The following morning, while the sun was struggling to climb, though some luminosity was creeping over the far away horizon, Kaiko got up. He did so very carefully so as not to wake Feng, then hopped away towards the sled. He didn't know that it was all for naught as Feng was only half asleep.
At the time she really didn't want to move, Kaiko thinking he successfully galloped off without waking her was just a bonus. Outside of her sleeping bag, in which she was essentially entirely wrapped, was too cold for her this early in the morning. It didn't help that every time she moved even the slightest bit the cold would creep in, she thought it easier to just pretend to be asleep. Being only half awake also meant she was having a very difficult time determining the passage of time as the world around her began waking. Creaking snow, wind rustling past the tall bare trees, the first steps of waking animals in the distance; all blended to make her experience of time impossible to gauge. A distance ruffling joined the melodious morning sound, slowly introducing a hurried gallop that seemed to get closer.
"The sled is gone!" Kaiko shouted as he approached.
"Whaaa…?" Feng managed to get past her lips.
Feng tried to stretch the fatigue away, doing her best to ignore the cold she would now inevitably have to face.
"What do you mean the sled is gone?" She eventually said as she uncovered herself.
"It is no longer there," He explained as he transformed back into his human form, "I found some pieces of the ski still in the snow, but the sled is missing along with tracks leading eastward."
"Do you also think it was whomever attacked us?" Feng posed plainly.
"That was what I was thinking," He responded while packing away things, "I still can't figure out how they did it."
"Did what?" Feng asked as she, too, put things away.
"Get past us," He said as he looked down, "I did notice the attack, at least."
"The important thing is that we were not hurt," Feng eventually said as she stood up with her bag and offered Kaiko some jerky, "Now lead us back to the scene of the crime so we investigate before heading towards a real meal."
Kaiko led the way through the forest. For a few minutes they zigzagged between barely visible roots waiting to trip them up under the snow. When they reached the location where the sled had been, Feng could confirm that Kaiko had indeed been correct; the sled had gone entirely. She looked around at the ground before letting a slight sigh of disappointment. Not only was there no black specks at all around the area where she was certain she had seen some last night, but the place where the large puddle had been seemed to have been dug up.
"Seems to not only took our sled," She eventually said out loud to Kaiko, "But they cleaned up after themselves quite well, I doubt well find anything."
"The foul stench isn't about anymore either," Kaiko added, "They definitely headed east."
A series of small divots captured between two smooth parallel grooves in the snow headed far east into the distance.
"Now what?" Kaiko asked.
"We should just head to Sendoh by foot now," She responded, "Nevermind the sled. I'm sure we can buy another one when were there."
Their journey northward resumed quickly, their pace now significantly reduced without the sled. They got to experience the many moods of the morning as the sun continued to rise higher above the mountains to the east. They had several more hours of climbing to do before they would arrive at the edge of the concave plateau that housed Sendoh.
Far ahead of them was a bowl within the mountain. Currently no light from the rising sun yet reached within. A thick fog hung across the entire region, though seemingly impenetrable, it could not hide the vibrant spectacle of glow in a variety of warm colours deep within this cold misty bowl.
As they walked forward into the mist the sun was beginning to seep over the edge, piercing the misty veil with a luminous radiance; slowly dissolving the obscurity. They ventured forward for a solid hour before the sun melted away the cool morning mist entirely.
Far ahead of them, now visible in the daylight, lay the capital of North Fuuhzan. Covered by a thick fog that served as a silver screen for a dance of colour and shadows from within, the silhouette of the city of Sendoh was only barely visible. Like many before them, their first impression was that this is a city that never sleeps.
It took Feng and Kaiko another three hours of walking to get close enough to see start seeing the details of the city properly, the fog seeming to thinner as they got closer. As they admired Sendoh becoming visible they both realised something odd simultaneously: It didn't feel like winter anymore.
All around them the snow seemed to be thin and grainy. Around them directly the snow seemed to get moist under their feet, while further ahead there were entire patches where the snow had made way for ground beneath. The temperature around them, too, seemed entirely too pleasant. The temperature continued to rise as they got closer to a wall that marked the edge of the city's outskirts.
