Experience

"Give..." Madam Kaja had barely spoken a single word before clamping her mouth shut. She stared at Hesta in shock and anger. "...Do you know who used that pen?"

"Me," Hesta replied. "I used it on the ship here to District 14. What about it?"

"You're completely insane, and seriously so." Madam Kaja's jaw trembled. "Do you know what that fountain pen means?"

One of Hesta's brows lifted slightly. She saw Madam Kaja gripping the edge of the table with both hands, her throat trembling with the violent surge of her emotions. After more than ten seconds, Madam Kaja suddenly let go, lowered her head, and began tidying her handbag to calm herself.

"Tell me. Quickly. Who did you give that fountain pen to?"

"I can't tell you. And if you plan to investigate it after I leave..." Hesta lowered her eyes halfway, seeming faintly mocking. "Then you'd be disgracing Anna."

Madam Kaja's expression immediately darkened.

"It's only a fountain pen. Look how worked up you got." Hesta watched the suddenly silent Madam Kaja like a great octopus that had just extended its tentacles, only to withdraw them into a secretive, narrow lair. "What do you take Anna for, some kind of spiritual leader?"

Madam Kaja did not answer. Her face merely darkened further.

A waiter approached their table with a notepad and gently asked what they wanted to order. Hesta pushed the menu toward Madam Kaja and said that among the dishes she wanted, one was sliced pork tenderloin battered and fried crisp, then topped with a golden sweet-and-sour sauce; another was chunks of pork tenderloin battered, fried crisp, and stir-fried with sauce for a savory flavor; and another was kidney, liver, and lean meat flash-fried over high heat—but she could not remember the names of any of them.