In The Shadow of Asora

6. Music Bunny

Mingi and Jongho returned safely before morning dawned. With by now practised confidence, they returned to the canyon and Mingi brought them back over via his grappling gun. Jongho wasn't too tired yet, but his mind was still preoccupied with the odd boy he had met in the castle. Thus, as soon as he was safely back in Zey, he relaxed his muscles for seemingly the first time in the whole night.

At his sigh, Mingi threw him an empathetic smirk.

"You can stay until the curfew is over. I will do some work."

Jongho appreciated his help. He had worked with a bunch of other people before, and none was as compassionate and patient as Mingi had been. He didn't pry into Jongho's private business, and he even offered him some more of his bitter tea after he had settled in the corner of the room. Jongho accepted the kindness with a small smile.

For a while, they shared the silence while the needle on the clock slowly inched further towards eight. By the time that it was safe for Jongho to go, Mingi was napping on the desk. He had barely finished unpacking his things before his lids had fluttered shut, and Jongho found it amusing. Yet, Mingi kept reminding him of Yunho in the most painful of ways. Yunho had always been too trusting, also.

As much as Jongho hoped to sneak out without waking his snoring companion, he needed Mingi to close the hatch behind Jongho safely. Thus, he woke the man with gentle nudges. Mingi blinked disoriented for a moment before he understood.

"Ah, time for you to leave! I must say I had a good time with you. No hassle to deal with." He snatched his keys and led Jongho back through the tunnel they had come through.

"I agree. Thank you for being a decent human being."

Mingi's laughter burst out of his chest with no buildup. He went from a neutral expression to a happy grin within the blink of an eye. Much lighter than his speaking voice, his giggles echoed through the tunnel.

"I guess that's something we need to thank each other for in a place like this."

Jongho chuckled into his mask. Zey was like that. Helping someone got you into your grave, but sometimes, meeting people in work-centred circumstances could lead to jobs well done.

Before Jongho left the house, he and Mingi shook hands for one last time. Jongho made sure to memorise the tall man with the hair as red as fire and a long coat that swished behind him. Then, he was already on his way again.

The sun crawled over the far horizon and bathed Asora in gleaming white light. Jongho watched the blinding crenellations on each, and every house reflected a whole rainbow of colours that pained his eyes to look at. Zey was still bathed in the cold shadows of the night as he travelled over the roofs back to his frequented spots.

While Zey fell back into the full bustle routine, Jongho successfully handed the fuse over to Youjin's boss and received his payment in return. The man suggested that Jongho take jobs with Mingi in Asora more often from now on, but Jongho made no promises. The canyon was a dangerous thing to play with, and if Jongho was gone, who would look after his father? He preferred a sense of safety.

After searching through the shady alleys, Jongho also discovered a merchant willing to rid him of his fancy vase. All through their deal, he rambled about some city far in the north that had a grand interest in items such as this one. Jongho had watched him with crossed arms when the man had been bold enough to throw in a few winks after mentioning that they were usually reserved for the royal family.

When he had finally haggled up the price enough for his liking, Jongho left with his bags full. Once he rid himself of anything vaguely related to the palace, he returned to the usual ease he crossed Zey with.