Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

November 2nd, Tarry Town

            It didn’t take the duo very long to get back into town, a half hour or so walk later they were in the heart of the shopping district, after taking a few turns and getting lost just a bit, even while using the map that Lau had brought with him. They’d found a small coffee shop just south of the Sunnyside and picked up hot drinks to keep themselves warm as they perused the different shops, eyes peeled for any sign of the Earl.

            It was, while strolling around, that Lau picked up on the different apperences of the people in town. Some younger boys were dressed in school uniforms, or at least the pants, with some wearing odd looking animal ears on their heads which gave him pause. Others were in what appeared to be very warm sweaters but made of a different sort of material, and denim, which was mostly worn by laborers. Other had on thick coats of wool, though some were of a rather different design, and seemed pillow like, or shimmered, some even seemed like they were made of material for rain coats, or tarps. They darted about in boots, heels and shoes that seemed more designed for athletic runners that he’d seen demonstrated at racing events.

            “How interesting,” he muttered to Ran Mao, who glanced over at her brother, “These outfits that the people are wearing are rather unique. I’ve not quite seen such designs before.” He was about to ask her opinion on the matter, when his smile turned to an expression of concern as he saw her shivering. Quickly he pulled her close to himself, trying to warm her up. “And it seems we need some winter weather wear.”

            His eyes drifted from shop to shop as they walked, “Let’s stop by those shops that the proprietress suggested to us.”

            Ran Mao gave a nod as they made their way farther into the shopping district against the wind that now was picking up, following the map. The two hustled down the streets, looking for the addresses, buffeted by the November chill. After an hour or so of wandering around and going store to store, seeking out items that would work in the cool temperatures, the two had purchased several warm weather outfits to ensure that they stayed cozy. With a smile the two had gotten the owner of one shop to let them change fully in the dressing rooms, after buying their clothing of course.

            Lau, ever the man of wanting to keep his flowy look, ended up in a rather casual looking, if dressy, choice of outfit. A long dark green cardigan with dragon embellishments on the hood, hung over a long-sleeved white silk dress shirt, which, naturally, had the collar unbuttoned. The dark black jeans he’d chosen made him look taller, and to top it off, a long black trench like over coat with silver clasps was wrapped around him to keep him warm. His eyes darted to the strange shoes Ran Mao insisted he buy. Sneakers, as the clerk called them, colored black and green, with a green dragon on the side, made of rubber, cotton and some other materials he’d needed to do research on, sat perfectly on his feet. He looked at them, tapping the heels, as his sister finished getting dressed.

            “Ready,” she said and came out eventually, surprising him with her choices, though, at the same time, not surprising him at all. The curvy young woman knew her figure was something that could be used to lure others in but also deceptive in covering up how strong and agile she was. Also, she liked cute things, and this, to her, was cute. Lau let his eyes roam over her form, a parent checking to see if their child was wearing clothing that would be seen as appropriate for going out. Her black short skirt made it to her thighs, an odd choice for the cold weather, though the material looked like a cross between something denim and something rather free flowing, and, he assumed, easy enough for her to fight in should the need arise. Smartly, she’d picked up black shorts for under them, as she showed him with a side flip of the skirt, and warm wool like tights that were stripped purple and black to cover her legs. As with her brother she’d opted for a more flowy type of outfit, choosing a long sleeved ribbed cropped top with purple and black stripes to match the leggings, over which she’d picked out a warm kitted black cardigan with wide bell sleeves, which she flapped clearly excited by them, and spun around in the purple sneakers she’d chosen to wear.

            “Good choices,” he gave her a grin and a thumbs up. She nodded, pleased, then pulled on the woolen purple pea coat she’d picked and put up the hood to keep her ears warm. Lau offered his arm to her as he took up half the bags and she took the other half.

            Their next stop, after wandering around the small area of the town and picking up some additional clothing, was to a store that seemed to sell gadgets and gizmos, and a number of odd electronics. Walking in, holding tightly to Ran Mao’s hand, Lau heard the soft jingle of bells, amongst the sounds of the customers chattering as they moved among the aisles. The smell was certainly not something that either had expected, an almost crisp and pungent aroma that had a hint of ozone after a lightning strike, with a bit of dust and a metallic after taste. He wasn’t sure why it smelled the way it did, it just did.

            Carefully weaving their way along the different rows that were lined up for browsing, and after getting his fingers on a shopping basket, the two began to pluck objects off the shelves, taking a moment to admire, and raise their eyebrows at, the many strange and wonderous technology that was abundantly spread out before them, then plunk it into the basket with a soft thawap sound.

            Just what is the date and year? Lau wondered as he looked at a dancing sun flower that was on clearance, I haven't honestly looked at a calendar yet. I really should.

            His eyes scanned about the stock for anything that could give him a date; his eyes eventually landed on a spinning rack that held a number of calendars, and his eyes grew wide when he saw the number.

           Twenty Twenty? he balked as he picked one up that had a grumpy cat on the front of it. “It can't be?”

           “What can't be?” Ran Mao asked him and he showed her the calendar, causing the normally emotionless girl to furrow her brows and look at it with disbelief and puzzlement. “Is this real?”

           “Seems that it is.” Lau said as he shook his head. “We've moved forward in time two millenniums, somehow. That would explain a lot of the stranger aspects of what we're seeing with technology. To think that this is what is going to become of our world? Or maybe not. After all this is another place and not, apparently, our earth.” Ran Mao nodded listening. “Still...to think that we've traveled that far forward into our future. Perhaps, we should take the time to ponder this when we have a moment. For now, let's just keep looking around and collect what we want.”

           Ran Mao agreed, and the two started to hunt the shelves of the store once more; the number of items grew in the basket, until it became hard to carry for him, and even Ran Mao. It was then the two paused and looked down at the overstuffed red plastic carrying case that they’d chosen and at the many unusual choices of items that they had picked. A motorized hand fan colored a neon pink stuck out at the top on the right side, next to a remote controller which, the box claimed, was universal -whatever that meant. Near by a small black plastic key finder hung out to a set of green and gold ear buds, with an additional pair of purple and red one further down in the collection.

            A hair dryer with various settings was at the bottom, given its size and weight, the sleek looking contraption had caught the mobster’s eye as he thought it was some sort of amusing air gun in a pumpkin orange color. A mini-LED flashlight balanced precariously at the top of the pile while a small portable speaker, whose box had seen better days, was sandwiched between a set of colorful LED flashlights and a “Sound Box” that allowed for blissful sleep via nature sounds. All this packed between other bits and bobs that had caught their eyes, along with a multitude of different sorts of batteries to study.

            “Seems like this is enough?” Lau asked his sister who nodded in agreement. He’d already calculated that they would need to go home to get more money in order to keep paying for extensions on the hotel, so he wasn’t about to splurge. After all, he’d reasoned, it would be far better to send the boys back home these items in small waves so as not to raise suspicions with the heads back home regarding where and how he’d gotten these things.

            Hefting the basket, Ran Mao followed after Lau to the check out desk in the back of the store where they were greeted by a polite, if tired, clerk. The woman, seemingly oblivious to the looks that the two were getting by the local customers, rang them up quickly so that they wouldn’t linger in the shop too long and delay her break. She sent them on their way, briskly, not being very talkative at all.

            “That was interesting,” Lau shrugged, unsure what to make of the behavior of the customers and the clerk. “She seemed in a hurry to get us out of there.”

            “I suspect it has to do with the clock.” Ran Mao said as she played with the hand fan.

            Lau raised his brow. “Oh? And what makes you say that?”

            “The note on the wall said, break at three.” She noted and he laughed.

            “Very observant of you.”

            She seemed pleased by his response as he glanced at the map, and ran his thumb over one of the circled locations. Ran Mao gazed at his hand, and then tapped the map. “This store next?”

            “Yes, that would be a good idea.” Lau noted the address, and then stuffed the map into his coat pocket before the two quickly made their way down the street. The phone shop wasn’t very far from the electronic store they’d walked into earlier, and, to Lau, it seemed like the town’s shopping district was based upon a grid like setting where similar styles of businesses were within the same vicinity of one another. Which, to him, called to mind sections of London, and he had to wonder if the designer was influenced by a London like town in this unusual world.

            Strolling into the shop, the first emotion that hit Lau, after he heard the jangle of a bell on the door, was puzzlement. The store, if one could call it that, looked like the barest of boarding house rooms. Or, to him at least, a simple tea room with the shallowest of decorations. The minimalist design was vastly different from the more maximalist style of the electronics store they had visited. The hard wood floor were perfectly polished, and small table stations with wood embellishments stood at odd angles around the wide-open spaced room. Tall, free standing bars with wooden bar chairs that seemed like nothing more than uncomfortable stools with hard wooden backings, stood empty with the ports that he’d seen at the hotel, cast into the counter tops. Decorative phone cases, which the two were confused by, hung on the right side of the room in rows on the wall, while the rest of the accessories was on the left side, along with other devices, such as speakers, ear phones and ear buds, and information about television services and internet bundles. None of the décor made the two mobsters feel comfortable, and the whole set up seemed so confusing as neither was sure what sort of theming the room was going for, and it seemed fairly confused itself.

            The soft sound of music caused Lau to look around to where the sound was coming from. Speakers were a thing he’d seen, but they were large, and intrusive devices. Whatever was playing the music, if they could call it music, was something that he couldn’t discern the location of, and it annoyed him.

            “Odd,” he muttered to her softly as he looked around, shifting his eyes and casing the walls and corners for a “tell” to indicate where the music speaker was at. “You hear it too, right?”

            “Music.” She said, though Ran Mao was puzzled by the strange melody. “Yes…I hear it too.” She motioned towards the front of the store, on the opposite end and across from where they still stood by the door. “Could be coming from another room?”

            Lau tapped his cheek lightly, “Yes…”

            He started to consider that it might be the case that they were actually in another room and that the music was playing so loudly from whatever device it was screeching from in the first place that it appeared to be coming from the very room they stood in. However, it was in that moment that he happened to catch the faintest glimpse of a wire, which slithered along the corner of the ceiling to a small box that was being carefully hidden behind a plant on a ledge in the corner.

            “AH!” he exclaimed and pointed it out to Ran Mao, “So that’s where they’re hiding something. Sneaky.”

            She nodded, and stared up at it as Lau went on, “This one seems a bit smaller than the loudspeakers the Earl had at his Music Hall. I do wonder where the music is being played from.”

            Ran Mao gracefully waved her hand to the left side towards a door that was behind a counter, with a sign on it that read, “Employees Only.” She shifted her gaze back to her brother out of the corner of her eye, “Probably from the other room beyond that door.”

            “A good guess,” Lau said and let his eyes drift over to the smart phones on display. The strange looking rectangles were odd looking. “Now, what have we here?”

            The two walked over to a table where a display of various smartphones were laid out. The black mirror like screens turned on as they approached, playing different themes, which flashed between the different phones. Lau looked them over, noting that some were longer others larger than his hand, and some could be made smaller by being able to be folded over in half like a compact. To him they looked like the same art pieces like at the hotel near the lift, and yet, as Sally at the antiques shop noted, these were, supposedly, phones. He motioned to the flashing screens and asked Ran Mao in a curious tone, “What do you make of these?”

            Ran Mao looked them over, leaning towards them, and touched them carefully, as she played around with the screens, noticing that, when she put her finger on the cool glass, the phone reacted to her movement, such as when she pulled her finger to the left or the right, causing the screen to change into an app screen. Pulling her finger away she turned to her brother, explaining, “It seems that they’re activated by using your finger. I wonder why?”

            “I’m not sure,” Lau stated as he tried it as well on another phone and watched as the screen changed and shifted to different screens with his tapping, touching and swiping. “We’re going to have to find out.”

            Ran Mao nodded, and, as they played with the phones, a woman came out, dressed in jeans and a purple and gray polo shirt, from the back and walked over to them after she noticed the two by the display.

            “Oh! Hi,” the woman greeted as she greeted them with a smile and bobbed curly green hair. “Welcome. Welcome to Mike’s Micro-Phone’s shop. How can I help you?”

            Lau turned to face her with a casual and charming smile, “Good afternoon. We’re new in town and were in town and were told by the lovely young lady at Fogg’s that this was the shop to choose and purchase a telephone at?”

            “Well, you’ve come to the right place,” Grinned the woman, “I’m Kathy, how can I help you?”

            Lau raised an eyebrow, repeating what he said, “We’re here to choose and purchase a telephone.”

            “What kind are you looking for?” Kathy asked, pulling out a small tablet and taking notes. Lau grinned at her and shrugged.

            “No clue.”

            “We’ve never seen telephones of this sort before.” Ran Mao said and Lau motioned to the ever-shifting phone screens.

            “Is it even a telephone? It seems to be more of some sort of art piece than a telephone.”

            The clerk gave a nervous chuckle as Ran Mao quicky asked. “Why is there glass on the top?”

