Four days later, Kia Min arrived at an old teahouse in Tien's Landing. It was in much better condition than the one in Hehua, and she wondered if the teahouse in Hehua had once looked as grand as this one did. She wondered if Yao Hong's soldier would take over the operations, or if someone else would. Would Wayfarer Wei?
The sun had begun to dip below the western horizon, and Kia Min ventured inside. She needed to find out if anybody knew anything of Wu and Dawn Star. She needed to know whether or not they were still in town and where she could find them if they were, and where she could start looking if they were not. She also wondered about the ruins Chen Yi had mentioned and why Wu and Dawn Star had gone there; the presence of the Lotus Assassins; and why they had come to Tien's Landing to begin with.
Aside from the one in Hehua, Kia Min had never been inside a teahouse before; the one in One Stone was no place for children, and the closest thing Two Rivers had was the little structure in Dawn Star's garden. Therefore, she was completely unprepared to dodge customers too involved in their conversations to notice she was in their path, and with a few bumps on the shoulder and more "Pardon me"'s, she staggered her way to the first booth of any form of authority.
"Hello, and welcome to Old Mother Kwan's Teahouse!" the man behind the counter chirped. His smile was unnaturally giddy, Kia Min noted. "I'm Steeper Yanru, how can I help you?"
"Hello," said Kia Min. "I was just wondering if you could help me find a couple of people. I was told they might be here in Tien's Landing."
Steeper Yanru laughed. "Even though the dam is closed, we're still not getting as many visitors to this town as we once did. No worries though, that will be remedied with time. They're probably still around, and easy to find, if they're recent visitors." He paused. "Come to think of it, I might even know who you're looking for."
"You might," said Kia Min. "They are the types to turn heads. Their names are Wu the Lotus Blossom and Dawn Star."
"Hmm," ventured Steeper Yanru as he stroked his chin. "Their names are awfully familiar. And it seems about right. Two women, about our age, one is in a, uh, what's the best phrase... exotic? Yeah, exotic-looking plum clothes with long black hair, kind of in a sloppy ponytail, and the other in scarlet robes?"
Kia Min smiled at the description of Wu. She had nearly forgotten how Wu often griped about the need to tie her hair up, to the point where she often lazily wrapped it in a ponytail with whatever spare ribbon she found laying around.
"Yes, they're the ones," said Kia Min. "Do you have any idea where I can find them?"
Steeper Yanru cringed. "Sorry, I haven't seen them for a couple of days now. They haven't come to the teahouse since getting back from the Great Southern Forest, I think. I have no idea why they went there. Maybe to do some more good to get Tien's Landing back on its feet, but why they'd venture out there is beyond me. They say it's haunted, and Lord Yun's been having problems." He shrugged. "They've been keeping camp just on the outskirts of town. There's an abandoned building, maybe you saw it on your way in? Or did you come in the direction of the forest?"
Kia Min shook her head. She knew the crumbling building he spoke of; there were burnt pieces of logs and an empty wine bottle, but nothing else. She had thought that peddlers or drunks made their camp there, but did it once belong to Wu and Dawn Star? And why wine?
"They weren't there," she said. "It looked empty."
"Really?" said Steeper Yanru with a frown. "Maybe they went off somewhere else? I'm not sure how much more they can do around here. They closed the dam, cleared the area of the pirates, and they must have done something in the Great Southern Forest. Maybe they finally decided to find real lodging? Old Mother Kwan offered many times, and I'm sure others have, too." A beat, and then he laughed. "Not Minister Sheng, though. Even though, he left just this morning for the Imperial City. He won't be back for at least a month, I'm guessing. If at all."
"Is there anyone I can ask who might know?" asked Kia Min impatiently. The sooner she knew where to start looking, the better. If they left town, she needed to leave now so that she could possibly catch up with them, wherever they went. If they were still in town, she doubted she could stand to wait the night to reunite with them.
"Well," said Steeper Yanru hesitantly, "Old Mother Kwan retired for the night. There used to be an ex-soldier roaming the teahouse who was in contact with them a lot, but she left a few days ago and hasn't been back. You could ask around town, though. Like I said, we haven't been getting a lot of visitors in Tien's Landing, and the fact that they aren't from around here makes them stand out quite a bit. Someone is sure to know. I'm sorry I can't help more. I only leave the teahouse to go home after we close."
