open post, vol. 2

[nostalgiabomb]

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( VOL. 1 )

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[jiuweihu]

[ Yan has had decades now to endure the misconceptions and prejudices of humans and other races who believed the worst of her kind. She tries not to get involved often, for that very reason, but when she lets herself seek company from the inevitable loneliness that comes with solitude, she can forget – at least for a moment – what people expect her to be. She's never felt that she's been seen as what and who she is, in the same hand; when others look at her, they see a human or a huli jing. One is welcomed readily, and the other deals with... this.

At least he isn't trying to kill her. All things considered, this is probably one of the least distressing interactions she's had with a human who knows what she is.

Somehow, it isn't easier.

She waits for him to take his coat, letting the silence drag between them. The longer it stretches, the more antsy she gets, and she finds herself watching Peter's hands, waiting for him to reach for a weapon.

(He has every advantage. It would be laughably easy, and that's what terrifies her right now.)

Yan waits. And waits. And when she's just about ready to drop his jacket and try to run, he speaks.

The apology is so foreign that, at first, she thinks she might have imagined it. Her shock is plain on her face, the guarded, hardened expression dropping away in a heartbeat as she stares at him and listens to him speak. Again, she knows she's an easy target right now, and she doesn't understand why he's bothering to mislead her, why he's wasting breath on lies, unless—

—he really means what he says.

And gods, he's— he's looking at her face. He's looking at her, and not trying to sneak a lingering, lascivious glimpse before she shifts. He's not taking advantage of the fact that she's naked and hobbled and vulnerable, as much as she may hate to admit it. She's so stunned by the offer, by his sincerity, that she can only stare at him in her own moment of silence. She's trying to pick the dishonesty out of his eyes, trying to dig up where he's misleading her, but—

She hates how much she wants to believe him.

(She hates how much she wants a shred of acceptance.)

Careful, still watching him for any signs of a betrayal, she lowers his jacket again. She's tentative as she slides it back on, reaching out to brace herself on Peter's arm as she gets the red leather wrapped around herself properly. ]

What's your name?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Once she's dressed – as dressed as she can be, anyway, considering he only currently has a coat to offer her – he shifts back to a more natural position, holding still while she steadies herself. ]

Peter Quill.

[ There's another name he wants to go by eventually, once he's a little more renowned; for now, he figures this is enough. ]

You?

[jiuweihu]

Yan.

[ Just a first name, no last – because huli jing don't have families.

She hesitates before speaking again, as they're finally moving forward. ]

What was the weasel you were tracking?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Reflexively, he lets out a disgusted sound. ]

The gold-faced marten.

[ If it seems like there's a hint of bitterness in his voice, it's only because there is. ]

An alchemist in Silverkeep is trying to make some kind of potion and needs some of its droppings. Damn things are almost impossible to find, though.

[jiuweihu]

[ Yan has to pause, tilting her head to look up at him for a moment. ]

I can find that for you, if you want. I can track their dens by scent.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ And that makes Peter pause as well, casting her a quick, sidelong glance. ]

Are you being serious?

[ Despite the word choice, he mostly sounds warily hopeful. Small town that Silverkeep is, the alchemist had offered up a surprising amount of gold for his job – which should have told Peter everything he needed to know about how secretly difficult it was. ]

I found all the other crap the alchemist asked for, but this stupid marten is holding me up.

[jiuweihu]

[ She nods resolutely. ]

They're rare, but I have hunted them before; I know what they smell like. They have dens all through these woods, and I could find one on our way to the town.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Another hesitation, then, ]

If it's on the way.

[ Because with that tracker on her, Peter would rather not dally. There's really no telling how much these bounty hunters might want Yan, and there's no telling how confident they are in their traps – but the more time spent fucking around is more time given to those hunters to catch up.

Peter is involving himself more than he likes, as it is. He'd rather not get forced into some kind of confrontation on top of it all. ]

Besides, I dunno how much tracking you wanna do with a broken foot.

[jiuweihu]

[ The thought isn't immediate, but there's a part of Yan that's appreciative that Peter isn't immediately leaping on her offer to take advantage of her abilities.

It makes her want to help him more. ]

I don't have to put my nose on the ground.

[ Her lips lift in a crooked little smile. ]

I could manage it.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He casts her a quick, sidelong glance, noting the smile on her face. It's almost a little surprising that she manages one, given how fucked this situation is, but it puts him a little at ease, at least. ]

If you notice something and it's not too out of our way, I'd appreciate if you pointed it out.

But let's not go too out of our way for it. I don't think we're gonna have much time to wander.

[jiuweihu]

Given everything, I'm sure you're right.

[ And the longer she spends with the rune, with her broken foot, the longer she's vulnerable. It's not an appealing thought. ]

But I'll pay attention to our surroundings, now that I know what you need.

[ It's a small favor, in her eyes; after he's going out of his way, it seems only fair. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ There's a beat of silence, then, ]

Now that we're talking about this, it seems like overkill to get a fox spirit involved in helping me find weasel shit.

[ Gods, his life is fucking weird sometimes. ]

But I appreciate it.

[jiuweihu]

You were having so much trouble, there might not have been any other way for you to find it.

[ Her tone is just a bit lighter, actually teasing him this time. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He snorts out a laugh. ]

In my defense, I did find one, but it got scared off.

[jiuweihu]

How long did it take you to find the one?

[ That little smile of hers is sly, teasing – foxlike. ]

[nostalgiabomb]

[ This time, there's a noticeable length of silence.

Then, a little sullenly, ]

Shut up.

[jiuweihu]

[ She actually— laughs.

Soft, sweet, but warm – a genuine laugh. ]

It's not your fault humans aren't made for tracking.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He huffs out a sharp little breath. ]

We get by.

[ Peter's used to hearing a lot of shit about how humans don't really seem to specialize in anything, which means he's gotten used to having to defend himself, too. Enough so that it's more automatic than actually defensive. ]

It doesn't help that this species is like trying to track down a needle in a haystack, either.

[jiuweihu]

[ Humans are sort of just... humans. It doesn't make them less, in Yan's eyes, just different. ]

No, these martens are hard for most to track down, no matter how much they might be predators. They're very fast, and very good at being sneaky.

It probably has something to do with their fey blood.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He lets out a quiet sigh, though the huff of breath is more agreement than frustration. ]

Honestly, it would've been easier if the guy had just asked me to bring one in. I could've done that no problem.

[jiuweihu]

I'm surprised he didn't. Then he would have had a steady supply for his potions – this way, he'll probably need someone to go out and find this all over again.

... Are you sure this is a serious job?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ In all fairness, Peter had wondered the same thing when he heard the tasks and learned the reward the alchemist was willing to attach to it. ]

He's trying out some kinda potion. Experimental, I guess. He didn't want the responsibility of having to keep a marten alive and well in captivity if it doesn't turn out to be the ingredient he needs.

[ He waggles the fingers of his free hand at her. ]

Saves him from getting bitten.

[jiuweihu]

[ She hums in thoughtful agreement. ]

They do have a nasty bite.

[ She's never been bitten personally, but she's seen martens' prey, and they've essentially been savaged. ]

Do you usually chase potion ingredients?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He huffs out a quiet laugh. ]

Not often, no. But the pay was good, and I'm running a little low on funds.

Usually I just... kind of do a little of everything. Which apparently includes picking rare flowers and stalking rare weasels.

[jiuweihu]

A jack-of-all-trades?

[ She sounds pleasantly surprised by his answer; when she'd first seen him, she genuinely would have thought he was a hunter by nature. Or at least somewhere on that scale of looking for animals and easy bounties. ]

That sounds like a very free way to live.