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

[xie_er]

That's when Xie finally emerges - once he's absolutely sure the rest of them have gone. He goes back and forth on it, while they're still there, whether he wants the buffer of other people. In the end, though, he knows that they're Kevin's friends, and they will take his side - they should take his side - and he's not really in the mood for an argument.

Partly because it's hard to argue when you know you're wrong.

He comes downstairs, hovers in the doorway to the kitchen, tries to brush aside the litany of cruel jibes he can imagine Yifu saying and focus on Kevin.

Only now that he's here, actually looking at him, he doesn't know what to say. He really just came to ask about lunch, but 'I know we're sort of fighting and also I said something terrible to you but are you still going to cook me food' just doesn't sound good.

[weird_cop]

"What do you want for lunch?" Kevin asks, simple and normal, as if nothing had happened between them and everything is normal.

Except he asks it without turning to look at Xie when he comes in.

[xie_er]

"Whatever you're making." Xie answers, just as casual, still not moving from the doorway.

He wonders if that's the wrong answer, if it would have been better if he'd made a decision, if... he's back to second guessing his every move, trying to figure out what's going on in Kevin's head. He barely even remembers when he stopped doing it, when so much of their day-to-day just became easy, natural.

But that's all gone now.

[weird_cop]

"Beans on toast it is," Kevin says, putting the bread in the toaster and reaching for a can.

He pauses with the can in his good hand, glaring at it for a second, before turning and tossing it in Xie's direction.

[xie_er]

Xie isn't really a fan of beans on toast, but he'll eat it, and he's not going to complain, not right now.

When the can is tossed at him, he just reaches up almost lazily and snatches it out of the air, finally moving forward to he can get a can opener from the drawer.

Once open, he sets it down and slides it across to Kevin and retreats slightly - not quite all the way to the door, but definitely putting space between them.

[weird_cop]

Kevin catches the tin as it slides across the table, picks it up and gets on with his cooking, adding chili and spices to the tomato sauce to counteract the sweetness as it heats. He pours it over both plates of bread and brings out a bag of pre-grated cheddar from the fridge and sets it on the table, along with pre-ground black pepper.

Than he sits, still not saying anything.

[xie_er]

Xie watches him work, thinking of course he's going to add things to simple beans on toast and make it better. That's what makes it tolerable when he doesn't even really like it. He really shouldn't find all of Kevin's good traits annoying, but right now they're just making it harder to commit to hating him and making this easier on them both.

...There's a logic in there somewhere.

He wants to just take his plate and go, but it seems rude - it's different if Kevin brings him up something, but watching him cook and then just leaving feels wrong, even if it means having to eat in awkward, tense silence.

So he takes a seat and pulls the plate towards him, adds some cheese and pepper and starts eating.

[weird_cop]

Kevin wants to ask him about his shoulder, check in on him, even have a conversation that's normal and nice, but the awkwardness is palpable, makes it hard to think of literally anything to say.

Though he figures he does need to say something.

"I'm going out later. You'll have to cook something yourself."

[xie_er]

Xie almost flinches at the use of the link - it's not bad, he just isn't expecting it, and while he isn't usually a jumpy person he's so on edge right now that he can hardly help it.

"You're going out?" He replies, a tentative prompt for more information, wondering if there's something going on that he doesn't know about, that he should know about.

[weird_cop]

"With the team. Dinner and drinks."

He frowns at his food, wondering if he should apologise for excluding Xie, wondering if he should invite him along.

"You going to be okay?"

[xie_er]

That's... good, actually. He should do that, spend some time with the people he wants to be around. He feels the sting of rejection for not being invited, but it's not strong enough to outweigh the thought that it would be better without Xie there. Kevin could actually relax for the first time in...

Since before he came to Yifu's, in some ways, because although Kevin has had plenty of relaxed moments in the safe house, it just wasn't the same. At least that's the way Xie sees it.

"I'll be fine"

Because of course he asked, of course he cares, even after yesterday...

He almost makes a joke about getting some time to himself, but he holds it back, they're not back there yet.

[weird_cop]

Kevin nods quietly, accepting that and dropping the subject. He, too, would make a joke about Xie getting time to himself, but doesn't want to say anything wrong. So he finishes his lunch, sticks the plate in the fridge for later, and nods to Xie on the way upstairs where he will do some meditation and replenish his energy a bit - and a shower, of course.

He's hoping that he will at least have a working hand by this evening.

[xie_er]

Xie finishes his lunch slower, then he does the washing up (which is not something he does often, usually only if asked to) and goes back upstairs to his room.

