Dream Girl

quietly, he walked among the goers at the dark market as if he didn’t have a care in the world. while enoch’s power was not at the level it would normally be. he had faith it would come back but most importantly he still held a swagger like he could rule the world if he tried. it worked when it came to the darker areas of the world.

the more hidden market of elestren was almost like a taste of home. curses and items to make poisons with other worldly affects were place next to normal goods. a dangerous habit for the people that didn’t know a thing about what was being sold. almost made a slow smirk shift over his lips. still, his charming façade was put in place. careful to give off a curiosity more than murderer kind of vibe as he browsed the various stalls.

carefully started conversation with the few that seemed to want it from him, but not going out of his way to bring anyone into a conversation of his own. enoch couldn’t allow himself to get too comfortable. the darkness tended to push him towards such a feeling. but there he was, offering a true laugh at something one of the vendors said. a little twisted sense of humor did some good in a world like theirs.

his enjoyment of the moment was cut short when someone ran into them. it seemed their magic was related to flames as it sparked and claimed the vendor’s wares. nearly avoiding it, the demon huffed, running his hand over his clothes to verify that he did truly avoid it. “no, no. it’s alright,” he said as he run his hand of his arms to check one more time.

“it looks like i am in perfect condition.” a slow charming smile took over his face as he moved his gaze towards the women in front of him. “i should be asking you… are you alright?”

No. Minsoo was most certainly not alright. She was absolutely mortified. A perfectly nice stranger had nearly been the victim of one of her fits. She looked at him apologetically, but also more than a little prepared to run. She was not an expert, especially in a dress, but her survival instincts outweighed her lack of  athleticism. The people who frequented these spaces were not exactly the forgiving sort.

"I-I'm fine," she said. "Just a little shaken up, that's all." She had gotten better, but her nerves still caused the occasional combustion. 

She took a step back to give him his personal space. After all, she could have possibly killed him. She was just lucky no one tried to return the favor this time. The dark pop up markets in Elestren were slightly safer than those in the Darien Vale, but the former meant “Cecilia” was more likely to be discovered by someone she knew. Of course, if there ran into each other here of all places, there would be a lot of explaining to do on both ends. 

As the embarrassment subsided, Minsoo finally paid full attention to the person in front of her. That was when she noticed how handsome he was. He had to be a character in the story, right? Though, his description didn’t fit anyone she remembered. Were even villagers that attractive here? Maybe the author was just that shallow.

Minsoo made her way through the bustling crowd of masked nobles and aristocrats, her vivid green dress flowing elegantly behind her. As she entered the grand ballroom, her eyes landed on the towering chandeliers overhead, casting a warm glow over the masked revelers. She adjusted the intricate brown mask that adorned her face and made her way to the dance floor. The sound of a lute and harp filled the air.

In the original novel, Cecilia had dressed as the Good Witch. However, no one had understood the entire night who she was supposed to be. Minsoo had cringed slightly. It was clearly an attempt to mark her as the best apprentice to the Good Witch and future successor. It had also clearly failed. 

Minsoo was not willing to face that kind of attention or potential humiliation. She didn’t think it would affect Feya’s fate if she just wore a different costume. She was sure Willhelm and Matteo would still fall in love with her anyways. The woman was lovable. 

Instead, Minsoo had dressed as a representation of the Alder Woods. She even placed intricate fabric butterflies in her hair and weaved “vines” in between them. It was nice to be out of Cecilia’s signature red. In some ways, she felt it helped her blend in. Though, maybe it was too abstract. “Do you know what I was going for?” she asked. “Maybe I should have just been a dragon.”

there were moments in her life when celestine rather felt as though she were crawling out of her skin. as though a situation or conversation she was having had been experienced before, the wavering footholds of déjà vu in the sands of time giving her pause. making her wonder. there were a small handful of beings around her that never triggered this sensation, and as abysmal as it was, she found little comfort in the absence of it. in fact, they were the beings who made her the most suspicious. it marked them as alien, unfamiliar.

cecilia was such witch, if she could be so called. she remembered very well the way she had behaved before her illness. the conniving mind and thinly veiled disdain in cloying smiles. she had been difficult, to say the least. a raging inconvenience at best. an apprentice she would have never chosen of her own accord if it wasn’t expected of her, in her role as an ally of the royal family. that cecilia was a known element. predicable and plain. celestine loved to be around those she had already mapped out. whose motivations and personalities could be predicted and used against them.

