Burning Thoughts | Mahavir + Atsuko

Atsuko Samukura

Of all the cars they could have walked into next, this was among the most inconvenient. Atsuko was lugging this painting around after her narrow victory over that swindler child, and there were few places she could get space just to herself. And with all of these letters around…

She let out a sigh. Looks like she would have to wait a bit longer after all. In the meantime, however… There was at least one interesting thing about this car.

“…”

Painting held close, bag strapped around her shoulder, Atsuko made no effort to search for any letters. At least not yet. With any luck, someone else would find hers for her. While the others dispersed, Atsuko simply stared at the ifrit with that same cold stare. Transfixed. Entranced.

Oh, what she would give… Several thoughts burned on her mind, but she only vocalized one. For now.

“…If you’re on fire… how is this entire room not on fire by now?”

Narrator

Atsuko Samukura

Mahavir was a little too focused on his newest batch of work to register the stare until eventually he realized someone else was standing in front of him. Ah! Was he shirking on his Passenger-assisting duties? But she spoke up before he could apologize.

Atsuko Samukura “…If you’re on fire… how is this entire room not on fire by now?”

Ah. Not much assisting to be done there, but he could at least try to answer her. Though it was about the same as asking why a campfire on TV wasn’t warm.

“Um, because I’m not on fire…? It’s only my hair, ma’am.”

That felt like such a lackluster answer, but what else could he say? His mouth stayed open for a moment longer before he hastily shut it and started sorting his letters.

Atsuko Samukura

Narrator “Um, because I’m not on fire…? It’s only my hair, ma’am.”

“Hmm… Is that so?” Luckily, Mahavir was in good company with lackluster responses. Atsuko didn’t always wish to expend that much energy with conversation.

However, the ifrit had the innkeeper thoroughly intrigued.

“If it’s just your hair… then does your fiery hair set things on fire? Does it give off constant warmth, or does it just… look like fire?” That would have been a waste, wouldn’t it?

Narrator

Atsuko Samukura

This wasn’t the first time Mahavir had been questioned about his… general being? But that didn’t make him any less awkward about it.

“Erm… It does have some warmth, but not enough to be dangerous—certainly not to the letters! I’m unsure precisely how much warmer it is than the rest of me, really…” He glanced down to his hands. “A stronger ifrit could be more damaging, I’m sure, but I’ve…” He coughed. “…no need to worry about that. And of course, I’d never want to harm the people or items in my care.”

Well, maybe the people who thought they could do whatever they wanted if they were bigger than him, but… No use thinking too hard about that when he could hardly manage his actual job in his state.

Atsuko Samukura

Narrator “Erm… It does have some warmth, but not enough to be dangerous—certainly not to the letters! I’m unsure precisely how much warmer it is than the rest of me, really… A stronger ifrit could be more damaging, I’m sure, but I’ve… no need to worry about that. And of course, I’d never want to harm the people or items in my care.”

So there were stronger, larger, more fiery creatures than him? Which meant Atsuko was simultaneously fascinated—and disappointed. The fact that there were fiery creatures of myth that were real, and the only one she had the pleasure of meeting was comparatively weak?

Atsuko let out a sigh. “I see…” I’m sorry to Mahavir that she’s disappointed that this car is not in any danger of being set on fire. “I can only hope to be so lucky to meet another like you.” This sounded kind enough, but it was also unintentionally an indirect burn. Pun intended.

“…In any case… you said we need to… find a letter addressed to us, or write one ourselves. What should we expect from the outside? What length of time has it been?” How worried for her was papa? How long had the Hearth been relying on her other management without her? “And… can our letters truly reach the outside from here?”

Narrator

Atsuko Samukura

Mahavir shrank a bit at the clear disappointment, but he hadn’t done anything wrong, right…? He wasn’t sure what to make of her next statement, either, so he just nodded along.

Atsuko Samukura What should we expect from the outside?

