crystalsandstones

[crystalsandstones]

//to the last anon; that particular character isnt in my current muse list. i dont quite have a style im happy with yet, but ill hold onto the ask for the future

[crystalsandstones]

Go on anon and pretend to be someone that my muse cares about or is afraid of!!

Make them happy, make them cry, do anything to your hearts content! Nothing’s off limits!!

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Shui tapped his fingers against each other and hummed shortly as he decided what to share. "I learned about focuses and magic at the temple. In theory, everyone who uses magic uses a focus, but most people have to use an external focus versus being able to use themselves. My- ah." Shouldn't give too much information about his dads, right. "My, mentor, he has to use a specific weapon as his focus, but his partner uses himself for his magic. I guess, they're both my mentors really." Shui weighed his choices, before figuring fuck it. Jin had already admitted to magic himself, so. "I don't need an external focus, but my magic only works on healing. I mean, I haven't figured out any other way to use it." He could imbue salves with his magic, ohhhh, Shui realized he hadn't tried using magic on needles or thread for stitching, he should test that out when he got home. Distracted by thinking up how to safely test that idea, Shui continued "Baba thinks its how I survived before; I should have been worse off than I was." Thinking more, Shui's eyes wandered to the window without really seeing the passing landscape. Maybe he should test it on like, fruit first....

As Shui spoke, Jin tightened his grip on the wheel. His bow was powered by something inside him? That couldn’t be right, but that’s what it sounded like Shui was saying. Here he thought it was just something he was using, but.. Well, maybe. It could be both. He’d heard of artifacts that could be used by anyone, but no one else could use his bow the way he did. Was it a combination of the user and the focus’s magic that brought out its power? Thinking back, when it first reacted to him -

Wait a minute.

“Hang on, you have magic?” Jin glanced up at the rear view mirror almost on instinct, as if his brain needed to be sure it was still just a normal teen back there. Normal. Right. Like he was any better. ���Without a focus? What does that even feel like?”

He wasn’t going to ask about what surviving before meant. That damn tattoo explained enough.

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Right, people get overwhelmed by rapid fire questions. Shui took a deep breath, picturing the fond smiles of his fathers whenever he lost track of himself and starting rambling questions. Considering the matter of blindfolds, Shui crossed his legs and fixed his eyes on the headrest. "I'll keep looking forward then. A blindfold might make me freak out, I don't know." He should check that, when he got home. Now, on to his magic questions. How to spread these out better.... "Have you tried using magic on your own? Without the staff, I mean." Probably Jin had, but it was still a question to start with! "Not everyone with magic can use it without a focus, it doesn't seem very common in Earthrealm."

Jin had a feeling that a blindfold would be an issue, and he hated that he was right. Technically, it was supposed to be non-negotiable for any prisoner being moved. Technically, there weren’t any exceptions when it came to prisoners at all, but he’d already rocked the boat to earn a bit of Shui’s trust. He could rock it a bit more without tipping the whole thing over. This would work out better for both of them anyway.

He kept his eyes on the road as Shui brought up his questions again. If he was honest with himself, the time he took to actually say something had nothing to do with coming up with an answer.

He didn’t feel like being honest with himself.

“The short version? No.” Jin shrugged, letting himself sink into the seat for the long drive ahead. “Never really had a reason to try. Sounds like you know a thing or two about focuses though. Want to tell me more about that?”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero He scrunched his nose as Jin started to pull/guide him away by the arm, but he wasn't being too forceful, so Shui wasn't too bothered. Clearly, they needed to get moving quickly to avoid a fight. He didn't want to go just yet, not if he could get that coverup done, but he also didn't have a way to tell that to his fellow monks so he would just. Have to make sure that there wasn't a fight yet, by not being found yet. "Alright, but that means I'll have a lot of questions." Like he had to tell Jin that; Shui was pretty sure he'd been nervously talking his head off all morning. They wound down the stairway, through a backdoor, into a shady alleyway and finally finding a truck. Shui climbed in to the door Jin opened and buckled himself in, frowning at how it was a lot harder than expected with his hands tied. "Fucking- there! Do I need a blindfold or anything? Not that I know where we are anyway...so! Magic, huh? Is it yours? The staff's? Oh, or is it both?! A sort of focus or amplification of your magic? I've seen that before. Ah, sorry, its just. I don't get to talk to many others about this." His dads didn't talk a lot about their powers, something about how they weren't sure anymore of how they worked after their revivals. Shui didn't want to like, cause an existential crisis or anything.

