As soon as Kevin is gone, Xie puts his plan into action - he goes to the kitchen, hesitates for the merest moment when he sees the pizza before putting it away again and picking through the meagre selection of kitchen knives to find the best. He's not going to have a lot of time - at any moment Kevin could, theoretically, reach out through the link and know where he was, so he'll have to move quickly. He's hoping that Kevin isn't going to want to think about him most of the night.
Worst case, he'll lead them right to where Yifu is, and that's still a win.
He puts the necklace back on for the first time in two weeks, and it doesn't feel as comforting as it used to - despite the confirmation that the magic has gone, it feels more like a collar than ever. He can stand it, though, for the sake of this.
He rifles through the rest of the house for anything he can use as a weapon, digs out Kevin's burner phone - without the tracker, it's going to be quicker to make a call - and then he's ready. He hesitates for a bit, wondering if he should leave some kind of note, but then he realises he has no idea what he'd say and maybe it would be easier if he didn't, if Kevin just thought he'd run away. Maybe he could just hate him, then, and everything would be easier to get over...
For all Xie's confidence, he honestly doesn't know if he'll get through this alive, but as long as Yifu doesn't either he might actually be fine with it.
He gets out the house, gets to where he can almost feel the ward and stops again. Moment of truth...
He takes a step forward, then another, briefly feels the magic around him and then... that's it. He's through. With Kevin on the other side the wards just let him pass.
He doesn't waste time celebrating, just starts walking, pulling out the phone to call Du Pusa, first, makes sure she's safe. Turns out she's with Qianqiao and Fumeng, which seems like a good place for her. He tells her to stay with them, checks up on the latest news about what Yifu is after, if he still wants Xie alive.
Last she heard, it seems like he does, so that's a start.
He was going to call Qianqiao afterwards, but since she's there Du Pusa just passes over the phone. He asks her to work her magic (literally, she's incredible at magical disguises) and make sure word got to Yifu that Xie was out and looking to find him. He'd think it was a trap, but he'd still send someone all the same.
What Xie isn't expecting, a little while later as he waits in an abandoned shipping warehouse owned by one of Yifu's shell corporations, is for Yifu to come himself.
"Xie-er..." that name, in that lilting, reproachful tone. It sends a shiver through him that he desperately tries to surpress. Even after everything. "I've been so worried about you."
"Have you?" Xie asks quietly, turning to look at him. He looked a little rough around the edges, his impeccable suit a little baggy, like he hadn't been eating lately. Dark rings under his eyes, moustache a little less than perfect, but still the same cool, confident Yifu - or trying to be.
"How could you say that? Haven't I always taken care of you? Don't I always give you everything? My Xie-er, of course I've been worried about you."
For a moment, he had worried that he would just fall into his arms, beg forgiveness just like he used to, immediately be back under his sway. Then all of a sudden he just... isn't. He's just a sad, manipulative man with a chip on his shoulder. Someone who couldn't stand to see anybody else get anything.
"Yifu..." He breathes, like he's missed him desperately, and he steps forward. Yifu lets him, the arrogant bastard.
"It's alright, Xie-er, you just made a silly, impulsive decision, but I can fix it. You just have to do everything I say, hmm?" He reaches forward almost tenderly, Xie makes himself lean in despite the thought of Yifu touching him again making him sick. A hand brushes his cheek and then strays to his neck, hooks into the cord of his necklace. "At least you still keep my gifts..."
He pulls it out from under Xie's shirt, a covetous look straying into his eyes for a moment until rage suddenly flashes across his face.
"It's broken." He hisses angrily. Xie's longing expression morphs into smug satisfaction and he flicks one of the kitchen knives from his sleeve, thrusting forward... but he waited just a moment too late, Yifu was not nearly as dismissive of his former Familiar as Xie had believed, and suddenly he's being thrown back by a blast of magical energy, the knife clattering from his hand as he lands heavily on his bad shoulder.
"Did you think I didn't know? That I wouldn't realise where the police got all their information?" Yifu demands, stalking towards him. Xie scrambles for one of the other knives, throws it. Yifu knocks it aside with another blast of energy - easier, when it wasn't really designed to be thrown. Xie scrambles backwards, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He just needs to get a hit in, just one hit...
