#suiran

Casual. Easygoing. Yet he was always serious about getting the job done with a smile. After Yangyang was reunited with Suisui safely, her mind was still plagued with concerns over the whereabouts of another. Did Jingran don that same cunning smile, even as he wandered alone through the heavy fog?

Suisui looked at Dumpling, who was laying on the desk by her resting hand. The little bird's body had melted outward like a warm steamed bun fresh out of the pot. Gently, she rubbed her finger on the forehead of her tiny companion. Dumpling looked up at her and purred softly.

"...You’re wondering about him too, aren’t you?" Suisui asked.

Dumpling chirped in response.

Suisui held out her finger in front of Dumpling. She solidified, stretching out her wings and leg before perching upon her finger. Suisui stood up from the desk and glanced over at the window behind Dumpling. She thought for a moment, looking back and forth between it and the little bird tilting her head.

"I’m sure that…checking up on him wouldn’t hurt," she said

She reached forth and pushed open the window.

“It’s a little more inconspicuous if you investigate on your own. No need to pester him…just…see what he’s up to. And maybe that he’s okay.”

A lot of words were contained in those few little chirps. Why are you thinking about your mercenary? Why do you want to how he’s fairing so badly? Why won’t you go ask him yourself? Why is this cat so special? Why do you shy away from conversation with him even though you are paying him to do your bidding? Why do you look at that eyesore like that? And the answers to those questions, she wasn’t too willing to give up so easily, not even to her feathery companion would could only communicate in tweets and chirps. Some of those questions, she wasn’t too sure of the answer herself.

But, now was not the time for them to concern themselves with such an interrogation. With a parting side-eye, Dumpling took off, flying away through the window. Suisui’s doubts had arisen just a moment too late, but what was done was done, and all she could do was stand at the window and watch as she flew off.

⋆ ^. .^₎Ⳋ˚𓍙 ⋆

Nobody could see anything in such thick fog. Jingran’s instincts, however, were honed enough to where he could sense another set of eyes tracking his movement. He pretended to not notice. He merely kept his eyes on the road ahead, as the perpetrator would notice him scanning his surroundings and thus be far more cautious.

The sound of flapping wings grew louder and louder, until—

Snatch.

Without sparing the stalker a gaze, he reached up his arm and caught whatever it was in his hand. Curious as to why it wasn’t struggling, he held it down in front of him. The fog was just light enough for him to see that his claws had curled around a bird. It wasn’t just a common swallow; immediately, he recognized the bird’s appearance. Under the light emitting from his lamp, its golden feathers shimmered almost green under the glow of his lamp.

"Heh, she misses me that bad, doesn’t she?" Jingran said, a smile creeping on his face.

Despite the compromising position Dumpling found herself in, she did not struggle against the cat’s claws. Rather, she looked at Jingran with beady eyes. He held her up closer, and looked at the little bird all over.

"I suppose she didn’t send over anything with you, little fella? No money? No care package? Not even a cute lil’ letter? Or is she following behind, and you just aren’t telling me?”

Dumpling remained quiet, not like it could respond in a way that Jingran could understand. The reason as to why she was this far out, no Suisui in sight, was quite puzzling to him. His initial assumption was that she was carrying some sort of message for him, but if she needed anything, Jingran was just a call on the terminal away. Perhaps Dumpling had gotten lost in the fog?

What Jingran wasn’t anticipating was Suisui quietly waiting at the window for some sort of response from Dumpling regarding his whereabouts.

Unfortunately for him, Jingran was not fluent in bird, so he would have no way of knowing that. With a shrug, he opened up the palm of his hand and held it up high so that Dumpling had the freedom to fly away. The little bird righted itself onto her feet, but she didn’t take off flying.

Jingran, most perplexed, narrowed his eyes and said, "Don’t tell me you gave up right as I caught you.”

Chirp, chirp, was all Dumpling had to say for herself.

"Go do…whatever it is that you were sent to do. Suisui is gonna be worried sick about you in due time. Not to mention, if she catches me with you in my hands, there goes my only stable source of company and income…”

The two of them stared at each other silently. Dumpling could tell that Jingran was tense, as if he was holding himself back from something. She refused to fly out of the palm of his hand, until the fear of regret overcame the cat and he gently closed his fist around her once more.

“W-wait,” Jingran said, hastily digging through some of his belongings.

He pulled out a scrap of paper and an ink pen, and he held it against a bamboo tree with his arm as he quickly scribbled something on it. Jingran folded it up just small enough so that it Dumpling could carry it with minimal difficulty.

"Take this back to the lass, will ya?" he asked, holding the note up to her beak.

Jingran’s words were clear to her, as she took the note. He opened the palm of his hand, and Dumpling took off headed back in the direction she came. For a few minutes, he watched as the little golden bird disappeared into the fog like a star amongst the morning sky. Then, Jingran changed course to stay low and quietly follow Dumpling.

⋆ 🕊˚༄ ⋆

Suisui sat at her desk, having neglected to close the window. The thought to do so had occurred to her once or twice, but she quickly forgot in the midst of her daydreams. Snapping her out back to reality was the sound of familiar wings headed through her window and landing on top of her desk.

"Oh, I didn’t think that you would return so soon," Suisui said, pleasantly surprised.

Dumpling dropped the letter in front of her and looked up at Suisui, chirping and tilting her head.

"A delivery?”

She picked up the piece of paper and investigated it. The front of it was signed with a rather rushed doodle of a cat. She unfolded the paper and read:

Order a little something extra?

Suisui blinked at the paper, rather confused. As if it wasn’t evident by the scratchy handwriting by itself, Suisui could very much figure out just who sent her that letter thanks to that scraggly cat. She did not recall having any outlying requests for him. The last mission, he had successfully carried out for her and she had paid in full. Suisui looked at Dumpling, as if the little bird would know anything.

Their attention was piqued by a knock, and both of their heads whipped to the side to look directly at the door.

Suisui readied her rectifier as Dumpling safely perched atop her shoulders shielded by her hair. She cracked the door open slowly, but tensions immediately eased upon seeing their visitor.

Leaning up against the doorway, arms crossed and lamp stick relaxed in his hold, was the stray black cat.

"How did you—"

Before she could finish her question, Suisui was hushed by Jingran. He dangled his lamp right in front of her, kissing her lips with a gentle tap of its base.

"Haha, let’s just say a little birdie showed me the way," Jingran said, glancing at Dumpling and giving her a wink.

Suisui shot Dumpling a side eye. She tweeted in protest, as if to say she had absolutely nothing to do with this.

He must’ve followed Dumpling back to my place after giving her that letter to take back. she thought. A clever little cat, he is.

If it were anyone else, Suisui would’ve closed the door right in their face. But this visitor, she simply could not bring herself to turn him away. Her residence was in no position to house another person at the moment, but tidying him up a spot to sit with her would be no tall order. In fact, she could just as easily ready a spot for him to sleep for the night, even if the cat had to curl up at the foot of her bed.

Suisui glanced down at the note she still held in between her fingers. She disarmed herself, then opened up the door further.

"Well, you said my order came with a little ‘extra’," she said, with a soft smile.

Jingran carefully studied the wide-open doorway in front of him. An air of uncertainty loomed over him, despite being the one to invite himself over in the first place. Seeing as he was still hesitant, Suisui stepped aside, with nothing standing in between him and her warm, cozy house, even if only temporary.

Finally, he came to peace with her acceptance of his self-proclaimed invitation, and Jingran stepped inside. When he walked past her, Suisui caught glimpse of his cunning gaze softening, as if to silently say: