summercomfort (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
summercomfort) wrote2010-02-17 12:28 am
summercomfort) wrote2010-02-17 12:28 am
Day 6
Tingyan didn't like the way that Mr. Li was looking at her. Wild, manic, cold. Earlier he was unexpectedly responsible and helpful -- clearing the needles, dragging out the bodies, cleaning up the stones. She was beginning to think he might not be the usual type who makes a mess and then runs away. So why was he looking at her like that? He won, right? And that's what these people care about the most, right? Night after night, they're always fighting. She suddenly doesn't want to be there anymore. In the dark with a person who only cares about fighting and winning, standing next to three people who have obviously lost.
"If you don't need me any more, sir..." She bowed.
Mr. Li turned to completely face her. "Wait! A question:" Mr. Li looked tense. "What will you say if anyone asks about tonight?" Tingyan noticed that he had stopped playing with his Go stones and instead had one pressed between each finger.
"Oh dear ... I've never been part of night time activities before...." Tingyan was far more accustomed to dealing with the aftermath in daylight. Usually, she just tried her best to sleep through all this. Stifling a yawn, she replied, "I think it depends on what you do next, sir. Whether you kill or leave."
Mr. Li took a step closer. "What do you mean by that? Are you threatening me? What would you do if I did kill tonight?"
Tingyan froze, wide awake again, suddenly remembering that Mr. Li was able to knock out three people with 4 stones. Four stones that were currently in his hands and ready to fire.
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The maid was blubbering. "N-no... s-sir... I wasn't saying killing is wrong for you martial types. You guys can kill all you want. You guys can also leave whenever you want. They just have different results..." Li Tan took a step back and folded his arms. For a second he thought she was a plant by his enemies, but he was mistaken. Given her current state, he could silence her whenever he wanted. She was right, "those guys" do play by different rules, and for tonight, he was one of them. "Calm down. Explain yourself."
"W-well, if we find guests missing, we destroy their records and forget about them, cause otherwise there's no end of threats and questioning from y-your ... colleagues." She was trying hard to be polite, but it was obvious that she hadn't had good experiences with the martial world. "If we find guests who have ... passed, we would have to file an official report with the town magistrate, and they send someone to take care of ... the remains. That's what I meant by kill or leave, sir. If you leave, sir, I won't even remember that you existed. If you choose to kill..."
"Enough." He didn't need to hear any more to know that she'll keep quiet about this for the rest of her life. Looks like this disastrous night is still salvageable. "I recommend going back to your front desk." All he needed to do was drop the man off somewhere and let him wake up confused. The women he can leave here. They'll just wake up believing that they were defeated by the man's punch.
"Oh, thank you so much, sir. I wish you the best in your victory!" The maid was clearly relieved as she turned to leave.
Victory? Li Tan laughed bitterly to himself. He supposes this is a sort of victory -- after all, he defeated both parties. A "victory" that he did not want or ask for in the first place. A victory with three casualties and no sleep for the victorious.
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And I think that wild, manic, cold does paint a particular picture - it doesn,t feel inherently like a contradiction to me, and it gets the point across - so you ought to keep it.
(Sorry about the commas. I am for the moment typing on a swedish keyboard.)
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yrs--
--Ben