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hoetaek takes in what somin’s saying, a frown tugging at the corners of their lips. they knew somin had a hand in the protections around the campsite, and they’d be lying if they said the question of how the hell these hunters had broken through hadn’t crossed their mind. but, well, right now there’s more important things to worry about. “we’ll deal with all that later, I’m sure. I mean, it’s scary, and worrying, and I want to find out who did this. but right now… my focus is on saving as many of our people as possible.” they squeeze her hand, catching her eye and trying to express with their face that this is not her fault, before turning back and continuing on. they can’t help a gasp escaping their lips when they reach the campfire clearing, their heart breaking at the sight of all the death, and grief. they don’t notice the wounded student until somin moves towards them, but the second their eyes find them they’re rushing after her. they kneel beside the student, nodding in response to somin’s question as they quickly open the bag they have slung over their shoulder. in the back corner of hoetaek’s part of the greenhouse they grow a special kind of moss, imbued with a magic designed to help with open wounds—stop the bleeding and start to heal the skin—and when hoetaek was packing for this camping trip, they’d decided to bring with them almost their entire supply. this is not exactly what they were expecting to use it for, but in this moment they can’t help but thank their past self for always being prepared.

they pull a clump of this moss out of their bag and quickly press it to the wound in this student’s stomach, moving somin’s hands so they’re on top of it. “hold this here, apply pressure,” they tell her, before diving into their bag again, this time pulling out a light green potion. they lift the student’s head gently with one hand, using their thumb to wipe some of the blood away from their mouth before bringing the potion up to their lips. “you’re going to be okay,” they tell them gently. “but I need you to take a deep breath in and swallow all of this, can you do that for me?” the student looks terrified, but they nod, taking a deep breath in as instructed, and hoetaek carefully tips the contents of the potion into their mouth.

somin appreciates having hoetaek as a best friend. they’re one of the most level headed people she knows and, even though she’s older, she actually looks up to them a lot and is immensely proud of them. she smiles softly when they catch her eyes, already knowing exactly what that look say. you didn’t cause this, they’re saying. she squeezes their hand back and nods. they’re words register and she understands what hoetaek is saying, but it’s hard for her to not think about regardless. maybe it’s because she feels an overwhelming sense of responsibility for the massacre that’s happening, but she’s struggling with the idea of how exactly they entered the camp in the first place. the thought of it is wiped from her mind when she sees the student on the ground, though. she does her best to follow the instructions that they give her. the moss feels soft under her tensed fingers and some of the student’s blood ends up coming up through her fingers for a moment before it stops almost instantly. “what is that?” somin asks, nodding towards the liquid in the other witch’s hand.

somin comes from a long line of healing witches, but has never taken the time to learn from her family at all. she’s always been in love with charms and divination, but seeing the scene before her... there’s a nagging at the back of her head that tells her she should learn before it’s too late.

hyeri forces herself to look away, scrambling backwards to get as far away from the flames as possible. the heat is suffocating and the smell of ash burns through her lungs. “i’m fine,” she coughs, a grimace on her face. the night is still young and there is still plenty that could happen. the siren glances over at somin, “thanks.” she means it, the words pouring out of her. there is fear and confusion, but relief carries her words, because hyeri cannot imagine what would have happened if somin had not come save her. rather she doesn’t want to and forces the image out of her head. the siren’s body shakes as she stares out into chaos of everything happening at once. “is there anything i can do to help?”

she doesn’t want to stay behind while others could be suffering. if there’s a way she can help, she wants to try. hyeri needs to be useful somehow or her conscience will not let her move on from this night. 

hoetaek had been caught off guard. their focus had been on an injured student across the way, and they hadn’t seen the hunter coming at them until they’d already been grabbed. but they’ve barely had time to register what happened, register that this guy wasn’t exactly human, before they’re being dropped again, their assailant suddenly bursting into flames, and hoetaek doesn’t have to look to know it’s somin. they do turn to her though, stepping away from the burning pile of… whatever that guy was. she looks frazzled, hoetaek can’t blame her (they’re sure they don’t exactly look cool calm and collected right now either), and they instinctively reach out to place a comforting hand on her arm. “I’m okay, I’m not hurt, but you know telling me to get out of here is about as good as me trying to tell you to get out of here,” they reply, giving her a look. they know her, and they know she’s the kind of person who’d put up a fight. “I have potions, and supplies, I can heal people, and you know I’m going to be out here saving as many goddamn people as I can.” they take her hand, tugging her towards a cluster of trees that might serve as some sort of cover. “we’ve gotta keep moving, come on.”

