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Chapter 11 - Workplace Relationships

Weeks passed by without much of anything happening. Work, sleep, study with Tri...things of that nature. He had started to show me some martial arts techniques, and was also teaching Lucas and his little tiger friend. It was odd sparring against a pup, but at the same time it also felt so nice. Sometimes the ladies of the district would come, watch, and bring us water and juice. It was always thoughtful and never failed to make me smile.

My Chinese was improving, too. I could still barely communicate, but at least I wasn't reduced to hand signs anymore. I could tell that the regulars who came to St. Andrews to rest and relax felt more at ease when I tried to speak Chinese rather than English. Lucas's little friend laughed and said I spoke like a baby.

I still struggled with chopsticks, but I could pick up most things with effort. How they ate rice so quickly with tiny sticks was magic in my book, which always got smiles and giggles when I told them. I always insisted on trying before someone helped my hand placement. Or, on my particularly bad days, someone would bring me a fork.

Even though work was cold this time of year I was very much at home high up on ships fixing things, building things, and just feeling useful. I impressed everyone by being fearless. I made sure it wasn't overconfidence that was driving me to walk so high up, but my comfort and experience. Even I wouldn't go anywhere near the top when it was wet. It was too easy to slip, and I had done it more than enough when it stormed at sea and had seen men fall to their deaths. Thankfully our foreman was understanding and never made anyone risk their necks for a quicker repair job.

I was still a novice at ship construction though, and everyone around me knew it. I won't deny that I made mistakes--sometimes expensive ones--but everyone around me seemed to understand that I was trying my best and that was enough.

We were down on the docks packing up some tools when I heard someone call out toward me: "Xiao-Hei!"

I looked up and saw it was Shu. I held out my hand and shook his when he got close. "Did you have a nice day working on the Piedmont?" he asked.

"She's so new, I'm surprised she needs repairs."

"That's the problem with new ships. They tend to be fragile," Lau said behind us and crossed his arms. "Takes years to get the designs just right. Also sometimes cheaper to just have things break and repair it."

That made me frown. "That sounds dangerous."

Lau shook his head and smiled, throwing his arm around my shoulders and walked me forward. Shu was close on our tails. "You were a pirate as a boy and you're concerned about safety?"

"Yes! I like living."

"He doesn't have nine lives like we do, Lau," Shu grinned as I was directed back to the tavern. It became our after-work ritual to go there for a round of drinks, or a few. "Just one precious fox life."

"For that the first round's on you,"

---

We were drinking into our evening when Tin showed up. He was trying to meet my work friends. I think he just needed to get out of the Arc. He would have taken a job at the shipyard if he wasn't so concerned with heights, I'm sure. Who'd have thought that this terrifying New York gangster was himself terrified of heights?

At first my work pals were wary of my big tiger. They were wary of most new people, especially those who were not Oriental. I couldn't blame them after the incident with that bob cat soldier, and Tin hadn't been to St. Andrews a whole lot. But like Tri with me, if I said Tin was good people, they accepted that and did their best to be as welcoming and kind as they could.

The big tiger was sitting in his chair with a mug of ale in front of him, pulling out a deck of cards from his breast pocket and shuffling them lazily. We did sometimes play cards, but I was starting to think the deck shuffling was also a nervous habit of Tin's. I smiled at him behind my mug and put it down.

"So I've been meaning to ask," Tin began as he stopped shuffling. "I know why a lot of Europeans come over to the US--the Irish came over in droves because of famine 'specially--but I can't say I know much about China. Why'd you leave home? ...If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Shu and Lau looked at one another and frowned. This was a sensitive topic, but Tin wasn't being judgmental. They were clearly wondering if they should open up or not. Hell, I barely had an idea and I worked with them on the daily.

"It...is complicated," Lau said as he put his mug down on the table, adjusting his shirt as he looked around the table at everyone, "but I will try to explain it. Shu will fill in any details I may miss."

"What do you know of China, Tin?" This was from Shu.

"Well, er...not much beyond the typical stuff. Silk, pearls, dragons...opium, I know Simon's homeland is very interested in places in the far East."

"The East India Trade Company," Shu nodded. "That is true. They are, and have been, trying to make inroads to Asia for years. They've been relatively successful no less. Even when things came to a head a few years ago."

"What happened?"

"Again, it is complicated, but the Boxer Rebellion -- and no offense to either of you, but it was a push to expel a lot of the foreign influences that had been entering the country. The United Kingdom, along with Russia, have been very clear about their desire to colonize. And with the Imperial Government seemingly unable to do anything right, the people took it into their own hands.

"Regular people rose up and began to push foreigners out, and not in the kindest of ways. Bloody stuff. But of course these foreigners resisted and pushed back...and eventually they overwhelmed the Boxers and forced the Imperial Government to give in and let them continue in China unabated."

