"I got a brain too, and more than just half of one."
The words echoed in his head as he watched the trio of boys walk away from his domain. He climbed up to his look out spot, making sure that there were no more visitors headed for his territory. His eyes scanned the area, wondering if he had been too harsh with the Manhattan boys. "You did the right thing you know," the voice came behind him. The leader of the Brooklyn newsies slowly turned his head to look at the speaker. "It's quite disconcerting how you can just appear like that," he said to his spymaster. The smaller boy grinned sardonically, "I know, that's why I do it."
The first time Li had shown up, the Spot's predecessor had been certain that the tiny Asian boy would wash out in the first week. Everyone had been shocked when the little boy had turned into one of the top sellers of the district. They had been more surprised when he survived his first fight- and won. Spot had recognized a valuable ally when he saw one and the two had become fast friends. When Spot had announced his claim to the Brooklyn territory, Li was the first one to back him up.
Li had made himself invaluable by always bringing Spot as much information about the various New York territories, so much so that his job soon became to spy on the other newsies instead of selling his papes. That's how Spot had known so much about the Manhattan boys' plans before they even stepped foot on the Brooklyn bridge.
Spot turned to study the younger boy. Li was Asian and surprisingly petite for someone who could pack such a punch. The only other truly remarkable thing about Li was his long hair. He refused to cut it, insisting that he could actually get into more places with long hair than he could with short. Instead he pulled it into a low tail at the back of his neck, keeping the long strands out of his face. Spot thought he was strange, but left him alone; none of his other spies had half the information that Li always seemed to get. He still wore the same garments as the rest of the newsies, right down to the hat and suspenders. Li raised an eyebrow as Spot. "I got somethin' on my face?" he asked roguishly.
"Nah, I still just don't get why yur hair is so long."
"And you probably never will because you'll never see me at work in the other territories. Besides, it would be rude to the spirits of my ancestors to cut my hair."
"You don't believe that nonsense."
"Perhaps."
Spot just shook his head, "What do you mean I did the right thing?" he asked, effectively changing the subject.
"Jack means well, but he is not the brains of this operation. That boy David is. Anything Jack has said came out of David's mouth first. However David does not have the common man's tongue. He is smart, but the boys will not follow him- after all, he has only been a newsie for two days now. With such torn leadership and personalities, unless the boys truly are willing to face down the police, the whole operation will fail within a number of days. If you were to join immediately, we could not test their mettle to see if this is indeed something that they will be willing to work for." The raven-haired boy shook his head. "I know he is your friend, but it is not wise to risk the lives of the men under your command simply because a friend has decided to play with something larger than himself."
Spot took all of that in without comment. He knew that Li spoke only the truth, but he still had an uneasy feeling about all of this. "And when did I become a bird?" Li asked with amusement. Spot grinned; he wondered if Li would have caught his 'birdie' reference. "When you started flitting between newsie camps," he answered. His eyes when back to the horizon, gazing toward Manhattan again.
"So you gonna tell me to follow them now or just keep staring after them?"
"Yeah I'm gonna tell you ta go. Cheeky bastard. Good luck with it though. Those boy's are tight, you won't be able to get in as easily as you say you do. Come to think of it, you've never told me how you manage to get in there without getting in trouble and get out with extra coin in your pocket."
Li smirked, "And I never will," he replied, vaulting over the edge of the lookout as he headed on his next assignment. Spot shook his head at the spy's retreating figure. He would never understand that boy.
Li slunk through the Manhattan slums, heading toward the brothel near to the newsies boarding house. Li quickly knocked the fast pattern on the back door. The door opened to a tall Irish woman in a lacy green bustier, skit, and stockings. "Li! Back so soon already darling?" she asked as she rushed the Asian through the door, looking both ways before shutting and locking the door. "What are those foolish boys up to now?" the tall redhead demanded as she ushered Li towards the changing rooms. Li grinned cheekily at her, "Well, that's what I'm here to find out Jana."
"Oh, tush you," Jana said affectionately as she swatted at Li's bottom. "Hurry up and get changed. You need to be out of here before our customers arrive and want to have a crack at your sweet face." Li nodded in hurried agreement, pulling of the hat and shirt while walking. "Hey girls, look who's here!" Jana cried as she opened the door to the dressing room. Li sauntered in behind her, waving at them and their greetings while stripping. "You're things are over here sugar," a busty blonde called out was she applied rouge to her cheeks. Li headed in her direction, reaching with one hand to rifle through the box while chatting with all of the girls. Out came a sensible but worn dark brown skirt, white blouse, stockings, and red shawl. Li kicked of the remaining clothes to pull on the stockings first, which were followed by the skirt and shoes, before reaching for the remaining items.
