6741/Letting Cats Out Of Bags at a Chinese Restaurant

Letting Cats Out Of Bags at a Chinese Restaurant
Date of Scene:	03 March 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Jason, Kitty, Carrie, Damian, and Harper Row meet up for Chinese
Cast of Characters:	Red Hood, Shadowcat, Carrie Kelley, Robin (Wayne), Bluebird

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Red Hood has posed:
There's a little Chinese place in the middle of Gotham's Chinatown. It's rooftop serves as a dead drop for the Batfamily to communicate with each other - and the food within is pretty decent. It's the later that brought Jason here with a date for the evening.

As the door opens and they're greeted, Jason greets the hostess back in Mandarian, and there's a short conversation before she's leading Jason and Kitty to one of the tables. "I really love the dumplins here." he explains. "They do this hybrid of steaming and frying and the sauce is just so good."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde walks in with Jason, looking around the place and smiling at the intimate atmosphere of the small restaurant. She looks over to Jason in surprise as he starts speaking Mandarin to the woman. Or, whatever language that was. "Hello," Kitty says to her, giving the hostess a warm smile as they are led to their table. "So where did you pick that up?" Kitty asks once she's seated and has her attention focused back on Jason. "You did mention you'd traveled in Asia for awhile, didn't you?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
There's already several people in the restaraunt at this point, three of which are likely to be familiar faces to Jason Todd. Seated at a booth with a few appetizers already lain out on the table in appropriately sized dishes, Carrie holds a pair of chopsticks aloft still trying to work them. She wasn't great at them but she hadn't yet given up either in spite of her urge to just stab the dumplings with the business ends. The movement as the couple enters draws her attention that way for a glance... That then turns into a double-take with eyebrows lofting high at the sight as a smile curls her lips.

"Well, that was quick. Should I be insulted?" Whatever that meant. Either way she grins broadly and singsongs, "Going to introduce your giiiirlfriend, Jason?" Yeah. She was being totally mature tonight. Totally.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian decidedly wanted some duck served traditionally, dressed in a vest and shirt, slacks and nice shoes. "Guai lo, let me-." The olive skinned Wayne rolled his eyes at Carrie before realizing who was walking in. Nearly spitting out his oolong, Damian glares just a bit at Jason.

  A string of curses comes from him under his breath, in Mandarin and Arabic."

Bluebird has posed:
Looking over at the food, Harper picks up a dumpling with ease and is about to eat it when she spots the others and grins. She shakes her head a bit at Carrie and then she downs the dumpling and tries not to giggle. She shakes her haed and then idly shifts in her seat and looks over to Damian before saying, "That's a lot of choice words. I know something of them." No, she doesn't know those languages...but she has looked up how to curse in them.

Red Hood has posed:
"I picked it up in Asia. Duh." Jason says, teasing Kitty as he starts to leader her to the table when he hears the commotion from the booth. And there's a smirk from Carrie. "Just the girl I should be looking for anyway." he offers, as he guides Kitty over. At her comment, he rolls his eyes. "Totally." he quips back, before he gestures. "And only if you make room at the table."

When Damian enters cursing mode, Jason's grin is even more priceless. Oh. Just ignore that cell phone that he takes out to snap a picture of the very dour young man. Worth it. So worth it. <<Swear jar.>> is said in perfect Mandarian.

"You remember my brother, right?" he asks Kitty as Damian straights up with his oolong. "And this is Carrie Kelley. We had one pretty terrible date and she's going to hold it over my head for the rest of my life. Carrie, this is Katherine Pryde. Aforementioned girlfriend. Bruce approved and all." And he explains to Kitty. "Carrie is Damian's acting coach. And the young lady with the blue hair is Harper. Everyone, Kitty. Kitty, everyone."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde moves over with Jason to the table where the others sit. She spots Damian right away and gives him a warm smile, definitely recognizing him. "Hello Damian," she tells him after Jason makes the introductions. "Carrie, really nice to meet you," Kitty offers with a friendly smile. "Harper, hello," Kitty adds as she gives a greeting to the third member of the table.

