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

[xie_er]

Zhao Jing used to be a nobody, born into influence and wealth but always in the shadow of those around him. In magical circles he was even worse, a barely-remembered witch that didn't have enough power for any familiar to even consider looking twice at him.

Somehow, though, after many years (and a few suspicious deaths), he's managed to climb his way to the CEO of Five Lakes, his power - of both kinds - growing exponentially.

The previous CEO was surrounded by some unfortunate rumorus before his death, so Zhao Jing has been focused on repairing the reputation of he company and solidifying his support, mundane and magical, which means it is far too delicate a moment for Xie to be in the spotlight, even if he was promised he'd be allowed to stop hiding when the position was in Zhao Jing's hands.

He just has to wait a little longer, that's all, and it's not like it's difficult to only appear in his animal form whenever Zhao Jing is in public, just uncomfortable, and the last thing they need is for somebody to recognise Xie for any of the things he's done to help his witch get where he is today, when his position is still so precarious...

He tells himself all the excuses he's heard from Yifu, repeats them in his head like a mantra as he sits through all the meetings and negotiations, a little black cat and Zhao Jing's feet, watching the men and women he's speaking to for anything Yifu can use. He hangs around when Zhao Jing steps out the room, listens to what they say behind his back - that's his job with normal people, to be a pair of ears they don't realise are there. Even paranoid types who scan for bugs would miss him, which he finds funny, privately, because he is a bug of a sort.

Not that he's allowed to take his original animal form - a scorpion would be out of place if anybody caught sight of him, and Yifu doesn't like the idea of him hiding in pockets or anything like that. He says it's dangerous, that something could happen to him, but Xie privately thinks he just finds the form creepy. Even around other magical people, the cat is preferred - his job with them is to be a reminder that Zhao Jing has a familiar, and a relatively powerful one at that.

It's hard for familiars to change the form they can take, but he did it, for Yifu.

He tells people the cat is called Scorpion, and that somebody else named him - which is technically true, Xie does mean scorpion, and his parents named him - and that he's vaguely embarrassed to have such a fiercely named cat.

(He doesn't tell magical people anything at all, they know Xie isn't a pet so they're less likely to ask, at most they will wonder why his familiar always stays in animal form. Zhao Jing just tells them he's shy. He isn't, he doesn't care about people seeing him, but it's easier to do the things Yifu wants him to do when nobody knows what he looks like)

Xie hadn't always known he was powerful - when Yifu had taken him in he'd been told he wasn't much, but that maybe he could be useful. Later, when some witch had made an offhand comment about it, the story had become that Yifu recognised his power and took him in before anybody else could steal him away, that he just wanted to protect Xie from the people who would use him for his power. Xie was already so far gone by that point that he accepted it, that he told himself he was lucky he had Yifu to protect him, to guide him.

It's funny how easy it is to lie to yourself.

When the meetings are over for the day he finally shifts back to human form, spending a few minutes stretching out the kinks that come from forcing himself into a form that isn't quite his, especially with how much he's had to do it over the last few weeks, and then going in search of something to eat. He could probably just head back to his own apartment since he doesn't think Yifu needs anything else from him, not today, but the outsiders have all left and everybody in Yifu's manor at least knows Xie, even if they don't know that Xie and Scorpion are one and the same, so it's safe to be around them.

He likes to spend as much time here as he can get away with, likes to remind Yifu he can be useful in other ways... and maybe he likes to keep an eye on this new apprentice Yifu has taken on. He doesn't understand why he needs anybody else when he has Xie, but the last time he'd questioned somebody new in the house Yifu hadn't spoken to him for a week, so he doesn't voice that thought out loud - he just watches the guy suspiciously every chance he gets, and wonders how easy he would be to get rid of.

He's halfway to the kitchen when something makes him stop. A tug of power, the vague echo of chanting, there's a ritual happening and something about it is drawing him close. He frowns, confused, and follows the pull...

Comments

[weird_cop]

Kevin wonders if he's imagining it, or that's a different smirk to Xie's usual one. Maybe it's different for Kevin because for once he feels like it's not a smirk that precedes him being murdered horribly.

Maybe his king is about to get murdered horribly but he can handle that.

He protects his queen in the end - sees that gambit early enough to fend it off, and even when he does lose a bishop he manages it bravely, pushing through and almost regaining his footing.

But there's still a large number of pieces on the board when he surveys the board and plays through what he can.

"I've lost, haven't I?"

In no more than five moves, and that's if he's lucky.

[xie_er]

This time it's definitely not a smirk that Xie gives him, but a saccharine sweet smile and an air of smug satisfaction.

"Yes." He replies simply "But you're welcome to keep trying if you think you can escape it."

He's being cat-like again, unfortunately this time it's like a cat toying with a mouse before it gets eaten. Still, at least he's enjoying himself?

[weird_cop]

Kevin hasn't had the chance to see Xie actually enjoy himself before - and that's worth the humiliation of being so soundly beaten.

