THREE

Location: City of Haven, Morelli Institution

Date: April 27th, 2037

Time: 21:25

Four metal cups filled with dice hit the table face down. The four players stared at each other, not a single word was said, not a single breath could be heard. Each of them were expressionless, putting on their best faces for this high stakes, 'friendly' game. The bets were high, and this was not one that Xin was intending to lose. There was no place for such thoughts, she had to win, it was the only option.

It was her start, a decent spot to be in for the last round, all of the minor prizes had been won but this, this was the biggest, all the bets were in, all of the previous stakes removed. She hadn't won most of the previous games, but it didn't matter, only this one did.

Each game was individual, and as the night went on, the four players seemed to place higher and higher bets, the cockiness that came with the combination of drinks, gambling, and previous wins, all giving the illusion that they were capable. All of them slid their cups back toward themselves, not looking at the contents of the five dice beneath each.

"I wager, three twos." She said. An easy, safe start. They could not yet look at their dice, so she did not want to make any bold claims so early. In previous games, that was not a bad tactic, but there was no room for risks now.

She could smell the liquor in the cup to her left. She wanted some, she always wanted some, but she was using every fibre of her being to not. She hadn't drank any all night. Not tonight, she needed to control herself, and just focus on the game. She was telling herself to keep it simple, not to play bold as to raise the stakes and force people to lie too quickly. Timing was everything, and she had to make sure not to be backed into a corner.

The man to her left was David Ray, a wealthy businessman who ran a very large, illegal business. He was big in the weapons business, smuggling, moving and laundering them illegally, and providing for many families and institutions across the nation. He held a lot of power in Haven, with enough money and backing behind him that nothing could really be done about his empire, he was also one of the main suppliers of weapons to the Underworld, and so his business was considered a necessary evil that the higher ups in control of the happenings of Haven elected to ignore.

"Five twos." He said, building off Xin's bet. It was safe to stay put and not move up before the end of the round, no one was going to call bluffs at a low number, especially when no one had seen their own dice yet. Staying at low values meant the values could be increased. There was no danger yet, and no one wanted to take the plunge. David was a suited man with what looked to be a five-hundred-dollar hair cut, the standard business type, charismatic, almost charming, cocky, a bastard in all right.

To the left of David was a man named Anthony Morelli, the head of one of the wealthiest, and powerful families in Haven. His family were long time mobsters, and the amount of money under their name rivaled all the richest people in Haven combined. It was safe to say that Haven relied on the man's money to stay afloat, his business and illegal actions being one of the other many things the Haven higher ups chose to ignore so long as they were getting something out of it, and they did.

His efforts alone lead most of the funding Haven received for its many expansions and projects not granted or supported by the local and federal government. To say Haven relied on the Morelli's was an understatement. It was his penthouse that they were sitting in, and he was the host of the evening. He was a thin Italian man, dressed very similarly to David. "Three threes."

He said, confident in his low bets and leaving it to the fourth to raise things any higher. He had a rather significant bet on the game. One million dollars in cash, the majority of it set up in a rather large brief case behind him, but one of the stacks of bills laid out across the table, spread with the offerings of the others, proof that it was no bluff. David had been betting a hefty sum of weapons, multiple crates full of them, a bunch laid out on the table too, with spare magazines and bullets all scattered about among the bills, cards, and pokers chips that had all been tossed in between games.

The fourth, to Xin's right, was a woman named Riz but who's last name she did not know. She was a middle-aged woman with brown hair braided back, and wearing a long, white, sleeveless dress. She was the head of another family with an empire of its own. She knew what they did and was disgusted by it. A boy in a girl were also on the table, laid about in the skimpiest of possible lingerie and all dolled up in makeup. They did not obstruct the players' view of each other on the strangely large card table, but they were almost awkward.

They were her bet, slaves, for the pleasure of whoever won them, clearly past garbage that she no longer had use for, but that was her business. The two of them on the table looked no older than twenty, and though they had smiles and seemed to be enjoying themselves in a light, euphoric trance, she already knew that they were victims of unfortunate events to have ended up in a place like this. It was all the more reason she had to win, to get them out, to do some good in a world of bad. She knew that if anyone else had won them, their lives would not get any better.

They looked similar, both with long, pink dyed hair and green eyes. They had similar faces too, and Xin hoped and prayed they were not related. Her business was highly illegal, just like the rest of them, yet she had no idea how this woman got away with it. What use did Haven have for her? And if they did not know about her, how was that possible? "Four threes." The woman said, playing it safe as they all did.