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2023-10-26 08:33 pm (UTC)As soon as Kevin is gone, Xie puts his plan into action - he goes to the kitchen, hesitates for the merest moment when he sees the pizza before putting it away again and picking through the meagre selection of kitchen knives to find the best. He's not going to have a lot of time - at any moment Kevin could, theoretically, reach out through the link and know where he was, so he'll have to move quickly. He's hoping that Kevin isn't going to want to think about him most of the night.
Worst case, he'll lead them right to where Yifu is, and that's still a win.
He puts the necklace back on for the first time in two weeks, and it doesn't feel as comforting as it used to - despite the confirmation that the magic has gone, it feels more like a collar than ever. He can stand it, though, for the sake of this.
He rifles through the rest of the house for anything he can use as a weapon, digs out Kevin's burner phone - without the tracker, it's going to be quicker to make a call - and then he's ready. He hesitates for a bit, wondering if he should leave some kind of note, but then he realises he has no idea what he'd say and maybe it would be easier if he didn't, if Kevin just thought he'd run away. Maybe he could just hate him, then, and everything would be easier to get over...
For all Xie's confidence, he honestly doesn't know if he'll get through this alive, but as long as Yifu doesn't either he might actually be fine with it.
He gets out the house, gets to where he can almost feel the ward and stops again. Moment of truth...
He takes a step forward, then another, briefly feels the magic around him and then... that's it. He's through. With Kevin on the other side the wards just let him pass.
He doesn't waste time celebrating, just starts walking, pulling out the phone to call Du Pusa, first, makes sure she's safe. Turns out she's with Qianqiao and Fumeng, which seems like a good place for her. He tells her to stay with them, checks up on the latest news about what Yifu is after, if he still wants Xie alive.
Last she heard, it seems like he does, so that's a start.
He was going to call Qianqiao afterwards, but since she's there Du Pusa just passes over the phone. He asks her to work her magic (literally, she's incredible at magical disguises) and make sure word got to Yifu that Xie was out and looking to find him. He'd think it was a trap, but he'd still send someone all the same.
What Xie isn't expecting, a little while later as he waits in an abandoned shipping warehouse owned by one of Yifu's shell corporations, is for Yifu to come himself.
"Xie-er..." that name, in that lilting, reproachful tone. It sends a shiver through him that he desperately tries to surpress. Even after everything. "I've been so worried about you."
"Have you?" Xie asks quietly, turning to look at him. He looked a little rough around the edges, his impeccable suit a little baggy, like he hadn't been eating lately. Dark rings under his eyes, moustache a little less than perfect, but still the same cool, confident Yifu - or trying to be.
"How could you say that? Haven't I always taken care of you? Don't I always give you everything? My Xie-er, of course I've been worried about you."
For a moment, he had worried that he would just fall into his arms, beg forgiveness just like he used to, immediately be back under his sway. Then all of a sudden he just... isn't. He's just a sad, manipulative man with a chip on his shoulder. Someone who couldn't stand to see anybody else get anything.
"Yifu..." He breathes, like he's missed him desperately, and he steps forward. Yifu lets him, the arrogant bastard.
"It's alright, Xie-er, you just made a silly, impulsive decision, but I can fix it. You just have to do everything I say, hmm?" He reaches forward almost tenderly, Xie makes himself lean in despite the thought of Yifu touching him again making him sick. A hand brushes his cheek and then strays to his neck, hooks into the cord of his necklace. "At least you still keep my gifts..."
He pulls it out from under Xie's shirt, a covetous look straying into his eyes for a moment until rage suddenly flashes across his face.
"It's broken." He hisses angrily. Xie's longing expression morphs into smug satisfaction and he flicks one of the kitchen knives from his sleeve, thrusting forward... but he waited just a moment too late, Yifu was not nearly as dismissive of his former Familiar as Xie had believed, and suddenly he's being thrown back by a blast of magical energy, the knife clattering from his hand as he lands heavily on his bad shoulder.
"Did you think I didn't know? That I wouldn't realise where the police got all their information?" Yifu demands, stalking towards him. Xie scrambles for one of the other knives, throws it. Yifu knocks it aside with another blast of energy - easier, when it wasn't really designed to be thrown. Xie scrambles backwards, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He just needs to get a hit in, just one hit...