Once they had reached the wall, it became obvious that this was not solid. The wall that encircled Sendoh was dubbed the steam boundary by locals, and as the name implies, was made entirely by a strong continuous jet of steam coming up from the ground. Crossing the boundary was unlike anything Feng and Kaiko had ever experienced before. The steam rushed passed them with a mighty continuous gale, but unlike what they expected it did not burn them. They feeling of being pushed up by the steam didn't last long, before suddenly releasing both of them into a sudden spring paradise. The air was warm though slightly damp, and there was no trace of snow at all. The winter they left behind became a distant mirage as the wall of steam and the thick fog above blurred it entirely out of existence. Within only a few steps you would have been forgiven for forgetting that there was an entire world beyond this thin sheet that keeps the frost away.
"That is unreal," Feng blurted as she took in the scenery around her, "I'm already too hot."
Kaiko did not respond right away, which had Feng turn around to look at him. She instantly burst out laughing.
"Not one word…" Kaiko said slowly.
Feng couldn't hold her laughter at Kaiko standing there frozen with his legs wide, arms open and stretched beside him, looking intensely uncomfortable; his entire posture screamed 'wet cat.'
"Yes yes," Kaiko eventually managed through his gritted teeth, " Get it all out of you system while you can, once I get used to this humid feeling in my fur, I'm coming over there and making you regret that laughter."
"Well then," Feng said playfully as she turned away from him, "Catch up to me when your done being a cat, I'll go scout ahead."
Feng left kaiko exactly where he was, still frozen in place, as she carefully treaded across the unstable and mushy ground. Kaiko watched as she walked away slowly, disappearing out of view only a few meters away from him. Once she was out of sight it took him all his concentration to transform into his fox form, ready to shake the water off. Like a dog he shook his fur back and forth, shedding the water in heavy gushes. Before long he felt his fur lighten enough to walk comfortably, though the ground beneath his feel felt anything but comfortable. After his first step forward into the mushy muddy ground, he felt his body jump uncontrollably, in an attempt to get away from the wet feeling on his paw. He realised he wouldn't be able to escape the mud beneath him, choosing instead to leap over as much of the grass and mud as he could, in the same direction that Feng had disappeared. Every slush into the ground filled his entire body with a rushing feeling of disgust that needed to be ended as quickly as possible, once again taking a leap forwards. He lunged himself out of the foggy steam that hovered above the mush onto solid ground and relief instantly came over him. As he looked around him he saw that anywhere the stone road he had found was not, was covered by the thick fog; nothing was visible but the road ahead.
"I see you found the road, too," Feng shouted with a smile from a distance, "It seems this roads leads all the way up to the city wall."
She pointed ahead where the silhouette of a city rising in height towards the middle, covered in what appeared to be a circular bubble that permanently projected a light show.
They followed the stone road until the rushing rising vapours gave way for a picturesque spring landscape of luscious green grasses and tall blossoming trees; not at all what one expects in the middle of the Lands of Winter.
The uncontrolled nature gave way to farms and managed grass and wooden huts. Eventually the wooden huts became more numerous, closer together and started crowding heavily against the outer wall behind which towered the city of steam, Sendoh.
Over the rim of the wall the city was made of several layers with the first and outer being comprised of an amalgamation of houses and pipes, steam bursting out of different valves randomly. Further in and towering high above the chaos were sleek smooth structures encircling a massive tower at the centre of the inner city from which a continuously curtain of fine vapour poured over the sky within the domain. The rising sun could not pierce the veil around them, leaving an eerie shadowless luminosity around everything.
Kaiko walked up to Feng, who had returned to taking in the sight of Sendoh in the distance, meaning to put his hand on her shoulder. While he walked up to her there was a veritable bliss in his step at the feeling of solid ground beneath him.
"That's an impressive sight," He said as his hand clasped upon her shoulder, "A true wet paradise in this frozen land."
"That it is," Feng said somewhat absently, "I've never seen anything like it before."
