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Chapter 15 - It's Complicated

Tri's angry voice echoed against the walls of St. Andrews, which was empty this time of the day. "Of all the stupid things you could do in this world, Lucas, you somehow find the most stupid! What were you thinking?" he admonished the wolf cub.

For Lucas's part, the boy wasn't looking penitent. He had his ears up and his eyes narrowed, gripping the bottom of the chair he was sitting on defiantly with his hands. Lucas was always so strong-willed. "They were going to hurt everyone at the Arc!"

"You don't know that for certain."

"They looked really angry!"

"That doesn't mean you can throw a rock at a rich man!"

"So? What if he's rich? How does that change anything?"

"It changes everything!" Tri sighed. "Lucas, do you have any idea what men of wealth and power could do if they wanted to? Press charges against you? Have you arrested? Even sent to prison?"

The boy snorted and looked away, tail lashing about behind him. I could tell that the cub understood Tri's point and concern, but his pride wouldn't let him just admit it. "I'm pretty slick, they wouldn'ta caught me if I was careful."

"Lucas, since when are you careful?" I countered. I had already lambasted the pup back at the Arc, but I knew Tri would be more effective so we had gone to St. Andrews.

"What're you taking his side for, Simon?!" Lucas glared at me. "I was saving you, and you were like me once, runnin' and doing st--I mean, doing things because you wanted to! Whatever happened to cam...cam..."

"Comradery," Tri finished for him.

"Yeah, that! What ever happened to comradery?"

I looked at the cub somberly. "You think I wanted to do half those things?"

"You think I wanted to throw the rock at that cat with the funny ears?"

"Yes?" I said after a short pause, as if I was answering that the sky was blue.

"Well," Lucas looked to the side in thought, "that's true, but I didn't want to get in trouble for it!"

The boy could talk us in circles if he wanted to. I knew his game, since I did it myself once or twice. He was trying to tire us out so he would get a lighter punishment. I didn't tell Tri, because the moment Lucas knew I was on to his little trick, he would stop using it and move on to something new, something maybe I didn't know so well.

Tri continued, "The point is, Lucas, you were the one who started violence. The mob could have turned on the Arc and everyone inside, and you could have been the one responsible. The fact so few saw--and I think Mr. Crossbell wanted to avoid the embarrassment of being hit with something a cub threw--saved your tail."

"Not likely," I said, and saw the two of them look at me, confused. Shit, I had answered without thinking. I hastily added, "I mean, Crossbell was in New York City when I was living there, and I knew then that he's rich and eccentric. He could come back for his pound of flesh later when he thinks not so many people are watching."

Or in costume, but I was sure to not say that.

"Lucas..." The marble fox knelt in front of Lucas and took one of his hands in his own. "There is a lesson in this I need you to understand, and I really need you to hear me, for real, okay?"

The wolf pup frowned a little. This was probably new. He nodded.

"Historically, when people find their beliefs challenged or their comfort threatened, they react violently. It's rooted in fear and anger at something else that they can't exactly identify. As a result, they lash out however they can. Mr. Crossbell and this Toddson fellow are stoking that fear and directing it at people like Simon, because it's an easy target and they have fewer protections under the law. You are now associated with Simon's side of things, and you are now in danger."

"What kind of danger?" asked the boy hesitantly.

"You could be hurt," I said softly. "Or worse, killed."

"But I was just..."

"You're okay," Tri said and patted the boy's shoulder. "Your heart was in the right place. You were defending someone you cared about and standing up for injustice. And that is noble. But people who do such things can end up hurt as they stand up for what is right, and you are just a cub, Lucas."

I didn't want to say it and neither did Tri, it seemed. The gruesome fact of life was that it was easier to make a boy vanish than a grown adult. Hell, making Lucas--being who he was and as poor as he was--vanish would be even easier. I doubted whether the police would care much if a small Mexican pup went missing, since it probably happened all the time. Worst case scenario, Lucas could even be dead within a week.

"So what do I do? Apologize?"

"No!" I said, stepping forward. With maybe a little too much emphasis, since I got odd looks from the two again. "I mean...no, you want to lay as low as possible for the time being. Tri and I have an idea but you're not going to exactly like it."

"Right now, the safest place would be for you to stay at the Arc," Tri said as he stood up. "There are men there who are used to fighting, and they won't let anyone inside."

"Why can't I stay here at the church?"

"Even though this is a holy place, there is no guarantee that violence won't cross this doorway. There are people here, always, but they are not fighters. And this is a sanctuary for them as much as it is for you. You would be safe here, absolutely, but you would be safer at the Arc."

"I'm still not entirely comfortable with this," a voice said from the back of the room. Oro stepped closer toward us. He had come with me because, for everything that Lucas had done, he'd impressed the white wolf. "I don't exactly run an establishment with children in mind."

"There would be rules, sir," Tri said and cleared his throat. "He would do chores assigned to him during the day and he would be confined to his room during your evening operation hours. He will _not_step out of his room."

