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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ForceUser" data-source="post: 267130" data-attributes="member: 2785">Session One, Part 7THREE FORTNIGHTS after Tran and Lei left Thang Long, they returned with their charges. Tam had traveled extensively in his youth and had been to the capitol before, but the sprawl of buildings and throngs of people bustling through the narrow streets awed newcomers Woo, Vinh, and Hien. The city was built like a wagon wheel; the streets were the spokes, with the various districts arranged in-between, and in the center of the wheel the majestic towers of the Imperial Palace beckoned. The Palace was colossal; a city in its own right, and it towered over all other structures in the capitol. Large stone statues of warriors and armies adorned its red-bricked pagodas, and quartered atop the central spire, four magical beasts faced the four cardinal directions: a dragon to the north, a tortoise to the east, a unicorn to the south, and a phoenix to the west. All were made of bronze and gilded in gold, and one or two could always be seen from practically anywhere in the city. At the pinnacle of the central spire, a large multifaceted gemstone sparkled, refracting the sun’s light and sending streaks of rainbow colors across a few of Thang Long’s districts. Tran pointed at the gem. “That’s the Eye of August Heaven. It’s to remind us of our common heritage. The first Ly emperor had it placed there as a symbol of our freedom from Xiao rule. In all the years since, the gem has never been stolen or vandalized, not even when the Cham conquered the city a decade ago. It is said that the Eye is warded with powerful magic.” Tran turned his horse down a side street and the others followed. He led them to a nameless little inn where they stabled their horses and rented rooms. Hien blessed the hostel at the innkeeper’s request, and noted that the hearth spirit there seemed content, if that’s what the little gurgling and cooing noises meant. He could hear spirits when they chose to reveal themselves to him, but he had yet to find the Sight that allowed him to gaze across the planar boundary to the Spirit World. He felt he was close to unlocking that secret, however. Tran announced that he would head to the Market District to contact Yao Ren Phai’s moneylender there, ostensibly to notify the sorcerer of their return, but also to draw silver to pay the Emperor’s newest retainers. Lei accompanied him. The others relaxed in the mid-afternoon heat and settled into their rooms. Tran and Lei returned shortly before dusk and stunned the others by handing them each a pouch containing several hundred silver taels. He then informed them that he and Lei had one last person to pick up, and that she lived here in Thang Long. They would rendezvous with her at midnight in the Docks District. That raised some eyebrows.“The docks are a dangerous place at night, Tran,” Tam drawled. “We should all go.”“Unfortunately, the agreement explicitly calls for only me and Lei here to go to the meeting. We need this person, according to Yao Ren Phai, so I’m going to have to follow instructions.”  Tran sighed. “Sounds suspicious,” said Woo. Vinh nodded.  “Don’t worry master, I’ll be watchful,” assured Lei. “Let’s get some rest before we leave.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Le Thi Mai adjusted the front of her dress, smoothing it down across her stomach. She was a slim young woman with large almond eyes and a short, athletic figure. She wore a dazzling red ao dai with green trim, and her hair perched atop her head in a seductive tumble, artfully arranged. She walked up a winding path between lush tropical plants, looking ahead at the illuminated estate of Binh Ny Phoung, the wealthy spice merchant who had neglected to pay for protection this month. As she closed on the gates, being careful to keep her stride measured like a lady, she once again reviewed her plan. Two guards stood at the gate. As she approached, one nudged the other and they laughed bawdily. Despite the fact that she could see the cretins mentally undressing her, Mai smiled demurely as she approached, and bowed low.“So he’s got another one, has he? Master Binh is a virile man!” said one guard.“You’re the sixth this week!” said the other. “Maybe master Binh should cut down on the shark fin soup! It’s turning him into an animal!” Both guards laughed uproariously.Calling upon all her discipline, training, and resolve, Mai didn’t draw the dagger strapped to the inside of her thigh and puncture the bastard’s kidney. Instead, she smiled sweetly and said, “Let me in. The sooner your master is finished with me, the sooner I can come back to visit you.” To accentuate the unspoken promise, she put a hand on her hip and leaned forward a little. There wasn’t much there, but it was enough to manipulate this cretin. Face flushed, he grinned and fumbled with the latch on the gate before pushing it open and standing back. She patted his cheek as she walked in, and could feel their gazes follow her all the way up the path to the manor. When the old housekeeper let her in the house, she knocked him out and stuffed him in a closet. Ten minutes later, she was over the back wall and gone. Binh Ny Phoung never even knew he’d had a visitor until several hours had passed. Frustrated after having rang for the damn servant too many times, he stormed through his sitting room looking for the lazy geezer, but was brought up short when he discovered that in place of his treasured Ming vase was a note. Perplexed, he waddled over, picked it up, and read: “Payment accepted, with interest.”Outside, the two lecherous guards tore through the gates and up the path, rushing toward the manor and drawing their weapons. From inside, a piercing, feminine wail wafted out of the house, accompanied by the sounds of cursing and things breaking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Mai tossed the vase to her mentor. “Whoa, careful!” he laughed. Dang Van Bay was a stout, middle-aged man with dark skin, graying hair and a wide smile. He was friendly and warm, with merry eyes and a renowned soft spot for orphans. He was known about town as “The Laughing Thief,” and his head was worth ten thousand taels to the City Defense Force. He was worth ten times that to the giang ju underworld. Bay had found Mai on the streets of Thang Long at the age of twelve, and had taken her knack for pilfering and turned it into a career.He examined the vase as she stepped behind a partition and stripped out of the ridiculous dress. “Nice!” he exclaimed. “How much do you think it’s worth?”