Anonymous
Apr 14, 2017 22:23:11 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2017 22:23:11 GMT -6
It was the end of the work week, and the Golden Fan was packed nearly to capacity. Every table had at least one person sitting at it, and the bartender was constantly besieged by requests for more drinks. Combine the craziness with several call-outs from a couple waitresses and the second bartender, and everyone on staff was doing everything they could to keep the place from falling apart. In other words, it was a typical night in the Fan.
The Golden Fan had always been a popular spot for those looking to get drunk, but lately there'd been a noticeable uptick in business. It was difficult to deal with, but not surprising. Between the disappearance of a former Probender some time ago, and now the murder of the chief of police, fear and paranoia were at an all-time high in Republic City. And of course, scared citizens needed something to distract them from their worries. And what better distractions were there than booze and pretty women?
Katsumi did not mind busy nights—it was much easier to dance well with a decent audience enjoying the performance—but when it got this busy she found herself wearing several different hats. Tonight, for instance, she'd been switching off between dancing and serving drinks. She'd be on stage for all of a few minutes at a time, and as soon as a song ended she'd be back on the floor carrying a tray of drinks or several pitchers of beer. Then it was back to the stage as the music started up again. This cycle repeated over and over, quickly exhausting her. But she had to keep going if she wanted to get paid.
Katsumi returned to the bar, a couple empty pitchers in hand. "Tables 6, 2, and 13 want more beer," she gasped to the bartender, trying not to collapse on the bar. He only glanced up long enough to nod his acknowledgement, both hands busy pouring liquor into glasses. Finishing the drinks he was working on, he slid them to their recipients before turning back to Katsumi. "Got it," he grunted, taking the pitchers over to the taps. He refilled them, then handed them back. "Don't faint out there, okay?" Katsumi nodded with a weary smile, then took the pitchers and turned back to the maze of tables that covered the Saloon's floor. Only a few more hours. She could handle that…she hoped.
Apr 16, 2017 14:08:35 GMT -6
Post by Ling on Apr 16, 2017 14:08:35 GMT -6
Ling was absolutely exhausted as she trudged into the Fan and headed immediately for her usual table. Mei-zhen was working graveyards at the clinic again, and she had encouraged her sister to sleep during the day, saying confidently she'd be able to manage the agency until her schedule was once more harmonious with the daytime hours of their agency's operation.
Well, the joke was on her. Not half a week had passed and, for whatever bizarre reason, requests for a PI had flooded the office. Maybe Xiaolong had referred her; maybe the close of New Year celebrations dropped the rose-coloured glasses from peoples' eyes regarding their partners' behaviours. Whatever the case, Ling had a stack of case files on her desk a foot high and felt ragged and in dire need for a stiff drink.
She propped her sore feet up on the opposite booth, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. The woman sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose to try and relieve some tension.
When she opened her eyes again, there was a familiar figure navigating through the sea of clients. Ling's face lit up with a grin. "OY!" she shouted, sitting up and waving her arm. "OY, KATSUMI!"
Anonymous
Apr 16, 2017 18:28:31 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2017 18:28:31 GMT -6
It was funny—technically she was only required to dance while on stage, but as she ducked and weaved through the packed saloon, Katsumi found herself moving in much the same way as she did when dancing. Several times she had to swivel to the side to avoid colliding with the other women rushing drinks to and from the bar. She made an effort to step lightly, ready to move in any direction as the need for space demanded. It was a miracle that she managed to get drinks to their intended recipients without spilling any on herself—or worse, on the customers.
Worse than the other staff, however, were the few patrons in the saloon who wrongly assumed that buying drinks gave them to right to lay hands on anything they pleased, including the women serving them. Katsumi had worked at the Golden Fan long enough to know how to deftly avoid searching hands, but with the place as crowded as it was, some still managed to reach her. She was in too much of a rush to respond to such unwanted touches as she might have liked—and she wanted to keep her job—but she kept note of those who couldn't keep their fingers to themselves and gave them a wide berth. Just one unfortunate aspect of the job she'd learned to put up with.
At first when she heard someone shout, she ignored it. It was probably just some drunkard caught up in righteous indignation over someone who'd looked at him funny. When she heard her name, though, that got her attention. Katsumi glanced around for the source of the call, and soon spotted a waving arm and a familiar gap-toothed grin. She was too far away from Ling to respond, and too tired to shout back, so she just held up a finger, sure her friend would understand the universal symbol for what it was. She dropped off the drinks she was holding, then approached her manager and told him she was going on her break. He only grunted in response, too focused on everything else going on around them. So Katsumi left him and snaked her way over to Ling.
