hello yes I'm sorry for almost being late on this but the first draft was a hot mess from being written during NaNoWriMo! as always thank you to dragonofeternal for massive help with editing this beast :D

Hakuryuu wakes up the next morning and shoots Aladdin a text to let him know he'll be coming over to get something for Alibaba. He's hoping that Alibaba will back him up if questioned, but even if he doesn't, he should be able to get into his apartment and get the lamp before anyone's the wiser. Judal gave him a key that claims to open any non-magical lock, so as long as Aladdin hasn't put some sort of protective spell on the door, he should be able to get in.

Luckily, Aladdin is already at class when he gets to their apartment. It's been cleaned up since the murder, which is a good sign. It looked pretty terrible. The lock clicks open without a fuss, and Hakuryuu tucks the key away for later. Judal never specifically said he had to give it back when he was done with it.

The magic in the room doesn't feel much more oppressive than last time, but it's everywhere, and now that he's felt it again, Hakuryuu can tell that Alibaba reeks of it. They're probably going to have to pull spells out of him later. Thankfully he's taken this whole magic being real thing well, to the point that Hakuryuu has the feeling that Aladdin had a talk with him.

The lamp is sitting on a shelf, looking for all the world like an innocent trinket being used for decoration. He knows better. He lifts it with magic and drops it into a thick bag, careful not to touch it. He's not getting cursed again. He's learned his lesson.

Hakuryuu locks up behind him and puts the bag in the passenger seat. He doesn't want to let it too far out of his sight, just in case. He texts Judal his status and gets on the road, intent to get this into Judal's hands as quickly as possible.

It feels wrong in his car, different than how the pottery felt, different from other cursed things they've picked up. Those other cursed items were like single-celled microbes; the genie's lamp feels as complex as a living, breathing person. He shudders, gripping the wheel. Hakuryuu wishes that Alibaba lived closer. Or perhaps that Judal had come along so they could just use one of his teleportation spells to get home.

The lamp stays by his side the whole trip, and despite how uneasy it makes him feel, the drive passes without incident. Hakuryuu worries that perhaps he's being paranoid, but it's still better safe than sorry.

"Look at that, picking up my messes for me," Judal says cheekily. He's leaning against the front door with a mug of coffee in his hands, dressed comfortably instead of flashy for once. Hakuryuu is filled with the overwhelming sense of how in tune he is with Judal's moods, just from looking at what he's wearing, and the strangest part is how natural it feels. He didn't plan this. He didn't try to make Judal such an important part of his life, but here they are.

"I wish you'd come along," Hakuryuu tells him honestly. "I don't like being around this alone."

Judal's cheeks flush but he tries to play it off casually. "I dunno, you're pretty good at dealing with cursed shit now. I feel like I've trained you well."

Hakuryuu nods. "I still don't like this in particular. Its aura feels like it will stick to anything it touches."

"So did you notice that Cassim is covered in shit, too?" Judal asks, opening the door for them and locking it behind him. Apparently they're going to be closed again today. That's probably for the best.

"Of course I did. Here I thought you weren't paying attention," he teases, setting the bag on the desk in the office. Judal laughs at him but his expression turns serious when he prods it with his wand. There's a long, tense silence, until Judal turns to look at him.

"So uh, good news and bad news," he begins, and Hakuryuu frowns deeply. There is no way this is going to go well. Judal doesn't continue though, an awkward smile just frozen on his face like that's going to make things better.

"Yes?" Hakuryuu finally says, trying to prod him along. He doesn't usually have to drag things out of Judal, not like this.

"Well, good news is that the genie can't hurt us immediately," he says cheerfully. "Bad news is the genie isn't actually in this lamp anymore. And I dunno where it is."

Hakuryuu stares at him, stunned speechless for a moment. "Judal, that is terrible news."

"Yeah. Yeah, I dunno what else to tell you, except- Oh, I know. We could just pretend it's not our problem anymore," Judal suggests, and for a second, Hakuryuu actually thinks he's being serious. But he knows better. Judal plays like he doesn't give a shit about anyone, but he wouldn't actually leave a dangerous problem loose for someone else to deal with.

"Or we could find it and fight it," Hakuryuu tells him. "That way it won't end in any damage to the shop or your home."

Judal rolls his eyes but doesn't disagree. "I guess. Gonna feed your pets before we go hunting?"

"Don't call Alibaba and Cassim that. It makes it sound dirty," he says, making a face. "It's weird."

