Author's Notes
Neko: Hey guys! Welcome to the first of hopefully many KHR stories!
Ookami: Yeah, with the amount of people that are joining the house we are going to expand or something at this rate...
Silver: Yeah, who was it who brought the biggest members of the house back with them?
Neko: Let's not get into the blame game, either way the hideout needs to get bigger or we have to move, ok? Otherwise we will be here all night, though seriously Ookami can you please look into a spell to at least temporarily shrink the Transformers?
Ookami: Yeah, yeah. I can ask a few friends for that kind of spell. Anypaw, I hope people realize we are trying to work on a bit of everything, but the space is getting a little thin here. Oh, and we may be able to get the history on Amira up soonish!
Sunny(the fairy): Anyways! Neko and Ookami do not own Katekyō Hitman Reborn! Or they would have had the anime not end on a cliffhanger. Either way they don't own it though one may be hiding posters and another may have a shirt who knows!
Neko: Well hope you all enjoy!
Luna POV
Why do the lines at stores take forever? If this line doesn't hurry up it's going to cut into my lunch break! Finally, the line moves and my mass of copies get printed, why and how did all of the copiers in the office end up broken today! No matter though I just need to rush to the office and I'll make it in time to clock out. What should I have for lunch? Mr. Latanie has Lunch with his daughter today so maybe I can-
Ow, what did I just hit... oh shoot a person...
" I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there, are you ok?" but before the Woman had the chance to respond I realized that I was no longer holding my papers... In a rush I frantically start trying to pick up all the papers and the Woman helps me get them all, that's nice I should see If there's any way I can thank her.
3rd Person
The Woman, known by a few names, responded with "I'm fine, though the number of papers you nearly lost there was almost depressing." Handing her stack to Luna, the woman gets a good look at the young lady. She had long brown hair stuck in a messy bun, a white long-sleeved shirt with a black sweater vest over it with a name tag with the Candella company logo on it, as it proudly proclaimed her last name "Smith" and the fact she was the CEO's assistant. She also had a black and white checkered ascot tied around her neck, a black skirt that ended just above the knee, translucent black tights and black heels that were at least 4 inches and ended in a point rather than a wedge.
Luna, in turn, looked at the woman in front of her. She had striking red hair, grown out of a pixie and started looking to be a bob cut, making the ear length hair curl outwards and unnaturally green eyes while her outfit claimed formal casual. With a dark green blouse under a semi-loose black suit jacket and matching pants with what appeared to be steel toed burnt red clogs there was an air of formality that was diminished by the hunter green messenger bag that hung off her shoulder.
Luna nodded her head in agreement to the comment of a number of papers, it had taken quite a bit just to get them printed if the wind scattered them there was a great chance she would be crying. "Thank you so much for helping me with my papers, and sorry again for bumping into you... Can I take you to Lunch to make it up? We would just have to stop by my office first." Luna asked in a cheery yet nervous tone.
Not completely understanding the nervous undertone, the woman thinks on her schedule and decides it wouldn't hurt to join her. "That would be nice, thank you. My name is Amira Rogers, what is yours?"
"Oh I'm Luna Smith, it's nice to meet you! Well, my office is just 2 blocks South of here, so why we are heading there, what do you want for lunch? We have an Italian place, a burger place, a Sushi place, and a French place nearby." Luna said as she leads them in the direction of the main Candella Corp building.
Taking in their surroundings as they walk, Amira thought on the choices that the area offered as well as the fact that her current companion works for the company that was investigated earlier that day. "That is a strange collection of restaurants to be in the nearby area for your company. I would prefer the Italian location though, as that is where I have been living for a while now. What is it the Candella Corporation do again?"
Luna suddenly switching into business mode answered, "We provide a wide range of services: anything from hosting balls, to planning where foreign dignitaries stay while in the states to manufacturing parts for old machines, we also have dealings in inventing and discoveries." Luna then switched back to happy mode and said, "Italian sounds great! There is the cutest little hole-in-the-wall Italian place just 2 blocks from my work, the food is pretty good too."
