Chu Hua arranged Dee’s birthday surprise. Remembering how much she had appreciated Li Mei taking care of her son for her first birthday after giving birth, Chu Hua felt it was only right that she extend the tradition to Dee. After throwing a small luncheon for her, Chu Hua announced the plan. Having coordinated the idea with Eddie, Manchu and Chu Hua had all the supplies they needed. Eddie was more than grateful for the break, and planned an evening just for her. While he had always been as generous to her on her birthday as she was to him, this year he decided she deserved more.

As a start to their quiet evening, he gave her a massage and let her nap. Later, they watched a movie as they ate dinner, rounding that off with cake from the Fu Bakery. With all of the birthday traditions out of the way, he picked her up and carried his giggling girlfriend into the bedroom. She promptly burst into tears upon seeing the candlelit room, and the rose petal dusted bed. After that, there had been no spoken words between them, merely actions that spoke louder than words.

It was a month later, after the Fourth of July, that Eddie received a call from Manchu. At Dee’s birthday luncheon, he had outlined an idea, requesting a meeting with the Triad Elders to plead his case. Lucky for him, the Head Elder Po Sin had been forced into retirement due to health issues. Or so everyone was told. Manchu confided that the old man had become far too inflexible and had started to hinder the Triad’s progress.

“It’s all set. Lunch on the tenth,” Manchu said.

“They’re actually willing to talk to me?” asked Eddie, amazed.

“They would like to hear the details, so be…” He paused to laugh. “I forget who I’m talking to. They will ask many questions, but whom better to ask questions to?”

“I prefer to be the one asking questions, hopefully to stump my opponent,” was the amused reply.

After setting a time and working out a few details, Eddie hung up the phone to share the news with Dee. He found her in a ring of tigers, playing with the baby. Stepping into the ring, he sat down just as Tangram tickled Edward with his tail. The child giggled and squealed in delight, trying to grab the flicking appendage. In response, the tiger chuffled and nuzzled the baby.

“They love each other,” beamed Dee, immediately wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his chest from the side.

“Patting her arms, he picked the baby up. “I got the meeting. We go in the tenth to talk with the Elders.”

“Think they’ll go for your idea?”

He blew a raspberry on his son’s cheek, sending the child into another paroxysm of giggles. “If they don’t, we’ll find another way. At least they want to hear me out on it.”

“You’re a genius. Of course they want to hear you out!”

He sat the child back down with the tigers. Edward looked at the six feline eyes on him, squealed more, and blew bubbles at the cats. Eddie put his arms around Dee and kissed her.

“I’m counting on you for this meeting. You know how I tend to botch these things with the Elders.”

“Mm. I know,” she grinned, softly biting his chin. “It’s a good thing Po Sin isn’t there anymore. Around him you’re as clumsy with words as a kindergartener. Just stick with English and you’ll be fine.”

Eddie blushed, remembering the one time he had attempted to speak a phrase in Chinese. Not only had he mutilated the phrase, he had completely massacred the pronunciation. The closest thing Dee could translate his words into was “Your mop is filled with fleas and coconut shells.” What he had been trying to say was “Thank you for your generous hospitality and kindness.”

A scream from Edward brought him around to his current surroundings. Once more he picked his child up, dangling his feet off the floor. The little boy grinned and stuffed a fist into his mouth as he looked at his father.

“What’s all this noise about? You want some attention? Say ‘daddy’! ‘Dahd-dee’,” he enunciated.

The child responded by pulling his fist from his mouth to blow a series of bubbles and drool, his chubby little legs kicking the air.

“I suppose I’ll have to take that for now,” he sighed.

Dee laughed, partially shifting and making a particularly silly feline face at her son. Edward was reduced to a squirming, shrieking, and giggling bundle. She unwrapped herself from Eddie, taking the child.

“That’s my boy! But Daddy said he was going to play with you now, while Mommy makes dinner.” Handing him back, she gave Eddie another kiss. “He needs to be changed,” she grinned, quickly hurrying out of the room.

Rolling his eyes, Eddie laughed, taking the boy to the changing table.

