Emiko was thankful when Burnin' called it a day for their patrol for the day. Today's patrol was pretty uneventful, but Emiko still found her stomach groaning in protest, and she was eager to get back to the agency for one of their excellent dinners at the canteen. As she got her bearings and started making her way back to the agency, Burnin' put a hand on her shoulders to stop her.

"Nuh-uh, no boring canteen food tonight, Emi, it's time I treat you," the elder hero assured her.

Boring? Emiko was flabbergasted. Some top notch cuisine was served in the canteen, thanks to Endeavor springing to have world-class chefs on retainer, so the fact that Burnin' called it boring blew her mind and also intrigued her, wanting to know what Burnin' would consider to be "not boring" food.

It turns out, high-end French cuisine was Burnin's style, as she led Emiko into a fancy restaurant, where the maitre d' instantly recognized her and led the two without a word to a private seating room towards the back of the restaurant.

Lamps hung over the dark table, spotlighting the dark wood of the table and a waitress quickly zipped in and had place settings for two set out in no time, sleek and classy menus accompanying them.

As Emiko sat down, her eyes bugged out as she didn't recognize any of the dish names and also didn't see any prices associated with them, so didn't know what to order so as to not inadvertently rack up a massive bill for Burnin' to have to pay for.

She ran the dish names by Burnin', who patiently described what they consisted of, and weighed in on her personal recommendations, which didn't exactly help, as she had nothing but good things to say about all of them. In the end, Emiko was able to make a decision in time for the waitress's speedy arrival, evidently her speed quirk coming in handy in a fast-paced food service industry setting. She opted for the boeuf bourguignon, reasoning it sounded like a meal that would give her the right nutrition after a long day.

Burnin' deliberated and in the end actually resorted to closing her eyes and running her finger up and down the menu before settling on a choice, the bouillabaisse soup ("Just what I wanted tonight, how about that!" she'd exclaimed in delight), opting to order some wine along with it, when Emiko had opted for water herself.

Burnin' leaned back in her seat and reached up to remove her headband and her mask, laying them on her lap and running a hand through her hair, shaking it to work out a few kinks in the mane living on her head, the flames in them flickering to match her ministrations.

She closed her eyes and groaned out in satisfaction as she seemed to momentarily massage her scalp, before opening her eyes again and looking at Emiko, fixing her with a much more relaxed smile.

"I know I asked you after your first day, but I figured I'd run it by you after a few days to see where your head's at. How are you feeling now that you've got another couple of days under your belt?" she asked, as she craned her neck left and right experimentally to crack it.

Emiko knew a hasty and impulsive answer was not the way to go, so she leaned her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers together and leaning her chin on her clasped hands. Her thoughts wandered through the memories that still sat freshly at the surface. The nerves she felt at taking to the streets in her hero costume for the first time, her triumphs and frustrations at the incidents they encountered, and the growing rapport both in and out of costume she'd formed with the hero sitting opposite of her.

"I guess I always knew that hero work wasn't what everyone made of it. Certainly my training at UA already gave me a glimpse at that, but actually being in the field, seeing crime unfold in front of my very eyes, helping people probably going through the worst day of their lives, it's…" she paused and took a shaky breath. "It's definitely opened my eyes to the less glamorous side of hero work, but it's just as important that we help everyone, no matter how big or small their problem is. I know I don't have a powerful combat quirk, but I think I've done alright holding my own when it comes down to it, and I've been working hard at honing my quirk so I can use it to help people. I'll admit I had a lot to live up to being chosen to do my internship at Endeavor's agency, but I hope I've lived up to everyone's expectations."

As Emiko finished her response, she breathed heavily as she realized she was out of breath, and felt a sense of a weight being lifted off her shoulders as she voiced her thoughts from her days in the internship. She knew she'd said the right thing, judging by the aggressively bright grin on Burnin's face.

"Hm," Burnin' mused, tapping her chin in thought. "You've definitely lived up to the expectations, kiddo. Boss was definitely right to invite you. I know the agency's headliners are all heroes with powerful combat quirks, but that's not to say Endeavor is opposed to inviting the right heroes with what you might consider 'support quirks,'" she explained, gesturing with air quotes. "I know this week hasn't been easy, but I'd rather you see the ugly side of things and know what you're in for, rather than having an easy week and getting blindsided when things get tough. I will say, though, if you thought our days together were tough, tomorrow's going to be another matter altogether."

Emiko's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion at the woman's cryptic words. Just as she'd finished saying it, their food was swiftly served to them and Burnin' delicately draped a napkin across her lap, covering her mask and headband before she gave her thanks for the food and tucked in, motioning for Emiko to do likewise.