The comment about the terrible date draws a soft grin from Kitty. "Don't let him off the hook," Kitty says in a stage whisper to Carrie. At the mention of 'Bruce approved', Kitty perhaps gets just a touch of color added to her cheeks, but not much. A little bit of a shy smile though.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley glances toward Damian when he coughs up his Oolong. Silently she slides her napkin toward him in offering while she goes back to distracting the source of his irritation. A broad grin is offered Kitty and Jason, and she grins even broader at her introduction. Kitty's further spurring of her teasing just gets a single solemn nod. "Oh, I won't. He got us kicked out of a *dojo*," she mock-whispers back with a conspiratorial nod.

Glancing over to Harper and Damian she starts to respond, "I'm okay with you guys joining if they ... are." Oops. A sheepish, apologetic look is given to Damian along with a shrug.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     In the nicest sounding tone he can muster, Damian responds. <<Suck an egg.>> Quite the insult in mandarin.

  His demeanor changes right in front of Harper and Carrie, gone is the brash young man, and the shy one comes to the forefront. "Hello...Kitty. Kitty?" He snerks just a bit at that revelation. "It's like meeting a new person." He comments, adding in just a little dig towards Jason. "Yes, Jason learned to speak Asian in Asia. Of course they can join us."

Bluebird has posed:
A look over at Damian and she laughs at his response before shaking her head. Harper looks over at Jason and then to Kitty before saying, "Nice to meet you, despite the rest of them." She gestures and points at a seat, "Have a sit. I always enjoy meeting new people and especially enjoy awkward family moments." SHe nods her head, "I missed out on having very many and now I gotta live vicariously through their awkward family moments." She gestures to Damain and Jason.

Red Hood has posed:
Crap. He let Kitty's chosen name out. That's not going to go over well. Jason blows out his breath and smirks at Carrie. "Yes. You had nothing to do with that." he comments with a roll of his eyes, before turning his attention to Damian. <<Not a word.>> comes the comment, as he lets Kitty sit first before joining her.

"It's totally his dad's fault we have the awkward moments." Jason responds to Harper, before addressing the table large. "So, I was asked to do something interesting the other day. Was hoping one of you could give me some insight on it." he says as he drops into the seat to wave for a couple of more menus for the pair of them. "Bruce wants me to talk to Dick about some type of girl issue. Something about he's getting cheated on or something. Any of you got any ideas what he's talking about?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a scandalized-sounding exhalation as she hears about Jason's getting them kicked from a dojo. She looks over him as she sits down, and sadly shakes her head. "And I thought I knew you," she tells him. Though Kitty's eyes shine over at Jason with a warmth that makes the teasing more of an endearment than anything. Looking back to Carrie, Kitty says in a hushed-like voice, "We'll talk later."

Harper is given a soft smile by Kitty. "Thank you. This seems to be one of those," Kitty agrees of the awkward family moments. She tells Damian, "The secret is out. And so now you get to make up your own nickname. I get called Katherine, Kat, Katya, Kate, Katie, Kitty, Kit, KitKat. Aunty Kate... there's a few more I'd think of given time. Feel free to make up your own," she tells Jason's younger brother.

Kitty glances to Jason, expression a little curious as he mentions the bit about Dick, not seeming to have heard that before.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley places fingertips gingerly against her chest as if she were offended by the mere NOTION that she might have had something to do with that. Even so the grin is in place making it clear she's taking it all as nothing more than good natured teasing. Which she started. "If they don't want people to re-inact Inigo Montoya's famous battle, they shouldn't leave bokkens out in the open." With that she grins warmly, and turns her attention down to try plucking up a dumpling.

Try. The chopsticks are held and grasp, slip, and then grab again trying very hard to work. They just keep slipping causing her to sigh. Sitting back she rearranges them in her grip to the proper starting point again before leaning back to give it another go. "Yes, I'm very white, I know," she mutters beneath her breath before successfully snagging one. A triumphant grin splits her face and she pops it into her mouth.

Only to nearly choke on it when Jason brings up that topic.

