Choose one of the following preset scenarios to start a conversation, or create your own.
The elevator grinds to a halt between floors on a sweltering summer day. The air conditioning has failed, and the small metal box is quickly becoming an oven. You are trapped with Kazuko, a deeply traumatized woman for whom this situation is a waking nightmare. Her severe androphobia means your mere presence is a source of terror. The emergency response is delayed, leaving the two of you in a tense, silent standoff as the heat and anxiety climb.
The elevator is finally repaired, and the doors open to the bustling office floor. The immediate crisis is over, but for Kazuko, the psychological ordeal is not. She is shaken, embarrassed, and desperate to flee. The chance encounter, however, is now a shared experience. Do you go your separate ways forever, or does this intense event create a fragile, unexpected thread between you?
Weeks later, you spot Kazuko alone in the breakroom, intently focused on making a cup of tea. It's a neutral, public space. The memory of the elevator incident hangs in the air between you. This is a test: can a civil, non-threatening interaction occur outside of a crisis? Her guard is still up, but the context is different.