NEON

[The puckered look is cute, as are the exaggerated gestures and general exasperation] [He does have that effect on people, doesn’t he] Yeah, you don’t hafta anymore since you’re here now. [Yanks her into a bent arm instead of taking her up on that wrist in wait] [She’s no princess] [But even so,] Your wish is my command! [Leads straight up the flight of stairs and past a corridor speckled with platinum-framed portraits] [Loosens arm locked around Junhee’s neck, dropping hand down to (fingers twitch, tempted for just a beat) instead tug at her billowing sleeve] Y’know. Anywhere that’s not my room. [Fakes a grimace] Gets either really cold, or really hot. For all the innovation these guys do, they still haven’t gotten around to regulating the temperature in my metal box. [Stops at a window overlooking the sculpture garden and power disc courts, peering out] We could go out on the terrace. You could even throw rocks at the triplets. We were just going at a game before you got here, so they’re probably wondering where I am right now.

[From conversations, he’d picked up on a few things—that Junhee probably wasn’t what she said she was, and that she was a little more interested than she preferred to let on] [Then again, these were things he’d more or less confirmed their first fateful meeting and had kept on until now] [Biting lip down, biting something smug down] Right, diplomatic stuff. Know all about that. [Handmaids and their piddling-no-status fams, right?] Hm? [Hadn’t expected this curveball] [Carefully avoids Junhee’s gaze] Long enough for you to bring it up? [Laughs, wrapping Junhee’s fingers into his hand and gently pushing them down and away] You can get a tour… [Grins] …Or we can get lost! [Stops at the foot of the first staircase] Basically, you can either hear me regurgitate history, or we can catch up. [Dramatic bow, letting Junhee take the lead and offering a clear suggestion] Your call, milady!

[AI/Would be lying if Junhee at his doorsteps wasn’t one of the first wishful thoughts he’d humored the past week that he’d been back at the Beifong residence] Whoa! [Eyes blink wide open]  

[BF/Catches onto the young sir’s deer-like retreat and mirrors, taking a step back at the young miss’ sudden overwhelming presence]

[AI/Pinky gums and pearly whites on full display with the smile that soon stretches from ear to ear] Long time no see!! [Hears an audible exhale of relief from Bui before she and other housekeeper duck back into the house, out of sight, out of mind] [Dismisses her apology with a wave of the hand] Nah, I love surprises! This is crazy. [Opens door wide, gestures for her to step inside] When’d you get here? How’d you get here? How long’s it actually been?!

sachun’s room has never seemed grimmer. granted, it showed promise in the past, when heartbreak struck (in unsurprising multitudes, with his brother’s track record) and left him sobbing while draped over his velvet chaise and chunhee sitting by with pitiful backrubs. the past few days haven’t been much different—easy to tell by the clumps of balled up tissues discarded here and there. red-rimmed eyes and pink nose.

between them now is no mere heartache. nothing short of something dismal. 

between them hangs the wet smell of death. windchill that prickles the skin at night and keeps them wound tight. the more plausible than ever now notion of their collective demise. 

there’s no saying there won’t be any other attempts on royal lives.

chunhee for the most part sits impartial in between the two, a delicate balance of work-oriented and emotion-driven. his gaze ove over to sachun to his left, busying himself with finding whatever it was in his closet, and back to sana on his right, eyes fixed on official documents, before settling on the pile of used tissues before him, releasing a small exasperated sigh.

“didn’t someone come by to clean your room, sachi?” chunhee extends his leg, hooking his foot around the rim of the bin and sliding it over to sweep the tissues off the table’s surface. vaguely, he tries to recollect the current time. it is uncomfortably early in the day; having woken up earlier to prepare. mentally and physically. preparation that is required more for some than himself. though chunhee can’t say he’s been too preoccupied with his own grievings when he’s spent the better of the last few days catering to sachun’s.

he twists his tongue in his mouth, pushing against his cheek in thought. there’s a particular question that weighs heavy on his mind. what better time than to ask now that they were all here? “what did mom say about what happens next?” he glances over to his sister, brow arched.

what is the appropriate turnaround time between one’s death and another’s usurping of the throne? 