Watching Shui settle into his seat was…interesting. Jin had planned on helping him up and taking care of the seatbelt for him, but he was beaten to the punch. He also couldn’t quite tell if it was out of habit for doing things without help or just pure stubbornness. Or both. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was both. The never ending questions were definitely a mix of curiosity and stubbornness. All the focus on magic was unsettling, but not because Shui seemed so interested in it. It was more because Jin had asked himself a lot of the same stuff since his bow woke up, and he still hadn't figured it all out. He just let Shui finish before wordlessly shutting the door.

He walked around the front of the truck and hauled himself up into the driver’s seat, taking a minute to figure out where the fuck to put his bow, before just awkwardly wedging it between his leg and the door. It’d be fine. Maybe. Getting the truck itself started took yet another minute, fucking manuals, but soon enough the engine was rumbling away. “Okay, I heard all that, but there is no way I can answer that all at once. Take a breath and try again. Well, the blindfold thing - if you keep your eyes on me or on the seat, you’re fine. Start looking around, and I’ll pull over and get one.”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Shui scoffed, raising an eyebrow even as he watched the staff. "Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that. Whatever helps you sleep at night." He followed Jin quickly, and managed to control his urge to ask questions for...probably a minute. "Okay, but what is it? You don't seem the type to just carry a stick, even if its probably magic. I saw those eyes glow!" He raised his hands to rub at his chin. "Unless its only magic because you have magic." Shui waved his hands then, dismissing his own questions. "Ignore that, no need to talk about that while we're on the move, safer to have some privacy." He still didn't know how the Black Dragon treated magic, or if it was a case of looking over something they don't like as long as it benefited them, to be tossed aside once there was no more to be gained from it. The idea of that irked Shui; hm. He'd have to talk to the therapist about that, when he got home. "So, where are we going? More like, how long until we get there, I guess?"

Jin rolled his eyes at Shui’s jab or tease or…whatever it was, an amused smirk stretching across his face. The same smirk started to slip, though, when Shui focused on his bow, and kept slipping as the teen kept talking. Could he really not help himself from asking questions? At least it seemed he had the common sense to stop, but he had asked. He hadn’t really mentioned magic before, but just those few vague comments were enough to tell Jin that he got magic, and that he needed to be careful.

“First, you’re only getting a demonstration if we have to fight our way out.” Moving his bow to his other hand, Jin grabbed Shui’s upper arm just firm enough to guide him in the right direction. He’d hopefully move faster if he didn’t keep trying to gesture around wildly, so that was a plus. After a short while of booking it down the corridor, he turned them into a narrow side hallway, and to what must’ve been a staff only stairway back when the base was still an actual business. “Second, we’ll be on the road for a while. You can ask whatever you want in the truck. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer, but you can ask.”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero That all made sense to Shui, from the lady running ahead to scout their way, to the throwing knife Jin was equipping now. Even with tied hands, he could probably grab that if he absolutely needed to, and Ba Kang had certainly taught him how to kick real damn good, so.... "Right, transport. Technically still kidnapped and all that, and I did punch a few of you just yesterday, having my hands tied is fair enough." Shui held his hands together, patiently waiting for the ties to be completed and the door to be opened. Once he was out the cell and closer to the staff, Shui tipped his head curiously, feeling the slight tingle of radiating magic. "Just don't whack me over the head with that stick again, I might end up with an actual concussion this time."

Jin half expected Shui to refuse restraints, but he wasn’t gonna argue. It was way easier to zip tie still hands than squirmy hands. Normally, ankles were supposed to be tied up too, but he didn’t have a full team to rely on like the night before, and he needed Shui to be able to keep up with him. The faster they were able to hit the road, the longer they’d have before the fight reached them. Besides, he had a damn good feeling that the teen wouldn’t try anything. Mostly.

