James knew he couldn't stay put. He started walking, trying to remember the turns Mei had taken, but every alley looked identical. He eventually emerged into a small square dominated by a tall, ancient pagoda.
He pulled out the sticky "map," trying to read any legible characters, when a very tall Grey Suit rounded the corner and locked eyes with him.
The Grey Suit approached, his expression colder than a misplaced ice cube. He held up a small photo—a grainy picture of James and his tweed jacket.
"You," the agent said, his voice a low growl in heavily accented English. "Come with us."
"Good afternoon," James said brightly, refusing to panic. This was a classic English response to any uncomfortable social situation: over-politeness. "Terribly sorry, but I'm in a frightful hurry. I'm meeting a rather grumpy companion at a Giant Tortoise, and I simply must not be late. You wouldn't happen to know the most expedient path to the East Gate, would you?"
The Grey Suit was completely thrown by the question. He stopped, momentarily confused. "The East Gate? You are coming with me now."
"Yes, yes, quite right," James agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "But just to confirm—is it better to take the path past the old Jade Bridge, or the one that goes around the vegetable market? I hear the Jade Bridge path has much better lighting for evening strolls, but I'm pressed for time, you see."
James's rapid, polite, and completely irrelevant questioning short-circuited the agent's trained response. He wasn't resisting; he was just being an excessively conversational tourist.
While the agent struggled to process the unexpected conversational detour, James, without breaking eye contact or his smile, stepped backward and "accidentally" backed into a large, stacked pile of bamboo poles awaiting transport.
The poles went tumbling down, pinning the Grey Suit to the ground in a complicated wooden cage.
"My sincerest apologies!" James called out, already walking briskly in the direction the agent had pointed when confused. "Such a clumsy move! Must be the lack of a proper breakfast tea! Do enjoy your afternoon!"