Sure enough, the old waiter stopped right between Dorian’s and Young Mistress Tao’s tables. He frowned as he jerked a thumb at Mistress Tao.

“Up, girl!” snapped the waiter. “Young Master Heilong demands your seat.”

Tao, for her part, hunched in, making herself seem small. She draped the cowl so far over her head it shaded her eyes. “P-please don’t kick me out, mister,” she softly. Her voice had gone up an octave again; she sounded like a little girl on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry! I’m ready to order now…”

“Erm…” Young Master Heilong suddenly seemed self-conscious. He scratched at his thin neck, shuffling his feet. Murmurs of disapproval bubbled up around them.

The waiter yanked at her robe and she let out a soft, pained cry. “Up, I said!”

“Ahm—perhaps there’s no need for that, waiter…” Young Master Heilong said awkwardly. It looked bad to drag off a girl, no matter who he was—especially if said girl was doing her very best to seem all cute and aggrieved.

“Cease your dallying, girl! Come! Up, up!” yelled the waiter, giving her another hard yank, and she squealed like a hurt baby bird. A most awkward, strange air had filled the room. No-one knew quite what to do.

The discontented murmurs were spreading; diners shook their heads, scowling at him.

“What an ass!”

“You don’t treat a lady like that…”

“Let her enjoy her meal, like the rest of us!”

“What villainous behavior—from a so-called defender of Azcan, no less!”

Young Master Heilong could feel it, too. He grabbed at arms and stared at the floor, reddening.

“If you must remove the girl, hurry it up!” he hissed to his waiter under his breath.

“Please don’t do this, sir,” whispered Young Mistress Tao to the waiter, dewy-eyed.

“You ought to know your place, girl!” snapped the waiter, hard-faced and jerking at her arm. “Move!”

Dorian was struck by a sudden inspiration. He brightened. The tides were all shifting in one direction; the diners were against it. The waiter seemed reluctant. Even the Young Master looked torn, especially under the weight of all those disapproving eyes. Mistress Tao had made herself a perfect damsel in distress, in need of a savior.

And here’s where I come in. Here’s my chance to salvage something out of this disastrous situation I’ve put myself in! He grinned. Time to turn a potential enemy to a friend.

As though on cue, Young Mistress Tao, turned two watery, beseeching eyes on Dorian. “Please, Io Rust… you’ll help me, won’t you?” she said, her lips trembling, and Dorian knew exactly what to do.

Young Master Heilong took him with narrowed, suspicious eyes as Dorian stood up, a frown of righteous indignation on his face. Dorian opened his mouth.

“Didn’t you hear the man?” He snapped. Then he walked over to Mistress Tao and wrapped her in a bear-hug. She hardly had time to yelp before he yanked her unceremoniously out of her seat. “Out you go, serving-girl!”

The crowd looked on in horror as he whirled around, took three steps, deposited her, and gave her a hearty punt in the back for good measure. “Good-bye!”

Then Dorian turned back to a befuddled Young Master Heilong. “I’m so sorry for that little kerfuffle. Please, sit,” he said, smiling and gesturing to the now-vacant seat. “Might I have the pleasure of making your acquaintance?”

“Ah—yes!” said the Young Master, blinking at him. “Indeed you may! ” He sidled into the seat. “My, ah, sincere thanks for the assistance there,” he whispered.

Dorian winked. “Of course. You know how these women get.”

“Indeed I do,” chuckled the Young Master. “This one hails from the great Heilong Family. My good name is Tan Heilong. What is yours?”

“A most auspicious name,” Dorian grinned. “Call me Io Rust. We’ll be good friends, I can sense it already.”

Young Mistress Tao, meanwhile, was staring at both of them with her jaw wide open. Her reddish hair swirled around her as she trembled; she looked on the verge of eruption.

“IO RUST!!” she cried, trembling, her hands bunched to fists. She was flushed bright-red. “Y-Y-YOU SHAMELESS BRAT! YOU—YOU INCORRIGIBLE VILLAIN!! BULLY! FIEND! This isn’t over, mark my damned words!” Then she shook her fist at him, turned on her heel, and stomped off.

That little outburst didn’t earn him any favor from the crowd. If looks were daggers he would’ve been stabbed a hundred times over. But those glares, which had once been fixed on Heilong, had shifted to Dorian. Dorian had been extra-rough with the girl for this very reason. I’ll be your scapegoat of public opinion, my tiny soon-to-be friend. The Young Master looked grateful for it, if a little sheepish.

“Well, nothing to be done for it, old chap, nothing! They can rabble-rouse at you all they like, but you did well in my estimation! That is simply how it is with these low-born folk! They must be handled with a stern hand,” drawled Heilong, sniffing. It hadn’t seemed to register to him that Dorian, too, was low-born. Dorian smiled anyways.

“My father always used to say—‘the strong do what they please, the weak bear what they must.’”

“Ha! I like that.”

“Mm. Say, is that Sphinx-wool on your coat I see?”