“Just don’t give me a reason to, and I won’t.” When he saw Shui’s attention on his bow, though, Jin narrowed his eyes slightly. There was something…something he didn't get. Something had happened with his bow in their fight... Whatever. That was for future Jin to figure out. He quickly snatched his weapon up in one hand, twirling it easily as a bit of a show, the jade eyes of the carved dragon head glowing in response to his touch. “I was going easy on you.”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Shui watched as Jin kitted up, worried about what all this might mean, and missed his guard whispering to the lady as he eyed the bow. Something about the carvings and the energy it exuded, reminded Shui of something he'd seen at the temple he just couldn't remember what. Well, it seemed like he'd have more time to consider it, since they were leaving. "Alright, I guess. Let's go." He wasn't sure where they were going, but he didn't know where they were anyways. Plus...Jin was going to help him get a tattoo so...it would be worth it. Shui gestured to the locked cell door, and mentally said a little prayer to Lord Raiden that he was fine, he was safe, just, give him a day or two. Please. "Is uh. Is she cool? I'm Shui. Which you, probably already know...anyway...." Good job Shui. Real chill.

“She’s cool.” Even with the gravity of the situation, Jin couldn’t help but snort as he made his way back in front of the cell. It was almost endearing to see Shui fumble over his words. In a weird way (that he really wasn’t going to focus too much on), it reminded of him of how awkward he was as a teen. “She’s running ahead, making sure everything we need is good to go.”

Resting his bow against the wall, he began wrapping the throwing knife holster on his thigh. There wasn’t any telling what they would come up against, so begrudgingly, he had to admit Kira had the right idea giving it to him. “But just so we’re clear, it’s not a field trip. It’s a transport. I’ll have to tie your hands before I can open that cell. That’s not gonna be a problem, is it?”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero "Comes with free room and board though! Perfect for the orphan and the one who doesn't want to talk to their family. At least, I assume so. I've never met Ba's family." Come to think of it, Shui wasn't sure if Ba Kang had met Ba Lao's family either. Well, if Ba Lao hadn't introduced them to each other, and hadn't introduced Shui to them, there must be a good reason. "Besides, us Shaolin monks take a Vow of Poverty! So they couldn't get paid much anyway. In exchange though, the temple takes care of us. I think the ones who chose to leave get some severance pay though, to help them get started." Shui actually wasn't sure; the only ones he'd known that had decided to leave the temple had been those taken in from the brothel. That didn't really count, he felt, most of them had never officially joined the Wu-Shi Shaolin anyway and therefore never took a vow. Shui noticed Jin chewing at his lip ring again, and opened his mouth to ask about it when he heard a door open in the distance. His head snapped toward the sound and he backed away from the cell door quickly. Wouldn't want to get Jin in trouble.... "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

“Let me worry about that.” Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Jin stood with a slightly exaggerated huff, catching Kira hovering out of the corner of his eye as he turned. Speak of the devil and all that. He crossed the room quickly and took his bow from her as soon as he reached her, strapping on his quiver and bracers with well practiced ease. One look at her face told him everything he needed to know. The situation was evolving quickly.

“Tell upstairs…” Jin faltered for a moment, keeping his voice low. He wasn’t sure how good Shui’s hearing was, and he also wasn’t sure how much Kira knew, but, well. Those were risks he couldn’t avoid taking. “Tell upstairs it’s incoming inner circle. I’m going dark until station three is back on air.” If the first part of his message was understood, Kira didn’t let it show, just nodding in silence. She did push a set of throwing knives on him, though, and glared when he tried to push it back. Okay. Fine. He got her message loud and clear.

Stay safe, dumbass.

If only.

As Kira pulled the door shut, looked back over his shoulder toward Shui. He’d only known the teen for—what, an hour? two?—and was already in too deep. Hell, he should have refused the post from the start. He was too close to any of this, but pulling away stopped being an option the second he saw that damn tattoo. Taking in a slow breath, Jin readjusted his hold on his bow, letting its familiar weight ground him in the moment.

