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]

Tony pauses at the entrance as he arrives, takes everything in, covering the whole cellar, before he hurries down.

"Right," he says, taking charge. "Xie, get that tape off his legs. Lise, do a sweep of this basement to make sure we haven't missed anything. Kev..."

He moves Lisa gently out of the way, and her expression loses the panic, sets into the much calmer face of someone with a job to do. Tony takes her place next to Kevin, replacing her hand on his arm with his own.

"Detective Constable Kevin Sefton, listen. I'm DS Tony Costain, your immediate superior, and this is Xie Zhao, your boyfriend. We're going to take care of you, okay?"

Kevin doesn't remember any of this, but the part about Tony being his superior officer makes sense given the way he's taken charge, and the incredibly attractive man who hasn't stopped touching him, and who Kevin doesn't want to stop touching him... he can live with the idea of boyfriend.

So he nods politely. "Okay."

Tony hauls his leather trenchcoat off, and Kevin reels from the amount of blood on the t shirt beneath it, but Tony doesn't seem to mind. He hands the coat to Xie to give to Kevin.

"The bosses are on their way. Hold tight while I help case the scene, then we'll get you to someone who can help, okay?"

Again, Kevin agrees.

[xie_er]

Xie hates, a little bit, that Tony is the one who sweeps in and takes charge, because he should be able to do that, he should. He's grateful for it, too, because he really needs somebody else to just deal with the situation and he can focus on Kevin.

He doesn't object to the instruction, just nodding and letting go of Kevin's hands long enough to cut the tape around Kevin's ankles, then grabbing Tony's jacket and draping it carefully around his shoulders.

"It's going to be okay." He says softly, making an effort to speak out loud for now - the Familiar explanation might be a bit much for him right this second "They won't be long and then we can get you out of here. Are you hurt anywhere?"

[weird_cop]

"I don't think so."

Kevin rubs his ankles to check on circulation, then shifts his position so he's no longer kneeling, sitting on the floor for now, but with the coat under his damp jeans seat.

"No physical pain? I think. My ear is cold."

But now the woman has wiped away the stuff he expects it will warm up, at least to the cold the rest of him is at.

He reaches out for Xie's hands again, taking them in his.

"Boyfriend?"

[xie_er]

Xie nods, reassured - they're still going to want to check him over for injuries, but the lack of pain is a good sign. He hopes.

He smiles sadly when Kevin takes his hands, it's nice, reassuring even, but he feels guilty that Kevin is doing anything to reassure him in that moment, it should be the other way round.

"Boyfriend." He nods "We live together. You were out shopping for a date when this happened."

It's not really relevant information, but it's something, and he feels like it's good to keep talking

[weird_cop]

Kevin smiles, warmed by this idea, imagining himself out shopping to impress Xie, who he can already tell has better dress sense than this.

"What, you didn't want to be seen out with..." he waves at his dirty clothes: damp jeans, sweat soaked T-shirt, "this style icon?"

[xie_er]

Xie laughs softly, reassured by Kevin still being so Kevin about things. He has to resist the urge to kiss him.

"I'd want to be seen with you whatever you wore." He says, amused "but this was a special date."

[weird_cop]

"Why?" Kevin asks. "Anniversary or something?"

None of this is jogging memories, and it feels like he's being told something that happened to someone else. He wants to believe its him - and he's sure that the regard he's seeing in Xie's face is real - he just can't connect the picture he's being painted with something already existing in his mind.

Lisa and Tony have finished their sweep at the same time Quill and Lofthouse arrive, and the four of them gather in the entrance to consult with each other. On the way, Tony looks over to Xie with a questioning look and a jerk of his head. An invitation to join them, if Xie thinks it's a good idea.

[xie_er]

"Or something." Xie says, realising the whole "first real date" thing will probably take some explaining - never having had a date before is easy enough to gloss over, but explaining why this is his first date with his boyfriend is a larger can of worms.

He's almost grateful when Tony catches his attention. He nods slightly, pushing himself to his feet and offering Kevin a hand.

