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 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.

[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"

[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."

[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.

[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?"

[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."

[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."

[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?"

[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?"

[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?"

[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?"

[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."

[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?"

[xie_er]

Xie has the door open, ready to step out and shift to go inside, but he stops and glances over his shoulder at the question.

"I don't think I've ever seen Kevin use them, but I used to. Poisons, mostly, obviously, but I brewed other things for Yifu. Why?"

Potions, after all, didn't require your own magical power, just skill.

[weird_cop]

"We don't," he says. "I guess they've never come up, or we haven't noticed them. Knowing you've got that skill - that's helpful information, even if it doesn't get results this time."

He gets out of the car, leaving his logbook on the dash to deter wardens.

"Kev'll probably want to pick your brain."

[xie_er]

He thought Kevin would have known, but then again... would he? The few times Yifu played the proud father it wasn't exactly Xie's skill with poisons he boasted about. He never boasted about Xie's skill with anything, actually, it was always just what a good, filial child he was - the kind of thing that was more about his own parenting than Xie.

"It might come in useful at some point." He agrees. Even if it's just identifying things they find, it's kind of nice to know he has a skill that they don't, something that might help him find a niche.

For now, though, his niche is a bit more literal as he glances around for a convenient place to shift and then sneak into the shop.

"I'll meet you back here."

[weird_cop]

After a moment's consideration, Tony cranks the back window enough to allow a large scorpion ingress, if that scorpion did the scorpion equivalent of breathing in.

Then he strolls down the street, not even thinking about Xie, and enters the shop.

The shopkeeper knows him, of course, and is polite and helpful. Tony buys something that is supposed to help an amorous young gentleman impress his lady love, and chats about Lisa a little, mentions that she's trying to learn some of the magical techniques from outside London, and is met with polite interest, rather than concern or hostility. As they chat, Tony asks very few questions, but still finds out that there are a few more newcomers on the scene, a lot of people without the Sight coming in and trying to learn ways to use London magic. The same trend there's been over the past few years, but not major players.

"There'll be people setting up beginner's workshops at this rate," he says. "The amount of stuff I get people bringing in that they've bought on eBay just in case it has provenance, but with no way of telling."

He almost wonders if Tony can do something about this, but he shrugs.

"What people buy on eBay is not my business, mate."

[xie_er]

Xie finds a window ajar round the back and crawls into it, creeping his way along the shelves and taking in everything they have. There's a few items of interest, including a couple of small pieces that he recognises from Yifu's manor so either somebody got to it before the police did or somebody's been pocketing evidence to sell, but most of it is just the normal kind of thing he'd expect to find.

He reaches out to Kevin to see if they can use the Sight the other way round but it doesn't seem to work, even on things he knows are almost certainly magical.

He's about ready to give up when he spots a gun that matches the description of the one used in the robbery - the one that was in Kevin's holdall when it got taken. He uses the link to show it to Kevin and suggests they phone Tony to let him know - if he can get a look at it and confirm it's the right weapon, they might have a lead here.

[weird_cop]

Kevin relays the message to Lisa, who actually texts Tony herself so he can check it and laugh, "it's the missus," before putting his phone away.

They chat for a bit more, and Tony makes an effort to shut down conversation about his work, until the shopkeeper actually comes up with 'actually there was something I wanted to ask you about.'

It's not the same gun. But it's close enough - this one hasn't been used, the storeholder explains, there's a spiel on it that you can activate and it looks like the real thing to people without the Sight for a limited time period. Tony says that yes, this is probably illegal, sorry, he'll have to take this away, and can he have details of the supplier?

He pays for it at least.

[xie_er]

Xie tucks himself behind a definitely cursed statue when the shopkeeper comes into the back room, waiting quietly until he's gone again to slip out. He takes another look round while Tony is discussing the gun, but doesn't find anything else helpful.

Satisfied that he's checked everything, he climbs back out the window and over to the car, dropping in through the gap Tony left and settling on the back seat. He stays in this form for now, staying out of sight just in case anybody's looking, though he'll shift if Tony wants to talk.

[weird_cop]

Tony heads back in his own time, unlocking the car remotely and turning to the back seat when he gets in. He blinks at the scorpion, because he always forgets how big that thing is, but hands the evidence bag containing the gun back to him.

"Good work there," he says. "Let's take this back, see what the others make of it."

[xie_er]

Xie crawls on top of the evidence bag once it's set on the back seat, settling there for the ride back.

That did go pretty well, he thinks, and he's kind of glad he agreed to go - not only did he find something actually useful, it gave him some more ideas for how he can help the team going forward.

"We're on our way back" he tells Kevin "any success over there?"

[weird_cop]

"I think so," Kevin replies. "Lisa says that there's an auction of magic stuff every few months, and that last time someone bought something called a 'Lightning Tip' which apparently is related to memory? But it apparently isn't supposed to do this and she says she won't find out who bought it."

It was an odd turn of phrase and he didn't ask her to explain. 'Won't' not 'can't.'

[xie_er]

Xie notes the phrasing as well, wondering if does mean can't as in 'won't be able to', or if she doesn't want to for some reason. He also wonders if there's anything he might be able to do to track down such a thing.

Since Kevin hasn't pushed it, he isn't sure if he should, but it does linger on his mind.

"Could it be they used it wrong, for this to happen?" He suggests, not knowing if that's even possible but thinking it worth asking the question.

[weird_cop]

"She says possibly but also not in the way you'd think?"

He'd already thought and asked that, so his answer to Xie comes swiftly.

"That stuff in my ear? Apparently you only get that if someone's doing something a bit wrong. It's like battery fluid? If you force a something to do something it wasn't meant to, it leaks. So Lisa's idea is that maybe they deliberately used it wrong."