Auction Aftermath: What Happens in Yasou... (18+, Violence, Strong Language,Mature Themes)

[Eddie Blake]

We Own It

Money's the motivation,
Money's the conversation,
You on vacation, we gettin' paid so
We on paycation, I did it for the fam
It's whatever we had to do, it's just who I am
Yeah, it's the life I chose ~ Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz

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1:00 A.M. 14 December 2017
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Eddie wouldn’t have answered the phone if it had been anyone else. In part because it meant turning down the music, that was only slightly less important that the fact that he was on a job. He’d thought that she might call though, and that had him turning down the volume and swiping the screen with his thumb. “Hey there, Harley girl… I figured you’d be elbows deep into something by now. Aren’t you supposed to be at that charity thing?” He was pretending that he had no idea what it was, knowing that his cover was blown the second he’d seen her name. It couldn’t hurt to try though, right?

The road ahead of him opened up, allowing Eddie to press the gas harder. He liked being behind the wheel, and alone. The latter would happen soon enough, he could see the headlights falling away behind him. “What’s going on? Did you get bought up by someone of low breeding? Need me to come back and teach em some manners?” She didn’t, and wouldn’t, still he wore a half grin as he said the words.

“I was at the charity thing. It’s over. Where are you, Puddin?” She hadn’t thought to bring herself a coat, figuring she’d only be outside for a moment. But this was more important than anything else just at the moment. There was a pause, broken only by the hiss of flame as she lit her cigarette, followed by the rush of smoke across the speaker. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tucked herself a little closer to the Observatory, and out of the wind. She was still reeling from the rush of the bidding, and back to back surprises.

“You know I wouldn’t let that happen...although now I kind of wish it had, just to see you teaching someone manners.” Amusement trilled through her voice, although there was an extra level of vibrato from the cold. She wasn’t going to give up so easily. He’d surprised her, he could wait to find out the results until she got close enough to watch his face. Eddie might be better than she was at stone facing, especially when it came to each other...but she’d regained some semblance of her old reserve, even if she’d nearly face planted on the stage when the auctioneer had announced the bid, and the bidder.

“I’m about twenty miles outside of Yasou City.” He knew she wouldn’t let that happen, didn’t hurt to say it anyway. “Seems early for it to be over. That or I’ve had too much coffee and not nearly enough donut.” It was a subtle reference, or maybe it was? Could have been a hammer blow to her. “What’s on your mind?” The dotted white line on the pavement had become something that appeared far more solid. He was going to need to fill up when he got there, but the trip was worth it. “Smoke one for me while your at it.” His hands were a little full at the moment. Playing dumb, he wasn’t going to be the first to mention anything. “Might want to get something warm on too.” He may have recognized the sound of her shivering from another time and cold water.

“It’s probably warmer there than it is here…and earlier. It’s after midnight. And they’re still going.” She took another drag, shaking her head as he called her out from across the miles. “You. Where can we meet up? I didn’t bring anything warm, and it’s freezing here. I need to borrow your leather.” Let him think whatever he wanted about that. She remembered the night all too well - the shivering, and the way he’d warmed her inside and out, the first time they’d actually… She snapped her attention back to the present. To the cold, and the shortest path to the closest portal. Well, once she’d dealt with the immediate issue of Jordan. But that shouldn’t take long. “I’ll bring an extra pack with me.”

“I’m stopping at a place called Long Chen’s, or maybe it’s Cheng. I’m not too sure. About fifteen minutes or so. Jacket’s sitting in the passenger seat.” He even snapped off a quick picture to send, though it was severely washed out in purple light. “Gonna grab a bite, so you’ve got a little time to play catch up.” Eddie could have taken the portal, but that would mean leaving the car he liked behind for whatever might be waiting on the other side. Besides it was pretty country to drive through. At least, it might be. It was hard to see any of it in the dark. These would be the reasons he gave at least. Mostly, he just liked to drive… and think.

“Call me when you’re close?” That had sounded far less dirty saying than thinking about it later. “Loved the outfit tonight, by the way. Just if you were wondering.” Lights in front of him had him slowing down, he wouldn’t have bothered if they weren’t bright red. Must have been a little closer to… no, just a little town, one red light, and probably a cop hiding in a parking lot half a block away. Eddie put his elbow on the steering wheel, and reached forward with his free hand to turn the lights off. When he took the wheel again, he accelerated. Might as well have a little fun doing exactly what he told Reggie not to.

“I’ll meet you at the restaurant.” She was holding the phone away from her ear, summoning the town car, and searching for “Long Chen” near Yasuo City. Lucky for Eddie, there was only one. “There wasn’t really anything worth eating at the auction. Finger foods. I’m starving. And I was wondering. It’s so hard to really get an idea from ‘nice’. You’ll have to let me know what you think of it close up.” Closing her eyes for a moment, she heard the sound of a door behind her, and ground out her cigarette. “I’ll be there soon as I can. Otherwise I might need something more than just your coat to warm me up.”

Swiping off the phone, she turned to deal with the situation at hand, which went as smoothly as she’d expected. Sliding into the summoned vehicle, she handed the driver an extra fifty to get her to the Yasuo portal as fast as the car could go, and turn up the heat enough to take the chill from her skin. She would regain it quickly enough on the other side, if only to make sure Eddie felt the need to relinquish the leather while she found out just how he’d managed to pull this off. And more importantly...why.

Inside of Long Chen’s, in the darkened second floor dining area, money changed hands. It was accompanied by whispered words, instructions given. The moment that the blonde walked in, the matronly serving woman whose head barely reached Tahlia’s shoulder silently escorted her away from the throng of the main floor, through a door marked private and up a set of dark stairs. “You come… this way.” It was the first thing the woman had said, having waited until the thick door closed behind them. She led the way through another door, this one just as thick as the previous, except its wood was covered in an intricate fish design. A series of colored panes of glass was set into their scales turning the handful of underwater denizens into an eye pleasing koi mural.

Even in the dim light it would have been hard to miss Eddie. He sat across the table from another man, near a railing that he was pointing over, though his hands never strayed into the light. The presence of the two women was also immediately obvious, though it was a mystery how the older man had heard their coming. He looked at the older woman, put a hand onto Eddie’s forearm giving a squeeze before rising to allow Tahlia to have the seat. He put his arm around the older woman, who gave Eddie a stoic gaze, and turned her towards the door speaking softly in a language that would have been hard to follow, even if Eddie had understood it.

The walk up the dimly lit steps, and into the darkened room wasn’t long enough to dispel the chill, not that she was trying particularly hard. She ducked her head, nodding to the couple leaving the room as she moved past them. The man might have expected her to take the chair, but the goosebumps that rose along the expanse of bare skin dictated otherwise. Whether those were from the cold outside, or the heat emanating from the shadowed figure at the table, wasn’t entirely clear. Crossing the room, the slim light chasing over the metallic shimmer of her outfit from the auction, there was a subtle smile playing over her lips as she slid herself into Eddie’s lap, and wrapped her arms over his shoulders. “Hiya, Puddin…”

Leaning in, she kissed him hello - not quite the all-encompassing passion they were capable of, but a little more than a chaste peck. It might, possibly, hint that she wasn’t going to be swept away by his mere presence this time. “Craving Chinese? Or is this more of a business trip than a road trip for really good Kung Pao chicken?” She hadn’t, truly, been listening, but she knew Eddie...at least she thought she did. The events of the evening had her questioning. And given her tenuous position, the fragile nature of the business that was all she’d known...questioning the one person she trusted was a risk she wasn’t certain she could take.

Eddie accepted the bundle of Tahlia, and held on loosely, though he was willing to put more into the kiss than perhaps she was to receive. “Wǒ hé jiārén yǒu yèwù wǎnglái…” He opened his jacket enough to let her delve into its depths, and maybe take off a bit of the chill she seemed to have. “Not that I’m opposed to good Kung Pao of course.” He’d moved his head close enough to her that his lips brushed along her neck as he said the words. If she was trying to be good, he wasn’t going to make it easy on the blonde. “I’m a little surprised to see you though. Figured you’d be basking in the warmth of a room full of eyes.”

