(Thread starts in Jayou)

Perhaps he had spoken it aloud or mayhaps he had just yelled it in his heart but he had promised her she would never be alone nor mistreated again.

The waves of time had washed over her like it would a pebble, smoothing the edges and bringing forth something new. It had led him to her through unusual means and even more curious actions. Whatever had possessed those men or even fate to bring her ashore to the mainland, to bargain her life, and ultimately lose her – she was grateful.

“Masterrrrr,” she flung herself over his bed and landed on him. The genie snuggled up to him and almost like a cat she rubbed her face against his. “It’s time for work.”

He hated being called master, which was the weirdest thing about him. Everyone else had to call him Young Lord or Young Master but when it came to Jala Fuxing was strictly against it.

This, however, was their morning routine and had been since that day a year ago. He had cleared her home, placed her bottle by his bedside, and allowed her to live with him. It had only been a few months in when Jala decided it was way too boring to stay waiting for him so she began to follow him to the casino.

From there she had begun to goof off at first. People were confused about where she came from or why she would sprawl all over Fuxing to get his attention. Finally, they had told her to either work for them while they were there or she had to stop coming. Giving in she took up the mantle of the evening’s entertainment. She was a talented dancer especially when it came to belly dancing (much to Fuxing’s dismay). During that long year, she had also learned how to be a bartender. She was popular and the crowds had increased a good bit since she started to work for them.

They made their way into the Marsilea and she moved over to the bar. Jala was naturally flirty, nice, and even motherly. She had the best advice when you simply needed it the most. The worst part? People knew what she was either by her own words or simply figuring it out from her demeanor and how she held herself.

“Oi, Jalaaaa,” one of her regulars gave her a wave as he sat down at the bar. “Can you make me my regular?”

“Aye, as long as you understand that we’re not opening a tab for you,” Jala gave him a wink and proceeded to make his drink after receiving the coin.

“You are too cruel,” he watched her work and shook his head. “What did I do to deserve losing my tab?”

“You were the one who said you weren’t responsible enough to have one,” Jala said pointedly as she gave him his drink. “I’m just helping you.”

“Jeeze, how does Fuxing deal with you.” He sighed a bit in defeat as he took his drink and watched someone new to the casino stroll in.

"That's Young Master Fuxing to you," Jala giggled cutely as she continued cleaning up.

They were headed for one of the card tables when they took notice of Jala. This almost always happened. Not only was she exotic in her appearance but her pointed ears, curvy body, and Abedian outfits always tended to attract the troublesome ones. He stared for a good few seconds and her regular turned his face just enough to see where her eyes had drifted. “Oh, this will be a treat. You know how he gets.” The man laughed in a whisper.

“Just let it happen. We don’t know what will happen… Whims of fate and all that.” Jala moved to clean a glass as the new patron came over.

“Now aren’t you a beauty,” the new man let out a low whistle while he drank in her looks. “Are you on the special?”

“No, but our Sea Naiad is a good drink to start with. It shimmers and moves just like the ocean,” Jala smiled at him and looked towards the mahjong table. She was sure he had caught on.

The man was looking at her fingers as she worked. “A pretty little thing like you shouldn’t have to work so hard. Why not leave here and come marry me. I’m wealthy and I have at least two boats of my own.” He leaned against the bar. She was sure he was just trying to charm his way into her bar and he never actually intended to bring her anything of the sort.

Her regular let out a groan, “Man, listen I know that Jala is beautiful but just walk away right now. You don’t wanna know what happens to those who don’t.”

The man snapped up and glared towards her patron, “Are you actually threatening me?”

“Not me, trust me. I don’t have the balls to threaten someone like you,” the regular chuckled and sipped his drink.

“Then stay out of it. I was talking to her not you,” the man said while obviously ignoring the rather thoughtful warning.

Oh boy, Jala thought with her face as calm as possible, here it comes.

“So, how about it Jala. This place is a drag and I could show you a real good time.” This guy could flip his charm like a switch and it was exhausting to the genie who just smiled and giggled.