Instantly clapping her hand over her mouth she makes a few muffled noises of 'Hot!' and grabs at her napkin to pull it up to her face.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     <<Why brother, I'd never do anything to embarrass you.>> Damian says, scooting over to allow people to enter, meanwhile using the offered napkin to clean himself off. r
  "I don't follow Richard's love interests. But he's...you know." Kitty gets a small smile, where Damian looks at her and seems calmer. "I like Kitty. I mean, cats in general. I umm, handle the Wayne Foundation's animal charities. Whenever they need a Wayne to cut a ribbon at a preserve or something, I go."

Red Hood has posed:
<<Don't bullshit a bullshiter, kid.>> comes Jason's response to the younger brother.

As Carrie coughs, Jason has an ah-a moment as his attention turns from Damian with a smirk towards him. "Take it you'll be at the ball this next weekend, then?" he asks with a lift of his brow. "I'm sure you'll look dapper." Then his attention is focused on Carrie. "Alright. Out with it." he says, folding his arms over his chest as the waiter comes over, and he orders a water, while waiting for Kitty to order. "What would you like to eat, Kitty?" he asks curiously.

Since it seems the cat is out of the bag, in more ways than one.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde glances about, seeming to have lost a bit of the thread of what is going on. Though, family issue, she doesn't ask any questions. "Oh, chicken would be good," she says, picking up a menu and looking. "How about the oyster sauce chicken. I don't think I've seen that before," she comments. Kitty sets the menu back down and then looks back over to Jason to add softly as she leans over, "Think I have a dress, too."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     <<You mean just full of shit.>> Damian responds, still sounding as nice as can be.

  "Yes, I've already been asked to go." He comments, focusing on the spread of Peking duck in front of him, garnishing the bao with sauce and scallions accompanied by deliciously crisp and juicy duck slices. "What about you Jason? wanna represent the Wayne Foundation with me?" He gives a puppy dog face, not too much, but just enough to melt a heart or two at the table.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley gulps down her mouthful after a quick chew or two. Enough to ensure she wasn't going to actually choke as it goes down, but she keeps the napkin pressed over her lips a moment longer to ensure she didn't make a mess. Shifting a furtive glance or two around the table she merely sighs softly. "There's nothing to talk about. What's this about a ball?" An eyebrow lifts quzzically while latching onto the topic. So much easier than the last one.

"Oh! Yeah you should totally go and help out, Jason. It'd be a great chance for you to spend more time with Kitty." A wink is given to the other woman as she grins knowingly. As soon as someone mentions a dress it usually means it's something good. "I'm sure you'd look great out there helping support the family." Yep.

Beneath the table she swings a leg out to kick Jason in the shin.

Red Hood has posed:
There's a grunt from Jason and he shoots a glare at Carrie. At the question, he shakes his head. "With Selina Kyle hosting? We all know Bruce will be there." he offers. "And it's the first formal date with Kitty, so I'll be concentrating on that, eh. What about you, Carrie? Going to go as Damian's plus one?" he asks as he turns the tables quickly.

"Or do you have another one of my brothers in mind?"

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde flashes a small smile back to Carrie. The two seem to be going along well enough. Poor Jason. Though he might have gotten his shot back in. Kitty slides her hand over to rest in Jason's as she stays out of the verbal exchange. Though she's got a small grin as she listens to the spirited conversation.

"Will you save me a dance, Damian? Whoever your date is?" Kitty asks him. "If she won't mind that is?" Kitty flashes a grin over to Damian before looking back to Jason. "If you don't mind, as well?"

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Capillaries in his cheeks flare a tinge, and Damian continues to eat the duck bao. "I'll be sure to hold open my dance card."

  Damian watches the exchange between the three, Jason to Kitty to Carrie. It was insightful, and of course he was devilishly interested in embarrassing his brother at any point.

