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]

"Okay," Kevin agrees, squeezing Xie's hand back, again appreciating his quiet support.

"I'll let you do all the talking anyway. Are you ready to go?"

If so, he'll lead the way out to the car

[xie_er]

"I'm ready" Xie nods, following him out to the car.

The meeting is arranged for an entirely nondescript coffee shop, it's relatively quiet when they arrive and Xie leads Kevin unerringly to a back corner where there's a little alcove with a couple of couches. One of them is already occupied.

Du Pusa looks like she just walked off a fashion shoot; her makeup is impeccable and her clothing just skirting the line between sexy and slutty. She stands when they arrive.

"Da Wang." She greets Xie with a smile, leaning in to kiss him fondly on the cheek. "And this must be him." She adds, turning to look Kevin up and down speculatively

[weird_cop]

Kevin, resigned to feeling self conscious, leans into the feeling, stepping back half a step, dropping his hands out of his pockets, and submitting to the examination.

"That's me," he says.

"Nice to meet you."

He's suddenly very aware that he's in jeans and a hoodie and the other two very much aren't.

[xie_er]

Du Pusa makes a noise like the niceness of meeting her is yet to be determined and motions for them both to sit, dropping back onto the couch herself gracefully.

"Would you rather go and get drinks? I don't want to leave you two alone" Xie asks, glancing over at Kevin before he sits - it'll give him a moment to tell her to behave, and give Kevin something to do so he doesn't feel quite so awkward. He hopes.

[weird_cop]

"Why, what do you think she'd do to me?"

He's smooth as he uses the link, nothing showing on his face as he conspicuously gets out his wallet and looks at Du Pusa.

"Have you already ordered a drink? Can I get you one?"

[xie_er]

"Eat you alive" Xie jokes.

Of course, the actual worst case scenario is that they get on with each other and start scheming against him.

"I'll take a black coffee." Du Pusa replies smoothly.

"I'll have a latte, please" Xie adds through the link, sitting on the couch opposite her - he normally wouldn't bother saying, but he remembers in time that Kevin won't remember his tastes.

[weird_cop]

"Shit what's my order?"

Don't answer that, Xie. Kevin's mostly talking to himself. In the end he looks over the menu, orders himself a cappuccino to go with the latte and the filter coffee, which he loads on a tray alongside a cookie and two pastries he likes the look of.

He's nervous, and has the impulse to buy food.

He tries not to listen in through the link or to look over while waiting for the coffees, letting Xie have time alone with his friend.

When he brings the tray over he sets it on the coffee table between them and sits next to Xie, a friendly distance between them.

"Help yourself to a sweet if you want one," he says to both.

[xie_er]

Du Pusa is chatting away in Mandarin when he gets back, he can probably catch enough to tell she's bitching about someone, and she clearly isn't put off by Kevin's presence because she finishes what she's saying before switching to English to thank him for the coffee, pulling a pastry towards herself with a pleased look.

"So," Xie says, picking up his own coffee "what have you been hearing?"

Du Pusa pouts.

"Straight to business? I'm not allowed to get to know your new friend first...?"

[weird_cop]

This is the first time KIevin has had to interact with anyone outside his five friends since forgetting who he is an how he's supposed to behave, so he decides to follow his instincts, that have helped him well enough in driving.

His instincts tell him to sit back in the couch while she talks, adopt a neutrally uncomprehending face that suggests he doesn't speak a word and can't understand a thing. He doesn't quite realise that's what he's doing, but it's comes naturally.

When she switches to English, he returns her smile, but shrugs as he leans forward to help himself to the cookie.

"There's not much to get to know right now."

[xie_er]

"Oh, but that means we don't have to bother with all the boring things and I can find out what you're really like." She says with a smirk, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Those boring things are sort of important to us, which is why I want to know what you've heard." Xie says sharply, and Du Pusa pouts playfully at him.

"Still so bossy, Da Wang," she teases. He raises an eyebrow at her and it softens into a more genuine smile.

"I haven't heard a lot," she admits

[weird_cop]

Kevin sips his coffee as he glances between Du Pusa and Xie; amused by both of them, fond of one.

They're both right, in a way - if what Xie said yesterday is right, then the quote-unquote 'important' bits of who Kevin really is are still there. On the other hand, he still feels like so much of him is what he knows, what he can do, and that is tied up in his memories. So he appreciates Xie's efforts to put his own needs first.

"Anything you have got would be useful," he says, meaning it but also feeling like he's probably said it a hundred times - something in the words sounds like recitation.

"But if you want to talk to me, you're welcome to. I'm just saying that an endless string of 'I don't remember' from me is probably just as boring as anything else."

[xie_er]

Du Pusa looks, for a moment, like she's about to start asking questions all the same, leaning in a little to Kevin with a speculative look. A warning glance from Xie, however, seems to dampen her urge for mischief and she leans back, takes another sip of her coffee.

"I've heard there's been someone asking around about where Zhao Jing's things ended up," she admits "I don't know what's being looked for specifically, but somebody's after something. It's not just curiosity either, they want something."

"Do you know anything about who's asking?" Xie asks. Du Pusa shakes her head.

"They're working through intermediaries, it's all 'I represent someone who is very interested in...' etc." She shrugs apologetically.

"At least that would explain why they might have wanted your memories," Xie says thoughtfully "most everything from Yifu is in police hands, maybe they were hoping your memories would tell them where it was..."