~ ~ ~

The day of the meeting came quickly. Along with all the needed items for the baby, Eddie and Dee brought three days of clothing with them. The meetings often took at least two days to carry out. Even though the warehouse the two lived in wasn’t too far, they felt it would be easier to stay at Manchu’s, especially with the baby. They were more than welcome, and Chu Hua was appreciative of Dee’s help around the house.

With nursemaids taking care of the children, the women were left to catch up on gossip as they sat around the kitchen table preparing foods for the meeting and subsequent meals. Eddie found himself among Manchu, Jiaoshu, and a few of the male teachers for the Triad. Seeing how they always tried - and successfully managed - to get him drunk with Chinese moonshine, it was n o wonder he felt uneasy. That nervousness showed, and the men teased him with good nature about being soft.

Shortly before lunch, the Elders arrived. Shing, the current head Elder, was delighted to see both Dee and Eddie. He had always fought for Dee, spotting her potential early on. Where Po Sin would never agree to this meeting, Shing was eager for it. The ideas Xiaohu’s mate had given them a glimpse of were tantalizing, to say the least!

“We will take our tea and dessert into the meeting room,” announced Shing as soon as the last lunch plate had been removed from the table.

Shing’s enthusiasm was contagious to the other two elders, Fai and Liang. Liang was the youngest, newest of the Gotham Elders. While he had attended many of the meetings, he had never been so excited about one.

It took only a few minutes for everyone to settle in the meeting room. Dee took a seat next to Eddie, smiling encouragingly at him. He looked nervous, with beads of perspiration popping up on his forehead and upper lip. While the Elders were served tea and dessert, she leaned over, taking his hand.

“Breathe, Tiger,” she whispered with a lilt in her voice. “You’re going to do just fine. You always do. You’re a brilliant man with an ingenious idea!”

He squeezed her hand, silently thanking her. Later, once this was all over, he would need to let her know how much he appreciated her support. When the serving woman slid the door closed, Shing called everyone to attention.

“Honored Elders, gentlemen, and lady. We have come here today to hear a proposal by Edward Nigma, mate of Xiaohu, who holds an honorary status in our Triad. We have all watched these two in the years since they came together. They are one of the finest teams in Gotham, despite Edward’s unusual methods. But this is what makes him unique; using his riddles and puzzles as a challenge to the authorities and the Batman to stop him before he commits his crime.

“We know that this had been seen by some in our Triad as a foolish move. However, the effort to not only create the puzzles, but also to complete the crime before any authority figure can stop him is a show of a brilliantly trained mind.” Shing smiled apologetically at Eddie when he realized he was gushing. “I’m sorry. Please, Edward. Tell us what you came here to share.”

Eddie stood, bowing respectfully to the Triad Elders. He took a sip of his tea, and then cleared his throat.

“Thank you, Elder Shing, for allowing me this opportunity, and for your kind words. I want to thank all of you for hearing me out today.” Clasping his hands behind his back, he started his speech. “You all know about my methods and me because of Xiaohu. Years ago when I met her, I knew she had been exceptionally trained to fight. As I got to know her better I learned that she possessed other skills as well, such as explosives handling, and her breaking and entering skills. Of course, she learned a lot from working with me. I taught her how to bypass many of the finer security systems, especially the custom security that so many of the elite install.

“I’m aware that the Triad does train in this, and I have shared much of my own learning with the Jade Tigers in the past. I’m also aware that it offers the best training available for every student, regardless of age, gender, or social status. We are all aware of how carefully the Triad brings out the full potential of each student.”

Here he paused, lifting a finger. The apprehensive look on his face when he had started speaking was replaced with a cocky, self-assured grin.

“But this is where things aren’t quite true. While the Triad does do a wonderful job training each student, there is no class where they get to use their skills ‘in the field’, so to speak. Only once the student has been accepted as a full Triad member are they sent to test their skills on missions. At this point, they can still be returned to the ranks of student should they fail with these missions.

