dollymixtures | Oh, oh, oh it's magic (Xie and Kevin)

Tony looks at Zishu for a second, working out whether Zhao is one of those three, then nods.

"Okay," he says. "That's good to know."

It's very good to know. It means that Sefton can be free of Xie - Xie might actually face charges - and Zhao's chances at an attempt to to drain his power would be gone.

"Thank you, Mister... Wen? This has been very helpful."

"Zhou," he corrects with a smile "we didn't take one another's names."

Kexing will get a kick out of that, though, when he tells him later.

"So you'll teach me? How to break the bond?" Xie asks impatiently. Zishu looks at him for a long moment and then sighs, nodding. He doesn't want the idiot to subject himself to that, but he's a grown man, he can make his own stupid choices.

"I'll write it down for you." He says. It's safe enough to have written, he can't imagine Xie will share it with anyone else and it'll be better for him to have a reference, it's a long process and Zishu won't be around to talk him through it.

If it does get out into the world.. well, there's not many Familiars who'd subject themselves to it, and those who would... maybe they deserve to know how. If they'd rather do this than stay bonded to their master, the situation must be dire.

Unless they're like Xie, in which case they probably deserve it for being stupid.

"We'll have a copy of that, if you don't mind," Tony says. They'll have it if he does mind, too. They'll run it through a translator if it doesn't start in English.

Meanwhile Kevin and Kexing emerge from their meditation - the former looking tired and drained, because he is, but marginally happier about himself.

"Everyone getting on okay?"

Tony doesn't look like he's been stung by a scorpion.

He does mind, but he also recognises that they'll probably end up with a copy anyway, since they have Xie.

He nods, stepping out to write it down for them since Kexing is back now and he can play host.

(He tells his husband through their link what's going on. Kexing raises his eyebrows but doesn't say anything out loud)

"Mm. Did it go well?" Xie responds, looking over him. He looks better, tired but better, and that's a good sign. He's still annoyed about Kevin not using his power, but they can have that argument later.

"He picked it up very quickly," Kexing reports "make sure he does the meditation every day, there's a risk of some minor permanent damage if he takes too long, but that shouldn't be an issue if he does it daily."

Xie's annoyance increases.

"Ideally, I'd like to make arrangements to check it again in two weeks, just to be sure everything is going smoothly." Kexing adds, to Kevin

Kevin nods.

"Of course," he says, looking thoughtful. "We need to be careful though..."

He shoots a questioning look to Tony, asking the next bit cautiously as if waiting for the sergeant to stop him.

"One of my team will be in touch with a meeting spot, somewhere we can access without putting our locations at risk."

"Of course." Kexing nods with understanding "I've heard about the hit. I'll give you contact details and wait for you to make arrangements."

Zishu returns then with two folded pieces of paper, the process for breaking the bond written on each of them. Because of the risk of either of them getting out to anyone else, he's quite clear about how painful and difficult it is for the Familiar to do, and he stresses that bonds can't be formed once it's complete - there's no mention of the other ritual. He wants to be absolutely sure that anybody doing it knows what they're in for.

(It doesn't mention what being unbonded does to a Familiar, he knows any Familiar reading it is already aware)

"Is that everything you need?" He asks, handing over the papers to Tony and Xie.

Tony unfolds his paper, and glances at Xie - and then Kevin, who says "show him"so they can be absolutely sure the pages are identical before he folds it up with an apologetic look and nods professionally.

"That's everything, thank you. And if you are ever in need of the services of law enforcement..." the policemen look at each other and shrug "..call us directly."

Back in the Landrover, Kevin takes shotgun and leans back, head resting against his seat while his mind is split between the others in the car and his empty core. The pressure from Xie's power down the bond is more noticeable again now, and he tries not to think about it.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asks.

Xie rolls his eyes but unfolds the paper, holding it out for Tony to compare. They're the same.

(Zishu thought about them being different, but guessed they'd check so there was no point)

Kexing looks amused at the offer, but they nod and say their goodbyes as the group leave.

Xie sits in the back, studying the paper and wondering if he's really going to do this, really going to put himself through it just because he's bitter that Kevin doesn't want him... but what are his alternatives?

"Yes." He replies - he's pretty sure Kevin is thinking the right thing, anyway "It will take a few months, but it's doable. It shouldn't do you any lasting damage."

"Oh well as long as it's not lasting," Kevin replies dryly. That it might damage Xie, he hasn't really considered - he will see, when he catches up with Costain later, but at the moment he's assuming Xie used 'you' for a reason.

