Chapter Text
Ever since she was a small child Rio had always known she was different. Everything was always a little bit too much or not enough for her. Books were boring, friends were unreliable and don’t even get her started on her brother.
When Rio realised she had an enhanced sense of taste she was twelve, although she did not know for many years later what to call it. Her mother had made them dinner, a new recipe she had found of chilli with dark chocolate in. It was said to enhance the flavour but young Rio found it utterly despicable. Chilli was one of her favourites and when she took her first spoonful, expecting a flavour medley of tomato and kidney beans but instead she just tasted bitter. No flavour, just bitterness. Rio pretended to enjoy it for her mother, but she very quietly got down from the table and went to the family computer and googled what was wrong with her.
Obviously the search engine did not come up with anything, she had not phrased it correctly and so she did not get her answer. Rio went through most of her school life avoiding certain foods because she thought she didn’t like them. It wasn’t until a few years later during a biology class that Rio was able to put a name to it.
They were in the middle of learning about the senses, this time was taste and the teacher had prepared a little experiment for the class to do on each other. They rinsed their mouth with blue food dye and made their tongues as dry as possible before placing a paper hole reinforcer on the area of the tongue where it wasn’t blue in order to count the papillae on their tongues. This would tell them what type of taster they were. Anything between 15-30 was a normal sense of taste.
Rio had 46.
Rio immediately went to the library after school and checked out a book on taste buds. She spent hours that night reading through it and understanding more about her gift. It’s like a piece of the puzzle had just slotted into place. She learnt that certain foods would indeed taste bitter and that she should avoid artificial sweeteners as they can have a metallic taste.
This was the start of Rio’s long journey into her current job as a Michelin Star Inspector.
She developed a new found passion for food, helping her mom to cook most nights of the week. Balancing out the favours with herbs and spices. Learning what vegetables she could turn into a dish she could stand the taste of and what ones were a lost cause (sorry broccoli).
After she left high school Rio enrolled in culinary school where she learnt all the techniques any chef would need. How to prep mise en place quickly and efficiently, ensuring everything was the same size and shape to ensure even cooking and that it actually presented well too. She learned how to filet, de-bone and even reshape various forms of meat and fish. Even ones she had never heard of before. She learnt how cooking things a certain way can really change the flavour and texture of the dish itself, cook it for too long and all the textures would be wrong.
After culinary school Rio moved to New York, the food scene there was something she had wanted to experience for years. She was a cook in a few diners and questionable kitchens for a while, putting her own twist on the dishes she served until she could get a shot at any of the big restaurants. Ones that people had to wait months to get a table at. Ones where the tables were small and the plates even smaller. Rio craved to be in a place like that. She had sent her resume in more times than she could count. She would walk past places like One White Street, Crown Shy or Corima. Even though they may not have been her style, she would rather change that than pass up an opportunity to chef in one of these places.
After a few years of bouncing around jobs, each making a connection with someone different in the hopes that she might get her crack at a proper kitchen, Rio finally found Courisimo.
Working in a slightly high end hotel kitchen meant Rio got to experiment with more things than ever before. She made a mango and chili ice cream that always sold out before 10pm, a strawberry and balsamic salad that usually got ordered because people wanted to try how gross it was before they realised Rio was an absolute genius and her salted apple caramel pie was something every staff member wanted to get their hands on.
When the new head chef at Courisimo stayed at that hotel and ordered room service Rio had sealed herself a shot at the dream she always wanted. The woman personally wanted to speak to the chef and offered Rio a spot on her new all female kitchen crew, a chance for Rio to change the game of cheffing. To be in an environment where she was not only respected but where she was free to create what she wanted, not to be bound by the rules some stupid chef previous to her had put in place just because ‘that’s what we’ve always done here’.
By the age of 25 Rio was a head chef.
By the age of 32 she was a Michelin star inspector, going wherever and whenever to the highest quality restaurants around the globe. Sometimes she didn’t have to go far, her home base being New York City meant that most of her work was considered local. It was on a whim that she applied, an impulse decision fuelled by tequila and a bad week at work. When the email arrived that she had an interview she was surprised but went anyway.
By the time she met Agatha she had been inspecting for three years.
It was a coincidence really that she met Agatha, Rio wouldn’t consider herself to be a lucky person, she would consider herself to be a person that always happened to be in the right place at the right time.
She was in the coffee shop working on her latest report because some idiot in the same apartment block as her decided that his spare room would be a great place to keep an obscene about of ants. He had tanks upon tanks of ants and when a bird got into his window and knocked them all over it caused utter carnage. The entire building had to be fumigated.
