter in her hands. “Could anything not be for anything?” Oh, so now she decided to speak in riddles. “For some, something might be… sentimental. An heirloom, perhaps… Something that, if they lost it… It would be quite distressing. For others, it could be something they wouldn’t miss if they lost it. I figure, for you… it’s the second.” In this episode, Atsuko went on a spiel about determining whether a belonging is truly important to a person.

Atsuko turned her gaze away from Melvin, back to focusing on the verdant expanse of the forest before them.

“I’m not a smoker, but my lighter is precious. I would never part from it.” Not even to offer to light someone else’s cigarette, it seemed. “I just wanted to know how much like me you were. And it would appear the answer is not much. That was all.” She had already come to that conclusion for Fenna, seeing as she hadn’t even had hers on her.

Melvin Greene

No, anything could not be for anything. That was a pretty silly question. Things usually had some specific purposes they were used for, bar some ‘creative’ applications. It was like saying you could… drink a rock. Which was absolutely not the point she was making, Melvin eventually realized. But still, Atsuko was saying a whole lot of words, with very little of her meaning getting across to him.

Atsuko Samukura I figure, for you… it’s the second

Usually, she’d be correct. Right now, having his lighter on hand was just about all he had going for him so far. There wasn’t exactly anywhere he could pop in for a cheap replacement, but that whole train of thought was sort of secondary to the whole ‘what in the name of hell is she talking about’ thing.

She wasn’t not making sense, it just seemed a very, very strange tangent considering they started on lighters. His was nice, and he wouldn’t just toss it, but it wasn’t something he’d ever considered to be irreplaceable. Maybe hers was really, really nice, but surely it was still just a lighter.

“What’s so special about it, then?” She’d honed in on heirlooms pretty specifically there. C’mon man. “And whaddaya mean ‘like you? Anyone coulda told you we were nothing alike just by looking.”

She had a more refined sort of air about her, a little mystery and intrigue for anyone who was more inclined to care about that sort of thing. He was… definitely also here, but it wouldn’t exactly take a keen investigative eye to figure out what his whole deal was. Little pizza boy.

Atsuko Samukura

It’s okay, Melvin. To be fair, you had to have a very high IQ to understand Atsuko Samukura. Not just with her analogy, but with anything she said in general. She functioned on a plane of her own, truly.

Melvin Greene “What’s so special about it, then?”

“…it makes fire. That should be enough reason.” No, not really. Unless your name was Prometheus, that wasn’t that impressive or important. Any lighter did that. Any functioning one, at least. No word of it being an heirloom of any kind, though, if that’s what Melvin had been expecting.

Melvin Greene “And whaddaya mean ‘like you? Anyone coulda told you we were nothing alike just by looking.”

“…Hm. It truly is that obvious, isn’t it…?” It was difficult to parse any emotion from Atsuko at all, but somehow, she seemed almost… disappointed? “…I guess so.”

Atsuko was Atsuko, and only Atsuko would ever be Atsuko. That had never bothered her before. She was used to (and preferred) being on her own, simply because she was unable to be understood. And that lack of understanding was mutual. So she fiddled with the strap of her bag in her hand and felt like she had made a mistake stepping out of the realm of familiarity.

“…If that’s the case… then what is a person like you… doing in a place like this?”

Melvin Greene

Well, go ahead and add Atsuko Samukura to the list of things Melvin didn’t understand. A drop in the bucket there, really, but it was fine. He was used to that by now.

Atsuko Samukura …it makes fire. That should be enough reason.

“That’s what a lighter’s for, yeah.”

The only thing that could make her mysterious fixation on this specific lighter of hers more bizarre would be if it didn’t even light. Maybe there was no way he could understand. There wasn’t really anything he owned which he’d say carried that sort of sentimental value with it.

Atsuko Samukura It truly is that obvious, isn’t it…?

Melvin wasn’t getting a good enough read on Atsuko to pick up ‘disappointed’ but he could tell that something he said hadn’t gone over well with her. Whatever - it wasn’t like that was his problem. Someone taking issue with him? Wow, that had never happened before, he was always the most popular guy in the room. It felt like they should have been done there, but her secret third question manages to hit just a little harder.

“That’s what I wanna know.”

What was he doing here indeed, next to all these business owners, kid prodigies, and others who generally seemed to be enjoying a greater amount of success in life? (And Jack, who admittedly didn’t really seem like any of those things to him, but possessed a clear amount of athleticism that more than made up for it.) It wasn’t like the forest was going to hold any of the answers, but looking out into the leafy expanse sure beat the possibility of being met with that piercing stare again.

… Uhhhh. There was either some kinda thingy over there, or he’d lost it even quicker than he thought he would in here. He promptly ceases wondering for a moment to squint at the black and of goddamn course it would be red shape, though makes no move towards it just yet.

Narrator

While neither person present had noticed it for the entirety of their conversation thus far, two trees away or so lay a clear, incongruous glint among the leaves. Black, some red—it was impossible to tell much more detail from here.

Atsuko Samukura

Melvin’s right; considering Atsuko only had two specific questions coming into this conversation, there was a secret third question that was unlocked. Good for you, Melvin! But was more Atsuko really a good thing?

