Asian Pride... Xiu Sai Am

The proprietor of a bar Chance likes to frequent. She is a seal point siamese, hates reporters, and spends a lot of time talking about her twin daughters, Chun An and Jia Lan. A wife and proud mother of two, she enjoys running her bar and hearing stories from when Chance and Jake were in the force.<br />
Voice: Freda Foh Shen (Fa Li in "Mulan")<br />
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Because I had the idea in my head and it wouldn't go away, Sai Am makes her appearance in a story I decided to write called 'Comrades in Arms'.<br />
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~~~~~<br />
It felt like a much longer time than he remembered since he had been in the old bar. It wasn't a big bar, like most of the ones in the heart of town... it was owned and run by a single cat, and she liked keeping it simple, despite the syndicates that had offered her so much money - money she didn't really need, thanks to her husband's profession - to build on. Of course, it was that Siamese that fixed Chance with a concerned look as soon as he'd walked through the sliding door.<br />
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"I heard news!" she chirped, her accent bringing at least some semblance of a smile to the tabby's face. "I so sorry for Jake, and for you! You want drink? I make you something light?"<br />
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Sighing, Chance slid onto a barstool, fixing the Asian cat with a solemn gaze. "If you're gonna make me anything, Sai Am, make it something strong. Just gimme a glass of vodka."<br />
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Her brow went up as she went for a glass. "You really want vodka? That strong."<br />
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"I just want to stop thinking for right now. Vodka will do the trick nicely in a few glasses."<br />
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Xiu Sai Am huffed, shaking her head as she poured a glass to the brim with vodka. "In few glasses, you stop thinking AND talking. If you fall off chair, I not picking you up."<br />
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Chance didn't respond to the comment. He just picked up the glass when she sat it in front of him and took a long drink, his ears pressing back at the bitter taste that assaulted him almost instantly. He let out a breath as he sat the glass down, already half empty, half-closed eyes staring at the bartop. "...So, you heard on the news, huh? God, I can't believe it's been long enough since it happened for those vultures to pick it up already."<br />
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"I no like reporters much, but they making big deal of this. Is bad karma." She leaned against the bartop, toying with a yin-yang necklace that dangled from her neck. "You come from hospital? How is he?"<br />
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After taking another drink, Chance shook his head. "Alive, and that's the best I can say. He's in a coma, and the doctor said it didn't look good for him..."<br />
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Sai Am frowned, glancing towards the ceiling. "Wise man say, key to everything is patience. You get chicken by hatching egg, not smashing it."<br />
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Silent again, Chance finished off what was in his glass and pushed the empty cup towards Sai Am for a refill. "I don't know about you... but I find it hard to be patient when your best friend is laying in the hospital on his death bed."<br />
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"So negative. Jake need patience and positivity... not negativity." Smiling, she put the glass that had originally been filled with vodka in the sink, taking out another two. She filled them both with milk and sat one in front of herself, the other in front of Chance. "So starting by staying sober is good way to stay positive."<br />
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Chance gave a weak smile. "Whatever, Sai Am... but I'll drink to that."<br />
~~~~~<br />
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Sai Am and her bar are c/o me. Chance and 'SWAT Kats' are c/o Hanna-Barbera.<br />
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(If you can get the play-on-words behind her name, I give you mass kudos... because for SOME reason, no one seems to get it!)