“We’re getting out of here.”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero "Exactly! Rising from the ashes! I was brought to the temple after my old home burnt down, so it's kind of literal." Shui gave commentary on the tattoos shown to him, trying to be as specific as possible about what he liked, to make things easier. "That sunflower one is really bright, I like the colors." Oh, maybe he could incorporate a lotus in somehow? For the temple. Ah, or save that for a second tattoo, later down the line! Now, he could understand why people would have so many tattoos, there was too much to say for just one. Shui was still distracted, thinking about the possibilities, when Jin asked him about his parents. "Hm? Oh, yes!" He sat up straighter, chin lifted with pride. "They're both chosen warriors in the defense of Earthrealm! I don't know if they have the title of acolytes though, specifically, but they are Shaolin. Ba sometimes teases that they're his unpaid interns, since they'll run errands or pass messages for him." Ba Lao, specifically, but Jin probably doesn't care which one. Plus, nice as he was, Shui didn't think announcing he was the son of the Champions of the Wu-Shi Temple was a good idea, even after everything else he'd spilled.

Shui’s light hearted mood was a sharp contrast to the cloud darkening over Jin’s head. Not just Shaolin, but chosen warriors. That was the missing piece. To outsiders, there wasn’t a difference. The fact that there was another organization within the ranks of the Shaolin was, or at least it was supposed to be, a well kept secret. Kano probably knew. He’d had some trouble with them in the past. If Jin was right, and god did he want to be wrong, then they maybe had an hour tops before a base wide fight would break out.

“Unpaid intern doesn’t sound like a good gig to me.” Staying as neutral as he could, Jin threw out the weak joke just to cover his ass. He was shaken and he knew it. It was just a matter of not letting it show. He caught himself biting at his lip ring again, though, and had to consciously let it go. Great start. “Maybe they should argue for a promotion to secretary. Practically the same work, but it would pay.”

Kira could seriously not bring him his bow fast enough.

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Shui snorted as he crouched down into a perched position in front of the door. He wished he had the prayer beads that Ba Kang gave him, for something to mess while he talked about this. "Elder Chang has lived a blessed life, so he doesn't understand...but it is a dick thing to say." His smile was a wobbly thing, as hope and nerves warred for supremacy. "Could you? That would be- I wanted to ask permission from Lord Raiden, to save money for an artist. Or one who'd barter! With ingredients, I could make them a numbing salve or moisturizing healing salve in return! I think, I'd like some sort of phoenix, because wouldn't red be easier to cover with red? And, even if they recognize it, a tattoo artist with the Black Dragon would have to know how to keep quiet, snitches get stitches and wind up in ditches, so-" Finally noticing his rambling when he squeezed his hands so hard it hard, Shui took a slow, shaking breath. "Sorry, what I mean to say is. That I would appreciate it, if you'd be willing to help me before I go home. Conditions here aren't best for healing, but I can handle that." He would just have to focus his magic on himself, and he could do that easy!

Jin let Shui ramble on, listening intently to each word. So Shui was willing to wait to be able to earn his way to a cover-up. He could respect that, though he didn’t necessarily agree with it. As long as it remained unchanged, that brand of a tattoo would be a shackle, keeping Shui chained to his past. At least that’s how Jin saw it. He wasn’t going to say it, but he sure as hell thought it.

“A phoenix, huh? Rising again from the ashes?” Jin laughed softly under his breath as he pulled out his phone, quickly pulling up reference images. As he scrolled, he would occasionally flip the device around to show Shui, saving a few to his photos directly. “Now that’s a tattoo with a meaning.”

The buzz of an incoming text had him pause for a moment, but the actual text had him biting at his lip ring in annoyance.

🔪🔪: ARM UP

🏹: bring it to me

Of fucking course.

No alarms were going off, and there was no mention of relocating, so he could only assume that the far range sensors had picked up organized movement. Kira wouldn’t be bugging him if there wasn’t at least something. Still, it was awfully early if it was a rescue attempt by the temple. He took a moment to recenter himself, going over everything he knew about the situation in his head—

“Shui…when you said Raiden cared for your parents…Are they also Shaolin? Acolytes?”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Shui didn't get too good a look at the tattoo, but the colors looked pretty, and the bars had cut through the colors neatly. Sure, it was probably done all at the same time, but what if- there was a chance- Shui scooped up another bite of eggs and considered his options. "There's-" He poked at his food. "Elder Chang says I should be able to let things go by now, but Ba says its normal to still be bothered." Shui finished his food, placing the plate by the door before he paused. He took a look up at the camera, then at Jin, and made a decision. The teenager pushed his hair over his shoulder, the edges of a poppy flower peaking past the seam of shirt collar. "I want to get something covered up, from before the temple, in the Tender Gardens of Sun Do. I think I'd like it, if it weren't for the memories attached. You know, pretty but an awful meaning." Shui readjusted his hair, sweeping it forward to stay covered as he lowered his voice. "Don't tell whoever's in charge, please. It's been ages, it doesn't matter anymore."