“Ah, the contents of the letters… Of course, I don’t read them myself, so I can only say what’s been shared with me, or what I can, um, assume from the Passengers’ reactions. There’s been quite a variety of those, so I couldn’t rightly guess what the letters may say to anyone in particular. Most are as personal as you’d expect, well, personal mail to be, but I couldn’t claim any more of a trend than that.”

Atsuko Samukura What length of time has it been?

“I have no way to tell how long someone has been on the Train—I apologize. If it helps, I don’t believe I’ve seen any of you before…?” That almost certainly didn’t help, did it. Oof. “But I suppose there aren’t a lot of, ah, repeat customers to begin with.”

Atsuko Samukura “And… can our letters truly reach the outside from here?”

Oh good, something he actually had an answer to!

“They can! There will still be a time lag, as you’d expect for any kind of physical mail—or, er, possibly moreso than usual. But I swear I’ll do everything in my power to have it sorted efficiently to reach its destination!”

Atsuko Samukura

Narrator "Most are as personal as you’d expect, well, personal mail to be, but I couldn’t claim any more of a trend than that.”

So personal mail—maybe she needed to ask about what the others had received after all. Was she considered a missing person on the outside? Did papa miss her? Did Tsugiyoshi miss her?

Narrator “I have no way to tell how long someone has been on the Train—I apologize. If it helps, I don’t believe I’ve seen any of you before…? But I suppose there aren’t a lot of, ah, repeat customers to begin with.”

“Then… If I were to have only been on this train for a few hours… would it only have been a few hours outside? Do you at least know that much?” She doesn’t intend to sound so demanding or insulting, but for as emotionless as she’d been on the outside, she still hated being on this train. She would rather be off of it, be back home. She wanted the information.

Narrator “They can! There will still be a time lag, as you’d expect for any kind of physical mail—or, er, possibly moreso than usual. But I swear I’ll do everything in my power to have it sorted efficiently to reach its destination!”

Atsuko pondered it for a moment. More delay than usual, huh? That at least implied some way off and back on. Regardless, Mahavir seemed confident in that fact.

“…Then, if I’m unable to find my letter and decide to write one instead… You would help with that, right? I don’t have a pen or paper on me.”

Narrator

Atsuko Samukura

Atsuko Samukura “Then… If I were to have only been on this train for a few hours… would it only have been a few hours outside? Do you at least know that much?”

“I’m afraid I’ve never stepped outside of the Train myself, so I may not the best person to ask… I would assume that to be the case? Time, ah, certainly does pass.” Perhaps not the clearest conclusion, but he was doing his best with what little he had.

Atsuko Samukura “…Then, if I’m unable to find my letter and decide to write one instead… You would help with that, right? I don’t have a pen or paper on me.”

“Ah, yes! You can dictate if you’d like, but if it’s only an issue of supplies, there are plenty at the letter desk.” He gestured that way, though the surface was starting to get obscured by new (old?) letters again. “Is there a weight of paper or a color of ink you’d prefer? I don’t have, er, that impressive a selection, but if it’s here, I’ll find it!”

Eventually, at least.

Atsuko Samukura

Narrator “I’m afraid I’ve never stepped outside of the Train myself, so I may not the best person to ask… I would assume that to be the case? Time, ah, certainly does pass.”

“…”

Time indeed did pass. Atsuko wasn’t entirely content with that answer, but it would do. And in that case, if it had only been a few hours for papa and Tsugiyoshi, should she really have expected any mail?

At least Mahavir proved more useful in regards to the writing of the letter.

Narrator “Ah, yes! You can dictate if you’d like, but if it’s only an issue of supplies, there are plenty at the letter desk. Is there a weight of paper or a color of ink you’d prefer? I don’t have, er, that impressive a selection, but if it’s here, I’ll find it!”