Blinking at the sudden shifting emotional states, Amira shrugged off the uneasy feeling that came from it and responded, "I'll defer to your judgment on this one, though I wonder if I somehow missed it as we were walking. And how, if I may ask, can you seem to be completely different people within the span of one minute?"
Luna blinked, "ah well I guess I'm just a really good actress, and I have had to explain so many times what Candella Corp does that it's not even funny, so maybe mild brainwashing as well." She answered in a joking tone, as they arrived at the steps to the Main office. "And yes we passed it on the way here."
In front of them was a courtyard with a fountain and well-trimmed bushes, just beyond the courtyard was a massive building 42 stories high. Overall the property looked beautiful if not out of place.
Looking at the skyscraper for the area and identifying all the security measures just on the outside of the building, Amira was hoping that there wouldn't ever be a need to get in uninvited... Not that a little tour wouldn't help the odds if the future insisted on messing with her. Turning to her guide she asked, "Who was the one who thought to build something of this magnitude in a mostly small building area was a good idea? If it wasn't for the fact most people don't look up, the sudden shift could be considered an eyesore..."
Luna laughed a little nervously as she waved to the guards who let her in with barely a second thought " That would be Jonathan, or as most would know him Mr. Latanie, the CEO and founder, he really wanted a big building, so that the main parts of the facilities could be hosted within, but he decided against doing it where other big buildings are, there is a rumor that I might have been the cause of that, because he didn't want to trouble me with moving closer to work... But I'm pretty sure that that is just a rumor cause otherwise, I would probably hurt him..." Luna then muttered under her breath " Stupid bosses being too dependent on a 21-year-old." they arrived at an elevator that required Luna to swipe a keycard to activate. After both of them stepped in Luna pressed a button for floor 21, the highest one listed.
Listening to the now labeled 21-year-old, Amira took in the security and the fact the elevator definitely didn't go to the top, though it seems to be the only one on the main floor. "Is this really the only elevator to the main floor? How inconvenient for anyone trying to get to a meeting higher up last minute. Though I have to say, the interior does well to make the claim that the company is to do higher society business. And the security measures are definitely shown off a little to match that image."
"Inconvenient yes, though there are like 2 other elevators on this floor this is the one closest to the entrance, and thank you for the compliment, unfortunately we have one more elevator to go, and normally I need to take one more passed that, so yes inconvenient is a great way to describe this set up...another is paranoid," Luna stated.
Nodding in agreement while thinking about what that meant for a future she hoped would not happen, Amira decided that it was time to try and move away from the subject. "Paranoid does have a ring to it if it wasn't so played up in parts. So, how did you end up with the job of assistant to the CEO at such a young age? With how long you seem to have been with the company, you couldn't have been far out of high school at the very least."
"Well Yeah, I actually graduated 3 years ago, but technically I've been doing this job for a while... It's funny at the age of 16 I had a job for Candella being a table runner, and I was making pretty good money for a 16-year-old anyway, enough to make ends meet with limited difficulty. Then one day I hear that the CEO is in town and next thing I know I'm acting as his Temporary Assistant for a week because he likes my work ethic and attitude, and then that week turned into weeks and weeks into months, then years and somehow I'm still working for him? I really am not too sure on how this all happened though, but it's not like I can really complain, or rather complain much." Luna answered
Amira only blinked at the story of how Luna has had her job for so long. Well, the amount of an... Aura she projects it wouldn't be surprising if the CEO was trying to take advantage of her natural presence when working and the acting skills most likely helped. Thinking about how it had been around 5 years now, Amira joked "Well, that is one heck of a long week. How many naps have you been able to squeeze in?"
Luna laughs " Not nearly as much as I want but what can you do?" The elevator dings signaling they have arrived on the 21st floor, Luna instructs Amira to follow her before ending up at a different elevator door this time the need of a security card and a handprint scan needing to be done, then the doors open up and Luna presses a button labeled 39 the second highest one for this elevator.
