Red Banner Year

[Huojin]

"Johnny Guo," he says. "How's your father?"

Johnny's lingers a moment longer on Flavie, before tearing his gaze away to regard the Kkangpae lieutenant.

"He's good, Takashi. Only had to stab two guys this week, so that's an improvement. Plus they swapped out Taco Tuesdays for Tempura Tuesdays, which has gotta be better. How's your illustrious family? And I don't mean your charming friends over there," he said, gesturing with his head in the direction of the assembled goons, smiling behind his eyes at their irritation.

Johnny's words might've been directed at Takashi, but his attention was clearly split, if his hands were any indication. Not that Flavie seemed to mind.

[RinKou]

" How's your illustrious family? And I don't mean your charming friends over there," he said, gesturing with his head in the direction of the assembled goons, smiling behind his eyes at their irritation.

"Doing well," he says. "Not in prison."

"Oh my gooood." Flavie cuts in before you can say anything else. "Are you two done waving your dicks at each other yet? This is a party."

Turning away from you for a second, she adds, "Hey, Tak, when's your guy getting here? We need some fucking coke, man."

Tak doesn't say anything, settling for glaring at her instead.

"Oookay, man," she says, recoiling a bit. "Chill, alright? I was just asking."

[Smyg]

"Well," Remy's not entirely sure how to respond, but eventually settles on. "I'm sure she's a lovely woman."

"But yes, it's not easy to convince people to get together and get to know each other a little better. Sakaguchi's a good kid, if still a kid. He's got potential, he just needs to grow up a little and see that. But, you know," she glances off at the door again. "The children are our future."

"Why so curious?"

"Well, lady, if you gotta know... To run a place like this, you need to be a good judge of character. Thought I'd uh, pick your brain, for a bit. Check out just what type of rising star you are." He shrugged, caring little about sensibilities. "I get a feeling people in my line of work usually don't consider your mental assets."

"The tobacco industry, that is." A split smile, more of a smirk than anything else. The front company sham was one he was fond of.

"Speaking of fools, if you see my cuz peddlin' her stuff to some hapless motherfucker, tell her I said to cut that shit out. It's your party, Mme. Scarlette. Boundaries aren't her thing, when it comes to commerce." He shrugged again, and checked her response.

[Huojin]

Tak doesn't say anything, settling for glaring at her instead.

"Oookay, man," she says, recoiling a bit. "Chill, alright? I was just asking."

Rolling his eyes, Johnny waves over a scantily clad member of the waitstaff and dumps several bills on her serving tray, adding "Some absinthe while we wait. The real stuff."

Turning back to the table, Johnny looks over at Takashi. "Supply problems got you down, Tak? I might know a person or two in a pinch, if you're hurting..." Johnny's hand meanwhile has found its way to Flavie's back, and preoccupied itself with a fingertip exploration an uncharted backless section.

Glancing at Flavie, and then back to Takashi, he adds, "All depends on how long you're gonna keep me waiting." It's not quite clear who he means.

[RinKou]

Flavie looks over at you, then at Takashi and takes all of half a second to say, "Well. I'll call you later." and punctuates that by giving him a peck on the cheek.

The other girl likewise gets up to leave, but not before waving at Takashi's boys, all of them fuming.

[Flavie and Chel join your party.]

[RinKou]

"Well, lady, if you gotta know... To run a place like this, you need to be a good judge of character. Thought I'd uh, pick your brain, for a bit. Check out just what type of rising star you are." He shrugged, caring little about sensibilities. "I get a feeling people in my line of work usually don't consider your mental assets."

"The tobacco industry, that is." A split smile, more of a smirk than anything else. The front company sham was one he was fond of.

"Speaking of fools, if you see my cuz peddlin' her stuff to some hapless motherfucker, tell her I said to cut that shit out. It's your party, Mme. Scarlette. Boundaries aren't her thing, when it comes to commerce." He shrugged again, and checked her response.

"So is this an attempt to feel me out or to feel me up, Mr. Tomo?" she smiles. "Because you're gonna have to tread carefully if it's either."

She gives you a second to respond, but whether it's because you can't think of anything or because you're too high to come up with something in a timely manner, she takes it as deliberate.

"I appreciate the respect, though. So if you're curious about my motives, for the record, I stand by the deal I made with the yak when they fronted me the money to get this place up and running. Terms might be strict, but I'm a woman of my word, and until they decide to renegotiate terms, we're sticking with the old deal."

She punctuates this with another sip of her wine.

"So what about you, Mr. Tomo? Are you up to anything tonight that I should know about?"

