Mei Tan's Party (Open!)

[Kio Ten Fong]

Nodding to the woman he now knew was the avatar, “It’s an honor to have an avatar visiting Bah sing se, and I must admit that the rumors of you’re beauty fall short” said Kio in the most respectful tone he could muster. This time the act wasn’t that hard to put on, for it was true, but still it killed him to be that formal. Next he turned to the Fire Nation diplomat, but before he could answer the hostess started talking.

Kio was…..surprised to say the least, in the manner that Mei had addressed him. Most people were always kissing up to him when they needed a favor from his father, but this woman; there was something well something different about her. Laughing a little at the woman’s insults he shook his head, “Oh well you know for special occasions the old man lets me stay out extra late!” Kio said in a childish and especially sarcastic tone. Pausing he thought over some reports he had heard of the woman, and from how he interpreted them this next statement would get under her skin. “But I am surprised lady Mei, the cold blood in the old veins still pumps through that crippled heart of yours? I would have thought that an older lady such as you would be in bed at this hour.”

He had said this in the most serious tone he could, he hated this woman and all she stood for, pain, suffering, death and most of all greed. He saw her as the reason the capitol cities crime rate was so high, and he intended to let her know it. “You know something? Most people who want an audience with my father don’t bad mouth me, you want to know why? Because if they reside in the earth kingdom that means they are ruled by MY father and for another thing, I will one day be king, and trust me, when the throne is mine, scum such as yourself will have you’re place, in a jail cell along with the murders and petty thieves you help get there.” He had now forsaken all princely manners and it would seem his duty as well. His father wanted peace with this woman, but just the thought of it made his blood boil, this was one person Kio Ten Fong didnt want running free in the kingdom.

Taking a deep breathe he finished his statement “now, if you want to bark I will bark back, but if you want to enjoy this party of yours without the influence of city guards I would suggest to you that the insults drop now.” Glaring at the woman Kio’s green eyes flared, he knew that he still needed to talk on the matters of his father, but he was struggling to control his anger towards the lady. Turning to the diplomat and the avatar Kio said “I apologize for that…outburst, and yes my father is doing well. It is a pleasure to meet you also” he was kicking himself for what he had just said, and he knew it was going to cause problems later on but he was trying not to think about it.

[Kassa]

Kassa shot a fierce look at the hostess as the biting words came, aimed at the prince. The avatar couldn't believe that a mere merchant, even a successful one, would have the audacity to speak to royalty that way. The redhead opened her mouth to bark out a reply, her blood boiling from Mei's words. But, to her surprise, before she could get even a word out, the prince was speaking. And by the sound of it, he hadn't taken to Mei's speech very well either. Kassa looked at the prince, and as she listened more and more to his words, the smug grin on her face grew.

Way to tell it to her! Her brain shouted gleefully. It was words like that, albeit not the same words, that Kassa had wanted to say to the woman all night. She was a bit surprised it was someone of royal lineage doing so, as she was sure he had been trained to hold his tounge, but still, she could appreciate the words. In fact, Kassa found her like for the prince, and her respect for him, growing. She glanced at Mei, to see how the woman was taking it. And this time, she didn't even bother to wipe her own smug grin off her face. In fact, she wanted the woman to see it.

[Mei Tan]

Mei glared at the young prince. She knew that she had started the conflict, but she wasn’t the least bit happy with how she was being spoken to. She quickly folded her fan, causing it to snap shut, and held it close to her face. She put on the nicest smile she could muster after being humiliated so badly. She let a small laugh escape her lips, trying to make it seem as if the prince’s words didn’t affect her in the least, “I see you haven’t learned how to recognize flirting, young prince. How quickly you become angered, I hope it doesn’t reflect your leadership skills.” She giggled a little, “You know your highness, my business, and my contacts all are respectable people, you would do well to remember that.” She opened her fan and waved it playfully at the prince, though it was her actual intent to hit him, but trying to annoy him with air would have to suffice. “Since I obviously offended your highness, I shall make it a point to send some goods to the palace, as a way of an apology.” She bowed her head slightly, only to hide the devious smile that came over his lips. Poisoning the food that would be sent would make a wonderful gift indeed.