Much as her curiosity about Burnin's words was eating away at her, Emiko complied and let out an appreciative hum at the tasty dish. Her patience was rewarded when Burnin' set her spoon down after finishing the seafood soup.

"Your patrol assignment tomorrow is going to be different. The boss is going to Hosu and wants to have you and the kid with about seeing how you've progressed under my expert tutelage"

Emiko's eyes widened at the prospec, though she didn't miss the teasing tone in Burnin's voice. She'd initially figured she might be doing her patrols with Endeavor, panicked, but then found solace in being paired with Burnin' instead. Now she found herself panicking once more now she knew the patrol was going to happen.

"Not going to lie, it's going to be intense. He'll push you and test you to your limits, but there's no denying you'll become stronger for it," Burnin' explained. "I'd recommend getting a good night's sleep and being good and ready to go in the morning."

Emiko nodded her understanding of Burnin's words and worked to keep her panic in check, but also found herself excited that she really would be getting a front row seat to the #2 hero in action.

No, she chided herself. I'm not there just to watch him, I'm there to work for, and fight alongside him.

With that slight pep talk, it finally helped settle down her nerves and she fixed her gaze on Burnin' and gave her a determined nod of the head, which in turn brought out one of Burnin's brightest smiles.

"Atta girl!" she crowed, reaching across and slugging Emiko on the shoulder. "You've got some real guts! I'm gonna miss having you around! We'll have to meet up and have another girl's night when you're in the area! Here, give me your phone!"

Emiko found herself a little flustered, but still complied and handed her phone over, watching in awe as Burnin' put her contact info into Emiko's phone. It shouldn't have been surprising, really. Burnin' was the type of person to bond to someone quickly - a fact Emiko was incredibly grateful for. She'd been worried they wouldn't get along, something she found laughable now.

"There, I want to hear all about how things are going with you, school, training, romance, you name it, I'm here for you," she explained as she handed Emiko her phone back.

Emiko's cheeks reddened as she felt a swell of gratitude to the older hero across from her.

"So, we have one last night for girl talk, got any embarrassing stories about the boss's kid?" Burnin' asked, leaning forward with a feral grin plastered once more on her face. Emiko smirked back, launching into the elaborate tale that had started their unlikely relationship.

–-

Emiko slept fitfully that night, her nerves were frayed and she had nightmares about sleeping through her alarm and woke up to double check the time, groaning when it was still an early hour in the morning.

Her alarm finally went off and she bolted into action, getting ready in record time, suiting up and triple checking all of her pouches and gear. When she was satisfied, she made her way down to Endeavor's office fifteen minutes early, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" the deep, booming voice of the #2 hero called out from behind the door.

Emiko inhaled sharply before complying.

"Ah, Komatsu, you're early," Endeavor stated, a slight tone indicating pleasant surprise whilst still coming across matter-of-fact.

"Yes, sir, I definitely didn't want to show up late, but I figured I could get a head start on any briefing for today's patrol," she responded very formally, attempting to curb the urge to ramble. "So, here I am! Bright and early."

She bowed her head slightly, feeling like an idiot standing in his office before his own son had shown up.

Endeavor pondered this for a moment.

"We have some time, close the door behind you, Komatsu," he said tersely, and she complied.

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Endeavor looked at her.

"I'll admit I wasn't fully honest in my reasons to invite you to this internship," he finally said, the words coming out with some difficulty. "I maintain I was and still am intrigued with your potential as a hero, but I did also have another reason for offering you a spot here. Between the sports festival and your sparring sessions, you probably know Shoto the best out of any of your classmates, and was hoping to get some insight on him."

Emiko felt like the rug had been unceremoniously pulled out from under her.

"You- you only wanted me here to be an informant on your son?!" Emiko asked incredulously, irritation and rage festering in her gut at the new knowledge.

"At first, yes. But seeing you in the sparring session with Burnin' and reading her reports, you've more than earned your place here, and I look forward to seeing you in the field first-hand," Endeavor continued, still adopting a very hesitant and cautious tone.

Oh. "Uh, thank you," she finally managed, after being stuck in stunned silence for a few moments.

"Anyways-" Endeavor began, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. "Ah, that should be Shoto, come in!"

The door opened to reveal Shoto, also suited up in his hero attire. His hair looked messy, as though he'd just woken up, and Emiko couldn't help but realize how handsome he looked in the early morning light.

"Good, now you're both here, I can start to brief the both of you." Endeavour spoke, "We're changing up our patrol route today, we're going for a bit of a trip. We're going to Hosu."