“Mai pulled on the trousers of her most comfortable ao dai and said, “You old goat, you know exactly how much we can get for it!”“Irrelevant.” He grinned. “When you present this to the Father, you’ll need to know for yourself.”Mai finished dressing and stepped out, brushing her hair. “Me? I thought I was in now. This was the final test, right?”“You have to present it yourself and stand for final consideration. If the vase is worth at least 500 taels, you’ve covered your entry fee.” Bay continued as Mai groaned, “Hey, you’ve come this far! You’re practically family now. Just one more thing you need to do.” He held the vase out to her. She took it and sighed. Bay grabbed her leaf hat and plopped it on her head. “Come on, oh seductress. He said to bring you by tonight.”Mai stuck her tongue out at him.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Father of the local giang ju family was an expansive, corpulent man, adored with jeweled rings, earrings, and fine silk clothing. He sat on a plush raised divan strewn with pillows and held a pair of silver leashes in his left hand. On the other end of the leashes sat a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man. Concubines. The Father, she had been told, was not choosy about his lovers. He gestured vaguely at Mai with his right hand, apparently an indication to approach the divan. Dangerous-looking men and women stood back to let her pass. There were about twenty rogues in attendance, all more experienced than Mai. She knew some of them personally, others only by reputation. Vit the arsonist. Hin Cho, the enforcer. Tien Thi Ang, the woman called the Black Mantis. Thi Ang smiled at her, but it was a feral gesture with no warmth in it. Mai shuddered.“Tell us, tell us what you have done.” The Father gestured again. Mai recounted the events leading up to her theft of the vase, including her initial plans and how she executed them. She stuttered a bit, but finished gamely. Bay stood off to her side, but his expression was oddly noncommittal.  “I see, I see.” Said the fat man. “And how much is the vase worth?”Mai had calculated that on her way over. Confidently, she said “800 taels, at least.” Someone snickered behind her, and a few rogues laughed. The female concubine smiled vapidly at her. The Father raised his hand again and the noises subdued. He looked at Mai slyly and said, “This vase is not worth 800 taels. It is worth, at most, 200. It is garbage. An imitation. You have failed.” Mai looked at Bay desperately. He returned her gaze but didn’t offer any support. The obese guild leader continued. “Though you have no eye for value, we appreciate your other talents. If you still wish to join the giang ju, I have another task for you. Please me, and you will yet join the family.” Mai looked at Bay again. Nothing. She turned back to the pig on the divan. “Alright, I’ll do it.” More snickers behind her. “Good, good.” The Father leaned back onto a pillow. “We have relationships in this city, many relationships. Our business is built on checks and balances, yes it is. We have arrangements with certain Imperial officials, and one such calls for an…exchange of services. We loan them someone with a certain kind of expertise, and they…do things for us. So we will give you this opportunity to impress us with your talents. You will be our ear into the doings of certain government officials, yes. Impress, and you will go far.” With that, Mai was dismissed.In the hall outside the giang ju lair, Mai fumed at Bay. “Why didn’t you back me up?!”Bay laughed, which made her even madder. “Relax, princess, you’re in. You made it. Welcome to the family!” He punched her shoulder.Mai stopped walking, completely baffled. “But he said…”“Forget what he said, kid. You did great and everyone in there knew it. You were wrong about one thing, though, that vase wasn’t worth 800 taels. More like 1000.” Bay chuckled at her outraged expression.“But why…?!” she began. “To amuse themselves. They do that to all the new recruits. He wanted to see how far he could push you, to see if you’d break under the scrutiny. And you didn’t.” Bay began walking again. Mai spoke rapidly. “So then I don’t really have to do this government thing?”Bay looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hm. No, you still have to do that. It was a good call; you’re skilled but unknown. That makes you a great choice for this job.” Bay grinned at her again. “But let me give you some advice from an old thief. You knew the vase was worth about 800 taels, right?”“Right.”“So you should have talked it up and sold it for 1000, kept 500, and given the rest to Father as your entry dues. You have to learn to think like a rat. Never forget you’re in this to make money.” He winked at her as they reached the end of the hall. A ladder led up to an “abandoned” warehouse in the Docks District. “Let’s go meet your new friends.”</blockquote>

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