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Bloody Idols

Chapter One

Starring Jonni Chan, Jet Lian, and Dave-Claude Van Damme

Produced by Kali Woo

Another Run Run Shoo Production


    The scene opens in the Dojo: an airy, open room with mats on the floor. At one side are the requisite furnishings for a school of martial arts -- the lovingly-calligraphed scroll and the photo of the martial school's founder. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he looks wizened, calm, and alert; much like Sifu Lau.

Sifu Lau is a tiny, ancient man with a faintly quizzical expression. Seated serenely before two of his students, his eyes are sharp and alive as one hand slowly strokes his long white mustache and beard. Next to him sits an uncomfortable looking middle-aged man in a suit, who has an unfortunate tendency to fidget. He has a small photograph clenched in one hand.

Everyone is invited to seat themselves before the Sifu. A lower ranked student brings in tea, pours, serves everyone, then discreetly withdraws. The Sifu has a quiet, appreciative sip of tea, then sighs softly and sets down his teacup when the man next to him coughs a few times. He folds his hands into his wide sleeves and murmurs calm introductions to the group. The students know each other: Rain and Xing both have trained here for several years. The middle-aged man is introduced as Mr. Fan, whom Sifu would like them to help if possible, as Mr. Fan is an old friend of one of Sifu's sons.

Xing is seated comfortably and patiently, knowing that this has got to be unusual enough. "We'd be honored to help an old friend of Sifu's family."

    Xing An Ying stands at five feet ten inches, and is of light build. He is slightly pale, with hair of jet black silk that reaches down to his waist. His eyes are a nice shade of violet with blue flecks within them. His well-crafted features belie a Mainland heritage. He wears a high-collared white shirt -- the kind that buttons without a tie -- and a finely-tailored black suit.

Rain kowtows and nods once, curtly. He does not know what influence the Sifu possesses, or how he came to know Rain's clan, but Rain's orders from Xiao Chu are very clear in this -- whatever the Sifu wishes, Rain is to help make happen.

    A pleasant, if nondescript, young man of about five and a half feet, with honey-colored skin and a ruff of stiff, black hair in a spiky shag that's been dyed maroon, as is fashionable at the moment. Wearing black, thick-soled skateboard shoes, loose-fitting cargos of the same color, and a gray t-shirt, he is just another small figure in a sea of small, dark figures on the island.

Mr. Fan starts speaking immediately, in a tight, nervous voice, "It's my daughter, Soo-niang. She's a nice girl, you know, she wouldn't make us worry! She's in university, the one next to Harcourt Gardens, by Causeway Bay, and she's not called home for a day now. She always calls, every morning!" Bitterly he adds, "The police say they can't start looking until at least 24 hours have passed." He hands the photograph to Rain, who is closest to him, adding a bit despairingly, "Who knows what could happen to my little Soo by then?"

Rain takes the picture, and although he sighs inwardly he carefully makes certain it does not show. He scrutinizes the picture carefully, memorizing as much of it as possible, before handing it to Xing. "You wish us to check on her, then?"

The photograph shows two women sitting together and caught in an unreserved moment, laughing. One of them is an older lady, the other a girl of perhaps 17 to 19 years of age. She appears shyly reserved even when caught unwittingly, her long, shining, dark hair falling forward to screen her face slightly. Perhaps unaware of the camera, she's not leaned her head far enough forward for her hair to fall over a wide, messy scar that extends down the left hand side of her face. Aside from that, she's a rather attractive girl -- but it's obvious she's keenly aware of the disfiguring scar.

Mr. Fan nods, swallowing hard and obviously close to tears with worry. At the Sifu's graceful gesture, he has a sip of tea to compose himself, then murmurs a bit huskily, "Yes, please."

Xing arches a brow slightly as he leans over to look at the photo. He thinks the man is overreacting a little. But if nothing else, he's certainly willing to go and check on the lady in... whoa. The very lovely lady in question. The scar is noticeable, and in many places of Hong Kong that would call for a huge dowry. But Xing has never been one to hold physical elements such as that against anyone. He mentally shakes himself, and gets his mind on track. This is a favor for Sifu; he'd never even dream of dishonoring his teacher, though he had no dishonorable intent towards the girl as it is. He never does. Besides, this means at least one good thing: Road trip. He glances to Rain at the question, then nods to Mr. Fan.

Rain nods, settling back on his heels. "We will go at once, then." Mentally he reviews the face, what he knows of the place, and tries to build up a mental map of the surrounding area. Surely she's just discovering parties or something else simple. Perhaps she just forgot. But... his is not to question. His is but to go and do and not be seen. If all his jobs for Xiao Chu were only so simple... "Can you tell us in which dormitory she stays?"

"Yes, yes, certainly!" Mr. Fan gives a small folder of papers to Rain, "Here are directions to her dormitory building, a letter of introduction to her roommate, and her class schedule as well, and several other notes my wife thought you might find helpful." Mr. Fan watches the two young men look in the folder, quietly and unwittingly wringing his hands together.

Rain carefully tries to conceal his surprise. This is... a lot of documentation for a 24-hour lapse in communication. Perhaps she's worth a bit more than we are being told... Rain hates to think of himself as paranoid, but something does not seem right about this arrangement.

Xing is also surprised; he hasn't heard of things like this being done for any college student. Then again, he's never heard of a college student, even ones from strictly traditional families, calling home every morning. He balances the need to know more to better evaluate the odds, and the risk of it insulting Sifu's friend.

Rain says, "I think this is everything I will need, sir. Thank you."

Xing nods. "We will go immediately, then." The Sifu nods his head once in courteous dismissal to his students, while the harried looking Mr. Fan repeatedly bows and murmurs breathlessly relieved thanks.

Rain hands the manila envelope to Xing as they leave the dojo. He does not smile. "Does this strike you as unusual at all? An entire file folder based on 24 hours absence? For an interestingly-scarred but otherwise unremarkable, as far as we know, college student?"

Xing takes the folder, tucking it under his arm. "Aside from her being very attractive... her family would have to be so strictly conservative that they would hardly have let her go to college as it was. Still, I know this college; it's a private woman's school. Her family could be incredibly worried about her well-being, though she'd hardly be in a safer place."

Rain says, "All right then."

Xing says, "Right. We'll take my car."

The public road system of Hong Kong is legendary for its speed and comfort. Soon the twosome is parking on Causeway Bay, and then it's a short walk through the very warm summer evening towards the University. Xing leaves his coat in the car. It's not late enough to wear it and look stylish, after all. A light breeze off the bay is all that prevents it from becoming unpleasantly warm. Following the directions given to them by Mr. Fan, they are soon at the appropriate dorm building.

