Everyone at the three pushed together tables were sampling our new and improved seasonal hot chocolates. "Not enough mint," Ayane had said, "the hazelnut is just right," Nikki had told me. Sitting next to Ayane was Miyuki, going through a big binder of paper and drinking a cafe au lait. We were meeting to discuss Zombie Walk, how the neighborhood would come together and sell our goods at the event. There were final details to go over, and we'd have to then go and spread the news of these final details to the rest of the neighborhood so everyone was on track. It was of utmost importance.

Sandwiched between Ayane and Nikki, barely making an impression, was an old friend. He was a drag queen named Hanako, the Singing Flower Witch of Hokkaido. He'd done Zombie Walks with us before as an MC, and now that Miyuki was out of the game he'd flown in specially for this year's. He used to live in the old hotel as an artist with his wife, Chidori, and was a resident queen at a drag bar that had closed just before the old hotel was sold. Their lives had imploded, so they packed their bags and moved back to Hokkaido. His queen featured long, wavy white blonde hair to the floor, a flower crown of fresh flowers, and dresses of flowy materials. A true earth child. Today, he was dressed in a regular mint green sweater and jeans, though. 

"Okay, so Salem's Sister has the biggest store showcase, obviously. They'll be at the end of the street. Then, there's me. I made some things they might be interested in, but mostly I'll be selling for future sales. There's some things I drew up that they might-"

"Get back to the shop placements, Miyuki," Nikki interrupted her, starting to dig into his mini crème brulee. 

"Mm, this crème caramel isn't too sweet, Kazu. Good job," Hanako complimented me in between their argument. His voice was so tiny, almost lost in their loud voices. He took another bite to prove to me how good the crème caramel was. It only made me feel glad, to impress him after so long. However, he'd never say anything contrary, but still. I nodded my head, smiling at him.

To be honest, my mind was elsewhere. 

He wants another kiss. Gyeong-Wan had said that. I'd been thinking about it since last night, hoping it would come into my dreams. He'd told me to get plenty of sleep, so I had. I'd almost overslept my alarm clock, but I'd jumped out of bed to make sure I made more sweet things for him to try. That's how I'd come up with the pairing of the crème brulee and the crème caramel. Similar in name and confection, but entirely different. Maybe I could show him that. Thinking about that interaction made me sigh. Wanting it to happen, watch him eat them. He liked chocolate, so it made me rethink it. Could there be chocolate versions? I'd never seen it. But, that's what was getting to me. He was making me rethink everything, not just the things I made.

We'd lingered at the door yesterday. He was taller than me, so I'd stared up at him as he had a funny look on his face. His eyebrows had twitched, obviously thinking about something. 

My brain wandered back to the conversation at hand. Nikki was scolding everyone about the glitter as we made snowflakes to hang up in the windows. "If you all spill that loose glitter, I will kill you," Nikki growled.

"I know someone who legally owns a gun," Hanako chimed in cheerfully. 

"Wow, that got serious," Miyuki laughed, smearing glue with a glue stick onto a pre-cut out snowflake. 

Everyone laughed except for Hanako.

I couldn't bear to eat the last bunny that I had. It was too precious to me, but it would spoil if I didn't eat it. Yuko didn't like to use any preservatives. It was now sitting in my freezer. It made me wish he'd give me something more permanent, but that was asking too much. He'd thought to gift me those bunnies out of the blue. For what reason? Do friends give you bunnies? 

Thinking about him in the hotel now. Surrounded by demanding people, having to stand there like a robot. Always waiting for someone to come up and talk to him, to check in, maybe. I wanted to go up to him. Talk about anything. Waste his time pleasantly, entertain him. The more I thought about it, his job must be so boring. 

I couldn't imagine doing such a job. I'd only ever worked here, having started when it was owned by my mentor, Lady Elizabeth. She'd seen me perform as Amelie at the same drag bar that Hanako and Nikki worked in. She'd then recruited us to do Drag Bingo with her, and the rest was history. She found out I was in a school for the baking and pastry arts, and scooped me up for that. I'd been making patisserie here ever since. It was the perfect home for me. 

However, was the Modern the perfect home for Gyeong-Wan? The more I got to know him, I wasn't so sure. He was interested in a lot of the same things that I seemed to be. He hadn't protested even one experience. He was always willing to do more, even discovering Yuko on his own and helping her. That made my heart melt like chocolate. 

He seemed like a sort of serious person, but maybe it took him longer to open up? He was quieter, but there's lots of quiet people in this world. He didn't need to be loud or boisterous. In that way, maybe the hotel was good for him, but he didn't strike me as entirely belonging to that world. 

