Kai was stroking at the hair if the slender woman who laid down on his lap, circling her fingers in the ground, both relaxed at the state they were in.
"If there were a war to break out between humans and the beasts like the olden times, would you spare or kill me?" She shifted in his lap her brunette hair framing her face,as she looked at him as she asked waiting fir his response.
Kai gently stroked the hair of the slender woman resting on his lap, her fingers lazily tracing patterns in the dirt. Both of them seemed at ease, immersed in the quiet stillness of the moment.
"If a war were to break out between humans and beasts like in the old days, would you spare me... or kill me?" she asked, shifting slightly to look up at him. Her brunette hair framed her face perfectly, her eyes searching his for an answer.
Kai smirked, exhaling softly. "I hope there's no war ahead," he said, meeting her gaze before looking off into the distance, his expression pensive. "But... I'd try to save you." He looked back down at her, finding her calm demeanor even more beautiful in that moment. "That is, if I manage to save myself," he added with a faint chuckle.
She sat up abruptly, her robes flowing gracefully against her skin as she moved. "Why do you fear your mother so much?"
At the mention of his mother, Kai's face twitched, and a sudden tension gripped his body. "You don't know what you're talking about," he snapped, his tone sharp. "If I truly feared her, I wouldn't have you by my side."
Jia raised her eyebrows, her expression tightening as she processed his remark. "I understand it's the nature of things," she said, her voice steady but laced with irritation. "But the way you keep rubbing in the fact that, as a human, I'll always be inferior to your kind is—" she exhaled sharply, her frustration evident, "—infuriating."
Yui flapped her regal azure wings slowly, descending with a measured grace as she approached the Dragon Shrine Palace. Her landing was smooth, the echo of her talons on the stone floor reverberating softly. Armin, still clinging to her tail, was flung to the side as her feet touched the ground. He rolled discreetly into the shadows of a sidewall, his breathing shallow as he watched Yui transform back into her human form. Her scarlet robes swayed around her as she strode confidently into the palace.
Inside, Kai was engrossed in playful banter with Jia when the sound of Yui's arrival startled them both.
"It's my mother!" Kai's eyes widened in sheer panic as he hissed the words, grabbing Jia's arm and pulling her aside. He frantically scanned the room for a hiding spot, his mind racing. Yui, the clan matriarch infamous for her disdain toward humans, could not find her son consorting with one—it would surely unleash her wrath.
"But didn't she go to Mount Qi?" Jia whispered, struggling to comprehend the situation while Kai practically dragged her. Her thoughts raced, questioning whether the person storming in was truly his mother or someone else. Knowing Kai's often dramatic tendencies, she hesitated to take the threat at face value.
"I can smell her," Kai snapped under his breath, shoving her toward a robes closet.
"Then she can smell—" Jia began, only for her words to be cut off as Kai slammed the door shut in her face. She let out a muffled groan of exasperation, but Kai had already turned away, his chest tight with anxiety as he headed into the main room. His heart pounded against his ribcage, threatening to burst.
"Mother... you're early," he greeted, his voice straining to sound casual as Yui entered the room. Her face was calm but unreadable, her piercing gaze immediately settling on him.
"So?" Yui replied coolly, her tone dismissive as she brushed past him, heading directly toward the closets.
Kai's stomach twisted in dread as she neared the very closet where Jia was hidden. Panic set in, and his body moved before his mind could catch up. Rushing to her side, he took hold of her robes.
"Let me," he offered hastily, helping her derobe with feigned composure. He carefully hung the overcoat in a nearby closet, far away from the one where Jia was concealed.
"What happened to the plan of visiting Mount Qi, Mother?" Kai inquired, his voice steady, though his question was merely a distraction.
Yui, already preoccupied with her own thoughts, nodded absentmindedly as she sank into the silken embrace of the embroidered couch.
"I presumed you'd be gone for months," Kai added, his palms beginning to sweat as she chose to sit down directly in the room with the closets. Anxiety gnawed at him as he tried to maintain his composure.
After a moment of tense silence, Yui abruptly stood, her sharp glare pinning Kai in place. "Why do I smell humans?" she snarled, grabbing his collar with a firm, almost crushing grip.
Kai's heart raced, his mind scrambling for an explanation to save himself—and more importantly, Jia—from Yui's wrath. His eyes widened as he stammered, "What? What humans?" He tried to sound confused, but the fear in his voice betrayed him.
"Can't you smell it?" Yui growled, her voice reverberating like thunder in his ears. The tone mirrored the critical voice in his own head, amplifying his panic.
"Perhaps... perhaps it's because you've been around humans in the village, Mother," Kai offered hesitantly. His voice cracked between words, his throat dry, and his eyes threatened to tear up. He blinked rapidly, forcing himself not to break down—he couldn't afford to give her another reason to yell at him.
For a brief moment, Yui's gaze wandered over Kai's shoulder. Through the window, she caught sight of Armin casually wandering outside the shrine. Her eyes widened in shock, and an uncharacteristic flicker of panic crossed her face. Unlike any ordinary human, Armin was a tamer from Qi Village, and hiding his presence wasn't as simple as dismissing him as a wandering slave. Her sharp mind calculated the situation quickly, knowing that Kai's discovery of Armin's presence would weaken her stance.
Swiftly, she yanked Kai by his collar and dragged him out of the closet room, effectively blocking his view of the window.
"Must be it," she said curtly, letting go of his robes as she feigned agreement with his explanation.
Both mother and son sighed in relief, though for vastly different reasons.
"I shall take a walk in the shrine," Yui said, her tone softer as she patted his shoulder gently—a rare gesture that left Kai stunned. She had never shown such a motherly demeanor before. Was he finally earning her approval? His heart swelled with cautious hope as he watched her leave the room.
"Have a great time, Mother," he said cheerfully before rushing back into the closet room. He opened the door to find Jia crouched inside, her face etched with equal parts irritation and relief.
"Almost dead, we were," Kai muttered with a weak smile, helping her out of the cramped space.
"I was trying to tell you," Jia began, brushing herself off, "that if you could smell her, then she could smell me too." Her tone carried the frustration of having been ignored earlier. Despite her irritation, she couldn't help but show a slight vulnerability, desperate to be seen as worthy in the eyes of the man she loved—even though she was just a human.
Kai waved her off, his mood suddenly buoyant. "Yes, yes, but she bought my distraction, didn't she? Isn't that great? She usually doesn't budge when I reason with her. Perhaps I've reached a level of recognition, I suppose." His tone grew lighter, the earlier terror replaced by a surprising optimism as he basked in the idea of his mother finally acknowledging him.
Jia gazed at him for a moment, her expression unwavering yet thoughtful. "In a way, we're so alike... and yet so different," she sighed, shaking her head gently as a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.