"I'll never understand why such a pretty girl like you dresses like a boy all of the time," Beth, the blonde, sighed as Li unbound her breasts and put on the more comfortable ones kept at the house. "Freedom," came the muffled reply as Li slid into the blouse, tucking the ends firmly into her skirt and began trying to do her hair. "Oh here darling, you never can get it right," Jana laughed as she took the brush from the Asian girl and began artfully braiding her hair into an elaborate design. Beth took advantage of Li's complacency and quickly dusted a light layer of powder across her tan features quickly followed by the light rouge before Li could protest. "Just let us dress you up Li," Jana said. "Its not often that we get to, so we're going to make you beautiful for whatever job you're headed on." Li shrugged and pursed her lips as directed by Beth before the blonde smeared the red lip color across her lips. She then dusted a lighter powder just over her eyelids and lined them with charcoal. "Finished!" Jana declared as she and Beth released her. The other girls crowded around, oohing at her new look. "Oh Li, you look so exotic and beautiful!" cried one of the younger girls, a little Italian girl named Maria.
Li blushed and asked if her brother Racetrack would be walking the same route back from Sheepshead that night. The Italian nodded. "Just don't you go breaking his heart now that you're all gorgeous," she joked. "I'll do my best," Li smiled back as she adjusted her shawl. "I'm not used to looking so pretty myself."
The girls laughed and waved merrily to her as Li tossed her breeches and suspenders into the box. She headed down the stairs and managed to make it to the corner where she would meet Racetrack just minutes before he arrived.
"Why Lianna," he said gallantly, "I has been missin you since we last parted. How is life down in Chinatown?" He swept his hat off his head before offering his arm. Li laughed, easily falling into her role as a simple Chinese girl. "I've been fine," she said giggling, "How've you been?"
"Well there's been some changes from the last time you were at the Newsies's house Lianna. Come on you'll see. I'm sure that the rest of the boys'll be happy to see ya too. Jack especially, you know how he likes to preen. He'll pro'bly be mad he didn't know you were comin, especially considerin how pretty you look tonight. You get dressed up just fur me?" He winked roguishly at her as they strolled down the street.
"Why of course Race, I always dress up just for you. How could you think otherwise?" she teased him back. They had reached the Newsies's lodging house and Racetrack opened the door, waiting for Li to pass though before passing her and racing up the stairs calling "boys! We got company of the feminine persuasion so find yur pants!" It must have been a powerful incentive because by the time Li had reached the boy's room, all of the boys were dressed and most even had their hair combed.
Li smiled as she entered. The younger boys visibly relaxed when they saw who it was. The older ones seemed more shocked than anything else. She knelt down as the younger boys ran to her crying "Lianna! Lianna! You came to visit us! We thought you'd forgotten us!"
"Why never my darlings!" she responded as she hugged each of them, wiping off smudges on their faces and running her fingers though tousled hair. "I could never forget any of you! You are all much too sweet to be forgotten. Have you all been good?" At their nods, she pulled out liquorish sticks for them and distributed them evenly among the boys. "But who's this?" she asked looking curiously at a small boy who had hung back.
Racetrack brought him forward, "This is Les. He's Davie's little brother. You'll meet him in a minute." Li smiled at the child as he clung to Race. "Would you like a liquorish stick too Les?" At his shy nod she handed him one, reaching out to pat him on the hand as he took it.
"So Les, do you want to introduce me to your brother?" Li asked him smiling. He nodded and took her hand, pulling her towards a tall boy next to Jack. "Lianna," he said looking up at her, "this is my brother David." Li smiled at the brunette and did a small curtsey to David as she still held Les's hand. "A pleasure to meet you." She had already know who he was, and probably much more than any of the other boys did about these two brothers, but she couldn't reveal that without revealing who she really was, so she had to content herself with playing dumb and receiving the introduction. David blushed, "A pleasure to meet you too Lianna."
Jack broke through the pleasantries by jumping in front Li and bowing low over her hand before kissing it. "You didn't forget about me did you Lianna? I'd be devastated; after all you get more beautiful every time I see you." David glared a little at Jack for cutting in on him before he schooled his features into a smile. Li laughed, "Jack you flirt. You know I wouldn't forget you or any of the other boys now would I, Blink?" effectively pulling the other boy into the conversation. The blonde grinned at her before stealing her arm and leading her over to a seat near him and Mush. "Of course not Lianna, you're too nice a girl to go forgettin' us."