            “How does it even work?” Lau wanted to know and Kathy held up her hands.

            “Um…” she smiled nervously; This is well above my pay grade, damn it. She quickly cleared her throat. “Okay, well then, uh…I guess we start with the basics?”

            Lau nodded, “Yes please. You see we come from the Land of the Red Dragon.”

            “I thought they have phones there,” Kathy blinked. “I thought they had phones everywhere.” She again, cleared her throat, “Do you happen to be fae?”

            “Fae?” Lau questioned with his brows furrowed as the clerk went on, trying to explain, after she noticed he looked rather confused by her comment.

            “You know,” she tried to think of the best word to use, and, when nothing came up, she spouted out, “fae…fairies?”

            Lau could only smile at her, still finding her comments odd, but then again, he was used to people treating him differently when they thought he couldn’t understand. “Ah. Yes, but we don’t call them that back home. They’re immortals known as Xiān, and no, we are not.”

            The young green haired woman nodded, “Okay…” she looked between them saying, “So then you’re just very, um…very isolated.”

            “One could say that…yes.” Lau’s smile tightened, but Kathy didn’t seem to notice and she clasped her hands over the tablet.

            “Okay…So…A smartphone, or cellphone, is a wireless telephone that you can use for making phone calls and other additional, um…things…”

            “Things?” Ran Mao inquired as Lau asked just after.

            “Such as…?” He let the unfinished question linger in the air, hoping to urge the woman to actually explain something instead of talking at them.

            “Communications,” Kathy said as she counted on one hand, “Surfing the net…”

            Lau gave her another confused look, “Surfing the net?”

            “You don’t?” the green haired woman asked and Lau shook his head.

            “No.”

            He glanced at Ran Mao who shrugged just as confused. The clerk raised her brow at this and asked.

            “You know, going on the internet and looking around at things…” and, when Lau and Ran Mao didn’t respond to her query she stared, slightly shocked, “You don’t?”

            “No,” Lau replied unsure of what she was even asking about.

            “You haven’t used the internet before?” she asked to them and Ran Mao slowly repeated the word, letting it roll around her tongue for a moment.

            “Inter…net?”

            Seeing as the woman was bewildered Lau quickly tried to take control of the situation.

            “Ma'am, I mean no offense, but are you trying to confuse us?”

            “NO!” Kathy gasped, “No! Absolutely not.” She shook her head vehemently, and then held up her finger to them, begging, “Um...can you wait a moment?”

            When Lau gave a nod, she hurried back to the door where she’d come from, and went back in, leaving the two alone again for several minutes, before coming back out with an older gentleman, dressed in the same gray and purple polo shirt, but with black slacks. His hair, what limited amount he had, was neatly combed back covering his balding spot and sporting a pair of glasses.

            Strolling over with him, Lau noted she was talking to him softly, and then introduced him, “This is my manager, Mr. Thompson.”

            Mr. Thompson smiled and nodded to the two younger people, “What can I do for you sir?”

            “We’d like two of these, as your clerk said, smartphones.” Lau told him, sweeping his arm over at the phones on display, and Thompson gave a nod acknowledging the request.

            “Alright, what model are you looking for?”

            Lau shrugged, “We’re not sure.” Don’t these all work the same? It’s a telephone, not a print press for God’s sake.

            “We don’t know what types there are.” Ran Mao said and Mr. Thompson raised a brow as he looked between her and Lau.

            “Well…We have a number of them. Is there something you want the phone to do?”

            Lau, feeling frustrated by this point, huffed in an irritated tone, “Call to someone, I suppose.”

            Thompson laughed, thinking Lau was joking around, “Well they all do that. But what else would you want it to do?”

            “What else is there?” Lau asked and he crossed his arms.

            “Do you game?” Thompson asked and Lau smirked.

            “Define game, sir.”

            “Video games?” Thompson tried and Lau’s expression shifted from mirth to something less amused more puzzled. “Or are you like me and prefer older board games?”

            Mr. Thompson chuckled cheerfully and Lau smirked at him with the look of someone who was being not only candid in a vague way about his own intimate experiences, but also being brutally smug about it towards the older man.

            “I would say my choice of games are a bit more…” he searched for a word that would be polite, “unique in nature, more so than board games.”

            Mr. Thompson gave him a nervous smile, unsure of what way to address such a statement in polite company, but his worries were distracted when Ran Mao stoically asked.

            “What are video games?”

            The older man laughed, thinking she was joking, “Good one.”

            “No, she’s being serious,” Lau confirmed and crossed his arms, “We’ve never heard that term before.”

            Mr. Thompson rubbed the back of his neck. These two were rather odd and he wasn’t sure how to go about dealing with them. “Well, you know, games that are played on a TV and the like.”

            Lau glanced at Ran Mao with a subtle look of contempt, and then sighed. “No, we DON’T know.” He gave Thompson a look like he had two heads, ones where the mouths were agape on the necks, and a serpent tongue was lolling out. “TVs? Exactly what are TVs?”

            “You know, the tube, the telly, the box, the small screen.” Thompson offered different terms, all the while Lau was becoming more and more confused and beginning to think the man was slightly mad.

            What the devil is he talking about? He thought and Thompson shook his head as he shrugged, then put his hands on his hips, remarking, with a grin.

            “Are you two, you know, off-the-grid types?”

            Now fully annoyed with the man, Lau turned towards his sister and grabbed her by the arm firmly, but gently and tugged Ran Mao for the door, wanting to leave as quickly as possible, speaking in Chinese to her. “I think, right now, we should head out and do some research, and then come back here later when someone with some sense is keeping the shop.” With a push he opened the door and strolled out calling to Thompson and Kathy. “Thank you for your time. We’ll be back later.”

            “Alright,” waved Mr. Thompson as they departed, “We’ll be here all day.”

            Lau smiled but his tone, while light and air, dripped with sarcasm. “Wonderful.”

            He shut the door behind him as he hurried her along, his brows knitted. He’d delt with some idiots before, and insufferable people, but this man was someone he just wanted to punch with his fake cheerfulness.

            “This place is not normal.” He said to Ran Mao who nodded in agreement. “We need to do some reading, and quickly, or else we won't be able to go about this place without being questioned.” He procured the map from his breast pocket and unfurled it to look at the it. “The young woman at the antiques shop circled the library. Let's start there and learn what we can

            Ran Mao gave a nod, “Yes. Better to figure things out now than later.”

            “And better to not look like a fool.” He agreed as they began their trek for the library.

            The duo headed down and around the streets of Tarry Town, passing by various shops and houses, most of which were working on decorating for the holiday season. As they traveled along, the leaves crunching under their feet, Lau noted that the idea of the Victorian Christmas had seemed to spread even to this strange location. It had only become a recent thing, namely taking German traditions and crafting them into something more English, thanks, in no small part, to the late Prince Albert, who had brought over his country’s traditions. Even though his wife was also half German herself, the Queen had not, up until their marriage, ever really celebrated in such fanciful fashion, which had led to all of England, America, and other countries around the globe to add various aspects of the Royal Family’s Christmas to their own Yuletide Festivities. Which, given that they were in a different world, Lau found rather strange that the influence of Victoria and Albert penetrated even other dimension it seemed.

            Eventually the two mobsters made their way to the Tarry Town Library -the main branch, a lovely and large building that looked like a miniature version of the parliament building. The brown stone structure stood out in the light of the day along with its lime stone accents and carefully curate color schemes and landscaping. Walking in through the glass doors (slightly surprised by the way the doors were made with nary a hint of wood to hold the glass panels) the two were struck by the wooden structures and furnishings inside that gave the whole building the feeling of being inside someone's personal home library.

            Stacks of books lined the walls and book case shelves in neat colorful rows, which made it easy to maneuver around. A group of kindly librarians manned the main desk and easily pointed them in the right direction to the different areas they needed. History was first on the docket, along with technology, and geography. Lau took several books down, along with Ran Mao grabbing the ones with fashion, food and culture. Searching the building the two found a cozy nook by a fire place where they sat in comfy chairs and swapped books between each other.

            Leaning back in the green arm chair he’d chosen, Lau started to read to himself silently, eyes shifting quickly through the passages. The various lands in Twisted Wonderland make up a whole that is uniquely special.  This world has been circling our sun for eons, and in that time our world has changed from the prehistoric, to the medieval, and into the modern era, some places becoming cultural zeitgeists and others determined traditionalists. In this book you will learn about the different histories, cultures and traditions of a variety of lands.

            He flipped pages after glancing at the index, and carefully took in word for word, internally investing it into his mind to keep the information handy for later should the need arise in conversation.

            The Queendom of Roses. Given the geographic land design of this island nation, it should come as no surprise that the designation became connected to its shape. At once the land of the Roses is one of traditions and diligences. He raised his brow, noting that it did sound a bit British in nature. The people, doggedly determined types, thrive on the idea of both beauty, competition, and relaxation. The Queendom, once called the Kingdom due to the rules until the Mid-Medieval period being mostly Kings after the famous (or infamous) Queen of Hearts once served as ruler. Due to her unique style of governance most rulers that followed her would honor her laws but with modifications or as part of festivities held yearly in the Queendom. Upon the rise of Queen Elsbeth, the first, the name was changed to the Queendom and retained its title even as various kings were crowned as leader.

             Known for its flowers the Queendom has some of the most sought-after flowers in all of Twisted Wonderland. It is even said that the people have a subtle floral fragrance due to being around so many flowers. Many stories abound in the Queendom, including ones that tell of a young girl who came to the land and fought against one of the most terrifying creatures in all of the world. The capital of the Queendom is located inland, and surrounded by a number of wide canals that are used for transportation and were designed by the famed Architect Knowle Boddy...

            His eyes began to glaze just a tad, as he took in the regal sounding chapter of the book and, once finished, sighed, “Odd…”

            “What is?” Ran Mao asked in a monotone tone which still instilled interest in his findings.

            “This country, the Queendom of Roses, seems to very much resemble England, but if it was ruled at one time by the Queen of Hearts from that book…Though the Looking Glass…”

            “Lewis Carroll,” Ran Mao reminded him of the author, and he nodded, treading carefully with his words as Lau knew his sister actually enjoyed the book and took pleasure in learning how to read English better using it.

            “Yes…and yet…” He let the comment linger in the air and she looked up from the book on fashion that she was reading, as he breathed out in a rather mysterious and questioning tone, “Not precisely.”

            She gave him a curious look as he muttered into the palm of his hand while crossing his legs and cupping his cheek.

            “How very odd indeed…”

            A moment later he’d shrugged it off and flipped to another chapter randomly, and, after reading several passages, remarked to her lightly and with amusement, “There’s a country here that seems to have the climate of the savannah in Africa.”

            Ran Mao glanced over again. “That would make sense.”

            “How so? There isn’t an Africa here,” he pointedly said tapping his breast where the map was snugly secured. Ran Mao pulled up her knees.

            “There isn’t a Shanghai either, but…”

            “But there is a Land of the Red Dragon, I know where you’re going with that remark.” He pointedly said and she smirked behind her book. Lau shook his head, amused by his sister’s comments and continued to summarize to her. “There’s a royal family that rules there too, it seems, and the king has two sons. This particular country is very keen on keeping an equal connection with it’s environment, including the flora and fauna, while also trying to embrace the modern times.” He glanced at the copyright page and murmured, “Given the age of this book, I may have to look into the papers to see if there is any new information about any of these countries.”

            Ran Mao just nodded as she sat cross legged and quiet on the large arm chair she’d occupied, until she heard a shout from her brother, causing her to look up at him.

            “Something wrong?”

            “What the hell?!” he questioned as he stared at a page in the chapter he was reading. Ran Mao sat up and narrowed her gaze.

            “What’s the matter?”

            Quickly, Lau flipped his book over to show her a picture of a happy family. A boy of about six or seven was held by his father, beside the father was the boy’s mother, and a boy of about fourteen or fifteen standing before his parents. All four of them were dressed in royal finery, and draped in crown jewelry. The two boys looked more like their mother in certain ways, a slightly narrower jaw, and slightly sharper features. However, the differences were direct, and featured prominently between the two sons. The youngest had dark black hair like his mother’s -whom had her hair up in a coiffed bun with a specialized hair piece to give her a more regal air than her husband -was braided neatly near the sides of his face, and, while his eyes were wide like that of a child’s, they seemed a bit narrower in nature with bright green shimmering at the camera. The older boy had bright red hair like his father, and while his eyes narrowed, the brown was brilliant in its innocence, unlike the younger boy’s. The younger boy was looking shyly at the camera with a nervous smile, while the older had a grin as big as something young Finny would give upon being greeted in the garden at the Phantomhive Estate.

            Lau pointed firmly at the image to his sister, who blinked as she stared at the cat ears and tails jutting up from their hair and behind their dress gowns and robes. “Look! They have animal ears? Do you think it's just for the photos?”

