"The men in the blue robes? They're the government."

Moon Xiru did not look pleased that I had nearly had a run in with the Red Fang Sect and then the Mandarin. I wasn't either but you take what you can get. I was beginning to think that he had a bit of a libertarian streak. Not that there was such a thing here.

"Well, good if they're the government, then we can go to them, right? They're here to help the people? Care for the sick and wounded, husband the land and people and all that?" I replied, irritated.

"What?" He stood there dumbfounded.

He was definitely a small government type or at least friendly to the idea.

"The government is here to take care of the people...? The basis of the reason government is there to begin with?"

His eyes should have given me a hint of something beyond the calm full-bodied taste of his latest acquisition.

The outdoor scent of bags of tea leaves were getting to me, to be honest. They were very strong. Picture if you will large cloth bags full of tiny leaves arranged in a rough semi circle and you'll understand what his setup was like. In the middle was Cory, his table and chair and his little abacus.

"That makes the government sound like a charity."

I sighed deeply, once again breathing in some of the finest oolong on the northwestern part of the continent. He had gone on about the pedigree of the leaves at length unprompted, and I had learned that though trial and error that not saying anything did not stop him in the slightest.

"If the government doesn't do that uh...."

"Cultivator Pidge, we both know that the government is for keeping our borders safe from spirit beasts and gathering men and women to fight against demonic Sects. They just happen to be narrowly focused here on the border, because the area outside of Western Jewel is a fertile training ground. To think other wise, well this one could not imagine such a thing."

"I think that it's not a lack of imagination that is your problem here. You've never heard of alternative types of governments, like democracies with parliaments, or direct democracy or sociocracy?"

I was a bit flustered between the oolong and his insistence that the government had no values in common with anything I had known. Sure there was a ton of pro American fervor throughout the United States after 9/11, but we didn't have actual spirit beasts trying to break down totems that surrounded our nation. That would have been far too convenient in justifying a draft or something.

The stark marble whites with golden cracks of the building reflected the sun's twilight as it threatened to go down.

"Those terms? This one is unfamiliar with most of them. Could you explain them in tea terms."

I paused.

"A democracy is like when you a group of people vote on their favorite tea. A sociocracy is like everyone has to agree on the tea before you sell it...a parliament is like voting on who can select the tea you sell?"

"Oh. And voting is?"

I shrugged, really working the muscles around my shoulders. Between rolling my eyes at nearly everything that Min said and shrugging when I was trying to bridge the cultural gap without defining a word by using the same word. The words were on the tip of my tongue.

"It's picking a thing but not for money?"

"Hmmmm."

"He is probably a lost cause here. All he knows is money and gossip," Min said.

"No, no I really think I'm getting somewhere with this. Moon City, it's like picking your crew. You helped me pick everyone and I'm grateful for that, but I want to make it clear that joining me on this endeavor is a voluntary thing."

"The red fang must pay."

"I understand that-"

"No," he said sternly, cutting me off for the first time ever. His eyes smoldered, "They will pay for what they've done. For their crimes against the Moon clan. The clans elders have not been as proactive as this one wants."

And there it was, the most difficult thing I could get him to say. Obliquely telling me that he didn't like a direction that his family had taken with another group. It was tantamount to open rebellion in these parts. I didn't want to press upon his countenance too much, but a part of me really wanted to know how the real Xiru felt. The real man behind the luscious wavy hair that had to take half an hour to brush.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"That's a lot to unpack, Xiru. I'll take that under advisement."

He paused to sip his product. With the amount of bulk tea available, the poor guy was just covered in it. It made his operation both look like a pile of leaves at a suburban home in the Northwestern United states mid November. If he had an aesthetic, I would have called it 'Christian Girl Autumn' and the only thing mission would be boots and an iconic black jacket on top of his white shirt and brown capris.

"The tea brokers union traditionally supports the Mandarin with gifts of tea when their tax season rolls around. To be more specific, we usually send a junior seller with joint contributions to ensure that our taxes are not weighted too heavily. Of course that is what all unions like ours must do. I've heard it told that Mandarin have begun to expect it, as the process has become almost a mandate in recent years."

He looked away, his face a stone wall.

"They're expecting special treatment, thereby enforcing that they're above the populace or something like that? Yeah, I don't generally trust people who want power for powers sake. They're not to be trusted. I mean political power, Min, ow don't pinch me!"

She had made a corporeal body the size of a hamster and nearly drawn blood with her pinch. I wasn't pleased, as that might leave a mark, but in terms of sticks and stones, my bones would be fine.