Kaiko squeezed her shoulder before letting go and walking ahead of her, snapping back her attention on the mission.
"So you done being a wet cat?" She asked with a smile.
"Yes, yes," Kaiko responded quickly, "Don't worry about me and my humid hide. Worry about your own skin, hmm."
Feng exhaled sharply through her nose with a twinge of mischief in her smile, and she tried to run ahead of him; challenge accepted. In doing so she ended up losing her footing on a wet brick causing her to quickly trip off the path into a muddy patch.
Kaiko burst out laughing at Feng, to which she let out a sigh of disappointment first, before sitting up and joining him in laughter.
"I guess the Heavens punish instantly," Kaiko said as he offered a hand with a kind smile, "We're even now."
After Kaiko helped Feng up she tried to shake some of the mud off her trousers, poorly imitating Kaiko's twisting fur.
"Absolutely elegant," Kaiko laughed, "You're a natural. Are you sure that you are entirely human?"
"Shush you," She pointed at him, "You set me up for that. Besides, it'll will dry on its own and it will crumble off my trousers."
They both laughed it off and continued following the path towards the outer wall ahead. As they got closer the humidity dropped though the temperature remained high. Both Kaiko's fur as well as the mud on Feng's bottoms dried quickly. It was barely half an hour before the farmlands made way for densely packed wooden houses that piled all around the towering outer walls. Even though they had seen the odd farmer off in the distance, they had never been paid attention to, and now that they had reached a more steady settlement, they were surprised to see there was barely a soul around.
The solid stone road continued in a straight line through the town of huts though dirt roads forked off from it, going all around the colossal wall and connecting all the wooden huts. As they walked down the now dusty stone road, past the mud strips that served as makeshift walkways as well as the shoddy huts, Feng and Kaiko saw two children playing in the distance yet no adult in sight.
"State your business!" A loud deep voice bombarded them as they were only barely in range of the three guarded gates.
It was one of two large and broad guards who towered over both Feng and Kaiko.
"We are guests of The Syndicate." Feng stated boldly and loudly.
The guard who posed the question stepped forward to inspect them. He looked over at Kaiko briefly before turning his attention to Feng. He inspected her from top to bottom, letting out an audible snicker as he spotted the mud remnants on her attire.
"I highly doubt that!" He eventually said before shooing them off with his hands with a loud belching laughter.
The other guard joined in with the laughter.
"Now get lost! The second guard shouted before stepping forward with his hand raised in order to back-hand Feng for speaking out of term.
Feng effortlessly blocked his attacking hand. To Feng he moved at a snails pace. After blocking she tugged at his wrist, pulling the guard off balance using his own weight. She never let go of his wrist, and as his large sluggish body fell to the floor she twisted his arm close to its bending limit.
The guard on the floor let out an single undignified screech before grunting uncomfortably. She let go of his arm and an awkward silence fell as all four stood frozen still.
Feng snapped her finger with a sense of authority. It was loud and felt heavy and made the guards immediately uncomfortable.
"You will do well to treat us with more respect," Feng said slightly louder, "Your masters will not be happy to hear that their distinguished guests were inconvenienced."
Feng held her hand out while Kaiko, without needing to be asked, riffled through his backpack to find their mission scroll. He put in in Feng's hand and she presented it the guards. In turn, they both went very quiet. They bowed their heads and lowered their gaze in their best attempt not to meet Feng's eyes.
"Forgive our rudeness, Master Exorcist," The guard before reaching over to read the scroll, "We were gravely mistaken."
The guard carefully undid the seal, and read the scroll attentively. He quickly gestured to someone behind the gate and before long the gates were opening. The guard tied the scroll as carefully as he could before offering it to Feng, bowing as deeply as he could. He then waited for Feng to pick up the scroll from his hands before speaking one last time.
"Please present your invitation to the guards at the end of the road, straight ahead."
Feng and Kaiko walked past the guards into the long dark tunnel that led to the inner city. They held their heads up high, avoided looking at the guards, and hurried quickly to get out of earshot as soon as possible. Once they were out of range of the guards, Feng let out a sigh of relief.
