Two pages came loose from The Encyclopedia as Lin Liqin finished reading Tomo's statement of thanks. He passed one to his sister as he pocketed the other. “This has been a rather interesting experience, but I think it's time for us to go. We'll see ourselves out,” said Lin Liqin with a slight bow to the attendants, pausing for a moment as he turns to leave, “Speaking of 'seeing', are all of Tomo's employees blind?”
With a smirk the boy loosened the bindings over his eyes as he lightly chuckles, “Who says we're blind?” The twins momentarily froze, feeling quite small before the boy's gaze. The feeling of his dark red eyes peering at them from every angle created a sense of pressure that only lifted when the boy gave them a wink with a big smile.
“Wei! You know those pages mark them as Tomo's honored guests. You shouldn't be teasing them like that!” The young girl stepped between the boy and the Lin twins before bowing to them, “I apologize on his behalf. The blindfolds are just a part of our training. We won't delay you any longer, but please remember that the doors to Tomo's Treasures are always open to you.”
As the twins left they could hear the girl as she continued to scold the youth. Just as Lin Liqin was stepping out the front door his keen ears heard the boy mutter, “What's the big deal Jia Ying? I was just having a bit of fun with our juniors.” Being called junior by a boy nearly a decade younger than him made his eye twitch. He quickened his steps, deciding that it was best to put as much distance between them and the strange little shop as possible.
The twins returned home to a familiar scene, the three Gaian soldiers were waiting for them again, but this time they had a wagon loaded with three barrels and three crates. The two groups exchanged heated looks, though the heated glances the female soldier gave Lin Liqin were of a different variety. Despite the sparks flying between them, it seemed the soldiers didn't come to cause trouble. Having learned from their last encounter, their weapons stayed in their sheathes.
Lin Liqin casually broke the tension. “Is that our payment?” he asked as he flippantly walked passed the soldiers and climbed aboard the wagon.
“Three casks of baijiu and three heavy boxes of silver, as we agreed,” said the taller soldier.
“Very good. Tell your commander I wish them good luck on completing their ki refinement foundation,” stated Lin Liqiu with a light nod.
The taller soldier started to leave before noticing his companions hadn't moved. They were still staring at Lin Liqin, one with hearts for eyes the other daggers. He quickly dragged them along before they could cause another incident.
Lin Liqin kicked one of the crates and the jingling of coins could be heard. “These crates and barrels are larger than I was expecting.”
“The commander is likely trying to make a good first impression. After all, this is probably the only chance they'll have at getting a ki forged item.”
*** *** *** ***
The next three months went by quickly. Lin Liqiu continued to use her page from The Encyclopedia to research smithing techniques. Lately she had become entranced by a forging method called welding that could connect two pieces of metal in an easy and efficient manner without the need for screws or rivets. Lin Liqin, on the other hand, discovered that his page could store information that was written on it and recall it later, so he began using it as a date book. He also discovered that it could accurately predict the weather within the next few days.
With only a few days left till the deadline, the twins finally received word that the Gaian commander had completed their ki refinement foundation. As the messenger bird flew out the window Lin Liqiu turned to Lin Liqin, “We should inform the Japanese regiment of our intentions. It wouldn't look good if they think we've abandoned our neutrality and sided with the Gaians.”
“By we, dear sister, I assume you mean me.”
“Well, it's been awhile since I last ki forged and I need to prepare myself both mentally and physically. Also, this could be a chance for you to patch things up with Tsubame. You and her were thick as thieves once, maybe she'd be willing to pass along our message to the commander.”
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“There's nothing to patch up. She chose the war over us, simple as that.”
“Stupid brother, you know nothing about this war is simple. Did you even hear her side of the story?”
“...Fine... I'll go see her and I'll find some way to get word to the Japanese commander.”
The smell of the morning dew still hung in the air as Lin Liqin headed out. When he arrived in Mitsushima he hired a carriage to take him further south to Izuhara, where the Japanese garrison was located. The trip had taken most of the day and now the sun was already dipping below the horizon.
