An Emotional Connection to Breakable Things

It wasn’t a surprise that Quinn had never eaten in a café before.

She stared helplessly at the large blackboard menu mounted above the counter.

Jarel adjusted his grip and shifted her slightly higher on his back so she could see better. She wasn’t heavy, and he wasn’t worried about getting tired. Besides, the warmth pressed against him made it very easy to forget he was even capable of exhaustion.

The café occupied the second floor of a shopping mall’s food court. Wide glass windows overlooked the roads below and the city beyond, sunlight pouring in and giving the space a soft, golden warmth. No artificial lights were needed.

Jinxia tapped her foot impatiently. Her order had been decided before they even walked in.

Sayang squinted up at the board, still on her first read-through.

Jarel, however, didn’t have the luxury of choice.

Ten minutes earlier, a new challenge had been declared.

To keep things fair - since he and Quinn were already so close - both girls would get equal opportunities to do the same things with him.

He didn’t know what that would mean for the rest of the day.

But for breakfast?

It meant shared meals.

Jinxia, supported by wealth and confidence, had chosen something extravagant - the second-most expensive item on the menu.

Quinn technically had unlimited funds too.

Granted, they came from Jarel’s bank account. But that counted as shared territory.

Still, she struggled.

Sayang finally finished scanning the board and nodded.

“Alright, I’m ready. How are you doing, dearie?”

Quinn shook her head silently.

Sayang sighed gently.

“Jarel, can you tell her you’ll eat anything?”

“I’ll eat anything.”

Quinn remained quiet.

He tried again.

“Don’t worry about whether I’ll like it. Just pick what you want.”

Another small nod.

He softened his tone.

“I want to like what you like. So show me what you like.”

That did it.

“Y… you do?”

He nodded, fully aware of the disturbance radiating off Jinxia beside them.

“Yeah. So order what you like.”

He could practically feel Quinn’s lower lip trembling.

“B-but I don’t know what anything tastes like.”

Sayang’s voice turned sympathetic.

“Oh, I’m sorry, dearie. I forgot you’re new to the world.”

Quinn nodded again.

Then, hesitantly-

“W-what if we do it the other way around?”

Jarel frowned slightly.

“Pardon?”

“Pardon? From what?”

He smiled.

“No, I meant, what do you mean by ‘the other way around?’”

“Oh.” She swallowed. “What if you pick something… and I try to like it?”

He hesitated only long enough to glance at Sayang.

“If Auntie agrees, I can do that.”

Sayang nodded immediately.

“That’s fine.”

“Thank you…” Quinn murmured.

But just before he stepped forward to order, he caught Sayang’s eye.

She winked.

He understood instantly.

He turned his head slightly.

“But I really liked how hard you were trying to choose something for me. That meant a lot.”

He couldn’t see her face - but he felt the shift.

Her tail started wagging, putting him off-balance. Her arms tightened around his neck, hugging him as best she could from her position.

“Thank you!” she breathed, suddenly bright.

Sayang watched with a pleased smile.

Beside her, Jinxia’s fists clenched.

In less than twenty minutes, she would be spoon-feeding Jarel something he had never tasted before.

She had the advantage of presentation.

Of luxury.

Of spectacle.

But she already knew.

This round had been decided before the order was placed.

All she could do now was wait for the next battlefield.

The movie.

The cinema was dark.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jarel could just make out the two shapes beside him on the small two-person couch - Jinxia on his left, the same height as him, and Quinn on his right, small enough that her head barely reached his shoulder.

Behind them, on a personal recliner, sat Sayang.

She appeared to be enjoying the movie.

She was also very obviously monitoring the trio in front of her.

The film itself was an action classic - family-friendly, iconically stylized, slightly corny, slightly exaggerated, and undeniably a masterpiece. It was a rerun. Sayang had chosen it herself.

The cinema was empty.

How she had arranged that was beyond him.

As for what the “romantic test” actually was?

None of the three of them knew.

Only Sayang.

On-screen, the hero discovered his home had been vandalized by the villains.

Jinxia scoffed quietly.

“Is he stupid? He could’ve prevented that. He has the money.”

Jarel nodded.

“I would’ve invested in at least a few defenses.”

Jinxia snapped her fingers softly.

“Exactly. Look at the tech he already owns. It’s not like he lacks equipment.”

The movie continued.

The hero gained allies.

And then abandoned them.

Jinxia scoffed again.

“Even I’m not that stupid.”

Jarel smirked.

“I think you would do that.”

She turned toward him, scowling.

“What makes you think that?”

He shrugged lazily.

“Because it would be part of your plan.”

A slow grin spread across her face.

“You’re right.”

In the darkness, he didn’t notice Quinn growing quieter.

More rigid.

The easy back-and-forth between him and Jinxia - the familiarity - was something she couldn’t compete with.

So she did what she always did when she didn’t understand what to do.

She moved.

First, she scooted sideways, preparing to curl up in his lap.

But the couch wasn’t big enough to accommodate even her small frame once she tried to lie down.

So she adjusted.

She leaned into his shoulder.

Then kept going.

Sliding.

Too fast.

Her balance shifted - and her head dropped directly onto Jinxia’s thigh.

Jinxia’s expression flickered through four distinct emotions before settling on vexed irritation.

“What are you doing, sleep machine?”

Quinn almost sat back up.

Almost.

But opportunity shimmered in front of her.

“Being greedy.”

That was enough.

Jinxia grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her upright again, face twisted in a sharp scowl.

“Piss off.”

Mission accomplished.

Quinn settled back into place beside Jarel as if nothing had happened.

The movie rolled toward its finale.

In the final act, heroes and villains joined forces to save the city - reconciliation, unity, shared purpose.

Jinxia let out a soft, disbelieving laugh.

“I know it’s a family movie, but they can’t seriously expect me to buy this.”

Jarel hummed noncommittally.

Then he heard it.

A soft sniff.

He glanced to his right.

Quinn had leaned fully into his side.

She didn’t seem aware that he was looking at her. Her eyes were fixed on the screen - shining slightly in the reflected light.

It wasn’t even a sad scene.

But she felt something.

Deeply.

He didn’t try to analyze it.

He simply moved.

He eased his arm free from where it had been pinned awkwardly between them. She tensed for half a second in confusion-

- and then relaxed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

She melted against him without hesitation.

The final scenes played out.

Behind them, Sayang smiled.

The glow of the screen cast long silhouettes of the three figures in front of her - two close together, one slightly apart.

She had wondered how long it would take.

And now she had her answer.

She chuckled softly to herself. Then hummed along with the ending theme.

Her mind was already made up.

But she was enjoying herself far too much to end the game here.

The tests would continue.

After all, they had all the time in the world.