Oh fucking hell.

Jin didn’t have to see the entirety of the tattoo, or even recognize it for that matter, to know what it was. He was familiar with marking tattoos. They were nothing more than elegantly disguised brands. The way Shui talked about it, carefully chosen words and an even delivery, he didn’t need to say any more. His earlier comment about worse company in worse places suddenly made a lot more sense. Someone, at some point, had decided Shui was theirs to use, and Jin really didn’t want to know how.

Heart in his throat, he moved slowly to pull the plate out from between the cell bars. “Hey, that’s yours to tell, and yours alone. I won’t say a word.” For a moment, he considered going right back to where he was, but… that didn’t feel right. Shui just trusted him with something massive despite being behind bars. Decisions like that were usually desperate ones. Besides that, why hadn’t he gotten it covered up before now? Did the temple have something against it? Fuck that.

“And Elder Chang sounds like a dick.” Jin tossed the plate a little carelessly up onto his chair, choosing to sit on the floor right in front of the cell instead. The position left him vulnerable, but he highly doubted Shui would try anything, at least not right then. “I can find an artist. We can come up with a design and see what they can do with it, but I can’t promise they won’t recognize what’s there.”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Shui waited until he heard the door shut behind Jin to start undoing his braid and fingercombing his hair in the relative privacy he was afforded. Spotting a camera in the corner of the room, Shui carefully laid his hair over his shoulder as he worked through it, trying to look natural while hiding where his tattoo was. Granted, it probably wasn't nice enough of a camera to see the faded details, but he wasn't willing to risk it. He decided on keeping his hair half up so he could leave the ends over his shoulder for now and braided his red ribbon back into the rest of it. Shui had just finished tying off the braid when Jin returned with food, and backed up to the wall. This was a new one, but it made sense. "Okay, makes sense. Getting shanked with a plastic spoon would be bad for your reputation." Shui waited patiently for the cue to receive his food, and was sipping on the bottle of water offered to him as he tipped his head for a better look at one of Jin's arms. "What's that tattoo mean? If it has one." Jin so far seemed a pretty decent guy, the minor concussion and kidnapping notwithstanding. Snarky, yeah, but Shui couldn't say shit about that. After a rough childhood, Shui liked to think he could gauge people pretty well, and he got the sense that Jin was a Black Dragon because that had been his best option. There was a sense of a kindred spirit there, and a fanciful part of Shui wondered if he could convince Jin to return to the temple with him. Probably not, but he'd seen how hurt that other guy had been. That was at least less likely at the temple.

Jin kept himself angled toward the cell as he retrieved his chair, flipping it back around so he could sit backwards on it again. He hadn’t expected the hairstyle change, but there was only so much to be done in captivity. Anything to stay occupied, he supposed. The spoon shanking comment managed to get a snort out of him, but the humor died quickly when Shui’s attention shifted.

When he followed Shui’s gaze to see which tattoo he was asking about, Jin could practically feel his walls going back up. It was a small piece on the inside of his forearm, one that was pretty simple at a glance - a bird hidden away in a cage. The bird itself, though, was done in a watercolor rainbow. It was one of the first he’d ever gotten, and maybe it was a little on the nose, but he wouldn’t change a thing about it. He was 17 and, at the time, still hadn’t felt safe.

There were worse to ask about. At least that tattoo was hidden under his shirt.