“You’ve got a keen eye—most keen! It is indeed. And is that direwolf-fur on yours?”

Dorian nodded, laughing “Indeed it is. I should be the one complimenting your eye, sir.”

“Heh!” Heilong preened. “I am an aficionado of fine clothes, it must be said…”

So fashion is his hobby? Let’s set some bait.

Dorian cleared his throat. “That is plainly obvious. Might I say, sir, Sphinx is a fine choice for a garment! I should know. Before I came here, I was one of the most prosperous textile traders in the Izod Desert. I’ve sampled garments from Nazli to the Yutan Plateau. That coating style is very much in vogue among the Nazli aristocracy…”

“Ooh! Truly?” Heilong perked up. “Do tell…”

As it turned out, Young Master Heilong wasn’t domineering at all, as he’d seemed at first—that was a front, like a peacock puffing out its feathers. With his small stature, he needed such displays for folk to take him seriously. The man who had a lively talk with Dorian was condescending, and pompous, and most certainly an ass, but he was by and large tolerable; he was fun-loving, liked to laugh, and talked with breezy ease. He was little more than an airhead with a high-pitched trilling giggle who had a penchant for pretty clothes.

Soon Dorian had the Young Master slapping his knees in laughter as they each sipped at their soups. “Ha! The Queen truly said that about the blouse? My, you’re full of the most intriguing tales!”

“What can I say?” Dorian shrugged. “I’m very well-traveled, sir. And her Royal Highness’s wardrobe isn’t the only one I’ve had the pleasure of seeing. You should see the the splendors of the Gaosu Oasis. There, even the servants are draped in the finest silver scarves.”

Heilong stared, transfixed. “In faith?”

I’ve got him on the line, it seems. Time to reel him in… Dorian wrinkled his nose. “Of course. Between you and I, these Azcan folks—most of them simply can’t compare. They’re uncultured swine! Their wardrobes are wastebaskets by comparison.”

“Really, now?” said Heilong smugly as he tossed back his wispy ponytail. “That sounds like a challenge.”

“Not in the slightest, sir,” laughed Dorian.

“Hum. Io, Io...” Heilong leaned in conspiratorially. “How would you like to pay a visit to the Heilong Family Manor on the morrow? I’d be delighted to have you.” His eyes twinkled. “Perhaps you can take a gander at my wardrobe. You’ll tell me then if it’s up to snuff.”

“Oh!” Dorian affected a look of shock. “I fear I’m not worthy of such an honor, sir—“

“Nonsense!” Heilong bristled. “I will personally receive you and vouch for you. Oh, and do bring a few of your favorite exotic drapes with you! We’ll have a grand old time.”

Still Dorian feigned uncertainty. Over-eagerness arouses suspicion, but one can never seem to under-eager.

“I don’t know, sir. If you insist…”

“Stop your willying about! Of course I insist.”

Dorian broke into a smile. “Then I’ll be delighted to join you.”

“Hurrah!”

The waiter chose an apt time to arrive with the wine-bottles. Soon he and Heilong were toasting each other. “To good taste!”

The pretense is that we’re there to assess his wardrobe—but I’ll see if I can’t gain access to their Technique Library while I’m there.

The Heilong family was the strongest Martial Family in all the Oasis. Their Technique libraries were bound to be the most robust there was. If Dorian could break through to Profound tonight, then upgrade his Yama’s Chains by adding aspects of the Oasis’ finest grappling Techniques tomorrow… he licked his lips. The future was looking bright.

At the end of his lunch, Dorian held out a hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Young Master Heilong.”

“Please, my savage friend!” laughed the Young Master, shaking it with a silly grin. “Call me Tan.”

Maybe this lunch was worth it after all.

It was nice to have a friend.

***

Eudora Azcan fumed all the way back to the Governor’s Palace. She’d snuck out to play with Lin’s new toy. He was supposed to go goggle-eyed at her. He was supposed to be infatuated with her. He was certainly supposed to stand up for her when that pint-sized moron Heilong tried bullying her! By now she’d expected to be smothering the boy in kisses in some back-alley—instead he’d kicked her out, shoved her away, no less! Eudora had never been so embarrassed in her entire life. She could scarcely remember when last she’d been this furious.

What the hells was that?!

She more she thought about it, the redder she got.

There were storm clouds gathering about her head by the time she stomped back to the Palace gates.

“CURSE YOU, IO RUST! A THOUSAND CURSES ON YOUR FAMILY NAME!”

The guards looked at each other knowingly, then made sure to give her a wide berth as she barreled on through.

Already, a plan was cooking in her pretty head.

Io Rust was a Tournament Qualifier, wasn’t he? She snarled. As it happened, so was she. And one of her father’s closest aides was in charge of matchmaking for the Tournament.

It wouldn’t be too out-of-place for one of the top seeds to be matched with some random Outskirts nobody in the first few rounds, would it? Nobody would suspect a thing.

Oh, the Tournament can’t come fast enough! She was so pent-up she was quivering all over. She was going to do unspeakable things to that boy…