Participants:
| Scene Title | I Just Need Your Name |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Adam Monroe speaks to the head of the Flying Dragons, asking to act in their name… |
| Date | Sep 27, 2009 |
Below the Golden luck Dragon Restaurant, past a steel security door and watchful armed guards lies the secret underworld of Chinatown. This enormous basement level to the Golden Luck Dragon serves as the central operations for the Flying Dragons, New York City's branch of the Chinese Mafia. Nicknamed the "Red Cellar", the location gets its monicker from the red velvet curtains serving as the threshhold between the narrow and winding staircase that descends to basement level, and the spacious gallery-like holdings that the Ye family has created here.
A single, central hall serves as a meeting chamber for the Flying Dragons, lit by a pair of chandeliers over worn concrete floors draped with exquisite persian rugs. Antique chairs line the floor in rows with a single central aisle, leading towards a raised speaking platform, behind which hangs a black banner with a red dragon embroidered in silk surrounded by a single ring.
Branching off from this room, are a series of narrow hallways and smaller side rooms that are private meeting chambers for the leadership of the Flying Dragons, and places where they may indulge in their unusual proclivities.
The steady electronic beat that pulsed through the Red Cellar like the rapid heartbeat of a lover in the throes of passion when last Adam Monroe walked these halls is gone, tonight, replaced with a sullen silence that seems to linger thick in the air. A number of statues and statuettes that he noted previously have been draped in veils of red paper to shield their faces from view, an old funerary custom - although normally not one that lasts beyond the wake. The pleasures and pains of the Red Cellar have been silenced just as Song Ye's voice has, and while they will surely rise once again… for the moment, Liu Ye mourns.
A heavily tattooed man stripped to the waist, armed with a sword at his waist, guides Monroe's steps through the central hall, past the watchful eyes of a Triad whose members are angry— and distrustful of the outsider in their midst, business partner or not.
The conference room that he's finally shown to is just as he remembers it, a long table with Liu Ye - garbed this evening in silken blue robes, the chest of them gaping wide to reveal the tattoos that twist over his own leanly muscular pectorals - seated at its head. On the table, a bottle sits to one side of the usual libations, wrapped neatly in shiny black paper. Another man is there, a short and slender young chinese man with hair half-shadowing his face, whose features can only be called 'pretty', a scowl lingering upon his features as he turns to look to the door.
"Ah, Mister Monroe…" Liu raises one hand in an offhanded gesture, rousing himself from his almost languid spill back in the chair, "…do come in, and have a seat." As invitational as the words are, they have more the sound of command to them. Red wine erupts as a coiling serpent from the mouth of an open bottle, twisting through the air and spilling into one of the emptied goblets, perhaps wordless indication of where he should sit.
Adam steps through the Triad headquarters in a rather solemn, but still lightly and careless in his gait. Eventually, he is invited here to the Triad leader and nods, "Thank you." at the invitation to have a seat. He does sit down carefully, considering the other man and the 'spread' in front of him. He studies the bottles quietly and then glances up towards Liu and says, "I wanted to express my condolences for your loss."
There's no smile, merely a thin line of Liu Ye's lips as he inclines his head solemnly towards Adam at his words. "If you wish to express your condolences," he notes, just a hint of an edge to his words that probably isn't due to anything his guest has done, "Present to me Daniel Linderman's head upon a silver platter. And I will give you any dream you may hold, in thanks…"
A bowl of water, or tea, sits beside the Triad's leader, and he reaches down to lightly graze his finger along the edge of the bowl. The liquid stirs upwards, swirling for a moment as an amorphous shape before it forms itself into a translucent, gently stirring image of a woman's face. His sister's. The tips of his fingers brush against a watery cheek, even as he observes more quietly, "…but enough of sorrow." The water collapses back into its bowl, and sharp, dark eyes slice back to Adam's face, "What can I do for you, Mister Monroe?"
Not aware of Brian's deal with the Triads, he seems to give the idea some thought. He will kill Daniel eventually, that much isn't in question. And he really had no plans to keep the head. He studies Liu quietly before he says, "Well." he says, "If you're patient, I may well be able to grant you such a request. I couldn't make such happen tomorrow…but…" he lifts one shoulder in a shrug. And then on to business, "I wanted to know how the business was progressing. After the government banning of Refrain, I'm sure that leads to an increase in profits, but also an increase of scrutiny from officials. Have there been problems? I read recently of a…boating accident."
The slender man in white turns his head away at the mention of the 'boating accident', his expression growing tight and hand closing into a fist upon the table so tight that his knuckles begin to whiten.
In contrast to his subordinate's reaction, Liu Ye's response is fairly calm, and casual, head bobbing in almost a serene sort of nod. "Business has been going well, quite well in fact, lucrative to both our accounts— of that I've no doubt. Declaring it illegal, well…" A faint chuckle, lips curling at last into a cruel little smirk, "…hardly something that worries us. It only heightens the profit margin. The police long ago learned not to interfere in our business, unless they want to pay for more fancy funerals. Ha!"