            “I’m not sure,” Ran Mao admitted, finding it rather curious as they had not seen any such person since they’d walked onto the island.

            Lau sad back and read aloud to her, “Sunset Savanna is known for being one of the primary countries to have Beastmen as the majority. Beastmen are believed to be descended from animals, animals that could talk, and these specific animals evolved into talking bipedal human-like beings.” He frowned flipping a few pages, “It doesn't go into details of exactly what these Beastmen are, but I do wonder exactly how a creature goes from an animal to talking and then walking on two feet over four, and yet…this book speaks so casually about it, it’s almost a footnote.”

            He flipped to another section of the book reading the title, “The Oceans and Seas. This one seems to delve into the waters of Twisted Wonderland, and the first chapter is on the Coral Sea. Curious.”

            Skimming the pages Lau paused and tapped the page with his finger loudly, “Mermaids…?”

            Ran Mao tilted her head, repeating him, “Mermaids?”

            Lau showed her a picture of a young woman wearing a sea shell bra with a long, curvy fish tail that was curled around a rock while she looked up at the night sky. “Mermaid.”

            Ran Mao furrowed her brows slightly, “Like the myths?”

            “Yes, like the myths.” Lau said and pursed his lips as he muttered, “First people that have animal ears and tails, and now mermaids? What next fairies?”

            She shrugged as he let out a huff and reads, noting aloud, “According to this book there are many different seas and oceans in Twisted Wonderland, and, apparently the Merfolk, as they are called here, have homes in most of the larger bodies of water throughout the world. There’s also a famous museum dedicated in the Coral Sea to a place called Atlantica, and among its many items in its collection are gifts from the royal family, who are supposedly descended from a famous Mermaid Princess.” He raised his eyebrows, “A mermaid princess. Sounds very similar to that story in that book by that Hans Christian fellow that came out a few years back?”

            Ran Mao shrugged, and looked back to her book remarking, “I don’t remember, I didn’t read it.”

            “Neither did I,” Lau reminded her, “but it was the rage for a while among the foreign nationals in the Bund. Even if it was on the older side.” He flipped to another part of the Coral Sea chapter and shook his head. “This has to be a joke.”

            “What does?” Ran Mao asked and he showed her another image of a town with several smiling merfolk waving at the camera. “The mermaids?”

            Lau nodded, “How would they be able to take a picture under water? Do you think they could have mocked this up? A Pepper’s ghost like illusion?”

            “Hard to say,” Ran Mao noted, “Those look like real fish in the photograph.”

            “And no strings,” Lau said as he studied it and then sighed, “Let’s just keep reading and see if anything makes more sense.” He flipped to a section marked “Deserts and Silks” and tapped the back of the book, saying to his sister. “Now this is interesting.”

            She glanced back at him again, shifting position so her head was resting on the arm of the chair. “Something caught your eye?”

            “Indeed,” he nodded excitedly, “The Scalding Sands seems to resemble a mix of Persia with Bengal, and some of India. The country has heavily invested in mercantile and trading with other countries. Silks, and other luxury goods seem to come from this place.” He turned a page and tilted his head, “It has a sultan, and apparently a number of wealthy families are invested in the political scene along with the economic situation. The book also speaks of ancient ways of traveling, including water ways, camels, and flying...carpets...” he blinked a moment and re-read the section. “Yes, that does say flying carpets. Is this person being honest?”

            “It would appear so,” Ran Mao slipped over to look and took the book from him then flipped through it to the back and read the biography of the author to him, then returned it saying bluntly, “She’s a journalist.”

            Lau nodded taking the book and returning to the chapter he’d been reading, “And you see no reason to lie?”

            “It’s a history book,” she pointed out and he smirked.

            “History is made by the victors, but I’m willing to trust on this,” he patted her head before she sat down again in her own chair and he muttered softly before reading again, “Just what is this world?”

            Cruising through the Scalding Sands Lau soon arrived on the chapters dedicated to the Shaftlands, and scrunched his face a bit trying to understand the complex history of the place. “The Shaftlands, it seems, are similar to Europe, having numerous regions, but they have a capital in the midst of all of them. I wonder if it’s like District of Columbia, or something similar, being its own entity among the other countries. Maybe like Switzerland?”

            “It has a long history and is one of the oldest countries, along with the Queendom, though only in recent years as other countries existed before and eventually were annexed or merged into other countries that now stand. While it had monarchies ages in the past, in modern times the whole of the Shaftlands is a democratic insistution and rejected it’s regency unlike several other countries. It has a sisterly relationship with another country as people from the Shaftlands traveled there to start their own cities and towns.” Lau wrinkled his nose slightly, “Sounds a bit like Europe and the United States of America, doesn’t it?”

            Ran Mao gave a nod as he continued to skim read, and noted to her.

            “It’s highly diverse, with different types of races living there, including Beastmen. The Shaftland claims to have the third highest number of Beastmen that live there outside of Sunset Savanna. I wonder if the sister country has the second highest then?” Lau shuffled through the chapter and moved on, noting to her the other countries as he flipped page after page with his thumb, stopping once or twice as he went, “Kingdom of Heroes, which looks and seems a lot like Greece,” he turned another page, “The Sunshine Lands…appears to be a Mediterranean location.”

            He glanced at them as he raced through the book, taking note of anything of interest before moving on to the next section, and stopping on a chapter simply titled “Briar Valley”.

            “Briar Valley,” Lau read on, “previously known as the Land of Briar and also called Briarland by various countries at an earlier time, is considered more isolated than most other countries and heavily relies on magic due to the vast majority of people living there being...fae...” he stared at the word and read it over three times before saying it again aloud, “Fae?”

            Ran Mao looked over casually from her next book, “Seems you were right about the fairies.”

            “I was joking!” he exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair and ran a hand into his hair. The whole thing felt like nonsense. Fairies! Mermaids! Beastmen! The idea of magic even existing was nonsense. And yet…yet he’d seen it with his own eyes when the mirror shifted and allowed him through into another realm, of that Lau was certain. So maybe magic here was just like science back home, that was the only way he could reason its existence. Fundamentally, it would have to be governed by rules and laws the same way gravity works, the same way chemicals work, the same way trains, ships, and carriages work. Everything has some form of rules behind how it works, and that is how magic here MUST work. That is WHY these strange races exist. There HAS to be some logic behind it.

            He glanced back at the page and returned to the point where he’d stopped moments before, and summarized to her, quietly. “According to this, the island of Briar Valley seems to have a very unusual history, in that the people there are ruled by the Draconia Family, who has been in charge for Millenia or more. Evidently, there was a war there at one point, leading to a near destruction of the country and the eradication of the fae. How rather sad, reminds me of back home.” He sighed thinking of Shanghai and the invasions not only by the British, but of much earlier local groups who had thought to take over their lands. Ran Mao gave an understanding nod, before he continued, “The country has spilt itself into two sections. The more modern costal area and the traditional inlands. These two areas have a bit of contention. The inlands are heavily populated by various forms of Nocturnal Fae, who, at one time, occupied the whole of the country. However, in more recent years Humans have moved inland, and married with fae, creating a splinter group to the Fae known as Half-Fae.”

            “Half-Fae? I suppose they look more human than the fae?” Lau mused quietly and furrowed his brows. “It’s very much like how we have mixed children running around our cities as well. Sailors. Businessmen. Diplomats, and ladies that come with their families to help teach or something else, couple with our locals and their children become a person that can’t seem to be liked by either side of their blood. Fools who think that way honestly.”

            Ran Mao glanced at him as he chuckled, explaining. “A child born of two distinct parents could have a vastly different physical make up that could make them more desirable while retaining the best of each parent’s traits.” He smirked some, “Think of a dog, how a mutt seems to be in better health and doesn’t get the same issues that its purebred parents do as it ages. It’s a boon, and neither side recognizes the positives of this.”

            “So you’d be okay marrying an English woman?” Ran Mao asked him and Lau smiled.

            “For the right price,” he shrugged. “There are many beauties out there, and if one were to catch my eye for the right reasons, I could potentially give it a chance.” He signaled to her, rubbing his fingers together in a way that indicated money, and saw her pout. “What?”

            “You can be selfish.” She remarked and he smirked.

            “When have I EVER done ANYTHING without some form of compensation.”

            She thought a moment, then shrugged, motioning him to continue reading.

            “The shift in dynamics inland has led to some unrest at times by the older Fae, who seem to favor more traditional laws and regulations as well as culture, while the younger generations seem to have embraced aspects of the modern world brought in by the Humans. Additionally, there is also issues that have been noted about the Costal Cities, where most Humans dwell. The issue stems from the Humans that originally lived in Briar Valley along side the Fae as a minority but kept peace and prosperity with them until the clash that started a war, and sided with the Draconian royal family and the Nocturnal Fae, seeing them as the rulers as handed down ages in the past by various kingdoms that had deep rooted connections with the Fae kingdom, and those that came after the war.” Lau cupped his cheek as he spoke, eyes darting across the page as quicky as he could. “These Humans were those that are descendants of the Kingdom of Blades, a Kingdom that flourished for a few years, before it was attacked by a neighboring kingdom, and decimated in the fight, along with the invaders. The remaining people integrated into the local populace who saw the Draconian Family as the rightful rulers. Yet these people were against the idea of being ruled by a Fae monarch, and only in the past several hundred years has a peace settled upon the land between the Fae and the Humans that live in Briar Valley.”

            Lau shifted in his seat finding this most intriguing. “Indeed, while the two sides in the Costal towns are not exactly friendly, both groups seem too loath those who move in from outside of the country and know very little of the history of Briar Valley. These are Humans that are called Outsiders, who are regularly dismissed or ignored by a vast majority of the Human populace. Outsiders are anyone who move from other countries and are perceived to be people who would take from the rich history of Briar Valley and not pay mind to the past, instead treating the cities as place to invest in real estate and for monetary gain.”

            “Seems like they have a lot of tension there,” Ran Mao reflected as she flipped over another page in the third book she’d picked up.

            “Yes, so it seems.” He said and then went on to note to her, after flipping a few more pages, “Briar Valley is known for its textiles and magestones.” Lau paused and played with the corner of the page, “Mage…stones…hmmmm…”

            He noted it to himself as something to read up on later, as he turned yet another page and then stared down at a photograph of Malleus and Maleficia, the latter standing beside the throne of his grandmother who was seated. Lau blinked a few times, then flipped the book over towards Ran Mao to show her the image, “Heh…it seems that these Fae have pointed ears…and horns. Reminds me of the demon from that play Faust we went to see a few weeks ago.”

            Ran Mao leaned a bit closer to peer at the picture, and tapped on Malleus’s face, then his grandmother’s, with her finger. “I think they look rather pleasant.”

            “Perhaps,” Lau said, pulling the book back from her, as she’d taken hold of the bottom part between her fingers. The two did a mini tug-of-war before Ran Mao let it go and he settled back into the chair, “And perhaps we can have some of our girls use this look to entice some of our clients.”

            She nodded slowly, understanding what he was getting at and rolled over onto her stomach, resting her chin and arms on the arm of the chair as she looked through her book.

            “In the meantime,” Lau flipped the page and started to summarize as he read, “Fae are considered some of the oldest living creatures in Twisted Wonderland, and there are a number of types that are grouped under various classifications, the two largest of these classifications are the Nocturnal and the Diurnal Fae, which expand out to smaller categories. Among both of these groups the rarest are the dragon Fae, followed further off by star Fae.”

            “Dragons? Stars?” Ran Mao asked and Lau smiled in a wry manner.

            “I can assume that, perhaps, here the legends of dragons stem from these dragon Fae, but of the star Fae, I haven’t a clue, and it doesn’t give much indication of what they are, other than rare and more commonly Diurnal.” Lau shrugged and turned some pages to find out more information. “Now…what does this book say on “Land of the Red Dragon” that people keep referencing?”

            He flipped past several chapters, until he was able to find the one that he wanted and declared his discovery with an enthusiastic, if quiet, shout, “AH! Here it is. The “Land of the Red Dragon.”

            “What does it say?” Ran Mao leaned forward over the arm and Lau scanned the pages.

            “The Land of the Red Dragon is on the opposite side of the world and is known for its legends, fireworks, and cuisine.” Lau told her as he quickly flew through the chapter, “It’s well liked by travelers for its rich history, lore, and has a number of interesting sights. Among the more famous stories that have come out of this area, is a story of a heroine who saved the country from a horde of invaders while being disguised as a man.”

            Ran Mao quirked a brow ever so slightly, “That sounds a lot like the story of Hua Mulan.”

            “It does indeed,” Lau agreed, “though, this one,” he tapped the page in the book with his nail, “as the story seems to indicate, had help from a dragon that was connected to the spirits, and a cricket who became involved in the situation. Supposedly there was magic used to bring the dragon to life.” He furrowed his brows as he set the book aside. “Theres’ one thing that keeps coming up in every chapter of every country.”

            “And that is?” she questioned.