Bluebird has posed:
Harper had to step away due to a phone call and comes back with a grin, "Sorry about that, now what is this about a ball?" She glances at Damian before looking at the other two, "Hey, I'd like to go." She nods her head and plops down, "I look great in a tux if I do say so myself." She nods, "And if Damian isn't taking Carrie, I'll take her." She nods her head and grins at Carrie before looking to Kitty, "And then I'll try to snag a dance with Kitty, too, while we're at it."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley stares at Jason openly with a wide eyed look of perhaps abject horror as her jaw clenches. The grasp she has on the chopsticks becomes tighter, and her hands dip down to rest on her lap digging fingernails into her palms. A tight smile is offered before she speaks in (not so good) Mandarin, "<I'm going to kill you.>" It's a bit dated to be honest but that's because she picked up the line from an old Kung Fu movie. She had to learn somewhere. Really it was one of the few things she knew to say.

Her mouth opens, then closes, as Harper pipes up with the mention of taking her and dancing. She goes from glaring daggers to looking just somewhat uncomfortable.

"Um. I... hadn't really heard about this to begin with. I don't really think I'd fit in. Plus I wouldn't even have anything to wear to begin with."

Red Hood has posed:
Betrayed by the girlfriend. Jason realizes he's all alone in this one, and he rolls his eyes. "So none of you know what's going on with Dick or who he's dating?" he asks the table at large with a sigh. "He's not been answering his phone or texts." he gives a shrug of his shoulders.

After ordering the food for himself and Kitty, he chuckles softly. "This keeps up, I won't have any dances with my girlfriend because everyone else wants to dance with her."

Carrie gets a smile, as he responds to her. <<Damian's more of a threat.>> "So it's settled, we need to make sure that Carrie has a dress. Think Bruce can set her up with Janet van Dyne? I was going to suggest it for Kitty, but she says she has a dress already." Oh, he's going all out.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde smiles over to Jason and says, "Oh, I'll be sure there are more than a few left for you. And you just lost any chance of not being pulled out on the dance floor now." Kitty gives a teasing grin to Jason before looking back to the rest of the table.

"You bet Harper," Kitty says with a soft smile. The mention of a Janet van Dyne Dress actually makes Kitty's eyes widen a little bit. "If you were going to go there, and get a van Dyne, I'd be happy to at least... tag along," Kitty says. Intending to stick to her guns about not having Jason's family provide for her very much. Hopefully she can resist when she sees Janet's creations.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "A Van Dyne?" He knows what they refer to, but he has to play the part. But Damian remains focused on the food, keeping quiet for now.

Bluebird has posed:
A laugh at Carrie's response to that and she waves a hand, "As if I'd fit in, doesn't mean I won't crash it given the opportunity." She nods her haed and then looks over at Jason with a shrug, "I don't know what your obsession with Dick is. I mean, sure, Dick is nice but it's not all about Dick, you know." Harper grins and tries not to snicker before shaking her head before then looking back to Carrie and gesturing to Jason, "See, you can get a dress." She nods her head and then chuckles before looking then to Jason, "I'll have to rent a tux though."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley lets out a frustrated, defeated groan when Jason doubles down on this. Lowering her forehead to the table she takes a deep, slow breath. "You're dating an evil man you realize, Kitty," comes her muffled remark. Then she sits bolt upright again. Jabbing chopsticks in Jason's direction she rattles off, "Dick is dating a girl named Caitlin, whose roommate mentioned to him that another guy was visiting her quite often, and Dick mentioned it to me, and I told Bruce to go talk to his son already and offer some fatherly support but instead he sent you to be his errand boy. Which means I need to go yell at him again about ignoring his kids it seems."

The chopsticks are stabbed fistward down onto another dumpling just spearing it out of spite. "And I couldn't afford that anyway so why bother?" She begins only to hesitate when Kitty pipes up about being so excited about it. Her expression is rather torn. Chewing on the inside of her cheek she glances to Damian, then Harper, as if seeking some kind of help.

"Maybe I can sew something suitable once I see what's in style these days," she relents with a sigh.

Red Hood has posed:
"Well. It's simple, Harper. Bruce wants to know what happened to him. Carrie here is one of Dick's closest friends. If anyone knows what happened with him, it's her." responds Jason as he glances over to Harper. "Trust me, I'd like nothing more than to just kick it under the table." And then Carrie has to share the damn information instead of just saying it's none of his damn business.