what the good witch hated, more than anything else in all of the kingdoms; was someone whose entirely personality seemingly changed over night. she had agreed to this training for that reason alone. because whatever cecilia was playing at, it was best to sort it out before the time came to make her own moves. she’d been expecting something earth shattering. instead, she was left wondering if the brain injury rumors that had been circulating were indeed true.

after quickly dousing the flames that had come so dangerously close to setting the curtain of sleek, shining black hair that hung down her back on fire. again. the witch could hardly believe that this was the same woman she had been teaching at all. “focus.” she snapped, eyes narrowing in frustration. “we have been working on this for years. do you mean to tell me that all of that time we have spent, was a waste?” what good was an apprentice who couldn’t even control their element? if it weren’t for the danger posed by her lack of control, she might had walked away already. she still might.

clenching her teeth to hold back another sharp criticism, she exhaled heavily through her nose. replacing the clear look of annoyance with a more placid smile. she hadn’t fooled so many for this long to lose control of herself now. “perhaps a meditation. the more anxiety you evoke the less control you will have. re-center yourself first and we will try lighting the candle after.” or lighting the entire realm. she was relatively young, something she willingly admitted to no one. but in the years she had lived, and of all the lessons her own mentor had imparted, celestine had never once heard of an illness that could damage someone’s talent and re-set them back to a novice. this girl had all of the control of a toddler. “have something to drink as well, to keep your energy up.”

Minsoo flinched. She was used to a hierarchy, but that usually had to do with age in Korean culture. Even though Minsoo was in a younger body, Celestine looked like her dongsaeng. Instead, the Good Witch was, essentially, her boss. She was the one who Minsoo answered to. Of course, it was likely that despite her appearance, Celestine was centuries older than her. 

Another disconcerting aspect of her new life were all the noble titles. She never knew which were above her and which below her (not that it made any sense to give more respect to someone just for being born into the right family in the first place). Not to mention, the royal family. There was little chance Minsoo would ever run into the president in her past life, but it was a possibility she would actually be in the presence of the king in this one. The Good Witch was literally his most powerful weapon.

There was little Minsoo took pride in more than her job. So, the fact that she was doing a bad job, throwing away Cecilia’s hard work, physically pained her. “It’s all a bit blurry,” she said, apologetically. Minsoo didn’t even know what it was supposed to feel like to have magic. For some reason, she expected more of a weight, but she couldn’t get a feel for it at all. And, maybe, that was part of the problem.

Minsoo nodded along. She took a shaky drink, wishing yet again that Cecilia was a water elementalist. There was not too much damage that Minsoo could do with water. At the most, someone would get wet. They wouldn’t nearly die or end up scarred. If she ever made it back home, she would be penning a strongly worded letter to the author. “I have never been the best at meditating. I am not sure I know how to sit still.” As soon as she said the words, she wondered if the same held true for Cecilia. Well, she had abandoned her family just to practice magic, so she probably had a decent work ethic. But, Cecilia had still grown up a noble, so she never had to choose between working or the lights getting cut off. Minsoo quickly pivoted. “Maybe I should watch you demonstrate.”

@taliesinnbm​

Minsoo was not used to others fighting her for product, but here they were, staring each other down from across the room. Most people didn’t bother with her items. They were too obscure or to expensive. If it weren’t for Cecilia’s assets (mostly jewelry), Minsoo herself wouldn’t have been able to afford most of her expenses. 

There was little Minsoo wouldn’t try to get back home. She was tired of dresses, even when pants would work better. She was tired of the restrooms (she would trade all her belonging for indoor plumbing). And, she was tired of the food. It was good, but there was little variety. She could only eat so much stew, no matter how cold it was.

Logically, Minsoo figured if she had come into this world, there had to be an explanation. So, there must have been a way out. Hopefully without her dying again. Her latest attempt at knowledge was a piece of manuscript from an ancient text. It supposedly discussed the possibilities of “other worlds”. Minsoo needed it and she was not going to let some bard take it from her. 