The regular who Jala was chatting with wasn't wrong when he gave the newcomer a word of warning. There were many others who were watching the man speak with her, waiting for something to happen. And like always, they weren't disappointed. From the mahjong table there was the sound of a hand fan snapping shut. An old sea captain who was nearly a permanent fixture in the riverboat on weekend evenings stifled a chuckle, trying to pretend he had accidentally inhaled his drink. Glances from all over the Marsilea were on the bar as a young man in silk robes was quickly striding towards them. One look at his face said it all–if the glare wasn't clear enough. Fuxing had a habit of seeing who came into the casino out of the corner of his eye while he arranged the tiles. Ever since the genie had persistently followed him to his workplace it had become an unconscious reflex. She had the kind of appearance that charmed anyone who set their eyes on her, and with her desire to please it only drew the unsavory types of folk like flies to an uncovered dish. Despite the din within the crowded tables on board, he managed to hear just enough to know he had to act.

Right as the new patron had propositioned Jala, Fuxing cleared his throat loud enough for the man to hear. The man turned around, and right away Fuxing didn't like the look in his eyes. In fact, he didn't like the look of everything about him–from his attire to his face. "What business do you have with her?" Fuxing demanded. The man looked him over and cocked an eyebrow with a sneer. "What's it to you? Oh I see. She your woman?" Utilizing every ounce of his self-restraint, Fuxing replied maintaining a surprisingly polite tone of voice. "No. However, the Marsilea has a strict policy on patrons disturbing staff members while they are at work."

The seedy man scoffed at him, after all he hardly looked like a threat. "I was just having a nice little talk with this pretty little thing here if she wants to come along. And as far as I've heard, she hasn't complained. So what you going to do about it?"

Silence fell over the boat as all eyes were on the two men. Fuxing was the first to break it, as he unfolded his hand fan and stared the man straight in the eyes. "…Howling Roar of the Three Dragons!" In the next moment, with a sweep of his arm a thundering gale tore through the casino and slammed into the man. From the enchanted wind came forth the coiling triad of red, white, and green draconic shapes which forcibly dragged the boorish lout out of the Marsilea. Kicking and screaming, the patron was sent flying straight into the lazy river where he landed with a splash. As soon as the gusts died down the old sea captain broke out into a fit of laughter, wheezing and guffawing at the spectacle. "Atter' boy! Now that's what I call a tailwind in the sails, if I've ever seen one! How many is that this week?! Thirteen? Didya see the look on that sap's face when they got'im? HAHAHA!! That's somethin' you can't get anywhere else!" 

The old man was half-drunk, but clearly sober enough to savor the greenhorn getting what he deserved. The rest of the regulars were in high spirits, keeping quiet just long enough to enjoy the show. This was one of the new recurring 'attractions' to the casino ever since they got their new bartender. And despite the mahjong dealer's frequent outbursts, business was booming more than ever. It was like people were willing to gamble to see how far they could go with the riverboat's newest pretty face before they took a dip in the river. Fuxing however was the only one not enjoying the newfound attention Jala was getting, fuming as he returned to his table. The angry clacking of tiles being arranged told everyone he was annoyed. Yet he never told Jala to leave or quit, even though that would easily solve the problem.

If Jaladhija was the type to blush it would have been right when the man called her Fuxing’s. However, she wasn’t and she didn’t mind it at all either. In a matter of speaking, she was his and as much as it annoyed him that she refused to say otherwise Jala was happy with the arrangement. Fuxing was a good man and he was good to her.

“Oh boy, here we go,” the regular chuckled up at Jala who had a smirk on her face as she eyed Fuxing as if almost doting on him from afar. This wouldn’t take that long as the man didn’t really seem like he would be a threat past that.

Before the men could break the silence her regular put up his glass. “Jala, can I have a refill.” It was more of a whisper but Jala held out her hand and the man almost groaned. A few silver went in her hand before she took his glass and fixed him up another drink.

Once the spell had come out she put the glass down and began to wave almost frantically. “BYE, please come again to the Marsilea!!!” There was laughter from her and her regular now as he took the drink and sipped on it.

