guilty.

Full Name: Briony Yun-Hyeong Ahn

Age/DOB: Thirty/March 29, 1991

Occupation: CEO/Chairwoman of Shangshik Public Welfare Foundation, Investor, Executive producer

Species: Human

Neighbourhood: CBD

Time in Astoria: little less than two years

TW: Murder

Briony Yun-Hyeong Ahn (Im Jin Ah FC) was raised in Brighton, UK through a series of nannies and butlers graciously hired by her parents. From a young age, she found comfort in things that deviated from her parents’ wishes which eventually led to her pursuing a bachelor's degree in Informatics: Game Engineering at the Technical University of Munich and a master's degree in Cognition and Communication from the University of Copenhagen. The connections she made during her university years lead to her eventual job as an Executive Producer and her marriage with Reynauld Sorsby. However, after a secretly unfulfilling relationship, Briony and Reynauld divorced and kept up the guise of divorcing mutually without any scandalous problems. To keep up the big lie, she went on a final mountaineering expedition with him to the peak of Mount Everest, but after bad weather and an avalanche accident, she took the opportunity to discretely end his life. To escape her old problems and to take on better opportunities for herself, she fled to Astoria and accepted her father's suggestion to lead their family's charity foundation as a way to rehabilitate her image.

+

“You’re welcome.” The hope Briony had, it was vague and questionable that it took a moment for Selin to decipher what she had meant. Did she mean the recovery? Or something more? Either way, she had a similar sentiment, but she didn’t hope—she knows the capabilities the other woman had. After everything she had been through, this was enough proof.

Her lips curled into a knowing smile as she noticed a shift in their conversation. Anything else, huh? The athlete took a moment to think about recommendations and said, “Depends on what you’re up for. I frequent Masa and Moreau, and if I’m craving seafood there’s Sirens. There’s also this K-BBQ place in Ashville that’s pretty good.” When Bri proposed to take her out, Sel chuckled and immediately nodded, accepting it without thinking. It’s been a while and she was relieved to see that there was no bad blood between them. Perhaps this sort of freedom from her ex was a new beginning for them.

“Sure…Since you’re offering.”

Playing it off as always, Selin continued to listen in on Briony’s response, nodding along and intrigued at her shift in career path. “And it’s all for a good cause. It’s nice to hear that you’re making a difference.” she added. “You can only go up from here y’know? And it’s good that you’ve set your sights down a path you want.” 

x

She hadn’t expected Selin to smoothly and quickly transition into an answer. Briony wasn’t even sure when they had moved from the area of knowing what to expect to past the point of comfort. She was seeing the other woman in a different light and she had no idea what to do. “I’m up to whatever you’re feeling. I don’t like to offer things that the other party won’t enjoy. Defeats the purpose of a good gift.”

The best she could do for the moment was to wing it and smile as if she knew what she was doing. “That’s the hope, anyways, to do what good that I can with the wealth I’ve accumulated, even if others look down on that.” She pressed her lips together. “But you know, I think it matters to me more that I’m able to positively affect at least one person on a personal level. Call me foolish, but I’d like to give you a reason to smile more.”

“Uhn– it’s not really that much about the crowd, I think it’s mostly about the drinks? I could use a place that’s able to make a nice mojito. Or, at least, one that has stronger tequila than most nightclubs or bars that I’ve headed to ever since moving here,” it was an issue. She missed a few brands that she always assumed they were only back in Mexico. Maybe it was too expensive to export? She didn’t know, she had never researched it. “I just want to have some fun with you.”

And fun usually gave her the chance to ignore worries inside her mind. Besides, all the pain and ache she had felt in the past once her ex — if she could call him that — had simply disappeared. Alcohol was a great manner to cloud those thoughts. “Dangerous. Definitely dangerous. We deserve to feel the thrill of it all, don’t we? I won’t say that I’m the best when it comes to choosing where to head because I’m usually heading to the same bars and restaurants, but… I could change that for one evening. Get to know a new place, new people…”

x

“No offense to Astoria, love her, since I’m already here, but I feel like their drinks just aren’t as good as it is elsewhere. When I’m feeling a beer, nothing beats Germany. And Oh!” She paused to shake her head. “I bet Tequila is better in Mexico.” Briony chuckled. Maybe tonight they’d be risky and go to the line of uncertainty, right before crossing into blackout zone. 