Xin guessed as much, she perhaps started too low, and now she was forced to take the plunge, whereas she had hoped one of them would get cocky and do it for her. The pressure was on her, the one disadvantage of going first, she had to set the pace and anticipate the timing of it all. She lifted her cup on her side to look under, covering the back with her spare hand, and the other three did the same. Two fives, one six, one two, and a one.

The one gave her three fives to work with as ones were wild. That would help her later. She was still cursed with the first bet. Though patience was key, she realized she could not wait for the others to play it safe and make her take the plunger again. "Three fives." She said. She was still safe, completely safe, but that move got a surprised reaction out of the other three. It was a high jump, but Xin didn't want to have to wait through all the wagering in the lower numbers, only to see them brought up and up until someone finally accused another of lying.

"Four fives." David followed almost instantly.

"Five fives." Anthony added, not wanting to jump too far ahead. Xin had three of her own, to wager that only two of the dice of the remaining fifteen were either fives or ones was extremely safe, but Riz seemed cocky. "Seven fives." She said.

She must have had some fives of her own, she sounded confident.

Going above that was risky, and it was back on Xin with the same pressure. Her risk wasn't going her way. Seven of twenty was a grey area where it could very much be possible, calling bluffs at seven was risky, she had to go up one, and start high, but not so high it would get back to her. She had a one, and a six, that was two sixes. Statistically, there had to be a few more. "Six sixes." She said.

The others seemed interested. "Eight sixes." David said, after waiting a bit. That was a dangerous move, but Xin figured he thought she had a few of her own, and perhaps so did he.

Anthony was threatened here, both bets before him came from players who seemed confident. He could try to call David's bluff, but there came a risk, just as much of a risk as raising it up. "Nine sixes." He said, his voice deep and almost sinister.

"Liar." Riz called, to have almost half of the dice be one value was absurd. Then again, she was the one in the corner, and not Xin, to say more than nine would immediately lose her the game as Xin would just call her out. Calling the bluff was her only option with any chance of keeping her in the game. Yet, Anthony believed there were nine, and chose that rather than challenging David's wager of eight. That meant something.

All four of them lifted their cups. Riz had two sixes of her own. Xin and Anthony both had a six and a one, and David had two sixes and two ones. Ten total, there was no lie.

The woman was shocked, the men laughed at her misfortune, and Xin only let out a relieved sigh. One down, two to go, she would have to keep picking them off.

"How?" The woman said, "That's outrageous!" She slammed her hand onto the table and slapped the cup and dice aside, startling the two slaves on the table who looked up at her with worried looks, breaking character.

"You're out." Anthony said sternly, "It's part of the game. The ones always make the difference."

"Bullshit rule." She said, standing up, grabbing her coat that she had folded on the table beside her, and stormed out of the room. Xin didn't even look at her, keeping her eyes on her own dice which she scooped back into her cup and shook.

"That's the last time I invite her here." Anthony said in response to her poor sportsmanship. The slaves on the table seemed dumbfounded, she no longer owned them, yet no one else did. Were they free? Xin saw the fear and confusion behind their eyes.

"So eager to continue? We can break between games." Anthony offered Xin, who was the only one shaking her dice.

"I'm here to play." Xin replied.

"Yes, you are, and you certainly put down a strong anti." The man replied. "Three kill orders. The price of a life is very high, and you offer three."

"Riz offered two lives, and I take three. Death will always come ahead." She continued and slammed her cup downwards onto the table.

"She certainly did." David said, reaching his hand out to the girl lying on the table and running his fingers through her hair. They were both soft, frail things, thin, shorter, their skin perfect and lacking any blemishes and imperfections. She had never seen anyone so dolled up before. She girl put on a smile as he did and looked up at him with lustful eyes. "And I plan on enjoying these lives after I'm done here."

The awkwardness rose, she was uncomfortable with him perving on them like that, but she had to focus. She had to win, the Cherry Blossum inn needed the money, and the guns, and she didn't want to have to give away the three kill orders that she had bet. Anthony was right that it was a hefty bet, three kill orders, permission slips that could be used as payment for an assassination of anyone who gave it. No money required, just a slip of paper.