Those dark eyes are leveled once more upon Adam's face, before he admits, "One of the Linderman Group's… operatives hijacked one of our shipments to Staten Island recently, yes. An insult that will be repaid."
Adam considers this information on the shipment, "This was Linderman's doing?" he frowns a moment and leans back for a few moments, "Well, I hadn't counted on that." he purses his lips a moment, "I mean no offense by this question, but you have a rather large operation yourself. Can't you simply…" he snaps his fingers a bit.
"A man such as Daniel Linderman," Liu replies, leaning forward to give weight to his words, his voice sharp and low, "Is not so easily killed as— " His hand lifts, and his fingers snap, once.
A bottle of sake explodes upon the tabletop, shards of glass scattering over the table's top, digging furrows into the old wood there. The rice wine lingers there above the tabletop, leaping then in a graceful arc through the air to spill into a pot off to the side of the room, lapping at its sides with gentle sounds. "— that."
"Nor am I, nor was my father before me," he states flatly, leaning back slowly once more in his chair, "It is war that he wants, and he will get it."
Adam nods a bit, "I don't know if you're aware, but I've been working my own operations against Daniel Linderman. And have had some success as of late." he leans forward, "Let me direct this war he wants. Give me some men to use and I'll do so in your name. It benefits us both." he says, "And no one shall know where it comes from. And eventually, perhaps, I will be in a position to offer you his head."
At the proposal, Liu's gaze hoods in a thoughtful fashion, considering Adam for a long few moments.
The other man at the table straightened at Adam's words, his spine stiffening as he looks from one to the other, expression nearly outraged, "«Honorable Ye, you could not be thinking of— giving over our soldiers to this gwailo's command? Give me another chance, let me at this John Logan, I— »"
The head of the Flying Dragons cuts off the complain with a sharp gesture and a look even sharper, his lips curling up at one corner in a sneer. "«You forget your place, Jin Yeoh. You failed me once already.»" A slow drift of his attention back to the supplicant, and he states, "Bring me a plan that I find acceptable, and I will give you your men to carry it out, Adam Monroe, if only because you have brought advantage to the Flying Dragons in the past and the legend of your name. If you wish to serve, you will earn it."
Adam nods a bit, "I already have a plan, in fact, I was planning on doing it on my own. Some extra troops and ordinance will help." he glances to the side at the other man. He never bothered to learn Chinese. Frankly, he spent most of his time 'passing through' China. But he does remember being called a Gwailo. And…John Logan.." he gets the gist of the disagreement with the tone though. He looks back towards Liu, "He is attacking things you love…" he shrugs his shoulder, "He has little left that he loves." aside from Angela, but she'll get hers eventually, "Other than his money and power.." he pauses, "And now he builds his casino to consolidate his power… You hurt him, by hurting his places for now. I have…" he smiles lightly, "Ordinances which will be helpful to this cause. What I need, is to remain in the shadows. So more than your men, I just need your name. These attacks at the behest of the Triads."
Liu leans back slowly in his chair, hands folding over his chest and fingertips lightly tapping against one another. "Our name is all we have, Mister Monroe," states a man in the deliciously decadent surroundings of the Red Cellar, "I will strike with you a bargain. I will grant you this request… if you will first prove to me that you can bear it properly. One of Linderman's… thugs… is a man named John Logan. He runs a club, called Burlesque, in the city. He is the one who stole our shipment. I would like you to ensure that he will not be doing so again/ in the near future. And if you could retrieve the goods as well, that would certainly be a bonus."
Adam considers this for a few moments, John Logan. He's heard the name in passing, but he can remember very little about the man. He looks thoughtful as he drums his fingertips along his leg, "John Logan." he nods, "I will see what I can do. Of course, I make no promises, but I will do my best." he lifts a chin, "However, interference might cause problems. Do you have other people on this?"
"On Mister Logan? No," Liu replies with a lazy curl of his lips, "If you wish to carry the banner of the Flying Dragons into battle, you will do this for me. If not…" He turns one hand upwards, "…there are others. And our business is profitable even without blood in it, Mister Monroe."
Adam, of course, wouldn't call it carrying the banner. He'd call it camoflaging himself, but tomato, tomahto. He nods, "Well, again. I will see what I can do." he stands quietly from his seat, "Thank you for your time. And again, my condolences for your loss."
Liu Ye inclines his head deeply, and claps his hands twice— at which point the tattooed man makes his appearance at the door once more, to serve as escort. "A pleasure as always, Mister Monroe." Thus dismissed, he turns back away, gaze falling to the bowl of water beside him, fingers drifting over the edge in a slow circling.
"«Jin. Bring to me this girl that you spoke with… this… 'Wendy'.»"