So he squares his rook off like a boxer and gives his own defiant grin.

"I'm going to make you work for it."

[xie_er]

Xie seems delighted that he's refusing to surrender, that he gets to hunt him down a little longer. Maybe he has just a little bit of a sadistic streak, but this is a healthier outlet for it than, you know, murder.

"I'm sure you will," he agrees, which almost sounds like a compliment, but he's too caught up in his enjoyment to really worry too much about any of it "It's not going to do you much good, though.."

He moves his queen, looks up at Kevin with bright eyes.

"Check."

The game isn't over yet, and in fact he's left an opening for Kevin to prolong it just a little longer by making the move, he's just doing it to make a point.

[weird_cop]

Kevin looks up from the board and his grin turns from defiant to honestly delighted to see how much Xie is enjoying this.

He returns to his study, though and takes a long careful consideration of his options before his knight knocks the white queen to the ground.

He knows he's being played with, but he's going to go the full round.

[xie_er]

Xie does him the decency of not pretending to be sad about the loss of his queen - it's a sacrifice, of course, but one that he intended to make.

It's also one that doesn't matter when two moves later one of his remaining pawns reaches Kevin's side of the board and he gets a replacement queen.

Then it's only one more move before-

"Check mate." Xie leans back in his chair looking very pleased with himself, but there's a sense of hesitation creeping in there, too, a sense of waiting.

Now is where he sees how Kevin handles losing.

(He expects, from his behaviour so far, that he will be far more gracious about it than Yifu, but the caution is there nonetheless)

[weird_cop]

Kevin throws his hands up in defeat, his grin wide.

"You could have done that about four moves ago," he says aloud, breaking the silence of the game.

"Go again?"

He's enjoying himself - mostly enjoying watching Xie enjoy himself.

[xie_er]

The tension vanishes in a rush and he actually laughs lightly.

"I know." He says smugly - but it was funnier this way.

He considers the offer for a moment, but the pleasure of the game is still lingering and he'd rather hold on to it than let himself spiral again, so he nods.

"You set up, I'll make tea?" He offers, already reaching for Kevin's empty mug.

[weird_cop]

"That's a nice laugh."

It's just a though, unbidden, as Kevin realises that's the closest thing to a sound of real happiness he's heard from Xie since the start of this - probably before. He had no intention of sending it down the link, but he hadn't really thought about closing it.

He hands Xie his mug and agrees, like the only thing said had been audible.

"Switch sides? Or do you want to pick again?"

[xie_er]

Xie's expression is briefly startled, and he almost says something, except there's something so offhand and casual about the thought that he actually wonders if Kevin even meant for him to hear it.

So instead he takes the mug and stands, moving just a touch faster than normal before he does or says something stupid.

"We can switch." He calls over his shoulder as he disappears into the kitchen, glad for the time to collect himself.

What the hell was that?

[weird_cop]

Kevin is fairly pleased that his thought went unnoticed - maybe he hadn't sent it after all and nothing's about to get awkward.

He's pretty sure Xie's spent enough time with him out of character now to realise that his casual objectification of women before had been an act, and he wouldn't want to draw accusations.

So he switches and sets the board up, so by the time Xie returns with the tea his first pawn has already moved.

[xie_er]

Xie isn't sure if he's supposed to thank him for the compliment or ignore it, if it even means anything. He's more flustered by it than he would care to admit, because it was just so... sweet and genuine and simple. Yifu had only ever complimented him when he wanted something, and this just didn't feel like that.

He takes a little longer than necessary making the tea, but by the time he gets back he's decided to just pretend nothing happened until he can figure out if he's supposed to be doing anything else.

He sets down Kevin's cup and takes a seat with his own, studying the board while he waits for it to cool a little.

He brushes aside all the complicated thoughts and feelings and just lets himself focus on the game, reaching out to make his first move.

[weird_cop]

Kevin warms his face in the steam of his tea as he studies the board, once again being slow and methodical and stretching out moves even in the beginning as he assesses each one of Xie's.

Comments again come through the link, as the silence seems almost sacred, but he's easy with his compliments, focused on the game.

Partly testing to see if he can persuade Xie into overconfidence.

[xie_er]

It's not so much overconfidence that's the risk as Xie getting a little flustered. He's not sure where the compliments are coming from, and his suspicion is warring with the part of him that laps up any kind of praise and ultimately distracting him from the game.

He makes a couple of mistakes, usually just after Kevin has said something nice, though he recovers quickly enough that sometimes it's hard to tell he's made them. But he knows.

He tries for an air of smug superiority, accepting the compliments as fact and returning taunts that, really, have absolutely none of his usual bite and are just a sign of his enjoyment, as much as he tries to use them to goad Kevin into... well, into not saying nice things that he doesn't know how to handle.

[weird_cop]

Kevin doesn't notice the mistakes as such - sometimes he sees an opening and takes it, but he's just not enough of an analyst to realise they were mistakes Xie shouldn't have made.

