<div class="floatleft">(http://ninjaweazel.wikispaces.com/file/view/Tipene2.png/370444240/Tipene2.png)</div>Name: Tipene Rurik<br/>Title: The Dragon's Eye<br/>Location: Foulweather Bluffs<br/>Tags: Open<br/><br/><br/><br/>Tipene kept the Corvette's engine to a quiet rumble as he pulled up among the other racers.  No sense in showing his hand early, after all.  He found a parking spot a little bit away from the main gathering and let the engine rest, tucking the keys into his pocket as he slipped out of the car to walk among the crowd.  In clean blue jeans, scuffed and well-worn black boots, a dark grey hoodie with the hood up to ward off the ever-present drizzle... he was almost inconspicuous.  The height, the broad shoulders, and the way he walked with that unmistakable combination of confident authority and hints of violent action... those made him stand out in any crowd.<br/><br/>Rurik leaned casually against a building, ducked underneath an awning to avoid spillage and run-off from the roof, and watched the crowd.<em>No sign of Adriano yet...</em>Though he did notice a few members of the crew that Adriano used for jobs.  Smart kids, good at their job.  Maybe even as good as the primary crew he and Mr. Kwan had used back in California.<br/><br/>California.<br/><br/>He still seethed with quiet fury at the treachery that had cost him his home.  Pathetic cowards.  Bitter over Mr. Kwan's success, unwilling to see that his unification of the local gangs and streamlining control of the pipelines meant more money and power for the Triads in general.  All they saw was their own personal profit margins dipping.  Foolishness and greed.  And as a result...  Tipene still remembered the drive up to Seattle.  His classic Corvette eating the miles of asphalt while Mr. Kwan laid out plans for a new rise to power in Seattle.  He had offered the occasional piece of advice, and worked to make things fall into place as smooth and seamlessly as possible once they arrived in Washington.  Muscle provided the way when initial diplomacy failed.  Many of the newest pieces of construction in and around Puget Sound had a few skeletons hidden in the poured concrete of the foundations.  And once word started getting out what happened to those that didn't see the light, diplomacy once again reigned supreme.  Things only got easier when Mr. Kwan acquired Mayumi Takahashi's services.  The subtle knife to Tipene's less-discriminate hammer.  The half-Russian would not have put money on himself if she ever really decided to come after him.  He was good, and he knew it, but she was... something else entirely.<br/><br/>Rurik's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.  Recognizing the number as one of the security specialists waiting with Mr Kwan, he answered immediately. "Yes?"  He listened quietly to the rundown of security around his employer while Mr. Kwan waited for the race to end.  "Good.  One of our men here will call to tell you when the race starts."  Another quiet pause. "No, I have not seen Miss Ogata arrive yet.  I have faith she will be here, though.  She never misses a race without some sort of extenuating circumstance."  He allowed himself a brief moment of lust over the Triad's star driver.  Though she lacked that edge of danger that he found so appealing in Mayumi, Misaki was plenty attractive enough in her own right.  Turning his attention back to the phone, he issued a few orders to Mr. Kwan's security forces and ended the call.<br/><br/>Now it's time to watch the crowd.