She collapsed into the booth opposite Ling with a sigh. "Hey," she greeted her friend. "You look as tired as I feel. Rough day?"
Apr 17, 2017 11:56:39 GMT -6
Post by Ling on Apr 17, 2017 11:56:39 GMT -6
Ling hastily moved her feet as Katsumi plopped down opposite her. "Hey yourself," she replied with a grin. "Rough week more like. Mei-zhen is working graveyard at the clinic so I've got the agency to myself all day."
Another waitress came over, and Ling gave her a smile and a pat on the hip. "The usual," she said. "And give Katsumi a breather, eh? Put whatever she wants on my tab."
"Do you ever miss the game?" Ling asked conversationally. Katsumi and Ling, and a few other waitresses depending on who was scheduled, once ran a rigged card game out of the Fan. No one could ever prove it, and anyone who tried wound up sputtering incoherent accusations at Ling and a "secret partner" that everyone assumed had to be a shill at the table. No one ever suspected the waitstaff. It had been some months since Ling had set up a game though; after Amon's attack on the city, everyone was too busy searching for loved ones and rebuilding the parts of the town that got destroyed. Then, the agency began to flourish and Ling found herself with less free time on her hands to spend at the Fan. Sometimes, she wished that the agency wasn't doing quite as well. She missed her more carefree days.
"We've had case after case at the agency," she added, "so I find myself reminiscing about slower days. And..." Ling dropped her voice. It wasn't hard to be unheard over the din of the Fan's clientele, but one could never be too careful. "My old gang got ahold of me the other night. One of the boys got whacked."
She paused, uncertain if she should continue. Katsumi was a great girl and possibly Ling's only actual friend (well, minus her sister and Jia). "I've had to call in the big guns," she murmured, as quiet as she could be. "I met a detective from the RCPD and he owed me a favour. Looks like the swanky fellas up in the High Street boroughs might be involved. Or at least, that's what the detective thinks. He took me to quite possibly the biggest house I've ever seen in my life to talk to some woman about it."
Anonymous
Apr 18, 2017 11:12:36 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2017 11:12:36 GMT -6
Katsumi smiled gratefully as one of her coworkers came over to take their drink orders. "Hey Rumi," she said. She blushed a bit at Ling's offer to pay for her drink. "I'll just take water," she replied. She turned back to Ling as Rumi went off to fetch their drinks. "I appreciate the offer, really, but I have to stay clear-headed for the rest of my shift, and if I don't have some water I think I'll probably faint."
Her smile grew as Ling reminded her of their past exploits. "You know, I do," she said, fondly recalling some of the more exciting games they'd fixed. She and Ling had worked out an entire complex system of looks and gestures to communicate during a game. It was so easy for her to cuddle up with the other players and of course take good, long looks at their hands. It was remarkable what drunk men would let a pretty woman get away with. Given the state of things in the city right now, though, it really wouldn't be appropriate to go around scamming people out of what little money they had. There were more important things to worry about these days.
Katsumi leaned in as Ling grew quiet. She was always eager to hear what went on at Ling's job. Her work at the Golden Fan was pretty unexciting; once you'd seen one drunken brawl you'd seen them all, she thought. But what Ling and her sister did, investigating people's private lives…that was much more intriguing. Katsumi was happy to live vicariously through Ling. She might not be able to have her own adventures, but at least she could hear about her friend's.
This evening's story was a bit on the grim side, though. "That sounds like some pretty heavy stuff," she replied, eyes wide. Ling had told her some things about the gang she used to run with, but hadn't offered many details, and Katsumi had not thought it wise to ask. "But you're not involved with the gang anymore…right? If you've already gotten the police involved…" She reached out for Ling's hand. "Maybe you should let the cops handle it, huh? You'd know better than I would how dangerous this could turn out to be."
Apr 18, 2017 18:10:13 GMT -6
Post by Ling on Apr 18, 2017 18:10:13 GMT -6
Ling snorted. "They wouldn't let the cops get within a foot of them, you know that. No one here would trust a cop with their laundry much less anything that could get the Triads on their tails."
She patted Katsumi's hand affectionately. "Besides, they asked me for help directly. They know I'd never go back to that life, so they're desperate enough to involve me. They were good to me when I needed it, and I can do them the decency of letting them know what I find out, cops or no. I just... I dont have the resources to do it alone, and the guy's already given me some pretty amazing leads I would never have been able to find on my own."
