9113/Provenance: The Curio Shop

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Provenance: The Curio Shop
Date of Scene: 08 September 2019
Location: Curio Shop, Chinatown
Synopsis: Skye brings May to the shop where she and Clint bought the teapot. A mystery unfolds with possible links to the past.
Cast of Characters: Quake, Melinda May




Quake has posed:
To their credit, the miscreants hadn't broken the teapot. They were even taking duly good care of the thing, as instructed by May, to the point of actually making themselves tea and sitting and drinking it - which might be a wholly unexpected side effect. But there it was, Clint and Skye were making time for evening tea, sitting with their cats, and winding down at the end of the day.

Not that it kept Skye from her night owl propensities as a hacker, but the small bit of downtime to connect with one another had been easily adapted into their schedule until the pair couldn't remember when they hadn't been doing so.

Work being work, however, it had been longer than May likely intended before she managed to pin down both time and at least one of the pair to show her exactly where they'd bought the teapot. And as Clint was off with Kate, setting up for a morning archery lesson - or as he put it 'not it' - the duty fell to Skye. Who, as it happened, only remembered the basics of where the thing had been...

"There's a huge rooster on the corner of the street," she mutters. "I remember that because Clint wanted to bring it home." Looking around, she's not seeing the thing. How could you lose a rooster as tall as Clint?

Then again, Chinatown was a maze of side streets and things to stop and look at. Food carts. Street vendors. Decorations outside shops. Even the trees were strewn with bright lights and 'paper' lanterns (plastic, but the thought counts, right?".

She's about to say she gives up when she nearly walks right into the thing. There, tucked beside a huge potted plant, is the rooster, and there, not two doors down the little alleyway it guards, is the very shop they're looking for.

Melinda May has posed:
May is not completely lost in this part of town -- she can at least read most of the signs that Skye can't, but the younger agent is here to show her the exact shop where they found the teapot, and she's letting the younger woman do this. It's partly a test, partly so that May doesn't to wander in and out of about forty percent of the shops in this six city block area just to find the one correct one.

But, at least the rooster wasn't an exaggeration.

She looks at the sign over the indicated door and then steps inside first. Places like these remind her of, well, so many things.

Quake has posed:
Not that she'd admit it to May, but up until she bumped into the rooster, Skye was beginning to think she and Clint had been part of some 80's film and the shop had mysteriously disappeared after selling them the teapot with warnings to only make tea at night, and never herbal.. Dire warnings, indeed.

The thought made her smirk to herself, picturing little teacups shooting off of it with ringing little *ping* sounds instead of pops and furry little creatures.. Only they had business to do here. Not that Skye was entirely sure why it was so important that they come here.

It hadn't yet occurred to the younger agent that the thing might have been stolen.

Ducking into the shop behind May, Skye looks around. Yep. Still the same place. Fairly dim lighting. Things on all surfaces - no dust, but it still screamed of dull and dingy, except around the cash register, an old fashioned one you had to press the keys down individually and a little number popped up behind a small glass screen. There was a small overhead lamp there that cast a brilliant circle of light over the small cashier's table that was there.

Beaded curtains separate the back of the store from the front, and as the little brass bell over the door announces them, an elderly man steps out from between the strands of beads, and beams at them, his hands clasped together as he nods his head in greeting. His smile grows when he sees Skye.

"Oh, it is you. You have come again? And you bring a friend! So good. Always so good to come - "

And there his words stop, and his smile fades, as he spots Agent May. Gone is the clasped hand greeting, and the near fool of an old man smile - a caricature of every Asian elder in every Asian movie there ever was, and in its stead is just the old man, summing up May.

"You are her friend," he says to May, this time making a much more polite, and formal little bow to her. "I had hoped, but you are more than was expected. I am Li Cheng, and you are an unexpected gift."

Then, without waiting for much of a reply, he gestures that they should follow him into the back.

"I have just poured the water for tea. We can discuss what we must over that. Like civilized people. Come."

He disappears back there, much as if expecting that they shall just follow him.

Melinda May has posed:
May offers the old man a similar bow in return, then with a glance to Skye moves to follow him through the bead curtain to the back of the store.

Yes, just like that.

Her eyes take in everything about the front room as she passes through, and likewise as she steps into the back of the store. Even here -- perhaps especially here -- she is alert to everything around her.

Quake has posed:
The back room is a sharp contrast to the front. The front looks like things have tumbled and spilled into places. Everything engineered to be a chance and valuable find! You could quite literally shoot a stereotypical Chinatown curiosity shop scene in the front room with little to no changes to it. The back tells another story.

The lighting is still dim, but it's not dark; There are open spaces, and a small window has been kept meticulously clean, all the better to offer light for the row of potted plants upon it. The other surfaces in the room are neat and tidy. Shelves where everything has a place and there's a place for everything, and despite the fact that there are a lot of things back here, there is still an open feel to the place.

And there, in a tucked away spot, against the wall, is a small rugged area where there are large cushions, and a small, low to the ground table.

The table is set for tea for one, but even as he gestures that they should sit, he finds other cups tucked away on the shelves, and brings them to the table.