Out loud, he asks Costain what the plan is, and is told that they're being driven to a place where they can access the new safe house that Quill and Lofthouse have set up, and to get some rest, mate, we'll debrief later.

But it occurs to Kevin that no one's asked one obvious question.

"Are you okay? After today, I mean."

Xie rolls his eyes but doesn't reply. The urge to retort is strong - it's a little lost power and maybe some weird feelings for Kevin, a little pain when the final stage is reached and the bond is broken, but for Xie...

But Kevin doesn't know that, and right now Xie isn't in the mood to talk about it.

"You're the one who got injured." He answers the question without answering it "I'm just the idiot who fell for the bait."

"It was a targeted trap," Kevin counters. "You were bound to fall for it. Everyone's going to blame themselves a little bit for it, but it's not all on you."

Xie lets his head fall back, stares at the roof of the car. Isn't it, though? None of the others knew him well enough to realise it was a trap, he was the one with all the information. He was probably the one Yifu was tracking...

They still need to figure out how he was doing that, how much danger it put them in. How likely it is that Kevin will get hurt again...

"Why won't you use my power?" It's not just the healing, though that is driving him mad, but he didn't even draw on it during the fight. He didn't seem to need it, but maybe he could have avoided getting injured at all if he had...

From the comment he ignored earlier, Kevin should have expected this. But it's still a question that it's complicated to answer. Xie must be just used to Zhao taking it whenever he wants, pulling on it like - like a chain. Treating Xie like a tool to be used.

"Because it's yours."

He means - it's not his, Kevin's, and it's not general, local power. It's Xie's, and only Xie should decide how it gets used.

Xie, of course, doesn't hear 'because it belongs to you', he hears 'because it's you' and he hates, hates how much that fucking stings.

Because why the fuck would Kevin want anything to do with him anyway? They've been getting along because... because they have to, because when you're stuck with someone 24/7 you play nice or you go crazy. He cares about Xie because it's his job to do it, that's all. He doesn't like him, doesn't want him, and why would he? Xie's a criminal, he's done terrible things, someone like Kevin probably feels unclean just being bonded to him, let alone actually using that bond.

He looks back down at the paper. Studying it, committing it to memory. Going through with it is going to be torture, but how is that any different to being bonded to a witch who doesn't want him?

When Xie doesn't say anything more, Kevin leaves him alone, glances at Costain who is driving and listening to the radio and turns his attention to the wing mirror, realising with a shock that he's looking out for an assassin at every turn.

They're driving down a moderately busy A-road, though, and the disconnect is jarring.

Eventually they turn into the lot of a commercial storage centre, and Lisa Ross is standing outside one of the units, hopping from foot to foot with anxiety.

She rushes Kevin when he gets out of the car and they hug, then she turns to Xie, and for a moment she almost hugs him as well.

"Are you okay?" she asks. Both of them. "I don't know what happened... the background checks..."

"We're okay, Lise."

"See? Everyone blames themselves."

For a moment it looks like Xie might even accept the hug, but he leans away before she can actually go for it and just nods slightly at her question. He knows it's mostly for Kevin, but it's nice of her to ask.

"Yifu would have known what you'd look for. He's good at covering his tracks." He says, hates himself a little for saying it but it's spilling out before he even thinks, wanting to reassure her. She'd been nothing but nice to him, she didn't need to blame herself for this.

He tells himself he's not admitting to anything, not even really incriminating Yifu when they already know he's the one who put the hit out.

"He must have known where we were, though, at least roughly. He might still have some way of tracking me."

He doesn't know how or what or why, Yifu would have always been able to find him anyway, but there must be something.

He really, really hopes it doesn't turn out to be the necklace. The weight against his chest used to be comforting, now it feels like guilt.

"Yes, we'll figure that out," she agrees. "Lets get you both safe."

She opens the storage unit and... it's mostly just shelves with empty boxes, like the loft of the cottage. Except in the middle of the floor a number of them have been arranged in what is the better part of a cross. It just takes Lisa one moment to pick up a box from near her feet and nudge it into place to complete the pattern, before the cross itself starts revolving rapidly, spinning faster and faster as the boxes blur like the blades of a fan.

Kevin puts a hand on Xie's shoulder. "Ready?"

He recognises the similarity to the loft, though he doesn't comment since he isn't supposed to have seen it, but he does watch her curiously as she moves, interested in what the hell process they use to get between places.

