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[b]Metropolis[/b]
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Thanks to all the built up misunderstandings, Yalen had been given the "seat of honor" at the dinner table. The meal tonight was obviously distant from the Constantian palette, but he was ever the foodie and didn't hesitate to dig in, at least after giving everyone's food a quick check for toxins. He picked up a bread-like dumpling and bit into it, and was taken aback by how dry the outer shell was. His hand instinctively went for his cup of tea, but then he noticed that there was a savory, almost broth-like filling inside, and it was delicious. While idly listening to a conversation between Rikard and their guide, Yalen's attention was caught by the mention of a particular phrase. [color=FD5E53]"Bái wèibīng? What does that mean?"[/color] He asked Xiulan. 

The smile fell off of her face as if he had just spilled his food, but the guide quickly recovered. [color=a2d39c]"Oh, zem. Yes!"[/color] she exclaimed, after finishing a bite. [color=a2d39c]"Zey are... like ze elite policeman in ze country, I sink. If zis problem was serious, Captain Zhu will call zem."[/color] She took a sip of her water. It seemed that they served it warm - almost [i]hot[/i] - here instead of cool. [color=a2d39c]"I know how is sound,"[/color] she sighed. [color=a2d39c]"Like I'm bad host, just deny deny deny, but if the problem was serious, I will tell you."[/color] For a moment, her eyes flicked about, almost imperceptibly quick, scanning her immediate surroundings and the mezzanine above before returning to Yalen. She smiled.

Yalen picked up on the obvious hint and became alarmed. Before giving her a response, he began scanning the first and second floor for eavesdroppers, while masking his pause with a sip of tea. There were two guards at the front door and one at the rear. Two appeared to be resting already, and another in conversation with Captain Zhu up on the mezzanine floor. For the moment, there was nobody listening in aside from Yin, busy bringing in some new plates, but then she was back out. Xiulan's eyes met Yalen's. She smiled again, knowingly, this time. [color=a2d39c]"You are a smart man, I sink,"[/color] she told him quietly. [color=a2d39c]"Nobody is watch wiss his eyes or listen wiss his ears."[/color] She paused for a moment, taking another dumpling. [color=a2d39c]"See!"[/color] she concluded cheerily. [color=a2d39c]"Retan is a [i]very[/i] safe place!"[/color] She leaned in and punched him lightly on the shoulder. [color=a2d39c]"I can see you like our food too, hmm?"[/color] She rose, quite suddenly. [color=a2d39c]"Come!"[/color] she encouraged, gesturing for him to follow. [color=a2d39c]"Come, I show you how we make. Yin doesn't mind."[/color]

Yalen had to hold back a smirk. He wasn't expecting a catch this big on the first day. He scooted out of his chair and stood up. [color=FD5E53]"Really? I'd love to see that."[/color]

[color=a2d39c]"Oh good!"[/color] exclaimed Xiulan, [color=a2d39c]"because I want to show you!"[/color] She managed a little giggle and it was apparent that she'd had a bit to drink. She led him out of the courtyard and through a large set of double doors. It was dim where they were, with few lanterns to light their way: enough to see by, but not in detail. There were candles in wall sconces they could've lit, but she didn't light them. After a moment, not too far from the noise of the kitchen, she opened a small door and abruptly pulled Yalen inside. It was... a closet.

[color=FD5E53]"...Quite."[/color] Yalen uncomfortably shifted as his medicine pouch dug into his waist. He turned his head slightly so he wouldn't be breathing over her face. Suspecting that this woman hadn’t captured him to sample the quality of Constantian men, he got straight to the point. 

[color=FD5E53]"So, let's talk shall we? It's obvious that the Traveler is not our only concern here. Who, or what, are you really afraid of?"[/color]

[color=a2d39c]"Ze Hēi wèishì,"[/color] she whispered, practically mouthing it, but she shook her head. [color=a2d39c]"Like ze Bái wèibīng. Zey are not ze normal police. Nobody know he's real name or what looks like. Only ten of zem."[/color] She took a moment to swallow. [color=a2d39c]"Sorry for my breass. It's bad."[/color] She let out a nervous chuckle. [color=a2d39c]"Zey are not bad person. Zey are to help wiss find the Traveler. Very strong, zough. Very secret. I sink you are not here to do ze work."[/color] She paused for a moment, going still and holding a finger to her lips. Seemingly satisfied, she then continued. 