But he enjoys the game, and understands enough of Xie to realise that the barbs are a sign of enjoyment as well. It's just a game, when you come down to it.

Even when he does make a bad mistake and it leaves him open, he takes his time and recovers, where someone else might react badly and let it affect the rest of play.

[xie_er]

When Lisa first suggested board games, he was wary, he just didn't really want to spend time with Kevin playing and he thought he'd either get far too competitive or be left bored out of his mind letting him win every time.

This, though... this is fun.

Even with the compliments throwing him off.

He teases Kevin when he makes the mistake, capitalises on it swiftly - but there's nothing mean spirited about it for once, he's cheerful about gaining ground.

He doesn't voice it, but he's also impressed by Kevin's recovery, that he doesn't fall to pieces. If somebody else made that mistake, Xie would have wiped the floor with them in only a few moves, but Kevin manages to hold him off until they're more evenly matched again.

[weird_cop]

Kevin smirks, accepting the teasing with easy good nature.

He loses, again, and again sees it coming, that moment of acceptance clear on his face.

"I bet I can fend you off for another ten moves at least."

[xie_er]

Xie breaks the silence with a laugh, and he tries not to be self-conscious about it as soon as he does.

"So you've given up on winning, you just don't want to lose too badly?" He asks, amused. There's a pause and then he smiles a little, predator-like.

"If it's a bet, what are the stakes?"

[weird_cop]

"Hey, I'm a realist."

And not afraid to face defeat if it's inevitable.

The suggestion of a real bet makes Kevin pause. Makes him wonder what there is to bet with.

"What do you suggest?"

[xie_er]

Xie considers it for a moment, what does he want? There's plenty of things he can get just by asking for them, so it has to be something a little special, but also not so big that he's got no chance...

"If I win in less than ten moves... that gallery exhibit they advertised on the radio the other day, the ancient Chinese fashion one? I want to go." He knows he'll have to be accompanied, and that he might be pushing his luck, but he'd just really like to get out of the house for a bit and that exhibition had sounded really interesting...

He might even be able to get another call in to Du Pusa, but he figures he can negotiate that later.

"If you hold me off for ten moves, I'll.... Oh, I'll let you watch an entire football match without bothering you, complaining or insulting any of the players' hair."

[weird_cop]

Joke's on you, Xie. Kevin likes galleries.

He sits back in his chair, giving the familiar a very serious appraising look.

On the one hand - he knows the risks. Xie is a flight risk, he doesn't seem to have really grasped the danger he was in (Kevin hasn't broached that subject fully) and he's still obviously loyal.

On the other- Xie has also seemed to be adapting to being bonded to Kevin. He's warmed to the team - even Costain - and must know somewhere in there that they're working in his best interest. And there's the bond, if necessary.

On a third, magic hand, there's been no evidence that the location of the safe house is compromised, the gallery isn't far away, and under normal circumstances Kevin can usually at least leave sometimes. And Quill did say recently that he'd think about permission if Kevin can vouch for him.

He shakes his head.

"If I make it ten more moves, you come with me to the straight pub on the high street to watch the Lionesses at the weekend. You wear no makeup and a ponytail, and you show the ladies some respect.."

He thinks, and adds:

"And in both situations you do what I say the whole time."

[xie_er]

On the one hand, Xie wins either way because he gets out of the house. On the other hand... he absolutely does not win if Kevin does, because that sounds like a horrible way to spend the afternoon.

Watching football in a pub is bad enough, but being seen in public with his hair in a ponytail? He practically shudders at the thought.

Still, stakes like that make it interesting... or, they would, if he wasn't fairly confident he can actually win in about three moves, so he nods.

"Deal."

Having to do what Kevin says even if he wins does dampen his enthusiasm somewhat, but he also sort of expected as much anyway, so he can live with it.

[weird_cop]

Kevin smirks at Xie's reaction and adds:

"I'll need to get permission but I think we can manage it."

He does not lose in three moves. He rides it out for at least five before he notices his mistake and realises...

He makes it to eight.

"Okay," he says aloud, "but I'm still getting Tone to tape the game and we're watching it."

[xie_er]

"That wasn't the deal." He says, unable to keep the smile from his face. He will still probably watch the game, though he will not do it without complaining, but he's not going to tell Kevin that now.

He really hopes Kevin can get permission, because he's actually a little bit excited now. It's a testament to how pathetic his life has become that he's excited to leave the house for a single afternoon to see some hanfu, with a police escort no less, but he decides not to let reality get in the way of him actually enjoying something he wants to do.

"As though I'd leave the house in a ponytail." he sniffs disdainfully, as though his entire motivation to win was based on avoiding that fate.

[weird_cop]

"That was about safety not about a personal torture," Kevin says. "When I go to a pub I like to leave it again.

"The fact that it would be painful for you is just a bonus."

He stands, deciding that's enough chess and it's time to start on dinner.

"Still going to need to be rules though. You can afford to be less conspicuous."

Xie's style is... distinctive.