They rarely gave these out, but those who wanted people dead, and didn't want to pay the rather expensive price that came with hiring an assassin, sought them out like gold. She was sitting with the right people for it. Then there were the slaves, her own self righteousness got over her. It wasn't her business, but she had done enough bad in her left that she needed to do some right, and they were young.

She had a soft spot for the young, for kids especially, she would never harm them, and would do all in her power to make sure no harm was done to them. She saw the boy looking over to her, his expression rather blank, but she could see that he really did not want to go with the man who was feeling up the other. Xin gave him a warm smile, the inn could take them under their wing, nurse them, free them, bring them back to the real world.

Anthony shrugged and scooped up his dice too, David, realizing the game was resuming, left the girl alone and did the same. Their cups hit the table. It was David's turn to start.

"Four fours." He started, a high bet to start. He was rushing, perhaps copying Xin's earlier tactic.

"Five fours." Anthony added.

Xin decided to play along. "Two fives." She said. It was going to be a quick game, and the second round was always the worst. They were no longer betting over twenty dice, but fifteen. Two fives was still more than safe, but now they were in the high end. If David wanted to jump forward, she saw no reason not to help it along, and she prayed it worked in her favour. As much as she wanted to play it safe, and as much as her head told her too, her impulses came first. She was desperate, she was tired, and she needed to take risks to not fall behind.

She peeked at her dice. There was a one, a two, a three, a four, and a six. If only a small straight could help her here, wrong game. She was happy she had a one, however, she would take anything she could get. She was happy that at least one of the fives she bet was accounted for.

"Four fives." David wagered, then looked over at Anthony, who was slowly lowering his cup.

He looked up at Xin, "Six fives." He looked confident.

Once again, she was back in that same damned corner. She wasn't going to challenge, not yet, she still had one more number to move up to, though it was back on her once again to take the plunge. Anthony had a cocky smile; she wasn't going to bet seven fives when she herself only had a one to count for it. That each of them had three was not a reliable odd. Yet if she took the plunge on sixes, it would come back to her again.

It took every ounce of effort she had to keep her poker face. "Three sixes." That was safe as she had two herself, and it was low enough that there was a change the pressure wasn't too high if it came back to her.

"Four sixes." David shot.

"Five sixes." Anthony shot immediately after. She wasn't going to call it, it was too risky, both options were risky. Like Riz before her she was in the worst spot possible. She hated every second of it, her hope was dwindling by the second. She went silent, thinking of which option to choose.

"Six sixes." She managed, saying it quickly and hopelessly. Challenging would most likely see her lose, with six of fifteen there was at least a chance someone else rose. She was sure it was her end, and as she said it, David snapped his head over.

"You're lying." He said, sure that six of fifteen was impossible. He lifted his cup and reached over to lift hers, confident in her challenge. He had two sixes and a one, she had the two of her own. Anthony rose his cup soon after with a sly grin, revealing four ones under his cup. There were nine total, almost impossible, but again, it was those dastardly ones that always got in the way.

The weight that lifted from Xin's shoulders made her feel light. She fell back in her chair with the biggest sigh of relief she could let out and flopped her head back. She realized then she hadn't been breathing throughout the whole round of bets on sixes.

David gave a little smile and sat down. "Well, I'll be damned. "Six out of fifteen seemed like a lot but, I guess I had half of them. Well fuck, how many of these have I drank?" He joked, lifting up his empty glass. It was a stupid move on his part, though the pressure was certainly there, Xin had felt it too. The odds were not good, and even worse to a drunk man. She noticed the slaves on the table looking a little relieves, but both were glancing over at Anthony, and then back to her.

They did not know Xin was not intending to harm them. They did not know she was secretly trying to free them, they just wanted to know who their next owner would be, the fear of the unknown, and their future clearly taking a toll on them. Xin had a feeling Riz was no good to them, but she was an evil they knew, which was better than an evil they didn't.

Xin lifted her head back up when she heard the sound of dice shaking. Anthony was already starting, clearly not wanting to take a break this time now that his little friend was out for the count. He was realizing just how real the game had gotten. The stakes were high, now ten dice on the table, only a one in two chance of victory. The stress hadn't fully left her body yet, and it was now that she wanted a break.

Yet, she felt her hand reach out and grab her cup, and she sat. She scooped her dice in and once again shook, the two placed their cups down at the same time. She was happy he was going first. She could counter, keep the pressure on him, though, he could play aggressive and two the same. No matter what happened she had to turn it in her favour, make him challenge and not challenge herself unless she absolutely had to. She was sure she could make it work.