"You play the part well," Kaiko said in a hushed tone, "When you need to, you carry the authority of your title well."
"I just wish I didn't have to do this everywhere we go," She sighed, "Not like this, at least."
As soon as they exited the long and poorly illuminated tunnel, they were immediately assaulted by a rush of heat and dark yellow light. Ahead of them was a busy and bustling city full of life, clearly this was where everyone was. The density of housing was unreal. Though streets were plentiful and easily accessible on the ground, every house was made in multiple layers with each layer being slightly wide than the previous, so that eventually the houses covered the area above the streets almost entirely. A small space remained between all houses which was almost entirely filled with metal pipes that whistled a chaotic and periodic melody as steam shot out of different valves. The pipes were everywhere and ran wherever there was space for them to be. There were some pipes that seemed delicately placed with precision and thought, but they were almost entirely eclipsed by the random mishmash of pipes that went where they were needed and seemed to find a way to get there, aesthetics be damned.
Though the streets were wide and it was clear to see both people as well as carts using the passages with ease, the claustrophobic feeling of the houses encroaching on their headspace made Feng and Kaiko somewhat uneasy. It didn't help that artificial light was coming from everywhere, constantly, to make up for the lack of natural illumination. With some reservation they walked forward down the road. It was impossible to see far ahead of them as the street was on a slight incline, and they could not see up ahead through the buildings and many pipes. They would just have to follow the road up the road and hope for the best.
As they made their way past all the houses, it was becoming increasingly difficult to tell the passage of time. Despite knowing full well that it was the late morning, nothing about their surroundings would suggest so. Many small light hung all around the walls accompanied by dim glow coming through the many vacant windows felt particularly somber under the constant fog of steam above.
They passed the time pointing out the oddities to each other. The contrast between outside and inside the city, the busy streets but empty houses, the occasional flicker of a silhouette above them followed by many echoing creaking floorboards. It helped them get through the disorienting feeling of timelessness. It also struck them that as they made their way further up the long road, it got less populated, at least until they made it to the top, where a guard stood by a large metal door along a tall smooth wall.
This time Feng and Kaiko walked up to him with full confidence, and with Kaiko offering their invitation scroll immediately. The guard gave them both a quick glance, but quickly shaped up his posture when he saw the scroll. He took it, read it several times, and eventually let out a heavy sigh. He turned around to reveal a small cord hidden within the wall which he pulled three times. Each time he did a far away whistle could be heard above them.
The sound of moving metal started from above them. A mix of thudding metal gears as well as gusts of steam created whistling mechanics that travelled down the tall wall. It ended with a loud clicking sound.
"Your reception awaits ahead, Master Exorcists." The guard spoke with a bowing gesture.
He then pulled the metal door over to one side to reveal the inside of a metal box. They walked in and stood silently as the metal cart slowly raised upwards through a metal pipe. Slightly on edge but convinced they were perfectly safe, they waited as the sound of steam shot about them on the other side of the metal all around.
After what felt like an eternity the lift stopped with the same click it had downstairs, and a door opened behind them.
Before them stood an entirely different world, yet again. Everything had a smooth matte dark look. Clear clean gleaming streets in all directions. The houses were symmetrical and well spaced. Though there was no lack of dark yellow glow here, too, the most minute glow of the midday sun could be felt caressing their skin. As Feng and Kaiko could not spot the sources of the lights, it gave the effect that it was the place itself that was casting the radiance, giving an almost divine feel.
As Feng and Kaiko left the lift they were immediately greeted by an elegantly dressed woman that appeared out of nowhere. Her simple but elegant dress was fitted for a royal servant.
"You must be our guests from abroad," She said as she bowed deeply with such grace, "Our Master On All Matters will see you in his chambers, shortly."
She snapped her fingers twice which summoned two tall and largely built butlers who, too, appeared out of nowhere to take Feng and Kaiko's belongings.
"These gentlemen will show you to your quarters for duration of your stay with us," She then added with another bow, "Please make sure to use our washing facilities before our Master calls for you."