He said it lightly, as if the prospect of it didn’t bother him, and perhaps it didn’t. “I kind of like this better.” The light brush of his lips turned into a graze of teeth, just a hint of a touch and far less than she’d known from him at...other times. “Tell me about your night first. Then we can talk about mine… maybe ours?” Dark eyes flicked up to her face, trying to lock down hers.

“Shéi shì jiārén?” She eagerly shifted, half hidden beneath the sealskin in a heartbeat and a half. She curled her legs back, calves tucked behind his so that as much of her as possible was in contact with the warmth that always seemed to radiate from him. “I didn’t expect to be here. But the auction...well, lets just say it was full of surprises. Jewell was there. She went for 6K...I have no idea to who, but I can’t imagine they’ll get their money's worth.” The graze of teeth caught her up short, and she met his eyes, plush bottom lip caught between her teeth. For a moment, she simply searched his face. “It was a little different than I’m used to...bids were all over the place, so I didn’t know what to expect. I only knew a few people, and I didn’t...well, I wasn’t expecting a surprise silent bid…”

She let that linger for a moment, putting off the inevitable for a moment longer, even if she didn’t quite understand why. Or why, even though there was nothing she could have done to change things, she felt like she would be disappointing him. “They opened with it. I was so shocked...I didn’t realize someone had raised until it was all over.” And the why behind that was another conversation...one that would wait until she saw the winner again. “It’s still our night, Puddin. If you want me...I’m guessing you do, since you were willing to pay an awful lot for it. Just...answer one thing for me? Why?”

[Tahlia Faras]

Eddie’s gaze just went to the door at her question. He didn’t respond verbally, and in part that was because it really didn’t matter beyond that it wasn’t his family. He let himself be drawn into her description of the night, nodding agreement with her assessments of other people. “I’d have been there, but seems like even if I’d come it wouldn’t have helped any.” He chewed on his thoughts for a few moments, the slight contraction of his eyebrows would likely have become a clear indicator to her by now that he was. “Why wouldn’t I? I mean it was important to you, so I guess I took an interest too. Besides, it’s not like you aren’t important to me.” Neither of them would let it be stated any closer than that, better to linger on the fringe than let something happen that would likely end as badly as it always seemed to. “Thought you might like to know it.”

Eddie turned a look towards the room below, his gaze lingering on a table, or rather the loud patron who was seated there and throwing insults at the wait staff. “There’s a little business tonight, should be fun if you want to come along?” The object of his look appeared to be of an age with Eddie, close enough at least. He wore a silk button down shirt open halfway down his chest which allowed the hints of a large dragon tattoo to be seen. His antics brought the old man out, who fell to chastising the waitress in Mandarin. “How bout it, pumpkin? Feel like doing something a little different tonight?”

She gave what seemed like the only appropriate response, leaning in for a toe-curling kiss that was a bit more in keeping with their usual. When her air finally ran out, she pulled back, and rested her forehead against his. It had kept her from asking questions they didn’t want to answer. Or admitting that if he’d been there, she would have done something unprofessional...like try to discourage Jordan from bidding. The way the man beneath her drew her like a magnet might have scared her, if she let herself think about it. But that, too, was something she buried deep. “Thank you.” For what, she didn’t say. For letting her know, for not coming and making her choose...maybe for all of it, or something else entirely.

Straightening, she glanced over the rail, watching the scene below for a moment before turning back to Eddie with a Harley-wide grin. “Sure thing, puddin...I’m always up for something different, and I’m all yours for the night.” A sharp nod at the tattooed disruption below, and she snuggled in closer to soak up a last bit of warmth. For now at least. “You want me to distract him? Or am I just bait?”

“Neither, unless you want to be. There’s time though, it doesn’t start until later.” Time enough to eat at least. When in Yasou… eat good food. Eddie was pretty content beneath the blonde in his lap. A hint of what would come after everything was said and done perhaps. “We’ll get a place for the night, after. Will you be going back the fast way, or driving back with me?” He knew what his preference would be, but it was up to her. Who knew what she had that would need her attention tomorrow.

Food did arrive, brought by a familiar face, if only because she was still doing her best to hold back tears. Probably the owner’s way of getting her out of sight and mind to the boorish patron below. She looked at the pair of them, going wide eyed at their choice of seating arrangements. When she spoke, it was halting and low as though unsure of herself. Eddie barely caught any of the words. He offered her a smile and dipped his head to her in thanks. That she’d been sent up to hide her became more evident as she drifted away, but didn’t leave the private room. She stood just out of sight, ready to attend if called on and it seemed taking advantage of the darkness to hide her emotions.

She waited til the girl had stepped away, offering a vague half smile, and a nod, but not relinquishing her place in his lap. Food or not, she was warm, and comfortable. Shifting to rest her head on a broad shoulder, her lips brushed his ear. “What part of ‘all yours for the night’ wasn’t clear, puddin? I’m not in a rush to get back, if that’s what you’re asking. I know the way you drive...not sure which way is the fast way.” There was, perhaps, a moment's thought for the silent, stunned shadow in the corner, in that she didn’t do much more than reach for a dumpling, and bite into it. If he thought she was going to feed him...he’d have to be a little more convincing.

They had come close to an edge, but work, as it often did, brought them back to practicalities. She knew how they fit, and they could read each other like braille, even from across a room. “So, we have a little time. Do I get a clue, or am I just playing follow the leader, puddin?”

“The man with the mouth’s name is Fan Xu, kind of a mid-level member of the local Triad. He’s got some bad habits though, the first is making a spectacle to inflate his self importance. The second is thinking that he can do whatever he wants without having to worry about repercussions. Things that end up shaming the owners of a small restaurants daughter to the point where…” Eddie bit down on the outcome of that, but it would have to be drastic for a civilian to call on his services. Eddie shot a look at the waitress, who hadn’t moved from her out of the way place.

“He’s got another habit too, one that I’m…” His gaze came back to Tahlia, and he cleared his throat. “...we’re planning to take advantage of. Fan’ seems to be a betting man, at least when it comes to his favorite driver. That’s the in, which would have taken a bit of doing before you decided to show up. Now, I think there’s an easier way… we just have to make something happen.” Bait, at least on the surface, but those extra barbs were going to work very well.

“It’s possible that you’re going to take an operation that would have had me missing for a while and make it happen much sooner.” He’d been well behaved more than long enough, something that would become obvious as the placement of his hand went decidedly lower on her. “I was going to have to work my way up to get a chance… but perhaps a little issue with insulting your oh so well connected honor would do the same thing?” Eddie gave her backside a squeeze that said his for the night was not only heard, but wanted.

“I am all for anything that keeps you from being away for too long…” She shifted on his lap, rewarding that squeeze with kiss that was distinctly warmer than her first. “So...let me guess. Eddie needs his Harley...right?” She smirked, and nuzzled along his jaw for a moment while she thought. She hadn’t been around the Triads much, but she knew enough to guess at the kind of play Eddie was suggesting. Straightening, she brought her lips within a hair of his, close enough that her lashes brushed his cheeks. “I’m going to need to change, baby…” She turned her attention, and her gaze, to the waitress hiding in the corner. Two birds, one stone. The girl clearly needed a way out of this room. Reluctantly, she uncurled from her favorite spot, and grabbed her clutch, crossing the room toward the other woman.. A string of Mandarin followed, causing the girls eyes to widen, and answer with a series of nods, and a grateful look. Cash was handed over, and Tahlia followed their shadow out a different doorway.

“Shouldn’t be more than a few minutes. I’m guessing time is of the essence?” Her voice carried back before she disappeared with the waitress. Once again, the woman who left, and the woman who would return would be two different people, although closer than either had ever been to Lizzy. The few minutes would be all she’d need, this was far from her first time.

Languishing in the kiss, despite or maybe because of being watched, he was reluctant to let her leave his lap. That was evident in the way his hand slid along her curves as she edged her way off of him. “It’s time that we put her out in the open a little more.” If you could call the underbelly of a city open. “This is what you said you wanted.” It might be a little more than that, but to his credit, working with a partner on something like this was just as much an adjustment as Tahlia was about to go through. Eddie didn’t understand much Mandarin, enough to get by perhaps, so long as getting by was ordering food and drink.

