Part II: The Iron Fist Tournament
Chapter 9
Julia allowed the attendant to open the door to her room and carry her bags in. She began to reach into her wallet for a tip when the man waved a hand in front of her.
"You're here for the tournament. We expect nothing from you but your earnest participation." And with that, he tipped his burgundy hat and left.
The room was larger than she expected, at least the equivalent of the living room, dining room, and kitchen of her apartment in Flagstaff. Over the bed was a framed photograph of one of Arizona's slot canyons, probably Antelope Canyon. Polished by water for millions of years, the sandstone resembled unevenly lathed wood. A single light beam cut through the center of the picture to highlight a turn in the natural tunnel. Judging from the lighting, it had been taken during the summer months when the sun was high enough to shine into the canyon and bring out the rich reds hidden in the rocks' shadows.
On the wall opposite the photo was a side door which, when opened, revealed another door. Julia shrugged at the architecture and picked up her black duffel bag and laid it on the bed. Spread across the queen size mattress was a Hopi blanket. Julia recognized the geometric patterns in the corners and simple striped pattern of red, black, and gold in the body. On the dresser were delicately carved and hand-painted Katsinam dolls.
Julia didn't recognize the workmanship, but it must have been expensive. She could clearly see the veins standing out along the outstretched arms of Tawa, the sun god. All the shell beads, turquoise, and eagle tail feathers were just like its real world counterpart. The Eototo doll, the Katsinam Chief, carried a miniature gourd in its left hand.
Off in the corner, beside a small table, was a traditionally woven basket, and on the table was an earthen water jar and cups. Small details, but each brought back a piece of home and that scared Julia for how could Heihachi have done this without having eyes on the Hopitu? How long and how closely had he been watching? And was every room decorated in the heritage of its occupant? A soft knock on the side door drew her attention.
A teenage girl's face poked out between the open door and its frame. "Anyone home?" The Asian girl's eyes brightened when they fell on Julia. "Hey, all right. You're here."
"I'm sorry. Were you expecting me?"
"I was expecting someone. It wouldn't do to put me in this suite alone. Wow! Looks like they did your room too. How cool is that? Oh, where are my manners? I'm Ling Xiaoyu."
She gave a polite bow.
"Julia Chang." She returned the foreign gesture to be polite.
"Julia Chang?" A look of realization crossed Xiaoyu's face. She gave herself a mock heel strike to the forehead. "Oh yeah. Westerners have their family names last. So, Chang ... are you Chinese too?"
"Not really."
"Half and half?"
"My mom is."
"Well, wouldn't that make you a quarter?"
"I'm adopted."
"Figures. The one time I use math willingly and it doesn't apply. So I take it you're here for the tournament. Boy, I tell you, they've got some scary looking contestants." Xiaoyu took this opportunity to blow up her cheeks and hang her arms to the side like a gorilla.
Julia chuckled despite herself. Xiaoyu seemed to be the antithesis of a contestant for "the world's greatest fighter." Her arms, while toned and proportioned to her body, were rather thin and her pink floral dress and short pigtails held by transparent beads gave her the appearance of a girl more interested in laying on her bed and talking on the phone rather than physical training. Yet there was definitely an undercurrent of confidence running beneath her giddy schoolgirl appearance.
"Ah, so I can make you smile! That's good. I was afraid I might be the only young woman here. Everyone else acts so old and serious."
"I'm sure they have their reasons," Julia said. She thought of Michelle - hidden somewhere in this compound - alone, deprived, and beaten. Her thoughts were interrupted by Xiaoyu.
"Oh, I'm sure they have their reasons, but none of them are as ambitious as mine! When I win this tournament, Heihachi promised to build me the greatest amusement park in the world."
"You're doing all this for an amusement park?"
"Why not? What's life if you're not having fun?"
'Responsibility,' thought Julia. 'A constant struggle, an endless quest for love and acceptance. The heavy burden of the earth to keep you from floating away.'
"There's going to be a feast tonight since it's the night before the tournament begins. Wanna go?"
"Actually," Julia said. "I'm sorry, but it's been a long trip. Would you mind if I finish unpacking and get situated first?"
"Not at all. Need some help?" Xiaoyu reached for the small backpack that held the ritual knife and bowl.
"No, no. I'm okay. I just need some time to myself."
"Oh," Xiaoyu said, looking disappointed. "Well, okay. I'll wait in my room for you. Make sure you get me before you go."
It wasn't until after Xiaoyu left that Julia noticed that her breathing had become shallow. The constant waves of questions made her feel as though she were drowning. She snatched the backpack from the bed. That was too close. It was enough that Heihachi knew she was here with the pendant. She had to keep the other artifacts secret for as long as she could for they were her only hidden advantage.
'But,' she thought, 'I can't keep them safe alone. I can only carry them with me for so long. When it's my turn to fight, what then?'
She sighed. There was only so much she could do without allies. While she was hesitant to trust Xiaoyu, she knew the Chinese girl was right about one thing: most of the other contestants were scary looking.
Most of them were much older than her, in their mid thirties or forty, old enough to have shared a long history with Heihachi. Any one of them could have been on his payroll. Xiaoyu sounded as though she was eager to be on that list as well, but it could also just be naïveté. Out of the characters she'd seen, Xiaoyu was the most obvious choice to partner with. But then what if that's what Heihachi intended? What if that's why he put them together in the same suite?
"Stupid," she told herself. She was thinking too much, and she was hungry. There was no reason why she had to make her decision now. She should take Xiaoyu up on her offer to go to dinner together. At the very least, Xiaoyu's obvious social ability would allow Julia to get more information about the other contestants. Xiaoyu probably knew about most of the fighters who had arrived and that knowledge would be valuable both in and out of the tournament battles.
'Now,' she thought, 'what would be the best way to hide the bowl and obsidian knife?' There was no safe in the room, and that would be useless anyway seeing as how Heihachi would have the key to the lock. She couldn't leave the artifacts in her bags - that would one of the first places they would search. Pulling the bowl and knife from her duffle bag she squinted at the table with jars and figurines. She placed the bowl and knife among the decorations and rearranged them slightly. With a little work, they blended perfectly among the other objects.
Julia allowed herself a small smile. Heihachi probably wasn't the one who had bought the furnishing and so would probably be unable to recognize which pieces had already been placed in the room before she had arrived. Hiding in plain sight. It was brilliant. And with that done, Julia could attend to other matters. Slipping her duffel bag beneath the bed and slinging the backpack on her shoulders, Julia knocked gently on Xiaoyu's door.