The apartment door creaked shut behind him. From the bed along the wall, a sleeping Xia's eyes fluttered open. 

Wanfeng gasped, nearly dropping the pizza boxes he held as he shot out an arm to brace himself against the bathroom door frame.

Xia sat up and stretched her arms over her head.

"Wanf--" the rest of his name was swallowed by a yawn.  "Huh, I guess I fell asleep after all," she mumbled. She scratched the back of her head, eyeing the pizza boxes.  "Oh, that smells good." Then she frowned. "I thought I'd locked the door.  Wanfeng?  Are you ok?  Where's Kai?"

Wanfeng never saw the blur that was Xia who one moment was sitting in bed, the next by his side as his knees began to give way. She steadied him with a hand to his arm, catching the falling boxes with her other hand in another blur of speed. 

The radio on the counter clicked on. "What a catch! Batter out! We're in the home stretch now, folks! 7th inning coming up!" chirped an ecstatic sportscaster.

Tossing the pizza boxes onto the dining table, Xia pulled Wanfeng away from the wall.

"Wanfeng? What's wrong?"  Xia's touch sent soothing waves of warm mist throughout his chilled body.  He cupped his hand to her face.  "Xia, are you alright?"

"Huh? I took a nap, Wanfeng. Nevermind me. What's going on with you?"

Wanfeng looked about the apartment. Nothing out of place. The table was intact, the chairs in their place, the bathroom door frame whole.

Anger rose inside him.  It was like the night of Xia's nightmare when he awoke in bed with her the next morning. Everything was back the way it was as if nothing had occurred. But this time...This time, Wanfeng remembered everything. And his body remembered too...

Touching Xia now, he felt the ripple in the tide left within him from the joining of their essences. The mind-blowing release he'd experienced from their coupling; the powerful passion they had shared.  Had time come to a standstill? Had it truly happened? Xia's clothes were as intact as his. And Wanfeng no longer felt the sting left by foxclaw scratches on his body. If he looked, would there be anything to see?

"Hey!" 

Wanfeng grabbed Xia's wrist and shoved her hoodie sleeve up.  No glowing circle. It wasn't on the fingers of her hands either.

Leaning onto her, Wanfeng stared past Xia's shoulder to the bed.  There. Lying atop the rumpled blanket.  A small circlet of silver. 

"Wanfeng, you're scaring me. Say something. What's wrong?"

_____

"Stupid fucking traffic cop!!"

Chen Kai slammed the condo door shut behind him, hurling his jacket across the mini bar. Car keys flew out a pocket to clatter onto the tiled floor.

He'd been so distracted by the strange anticipation building inside of him that he hadn't been minding his speed on the road, something he usually never failed to do. It took the blue and red flashing lights in his rearview for how fast he was going to register, to the tune of a $200 fine and 3 demerit points. Then to add insult to injury, a broken water main detour had delayed Kai even further.

Snatching the whiskey bottle from behind the bar, he filled an empty glass with ice before dropping onto his sofa.   A touch of a remote button here, a few swipes on his phone there, and the camera feed choices were casted onto his TV screen.  The ice in the glass tinkled as Kai poured himself a drink.

Ryers had set it up so Kai could tell which feed was which: basement, outside main door, first landing, second landing, **GIRL**. Kai smirked.   Each display had a red recording notification next to a choice for "live", Ryers having set them to record before he left. Kai selected the live feed for Xia's apartment. The app started playing a portion of an earlier recording from the camera above the main entry instead.  Kai tried selecting Xia's apartment once more.  The app wouldn't open it.  Nice, Ryers, Kai grumbled to himself.  

He couldn't complain about the image quality though.  The outside camera offered a near panoramic view of the front walkway, sidewalk, and street.  On opposite corners of the screen, Kai could glimpse part of the second floor balconies on either side of the awning. 

The front door was closed.  An occasional car passed on the street.  There was nothing to see or hear until one of the balcony doors creaked open. A scruffy pair of slippers peeking out from beneath the bottom hem of a coat shuffled forward into view. The old woman. 

Sorry about the cold temperature indoors, Ms. O'Sullivan. But by now you must be feeling the heat coming from the downstairs.  Ice tinkled again as Kai raised his whiskey glass in mock salute to the screen.  The slippers shuffled right to the edge of the balcony platform.  What had the old woman been doing earlier?  Just looking out onto the street? Maybe she'd stepped out for a smoke.

A burst of feathers exploded onto the TV screen! "What the?!!" Kai jerked backwards. Whiskey sloshed out his glass. 

Mad chirping and the beating of wings accompanied a close up view of a bird's eyeball filling up the screen.  The bird must have clutched on to the awning where the camera was installed. Was there a nest there?  What was the stupid thing doing?!

The beady eyeball drew back. Then like in some cheap special effects movie, the bird's head zoomed in and out with manic speed as it pecked away at where the camera was. The sharp ratatatatatat of its beak against the metal awning was jarring.  Kai grabbed the TV remote to lower the volume then squinted at the screen.  Between close ups of the bird's eyeball and beak, he could see the old woman's feet come even closer, right up to the edge of the balcony platform where the awning was. The bottom of the coat crumbled down to pool onto the balcony. The woman must have crouched down to check what was going on.  Unless she's deaf, she must've heard the bird.