            “Magic,” he said folding his arms across his chest. “This world seems to run on magic in various ways. I, wrongly, assumed it was an after-thought, but no, there’s far more to the magic here than I first thought. And in each chapter the name magestones keeps cropping up.”

            Calmly he pushed himself out of the chair to stand up and remarked to her, “We need to find a book on magic. Preferably one on the history of it in Twisted Wonderland if possible.”

            Ran Mao closed her book, got up and followed him, putting them on a cart to be returned to the shelves, and followed Lau around the stacks of books until he found what he was looking for and pulled it down.

            “A History of Magic,” he read the title and smiled, “Seems like a good start, wouldn’t you agree?”

            She nodded firmly and the two went back to the chairs to read, Ran Mao grabbing a few more random books that were out on display, and settled back into her comfy arm chair as her brother dove into to the book. Eventually he lifted his head with a wry smile.

            “Well, now,” he purred, “isn't this interesting.”

            She glanced over yet again, intrigued by his excitement.

            “According to THIS book mages were considered unusual at first in Twisted Wonderland,” he rested his cheek on his fingers as he crossed his legs, glancing down at the page, “and many people feared them. Sounds reasonable to me, magic isn't something that should be just tampered with. But,” he tapped his foot eagerly, “it seems in the years that followed after the discovery of magic in the world, a group of mages set up magic schools to teach young children how to hone their skills.”

            “Apparently,” he lowered his voice and leaned forward trying to make it sound more dramatic for her, “in this world mages need to have licenses to work in a field where magic is used, and not having a license and practicing magic, outside of Briar Valley, will get you arrested it seems. Sounds like this magic is less a mystical thing and more practical. I wonder if stage magic is still used?”

            Ran Mao sat up, and was quiet a moment, pondering what he’d told her, then stated, “So, magic doesn't come as gifts from the immortals, or like Monkey gained his magic?”

            Lau shook his head.

            “No, it seems more mundane than that,” he flipped a page, “Traveling by magic can come in different forms.” He showed her a chart of the different forms of traveling that used magic and pointed to the ones that interested him the most, “The flying carpets, which were mentioned in the Scalding Sands chapter of that other book, are apparently enchanted to fly and, in some cases, may have a mind of its own. There's also teleportation...”

            “Teleportation?” She blinked; a bit surprised by this news.

            He gave a little nod, “Teleportation, as in that fiction that seems to be building around fantastical sciences, where a person moves between space in the blink of an eye. Defined here as "converting the body-and mind, by extension -to aether, then reconstituting them at the destination." Teleporting.”

            “I see,” Ran Mao tilted her head curiously, a placid look on her face, “That sounds fun to do.”

            Lau chuckled, “I suppose, as long as someone else goes first to ensure it's safe. I'd rather not end up missing limbs in another location.” He read a bit more, “Another form is flying.”

            “Flying?” she echoed, “Like those machines that some Englishmen are making that they try to get up in the air?”

            “Apparently not,” he furrowed his brow remarking, “This is more like the spiritualist that can levitate in the air, and images of witches on brooms. It seems it's fairly common for mages to travel and be transported by broom or other appliances that can fill the role. I wonder what that means.”

            She snorted as she picked up her book. How boring. They needed something to fly with rather than on their own, “They’re like witches in Halloween cards then.”

            “It appears so. Disappointed?” he asked and she nodded causing him to laugh softly. “I wonder how well they could manage with the clean sweepers we have now.”

            Ran Mao shrugged as he turned to another chapter of the book, and tilted his head.

            “Magical Sports.”

            She gave him a perplexed expression as he went on to explain the best he could after going over the chapter.

            “Seems that there are various games that were devised around magic and using it as part of the rules and play.” He rested an elbow on the left arm of the chair and let his hand hang loose as he skimmed over the information, picking out important clues as he went. “One of the most prominent seems to be this Spelldrive, also called Magicshift in various countries, game where you toss a flying discus around using magic and try to keep the opponent from scoring.” He smirked, “Sounds a bit like rugby from the wording here. We'll have to take a look at it when and IF we get the chance. But using magic for sports, I wonder if they have trouble keeping cheating out of it. Though...” a sparkle glinted in his dark eyes, “betting on this might be a rather big thing.”

            “What else does it say about the history?” Ran Mao asked, knowing her brother was devising ways to bring in a racket.

            Lau sighed, “Magic seems to have influences in the elements. Much like our Wuxing, though here it seems to boil down to Water, Wood, Fire, Void and Light, instead of Metal and Earth.” He turned a page, “And it seems to be following the same rules.”

            “How so?” she was curious again, hungry for information, and he provided her a feast to devour.

            “Water, for example, seems to follow the conquest rules of dousing fire. In this case Wood represents earth, and also seems to have connections to lightning, thus beating water.” She nodded following as he pointedly remarked, “By that token fire, in turn can destroy wood, and the other two are opposites that can be used against the others but are not greater nor lesser of the other elements. It's rather interesting to see how they seemed to have adapted something similar here. I wonder if the elements do represent ideals the same way they do back home, but I won't put much stock into that.”

            Lau gave her a smart smile and showed her a diagram that went over the different elements and the way they worked with and against one another. “It says here that elemental spells are the basic ones, and can become more complex.” He pulled back for a moment to read a bit more, and then raised his brows with eagerness, “Oh ho…” he showed her a table, “This small table here is showing examples of a spell formula.”

            “A spell formula?” she furrowed her brows ever so slightly and looked between the book and her brother. “Why?”

            “Yes, I wonder that myself,” both knew about physics and chemistry, due to their work, and how formulas worked in their own field, but something as invisible as magic…it seemed strange that it even needed formulas. “Ostensibly there are sets of rules that outline how one can craft spells, and the order of which one does them. This one gives the example that for making a cleaning spell, you have to set spells before regarding the pattern that you want, say, a broom to travel around the room before you set a spell to get it to physically move.”

            He looked at the book to read it over, “It reminds me very much of the Babbage machines that have been demonstrated with the punch cards, and the order that they have to go in to make the machine work.”

            “Seems like serious schooling. Instead of just having fun.” Ran Mao noted and Lau nodded.

            “Yes, it does,” Lau commented with a cocky grin, “It seems they take magic schooling rather seriously here. Spells seem to be used for a variety of things, from very complex medical procedures to every day basic tasks. There's more,” he told her, “For one, to use magic you need to have a magestone to channel the magical energies. Now as to what a magestone is, it's apparently a gemstone that absorbs power, or energy from their surroundings. It's very much like Miss Sullivan said about the stone being like quartz. They give off a faint magical signature -I wonder what that is -that can allow for someone to trace it. The magestone are changed from gemstones housing energies into the stones known as magestones via volcanic activity.”

            Lau pulled out his broach and took a look at the stones as they glimmered from the lights above. I wonder if these stones are magestones, and if they are, how did they come to be placed in this broach of all things.

            He glanced over at Ran Mao, “It seems that Miss Sullivan is close to being rather correct on the type of stone she has. We'll have to see if we can get her one of these magestones and see what she can learn about them.”

            “If magic is as realistic as it seems,” Lau tapped the spine of the book, “it means that we need to focus on trying to find a way to capitalize on magic...” He smirked at her with a crafty glint in his eyes, as more ideas were formulating, “But for now, we need to learn what we can about it. Let's see what else this book holds.” He turned a few pages and wrinkled his brows. “Oh…dear.”

            “Something wrong brother?” Ran Mao asked and Lau wrinkled his nose.

            “There’s this section on blotting.”

            Seeing his reaction, Ran Mao furrowed her brows, “Blotting?”

            Something about the material made him feel unnerved and his body showed it when he leaned towards her and spoke softly, “Blot seems to be a byproduct of magic, as some are born with magic and some are not. There might be something to do with the soul of the person, their linage or perhaps genetics. It's unclear, but what is clear is that the blot is what manifests from using magic. It's some sort of inky like substance it seems according to this book.”

            “Ink like?” she asked, unsure what he was talking about. “That wasn’t on the stone we saw.”

            “No, it wasn’t.” Lau said, “the one we saw looked burned. So, this blotting didn't cause the reaction in that stone. The question then is, what did.” He continued to read, “It seems that Overblotting happens when a mage allows the blot to accumulate and thus it takes over the whole body. Blot can affect a person’s emotional state and wellbeing, both physically and mentally. When a mage Overblots they become far stronger, and can manifest some sort of monster along with it. However, the monster can then take over the person by swallowing them into the blot, and once their magic is eaten up by the blotting, it can and will go for the internal parts of the body, leading to the death of the mage.”

            “That sounds like a horrible way to die,” she shuddered lightly.

            He gave a short nod in agreement, “It does, that seems to be why the mage stones are so important. In this book it notes that they are working on ways to synthesize mage stones so that countries don't have to keep digging for them.  What else...Mages are still looked on with some fear as at certain points in history mages did cause trouble and uprisings. It appears that Fae, while respected are also feared as well for their magic. They are also, the only race, in Twisted Wonderland that are completely magic, and while they can take on a human appearance and shape, they are not truly human at all. Fascinating. There's also a section here about dire beasts.

            “What are dire beasts?” she asked him.

            “Magical creatures which seem to be a bit like chimeras,” He explained, “Some are mixes of different animals, others are animals that are infused with magic and have been experimented on causing them to become different in their whole physiology it seems. Very interesting. I should like to get a look at these creatures.”

            Ran Mao leaned back and folded her legs under her. “Are there different types of mages.”

            “Yes.” Lau looked over at the list that was on the page, “Though they all seem to have the same over all basic element of being someone born with magic, but the number of them are not as high as you might think. The ways listed here are: Being born of a legacy family that has magic in their blood line, having at least one parent that is a mage, having a parent that is a fae -which leads to the birth of half-fae, or being born a fae, two parents that are fae, or you're blessed by fairies and granted magical abilities. Another way is an enchanted object that can be used, though in that case the person using the object isn't technically a mage by the strict definition of it. Then there are the levels...”

            “Levels?” she asked and he went on.

            “Levels seem to be the amount of magic that a person has. This is determined by how much magic is in your family line.” He lazily turned a page, “A person that has a long line of family members that are mages tends to have a higher amount of magic in them than one who has not had a mage in their family for a long while. Then there are those who are just lucky and are born with a high amount,” he shrugged lightly, “it seems to be a bit randomized in that sense, but there are rankings and the acumen and skill of a mage, along with the amount of magic they have, tends to be how students are chosen for elite academies. It's all a bit confusing, but that's the gist of it.”

            “What are these rankings?”

            “It’s a list of the most powerful mages in the world it seems,” Lau summarized for her, “One of the most powerful goes to Night Raven College, and another goes to Royal Sword Academy. The strongest one seems to be an older person, but it notes that the list ranking can change at any given moment, though right now it seems the list hasn't changed in several years.”

            Ran Mao folded her hands over her lap, “Did it explained what is happening with the mirror?”

            “No,” Lau said dejectedly and looked through the book for a while then shook his head. “Though, if I have to hazard a guess, based on three of the chapters here,” he flipped to each to double check, “one about other possible dimension and summoning, one about enchanting object, and one about using objects for portals, I'd come to the conclusion that the coin we have is a sort of key.”

            He flipped back several pages and pointed out, “In the chapter about summoning, they talk about using an object as a tool or key to other worlds, and that having one links the summoner to that world through the object, so in this case our coin came from this other world, and that the object then registers a magical signal...”

            He noticed her confused expression. “The way they describe it is like a tuning fork. That when one finds the right harmony or waves, it can cause vibrations in the object connecting it to the place it was from, and one would need a focus object that can channel the magic through the object, in this case I suspect the broach is acting like that. Together they make a key, and that key can be used to unlock a portal due to enchanting the mirrors that we've used. In other words, someone has created a doorway with a door and a lock, and we just happen to have found the key to unlock it.” He smirked and Ran Mao nodded following, and he shuts the book and picks up the one on Technology. “Now this is something we really need to know about.”

            “What does it say about everything that changed?” she questioned, finding this more interesting than what she’d been reading, sans the newly invented sweets that she wanted to try.

            “Give me a moment,” he begged her and read slowly, taking in what he could from what he was reading. A smile of intrigue slipped onto his face, “So much here is fascinating! The black art piece in our room, it's a television. It was invented not too long ago, and uses digital signals to convert data into light and create pictures like a photo camera.”

            Flipping pages as he spoke, Lau took as many notes as he could mentally, “At one time it used three tubes to create color combinations, and the newer ones keep that same color combination to create the images: Red, Green, and Blue. We're going to need to find a way to bring a number of these objects back with us. There's this thing called a computer.” He showed her a picture, “You use a keyboard, and it transmits like a telegraph to the monitor, that's the thing that looks like the television, and lets you do an amazing number of activities on it. Typing, drawing, watching things.”

            “Is this computer connected to the Babbage machines?” she took the book from him to look at the image better.

