he steps neatly around the area, hands folded politely behind his back. while the landlord shows them all of the essentials - gas hookups, kitchen flow, and the like - he meanders over to the windows. the glass panes have gathered grime; power-washing could fix them, but one look at the inset and he's sure they'd be better off replaced to offset energy costs.

it's a hot day and the sun stretches over their part of the sidewalk. people cross the street to avoid the hot tarmac and he hmms. 

"decent location," he agrees. he rolls up the sleeves to his linen shirt and curses the hoenn humidity for the umpteenth time. "it's a bit out of the restaurant district, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but we'll need to keep in mind a larger marketing budget to compensate, especially in those first few months.

"did it have all the bells and whistles you wanted?"

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

profit margins are as slim as they come. tell any investor your next venture is a restaurant and they'll laugh in your face, but nikkari listens to her wants and sets them in a neat mental checklist, levying any connections to contractors he may be able to reach out to on her behalf.

they go to cross the street and a small car zips by. his hand darts out to grace the small of her back in warning, but he thinks nothing of it, sparing a glare at the receding brake lights. 

"let's scope out the competition, hm?" he says and leads them down another street. a cute bistro advertises lunch specials and an escape from the heat. their small patio is adorned with umbrellas offering ample shade. fruity cocktails and sweating glasses of sangria rest in the palms of most every guest. 

"a table for two."

"we currently have an hour long wait. would you like to be put on the list?"

"are the bar seats available while we wait?"

"yes, sir."

he leaves the name of their party - hect - and walks assuredly to the bar, cutting off another waiting patron on their way to the two remaining open seats. he puts his back to them, draws yumi's seat out for her, and smiles impishly.

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

as she goes to set out her space, nikkari deftly clears objects in her way. napkins placed by the bartender, two sets of silverware, placed delicately to the side in lieu of their business at hand. when she discards one, he picks up the paper, glances it over, and then folds it in half, tucking it to make room for the others. 

"you'll have to teach me sometime," he says. "mahjong, i mean. i can't frequent this place if i'm going to look a fool now, can i?"

he looks over her shoulder, grasping the stem of his chenin-blanc. "that one was a nice space, but some of the previous sanitation violations were troubling."

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

"i'd be offended if you did. just promise me you won't be upset when i beat you," he teases back. he's not about to hustle her, but it's not like he hasn't looked into the basic rules after she told him of the importance they include a space for the mahjong parlor in the new building. 

"if you were set on it, i could see about some quotes on internal fixes, but it might set back your timeline quite a bit. at least with this one," he says, scanning for the documents from the place they only just viewed, "you can work on some remodels alongside a soft open."

he drums his fingers with one hand, sips from his glass using the other. floral notes twirl under his nose, reminding him vaguely of one of yumi's perfumes.

"you don't have to make a decision today, but i'd say we should plan on pulling the trigger before the end of the week. hector might be good on a favor, but even he won't want to keep the listings off the market past this weekend."

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

he takes pride in his things. too much pride to sully the work he's put into this endeavor. phone calls behind the scenes, favors asked and rumours wrangled for the best options he might be able to present to her. while the rest of their organization plans for war, he's content to carry on and grease the wheels. 

violence is expensive. 

and money makes the world turn. he quirks a smile at her, waving off the gratitude. 

"we shall," he says as his glass clinks against hers. with thick conviction, he says, "surety is the language of the prosperous. now, with business out of the way, why don't you teach me the basic rules of mahjong?" 

Yumi Hasegawa

☉