Into the Sea

9

The room the inn keep showed them to was spacious. The wooden walls were hung with tapestries and embroidered cloths to add an air of majesty. There was no furniture save a chest, a washstand, and a large bed stood against one wall, covered with an embroidered silk quilt. To Hao Min's unaccustomed eye the room looked fit for a king. In actuality, he knew a real king would not deign to stay in such a room.

Three windows looking out over the harbor below let in the red light of the setting sun. Hao Min could see the mast of his own ship bobbing among the others.

Hao Min bent at the waist, carefully putting the girl's feet back on the ground. As soon as he set her down, her curses turned to accusations once more.

"You cheated! You must have been counting cards!"

"You were the one counting cards!" Hao Min replied in a low voice, as soon as he had checked to make sure the inn keep had gone from outside the door. "And you could have gotten caught too! What do you think those men would have done if they found out you were cheating them of their money?"

"Hah, those bunch of meager fishermen and traders. What could they have done?" the girl said with a snort, crossing her arms.

"Even a meager fisherman can turn to violence when angry," Hao Min responded, trying to keep his own voice neutral. Certain the innkeep was gone, he closed the door.

"Oh my. And do you turn to violence when angry, fisherman? That is something I would like to see."

Hao Min froze. Slowly he turned and, feet heavy, walked across the room to stop in front of the girl. She watched as he raised one hand and brought it to her chin, tilting her face up toward him. Then he lowered his face to hers.

The girl's smirk was triumphant. "Is this what you really want from me, fisherman? I knew it. No one is so kind without—"

Hao Min brought the thumb from her chin to rest against her lips, stilling them. The girl stopped talking, but her smirk stayed.

He leaned closer. His breath moved along her jaw, purposely warming her skin. He heard the girl's own breath grow faster, felt it flutter against his thumb. It smelt of wine and meat from the bar below.

One of the girl's hands found its way through the open folds of his shirt, and he felt light fingers trace along his ribs. "Go on then fisherman. Let me see your 'violence'," she encouraged.

He leaned even closer. He brought his mouth to her ear.

"Hao Min," he said, lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "You have to call me Hao Min. And you owe me a name."

Extracting her hand from his shirt he stepped away and went to the window. He looked down at the harbor below, picking out his small boat in the red light of the fast setting sun.

"I will sleep in my ship," Hao Min said, turning back to the room. "If you need me, you can call out the window. It is near enough."

The girl stared at him in shock as he walked past her to the door once more.

"Lock the door after I am gone," he said.

He reached for the handle. "If you go to your boat, you can sail away, for I will not be here in the morning," the girl's voice said from behind him.

Hao Min slowly turned, mind whirring. "If you leave without repaying me for my net, I will report you to the magistrate for cheating at cards." It was a low move, but he had nothing else. No other card to play.

The girl laughed. "Do you think the magistrate will care? And I payed you for your stupid net. Your purse is full of gold."

"I won that gold. Fairly. And it is still not enough to pay for the net," Hao Min said, frowning.