Blue Dragon

bodyguard nodded again.
    ‘You haven’t changed a bit, Louise,’ I said as Matt cleared our way through the Monday lunchtime crowd in the centre of the mall.
    ‘Yeah, right,’ Louise said with a grin. ‘Put a lot of weight on, but the Tiger’s dietician and personal trainer are working with me. I’ll be back in shape in no time.’ She looked me up and down. ‘You need to see them too, Emma.’
    I sighed. ‘Yeah, I know. Need to do more physical stuff. I do too much energy work.’
    Louise laughed softly. ‘I heard about that. You have to show me.’
    ‘Not in public, but you can come over to the Academy and see,’ I said.
    ‘But you look amazingly healthy,’ Louise said, glancing sideways at me. ‘You actually look younger than you did last year.’
    That completely floored me. ‘What?’
    ‘You only look about twenty-five.’
    I was bewildered. ‘I’ll be thirty-one in October, in four months,’ I said. ‘I can’t look that young, don’t be ridiculous.’
    ‘You do.’
    We arrived at the Japanese restaurant. There were about twenty people waiting outside, and five more at the reception desk collecting numbers to wait. When we reached the desk, the receptionist scowled at the baby. Louise wasn’t fazed. She reached around the baby into her shirt, pulled out a platinum tiger that she wore on a chain around her neck, and dangled it in front of the receptionist.
    The receptionist’s face immediately went blank, then she smiled warmly and gestured for us to follow her, bobbing her head.
    ‘Oh my God; that bastard,’ I said softly.
    ‘What?’ Louise said as we were led into the private room.
    ‘He tried to trick me into taking one of them.’
    ‘One of what?’
    ‘One of those little platinum tigers,’ I said.
    Louise grinned, then burst out laughing. She pulled her shoes off and went into the room. The demon servant followed her and sat quietly in the corner on the tatami mats.
    ‘I’ll wait outside, ma’am,’ the bodyguard said. ‘I’ll be right outside the door.’
    ‘Okay, Matt,’ Louise said. She undid the straps holding the baby and gently lowered her as we sat. ‘You want to hold her?’
    I nodded and carefully took the baby. She squeaked and waved her little hands. I held her close and tried to control my reaction.
    ‘What?’ Louise said. ‘What’s the matter?’
    I couldn’t say anything. I just held the baby close and watched her.
    ‘What’s the problem, Emma?’ Louise said.
    ‘I’ll never have one of my own,’ I said, my voice thick. ‘Never.’
    ‘Why not?’ Louise said softly. ‘He’s promised to come back for you, hasn’t he?’
    I carefully passed the baby back. ‘It will take him years to come back, Louise. I’ll probably be too old.’
    Louise leaned forward over the table, holding the baby in front of her. ‘Human Immortals can have children, Emma. The Jade Emperor has dozens.’
    I silently shook my head. Then I snapped myself out of it and grabbed a menu. ‘I hope there’s something vegetarian for me.’
    ‘See?’ Louise said. ‘Vegetarian, looks young, not worried by anything. Immortal.’
    ‘Oh, cut it out.’
    The baby started to squall and Louise handed her to the maid. ‘Beanie, I think she needs changing.’
    ‘Ma’am,’ the maid said, and took the baby into the corner of the tatami mats. ‘I’ll feed her as well, ma’am, I think she’s due.’
    ‘ Beanie ?’ I said.
    ‘Ma’am?’ the maid said, turning back to me.
    ‘Go and change her, Beanie,’ Louise said, and the maid turned away again. ‘It’s great I can put her onto the bottle now—I have a lot more freedom. The Tiger likes all the wives to feed the babies themselves for at least the first four months. That reminds me.’ She pulled out a notebook and flipped it open.
    ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I said. ‘We haven’t done that in ages.’
    ‘I have a bet with wife number One One Six and wife number One Two Zero,’ Louise said. ‘I have some questions for you, and you have to answer them truthfully for me.’
    The waitress turned up and Louise dropped the notebook and grabbed the menu. ‘But let’s eat first, I’m starving.’
    ‘Why is the demon called Beanie?’ I said after we’d ordered.
    ‘What demon?’ Louise said.
    I gestured towards the maid who was busy preparing a bottle. ‘Demon.’
    Louise glanced sharply at her. ‘Are you a demon, Beanie?’
    The maid bobbed her head. ‘Yes, ma’am, tamed by Lord Bai Hu’s Number One