“Dangerous, ok... Not illegal right?” She had to ask. If they wanted something legal, they could easily go to the Diyu Smash Room after a few drinks, but if they wanted to evade the law, then they could play with one of her imports. Briony had learned to enjoy speeding along in expensive cars. When she was recovering from her Everest trip, she would travel outside of Astoria to sit in the passenger seat of fast cars while a driver drove around a track. “Do we have a race track around here?”

Rico grinned, wondering at how much she knew about the game, but they said nothing about it. “Several yeah, you should see the park at an event, all the little groups of people on their phone, most likely means there are pokestops or gyms there,” they informed her. They were still trying to find themselves a little group to raid with. For now though, they enjoyed walking and hatching eggs.

They nodded, studying German in Denmark seemed like an interesting choice, but from what they’d heard, the Danish had some crazy great international studies. “Does that mean you’re fluent in German then?” they asked. Having lived in Milan all their life, so close to the border with Switzerland, they knew very little German. To their luck they hadn’t been involved with the tourism branch. 

Tokyo sounded interesting, if they had the money, they would want to visit. Maybe some day, maybe if their plan worked. Despite their curiosity however, they felt extremely awkward as they realised they might be prying. So they should stop… “what happened?”

x

Whenever she participated in one of the events, she enjoyed the feeling of being a part of something with others, even if she didn’t really talk to them. Sometimes, though, she’d engage in small conversation and pretend as if she didn’t have a meeting or work to do. In those moments of brief relaxation, Briony almost felt free. “Maybe I should give the game a try. Sounds popular.”

“Ah, yes. It made it easier to communicate with professors when I could do it in german, but I think I liked being in Copenhagen better, so Danish was much more fun. The Old World charm with an old peoples was warmth.” Briony found so much good in both Germany and Denmark. She was glad that she had spent her studies in the two places. 

She smiled softly, as if she was remembering the little good of that relationship. “We didn’t work out as spouses, and thought we’d be better off as friends...” Briony sighed. “It didn’t last too long though. It turns out vampires aren’t immune to avalanches.”

+

Selin didn’t know how to respond to Briony. She would say it was a coincidence, but how so? She couldn’t bring herself to explain the specifics behind it. It just happened because it did. “Fair enough…” replied the she-wolf with a nod of agreement. Keep it simple. “That’s a healthier outlook…” It was all about perspective right? It seems like Bri was doing a better job in that department than Sel. 

Learning about her road to recovery put Sel’s heart at ease. She was worried, as the other woman didn’t deserve to go through all that alone. However, she wasn’t going to make things weird and pry about it. It was simply good news to learn on her end. “That’s really good…I’m glad it’s making progress. If you need any recommendations on some physiotherapists or anything else, uh let me know.” The she-wolf mentally kicked herself. Smooth, real smooth. She’ll need to recover from that and set her intentions straight. 

“Right..I understand it now…” Of course she’d stay back due to the people that mattered here, Selin would have done the same—in fact she already had with Sara and the pack. “I’m happy for you Bri…I know words aren’t much, but you really deserve this big break…” She bit her tongue as the apologies were just about to roll in, but she wasn’t sure if it was even appropriate to bring up the past. Instead, she opted to veer the topic elsewhere.

“…So aside from the recovery process. What are you up to now? Still producing or?” 

x

“Thank you... I hope that I’m better at this...” She wasn’t really sure what this could be, but for now, she wanted it to be about acceptance. For once, she was going to let herself melt into the warmth of knowing what peace could be. Peace allowed her to make mistakes without the fear of watchful eyes and sharp mouths. She could enjoy that fuzzy uncertainty that came with trying to impress an old friend, even when she knew that she didn’t have to.

 Briony wanted Selin to like her.

