Adventure! RPG - Farewells

[Rhiannon Lewis]

OOC: Again, this is set in the nebulous time between 'Magnolia Rain' and 'City of Thieves'.

The sound of shoes slapping against pavement echoed down the empty street, followed by a series of angry cries in Chinese. Two female figures dodged a hail of broken crockery and other urban debris as they dashed through the night's fog at a most unladylike pace. Their pursuers struggled to catch up to them, but fate intervened on their behalf as an automobile came around the corner, cutting off any hope of pursuit. By the time it had gone, the women were in what was defined as 'Li territory' in New York City's Chinatown.

"You're a bloody lunatic, you know that?" the taller of the women panted, leaning against the nearest wall.

"Not my fault that Fong Zhou was at the Red Phoenix," the other replied, fanning her face with one hand. "He's never gone there before."

"A lot of the Fongs are entertaining themselves there these days," the taller woman observed, letting her head slump back for a moment. She wore a cheongsam dress of pale green brocade embroidered with pastel blue and pink butterflies. She was barefoot, having lost her slippers somewhere during the run, and her pale skin was pearlescent in the dim glow of a nearby streetlight.

"You noticed too?"

"Bit hard to miss when they've all got those great beaky noses. What makes me worried is that the Red Phoenix is a Lu base of operations. I thought the Lis and the Fongs were allies?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that. Both of our clans recognised that the Lus were a threat because they were enslaving our relatives in China, but since the Emerald Moon were brought down, that has ceased. The Lus control smuggling and the Fongs the docks, so..."

"It's only natural they're talking. Does this mean trouble for the Lis?"

"I do not know. I think we need to tell Grandmother this, Qi-Hua."

"Point taken, Li Mei. Let's go before they get their courage up."

[Rhiannon Lewis]

"The Lus and the Fongs are talking to each other?" Li Mulan asked, raising both eyebrows as she cradled a cup of tea in her hands. All three women sat in what Rhia had taken to calling 'the parlour', even though it was more of a combination reception and throne room for the Li Tong matriarch. In a culture (like most) dominated by men, Li Mulan was unique in her control of the Chinese crime family's affairs in America, but as Rhia had reason to know, Li Mulan was a unique woman.

"Yes," Li Mei confirmed. The apple-cheeked young woman examined her ruined brocade slippers with a sigh. "I was..."

"Chasing after yet another young man," Li Mulan finished, disapproval heavy in her tone. Li Mei pretended intense interest in her slippers, but the tips of her ears were coloured pink in intense embarrassment.

Rhia was picking gravel from her bare feet, thinking some truly impressive curses in a mixture of Welsh and Cantonese towards the Lus. Her description was becoming fairly well-known in Chinatown, and not all of the slavers had been brought into police custody or... 'cleaned up' by the Lis and their allies. It appeared that she had acquired some enemies.

"This is not good news," Li Mulan finally said, setting down her teacup. "I think it is time for Qi-Hua to leave. She is too noticeable."

Rhia barely managed to keep her jaw from dropping in shock by gritting her teeth, but her eyes widened. She'd always expected to be sent on her way in due course, but not so soon or in such a cavalier manner!

"Yes, it is time... And for you to as well, Mei. Your life is also in danger from the Lus." Li Mulan regarded the stunned young women with typical Chinese serenity.

"Wh-where will I go, Grandmother?" Li Mei finally managed to ask in a trembling voice.

"Back to China if I could afford it, but since I cannot, out of town for a few months will have to suffice."

Rhia frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose it's about time I got a job," she observed with a sigh. "I've heard that there are several firms looking for secretaries..."

"King Industrial Steel is," Li Mulan confirmed. "It is based out of Baltimore as well, which should get you far away from the Lus for the time being."

"Do you want me to take Li Mei with me?"

Li Mulan looked thoughtful for a moment. "In due time. She still has obligations to her family." The old woman reached into the capacious sleeve of her golden robe and withdrew a round bronze disk hung on a black silk cord. "This signifies membership in the Li family, Qi-Hua, a great honour for one not of the Middle Kingdom. Your powers and the saving of Li Mei have warranted this, but it also carries obligations."

Rhia took the disk as it was handed to her, noting the characters for her Chinese name on one side and the double happiness character on the other. "What obligations?"

"For now, never to reveal our secrets and to take care of your fellow family members. In the future..." Li Mulan shrugged. "Even I cannot part the veils of time and see what else may be needed."

The old woman smiled unexpectedly. "You have been a proud and occasionally stubborn student, but you are not without promise, Qi-Hua. I hope one day that you find your destiny... or perhaps the Jade Flower Comb will find it for you."

"Thank you, honoured grandmother," Rhia replied with a deep kow-tow, making the old woman laugh quietly.

"Do not tempt my pride or the gods, Qi-Hua... You two should pack, because it is best if you leave tomorrow."

Both young women rose and obeyed the dismissal, the rest of their night spent in packing and farewells.

[Rhiannon Lewis]

"Leaving, eh?"

Detective Jonah Smythe rolled a cigarette and offered it to Rhiannon Lewis, who was dressed in a modest, old-fashioned grey blouse and brown skirt, her hair tucked into a bun that was held together with hairpins instead of her pretty jade comb.

"Yes," she replied, waving away the cigarette. Smythe put it in his mouth and lit it, wondering if Rhiannon was possessed of any normal feminine qualities. Her entire demeanour was one of cool, calm command, something that would likely get her in trouble with potential employers.

"So, what's gone wrong?" He hadn't been a police officer for ten years without developing an instinct for trouble.

"Oh, the Lus want my head on a platter and they're talking to the Fongs," Rhiannon replied lightly, with a wry laugh. "I guess they didn't take the Emerald Moon business too well."

"No, they didn't." Smythe puffed on his cigarette for a moment. "So, off to Baltimore, eh?"

"Yes. I'm on the train tonight."

Smythe actually cracked a smile. "Damn, I might actually miss you."

"Sentimentality from you?" Since the magnolia killer incident, Rhiannon had kept in touch, even if it couldn't even be called platonic. The woman didn't have a bit of passion in her body.

"What can I say? I like the cold ones."

Rhiannon arched an eyebrow. "I see. Pity I won't be staying around then, hmm?"

Smythe snorted. "Riiiight. I must admit that I will miss you."

"Funny enough, I'll miss you too."

[Rhiannon Lewis]

The train to Baltimore was about to leave. Rhia clutched her reticue, the only bag that hadn't been loaded by a couple of the burlier Li cousins, and stepped onto the carriage without a backwards glance.

Li Mei had left for Chicago earlier. Rhia supposed that she would be back in New York in a few months, working for her family once more. For all her faults, Li Mei was one of the best herbalists in the Li Tong, and Li Mulan wouldn't let a talent like that go to waste.

Jonah Smythe agreed to keep in contact with her. She couldn't say whether the man was in love with her, absolutely terrified of her or completely unable to understand her. Goddess knew he was one of the first men to respect her though, something that was a rather pleasant experience.

As the train took off, Rhia wondered how much more her life would change.