lilith

( . . . )

ADMITTEDLY  IT  WAS  A  NICE  WAY  TO  END  THE  DAY.           she’s  not  usually  keen  on  visitors  in  her  own  room  and  there  doesn’t  tend  to  be  a  lot  of  them  anyway  —  the  girls  know  each  other  well  enough  to  find  friends  in  someone  else.  maeve  is  sociable,  but  even  she  needs  a  safe  haven  from  time  to  time.

          tonight  is  not  a  night  that  requires  loneliness  and  so  mae  retreats  into  her  room,  closing  the  door  behind  lilith.  «  then  i  guess  i  have  no  choice  but  to  share  my  precious  time  with  both  of  you.  »  the  humorous  tone  lingers  as  she  sits  down  on  her  king-sized  bed,  patting  the  empty  spot  next  to  her.  whilst  she  considers  lilith  a  friend,  or  at  least  the  closest  you  could  get  to  one  living  a  life  like  this,  not  all  visits  are  unprovoked,  and  mae  is  curious  if  there’s  a  reason  behind  her  visitor’s  appearance. 

          «  i’m  flattered.  »  there’s  an  easy  smile  there,  genuine  for  once.  «  and  to  what  do  i  owe  this  pleasure  ?  »  when  lilith  puts  it  like  this,  exasperation  in  her  voice,  maeve  knows  there  is  more  in  hiding,  a  meaning  behind  all  of  this,  and  as  any  person  in  her  situation  she  is  dying  to  know.  secrets  can  be  lethal  in  their  playing  field.

─ ⠀⠀contented  ⠀⠀ with  ⠀⠀ the  ⠀⠀ humorous  ⠀⠀greeting ,  ⠀⠀lilith  ⠀⠀ finds  ⠀⠀ herself  ⠀⠀easily  ⠀⠀ letting  ⠀⠀ go  ⠀⠀of  ⠀⠀ the  ⠀⠀stress  ⠀⠀of  ⠀⠀the  ⠀⠀day . at least for a brief moment , she dares to forget what brought her there in the first place and instinctively , she sits beside maeve once the other implies so . there is something calm about maeve after all , maybe it is the tone of her voice or the way she appeares care free at the very moment . however , lilith knows better , she knows most the people forgot what serenity means due to the battle they give against their own chaos .

“  ah , you know , it's usual . some people just don't know when to shut their big mouth , ” lilith answers once the question rings in her ears . it is not a lie that some people indeed do not know how to keep their nose away from someone else's business and that is something nudges the wrong spot in lilith . just like the person she almost had a fight with before arriving to maeve's door .

“  how about you ? how is everything going ? ” lilith asks as she believes she has to at least ask how her “  friend ” is before lilith bothers her with the incidents that annoyed her . after all , she is there to plan a revenge and she needs to be sure maeve is in her best condition to go through such conversation .

her eyes fully focused on the female , who is sitting beside her , lilith tilts her head to the side and looks at the other . she is not the best but the years in her obscure career allows her to read people , at least , enough for lilith to find right times to put her mind into action . so , once she is almost sure that maeve can help her , lilith allows side of her lips to move up and form a half-smirk .

( . . . )

truthfully, zero didn’t spend much time in his apartment– or he hadn’t been recently. being away for months on end meant that he was never around, after all. he was pretty sure no one knew there was a lab in the basement either, which would never be inspected either given the landlord didn’t have a clue about it too. zero was good at keeping the things he did secret.. most of the time at least.

today was one of those rare days he’s come home though. coming back to clean off blood from his hands and out his hair, and to maybe just relax a little. he had just taken a hit from one of his latest drug experiments as well, so the room was moving and a little hazy, but he was alright. this wasn’t anything new to zero.

now neighbour wise.. well, zero didn’t have a fucking clue about any of them and he didn’t really give much of a shit about who they were either– which is why he’s pretty surprised when he hears a knock and opens the door to someone probably from his floor.

he can practically smell the alcohol rolling off of him too. 

“is your friend one of my clients?“ he raises a brow, head tilted a little and his eyes slightly wider in an almost innocent way. “do you want to try some?“ and the temptation to give him his newest drug was an exciting one. a lethal one.

