The next morning he was moody. Abigail and Sam kept trying to get a rise out of him during breakfast, but Rei said nothing. She knew this was because of her. She sipped on a mimosa as Sam started talking about how excited he was to see the band play. She seized her moment when Abi and Sam went to take advantage of the breakfast buffet.
"Okay, I scared you last night, I'm sorry. Can I make it up to you?"
"You didn't scare me." Was his stubborn response.
"Fine, I annoyed the crap out of you, better?"
He lifted his eyes towards her and she was a little taken aback at how harsh they seemed. Clearly two stubborn heads were not better than one.
"Look, I really didn't mean anything by it, I just…get uncomfortable talking about myself sometimes. Please let me make it up to you."
His gaze softened when he saw her pleading eyes. Those damn eyes. "Fine."
"Great." She'll take what she can get.
The plan was to get Abigail excited about spending one on one time with Sam. She casually suggested that they check out this comic and game shop, and that there was a good Korean BBQ place nearby and they could all meet up at this bar near the venue for the concert later.
Abigail was on board, excitedly trying on outfits and asking questions about public transportation. While she was putting on a black tanktop, she stopped and looked at Rei thoughtfully.
"So…what are you and Sebastian gonna do?"
"Hang around and have sex all day." Rei was seriously enjoying saying crude things like that, but her short lived joke turned on her as Abigail looked…excited for her?
"Really?!"
"No! What? Why would you think….." Rei sighed, "Look it's not like that. I just majorly offended him the other day and now I'm making it up to him."
"What did you offend him over?"
"Nothing, lets please talk about how you're gonna make Sam drool tonight?"
Abigail pursed her lips, but again, didn't press her. If only Rei understood how frustrating she could be!
They were ready by early afternoon, something Rei considered a feat, seeing as it took Abigail forever to find something that would constitute as "day to night wear." But she did look good, black skirt, ankle boots and band t -shirt, topped off with another black hat. Sam was currently in the process of eating his heart out.
The four of them walked to the subway station and Rei pointed out the route that Sam and Abi needed to take. They bought their tickets and waved as they stepped on the train, reminding Rei and Sebastian to not be late. As they watched the subway speed off through a tunnel, Sebastian looked expectantly at Rei.
"Okay, our train is over…here." She led him to a different platform. They rushed on and took their seats quickly. Sebastian marveled at the new experience around him, while Rei pulled out her phone to double check directions. Then she saw it, a little number one over her unread messages. She paused, then shut off her phone and quickly put it in her purse.
"You alright?" Sebastian asked.
"Yup!" she said brightly, maybe too brightly because he raised his eyebrow again.
"Just checking directions, it's been awhile since I've been back." She admitted. It was entirely untrue, but they came to their stop soon enough and Sebastian let her keep her secrets, for now.
She had brought him to the front of a weird looking house. It was kind of old Victorian style, yet it was squeezed between two modern looking buildings.
"Uhm…"
"I promise you're gonna love this place." She gushed and pulled on the old door handle to bring them inside.
"This feels like a witch's trap." He said, but followed her anyways.
Inside his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, and he saw a sign above a hallway entrance. It read "Museum of Alchemic Technology."
"I figured," Rei started, "You could get some cool ideas for your wizard character here."
Sebastian was already feeling excited about what Alchemic Technology meant, but those words stopped him. She always knew more about him than he of her and that was saying something, since he wasn't exactly the most talkative guy. Still, he really appreciated how much thought she placed in this and followed her into this strange "museum."
It was by far the most interesting experience Sebastian had ever had. They went from room to room, first looking at tiny sculptures on the points of needles, to a collection of letters about the endless void of space. His favorite room by far was the room that had all sorts of old folk tales and the remedies people had for staving off plagues and witchcraft. He was eagerly staring through an old microscope that held miniature "stained glass" portraits made of butterfly wings when Rei took his hand.
He looked up at her and she gestured towards a set of stairs. She led him up the carpeted stairs, and into a small tearoom. There, she poured them tea and then led him up more stairs until they reached the rooftop garden. Doves were milling about in the little garden as they took some seats near the fountain. Sebastian looked up and saw white sheets, shading them, while more doves walked along the wires.
