Hong Kong.
3/20/20.
The echoes of protests still ring through the streets...chants of "free Hong Kong"! echo through the streets.
That however, doesn't effect anyone in Mai's diner. Located on a lesser seen street as part of a small shopping district, Mai's diner looks in many ways like the stereotypical diner one might see from a Rockwell painting.
A long bar lined with stools runs the length of the of the diner, and booths line the windows across from the bar.
A neon sign illuminates the dark sky, with a simple Mai's in red and white.
Inside the diner, the booths are 3/4ths full and half the seats at the bar are taken. A young Chinese woman takes orders and delivers food like a Human machine; meanwhile, an older man fries food in the visible kitchen; both work diligently, and the customers seem to be happy.
Some of the customers, however, seem out of place among the regulars in the place.
Les has crammed his large frame into a corner table that was set up to handle any overflow... the cheap plastic chair creaking ominously under his weight, and making the circular compact folding table appear almost comically small.
G'day Love... I'm stingin' fer a beer. None of that yank piss either. Sling us one o' those Tsingtao's eh? He says butchering the pronunciation.
You want beer heya? Tsingtao beer? Mou Laaa!, the waitress declared, shaking her head and flipping her hand importantly. I bring you other beer! Hou Yam, Hou Yam ahh. You like it for sure.
Errr... yeah, the heavily perspiring hulking redhead said surrendering in desperation. Sure... you bring whatever you have - just make sure its cold eh? Strike me dead, the bloody humidity outside is worse than Cairns. I'm drier than a Goanna's tongue!.
The waitress flounced off to small refrigerator, and pulled out a glass bottle, reaching past half a dozen bottles of Tsingtao beer in order to find the desired brand. She returned and slapped the bottle down on the table triumphantly.
This beer good beer for you, she says opening it with a practiced flip of a bottle opener, without waiting for approval or agreement.
Les peered at the lable... "鬼佬啤酒 - Gweilo Beer", and shrugged before taking a deep pull on the bottle.
A young man is sitting alone. His long hair is tied in a long braid, and he's wearing a red changshan.
Kevin takes another shrimp with his chopsticks. He holds it in front of his face for a while before eating it. The doctor said his Master would be okay, though he can't take the poor old man's pain moans from his mind. He realises his Master won't ever be able to hold a shrimp with his chopsticks.
In the corner booth, a boy sits, covered in layers of black. His black leather overcoat seems oversized on his frame. He sips at a cup of tea, eyes darting about with each movement of the other patrons. A plate of steaming tofu blend sits in front of him yet untouched.
His hair is unkempt but cut fairly short. A semi-permanent scowl wrecks us otherwise handsome bordering on pretty face.
As would happen in any diner, people are served, food is eaten, and conversations carry on.
Then the door chime rings.
a half-dozen men, all wearing green and gold Kung Fu outfits, many of whom carry nunchucks. One, however, stood out.
He strode in after his men entered, wearing the same Kung Fu pants as his men, but there was nary a shirt to be seen.
The man was a walking slab of muscle, standing nearly seven feet tall. His head was shaven, and he was heavily scarred above and below his left eye.
As the young waitress went to deliver something, this man pulled a plate of food off the tray and began eating it.
"Girl!" he bellowed, mouth full of food "Go and get your Grandfather. Your bill is due."
Cowed the girl turns, and he slaps her hard enough on the rear to lift her off the ground. She then ran away before he could do anything else, which evoked a chuckle from the man who spit the food out and dropped the plate on the floor.
Kevin is about to jump, but somehow he manages to keep his nerves. "After all, I don't want them to take reprisals unless for a very good reason. Let's see how they treat the grandpa."
Suspecting already how they're going to treat the grandpa, he takes mental notes of where each bully is, how to disarm one of them with his chopsticks and how to break the least furniture possible.
Awwww... 'ere we go again, Les mutters to himself.
Narrator: Now Les was no angel, and no stranger to a shake down either. In fact he'd been on both sides of the equasion but judging by the number of two-bob heavies and the way that their boss was carrying on like a pork chop he reckoned that this was gonna get messier than the floor of a Marrickville Maccas...
He took another big pull on the beer, sucking it down to the dregs. It wasn't a Foreccs, but it was at least cold. If things went sideways it might be the last beer he got in the near future.
Not my rodeo... f@&* it. I'm meant to be on holiday, he said deciding to see how events played out before he put his size 12's into it.
Didn't see that coming, the Aussie thinks. Cops work fast here!.
Lèi smirks behind a hand pretending to cover fear or embarrassment. He tries to remember if he's heard of these thugs around the neighborhood.
Pos die POP!
Neg die
11-1+11=21 Info: Gangland Politics
A tall Japanese man with a large tote bag enters the restaurant and quickly notices something is up. I really wanted to try that pork bun.
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The massive man looks down at the small revolver sitting in Hark's hand and laughs, saying "and what, exactly, am I being arrested for?"
As the two men stare each other down, the old man comes out from the kitchen holding a fat white envelope.
"No trouble, no trouble." the old man says, looking at Hark.
"Yes, no trouble." he says while plucking the envelope from the old man's hand and putting it into one of the track suit pockets on the jacket that hangs from his shoulders, almost like a cape.