"But what if I need something?" asked Lucas.

Oro answered, "Each of the rooms in the Arc has a bell and pulley system. You tug on a cord hidden behind the headboard and it rings a bell down below. It would be a signal for Simon or someone else to come check on you if you needed it."

"Just don't ring it like it's a church bell," I added warningly.

"And only if you really need something," Oro said with a frown. "If you become a troublemaker..." He left the sentence hanging. He sighed and ran a hand through his beaded headfur and looked back at me. "What about the boy's parents?"

"I'll handle that," Tri said. "There was the recent murder in the hispanic area of the city, and with Lucas now potentially being a criminal, I'll tell them how dangerous it is for him to be at his home, and implore them to spend some time at his friends' place. Is that something your family can do, Lucas?"

"Uhm," the boy rubbed his chin and rocked his head back and forth in thought. "I think so. Mama and Papa are well liked, and I'm sure they can impose. Would help if they had some money to smooth things over with, though..."

"I will pay you in advance for the work that you'll do at the Arc," Oro said with a smirk. "I'll give it to Tri here who can give it to your parents. That should be enough?"

"But that's--"

"Lucas!" I snapped at him.

"...Fine," the boy sighed and put his chin in his palm.

"If anyone does see you and asks your age, you tell them you're 'old enough' and leave it at that. If they say you're small, just say you're a little person."

"That's really going to work?" I asked Oro.

"Who knows?" the white wolf shrugged. "But it's the best plan I can think of. As long as he isn't wandering the halls at night and actually stays in his room, he should be fine."

"Try to have him in a room near mine. Or if it's not possible, I'll switch rooms so we can be next to one another. And I'll personally take responsibility for anything he does in the Arc."

"I plan to hold you to that, Simon." He turned to Lucas. "If you break the rules, it's Simon who will be punished, not you. So consider that before you decide to test the limits of my revolve, pup."

Lucas nodded. "Can I still come to the church?"

"Someone will walk you here. Tri has agreed to walk you back here, but you are subject to his schedule and whims. Same with ours--if we fetch you early, you come with us."

"This is just until the stuff with the cat with the funny ears cools off, right?"

"However long that takes," Tri said with a frown. "Rich people tend to have the capacity to hold long-term grudges. When you don't have to worry about silly things like money, you find your schedule is a lot more open to doing other things."

"Fun," Lucas said with a sigh. "Okay, fine, I'll behave and I agree to do whatever you people tell me, just...make sure my Mama and Papa are safe, okay?"

"Don't worry, Lucas," Tri put his hand on the top of the wolf pup's head, ruffling the fur between his ears gently. "I promise to do whatever I can to keep them safe. And that means making sure you stop throwing rocks at rich and powerful men."

---

After we agreed on all the arrangements to be made for Lucas, Oro took the wolf boy back with him to the Arc. Tri told the boy that he would get anything his mother gave him, but we all suspected it wouldn't be much. I would pay for his things--I had the spare money thankfully--and I wouldn't ask either of them to do it.

Tri leaned against the wall of the church and crossed his arms and looked lost in thought. I watched him for a moment and then pulled up a chair, sitting down in it and rubbing the side of my head. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry. I'm fine. Just...thinking."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure you are, but you also looked like you were a thousand miles away. What's going on?"

Tri chewed his lower lip. I had only seen him do that when he was in deep thought, so something else was up that I wasn't aware of. That didn't surprise me none, since Tri had his fingers into everything in this city, it seemed.

"Simon," he began, clearing his throat. "How would you like to help me in something clandestine?"

"You mean...illegal?"

He nodded.

"Gotta know the details before I promise you anything. You in some kind of trouble?"

He shook his head and held up a hand to show he meant it. "Nothing like that. But things are going very fast. I think I need assistance. And you're easily the one man I trust most in this whole city."

I felt my ears turn red as I flushed. Tri knew how to compliment me. I rubbed the back of my head and chuckled sheepishly. "Well, let's hear it then."

The multicolored fox put his hands behind his back and stared into the distance. "Simon, do you know why I do what I do? Besides the church, I mean...but even then I suppose it's all wrapped into it."

"You like taking care of people who need help, especially the Chinese community, it seems."

"The people of Chinatown are my family, or as close to one as I can think of right now. They always look insular and don't like to be involved in the business of other sectors. And they didn't need to watch over me when my mother passed away. But they did. It's a huge debt that I'll never be able to repay, and I hate watching this country be brutal and discriminate against them. But that is just the symptom of the main problem."

"The main problem?"

Tri sat back down, leaning close to me. "The Middle Kingdom. China. You know what's going on there right now, Simon? Civil unrest. The empire has been slowly degrading for decades. The western nations have pushed more and more concessions from the imperial family, and the government has given in every time. People's way of life is suffering as taxes are incredible and the people feel like they aren't being served by the government. Rebellions have cropped up time and time again--little ones here and there--but lately, things are moving so much faster...and so much more seriously. I think that this could be it for the dynasty."