Alone for the moment, the pair of women having abandoned him to the darkness and not nearly enough time to take care of anything that may have come up. He kept his gaze on their target, one that wasn’t likely to be hit directly. Best to plan a few ricochets and watch them hit center mass. He used the time to eat a bit of the food that had been brought to them. Not much, he certainly didn’t need to feel bloated tonight. There were plans in motion, and not all of them were going to be public affairs. Eddie ticked off the minutes in his head, standing when he thought that the transformation was at least nearly complete. He left a tip for the girl, the odd sentiment rolling through his head that he was giving back a little of the money he’d just gained. The door opened again, but it was the matronly woman again her eyes still holding that disapproval of Eddie. There was something more there though, a determination which likely came from having lived through Fan’s latest little tantrum. Eddie gave her his second best smile, women loved his smiles. The disapproval seemed to deepen, maybe he should have given his best one? He hadn’t wanted the woman to fall for him though. His best smile was far too dangerous for her.

Eddie grabbed his keys out of his pocket, making his way towards the door going out. Fan had already left with a quintet of henchmen. The man looked ready for anything, that was soon to be tested. Eddie doubted anyone was ready for what they had coming.

Harley was waiting for him downstairs, the waitress having brought her down as soon as she was finished getting changed. Gone was the sleek silver starlet, and in her place was a gum-snapping street princess, holding an oversize bag. That outfit was worth a bit too much to be abandoned. Blonde hair lay in braids on either side of those wide green eyes, and the standard waitress uniform had been cut and pinned into black miniskirt slit to the hip along both thighs, and a white blouse tied just beneath ample breasts. A set of black knee high boots completed the outfit, along with tiny backpack. She’d abandoned her jewelry, with the exception of a black leather collar, with silver letters spelling out a single, familiar word, and stood leaning against the purple monster.

“Hey puddin...don’t suppose you’ve got a knife or something? I wasn’t exactly expecting to be partying with this kinda crowd tonight.” She winked, and straightened, doing a little spin to see what he thought of the outfit. Close up inspection would reveal its haste, but she didn’t expect to have anyone’s hands on her but his. “Not that I don’t expect you can protect me from whatever we might run into...but you know how I hate being helpless.”

“Depends on what you’re looking for. Glove box has a few things, trunk has more.” He opened the door for her as she did her cheesecake turn. He did like miniskirts on her liked em better coming off though. There was that glint in his eye, he thought it, but she knew that about him already. The first thing she’d notice getting in was that the restraints had been replaced with a couple of five point harnesses. That would be a clear indicator that he’d done a little work to prepare for this job. Before she could get in, he grabbed the knot in the front of her shirt, and pulled her in for a long kiss. There might be a bit of makeup fixing on the way there.

[Tahlia Faras]

We Own It

One shot, everything rides on tonight
Even if I've got three strikes, I'mma go for it,
This moment, we own it
A I'm not to be played with
Because it can get dangerous
See these people I ride with
This moment, we own it ~ Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz

These things moved around, but like anything else if you grease enough wheels information pans out. Getting there took no time at all, or not too much. Fact was getting through the throng of people milling their way through the parking garage took almost as long. Eddie didn’t bore Harley with the modifications he’d made to the big purple beast, no matter how interesting he found the process of adding a few hundred extra horses to the engine, and that was before the addition of the NoS system. He had considered, if briefly, changing out the hood for something with a bigger scoop. That would give away more than he was willing to, instead he widened out intakes that were concealed. The engine’s growl was like a predator compared to the higher whines of the smaller turbocharged sports cars that lined both sides of the lowest level. He did eventually find a spot large enough to contain the Road Runner, backing in and scattering a gaggle of short skirted forms.

Eddie pressed into the center of the harness, unfastening it and leaned over to brush his lips just beneath the back of her jaw. “Stay with the car, Harley girl… I need to go check in.” His hand slid up the inside of her thigh, pulling free a large fold of cash before he opened the door. That song came on and bass rebounded through their little portion of the parking garage.

If he thought she was staying in the car, he didn’t know her well at all. She dropped the window and slid out, letting the bass keep pounding behind her as she tossed her head, settling the braids over the sealskin leather than hide all but the slightest hint that there was anything underneath. It was a compromise, for the moment - that much skin exposed in winter wasn’t her best idea, but since when has that ever stopped her. He could have spent the drive explaining, and it wouldn’t have meant much to her - she didn’t really get much about cars except that they went fast, and she was particularly fond of the way his rumbled through her like a massage chair. Pouting slightly at being left alone, she pulled out her phone for a moment, and then tucked it into one of the jacket pockets.

Pale green eyes never left Eddie, even as he walked away. She liked the view, even in jeans. Leaning against the car, she sniffed dismissively at the high-pitched whine of the speedster engines, all souped up and nowhere to go. Not yet. She caught sight of the guy from the restaurant, with his minions, and a small, wiry man she suspected was his driver from the way he danced and bounced, and kept gesturing to the engine. Phone out again, she let out a sigh, and slid out of the jacket. It might be chilly, but she wasn’t going to get much attention hiding in leather. Setting her phone on the roof for a moment, she bent to tuck the coat back into the Road Runner, and check her makeup.

He didn’t expect her to stay in the car, just with it. More for a bit of sentry duty, never could tell who might try to play sabotage the new guy. Negotiations commenced, leaving Harley to fend off the cold however she could manage it. Eddie was pointing towards the car, holding up the cash and doing his level best to be as intimidating as his tall frame could manage. Somewhere in all the debate, he missed the approach of a small, wiry limbed kid towards the car or rather towards the rear end sticking out of the window. “No no no… Fast Eddie, you really haven’t heard of me? I’ve been turning your rice burners into sake all up and down the coast. It’s fear isn’t it? You know that if you let me in this little race that Fast Eddie Blake will walk out at the end of the night as top dog. I didn’t expect you to be so… race-ist.” It was funny, Eddie had a grin on his face because of how funny he knew the term to be in this situation.

Someone had done an incredible job of smudging her makeup, and while it wasn’t a look she couldn’t pull off, but it wasn’t really the way she wanted to make a first impression. Fishing in her mini-backpack, she smoothed away the slight shadow beneath her eyeliner, and kept digging for her lipstick. She tossed everything in so quickly it was kind of a mess, but it wasn’t like she was in a rush. The speakers were still thumping, covering the sound of Eddie’s negotiations, and any approaching footsteps. At least, until a hand cracked against her rear, and gave a squeeze. Normally, she would have shot a look over her shoulder, and it would have been game on - there was just one problem. This hand was much, much smaller than it should have been.

Fan’s pet driver, a hotshot kid who answered to Fireball, was used to a certain amount of leeway, especially with the girls who were always hanging around the races, and eager for an in with Fan and his crew. The blonde that had shown up with the giant, in the old school ride was fresh meat, and he wanted a piece. Sauntering up, he didn’t bother to hide what he was doing, the slap loud enough to be heard over the music, even as he leaned over to inform her of his plans for the evening, involving mainly his winning, and her being the reward. Or at least that was his intention. He didn’t get much out before Harley came rocketing back out of the window with a shriek, and spun on him, eyes flashing fire. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Do you have any idea who I’m here with?” She’d killed the song on her way up, so that her voice rang out and echoed in the crowded garage.

Two things happened at once, the heavy bass disappeared replaced by Harley’s shriek and indignant words, and Eddie shoved his entry fee into the chest of the man he’d been negotiating with. It may have fallen to the ground, he had no idea, he was stalking the boy who’d dare lay a hand on his Harley. One oversized hand found the kid’s throat and hoisted him upwards. The other slid along the top of Harley’s skirt, a brush of skin against skin and a flash as the hand held onto a double bladed knife. “You’re going to look real funny without any fingers.” His voice was low and dangerous. “Which hand should I start with, baby? Or should I just pull out his tongue and…” The edge of the knife moved towards the kid’s cheek. He was just going to make him smile a little… not much… enough.

