For once, Hanabi got a seat on the subway! She didn’t know why she was so excited about being able to sit down for once, especially since the seat was a little sticky, but she came back at a good time! Not a lot of people were riding the subway with her, which probably just meant it was a low traffic hour, so she got to stretch out a bit.

She closed her eyes and leaned back, feeling the steady shake of the car every few seconds. The rhythm was actually rather hypnotizing, enough to keep her thoughts still, reminding her of the rides back home when she was getting back to her house, so tempted to fall asleep on the train there…

A yawn escaped her, and she smiled. She had a phone now… she could call her dad, let him know she was okay without bothering the boss with it. When, though? Japan was at least, like… four hours ahead or something? She didn’t know exactly, but she’d figure it out!

Something landed in her lap, and she flinched awake immediately. She stared up at a tall, skinny figure in a long brown coat, their head covered in a brown cowl, their face hidden behind a pure white, porcelain mask, a malicious grin carved into it, and two squinting eye holes that only revealed a pair of red pinprick lights in a deep, black abyss.

Hanabi gasped, cramming herself back into her seat instinctively, her fists clenching as she prepared herself for a fight, but the figure did not move; rather, it gestured to the letter dropped in her lap.

She glanced down quickly, then back up at the figure, but in less than a blink of the eye, it had moved to the far door of the cabin and opened it, causing more than a few gasps and concerned chatter as the figure stepped out of the car and shut the door behind them.

In the proceeding confusion, none of them noticed they had left a letter in Hanabi’s lap, and properly spooked, Hanabi had to sit on her hands until they’d stop shaking so she could pick the letter up.

It looked… old. It wasn’t the usual white envelope paper, it had a mild tanned quality to it, almost looking like it had seen wear traveling across the land in some horse-rider’s bag; the wax seal depicting a stylized Reffe eye certainly added to that gravitas of age and importance.

“Okay freakazoid…” Hanabi muttered to herself, cracking the letter open while glancing left and right in concern, then swiftly over her shoulder, like the masked figure could be staring at her through the window. “I swear, if they touched Boss, Ai Li, or anyone else…”

‘Dear Hanabi, I would like to formally invite you to dine with me tonight at 6:00 pm.’

She almost sighed in relief… then stopped and kept reading, because she was waiting for the implication they’d kidnapped somebody…

‘Please come to the Reffe Broadcasting Tower at 5:30, and check in with the front desk. We ask that you come alone and unarmed. I will meet these same standards, but I understand if you are suspicious in these strange, strange times. Please dress formally; you will not have to cater for this meal.’

‘With great anticipation, Lord Raimundo Reffe.’

Hanabi’s brow furrowed, and with a snort, she tore the letter in half.

“Yeah, no thanks buddy, I got plans.” She mumbled to herself.

“—and be sure the floors are scrubbed clean before you go!” Goro said, wearing a poorly fitting charcoal-gray tuxedo, and a small fedora atop his mostly bald head.

“Yessir!” Hanabi smiled as she washed her brand new wok out, already put through its paces by a busy dinner rush.

“And have the pork belly cut and prepped as well! Tomorrow’s special is going to be my second dish: Goro’s Sin-sational Hell Pot!’”

Hanabi wiggled in place! Another of her master’s signature dishes! She couldn’t wait to learn this one as well!

“Yessir! I’ll have it all ready, no worries!”

“Good! If it is, I will forgive you for closing things early tonight!” Goro huffed, hands on his suited hips. “You came here to learn, not pal around with some lazy, good-for-nothing Americans!”

“Ai Li’s Chinese-American, sir!” Hanabi pointed out, and he grumbled.

“A serial Pain-In-The-Ass American, more like! You tell her that if she comes back around here again, I’ll have her out lickety-split!”

Hanabi rolled her eyes. “Sure thing sir, you won’t see her for the rest of the night.”

“Good! Now keep busy! I don’t wanna be worrying about this place in the middle of my juicy date~!” He cooed, rubbed his hands, then giggled with glee.

Hanabi did everything in her power to not shudder at the mental image of the old man doing anything that could even be nominally described as ‘juicy.’

“Noooo worries sir…”

“Good!”

“And you should get going or you’ll be late.”

“Late?! I’m not a truant little shrew like you are, girl, now—” He glanced up at the wall clock and gawked. “Keep working!” He yelped, and tottered out the door on creaking legs, leaving Hanabi to close up the restaurant with a relieved sigh.

Hanabi normally didn’t like closing up shop early, but she did want to not worry about anything stinking up the kitchen while she was judging some Americanized tastes-of-Asia restaurant!

Putting the dishes up to dry, she went to grab the cleaning supplies to work on the empty dining area, pausing as she checked the time: five twenty-nine… yeah, she wasn’t about to meet with that Reffe guy out of the blue like that. Who even sent such a creepy courier to drop off a letter?

She didn’t know what statement the guy was trying to make, or what power he was trying to flex, but she was not impressed; mildly terrified, maybe, but not impressed. The man could live with a little disappointment, lord or not.

She scrubbed the grease and broth splotches off the floor, putting her whole torso into it like she was taught from a young age, using the time as she always did: to dream up new dish ideas.

A ‘hell pot’ sounded like a much spicier version of a ‘hot pot’, which Hanabi was all for, but she couldn’t imagine what was in it, mostly because she was also distracted thinking of what to do with a new phone. She’d need to call her dad of course, probably get Goro’s store number in it as well…

… and she definitely needed to thank Ai Li somehow. She could cook, but was that too expected? She’d need to cook something extra special, really treat the little lady to show her appreciation! A phone was a big step up in her life, so she needed to take her cooking to a level Ai Li would be overjoyed with without burning out her sinuses!

She could probably ask Jessica and Jaquan what Ai Li liked to eat tonight, she’d just have to be sneaky about it… yeah, that was a good idea! She had tips to spare for buying extra good ingredients for an extra special dish! Maybe even get a nice dessert going; it had been a while since she had made an eclair, or a cornet…

Dingle-ding.

“Hm?” Hanabi lifted her head curiously, shaking off her plans to glance towards the door. “Irasshaimase~!... Is what I’d normally say, but we’re closing early… for…”

A tall, skinny, coated figure stared at her, red eyes peering at her through the holes of a grizzly porcelain mask.

She immediately dropped the mop and held up her fists, glaring at the figure.

“My answer’s no, and if you have a problem with that, I will fight back.”

The figure, eyeing her closely, shook a little. It wasn’t from fear, or cold, but it looked like the figure was laughing at her soundlessly, its shoulders and chest rising and falling with each silent giggle.

Hanabi had a policy of never taking the first punch, but this guy’s very presence was mocking her, terrifying her, and she couldn’t help but grit her teeth as adrenaline surged up her body.

“Okay buddy, listen—”

The figure walked closer suddenly, holding out a second letter.

With a bead of sweat forming on her temple, Hanabi hesitated to take it, but it insistently pushed it towards her. With a growl, she took the letter and ripped it open, but the contents of the letter were the exact same…

“I said no.” Hanabi said, trying to keep calm as she held the letter back out. “I don’t care if he’s a lord, but you don’t spring this sorta thing on a girl with so little notice. I have plans. So go back and tell him—”

The figure didn’t move, but a sharp pain suddenly radiated at the base of her skull into a widespread ache. All thought went out of her head, all strength left her limbs, and the last thing she saw was the floor rapidly approaching.