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:

weird_cop

Kevin pulls a face at the idea of sharing. That really does sound like it sucks.

"School does suck," he agrees. "Stick it out, though. It gets better."

He reaches out over the table without even thinking, and strokes Xie's head.

"Sorry we can't make that not suck."

From:

xie_er

Xie, on the other hand, recognises that a bed of your own and a locking cupboard, even in a shared room, are miles better than what Spot will have had before, so as much as he's being blasé about it, it's probably pretty great.

Hopefully great enough for him to put up with the loss of independence and the whole school thing, but time will tell on that front.

"Yea..." Spot says "Still it's... it's cool you're here."

From:

weird_cop

"Sure," Kevin says cheerfully. "I'm not going anywhere. And you can phone me at night as well. Have you got a phone?"

If not, he'll have to find Spot one, without letting on it came from him.

From:

xie_er

"Yea I got a phone." Spot nods. It's a crappy old thing and he definitely didn't acquire it legally, but he has it, and he still has Kevin's number as well.

"I better go. You probably got like... work or whatever to do." And he should get back to class, but he's not going to mention that part

From:

weird_cop

"I actually do," Kevin confirms. It's not stressful work, but it's still work.

"I'll catch you later?"

In the meantime, he's going to finish the checks on the staff, even though Kevin's pretty sure they're all clean.

From:

xie_er

"Sure." Spot nods "Bye Xie." He adds, getting another feline nod from the cat before he leaves.

"He seems surprisingly settled here already" Xie observes. Maybe it won't last, or maybe this is just a good day, but it's still nice to see.

From:

weird_cop

"Yeah," Kevin says. "It's funny how much someone can change just from giving them... safety, I guess."

Even if he can't do much police work here, just seeing Spot settle in will be nice.

"I saw a few of the other kids earlier. They seem like a nice bunch, at heart, even with the problems."

From:

xie_er

Xie stretches out on the desk, making a small noise of agreement. Maybe they were just on their best behaviour for the new staff, but most kids are alright with the right support and influence. Not all of them, and not always, but most.

Some of them are still little shits though.

"He's going to start struggling soon, though, if we can't find a bond for him. He's still pretty young, probably a late bloomer, he'll be able to scrape by another couple of years before it gets really bad, but it's not going to be easy."

From:

weird_cop

Kevin nods. He's quiet for a moment, and then reaches out to stroke Xie's head again. He can't not think about how bad it was for him: back then, and also just a few days ago.

"We'll do it. I promise we will. We were already pulling together leads, we just focus on that now."

From:

xie_er

"I know" Xie replies softly, leaning in to the touch. Kevin's certainty reassures him, but he's also certain himself - he'll find a way to help the kid, he has to.

He falls quiet then, to let Kevin get back to his work, but later in the afternoon he goes for another wander around the grounds, just to check for anything suspicious. And because it's dryer now.

From:

weird_cop

After school is over, Ezra slips out into the grounds again. He likes it out here: it's quiet and he likes being around nature.

Of course, when he sees Kevin's cat, the he drops right down into a crouch and puts his hands out, making a quiet pspsps to see if he can get to pet it.

From:

xie_er

Xie considers just ignoring it and walking away, but then he feels like that's kind of the asshole thing to do and thre is that whole thing where he's trying to make the right choice.

So he pads over to the kid and headbutts his hand again.

From:

weird_cop

Ezra smiles when he gets that contact, turns his hands and immediately begins to stroke the cat's head, his face breaking into a small smile.

"Hey there," he says now there's no one listening. "You're a good cat, aren't you? Do you really have separation anxiety?"

From:

xie_er

Xie just moves closer and sits down to allow the petting.

He even starts purring, since the kid seems so pleased.

"I never know what to do when people talk to me if I'm in animal form" he comments to Kevin

From:

weird_cop

"I do't recommend talking back," Kevin suggests helpfully. "Just listen, I guess? He's not expecting you to react, at least."

Ezra continues to rub Xie's head. "I don't think you do," he says. "I reckon you're here for him, aren't you? Like a therapy animal. He could admit to it."

From:

xie_er

Xie would roll his eyes, if cats could roll their eyes, and if it wouldn't look weird. Instead, he lets his silence speak volumes.

Well. He does until Ezra speaks again.

"This kid thinks I'm your therapy animal"

If anybody around here is anybody else's therapy animal, Kevin is his.

From:

weird_cop

"...that would have made sense," Kevin admits, like he only just thought about it. "Guess he thinks I'm too macho to admit it, or something."

Ezra is thinking about how he'd like a therapy animal, maybe. He certainly feels better having a cat giving him attention.

Though all he says for now is how much of a good cat Xie is.

From:

xie_er

Kevin wouldn't be too macho to admit it, but he's also from team 'pints of therapy', so the difficult part would be getting him to a point where anybody would tell him he'd need a therapy animal.

Of course Xie is the one who's only in therapy because a judge made him do it, so maybe that goes for both of them.

"He seems happy to see me, anyway"

From:

weird_cop

"You okay with this?"

Kevin thinks it's a good thing, for both Xie and for Ezra, but Xie is the one enduring physical discomfort for someone else's well being, and Kevin doesn't want him feeling obliged to do it.

"I know this isn't why you're here."

From:

xie_er

"Kids like this could do with a little more happy in their lives" Xie says, and if he was physically with Kevin he'd probably be shrugging.

It's easier to just let himself be pet than try and interact with him normally anyway, and it's not like it's taking him away from anything he should be doing - he's really just here to keep an eye out and answer any questions Spot might have, neither of which he needs to be doing right now.

From:

weird_cop

"Yeah, you're not wrong," Kevin agrees. He thinks the kid would do well with Xie there.

"I'm nearly at going home time, though. Let me know when you've had enough and I'll come get you."

From:

xie_er

"Just come and get me whenever you're ready to go, it's fine"

He can put up with this for a while yet and he has a feeling Ezra isn't going to be inclined to stop any time soon.

From:

weird_cop

"Will do."

Kevin gives Xie a little warning a little while later, and comes outside to find Ezra sitting on the wet ground, giving his full attention the cat.

He doesn't comment on how the kid must be getting cold out here, but in turn he doesn't actually realise that the way he knew immediately here they were could be noted by an observant, skittish little boy.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I gotta take Scorpio home for his dinner."

From:

xie_er

Xie also doesn't think about the fact that he turns towards Kevin when he gets close - cats have good senses of smell, right? It's totally normal.

He gives Ezra a last friendly headbutt and then pads over to Kevin.

From:

weird_cop

Kevin scoops Xie up, thinking all the time that he's probably sore, and grins at Ezra, only to be disappointed when he gets a polite, forced smile in return.

"Thanks for looking after him. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

Ezra nods, but doesn't really say anything beyond a quick wave at the cat.

"Right, you ready for a hot shower and a massage?"

Only when they've driven off does Ezra go back inside, looking for food.