"So tell us something new," Blummets said as he took a seat on the floor near her. She laughed as all of the boys began finding chairs and looking at her with rapt attention. "Nothing much happens at the lantern store. I just do my painting and then go get something to eat. You boys know that. You tell me something new."
"We're going on strike," Crutchy said before any of the others could respond. Li made her eyes go wide as she looked around the room, pretending to look for confirmation of this statement. The boys all nodded, big grins on their faces. "When did this happen?" she asked, feigning ignorance. "Just today," Dutchy said quickly, vying for attention.
They all quickly told her their story, each trying to paint himself in the most pleasant way possible. 'It's amazing how much boys will tell you if you just put on a skirt. I wonder if I could make Spot do this for himself,' Li thought to herself. She tried to pay attention to all of the older boys equally, but made a point to pay the most attention to the younger ones. Finally as they began yawning, she shook her head at them reprovingly and sent them off to get ready for bed. "You'll still tell us a story though won't you?" Boots asked anxiously before he left. At her nod, he ran to get ready with the others.
Li heard David lean over to Jack and whisper, "What does Boots mean?" Jack whispered back, "Every time Lianna comes over she tells the little kids a story from China. Then they all go to bed, promising her that they will behave themselves till she comes back. They're on their best behavior for the next few days, as if she might be watching them just around the corner. And she does always seem to know when they've gotten into trouble."
David looked at Li specutively, "She'll be a great mom someday won't she?"
Jack, Racetrack, and Blink all elbowed him, "You don't go trying to steal her away from us ya hear?" Racetrack said indignantly. "Yeah, we've got first dibs anyway," Blink chimed in.
"Boys," Li pitched her voice over to them, "you do know I can hear you don't you?"
They all blushed and ducked their heads. Li couldn't help but laugh. "Oh come and listen to the story with the young ones. You know you all enjoy my stories," she coaxed as the little boys came back to sit around her.
When they were all situated, she asked, "Now whose turn is it to sit in my lap?" Pie-eater raised his hand. "Weren't you the first one to get to sit with me?" Li asked him. When he nodded she kindly asked him, "Then is it ok if we add Les to the line and he gets to sit with me tonight?" Pie-eater looked down, then at Les and nodded to Li. "But it's my turn next time right Lianna?" he asked. She smiled, "Of course it is. Les," she beckoned, "would you like to sit in my lap for story time?"
He shyly nodded and made his way toward her. She pulled the small boy into her lap and looked around at her audience. "I think tonight, we shall have the story of Aniz the Shepherd.
"Aniz was a young shepherd hired to look after a landlord's sheep," She pitched her voice low so that it would be soothing, "Everyone liked Aniz, for he was kind to all and always had time to help others. What everyone liked most though, was to listen to him play the flute. Now, he was poor and only had a very simple flute; it was no more than a single length of bamboo, but he made the most beautiful music come out of it. Whenever the villagers were not busy doing their work, they would sit around Aniz and simply listen to play. Only one person did not like young Aniz: his landlord. The land lord was tired of listening to the boy play his flute and was always trying to find problems with poor Aniz." She pitched her voice to sound evil and menacing, "You little wretch!' he would say, 'Do I pay you to sit there playing the flute?' But Aniz had never neglected his work with his flute playing.
"One day, the evil landlord found some excuse to give Aniz a horrible beating. And while he was hurting Aniz, he also broke the flute into a thousand pieces and then drove poor Aniz away, calling after him, 'Good! I should like to see you play the flute now!'
"Miserable and hurting Aniz ran through the streets, with tears running down his face. Then, quite unexpectedly, he ran into an old man. He apologized for not looking where he was going and turned away to keep going when the old man stopped him. 'Hello! What's the trouble, young fellow?' the kindly old man asked giving the young shepherd a hug," she made her voice sound old but friendly, "Why are you out here all on your own, crying?'