Maybe, she was hypnotized by the lights, the bright positivity, but regardless of what it was, the thought of taking her up on the offer and more crossed her mind. “Yes, I’d like that, physiotherapists... or anything else. I’d like your recommendation on your favourite place to eat.” The full moon had just peaked, so she felt a little bullish leading up to the ask. “It’d be nice to take you away.”

“I was,” Rico admitted. They’d installed it once with the inhabitants of the retirement home where they started their career, there were several old people who had loved the idea of walking once the introduced the buddy system. Although most of them didn’t have their own smartphone, there was this community idea of raising a couple of Pokemon together. Taking a few daily walks to earn candy and keep the buddy happy, a whole Sunday discussion about which Pokemon should be their buddy next. And most precious of all, the Pokemon they caught were being named after the people there, their families, the nurses. 

“A battery pack, huh? That’s a good idea, I should really invest in one of those, thank you,” they said with a grin. 

“Danish, wow, you really got a neck for languages then, I mean… to anyone knowing just two, it sounds like a lot,” they said, looking impressed. Brighton, Tokyo, Astoria, she’d been all over the world. “What was Tokyo like?” they asked. Then their mouth went slightly dry at the mention of a vampire. “You dated a Vampire?” they asked, heart thumbing a little louder in their chest.

x

“There’s one of those...”  Her voice trailed off as she searched for the words. She didn’t want to come off as too knowledgeable about the game. “Gyms, right? Around here somewhere? I heard about it from my assistant.” One time, she remembered delegating the task of playing Pokemon Go on her gaming phone to an early assistant. Briony had gotten tied up with a meeting assigned to her by her father and she didn’t want to miss out that day for whatever reason. These days, she wasn’t nearly as attached to the game, but seeing the app on her phone made her smile. “Of course, not a problem.” 

“I wouldn’t say that... The situations at the time demanded that I learn since I chose to study in Germany and Denmark.” Back then, she was looking for a way to escape her parents and find a better life, one less burdensome than the one she had. “I’d be embarrassed if I didn’t know.” 

Tokyo was a welcoming home in comparison to the heartache she experienced from waiting on her ex-husband in the UK, so of course, Briony smiled fondly at the question. “Wonderful. Busy and the people were so kind. I quite like it.” She thought she could reminisce more, but their next question made her stomach turn a little. “ For a time... He was my husband at one point. It was interesting... Late night dates were the norm for us and dark restaurants with covered windows, if any.” 

+

“Right…” That was Briony’s prerogative, she wasn’t going to question it any further. If luck is what she wanted to hold on to then so be it. A low chuckle then escaped her lips as she nodded in agreement, “Mmm, when you put it that way…Yeah, he didn’t.” Sleeping with her husband was definitely one of her top 10 regrets of her lifetime. She had no excuse, other than the fact that he had played her well and got under her skin, both literally and figuratively. “Makes sense. What a dick.” She was careless and selfish at the time, so she was ignorant to the signs, but she should have known better.

Learning about what Briony was up to, Sel crossed her arms and maintained her neutral expression. “Is the recovery going…well at least?” She cared, but she needed to keep it at arms length. It was for the best, especially when she didn’t want to burn Briony for the umpteenth time. 

‘I’m shy, I suppose.’

Selin’s gaze hardened, “You know you don’t have to make an excuse for wanting to stay. If you found a home in Astoria, despite everything then…reclaim it and make it your own.” Briony was far from shy, or at least that’s what she’d remembered. Did the accident change her? Maybe it was wrong to assume. With a sigh of defeat, the athlete met Bri’s gaze and shook her head, “I’m sorry…I overstepped, I shouldn’t have assumed.” She paused to catch her thoughts, “—Things are definitely different now.” 

x

"What else do you call this meeting? It’s lucky, isn’t it?” Briony didn’t see the use in keeping her questions silent anymore. She didn’t want to keep them unanswered in her head and she wasn’t nearly as patient as Selin was, even if the werewolf did have a shorter fuse closer to the full moons. “I choose to be positive about these things.” She said evenly. 

