Nerium oleander

Questioning

Deja vu, is the feeling that a new situation is familiar, even if there is evidence that the situation could not have occurred previously.

Alfred knew this, he was sure that he had never met this man before, yet seeing him standing next to Kiku, the reserved expression on his face and the way he carried himself were familiar. Maybe it was because Kiku was there, he had been introduced to Ivan the same way, with Dr. Honda holding his hands together, shifting on his foot and smiling politely.

It seemed that Kiku knew how to pick his friends, though he wasn't sure of the term, Dr. Honda was reserved about everything, Alfred could say that he knew Ivan better than Kiku, which was rather disappointing, he made a mental note to spend more time with him.

Alfred shivered with anticipation as their gaze met, odd, out of place, this man couldn't have possibly grown in this boring town. Kiku, Ludwig, Ivan, they all had a certain smell that Alfred had only sensed in Adelfa, perhaps it was the water, the food, the air, whatever it was, this man, Yao, didn't have it. For once (or maybe twice) since he resided here, Alfred was amused with another man.

His silence didn't go unnoticed as Yao coughed and checked his watch. Excusing himself to come back to work, Kiku followed his lead, bidding him goodbye as well. As Alfred shook Yao's hand, he took a deep breath."We should meet up sometime, have a drink perhaps," he said, looking at Kiku but still holding the other's hand. "If you are not busy, we could go for a drink at 6, there's this nice and small bar around the corner, come on, we deserve it."

Kiku frowned, turning his head towards the door and then to Alfred's hand, he chuckled. "That would be nice, I'll think about it, but please, give Yao his hand back."

Alfred let go of the hand hastily, chuckling as his face grew warm. "Sorry, I'll see you two at 6 then" he said, walking away before any of them could argue. He stopped by the kitchen door, looking back, thank goodness they were gone already, he didn't want to face the awkwardness of his actions.

The place was beautiful, if Alfred could get Ivan or anyone else to accept a date, he would take them here, it was guaranteed to provide that romantic secretive atmosphere, ideal for a fancy dinner. Maybe that's why the place was full, there were couples chatting amiably, some shared their dishes, others simply held their hands on the table.

Shaking his head, Alfred approached the kitchen, the door swinging as he pushed it. "Time's up, Bonnefoy. If you don't cooperate, I'll ask for a warrant and officer Braginsky will be the one interrogating you."

"Please, spare me a bit, didn't you see the crowd?" The blonde man said, he was chopping vegetables swiftly, beside him, another man was closing an oven, his broad shoulders caught Alfred's attention.

"You don't seem to be helping a lot here." Alfred said, observing as Bonnefoy moved calmly, unlike his partner, he was taking his time. "Why don't you answer my questions while you're at it?"

Arranging the vegetables with steady hands, Bonnefoy shook his head. "I requested you to come earlier, it's your fault that you have to wait." He smiled, placing the last piece of cucumber. "I need to focus when I'm cooking, otherwise someone with an exquisite palate will notice that I didn't put my whole effort, not that you know or care about it, but to create a masterpiece worthy of this restaurant, one takes a bit of time."

Alfred frowned at the insult, averting his gaze to the other man in the kitchen, a smug smile crept on his lips. "Is he always this dramatic?"

The man barely gazed at him, serving a couple of dishes, once he delivered them, he washed his hands. "You must be new here, though, he has a reason to be this dramatic for once. Let him be." the man extended his hand to Alfred. "I'm Sadik Adnan, I guess you must be the newbie at the police department."