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The last few hours had been quite difficult for Shen Wei and the SID as a whole, as well.
Too much violence, too little time to heal, and now the majority of them were sprawled out in the SID HQ asleep.
Only Shen Wei stood, listless, expression drawn tight as he looked unseeingly around himself. He was exhausted just like everyone else, but the loss of his pendant weighed ever-so-heavily on him and it trumped any physical wound he had.
Unintentionally, he touched where his collarbones met, feeling the emptiness there.
Shen Wei's other hand clenched at his side, but beyond that, he didn't move.
"You lost something?" Da Qing asked, as he stretched in all his cat glory. He slinked across the table (that he was using as a bed) and settled along the nearest edge closest to Shen Wei.
Surprise caused Shen Wei to look down at him, and with a grimace, he started to deny. Deflect. It was better if no one knew. "It isn't important."
Da Qing lifted his furry little cat head and sniffed the air pointedly. "It sure smells like it's important."
Again, Shen Wei grimaced. He looked away for a few silent seconds, deciding what he should do, what he could say. Finally, he murmured (so as best not to wake any of the others), "It was-is a pendant on a corded necklace. It must have fallen or was knocked off during our scuffle."
"Hmmm." Da Qing replied, as he idly licked a paw and swiped at an ear. "I'll see what I can do. The King of Cats is the best at finding lost things."
Da Qing turned his golden gaze over to Zhao Yunlan and remarked in a fondly exasperated voice, "That's how I found him."
Shen Wei looked over too and his heart squeezed at the sight of Zhao Yunlan, sprawled inelegantly on the couch. Shen Wei's answer was a little rough, as he replied. "Yes."
Stretching, Da Qing hopped to the floor. "You should get some rest, Professor. I'll let you know if I find anything."
"Thank you, Da Qing."
Da Qing simply flicked an ear in acknowledgement before he padded out on all fours.
Sleep took many hours to come for Shen Wei, and when he did finally sleep, it was in the cramped confines of a swivel chair. His pillow was the flat surface of the nearby desk.
Still, when Shen Wei awoke he felt better for it. He lifted his head and found everyone asleep, and there was only the vaguest soft light coming from the window.
Dawn was near.
He shifted slightly and when he did there was the smallest of noises as something half-rolled across the desktop.
When he looked down he found his pendant and it's cord neatly laid near him. With a trembling hand, Shen Wei picked it up. It was truly his pendant and he clasped it within his hands.
Shen Wei could have wept.
It only took a little dark energy to fix the broken cord and re-clasp it around his neck.
Then he stood and looked for Da Qing, who was curled atop the long table they usually ate meals at. He enhanced his ability to walk silently with dark energy and set a small packet of treats near Da Qing.
There was the faintest of twitches from Da Qing, but he stayed curled tight, blissfully asleep.
Exhaustion still had a tight grip around Shen Wei, but he ignored it. He would stand here and watch - guard - over the SID and its people.
The people he now called family.