            “In many ways it is, though it appears these actually are useful.” He said as he watched her reading, “Yet another thing we have to bring back. We're going to need capital to buy all of these. The computer can use signals through wires, like radio waves, or the telephone, to transmit signals to other computers and allow us to look up information via what they call the Internet. There's a term that the inventers stole from surfboard riders called surfing to explain the riding on the transmitting waves.” He took the book back from her, “There are different sorts of waves too. Television used to use a different set before it became what they call digital, and there is what they call Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, that is the connecting tissue between various boxes which transmit data between different computers. It's a bit tricky to follow, but very interesting, and something I think the leaders back home would love to get a jump on.”

            She nodded, “What about the telephone?”

            “Ah that.” He smirked, “It appears the telephone has changed quite a bit over the years. We're not even in our own time anymore dear sister. Though, it seems to be rather obvious.” His fingers ran up and down the arm of the chair as he looked to the side, “Still, it seems in the ensuing centuries, telephones became in more wide use, and over the years they've become like smaller hand-held computers that both connect to the phone lines, somehow, and the internet allowing people, or what they term Users, to access this internet and seek out information or entertainment.”

            “There's apparently there's what they call an application that is listed here that's called Magicam,” Lau said, “as it was made by a pair of student mages, that allowed them to show off to others using their magic, and combine several different, what's termed, Social media applications, into one that has a number of features.”

            “And an application is…?” Ran Mao urged him to go on.

            “Some sort of program,” Lau tried to explain as he wasn’t honestly sure, but that was how the book was describing it. “I'm confused by the lot of this, but I'm sure we can get a handle on it once we play around with it. But first we need to get our hands on that...” he flipped to the back glossary to look up the term again. “Smart Phone.”

            Ran Mao pointed back towards the main desk, “Maybe we should ask the Librarian for help?”

            Lau shut the book with a snap and smiled whimsically, “That was my thought.”

            He stood and took the book with him, as Ran Mao followed after. “Hopefully they can look up some information for us, and maybe help us figure out what we need in order to get that phone. Let's see if that librarian at the entrance can point us in the right direction.”

            They walked over to the main desk at the front of the building where a group of clerks were working and walked up to one of the women, an older one with a beehive hairdo and a yellow sweater with kitted white daisies all over it. The siblings strolled over to the desk, Lau smiling, after he indicated that she would be the one that they would be speaking with.

            “Good afternoon, madam,” he said politely, “My, that is an unusual hairstyle you have there. I’ve never seen one like it before, it suits you quite well.”

            “Oh, thank you.” The woman smiled back at him as she patted her hair. “How can I help you dear?”

            “My sister,” he gestured to Ran Mao who nodded, “and I were wondering if anyone in this library could assist us in a tiny problem we're having in regard to technology.”

            “I can see what I can do,” the woman nodded, “What’s your problem?”

            Lau set the book down and pushed it over to her, “You see, neither of us has ever had the pleasure of owning a, ah...smart phone, and we were told it would be the best thing to have while traveling. We hail from the land of the Red Dragon and our small town is rather isolated and we still use, ah, I believe the term is land lines?”

            “Okay,” she nodded listening patiently.

            “We were hoping someone here could help us in our research,” he explained. “You see we went to a shop in town that sells them but the people there were, not so helpful, and they sent us here to gather more information before we re-approached them about buying some. We'd like to learn more about the different types of smart phones and how they work, or at least how one can purchase them. Do you have a department where we can do that?”

            The clerk picked up the book and looked it over before setting it down, saying, “Okay, I’ll look up some information about cellphones and…”

            “Cellphones?” Lau asked and the library clerk answered kindly.

            “Smart phones.”

            “Ah,” Lau nodded playing up his innocence, “is that another term for them?”

            The clerk smiled, cheerfully, “Yes, it is. As I said, I can look up some information about them, and print it out for you. But I think you would need to go upstairs to our computer area and request help from our IT department or maybe it would be better to send you to the Tech department.”

            “IT?” Lau stared at her, a bit confused by her choice of words.

            “Um, the Technology department,” the librarian said, seeing the puzzled expression on the two of them. “They handle technological or technology-based questions that our patrons have. You could inquire also at the reference desk; both are upstairs on the second floor.”

            Lau gave her a charming smile, “Then we’ll speak with the Technology department that you mentioned, and could we have a print out of the information you can find at this moment?”

            “Certainly,” the clerk said, and took a moment to type into her computer a series of questions, until she had a few websites open, and printed out pages for him with cellphone information. Taking it from the printer she handed it to Lau, who looked rather amazed by the speed and promptness, unsure of how she had done all that in the few moments she’d been standing at the computer. “Here you are.”

            We will definitely need to learn all that we can about these computers and how they work, as well as whatever sort of printing device she used, he thought eagerly and took the pages from her, then riffled through them before thanking her with a smile. “Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions later.”

            “You’re very welcome, and have a nice day.” The librarian said with a grin.

            Lau nodded and ushered Ran Mao from the desk with a gentle push telling her, “We have to go upstairs.”

            She nodded and followed him as he headed up the old, elegant wooden stairs case, and to the second floor and looked over to a clerk wearing a cozy looking pumpkin colored sweatshirt who was sitting at a desk near the stairs. Lau strolled over and tapped his finger lightly on the wooden desktop, and the man looked up from the notes he was taking.

            “Yes?” the clerk asked calmly and Lau smiled at him asking.

            “Excuse me, I’m looking for the technology department. I was told it was upstairs.”

            “OH!” the second clerk exclaimed, and then pointed to his left as he leaned over the desk, and towards the back of the library. “It’s going to be in the back all the way by the computers.”

            “Thank you,” Lau said and the pumpkin sweater clerk nodded.

            “You’re welcome,” and he went back to his note taking as Lau backed up and lead Ran Mao in the direction that the clerk had pointed towards the back of the library.

            The two wandered down the aisles, looking for the department, only to come upon a room that had a number of computers off to the side, which were lined up in three rows with six computers on each table. A few people were sitting and working at the machines, typing softly. Some were students who seemed to be doing homework, others were adults busy with doing some sort of work, looking something up, or playing a game. Near the entry was a elegant, and old fashioned, wooden desk, where a younger woman was sitting dressed in a green dress, looking frazzled, swiftly typing and moving the mouse, and checking over things on her screen.

            Ran Mao stared at the young woman and remarked softly, “Do you think she’s the one who we should talk to?”

            “I’m not sure,” He remarked and muttered, “but it’s worth a shot. If not, she might be able to tell us who we can speak with.

            He glided over to her desk and cleared his throat, catching her attention.

            “Yes,” she looked up from the computer, “Can I help you with something? Are you here to use a computer?”

            “I’m not sure honestly,” Lau chuckled and she frowned slightly annoyed.

            “Not sure?”

            “We were sent over here by the clerk at the front desk…” he started to say when she cut him off asking.

            “Patty?”

            He gave her a curious look trying to remember if the lady downstairs gave him a name. The younger woman sat up and mimed a hive on her head with her hands.

            “Beehive? Knitted sweater with flowers on it?” she asked and Ran Mao nodded.

            “Yes, that would be what she looked like.”

            The woman sighed as she turned to fully face them before pushing up her glasses. “Okay, so Patty sent you up here then? To use the computers or for something else?”

            “Something else,” Lau stated and the young woman folded her hands before her on the desk asking firmly.

            “What can I do for you sir?”

            Lau gave her a casual smile as he explained, “My sister and I were told that you can help us with smartphones.”

            The young clerk looked on confused, “Can you repeat that?”

            “Smart phones.” He said again and she wrinkled her brow.

            “Like, repairing them?” the young woman in the green dress, “because we don’t do that here. You’d have to go to a phone repair shop for…”

            Lau shook his head, “No. We’d like to purchase one, but the shop owner confused us.”

            “Where we come from there aren’t any smartphones.” Ran Mao told her and the woman looked between them, puzzled by this news.

            “And you’re from where?”

            “A small village in the Land of the Red Dragon.” Lau informed her, lying as easily as snow melting in heat.

            She gave a nod understanding a bit more, “Rural area, I take it?”

            “Yes,” he hid his smirk, “you can say that.”

            “So, you want my help with what exactly?” she pointed to the papers, “Did Patty give you those?”

            He nodded, “Yes, she did. Would you like to see them?”

            “Can I please?” she asked and he handed them over to her. The woman in the green dressed looked at them, quickly scanning the pages, and then looked up at the two mobsters. “You don’t know what a smartphone is?”

            Lau shrugged sheepishly, with Ran Mao mirroring his action, “We did some research on then in a book, but other than that. No, I’m afraid not.”

            “You do understand the basics then?” the technology librarian asked, “That it works like a normal phone and you can dial a number and call someone.”

            Ran Mao gave her an annoyed look, but repeated what the clerks at the phone store had said, “And you can use it to surf the internet.”

            “Alright,” the woman at the desk said and gave her a sly smirk, showing that she was impressed by her reaction. “So, you know the basics then…” they nodded and she folded her arms, “then, what you want to know is the different types of plans and phones.”

            “There are?” Lau raised his brows, feeling a bit perturbed and delighted at the same time as, back home, there was only one type and it was a rather boring basic design that hung on a wall, even if you had two choices of receiver, it was still a wooden box that you spoke into.

            The Liberian in green nodded, “There are a few choices out there in the wild, and to help I’d have to know what telephone company you’d want to use.”

            “How many telephone companies are there?” Lau asked, crossing his arms, and finding himself becoming more invested in their discussion.

            The woman in the green dress began to count on her fingers as she spoke, “On Sage Island proper. Three. Bell, which is the oldest one in the world, they practically created the telephone. Bell has the most well-rounded plans over all. G-Mobile, which is more of a recent group that focuses on plans using the phone as a mini computer over making phone calls, and Vista, which is the youngest of the long running telephone companies, and their plans tend to be the cheapest but they don’t have the coverage the other two have. Which one are you interested in?”

            Lau thought a moment, taking in her small selling points and clucked his tongue, requesting, “Can you give me the history of these three companies?”

            The librarian pursed her lips, she didn’t look amused at this request, given that it wasn’t her job to sell the idea of any of the companies to a patron. “Would you like me to give you a print-out of each and you can read about them? Or you can go to the reference librarian and you can ask him for more detailed history about the three companies.”

            “A print-out would be fine,” Lau said as the librarian gave a curt nod, and turned back to the computer to type at her keyboard and then click around with her mouse. A few moments later the whirring of the printer produced several pages, which she swiftly handed over to him.

            “If you want to read it, I suggest sitting outside,” she pointed through her window to a small reading nook where there was a table and a set of chairs. “This area is for people using the computers.”

            Ran Mao glanced over at the group sitting at the machines, clicking away, and then turned to her asking, “How do you get to use them?”

            “You'd need a card and to request a time, or come in and see if there's a spot open. Then you'd have to hand over your card till you're finished,” the woman in green said and handed over a flyer that was on her desk to the black-haired beauty and tapped at the list on it after handing it over to her, “This is a flyer about the computer room, rules and regulations about using the machines, and other information. If you have any questions I'll be here.”

            With that she turned back to her screen and began typing away as Lau nodded graciously to her.

            “Thank you,” he said and they walked out of the room, then sat down in the nook she’d designated. Settled in Lau began to read and summarize for Ran Mao who listened as she moved all the way back into the chair and kicked her legs slowly, “The Bell company seems to be very much the same telephone company that Alexander Graham-Bell created and invented. It seems that they have moved into the realm of these smart phones as well, and were making them until two other companies started to make more marketable phones, and have since moved into producing products for the phones as well as being a company to service the phones.”

            “And the others?” she asked as she glanced up from the flyer.

            “According to the print-outs -which we need to learn more about these computers as well, they seem very useful -G-Mobile is a combination of two well-known companies that collaborated on creating a mobile phone company.” Lau told her as he ran his finger between the pages, “Apparently one group is a known mobile phone company while the other is a search engine that is used worldwide.”

            He tapped his chin, and closed his eyes, “Search engine… I think I noticed something about that in that Technology book. We'll have to do more reading later about it.” He looked back at the paper, “It says here that it's focus is more on using the smart phone as a hand-held computer, and while you can make calls, the majority of the offerings of this company seem to be towards social media use.”

            “The fashion book mentioned that.” She said and he tilted his head as she explained. “That the Magicam application is used in marketing.”

            “So, like a broadsheet?” he asked and she shrugged.

            “People use it to market themselves, using an account on the…” she paused, trying to recall the word, “platform.”

            Lau sighed and leaned back in the chair. “More terms to learn, and research. I wonder if we can get a list so that we can understand them.” He gestured to the paper, “This G-Mobile seems more towards someone who has a higher grasp of how this Magicam works. Bell also allows you access to social media as well...”

            “And the last one?” She asked calmly and he pulled up the last print-out, placing it in the front, and looked it over before concluding.

