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

xie_er posting in

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...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

xie_er

"By going back in time and telling yourself computers exist?" He comments before he can remind himself that his usual level of snark probably isn't fair on Kevin right now - especially because he doesn't necessarily know that he doesn't mean it. Kevin has been observant enough to pick up on his dry humour in the past, so hopefully that's still the case.

"Let me write up this list and then I can help you." He adds, to soften it slightly.

At least the helpless look has made him feel slightly more needed, so that's something.

From:

weird_cop

Tony, already pulling out a different document file, shakes his head at them.

"The notebooks were Kev's idea at the start," he says. "Blame him and refusal of the Met to enter the Twenty First century."

Tony's own task is a bunch of different sized, ragged pieces of paper from a bunch of different sources.

"Take your time on that, see if that makes sense. I've got a orders of sale of the last few community auctions, I'm going to see if anything jumps out, or looks like it might be relevant."

Kevin starts at what feels like the beginning, leafing through the books, but instantly struggling.

"It feels like these are just reminders," he complains through the link. "Like there's no way I thought I'd forget what they mean."

From:

xie_er

Xie writes out a list of items fairly quickly and passes it over to Lofthouse so he can join Kevin to look at the notebooks.

(Despite not having any formal schooling until he was a teenager, his handwriting is beautiful - product of a very strict tutor)

"Maybe you just didn't want anybody else to be able to read them," Xie suggests, picking up a notebook and looking through it himself. "mission accomplished, I suppose."

He manages to find some things that seem to be related to stories he's heard, but that doesn't help him any more than it helps Kevin. He wonders how useful it will be to keep looking.

From:

weird_cop

"It's background stuff though, right? Like... look at this. More questions than answers, I clearly don't know what I'm doing. Maybe... maybe reading this will help, make me useful. I just don't know how I can get all of this knowledge in quick enough..."

He trails off, and then looks up at Xie, not sure how whether to ask the question.

"Is there a way?"

From:

xie_er

Xie shrugs a little helplessly.

"Maybe?" He admits "A lot of witches use shortcuts like that for various reasons, so I know they exist... some of them have drawbacks, though. I don't really know a lot about spells, I never needed to since I can't do them anyway"

It's not like Yifu was the type to explain what he was doing - Xie managed to pick up a few things, but there's a lot more that he has no idea about. He was present when it was useful, but the rest of the time? He was used to just going about his day and occasionally feeling the drain on his power from whatever Yifu was doing.

From:

weird_cop

Kevin thinks that he should share with Xie more. It seems like he's hogged all the cooking, not told him anything about magic, kept a lot to himself.

But it gives him something else to look for - memory and obtaining knowledge.

"I think I've found some of the memory charms Lisa was talking about," he says. "About as unhelpful as she thought it would be."

From:

xie_er

Xie, of course, is happy for Kevin to cook for him all the time, and Kevin is the last person he'd accuse of keeping things to himself - he's already learned more about the magic Kevin does than he ever learned from Yifu.

He pulls a face at Kevin's findings.

"It's looking increasingly like our best resolution is going to be tracking down the people who took them in the first place" doable, probably, but definitely more time consuming than any of their other options

From:

weird_cop

Kevin sighs. He feels useless, like the only way he can figure things out would be to just sit and read. He doesn't even know how to track people.

Tony is pushing his work away annoyed, when Lisa speaks up.

"They were fishing," she says. "Look, there've been a few reports of robberies where witnesses have sworn blind they were real guns, but cctv shows toys of varying ridiculousness. Look how terrified this man looks at a cork gun."

From:

xie_er

Xie knows how to track people - how to hunt people - but he's not sure how many of his methods would even be allowed, how many of his contacts have gone to ground or been arrested or who know too much to talk to him now. He doesn't know what he can offer, or what he needs to wait to be told to do.

He isn't sure if it's reassuring that everybody else appears just as frustrated or just really annoying - surely one of them had to find something...

"Could they have been looking for any one of you?" He asks, glancing around the room "Could it be they were after something you all might know, not Kevin specifically?"

From:

weird_cop

"Could be either," Lisa agrees. "We know a lot of stuff the community in general haven't codified. Newcomers and the traditional types could benefit from our research. But I'm not a cop, and Jimmy and Rebecca don't do that much community policing, so if they know much about us, they'd probably be targeting Kevin or Tony."

"Profiling," Tony adds.

Lisa shrugs helplessly with an agreeing nod.

"Let's follow both leads for now," she suggests.

Tony hands her his sheaf of papers. "You take over the auction lists, I'm drawing a blank. I'm going to hit the usual community spots, find out what people have heard."

He glances at Kevin and Xie. "Kev, probably best if you don't come, I don't want anyone to know anything's different. Keep working on that brain. Xie..." he exhales out a breath. "Your call."

From:

xie_er

Xie doesn't think it's likely to be a newcomer, at least, not a very newcomer, not with the skill they already exhibited.

He also suggests the possibility of revenge as a motive, too, given that their entire job is kind of... ruining bad people's plans. Admittedly it seems like quite a few of those bad people are now dead, but surely some of them aren't?

Xie considers the options for a moment and then nods.

"I might be able to suggest some other people to talk to, or I can watch people without them realising it if you want, I used to do that a lot..." If Tony is happy to carry around a scorpion that is.

