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[IC] Oriental Exchange


Rorx

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[1st July 2009, 12:00am]

Mike wandered into the Lotus Blossom about midnight, more research and work to be done, and with one of his cousins crashing in his room after pulling a late shift at his grandfathers restaurant, he came here to get things done several times a week. The forty seater main dining room was almost empty, just a few medical staff from the nearby New England Medical Center grabbing something for a break. Being mid-week the occassional club-goers that frequent the place at the weekends are absent - much to Mike's relief. Taking his usual spot near a powerpoint, he sat down and started setting up his laptop while he waited for the waitress to come over.

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Ayato wasn't particularly fond of chinese, but the sushi bar in town was just awful. So that's how he found himself outside the Lotus at midnight, greatful that they wre still open. Hemade his way inside and took a seat several tableas away from the other patrons, not wanting to crowd anyone and waited to be served.

He set the tripod carrier across one of the seats next to him hoping that for at least a little while he'd be able to relax.

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Mike looked up from ordering from his menu as the next customer came in, only to be met by the scent of cherry blossoms and the roaring of waves. Another Scion? That makes five I know of in town, and Nuri obviously knew of a number of others. Ok, so what could Cherry blossom mean, well it's not the CB, so I guess the Japanese pantheon? What the hell is he carrying a tripod around for at midnight? Either he is on a commission working late, or he is a tourist who seriously doesn't trust his hotel security. I guess I better introduce myself, as this is my home ground.

Quickly finishing his order he approaches the young man while the waitress takes his order to the kitchen. The scent of old paper and gentle sound of rustling silk proceeds him.

"Good evening, and welcome to Chinatown. I couldn't help noticing the camera gear, that looks a serious setup, are you a professional photographer by any chance? Oh, forgive me, I am called Mike"

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Ayato shakes his head. "Not really, just an Amateur who enjoys his hobbies enough to spend the money on good equipment."

The smell of old paper and silk assailed his nostrils as he identified Mike as a fellow Scion. "There are certainly alot of us in this town."

He chuckles. "There's no way it's coincidence."

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Mike nods, "Yeah something must be brewing, there was five of us in here the other week! Although thankfully nothing happend beyond a cryptic message being delivered by a messenger of the Fates. Anything caught your eye recently?"

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"There was a huge brawl at the Venus. Three trolls came in, we had at least six of us there. We took them all out, but not without some serious injuries and at least on fatality." His tone made it clear the Scions were generally fine, but that someone else had died.

"It started as such a nice night too. I think we've got just about every kind represented in this town, which is rare in and of itself."

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Mike pauses while the waitress comes and takes the Japanese Scion's order, adding a pot of Cold Tea to the order before she goes.

"Hmm, well the night I mentioned we had a Greek, a Voodoo, and I think it was a Celt represented. I only know of one other Bureaucrat myself, but the Greek said he knew quite a few others, both here and elsewhere. By the way, what should I call you?"

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"Well, not recently. Unless you count the rumours of someone trying to muscle in on the Triads. What little I've heard suggests it's either some of your countrymen, presumably the Yakuza, or perhaps the Koreans. Why, you fancy looking into it? It's possible they have some help, or a lot of people, given the foothold that I've heard they've got in only a week or so."

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"We can if you're up to it. I've really got nothing better to at this time of night." There was mischief in the young Scion's eyes, playing with Yakuza would be very risky if it were them, and his mother could pay the price.

"Best we find out who it is before we decide on a course of action. Hopefully it isn't the Yakuza, That would just be s cliched."

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Qiang stopped outside the restaurant and hesitated. He could see Mike sitting inside with another man, one who appeared Japanese and who had drawn the Scion's inspection as he smelled Cherry blossoms suddenly. He pushed up his sleeve and the tattoo on his arm seemed to roll its eyes at him. He frowned and pushed his sleeve down. With a sigh he walked into the restaurant.

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Mike looked up as the door to the restaurant opened, and a smile spread across his face, "Looks like someone else who might be at a loose end tonight."

He waves Qiang over and turns back to Ayato, "May I introduce an associate of mine who goes by the name Qiang. He is also affliated with the CB. Qiang, may I introduce Ayato, we were just discussing the rumours I've heard of some Koreans trying to take over some of the businesses in the area. I had also noted that someone said that one of the guys in charge was a big Japanese."

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Qiang took a spare chair and sat down, laying the book he was carrying in front of him. Bulfinch's Mythology, it sat like a joke between the three scions, a reminder of how the myths of old could change, grow, and sustain themselves over time; would any of these three children of the gods be featured in a book two thousand or more years hence?

Qiang inclined his head toward Ayato in lieu of a proper bow, "An honor to meet you." He considered the statement Mike made. After a few seconds he said, "Shall we three fix the problem?"

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"Well the only place I know of near here that is regularly frequented by Koreans is a Tae Kwon Do dojo, or whatever they call them, on the outskirts of Chinatown towards Boston University. I suppose we could swing by there and see what we could find our. Anyone got a car, or shall we walk?"