─ ⠀⠀human ⠀⠀ nature ⠀⠀ is ⠀⠀ disquietingly ⠀⠀ ironic , ⠀⠀especially ⠀⠀when ⠀⠀ it ⠀⠀comes ⠀⠀one ⠀⠀ to ⠀⠀listen ⠀⠀ to ⠀⠀ the ⠀⠀ little ⠀⠀ voice ⠀⠀ in ⠀⠀ his ⠀⠀ head . the perfect epitome stands in front of lilith's eyes after all , she has no place for an argument to claim otherwise . besides , it is not only the little voice but lilith herself that reminds her acquaintance to stay away from neighbours yet it never seems to be listened by the other . and the current situation once again makes her notice why she does not like careless and drunk people around her .

breathing is no longer a reflex movement , it is something lilith forgets to do ever since the door is opened . her feet stuck on the floor , she stares blankly at the other two , whereas her inner self is giving a bloody battle . she is more than tempted to get rid of that annoying acquaintance but instead , finds her uttering “  fucking drunk idiot , ” before she simply takes a step ahead to approach the pair .

however , it just when she attempts such an act that she catches the words of the other . quite confuse , lilith is not even sure if she hears them right before she shrugs of the confusion .

wearing an apologetic smile , at least one that does not reflect her lack of sincerity , lilith places her hand on the shoulder of the drunken one before she harshly pulls him beside her . she sees him stumble on his own feet but does not even bother to help . she just gives her full attention to her mysterious neighbour .

“  i'm so sorry for bothering you at this time of the night . my friend ─  ” she pauses and flinches at the foreign title before she corrects herself , “  my acquaintance seems to mistake you with someone else . ”

she thinks the lie is simple and acceptable but the drunk idiot decides to break through it with another comment of his .

“  what are you saying , lilith ? you're the one who told me he makes the best drugs in keullu . ”

( . . . )

it happens all in slow-motion. 

it always does; the end of a race with all of its slow-flash of camera bulbs and engine smoke still clinging to skin. he hates it almost as much as he hates the rough clap on his shoulder of whatever benefactor has chosen to sponsor him tonight. 

he never smiles and the cameras give up eventually, flurry of hungry dogs at their feet over the scraps of victory they toss out to them at the end of every race. 

he hates it, hates it and needs to leave - 

an excuse appears in the form of the slight girl, sheepish grin ever-familiar and god, he’s tired, but he finds himself welcoming it. 

“and what did you do now, hm?” the exasperation in his voice is a norm, but he’s already slinging the spare helmet over her head and buckling it securely around her chin. 

he fits his own over his head and nudges the kickstand up of his motorcycle, flipping down the helmet’s visor. the engine is loud enough to turn heads, and he smiles behind the darkened screen. 

“what level of an emergency is this, hm? speeding out or shall we stop by to run someone over along the way?” 

─ ⠀⠀the ⠀⠀ saturnine ⠀⠀reflexion ⠀⠀of ⠀⠀ the ⠀⠀ trouble ⠀⠀ still ⠀⠀ rings ⠀⠀in ⠀⠀her ⠀⠀ears ⠀⠀as ⠀⠀she ⠀⠀ stands ⠀⠀ in ⠀⠀front ⠀⠀of ⠀⠀ her ⠀⠀ saviour . his question causes the side of her lips to curve up into a smirk before she offers him an innocent-looking shrug . is she the one that somehow manages to find predicament ? yes , definitely . however , it is not the best time to admit it aloud , not that she is someone to do so anyway . therefore , lilith just welcomes his kind act and allows him to fix the helmet on her head .

“  do i even look like someone , who wanders around to cause a mess ? ” she asks once the helmet is properly on her head , masking her face from curious eyes and from those , who push throughout the crowd to look for her . yet , her smile is still reflected in her words as she slinging her leg over the motorcycle to take her seat behind him .

she does not bother to ask for permission , as it is not the first time she so casually intrudes her way into his not so calm day . her hands resting on his shoulders she does not even pause to think about her answer .

“  you know , if i name our latest escape the most urgent one , this is just a level below it . so , we can run over a sponsor or two ,  no ? ” she asks , quite sure that the race was sponsored by a wretch , who will soon face his cruel fate due to not pleasing a client . at least , running over him will help the man to live a couple of days longer in hospital .

( . . . )

Sunwoo nodded and sat himself on the edge of the bench, keeping a safe amount of space between him and the kid. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to make the wrong assumptions about him. He wasn’t exactly a pure kinda guy but even he drew the line at children, for many things. He tried to keep his gaze on the park watching for his contact but he’d find his curiosity drawing his attention to the boy. 

Keullu was not a place to leave children unattended and he wondered what he was doing here all by himself. Some part of him perked, turning on his threat  detection and Sunwoo sat at a higher alert. It was possible he was a decoy for something else, some scam, an attempt to rob any unsuspecting rube who allowed themselves to stupidly get close to the boy. 

