[center][b][h2]Chunlan 'Lan' Zhu[/h2][/b][/center]
[center][b][h3]A Simple Wok[/h3][/b][/center]
[color=#990000]“Order coming up, Mister Lin!” [/color]I gave a quick shout to notify the last customer of the night. From inside the street side restaurant, it was obvious how cold the outside world was. The few people still lingering late in the evening were dressed warmly; steam from their breath clearly visible, but inside it was hot. Gas stoves in tight quarters tend to make things pretty warm, and while everyone else was freezing I was sweating.

With a quick tilt of the pan, I dumped the assortment of stir fried meat and vegetables into a cardboard to-go container and passed it over the counter. An alarm went off on my phone to mark that my shift was over and it was time to close up, so I flicked off the gas so the pans could cool back down. [i][color=#990000]“I hope she gets here soon, don’t wanna be late…” [/color][/i] I hadn’t actually been scheduled to work tonight as the owner’s son usually took this shift, but he had come down sick so I offered to fill in for him. As I started to close the shutters dividing the enclosed kitchen from the street, I heard the click of a door as my manager stepped inside.

“Thank you for taking Jun’s shift, Lan. You look like you have somewhere to be. Go on, I can close up for the night.”

I’d had a lot of bosses, bit Miss Cheng was one of my favorites. A friend of my grandma’s, actually, [color=990000]“Thanks Nana Cheng. I’ll see you tomorrow.”[/color] I gave her a quick hug before rushing out of the shop, pausing to grab my backpack. The fastest way home was cutting through the alley behind A Simple Wok and climbing the fire escape, and I needed to get my jacket. It was hot inside, but as soon I was in the open air the cold hit me like a ton of bricks. For all the advantages my abilities came with, I had no resilience against extreme temperatures; and I had a long way to travel for tonight’s meeting.

[center][b][h3]Four and a half miles[/h3][/b][/center]
Isn’t exactly what most people would call a quick bike ride away, and far from being walking distance, but I’d made further trips for worse reasons. I stopped pedaling and coasted up to the Central Park Community Center, checking for familiar cars and bikes as I arrived. I’d made good time getting here so, I guess I was a bit ahead of the others. I stopped to catch my breath and brushed a crimson lock out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. [color=#990000]“Damn, must’ve lost a clip on my way over.”  [/color]Oh well, not a big deal. I retrieved the bike lock from my backpack and secured my bike to a rack near the front door. I didn’t expect anyone to steal it, and even if they did it wasn’t a big deal - I could always buy another one. But I liked this bike.

As I stepped inside, I could hear the tail end of some unfamiliar song echoing from a stereo set up near the refreshment table. Boxcar Joe had talked about Erina before, and mentioned she liked to listen to Rush while she was setting up for meetings. I’d arrived late last time so I hadn’t seen it firsthand. [color=#990000]“Good evening, Doctor Slate.”[/color] I piped up cheerfully as I stepped inside, shedding my winter coat and taking note of a well dressed girl with curly brown hair. I wish my hair was curly, but that was one thing I hadn’t inherited from mom [color=#990000]“And… Thalia, right?”[/color] I inquired, snagging a bear claw from the pile of danishes and grabbing the seat nearest to the other early arrival.

I tucked myself as far back into the folding chair as possible so I could sit cross legged without falling over. Easier than it sounded, owing to my naturally thin frame. [color=#990000]“You’re dressed fancy. Just get in from a date or something?”[/color] I asked, twisting myself abruptly in my seat to face her. The shifting weight caused the folding chair to rotate in place, eliciting a brief but high-pitched squeak against the tile floor. I winced, putting on an apologetic smile, [color=#990000]“Sorry.”[/color]