Changing appearances (1)

Ying had his arms crossed, the sullen look still etched on his face, looking like a petulant child.

"Ying?" Emma called.

A shiver ran through Ying's body as her we soft, melodic voice tickled his ears. He was unable to stop a smile from spreading across his face as he heard her calling his name.

"Mmh?" he replied, turning back to look at her.

"We need to do something about your clothes..." Emma said, her voice trailing off as she became distracted at how Ying's brilliant green eyes seemed to sparkle like emeralds in the bright light flooding the apartment. 'Seriously,Emma! Get a grip!' she chided herself, shaking herself mentally.

"What's wrong with my garments?" he asked, surprised. He looked down at his flowing black robes and back up at Emma, his face full of confusion.

"You can't follow me wearing that," Emma said waving her hand at his clothes. "It will attract to much attention."

The jet-black robes were made of a sleek material, which simmered in an ethereal way, when he moved. They loosely hugged his slender, well proportioned body and broad shoulders, his toned arms and torso still discernable under the material. The collar, belt and wrist guards were made of a tougher-looking, charcoal black material, but was also studded with tiny vibrant green crystals which tickled just like Ying's eyes. In short, the eye-catching traditional robes, in combination with Ying's mysterious air and handsome face would without a doubt draw people's attention. And Emma wished very much to go about her business unnoticed.

"Then what should I wear?" Ying asked with a frown.

"Well..." Emma thought for a second. "Something normal, something inconspicuous. Like jeans and a T-shirt," she said, gesturing at her own clothes.

Ying took in her appearance, his green eyes sparkling. Emma suddenly felt very self-conscious as his gaze rowed over her body.

"I don't think something like that will fit me," he said, his eyes lingering on her skin tight jeans. Emma felt a jittery feeling swoop through her belly.

"It obviously doesn't have to be exactly like what I'm wearing," she said letting her annoyance show. Again she felt the strong urge to roll her eyes at him. Then she went on to explain about typical men's wear.

She finished talking, Ying still looking sceptical, when the relative quiet of the apartment was suddenly interrupted by a loud gurgling growl. In unison, they both looked down at Emma's belly, the source of the sound, and then back up again at each other. An amused glint appeared in Ying's eyes.

"What?" Emma said defensively, blushing slightly. "I'm hungry!"

"Wait here," he said warmly, amusement evident in his voice. He rose to his feet in a swift fluid movement, making his robes swirl around him. "I'll be right back." With that he turned around and disappeared in a blur of shadow and swishing black fabric.

Emma stood gaping at the spot where he had been just a second ago. Confused she looked around, half expecting him to pop out from behind the corner. She waited a few seconds, sure that he would appear again, but the apartment was deserted.

"Ying?" she called, her voice hesitant and uncertain.

Silence.

His absence made her feel a bit uneasy. She looked around the whole apartment, but found no trace of him. She even opened the outer door, to peer down the deserted hallway.

Nevermind, she throught, closing the door again. She didn't really want him around anyway. And yet she kept shifting impatiently as she sat back down on the floor. She had collected all her belongings and proceeded with packing everything back into her backpack.

When she had finished packing everything, she stood for a few moments looking around the room, feeling indecisive. Should she just leave?

The thought of leaving without Ying, gave her a sudden pang of sadness. She ignored the feeling and slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed resolutely towards the door.

Her hand was reaching forward, just about to grab the door handle when she caught a shadow moving in her periphery vision. She turned to look directly into Ying's face, hovering just over her shoulder.

"Aaargh!" she shouted in surprise. "What the?!" she gasped, stumbling backwards. Her backpack smacked into the wall of the hall. With her heart still racing wildly from the shock, she looked up at Ying looming over her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.