They both looked at each other in silent agreement that a proper wash was in order. Feng in particular was very excited.
The butlers took their bags and walked across the open boulevard and led them straight down the fanciest looking street towards a very sleek looking building. The building was big enough that it took up over a third of the entire visible real-estate. Parts of the taller buildings, this one included, were so high that the top wasn't visible.
Once inside the building they followed the butlers up several flights of stairs as well as down a few winding corridors. Each corridor they passed was more ornate than the next, the deeper into the bowels of the Syndicate they went, the more the wealth was on display.
Eventually the butlers reached a set of sliding doors. Wordlessly and synchronously, they each held on of the sliding doors open allowing for an elegant entry for Feng and Kaiko simultaneously. They walked into a large room with a knee-height table in the middle. Around each side was a sitting cushion with a back and arm rest meant to give a comfortable sitting experience. There was also a small unused tea set laid out on the table. They looked around the room, which was covered in muted whites and reds, to see that beyond the table there was another room which contained a lovely divan and several paper sliding doors.
"This side is for you, Master." One of the butlers said as he brought Kaiko's belongs to the left door.
"While this one," The other butler said with Feng's belongs, towards the right door, "Will be your accommodations in our guest. Call upon us if you require anything."
The butlers placed their belongings beside their respective doors before returning towards the main entrance and standing side by side.
"By your leave, Master." They both said with a bow.
"We have all we need," Feng said with a slight bow, "You may."
Silently the two butlers disappeared, closing the sliding doors ever so carefully, shutting soundlessly.
They both took a few moments to carefully look around before sneaking towards the main entrance to their guest accommodation, trying to hear for the servant's footsteps fading in the distance. As soon as they both confirmed they could hear only silence, Feng could no longer contain her excitement and ran over to the sliding door behind which was her quarters. Just thinking about how beautiful everything around them had been, she had high hopes.
"I don't know what it is," Kaiko began as he made his way to his door far more slowly, "But I don't like this place. Can't say I trust anyone here, either."
Feng wasn't really paying attention to what Kaiko was saying while she had already gone into her chambers to explore.
"They invited us here," She said from within her chambers, "I'm pretty sure we can relax for now."
While the first room within her quarters wasn't impressive, it had everything she would need, some wardrobe space, a change of clothes hanging and a folded up futon in the corner. There was another sliding door in the back, which got Feng excited and she instantly ran towards it to look inside. With a large amount of anticipation she slid the door open with more strength than was required.
"Yes!" She shouted with glee, "A bath at last."
In the other room, Kaiko rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help a smile appearing on his face. It did make him wonder, though, and he went in to check his own quarters. The first room was identical to Feng, but unlike her, he did not have a bath. In his chambers there was a Sendoh speciality, something very different from a bath, namely steam shower.
Feng was very happy to see the bath and couldn't wait to have a proper wash in a nice warm bath. To her surprise, when she lifted the lid, there was no water. It also occurred to her that there was no way to heat the water below the tub either. She did notice that there were several jets all around the bottom edge of the bath, all of which were pointing at an unusual grid at one end. Seeing only one set of valves around the bath tub she decided to give them both a twist. As soon as the valves were turned a loud rushing could be heard coming from the floor, eventually releasing a strong rush of steam out of each and every jet. Feng made an audible sound of surprise which Kaiko heard from the other room. She continued to watch with great interest as the steam rushed into the grid, only for a stream of hot water to start rising from the bottom of the tub.
This is different Feng though to herself before testing the temperature of the water, And the water is a really nice temperature.
Without any delay Feng got undressed, leaving her clothes around haphazardly, and got into the bath. Within seconds she was drifting away cosily surrounded by steam.
While Feng was discovering the joys of Sender's signature steam bath, Kaiko was attempting to work out how to work the shower. He stood before a gap in the wall, with jets point inward from every surface. He found multiple small valves, all lined up from top to bottom. He turned them all until he could turn them no more, which started a very loud rumbling in the pipes until eventually a massive whirlwind of steam shot out from every jet. As he could see no better way than to just jump in, he did exactly that. From everywhere he was being bombarded by warmth. He hated to admit that he actually like the steam shower. He liked the warmth and though the steam did leave him somewhat humid, he liked the way it fluffed up his fur.