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"Two twos." Anthony started. Two of something became a lot less safe the more players were knocked out. Two of ten was much less reasonable than two of twenty.

"Two threes." She countered. Two was a safe number to bet, she didn't want to add too many more, but Anthony started low, which let her work her way up to sixes. The first round was irrelevant with two people, though it was never hugely significant, no one in a two-player game would ever bet high.

They both looked at their dice. Xin had not a two or a three, but once again she had that trusty one.

"Five fives." The man said after lowering his cup with a little more force than needed, making a sound against the table. He had a sly grin on his face. She was as always in that corner. What in the hell was he doing? Five fives in a game of ten dice? He was attacking hard, she wanted to challenge it but there was no way he would look so confident if he didn't have a lot of fives. He was announcing that he did.

Xin had three fives of her own, she was safe, though still shocked at his sudden jump. The tactic had been used too much for a final game, and never ended well. He was probably betting she had a five or a one, he could have had four. There was no way he had five fives of his own, but even if he didn't. there was no way that more than six fives were on the table it was statistically too low.

Xin put on a confident grin. She had three, had had to have more than one. "Six fives." She said, sure that she was still safe even though it was absurd.

"You're lying." He said, knowing that there was no way there would be more. IF he raised it, she would just challenge him. Xin did not want to have to be put in that position and was happy he called it instead of raising it. She would not have had the confidence to challenge given what she had seen throughout the night, many odds had already been broken.

Xin lifted her cup, as did he. She had three fives, and he had four. Seven across the table. "Seven out of ten hmm? Well shit. I thought for sure you would challenge five." Five was a safe bet for him with his role, yet it would be hard for anyone to believe.

"Well." She said, slapping the table and standing up. "I suppose I'll be taking my winnings now." She retrieved her kill orders from the table. "Come on you two." She said to the slaves on the table. "I'll be taking you to your new home now."

The slaves said nothing, and just slowly got off the table and walked on nervous, shaky legs in her direction. As much as sorrow filled her, she had to put on a face that she was still one of these scumbags. The happy, sultry demeanours on the slaves seemed to diminish entirely, as they were heading to what they believed was their new hell.

Xin got a glimpse then of how they actually were, how they felt. The misery that carried over them broke her heart. She wanted to find something to cover them up with. They were wearing strings at most. She could hard consider what they were wearing to be outfits, but they were something made of black material, there was no lace or anything, just the skimpiest little things she had ever seen, and she had seen lots before.

"Well, gentlemen." She said to the other two who were still seated at the table. "It was a lovely evening, and I quite enjoyed myself. That was a fun game filled with emotions that I am happy to have won. I assure you the weapons will serve us well, and the money will be put to good use toward the betterment of the inn." She said. Xin was the second in command of the Cherry Demons, and had been sent her by Kai who, though was originally going to attend, was side tracked with other plans and sent her in her stead.

Anthony was not happy about it, but nothing could be done, she was a good enough representative of the Cherry Demons given her rank. She gave a slight bow and headed for the door, making no effort to stay any longer than she needed to. The stress from the game was still wearing off as she was in a bit of a high, emotions flowing through her and she felt like she at least needed to get up and walk around.

She knew they wanted her to stay and have a few drinks, and that it was customary to do so, her leaving was abrupt and as she was well aware, insulting to the host. She did not care. The upper class of Haven were no one she cared for. She hated that they sat high and mighty in their ivory towers with little care for the people below, and so she refused to associate with them.

"Oh come on. Stay a while, no need to leave so early." David said.

Anthony did not even bother stopping her. He saw right through her façade. He saw the hatred behind her eyes toward them, and he knew she was only there to win the prizes, just as Kai would have been there to do as well. She made sure to stop by their packages before leaving, ignoring what was on the table.

She lifted the briefcase of money, slung it over her shoulder, and walked out of the room, motioning for the two slaves to follow with her finer. "I expect to see those guns out in the garage as well? I'll have my people count them, to make sure its enough." She said, not even bothering to wait for their response as she rounded the corner.

The two men waited a few minutes after she left in silence. Eventually, Anthony looked over at the other man and shook his head. "I don't like her. What a pompous bitch."