“Now, that is just mean Jala.” The way the regular understood it was that Jala was the troublemaker and not Fuxing but she was nice and everything was fine as you didn’t get his ire. “You could have told him to stop at any point, like always.” He sorta felt bad for the men who hit on Jala.

“I like the attention…” Jala winked a bit but he knew it wasn’t the men’s attention but rather Fuxing. They had a give and take type of relationship from what he could tell. It was hard to tell how they felt about each other… Well, other than the fact that Fuxing was either really protective of Jala or jealous of anyone flirting with her and he wasn’t brave enough to ask what was what.

She finished up the bar and looked over at the mahjong table as she heard the angry clacking. “I’ve really done it this time,” it wasn’t sad or disappointing but amusement as she left the bar. “MASTTERRRRRR,” she flung herself on Fuxing and put her bust over his head as she staring over his backside to the mahjong table.

The old sea captain and the regular at the bar started to choke on their drinks. It was somewhere between laughter and absolute pity as they watched Jala torment him. She managed to summon his favorite tea and placed it down for him. “It’s not good to be so mad. You’ll get wrinkles and ruin your pretty face!” She clapped her hands together after she got done embarrassing him. Oh, he was absolutely grumpy.

She got up on a chair and clapped her hands. “Hello everyone! I am Jaladhija, resident genie at the Marsilea. Young Master Fuxing has agreed that the first man who beats him in mahjong will be able to marry me and carry me off! THIS IS TODAY ONLY!”

Her regular at the bar had to choke down his laughter. “Oh Jala, you are going to cause him to burst a blood vessel.” The regulars knew she was playing but there were at least twenty men of all ages who rushed at the mahjong table.

“The prices for the matches against Young Master Fuxing will be tripled for this event. Please make sure to pay before you play!” Jala yelled happily as she climbed down and skipped off to the bar.

After he got assaulted all shift for her hand in marriage she slinked over to him when he was cleaning up. She put her hands behind her back and leaned over so she could look at him from the side. Her face had that curious look on it as she tried to gauge just how angry he was. “You played really well and didn’t lose a single game.” Her voice was excited but low as she offered him that mischievous smile. “Are you ready to go home?”

It was like an older sister or mother trying to get the attention of a pouting child when the genie flung herself over him. Fuxing was still upset over the boorish patron's advances towards her but even more so that she didn't exactly object to them. And as for the man nursing his drink at the bar, he was more on point than he'd ever know. It had taken Fuxing a great deal of effort just to get Jala to stop telling people that he was her 'master' every chance she had. He couldn't just explain why she was the exception to the rule when it came to addressing him by a title, as he worried about vultures who were waiting to swoop in and return her back to the life she had lived prior to him obtaining her lamp. For someone who acted and looked the part of a young master of some well-off family, he knew at the back of his mind none of that was true. Caught between an unwillingness to accept what was likely truth and a desire to let Jala live freely, it created this odd conundrum. He was much younger than he appeared, which was only revealed in his behavior.

She attempted to console him with his favorite tea, but with these propositions growing more frequent he found it hard to shake off his sour mood. And then she did the unthinkable. Out of the blue, Jaladhija announced (without his consent) that the first man who beat him in a match before the Marsilea closed would have her hand in marriage. Throwing a wide-eyed glance at the genie, Fuxing hardly had any room to deny the outlandish wager before a literal stampede of challengers came rushing in. "Stop! Don't listen to her! I said–" His voice was drowned out by the overlapping voices until he slammed down his fan and was forced indirectly by Jala's hand to participate. The tiles never flew faster as the young man fought to keep Jala's freedom on the table. Even if he had no intention of marrying her, he would at least have a say in who was allowed to have that honor. One after the other challengers were thrown out the boat as soon as they were out of the match, until the last and final competitor was lying on his back in a pile of dazed men on the shore. The other staff members were ecstatic over the silver he had raked in…but at what cost?