In a way, she knew she was being unfair with skipping over the discussion of their distance and that gap she created. Briony had discarded their friendship, to put it plainly, and now, in a moment of opportunity, she wanted to ‘reclaim it and make it her own.’ She smiled softly. “It’s, uh... going well. They expect me to regain the strength in my arm and I’m sure the ghost pains will go away with time.”

She met her gaze. “Don’t apologize. It’s my fault. I wasn’t clear.” Apologies meant more when they came from the heart, right? She wasn’t sure why she felt so guarded around Selin. What could they possibly do to each other? “All the people that kept me alive and that matter to me are here. I just... This doesn’t feel like a sufficient way to communicate that.”

“Cute yeah, you get it,” Rico said with a grin. At least she seemed to know the game, though they couldn’t figure out if she played it herself. “It’s why my battery is dead to begin with,” they explained. “Pesky game drains the batteries so quickly I should probably buy myself a new one every two years.” And he could, his income was solid enough.

“Germanic? So English, German obviously, which others do you know?” They asked. They laughed a little. “Yeah, people always say Italian and French sound similar, honestly, I’d be totally lost if someone starts talking French to me. Spanish I can… sort of understand.” Rico nodded. “I did, I am originally from Milan, but I got a job offer at the retirement home here, and with all the stories surrounding this place, I thought to take it. You? Any special reason to travel from Tokyo to Astoria of all places?”

x

“So were you playing that game in the park today?” Briony wanted to like mobile games but the notifications from other apps made playing on her phone unbearable, so she stuck to console games. Also, when it came to playing shooting games, she found it easier to use a controller. “I recommend getting a battery pack. Sometimes, I see people carrying them around. Very useful to keep the game going.”

She smiled and nodded. “And Danish. I studied in Copenhagen for a bit. If I really tried hard enough, I think I’d be able to pick up more... but I don’t think I can properly dedicate the time anymore. Wishful thinking, I suppose.” Briony hummed. “I’m originally from Brighton, but I had work in Tokyo and now I have work in Astoria. I knew that I’d eventually make my way here. I dated a vampire once.”

— location: myriad beach — date and time: saturday afternoon — availability: closed | @brionyahn​​

The racing heartbeat that functioned remotely close to an alarm clock whenever she’d be presented with nightmares that reminded her of the place she used to call home, hardly dissipated during her attempt of pretending she had been able to surpass the situation effortlessly. Yet, alone in her room — at least, some of those nights —, gave her the chance of leaving her nightmares behind the door in a tidy room. Sometimes when it was harder to forget it, despite all of those years, the witch would find herself seeking to occupy her mind in the company of a friend, which, time time, it’d be Briony.

Hours passed by, and the so-called golden hour soon would start to gently touch her skin while behind sunglasses Laurel appreciated the beautiful view of the beach in front of her.

“I was thinking about our plans for the night, do you have anything in mind?” She questioned, arching an eyebrow and motioning her head to look towards Briony. “Maybe we could head to a nightclub or anything that allows me to have a drink and dress up nicely. You know… change our outfits for the night and look incredibly stunning as we can always look. We can have our share of fun,” which could easily mean anything. “Unless you have a better idea, of course!”

x

Even though she loved the outdoors, she didn’t go to the beach all that often. Briony wasn’t ashamed of her body or her scars, but she didn’t like getting too much sand on herself. Something about the sight of sand all over just bothered her. So as she sunbathed, she made sure to stay on her beach blanket. She was just about done with her backside when she heard Laurel. Carefully, she turned and sat up. “Well...” She looked over at Laurel. “It depends... What kind of crowd or vibe do we want to attract? I don’t mind nightclubs. I love the dancing.”

“A lifeline,” they repeated with a smile. “We’re constantly… connected, the need to keep the ball rolling: be on time, keep in contact with friends, living without it, even if you have an old school phone… that’s just impossible,” they said. “I would like to try some day, but then I just think of ignoring my Pokemon for a full day and feel sad.”