A hand closed over Eddie’s wrist, and began to try to pull it away. If that was what they really wanted, Eddie would be more than happy to help. He stopped fighting the grip bringing his elbow back at the body he felt so close to him and was rewarded by the very satisfying feeling of a nose flattening beneath the tip of his elbow. He was just about to send his fist back towards the kid who was still in his grip when he heard the sound of guns being cocked. “I think, that’s just about enough.” The voice was calm, though he recognized it from the restaurant. Eddie put his knife hand up, switching the grip to one of compliance.

“Put the boy down now, and let’s discuss this like civilized men.” Fan’s accent lilted its way around the words, making them hard to understand without putting some thought into it.

“Harl… do you want me to put him down?” Eddie looked over his shoulder at Fan, then turned his eyes to envelope Harley’s face. She looked gorgeous with that pout, stupid thing to think of at the moment.

“No.” The pout only got worse, her arms crossed under her breasts, one hip cocked, the blonde resembling nothing less than the spoiled brat she often was. “Eddiiiiee...he slapped my ass! And then he said if you raced he was gonna beat you with that POS Honda he’s driving and get that guy…” and here she pointed at Fan “to get you to hand me over like some kinda trophy.” Harley, it seemed, had no interest in de-escalating the situation, or was at least still too insulted to let it go without letting Eddie know exactly what the driver had done. Even if the kid hadn’t quite gotten the words out.

Glancing around at the weapons, the pout disappeared only to be replaced by a giant pink bubble that snapped and disappeared while the minx took in the situation. “Make him promise he’s gonna do somethin’ about his flunky insulting me first. I like the tongue thing...betcha Carmine would do something like that, if he found out…” There was far too much glee in her voice at the thought of the kid losing pieces. “On the other hand...no fingers - no driving. And his right hand, please. That’s the one he touched me with.” She flashed a smirk in Fan’s direction. “Once he promises...you can put him down, Puddin...if the Man with the Dragon Tattoo swears he won’t run off. I might get more insulted if he isn’t punished…”

“Well, boss… you gonna do something about him, or am I?” Eddie’s words had Fan looking at him in astonished disbelief.

“I’m sure that your girl was asking for it, like so many of the…” Fan gestured around to the wall of short skirts, though they seemed to have attracted a crowd.

“Harley Logan doesn’t ask little boys for that kind of attention.” Eddie cut Fan off, like his stature meant nothing even in his own house as it were. He tried not to look smug as Fan broke into a coughing fit, then whispered something in Mandarin to the closest of his men. Eddie had heard of people going suddenly pale, but he’d never witnessed it quite like this. The gunman put his pistol away, and went after the kid in Eddie’s grip.

“I’m sure… it was just a case of mistaken identity. My men will clear it up with Huǒqiú. In the meantime, you may consider yourselves my guests.” Fan turned away with a sweeping gesture, followed by a shooing motion for the gathered onlookers. A sea of young faces parted before Fan giving way as though not daring to even brush against the gangster.

“I’m not here to watch… I’m here to participate, but the guy at the gate is telling me no. Doll face likes it when I go fast and hard, you know what I mean?” Eddie was big enough to draw eyes, and Fan’s presence only brought that many more. So when he pointed at the person who was refusing his entry, the man’s eyes went unnaturally wide. The stout, balding little man hurried over, speaking as much common as he could remember. “You give… too much.” A roll of bills was placed in Eddie’s hand that felt easily like more than half the original.

Eddie pushed it into his front pocket and looked over at Harley. “Hey, baby… seems like we’ll be able to find a nice casino to blow my wad at.” Then he squinted a bit, turning back to Fan. “I mean, unless you’d like to put up equal stakes on what was his name again… Haiku?”

The little man struggled for a moment, yowling in Mandarin as the gunman started to drag him away. Harley stepped up close, sneering as she hissed back in the same language. “Nǐ hěn xìngyùn, tāmen bǎ nǐ, fǒuzé wǒ huì yòng nǐ de gāowán zuòwéi gǎibiàn qiánbāo.” Her studies had clearly progressed a little farther than Eddie’s, at least in linguistics. Booping the poor boy’s nose, she turned and strode back to Eddie’s side, her eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “Oh! Baby, can I? When you win. I can use them to hold my tokens for the casino.” The pout was back, reappearing as quickly as it had vanished earlier. “It won’t be ready tonight...you’ll have to take me out gambling again.” And like sun breaking through the clouds, the smile was back, bright and beaming as if it had never left. Ignoring the crowds, she pressed up against him, palms flat against Eddie’s shoulders, and slowly dragging down across his chest. “Tease...you know I do. Hard and fast, and as often as possible…”

Her hands dipped into his pockets, one coming back with the wad of cash and tucking it into the front of her shirt. The other - well, that one lingered where it was for a moment longer, her eyes locked on his as her free hand left her cleavage, and snaked up to bury into his hair and draw him down to give him a kiss that might leave half the room walking funny. For luck, of course. Not that he needed it. “Hurry up and win, baby...I wanna hit the tables, and then lock ourselves in a hotel room for a couple days. Wait til you see what I can do with a bottle of bubbly.” The chatter had two purposes...one, of course, was incentive...the other was distraction. The half of the room that was still capable of conscious thought after the kiss would be stuck on champagne for a while yet.

After a kiss like that, it would have been difficult to think of much more than… well Eddie was thinking it, even if he knew he shouldn’t be. He traced her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb hardly seeming hesitant at all to the smudge that pulled away. “You gonna be okay with Fan and the boys? This should be over quickly…” His tone was low, for her ears only, and paired with the most smoldering of looks in his eyes. There were things he didn’t need to tell her, get familiar enough with them all to know what they carried, and on which side they preferred. How quickly they reacted to things, or how distracted they were for that matter.

“Soon as I leave this mook chewing on my burnt rubber, we’ll head over to The Macao, and you can blow on my dice until we can get into the High Rollers game.” A devilish grin hinted at her as he said the last part. “Then I’m going to sit back and…” A lean into Harley had him whispering in her ear.

The whisper had her biting at her smudged bottom lip, ink dark lashes resting against her cheeks for a moment as she let out something between a purr and a moan. Batting her lashes, she nodded,the rest of the garage ignored while Eddie claimed all her attention. “Yeah, baby...I’ll be ok. Pretty sure they know to be nice to me now.” Reaching up, she gave a skritch to that ever present five o’clock shadow. “Cause my Puddin’ will keep me safe from all these little boys.” She knew what he needed, what they needed - and she’d make sure to get it. That Fan and his boys might be a little more off balance when she was done...was just an added bonus. Harley could be very distracting when she wanted to be, and sometimes, even when she didn’t.

She snapped at that crimson-stained thumb, the look in her eye hinting that if she had her way, there was going to be a pause before they made it to those tables. If she were honest, she’d rather drag him into the car and make the race wait...but that wouldn’t get the job done. And they’d always been able to focus on the work, even if only barely. “Make him choke on your fumes, baby...then claim your reward. I’ll be right here. Waiting for you.”

[Eddie Blake]

“We were all very glad to hear of your safe return, Miss Logan.” Fan knew a little, enough really. It had come as a shock to many that Carmine Logan had a younger sister, or that someone would be fool enough to kidnap her. There were plenty of rumors on what happened, but no one who knew for certain was talking. What was common knowledge was that Carmine, while unhappy about it, had nothing to do with the recovery of his sister. Since then, whispers that she was following along in her brother’s footsteps were pandered. Behind hands, and closed doors of course… but here she was, and maybe that meant things being said were true. Even if they weren’t, it would be best to stay on the girl’s and Carmine’s good side.

“That’s sweet.” Harley seemed to be all smiles again, turning from the looming presence of Eddie to smack a bright red lipstick print onto Fan’s cheek, accompanied by a brief, if close, hug. It was also clear she wouldn’t be sharing any information about her kidnapping, or her rescue. She’d somehow retained her gum, despite all the liplocking with Eddie, or maybe just gotten it back. The pink bubble snapped as she swayed from one foot to the other, looking Fan’s boys up and down as if she was trying to figure out if they were tasty. Fingers settled on the knot just beneath her breasts, tugging it loose and retying it, pulling the fabric snuggly across her chest. She fixed her skirt, careful not to disturb her hastily made adjustments. And she watched beneath her lashes, as the men shifted, or stared, and just who did what.