"Some people are sore winners." David replied. "Ah well, you win some you lose some." He continued, waving him off, not seeing the deeper issues between them. He had not noticed Xin's hidden distain for them, nor did he see Anthony's lack of appreciation for her disrespect.

"It's that damned kid, the Cherry Demons, or whatever the hell it is that they call themselves, are going to be on our backs until they find their stray. It doesn't seem that peace talks are going to work."

"Peace talks? Is that what this was?" David asked.

"It was supposed to be, with their leader. Not with their second. Their leader left to go take out one of my investors."

"That kid is a lost cause; I don't see how they ever hope to find her."

"We can't underestimate them. They already took out one of our investors earlier today. They need to realize just how small they are, and that they don't own this city. Their entitlement is becoming too much to ignore."

"And are you going to do something about it?" David asked.

"I am." Anthony said. "I think it's time we stop putting up with them walking all over us without consequence. I think it's time they learn their place."

It was in the VIP parking garage where Xin had truly exerted power, though sadly none of the family heads were there to witness it. The crate of guns was so heavy, two grown men struggled to heft it. Yet, Xin waved them off when they went to load it into the back of her van, and she instead grabbed one of the handles, lifted the crate with absolutely no difficulty, and tossed it into the cargo compartment along with the brief case of money.

Such strength from a thin Asian woman who stood no taller than five feet and six inches was unexpected, impossible, especially with the lack of muscle definition in her arms. Yet it had happened, and a part of Xin wished they would tell their boss about what they had seen. The crew did not stay longer than they needed to. Shinobu and Jun were there to help load up the cargo, and as her escorts, security, and in Jun's case, the driver.

The back seats however were given to the now freed slaves, though they hadn't yet realized it, and Shinobu stayed in the back with the cargo. The slaves had been given jackets to cover themselves up with, and due to their shorter height, they were covered quite well. They wasted no time leaving the parking garage and returning to the safety of public streets.

The van was a large, black, military grade vehicle which the inn owned a few of, supplied by the underworld. All underworld organizations used the same for transport and operations. Their cargo bays could be replaced with passenger bays for transport of large teams of operatives, or data centers for digital and covert operations on the field. They were all the same colour, build, and unmarked with tinted black windows, the only visual difference between any of them on the outside was their license plates, which were there only for appearance to pass as street legal, and did not exist in any official government registry.

Inside the van were cheap, black leather seats and the most basic setup possible. The underworld wasted no money on aesthetics or interiors, and Xin was surprised that the thing even had air conditioning. Though there was state of the art navigation and communications equipment built into them, along with other gadgets that they never used, the thing was pretty plain.

The ride was silent, awkward, uncomfortable. Xin didn't like it, not one bit. No one was saying a word. Jun didn't ask who the other two were, he just helped cover them up and get them into the van, and Shinobu was separated from the rest as he sat in the cargo bay. There was tension in the air, and Jun had a feeling something was going on, or at least that Xin's head was filled with something that he hesitated asking about.

Eventually, Xin turned around to two in the back. She needed to know more about them. They looked scared, nervous, uncomfortable, and for some reason she felt the same, as if their emotions were being placed on her. She felt bad for them, and her motherly instinct seemed to surface whenever she looked at them. They reminded her of her own kids, though they looked nothing like them, and were much older than her kids had ever got. Her kids were long gone, lost in an accident many years before, and Xin had been empty ever since.

They were young, fare, pretty even, but were so covered in makeup, something for what they were involved in, that she imagined they looked much different than how they were presented. They had such innocence behind their eyes, something that could never be covered up, and she figured they had very little experience with the real world, having only ever seen the most rotten, horrible parts of the highest levels of big city crime groups.

They had probably been moved around many times, into new places with new masters over and over with no idea what their future held, how they would be treated, and what they would be made to do and have done to them. She couldn't even begin to imagine how many layers of trauma they carried.

"How old are you two? She asked them.

"Nineteen." The firl managed. Her voice was soft, quiet, shy, and not at all with the same demeanor they put on while on the table during the game. They were no longer beholden to their previous mistress, and were very neutral, to which Xin suspected they were waiting to be told how to act.

"Both of you?" She asked, to which they both slowly nodded. She had not gotten the best look at them before, as she was focused on winning the game, but now that she had the chance and things had calmed down, they looked very similar. She wasn't sure however, whether or not that was due to the copious amounts of makeup they wore. "Wait, are you two...siblings?"

