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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 443004" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chinese Take-outChapter 16, "The Fugitive", September 17, 1018, 5:30 A.M. At dawn Serita awakens, and heads downstairs.   She is surprised to see that the lobby is filled with city policemen.   An oriental gentlemen, who she has determined is one of the owners of the Inn, is with the police lieutenant, and they approach her.    The owner speaks to the lieutenant in Chinese, then says to Serita “We are sorry for the inconvenience, but these gentlemen need to speak to you.   Please accompany them into one of the dining rooms, and they will buy you breakfast while you talk.”  She gets very defensive, demanding to know what this is about.   This stand-off continues for several more minutes, with the Lieutenant gesturing to several patrolmen to come and assist.   During this time she notices that every other patron of the Inn is also being stopped and escorted into the dining room, so eventually relents, but still demands to know all of the details of what is going on.Not long after that, three floors above, Hiroshi awakens.  He quietly walks over to Cassie’s room, being mindful that Aradyn is probably with her, and uses his own key and a piece of wire to pick the poorly made lock.  He then enters the room, but before he gets two steps in hears “Freeze” yelled out, and is looking straight into Aradyn’s drawn bow.   “What are you doing sneaking into this room!” the elf demands.  Hiroshi bows, saying “Many apologies.  Miss Cassie-Andra requested that I wake her, so that she can begin my training in the use of magic spells.”  “Don’t you believe in knocking?” Aradyn replies.  “Many pardons, but I did not want to disturb your sleep, noble archer,” the older man answers.  Lowering his bow, Aradyn says “Next time knock.  You could have gotten yourself killed.”  Aradyn nudges Cassie awake, and tells her "Hiroshi here.  He says he has an appointment with you to learn magic?"   She looks towards Hiroshi, and says "Thank you, I had forgotten about our lesson.  I’ll join you in your room in a few minutes.”  She dresses, and leaves, Aradyn going back to sleep.   She joins Hiroshi in his room.  He tells her “Well, now that you’ve gotten me in trouble with your boyfriend I really want to know what this is about.  It had better be more than just an affair with that other guy.”  She replies "It is, he needs our help.  And what was that about me teaching you magic?"   He answers "I had an arrow pointing at me, and it was the first thing I could think to tell him.  Besides, I've always wanted to learn magic, but the family wouldn't allow it."   She replies "With your substantial intelligence, you should." The two of them then head up to the fifth floor of the inn, seeing policemen coming up the staircases from below.  The reach the room that Rainville is in.  Hiroshi again working the lock on the door, and they enter.  Cassie quickly shakes him awake, saying “Move, fast”.   Needing no further incentive, the three leave, barely making it around the hallway as a group of twenty policemen arrive at, and open the doors to that room and the three adjacent to it.  "Played that one a little close," Rainville whispers.  "Shut up," is Cassie's terse reply. The three make their way into one of the private baths in the center of each floor the Inn.  They lock the door and begin to fill a tub so that the running water will muffle the sounds of their voices.    Hiroshi starts by asking “Exactly what is that all about?”  Cassie tells him “This is a former acquaintance of mine.  He was coerced into working for the mage that we are after, but has since escaped, and can help provide us information about this mage’s whereabouts.  However, he is currently wanted by the law in this city, and needs our help.”  This intrigues Hiroshi, who says to Cassie “Well, based upon your vouching for him, and the color of his astral aura, I am inclined to trust you."  Hiroshi turns to Rainville and says "What to you need?”   He answers “An invisibility spell and some way to change my appearance would be of the most help.”    There is then a knocking on the door, and loud voice from outside.   Hiroshi whispers “They say they are the police, and demand that the door be opened at once.”   Hiroshi yells back in Chinese, making his voice sound even older.  As the tub is now full, he unfastens his Oriental robe, telling Cassie to put it on over her other clothing.  He then quietly slips into the water, saying to Cassie “Quietly unlock the door, then walk over to the tub, keeping your back to the door, and play the role of my personal attendant.”  He gestures for Rainville to hide behind the door as it opens.They do as instructed, and Hiroshi yells out in Chinese for the police to enter.  Cassie grabs a washcloth and begins to scrub Hiroshi’s arm and shoulders.  Hiroshi berates the policemen for disturbing his bath, accuses them of being rude, and demands to know what they want.   They state that they are looking for a tall Caucasian male with long hair, who is wanted for crimes against the city.  Hiroshi yells back “Do either me or my attendant look like a tall Caucasian man to you.  Get out!”   The police do as ordered, shutting the door behind them.Hiroshi translates what the policemen said, with Cassie deciding that an appearance change for Rainville is definitely in order.   She uses hairy, reverse-hairy, and color cantrips to change him in a balding gray haired man, with a yellowed skin tone with a local-style beard.  Hiroshi gives him the Oriental robe to wear over his own clothing.  Cassie finishes the disguise with an invisibility spell, so that he can get out of the hotel unseen.   While they are doing this she also asks about Morgarth's location, and Rainville replies, “A huge castle, originally built for giants.  My father said the castle was called the Summer Palace of the Giants.”  He says it is far to the east.   Rainville prepares to leave.  Cassie asks where he is going to hide, and he replies “I will wait at a local church of our cleric’s pantheon a few miles east of here until my father can retrieve me this evening.  It should be safe, as the groundskeeper has given us permission to stay there.  Thank you both for your help.” He then leaves.    Hiroshi gives Cassie his room key, saying “Why don’t you go get me a change of clothes while I finish my bath.”</blockquote>

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