            “Vista is a very young company. Only has been around for ten or so years, but it claims to have the most coverage internationally. It seems to be closer to how Bell does things, but with a wider range for calls. It was created by some former employees of the Bell telephone company, and doesn't seem to have a lot of information other than that.” He set the papers down asking, “So, which one do you think we should try to get?”

            “Bell seems the most reliable,” Ran Mao pointed out, and he nodded, then scooted forward in the chair, motioning her to come closer which she did, as he lowered his voice to plot with her.

            “I have an idea. I'll go talk to the lady in there about the telephones, if you go to the reference desk and see if you can get some material about the terms for all this new technology.”

            Ran Mao gave him a calm smile, “That shouldn’t be too hard.”

            “I’ll meet you back here once I’m done with the young woman in there.” Lau got up and she followed.

            “Agreed.”

            The two parted ways, with the elder walking back inside the room and over to the desk. He cleared his throat once more getting the woman’s attention. She looked up from the computer, a very slight pout on her placid face.

            “Excuse me again.” He said cheerfully.

            “Yes?” she asked as she fixed her gaze upon him, a look of bother creased her brow, “Oh. You’re back. More questions?”

            “Yes,” Lau held out the papers to her, “My sister and I would like more information on the Bell Telephone Company plans, if you please.”

            The clerk smacked her lips before taking them, clearly feeling disturbed by having to do more searching for this man, and wondering if he really couldn’t use a computer or if it was some sort of hoax to get someone else to do the work for him. “Sure. That I can do for you.”

            She turned back to her screen and quickly typed at the keyboard, then clicked around again, until the printer by her desk spat out more pages, and she handed them over to him. “Here you go.”

            Lau smiled taking them, “Thank you, again.”

            She nodded and was about to turn back to her work when he spoke up, causing her to turn back and converse with him, something she was finding rather exhausting to do.

            “By the way, which of the phones would you recommend?”

            At this the Technology Librarian shrugged. “Most are the same, in the way they are made. Some people swear by certain brands, but personally for someone who's not used to using them, I would say go with something in the mid-range. You want something you can carry easily, and the larger ones are really annoying as they're as big as tablets. You could also go for the newer flip phones; they're like the flat smart phones but they flip open like a compact. Older phones used to be more like that before the screen technology came into play.”

            Lau listened thoughtfully to her comments and nodded, trying to comprehend.

            “I see,” he leaned on the desk with his hands, closing the gap between them. The woman, surprisingly, didn’t flinch as he turned on his charms. “And which do you have?”

            “The flip one,” she said casually, as if a man leaning into her space was an everyday issue she had to deal with, “but that’s only because I find it a lot easier to use since it’s smaller and I can put it in my purse or pocket.” She shrugged before asking, “Anything else you need, sir?”

            Lau, impressed by her unwavering nature, thought a moment before asking seriously. “What would I need to purchase the phone, other than money?”

            The librarian pursed her lips, thinking this time, and waved her hand nonchalantly. “Well, at the store when you buy it, they’ll probably want to make an account for you, so you probably should have your ID card…” she paused, seeing his puzzled expression, and changed her wording, “should have your identification card at the ready. I think they should be able to take an out of the country ID. Or a driver’s license, and probably you should be ready to give them an email they can link your account to.”

            “Email?” he asked and she cleared her throat.

            “Electronic mail,” then noticed that his puzzled expression had deepened and that Lau was staring at her, quizzically, as if he was searching her face for the answers to a test she didn’t realize he was taking. The young woman sighed and asked bluntly. “I take it you don’t have one?”

            “No, I don’t.” he admitted and she glanced at the computers.

            “Do you have a computer at home?”

            “No, we don’t,” he shrugged with a smile and patted her desk top on top like it was a dog, “But they seem very fun to play with.”

            The woman in the green dress held in a long sigh as she glanced over at the computers in the room, then back at Lau, wondering how he felt about seeing such technology if he’d never experienced it before.

            “I can help you set one up,” she offered, “this way you have it when you go to the store.”

            Lau grinned genuinely, “That would be so kind of you.”

            The librarian shrugged. To her it was no big deal. “No problem. We’ll use the most popular one for now.”

            She once more started to click on different icons on her screen and mumbled as she moved the mouse around.

            “Get on the site. Create an account….” She looked up at him after a moment, “Is this going to be a business, work, or personal account?”

            “What are the differences?” Lau asked glancing at the screen and she explained casually.

            “Business email accounts are designated to be used for businesses for customers to send emails to…”

            “Just what are emails,” he stopped her and she furrowed her brows.

            “Think of them as letters, except in electronic form that travel through a fiberoptic…” the librarian could see she was losing him and tried again. “Emails are like letters that you normally send through post. Only in this case you’re sending them though the computer, and via a network, which is a bunch of signals in the air that go from one location to another wirelessly.”

            Lau raised a brow, “Like a telegraph?”

            “Yes, that’s a good analogy, not exact, but a simplified way of looking at it.” She explained and he nodded.

            “So, these emails have different endings?”

            She sighed; this was turning out to be a lecture. “Yes. With any website there’s an address, sort of like the numbers at your house, that lets the signal know where it’s supposed to be delivered to. Your email has a designated ending that let’s the signal know…” she pursed her lip, “how do I…” she suddenly folded her hands, “As with a postal officer that makes deliveries, each address is different and certain streets are in districts that are designed to be zoned for certain uses. Business, shopping, residential, etc.”

            Lau folded his arms, “I’m following.”

            “Same thing for email and websites. Using certain domain ending, and other aspects of the address, the signal can tell, like the post officer, that the letter is going to different types of emails.” She said trying to keep it as simple as possible. “The differences come in the form of how the emails are given their endings. So, a business email is designated in a way to indicate that it’s used by a business for the customers. The work version is more designed for use at an office and will have the name of the company along with the email companies name, and the last one is the personal, which lets you use your own choice of name for it, and is for private use. There’s also the sizing of the mail box, and how many letters you can get in it at any given time.”

            “I see,” Lau was finding this all fascinating. If I could learn how these computers worked, maybe I could purchase one and bring it back over with me. That way the boys could take a look at it, and, perhaps, we could get it built and market it to modern society. Or at least to certain businesses and groups for a start.”

            “So, which one did you want?” she asked him again and Lau smiled.

            “Personal, in this case.” He put a hand on the desk as she clicked her mouse. “Would this account be similar to a running tab at a department store?”

            The green dressed librarian blinked, “Uh, not quite the same, but in a similar vein, I suppose.” She was confused by his odd choices in words. After all, tabs weren’t as common as they had been ages ago when credit cards were not a thing. “It stores your information. Name, date of birth, phone number, etc. then you can use it to access different aspects of the site, or use it to log into other ones rather than making new accounts on each site you access.”

            Lau tilted his head, taking it all in and trying to keep it all in order. “I think I understand. Very well, what’s next?”

            “I’ll need your first and last name.” she said promptly.

            Lau frowned, “Must I give my full name?”

            “It can take initials for the first name, but not the last.” The technology librarian told him and Lau let out a soft, “Tsk.”

            I certainly will not be giving out my full name. He smiled, “Lau Chang.”

            It was a simple lie, after all he’d used it when he was with Baldroy while they were at the Athena Sanatorium, and it was one of the most common last names in China. So it was a perfect cover for this.

            “Thank you,” she said typing it in, “and I need a date of birth.”

            I can't give her my real birth year or day, she would either laugh or become suspicious of me. He shifted his gaze to the calendar on her desk and did some quick math, then replied cheerfully, “The 31^st of May in the year 1993.”

            Her fingers smoothly sailed over the keys, “Okay, that’s done. And for now, since you don't have a phone, I'll use the virtual phone number service I have to create a number just for verification; when you get your phones, come back here and I'll change it to your number. Now all we need is a username and password.”

            “Username?” Lau looked at her confused. This was taking longer than he thought it would.

            The librarian quickly tried to explain, “A username is the name you give your email account. Like how a famous estate might have a title or a famous building might be known for the owner.” Lau nodded trying to follow along with her explanation, “Since you're the user, that’s what the computer considers you to be since you’re “Using” or operating it…”

            “Like a printing press.” Lau offered and she nodded.

            “Or, I don’t know, construction equipment.” He again nodded, taking in her words and compartmentalizing all of it, “the account needs a name by which to know you by. Think of a normal letter and how it's sent to your address but addressed to you. It's the same idea here.”

            “Let me think,” Lau muttered and then offered, “how about Rising Dragon?”

            It was simple, easy to remember, and more importantly, his title.

            “Two words or one?” she asked and he gave her a puzzled look. “If you go with one word it would be Risingdragon, the two words would be meshed into one long one, if it’s two, you need to use a underscore, or dash, to make things easier for the computer to understand, since having a space will make it have an error.”

            “I suppose one then,” He shrugged and she typed it in, then clucked her tongue.

            “Already taken. What can we add to it?”

            “OBC,” he suggested, and she gave him a puzzled look.

            “OBC?”

            “It’s an acronym of a title I have back home,” Lau told her and the librarian started to type in the name.

            “We’ll add that at the end,” her fingers hovered over the keys before asking, “and that’s all in capital letters?”

            “Yes, I would believe so.” Lau said and the librarian typed it in and he watched her as she submitted the new name, and was given a green check mark next to it. “What just happened?”

            “Since there wasn’t a RisingdragonOBC on the list of names…” she sighed seeing him look confused again and tried to explain. “Every house has an address but sometimes the same address can show up more than once. But they will not be on the same street. In this case you’ve added a different street to your number address. The post office, if you will,” she gestured to the name of the email site, “has a list of all the names that are made for their email. Once that name has been taken, you HAVE to make it different, and then it gets added to the list. The checkmark means it’s been approved.”

            “Ah,” was all Lau could think of to say as she went on quickly, wanting to get this done.

            “Now we need a password for you. It should be secure, but something you’ll remember. The rules on the screen are to make sure it’s secure, and meet the requirements for a password, or else it won’t let you use it.” She explained to him and Lau fully understood this concept having used passwords in his own business, just spoken rather than typed in. The woman in green pointed to the screen and each rule. “Your password for it to be a secure password has to have One capital letter, one number, and at least one character key or sign, like an exclamation point for example.”

            Lau smiled at her and held out his hand, “May I have a pen and a sheet of paper.”

            “Certainly,” the woman handed both over and he quickly wrote down a familiar word, adding a number and a capital, and then a question mark at the end of it. Handing it over he smiled.

            “There, will that work?”

            The librarian took it and, after reading it, nodded, then typed it in. “There. Now, I just have to wait and see…” she looks at her tablet where she used the internet phone number, and noticed a notification popup. “And there’s the verification number.”

            She swiped on the tablet, and pulled up the message, then jotted down the numbers and turned back to the computer, “I just have to put these in, annnnnnnd done. You have yourself an email.”

            Quickly she wrote down the username and website on the same paper as the password for him and handed it back. “Here, keep this safe, and don’t lose it. You don’t want someone to steal your account.”

            Lau gracefully took it and then asked, “Could you possibly do one for my sister? I can give you her information as well.”

            “Sure thing,” the librarian said, though she honestly had more things to do, it was part of her job. Turning back to the screen she started another account as Lau leaned over and helped her fill in the information for Ran Mao, and, once she finished the process, she wrote it down for him and handed it over once more on another sheet of paper, including password, website and username for Ran Mao. “There.”

            Lau took the paper from her and grinned. “Thank you. Two more questions if you please.”

            She nodded and glanced at the clock to see if it was break-time, as he went on.

            “You mentioned an ID card, if one were to want to get one in Tarry Town…?” he inquired and she brushed him off with a short response.

            “You’ll have to talk to the front desk about that information.”

            “And about the computer? Can we use them?” He asked motioning to the machines, adding, “You mentioned a library card?”

            “Yes, you need one to be given access to the computer.” She responded. “You’ll have to see the front desk for that too, at registration.”

            Lau nodded, wondering what he would need for the card, since he knew that they would be frequenting the library for as much information as possible. “Is there a way to learn more about them? The computers I mean?”

            “We do have classes that we teach,” the lady in green offered. “Once you get a card you can sign up for them. Are you just a visitor?”

            “My sister and I were thinking of moving away from our village, and Tarry Town has been rather appealing to us,” Lau explained to her and the librarian gave a tap on her desk.

            “Then, if you are moving into town, once you have a card you can sign up for our classes.”

            Lau leaned on the desk coming in closer to her and saying smoothly with a charming smile to win her over, “And you would be the teacher?”

            “Y-Yes…” she said nervously as he stood up looking at her with a cat like smile.

            “Then it will be a delight becoming your student. Until then,” he bowed to her, “thank you for your time.” Then left the room, with her and the other patrons glancing over to see where he was off to.

            “Um…you too…?” the librarian said trying to cover her confusion as he left.

            Outside of the room Ran Mao was waiting by the nook, papers in hand, legs over one arm of the chair, and her head lolled over the other. Lau strolled up to her and she held the papers up to him as he came over to her head. “I have the information you wanted, brother.”