Rumi returned with her drink — a scotch on the rocks with a lemon twist — and a water for Katsumi, as well as a plate of steamed pork buns. Ling tore into one eagerly.
After a few bites, Ling sighed. "There may be drugs involved," she said, staring at her food. "I don't know what sort of medicine someone could be abusing at this point, but there are a few. It's just so expensive to get ahold of, really, so I'm surprised the old crew is involved anywhere near something like that."
The one substance she could think of that would present a problem like this was expensive and time consuming to manufacture. But, from what she'd seen at that woman's house, the people involved would have no problem. The thing that puzzled her the most was how one of her old crew wound up dead because of it.
"Have a bun," she said, waving her hand at the sticky, steaming plate. "When's your shift up? I don't think I've told you about Jia yet."
Anonymous
Apr 19, 2017 0:24:13 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2017 0:24:13 GMT -6
Katsumi couldn't help scowling a bit as Ling snorted. She loved her friend, but sometimes talking to Ling was difficult. She was fine when discussing lighthearted matters, but try to get her talking about anything serious and she couldn't go a full minute without cracking a joke. Sure, she'd know better than Katsumi how much danger reconnecting with her old gang possibly could be, but that didn't mean she should blow off the concern entirely.
Before Katsumi could open her mouth to tell Ling as much, Rumi returned with their drinks, and some pork buns to boot. "You eat too many of those," Katsumi chided gently as Ling tore into one. "Keep going, and one day you'll be more bun than person." For her part, she sipped eagerly at her water, reveling in the cold of it. "Ah, I needed this," she sighed happily.
Ling continued, and her story did not get better. "Drugs?!" Katsumi nearly squeaked. "First one of your old gang friends gets killed, and now you think it has something to do with drugs? Ling, this really seems like—"
Then suddenly Ling was telling her to have a bun, as though she hadn't just told a sordid tale of violence and crime. Katsumi opened her mouth to protest, but let it go with a heavy sigh. This was the way of things with Ling—they could only talk about a subject for as long as she was willing, and never too seriously. There was nothing for it, though, and Katsumi knew that. So she took a bun. "I'm not off for a few more hours," she moaned through a mouthful of pork. "And with the place as busy as it is, I don't think I'll have many more chances to talk. But I still have some time left on my break—enough for you to tell me about this Jia person." Katsumi eyed her friend, an eyebrow raised. "Who are they? Please tell me they're not involved in all this gang stuff."
Apr 19, 2017 13:45:11 GMT -6
Post by Ling on Apr 19, 2017 13:45:11 GMT -6
The smile Ling flashed at her was a genuinely happy one, not one of her fabricated charming smiles. "Not at all. At least, if she is she hasn't told me. But at any rate we met a few weeks ago here at the Fan." She took another bite of pork bun, talking around her mouthful. "She's gorgeous, Katsumi. Works down at the docks and just..." Ling gestured to indicate muscles.
"I don't know if I can put a label on whatever it is we've got, but she came over to my place for New Year's Eve, then we spent New Year's Day together starting with the parade and ending with a dinner at Kwong's." Her grey-blue eyes glossed over as she reminisced. "She's sweet, and she's funny, she works hard, and fills out a cheongsam in a way that'd turn anyone's head."
But then Ling looked uncharacteristically shamefaced. "I... I told her I used to be in a gang, but I didn't tell her about this case. I don't know if she'd like it. I told her I'd cut ties with the gang, which is true, but you know. They're technically my clients right now. And what about Kim Soong? He deserves justice, even if the regular police want to chalk it up to a turf war." She fiddled around with her pork bun, tearing small bits of the white bread off and rolling them into little balls between her fingers. "Mei-zhen isn't particularly happy about it either, so I haven't told her yet about the possibility of drugs being involved."
She paused briefly. "Maybe I'm in over my head."
It was not an admission Ling ever readily made. In fact, the last time she remembered doing so was years ago, when she had jumped ship from the gang after they scuffled with one of the Triads. But she couldn't go to her mother and sister for help, not this time. If she and Xiaolong were right, and the mucky-mucks up in the High Street boroughs were involved, this was bigger than anything she'd ever handled before. Those people had money and connections like the Triads never had, and it would be very simple to make a nosy, nobody PI disappear.
