Under the Sign of the Swastika

[Tabs]

The boy does indeed begin to walk away. And, coming towards her, with a cheery wave, is Santiago.

[Mr. Handy]

Elisabeth grins with relief and rushes over to Santiago. "There you are!" she says. "I was worried sick! I've been looking all over for you." She points out the urchin now that his back is turned and he can't see her. "See that boy? When I was searching for you, he played a trick on me and a local shopkeeper. Then when I came back here I noticed him watching me. I'm wondering if someone put him up to it. Perhaps we should follow him discreetly in the rickshaw and see where he goes."

[aine]

Santiago smiles back. "You've been ages, I'm surprised you haven't washed away altogether! I've met someone else overly interested in us too - a local reporter asking about the Golden Pumkin and the fire! Maybe the boy's working for the paper." But Santiago doesn't believe that and wonders what other agents are abroad. "We could follow him so long as he doesn't go into a dubious district, and it'll be difficult - we don't exactly blend in."

[Mr. Handy]

"Then let's do that before we lose sight of him," says Elisabeth. "We weren't that long. We came out quite some time ago, but you were gone. Posie was getting tired, so Mingzhu took her back to the compound while I went to search for you. I'm surprised you trusted this reporter enough to go off with her - and I notice you didn't mention that she's a woman."

[aine]

Santiago looks surprised and a bit put out. "She was a reporter!" And then he remembers something and cheers up immediately. He hails a rickshaw and bustles Elizabeth into it, squeezing into the seat beside her. "You'd better direct the driver; your Chinese is 100% better than mine." He is smiling, with something on his mind.

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm sorry," says Elisaebth, softening. "I shouldn't be jealous." She goes with Santiago to the rickshaw that she had hailed just before he had arrived and nestles beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. She instructs the driver which way to go, pointing in the direction that the boy is heading to make it clear. "I'm just relieved you're all right. You were the one who told me to be wary. How did you know she really was a reporter? She could have been armed or leading you into a trap where some friends were waiting."

[aine]

Santiago puts his arm round Elizabeth, only partly to shield her from the jostling of the rickshaw. He smiles grimly, "I was well aware she was probably a spy; she was certainly fishing! Wanted to know if I knew anything about possible survivors from the fire! Did she know I was one, or was she guessing? I'm sure they'll be keeping an eye on us until we leave town." The rickshaw speeds precariously over a tiny humpback bridge, throwing them about. Santiago grabs hold of the side,

"I can't believe the first time we're alone together, we're jumping about in the back of a rickshaw! Not exactly a moonlit open carriage ride is it." He grins and then becomes serious and looks into Elizabeth's eyes, "Elizabeth, I just wanted to say that, well, you mean an awful lot to me; and I hope one day that..." He's interrupted by a swerve around a corner."Look, this is for you. For now." He digs into his pocket and pulls out a tiny and beautifully ornate box that sits neatly in Elizabeth's palm. Santiago smiles fondly at her.

"We need to talk later though, seriously; I'm on a mission totally separate to ours and it's dangerous. I can't ask you to come along unless you know the full story."



Elizabeth opens the box and finds a tiny but perfectly working compass inside.

[Mr. Handy]

Elisabeth's heart flutters as Santiago speaks. "Oh, how lovely!" she gushes when she sees the compass. She gazes up into his eyes, smiling back. "We're not exactly alone; the driver is mere feet in front of us. But I get your meaning. I...I feel the same way about you, Santiago, and I share your hopes. I suppose I wouldn't have been jealous otherwise. I'm not afraid to accompany you for myself, but I do worry about Posie."

[Tabs]

As instructed by Elisabeth, the rickshaw driver trots after the boy who had been spying on Elisabeth but who is now departing, making his way along the street. After a few corners Elisabeth realises that she and Santiago are at the opposite end of the side street she had walked up 20 minutes ago. The boy steps inside Zhongshan's shop.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thank you so much, Santiago," says Elisabeth, gently closing the box and putting it away in her pocket. "I shall treasure it always." She takes the matchbook out of the same pocket. "I came this way earlier when I was searching for you, as you'd been seen heading in this direction. A crowd of urchins approached me, trying to sell me matches. One of them, the one we followed, placed this matchbook in my hand. I paid him for it and asked him if he'd seen you, and he took me to this shop, run by a Mr. Zhongshan, saying that he may have seen you. Yet the shopkeeper seemed not to know anything about it, saying the urchin had tricked us both, and the boy fled. I wonder if he had slipped me a note in this matchbook." She looks inside to see if it contains anything besides matches,

[Tabs]

OOC:   Good idea, but unfortunately no note.

Elisabeth flips open the matchbook and finds a row of thin sticks topped with blobs of sulfur.

[aine]

Santiago looks at the match book and shrugs. "I think we should follow him in, it looks like he has some connection with this Zongshan even if the shopkeeper denies it." He stops the rickshaw and pays him, then he helps Elizabeth out.

[Mr. Handy]

"All right," says Elisabeth, shutting and putting the matchbook away and alighting from the rickshaw. "If we're careful, they might not even hear us enter, and I can eavesdrop on them and find out what they're up to. He didn't seem to notice me when I first walked on. He was doing some exercises, perhaps some form of martial art."

[Tabs]

Elisabeth and Santiago approach the shop.

OOC:   Elisabeth's Listen 65% and Sneak 10%--the street is busy and noisy, so Sneak is at +40%.

[aine]

Santiago pads noiselessly behind Elizabeth as they creep into the shop.

rolls,Listen 55 and sneak 30 : [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4722204/]1d100=22, 1d100=19[/url]

[Mr. Handy]

Elisabeth can't hear over the noise from the street, and it doesn't even mask her movement very well as she slips inside.

[Tabs]

Santiago is indeed like a puma, unfortunately Elisabeth brushes against a wicker basket of beans, some of them spill and pepper the ground.

"Nǐ hǎo," says an urchin, poking his head out of the shop door and smiling; it is the same boy who has been playing tig with Elisabeth all afternoon.

[Mr. Handy]

"Nǐ hǎo," replies Elisabeth. "I found my husband."

[aine]

Santiago nods ruefully and carefully picks up the bean basket. He has a good look around to see what sort of place It really Is.

[Tabs]

The boy giggles naughtily and runs, crashing into Santiago.

OOC:   aine, roll Luck.

As the boy does so, Zhongshan appears in the shop doorway, he hears Elisabeth say she has found her husband, "Yes, indeed. How can I help you now?"