As Mei brought her head up she couldn’t help but see the smirk on Kassandra’s face. The girl was enjoying her being ridiculed. Mei scowled and brought her fan up to her face to hide her anger, though her eyes showed much of it. She had taken enough verbal abuse for now, and needed to step away before her anger got the best of her. She did her best to make a cute, innocent face and looked at the three, “Please excuse me, everyone,” she said bowing her head a little and stepping back, “I think I need another drink…” she lifted her head and moved away from the group, heading to the giant dining room table in the center. She quickly folded her green fan and placed it back into her right sleeve, “Of all the…” she mumbled while grabbing a glass of the sweet liquor from the table and drinking it quickly. After finishing the drink she slammed it down onto the table, causing it to break in her hand. “Great…” she said, noticing her hand left hand was now bleeding from a small cut. Grabbing a cloth on the table she dabbed the cut, trying to stop the bleeding, aware that many of her quests were staring at her. She took her attention away from her cut and shot a few of them a glare, making them look away in a hurry. She sighed and went back to tending her cut, while trying to think of a way to salvage the night.

[Takumi]

Takumi repressed an amused smile from the prince's words and the avatar's ensuing expression. It was apparent he wasn't afraid of speaking his mind. Mei Tan took the outburst gracefully, if not a bit vindictively before excusing herself.

Takumi sipped his wine thoughtfully as he watched the hostess injure herself. "I hope Lady Tan is alright," he said softly, debating whether to follow and assist. On one hand, he could learn about some useful information and establish a beneficial connection, on the other, she could refuse him and he could also miss out on truly meeting the Earth Kingdom prince. He glanced at Kassa and then at the Fire Sage that had taken the responsibility of her 'supervisor'.

He was loathe to leave her alone, even if he would be away distracting the most current threat. Along with this, he recognized many familiar faces among the crowd of wealthy nobles, and they weren't the most harmless people he'd ever met, from what he could hear from his contact reports. He recognized the darkness that is Mei Tan the moment he walked into the room and while he admittedly shouldn't be one to talk about the darkness in other people, he wasn't about to leave the avatar to Mei Tan or anything associated with her clutches.

[Kassa]

Kassa tilted her head lightly, her grin never fading. Yes, she could see the anger in Mei's eyes, and it only served to make her enjoy the other's embarassment more. She chuckled lightly under her breath when the woman walked off, obviously trying to retain as much dignity as possible. She continued to watch Mei for a moment, and saw the woman grip her glass just a bit too hard. Kassa made an almost content noise under her breath, although she allowed her grin to fall. People getting hurt wasn't supposed to be funny, after all. But Kassa couldn't help but think that maybe it was karma.

The avatar glanced over at Takumi when he questioned Mei's wellness. "I'm sure shes fine." Kassa said quietly, the scorn in her voice was hardly controlled. "After all, I'm sure she is quite capable of taking care of herself." She sighed lightly, completely turning her back on the hostess. She reached out to the side with one hand, and for a second was surprised when she didn't feel warm fur there. Of course, then she remembered that Xiu was back at the temple, seeing as the fire sage had said that 'having an animal at the party simply wont do.' Kassa grinned sheepishly, pulling her hand back. It was a habit to reach out for her pet and friend when nervous or annoyed. It was odd not having the Shirshu around.

"So, Takumi," She said, "How have you been since we last saw eachother?" She welcomed the chance to talk to the advisor without the interference of Mei.

[Mei Tan]

Mei Tan stood silently by the large dining room table, drinking another glass of the liquor slowly. Her hand had stopped bleeding, allowing her to drop the bloodied cloth back onto the table where she had gotten it and continue her fuming. She glared at the conversing trio, mostly at the prince though. He had insulted her, and his voice still ran through her head, making her angrier by the second. He may have been the prince, but to her he was still a brat that was lucky enough to be born into royalty. She fumed within her mind more until she noticed a well dressed man making his way towards her. Mei knew the man, she had done business with him many times, and he was an old friend of her fathers. Mei sighed as the man finally made his way in front of her, now standing only a few feet away. She slowly took her fan out of her right sleeve with her left hand and unfolded it, placing it in front of her mouth, “What do you want, Lee Tong?” Mei asked in an annoyed tone, “Shouldn’t you be busy?”

The bald, fat, short, and overly cheerful Lee Tong stood close to Mei Tan and chuckled, “Hello Lady Tan, you’re as beautiful as ever I see!” He slowly stretched out his chubby hand, almost as if to grab her inappropriately, but reached past her and grabbed a tray of meat. He sat the tray next to himself on the table and began to shove slivers of the meat into his large mouth.