Kia Min smiled. "Thank you," she said. "It did help." It did not, but at least she confirmed that Wu and Dawn Star had been here very recently.
So she left the counter, and she asked many different customers around the teahouse about the senior student; she quickly learned that most remembered Wu before they remembered Dawn Star. Dawn Star would have preferred it that way, Kia Min remembered. But Kia Min learned that it was not because Dawn Star was forgettable, because she was not, but often Wu would have others with her.
What others? Kia Min found herself wondering. At first she was hopeful, that perhaps they had lucked out in finding survivors, but as she heard the descriptions of the others she had in tow--a suspicious man in brown robes, a charming man in blue, and a large oaf who demanded wine and was instantly handed it--Kia Min knew that they had not. They had left Two Rivers, alone, perhaps thinking they were the only two survivors. Did they even try looking for her?
As Kia Min settled into a chair and ordered some tea, she knew that they would have if they had time. Master Li had been kidnapped, after all; perhaps Jing Woo had stayed alive long enough to tell at least that much? Or when they could not find Master Li in the village, they put two and two together? Or they were chasing after the people responsible, even.
Was that why they fought the Lotus Assassins?
The waitress handed Kia Min her tea, and she slowly sipped at the brown liquid. She had left One Stone with her father's blessing, even knowing that she was likely to run into more Lotus Assassins. Her mother was horrified; her father was dying, how could she run off on an aimless adventure? But her father promised her that he'd talk to her mother, and he bid her farewell.
Kia Min almost did not leave when it sunk in that that was likely the last time she would ever see her father. It was Jun who gave her the final shove out of town.
"Surely the customer in Hehua was not the only Lotus Assassin dabbling about in slavery," he had said. "You said the senior student has a destiny? Maybe that's it. And maybe your destiny is to follow her. And that was why you survived. The gods would not let you live just to be with Father during his last days. They're always thinking of the bigger picture."
Kia Min glanced at the bamboo staff leaning against the table and smiled. Jun had lamented that she was leaving before her metal staff was completed, but they both knew it could not be helped. Besides, she had pointed out to him, she had managed to kill two Lotus Assassins and scores of mercenaries with the bamboo, and it was still in excellent condition. She could not turn her back on a weapon's faithfulness.
But why did Wu and Dawn Star fight the Lotus Assassins anyway? Revenge? Or maybe they were chasing after Master Li. Perhaps on their way to Tien's Landing they had discovered the same truths Kia Min had. Or were the Lotus Assassins doing more?
The townspeople all mentioned the dam with fervent relief and joy. The same dam that Chen Yi had been guarding, Kia Min knew. And Tien's Landing had been plagued with pirates that Wu and Dawn Star had taken care of? And the Great Southern Forest?
None of this was making any sense. Kia Min sighed. She either needed to find them, and fast, or get answers from the rest of the townspeople about the excursions they had gone through since arriving. Perhaps the others they had had in tow were still around?
She drank the rest of her tea and headed for the stairs to the second floor. She doubted she would have better luck, but it was late and anybody in town she could ask would be courtesans and their customers, if the town was as big as One Stone. She doubted that Wu would have had any dealings with them, but there was that wine bottle at their old campsite...
No. That must have belonged to someone else. She had at least three men with her from what Kia Min could gather, and Wu had expressed distaste for wine back in Two Rivers. Kia Min never understood how or why she tasted it to begin with, but with how Jing Woo reacted to the situation, he must have had something to do with it.
Nonetheless, upstairs was her last chance until the morning. Kia Min did not want to wait that much longer.
Before she could take one step up the stairs, she felt a hand grasp her wrist. Kia Min paused and turned to come face-to-face with the intruder. A woman, she saw, a woman with nimble limbs, a playful, smiling face with just a hint of a smirk, and with eyes that shone with excitement and wonder.
"You're the one asking about those warriors that were in town the past week or so, weren't you?" she asked. Kia Min did not respond, and the woman continued. "Of course you were! I've been in Tien's Landing too long to know who lives here, who was stranded here, and who was just passing through. You're of the last kind, looking for those who were similar. I can help."
"Um, thanks," Kia Min said quietly. "But, how do you... why are you...?"
The woman beamed brighter. Kia Min did not think that possible. "I know because I was watching her. Watching the people around her. And I'm wanting to help because it's about time I leave Tien's Landing myself, and I think you can help me.
"My name is Darting Lynx."