Coming out as the victor, Fuxing's normally impeccable appearance was slightly disheveled from waging war with luck twentyfold. The tables weren't designed to handle more than four players at once, but somehow they did. Putting the rectangular tiles away, he didn't answer her immediately. Taking the tea she had made for him, he downed it despite it having gone cold. Finally, his throat was feeling less parched from calling out all the hands. "I told you not to ever call me that, particularly in public." He grumbled. The nonstop playing had burnt out most of his ire and frustration towards the little trick she pulled. Part of him beamed with pride when she recounted his overwhelming victory, to which he attempted to brush off nonchalantly. "Well I couldn't just let some stranger off the street carry you away just because you caught his eye. Who do they take me for? If they want to test their luck, then so be it!" 

That burst of energy didn't last long as he was back to feeling the fatigue already. "Yes, I can't believe we're leaving work on time after that fiasco. Which by the way–is something I absolutely forbid from here on out! You can't just tell people you'll be willing to marry them if they win a wager!" That was one of the many things which frustrated him to no end. In his first year of living with the genie, Fuxing found he had to be very careful when agreeing to or denying anything she said. Her carefree attitude was another thing that had him on high alert, especially since she could never turn anyone down. Time and time again he told himself he was simply concerned for her well-being, nothing more. When someone needed to be protected, wasn't it one's duty to step in? That was what it truly meant to be noble, not some far-fetched genealogical record detailing an individual's ancestry. And an individual's right to freedom was the most precious thing one could ever have. Anyone who dared to take that from another would face retribution.

It was hilarity that was set upon the Marsilea. Every once in awhile Jala had an idea how to cheer her master up or how to bring in good coin. It looked like this would be the case of the last one. She watched from the bar as Fuxing battled for her honor. It was amazing and maybe this would be a cause to get him an even bigger mahjong table! The possibilities were truly endless with that one. There was a smirk on her face as she came over to her master. “I could have heated the tea for you!” Jala was gleeful as she watched him though it did seem like he was still angry towards her.

Her pink eyes could see how prideful he was at beating everyone. “I do appreciate it~” It would have been a shame if just anyone got their hands on Jala. Finally, she saw how tired he really was and she stood by his side to help him. “Aye~ I won’t it any longer.” There was a chuckle from her lips as she studied him.

He had gotten very good at carefully choosing the words that he would speak to her. Sometimes she took them too literally and sometimes she took liberty with what he meant. Once they made it back to their flat Jala moved over to the resting place of her bottle as she stared at it. “Master~” She cooed towards him as she slinked and wrapped herself around him.

She delighted in teasing him. “I think,” she put her lips to his ear. “I think its time… I want to go bury him in Abed… It’s time for us to venture there and see what became of everything that left me behind.”

There was never a dull moment ever since he had won her bottle in that wager. It felt like just months ago when he had been sitting across from that brutish lout, watching him storm out with curses under his breath. Once they were back home, he sank into the couch as Jala began to tease him in her usual fashion. He turned his head away and frowned as she called him 'master', knowing full well he had told her countless times that she was the one person who wasn't required to do so. But his annoyance dissipated when he heard her whisper in his ear. Yes, how could they have forgotten? After recovering from being trapped in that terrible moment for centuries and coming to terms with the loss of someone she loved like a son, it was time for her to lay Vihaan to rest. Her mourning was over, but this would be the final act to give the djinn closure. And for this to be done, they would need to return to the place where it had all started. As much as Fuxing wished she could stay away from that place which had given her so many bad memories, one couldn't avoid it forever. 

"You've made up your mind, haven't you? Do you truly wish to go back to the house that brought you so much suffering?" Looking into her pink eyes, he knew her answer. "If that is what you want, then I have no objections. Vihaan deserves to return home after all these years. It's the least we can do to honor the sacrifice he made." Fuxing went silent for a while, his expression somber as he recounted the journals Vihaan had written in his final moments. Even in death, the man held onto a faint hope that someone would break the seal and fulfill his last wish for Jala. "When do you plan to go?" He asked. Although Jala often did things on a whim, he was sure she had been thinking about this for some time now. If she was going to Abed, he was coming with her. It didn't matter how many days off he had to take from work at the Marsilea–if it was important to Jala, it was important to him. As the owner of her bottle, he had promised he would never let anyone hurt her ever again. If he couldn't wish for her freedom, then he could at least wish for her happiness.