King Of Bandit Jing Fan Fiction ❯ Bandits Make Great Babysitters ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Jing climbed over a vine covered brick fence and landed almost silently on the other side, sticking to the shadows. Kir hadn't spotted any dogs on the property, but that didn't mean they weren't there. It just meant they hadn't been out while Kir flew watch.

The grounds of the manor were immaculately kept with a few flowering bushes placed just so, and shrubs placed decoratively around the base of the giant house. The manor itself looked like a palace compared to the other homes in the city, and also looked as if it were made of white marble. Light glowed behind the windows in soft amber tones, shinging softly down onto the lawn. Jing slunk closer to the house. He'd have to cross the path of the door, but he was confident he could make it without getting caught. He edged close to the door and was about halfway across when it opened.

A tall woman perhaps in her mid-thirties opened the door dressed in a long glittering evening gown the colour of spring leaves. Her blonde hair was swept back into a complex design and held there with jeweled pins. She wore a pair of tortoise shell glasses and held a diamond studded hand purse.

"Ah, you must be the replacement!" she exclaimed, grabbing Jing by the arm and dragging him inside. "Judy called off sick and said that she would be sending someone else. We didn't think you would be here this soon, but we're glad you made it."

"Uh..." Jing stuttered, tongue-tied.

"Now, Zynfindel hasn't had supper yet; she eats promptly at nine. No sweets. She takes a bath right before bed, but make sure that she brushes her hair so it doesn't tangle when it dries. Also, she may fuss a little but be sure that she brushes her teeth as well. If she doesn't want to go to bed right away just read her a book and she'll fall asleep eventually. Money is on the kitchen table. Are you okay with everything?"

"Er..."

"Glad to hear it. Have fun. Come along dear, or we'll be late!" A man, dressed just as richly as his wife, descended down a set of stairs, giving Jing a penetrating stare before escorting his wife out of the house.

"Jing, let me in!" Kir called from the other side of a window. Jing opened the door and let his partner in, both of them looking at each other. "Well. That was easy," Kir grinned. "Let's get the Star and leave."

"We can't leave a little girl here all by herself," Jing countered.

"You? Babysit? No way! Jing, we have a job to do! Let's do it!"

"Kir," Jing admonished, giving the bird a stern look.

Kir heaved a sigh and gave in. "All right, all right. We steal the Star and we wait for the parents to come home. Happy? But I am NOT playing with the little rug-rat. Where is she anyways?"

"I don't know," Jing replied. He climbed the first few steps, then called out, "Zynfindel?" No reply met his words.

"Maybe she's hiding," Kir suggested.

"You don't look like anyone my Dad would hire," came a very strong, yet child-like voice. A little girl suddenly appeared standing at the bottom of the stairs. She had short brown kinky-curly hair and pale grey eyes. She was wearing a long white dress that only made her pale skin look even whiter. "You look like a common sneak-thief to me. Who are you?"

Jing laughed a little nervously. "My name is Jing. And you must be Zynfindel."

She made a face when he said her name, wrinkling her nose. "I hate that name," she said, then pointed at Jing. "You shall adress me as Zyni. Are you really my babysitter?"

"Pretty straight forward for a six year old," Kir whispered to Jing. "Kind of obnoxious too."

"Do you train your bird to insult all of your clients?" Zyni asked coldly.

"No, Kir has a smart mouth of his own," Jing replied.

"H-he talks on his own? Like a person?" She sounded less snobby this time, and more amazed.

"That's right. Zyni, this is Kir," Jing introduced, nodding for Kir to hop down to the floor so Zyni could get a better look. Kir glared at Jing but hopped onto the floor anways.

"He's... kind of cute!" Zyni said slowly, touching Kir's wing lightly, as if she didn't quite believe he was real. Or as if she wasn't sure she was allowed. Jing couldn't tell which it was. "Does he do any tricks?"

"Tricks?" Kir snapped, aghast. "Kid, I'm not a dog! I-" Zyni started to tear up and whimper, automatically making Kir feel guilty. The look Jing gave him didn't make the bird feel any better. "Uh... well, let's see here... I can cook!"

That simple claim brought Zyni out of her tears, and Kir wondered if it had been an act. "A bird that cooks? I didn't know birds could do that."

"I," Kir replied, puffing out his chest, "am no ordinary bird. Miss, be prepared for the best dinner you've ever had. Just lead me to the kitchen and I'll show you how a real meal is made!" A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Zyni's lips and Jing could tell that it wasn't something she did often. She pointed the way to Kir then turned back to Jing.

"Oh, do you think you could tell me where the bathroom is?" Jing called.

She pointed up the stairs. "It's the third door on the right."

"Thanks." While Kir kept the little girl busy in the kitchen, Jing was going to have a look around. He walked up the stairs and the first landing came to a long hallway lined on one side with photos and windows on the other. Curious, he walked down the hall, looking at the different photos.