-It's getting late. I should find a warm bed and some even hotter company,- he thought to himself as he subconsciously ran his fingers through his hair. -I can inquire after Tsubame in the morning.-
He was able to get a room at the local ryokan[1], but had missed the dinner hour so he made his way to a nearby izakaya[2]. There he hoped to get a meal and take in some of the local night life. As Lin Liqin approached the door he felt a hand glide along his shoulders before slipping under his arm. It pulled his elbow, hugging it against something soft. “Hey good looking, want some company?” a voice whispered in his ear.
Without turning to look, he responded with the air of an instructor, “Tsu Tsu, you know I don't mind a smaller chest, but for this move to be effective you might want to place the arm between your mounds. It would enhance the effect.” As Lin Liqin finished his lesson he began wiggling his elbow into position, releasing mild lightning chi along the way to create a tingling sensation.
The woman yelped from the sudden stimulus before jumping back and delivering a punch to his arm. “You bully,” she said with a 'so exaggerated it's cute' pouty face. “Buy me a drink as an apology Qin.”
“Sure, if you return my pocketbook.”
Tsubame shrugged as she handed over the wallet, “Old habits die hard.”
After the two found a quiet corner to sit at and received what would be the first of many rounds, Lin Liqin decided to address the elephant in the room directly, “Tsu Tsu what happened? We looked for you for months and then Liqiu heard from Aimi that you were with the Japanese military. You couldn't send a messenger bird to let us know you were okay?”
Looking down at her drink, speaking in a defeated tone, “I'm sorry, it's my fault, I screwed up. I stole Japanese correspondents and was going to sell them to the Gaians. Turned out the fence I was using was a Japanese sympathizer and he ratted me out. The correspondents were never reported missing because I swapped them with fakes. The commander was so impressed that he gave me a choice, the dungeon or a uniform. At first no one trusted the thief, so I wasn't allowed to send messages and by the time I was, well, I figured you were better off without me. You and Qiu were never shy about wanting to stay out of the war and I didn't want to be the reason you got involved.”
Tsubame downed her drink and Lin Liqin followed suit. After a moment of hesitation he sighed, “I feel like an asshole. This whole time I thought you left for the money. I knew you were struggling and I thought you joined up because you were too proud to ask me for help.”
“Funny you should mention money, because I hear you and Qiu just closed a pretty lucrative deal.”
“How'd you hear about that?”
“I'm a member of the military intelligence squad now, so it's my job to know these things. There was a short Gaian soldier that was quite determined to slander your good name and during his rant he let slip that you and your sister had agreed to ki forge an item for the Gaian commander.”
Lin Liqin shrugged, “Well, no matter, that's what I was coming to see you about. I need to talk to your commander about that deal. Any chance you could pass on a message or, better yet, get me a meeting?”
“My commander is already aware of the deal and your conditions. We are prepared to deliver the same amount of silver and baijiu as the Gaians did, but we have two conditions of our own.”
“And they are?”
“One, the commander wants to have his ki forged item created immediately after the Gaian's. Two, your cabin is a tactical nightmare. We request that the forging take place at the abandoned forge on the east side of Mitsushima. It's neutral territory so the Gaians shouldn't object and the city streets create easily defendable positions.”
Lin Liqin took a moment to consider the demands, “You should know that ki forging is a taxing affair, attempting a second after the first will lower the odds of success. If the forging fails due to Liqiu's exhaustion there won't be a second chance or a refund. As for number two, my sister will have to inspect the forge first, but if your commander is willing to cover the cost to bring it up to her standards I don't see any reason why we can't oblige.”
“Those are reasonable terms.” At that moment the waitress brought over more drinks. Tsubame grabbed two, handing one to Lin Liqin before tapping his glass with hers. “Now that work is settled we can have some fun like old times. Qin and Tsu Tsu together again. This town won't know what hit it!” she chortled.
Author's Notes:
[1] Ryokan is a Japanese hotel, dinner and breakfast are often included in the cost of the room.
[2] Izakaya is a Japanese bar, similar to a tavern or saloon. Often serves fried foods.