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Mr. Wu ignored the look he got from the woman- doubtless furious that a Chinese had dared to speak to her- and instead studied the contract. Fairly standard boilerplate, really. The pay and terms were exceptionally generous. A staggering fifty dollars a week. Hobbs had money to burn, clearly. Wu idly wondered how best to use the money. Some of it would cover his expenses of course, the rest would be donated to a Chinatown charity. He had to look out for his people. Content with the offer, Wu went ahead and signed his name in a careful and elegant script

The same woman who had glared at him objected to the ouroboros device on Hobbs' letterhead. Wu largely ignored the protest, instead thinking of practical matters. While he had no experience in the matter it seemed to him that logical and unemotional thoughts were key to success for a detective. He extracted a leatherbound notebook and pencil from his case, held them at the ready like a student taking notes in class. Feeling the need to be helpful, he pulled out a few other pencils and wordlessly offered them around the room to anyone who might need one.

[color=6A5ACD]"I, for one, would like to hear more of the misfortunes of this archaeologist. As it happens, I do have some passing familiarity with the lucrative trade in antiquities. Many of my countrymen have brought over ancient treasures from the old country, and unfortunately find themselves in such dire straits in this brave new world that they are forced to sell such heirlooms in order to pay their debtors. Frequently, they come to myself or others of my organization for advice, and through this humble enterprise I have become acquainted with myriad local purveyors of curiosities and antiquities. From this experience it strikes me as most likely that some unscrupulous villain has stolen the pieces in question in hopes of turning a tidy profit from their auction to less upstanding collectors."[/color] He delicately cleared his throat. [color=6A5ACD]"That is, of course, a preliminary thought. Ignorant as I am of the facts of this peculiar case, perhaps I should refrain from [i]a priori[/i] speculation until such time as I have been fully appraised of the matter."[/color] Beaming, happy to be contributing, he eagerly lifted his pencil above his notepad. Mr. Wu was beginning to enjoy himself.