The recording went black.

Kai blinked, then rubbed his eyes.

Ok, that was whack.  Damage caused by the bird had messed up the video before frying it? Just before the feed cut out, the bird's eyeball looked like it morphed into the shape of a human eye, a green one.  Then weird distortion where what looked like tree roots shot off the edge of the old woman's balcony.

The outside camera's live feed wouldn't work.  Yeah, that camera was bird seed now, no doubt.   An annoyed Kai refilled his glass as he checked out the camera feeds on each landing which worked when selected.

Nothing had gone on or currently happening on the second floor. Same deal for the lobby.

Attempting Xia's apartment again earned him a portion of recording from the basement hallway instead. Fuck, Ryers. You know better than to deal me crap! Kai angrily swished his glass to stir up the ice as he brought it to his lips.  The basement hallway's camera was installed in the ceiling between Xia's and the Frenchman's door. Movement at the bottom of the screen made Kai pause mid sip.

The Frenchman's black cat sauntered leisurely into the center of the camera's field of view to sit down in the middle of the hallway. The cat's yellow eyes reflected the overhead light as it raised its head and blinked at the ceiling.  If Kai didn't know better, he'd think it were looking straight at him.  The cat's tail swished from side to side before it flopped onto a haunch with a mrrt.  It raised a hind leg over its head and began licking its balls with a loud purr.

Kai might have been amused if it weren't for the fact he hated cats and was pissed off at the moment.  

When the Frenchman opened his door, the cat bounded up, its tail curling like a question mark. Though he understood French, Kai couldn't quite make out the scratchy lyrics of the song playing inside the old man's apartment. Something about passion and storms? If Kai had to listen to that throwback elevator music everyday, he'd lose it.

The Frenchman bent down to pet the cat, who meowed, then entered the apartment.  Straightening up, the old man stared at Xia's closed door with an odd smile on his face.  Huh, Monsieur Michaud.  Interested in some hot young piece of ass?  A dark scowl crossed the Frenchman's face just then.

What was that sound over the music?  Was that thunder? Kai grabbed his TV remote to boost the volume which earned him a whine of feedback off the audio instead. He punched the mute button hard. During the few seconds Kai looked down to adjust the volume again, a silent screenful of gnashing, yellowed canine teeth filled the entire TV screen. When Kai looked up, there was but a quiet hallway again, the Frenchman's door closed as before.

That was fast.

Kai's thumb paused on his phone.  Was it him or did his phone feel warm?

Yes! Finally! The feed from Xia's apartment came on when he chose it!  Whatever had been blocking it seemed to have resolved.  But the gleam of anticipation in Kai's gaze was short lived.  The timestamp and duration revealed another partial recording. Still no live feed.  At this point he'd take what he could get.

Downing his whiskey,  Kai fast-forwarded through initial footage of an empty apartment, only resuming play when Xia appeared through the door with the lacquer box he'd given her. He and Wanfeng must have just left then.  Kai watched her empty out a large duffel bag.  What the hell was that she was taking out of it?  Parts of a costume?  A black uniform?  When she started coughing, Xia went to the kitchen area to make herself a cup of tea. Kai smiled. He'd been right in thinking she'd really go for his gift of his mother's teas.

Geez Xia, where'd you get that old beat up CD-radio player anyway? he thought as she put on a CD. The telltale refrain of an 80s ballad began to play. Wait, is that Bon Jovi?  Kai laughed.  Guess he better brush up on some 80s music trivia to engage her in conversation next time.

Kai stopped laughing however when Xia went to her dresser. Sitting forward elbows on knees, he tensed.  But all Xia ended up doing was put on an extra hoodie and some socks.  Finishing off her tea, she then lay down in bed. 

It was dim inside Xia's apartment.  She hadn't turned any lights on. And the window above her bed was getting darker.  Kai glanced out his penthouse window at the blue sky and sunshine that had been there all day. Huh.

What looked to be the start of a nap was interrupted when Xia suddenly reached under her mattress.  Kai couldn't get a clear view of whatever it was she pulled out, her hair was in the way. But whatever it was had to be small enough for her to hold in one hand since she slipped it back with just an arm. Rolling onto her back, Xia studied something now on her fingers.  In the dim light, Kai couldn't quite make it out. Something silver. Small.

He grew amused when she started throwing dirty looks in the direction of her door.  Something was annoying her.  Kai could hear faint banging in the background. Ryers fixing the furnace and setting up the torcher.

Don't like noise, Xia? Guess I'll be owing you a nap. You'll find it very quiet here in my penthouse, I promise. 

Kai started to refill his glass when Xia looked to be getting up. But breaking into a yawn, she fell back onto her bed instead, eyes closed.

Her apartment lit up in a glow.

And nine shadow tentacles creeped up the wall behind Xia. The image froze. 

