Chapter 1 - Just Another Manic Tuesday
Amazing trailer made by aflyingwhale.
Beautiful drawing of Lana, made by the talented Liv Collins (https://livcollinsart.tumblr.com)
"Richard, are you kidding me? No!" Lana slammed her hands on the desk in front of her and leaned over it. Her boss grimaced and raised defensive hands while throwing a worried glance at the open door behind her. She didn't even bother to check if anyone listened in. The entire floor could hear her for all that mattered. "No way I'll waste my time on this again!"
"Come on, Lana, take it down a notch. We all agree that you're in the best position to handle Michelle and – "
"We? Who's we? You, Takemura and Yamamoto? Oh, color me surprised! Michelle's got all of you by the balls, hasn't she? She didn't like your results! And now you have no choice but get on your knees and lick her boots."
Richard's wrinkled face flushed red and he stood up to lean over his desk. They were almost nose to nose now. "Watch it, Martin!" he spat from behind clenched teeth. "I'm fed up with that foul mouth of yours. I'm not asking you a favor, I'm telling you to do it. See the difference?"
With a snort, Lana crossedher arms over her chest, staring outside the windows behind Matherson. The sun was setting over the Roppongi business district, and the Tokyo tower was lit up. Shit! It must be past six already, I'm going to be late at the dojo! Dammit, I've got no time for this kind of playground mess.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not daft. You don't have to add 'insubordination' to 'hysterical' in your little book – no, please, spare me the offended looks. I know what you all call me. Just because I like to call a rat a rat and won't sugarcoat it for you." She gave the manager of their branch office a disgusted look. "So basically, I'm going to have to babysit her and do all the damage control for you. Right when I'll be wrapping up the executive report for HQ and during the final rounds of the Daihanko-Dos Santos talks. Neat!"
The middle-aged man moved his arms to mirror her posture before catching himself and placing his hands on his hips. It would have been a good power pose if only she didn't know he had nothing to back it up. It cast a cruel light on his posh beer belly though.
"Well, feel free to see it this way. Or you could take it as a good opportunity to gain points with our CFO. Could be useful the day you want to go back to Montreal, or to ask for a transfer to Rome. When was the last time you went home?"
Rubbing her temples, Lana took a deep breath. "I'm not leaving anytime soon, certainly not to Italy, and Michelle is the last person on Earth I want to please. Let's agree that she's a bully, always doing her best to be unhappy with something just for the pleasure of burning down the house." Matherson grunted his reluctant agreement. "Okay, I've got to be on my way. Any chance you'll send me something useful in the coming days? Whatever data that riled her up so much? I mean, she won't be here until the end of April, but I don't want to wait until the last minute to tackle it."
"Sure, I will. Believe me or not, it's not our goal to let you hang out there to dry."
Lana arched a dubitative eyebrow, but bit her tongue. Let's not start again, or I will really be late, and sensei will go ballistic on me. Basic Japanese etiquette and strict martial arts rules frowned upon being late, but her instructor had zero tolerance for this. No need to start practice with a scolding, she'd endured enough aggravation for one day. After giving Matherson a curt nod, the bare minimum she could muster, she strolled out.
Back in her office two floors below, her resentment still pumped adrenaline in her blood. On top of it, her heartburn was flaring again. With a heavy sigh, Lana grabbed a prescription bottle in her desk drawer and gulped down two pills with a grimace. The bottle was almost empty, she'd have to pay Dr. Stein a visit soon. Richard Matherson. What a damn weasel. After all this time, his lack of spine still amazes me. No wonder he got promoted to upper management so fast.
A glance at her watch made her cringe. Time to get out of here if she wanted to catch the Express train to the Mitaka suburbs where her apartment and dojo were located. After tying up her hair in a strict ponytail, she grabbed her duffle bag packed with her aikido dogi – her white training gear – and slipped her feet into a pair of red sneakers. Her black pumps would stay under her desk. No way she'd ride her bicycle between the station and the dojo wearing those.
"Oh, you're still here? Usually on Tuesday, you're out before six," a melodious voice called in Italian from her doorway. Lana glanced up and smiled at the beautiful brunette with startling green eyes standing there.