It was then that the boy spoke and Sunwoo looked at him properly for the first time. There was something in the bluntness of the question, something in the way he looked at him that felt familiar. He reminded Sunwoo of a young version of himself. But if that was because it turned out he was right and that being raised in Keullu tended to make you a certain type of child or not. 

Sunwoo laughed, a harsh barking sound but he couldn’t help it. “A bit of both?” He said. He narrowed his eyes at the boy, once more struck by how familiar he looked, something he couldn’t pin. “How old are you kid?” He asked. 

─ ⠀⠀dohan ⠀⠀ nodded ⠀⠀ his ⠀⠀ head ⠀⠀in ⠀⠀ a ⠀⠀similar ⠀⠀way ⠀⠀the ⠀⠀older ⠀⠀male ⠀⠀did . once again , missing the similarities both of them shared , he just focused on the statement the other uttered . it was not the first time dohan met people like him , growing up in keullu he witnessed quite a lot , more than any of his peers did . after all , in a way he was a runaway , a child that followed his aunt around to survive . so it was only natural for him to be and act mature , be aware of the sinful world around him .

and maybe , it was for the very same reason that his aunt allowed him to wander around without constraint . from the very young age of four , or was it three , he was taught how to run away and hide , how to use his small height for his own advantage . so , he was not scared of the man that seemed to be a lot dangerous than he appeared to be . hence , dohan continued the conversation and answered his question .

“  seems like you already have a guess in your mind , mister since you so easily called me a kid , ” he said in a sophisticated tone and a small smile on his lips . such that , one would believe he was older than his age . “  i'm five years old . ” he did not even pause , “  how about you ? ”

learning the other's age did not really have a benefit for him but dohan used it as a way to continue their conversation . after all , his aunt was nowhere to be seen and he had no idea how long he would wait for her . maybe , he had to call her . . .

( . . . )

There was a cacophony of voices swirling around the man’s head as he stalked the streets. Each one reminding him of how shortsighted and senseless he had been. Getting drunk in public was one thing, his alcoholism being a well-known fact was one thing, letting himself fall into such a wreck that some random good for nothing con artist had been able to steal from him was a mistake not able to be overlooked. No one could know that he’d slipped up. That the astute and wise second in command of Enigma had let himself become so inebriated that his fingers had been plucked right in front of his own eyes.

His steps echo along the streets, eyes scanning past and ignoring every figure that walks around him. None of them mattered right now, there was only one person he was interested in finding. Fingers balled into fists in his pockets which only made the loss of the ring all that much worse. Most of the anger came from the risk that was being posed. Every second longer Lilith had his ring made the likelihood of her telling someone about higher and word spread like a disease in Keullu. The streets speak and the city screams. It would reach Enigma itself within mere moments and Minho’s reputation would hang on a wire.

That anger all but boils over when sharp eyes finally fall on what he’d been looking for. Controlling himself enough to keep his steps quiet even as he bored into Lilith’s back. A shame really, he’d never been naturally inclined to violence. It wasn’t the easiest maneuver he’d ever put into practice, one foot stepping on the wheel of the vehicle as his left arm hoisted himself up and his right hand found itself rooted and tugging on Lilith’s hair, it was effective though. Dragging the girl’s head back just enough so that he could make eye contact. “I think you’ll be returning that now, sweetheart.”

─ ⠀⠀it ⠀⠀ was ⠀⠀ habitual ⠀⠀ at ⠀⠀this ⠀⠀time ⠀⠀of ⠀⠀ the ⠀⠀ night ⠀⠀to ⠀⠀build ⠀⠀defence ⠀⠀ in ⠀⠀the ⠀⠀ dark ⠀⠀ alleys ⠀⠀of ⠀⠀keullu . as the price of a mistake was often one's life or in a better day , a finger or two . so , lilith was mentally prepared for any possible attack but it did not mean that she was able to ignore the pain . the moment her hair was harshly tugged for her to look back , she actually guessed what was about to come . after all , minho was not one of the best man of enigma for no reason . it was a matter of time before he found her and lilith had to admit , he just did it sooner than she expected .

“  i've known to answer many names but sweetheart has never been one of them , ” she first corrected him , maybe a wrong decision to do so since the flames of anger in his eyes indicated that . yet , lilith was not someone to step back , not unless she had to wait for a better time to come back . at the very moment , on the other hand , she doubted she could just run away or fight against the other . she did know how to defense herself but throughout many identities , she went through , lilith learnt to choose her battles .

so there was no point in running away when she had the upper hand in the situation . after all , if the ring or his reputation was not important for him , minho would not bother to find her . would he kill her ? no , lilith doubted it as such act only would increase the suspicion in the gang . so , she wore the mask of unbothered person , lightly bit her inner cheek to ignore the pain of her hair before she talked to him again .