“Perhaps something to quench your thirst is in order?” Harley had gone from race slut to VIP in short order to Fan. Even here her brother’s name could cause rooms to quiet down. Not that Fan didn’t have a retinue of men who would do the things he did. Carmine’s reputation was a tale in caution though. “Your acquaintance has a very high opinion of himself. I do hope that he makes the race interesting.” Fan led the way to a space that, while obvious it was meant to be portable, was present to keep Fan comfortable. He wouldn’t linger in the cold, and be limited to the view on his phone. There were walls, and a place to sit. Along one of those walls was a mounted screen, its face broken into squares as it tapped into the garage’s closed circuit system. There was a view at every corner. A table was there too, laden with stacks of bills for those who had enough money to bet that they too could bask in the delicacies that lay beyond the door.

Serious faced young men were attended by women who were in various states of undress. Working girls by the look of them, and the attention they were giving. “He said something about money to bet?” Fan hadn’t missed the exchange, or the way Harley’s hands had found their way into Eddie’s pockets. He knew she had the cash, she just needed a little convincing to lay it down.

“Eddie? Mmmmm...yeah, but he’s earned it. He really knows how to handle himself, y’know? Keep the engine purring...gun through the turns…” She winked over her shoulder at Fan, before settling onto a chair, legs crossed at the knee and one heel bouncing idly. “He did. And I’m sure he will. What kind of odds are we talking?” Pale jade eyes blinked, one corner of those crimson stained lips ticking upwards with amusement. She’d expected this - they’d expected this. Everything Eddie had learned about Fan said he wasn’t the type to leave money on the table, not if he thought he had a chance at taking it all. She leaned back, chin raised to leave the lettering around her throat clear as a billboard. One word. Six letters. And currently nose to nose with Fan’s pet, according to the cameras.

The rest of those compact curves were stretched out and on display, angled just right to give Fan an eyeful, if not quite as much as he’d like. “You seem so sure your handsy little monkey is going to run that rice burner to victory...let’s say - 3 to 1 on Eddie? One hand slid beneath the thin white fabric, and came out holding the wad of cash she’d...reclaimed...from Eddie before the race. “Deal, or are we taking this to the The Macao?”

Fan tongued his cheek looking watching as she went for the rolled up bills. Oddly enough his eyes didn’t follow the money. His eyebrows rose at a thought before he shook free of it and gestured to one of the book makers that were doing business. He held up three fingers towards the man. “Satoru will cover your bet.” The face that looked at her was the same one who’d shoved the money back at Eddie. His fingertips met, then his palms pressed together. The thought of getting back what he’d lost gleaming in his eyes.

“Betting ends in ten minutes.” Fan ordered to the room. “Then the flag falls.” Three to one, Fan knew the odds should have been longer on an unknown. That was the problem really, that unknown just bothered him. It was better to err on the side of caution. “Place your bet, then come with me to watch. You’ve got the best seat in the house.”

Harley winked and rose to hand off the cash, one hand smoothing her skirt in a gesture that only seemed to call more attention to those vicious curves. A few murmured words in Mandarin, and the deal was done. Fan got a long, lingering sweep of green eyes, with just the tip of a pink tongue peeking out between her lips. “Oh yeah? And where’s that? Right next to yours - or closer?” One golden braid was twirled around a finger, and then she sauntered out of the tent, her gaze barely touching on the debauchery in the back. There wasn’t a thing those girls could teach her, and she knew it. She suspected Fan knew it to, but guessing was all the man was going to get to do.

“I’ll give you credit for a brass set, after earlier...Eddie really doesn’t like it when other guys lay a hand on me...or even look too hard. But I just can’t help all the attention I get…”


“What is it that you like?” Fan’s question was offered half a moment before he took his seat, settling in to watch the race. He looked sidelong at Harley, his mouth holding a smile that said he didn’t much care what Eddie liked or didn’t. “What if I didn’t use my hands, unless perhaps, your Eddie loses? I could see your bet being covered, and you could see…” Whatever he was going to say was muted beneath the screams of engines, though it was obvious what the man had in mind.

Howling echoes blared through the parking garage, the whine of Fireball’s engine not quite overpowered by the low growl of Eddie’s Road Runner, though they were discordant at least until the squalling of rubber on concrete screamed through the air. Abruptly one of those notes disappeared, leaving just the sound of the seven litre revving through and growing louder. Purple came into view, the big muscle car turned almost sideways as Eddie drifted it around the last corner and gunned it into the straightaway to cross the finish line. Of the other car there was no sign, though faces were glued to cell phones pointing and murmuring in Mandarin about Fireball’s car just suddenly shutting down.

Harley’s attention was on the screens, Fan’s audacity earning him a lift of a brow, and the subtle twitch of her lips. But she was saved from answering by the sudden disappearance of Fireball’s whiny little Honda, and the hushed whispers that indicated no-one wanted to be the one to tell Fan what was clear on the screens. The smaller car was sitting still, smoking slightly...with its driver hopping and screaming soundlessly like a drunk marionette. Fireball moved to open the hood, and then danced back, wringing his hands. Metal and heat, and the boy clearly had a problem understanding cause and effect. To her credit, she managed not to laugh as Eddie roared around the curve. “Looks like maybe your driver made his move too early. And I’d like my payout in large bills, please...I really don’t need the extra padding in this outfit.”

“Cute little setup you’ve got...I’m going to go congratulate the winner. Your guy can just bring the cash over when he’s done counting.” There was confidence in every line, in the ease with which she rose from her seat, and swayed out of the tent, not even bothering to look back. Who would dare stiff Carmine Logan’s little sister? She’d taunted just enough, she thought, to sting his pride without pushing him far enough to forget who she was, and what the men in her life were capable of.

At Fan’s nod, the man was already beginning to count out her winnings. To another he whispered to find out what happened. He hadn’t reached his level in the organization by not being suspicious, especially for events that seemed too coincidental to be true. The tent became a hive of buzzing subordinates and the reckless bettors who’d gone for the long shot. This race was going to cost him, and if there were any impropriety, it would cost others too. “Of course Miss Logan.”

Eddie had to push his way out of the crowd that now surrounded him, but he had a blonde that needed to have his hands all over her. That he needed it too was beside the point. She wasn’t hard to find, a bright point among all the dark haired race goers. He met her halfway to the car, and proceeded to show why those slit sides in her skirt were really put there. Access points for the right set of hands of course, and Eddie liked having access. With a double handful of Harley in his palms he pulled her hard against him and covered her mouth with his. “We may have to delay the casino, until we’ve celebrated properly.” He was sure she’d know what he meant, could probably feel it being so close to him. He noticed the man coming to give her the winnings, reluctantly pulling a hand free from her to hold it out.

“I’d stick around, but I have a long hard ride ahead of me tonight, and am eager to get started.” Confusion sat on Fan’s face at Eddie’s words.

“I thought you were going to the Macao?” He voiced the question that vexed him.

“I’m not talking about driving, boss...just riding.” For emphasis his hand smacked Harley’s backside.

“Why don’t you drive us there, babe?” He offered Harley the key to the big purple monster.

“I was really hoping you’d say that, puddin’...” Harley purred, pressed tight enough to Eddie’s side that there wasn’t a speck of light visible between them. Head half turned to take in Fan’s approach, Eddie’s response catching her bottom lip between her teeth, but doing nothing to hide her smile. Clearly, whatever he had in mind, and it was screamingly obvious to everyone with a line of sight, she was as eager as he was to be on their way. She didn’t even bother to pull a hand away from him, forcing the cashier to hand it over to Eddie for the second time that night. It was a calculated move. She’d take the fold of bills from him, however, repeating the movement from earlier to stash it away in his pocket, her hand lingering with a saucy smirk at Fan and his associates.