So, he'll have the place to himself... maybe that will be good, it will give him some time to process and decompress without being hyper aware of Kevin's exact presence nearby. He didn't get a chance to appreciate the time alone yesterday because he was annoyed that he was being left behind - and Lisa and Quill had shown up before long anyway. None of them were going to show up this time.

A few weeks ago, he would have thought it the perfect opportunity to try and escape. He could only leave the wards behind Kevin, but was there a time limit on that? Maybe he could get through... or maybe he could use the portal, it went to that shipping container, didn't it? Would anybody be watching that? Either way, he had options to at least try...

But he doesn't want to escape, now. Where would he go? Kevin would find him sooner or later and Yifu... well, Yifu couldn't track him anymore but there were more than enough people looking out for him, and there's no way Yifu doesn't want to get him back, even if just to kill him...

Him and that stupid necklace...

His eyes fall to it, wishing he'd been able to smash it when he tried. Sure, it was broken, but it hadn't been that satisfying. From a distance you probably couldn't even tell it was cracked.

The plan comes to him in a rush. He knows they're having trouble finding Yifu, that he's gone to ground somewhere. The only thing they're sure of is that he hasn't left the country.

Yifu would prefer him alive, he assumes that's still the case, and any assassin with any bright ideas of proving themselves by killing him will find that prospect a lot easier said than done. It would be cakewalk for Xie to catch whoever was after him and make them take him to Yifu. Yifu, who no longer had the protections of their bond...

He's sure Kevin and the others will be disappointed if Yifu turns up dead rather than arrested, but at least he'll be out of the picture, and then Xie... well, escape will be hard when Kevin knows how to find him, but he only has to stay one step ahead for as long as it takes to break the bond and then he's gone.

He spends the rest of the afternoon working out the details.

[weird_cop]

Kevin takes his time getting ready, really enjoying the opportunity to get really clean and dressed in tighter than normal jeans and a T-shirt. He works his hand gently, then hesitates in the kitchen before he leaves.

He ends up putting a pizza out next to the oven; a hint and a suggestion.

The portal downstairs doesn't always lead to the same entry point - this time it takes him conveniently to the ops room on Gipsy Hill, where he meets up with his friends, and finally gets a hug from Lisa.

[xie_er]

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...

[weird_cop]

Kevin is two rounds in when he sneaks out of the pub to the chippy next door, feeling surprisingly good, because he's out with his friends and he's bathing in their concern and consideration; but also surprisingly bad, because he knows that it's only a matter of time before he gets too drunk and maudlin and starts getting overly emotional.

And he also feels guilty for leaving Xie behind. Doubly guilty that they didn't clear the air yet.

As he waits in the queue for his order, he reaches out, just curiously, to reassure himself he can feel Xie through it, just for the contact.

"Hey," he says to Lisa standing next to him, "approximately where did you say the Safe House is?"

And then he's shoving his head back into the pub and yelling for Tony and sprinting for the car.

They're halfway in the right direction when the fear hits him in the stomach.

[xie_er]

"I gave you everything and you threw it in my face." Yifu spits. At least, Xie thinks, he's in no hurry to end things. Too busy gloating, probably wants to see if he can make Xie beg again, plead for his forgiveness.

"You gave me things" Xie retorts, struggling to his feet. Yifu pauses, watching him with a raised eyebrow "you just threw your money at me and pretended like it was affection, and I didn't know the difference."

"I gave you what you wanted, you spoiled brat."

"I wanted you to love me." Xie says, soft and plaintive and humiliatingly earnest, before he launches himself at the older man. He manages to take him by surprise, this time, but the last knife he has is out of reach while he's grappling and he can't do much. He manages to rake his nails across Yifu's face before he's shoved away, which is gratifying, if not entirely effective.

Yifu brings a hand to his cheek, looking startled when they come away spotted with blood.

"You've spent too long as a cat, little barbarian, to think you have claws." He snarls "I think they need to be clipped."

Xie has just pushed himself upright again when Yifu slams him down with another wave of magic, this time pinning him in place as he struggles against it.

"I suppose you must know what I was planning to do with you, but it turns out I managed to find other ways to get what I needed... Still. Once I kill that traitorous 'apprentice' of mine I'll be able to take you back, and then it'll be mine anyway..."

[weird_cop]

Kevin felt like he was going mad, sitting in the back seat of the Beamer, barking out directions and distances while Lisa scrambled to translate it through a SatNav into directions for Tony to drive as quickly and safely as possible. At least when they pin down the warehouse he can stop trying to give directions, start trying to plan his tactics.

He sends a prayer out to Brutus and to the Rat Queen, and as soon as they hit the parking lot, Tony slams on the brakes and he tumbles out of the car.

