”…and then we probably should figure out a containment array,” Sizhui says, his voice trailing away as he looks at something over Jingyi’s shoulder. His eye twitches weirdly. ”Um. Hello, Jin Ling. You’re just in time.”
Jingyi whirls around.
There’s nothing remarkable about the Young Mistress Jin: he’s in his usual opulent golden robes with his golden belt and his golden hair ornaments and his vermillion dot and his stupid dog—
Wait.
”What the fuck is that?” Jingyi screeches.
”That is Fairy,” Jing Ling says through clenched teeth.
”Yes, yes, I can see that it’s your dog but what the hell is that thing around her neck?”
Because there’s something. It’s appallingly bright pink that seems to almost glow, making Jingyi’s eyes hurt. It’s atrocious.
Jin Ling huffs and crosses his arms on his chest, his oversized sword sticking out uncomfortably. ”That’s her new collar. I commissioned it myself.”
From a brothel madam or from a raging lunatic? Jingyi wants to ask, but before he can open his mouth, Sizhui jabs him in the ribs. It actually hurts quite a lot.
”It’s very eye-catching for sure,” Sizhui says in a placating tone.
Jin Ling shrugs, not quite meeting his eyes. ”I wanted something that’ll help me to see her wherever she is,” he mutters. ”And I wanted something very different from the previous one!”
”Mn,” Sizhui says. ”Her previous collar had bells, didn’t it?”
”Yeah. Monsters could hear her coming and run away. This won’t scare them like that.”
”Yeah, only scorches their eyeballs off,” Jingyi snorts.
”Monsters don’t have similar eyes as we do!” Jin Ling shoots back. ”And if you don’t like it, you don’t have to watch it! In fact, I’d like you to never look at Fairy again!”
”What am I supposed to do then, night-hunt with my eyes closed?”
”Yes!”
”I can’t! Then I wouldn’t see where I’m going and—”
Sizhui clears his throat and smiles tightly. ”Should we perhaps head out?”
They start toward the abandoned farmhouse that has apparently (possibly, maybe, hopefully not) a ghost that has been ”eating” people, planning their approach as they go. Fairy trots in front of them, her fluffy fur mostly (but not entirely) hiding the hideous pink collar.
”Well, at least it’s something Jin Guangyao would’ve never chosen,” Jingyi says.
”Oh, fuck you, Lan Jingyi!” Jin Ling hisses and rushes forward, taking Fairy (and her eye-watering collar) with him.
”What? That was a compliment!” Jingyi exclaims, then turns to huff at Sizhui, ”That was a compliment, right?”
Sizhui sighs.