He laughs at Hakuryuu. "You're the pervert who took it that way! Just chuck some donuts in there or something while I get better clothes on."

Hakuryuu doesn't bother to answer him, instead heading back out to his car to get the groceries he picked up for Alibaba and Cassim. It's mostly non-perishables, but Cassim also insisted on a pack of cigarettes and somehow he got roped into buying it. He had better not burn the place down with them.

This time the door comes naturally; it's second nature, just like many parts of Judal's shop have become to him. Hakuryuu hesitates for a moment, lost in thought. Judal gave him the nebulous concept of a few hundred years of service, and he hadn't taken it seriously at the time. But now he knows that Judal is old enough that he'll still be around in that time, he's starting to wonder if he actually will be stuck here that long, and what will happen if he's ever free of serving Judal. Will he even have to worry about maintaining friendships if they're going to grow old while he's here looking youthful with Judal?

Maybe now isn't the best time to be overthinking all of this. He has a task to accomplish and then an evil genie to deal with, which isn't exactly where he expected his life to be. But it's happening and he at least has some ideas for how to take care of it.

Hakuryuu opens the door and there's a sudden hushed silence, like he's walking into some sort of discussion or argument that he isn't supposed to be privy to. Alibaba looks uncomfortable and Cassim is casually smoking out one of the windows, but Alibaba quickly forces a smile on his face.

"Hey, Hakuryuu! Good morning, right?" he says quickly.

"Yes. I brought food," he says, lifting one of the bags to show them. He's not going to draw attention to whatever discussion they were having; he's not here to pry. Judal would, but Judal has no sense of personal space or privacy.

"Ah, thank you," he says, taking the bags from Hakuryuu. "Oh, you got uh, bread and peanut butter?"

"It's very self stable and long lasting."

"Uh. Thanks?"

Hakuryuu tries to smile but settles on a terse nod. "You're welcome. Judal and I are going out today to track down the genie."

Alibaba glances up from the bag of food he's looking through. "I thought you were gonna get the lamp from my apartment."

"I did. The genie isn't in it anymore," Hakuryuu explains tensely.

"Oh."

Cassim looks over at them. "You know you sound like fucking retards talking about magic and genies like it's something that happens so simply, right?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you have another explanation for what you've seen? If you want to stay willfully ignorant and disbelieve whatever is in front of you, that's your own business, but frankly, it's stupid," Hakuryuu snaps. "Neither Judal or I have to help you, and I personally think you belong in the prison you broke out of. So you should try being grateful before one of us loses our patience."

He flicks his cigarette out the window and turns to face Hakuryuu properly. Gone is any sort of false friendliness, replaced with the sharp look of someone who thinks he's the most important and powerful man in the room. "Look, you really expect me to believe that you and your scrawny friend can do that much to me? Flashy sleight of hand isn't scary."

He's not here to fight with Cassim. He's here to drop off food and leave, and save all his energy for dealing with the genie. But there's just something in his attitude that sets Hakuryuu off: maybe it's the unwillingness to believe what's going on or his refusal to take anything seriously, but it's too much to just sit quietly and take. He's learned that he doesn't have to be the quiet, polite man who never objects.

Hakuryuu doesn't practice offensive magic, not the way Judal does, but he's learned enough. He flicks his wand towards Cassim and even though there's no plants in this room, nothing but dead air drawing on old memories, he pulls vines out of nothing and drags him to the floor. Alibaba jerks towards him while Cassim swears and struggles, but Hakuryuu's already done wasting time on them.

"I don't have to put up with your attitude," he says in parting and slams the door behind him, twisting sigils and power to lock it away. It might not have been as bombastic or nasty as Judal would have been, but standing his ground with such force still leaves him shaken.

It's okay. He's got this. He'll just go find Judal and get out of here to go after the genie who deserves it more, rather than Alibaba's mouthy friend.

Judal is sitting at the front counter tapping at his phone, but he looks up excitedly when Hakuryuu comes back. "Hey, you're back! Ready to- shit, you look shaken up. What happened? Do I have to beat someone up?"

"It's nothing," Hakuryuu tries to say calmly. "Let's get going."

"Whoa, whoa, you are a terrible liar. What's actually wrong?" Judal asks, pulling at Hakuryuu's arm in concern. His bright expression is now worried and soft, and Hakuryuu feels himself giving in without meaning to.

"I had a small disagreement with Cassim and I may have lost my temper slightly," he admits. "It's not a big deal. I'd rather get on with the day."

