Chapter 2
Four months. Four months for Frank to find a reservation open for them. Swire sighs. Better late than never she guesses. At least it gave her time to prepare.
The elevator finally stops and Swire steps out grabbing Ch’en. The sooner they’re in, the better.
Swire happily waves at the hostess who replies with a smile.
“Little Miss! Welcome!”
“Chun-tao! Glad Frank could find space for us!”
Chun-tao chuckles.
“He could never refuse you Little Miss.”
Of course. Always the businessman.
Swire drags Ch’en along as Chun-tao thrusts open the double doors. The restaurant bathes her in warm gentle light. The sounds of silverware, the tinkling of crystal, and the bustle of countless servers fill the air. Random tidbits of conversation here and there could be heard amongst the patrons. The soft calming sounds of the fountain top it off making the atmosphere feel light and airy.
Frank really pulled out all the stops.
She feels an elbow poke into her ribcage. Ch’en tilts her head towards Chun-tao who is already well ahead of them.
Right. Job first, admire later.
But she’ll be damned if she doesn’t at least try to enjoy her stay.
She picks up the pace as they weave between waiters and customers alike. When they finally arrive, Swire immediately slides in as Ch’en follows suit. She lets out a sigh of relief when she hears Chun-tao’s fingers snap. Soon the sounds of the restaurant are no more. All that’s left is their breaths.
“Frank has personally taken upon himself to fulfill your requests.”
“Thank you Chun-tao.”
Chun-tao bows and leaves.
“Pretty nice huh?” Swire says as she gestures to the floor.
It’s a small smile, but it is more than a lot of people ever got from Ch’en. “You did a good job.”
“Great. Great job.”
Ch’en chuckles and rolls her eyes.
“Yeah. A great job.”
Swire can’t stop the grin on her face. Guess Hoshi was right after all.
“How’s Rhodes?”
Ch’en shrugs and turns to face the window.
“It’s pretty lax. Everyone there is nice. Not as disciplined, but when push comes to shove, they get the job done.
Seems like it. Swire couldn’t remember the last time Ch’en relaxed. In fact, Swire didn’t believe Ch’en ever did relax.
“How’s Lin?”
Swire rests her chin on her palm. “She’s been busy trying to rebuild Lungmen and take over from her dad.”
Swire swears she sees a flicker of frustration on Ch’en’s face.
“How’s the L.G.D.?”
She already knows where this is heading.
“You think the L.G.D. would burn down without you?”
Ch’en scratches the side of her cheek. Swire lets out a heavy sigh.
“The L.G.D. is doing fine and is thriving as you can clearly tell.”
Ch’en nods and averts her eyes from Swire’s gaze, but she already knows what the next question is.
“How… How’s Hoshiguma?”
Swire clasps her hands together and solemnly shakes her head. A hush fell between them as Swire takes a deep breath. Swire could hear Ch’en’s sharp breathes.
“She’s…”
Ch’en sharply inhales.
“She’s…”
Swire could feel the beads of sweat forming on Ch’en’s forehead.
“Still single.”
“Fuck you.”
Swire bursts out laughing. The harsh glare makes it all the better. After all, it is always important to build anticipation. Makes the payoff worth it in the end.
As her laughter dies down, she wipes a tear from her eyes.
“Honestly, she’s been fine. And no, she doesn't hate you. Hoshi's just stressed because of all the extra paperwork, but Hoshi’s still Hoshi. Beating up thugs, keeping the peace, the works. Glad you’re back too. She’s been looking forward to seeing you again. Well, we all are.”
The glare disappears and Ch’en finally looks Swire in the eyes.
“So Lungmen is fine?”
Swire gestures towards the window.
“I mean you looked around right?”
Ch’en smiles and nods her head. Her shoulders finally relax as Ch’en sinks into the booth. Swire can’t help herself but smile at the sight. Ch’en tilts her head confused.
“What?”
“First time I’ve seen you calm, even if it’s for a little bit.”
Ch’en shrugs. “Rhodes’ hasn’t had any crazy contracts lately, so the doctor said it’d be a good idea to head back to Lungmen for a break. We still have some of the main staff stationed in Victoria.”
They discuss the smaller aspects of their lives. New stories and adventures along with lessons learned. It isn’t long before they’re back to their old selves, but instead of arguing they’re laughing.