[Gesar]

Ashanti smiled in that way that stay-at-home moms, care providers, and teachers tended to be good at when they stopped caring about what their kids were saying. "This is a party, isn't it?" She asked, less striving for humor and more approaching it with a labcoat and pair of tweezers. "If your grandfather's alright with it, that is. Why don't you go ahead and pick me out a deck?"

"Yours looks pretty interesting." Her eyes, meanwhile, searched Hyun-shin for a reaction, however pessimistic she was feeling about the racial politesse of some old-as-fuck Jopok who had it out for Dreamer. "So," she went on, tilting her head slightly, "do you two usually play cards at parties then, Mr. Kim?"

[Huojin]

The other girl likewise gets up to leave, but not before waving at Takashi's boys, all of them fuming.

Johnny shrugged, and sipped on his drink. "Something about snoozing and losing comes to mind... oh well."

Slowly standing, he drapes his arms around Chel and Flavie, resting his hands deliberately on their hips, just above their asses. Regarding Chel for a moment, who he had little noticed thus far, he turns to Takashi's crew.

"I mean, if you fellas can't promise us a little fun any time soon...", the implied question hangs in the air as Johnny pulls the girls slightly closer to him, ignoring both them and Takashi, his curious gaze shifting from goon to goon, looking for the most promising prospect.

[RinKou]

"Yours looks pretty interesting." Her eyes, meanwhile, searched Hyun-shin for a reaction, however pessimistic she was feeling about the racial politesse of some old-as-fuck Jopok who had it out for Dreamer. "So," she went on, tilting her head slightly, "do you two usually play cards at parties then, Mr. Kim?"

"Oh man, yeah, you could probably do pretty good with a Panther deck. You know about the Panthers, right? They fought for honor and their place in a country that didn't want them. Like us," Steven nods.

Hyun-shin lets the kid continue his spiel for a bit before answering. "Sometimes. He's a bright kid, and I certainly don't want to bore him with business yet."

===

"I mean, if you fellas can't promise us a little fun any time soon...", the implied question hangs in the air as Johnny pulls the girls slightly closer to him, ignoring both them and Takashi, his curious gaze shifting from goon to goon, looking for the most promising prospect.

One of the Koreans looks like he's about to take a step forward, but knows his place. Takashi says something in Korean, and even if you're not quite sure what exactly he said, you're pretty sure it translates to, "If you can't find a girl here, then I have a brother who's getting lonely."

"Oh my goooood those guys were boring," Flavie says as you leave. " 'Wait up, my guy's going to be here. Wait up, my guy's gonna be here', like oh my god just like keep your blow on you, man. We aren't narcs."

It's about then that the Korean with the pocket phone finally gets that call he's been waiting on, and relays a message to Takashi. After a brief back-and-forth, the two get up to leave, giving Remy a bow on the way out. She waves at them from her conversation with Tommy.

[Smyg]

"So is this an attempt to feel me out or to feel me up, Mr. Tomo?" she smiles. "Because you're gonna have to tread carefully if it's either."

She gives you a second to respond, but whether it's because you can't think of anything or because you're too high to come up with something in a timely manner, she takes it as deliberate.

"I appreciate the respect, though. So if you're curious about my motives, for the record, I stand by the deal I made with the yak when they fronted me the money to get this place up and running. Terms might be strict, but I'm a woman of my word, and until they decide to renegotiate terms, we're sticking with the old deal."

She punctuates this with another sip of her wine.

"So what about you, Mr. Tomo? Are you up to anything tonight that I should know about?"

"Well, there's one thing I'm up to, madame..." He leaned his head forward ever so slightly, to not lose his balance, and made a faux-whisper. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm a bit high." The smoke, of all sorts, boomed around them, and in the corner of his eye he could spot people doing coke openly. He smiled, as disarmingly as a man with a face sharp like broken glass could.

"Really, though. I admire your..." He couldn't quite remember the word panache, "... dedication. It's not easy, managing a neutral zone right inbetween competing forces. Don't suppose you've ever been to the Kwantung Leased Territory? Same principle. No small feat. I know from experience. My father worked there." Shouldn't have said that. Shouldn't. Be quiet, Tommy, be quiet.

He noticed the lady waving at the departing Takashi. "Speaking of feats, I'm amazed that guy could keep his hands of Mme. Flavie this long, even with Johnny hounding him."

[RinKou]

He noticed the lady waving at the departing Takashi. "Speaking of feats, I'm amazed that guy could keep his hands of Mme. Flavie this long, even with Johnny hounding him."

Remy gives a slight smile. "Flavie, she's... how should we say this, she has natural talent, but it's not honed. She's got a system, and doesn't modulate well when the situation calls for it. There are more ways to a man's snuff box than she'd think to try."

