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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1480161" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 51, “The Formal Dinner”, December 18th, 1881:“Darling, it is so nice that you could join us this evening,” Lady Arkadiam greets Arcade with, in such a casual manner that one would think he had been away for a day rather than a decade.   Louie interjects, “We make sure he come.  We help.”  Arcade gives Louie a dirty look for that comment.   Qualtaqua rises and tells her how her son is a great man in America.  She thanks him for his kind words, and then asks, “So, who exactly are you?”Arcade handles the introductions, beginning with Qualtaqa and Sam.   When he gets to Hank Arcade cannot remember his full name, but Hank covers by rather eloquently stating, “Henry J. Hill Madam, and I am grateful for all of your hospitality.”    Similarly, Arcade does not remember Louie’s full name and just calls him Louie.  The half-orc corrects him by stating “My name Yee Lui-Buliang.   I travel from China to gang up with your son.”    Arcade then introduces the young lady at his side, stating “And this is Morgana Walks-with-trees….”, he doesn’t finish, as he is concerned that if he mentions her last name of ‘O’Shea’ it will cause problems, as his mother is not fond of the Irish.   That becomes a moot point however when Morgana concludes the sentence by stating “Arkadiam,” and Arcade sheepishly adds, “my new wife.”  His mother has no reaction at all to this, turning instead to the butler and asking that the first course be served. A multi-course meal follows, with most of the cuisine being rather bland, comprised primarily of boiled food.    Louie blurts out “Why your food not taste like anything?”   She ignores that comment, and then asks Sam, “Where is it that you come from young man?”.   He replies, “Yosemite California, Madam.”   She replies, “California.  The place where they have all the gold.  Do you have a lot of gold?”    Sam is hesitant to answer and Qualtaqa says, “We are not preoccupied with worldly treasures.”  To that Hank adds, “In other words we’re poor.”  Louie interjects, “We involved with silver mine.”  She replies, “Why would anyone care about silver when all that gold is just lying around.” Addressing Qualtaqa she then asks, “And you are from where?”   He replies, “Oklahoma.”  She comments, “Oh yes, I’ve heard of that place.  Now are you from the mountains of Oklahoma or from along the ocean?”   Rather than correcting her he says, “I can show you around if you ever come to visit.”   “And you race?” she asks.   He replies, “Indian.  I serve as an ambassador for the Indian people.  I have served as ambassador for the Apache, Comanche and Hekawi Tribes.  I once dine with President Grant at White House.”   She answers, “How nice.  Is that where you met my son?”   Qualtaqa answers, “No, we meet in Arizona.  Your son great man.  Him kill lots of people.”  Arcade clears his throat at that and glares at the Indian.   In a weak attempt to salvage that, Qualtaqa adds, “But they were all very bad men.”   She turns to Hank and asks “And where are you from?”  He answers, “Texas, Madam.”    She says, “Oh yes.  I remember reading about that place.  That’s where that awful Mr. San Antonio killed Jim Crockett and David Bowie at that fortress.”   She then asks Louie a few questions about China and if he is a soldier.   He replies, “No, I build choo-choo.”  She asks, “So, have you been to that British island we have there?  I think it’s called Bing Bong.”   He answers, “If you mean Hong Kong, no I haven’t been there.  I am from Shandong Province and sailed to America out of Shanghai.”   She replies, “Oh, I understand.  You were shanghaied to America?”  She then goes back to eating without any more conversation.  Arcade whispers to Morgana, “She’s totally ignoring both of us.  She must really be furious about our marriage.”   Morgana replies, “Then we’ll have to make it a point to be very loud tonight to embarrass her further.”   After a very long period of silence Louie asks Arcade’s mother, “So why you call for Arcade to come home?”   She replies, “To assist my husband with the family business.”   Hank asks, “What type of business is it you do?”   She states, “My husband is a magnate.”  Hank, thinking she said magnet, quips, “I can see the attraction of that job.”   She goes on to describe several of the businesses they have interests in.  Hank says, “Sounds like you have your fingers in various pots.”   Louie says to Hank, “No, she using silverware.”  Hank asks her if she knows of a Lord Reginald, stating that they met him on the ocean voyage.  Qualtaqa also mentions the English Duke who is part owner of the Silver Mine.   She indicates that she if familiar with who both of those men are, but doesn’t actually know either of them.     Arcade states, “Mother this was a fine meal.   Thank you so much for preparing such a warm welcome for my associates and I.”   Acknowledging his presence again she asks, “So, is everyone in America as colorful as your companions?”   He replies, “Yes, they have this whole melting pot thing going on there.”   She states, “Well, I don’t know how you are able to deal with a place filled with people who have no class….I mean a classless society.”   Morgana jumps into the conversation, and speaks of the merits of America.    The mother asks her, “So, how exactly did you two meet?”   Louie states, “Me go by rice.   Get beat up.  They help.”   