"Stay in," he tells them unnecessarily - he's the only one MO19 equivalent to deal with this guy - and races towards the warehouse, pulling on magic as he goes.


He pulls out a gesture and runs through the locked warehouse door, throwing a blast of magic in order to break the force pinning Xie down.

"Better do that in order, Shifu."

[xie_er]

Xie didn't want Kevin to be part of this fight - didn't want to risk him, mostly, but he also wanted to be able to just do it, to make a clean break and get away. Wants him there even less, now that Zhao has more power than he did before, with Xie not really knowing how much power Kevin actually has. And yet...

When the suffocating pressure holding him down is released and he hears Kevin's voice, the relief floods through him so fast it almost makes him dizzy, and he doesn't think that's just a lack of oxygen.

"Gladly." Zhao snarls, taking a moment to get over his surprise but soon spinning to face Kevin. A blade materialised at his waist - always there, but hidden - and he draws it, a blast of energy flying out from the blade and slicing through the air towards him.

[weird_cop]

Kevin makes a gesture, and the blast stops. To his eyes, a wall of silvery thread shimmers in the air, pulled from the walls and floor of the warehouse. To Zhao, he knows all he can see is the way his magic splashes against an invisible barrier.

But it's not going to stand, and there's no use in keeping it, so another gesture and he sends it flying back towards the two of them, the cold and fear and hatred washing backwards in a wave.

At the same time, he pulls his own power out and sends a couple of fast blasts at Zhao - nothing his former master can't counter, but he's deliberately starting out on the offensive.

[xie_er]

Xie has managed to get to his feet when that sudden wave makes him stagger, disorients him for a second - but it does the same to Zhao, and Xie recovers quicker than him, darting forwards and drawing his final knife.

He slams it into his thigh as the older man is countering Kevin's blasts and he screeches in pain, the leg buckling underneath him for a moment before he yanks the knife out and flings it away, bringing his sword round at the same time to slash at Xie. It bites into his shoulder before Xie can shove him away, staggering backwards with blood soaking his shirt.

Zhao falls back, throwing up a shield around himself so he can regroup, use a little magic to fashion a sort of bandage around his thigh and turn hate-filled eyes on the two of them.

"Look at the two of you, working together. How sweet. How long was it before you spread your legs for him, Xie-er? Did you make it a day, two?" He taunts - an attempt at distraction as he gathers his power for another attack.

[weird_cop]

Kevin races forward when they start hand to hand fighting, skidding to a halt by Xie, so that Zhao doesn't have to move his head much to see both of them. He stands a little in front of him, but not so Xie can't see past him, can't get past him if he needs.

He isn't even slightly distracted by the taunts, but uses the time to pull a healthy amount of magic into his hands, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, waiting for the next attack, the next opening.

"Shoulder okay?"

[xie_er]

"I'll live, stay focused" Xie tells him, though even his mental voice sounds pained. No matter what else is going on with them, they have to work together, they can't afford to slip up.

The next attack comes from behind, a wall of magic that knocks Xie off his feet a split second before it will reach Kevin, if he doesn't stop it, just as Zhao's shield drops and he dives forward to swing with his sword at the same time. There's an edge of magic to the blade, but it's also still a blade.

[weird_cop]

Xiee being knocked off his feet is a warning to Kevin, who lifts a hand behind and makes another gesture, easing a hole in the wall so it passes safely over him. That at least will give something for Zhao to have to deal with, which might take the edge (ha!) of the fact that Kevin brought his fists to a swordfight.

He slips to the side, twisting lightly on his feet while throwing down his hand - his burned hand, but sheathed in his own power - to deflect the blade safely behind him. With the same motion he brings his other hand down hard, loaded with power, towards Zhao as he reaches him.

He's surprised - he had not judged Zhao to have this much power without Xie, and that's worrying.

[xie_er]

Zhao manages to block the hand with his own, just about, though the force of it sends him staggering a little. He smirks, though.

"Your power has come a long way in such a short amount of time. I wonder what that could be..." He taunts, his gaze flicking to Xie, who is just now pushing himself up onto his knees, dazed and aching from all the hits he's taken.

"It would be such a shame if something happened to that power..." Zhao continues, pushing back with some of his own power and lunging towards Xie with his sword.

Xie manages to roll out of the way, though it does nothing for how exhausted and hurt he already feels. Yifu has more power than he used to, he's sure of it. He doesn't know how or where he got it, but it's there all the same, and Kevin...

"Why aren't you taking my power? Still!" He sounds weak, but he knows the magical power within him isn't affected by that, knows that it's there, just waiting to be used - and he is worried that Kevin will be at a disadvantage without it.