"We are three, such luck, yes?" He takes up a seat himself, and carefully pours for them all, offering a cup first to May, then Skye, and then and only then takes for himself. "I was not expecting guests today. It felt like it should be tomorrow. But no matter, these things are what they are. What matters is you are here."

Melinda May has posed:
Settling on the cushions at the table as if she came here to visit every day, May nods her thanks as the old man pours the tea and waits for them to each have a cup before taking a tiny sip. Oh, excellent tea, though she really shouldn't be surprised.

"We wanted to ask you about the teapot, Zhanglao. It is ... not what my friends thought they were purchasing."

Quake has posed:
"Ah, yes. That. I must ask forgiveness for the deception, but you see, I was in something of a bind." He makes a small, self-deprecating gesture, and turns to Skye. "I did not mean to deceive, but I heard you and your male friend speaking of your job."

Skye shrugs, and mutters, "Yeah, sure. I mean, not insulted, but kind of curious why you'd sell us a teapot worth that much when we were likely to drop it on the way home, or use it for a potted plant."

The old man laughs. "That was always the risk, yes. But you have returned, with your friend, and I am guessing that she is well aware of what it is you took home with you." He smiles at Agent May. "And I am also guessing that they have not used it for a potted plant. At least I hope not."

Melinda May has posed:
"No, they have not. I made sure of that." And she IS gratified to see that the teapot is being used on a daily basis, and not just by her alone. If she'd found that it was drying out from disuse, she'd have spirited it away and the pair wouldn't have seen it again. But, it seems to have all worked out for the best, as a proper teapot is capable of.

"You speak of being in a bind. This was a different way of requesting my attention, but you have it now. What manner of bind?"

Quake has posed:
"We wouldn't really.. okay, we might," Skye has to admit. She'd mostly been snarking about the potted plant thing, but now that she thinks on it, it was really so them. In fact, if it hadn't been a gift for May, and if she hadn't given them *the look* when she said it needed to be used daily, or at least have the water in it and poured over it, the pair might have tucked it away and forgotten the thing.

As it was, now they had a tea ritual, and about the same time every evening (give or take feline alarm clocks) the duo and the cats settled for some quality time. So far they hadn't broken the pot, but they were using regular teacups. Shhhh don't tell May.

"Ah, desperate times," Li Sheng chuckles, giving the faintest of shrugs of his shoulders. "I could not merely call upon your agency. First because what would you believe of an old man saying he needed your help. You would have directed me to the police, if I am not mistaken. And they would have given me a verbal pat on the head."

He sips his tea. "No. I had to hope that someone would understand what they had, and look into it. It has been something of a waiting game. But I notice you do not ask about the paper. Did you not find it in the box?"

"As for the bind, ah, that. If I had gone to you, it would have been noticed. Instead? Instead a young woman and her boyfriend buy a gift for a friend, and they return to the shop to see what else there may be to purchase. That is how this will be seen should anyone be looking for anomallies."

Melinda May has posed:
Having seen the evening tea 'ritual' in action, May was NOT about to interrupt it now, though she is fascinated at how the two cats that Clint and Skye brought in separately have become furry alarm clocks for the couple. It's ... interesting.

"We found it." She pulls said paper from inside her jacket and offers it to the old man. "The last part of the provenance is missing, and from what I could tell, the paper was damaged recently. I take it that was intentional."

Quake has posed:
The old man's eyes twinkle. "You are very astute. Indeed, the paper at the tears is much too fresh compared to the rest. No time to oxidize. Without it, you had to come to see the rest. Which, I will now bring to you. To someone else, the paper would be meaningless. So many things to place on hope alone. But I have been saying prayers to the ancestors." He gestures to some joss sticks. "Jìngxiang," he explains to Skye, who interupts. "I know. They burned them for my mother."

That tidbit causes the man to arch a brow her way. "Interesting. Perhaps it was not merely chance that brought you to me."

He carries on, moving from the table and going to a small chest that has a variety of items within, but carefully folded into the lining of the sides, he pulls out a small strip of neatly folded paper that he brings back to Agent May.

"You will see it is complete up to the purchase of your friends. And now you will ask why it is I have this, and the teapot." He sits again, and offers them both more tea. "The answer is simple. My cousin, he is from a small village that no longer exists, but it is known of many of the families that once lived there. He sent this to me and said only that it was the only way to save it, and to find one who might be able to help."

He pauses, as if remembering a thing suddenly. "There was something else. One moment." He gets up again, and wanders out to the front of the shop before returning. "There was also this in the box."

Several dried lotus petals are placed on the table in front of May.

Melinda May has posed:
May accepts the missing section of the provenance paper and looks at the names on it before she carefully folds it together with the piece she already had to return to her pocket. Once it's been properly restored and her name added, it will be returned to the teapot's box and the box stored carefully since the teapot itself is being used as it should.

When the lotus petals are also brought to her, she studies them for a long moment, though she worries that the significance is lost to her at the moment. Though, perhaps when she considers them in relation to the names she now has at the end of the provenance...

Quake has posed:
The lotus petals mean nothing to the man. He assumes that they're important because they were in the box when so little else was. For all he knows, they could have been for a pleasant scent, or some sort of calling card meant to convey a message to customs, or port authorities, or..