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Qiang shrugged his shoulders into a roll which drew a pop from his right side. "OK, if its only a few blocks I'd rather walk, it'll take less time than finding parking in this city, and we'll probably walk less." He stood and picked up the book with a sigh, "Just allow me to drop this at my car. It appears I won't get any further reading done tonight. I'll meet you outside." With that he was back out the door.

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After quickly finishing their food, the three Scions made their way through the late night Chinatown towards Melrose St.

"It's along here," said Mike as they turned the corner, "until a month or two ago it was an Akido place I believe, that's partly why I didn't pay much attention when it changed over to TKD or something like that."

The tall trees in some of the gardens along the street overshadow the one way road completely, but not in front of no.12. Like the others it appears to be a simple 2 storey house, but the label on the garden gate and visible on the door announces it to be The Li Han TKD Academy. All the lights are off at the front of the building.

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"Shouldn't we either come back during the day when we can talk to somebody, or arm ourselves better? This seems a rash and poorly thought out action." Qiang fingered the pendant at his throat, the focus of his magical power. "We need not attack this problem head on this very night."

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Mike nods in agreement, "Yeah I was thinking more of having a peek inside rather than going in mob handed. After all there is a faint chance that it's none of our business."

He looks along the street then up at the windows and the nearby trees.

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Mike looks from one to the other of his associates, "I'm open to suggestions. Nothing is set in stone. I guess we all have our own normal ways of working that may not match up."

As they talk a taxi pulls up in the road outside the house, and a group of three women get out of the car. They start heading towards the house.

"Come on you two, we are running late already. I don't want to upset the client before we even start."

Mike looks back to the street and seeing the women steps back and vanishes into the bushes and trees in the garden.

Click to reveal..

Dex + Stealth = 6 dice +[2]

(22:10:27) ChatBot: (Mike) rolls 6d10 and gets 10,6,5,6,2,8.

= 3 + [2] = 5 sux

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  • 2 weeks later...

Qiang also stepped back and the ladies passed up to the door without noticing them. They rang the door bell, and the door was opened in less than a minute, they were obvioiusly expected and led into the house without comment.

After a few minutes Mike stepped out of the concealing bushes, back onto the path and stalked down the path and started heading away down the sidewalk. Qiang and Ayato quickly joined him, and he commented to them, "I don't think we can really do a lot there tonight. You guys want to meet up about this tomorrow sometime."

Qiang shrugged, "Unfortunately I have business elsewhere, but please keep me posted." With that he broke off towards his car, leaving the others to return to the restaurant.

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Mike turned Qiang as he went to leave, "You going to be able to join us tomorrow?" Then glanced over to Ayato, "Yeah, I was going to head back to the same restaurant we started in, I left some stuff there and still need to try to get some work done tonight."

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Mike nods, "Yeah do we want to go for first thing or mid-morning? I guess it depends on how you guys can cope with burning the candle both ends to some degree. Personally I don't need to sleep as much as I used to."

It's around 1am by now, and the streets are pretty quiet.

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"Mid-morning would be better. It arrouses less suspicion, unless you can think of a good reason for us to all be out this way first thing."

"After they've opened up and gotten into the swing of things they'll be more guarded sure, but it would be easier to swallow."

"ANother question. Do either of you speak Korean?, I do not."

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Qiang shakes his head, "I do not, I am only just now becoming comfortable with English. However we do not know if that will pose a problem. We should try, and if an interpreter is needed we can, how is the saying?, cross that bridge when we come to it?"

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Mike joined in, "I believe he has at least some American students, so I'd be surprised if he doesn't speak at least some English, but you are correct, we may need someone to translate, especially if we can find some documents."

"Anyway, meet at the coffee place opposite the hospital at 10 tomorrow?"

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The three went their different ways.

In the morning Mike was the first to arrive at the cafe, getting there at about 9:30. He had set up his laptop and started looking up any available information about the dojo and it's leader by the time the others started to arrive.

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Mike spotted Qiang arriving just behind the Japanese man and waited for hiim to be seated aswell before answering. "It seems that the leader and the 2 topmen recently went to Japan for a tournament of some kind. In addition the purported philosophy of their style is very temperate. The visitors we saw arriving there last night clearly are counter to that."

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Qiang sat down, "OK, So we shouldn't go expecting a fight then? Or should we? I'm not sure I understand what you are saying?" He shrugged and rubbed his eyes. Lowering his voice he said, "Unless there is a corrupted scion or some titanspawn among them I do no think we have much to fear. I think we should simply go and speak with them."

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Ayato nods. "That's fine. How well can the two of you fight in the even we have to come up with something on the fly?"

He smiles. "I mean what's the reason we'ere going to tell them that we're going there for? Are we going there to learn, are we going there to offer services as teachers? Are we just curious?"

He holds up his camera. "We could be going there for some sort of Martial arts Journal, but we'd need to decide which one."

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