Mei stared in disgust as she watched the large man stuff his face full of meat, “My goodness…” she said in disbelief. “You could at least try to act like you’re a bureaucrat.” She averted her eyes away from the feeding man as he chewed with his mouth open, making disgusting sounds in the process. “What are you even doing in here? Shouldn’t you be overseeing the loading of the goods?” She waited for a moment for a reply, but the man ignored her and kept feasting on the meat. “Tong!” she shouted while keeping her fan close to her mouth, “What are you doing in here?!”

“Sorry…” the large man said apologetically. He slowly put a half chewed piece of food back on the tray and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “I came in here to tell you that we’ve almost gotten all the goods into the carriages outside.” He smiled, making his large face lift, but sweat could be seen on his head. “We’ve run into a slight problem though…” he said in a whisper, “The men want to stop loading the goods and just take what we have...” the chubby man bowed his head slightly, trying to prepare for the oncoming screams that would escape the woman’s mouth.

Mei stared at the fat man with a confused look, “What do you mean they want to stop?” Mei got closer to the chubby man and lowered her voice to a menacing whisper, “What am I paying them for, half a job?” She folded her fan up and began slapping the face of the older man, causing him to whimper with each hit. “I want those goods loaded, taken to the farms outside Ba Sing Se, and tended to until they are paid for!” She stopped hitting the man, people were beginning to watch in confusion, but a glare from Mei made many of them reconsider getting involved. She was grateful many of the guests were too busy talking amongst themselves to notice what was going on.

Tong nodded, trying to appease the angered woman, “I know what you want Lady Tan, but the men think that there are Dai Li wondering outside the manor. They won’t move any more goods out the windows of the room until they are gone…” he was silenced by a glare shot at him by Mei.

“Listen to me, you large, disgusting, relic of a man!” Mei kept her voice low as she spoke, “I want those goods loaded within the hour, and if they aren’t, you can expect me and some of my other associates to visit you and your family in the night, am I understood?” She watched as the man nodded slowly, “All of those little pest’s drinks were drugged, so they should be easy to deal with. Just load them fast, and get out of the city! The guards have already been paid off, so you won’t have to stop! Now get out of my sight!” The man nodded again and slowly left without saying another word. Mei unfolded her fan and took a drink from her glass before she sat it down on the table and looked around the room to make sure no one heard the conversation that had just taken place. The last thing Mei needed was her plan to halt completely because of a few Dai Li that may have been wandering around because of the prince. She stared around the room and smiled wickedly, hiding the expression with her fan, there were many parents here tonight; she’d make a good profit if everything went according to her plan. Throwing this party for her clients wasn’t such a waste after all, so long as nothing unexpected happened. Mei couldn’t help but remember the remark she had made towards the prince about going to join the children in the other room. She was thankful that he hadn’t taken her up on the offer, lest all her planning go to waste due to her own folly.

[Takumi]

"I've been quite well, thank you," Takumi smiled. "And how about you? How have you been? I hope I can provide you with pleasant enough company, though I realize it may not amount to Xiu's presence," he chuckled. He had seen her unconscious action and admitted that even he missed the creature. It was strange seeing Kassa without her lively pet.

Kassa's back being turned towards Mei Tan, it was easy for Takumi to glance past her at the woman. He noticed her being approached by a stout man and witnessed their odd interaction. He was obviously a lackey of some sort if she was able to hit him so easily. Why she would strike him however was the more pressing question. Though he knew it was possible she could be simply taking out her anger with the Earth Kingdom Prince on the man; they seemed to be discussing something more important than that. Her whispering was also another cause of suspicion; from what he'd seen of her so far, it didn't seem she'd whisper over something so petty as an injuring of pride.

He was honestly curious. His more wealthy associates, many of whom he'd already greeted in this very room had been pestering him to find the head of all their troubles and cut it off - or, at the very least, give them a name. His always considerate 'good-will' obliged him to grant their restless favors and he had a notion Mei Tan was the head. If she was committing some crime now, it would benefit him greatly if he could follow and gather information.

As the stout man began to leave, Takumi lightly swirled his wine glass, contemplating.

[Kassa]

Kassa laughed lightly, grinning. Ah, ever observant Takumi, she mused. She wasn't surprised that he had seen her gesture. "I've been well, myself. Your company is perfectly pleasant, and frankly," She turned around to glance at Mei pointedly, "very welcome. In fact, your timing was quite appreciated." She added, dropping her voice slightly. She would not speak frankly about what she was saying, but she knew that the implications wouldn't be missed by Takumi. He was far to observant for that. "I will admit though," she started, her voice returning to normal, "that Xiu's absent is bothersome. But she would hardly fit in here, and I almost envy her, being able to stay behind at the temple." Kassa chuckled.