Lau frowned and looked down at the table. "Lots of people died," he said quietly. "Lots of people were hurt, and lots of people were made to suffer because instead of just talking and thinking things through it came blades and bullets."

Shu cleared his throat as Lau took a long drink from his mug. "Lau used to be a government official near the ports. He worked with the government but also saw the Boxers and the foreigners. He saw a lot of it."

"I'm sorry, Lau," Tin said with his deep, warm voice. "I didn't mean to bring up any dark memories. I was just curious..."

"You did nothing wrong, Tin." Lau looked up at him. "Learning is important, even the hard lessons. No one here blames you or Simon for what happened back home. The Imperial government is also corrupt and failing, controlled by an Empress and a puppet Emperor. Things are not well in the Forbidden City."

"Forbidden City?"

"It is where the Imperial Family lives, as well as where the government is maintained. Common folk are not allowed inside. I was never allowed beyond the front gate even on official business. It is not a realm where regular people are invited."

Shu nodded. "So as you can see, China is going through a lot right now. A weak government with a lot of foreign interference. Things are frayed and dangerous. A lot of us are fleeing before there's another rebellion."

I interrupted, "But I thought the foreigners were entrenched?"

"Not against the foreigners, Simon. Against the Imperial Government itself. There's already talk about it here about where it's safe. But everything I do hear about home tells me things are coming to a boil."

"Shu and I would be easily targeted," Lau said softly. "We both worked for the port authority and the local government, but we had no say in anything going on back in the capital."

"But when people are angry they're not going to be asking for a resume when they feel threatened," Tin muttered darkly. "So you came here to avoid being killed."

Both the foreign cats nodded slowly, and Lau spoke up: "As cowardly as it was, neither of us wishes to die, and neither of us wants to be the target of anger. We do not support the Imperial Government."

The conversation, admittedly, had become somber. I looked at Shu and Lau differently from then on. They had fled their home because they knew that staying would put them in danger. And they put up with the racism here because they knew that it was safer, even marginally. It got under my fur that they were being treated poorly -- they were good men who didn't deserve to be looked down upon.

It reminded me that everyone has their burdens.

---

After drinks, I told Tin that I wanted to go check on Tri. The tiger decided to stick around to just hang out "with the guys," as he put it, as if the men in the Arc weren't manly enough for him. I guess Ciel was being exceptionally picky today.

Instead of going to the church, I decided to go to his shop. I had only visited there once, and I had, admittedly, been focused on some other things at the time. So having another look at the place didn't sound like a terrible idea.

I walked up to the shop whose exterior was dimly lit with the old gas lamps, as this part of the city was older and not entirely upgraded to electricity. I could also see the faint light of oil lamps lighting the interior of the shop. After the incident at Crosbell Tower, I could avoid electricity for a long time.

I pushed the door and stepped into the building, hearing the familiar sound of the bell ringing over the door. All at once I was assaulted with scents and smells of incense and ancient things. The scent on the brazier was a soft peach like scent that was not offensive to the nose but it kept the musty smell out. In a building full of old furniture and antiques, that was probably hard to do.

I let my hand slide along one of the wooden statues and felt the carvings. Tri was nowhere to be found, but he must have been here if his lights were on and the front door unlocked. I took a moment to admire his collection. Everything was so unique, so exotic. They were the things you'd imagine when you heard words like "the Orient," the way the lines of things moved was fluid, like water, and the colors were bright reds and golds. China was old like England, but our buildings, our history, was faded and yellowed like paper left out in the sun for too long. Here, though, everything seemed so well-preserved and maintained.

I was admiring a plate with intricate blue carvings all along it when I heard something close from the back and turned. My tail brushed against a small podium and I turned to watch it wobble and forth on its legs. On top of it was a jade dragon that was going to tumble. I quickly lunged for it but was beaten to the punch by Tri.

The marble fox had his hand right where the figure was falling and caught it. He was dressed in his usual slacks, rolled up sleeve shirt and vest. He looked at me curiously and blinked slowly. "Simon?"

"Hey," I smiled and smoothed my shirt down. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I...own this place."

"Well, that does answer that question. Eheh." I stared uncomfortably at what he now held in his hands. "Sorry about the figure. I didn't mean to knock it over."

Tri shook his head and placed it back down on the wooden pedestal. "When you work in a place like this, you learn to keep your tail tucked close and your reflexes sharp. What are you doing here?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that I got lost?"

"You're generally a better liar than that, Simon."

I chuckled. "I hadn't seen you in a few days so I wanted to check on you. The last time I saw you, you were looking pretty anxious. Were you going to some meeting?"

