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Somewhere in Tokyo a woman with a slight limp walks the bustling city streets dressed in a white and orange kimono and sandals following directions on her phone. The company had requested some promotional shots be taken, and in a decision that seemed orchestrated specifically to annoy her they'd chosen an inconvenient location and an even more inconvenient wardrobe for a shoot that was inconveniently close to showtime. Several people stopped to take photos with the strange white woman, at first she didn't mind as the people at least seemed to be polite, but after being referred to as "gaijin" for the umpteenth time her patience has run out and she found herself sternly declaring "iie" the second she noticed someone making eye contact with her.
At last she made it to her destination, an unassuming little store that barely anyone seemed to notice, she couldn't read the sign but the characters appeared to match what she was looking for. She slides open the rickety metal door and is greeted by an elderly man sitting on a stool behind the counter, he nods his head and the woman bows back.
>"Konnichiwa, namae wa Amy Atkinson desu."
The man grunts, stands up and walks back behind the curtain, what comes next is a loud back and forth argument between two male voices, one older the other much younger. She can't understand most of what's being said but she manages to pick up "Americajin", twice, which causes her left eye to twitch. Eventually the old man returns with a wooden crate and places it on the counter, then a younger man walks out from the back.
>"Good day Atkinson-san, I am Akira, my father cannot speak English but I will do my best."
>"Thankyou Akira, I believe we communicated through email. Do you have what I ordered?"
>"Ah, yes, exactly to your specification. Custom parts from my father and new HALCYON tech from me. Perfect combination. Tell me Atkinson-san, is this gift for your husband?"
Amy splutters.
>"Uh, no Akira. It's a gift for a friend."