There was a young lady and a young man holding hands smiling. The couple who had dragged Jing into this slight mess, no doubt. The next photo was of them, a little bit older. Then there was a photo of the woman holding a baby, bald with grey eyes and most likely little Zyni. After that, the photos seemed to skip a number of years, showing Zyni at the age of five, the age of six, and then very current sets. Jing couldn't help but notice that in all of the pictures she was alone, and she wasn't smiling in any of them, not even when she was playing. Jing wondered how often she ever really smiled, and then he couldn't help but wonder why she didn't smile.

After the photos came a number of doors on either side. Jing checked the first few and discovered nothing more than storage closets and the bathroom. The bedrooms and other things had to be up on the higher floors. Not wanting to make Zyni or Kir wondered what had happened to him, Jing went back downstairs and into the kitchen.

Zyni was watched Jing walk down the steps, she hadn't moved, and he stared back at her, watching her eyes trace his every move. It was as if she were trying to stare into him. "Well, let's go see what Kir is cooking up, huh?"

"Did you teach him how to do that?" the little girl asked, pointing to Kir as the black albatross whipped up a meal of spaghetti and meatballs.

"Nope, he just figured it out on his own. Kir's really intelligent like that."

"Glad you're finally noticing," Kir pouted. "So, Zyni, your parents are at the museum opening?"

"Yeah," Zyni replied, a bit sullenly. "But I'm too little to go. Mom and Dad said it might be dangerous."

Jing definately heard a bitter and sad tone in her words. She was only seven and already she was bitter. "Why would it be dangerous?"

"Because the Bandit King is gonna come and try to steal mommy's Silver Star," Zyni said, in a tone that told him he should have known that. She brightened up. "But he's not gonna find it. Mommy didn't put it in the exhibit. It's safe down in our vault, and no one can get into that, not even the Bandit King!" Then she shrunk down into herself and timidly looked at Jing. "You won't let him get me will you? If he tries to find it here?"

"Of course not," Jing promised, giving a wink. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

In the tiniest of whispers she said, "Dad used to say if I was bad the Bandit King would come and take me away, that he would sell me like one of his treasures..."

"What a rotten thing to tell a little kid!" Kir snapped.

Jing nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, the Bandit King isn't going to steal you. He doesn't take people, just gems and gold." She took him for his word and gave him the tiniest of smiles.

"Play with me," Zyni ordered out of the blue.

"What?" Jing asked.

"Play with me," Zyni repeated, more forcefully this time.

"Uh... okay," Jing agreed, not sure what game the seven year old had in mind. "What would you like to play?"

"Tag. And you're it." It was an order- not a request. Zyni ran off, leaving Jing staring after her.

"I'd run after her if I were you, or she's going to hide and you'll never catch her," Kir teased. "Have fun, Mr. Babysitter."

"Always," Jing replied, bolting after Zyni, leaving Kir to the cooking.

"What a softy," Kir muttered.

Jing chased Zyni all around the house, trying to catch the girl, but the seven year old was quicker than she looked and always managed to stay out of reach. "Is this... why your... mother said not... to give... you sweets?" Jing panted, trying to catch his breath. This was worse than battling monsters, in some aspects.

"No," Zyni replied, not even winded. "She just thinks I shouldn't have them. 'Sweets are bad for you, they'll rot your brain'."

"Ah, but they're good for a child every once in a while," Jing insisted.

Zyni looked down at the ground. "She thought that once too but..." She hesitated then stopped, as if it were something she wasn't supposed to talk about.

Jing, sensing that the question had made her uncomfortable touched her shoulder and grinned. "Tag."

"Huh? What? Hey, that's not fair!" Zyni insisted, running after Jing. She caught him but instead of tagging him, she jumped onto his back and clung to him like a bur.

"Huh?" Jing asked, not sure what to make of this. He took a step - Zyni was pretty light - and she held tight.

"Dinner's ready," Kir called, flapping into the living room. "Huh? What're you doing back there?" he asked Zyni.

"I'm playing 'Bur'," Zyni explained. "Mar-" She stopped mid-sentence again, and just clung to Jing's back.

He walked her into the dining room, where Kir had set the table, then made the attempt to shake her off. "You know, it's going to be tough eating from back there." She let go of his leg and climbed into her seat, taking a deep breath. The air smelled like tomato sauce and meatballs, and judging from her eyes, Jing guessed she'd never had either in anything other than some fancy sort of meal. She ate politely at first, but after watching Kir and Jing eat, she loosened up.

After supper she made her way to the stairs, followed by Jing, then stopped.

"Is something wrong?" Jing inquired.

"It's time for my bath," Zyni stated. She gave Jing a hard look. "But you're a BOY!"

"Eh..."

"Bet you wish Rose was here, huh?" Kir snickered into Jing's ear.

"I'll tell you what," Jing suggested. "You take your bath and I'll wait outside until you're done."

"But I don't know how to wash my hair alone... and I can't reach the spickets and... and..."

"Okay, okay, calm down," Jing pleaded. "We'll figure this out... somehow."