Judal doesn't stop him from leaving the shop at least and follows him to the car without any more complaints, the bag with the lamp in it tucked under his arm. But once he's settled in the car, he opens his mouth again. "Here I thought you never lost your cool. What did he do, piss on your dead brothers' graves or something?"

Hakuryuu is glad he hasn't started the car yet. "Do you think before you talk?"

"Not really, no."

He sighs. "He's just obstinate and refuses to believe what he sees around him. He tried to tell me I was an idiot for acting like magic and genies were real things that existed."

Judal seems unperturbed. "Yeah, a lot of people feel that way. It's pretty common to just, I dunno, not wanna admit that there's this whole layer to the world you never knew before. I'm kinda surprised you took everything as well as you did."

"I- I guess it just seemed natural, once I saw it happening," Hakuryuu says, thinking back. It seemed impossible at first, but he couldn't argue with the truth. What else could have possibly explained what was happening to him? "I don't understand how anyone could see magic with their own eyes and still refuse to believe its existence."

"Some people just don't wanna see what they don't wanna see. I'm sure you've met someone like that before," Judal says, staring out the window. They're driving aimlessly right now, vaguely out of the city towards where Judal is hoping the genie is holed up, but they don't have anything more concrete than that.

Hakuryuu's breath catches in his throat as he thinks of his sister and the disagreements they've had, and the awkward truce they've sort of formed where they don't talk about things that make them uncomfortable. She won't believe what's right in front of them about their mother and their past, despite everything Hakuryuu has tried to explain, and he doesn't want to think about how much that still hurts. "I have," he says simply, turning onto the expressway, and Judal doesn't question him further.

It's almost fall but the heat is still clinging, heavy and desperate, and they drive with the windows down despite the discomfort. Judal insists on it and Hakuryuu doesn't have the heart to tell him no.

"This is so fucking stupid," Judal suddenly shouts, breaking the silence. "I hate it! I keep trying to track this fucker but it won't lead me anywhere else because I've got the lamp with us, so I have no idea where we're actually supposed to go."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm gonna train you to track bullshit next, 'cause I feel like you'll take to it pretty well. It's like, a cousin of the magic for making the door vanish and shit, and you picked that up quickly," he explains. "Ugh. Maybe I can figure it out some other way."

Hakuryuu keeps driving, trying to think. "We should still head out of town. I think we'll have better luck away from the mess of the city."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just fussy, you know?"

"I know. Do you want something to eat?"

Judal shakes his head. "That's not it, but thanks anyway. You're a real thoughtful guy sometimes."

Hakuryuu gives him a sideways glance. "If you say so."

"I do! Ohhh, take that exit," Judal says suddenly, gesturing to the far left. Hakuryuu slams on his breaks, flips on his turn signal, and weaves to the side. They just barely make it, and Hakuryuu has to resist sighing heavily in relief when he pulls onto the exit ramp without getting clipped. He hates having to cut across so many lanes of traffic like this.

"Please tell me this was actually necessary for something."

"Yeah, I have a good feeling about going this way," he explains, directing Hakuryuu through back streets out of the city until they drive past a small park, tucked in between some rundown rowhouses and a block of abandoned store fronts. They almost drive past it, but something catches Judal's eye, and he screeches. "Stop!"

Hakuryuu slams on the brakes, silently grateful that they're on an empty street. His driving luck is going to run out very soon if Judal keeps this shit up. "What is it?"

"We gotta go in there," Judal says, pointing at the park. "Just, I dunno, park somewhere? It's in there."

He loops around the block and parks in front of the park's entrance, checking to make sure he's not going to get towed or ticketed for leaving his car here. The parking spot looks good, unlike the neighborhood and whatever is hiding inside the park itself. Judal grabs the bag with the lamp in it and clambers out of the car quickly, impatient and ready to go already.

"Come on!" he whines. "No one's gonna take your car."

"Well, it looks like an unsafe neighborhood, and I don't want to break some sort of parking law," Hakuryuu says evenly. He's trying to keep his nerves under control. This sounds like it will be harder to deal with then the ghost - where he did absolutely nothing during, except get Judal's wand back to him - and maybe on par with the Barren Neotoma - where his only skill was figuring out they could curse it. He's practiced since, and Zagan's wand has helped, but he still feels like he's just here to drive Judal to the action and then stand aside so he doesn't get in the way. He doesn't blame Judal for it, either. He knows he's second rate in comparison.

Judal walks into the park without fear, glancing around. Well, no time to keep beating himself up. Judal has already decided it's time to get to work.