Sighing at the knowledge that the there must be another elevator internally, Amira figured that if she needed to sneak inside she would probably have to tread lightly and have a reason for Luna to bring her along to get far. "Well, the CEO definitely got someone good at their job with a nice sense of paranoia to be able to make this almost look reasonable. Are the stairs just as bad?"
Luna nodded, "Yeah, the security measures aren't bad on the way down, mostly because fire code, but they are even more secure on the way up because of it, and open the door going down sets off the fire alarm, that is not fun by the way, not fun at all." she stated, dread shining in her eyes from the first and only time she made the mistake of going down the stairs.
Getting the feeling that trying that route would be a fool's gamble without some other access, Amira stopped trying to calculate things that can go wrong and instead attempt to understand the young lady with her. "I sense you have first-hand experience on the matter, though I won't ask on the event. Instead, how about we talk a little more about this 'hole-in-the-wall' restaurant that has caught the eye of the CEO's assistant?"
Luna seemed to visibly brighten " well the place is called Mama Blanca's and it has some of the best Italian food in the city! It's a nice place with really nice people, it's even a family business that's been around for several generations!" Luna exclaimed much like a kitten with a ball of string.
The elevators ding silenced them before another word could be spoken, and Luna ran to several desks leaving a stack of paperwork at each one, she then went into a back room for a few minutes.
Taking the moment to collect her thoughts and the area around her, Amira realized she was in the middle of some of the higher level offices, for probably the only time she could get away with it. The area seemed the least secured yet, but that was probably because it was the desk space, and the computers would have all of the main security. Ooh, to go through the desks and risk getting caught or not was the biggest thought in her mind now. To go through them would get them all the information they would need to try and hack the system later for the businesses this company works with, plus some additional items that may be necessary for the future. But that would also put this young lady's job in jeopardy if she was caught since she was the one that brought Amira in the building and so far through the security... The necessity of the information might be non-negotiable though, as it seems there is more to the secretary than she lets on, and may create the need to know more in the first place...
Oblivious to the musings of Amira, Luna was happily clocking out for lunch and getting distracted by questions of a few helpless employees that were at minimum 5 years her elder, eventually, she got free of their grasps and came out to meet Amira.
Luna came out to see Amira standing close to the elevator, looking a bit overwhelmed. Luna smiled and came back to her newfound acquaintance, " sorry about the wait, some new employees needed my help with questions that I'm pretty sure if they worked together they could figure it out... so ready for lunch?" She finished as she slid her Id card and pressed the elevator button and the doors opened up.
Regaining her composure, if only slightly succeeding, Amira nodded with "Yeah, about time to get some food and let my subconscious deal with the confusion on its own." Deciding to follow her own statement, she let the knowledge she had gained in this trip drift away from the forefront and instead allow her information gathering******** on this genuinely nice Luna continue. "So, how many of the employee's are bound to recognize you when we get to the restaurant?"
Luna giggled " Oh well pretty much all of them, I've been going there since I was a kid, and always at least once a month, though I typically bring my sister along too. Ok, my turn! When did you start living in Italy? And why are you making a trip here? " She said more or less accidentally defecting the conversation from her family.
Taking the questions in stride, as this how many conversations naturally go, Amira responded, "I honestly lost track, as I was younger than not at the time. The country is a naturally beautiful land of diversity, though I suppose in a different manner that is found in the states. I came here with a friend for business purposes. So, how are things with your family? I hear a lot of interesting things when siblings are involved."
The doors on the main elevator closed as that question was posed.