Xing pauses in front of the building. "Well. We ask for her first, then if she isn't in we ask for her roommate and present the letter?"

Rain looks up at the building, and reflexively the ones across from it as well, looking for means of alternate ingress and egress, or possibly just a better vantage point. "All right. You do the talking." Rain's tone leaves it unclear if that's a suggestion or just a general observation. Xing inclines his head, grinning, and knocks lightly upon the doorknocker.

When the door opens, a pleasant middle-aged woman gives them both a mildly dubious look, then inquires politely as to their business here? Xing puts on his most pleasant smile. "Good afternoon, ma'am. We've been asked by Fan Soo-niang's father to check on his daughter. We have a letter of introduction from him to her roommate, Miss Lucy Peng."

The dorm chaperone scrutinizes the letter, then invites the two men in for a seat in the commons room -- strange men are certainly not allowed to roam about randomly in this building! Xing inclines his head in a bow. "Thank you, ma'am, that will be perfectly fine."

Miss Peng turns out to be a slightly plump young woman who also looks to be about 18 years of age. She, however, does not look happy at all. If anything, she has a rather wide-eyed, haunted look about her, like a cute-but-trapped bunny. When she enters the pleasant commons room where Rain and Xing were asked to wait, she peers uncertainly at them from behind large glasses. "Hello, Mr.'s...?"

Rain nods politely, "My name is Xiao."

Xing lets his smile disappear, and instead looks pleasantly concerned. "Good afternoon, Ms. Peng. And my name is... Xing An Ying." Saying that one of them was named simply 'Xiao' and the other simply 'Xing' is something out of a bad gangster blood opera. Peng might not be too amused, considering how she is now. "We are here at the request of Soo-niang's father, to inquire after his daughter." He offers the letter to Lucy.

Miss Peng looks uncertainly between the two men, then opens the letter of introduction and reads it. Then... she bursts into tears.

Rain blinks. Well done, ladies' man. "Ms. Peng? Are you all right? May we ask what's the matter?"

Xing blinks in surprise. This isn't supposed to happen. Experience takes over. "Miss Peng... please... sit down. It's all right. Is there anything we can do for you?" He offers her his handkerchief.

Another young woman, passing by in the hallway, rushes in and glares at the two men, "What are you doing?!" She urges Miss Peng to sit in a chair, also offering her a hankie as she kneels next to the sobbing girl, "Lucy, Lucy, are you all right?"

Miss Peng unwittingly takes Rain's hankie, sobbing into it for a few moments before she pulls herself together. Hiccupping slightly and dabbing her eyes, she looks up at the others, "I saw her ghost -- Susie's dead!"

The second girl blinks at the reply, then stares up at Xing with wide eyes, "Oh... poor Susie... I saw her too, drifting down the hallway, and Grace felt a cold breeze, like the hand of death!"

Rain blinks. He feels his stomach turn slightly. So much for simplicity. "When... when was this?"

Both girls answer at once, in nervous chatter, "Last night!" "Early early this morning!"

Rain says, "All right... can you tell me, where the last time you saw her? Er, the real her, that is." He assiduously avoids saying 'when she was alive,' determined not to buy into the supernatural theory... yet.

Both girls answer together again, Lucy wringing the hankie and the other girl still half-hugging Lucy, "Yesterday after dinner, during study time!" "At dinner; she was so happy!"

Rain nods. "Where did she go after that, do you know?"

Xing looks helplessly to the young woman. "I'm sorry, we were just sent by Soo-niang's father..." He blinks and lets the knight ask questions; as soon as the girl said 'ghost' it went a bit beyond what he knows about. Though if she really is a ghost, that would wrap up more than a few bets he has running. "Did she say anything at all, anything unusual or to give a suggestion of something amiss?"

"It was her lover!" "Yes, the secret admirer -- the one with the letters!" "Yes, in the box -- it's red and embroidered!" "Lucy told me all about it!" "Yes, it had to be him!" At that, both girls wail together, and Lucy starts crying again.

Xing offers another handkerchief to the second girl, and glances to Rain. Maybe she was eloping last night? "I'm sorry, what was that about... her admirer?"

Rain says, "Ah, I don't wish to make this more difficult for you both, but could you show us this box you mentioned?"

Xing gently places his hands on the girls' shoulders. "It's all right, ladies. There, there... just breathe in and relax, and take your time. There is no rush."

Miss Peng seems almost relieved at Xing's and the other girl's reaction, in that she manages to pull herself together again. The other girl is also dabbing at her eyes with Xing's other hankie as Miss Peng manages to choke out, "She r-read the latest letter last n-night after dinner -- they always make her so happy! B-b-but... but this time she got so pale... I asked her what was wrong, but she wouldn't say anything! She just said sh-she had to go out at once -- during study hour!"

Rain says, "Xing, why don't you speak further with Ms. Peng's friend and give them both some time to collect themselves. I can go with Ms. Peng and find this box. It won't serve anything to further agitate everyone." He glances around, "Or to make an even bigger scene..." He sighs a little. This is definitely outside the scope of his normal duties.

The other girl gives Rain a wide-eyed look, and she and Lucy grab each other in a tighter hug, "W-we want to stay to-g-gether!" Miss Peng breathes, "W-what if -- if her ghost is vindictive!?"

Rain blinks, then looks at Xing. "Er... all right. We can wait, then. Take your time... we won't go anywhere until you feel ready." Hysterical women and hungry ghosts. I hate my job.

Xing says gently, "That is very odd," though he does not really know if going out at study hour is odd or not. He guesses it's extremely odd. "That's all right, you don't have to separate at all; don't worry." He smiles gently. "I doubt, with friends as good as you two, that her ghost would be vindictive towards you. Please, though, it would help us in finding out more about what happened to her if we could see the letter." He pauses. "And if there's anything at all that we can do for you..."

Both girls give Xing wide-eyed stares. Then Lucy says timidly, "If... if you took the b-box... m-maybe that'd help you put her spirit to rest? That is what you want to do, right? You two aren't evil, are you?"

Xing blinks, then shakes his head. "We are not, we assure you. We were asked to come here because Soo-niang's father is friends with the son of our sifu. That is, we're not evil, I mean."

Rain says, "We'll do whatever's necessary to help Susie, I promise. You have my word on it."

The two girls are silent for a moment, glancing between the two men... then the other girl murmurs, "They'll get the person responsible, Lucy!" Lucy nods, determination blooming on her face, "Yes... the least we can do is help them, to help poor Susie!" She stands up abruptly, although she doesn't let the other girl's hand go, "Come, I'll show you the box. It's in her desk!" A bit more nervously she adds, "Gracie, can I sleep in your room tonight...?" The other girl nods emphatically as they head for the stairs, still tightly holding hands, with a nervous glance over their shoulders to make sure they're being followed.