Rico grinned, eyes blinking at the question, a jolt through their body as someone recognised the language they couldn’t help melt in their words. “Yes, I do, and whole heartedly agreed: it is a lovely language. Perhaps the loveliest, but I am biased since it is my first language,” they admitted. “It’s difficult to learn without the proper interactions, and when it’s not something you need every day,” they informed her. “But that goes for many languages.”

x

She hated the trouble that came with being late. If she missed one thing then she’d miss another. Tardiness was just the beginning of metaphorical avalanches and she had enough of those. She placed her phone back into her bag. “Oh, now that’s definitely upsetting... They’re so cute and all.” Briony refrained from speaking more about games. Even though she was fascinated by all sorts of video games, she knew that any talk of it could reach the wrong ears and she didn’t want to get a phone call from her parents. 

“You’re right. I got plenty of practice with germanic languages.” English, German, and Danish were so comfortable for her, but when it came to the romance languages, she was more shaky. In her opinion, french didn’t feel nearly as close as it should to Italian. “I only know a little french, to be honest... So did you come to Astoria from Italy? I was in Tokyo before this.”

+

Selin arched a brow at first, it was a response that she wasn’t expecting, but she could understand where Briony was coming from. They say the good outweighs the bad and surely, she had made a name for herself when she was living in Astoria. “You’re really relying on luck?” she questioned, still not fully buying it. The she-wolf was a realist and wondered if there was more to the other woman’s response. Did she have unfinished business? Was there something she didn’t want to leave behind? Curiosity got the best of the athlete, but she chose not to pry. 

Her expression faltered as Selin remained silent at the news of her ex-husband’s death. Without a question, he deserved it and if anything, she was grateful that Bri had gotten out of that toxic situation. “Good.” the athlete finally replied as she met her gaze. “As he should and I hope he rots wherever his soul is.” 

Taking a good look at Briony, there was something definitely different to her. From the looks of it, it was definitely the taste of freedom and like she had just mentioned, she could go wherever she wanted to now. “—So does that mean you’re leaving any time soon? The world is like your oyster y’know? Might as well venture off and do your own thing.” 

x

Briony could feel the questions following the one that Selin had uttered. For as long as she knew her, the other woman always had a deliberate way of communicating. It was why Briony thought it was odd that nothing else followed the question. “Yes, I attribute the good to my luck.” She offered a slight smile. If fate wasn’t responsible for this chance meeting, then she’d give luck the honour. But of course, she couldn’t be hasty; they still weren’t done speaking yet. 

“I’m not convinced he ever had one.” Her voice kept steady even as she remembered the night she found out about Reynauld and Selin. Briony kept her smile. At the time, the betrayal from them cut into her, but not as much as the terrifying realization of what her connection with Selin would come to mean. “He didn’t even like animals.”

She self consciously rubbed her arm. “No...” She knew that there was no use in lying to her. “I’m... I have a few doctors that I have to visit on a fairly regular basis... and there’s work. I don’t think I’ve been gallivanting as of late... I’m shy, I suppose.”

setting: briony’s office - saturday mid-morning

status: closed | @brionyahn​

          — Ever since meeting Briony and exchanging numbers with the woman, Hansa hadn’t been able to spend a week without seeing her. From what it looked like, it didn’t seem like Briony minded, so that was a relief. Hansa knew she could too much for some people. She wasn’t loud, but she talked a lot (sometimes, even over other people) — too much pent up energy maybe? That’s why she enjoyed working out so much, because that was when Hansa could just let go and release all that energy back into the universe.

Hansa also loved baking, especially when it meant trying out weird recipes and mixing up flavors… and maybe that was a selfish reason for meeting up with Briony, but Hansa knew that the other woman would give her a God’s honest answer, no matter what it was… that was why she had sent Bri a text asking where she was and if they could meet.