"Well my sister Stella is a sweetie, she is 7 years younger than me, so 13, and is very attached to me, to the point it can be a little off-putting for those she doesn't like. Unfortunately, that is most of her classmates... but she has a few friends. Um let's see she likes to extract vengeance on those she thinks are in the wrong via pranks, so I have come to work in a very interesting state before for daring to make her the wrong kind of veggies, though that's light compared to what she did to guys who went on a date with me and she didn't think they were good enough. But she is a good kid, Smart too, gets A's and B's, though she can be a bit too energetic for me... And as you can clearly tell I could just talk about her forever, but I'll spare you this time."
Smiling lightly at the minor rant, Amira barked a short laugh before replying, "I do believe it works out for the better that way, thank you. Though I don't normally hear the hobby of 'extracting revenge' often. The 'causing chaos' is something I am more use to myself. What kind of pranks appears in her more unforgiving moods?"
Laughing slightly Luna answered " Well there was the one time she somehow snuck into a guys house while I was on a date with him and she somehow stored all of his clothes in his attic and filled his closet with costumes. But not just any Costumes no they were all of giant stuffed animals. Where she got them or how they were in his size I don't know. But then she took it one more step after he fell asleep she apparently somehow got the clothes he was sleeping in and all of his dirty ones and hid them as well and changed him into a chicken suit with actual feathers. But at that point as soon as the police heard she was involved with it they just left... they apparently either find it hilarious or monotonous either way they've basically given up since they can't actually prove that she was there or did anything."
With a real laugh this time, Amira said "Well, that is one I don't recall seeing yet from our chaos bringer, though it is bound to occur to a lesser extent eventually. I think the worst pranks that happen at home is how they wake up others at times..."
Luna smirked at that intrigued, by now they had started walking the blocks yet again " Oh how so? What does your spawn of Loki do?"
With a slight shiver, Amira stated, "Well, this one has dumped gallons of water on someone to tell them that it was four in the morning. I think that one time I nearly freaked out on him was a fake grenade, or maybe it was a speaker and just looked like one, but I think I dissuaded them from that one again. He's been known to build tension amongst the others to see how far they would go to end the conflict, though normally ends up having someone do something ridiculous in order to keep it from violence. Normally that falls upon me, but hardly sends pranks in my direction immediately after that. I personally get back at him with the use of female shower products."
Laughing, Luna struggled to catch her breath before speaking. "Now that's something I've learned not to do, no revenge pranks, that just starts a war and with only us in the house... well It just causes a lot of damage. Either way, this Is Mama Blanca's isn't it adorable!"
The two were in front of a two-story brick building, the bottom floor had large glass windows that were tinted slightly enough that one couldn't make out faces of anyone inside without getting within a foot of the glass and even then they would have to strain their eyes a bit. On said windows was elegant white writing meant to catch the eye of passersby with promises of Italian staples. There was a chalkboard stand outside telling the specials of the day and hanging above the door there was a black and white sign that read " Mama Blanca's Traditional Italian Since 1889". Overall It could be said the place looked quaint and possibly elegant, but in this building looks like it would be at home in a nice part of new york way rather than a 5-star restaurant elegant.
"I have to agree with that statement for an initial reaction," Amira said, "however it remains to be seen if it is anything like the food it originates from." She also reminded herself to think of regular restaurants instead of the places she went with her friend.
Luna smiled at her new found friend and walked inside.
Inside the floor was a light brown tile, the curtains were long and a deep red, the furniture was all dark wood with round tables and a few booths, there was a bar with a few stools that were topped with red padding, the walls were a light cream and seemed to share no aspect of the brick outside, and the walls had many photos, some formal paintings others were pictures of customers posing either with food or in a big group. Around half of the tables were filled with people of varying numbers.
As soon as the door opened a bell chimed and a Dark haired man soon popped their head out from the kitchen, before their eyes lit up and they came over to welcome the girls.
"Ciao! Well if it isn't little Luna! I was starting to think that you had forgotten about us." The man said and Luna laughed
"It's only been three weeks! Calm down, Florian."
"Oh, and you bought a new customer! Who might you be Bella?" The man now dubbed Florian asked.