Rain finds himself mentally reviewing his clan obligation as he follows, and for once wishing that he had a contract in writing. He's sure this is outside the scope of Sulsa activity. Respect your elders, Rain, respect your elders...

Xing swallows, then smiles quietly, gently squeezing their shoulders. "Thank you, ladies. We will do our best, I promise, and we will let you know what happens."

Other girls start peeping from doorways as the two men are escorted the length of the hallway to Lucy's room, and there's a small, excited undercurrent of murmuring, although no one's left their rooms yet. At the very end of the hallway Lucy Peng takes a deep breath, then nods firmly, "Here... this is our room." She pulls a key out of her pocket and goes to unlock one of the doors, the other girl reassuringly close behind her.

Lucy starts to pull the door open, "It was in here, by the-" As she's speaking, she's looking at the little group behind her. It's the other girl's gasp which causes her to freeze and jerk back around -- then scream loudly and violently slam the door! For a fraction of a second before the door slams, the two men behind the young women can see clearly a slender, pale female figure jerk upright in startlement... and the wide, old scar smeared down the right side of her face.

After that is mayhem, of course... the other girl faints on Rain, Lucy almost climbs Xing in terror, and every girl on the floor rushes out in a babbling roar of concern.

Rain catches the fainting roommate, and sets her gently on the ground. "Xing," he grates quietly, "Cover me; I have to get that box. Leave if you have to; I'll meet you outside, all right?"

Xing blinks in startlement, trying to look around the frantically climbing Lucy. "It's all right! It's all right, don't worry! Rain! Did you see...?" he nods quickly, and continues trying to soothe Lucy, keeping his eyes fixed on Rain.

The girls slowly calm down, the babble dying out as they all stare nervously at the two men. From behind Xing a small hand stretches out, and a tiny, terrified voice stutters, "Th-thank you, honorable s-s-sirs!" In the hand is a room key, with a 'Hello, Kitty!' tag dangling from it.

Xing swallows, and gingerly takes the key. "Don't worry, it'll be all right..." He passes the key over to Rain, glancing down the hall and hoping the dorm monitor doesn't come to start throwing gentlemen out.

Rain looks to either side of the hallway at the wall of frantic co-eds, then grabs the door handle. "I'll be... right back." He bites his lip, then murmurs a quick, "Amida have mercy on me," ...just in case. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, reaching down to touch the Tao and invoke his talent for dark-sight, before stepping into the room.

All the girls are more than willing to back away behind the two men as the door opens... but from that location of relative safety they crowd forward, almost pushing the two into the doorway with their nervous curiosity.

Both men hear a door slam deeper within the suite. By the open front door, in the dimness of the front room, Rain can see a desk with all the top drawers yanked violently out. A few individual pieces of typing paper are still drifting gently to the ground. Rain bolts through the kitchenette in pursuit of the sound; then pulls up short to see three identical doors. Oh... I don't have time for this!

Xing erks! -as he gets half-shoved into the room by the girls. He's certain this is breaking the dorm rules to have a gentleman in the room! But before he can complain, he notices something: there's a pretty smell of lavender water. It's a very pleasant scent, but Lucy most certainly does not use it. He can tell; she almost climbed atop him. He guesses that Soo-niang did... and he doesn't recall ghosts leaving scents...

Rain pulls open the first door -- bedroom, stuffed animals, posters of some generic Taiwanese pop star. He tries the next: the bathroom. The third is another bedroom. He finds, to his annoyance, three MORE doors in the bathroom. Okay... this isn't funny anymore. He holds still, listening for any sign of flight, or a window, cloth moving... something. He presses himself into a darker corner as he does so, knowing that his prey won't have the advantage of perfect clarity of vision in the dark.

Xing gently nudges Lucy, looking into the desk. "Lucy... is that one of the letters Soo-niang had gotten?" He doesn't want a dorm full of nervous and irate ladies thinking he's some sort of pervert -- that would be extremely bad, if unutterably humorous to others.

In the second bedroom Rain realizes he can hear soft sounds from outside, as well as from the frightened girls in the hallway. The curtains by the open window billow gently in the slight breeze, and the large branches outside shift gently. Rain tchs -- the window! He bolts to the open window and peers out into the night, hoping he'll be able to catch sight of his prey from the window's higher vantage.

Rain hasn't screamed, nor have there been any other supernatural manifestations... Lucy peers cautiously around Xing, then reaches to flick on the light. At the sight of the mess she wails, darting in to stand and look around in dismay, "Oh, what a mess -- Susie will be so upset!" She blinks, realizing what she said -- then starts crying again. A few of the other girls cautiously crowd in as well, most going to hold Lucy, a few crying in sympathy as well.

Xing blinks, but fortunately does not go into 'helpless male mode.' He hasn't done that in quite some time. He kneels beside Lucy, gently taking her hand and hoping Rain can find something soon. "It's all right, Lucy. Shhh, don't cry; it's all right..." He doesn't mention the lavender water scent. The way they are now, they would attribute it to Soo-niang's ghost passing through."

Rain growls quietly to himself, "Jie ba!" He thumps the window-sash with the heel of his hand. Nothing outside but empty courtyard. "Wasn't fast enough..." He turns and heads back to find Xing. Then he pauses, once, and looks around in the middle of the room. "Excuse me," he says quietly before making a quick exit. "Pardon my language." Just in case.

Rain scratches the back of his head, letting the chi drain from him as he crosses through the kitchenette back to the common area. He blinks a few times, making sure that his dark-sight is faded before stepping into the light... wouldn't do for someone to notice his eyes were black and glittering. It would probably provoke a fatal stampede. He shakes his head as he steps out of the darkened kitchenette into the light, "They got away. Looks like they took the window... got away with the letters too, by the look of it." He says lamely, "Sorry, Ms. Peng. I wasn't quite fast enough."

Lucy and the other girls finally stop just crying. Instead, still sniffling, they start cleaning up the small flurry of papers, quietly murmuring to each other in order to sort out the pages. Lucy smiles a bit tearfully at Xing, "Thank you for helping. Please-" She blinks, turning to look at Rain... then worriedly looking back at Xing, "You are still going to help Susie, yes?"

Xing nods firmly. "We hope to, yes. If I may ask... is there anything you can tell us about her admirer? You never met him, I take it, but how did Soo-niang speak of him?"

"Um..." Lucy pauses in thought, then smiles shyly, "She never did... but a roommate knows, you know? She treasured the letters, each and every one! Kept them in the little red brocade box, and sometimes took them out to re-read them." She adds with such avid curiosity that both men realize -- she's probably telling the truth! "I never got to see them, although I always wanted to... but she made me promise not to look."