[color=a2d39c]"You must to understand: Retan have a different culture to Eastern country. Zis is a very political sing, I sink. Hēi wèishì handle it. Zey say you do it. Zey make some mistake, zey say you do it. You say nossing, okay?"[/color] she all-but demanded. [color=a2d39c]"Or I get in big trouble and you get new guide, less fun."[/color] It was a poor attempt at levity, but an attempt nonetheless. Then, there came a series of clanks from the kitchen and the sound of a door opening. Xiulan yanked Yalen out before either Yin or her father could round the bend in the hallway. It was the latter, in this case and they spoke rapidly in Retanese. He regarded Yalen with a smile and said some things that the youth could not understand, but his gestures were clear, and Yalen picked up 'Yin' in there. [color=a2d39c]"He say we can go see how ze foods are made,"[/color] the guide explained, perfectly cheery again. [color=a2d39c]"Come come!"[/color] She already had Yalen by the hand, and she fluttered into the kitchen with him in tow.

Yalen was not offended by her haste. He didn't intend to drag her any deeper into this mess. For now he allowed himself to be led along to keep up appearances, but behind his calm smile was a spark of determination. Someone else would give him more information, willingly or not. No matter what, he needed a [i]name[/i].

They returned to the courtyard table a few minutes later with Yin and another few platters of food, Yalen picking at one already and Xiulan playfully scolding him, none the wiser, or so it would seem. He would keep his mouth shut for the rest of the meal, but later on when dinner was concluded Yalen would go on to share what he had learned with the others, while making an open request for them to dig up more information about the secret police.

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Twilight had fallen on the city, and most respectable work had been wrapped up for the day. This was the hour of crooks, carousers, and courtesans. Yalen had no idea if the capital city had an enforced curfew, but he felt the ice was still too thin to risk treading its surface. The team had been informed that they should be ready at eight o’ clock by the reckoning of Rettanese timepieces, and a skilled chemical mage could delay their sleep for some time, so Yalen elected to use the night hours for self study. He placed a cushion next to his coffee table and used it as a desk, producing what appeared to be a handwritten book as well as note taking materials. 

An hour or so after sunset he bookmarked a page in his tome and rubbed his eyes. Yalen tapped his pen against his chin idly, then looked at his free hand. He gripped the writing implement tightly and pricked his thumb with it, allowing a miniscule trickle of blood to flow freely from the wound. The priest discarded his pen and clutched his wrist, while closing his eyes in concentration.

[color=FD5E53]”Mend.”[/color] 

Yalen stared at his thumb expectantly for… something to happen. A few seconds had to pass for him to realize that the intended effect had not materialized.

[color=FD5E53]”Mend!”[/color] 

Still nothing. He sighed and hastily stitched his finger closed with binding magic. Then he got off of the floor cushion and crawled dejectedly into bed. He was finally beginning to drift off, but before he was able to, the tethered mage was swept by a mild sense of paranoia, though he knew not the cause. The compulsion was too strong for Yalen to ignore, so to alay his personal fears he distracted himself with some productive meditation. Spreading his awareness outwards, he cast his mental net and began to passively investigate the energy sources he found. He was particularly interested in finding evidence of magic use, but despite being able to sense over a distance of over seven kilometers, Yalen detected no more than two incidents of magic. It was certainly night time, but Wanggang contained hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people within its walls. Statistically there should have been more magic use nearby, even given his limited ability to read more than a few energy sources at a time.

[color=FD5E53][i]Something feels off here…[/i][/color] Yalen thought to himself. He was about to give up when, at the very last minute, he felt the presence of a magic user. A proper mage this time, burning with energy that could only be mustered by someone trained extensively in drawing. They didn’t feel human though. Or did they? He felt like he recognized this kind of signature from one of the species he encountered during the Trials, but the memory was already faded from disuse. 

[color=FD5E53][i]They’re tangling with someone else.[/i][/color] After widening his radius Yalen realized that there was a second individual close to the first one, and they seemed to be caught in a chase. The second one was [b]definitely[/b] not human. Either that, or they were simply so strong that his mind could only see them as a monster.

The signatures eventually faded from his focus. Yalen investigated the humanoid thoroughly before he lost the connection, committing the fuzzy sensation to memory as best as he could. It was a very small chance, but he might come close to that unseen individual tomorrow. If that happened, he would know, and he would find them.