The rain that day came unannounced and uninvited, but not unloved. As the slow and endearing downpour continued, it seemed the entire area were to be cloaked in a thick blanket of solemnity, which turned the densely populated Fat Monsterland into something far more beautiful. It was in this sort of weather that generated absurd amounts of sentimentality depending on a person's current living situation, but for a particular red-head, it made him oddly satisfied for a number of reasons. The primary origin of his good mood secured between his fingers, shielding him from the rain after nearly a week of intense repair - Stormbinder, as he fondly calls it, a weapon fashioned to be misleading in terms of appearance.
So long has it been since he'd grasp at the gun on full-throttle, the litter of bullets matting the ground with pools of shiny, shimmery blood. The noise alone was painful to behold for the victim party, but to him...it was invigorating. Having deprived his creation of its purpose meant it needed some very robust practice targets sooner than not, lest the fragile mechanism regress from the lack of use.
Training, to put it simply, but to put it badly - "Slaughter..."
Did he whisper that out loud? Oh, woops.
"Uggghhh...I hate this weather!" came the irate mewl of his exceed, ignorant to her master's current delusions, her form curled up so tightly atop his shoulder out of her distaste for the idea of getting wet, which was a common trait that naturally came with her feline heritage, "Jinngggg-yiiii, remind me why we're back in this smelly pit?" she deadpans, a swirl of brief disgust smearing her expression with tones of hesitation, "Are you hungry again?"
The slayer momentarily treats himself to a few seconds worth of pause from his strolling pace, his knuckles easing their taut grip on Stormbinder's handle. "Remember the adorable group of mages we encountered the other day?" he started, deciding that adorable was the best word to describe the trio of juvenile mages with a dubious smile, "A little birdie told me that they were involved in a declaration made by the council, something about annihilating monsters that're threatening the country's peace."
He shrugs, his trademark smile faltering only slightly to show off the mischievous blue sparkle in his irises, "Just a few hours ago, the council released an additional memo about the situation." his voice drops, fading into an elusive whisper, words slowing into something vaguely sinister, "...Turns out there's more of them Meimei, and to think we met such a big hoard before...isn't that exciting? We were told to eliminate."
Jing pushes a chuckle out of his throat, the sort that would push anyone away in doubt, "Haha...its amusing that they've decided to make it easy for us to hunt them down...."
The purple-furred exceed proceeded to spare her master a glance that she was sure he'd recognize, her ears perking with her tail jittery and stiff. "...Uh, sure, okay, it probably is exciting for you...in a way." she said, her brow furrowing discreetly as she caught wind of the shadows that clung to his words like a lifeline, willing themselves to breathe, to exist.
Anymore, she thought, and it wouldn't turn out well.
In her short moment of apprehension, Meilin decides to express her worry in full, not caring for what it may imply for the redhead. "Jing-yi, everything's alright...right?" she said, her tone inquisitive, the extent of her concern overshadowed by her raised brow, "You're not going kookoo over some random hoo-ha right?"
Somehow, her odd way of putting things abruptly caused all his senses to shortwire out of its sheer randomness, tickling at his funny bone as a hearty, but restrained laugh clamored its way through his slips, the friction in the air melting indefinitely. "Pfffttt - what the hell Mei- gods of what even--"
His sudden, but humane response had caused the unknown distress in her chest to subside, where the eerie sense of madness was temporarily washed off by Jing's muffled giggles and the gentle, alluring lull of an on-going rain shower. Perhaps it was far too early to assume his mental state at that point, much to the exceed's relief.
And while Jing did relish the stomach cramps that came from laughing too much every now and again, the task at hand appeared to be largely persistent. From the corner of his way, several meters down the dirty, muddy path that he dutifully followed was a group of three, their auras distinctly coated in energies that were distinctly characteristic of active wizards. One of them in particular was awfully familiar, and it took him no more than a few short seconds to realize that the fluffy-haired child that ultimately saved his sorry ass from his carelessness was present among them, her impressive ensemble of an outfit slowly dampening from being exposed to the downpour.
Realizing the silence with as much curiosity, Meilin makes a bee line for the image ahead of them, her beady cat eyes squinting to grasp the figures as they conversed among each other.
"Isn't that-?"
"It is."
As he approached the group, a poisonous brew of thoughts began to cloud his better judgment, having him mull over the possibility that she may or may not recall his face considering how he immediately fled the scene upon the night of their first meeting. It was often the fleeting faces that appeared transient in memories, as they say.
Still, if he wished to get more leverage on the challenge given by the council, he needed a team, and by the gods, he'd been provided a chance to make due pleasantries. And if there was something noteworthy about his character, it would be his revulsion for all things wasted and unused.
Perhaps as a way to cut the distance between them, Jing moved to take his path elsewhere, sifting through the spaces in the trees before popping behind the little white miss.
"Hey there girly!" he spoke, his bright vermilion head poking out from beneath a mostly dead-looking shrub. His choice to move to the less scenic route hadn't chided him in appearance matters, and would leave him speckled with mud and small leaves weaving into his braid.
Beside him, his feline confidante would slap a single, slender paw over her eyes at the nature of Jing's introduction. It might have been fun for him to suddenly burst out of nowhere, because it was a habit of his, but the same couldn't possibly be said for the other three, who may or may not be slightly surprised by the appearance of a strange man from beyond the woods.
She wouldn't blame them if they started beating him up in a move to apprehend a 'weirdo' like her master - who could be anyone or anything to them at this point.
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![Novice [250]](https://i.imgur.com/lrYlde6.png)