The other girl gently lays the small stack of papers on the desk, then looks at the two men and says puzzledly, "What will you do now, if the box is gone? Does that mean Susie's ghost is settled now?"

Xing smiles as Lucy does, and nods. "He sounds very special to her." He considers for a moment, then says, "Well. If it's gone, then her ghost probably is settled. Her father will want to know more, though," and he looks to Rain, "so I guess our work has really just begun."

Rain kneels down near the pile of papers, "Well... it seems that at least one escaped. Do you mind if we take this one, Ms. Peng? I promise to return it to the others."

Lucy is slowly and sadly shutting the desk drawers. She looks at the letter Rain is indicating. "Oh, look -- that must be the latest one!" She picks it up, studying it... then nods firmly to Rain, "Yes, if this will help poor Susie, you must have it." She holds it out to him, her lips quivering and tears welling up in her eyes, "P-please... please help her!"

Rain takes the letter and nods. "We'll do whatever we have to, Miss."

One of the other girls, both more nervous and more pragmatic, says, "Hey... are you exorcists? How do we contact you if Susie's restless spirit turns up again?"

Rain nods Xing toward the door. "Won't be necessary, ma'am; we'll make sure she gets the rest she deserves."

Xing thinks Rain's explanation is enough. "We will take care of it." He pauses at the door, and bows politely. "Good evening to you, ladies."

The girls look a bit confused, but remain silent, some still clinging to each other. They watch as the two men leave, and the other girl murmurs, "Come stay the night in my room, Lucy, all right?"

The two men return to the car, where they examine the lavender envelope. It's nice, quality paper, addressed in attractive calligraphy to Susie Fan at the dormitory, and has been carefully opened. There's a folded piece of paper of the same color and quality, inside.

Rain says, "You know..." He frowns. "Far be it from me to be anything less than progressive... but why is this paper purple? It's... not the most masculine color for a man to send his girl."

"Hold on." Xing reaches over, taking the letter, and sniffing it a little. "Lavender," he murmurs. "This was sent by a girl. Or at least it's unlikely to have been sent by a guy."

The letter unfolds easily, and is short: 'My dearest sister Susie, I am sorry to report I shall not be able to meet with you after work tonight as we'd planned. I fear something has happened to Kai, so I am going to go into hiding for a bit. Kai was very secretive two days ago, and would not tell me anything, and now he has gone missing, they tell me. Please do not turn up around Nine Flowers, as I do not wish anyone to mistake you for me. I will contact you as soon as this silliness is sorted out. Do not worry; all will be well. Your devoted Yu-soo.'

Rain says, "I've never heard of Nine Flowers. I suppose I could ask around, though."

Xing passes the letter back to Rain. "I've never heard of it, either. This wasn't sent by a guy. This would explain why she didn't want her roommate to know about this. I smelled lavender in the dorm room, as well, shortly after we went in. If this Yu-soo prefers a lavender theme, then it may have been a gift to Soo-niang." He taps his chin. "This bit with Kai concerns me... as does this: 'I do not want anyone to mistake you for me.'"

Rain folds his arms. "Wait. Wait a moment. I do know a Kai that hangs around the Floating Gardens. A union boss... one of the crooked ones. And I know his girlfriend!" He sits up, "Shit, Xing, get us on the freeway, and take us back past Xiao Chu; I need to pick up my kit. I just realized where I've seen that face before. His girlfriend looks exactly like her... without the scar."

Xing nods, "That doesn't sound good." He jams the coupe into gear and peels out, bounding onto the freeway.


Xing doesn't quite break any speed laws. Breaking the speed limit on the freeway is, like many other things, a gamble, taking the chances that the police haven't put their speed traps in different places. He slows down when approaching the places he's sure the speed traps are, accelerating smoothly again to get them to Xiao Chu. Once there, they pick up Rain's kit, then speed off again, at a more sedate pace as they near their destination, for the Floating Gardens.

Rain's "kit," as he calls it, is a small black duffel bag (ominous in its heft), a light black hooded jacket, and a long narrow strip of black silk. As they drive he removes a few things from the bag and starts settling them about his person; a small roll of black nylon, a brace of small balanced knives, and a small black handgun. Xing glances over as he tears the car below an overpass. "I hope you packed duct tape."

Rain doesn't look up from where he's securing the throwing knives under his sleeves. "It's in there."

    The Floating Gardens are in full swing at this hour; long, wide boats are anchored side by side at the end of a graceful bridge shimmering with a rainbow of decorations. The boats are strung with garlands of shining colored silk lanterns and glittering streamers that wave gently in the light breeze. Chattering young girls in lovely silken dresses call and wave to passersby, enticing them to come and partake.

Xing lets out a breath, smiling a little as he looks around. "Ah. haven't been here in a long time." His smile evaporates as he looks to Rain. "What's the plan?"

Rain scans the glittering line of boats. "Let's look for Nine Flowers. Our boy floats around here; we'll just have to start with a known location."

Xing nods, "All right. I haven't been here in a while. Nine Flowers must be relatively new."

Rain rolls his shoulders a little. "Tense. I haven't walked into a Triad scene by the front door in..." He thinks about that. "Well, ever."

The car is parked, and the two men stroll along the dock, looking for a boat named "Nine Flowers," but don't see one. On the other hand, on one of the boats there's a delighted squeal, "Oooh! An, sweetheart, is that you?! Have you come back to your little Peach Blossom?!"

Rain looks skeptically at Xing. "Peach Blossom?"

A girl is enthusiastically waving her silken handkerchief, leaning over the railing, "Yoo hooo!"

Xing walks with Rain through the array of brightly colored boats. "The Tong are all right, as long as you deal straight with them. And avoid drawing any hidden cards; that makes them nervous." His expression brightens. "Long story," he mutters to Rain. Louder, "Hello, Peach Blossom! I'm afraid not tonight, dear. Just showing a friend some of the most lovely sights of Hong Kong, and so very glad that you could oblige!"

The girl giggles, coyly half-covering her face for a moment with the handkerchief, then grins, "The show's due to start in about five minutes -- bring your cute young friend with you -- Anemone's not busy yet!" A few passersby grin at the girl's enthusiasm, glancing between the men and her.

Rain is struck by the sheer immaturity of the thought that passes through his head: My mom's gonna kill me.

Xing smiles. "Oh, wonderful! Thank you, Peach Blossom, we'll try to make it." He murmurs to Rain, so as not to be overheard. "We'll be able to see Grandmother there, and ask her if she's heard of the 'Nine Flowers.'"

Rain looks up at the boat again, skeptically. "You do the talking, Xing. This is definitely not my element."

