Affinity

Chapter 11 - Whoever Said Internships Were Easy Needs A Kick In The Ass

a/n: Hello Friends & happy update day :) attached to this chapter you'll see a lovely piece of art that we commissioned of our dear Emiko done by the wonderful anoza_rt on instagram. Please go send them so much love, because we're so happy with how our girl came out. Enjoy chapter 11! :) 

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.