"She got a last name?" he asks with a lift of a brow. "And I'm sure if it would help with Damian's lessons, we can find you something second-hand." It's said with a teasing lit. "Know of a good consignment shop?" There's a little amusement in his voice before he rubs his hand over his face.

"He probably wants us to do some bonding or something. Dick and I .. don't exactly see eye to eye on things." he mutters with a small smirk.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a little bit of a soft-hearted wince as she unknowingly put Carrie in the awkward spot. "We don't need to go there necessarily," Kitty says quickly. "I'm borrowing one from a friend, I think, who has a better wardrobe than I probably gave her credit for," Kitty says. She looks over to Jason and says, "You remember her, my friend Anna Marie when you dropped me off that one time?"

Kitty looks up as her and Jason's food arrives. "Oh, that looks good," she says as the food is set in front of them. As Jason mentions how he doesn't get along with his brother all the time, Kitty rests her hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle touch and squeezing softly.

Bluebird has posed:
A look over at Carrie and she grins, "I'm sure that whatever you can come up with will be great." She then looks over at Jason and chuckles, "It's fine, just really enjoying the word play." She shrugs and then sits back, "I'm a child at heart." Harper then takes another bit of food and eyes it, "Either way, this should be fun. I haven't been to a ball before." She nods

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley flashes an apologetic smile back at Kitty with a shake of her head. "No, it's okay. I just..." Here she pauses, fidgeting, before she opts for, "It's complicated. I'm just a friend not really someone to be taking handouts of expensive things." Harper's encouragement earns a smile as well. "Thanks. I could probably swing something anyway. I wouldn't want to embarass the guys if I go, after all." Images were important.

"Don't worry about Dick. It apparently was something blown out of proportion by the roommate. Some guy was hitting on her, or something. They talked it out." Her gaze drops back down to her plate to pick over her meal.

Red Hood has posed:
"Good, then you can tell that to Bruce next time you talk to him." Because really, Jason didn't want to be in the middle of it. Thanks Carrie, you just saved a whole lot of awkward. With everything seeming to be settled, he starts to tuck in on his meal, silently mulling over things while his girlfriend does some bonding.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde looks over across the table to Carrie and gives her a nod. "I know what you mean. I feel the same way," Kitty tells Carrie with a look as if she does indeed completely understand. Kitty takes a few bites of her food and then looks over to Jason. "Totally passing the buck back aren't you," she tells him, giving the man a gentle poke.

"Oh, and we need masks for it right? It's not a full on costume party, just a masked ball?" she asks Jason, and glancing to the others to make sure they are aware of that part too.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian pours himself another cup of tea. "This is why I don't date."

  The duck was delicious as always, and Damian seemed quite at ease. Of course there was the added mess of Dick mentioned. "Yes, masks, costumes, or nothing if you don't want to." He chimes in to Kitty's question.

Bluebird has posed:
"Well, while you two debate the appropriateness of taking hand outs, I'll gladly let anyone who wants to to pay for my tux." She nods her head and Harper chuckles, "Don't mind at all." She nods her head again and then looks down at her meal before looking up again, "Masks?" She chuckles, "Guess I'll have to try my best to find one."

Red Hood has posed:
"I'm pretty sure we'll get masks." Jason offers with a shrug of his shoulders. "And you don't date cause you're like thirteen, Damian." he says dryly towards his brother before Kitty's nudge gets his attention. "Totally passing the buck. I haven't talked to Dick, I don't have anything to tell Bruce, and apparently Carrie does have the information, so there you go."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley lets out a small, relieved sigh when Kitty seems to understand where she was coming from with her concerns. Smiling warmly at her she nods in agreement. "Yeah. Even so. Even I have to admit that getting to see some Van Dyne work would be pretty sweet." Glancing aside to Damian she grins again. "You just haven't met the right person yet. Heck, neither have I for that matter. Nothing wrong with it," she conceeds with a shrug.

Mentions of masks do cause her to grin with amusement. "Oh, masks I have plenty of. Probably dozens, if not more, in my closet. I do theater," she explains for both Kitty and Harper with a shrug. "Costumes are a thing."