Green eyes went wide, focusing on the shiny metal key dangling from Eddie’s fingers. There was a moment of indecision, her bottom lip plumping visibly for a heartbeat before she reluctantly slid her hand from his pocket, and claimed the key. A giggle broke from her lips, light and buoyant, but tinged with just enough mischief to concern anyone between her, and the road. “In fact...maybe Mr. Dragon can call ahead, get us a suite? That way we don’t even have to check in...have them bring the key to the car and have some champagne waiting. And strawberries.” It was clear Harley wasn’t used to people telling her no, whether it was Eddie, her brother, or the man they’d just publicly taken for a ride, and was clearly being dismissed as any kind of threat. Nothing outwardly insulting - even she wouldn’t push that far. But it was obvious she didn’t take Fan, or the situation, at all seriously.

“Of course, by the time you arrive, they’ll be expecting you.” The Macao wasn’t just part of his territory, but one which Fan frequented often when there was cause. He checked out the high slit in the side of Harley’s mini-skirt and knew that there was definitely cause. “Actually, I could put a game together in my private suite. It’ll give me a chance to win back my money.”

“Awww...Thanks, boss. That’s real sweet of you.” Eddie leaned over and whispered something into Harley’s ear that may have been enough to get them started, or at least get them to a place where they could get started. “It’s that, or right here babe…I’m not big on giving that much of a public display… with strangers.” He peeled himself away from her, heading around the car to the passenger’s seat. It had been a long time since he’d been in that position, but he did have his reasons.

Harley just laughed, and wiggled her fingers at Fan and company as she sauntered around and slid into the driver's seat, a squeal escaping from the open door just before she swung it closed. “Baby, the leathers so hot!” A moment later, the engine roared, the blonde just visible over the steering wheel as the purple beast shot forward with a screech of tires, scattering the crowds around the finish line. In the rearview, she could see Fireball leap out of another vehicle, gesticulating wildly as he stormed over to Fan, both defensive, and accusatory.

Grinning wildly, Harley rocketed out of the garage, and into the street, putting some distance between them, and the racers, before she glanced over at Eddie. “Guys got a brass set, just like you said. He offered to let me ‘work off’ the bet, when he thought his guy was gonna win. Even after…” She shook her head, snickering at the man’s audacity. “You got under his skin, puddin...no hiding that.”

“I don’t think that was me getting under his skin, except in knowing that I get to touch what he has to just think about.” Eddie was not going to make anything easy on her. His hand fell to her knee, and pulled upward. “I may have been able to beat the kid fairly, but that wouldn’t get us what we want. Speaking of…” He sent his hand higher trying to pull a squeak from the driver. “I need to let Reggie know that it worked. He thinks I just needed to win a race.” Eddie’s other hand produced a phone, pulled up Reggie’s number and hit send. He slid the phone into the dashboard holder, and put the thing on speaker when the ringing was finally answered.

[Tahlia Faras]

Tuff Enuff

I'd lay in a pile of burnin' money that I've earned
And not even worry about getting burned
I'd climb the Empire State, fight Muhammad Ali
Just to have you baby close to me
Ain't that tough enough? ~ The Fabulous Thunderbirds



Use every word available, have your audience close their eyes as you describe and the same thing is still true. The drive to The Macau needs to be experienced. The best might be able to do that first view justice, the way the lights explode into the darkness in every color that exists between violet and red. They could bring to life the surge of greens blistering with energy as they strobe through the air like manmade sunshine. Yet for all those delicate bursts of light the building itself gives the impression of solidity, not the tangible "I can touch it" way though that is certainly true. For as much as it towers above the buildings which surround it, The Macau feels denser, stronger in ways unexplainable when you consider the myriad of windows housed in the faces of its walls. It wasn't Eddie's first time and yet the spectacle still could entrance him. It was this wonder of the world which had him considering using the words You really had to be there on his tombstone.

It had taken longer to get there than anticipated. Part of that might have been his fault. He would admit nothing! If the outside was impressive, the inside was a hollowed out honeycomb of activity that didn't appear in danger of tapering off. Of course it was late, and likely that this was the off time of day, something which was mildly foreboding even to a giant Selkie with a need to be in the spotlight. It wasn't his fault, he just knew how difficult it was going to be to get them all to look at him at once. There would be plenty of time later to be the center of attention for the masses. It would be after they'd checked in and saw to the proper rituals to cleanse their rooms. These things were important and shouldn't be rushed. "There were too many people down there for me to get a lock on any of Fan's men. I'm sure he knows we're here though. You're hard to miss in any crowd. It certainly helped that her hair was the exact opposite shade than most of those present. Eddie dropped his bag on the bed and unzipped it. "How long do you think he gives us before sending the invitation?"

"Maybe an hour? He probably got a call as soon as we checked in..." She was undoing her braids, brushing the kinks into soft waves. The brassy bravado had faded from her voice, leaving the soft smokiness that he was intimately familiar with. The outfit wasn't exactly up to the standards of the VIP suite, but they were who they were. The only reason her hair had come down was because the braids were a mess...all the wind from the drive, obviously. "I don't know if he has anything faster than the Runner, baby...or if he's gonna stick around to see what happened with the rice burner." It was her first trip to The Macao, her first trip to Yasuo, really, although she could appreciate the culture. Tahlia could, at least...what Harley knew, or didn't know, was kept tightly locked away in that pretty blonde head.

Eddie would have been hard pressed to say exactly how long it was before the knock at the door came. Not long enough was obvious, he hadn't managed to fully unpack before something distracted him. Fan had actually decided to make the trip himself, though that likely had more to do with Harley than anything to do with hospitality. The look on his face had an odd duality to it, a smugly satisfied cast to the eyes was seemingly overlayed onto something Eddie could only see as covetous. The strange mixture did little to flatter the man, making him look pinched and devious, then again nearly everyone shared that look to him. The world is just full to the brim with pinched devious bad guys, and pretty people like Tahlia... and him. "Mr. Fan... we must've lost track of time." Eddie adjusted his towel as he let the other man inside. "Babe! Get your fine ass out here! We have a guest!"

"Puddin...do I haaaave...oh. Well hi, Mr. F." Harley stepped out of the bathroom, steam eddying around her legs. Bare legs, that disappeared under that pinned together miniskirt, and led, eventually to more golden skin and a seal charm that dangled just above the waistband. Blonde hair rested over the shoulders of her white in-the-process-of- being-buttoned top that left more of her than normal on display. Just long enough to short circuit Fan's brain and maybe amp up that want as she slid up against Eddie's side and purred against his jaw, those jade eyes flicking over to their "guest" with a smirk that hinted at opportunities.

It gave a different meaning to using sex as a weapon, that didn't make it any less effective. Fan stepped in far enough for Eddie to close the door, if only barely. Obviously he was distracted by thoughts of business, right? Plans change, for instance Eddie initially thought he'd be here by himself, then Tahlia showed up...Bonus! Even then the plan had been pretty straight forward which is code of course for simple, but why do simple when complex is so much more fun? It was all Fan's fault, being so easily enamored by a pretty face. Either that or Eddie really did know everything.

"Ahh, Mis Logan, a pleasure to see you again... and your friend." Ignoring Eddie, Fan's tone dripped out of him like honey from the comb without any of the promised sweetness. "I've arranged for your dinner...dinners to be sent to my suite. If you'll accompany me, then Mister uhm... Brakely wasn't it? He can join us when he's more presentable."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure...I mean, I think he's just fine like he is, but your guys'd probably get jealous and insecure about their...shortcomings." One crimson nail dragged down Eddie's chest, across the plains and valleys of what would impressive musculature on anyone, but was still more impressive given his size. Just before it met the towel, she pulled her hand away, and gave the Selkie a look that promised as certainty what her smile had dangled for Fan. One kiss, albeit one that would normally have had them stumbling back to the bed, and Harley pulled away, hips snapping as she sauntered out into the hall. "Don't take too long...I'm hungry, baby."

Hipshot in the doorway, she only barely waited for Fan to join her, and then fell into step beside him like she owned the place, despite looking like an hours entertainment for a very specific clientele. She'd thought about changing back into the gold and white she'd found Eddie in, but there would be questions, and that dress was trackable to her life in Rhydin, and that - wouldn't do. So schoolgirl chic it was, and the certainty that no-one would tell Carmine Logan's baby sister that she looked like she could be working a corner. Not twice in a night, anyway, and not where she, or her Selkie, could hear.