"FUCK!" Spilled whiskey splashed everywhere when Kai slammed the bottle down hard on the table.  Scrambling for his phone grown hot to the touch, Kai desperately tried to call back the feed from Xia's apartment.  His rage exploded.  None of the cameras worked anymore!  All feeds had gone dead!  "Just like you, Ryers!! You're dead!" 

The frozen image on his TV screen began to fade. In those desperate last seconds, Kai managed to snap a screenshot of that last frame with a phone that had begun to smoke. His fingertips nearly blistered as he sent it off as an email to himself.

His cellphone went dead with a stench of scorched plastic, the screen cracking with a sizzle when he tossed it into the puddle of whiskey before him.

Kai stared at the dark TV screen. His hand trembled but a moment as he downed his overfilled glass in one shot.  But his pounding heart steadied quick enough as his rage and shock changed to something else.  

He grabbed the condo landline off the wall behind the sofa to call the one phone number he'd known by heart for years.

_____

Wanfeng snatched the silver circlet from the blanket and held it up to the sunlight streaming from the window. 

"Wanfeng!  What are you doing?!  Give me back my bracelet!"

Xia had followed on his heels when he'd rushed to her bed. She tried to take the bracelet but he held it high and out of reach of her hands.

He'd found the answer to one mystery.  For etched on the silver bracelet was Xia's immortal name, the glow of sunrise.

"Where did you get this bracelet, Xia? It has your name on it."

Xia blinked, stunned that Wanfeng easily read what Pete had told her had taken weeks of searching to find a linguist who could.

"It's--it's my bracelet," she stammered. "From when I was a baby..."

Wanfeng stared at her. "You had this as a baby?  Where did it come from?  Who gave it to you?"

Xia shook her head, her face paling.  "I don't, I don't kn--  It's none of your business, Wanfeng!  Give it back!" She winced, clapping her hand to her temple.

"Xia, this is very important.  I know exactly from where this bracelet comes. It's--" 

Crying out, Xia clutched her head between her hands, trembling.

Wanfeng clamped his mouth shut. It's me! My words are hurting her! He pulled her into his arms, his thoughts racing.

Had an infant Xia been wearing the bracelet when swept away in the Cataclysm?  How could it have been on fire about her wrist before given its size?  Wanfeng felt nothing from the bracelet now.  Whatever had made the moon and stars of home blaze through the apartment was but a tiny inert circle of silver now. Not whatever...  fox magic. Xia's fox magic.

Wanfeng wanted to seize this chance to reveal what he could but another sharp wince from Xia stayed his words.  How can I speak of what I must without causing you pain, Xia?  Why are my words affecting you this way? 

'Set us free' echoed in his mind. The shadow of foxtails, unable to coalesce.  No, that's not true.  They did emerge whole, while we were... 

But otherwise, Xia's fox spirit wasn't free to manifest.  It was being blocked, by Xia herself.

The more Wanfeng reflected on this, the more the truth of it came forth.  That's it.   Release the fox, release the magic. What will it take? How did it come to be that Xia subconsciously suppressed her essence?  She isn't aware she's doing it.

If suppressed since infancy, could Wanfeng break through?  But he already had, or they had, together, when uniting their souls... or rather when some outside force had triggered their essences on a primal level.

Who was manipulating reality around them?

Wanfeng recalled the haunting melody from the Elder Antoine's chambers.

Xia pulled out of Wanfeng's embrace, looking contrite.  "I'm sorry, Wanfeng.  I shouldn't have lost my temper.  The bracelet is a personal thing for me.  I... I have no family." She steeled her shoulders as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.  "I was abandoned as a baby and this was the only thing I had with me."

A silent Wanfeng took Xia's hand and pressed the bracelet to her palm, gently folding her hand closed within his. He wiped away the tear that had trickled down on Xia's cheek with his other. 

"Why does it always feel good when you hold my hand, Wanfeng, when you touch me?" Xia bit down on her lip with a slight blush. "I thought I was going to have to take one of my migraine pills now but the pain is gone. How strange."

The pain was gone because he'd stopped trying to question her.  The thought of causing Xia pain upset him, but Wanfeng felt doubly frustrated.  What other recourse did he have?  She needed to know of her true self, her family. He had to find her path here to find the way back home, for both of them. How long must I hold off?

The radio clicked on with a buzz of static.

"Ugh, that radio," Xia muttered.  "If I forget to unplug it, it turns on and off at random sometimes. If it weren't for the CDs, I'd have changed it long ago.... Wanfeng?"

The static underscored a commercial announcer's voice.

"Today's gamecast was brought to you in part by Northeast Journey Tours celebrating their  grand opening tomorrow with incredible surprise deals!! Holding off on planning a trip?  Wait just one more day and make Northeast your number one destination for all your travel and getaway needs!!"

Wanfeng stared at the radio.

Wait one more day, he thought.

The radio clicked off.

"Wanfeng, please, are you ok?"

He gave Xia a soft smile.  "Yes, I'm ok now," he said, gently tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry I worried you before. I was dizzy from being... in Chen Kai's car. And I'm sorry I upset you about your bracelet just now."

"Where is Kai?  I thought he was coming back with you."

What will happen when tomorrow comes?

Wanfeng sighed.

"Come Xia, let's eat."