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde gives a faint grin to Jason. "At least you have a good excuse then I guess," she tells him. She reaches over and gets a bite of Jason's food with her fork. Looking at him like she's daring him to complain as she tries his dish.

"Ooo, would you mind if we looked through and saw if there were any that might work for us?" Kitty asks Carrie of the masks. She looks thoughtful and asks, "Does your father have an age at which he let you guys start dating?" she asks of Damian and Jason.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "I don't like the games. It seems pointless." Damian admits, allowing his real feelings on the subject to shine through. "So, Jason is lazy, Dick is heartbroken, Tim is..." He rolls his eyes. "Tim."

  Kitty's question gets a glance from Damian to Jason. "I-the subject never came up with me." He admits.

Bluebird has posed:
A stretch and Harper looks at each in turn and she stands up, "Well, you lot have fun talking about dresses and boys and masks. I'm gonna go check in on my brother. He called earlier, telling me he was fine and that everything was just fine...which means it isn't. I gave him the required time a sister should but I think now I should go save him from whatever he burned, broke, or otherwise."

Red Hood has posed:
"And Damian's a brat." Jason completes the circuit for him, a look shot to his little brother. "He has to get past the girl's are icky stage." comes the response to Kitty. Uhtoh. The facade just came down - just a little.

When Kitty reaches to steal some of his dragon plate, there's a little smirk, but he's not trying to stab her with his fork, just chuckling a little. "It's spicy." he offers to her. "Kinda like me." Oh, that was smooth. Or bad. One of the two.

When Harper moves to get up, he nods. "Let us know he's okay, will you?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Sure, that's not a problem at all," Carrie agrees with a far more at-ease demeanor now. Costumes she knew. Masks and outfits of that sort. Modern fashion? She could pull it off if she tried. When Harper stands she crinkles her nose a bit at that. "Yeeeah that might be a good idea. Let us know if you need help with anything. I've got fire extinguishers at home," she jokes.

"I don't think Mr. Wayne would really care what age they decide to date, if they want to. I mean... he IS Gotham's most eligible bachelor and ..." She pauses about to give the usual spiel of him being a playboy, but her eyes dip over to Damian. Nope. Not with him there. Instead she reaches into the pocket of her hoodie to pull out a phone. "Here, Kitty, give me your number and I'll shoot you a text. We can make plans to meet up later to prepare for this."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian clenches his fist, holding back the desire to punch at Jason. Instead he opts for a kick to the shin under the table. "Look who's talking." Now to play some brotherly warfare. "Harper, can you please pass the hot oil?" He asks, first adding some to his current duck bun. Waiting for the moment to really make that Dragon Plate kick.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty Pryde does the exchanging of numbers with Carrie. "There you go," she says, passing the phone back. She takes a bite of Jason's food then. "A little spicy. Like you," she tells him. And hopes he doesn't watch as she goes for her glass of water after. Hot!

Kitty clears her throat. "I don't know, I could kind of see the opposite," Kitty comments to Carrie before looking to Harper to smile her way. "Really nice to meet you. Look forward to seeing you again," Kitty offers in a warm tone. Kitty glances to Damian then and says, "Well, you might change your mind and find a point worth pursuing, someday."

Red Hood has posed:
This time, Jason's leg moves to deflect. Kick me once.. There's a glance aside to Kitty, and then he shrugs. "Anyway, I should probably get ready to go as well. I have a job to work on tonight." Red Hood type stuff. You know how it goes.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Once Damian is done with the hot sauce it's Carrie that reaches for it. Gingerly it's lifted, and she drizzles a significantly unhealthy amount on one of her dumplings. It's set down again, and while the two boys try to show off their heat-eating abilities, she plucks up her own heat bomb.

"I guess. I don't really know to be honest. I never had that issue myself growing up one way or another." It's shrugged off as she pops the entire dumpling in her mouth chewing thoughtfully without flinching. Sure she may not be able to use chopsticks well, or speak more than a few phrases in Mandarin, but this apparently she was able to do easily.