They both took their time to thoroughly enjoy their first proper wash in a while before getting dressed and ready with the clothes provided for them by their hosts. Though the clothes were not a perfect fit for either of them, it was close enough for either of them to be comfortable and present a sense of class. Unlike everyone else they had met so far, whose base colour was black, their robes were white with only a few highlights of grey and red along the sleeves and collars. Feng felt that though these were much nicer and more comfortable, though less practical in combat, did have a similar feel in presentation; she didn't feel awkward wearing them. She felt like she probably should, considering she was wearing the clothes of another Organisation.
They reconvened in the shared space, and they both sat around the round tea table in the middle of the room. Having sat down for the first time since arriving this was the moment they could really take in their surroundings. Other than the occasional whooshing sound behind the walls, it was surprisingly quiet. The walls were plain but elegant, and dressed impressively well to hide the fact they were inside a massive metal structure. They especially liked how the paper mats on the floor felt. It felt like a good time to use the kettle before them while they waited to be summoned.
Everything they needed to make tea was available on a small plate at the centre of the table. Two cups, a small jar with some very fragrant tea leaves and a pot very delicate looking pot with a strainer built into lid. Though they could set everything up, they could not find where to find water, nor how they would heat it once they did have water. There would not be time for them to figure it out before a knock came at the door.
"Master Exorcist," A male voice they did not recognise spoke, "Our Master wishes to see you, now. A lunch is to be had in your honour."
"Wonderful," Feng stated loudly in the direction of the door, "We are ready."
They both got up and headed for the door. Kaiko went to the door first, but quickly turned to bow Feng ahead. She did a playful curtsy before putting on a more serious face and sliding the door open. They saw a butler sitting on his knees at the door.
"You may lead the way." Feng told him with a bow.
The butler got up very quickly and walked on ahead almost entirely silently, unlike Feng and Kaiko who's footsteps had an audible thud every time they took a step. Though the floor they were walking on was nothing out of the ordinary, wooden panels with a soft carpet running along the middle, under the floor boards the entire floor bed was made of metal, which conducted the sound very well across the hallways. Both of them tried to adjust the way they were walking once they noticed, but as they were not used to it, their footsteps remained slightly audible.
From their quarters they went down many winding corridors yet again, only this time they ended at a lift they did not recognise and led further upwards. Unlike the previous lift, this one was well decorated and looked both somewhat inviting and somber. The somber look and feel continued in the corridor once the long lift journey had ended. Though there was nothing specifically different about the style or colours used in this long corridor, the lack of windows and very dim lighting made the long corridor feel cold. At the end of the corridor was a single solid door. The butler knocked on the door three times before announcing Feng and Kaiko.
"Pardon the intrusion!" He began, "The Master Exorcist, arrived at your summons!"
The butler did not wait for a response before turning and leaving Feng and Kaiko alone, a response never came. Eventually there was a mechanical sound coming from behind the door, after which the door opened slowly and only slightly. The opening was large enough for the both of them to enter together, side by side, but once the door had started opening, it became clear just how large this door really was.
They walked into a large open room. In the middle of the room there was a table, not unlike the one in their own quarters, with two large couches facing each other. Beyond that there was a large dark red wood and golden desk with many papers and scrolls all over the place. He was barely visible, but somewhere amidst the tall stacks of papers and increasingly wobbly scroll pyres, was in fact a man.
"Please have a seat," The voice of the man behind the desk said, "I will be with you in just a moment."
They obliged and sat down on one of the couches, together, facing the other, empty, couch. They looked around and waited while they could hear the furious scribbling of plume to paper and the occasional smooth slush of ink. A soft sound of metal to glass was followed by the appearance of their host, a rather slim man dressed in a very tight fitting black robe.