Anonymous
Apr 19, 2017 19:42:45 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2017 19:42:45 GMT -6
It was a relief to hear that Ling had found herself someone less…complicated. Spirits knew she had more than enough going on just by herself. Kastumi giggled as Ling gestured with her arms. "Sounds like quite the catch," she commented, winking. "What cheesy line did you use to get her interested in you?" she teased.
Ling rarely showed any emotion, and usually spent her time cracking jokes. To see her actually looking ashamed of herself was new. Though she'd never say so, Katsumi couldn't help but be a bit glad that Ling seemed to be coming around to the gravity of her situation. Gang wars were nothing to make light of, especially if drugs were involved. As far as Katsumi knew, Ling had enough street smarts to keep herself safe, but a little extra caution certainly couldn't hurt. With everyone going on in Republic City at the moment, it was better to be safe than sorry. And getting caught up in gang business was not a way to stay safe.
But, tired as Ling looked, a lecture was the last thing she needed right now. Instead, Katsumi squeezed her friend's hand and offered her a smile. "Maybe you are. But if you feel this is something you need to do, then you'll just have to see it through. Just…promise me you'll be careful?" She eyed Ling's sleeves, where she knew her friend often kept weapons. "Knives might not do you much good if a whole gang comes after you."
Apr 20, 2017 15:00:32 GMT -6
Post by Ling on Apr 20, 2017 15:00:32 GMT -6
She grinned, but it was a tired one. "With you, Jia, Mei-zhen, and mother all after me, how can I disappoint?" Her laugh was not quite as merry as it might have been if she were speaking to anyone other than Katsumi. "Honestly, meeting the detective was a bit of fate, if you believe in that sort of thing. The guy was lost here in the Flats and needed to find his way back to that one earthbending academy by the borough border. He was helping old Mrs. Pek across the street and I wound up smashing into him when I tried to avoid a bunch of kids running past. He asked for help, and said he'd owe me one, and ... well, being owed one by a cop is never a bad thing for someone that lives here."
Finishing off her first bun, Ling reached for another. "Honestly, I'm wondering if the stakes aren't a little high for Xiaolong too. It was almost as if I was watching him play poker, you know? But he's got a few cracks in his bluff. I think this lady we went to go see means something to him, as does her possible involvement." She sighed, then took a bite.
"I promise though that I"ll be careful." Ling winked at her with a small return to her usual self. "Just for you."
Anonymous
Apr 21, 2017 0:46:37 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2017 0:46:37 GMT -6
OOC: Sorry, kinda wrote myself into a corner here. We could time skip to after Katsumi's shift, if Ling would have a reason to stick around, or we could do another thread.
Katsumi could see and hear Ling's anxiety. This whole situation was like a weight sitting on her friend's shoulders. She wished there was some way she could help--but there was no way she was going to get involved in anything to do with gangs. At least they had these moments. Sometimes just having someone to talk to could help lighten a burden. Hopefully this was one of those times.
Polishing off her pork bun, Katsumi reached for a second. She hadn't eaten in far too long, and the buns were keeping her alive. "Thank you. That's all I can ask of you." She squeezed Ling's hand again. Then, she was rudely reawakened as a plate shattered somewhere nearby.
"My break's over," she said with a deep sigh she felt in her bones. "Back to three more hours of serving drinks and trying to avoid being groped. What a glamorous life I lead..." Regretfully, she slid out of the booth and back onto her feet. She took one last look at Ling. "I'll see you later, okay? Stay safe." Then, squaring her shoulders, she was back to the grind.
Apr 21, 2017 10:55:13 GMT -6
Post by Ling on Apr 21, 2017 10:55:13 GMT -6
OOC: It's all right! I think we can do another thread, Ling is too tired to play cards and would get bored waiting for Katsumi for three hours haha
Ling pouted as Katsumi sighed and announced her break was over. She grabbed the last bun off the plate and downed the rest of her scotch. "All right gorgeous," she said, standing up as well. "I'm going to head home, make sure Mei-zhen gets up for her shift, then crash. Feel free to pop by the agency or the house if you get a day off, or just ring and we'll meet up here when you're free."
Katsumi gave her a long look and told her to keep safe. The freckled woman gave her a mock salute. "Aye, aye, captain." Her gaze lingered as her friend turned around and went back to waiting tables. There was a point in time that Ling wondered if there might be something more between them, but now all she felt was a deep satisfaction in knowing she had someone to turn to, without the complicated ties of romance or family.
Ever the flirt, she winked slyly at the other waitresses as she headed out, drawing her coat up around her neck before setting off into the night and toward home.