Once Briony’s secretary allowed her into Bri’s office, Hansa thanked her with one of the cupcakes she’d brought with her and put on her bright smile to greet the other woman. “Hello, hello! I come bearing gifs since you’re–working on the weekend? First of all… why? Second of all… why? Anyway… I brought treats! Little Pina Colada cupcakes–which I gave one to your secretary, so please don’t hold it against her if she’s a little tipsy, okay? Anyway, I’m talking too much. How are yoooou? Please love my cupcakes?”

x

When they first met, Briony had no idea what to expect. She was used to being profiled for the news or for magazines, but at first, Hansa’s friendliness caught her off guard. Building a friendship that wasn’t based on solely the powers of networking and business was, at the time, outside the realm of possibilities for her. It was a good thing, however, that Hansa kept trying; Briony had grown to enjoy a positive constant in her life, even if it wasn’t one that could fit nicely into her schedules. 

If it wasn’t for the warning text, she would have demanded that her secretary tell her about why someone was entering her office. Most of the foundation was off today, as they should be. In a company made with the ambitious goal to help others, she hoped that the people working there had great work-life balance. “I forgot something... kept forgetting that something and then realized that I need to get things done before monday. And there’s nothing wrong with the weekend, it’s quieter.” 

Briony chuckled and shook her head. “Wait, you put alcohol in this?  You know she can’t handle her liquor...” She picked up the cupcake and took a tentative bite. “Hm, when you bake, does it actually burn off the drunk factor out or- you know, that bit that makes you woozy?” She barely cooked so she had no idea.. “I could be better.” She took another bite. “Delicious, by the way.” Briony licked the ball of her thumb.  “I feel like I’ve been in a daze all week... I guess that’s what happens when you run into people from your past, right?”

Rico nodded, noting the time for a moment as it took their Italian brain to catch up with English and make the correct digits in their head. It took a moment, but they smiled regardless. “I mean… aside from being a lifeline, it is also pretty useless, because it just… makes you forget everything around you.” Then they laughed, feeling pretty stupid for not realising their planner was also in their phone. “Actually, I’m so used to that thing, my calendar is in there too, so if I’m late for anything, I probably won’t figure out till I got my charger.” 

They bit their lip for a moment in clear amusement at their own lack of realisation. “Still, it’s good to know what the time is, thank you, signorina,” they said with a charming smile. 

x

They made a good point, but if the goal was to forget everything then maybe things weren’t a loss. Still, she lightly chuckled with them.  “Yes, that’s quite worrisome. I get distracted far too often with my phone.” She motioned away from herself. “I need to deliberately place it away during meetings so I don’t fiddle with it.” Briony had a terrible habit of checking the time; it made her look disinterested. In actuality, however, she was always worried about being late. “Ah, that makes sense.”

She gave them a sheepish smile and guiltily tacked on a question. “Oh, do you speak italian by any chance?” Hopefully, she wasn’t making them late and if she was, maybe a few more words would make this encounter a pleasant one. “Lovely language... though, I’m ashamed to say that my attempts at it are always tragic.”

+

‘Surprise?’

Now that was an understatement. One of the things Selin disliked was being unprepared. Anyone who caught her off guard whether it be in person or on the court made truly knew how to get under her skin. However, with Briony it was different due to the circumstances that they’d faced when they were both associated with Reynauld Sorsby. The name made her blood boil, but she knew there was no use crying over spilt milk. The vampire was dead and as much as she would have preferred to rip him apart with her own bare hands, she was starting to believe that everything happened for a reason.

And that perhaps, these two were destined to meet and face everything head on.  

“Mhm…” she replied at first, not sure what else to say when they had left things on…odd terms. “So…” Her voice trailed off as she maintained her gaze on Bri before breaking away and staring off into the distance. There was no use in beating around the bush, especially when she was already in an antsy mood. Selin might as well rip the bandaid off and dispel all formalities. 

“—Why did you choose to come back? Isn’t this place just a constant reminder of the shit he had put you through?” 

x

She didn’t believe in fate, but somehow, despite everything, they were face to face with each other again, after their burnt bridges, affairs, and mishandled past. Maybe this was something stronger than luck. She knew that this time was different, since her ex-husband could no longer act against her; the most toxic element between Selin and her was gone. Briony, however, wasn’t sure if that was enough to properly fix their friendship, especially since she took the time to push the other woman away. 

