ArchivedLogs:Three Flowers in a Vase

Three Flowers in a Vase
Dramatis Personae Tag, Tian-shin, NPC-Tian-yi
In Absentia	2015-03-01 The Hua siblings have a less-than-ideal New Year reunion. (Warning: violence, blood. Takes place before Chem 101.)
Location <NYC> {Funhaus} - Harbor Commons - Lower East Side
The house might have started out looking capacious and respectable, but it has since moved through various incarnations, always colorful, but never colorful the same way for longer than a few days. There is little in the way of what most people would call furniture: a sectional couch buried in fluffy cushions, three bean bags of varying sizes, a scattering of bookshelves, what looks like a human-scale cat tree in one corner, and a low, square table surrounded by zafus. The floor plan is largely open, criss-crossed by rope bridges linking small elevated platforms to the landing of the second storey, beyond which lie the bedrooms. The kitchen is separated from the living room only by a long counter, lined with stools. Even the appliances are decked out in unexpected hues, edged with designs that change on a daily basis. A row of tins and jars runs the length of the breakfast counter, none of which match and all of which bear brightly colored text describing their contents: teas, coffees, mates, and various herbal blends. Throughout the length of the Lunar New Year festival, Funhaus has gone through several color schemes, all heavy in red and gold. Presently, however, the walls looks somewhat more sedately decorated with plum trees in bloom. The dark brown of the trunks look stark against the snowy landscape, and pale pink petals drift down from outstretched branches. Goats of various colors cavort in the snow while dragons and phoenixes dance in the clouds above. In addition to the painted walls, a wealth of red paper lanterns hang from shelves, the second storey balcony, and the rope bridges spanning the living room. Scattered throughout the living room, several lotus-shaped bowls in vibrant rainbow colors hold oranges, persimmons, rice crackers, and candy in shiny metallic wrappers. Tag is perched on a stool at the counter, chin propped in one palm. He wears a flame-colored hoodie, a wild swirl of red, orange, and yellow with a blue heart on the left side of his chest, and dark indigo jeans with blue-white lightning forking along the outseams. His hair is a touseled mop of rainbow colors that cover half his face, and his nails are a brilliant ruby red packed with glitter. Tian-shin hovers over a large pot of soup on the stove, sipping from a spoon with a critical frown. "You did good! It just needs a tad more salt," she declares at last, reaching for the bottle of soy sauce sitting near at hand. Another, smaller pot sits on the back burner, while a serving bowl on the counter holds a stir-fry ready to serve. She wears a tight black button-up blouse trimmed with thin red piping and tight black jeans with red contrast stitching. A red lacquer hair stick adorned with five black-and-gold bats holds her hair in an impeccable bun. "Should we make some shui-jiao, as well? Or will that be too much food?" "Too much?" Tag stares at his sister, bewildered. "Not around here! I mean, we could bring it over to Commonhaus to share, if it were. But really, me and Joshua are constantly running out the door with no time to cook, so it's great to have leftovers." There's a knock at the door, and Tag hops off of the stool. "I'll get that. Besides, you know I gotta consume my body weight in food daily or risk withering away, right?" Padding across the living room barefoot, Tag pulls the door open to admit a gust of cold air and a tall young man in a black trenchcoat. He backs away a step, then another. "Tian-yi! Um, hey, Di-di, gong shi fa--" "{Shut up, freak.}" Tian-yi slams the door shut behind him. "{You don't get to call me little brother. You're not a part of our family anymore.}" He walks right past Tag, sparing him only a look of disgust, and heads for the kitchen. "{And you shouldn't be hanging around her.}" Tian-shin puts a lid on the pot and turns around slowly. "What are you doing here?" Her voice sounds calm, but the gaze she levels at her younger brother burns with cold fury. "And who do you think you are to dictate who is a member of our family, much less with whom /I/ choose to hang out?" "Ooookay, happy new year to you, too." Tag follows Tian-yi through the house, hands shoved deep into the front pocket of his hoodie. "If you're done spewing drunken nonsense now, you can stay for dinner, but if you're gonna keep saying stuff like that, then please get out." Tian-yi ignores him and walks right up to their sister instead. "{I followed you.}" His breath reeks of Johnny Walker. "{I am the patriarch of our family now, and I say you need to stay away from this /traitor./}" "{/Patriarch?/}" Tian-shin echoes, incredulous. "You have got some serious delusions of grandeur going on. You are /not/ Father, fortunately for us all." She goes back into the kitchen, checking on the pots without any particular conviction, as if doing so only to get away from her brother. "Go home, Tian-yi." Tag straightens to his full height, still almost a head shorter than Tian-yi. "{If you're out to replace Father, you can get out of my house right now.}" His voice is trembling. "{He was not a good man, and I am glad he's gone.}" "{Do /not/ talk about him like that!} Tian-yi snaps, whirling to face Tag and seizing him by the collar in one swift motion traps his head in the crook of an elbow. Somehow, a knife has appeared in his other hand, its short blade gleaming bright in the cheerful rail lighting. "{I know it was you--you and your mutant friends. You killed him, didn't you?}" He The tip of the blade presses into Tag's neck. "Don't even think about trying your shitty little color trick, I /will/ cut you." "Have you lost your mind?!" Tian-shin cries. "Let him go now!" She starts forward but stops at once, eyes darting between her two brothers. "Tian-yi...please, just let him go. You're drunk, and if you hurt him now you're going to regret it." The last few words have a subtle edge, but she does not add anything. Tag is holding very still, breathing fast and shallow. "{I swear I had nothing to do with Dad vanishing. I swear!}" He has some difficulty speaking with Tian-yi's forearm bracing against his chin. "{Please stop. That hurts!}" "{Why should I believe anything you say?}" Tian-yi presses the knife a little harder into his older brother's neck. "{You killed him. Or got someone to kill him. Because he wouldn't stand for your...deviant ways.}" He glares at Tian-shin. "What are you gonna do? Kick my ass with your gong-fu?" Tian-shin takes a step very slowly, hands held outward in non-threatening fashion. "Tag didn't have anything to do with that. {Father is gone, just...let him go.}" Her eyes skip over to the pot on the stove, hardly a foot from her brothers. "Please..." The soup, although only simmering, starts boiling quite audibly. Her eyes widen in sudden comprehension. "Oh shit, get away from--" Abruptly, the lid of the pot bursts off to emit a roiling translucent white cloud. Tian-yi looses a string of invectives in Chinese and starts coughing violently. As soon as his grip looses, Tag pulls away--also coughing--the knife point drawing a thin red line across his neck. "Get down on the ground, don't breath that!" Tian-shin yanks Tian-yi away from the stove and hits the vent button. The gas vanishes in a wispy white vortex. Tian-yi collapses, choking and coughing, into his sister's arms. She eases him down to the floor, fumbles her phone from a pocket, and dials 911 with shaking hands. By the time the dispatcher speaks, however, her reply has only the barest quiver. "My brothers inhaled hydrogen chloride gas. One of them is having trouble breathing. I think we need an ambulance."