My head whirled. I had no idea what was going on in China. I had no idea what Tri was talking about. I heard mutterings here and there, but most people in Chinatown just simply did not want to talk about their time in their homeland. Tri always shied away from this topic, too, until now.

"A puppet emperor and a power-hungry empress!" Tri snarled. "She has taken the country down dark paths, ruined succession, and done things that harm the country to its very core. China may not be able to survive much longer with her on the throne."

"But I thought a woman couldn't be on the throne."

"As I said, there's a puppet emperor who was handpicked by her, and he does everything she tells him to. She has been shrewd in keeping information from him. Not that it matters--she controls the Forbidden City nearly entirely."

"So if this is going on in a place called 'the Forbidden City,' how do you know about it?"

Tri took a slow breath. "Some of the people here are eunuchs who escaped from the City. Some are laborers who deliver certain goods and items, their information matches what the peasants say about life outside the capital and around the country.

"I admit that not all the information may be accurate, but it is true enough that I can tell that something bad is happening there, Simon. That is why so many people are fleeing--they're worried about suffering or an impending civil war. They just want to live their lives, not be caught up in some dispute so many levels above their station!

"But these people would fight if they had the resources. Most fled to protect themselves because they had no means to fight back, or they were trying to keep their families safe. No one here is here just because America sounds like a wonderful place. Everyone has a reason tied to the current political instability."

"So...what are you doing then?"

The marble fox turned his head toward me. A fire of strong determination burned inside his dark eyes. "I'm trying to overthrow the dynasty."

I stood up. "What?! Are you out of your mind?"

"It's been working!" shouted Tri, who stood up and stepped so close toward me that our noses almost touched. "Ever since I started this endeavor, the rebels have been making a lot of headway."

"But...you're getting people killed, Tri!"

"I know that!" he shouted at me. "But this is necessary to end suffering! I would be there if I could--"

"You could be there! There isn't anything stopping you!"

"I'm much more effective here as a supply man and information dealer than a foot soldier! Information and resources win wars, Simon, not manpower."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My friend, someone who I thought was immune to corruption and wouldn't hurt anyone, had been helping foreign rebels. Tri wouldn't look at my face as I paced, thinking.

"What would happen if the government, this government, catches you?"

"They'll probably sell me to China," Tri replied absently. "To avoid a war. But I'm careful, Simon. No one knows it's me. No one can even link the information and the resources to me. But as I said earlier, things are picking up steam, and I need help."

"You want me to put my life on the line for a country I've never even been to, just to help you in your personal crusade to end some dynasty that may or may not be the most awful thing happening there?" I turned to face the fox again. "Do you realize how absurd that sounds?"

Tri glared at me and, before I knew what he was doing, grabbed me by the arm. My eyes widened in surprise at seeing how fast he closed the space between us, like a knife thrown directly at me. I had only seen two people move like that before.

"Simon," he said through strained control, "I am being honest with you. I would not be doing this recklessly, and I would not be asking for your help if I thought you were in any kind of serious risk. Please. I just need some assistance. Short term. Once it's done, you don't have to ever see me again."

I glared at Tri and shoved him, snarling and pacing. I whirled on him when he finished speaking, finger in his face.

"First of all, fuck you. Second of all, fuck you again. Third of all...I don't abandon friends who ask for my god damn help."

I was angry...but, was I angry because Tri was asking for my help and putting me in danger, or because I was worried he could die? I would find out sooner or later.

Tri slowly lifted his ears, his face changing from frustrated to hopeful in a matter of moments. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course I mean it! God dammit Tri, I don't like it, I think you're being stupid and putting your life at risk, but...fuck." I sat down in the chair and my head in my hands. "I don't turn my back on my friends. You asked for my help, so I can't say no."

"Simon..."

"But no one else!" I quickly added. "Not Miro and Oro, even Tin and Lucas! Just me. You will do everything you can to keep them safe and out of this...political mess. I swear, if I find out you put them in danger--"

"I swear to you Simon, I won't. I know how important they are to you."

I slapped Tri across his muzzle hard enough to send his head reeling to the side. He looked at me stunned, as he held his cheek.

"What... What was that for?"

"For putting yourself in stupid amounts of danger!" I shouted. Then, I added quietly, "And for doing all this alone and not turning to me sooner. You know I would have helped you months ago, Tri."

"I was trying to keep you out of my affairs, in case...something bad happened."

"Clearly things have changed."

Tri swallowed and slowly nodded his head. "I have more control over the situation than I used to, and I know more about what's going on. I would have liked to wait another month before I asked you, but as I said, things are moving fast."

"Whatever," I groaned and shook my head, leaning it back so my muzzle was pointed to the ceiling. This was going to be messy, I could already feel it. "So just what am I helping you with?"

"Have you ever been to the presidio, Simon?"