Seeing it in action doesn't really answer any questions, because he'd already worked out it must be some kind of portal, but it's interesting all the same.

The hand on his shoulder makes him still, but he doesn't pull away. He nods.

"Ready."

Kevin pulls Xie behind him, because he's not entirely sure if pushing him in front would work, as they step into the rushing wind and are swept up in the roar and vertigo of the tunnel. His hand tightens for a second, but he lets go as he staggers out the other side, feet running a little to slow his momentum like when you're a kid and you run off the end of the travellator at the airport.

The room at the other end is a basement - clean but undecorated, lit by a naked lightbulb and with a set of stairs leading to a door above them. The furniture includes another set of boxes, and a large round table, with six chairs unevenly spaced, like someone set it for five and then added another as an afterthought.

Sitting at the table, but already rising to meet them, are Detective Inspector Quill and another woman- middle aged and with an air of authority, who breaks into a relieved smile when she sees Kevin.

"It's good to see you, Detective Constable."

Xie stumbles when they emerge, not used to that kind of travel and struggling to stay on his feet for a moment. He catches himself before he does something quite so embarrassing as actually fall, and takes a moment to regain his equilibrium.

Straightening up, he turns to look at the table, giving Quill a wary nod (he's still a little uncertain about him, he hasn't found a connection with him the way he has with Lisa, or even the weirdly comfortable antagonism he shares with Tony). He looks over at the woman when she speaks, curious and assessing. This must be the fifth, he thinks, the other person who was allowed in through the wards but who'd never visited, as far as he was aware.

Whoever she is, she's clearly important, and Xie wonders if they're about to get yelled at.

"Guv," Kevin says, smiling cautiously. He nods to her, and to Quill, and gestures to Xie, a motion of introduction.

"Xie, this is Superintendent Lofthouse."

"Rebecca," says Lofthouse, despite the fact that no one in her team calls her that. "It's nice to finally meet you, Xie. Would you like a cup of tea?"

There is, of course a pot on the table. Lisa and Tony, having jumped in behind them and closed the portal, take seats themselves. The arrangement of the five is very clear, the same way they've unconsciously been sitting at the cottage table, but with Lofthouse among them there's an aura of completeness.

"Nice to meet you." Xie returns almost automatically, nodding at the offer of tea. When the others sit, he takes in the picture they make and feels out of place.

It's not an unfamiliar feeling, when they're all together, but it's somehow worse now. Like he'd started to feel almost part of the group only to be abruptly reminded that he isn't, he won't ever be. They are the police and he's a criminal and if they could have locked him in a cell this whole time they would have.

He takes the remaining chair, though, because even though it doesn't make the feeling go away it still feels less stupid than just standing there. Takes the tea when it's offered, too, and just waits for them to say what they're going to say.

The chair he takes - the chair they've left - is next to Kevin's, left at the table close enough that the two of them almost form a single point on the implicit pentagram of the table. That is, unless he moves it.

"Right." Lofthouse leads the meeting as she always does, "these are the facts."

She lays out what happened, from the company behind the exhibit to the sponsoring company, to the advertisement traps that were laid.

"The exhibition's been at that hall for weeks," she says. "But we checked for other likely places and that company is only sponsoring that one event. They picked that location."

He doesn't move it, but only because it would be kind of awkward and obvious to do so.

He listens to the explanation with a sinking feeling - he had held on to a dim hope that perhaps, maybe, Yifu had just gotten lucky, but no...

"So they knew at least roughly where we were."

Maybe they were followed, or traced some other way...

"Do you think they were just waiting for us to show up, or did they know we were there that day?"

If they'd just been followed right at the beginning, it was bad but it didn't necessarily mean they were still being tracked. If they'd known they were there that day, it was worse news.

He wants to know, but truthfully he'd normally just let them figure it out and only join in when he had to - mostly he's asking the questions as a subtle way to try and say I didn't do this, I'm just as in the dark as the rest of you.

It's rare enough that he joins in at briefings that Kevin looks briefly at him, but makes no comment.

Lisa answers.

"It's hard to be sure. There's no record of the two assassins you met being there before, but that doesn't mean much. Nor does the fact that the exhibit was generally always quiet, it's a very specific subject. But..."

She glances over at them.

"... the hall was closed for emergency cleaning earlier that day. Um. Apparently there was a sewage leak reported that came to nothing, but the visitors who were there were cleared out. This would have been about ten minutes after you left the house."

"They knew we were on the move," says Kevin

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