For the rest of their carriage ride, both Jem and Tessa attempted to straighten their outfits in order to look presentable. Jem's nimble fingers quickly redid Tessa's hair into the simple bun Sophie had created. As he slid the Chinese hair ornament back into place, he whispered "Ni hen piao liang" into her neck which made Tessa smile and flush.

As they neared the White Dragon, Jem also helped Tessa put the finishing touches on her re-application of the red lipstick. They had been careful to clear any traces of this from Jem's lips, though they didn't bother with any other parts of him as no one would be seeing those tonight…

As the carriage pulled up to a stop in front of the entrance, the rain began coming down harder than ever. Fortunately there was a large awning from the drop-off point to the main entrance so that Jem and Tessa were able to make their way inside in a relatively dry fashion. Once inside, Tessa gaped at the beautiful red and gold lobby. Jem was busy at the front desk, checking in his many weapons and talking in a low voice with the man working at the counter. Tessa meanwhile began to walk around the room, her mouth slightly agape at the beautiful lanterns hanging from the ceiling in this room. As she neared the wall opposite Jem though, two large arms were suddenly on either side of her as her back pressed against the red silk wall.

Tessa looked up to find herself staring into the eyes of a huge man—only not quite a man. His eyes were a strange yellow and the pupils were almost slits. She also noticed some strange purplish splotches where his hairline ended. If she had to guess, Tessa would say that this thing trapping her against the wall was in fact a half-demon. She tensed but did not look away from his lusty stare.

"Well what do we have here?" he asked in a low growl. "I've never seen the likes of you 'round here and I know pretty much every China doll that comes into the White Dragon." His face contorted into a snarled grin and he inhaled deeply, drinking in Tessa's scent. She felt herself trying to shrink into the wall as she avoided the hands creeping towards her dress.

Suddenly there was a new hand on the half-demon's sleeve, stopping his progress. With a look of rage and confusion, the thing looked disdainfully down at the hand. However, as his eyes began traveling up the arm of its owner, the look of rage began to fade. Jem had very carefully pulled back enough of his sleeve to reveal his Shadowhunter runes. As the creature finally met Jem's eyes, his hands fell away from the wall surrounding Tessa and he straightened up.

"Ke Jian Ming!" he said in surprise. "I did not think to see you in the White Dragon. Though your friend is frequently here, losing money just as often as he wins it!" His laugh roared through the lobby as he patted Jem's shoulder in a rough way.

Jem's expression did not waver from his stone-cold stare at the demon. "Shoah Yin. I can't say it's a pleasure to see you." The demon's laugh faltered. "Though I am here with my companion," at this he pulled Tessa away from the wall and toward himself, "in order to find Master Herondale."

The demon's eyes narrowed and Jem's grip around Tessa's waist tightened as he saw the creature look momentarily put off by the news that Tessa was not fair game. He hesitated for a moment then gestured towards the door. "Last I saw of your friend, he was losing at cards."

Jem nodded and began to turn away, moving Tessa with him towards the door.

"Ming!" the demon barked. Jem turned his head but continued to move forward. "Madame Yoaoh is in tonight. Best mind your manners before you yank him from the game."

Jem turned back around and swore briefly in Mandarin under his breath. Tessa glanced at him but was quickly distracted by the next room that they entered. As opposed to the brightness of the lobby, this main room was dark and smoke-filled. Tessa could see gambling tables of all sorts in every direction and several bars were set up throughout the enormous room.

"Stay by my side," Jem murmured as they began to travel through the room, scanning for any sign of Will. Tessa felt distracted by the many strange creatures that frequented the White Dragon. From deformed half-demons to warlocks with various skin tones, she had never seen so many creatures gathered in one place. Based on the largeness of the room Tessa quickly assessed, "I think we shall have to split up Jem." After a few moments debating this, Jem finally acquissed and the pair began moving in opposite directions searching for Will.

As Tessa wound her way around tables, her eyes were suddenly distracted by something else entirely—a petite Asian woman wearing a beautiful purple kimono was standing near one of the gambling tables. Her dress was cut so short that there was little left to the imagination. The dress was also very open at the top, exposing her extremely busty figure which was magnified by a black corset-like piece on the outside of her outfit. The woman seemed to be staring very intently at a particular game nearby and Tessa followed her gaze to a small table of players where the back of one familiar black-haired player sat holding a hand of cards and an almost-empty glass.

Tessa strode over to Will and was just about to begin dragging him out of the chair when a strong arm slipped around her waist and an empty glass was shoved into the air. "Get me another gin and tonic would you love?" Will asked without looking up at Tessa. The other players at the table grinned at her. One of them leered, "Never seen the likes of you 'round here! Are you new then girl?"