"This place is amazing. How did you find it?"
"Sometimes, back in my old life, I needed to be reminded of how strange the world could be." She said. "This was a place where I could come hide from stuff, and no one ever bothered me here."
"You'll have to tell me more about your life sometime." He said simply, not trying to argue but feeling very forward for once.
She looked at him then, jade eyes boring into his. "I just, don't want you to hate me." She whispered.
"I don't think that's possible Rei."
They watched the doves for a moment longer until Rei told him there was one more place she wanted to take him.
It looked like yet another weird hole in the wall. They had entered through a conspicuous looking black door, but inside was a clean bar and a sushi chef examining his knives. He turned towards them.
"We take reservations only."
Rei lifted a hand in greeting. "Konichiwa Hiroyuki" she bowed.
"Rei? Is that you?" The chef seemed ecstatic to see her as he dropped his knife on the cutting board and came around the bar for a hug. "Where have you been? Oh wait, Oi!" he gestured at the sous chef, "Make her the special and ready some miso and sake!"
"Been farming." She replied.
"You took up your grandfather's call." He proudly stated. "Well, if you happen to catch fish, I'll teach you a good sashimi recipe."
Sebastian looked on, Rei seemed like a new person to him. She was all smiles instead of half smiles and her eyes shone, but she still looked guilty.
"I'm sorry I never wrote to you."
"Ah, it's fine. Your father never came in here looking for you anyways."
"That's good."
"But…that one did." At this, he saw Rei's expression sour. "I didn't tell him anything, not like I had much to tell. But I did say to him that he wasn't welcome in this establishment anymore!" Hiroyuki said sternly.
Sebastian wondered who He was. But it seemed that the chef finally noticed him.
"This is a friend from the Valley." Rei stated, leading Sebastian over to meet Hiroyuki. "He's never tried sushi before and I'm here to teach him."
Sebastian gaped at her, when had he told her that? But she winked as if to say, of course you haven't.
They were seated at the bar, with Rei teaching him how to pour sake properly, use chopsticks and dip the hand rolls. But when Hiroyuki served them a cold plate of sashimi, Sebastian paused. So far everything had been fried or cooked. He watched Rei elegantly pop a piece in her mouth, clearly savoring it before he tried. It was delicious! Buttery and fresh, he had no idea fish could taste like this. He found himself reaching for more and more and that had Rei chuckling.
"That was my mother's friend." She said as they walked to catch their subway afterwards. "We used to go there a lot."
"I think I'm in love."
She giggled and pulled him on the train. "That's what good food and pure intentions do for you."
"What did you mean by 'used to?"
Her eyes flicked down and he suddenly wished he hadn't said anything.
"My mother died when I was ten years old."
Once again, Sebastian squeezed her hand. "My father, real father, died when I was 8."
She turned to look at him; they really did have a lot in common. But as the subway pulled to a screeching stop, all melancholy thoughts were gone as soon as they saw Sam pushing out his extended belly to show them how much Korean BBQ he had eaten.
The concert was fun. Sam and Abigail were rocking out, and Rei was swaying with the music. But it got a little too hot, and the crowds started to weigh on her. She yelled over the music that she was going to get some air and started towards the door. Outside she took a deep breath and looked at the club across the street. Some giggling girls dressed to the nines were hanging off of a young man's arm as they strutted out. He raised his face and Rei was frozen. Jake Ito sent a casual grin her way before heading into a waiting limo with his arm candy.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Sebastian had made his way there next to her, looking slightly concerned.
"I just…I need to get out of here for a second. I'll meet you at the hotel okay." And before he could answer, she ran off. The busy streets and lights engulfed her as she strode pat everyone, and everything. Everything seemed to blur, she might've bumped into someone, a stranger who made a disgruntled remark. She didn't hear it. She found herself on a familiar block, craning her neck upwards. The tallest skyscraper in the city loomed over her. Flickering lights gave way to the offices inside and at the very top, a familiar penthouse. She stayed that way for a moment, her gaze traveling up wards, beyond the penthouse into the inky black night.