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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 451315" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chinese Take-outChapter 30, “All together again”, September 17, 1018, 5:00 P.M.  The group heads back to the Ming Estate.  They enter the mountain, and then walk up literally hundreds of steps, with a few complaints about how “We should have taken the train instead.”   When they get back Chin-Tang says that he will go find Hiroshi for them.   Mojo yells out to him, “OK, but remember the old saying, if the pagoda is rocking don’t bother knocking.”  Ten minutes later Hiroshi arrives, telling the group they are in time for supper, and he has food brought out to them in the room where they first arrived.   “So, how was your afternoon?” Hiroshi asks.  “Interesting, your daughter got personal with a god,” Mojo says.   “Excuse me!” Hiroshi replies.  “Mojo, that’s no way to phrase it” Serita exclaims, “It’s not like he pulled a Zeus on her.”  Mojo answers, “Hey, I’m direct.  I thought that was what you liked about me.”  Serita answers, “There’s nothing that I like about you.  Your only redeeming quality is that you smell better than Narg’s socks.”   The group explains to Hiroshi about the encounter with Finder Wyvernspur, as well as the other information they obtained, and shows him the painting and schematic.   Given that Kim-Sung can now contact a god, who assumed that she was a member of the group going on this mission, it is decided that she should accompany the party back to Shosun.  Hiroshi is concerned about her safety but is assured by Duegar, Lannon and Mojo that they will help to protect her.   He says to her “Well, I suppose that it would be nice for your cousin Toshiro to get to know you.”   Hiroshi leaves instructions and messages with Chin-Tang, then joins the party get in the bags of holding, and Serita teleports them back to Shosun.The combined group all get together for dessert in the non-Chinese dining room at the Common House Inn, and each relate the information that they obtained this day.   This leads to a discussion of how they will still need to find a way to get past the anti-magic barrier.  They discuss how, since the barrier has been moved before, they could maybe move it again.  Lannon says “What would happen if you use an anti-magic device on another anti-magic device?”  Mojo replies “Gary Gygax would come over and slap your wrist.”  They eventually rule out the idea, primarily because they have no idea how to accomplish it.Toshiro is not at all pleased that Kim-Sung was brought back with them, and sits at the opposite end of the table from her, burying his nose in his book.  As it is a book, bibliophile Cassie asks, “What is that and where did you get it from?”  He answers, “I bought it at a bookstore.  It is about the Hengeyokai, and was written by Li-Tak.”  This catches the attention of everyone at the table, and Aradyn has to restrain Cassie to keep her from ripping the book out of Toshiro’s hands.   They accuse Toshiro of holding out on them, but Toshiro points out that he just got the book a few hours ago himself.  H hasn’t had a chance to finish reading it yet, and planned to pass it on to him when he was through.  Hiroshi asks him nephew to summarize what he has read so far, as the group now examines the book, They find that is was written 410 years ago by Li-Tak, when he would have been 190 years old, and around a half century after he had left the Heian Empire.  It speaks of twelve Hengeyokai sub-races that he has created, specifically the sub-races of Carp, Cat, Crab, Crane, Dog, Duck, Fox, Golden Spider Monkey, Rabbit, Raccoon Dog, Rat, and Sparrow.  “But back on the island we also saw a Badger and Panda,” Serita states.  Toshiro refers them to a passage near the end of the book stating that Li-Tak was planning to also create other races.  Lono makes an unprintable comment about these creatures.    This conversation leads to a discussion of how the group will get past these creatures once they get to the barrier.  Serita suggests that another talk with Rainville is in order, given his vast knowledge of these creatures.   Narg says, “We don’t need him.  Or even to worry about these creatures, we just need to get to Morgarth and kill him.”  “And we thought that Hendry Senior guy had monomania” Fiona comments.   “Look, we need to be able to get to him first,” says Lannon, “And those creatures will be in the way.”  “Tough luck for them,” Narg answers,  “Look, I’m just here to get the bad guy.  That’s what you pay me for.”  “We don’t pay you at all,” Cassie answers.  Narg replies, “Well, yeah, we need to talk about that.  I’m not going to be young forever.  In one-hundred years I’ll need some sort of retirement plan.”  “You’ll be dead long before then if you keep this up,” Mojo answers.  “No, seriously, we should be funded like those in the private sector,” Narg states.  Mojo answers “You’re about to get a kick in the private sector.”  “Look, the Hengeyokai are an issue, we need to figure out how to deal with them,” Serita exclaims.  It is concluded that most of those who had been in Chunming group will now go and have a talk with Rainville.  They decide that they should also bring along one member of the party who had spoken to him earlier in the day, since they would know exactly where he is.  Cassie volunteers, but the others decide to have Mark fill this role instead,.  Cassie objects to that, but eventually relents once they promise that they won’t kill him.  Hiroshi insists that he wants no further contact with that man.  Kim-Sung volunteers to go with the group in case they run into a situation where they need a translator.    Hiroshi is concerned about her safety; with both Lannon and Mojo assuring him that they will protect her.  “I think you are the two he wants to protect her from,” Serita comments.   Hiroshi asks his nephew “Will you go, and protect your cousin.  It would be the honorable thing to do.”  Toshiro reluctantly agrees.The group of Kim-Sung, Lannon, Mark, Mojo, Narg, Serita and Toshiro head out to hail three rickshaws to transport them there.   An argument ensues over who will ride with who.  Naturally, both Lannon and Mojo want to ride with Kim-Sung.  Serita says that she and Toshiro will accompany Kim, leaving Mojo to ride with Narg and Lannon to ride with Mark.   During the four-mile trip Serita tries to persuade Toshiro to be friendlier towards his cousin, stating “You’ve been with the Silver Moon for the past eight years, think of all the diverse and unusual things you’ve seen.  Why can’t you just open up to your own family” (Which are rather ironic words to come from Serita, given that she and her own mother have avoided speaking to each other for over a decade.)   Narg tries to convince Mojo that he has been acting like a fool, and that Kim-Sung’s dwarven kin will never take to an elf.  Mojo replies “Ah, but diversity is what the gods’ want.  We are all just one big cosmic sea monkey jar.”  Narg gives up.   In the third rickshaw Lannon and Mark discuss the promise that had been made to Cassie.  Mark says, “I am surprised she agreed to stay behind.”  Lannon answers, “I think that Aradyn would have made a scene otherwise.  That is, assuming that Aradyn even knows how to make a scene.”  “Well, there was really no reason for her to join us,” says Mark, “since we agreed not to kill Rainville.”  Lannon answers, “Yeah, we did, but you know, accident’s happen.”  The rickshaws soon arrive at the church area.</blockquote>

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