At this Will's gaze traveled up to Tessa's face which was full of indignation and bewilderment. His hand tightened around her waist and he dropped his glass in shock. "Tessa!" he managed to choke out. "What in the world are you doing here?" And as his eyes swept down her outfit. "And by the Angel, what is this outfit you're wearing? Did Madame Yoaoh somehow put you up to this? To distract me from my poker game? Because if she did, it's certainly worki-" Tessa's glaring eyes cut him short.

Tessa managed to delicately clear her throat. "Will," she began in a dignified tone. "Jem and I have come here to take you home. You have been out quite long enough." Some of the other players snickered at this. Will quickly attempted to close this line of conversation. "Now now Tessa! One more game! And this time I want you to play a hand." The other players roared their approval at this while Tessa tried to shake her head.

Suddenly a voice sounded behind them. "What's all this then? It appears that Mister Herondale has a guest with him tonight." Tessa turned her head slightly to see the woman in the short purple kimono was near the card table.

Will's grip on Tessa's hip tightened. "Madame Yoaoh! This is my dear friend Miss Tessa Gray." The woman studied Tessa's face with pursed lips. Then suddenly she smiled.

"But you must play a game Miss Gray! William is one of our best but I think you may have beginner's luck." she smiled in a way that did not reach her eyes. "I insist." Whipping her fan out to the right, a large man suddenly appeared with a chair for Tessa to sit at the card table. He scooted it under her legs until she unceremoniously fell into the seat.

Tessa turned a bewildered face back towards the crowd, her eyes scanning for any sign of Jem. Then she suddenly had an idea. "I haven't any money to bet with!" she declared. "I won't be able to play if I haven't got anything to lose!"

Madame Yoaoh continued to smile down at her. She quickly slipped a beautiful jade bracelet off her wrist and laid it in front of Tessa's place. "This should be worth enough to play against these boys," she said silkily.

Tessa was about to protest when she felt a slight squeeze on her knee coming from Will's direction. She swallowed her words and the cards began to be dealt. Madame Yoaoh lit a long cigarette behind them and watched the game proceed.

Fortunately Tessa had played poker with her brother Nate in the past so she at least understood the basics of the game. Holding her five cards, Tessa was surprised to see that she had been dealt a pretty good hand to begin. With Madame Yoaoh's attention fixed on them, a small crowd has started to gather around the table. Jem picked up on this and made his way through the throng based on the hunch that Will would be at the center of an attention-grabbing crowd. What he did not expect to see, however was Tessa sitting at a card table and playing poker against the likes of the White Dragon. What worried Jem beyond Tessa's potential corruption in this place however was the way that many of the others in the club had noticed Tessa. He swore to himself in Mandarin for letting her come with him to this place. Catching Will's eye was his best hope now for getting all of them out of there safely.

As Tessa scrutinized her cards, she could sense many people gathering around their table. However the only eyes she felt on her was the intense gaze from Madame Yoaoh. She found herself wondering if this woman had had any relations with Will in the past. She certainly didn't seem pleased to meet Tessa…

"You going to discard any there love?" A gruff voice brought Tessa back to attention. She quickly put down two cards and was dealt two replacements. Her hand improved again. Perhaps she could win this round and then insist on leaving so as not to impose on her "beginner's luck."

After the other players had put forth their bets, everyone laid down their cards. Tessa was the last to put hers down and the table immediately erupted in cheers as it was clear she had won. Will shouted in joy next to her and Tessa couldn't help but smile shyly. Suddenly she felt fingers dig into her shoulders. The room quieted as Madama Yoaoh spoke, the same forced smile on her face. "See, what did I tell you? I knew you would have beginner's luck. Another round perhaps? You know have your winnings to bet with."

Tessa attempted to smile graciously at the club's owner. "Thank you for the offer Madame Yoaoh but I wouldn't want to wear out my beginner's luck with a second game. And we really must be getting William home."

"We…?" began Madame Yoaoh just as Jem moved forward from the crowd and placed his hand on Will's shoulder. Will was busy collecting all of their winnings into his hat and harassing the other players over their loss. No one was really sore though as they rarely had the chance to play such a beautiful woman in their games.

"Ah Ke Jian Ming, I should have expected to find you here collecting your friend. Are you also acquainted with Miss Gray then?" she finished quietly but with a venom to her tone.

Jem looked her in the eye. "Yes Miss Gray is a friend of both myself and Will. We really must all be going now though. Will is expected back at the Institute."

"Of course," Madame Yoaoh finally loosened her grip on Tessa's shoulder. "Such a pleasure to meet you Miss Gray. Please do take care of that bracelet."

Jem was busy hauling Will away from the card table as he continued to shout jeers at the other players. The jade bracelet sat in front of Tessa's place at the table and she quickly put it on her wrist to show Madame Yoaoh that they meant to leave right away with their winnings.

Once they finally managed to wrangle Will into the carriage waiting outside, he made a quick comment about the smell of Tessa in the upholstery before promptly passing out. Tessa glanced at Jem and blushed. As the carriage pulled away, she toyed with the bracelet on her wrist, wondering about its possibilities...