1.

It's shortly after closing hour when a woman walks into Sia la luce.

Kojiro is in the back cleaning up while giving his last remaining customer of the night the chance to finish his meal in his own time without feeling like he's constantly being watched, like Kojiro's only waiting for him to leave.

Kaoru is sitting at the bar a glass of lemonade in front of him. It's shortly after nine pm. He'll have to pick up the kids and Hiromi-san for Langa's beef with Adam in about two hours and he still has to get ready himself but he likes to spend a little time after hours at Sia la luce when there are no customers around and Kojiro isn't constantly cooking up a storm.

Courtesy of Kojiro currently not being out front he turns to the newcomer. She's a foreigner with long black hair that is pulled into a plaited braid, fair skin and incredibly green eyes that focus on him before he has even said a word. He isn't sure what exactly it is about her but he gets the curious feeling that he's seen her before though trying to remember where brings him nothing more than a beginning migraine.

He frowns. It's been a while since he had one of those. He'd first developed them when he was a teenager, sixteen or seventeen years old, and for a while he'd had them not exactly regularly but often enough that he'd seen a doctor about them. The doctor hadn't been very helpful. He'd told Kaoru what he already knew, that they were migraines, that they would likely show up every now and then but that unless they got worse and needed closer monitoring he couldn't really do much about them but take some painkillers and wait them out.

Thankfully they hadn't gotten worse. Kaoru isn't sure when but at some point during his studying for his master in calligraphy in Osaka he'd become aware that he hadn't had one in a while and they hadn't made a reappearance since. So why did they come back now?

The woman gives him a small, gentle smile and sits down next to him at the bar.

'This restaurant has already closed for the night, Miss.', he tells her his voice carefully calm and even. He isn't sure what kind of reaction to expect from her but he still feels the need to inform her because Kojiro and him have an appointment to keep and he refuses to be late because someone decided they wanted a meal outside of business hours.

'I know. That's not what I'm here for.', she answers just as calmly and something inside him perks up. There is a hint of a british accent to her pronounciation and he thinks he's heard her voice before. He tries to remember where he might've heard it but if he was getting close to an answer his spiking migraine pushs the thought firmly out of reach. He hides his grimace by taking a sip of his lemonade.

'What are you here for then, Miss?', he inquires because what would people come to an italian restaurant for if not a meal? She gives him a short searching look before she lets her gaze sweep over the room. Her eyes linger for a moment on the sole remaining customer in a corner booth finishing his meal before she turns back to him.

'I need two stickers for tonight.', she states simply in a whisper quiet enough that even Kaoru can barely hear it so there is little chance of the customer overhearing. Kaoru stills and gives her a searching look from narrowed eyes.

There is only one reason he can think of that would see people asking for a sticker. She wants to attend 'S' and considering her specific request for tonight she seems to be aware that there is something big going to go down tonight. Question is, how does she know that? How does she know about his involvement with 'S'? How does she know 'S' even exists?

She is a foreign stranger and 'S' is a very much local thing. By all means she shouldn't be aware of 'S' nevermind the requirements to enter. Unless someone blabbed. He'll have to find out who did to remind them of 'S's rules and make sure they didn't tattle to the police.

'S' isn't exactly a legal thing and while they haven't had much trouble with police patrols for a few years now the close call a few weeks ago reminded them all that detection is an actual risk. And now he's sitting next to a stranger that's specifically asking him for two stickers. If that's not ringing alarm bells he doesn't know what else would.

'Who's the second sticker for?', he asks because it's a much more subtle question than outright asking if she is law enforcement. If she is she wouldn't tell him either way and if she isn't that question might just tip her off that 'S' isn't a legal thing in case she isn't already aware of that and she might go running to the police. Neither of these options is favourable so subtly trying to figure out if she is or isn't police it is.

'My daughter. She wants to see Adam skate.', she answers with a fond smile and Kaoru blinks surprised. That is not an answer he expected. He treats her to a more thorough once over than the initial one he gave her.

She looks a year or two younger than his twenty six years. If she really has a daughter that is old enough to be into skating she must've had her very young. And her mention of Adam indicates that she's seen Adam skate before and told her daughter about it. Adam hasn't been seen in the skating community since he left for America nine years ago until Langa showed up and roused his interest this summer.

Did Adam skate in America? Had she seen him skate there? It's a possibility but for some odd reason it doesn't feel right. The throbbing at his temple intensifies and he abandons the thought to return to his observation.

She doesn't wear a wedding ring so the father to her supposed kid is unlikely to be around which sadly also doesn't give any hint about whether the kid actually exists or just functions as a cover story. There is a curious scar on the back of her left hand spelling out the words 'I must not tell lies.' in english. Deliberate and possibly an indicator to a past as a habitual liar even if he isn't sure how scaring her like that would help with curing her of such a habit. Sadly also again not much of an indicator to ascertain the truth of her words.

She wears a medallion around her neck. A golden chain and body with a red stone on the lid. Maybe there's a picture of her daughter inside? But he can't really ask her to see, can he? She's a stranger. You don't ask strangers to see pictures of their kids.

