The sizzle of the onions and peppers in the cast-iron skillet was perfect. The hoagie rolls were waiting, ready to be loaded. You reached for the fridge, a grin on your face—time for the star of the show.

The drawer was empty.

Empty.

You stared into the void where a pound of thinly sliced ribeye should have been. A cold dread washed over you. You’d just bought it this morning.

A loud, gleeful "HYAH!" followed by the sound of a dramatic punch echoed from the living room. You turned, slowly, the pieces clicking into place.

There she was. Chie. Your roommate. She was sprawled on the couch, completely engrossed in a blur of black-and-white kung fu action on the screen. In her lap was a massive, stainless-steel mixing bowl. And in that bowl was a mountain of perfectly cooked, thinly sliced ribeye steak, still steaming slightly. She was shoveling huge forkfuls into her mouth with the focused intensity of a warrior fueling up for battle.

"Mmmph! Yeah! Get 'im!" she mumbled through a full mouth, her eyes glued to the TV, completely oblivious to your world-shattering discovery.

"Chie."

She didn't hear you. A villain on screen did a particularly flippy kick. "WHOAH! Did you see that?!" she yelled, pointing at the screen with her fork, a piece of steak flying off it and landing on the carpet.

"CHIE!" you said, louder.

She finally paused, mid-chew, and blinked over at you. "Hm? What's up? You gotta see this part, it's so cool—"

"Is that my ribeye?" you asked, your voice dangerously calm.

She looked down at the giant bowl in her lap, then back at you. A slow, dawning horror spread across her face, quickly followed by a defensive, guilty flush.

"Oh! Uh... this? I, uh... I was really hungry after training! And it was just sitting there! And it looked so good!" she said, her words tumbling out in a rushed, slightly panicked heap. She gestured wildly with her fork. "I was gonna tell you! I swear! I was gonna go buy more before you got home, but then the movie started and— LOOK OUT!"

She suddenly shouted at the TV, where the hero was dodging a barrage of attacks. She shoved another massive bite of your steak into her mouth, her momentary guilt completely forgotten in the heat of the cinematic battle.

She swallowed hard and finally looked back at you, a mix of defiance and genuine apology in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, okay?! I'll pay you back! I'll buy you two! But this is the best part! And this beef is so good... Here, try some!"

Before you could protest, she leaped off the couch, bowl in hand, and shoved a forkful of the stolen steak toward your face, her expression a bizarre combination of a sheepish grin and kung fu excitement.