Joyce wiped at the sweat on her forehead as she went through the files with Kajio. She felt like a cigar-smoking capitalist rummaging through endless piles of environmentally unfriendly paperwork. Human Resources, Administration, and Finances had come together very quickly between experienced applicants and Kajio's talent for running things.

"We can start negotiating, because by the time we finish, the rest of them will be ready," Kajio had explained. With Spade training non-shamans and Mohan training shamans under Kajio's carefully developed schedules, they would be ready within the month.

"That's too fast, even the shittiest police officers get 4 weeks training," Joyce had objected.

"They'll be on probation for two months," Kajio reminded her.

The problem now was putting the finishing touches on organizational structure and starting negotiations. She'd left that to Kajio and Selva, but Joyce had to be present for everything starting tomorrow. It had only been a few days since Joyce had gotten the edict, but Mohan insisted that she move as fast as possible to avoid losing the advantage with the evidence.

'Can't believe I'll actually have to sit through a Congress session live,' she bitterly thought to herself.

She'd watched enough spat fights during Congressional hearings before, but Joyce never thought she'd have to actually be at the equivalent of one. And with people who'd tried to kill her too.

"So Spade won't be there?" Joyce asked for the third time. Kajio shook his head.

"Mohan and Spade will attend, but only when necessary. The rest is up to you and me. And Selva's real-time information," Kajio said patiently. "Kiyoko will be there as your bodyguard too."

Joyce glanced back at Kiyoko, who gave a polite nod. The older girl had gotten the uniform and happened to look very nice in black and gold. Even if Kiyoko would go through five different expressions and then give a two-word reply, Joyce liked having her around.

"I'm still missing something," Joyce muttered to herself. "I feel like I'm missing someone."

Kajio and Kiyoko looked at her expectantly as Joyce continued to stare at the wall with intense concentration.

"We have until the day after," Kajio prompted. "If you have any clue, Selva could probably find them."

"Was it someone you met at the interview?" Kiyoko asked.

Joyce directed her furrowed brows towards the sky in hopes of a divine revelation accompanied by ten doves and loud electro-pop music, and preferably with the added bonus of a cool lady in chainmail and knight armor. Something clicked in her head.

"Wasn't there a really cool lady back during the Kraken thing? The one who Tokyo Drifted her ship at like eight hundred kilometers an hour?" Joyce asked. She'd had vague memories of receiving a thank you call, and a thank you gift outside her apartment after returning from a week through the wringer.

Kajio paused slightly. "More or less, yes. Is she the one you were thinking of?" He immediately typed a message out to Selva without waiting for her reply.

"Yeah, I think it'd be great if I could get her to come," Joyce said. She thought over her options. "I'm not bad at groveling."

Kajio's phone rang. "I doubt that would be necessary, Joyce." Kajio sounded gently exasperated as he often did when dealing with Joyce. "In either case, you're the Chairman now, you can't just grovel too easily." Kajio glanced at his phone.

"Her name's Xiang Yu, age 42, the former captain of a major shipping vessel under the Peranakan Merchantile Association. She worked the route between Singapore and Canton, and she recommended using our services to her contacts," Kajio read.

He showed Joyce the attached photo. "You ever met her?"

Joyce looked quizzically at the unfamiliar face until the strange fuzziness in her brain cleared up.

"Never seen this woman in my life," Joyce said. "She's the one though."

Kajio nodded slowly. "Selva can reach out to her, she's been in Canton since her ship was wrecked to take care of the insurance and such, she'll probably agree to meet."

"I can't believe her parents named her Xiang Yu, do you guys not have a historical warlord with that name?" Joyce asked, "Is she married? Does she have a wife called Yu Ji?"

"Captain Xiang Yu is not married, and no, we do not have such a warlord," Kajio replied. "I'll let you know as soon as we get a reply."

His phone rang. "So right now, actually. Xiang Yu said she'll meet with you today. That was a lot faster than I expected, but if she's someone you've chosen I'm sure it'll work out, at the very least she won't stab you," Kajio said.

"Awesome," Joyce gave him a thumbs up. "I'll try to get her to participate in the talks, so I'll leave the blackmail thing to you. Can you help me make a rue-the-day speech? I really want to try saying something like that without sounding like an edgy dude living in his mom's basement, and I actually have the justification for once."

Kajio ignored the parts of her request that didn't make sense to him with steadfast determination.

"I'll have one prepared, but I doubt you'll actually stick to it," Kajio sighed. Joyce cringed a little. After all, she hadn't stuck to the script properly a single time so far.

"Is it really nothing you want me to prepare for Xiang Yu?" Kajio asked. Joyce shook her head.

"No, she's someone who I can handle without making too much of a scene. Also I feel bad for making more work for you, so I'll at least try to behave, but if I fail please don't get too angry," Joyce said. Kajio sighed in exasperation.

