Hell's Kitchen: The Truth Behind the Papa Louie Universe

Chapter Four

"This isn't every day, is it?" Allan whispered uncomfortably, readjusting the microphone wire taped to his shoulder.

"Try not to mess with that, Allan," Simone called from across the room. It was another filming day, and everyone was tired and sluggish. Likely because it was Allan's first day on the job- not to mention the first day of Halloween celebrations- Papa Louie had called them early in the morning to announce they would be filming today. Good ol' Papa Louie and his ever-so-generous two-minute notice. 

"It's not, don't worry," Akari whispered back, eyeing Petrona, who was pacing around near the entrance to the shop, lamenting into her phone that Papa Louie was about ten minutes late. Her presence was still unsettling even when she wasn't a customer, but her fretfulness about Papa Louie's absence felt very human to Akari. In a way, it felt that much more strange. 

Petrona's normalcy somehow heightened the uncanny, eerieness that surrounded the Closers. Akari could feel that there was some distinction between Petrona the Closer and just Petrona, as if they were two separate entities- or, even more frighteningly, that they were. She felt in a way that she could not articulate that something was not right with Petrona, and the glimpse she'd seen into what was maybe the real version of her was only proof of that. Was Petrona possessed? By what? And was Akari the only one who felt this way? Was it all in her head? Was Allan's nervousness rooted in an uneasy feeling about Petrona that he couldn't describe? Or was it just nerves from the filming and new job and lack of sleep? She didn't know him well enough to ask... Was this all in her head? What did it mean if it was? Why then did Olivia seem to share her concern? Was it a concern for Akari's sanity? 

Akari was pulled from her spiraling thoughts as the door bell rang and Papa Louie entered the room, spreading his arms wide as if to give the room an unwelcomed hug. Petrona exclaimed in relief and the other four echoed monotone greetings.

"Should I start recording?" Didar asked, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.

"Not yet," Papa Louie waved dismissively, making a beeline for Allan, "Allan! Welcome to the family." They shook hands for a beat too long.

"So..." Allan said smiling widely and with enough insincerity to rival Papa's.

"Oh my," Papa Louie interrupted, "I forgot about that. Didar, could you order a flipper for Allan here?  That missing tooth isn't really the look we're going for here."

Didar and Allan spoke over each other.

"That... is not my job."

"Excuse me?"

Petrona, luckily, intervened. 

"There's no need for that. As executive producer," she emphasized, "I get to finalize decisions, Louie, and custom fake teeth are not something we ever discussed being necessary."

"Yes, but, you know, issues arise."

"Quite frankly, Louie, it's a bad idea. I thought you wanted the documentary to be "an authentic look at the inner workings of the Papa Louie brand"? Do you not think the audience will notice when one of the stars of the show's appearance has changed? Will they still think it's authentic after that?"

"Well, some things must be sacrificed... for aesthetic, and-"

"And, I'll remind you, that you are the one who hired him! For goodness sake, did you not think-"

"I hired him with the intention to correct the... issue." He gave another cheesy smile.

"You hired a well-known hockey star with the intention to correct a recognizable feature that anyone who watches him would instantly notice was missing."