Maybe it would be better to have the conversation without Kevin, but Xie really doesn't like the idea of leaving him to the side while they talk about him.

[weird_cop]

Kevin politely takes the offered hand. He doesn't need it to stand, per se, but the contact is nice. Then he pauses to attempt to put Tony's coat on properly, and gives up when he realises his chest and shoulders are a little broader than his sergeant's. It goes back over his shoulders.

"Wait, he says suddenly, before agreeing to join the others.

"What did..." he pauses. Tony had said 'Lise,' so presumably that's her name but he's not sure.

"What did she mean about 'leaking magic?'"

[xie_er]

Xie doesn't want to be overbearing so he lets Kevin figure out the coat on his own, just waiting patiently for him to be ready before they join the others. The question makes him pause, though, uncertain exactly how to answer.

"Lisa has the ability to see magic, you all do, and she could see something... she might be able to explain this better than me."

He doesn't know what she saw, after all, so he doesn't really know how to explain it.

[weird_cop]

"Magic," Kevin repeats.

He lets Xie lead him over to the group, who have fallen silent to let him join them.

"Magic?" He asks.

"Yeah," says Quill. "Fucking magic. Sorry Kev; magic exists and you, Detective Constable, are the most powerful witch we've got in the Met. And the person we'd usually ask to sort this mess out. Again. Sorry."

Lofthouse is looking at Kevin with a detached concern, wver professional. She smiles now.

"Right, introductions. DC Sefton, you've met Tony and Xie. I'm Superintendent Rebecca Lofthouse, this is DI James Quill and our intelligence analyst Lisa Ross. We're the full total of everyone in the Met who know about magic which means we're on our own trying to trace what happened to you. Given you can't remember anything, I don't need we need to take a witness statement, so your priority is to get well as soon as you can, okay?"

Kevin, feeling a little overwhelmed by this, looks at Xie and agrees.

"Tony," she says. "I'll let you take Kevin and Xie to the source you mentioned. If they're not able to help, you might as well take them both home. The rest of us will try and piece together what we know."

"Right, ma'am," Tony agrees, looking at Kevin and Xie in order to take them back to the car, and from there to Kexing's.

[xie_er]

Xie realises belatedly that it's the very concept of magic he's having issue with, but by that point they're with the others and Quill takes over the explanation. It's probably better that way.

He gives Kevin a reassuring look when he glances his way - almost reaching out through the link to tell him it's going to be okay, but stopping himself again. One thing at a time.

It's strange, though, to have to hold himself back from something that's become so natural to them.

Xie makes the call when they're on the way, grumpily admitting that yes, okay, he needs his help again, shut the fuck up gloating about it Kexing this is serious. He doesn't know how much of the Mandarin Kevin will actually understand in this state, so he's careful what he says, but he does explain it's magical and memory related and they don't actually know, exactly, what happened so hopefully Kexing can help them figure it out.

[weird_cop]

Sitting together with Xie in the back, Kevin watches him talk on the phone with a vaguely curious look. Apparently he knows Chinese... which he guesses makes sense if his partner is Chinese. Presumably that's why he learned.

"Do I need to know anything about this person?" He asks now.

[xie_er]

"Only that he's incredibly annoying but he knows what he's doing. He's a very good magical healer." He explains, trying to think if anything else about Kexing was really relevant. "You've met him before, a couple of times, he taught you how to heal yourself magically, at least how to heal a physical injury."

He's not sure if this is something that can be healed the traditional way, but he's hoping Kexing has some answers anyway.

[weird_cop]

"You healed me this afternoon, Kev," Tony puts in indicating the blood on his shirt. "We stopped a robbery together but I managed to get a knife in the arm."

Kevin takes a breath, looking down at his hands as if wondering where the magic was hiding.

"So do you think I might be able to heal my memory?"

[xie_er]

"I don't know." Xie admits "It's not really an injury, I think somebody stole your memories... but Kexing is the best person I can think of to ask about it."

He glances over, frowning thoughtfully.