"Alright then. Kiyoko, take good care of the Chairman," Kajio said. Kiyoko nodded firmly, without any sign of irritation despite this being the fifth reminder she'd received today.

Joyce stood up, stretching her limbs as she glanced at the tracking spirits a good distance away. Feng Xia was watching. That would make things a little bit easier.

----------------------------------------

Kiyoko shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat, glancing at the girl next to her. Joyce was as calm as someone who had just bought the last breakfast sandwich at the store.

In the few days Kiyoko had been a bodyguard, absolutely nothing had happened other than several requests to help with flying cockroaches. For someone who was the most powerful shaman in the country, Joyce certainly didn't deal well with bugs.

Surprisingly, Joyce seemed to deal pretty well with assassinations.

"Chairman, you're really not going to take revenge?" Kiyoko asked hesitantly. Joyce glanced at her. Joyce hadn't actually told Kiyoko what happened but anyone reading the mood could see Spade and Mohan's towering hostility.

"I will have my revenge! They will rue the day they crossed me or my last name isn't Zhao," Joyce snarled, bursting into an evil laugh at the end.

It came out more like a manic cackle but Kiyoko decided to ignore that for the more glaring problem.

"Chairman, your last name isn't Zhao," Kiyoko said. Joyce nodded.

"Exactly," she said. "I'm going to scare them a bit but what's more important is forming an alliance. They can try to kill me all they want. Between the two of us, I doubt they'll get anywhere with that."

"That's...awfully gracious of you," Kiyoko said.

She didn't bother hiding the doubt in her voice. It wasn't as though Joyce was actually a masochistic maniac who liked being stabbed or something, it didn't make sense for someone to ignore an attempt on their life without at least some form of revenge.

"I'm not a really big-hearted person or anything." Joyce didn't say anything more, quietly looking out the window until they arrived at their destination. Kiyoko opened the door for Joyce, feeling more confused and uneasy than she did before.

Joyce scanned the lobby, cheerfully waving as she spotted Xiang Yu. The older woman smiled politely back.

"It is an honor, Chairman," Xiang Yu said warmly, dipping her head in a light bow. "I am Xiang Yu of the Pernakan Association. Thank you for calling me."

"Hi! I'm Joyce Lee! Oh my god, I can't believe I'm actually meeting Xiang Yu, this is so cool," Joyce gushed, ignoring the confused expressions on Kiyoko and Xiang Yu's faces.

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"Chairman, you've heard of me?" Xiang Yu asked quizzically.

"Yeah, you saved your crew from the Kraken by drifting the ship like a Marine Admiral on steroids, right? That was hella cool," Joyce said. Xiang Yu looked flattered.

"Well, shall we talk somewhere a little quieter?" Joyce asked, looping her hand in Xiang Yu's elbow in a friendly gesture as she pulled the woman towards an empty office. Kiyoko trailed behind, vigilantly watching for any possible attacks.

Kiyoko sat down a short distance away from Joyce, close enough to handle either Xiang Yu or if someone burst through the door. Joyce cheerfully asked Xiang Yu about her crew and her business before the conversation turned a bit more nonsensical.

"So if you happened to be shipping bananas and there was an accident, could you apply for insurance if you used the bananas for a raft?" Joyce asked seriously.

"If the ship sinks, then yes," Xiang Yu replied just as seriously.

Kiyoko tuned out again as Joyce launched into another insurance question, looking like a child who had found a wizard to pester about Santa Claus.

"So the thing is, I wanted to meet you for a while now, but for some reason, chance wasn't really on my side. Now that I realize it I probably could have just called, but evidently the Stone Age part of my brain refuses anything that runs on electricity," Joyce said.

"Not at all, I'm deeply honored that the Chairman even took interest in me. You have no idea how grateful I was to you for taking down the Kraken, I felt like my ship had been avenged," Xiang Yu replied, placing a hand over her heart.

"You really care for your ship and your crew," Joyce said with a genuine smile. Xiang Yu returned it happily.

"Unfortunately, I'm going to kind of be a jerk now, and ask for a favor on our first meeting," Joyce continued. Xiang Yu looked unfazed.

"Please do so, Chairman. I'd be honored if I could be of any help."

Kiyoko blinked. Were Joyce's instincts really that good after all? If Joyce was good at choosing the "right" people, Kiyoko didn't really want to know what that meant as a bodyguard.

"The thing is, I'm kind of in a bad situation right now," Joyce said. "I'm a little cornered, and I could really use some words of wisdom or someone with a really strong character to back me up, kind of like emotional support I guess?"

"Cornered? Is someone giving you trouble?" Xiang Yu looked reasonably confused. After all, there weren't any shamans or non-shamans capable of stopping a spirit-sent.

