A Scripta

Lue knocked on the door of a wooden pagoda house. Although slightly fancier than the one they were using, it wasn't much bigger. Grim wondered why people liked to live in closets.

An older woman opened the door and peered through the screen at him. Lue smiled. "Aunt Tao Xiong, remember me?"

"Lue Xiong?" she asked. "Blackie's son?"

Lue's smile faded. "Yes." Grim tilted his head at the direct translation - he thought Lue's father would have had a normal name, but this was obviously a nickname.

She scoffed. "We didn't honestly expect you to come." She looked him up and down. "We thought you would have stood her up."

"I have more honor than that," Lue said coldly.

"You have more honor than your father, that's for certain." She shoved open the door. "Well, come in." Lue held the door open for Grim and they stepped out of the rain into the already sweltering room. The woman moved through the house calling, "Tao, Blackie's son is here."

"Really?" Lue and Grim found themselves in a doorway to a small living room with a TV.

An older man sat there, a man with dark hair and equally dark eyes. "Uncle Tao," said Lue, and bowed respectfully. Grim looked from the man to the woman, slightly confused. They both had the same name? "Please meet my friend, Grimaulkin."

Grim turned to the man and also bowed. "They call me Grim."

"Kim," said Tao with a nod, then looked at Lue. "So, what did you bring for Mee Cha?"

"I am not marrying her, uncle."

Tao gazed at him. "This has been arranged since you were born in America. You are both of the same age and are of different clans as expected--"

"Uncle, I can't."

"Why not?" the man thundered. Grim stared at him - he was pretty loud for a small guy.

"I love another."

"Love doesn't have anything to do with it!" Tao yelled. The woman stood behind the two men, her arms folded with a very disapproving look on her face. "Status, and ability to provide children, and to continue the family line is what it has to do with it!"

"Uncle, believe me when I tell you, I cannot father children."

"Says who! Western doctors? They don't know anything! A shaman can find that part of your soul and bring it back to you, and you will be able to father many children on her. I'll even pay for it!"

Lue looked up at him, his jade eyes flashing. "I said no, I will not marry her."

"You're just as insolent as your father! Look at you, covered in tattoos like a Triad member. Is this what's in America, becoming the member of a gang?"

Grim was already angry, and the gauge had just gone up to furious. He clenched his fists at his sides and knew he was exuding the dark pitch aura of fear. It wouldn't take much to push it at this man, to make him cower screaming on his couch, as Grim would stand over him and pummel him with visions of pure horror...

"I am not a member of a gang anymore," Lue said quietly.

"Which Triad are you a member of, Lue? Or is that your name? Did you choose a different name now that you're in a gang?"

"I am not a member of a Triad, uncle," Lue said more forcefully. Grim's gauge went from furious to livid. Grim took two steps and Lue held his hand out to stop him.

Tao nodded to Grim. "Is he your enforcer?"

"Stop it!" Grim commanded. He glared at Tao, and Tao whirled his head to stare at Grim. "You have no idea - NONE - of what he's gone through the last couple of months. He left his gang, his clan, his family! They tried to hunt him down! His own brother tried to KILL him!"

"You left your clan?" Tao turned to Lue.

"I had to, uncle. They all fell under the spell of Tub Ci, who commands a gang called the Tsoo."

Grim could only hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Tao looked at Grim for a moment, then back at Lue. "And they did this to you?" He motioned to Lue's tattoos.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"My father must have been angry with you."

"He is not."

Tao didn't question that any further, because then it would have gone into the mystical, and Lue had already told Grim he really didn't want to go into explaining that to members of his family. "You still honor him?"

"I honor all my ancestors, uncle."

Tao glanced away and squeezed past them to a small room off to the side. Set up kitty-corner was a rickety table with burning candles and assorted things on them. Grim looked at Lue, who was smiling. "You have grandfather's wallet."

"One of them." Tao handed the wallet to Lue, who took it reverently and went through it. "He gave it to me before leaving for America."

Grim backed out of the room, feeling that this wasn't his place. He turned and was in the face of the woman-Tao. He smiled at her. She did not smile back. Grim side-stepped and took his place in the doorway of the TV room while the woman watched him warily. Grim stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned against the doorway.

Lue and his uncle talked in low tones, and he heard "Kim". Finally, the woman looked at Grim. "I am making some coffee."

Grim watched as she turned from him and went to the stove and started up an old-fashioned percolator. Grim smiled at the retro moment, launched off the doorway and walked a little closer to her. "Do you need any help?" he asked.

"I've been making coffee for longer than you've been alive."

Grim spread his hands. "My apologies."

Lue came out of the room and gave Grim a small wink. The female-Tao looked at the male-Tao. "Mai," said Tao to her, "please serve our guests."

Mai started taking out plates and some cookies out of packages, and pulled down three glasses. Tao made a motion to a chair at Grim and he sat down. Tao said to him, "Kim, so how do you know Lue?"

"When he left his clan, he came to our home. We helped him against the Tsoo."

Lue said, "Mostly Grim did." Mai set a glass of dark brown liquid before him. At the bottom of the glass was some carmel-colored liquid. He said thank you, but she gave no indication that she heard.

Tao sipped his glass. "You will be coming to the negotiations?" he asked Grim.

Grim looked at Lue. Lue said, "Uncle..."

"I know, I know, that's what you've said. But you haven't seen her since you were children."

"That does not matter. I've made my decision."

Grim sipped his liquid; it was coffee, similar to Jack's version of coffee, but much sweeter. It was also much cooler than normal coffee, but not ice cold. He could get used to it.

Tao merely sighed. "Her family is not going to like this."

"I know, which is why I will make my intentions known before them all."

Grim glanced around and saw that Mai had disappeared. Tao was continuing, "Your cousins Xang and Teng would have been your negotiators. If you want this man to be one instead, you will have to teach him some of our traditions quickly."

"We're not even going to get to the negotiations." Lue set his glass down. "I am going to refuse her immediately."

Grim was quiet as Lue told Tao about the family in America, about Tub Ci and what he had done to them. He left out key parts - such as what he himself had gone through to satisfy his father, his clan, and the Tsoo. He left out killing Zhao, saying only that he had been killed in a gang fight. He left out his war versus the Tsoo and the details. Tao for his part went into the health and welfare of Lue's multitude of cousins and uncles and aunts. Grim realized that most of Lue's family had remained in Laos for different reasons, most of them having to do with not wanting to be tainted by American life. However many of the new generation were striving to go to America.

Speaking of which, the phone rang and Mai appeared from seemingly nowhere to answer it. "Naim," she said to Tao, "It is Jumping Tiger."

"Xang," he explained to Grim, "It's Tao's third son, and he's two years older than me."

Grim nodded, and Tao took the phone. "Yes. Blackie's son is here. No one is more suprised than I. He is refusing her. I explained. You want to explain? I'll send him to you." Tao handed the phone back to Mai. "Jumping Tiger wants to see you."

Lue said, "I have made my decision - "

"Well you're going to have to explain to him and Sparky why." He nodded to Grim. "And figure out which one your friend is replacing."

Lue sighed and got up. "Might as well get this over with now." Grim followed, and then Lue hugged Tao. "I will see you tomorrow."

Tao nodded. Grim bowed and followed Lue back out into the rain. Lue nodded toward an alleyway, and they took off again, heading west.