( . . . )

SHE  SUPPOSES  BEING  A  SOLEIL  GIRL  COMES  WITH  ITS  OWN  CHARM,           but  she  has  to  admit  she  fails  to  see  it  more  often  than  not.  it’s  a  confined  state  of  being,  a  golden  cage  that  is  somehow  still  a  prison,  and  mae  is  searching  for  a  key  still.

          part  of  her  has  grown  accustomed  to  it  though.  silk  bedsheets  changed  every  morning,  lavender  soap  and  room  service,  she  lives  like  a  princess  and  sometimes  she  even  dares  to  feel  like  one.  it’s  not  a  pretty  world  to  be  a  woman  in,  but  mae  finds  solace  in  the  other  girls  and  their  undeniable  strength,  unmatched  no  matter  the  challenge.  still,  most  of  them  she  keeps  at  a  safe  distance.  exceptions  are  of  course  always  made,  which  is  why  she  swings  open  her  door  so  readily.

          «  is  the  guest  you  or  that  bottle  ?  i  only  have  room  for  one,  »  she  jokingly  replies,  her  beam  directed  at  lilith  easily  giving  her  away.  the  truth  is;  no  matter  how  solitary  maeve  wishes  she  could  be,  there  is  always  going  to  be  that  part  of  her  searching  for  company.  she  has  found  that  lilith  fits  her  criteria  almost  perfectly.  she  moves  in  the  doorway  to  let  the  other  girl  in.

─ ⠀⠀lilith ⠀⠀busied ⠀⠀herself ⠀⠀ in ⠀⠀ front ⠀⠀of ⠀⠀ the ⠀⠀ door ⠀⠀ until ⠀⠀it ⠀⠀ was ⠀⠀opened ⠀⠀by ⠀⠀the ⠀⠀ only ⠀⠀person ⠀⠀she ⠀⠀ wished ⠀⠀to ⠀⠀ see ⠀⠀at ⠀⠀the ⠀⠀ very ⠀⠀moment . she was bored and quite done with the masculine threats thrown at her or the arguments started because of one of them . so she knew visiting a female friend might help her to see the calmer side of the dark keullu , especially when she was a good company like maeve . and she was more than glad to see she was not wrong .

the pleasantry wit of the other caused the side of her lips to move up into a smirk before she offered a light shrug ; “  too bad this bottle and i have one plus one deal, you have to take both of us . ” her statement was short and maybe not as humorous as it was supposed to be . yet , fortunately , maeve did not seem to have high expectations from her when it came to jokes .

walking inside once the silent permission was given , lilith abandoned her high heels by the door side to free her feet from the painful torture . she had never been a fan of those shoes , however , had to bear the pain in certain situations . in front of maeve , on the other hand , she was glad to be herself - that if she ever had such personality . by then , lilith got used to shape her identity based on her company's preferences, such that she was not even sure if the friendship she offered to maeve was something sincere or just another refined identity for the other .

it was not the perfect time to think about all of those .

Targeting: @klulilith

Sunwoo lifted a hand to shade his eyes from the sun, narrowing his eyes against the glare as he tipped his head back. It would have been an idyllic day in any other city. But not Keullu. No here the sky seemed wrong, not quite the right shade of blue, a shadow hanging over the city. Sunwoo had only learned that the city was different when he’d left. Italy had been soft and bright in ways that hurt his eyes. It was one of the few things he remembered about that trip, he’d been there on some unspecified business. Something he knew had helped push Enigma to where it was today but something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Who could really blame him though, despite his dislike of drugs he’d been quite drunk that trip. That had been who he was year ago though, business trips that were more like vacations. 

sitting on the familiar bench that he often met his aunt whenever she was late , dohan did not have much to keep himself occupied . he swang his feet and stared at nothing particularly , sat there for nearly twenty minutes before someone approach him . he was not dohan's aunt , a stranger the little boy probably had to be careful with . yet , he still found himself nodding his head and acknowledging the other's request to sit beside him .

too young to notice the speculative resemblance they shared , he , instead , kept his silence while waiting for the older male to sit . however , boredom seemed to switch on the curiosity in him and soon dohan found himself looking at the other with eyes that appeared too mature for his five year old face .

“  are you here to pay your debt or get it from your friend, sir ? ”