"Is this really the time to get into better policing? Or can we find a way to use the blue robes?"

I scratched the back of my head.

"Yes. We can use them. No I don't need to do my usual schpiel about consent of the governed and-"

"Yadda yadda yadda, tell me about what you're going to offer them in exchange for information on the Red Fang. It reads to me like they'll have an excellent information gathering network, with eyes in places that we won't."

Moon Xiru coughed, setting his tea cup down.

"It appears that your moon spirit has a point-" Xiru started.

"THANK YOU."

"-in that we can extend our network. I wish I could say more than I know where their tea gets delivered."

I nearly did a spit take.

"You know where... you know what, just show me."

Xiru sighed opening up a drawer with a giant map. He looked around for any prying eyes before spreading the table sized map out on his display case. On the map I could see a lot of different neighborhoods and fertile lands that made the city look almost as lively as the terrain itself.

"This one had this made special," he said, "as a curious spirit requested it in particular."

A feeling of satisfaction came from Mins direction.

"Finally someone who understands a girl, and knows how to treat her."

"Uh, okay," I said, examining the map.

I wasn't concerned with her sass. His map was making me feel feelings. Big mood.

The brush work was superb. It could have come out of a billionaires ex wives luxury yachts bathroom for how intense the detail was. I wondered if they would let me put it in the privy. Probably not at this rate.

"This is a thorough map of the entirety of Western Jewel, the delivery to the Sect of Red Fang here in the southeast quadrant," he said, pointing to a part of the city that aligned to the mainland.

On the west, the area pushed against the sea. Multiple bridges lead between that borough or neighborhood and the main collection of Islands that made up Western Jewel.

"What are these giant Xs on the map here?"

A near perfect oval of Xs surrounded the city. The oval reached to the south, stretching towards where I had appeared, probably at one of the most southern totems.

"Each mark is a totem."

I hadn't seen it before, but it made total sense that the entire area would need to be covered. I wondered if they connected like a large totem fence, or if they just covered a radius. I made a note to ask my good friend about that later.

"That makes sense."

Xiru made a hmm sound.

"Their Sect lands are close to the edge because, well this one imagines that they want to train against the roving spirit beasts."

"So they get stronger by fighting against beasts that are next to their lands, great. Can I get a chance to do the same?"

"This one is uncertain. Perhaps this ones auntie will know better."

"I'll ask her. Thanks Xiru."

It was reassuring to think that they were that far away. It was at least several dozen kilometers if my idea of distance was correct.

What wasn't reassuring was that we were effectively trapped inside a of a bubble with them. It hadn't truly hit me until now how isolated we were, but between the airships and the farmland, I hadn't felt trapped.

Now a wave of unease passed through me as I realized that I could hide, but I couldn't run. Running would only get me so far, unless I got into an airship and then what?

I would have to deal with these people.

"Xiru, have you ever seen a spirit beast?"

"Regrettably, yes but only once. It is something that the moon clan does for those of us lacking the ability. This one was a young man when it happened. The screams and the sight of it, it still haunts me at night."

"That's terrible."

"It was important."

"Still, it's terrible. They shouldn't have to do that."

"They do it for a reason. Seeing it once lets you know that you can run or piss ones robes. This one... didn't fare well. It's why this shop is in the inner city."

It sounded like the school of hard knocks was giving out a class called 'Generational Trauma.' I didn't understand why the Moon clan would expose its young men and women to spirit beasts, but I was certain that they had a reason. I hoped that they had a reason especially if they were doing this to everyone.

"I don't know if you want to talk about that incident or if you're over it now, but..."

"This is fine, Cultivator Pidge, really. It was a formative thing that still.. lingers," he sighed, putting his tea cup down for good.

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

Back in my office, I was sadly alone with my thoughts and Min. The notes I has taken pains to go through had been left at the inn, and my buddy Fei hadn't had the courage to go and retrieve them. Sure he felt better, but I was certain that a second realm enforcer was watching the door and I could always redo my chart notes.

One must understand that charting or making notes is just a part of everything that is going on. The real effect that a therapist can have is between the two people. It's been said a lot, but people have to want to change before they'll even start the process. I'm not just talking about women dragging their husbands to marital therapy either.

The red fang, in my mind, didn't want to change. I wasn't going to wait around for them to go through their process. I wanted to not be harassed anymore, and yeah being left alone to process my own grief would be the end result, but I was almost at that place now.

Almost.

I still wished I had those notes though. There wasn't anything to it but to get some more paper and start again. My city was ruined and it was time to rebuild from the ashes. I would get everything that they were trying to take from me.