Amira smirked a little at the casual Italian, deciding to start in that language first. "Ciao, mi chiamo Amira," pausing a moment to let a change of language be apparent, "Florian, was it? It is a pleasure to meet you. The decor here is very relaxing."
At the change in language, Florian's Posture changed ever so slightly
Influent Italian Florian responded " Thank you ever so much, we do try to make sure it's a good environment. The sky out there sure is beautiful, though it's nothing compared to yours. I believe your friend has already come by, after all when you hang out around such a strong Sun it certainly leaves one tanned." He then looked back at Luna and switched to English. " Sorry about that Luna I get ever so excited when I meet someone new as you know, and the fact that your friend knows Italian! Either way, you came here for food and not just talk, so follow me." He leads the two to a table near the photos of the customers on the wall and hands them menus, stating that a waiter would be by shortly.
Settling into the seat and reminding herself to berate her travel companion for not mentioning the location earlier, she also stated an apology to Luna, "Sorry about that as well, I merely assumed the use of the language was for show, it doesn't happen often that the workers know the language as fluently. It was a delightful surprise at least."
Luna smiled a bit indulgently " Don't worry about it Florian has always been like that, I honestly don't let it bother me at all. Though he's not just a waiter, he's the owner, or at least he will be in a few years. To think he's 31 and he's soon going to own the place, though he does run it and does a wonderful job at that." Luna said slightly bragging on her friend's behalf.
Amira nodded at that, "Yes, that is an unusual occurrence, though I think that is something the two of you have in common then? The ability to find yourself in an elevated position before most would consider it an option would be an interesting bonding point for sure."
Luna giggled " I suppose so though honestly he's been like the big brother since I was born, our families were really close so even though he's 10 years older than me we basically grew up together."
Thinking this to be a good point to reestablish her questions, Amira waited as they ordered drinks before asking "And what kind of people are your parents? Were they friends outside of the restaurant or was this the place they got to know the owners?"
Luna's smile dropped almost completely. "Er, from what I remember They were friends because of backgrounds, though what that means I don't know... They... Died when I was 14... Our house burnt down, I got Stella out but for some reason, my parents didn't wake up..."
Sorrow and regret flashed along Amira's face as she figured out how to phrase her next sentence. "I apologize for bringing up a sour subject, the passing of your parents isn't one I had expected to hear. The amount of life you bring to your surroundings almost makes the illusion that there could be no sadness in your world."
Pausing as the waiter had returned with the drinks and went to take their orders, Amira thought of how to phrase the next question. After she had ordered a plate of ravioli and a light salad, Luna ordered a serving of lasagna also with a light salad, Amira went ahead and questioned: "May I ask, did your parent's influence how you change your world?"
Luna gave a slight bittersweet smile at that question. "My parents were amazing, mom knew how to cook Italian almost as good as here, My dad was some kind of business person always going away on trips for work. I honestly still don't know what he did. I was told they had met because of work. You know I used to know a bit of Italian, know all I know is how to say hi my name is Luna and I can say some curse words. That didn't really answer your question though did it?"
A small smile found itself once more as Amira responded, "Not quite. It shows how the world has progressed when those are the few things remembered though. I guess a better way to phrase my question was, what did you learn about life from them?"
Luna nodded and took a sip of her water "Ah well I can go cliche and say things like always tell the truth, but that wasn't exactly my family. We played a game every day more or less, we would say 3 ridiculous things and pass them off as the truth because one always had to be. So I guess you could say I learned how to lie. I also learned that when life gets tough or unpredictable that you have to keep trying and one-day things will work out, though maybe they didn't teach me that but life itself."
"I feel like your parents would laugh if they realized the most remembered lesson from their child is learning how to lie," Amira began as the mood returned to a more lighter note, "as it would cause many faces to look on in alarm of the natural talent to lie. I find it humorous that you had to make something ridiculous into something that was believable. That is how some of the best pranks begin after all."