The way he'd asked for a second bunny kiss. It made me want to... The image of us at the door, him staring down at me, that unsure look. If I puckered my lips, drew myself up to meet-

"Earth to Kazu!" Nikki barked. I startled hugely, but I smiled at them, trying to cover it up.

"Why are you blushing?" Hanako asked sweetly. 

"N- nothing," I grinned, covering my cheeks so they couldn't see.

"You're totally blushing," Nikki said, his hands on his hips. 

"It's the hot chocolate," I said, remembering my cup in front of me. My white chocolate praline hot chocolate went to my lips, still steaming.

"You haven't taken a drink in ages," Hanako reminded everyone.

Powerful stares were now on me. I waved them away, taking a big drink. 

Nikki continued, going on with what he must have been talking about. "We're going to have our French Cup cart out in front of the movie theater. It's in the middle, so it makes sense. One of us will always be manning this station, selling coffee and hot chocolate. It's cold out, so everyone's going to want a hot drink. We've finessed what we're going to sell this time. I checked the temperature. It will be freezing, so we've come up with a good menu, things you can eat hot or cold, doesn't matter. Kazu, will you tell everyone? Let's see what they think." He gave an indicative gesturing of his chin.

"It will be a variety of zombie themed cupcakes," I informed them. There was a flurry of appreciative sounds at this. "I know we don't normally make cupcakes here, but it's a special occasion. I figure nobody minds if their cupcake is a little frozen. It's not something you can ever get at any other time from us, too. Along with these, I'll be making a themed chocolate box, and themed cookies. We don't do cookies much either, right? It'll be special. These are also baked goods that people are more familiar with, so they'll sell. We ordered boxes that will be easy to carry around. It won't be a messy repeat of previous years."

"That sounds pretty good. Sounds like a lot of trash, though?" Ayane asked, inquisitive.

"Yes. We've minimalized our environmental impact by using one hundred percent recycled cardboard. We will also encourage proper disposal," I said, bowing my head a little at her very good question.

She made an appreciative noise and took a sip of her frozen coffee. 

The conversation continued on without me, and Hanako laid out our finished snowflakes along the tables to dry. I watched Yash speed around taking orders and fulfilling them. Ayane wrote down new details and saved our notes. 

As I was thinking about Gyeong-Wan again, the conversation turned to him and I tuned in. It wasn't good.

"We need to talk about having a neighborhood association meeting. We talked about this before, but I think it's becoming more urgent," Ayane was saying. "I underestimated the fact that the hotel has new people all of the time, and different kinds. This week, I've been getting a lot of people coming in asking to use my restroom especially. It's becoming an epidemic in that sense. They're not at all interested in what I'm selling. I don't feel that I should have to put a sign up saying 'no public restrooms'. It would ruin my store's vibe. Not only that, there's been a lot of children. One of them threw a lot of rare vinyl on the floor the other day, shattering one. Her parent refused to pay for it and we got into a screaming match. I don't want to have to do that every day, I tell you. I have no idea how to prevent it, and I need others' input."

"I keep seeing Gyeong-Wan walking around," Miyuki said. "It makes me wonder what he's up to. Is he suggesting our businesses to these awful people? I thought maybe he might be telling them to stay away, but maybe he's picking and choosing the most awful ones."

Ayane was nodding, completely absorbed in this.

"I keep getting a lot of women thinking my shop is a regular clothing store," she went on. "Like Ayane said, I don't want to have to put up additional signage. I don't think it requires more explanation."

"I also didn't consider that they're basically a revolving door of new people," Nikki sighed. "It'll be nonstop. We haven't gotten anyone like that for the past couple of days, but Gyeong-Wan has certainly been coming around. I admit, he's starting to scare me a little."

I wanted to shake my head rapidly, wanting to tell them there was nothing to be afraid of, but all I had for them was silence. Based on our other conversation about this in the back patio, there'd be no convincing them otherwise. They were associating him with the problem. I was powerless. It was an awful feeling.

"Who's Gyeong-Wan?" Hanako asked gently, again almost lost in their loud voices.

"Ohhh, let me tell you," Nikki jumped on her words anyway. 

What followed was awful. His true opinion. Ayane chimed in, and so did Miyuki. Their opinions of him had gotten worse since the back patio conversation. Building him up in their minds as this terrible entity. How could our opinions be so the opposite? But, as I listened to them, it became obvious. 

They didn't know him like I did. Maybe we hadn't opened up to each other and I didn't know him that way, but from what I'd seen? Him enjoying the Thai food that I loved, him enjoying one of my favorite movies, him loving all of my chocolates... That couldn't be a bad person. And his smile... Him asking for more bunny kisses, and helping Yuko... He couldn't be this awful person that they were describing.

As I listened to them, my hands curled together under the table. Tightening until my knuckles were surely white. Wanting to tell them with no doubts, that he was nothing like they imagined.