Xing nods pleasantly. "Quite all right, Rain. Just at least look like you're having a good time, keep your hands to yourself, and be respectful -- in other words, simply don't be any different than you are anywhere else. And it will go perfectly well."

Peach Blossom, and another girl who is introduced as Anemone, are delighted to see the gentlemen board the boat, and flutter happily around the two, chattering excitedly about how lovely the show will be -- Anemone is dancing! Anemone lightly runs her fan over Rain's arms, her dark eyes bright with coy mischief, "Do you like dancing, pretty gentleman?"

The corner of Rain's eye twitches faintly. Someone has just grabbed a handful of his ass. It is not proper, he reminds himself, for a Hwarang Knight of the Night to flip the hell out -- especially not in front of all these women. But he wants to. Oh, does he want to. He bows politely to Anemone and smiles as best he can, "I'm sure it will be a lovely show."

Peach Blossom, who turns out to be a pretty Korean girl, has looped her arms through Xing's, enthusiastically urging him to the central cabin, which is pleasantly lit and full of gentlemen in expensive silk suits and lovely girls dressed in an array of bright, flower-like colors.

A stout older woman appears, smiling and bowing to the two gentlemen, "Ah, honorable sirs! Welcome, welcome to our humble abode; please, enter, enter! It's such a pleasure to see you again, honorable sir. Will you have tea? Something stronger?" Anemone behaves in a far more decorous fashion while the Grandmother is around, smiling shyly from behind her fan at Rain. Her dark hair shines with reflected colors from the silk lanterns, as does her lovely embroidered white silk robe.

Xing is not planning on spending time with anyone here this evening, as pleasant as the company is. He is, so to speak, 'on duty.' He would not skimp on making an offerarium to Grandmother, however, for the time of her and her ladies, since he knows how much the Tongs charge. He smiles widely. "Hello, Grandmother, it is very good to see you again! Tea is perfectly fine for the both of us." He doubts very much that Rain would want anything stronger.

Rain smiles politely, all the while thinking to himself, Remember: you are a Knight. You are also probably not getting paid enough to afford it. And your mom will freak out.

The two gentlemen are escorted into the main cabin, settled comfortably on cushions, and tea is poured for them. Peach Blossom whispers coquettishly in Xing's ear as she pours, "You've been gone for so long... I thought you'd forgotten me!"

Xing smiles warmly to her. "I hadn't, not once. I'm sorry I haven't been back."

Anemone has a tendency to let her slender fingers trail along Rain's as she serves the tea... and a disconcertingly knowing sideways smile. Rain wonders casually if he's starting to sweat. He hasn't been with a Korean girl since he came to the island, and it's making him want to climb the wall.

Anemone giggles softly -- a lovely, teasing, liquid trill of notes -- as she settles down next to Rain, one graceful hand lingering on his arm, "What's your name, pretty gentleman?"

Rain finds himself mentally working through the spiel; it's important to work into the first thirty seconds of the conversation that he is: a patriot ('That's right, honey, Kuk Sool Won practitioner for 22 years!'), sensitive, a good listener, a good feeler of their pain, and that he has no socially-transmitted diseases. And then he realizes how stupid he's being. "Rain," he says quietly, "Rain Xiao."

Anemone oohs quietly, "I know your type... you're the strong, silent type, right? Mmm..." She glances up at him from under lowered, lovely dark eyelashes, "Do you rescue damsels in distress, handsome?"

Rain smiles politely, "I don't know... I've never had to before. I suppose I could try anything once." He realizes with a sudden cold sweat in the small of his back, that he's carrying a tightly bound roll of nylon in his pocket. That is going to be really hard to explain.

Peach Blossom brightens at Xing's reply, her eyes sparkling, "Oh, you're so sweet! Did you bring me anything?" She settles next to Xing, then holds up the scented silken handkerchief and coos happily, "See? I still use the one you gave me."

Xing smiles. As it happens, he does occasionally carry some of the small, red envelopes. Even if he isn't planning on spending time with anyone, it's just polite, for their time. And considering how hard it is to scrape together enough to pay off the Tongs, he tries to include some more. "Well, certainly, of course..."

Anemone's dark eyes widen attractively at Rain's answer, and she leans against him as lightly as her namesake -- giving a distracting view down her front. Peach Blossom ooh!s happily at the proffered gift, and she tucks the little red envelope away into her silken dress at the same time as she breathes a soft, "Thank you, honorable An!" She smiles up at him... then glances around -- then leans to whisper softly to him, "You always were a gentleman... why are you really here, sweetheart?" A little sadly she adds, "A smart girl can tell. You feel... different now. You're not really here to see me, are you?" When she straightens again, she's smiling politely and properly, and murmurs, "More tea?"

Xing smiles, also a little sadly to Peach Blossom. "And you are smart, and always have been. No... I'm sorry, we aren't. In fact, we aren't here to see anyone." More seriously, dropping his voice and gently touching her hand, he says, "We've been asked to do a favor for a friend. That's why we're here at the Floating Gardens at all." Inspiration takes him. "Have you heard of the Nine Flowers?"

Anemone runs her fingernails discreetly -- and startlingly! -- along one of Rain's thighs, out of view below the low table. She purrs softly, from where she's leaning against Rain's shoulder, "Do you like me, handsome gentleman? You're Korean too, aren't you? Do you like Korean girls?"

Rain opens his mouth to answer; nothing comes out for a moment. That was not the lock picks. He opts to just smile in what he hopes is a demure way. "Uhm... of course... I, ah, haven't seen too many since I got here."

Anemone giggles softly, and her hidden fingernails trace shockingly up his thigh this time... slowly and... is she going to ever stop?! She purrs softly, "Mmmaybe you should relax and spend more time with some nice Korean girls, mmmm?"

Rain uhms, then smiles politely as he can. "Mmm... ah. I'd love to," he sighs, "I really would." Well, he thinks, So much for worrying about someone finding the gun!

Peach Blossom nods as she's setting the re-filled little tea cup in front of Xing, and her voice is quietly neutral again, "Yes, honored An. It's the brand new casino in the Exaltation Hotel, on Causeway Bay." She tilts her head to look at him and smiles inscrutably, although again her voice is a touch sad... or perhaps just resigned, "You are perhaps infatuated with one of the dealer girls there?"

Xing smiles warmly and gently -- and hopefully reassuringly -- to Peach Blossom. "No. In fact I've never been there, or heard of it before tonight. It is as I've said. We are doing a favor for a friend."

Peach Blossom smiles and nods, settling back and fanning herself quietly. Anemone glances around surreptitiously -- then tilts her head back to whisper, "Pick me then, pretty gentleman!" The soft whisper is followed instantly by a sharp, startling nip on his earlobe -- and then she's decorously fanning herself next to him, glancing casually around the room.