"You could try, maybe... you just need to meditate, to channel your energy to the right place to fix what's wrong..." He knows the ability is inside him, it's just whether he has what he needs to unlock it. Or if it will even work. He doesn't even know if Kevin has enough energy of his own right now, if he should maybe explain the whole Familiar thing...

[weird_cop]

Tony is watching this in the rear view, wondering whether to put something in.

"It can't hurt," he says. "And Kexing should be able to help with meditation if you can't remember how. But... cards on the table, I think Xie is right. This is a bit of a long shot."

[xie_er]

Xie nods - he does know how to meditate, but Kexing can explain it better, it's not like he uses it the same way as a witch would after all.

"At the very least he can confirm if it's something that can be healed," he offers "but I think we're going to need to find who did this and get your memories back."

[weird_cop]

"No worries about that, mate," Tony adds, sounding like he's making a promise.

"Be quicker with your memories 'cause you're the specialist, but we'll get them eventually."

Kevin nods, wishing he could share his confidence, but reaches for Xie's hand.

"Thank you," he says.

[xie_er]

Xie takes his hand immediately, squeezing it reassuringly.

"He's right, you know, we'll figure this out." He says. Honestly, he wishes he could share Tony's confidence too, but he has to believe they can fix this.

When they arrive at Kexing and Zishu's place, the two of them are waiting at the door just like last time. Kexing looks unperturbed, but at least has the decency to not look smug.

"Your little scorpion tells me you're having some memory issues." He announces when they get out the car

[weird_cop]

"Xie," Kevin mutters, amused, coming to entirely the wrong conclusion about the nickname.

Tony nods, standing aside so Kevin can come through but taking it on himself to explain:

"Kevin fell victim to some sort of kidnapping," he says. "Left him a bit Memento. We were hoping you could take a look? If it's not too much trouble."

He's not that confident, but he reasons it's worth a try.

"Kevin, this is Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu."

[xie_er]

It takes Xie a second to work out why Kevin says his name, but he smiles a little awkwardly when he does - it's easy enough to nod and agree and let Kevin think that yes, the nickname is translation based. It is partially true, after all. It's just... the rest of the truth that he feels awkward about.

"It's nice to meet you, again." Zishu says, his expression sympathetic "Let's go inside and Lao Wen can see if there's anything he can do."

"Even if you can't fix it, if you can tell us anything about what might have caused it, that would help." Xie adds

[weird_cop]

As they go inside, Tony adds his own information, so everyone has the full picture.

"My colleague noticed some magic fuel in one of his ears. We've seen... stuff removed from minds before, but nothing that leaked magic. And it's not like how we've usually seen memory spells play out, the ones that stop you remembering. It's like the memories aren't there."

Kevin rubs his neck, feeling somehow... out of place that he doesn't have anything to contribute.

[xie_er]

Kexing listens to the explanation, nodding slightly.

"Kevin, why don't you take a seat and I'll have a look." Kexing motions for him to sit once they're in the living area. Just like last time, Zishu offers them all tea and goes to make it. Xie finds the similarities weirdly jarring, thinking about how much as changed since last time - how much he's gained since then, how much is now in jeopardy if they can't work out how to get Kevin's memories back.

After a while of checking various things and asking questions, Kexing sits back with a frown.

"I know of a potion that can excise specific memories, I'm not sure if it would have the 'leaking' effect you described as I assume that's only visible to those with your particular gift?" He asks, glancing at Tony questioningly. Despite the look, Xie nods - he couldn't see it, so he knows that's the case.

"That's usually taken by choice, but perhaps somebody adapted it somehow..." He's mostly thinking out loud, trying to work out what could have caused this.

[weird_cop]

Kevin nods along, thinking of what Xie said about only them being able to see magic. He's piecing stuff together, he thinks. Though there's so much he doesn't know, and he wishes he could suggest literally anything.

"Potion?" he asks, looking at Xie. Could someone have made him drink something? Forced it down his throat? The idea makes him feel slightly nauseous.

"Does that mean antidote, do you think?"

Is it that simple?