Chapter Text
“They- They say you have claws.” The little girl’s fists, oh so tiny, were pressed flat against her chest. Her shoulders bunched, making her look even smaller, as her lip and brow quivered.
He didn’t deny it.
“We heard you could tear those monsters to shreds,” she continued, voice tighter that time. Her eyes darted to his hands, clad in black leather. He watched her patiently, wearing a calm smile. The girl’s foot staggered back, her head lightly tapping against her brother’s puffed chest.
He didn’t blame her.
“Do you wanna take a look?” The ‘monster’ in question offered.
The girl’s eyes widened as he crouched down. Fuzzy ears flicked for good measure, small fangs poking out of a cheery grin. Opaline eyes, sharp and cut like crude crystals, stared back at her.
The brother sprung at the chance excitedly. “Yes! Please!”
As he reached for the lion’s ears, his fangs opened wider in a teasing smile. Leather-clad hands sprung up in claw-shape.
And for the added affect, the performer added a comical: “ Roar !”
The sudden movement startled the confidence out of the brother. The sister squeaked in surprise, tucking behind her sibling in fright. Both of their eyes were squeezed shut, hiding away from the man before them both.
No attack ever came. Only the slight whisper of a bell as the lion moved his hand to them with a sweeter surprise.
The boy realized. “Candy?”
“Try some!” The performer encouraged them with a smile. “I hope they can make up for not showing you my impressive claws.”
The sister’s fear fractured into a carefree grin. “H-he’s not scary at all!”
They both reached into his hand, decidedly lacking in any sort of sharpness, bubbling with laughter. “Thank you, Lingyang!”
“You’re welcome!” the lion returned, grinning ear to ear. “Make sure to come by and see our liondance show tomorrow!” The beam simmered into a sly smirk. He added lowly, in a loud whisper for only their ears. “I might even have some special seats saved.”
“Special seats?” The girl gasped.
Lingyang snickered, a finger in front of his smirk. The girl clapped her hands over her agape mouth. Only a few giggles escaped. The brother nodded resolutely. “We won’t miss it!” He vowed, as if it was his sworn duty to do so.
The two ran off, candies in hand, beaming brightly with their backs to the kindhearted performer. They nearly bumped into Jinzhou’s ‘esteemed guest’ as they left with their prize. He had heard of them, of course, with his set of ears. But that broadcast the Magistrate made was hard to ignore, even for the Jinzhou people. He hadn’t seen them, yet- not until now. They wore a calm expression, almost unreadable. It was a stark contrast to the usual sugary nature of Jinzhou. He preferred it, really. Gold eyes stared back at him confidently, watching him quietly as he made his way toward them. He watched the way their face changed- or didn’t- as he got closer. There wasn’t a hint of fear tucked behind those black bangs.
Maybe they really did have no bitterness to hide.
“You smell unfamiliar,” Lingyang observed with a hum, “yet so powerful- so pure.” He took in the scent through his nose. Hints of smoke, with a faded stench of Tacet Discords gone mute mingled in his senses. He could make out the vague smell of blood, probably from the aforementioned fights they doubtlessly had on their way to the city. Distantly, he could taste notes of a forest forgotten by time. It was nostalgic, if not an echo of a memory he had wanted to forget.
“Is that a polite way of telling me I smell bad?” the guest asked.
“Not at all,” he assured with a smile. “You must be the famous Rover I’ve been hearing about.” His eyes crinkled with a grin, hands placed on his hips. “Hiya! I’ve heard a lot about you, and I finally get to meet you in person!”
“They do talk a lot,” the Rover muttered under their breath. Lingyang’s ear twitched at the emotion whispering between their breath. Annoyance or amusement, he wasn’t quite sure.
Nonetheless, he grinned and stretched his hand on cue. The cool breeze of summer lapped at his warm fingers. “You can call me Lingyang. Glad to meet your acquaintance! Fare thee well, blessings swell!”
The greeting was met with the same indifference. Did he see doubt lurking behind those eyes? “I’m Rover.”
He was met with warmth. Happiness bloomed in his chest, a purr budding in his throat. “You really are different from everyone else.” His hand squeezed theirs with newfound confidence. “And now that we’ve shaken hands- we’re good friends!” He let go, puffing his chest with pride as his hands met his hips.
Their lips twitched into an almost-smile. “So what are you doing here, friend ?”
Oh, he was being teased. A chuckle rumbled in his chest. He didn’t mind it. “Our troupe is doing a big liondancing show tomorrow night, and I’m doing some advertising!”
The way they tilted their head, big sunny eyes wide with curiosity, reminded him of a puppy. “Liondancing?”
He gestured to their surroundings. The pink-blossoming tree rustled as the breeze tussled with its blooms. The surrounding sound of indistinct chatter filled the small gaps in their conversation. Passerby ignored the two, continuing on back and forth down the road. “It’s a traditional thing in Jinzhou. We’ve got whole troupes dedicated to liondancing- ours, for example.”
“It sounds important to you,” Rover commented.
“It’s amazing ,” he promised. “We’ve got lots of activities and pastimes in Jinzhou. I can’r wait to show you!” His stomach stopped off his train of thought with a screeching growl. Embarrassment flattened his ears in a cringe. He offered them a bashful smile. “Sorry, I guess I’m a bit hungry after an all-day rehearsal.”
“That sounds like a lot of work,” they offered empathetically.
“It is, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he decided. “But speaking of food, let me treat you to dinner!” Lingyang offered enthusiastically, tail swishing back and forth with excitement. “There are a lot of local delicacies I think you’ll really like!”
Skepticism clouded copper eyes. A terse frown tugged at their lips. “You’re a bit,” they hesitated. He waited, “too kind.”
“Um,” he shook it off. “This is just how we treat our guests in Jinzhou.”
“Is that so?” The cold copper warmed a bit in the golden sunlight. “Another local thing?”
“ Exactly !” He smiled. “You’ll love the hospitality. Trust me.”
“If you say so,” they relented easily enough.
“I do say so,” he assured with certainty, before offering a more apologetic simper. “There’s just something I need to finish before dinner. Oh, I know! How about you come with me? It won’t take long- I promise! It’ll give me a chance to really show you around. You haven’t seen the shopping district yet, have you?”
“I haven’t.” They looked around, eyes following the steady stream flowing in and out of the many gates of the city. Their brow furrowed a bit, before they let loose a sigh. “To be honest, it’s sort of difficult to navigate even with a map.”
Sympathy warmed his wintery eyes. “I get that. Well then.” He stretched out a hand, cheeks wrinkling with a sharp-tooth smile. The silver studs glittered in the light like frost, and his laughter was no different than a spring sunrise. It was an invitation, Rover recognized, but not the kind forced onto them like they doubtlessly had been forced to take by others. ‘Special’ came with a price, after all. “Let’s walk together.”
Lingyang’s new friend took his hand with a small clap. They could probably feel the way his body vibrated with a purr. He didn’t bother hiding it- not with them. Even so, pure joy glittered in frosty eyes as he began guiding them over the bridge.
Maybe it was the people, or the excitement of a real friend, that neither of them noticed the new poster plastered on the bulletin-
Complete with a bounty, and a gory graphic of a corpse cut through by fearsome claws.