The elevator doors part to a figure waiting right in front. Reo, impeccably dressed as always, his eyes flick up towards Lan, clearly perturbed about something.
“A GT-R? Seriously? Japan has trains, we employ drivers, Lan. Do you know how much that rental costs per day?”
Lan breathes in slowly, tilting his head back, mumbling. “And heeeere we go..” He pushes against where Reo stands, “Can we at least get off the elevator first?” Reo steps to the side and both wait until Saya is off before Lan starts getting more of an earful. “Miss Travis, a pleasure again,” Reo bows more to her – and explicitly not to Lan as he passes.
“I figured you wouldn't have bothered with the fine print insurance, so that was taken care of once the accountants flagged it up to me,” he continues to talk to from what Saya can see, is an uncaring and uninterested Lan. In one ear, out the other..
But she keeps pace with Lan, who is leading the walk down the hallway from the elevators, across more marble floors, Reo's dress shoes clicking against it as he walks on Lan's other side.
Lan reaches up and rubs his hair frustratingly, leaving it messy and points down at his half-brother as he stops, “Okay, then, let me see your wallet.”
“What? No,” Reo leans back, lip curling a bit in disgust. “Why?”
“I'll bet you.. a million dollars that you carry more cash in number than the year you last remember carrying an ICC card. And not in yen, in Euro and USD.”
The question puzzles Saya for a moment before it clicks – she had only ever seen Reo arrive and depart from a summoned, driven car. She holds back her grin, admitting it was likely they were close on both sides of the bet.
Reo's brow furrows a bit as he presses a hand instinctively to his jacket's breast pocket, eyes narrowing at his relative as he considers the challenge. His gloves hand curls in a bit which elicits a bark of laughter from Lan, apparently the winner was already decided.
He glances to Saya, turning a bit red at the slight from Lan, but crosses his arms over his chest, following along.
--
“Fine, I haven't had an ICC card in..” he pauses, and Lan continues for him: “You were driven to primary, middle..” Reo cuts him off, “high school! I demanded to take the train then. So you're wrong.”
“I would have had one.. back in 2008. Yeah. You're wrong.” They keep walking as Lan looks down at him.
“Not by much,” Lan admits, and goes silent to the puzzled look of Reo. He knew already, because Reo kept all three currencies in his wallet in case of unforeseen travel. A thousand in each USD and Euro, so, technically, you're right, by eight.
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Lan knew this, because it was surprisingly easy to steal from a man who hangs up his jacket when he sleeps. Not one of his prouder moments, but Saya was smiling, and Reo never noticed the skim off the top.
It was mainly a ploy to tease Reo in front of Saya, and Reo would never admit to how much was in his wallet. A zero sum game.
“Anyway. I thought we could stop here and talk before we go up and see father. They said you were both here today, and it would have been a little awkward going home without either of you, nice as your mother is,” she wasn't Lan's mother.
Reo straightens his jacket, buttoning it back up as they walk towards a large office at the end of the open layout building. Open floor-plans encourage teamwork, Reo thinks, and still believes it. However, it also lets all of his employees pause mid-work to gawk at him, the gangling half, and the white woman walking by.
“Oh, Miss Travis, how was your flight? I was.. surprised that Lan stepped foot in an airport, much less on a plane. Was he much trouble?”
Lan turns to answer before Saya peeks around him, “Oh, no, it was fine. He was fine too, after a while. It's not a long flight, but I did get some very nice views out of the window. I suppose that's what Mountain Day is for, after all, and I have you to thank..” she pulls her purse down from her shoulder and starts opening it.
“By the way, I want to reimburse you for the travel, I know it was short notic..” The two stop abruptly as Reo steps in front of them and holds out his hands, gently pushing hers down, shaking his head.
“We wouldn't hear of it. You're a guest, and it's our honor to have you. Also, while we would love for you to stay at the main house, Lan let my assistant know you'd be more comfortable in a hotel room. So..”
Reo glances out of the windows on the far wall, tilting his head a bit. “There's not much in terms of accommodations this far east – mostly industrial and local, so she booked you a room at the Sheraton Grand downtown, which is only a few kilometers south from our house as it is.”
Lan raises a brow at that, had he asked for a room for himself, no doubt Reo would have booked him the nearest cardboard box under a highway.
Saya was perfectly capable of paying her own way.. “Well, at least if we go out for food or drinks, I insist on at least that much, if you don't mind.”
Behind him, Reo's assistant pushes the door open to his office and bows slightly to her boss and his guests. “Tea is ready, if you'd like, sirs.”
Reo thanks her and nods to Saya, relenting as he holds his hands up from hers, ushering them through to his workplace - clean, impeccable, like Saya expected.