"Grandpa!' Aniz respectfully replied as he began crying again, 'I am but a young shepherd named Aniz. The landlord has beaten me, driven me out and destroyed my beloved flute beyond repair…'
"Don't cry Aniz,' the old man said comfortingly, "Come and stay with me. I shall heal your hurts and I will show you a way to avenge yourself.' So Aniz followed him home and the old man healed him. He also took a length of bamboo and made Aniz a new flute, one that was much better than his old one. He taught Aniz to play it, and after his lessons with the old man, Aniz could play more beautifully than ever. Now not only did people enjoy his playing, but animals would come out from their hiding places and would sit quietly around Aniz as he played. They would not eve attack each other in his presence. As time passed, Aniz and the animals all became good friends.
"One day the landlord called his sons to him and said, 'Last night I dreamed of a most beautiful rabbit; it was white as snow, with a single black spot atop its head. I must have it so you must try your best to catch it in the forest.'
"Father, we have never even heard of such a rabbit!' his sons replied, 'Where can we go to catch it for you?'
"You hopeless creatures! Did you not hear what I just said?' the landlord demanded furiously, 'Go and look for it. Whoever finds it will inherit all I have when I die.'
"The eldest son thought to himself, 'I am the eldest and I should inherit father's property anyway, whether I catch a silly rabbit or not. But suppose my younger brothers find it…' He stepped forward and said, 'Brothers, let me go! I fear no danger if I can only make father happy!' He set off on his way looking around carefully for the elusive rabbit. After awhile, an old man came towards him and asked, 'Young man, where are you going?' The eldest son told him why he had come.
"Go to the forest then,' the old man replied, 'and look there for your rabbit. Aniz is tending my cattle there. Tell him what you want and I am sure he will help you.'
"So the eldest son went to the forest and found Aniz tending the cattle. He asked for Aniz's help and Aniz smiled at him, 'Of course, I can help you find the strange rabbit. Come and get it this evening, but you must bring a thousand strings of cash to pay for it.'
"The eldest son quickly agreed, thinking, 'Compared with the property I am going to inherit, a thousand strings of cash are nothing!' In the evening he returned with the money to the forest and found Aniz sitting on a tree stump playing his flute. All the little animals were squatting around him, mesmerized by the beautiful melody, pricking their ears up to hear it better. The eldest son saw the white rabbit among them at once, with a perfect black circle upon its head.
"Aniz saw the rabbit too. He set his flute down and grasped the rabbit by its ears, handing it to the eldest son. 'Here you are,' he said, 'Hold it tightly! If it escapes, it is not my fault or problem.'
"The eldest son paid the money, thanking Aniz profusely as he left and set off home with the little white rabbit. He was about to leave the forest when her heard Aniz begin playing his flute again. As soon as the rabbit heard the beautiful music, it burst from the son's hand and ran as fast as it could. The eldest son search long and hard for it but could not find a single trace of the rabbit. In the end, he gave up and went to see Aniz again.
"The rabbit has run away. What shall I do?' he asked.
"Aniz answered, 'There is nothing I can do about it. I just warned you a mere moment ago to hold it tightly. You cannot blame me for this.'
"The eldest son hand no alternative but to go home empty handed and tell his story to his father.
"The second son said, 'Father, don't worry. I'll go and catch it tomorrow.' The next day the second son went to try his luck and met the same fate as his elder brother—time wasted and another thousand strings of cash given to Aniz. On the third day, the youngest son went, but he fared no better than his brothers.
"It made the landlord absolutely furious to watch his three sons lose three thousand strings of cash in a mere three days without so much as a piece of fluff from the rabid to show for it.
"You fools!' he cried, 'You worthless pack of fools! Tomorrow I shall go and catch it myself!'
"So the next day, the landlord went into the forest. When Aniz saw his hated former master, his eyes blazed with the hatred of a thousand suns. Before the landlord could even open his mouth, Aniz took out his flute and began playing. All of the beasts of the forest—rabbits, bears, snakes, wolves, tigers, foxes, and many sorts of birds—came and encircled the landlord. Terror drove the last drop of color from the evil landlord's skin. He fell to his knees in despair and begged Aniz, not recognizing him for the shepherd he had once employed. 'My lord, save me! Save me!' he cried desperately.
"Landlord! Do you remember the poor shepherd you had beaten named Aniz?' the infuriated boy demanded, 'At one sound from my flute, these animals will eat you alive!'
"Alas… Ah! My lord! Don't treat me as I once treated you!' he lay prostrate at Aniz's feet and sobbed, 'I promise to give you anything you want. Just don't let them hurt me… I'm so scared…'
"And Aniz remembered the goodness in his heart as he felt pity for the landlord. 'Very well,' he said, 'I will spare your wretched life this once. But you must promise to never bully poor folk again! If you will not do this, I won't be so easy on you next time. And when you return home, you must give half of all your worldly goods to the poor villagers. Is that clear?'