"My apologies for the wait," He began as he circumvented his desk, "My name is Suh Man Dhala, the one who invited you here on behalf of the Sendoh Syndicate."
He walked over to the empty coach and nestled himself right in the middle, facing both Feng and Kaiko.
"I wish to thank you for answering our summons… Euh," Suh began roll his hands and them, "I'm sorry. How may I address you both?"
"You may call me Feng," She answered, "This is my partner Kaiko."
Kaiko gave a quick wave with a soft smile on his face. Suh nodded in response.
"Nice to meet you both, Master Feng, Master Kaiko," Suh bowed his head low, "On behalf of the Syndicate I thank you for answering my summons. We all understand that our organisations have friction, so I am grateful that my request has been answered."
Feng nodded along wordlessly, which seemed to get to Suh. He adjusted himself in the couch and loosened his attire a little.
"Look," He began, "Our organisation have their issues, but they are not mine mine. It would help me a lot, most definitely my people, too; if we could move beyond their issues and focus on our jobs."
He looked at them expectedly.
"Sure," Feng began with a smile, "Then, let's be honest, shall we?"
Suh nodded, a twitch of the muscle, a look, betrayed something in his face — worry or hope?
"Why are we here?" Feng asked outright, "What does the Syndicate need Shoi Ni's help with that they cannot do themselves?"
Suh could not stop a genuine look of surprise forming on his face.
"I like you two already," He admitted through a sigh, "I think this will do."
Feng and Kaiko gave each other a quick of confusion, it was clear that last part was not meant for them.
Suh, clearly somewhere else in his mind, leant over the table to the tea set. He moved the little plate on which everything sat to one side, revealing a small hole with a small spout. He prepared new leaves in the lid of the pot and pressed the pot down into the hole, a small hole at the bottom of the pot fitting neatly onto the spout. A small rush of steam entered the pot until it was full. Suh set it aside and brought himself back to face Feng and Kaiko.
"So, then," He began with a deep inhale, then exhale, "My masters need Shoi Ni for a mission that require secrecy and is of a rather delicate nature. As such my masters have tasked me with testing your fitness ahead of the true mission, which is very fortunate for me."
Suh reached over to the cups and prepared three of them. He slowly poured the hot tea evenly into the cups before presenting one to each of his guests and immediately raising his cup to his nose. He took a deep sniff of the warm aroma of his tea before blowing over it a little, without even checking if it needed it.
"Fortunate how?" Kaiko enquired as he reached over for his cup.
"Well," Suh said before taking a small careful sip, "As you undoubtedly know, the Syndicate is trying very hard to be the 'Shoi Ni of the north,' and by extension is very protective of its territory and the cities under its care. After our glorious capital, here, one of our most important cities is Tohsang, which is currently held under lockdown at our request.
"I want the matter at Tohsang revolved for the sake of the people who are still there. My masters would, naturally, be equally pleased to see Tohsang freed."
"That's fair enough," Feng responded after a sip of her own cup, "I suppose you needed to test us and a perfect opportunity has presented itself. However…"
Feng let the word hang, taking a sip of her tea for added effect.
"However?" Suh asked in earnest.
"However," Feng picked up without missing a beat, "It seems unfair towards the agreement our organisations have with each other. But I think we can work something out, if we keep both keep this little test out of 'their' agreement."
"Oh?" Suh said, somewhat intruiged.
"I believe I have a suitable idea how you can compensate us." Feng stated plainly.
"I can't image there is something I could offer you," Suh had to admit, "But, what did you have in mind?"
"Do you like books, Master Suh?" Kaiko interjected, "Because we do. In fact, we like our books old. We have heard you are the man who can make that happen."
"You…" Suh said as he tried to work it out, "Want access to the old Sendoh-Seo Library?"
"That we do," Feng added with a soft smile, "We need access to the library for ourselves, you need Tohsang dealt with for yourself, sounds fair, wouldn't you say?"
Suh leant back in his chair and thought for a moment.
"I can give you permission, if that's what you want…" Suh eventually said while he looked into the distance, "Though I wouldn't say visiting the library is an issue of permission."