“It’s a reminder. You don’t really get where I am without needing a few.” Jin didn’t angle his arm away, but he also didn’t give Shui the chance to see it better. Even though he was comfortable with who he was now, it had been a long journey to get there. Old wounds never quite healed. They just got easier to manage. “What about you? Anything you’re holding on to?”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero "If someone told me I'm the reason the Wu-Shi Temple has a psychiatrist on call, I would only be slightly surprised. Actually no, there are others who need them more than me." Shui shrugged that line of thought off, yeah, that really wasn't the best joke. Anyway, there was something more important to focus on. He perked up at the mention of breakfast, a real breakfast! Now that Jin mentioned it, he was hungry. "I'll eat anything you can get me, but I try to align with the rules of the temple. So, vegetarian but eggs are allowed. Oh, some water would be nice also!" Really, Shui's standards for food weren't very high. He just wanted it to be edible. "Thank you, Jin."

“Yeah, well, you’re in good company here. There’s more than a few people here that could probably force a psychiatrist or two into early retirement.” Maybe it was bad taste, and maybe his mouth moved before his mind caught up, but it was out there now. Even as he snorted out a bitter laugh, Jin wouldn’t admit out loud that he was thinking of himself. It was kind of a dark thing to form a bond over, even a temporary transactional one.

Swinging himself up off the chair, he dragged it over to the wall to keep it out of the way before heading for the door. “I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything stupid, and don’t talk to anyone stupid enough to come in here.” With a wave, he headed out and around the corner. There was a kitchen not too far away, and eggs didn’t really take long at all. Fifteen, twenty minutes tops for the whole trip.

He had access to the camera feeds anyway.

When he actually got to the kitchen, he shot off a quick text before he started cooking. He was really just going through the motions, moving things around with his attention split by his phone—…and the yolk broke. Well. Scrambled eggs were fine too.

🏹: calling a favor. stray protocol

🔪🔪: fuck no

🏹: fuck you, yes

🔪🔪: your funeral

Good enough. Slipping his phone in his pocket, he grabbed a paper plate and transferred the eggs over from the pan. He also grabbed a plastic spoon and a water bottle and balanced those on the side of the plate as well. He’d worry about cleaning up later. Or he’d get lucky and someone else would do it before he came back. Probably not though.

The trip back to the cell felt faster. The few people he did pass didn’t bother questioning him, or at the very least they had enough sense to not say anything directly to him. When he came around the corner and saw Shui again, he hung back. “Ground rules. I get close to the bars, you back up, and no holding onto this when you’re done.”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero As serious as the situation was, when Jin gave him that look, Shui had to laugh. "Sorry, sorry, its just, when ba says stuff like that he gives me the exact same look!" 'Its the nose, they have the same nose.' The teenager thought to himself, wobbly smile turning into something more pensive as he thought through it. "Well...I'm a healer in training with the Wu-Shi Shaolin, you know that, but I'm also an acolyte of Lord Raiden's. If the Black Dragon wanted something from him specifically, trading me for it would make sense. Beyond being an acolyte, Lord Raiden cares for my parents, so there'll be pressure to accept any deal the Black Dragon proposes." He listed off the possibilities, counting them on one hand. A part of him that sounded suspiciously like Ba Lao pointed out that these were all ways that Shui was useful to them like an object, not how he as a person was important. Unbidden, he was reminded that if he didn't find a use for himself that someone else with the voice of a dead man might think of a use for him. Shui looked away from Jin's sort-of-stern sort-of-concerned face in favor of the wall behind him. "I'm technically a citizen of Outworld as well, by birth, if there's nothing to get from the Shaolin. Could be traded for some prisoner in Sun Do, probably. They wouldn't mind being owed a favor by Lord Raiden I bet."

This had to be a dream.

It was a coin toss between being a dream or a nightmare. On one hand, Jin just got more information from a simple conversation than he ever had before, and had won the upper hand in any future negotiations without even trying. On the other, he was obligated to tell Kano, and there was no telling what would happen after that.

And then there was the whole bit about Raiden, which was its own fucking nightmare.

Jin closed his eyes and tilted his head back as he began to work through it all. Ignoring the Raiden bit, Shui’s status as a trainee normally wouldn’t be important. It was the mention of his parents that stood out. The way he said it made it seem like they had some importance of their own. Well wasn’t that familiar? Holding a teen hostage for leverage over their parents… That’s what got most of the higher ups captured in Outworld a couple years back.

Oh. Right. Outworld. Shui said something about that too. How much weirder could this day get? Probably better that he didn’t have that answer. It wasn’t even ten.