Her clothes don't reveal anything either. Dark blue skinny jeans and a red longsleeved blouse. It accentuates her slim figure but doesn't really tell him anything about her.

He supresses a sigh. There is not so much as a hint of her supposed kid even existing. At least not one he can find without coming off as a creep. Oddly he still believes her. For all that he doesn't know her she doesn't look like a liar and she doesn't act like one either.

Before he can decide how to proceed Kojiro comes back to the front and the remaining customer finishs his food and motions to Kojiro that he wants to pay. Curiously Kaoru notices how she watchs Kojiro with a soft, fond smile. Why would she be fond of Kojiro? Does she know him?

With how many girlfriends Kojiro has gone through over the years and his three year long apprenticeship in Italy it might very well be possible that she has been to italy, met him there and came here to find him because she still has feelings for him. It certainly wouldn't be a level of dedication Kaoru hasn't seen before in his or Kojiro's fans - their fans can be a little bit extreme at times - but it doesn't feel right and it doesn't explain where she might've seen Adam skate either.

God, thinking about this is making his migraine worse. The lights are beginning to bother him.

The moment the customer has apologized for the inconvenience and left Kojiro comes over to them. He gives Kaoru a searching look and Kaoru knows something must be showing on his face because the little furrow between Kojiro's eyebrows makes an appearance - it only ever does when Kojiro is worried - and there is a hint of concern in his eyes. Kaoru subtly dips his head in her direction as a sign that he's okay for now, that the woman next to him is a more pressing matter right now.

'My apologies, Miss, but we're already closed for the night.', Kojiro tells her and her smile widens a fraction with a hint of amusement.

'I know, Sakurayashiki-san already informed me. I was hoping you had two stickers to spare for me for tonight.', she repeats her previous request at normal volume this time and Kaoru stills. She knows his public name and is aware of both his and Kojiro's involvement in the skating scene. That is worrysome. Just where is she getting her information from? How does a foreigner know his lastname? Yes, he does a lot of PR-work for his AI-calligraphy shop but he didn't think he'd be known on an international level already. And just how does she know about their's and Adam's involvement with 'S'?

It doesn't make sense. The questions keep piling up and neither her nor his worsening migraine are any help in figuring her out. He feels like he should know the answers to at least a few of his questions but he doesn't and it's getting to him. Kojiro must've seen something on his face because he mutters a casual 'Give me a second' before he vanishs to the back of the restaurant again.

When he comes back there are two stickers in his hand that he gives to her.

'Thank you, Nanjo-san.', she tells Kojiro who grimaces a little. Kojiro isn't too fond of people calling him by his lastname. Not because he isn't on good terms with his family, he is, but because he's just more comfortable with people calling him Joe. It's also why Kojiro doesn't care all that much about drawing a line between his skating life and his public life contrary to Kaoru.

Kaoru is drawn out of his thoughts by a soft, fondly amused snort from the woman. She's looking at the stickers in her hand, tracing the 'S' with an almost nostalgic and very fond look on her face.

'Seems like he stuck with the colour-theme.', she mutters softly with a small, sad smile and Kaoru is pretty sure she didn't actually mean to say that out loud. Or at least they weren't meant to hear. He exchanges a quick look with Kojiro. This woman is strange and Kojiro looks just as confused as Kaoru feels.

'My apologies for keeping you and all the confusion. I look forward to seeing you at Crazy Rock later but I'll have to talk with Adam before I can explain everything.', she suddenly tells them and it's doing absolutely nothing but worsen Kaoru's confusion and his migraine. And then she throws them a smile and a casual 'See you later' and leaves.

Kaoru watches her go wondering just who the hell she is. She obviously knows him and Kojiro and Adam but Kaoru can't for the life of him remember ever having met her. His migraine spikes angrily and now that he's alone with Kojiro he doesn't bother hiding the grimace. Kojiro knows about the migrains he used to have, has witnessed them often enough that Kaoru knows how he'll react.

Kojiro doesn't disappoint. He whispers a questioning and concerned 'Migraine?' knowing full well that they leave him hypersensitive to sound and light. When Kaoru just nods with his eyes closed because the light is really bothering him he just shuts off the lights before he comes around the bar and helps Kaoru out of his seat.

Kaoru's occasionally been to the back of the restaurant that is usually exclusively for staffmembers but not enough to know his way around here blindly like Kojiro does. He isn't surprised though when Kojiro leads him to a couch in the breakroom.

'Painkillers and a nap?', Kojiro offers softly just like he did back when they were teenagers and he witnessed Kaoru having another migraine and Kaoru nods before he sinks into the couch cushions. They have roughly two hours before he has to pick up Hiromi-san and the kids.

'An hour.', he mutters when Kojiro comes back and presses a glass of water and the promised painkillers into his hands. The muttered 'Kay.' he gets in return is all the confirmation he needs before he swallows the pill with a sip of water and takes a few more sips to wash away the aftertaste before Kojiro takes the glass from him. He lies back and tries not to think about this strange woman that knows too much even though he can't remember ever meeting her.