Noticing Takumi's eyes focused behind her, Kassa turned her head slightly so that she could see the hostess as well. The woman was speaking with a short little man, and even though Kassa couldn't hear the words being exchanged it was obvious that Mei was unhappy with something. When the firebender saw the woman slapping the man in the face, and the way that he stood and took it, she let out a small 'tsk' noise. "Shes treating him like some kind of animal, and he's not doing anything about it." She hissed under her breath. She turned her head away from the scene. It made her blood broil, and the sparks at her finger tips showed just how annoyed it made her. She knew, however, that it wasn't any of her business, and getting involved in something like that was a foolish idea.

The hatred she felt for the woman deepened, however.

[Mei Tan]

Mei lightly fanned herself and sighed, “What to do until then…” She had to make sure she was seen at the party, lest people get suspicious after the good were loaded. Her eyes drifted back over to the young Kassandra. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought have having the girl as her own later this evening. She liked the idea, but sadly, it was wishful thinking at this point. The young avatar didn’t seem too impressed with her, which shocked Mei to no end. She was Mei Tan, one of the, if not the richest person in Ba Sing Se, and she was being brushed off by a woman younger than herself. The whole thing seemed unreal, and Mei Tan, while thinking of the girl, became annoyed and decided that she’d try to seduce the young woman once more, and hopefully get the results she wanted.

Slowly Mei Tan mad her way over to Takumi and Kassandra, she would have to be very careful with her words this time. She stood next to Takumi, and faced him, standing a few feet away, “I’m sorry I left for so long, I had business to take care of with…” she tried to think of a lie so that it seemed like nothing criminal had transpired, “one of my partners in the market, a food shipment didn’t get delivered to the right stand.” She laughed a little and looked to Takumi, “Sometimes a swift hit is the only way to motivate people, don’t you agree?” She hated making small talk with Takumi, but she needed to make it seem as though she had no interest in Kassandra for now, and then slowly push herself onto the young woman.

[Takumi]

Takumi smiled at the avatar. "I have no doubt Xiu's missing you as well. And my timing has been known to be quite convenient," he chuckled.

Seeing her glare of hatred, Takumi curiously glanced at Mei Tan once again. She was moving towards them now and, surprisingly, situated herself next to him. He slightly turned towards her as she began to speak.

He gave a bemused smile. "Truly? If such a small mistake, and one that could be remedied so easily, would warrant such punishments, I believe your people are highly motivated indeed. Are you quite sure that was all that man did to aggrieve you so?" he asked softly, dark red eyes lidded, searching Mei Tan's face for any hint of deceit.

[Kassa]

Kassa watched as the woman approached again, burying her displeasure so that it was not visible. She was almost glad that she was now focusing her attention on Takumi, and it seemed as if she had given up on Kassa. This, of course, was perfectly fine with the avatar. Although she was usually one who disliked being ignored, in this case she'd rather be ignored than be the center of the woman's attention. Instead she simply listened half-heartedly as Mei and Takumi conversed. It was almost sickening how Mei tried to excuse her actions. No one deserved to be hit like that, humans weren't animals to be treated how she wished.

Kassa glanced over at the two, her amber eyes dark. "Just because they may be lower on the totem pole than you does not warrant such abuse. Those you command shouldn't be your slaves, yours to do with as you will. Its sickening." She said softly, her eyes glittering. So much for keeping her mouth shut, then.


OOC: Its so short, I'm really sorry. ;_;

[Kio Ten Fong]

Kio could only shake his head as the lady smacked the large man with her fan. “Loyalty is better earned with respect, not with embarrassment and fear.” He said softly as the woman yelled at him. “She treats people like a commodity, its sickening.” He stated in a follow up. The woman walked back to the group and Kio was already sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, trying to think of how to patch things up to talk to her about his fathers concerns. He was to give her a letter of which Kio hadn’t looked at, but in reality it was a business proposal between his father and Mei Tan, one in which his father would go into a partnership with the merchant and split the profits equally. If Kio had read this note he would be furious and probably have leveled half of Bah Sing Se by now in rage, but he hadn’t and his view on his father’s actions towards this woman stayed pure.