[weird_cop]

Kevin was also about to indulge her mischief, leaning towards her when she does.
When she leans back however he
just comtinues forward so one arm is folded across his lap and he sips his coffee speculatively.

"Did they... no, it's too early to tell. Even if they did find what they wanted in my head they might not have been able to call the search off yet. But -"

He switches to the link, not anywhere near as smoothly or an imperceptibly as he'd usually manage.

"You should definitely go to that auction, then. They might be after some of that stuff."

Knowing that it's obvious what he just did, he smiles apologetically at Du Pusa.

"Thank you."

[xie_er]

"I might even be able to convince them I have more of it" Xie agrees, feeling hopeful. Du Pusa is right, it's not much, but it's a lead and it feels like they're on the right track, and that's not nothing.

"You're welcome." She replies smugly "To be clear, though, I did it for him, not for you. I haven't decided if I like you enough to do you favours, yet."

[weird_cop]

"That's fair," Kevin agrees. "I don't know if I'm likeable enough to deserve them."

He pauses for a second however, glances over at Xie, wondering how he can say without embarrassing him I want to deserve to be looked at the way he looks at me.

"Thank you for doing it for him, then."

[xie_er]

"You are" Xie says without thinking - Du Pusa lets out a bark of laughter that is immediately smothered by the look Xie gives her, but amusement still dances in her eyes.

"You must be quite likeable," Du Pusa says thoughtfully "Da Wang only likes the best."

Xie raises an eyebrow at her - he doesn't want to be the one to say that his judgement might have been somewhat lacking previously, because he doesn't like to admit it, but he knows they both know it.

"You do." She says smoothly "Whatever else you felt for him, I don't think you ever liked him."

[weird_cop]

Kevin listens to this, not having the information to chime in: he knows that they're talking about Xie's father, but he deliberately avoided researching that too much right now - while they're so sure he'll get his memories back, he doesn't need to find out anything that might be hard for Xie to recount and that doesn't help with the task at hand. So he pulls his curiosity back and tries to look reassuring. He can imagine having complicated feelings around someone without actually liking them.

"So far the only friend of his I've met is you," he says instead. "And you seem okay."

He's deliberately uncommittal, but offers a small smirk to suggest he's downplaying the compliment - she cares about Xie, at least, and that's a mark in her favour.

[xie_er]

"I'm the only friend he has." She says, managing to make it sound like a compliment to her rather than an insult to him. Xie tilts his head in agreement - she really is.

Well. She was. Lisa and Tony probably count now, he has to admit, but of all the people Xie has had in his little gang of scorpions, Du Pusa is the only one he's ever really considered a friend. Even Qianqiao isn't quite at that level, though he trusts her more readily than a lot of people.

"She's tolerable." He adds dryly, but that only makes her laugh

[weird_cop]

"I don't count?"

He doesn't need to say it out loud, his exaggerated offended look should broadcast to Du Pusa what he means.

But then Kevin turns to her and says:

"We'll obviously he's got high standards."

And the fact that Kevin apparently meets them is more meaningful than that entire storage unit of boxes.

[xie_er]

"She's the only friend from before" Xie corrects smoothly - even though in some ways he wants to say no, Kevin doesn't count, because he's so much more than just a friend. Even not counting the romantic aspect of their relationship, he's closer to Kevin than he ever has been to anyone before - even Du Pusa - and friend just doesn't seem like a strong enough word for what Kevin is to him.

But he also feels like saying that right now is just more of that pressure he's getting from everyone else.

"Of course I have high standards." he says, tilting his nose up a little, expression disdainful "I wouldn't associate with just anyone"

"Lucky for me that I'm not just anyone, then." Du Pusa smirks, flipping her hair over her shoulder theatrically.

[weird_cop]

Kevin smiles quickly at Xie - he's happy to assume that it's because of the romantic aspect, and possibly the witch thing, and not add too much to that assumption. He turns that smile a lot more brightly on Du Pusa, though, laughing softly at the theatrics from both of them.

"I can tell that," he says. "Sorry we didn't get to meet earlier, even if I wouldn't remember it."

[xie_er]

"Maybe you would have, I'm very memorable." She smirks. It softens, ever so slightly, into something that almost seems genuine "I'm sure we'll get a chance to meet again... and then I can give you a proper interrogation."

Xie just rolls his eyes.

"Did you get the other things I asked for?" He says then, glancing over at Du Pusa, who nods and slides a carrier bag under the table to him with her foot.

"Everything I could." She says "Yes, including the daylily" She adds when he opens his mouth to ask. He nods, satisfied, and thanks her.

[weird_cop]

Kevin echoes the thanks, genuinely grateful that she's helping, and partly curious to have the chance to watch Xie brew a potion, even if it doesn't work.

He nods as well at her suggestion. They will have to meet properly, and he'll submit to the interrogation, for Xie's sake if nothing else.

For now, he's happy to sit and enjoy his coffee, and let them have the time to catch up.

[xie_er]

They chat a little more - this time mostly in English for Kevin's sake - but once the drinks and treats are done they're both ready to get moving. Xie gathers up the bag of ingredients she brought and stands, thanking her again.

"Don't leave it so long next time, Da Wang." She says softly.

"Things are settling now, so I won't have to." He says - despite everything that's going on with Kevin, this is sort of settling, or at least there's less legal stuff to deal with.

[weird_cop]

Kevin doesn't know if that's true or not, but he agrees with the sentiment. He nods to Du Pusa, and tells her he's looking forward to seeing more of her, before they head back out.

"Well I like her," he says. "I can see whay you're friends."