“Well, “ She started with a slow nod. Briony had a knack for talking about anything and everything if she needed to, but she didn’t have anything witty to say. “A lot of my good memories come from this place. My luck hasn’t ran out on me yet... and he’s dead... He’s finally dead...”

I’m just so relieved.

Briony didn’t want to look so at peace with that fact, so guilty for choosing herself over him. But she was accustomed to putting herself first, even if it wasn’t in a way that ever commanded his respect. It was a good thing that she changed the way she saw herself; she no longer believed in his word or her parents’ words as law or reality. “I can go to where I want now.”

WHERE: memorial park WHEN: afternoon WITH @brionyahn​

Rico smiled as they gently placed the sandwich in the hand of the old lady. “Now miss Evans, I am certain you have no reason to go to the retirement home yet, I would almost think you’re flirting with me, dropping your food and all. But that can’t be, having such a handsome fox at your side,” they said, patting her leg and placing one hand on mister Evans shoulder.

Mister Evans laughed a fierce laugh that had most people turn around at the sour look on his wife’s face. “Perhaps keep an eye on her then,” Rico suggested, waving the two goodbye as they walked away from the old couple. 

“Excuse me, dumb question because everyone has a watch or phone and all, but mine died, could you tell me the time?”

x

Briony didn’t mean to make a habit out of coming to this park, but everything about this place felt easy going, or maybe, she liked how nothing about this place forced her to think too hard. Surely, she had things she needed to be worried about, but she wasn’t going to fight her attraction to the tranquility of nothingness. She smiled softly at the exchange between the man and the couple. The group seemed to share a good sense of humour. 

“It isn’t a dumb question.” She pulled out her phone and pressed on the screen, waking up the display. “Two-thirty eight.” Briony smiled. “I hope you aren’t running late for anything... It’d be trouble with a dead phone, I think... the thing’s a lifeline to many these days.”

time: afternoon, august 23rd 

location: memorial park

status: closed |  @brionyahn​​​

Another day, another full moon that had passed. The only difference about this one was the lack of control that Selin had already struggled with, but was now heightened due to the Corn Moon. However, she was grateful to have been supported by Sofia and the rest of her pack members as they knew the precaution they needed to take in order to be prepared for such an event. What Sel despised the most was the aftermath, where she had to feel everything all at once. There was so much going on in her mind that the moment she had returned back into her human form and regained consciousness of everything, she forced herself to head back home and took the longest shower, consumed by her thoughts as she thoroughly cleaned off her body—a symbolic way of removing any remanence of yesterday’s occurrence. 

She refused to experience down time at home and so, the athlete opted to visit Memorial Park for a jog in order to get her mind off of things. Currently, she’d slowed down her pace as her eyes caught sight of a familiar face. Coming to a halt, her expression hardened after realizing who it was. “…Briony?” she called out as she approached the other woman. A run in to her past was the last thing Selin wanted. 

“You’re…back.” 

x

Though her home had a dark theme, she did her best to keep it filled with light during the darkness of the corn moon. After her last mountaineering expedition, she found it difficult to be stuck in what felt like eternal darkness. She thought that she could ride this lunar phase completely in her home, but with her eyes used to the light, the shadows seemed more unsettling. So she did a foolish thing and decided to go for a walk. She cancelled all her meetings and had her assistant mark her schedule off as busy; she needed meaningful alone time. 

When she stopped to stretched, she lost track of her time. Her mind wandered into some sort of oblivion, leaving a contemplative expression on her face, despite the white noise that played between her ears. She almost didn’t hear her name, but the voice cut through her fuzzy thoughts. Briony turned and reflexively offered a small smile. When she saw who it was, her hand moved over her arm, covering what she could of her scars. 

“Yes... I suppose I am. What a surprise.” 

She didn’t think that they’d run into each other again, especially with the way Briony had distanced herself. Selin had a specific way of delivering her words; her cutting way with words hurt more than Briony wanted to admit. The wounds she had back then before their fallout, however, wasn’t Selin’s fault. She just didn’t want to let someone else get caught between her and her ex-husband. Briony didn’t believe that Selin, even with her werewolf nature, could stand up to a vampire so at home in the dark.