            “Was it hard to get it?” Lau asked as he took the papers and she sat upright while he looked at them, leaning on the back of the chair.

            She shook her head, pulling her legs up into a cross-legged pose. “No. The lady at the desk was polite. She said she liked my outfit.”

            “I can see why,” Lau said grinning at her. “You do look adorable.” He offered her his arm and she took it, hopping off the chair, and walking beside him as he led her back down the steps. “Come; we have to stop by the front desk. I have more questions for Patty.”

            Ran Mao quirked an eyebrow briefly, but allowed herself to follow him down, returning to the first floor and over back to the front desk where the woman with the beehive was sitting. Lau approached with a grin on his face, calling out to her quietly.

            “Miss Patty?”

            The beehive woman looked up from her screen and smiled back, “OH! Hello again. Did you find the answers to your questions?”

            “Yes, I did.” Lau said. “Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.”

            “Of course,” she nodded, “anytime.”

            Lau laid out the papers before her. “As you can see the Technology Librarian and the Reference librarian were very helpful. However, the Technology librarian did leave me with more questions, many of which she said you could answer for me.”

            “Alright,” Patty said bemused. “I’ll see what I can do. What can I help you with?”

            Lau tapped on the phone sheets, “According to her, in order for me to obtain a phone, I would need to get an identification card.”

            “That’s correct,” she said and he motioned to Ran Mao.

            “My sister and I are considering moving from our small village back home to Tarry Town, as it seems the sort of place we would enjoy living.”

            Patty grinned and squealed, “Oh how exciting. I can tell you Tarry Town is an amazing place to live, and the people here are very colorful and nice.”

            “I’m certain they are,” Lau chuckled as Ran Mao nodded quietly. “We were wondering if you could tell us a few things?”

            “Such as?” she asked.

            “How does one go about getting an identification card here in Tarry Town?” Lau asked her and Patty quickly fixed her glasses.

            “One moment while I double check this,” she typed on her keyboard and a moment later peered at the screen. “So, to obtain an ID card here, you’re going to need proof of signature, like a passport, and you’ll need something to prove your birth, a birth certificate or immigration status, and proof of residence, like a utility bill. There’s also a small fee you would need to pay to acquire it. You’re going to need to go to Tarry Town’s Town Hall, they have a DMV there.”

            Lau gave her a curious look “A DMV?”

            “Department of Motor Vehicles. They probably call it something else where you live,” Patty said, “but that’s where you would get the Identification card created and processed.”

            “And for my sister?” he asked furrowing his brows. “She resides with me so she doesn’t get bills.”

            “You can so do a lease agreement with her, it just has to be some form to show she lives in the same building as you, or a bank statement.” Patty explained to him.

            “I see,” Lau nodded, feeling a bit more confident. “And where can I find examples of these needed items?”

            “You can search for them online on the Tarry Town Department of Motor Vehicles, and there are plenty of images for you to look at.” Patty informed him and he grinned.

            If there are images, we can easily forge anything that we need. He thought. “Thank you, but there is one small problem. I can’t get online at the moment, since I don’t have a smartphone nor a computer.”

            “We have public computers.” Patty informed him, “You don’t need a card to use those.”

            Lau raised his brows. “You do, and I don’t?”

            “Yes, and no you don’t; not for those anyway.” Patty told him.

            “Where would they be located, these public computers?” He gathered up the papers that he’d laid out for her to look at, and she gestured to the stairs again.

            “Second floor near the Information Technology desk. Not in the Learning Center room, but just outside of it. You can’t miss the tables they’re on.”

            “Ah, wonderful,” Lau said and continued on with his questions. “Another thing, she mentioned computer classes, but I would need a library card for that. Is there a way to go about getting one?”

            “There sure is,” Patty beamed at him, “Once you get the ID card, we can sign you up.”

            “Would I need anything else as I’m still considering getting a residence?” Lau asked her and she shook her head.

            “Nope. Just that. You’d need to have an address here in Tarry Town, and that would have to be on your current ID card.” Patty informed him.

            Feeling surer about the situation and the many ways he could integrate himself into this town, Lau gave her a kind smile. “You are a wealth of information Miss Patty.”

            “Oh, you’re too kind,” she laughed. “Is there anything else?”

            Lau thought a moment, mulling over the many questions he could ask her, before simply asking about housing. “Is there a possibility you can enlighten me on how to go about securing lodgings? Or rather, are there any ways to find a place to rent? Broadsheets, or other print media if possible? I do wish to eventually purchase a home, but…”

            “Of course, dear,” Patty said and turned back to her computer to search. “Ah, here we go. Local listings for rentable properties in our local paper, the Tarry Town Gazette. And there are some also listed here for sale.” She printed the newspaper out for him, and handed it over, “You can also look online on various relator sites, and our local bulletin board -we have an online and a physical one outside of Rathbone tower, that would be the large light house in the center of the island on that big hill -will have notices up for people looking to rent or offering rental space and other services.” She grinned, “Anything else I can help you with?”

            “A bank,” Lau requested and she raised her brow. “I’d like to know if there was a way to open an account here in town. What bank would you recommend?”

            “Fidelity Bank,” Patty said with no hesitation. “It’s local, and very well run. They even have a safety deposit box system for protecting various valuables.”

            “And where would that be located?” Lau asked pulling out his map and setting it down on the counter for her to circle the location for him.

            Patty pulled out a blue marker and circled it, then printed out directions, and handed them to him. “Here you go. It’s a few blocks north of here, towards Night Raven College. You can’t miss it; it’s painted green with two large guard ducks on the outside.”

            Lau raised his brow, “Large guard ducks?”

            “Oh, there’s a long old story about this one duck that was found swimming in gold. It’s more a wise tale, but the owner really liked it, so he saw ducks as his lucky charm, and put them up.” Patty explained and Lau nodded.

            This world keeps getting stranger by the moment. He thought. “We humbly thank you again for your information and help, Miss Patty.”

            “You’re welcome,” she smiled and he bowed to her along with Ran Mao.

            “Well then, have a nice day.”

            “You as well.” Patty said with a grin a they departed from the front desk.

            Making their way back to the stairs Ran Mao asked him directly.

            “What are you planning, brother?”

            “First we’re going to go look up this information about identification cards and print out examples of what we need,” Lau told her quietly as they made their way back up the stairs. “Then, we’re going to look up what we can about the flats that they have there (hopefully they won’t be too simple, but we can make due for now). Once we have that, we’re going to go to this bank, create two accounts, one for me, and one for you, and then, we’re going to make some inquiries about a flat to rent so we have an address. Then back to the Sunnyside, and home to the den.”

            “Alright. But what then?” she asked him and Lau smirked.

            “Then we’re going to have the boys do a lot of forging to get us the things we need to get these ID cards. Once we have them, we can then get those damn smartphones, and then get library cards so we can get the books we need to learn all there is to know about Twisted Wonderland.”

            “And then search for the Earl?” she asked him and Lau nodded.

            “And then search for the Earl and find out what he’s been up to, and how the hell he got here in the first place.”

            Strolling back over to the computer room upstairs, the two followed Patty’s directions and discovered the bank of computers off to the side. As quickly as possible Lau flagged down another clerk for help, and had the young man instruct him on the finer points of using the computer to search up the information he needed, while Ran Mao clicked around on another computer and discovered the world on online games. What was probably minutes really felt like hours to Lau as he searched, printed, searched, and printed again, repeating the steps over and over till he had everything he wanted from the sites.

            When he moved back from the computer screen, Ran Mao glanced over, asking. “Did you find everything?”

            “Yes, now look at these flats with me, would you?” He pulled her over in the wheel chair she was on, and the two clicked through five or six rental properties around town, choosing one near Port Crane as the view was nice and the small house seemed reasonable for the two of them to live in. Or at lease “appear” to live in.

            “That’s it,” he said and stood up. “Now let’s see if that bank is willing to give us accounts.”

            The two left the building quickly, and Lau noticed that the sun was starting to go down some, it was late after noon by this point, and he could see Ran Mao was starting to get hungry. Hustling her down the streets, the two stopped at a small café near the bank, where Lau could look over the papers he had, and, borrowing a pen from the front cashier, made marks and notes to himself on one set of the printed papers that he had for what he wanted the forged certificates to look like.

            Sated from hunger and pleased with their meal, Lau and Ran Mao made their way to Fidelity bank, where he -to his delight -quickly was able to get accounts for himself and Ran Mao set up in little time. With this ammunition, and putting some of his money in the account, both savings and checking, he and his sister made their way over towards Port Crane, which Ran Mao dubbed rather colorful, and better than the wharfs back in London.

            “Agreed,” Lau said as the two walked into the real-estate office and waited for a while to meet with an agent. The young man was polite, if not a bit dry, in personality, but was happy enough to take them to see the small cottage like house that they’d chosen to rent. The three talked for quite a while (mostly Lau) about the rental fees, and other aspects of the property. The agent was surprised by the “Rent to buy” offer Lau was giving, as he could easily afford to buy it outright with the money he had back in London, and easily agreed to talk it over with the owner. He suggested Lau come back in a few days, since they were staying in town, and he’d have a deal worked out.

            The trip back to the Sunnyside was longer, and rather than walk in the now cool late afternoon, as it was nearing sunset, Ran Mao suggested the bus back to the Sunnyside. Lau was both fascinated by the large horseless bus, delighted that, apparently even in different worlds buses and other transportation vehicles seemed to stay the same, and shaken up by some of the movement of the bus itself. Though it did give him a bit of a desire to possibly invest in the motor cars he’d been hearing about back home.

            Back at the Sunnyside the two went quickly back to their suite, and, after a stop for some freshening up in the bathroom, the two went to the mirror and stared at it.

            “Do you think if I repeat the steps I did to come in, we could leave?” Lau asked her and Ran Mao nodded.

            “That makes the most sense.”

            Lau pulled out the coin and the broach, tapped the glass three times, and nothing happened. He frowned. Where they stuck?

            “Not working?” she asked and he shook his head.

            “No, it’s not. I wonder why?”

            “Maybe we should change,” she motioned to the bags with their clothing that they’d changed out of and he nodded.

            “Maybe…” he muttered and the two switched clothing back into their traditional garb setting the new clothing off to the side for the time.

            Taking the broach and coin in hand, Lau tried to interact with the mirror once again. He reached out, holding the coin, and tapped three times with the broach, and, this time, the glass liquified, swirling into a pattern that grew farther away from them, and, taking Ran Mao by the hand, he put his through the glass, and walked in hoping for the best.

            When they stepped out of the mirror, they were back in the opium den. Back in the room where the mirror was, and the sun was still high in the sky. He quickly pulled out his watch and glanced at the time. It had been around five-thirty when they had arrived back at the Sunnyside, and they had left around nine in the morning. Lau had to assume it was around the same time when they had arrived at Fogg’s since it had not been open, or at least barely open, and most shops in London waited till, at least, ten in the morning before opening their doors, at earliest.

            So we have to then assume we were there for eight and a half hours, and yet…he looked at the watch again, and saw it was ticking away just past one in the afternoon. He furrowed his brows. This is rather odd. How could we be gone eight and a half hours and yet the clock here reads only five past 1. That would mean we’ve only been gone from here for four hours, and I know it was far longer. The sun was setting.

            The whole thing was confusing, and Lau decided it would be best to research it later. He looked down at the broach, and then felt the coin in his hand, running it between his fingers. Unlike the first time traveling, where the coin had been warm to the touch after he’d tapped the broach and it had resonated, it was now cold, as if it hadn’t been used.

            “It’s not warm,” he muttered, “I wonder…”

            “What?” Ran Mao asked stretching. The day had been exhausting but fun, and she was a bit sleepy. Though, judging by the light from the curtained window, it could only be early afternoon. Not nearly late enough for a nap. She glanced at him from over her shoulder as she rolled it. “Brother…?”

            “Hmmm?” he raised his brow as he stared at himself in the mirror.

            “Wonder what?” she asked again and Lau, who had been deep in thought, suddenly sat on the bed and motioned for her to sit on his lap. She did so and he asked her.

            “Ran Mao, would you think I was crazy if I proposed a theory to you?” She shook her head, and he shifted his eyes over to the mirror they’d just walked through, and back to her. “What if…”

            “What if?” she asked and he tugged on his collar, feeling the silk fabric between his thumb and index finger.

            “No, it can’t possibly be that simple.”

            “What can’t?” she asked resting her head on his shoulder and Lau petted her head like he would a cat’s.

            “I’m wondering if, the reason we were able to travel back here, was because of our clothing.” He said and she gave him a curious glance, looking up at him as Lau talked softly. “When we traveled to that place, Tarry Town, in Twisted Wonderland, we used the coin, and I said, based on what I read in the book, that it was acting like a key with the broach and the mirror. Because it was from Twisted Wonderland, it was a way to allow that strange portal to allow us to travel to that one dimension. So, I theorize, what if, our clothing from home acts as a way to get back.”

