Sung Wei stood up and gave the girl a slight bow. "Thank you for answering my

questions." He turned to Saito and nodded to the stout kitsune. The two left and the

door closed, sealing away the young woman until an aid came around to take her away

from her tiny stone world.

"Why is she alive?" Sung Wei asked as he pulled out his pipe and the two

passed through the double doors of the Bureau to the bright beautiful world outside.

Saito's fox-like ears twitched. "The Zheng family are merchants, not nobles. They

paid a lot to have some of the information silenced, but not to have the girl hanged."

"The Bureau is aware of this demon?"

"Of course. I'm sure your boss has already warned anyone with significant

influence in the city." The mage smoothed out his robes. "But I don't think that's the

place to look."

"Why's that?" A shower of sparks from Sung Wei's lighter hit the tobacco, he took

a few puffs to get the pipe working.

"It's not a succubus."

"Then what is it?"

"Don't know."

Sung Wei stopped at the center of Pula bridge. He leaned over the red rails and

puffed on his pipe. Saito joined him, likely admiring the way the sunlight reflected off the

water and cast fractal reflections on the canal walls.

"Saito?"

"Mmm?"

"Why does a mage, a decent looking one from what I understand, with money,

and in a city where the women in his age group outnumber men three to one, rape a

girl?"

"Bah! Zheng was a pretentious little shit. I didn't peg him for cruel, but I didn't peg

him for stupid either." The shorter kitsune man sighed, his ears dropping along with the

corners of his mouth. "He was prepared to deal with a succubus. I checked his notes.

Fucker had everything right. Just didn't follow his own outline."

Sung Wei scratched at his stubble. "Hmm… Tea?"

"Sure."

"How's the wife and kids these days?" Sung Wei said, breaking the silence.

"Doing well." Saito's ears shot straight up and he beamed. "The boys should be

able to skip all the basic courses once they get accepted. Shu seems to have a natural

talent for telekinesis."

Sung Wei nodded.

"How's erm…"

"She still won't talk to me."

Saito's ears flattened. "How about your niece?"

Sung Wei took a deep draw of his pipe. "She's good. She's now the second wife

to a samurai."

"A real samurai or a Literati that thinks he's a samurai just because he's allowed

to carry a fancy sword?"

Sung Wei sighed as he entered the tea house and made for the rear booths.

"The latter."

Saito nodded. "Well, he's less likely to die I guess."

"Mmm."

"You should come by for dinner sometime this week."

"Hm, maybe."

"No maybes. Tomorrow night."

Sung Wei took his seat. "If you're going to force me."

"I am. You're getting skinny."

"Ha. I'll have more time to eat when I don't have demons on the loose."

Sung Wei tapped his pipe against a brass bowl to dump the ashes before storing

it. Saito thanked the pretty Oni-kai girl who delivered their tea.

Sung Wei swirled his tea instead of drinking. "Could be her," he said once the

server was out of earshot.

Saito nodded to himself, apparently approving of his drink. "Could be. Likely not

though."

"Mmm."

"Looking for a shifter who was an Oni-kai yesterday… You're looking for a pin in

a pie shop."

"True."

"Start with the kid."

"Yeah." Sung Wei finally took a drink of his tea. "There can't be more than five or

so hundred Akumajin in this city."

"Start with your boss." Saito suggested while refilling his cup.

"There was a girl here that just about matched the description. I don't see her

though."

"That would be too easy."

"It would." Sung Wei watched as his friend poured more tea for the both of

them. "Saito?"

The kitsune's ears shifted toward him a moment before the man's eyes did.

"Yes?"

"When we find this demon. Are you sure you can deal with it safely?"

A wide toothy grin spread across Saito's face. "Ah. So you are worried that

Lianzhen's top mage can't send a monster back to whence it came?"

"No. I'm worried that there is a small chance I will lose another person important

to me."

Saito's smile faded and his ears fell. "There is a small chance we will die

everytime we ascend the stairs. The older I get, the more I think them to be the greatest

danger in my future. I will be fine. Or I won't. Such is the way of life and death."

Sung Wei took another drink of tea. "You are indeed a wise old fox."

"Sung Wei? Now you mock me? I think you must have dinner with us twice this

week. And no talk of work in my house."

Sung Wei nodded. "If I must."