Kui intently gazed up at the sky with a glare in his eyes. His paintbrush. His only way to leave this world was in the clutch of that man. "Shit… I need to get it. If the brush gets damaged, I might not have a way to go back at all…"
He anxiously swam around.
"Is that important to you?" the little mer spoke, pulling him out of his panicked state.
"I just need it…" Kui mumbled under his breath.
"It looks broken. I'll get you a new one."
"No, I need only that," Kui bit his nails and gazed up at Guilin with a glare.
Mi Aok did not know why that broken brush was important to this hybrid. After all, that brush was useless. He would get a thousand brushes made of gold and silver and other precious jewels if the hybrid wanted him to. That worthless thing was just junk.
But the hybrid seemed to value it a lot.
"Calm down. I'll talk to him," without waiting for Kui's approval, he swam to the surface with difficulty.
Guilin, who was sitting waiting for the hybrid, met the young mer's glaring eyes. "Oh, the young one came up. I thought you would never come out for air. Are you also here for this?" He held the broken brush. "This seems like a valuable treasure."
"Give the brush and I will help you restore the trading route."
For a second, Guilin froze up. "So you know about the trade route problem? Who are you, kid?"
"I'm the…" Just as he was about to say something, Kui swam up and held the young mer in his arms. "Don't make any lucrative deals with him… that man… he is not a good person."
Kui had seen the lecherous ways he acted with him. What if the man had some intention with the child? That would be a bad thing for sure. "We don't need that brush." Saying so, he quickly pulled the young mer down the pool.
Guilin watched them swim away with a smile. He had been in business for a long time to know when a person was lying to his face. Kui obviously valued the brush so much that the young mer even wanted to negotiate with him. But he was just putting up a brave face.
"It's going to get interesting." He clutched the broken brush with a wide grin on his face.
Late at night, bright moonlight shone in the huge bath. The inhabitants had all gone to sleep. Only a young hybrid was awake, watching the surface with interest.
A few servants came about, pouring hot water into the bath to keep the temperature normal.
Just as they left, Kui swam up and intently peered at the canopy bed in the corner.
Weirdly, Guilin had fallen asleep earlier.
"Of course, he worked a lot more than usual." He had observed the man for an entire day. The man was reading documents after another for an entire day without moving from his spot. After a day of hard work, he was bound to get tired.
After making sure Guilin was really asleep, he quickly pulled himself out of the water. His wet clothes clung to his slim figure. Water dripped slowly to the ground as he walked closer.
He had seen Guilin place the brush under his pillow before sleep.
'Smart man. He knows it's important to me, so he didn't keep it at his work table.'
Kui softly pulled away the curtains. The man was sleeping topless, exposing his muscular chest.
'Neat, he looks like he worked out.'
He tried to reach for the pillow, but the bed was too wide for him. So, he silently knelt one knee on the bed and placed his hand under the pillow.
To his surprise, he did not find his brush.
'I saw him put it here… maybe it's on the other side.'
In order to reach the other side of the pillow, he needed to climb over the sleeping man to take it out.
Kui glanced at his sleeping face intently to spot any signs of him being awake.
The man's breathing was even, and he even snored a bit.
'Coast is clear.' He gently climbed onto the bed and reached to the other side of the pillow.
Suddenly, Guilin moved his leg, pushing him off balance.
Stunned, Kui fell right on top of him.
"Hello, little Kui," the man, who was apparently sleeping, spoke clearly. His eyes shone softly as he gazed up at him. "Trying to sneak into my bed? Not a bad effort. I'll fulfill your wishes."
"You!" Kui pulled away with a jerk. "Give me my brush."
Guilin sat up with a grin. "Oh, this." He pulled the broken brush out from his pants.
"Why did you put it in your pants?!" Kui looked at him with disgust.
"I just wanted to keep it nice and safe. What better place to store it than my breeches?"