Rio had been staying in a hotel for weeks while the buildings manager and a very large team of fumigators worked their way through the building. She liked a hotel, after all when she traveled she had very specific requirements for concentration when it came to writing a detailed report, and this one had been missing the mark all week.
On Monday there had been a fire alarm test that ruined Rio’s word flow right in the middle of a critical section.
On Tuesday the maid had come in to start cleaning and turned her radio up so loud that Rio could hear it through her own noice cancelling headphones.
On Wednesday the couple in the room next door had been up to some very vigorous activities all day.
So by Thursday Rio was at her wits end. She gathered up her laptop and notebook and went in search of a quiet coffee shop to do her work in.
She stayed away from the big chains, they were less likely to let her camp out all day in the comfiest chair they had, and found a little place round by Central Park. Tucked away between a hole in the wall Mexican takeaway and a whole foods.
She walked in and was instantly met with the smell of coffee, freshly ground beans wizzing round the machine as the barista took her order. A simple cappuccino but with a little almond syrup. Rio had set up her table by the window so she could occasionally watch the world go by when she took a periodic eye break from her typing.
She had been there about four hours, gone through two more coffees and a pastry before her silent little bubble was interrupted.
“There you are doll I thought you’d gone home” a random woman kissed Rio on the cheek and whispered in her ear as she did “please just go with it and I’ll buy you a brownie” Rio was a sucker for a sweet treat, especially a brownie.
A brunette woman with the longest hair Rio had ever seen plonked herself down in the chair opposite Rio, a purple plaid shirt was tied around her waist. She thought the woman had even threaded it through the belt loops on her jeans to keep it from falling (Rio tucked this bit of information away for later to see if it actually worked). Her eyes were so blue Rio had to do a double take to see if they were real or contacts. The woman smirked when she caught Rio staring.
Rio looked around the shop to see no one looking at her or the other woman, just a few other customers sat at tables paying attention to their own coffee.
“Well I didn’t want to make you worry sweetheart” Rio finally responded to the woman, using a pet name considering she didn’t even know the woman’s real one. She wasn’t really sure the role she was meant to be playing, but for some unknown reason she went with it.
The woman was looking out of the window, squinting her eyes as she found whoever she was looking for. Rio resumed typing and was just acting normal, whatever she was meant to be acting as was unclear to her. Might as well just act normal, right?
“That fuck for that he’s gone” the woman sunk down into the comfort of her chair, crossing her legs as Rio looked at her with one eyebrow raised for an explanation.
“Are you going to explain or am I meant to fill in the blanks?” Rio asked the woman
“Oh right yes an explanation” the woman tucked a leg underneath herself and leant forward, enough for Rio to get a eyeful of the her tank top that was cut so much lower than should be acceptable for this cooler evening.
“I work at the high school the other side of the river and this asshole janitor Ralph has been asking me out for months, he’s just found out this’ll be my last year there and has really doubled down on his efforts. I was just in my classroom setting up before all the kiddos come back and look who was also there”
“Creepy Ralph?” Rio had closed her laptop now to pay full attention to the strangers story. She was starting to get annoyed for the woman and she didn’t even know her
“Bingo” the woman clicked and pointed a finger gun at Rio. She felt her stomach do a little swoop at the motion, how on earth did the woman make a stupid gesture like that so attractive.
“Anyways I was on my way to meet Jen and Alice when I spotted him on the subway. I got off there and surprise surprise so did he. So then I just ducked in here and found the hottest person with a spare seat” the woman smirked again and Rio couldn’t help but be drawn to her mouth.
“God why can’t guys take no for an answer” Rio rolled her eyes as she began packing away her things
“Beats me, I know I’m irresistible but the guys been trying for years. What do I have to do fuck a girl in front of him to get the message” the woman laughed and Rio’s eyes went wide, she cleared her throat and grabbed her bag gesturing to the door.
“Come on I’ll walk you to meet your friends” Rio smiled at the woman
“Don’t you have work to do?”
“I was nearly done, and anyway I can’t let you go out there with crazy Ralph whatshisface in the vicinity. Who even names their child Ralph anymore”
“It’s Bohner” rio coughed as she took in a breath but laughed at the same time
“I’m sorry?”
“His last name, it’s Bohner, Ralph Bohner”
“And I didn’t think the name could get any worse” Rio stood in front of the woman and held out her hand, gesturing for her to take it.
“Do you mind if I just use the bathroom first? I was meant to go before I left work but then you know” the woman gestured to outside, outside meaning Ralph.
“Of course, I’ll be outside”
Rio headed for the exit and breathed in the fresh evening air. Even thought the city was full of pollution and the air could never really be called fresh, when you lived there as long as Rio had, you became used to it. Rio grabbed her phone and scrolled through the DoorDash app, trying to decide on what to eat for dinner when she heard a russle and felt the woman’s presence behind her and then a hand on the small of her back.
“Ready?” Rio slid her phone into the pocket of her jacket, picked up her bag and smiled.
“Lead the way” she gestured to the nearly empty street and fell into a quick rhythm with the woman.
“Where are you meeting your friends? Jen and Alice right?” Rio asked as they stopped and waited at the crossing.
“Yep that’s them” the woman threaded her arm through the gap Rio’s arm had created from where her hand rested in jacket pocket like it was the most casual thing on earth. Rio had to give it to her, she had some guts
“Just at their apartment, they live on Sesame Street”
Rio snorted “you’re joking”
“Oh I wish I was, I got them a illustration of Bert and Ernie as lesbians for their moving in present”
Rio let out a cackle at this, her laugh bouncing down the street and echoing between the buildings. She was aware that they were close to their destination and found herself wishing that they had hours left together rather than minutes.
The woman’s arm was still threaded through hers, their shoulders occasionally grazing past each other as they walked.
“If they’re Bert and Ernie who does that make you?” Rio teased
“Jen calls me Oscar the grouch because I’m a bitch before I’ve had any coffee”
“Wow that’s a little harsh”
“Oh no it’s fully accurate, I’m a full bitch before I’ve had any coffee and then a medium bitch throughout the day” the woman slowed down outside of a block of apartments and released her hold on Rio.
“Thank you for walking me here” the woman smiled so hard the corners of her eyes crinkled.
“Well I couldn’t have an weird men with even weirder names following you on my watch” Rio fiddled with the zipper of her jacket before looking back at the woman again
“Speaking of names, I’m Rio” she held out her hand and the other woman took it. Her skin was soft and her hands were so much warmer than they should’ve been for this time of year
“Agatha”
“Much better than Oscar the grouch” Rio winked, causing Agatha to blush but she still held onto Rio’s hand
“I better go” she pointed her thumb backwards to the entrance “I’m already an hour late as it is” Agatha dropped Rio’s hand and headed towards the door, turning round and giving Rio a small wave
“Bye Rio”
“Te Veo Agatha”
When Rio got back to her hotel, having collected some dinner on the way home, she put her laptop bag on the bed and set her dinner out on the small desk. Although she often ate at high end restaurants sometimes she just couldn’t get over the craving for proper New York pizza. She went to get out her laptop when her hand clasped round a paper bag, she pulled it out and saw the logo of the coffee shop she was in earlier. Stapled to the top of the bag was a note
I am a woman of my word
Followed by a phone number. Rio smiled and looked in the bag, it was a brownie.
“That sneaky bitch” Rio sat down at the desk and typed the number into her phone and sending a quick text.
Rio
Thank you for the brownie
Rio put her phone down and began eating her pizza, She only had to wait a short while before her phone lit up with a storm of messages.
Agatha
You’re very welcome Rio
I don’t like to disappoint
Although I am now slightly overthinking and am hoping you are not in fact allergic to brownies
I wouldn’t want to be accused of trying to kill such a beautiful woman
Rio blushed as she read the messages from Agatha while eating her pizza. She wiped her hands and responded to Agatha.
Rio
I am a big fan of brownies, the doctors have confirmed no allergies but I do seem to be lacking in vitamin u
Rio watched as the three little bubbles appeared and disappeared numerous times on her screen, her mind spinning round and round.
Agatha
You look very smart Rio but there is no such thing as a vitamin u
OHHH
WAIT
Jen just told me what you meant
I’ve had some wine
Actually I’ve had a lot of wine
Well if the doctor is ordering it who am I to question
We should really get together as soon as possible, for your health
How does tomorrow evening sound?
Rio
I’m free all evening
Seeing as it’s for my health
Agatha
Perfect
Send me your address and I’ll pick you up at 5?
Rio bit her lip as she sent Agatha the address of the hotel, telling her she would meet her outside at 5pm sharp. She got into bed and looked at her conversation with Agatha.
It was crazy how her life could change in just a day. Her life would never be the same after Agatha.