"We just need the endorsement of you and your masters to seek it out," Feng responded, "We expect nothing further. Given who we work for, we can't go where we want when we want without express permission."
Suh stroked his chin intensely, sipping his tea a few times before eventually giving in.
"Consider it done." He said with a sigh and a guilty look on his face.
"Good, good," Feng began, "Im glad we could come to an understanding amongst ourselves. Now, tell us everything you know about Tohsang, and please, be generous with your information."
"I'll tell you everything I know," Suh stated with a seriousness about his demeanour, "Starting by confirming that we suspect it is a Yohkai.
"It started about a year ago. A merchant returning from Tohsang swore he had narrowly escaped an attack by a ghost. At first no one believed him, but wanting to be ever vigilant I sent in someone to investigate, regardless. He never returned. Nor did the patrol I sent in after him. That is when it struck me that the merchant we hadn't believed was the last person from Tohsang we had seen. After that, I personally ordered the strongest spiritualists in our employ to seal off a perimeter around Tohsang. We recognised the signs of a Yohkai too late, so we needed to buy time."
Suh took a moment to collect himself. He picked up his cup and looked deep into the tea.
"As you may expect," Suh then continued, "We have lost some of those spiritualists already, but I am assured the quarantine holds. We do not have the means to deal with this, and I cannot allow anyone else to go to Tohsang. The entire Syndicate agreed, we needed to hire Shoi Ni."
"You made the right decision in seeking, Master Suh," Feng started, "And you got very lucky that our organisation sent us to you."
"Is that so?" Suh responded somewhat surprised.
"Tohsang is in good hands," Kaiko added, "So you better have that library access ready for when we get back."
"You certainly have the confidence I would expect," Suh responded, "I pray that is a reflection of things to come."
All three of them took a satisfied sip of their tea simultaneously.
"Oh," Suh said suddenly, "Now that we are in agreement, I've just remembered I that I had summoned you for food. I will have food brought to your quarters as I'm afraid I am out of time. I will also have anything sent that you may require to plan your approach of Tohsang, a map perhaps."
"Thank you," Feng said with a bow, "A map won't be necessary, however, as we already know where we want to approach from."
"The Tohsang Willow!" Feng and Kaiko said simultaneously.
Suh laughed uncomfortably while he got up from the couch. He walked over towards his desk where he pulled a small rope that hung behind his desk, by the wall. A whistle in the distance followed.
"A butler shall escort you back to your quarters," Suh began as he dove back behind his desk, "You will find your clothes cleaned. As for the mission, someone will join you as proof of my authority."
Feng and Kaiko got up and headed towards the door where the butler was already waiting for them.
"May the Heavens be merciful." Suh muttered from behind his desk.
"Mercy is the gift of humans, Master Suh," Kaiko responded over his shoulder, "Heaven's greatest gift is indifference."
The large metal door shut tightly before Suh ever had a chance to respond, leaving him somewhat baffled, alone in his room, while Feng and Kaiko were swiftly brought back to their guest accommodation.
When they got back to the shared room they immediately sat at the table, armed with the knowledge of how to operate the tea pot.
"What was that all about?" Feng asked as she prepared the tea.
"What was what about?" Kaiko responded, sincerely.
"The last thing you said to Suh." Feng asked as she was fascinated by the steam rushing into the pot.
"Ah that," Kaiko said with a awkward chuckle, "Mostly a little fun on my part, but we'll see if it pays off. In the really old tradition, every region had its own response, and I simply gave him the old response from the land of winter."
"I think it's ready," Feng said excitedly, "Do you want some tea?"
"Why not," Kaiko responded, "We're waiting for food in any case."
"I imagine it won't take long," Feng added as she poured the tea into the cups, "I had the feeling they Suh was particularly eager to have us go."
"I had that feeling, too," Kaiko said with a laugh, "I'm glad I wasn't imagining that."
"Do you imagine we have time to get changed before they bring us food and rush us out?"
"No," Kaiko said as his ears picked up something in the far distance, "I don't think we'll even have time to finish our cups."