            “That makes sense.” She said softly. “We had to change before it worked, again.”

            “You’re right.” He nodded and pursed his lips. “It seems the best thing for us to do for next time, incase we end up getting dirty while in that other world, is to bring a change of clothing to come back in. If I’m right, our clothing acts like the coin does, because it comes from here in our world, and lets us travel back here when we use the broach.”

            Ran Mao nodded, “That makes sense.”

            “We’ll have to test it next time, of course, when we go back, but for now.” He gently nudged her to get up and she did, offering her hand to him, and Lau stood, dusting off his changshan smoothing down the silk fabric and grinning at Ran Mao, “we should go get these forged documents ready to be used for getting our ID cards.”

            She nodded eagerly and the two headed out and about in their den and the city proper.

            It took the better half of the afternoon to get everything together for forging the documents. But the Green Gang was, if nothing else, always up for a challenge; or, at least their forging crew was. All though the night they worked for their boss, crafting exceptional birth certificates, visas, and passports for Lau and Ran Mao. By the following morning, when Lau inspected them, he was more than a little impressed -enough that he ended up giving them bonuses, something he didn’t frequently do.

            He admired the passport the most, as it was a duplicate of the one, he had gotten when he’d come to London from Shanghai, only it was designed to have all the watermarks and appearances of a passport from the Land of the Red Dragon, based on the images in his search.

            “Perfect,” he said as he and Ran Mao readied themselves the next morning to return to Twisted Wonderland. He’d gathered quite a bit of money from his own secret stash for payments that he knew he needed to make once they left the Sunnyside Inn, and he also made certain to bring a scarf along for the chill.

            Ran Mao, on the other hand, had packed an additional two outfits to hang at the Sunnyside for the time being, and then, once they had the house and furnishings, to keep it there so they had something to use when they needed to get home.

            November 3^rd

            The trip through the mirror was a short jaunt this time, given that Lau now knew how to use it. The two had gotten up bright and early, eaten a light breakfast, bathed, and dressed for the occasion, making sure to bring along woolen coats, just to be on the safe side this time.

            “Three taps,” Lau said looking at the last remaining mirrors (the others he’d handed over to his girls to use at their leisure) and pulled up the broach and coin, tapping it firmly on the glass, then watching it become a swirling tunnel and smirked. “And we’re in.”

            He took Ran Mao’s hand, and the two stepped through the mirror in the Earl’s former room at the den, and exited via the mirror in the suite at the Sunnyside Inn in Tarry Town.

            “Were home.” Joked Ran Mao, and Lau chuckled.

            “Let’s get changed,” he suggested and she nodded holding up the bag she’d brought. “And we can put the extra clothing away. Then we’ll head to that real-estate office and,” he held up his envelop of cash, “Pay for our first months rent and get all the important things out of the way.”

            He pulled out a folder that had all the paper work, including forged bills that had the rental address on it, and double checked them all to ensure that everything was on point. If there was one thing Lau prided himself on it was being meticulous about details and direct to the point. If something stood in his way, well then, he’d have to remove it. Unlike Baldroy, who had allowed Ada to live -which, he had to admit, did benefit him in the long run, he had no issue ending people who were annoying. Mr. Jeb West and his wife had learned that all to well personally. Though, in their cases, he’d allowed them off with mere broken bone over having their skulls crushed by Ran Mao.

            Still, he wasn’t one to simply rely on the checking of others and, while Ran Mao hung up the clothing and was changing, he went about checking the pages to make certain that all was well and good.

            “Ready,” she said after several minutes, and he glanced over to see her wearing a variation of her outfit from the other day, only with a brown skirt, black shirt that read “Black Cat” on it with a little white cat in the front, and a fuzzy green sweater.

            “You look very cute,” he admired her and she nodded as he put the papers away and got up off the bed where he’d sat down. “I suppose I should change as well.”

            She nodded and sat down to wait as he stripped and swiftly changed into a dark blue turtle neck, black slacks, and a long dove gray vest with brown loafers.

            “How do I look?” he asked her. Ran Mao looked him up and down and said simply.

            “Cool.”

            He pouted, as he wrapped his scarf around his neck, “I was going more for charming or elegant, but cool will have to do.”

            The two unmade the beds, to give the appearance of sleeping in them, then, grabbing their coats, and making sure they had the papers and money, the two set off quickly out of the room. As they left Lau glanced down the hall to see the maid coming towards them. He smiled at her, glad he’d been smart enough to leave some wetted towels in the bathroom, and she waved back as he mentally noted the time, glancing at his watch, of when she arrived to clean.

            This way, we can ensure that people don’t get the idea that we’re not staying in the room. He thought as they made their way down to the lobby entrance and then out into the cool November morning.

            One bus ride downtown and the two were walking along the streets, using the map, to get to the real-estate office where they were greeted by their agent.

            “I’m happy to report the owner was pleased with the offer you made, and agreed on the rent to own deal.” He told them with a grin.

            “Wonderful,” Lau said and pulled out the money, shocking the man in the process. “Here’s the first month and a downpayment.”

            The agent quickly went about setting up the payment and processing the whole contract. It took longer than he’d expected, as he didn’t have everything in place as he had in London when he’d arrived there, thanks in part to the Earl and his rank in the Green Gang, which gave him pause and consideration on the idea of building up his network there.

            It’s going to need to start as soon as possible. The earlier, the better, as the saying goes. He thought as the agent hurriedly scramble to get all the paperwork filled in. After a half hour longer, the two had signed the deal for the rental, and were quickly off.

            “It’s eleven,” he muttered to Ran Mao and she nodded. “Best to get to that…what was it called again?”

            “The DMV,” she said and he smiled.

            “Yes, and I believe the clerk at the front desk said it was at the Town Hall,” he pulled out his map. “Now that is…here.”

            Pointing at the location, the two looked over the streets, then made their way back towards the east from the real-estate office, and wandered around the streets and past Rathbone Tower, until they found a rather nice, simple brick looking building, with two stories and windows that seemed the same size, which wrapped around the whole body of the building. In the front was a door way that was, like the library, mostly glass panes with wooden frames between them, but seemed more like something akin to a doorway built to mirror the Crystal Palace. The French doors greeted them at the entry, and Lau glanced up to see a clock tower that stood up on the roof telling the time with a rather nice set of brass bells that chimed out the hour. A small balcony was over the top of the entry, and hanging from it was a picturesque sign that read, “Tarry Town Village Hall” in bold silver letters with some fall décor around the frame in the form of leaves.

            “Quaint,” Lau chirped with a grin, and Ran Mao nodded as they marched in, acting like they knew exactly where they were going.

            Stopping by the main desk up front, and greeted by an elderly woman with gray hair dressed in a blue tweed suit, Lau asked in his charming tone where the DMV was. The woman, politely, directed him down the hallway to the left, and noted that he should have his paper work ready, as it would make the whole thing go faster.

            “Let’s hope so,” he noted, as getting a card back in London had been a bit of a chore given his status as the head of the Kong Rong shipping company. There had been questions raised of who he was and why he and Ran Mao were there. It had been more than a bit irritating having a bunch of snobbish Englishmen looking down on him, when his wealth back home in Shanghai could very well exceed their yearly salary ten times over.

            Here though, with all the strange looking people they had noticed as they’d walked around, he hoped that it would be less of a struggle.

            Making their way down the hall and finding the DMV had been, thankfully, a less arduous task than he’d thought and he and Ran Mao were swiftly shuffled into one line, and then -once the woman at the first counter found out what they were there for -quickly shoved into another for just ID cards.

            The first major hurdle, getting the papers looked over by the woman, and passing the inspection, had been passed, and the two found seats, and the waiting began. After nearly two hours, of waiting, and waiting, and more waiting, the two were finally called over and Lau handed over the papers in the folder to an older gentleman, who looked them over for a few minutes.

            “Seems good,” he said and passed them on to the next window, where they had to fill in information about their new location. Ran Mao finished far faster than Lau did, much to his own amusement and impatience, but he somehow managed to get it done. He’d never liked paperwork to begin with.

            So tedious, he thought as they moved around and had to wait again while the files were filled out.

            Eventually the two were called, using the Chang last name, and had their pictures taken and ID cards printed.

            With that in hand the two then wasted no time heading for the library and visiting the front desk to get two new library cards. Patty was delighted to service them, and Lau was even more delighted to see the utter befuddled face of the Technology librarian when he sauntered in, library card in hand, and requested joining a computer class.

            She blinked as he handed over the card to her, “You actually got one?”

            “Yes,” he smirked, “didn’t you hear me when I said I was going to sign up for your class?”

            She sighed, and he hid a laugh, knowing that she was going to be rather vexed with him and his charming nature.

            By two-twenty in the afternoon the two had made it out of the library and were back on the streets, making their way to Mike’s Micro-Phone’s, where Lau intended to give Mr. Thompson an earful. However, that wasn’t the case, as the man that had annoyed him wasn’t there, and another man, Mr. Jones, was working with Kathy.

            Surprisingly things went far more smoothly this time, and Kathy was able to ring up a set of rather expensive and very new to market, flip smart phones for the two of them, along with cases. Of course, Lau got a green one with a dragon designed on it, while Ran Mao opted for a bunch of colorful cats.

            Outside of the store Ran Mao was already working out how to use the device, and was sitting with Lau by the bus stop, resting.

            “What a day it’s been,” he said to her, and she nodded, trying to figure out how the internet worked.

            “Yes, it has.”

            He pulled out his watch and checked the time, “It’s nearly four thirty.”

            “Mmmhmm…” she said then both heard a growl coming from her.

            Lau let out a laugh, “Seems someone is hungry.”

            They heard another growl, this time from him and she glanced down at his stomach and then up at his, slightly embaressed face.

            “Yes it does.”

            Lau chuckled, “Well, then. Shall we have lunch?”

            Ran Mao gave a short nod as she tucked the phone away while he pulled out the map once more.

            “If I can recall, that woman from the antique store said there was a restaurant that served food from the Land of the Red Dragon.” He looked around and Ran Mao pointed it out to him. “Ah yes, Wong's Tea House and Palace. Sounds interesting. A tea house and a palace? I wonder how that would work?”

            “We should go. I’m getting hungry.” Ran Mao admitted as she stood up as the bus arrived.

            He nodded in agreement, and, one bus ride later, the two were standing before a rather unique looking restaurant, which was tucked away at the corner of a busy street. The building itself was red brick which stood out to Lau as it cast a lovely contrast to the dark jade green elements around the façade. Four wooden pillars, painted dark jade green stood up holding up the awning that wrapped around the first floor of the building. The awning itself was a slightly lighter green color and had, in red painted in both, what he recognized as Chinese Hanzi, followed by the name Wong's Tea House and Palace written also in English under it. Around the body of the text was neon tubing, which, at the moment, was turned off for the daylight hours.

            Red lanterns of luck hung with their familiar gold tassels under the awning, welcoming guests, and around each window was a dark jade green frame, contrasting the red bricks. On the front of the building, nearest the corner by the street, was a crane flying, done in the same neon tubing, holding a kite, with the restaurant’s name written discreetly over it. On each corner at the top, just under the awning, Lau noticed four crane mosaics, which were gold and black, and illuminated by a set of old-fashioned flower shaped lamps that hung over them.

            Cranes seem to be a theme here, he thought as ne noted the two guardian lions standing at attention at the doorway to greet would be guests. Rather cute. This place…I like it.

            Ran Mao nudged him and he looked up to see a balcony over the awning, with the jade pillars holding up the front drop awning that hung off the roof to create the cover for the balcony. Decorating it was metal railings of the dark green Jade color, that wrapped between the four pillars, each designed to mimic familiar screen decoration techniques that he’d seen back home. Lau glanced over them and noted that they stood up to the waist of a young man who was standing at the railing talking with two other boys.

            More lanterns decorated the top awning as well and several pieces of artwork, depicting rural family life from the farming region (which Lau noted was very similar to what was painted on scrolls back home), and a Chinese phoenix, hung over the doorways to the balcony, along with a sign noting the name of the restaurant, only this time only in Chinese Hanzi. And hanging just above the balcony, where someone could easily reach them, were several baskets of tea plants.

            Fall decorations were all over the building; wrapped around the railings and the pillars, were leaf garlands. Pumpkins, scarecrows and other such cute festive decorations were in the windows and off to the sides of the building. It was a cozy sort of building and one Lau could find himself easily relaxing in.

            “It looks rather hospitable,” Lau noted and Ran Mao smiled. “I do hope the food is as tasty, given how interesting this outside looks.”

            Clasping his hand around the door handle of the wooden door, Lau pulled it open and the two walked into Wong's Tea House and Palace, with optimistic expressions on their faces. The moment the smell of the food hit Lau, he knew he was home.