Melvin Greene “That’s what I wanna know.”

If Melvin was unable to pick up the disappointment behind Atsuko’s words, then Atsuko was completely oblivious to what was going on in Melvin’s head. She had asked what he was doing here, how he had ended up here… That could have been answered by how he boarded the train, but…

Most importantly, if there truly was nobody else like her here, why was anyone here? Who else was willing to board a train like this on a whim? Was it just her?

She didn’t waste time on introspection like this because she already knew the answer, and it was a long-foregone conclusion. So she opted to stand in silence instead.

At the same time as Melvin, Atsuko noticed the glint of black and red among the green. That was nice, red was a nice color. But what was it?

“…Is… that something over there…?” Atsuko pointed a singular gloved hand in the direction of the mysterious object. “We’re… supposed to be searching for things, right…?” She was happy to point it out, but she made no move to head toward it herself. Very helpful of you, Atsuko.

Melvin Greene

Sometimes a conversation can be two people standing there, not having any clue at all what’s going on in the other’s head. Different experiences, different people, different understanding. That was all. Even with the magic train translation juice, they just weren’t speaking each other’s language.

Funny how that worked out, wasn’t it? There was one similarity already.

Time to stop worrying about anything silly like that though. Introspection hours are over, weird shiny thing hours have started. If Atsuko was also seeing it, it was probably real enough.

(Which meant this couldn’t have been another power-of-friendship puzzle, because wow, this sure had been An Interaction. Not an especially hostile one, sure, but could you really call it friendly?)

Atsuko Samukura …Is… that something over there…?

“Looks like it. The hell is that supposed to be?”

God damn it. Melvin hadn’t wanted to get involved in all that scavenger hunt nonsense. Now that it was in line of sight, though, he felt like he probably shouldn’t just leave it there. Even if he wasn’t thrilled about it, he wasn’t spiteful enough to intentionally hinder what was presumably the new group objective. Fiiiiiiiiine. He’ll do it - grumbling about it all the while, of course, but nonetheless he heads over to pick up… whatever was over there.

It could have been dangerous. Some kind of trap. Why should they trust the sign at its word? All that and more absolutely fails to occur to him at the moment. He does delivery, pick up was pretty much the opposite of his wheelhouse. Man’s outside of his element enough as is.

Atsuko Samukura

Yes, two very different people with very different minds, indeed. Melvin lamented being just the ‘pizza guy,’ yet depending on who you asked, there were worse things to be.

Depending on who you asked, there were better people to be than Atsuko Samukura.

Did that really matter here? (It would, and she would find out very soon.)

Melvin Greene “Looks like it. The hell is that supposed to be?”

Atsuko trailed a ways behind Melvin as he trekked into the forest to retrieve the mysterious object from the greenery. If it was a trap, then she wouldn’t be getting involved. Melvin could take the blow for her, and she would remain from her safe distance. When it was clear they wouldn’t be immediately harmed by whatever this… thing was, Atsuko drew closer to inspect it.

“…It’s… an animal…?” Clearly not a real one, Atsuko. “Well… If the sign is true… This is probably part of getting the stationmaster to appear.” This is the stationmaster, Atsuko. “So what do we do…? Raise it up and wait to summon them…?” That’s a stupid idea, Atsuko.

“…I figure the others have been looking… if there are other parts, maybe we just… bring them together. So we should probably bring it back to… the station, I suppose?”

Well, at least Atsuko wasn’t outright saying Melvin should do it on his own. Sure, he would be the one carrying it, but she seemed like she at least planned on accompanying him. No doubt to take partial credit for finding it despite her not actually lifting a finger.

Narrator

While a bit high up, the shining thing was well within a six-foot-four man’s reach, at least. Looking closer, it was… half of a… something head. Cat, possibly, judging from the ears and little mouth, but the glaring red swoop of an eye didn’t lend itself much to that interpretation. The smooth, flat surface that cut it in half didn’t help, either. But at least it wasn’t that difficult to carry around? Watch out for those whiskers, though.

Melvin Greene

Atsuko Samukura …It’s… an animal…?

“Whatever it is it’s creepy as hell.”

And kind of unsafe to hold? Why did it have the Spikes. This shit really just kept getting weirder and weirder. The worst part was that Atsuko was right, on the second go. Just lifting it wasn’t going to do anything, and even if it was, he still wouldn’t do that because it would look stupid. Getting it back to the station was, unfortunately, probably their best bet here.

Atsuko Samukura So we should probably bring it back to… the station, I suppose?

… Fine. At least if they brought it back to a more central area, left it somewhere visible, people would know and it could become their problem instead of his. Atsuko can have a little credit as a treat. While talking to her had definitely been… interesting, he wasn’t going to tell her to fuck off or anything. She hadn’t annoyed him enough for it to be worth the effort. It wouldn’t be too awful of a walk back if she did come with.

“Guess so. Someone else can deal with it later.”

It was with absolutely no great deal of urgency or enthusiasm that he started making his way back towards the station with the half a head…? in tow. Thankfully, this was now a delivery task, so it would be far easier for him to complete.