Atsuko glanced toward the letter desk. Indeed, it appeared that she could write a letter there. As for the paper, and the ink…

“…The paper itself doesn’t matter too much to me.” She narrowed her eyes to see if her eyes were deceiving her, or if those were, indeed, fountain pens. “…Quaint… but I’ve never used a fountain pen. Could I not just use a regular pen? Besides… I do plan on trying to find my own letter… before trying to write one.” She didn’t have anything nice she wanted to say to papa at that moment.

Narrator

Atsuko Samukura

Atsuko Samukura “…Quaint… but I’ve never used a fountain pen. Could I not just use a regular pen?

“Ah… Something more like a ballpoint? I can look around! People tend to prefer those, so they run out faster…” But Mahavir couldn’t get too far down that rabbit hole before Atsuko continued.

Atsuko Samukura I do plan on trying to find my own letter… before trying to write one.”

“Then I’d be happy to search for that as well! I may have missed it, but what was your full name? And are there any nicknames someone may have used for you instead?”

He was clearly raring to go, though he wouldn’t get terribly far in this endeavor without knowing what words he actually needed to look for.

Atsuko Samukura

Narrator “Ah… Something more like a ballpoint? I can look around! People tend to prefer those, so they run out faster…”

So why not offer the preferred option first? Atsuko thought to herself, but at least had half a mind to not say it out loud. This time. Despite her disappointment, Mahavir was still the very emobdiment of her beloved fire.

Narrator “Then I’d be happy to search for that as well! I may have missed it, but what was your full name? And are there any nicknames someone may have used for you instead?”

“…Atsuko Samukura.” And as for nicknames?

“…If you find anything addressed to ‘Little deer…’ It might be from papa.” How she loathed that nickname. But she couldn’t ignore the possibility that he would write a letter addressed to her by that name.

Atsuko clutched the painting so hard she was sure the frame would shatter in her hands. But alas, she wasn’t that strong.

Her mother had been the real deer her father was after. She was just her fawn.

Narrator

Atsuko Samukura

“ ‘Atsuko,’ ‘Samukura,’ or ‘Little Deer’… Understood!”

Mahavir’s gaze briefly flitted to the painting in her hands, but he blinked and quickly dismissed it. No letters there. He marched to the nearest pile of papers instead. An attempt to raise his voice since he was no longer looking at her only made him cough.

“I’ll let you know right away if I find anything promising. We’re likely to have the best luck if we’re both looking, of course, but I can never be sure how hard people have been traveling to get here… If you need to rest instead, I promise you I won’t take offense.”

Atsuko Samukura

Narrator “ ‘Atsuko,’ ‘Samukura,’ or ‘Little Deer’… Understood!”

“…”

Not the same icy gaze as usual, Atsuko visably grimaced hearing the nickname out loud. Not what she wanted to hear right now. And her mood would only worsen if Mahavir actually managed to find an envelope from papa addressed to her like that.

Her grip around the painting tightened as she followed Mahavir’s gaze to it. She wouldn’t give it up, not even for him. Even if she thought he was capable of burning it for her, it wasn’t for him to burn.

Narrator “I’ll let you know right away if I find anything promising. We’re likely to have the best luck if we’re both looking, of course, but I can never be sure how hard people have been traveling to get here… If you need to rest instead, I promise you I won’t take offense.”

Atsuko let out a sigh. Perhaps she should rest. It’s not like she enjoyed staying on her feet this long, for… how many hours had it been already? Even so, with this painting weighing her down, she couldn’t bring herself to relax or stop moving. She needed off this car as soon as possible.

“…I’ll be looking as well.” Mahavir really shouldn’t have to look. With all the ‘magic’ and ‘paranormal’ happenings on this train, there should be something to just… make it appear. Why wasn’t there? Who did she have to talk to to make it happen? “If my search… is a failure, I’ll come back to write something.”

With not so much as a thank you to the ifrit for allowing her to pester him this long, Atsuko was off to another pile to begin a search of her own.