she gives hoetaek as much of a smile as she can in this situation, knowing exactly what they mean. “yeah, i guess you’re right,” she says and follows them into the trees. the entire situation is morbid and that’s putting it lightly. there are students and staff alike everywhere. some are running in the direction of the academy; others are going back to tents for quick shelter. as they’re walking, she does her best to put out any flames she sees that could spread dangerously. “taek, these hunters... how do you think they got in?” she asks. “i helped put up the protective spells and... i’m positive that there’s no way this could have happened unless someone on the inside was helping them,” she finishes, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. it’s a serious thing, to let killers into their sanctuary. she doesn’t know the last time it’s happened or if it’s ever happened at all. of course hunters are a threat, but keisung, despite the terrible beings that live there, is a safe haven for all of them. somewhere where they can be themselves without this threat, but it’s followed them somehow. they reach the clearing where they’ve been having their campfires and it’s a disaster. bodies of dead students and their crying classmates while professors try to pull them away to safety. somin scans the area for survivors and spots a student coughing up blood. she rushes to them, putting pressure on the wound through their stomach. she looks to hoetaek frantically. “is there anything you can do?”

there’s a shout from beside her and she spots a hunter—that doesn’t seem completely human themselves—holding a student by the front of their shirt. she blinks and they’re up in flames. “are you okay? are you hurt? you need to get out of here,” she rushes out to them after running over, her instincts finally kicking in after the initial shock.

          THE  SIREN   ALMOST  goes  to  protest ,  as  she  was  just  about  to  try  &  persuade  her  company  as  to  why  her  plan  was  worthwhile .  to  try  &  convince  the  other  further  that  she  had  an  explanation  as  to  why  her  revenge  was  a  good  idea .  hoping  to  stall  the  rejection  she  was  sure  was  about  to  be  shot  her  way .   yet ,  it  was  when  somin’s  surprising  response  made  way  to  her  ears,  that  katrina’s  eyes  grew  wide.  a  look  of  disbelief  flashing  before  her  visage ,  only  for  it  to  be  replaced  by  an  amused  expression .    “  really  !?  ”   the  question  escapes  her  in  an  unexpected  breath ,  her  features  suddenly  illuminated  with  excitement  as  she  perks  up  in  her  seat .  her  gaze  glimmering  with  a  sense  of  mirth .  the  other's  words  seem  to  bring  laughter  to  the  girl .  “   i  wish  i  would  have  taken  a  finger  from  him,  or  maybe  even  a  limb , “  she  jokes ,  finding  herself  humored  by  the  witch  before  her . but ,  her  face  scrunches,  her  countenance  torn  between  shame  &  disgust ,  as  she  finally  goes  to  answer  their  question .  her  voice  somewhat  hesitant  to  admit  that  she  had  kept  anything  that  had  belonged  to  that  asshole .     “  i  do.  well  .  . .   it  was  given  to  me  by  him .  would  that  still  work  ??   “    she  asks,  her  appearance  hopeful .

multiple emotions pass the other girl’s face until it settles on disbelief and somin almost laughs. her temperament has probably been talked up on campus; she’ll admit that she’s a hard one to convince for help, but men using something like love as a manipulation tool really gets to her. so, yes, she’s on board. and, she says as much to her. “don’t look so excited, though. it won’t be that easy and it will probably take time.” she smiles when the other laughs. somin never had an abundance of girl friends before she got to keisung, but now it’s different. the only actually male friend she has is kyungsun and they’re more partners than they are friends. this may just be another student she has to adopt for herself. “it depends on what it is, honestly. if he gave it to you then technically the ownership has changed. if it’s something he’s kept on him for a long time then his presence could still linger on it. but, if his feelings for you weren’t as sincere as you thought then it might be something he expected back and not gave up fully, if that makes sense? in short, i can try it, but i can’t guarantee anything.” the last thing she wants it to get her hopes up and it fall through.

the little patterns they’re making and the way they play with the water.. it can only amuse them for so long before the boredom and sadness of being stuck indoors will start piling up on them again. it’s not a fun way to live, a siren trap indoors.. they don’t like it much. so when the words reach their ears, and they turn to see a witch standing there with an offering, yejun’s head tilts. “a little.. but the siren exit is too far to walk in the rain.. and wouldn’t your jacket only half cover me?” they bring their legs up underneath them then, crossing them where they sat, but paying all the attention to the female with rather big innocent eyes just peering at her right now.