Walking back to the group Kio slowly came back into the conversation. “Lady Mei Tan, I apologize for my earlier outburst and I do hope that my father’s wishes can still be brought across. I don’t think highly of you that much is for sure, but my father wanted me to deliver this” handing the note to the woman he hoped she would still take it.

The latter read: “Lady Mei Tan, this letter is in regards to business. This is a proposal from the royal family that we join forces, a partnership if you will. You’re end of this would be to keep most of the crime down to a usual level (at the prospective of the populace that is) and mine would be to give you free reign with the occasional arrest on underlings that would be predetermined by yourself. Also you would make sure that the people stay in line and don’t look at me for any of these dealings. I will open a time during the next week in which we can discuss this in person, but for now I must ask that this arrangement be kept secret, I wouldn’t want anyone of importance to know that the King is working with the merchant queen.

Sincerely: Weh Ten Fong, King Of Bah Sing Se"

[Mei Tan]

Mei turned her attention to the prince and smiled, while moving her fan away from her face, “You should be sorry, talking to a woman in such a way will only drive them further from you, your highness.” She laughed haughtily and took the letter from the young prince, “Let’s see…” she opened the letter and began reading it thoroughly, nodding as her eyes scanned its contents. She finished reading the letter, folded it and placed it inside her robe, keeping it safe. Mei’s smile turned into a smirk and she covered her face with her fan once again, “Your father is a wise King indeed, young prince, you should be proud.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at the proposal that had just been offered to her. If everything went as according to plan tonight, Mei would be able to double, no triple her income, and gain an immense amount of money by extorting the King. No longer would she have to have her men skulk about the city, making crooked deals. She could do whatever she pleased once this deal was complete.

Mei turned to Takumi and smiled, the night had suddenly become much more enjoyable, and Mei was going to try and obtain the fire avatar. She’d just have to mingle a little longer, and then once the party ended she’d simply suggest that her fire nation friends stay the night, and that’s when she would make her move. Until then she simply had to wait through the few more hours of the party. She’d make small talk until she knew Tong had completed the job. She smiled at Takumi, “You should teach the young prince how to speak to women, he could learn some things from you.” She was trying to butter the diplomat up so her request later would seem like a friendly offer, and make the avatar feel much more comfortable around her.

[Takumi]

Takumi watched a smile grow on Mei Tan's face as she read through the letter. He glanced thoughtfully at the prince. His father had him deliver a letter to Lady Tan, and he didn't believe the subject of such would be very beneficial to himself. He had spoken with the Earth King before, listening to his complaints about the troubles the more shadowy businesses have been causing the town and how his people are looking to him for an answer. He seemed quite desperate in the last meeting Takumi had the priviledge of attending, and Takumi suspected the king may go to unbelievable lengths to satisfy his people this time around.

He turned in attention as Mei Tan began speaking to him. He smiled at her comment. "Oh no, I'm sure Prince Fong requires no lesson from me. Yet all the same, I appreciate the compliment."

He looked briefly at Kassa. There can be only one reason Mei Tan would be so pleasant to him after her clear display of dislike for his being in the way of her taking away Kassa. She was attempting to bypass him through false kindness. It wasn't the first time it was done to him and he found himself using the exact same method when dealing with most people as well. It was a rudimentary tactic among powerless royals and nobles alike and, what most might think odd, works quite well with the lower and more criminally-inclined society as well. As long as you appear sincere enough and keep up the charade in front of everybody, and Takumi, who has been playing this game for a while is nearly flawless with his mask, almost everybody can be fooled.

Nevertheless, he could use Mei Tan's intentness on the avatar to his advantage...

[Kio Ten Fong]

Kio was confused, what his father told him was on the letter shouldn’t have made her happy, but quite the contrary. Anger built inside him as he thought of all the possible things that could have brightened her attitude to that degree. “Miss Tan, wouldn’t you please tell me you’re answer in regards to the tax increase?” Said a furious Kio with a hint of malice in his voice, of course he knew that that wasn’t what was on the note and this would prove it. His father had told him that it was a note stating that the taxes on all items that she was selling was going to sky rocket unless she got out of the underground trafficking of Bah Sing Se.

He was lying of course because something like that should have angered her not made her happy. “I would hate for my father to not receive an answer and have to send guards in here for your arrest, unless of course that note had nothing to do with taxes.” Said the Prince in a stern tone, he knew that other people would be staring but he didn’t care; at this point he was collecting the earth all around him that was under the estate and was preparing to rock this party if it ended up his father was aiding this witch in any way.