CHERRIES

honestly, that does not sound like a bad idea at all!

it seems way better than facing whoever has decided to kidnap him. well, not really willingly. can it even be called kidnapping in that way then? maybe wind should be called the kidnapper actually... and the victim being the bag! that is only one reason more to actually stay hidden in the bag and keep on living there from now on.

he wiggles around a little bit in there, especially as the bag is being nudged from the side. would it even be possible to survive in there and become a citizen of the land of bag? it is difficult to see the contents of it when it is already dark outside, and the bag is not exactly filled with light. but something tells wind that it wouldn't be really possible.

and so with a little sigh, he peeks out of the bag again. should he simply run? it is dark, and he is not sure if he was recognised so maybe that would give him a good opportunity to run away and pretend that this never happened. because slowly, the realization that he basically dived into someone's possession is starting to hit him. if stoats could blush, he would be definitely blushing just about now.

and so, he jumps out of the bag.

what was in there, anyway? a weasel? a ferret? she hadn’t gotten a proper look earlier, only that it was small and white. curiosity started to creep in and she leaned the bag slightly, ready to peek inside. but before she could, the same little white head popped out again. anqi blinked, tilting her head as she studied it more closely. up close, it was still hard to tell exactly what it was. it looked like a weasel, but she had never seen a white one before. but one thing was certain. it was soft-looking and undeniably cute.

he crouches down to start picking up the larger shards, his movements clumsy but careful. “the power outage got me good,” he admits, shaking his head. “i was working on this potion—well, trying to—and then bam, darkness. and then you! which, uh, is nice! not the darkness part. the you part.” he glances up at her, offering a lopsided smile.

anqi set the lamp down on a nearby table before glancing around the room. spotting a mini broom and a piece of parchment, she picked them up and crouched beside him. she began sweeping the scattered glass shards into the parchment carefully, using it as a makeshift dustpan. “seems like these power outages are turning into a hazard,” she muttered, bringing the smaller pieces together. “someone should really report this before someone gets seriously hurt.” after giving the area one last check, she folded the parchment inward, gathering the shards neatly before crushing it into a crumpled ball.

“you’re not the first to mess up a first impression,” she added, a small smile forming as she glanced at him. “i do that all the time.” she brushed her hands off and straightened slightly. “i can talk to spirits,” she continued, tone light and casual. “so imagine how i look to strangers when i’m just… talking to empty air.”

there are a few things and personality traits that are not exactly the most appropriate and most welcome when running around and living in what can basically be characterised as a big, dangerous and chaotic maze. not that wind thinks that he is in any danger from the witches nor the other familiars that are living on the campus but the thing is... he is incredibly curious and especially so when he turns all small, white and fluffy.

and in that case, nothing is safe for him (but most especially from him) anymore. the pantry for potion ingredients? just a wonderful place to go sniffing around, because what if just there is something that he can snack on? that classroom that is being locked after the class? well, wind wants to go and explore it in the middle of the night because that's the best time for it ! no matter that there are lots of props used for the class just lying around, and he should probably not be touching them.

and this time .... his new victim is a bag.

it simply looks so innocent ! so intriguing ! so of course the first thing that wind does is to run straight line to it, jumping into its contents as if he wanted to compete as an olympic-level diver. and so yes, anyone could agree that the first not appropriate thing about him is his curiosity.

the second is being able to fall asleep in small and tight spaces, especially if they are fantastically warm...

next thing he knows, the bag is suddenly moving with him inside, which makes him remarkably grumpy because, excuse him, he has been napping so damn good ! he lets out an annoyed chirp, sticking his head out of the bag to look at his kidnapper. but then, after glaring straight at them for a solid few seconds, he realizes that he basically hijacked someone's bag, which might be even worse than accidental kidnapping ! and so, trying to spare whatever dignity he has left, wind dives back into the bag.

determined to get better, anqi made it a habit to practice at night, when the campus was quiet and empty with no classmates, no pressure, no eyes watching her every move. well... almost no one. the spirits still lingered, of course, but they had long learned to keep their distance whenever she was focused. the last time they got too chatty, she had to slap a talisman onto the door, sealing the room with a soundproof barrier.

the sound of the cauldron bubbling steadily filled the room. she rested her chin in her palm, staring into the mixture as it simmered. five more minutes but her eyelids felt heavier by the second. it wouldn’t hurt to close them for a bit, right? wrong.

the sharp crackling sound snapped her awake, her body jolting upright. she blinked a few times before realising that the potion had been brewing for over ten minutes. “shit,” she hissed under her breath, quickly putting out the fire before rushing the cauldron to the washroom, hoping to salvage whatever she could before it got worse.

when she returned, she placed the cauldron by the window to let it dry. only a few drops of the potion were still useable. she let out a tired sigh as she tucked a small vial into her pocket. swinging her tote bag over her shoulder, she finally called it a night.

haein has found himself in a peculiar situation. being a part time cat comes with a few downsides.