Her best friend Gabriella was a sight for sore eyes. Thirty-seven like her, they had known each other since elementary school. After graduating university, they had ended up working for the same international consulting firm, but in different offices. After fifteen years, having reached a position where they could make such requests, they had managed to be dispatched at the same time to Japan.
"Cara mia, consider me gone. I'm so late it's not even funny."
"I didn't see you." Gabriella chuckled and stepped out of her way. They walked in silence to the elevator. "What's going on?" she said under her breath after pressing the down button.
Lana sighed and shook her head. Gabriella knew her so well. She read her like an open book. She was more than a friend – a sister. Their bond ran deep; they had gone through devastating pain and tears together. While Lana refused to walk those extremely painful memory lanes, having Gabriella by her side was a constant source of comfort even after all these years.
"Richard just dropped Cruella on my lap. Third year in a row now. Noice!" she exclaimed, parroting Jake Peralta, before clenching her jaw. Bursting another artery wouldn't help.
"That little shit!" Gabriella spat. Like Lana, she had a personality that often clashed with the more reserved attitude of their colleagues.
"I don't want to talk about it now, but this is getting old. Anyway, we're still on for drinks on Friday?"
"You bet we are! Call me later if you want to talk about it, okay?"
"Will do. But don't worry, a solid hour of rolling on the mats and getting my joints twisted is just what I need to vent. That is, if I don't get burned at the stake because I missed the train."
"Girl, I don't know why you keep doing this. It doesn't even sound like fun! That overbearing sensei of yours—"
"Is a stickler for discipline, but is one of the best around, and you have no idea how good it feels to throw dozens of guys around after a day like this. See ya!" The doors opened, and Lana jumped inside the elevator with a happy wave of her hand.
The subway ride between Roppongi and Shinjuku was manageable. But the second stretch to Mitaka was a nightmare. Today, Shinjuku was obviously intent on earning its label of the world's busiest station. For sure, the average 3.5 million passing its gates had decided to gather at the same time, just to make Lana's day more difficult.
Without hesitating, she pushed through the throngsof commuters to the front of the line where she'd atleast have a chance at boarding her train on the Chuo line. Acutely aware of the condemning stares drilling holes in her neck, a wave of embarrassment made her cheeks burn. But today, she didn't have much choice. The train arrived, already full, and she squeezed herself inside, helped by dozens of people behind her trying to do the same.
Of course, the evening rush hour was the worst time of the day to take an Express train. Usually, Lana would use the Local stopping at every station. It would take her some solid additional fifteen minutes to reach her destination, but at least she avoided being crushed against the door with the combined weight of a hundred commuters pressing on her back. Like right now.
Her hands against the glass, her bag digging into her stomach and hips, it was impossible to grab her smartphone to go online. But tonight, the majestic view of the Tokyo cityscape at dusk held no appeal. Instead, Lana closed her eyes to block out her surroundings. Thank goodness she wasn't claustrophobic and that her ride would last only sixteen minutes. It helped that the car was eerily silent, except for the recorded voice announcing the stations. Everyone attempted to do the same: retreat inward to forget how hellish going home at the same time as ten million people could be.
Taking deep, relaxing breaths, Lana did her best to set aside her confrontation with Richard and what it meant for her in the coming months. Instead, she thought about what awaited her in Mitaka.
Aikido.
From a passing hobby at first, this martial art had become a real fixture in her life. The mental and physical discipline helped her manage the stress of her high-demanding work. The perfect outlet for the building pressure that filled her on a daily basis. Not to mention her exasperation on days like this.
"Next stop, Mitaka. Mitaka."
Lana's eyes shot open and she readied herself. Getting out the train was as much a challenge as stepping inside. Thankfully her bag was in front of her, not on her shoulder. She had almost lost it once, swallowed by the human wall closing on it behind her.
Outside the station, she ran to the bicycle parking, putting on her gloves to protect her fingers from the biting February cold. Ten more minutes spent slaloming in the back streets and she'd be there. The best part of her day could finally begin.
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