Joyce paused for a moment, looking down at the table with uncharacteristic gloom.

"I'm entering negotiations for a three-way alliance with the Shaman Council and Hengshan Association the day after tomorrow. I'd like to ask for you to attend," Joyce said. She turned pleading eyes towards Xiang Yu.

"Me? Of course, I'd gladly go if you wanted me to, but I don't see how I could be of any help," Xiang Yu replied. She looked at Joyce's face in confusion, taking in the strained smile on Joyce's face.

"Like I said, I need someone with a really resilient personality with me. After all, I'm going to be negotiating with people who just tried to kill me," Joyce said.

Kiyoko watched as Xiang Yu's expression went from shock to horror to fury. There it was. Kiyoko leaned back into her seat, letting out a small huff of breath. Joyce had caught her target.

"They tried to kill you?!" Xiang Yu snarled. "They couldn't have handled the Kraken without you!"

"Not everyone subscribes to the same morality, unfortunately. I couldn't stab someone who'd given me a hand, but others could. Maybe it's because I didn't finish high school, the lack of soul-crushing college exams might've helped me a bit with that," Joyce replied sulkily.

"Why are you still trying to negotiate with them?!" Xiang Yu demanded. Joyce looked at her with a steady gaze.

"Because I want to go on the Northern Expedition as soon as possible. Also, I don't want to be the one responsible for wrecking the city, which I'm pretty sure would happen if we started a slap-fight. I mean, you saw the Azure Dragon, right? These things are huge, it'd be like if Godzilla took a walk through town," Joyce replied.

"They used some taboo shit, so it's not like I don't have grounds for a fight. But why fight each other when we could fight not-each-other? Like the warlords or something, maybe the British if they decide to start another invasion," Joyce continued. She looked at Xiang Yu earnestly.

Kiyoko watched Joyce's face carefully, trying to figure out if the girl was telling the truth. After all, Joyce wasn't the only one doing the choosing. Xiang Yu also stared at Joyce for a few moments before accepting the explanation with a nod.

"Chairman, I'll give it all I've got," Xiang Yu said seriously. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

Maybe Joyce really was just that good at choosing people. Kiyoko watched as Xiang Yu jotted down Joyce's requests and agreed with great enthusiasm. The two continued talking for a little longer before Xiang Yu took her leave.

"I'll see you soon," Joyce promised as she sent Xiang Yu off at the door. The room fell silent again as the sound of footsteps faded. Even after hearing that much, Kiyoko still had a question.

"Was that really the reason, Chairman?" Kiyoko asked. Joyce glanced at her curiously.

"For why I wanted her there?" Joyce asked. "No, not really." Kiyoko paused awkwardly. Now she had two questions.

"I meant for why you won't take revenge," Kiyoko said. She looked at her feet. "Though I am also curious about why you want her there."

Joyce laughed cheerfully. "I thought orientation said not to ask too many questions," Joyce said lightly. Kiyoko's heart skipped a beat.

"I apologize," Kiyoko said stiffly. "I was out of line."

Joyce didn't respond. Kiyoko grew more uneasy. From what she'd seen so far, Joyce didn't care much for systems of superiority, common formalities, or even responding to disrespect, but this question had hit the spirit-sent's nerves? Kiyoko gulped nervously.

"Let's go get some drinks," Joyce said cheerfully, as if Kiyoko had never asked at all.

"I'm thirsty, and Spade's gotten me addicted to herbal tea. Do you know that's all he ever gets at vending machines? And it's hilarious because every vending machine seems to have a personal grudge against him. He has to do a John Cena every time."

Kiyoko subtly wiped away the cold sweat beading on her forehead as she followed Joyce outside. For the first time, she had been afraid of the spirit-sent.

----------------------------------------

Li Peng blinked as his office door flew open with enough force to make the hinges wince. He stared at the bottom of Feng Xia's sandal.

"What are those?" He asked accusingly, staring at the kitchen sandal on her foot. Feng Xia ignored him, stomping towards his desk until the sandals were out of sight.

"What the hell did you guys do?" Feng Xia glared at him with barely contained rage. Li Peng stared into her furious eyes, slowly leaning back in his chair.

He'd been expecting this would happen someday. Li Peng had thought he would feel fear, or maybe anger or irritation. Instead, he felt nothing. It was as if his heart was numb.

Li Peng looked at Feng Xia, letting out a small sigh. At some point, he'd grown taller than her, and then he'd grown more mature, and eventually, he'd grown to be more cold-hearted as well. That was why Jia Xu chose him for this, even if she chose Feng Xia for everything else.

"I think you're pretty aware, given your entrance," Li Peng said drily. Feng Xia slammed her palm onto the desk.

"Joyce said you used something taboo. What the hell did you guys use?" Feng Xia demanded.