Rain makes a very soft noise in the back of his throat. It sounds suspiciously like eep.

Peach Blossom glances with quiet amusement at Rain and Anemone... then looks back at Xing. Her murmur is quiet, "The show will start any minute, honored An. If you wish to leave, now would be best... not during the show?"

Xing considers, then nods quietly. "You're right. We'll see Grandmother on our way out." And besides, he reasons, it wouldn't be nice to Rain to see him squirm. "Thank you, Peach Blossom. We would stay... except we have this duty... and I imagine I wouldn't hear the end of it from the family of my friend here." He bows his head to her. "It has been a long time, but I hope another time, soon...'

Rain winces, and whispers to Anemone, "I'll come back... I've got a favor I have to do for someone." He smiles apologetically. "Family obligation... tradition, you know."

Anemone pouts prettily, "You're leaving?! But the show hasn't even started yet -- don't you want to see me dance?" She smiles coquettishly up at Rain from under those astonishingly thick, lovely lashes again... does she lean like that deliberately, or is that breathtaking view totally accidental?

Rain winces again. Five thousand years of Hwarang Knights are glaring over his shoulder -- he can feel it. Somehow he suspects at least half of them are wondering why he didn't bring his wallet. He smiles sadly, "I really do," not voicing the corollary, God do I want to, "But I really do have to do this thing. I'll come back, though, promise."

Anemone tilts her head, considering Rain... then smiles inscrutably and gently runs her fan along his arm, "When you return, I'll... dance... just for you, pretty gentleman." She draws the word 'dance' out into a world of implied meaning.

Rain smiles wanly, "Sounds good to me." At the moment, though, he's contemplating the inevitable dance he's going to be doing under a cold shower.

Peach Blossom smiles beautifully, her face half hidden behind her fan and one hand extended for Xing. She doesn't look surprised... just sighs softly, then murmurs quietly just to Xing, "I shall count the days, lovely An." The girl pauses, then draws a small spray of peach blossoms from her lovely, coifed dark hair, offering them silently to Xing with hopeful eyes.

Xing smiles. "As will I. And I won't want to count too high." He pauses, a little surprised at the offer of the blossoms, then smiles and gently accepts them. "I promise," he adds softly. A promise to return before they die. Well... it has been a great long while since I've been here... and so help me, Peach Blossom is a joy to just spend time with. Of course, it does not occur to him that he might die before they do. Of course not.

Peach Blossom's eyes light up with happiness as Xing accepts her small gift, and the implied promise he's made. When she settles back she no longer looks sad.

The Grandmother, however, who seems to have teleported to their side, is all solicitous inquiries. Are the girls not behaving? Are they not to the gentlemen's pleasure? Is there anything else the gentlemen would prefer to drink? Surely they are not leaving just before the show starts?

Rain stands up -- very slowly -- and winces. He's going to have to walk... very carefully out of here. Xing reassures Grandmother that Peach Blossom and Anemone were perfectly wonderful, and the only reason they have to go is because of obligations. He gives Grandmother a discreet offerarium, though, if for no other reason than to help pay off the tongs' latest exorbitant pay schedule.

The Grandmother, who seems to be preparing to cause a bit of a polite scene, is utterly taken aback at the offering. A discreet glance at what she's been handed -- and she's all smiles again, bowing and hoping the gentlemen will return soon, please have a wonderful night, fortune follow them!

Xing walks with Rain back to the car, politely not making any comment. "So," he finally says as they reach the coupe. "The casino?"

Rain sits down -- very carefully -- in the passenger side of the car, and says tersely, "Yes, please."

Xing nods, trying hard not to smile as he slips into the driver's seat. The faint scent of peach blossoms wafts gently through the car, mingling pleasantly with the previous lavender water. "Don't worry. For what it's worth, I think we'll both be very much 'out of the mood' when we get to the casino." He tucks the blossoms very gently into his shirt pocket, ensuring they will not get out at all. As he starts the car and sends it off into the street, he asks, "Are you thinking the same thing I am -- that Soo-niang is most assuredly not dead?"

Rain shakes his head. "It looks like someone did a very messy job, and didn't do their homework on their target. Mistaken identity? Hard to miss with that scar, though. The Triads'll contract to anyone these days, I guess."

Xing glances over at Rain for a moment as the coupe hits the freeway. "You think... wait. You think someone did kill Soo-niang? -and that was her ghost we saw at her dorm?"

Rain says, "I don't know about ghosts, Xing, but I do know that someone took great pains to make sure nobody found out who that secret admirer was after she disappeared. Someone doesn't want to leave a paper trail." He adds for emphasis, "Someone that could outrun me in the dark."

Xing says, "Well, that I'll agree with." He turns his attention back fully to the road. "And I've seen you run in the dark, you are good at that. Right, then. What are we looking for when we get there? The letter said Kai was missing."

Rain says, "We'll find out where he likes to hang out besides Nine Flowers... and ask about his new girlfriend. If someone tries to kill us for asking questions... well, then. We'll know we're on the right track."

Xing shakes his head. "Well, let's see that it doesn't come to that, all right?" He pushes the coupe into higher gear, and sends it streaking towards the Exaltation Hotel.

The hotel is elegant and gracious. The casino is, in a word, the 'happening' place. Rain sighs again, looking up at the brightly lit structure. I hate going in by the front door. This whole thing just isn't my style.

    Nine Flowers Casino is fast, loud, beautiful, glittering, colorful, exciting -- all the necessary elements to most smoothly separate the breathlessly foolish and hopeful from their money. In the purple-and-gold carpeted main floor is the endless chatter and rumble of roulette wheels and craps tables, with a huge multi-layered fountain plashing and sparkling in the center of the room. Thick golden pillars with esoteric calligraphy hold up the second floor balcony, which looks down onto the main floor and hosts padded purple chairs clustered around dignified, black enamel tables where expressionlessly bored, beautiful young men and women endlessly shuffle and deal cards with blurringly fast hands. Above that is the third floor, also a balcony so the gamblers below can be curiously watched, where expensive drinks can be bought. The crowd is reflective of the atmosphere -- expensive, stylish, exotic, heated, and perilously fast.

Xing is rather surprised. Granted, he hasn't gone out to the casinos in about a week, but he felt sure he would have heard about this place before. Someone has been holding out on him... probably 'Five Aces' Liao. Wanted to make sure that there's one place where he can go to avoid Xing winning his pants out from under him.

Rain gets a long, even stare from the bouncers... but since he's with Xing, who obviously belongs here, no questions are asked. All are welcome... all with money to spend, at least. Rain slips his hands into his pockets, looking around. More money than he's used to, and a little too bright and loud for his tastes. He scratches the back of his head. Apparently the staff agrees. "All right then, let's do this thing."