"I'll be up to feed you soon." Eddie leaned against the door frame so he could keep an eye on Harley's assets all the way to the end of the corridor before closing the door and setting about getting ready.

Fan Xu was the perfect gentleman, at least until the elevator door closed. He didn't really change or do anything, but the series of dark thoughts that went through his head in that moment were reflected in the deeply pensive visage. Even the sigh he let out had a self serving satisfied vibration. "You and I are very similar, Miss Logan, would you not agree?" Fan put a hand on her shoulder as he leaned to push the button for the top floor. He let it fall away as he straightened, though it remained in contact with her long after it began its descent. "It surprises me to find you with one of them. He's a typical oafish example of his kind." The back of Fan's hand lingered at her hip teasing the fabric now and again as the elevator ascended. "I must admit, I hadn't heard that your brother was..."

Harley twisted, hips shifting to put a hint more distance between his fingers, and the slit that allowed access to only one set of hands. "What you haven't heard about my brother is probably why you're still breathing, so let's leave it that way, yeah?" She stepped forward, into him, those pale eyes weighing, searching, like there was some key in his expression that would decide what was going to happen next, or like there was some internal debate going on he probably didn't want to know the details of. "Listen, Fan...you've shown a decent set of balls so far, tryin to pick me up under Eddie's nose...and I've been craving Chinese, if you feel me. But. BUT - if you say another word against my Puddin, I will tell my brother what your little rocket man did earlier...we clear? Carmine's real big on me bein happy. Eddie makes me happy. You bein nice to Eddie means maybe I'm nice to you...and then everyone's happy...get it?"

Eddie prided himself on being a different breed of man (in more ways than one), he trusted in Tahlia's abilities and believed that she could handle anything thrown her way. Funny how all that pride, trust, and belief didn't stop him from worrying about her while she was out of his sight. She'd proven herself plenty, but there was the fact that she was pretty much leaving the public access of the zoo and stepping into the gorilla cage. The comparison seemed slightly off to him, sure Fan's men fit the zoomorphic thoughtline. Fan felt like something entirely different, and worse than that it was Fan who Tahlia was alone with. Eddie wanted to dress quickly and make short work of the entire group, but that wasn't the plan. Why wasn't that the plan? His innervoice was now taking potshots at his macho resolve. It would be a much better plan than... this. Eddie let out a growl as the large clock on the wall announced with booming ticks of the second hand that time had slowed to the point of becoming excruciating. Would the hotel charge him if the clock suddenly stopped working? He took his time dressing, his attitude fluctuating between trust and anxiety until the moment that he stood outside of Fan's door knocking loudly (with a forcasted chance of kicking in should he be kept waiting).

Whether Fan had taken her at her word, or not, wasn't immediately obvious when the little blonde opened the door, the look of irritation disappearing instantly with the bubbly squeak of Puddin! that barely preceded the upward launch of just over five feet of Harley to wrap around her very favorite selkie. "I missed you, baby...why'd you take so long?" The slow, petulant drawl was muffled by the way she kissed him, and then slow-nuzzled her cheek against his, her lips against his ear. If there were words in the purr that signaled her joy, no one but Eddie would hear them. They were likely just sweet nothings about how much she'd missed him, and any parts in particular that she'd missed more than others. Certainly not about how many of Fan's men were in the room, that only one or two seemed armed, or that Fan himself was more than he seemed.

Tahlia had spent several lifetimes learning just how to hone some of her talents - specifically the ones that let her get into your head and reflect back to you your deepest desires. Those jade green eyes of hers framed images that stretched from debauchery to power and adoration, and everything in between. Curled into the lap of a Chinese strong man who thought he had her figured out, that smoky purr in his ear let him believe his lie, even as she skillfully evaded his hands. He touched what she wanted him to touch, which was significantly less than he wanted to, and nothing more. It would have been easy to get everything they needed that way, but for some reason, she wasn't inclined to take the easy way tonight. And she certainly wasn't going to admit that she was currently wrapped around that reason in the doorway to Fan's suite.

It hadn't been that long, right? Not long enough to have missed each other certainly, despite how she climbed him, or the deep breath that came from him when he had her in hand which in no way was a sigh of relief. It was all meant to further agitate Fan more, to push him past the point where reason would give way to caution. They needed him reckless, so of course there was a deep thrumming rumble coming from Eddie as Harley spoke her sweet nothings into his ear. It was all for show, not because he couldn't help himself. That would be absurd. "Oh, I'm sorry Pumpkin. You wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go through to dress just right for the occasion. I mean... I'd have felt absolutely naked without just the right accessories." Okay, so it was possible that his hands weren't being one hundred percent professional with parts of Harley, but this was a harsh business and she needed to expect a little extra attention from him... right? He put her down as he had at other times, more of a slide into place than anything else, and no it certainly didn't feel like part of him was missing when she'd returned to lavish her attentions onto Fan... ridiculous! He just hoped that the other man didn't notice that Harley was not quite as supple in places when she did.

[Eddie Blake]

Mahjong, he didn’t know why he’d agreed to play that with Fan and his men. Eddie had only the vaguest notion of the rules, though at least Fan was distracted enough that he might as well not be playing at all. It certainly wasn’t hurting Eddie’s stack of chips in the least. Winning wasn’t the point this time, not really. The point was to split Fan from his two actually armed bodyguards. Eddie saw it happening, his attention not quite so engrossed on the round as he made it appear. Harley slipped away and he fought his natural instinct to follow along behind her. That was someone else’s job tonight. The dice ground together loudly, maybe he was squeezing them so tightly because of how the game was turning on him?

Slipped away was one was to put it. The blonde hadn’t tried for subtle, not tonight. Tonight depended on everyone, everyone believing that Fan was about to get everything he thought he had coming. Eyes that matched the engraved stone at Fan’s throat for color and temper flicked back over her shoulder, and the fact that they skipped over the man of the hour and back to the one during dice into dust was purely coincidence. Had to be. Any flicker of anything that wasn’t cool detachment, say a reluctance to be out of his sight again, was just a trick of the light. Harley Logan didn’t have inconvenient feelings, she was just looking to have a good time.

The guards shifted and stilled, forestalled by the raised hand of their leader, his beady black eyes focused on the swaying hem of a skirt, and nothing else. Gilt-embossed doors swung closed behind them, and there was a single, musical giggle just before the sound-proofing took over.

It was Eddie’s job to keep her from being interrupted. He could do that, although there was more to the task than simply keeping all eyes on him. There could and, for the sake of eliminating chance, would come a point where he’d need to prevent that interruption. The plan played across his mind silently one more time much to his disappointment as the act only managed take up a minute...ninety seconds at best. That was already waaaay too long since the closing of the doors. Then again there had only been a couple of tile laying rounds. Maybe if he concentrated on the game time wouldn’t be such a stuck up prude and would put out instead? The thought made him chuckle at least, that didn’t make him any less aware of the time, it simply eased some of those odd feelings he didn’t understand.

Counting heartbeats, Eddie reached for the dessert tray and cut himself a piece of the sweetbread it housed. The moment would stick with him in future retellings. He could remember exactly which Cheapaholic Airfare commercial had come over the airwaves when the hand gripped his wrist. Someone’s sharp eyes had picked out the tile which hither to that particular moment was undetectable pressed neatly between watch band and skin. This was of course accompanied by a raised voice shouting out the word piàn, and preceded what he would term the bad things list. “Cheat! Me?! I resent that accusation! That tile was left over from a hand a long time ago… where I was cheating!”