@celestinexnbm​

Minsoo had never been a big fan of the isekai genre. It always seemed to follow the same lines and tropes. The leading men were often insufferable and she often found herself with a serious case of second lead syndrome. The leading women were often too dense for their own good. It made her wonder if the authors had ever even spoken to a woman before.

However, now that Minsoo was in the same situation, she realized she had been harsh on those girls. She had woken up disoriented and had still not found her footing. Every moment threw her off balance. 

Cecilia had led a life before her. She had hopes and dreams. Friends, sorta. People knew her habits and had expectations of her. Now, they had Minsoo. Though Minsoo had always sympathized with Cecilia, the character was a secondary villain at best. Little was mentioned about her, so, even if Minsoo remembered the entire book, she wouldn’t have much more to go on.

Because of Cecilia’s previous behavior, everyone was wary of Minsoo. They seemed to think the illness had caused brain damage. Some thought the amnesia was something she was just doing for attention. Minsoo didn’t understand who would so such a thing. Still, she had a feeling she needed to start “remembering” things soon.

Of course, there was a bigger issue at the moment. Cecilia was a powerful witch, even if she never lived up to Feya or Celestine’s abilities. But, Minsoo had exactly none of her training. So, after nearly setting their library on fire again she had asked the Good Witch to begin her training again. Now, she just had to apologize for nearly burning her hair off. “I’m sorry. I swear, I’ll get the hang of this.” She thought for a moment. “Maybe I should try to light something smaller. Like the candle instead.” 

Cecilia did not have to ask twice for RaRa to agree, she was just as concerned as her friend. The black cat had been gone for longer than usual and that was strange even for a feline and its independent behaviour.

“We are going to be alright,” RaRa stated, kind of unaware of the dangers the forest could bring to them, but it should not be that different from home, and so far RaRa had not run into danger in the woods before, maybe some weird encounters but no danger, “we brought with us the most important, Luna’s bed.”

She had never had a pet before, but she had some knowledge of the matter. “I know cats follow their own smell, maybe she did not get to catch it, she must be far away from the cottage, but if we bring the bed closer, she will. I am sure.” She declared very sure of her words and logic. “Trust me.”

Holding onto the bed and the few things they brought for their own safety due to the weather conditions, RaRa led the way. Turning her head back to Cecilia she shared a soft smile. “We are going to find her safe and sound, don’t worry, Cecilia.”

Minsoo nodded. Feya was right. Luna loved nothing more than her bed. She even insisted on it being placed by the window, under direct beams of light. However, Luna didn’t seem to be coming for either the smell or their calls. Only belatedy did Minsoo worry that demons would come after them. Though, she supposed she was safe with Feya around. 

They trekked through the foliage. She wasn’t sure for how long, but Minsoo remained mostly silent. Her brow furrowed. Where was Luna? Minsoo opened her mouth to ask if tracking spells were a thing, then promptly closed it shut. She heard purring. Aggressive purring. Luna.

Minsoo broke into a run, not even checking to see if Feya was behind her. Hopefully, the fairy could keep up. Minsoo stepped into a clearing. There. Luna. Minsoo broke into a smile. Her cat was safe.

Then, Minsoo let out a strangled noise.

In her excitement, Minsoo had not noticed the dragon standing next to her beloved cat. Luna, for her part, seemed content. She clearly had no idea that she was in danger and was cuddling next to said dragon. Minsoo whisper screamed at Feya. “Help.”

It had taken weeks for Minsoo to finally venture outside of the cottage grounds. She told everyone is due to her recent bout of illness, but it was getting harder to put off. So, she had finally donned Cecilia’s clothes, stared at herself in the mirror, and accepted her fate. 

Her mission was simple. Bean sprouts. She missed Korean food and was looking for anything resembling one. She had picked up a few colorful fruits, figuring they’d probably be safe. Elestren was the good part of town, after all. However, she still walked in a daze. 

Minsoo was normally an independent person, but at the moment, she wished she was holding someone’s hand. She hadn’t been this skittish, even as a child. But, she supposed, coming back from the dead had to be an exception.