"Yes! Yes!' lord swore, rising to his feet and fleeing the forest and Aniz in terror. He followed Aniz's instructions exactly and distributed half of his estate to the poor. He became a more kindly landlord and the people rejoiced, throwing Aniz a feast in his honor for their changed landlord."
Li finished her story to smiling listeners. The littlest ones were almost asleep, sitting where they were. Les had fallen asleep in her lap. She smiled at the older boys as she carefully stood, cradling the boy. She then walked over and placed him in Jack's bunk looking over at Jack as she did so. "It is alright for him to sleep here till he goes home isn't it?" she asked the Manhattan leader. He nodded and she smiled at him, pulling the covers up and gently kissing Les on the forehead.
She then proceeded to scoop each of the boys up and carry them off to their beds, gently tucking them in and kissing their heads as though she were their mother. She could see David out of the corner of her eye and knew from his expression that she had completely won him over. He would tell her anything she ever wanted to know. Probably some things she didn't want to know too for that matter.
Once all of the little ones were tucked in, she gestured to the older boys that they go up to the roof to talk instead of bothering the others. They nodded and all headed up the stairs. Racetrack came up next to her as they were climbing up the stairs. "You chose that story on purpose didn't you? Because the simple shepherd boy came away rich and a hero to the people for beating the evil landlord," he asked. She smiled secretively at him, "You can prove nothing, and it was just a bedtime story that happened to give hope to you boys. I see nothing wrong with my actions."
He shook his head at her as they reached the roof with the others. "My lady," he said gallantly, "you never cease to amaze me." He caught her hand and kissed it lightly. "We are very lucky to have you." Li felt her gut turn at the trust she saw in all of the boys' eyes, but quickly squashed the feeling. She couldn't become their friend; if she did she wouldn't be able to do her job and then she'd have to go back to the factories. Instead she forced a smile, "You're all far to kind."
She continued her banter with them, quickly finding out all of the information she would need to tell Spot. But that gnawing feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away as she bid them all goodnight and promised to return as soon as she could. She changed at the brothel and quickly disappeared into the night towards Brooklyn, hating herself every step of the way.
Li woke early, quickly eating her breakfast and throwing her hat and trousers on over the long johns she wore to sleep. She slid on her shirt and pulled the suspenders up as she raced down to see Spot. She had reported as usual the night before and just had to check in with him before heading back to Manhattan. She wanted to be there if anything went south there today.
"Heya Spot!" she called as she strolled into his audience chamber.
He looked up from a paper he was reading, frowning. "Li, what are you doing up so early? You barely got in after midnight. Go back to bed."
She quirked an eyebrow at him, puzzled, "I was gonna head back to Jack's boys and keep an eye out."
He shook his head at her. "No way, I need you fresh for the next few days. You're to go back to bed till about noon, then you've got work around here till six at least. Then you can head back over there. No sooner."
Her eyes grew wider as he spoke. "Excuse me? You want me to just go back to bed and be lazy till noon? Then what am I supposed to do for six hours? You keep everything up to date, there's nothing for me to do here and you know it. Why are you really keeping me here?"
He looked at her and sighed, "Damnit Li. Just do as I say alright? I need my spymaster in one piece and I need you here till six ok? That's all that should matter."
She glared at him, "I'll stay till six and not one minute later. And you better have a damn good reason for keeping me from my mission." She stalked out of the room, punching a hole in the wall next to the door to show her frustration.
She grumbled all the way to her room, slamming and locking the door behind her.
Spot stared at Li's retreating back. Damn, now he had to have someone repair that hole on top of everything else. What was wrong with that boy? Ok, he knew the answer to that; he would have been pissed had someone just told him to do what he had commanded Li. Still, he was the boss, and what he said would go. All the same, he would stay out of Li's way as much as possible today.
He went back to his paper and his plans, barely noticing when one of the new boys brought him some lunch in. He finally glanced up when a shadow appeared over his desk. "What?" he demanded of the boy from Queens who stood over him.
"What should I tell James? Is Brooklyn in for this strike or what?"
Spot glared at the presumptuous little snot, "I'll give my answer tomorrow. Deal."