Tahlia did not know why all mid-rank gangsters had a positive fetish for cheap, overpowering cologne, she just knew it was true. It didn’t matter what culture, either, they all did it. It was a better tell than gold chains or tattoos. Currently she was trying not to gag in the cloud of something supposedly macho that was probably marketed as making women swoon. She would argue that it was more of a faint, or a retreat into unconsciousness to avoid the smell. Neither was an option for her. Despite Fan’s repeated attempts, she had managed to avoid actually kissing the man, because - reasons. She would have been worried about the slobber stains on her shirt, if she wasn’t fairly certain that the whole outfit was a lost cause. Artful squirming kept his hands away from the spots where she was less supple than she had been, until she simply couldn’t stand the stench anymore, one leg sliding up to hook around his thigh, the renewed efforts of their host suddenly frozen by the cold prick of metal against the carotid. “Someone has been a very bad boy…”

Like a bell sounding at a prize fight the woman in the commercial complimenting herself on choosing CheapAholic’s phone app. was followed by Kim Wilson musically proclaiming that he’d walk ten miles on his knees. It wouldn’t take any more than that to start a series of blows attempted and mitigated, but hell Eddie had managed to provoke the armed guard away from Fan’s door which left him facing four. At least they were short, though according to information gleaned from a certain blonde, half of them were heavily armed. Eddie wrenched his arm free from his accuser’s grip barely managing to keep a grip on the ceramic pastry knife. This only ensured that he was the type to bring a knife to a gunfight. Kim Wilson must’ve realized it too as he sang ain’t that tuff enuff?

There was no way that Eddie was going to prevent firearms from coming out to play tonight. He quickly made a grab for the arm of the man across the table from him as he reached towards that shoulder holster, and put a test to that ceramic edge on the tough to his right. It was true, ceramic cut through skin and carotid arteries much more efficiently than dumb old steel knives. He would have nodded his approval except, of course, he was quite involved at the moment… That really did seem tuff enuff.

There was a peculiar glint in the too wide grin as the sadly-not-ceramic edge of her knife cast shadows across Fan’s skin. He swallowed, although it was taking his life in his hands to do it. “Miss Logan…” Suddenly they were back to formality, go figure. “I’ll admit I am curious as to where you hid that...but I am more curious as to whether there is anything I can do to avoid you using it…” Harley was quiet for a moment, a short, wry ha of laughter the only sound while she watched his face. “You could go back and fix the girls you broke. But you can’t. Not even with that special gold glaze they use in Japan. You’d think, with my brother, there wouldn’t be anything that would surprise me...but big brother doesn’t hide what he is...he doesn’t trick people. You are a big, fat liar AND a cheat. And your cologne is awful.” Graceful as a ballerina, she stepped back, arm extended to keep the blade at his throat, and stretched a leg back, almost farther than her size would suggest she could - hooking the tanto with her boot, and kicking it into her free hand. “They say these go through armor nicely. Ribs shouldn’t be a problem…”

A hip check sent tiles soaring one way while the table went to the left, Eddie knew everything was happening quickly the damn song was less than three and a half minutes long and poor old Kim was only on verse three. Eddie didn’t remember it having that long of a guitar solo. Maybe he was just remembering wrong? He would think about it later… and didn’t care that he sounded like Scarlett O’Hare. Stop glaring at him! The tip of his knife descended on the man across from him who was getting some interesting surgical enhancement to his arm. Eddie would have chosen something much different for himself than eighteen centimeters of ceramic centered between the radius and ulna. Heck if someone pressed too hard a thing like that could go right into the heart! It was his duty to show the man how dangerous an idea that was, not that he had a lot of time to make the argument, there was still one more gun in the room and he was way out of position.

The knife wasn’t coming back out of the newly augmented, it would take too long to try. Fortunately the man to the left chose that moment to lend a helping hand. It started as a hand at least, it became head legs and back rather quickly as Eddie used the arm as leverage and sent him towards the man who was aiming the gun at him. The impact had his hand shoved wide which was a good thing so far as Eddie was concerned. He was fairly certain that he wasn’t allowed to end the evening with extra holes in him. Harley had never actually said it to him, but it was understood. He would do his best, but the effort was going to be… uhm… tough enough… damn you Kim Wilson!

It couldn’t be that easy, of course not. Harley had no idea what was going on outside the doors, but she trusted Eddie like no-one else. Even if she’d never explicitly said he wasn’t allowed to gain any more holes than he already had - anyone responsible for changing that had best hope the Selkie got to them before she did. Besides, at the moment, she had her hands full. The moment the tanto had come into play, Fan exploded into motion, grabbing the knife that couldn’t hurt him anyway, and twisting a slim wrist away with enough force to make the blonde it was attached to hiss with pain. And it was a very good thing for Fan that the noise didn’t carry out any more than it carried in.

Not bothering to free her hand, Harley dropped, and brought the other blade forward with - no result. “Who the fuck stores these things in their scabbards?!?! Asshat.” Now she reclaimed her arm, staying low like she’d watched too much anime, and looking up at a decidedly more reptilian looking Fan. “I am SO glad I didn’t let you kiss me. Ugh. That skin only looks good on shoes and handbags…” Fan just hissed in response, and poised to strike, giving her yet more reason to be grateful she’d avoided a wicked looking tongue. The offending scabbard hit the door as she flung it backwards, blade arched over her head with a shit-eating grin and a bring it curl of her fingers.

Eddie took a moment to admire the two body pile up as it squirmed trying to untangle itself. The mistake nearly cost him. He got his hands up barely in time to stop the blood soaked knife from turning him into an extremely good looking butcher’s block. Guess he’d missed the man’s heart that first time, but in his defense, there was an arm in front of it. From there it all became guesswork. The weapon was still stuck in the guy’s arm, likely the only thing that kept him from pulling his gun out. Somewhere a film critic was screaming about Deus ex Machina, but he knew the truth. He was Eddie Blake, of course gods in machines looked out for him. It was probably painted purple and liked heavy bass too. He twisted into the man and drove his elbow back into the hole in his chest more than happy to use every advantage he could find or manufacture. Another hard twist put the injured bodyguard between himself and the other two, lightning would have had trouble keeping up with his hand as he drove it beneath the man’s arm, grabbed the pistol’s grip and fired blindly at the pair who had made considerable progress separating themselves.

Eddie emptied the weapon, firing long after either of them stopped moving. There was only one more thing that needed doing, he reached his arm up grabbed a handful of hair and helped to free the knife from the last guards arm. He made a point to resheathe the thing in his neck satisfied with the sounds of him choking on his own blood. It hadn’t been the Empire State Building, or Muhammed Ali, but yes…. Yes it was Tuff Enuff. Kim stopped asking a convenience that just happened to coincide with the ending of the song. Eddie hardly even noticed the change in music, he was far more concerned with the girl on the other side of that door.

Fan was not retreating, which may have had something to do with the fact that he was facing a what could have passed for a very well-built blonde schoolgirl. Clearly, anime wasn’t one of his vices, because otherwise he would have been aware of the fact that blonde girls with swords cannot lose. It’s a rule. And Harley wasn’t just any blonde with a sword. As Fan lunged, only barely recognizable as the man who had spent the evening having his desires thwarted, she spun, still low, hair spread like a banner behind her as the blade twisted with her. There was a flash, and the hiss of a single all important word, crimson arcing over her head like a liquid umbrella. She followed the path of the blade, managing to clear most of the waterfall of blood obeying her command and leaving Fan looking pale and stunned.

Rising, she let the thin line drip and fizzle against the carpet. “You dishonored yourself, and your family, and your clan. It was the only option.” The man before her hit his knees as the door started to shake. “Cocky bastard.” The blade rose, slowly, and took the daggers place beneath his chin. “I could make you die faster, y’know. End the pain. But you don’t deserve it.” Her outfit was speckled with what looked like crimson-edged cigarette burns, and she watched him for a moment longer before he collapsed, gasping, to the carpet, and she turned to unlatch the now-shimmying door.

Fifteen seconds, that was all it took between Eddie’s first attempts to kick down Fan’s door and its actual opening. He knew that because that was the exact amount of time between the acoustical beginning of the song on the radio and George Harrison’s all too appropriate words, here comes the sun (do do do doo). What that meant could be entirely up to interpretation, though for him it was obviously the sight of the blonde whom he didn’t allow to stand on her own two feet. He scooped her up, and kissed her like she’d been gone for a month rather than minutes. It had been a long cold lonely winter, and Mahjong was not a substitute for Tahlia.