"Or I can just come with you normally, I don't think that will be too suspicious." It's unclear how much word has spread about him being Kevin's Familiar, and even if it has it's not unreasonable for him to be working with any of them.

From:

weird_cop

Tony considers his options,

"You wouldn't be able to talk to me in stealth mode, but if you're okay with that we can make it work. Kev, you're going to be okay with Lisa?"

Kevin reluctantly agrees trying to understand his notes is the best option, and Tony grabs his car keys.

"You got everything?" He asks Xie.

From:

xie_er

Xie nods - he can live with not communicating easily, he has options in case there's any issue.

(Not least just shifting in an emergency, which would probably be a suitable distraction if there's any danger to Tony)

"I can still talk to you though, if you need anything" He adds to Kevin, glancing briefly over at him with a reassuring smile.

He shrugs on his jacket more out of habit than any real need if he's shifting forms, and nods to Tony.

"Yes, let's go"

From:

weird_cop

"Thanks," Kevin answers. "I'll complain to you when I feel stupid."

He should probably feel comfortable complaining to Lisa, but the others seem to give off a bigger sense of something missing, a hole they need Kevin to fill. Maybe it's having spent the night together, but Xie doesn't seem like he's expecting anything from Kevin, that he's here for him.

Tony explains the plan in the car.

"We'll hit up some of the places the community often frequent, listen to chatter. Some of these you've already been to with Kev, but if he'd heard anything suspicious then, it'd be in his notes."

From:

xie_er

"You're not stupid you're just missing information right now" Xie tells him pragmatically, giving him another soft smile and resisting the urge to kiss him before he leaves.

He nods along with what Tony is saying, it's a straightforward enough plan.

"Anything you want me to show Kevin or let him listen in on, just tell me and I'll share it with him." He adds - Kevin won't necessarily be able to read these people any better or worse than Xie can, but there's always a possibility that something will come up that's worth sharing.

From:

weird_cop

Tony nods.

"Not sure that will help, right now. If he can't remember things to make a connection with, it might just give him too much to think about. But - yeah, if we do this in normal circumstances that's a good plan."

He drives for a little while through the city before asking: "How is he holding up?"

From:

xie_er

"Just in case there is anything that might be useful to share," Xie agrees "but you're probably right that it's less likely to be helpful under these circumstances."

The idea that he might go out with Tony under normal circumstances is a bit of a strange one, but he supposes he can see the benefit - like if they want Kevin to see what's going on but it's not safe for him to go somewhere. Sweeping for bugs doesn't pick up actual bugs.

"I don't think he's taking it well," he admits "but I don't think anybody would. I think he's doing about as well as he can, considering."

From:

weird_cop

Tony presses his lips together. "As long as he's not doing anything reckless and stupid to try and get ahead of himself."

Kevin is not known for accepting his own limitations.

"Was just getting used to having him back, as well. At least we all overlap specialities around here."

From:

xie_er

Xie is quiet for a moment, because he had asked about doing something like that, but he also didn't seem like he was actually planning on it, yet, or even knew what the options were, so it's probably fine, right?

"He did hurt himself trying to heal it last night, but he fixed it." He admits, because he knows Tony is going to wonder about the silence and it's easy enough to explain the delay in sharing that little tidbit.

"We'll get him back again, this is the kind of thing you all do, right?"

From:

weird_cop

"Fucking Sefton," Tony mutters. "Sometimes I wonder if teaching him how to heal himself is the worst thing we could have done for him. Still, at least we know it's still him."

He nods at the final question, though.

"Yeah. Yeah, this is right up our street. Sure, it would be more familiar if it was the active spells that Losley or the Smiling Man did on memories, but this means he can actually form new memories of what he's forgotten. This is just a robbery. A case of tracking the stolen property and returning it to its owner."

As long as no one's actually absorbed the memories yet. That could be a problem.

He finds a place to park in a normal looking shopping street. "First stop - a shop where they know me, and usually aren't too hostile. But there's a lot of dark corners you could take advantage of. If I keep people talking, you fancy a bit of break and entry?"

From:

xie_er

Sneaking into a place undetected to snoop around? He can practically do that in his sleep.

He can practically do that without shifting, in fact, but it's much easier and safer if he does.

"I can do that. Do you want me to listen in or take a look around, and do you want me to look for anything in particular?"

From:

weird_cop

"Look around," Tony says. He'll do the listening in his conversation. "I'd be looking for: any discussion about us, the law, the Shadow Police. Anything that seems to change when they know I'm in the shop. Anything that they might have bought recently for their stock. Go to the stockrooms at the back. Anything you recognise from Kevin's stash, make a note."

He thinks for a second.

"How does the Sight work between you and Kevin? He can't use the Sight through you, can he?"

From:

xie_er

Xie nods at the list, making a mental note of everything, but shakes his head at the question.

"I don't think so, he can show me what he sees with the Sight, but I don't think he can use it on what I'm looking at.... at least, we haven't tried..." It does work on video, after all, but he has no idea how it would work on projected images from somebody else's mind.

"I'll get him to try it while I'm in there."

From:

weird_cop

Tony nods. He checks his phone briefly - a photo of Xie's list of ingredients - and puts it back in his pocket. He's about to move to get out of the car when he stops as if something has occurred to him.

"Potions. You use them a lot? Does Kevin?"