Polluted Jianghu: 新年少鹏

There's something to be said about the mummy look, you consider as you sit and reapply your bandages in a cleared area of the warehouse. The bloody scraps are easy to replace and there's a minimum of blood on your jacket. You'll still have to get a new one, Youxia tore this one up pretty good. The biggest thing that's bothering you right now is your cheek. You shoved a wad of gauze against it but it still feels like it's going to split open every time you open your mouth too wide. Ouyang Meng's pillbox is half empty now. You took one, and when the pain didn't go away you took another and then another until you feel like the world is made out of opium smoke and cobwebs.

A breath rattles out of your lungs. A knot of guilt and the morning's jianbing sits in your gut.

"Hey, uh, a moment?" The two temp kids, squatting down opposite you. This time it's hairshock that appointed himself ambassador to the world without. "How you holding up?"

You waggle a hand. "Could be better. Could be worse. It could be raining. Can I bum a smoke?" Ming Ming passes one to you with a lighter. "Thanks."

All is right in the world.

You exhale the first drag, burning your lungs with tarry smoke when Hairshock asks, "is it, like, normal to be that polite?"

You shrug. "I dunno. What's normal?"

"Like, for jiexia," he waves a hand. Your eyes lazily track it. "I've been at uh. Ground zero? And usually they just stomp the shit out of anyone who's down."

"I'm not that kind of violent murderman," you honestly say. "Where'd you find this?" You flick the staff leaning against the wall next to you. "It's way too good, too good to be lying around here."

"Guy before you had it," Ming Ming says, lacing her fingers behind her hair. "After this dude from Wu Manor turfed him to the emergency room we kept it. Was gonna sell it for beer money."

"Respectable," you nod. You'd probably do the same thing, really. But probably for harder shit. "Did you know my predecessor?"

"Some jackass with two of those things. Kept on going on about how he had three heads and six hands like he was in a movie. Then he got both of his legs super broken. Er"

"You're leading up to something." Her hands play with one of her pigtails. "Is this about Oldhead? I wouldn't mind him. He's all talk. Went down like a chump. I could take ten of him."

"Yeah, you can." Ming Ming picks up a pebble, a chip of concrete from that hole you smashed in the floor ten meters away. "I can't. And now we just helped you roll him. So."

"We're kinda fucked," Hairshock adds.

"Aren't you sanhe kids? Eat, sit, and wait for death is your motto." The pebble hits your head and clatters against the floor. "Ow," you say for the sake of appearances.

"Starvation's one thing but the yaks are another. I don't wanna get chopped to bits."

"Join Kirishima full time, then. Apparently he's not total shit."

She runs a hand through her hair. "You're a fucking help. Shoulda let the weirdo beat you up. Are you high? You sound high as fuck."

Your head rolls like a bobblehead. You rattle the pillbox. Ha. You trapped yourself in this thing. Hadn't expected them to glom onto you like a limpet, but there you are. "These painkillers are really goood. I'm on cloud nine right now. Sorry. Do you want me to do something or what?"

She leans in close. "Some protection against Oogami would help."

[1.2] {Harmonious Society} "Okay, fine. I'll talk to Kirishima and get him to uh. Do some shit for you."
[1.2] {Wrathful Manifestation} "Gimmie a number. I'll get a phone tomorrow and if you get in trouble you can call me."
[1.1] {Chase the Red Sun} "I'll uh. I'll go find Comrade Hong. And ask her to help the proletariat. I guess?"
[]- "Lol. Lmao." Just blow them off.

---

The next morning finds you in Flay's van, buzzing with electronics. You greeted Youxia- who arrived first with an ice-pack on her wrist- with a quiet nod and waited for Flay to bring another powerpoint (seriously why) on the monitors. "Okay! Good job last night, Kirishima and Oogami are both pretty pissed, from what I can tell from the drones."

"You droned them?" Youxia asks. You're too intent on this bag of chicken nuggets to ask questions.

"Microdrones near their offices," she confirms. "Set'em up while y'all were interviewing. Anyway-"

"Typical for an American to use drones," you say through a mouthful of dubious meat.

"-ha, good one, Kirishima and Oogami're both mad. As hell. Did they tell you to do anything yet?"

"The slitmouth told me to leave. He wants me to come back this afternoon for something." She flicks you a Look. "I'm sorry, can you stop chewing so loudly?"

"No. Fight the system." She growls deep in her throat but you go on. "Anyway nah, I haven't gotten anything yet. Actually, can I bum a phone? I need it. Oh, thanks." You catch a black square of plastic that flies in the dimly lit van. It's a flip phone. "Is there anything new going on?"

The computers hum. Shouldn't she be using solid states? Who even wants to use air cooled stuff these days? "Yeah. We have some lieutenants -on their own initiative- setting up peace talks. We could fuck with that, or we could try to cut at their base."

The Next Move
[]- Forget it. It's Gangland: Start peeling off gangs from Oogami and Kirishima. Off some middlers while pretending to be from Oogami slash Kirishima.
[]- Strike the Head: You know what really would cramp up the plan? Moderates. Gank the lieutenants and make it look like the other guy did it.

A/N: Not the biggest fan of this update, but hey, it's up.