She is confused by that answer, but just passes it off and calls for dessert.   The meal finally ends and she departs.Arcade leads the gang into a sitting room and offers them cigars and brandy.   “That seemed to go pretty well,” Hank comments.   “You’re kidding, right?” Arcade replies.  Louie says, “What you mean.  She like us.”  “Except Morgana,” Sam adds.   Arcade replies, “She was only being polite.  The two types of people that English aristocrats hate most are foreigners and poor people, and you’ve just established that you’re both.  She can’t stand any of you, especially Morgana.”  Morgana says, “She might change her mind when she finds out my Grandparents are wealthy Bostonian.”  Arcade replies, “But that’ll be negated once she finds out that they’re also Irish.”    Louie gestures to the newlyweds and says to Sam, “How come they rich and not us?”   Hank asks Arcade about the family business.  He says that the family has interests into several things including manufacturing, mining, transportation and the import and export of merchandise.  He concludes by saying, “That plus the inheritance is how they can afford such a place as this.”   “How big is this place?” Qualtaqa asks.   Arcade replies, “The main building here has over 200 rooms.  There are many more rooms in the various outbuildings.”  Louie whispers to Sam, “Did he say the outhouses have several rooms?”  “Think so,” Sam replies. They then discuss Arcade’s brother William, who Arcade says is worthless.   “You want us to shoot him?” Louie asks.   Arcade answers, “Hell no!”  “Him really love his brother,” Qualtaqa states.  Arcade answers, “Not at all, but if he’s dead they’d make me stay here forever.”   Qualtaqa suggests that Arcade could decide to head back to America to manage the family’s business interests there.  Hank says, “So, should we head over to this London place to see this useless brother of yours?”   Arcade replies, “No need.  He’s coming home tomorrow."    “Is there any way of finding out what he’s done with the family business interests?”  Morgana asks.   Arcade suggests checking in his father’s office later that evening after the house has gone to bed.   December 19th, 1881:Shortly after midnight the gang sneaks down to the office.  The doors to the room are locked, but Louie has no difficulty picking it.   The gang heads inside and lights a lantern.   They begin searching, finding the room covered in dust and the last recorded document being in the handwriting of Arcade’s father and dated the previous June.    Arcade is checking a desk on the side wall, so is out of sight of the doorway when a voice exclaims, “What are you people doing in my father’s office?”They rest of the gang looks up at this well-dressed young human male who bears some resemblance to Arcade.  “You must be William,” Sam states.   “You haven’t answered my question!” he exclaims.    Qualtaqa says, “We are your brother’s accountants.  We do business for him.”   William replies, “If our business is so important to him then he’d be here.”   Morgana says, “We came here at the request of my mother-in-law.”  William looks confused until Sam explains, “This is Josiah’s bride.”   William uses that opportunity to make a rude and sexist remark about women in general.   Hank steps between the two of them to prevent Morgana from physically attacking the young man.  Before she can respond some other way Arcade speaks up saying, “Well, well, it seems some people never change,” as he walks into his brother’s line of vision.  William states, “So you were hiding in there.  I didn’t think you’d bother showing up at all.”   The tension is thick enough to cut with a knife, and Qualtaqa tries to ease things by suggesting that they all go riding together in the morning.   William says to his older brother, “Who are these people?”   Louie interjects, “We his respectable gang.”  “We kill many outlaws,” Qualtaqa adds.   “Is there much money in that?”  William asks.   Hank answers, “Not as much as I’d like.”    Sam says, “We’re are involved in law enforcement in the United States.”  “That’s where you are all from?” William asks.  “Yes, we live in Arizona,” Morgana states.   “Isn’t that where England ships all its criminals to?” William asks.   “I think that you’re thinking of Australia,” Arcade states.   Hank interjects, “Yeah, Arizona attracts enough criminals from the United States, we don’t need more from other places.”   William just shakes his head and tells Arcade, “Well, it seems like you’ve decided to bring the retched refuse of America with you.”   Louie whispers to Sam, “I told you English were all stuck up.”   Hank says to William, “Son, there’s no need for insults here, but you seem a might peeved that your brother is back.”   William totally ignores Hank and says to Arcade, “It’s late.  If your ‘accountants’ are done here I would suggest that you all turn in.   I for one am very tired.”   Arcade adds, “And drunk too from the smell of it.”    The brother walks away. The office door is shut up and everyone heads off to his or her respective room.  Qualtaqa says to Arcade, “You had bad opinion of brother and we now all agree.”  Arcade says, “He was a fool before and still is now.”   Qualtaqa says, “I think we should bring him back to Promise City.”  Hank replies, “He wouldn’t last an hour there!”  “I think that’s the idea,” Sam comments.  Morgana says, “No need to go that far.  Just ship him up to Ireland.  He wouldn’t last ten minutes there with his attitude.”</blockquote>

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