"Ah, that," Tri said and stepped a little closer to me. "Just business. Keping Chinatown in the public eye is important, but keeping it in the positive light is even more so. Sometimes I need to wine and dine the powerful people here."

"I didn't realize you were so popular with the upper crust. You sure you really aren't some rich dilatant?"

I grinned but found I was also a few steps closer to Tri. He was taller than me by a hair but it was enough to get me to look up. We had drifted close.

"Maybe. I am full of surprises."

Our muzzles were brushing against each other. I could feel his breath across my fur. I swallowed hard.

God damn, what was wrong with me? Wrong with us? I hadn't felt the pull like this with anyone before but when we were close and alone it was hard to not want to touch Tri. It was like some carnal part of me was awakened when he was near and I couldn't resist it even if I wanted to.

His lips brushed mine. I could feel the heat and I stepped even closer, arms coming out and curling around his waist. When we kissed it was all over in terms of thinking.

I've slept with a fair amount of men in my short life. I've had men who I was barely interested in to men like Tin who I couldn't get enough of. But there was something about this Tristan that was so unlike anyone else I had spent a night with. I think we were both surprised when we found ourselves upstairs of the shop, naked, our clothes leaving a trail behind us as we had walked, kissed, and stripped, both of us so hard it hurt. Touching Tri, feeling his body, it was like getting a sip of water when I didn't even realize I was thirsty.

We didn't even speak, we just let our desire lead us. To be honest with you, reader, I don't remember every detail of that night, it was a haze of pleasure and bliss, laughter and kissing, lovemaking and potent rutting.

I know we did not stay in just one position, or one of us solely on the bottom and the other on the top. We would make love until we peaked, but I swear neither of us went soft once that night. We were hard and aroused, ready to go again until our bodies ached from the exhaustion of just throwing ourselves at one another, rolling around on the admittedly hard wooden floor of the shop's loft.

I do remember my last climax of that night. Tri was between my legs, I was on my back and panting while he used his muzzle on me. I was certain I was tapped out, I kept feeling the blackness of sleep trying to claim me again and again every time I blinked, but somehow that fox, with his expert lips, coaxed a few more droplets out of me before I passed out. Never, in my life, had I been the first person to fall asleep after sex. Yet here we are.

I slept for who knows how long and woke up with sunshine in my face and a weight on my thigh. Tri was still between my legs, using my thigh as a pillow. I was, remarkably, not erect, one of the few times I had woken up in the morning without stabbing something with my cock. I shifted a little bit and my balls ached, though that could have been when we were trying to see if I enjoyed a bit of a rough tug and squeeze on them sometime last night.

I grinned, lazily, and stroked Tri between his ears as he slept. The moment I touched him he was awake. Not only awake, but wide awake and vigilant, as if he was trained to be on alert the moment something awoke him from his slumber. He stared at me briefly, his round ears perked up and listening for any surrounding sound, before he relaxed. Sighing, he pushed his muzzle against my flacid penis.

He licked it.

"Tri!" I shouted, chuckling with a hand down on his muzzle. "It's...it needs a break."

"Nonsense," the marble fox said with a coy grin. "You are Simon, legendary lover of men, and you cannot be exhausted by a mere plebeian such as myself."

That got a laugh out of both of us. After a few more moments of snuggling, Tri sat up on an elbow.

"I'd ask if you wanted breakfast, but seeing how it's almost noon, do you want to join me in a luncheon?" he asked.

"I wish...but no, I need to get back to the Arc. Bas is cooking this whole week, and it's easily the best food I've ever had."

Tri's expression changed to...I don't know how to explain it. He looked contemplative, as if wanting to tell me something but not knowing how. He then shook his head slightly and smiled.

"Simon," he began, "remember that you need to keep people like that close to you."

"What? Good cooks?"

"No. Good people. Friends. Loved ones. Never let them go." He paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Fate has a funny way of coming for us when we least expect it and sweeping them out of our lives."

His ominous tone gave me pause. "That's a bit dark, isn't it?"

Tri motioned to the stuff around us. "Most of this is generally dark warnings of wisdom like that. I'm just being odd before I have my morning tea--or in this case, almost-noon tea." He chuckled softly.

I was getting up onto my feet and stumbling. I was sore...and I needed a shower. I groaned and looked at the other man, helping him up to his feet.

"Tri, you know you're part of that group, right? People that I care about."

For a second, Tri seemed stunned for words. But before I knew it, he reached over and hugged me. Tightly. He even gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Hurry up!" he said as he eased his grip on me and patted me on my back. "If you don't want to stick around and taste my cooking, I should get this place cleaned up and not smelling of sex before the sun gets too high."

Tri had hinted at something bigger than him, but at that time I had no idea what he could have been talking about. I wish I had been more observant.