Li Peng kept silent. Jia Xu had insisted that they keep quiet about exactly what they used, especially towards Feng Xia, who'd probably blow a gasket at the revelation. Joyce must have done it on purpose. There was no way the spirit-sent couldn't sense Feng Xia's tracking spirits. Li Peng held back a sigh. It seemed that Joyce was shrewder than he'd thought.

"Li Peng!" Feng Xia snapped.

Li Peng felt nothing as he looked into her seething glare. Maybe it was pent-up jealousy or irritation that he'd always gotten the muck work, but the fondness he'd built up over a decade together was muted to almost nothingness. Feng Xia's pleading expression and angry tears meant nothing to him at all.

"Did the Chairman order this?" Feng Xia demanded in a tearful voice. Li Peng kept silent.

"Li Peng, who the hell thought of this?!" Feng Xia demanded.

She wasn't going to back down, so the only option was getting the Chairman to make her back down. Li Peng reached for the communication ward.

His head was flung sharply to the right as a resounding slap hit his cheek. Li Peng winced at the taste of blood in his mouth. He turned towards Feng Xia, shocked to see she was crying.

Li Peng felt a sudden pang of guilt and panic.

"Feng Xia," he began weakly. He stopped with a start.

'What?' He felt a growing sense of dread.

'Was it that? But there's no way –'

The symptoms matched, and any other person could have dismissed that as speculation, anyone but Li Peng. After all, he was the one who'd used it countless times for Jia Xu. Li Peng tried to still his shaking hands as he glanced towards the communication ward fearfully, suddenly acutely aware that it was a two-way device.

"Li Peng!" Feng Xia's hands gripped his shoulders. Li Peng started at the abrupt contact, flinging his chair back as he stood up in a rush. Feng Xia looked at him with frightened eyes.

"Are you okay? Did I hit you too hard?" Feng Xia asked desperately. She reached towards the broken skin on his cheek, flinching as Li Peng harshly pushed her hand away.

Li Peng touched his fingertips to his collar, finding that he was dripping with cold sweat.

"Li Peng! What the hell is wrong with you?! Did the curse have a side-effect on the caster?!" Feng Xia's worry made him wince.

"I'll tell you later," Li Peng choked out. "I need to speak to the Chairman first." He brushed past her and out of the office, ignoring her call out behind him.

Almost automatically, he headed up the staircase and towards Jia Xu's office. He didn't offer an explanation, but the secretary hurriedly let him in at the look on his face.

"Chairman," Li Peng bowed in greeting. He straightened to Jia Xu's stony face.

"Li Peng," Jia Xu said coldly, "You haven't told Feng Xia anything, have you?"

So she must have noticed that the curse broke. He let out a bitter laugh.

"How could I have? You bound me to silence with the Truth-Suppressing Curse," Li Peng said, anger slowly rankling inside him.

A curse that sealed a person's emotions towards their closest friends and family members when they demanded the truth, it wasn't as though Li Peng hadn't casted it countless times. He just never thought that working tirelessly for Jia Xu still couldn't win him any trust.

"For good reason," Jia Xu's voice softened a little as she leaned forward to comfort him. "I know it hurt you, but it's necessary. You become a different person when Feng Xia's involved. You become someone I can't trust as much."

Li Peng shook his head in disbelief. "You know best how much I've kept from her over the years. You still think I can't keep something like this from her?"

"This is too important, Li Peng." She looked at him meaningfully. "It only takes once to destroy everything."

Li Peng's vision flashed white-hot with anger. "That's not fair! It wasn't even me who messed up that time, why the hell are you still blaming me? You never even so much as scolded Feng Xia, but you've dragged me through the mud for ten years! You always talk about consequences but she never faces any –"

"Jealousy doesn't suit you," Jia Xu snarled. The air noticeably chilled as she glared at him imperiously. "Li Peng, was it your lack of discretion or Feng Xia's naivety that caused that? Do you really not understand?"

Li Peng breathed heavily, glaring at the ground as her silence pressed down on him. There wasn't even anything he could say to that.

"In either case, this isn't about dragging you through the mud. It's that I lost my right hand Tansu, and Taeyun lost his trump card Lin Bo. He found a replacement soon enough, of course I needed one too. And since you can't deny culpability, of course I had you take responsibility. Are you trying to blame Feng Xia for this now?"

"I'm not blaming her, I'm blaming you for always siding with her," Li Peng grit out.

Jia Xu shook her head and looked up at him coldly. "If that child can't accept reality, this Council will still be yours someday. And we both know she won't be able to. So, Li Peng, just who am I really siding with here?"

Li Peng stared at her silently. Jia Xu sighed, expression softening a little.

"Don't let Feng Xia know anything yet," Jia Xu said. "You're dismissed."

She didn't look up as the door slammed shut behind him.