Minsoo turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin. Someone was standing right behind her. “Hello,” she said.

it had been out of pure graciousness that serenity had agreed to come to this birthday party. a distant family member had begged her to come, no doubt after those of higher ranking within the family refused. she had considered it a favor. unfortunately her dear family neglected to mention they’d also invited cecilia. perhaps there had been a different intent behind her invite than serenity had initially assumed.

she had fully wanted to avoid cecilia, if only to spite the birthday girl’s attempts to stir drama and gossip, and yet somehow she still ended up face-to-face with the woman, tea spilled all down the front of her dress as cecilia makes a fruitless effort to clean it up.

any other time, serenity would have snapped. but with how much gossip surrounded the two of them, and with her dear relative apparently trying to set her up, serenity knows better than to fuel the fire, as much as she would love to let cecilia have it.

serenity’s hand raises on impulse, as if to snatch cecilia’s wrist and halt her movements, but her brain catches up before she can lay a hand on the other. instead she slowly reaches for the handkerchief cecilia is using to “clean” up the stain, willing herself to be as gentle as possible as everyone in the room watches with bated breath, though she can’t help the way she pulls it out of the other woman’s hand with a bit more force than necessary. hopefully no one noticed.

“do watch where you’re going next time,” serenity says, keeping her voice as even as possible. as much as she tries to keep her anger out of her expression, her eyes flash as she looks up at cecilia. “i don’t carry my entire wardrobe when i travel.”

Minsoo stared at Serenity, her mouth slightly gaping. Admittedly, she was not great with people. She didn’t understand body language or pay attention to many social cues. She didn’t care enough to learn what was normal for them. However, even she knew this was not normal behavior for Serenity. The woman hated Cecilia. Minsoo wondered if she was missing something about this fiance of Serenity’s. They didn’t seem like good enough of a catch to cause such vehemence between both women.

She closed her mouth, quickly. Right. Social graces. For these people, appearances mattered more than anything else. If Serenity wanted to pretend to be the bigger person, Minsoo could live with that. It beat another woman attempting to pull out her hair again. Or an aggrieved co-worker accidentally killing her. 

“Maybe you should,” Minsoo said, benignly. “Accidents happen.” 

Belatedly, she realized that could be seen as a threat and resisted the urge to flinch. Why couldn’t she just nod and spew about the graciousness of her highness? Minsoo had pride, but not at the extent of her life. Really, she was convinced that was what caused Cecilia hers. 

Minsoo quickly switched gears. “Maybe there is a water elementalists nearby that can lift the stain,” she said. Then, she looked around, remembering where she was. Mirth and scorn filled a few faces. Oh. Right. This probably served as a fun reminder of how Cecilia abandoned her family for magic. Still, she didn’t let it bother her. “Maybe a servant.”

🦄- What is one weird rp habit you have?

I guess one habit I have that people find weird is that I don't actually have to know an FC to want to use them. I only become a fan after using them.

One example is I barely knew Taeyeon before I used her as Princess Aurora. But once I saw her I was like "yep, that's her, that's the one".

📒- Do you ever go back an re-read your old threads?

I do. Extensively. Up until a few years ago, I would do a pilgrimage to read my first RP ship that stuck. I do so for other things as well, but ships tend to get the most attention, ngl. I am a sucker for wholesome af threads though.

Here is Zacox in case you are curious. I would die for them.

Send 🧹for our muses to cause a mess they must fix/clean up.

Minsoo stared at the remnants of the king's prized vase in horror. She saw both her lives flash before her eyes. Oh no. No, no, no. She was going to be beheaded. Minsoo wondered if it would hurt. Would she get a third life? Did they provide last rites? Had all the accidental fires been enough to get her sent to hell?

Minsoo took a deep breath before she could hyperventilate. Maybe she and Celestine should have spared literally anywhere else in the castle. However, the throne room was so spacious, and the king made them wait so long for an audience, they got bored. Minsoo didn't mind. She wasn't good at being idle. Now, she wished she had just brought a book.

She wished Feya was there. The female lead always managed to get out of everything with her charm. Minsoo couldn't charm anyone.

"Do you think the king will accept that it was an accident?" Maybe they could run into the Middlemist Forest and begin new lives. Maybe the Darien Vale needed a library.

🍓 STRAWBERRY - do they eat their fruit & veg? what is their favourite fruit or vegetable?

Minsoo definitely eats all her fruits and vegetables. Except for brussels sprouts. She hates those. Her favorite fruit is strawberries. Her favorite vegetable is broccoli.