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James Carstairs (steadyflame) wrote in expresslogs,

Jem had begun to worry when Thursday evening rolled around and there was still no sign of Will on the train. He’d grown accustomed to his parabatai’s solo outings throughout the week they had been in Shanghai but now with the train set to depart in just a matter of hours he was starting to fear that Will would get left behind. Since Jem had no intentions of continuing on this journey without Will at his side, he decided to go out looking for him. He had not been out very long however before someone else found him instead.

He had just been considering going back to try a tracking spell when Jem felt a sudden tug at his coat sleeve. Turning around he found a young Chinese boy peering up at him who proceeded to rattle off a brief message about how Jem’s “guǐlǎo boyfriend” was being held on account of owing a debt and that if Jem wanted to see him again he had better follow. While the term had left him utterly perplexed, there was no mistaking that the child had been of course referring to Will. He should have known. Will had been bragging about his gambling skills all week long, it was only a matter of time before he got himself into trouble. Pulling his coat closer about him to conceal his seraph blade, Jem had no choice but to hurry after the boy as he weaved in and out of the crowded streets.

The side of town that they eventually ended up in was a far cry from the more upscale, touristy area near where the train was located. Even with the century and a half standing between them Jem was almost instantly reminded of the East End back home where Will went to purchase his yin fen. Desolation was universal after all. He tried to not think about it as the boy led him towards a dilapidated warehouse and gestured for Jem to go on inside. He didn’t even need to see Will to know that he was there. He felt a pang of the dull ache in his chest that always occurred when his parabatai was hurt as he approached the door and his hand instantly moving down to hover just over where his blade was tucked into his belt.

As soon he entered the building however, Jem was immediately met by two heavily tattooed, muscle bound thugs who exchanged amused glances before they wasted no time in forcibly confiscating his cane. Jem let them have it without protest, knowing that first and foremost he just needed to get inside and make sure Will was alright. They could worry about fighting after that was seen to. As much as Jem disliked being judged by his frail appearance, he was not ignorant to the advantage that it could provide him in a situation like this as it meant that he was perpetually underestimated. This was no different as one of the men grabbed a hold of Jem’s thin shoulders and shoved him roughly down the hall.

Jem kept his expression impassive and unphased as he was led through the building, ignoring the shifty glances and derogatory comments that came his way, even as he was let into the room where Will was being kept. There he found his parabatai tied to a chair, bloodied and stripped of his clothing but still with his characteristic smirk on his face. Well then, things hadn’t gotten too bad just yet. “Yes, I can see that,” he responded, meeting Will’s dark eyes. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them as Jem quickly assessed his parabatai’s condition before glancing over to the gun pointed in Will’s direction. “I do wish they would have at least kept your trousers on.” While his demeanor was outwardly calm and collected, Jem’s mind was already racing, trying to formulate a plan.