She eyes Flavie, then Johnny, and says, "Regarding the Leased Territory, though. Tell me about your father. There's certainly a lot to gained by being flexible, no?"

[Huojin]

After a brief back-and-forth, the two get up to leave, giving Remy a bow on the way out. She waves at them from her conversation with Tommy.

Half-turning around as he leaves with Flavie and Chel, Johnny waves to the departing Koreans. "Take care fellas, have a good one!"

Turning back to the girls, he guides them towards an exit to somewhere deeper inside the casino-hotel. Probably somewhere with beds and jacuzzis filled with champagne or something suitably debauched. Nearing the exit, Johnny pulls out his pocket phone and, casting quickly about the room, dials his cousin.

"Michael, tell Harry to enjoy himself and come have some fun."

Clicking the call off abruptly, Johnny pockets the phone, sketches a half-mocking, half-genial salute-wave towards the Big Boss and Remy Scarlette, and steps out.

[RinKou]

Act I: ODB

Here's the story as you got it: Tommy takes a sip of his wine, starts seizing, flashing lights, stretcher. Overdose, most likely, and this wouldn't be the first time, but he's generally had the courtesy to have better timing. Less likely, though, this is awful convenient for a lot of parties involved.

The meal was already starting to wind down, and as such, many of the room's original occupants had already started to wander off to sample the rest of the facilities before the clock struck midnight. Fortunate enough for them, because the paramedics were followed by a couple plainclothesmen - no warrant, but there was probably enough Schedule I drugs in Tommy's bloodstream to merit a trafficking conviction. The few actual bigwigs left - Remy, the elder Kim and Yamamura are all tied up talking to cops.

So hey, guess you guys have free reign now.

Persons of interest:

Scarlettes and Co.
May Hong (28), security. One of the faceless hordes of security staff ringing the temporarily closed banquet hall, only she looks about as blitzed as 1939 Poland right about now.
Rumi (22), the waitress Tadao was flirting with earlier. You pick her out among a gaggle of waitstaff discussing recent events.

Kkangpae
Steven Kim (8), Kim Hyun-shin's grandson. Currently supervised by a shifty-eyed 'pae from Takashi's crew.

Places of interest:
Kitchens: the gaggle of waitstaff are hanging out near one of the entrances to the kitchens. If Tommy was poisoned, there might be some clues in there, if you could get in unmolested.
Casino Floor: some of the kkangpae bosses mentioned heading for the card tables over dinner. They might still be there if you wanted to get a word in.
Hotel Club: if these posters are any indication, Flavie's friends and JAV stars Chel and Viola are guest attractions at the Red Line Lounge tonight. They might have some info on them.
Suites: some of the Koreans might've retired to their suites for the night, with or without company. You don't know which floor they're on, but if your own bookings are any indication, it's probably in the high roller suites, and near each other.

[Snacks]

Rachel put a hand to her face, halfway between shielding her eyes from taking in the scene anymore and pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"Ohhhh Tommy. Christ. Our fucking sainted ancestors, if he dies I'm gonna kill him."

She rubbed at her eyes before scanning the room again and turning back to the other Bannermen leaders, "So I'll be the one to say it, because Tommy would be the first to say so if it was one of us on that stretcher instead of him: If we find out that someone did this to Tommy, no retribution tonight- not here, not before the truce ends, and sure as hell not before we make sure it doesn't splash back on the Bannermen."

She sighed, rummaging through her purse, "If someone wants to look into our fellow party-goers, I have something that might help- assuming they don't mind getting it to a friend of mine. Meanwhile, I'd like to ask that we not concern ourselves with our hostess for now, if we can avoid it- I'd like to talk to her later."

She glanced across the room at Tad, "but first I think I need to clear my head once we're done talking here. There are places I can look while I wait for Ms. Scarlett's interrogation to end."

[Huojin]

Johnny shook his head. He's a little pinker in the face than usual, but you're pretty sure it's not the ubiquitous Asian Flush. Mostly because it's primarily concentrated on his right cheek. And suspiciously hand-shaped.

"We can't rule it out, Rachel. If it wasn't his own idiocy and someone did this to him, they've declared war on us, AND broken the truce. We need to get to the bottom of it, but any of us could be next. We should avoid conflict if possible, but we cannot shy from it if confronted."

He scratched the back of his neck, using the movement to conceal his glancing around at the rest of the room. The Kkangpae had all dispersed, but the Guo's had a long history with those shitheads. "Rach, my boys will check up on the gāolì bàngzi. If you've got anything to get 'em to the correct room, it'll be useful. As for myself... I'm gonna step out for some air as soon as we're done here. There's more activity out there than I'm comfortable with letting go unobserved."