"Yes mistress." The girl said, forcing out the title. "We're twins."

Xin's heart sank. "You don't need to call me that. Please don't." she assured. She was appalled. The idea alone that someone would do this to siblings, twins, especially ones as young as them. This was why she stayed away from these people; this was why she stayed away from the high levels of power within the city. All of this, so highly illegal, yet unchecked and swept under the rug up there. She could see it, their resemblance. They had the same nose, the same chins, similar facial structure, and the same eyes.

They deserved better, they deserved a real life and an actual chance at it. She would make sure that it happened. "Don't worry." She said to them. "When we get home, we';; get you into some real clothes, and give you some good food. You're free now, you'll never have to do any of the things they made you do ever again. No one will hurt you anymore."

Kāihuā had found her sister in the garden, sitting with the flowers. Though the gardens had benches and places to sit, Yīngtáo preferred to sit among the plants, to be surrounded by them. She sat in a long, red hanfu dress with her hair tied back into a neat bun, a stringed instrument with her which she played slowly and melodically. She was quite proficient in it, the melody dancing through the air as she looked up into the sky, her fingers plucking away, hitting the notes perfectly without the aid of her eyes.

"Playing the guzheng? Is someone's emotions nearby bothering you?"

There was a final pluck and then Ying's hands slowly raised free. She shook her head. "No." She said. Her voice was soft and sweet. "Not this time. But sometimes the air is a bit stiff, so I play music to calm it." She went back to playing, and as she did a cool breeze seemed to pass through.

Kai just nodded. Ying was a beautiful girl. Short, soft features, her hair was long though it was hard to tell with how it was tied up. She always dressed in the traditional clothing of their culture, something instilled into her during her upbringing. Kai however, had forgone that long ago, and no longer dressed in that way. Had the two of them not left their previous home and family, their lives would be much different.

They would likely have been married off, living lives of servitude in the higher classes of China in a spot where they would never have been able to flourish as themselves. At least, that's where they were headed with the traditions of the harsh, albeit wealthy, family. Traditionalists, those who could not embrace the present so much that they had to revert to times further back than reasonable, something which their father believed was true, and proper, the only way to truly run a family. He was always ashamed that he didn't have sons.

"Ying, listen." Kai started.

"You didn't find her." Ying said. "I know." Ying knew the tone Kai had when there was bad news. She knew what Kai had set out to do earlier in the day with the others, and she knew that if the girl they were trying so hard to find was returned home, she would have heard her voice, felt her footsteps, felt the plants get happier. She hoped that when the day come, she would hear the sound of her daughter's beautiful voice calling for her as she jumped into her arms.

Ying was blind since birth, and though she knew her way around the inn, and could feel everything around her, her inability to see made her ill fit to accompany her fellow Cherry Demons on missions. Yet, she was no killer. Ying cared more to take care of the inn and her family than about the Underworld and missions and the rest of the dangerous stuff her family got up to.

That's what the Cherry Demons were if anything, a family. Though most were not related by blood, they were a chosen family, made from those who had lost their way, and from those who had no other family to go to. The inn took all, it helped all, it was a charitable service with a secret back door to Underworld assassins that no one knew of.

Ying, being raised in a traditional manner, stayed at the inn to keep it clean, to take care of those that lived in it, she cooked for them, healed them, nurtured them, and was considered by the other Cherry Demons as the mom of the group. Everyone adored her, and would do anything for her, just as she would for them.

She was, however, officially second in command of the Cherry Demons, though she was completely uninvolved in any of their business. Since Kai was the leader, she had that rank as her younger sister, regardless of how well she fitted the role, and so it was Xin who acted as that role, despite it not appearing as such on paper.

"Either our sources were wrong, or it wasn't our guy after all."

"We will find her one day." Ying said, looking sadder than before, as she finally looked down at her instrument, as if she could see it. Her melody turned more sombre, and the plants seemed to pull away a little bit.

"Do you still believe that? Every time we do this we come out dry. What if she's gone, Ying? It's been over six months."

"She's alive." Ying said, her voice still soft spoken and patient, yet to Kai it sounded like she almost snapped back, or so, it was the snappiest Ying could be. "Xie is alive. Somewhere. I can feel it."

"I think we need to start considering other possibilities. Even the police and Underworld won't do anything, its been too long. We should have considered other things long ago. How much longer do we have to wait before we stop?"