It’s. It’s nice to catch up. She couldn’t even remember the last time they had an honest to god conversation. Not about work or classes, but just life. Her chest felt tight as the conversation continued. Each new experience Ch’en spoke about made it difficult for Swire to keep her smile. And as Ch’en laments about the new hires being unruly a single thought crosses Swire’s mind.
“You can always come back.”
“I miss Lungmen.” Swire could see the sheen in Ch’en’s eyes. The twitch of her tail as she sits back up only to slump forward.
“So why don’t you come back?” The question leaves her mouth before she can register what the words are in her head.
Ch’en lets out a quiet sigh.
“Not with my infection.”
“Lungmen’s changed.”
“And somethings will remain the same.”
Swire flinches. Despite the days they spent crammed in their offices. Despite the empty coffee pots and cup noodles strewn all over their desks and chairs. Despite the arguments that would last hours or days. Despite all their efforts. This wasn’t going to be solved by just them. It wasn’t going to be solved in their lifetime or even the next few.
And it hurts. It reminds her of when Ch'en left. When Reunion tore through the streets of Lungmen a grim reminder of how not just the failures of the L.G.D., but of Lungmen. Even with the streets cleaner and treatment options slowly, but surely coming into effect the problems still persist. Memories of tears stinging her eyes and broken tables all out of sheer frustration linger in her mind. Four months of nothing, but giving her heart and soul into this city. Like Hoshi. Like Lin.
Like Ch'en.
Swire shakes the thoughts out of her head. After all, she wasn't here to turn this into a pity party for herself. She has Lin and copious amounts of alcohol to do that later.
Looking up, Swire notices something catching Ch’en’s eye.
“For example.”
Swire turns around and her jaw drops.
~
“SHIT MAN HOW’VE YA BEEN?”
Frank could feel a vein pop as he tries his best to maintain his welcoming face. Flanked by his associates and one very embarrassed child, Emperor saunters in with a stupid grin on his face. He cracks his neck and sighs. At least they have dressed appropriately. “Please this way sir.”
Emperor, laughing, waves for his group to follow him. He gives Ch’en a little wave and grin.
Ch’en shakes her head at the sight and turns her gaze back towards the window.
Swire is gnawing at the bottom of her lip.
“Idiot is going to blow the whole thing.”
“Swire.”
“This… This! This is a breach of contract!”
“Swire.”
“How dare Frank. I specifically told him not to bring the penguin. And Sora?! Emperor brought Sora??? Why’d he… Does he just bring Sora everywhere?!”
“Swire!”
“What?!”
“Junior’s up.”
Swire pushes her rage into the deepest depths of her soul for later and quickly plasters a simple smile.
A platinum-haired server arrives rolling out a cart. As she begins to lay out the food, Swire takes note of her dark-blue eyes. Fits the simple description that Rhode Island gave. In fact, it doesn’t look like the server is attempting to hide anything. When the server finally finishes and leaves, Swire can’t help, but quirk an eyebrow.
“Junior isn’t very crafty.”
Ch’en shrugs as she leans over to grab a meat bun.
“She doesn’t have to be.”
Before Swire could comment, she sees Frank walking over. He flashes a warm smile and a quick bow.
“I hope everything is going well.”
Swire nods. “Everything is perfect. Once again thank you for making room for us.”
“It was of no inconvenience to me. The Mint Julep is honored to host such prestigious guests. Though I must know. Will you and Ma’dam Ch’en be staying for the afterparty?”
“Unfortunately, I will not, but Ch’en shall.”
“Of course.”
With another swift bow, Frank heads toward the back.
~
Making friends in high places seems to be more trouble than it was ever worth. Frank rubs the back of his neck and sighs as he enters his office.
“You look tired,” a voice says.
Dumbly nodding his head, he locks the door.
“Do you know what I had to do to get this ready? Four months was not nearly enough time.”
“Four months should have been plenty.”
“The world changes faster than you think Kal’tsit,” Frank says turning from the door to Kal’tsit sitting in his chair.
Kal’tsit stands up throwing a handful of documents onto his pristine desk. Frank internally cringes at the mess it makes.
“I’m aware. But you should be glad I only gave you four.”
For how much he owes her, he should be glad. Though he wishes she at least gave him a warning before she left Lungmen that she would be cashing in. Frank walks over and begins to neatly organize the documents.
“So Kal’tsit. When does the party begin?”
Kal’tsit picks up one of the papers and hands it to Frank.
“When the guests arrive.”