“The skills and control taught by Jiaoshu,” he turned and bowed to the old man, “and now taught by Manchu,” another bow, “are all well and good. But what if the most promising students were allowed to test and hone those skills in a real setting, before they were accepted?” He paused, looking at each man present in turn. “What I am asking, gentlemen, is a chance to allow those students to see what it’s really like. They’ll have the chance to go against the likes of Batman and Robin to test their fighting skills, as well as the ability to improvise. Pardon me for saying, but all of the students know each other’s moves. Putting them against the vigilante set will let them improvise.

“I would like to see these students trained this way, so that when they are accepted to the Triad, their skills are proven. I’m proposing to sponsor this new class myself. The objects they go after will be quite real, as would be the danger. Students may work in teams, or alone, depending on the job. The benefit would be that the students get the training, and if successful, perhaps a small percentage of the take; if that’s acceptable to the Elders.”

Fai raised his hand, clearing his throat to catch Edward’s attention.

Beaming and proud that he made it this far, Eddie nodded at the Elder, giving the man permission to speak.

“Edward, we are all quite aware of your compulsion to send clues in the form of riddles and puzzles, alerting the authorities to your target. Do you plan on doing the same for the proposed students?”

This was the question he knew would be asked, and the one he dreaded most. Keeping the pleasant smile on his face, he answered. “That, gentlemen, is what will throw the cops off. At first they’ll think it’s me, back in action. They’ll soon realize that I’m not to blame for these crimes. They’ll be stuck looking for one or two people. What they won’t know is that the crimes are pulled off by a different person or group each time.

“Soon enough, they’ll realize that it’s bigger than what they think. But they won’t be able to pinpoint who is behind this.”

“And if one of the students gets caught?” Fai asked.

“Provided enough evidence can be turned up to press charges, the kid is only looking at a minor offense. At the best, he or she will get community service. At the worst, a short stay in juvenile hall. They haven’t been accepted as Tigers yet, so they won’t have the Triad tattoo to point back here.”

“This is acceptable to you?” Elder Shing asked.

“The students getting caught? No. It’s a risk; a risk that all of your members face when taking on a job. I know of the items each member gets upon being accepted. The most common ones heighten senses, or give the owner unusual luck. Why not pair students with some of the accepted, allowing the accepted the chance to lead teams? With the abilities in the pieces they carry, it should give the students an edge. Certain jobs can still be carried out by a single person, depending on the difficulty.”

Murmured comments buzzed through the room, along with approving nods, or uncertain shakes of heads. The plan was still rough around the edges, but the essence of it was all Eddie needed to get across. He could go no further with the plans unless the Triad accepted his proposal.

“I realize that this sounds iffy, at best. Take into consideration the fact that for every student that passes into full membership, there are several that do not. I would be willing to give these students jobs, allowing them to practice more. Perhaps with such practice, they will become better and pass the approval of the honored Elders.” He was buttering them up like a slice of bread, and they knew it. Still, Dee had repeatedly told him that showering them with compliments, obvious or not, would get him farther in his plan. “Even those who do not pass into the ranks of the Jade Tiger Triad are far better trained than anyone I could hope to hire, save Xiaohu, of course,” he added with a pride-filled smile at her.

“Honored Elders, should you find that you would like to accept this plan, know that I would watch over the students as if they were my own children,” Dee said. “Edward’s intentions are honorable. With my knowledge of how he works, and how this Triad works in training, I would make certain that the jobs are neither too difficult, nor too easy for those accepting them.”

Shing nodded. “It is indeed a tempting idea.” He sighed, staring into the bottom of his teacup for a moment. Silence settled over the room as he did so. Finally, he looked up. “I must discuss this with the other Elders, and then with the teachers. During this time, I would like you to come up with some sample jobs to present. I will call you back once we are ready for you. Until then, please leave this room and continue with your daily business.” He turned to Edward. “You have a company to run. I suggest you make certain you are not missed, nor that you neglect that business for this. And you, Xiaohu, have my grandson to take care of. See that he is well.”

Nodding, Dee stood, bowing to the Elders. She touched Edward’s arm silently alerting him to do the same. He looked flustered at the dismissal, ready to say more. The light pressure of Dee’s fingers taking hold of his forearm held him back. Giving his thanks and another bow, he allowed Dee to steer him out and back to her room.
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