Having received the envelope, he pointedly turns his back on Hark, only to lock eyes with Ogami.
"Out of the way, Gweilo."
Hey, that's the name of my beer! Does that guy own the brewery?
Kevin slurps his shrimp soup while watching through the corner of his eye how the bullies take the money and go away. It's been hard to stay quiet, but he had to think about the poor owner - a fight right here would only ruin the restaurant and the gangsters would come for more another day.
Once they're gone, he stands up and goes to the old man. "Who are those? Are you paying them protection?" Given his recent experience with mafia gangs, Kevin is just looking for an excuse to kick some mafia ass.
Lèi stands, almost ready to follow the gangsters out, but, remembering the policeman's presence, instead turns towards the restroom. He knocks gently on the door, trying to appear timid.
Ogami keeps the eye contact without a twitch, but slowly stands aside.
The massive man smirks as Ogami steps aside and then walks through the door, his men quickly following behind.
"No trouble." repeats the old man, who then returns to the kitchen.
The young woman laughs nervously then returns to her duties.
The diner quickly returns to normal.
Good on ya Gweilo... not worth the trouble, and ya brew a decent beer too!
Les holds up the empty bottle and waves.
Same again Luv.
Kevin walks outside with calm. "Gonna have a small cigarette, will be back in five" he announces out loud, so the waitress knows he's not going to skip payment.
Once outside, he tries to check which way did the gangsters take, and mentally note it down. Especially if they seem to enter any other business.
A pair of minutes later, he comes back inside.
Lèi enters the restroom, looking for a way to slip out (window, etc.) and see if he can spot the direction of the thugs. If there is no way out, he will wash his hands and then return to the dining area.
Kevin and Xue' both easily track the path of the men walking down the street; anyone who doesn't get out of their way is shoved aside. They stop and look in the window of a business a few doors down then enter the next door.
Noboyuki sits as close to the kitchen as possible.
Know what Mr. Gweilo? I think those two are gonna get in a lot of trouble... oh, f~~+ it... Maybe the cop will do me a favour afterwards. Stranger things have happened.
Les throws a note on the bar then leaves to follow the chuckleheads following the Triads.
Noboyuki looks at the big Aussie in confusion, and then at the kitchen in resignation. The pork bun will be here later. Those thugs could hurt that kid. He follows the fellow following the followers.
Lèi smiles. These punks were hitting the neighborhood. He moves over near the store they just entered, leaning against a nearby lamppost or sign and waiting.
He tries to make his face passive, almost stoned looking.
The police officer pays and exits the diner, turning in the opposite direction the thugs went.
Xue props himself up against the wall and watches a variation of the same scene he just saw in the diner play out here. It's clear that these men are collecting protection money.
Kevin, after coming back into the restaurant, decided to ask the waitress. "Hey, who were those thugs? Who's their boss?" He doesn't bother asking what were they doing since it's crystal clear.
Les walks up to Lei.
Wheres the cop?, clearly unaware that he's totally not involved in the situation. And what's the go? standing right outside the door way the thugs went into without looking in the shop... oblivious to them.
The young woman frowns at Kevin's question and says "They're Golden Dragon Triad. They steal money and call it protection."
Kevin knows too well what happend if you decline to use their protection services.
"I need to talk to their boss. Do you know where I can find him?"
"No, I do not. They come and we pay." the young woman said, a defiant look on her face.
The group of thugs continue down the street, the same scene repeating several times until they get to the end of the shopping district. Then, a large black SUV with tinted windows pulls up and the men get inside.
So, it seems they just come, intimidate, collect and go. Well, this has happened forever and will keep on happening, but... Just in case...
"How often do they come?"
"It used to be monthly, but now they come every two weeks."
"Shit, I don't want to wait for two weeks." Bowing for thanks, Kevin quickly gets out of the restaurant to check if he can still catch up with the gangsters, or maybe with the guys who followed the gangsters. "I'd do it anyway, but the shrimps were actually good."
Lèi stares at Les, bleary eyed. "Minding their own damn business, if they know what's right for them." He stands, staggering a bit, timing it so he "accidently staggers" into the first thug walking through the door.
He 'gasps" "Oh, man. So sorry, sir." bowing in deference to the thug. A sidelong glance towards Les indicates briefly he fully expects the thug to go full out hostile.
Narrator: Les caught the Chinese blokes hint. He'd stood hundreds of shifts outside the infamous Kelly Club and had developed a keen nose for when things would kick off...
Les moved to one side and waited for the inevitable.
"You should be sorry, you little s#%t. Now get the f#$k outta here before I make you sorry."
"Man, that's just what I said to your mother last night. You know, after...." Lèi says softly enough probably only the big guys and anyone else listening in closely can hear. A wide grin forms on his face as he stands upright from his bow. "I mean, not an exact quote, like I called her a different word, so she wouldn't confuse me talking to what was on the end of my d@@k."
A couple of the guys behind their boss snicker at Lei's comment, but the boss silences them with a look. He does not, however, interfere.
Outside, the thug says "Boy, I gave you a chance. Now I have to teach you some manners."