Jewel | XiaoJin Fanfic

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 13

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Xiaoting

"But that sounds too old! She's a baby but you're making a name for a grandmother." Jewel whines.

And for the hundredth time I sigh. "There's nothing wrong with, as you put it, an 'old' name. You ask me for a suggestion, I simply provide you with one."

"But it doesn't fit her." She flops back down on the pile of silk sheets.

"Then you decide it, as I kept telling you since the break of dawn." I sigh, putting my head on the ground.

"But I can't think of anything good!"

I ignored her ramblings and stared at the crawling little one.

"Xiao mei, come here." I soften my voice and usher her with my tail.

She giggles as I pat her bottom which makes her fall forward.

"Keep going," I say with a smile. "You can do it, xiao mei."

She gurgles unintelligible words as she drools saliva over the cotton-covered stone floor. And of course, she doesn't understand my words as she turns on her back and reaches for my tail.

"I suppose you've had enough exercise for now." I say with amusement.

A giggle from the side takes my attention. Jewel was also staring at the child with a wet towel on hand. She picks her up and wipes away the drool.

"My friends would never believe me when I say that my keeper who scared me by making me free fall from the sky is now innocently playing with a drooling baby."

I rolled my eyes. "I expect secrecy from this interaction, jewel. I have an image to maintain."

"Of course, Miss big scary dragon." She mocks and I simply ignore her by closing my eyes.

I hear them approach me and I felt the little one grabbing on to my scales. I leaned my head to the side to make it easier for her.

"Look at her grip. She's so strong already." The princess' voice was laced with amazement.

"That's to be expected. She's more than a day's old already." I answer noncomittedly.

I peeked my eye open at her silence and was greeted with her dazed expression.

Ah. I shouldn't have said that.

"A day's old!?" She shrieks, surprising xiao mei who was quick enough to hold on to a protruding scale, giggling at her own slip.

"Yes."

"I— How!? She looks between a year or two already!"

"That's just how she is."

"That doesn't explain anything."

"It explains everything."

She smacks my snout although I barely felt it. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"It does if it doesn't, it doesn't if it does." I chuckle.

"Ugh!" She shouts in frustration. "I hate your dragon talk."

She hesitated for a bit, "Is she, she's not, how do I say this— not exactly human then? Is she a product of magic or something?"

I looked at her silently before tilting my head to the side. "Would it matter if she is?"

"I mean, of course it does! It matters but it will not change how I look at her now. More so, she did not wish to be born nor does she have a choice on what she is, so I cannot judge her nor do I want to do such a thing. I'm just curious, really. Especially when you said that she is a day's old only." She huffed.