what sticks out is the attempted kidnappings, really. a pretty white cat who’s been through at least three of then. first time he felt guilty for scratching the hands and arms of a young girl. in his defence, he was nineteen and had to hurry home for dinner. yet she held on tighter, and tighter until he got let down on her apartment floor. her parents looked at him in surprise and asked where this cat could’ve possibly come from. he’s too clean —

whatever. stranger danger and all that.

this is the other peculiar situation, haein needs the help of a kind stranger. his normal go-to’s are missing, he’s stepped on something sharp. from being a four pawed creature to three and hobbling around. each step drives the stick in more and he was left keeping his paw up in the air. first best stranger will work. this one seems available, unoccupied and he uses three legs to approach. his own attempts to get it out haven’t worked.

on the last page of her notes, she had drawn a small counter which is made up of a series of neat lines where she would add one for every day she made it through class without an accident. unfortunately, today was not one of those days.

with a quiet grumble, she dragged her pen across the page, striking through all nine lines in one go. she got distracted, her potion brewed over by just three seconds and the next thing she knew, the concoction was bubbling violently and spilling over the cauldron. if nothing had happened, today would’ve been her tenth day. after drawing a new counter, she reached into her bag to pull out a few more books for some self-study, only for something white to suddenly leap onto her lap.

her curiosity peaks once she notices movement in her peripherals, coming to a halt and turning to watch the shifting shadows between the bushes. her own lack of self-preservation pushes her forward, hopping over and taking care not to let her presence be known.

she watches as a witch — someone she recognises as anqi — carefully places candles and trinkets that seem handmade, an aura of comfort emanating from it all, contrary to the usual chaos she’s seen in rituals before. her need to know more pulls her away; a quick thought of ‘flowers might help’ leads her to abandon anqi in search of some kind of pretty plant.

she notices wildflowers between the bushes, using her teeth to cut the stems and holding them in her mouth as she makes her way back. unlike earlier, her movements lack that same caution as the leaves of the bushes she hops through shake, disturbing the peace of the ritual area. she positions herself beside the witch and drops the flowers next to her, nudging the woman’s leg with her head before hopping off to the side.

she waits until she’s at least somewhat hidden in the dark before letting herself shift back into her human form, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest as she watches the setup continue.

“are rituals always this… intricate? i tried to find stuff about rituals on my phone once, and it was all just horror movie clips…” she comments, her voice quiet so as not to startle anqi but still loud enough to be heard from where she sits. “i hope the flowers help — they’re kind of like my payment for you letting me watch the ritual.”

today, it was a child’s turn. she had spent weeks tracking down their mother, piecing together fragments of memory and whispers, until she could finally deliver the message. after the heart-wrenching reunion earlier that morning, all that was left now was the ritual.

anqi chose an open patch of grass for it, remembering how much the child loved the outdoors. she kept things simple but personal. cedarwood-scented candles arranged carefully, alongside coins plastered with colorful stickers she had picked out just for them. it felt warm, gentle, fitting and yet, something was missing. she stood there, hands on her hips, lips pursed in thought as she stared at her setup.

a soft nudge against her leg broke her focus. anqi blinked, glancing down to spot a small bundle of flowers resting by her feet. a rabbit’s retreating figure hopped away not too far off. she picked the flowers up, turning them over in her hands before nodding to herself. these will do. a small smile tugged at her lips as she placed them right at the centre of the arrangement, completing it in a way she hadn’t even realised it needed.

“for me, rituals can be intricate,” she said lightly, adjusting one of the candles. “but i don’t really like the scary kind so i came up with my own style. the spirits seem to like it more this way too.” she straightened up, dusting her hands before glancing toward the direction the rabbit had gone, only to see a human in its place. “the flowers are perfect, thank you. i think they’ll love it.”

the lab was supposed to be empty at this hour—just taeyang, his half-finished potion, and the quiet hum of his own off-key singing as he stirred the mixture for what felt like the hundredth time. the recipe should have worked. he’d double-checked the ingredients, adjusted the ratios, even hummed a steady tuning note to stabilize the emotional resonance. but the liquid in the vial remained stubbornly dull, refusing to shimmer the way it was supposed to. he exhaled through his nose, rubbing at his tired eyes with the back of his wrist, smudging ink across his cheek. “come on,” he muttered, tapping the rim of the vial with his finger, “just—just work already.” he was so close. he could feel it. if he just—

the lights cut out.

but anqi knew better.

“hey, sweetie… it’s okay. you don’t have to be scared,” her voice was soft and patient. “you must be hungry, huh? look, i brought you something.” just as she inched the food closer, a loud crash echoed somewhere in the distance. the lights flickered once then everything went dark. the sudden noise sent the hidden spirit into a panic. a faint blur shot out from the bush before darting up the stairs. “wait!” anqi scrambled to her feet, grabbing her bag as she hurried after it.

darkness swallowed the stairwell, the only light coming from the faint glow of the moon filtering through the windows. if anything, the dark felt familiar, almost comforting. rounding the corner, she caught sight of a fleeting shadow slipping into one of the classrooms. “gotcha…” she whispered, a small smile tugging at her lips. as she stepped inside, the room was pitch black, the moonlight barely reaching past the doorway. her hand found the switch out of habit. click. nothing. she frowned and tried again. still nothing. “…power outage, huh.”