Xing nods, "Let's. Now, where to begin..." A place like this, barely a month or two old... it's uncomfortable; he has no contacts here. "Let me know if there's someone you recognize and we can approach."

Rain nods. "We'll start with Kai." He gives Xing a brief description of the union boss. "Ask around. He's shady; he takes a lot of bribes. So choose your targets accordingly."

Xing looks around, then nods. "First... a drink. Let's go to the bar. The bartender might know." Better to not try to show up the dealer over there, no matter that he could deal better than... how odd. He frowns. She looks like she's been crying. Belatedly he notices there are only two men at her table. Why has she been crying, though? He firms his resolve; he does not take advantage of anyone while gambling. Ever. At least not that way. "Rain," he murmurs, discretely pointing out the dealer. "Keep an eye on her while we're at the bar, will you? I've got a funny feeling."

Rain nods. "All right. Something else is bound to go wrong..."

Xing smiles. "Try not to be so negative! Things will only go wrong if we let them." He neglects to mention how easy and inadvertent that could be. Instead, he orders a drink from the bartender, politely asking her how long the casino has been in operation, since he hasn't been here before.

Rain orders a tequila and soda; a typically 'macho' drink that one puts a napkin over and bangs against the bar to make fizzy before drinking. He watches the dealer in the bar's mirror as he knocks back his shot, frowning a little. Not at the tequila, which is pretty good, surprisingly, but at the girl's condition. Her customers seem a little hacked off...

Xing chats with the bartender, who thinks he's cute -- he knows what that slight widening of the eyes, and ready smile means, especially when coupled with her hanging around with him as much as she can while working. After a bit he smiles at her and asks, "Say, I knew a friend of a friend who goes to casinos like this; have you seen him?" He describes Kai.

The bartender laughs, "Ah, you're too late -- he was here all the time for Wi-" she pauses, the levity abruptly leaving her face, "...low... down..." She falls silent... then gives him a brittle smile, "Hey, be right back -- got another customer." She hastens down the bar to another gentleman. Rain has a soda chaser for his drink, and continues to watch the girl behind him in the bar.

The girl at the table Rain's watching fumbles some cards, then hastily starts apologizing and collecting them up again. One of the gentlemen gets a disgusted look, flipping his cards down and rising, which causes the girl to get a slightly frantic tone. The other man looks up at the gentleman, then at the girl, and sighs, murmuring something quiet to her, which causes her to stop apologizing and just collect the cards, sniffling quietly.

Xing blinks. I never got that before. Not unless I'd just... asked the wrong questions. Which, sadly enough, means not nearly enough in this case. He nods a little, and turns to the Hwarang knight. "Rain?"

The first man scoops up his chips and stalks off with a silent, indignant demeanor. The second shakes his head, sliding a chip to the girl before he also leaves. She accepts the chip silently, her eyes downcast. Rain sets his drink down on the bar, and stands up, smoothing out his clothes, "Yeah, Xing? Make it quick, I think our moment is arrived."

The bartender returns, then sighs, looking at the girl over their heads. "Poor girl. She was Willow Down's best friend."

Xing says, "Funny you say that." He glances over at the girl, then back to the bartender. "I'm sorry, Willow Down?" Then it hits him: 'Willow Down' might just be the working name for Yu-soo. Things just got complicated.

Rain looks over his shoulder. "I think I'm gonna go shoot some cards, Xing."

The bartender nods, polishing a glass so she looks busy, "Yup. Kai's newest. Uh... was, that is. Word on the street is Djang got her. Blew half her face away, on her way home last night." She glances at the two men, then adds casually, "Or so they say..." The bartender adds bitterly, "Vicious bastard. She was a nice girl... really a nice girl, you know what I mean?" She sighs, putting the glass down and wanders off to another customer.

Rain pats Xing's shoulder, "I'll meet you. Finish your drink, hey?" He pads off toward the card tables.

Xing nods, "Sure thing. I may join you in a bit. Good luck." Yes; good luck in not having beginner's luck and wiping out the house. He nods slowly at the bartender's words, taking a sip of his drink. She moves off before he can make any reply, filing away information. The words 'half her face' hooks up with the image of Soo-niang's scar. But if the bartender is right, then Yu-soo/Willow Down was killed just the previous night. 'Or so they say.' Which tells him she's being careful about what she's saying. Which tells him this Djang is nearby -- Rain might know more about who or what Djang is. Which tells him... they are in the lion's den.

The downcast girl is rubbing her eyes as Rain walks up, and she starts a bit, straightening as he arrives, "Hello, honored sir! Ah, a game of baccarat?"

Rain sidles up to the table, coming up out of habit from just outside the dealer's line of sight. He slides onto one of the stools. "Sure. Let's play." The girl gives him a slightly puzzled look at his mode of approach, but doesn't hesitate to pull out a fresh pack of cards. The ritualized game begins again. Rain slides a few chips onto the felt, murmuring, "You don't seem like you're having too lively a night. Bad day?" He adds, "Player."

The girl's short, bright smile at Rain is as brittle as her facade, and disappears quickly as she deals. She doesn't answer, carefully concentrating on the game, giving the stylized responses almost automatically.

Rain smiles, a little crookedly and whispers, "You're tense. But... it's okay. Someone who gambles as badly as I do can't get hired as a ringer." He grins from under his brows at her in what he hopes is a convincingly friendly way. Internally, however, the wheels are spinning. Djang is a loser; a cheap wannabe that styles himself a hitman... but he's messy and loud, and doesn't deserve to rank among real professionals. Djang wants to know about killing, he's going to find out. The Knights will make him pay in blood.

The girl starts again, going pale, and once again the cards spill out of her fingers. She gives Rain a desperate look, then simply doggedly starts collecting up the cards again. Tears are silently running down her face. Across the room, one of the enforcer types straightens from where he's been leaning against a pillar, and starts heading towards the table, a stern look on his face.

Rain sighs a little, inwardly, and mentally picks out five or six convincing lies to use. If it comes to a fight, well... at least he'll have tried the easy way. "Why don't you deal us another hand, Miss?" He adds in a soft murmur, "I want to help you, all right? Just keep dealing. It's going to be all right."

The girl nods (perhaps a bit unbelievingly) at Rain's words, still looking down, and carefully starts dealing again. Her hands aren't as fast as the other dealers', but she's not fumbling the cards either this time.

Rain nods, "Good." He says, at normal volume for the benefit of eavesdroppers, "Player, again. I'll push my luck this time." He slides a few more chips across the felt, and murmurs, "I want you to listen carefully, and don't drop the cards this time. I'm here about Willow Down. I'm here to make things right. Do you understand?"