While May considers the names on the Provenance, which are all down a single family line with no break - just transfers of ownership - Skye sips her tea, things niggling at the back of her brain.

"Are they supposed to be a message?"

"I do not know," the man admits. "My cousin was brief in his contact. Only that he was sending me something and could I help. The petals were hidden in the teapot itself. I thought they may be important."

Then he says the one thing that settles the niggle, "They are lotus petals. A symbol of purity in body, speech, and mind. They also signify detachment. The distancing of self."

Skye gives May a look. "May?"

Melinda May has posed:
May takes another tiny sip of her tea while still considering the lotus petals. Something is tickling at the back of her mind, but she's not placing it. Not yet. "Perhaps the importance of the petals will reveal itself to me later." In other words, she has no idea right now but it could well come to her later, and she returns Skye's look to confirm it.

"I cannot promise, Zhanglao, but I will see what we can do." Though really, coming from May that's pretty much a promise.

Quake has posed:
Skye has an idea, but given May's response, she keeps it to herself for the moment. It is perhaps better that way. If this is who she thinks, it could be dangerous to know outright. And if she's wrong, well, then there is no fault, no foul.

Li Sheng gives a small bow over his teacup. "I can ask for no more than you to try. It is already more than I expected." He almost takes another sip of his tea, then remembers a thing. "Before you go, though. I recall that the young ones did not buy proper teacups for your pot. I had hoped that might bring someone if the papers did not. You must let me give you some to take with you."

He smiles slyly, then, "If only for appearances."

Melinda May has posed:
See? /Proper/ teacups. That's what May's next glance to Skye clearly says. "We will purchase some proper teacups. This one," without so much as a gesture, she's clearly indicating the younger woman, "has based all of her tea drinking off British television."

Clearly, this is just scandalous. No one tell Jemma.

Business apparently concluded for now, May finishes her tea.

Quake has posed:
Skye mutters, "I base all my tea drinking off of whatever mug was clean in the place." She's not about to admit she never drank tea before May. That might be even worse.

Li Sheng is pleased, though he does not try to offer them as gifts again. Likely just as well. This transaction will be above board should anyone care to investigate.

"I have just the things. Let me show you..." And he wanders off to find them on the shelves, leaving Skye to lean in to May, whispering, "I think I know who it might be. Maybe. Okay, it's a longshot, but do you remember Hammerfall?" Knowing timing wasn't on her side, Skye carries on. "IcedLotus is Chinese. It wasn't important till now."

She didn't know what the connection to the teapot might be, but it was a lead? Maybe.

Melinda May has posed:
Having never drunk tea before is more easily forgiven than deliberately drinking it WRONG. It's worse than drinking cold coffee.

Skye's whispered bit of intel when the old man goes to find the teacups earn her May's raised eyebrow. That is indeed an interesting logical progression. And knowing that, she can perhaps submit the most recent two or three names from the provenance to Interpol to see if any hits turn up. But. That is for after they return to the Triskelion.

She nudges the hacker to finish her tea, and only to partly cover up their whispered conversation, she asks the old man, "Where would get more of this tea? It is one of the better ones I have tasted." She is neither lying nor exaggerating.

Quake has posed:
Skye dutifully drinks her tea, knowing full well she'll likely be doing searches later.

When Li sheng emerges, he has a dust bunny on his shoulder, but he is smiling triumphantly. "I knew I had these tucked away. They are not so merited as the teapot, but they will be respectful enough." He doesn't mention the price. That would be somewhat rude at this very juncture, though it is certain that they are expensive; just as it's certain he will deeply undervalue them in the name of this favour that they are doing for him.

"There is a vendor at the next corner. You will know it by the green dragon on the cart. Very faded. She does not speak english, but if you ask for.." He scribbles the hanzi for the specific brand and hands the paper to May, along with the box with the teacups. "This. She does not sell it openly. Too many tourists. But she keeps it for those of us who keep the old ways. We are grateful."

"Tell her Li-Li sent you. She will laugh, but she will sell it to you."

Melinda May has posed:
May accepts the paper and the teacups, looking at the words the old man has written. A name she's heard before and has tried to purchase in the past. It's almost impossible to get outside of China. "Thank you again, Zhanglao." She pays for the teacups without so much as batting an eye at the price, knowing only too well that he's likely given them to her at the price he paid originally for them, if not less.

It's not like she can't afford it, she'll just need to transfer money from savings.

With the purchases complete and the cups safely wrapped and secured for carrying, she offers the old man a for more respectful bow than than how they started.

Quake has posed:
Li Sheng bows in return, to an equal depth.

"If you are ever nearby again, an old man gets lonely. Tea is always better with company."

Melinda May has posed:
May replies to the old man in Cantonese, promising to return when she can, as he is correct.

Tea IS always better with company.

After departing the small shop, May looks at Skye. "You should get some tea as well." The choice of words, along with the look, are her way of telling the younger agent to hold off on discussing her suspicions until after they're in a more secure environment. And then she leads the way to the tea shop which ... yep.

She's purchased tea here before.