The lack of grace with which Fenna shoved the item into her hands would have angered her had she not felt the relief of having it with her. She wasnât sure how it ended up on this train, or if it was even the same one, what with all the âparanormalâ going on⊠It seemed like even the strange, virtual dog didnât know either.
But it didnât matter. It was real to her in that moment, and so she unzipped her bag and placed the kintsugi tea cup inside for safekeeping. Anyone who sought to take it from her would have hell to pay.
She turned her attention back to the space heater as the biggest mess known to mankind exploded around her. The commotion about a gun did earn a glance. The way these people all panicked was truly amusing. She thought Fenna naive for her profession and age before, but now⊠They truly were different people.
Most of the resulting commotion failed to keep her attention (Atsuko, Abel is still dying, please have some respect), although the suddenly-appearing door to a bathroom earned another glance from the icy inkeeper. It didnât quite matter to her right now, but it was good to know they had access to one, at least. Much preferred to the alternative. She still would rather wait for good food than settle for the mediocre pizza the rugged one insisted on eating.
And besides, even if she wanted to eat before, her appetite for food disappeared in an instant when she heard the name of one of the items.
Narrator Painting of a Deer - A beautiful painting with an art style that is a mix of realism and ukiyo-e. The piece depicts an artistically nude blonde woman with her eyes closed, body curled up in snow beneath her, as she cradles a sleeping baby in her arms. The woman appears to emanate light and warmth, and she appears as though sheâs peacefully sleeping. There are wings drawn in the snow on either side of the woman, and snow falls around her.
Atsukoâs head jerked up from the space heater, and once her eyes actually saw what it was, the space heater fell out of her hands and onto the floor with a loud clang.
ââŠThat⊠that thingâŠâ Atsukoâs expression was one of shock, and it was by far the most animated anyone here had seen her the entire time. Even moreso than her distress upon waking up atop the ice.
This train seemed intent on drawing things directly from her very heart. There had been other items here that seemingly belonged to other people, yes, but nothing like this.
The fact that that painting appeared on this train was nothing short of a miracle to Atsuko. So much so that the space heater fell completely to the wayside. It was unprecedented how she left it unattended on the ground, how she moved like she was in a trance over to the gumball machine.
She tapped on Artyâs shoulder.
âHey, kidâŠâ
If Arty felt like a child compared to everyone else before, upon turning to look at Atsuko, she received a reminder of just how much taller Atsuko was than her.
ââŠCan I see that painting?â
Atsuko may have asked, but the fact that it was not a request, but a demand, was evident.