The girl's hands slow... then slowly start flipping out cards again. She's taking slow, deep breaths as she deals, focusing determinedly on just getting the cards laid out without fumbling again.

Rain nods softly, "Good... good." He continues, "I'll play for as long as I can... we should talk someplace else, though. I need to know what happened." He smiles again and raises his head, speaking again for the benefit of listening ears, "When does your shift end?"

Xing picks out the enforcer moving towards the group, and does a quick calculation. Having a second player at the table will keep the enforcer from interrupting, but won't likely help the girl's flusteredness. He sets his drink down and leaves a decent tip -- he knows money doesn't buy happiness, but sometimes it's the only symbol available to express appreciation -- if only subtly.

He moves to intercept the enforcer. "Excuse me, sir," he says quietly, knowing this is a huge risk. "I am given to understand this has been a rough day for that dealer. Might it be possible to come to an arrangement whereby she might continue working here? The night is nearly over, after all, and I'm sure she'll be fine on the morrow. See? She's getting better now as it is..."

The enforcer gives Xing a frankly incredulous glance -- then blinks and looks again, his gaze taking in the well-dressed gentleman. He bows politely, "But of course, honored sir. Doubtless she is a... friend. We would not want your stay here to be less than perfect." He withdraws discreetly. Xing knows he's bought the girl a little breathing space... but if it lasts is up to her.

Xing bows his head politely to the enforcer, and thanks him. I just hope I haven't bought her that breathing room based on soiling her reputation. He wonders if he can take up that second position beside Rain, to keep the girl's table occupied and keep the pace slow and easy, just in case some fast-paced high-roller wants to show up and flusters her even more. He gets some chips from the cashier, then makes his way to the table, taking his time but moving fairly quick if he spots anyone zeroing in on the baccarat table.

The girl glances timidly sideways at Rain, then goes back to running the baccarat game. Her soft voice whispers a time, even as her hand tilts her cards to carefully inspect them. A moment later she whispers, "Please... I don't know anything, honored sir. I have told the police nothing. Please don't kill me." She falls silent at Xing's approach.

Xing says pleasantly and slowly, "Hello, Rain. Please, take your time, I'll wait until the next hand." He tries to give off an air of relaxed, slow-paced casualness, as if there's nothing but time in the world, and he has infinite patience besides, and that everything really is all right.

Rain shakes his head. "Not like that," he says, "Nobody wants to hurt you. We're here for her sake. For her family's sake. We want to know who, and why... or as much as you know... so we can punish the ones that did this. This is about honor, not about Triad money." He smiles, "Consider me an angel, okay? Furious angels on behalf of someone who can't speak for herself."

The girl just keeps quietly playing the game, dealing out cards as requested until it ends. Chips are moved around, and Rain is dealt in. As she deals the second time, the girl murmurs, "Word on the street is Djang killed her because they can't find Kai Mao, who is courting her... the entire left side of her f-face..." She falls silent, tears running down her face again, and it takes her a few moments to add, "...b-but that's all I know. I don't even know who 'they' are -- just that Kai gave her something to keep for him before he vanished, and boasted of how he'd dress her like an empress. Poor Willow Down!" She continues to whisper in a choked voice, "Her... her spirit is restless -- she wants vengeance, I know! I saw her ghost!"

Rain murmurs softly, "Do you know where we might find Kai Mao? Or where to start looking?"

"No, not really. He hung out at the docks, I know." A bit angrily she adds, "I don't know what she saw in him -- crass Korean!"

Xing stifles a start. More ghosts. But then... Soo-niang's scar. Suddenly the relationship between Soo-niang and Yu-soo is a lot more complicated, and he's almost ashamed to immediately believe they were lovers. They might yet be... but for now it's more complex than that. Soo-niang with her scar would look much like a ghost, he imagines, a ghost of someone who'd been shot in the face. And whatever it was that Kai gave Yu-soo... may very well have fallen into Soo-niang's hands. No wonder Soo-niang's hiding. She's terrified whomever killed Yu-soo will think they botched the job and will kill Soo-niang.

It's a faint prickling across the back of the shoulders... like the cool hand of the dead touching the back of their necks... the two men both look up and see, across the casino, the enforcer talking to other enforcers. One of them nods, speaking into a headset. Then they all look over at once at Rain and Xing... then start heading that way with a determined look to them.

Looking around, it's obvious the clientele and most of the employees haven't even realized what's happening yet... but to those who know how to see, there's a slow-building group of dark-suited men, all heading discreetly this way. Xing nods slowly and stands, sliding several chips over to the girl. "Thank you for a lovely game, ma'am. And do not worry. She will find rest." Both of them. "Rain... time to go. Or at least try to."

Rain remains impassive at the slight on Koreans, but sighs quietly. "It seems this game's over with. You won't see us again, Miss... but just so you know; she'll have the vengeance she wants. Promise." He sighs again, adding, "You may want to take cover."

The girl gives the two a startled look, "I... the game is not finished, honored...?" She pauses as realization hits her, and looks around... then sighs and murmurs, "Forgive me, please..." She straightens, her face getting angry, and says in a loud voice, "What is this?! You are trying to bribe me?!"

Rain smiles a little, looking down at the ground as he stands. "Now, now... miss... let's not get too hasty." His hand tightens into a fist... he's been dying to do something about this since he came in here. He turns and drives his fist at the solar plexus of the closest enforcer. "Now we make haste."

Xing blinks in surprise, and his gut reaction is to protest his innocence. Even as he does so, however, he realizes: she's simply protecting herself. She doesn't know why the enforcers are closing in. He rolls his eyes a little at Rain's punch. "Subtle! I like that!"

Rain doesn't wait even a moment; as soon as the guard doubles over, he bolts. He growls, "Idiot! She was stalling to give us an opening! Now run!"

Xing runs along with Rain to the exit. "Remind me to explain what was going on back there sometime! 'Idiot,' indeed! For now... Looks like we're going to get in some practice of what sifu's been teaching us..." Rain smiles. He dearly hopes so. It'll be the first good thing to happen all night.

The girl cries out in startlement at the suddenness of Rain's movement, falling back off her stool -- and into the arms of one of the enforcers, who tosses her casually to the side to follow. The gambling clientele look up in mild startlement as shouting breaks out. Enforcers appear at doorways, talking urgently into headsets.

It takes only seconds for the twosome to realize -- they're (in effect) surrounded. The original enforcer smiles nastily at Xing, then with exaggerated politeness gestures to the stairs to the first floor, "Perhaps the infamous Mr. Xing and his companion would care to step downstairs, to speak with the Grandfather?"

next




Last modified: 2003-Oct-05 20:53:06

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