they’re cute, somin thinks briefly before shaking her head of the thought. she’s always been one to label herself as the witch bitch of keisung, but she’s a lot more caring than she’d like to admit. it just rubs her the wrong way when someone’s in need of something and people just walk by like they haven’t seen it. if she can help then, most of the time, she will. “ah,” she realizes belatedly that it must look she’s offering a flimsy jacket—that can barely be called that, if she’s being honest—to a siren who will definitely grow a few new parts if brought outside, “the jacket is actually charmed. you won’t get wet at all. fire’s my element,” she says, wiggling her fingers at them and letting a few flames manifest at her tips, “so, i’m not a huge fan of rain myself. but, i don’t mind letting you borrow it. you need it more than i do.” she’s slipping the jacket off before the other can even give her a proper response and hands it out to them. “i will want it back, but if you give me a jacket of yours then i can charm it to do the same thing,” she offers.

employee: aisle 5

☀ ー he couldn’t lie and say being bonded was his favorite thing in the world, it was hard sometimes, but it also made a lot of things easier, and in all honesty, made him feel human again most days. he liked the connection to actual people, and having a little music and a person to be around him no matter what helped.

plus, somin was better than nearly anyone else he could have asked for. they actually got along. he doesn’t mind spending time with her, even if it can be a lot of boring work every once in a while. besides, he can deal with holding her bags sometimes in exchange for someone to go to when he was in trouble. like now.

“somin.” kyungsun mocks, voice classically monotone. “are you really asking me, a whole demon to use logic and pre-planning in order to study? what am i supposed—i forgot the rest of what you said in what order.” his eyebrows furrow in efforts to remember so he can finish being a nuisance, but it doesn’t come back to him, so with a sigh he continues. “if you can’t help me cheat because of a ward, i at least need you to magically make me know it. if i die because of incompetence, i’ll make sure my death rock thingy says you killed me.”

“i mean, it wouldn’t hurt,” somin retorts and sticks her tongue out at him. the thing is, she really loves kyungsun. as much as they tend to bicker and pick on each other, sun is easily the closest person to her and she wants him as happy as possible. “the ‘death rock thingy’ is what people call a tombstone and the saying is what others call an epitaph. also, you can’t die so you’ll never get one,” she points out with a raise of her eyebrows.

“don’t worry,” she finally says, “i already have a solution. who do you think i am?” she pulls her hair up into a ponytail and pulls a pen out from a drawer in her desk. “this is charmed already, and i’m letting you borrow it. i need it back, okay? once you click it, it will start writing the answers to your questions on the test, so don’t click it until you need it. and, make sure to click it closed when you’re done because if you don’t it will keep writing and your professor will obviously know something’s up. i would use a regular pen for some of the questions... if you get a perfect score they might be suspicious,” she smiles, too sweet to be natural, and hands the pen out to him. “use it wisely, young padawan.”

hoetaek always looks forward to the weekends. not for the reason most people do, but because the weekends means the markets, and the markets means hoetaek gets to work their stall and sell their goods—and spend time with their best friend. there’s a long list of things hoetaek is eternally grateful to somin for—her fashion advice, the time she punched a guy in the face for them, the fact that she became the family they never really had—but her agreeing to support their dream and help them with this stall is very high on that list. honestly, they could think of no better way to spend the weekend then practicing for their future, and hanging out with their best friend.

hoetaek smiles as they approach their usual stall space, seeing somin already there. they have a large iced coffee in one hand and a bag full of pastries for the both of them in the other, so they respond to her wave with a nod of their head. “good morning!” they greet once they’ve reached her, giving her the closed thing to a hug they can manage with their hands full—which is basically just them resting their chin on her shoulder for a brief moment. “you’re up early.” they’re teasing, while it is usually hoetaek who arrives first, it’s not completely unheard of for somin to get there before them, and they grin at her as they set their stuff down and start helping her set up. “I have a good feeling about today. the weather’s good, we’ve got some great shit to sell, I’m pumped!”

somin did her best to wrap her arms around the other despite all the items they had in their hands. “my internal clock has been weird lately, so i’ve been waking up early as fuck the past few days,” she says with a light shrug before following them over to where they’re placing their stuff down. after rummaging through the bag of food they brought, she pulls out a blueberry scone and bites into it. “oh, thank the devil,” somin says, around a mouth full of food, “you know you’re my favorite right?”

she eats while hoetaeks moves a few things around and puts a few of their own items out. “yeah, i think it’ll definitely be a good day. i told kyungsun he could stay home, i felt bad dragging him out so early for the seventh weekend in a row. but, it should be okay. and, i brought the pendants you gave me the other day. fully charged, and then some,” she says, and winks at the other before swallowing her last bite and pulling out her tarot deck of choice for the day.

task 001 ↦ han somin