"When we find out the truth." Ying said, almost sternly. "If she truly is gone, we can stop, but if she isn't, we stop when she's home once again."

Kai just sighed, and shook her head. "We'll find her, you're right. I'm sorry." She said, turning around and heading back into the inn.

Ying just continued playing, trying to cheer up the plants which, like her, had grown sad from the conversation. It was always bad news, but she knew one day it wouldn't. One day she would notice and extra presence, a familiar presence. She would feel an extra set of footsteps approaching and the voice of her daughter once again after so long. She would hear it before Kai and the others could even say anything.

Xie was a young girl, only seven, soon to be eight. Ying had found her a couple years prior and took her in from the streets. Ying was still young, only twenty-four, yet she had a stronger motherly instinct and parenting abilities than most people ten years her senior. It was another thing her upbringing had granted her, and with everything they had at the inn, there would be no financial struggle, no lack of resources or helping hands.

They had everything they needed, and Xie had become her daughter in all ways but biologically, not that it mattered. She loved her with every fiber of her being and so did everyone else. She was one of them, part of the family as they all were, and a precious part at that. She was like sunshine on a cloudy day, her smile brightened the room in a way even Ying noticed despite her lack of sight. She was such a happy, energetic little girl with more spirit than anyone else in the inn, and a natural curiosity that Ying had always found inspiring.

Although she hoped it wasn't that curiosity that got her taken. She hoped that it wasn't just some random kidnapper who had taken her far away, or who had done horrible things to her. She hoped with every fibre of her being that she wasn't taken by someone, or something. She hoped that she wasn't in a far away place with no hope of returning. Perhaps she was with another family, as heartbreaking as it would be, Ying only ever wanted her to be safe.

She did her best to prepare Xie for the world, as all parents do. To be weary, to be cautious, yet never had she thought that she would be one of those statistics that all parents fear, that all parents hear about, but hope will never happen to their own children. She believed most parents thought such things would never happen regardless, especially if their child was taught right, yet it had happened to her, and one of the most dangerous groups of people in the city could not even protect her.

She did not hold any distain for her family anymore. There was a little bit at first, but that had long past. She had realized it was wrong of her to blame the others, when if anyone was worthy of the blame, it was her, and in the back of her mind, every day, that distain was still present, although instead it was aimed at herself. Guilt, fear, hate, they filled her mind every day, it was all there was for months, and she prayed one day it would finally cease.

Xin had returned with Jun and Shinobu, Ying could hear the van drive up and all of them disembark, though she noticed two new sets of footsteps slowly coming up to the front gate as well, and thought it strange, only three had left. She was not there to hear the conversation that came from her and Kai after once they entered the inn.

"Who are they?" Kai had asked.

"My winnings, apparently. Technically I own them now." Xin replied snarkly. "I couldn't leave them."

"We can't take in strays."

"That's literally what we do here." Xin said, and walked past Kai, not wanting to humour this conversation anymore. Jun and Shinobu had dodged them completely with the twins, taking them to the bathhouse to get them cleaned off, and calling some of the girls to help clean the sister.

"What happened?" Kai asked, turning after Xin.

Xin stopped and turned back. "We played some dice game, we made bets, I won. A big money payout, a crate of guns and ammo, and two slaves."

"Slaves?"

"Her name was Riz, at leas that's what she went by. I didn't get a last name."

"And she has slaves?"

"She's a trafficker and given what I've seen with those two which she had offered up, it seems she takes them young. They're only nineteen, and she wagered them away. No one wagers something not worth losing. I wouldn't bet something I treasured." She said, puling the kill orders out of her coat pocket and slapping them down on the nearest table. "She seems to like them young."

"Do you think maybe-"

"Maybe." Xin said, cutting her off. "It's possible, and we're going to look into it. If Xie is with them, we'll find her."

"Fucking hell." Kai said, shaking her head and turning away. "Could you imagine the pour girl getting caught up in that? Shit." Even though it was a possibility, and something that felt like it could be the key to their search, she hoped with every fibre of her being that Xie wasn't there, involved with people like that. Yet at the same time, she hoped Xie was there. That way they could finally find her and bring her back for good. It had been too long, far too long. She didn't like the conflict of thought she was currently having. It hurt her to hope she was there, it hurt her to hope she wasn't. She had no idea what was right in the situation. Little did she know that Xin had the exact same thoughts as her. Neither would ever say it.