Luna laughed " Yeah I used to do it with my sister. THAT was a BAD idea... dear lord... I still feel so sorry for my dates. So enough about me and my life, what about you? Any interesting childhood lessons you had?"
Giving a slight laugh of her own, Amira answered, "Well, lying while I grew up was pointless as it was always figured out quickly. As for life lessons... Family is everything. If one builds a family to call their own, they are in charge of making sure all who live there are cared for. Thinking before you act was another one, though I may not be the best at that one quite yet."
Luna giggled "Don't worry impulse control is a hard thing for everyone, I still struggle with it a lot myself. Case in point inviting a random stranger I bumped into on the street to accompany me to my work after inviting them to a lunch on me."
Amira's chuckle followed the statement, along with, "I suppose that is a perfectly place example. Accepting such an invitation is another example of following an impulsive reaction. Still, thinking first can protect you depending on the neighborhood you find yourself in. Traveling as much as I have ended up trying to push the lesson."
The waiter came by once again to give the girls their salads, serving as the appetizer for the meal, before Luna spoke again.
"Well, oh right you were saying something about coming to the states with your friend, are you guys just visiting or is this more of business?"
Amira took a bite of her appetizer mulling on the answer before she responds "Ah, we are here mostly for business, but not really able to talk about what at the moment. Not really sure if any of the stuff we get to do will get cleared after we are done. Guess that is how it works for your life as well though, right?"
Luna nodded taking a bite of her salad, after a moment she spoke. " Yeah that's basically how almost all my work is, with us having as many subsidiaries as we do it makes it nigh impossible to be able to talk about work that day other than pure generally blandness, like Phil emptied the coffee pot on the 5th floor again without restarting it and he doesn't even work on that floor! And I've gone off on a tirade... sorry Phil just, er nevermind. Um... so how are you liking the city so far?." Luna asked getting embarrassed near the end.
"The city has been a beauty in its own right. The weather here is about as indecisive as it seems to be claimed at times," taking a sip of her drink as she considered the next sentence, "And it sounds like Phil has decided that that floor has the best coffee that the travel time is worth the results."
Luna giggled " I think you might be right though he works on the 22nd floor so it's a long way there, two elevators to get coffee! We have had full on meetings about it! And I'm rating again sorry, he just grinds my gears there is coffee on the 22nd floor, the same coffee, the same type of maker but he still goes down to the 5th floor, and then after going all that way won't start a new pot, I mean come on if your going to travel all the way to do that then at least restart it. And I'm still ranting... sorry, I'm so I've run out of questions that are unique... so um I guess what's your favorite color?" Luna asks.
The end of the slight rant was saved by the arrival of the waitress bringing up Luna's Lasagna and Amira's ravioli orders. After the food was settled in front of them, Amira got the chance to respond with, "Well, my absolute favorite color is a dark red, most other light colors tend to be nice on the eyes. At least, as long as they aren't neon or bright and glaring."
"Fair enough, I personally like the colors purple, and yellow, they just seem so perfect like they sum up me and my sister perfectly, ya know? That sounds weird sorry, um oh least favorite color then and no cheeping out and just saying neon, like actually just really dislike the color whether there be a reason or not."
The conversation continued as the women ate till they were standing outside the restaurant.
Luna was the first to speak "It really was nice to meet you! Maybe we will run into each other again?"
Amira nodded as she replied, "While I'm still in town, it would be nice to run into a familiar face, as long as it isn't as literal the next time."
Smiling the women parted ways probably to never see each other again. On her way back to Candella Corp's main office Luna saw a very interesting sight, what looked like to be an infant in a suit with a yellow accented fedora and a yellow pacifier walking along down the street where no one seemed to pay him any mind. Disturbed by the idea of an infant walking around without any supervision and no one else seeming to care Luna walked towards him, only to lose sight of him completely. Looking around she couldn't see him anywhere, so she headed back to work resolved to at least tell security about it, maybe they can call the non-emergency number and find the child.