“O…kay. That’s…a lot.” Jin breathed out slowly as he tilted his head back to look at Shui. Just one thing at a time. Just one…fuck it. He wasn’t awake enough to deal with this shit. There probably wasn’t enough coffee in the whole damn base to give him the patience he needed, but he had to manage somehow. “Tell you what. Time for a break. If you tell me what you want, I’ll see if I can sneak actual breakfast food down here instead of the usual prisoner shit.”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Alright, fair enough. Liu Kang had gotten him with a leg sweep in training way more than once. The thought brought an ache to Shui's chest that surprised him. "Huh. I miss my parents. Didn't expect that." His eyes went distant as he considered this development. They'd cared for him the past few years, considered him their son, he considered them his fathers, the temple was his family, but...Shui wasn't used to missing caretakers. Before, his caretakers had been few and far between, and the ones that saw more than a product needed to take care of themselves first. They didn't always have the luxury of caring about him on top of surviving. It seemed an age ago, but it hadn't even been a decade since the temple had taken him in. It was that life in a shady entertainment house on the outskirts of Sun Do that Shui was thinking of as he commented "Well, I've slept in worse places and had worse company before. I can handle a week with the Black Dragon." Shui plopped down into sitting cross legged on the ground, hands loose in his lap to hide how shaken the revelation of the passage of time had left him. It reminded him of the most important question he had. "What does the Black Dragon even want with me? I've got useful skills, don't get me wrong, but I'm not important." His fathers would disagree with him, he was sure, but Shui knew the truth.

Pieces were beginning to fit together in Jin’s mind, and he did not like the picture they were forming. Being surprised that he missed his parents, on top of not even knowing if he had a family name, and having been in worse places with worse company? Had Shui been kidnapped before? Had his parents dragged him around from seedy place to place? If Jin’s own (former) parents had taught him anything about the Shaolin, it was that honor came above everything, even the love that family was supposed to share. It was quick, but he saw how Shui’s eyes turned glassy for a moment. That faraway look was both haunting and familiar, and Jin’s heart broke for this kid he barely knew.

As he watched Shui sink to the floor, he tried to rein in his reeling thoughts. He had to refocus. Along with, probably unknowingly, dropping a few verbal bombs, Shui also brought up what Jin had just been thinking. He hadn’t been a target. They only brought him back because he was Shaolin and they didn’t need him reporting their presence in the area back to the temple.

“Okay, don’t say you’re not important.” Jin gave Shui a hard look, or at least as hard of a look as he could manage. That was a whole other can of worms to open, and he was the farthest thing from a therapist, but it was a door he could use. “Instead, tell me why you’re important. You tell me why we want you here.”

[crystalsandstones]

daughterofnero Shui filed the name Jin away in his mind as he continued his forms, the soft sounds of movement filling the silence. At least, until Jin spoke up. Then, he paused, looking down at his feet while he widened his stance and bounced in place. "Thanks, that feels sturdier!" He tested out his range of motion with a few practice swings and smiled at Jin. "You've got a good eye; ba says I tend to slide my feet together." Shui perked up again, turning back to Jin to point at him through the bars of the cell. "Wait! How did you recognize the forms? Did you train with the Shaolin too? Are we still close?"

Rolling his eyes, Jin snorted out a dismissive laugh. “You looked like you would fall over with one push. I don’t need to know some super secret technique to know that.” What he didn’t say was that his own stance was something he used to struggle with, and that it took more than a few rounds of losing to one leg sweep to learn to adjust.

As for Shui’s last question, Jin took his time coming up with a suitable answer. Geographically, they weren’t close at all. There were thousands of miles between the base and the temple, but that didn’t really matter. The clan had their portal tech, Special Forces almost certainly had their own version, and if the Shaolin were desperate enough to find Shui, they had a couple of gods on their side. Distance was a joke. What mattered more was the question of whether or not the base could be found.

There was also the question of what Kano wanted to do with him. With Shui still being a teen, there was a chance, albeit a small one, he would just want information. Most prisoners, though, were usually held for leverage and ransom with the threat of torture on the table. Jin really hoped this could stay civil.

“I’ll tell you this.” With a drawn out sigh, Jin pointed right back at Shui in a sort of one sided challenge. “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other for a few days at least. Maybe even a week.”