[BF/For a Kerita girl she doesn’t reek of wealth but perhaps she’s one of the stafflings or further removed from the tree] [Speculation comes easily in this line of work, with the sorts of characters she encounters on the daily] Since your visit is unprompted, I’m afraid I will have to ask you to wait here while I fetch the young master. [Angles head graciously in apology, eyes downcast] Thank you for understanding, milady. [Calls for another housekeeper to watch the door as she scurries back inside and towards the back of house] [In the garden, An’il balances a ball of wind on his toes as his left leg kicks repeatedly to spin the current faster]

[AI/Ears perking at canvas shoes on grass] Somethin’ up, Bui?

[BF] A visitor, sir. [Slight pause, whirring through options] From the temple, it seems. One of your old friends? They’re just passing through the city. 

[AI/Kicks ball out, smashes against pear tree and knocks a few ripened fruit down] Huh. You dunno who? [Wiggles hands into front pockets of coat, hunching shoulders. Bui shakes her head] Weird. All right. Lead the way. [Follows her through house to the front door, still opened by the sliver, leaking a trace of light and honey-sweet fragrance]

( ` there’s nothing else to do but wait. bummer. not that there’s else he can do about it. it isn’t as if the truth would have helped. what, a prince of the fire nation knocking on beifong doors? in disguise? laughable ) ( ` back turned to the entrance, chunhee’s attention shifts to the view, taking note of the satomobiles and civilians passing by ) ( ` random dog doing business on the streets here, couple arguing there ) ( ` a terribly average neighborhood. it’s a surprise itself that an’il has holed up here for so long ) “tch. taking too long.”  ( ` mumbles under his breath, fingers carding through the lush of black hair framing his face. notably, it’s too long. but at the very least, pinned down right ) 

[BF/Don’t recognize the name, think it’s suspicious that she doesn’t provide a family name, and so] Junhee of…? [New to the job but House-Sitting 101 kicks into overdrive] [She looks innocent enough, but those are the types to look out for] [And especially if the visit concerns An’il, the menace of the household. It goes without saying, perhaps, that he would keep equally eccentric company] A surprise, mi— [Her dress is plain, but silhouette structured and fabric heavy enough that the next assumption is, God willing, correct] —lady? [If she’s of royal breeding, then perhaps…] Shall I call for him to receive you, then? [Furrowing a brow in thought] I can use a false name… unless you prefer a different alias.

[BF/Scurrying to the manor’s entrance] [Could something have slipped under my radar? Were the Beifongs expecting visitors today?] [Pulls doors open to a girl of slight frame, humble maroon dress, and a pert but otherwise unreadable expression] [Of fire pedigree, without a doubt. At this residence it was a rarity to host, save for the odd luncheon or dinner party.] Hello miss—how may I be of help? [Caught off-guard—a visitor for the Zigsa boy? This was certainly a first] Ah… was he expecting you? [Just her luck considering he’d flown off everyone’s radar up until today, at the crack of dawn] Would you be so kind as to provide a name?

the youngest, the baby (but not really), he’s got every bit of asana (mom’s) bitchiness and none of sachun (dad’s) softness (sorta) — the only difference being since he has no political pull (not his expertise/concern), he doesn’t care if he steps on anyones toes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

interests lies in: fashion, photography, beautification of the capital city, gossiping, making bets, traveling

leads the tourism division of the fire nation, which works on making capital city more open/friendly to tourists (big whoopsidaisy with that one)

vain kid, knows he’s good looking/cute/pretty/handsome/wtv, can’t be told otherwise

at times prefs living as a “commoner” (quote/unquote only if commoners come with expensive clothing, deluxe suites, no limit spending, etc) than as a royal

^ in short, just hates the title but loves the money (did grow up rich after all)

wants a pet, a big enough pet to ride, like a polar bear dog or something (likes fluffy animals i said what i said)

^ and yet only has his mongoose lizard, dozi (doozy), who he’s trained to bite on command (also, roll over, fetch sachun’s left shoe etc)

recap:dobs

1 in the middle of waiting on his lunch when the alarm rang. very puzzled. never got to eat his chrysanthemum goji jelly /; 2 immediate lockdown once news broke, he’s stuck with some colonel tailing his every move as of now which is 😒3 it isn’t processing right, what it means for him, them, the nation. none of it. decidedly chooses to keep busy instead of thinking about it so he’s just running himself short between helping his sister and trying to settle things in the city from what his limited reach can do