The other boy turned on his heel and left the room. Spot stood to, trying to work out the kinks out of his back. He grabbed his sandwich and began walking to the door as well. He needed to stretch his legs out anyway. He headed towards his favorite lookout spot to enjoy the afternoon sun. He was almost there when he heard Tiny, one of the largest, and quite frankly stupidest, boys of the Brooklyn gang. The idiot was probably trying to pick another fight; Spot sighed and headed in the direction of the voices to break up the imminent bloodbath. Soon he could actually hear what the moron was saying. "What's got you in such a pissy mood today Li? You're acting just like a slighted girl."
Spot stopped dead in his tracks. Tiny was going to beat up his spymaster? This could be a definite problem. He resumed walking, trying to finish his sandwich before he reached the brawl, it would be too difficult to try and break up the fight with only one hand and sandwich in the other one. Spot could hear the whole thing escalating as he walked.
"Tiny, I don't feel like putting up with your crap today. So take it back and I won't beat the ever living crap out of you."
Tiny laughed, "Like you could even hurt me you lily-livered pansy. You are just like a girl."
"That's it," Li said in a dead voice. "You are so dead now."
Spot turned the corner to see Li and Tiny on the docks, a crowd on either side of the combatants, watching in silence. Li threw off his hat and rolled up his sleeves. Tiny just laughed and gestured derisively at Li. Spot took a step back at the tightly controlled fury in Li's eyes. Suddenly he wasn't sure Tiny was going to win this fight.
Li fell into a stance that Spot had seen some of the old Chinese men in when they were practicing over by the docks. Li ran towards Tiny, then dodged out of the way of one of Tiny's massive arms. He spun and kicked the larger boy in the back, using Tiny's momentum against him and forcing the older boy away from him. Tiny turned and punched toward the small Asian boy. Li grinned and caught the fist, twisting the hand and popping Tiny's shoulder out of its socket. The sickening pop turned some of the assembled boys' faces slightly green and Tiny howled in pain. Somewhat crazily, Tiny rushed toward Li, trying to force him into the river. Li dropped to the ground and swept his opponent's legs out from under him, followed by a swift kick into the river.
Li stood, hands still balled into fists. "Anyone else think I'm too girly?" he demanded of the assembly. They shook their heads quickly. Then Li turned to the sputtering Tiny. "How 'bout you? Am I too feminine to be a part of Brooklyn?"
"No, you deserve to be here just as much as the rest of us," Tiny grumped, defeated as he climbed back out of the river with his good arm. Li looked Tiny up and down. "Lay down on your back," he commanded when Tiny was on the dock. Tiny looked at Li warily, then did as he was told. "Now don't move. Or this is gonna hurt a lot more than it should," Li told him kneeling next to Tiny's prone form. Li grasped Tiny's shoulder then in a move Spot couldn't see from the spot he had frozen in, there was another sickening pop and then a groan of relief. Li stood and looked at Tiny as he sat up, looking at the Asian boy with wonder. Li looked into Tiny's eyes intently. "Next time I won't fix your shoulder. I'll let you gasp about in agony for a few days," he warned.
The crowd parted as Li headed in their direction, trying not to piss the diminutive boy off any more than he already was. That's when Li saw Spot over on the path back to the warehouse. His eyes narrowed and he stalked towards the frozen Brooklyn leader, fury evident in every step he took. "Why oh great and powerful leader," he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "is there anything else I can do for today? You see I have already beaten the stupidity out of your ranks, healed those who were wounded, and paid tribute to the river gods. What shall I do next? Shall I spit shine your shoes? Serve you on hands and knees? Beg for forgiveness from any transgression I have ever committed? Just tell me for I am eager to obey your will." He finished his speech with a low mocking bow.
Spot was torn between punching the insolent little snot and trying to placate him. Instead, he grabbed Li by the back of his shirt and pulled him into the warehouse. He determinedly dragged Li back to his rooms so he could deal with this without an audience. As they were walking Li continued his factitious adulations, "What displeases my leader? After all, I only live to serve your littlest whims. Surely your greatness doesn't find me displeasing in my duties?"
"Shut up," was all Spot said as he tossed Li onto his bed. Li glared up at him from his flattened position, but his mouth was twisted up in a smirk. "Have I displeased you my lord?" he asked sardonically, propping himself up on his elbows to look at the Irish boy.
"Look, I get that you're pissed off, but I need you to have a clear head and not run off half-cocked, got it? You can be rude and insolent with the other boys, but I'm not gonna tolerate it. And I will happily toss you out on your ass if you can't keep your cool. So are you done throwing a temper tantrum?" Spot ask the irritated boy.